This is the kind of Italian disco we can get our ears around! Bebu Silvetti is on keyboards, and at the helm of the orchestra – working here like an Italian Barry White, on a groove that's very similar to the best work of the Love Unlimited Orchestra. The tracks have a harder focus on the drums and beats than you'd expect – which punches things up nicely, and is a perfect complement to the breathy vocals and smooth Euro grooving over the top of the mix. Great stuff – a real treasure, and with a lot more soul than you'd expect! Titles include "Primitive Man", "Spring Rain", "Two Cups Of Coffee", "Voyage Of No Return", "Coconut Rain", and "Contigo". LP, Vinyl record album

A great slice of work from the New York underground of the post-disco years – served up by a family of labels that had been making things happen through most of the 70s! The set focuses strongly on the singles issued by the Posse and Spring Records labels – the former a new offshoot of the latter, especially geared towards 12" singles that were strongly focused on both the new sounds of the clubs and the streets – including lots of electro, bass-heavy funk, hip hop-inspired grooves, and mabye even some elements that would soon point the way towards house music to come! This side of the Spring Records label has never been covered in detail like this before – and the choice of cuts is as great as the notes on the music – which finally gives the Posse singles their due in the scene from back in the day. Titles include "We Come To Jam" by Blaze, "Sing A Song" by Lonnie Youngblood, "Have Your Cake" by Body, "Wired For Games (long version)" by C Brand, "Workin Out" by Ritz, "Live It Up (short vocal)" by Fonda Rae, "Get Up An Dance" by Mynk, "Spread Love" by Fatback, "Let's Get Nice (7" vocal)" by Glory, and "Got To Have Your Lovin (short vocal)" by Feel. (Funky Compilations, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous collection of 70s soul – one of our favorite-ever compilations from the UK Kent label! The set focuses on the lesser-known gems of the Spring and Event labels – companies who were well-known for bigger hits by Joe Simon, Millie Jackson, and others – but who also cut some sublime singles in a modern soul mode, many of which were new discoveries to our ears before this CD! The package is really incredible – filled with 23 cuts that really opened our ears to the labels, and which do a fantastic job of blending mellow, sophisticated, and bits of southern soul in the 70s! Titles include "What Did I Do Wrong" by The Mayberry Movement, "You Didn't Love Me Anyhow" by Act One, "I Can't Believe You Love Me" by Lou Jackson, "House For Sale" by Millie Jackson, "Alakazam" by Sonny Ross, Time" by Don Williams & The Exchange, "There's Another In My Life" by Phillip Mitchell, "Can I Get A Witness" by Jackie Verdell, "C'Mon & Give It Up" by Clare Bathe, "Please Come Home" by Garland Green, "I'm The Other Half Of You" by Ray Godfrey, and "Lead Me On" by The Internationals. CD

A great little follow-up to one of our favorite compilations ever from Kent Records – a motherlode of under-discovered soul from 70s powerhouse Spring Records! Spring is best known for its big hits with Joe Simon during the decade – but at the same time, the label also issued countless great singles by lesser-known artists – great little gems that run the gamut from southern soul to heavy funk, harmony soul, and disco – all with a quality level that matches or beats most of the other indies of the time! This wonderful set brings together some of the best from those years – and includes work issued not only on Spring, but also on the related Event and Posse labels – served up here as a whopping 24-track package that's supported by great notes on all the music. Titles include "It's So Good To Know" by Mayberry Movement, "I'm A Lover" by Vernon Brown, "You & I Go Good Together" by Garland Green, "Turn Yourself Around" by Clare Bathe, "Walk All Over God's Heaven" by Jackie Verdell, "Baby There's Nothing You Can Do" by The Joneses, "I'm On My Way" by Winfield Parker, "Ain't It Amazing" by Prince Harold, "Dry Bones In The Valley" by The Internationals, "Mr Everything" by Little Eva Harris, "It Takes Both Of Us" by Act One, "I'll See You In Hell First" by Phillip Mitchell, "Sherry Washington" by Ray Godfrey, and "Just Can't Say Hello" by Ronnie Walker. CD

A great slice of work from the New York underground of the post-disco years – served up by a family of labels that had been making things happen through most of the 70s! The set focuses strongly on the singles issued by the Posse and Spring Records labels – the former a new offshoot of the latter, especially geared towards 12" singles that were strongly focused on both the new sounds of the clubs and the streets – including lots of electro, bass-heavy funk, hip hop-inspired grooves, and mabye even some elements that would soon point the way towards house music to come! This side of the Spring Records label has never been covered in detail like this before – and the choice of cuts is as great as the notes on the music – which finally gives the Posse singles their due in the scene from back in the day. Titles include "We Come To Jam" by Blaze, "Sing A Song" by Lonnie Youngblood, "Have Your Cake" by Body, "Wired For Games (long version)" by C Brand, "Workin Out" by Ritz, "Live It Up (short vocal)" by Fonda Rae, "Get Up An Dance" by Mynk, "Spread Love" by Fatback, "Let's Get Nice (7" vocal)" by Glory, and "Got To Have Your Lovin (short vocal)" by Feel. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

