Forget the million times you've heard the schmaltzy title tune of this one – and check out Walter's version! Like most of his work from the time, the album's an incredibly mature batch of soul tracks – recorded in a very adult style that was similar to Teddy Pendergrass' work from the same period. The arrangements are great, and the mix of tunes that includes "Send In The Clowns", "The Meeting", "Golden Rays", "Magic Man", and "Girl You're A Woman" is handled with a perfect modern style by Carl Davis. LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful collection of work from one of the greatest soul labels ever – a tiny Alabama imprint that helped bring the Muscle Shoals sound to the masses – thanks to the work of producer Rick Hall, and his crack band of session players! The music here set a whole new standard for soul in the south – and really helped bridge older 50s modes and the new wave of more expressive, more sophisticated singers – served up here in a special vinyl-only package that mixes big Fame classics with some real gems that never got their due back in the day – and even come cuts that appear here on vinyl for the first time ever! Titles include "She Ain't Gonna Do Right" by Clarence Carter, "Fortune Teller" by The Del-Rays, "That Kind Of Lovin" by Otis Clay, "Back In Your Arms" by George Jackson, "Feed The Flame" by Billy Young, "Almost Persuaded" by June Conquest, "A Piece of My Heart" by Art Freeman, "I Worship The Ground You Walk On" by Jimmy Hughes, "Blind Can't See" by Richard Earl & The Corvettes, "Come On Home" by Hrman Moore, "I'm Gonna Forget About You" by Arthur Conley, "Long Ago" by Ben & Spence, "Take Me Just As I Am" by Dan Penn, and "Don't Make Me Hate Loving You" by Jeanie Greene. LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Charlie Gracie, Timmie Rogers, the Rays, Billy Scott, the Storey Sisters, John Zacherle, the Playboys, the Applejacks, Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell and more – 25 tracks in all. (Rock, Soul) CD

Includes 28 tracks by the Twin Tunes, Revels, Lionel Robinson, Gloria Mann, Billy Duke & the Dukes, Doc Stark & the Nite Riders, and Carter Rays. CD

Music from Chubby Checker, the Dovells, Dee Dee Sharp, the Orlons, Charlie Gracie, the Rays, the Tymes, ? & the Mysterians & more. CD

27 songs from the Cashelles, the Swans, the Del-Rays, the Mastertones, the Cordials, the Dials, the Emblems, the Quentins, the Imperial Gents, the Dee Vines, and more. CD

One of the best-remembered albums from the mighty Originals – thanks to a surprisingly strong step into club and disco rhythms! The group were always great on the harmony tip – and earlier music often had them really shining on the ballads – but here they work with arrangers Frank Wilson, Dale Warren, and Art Wright on a set of grooves that rival the best group soul club work coming out of Philly and New York at the time! The vocals are never overwhelmed by the grooves – and instead seem to really be set loose with the lively arrangements – finding a soaring space they might never have hit this well before. Titles include the clubby classic "Down To Love Town" – plus "You Are A Blessing", "Call On Your Six Million Dollar Man", "Hurry Up & Wait", "Been Decided", and "Sunrise". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful overview of the early years of American soul music – put together as a set that easily moves between deep soul, northern soul, and some of the other hard-burning modes of the time! The package is a great effort from the folks at Mississippi Records, to kick off their Cairo Records imprint – and is done with the sense of history you'll find in their other reissues – right down to the nice booklet of notes that comes with the album. Titles include "My Heart Is Closed For The Season" by Betty Swann, "I'll Never Love Again" by Cookie Gabriel, "You Killed The Love" by Betty LaVette, "Time" by Chris Kenner, "The Best Of Luck To You" by Earl Gaines, "Enchanted Sea" by The Counts, "It's Raining" by Irma Thomas, "No No I Can't Help You" by Beverly McKay, "Another Day Gone" by Reuben Bell, "I'll Run Your Hurt Away" by Ruby Johnson, "She's Gone" by OV Right, "Easy As Saying 123" by Timmy Willis, "Stop These Teardrops" by Tammy McKnight, and "Try Love" by Dori Grayson. LP, Vinyl record album

