Maybe one of the most amazing debut records of all time – not only the record that first exposed the world to Roberta Flack, but a set that heralded so many changes to come in the following decade! Flack's genius here is almost impossible to put into words – part jazz, part soul, and completely righteous from the very first note – possessed of a sense of pride and power that belie both her understated image on the front cover, and her relatively young age – and delivered with a timelessness that still makes the record as vital today as it was so many years back. The set features Flack playing piano and singing with her trio – sometimes augmented by larger arrangements by the very hip William S Fischer, but often in a setting that's very spare yet incredibly moving – instantly putting Roberta at the same level as Nina Simone, and maybe even past the territory of Aretha Franklin at the time. Titles include her seminal reading of "Compared To What" – an instant anthem for the time – plus the tracks "Angelitos Negros", "Our Ages Or Our Hearts", and "Tryin Times". LP, Vinyl record album

(Vocalists, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic lost chapter in the career of genius soul/jazz/funk maestro Roy Ayers – a set that was only ever issued in the UK, and which is a great second part to his Lots Of Love album on the Uno Melodic label! This album features a few tracks from that gem, but in longer versions – mixed with other cuts that were never issued in the US at the time – all with that return to perfection that Roy found on Uno Melodic – which was his own label, and one of the few times in the 80s when he matched the brilliance of his 70s recordings on Polydor! Like those albums, the style here is tight and right in the pocket, but also full of meaning and message too – beautiful songs that are catchy, but far from commercial – funky, but never dance music in a conventional way. The set kicks off with a 7:20 minute version of "Chicago" – one of our favorite Roy Ayers songs ever, natch – and other cuts include "Smiling With Our Eyes", "Good Good Music", "Keep On Movin", "Silver Vibrations", "DC City", and "Lots Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

This landmark live recording by the great Chicago soul singer Gene Chandler is one of the first-ever true live sets by a soul star, and a record that rival's James Brown's Live At the Apollo for true energy and excitement. Recorded live at Chicago's Regal Theater for the long-gone Constellation Records, this set's an amazing batch of tracks performed with more emotion and soul than Gene ever had in the studio, and the crowd's a wild batch of kids who are totally over the top with enthusiasm. The classic version of "Rainbow '65" on here is enough proof of that, what with it's stretched out harmonies, mind-blowing falsetto, and crazy crowd screaming – but there's lots more on here that will prove that Gene was one of the best-ever Chicago singers, including "Song Called Soul", "Just Be True", and "What Now". LP, Vinyl record album

The birth of a genius – and an amazing batch of early material from the legendary Bo Diddley! Even at his start, Bo was unlike anyone else – a completely unique, completely self-contained bluesman who not only brought a wealth of new songs and styles to Chess Records, but who also did so with a good deal of humor as well! This beautifully-done package perfectly traces Diddley's early roots at Chess – by going in session-by-session order, starting with key early singles, and moving into some of his weirder, wilder grooves. Given the shortness of the tunes, there's a huge amount of material in the package – offered up in master takes, alternates, and other odd versions – complete with information on all sessions and players. Titles include "Heart O Matic Love", "She's Fine She's Mine", "Pretty Thing", "Diddley Daddy", "Bo Diddley", "I'm A Man", "Who Do You Love", "Love Is Strange", "Down Home Special", "Bo Meets The Monster", "Say Man", "Say Boss Man", 'Mona", "Our Love Will Never Go", and "Crackin Up". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

One of Aretha Franklin's undisputed classics from her late 60s run on Atlantic Records – a seminal session that furthered her deep soul agenda with key backings from Arif Mardin and Tom Dowd – both of whom handle the mix of rawness and polish that made Aretha so great at the time! The Sweet Inspirations provide sublime backing vocals behind Franklin's maturing delivery of the lyrics – and the music is by an all-star group of players that includes Spooner Oldham, Bobby Womack, Jimmy Johnson, King Curtis, Tommy Cogbill, Roger Hawkins, and even Eric Clapton – clearly the cream of the crop, more than willing to be part of such an amazing set! Cuts include "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman", "Chain Of Fools", "Money Won't Change You", "Come Back Baby", and "Ain't No Way". LP, Vinyl record album

