... LP, Vinyl record album

(Blues, Soul) CD

Freddie Hubbard makes a sweet splash for the 80s in this great little set – one of his last electric outings before a return to more acoustic modes! The vibe's a bit leaner than some of his late 70s albums, with most of the electricity coming from the bass, and from the keyboards by Chester Thompson or Louis Small – but the record's definitely got that soaring sense of flow that Freddie brought to his best work of this nature – that new sound he unlocked during the 70s, which finally seemed to find the right voice for that mighty horn of his! Jeanne Tracy sings a bit of vocals on the set, bringing in a touch of soul to the album – and titles include the stepping classic "Touchdown" – plus "Splash", "Mystic Lady", "I'm Yours", "Jarri", "You're Gonna Lose Me", and "Sister Stine". (Jazz, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

The only album we've ever seen by Janice – aka Janice Barnett – a set that's got some great smooth production from the legendary Harvey Fuqua! The set's got a sound that's almost in a Salsoul mode at times – not totally disco, but with some uptempo elements – mixed in with some warmer harmonies provided by Janice and a group, of the sort you might find on records by Double Exposure – although with the obvious female difference, of course. A nice little album – we wish she made a whole bunch more of them! Titles include "Goody Two Shoes", "I Should Have Left You", "Love On The Line", "Take Me Away", "If I Had Known", and "Wake Up Smiling". CD

Quite possibly the greatest album ever from Side Effect – a wonderful set that mixes their soulful harmonies with some killer jazz funk from Wayne Henderson! The album may be the most perfect realization of the groove that Henderson was going for during his At Home Productions years – lots of funky fusion in the instrumentation, but all directed towards a tighter, more soul-based style – that perfect contribution that Fantasy Records made to the world in the 70s – after labels like Blue Note and Columbia first started setting things down. Whatever the chronology, though, this set's a standout no matter how you slice it – damn catchy tunes, incredible vocals, and a set of rhythms that are every bit as hip today as they were back when first recorded – really genre-defining grooves that you'll definitely recognize in the album's classics "Always There" and "Keep That Same Old Feeling" – and will go on to love in the cuts "Life Is What You Make It", "Changes", "I Know You Can", "SOS", "Time Has No Ending", "Finally Found Someone", and "Honky Tonk Scat". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive double-header – one that features the first two Sylvester albums for Fantasy Records! First up is the self-titled Sylvester – a reworking of his older groove into one that we love more than any other that he ever used – a smooth modern soul style, not really disco, but with a driving approach that would certainly have worked well in the clubs! You gotta give Syl credit here – as it would have been easy for him to turn up the camp a lot in the 1977 disco days – but instead he's sticking strong to his soul impulses, and has come up with a wonderful album of tracks that's like the first Luther album – one that you can enjoy whatever your take on the man, without any introduction to his person or persona. Of course, a big part of the credit also goes to Harvey Fuqua – who's reemerged here from his years at RCA to produce the record – showing his always strong ability to seek out new talent, and bring out the best in them. Titles include "I Tried To Forget You", "Tipsong", "I Been Down", "Loving Grows Up Slow", "Never Too Late", and "Over & Over". Step II is probably Sylvester's biggest album for Fantasy – and for good reason too! The set pushes onto the dancefloor a bit more than before – often with some slight keyboard touches that hint at the Patrick Cowley years, but with none of the coldness of those records at all. The great Harvey Fuqua's producing here with Syl, and the sound is rich and bold – an even more prideful statement than Sylvester's first album on Fantasy. Two Tons Of Fun deliver some great backup vocals, and Cowley lays down a bit of keyboards – and titles include the all-time disco classic "You Make Me Feel Mighty Real", plus "Dance (Disco Heat)", "Just You & Me Forever", "Grateful", and "I Took My Strength From You". CD

