Amazing early work from Cissy Houston – arguably her deepest set ever, and put together with a wonderful balance of New York class and southern soul modes! There's no denying that Houston's vocals are great – especially given her family pedigree – but she really gets a chance to shine strongly here – stepping out as a bold, righteous lead – and one with a mature, all-adult feel throughout! Arrangements are by Bert DeCoteaux – who balances things wonderfully – really letting Cissy stand by herself in the front of the arrangements, but also creating just the right sort of swell in the orchestrations when needed. Titles include "I'll Be There", "Any Guy", "This Empty Place", "Didn't We", "Be My Baby", "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself", and "He/I Believe". LP, Vinyl record album

Mellow soul/rock LP by the male/female team of Donna Carson and Hedges Capers. The vocals are a bit weak, and not really our bag, but the band backing them is pretty good, and features some excellent bass work by Carol Kaye that shows up on the intros to a number of the songs. Tracks include "Daytona", "Guava Jelly", "I Want To Thank You", and "Real Fine Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

A real lost chapter in the career of the great Don Covay – material done after his original funky soul on 60s Atlantic Records, and before his return to fame in the early 70s on Mercury – done in a raw vibe that has a lot more grit than you might expect! There's touches of psychedelic blues in the instrumentation, which was recorded both in Memphis and Muscle Shoals – even though the record comes across with a vibe that's unlike any of the big hits recorded in those scenes at the time! Definitely a standout in the world of soul in the early 70s – with titles that include "Standing In the Grits Line", "Sweet Thang", "Stop By", "Bad Luck", "Hitching a Ride", and "What's In the Headlines". CD

A real lost chapter in the career of the great Don Covay – material done after his original funky soul on 60s Atlantic Records, and before his return to fame in the early 70s on Mercury – done in a raw vibe that has a lot more grit than you might expect! There's touches of psychedelic blues in the instrumentation, which was recorded both in Memphis and Muscle Shoals – even though the record comes across with a vibe that's unlike any of the big hits recorded in those scenes at the time! Definitely a standout in the world of soul in the early 70s – with titles that include "Standing In the Grits Line", "Sweet Thang", "Stop By", "Bad Luck", "Hitching a Ride", and "What's In the Headlines". LP, Vinyl record album

The fantastic first album by one of the most unique funk groups of all time! A key part of the crumbling British colonial network that produced some excellent music in the postwar years, Cymande was comprised mostly of West Indians who'd emigrated to England in the 60s, eventually meeting up under a shared musical vision – a completely new blend of funk, dub, jazz, and soul that was unlike anything else that had been recorded before, save for the work of a few other Brit groups of a similar nature. This first album's one of their greatest – and it's a refreshing batch of tunes that mix together heavy basslines, laidback drumming, and a righteous soul vocal style that's got a bit of a stoner touch. The album includes the group's massive cut "The Message", a bit of a minor hit when it was released (and later sampled quite famously) – plus the funky classics "Dove", "Zion I", "Listen", "Bra", and "Rickshaw". Pick this up, and sample one of the 70's most unique funk groups! LP, Vinyl record album

The fantastic first album by one of the most unique funk groups of all time! A key part of the crumbling British colonial network that produced some excellent music in the postwar years, Cymande was comprised mostly of West Indians who'd emigrated to England in the 60s, eventually meeting up under a shared musical vision – a completely new blend of funk, dub, jazz, and soul that was unlike anything else that had been recorded before, save for the work of a few other Brit groups of a similar nature. This first album's one of their greatest – and it's a refreshing batch of tunes that mix together heavy basslines, laidback drumming, and a righteous soul vocal style that's got a bit of a stoner touch. The album includes the group's massive cut "The Message", a bit of a minor hit when it was released (and later sampled quite famously) – plus the funky classics "Dove", "Zion I", "Listen", "Bra", and "Rickshaw". Pick this up, and sample one of the 70's most unique funk groups! LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing early work from Cissy Houston – arguably her deepest set ever, and put together with a wonderful balance of New York class and southern soul modes! There's no denying that Houston's vocals are great – especially given her family pedigree – but she really gets a chance to shine strongly here – stepping out as a bold, righteous lead – and one with a mature, all-adult feel throughout! Arrangements are by Bert DeCoteaux – who balances things wonderfully – really letting Cissy stand by herself in the front of the arrangements, but also creating just the right sort of swell in the orchestrations when needed. Titles include "I'll Be There", "Any Guy", "This Empty Place", "Didn't We", "Be My Baby", "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself", and "He/I Believe". CD features a huge amount of bonus tracks – 11 more titles that include "I'm So Glad I Can Love Again", "Darling Take Me Back", "Making Love", "It's Not Easy", "Only Time You Say You Love Me", and "I Love You". CD

