An incredible compilation of dancefloor soul & disco from the early 80s – rare, extended and previously unreleased mixes by NYC legend John Morales – featuring essential material from Logg, Universal Robot Band, Tony Adderly, Class Action, Inner Life and more! Morales was a part of the DJ remix scene that made club ready soul gems out of a bunch of the pop and soul hits of the day, but this compilation on BBE goes deeper than that for the cream of the crop of the post disco grooves of the day, most running on the long side for that unstoppable dancefloor approach, while keeping the song based soul sound fully in place. Essential! 3LP version includes 9 long tracks, with a couple versions extended and longer or otherwise alternate versions than the CD mixes, including the 17+ minute A-side opener "Ain't No Mountain High Enough Parts I & II" (JM extended 4AM mix), "Breaking Down (Sugar Samba)" (JM extended After-Session M&M mix) by Julia & Company, "Barely Breaking Even" (demo version) by Universal Robot Band, "I Ain't Mad At You" (JM extended After-Session M&M mix) by Tony Adderly, "Never Can Say Goodbye" (demo version) by La-Rita Gaskin, "Move To The Groove" (JM After-Session M&M mix) by Margie Joseph, "You Got (That Something)" (JM After-Session M&M mix) by Logg and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A second volume of underground disco and unstoppable dancefloor soul from NYC in the late 70s and early 80s – M&M Mixes Vol 2, highlighting rare and previously unreleased mixes by John Morales! It features a roster of legendary names, particularly to diggers of deeper disco tracks, but also some soul stars who worked well in that groove – a batch of tunes mixed & engineered by Morales back in the day at M&M Studios and elsewhere. Great numbers by Teddy Pendergrass, Inner Life feat Jocelyn Brown, Candi Staton and Loleatta Holloway! The vinyl version comes in 2 separate parts –both 2LPs and featuring all exclusive extended vinyl versions – each each of which fills a whole side! Part B includes "The More I Get (John's M+M Get It All Mix)" by Teddy Pendergrass, "Young Hearts Run Free (John's M+M Run Run Run Free Mix)" by Candi Staton, "Dreamin (John's M+M Not My Man Extended Mix)" by Loleatta Holloway and "Make It Last Forever (John's M+M Original Forever 12" Mix)" by Inner Life feat Jocelyn Brown. LP, Vinyl record album

John Morales has a wonderful talent for taking a funky track and making it sound even funkier – which he does beautifully here in this killer collection of old school tunes! Many of the numbers are vintage clubby soul from the late 70s and early 80s – and Morales has this great way of crystalizing all the best elements in the songs, and pulling them to the forefront – but all without ever ruining the integrity of the tracks that sounded so great in the first place! In other words, the work here isn't the imprint of some young DJ trying to overstate his presence – but a true music maestro who really knows what makes a club track great – a vibe that takes us back to the brilliant edits of the early NYC scene. All titles here are previously unreleased – and the massive 4CD set features titles that include Morales mixes of "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby" by Barry White, "You Got Me Running" by Lenny Williams, "Mind On You" by Level 42, "Vertigo/Relight My Fire" by Dan Hartman, "Lovergirl" by Teen Marie, "Standing Right Here" by Mannix, "Love Is The Message" by MFSB, "Let The Music Play" by Barry White, "Don't Leave Me This Way" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, "Funkin For Jamaica" by Tom Browne, "All Night" by Katzuma, "Hi Tension" by Hi Tension, "Girl You Need A Change Of Mind" by Eddie Kendricks, "Before I Let Go" by Frankie Beverly, "Got To Be Real" by Cheryl Lynn, "Star Love" by Three Ounces Of Love", "You Stepped Into My Life" by Melba Moore, "Life Is A Song Worth Singing" by Teddy Pendergrass, "Walk Away From Love" by David Ruffin, "Life Goes On" by The Jones Girls, "This Time Baby" by Jackie Moore, "Turn Me Up" by Keith Barrow, "Circles" by Atlantic Starr, "Joy & Pain" by Maze, "Stay" by The Controllers, "Take Me Home" by Cher, and "Can't Live Without Your Love" by Tamiko Jones. CD

Trumpety genius from Herb Alpert – a cut that gave him one massive hit to close out the 70s, and a tune that crossed over big into clubs, radio, and plenty of shag-carpeted rec rooms too! And hey, it worked for Biggie, right? 12-inch, Vinyl record

Trumpety magic from Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass – a record that's known not only for its classic cover of a model dipped in whipped cream, but also for it's tremendously groovy groove! The Tijuana sound is very firmly in place by the time of this set – Mexican-inspired, but compressed down into a sweet little LA groove in that magical A&M way – never too over the top, done in a way that takes a previously-hokey brassy sound, and smoothes it out for the Now Sound generation! Titles include the hit single "Whipped Cream", plus "Taste Of Honey", "Green Peppers", "Bittersweet Samba", "Lemon Tree", "Ladyfingers", and "Butterball". LP, Vinyl record album

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Titles include "Freak A Ristic", "Cool Calm Collected", "Silver Shadow", "Let's Start It Over", "Thank You", and "If Your Heart Isn't In It". CD

Radiant grooves indeed from Atlantic Starr – a group who really make things sparkle throughout this magnificent set! The group are at the height of their powers here – skirting a perfect line between mainstream soul and upbeat club – never falling too much into one style or the other, and never sounding as commercial as some of their contemporaries! There's a relaxed, easygoing feel to most of the grooves on the set – never too much fake bass, nor too many electric touches – and the vocals shift a bit from track to track, taking good advantage of singers Wayne Lewis, David Lewis, and Sharon Bryant. Titles include "When Love Calls", "Think About That", "Mystery Girl", "Under Pressure", "My Turn Now", "Does It Matter", and "Send For Me". CD

