Stuff —
Live Stuff ... LP Warner (Japan), 1978. New Copy (reissue)...
$29.99
A nice little live set from Stuff – one that's recorded in Tokyo, with a groove that's a bit more open than their better-known New York live album from a few years later! The sound's somewhat rougher than the Stuff studio sessions, but in a good way – one that shows that the combo can ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
An overlooked later moment from The Stylistics – proof that a great vocal group never gets old! The set has the quartet reinventing themselves for a new generation – recording for Arthur Baker's Streetwise Records, and getting production and arrangements from Maurice Starr – who ... read moreCD
Stylistics —
Special Style ... CD Streetwise/Octave (Japan), 1985. New Copy ...
$13.99
A whole new sound for The Stylistics – one that has the group working here with Maurice Starr in a sweet 80s street soul style! The approach is a surprisingly good one – and given that Starr's backings are always on the lighter side of the spectrum, the group's trademark harmonies are ... read moreCD
A classic indie cooker from Sugar Billy – a bit funky, a bit clubby – and a really great batch of grooves done in a pre-disco mode! The tracks are all pretty darn upbeat – somewhat warmer than the funk of Fatback or Kool & The Gang, but still with a nicely rough-edged feel ... read moreCD
The greatest album to date from Sugarman 3 – one of the funkiest combos of the past 50 years! The group's organ/sax sound has never sounded so great – and it's pumped up even further here from some added guest instrumentation, including drums from Bernard Purdie, plus vocals on a ... (Deep Funk, Soul)read moreCD
80s keyboard maestro Harold Faltermeyer gives Donna Summer plenty of help here – with the kind of catchy, hook-heavy lines that made his famous soundtrack work such a hit at the time! Harold had played on previous Summer albums, but really takes the lead here with a snapping, syncopated ... read moreCD
Donna Summer's in the hands of 80s pop superproducers Stock/Aiken/Waterman this time around – and the trio give her music just the kind of catchy, bouncy feel of some of their bigger hits for other artists at the time! The approach is surprisingly strong for Summer, and almost returns her ... read moreCD
(30th Anniversary deluxe edition in a hard bound book with 2CDs of extra content!)
A super huge hit for Donna Summer – a disco classic as well as a pop crossover smash! The album was produced by disco powerhouse Giorgio Morodoer, and featured the hits "Hot Stuff", "Bad Girls", and "Dim All The Lights". Plus the songs "On My Honor", ... read moreCD
Bill Summers —
Feel The Heat ... CD Prestige/BGP (UK), 1977. New Copy ...
$8.9914.99
Masterful funky soul jazz from the mid 70s – and one of the best solo albums recorded by Headhunter Bill Summers – a sunny batch of Bay Area funk that really grooves with the best of Fantasy Records from the time! The set was produced by Skip Scarborough, and has that great bubbling, ... read moreCD
Masterful funky soul jazz from the mid 70s – and one of the best solo albums recorded by Headhunter Bill Summers – a sunny batch of Bay Area funk that really grooves with the best of Fantasy Records from the time! The set was produced by Skip Scarborough, and has that great bubbling, ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
The first-ever full length collection of work from Sun Palace – the enigmatic duo who cut some great underground club work on the early 80s New York scene! The set's broken into two halves – titled "Raw Movements" and "Rude Movements", after the famous instrumental ... read moreCD
Sunshine Terrace Swing Band —
Swing Disco ... LP Pickwick, 1976. Near Mint- ...
$4.99
Superb soul from The Superbs – a great group from the LA scene of the 60s – and one who never cracked the charts as much as their contemporaries! The group mixes a female voice in with the male harmonies – in a style that doesn't always have the female singer in the lead, but ... read moreCD
Funky soul covers from a host of hit blacksploitation films – played in fresh new versions by the mysterious Super Dudes! Most of the tracks here follow the originals pretty closely, but have some different elements that we really appreciate – slight changes in rhythms or ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Original pressing. Cover has some edge wear, with a small torn corner in the back paste-on.)
