24 tracks that perfectly illustrate all that was great about Gene Ammons in his early days – a set of singles and 78s recorded for Chess in the late 40s and early 50s, featuring players that include Tom Archia, Matthew Gee, Junior Mance, Sonny Stitt, and Bill Massey. Titles include "Do ... (Jazz) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Ten tracks that perfectly illustrate all that was great about Gene Ammons in his early days – a set of singles and 78s recorded for Chess in the late 40s and early 50s, done in a laidback and soulful style that had a tremendous influence on the work of other tenor players at the time! The ... (Jazz) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A nice little album – featuring some of the sides that Gene Ammons cut "off contract" for Chess/Argo during the early 60s, and ones that feature him paired with Sonny Stitt, his longtime partner in legendary tenor battles from the 50s. The two horns aren't really locked in combat ... (Jazz) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A lost classic in the funky poetry mode of the 70s – and right up there with the best work from the time by the Last Poets, Jim Ingram, or Gil Scott Heron! Bama's got a rough-edged voice that works very well with the funkier backings of the set – handled by a team that includes Bernard ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Raucous, rumbling and hard-charging Chess rhythms, rock and roll by Chuck Berry – his legendary After School Session – and possibly his greatest album ever! It features not only some of Chuck Berry's most famous material, but some of the best early rock songs, period –particularly ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Seminal work from one of the greatest guitarists of all time! (Soul) LP, Vinyl record album
(NOTE – The bottom half of the box has staining, waviness and heavier wear with some splitting – due to moisture. The booklet is also half stained. But the vinyl is nice!)
Chuck Berry is definitely on top with this classic Chess Records set – an album that shows that Berry always had a lot more to offer than some of his oldies rocker contemporaries! Sure, there's a few hits here, but the overall quality of the music is more in the mode of Chess blues of the ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Mono black label pressing with deep groove. Cover has large splits on the top & bottom seams and some light aging.)
A classic collection of Chuck Berry's early genius – a set that introduced his best cuts to a new younger audience in the 70s! All the work here is from the early Chess Records days – and titles include "Deep Feeling", "Wee Wee Hours", "Nadine", "Brown ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Chuck's classic work for Chess/Checker – featuring tunes like "Roll Over Beethoven", "Rock & Roll Music", "Johnny B Goode", "Nadine", "Maybelline", "Sweet Little 16", "Thirty Days", and "Memphis". (Soul) LP, Vinyl record album
A mid 60s album by Berry, and unlike a lot of other Chess full lengths at the time, this set features more new tunes than those pulled from 45s. 12 tracks in all, including "It Wasn't Me", "Run, Joe", "Every Day We Rock & Roll", "One For My Baby (And One For ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Mono blue shield label pressing. Cover has light wear.)
Chuck Berry makes the same London move as some of his other Chess Records contemporaries – and the result is one of Chuck's best albums from the later years! The set's not as star-studded as other efforts of this nature – but that's fine with us because Chuck really shines as the lead ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
As with many of the Chuck Berry full LPs for Chess, this one's filled with some great obscure material that always gets eclipsed by Chuck's big hits. Despite the idea that these would be "new jukebox hits", the material has an approach that was probably a bit too hard for radio, but that' ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(80s pressing in a barcode cover, with an X imprint at the bottom right corner.)
One dozen "berrys", all of them great – the fresh fruits of the labors of a young Chuck Berry – heard here at his raw, early best! The sound here is stunning – a version of Chuck that gets way past any oldies cliches – and which reminds us that at the start, his ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Chuck Berry's way more than just rocking for sock hops here – as the set has the seminal figure working at the height of his powers – in a raw, stripped-down setting that still packs way more punch than you might remember if you only think of Chuck in terms of all those over-used ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Original black label pressing, with deep groove. Cover has light wear, but looks great overall. Vinyl has a number of marks and plays with light noise on all tracks.)
A side each of these two important talents in blues – presented here in a format that makes the record a real double-header! Side one features Big Bill Broonzy in the lead – working with sweet electric lines on guitar alongside acoustic and his own really rich vocals – plus this ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(80s Original Chess Masters pressing.)
Bobby Charles —
Chess Masters ... LP Chess, Mid/Late 50s. Near Mint- ...
$14.9919.99
Two vocal group classics by the Corsairs – an excellent group graced by the unique lead vocals of Jay Bird Uzzel! "Smoky Places" is a sad and dreamy ode to the places two secret lovers have to meet – but "Thinkin" is the real winner here. At the first listen, the ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
(70s Blue Chip Series pressing in a Chess Blue Chip Series sleeve, with a bit of pen.)
