George Clinton may have pretty well disbanded Parliament and Funkadelic by the time the 80s came around, but the Mothership is still soaring highly on this first album from the P-Funk All Stars project – featuring some (but not all) of George Clinton's better players from various groups! Urban Dancefloor Guerillas his a pretty great little set of jammed-up cuts produced by Clinton, Bootsy, Gary Shider, and Sly Stewart. The flame was still burning, even in the "dark years" of the litigious early 80s – on a set that's actually a bit more stylistically diverse than some the related projects, though unified by never wavering funk! Titles include "Copy Cat", "Pumpin' It Up", "Catch A Keeper", and "Generator Pop". CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

(Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A mid-80s classic from Cameo – one that showed the world that the group was still very much in the funky music game, even if their lineup had been reduced to a trio! 12-inch, Vinyl record

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

George Clinton may have pretty well disbanded Parliament and Funkadelic by the time the 80s came around, but the Mothership is still soaring highly on this first album from the P-Funk All Stars project – featuring some (but not all) of George Clinton's better players from various groups! Urban Dancefloor Guerillas his a pretty great little set of jammed-up cuts produced by Clinton, Bootsy, Gary Shider, and Sly Stewart. The flame was still burning, even in the "dark years" of the litigious early 80s – on a set that's actually a bit more stylistically diverse than some the related projects, though unified by never wavering funk! Titles include "Copy Cat", "Pumpin' It Up", "Catch A Keeper", and "Generator Pop". LP, Vinyl record album

(Rock, Soul) 12-inch, Vinyl record

Classic east bay grease from the early days – featuring the good lineup of T of P, with Chester Thompson on organ, and Lenny Williams on lead vocals. Titles include "Give Me The Proof", "I Believe In Myself", "Walkin Up Hip Street", "Maybe It'll Rub Off", and "Come Back Baby". CD

Includes tracks by Jesse Johnson, Klique, Angela Winbush, Rick James, Ready For The World, Bobby Brown, Oran "Juice" Jones, Gwen Guthrie, Cameo, and Joyce Kennedy & Jeffrey Osborne. CD

A great look at one of our favorite sub-genres of 60s soul – tunes that deal with the ins and outs of big city life, most of which were recorded as uptown soul tunes with really great production! It's hard to describe the charm of this work accurately, but the tunes are almost mini-movies, or sound snapshots of urban life at the time – often penned by Brill Building songwriters with a slight fantasy of life in the farther-flung boroughs of the city. Some of the tunes here are well-known, but lots more are obscure – really compelling tracks by singers who bring great life to the songs, and manage to make these little musical moments live on wonderfully over the years! Titles include "Nights In New York City" by Jan Bradley, "Street Talk" by The Tymes, "No Butterflies" by Walter Jackson, "I Love New York" by Marva Josie, "In My Apartment" by Dee Clark, "Big New York" by Chuck Jackson, "On Broadway" by The Cookies, "Concrete Jungle" by Arthur Alexander, "I Don't Want To Hear It Any More" by Jerry Butler, "Second Window Second Floor" by Clyde McPhater, "I Found A Daisy In The City" by Barry Darvell, "Song Of The Street" by Donald Height, "Strange Neighborhood" by The Imaginations, "Up In The Streets Of Harlem" by The Drifters, "City Of Fools" by Colette Kelly, and "That Old Neighborhood" by Eric Williams. CD

An amazing collection of 70s soul tracks – sweet, mellow, laidback, and including loads of numbers that have been buried for years! The focus here is not on obscure groups, but on lesser-known album tracks by bigger names – including many chillout numbers that have a sweet jazzy feel, and which might have gotten eclipsed by some of the artists' bigger hits. ?uestlove of the Roots put the set together, and the whole set's got the deep soulfulness of his own work with that group – track after track of mellow 70s soul, jazzy riffs, spacey instrumentation, and warm vocals effortlessly sliding together! Titles include "Star Of The Story" by Heatwave, "Be My Girl" by Michael Henderson, "Clover" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Before The Dawn" by Patrice Rushen, "Can We Pretend" by Bill Withers, "That's What Friends Are For" by Deniece Williams, "Next To Nature" by Jean Claude Toran, "Glowin" by The Rationals, "Magic In Your Eyes" by Rufus & Chaka Khan, "Sensuality (parts 1 & 2)" by The Isley Brothers, "Sienna" by Stanley Cowell, "Quiet Storm" by Smokey Robinson, "Wheels Of Life" by Gino Vannelli, and "Gotta Find A Lover" by Roy Ayers. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

