A landmark album that hardly needs any introduction – as it's one of the most famous soundtracks, if not soul records, of the 70s! Isaac Hayes had already surprised music fans with the sophistication of his first few solo albums, which had been issued before this one – but with Shaft, he did the inconceivable, as the album was one of the first times a pop musician had scored, not just sung on, an entire soundtrack. Plus, the soundtrack's super-huge – running as a double-length batch of tracks that was a rarity for the often-slim soundtrack market. Includes many great funky numbers – both vocal and instrumental – including "Theme from Shaft", "Cafe Regio's", "Walk from Regio's", "Bumpy's Lament", and "Do Your Thing", in the nice 19 minute long version! CD

Massive work from Isaac Hayes – a hard and heavy soundtrack that we like even more than his classic work on Shaft! Unlike Shaft, Ike actually starred in the film Truck Turner – which may be one reason why he brought his full game to the table for the record – and scored a batch of badass tunes that still stand with some of the best funky soundtrack work of the 70s! The rhythm's especially hard on the best cuts – really crackling with a lot of intensity, and a stark, hard funky sound that's made the record a favorite of beatheads for years! Ike kicks it hard on cuts like "Pursuit Of The Pimpmobile", "House Full Of Girls", "Drinking", "Give It To Me", "Now We're One", "Breakthrough", "House of Beauty", and the massive title cut "Truck Turner". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work by Isaac Hayes – featuring a wealth of classic tunes from his years at Stax, packaged with some bonus video material from the 70s! The music alone is more than worth the price of the set – as the collection includes big hits, choice album tracks, and even 3 never-issued tunes from Hayes' 1972 performance at Operation Push in Chicago. 33 tracks include "Chocolate Chip", "Title Theme From Three Tough Guys", "Run Fay Run", "Rock Me Easy Baby", "Walk On By", "I Stand Accused", "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic", "Ain't That Lovin You", "Theme From Shaft", "By The Time I Get To Phoenix", "Soulsville", "The Look Of Love", "Do Your Thing", "Someone Made You For Me", and "Let's Stay Together". DVD includes tracks from Hayes' 1972 performance at Wattstax – "Rolling Down A Mountainside", "Soulsville", and "Theme From Shaft" – plus his "Chocolate Salty Balls" performance as Chef in South Park. (Could have done without that – thank you!) CD

A fantastic pairing of soulful talents – the legendary John Lee Hooker on the mighty Stax Records – in a set that's a real standout in the career of both! The vibe here is different than the usual sound of Stax – not a Memphis-ized John Lee Hooker, but instead the kind of stripped-down session that the singer had done for other labels in his early years – given a very faithful presentation here by producer Henry Stone (who himself might well be the third important force at work on the set!) Tracks are mostly short – apart from one eight minute jam – and Hooker's got that raw, raspy bite that still makes him one of the all-time greats. Titles include "Teachin' The Blues", "Goin To Louisiana","I Need You", "My Love Comes Down For You", "Please Don't Go", "I Just Don't Know", "Slow & Easy", "Two White Horses", "Feel So Bad", and "Grinder Man". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost album from the legendary Stax Records – a full set of tracks from the deep soul group Hot Sauce – planned as a record of its own in the final years of the label, but never issued at the time! Hot Sauce were one of the funkiest groups on Stax in the early 70s – a wickedly badass group who sported great lead vocals from Rhonda Washington – a singer who really knew how to stay on the groove and send the whole thing home! The work on this set is a great evolution of the Stax groove – and shows where the label might have gone in terms of 70s funk, had they stayed the course – and although the album's long overdue to get released, we're plenty happy to finally have it out after all these years. Many tracks were issued over the years as singles, and the set also features a few tracks not intended for the album too – titles that include "Stop Dogging Me", "Funny", "Mama's Baby", "I'll Kill A Brick", "Good Woman Turning Bad", "I Can't Let You Go", "Echoes From The Past", and "I Can't Win For Losing". CD

Amazing under-discovered soul – a huge collection of late 60s recordings by Mable John – probably best known for her work with the Raelettes, or her earlier sides at Motown – but heard here in a pivotal time between those two chapters in her career! A few of the tracks on the set were issued as singles by Stax, but most of the material sat unissued for years – practically one of the greatest crimes in soul in the 60s, because there's a depth here that's tremendous – and a quality level that could have made Mable a huge star at the time. The sound here is pure 60s Stax all the way – extremely deep, and done with a lean, mean punch that's totally great – a perfect meeting of a massive vocal talent and a well-oiled studio system that could take a good singer and make her sound great! The set's a great introduction to Mable's genius – one that features notes on her career and a total of 26 rare tracks that include "Have Your Cake", "Sweet Devil", "Able Mable", "Stay Out of the Kitchen", "Drop On In", and "I'm Catching". CD

