One of the Dramatics' best albums, and a real masterpiece of 70's group soul! The style here is a bit different than the group's previous records for Stax – maybe a bit tighter, with sweet arrangements – but these fantastic vocals that cut through everything and grab you to your core – a bit like the way The Dells could always sound amazing in the 70s, no matter what the setting! The approach really takes the group up to the next level – with fantastic vocals from Ron Banks and LJ Reynolds, and superbly sophisticated sounds from the Detroit Groovesville crew. Titles include "I Dig Your Music", "How Do You Feel", "Thousand Shades Of Blue", "I Cried All The Way Home", and "Good Things Don't Come Easy". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the all-time blacksploitation vocal themes! "Are You Man Enough" was lifted from the soundtrack to Shaft In Africa – and it's a perfect blend of righteous soul vocals, funky clavinet, wah wah guitar, and even a bit of conga grooving. Totally catchy – and one we've listened to for years! "Peace of Mind" has a similar feel, with some great conga and piano on the intro! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Killer Four Tops material from the early 70s – and a record that proved that they didn't need to be on Motown to still keep churnin' out the hits! The sound is sophisticated, and pushes past the standard format of the group's good-selling records for Motown – hitting a classic AM Radio soul groove that's best summed up by the album's monster hit "Ain't No Woman (Like The One I've Got)", one of those tracks that will probably be played around the world for years and years and years. The rest of the record's just as great, and includes loads of tasty numbers – like the excellent title cut "Keeper Of The Castle", plus "Love Music", "Turn On The Light Of Your Love", and "Remember What I Told You To Forget". Soulful and sophisticated, and a nice break from the Motown years! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Garner grooves nicely here – finding an almost renewed energy for the 60s, but still hitting all those highly-rhythmic modes we love so much in his early work! The recording quality is great – lots of bold echo from the piano, and even a bit of Erroll's grunting vocalizations somewhere in the mix – kind of an extra added emphasis that sounds great next to the bass of Eddie Calhoun and drums of Kelly Martin. Titles include "Just One Of Those Things", "Blue Lou", "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Dreamstreet", and the groovy "Mambo Gotham" – an especially jaunty little number! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Jerry Goldsmith's score for one of the greatest movies of the 70s – done with this spacious mix of jazzy elements that's completely sublime – and a bit like some of Johnny Mandel's best scoring too! The film is set in the 30s, but Goldsmith uses a lot of mature 70s elements in his music – nothing electric or funky, but just these open orchestrations that are really wonderful, and especially moody – sometimes laced with a jazzy trumpet solo, or a bit of piano – almost with that old Hollywood-through-crumbling LA of the 70s motif that you'd find in the music to Long Goodbye. Titles include "The Wrong Clue", "The Captive", "The Boy On A Horse", "The Last Of Ida", "Easy Living", and "Noah Cross". CD

A season-themed album from Eydie Gorme – a great date from the early years, and one that has her working with jazzy backings from the great Don Costa! Don's got a great ear for both sides of Eydie's talents – the upbeat, swinging style that always sounds cheery – and the straighter, more serious way with a ballad that doesn't always get its due! The tunes all have season-based themes – a format used by other singers over the years, certainly, but a really great foil here for Gorme's many-varied talents – as the shifting months of the year give her good reason to change her tune from track to track. Titles include "Love Is A Season", "Winter Night", "June In January", "On The First Warm Day", "I'll Remember April", "Easter Parade", and "Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic stuff from John Lee Hooker, and a record that's unlike any other he's ever done! The groove is very hard and funky, with tight drumbreaks and excellent basslines that you'd hardly expect to find on an album by a blues artist – jamming around with a tight groove that really makes us love the record! The guitar on the set is wonderfully scratchy – ripping up and down over heavy drums, with some nice horn touches to flesh the sound up – and wicked vocals from Hook that give the whole set a nice and nasty feel! The best cuts include "Make It Funky", "713 Blues", "714 Blues", and "Bluebird" – and the record's got some very nice breaks! LP, Vinyl record album