Early King Records material by Champion Jack Dupree – a hell of a pianist, and a heck of a great singer too – working almost as a raconteur on some of the best songs on this collection! The music has deep roots in New Orleans, where Jack must have really honed his piano skills – but there's also a more northern, more urban presentation of the music on these cuts – a strong current of wit that comes in the way that Jack puts over a tune, and a great mix of jazzy phrasing in both his piano and the electric guitar that sometimes provides strong accompaniment. Jack's vocals are almost more commentary than traditional lyrics – often with an undercurrent of raunch – and titles include "That's My Pa", "Failing Health Blues", "Big Leg Emma's", "Two Below Zero", "Camille", "Me & My Mule", "She Cooks Me Cabbage", and "Silent Partner". (Blues, Soul) CD

A really amazing package – not just for fans of John Lee Hooker, but for anyone who loves postwar blues in general! The work here is all from the tiny Sensation Records label in Detroit – the label to first record John Lee Hooker in the late 40s, and who continued to do sessions with Hooker even after they were getting some of their recordings placed on bigger labels for wider distribution. The massive 3CD set is the first to ever fully plumb the depths of these years – and brings together all the recordings made by Sensation, including some unusual alternates, related dates, and more – all with fantastic sound that really gets at the raspy brilliance of Hooker, and the way he effortlessly mixed up urban and rural modes on the Detroit scene. 71 tracks in all – and titles include "Hoogie Boogie", "Hastings Street Boogie (ext take)", "Hobo Blues (alt take)", "Henry's Swing Club", "Sailing Blues", "Build Myself A Cave (take 3)", "Alberta (alt take)", "Wednesday Evening", "John L's House Rent Boogie (alt take)", "Moon Is Rising (alt take)", "Story Of A Married Woman (alt take)", "Strike Blues (ext)", "I'm In The Mood (humming overdub)", "It Hurts Me So (alt take)", "That's All Right Boogie (underdub)", and lots more! (Blues, Soul) CD

A Japanese book, but one with a very deep dive into urban soul from the 70s onward – mostly American and European records that together represent a whole new wave of cool, sophisticated R&B! This isn't the deep soul of the 60s – although many of the singers still have a wonderful vocal range – and the disc guide looks at rare LP releases and titles in other formats from different spots in the western hemisphere – tracing an evolution of soul music style across hundreds of individual entries for records – each of which are listed with a full color cover image, English language details on the dates, labels, and titles – and a small review in Japanese! You can read the review using a translate feature on your phone – but even without that, the book is a great guide for digging – and is especially helpful for tracking soul records of the past few decades that you might have missed. Almost 200 pages, softcover, with hundreds of entries and images in color! (Books, Soul) Book

Nothing too manic here, as the grooves are all nicely laidback – in that sweetly smooth Shakatak style! The album's definitely a bit more contemporary-styled than some of the group's earlier ones – rhythms that are mostly programmed, and keyboards that have a later 80s sound – but which are still warmed by some of the jazzy touches of before. The vocals are in the lead on most numbers – handled by Jill Saward, who's become a more forceful vocalist in the space of the group's increasingly urban sound. Titles include "Money", "Time Of My Life", "Dr Dr", "Releasin The Feelin", "Walk The Walk", "Slow Dancing", "Mr Manic & Sister Cool", and "Something Special". CD version has 4 bonus tracks: "Never Stop Loving You", extended and dub versions "Mr Manic & Sister Cool" and "Walk The Walk (Remix)". CD

A pair of incredible early Motown albums from Mary Wells – one of the label's first truly great singers – in a great single set from Kent UK! Mary Wells never sounded better than in her Motown years – and 1962's The One Who Really Loves You is key proof of her talents, as it's overflowing with laidback and mellow soul tunes – done in Mary's great blend of bluesy and classy styles! Titles include classics like "Drifting Love", "Strange Love", "The Day Will Come", "I've Got A Notion", "The One Who Really Loves You", "You Beat Me To The Punch", "Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right", "I'll Still Be Around" and more. The follow-up Two Lovers features the subtitle And Other Greatest Hits, but it's actually a great batch of songs that were most newly-recorded by Mary at the time – and not at all a simple round-up of singles! The approach here has just a little more rawness than some of the girl groups Berry Gordy was scoring hits with at the time, but also a sense of urban classiness. As is their wonderful way, Kent goes above and beyond here – with a great booklet of notes and photos – which shines a light on the making of these great records. Wonderful stuff! Titles include "Two Lovers", "Guess Who", "My 2 Arms - You = Tears", "Goody, Goody", "Stop Right Here", "Laughing Boy", "Looking Back", "(I Guess There's) No Love", "Was It Worth It" and "Operator". CD

