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A massive collection of work from Patti Labelle – one that features solo recordings, sides with Labelle, and famous duets – all in a 2CD, 30 track package that even features some previously unreleased cuts! The label-hopping effort offers up a true picture of Patti's greatness at all levels – and the bonus tracks make it well worth having, even if you've got some of these gems on other sources. Unreleased tracks include "Mean Ol Man's World", "Release The Tension (disco version)", and "Last Dance"; solo tracks include "Somebody Loves You Baby", "My Love Sweet Love", "Over The Rainbow", "Music Is My Way Of Life", "Joy To Have Your Love", "New Attitude", "If Only You Knew", and "The Spirit's In It"; Labelle tracks include "Moonshadow", "Last Dance", "Lady Marmalade", "You Turn Me On", "Messin With My Mind", and "What Can I Do For You". CD

A late 70s gem from Patti Labelle! Although the album's recorded right in the height of the disco years, Patti's really shining on the mellower cuts – hitting a serious soulful side that shows that her move to a solo act really let her move into more sophisticated material. There are definitely some dance tracks like "Music Is My Life" but the real highlights are mellow tunes like "What'cha Doing To Me" and "You & Me". Other titles include "It's Alright With Me", "Love & Learn", "My Best Was Good Enough", and "Deliver The Funk". This remastered Big Break UK edition includes 3 bonus tracks: single versions of "It's Alright With Me" and "Music Is My Way Of Life", plus an instrumental version of the latter. CD

A seminal album from the great Patti Labelle – a set that allowed the singer to mature strongly and find her own voice away from the funky, rockish style of Labelle – this sophisticated style that marked a whole new level of the singer's career! The Philly International label turned out to be a perfect setting for Patti – as they too were also growing past some of their earlier styles – moving past the chart soul of the 70s, and some of their bigger disco hits – and finding just the right place to allow their artists to keep on growing strongly over the years. The album's an all-adult affair – no clunky commercial moments at all, and instead this great blend of jazzy currents and sophisticated soul – all handled with the excellent second generation Philly International approach! Titles include "I'm In Love Again", "Love Lives", "Love Need & Want You", "I'll Never Never Give You Up", "If Only You Knew", "Body Language", and "When Am I Gonna Find True Love". CD

It's Miss Patti's Christmas, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are along for the ride to make sure things come out right! But unlike in the old days, the newly-reinvented Jam/Lewis team has a great ear for subtlety here – and they help keep the album in just the right spot – unique enough to really stand out on its own, and not just be some simple rehash of Christmas favorites – but also balanced enough so that it's never too over the top or gimmicky. In a way, Patti Labelle might well be at her most mature in this setting – hitting the mellower tunes with a nice sort of sophistication – and picking up on the groovers with an equally solid feel. Titles include "Holidays Mean More To Me", "What Do The Lonely Do At Christmas", "Christmas Jam", "Do You Hear What I Hear", "Nativity", "It's Going To Be A Merry Christmas", "Every Year Every Christmas", and "Away In A Manger". 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

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One of the greatest albums ever by Labelle – known especially for the massive funky title cut, which has been an in-demand groover for years! "Moonshadow" begins with a nice funky piano intro, then rolls into a 10 minute groove that's really tasty – filled with lots of jazzy riffing, tasty conga, and a weird monologue by Patti that runs through different parts of the body and why you should appreciate them! The cut was lost on American audiences of the 70s, but became a huge one in the European jazz dance scene of the late 80s, probably because most of them couldn't understand how silly Patti's vocals were! The cut's nice and funky, though – and there's some other nice ones on the record, too, including "Sunday News", "Touch Me All Over", and "Peace With Yourself". Much more interesting than most of their stuff, with a hip mixture of jazz, soul, and hard grooving! CD

An early classic from LaBelle – wonderful vocals mixed with both heavy funk and laidback spacey soul touches! The group had really hit their stride by this point – as the trio of Nona Hendryx/Sarah Dash/Patti Labelle push way past their girl group roots – and even some of the slightly less-formed modes of their Warner Brothers years – finding a really badass sort of territory that would serve them well for the rest of the 70s! The shift really pays off – as there's a number of good funky numbers on the album – and some righteous political lyricism in the mix, too – but also some mellower moments that really round things out nicely. The trio riff on a version of "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", as led into by the cut "Something In The Air" – and other numbers include "Sunshine (Woke Me Up This Morning)", "Mr. Music Man", "Goin' On a Holiday", "Open Up Your Heart", "Let Me See You In The Light", and "Can I Speak to You Before You Go to Hollywood". 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

