Killer work by this fab Chicago soul group – a bunch of young kids, ala The Jackson Five, with sweet soul sound that actually predates the work of Jermaine and Michael and Tito, and which paved the way for countless 70s groups to come! The Five Stairsteps were first discovered by Curtis Mayfield – who wrote and produced a number of tracks on the set – but they had a strength of their own (thanks in part to a young Keni Burke, who was in the group), and continued to grow over the years, changing their sound to fit their expanding ages, and the changing material they needed to cope with the growth in soul in the early 70s. The set's filled with classics – including the super-huge hit "Ooh Child", plus "The Girl I Love", "Behind Curtains", "Come Back", "World Of Fantasy", "You Waited Too Long", "We Must Be in Love", "Oooh, Baby Baby", "Don't Waste Your Time", "Something's Missing", and the break-heavy "Don't Change Your Love". CD

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Great grooves get even better – as Isis gets some heavy production from Allen Toussaint – right at the height of his New Orleans funky powers at the time! The album's a great extension of the first Isis set – and like that one, it's got a surprisingly rhythmic undercurrent on the bottom, and some jazzier horns on the top – a really righteous blend that's quite unique, both for female rock or soul at the time. These gals really fit nicely into a space that might include Maxayn, Betty Davis, and Ruth Copeland – the farther fringe of female work at the time, often carried off with a righteous blend of soul and rock. Toussaint's production further underscores the best bottom moments of their sound – and titles include "Ain't No Backin Up Now", "Old Stories", "Gold", "Eat The Root", "Bobbie & Maria", "Come One Come All", "Sunshine Tree", and "Lost Romeo". LP, Vinyl record album

The last Spoonful long player with chief songwriter/arranger John Sebastian – a solid effort in a (thankfully) similar vein to their earlier classic work, but with hints of the sprawling efforts that blanketed late 60s pop. There's still a few big hits in the mix – "Six O'Clock, "She Is Still A Mystery" and "Money", none of which seemed to find their way onto oldies radio playlists the way the group's earlier efforts did. Thanks to that lack of saturation it's pretty deeply satisfying all the way through – warm to our hearts the same way a lot of early 70s Beach Boys stuff is! Digitally remastered with 3 bonus tracks/alternate versions. LP, Vinyl record album

Four full albums from Melanie – all brought together here in a single set! On Born To Be, Melanie's a folkie at heart, but one who's very open to new ideas too – as you'll hear in this surprisingly offbeat set from the late 60s! The record mixes Melanie's raspy, almost eerie vocal approach with some compelling charts from Roger Kellaway – who respects the folk impulses at the core, but also brings in some unusual inflections in the other instrumentation – that post-folk approach that was showing up in records by Leonard Cohen and others of the singer/songwriter generation. The difference is subtle, but very striking – and very different than the way the set would have been recorded a few years previously. Titles include "Christopher Robin", co-written with AA Milne – plus "In The Hour", "I'm Back In Town", "Bobo's Party", "Close To It All", "Merry Christmas", and "I Really Loved Harold". Next is Affectionately Melanie (aka Melanie) – a seminal self-titled set from Melanie – an album that's still proudly folk in some parts, while also embracing some of the more hard-edge styles of some of her contemporaries too – echoes of soul in some of the rhythms, a bit of grit in the instrumentation – which really seems to fit well with her raspy vocal style! The mix is almost a folksy approach to Janis Joplin territory – kind of a surprise if you only know the sweeter side of the singer – and titles include "Soul Sister Annie", "Uptown Down", "Again", "Beautiful People", "For My Father", "Deep Down Low", "Take Me Home", "I'm Back In Town", and "Any Guy". Some cuts feature arrangements by the great John Cameron – who we suspect of bringing the groovier elements to the record! Candles In The Rain is a record that shows the increasing strengths of Melanie as a singer/songwriter, and the confidence that her label had in letting her try out new material – as the mostly-pop Buddah Records allowed Melanie and producer/arranger Peter Schekeryk to really stretch out in the studio! Some moments are intimate, some have a full righteous quality – and the unique vocals of the lady herself have a subtle power that's almost out of time at the start of the 70s – yet that's also its great appeal. Titles include the hit "Candles In The Rain" – plus "Carolina In My Mind", "Citiest People", "The Good Guys", "Lovin Baby Girl", "Leftover Wine", and a version of "Ruby Tuesday". Leftover Wine is a set that mostly features Melanie singing solo at Carnegie Hall – just her vocals and guitar standing out in stark contrast to some of the larger arrangements used on a few of her previous records! The approach is great – and brings all the fragile beauty of her unique style right into the limelight, all with a timeless vibe on titles that include "Close To It All", "Uptown & Down", "Psychotherapy", "I Don't Eat Animals", and "Leftover Wine". Yet the album also features one studio track – the heady "Peace Will Come", which features some nice keyboards from Ron Frangipare! CD

