The Meters are struttin plenty here – stepping out with those hard, tight New Orleans grooves that practically changed the way funk sounded in the 60s – and which had a huge impact on the sound of so many other groups in the decade to come! The approach here is wonderfully lean – whomping rhythms, bubbling Hammond organ, and scratchy guitar work – all used in a nicely spare, understated way – very different than the fuller New Orleans sound of their later records – and very much the kind of energy of the funky 45 underground! The whole thing is fantastic – all great cuts, all the way through – given sharp edges through the production work of Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn, on titles that include "Same Old Thing", "Joog", "Chicken Strut", "Liver Splash", "Hand Clapping Song", "Hey Last Minute", "Tippi-Toes", and "Ride Your Pony". A bucket of breaks in every track! LP, Vinyl record album

The Meters are struttin plenty here – stepping out with those hard, tight New Orleans grooves that practically changed the way funk sounded in the 60s – and which had a huge impact on the sound of so many other groups in the decade to come! The approach here is wonderfully lean – whomping rhythms, bubbling Hammond organ, and scratchy guitar work – all used in a nicely spare, understated way – very different than the fuller New Orleans sound of their later records – and very much the kind of energy of the funky 45 underground! The whole thing is fantastic – all great cuts, all the way through – given sharp edges through the production work of Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn, on titles that include "Same Old Thing", "Joog", "Chicken Strut", "Liver Splash", "Hand Clapping Song", "Hey Last Minute", "Tippi-Toes", and "Ride Your Pony". A bucket of breaks in every track! CD features 2 previously unissued cuts – "Funky Meters' Soul" and "Meter Strut"! CD

A sweet Cali set from The Meters – one that loses a bit of their rougher roots, yet still holds onto plenty of funk at the same time! By the mid 70s, the New Orleans soul sound had broken out of the underground, was residing happily in mainstream LA. Allen Toussaint already produced a bucketful of albums for Warner Brothers, and The Meters themselves are working in a crossover territory that has them touring with the Rolling Stones and hitting a whole new range of college-type audiences. The group's smoothed things out considerably, but still manages to funk nicely at the best moments – in a warmer way than during the Josie Records years, but still with a groove that's much deeper than most of their contemporaries. Titles are a much a "trick bag" as the title – with a cover of Earl King's "Trick Bag" that features guest vocals by Earl, a remake of "(Doodle Loop) The World is a Little Bit Under the Weather", one of their best from the Josie days, a cover of "Honky Tonk Woman", which we can only assume was played on tour with The Stones – plus the original cuts "Chug A Lug", "Mister Moon", and "Find Yourself". Includes the bonus tracks "Love The One You're With", "What More Can I Do?", "Down By The River", "Come Together" & "Big Chief". CD

The harmony vocal stylings of the Mighty Diamonds are given a New Orleans funk tinge by the production team of Allen Toussaint and Marshall Seehorn. The set includes New Orleans classics like "Get Out Of My Life Woman" and "Sneakin Sally Through The Alley", plus other nice ones like "Cat O Nine", "Coming Through", and "Back Weh Mafia". (Reggae, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty great anthology of recordings by New Orleans vocal legend Aaron Neville produced by Allen Toussaint – one CD featuring great early work from Aaron, singles from his early days recording for the Minit label on one disc – and some great, badly overlooked Sansu recordings from the late 60s and right on up to the mid 70s, leading to the formation of the Neville Brothers group! We've long loved the early 60s Minit recordings, which range from little regional R&B numbers, to really beautiful ballady numbers with Crescent City piano and Aaron's uniquely soulful phrasing. The Sansu sessions are just as great and more stylistcally varied, with organ-drenched southern soul numbers, many in a slower grooving style that really makes beautiful use of Aaron's voice – which had matured greatly by this point! Minit tracks include "Over You", "Sweet Little Mama", "Don't Cry", "Let's Live", "I've Done It Again", "Ticks Of The Clock", "Humdinger", "Don't Cry", "Wrong Number (I'm Sorry, Goodbye)", "For Every Boy There's A Girl" and many more, plus 7 bonus alternate takes. Sansu sessions include "You Can Give But You Can't Take", "All These Things", "The Greatest Love", "Performance", "She's On My Mind", "Baby, I'm A Want You", "Speak To Me", "All These Things" and many more, plus 8 bonus tracks from the period. 47 tracks on 2CDs! CD

Excellent work from the second half of Aaron Neville's career – when he was recording in a more modern style for the Sansu team of Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn. Funk fans will dig the classic "Hercules", as well as the dark ballad "Make Me Strong", which has a great piano/drum intro. Other titles include "Wild Flower", "Speak To Me", "She's On My Mind", "Mojo Hannah", "Been So Wrong", "The Greatest Love", "All These Things", and "Struttin On Sunday". There's a few cheesy spots, but with 18 tracks and a low price, there's more than enough nice bits! CD

The fantastic debut of The Pointer Sisters – an album that's a lot deeper than most of their crossover pop from years to come! At the time of the album's release, the trio were a badass group of female singers on the Bay Area scene – out to redefine the role of the girl group in soul – working not only with righteous power that was a real change from modes of the 60s – but also this trans-temporal quality that had them reaching back with ease for references from decades past, which also includes a surprising amount of jazz! The highlight here is the group's classic funky break version of Allen Toussaint's "Yes We Can Can" – and other titles include "Naked Food", "Wang Dang Doodle", "Sugar", "Pains & Tears", "Jada", "River Boulevard", and "Cloudburst". CD

