A real treasure from the Cali scene of the 70s – the one and only album from drummer Spider Webb – and a wicked batch of bass-heavy grooves throughout! Spider's drums are definitely great, and his offbeat vocals are completely charming, too – but the basslines are what really ... read moreCD
An overlooked treasure from Split Decision Band – a group whose one single issued back in the day has gone onto become a sought-after classic with funk and soul collectors! And yet besides that one famous single, these guys actually have a lot more to offer – an incredibly well-develope ... read moreCD
A beautiful album of free soul tracks – with a mixture of sweet 70s soul and slightly folksy rock, in a blend that's hard to describe, but really wonderful! We'd shelve this one next to Alzo & Udine, Ellen McIlwaine, Batteaux, and other obscure early 70s crossover artists who never made ... read moreCD
Standing Room Only —
Heart & Soul ... CD YGB/Everland (Austria), 1982. New Copy ...
$9.99
A sweet little funk record from the early 80s – recorded in the Virginia scene south of DC, and with a vibe that's totally wonderful all the way through! These guys are still a lot more live than most funk groups of the time – no beats or programmed bits here – and the group ... read moreCD
Legendary sounds from the Staple Singers – a set of albums for Stax Records that really helped push the group from the gospel folk underground into the soul music mainstream – and which also helped transform the rest of the scene in the process! The Staple Singers had recorded ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Mindblowing early work from The Staple Singers – six records that are quite different than their later fame on Stax Records during the 70s – and which have a vibe that's different too, yet equally powerful! There's a sublime mix of social politics and spiritual energy going on here ... read moreCD
A classic pre-soul album by The Staples – very different than their later secular work of the 70s, but every bit as excellent! The album was done in a folksy spirit for Riverside at the start of the 60s – and captures the group in very raw, stripped-down format – with just guitar ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Darn nice work from The Staple Singers – a record that seems to take the leaner, meaner sound learned by the group during their soundtrack years, and turn it back towards the fuller, more righteous sound of the Stax years! The album was recorded at Muscle Shoals, with very solid production ... read moreCD
The Staple Singers pick up a great Chicago soul groove – with production by Eugene Record and arrangements by Tom Tom Washington – all in a sound that's almost as if they'd left Stax Records and started to record for Brunswick! The groove's every bit as soaring and joyous as Record and ... read moreCD
The Staple Singers and Curtis Mayfield – working together here in a very Curtom groove! This great little set picks off where the group's work on the Let's Do It Again soundtrack left off – taking The Staples far past their Memphis sound of the Stax years, into a hipper, more adult ... read moreCD
A fantastic set from 70s South Africa – and a record that maybe has a lot more of an American funk vibe than you'd expect! The style is nice and lean, and is often in a mode that echoes some of the cooler underground disco of the late 70s on the east coast – almost as if these cuts ... (Global Grooves, Soul)read moreCD
A macho disco classic from the TK Records family of labels – in case you couldn't guess from the image on the cover! The drums are more pounding here than on the typical clubby record of the time – especially on the title track – and there's this nicely funky groove at most ... read moreCD
(Part of the TK Records – The Miami Sound Original Soul/Funk/Disco Collecion!)
Starpoint —
Keep On It ... CD Chocolate City/PTG (France), 1981. New Copy ...
$11.99
Excellent work from Starpoint – the kind of all-solid album that easily marks them as one of the most soulful groups of the boogie generation! There's a depth here that goes way beyond simple bass-heavy grooves for the dancefloor – a sound that picks a fair bit up from the Earth Wind ... read moreCD
Starpoint —
Starpoint ... CD Casablanca/PTG (Netherlands), 1980. New Copy ...
$11.99
Lean and grooving funk steeped soul from Starpoint – with more of a lively, Earth-based instrumental groove than some of the more drum machine and synth soaked albums that beamed out of the Starpoint spaceship later on in the 80s! This is their first album on Casablanca – a funky bit ... read moreCD
Starpoint —
Starpoint ... CD Casablanca/PTG (Netherlands), 1980. Used ...
