A treasure box of early 60s R&B 45s – a top shelf collection of singles cut for the King & Federal labels from 1960 to 1964 – amazing numbers from Hank Ballard, Freddy King, The Drivers, Little Bobby Moore, Willie Dixon & The Big Wheels, Johnny Guitar Watson, Carol Ford, Little Willie John and more. Early 60s soul and rollicking R&B sides to rival the best and most exciting sounds of the era – compiled by DJ Mr Fine Wine, most of which have never been reissued before now! Includes "Gibble Gobble" by Willie Wright & His Sparklers, "Broadway" by Hank Ballard, "What Makes You So Cold" by Lulu Reed, "My Nerves" by Little Willie John, "The Slummer The Slum" by The 5 Royales, "I Don't Know About You" by Lloyd Nolan, "Where You At Jack" by Little Mummy,, "That's It Man" by The Valentines, "Mind Your Own Business" by Eugene Church, "Regardless" by Charles Brown,, "Texas Oil" by Freddie King", "One Zippy Zam" by Roy Mildton & His Orchestra, "Mom, Won't You Teach Me To Monkey" by Little Emmett Suttoon, "Hog Killin Time" by Eddie Kirk and more. CD

A deep deep dig into the vaults of King/Federal Records – initial home to James Brown and a host of other R&B acts in the 50s – lots of whom are featured here! The collection includes many tracks never reissued before – all hand-picked by vintage 45 expert Mr Fine Wine, and laid out at a level that's both fresher than most King Records collections – and most of the 50s R&B sets we know as well! Fine Wine comes at the project almost with a "roots of funk" approach – which means that there's loads of unusual rhythms, weird cultural hybrids, and raw pre-soul vocals over the top – a killer range of cuts that include "Space Guitar" by Young John Watson, "Bossa Nova & Grits" by Little Joe Washington, "The Way You Do" by Jimmy Nolen, "Good Mambo Tonight" by Wynonie Harris, "Somewhere Down The Line" by Little Jimmy Scott, "You Can't Hide" by Lula Reed & Freddie King, "Back On The Block" by Sam Anderson & The Telstars, "Same Old Thing" by Amos Milburn, "You're Lower Than A Mole" by Camille Howard, "Be Bop Wino" by The Lamplighters, "Cherry Wine" by Little Esther, and "Stop Knockin" by Juanita Nixon. CD

A treasure box of early 60s R&B 45s – a top shelf collection of singles cut for the King & Federal labels from 1960 to 1964 – amazing numbers from Hank Ballard, Freddy King, The Drivers, Little Bobby Moore, Willie Dixon & The Big Wheels, Johnny Guitar Watson, Carol Ford, Little Willie John and more. Early 60s soul and rollicking R&B sides to rival the best and most exciting sounds of the era – compiled by DJ Mr Fine Wine, most of which have never been reissued before now! Includes "Gibble Gobble" by Willie Wright & His Sparklers, "Broadway" by Hank Ballard, "What Makes You So Cold" by Lulu Reed, "My Nerves" by Little Willie John, "The Slummer The Slum" by The 5 Royales, "I Don't Know About You" by Lloyd Nolan, "Where You At Jack" by Little Mummy,, "That's It Man" by The Valentines, "Mind Your Own Business" by Eugene Church, "Regardless" by Charles Brown,, "Texas Oil" by Freddie King", "One Zippy Zam" by Roy Mildton & His Orchestra, "Mom, Won't You Teach Me To Monkey" by Little Emmett Suttoon, "Hog Killin Time" by Eddie Kirk and more. CD

