Murray's tenor and bass clarinet are nicely set in a warm lyrical quartet with John Hicks, Ray Drummond, and Ed Blackwell. The record features some nice long tracks that have Murray playing mostly inside, but with enough soul and raw talent to keep things moving nicely. Titles include "Walter's Waltz", "Ming's Samba", and "Spooning". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprising club hit in the mid 80s – with the intensity and force of the disco years, but a sound that was a lot more contemporary at the time. The album kicks off with the hit single "I Like You", and other tracks include "Chemical Reaction", "It's Tonight", "Face The Music", "Reachin", "Then Came You", and "Move Closer". LP, Vinyl record album

A bouncing P Funk jam off the Urban Dancefloor Guerillas LP, the meeting of Sly Stone and George Clinton that was aided by the later P-Funk crew, which sounds many times better to us today than it did back then, both tracks filled out nicely with a heavily synthesized groove. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A totally unique album from the Brazilian scene of the 60s – a set that was recorded right in the middle of the big Tropicalia years, but which has more of the earthier touches that would emerge in the Brazilian scene during the 70s! Yet there's also a sense of tight arrangement here too – a bit like the soulful crackle that came from some of the EMI/Odeon sessions, but served up with a more folklyric sense of instrumentation – lots of percussion, cuica, and other regional elements – sometimes topped with a single horn, or maybe just a string flourish – but never in a way that dampens the earthy energy at the core! The sound is fantastic – mostly instrumental, although with some spare vocals too – and titles include "Agua Viva", "Ritual Negro", "Desengano Da Vista", "Dual", "Arabindu", "Quem Sou Eu", "Advertencia", and "Sem Sombra". LP, Vinyl record album

The earliest album we've ever seen from pianist Louis Van Dyke – a bit more swinging than some of his later work, but a set that's already got his great sense of space very firmly in place! Half the record features really wonderful vibes from Carl Schulze – stepping out on some numbers that have a strongly modal feel, which makes his instrument dance nicely alongside Louis' lead – a cascading sense of notes that's balanced by some of the gentler trio passages on the album! The rhythm section is great, too – the mighty Jacques Schols on bass and John Engels on drums – and titles include "Blues For Carl", "Nicolette", "Blues For Robin Mark", "Minuet Circa 61", "Bluesette", and "Hida's Uneven Mood". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite Brazilian albums of the late 60s – a really mod mix of vocals and instrumentals, samba and jazz, funky bits and soul – all billed as a "psychedelic" take on the music of Luiz Carlos Vinhas! You may know Vinhas as a pianist on other bossa records, but here he's got an even groovier sound – more full-on and soulful, almost in the mode of some of the Dom Salvador work of the period – set to larger arrangements that move, groove, and have a nice late 60s vibe – similar to the best work on the EMI/Odeon label. Titles include an excellent version of Joao Donato's "Amazonas", a cool jazzy take on "Song to my Father", and a bunch of crazy medleys, including one that mixes "Tributo a Martin Luther King" with "Chatanooga Choo-Choo". Other cuts include "Ye Mele", "Zizi Baio", "Tanganica", and "Un Jour Christine". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A later set from Barry – recorded at the beginning of the 80s with his wife Glodean! The album has Barry and Glodean singing together in a set of smooth modern soul duets – slightly different than his solo work, but with a subdued edge that's still very strongly in the Barry/Love Unlimited tradition! Tracks include "I Want You", "This Love", "Didn't We Make It Happen, Baby", and "You're the Only One for Me". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked set from the 80s soul mainstream – the first solo album from the lead singer from Champaign! Pauli Carman's look on the cover definitely gives away the feel of the album – sweet 80s soul with a nice blend of beats and keyboards in the mix, all with the right sort of emphasis to balance out the vocals! Pauli's got a bit more bite than you'd expect for such a classy look on the cover – but he's also great at sliding into a mellow, or midtempo number – the kind of quiet storm 80s tracks that are often a good balance to the more beat-heavy tracks on a record like this. Titles include "Dial My Number", "Lose Control", "High & Low", "You Impress Me", "Flashback", "Close To The Bone", and "Dangerous". LP, Vinyl record album