A real lost chapter in the career of the great Don Covay – material done after his original funky soul on 60s Atlantic Records, and before his return to fame in the early 70s on Mercury – done in a raw vibe that has a lot more grit than you might expect! There's touches of psychedelic ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Limited edition RSD Essentials pressing – on red vinyl, still sealed with hype sticker.)
A real lost chapter in the career of the great Don Covay – material done after his original funky soul on 60s Atlantic Records, and before his return to fame in the early 70s on Mercury – done in a raw vibe that has a lot more grit than you might expect! There's touches of psychedelic ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A collection of tracks recorded during the late 60s and early 70s – when the Dells were at their peak, recording at Cadet with arrangers and producers like Charles Stepney, Bobby Miller, and Don Davis. Titles include "Love Is Blue (I Can Sing A Rainbow)", "There Is", ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(80s pressing. Cover has some light wear at the bottom.)
Funky Bo Diddley – one of Bo's key early 70s sessions for Chess Records – all of which have him stepping out in a much harder groove than years past! The sound here is relatively tight – with Diddley guitar and vocals on top of some larger arrangements from Bob Gallo – ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A nice little collection of Bo Diddley's earlier work for Chess – put together in the early 70s, when Bo was in his Black Gladiator phase, as pictured on the cover – but featuring the rawer, rougher grooves of his initial recordings in the late 50s and early 60s! The Bo Diddley groove ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(French pressing with blue fade labels in a gatefold cover, with a small center split in the top seam.)
The birth of a genius – and an amazing batch of early material from the legendary Bo Diddley! Even at his start, Bo was unlike anyone else – a completely unique, completely self-contained bluesman who not only brought a wealth of new songs and styles to Chess Records, but who also did ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Nasty nasty funk from the great Bo Diddley – one of his rare funky 70s classics for Chess – produced by Johnny Otis with a really tripped-out groove! The album's got an edge that seems to go even farther than some of Bo's other Chess work at the time – and picks up the full-on ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Bo Diddley/Muddy Waters/Little Walter —
Super Blues ... LP Chess, 1967. Very Good+ ...
Out Of Stock
A Chicago blues trifecta – and the first time ever that Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, and Little Waters ever worked together! The set's got a raw power that definitely lives up to the title – a wicked mix of raw guitars, rough rhythms, and some wonderfully soulful vocals – all served ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(60s stereo blue fade label pressing with deep groove. Cover has some surface wear & aging.)
Is it Fulsom or Fulson? We're not going to try and present ourselves as the authority, but what we can tell you is this collection features 27 tracks from the man, mostly raw blues, though a number of cuts are more produced, with full horn section and piano complementing Fulsom's guitar and vocals ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(70s pressing in the textured cover.)
Al Grey —
Basic Grey ... LP Argo/Cadet, Early 60s. Near Mint- 2LP Gatefold ...
Out Of Stock
Great work from Al Grey – one of the most soulful trombonists of his time – all pulled from the Chess/Argo albums Last Of The Big Plungers, Snap Your Fingers and Al Grey Billy Mitchell Sextet LPs! Easily some of Grey's hippest work – with players who include Billy Mitchell on ... (Jazz) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Not the Bay Area effort you might guess from the title – and instead a sweet Chicago session that's easily one of the funkiest records that Buddy Guy ever cut! There's a great mix of funk and soul mixed in with the blues – thanks to arrangements from Charles Stepney and Gene Barge, who ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Mid 80s Original Chess Masters pressing. Cover has some ringwear, a bit of chewing at the top seam, center split in the bottom seam, and some stained spots in back.)
Buddy Guy reached much bigger fame on later labels, but he sounds pretty darn great here in a set of early recordings done for Chess – all sides recorded in the first half of the 60s, when Buddy represented one of the best talents in a new generation of bluesmen rising up in Chicago! The ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Excellent group harmony work from this long-running ensemble – a set of tracks that includes "Count Your Blessings", "There's Power In The Blood", "The Harvest Is Past", "Beams Of Heaven", "I Love To Call His Name", and "Sunshine Always ... (Gospel) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Way more than just a "hits" collection – as the package featuers a huge amount of unissued tracks and unissued takes! Titles include the classic (and sublime) original version of "Susie Q" – plus "Lulu", "Four Letter Word", "Little Pig" ... (Rock) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
John Lee Hooker —
House Of The Blues ... LP Chess, 1951/1952. Very Good- ...
Temporarily Out Of Stock
A rootsy cover, and some rootsy blues to match – a fairly stripped down session from John Lee Hooker –- and one that mostly just features vocals and guitar, plus some occasional added guitar and piano! Most of the recordings here are from the early 50s, pulled together in a full LP at ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Mid 60s stereo blue fade label with deep groove. Includes Chess inner sleeve. Cover has surface wear. The back has a large stain in the corner with some wear.)
