... CD

Fantastic work from Archie Bell & The Drells – an important record that bridges their earlier and later sounds! It's a key transitional album for the crew – as most of the album's in the harder rawer Texas funk groove of earlier year, but some of it features newer production by Gamble & Huff, in that excellent smooth dancing style that took Archie light years from his roots. The Gamble & Huff tracks are the most obvious – the singles "I Can't Stop Dancing" and "Do The Choo Choo" – and the album's got other great cuts like the original tunes "Do You Feel It?", "You're Such A Beautiful Child", "Jammin In Houston", and "Love Will Rain On You", plus versions of Curtis Mayfield's "I've Been Trying" and "Sometimes I Wonder". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "For The Last Time", "Let's Part As Friends", "I've Got A Problem", "Our First Blues Song", and "24 Hours A Day". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... CD

... CD

Featuring Snoop Dogg! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Includes "Duke of Earl", "Nite Owl", "Tear for Tear", "You Threw a Lucky Punch", "Rainbow", "Man's Temptation", "Think Nothing About It", "Just Be True", "Bless Our Love", "What Now?", "You Can't Hurt Me No More", "Nothing Can Stop Me", "(Gonna Be) Good Times", "I Fooled You This Time", "Girl Don't Care", "To Be a Lover", "There Goes the Lover", "Groovy Situation", "Get Down", and "Does She Have a Friend for Me". CD

A really obscure soul trio from the New Jersey scene of the 70s – and one who've got a nicely rough-edged approach to their harmonies! The record's definitely in the grittier side of the scene – more funky 45 production overall, and a nice current of funk on the record at times too – mixed with some of the mellower sweet soul styles that Jersey groups were delivering at the time! The approach is a bit like a more streamlined approach to territory that Soul Generation were hitting at the time – and titles include "Trespassin", "I Can't Take No Chances", "Crying Shame", "Love For My Girl", "Taking All The Love I Can", "I Caught You Cheating", and "Birth Of A Playboy". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Damn great work from Albert Collins – one of those hard-edged gems from the early days that's a lot more funk than his later blues! Sure, there's still plenty of blues here – but the rhythms are pretty funky too, and the album's got some great raw production from Bill Hall – free from any of the blues cliches that were creeping into other artists work from mainstream attention – and still cooked up with a really gritty edge overall! Titles include the funky monsters "Doin My Thing" and "Do The Sissy" – plus "Collins Mix", "Trunin On", "Stump Poker", "Let's Get It Together Again", and "Left Overs". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

The debut album from Tyrone Davis – a supreme achievement for the Chicago soul scene of the late 60s, and a record with a sound that would set the standard for years to come! Tyrone had been bumping around as a blusier singer before this set – but here, working with arrangements by Don Myrick and Willie Henderson, he gets a sound that's sweet and soaring – taking a rough-spirited soul, and recasting it in a sweeter sound for the 70s. Tyrone's not lapsing into bluesy cliches here, and instead keeps things wonderfully soulful by hitting a loping groove that picks up his beat and gives the songs a nice lilt. You can hear this to best effect on the title track "Can I Change My Mind", but all tracks are great – including "She's Looking Good", "Call On Me", "Open The Door To Your Heart", and "Have You Ever Wondered Why?". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic mellow soul from Tyrone Davis – a great reminder that his vocals were still some of the burningest in 70s soul – sounding especially great in a record like this! Side one of the album's especially great – an all-mellow side that almost acts like some mini-suite of love songs, with a slinky, sexy, late nite sound! Side two picks up the groove a bit, but never too much – and Davis' warmly crackling vocals come through with a tremendous amount of feeling, even amidst clubby rhythms. Leo Graham produced, and arrangements are by Tom Tom, Gil Askey, and James Mack – on tracks that include "Can't You Tell It's Me", "Be With Me", "Heart Failure", "Burnin Up", "Love You Forever", and "Really Gonna Miss You". LP, Vinyl record album

