Includes tracks by Dennis Bell, Roy Hargrave, Lois Williams, Merrie Kilgore & the 4 Bs, the Stompers, Vinny & Kenny, Jessie Cotton, Larry Finnegan, Stag Lee, Nina & Jack, Tony, Bob & Jimmy, Lalo Guerrero and more. (Rock, Soul) CD

With 44 tracks including "I'm Gonna Cry", "In The Midnight Hour", "Mustang Sally", "Stagger Lee", "Jealous Love", "Mini-Skirt Minnie", "Three Time Loser", and "Soul Dance Number Three". CD

Titles include "Stagger Lee", "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", "Come Into My Heart", "Lady Luck", "Never Let Me Go", and "Have You Ever Had The Blues?" – 18 tracks total. CD

A sweet overview of the early years of Aretha Franklin's career – her formative days at Columbia Records, when she was working in a variety of styles before heading over to bigger fame at Atlantic! Even at this early stage, Aretha's one hell of a singer – and, despite what folks who listen to Jerry Wexler might say, this early Columbia work is pretty darn amazing throughout – steeped in a number of different modes, with bits of jazz, R&B, and early soul sewn together beautifully throughout. The double-length set is filled with key early moments from Aretha – and titles include "Don't Cry Baby", "Lee Cross", "Skylark", "One Step Ahead", "Evil Gal Blues", "Take A Look", "Runnin Out Of Fools", "People", "Try A Little Tenderness", and "Take It Like You Give It". LP, Vinyl record album

A stone 70s classic from the Isley Brothers – a set recorded right at the height of their glory days – at a time when their sound was completely on the money! The cover has the group on stage – a photo taken during their run of arena concerts at the time – but the album's a studio effort throughout, and really shows the group's increasing understanding of the way the right production would bring out all the best elements in both their instrumentation and vocals! In fact, although the groovers are great, the group are maybe at their height with the impeccable production on two ballads – the sublime "Voyage To Atlantis" and "Footsteps In The Dark" – served up alongside the midtempo tune "Tell Me When You Need It Again", another great track that almost has the same power as the other two. But the whole thing's great – in the best Isley Brothers 70s way – and tracks include "Climbin Up The Ladder", "The Pride", and "Go For Your Guns". LP, Vinyl record album

Deep soul from the glory days of the Memphis scene – not the better-known work recorded at Stax, but material from the smaller American Sound Studio – a new game in town during the late 60s, and a place that forged it's very own legacy in Memphis music! American recorded a variety of styles – a bit like Muscle Shoals – but this collection not only focuses most strongly on the soul music cut at the studios, but also work by "The Memphis Boys" – the superb in-house session group that included top-shelf talents like Reggie Young and Tommy Cogbill on guitar, Bobby Emmons on keyboards, and Chips Moman at the head of the group. The great Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham also did plenty of work for American – on material that was issued on a variety of labels – Atlantic, Cameo, Bell, Sound Stage 7, Smash, and others – all collected here with a deep set of notes that really gets at the special vibe going down at American. Titles include "Burning Fire" by Arthur Conley, "Someone To Take Your Place" by Bobby Marchan, "I Don't Want To Have To Wait" by James & Bobby Purify, "Ain't That True Love" by Oscar Toney Jr, "There's A Heartbreak Somewhere" by Roscoe Shelton, "Comin To Bring You Some Soul" by Sam Baker, "It Ain't Fair" by Ben E King, "Don't Take Your Love" by The Blossoms, "So Much Love" by Dusty Springfield, "Broadway Walk" by Bobby Womack, "Holdin On" by Jerry Lee Lewis, and "On The Other Side" by Lee Jones & The Sounds Of Soul. CD