A rootsy blues 2-fer – with two rare Prestige Blues sessions on a single CD! First up is Blues & Folk – a set with a very appropriate title, given the earthy feel of the music – mostly just guitar from Brownie McGhee and harmonica from Sonny Terry – plus vocals by both! There's a really laidback, back-to-the-delta sort of sound here – all acoustic, and a real change from the electric blues that was coming out in the mainstream at the time. Titles include "Gone Gal", "Red River Blues", "Sonny's Squall", "Tryin To Win", "Too Nicey Mama", and "Meet Me Down The Bottom". Next is Blues All Around My Head – very stripped down material from the team of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee – recorded during the pair's big revival with the folk blues crowds of the 60s! The sound is all acoustic – mostly just vocals, guitar, and harmonica – played with a timeless quality on titles that include "Muddy Water", "My Plan", "Trying To Destroy Me", "Jealous Man", "Understand Me", and "Blues Of Happiness". (Blues, Soul) CD

Sweet warm grooves from the mighty Blackbyrds – a set that has George Duke working with the group, giving them some of the electric vibe of his own great work! The sound is less sharply funky than the early days of the group, but still mighty nice – and titles include "Do It Girl", "Love Don't Strike Twice", "What We Have Is Right", and "What's On Your Mind". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A mindblowing debut from Cybotron – one of the most unusual groups to ever hail from Detroit – and that's saying a hell of a lot, given the musical legacy of the city! Cybotron have a sound that's starkly electronic, and a huge influence on later electro, hip hop, techno, and house – served up here as a spare, fuzzy approach to funk – but with lots of the colder touches you'd find from post-punk imports at the time! The blend is quite unique, and even more unusual given the fact that the trio were working in virtual obscurity on the Detroit scene – as an early project from the legendary Juan Atkins, with guitarist Jon-5, and the mysterious electronician 3070! There's more funk here than most of the group's electro contemporaries – but the sound is still nicely cold in all the right parts too – and titles include the seminal "Clear", which was years ahead of its time – plus "Cosmic Cars", "Cosmic Raindance", "Industrial Lies", "The Line", and "Alleys Of Your Mind". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the hippest albums ever cut by Letta Mbulu – a perfect mix of her Soweto roots and the funky styles of her adopted California home! The album's the only one that Mbulu ever recorded for Fantasy Records – and the style brings together those great sing-song vocal modes perfected on her 60s records, with some of the funky jazz elements that were bubbling in the Fantasy scene during the years of Cannonball Adderley and David Axelrod! No surprise, both Cannonball and Nat Adderley appear on the record, and the set's produced by their own company – with lots of great early arrangements from the great Wayne Henderson. Some of the best tracks have a spacious groove that leaves plenty of room for funky basslines – and titles include "Afro Texas", "Learn To Love", "Never Leave You", "Zimkile", "Setho", and "Saddest Day". (Global Grooves, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest records ever cut by The Originals – a shift from Detroit group soul to a smoother California mode, one that really works great for their harmonies! The record was produced by Freddie Gorman and the group – and it's got some great smooth tracks that really sparkle, with hooks and a flourish that we would never have guessed, given the group's earlier work! The backings are great too – so great too that the best cut on the album might well be the instrumental opener "Fantasy Interlude", which has a crackling smooth Leon Ware type sound. Other tracks include "Temporarily Out Of Order", "Don't Put Me On", "Ladies We Need You", and "Take This Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A really special thing from Pleasure – a set that has the group sounding sharper and tighter than ever – with a lean funky groove that's just right for stepping into the 80s! Things are never too slick or commercial – and the core funk combo energy of Pleasure still really comes through strongly – but the guitars and keyboards get even more play than before, following strongly from the vibe of the Future Now album, and it's great mix of mellow steppers and snapping groovers! Pleasure are still very much at the top of their game – with a quality that's way higher than so many other groups who'd been copping their sound for the past few years – as you'll hear on tracks that include "Take A Chance", "Yearnin Burnin", "Law Of The Raw", "You Are My Star", "Spread That Feelin", and "Now You Choose Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A real treasure from the Cali scene of the 70s – the one and only album from drummer Spider Webb – and a wicked batch of bass-heavy grooves throughout! Spider's drums are definitely great, and his offbeat vocals are completely charming, too – but the basslines are what really drive the record – often with a slightly skittish quality that seems to hint at the more dynamic dancefloor modes to come on the New York scene of the early 80s – yet still fused nicely here onto a Fantasy Records blend of jazz, funk, and soul! Carol Kaye plays some mighty nice guitar on the record – and titles include the classic groover "I've Learned From My Burns" – plus "Carry Me Through", "Good Thing", "Reggae Bump", "I Don't Know What's On Your Mind", "Soft Wind", and "Spider's Webb". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little set from Sylvester – 3 sides recorded live in San Francisco, one more recorded in the studio! All the sides have a complicated approach to the groove – larger orchestrations that really show Syl pushing his conception of soul to the max, sounding really wonderful, and almost a bit jazzy on the best tracks – much more than the colder dancefloor act of later years, and with a depth of soul that should have made him rank right up there with some of the more righteous soul geniuses of the 70s. Tracks include "Body Strong", "Blackbird", "Happiness", "Lover Man", "You Are My Friend", "Can't Stop Dancing", "In My Fantasy", and "Sharing Something Perfect Between Ourselves". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