(Early 80s French Vogue pressing. Cover looks great, with just a small corner bump. Vinyl has a short click for a few spins on "Let's Go Out Tonight", but is fantastic otherwise.)
A really well done collection of work recorded by Howlin Wolf for Chess – put together in the early 70s, but featuring sides from the 50s and 60s. The album's got a good set of notes by Pete Welding, and tracks that include "Down In The Bottom", "Forty Four', "My Country ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(70s orange label pressing. Cover has light ringwear, slightly wavy panels, and some heavy wear at the bottom seam.)
The title definitely gets it right – as this 70s collection brings together most of the best Chess Records material by Howlin Wolf from the late 50s and early 60s – almost all of them small combo sides that present the man in all of his raspy, growling glory! The tracks span a space ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A really well done collection of work recorded by Howlin Wolf for Chess – put together in the early 70s, but featuring sides from the 50s and 60s. The album's got a good set of notes by Pete Welding, and tracks that include "Down In The Bottom", "Forty Four', "My Country ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A famous date that showcases the Chess Records influence on the sound of the Brit rock scene – one that has a number of key players "giving back" to the label, and working on a special date with Howlin Wolf! Wolf's rough vocals are in the lead on all tracks, and he also plays a bit ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Funky blues work from Howlin Wolf – his key entry into the funked-up genre that Chess Records was cutting at the end of the 60s with other blues artists like Etta James, Bo Diddley, and Muddy Waters! As on records with those artists, Wolf's older modes are updated here for a hipper, younger ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A fantastic lost harmony cut on Chess! "Lonely Baby" has a post doo wop sound that's wonderful – with Ty's vocal out in the lead on a sad lyric, while tenor blows in the background, and a group comes in on the chorus to punch things up a bit. "Gladness" has a great sound ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A 70s 2-fer that collects 2 live sides originally issued by Argo, then subsequently by Chess under the Cadet label. Classic Chicago piano jazz – featuring the very popular pianist Ahmad Jamal, recorded at the legendary Pershing Lounge, down at 63rd and Cottage Grove and at the equally ... (Jazz) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Orange label pressing. Cover has ring and edge wear.)
A great entry in the Chess Heritage Series at the end of the 60s – one that features rare 50s Chicago recordings by Elmore James, plus some even more obscure sides by lesser-known singer John Brim! James' style is well known, and well-executed here – rough and raw, but with a good ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(60s blue label pressing. Cover has very light wear – vinyl is great.)
A great entry in the Chess Heritage Series at the end of the 60s – one that features rare 50s Chicago recordings by Elmore James, plus some even more obscure sides by lesser-known singer John Brim! James' style is well known, and well-executed here – rough and raw, but with a good ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
An amazing step forward for the young Etta James – a singer who was delivering a raw, shouting form of R&B just a few years before – but who here ascends into soul music heaven with her famous work on the album! The title cut is the stuff of legend – played and played, again ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Heavy funk from the great Etta James – one of her standout classics from the later Chess years, done with a style that's completely different than her work of the 60s! The set was recorded in LA with a super-dope sound that's almost in a funky soundtrack mode – full horns, bits of ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Albert King & Otis Rush —
Door To Door ... LP Chess, 1950s/Early 60s. Near Mint- ...
Out Of Stock
A split album of early recordings by Otis Rush and Albert King – both featured here in early Chicago sides done for Chess Records in the years before their bigger late 60s fame! The style here is mostly stripped down, but still pretty tight – not as rough-edged as some of their Chess ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Deep deep deep soul from The Knight Brothers – a wonderful duo who cut some fantastic sides for Chess Records in the 60s! The Brothers originally hailed from Washington DC, and came to Chicago by way of New York – somehow managing to pick up all the best bits of these geographic ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Rare work by Laura Lee – a singer who's best known for her 70s hits on the Hot Wax label, but who sounds equally great here on her earlier sides for Chess! Lee's deep soul approach was a perfect match for Chess at the end of the 60s – and the work here often has her coming across with ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
JB Lenoir —
Natural Man ... LP Chess, Mid 50s. Near Mint- ...
Out Of Stock
A really great collection of Chess Records work by JB Lenoir – one of the more unusual singers on the Chicago scene at the time – and one with a sound that's pretty darn great all the way through! Lenoir's tone is a pitch or two up from most of his contemporaries – not as gritty ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Early 70s mono blue fade label pressing. Cover has some ringwer, edge wear, light scrapes in front, and some writing in pen in back.)