Two fantastic early albums by Al Hudson – working here with his initial group, The Soul Partners! First up is Especially For You – a record that's kind of a first chapter to all the excellent work by One Way to come – even though Al's not using that group name at this time! The record's got this cool, classy vibe – an update of an earlier Detroit soul mode, and one that maybe followed that city's shift a few years later than 70s soul changes in Philly during the decade – and handled with a similar blend of groovers and mellow cuts! The vibe is similar to the great shift The Dramatics were making on ABC Records at the time – and Al and the group work here with production by Al Perkins and arrangements by Jimmy Roach. Titles include "Baby Let Me Love You", "I Got A Notion You Got The Motion", "Real Love", "You're So Wonderful", and "Trying To Prove My Love". Cherish is a funky soul classic from Al Hudson and the Soul Partners – a second full length set, and one that really has Hudson finding his groove! The rhythms are funkier than before – thanks to strong work on bass from Kevin McCord, who also joins Al a bit on vocals – in a mode that still continues the group's strong work on midtempo numbers, but also maybe answers a 70s disco wave with more of a Detroit funk overall! Great work from the group that would later turn into One Way – with titles that include "Tripped, Slipped, Stumbled, & Fell", "If You Get Caught", "If You Feel Like Dancing", and "I Like Everything About You". CD also features bonus tracks – "Feelings (7" version)" and "If You Feel Like Dancin (12" version)". CD

Joyous, bouncy sounds from the legendary Al Hudson – a sweet little set with his Soul Partners group, done in a mode that's right up there with the best music of his One Way combo! The grooves are uptempo, yet are much more rooted in ensemble funk than some of the disco of Al's contemporaries – and if anything, the album really shows a great evolution from the funk bands of the previous generation to a newer, more sophisticated style overall. Hudson's work at the helm is wonderful – and helps steer the group towards some nice mellow moments too – with arrangements from Kevin McCord, Rudy Robinson, and Dave Roberson. Alicia Myers serves up some great early vocals with the group – and titles include "I Don't Want You To Leave Me", "Another Love Song", "You Can Do It", "In The Basement", "Call Me", and "Rock". CD features a bonus track – "You Can Do It (disco mix)". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Classic 60s Impressions material, with the legendary lineup firmly in place, and the great Johnny Pate handling all arrangements – really giving them that sense of righteous power that pushed their music past a lot of the previous group soul sounds of the Chicago scene – with a sophistication in both the instrumentation and harmonies that's completely sublime! The album mixes Curtis Mayfield compositions – like "Lonely Man", "Just One Kiss From You", "Falling In Love With You" – with special Impressions' takes on tunes that include "My Prayer", "Without A Song", "Answer Me, My Love", "I Want To Be With You", and "Nature Boy", which the group does incredibly well. Proof that the Impressions could shine, whatever the setting! LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... CD

One of the grooviest records ever by the wonderful vocal team of Jackie & Roy – a sweetly swinging 50s session, with great LA jazz backings from the orchestra of Bill Holman! There's a breezy vibe to the whole thing that's years ahead of its time – not pop harmony vocals, but an approach that's strongly rooted in jazz, but also loosened up from the strict vocalese of the bop singers too. The cover's got Jackie & Roy playing on a slide at the sea – and that free and easy image certainly sums up the feel of the music – a lightly playful blend of jazz vocalese, ballads, and strong duet numbers, all sung with the usual Jackie & Roy charm. The set includes some great tunes, too – including "Pent Up House", "Free & Easy", "So It's Spring", and "Aren't You Glad You're You". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite albums by the team of Jackie & Roy – a really special little set that features small combo backing, great tunes, and some of the best vocals of their early career! The album features Roy playing piano in a quartet with Barry Galbraith on guitar, Milt Hinton on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums – and there's a lightly jazzy feel to the whole set, one that really works well with the vocals from the pair. Jackie takes the lead on some numbers, but most have her and Roy singing duets – in that cool mix of scatting and lyrical interplay they do so well. Pretty groovy stuff – especially for the 50s – and titles include "Let's Get Away From It All", "You Inspire Me", "Where Did The Gentleman Go", "The Glory Of Love", "I Love You Real", and "Miz Margret". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

A lost gem from Keith's "with horns" period – a quintet session from the mid 70s, recorded with a group that features Dewey Redman on tenor, plus Charlie Haden on bass, Paul Motian on drums and percussion, and Guilherme Franco on additional percussion. The feel is a bit straighter than Jarrett's excellent Death & The Flower set – as the tunes have a highly rhythmic component, and make good use of the extra percussion to create a flowing, organic groove. There's still a nice loose feel overall, though – almost a take on the loft jazz sound, especially at the moments when Jarrett goes a bit outside on piano. Titles include "Shades Of Jazz", "Southern Smiles", "Rose Petals", and "Diatribe". LP, Vinyl record album