A funky jazz treasure – and the band's landmark first album! The Blackbyrds were a legendary 70s combo that were discovered by Donald Byrd while he was teaching at Howard University – and they had a tight style that mixed raw funk influences with smoother jazz playing, creating a sound that was different from many of their contemporaries, and which pushed funk and soul into a whole new level. Byrd's work with the band was as groundbreaking as Larry Mizell's work on his own Blue Note albums – and coincidentally, Larry Mizzell's Sky High Productions handles the studio chores for the set – but in a way that's much more sharply funky than his albums with Byrd! Titles include the tight choppy funk tracks "Do It, Fluid" and "Funky Junkie", plus other nice groovers like "Summer Love", "Gut Level", and "The Runaway". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic album from this legendary jazz funk combo – a bit smoother than their first, but that's the great thing about it! The record has the band getting even tighter than before – coming up with an amazing jazz-inflected funk groove that still leaves us breathless after all these years – and which is the perfect fusion of jazz and soul that was going down with the best groups in the mid 70s. The best example of this sound can be heard on the massive cut "Rock Creek Park" – which begins with a wonderful bass on the intro, a killer moogy keyboard bit, and a super-catchy chorus that goes "doin' it in the park," which you should recognize in about 30 seconds! The rest of the album is great too – and titles include the classic sample track "Love So Fine" – plus "Happy Music", "Hash and Eggs", "Thankful Bout Yourself", and "All I Ask". LP, Vinyl record album

Not the band's first album – as you might think from the "start" in the title – but a classic batch of jazzy, funky, and soulful grooves from The Blackbyrds – one of those combos that few groups could match back in the 70s! The set's got a beautifully put-together feel – tight enough to crossover somewhat big with a larger audience than the group's previous effort – but still filled with the kind of righteous energy that first got them going, a sublime mix of jazzy rhythms and soulful elements, all held together tightly by production from Donald Byrd. Tracks include the big hit "Walking In Rhythm", which was an oft-spun 45 back in the day – plus some great funk moments, like the tasty "Spaced Out", the choppy "The Baby", and the captivating "Blackbyrds Theme". Other cuts include "Future Children Future Hopes", "I Need You", and "April Showers". LP, Vinyl record album

A great album of funky dancefloor tunes! Originally issued in 1978, and clearly for the New York dancefloor crowd – the record takes the earlier work of funk group The Blackbyrds, and remixes the tracks slightly to pump up the groove a bit for the dancers. While the approach might not sound good on paper, it actually works wonderfully on the record – as the tunes retain all of the jazz funk feel of the originals, without any of the cheap tricks you might expect! The album's as essential as any of the group's earlier albums – and it's filled with great versions of classics like "Supernatural Feeling", "Gut Level", "Walking In Rhythm", "Do It Fluid", "Rock Creek Park", and "Happy Music". CD

A great album of funky dancefloor tunes! Originally issued in 1978, and clearly for the New York dancefloor crowd – the record takes the earlier work of funk group The Blackbyrds, and remixes the tracks slightly to pump up the groove a bit for the dancers. While the approach might not sound good on paper, it actually works wonderfully on the record – as the tunes retain all of the jazz funk feel of the originals, without any of the cheap tricks you might expect. The album's as essential as any of the group's earlier albums – and it's filled with great versions of classics like "Supernatural Feeling", "Gut Level", "Walking In Rhythm", "Do It Fluid", "Rock Creek Park", and "Happy Music". LP, Vinyl record album