$6.99
Lean and grooving funk steeped soul from Starpoint – with more of a lively, Earth-based instrumental groove than some of the more drum machine and synth soaked albums that beamed out of the Starpoint spaceship later on in the 80s! This is their first album on Casablanca – a funky bit ... read moreCD
Starpoint —
Wanting You ... CD Chocolate City/PTG (France), 1981. Used ...
$9.99
Massive work from Starpoint – the kind of all-great record that few other groups of their era could hope to match! The set's got way more going on than usual the usual 80s groove (although that's very firmly in place too) – and steps out with a tightness and sense of presence that ... read moreCD
17 tracks from one of Motown's biggest acts at the end of the 60s – featuring tunes for that label, as well as a few others from later years. The set goes past the obvious hits, and features some nice ones that often get overlooked – or which you'd normally have to find only on rare ... read moreCD
A new day for Candi Stanton – kicking off the 80s with a tighter grooving modern soul sound – and she nails it! Of course, Candi started as a sweet southern soul singer, hit big with her LA single "Young Hearts Run Free", and is here reinventing herself as a sophisticated ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A Capitol classic from Dakota Staton – and the record that made her a real leading lady at the label in the years before Nancy Wilson's rise! The set's got a wonderfully laidback feel that's in keeping with the title, yet it also swings nicely too – kind of a new level of soul in jazz ... (Vocalists, Soul)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Steven & Sterling —
One Magic Night ... CD RCA/PTG (Netherlands), 1982. New Copy ...
$11.99
A groovy little gem from early 80s RCA – a set that sparkles with the same sort of energy as the label's work with Keni Burke at the time! Steven & Sterling are a hip duo who trade vocals back and forth nicely – working over rhythms that are mellow and midtempo, often with a hip ... read moreCD
Cat Stevens —
Izitso ... CD A&M, 1977. Used ...
$11.99
Cat Stevens' most soulful moment! Long before he changed his name – and started setting his sights on Salman Rushdie – Cat Stevens decided to atone for the wrongdoings of previous A&M albums with this album! The record still contains a number of Cat's soporific folksy numbers ... (Rock, Soul)read moreCD
Totally commercial pop disco, but still a roller rink classic! The snob side of us never gave much time to these sort of albums, but there's an appeal to it we can't deny, even if it is just kind of nostalgic. Ear candy, but you could do a lot worse. With the huge hit title track, plus "Ligh ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Cover has some wear with a peeled spot from sticker removal.)
Rod Stewart steals from Jorge Ben – and gets the biggest hit of his career with this Brazilian funk-influenced disco tune that crossed over big! The single features a special disco mix by Jim Burgess. 12-inch, Vinyl record
A trio of second-period Sly Stone albums – all brought together in a single CD set! On Small Talk, Sly's still doing pretty nice for himself in 1974 – with a sound that's perhaps a bit warmer than on the early records, but still nice and soulful – and peppered with a good dose of ... read moreCD
That's a young Sly Stone on the cover – looking mighty slick, but not nearly as flashy as during the years of his bigger funk fame – which kind of sums up the excellent sound of this set! The collection features the earliest years of Sly Stone on record – a time long before The ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
The Stormers are a group who rose from the ashes of the legendary Lagos funk combo Aktion – and they step out here with a really storming sound that definitely earns them their name! The groove is funk of the tightest form possible – especially for the start of the 80s – and the ... (Global Grooves, Soul)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Rare Tap Recordings material from Jackie Stoudemire – including two tracks appearing here for the first time ever! Tap's singles are all pretty darn rare, and like most of the world, we first discovered Jackie's work on the Don't Stop compilation from Numero – which offered up rarities ... read moreCD
Stroke —
Stroke ... CD Mirage/FTG (France), 1985. Used ...
$9.99
The bass gets plenty of stroke on this mid 80s set – a record that hangs somewhere between 80s groove and Prince-era funk – but with a bit of quiet storm feel at times too! The tunes are pretty lean, not nearly as excessive as they could be – and often, a key instrumental element ... read moreCD
(Out of print.)
Tony Strong —
Philly Style ... CD Society Hill, 2020. New Copy ...
