One of THE electric blues records of the 60s – a seminal set by Albert King that was probably blasted out of more college dorm rooms than southside juke joints, but which still more than deserves its due! The set was recorded by Stax with a nice raw sound – guitar very much upfront, but also set amidst arrangements that have a bit more soul than the average Chicago blues session from the same time. The set features a number of originals by Stax regulars like Booker T and David Porter – and titles include "The Hunter", "Born Under A Bad Sign", "Crosscut Saw", "Down Don't Bother Me", "Laundromat Blues", and "Personal Manager". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

William Bell was one of the singers who first helped the Stax label get going at the start of the 60s – but during the second chapter of Stax, when they broke from Atlantic, his contributions were maybe even more amazing – as his voice had matured wonderfully, and he was able to handle a range of sensitive themes that went even farther than before! The music here is southern soul at its most mature and sophisticated – heartbreaking vocals, but moving past some of the more oft-tread territory of the 60s – as Bell rose in pride and power during the new generation of Stax, with results that are completely sublime throughout! This side of his work isn't nearly as well-known as the first, but is even better to our ears – presented in a string of singles, both a and b-sides, with detailed notes on this really special period in his career. Titles include "I Forgot To Be Your Lover", "Happy", "Born Under A Bad Sign", "A Smile Can't Hide A Broken Heart", "Lonely Soldier", "Let Me Ride", "Save Us", "All For The Love Of A Woman", "The Man In The Street", "Penny For Your Thoughts", "Get It While It's Hot", "Nobody Walks Away From Love Unhurt", "Getting What You Want", "You've Got The Kind Of Love I Need", "If You Really Love Him", "Lovin On Borrowed Time", "Bring The Curtain Down", and "My Whole World Is Falling Down". CD

Much mellower than the previous duet effort from Booker T & Priscilla Jones – a set that almost echoes Book's Memphis roots, but in ways that are different than the familiar soul of Stax! There's lots of sweet organ lines in the instrumentation – but they're played with a style that's often a bit rougher, almost more gospel-influenced than we're used to hearing from Booker – a beautiful mix for the spare vocal approach used on most of the record – a definite "home grown" sound that has Book and Priscilla singing in an intimate way that's really great. If you've ever doubted Booker's departure from The MGs, this record's well worth checking out – as he's definitely moved into a hip new space of his own – one that has some extremely haunting qualities at times. Titles include "Color Your Mama", "Save Us From Ourselves", "Maggies Farm", "Muddy Road", "The Sequence", and "Born Under a Bad Sign". LP, Vinyl record album

A great Motown album from Chris Clark – one of the few white singers ever signed to the label, and a great vocalist at that! Chris has a sound that's quite unique – halfway between Motown soul and some of the soul-inspired pop of the time – particularly that of UK singers like Dusty Springfield and some of her generation. There's a proud, bold sound here – all Motown in the backings, and often done with the kind of tightly-stepping grooves that have made some of Chris' singles big ones on the Northern Soul scene over the years. Titles include "I Want To Go Back There Again", "Day By Day Or Never", "From Head To Toe", "Sweeter As The Days Go By", "Born To Love You Baby", "Love's Gone Bad", and "Whisper You Love Me Boy". LP, Vinyl record album