A fantastic look at the Spring Records label in New York – a company that had a few big crossover hits in the 70s, but also issued a lot more rare and obscure material over the years – with a long legacy that even hit the early years of the old school scene! One of Spring's great contributions was finding a way for fast funk groups to shift into a disco mode when the earliest years of the clubs got going – but there's also a lot more going on here too – including some great deep soul ballads, warm midtempo steppers, and cuts that point the way towards the modern soul generation on the rise. The package also features six never-issued cuts, alongside some well-chosen and overlooked Spring Records gems – all put together with the usual strong notes and excellent sound we love from Ace/Kent! Titles include "If We Get Caught I Don't Know You" by Prince Philip Mitchell, "Falling In Love" by Victor Tavares, "Save The Best For Me" by The Determinations, "Do You Feel Me" by Act I, "I'm The Other Half Of You" by Maxine Weldon, "If You Could Turn Into Me" by The Fatback Band, "Magic's In The Air" by Ronnie Walker, "Hold On" by Ray Godfrey, "If You Say You Love Me" by Us, "The Storm Is Passing Over" by Jackie Verdell, "Beauty" by The Joneses, "Kill The Monster" by Flower Shoppe, "I Ride Alone" by The Internationals, "Get Right" by Richard Barbary, "Daddy's Coming Home" by Prince Harold, and "Of Your Life" by Vernon Brown. CD

An obscure soul group, but a great one – equally at home with a fragile harmony tune as they were with more uptempo groovers for the dancefloor! This one and only album from Act One is a perfect illustration of the best two sides of the east coast indie soul scene of the early 70s – because some tunes are spare, simple, and heartbreaking – really building off the best qualities of 60s harmony soul, but with a lot more sophistication – while others are bolder, more upbeat, and positive – really using the new studio modes of the time to send a few tunes really over the top! The mix is quite similar to Black Ivory at their best – although the album's more under-discovered treasure – and although it's the only record ever by the group, it's got a solidity that should have made them as big as any of the 70s stars on Atlantic or Philly International! Titles include "Goodbye Love", "Friends Or Lovers", "Tom the Peeper", "Party Hardy People", "I Don't Want To Know What You Do To Me", "Still Waters", "It's The Same Old Story", and "Love's Got Your Mind". CD also features the bonus tracks "I Never Had A Love Like Yours", "A Whole Love Of Love Makin", and "It Takes Both Of Us". CD

A great little electro groover from Fatback – less funky and more beat-heavy than the group's other work – but a great crossover tune with a heck of a pretty hook! Dance version has a nice mix by Francois K, too! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Millie Jackson's feelin bitchy – and letting a whole new side of her talents show! After the sweet southern soul sound of her early recordings, the Jackson style takes a sharp shift here – letting a bitchier side show up more strongly, and really setting the tone for the next great chapter of her music! Some of the set still features the older style production work by Brad Shapiro – but that's also pushed out by a smoother more modern soul feel on most of the record – one that has Millie emerging with a lot more pride, presence, and power than ever – all-woman, and all in control! Titles include the 10 minute Latimore cut "All The Way Lover", which has a great monologue that would even make Latimore blush – plus the tracks "A Little Taste Of Outside Love", "Feelin Like A Woman", "Angel In Your Arms", and the great "If You're Not Back In Love By Monday". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "I'm Free", "House For Sale", "Bad Risk", "Feel Like Making Love", "Solitary Love Affair", and "Do What Makes The World Go Round". LP, Vinyl record album

Uncensored is right! Millie's live shows during the 70s were a lot raunchier than any of her records – and were usually filled with profanity, off-color jokes, and plenty of frank and foxy references to sex. She'd built her name on record through sweet heartbreaking southern soul sides – but this album gives the at-home listening crowd one of their first tastes of Millie in the raw, and it contains many classic monologues and lots of witty patter that Millie still uses in live shows to this day. Includes a great version of "If Loving You Is Wrong", with a hip rap in the middle; a nice take on "Keep The Home Fire Burnin", with a similar monologue to that used by Latimore in his live sets; a version of "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?", the "Phuck U Symphony"; a piece on "The Soaps", and "Didn't I Blow Your Mind". LP, Vinyl record album

The tremendous debut of the great Millie Jackson – a new standard-setting deep soul record for the 70s, and one that's quite different than some of Jackson's work from later years! The record's got a heartbreaking southern female soul approach – similar to work by underground favorites like Ann Sexton, Doris Duke, or Shirley Brown – and even though the arrangements are done north of the Mason/Dixon line (in New York by Bert DeCoteaux, and in DC by Tony Camillo), the record feels like it was lifted off the pressing plant in Muscle Shoals or Jackson! Titles include "I Ain't Giving Up", "I Miss You Baby", "Ask Me What You Want", "My Man, A Sweet Man", "I Just Can't Stand It", and "Strange Things". LP, Vinyl record album

