Marlena Shaw : Spice Of Life (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

Spice Of Life

LP (Item 7314) Cadet, 1969 — Condition: Very Good
Also available
Marlena Shaw — Spice Of Life (SHMCD pressing) ... CD 14.99
An amazing batch of sophisticated soul tracks – and a favorite with the righteous groove scene! On the surface, the record's a combination of jazz and soul tracks in the same mode that you'd find on some of Nancy Wilson's albums for Capitol during the same time – but digging deeper, you'll find an undercurrent of politics, feminism, and social commentary delivered with surprising intensity. Marlena Shaw's voice is generally sweet, but she's set up in some extremely powerful arrangements by Richard Evans and Charles Stepney that recast even the simplest phrase into a whole new setting of strength and pride – and Bobby Miller of Dells fame also helped make the record what it is, and helped write some of the best songs on the record. The set includes Marlena's classic original reading of "Woman Of The Ghetto", which has been sampled by just about everyone, plus "California Soul", which has a nice hard break, and the tunes "Liberation Conversation", "Where Can I Go?", and the original version of "Go Away Little Boy" – as sweet a statement of womanhood if there ever was one!  © 1996-2024, Dusty Groove, Inc.

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


Cadet, 1969. Near Mint-
More than a usual greatest hits comp – this LP brings together a very tasty batch of Dells tracks from the late 60s, a number of which were either not on LP, or are very tough to find on wax. Titles include "Hallways Of My Mind", "O-O, I Love You", "There Is", ... LP, Vinyl record album
Cadet, 1972. Very Good
Forget Dionne Warwick, and think Burt Bacharach – because on this sublime little set, The Dells are singing some of Burt's greatest tunes ever – all set to impeccable arrangements by the legendary Charles Stepney! The album's more wonderful than you might even expect – a true ... LP, Vinyl record album

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

1957/1972
Tamla, 1972. Very Good+ 2LP Gatefold
A nice little live set – recorded in 1972, right at the end of Smokey's association with The Miracles. The set's got some nice longer versions of older tunes, and some relatively complicated arrangements from Thomas "Beans" Bowles. Titles include "Got To Be There", " ... LP, Vinyl record album
King, Mid 60s. Very Good
One of those excellent King albums from James that features a wide range of tracks, done in a wide range of styles – including some wonderful obscure numbers that go way past the "hits" promised in the title. The groove runs from sad ballad soul to heavy instrumentals – and ... LP, Vinyl record album

Prince

Prince
Warner, 1979. Very Good+
An overlooked record in the grand scheme – which is unforgivable in our book! This self-titled album is Prince's second album, and already his vision is becoming a little more focused, and you can really hear the seeds of his later efforts – a really remarkable, unique, and fascinating ... LP, Vinyl record album

Larry Williams

Dizzy Miss Lizzy
Specialty/Ace (UK), Late 50s. Near Mint-
A key collection of work by Larry Williams – the 50's R&B artist who's too-often written off as a rocker, but who actually went onto have a key influence in the early years of soul! Like Johnny Guitar Watson, another contemporary with whom Larry sometimes recorded, Williams had a style ... LP, Vinyl record album

Joe Simon

Best Of Joe Simon
Sound Stage 7, Late 60s. Very Good+
A great summation of the best of Joe's early work – which is really some of our favorite! The set brings together Joe's best cuts for the Sound Stage Seven label – some really great tracks done in a sweet 60s southern soul mode, with arrangements by Chips Moman and Cliff Parman – ... LP, Vinyl record album

Chuck Jackson

I Don't Want To Cry
Wand, 1961. Very Good
A real landmark from soul singer Chuck Jackson – part of a unique wave of male vocalists who really took the music to new heights in the 60s! Jackson's got this way of balancing heartbreaking emotion with masculine control – summed up perfectly in the album's title track, then carried ... LP, Vinyl record album

Pointer Sisters

Steppin
Blue Thumb, 1975. Very Good+
The title and cover are very appropriate for this one – because there's a wickedly stepping groove to the set – one that makes the album the group's funkiest ever! Forget any thoughts you may have about The Pointer Sisters, or the cliches that later came to mar their career – ... LP, Vinyl record album

Freddie King

Texas Cannonball
Shelter, 1972. Very Good+
Freddie King first rose to prominence in the 60s as a hell of a guitarist with a penchant for searing licks – but 70s records like this really put him over the top as a vocalist too! The set was done for Leon Russell's Shelter label – and Russell produced and plays piano and organ on ... LP, Vinyl record album

Johnny Hammond Smith & Byrdie Green

Stinger Meets The Golden Thrush
Prestige, 1966. Near Mint-
A great meeting of soulful talents – the Hammond of Johnny Hammond Smith, and the vocals of Byrdie Green – an excellent singer who's maybe best known for some Northern Soul singles! Here, Byrdie brings a hip vibe to the record – excellent vocals that are a perfect match for ... LP, Vinyl record album
MGM, 1946. Very Good+
Features vocals by Mel Torme on two tracks – and by Kitty Kallen on one more! LP, Vinyl record album
 



⇑ Top