The last Columbia album from the team of Chad Stuart & Jeremy Clyde – and a record that's even more baroquely brilliant than their previous set, Of Cabbages & Kings! Chad & Jeremy have really gone over the top here – reaching into fuller orchestrations and deeper social themes that rival their most complex contemporaries – sitting in a special space somewhere between The Zombies and The Moody Blues, and working at a level that haunts the most heavenly corners of both of those influences! As on Cabbages, Gary Usher produced – and really manages to make Chad's arrangements sound great – using the cellos and woodwinds without any overdone qualities, and really keeping the acoustic guitar high enough in the mix to maintain a sense of sincerity in the tunes. Titles include "The Raven", "Pipe Dream", "Transatlantic Trauma 1966", "Sidewalk Requiem Los Angeles June 5th & 6th", "Paxton Quigley's Had The Curse", "Pantheistic Study For Guitar & Large Bird", "The Emancipation Of Mr X", "The Ark", and "Painted Dayglow Smile". CD also features 3 bonus tracks – "Letter To A London Girl", "Pipe Dream", and "The Song Of The Love Child (Tobey's Song)". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A unique set of Miles Davis tracks from the Columbia catalog – presented here in short edits that appear only on this Japanese promotional album – 20 tracks from the late 50s to the early 70s, put together to promote the catalog! LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing! Earth Wind & Fire's ultimate moment of the 70s – and a perfect blending of all their influences that stands as a lasting tribute to their super-huge effect on soul music! The record features all aspects of the band coming into perfect cohesion – bassy funk, mellow soul, and Afrocentric jazz – all expertly handled by the great Charles Stepney, who still has the same rich talent for blending styles that he had while working at Chess/Cadet during the glory days of the late 60s. Some of these songs have been played to death (and covered so much) over the years that it's often easy to forget what a crowning moment this was for former underground soul heroes Earth, Wind & Fire – but we'll never cease to be amazed at the power of their mid-70s work, and this album's the best of the best. Titles include "Shining Star", "That's The Way Of The World", "Reasons", "Africano", "See The Light", and "Happy Feelin". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare Japanese-only session from Herbie Hancock – very electric, and nicely funky in all the right parts! The set was recorded at the end of the 70s with amazing fidelity – and features a unique lineup that includes Webster Lewis on additional keyboards and Alphonse Mouzon on drums – alongside more familiar partners Bennie Maupin on reeds, Paul Jackson on bass, and Bill Summers on percussion! Given these last three, there's almost a slight Headhunters feel to the set – but the overall groove is a bit more mellow, with some wonderfully spacey touches that are super-soulful – and miles above anything that Herbie was recording in the US at the time. Titles include the sublime mellow groover "Butterfly", plus "Shiftless Shuffle", and the side-long jazzy jammer "I Thought It Was You"! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible early work from one of Germany's greatest modernists – one of the key records that showed the world that German jazz was way more than just a rehashing of American modes in the postwar years! This rare 1963 recording features the quintet of trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff – a groundbreaking unit that includes tenorist Heinz Sauer, altoist Gunter Kronberg, bassist Gunter Lenz, and drummer Ralf Hubner – a fantastic combo that comes together in a stark modernist groove that's right up there with the best work of Ornette Coleman or Joe Harriott from the time – very rhythmic, in ways that offset the freedom of the horn solos beautifully – letting the saxes and trombones soar, while the bass and drums lock into a tight groove. The no-piano, three-horn frontline is incredibly strong – bracing and powerful, but never in a way that's too cold or modern, thanks to an inherent sense of soul in allt he players. Titles include "Varie", "Ballade Fur Jessica Rose", "Club Trois", "Set Em Up", and "Tension". LP, Vinyl record album

A wholly unique late 60s record by Orquesta Afro Brasileira – with these raw, heavy and unforgettable roosty rhythms and chorus vocals that give it something of a spiritual, folkloric vibe – yet the overall sound is still indicative of the genre-busting creativity of the many different late 60s Brazilian scenes! Those folk and roots elements are balanced by more modernly inspired sax, clarinet and piano that remind us a bit of some of nascent Afro jazz and funk from the late 60s. The mix of styles has a really hypnotic effect! Includes "Ago Lonan", "Rei N'Aruanda", "Nagana (Senhor)", "Xango". "Os Oinho De Iaia", "Babaloxa", "Tire O Calundu", "Palmares", "India", "Mo-Fi-La-Do-Fe", "Saudacao Aos Orixas" and "Canto Para Omolu". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic bit of female funk from the 70s – and a set that was recorded in Germany by a very exotic singer! The album is Asha Puthli's first – and includes some unusual interpretations of work by JJ Cale, John Lennon, Bill Withers, and George Harrison – plus a great tune of her own – set to these cool backings that have lots of spacey electric modes blended with smoother funk passages – kind of a precursor to later Munich disco modes, but with a slower, slinkier feel. Asha's voice is very weird – a bit in the "love to love you baby" mode, and with a range of sounds that moves up and down the scale almost as much as Minnie Riperton. The record's got a nice mix of jazzy arrangements, and Asha's unique high-pitched vocals work great on tracks like "Lies", "Right Down Here", "I Dig Love", "Truth", "I Am A Song", "Let Me In Your Life", and "This Is Your Life". LP, Vinyl record album

