The second album by Larry Graham and his Graham Central Station – and as powerful a batch of LA 70s funk as you'll ever find! Graham's bass is in the lead, giving the record the same deep punch he gave the work of Sly Stone back when he was in the Family Stone – but the whole group's pretty darn tight, and the album's got some great quirky elements that come through a strongly electrified use of keyboards and vocal processing next to the bass! Think of this one as the blueprint for countless LA funk records to come – and enjoy the original grooves in titles that include "Release Yourself", "Feel The Need", "Today", "Got To Go Through It To Get To It", and the "GCS" theme. CD

A massively tripped-out set of guitar-based funk – played to perfection by the legendary Eddie Hazel, best known for his work in the George Clinton P-Funk empire! The album offers a different side of Eddie's talents – one that's produced with a smoothly compressed California groove, in a mode that's almost an extension of some of the themes explored by Shuggie Otis on his own 70s albums – taken with a bit more of a P-Funk style. George Clinton produced the set with Eddie – and the tunes have a nice slow-stepping groove that really opens up the guitar solos wonderfully. The record kicks off with a massive cover of "California Dreamin" – but the whole thing's great, with a wonderfully unified feel throughout! Other titles include "Frantic Moment", "What About It?", "So Goes The Story", "Physical Love", and a great cover of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)". CD

A massive set from Al Jarreau – a set that gave the singer one of his smoothest hits of all time, yet still kept him very firmly in the sort of sophisticated territory that set him apart from most of his contemporaries! The sound here is often a lot more understated than you'd expect – mellow jazz, with light instrumentation, and less of the too-commercial modes that other singers were being hung with at the time – an approach that preserves all the wonderful lightness in Al's vocals – that mix of jazzy scatting roots and warmly flowing soul that makes most of the early Jarreau albums well worth tracking down. The set leads off with the classic "Mornin" – and other cuts include "I Will Be Here For You", "Step By Step", "Black & Blues", "Not Like This", "Love Is Waiting", and "Trouble In Paradise". CD

One of the last really all-star sets from Quincy Jones – and a record that reprises the format of some of his big records of the 70s – like Mellow Madness or Body Heat – in a way that has Quincy surrounding himself with top-shelf artists of all sorts, from jazz soloists, to hip hoppers, to R&B vocalists. Kool Moe Dee & Big Daddy Kane rap on a version of "Birdland" that also has solos from Miles, Diz, and James Moody; Take 6 sing on a mellow version of Ivan Lins' "Setembro (Brazilian Wedding Song)", Bobby McFerrin sings goofily on "Wee B Dooinit", Siedah Garrett and Al B Sure sing on "The Secret Garden", and a whole choir joins in on "Tomorrow". (Jazz, Soul) CD

Wonderful 70s Latin soul from the legendary Bay Area combo that included Jorge Santana, Luis Gasca, and Coke Escovedo – all players who'd go onto great solo fame on their own, working together here as a youthfully inventive group that really set the tone for the west coast sound of the decade! This first album's a masterpiece in the California Latin Soul style – a sweet blend of Latin, jazz, funk, and rock that took up where the New York groups left off at the end of the 60s. The tracks are all pretty long – with some extremely tight instrumental playing, and plenty of room for long jamming solos. But the best part is the vocals – sung by Arcelio Garcia Jr, with a sweet style that's totally excellent. You probably already know that if you've heard the band's big hit "Suavecito", which is included here in a longer version than the original single – but you'll also hear that on the tracks "Cafe", "Pana", and "Peace". (Latin, Soul) CD

Seminal work from The Meters – and an album that's essential for just about any collection of old school funk! The record's a blueprint for grooves that have been copied for generations to come – yet nobody does it better than these Crescent City kings – working here with a sound that's lean, mean, and completely on the money! The mix of organ, guitar, and bad-walking rhythms is completely sublime throughout – and made even better by massive production from the team of Marshall Sehorn and Allen Toussaint. Imagine taking the best instrumental funk 45s from your collection, then playing them back to back – and you'll get a good idea of the solid sound of this landmark set. Titles include "Funky Miracle", "Oh Calcutta", "Yeah You're Right", "Pungee", "Look-Ka Py Py", "Dry Spell", "Little Old Money Maker", "The Mob", "9 Til 5", "Rigor Mortis", and "This Is My Last Affair". CD reissue features the full original classic funky album – plus 2 previously unissued tracks: "Grass" and "Borro"! CD

