A stunning bit of sweet soul from this very obscure Ohio group – done in a soaring harmony style that would have made the late 60s Impressions proud – but given this nicely stark backing and production that's maybe more in the New Jersey mode of the time! The Aswads are backed by the Naturall Band on the vocal cut – and the flipside is a searing take on the territory explored by James Brown in "There Was A Time" – moving nicely quick, and with all sorts of riffing guitar and electric piano! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Contemporary funk singer Rickey Calloway owes plenty to James Brown's work of the 60s – and he makes that connection very clear here, by serving up a totally smoking version of James' classic "There Was A Time"! Rickey takes the track at a clip that's amazing – even faster than some of The Godfather's live recordings – and his group keep things lean and funky throughout – even on the instrumental! 7-inch, Vinyl record

An obscure later track from the Detroit scene – done by Motor City maestro Dave Hamilton in a mellow, midtempo groove that seems perfect for the slinky vocal approach of Jackie Dee! Jackie's got a slightly breathy style that seems influenced a bit by Sylvia – as does her sexy approach – and the flipside is an instrumental by Dave, done even funkier than the vocal cut – with a cool flanged guitar layered down into the mix! 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A killer Mirwood bit of northern soul – solo work from Bobby Garrett, usually heard in a duo but plenty great here on his own – bringing this raspy charm that keeps the tune nicely down to earth, even when the arrangements and backing vocals really soar! Those elements get plenty of play on the flipside – an all instrumental romp that follows the groove of the main track! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A really cool cut from the Chicago scene – a bassy boogie number, but one with a bit of a rap as well – a great tribute to our Windy City home, backed with a very catchy chorus! There's plenty of bass in "Sexy Lady" too – very old school, snapping, and with a rollerskating pace – in support of lyrics that are sung and spoken, often with some very cool processing to trip things out 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

From "Night Fever". 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-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 accompanist for Getz on the session – working with just the right amount of space to let Stan stand out from the pack, and really creating a great blend of Brazilian rhythms and some of the modder 60s styles at Verve. Gary contributed a number of originals to the session too – and the three titles are "Manlancolico", "Balanco No Samba", and "Manha De Carnival". 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Maybe one of the funkiest vocal numbers ever sung by Johnny Adams – and one that owes a lot to the super-funky backings of the Huck Daniels Co – who somehow manage to combine the tightness of the James Brown Band of the late 60s with the more sophisticated instrumention of the JBs in the early 70s! 7-inch, Vinyl record

The Foundations were the first of many successful British groups to break the American charts – and the first LP has the racially mixed group grooving like the best US soul acts from the same time. The set kicks off with the band's first big single – "Baby, Now That I've Found You", a huge radio hit on both sides of the Atlantic. 7-inch, Vinyl record

Ruben Guevara of (Frank Zappa & The Mothers) – Ruben And The Jets band. 7-inch, Vinyl record