$11.9914.99
You may not know the name of Tony Strong – but the singer's been part of the Philly scene for years, and has worked in classic groups that include The Perfections, Blue Magic, Ebonys, and Intruders – as well as a reformed version of People's Choice! Tony brings all that experience to ... (Neo Soul, Soul)read moreCD
A bluesy update on the older style of Nolan Struck – a singer with more of a pedigree in soul, but who'd made a move to a more down-home style by the time of this set. Production is a bit modern, but still pretty strong – and there's a nice focus on Nolan's vocals, which have a well-cra ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Cover has a top left corner with waviness, stains and peeling.)
A rare set issued on a tiny label from Arkansas – but a set that's got all the charm, poise, and sparkle of some of the best deep soul on late 70s Columbia Records! Stuckey's got a touch of southern soul in his voice, with a sweet cracking sound – and that honest approach is mixed with ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Stuff —
Live Stuff ... LP Warner (Japan), 1978. New Copy (reissue)...
$29.99
A nice little live set from Stuff – one that's recorded in Tokyo, with a groove that's a bit more open than their better-known New York live album from a few years later! The sound's somewhat rougher than the Stuff studio sessions, but in a good way – one that shows that the combo can ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
An overlooked later moment from The Stylistics – proof that a great vocal group never gets old! The set has the quartet reinventing themselves for a new generation – recording for Arthur Baker's Streetwise Records, and getting production and arrangements from Maurice Starr – who ... read moreCD
Stylistics —
Special Style ... CD Streetwise/Octave (Japan), 1985. New Copy ...
$13.99
A whole new sound for The Stylistics – one that has the group working here with Maurice Starr in a sweet 80s street soul style! The approach is a surprisingly good one – and given that Starr's backings are always on the lighter side of the spectrum, the group's trademark harmonies are ... read moreCD
Stylistics —
Stylistics ... LP Avco, 1971. Very Good+ ...
Just Sold Out!
A masterpiece of harmony soul – one of THE all-time greats of the genre, and a lasting treasure from The Stylistics! The album really took vocal soul to a whole new level for the 70s – pushing from the sometimes fragile ballad style of the late 60s into a smoother, more mature sound ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A classic indie cooker from Sugar Billy – a bit funky, a bit clubby – and a really great batch of grooves done in a pre-disco mode! The tracks are all pretty darn upbeat – somewhat warmer than the funk of Fatback or Kool & The Gang, but still with a nicely rough-edged feel ... read moreCD
The greatest album to date from Sugarman 3 – one of the funkiest combos of the past 50 years! The group's organ/sax sound has never sounded so great – and it's pumped up even further here from some added guest instrumentation, including drums from Bernard Purdie, plus vocals on a ... (Deep Funk, Soul)read moreCD
Donna Summer's in the hands of 80s pop superproducers Stock/Aiken/Waterman this time around – and the trio give her music just the kind of catchy, bouncy feel of some of their bigger hits for other artists at the time! The approach is surprisingly strong for Summer, and almost returns her ... read moreCD
(30th Anniversary deluxe edition in a hard bound book with 2CDs of extra content!)
Bill Summers —
Feel The Heat ... CD Prestige/BGP (UK), 1977. New Copy ...
$8.9914.99
Masterful funky soul jazz from the mid 70s – and one of the best solo albums recorded by Headhunter Bill Summers – a sunny batch of Bay Area funk that really grooves with the best of Fantasy Records from the time! The set was produced by Skip Scarborough, and has that great bubbling, ... read moreCD
Masterful funky soul jazz from the mid 70s – and one of the best solo albums recorded by Headhunter Bill Summers – a sunny batch of Bay Area funk that really grooves with the best of Fantasy Records from the time! The set was produced by Skip Scarborough, and has that great bubbling, ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
The first-ever full length collection of work from Sun Palace – the enigmatic duo who cut some great underground club work on the early 80s New York scene! The set's broken into two halves – titled "Raw Movements" and "Rude Movements", after the famous instrumental ... read moreCD
Sunshine Terrace Swing Band —
Swing Disco ... LP Pickwick, 1976. Near Mint- ...
$4.99
Superb soul from The Superbs – a great group from the LA scene of the 60s – and one who never cracked the charts as much as their contemporaries! The group mixes a female voice in with the male harmonies – in a style that doesn't always have the female singer in the lead, but ... read moreCD
Funky soul covers from a host of hit blacksploitation films – played in fresh new versions by the mysterious Super Dudes! Most of the tracks here follow the originals pretty closely, but have some different elements that we really appreciate – slight changes in rhythms or ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Original pressing. Cover has some edge wear, with a small torn corner in the back paste-on.)
