A masterpiece of harmony soul – one of THE all-time greats of the genre, and a lasting treasure from The Stylistics! The album really took vocal soul to a whole new level for the 70s – pushing from the sometimes fragile ballad style of the late 60s into a smoother, more mature sound that was impeccably produced, yet still had all the depth of feeling as before! Maestro Thom Bell is the man to thank for the greatness of this album – as his production and musical vision really helped The Stylistics hit levels that few other groups like this were reaching at the time. Titles include their seminal long version of "People Make the World Go Round" – which, at 6 minutes in length, was really unusual for the time. Other titles include "Stop Look & Listen", "Betcha By Golly Wow", "You're A Big Girl Now", "If I Love You", "Ebony Eyes", and "You Are Everything". CD

Excellent work by this oft-overlooked east coast harmony group! Like a rare few groups at the time, The Ebonys had a sound that mixed male and female harmonies – in a sweetly mellow sound that was a lot hipper than more famous groups that used the style, and which had all the best elements of the Philly group approach of the early 70s. The set features some great tracks by Gamble & Huff – plus the group's incredible tune "Life In The Country" – a slow mellow stepper that never gets old! Other tracks include "Hook Up & Get Down", "I Believe", "Sexy Ways", "Nation Time", and "You're The Reason Why". CD

The Ebonys sing about life, and a host of other groovy topics too – in this lost soul treasure from the 70s! The set is one of only two albums ever cut by The Ebonys – a consistently great group from the 70s, as is testified by their constant popularity in our racks! The quartet has a 3 man/1 woman harmony sound that's very hip – often applied to righteous themes worked out in a heavy soul mode, and which sounds just as great on the ballads as it does dancefloor numbers. This second album's got an even sharper edge than their debut – thanks to production and arrangements from Tony Camillo – who gives the album some great undercurrents of funk, and a slightly righteous style that reminds us of some of Norman Whitfield's best studio work of the time. Vocals are wonderful – with really great harmonies that balance out beautifully – in ways that are much more unified than other girl/guy soul groups. Titles include "Neighborhood Gossip", "Mr Me, Mrs You", "One Thing On My Mind", "Sing About Life", and "A Love of Your Own". CD

The Ebonys sing about life, and a host of other groovy topics too – in this lost soul treasure from the 70s! The set is one of only two albums ever cut by The Ebonys – a consistently great group from the 70s, as is testified by their constant popularity in our racks! The quartet has a 3 man/1 woman harmony sound that's very hip – often applied to righteous themes worked out in a heavy soul mode, and which sounds just as great on the ballads as it does dancefloor numbers. This second album's got an even sharper edge than their debut – thanks to production and arrangements from Tony Camillo – who gives the album some great undercurrents of funk, and a slightly righteous style that reminds us of some of Norman Whitfield's best studio work of the time. Vocals are wonderful – with really great harmonies that balance out beautifully – in ways that are much more unified than other girl/guy soul groups. Titles include "Neighborhood Gossip", "Mr Me, Mrs You", "One Thing On My Mind", "Sing About Life", and "A Love of Your Own". CD

Beautifully spiritual jazz from the post-Coltrane generation – a wealth of righteous grooves from the early 70s – brought together in one mighty collection! If you dig the work of Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane, and other giants on Impulse Records, this is a great way to dig even deeper – and hear the way their late 60s legacy inspired other musicians to new heights in their own music – sounds that hit a new level of freedom in jazz, yet which are still filled with enough swing and soul to avoid some of the more avant modes of the free jazz scene! If that description sounds a bit obtuse, then just plug into the collection, and let the music do its thing – as it's got a very powerful vibe throughout – the kind of inspirational, socially conscious work that flourished best during the 70s – and which is finally getting its due all these many years later. The package is new territory for Ace/BGP, but they've done a great job as usual – picking key tracks from the era, and coming up with detailed notes on each of the long tracks. Titles include "Free Angela" by Bayete, "Bridge Into The New Age" by Azar Lawrence, "Tress Cun De O La" by Joe Henderson, "Ebony Queen" by McCoy Tyner, "Peace" by Idris Muhammad, "Mother Of The Future" by Norman Connors, "Brown Warm & Wintry" by Jack DeJohnette, "I've Known Rivers" by Gary Bartz, and "Fire" by Joe Henderson & Alice Coltrane. CD

Music from Soul Survivors, The Intruders, Archie Bell & The Drells, Jerry Butler, The O'Jays, The Intruders, Dusty Springfield, Wilson Pickett, Billy Paul, Bunny Sigler, Laura Nyro & LaBelle, Joe Simon, Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes, The Ebonys, and more. CD

Music from Soul Survivors, The Intruders, Archie Bell & The Drells, Jerry Butler, The O'Jays, The Intruders, Dusty Springfield, Wilson Pickett, Billy Paul, Bunny Sigler, Laura Nyro & LaBelle, Joe Simon, Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes, The Ebonys, and more. CD

A great little set that really looks at the wide range of sounds handled by Miami's TK Records powerhouse in the 70s – a label that's famous for its big disco hits, but which also had a lot more to offer, too! There's definitely some clubby cuts on the collection, but most of those are nicely past the TK hits of the time – and interspersed here with other numbers that shows the label's great commitment to deep soul, where they were flying the flag strongly after labels like Atlantic or Stax had dropped the ball. There's also some surprisingly smooth, sophisticated cuts – showing the modern soul shift the label was making – and which no doubt would have suited them very strongly into the 80s, had they kept up their 70s steam. Titles include "Secret Lover" by Paulette Reeves, "Ebony Affair" by Timmy Thomas, "That's What I Get" by Beginning Of The End, "Fly" by The Stylistics, "What Do We Do About Our Love" by Leon Debouse, "Can't Do Without You" by Eddie Horan, "Somebody's Gettin It" by Ted Taylor, "That Woman" by Wilson Pickett, "Tonight Is The Night" by Betty Wright, "Put Pride Aside" by Latimore, "People Fall In Love" by Foxy, and "Tired Of Hiding" by Jackie Moore. CD

A massive tribute to The Meters – one that features rare versions of some of their best funky classics! If you dig The Meters, you'll no doubt recognize most of the tunes – but you've probably never heard them in these versions before – as most of them are pulled from the farthest reaches of the 60s and 70s funky underground! Most numbers change things up a bit in terms of instrumentation – using a guitar where you might normally hear an organ, tipping the rhythm a bit more towards one speed or another – but all of them continue strongly that chunky, gritty approach to instrumental funk the New Orleans combo first forged in the late 60s – a legacy that still lives on in lots of current work, but which sounds even fresher in these rare gems from years back. There's also a few original compositions by some of these artists, but they're all tunes that fall strongly within a classic Meters groove – and titles include "Cissy Strut" by Rod Piazza, "Flight Of The Phoenix" by Dennis The Fox, "Slot Machine" by Duke Of Burlington, "Cissy Strut" by King Herbert & The Knights, "Cardova" by Syd Jones & The Gay Troubadours, "The Cissy's Thang" by The Soul Seven, "Look Ka Py Py" by The Invaders, "Chicken Strut" by King Herbert & The Knights, "Madrox" by Big Band Katouuice, "Cissy Strut" by Sacramento Senior High School, "Big Splash" by Band It, and "Soul Heart Transplant" by Ebony Rhythm Band. CD