A smoking funky set from early 70s Stax Records – the only album we've ever seen from Roy Lee Johnson & The Villagers, and a stone cooker all the way through! The sound is hard and heavy on most numbers – with loads of funky 45-styled riffs – and the core group is a nicely self-contained unit, with a lot of focus on the rhythm section – but they also get some great help here from the Memphis Horns, who blow over the top beautifully, and add a nicely soulful vibe to the record! Drums are nice and hard – and titles include the killer "The Dryer (parts 1 & 2)", plus "Razorback Circus", "Robot", "Midnight At Riley's", "Don't Tell Me Nothing About My Woman", "Patch It Up", and "I'll Be Your Doctor Man". CD

A mixed up bag of styles – like all of Kasandra's work from the time – kind of a concept soul album mixed with a showier style, and bits of jazz and vocal-based material. Imagine Lou Rawls letting down his hair during the Capitol years – and you've got only part of the picture – as Kasandra raps a bit, sings a bit, and tells it like it T-I-S! Titles include "Good Whiskey & Bad Women", "Love Will Never Go Out Of Style", "My Home", "I'll Take Time", "Love Consultation", "Ain't I Good?", "The Other Brother", and "That Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

One of THE electric blues records of the 60s – a seminal set by Albert King that was probably blasted out of more college dorm rooms than southside juke joints, but which still more than deserves its due! The set was recorded by Stax with a nice raw sound – guitar very much upfront, but also set amidst arrangements that have a bit more soul than the average Chicago blues session from the same time. The set features a number of originals by Stax regulars like Booker T and David Porter – and titles include "The Hunter", "Born Under A Bad Sign", "Crosscut Saw", "Down Don't Bother Me", "Laundromat Blues", and "Personal Manager". LP, Vinyl record album

One of THE electric blues records of the 60s – a seminal set by Albert King that was probably blasted out of more college dorm rooms than southside juke joints, but which still more than deserves its due! The set was recorded by Stax with a nice raw sound – guitar very much upfront, but also set amidst arrangements that have a bit more soul than the average Chicago blues session from the same time. The set features a number of originals by Stax regulars like Booker T and David Porter – and titles include "The Hunter", "Born Under A Bad Sign", "Crosscut Saw", "Down Don't Bother Me", "Laundromat Blues", and "Personal Manager". LP, Vinyl record album

Collects b-sides, alternate takes, plus unissued cuts from Albert King's run at Stax and features Isaac Hayes, Booker T, Steve Cropper, and others! 13 tracks total. CD

Sweet electric blues from Albert King – recorded with some great full production, in a burning Memphis style that's got plenty of soul in the mix as well! The set's got a quality level that takes it past some of the cliche-ridden blues of the time – really soulful overall, with a sound that comes straight from the heart, and avoids any of the easy tricks that could mar such a session – proof that music like this could really sparkle in the hands of Stax Records – especially when the backing instrumentation features The Bar-Kays and Memphis Horns! Titles include "High Cost Of Loving", "Little Brother", "I'll Play The Blues For You (parts 1 & 2)", "Breaking Up Somebody's Home", "Angel Of Mercy", and "I'll Be Doggone". CD

One of the more obscure albums by Albert King – and a surprisingly great little set! Given that the concept – hinted at in the title – has Albert performing songs made famous by Elvis Presley, you might think that the record is a bit of a sell-out, or somewhat gimmicky. But given that a good number of these tracks have roots in rougher R&B, King's almost returning these tunes to their forebears with his performance on the set. There's a nicely gritty undercurrent to the grooves – almost a bit of Stax funk at times – and titles include "Hound Dog", "All Shook Up", "That's All Right", "Heartbreak Hotel", "Don't Be Cruel", "One Night", and "Love Me Tender". LP, Vinyl record album

Plenty of blues power here – a searing live set recorded by Albert King before a very enthusiastic crowd at the Fillmore in the late 60s! The album's filled with lots of King's sharp-edged guitar lines – searing with a bit more soul than your usual bluesman, possibly in part because the backing group's so tight! At times, there's almost a bit of funk in the mix – given that the rhythm section romps it up pretty strongly – and the record stands nicely apart from some of the blues cliches that were creeping into the mix at the time. Titles include the 10 minute workout "Blues Power" – plus "Watermelon Man", "Night Stomp", "Blues At Sunrise", "Please Love Me", and "Look Out". CD

A funky classic from Albert King's great years on Stax – a time when he was forging his bluesy roots with all the sharp sounds the Memphis label had to provide! The album's got production and some great songs from Don Nix – who certainly makes his presence known here, by slanting the groove a bit more towards that rockish mode that was working so well with electric blues in the early 70s – a mode that was more of an evolution than the commercialization that would come a few years later – and which here, in the hands of Stax, just adds a bit of funk to the rhythms, while still letting King shine right out on top. Titles include "For The Love Of A Woman", "Lovejoy IL", "Going Back To Luka", "Like A Road Leading Home", "Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven", and "Bay Area Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

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A lasting 70s classic from Frederick Knight – easily his best-remembered album, thanks to the legendary title track! The set's got a slow-burning, deeply soulful feel all the way through – one that takes Knight's high-end vocals, and backs them with some bottom-burning instrumentation that certainly owes something to the Muscle Shoals sound, but which comes off in a way that's a bit more organic, and less in the trademark style of the time. Organ features heavily on most numbers – matching Knight's vocals with a bubbling energy that cooks things up nicely – and tracks include the classic "I've Been Lonely For So Long" , plus "Trouble", "Now That I've Found You", "This Is My Song Of Love To You", "I Let Me Chance Go By", and "Your Love's All Over Me". CD

A lasting 70s classic from Frederick Knight – easily his best-remembered album, thanks to the legendary title track! The set's got a slow-burning, deeply soulful feel all the way through – one that takes Knight's high-end vocals, and backs them with some bottom-burning instrumentation that certainly owes something to the Muscle Shoals sound, but which comes off in a way that's a bit more organic, and less in the trademark style of the time. Organ features heavily on most numbers – matching Knight's vocals with a bubbling energy that cooks things up nicely – and tracks include the classic "I've Been Lonely For So Long" , plus "Trouble", "Now That I've Found You", "This Is My Song Of Love To You", "I Let Me Chance Go By", and "Your Love's All Over Me". CD

Frederick Knight was to 70s Stax what William Bell was to the label in the 60s – a smooth, sweet sophisticated singer that was perfect at the southern ballad style. "I've Been Lonely" is one of his best tracks ever – and it's backed here by another number that's equally nice, and which is not the Bill Withers song of similar vintage! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Jean Knight's classic – and a monumental album of funky female soul that was one of the best albums in the "second generation" Stax era! You probably know the title cut, as it was her biggest hit, and the inspiration for loads of "answer" songs (some of which came from the James Brown camp!) – but the whole album's great, and filled with raw female soul material produced by Wardell Quezquerque with an edge that's a bit harder than the usual Stax set of the time! Titles include "Mr Big Stuff", "Take Him", "Think It Over", "Your Six Bit Change", and "You City Slicker". LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "D&D Soundclash" with Cocoa Brovas and production by Da Beatminerz, "Mic Stance", "Equality", "Defeat", and "Monotony", all with production by Premier, "Whirlwind Thru Cities", "Mortal Kombat" with Masta Killa, "Bring It Right", "Trilogy Of Terror" with Guru & Hannibal Stax, "Self Mastery", "Bigacts Littleacts" with GZA, "Warfare" with M.O.P., "Soul Assassination", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal collection of work by one of the earliest figures in southern soul of the 60s – the amazing Arthur Alexander, a key link between 50s R&B and many years of great music to come! The CD features most of Alexander's early 60s recordings for Dot Records, including previously unissued numbers – some of the first soul sides to come out of the Muscle Shoals scene, most of which were recorded by a young Rick Hall. Alexander's voice is quite different than many other southern singers in years to come – but that's the great thing about these recordings, as they allow you to hear the genre in transition – with a sound that didn't just leap out of the minds of a few talents at Stax or Atlantic. CD features 21 tracks in all – titles that include "Black Cat", "You're The Reason", "Anna", "After You", "Where Have You Been", "A Shot Of Rhythm & Blues", "Detroit City", "Go Home Girl", "Keep Her Guessing", and "I Hang My Head & Cry". CD

A fantastic bit of spacey soul – and an amazing collaboration between the Mizell Brothers and vocalist Rance Allen! The set's quite different than Rance's earlier, rootsier work for Stax – and instead has the soaring, joyous quality of some of the other great Mizell productions from the time on albums by Gary Bartz, Bobbi Humphrey, and Johnny Hammond! The best cuts here soar along with a really jazzy feel – that trademark Mizell groove, supported with excellent production that somehow manages to fuse a wide range of keyboards, rhythms, and string together with a really lean sound. Rance's spiritual vocals are wonderful throughout – and the whole album's essential for both Mizell fans, and any lover of righteous 70s soul! Titles include the sublime classics "Truth Is Marching On", "Reason To Survive", and "Peace of Mind" – plus "I'm Gonna Make It After All", "Got To Be Ready", and "You're My Everything". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible package from the great Darrell Banks – a set that brings together his sublime Stax Records album, plus lots of rare bonus tracks too! The core record – Here To Stay – is incredible work from the great Banks – one of the few albums this genius Detroit soul singer cut before his untimely early death! Darrell's got a raw sound and a way with a groove that makes him a perfect choice for late 60s Stax/Volt Records – and he works here with Detroit studio genius Don Davis – who really knows how to mix the rough and the smooth in a perfect way – very different than both the usual Memphis or Detroit soul of the time! Tracks are very well-written – each one's a total lost nugget – and the arrangements have this punch that works perfectly with Banks' tremendous vocals. Titles include "I Could Never Hate Her", "My Love is Reserved", "No One Blinder", "Just Because Your Love Is Gone", and "We'll Get Over". CD then includes a wealth of bonus tracks – some previously unissued – including "Love Is Not An Easy Thing (demo)", "Mama Give Me Some Water (demo)", "Love Why Have You Forsaken Me (demo)", "Just Because Your Love Is Gone (single version)", "No One Blinder (single version)", and "Beautiful Feeling (single version)". CD

An album that's every bit as great as the title might imply – heavy guitar-based funk from the second version of The Bar-Kays – one that uses the new instrumental focus to push a groove that's much more black rock than before! There's still a bit of trumpet from the past, but the sound here is much heavier on the bottom – and really fuzzes up the guitar nicely at times to create a hipper sort of soul instrumental vibe! The rhythms are quite hip too – with echoes of the experiments in soul going on at Stax in the work of Isaac Hayes and others – and the album's miles away from the work that the group was laying down a few years before! Definitely one of the hardest-hitting Stax albums of the early 70s – and filled with great tracks like "You Don't Know Like I Know", "Dance To The Music", "Piece Of Your Peace", "Montego Bay", and "Baby I Love You". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic black rock funk from Stax, by the second version of the Bar-Kays (the first went down in the plane with Otis) with a nice hard sound all the way through! There's plenty of guitars in the mix, ripping away like a buzzsaw over the top of bass-heavy funk rhythms – ready to bite with the same sting of the rattlesnake that's pictured on the cover! Cuts include "Coldblooded", "Fightin' Fire With Fire", "Frame of Mind", and "Waiting and Hating". LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of Mercury Records gems from the Bar-Kays – back to back in a single set! First up is Too Hot To Stop – a pivotal album from The Bar-Kays – a key post-Stax set, but one that's still very firmly grounded in Memphis funk! The groove definitely shows a bit more polish than before – the same sort of shift the Ohio Players made after moving to Mercury Records – but as with the Players at their best, there's still plenty of sharp edges and deeply funky moments on the record – and if anything, the shift has really given The Bar-Kays a way to evolve their sound past some of the heavier modes of the early days, without losing any of the appeal of their groove! Some cuts have some great keyboards – almost producing a spacey funk feel at points – and titles include "Too Hot To Stop (part 1)", "You're So Sexy", "Cozy", "Spellbound", "Whitehouseorgy", and the nice mellow track "Summer Of Our Love". Flying High is a killer too – a great step forward for The Bar-Kays – an album that actually has them taking on a few mellower moments, amidst the heavy funk you might expect – yet all without softening their groove at all! The album's very much in the best spirit of the group's Mercury debut – still recorded in Memphis, with production that's tight, but never uptight – enough to firmly put the group at the top of the funk superstar scene of the mid 70s, yet never sell out the rich Memphis groove that first got them going! Titles include "You Can't Run Away", "Let's Have Some Fun", "Can't Keep My Hands Off You", "Whatever It Is", and "Shut the Funk Up". CD

A tremendous package of work from this overlooked soul and gospel legend – four classic albums, plus other rare material too – all packaged with detailed notes in the wonderful Numero Group style! First up is Like A Ship Without A Sail – a gospel album from Pastor TL Barrett, but one that's gone on to legendary status among funk and soul collectors over the years! Barrett works here with his Youth For Christ Choir – a south side ensemble that's filled with genuine spirit and passion, aimed towards lofty ideals – but set up with some deep secular soul production touches and instrumentation that keep things razor sharp throughout! The album was supervised by Chess Records sax player and arranger Gene Barge – with other Chess players Richard Evans and Phil Upchurch on the sessions too – and the music is filled with raw drums, heavy bass, and lots of great organ lines! Next is Do Not Pass Me By Vol 1 – an album that's got a nice balance between intimate soul numbers and larger tracks that have the whole Mount Zion Baptist Church along for support! The set's definitely got the strongly soulful vibe of Barrett's Like A Ship album – a strong ear for the best secular elements of the time, which are used liberally in the instrumental backing – to really send home the message in the music! Most tunes really soft-pedal the religion, and instead go for an overall feel that really crosses over to regular soul music. Next is the great second volume of Do Not Pass Me By – like the first, the product of a wonderfully spiritual setting on Chicago's south side – music created in the church, but with all the same vibe as the hippest secular soul coming from the Windy City in the early 70s! The set does a great job of alternating strong lead singers with the rest of the group – a bit like Voices Of East Harlem, but with more of a larger ensemble feel – and there's some really wonderful moments on the record throughout – even a bit of funk amidst the more righteous soul-styled tunes. I Found The Answer is one of the biggest-circulating albums from this fantastic figure in Chicago gospel – a unique set done for the Gospel Truth subsidiary of Stax Records, but a set served up in the same blend of soul-based inspirations as some of TL Barrett's indie label releases back home in the Windy City! Plus, the package features a full album of Singles & Sermons – rare non-LP material by this seminal figure in both soul and spiritual music. CD

A really wonderful post-Stax album from the great William Bell – a set that has the singer still stepping out with all those great deep soul modes from the 60s, but also finding a hipper, more laidback approach as well! There's a beautiful mellow vibe to the record – one that recalls some of Millie Jackson's best ballad work of the time, especially in the way it warms things up with a bit of class, while taking away none of the power of the vocals. Bell produced and arranged the whole set with help from Paul Mitchell – and there's still lots of nice down home themes and feelings to the record, but William's also working with a bubbling groove that comes off great – and which updates his sound without selling his soul – making for a great set in the modern/southern mode. Titles include "Tryin To Love Two", "If Sex Was All We Had", "Relax", "You Don't Miss Your Water", "Coming Back For More", "Just Another Way To Feel", and "I Absotively Posolutely Love You". LP, Vinyl record album

The first-ever full length set of work from Howard Bomar – a singer who only issued a few rare 45s back in the 60s, yet kept on making music for years! From the very first tune, you'll hear that Bomar has a fantastic voice – that sort of searching, searing style that you'd hear from some of the best of the 60s – almost with a Stax Records level of production at times, but also varied a bit more over the course of the record, especially on some of the few later tracks! Howard's definitely in the deepest side of the deep soul spectrum – even as the instrumentation gets a bit more modern – and titles include "Let It Be Me", "I'll Be There", "Best Of Luck To You", "I'm Gonna Love You", "Set Down Fo I Fall Down", "She's A 911", "What Love Has Joined Together", and a remake of "Purple Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

The first-ever full length set of work from Howard Bomar – a singer who only issued a few rare 45s back in the 60s, yet kept on making music for years! From the very first tune, you'll hear that Bomar has a fantastic voice – that sort of searching, searing style that you'd hear from some of the best of the 60s – almost with a Stax Records level of production at times, but also varied a bit more over the course of the record, especially on some of the few later tracks! Howard's definitely in the deepest side of the deep soul spectrum – even as the instrumentation gets a bit more modern – and titles include "Let It Be Me", "I'll Be There", "Best Of Luck To You", "I'm Gonna Love You", "Set Down Fo I Fall Down", "She's A 911", "What Love Has Joined Together", and a remake of "Purple Rain". CD features bonus tracks – "Down Home Georgia Girl", "Something Beautiful", "I'd Like To Be", "Crazy Bout You Baby", and "Just Let Me Love You". CD

The second comeback effort from Booker T Jones for Anti-! All around, it's a more sharply-honed and classics-steeped set than its solid, but more southern rock-inflected predecessor – one the finds the Stax organ titan backed by co-producers ?uestlove & Rob Schnapf, Dennis Coffey and others on the sessions, and allstar guest vocals on a few numbers! It's really well done and a worthy effort from a true giant! The heart of the album is the loosely grooving organ soul instrumentals – with a quite a bottom end wallop, thanks to ?uesto, and the incomparable Booker T in great form – but the handful of guest vocalists include Sharon Jones, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Lou Reed, Matt Berninger and Booker T himself. Titles include "Walking Papers", "Crazy", "Progress", "Down In Memphis" with Booker T on vocals, "Representing Memphis" with Sharon Jones & Matt Berninger, "The Bronx" with Lou Reed (weird, but it kinda works!), "The Vamp", "Harlem House" and "Rent Party". CD

A sweet sweet set of electric 70s funk – recorded by Booker T during a brief, but well-needed reunion with the MGs! The sound here is quite different than Stax-era MGs – as Booker plays a range of keyboards, not just organ – and the grooves have these great jazz funk touches at the bottom – almost a CTI vibe at times, but packed with the tighter energy you'd expect from the group! Steve Cropper's guitar is great – super-fine, and razor-sharp – really helping cut a nice edge on the cuts – over bass from Donald Duck Dunn and drums from Willie Hall, who's the only new member of the group. In a way, the album feels like mid 70s efforts from Johnny Hammond or Jimmy Smith – sweetly soaring on a let-loose 70s vibe. Titles include the funky break track "Grab Bag", plus "Sticky Stuff", "Moto Cross", "Tie Stick", and "Space Nuts". LP, Vinyl record album

A great non-Stax album from Memphis soul singer Shirley Brown – recorded for Arista, but with all the depth and feeling of her indie work! Shirley's wonderfully teamed here with songwriter Bettye Crutcher –one of the best second generation talents at Stax, and writer with a great way of putting over a mature, modern southern soul tune. In addition to contributing most of the tracks, Crutcher also co-produced the record – and helps give it a sound that's hip and focused – without any overdone southern soul cliches. The set's the kind that should have made Brown as big as Millie Jackson in the 70s – and it's filled with great tracks that include "Blessed Is The Woman (With A Man Like Mine)", "When You Really Love Somebody", "Givin' Up", "Midnight Rendezvous", "A Mighty Good Feeling", "Honey Babe", and "Long On Lovin". CD

A great non-Stax album from Memphis soul singer Shirley Brown – recorded for Arista, but with all the depth and feeling of her indie work! Shirley's wonderfully teamed here with songwriter Bettye Crutcher –one of the best second generation talents at Stax, and writer with a great way of putting over a mature, modern southern soul tune. In addition to contributing most of the tracks, Crutcher also co-produced the record – and helps give it a sound that's hip and focused – without any overdone southern soul cliches. The set's the kind that should have made Brown as big as Millie Jackson in the 70s – and it's filled with great tracks that include "Blessed Is The Woman (With A Man Like Mine)", "When You Really Love Somebody", "Givin' Up", "Midnight Rendezvous", "A Mighty Good Feeling", and "Long On Lovin". LP, Vinyl record album

A real lost treasure on Hi Records – one of the few albums ever cut by Don Bryant, a singer whose talents seemed to be eclipsed by the rising stars of Al Green and Ann Peebles – but who was every bit as great! Bryant's got a sound here that's still firmly in the Hi style forged by Willie Mitchell – who produces this set – but there's also some nicely rougher edges too, a sound that's almost more Stax than Hi – and which certainly features a bit of a nod to Wilson Pickett down in Muscle Shoals – not exactly funk, but with some nice grit in the grooves! The whole thing's great – and titles include "Try Me", "Cry Baby", "Funky Broadway", "Soul Man", "Land Of 1000 Dances", "She's Looking Good", and "Slip Away". CD

Incredible work from Bobby Byrd – the man who was literally standing in the shadow of James Brown during the 60s – given how many times Bobby appeared with James on stage, and worked with him in the studio! Yet despite that near-lifetime association with The Godfather, Bobby's a hell of a singer on his own – definitely in the JB mold, but with a voice that can sometimes sweetly crackle in a very personal style – and also open up into different themes that sometimes move his music more towards Stax or Atlantic than some of James' King Records material from the time! All that range and plenty more is presented here – in an overlooked side of Bobby's career – all the wonderfully strong solo tracks he recorded with James Brown as a producer – issued in the mid 60s by the Smash and King Records labels, and a hell of a discography on its own. In fact, had Byrd not worked with James, we'd maybe guess that he would have hit even bigger fame on his own with these singles – such is the quality in both the vocals and overall presentation. This is the first time this material has ever been pulled together like this – and most of it has never been reissued at all – and the 24 track CD is overflowing with great notes that also give Bobby his due. Titles include "Write Me A Letter", "I Found Out", "Ain't No Use", "I'm Just A Nobody (parts 1 & 2)", "Lost In The Mood Of Changes", "You're Gonna Need My Lovin", "Let Me Know", "Time Will Make A Change", "No One Like My Baby", "Funky Soul (parts 1 & 2)", "You Gave Me Heart A Song To Sing", "My Concerto", and "I'm Lonely". CD

A beautiful collection of work from the legendary James Carr – a singer that those in the know place at the same level as Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, or any of the deep soul greats of the 60s! Like Otis, James recorded heavily on the Memphis scene at the time – not for Stax or Atlantic, but for the smaller Goldwax label – who really hit magic with the sounds you'll hear on this set – a perfect blend of the richness of James' voice with the kind of slow-burning soul sounds that the scene was really hitting during its golden years! The songwriters alone here are enough to sell the set to any fan of classic southern soul – as tunes include contributions from Chips Moman, Dan Penn, Quinton Claunch, William Bell, and Spooner Oldham – writers who maybe never had a better interpreter of their work than Carr – who knocks it out of the park here on tunes that include "Love Attack", "Dark End Of The Street", "Freedom Train", "Pouring Water On A Drowning Man", "You've Got My Mind Messed Up", "A Man Needs A Woman", "Let's Face Facts", "You Hurt So Good", "I Don't Want To Be Hurt Anymore", "I'm A Fool For You", "Your Love Made A U-Turn", and "Let It Happen". CD

A beautiful collection of work from the legendary James Carr – a singer that those in the know place at the same level as Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, or any of the deep soul greats of the 60s! Like Otis, James recorded heavily on the Memphis scene at the time – not for Stax or Atlantic, but for the smaller Goldwax label – who really hit magic with the sounds you'll hear on this set – a perfect blend of the richness of James' voice with the kind of slow-burning soul sounds that the scene was really hitting during its golden years! The songwriters alone here are enough to sell the set to any fan of classic southern soul – as tunes include contributions from Chips Moman, Dan Penn, Quinton Claunch, William Bell, and Spooner Oldham – writers who maybe never had a better interpreter of their work than Carr – who knocks it out of the park here on tunes that include "Dark End Of The Street", "You've Got My Mind Messed Up", "I'm A Fool For You", "A Lucky Loser", "Let's Face Facts", "Your Love Made A U Turn", "Freedom Train", "Pouring Water On A Drowning Man", "You Hurt So Good", "Love Attack", and "A Man Needs A Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

Two rare instrumental albums from Lloyd Charmers – both from that early moment when he was moving from work as a singer, to a strong role as a producer and keyboardist! Reggae Is Tight is a set that seems to answer both the Tennessee instrumental sounds of Booker T & The MGs in Memphis, and Floyd Cramer in Nashville – as the rhythms have all the soulful romp that might be inspired by late 60s soul, while Lloyd plays both organ and piano, the latter often in a way that has all this cool echo! Titles include "5 to 5", "Summer Face", "Crimson & Clover", "Rat Trap", "Safari", "Reggae Is Tight", "Psychedelic Reggae", and "Golden Moon". Reggae Charm is a really great record from Lloyd Charmers – one of his instrumental sets, and an album that has Byron Lee & The Dragonaires providing some mighty nice rhythms behind his keyboards! The vibe is plenty soulful – almost a Kingston take on Stax Records instrumental modes – with organ vamping alongside piano, in a great mix of cuts that includes "Dr No Go", "Tribute To The Dragon", "Mama Look", "If I Only Had Time"- "Honey", "Last Date", and "Israelite". 2CD set features 31 more bonus tracks – for a total of 55 titles in all, including 23 that appear here on CD for the first time ever! CD