One of the greatest albums ever in the history of funk – the first album by The Meters, and virtually the blueprint for countless funk records to come! The album's bubbling over with classics – all hard-hitting instrumentals played by the group in an effortlessly tight style, produced to perfection by Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn in their classic 60s New Orleans style. A blinding masterpiece of bass, drums, and scratchy guitar – with tracks that include "Cardova", "Cissy Strut", "Sophisticated Cissy", "Here Comes The Meter Man", "Ease Back", "Ann", "6V6 La", and "Live Wire". Plus, the CD features 2 previously unissued tracks – "Soul Machine" and a nice cover of "The Look Of Love"! CD

There's been a big break since Meshell Ndegeocello's last album – but from the sound of the album, it's been worth it! One of the baddest soul singers of the past decade is back in business, and sounding better than ever – serving up a fierce blend of beats and vocals, done in a more laidback format than her previous albums, one that makes for an album that's even more compelling and personal. Titles include "Earth", "Criterion", "Barry Farms", "Legged Griot Trio", "God, Fear, Money", "Hot Night", "Priorities", "Trust", and "Akel Dama". (Neo Soul, Soul) CD

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An overlooked record in the grand scheme – which is unforgivable in our book! This self-titled album Prince's second album, and already his vision is becoming a little more focused, and you can really hear the seeds of his later efforts – a really remarkable, unique, and fascinating record that stands up with some of his best work, and bucks all late 70s trends and cliches in pop, soul and funk! In some ways this is one of our favorite Prince records, as it has a kind of intimacy that was lacking on later sets – or maybe because the hit "I Wanna Be Your Lover" has such a mad groove! "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad" has the sly sound that would run throughout the rest of Prince's better work for years to come – and Chaka Khan would later cover "I Feel for You", and hit large with it in the 80s. Also includes "Sexy Dancer", "With You" and "When We're Dancing Close & Slow". CD

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One of the greatest crossover albums of the 80s – and the record that catapulted Prince very firmly into the mainstream! There's a tightness here that surpasses even that of Prince's early classics for Warner Brothers – an unabashed love of a pop hook that makes for some incredibly catchy tunes that are still delivered with a nice funky undercurrent. The whole Prince family is at the top of their game at this point – and titles include "Darling Nikki", "Let's Go Crazy", "I Would Die 4 U", "When Doves Cry", "Baby I'm A Star", and "Purple Rain". This fantastic 2CD version features a completely new 2015 Paisley Park remaster of the album, done by Prince – plus a full CD that features unreleased songs and tracks from the vaults – with titles that include "Katrina's Paper Dolls", "We Can F**k", "Father's Song", "Possessed", "Computer Blue (hallway speech version)", "Love & Sex", "The Dance Electric", "Our Destiny/Roadhouse Garden", "Wonderful Ass", "Velvet Kitty Cat", and "Electric Intercourse (studio version)". CD

A refresher collection of prime Prince – the biggest hits from the Warner and Paisley Park eras – including the long versions of the some of the best 80s and early 90s cuts! The first disc is a straight up greatest hits collection, starting with "I Wanna Be Your Lover" from the self titled LP and ending with "My Name Is Prince from the "Love Symbol" album – and includes many of the biggest hits in between! Other tracks include "Uptown", "Controversy", "1999", "Delirious", "When Doves Cry", "Purple Rain", "Sign O' The Times", "Gett Off", "Nothing Compares 2 U", and more. Disc 2 includes 11 remixes and/or alternate versions of other essential hits that do not appear on the first CD – including the longer original 12" versions, and similarly extended numbers – carrying everything great about the album versions, and giving you more! Tracks include "Let's Go Crazy (special dance mix)", "Little Red Corvette (dance remix)", "Pop Life (fresh dance mix)", "Rasperry Beret (12" version)", "U Got The Look (long look)", "Theives In The Temple (remix)" and "Cream (NPG mix)". 28 tracks on 2CDs! CD

Crisply popping grooves from Roger – a great solo record from the voice of Zapp! The Saga Continues finds Roger still rocking his trademark effects laden vocals and vamping guitar work into the middle of the decade – with even tighter syncopated percussion, funky keys, and sharp synth bursts – sailing in a killer groove throughout! Roger produced the record along with Larry Troutman – and they bring in Maceo Parker for a horn solo and Ohio Player Billy Beck for keyboards as well! Tracks include a vocoder funk reading of Wilson Pickett's "Midnight Hour", plus "In The Mix", "Play Your Guitar Brother Roger", "The Break Song", "I Keep Trying", "Bucket Of Blood", "T C Song", and "Girl Cut It Out". CD

Titles include "Spellbound", "Looking Glass", "U Turn", "Bones Jive", "Luma En New York", and "Somehow Our Love Survives". (Jazz, Soul) CD