Think you know the sound of Atlantic Records in the 60s? Think again – because this stunning series opens the vault to a huge amount of rare treasures from the legendary label! The package is amazing – and offers up rare tracks that were mostly only issued by Atlantic on singles – including some on the other imprints associated with the company – some by names we never even knew recorded for the label, others by bigger names, but represented here by obscure material that goes way past their hits – and which is ultra cool because of that. There's also a fair bit more deep soul than you might expect from the usual Atlantic mix – tremendous vocals, and often in less hit-heavy modes – which makes the whole thing a great revelation – and just one more reason to bow down and give even more expect to one of the key companies who helped soul music find a home in the 60s. Plus – as if that's not enough – the whole thing comes in a very cool 7" gatefold package – which emphasizes the from-singles nature of the collection. Volume 3 is overflowing with amazing sounds from the heart of the 60s – rare 45rpm tracks by Atlantic stars, Stax artists, and a few lesser-knowns too. Titles include "Hello Stranger" by The Capitols, "Help Me (parts 1 & 2)" by Ray Sharpe, "Long Distance Love" by Ted Taylor, "Lonely Soldier" by Mike Williams, "How Can You Babysit A Man" by Ned Towns, "Keep Looking" by Solomon Bourke, "I'm Sorry" by Fred Lowrey, "Please Uncle Sam" by The Charmels, "Share What You Got" by William Bell, "Reputation" by The Four Shells, "Me & My Baby" by Mary Wells, "Got No One" by The Delcardos, "Weak Spot" by Ruby Johnson, "Good Love Bad Love" by Eddie Floyd, "Bingo" by Ned Towns, "I Had A Dream" by Johnny Taylor, "I Can't Take It" by Ray Sharpe, "You Can't Love Them All" by The Drifters, "Believe It Or Not" by Rex Garvin & The Mighty Cravers, "Patch My Heart" by The Mad Lads, "She's The One I Love" by The Delcardos, "Find Me Somebody" by Bobby Womack, "Hello Stranger" by The Capitols, "So Much Love" by Ben E King, "Help The Bear" by Ted Taylor, and "I Feel A Sin Coming On" by Solomon Burke. (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

Music from Bo Diddley, The Platters, Ruth Brown And Her Rhythmakers, The Teenagers Featuring Frankie Lymon, The Ernie Freeman Combo, The Teen Queens, Howlin' Wolf, Bobby Mitchell, Ray Charles, The Moonglows, Little Richard And His Band, James Brown With The Famous Flames, Fats Domino, Clyde McPhatter, and more - 30 songs in all. (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

A great package – with 85 vintage singles from King Records, plus some interesting spoken bits by label boss Syd Nathan. 36 page booklet, too! CD

Think you know the sound of Atlantic Records in the 60s? Think again – because this stunning series opens the vault to a huge amount of rare treasures from the legendary label! The package is amazing – and offers up rare tracks that were mostly only issued by Atlantic on singles – including some on the other imprints associated with the company – some by names we never even knew recorded for the label, others by bigger names, but represented here by obscure material that goes way past their hits – and which is ultra cool because of that. There's also a fair bit more deep soul than you might expect from the usual Atlantic mix – tremendous vocals, and often in less hit-heavy modes – which makes the whole thing a great revelation – and just one more reason to bow down and give even more expect to one of the key companies who helped soul music find a home in the 60s. Plus – as if that's not enough – the whole thing comes in a very cool 7" gatefold package – which emphasizes the from-singles nature of the collection. Volume 4 is filled with 50 rare tracks – loads of uncommon Atlantic singles, including some from their 50s partners – with cuts that include "Bye Bye Baby" by Ella Washington, "Sleep Good Tonight" by Sam & Dave, "What Am I Gonna Do" by Dee Dee Sharp, "Book Of Memories" by Percy Wiggins, "I've Got That Feelin" by Darrell Banks, "Let's Go Steady" by Arthur Conley, "Let Me Down Slow" by Bobby Wilson, "These Simple Reasons" by The Mad Lads, "Cool Pearl" by The Capitols, "Happiness" by The Ambassadors, "That Man Of Mine" by Jean & The Darlings, "One Plus One" by William Bell, "Left Over Love" by Mable John, "Get Down" by Harvey Scales & The Seven Sounds, "All On A Sunny Day" by Deon Jackson, "Sentimental Reasons" by Percy Wiggins, "Feels Good" by Bobby Wilson, "Bigger & Better" by Mable John, "I'll Be Loving You" by Soul Brothers Six, "Greasy Spoon" by Rufus Thomas, "Don't Say Maybe Baby" by The Capitols, "I'm So Proud Of My Baby" by The Ambassadors, "She Knows What To Do For Me" by Ben E King, "I Gotta Have My Baby's Love" by Sir Mack Rice, "Loveitis" by Harvey Scales, "Love Comes & Goes" by Arthur Conley, "The Grass Always Seems Greener" by Ella Washington, and "Behind Every Great Man There's A Woman" by Percy Sledge. (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