There's nothing unfinished about this business – as The Blackbyrds are at the top of their game here – working in a sweet blend of jazz, funk, and soul – all produced to perfection by their mentor Donald Byrd! The groove is quite similar to some of Byrd's best from the time – a bit fuller than the first few records by The Blackbyrds, thanks to the addition of larger horns – and put together in ways that really has them soaring towards the skies on waves or righteous soul! There's vocals on most tracks, but they really take equal place next to the group's wonderful instrumentation – especially the heady keyboards of the mighty Kevin Toney, still a key member of the combo at this point. Titles include "Party Land", "In Life", "Time Is Movin", "Lady", and "You've Got That Something". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer little soundtrack – and one that's quite different than the usual blacksploitation set, but still pretty funky overall! The film Black Girl was a surprisingly sensitive movie directed by Ossie Davis in the early 70s – not as much about action as it was about the everyday life, and the hopes and dreams of the lead characters – all of which made for some really well-rounded music, of the sort you'd find on some of the other great Fantasy Records soundtracks of the time, especially the classic Cornbread Earl & Me score. Ed Bogas and Ray Shanklin put together the whole thing, and the album's a mix of hip instrumental tracks with some other vocal ones – a really nice range that draws from singers like Betty Everett, Rodger Collins, and JJ Malone – and jazz players like Sonny Stitt and John Hunt (plus organ from Merl Saunders on one cut.) Titles include "BJ's Step", "Black Girl", "Sister", "Earl (Still A Pearl)", "Mothers Day Song", "Power", "Get Me To The Bridge", "Chock-lite Puddin", and "Black Girl Cue". CD

... CD

... CD

Juan Atkins and his Cybotron crew lay down this classic Detroit electro track, with 5 mixes to choose from! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A killer instrumental album of hard organ grooves and funky basslines! This was the album that broke Funk Inc out of their Indianapolis scene, and made them a force to be forever reckoned with in the history of funky jazz. The album grooves hard in the same sound as some of the classic work by Prestige jazz funk giants like Rusty Bryant, Charles Earland, or Ivan Boogaloo Jones – but it's almost even tighter than their work, because the Funk Inc combo as a tightly woven group of players who'd been together for a number of years. The record's filled with monster cuts that you'll recognize immediately, like the group's famous "Kool is Back", which has a monster sample on the intro, and hard heavy Kool & The Gang grooves throughout. Other tracks include "Sister Janie", "The Whipper", and "Bowlegs". LP, Vinyl record album

Slightly later than some of Isaac Hayes' biggest Stax albums – but a great little record that's filled with some excellent smooth soul material! The record shows Hayes really trying to push his style to new levels, and it's got a sophistication that you don't hear on earlier albums – a sound that hints at the Polydor years, but without as much of a disco influence. Ike's also dropped his thing of doing a lot of soul covers of pop tracks – which means that the record's got a lot more original material, served up with a new sort of focus on songwriting! Titles include "Chocolate Chip", a perennial fave on the dancefloor, in both vocal and instrumental versions – plus "I Can't Turn Around", "Come Live With Me", and "Body Language". CD

An early Odetta record where she duets with Larry Mohr for a nice selection of folk songs that have elements of the blues and country. Tracks include "John Henry", "Old Blue", "Water Boy", "Santy Ana", "The Car-Car Song", "Pay Day At Coal Creek", "I've Been 'Buked & I've Been Scorned". They sing together and have solo songs as well. LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful album from Pleasure – a group who were already great before, but who really seem to hit a great new level with this late 70s classic! Pleasure started out as a sweet jazz/funk combo with a great edge to their music – but by the time of this set, they'd actually gotten even tighter and better – but all without losing their depth at all! Most of the group's contemporaries just got slick and commercial – but instead, Pleasure found a way to hone their skills wonderfully – and take on some new spacey and electric touches in the process – definitely pointing towards the funky future promised in the title. The set's filled with some of the funkiest and most soulful moments of the group's career – including "Space is the Place", which has great funky drums on the intro; the mellow "Thoughts of Old Flames", a real stunner with a great moody feel; and the classic "Glide", a great dancefloor groover that still stands up well. Other tracks are all great too – and include "Universal", "Strong Love", "Nothin To It", and "Dedication To The Past". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderfully tight work from Pleasure – a record that definitely lives up to the lean, clean image on the cover – as it's got the group honing their funky skills even more strongly than before! Wayne Henderson's at the helm, finding the group hit this razor-sharp groove that comes through right from the start – really refining their already-great sound into some of the tightest jazz funk on record at the time! Every track is a gem – and the set's got funky killers, mellow steppers, and plenty more – as you'll hear on the cuts "Celebrate The Good Things", "Foxy Lady", "Get To The Feeling", "Ladies Night Out", "No Matter What", and "Farewell Goodbye". CD