With cuts by Alyson Williams, Bobby Brown, Cathy Dennis, The Chimes, Doug Lazy, Glen Goldsmith, Jody Watley, Mahlathini & The Mahotella Queens, Marathon, Ruth Joy, Seduction, Skipworth & Turner, Stevie V, Tyree, Urban High, and Wang Chung. LP, Vinyl record album

Numero's Eccentric Soul series focuses on a well-named label – the tiny Shoestring company, who must have operated on a shoestring budget – given that most of its work hardly made it out of the Southern Illinois scene in which they worked! Yet the label's home of Alton, Illinois was also not far from St Louis – and these tracks have a tighter, urban vibe than you might expect – some surprising boogie groovers in the mix, and sharp arrangements and a well put-together groove on most of these cuts that's very different than the usual sort of soul music you might expect from a tiny label. Part of that's the date – a number of these tracks come together from the post-disco years, and have a well-crafted 80s vibe – in a set list that includes the tracks "Let Yourself Go" and "I Need You So" by Jimmie Green, "You're All The Woman I Need" and "Disco Fever" by Howard Neal, "We've Got It Made" by The James Family, "You & Me" by Pete & Cheez, "You Keep Holding Back On Love" by Carletta Sue, and "Dance" by Jimmie Green. (Funky Compilations, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Numero's Eccentric Soul series focuses on a well-named label – the tiny Shoestring company, who must have operated on a shoestring budget – given that most of its work hardly made it out of the Southern Illinois scene in which they worked! Yet the label's home of Alton, Illinois was also not far from St Louis – and these tracks have a tighter, urban vibe than you might expect – some surprising boogie groovers in the mix, and sharp arrangements and a well put-together groove on most of these cuts that's very different than the usual sort of soul music you might expect from a tiny label. Part of that's the date – a number of these tracks come together from the post-disco years, and have a well-crafted 80s vibe – in a set list that includes the tracks "Let Yourself Go" and "I Need You So" by Jimmie Green, "You're All The Woman I Need" and "Disco Fever" by Howard Neal, "We've Got It Made" by The James Family, "You & Me" by Pete & Cheez, "You Keep Holding Back On Love" by Carletta Sue, and "Dance" by Jimmie Green. (Funky Compilations, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic west coast blues from the 60s, none of issued at the time – collected together here in a set that really shows the continuing evolution of the sound of LA! During the 60s, the city's blues took on some of the transformations that were happing in Chicago – with similar roots in a southern scene that moved into a hipper, more urban environment – where blues phrasing was more electrified, and mixed with influences from soul and jazz – often with some funky hybrids along the way! All the cuts here were recorded by Kent Records – the clear black music powerhouse of the west coast at the time – and half were issued on rare Japanese CDs in the 90s, the other 12 appear here for the first time ever – and as usual with Ace, the presentation, notes, and sound quality are wonderful. Titles include "Mama Said" and "Hey Baby" by Willie Headen, "Address In My Hand" and "Soul Blues" by Willie Garland, "Christine" and "Baby Don't Tear My Clothes" by Model T Slim, "Blues Pain" by Lowell Fulson, "You Told Me A Lie" by Smokey Wilson, "Before Day" by Big Mama Thornton, and "Rocks In My Pillow" and "Let Me Play With Your Poodle" by Long Gone Miles. (Blues, Soul) CD

A deep look at a blues scene that doesn't always get its due – music not from Chicago, Memphis, or various points south – but some nicely gritty tracks that were cut in New York during the postwar years! Despite New York's fame as a hub of jazz, soul, and other styles – the city also had a surprisingly strong blues scene in the 50s and 60s, which is when most of these tracks were recorded – music that's both in the electric modes that were showing up in other urban centers at the time, and also in some more traditional modes that were sometimes left behind in other cities – but which got a nice revival in New York, thanks to an interest in folk blues from the underground! Material here was originally recorded by a range of different labels – Old Town, Atlantic, Mercury, Prestige, Fire, Apollo, King, and Chess – and as you'd expect from Ace, there's also some unreleased material on the set, all presented with a great assortment of notes and details on every single track. 26 titles in all – with cuts that include "Bad Blood" by Champion Jack Dupree, "Step It Up & Go" by Blind Boy Fuller, "The Guy With A 45" by Allen Bunn & His Trio, "Stormy Monday Blues" by Bob Gaddy, "Kansas City March" by Wild Jimmy Spruill, "Four Women Blues" by Larry Johnson & Hank Adkins, "Idle Hours" by Lonnie Johnson with Victory Spivey, "Hard Times" by Noble Thin Man Watts, "Believe Me Darling" by June Bateman, "Security" by Tarheel Slim & Little Ann, "Jack That Cat Was Clean" by Dr Horse, and "Goodbye Kansas City" by Wilbert Harrison. (Blues, Soul) CD