What can we say? Most of the biggest hits, and many of the very best tracks cut in the prime of Al Green's career – which is to say some of the very best Memphis soul ever recorded! 10 essential tracks in all, and it's just one of these Greatest Hits packages of pure, inarguable perection – with "Call Me", "Let's Stay Together", "Tired Of Being Alone", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Here I Am (Come & Take Me)", "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart", "I Can't Get Next To You", "You Ought To Be With Me", "Look What You Done For Me" and "Let's Get Married". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible step forward for 60s soul singer Gene McDaniels – so much so, that most folks hearing this album can't believe he's the same guy who recorded for Liberty Records a few years before! The album's incredibly righteous right from the start – and has a genre-busting quality that isn't quite soul, but isn't rock or anything else either – and instead, the kind of progressive, "years ahead of its time" sort of set that guys like David Axelrod were cutting in the same stretch. Apart from the title, the whole record's got a strong political message that's probably best embodied in the statement on the back – "Under conditions of national emergency, like now, there are only two kinds of people – those who work for freedom, and those who do not – the good guys vs the bad guys". With words like that, you can definitely bet that Eugene is on the side of the good guys – really pushing a social agenda with some wonderfully-penned tunes on the album – set to cool musical backdrops from the equally-righteous William S Fischer. Titles include "Love Letter To America", "Black Boy", "Outlaw", and "Sagittarius Red". LP, Vinyl record album

A key album in the post-Hendrix tradition of funky black rock – and the only album ever recorded by Cleveland's Purple Image! The approach here follows nicely in the same territory worked by Funkadelic and Fugi in the early days – a heady, fuzzed-up blend of trippy guitars, heavy rhythms, and some nice sweeter soul touches – all in a mode that swings nicely between really messed-up tunes, and others with a lighter, more soul-based approach. Side two of the record is dominated by the great jamming track "Marching to a Different Drummer" – easily enough to rival anything on Funkadelic's Free Your Mind album – and other cuts include "Living In the Ghetto", "Why", "Lady", and "We Got To Pull Together". LP, Vinyl record album

A smash hit from Silver Convention – thanks to the dark pop disco hit "Get Up & Boogie", the leadoff tune on this surprisingly strong set! The strength of the album really comes from the masterful blend of strings, beats, and piano from arranger/producer/keyboardist Silvester Levay – who manages to keep a lot of space in the grooves, and create a sense of darkness in places you wouldn't expect – almost a coldness that predates the European dancefloor sound of the 80s, and warmed up nicely by the trio of ladies singing lead vocals. Titles include "Get Up & Boogie", "Play Me Like A Yo Yo", "No No Joe", "Old Wine In New Bottles", "Thank You Mr DJ", and "You Turned Me On By You Can't Turn Me Off". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great overview of the early years of deep soul singer Joe Simon – a massive 3CD set that brings together more of his work for the Sound Stage 7 label than we've seen in any other package! Joe doesn't always get his due, but back in the late 60s stretch when he recorded these tracks, he was a crucial figure in American soul – maybe a bit like Joe Tex, in that he came from deeper southern roots, but was able to bring a new sophistication to the music too – effortlessly handling funk, deep soul, sophisticated tracks, and even a bit of country soul too – all of which you'll hear in this well-done set! The 3CD collection features 61 titles that Simon recorded for the Sound State 7 label in Tennessee, including a number of singles-only cuts – titles that include "The Girl's Alright With Me", "Moon Walk (parts 1 & 2)", "I Got A Whole Lot Of Lovin", "Silver Spoons & Coffee Cups", "San Francisco Is A Lonely Town", "In The Ghetto", "Time & Space", "Wounded Man", "Come On & Get It", "In The Same Old Way", "Can't Find No Happiness", "Twinkle", "Dreamin", "Standing In The Safety Zone", "Looking Back", "In Reach Of Your Arms", "I'm Too Far Gone To Turn Around", "The Chokin Kind", "San Francisco Is A Lonely Town", "Rainbow Road", and lots lots more. CD