Sublime jazzy soul from Pleasure – one of the greatest groups of the west coast scene of the 70s – and a key force in defining the Fantasy Records groove of the time! Pleasure have a sound that's head and shoulders above most of their contemporaries – especially groups on major labels who tried for this sort of blend, but never made it come off that right – usually too smooth or too commercial. The mighty Wayne Henderson is a key factor in their sound – as he produced some of the best tracks with that well-balanced groove he brought to his best work under At-Home Productions umbrella. CD features 14 titles that include "Ghettos Of The Mind", "Future Now", "The Real Thing", "Let's Dance", "Foxy Lady", "Yearnin' Burnin", "Take A Chance", "Joyous", "Sassafras Girl", and 3 mixes of "Glide". CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A great little set from Sylvester – 3 sides recorded live in San Francisco, one more recorded in the studio! All the sides have a complicated approach to the groove – larger orchestrations that really show Syl pushing his conception of soul to the max, sounding really wonderful, and almost a bit jazzy on the best tracks – much more than the colder dancefloor act of later years, and with a depth of soul that should have made him rank right up there with some of the more righteous soul geniuses of the 70s. Tracks include "Body Strong", "Blackbird", "Happiness", "Lover Man", "You Are My Friend", "Can't Stop Dancing", "In My Fantasy", and "Sharing Something Perfect Between Ourselves". CD

An overlooked gem from Sylvester's years on Fantasy Records – a set that has him working strongly with soul maestro Harvey Fuqua, in a really great blend of disco and more laidback modes! There's a balance here that's like early Luther at his best – a way of being proudly poised, yet never in an overdone way – a captivating approach to the music that pushes past any obvious cliches you might expect, and which will definitely have you digging deeper for more Sylvester if you only know his hits. The set list includes a few older classics remade – including "Fever" and "Cry Me A River" – plus the tracks "Change Up", "I Need You", "My Life Is Loving You", and "Doin It For The Real Thing". LP, Vinyl record album

Although Marsha Wash and Izora Armstead later metamorphosed into the too-silly Weather Girls later in the 80s, at this point in their career, they were pretty decent singers – and were being produced by Harvey Fuqua in a great style that took bits of soul, bits of disco, and forged a modern club groove that worked very nicely for their strong vocal techniques. The best tracks are pretty darn catchy – and the record's a great soul album that shouldn't be passed up, even if you're scared of their Weather Girls reputation. Titles include "Never Like This", "I Depend On You", "Can't Do It By Myself", "I Been Down", and "Your Love Is Gonna See Me Through". LP, Vinyl record album