BB King in London – not playing live, but working in the studio with a host of British musicians he'd inspired over the years! The lineup varies from track to track, giving a nice sort of variety to the album – and the overall feel is a bit like some of the Chess London sessions of the time – but maybe more blues overall! Features work by Peter Green on guitar, Steve Marriott on harmonica, Alexis Korner on acoustic guitar, Gary Wright on electric piano and Hammond, Ringo Starr on drums, and The Mystery Shadow on Hammond – and titles include "Ghetto Woman", "Wet Hayshark", "Part Time Love", "We Can't Agree", and "Blue Shadows". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Pre-Solar work from Lakeside, and a pretty great album overall – a bit more in an ensemble funk mode than some of the group's later music, but with a sound that's pretty tight overall! Frank Wilson produced and arranged, and there's a nice blend of bass-heavy rhythms and older-style harmony vocals sliding into play – a stepping back and forth quality that informs the grooves nicely, and which makes them come across with a fresher sound than before too much cliche settled into the California scene. Titles include "Shine On", "Taboo", "Miss Look But Don't Touch", "If I Didn't Have You", "IT's Not Only The Outside That Counts", and "Diamond Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy fuzzed out psychedelia from the late 60s Twin Cities scene – the wild and hard charging Emerge from The Litter – with a heft that would be just as right at home in Detroit at the time as it was in Minneapolis! A lot of that has to due to with the heft – the drums pound heavily and the vocalists wail more than sing – this is a nasty piece of business, this Litter! Still, lumbering as chose to, there's still a nice groove that comes out, particularly on the less frezious moments, and the titles include "Journeys", "Feeling", "Silly People", "Blue Ice", "For What It's Worth", "Little Red Book", "Breakfeast At Gardenson's", and "Futures Of The Past". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few full albums ever cut by The Masqueraders – a stellar vocal group who recorded some excellent singles in the 60s, and were fortunate enough to be pulled into the big time by Isaac Hayes for his Hot Buttered Soul imprint on ABC! The band mixes their smooth Memphis style with some tighter arrangements by Ike and Lester Snell – and the result is a nice batch of modern soul tracks that keeps up the groove of the Hot Buttered sound nicely! Tracks include "Be For Real", "Runaway Slave", "It's A Terrible Thing To Waste Your Love", and "Love Between A Woman And A Man". LP, Vinyl record album

Dave's 1955 debut for ABC Records – a date that features McKenna playing 13 shorter tunes – all handled in solo mode with a wonderfully sensitive touch – one that's never too sleepy, but which has a personal, up-close style that's really great. Dave nicely avoids cliches of other 50s soloists on his instrument – and has a great sense of rhythm on the keys without echoing too much of Tatum or Garner. Titles include "Blues Up", "Why Was I Born", "Deed I Do", "For All We Know", "Like Someone In Love", and "S Wonderful". LP, Vinyl record album

This is more of a garagey instrumental album than it is a Brazilian one, and Ray Milan and his band The Quarter-Notes play a bunch of groovy little instrumentals that you could dance "The Bossa Nova" to (and by this, we mean the 60's dance, not the musical trend from Rio). LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic funky orchestral stuff from this great Chicago soul arranger! Johnny was working with The Impressions during these years, but ABC gave him a chance to cut some instrumental sides on his own – and the record's a wonderful groover with some complicated numbers that remind us a bit of the Soulful Strings action going down at Cadet with Richard Evans. The album's got an excellent sound all the way through, with a motherlode of Johnny Pate originals like "Sea Tea", "Still Water", "Squalls a Plenty" (he must have been sailing a lot), and "Goodness Gracious" – and the album's another key chapter in the rich crossover soul scene of Chicago in the 60s! LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful little chapter in the rich, and all-too-short career of bassist Oscar Pettiford – larger group recordings done for ABC in the mid 50s! The sessions show Pettiford to be surprisingly great at such a format – leading a group through Gigi Gryce arrangements that have a nice modern jazz take on earlier bop themes of the 50s. Gryce himself plays alto on the session, and other players include Jerome Richardson, Benny Golson, Art Farmer, Kenny Dorham, Jimmy Cleveland, Al Grey, Tommy Flanagan, and Lucky Thompson. The CD seems to include material from both Pettiford sessions for ABC – for a total of 17 tracks that include "Two French Fries", "Perdido", "Speculation", "Sunrise Sunset", "Smoke Signal", "Deep Passion", "Nica's Tempo", "Not So Sleepy", "Little Niles", and "Seabreeze". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A great 50s vocal session – for a number of reasons! One of the strongest is Patricia herself – a fresh-voice singer who's without hoke – backed by some moody arrangements from the Creed Taylor Orchestra. Even better is the selection of tunes – which includes a number of really unusual songs that push past the obvious standards – many of them in a dark mood that really fits the theme of the album nicely. Titles include "Do It Again", "Wandering Swallow", "Why Baby Why", "Nothing At All", "Speed Of Light", "Just Once Around The Clock", and Patricia's own composition "Let's Sit Down & Talk It Over". LP, Vinyl record album