A masterpiece of spacey soul by the great Asha Pulthi – a singer who recorded mostly in Europe, with funky maestro Dieter Zimmerman! Asha's got vocals that are somewhere in the range of Minnie Riperton or Sylvia Striplin or Sylvia Robinson – as you'll hear on the album's standout break track "Space Walk", which is one of our all time favorite obscure soul tracks. Other great ones include "Flying Fish", "The Devil Is Loose", "Good Night", and "Say Yes". Never issued in the US until this recent reissue! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A Japanese-only album from Weather Report – recorded early in the group's career, and with some of the same sort of freedoms that Miles Davis was getting on his own double-length dates from Japan! The tracks here are quite stretched out, and often adventurous – showing a marked ability to jam heavily at one moment, get contemplative the next, and continually explore sounds on the frontiers of fusion in the 70s. The group's the "second chapter" Weather Report – with Wayne Shorter on reeds, Joe Zawinul on keyboards, Miroslav Vitous on bass, Eric Gravatt on drums, and Dom Um Romao on percussion – and titles include "Orange Lady", "Vertical Invader/Seventh Arrow/TH", "Surucucu/Lost/Early Minor/Direction", and "Tears/Umbrellas". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent Japanese-only album by Herbie – featuring all acoustic playing, recorded in San Francisco, in 1977 – in an incredible trio setting with Ron Carter on bass and Tony Williams on drums! Really, really wonderful stuff – right at home among many of Herbie's electric recordings at the time! Despite the absence of electric keyboards, there's a bit of a light funky groove on some tracks – with lots of warm bass sounds from Carter, and some beautiful light work on the drum kit from Williams. Titles include "Watch It", "Speak Like A Child", "Look", "Milestones" and "Whatcha Waitin For". All tracks are long, and the record's got a nice sweet mellow vibe! LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent 2nd album from Lew Kirton – a bit smoother than his first one, but still with that great mellow soul sound that we dig so much! Lew's a strong singer in a tradition that includes Leroy Hutson and Leon Ware – sweetly grooving in a warm and mellow style, but also kicking things up a bit more for this set with some touches of 80s groove! The songwriting is especially nice, and Lew's firmly in control of the session at a level that was becoming increasingly rare for male singers at the time. Titles include "Just Can't Get Enough", "Talk To Me", "Always Will", "I Can't Live Without You", "Got To Find Somebody To Love", and "Here's My Love (Come & Get It)". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A heady electronic set from the start of the 80s – but one that's got a vibe that's much more like work from the decade before – save maybe for a slight shift in instrumentation! The album features two side-long tracks, both mighty nice – and with electronic instrumentation that really shifts around a lot, and which is a lot more progressive than some of the dreamier electronic sets of the time – almost as if these guys were lost in a closet in the back room of Brain Records for most of the 70s, then stumbled out at the end of the decade to find themselves in a room for of Roland, Arp, Micro Moogs, and EMI digital synths! Titles include "After The Selfdisintegration In Time" and "Pursuing The In Time Disintegration Reality". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great little album from Georgie Fame – one that has moving past the swinging Mose Allison-inspired jazz vocal mode of earlier records, into a groovier style that picks up a range of different sounds! Georgie kicks off the album with his version of the ever-popular late 60s "Ballad Of Bonnie & Clyde" – and seems to use that tune as an excuse to explore a nice range of older jazz vocal approaches, including one tune that even has him reciting the lyrics in a Beatles-sounding monologue! Arrangements are by Harry South, with players that include Gordon Beck, John McLaughlin, Ronnie Scott, Tony Coe, and Ian Hammer – and titles include "Ballad Of Bonnie & Clyde", "Ask Me Nice", "When I'm Sixty Four", "Someone To Watch Over Me", "Blue Prelude", "Bullets Laverne", "This Is Always", "Mellow Yellow", and "Side By Side". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Bloodstone's great groovers from later years – work that has a very different feel than the group's fragile harmony soul of the 70s, and which has them taking off into a much more confident sound! Production is by McKinley Jackson, and the album's a mix of a few funky 80s groove numbers with some even better mellower tracks – tunes that glide along in a rich production mode, and showcase the maturing vocals of the group wonderfully. Titles include the sweet stepper "Instant Love", a really great spacey soul track – plus "It Feels So Good", "Why Be The First One Home", "Contagious", "Feel The Heat", and "Bloodstone's Party". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic funky set from the Sydney scene of the 60s – one of the coolest, cookingest combos to ever record in Australia at the time – and a group with a mix of mod and soul elements that reminds us of the best organ jazz recorded in London too! The group's led by the mighty Col Nolan – whose handling of the Hammond is wonderful – with lots of cool, compressed tones that work very well with the funky drums of John Sangster – a player that most folks know for his other records that feature vibes instead of drums! Sangster's great here kicking up a groove for the combo – and the tunes also feature plenty of tenor and flute from Col Loughnan, whose tight lines underscore all the best elements in the organ. There's a wonderful 60s nite club vibe running through the whole set – and titles include "Shades Of McSoul", "Sunny", "Blues For Madeline", "Ode To Billie Joe", "Rivera Mountain", and "Whatever It's Worth". LP, Vinyl record album

Production by Chuck D. As you might guess from the title, "Big Words" uses the 'vocabulary' style of rhyming that was popular for a minute back in the mid to late 80s. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album