Stirring sounds from the start of the 60s – all pulled from that magical moment when soul was first coming into place – brought together out of different strands of grooves that were rumbling around in the 50s! The set mixes R&B, vocal group, and even a bit of pop – but all with a sound that's plenty soulful throughout – and really uncovers some lesser-known gems in the process! These Outta Sight collections are always great for Northern Soul – and this one shows the roots of the genre – and really illustrates the way that so many 21st Century collectors are turning back to the generation before Motown. Titles include "I Say Hello" by Jimmy Breedlove, "Darling I Know Now" by The Mystics, "Because Of You" by The Dreamers, "Boss Bossa Nova" by Bellino, "Summertime" by Barbara D'Orleans, "Hi Fi Baby" by Teddy McRae, "Humdinger" by Little Marie Allen, "Please Don't Go" by Johnny Acey, "Baby Oh Baby" by The Shells, "Oh What A Fool" by Big Jay McNeeley, and "I Walk On" by Little Tommy & The Elgins. (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

(Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

With music from Buster Brown, Jimmy Jones, Dee Clark, Ray Bryant, Irma Thomas, Etta James, Bobby Marchan, The Shirelles, Marv Johnson, Gary U.S. Bonds, Sugar Pie DeSanto, and many more – 31 tracks in all! (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

A massive tribute to the genius of soul in the Windy City – a wonderful compilation that really gets at the special sound Chicago brought into play during the early years of soul! The set is filled with key cuts from the Chi-town scene of the time – some of them lesser-known that the famous hits always associated with our hometown – and beautifully selected to really capture a moment when soul music was first starting to come together as a style! You can definitely hear roots from Chicago blues, gospel, and R&B in the cuts – but they're definitely all soul, all the way through – a killer batch of nuggets that manages to offer up fresh bits from some big names, and uncover some great cuts by some less familiar folks. The package features full track-by-track notes on the tunes by Bill Dahl – and titles include "Tragic" by The Sheppards, "At The Party "by Wade Flemons, "Hi Diddley Dee Dum Dum" By The Dells, "Tell Him" by The Drew-Vels, "I've Got A Girl" by Major Lance, "Senorita I Love You" by The Impressions, "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" by Don & Bob, "My Heart Cries" by Etta & Harvey, "Isle Of Sirens" by Jerry Butler, "Enchanted Garden" by The Accents, "You've Got A Great Love" by The Chanteurs, "Father Knows Best" by The Radiants, "Let Em Try" by Rosco Gordon, "Behind The Curtains" by Jan Bradley, and "Puppy Love" by Barbara Lewis. (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

A storming mix of R&B, early soul, and rare rockers – all hand-picked by the famous team of Keb Darge and Little Edith! We first knew Keb as an expert in raw funk over 20 years ago – back at a time when few DJs cared about the style – and you can definitely hear Keb's funk-trained ears at work here – as the tunes are all plenty raw and filled with sharp edges – way way different than any mainstream assumptions you might have about rock or soul from this time! The vibe is similar to some of the best Cramps-fueled compilations, or some of the hipper Norton titles – and titles include "Get Whiz" by The Dazzlers, "Jam & Jelly" by The Col-Lee Jets, "Shis Kebab" by The Black Albinos, "Dance Franny Dance" by The Floyd Dakil Combo, "Nervous Breakdown" by Gregory Dee & The Avanties, "Steady With Betty" by Benny Joy, "Please Give Me Something" by Bill Allen & The Back Beats, and "The Shake" by George Fleming. CD