Upbeat soul from Millie Jackson – a massive batch of tunes that work perfectly for the dancefloor, but which still retain all the grittier edges of her best early years! Although Millie's probably best known for her weepy ballads of the 70s, she also pioneered a more upbeat style of southern soul too – a nicely grooving approach to the music that was almost the southern equivalent of grooves from Philly and New York at the time. The style's a great one for Jackson's bold, proud lyrical style – and this wonderful set really shows the best bad-stepping side of Millie's talents in the 70s. Most cuts are pulled from her years on the Spring label during the decade, and the set features a few rare versions and edits that make the package essential, even if you've got all the individual LPs! 22 tracks in all – including "If That Don't Turn You On", "All I Want Is A Fighting Chance", "House For Sale", "Somethin Bout Cha", "You Can't Stand The Thought Of Another Man Loving Me", "Love Doctor", "Put Something Down On It", "A Little Taste Of Outside Love", "Ask Me What You Want", "I Miss You Baby", "Letter Full Of Tears", "Fancy This", "Rising Cost Of Love", and "You Can't Turn Me Off In The Middle Of Turning Me On". CD

A great follow up to Mille Jackson's classic Caught Up album – but one that's also a key turning point too! The theme here is the same as the album before – with tunes that have a woman "caught up" in love and all of its tangles – but the sound is also bolder, more positive, and somehow more righteous than before – with Millie stepping from the weepy shadows very firmly into the mainstream – making a bold move forward for women in general in the process! Production is still by southern soul whiz Brad Shapiro – but he's also brightened things a bit too, in keeping with Millie's bolder spirit – shaking off some of the earthier tones of the music, and hipping things up slightly with some more modern instrumentation. Millie's vocals are completely wonderful throughout – rasping with that badass style that would later explode even more strongly – and there's lots of spoken bits that make the tunes sound even more personal – as if you're listening at the door, or tapping the phone while Millie's talking to her man! Titles include "Loving Arms", "Do What Makes You Satisfied", "Making The Best Of A Bad Situation", "The Memory Of A Wife", "Leftovers", and "Tell Her It's Over". Expanded CD features 2 bonus tracks – "The Memory Of A Wife (rehearsal version)" and "How Can I Make Sweet Love To You If You Won't Stand Still", which is an earlier version of "One Night Stand". CD

On the floor and on the couch with Fatback – a record that's split into a "hot funk" side and a "mellow madness" one! The hot funk set continues the bass-heavy grooves that Fatback were famous for at the time – long jammers that take a 70s funk aesthetic into 80s boogie mode – but always with a sense of care and class that surpasses most of the group's contemporaries! The mellow madness side is almost even better – as it features some warmly glowing numbers that are often gentler overall, but which still have a nice little midtempo kick – showing an evolution of the Fatback style into some great territory that really keeps them fresh in the 80s! Funk titles include "On The Floor", "UFO", and "Burn Baby Burn" – and mellow madness titles include "She's My Shining Star", "Hip So Slick", and "Do It To Me Now". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic update of earlier soul duo modes – served up here by two of the most badass soul singers of the 70s! The album's got the smooth flow of Isaac Hayes' late 70s work – a bit of clubby rhythms at times, some soaring orchestrations at others – all in a mode that opens up into tunes that allow plenty of vocal interplay between Millie and Ike – who beautifully balance their deep soul roots and growing shift into modern soul modes. Brad Shapiro and Millie produced – giving the album some of the flavors of Jackson's late 70s work on Spring – but the Isaac Hayes presence really makes the record his own, too – as if we could imagine anything less! Titles include "Sweet Music, Soft Lights, & You", "Do You Wanna Make Love", "If I Had My Way", "Love Changes", and "You Needed Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Man, it must have been something to hear this record blasting out of a boombox back in the old days – especially if it was the magenta-hued one on the cover! The groove here is strong and loud – plenty of bass and beats at the bottom, and even a few surprising early electro touches that really stand out and make the album something special. And as with other records from this time, Fatback also show their ballad skills on one number – "Come & Get the Love" – but it's the more jamming tracks we really love, and they include "Street Band", "Hot Box", "Love Spell", "Gotta Get My Hands On Some Money", and the fat 80s jam "Backstrokin". LP, Vinyl record album

A bit of history! "King Tim III" is arguably the first-ever rap vocal on record and also not a bad bit of funk from Fatback! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Man, it must have been something to hear this record blasting out of a boombox back in the old days – especially if it was the magenta-hued one on the cover! The groove here is strong and loud – plenty of bass and beats at the bottom, and even a few surprising early electro touches that really stand out and make the album something special. And as with other records from this time, Fatback also show their ballad skills on one number – "Come & Get the Love" – but it's the more jamming tracks we really love, and they include "Street Band", "Hot Box", "Love Spell", "Gotta Get My Hands On Some Money", and the fat 80s jam "Backstrokin". CD

A key transitional record from Fatback – one that sits nicely between their earlier funk and later club years! The record clearly knows this aspect about itself – as side one is titled "Vintage – House Party", and features more longer-jamming takes on the grooves that group was beginning during their Event years – a tightening up of the rougher initial Fatback groove, with plenty of bass driving the bottom of the tracks and lots more guitar work over the top. Side two shifts the focus to the "Tasty – Disco Party" mode – a style that's not that different from the first, but which has some smoother touches overall. Great Fatback all around, and titles include "Funk Backin", "Master Booty", "The Man With The Band", "Mile High", "I Gotta Thing For You", "Midnight Freak", and "Zodiac Man". CD