Groovy compilation that brings together tracks from Cal's hard-to-find albums for the Skye label from the late 60s – all of which are excellent, and all of which we can't find that easily on wax anymore! Cal's hitting a nice sweet funky vibe here, with a lot of electric piano grooving nicely next to his classic moody sound. Titles include "Solar Heat", "Here", "Alonzo", "Nica's Dream", "Don't Make Me Over", and a tasty cover of "Ode To Billie Joe". LP, Vinyl record album

Easily one of the greatest records that Brazilian percussionist Airto ever recorded – a stunning blend roots and jazzy currents, and a set that follows strongly off his work in the group Quarteto Novo! The set's got contributions from one of his key partners in that combo – reedman Hermeto Pascoal – and like Pascoal's material at this point, the whole thing is maybe one of the most perfect realizations of the musical vision that Airto was going for! There's none of the tighter, more polished sounds of his later fusion years – and this is the record that will show you just why his arrival on the American scene made such big waves at the time. Flora Purim also sings on the record – and titles include "Andei", "On Sonho", Papo Furado", and "O Galho da Rosiera". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful debut from Aquarian Dream – a group who first appeared under the direction of Norman Connors – and who also have lots of the same blend of jazz, soul, and funk you'd find in Connors' own music of the time! Yet Aquarian Dream are very much their own bag, too – a distinctly different group who are to Connors what Ramp was to Roy Ayers – a separate entity that shares the key production talents of their sponsor – but who break out in a wonderful vibe that's all their own! The album's best remembered for its key clubby groovers, but we also love the mellower moments too – which have a sublime stepping quality that really comes through via instrumentation from Claude Bartee on tenor and soprano sax, and Jacques Burvick on a whole host of cool keyboards. Gloria Jones (not the famous one) is a great lead singer – and titles include the classic Chicago club track "Phoenix" – plus "Look Ahead", "Once Again", "Let Me Be The One", "I'll Always Love You T",, and "Treat Me Like The One You Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A spiritual jazz masterpiece from drummer Norman Connors – one of those unique albums he cut before moving into soul music – done at a level that rivals the early 70s genius on labels like Strata East or Impulse Records! Connors worked with many contemporaries on those labels, and gets a good degree of help from them here, too – in a massive lineup that includes Eddie Henderson on trumpet, Herbie Hancock on keyboards, Gary Bartz on alto, Carlos Garnett on tenor, Buster Williams on bass, Bill Summers on drums, and even Dee Dee Bridgewater on a bit of vocals too! With a lineup like that, it would be easy to lay back and just do nothing – but you can really hear Connors' musical vision taking the lead – that warmly soulful approach that was there right from the start, given some great focus here by producer Skip Drinkwater. Tracks are all long, and free-flowing – a bit out at times, but always returning to the modal pulse of Connors' soulful rhythms. Titles include "Carlos II", "Kumakucha", "Holy Waters", "Revelation", and "Love From The Sun". LP, Vinyl record album

Some great tracks from the jazzy soulful genius of Norman Connors! Connors is one of the best crossover soul jazz artists of the 70s – with a masterful blend of styles that's matched by only a few other artists, like Roy Ayers or Leroy Hutson. This set includes tracks from his Buddah and Arista recordings – and the sound is classic all the way through! Titles include "You Are My Starship", "This Is Your Life", "Betcha By Golly Wow", "Valentine Love", "Everything I Have Is Good", "Butterfly", "You Bring Me Joy", "I Am Your Melody", and "Take It To The Limit". The "friends" are all vocalists – including Michael Henderson, Phyllis Hyman, Jean Carn, Pharoah Sanders, and Miss Adaritha. CD

A warmly romantic journey from the stellar Norman Connors – but a set that's also got a fair bit of spiritual jazz undercurrents too! Norman's at that perfect Starship point in his career – giving equal space to the vocals and instrumental passages on the record – at a level that perfectly sums up his unique, sophisticated blend of jazz and soul! The sublime Eleanor Mills sings on some key cuts – a singer we love from her earlier New Jersey soul sides – and Prince Phillip Mitchell handles the male leads, with a level of class that even goes beyond his own records. Reeds are handled by Gary Bartz and Pharoah Sanders – both players who bring in a nice sort of depth to the record – and Sanders really sparkles on a remake of his classic "Thembi", taken in a mellow stepping tone, as well as a reading of Gato Barbieri's "Last Tango In Paris". The whole album's wonderful – and other titles include "Once I've Been There", "Romantic Journey", "Destination Moon", "For You Everything", and "You Are Everything". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant mix of soul and jazz from the legendary Norman Connors – a key album in breaking Norman out back in the 70s – and a record that's still pretty darn perfect all these many years later! You can hear Connors' deep roots throughout the set – but they're often used towards a more sophisticated soul agenda, too – blending in elements of jazz vocals and modern R&B, at a level that so many other artists would copy in years to come – but which Norman virtually helped invent with this landmark album! There's some mellow moments on the record that are every bit as wonderful as the funky ones – some laidback tracks that feature sublime vocals from Jean Carn, pre-Philly – and which also really introduce the soul side of Michael Henderson – an artist who most folks had previously known as a bass player. Connors mixes the funky and the smooth at a level that rivals the best Roy Ayers material of the same time – and titles include the massive hit "Valentine Love" – plus "Saturday Night Special", "Kwasi", "Dindi", "Akia", "Skin Diver", and a sweet version of "Maiden Voyage"! LP, Vinyl record album