A great run of music from Grover Washington Jr – five full albums, plus lots of bonus tracks too! First up is Paradise – one of those records you see so much it's easy to forget how great it is! Grover's a real genius with the sax on this record – taking a "less is more" cue from Stanley Turrentine's 70s work, and toning down his playing to an even tighter style than on the Kudu albums of earlier years, to a level of ultimate economy that really leaves us breathless. Grover hits a rarified level here that we'd only reserve for a small few – like Steely Dan or The Crusaders, both groups who teeter on the same brink, and make it work perfectly. Titles include "Asia's Theme", "Tell Me About It Now", "Feel It Comin", "Icey", and "The Answer In Your Eyes". Winelight is a smooth smooth classic from Grover Washington Jr – a set that has a classy image on the cover, and a classic groove within – a completely sublime blend of jazz, soul, and funk, all given the sort of masterful finish that you might have found on the best records by The Crusaders at the time! The difference, though, is that Washington's the lead soloist throughout – crafting some especially nice lines on his trademark soprano sax – which he used in ways that made him one of the most important mainstream jazz artists of his time – and one of the few to really open the doors of the music to folks who might not have been listening otherwise. Grover's sense of space and timing is wonderful throughout – and titles include the classic debut with Bill Withers on "Just The Two Of Us" –plus "Winelight", "Let It Flow", "In The Name Of Love", "Take Me There", and "Make Me A Memory (Sad Samba)". On Come Morning, Grover Washington blows over some great arrangements from William Eaton – full, but lean too – and with the same sort of slinky groove that always worked best for Grover back at Kudu Records! The sound is tight, but never too slick – that magically soulful approach that always made Grover a real standout from his contemporaries – one of the few cats who could smooth out jazz without ever losing its soul – thanks to lots of well-crafted lead lines on soprano sax! Titles include "East River Drive", "Jamming", "Little Black Samba", "Be Mine", and "Reaching Out". Best Is Yet To Come is a set that strongly continues the special spirit that Grover Washington brought to his music during the Elektra Records years – as one of the few artists who really found a way to move forward from the style of 70s jazz funk, but not fall into some of the smoother jazz cliches that were about to envelop his contemporaries! Part of the strength of the record lies in Grover's strongly soul-based sense of timing – allowing for just the right amount of space between the notes to remind you that you're listening to a jazz soloist first and foremost, even when a guest like Patti Labelle might step in for a bit of vocals. Titles include "Brazilian Memories", "Mixty Motions", "Can You Dig It", "I'll Be With You", "Things Are Getting Better", and "The Best Is Yet To Come". Inside Moves has Washington soaring to the skies on soprano sax – as expressive a voice on the record as any soul singer might be – and maybe even more so on the few spots that do include vocals. Jon Lucien sings a bit on the record – and if you read these pages, you know how much we love him – but Grover's still the giant here, with a sense of timing and phrasing that few of his contemporaries could ever hope to match in a setting like this. Titles include "Jet Stream", "Sassy Stew", "Dawn Song", "Inside Moves", "Watching You Watching Me", and "Secret Stew". 5CD set features 19 more bonus tracks – all the single edits of songs from the albums! CD

The oft-covered Bob Dylan songbook never sounds so soulful – classic interpretations of Dylan's canon from a great, far reaching roster of black artists – from the the ever-stirring Staple Singers, southern soul heroes Howard Tate and OV Wright, charismatic country soul from Brook Benton, great gender role perspective flipped versions by Nina Simone and Patti LaBelle, a funky tamborine take by Con Funk Shun and much more! It's another excellent entry in the Songwriter Series from Ace Records, extra excellent in that it takes an obvious hero of 60s Songwriter – and actually pulls together songs that'll take you by surprise for their depth – whether you treasure Dylan, deep 60s & 70s solo & group R&B, funk, folk soul...or all of the above! Includes "Blowin In The Wind" by OV Wright, "Girl From The North Country" by Howard Tate, "The Man In Me" by The Persuations, "Lay lady Lay" by The Isley Brothers, "Emotionally Yours" by The O'Jays, "All Along The Watchtower" by Bobby Womack, "Maggie's Farm" by Soloman Burke, "Mr. Tamborine Man" by Con Funk Shun and more. 20 tracks in all. CD