Fatback are very firmly in an 80s mode here – using a bit more keyboards, beats, and electro touches than before, but still staying true to their funky inspirations! The style's somewhat more contemporarily commercial than a few of the group's previous records – clearly trying for a hit on a few numbers – but the rhythms and production are still a lot more real than most other hitbound bands of the era, and we can more than forgive the group for the few added hooks they bring into a few of the tunes! Titles include "He's A Freak, Undercover", "I Found Lovin", "Wide Glide", and "Please Stay". CD

Seminal 70s southern soul from Millie Jackson – a record that's head and shoulders above most of what she recorded in later years! Before she got all naughty and raunchy, Millie Jackson was one of the best female soul singers to come out of the south – and this album's a work of understated brilliance that brings a new level of emotion and feeling to the music. The whole thing's conceived as a bit of a concept album – one in which Millie's a bit fragile at the start, due to unfulfilled love – then regains her confidence by confronting those around her, and eventually steps forth boldly as a proud, new woman. Jackson put together the record with producer Brad Shapiro – and the overall style is Muscle Shoals, but with a more sophisticated twist – thanks to inventive use of strings alongside the more standard soul rhythms. Highlights include a great remake of "If Loving You Is Wrong, I Don't Want To Be Right" (complete with a nice bit of spoken dialogue!) – plus "I'm Through Trying To Prove My Love To You", "It's Easy Going", "I'm Tired Of Hiding", "Summer (The First Time)", and the great "It's All Over But The Shouting". CD also features 4 bonus tracks – including alternate "live vocal" versions of "I'm Tired Of Hiding", "I'm Through Trying To Prove My Love To You", and "Feel Like Making Love" – and an instrumental called "A House For Sale" by The Muscle Shoals Swampers! CD

Millie Jackson's feelin bitchy – and letting a whole new side of her talents show! After the sweet southern soul sound of her early recordings, the Jackson style takes a sharp shift here – letting a bitchier side show up more strongly, and really setting the tone for the next great chapter of her music! Some of the set still features the older style production work by Brad Shapiro – but that's also pushed out by a smoother more modern soul feel on most of the record – one that has Millie emerging with a lot more pride, presence, and power than ever – all-woman, and all in control! Titles include the 10 minute Latimore cut "All The Way Lover", which has a great monologue that would even make Latimore blush – plus the tracks "A Little Taste Of Outside Love", "Feelin Like A Woman", "Angel In Your Arms", and the great "If You're Not Back In Love By Monday". CD also features 3 bonus tracks – "Lovin Your Good Thing Away (alt vocal)", "Angel In Your Arms (alt vocal)", and "If You're Not Back In Love By Monday (alt vocal)". CD

An excellent early album from Millie Jackson – recorded in a southern soul style in New York and Muscle Shoals, but a lot hipper than most of the rest of the female soul that was coming out of the south at the time! Millie was a bit different than the rest – as although she's got a tear running down her cheek on the cover, she can also be a real badass when she wants too – rapping hard and frankly about the ups and downs of love and live – often sticking to harder material, except for a few tear jerking ballads, and adds in a lot of humor and touches of the fierce sarcasm that would soon become her calling card in the soul business. Key producer Brad Shapiro is working with Millie here – Gary Byrd penned the leadoff cut "I Cry", and the other tracks include "Two Faced World", "Hypocrisy", "Good To The Very Last Drop", "Help Yourself", and "Now That You Got It". CD features a whopping amount of bonus tracks too – previously unissued versions of "It Hurts So Good", "Help Yourself", "Here Comes Love", "That's My Style", "Hypocrisy", and "Breakaway" – all sounding much more different than the master takes! CD

Nice and nasty work from Millie Jackson – a great illustration of the way her live shows were always rated-X compared to her studio work! Titles include "Lovers & Girl Friends", "Ugly Men", "This Is It", "Don't You Ever Stop Lovin Me", and "I Had To Say It". LP, Vinyl record album

The tremendous debut of the great Millie Jackson – a new standard-setting deep soul record for the 70s, and one that's quite different than some of Jackson's work from later years! The record's got a heartbreaking southern female soul approach – similar to work by underground favorites like Ann Sexton, Doris Duke, or Shirley Brown – and even though the arrangements are done north of the Mason/Dixon line (in New York by Bert DeCoteaux, and in DC by Tony Camillo), the record feels like it was lifted off the pressing plant in Muscle Shoals or Jackson! Titles include "I Ain't Giving Up", "I Miss You Baby", "Ask Me What You Want", "My Man, A Sweet Man", "I Just Can't Stand It", and "Strange Things". CD version features a whopping 11 bonus tracks – many of which were never issued before – and titles include the MGM numbers "My Heart Took A Licking" and "A Little Bit Of Something", plus "Ask Me What You Want (unedited master)", "Untrue Men", "I Don't Wanna Talk About It", "Strange Things (alt mix)", "My Man A Sweet Man (unedited master)", and "You're The Joy Of My Life (alt take)". CD