A late 70s gem from Tyrone's years on Columbia Records – one that shows both sides of his talents for the label! The set starts out with an extended clubby groover called "Get On Up (Disco)" – a bumping sort of number that's clearly trying to push him into Johnnie Taylor territory, and which comes off surprisingly well. But even better are the rest of the tracks on the set – which update Tyrone's older Brunswick sound with a smoother, more sophisticated sort of style – still recorded in Chicago, and with some southern soul traces – but usually done in a warmer midtempo groove, with excellent lead vocals and great backing from The Haywood Sisters. Titles include "It's You It's You", "Bunky", "All I Ever Need", "I Can't Go On This Way", and "Can't Help But Say". LP, Vinyl record album

A nicely complicated little record – and one of the funkiest albums on the legendary Invictus label! The 8th Day group was a loosely-conceived batch of Detroit soul talents designed to cash in on a concept of the Holland-Dozier-Holland team – and they weren't just a studio project, as they included some wonderful talents that could make some great music when they wanted to! One of these was the amazing Detroit organist Lyman Woodard – who contributed the fantastic track "Cheba" to the album, an incredible organ groover that's unlike anything you've ever heard, rolling on with this pinched Hammond sound over congas, all-instrumental, and completely seductive! Another was Melvin Davis, who had recorded the song "Good Book" as a solo artist – but which was released here as if it was by the group. There's also a great guitarist in the group – unnamed due to the lack of liner notes – but who really shines on the funky tracks "Anythang", "Rocks In My Head", and "Heaven Is There To Guide Us", all with a fuzzed-out Detroit 70s groove! CD features the bonus tracks "Just As Long (single)", "I'm Worried (single)", "It's Instrumental To Be Free", and "You Made Me Over". CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

The start of a very successful run for Gloria Gaynor – a seminal bit of crossover 70s soul – one that perfectly linked the dancefloor with the airwaves, and managed to take on more than a few living rooms as well! Gloria's not entirely in full blown disco-diva mode yet, and works here with a soaring Philly-styled groove – of the sort you'd hear with groups like First Choice or Three Degrees – almost grounded a bit in earlier female soul, especially in the vocals and overall changes in the grooves – yet sparkled up plenty with some fuller, richer 70s arrangements. Those are handled by Norman Harris and Harold Wheeler – who do plenty to warm up the production by Meco – and the set includes the stunning 6 minute version of Gloria's big hit "Never Can Say Goodbye", plus "All I Need Is Your Sweet Lovin", "We Belong Together", "Real Good People", "Honey Bee", and "Reach Out I'll Be There". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Sparks And Dreams", "Critiques", "You Used To Be So Pure", "Can't You Take It Standing Up?", and "Blind Men Go Flying". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunner! Al Green returns to the glorious, exuberant soul brilliance of the Hi Records years for his Blue Note debut – an amazing return to form that we could kick ourselves for not anticipating! Al Green asserted long, long ago that he had no intention of ever making another secular soul album – and God bless Rev. Green for turning around on that. Of course we wouldn't try to tell you that anything on I Can't Stop is as revelatory as "I'm Still In Love With You" or "Let's Stay Together", but a lot of it comes pretty damn close, believe or not. Al's voice has held up almost unbelievably well over the years, having picked up just enough rough edges to make Willie Mitchell's wonderfully tight, smooth and heavy Memphis soul arrangements that much more striking, but still hitting those knee-shaking high notes and that famous vibrato. And yes, you read the previous sentence correctly – the legendary Willie Mitchell's back in Al's corner for the set – and his horn-drenched Memphis sound is as big and beautiful as ever. If projects like this are going to characterize how Blue Note is going to spend all of that Norah Jones money, we should nominate that girl for president next time. Let's hope Al and Willie live up to the title and keep on going after this one. Another classic from one of the greatest artist/producer teams in the history of modern music! 12 tracks in all, including "I Can't Stop", "Play To Win", "Rainin' In My Heart", "You", "Not Tonight", "Million To One", "Too Many" and more. CD