A real lost chapter in the James Brown legacy of soul – tracks that The Godfather issued on a branch of TK Records, right during the same time he was cutting some familiar funk classics on the Polydor and People Records labels! The music here is an offshoot of the Funky People universe that James was serving up on People – in that much of the material here was by members of the James Brown stage show, given their own chance in the spotlight – but with Brown himself handling most of the work on the record. So the tracks are like James Brown gems, but with other singers in front – served up here in a massive set that features 21 funky nuggets in all – titles that include "Screwdriver" and "Put Something On Your Mind" by Lee Austin, "Bessie (parts 1 & 2)" by JBs Wedge, "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Johnny The Man, "Nature (parts 1 & 2)" by JBs International, and "Across The Track (parts 1 & 2)" by The Believers – plus Vicki Anderson cuts "I'm Too Tough For Mr Big Stuff", "Sounds Funky", "Don't Throw Your Love In The Garbage Can", and "In The Land Of Milk & Honey" – and Bobby Byrd gems that include "Hang It Up", "Never Get Enough", "Keep On Doin What You're Doin", "Hot Pants I'm Coming", "Signed Sealed & Delivered", "I Need Help", "Back From The Dead", "Headquarters", "Sayin It & Doin It Are Two Different Things", "Keep On Doin What You're Doin", and "The Way To Get Down". CD

Sweet electric soul from Evelyn King – and a set that features lots of contributions from a young Kashif! Kashif both wrote some of the songs, and plays keyboards on the record – helping to give King that tightly focused sound that would really be her strongest suit in the early 80s! There's a nicely clean feel here that keeps the record moving strongly forward – and even though Evelyn's vocals are sometimes second-stage next to the beats and keyboards, they still have a way of sending the tunes home in the end. Titles include "Get Loose", "Back To Love", "I'm Just Warming Up", "Betcha She Don't Love You", "Love Come Down", and "I Can't Stand It". LP, Vinyl record album

A now-legendary compilation – an early effort to reissue funk on the Stones Throw label – and a set that virtually gave birth to all the fantastic projects they've done under the Now Again banner over the years! Compiler Egon has gone through a range of rare singles, masters, and demos – and has come up with tunes that burn with a brightness that's undeniable. The grooves are all on the harder end of the James Brown Funky People side of the spectrum – and the whole thing is a massive dig into the funky 45 underground – featuring a few groups who rose to new fame over the years, thanks to the legendary status of this project! Titles include "Don't Go" by Aristocrats Organization, "Loaded To The Gills (edit)" by Michael Liggins & The Supersouls, "Mr Chicken (alternate)" by The Soul Seven, "Slipping Into Darkness" by Dayton Sidewinders, "James Brown Medley" by The Apollo Commanders, "Scorpio" by Kashmere Stage Band, "Sad Chicken" by Leroy & The Drivers, "Street Scene" by Leon Mitchinson, "Free Your Mind" by Amnesty, "The Thing" by Carleen & The Groovers, "Go For Yourself (edit)" by Kenny Smith & The Loveliters, and "The Stretch (edit)" by Detroit Sex Machines. (Funky Compilations, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A great great great collection of rare soul tracks – all pulled from the east LA powerhouse Rampart Records – a key force for fresh sounds in the 60s! Rampart was at a crossroads between soul and Latin scenes in the larger Los Angeles area – and as such, was able to grab music from both sides of the fence – including artists who had this amazing power to reach out for new styles to bridge previous gaps between different audiences! Make no mistake, the sound here is soul throughout – but it's also soul that helped set the stage for a bigger wave of soul, rock, and Latin changes to come from LA at the start of the 70s – and the positive force of this music is stunning, especially when taken together in a big serving like this. Titles include "Come Swim With Me" by Little Ray, "Girl I Love You" by Ron Holden, "Tracy" by Barry White & The Atlantics, "I'm In Love With Your Daughter (part 1)" by Thee Enchantments, "Hey Joe Where You Gonna Go" by Sammy Lee & The Summits, "The Panther" by The East Bay Soul Brass, "Listen To The Wise Man" by East Side Kids, "Poquito Soul" by One G Plus 34, "Evil Ways" by The Village Callers, "One Like Mine" by The Salas Brothers, "I Had A Strange Dream" by Four Tempos, and "Chinese Checkers" by The Mixtures. CD

One of the greatest albums by this super-stylized funkster from Chicago! Captain Sky followed very firmly in the P-Funk footsteps – using lots of bass and rocking rhythms to carve out a space-themed groove that had plenty of cool touches! And more than that, the Captain's style was equally well suited to the emerging 80s groove era – and worked well with a nice dose of slight electric touches – not totally wikki-wikki, but certainly setting the stage for that sound! Titles include "Elementary School Of Funk", "Sir Jam A Lot", "Trace Of Love", "Bubble Gum (I Chewz You)", "Tootsie Rock", and "Let Me Come Inside". LP, Vinyl record album