Ernestine Anderson at the height of her powers – caught during a very successful run at Concord Records, where she was easily one of the hippest things going down at the time! The group here is a trio, and very tight – Hank Jones on piano, Monty Budwig on bass, and Jeff Hamilton on drums – all shifting easily to fit the mood and personal demeanor of Anderson's performance, which is a fair bit more dynamic than other jazz singers of the period. In a way, the record's got a similar feel to Lorez Alexandria's albums from the time – hip soul jazz vocals at its best, with just the right twists, turns, and rhythmic impulses to keep things interesting – but not enough to goof things up too much! Titles include "Big City", "Welcome To The Club", "All Blues", "All I Need Is You", "Spring Is Here", and "I'll Never Pass This Way Again". (Vocalists, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Sublimely satisfying work from Ashford & Simpson – a stone killer from the height of their late 70s glory days on Warner Brothers! The pair are working together wonderfully at this point – wrapped up in that blend of upbeat soul and righteous undercurrents that made them a real cut above in mainstream soul – getting great help from arrangers William Eaton, Paul Riser, and Al Gorgoni – all of whom know how to hit that perfect Ashford & Simpson balance between tightness, class, and soulful spontaneity! Backings are always filled with lots of jazzy touches, too – the kind of sophisticated soul elements other would cop from the pair in years to come – and titles include "Over & Over", "It's You", "If You're Lying", "Couldn't Get Enough", "Destiny", "So So Satisfied", and "Tried Tested & Found True". LP, Vinyl record album

A great set of tracks that shows an oft-hidden side of The Fatback Band – their talent for smooth, mellow numbers! Despite the fame of the group as a funky act and as dancefloor favorites, they could kick back and lay out a good ballad or a love song when they wanted to – something they did once or twice an album on their sides for the Spring label, from which the 10 tracks on the CD are pulled. The approach is a great one – as the group have a sweet sound that's perfect for mellow harmonies, drifting as effortlessly here as the band grooves on their funkier numbers. Titles include "Oh Girl", "She's My Shining Star", "I'm So In Love", "Please Stay", "I Found Lovin", "Sunshine Lady", "At Last", "Can't You See", "Is This The Future", and "Do It To Me Now". CD

A flawless batch of classics from Millie Jackson in the heart of her early years on Spring Records – maybe sounding better than ever here! Millie's raunchier style would come later on, but here she's working in styles that are a perfect mix of gritty and sweet – arrangements tailored perfectly to those characteristics in her sultry, smoky voice – and equally at home in sessions in Muscle Shoals, Philly or NYC. Covers the bases from moody southern soul, to tender ballads, to lightly soaring strings – and the mixes by Steve Levine really bring out the vibe of the original sessions, as closely as possible to the spirit and vision of the original recordings – a restoration as opposed to a revision. Includes "Sweet Music, Soft Lights & You" featuring Isaac Hayes, "House For Sale", "I'll Continue To Love You", "My Man, A Sweet Man", "I Cry", "If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Wanna Be Right)" and "It Hurts So Good" – plus "Kiss You All Over", "Bad Risk", "Never Change Lovers In The Middle Of The Night" and more. 12 tracks on the CD. CD

Amazing sounds from one of the all-time greats – the legendary Little Willie John – not only a key inspiration to James Brown, but one of the formative forces in soul music at the start of the 60s! The material here was cut by King Records at the height of its R&B years, but it also stretches forth towards something new, too – a deeper, more expressive sound that really blows us out of the water, even all these decades later – vocals that are incredible, and virtually a blueprint for the style that would come to be known as deep soul in later years. The package brings together all of Little Willie John's hit singles for King, but also features the much more obscure b-sides too – making it an essential document of these legendary years – with a whopping 32 tracks that include "Now You Know", "Flamingo", "Spring Fever", "I'm Sorry", "My Nerves", "Do Something For Me", "Leave My Kitten Alone", "Let Nobody Love You", "Fever", "Tell It Like It Is", "Letter From My Darling", "Don't Leave Me Dear", "Right There", and "All Around The World". CD

Omar's second album for BMG – and an instant classic set of soul tracks that sadly almost disappeared as soon as it was released! The album shows Omar growing even stronger than ever both as a singer and songwriter – moving from the indie feel of earlier work into a confident role as one of the few strong male soul talents of the end of the 20th century. Omar's voice is heavenly, as always – almost an electric-sounding pitch that works perfectly with the keyboards and instrumentation on the set – and his songs have a mature quality that is at once personal and professional. The album's filled with some great songs and wonderful surprises – like Omar's cover of The Stranglers' "Golden Brown", and tracks that include "Say Nothin" (2 versions), "This Is Not A Love Song", "Fallin", "Music For The Pipe", "Waiting Game", and "Spring Step". (Neo Soul, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Lost soulful sounds from Osiris – one of the many high-concept funk ensembles to spring up in the wake of Earth Wind & Fire – and one of the better ones too! The combo's got some mighty tight grounding in the bass work of Tyrone Brunson – stepping out here in an early role to really help forge the group's groove from the bottom up – basslines with percussion, then jazzier elements on the top – including some wicked work by Fred Wesley & The Horny Horns! Those added horns really pack a lot of punch on the record – working perfectly with the group vocals that step out on most of the numbers – maybe not in ways that are as righteous as you'd guess from the title or the cover, but plenty darn groovy overall. Titles include "You & I", "Love In Your Heart", "I'll Never Let You Go", "Fantality", "Say You Will", and the jazzy stepper "Travelin Salesman". CD