A steppers classic, and a sweet set of smooth tracks too! Titles include "Woman Of The World", "The Captain Of Her Heart", "Urban Nomads", "Love Is A Plane", "Tomorrow", "Your Prayer Takes Me Off", and "I Know A Place". LP, Vinyl record album

A really wild little funky record – one that's got very obscure origins on the Argentine scene of the 70s, and which serves up an unusual blend of soul, funk, and sound library modes! The tunes have plenty of wicked basslines, heavy drums, and riffing guitar – all of which draw inspiration from American funk of the time – yet there's also weird use of processed vocals, sound samples, moogy keyboards, and other elements that continue to keep things interesting – sometimes with this fake urban vibe that can feature spoken parts that are really cool – augmented even more on a few funky edits that are added to the original album. Titles include "Inspector Jones", "4:00 In The Morning", "Bermilyia Avenue", "Arroz Con Leche", and "Adults Edit" – plus "Inspector Jones (John is missing edit)", "Adults Only (juicy edit)", "Bermilyia Avenue (light touches edit)", and "Arroz Con Leche (stripped extended edit)". (Sound Library, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A massive collection of work from Lakeside – one of the leading lights of the Solar Records label in the early 80s, and one of the label's key groups in helping to redefine funk in the decade! Lakeside take the large ensemble funk format of the late 70s, and give it a leaner, cleaner groove – really winnowing things down so that everything's right on the money, and the grooves come out great – while still also holding on to enough soul music energy in the vocals, songwriting, and presentation to set themselves apart from some of the more facile groove groups of the time. This 3CD set features 42 killers from Lakeside's glory days, pulled from their full range of recordings for Solar – titles that include "Rough Rider", "One Minute After Midnight", "Fantastic Voyage", "From 9:00 Until", "I Need You", "Strung Out", "Your Wish Is My Command", "The Urban Man", "Back Together Again", "We Want You", "Raid", "Turn The Music Up", "Real Love", "Untouchable", "Show You The Way", "Tinse Town Theory", "Money", "Party Patrol", "Still Feeling Good", "Bullseye", "U Got It Goin On", "All For You", "I Want To Hold Your Hand", "If You Like Our Music", "I Can't Get You Out Of My Head", "Shot Of Love", and "Your Love Is On The One". CD

Great work from Smokey Wilson – a southern bluesman by birth, but one who relocated to the LA scene in the postwar years, where he really started to groove! This 70s album is a great example of the way that Wilson merged his roots with some of the soulful currents of the Cali scene – and like some of the other records on the short-lived Big Town label, an offshoot of Kent, the set's got a tight groove and a nicely urban take on earlier modes, but all without hitting any of the more commercial cliches that were creeping into electric blues at the time. Titles include "Go Go Train", "Tell Me Baby", "Straighten Up Baby", "I'm Gonna Put You Down", "I'm Gonna Leave You Baby", "Teach Me How To Love You", and "I Wanna Do It To You Baby". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A really wild little funky record – one that's got very obscure origins on the Argentine scene of the 70s, and which serves up an unusual blend of soul, funk, and sound library modes! The tunes have plenty of wicked basslines, heavy drums, and riffing guitar – all of which draw inspiration from American funk of the time – yet there's also weird use of processed vocals, sound samples, moogy keyboards, and other elements that continue to keep things interesting – sometimes with this fake urban vibe that can feature spoken parts that are really cool – augmented even more on a few funky edits that are added to the original album. Titles include "Inspector Jones", "4:00 In The Morning", "Bermilyia Avenue", "Arroz Con Leche", and "Adults Edit" – plus "Inspector Jones (John is missing edit)", "Adults Only (juicy edit)", "Bermilyia Avenue (light touches edit)", and "Arroz Con Leche (stripped extended edit)". (Sound Library, Soul) CD

