Weirdly tripped-out funk from Baby Elephant – a compelling collaboration from Prince Paul, Newkirk, and P-Funk keyboardist Bernie Worrell! The sound here is quite odd – kind of a dismantling of older P-Funk modes, stripped down into a handful of key elements, then re-assembled in a range of different ways to suit the spirit of each tune. There's a good sense of humor to most of the tracks, but also an underlying sense of darkness as well – especially on some of the skits that link together the tracks, done by Prince Paul to give the album a slightly narrative feel. There's a huge amount of guest stars in the mix – including David Byrne, George Clinton, Reggie Watts, Yellowman, Nona Hendryx, and Shock 9 – and titles include "How Does The Brainwave", "Plainfield", "The Search", "Baby Elephants In Thanos", "Even Stranger", "Crack Addicts In Love", "Turn My Teeth Up", and "Fred Berry". CD

A real breakthrough in female soul for the 70s – the initial album from Labelle – a set that's very different material than the group were doing on their girl group singles in the 60s! The trio here is legendary – Patti Labelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash – three tremendous singers all working together at a level that really sets the standard for bad-rapping female soul in the 70s! We're not sure what happened with Patti and the group between their 60s material and this set – but whatever it was, it was something great – a turn towards a style that would keep them in the record racks for years! Titles include "Too Many Days", "Running Out Of Fools", "When The Sun Comes Shining Through", "Heart Be Still", and a nice version of "Time & Love". CD

David Byrne brings his love of funk and soul to the forefront – tightening things up a bit from before, but still staying strongly in a classic Talking Heads groove! The record's possibly the last of the group's initial classic run, and has a surprisingly soulful feel at times – a hybrid of early 80s funk and club modes, played by guests who include Wally Badarou on synth, Bernie Worrell on keyboards, and Steve Scales and David Van Tieghem on percussion. Nona Hendryx sings a bit of backing vocals too – and Byrne really steps up to the grooves without ever going too far over the top. Titles include "Burning Down The House", "Making Flippy Floppy", "Girlfriend Is Better", "Slippery People", "I Get Wild/Wild Gravity", "Swamp", "Moon Rocks", "Pull Up The Roots", and "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)". CD

By the time of her big hit "Lady Marmalade" in the mid 70s, Patti Labelle – and group-mates Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash – had been knocking around for many years cutting records. Their style was always interesting – especially as Labelle moved from simple girl group material into some of their more righteous work of the early 70s. By the time they hit the Epic label, though, they emerged as a full-blown hit act – working with Allen Toussaint on some funky material, and watching Patti emerge as a strong solo act on her own. This set features 16 tracks that will give you a pretty good idea of what was going on at the time – including "Lady Marmalade", "You Turn Me On", "Quiet Time", "Messin With My Mind", "It's Alright With Me", "Get You Somebody New", and the great Latiny groover "Teach Me Tonight (Me Gusta Tu Baile)". CD