2 of Johnny Guitar Watson's best albums ever – back to back on a single CD! First up is Listen – quite possibly the rarest of all Johnny Guitar Watson albums – and his first from the 70s – a mindblowing batch of trippy soul tunes that sounds far different than much of his later work! Johnny's not yet in the funky mode here – and he's working in a very cool flanged-out approach that has his vocals tripping lightly with his guitar – in a spacious soul mode that captures some of the energy of Shuggie Otis at the time. The overall sound is incredibly righteous – and the album's a delight throughout! Titles include "Lovin You", "If I Had The Power", "You Bring Love", "I Get A Feeling", and "You're The Sweetest Thing I've Ever Had". I Don't Want To Be Alone Stranger is sublime mid 70s work from Johnny Guitar Watson – a Bay Area blend of soulful production, jazzy playing, and bits of bluesy phrasing, with a hard-to-match quality that we'd put in the same camp as work by Shuggie Otis from the time. Johnny's vocals and guitar are amazing – very laidback and trippy, without all the silly stuff that you sometimes get on later records. "I Don't Want To Be A Lone Ranger" is a great stepper with a jazzy finish and a really catchy hook – and other good cuts include "Lonely Man's Prayer", "You Make My Heart Want To Sing", "Tripping", "Strong Vibrations", and "It's Way Too Late", a reworking (and real steal) of a song from Jon Lucien's great "Rashieda" album! CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A great back-to-basics solo album from the legendary David Axelrod – cut in the mid 70s for Fantasy Records, after higher-concept projects like The Auction and Messiah! This set gets right to the core – and focuses on the funk currents that were always part of Axelrod's larger arrangements, but which sometimes never got pulled to the forefront as strongly – and the approach is almost like some of the funky jazz albums that were issued by Fantasy/Prestige Records at the time – especially those that Axelrod produced for Cannonball Adderley. The whole thing has that great Axelrod sense of composition, with lots of space, and lots of spare cold bits that are nice nice nice for sample cuts – and titles include the classic track "Everything Counts", plus "Get Up Off Your Knees", "My Family", and "Mucho Chupar". (Jazz, Soul) CD

The record that may well push Devon Gilfillian over the top – and a set that might also set a whole new standard in soul music as well! Devon's got a way of embracing the sensual presence of male soul stars from years back, while also presenting himself with a fragile, open quality that's really unique – one that comes through in the slight crackle of his vocals, and in the way the backings handled by producer Jeremy Lutito really fit the mode of the lyrics – this style that's crisply contemporary, but which feels as if it's come from a really special place in the spectrum – uniquely suited to the needs of Devon's vocals and lyrics. Titles include "Follow The Leader", "Brown Sugar Queen", "All I Really Wanna Do", "The Recipe", "Right Kind Of Crazy", "Imma Let My Body Move", "Love You Anyway", and "Let The Water Flow". (Neo Soul, Soul) CD

Very righteous work from Esther Marrow – an overlooked soul singer who works with a hell of a lot of pride and power! The set's an overlooked gem in the Fantasy catalog of the 70s, and it's one of only two secular soul albums cut by Marrow – and quite possibly the best of the bunch, too! Esther's got some great help on the set from arrangers Richard Tee, Bernard Purdie, and Bobby Scott – each of whom set Marrow up with some small group backing that keeps things tight and soulful throughout – thanks in big part to the drum work, which is handled by Purdie, Jimmy Johnson, and Idris Muhammad. Other players include Tee on organ and piano, Cornell Dupree on guitar, and Ralph McDonald on congas – whose percussion really helps shape the sound of most of the grooves. There's a horn section too – used sparingly – and there's also a bit of backing vocals from The Reflections, although Esther's pretty much in the lead on all numbers. Titles include "Trade Winds", "Things Ain't Right", "Ask Me To Dance", "Woman In The Window", and "Ghetto". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful album from Pleasure – a group who were already great before, but who really seem to hit a great new level with this late 70s classic! Pleasure started out as a sweet jazz/funk combo with a great edge to their music – but by the time of this set, they'd actually gotten even tighter and better – but all without losing their depth at all! Most of the group's contemporaries just got slick and commercial – but instead, Pleasure found a way to hone their skills wonderfully – and take on some new spacey and electric touches in the process – definitely pointing towards the funky future promised in the title. The set's filled with some of the funkiest and most soulful moments of the group's career – including "Space is the Place", which has great funky drums on the intro; the mellow "Thoughts of Old Flames", a real stunner with a great moody feel; and the classic "Glide", a great dancefloor groover that still stands up well. Other tracks are all great too – and include "Universal", "Strong Love", "Nothin To It", and "Dedication To The Past". CD