A strange little soul group from the UK – one that has a mix of influences that include Jamaican soul, American pop, and even a bit of gospel. The overall sound is a bit strange, but kind of spiritually warm in the best parts, with a message-related approach to soul. Titles include "Peace & Love", "Milky Way", "Life Is Too Short Girl", and "It's Temptation". LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool lost group on late 60s ABC – a bit psych, a bit bluesy, and forging both into a great hard rock sound at times! The set's got some larger arrangements by producer Bill Szymczyk – a name we don't know, but who also gives the record a superb sound overall! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A strange late effort from Kay Starr – but a nice one! At this point in her career, Kay was way past her early 50s hits – but she still had a voice that was instantly recognizable, and which always lent itself nicely to slower and dreamier pop-type tunes. She gets plenty of those on this set – arranged and conducted by Marty Paich, who was working magic with a number of other singers at the time – and tracks include "When The Lights Go On Again", "Sunny", "Some Sweet Tomorrow", "I Don't Remember You", and "You're Finally Getting To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

The first album from Steely Dan, and already a leading light in the world of 70s rock! The album's got a bit less of the polish of later years, but is still filled with gems – the kind of tunes that nobody ever seemed to pen before, and which few other groups could match later – despite the countless legions who tried! There's less jazz too, but the guitars are all nice and strong – that sharp Skunk Baxter edge that helped get the group firmly onto the charts right away. Titles include "Do It Again", "Dirty Work", "Kings", "Midnite Cruiser", "Only A Fool Would Say That", "Reelin' In The Years", "Fire In The Hole", "Brooklyn (Owes The Charmer Under Me)", "Change Of The Guard", and "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again". LP, Vinyl record album

Steely Dan really hitting the heights – moving into hipper, more sophisticated territory than before – pushing the envelope with both their music and lyrics, which are completely sublime! It's hard to put our finger on the magic of this one, but it's the perfect summation of everything that's come before, with a bit of a nod towards the future – yet all with a simple, song-based charm that we really love. The Becker and Fagan team get some key studio help here – showing a move away from previous group-based recordings – and Phil Woods turns in some especially nice work on his sublime solo for "Doctor Wu". Other tracks include "Black Friday", "Bad Sneakers", "Any World That I'm Welcome To", "Your Gold Teeth II", "Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More", "Throw Back The Little Ones", and "Everyone's Gone To The Movies". CD