5 classic albums from Nina Simone – packaged together in one sweet little set! First up is Nuff Said – a great little album from Nina – mostly recorded live at the Westbury Music Fair, with a hip mix of jazz, soul, and folk that's stretched out in a slightly informal setting that always brings out the best of Nina's vocals! Tracks include "The Backlash Blues", "Please Read Me", "Sunday In Savannah", "Why? (The King Of Love Is Dead)", and the nice jazzer "In The Morning". Plus, the album also includes one straight soul number – "Do What You Gotta Do", with some great arrangements by Horace Ott. Next is To Love Somebody – one of Nina's greatest records – recorded with her cool combo that included Weldon Irvine! Weldon's on organ on the set, and he co-wrote the two-part track "Revolution" with Simone, one of the album's strongest numbers! That track is set amidst covers of other hip 60s material, including "Turn Turn Turn", "To Love Somebody", "I Can't See Nobody", and "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" – all done with a freely righteous style that has Nina cutting loose at the end of the 60s! Black Gold is a real classic from Nina, one of the excellent sets she cut with the Stroud Productions imprint during the early 70s! The style here is even hipper than her late 60s work on Philips – with a mixture of open-ended jazz and soul that's best summed up in the album's extended reading of "Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair", and a great version of "To Be Young Gifted & Black", which was written by Weldon Irvine, who's probably playing piano here with Nina. It Is Finished is the kind of record that once made purists turn up their noses, but which is now being rediscovered as a unique jazz/soul crossover album, filled with loads of nice moments! The instrumentation's pretty darn interesting – and includes sitar, harp, Spanish guitar, and other odd percussion instruments. Includes Nina's nice version of "Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter", plus "I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl", "Dambala", "Obeah Woman", and "The Pusher". Nina Simone & Piano is a strong back to basics session for Nina, one that featured her piano and vocals only, a very spare approach that was markedly different from her work a few years previously for other labels. Nina's tone on the piano is incredible – and she's working with some striking modern jazz changes that offset the folksiness of her vocals in a fantastic way, creating a sound that's a lot fuller than you'd expect! Titles include "Seems I'm Never Tired Lovin You", "Compensation", "Everyone's Gone To The Moon", "Nobody's Fault But Mine", "I Think It's Going To Rain Today", "The Desperate Ones", "The Human Touch", and "Another Spring". (Vocalists, Soul) CD

An overstuffed double-length set from Donna Summer – one that features some of the live material promised in the title, plus some even better studio work as well! The first 3 sides of the album feature Donna recorded live – putting over tunes with a bit more personality and almost a sense of spontaneity that we wouldn't expect – on titles that include "Fairy Tale High", "Only One Man", "I Remember Yesterday", "I Love You", "Spring Affair", "Mimi's Song", "I Feel Love", and "Last Dance". But even better is the 4th side of the record – which features the extended "MacArthur Park Suite" – Donna's masterful reworking of the Jimmy Webb classic, stretched out to even greater length than the original! LP, Vinyl record album

Smooth funky jazz from Tom Browne – caught here during his best early years! The record's his second best next to Love Approach, but it's got almost the same sort of feel, with tight late 70s studio jazz jamming – and a buttery smooth sound from Browne's post-Donald Byrd trumpet licks. Includes the great break cut "I Never Was A Cowboy", plus "Herbal Scent", "Throw Down", "What's Going On", and "Promises For Spring". (Jazz, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic late 60s set from John Lee Hooker – one that has the legend working in a mode that echoes some of the funkier soul styles of the time, but with a vibe that's still very much in the best spirit of his classic work! The groove is slightly amped up by the electric bass of Eddie Taylor and tight drums of Al Duncan, but the session just features a quartet – with the mighty Phil Upchurch on second guitar next to John's lead – and Hooker delivering some fantastic vocals throughout! Titles include "Hot Spring Water (parts 1 & 2)", "Backbiters & Syndicaters", "Mr Lucky", "Cry Before I Go", "I'm Standing In Line", "The Motor City Is Burning", "Want Ad Blues", and "I Can't Stand To Leave You". (Blues, Soul) CD