Three rare albums from The Foundations – plus a heck of a lot of bonus material too, including solo work by singer Clem Curtis! First up is the From The Foundations album, in both mono and stereo – fantastic early work from this UK group – one who have a wonderful way of blending together elements from soul and rock, in a soaring style that made them a hit on both sides of the Atlantic! Lead singer Clem Curtis is fantastic – with this raspy charm that wins us over right out of the box – a very human, honest quality that brings a hell of a lot of life to the catchy tunes of the group! Titles include "Baby Now That I've Found You", "Hold Me Just A Little While Longer", "Mr Personality Man", "Show Me", "Jerking The Dog", "Writings On The Wall", and "Love Is A Five Letter Word". Next is the album Digging The Foundations – great second album, and one that's got the group working with a really strong batch of unusual material, and sounding every bit as great as before with their new lead singer Colin Young! At times, there's maybe even more of a soul vibe than before – and Young's got this really appealing style that works well with the stepping groove of the group – almost a maturation of the sorts of soul rhythms that were playing big on the Carolina scene, taken into headier territory! Titles include "Solomon Grundy", "That Same Old Feeling", "In The Bad Bad Old Days", "Till Night Brought Day", "Waiting On The Shores Of Nowhere", and "A Walk Through The Trees". Next is the live album Rocking The Foundations – a set that was never fully issued in the US, as only a few of the tracks were thrown on a Uni album. All 12 tracks are here – including "Stop Her On Sight", "Back On My Feet Again", "Love Is All Right", "Harlem Shuffle", "We Are Happy People", "Am I Grooving You", and "Tomorrow". PLUS, 3CD set features lots more bonus tracks – singles that include "Build Me Up Buttercup", "Harlem Shuffle", "Born To Live Born To Die", "Who Am I", "Take A Girl Like You", "In The Beginning", "We Are Happy People", "A New Direction", "It's All Right", "Why Did You Cry", and "Where The Fire Burns". Also features more live material, plus 5 solo tracks by Clem Curtis – and 2 tracks by Colin Young with The New Foundations! 75 tracks in all – and filled with notes on the group and lots of cool vintage images. CD

Most folks know The Foundations for one big crossover hit that still gets a lot of oldies radio play – but the group have a heck of a lot more to offer than that, as you'll hear in this wonderful collection that not only features all their 7" single releases from the UK, but also includes later solo material from the group's lead singer, Clem Curtis! The group were initially a bunch of British lads inspired by the sound of Motown, and they hooked up with Curtis, a singer from Trinidad – who really gave them the sound they wanted in the lead, and helped further the important identity of the group as a mixed-race act. Their sound is wonderfully tight – kind of a small group take on the larger studio majesty of Detroit soul – but with some nice British touches too, and a great sense of songwriting that gave the group plenty of original material along the way – a good deal of which you'll hear on this set. The 2CD package features 39 single tracks by The Foundations – including "Back On My Feet Again", "Come On Back To Me", "I Can Take Or Leave Your Loving", "Am I Grooving You", "New Direction", "Jerking The Dog", "Baby Now That I've Found You", "In The Bad Bad Old Days", "Born To Live Born To Die", "Solomon Grundy", "Till Night Brought Day", "Waiting On The Shores Of Nowhere", and "Build Me Up Buttercup". Also includes mid 70s solo work by Clem Curtis – five more tracks that include "Point Of No Return", "Time Alone Will Tell", "Mountain Over The Hill", and "I've Never Found A Girl". CD

Albert King teams up with Allen Toussaint for a sweet set of soul-drenched blues! The record's a bit warmer than some of King's earlier work, but Toussaint's presence makes for a nice edge at times – as does work by a host of New Orleans musicians who include Wardell Quezergue on electric piano, George Porter on bass, Leo Nocentelli on guitar, and even Toussaint on additional keys. Some tracks are straighter King-styled blues – but others carry nice Crescent City echoes in their chunkier rhythms. Titles include a funky cover of "Get Out Of My Life Woman" – plus "Flat Tire", "This Feeling", "I Got The Blues", "We All Wanna Boogie", "Born Under A Bad Sign", and "I Get Evil". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Just when you thought New Orleans couldn't get any funkier – in rolls volume 3 of this excellent series! The overall sound here is much more in the 70s funk mode than previous volumes – still nice and chunky on the rhythms, and in a definite New Orleans groove – but done with a style that's a bit badder and more righteous than the 60s – making for a really killer set overall! The set also really pushes past the obvious, and includes some totally great tunes that were either never released, or which only saw the light of day as small singles back in the day. Titles include "Funky Birthday" by Bobby McLaughlin, "My Mind Keeps Playing Tricks On Me" by Larry Hamilton, "You Don't Know How To Turn Me On" by Decon John, "The Bump" by Tyrone Chestnut with the Funky Moon Band, "Reborn" by Marilyn Barbarin, "Love Power" by The Barons, "Just Love Me" by Sam Henry, and "Superjock" by Reuben Bell. 15 cuts in all – a few by unknown singers! (Funky Compilations, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album