My god, what a record! This one's genius through and through – a set that sometimes gets eclipsed in the brilliance to come, but which is easily one of our favorites ever by Steely Dan! There's a beautifully focused feel here – thanks to Donald Fagan's incredible lead vocals, and a sense of songwriting that never takes any left turns – no odd forays into different styles or previous genres, just all steeped in Steely, as the group should be by this point! John Klemmer turns in some wonderful sax work that really helps shape the sound, and titles include the wonderful "Caves Of Altimira", "Kid Charlemagne", "Don't Take Me Alive", "Green Earrings", and "The Royal Scam". LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool work from Creed Taylor – material cut when he was still a bandleader, and hadn't yet evolved into the role of super-producer! The session's a long way from the CTI sound of the 70s – and instead has Creed playing some very spooky stuff – compositions by Kenyon Hopkins that have a horror sort of theme – dark little tunes that would be a perfect soundtrack for a haunted house! The core instrumentation is jazz-based, but augmented with some great other touches as well – and there's two female voices that scream, groan, and make other odd noises on the record from time to time. Titles include "The Long Walk", "Jungle Fever", "Heartbeat", "Haunted House", "In Bedlam", "Time Runs Out", and "The Secret". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Thiele plays with his new Happy Times Orchestra, with arrangements by Glen Osser and Tommy Goodman. Also features Teresa Brewer, Steve Allen, and The Happy Girls including Valerie Simpson. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A great bit of funk from this obscure 70s combo – the first of their many good albums, and with a sound that's rougher and rawer than the others. The band's grooving in a pretty slow mode here – without the uptempo club tracks of later years – and they've got a style that's a mix of electric LA wah wah funk, plus some of the more Afro-influenced rhythms you might expect from their name. The set's got many great numbers – including the killer cut "Smoke", which begins with fuzzy wah-wah guitar, rolling congas, and a mighty nice groove! Other titles include "Siggy Siggy", "Young Warrior", "The World Should Learn To Party Together", and "We've Got To Life Together". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Majestic music from the mighty Popcorn Wylie – the Detroit soul legend best known for his work in the 60s, but an artist who really shines on this rare 70s set for ABC! The album was done during the same stretch as Lamont Dozier's ABC work – and like those records, this set features killer arrangements and production from McKinley Jackson – who updates an older Detroit groove strongly, while still keeping all the real soul elements of Popcorn's music intact! Dozier helped a bit on some of the tunes, and the whole thing's got a soaring, joyous feel that's really wonderful – uptempo without being uptight, positive without sounding hokey, and perfectly in a unique space that's all its own. Gene Page and Paul Riser throw in a bit of soul on some tracks too – sweetening things up with just the right touches of strings and horns – and Popcorn's vocals are great, especially on some of the more hauntingly-constructed tunes. Titles include the massive "ESP", which begins with an echoey breakbeat, then rolls into a great hook – plus "Trust In Me", "How Did I Lose You", "Georgia's After Hours", "Lost Time", "I Can Take The World On With You", "Both Ends Against The Middle", and "Singing About You And Me". CD

Featuring Bob & Earl, Gene Chandler, Olympics, Bobby Bland, Impressions, Raindrops, Betty Everett, Tams, and Lonnie Mack. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A surprising gem from Louis' later years – most famous for the title hit, but a great album all the way through! Louis is more of a singer than a musician on the set – and he's working with arrangements steeped in warmth and nostalgia – going for an instantly-ancient sound that brings out the best in Armstrong's sentimental tone. Next to the album's wonderful title track "What A Wonderful World", there's also lots of great obscure material – including "The Home Fire", "Hello Brother", "There Must Be A Way", "Fantastic That's You", and "The Sunshine Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing work from Gato Barbieri's legendary exploration of Latin American sounds for Impulse Records – a set that's heavy on Cuban influences, thanks to arrangements from the mighty Chico O'Farrill! The sound is sublime – a bit fuller than some of Gato's other albums in the run, but never with any slick or commercial styles – just more of a richness from O'Farrill's backings, matched perfectly by Barbieri's amazing tones on the tenor! There's a lot of Latin percussion in the backings – courtesy of Ray Mantill, Luis Mangual, and Ray Armando – and Eddie Martinez mixes in some sweet electric piano with his acoustic lines, deepening the soul of the record in a really 70s way. Titles include "Milonga Triste", "Lluvia Azul", "La Padrida", "Viva Emiliano Zapata", and "El Sublime" – the last of which is a good description of the record! LP, Vinyl record album

Candido cut sooo many great Latin records over the years, spanning a wide range of styles, we have a hard time deciding which we love the best. We like to think this may be his best album from the early part of his career, specifically because it features the master conga player amidst a tight jazz lineup, who leave him plenty of room to solo and just plain get down doing his thing. Dick Hyman's on organ, Joe Puma's on guitar, and Ernie Royal's on trumpet, with George Duvivier and Charlie Persip in the rhythm section. 8 tracks in all, including "Afro Blue", "Caravan", "Softly But Blue", "Blue Lou", "Blue Prelude", "Bongo Baby", "Blue Dirge" and "Candido Cocktail". LP, Vinyl record album

Candido's firey conga is backed by a tight jazz group conducted by Ernie Wilkins. The players include Art Farmer, Jimmy Cleveland, Hank Jones, and Ernie Royal, and although they don't get to solo much, they play nice and hard, and give Candido great support in the background. Tracks include "Lady in Red", "Warm Blue Stream", "Tin Tin Deo", "Kinda Dukish", and "Takeela". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic live set from Ray Charles – one that equally showcases all the best sides of his sound in the mid 60s! The group's got a nice dose of jazz – which it shows right at the start – almost a mix of Basie swing and R&B, of the sort that Ray was sporting heavily in the late Atlantic years, but didn't always get to display in the countrified early years on ABC – and players include David Fathead Newman on tenor, Hank Crawford on alto, and Julian Priester on trombone – all horn players who really help the whole thing swing! Ray plays some great piano alongside his vocals – and tunes include rollicking versions of "I Got A Woman", "You Don't Know Me", "Makin' Whoopee", "Hallelujah I Love Her So", and "What'd I Say". LP, Vinyl record album