The only full album from Johnny Ace – a key figure in the Memphis scene of the 50s, and one of the first great casualties of rock and roll! Johnny was one of the first singers to record for the legendary Duke label, and worked in a mode that helped transform the smoother style of the west coast postwar R&B singers into a rougher, rawer mode that would pave the way for Memphis soul in years to come. And although Johnny died a tragic early death (and partially because of it), the impact of his work was tremendous, even in the few short years for which he recorded for Duke – leading to countless posthumous collections, mostly illegitimate, which often presented Johnny's work in less-than-superior conditions. This set is still the best – and features 12 tracks that Ace recorded for the Duke label. Titles include "How Can You Be So Mean", "My Song", "The Clock", "Cross My Heart", "Anymore", "Don't You Know", "Saving My Love For You", "So Lonely", and "Pledging My Love". LP, Vinyl record album

AWB's first for Atlantic – and a nice slice of funk that proves that they can mix it up with the best groups of the 70s! The record's got plenty of sweet electric keyboards over smooth funky basslines – and as the years go by, the band's white boy vocals don't sound nearly as bad as we remember them. And besides, when they play their instruments so nicely – how can you hold the singing against them? Includes the killer classic "Pick Up The Pieces", sampled more times than we can remember – plus "You Got It", "Just Wanna Love You Tonight", "Person To Person", and a nice remake of the Isley Brothers' "Work To Do". LP, Vinyl record album

If you need to own one album by Average White Band, this is it! The album features the band at their funky best – playing hard and chopping away with a strong crossover sound that put them firmly on the map during the early 70s. Loads of tight rolling basslines and hard drums – all produced with that polished funky sound that was the band's stock-in-trade during the big chart years! The record includes their funky classic "School Boy Crush", still a sampling favorite – plus loads of other nice moments, like "If I Ever Lose This Heaven", "Cloudy", "High Flyin Woman", and the hit title cut "Cut The Cake". CD features bonus single mixes of "If I Ever Lose This Heaven" and "How Sweet Can You Get". CD

Ben E King joins the Average White Band for this sweet 70s set – a killer record that not only stands as one of King's best efforts of the decade, but one that also gives the group a great new frontman! Ben's not the only singer on the record, but his presence here can definitely be felt – deepening up the grooves nicely, and giving the already-great AWB sound an even more badass feel! Titles include the classic "Star In The Ghetto", a funky remake of "What Is Soul", an earlier hit for King – plus "Keepin It To Myself", "Imagine", "Someday We'll All Be Free", "Get It Up For Love", and "The Message". CD features bonus tracks – original single versions of "Star In The Ghetto" and "Get It Up For Love". CD

One of Roy Ayers' best-remembered albums of the 70s – a sublime blend of mellow numbers and some of his more club-oriented grooves of the time – all wrapped together with a genius that we can only describe as Ayers-like! The album's a beautiful example of the balance that Roy was striking in his work at the time – because alongside some of the more upbeat, catchy numbers, there's other tracks that are a fair bit more laidback, and almost abstract at times – a wonderful extrapolation of that sensitive Ayers blend of jazz and soul, with key emphasis on the vibes and keyboards. Titles include the massive groover "Running Away" – which you'll recognize from a key sample history over the years – and club cuts "Cincinnati Growl", "Fruit", "Sanctified Feeling", and "Stranded In The Jungle" – plus the more laidback cuts "Gotta Find A Lover", "I Still Love You", "Lifeline", and "This Side Of Sunshine". LP, Vinyl record album