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The Staple Singers and Curtis Mayfield – working together here in a very Curtom groove! This great little set picks off where the group's work on the Let's Do It Again soundtrack left off – taking The Staples far past their Memphis sound of the Stax years, into a hipper, more adult kind of mode – one that has plenty of modern soul and light funk touches. Arrangements are by Curtom maestro Rich Tufo, and the album's got some very full backings that seem to urge the group's vocals on even more than ever. Titles include "Making Love", "Pass It On", "Love Me Love Me Love Me", "Sweeter Than The Sweet", "The Real Thing Inside Of Me", and "Precious Precious". CD

Bass-heavy 80s funk from the days when Roger Troutman was practically running the soul department at Warner Brothers! Sugarfoot plays guitar and sings on the set – working with an all star group of Zapp-related players, and grooving in a very Zapp-styled sound. Roger produced, Larry's all over the set, and Sugarfoot himself adds in some nice hipper touches – an excellent variation on an already-great formula that was dominating the sound of funk at the time! Titles include "I'm Your Sugar", "Girl I Need You", "I Choose You", "I Will Be Your Star", and "Call Me". CD

Tower Of Power are back in Oakland, after recording their previous album down south – cooking up plenty of East Bay grease with their horn-heavy groove at the height of its power! These guys were always a cut above any other band who tried for this territory – and this early version of the ensemble still features tremendous keyboard work from the mighty Chester Thompson on organ and Fender Rhodes – plus later soul legend Lenny Williams on lead vocals. The rest of the group are all in great young form too – Emilio Castillo, Steve Kupka, Greg Adams, Lenny Pickett, and the rest – and titles include "Oakland Stroke", "I Got The Chop", "Time Will Tell", "Squib Cakes", and "Man From the Past". CD

Tower Of Power are back in Oakland, after recording their previous album down south – cooking up plenty of East Bay grease with their horn-heavy groove at the height of its power! These guys were always a cut above any other band who tried for this territory – and this early version of the ensemble still features tremendous keyboard work from the mighty Chester Thompson on organ and Fender Rhodes – plus later soul legend Lenny Williams on lead vocals. The rest of the group are all in great young form too – Emilio Castillo, Steve Kupka, Greg Adams, Lenny Pickett, and the rest – and titles include "Oakland Stroke", "I Got The Chop", "Time Will Tell", "Squib Cakes", and "Man From the Past". CD

Not the greatest Tower Of Power album, but with a few nice moments, and still in a pretty funky groove. Arrangements are by funky keyboards Charles Thompson and trumpeter Greg Adams – and tracks include "The Soul Of A Child", "Ebony Jam", "Just Enough And Too Much", "Treat Me Like Your Man", and "On The Serious Side". CD

One of the harder funk albums by Tower Of Power – done with a hard-driving horn-heavy groove, slathered up in East Bay Grease! The group's got a bit of the stoner funk sound that shows their Bay Area roots, but they're also a lot tighter than most of their California contemporaries, and feel more like some of the groups coming out of Memphis and Muscle Shoals at the same time. Lenny Williams is on lead vocals, Chester Thompson plays organ – and tracks include "Soul Vaccination", "What Is Hip", "So Very Hard To Go", "Just Another Day", "Clean Slate", "Get Yo' Feet Back On The Ground", and "Clever Girl". CD

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

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Maybe not the funk of ages, but a mighty nice solo set from Bernie Worrell – done at a key stretch when he was working away from George Clinton and the P-Funk universe! The set's got Bernie opening up in a blend of jazz and funk – and some tracks feature lead vocals, in a style that takes off from his earlier solo album on Arista, but tuned here with a bit more of that electro vibe that the Gramavision album was doing so well at the time! Bernie handles much of the music himself, but there's plenty of key guests on the record too – rhythms from Sly & Robbie, more keyboards from Herbie Hancock, guitar from Keith Richards and Vernon Reid, and seven some backing vocals from David Byrne and other old associates from the P-Funk years. Titles include "Straight Ahead", "Sing", "Don't Piss Me Off", "Ain't She Sweet", "V Spy", "BW Jam", "Volunteered Slavery/Bern's Blues/Outerspaceways", and "Beware Of Dog". CD

Zapp at the height of their powers – a bit more focused than before, but every bit as funky! Roger's production here is impeccable – done with a great ear for the most soulful side of the group's talents, which keeps them far from some of the more commercial groups who were copping their vibe, but never got things right. Great proof of this is the mellow cut "Computer Love" – a slow stepper that has the group showing their sweeter side, but never losing their cool – a bit like some of the best Fatback ballads of the early 80s. Other cuts are mostly funky – filled with tight basslines, keyboards, and electro bits – and tunes include "It Doesn't Really Matter", "Computer Love", "Radio People", "Rock N Roll", "Make Me Feel Good", and "Ja Ready To Rock". CD bonus tracks include "It Doesn't Really Matter (Long Version)", "It Doesn't Really Matter (7" Version)", "Computer Love (LP Remix)", "Computer Love (Instrumental)" and 2 more. CD