A massive tribute to the genius of soul in the Windy City – a wonderful compilation that really gets at the special sound Chicago brought into play during the early years of soul! The set is filled with key cuts from the Chi-town scene of the time – some of them lesser-known that the famous hits always associated with our hometown – and beautifully selected to really capture a moment when soul music was first starting to come together as a style! You can definitely hear roots from Chicago blues, gospel, and R&B in the cuts – but they're definitely all soul, all the way through – a killer batch of nuggets that manages to offer up fresh bits from some big names, and uncover some great cuts by some less familiar folks. The package features full track-by-track notes on the tunes by Bill Dahl – and titles include "Tragic" by The Sheppards, "At The Party "by Wade Flemons, "Hi Diddley Dee Dum Dum" By The Dells, "Tell Him" by The Drew-Vels, "I've Got A Girl" by Major Lance, "Senorita I Love You" by The Impressions, "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" by Don & Bob, "My Heart Cries" by Etta & Harvey, "Isle Of Sirens" by Jerry Butler, "Enchanted Garden" by The Accents, "You've Got A Great Love" by The Chanteurs, "Father Knows Best" by The Radiants, "Let Em Try" by Rosco Gordon, "Behind The Curtains" by Jan Bradley, and "Puppy Love" by Barbara Lewis. (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

Fantastic work from the UK soul scene – music from a time when some of the bigger names overseas were starting to grab interest on US charts, but were only the tip of the iceberg next to some of the overlooked artists on this set! If you dig the sounds of Loose Ends, Soul II Soul, and Mica Paris, you'll find plenty to love here – as the set's overflowing with 80s and 90s-styled soul tracks that make great use of beats and more contemporary production in a great way – almost bringing back a more organic approach in the music, at a time when American R&B could come off sounding a bit too stiff or commercial. And we'll be honest in saying that although we were scouring the racks for imports during this generation, there's plenty of cuts here that are still new to our ears – a superb set list that includes "Straight to The Top" by Purely Fizzycal, "Passion" by Taffy, "Hold Your Head Up" by Weekend In Paris, "Don't Touch "by Cavalier, "Coming Back" by Bovel, "What You Do For Me" by Pure Silk, "Take Me There" by Marcelle Moncrieffe, "Life (club mix)" by Sam, and "Step By Step" by Kofi. CD

Storming old school R&B, simmering southern soul, stirring gospel soul, and some tender balladry – prime ingredients of some of the best material ever recorded by the incalculably iconic Aretha Franklin! This great collection of tracks cut in the 50s & 60s for Atlantic, Duke, Coral, Scepter, Savoy, Roulette, Mercury and other labels is easily imaginable as the source of inspiration and influence of the Queen Of Soul. Includes tracks by pivotal singers and soul stars, and some lesser known (but hardly lesser in quality) numbers – each and every one top notch and worthy of any conscientious collector of prime soul, and most importantly, it all works well together in the set, sequenced thoughtfully with a deep depth of styles. 24 tracks in all: "Respect" by Otis Redding, "The House That Jack Built" by Thelma Jones, "Sit Down And Cry" by Jean Walls, "Soulville" by Dinah Washington, "Try A Little Tenderness" by Little Miss Cornshucks, "Prove It" by Mary Wheeler, "Let Me Me In your Life" by Bill Withers, The Day Is Past And Gone" by Clara Wind and much more – with notes on each track in the nicely done booklet. (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

An incredibly cool collection – one that offers up all sorts of weird and wonderful soul music covers of mainstream mellow 70s hits – new versions of the famous tunes that pull them strongly over to the world of R&B, often with results that are better than the original versions! The set is both a great demonstration of how much soul there was lurking in the original AOR productions of the mid 70s, and how strongly those currents could be unlocked even more in the right hands – as you'll hear in these sublime takes on tunes by Hall & Oates, Toto, Seals & Crofts, The Doobie Brothers, and other 70s pop giants. Titles include "Dirty Work" by Pointer Sisters, "Minute By Minute" by Peabo Bryson, "Georgie Porgy" by Side Effect, "He's Gone" by Dee Dee Bridgewater, "Summer Breeze" by Main Ingredient, "Lazy Nina" by Greg Phillinganes, "In The Way" by Brothers Johnson, "This Is It" by Millie Jackson, "Takin It To The Streets" by Quincy Jones, "I Hope You'll Be Very Unhappy Without Me" by Tavares, "God Only Knows" by Betty Lavette, "Let Em In" by Billy Paul, and "A Love Of Your Own" by The Ebonys. CD