Two rare tracks recorded in New Orleans in the late 70s – both appearing here for the first time ever! "Freaky With You" is an extended ensemble funk number – riffing guitar with the groove, monstrous bass driving the train, and lots of offbeat vocals on the lyrics – ... read more12-inch, Vinyl record
Sublime soul from Superior Movement – an overlooked Chicago group of the 80s, but one that's every bit as wonderful as any of the bigger acts we can think of from the time! The group definitely put harmonies first in their music – and although the album's a bigger-label effort, the ... read moreCD
Supreme Jubilees —
It'll All Be Over ... CD S&K/Light In The Attic, 1980. New Copy ...
$6.9915.98
A gospel album from the end of the 70s, but a set that works equally well as a soul album too – thanks to the beautiful presentation of the grooves and the vocals! The vibe here is often laidback – more in a mellow Marvin Gaye sort of mode – surprisingly slinky and sexy for such ... (Gospel, Soul)read moreCD
Symphonic soul from The Supremes – a set that still has the trio working with the legendary Holland-Dozier-Holland team, but with a full set of orchestral backings that help them hit even more class and sophistication than before! The ballads have these really lush arrangements – never ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Groovy late 60s work from Diana Ross & The Supremes – a record that has them breaking the Motown mold a bit, and hooking up with a nice variety of modder soul and pop modes! Tracks on the set include a few Motown-penned numbers, but the trio also tackle hits like "Everyday ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
An overlooked moment of 70s genius from The Supremes – and from the great Jimmy Webb as well – given that the pop studio genius wrote, arranged, and produced the entire album! Jimmy had plenty of famous work under his belt by this point in time – including his famous ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
One of the biggest charting LPs by The Supremes – and one of the best, too! The girls are opening it up a bit here – getting in on some of The Miracles Go Go action of the period, and laying down tunes that have a bit more of a northern groove to them – relying a bit more on a ... read moreCD
Classier than usual for the girls – as they move over to Broadway for a set of tracks penned by the Rodgers & Hart team, done up in a smooth Motown style that was probably designed to crossover, but which did so less than some of their straighter soul work. Still, even though the idea's ... read moreCD
A follow-up to 1970s pairing of The Supremes and The Four Tops – titled The Magnificent Seven (hence the title on this one!) – and done in a very similar mode. Back in the Diana Ross days, the Supremes had paired up with The Temptations on 2 great sets – and now, at a time in the ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Great waves of sound here from Surface – a set that has the trio sounding even tighter and more fluid than ever – perfectly blending midtempo rhythms with their warm and sweet harmony vocals! The vibe's a bit classier than the usual mellow soul of the time – almost with a jazzy ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Includes the printed inner sleeve. Cover has edge wear and a promo stamp.)
Surprise —
Believe Me ... LP Beau Monde (France), 1983. New Copy ...
$29.99
A wicked bit of 80s electro soul – one that's heavy on Yamaha keyboards and beats, but which was also recorded in Gabon – which gives the whole record a very different sound than New York material of the time! The rhythms are definitely in the funky soul side of the spectrum, but have ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Mike & Brenda Sutton —
Don't Hold Back ... CD SAM/P-Vine (Japan), 1982. New Copy ...
$22.99
A great set of duet soul from Mike and Brenda Sutton – done very much in the best Ashford & Simpson mode of a few years before, and following a similar career path themselves – given that the Suttons had also written songs for bigger Motown acts in the 70s! There's a warm glow to ... read moreCD
An unusual session recorded by Swamp Dogg for Hi Records at the start of the 70s – a bit more polished and less full-on nasty than some of the usual Dogg grooves from the 70s, but still with plenty of that heavy Jerry Williams groove at the bottom! The album's got a nice tightness that we ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
One of Swamp Dogg's roughest and rawest albums of the 70s – a real down-home affair that's probably one of the clearest expressions of what Jerry Williams was trying to do with his character! The album was produced by Jerry in collaboration with Miami soul maestro Steve Alaimo – and ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
An obscure group from the Michigan scene of the 70s – but one who work with a breezy vibe that feels a lot more like some of the Bay Area material we know from the time! These guys bring together a bit of jazz, touches of folk, and even some Brazilian currents – all in a mode that's ... (Vocalists, Soul)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
An obscure group from the Michigan scene of the 70s – but one who work with a breezy vibe that feels a lot more like some of the Bay Area material we know from the time! These guys bring together a bit of jazz, touches of folk, and even some Brazilian currents – all in a mode that's ... (Vocalists, Soul)read moreCD
One of those records that kind of snuck under the radar at the time – but which has gone onto become a crucial part of soul music from the 90s, and a record that's one of the blueprints for the neo soul generation to come! Sweetback are a trio of musicians who provided important backing for ... (Neo Soul, Soul)read moreCD
Switch —
Switch II ... CD Motown/PTG (Netherlands), 1979. New Copy ...
