Incredible early work from Brenda & The Tabulations – one of the best male/female soul groups of their era, yet one that's often sadly overlooked! This album will more than display why the group are so great – as they have a unique quality that's soft and sweet, yet also deeply soulful at the same time – making full use of the lead vocals of Brenda Payton, but supporting them with some rich male harmony backings from the rest of the Tabulations. And although the one gal, three guy format is one used by Ruby & The Romantics and Gladys Knight & The Pips, Brenda's take on the format is quite different – more like female soul outright, with some guy soul touches – and often done in a heartbreaking east coast harmony mode! Titles include the group's big early hit "Dry Your Eyes", plus other good originals like "The Wash", "Just Once in a Lifetime", and "Hey Boy". Also with "Stay Together Young Lovers", and "Who's Lovin You" – plus a wonderful remake of "God Only Knows". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic heartbreaking soul from Brenda Holloway – one of the weepiest early records on Motown, as you might guess from the title! The style here is almost more New York uptown than Detroit at times – a fair bit like Maxine Brown with its mix of strength and fragility on the vocals, and scored by the Davis/Gordon team with a subtle sense of drama. Strings step in on most numbers, but never in a sleepy way – and there's plenty of nicely stepping tunes here that maintain a good sense of Motown rhythm, even in mellower moments. Titles include "Sad Song", "I've Been Good To You", "Every Little Bit Hurts", "Too Proud To Cry", "A Favor For A Girl", "Suddenly", "You Can Depend On Me", and "Can I". LP, Vinyl record album

(Gospel, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

With classics by The Miracles, The Marvelettes, Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells, The Miracles, Stevie Wonder, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Brenda Holloway, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Four Tops, The Temptations, Jimmy Ruffin, Jr Walker & The All Stars, The Originals, Commodores, Smokey Robinson, Rick James, Dazz Band, Jermaine Jackson, and Lionel Richie. LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Temptations, Brenda Holloway, Four Tops, Mary Wells, The Contours, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Stevie Wonder, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, and Barrett Strong. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic explosion of funk, soul, and club – put together at a level that may well even top the first Supafunkanova collection! As before, the cuts here are all super-rare and obscure – but all kick heavy ass when it comes to tight rhythms and catchy clubby grooves – never straight disco or mainstream boogie – but borrowing plenty from the mainstream to turn out cuts with a really raw, underground vibe! There's a slight touch of hip hop in the mix – more that old school skating mode – and the whole thing definitely shows Joey's decades in cutting great cuts for the dancefloor – and his big love of the best groups from the hinterlands. 2LP set features the titles "Drive Me Insane" by Airplay, "Betcha Got A Dude On The Side" by Star Quality & Class, "Cool Out" by Magnum Force, "Spunk In The Funk" by Blue Denim Band, "Walk" by Sam Culley Band, "Sound Reason (Joey Negro edit)" by Splash, "Making Love Will Keep You Fit" by Brenda Harris, "Let's Get High" by Nice & Tight Band, "Easton Assassin" by Sunburst Band, and "Super Stimulus" by Stimulus. (Funky Compilations, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A bit late in Rodney's classic years for Columbia, but still pretty darn nice – although certainly much more of a soul album than before! A fair number of the tracks here have standout lyrics – sung by Brenda Russell, Philip Ingram, Frank Musker, and even Franklin himself – but the keyboards still dominate pretty strongly, and include the mix of electric and acoustic modes that always made Rodney's albums nice. The keys show a definite influence of 80s technology, as does the production – which is shared by Franklin and Michel Colombier – and titles include "Motion", "Broken Wings", "It Takes Two", "My Wish", "The Eagle & The Condor", and "Look What's Showing Through". (Jazz, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

This one was kind of Motown's answer to the Wattstax albums – a double live set, recorded in Chicago during the Push Expo, headed by Jesse Jackson. The tracks here are more of a mixed bag than some of those on the deeper soul Wattstax albums, but there are some nice moments overall, buried in the large mix of music and artists – many of whom didn't normally record for Motown. The tunes are familiar, but they're presented here in some nicely different live takes. Titles include "Lean On Me" by Bill Withers, "Country Preacher" by Cannonball Adderley, "This Child Of Mine" by Zulema, "Everybody Plays The Fool" by Main Ingredient, "Give Me Your Love" by Curtis Mayfield, "I've Gotta Be Me" by Sammy Davis Jr, "I Wanna Be Where You Are" by The Jackson 5, "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye, "Close To You" by Jerry Butler & Brenda Lee Eager, "On A Clear Day/Killer Joe" by Roberta Flack & Quincy Jones, and "Sunshine" by The O'Jays. Also features some dialogue by Jesse Jackson. LP, Vinyl record album