A now-legendary compilation – an early effort to reissue funk on the Stones Throw label – and a set that virtually gave birth to all the fantastic projects they've done under the Now Again banner over the years! Compiler Egon has gone through a range of rare singles, masters, and demos – and has come up with tunes that burn with a brightness that's undeniable. The grooves are all on the harder end of the James Brown Funky People side of the spectrum – and the whole thing is a massive dig into the funky 45 underground – featuring a few groups who rose to new fame over the years, thanks to the legendary status of this project! Titles include "Don't Go" by Aristocrats Organization, "Loaded To The Gills (edit)" by Michael Liggins & The Supersouls, "Mr Chicken (alternate)" by The Soul Seven, "Slipping Into Darkness" by Dayton Sidewinders, "James Brown Medley" by The Apollo Commanders, "Scorpio" by Kashmere Stage Band, "Sad Chicken" by Leroy & The Drivers, "Street Scene" by Leon Mitchinson, "Free Your Mind" by Amnesty, "The Thing" by Carleen & The Groovers, "Go For Yourself (edit)" by Kenny Smith & The Loveliters, and "The Stretch (edit)" by Detroit Sex Machines. (Funky Compilations, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

One of many volumes in Charly's great series of reissue compilations exploring the huge independent urban soul legacy of the 60's – covering ground from east to (mid)west! This set, like the others, has a huge amount of hard to get 45-only tracks, and features tracks originally issued on labels like SSS International, Mellow, Vee jay,. Sound Stage 7, Diamond and USA. 16 numbers in all, including "You'll Always Be In Style" by Sidney Barnes, "Now I'm In Love With You" by Marvin L Sims, "I Won't Stop To Cry" by Stormy, "I Don't Want To Hurt Nobody" by Ruby Winters, "Why Don't You Write" by Lee Bates, "I Can't Be Your Part Time Baby" by Gwen Davis, "Just Like A Yo Yo" by Ruby Winters, "My Love Is Gone" by the Shadows, "I Better Run" by Barrett Strong, "My Man Don't think I Know" by Gwen Davis, and "But I Couldn't" by Willie Harper. LP, Vinyl record album

A killer Motown live album – one that has the Detroit label storming the stage of the Apollo Theater, with some of its biggest 60s acts in tow! There's a really open, spontaneous feel to the record – more so than other Motown live sets of the 60s – a quality that really grabs you and makes you feel like you're in the audience, catching these artists at the height of their young powers – and the production has the kind of frenetic live album feel as James Brown's famous set at The Apollo. Titles include "Stubborn Kind Of Fellow" by Marvin Gaye, "Whole Lotta Woman" by The Contours, "Strange I Know" by The Marvelettes, "Don't You Know" by Stevie Wonder, "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" by The Miracles, "Two Lovers" by Mary Wells, and "Let Me Go The Right Way" by The Supremes. LP, Vinyl record album

A stunner of a live record from Mother's Finest – one that almost comes across with all the majesty and power of the more famous arena rock albums of the time, but which also has plenty of the group's funky touches intact as well! As before, the music here is a wicked take on fuzzy guitar-based rock – one that's often more funk and soul overall, but easily able to cross into both camps and leave plenty of fans behind! If the audience enthusiasm is to be believed, these guys are tremendous on stage – and titles include "Mickey's Monkey", "Fire", "Somebody To Love", "Magic Carpet Ride", "Watch My Stylin", and "Love Changes". LP, Vinyl record album