The genius of Roy Ayers knows no end – and as this set of unreleased work from the 70s proves, Roy was always working at top form back in the day – even above and beyond his classic albums from the time! The grooves here are tremendous – funky, soulful, jazzy, and every bit as wonderful as the work that Roy did for his classic albums on Polydor – and in a way, the whole set's even tighter and heavier than any of Roy's full LPs, because it's a distillation of his sound from the time, hand-picked from the vaults with an ear towards the kind of timeless grooves that have been a huge influence on many worlds of music for years! You've never heard any of these tunes before, but we can promise you'll love them every bit as much as Roy's tracks on albums like Coffy, Vibrations, Mystic Voyage, and other classics – and the quality of the set only further pushes our jaw-dropping respect for the man! Titles include "Holiday", "Kwajilori", "I Am Your Mind (part 2)", "Touch Of Class", "Third Time", "Come To Me", "Wide Open", "Funk In The Hole", "Liquid Love", "Tarzan", "Sunshine (demo)", and "I Like The Way You Do It To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Two Latin funk classics – back to back in a single set! First up is the self-titled Azteca album – a crowning moment for the west coast Latin scene in the 70s – a wonderful Bay Area set that brings together some of the best talents working on that scene at the time! The set's got a great blend of modes – Latin soul, touches of funk, and plenty of the jazzy inflections you'd expect from a lineup that includes Coke Escovedo on timbales, Paul Jackson on bass, Lenny White on drums, George Muribus on Fender Rhodes, Tom Harrell on trumpet, and Victor Pantoja on congas! Vocals are by Pete Escovedo – who brings in a heady soulful sound to the set – and the vibe is a bit like work by Malo or El Chicano, but even more jazz-based overall! Titles include "Peace Everybody", "Empty Prophet", "Can't Take The Funk Out Of Me", "Azteca", "Ah! Ah!", and "Mamita Linda". Next is Pyramid Of The Moon – a really special record from a really special group – one of two sublime 70s gems from Azteca – a wicked blend of jazz, funk, Latin, and soul – all put together by a young Coke Escovedo! Coke's ostensibly the leader of the group, but there's also a richly collaborative feel going on – a style that brings together jazz players like Tom Harrell on trumpet, Mel Martin on saxes, George Muribus on Fender Rhodes, and Flip Nunez on organ – and Latin players like Victor Pantoja on congas, Coke Escovedo on timbales, and Pete Escovedo on added percussion. In fact, the set's a key early example of the strength of the Escovedo family – and like their best later efforts, the set really stretches out and pushes the boundaries of conventional genres. There's also some great guest work from Lenny White on drums, Mike Nock on keyboards, and Neal Schon on guitars – and vocals are by a range of singers who really keep things fresh. Titles include "Red Onions", "Mazatlan", "Whatcha Gonna Do", "Mexicana, Mexicana", and "Love Is A Stranger". (Latin, Soul) CD

A landmark debut from the mighty Erykah Badu – a record that really set the world on fire when it first appeared – and which continues to blow our minds all these many years later! There's a simple, straightforward grace to the album that comes through immediately – as Erykah tries to forge new ground for soul music, but does it by taking a few steps backwards – not into retro modes, but more in a way that focuses on the core vocal, songcraft, and right instrumentation that can make a special soul record such a standout. She does a great job of both avoiding easy commercial paths, or some of the temptations to embrace other then-contemporary genres – which has made the work of some of her colleagues seem a bit dated. The record defines a whole new style of expression – "Baduizm", if you will – one in which Erykah sings with a depth that stretches back through a century's worth of jazz, soul, and gospel influences – but works a groove in a stripped-down and forward-thinking mode that sets the pace for countless Neo Soul singers to come! Titles include "Certainly (Flipped It)", "Next Lifetime (radio)", "On & On", "Appletree", "No Love", "4 Leaf Clover", and "Sometimes (mix #9)". (Neo Soul, Soul) CD