A very strange record that mixes funky backing with steel guitar playing, for a weird guitar-based soulful sound that's unlike anything else we can describe! Harvey Mandel produced the album, and it's got a little bit of the feel of his work from the same time, but the drums are tighter, and heavier, and there's some very nice moments on here with a good break-heavy potential. Cuts include "Million Dollar Feeling", "Del Conto Shuffle", "Joaquin", "Cause & Effect", and "Smoked Fish". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most obscure albums from vocalist Grady Tate – and one of the hippest too, thanks to a jazzy vibe that really makes the whole thing groove differently than Grady's other albums! Richard Tee plays electric piano, and the band includes Billy Butler on guitar, George Coleman on tenor, and Ron Carter on bass – all of whom help make things a lot groovier than on some of Grady's earlier albums! The big track on here is Grady's jazzy cover of "Moondance" – which is a great jazzy dancer – and the LP also includes "Movin Day", "You're A Lady", and "Love Has No Pride". (Vocalists, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Classic uptempo group material by this fantastic harmony combo! This one was recorded in Philly, with great arrangements and performances by the likes of Norman Harris, Vince Montana, Bobby Eli, Ronnie Baker, and Bunny Sigler. Includes the hot track "Bingo", plus "Once More With Feeling", "Will You Be Mine", and "A Mother For My Children". Tough to find on wax, too! LP, Vinyl record album

Funky heavy dubby funky grooves! This is the definitive compilation of one of the 70's quirkiest funk groups, the massive Cymande – a British group who brought together African rhythms, West Indian dub, and American funk! The CD brings together 17 tracks from their 3 LPs for the Janus label in the early 70s – a well-chosen batch of tunes that includes "The Message", "Brothers On The Slide", "Equatorial Forest", "Rastafarian Folk Song", "Zion I", "Bra", "Fug", "Dove", "Getting It Back", "Anthracite", "Willy's Headache", and "Pon De Dungle". CD

A massive double length set from Funkadelic! As if the group's vision wasn't already expansive enough in their early Westbound years, they really make incredible use of the space of this 2LP set to show off their talent for funky invention, fuzzed-out guitar, and mind-bending look at the world around them – taking off into a heady array of topics and settings that are even more chilling than before. If Maggot Brain can be taken as a document of Detroit after the apocalypse, this set should be read as a wider statement on the climate in America that was leading up to it – all served up with some of the group's funkiest rhythms on record to date! Titles include "You Hit the Nail On the Head", "A Joyful Process", "Loose Booty", "I Call My Baby Pussycat", "Biological Speculation", "Philmore", "We Hurt Too", "Everybody Is Going To Make It This Time", "Miss Lucifer's Love", and "If You Don't Like the Effects Don't Produce the Cause". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing stuff – and arguably the greatest early Funkadelic album ever! The set moves past the simple fuzzy style of the group's debut, and the overly-stoned sound of Free Your Mind – and rockets into a heady funk style that's filled with sly social commentary and an incredibly dark vision of the future! The centerpiece of the album is the mindblowing "Maggot Brain" title track – a tune that begins with a chilling spoken intro, then slowly builds amidst washes and washes of post-Hendrix guitar. That cut then rolls into some shorter, funkier numbers that rank with some of the group's best ever – using the device of party-hearty energy to convey a sense of alienation and horror at the world. The whole thing's brilliant throughout – and apart from being a soul classic, the set should also rank as one of the greatest rock albums of all time! Titles include "Maggot Brain", "Super Stupid", "Back in Our Minds", "Can You Get to That", and "Wars of Armageddon". LP, Vinyl record album