Two rare tracks recorded in New Orleans in the late 70s – both appearing here for the first time ever! "Freaky With You" is an extended ensemble funk number – riffing guitar with the groove, monstrous bass driving the train, and lots of offbeat vocals on the lyrics – ... read more12-inch, Vinyl record
Sublime soul from Superior Movement – an overlooked Chicago group of the 80s, but one that's every bit as wonderful as any of the bigger acts we can think of from the time! The group definitely put harmonies first in their music – and although the album's a bigger-label effort, the ... read moreCD
Supreme Jubilees —
It'll All Be Over ... CD S&K/Light In The Attic, 1980. New Copy ...
$6.9915.98
A gospel album from the end of the 70s, but a set that works equally well as a soul album too – thanks to the beautiful presentation of the grooves and the vocals! The vibe here is often laidback – more in a mellow Marvin Gaye sort of mode – surprisingly slinky and sexy for such ... (Gospel, Soul)read moreCD
Symphonic soul from The Supremes – a set that still has the trio working with the legendary Holland-Dozier-Holland team, but with a full set of orchestral backings that help them hit even more class and sophistication than before! The ballads have these really lush arrangements – never ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Groovy late 60s work from Diana Ross & The Supremes – a record that has them breaking the Motown mold a bit, and hooking up with a nice variety of modder soul and pop modes! Tracks on the set include a few Motown-penned numbers, but the trio also tackle hits like "Everyday ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
An overlooked moment of 70s genius from The Supremes – and from the great Jimmy Webb as well – given that the pop studio genius wrote, arranged, and produced the entire album! Jimmy had plenty of famous work under his belt by this point in time – including his famous ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
One of the biggest charting LPs by The Supremes – and one of the best, too! The girls are opening it up a bit here – getting in on some of The Miracles Go Go action of the period, and laying down tunes that have a bit more of a northern groove to them – relying a bit more on a ... read moreCD
Classier than usual for the girls – as they move over to Broadway for a set of tracks penned by the Rodgers & Hart team, done up in a smooth Motown style that was probably designed to crossover, but which did so less than some of their straighter soul work. Still, even though the idea's ... read moreCD
A follow-up to 1970s pairing of The Supremes and The Four Tops – titled The Magnificent Seven (hence the title on this one!) – and done in a very similar mode. Back in the Diana Ross days, the Supremes had paired up with The Temptations on 2 great sets – and now, at a time in the ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Great waves of sound here from Surface – a set that has the trio sounding even tighter and more fluid than ever – perfectly blending midtempo rhythms with their warm and sweet harmony vocals! The vibe's a bit classier than the usual mellow soul of the time – almost with a jazzy ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Includes the printed inner sleeve. Cover has edge wear and a promo stamp.)
Surprise —
Believe Me ... LP Beau Monde (France), 1983. New Copy ...
$29.99
A wicked bit of 80s electro soul – one that's heavy on Yamaha keyboards and beats, but which was also recorded in Gabon – which gives the whole record a very different sound than New York material of the time! The rhythms are definitely in the funky soul side of the spectrum, but have ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Mike & Brenda Sutton —
Don't Hold Back ... CD SAM/P-Vine (Japan), 1982. New Copy ...
$22.99
A great set of duet soul from Mike and Brenda Sutton – done very much in the best Ashford & Simpson mode of a few years before, and following a similar career path themselves – given that the Suttons had also written songs for bigger Motown acts in the 70s! There's a warm glow to ... read moreCD
An unusual session recorded by Swamp Dogg for Hi Records at the start of the 70s – a bit more polished and less full-on nasty than some of the usual Dogg grooves from the 70s, but still with plenty of that heavy Jerry Williams groove at the bottom! The album's got a nice tightness that we ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
One of Swamp Dogg's roughest and rawest albums of the 70s – a real down-home affair that's probably one of the clearest expressions of what Jerry Williams was trying to do with his character! The album was produced by Jerry in collaboration with Miami soul maestro Steve Alaimo – and ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
An obscure group from the Michigan scene of the 70s – but one who work with a breezy vibe that feels a lot more like some of the Bay Area material we know from the time! These guys bring together a bit of jazz, touches of folk, and even some Brazilian currents – all in a mode that's ... (Vocalists, Soul)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
An obscure group from the Michigan scene of the 70s – but one who work with a breezy vibe that feels a lot more like some of the Bay Area material we know from the time! These guys bring together a bit of jazz, touches of folk, and even some Brazilian currents – all in a mode that's ... (Vocalists, Soul)read moreCD
Switch —
Switch II ... CD Motown/PTG (Netherlands), 1979. New Copy ...