A macho disco classic from the TK Records family of labels – in case you couldn't guess from the image on the cover! The drums are more pounding here than on the typical clubby record of the time – especially on the title track – and there's this nicely funky groove at most points, a full-on forceful style that makes no bones about where the music is headed – and which gets things going long before the vocals come into the mix! Those are sung by Karen Silver – who never tries to compete with the rhythms, but just finds a nice way to slide along with the groove. Titles include "I'm A Man", "I Can't Get Over You", "Melody Of Love", "Good Times", and "Make Time For Love". CD features the bonus track "I'm A Man (7" version)". CD

A hugely expanded version of The Supremes classic Merry Christmas album from 1965 – presented here with full stereo and mono mixes, a new 2017 mix, and even bonus tracks too! The core album was one of THE classic Motown Christmas albums of the 60s – a mighty statement of Holiday pride from The Supremes – who are as strong here as on any of their other non-seasonal work from the time! The class and care of the trio really fits the new spirit of Christmas that was emerging in 60s soul music – not the kinds of raw songs about boozing or sadness on the holiday, which were a staple of blues and R&B – but instead these warmly crafted songs of home and hearth, set up perfectly with production by Harvey Fuqua and arrangements from Gene Page, HB Barnum and Ernie Freeman. The whole thing's incredibly soulful – but in a gentle way too – and the set features a dozen holiday numbers including "Silver Bells", "The Little Drummer Boy", "My Christmas Tree", "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer", "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", and "Joy To The World". 2CD version features 50 tracks in all – 12 mono tracks, 12 stereo, and 12 more titles that are all these very cool alternate mixes of the album, some with alternate vocals! Then, there's lots of Supremes bonus tracks too – including "The Christmas Song (duet version)", "Season's Greetings", "My Favorite Things (live)", "It Won't Be Long Til Christmas", "Just A Lonely Christmas", and "O Little Town Of Bethlehem". (Holiday Music, Soul) CD

A hell of a house party – one that's overflowing with rare American soul from the 60s, and which also includes some surprising bits from the British scene as well! This isn't any sort of Big Chill package of overplayed hits – as the UK scene of the 60s really knew how to pick and choose the best soul tracks of the time – maybe no surprise, given that this moment was not only a time when so many big Brit groups broke forth, inspired by American soul – but also when the underground Northern Soul scene first got its start! The box is a whopping 89 tracks in all, with titles by Timebox, Jason Knight, Lorraine Silver, Eddie Floyd, Marlena Shaw, Chuck Wood, The Olympics, Show Stoppers, Bobby Sheen, Soul Sisters, Darrell Banks, Solomon Burke, Jackie Lee, Darrow Fletcher, Bettye Lavette, Bobby Wells, Rex Garvin & The Mighty Cravers, Jack Hammer, Tommy Hunt, Wynder K Frog, The Foundations, Alan Bown Set, Ferris Wheel, Garnet Mimms, Jackie Edwards, and many many others! CD

A brilliant testament to the righteous power of soul music in the civil rights era – and key proof that even a subtle message could do a lot back in the day! The package presents the work in roughly chronological order – starting from a time when politics had to be peddled softly, and moving towards a time when things could be a bit more explicit – showing a great evolution of themes of pride and power, offered up in tunes both familiar and obscure. The collection is way more than a "hip hits of the 60s" sort of set – and acts almost as a mini-documentary of the contributions of soul music to civil rights – supported by a great set of notes and photos in the booklet. We're especially happy to see the track "Have You Ever Seen The Blues" by Yaphet Kotto – alongside 22 more titles that include "Blues For Mr Charlie" by Lou Gosset & Joe Lee Wilson, "The Ghetto" by Homer Banks, "We're A Winner" by The Impressions, "When Will We Be Paid" by The Staple Singers, "Oh Lord Why Lord" by Parliament, "Message From A Black Man" by The Spinners, "Run Charlie Run" by The Temptations, "Cryin In The Streets (parts 1 & 2)" by George Perkins & The Silver Stars, "Free At Last" by Jackie Day, "Someday We'll All Be Free" by Donny Hathaway, and "The Prayer" by Ray Scott. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