A special vinyl-only collection of tracks from the legendary Dave Godin Deep Soul series – a set that's kind of the best of the best – given the strength of those all-great soul collections! All the cuts here offer a perfect definition of the deep soul groove at its best – a rich, heartfelt approach to the genre that's heavy on sounds from the southern soul scene of the 60s, but which also features a few inflections from other styles too! Vocals are always at the forefront, sung in a mindblowing way that may well even surpass some of the bigger names of the period – like artists on Atlantic or Stax – and titles include "Like It Stands" by Robert Ramsey, "These Four Walls" by Irma Thomas, "Losin Boy" by Eddy Giles, "Just Loving You" by Ruby Andrews, "You Got Me" by Jaibi, "Try Love" by Dori Grayson, "I'm Sorry I Hurt You" by Nat Phillips, "I Don't Cary Anymore" by Doris Duke, "Who Are You Gonna Love" by Rozetta Johnson, "You Make Me Feel Good" by Jawrence & Jaibi, and "It's Not That Easy" by Reuben Bell & The Casanovas. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the deepest-digging entries in the Super Funk series so far – a blistering batch of underground singles that serve up some of the roughest funk of their generation! We'll be honest in saying that we'd only heard a few of the tracks here before – and our hats are off to BGP for taking this already-great series and making it go even deeper – far past familiar funk classics that usually get showcased on the label, and much more into the realm of the crate-digging underground, or the ebay-rarity stratosphere! A handful of cuts here are previously unreleased – never even issued on wax back in the day – and the rest are all pretty darn hard to find too, and all plenty darn great from a musical perspective. The package features a whopping 21 tracks in all – including a rare 1970 funky remake of "Twine Time" by Alvin Cash, plus "Home Brew" by Miles Grayson, "Just Sitting" by Smithstonian, "Can't Get Enough" by 87th Off Broadway, "Hi Off Life" by Eternal Flames, "Give Me Another Chance" by The Uniques, "Hold On" by Lorenzo Holden, "Free The Soul Man" by La May & Company, "Little Boy Blue" by The Phillips Brothers, "You'd Be Good For Me" by Jeanette Jones, "Who Done It? Who Drained The Pool?" by Big Daddy Green, "Low Rider (Deuce & A Quarter)" by Smokey Wilson, "Can't Buy Soul" by Hebrew Rogers, "Shake A Leg" by Jackie Wilson, "Face To Face" by The Explosions, and "Turn Around & Go" by Lee Bernard. (Funky Compilations, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Genius – pure genius! Solomon Burke is one of those soul singers you always hear folks about, but who you never seem to get to hear as much as folks like Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett, or any of his other label-mates on Atlantic. This excellent 2CD set will correct that problem – as it brings together 41 tracks from Solomon's glory days at Atlantic, and the selection of material is fantastic all the way through. Solomon's voice is indescribably majestic – soaring over the top of the tightly-woven arrangements that were some of Atlantic's first real forays into soul music. The set does a good job of showing the full range of his talents during the 60s – and it moves way past the few hits he had, which always seem to get repeated endlessly when anyone brings up his name. Tracks include "Save It", "Get Out Of My Life Woman", "Detroit City", "Take Me (Just As I Am)", "When She Touches Me (Nothing Else Matters)", "Looking For My Baby", "I'm Hanging Up My Heart For You", "Cry To Me", "If You Need Me", "The Price", "You're Good For Me", "Words", "It's Been A Change", "Time Is A Thief", "Stupidity", and "Woman, How Do You Make Me Love You Like I Do". CD

Quite possibly the greatest full length set ever recorded by vocalist Little Johnny Taylor – a solid set all the way through, mostly recorded at Muscle Shoals with a groove that's a bit tighter than other sessions at the time from Ronn Records! Johnny's got a groove here that's bluesy, but also filled with a good deal of soul – on one hand speaking with a down home frankness about relationships and life, but also doing so with a bit of poise, and an approach that's never too narcissistically self-indulgent. Miles Grayson arranged and produced the album, and tracks include a two-part version of "Everybody Knows About My Good Thing", plus "It's My Fault Darling", "Sweet Soul Woman", "How Are You Fixed For Love", and "Baby Get Hip To Yourself". LP, Vinyl record album