Classic Chicago soul from Mamie Galore! "It Ain't Necessary" has a rolling party groove that fits Mamie's husky vocal style really well. Monk Higgins is leading the arrangements, and the tracks' got a soaring northern groove that's very nice! "Don't Think" shows off Mamie's ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A whole different side of this Chicago soul special agent! "Too Many Memories" has Mamie working with Willie Henderson – singing sad, but soulfully, over a stomping groove that's laid out with bass, drum, and this nice kind of snapping percussion. A well-paced dancefloor track ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
2 of our favorite cuts by Marvin Gaye – slinky, gliding bits of mellow soul – totally haunting, and with these floating piano bits behind the vocals that are simply amazing! Gaye's always sounded great on his own, but with this Leon Ware production, he soars to the skies on a soft ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Two excellent tracks from Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On LP, wonderful sultry soul filled out with the rich approach to arrangement by David Van DePitte that made Marvin's work standout throughout the 70s. (Funky 45's) 7-inch, Vinyl record
Gaye's huge sultry ballad from the mid 70s, oddly paired with a Norm Whitfield produced track on the flip, from sessions years before Let's Get It On, which Marvin didn't achieve the same success with as the Temps. (Funky 45's) 7-inch, Vinyl record
A classic – as "Mercy Mercy Me" was one of those songs that turned soul music on its ear! The cut is beautiful – as majestic and important today as it was over three decades ago – and it's backed here by "Sad Tomorrows", another number from What's Going On ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
The last bit of sweetness we ever received from Marvin Gaye – a sublime single that crossed over big, but which still retained all the loving soul of the later Motown years! The tune's got a nice little 80s groove undercurrent that somehow stands up even more strongly now than it did when ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Superdope live work from Marvin, taken from the Marvin Gaye Live LP! "Trouble Man" has got to be one of the coolest vocals that Marvin cut on wax in the 70s – and "Distant Lover" hardly needs any introduction from us, a wonderful piece of sultry soul filled out with the ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Marvin blew everyone's mind when he unleashed this amazing political soul tune – not only just because he'd moved past the simple love songs of earlier years, but also because he was working with an amazingly complicated approach to soul music, one that would touch the work of others for ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A super-dope song from Marvin Gaye – and one that wasn't originally issued on LP! The track is a very righteous, very political tune – sounding almost more like Curtis Mayfield than Marvin, and with a heavy funky approach to the groove that takes the cut way past its politics! Really ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Later work by General Crook – very different than his funkier sides of the 60s, but still pretty darn great! "Best Years Of My Life" is a wonderful ballad cut – strings gently gliding as Crook's rich vocals come into deliver a sweet and sad lyric. "Testification" ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Very nice funky stuff! This may be the best single ever by this lost Chicago funk artist. It's got a great hard groove, in a very James Brown way, and raw heavy lyrics in the best funky 45 tradition. (Funky 45's) 7-inch, Vinyl record
Probably the best-ever funky cut by this obscure group from the early 70s! The track begins with a voice shouting "Hey Y'all!" – then rolls into a tight sax-honking groove that's a bit like Oliver Sain in his "Bus Stop" mode! The track's definitely a party, and has plenty ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
An overlooked gem from the Verve bossa years – a session that features the sweet tenor sax work of Stan Getz, alongside some swinging bossa arrangements from the great Gary McFarland! Given the strength of Gary's own work for Verve at the time, it's no surprise that he's a perfect ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Dizzy and strings – a surprisingly great combination! Although it was Charlie Parker who first made famous the modernist "jazz with strings" approach, Dizzy does wonderfully here in the format – working in similar fashion with edgey backing from the "Operatic String ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
(Sleeve has split seams, a name in pen, and light surface wear.)
One of Jimmy Giuffre's excellent early recordings for Capitol, and a nice blend of west coast styles with more modernist experimentation. Here, Giuffre begins his experiments in jazz without a "non-pulsating beat", that is, jazz without snapping cymbal, walking bass, or pounding piano to ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
(Cover has ring wear and patchy stuck-on paper at the bottom, light surface wear & aging.)
Two tunes by Al Green from his early pre-Hi Records years! "Let Me Help You" is a great little groover – socking soul power, swinging, with vocals that sound nothing at all like Al in later years, but still quite nice! "Guilty" is a sweet mellow number – a bit more ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Wonderful stuff – and one of THE greatest Al Green cuts of all time! "Let's Stay Together" has a warm and bubbling feel that only Al could cook up – pure Memphis genius that was never to be duplicated again! "Tomorrow's Dream" is a great tune too – with ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A sweet one! Both sides are recorded during the period when Garland switched from soul to blues – but "IOU" is still a great track, and kind of a heartfelt spoken number that says "thanks to mom!" in a way that only Garland could make us appreciate! Recorded at Muscle ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Obscure mid period material from Garland! "Just Loving You" is a really wonderful number – midtempo, in kind of a Spinners Philly groove, which is a perfect match for Garland's slightly breaking vocals, crackling with that warm honesty that really makes the track sparkle! The flip' ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Garland Green's great remake of this classic! He sings it with a nice deep Chicago soul style, augmented by some of the slightly modern/southern style production of the Spring label. "You & I Go Good" is even better, though – a sweetly stepping number that follows in the ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
(In a Spring sleeve with light pencil. Labels have some pen.)
Rare work by Garland – recorded away from Chicago, in Philly, at Sigma Sound, with production and songwriting by Bunny Sigler and Phil Hurtt, and arrangements by Norman Harris and Ronnie Baker. The combination of Green's bluesy vocals with a smooth Philly soul approach works very nicely ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
One of our favorite ever singles from Chicago! "Chinatown" is a hilarous (and slightly racist) soul track about the asian community, with some great fake "Chinese" singing. Very much in the tradition of tracks like "Ling Ting Tong"! (Funky 45's) 7-inch, Vinyl record
Funky breaking madness! Side one is Herbie's big hit cut with Bill Laswell – which sounds surprisingly better today than it did back in 1983. (Funky 45's) 7-inch, Vinyl record
A moody little funk track from the production genius of Misha Panfilov – whose work seems to be moving more and more into a category of its own! "The Rays" has a strange, spare vocal chorus that's abstracted and echoed in the production – used wordlessly alongside an echoey ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Hmmm....we're not sure if this is the same Harlem River Drive that recorded with Eddie Palmieri, but we've got to assume that they are, as we can't imagine 2 bands using the same name at the same time, and both apparently from New York. "Need You" has also got a sound that's kind of a ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Stone New Orleans soul from the great Betty Harris! Both tracks are slow and moody, with heavy heavy production from the Toussaint/Sehorn team – and "I'm Gonna Git Ya" has a great hard "ya ya" kind of sound! (Funky 45's) 7-inch, Vinyl record
Brilliant stuff – the massive two part single that broke Donny out of the box! The tune's spiritual, celebratory, and downright funky – co-written with Leroy Hutson, and a mixture of electric piano, bass, and conga that's totally sublime! (Funky 45's) 7-inch, Vinyl record
(Later Oldies series pressing. Vinyl has a tiny drill hole.)