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Fantastic work by maestro Burt Bacharach – subtle genius, and an album that offers more to us every time we listen to it! Burt's work has been recorded by many – but few ever gave it the kind of treatment that he did – as you'll hear in this brilliant array of sweeping strings, sly syncopation, and well-placed instrumental solos! The sound is breathtaking throughout – a new level of maturity and majesty for 60s instrumental pop – and the record's an enduring classic that deserves a place in every sensitive record collection. Includes the amazing cut "Pacific Coast Highway", plus great versions of other classics, like "Wanting Things", "She's Gone Away", "Knowing When To Leave", and "This Guy's In Love With You". CD

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Quite a rare one from George Benson – a set recorded during his late 60s run during the CTI/A&M years – but one that wasn't formally issued until the mid 80s! The style here is a great link between some of Benson's fuller work of the time, and some of the leaner grooves he'd cut with Creed Taylor once CTI broke ranks with A&M – the funkier Benson that really sparkled nicely in the early 70s. George actually does an early bit of singing here – sometimes scatting with his guitar, sometimes singing the lyrics more directly – all in a really unique way that's a bit different than his more polished vocals on Warner Brothers. Other cuts are a bit grittier, and almost show a link to funky jazz on Blue Note or Prestige at the time – with some especially heavy percussion on the bottom that really makes things groove. Titles include "Bluesadelic", "Durham's Turn", "Out Of The Blue", "Good Morning Blues", "I Worry Bout You", and "Without Her". CD

Excellent funky George Benson – mellow grooving, never too over the top, but with a fantastic mellow groove that really points the way ahead to the CTI sound of the 70s! We'd dare say that this is Benson's best from the early solo years of the late 60s – and the record's got a groove that's at once complicated and appealingly funky! No wonder too, since he's got Idris Muhammad helping him out, working under his pre-conversion name of Leo Morris, plus Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Richard Davis, Johnny Pacheco and others. Titles include "Footin It", "Face It Boy, It's Over", "Shape Of Things To Come", and "Shape Of Things That Are & Were". CD

Excellent funky George Benson – mellow grooving, never too over the top, but with a fantastic mellow groove that really points the way ahead to the CTI sound of the 70s! We'd dare say that this is Benson's best from the early solo years of the late 60s – and the record's got a groove that's at once complicated and appealingly funky! No wonder too, since he's got Idris Muhammad helping him out, working under his pre-conversion name of Leo Morris, plus Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Richard Davis, Johnny Pacheco and others. Titles include "Footin It", "Face It Boy, It's Over", "Shape Of Things To Come", and "Shape Of Things That Are & Were". LP, Vinyl record album

An early George Benson groover from the A&M years of CTI – a set that's quite different than his famous 70s sets, with a really unique sound overall! The arrangements here are by Latin Soul maestro Marty Sheller – who brings some of the vibe to the set that he brought to his 60s work with Mongo Santamaria – not a straight Latin sound overall, but one that comes through strongly in some of the percussion and horns! Players are all pretty hip – and keyboards are from Richard Tee on most of the best tracks – and drums are from Idris Muhammad throughout, working here under his original name of Leo Morris. Main solos are from Benson on guitar – although the record also features alto solos from Sonny Fortune and Bobby Porcelli – who'd both stepped out a bit with Santamaria too. Titles include "Water Brother", "Jama Joe", "Dontcha Hear Me Callin' To Ya", "Jackie All", "Soul Limbo", "Are You Happy", "Land Of 1000 Dances", and "Out in the Cold Again". LP, Vinyl record album

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Memphis goes to California – with surprising results! The album's one of a few that Booker T cut after splitting with the MGs – of legendary Stax Records fame – and it's completely different than his earlier sides, and not in a bad way! Book recorded the set in California with wife Priscilla Jones, and it's done in a mixture of soul, rock, and folk styles – one that's as much in keeping with the Laurel Canyon or San Francisco scenes than Book's earlier work was with the Memphis ones. Booker and Priscilla both sing – sometimes together, sometimes apart – and the double-length set is pretty warm, fuzzy, and a bit trippy. Titles include "Delta Song" and "Wedding Song", both of which are standout tracks – and other titles include "She", "Funny Honey", "Medley From The Jones Ranch", and "The Sun Don't Shine". LP, Vinyl record album

Booker T's definitely into a great new groove here – one that really extrapolates his Memphis roots through the haze of early 70s California – coming up with some wonderful sounds along the way! There's a definite A&M vibe to the record – that mix of rootsy modes and hipster polish that A&M was really pioneering alongside the Warner camp – and most of the instrumentation here is pretty stripped-down and laid back – sometimes played all by Booker in overdubs, sometimes with added studio help. Organ lines figure strongly, but not always – and vocals are mostly duets between Booker and Priscilla – on titles that include "Rings Around The World", "When Two People Are In Love", "The Crippled Crow", "Time", "Wild Fox", "Fly", and "Mendocino". LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant 60s pop from the team of Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart – best known for their key early songwriting work for The Monkees, but a heck of a great duo on their own! Boyce & Hart have a sparkly, sunshiney sound that's very much a part of The Monkees generation – a beautiful post-folk, post-surf blend of styles, and one that's served up with all the warmth and charm that made The Monkees so great – yet also with some cool twists and turns that make a record like this so great – the kind of chance-taking that A&M sometimes allowed its artists to take at the time! Backings are super-groovy – arranged by Artie Butler and Don McGinis – and titles include "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite", "Teardrop City", "I Wanna Be Free", "The Countess", "Population", and "Two For The Price Of One" – a great cover of a Larry Williams & Johnny Watson soul tune! LP, Vinyl record album