Buddy Guy reached much bigger fame on later labels, but he sounds pretty darn great here in a set of early recordings done for Chess – all sides recorded in the first half of the 60s, when Buddy represented one of the best talents in a new generation of bluesmen rising up in Chicago! The style here is tighter and a bit more urban than some of the Chess work of the 50s – less rootsy overall, with saxophone often sliding next to the guitar – in a wickedly soulful mode that's got elements of R&B in the mix. Titles include "My Time After A While", "Ten Years Ago", "Watch Yourself", "Stone Crazy", "I Found A True Love", "First Time I Met The Blues", and "No Lie". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

The first Atlantic album from Margie Joseph – a great second generation southern soul singer who really helped the label find a new sound in the 70s! Margie got her start on Stax, but she sounds even better here – a bit more mature, slightly more urban, and backed with a bad-walking set of arrangements by Arif Mardin that help pull her out of the country into a wider 70s soul mainstream. There's still plenty of rootsy touches on the set, and the blend is one that's similar to that of Aretha Franklin's work of the time – one that echoes older southern styles, but brings them up to date nicely with some more sophisticated touches. Titles include "Make Me Believe You'll Stay", "Turn Around & Love You", "Let's Go Somewhere & Love", "You Better Know It", "I'll Take Care Of You", and "I'm So Glad I'm Your Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best albums in a big 80s run from Tease – thanks to great production from Mtume! The album's got a balance of soul and style that really holds together throughout – as the group finds especially strong ways of coming across on the ballads and mellower numbers, which often still have some heavy beats at the bottom! In a way, the set's one of the first to showcase a new style of slower soul that would hit even more strongly in the 90s – laidback cuts that still have an urban punch, but at a slower bpm. Titles include a unique remake of "I Can't Stand The Rain" – plus "Kick", "Tingle", "Somewhere Somebody", "Let's Stop Pretending", "Bad Reputation", "Remember", and "A Love Of Your Own". CD

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

Maybe the most comprehensive package of Memphis blues music we've ever seen – a set that goes back all the way to early pre-WWI recordings in the city, the moves all the way through the 60s – and has a very strong focus on music that was originally issued only on 78rpm and 45rpm singles! There's a massive 534 tracks on a total of 20 CDs – and the music is presented chronologically, showing a huge evolution – from rural styles that moved up to the city from the delta, jug bands of the 20s, combos of the 40s and 50s, and some of the more urban-styled blues that reigned in the 60s! The progression really shows the city's important role in shaping the music – and the 360 page, LP-sized hardcover book that accompanies the package carries a huge amount of information, mixed with hundreds of rare photos and illustrations. Artists include Allen Shaw, Fleming & Townsend, Furry Lewis, Rufus Thomas, Bill Harvey, Willie Nix, Harmonica Frank, Tuff Green, Cliff Jackson, and even Ike & Tina Turner – plus hundreds of others, all presented in a mindblowing array of music. (Blues, Soul) CD

Wonderful work from Harry "Little" Caesar – a singer who made some great R&B singles for the west coast scene in the 50s, but hardly ever got his due on the other side of the US! Harry's got a nicely rough edge in his vocals – a style that reminds us a lot of the best male singers at King, like Roy Brown or Wynonie Harris – and although Caesar's perhaps not as raw and raunchy as the latter, he often covers similar down-to-earth topics in his tunes – material that makes these sides a real joy to rediscover! As the title implies, the work here was recorded for a handful of different labels – Modern, Dolphin, and Downey – and together, the tunes paint a vivid picture of this under-discovered talent from LA – a picture that's expanded on nicely by Billy Vera's notes as well. CD features 26 tracks in all – including "Cadillac Baby", "Don't Mention The Blues", "Lying Woman", "Atomic Love", "Going Down To The River", "Move Me", "Personal Question", "Tried To Reason With You Baby", and "What Are They Laughing About" – plus numbers sung with The Turbans, including "The Nest Is Warm", "No No Cherry", and "Tick Tock A Woo". CD