Of all the soul labels of the 60s, Motown virtually had a lock on Christmas – jumping to the forefront with a host of classic recordings that have stood for years as some of the greatest soul Christmas tunes ever! Motown continued that tradition well into later years too – and this nice little set is a strong testament to the huge legacy of Holiday music served up by the label! The package brings together a few key cuts from the classic years, and mixes them with a lot of surprising numbers from later decades too – in a set list of 13 tracks that include "All I Want" by Asiahn, "Let It Snow" by Boyz II Men & Brian Knight, "This Christmas" by Ne Yo, "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" by Jackson 5, "Silent Night" by Tiana Major9, "Silver Bells" by The Supremes, "Jesus Is Love" by The Commodores, "I Want To Come Home For Christmas" by Marvin Gaye, "Christmas Blues" by Njomza, "Deck The Halls/Bring A Torch" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, "Someday At Christmas" by Joy Denalane, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" by India.Arie & Joe Sample, and "Give Love On Christmas Day" by Johnny Gill. (Holiday Music, Soul) CD

A doo wop Christmas party, but one that doesn't mind moving past the usual run of bigger groups from the 50s – as the set also brings together some pop and harmony work in other styles too – so that the package goes way past some of the over-collected doo wop hits from groups like The Drifters! The set features 30 tracks in all, and while the harmonies rule the scene, the real charms lie in the choice of material – as there's a cool blend here of unusual tunes and reworked Holiday hits – definitely keeping things fresh, especially if you look for unusual Christmas tunes! Titles include "Santa Santa" by The Rocky Fellers, "Christmas Time For Everybody But Me" by The Midnighters, "My First Christmas Without You" by The Eligibles, "Silver Bells" by The Four Aces, "White Christmas" by The Precisions, "Stompin Around The Christmas Tree" by The Stompers, "Merry Christmas One & All" by The Rhythm Kings, "A Very Special Birthday" by The Cashmeres, "Christmas In The Congo" by The Marquees, "Rockin Santa Claus" by The Martels, "Winter Wonderland" by The Ames Brothers, "I'll Stay Home" by The Creators, "A Merry Christmas" by The Unknowns, "Jingle Bell Twist USA" by Johnny Mendell, "Early Christmas" by The Classic Four, and "Santa Twist" by Tommy Regan. (Holiday Music, Soul) CD

A treasure trove of rare and unusual gospel recordings from the Memphis scene – work done for the tiny JCR imprint of the also-tiny D-Vine Records label – a real wellspring of under-discovered talent from the south! JCR was kind of the bush league for D-Vine – a custom label that let gospel acts press their own records, some of which were then pulled up to record for the main imprint – some of whom never fully got their due – a great assortment of soulful groups collected here for the first time ever! There's some really wonderful material here – and the set really shows that embrace of deeper soul styles that the gospel world was making in the late 60s on labels like Chess or Peacock, carried over strongly here with a very special Memphis sort of vibe. Titles include "Rock My Soul" by The Masonic Travelers, "Too Late Too Late" by The Chosen Wonders, "You Can't Hurry God" by The QCs, "In The Last Day" by The Hewlett Sisters, "Keep On Pushing" by The Calvary Nightingales, "Call On Him" by The Silver Wings, "Someone Who Cares" by The Dixie Wonders, "I Want To Move A Little Higher" by The Seven Souls, "Sinner Man" by The Bible Tones, "Every Knee Must Bow" by The Southern Nightingales, and "Just Over The Hill" by The Spiritual Harmonizers. (Gospel, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Rare gospel gems that go way past the usual – tracks recorded for the small JCR label in Memphis during the 70s, but done with a stripped-down vibe that's much more like postwar gospel overall! Most of the acts here are pretty darn obscure – groups that were inspired by the spirit and burning with a message – driven to take their amazing vocal skills to the JCR/D-Vine studios, where they got a chance to immortalize their music on wax – even if bigger national sales didn't necessarily follow! The rootsiness of this music is wonderful – usually just vocals, a lead and harmony associations, backed by an instrument or two – but also handled with much more modern soul-based phrasing than work of this sort might have had a few decades before. As with the first volume, the quality level is amazing – the kind of killer gems that make digging for more obscure gospel music so rewarding – served up in a set list of 17 tracks that include "Man On The Moon" by The Breckenridge Singers, "I Thank You Lord" by The Stars Of Faith, "Be So Glad" by The Chosen Wonders, "Until My Days Are Done" by The Masonic Travelers, "Leaning On The Lord" by The Canton Spirituals, "Save Me Jesus" by The Sons Of Harmony, "Stand By Me" by The Dixie Wonders, "Little Wooden Church" by The Silver Trumpets, and "Never Grow Old" by The Bible Tones. (Gospel, Soul) CD

