Marlena Shaw : Sweet Beginnings (LP, Vinyl record album) -- Dusty Groove is Chicago's Online Record Store
Skip navigation
Scripting is disabled or not working. dustygroove.com requires JavaScript to function correctly.
Style sheets are disabled or not working. dustygroove.com requires style sheets to function correctly.
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Enlarge       Note

Sweet Beginnings

LP (Item 12709) Columbia, 1977 — Condition: Very Good
Temporarily Out Of Stock

LP, Vinyl record album

✈
❔
A real classic from Marlena Shaw – a key 70s album that has the singer moving back to soul after some years in the jazz side of the spectrum – but with an approach that still holds onto all the sophistication she picked up along the way! The record's got some wonderful arrangements and production from Bert DeCoteaux – who brings Marlena into modern soul territory with some warm, sweet sounds that work perfectly in the mellow moments, and hit a few nice grooves too. A key illustration of the album's strength is the remake of "Go Away Little Boy" – done here with a great monologue in which Marlena kicks out her "little boy", then swoons as he begins to make love to her. That cut is kicked off by nicely mellow "Yu Ma", and other tracks include "No Deposit, No Return", "Sweet Beginnings", "Johnny", "Walk Softly", "The Writing Is On The Wall", "Look At Me Look At You", and "I Think I'll Tell Him".  © 1996-2025, Dusty Groove, Inc.
(Includes the printed inner sleeve. Cover has light wear.)

Very Good

  • Vinyl can have some dirt, but nothing major.
  • May not shine under light, but should still be pretty clean, and not too dirty.
  • May have a number of marks (5 to 10 at most), and obvious signs of play, but never a big cluster of them, or any major mark that would be very deep. Most marks should still not click under a fingernail.
  • May not look near perfect, but should play fairly well, with slight surface noise, and the occasional click in part of a song, but never throughout a whole song or more.
  • This is clearly a copy that was played by someone a number of times, but which could also be a good "play copy" for someone new.

Additional Marks & Notes

If something is noteworthy, we try to note it in the comments — especially if it is an oddity that is the only wrong thing about the record. This might include, but isn't limited to, warped records, tracks that skip, cover damage or wear as noted above, or strictly cosmetic flaws.



You might be interested


Maurice White

Maurice White
Columbia, 1984. Near Mint-
The only solo album ever recorded by Maurice White – an upbeat and soulful set that's right up there with his best 80s work in Earth Wind & Fire! Like that group at the time, White's hitting a rhythmic side that's more electronic at points – letting beats and keyboard bits stand in ... LP, Vinyl record album

Marvin Gaye

Midnight Love
Columbia, 1982. Near Mint-
Marvin Gaye's last album ever – and a sensuous batch of grooves that almost return him to the sound of Let's Get It On! The style here is a bit more modern, but the sound is still great – a smoother approach to soul than most of Gaye's contemporaries at the time, recorded in a way that ... LP, Vinyl record album

Miracles

Love Crazy
Columbia, 1977. Very Good+
The Miracles move to Columbia Records – and pick up a whole new groove in the process – a much richer sound than previous records on Motown, with a soaring style that really works great for the harmonies! Billy Griffin's vocals are really coming into their own – as is his ... LP, Vinyl record album

Patrick Hernandez

Born To Be Alive
Aquarius/Columbia, 1979. Near Mint-
Patrick Hernandez's got a tight disco groove here that's right in keeping with his other work from the time, and with the French club scene from which he sprang! Some of the best moments here mix a Giorgio Moroder-like keyboard style with some driving Munich Machine grooves – but warm things ... LP, Vinyl record album

Chambers Brothers

Love Peace & Happiness
Columbia, Late 60s. Very Good 2LP Gatefold
A 2LP set of work by The Chambers Brothers – one studio disc, and one live one, recorded at the height of their fame before a very lively audience! Disc one features Love Peace & Happiness – a set that features a number of original tracks, played with a harder soul feel than some ... LP, Vinyl record album

Gregory Abbott

Shake You Down
Columbia, 1986. Sealed
A solid modern soul debut from Gregory Abbott – leanly grooving midtempo production on par with some of the biggest stars at the time – with deeply sinking hooks and beautiful vocals from Gregory! He has that way of rolling from laidback, effortless energy to a sweet falsetto and ... LP, Vinyl record album

Boz Scaggs

Moments
Columbia, 1970. Very Good+
If you think you know Boz Scaggs, think again – because this early Columbia album features a whole different sound! The Scaggs here is a really loose and soulful one – as Boz steps out of the freewheeling late 60s Bay Area scene with a really wonderful take on blue-eyed soul – an ... LP, Vinyl record album
Columbia, 1985. Near Mint-
A sweet little 80s session from Bill Withers – a lot less acoustic than his soul of the 70s, but in a way that works surprisingly well! As always with Bill, the vocals are the main thing, and the passage of time has done nothing to take off his edge – that warmly raspy quality that's ... LP, Vinyl record album

Philip Bailey

Inside Out
Columbia, 1986. Sealed
Philip Bailey hits a great groove here – working with Nile Rodgers, who gives him a lean, clean sound that works perfectly with his vocals! The sound is a nice change from the direction Bailey was heading in previously – a return to the focused soul of the later Earth Wind & Fire ... LP, Vinyl record album

Full Force

Full Force
Columbia, 1985. Sealed
Full Force getting busy in a mid 80s groove – the first set the group cut as a headline attraction – and a nice mix of 80s post electro R&B with plenty of influences from the hip hop producers of the time! The group's biggest crossover success was as the songwriting and production ... LP, Vinyl record album
Avco, 1975. Very Good
Some of the greatest falsetto harmony ever recorded – and a smoking batch of the group's biggest hits! 10 tracks in all, with titles that include "Stone In Love With You", "People Make The World Go Round", "Break Up To Make Up", "Betcha By Golly, Wow", ... LP, Vinyl record album

Funkadelic

Funkadelic
Westbound, 1970. Very Good+
One of the darkest records to ever come out of the Detroit soul scene! As you might guess from the title, the album is Funkadelic's first – and it's a swirling mass of psychedelic guitars, echoey drums, and bass-heavy riffing, all topped off by the band's harmony vocals, which sound like a ... LP, Vinyl record album
 



⇑ Top