$11.99
Quite possibly the best album ever from Ohio funky soul combo Switch – and certainly proof that the hope of Motown in the 80s was in ensemble group funk! This second album holds up really well, and thanks to some sweet production by Bobby DeBarge and Jermaine Jackson, the record's got a warm ... read moreCD
One of the last records Switch recorded before Philip Ingram went solo, and the rest of the guys broke off into DeBarge – and an album with some surprisingly sweet soul moments! The funky side of Switch is still stringly in place, but this record has some great little ballads ballads too ... read moreCD
"Don't Make Me Over" was an instant classic the day it was written by Burt Bacharach way back in the 60s – but Sybil's version from 1989 has always been one of our favorites, picking up on the natural syncopation of the song to that great Soul II Soul Nu Groove that was her ... read more12-inch, Vinyl record
The only album ever issued by Sylk – a southern group with a sound that's tight, but never too slick – nicely indie from production to conception, and very different than other mainstream soul records from the time! The record's part of the great underground tradition of homegrown soul ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
The only album ever issued by Sylk – a southern group with a sound that's tight, but never too slick – nicely indie from production to conception, and very different than other mainstream soul records from the time! The record's part of the great underground tradition of homegrown soul ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A polished bit of LA soul, with lots of jazz players (Fred Jackson, Dorothy Ashby, Bobby Bryant) in the arrangements, and a number of smooth uptempo tracks that don't really make it as well as they might in the hands of another artist. Tracks include "Time", "I Choose You", ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A totally charming record from the wonderful Foster Sylvers – a set recorded back in the days when he was just a kiddie soul phenomenon in the Michael Jackson mode – with some great support from his sisters Pat and Angie! The set's got some of the same blend of sweet soul and sharper ... read moreCD
Sylvester —
Step II ... LP Fantasy, 1978. Very Good+ ...
$6.99
Probably Sylvester's biggest album for Fantasy – and for good reason too! The set pushes onto the dancefloor a bit more than before – often with some slight keyboard touches that hint at the Patrick Cowley years, but with none of the coldness of those records at all. The great Harvey ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Two mid 90s grooves from this underground British duo – one who were maybe more inspired by the early sounds of Detroit techno than Chicago house – but who also work here with a wonderful way of fusing the best of both! "Daylight" has a warm glow and lean groove – ... (New Grooves, Soul)read more12-inch, Vinyl record
(Comes with a bonus zine – like other Melodies International releases!)
A late 80s electro gem from Ben Tankard – a real multi-instrumentalist here, making best use of the digital technology of the time to serve up a smooth blend of jazzy fusion, funk, and soul! Ben plays most of the instruments here – midi keyboards, wind controllers, guitar synth, drum ... (Jazz, Soul)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
12 tracks – and a tasty little selection of tunes by Taste Of Honey! The group were one of the last pop crossover acts of the disco years – but they had a bit more than just a few hits going for their fame, thanks to some great production by the Mizell Brothers, who gave the girls a ... read moreCD
Howard Tate is one of the most overlooked soul singers of the late 60's – and this is his only album from that decade! Part of the problem was probably that he recorded for Verve, a label that didn't really put its soul catalog that well (even though the label cut some excellent uptown sides ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Cover has light wear, a cutout hole, and some light stains on back.)
Tavares are at the height of their early career here – stepping out in a set of smooth soul tunes arranged by hitmeister Freddie Perren – the standout of which is the group's major disco classic "More Than A Woman"! That tune actually manages to outshine most of the other ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Includes the printed inner sleeve. Cover has a sticker on the spine.)
A great side chapter to the legendary Mtume run on Epic Records – an album that features his singer Tawatha as the leading act, but still getting full production support from James Mtume and his band! The set's a great twist on the Juicy Fruit groove – a bit more laidback and intimate, ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Includes the printed inner sleeve. Cover has light wear and a promo stamp.)
Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers —
Find My Way Back ... CD Charly/Motorcity (UK), 1990. Used ...
$9.99
A surprising reunion for Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers – part of the late 80s run of Motorcity titles that offered new recordings of famous Motown artists! The set's definitely different than Bobby's work from the group in the 60s, but still pretty great – and Taylor's lead has ... read moreCD
Killer work from Johnnie Taylor – from the amazing period in which he reinvented himself as one of the bigger selling smooth soul acts of the 70s! Johnnie got his start as a solo act at Stax, churning out some great raw bluesy tunes that earned him more than a few hit records – but ... read moreCD
Pure greatness from Johnnie Taylor – two Columbia Records releases back to back on a single CD! First up is She's Killing Me, an obscure 7 track EP from Johnnie Taylor – almost a 12" single, but with more than enough going on to make us think of it as a full album! Johnnie's in ... read moreCD
Johnnie Taylor —
Wall To Wall ... CD Malaco/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1985. Used ...
$11.99
A set that's got maybe more of a contemporary crackle than some of the classic work of Johnnie Taylor – but a record that also shows the ever-evolving style of one of the greatest voices in bluesy soul! The record steps off a bit from the territory that Johnnie hit so well on Columbia – ... read moreCD
Tease —
Remember ... CD Epic/PTG (Netherlands), 1988. New Copy ...
$10.99
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 ... read moreCD
A fantastic debut from The Techniques – and a set that also features a fair bit of work from Jamaican trumpet legend Baba Brooks! The vocal quartet have a great sound that's even more soulful and sharp than some of their contemporaries – maybe the difference that four voices make ... (Reggae, Soul)read moreCD
Teen Dream —
Games ... LP Muscle Shoals Sound, 1989. Very Good ...
$3.99
The Teen Queens were a hip R&B duo who deserve a lot more credit than their silly name might make you think. They had a style that was part raw R&B, and part 60s girl group, years before the girl group format was around long enough to become a cliche. This set pulls together some of their ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Brilliant work by one of the greatest harmony groups of the south – the mighty mighty Temprees, standing proud on this, their 3rd LP! The album's a bit less raw than some of the group's other albums, and some of the tracks were recorded in Philly, and have a bit of a warm 70s Philly soul ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Cover has ring & edge wear, bent corners, and a small cutout hole.)
The Temptations in a mellow mood, but one that's still plenty darn swinging – thanks to some jazzy arrangements from HB Barnum, Oliver Nelson, and Don Costa! The groove here is more in a vocal group mode from years past – Temptations harmonies turned more towards standards and ... read moreCD
(Out of print early Motown pressing with the tan border.)
The Temptations are looking a bit cheesy on the cover here, but they still sound great – and the album's great proof that the group were one of the few from their generation who could always keep things up over the years! The production and instrumentation are definitely on the modern side, ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Temptations —
Touch Me ... LP Gordy, 1985. Very Good ...
$4.99
Mid 80s magic from the Temptations – a record that shouldn't be as great as it is, given the lame title and cover image – but which still has the group working at a top level! There's a lot of strong generational interplay here between the talents of Otis Williams and Ali-Ollie Woodson ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Sweet jazzy soul from Terea – a group who never cracked the big time, but who work here with a vibe that's almost like 70s Rufus at their best! The instrumentation is wonderful – warm, but funky – just the right balance to set the scene perfectly for the lead vocals by Sharon ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Fantastic pressing – in this really heavy, gold-embossed cover – which has an almost wood-like texture!)
This one's billed as "the rarest funk album of all time" – but even if it wasn't, we'd still love it to death because it's so darn great! Freddie hails from the Georgia scene of the late 60s – and he's got a slow-burning approach to his music that mixes in a good dose of ... read moreCD
Very early work from Joe Tex – recorded way before his boogie records of the 70s, and even his country soul classics of the 60s! Yet despite the age of these sides, the Joe Tex vocal approach is very firmly in place – that raspy mode that's undeniably human, and which might be rooted ... read moreCD
Tight early work from the great Joe Tex – whose real commercial breakthrough was to come in the southern soul scene of the mid 60s – but his early roots in jumpin' 50s cuts for the King label are pretty incredible! This set has some tight, mean little tunes that sound just as good to ... read moreCD
Joe Tex is definitely not without funk on this sweet little set – a smoking TK Records session that carries strongly from the vibe of his "I Gotcha" years! Longtime producer Buddy Killen is still on deck to keep everything tight and right – a mix of Joe's southern soul roots ... read moreCD
(Part of the Miami Sound – Original Soul/Funk/Disco Collection series!)