Sweet electric magic from Ramsey Lewis – four 70s albums in a single collection! First up is Don't It Feel Good – massive keyboard work from the great Ramsey Lewis – easily one of his best records ever, thanks to some spaciously funky production by Charles Stepney! Stepney plays keyboards here along with Ramsey, and the twin-keys approach makes for a sound that's extra-special – one that sums up all the earlier soulful creativity of both artists in their late 60s Cadet Records years, and hones it down to an even sweeter groove for the 70s! A number of tracks have some sort of vocal component, but usually in a chorus mode that soon drops out when the keyboards hit home – and the record features a few great short "interlude" tracks that are almost as great as the longer numbers! Titles include the classic "Juaacklyn", a cover of Earth Wind & Fire's "That's The Way Of The World", and the tracks "I Dig You", "Fish Bite", "Don't It Feel Good", "Something About You", and "Can't Function". Salongo is a tremendous little record, and one of the funky 70s sets that Ramsey Lewis recorded with Earth Wind & Fire! Well, not Earth Wind & Fire entirely – but the Kalimba Productions team of Maurice White and Charles Stepney that gave the group its sound – plus a nice sprinkling of other players that were often associated with sessions by the group! Ramsey's own combo here includes Steve Cobb on drums and vocals, and Derf Reklaw on reeds and vocals as well – and the overall sound has bits of African and Brazilian influences, worked into a soulful fusion groove that sounds a lot like the instrumental backings EWF were using at the time. Titles include "Brazilica", "Slick", "Rubato", "Salongo", and "Seventh Fold". Tequila Mockingbird is an overlooked gem from the Columbia Records years, filled with loads of great grooves, and some pretty mighty keyboards! Part of the record has Ramsey working with Larry Dunn of Kalimba Productions – getting plenty of the Earth Wind & Fire groove that made so much of his Columbia sessions sparkle – while the rest of the set has the great Bert DeCoteaux handling things, and giving Lewis just the right mix of sophistication and soul he was using with other Columbia acts at the time. The album's a perfect example of the way that Ramsey stepped way ahead of the pack during this time in his career – using keyboards and grooves together in ways that so many artists today are still trying to match – but never hit it this right! Titles include "Camino El Bueno", "Caring For You", "Intimacy", "That Ole Bach Music", "Skippin", "Tequila Mockingbird", and "Wandering Rose" – that cool cut by Neal Creque! Love Notes is a great little album of mid 70s funk from Ramsey Lewis – very much in the mode of his Earth, Wind, & Fire related work – no surprise, since the album's dedicated to Charles Stepney, whose influence was such a key part of the sound of the group, and of some of Ramsey's other Kalimba-produced albums from a few years before! Ramsey plays Fender Rhodes, mini moog, and Arp – and he gets help on keyboards from Stevie Wonder and Derf Reklaw, who also plays saxes and percussion on the set. Features versions of Wonder's "Love Notes" and "Spring High", plus Reklaw's "Chili Today Hot Tamale", "Shining", and "Stash Dash". (Jazz, Soul) CD

Sweet electric magic from Ramsey Lewis – four 70s albums in a single collection! First up is Don't It Feel Good – massive keyboard work from the great Ramsey Lewis – easily one of his best records ever, thanks to some spaciously funky production by Charles Stepney! Stepney plays keyboards here along with Ramsey, and the twin-keys approach makes for a sound that's extra-special – one that sums up all the earlier soulful creativity of both artists in their late 60s Cadet Records years, and hones it down to an even sweeter groove for the 70s! A number of tracks have some sort of vocal component, but usually in a chorus mode that soon drops out when the keyboards hit home – and the record features a few great short "interlude" tracks that are almost as great as the longer numbers! Titles include the classic "Juaacklyn", a cover of Earth Wind & Fire's "That's The Way Of The World", and the tracks "I Dig You", "Fish Bite", "Don't It Feel Good", "Something About You", and "Can't Function". Salongo is a tremendous little record, and one of the funky 70s sets that Ramsey Lewis recorded with Earth Wind & Fire! Well, not Earth Wind & Fire entirely – but the Kalimba Productions team of Maurice White and Charles Stepney that gave the group its sound – plus a nice sprinkling of other players that were often associated with sessions by the group! Ramsey's own combo here includes Steve Cobb on drums and vocals, and Derf Reklaw on reeds and vocals as well – and the overall sound has bits of African and Brazilian influences, worked into a soulful fusion groove that sounds a lot like the instrumental backings EWF were using at the time. Titles include "Brazilica", "Slick", "Rubato", "Salongo", and "Seventh Fold". Tequila Mockingbird is an overlooked gem from the Columbia Records years, filled with loads of great grooves, and some pretty mighty keyboards! Part of the record has Ramsey working with Larry Dunn of Kalimba Productions – getting plenty of the Earth Wind & Fire groove that made so much of his Columbia sessions sparkle – while the rest of the set has the great Bert DeCoteaux handling things, and giving Lewis just the right mix of sophistication and soul he was using with other Columbia acts at the time. The album's a perfect example of the way that Ramsey stepped way ahead of the pack during this time in his career – using keyboards and grooves together in ways that so many artists today are still trying to match – but never hit it this right! Titles include "Camino El Bueno", "Caring For You", "Intimacy", "That Ole Bach Music", "Skippin", "Tequila Mockingbird", and "Wandering Rose" – that cool cut by Neal Creque! Love Notes is a great little album of mid 70s funk from Ramsey Lewis – very much in the mode of his Earth, Wind, & Fire related work – no surprise, since the album's dedicated to Charles Stepney, whose influence was such a key part of the sound of the group, and of some of Ramsey's other Kalimba-produced albums from a few years before! Ramsey plays Fender Rhodes, mini moog, and Arp – and he gets help on keyboards from Stevie Wonder and Derf Reklaw, who also plays saxes and percussion on the set. Features versions of Wonder's "Love Notes" and "Spring High", plus Reklaw's "Chili Today Hot Tamale", "Shining", and "Stash Dash". (Jazz, Soul) CD