Rare gospel gems that go way past the usual – tracks recorded for the small JCR label in Memphis during the 70s, but done with a stripped-down vibe that's much more like postwar gospel overall! Most of the acts here are pretty darn obscure – groups that were inspired by the spirit and burning with a message – driven to take their amazing vocal skills to the JCR/D-Vine studios, where they got a chance to immortalize their music on wax – even if bigger national sales didn't necessarily follow! The rootsiness of this music is wonderful – usually just vocals, a lead and harmony associations, backed by an instrument or two – but also handled with much more modern soul-based phrasing than work of this sort might have had a few decades before. As with the first volume, the quality level is amazing – the kind of killer gems that make digging for more obscure gospel music so rewarding – served up in a set list of 17 tracks that include "Man On The Moon" by The Breckenridge Singers, "I Thank You Lord" by The Stars Of Faith, "Be So Glad" by The Chosen Wonders, "Until My Days Are Done" by The Masonic Travelers, "Leaning On The Lord" by The Canton Spirituals, "Save Me Jesus" by The Sons Of Harmony, "Stand By Me" by The Dixie Wonders, "Little Wooden Church" by The Silver Trumpets, and "Never Grow Old" by The Bible Tones. (Gospel, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A huge collection of rare singles from the vaults of the legendary Treasure Isle label – a company who was home to some of the hippest tracks from the early days of ska – and also did a great job of getting the music to the UK scene as well! This package goes past the familiar Treasure Isle hits, as the 7" singles feature previously unreleased tracks and rare alternate versions – all packaged up in a great box set with a mighty sharp look. The whole thing is great – nice and raw, and very different than ska revival material of later years – and this 3CD set features all the material that was on the 7" box set done a few years back, plus 74 more bonus tracks! Core cuts include "You Wish Me Bad (take 6)" by The Spanishtonians, "Love Me Or Leave Me (take 1)" by Owen & Leon Silvera, "I'm All Alone (take 1)" by Frank Cosmo, "Oh Misery (take 2)" by The Duke Reid Group, "Thinking Of The Future" by Stranger Cole, "Fooling Around" by The Rio Grandes, "Renegade (take 1)" by The Zodiacs, "Smokey Ska (take 1)" by The Baba Brooks Band, "Practice What You Preach" by Owen & Leon Silvera, "My True Confession (take 1)" by The Silvertones, "Til My Dying Day" by Winston & Slim, "Road To Nowhere (orig mix)" by Lyn Taitt & The Baba Brooks Band, "What A Bailing (take 1)" by Duke Reid Group, The Army Is Searching (take 2)" by Basil Caral & Group, "Storm Warning (take 1)" by Lyn Taitt & the Boys, "Want Me Cock (take 1)" by Owen & Leon Silvera, and "How Know Your Friend (take 1)" by Derrick Morgan – with bonus material by Duke Reid, The Movers, Justin Hinds, Tommy McCook, Froggy, Lynn Tait, Eric Morris, Baba Brooks, Lloyd & Glenn, Derrick & Naomi, The Miracles, The Zodiacs, The Melodies, Sensations, and many many more. (Reggae, Soul) CD