Hard-rocking soul from one of the greatest groups of the LA scene – Thee Midnighters, a unique blend of Chicano rock and 60s soul! The set is actually the first-ever legitimate reissue of the group's legendary 60s sides, and features 20 tracks pulled from the impossibly rare albums recorded ... read moreCD
One of the strangest covers we've seen in years – and a perfect fit for this obscure session of unusual grooves! Drummer Bubbha Thomas is working here in a mode that's kind of an electrified 70s take on the Texas showband style of earlier years – a mode that has the core funky combo ... read moreCD
A long-overdue collection of the wealth of work that Carla Thomas did for Stax Records in the 60s – the wonderfully rich first section of her career, when the label was working in strong partnership with Atlantic Records! Carla's the daughter of Memphis soul legend Rufus Thomas – who ... read moreCD
A surprisingly nice set from Irma Thomas – recorded in a spare and stripped down way, but without any of the "too earnest" cliches that can sometimes mar other recent albums by classic soul stars! The feel here is almost gentle and easygoing at times – still in the powerful ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Lillo Thomas —
All Of You ... CD Capitol/PTG (Netherlands), 1984. New Copy ...
$11.99
Lillo Thomas has a mighty nice vocal style here – one that's a bit high in the spectrum, and which works perfectly with the sweet keyboards in the grooves! Thomas takes the lyrics right up to the top of the mix – and floats them way high above the basslines, but still in a way that ... read moreCD
Lillo Thomas —
Let Me Be Yours ... CD Capitol/PTG (Netherlands), 1983. New Copy ...
$11.99
A real 80s groover from Lillo Thomas – plenty of keyboards, snapping rhythms, and a sweetly gliding rhythm that beautifully supports Thomas' high-pitched vocals! The style owes a fair bit to territory first hit by Michael Jackson at the end of the 70s, but it still sounds surprisingly great ... read moreCD
Lillo Thomas —
Lillo ... LP Capitol, 1987. Near Mint- ...
$7.99
Titles include "I'm In Love", "Her Love", "That Guy (Could Have Been Me)", "Sexy Girl", "Downtown", and "Put Your Foot Down". LP, Vinyl record album
(Cover has a cutout hole.)
Philip Michael Thomas —
Somebody ... LP Atlantic, 1988. Near Mint- ...
$4.99
... LP, Vinyl record album
(Cover has a cutout notch, promo stamp, hype sticker, and lightly bent corners.)
The funkiest man? Could well be – and this set will more than support that case! By the time of these recordings, Rufus Thomas was already a legendary figure in the Memphis scene – an aging R&B star that also worked on radio and did a fair bit of promotion for other artists, ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A Dutch funk set from the 70s, but one that stands nicely next to American work of the time – thanks to English language vocals from Dwight Thompson, and a really universal sense of a groove! The instrumentation is by a tight combo with a bit of a jazzy flourish – almost pointing the ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A tremendous album from a totally hip Philly soul group of the 70s – the kind of quartet who would have been huge, had they recorded in another city – but whose genius was most likely eclipsed by the superstars that were stuffing the Philadelphia scene at the time! These guys have a ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Three Degrees —
Gold (3CD set) ... CD Philadelphia International/Crimson (UK), Mid 70s. New Copy 3CD ...
$9.99
A great collection of work from the Three Degrees – a female soul group who really found a way to move the music forward after the girl group years of the 60s! The trio had recorded previously, in a somewhat more standard style of Philly soul – but during the 70s they hooked up with ... read moreCD
Three Pieces —
Vibes Of Truth ... CD Fantasy/BGP (UK), 1975. New Copy ...
$8.9914.99
A great little album of jazz funk – and the only record we've ever seen by this group! The 3 Pieces may not have lasted long in the record business, but this rare album from 1975 has made them legends on the rare groove scene for years. The record was cut during the height of the jazz funk ... read moreCD