Apart from the title's terrible pun on the Glenn Campbell hit of the mid 70s, this album's a real treat – a very soulful batch of smooth funky jazz tunes by The Crusaders, who by this point have fully emerged to claim the throne of the pop soul jazz genre they virtually invented. The record's got razor-sharp production, which you'll hear perfectly in the album's jazz stepping hit "Keep That Same Old Feeling", one of the best tunes ever to come from the pen of Wayne Henderson, and a track that he recorded endlessly with other groups. Other tracks include "Feeling Funky", "Spiral", and "Til The Sun Shines". LP, Vinyl record album

A smoother set than usual for Lee Dorsey – recorded with frequent partner Allen Toussaint, but done in a sweeter, more modern soul style that's a refreshing change from earlier years! (C'mon, you didn't expect Lee to keep hitting the same old chunky grooves – did you?) The shift here is almost like that of Lamont Dozier's in the 70s – as Lee moves into a fuller, richer sound – one that shows that he's got a lot of different aspects to his music that hadn't showed up on previous albums, and which nicely brings him out of the Crescent City soul ghetto. There's till some nice Nola rhythms going down on the set, and all the tracks are originals by Toussaint – but honestly, the smoothest cuts are almost the best – and offer a great chance to hear Dorsey's great vocals in a whole new mode. Tracks include "Soul Mine", "Night People", "Can I Be The One", "Say It Again", and "Keep On Doing It To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the excellent recordings made by The Dramatics at ABC – great group soul gems that are sometimes overlooked because they didn't yield as many hits as earlier sets – but which are stellar records nonetheless! This one's got all the right elements firmly in place – killer production by Don Davis, and smooth but real harmonies from LJ Reynolds, Ron Banks, and the rest of the group. There's a few tracks that hit a smooth sort of groove that might be tagged as "disco" – but which is really just an extension of the super-dope mode that the group used in earlier years – and which has a lot more to offer than just a cheap dancefloor cash in. Titles include "Life Is Just A Playground", "Love Birds", "A Marriage On Paper Only", "I'm Hooked On You", "That's My Favorite Song", "I Think About You", and "I Just Wanna Dance With You". CD

Sweetly smooth grooving from The Dramatics – tighter than their years at Stax, but still tremendous stuff vocally – with a sound that mixes the rough and the sweet like nobody else! The album features works by a number of different producers – including group members Ron Banks and LJ Reynolds, plus Michael Henderson and Don Davis, whose talents are perhaps most responsible for the strength of any of the group's best records. David Van De Pitte does a bit of arranging on the record too – bringing in some of the fuller, clubbier styles he's known for. The album features a sublime mellow harmony track entitled "I Get Carried Away" – plus the tunes "Be My Girl", "I Can't Get Over You", "Stand Up & Move", "Finger Fever", "After This Dance", and "Say The Word". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

After leaving Stax, Ike seemed to be trying to turn himself into more of a Barry White-style artist – with more emphasis on original tracks about love and loving, instead of his older method of transforming pop hits into little baroque symphonies. On a record like this, the approach meant that Ike was sometimes hitting a disco mode, but at the best points, he's also in more of a sweet mellow soul style. Tracks include "Rock Me Easy Baby", "Your Loving Is Much Too Strong", "We've Got A Whole Lot Of Love", and "Make A Little Love To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A record with a vibe that's way more than you'd expect from the group's supper club style on the cover – as the record features a great set of original Curtis Mayfield compositions, sung by the group in great form, with arrangements by the total genius Johnny Pate! The record is filled with haunting soul tracks like "Isle Of Sirens", "Aware Of Love", "It's All Over", "Love's A Comin", "You Ought To Be In Heaven", and "She Don't Love Me" – all written by Curtis, and all proof that he's always been one of the best soul songwriters! A nice little gem that often gets lost in the band's catalog – but one to seek out, even if you're a bit nervous about a record with "fabulous" in the title! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album