A classic Charly Records blend of blues, R&B, and soul – with work by Eddie Taylor, Jimmy Reed, Elmore James, John Lee Hooker, Lowell Fulson, Betty Harris, Solomon Burke, Irma Thomas, Ted Taylor, Jerry Butler, Lee Dorsey, The Meters, and Little Johnny Taylor! LP, Vinyl record album

A classic set of British soul by PP Arnold – LA native, and a onetime member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue who ended up staying behind in the UK after a mid 60s tour! The album's got a very interesting approach that's quite a bit more sophisticated than the sound of the Ike Turner group – with production by Andrew Loog Oldham, and rich arrangements by Tony Meehan that float in bits of Brit easy, and full-styled 60s pop orchestrations, alongside more righteous straighter soul backings – all for a mix that's great, and which makes this mod treasure a very different album than American soul of the period! Titles include "Letter To Bill", "Dreamin", "Eleanor Rigby", "As Tears Go By", "To Love Somebody", and a great version of "God Only Knows". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic 50s Atlantic R&B from Ruth Brown! Titles include "Oh What A Dream", "Don't Deceive Me", "Papa Daddy", "I Can't Hear A Word You Say", "Daddy Daddy", "5 10 15 Hours", "Teardrops From My Eyes", and "Love Contest". 16 classics in all! LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime soul from the great Otis Clay – early material done on the Chicago scene in the years before he hit bigger fame in the 70s – and tracks that may well be some of our favorite material ever by the singer! Otis already has that impeccable deep soul approach going on here – vocals that rival those of Otis Redding or any of the greats at Stax or Atlantic – often set to that gently grooving style that marked the Chicago vibe in the mid 60s – nicely sophisticated, but never too polished – and presented here so that Clay really shines in the lead! The choice of cuts is great, and the package is one that's a great introduction if you've not heard Clay at this point in his career – or a great addition to your collection if you've only got some of his singles from this non-album stretch. 16 tracks in all – including "I'm Satisfied", "Thank You Love", "I Lost Someone", "A Lasting Love", "Tired Of Falling In & Out Of Love With You", "Show Me What You Say", "Show Place", and "I Got Problems". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the crowning moments of genius from the great George Clinton – a record that has Funkadelic really finding their groove, in the same way that Parliament were helping push underground funk into both the clubs and the mainstream – while also showing that the P-Funk empire can jam better than just about anyone else! The whole thing is hitting on all burners throughout – with an impeccable sense of instrumentation, balanced with an easygoing attitude that makes the whole thing seem effortless – especially compared to other funk ensembles who were picking up the speed a bit too much in the disco generation. The centerpiece of the album is the classic "One Nation Under A Groove" – a monster cut with a hook that won't quit, spun out here in a great extended version – followed by other classics that include "Into You", "Grooveallegiance", and "Cholly". Also comes with a bonus 12" single that features the tracks "One Nation Under A Groove (disco mix)", "Maggot Brain/Chant", "Lunchmeataphobia", and "PE Squad/Doo Doo Chasers". LP, Vinyl record album

Don't think "rock n roll", think pre-soul – as the set features excellent work from these four fantastic singers! LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing early work from Gladys Knight & The Pips – proof that they already had a great thing going long before their later fame on Motown and Buddah! The tracks here were recorded in the early 60s for the Fury record label – and they show the group coming on strong with a very sharp edge – a style that's still got some traces of R&B at points, but which really sets a new standard for mixed male/female soul groups for the 60s! Gladys' lead vocals are nice and bold – and a lot less cliched than later – and The Pips do their thing with a wonderfully harmonic flair in the background. Titles include their big early single "Letter Full Of Tears" – plus "Operator", "Every Beat Of My Heart", "Room In Your Heart", "Stop Running Around", "What Shall I Do", "Morning Noon & Night", and "I Can't Stand By". LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful collection of early work from the great Esther Phillips – different than her later material for Atlantic and Kudu Records – as it was done in a raw R&B style for the mighty King Records! 16 tracks in all – and detailed notes on the material, too! LP, Vinyl record album

A searing set of vintage soul cuts – brought together in honor of the legendary Wigan Casino – one of the most important clubs in the UK Northern Soul scene of the 70s! For the uninitiated, Wigan was a hotbed of upbeat rare soul cuts – overlooked American goodies from both the previous decade and more recent years – often with a strong focus on deeper soul vocals, which meant some strong entries from the southern scene as well! This well-done package comes with a heavy book-style cover, notes on the club and its music – and a whopping 28 tracks in all – including "I Can't Hide It" by The Appreciations, "Baby What Has Happened To Our Love" by The Ringleaders, "The Night The Angels Cried" by Johnny Dynamite, "I'm A Teardrop" by The Jerms, "Your Love Makes Me Lonely" by The Chandlers, "Watch Yourself" by Tony Hester, "Does Anybody Know What Time It Is" by Copper & Brass, "Can I Be Dreamin" by The Young Savages, "She's Fire" by The CODs, "Could It Be" by Mikki Farrow, and "Your Wish Is My Command" by The Inspirations. LP, Vinyl record album

(Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A tasty compilation that features 16 of Ray's best rhythm & blues sides cut for Atlantic records during the 60s! The record's a rare chance to pick up some of the harder cuts by Ray on vinyl – and it includes hard-shoutin' gems like "Greenbacks", "It Should've Been Me", "Talkin Bout You", "Lonely Avenue", "Mess Around", "This Little Girl of Mine", "I Got A Woman", "Losing Hand", and "That's Enough". Great notes, and 16 killers all the way through! LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection that Charly put together of 16 of the Spaniels' best and most well known songs. Tracks include "Tina", "House Cleaning", "Play It Cool", "Crazee Baby", "Baby It's You", "I Need Your Kisses", and "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight". LP, Vinyl record album

An instant classic the day it was released – and a perfect blending of the group's older freaked-out style with a slick late 70s funk sound that started showing up in the work of many other groups. "One Nation Under A Groove" is a monster cut with a hook that won't quit, and the LP version runs way over 7 minutes long. Other tracks are equally great, and the whole thing's woven together with the same sort of skill as some of the best Parliament albums from the mid 70s. Tracks include "Into You", "Grooveallegiance", and "Cholly". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer Hammond soul from one of the all-time greats – a smoking set of gems from his big years on King Records! Most numbers feature the legendary combo with Billy Butler on guitar and Clifford Scott on tenor – but there's also some nice instrumental variation too. Titles include "Honky Tonk" in two parts, "Big Boy", "Buttered Popcorn", "Backwoods", "Slow Talk", "Quaker City", "Night Train", "Rainbow Riot", and "Peacock Alley". (Jazz, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest R&B vocal groups of the 50s, featuring singer Lowman Pauling, who was a huge influence on James Brown! The tracks all have a great hard-edged sound, with little of the schmaltz that can sometimes date these songs a bit too much. The material is very rootsy soul stuff – tracks include "Right Around The Corner", "You Didn't Learn It At Home", "Devil With The Rest", "Come On & Save Me", "The Slummer The Slum", and "I Could Love You If You Let Me". Original King Records material – 16 tracks in all! LP, Vinyl record album

Early Vee Jay Records material from the great John Lee Hooker – tracks that include the previously unreleased "This Is Hip" and "House Rent Boogie" – plus "Dimples", "Tight Skirt", "Boom Boom", "I Love You Honey", "I'm In The Mood", "It Serves Me Right To Suffer", and lots more! (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic collection of the work of Betty Lavette – an amazing southern soul diva who crafted some incredible recordings! Betty's right up there with great like Betty Harris, Carolyn Franklin, and Ann Sexton for sheer hard, raw, soul sister power – and this 12-track set features a great mix of funky soul tunes and mellower ballads, all recorded for the SSS International label during the early 70s. Titles include the break cut "He Made A Woman Out Of Me", plus "At The Mercy Of A Man", "Let Me Down Easy", 'I'm In Love", "My Train's Comin In", and "Do Your Duty". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic Clyde McPhatter work from the post-Drifters years – 16 great Atlantic recordings! Tracks include "Thirty Days", "Treasure Of Love", "Just To Hold My Hand", "Come What May", "A Lover's Question", "You Went Back On Your Word", and "Deep Sea Ball". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

You may not recognize the name of Deniece Chandler in soul music, but you'll definitely know her by her later name of Deniece Williams and her many hits of the 70s and 80s for Columbia Records! Yet here, while still Chandler, the young singer comes across in a very different way – serving up some excellent early material from the Chicago scene – perfect for the higher-voiced style she used at the start – really wonderful tunes that also echo some of the more sophisticated ways that Chicago cooking up at the time. The set features a host of early singles that Chandler recorded for the Toddlin Town label, plus some unreleased material, and even some bonus tracks too – including two duets with Lee Sain. Titles include "Yes I'm Ready", "Love Is Tears", "I'm Walking Away", "Come On Home To Me Baby", "Goodbye Cruel World", "Mama I Wish I Stayed At Home", "Just One Time", "Glorious Feeling", "Hey Baby", "Shy Boy", and "I'm Not Like The Others". LP, Vinyl record album

A wild rarity in the Lightnin Hopkins catalog – a set done for the legendary Texas psych label International Artists! Titles include "Fox Chase", "mr Charlie", "Mini Skirt", "Got Her Letter This Morning", "Baby Child", "Cookings Done", and "Mr Ditta's Grocery Store". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

An early Northern Soul collection from the UK, done before Charly and Ace really started hitting the record racks – and with a great batch of 16 tracks from American soul singers, including work from Barbara Mills, The Showstoppers, Dobie Gray, Johnny Bragg, Gloria Jones, Sandy Wynns, The Carstairs, Ann Sexton, Eloise Jaws, The Jelly Beans, and others! LP, Vinyl record album