The fantastic debut of The Pointer Sisters – an album that's a lot deeper than most of their crossover pop from years to come! At the time of the album's release, the trio were a badass group of female singers on the Bay Area scene – out to redefine the role of the girl group in soul – working not only with righteous power that was a real change from modes of the 60s – but also this trans-temporal quality that had them reaching back with ease for references from decades past, which also includes a surprising amount of jazz! The highlight here is the group's classic funky break version of Allen Toussaint's "Yes We Can Can" – and other titles include "Naked Food", "Wang Dang Doodle", "Sugar", "Pains & Tears", "Jada", "River Boulevard", and "Cloudburst". LP, Vinyl record album

Two early albums from this legendary group – back to back in a single set! First up is the self-titled Pointer Sisters – the group's debut, and an album that's a lot deeper than most of their crossover pop from years to come! At the time of the album's release, the trio were a badass group of female singers on the Bay Area scene – out to redefine the role of the girl group in soul – working not only with righteous power that was a real change from modes of the 60s – but also this trans-temporal quality that had them reaching back with ease for references from decades past, which also includes a surprising amount of jazz! The highlight here is the group's classic funky break version of Allen Toussaint's "Yes We Can Can" – and other titles include "Naked Food", "Wang Dang Doodle", "Sugar", "Pains & Tears", "Jada", "River Boulevard", and "Cloudburst". That's A Plenty is a wonderfully retro-styled set from the Pointer Sisters – one that has the group singing in a variety of older jazz modes, but which also mixes in a nice dose of heavy funk as well! The format's an odd one, but very typical of the group's genre-blending style – of the sort that first got them noticed strongly in the early 70s, then helped them bridge out to a wide variety of audiences later in the decade. Styles include bop, swing, and even a bit of trad jazz – plus some bluesier funk on the best numbers – and the album features an incredible 8 minute version of "Love In Them There Hills", done in a sweet 70s electric style! Other tracks include "Grinning In Your Face", "Little Pony", "Fairytale", "Black Coffee", "Shaky Flat Blues", and "That's A Plenty/Surfeit USA". CD

Features work with The Clowns, Bobby Marchan, and Frankie Ford too! Musicians include Dr John, Allen Toussaint, James Booker, Alvin Tyler, and Earl Palmer. CD

A rawly beautiful set from Mavis Staples – produced by Jeff Tweedy, and we think it's her best of the past decade! There's a roomy, lived in vibe that's achingly effective on this one – the core group is her road band, with additional players including Tweedy, Patrick Sansone, Mark Greenberg, Richard Parenti, and the angelic backing vocals of Kelly Hogan and Nora O'Connor. Includes a pair of new originals written for Mavis by Jeff Tweedy – the soulful and spirited "You Are Not Alone" and the sly, swaggery "Only The Lord Knows" – plus roosty soul reworkings of traditionals "In Christ There Is No East Or West", "Creep Along Moses" and "Wonderful Savoir", the Roebuck Staples gems "Don't Knock" and "Downward Road, Allen Toussaint's "Last Train", the Rev. Gary Davis penned "I Belong To The Band" and more. CD

A great slice of New Orleans soul from the 70s – a record that replicates the "Indian" culture in the Mardi Gras scene – and which is most notable for featuring work by The Meters as well! The groove here is kind of Meters-styled funk, mixed with some fuller New Orleans mode – as the core Wild Tchoupitoulas group get a nice kick at the core – which makes their lyrics and calls come off even better than in a live setting! The album also gets kickass production from Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn – and is one of the crowning funk jewels in Toussaint's crown for the 70s. Tracks include "Brother John", "Indian Red", "Hey Hey", "Hey Mama", "Meet De Boys On The Battlefront", and a version of "Hey Pocky Way". CD

A great slice of New Orleans soul from the 70s – a record that replicates the "Indian" culture in the Mardi Gras scene – and which is most notable for featuring work by The Meters as well! The groove here is kind of Meters-styled funk, mixed with some fuller New Orleans mode – as the core Wild Tchoupitoulas group get a nice kick at the core – which makes their lyrics and calls come off even better than in a live setting! The album also gets kickass production from Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn – and is one of the crowning funk jewels in Toussaint's crown for the 70s. Tracks include "Brother John", "Indian Red", "Hey Hey", "Hey Mama", "Meet De Boys On The Battlefront", and a version of "Hey Pocky Way". LP, Vinyl record album

A huge package of work from a time when the Jewel/Paula label was a strong force in underground soul – an imprint whose home base was down in Louisiana, but who also had a reach that went up to the Windy City as well! The material here is on the deeper side of the spectrum – some New Orleans modes mixed with other southern soul styles – often recorded with nicely earthy production that really makes the singers come across at their best! Titles include "I Can't Stand To See You Go" by Joe Valentine, "Messed Around & Fell In Love" by Ricky Allen, "Nothing Takes The Place Of You" by Toussaint McCall, "What Is Love" by Jimmy Dobbins, "Cover Me" by Ted Taylor, I Want Everyone To Know" by Fontella Bass, "My Baby's Gone" by Wallace Brothers, "You've Got Me Tamed" by Clay Hammond, "Loosen These Pains & Let Me Go" by Albert Washington, "We Got A Good Thing Going" by Roscoe Robinson, and "Sweet Little Woman" by McKindley Sandifer. CD

Featuring performances by Allen Toussaint, Irma Thomas, Earl King, Lee Dorsey, Ernie K Doe, Robert Parker, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Professor Longhair! LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Allen Toussaint, Dr John, Irma Thomas, Davell Crawford, Buckwheat Zydeco, Dr Michael White, The Wild Magnolias, Eddie Bo, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Carol Fran, and more. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD