Count Basie goes pop, and the results are mighty nice – a hard-swinging take on familiar tunes from the 60s, but all re-tooled the jazzy Basie way! The vibe here is right up there with the best Neal Hefti moments with the group – and although the arrangements are by Billy Byers, they've got that sense of tightness that Hefti first help bring to the band – a great setting for the inventive solos, and all the cool little twists and turns that make a record like this so great. And while you might think of the setting, or the title, as some sort of sell-out on the Count's part – the album's instead a perfect way to hear what made the Basie band so great – how they could completely transform tunes like "Pretty Woman", "Bye Bye Love", "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy", "At Long Last Love", and "Go Away Little Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

The monumental debut of BT Express – and an excellent funk album that often gets overlooked by fans of the music because of the band's bigger fame as a disco group! This first record has the combo grooving hard and instrumentally – in the mode of a tight blacksploitation soundtrack, with plenty of tight wah wah guitar riffing, conga beats, and funky flute and sax – topped off by just the right amount of strings to make the set soar even more! The album's best known for the title track "Do It (Til You're Satisfied)" – which was a big hit, but is still an excellent groover – and the set also includes loads of other great cuts too – like "Express", which was the original song that the created the JBs' response track "Monorail"; "This House is Smokin'", which has lots of funky descending horn bits; and other great tunes that include "Mental Telepathy", "If It Don't Turn You On", and "Do You Like It". LP, Vinyl record album

Soulful 70s work from Herbie Hancock – a record that tightens things up from the Headhunters and Sextant sessions, but which still retains a lot of their depth and charm! Players here including some previous partners – like Bennie Maupin on reeds and Paul Jackson on bass – plus the mighty Wah Wah Watson on guitars, James Levi on drums, Kenneth Nash on percussion, and Ray Parker on additional guitar. Tracks are tightly electric fusion, but still have some of the sharper tones of Herbie's electric work – weird moogy moments mixed into more straight ahead funk – all with a sound that's not unlike some of Ramsey Lewis' best Columbia work of the period. Herbie plays Fender Rhodes, Arp, clavinet, mini-moog, and more – and titles include "Doin' It", "Spider", "Swamp Rat", "People Music", and a remake of "Cantelope Island" that's pretty darn tasty! LP, Vinyl record album

Though there are a number of different LPs using the VSOP title in a few different ways, this was the first, a double album recorded live at the Newport Jazz Festival, featuring Herbie leading groups that represented a number of different points in his career. The first lineup later recorded under the name VSOP, and was a re-grouping of the classic Miles quintet, with Freddie Hubbard in Miles' place, in fine form here, the group playing nice expansive lines as they stretch out. They take on "Maiden Voyage" and "Nefertiti" and really stretch out on "Eye Of The Hurricane". Sides 3 and 4 are the real treat, with Herbie's early electric band that had recorded the spacey Warner's LPs playing "Toys" and "You'll Know When You Get There", and then the funk band that was contemporanious with the release of the LP, featuring Headhunters Paul Jackson & Bennie Maupin, and some heavy wah wah funk from Wah Wah Watson, on "Hang Up Your Hang Ups" & "Spider". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare work by Andrew Hill – recorded in the 60s – but not issued until this 1975 2-fer package, which then went out of print very quickly! One session's from 1969, and features Hill with Bennie Maupin, Charles Tolliver, and Pat Patrick. Another has him and Maupin playing a few tracks with a string quartet. And the last set (which covers all of the second record) is a straighter set from 1965, with Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Richard Davis, and Joe Chambers. The album's a motherlode of great rare material by one of the best piano players of the 60's, and a talent that Blue Note made sure to record as much as they could. Tracks include "Diddy Wah", "Fragments", "Erato", "Pax", and "Eris". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes "Sha La La", "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", "Pretty Flamingo", "The One In The Middle", "Oh No, Not My Baby", "Come Tomorrow", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Most of this soundtrack is orchestral and classical, but the record includes a fantastic funky tune by Previn – the great "Executive Party", played during a tripped-out party scene in the film, and featuring a mix of funky bass, wah wah guitar, and some weird spooky moogy bits that sound really really wonderful! The track's also matched by "Executive Party Dance", which has more moog and some nice organ, and is an almost equally great funky tune! LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet funky soul from the great Bobby Womack – a record that mixes Bobby's roots with some of the more righteous modes he picked up on Across 110th Street – blended here in a style that's completely sublime! The record was one of Womack's first to be entirely recorded on the west coast – and has these core grooves that come from the great Wah Wah Watson on guitar and Sonny Burke on keyboards – both players who bring in sharp edges, but can also lay back in a groove as well – helping Bobby perfectly balance funky impulses and mellower moments throughout. There's a sophistication here that really shows the continuing growth of Womack as a musical visionary – and titles include "Everything's Gonna Be Alright", "Daylight", "Love Ain't Something You Can Get For Free", "I Feel A Groove Coming On", and versions of "I Wish It Would Rain" and "Something You Got". LP, Vinyl record album

An Italian funk double-header – a sweet little set from the end of the 60s, and one that features killer cuts from both Sandro Brugnolini and Stefano Torossi! We love either artist on their other own records, but there also seems to be something about putting them together here that makes them even better than before – certainly funkier, as the album's full of the kind of sharp, hard-grooving titles that first made us fall in love with sound library records in the first place! The date of the album's 1969, and both musicians make nice use of psych elements in their instrumentation – adding a bit of fuzz, wah-wah, or trippy guitar in just the right spaces – never going over the top, or getting too indulgent – but just moving in a groove that's tightly jazz funky at the bottom, and maybe a bit freaky at the top. Wonderful work throughout – and titles include "Sweet Beat", "Repetition", "Starter", and "Makkaresh" by Stefano Torossi – and "Wawa", "Motuproprio", "Polyphony", and "Flyer" by Sandro Brugnolini. LP, Vinyl record album

Miles Davis' last studio session before a few years of seclusion – and a really monumental effort, probably the baddest of the electric period! The album does a great job of capturing the energy of the frenzied live sets from that time, and matching it with Teo Macero's cut and paste editing, and wizardry at the mixing console. The side long piece "He Loved Him Madly" is a minimalist epic, while "Calypso Frelimo" alternates between mad afro-percussion driven jams and spacey wah-wah trumpet interludes. The rest of the album is divided up into more succinct shorter funky pieces, like classic "Rated X", with Miles basically just leaning on an electric organ over a hyper funk beat, and the bluesy "Honky Tonk" which opens with an incredibly funky burping electric piano break! LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet work from Michel Gonet – one of the unsung geniuses of the French 70s sound library scene! The album's a mixed bag of styles – in that about half the tracks feature lots of synthesizer and percussion, moogily stating themes that range from fast and groovy to mellower and spacey. The other half of the set is straight soundtrack funk – and includes some really great numbers with tight drums, funky bass, and cool wah-wah and keyboard bits! Titles include "Devil Dance", "Flower Dance", "Happy Smith", "Phasing Cymbals", "Phasing Percussions", and "Phasing Suspense". LP, Vinyl record album

Two great sides from the legendary funk band! "Message" has been covered by many – a sublime snakey funker, with a sound that made it an instant classic! "Zony Mash" is a totally original groove – lots of hard beats at the beginning, plenty of thumps and grumps, right before some wah wah guitar comes in and kicks a bit o' booty! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Surprisingly nice album of modern soul grooves cut by the man who's best known for the classic Motown track "Money". Barrett sings in a nice smooth style different from his older work, and he's playing with a nice LA group that has a smooth groove to it, and which features Wah Wah Watson and Ray Parker guesting on guitars. Most tracks were written by Barrett, and the titles include "Is It True", "Surrender", "Do You Want My Love", "Mary, Mary You", "I Wanna Do The Thang", and "There's Something About You". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the freshest groups on the New York scene of the 70s – really cooking on this firey set for Inca Records! There's some slight funky currents that really make the record stand out – a bit of keyboards from Sonny Bravo, and some sweet wah-wah guitar lines that don't seem to be credited on the cover, but which give the whole thing even more of a groove than previous albums! The mix of modern and classic is sublime throughout – handled by key arrangers who include Louie Ramirez, Sonny Bravo, Marty Sheller, and Luiz Perico Ortiz – and the album also features lead vocals from Camilo Azuquita and Jose Alberto, violin from Alberto De La Fe, and drums and timbales from Nicky Marrero. Titles include "Los Campeones De La Salsa", "Xiomara", "Baila Que Baila", "Tina Tinoso", "Si No Eres Tu", "Somos Dos", and "La Mujer Dominicana". LP, Vinyl record album

A great bit of funk from this obscure 70s combo – the first of their many good albums, and with a sound that's rougher and rawer than the others. The band's grooving in a pretty slow mode here – without the uptempo club tracks of later years – and they've got a style that's a mix of electric LA wah wah funk, plus some of the more Afro-influenced rhythms you might expect from their name. The set's got many great numbers – including the killer cut "Smoke", which begins with fuzzy wah-wah guitar, rolling congas, and a mighty nice groove! Other titles include "Siggy Siggy", "Young Warrior", "The World Should Learn To Party Together", and "We've Got To Life Together". LP, Vinyl record album

The Undisputed Truth are still going very strong at the end of the 70s – working with original producer Norman Whitfield, in a groove that's every bit as wonderful as their early years! There's a killer mix of funk and deeper soul here that few other acts could handle this well – a way of hitting the flashy funk of Sly & The Family Stone or Graham Central Station – but also not falling into any showbiz traps, either – in a mode that really his the group not only respecting the role of each member, but also working together in a very cohesive way on the album. The result is a great little set that balances funky grooves with some excellent cosmic soul cuts – supported by great session work from giants like Wah Wah Watson, Walt Downing, and Jack Ashford. A few cool keyboard lines further cement the sound of the record – and titles include "Show Time", "Space Machine", "I Can't Get Enough Of Your Love", "Misunderstood", "Sandman", "Atomic Funk", and "Talkin To The Wind". LP, Vinyl record album

An oft-forgotten funky classic from James! The track's a monster – with this wah-wah beat that's flanged all over the place, yet is still as tight as a pair of pants with a 26 inch waist! The groove is prime JBs early 70s – and James is shoutin and callin the groove over the top! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Madly tripped out guitar funk – and a real turning point in the career of guitarist Eddie Fisher! Eddie began his career as a straighter guitarist on the St Louis scene – and although his first album for Cadet was a relatively traditional soul-jazz outing, this one's a wild batch of tripped-out guitar licks! The band's a fuzzy psychedelic one – not in a rock-styled way, but more in an early George Clinton kind of mode, with plenty of rumbling bass at the bottom, warm electric piano lines, nicely placed drum beats, and Eddie's fuzzbox guitar snaking and wah wah-ing over the top! Eddie arranged and produced, and the record's a perfect batch of kicked-back stoner funk numbers that go on and on and on and on! Titles include "Land Of Our Father", "Beautiful Things", "East St Louis Blues", "Another Episode", "Either Or", and "Jeremiah Pucket". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic soundtrack that's maybe even more legendary than the unusual animated film for which it was created – a funky French classic that stands strong in the best tradition of work by Serge Gainsbourg, Jean-Claude Vannier, and Michel Colombier! No surprise, Alain Goraguer is part of the same generation, and did some great early jazzy backings for Serge – but here, his style is much funkier, with lots of sweet keyboard lines, wah wah guitar, and soaring larger orchestrations that really put the whole thing together – clearly one of Alain's best musical moments – and filled with great tunes that include "Le Bracelet", "Deshominisation", "Mort De Draag", "La Femme", "Mira Et Ten", and "Ten Et Medor". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic soundtrack that's maybe even more legendary than the unusual animated film for which it was created – a funky French classic that stands strong in the best tradition of work by Serge Gainsbourg, Jean-Claude Vannier, and Michel Colombier! No surprise, Alain Goraguer is part of the same generation, and did some great early jazzy backings for Serge – but here, his style is much funkier, with lots of sweet keyboard lines, wah wah guitar, and soaring larger orchestrations that really put the whole thing together – clearly one of Alain's best musical moments – and filled with great tunes that include "Le Bracelet", "Deshominisation", "Mort De Draag", "La Femme", "Mira Et Ten", and "Ten Et Medor". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe one of the greatest things that George Harrison did after the breakup of The Beatles – not his first solo album, but yet his first non-experimental venture – and a triple-length set that's filled with magic throughout! This isn't one of those "shoulda been a single record" sets – as Harrison has this amazing ability to craft new tunes with new styles in a way that really sets the record apart from his later work with The Beatles – maybe a summation of all those wonderful little moments that George was starting to add to their records, but fully blossomed here into a field's worth of fantastic musical flowers. Titles include "My Sweet Lord", "Wah Wah", "I'd Have You Anytime", "What Is Life", "Run Of The Mill", "Isn't It A Pity", "Plus Me In", "Thanks For The Pepperoni", "Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp", "Beware Of Darkness", "Out Of The Blue", and "Hear Me Lord". LP, Vinyl record album

An album that tries to do a heck of a lot in such a short space – and turns out to be even better than you might guess! Few folks would try to take on the entire black motion picture experience of the 70s with a single record – but funky arranger Cecil Holmes does just that, and turns out this beautiful blend of the best cuts from famous soundtracks – all remade by his ensemble in a soaring melange of strings and soul! There's plenty of funky currents here – thanks to sharp arrangements from Tony Camillo, and a killer group that also includes the mighty Pat Rebillot on keyboards – plus plenty of wah wah guitar, and enough strings to make the album rank up there with the soundtrack feel of the day. Titles include versions of "Superfly", "Slaughter", "Freddie's Dead", "Across 110th Street", "2001", "Ben", and "Trouble Man". LP, Vinyl record album

Two very nice funky numbers! "Makin Love" has some very hard bassy beats, with a great wah wah guitar running through, giving the cut a nice spacey feel! "Rice and Ribs" mixes choppy guitar riffs with clavinet, for a nice funky 70s groove that keeps on going all the way through! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Eddie certainly was the "hit man" on this one – a tight album of hard stepping soul tracks, mostly cut in Eddie's famous "boogie" mode of the mid 70s! The cuts mix wonderful soul vocals with some tight jazzy instrumentation – laid down by players like Wah Wah Ragin, Harvey Mason, Ray Parker, and Leonard Caston, who produced the album with Frank Wilson. The record's got swirling strings around harder instrumentation – in a mode that's perfect for Eddie's sweet vocal style – and the sound is right up there with classic work by Marvin Gaye or Barry White. Includes the nice long cut "Body Talk", plus "Happy", "If Anyone Can", "Fortune Teller", "I've Got To Be", and "Skippin' Work Today". LP, Vinyl record album

We know you've seen this record a million times, just like us, and probably passed it up because it appears to be a greatest hits compilation, just like we did! But it's actually Ramsey and his funky mid 70s trio with Morris Jennings and Cleveland Eaton revisiting some of his best loved material from the Cadet years, but with the groovy Rhodes and wah wah sound that we dig so much about his CBS recordings. Unlike some of the other records from this period, the group's nice and stripped down, just the electric piano, bass and drums, so the groove's nice and wide open, Ramsey and company popping along with the sanctified soulful vibe of his 60s work, but updating their sound with some nice electric touches. 9 numbers in all: "Hang On Sloopy", "Blues For The Night Owl", "Hi-Heel Sneakers", "Carmen", "Delilah", "Wade In The Water", "Slippin' Into Darkness", "Somethin' You Got", and "The In Crowd". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first big moments of global fame for the legendary Ennio Morricone – and a record that still stands as one of his landmark albums all these many years later! The set's famous for its haunting theme – that "wah-wah-wah" melody that led to countless covers and samples over the years – but the whole thing's a lot more complex than just that tune – with lots of the same sense of space and brooding that Morricone brought to his music for Once Upon A Time In The West – with careful use of key instruments on a track by track basis, and these floating lines that almost signaled a whole new way of recording music for a film soundtrack. And yes, there's certainly key western elements like guitar or harmonica – but maybe more striking are all the points at which these obvious tropes disappear – to leave us with those really unique Morricone sounds that go way beyond music! Titles include "The Sundown", "The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly", "Marcia", "The Desert", "The Strong", and "The Trio". LP, Vinyl record album

A cool collection of space-themed club tracks from Gene Page – and possibly one of his greatest albums of the 70s – dispite a gimmicky approach! There's a tightly soaring feel to most of the cuts that's Page at his best – arranging fully with styles borrowed from Barry White, but also hitting with a bit of Philly inspiration too – never too over the top, and never too commercially driven as you might expect from the concept. There's some great moogy bits on the record – and plenty of great session players who include David T Walker and Wah Wah Watson on guitars, Jack Ashford on percussion, and Ernie Watts on alto sax. Great Phillinganes sings a bit on the record – and titles include "Star Trek", "Close Encounters", "Saturn", "Dancin In The Sky", "I Feel Like I've Been Livin", "Beyond The Hole Space", and "I Sho Like To Ride On Your Star". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked later gem from Parliament – a set that's very tight and funky, and which really picks up the groove first laid down on "Flashlight"! There's a tightly snapping approach here that rivals the best late 70s work by Funkadelic – the later P-Funk mode that's even more focused on rhythms than before, and which gets away from the sloppy stuff to really hit home with the groove! Tunes are steeped in horny horns, wah wah guitar, and lots of electric keyboards – and titles include "The Big Bang Theory", which is virtually a blueprint for the LA G-funk sound of the 80s – plus the tracks "The Freeze", "May We Bang You?", "Party People", and "(GloryHallaStoopid) Pin The Tail On The Funky". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those obscure split 12" singles from the early days – when labels clearly thought nobody would pay full price for a large single that only included one band! This one features a tight extended funk cut from Poison – a fast jamming number with some funky keyboards, a bit of moog, plenty of wah wah, and the usual breakdown in the middle! "You've Got The Power", on the flip and by Camouflage, is not nearly as nice – and is kind of a silly disco number without much going on until the breakdown, which finally adds in some strong elements, like funky bass, echoey piano, and conga beats. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A legendary sound library set from the 70s Italian scene – exactly the kind of record that got so many folks digging for sound library funk so many years ago! The record's a masterpiece of funky rhythms, jazzy instrumentation, and warmer touches – served up with plenty of Fender Rhodes in the mix, plus sweet flute lines, wah wah guitar, and just the right use of strings to give the whole thing almost a blacksploitation vibe at times! The set was billed to the team of Jay Richford and Gary Stevan – but it's actually the product of better-known sound library maestros Sandro Brugnolini and Stefano Torossi, who work here at a level that's at the top of their powers. There's almost a cop/crime vibe to the record at times – and although some instruments solo at points, the real groove lies in the tight vamping of the orchestra – which hits all the right notes to really send the whole thing soaring – often with a nice use of tone and color too! Titles include "Flying High", "Fearing Much", "Going Home", "Running Fast", "Walking In The Dark", and "Feeling Tense". LP, Vinyl record album

A solid bit of heavy funk – and one of the last strong-selling soundtracks of the blacksploitation era! Sure, you know the hit "Car Wash", but there's plenty of other great numbers that rank the 2LP set right up there with the best of its genre. There's a lot of nice instrumentals on the album that feature a tight smooth funky sound – with good work on clavinet, wah wah guitar, and horns – all quite different than the usual work of Whitfield and Rose Royce at the time. The group do a good job on the vocal cuts, working in that soulful early 70s Motown mode that Whitfield was working on with other acts – and the whole album's as great a debut for Rose Royce as anyone could have hoped for. Features the hit title cut, plus "I Wanna Get Next To You", "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is", "Zig Zag", "Mid Day DJ Theme", "I'm Going Down", "Crying", "Doing What Comes Naturally", and "Righteous Rhythm". The Pointer Sisters sing on one track, "You Gotta Believe". LP, Vinyl record album

A great bit of funky fusion from Denmark – issued here in the US pressing by Peters International. The group's a hard electric quintet, featuring reeds by Karsten Vogel, plus keyboards, wah wah guitar, and rock influenced drumming that adds in a good bit of funk. Tracks are nice and choppy, and titles include "Oysterjungle", "Black Mist", "Painforest", "Paella", and "Mind Movie". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning set of funky tracks from the Libyan scene – music that's not free in a "free jazz" sort of way, but which definitely shows a new sense of liberation in the way the group puts together their groove! The combo's headed by legendary arranger Najib Alhoush – and the style here is very much like American jazz funk from that 70s moment when things were tilting a bit more strongly towards the clubs – rhythms picked up, and often laced with lots of riffing guitar and wah wah work – but also touched with plenty of elements that mark the music as quite far from the American shores – not just in the lyrics, but also in the way that things are inflected with a special sort of cultural current. As always with Habibi Funk, the package is a revelation – a real discovery of music we never would have heard otherwise – with tracks that include "Al Qualb Mrayef", "Law Yom Saalak Had", "Anan Qualbi Ehtar", "Hawelt Nensa Ghalaak", "Mathasebnish", and "Arb Share'i". LP, Vinyl record album

Often overlooked amidst the bigger early albums by Kool & The Gang – but a totally solid record of funky stuff that's right up there with their best work! The band is super-tight at this point, grooving along in a hard drum, heavy bass, wah wah guitar frenzy – and even the vocals are great by this point, with that good mix of funky soul and humor that made the band so much more entertaining than some of their contemporaries. Tracks include the spacey "Wild Is Love", the super-dope "Rated X" and "North East South West", the mellow jazz number "I Remember John W Coltrane", and the cuts "Good Times", "Country Times", and "Making Merry Music". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most electric sets we've ever heard from sound library genius Janko Nilovic – a set that has some spacey moments that live up to the title, mixed with others that have more of the funk that you'd know from his classics! The spacier bits have a variety of keyboards tripping out in a way that's spacious, but always tuneful – and those passages are balanced by cuts that kick up the drums, but still have lots of great keyboard lines too – mixed with wah-wah guitar, flute, and even a bit of trumpet! Production and instrumentation are maybe more late 70s than on Janko's soul-styled records from a few years before – but there's still a strong influence from jazz, and lots of great cop/crime sort of moments. Titles include "Ballad Pour Un Dauphin", "L'Or Noir", "Operation Cancer", "Le Grand Espoir", "Aventures Sous Marines", "La Longue Marche", "Water Colour", and "Operation Survie". LP, Vinyl record album

A blistering set of Afro-Funk from the 70s – the debut of Ofege, a band of high school students at the time! There's a really trippy sound to the set, as the guitars figure strongly in the groove, and are often recorded with some slightly psychedelic touches – similar to Blo or some of the other headier groups of this generation. Wah wah lines often mix in with straighter fuzzed-out solos – all driven strongly together by quick-snapping drums – and vocals are by a young-voiced singer who brings some sweet soul touches to the English-language lyrics – a nice contrast to the heavier sounds of the guitars! Titles include "Nobody Fails", "It's Not Easy", "Ofege", "You Say No", "Lead Me On", and "Try & Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that really lives up to the promise of its title – and one that delivers not just in the world of funky rhythms, but Latin modes as well! There's some great percussion on the cuts at the bottom – so that even if there's some wah wah guitar or sweet electric keyboards, there might be touches of Latin funk at times – all with a sound that's a lot heavier and hard-hitting than some other soundtrack work on the Telemusic label! Plus, there's some longer tracks too – not just short sound cues, but well-spun instrumentals that stretch out nicely – on cuts that include "Bass In Action", "Royal Shuffle", "Pepper Rock", "Rock 73", and "Latin Leitmotiv". LP, Vinyl record album