Rare Bacharach galore – an assortment of under-reissued tracks all penned by the mighty Burt – most of which are from the heyday of 60s uptown soul! Despite the 1952 in the date range on the title, almost all the tunes here are from the mid 60s – that time when Bacharach was writing new tunes like a demon, and getting most of them recorded by a range of great talents on the New York scene. Singers are a good mix of soul, pop, rock, and vocal artists – and although the material was done for a variety of different labels, there's a relatively unified feel – thanks to that snapping syncopation that Burt always brought to work like this. CD features 26 titles in all – including "How About" by Della Reese, "Third Window From The Right" by Dean Barlow, "I Wake Up Crying" by Del Shannon, "I Looked For You" by Charlie Gracie, "That's Not The Answer" by Vi Velasco, "More Time To Be With You" by Brook Benton, "Three Friends" by The Turbans, "Move It On The Backbeat" by Burt & The Backbeats, "You're Telling Our Secrets" by Dee Clark, "Thirty Miles Of Railroad Track" by The Hammond Brothers, "The Story Of My Life" by Big Al Downing, "Made In Paris" by Trini Lopez, "Rain From The Skies" by Adam Wade, and "True Love Never Runs Smooth" by Don & Juan. (Vocalists, Soul) CD

Includes 30 tracks from the Suburbans, Precisions, Freddy & Claire, The Accents, The C-Notes, The Fabulous Blends, The Ovations, David Gates, The Swinging Hearts, Nicky St, Clair, The Domineers, and more! CD

Later work from Brian Auger's Oblivion Express group – really pushing the envelope from previous work with a soaring blend of fusion and soul! The keyboards are still very firmly at the front of the sound – stretching out a lot from Brian's original work on organ – and the group features Lenny White on drums, kicking things up a bit nicely, with that outerspace groove he was laying down on some of his own records at the time. Alex Lingenwood sings vocals on a few cuts, and titles include "Spice Island", "Gimme A Funky Break", "Back Street Bible Class", "Got To Be Born Again", and "Never Gonna Come Down". (Jazz, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A super huge hit for George Benson – and the record that took him from being a funky jazz guitarist into an R&B superstar – opening up sides of his talent that first emerged on his 50s R&B recordings as Little George Benson, but taken here into some very hip 70s territory! The album features George both playing and singing over arrangements by Claus Ogerman – some of Ogerman's best of the 70s, work that mixes together his trademark pillow of sound with a slightly funky bounce that's perfect for Benson's groove. The result is incredible – and the album is filled with loads of great songs – including George's excellent version of Bobby Womack's "Breezin", the hit version of "This Masquerade", and the cuts "So This Is Love", "Six To Four", and "Affirmation". (Jazz, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Earth, Wind & Fire's first album – recorded at a time when the group recently had ties to the Chicago soul and jazz scenes, and a range of experience that ran the gamut from work with Sun Ra, the Artistic Heritage Ensemble, The Pharoahs, Ramsey Lewis, and countless other influential groups. Headed up by Maurice White on drums and percussion, the group forged an amazing blend of all these influences, creating a future soul sound that pushed black music to the next level – taking a wealth of previously underground modes of expression, and fusing them into a soaring sound that would soon put them at the top of the charts. This album's a lot looser and freer than their Columbia albums – with plenty of raw funk and some nice off-beat jazz soling. Includes the classic break track "C'Mon Children", plus "Fan The Fire", "Bad Tune", and "Moment Of Truth". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Rerecorded hits from Bobby Vee, Jackie Wilson, the Earls, Dee Clark, the Charts, Dion, the Turbans, Hank Ballard, the Moonglows, Del Shannon, the Tymes, Ben E King, and more. CD

A great set of groovers from the Cameo/Parkway label – a company that gave the world the biggest twist record of the 60s, but which also was perfectly poised to deliver all sorts of other upbeat tracks as well! The label was in Philly – a huge dance town in the early days of soul and rock – and the set list here is filled with the kind of cuts that were Philadelphia's answer to the rising sound of Motown – the roots of the Northern Soul sound that would be followed by soul collectors for decades! These aren't novelty hits, but upbeat cuts that groove plenty – most by soul artists, a few by pop singers – but all given the kind of tight instrumentation and strong studio handling that made the Philly scene such a standout. 22 tracks in all – including "Shimmy Shimmy" and "The Wah Watusi" by The Orlons, "Bristol Stomp" and "You Can't Sit Down" by the Dovells, "Mashed Potato Time" and "Do The Bird" by Dee Dee Sharp, "The 81" by Candy & The Kisses, "The Mash" by Tony Young & The Hippies, "Mexican Hat Rock" by The Applejacks, "Baby Do The Frog" by The Dardenelles, "The Swim (part 1)" by The Marlins, "Slow Twistin" by Chubby Checker & Dee Dee Sharp, "The Third House" by Bobby Rydell, "When You Dance" by The Turbans, "Everybody South Street" by The Taffys, "The Popeye Waddle" by Don Covay, and yes, "The Twist" by Chubby Checker. LP, Vinyl record album