An all-Atlantic Records volume of this excellent series from Ace Records – one that features rare singles from the 60s that go way past the label's familiar hits – including a good blend of soul tracks, sweet harmonies, and rare rockers we never would have heard otherwise! The collection offers up the strong focus on mid 60s female work that you'll find in previous volumes – but there's also some harder edges here, given the Atlantic approach – and the tracks run the gamut from New York numbers to Motorcity sounds, and even some west coast gems! The package features 26 tracks in all – and titles include "In Paradise" by The Cookies, "Everybody Dance" by Lydia Marcelle, "The Beating Of My Heart" by The Dorelles, "Friday Kind Of Monday" by The Meantime, "Lovin Valentine" by April Stevens, "Rhapsody" by Tamiko, "A Groovy Kind Of Love" by Patti Labelle & The Bluebelles, "Tomorrow Is Another Day" by Doris Troy, "Devil In The Dark" by The Goodnight Kisses, and "Wise Guys" by Shirley Matthews & The Big Town Girls. CD

59 tracks of classic soul – in a sweet velvet-covered case! Music from MFSB, James Brown, BB King, Al Green, the Staple Singers, the O Jays, the Pointer Sisters, Aretha Franklin, LTD, Teddy Pendergrass, Kool & the Gang, Stephanie Mills, Patti Labelle, Kool Moe Dee, MC Hammer, Naughty By Nature and more. CD

Music from the Dells, Patti LaBelle, After 7, U.S. Male, Bird & the Midnight Falcons, Flash & the Five Heartbeats, Eddy & Baby Doll, Flash & the Ebony Sparks, and the Five Heartbeats. CD

A dozen songs from Con Funk Shun, Dynamic Superiors, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, The Miracles, The Originals, L.T.D., Barry White, Lenny Williams, Atlantic Starr, Rufus & Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, and Lionel Richie. CD

An all-Atlantic Records volume of this excellent series from Ace Records – one that features rare singles from the 60s that go way past the label's familiar hits – including a good blend of soul tracks, sweet harmonies, and rare rockers we never would have heard otherwise! The collection offers up the strong focus on mid 60s female work that you'll find in previous volumes – but there's also some harder edges here, given the Atlantic approach – and the tracks run the gamut from New York numbers to Motorcity sounds, and even some west coast gems! The package features 26 tracks in all – and titles include "In Paradise" by The Cookies, "Everybody Dance" by Lydia Marcelle, "The Beating Of My Heart" by The Dorelles, "Friday Kind Of Monday" by The Meantime, "Lovin Valentine" by April Stevens, "Rhapsody" by Tamiko, "A Groovy Kind Of Love" by Patti Labelle & The Bluebelles, "Tomorrow Is Another Day" by Doris Troy, "Devil In The Dark" by The Goodnight Kisses, and "Wise Guys" by Shirley Matthews & The Big Town Girls. CD

One of Bobby Womack's biggest albums of the 80s – part of a set that helped reintroduce him to the soul music mainstream – and which has him standing tall as the superstar he is – with guest help from George Benson, Patti Labelle, and Wilton Felder! There's a new sort of sophistication to Bobby's music – never too smooth, especially on his vocals, which retain their original raspy charm – but a different vibe than the 70s, but one that's still very different than most mainstream soul of the time! Titles include "Tryin To Get Over You", "Through The Eyes Of A Child", "Love Has Finally Come At Last", "Who's Foolin Who", and "I Wish I Had Someone To Go Home To". CD

Sublime soul work from the glory days of Atlantic Records – and most of it unfamiliar too! As with the male volume in this great Unearthed series, this female volume is filled with amazing rarities from Atlantic – 5 previously unreleased tunes by some of the label's best female singers, plus another 11 tracks that show that even when they were topping the charts, Atlantic was still dedicated to putting out some great deep soul singles! Compiler David Nathan really did his homework here – not only picking out choice singles and b-sides for the compilation, but also digging up the rare unissued tunes that totally make the set worthwhile, even if you think you've got it all in your record collection! Titles include the previously unissued tracks "I Ain't That Easy To Lose" by Betty Swann, "Rescue Me" by Dee Dee Warwick, "It's Growing" by Margie Joseph, "Count The Days" by Patti Labelle & The Bluebells, and "Ain't Nothing Gonna Change Me" by The Sweet Inspirations – plus the titles "Thankful For What I Got" by Barbara Lewis, "It Ain't Who You Know" by Jackie Moore, "Full Time Woman" by Irma Thomas, "I Got To Love Sombody's Baby" by Judy Clay, "What A Man" by Laura Lee, "My Way" by Aretha Franklin, and "Please Little Angel" by Doris Troy. CD

Soul Jazz does it again! This set's a killer batch of funky Latin tunes from the mid 70s, and it's got a great soulful sound that's somewhere between the label's Nu Yorica and Chicano Power comps! The set includes some real Latin killers from the decade, most of which we never see on wax anymore. There's choppy bits like "Stories" by Chakachas or "Fat City Strut" by Mandrill; club groovers like "Teach Me Tonight" by Patti Labelle or "Come On Get Dancing" by Pride; soulful numbers like "Yroco" by Jimmy Sabater or "Me & Baby Brother" by War; and Latin stormers like "Viva Zapata" by Milton Zapata and "Guajira Bacan" by Azuquita". Nicely packaged, as always – and with the usual great set of notes. More essential grooves from one of the greatest labels out there! CD

Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Williams is a man of many talents – a musical reach that goes way beyond his familiar solo records of the 70s, and which stretches back strongly with some deep roots in 60s soul! Back in the day, Williams worked often as a producer, arranger, and songwriter for a variety of different artists – a good deal of whom are featured on this set – one of the best collections we've ever seen of Jerry's mighty talents in the studio! In a way, Williams is almost better behind the booth in the studio than he is in front of the microphone – as he's got a way of handling an artist that really gets to the heart of their talents – mixed with his own sense of hutspah that helps get the recordings out to the market where a weaker producer might have failed at the job. CD features 24 tracks in all, along with some great notes on these other Swamp Dogg productions by Jerry – and tracks include "Plea #3" by Eleanor Grant, "Your Best Friend" by The Drifters, "He's Gone" by Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles, "On Your Way Home" by C & The Shells, "Shipwrecked" by Jerry Williams, "Stop Knocking" by Ruth Brown, "God Bless" by Wolfmoon, "Complication #4" by Arthur Conley, "Don't Trust A Woman" by Slick N The Family Brick, and "What's So Wrong With You Loving Me" by Kenny Carter. CD

Music from Luther Vandross, Patti LaBelle, the O Jays, Marvin Gaye, Peaches & Herb, the Delfonics, Jeffrey Osborne, the Commodores, Al Green, Earth, Wind & Fire, Smokey Robinson, LTD, and more. CD

An excellent companion to the legendary first Disco Spectrum set – and like the first, this one's a stunning batch of rare club tracks, expertly selected by Joey Negro! This one's even more soulful than the first set – and is more a great set of rare club and dancefloor tracks, than it is a straight bunch of disco tunes. Nearly every cut's a winner, and there's loads of excellent vocals, and plenty of nice jazzy playing in the mix. This 2CD version features a total of 22 cuts, all unmixed – including "Let Me Be Your Fantasy" by Love Symphony Orchestra, "Spread Love" by Al Hudson & The Partners, "Making Love" by Sammy Gordon & The Hip Huggers, "Welcome To The Disco" by Air Power, "Phoenix" by Aquarian Dream, "Do It Any Way You Wanna" by Louie Ramirez, "I'll Keep A Light In My Window" by NYCC, "Music Is My Way Of Life" by Patti Labelle, "Don't Let This Rainbow Pass Me By" by Cloud One, "Get Another Love" by Chantal Curtis, "Evening Of Love" by Main Ingredient, "Hooked On Your Love" by Fantastic Aleems, "Hooked On You" by Cerrone, and "Give Me Some Action" by Queen Samantha. CD

Features collaborations by Al Green & Lyle Lovett, Patti Labelle & Travis Tritt, Clint Black & The Pointer Sisters, George Jones & BB King, and Natalie Cole & Reba McEntire. CD

A Slow Jam Christmas – and one that's filled with plenty of great little soul tunes – more than enough to live past the dated title and cover of the package! Most of the work here is from older years, and although billed as "slow jam", it's more in the "mellow soul" camp – sung by some of the best from years past. Titles include "Santa Baby" by Eartha Kitt, "Silent Night" by The Stylistics, "Silver Bells" by Bebe & Cece Winans, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" by The Stylistics, "The Christmas Song" by Luther Vandross, "White Christmas" by The O'Jays, "Dear Santa Claus" by Bobby Womack, "Twas Love" by Patti Labelle, and "Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday" by The Sweet Inspirations. CD

Includes tracks by Earth Wind & Fire, Heatwave, The O'Jays, Larry Graham, Manhattans, Champaign, Con Funk Shun, Teddy Pendergrass, Average White Band, Patti LaBelle, Teena Marie, and Deniece Williams. CD

10 tracks from Lou Rawls, Patti LaBelle, McFadden & Whitehead, Teddy Pendergrass, Jean Carn, The O'Jays, Teddy Pendergrass, The Jones Girls, Jerry Butler, and Archie Bell & The Drells. CD