The strong late 80s release from soul veteran LJ Reynolds for Fantasy! At this point, the ex-member of The Dramatics had been proving for years that he's a pretty great modern soul singer in his own right – having delivered a string of solid solo efforts throughout the 80s – and Tell Me You Will is a real gem! It's got a good modern soul feel to it, and a small combo backs LJ up on most of the tracks. It's got a tight synth soul backdrop and timelessly soulful vocals from LJ. Titles include "I Will Always Love You", "Tell Me You Will", "Olivia", "Got To Give My Love", "He Can't Love You", and "Magic Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive double-header – one that features the first two Sylvester albums for Fantasy Records! First up is the self-titled Sylvester – a reworking of his older groove into one that we love more than any other that he ever used – a smooth modern soul style, not really disco, but with a driving approach that would certainly have worked well in the clubs! You gotta give Syl credit here – as it would have been easy for him to turn up the camp a lot in the 1977 disco days – but instead he's sticking strong to his soul impulses, and has come up with a wonderful album of tracks that's like the first Luther album – one that you can enjoy whatever your take on the man, without any introduction to his person or persona. Of course, a big part of the credit also goes to Harvey Fuqua – who's reemerged here from his years at RCA to produce the record – showing his always strong ability to seek out new talent, and bring out the best in them. Titles include "I Tried To Forget You", "Tipsong", "I Been Down", "Loving Grows Up Slow", "Never Too Late", and "Over & Over". Step II is probably Sylvester's biggest album for Fantasy – and for good reason too! The set pushes onto the dancefloor a bit more than before – often with some slight keyboard touches that hint at the Patrick Cowley years, but with none of the coldness of those records at all. The great Harvey Fuqua's producing here with Syl, and the sound is rich and bold – an even more prideful statement than Sylvester's first album on Fantasy. Two Tons Of Fun deliver some great backup vocals, and Cowley lays down a bit of keyboards – and titles include the all-time disco classic "You Make Me Feel Mighty Real", plus "Dance (Disco Heat)", "Just You & Me Forever", "Grateful", and "I Took My Strength From You". CD

Obscure soul trio on Fantasy, with a smooth mellow modern soul sound, held together tightly by arrangements by Wade Marcus. The record was produced by Harvey Fuqua, and it features a mix of male and female vocals, in a style that's similar to that used by New Birth when he was associated with the group. Titles include "We Are Through", "Mr. Weatherman", "If You Don't Want Me", "You're My Life", and "I Can Find A Way To Your Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the rarest soul records of the 70s – recorded in Germany by a bunch of American servicemen on leave, but with a sound that's right out of the Chicago or Detroit groove of the pre-disco years! The group's great with both the funky and soulful material – hitting hard with monster groovers like "Holes In My Shoes" and the jazzy break classic "Windy C", and keeping it sweet and mellow on ballads like "My Little Someone" and "Boarding Pass". The album's got a great sound overall – almost like some of the jazzy soul albums on Fantasy from the mid 70s – and the quality of the vocals and instrumentation is great throughout. Titles include "I Love You", "Bet You Say You Want To Make It With Me", "No More City, No More Country", and "You Keep Me Coming Back". CD

The street feet here are pretty funky ones – maybe more so than you'd guess from the relatively "stock" look of the cover image – as the album's got the kind of sharp instrumental core that you'd be likely to find on some of the best Bay Area groovers from late 70s Fantasy Records! The record's mostly instrumental, and has excellent guitar, keyboards, and strong coloring from the Doo-Ragg Horns – almost a west coast equivalent of Memphis or Muscle Shoals Horns, but with an even leaner groove overall. Kumunnukate sings a bit on the record, but most is instrumental – and titles include "Help Yourself", "Satisfied Sity", "The Search Goes On", "Holdin On", "Livin It Up", and "The Hassle". CD

A double-length disco fantasy from Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder – both very much at the A double-length, 4 act disco fantasy from Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder – both very much at the height of their powers here – and able to keep up enough energy to make it through what was originally 2LP set! The work's a unified sort of story – kind of a disco opera of sorts – but more than the lyrics or the story, what makes the album great is the rhythms – full-on and non-stop, rolling strongly from tune after tune in a highly energized blend. Titles include "Once Upon A Time", "Fairy Tale High", "Queen For A Day", "Now I Need You", "Dance Into My Life", "A Man Like You", "I Love You", and "Rumor Has It". LP, Vinyl record album