A warmly glowing tune from Spice – a track that's got this very rich lead vocal over the top, which works perfectly for the midtempo groove of the tune! The cut's a few notches back from being club material, but in a good way – as that allows some nice harmonies to come into play once things get going, and really spice things up! The groove picks up a bit more on "I'm So Glad To Say", but the harmonies still hold strong – really rolling and cascading in an amazing way, as they dance along some mighty nice wah wah guitar! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A great set of groovers from the Cameo/Parkway label – a company that gave the world the biggest twist record of the 60s, but which also was perfectly poised to deliver all sorts of other upbeat tracks as well! The label was in Philly – a huge dance town in the early days of soul and rock – and the set list here is filled with the kind of cuts that were Philadelphia's answer to the rising sound of Motown – the roots of the Northern Soul sound that would be followed by soul collectors for decades! These aren't novelty hits, but upbeat cuts that groove plenty – most by soul artists, a few by pop singers – but all given the kind of tight instrumentation and strong studio handling that made the Philly scene such a standout. 22 tracks in all – including "Shimmy Shimmy" and "The Wah Watusi" by The Orlons, "Bristol Stomp" and "You Can't Sit Down" by the Dovells, "Mashed Potato Time" and "Do The Bird" by Dee Dee Sharp, "The 81" by Candy & The Kisses, "The Mash" by Tony Young & The Hippies, "Mexican Hat Rock" by The Applejacks, "Baby Do The Frog" by The Dardenelles, "The Swim (part 1)" by The Marlins, "Slow Twistin" by Chubby Checker & Dee Dee Sharp, "The Third House" by Bobby Rydell, "When You Dance" by The Turbans, "Everybody South Street" by The Taffys, "The Popeye Waddle" by Don Covay, and yes, "The Twist" by Chubby Checker. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the funkiest compilations we've heard in a long long time – a stunning set of rare 45s, all pulled together by Tobias Kirmayer of Tramp Records fame! The groove here is totally in the pocket – a blistering blend of hard drums, rough guitars, and blasting horns – all served up with some nice jazzy moments from time to time, and the kind of vocals that might put James Brown to shame! The whole thing's lovingly packaged, remastered, and fully licensed with the high level of quality we've come to expect from the Perfect Toy label – and Tobi even knocked himself out with some great notes on each of the tunes. Titles include "Soul Popcorn (parts 1 & 2)" by Doc Oliver, "Wahoo Wahoo Wahoo" by Wayne Carter, "Whatever Turns You On (parts 1 & 2)" by Prepositions, "Todos" by Nombres, "Soul Safari" by Lew Hanson & The Islanders, "What It Is (parts 1 & 2)" by Randolph Brothers Plus, "Muy Sabroso" by Lou Garno Trio, and "I Weep" by BB Brown. LP, Vinyl record album

Rare singles from the early 80s – most of which get their first global release outside of their regional release in Kenya and Tanzania – served up here in a batch of grooves that are a lot more stripped-down than some of the more slickly-produced West African work of the time! The tunes here really put the guitars in the front of the mix – cascading in these wonderful lines that are completely fluid throughout, and every bit as important to the rhythms as the basslines and percussion. And although there are vocals on the cuts, it often feels as if it's the guitars that are doing most of the "singing" – with a soaring, lilting quality that's very beautiful throughout. Titles include "Manimba" by Orchestra Mjoa One, "Ni Uranjuhigirie" by The Lulus Band, "Margy Sugar Na" by Gem Lucky Jazz, "I Love You Posha" by Founder International Sound, "Ombi" by Orchestra Bima Lee, "Uchawi Ni Mbaya" by Kangundo D Boys, and "Iveti Matuku Aya" by Kyanganga Boys Band. LP, Vinyl record album