Bluesy sounds, with plenty of soul – a really special mix of modes that follows strongly in the spirit of Kent Records' other "new breed" compilations! The music here isn't really R&B, but it isn't 60s soul either – and instead has a cool mix of soulful rhythms with ruffer touches on the vocals, sax lines, and guitar – the kind of sounds we've always dug from King Records in their heyday, but which are pulled here from a variety of different labels! Most numbers are obscure indie singles from the first half of the 60s – and as usual with Kent, they're compiled with top-notch sound, and stellar notes that really illuminate the material – in a manner that's way better than those public domain sets on the market these days. Titles include "The Twitch" by Danny White, "Cruel World" by Roosevelt Powers, "Lucky Girl" by Joan Duvalle, "Breaking Hearts" by Varetta & The Thomases, "Let Me Know" by Robbie Lee, "Playboy" by Billy Ray, "Real Real Love" by Ray Agee, "What Did I Do Wrong" by The Ovations, "I Can't Even Enjoy My Home" by Big Charley & The Domans, "Something Funny Is Going On" by Bertha Tillman, and "Bossman" by Deane Hawley. (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

Not really blues, but not really soul either – a wonderful mix of modes that's come to be known as the popcorn sound of the early 60s! The style's hardly "pop" at all – and instead, these tunes are plenty gritty throughout – more like numbers you'd hear blasting out of a backroom jukebox, or on the decks of some deep soul DJ dedicated to serving up a rough-edged groove! Lots of these numbers might be called post-R&B – as they still have some of the styles of the 50s, mixed with the tighter punch of the newborn soul sound – and the set's a wonderful illustration of this magical moment in music, finally getting some credit after all these years. CD features loads of tracks we'd never heard before – and titles include "Don't Knock It" by Sinner Strong, "You Lied" by Marva Josie, "Mr Lonely" by Freddie North, "When You See Me Hurt" by Carl Lester & The Show Stoppers, "Well I Done Got Over It" by Bobby Mitchell, "I'm Comin Home" by Bobby John, "I Ain't Talkin" by Pat Hunt, "This Little Lester" by James Wayne, "Why Oh Why" by Austin Taylor, "Rockin Bed" by Valerie Carr, and "I'm Hurted" by Mamie Perry. (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

Sammy Davis Jr is looking pretty darn hip on the cover – and all the artists inside are sounding pretty darn hip as well – coming together during the glory days of soul jazz, at a time when blues, vocals, and R&B were also criss-crossing into other styles too! There's an upbeat, soul-drenched, ultra-cool vibe to the whole thing – not too-familiar retro jazz numbers, but instead a wealth of rare cuts that often come from the sort of 7" singles that change hands for big money in the funky 45 underground, next to obscure album cuts too – mixed with the kind of unreleased material that the Ace/Kent label has always done such a good job of digging up! The package explodes with groovy musical delights – and titles include "What Is love" by Bobby Jenkins, "Out House" by Eddie Bridges & His Lowriders, "Empire City" by Gene Walker & The Combo, "Pushin The Button Of Soul" by Hank Jacobs, "Fat Man" by Montego Joe, "The Bold" by Russell Evans & The Nite Hawks, "Hey Mrs Jones" by Jimmy Witherspoon, "Poppa Nickel" by The Tempo Rhythms, "Sherry's Party" by Ray Johnson, "Hot Tamale Man" by Harold Betters, "Shank & Grits" by Ray Shanklin, "Pluckin" by Jimmy Mayes & The Soul Breed, "East 24th Ave" by Billy Graham & The Escalators, and "Do The Thing" by Gate Wesley. CD

The very first album from Coxone Dodd – the start of a huge legacy that ran into classic Studio One Records productions of the 60s and 70s, and which started with this initial album of early Jamaican grooves! There's plenty of jazz in the mix here – freer-flowing solos than you'd hear in Jamaican music a few years later – especially on the saxophone lines, which seem to get strong solo space in both the vocal and instrumental cuts! The music has some strong currents of American R&B at points, particularly the jazzier west coast variety – but the rhythms are already clearly the sound of Kingston, and really give the music a unique appeal. Titles include "Campus Hop" by Dennis Sindrey & Rico, "Beeston Street Riff" by Clue J & His Blues Blasters, "I Done You Wrong" by Simms & Robinson, "Freedom" by Clancey Eccles, "Donna" by Blues Busters, "I Was Wrong" by Winston Samuel, "Rub Up" by Dennis Sindrey & City Clickers, and "Little Willie" by Aubrey Adams & Blues Blasters. (Reggae, Funky Compilations) CD