Donna Summer also covers spring, autumn and winter here – on an incredibly groovy disco concept album – gorgeously sung by Donna Summer and produced to perfection by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte! It's got 4 long, seasonally-titled tunes and a reprise – with "Spring Affair", "Summer Fever", "Autumn Changes" and "Winter Melody" – and the numbers groove appropriately! The spring groover is breezy, summer's is nice and steamy, the dancefloor grooves shift and phase for autumn, and winter is cool and delicate. One of the finer album-oriented disco releases of the period! LP, Vinyl record album

Grandmaster Flash is best known for his work in the world of hip hop, not the sort of club scene that Salsoul helped feed back in the day – yet this surprisingly great package has Flash adding in some hip hop energy to the catalog of the legendary label – spinning tracks that emphasize the funkier currents of Salsoul, and drawing a link between disco singles and the sorts of rhythms that first helped feed the old school street party scene! Titles include "High" by Skyy, "Doctor Love" by First Choice, "Make Up Your Mind" by Aurra, "Runaway" by Salsoul Orchestra, "Let's Celebrate" by Skyy, "Slap Slap Lickedy Lap" by Instant Funk, "Love Sensation" by Loleatta Holloway, "Ten Percent" by Double Exposure", "I Got My Mind Made Up" by Instant Funk, "Spring Rain" by Silvetti, "Ooh I Love It" by Salsoul Orchestra, and "Checkin You Out" by Aurra. (Funky Compilations, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A really heady dip into the mighty large catalog of P&P Records – a small family of New York labels in the late 70s/early 80s, and a powerhouse of production who were cutting grooves that were years ahead of their time! P&P was one of those companies that always seemed to get more attention overseas than on our shores – and that legacy is supported here with a superb track list from DJ Kenta – who brings together 19 gems from the label's far-ranging roster, in a cool blend of funky club tracks that even include a few of his own original edits! Titles include "Dance Freak" by Chain Reaction, "African Rock" by Licky, "Roller Rink Funk" by Shift, "Stomp Your Feet & Dance" by Kim Taylor, "Out Of Work (voc)" by Jesse Gould, "Turn Up Your Radio" by Kessler, "I Did It Again" by Jesse Henderson, "Spring Rain" by The Destiny Orchestra, "Feel The Spirit (long disco version)" by Foster Jackson Group, "Dance Dance Dance (disco version)" by Marta Acuna, and "Super Jay Love Theme" by Super J. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

Funky Fatback from the mid and late 70s – not as scratchy and hard as the group's earlier recordings on the Perception label, as most of these are pulled from their later work for the Event and Spring labels, but still pretty darn nice! The set kicks off with two funky 45 classics – "Mr Bass Man" and "Wicky Wacky" – then rolls into a set that takes the group from the funky shack to the dancefloor, as Fatback expand their sound a bit more for the late 70s club scene. Titles include "Feeling", "Party Time", "The Man With The Band", "I Feel Real Good", "The Joint", "Feed Me Your Love", "Freak The Funk The Funk (Rock)", "Put Your Love In My Tender Care", and "Changed Man". CD

A glittering collection of groovy soulful gems – 31 tracks by the legendary Fatback – featuring work from the group's first few years as a funk band through their 70s transformation into one of the tightest club acts around! The package features work from the group's earliest years on Perception Records, a few from their brief stint on Event, and lots more from the Spring label – and the set goes for all the group's tastiest cuts, and includes a massive amount of dancefloor grooves – making for an instant party the moment you get it out of the box! Funky all around – with tracks that include "Spanish Hustle", "I Found Loving", "Backstrokin", "I Like Girls", "King Tim III (Personality Jock)", "Double Dutch", "Keep On Steppin", "The Girl Is Fine (So Fine)", "Take It Any Way You Want It", "Wicki Wacky", "Soul March", "Is This The Future", "Feed Me Your Love", "Nija Walk", "Dance Girl", and "Let's Do It Again". CD

A fantastic update of earlier soul duo modes – served up here by two of the most badass soul singers of the 70s! The album's got the smooth flow of Isaac Hayes' late 70s work – a bit of clubby rhythms at times, some soaring orchestrations at others – all in a mode that opens up into tunes that allow plenty of vocal interplay between Millie and Ike – who beautifully balance their deep soul roots and growing shift into modern soul modes. Brad Shapiro and Millie produced – giving the album some of the flavors of Jackson's late 70s work on Spring – but the Isaac Hayes presence really makes the record his own, too – as if we could imagine anything less! Titles include "Sweet Music, Soft Lights, & You", "Do You Wanna Make Love", "If I Had My Way", "Love Changes", and "You Needed Me". CD

One of the funkiest albums ever cut by Little Milton – done at the end of the 60s with some hard Chicago soul arrangements from Gene Barge, and an overall style that mixes electric blues with some of the hard soul coming from the city's west side scene at the time! The album's much more of a soul album than a blues one – especially in comparison to some of Milton's other work – and titles include "Twenty Three Hours", "Just A Little Bit", "I Can't Quit You Baby", "I'll Always Love You", "Did You Ever Love A Woman", "Spring", "Grits Ain't Groceries" and "You're The One". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album