A millennial classic from Erykah Badu – a record that came along right as the current century was starting up, to show a soulful path that would keep things strong for many years to come! The album grabbed a bigger audience than Erykah's first, but still kept things strong – really focusing in on that amazing vocal style that made the singer such a unique talent – and which always had edges that were sharper, and runs that were deeper, than some of her contemporaries who might be able to trick a phrase with a bit of spirit, but never deliver the whole thing in the way that Badu can! Themes are both personal and hinting at her political turns to come – and titles include "Kiss Me On My Neck", "Didn't Cha Know", "My Life", "AD 2000", "Bag Lady", "In Love With You", and "Booty". (Neo Soul, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A trio of solo albums from Phillip Bailey – presented here with bonus material too! First up is Continuation – an 80s soul classic from Philip Bailey – stepping out here from Earth Wind & Fire in a set that has him sparkling strongly as a solo act! The vocals still have that trademark Bailey sound – a wonderful range that's never overdone, and which seems to shine especially well on the mellow and midtempo tunes in the set! Production is by George Duke, who does a lot to preserve the jazzier warmth of Bailey's previous settings – and although there's a bit more crossover potential here, the sound is still never too commercial or aimed at the charts. Titles include "It's Our Time", "Trapped", "I Know", "I'm Waitin For Your Love", "Desire", "The Good Guy's Supposed To Get The Girls", and "Your Boyfriend's Back". Next is Chinese Wall – a big breakthrough for Philip Bailey – and a record that was kind of a second-level explosion for the Earth Wind & Fire sound in the 80s! There's a definite crossover feel to the record – a style that takes Bailey's soulful vocals, and mixes them with lots of catchy hooks – in ways that push the Kalimba aesthetic even more into mainstream modes. Yet the album's still got some solid soul grounding, too – thanks to arrangements by Tom Tom and Arif Mardin – which is a nice contrast to the production by Phil Collins, who also guests on the hit "Easy Lover". Other cuts include "Time Is A Woman", "Go", "Walking On The Chinese Wall", "Photogenic Memory", "I Go Crazy", and "Children Of The Ghetto". Last is Inside Out – a set that has Philip Bailey working with Nile Rodgers, who gives him a lean, clean sound that works perfectly with his vocals! The sound is a nice change from the direction Bailey was heading in previously – a return to the focused soul of the later Earth Wind & Fire years, with his amazing lead opening up in ways that few other singers can match. Tunes are pretty well-penned too – catchy, but never cloyingly commercial – and titles include "State Of The Heart", "Welcome To The Club", "Special Effect", "Because Of You", "Take This With You", "The Day Will Come", "Back It Up", and "Echo My Heart". 3CD set features nice bonus material – "I Know (ext dance mix)", "Love Is Alive", "Easy Lover (with Phil Collins)", "Walking On The Chinese Wall (single)", "State Of The Heart (dub mix)", "Twins (with Little Richard)", "Twins (club mix)", and "Easy Lover (ext dance mix)". CD

West coast harmony soul genius – a full early album of work by The Ballads – a sweet soul group who really live up to their name! The tracks here are all mellow soul with a near-perfect quality – vocals that step and slide together in a gentle, heartfelt sort of way – never too slick, and always with a heartbreaking sound that rivals some of the better-known east coast examples of the genre. Production is by Willie Hutch, Leon Ware, and Clarence Paul – and the album's a super-rare effort from the mostly-singles Venture label – with tracks that include "Good Bless Our Love", "You're The One", "I Love You Yeah", "The Gift Of Love", "Weakspot", "Hey Diddle Diddle", and "Goodnight My Love". CD also features 9 more bonus tracks – including "Right Track (parts 1 & 2)", "I Can't See Your Love", "Do It Now", "I Love You Yeah", and "I Hope I Never Fall In Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Sexy is right! Hank may have been a half-pint wonder, but he had a voice that was like no other – high and raspy, but with a fierce growl that made you instantly take notice. Plus, his thuggish aproach to vocals really put a bit into the vicious R&B tunes that he cut with The Midnighters for King during the 50s – as you'll hear on tunes like "Open Up The Back Door", "Sexy Ways", "Work With Me Annie", "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go", "Teardrops On Your Letter", "It's Love Baby", "Annie Had A Baby", and "Tore Up Over You". 20 tracks in all – and the best CD you can find featuring Hank's work for King! CD

These guys may not be the baddest boys of the industry – they'd have to go a long way to reach that title – but they definitely do a good job of bringing a touch of attitude to the world of harmony soul – blending hip hop inspiration with old school formation, in a style that's similar to DRS and some of their other contemporaries! And sure, their name might make them seem like a bit of a joke, but the record stands nicely next to similar efforts of the time – in part because these guys can really sing when they want, a quality that's kept the record stronger over the years than you might expect. Titles include "Nasty", "Where Will You Go", "Addicted To You", "One Night Of Freedom", "Baby Hold On", "Da Choice Is Yours", and "Ecstasy". CD