$11.99
Quite possibly the best album ever from Ohio funky soul combo Switch – and certainly proof that the hope of Motown in the 80s was in ensemble group funk! This second album holds up really well, and thanks to some sweet production by Bobby DeBarge and Jermaine Jackson, the record's got a warm ... read moreCD
One of the last records Switch recorded before Philip Ingram went solo, and the rest of the guys broke off into DeBarge – and an album with some surprisingly sweet soul moments! The funky side of Switch is still stringly in place, but this record has some great little ballads ballads too ... read moreCD
The only album ever issued by Sylk – a southern group with a sound that's tight, but never too slick – nicely indie from production to conception, and very different than other mainstream soul records from the time! The record's part of the great underground tradition of homegrown soul ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
The only album ever issued by Sylk – a southern group with a sound that's tight, but never too slick – nicely indie from production to conception, and very different than other mainstream soul records from the time! The record's part of the great underground tradition of homegrown soul ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A polished bit of LA soul, with lots of jazz players (Fred Jackson, Dorothy Ashby, Bobby Bryant) in the arrangements, and a number of smooth uptempo tracks that don't really make it as well as they might in the hands of another artist. Tracks include "Time", "I Choose You", ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A totally charming record from the wonderful Foster Sylvers – a set recorded back in the days when he was just a kiddie soul phenomenon in the Michael Jackson mode – with some great support from his sisters Pat and Angie! The set's got some of the same blend of sweet soul and sharper ... read moreCD
Sylvester —
Step II ... LP Fantasy, 1978. Very Good+ ...
$6.99
Probably Sylvester's biggest album for Fantasy – and for good reason too! The set pushes onto the dancefloor a bit more than before – often with some slight keyboard touches that hint at the Patrick Cowley years, but with none of the coldness of those records at all. The great Harvey ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Two mid 90s grooves from this underground British duo – one who were maybe more inspired by the early sounds of Detroit techno than Chicago house – but who also work here with a wonderful way of fusing the best of both! "Daylight" has a warm glow and lean groove – ... (New Grooves, Soul)read more12-inch, Vinyl record
(Comes with a bonus zine – like other Melodies International releases!)
A late 80s electro gem from Ben Tankard – a real multi-instrumentalist here, making best use of the digital technology of the time to serve up a smooth blend of jazzy fusion, funk, and soul! Ben plays most of the instruments here – midi keyboards, wind controllers, guitar synth, drum ... (Jazz, Soul)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Howard Tate is one of the most overlooked soul singers of the late 60's – and this is his only album from that decade! Part of the problem was probably that he recorded for Verve, a label that didn't really put its soul catalog that well (even though the label cut some excellent uptown sides ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Cover has light wear, a cutout hole, and some light stains on back.)
Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers —
Find My Way Back ... CD Charly/Motorcity (UK), 1990. Used ...
$9.99
A surprising reunion for Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers – part of the late 80s run of Motorcity titles that offered new recordings of famous Motown artists! The set's definitely different than Bobby's work from the group in the 60s, but still pretty great – and Taylor's lead has ... read moreCD
Killer work from Johnnie Taylor – from the amazing period in which he reinvented himself as one of the bigger selling smooth soul acts of the 70s! Johnnie got his start as a solo act at Stax, churning out some great raw bluesy tunes that earned him more than a few hit records – but ... read moreCD
Pure greatness from Johnnie Taylor – two Columbia Records releases back to back on a single CD! First up is She's Killing Me, an obscure 7 track EP from Johnnie Taylor – almost a 12" single, but with more than enough going on to make us think of it as a full album! Johnnie's in ... read moreCD