A well-titled set – as the album features some of the best early sides that Little Walter recorded for Chess – records that went on to set a whole new standard both in blues vocals and harmonica! There's tightness here that's a bit different from some of the other Chess blues at the ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Stereo blue fade label pressing with deep groove. Cover has surface & ring wear & aging.)
A comprehensive look at some great recordings from Little Walter – sides recorded for Chess Records from 1953 to 1963 – offering up a decade's worth of evolution in his style! But even at the start, Walter was better than most of his generation – a heck of a great harmonica ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(70s GRT pressing with pink & green labels. C over has surface wear, splitting on the seams, a cutout notch, and aging.)
A pretty nice little 2LP set – put together in the early 70s, and featuring material that Walter recorded for Chess during the 60s. As the title would imply, there's a lot of harmonica on the album – but Walter's vocals should also be given their due, as they're a bit more in the soul ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Mid 70s orange label pressing. Cover has light wear and aging.)
No, Moms isn't storming the United Nations – but she is caught live here, in a 1960 performance at the Uptown Theatre in Philly. The material isn't has hard and heavy as later stuff, but her spirit and fire is still there, and the album's noteworthy in that it's an early attempt by Chess to ... (Comedy) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Mono blue fade label pressing. Cover has some yellowing from age at the opening.)
Pigmeat Markham —
Tune Me In ... LP Chess, Late 60s. Very Good ...
Temporarily Out Of Stock
A great album that mixes funky music and comedy routines by Pigmeat! The set features 2 great funky 45 tracks – the hilarious "My Wife I Ain't Seen Her", plus a remake of "Open The Door Richard", done with some heavy Gene Barge backings. The album also features longer ... (Comedy) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Blue fade label stereo pressing. Cover has light staining & waviness along the spine, cut corner, light wear.)
Memphis Slim —
Real Folk Blues ... LP Chess, 1950s/Early 60s. Very Good+ ...
Out Of Stock
Memphis Slim's installment in this excellent LP series from Chess – 60s packagings of earlier recordings done by key bluesmen in the Chicago scene, with slightly improved fidelity but enough of the "real folk blues" sound to warrant the title! Instrumentation here is a bit more ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Two nice cuts of trippy Chicago soul by this great group that never really made an album, and who don't ever get reissued as much as we'd like. Charles Stepney arranged, Bobby Miller produced, and the material is similar to some of The Dells' weirder stuff on Cadet! (Funky 45's) 7-inch, Vinyl record
Great work by The Radiants – arranged here by Charles Stepney, with a tripped-out sound that's like the best late 60s work by The Dells! "Ida Mae Foster" is a real bit of psychedelic soul, with guitars coming down on the beat, fuzzing things up along with a really loud cello, while ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
The title's an apt one here, as Jimmy Rogers was one of the many bluesmen who started out in the south, but headed to Chicago for greater fame – which was a good thing for Chess Records, who managed to come some of these great sides in the 50s! Rogers both sings and plays guitar – the ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Late 70s purple and green label pressing. Cover has light wear.)
Incredible work from Jimmy Rogers – an important early figure on the postwar Chicago blues scene, captured here in a set of his best material for Chess! (Blues) LP, Vinyl record album
Sweet soul from one of Chicago's sweetest! "Honey Dear" has Jackie singing with a bit of a sad and wispy tone – almost quiet, but also sad and dreamy. "We Can Do It" is the better track, though – and has this introspective approach at the beginning, then builds ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A great bit of funky blues from Chicago! "Lilly Mae" burns with a nice heavy bottom – horns and bass blaring together underneath Johnny's great vocals – hard, rough, and with a west side groove produced by Monk Higgins and Cash McCall. "I'm Just" is a sad sweet ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
(With a wrinkled Chess sleeve.)
SCLC Operation Breadbasket Orch & Choir —
On The Case ... LP Chess, 1970. Very Good+ ...
$9.99
A full-blown, very righteous offering from Chess to the political cause of Operation Breadbasket! Tenorist Ben Branch leads the large gospel-tinged group – and sax player Gene Barge produces and plays, with a style that's very much in the Chess/Checker bag of the late 60s soul era. Most ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
2 early hits by The Sensations – an early Chess vocal group that featured one female and three male singers! The style made for a playful interchange of vocals that was almost pop, but still retained enough R&B touches to be soul – and the tunes on the single are catchy enough that ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record
(70s Blue Chip Series reissue, in a Chess Blue Chip sleeve, with a bit of pen and small tears at the top edge.)
Obscure girl group soul from Chicago – with Charles Stepney arrangements on both sides! "Loving You" is a loping midtempo number, with a sing-song sound that you'd probably guess from the title. "My Baby's Real" is deeper – slower and with a sad sound that reminds ... (Funky 45's) read more7-inch, Vinyl record