A set that's late in the classic Zapp run from the 80s, but a record that's still very much head and shoulders above the competition – including the many acts who were trying to cop Roger Troutman's groove, but never got things this right! There's still plenty of bass at the bottom, re-fitted to more of a late 80s funk mode – and some of the trickier turns have the group really serving up that link to P-Funk that's always made them so great – and at a level that maybe even George Clinton couldn't even match at the time. Vocoder bits continue that great Zapp vocal legacy too – used in sparing amounts, but still a wonderful touch – and titles include "Ooh Baby Baby", "I Play The Talk Box", "Fire", "Been This Way Before", "Back To Bass-iks", "Ain't The Thing To Do", "Rock Star", "Jesse Jackson", and "Jake E Stanstill". CD

The classic first album by this legendary funky combo – a group who not only went onto change the sound of funk in the 80s, but also went onto have a huge impact on generations of hip hop as well! The album burns from the very first note – the wicked snapping funk of "More Bounce To The Ounce" – a tune that became the blueprint for a generation, and still sounds way better than the millions of copycat attempts that came out over the years! The record follows with some equally wicked bass/keyboard cuts – often with plenty of electro production touches too – thanks to sweeeet work in the studio from Bootsy Collins and Roger Troutman. Bootsy's presence is key, too – as the set kind of strips down the ensemble P-Funk vibe of the generation before – going for a lean, clean groove that's held up beautifully over the years! In addition to "More Bounce To The Ounce", the record also features the mellow steppers cut "Be Alright", which has a wonderful hook, and a great compressed modern soul sound – and other tracks include "Funky Bounce", "Freedom", and "Brand New Pplayer". CD

Seminal work from Roger Troutman and Zapp – a killer batch of cuts that forever changed the sound of funk! The group's "wheeeeeeet/whomp!" sound is very firmly in place by the time of this release – and the sound here is even more electric than their debut – a groundbreaking style that went onto inspire countless acts of the electro generation, and a fair bit of hip hoppers too! Vocals are by Roger, Bad Bobby Glover, and Gregory Jackson – and Zapp's basslines really kick the whole thing into gear – as do the keyboards, too. Titles include "A Touch Of Jazz (Playin Kinda Ruff Part 2)", "Dance Floor", "Doo Wa Ditty (Blow That Thing)", "Come On", "Do You Really Want An Answer", and "Playin Kinda Ruff". CD

Zapp's 3rd album, and one that shows them still very much on top of their game! The mix of tight bass, keyboards, and occasional vocoder bits is firmly in place from their first two albums – a stunning legacy of ensemble funk that pushes the older P-Funk ethos into hip new territory for the 80s! Roger and crew are superb throughout – fusing all rhythmic elements together beautifully, and electrifying the whole album with some great voice box vocals – almost making you feel like the instruments themselves are running the show! Titles include "We Need The Buck", "Spend My Whole Life", "I Can Make You Dance", "Do Wa Ditty (live)", "Play Some Blues", and "Heartbreaker (parts 1 & 2)". CD

The true heroes of mainstream funk in the early 80s – the legendary Roger Troutman and Zapp – key heirs to the sounds of P-Funk in the 70s, with a groove that stretched all the way from their native Ohio to make a huge impact in LA! This collection features most of the group's key tracks from their Warner albums of the early 80s, plus some added remixes done in 1993 for the package – and together, the combination of styles helped to make this a record that's sold as well as any of the original albums in the group's catalog! Titles include "More Bounce To The Ounce", "Be Alright", "Do It Roger", "Doo Wa Ditty (Blow That Thing)", "So Ruff So Tuff", "Dance Floor", "Heartbreaker (parts 1 & 2)", "Slow & Easy", "Mega Medley", and "Computer Love" – plus 1993 remixes of "Midnight Hour", "Curiosity", and "Night & Day". CD

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Put together around the time of the release of Roger's Greatest Hits collection, the "Mega Medley" on this single edits together bits of "More Bounce", "Do It Roger", "Heartbreaker" (parts 1 & 2), "Playin Kinda Ruff", "So Ruff, So Tuff", "Dance Floor (pt 1)", "I Can Make You Dance (pt 1)", "Do Wah Ditty (Blow That Thing)" and "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" fora 4 minute romp through some of the finest bottom heavy vocoder funk to come out of the Midwest. CD