This image is a general representation of the item and the actual product may differ slightly in terms of color shading, logo placement, borders, or other small details. Used items may have various cosmetic differences as well.
Vinyl should be very clean, but can have less luster than near mint.
Should still shine under a light, but one or two marks may show up when tilted.
Can have a few small marks that may show up easily, but which do not affect play at all. Most marks of this quality will disappear when the record is tilted, and will not be felt with the back of a fingernail.
This is the kind of record that will play "near mint", but which will have
some signs of use (although not major ones).
May have slight surface noise when played.
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.
Warmly grooving 70s soul from The Staple Singers – recorded in a fuller Memphis mode that's miles from their gospel roots, but still plenty darn nice! The style here is very much in keeping with the hit Staples mode of the time – righteous, full, but still nice and earthy at the bottom ... LP, Vinyl record album
Perfect work from The Staple singers – a tight blend of gospel soul and Memphis funk, handled here with a tightness that avoids all the cliches of some of the group's later work! The group's hard vocal approach is very much in place on all tracks – raw but not careless, with great ... LP, Vinyl record album
Two great Memphis instrumental groups, back to back on one CD – in a smoking little live set that keeps the Stax Records sound strong – even away from the studio! The set's actually heavier on work by Booker T & The MGs than it is cuts by The Mar-Keys – as Book and crew ... LP, Vinyl record album
A great back-to-basics set for the Sweet Inspirations – now working here as the trio of Estelle Brown, Myrna Smith, and Sylvia Shamwell – and working with David Porter in a strongly Memphis mode! The arrangements on the set are a bit more ambitious than usual for Stax at the time ... LP, Vinyl record album
One of the best-ever albums by this incredible soul duo! Sam & Dave may have been one of the bigger names on the 60s scene, but they also had a sheer raw soul approach that blew away most of their contemporaries – a way of trading vocal lines then combining them that infused their songs ... LP, Vinyl record album
Booker T's definitely getting a bit funky with this one – stepping off with the incredible title cut, a tune which really complicates the groove from the earlier years! The sound is still solid Memphis soul, with a raw instrumental vibe – but the grooves are even better than before, ... LP, Vinyl record album
A return to Stax by Rance Allen – his first album for the label after a stellar set for Capitol, and a much smoother set than before! Rance has learned from his work with Larry Mizell on Capitol, and is using a warmer glide on his tracks on this set – arrangements mostly done by ... LP, Vinyl record album
A landmark double-live album that was easily one of the most important soul record moments of the 70s! The concert was an all-star event held in LA to celebrate the anniversary of the Watts riots – but it features a killer lineup of talent from the roster of Stax Records – by then a ... LP, Vinyl record album
Jackie Wilson takes over the Copa – bringing his early soul styles to the New York elite – but a few years before The Supremes and other Motown artists got their chance! The album's got Wilson acting with great poise and grace, but still losing none of his vocal power at all – ... LP, Vinyl record album
The pleasure principle is in full effect here – a really special sort of feeling that strongly shows off the female side of the Parliament/Funkadelic mothership! The album's got a groove that's way different than most female disco of the time – more offbeat and angular, thanks to funky ... LP, Vinyl record album
A tremendous set from Luther Ingram – proof that the singer had way more to offer than just his famous southern soul singles! The record's got a really deep feel from the start – kind of a slow-burning sound that moves way past easy soul music styles, and offers up Ingram as one of the ... LP, Vinyl record album