A very hip collection of work from the great Joe Turner – material that hasn't been easily issued elsewhere, and which fills in a key chapter of Joe's career! CD1 features vintage material, and is heavy on work from the postwar years, but before Turner rose to a second wave of fame on Atlantic Records – raw tracks recorded for labels that include Freedom and Stag, often with a style that's heavy on the jazzy arrangements that other jump blues artists were using at the time. CD2 features a variety of live recordings – from 1955, 1969, 1971, and 1985 – showing how strongly Turner held onto both his vocal powers over the years, and his ability to command a concert audience. Vintage cuts include "Still In The Dark", "Adam Bit The Apple", "Just A Travelin Man", "Jumpin At The Jubilee", "Around The Clock (part 1)", "Wine O Baby Boogie", "Christmas Date Boogie", and "Baby Won't You Marry Me". Live tracks include "Call The Plumber", "Chicken & The Hawk", "Honey Hush", "Mad Blues", "Chains Of Love", "Cherry Red", "Low Down Dog", and "Flip Flop & Fly". (Blues, Soul) CD

Sweet early soul from Stevie Wonder – an album that features his young and developing voice on a mixture of Motown soul tunes and pop covers done in a mellow sort of style. The record's still got Stevie's vocals swimming in larger backings and strings – but it does have these amazing breakout moments that really catch us off guard, coming through with a level of soul that's stripped down and lean – and which shines the gem that Stevie would soon become from this rough diamond stage! Good cuts include "Sylvia", "Thank You Love", "My World Is Empty Without You", and the sublime "Hey Love", which is one of Stevie's best cuts ever, and is worth the price of the record alone! LP, Vinyl record album

The very first solo album from Chaka Khan – recorded after a great 70s run in Rufus, and an instant-classic that showed the world that she might be an even more amazing artist on her own! All those fantastic vocals from the previous albums with Rufus seem to get even more center stage action here – set up with these superb arrangements from Arif Mardin, who does the same thing for Chaka that he'd done for Aretha Franklin a decade before – pushing her immediately into the role of superstardom, but in a way that's doesn't sacrifice her art at all – and which in fact may well make it even better! Titles include the long-running classic "I'm Every Woman" – but we love even more the incredible "Love Has Fallen On Me" – a funky gem that seems to evoke the Chess/Cadet scene that was in Chicago during Chaka's early years – next to other great tunes that include "I Was Made To Love Him", "Sleep On It", "We Got The Love", "Life Is A Dance", and "Sleep On It". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark set from a group who only ever gave the world two albums – but who've gone on to have a huge influence over the years! This initial offering from Breakwater is a masterful blend of jazzy fusion and mellower soul – a sound sifted together so perfectly, it really tops the rest of the combo's contemporaries – hitting a careful balance that never gets too cheesy or commercial, and which still manages to glow as strongly into the 21st century as it did when first released back in the day! The sound here is sublime – warm, but never sleepy – jazzy, but never cliched – and mixed in such a way that the vocals and instruments almost get center stage in the spotlight without trying to crowd one another out. Titles include the incredible "Work it Out" – worth the price of the record alone – plus "No Limit", "That's Not What We Came Here For", "Free Yourself", "Do It Till The Fluid Gets Hot", and "Feel Your Way". LP, Vinyl record album

Great stuff! Although a live album, Gratitude is one of Earth Wind & Fire's greatest from the mid 70s – a very tight batch of grooves that proves that Maurice White & Co. could play just as well on stage as they could in the studio – and the noise of the crowd going wild is enough to confirm that! And although a live set, the record's actually a bit half and half – with a few added studio tunes to keep the hits coming. Includes their classic version of Skip Scarborough's "Can't Hide Love", plus the mellow jams "Yearnin' Learnin'" and "Reasons", the funky "Shining Star", and a great cover of "Sun Goddess", which was also done by Ramsey Lewis with the group. LP, Vinyl record album

The very first solo album from Chaka Khan – recorded after a great 70s run in Rufus, and an instant-classic that showed the world that she might be an even more amazing artist on her own! All those fantastic vocals from the previous albums with Rufus seem to get even more center stage action here – set up with these superb arrangements from Arif Mardin, who does the same thing for Chaka that he'd done for Aretha Franklin a decade before – pushing her immediately into the role of superstardom, but in a way that's doesn't sacrifice her art at all – and which in fact may well make it even better! Titles include the long-running classic "I'm Every Woman" – but we love even more the incredible "Love Has Fallen On Me" – a funky gem that seems to evoke the Chess/Cadet scene that was in Chicago during Chaka's early years – next to other great tunes that include "I Was Made To Love Him", "Sleep On It", "We Got The Love", "Life Is A Dance", and "Sleep On It". CD