One of August Darnell's many side projects for the Ze label – and an excellent album of club tracks that features Fonda Rae on vocals! Don Armando Bonilla leads the group and plays percussion, but it's Fonda's vocals that really make the best tracks sparkle – as she was one of the best club singers of the post-disco era, one could add a lot more soul to an album than some of her contemporaries. The grooves are a mix of downtown styles, in that Darnell/Kid Creole mode that has retro elements dancing along wonderfully with more contemporary dancefloor sounds – and titles include "Para Ti", "Winter Love", "Goin To A Showdown", "I'm An Indian Too", and "Deputy Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

The Ebonys sing about life, and a host of other groovy topics too – in this lost soul treasure from the 70s! The set is one of only two albums ever cut by The Ebonys – a consistently great group from the 70s, as is testified by their constant popularity in our racks! The quartet has a 3 man/1 woman harmony sound that's very hip – often applied to righteous themes worked out in a heavy soul mode, and which sounds just as great on the ballads as it does dancefloor numbers. This second album's got an even sharper edge than their debut – thanks to production and arrangements from Tony Camillo – who gives the album some great undercurrents of funk, and a slightly righteous style that reminds us of some of Norman Whitfield's best studio work of the time. Vocals are wonderful – with really great harmonies that balance out beautifully – in ways that are much more unified than other girl/guy soul groups. Titles include "Neighborhood Gossip", "Mr Me, Mrs You", "One Thing On My Mind", "Sing About Life", and "A Love of Your Own". LP, Vinyl record album

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A classic! This is the record that made Mancini's career, and forever transformed the face of crime and jazz. The record's a stunning batch of instrumentals, played by a crack group of west coast players who also performed regularly in the TV show. Titles include the classic "Peter Gunn" theme, plus "Brothers Go To Mothers", "The Floater", "Brief & Breezy", "A Profound Gass", and "Dreamsville". Four bonus tracks – "Walkin' Bass", "Blue Steel", "Spook!", "Blues For Mother's". CD

A pivotal album for Barbara Mason – one in which she takes the little girl soul sound of earlier albums, and turns it into a sophisticated range of emotions that foreshadows later Philly work by singers like Jean Carn and Phyllis Hyman! Despite the Philly arrangements by Ronnie Baker, Norman Harris, and Vince Montana, there's actually a bit of a southern twinge to the record – an aspect that works nicely on the ballad cuts, which have kind of an Ann Sexton or Shirley Brown feel to them – sophisticated female soul at its best, and a real change overall for Barbara. Features the uptempo extended political cut "World War Three", plus "All in Love is Fair", "Bed and Board", "Caught in The Middle", "I Miss You Gordon", and "Me and Mr. Jones", her cover of the Billy Paul hit, and a nice version too! Includes the bonus track "Child Of Tomorrow". CD

A really great step forward for Barbara Mason – a record that's got her working in a more mature mode than before, and a deeper soul style as well! One of the bigger developments of Barbara Mason's career was her participation in the "answer song" cycle that circulated around Shirley Brown's hit song "Woman To Woman". On this southern-tinged album, Barbara answer's Shirley's hit with the cut "From His Woman To You" – in which "the other woman" calls back the snooping wife, and tells her how much control she's really got over her husband! The cut was one of Barbara's biggest from the time, and the whole album's got a similar feel – almost Stax-like in quality, with production by Don Davis. Plus, a fair bit of the songs even seem to contribute to the "other woman/his woman" theme – including "Shackin Up", "So He's Yours Now", "(He Wants) The Two of Us", and "(There's) One Man Between Us". All this makes for a great album – one with a sophisticated approach to loving and living – content that gives Barbara one of her best albums ever! CD

A classic album by this righteous soul collective – and one that shows them taking a strong step away from their work at RCA with Harvey Fuqua. This one has the group (ever-enormous as always!) absorbing some of the other elements of modern soul that were floating around at the time – and they make a nice mark for themselves on the album's mix of ballad tracks and uptempo numbers. Titles include "Blind Man", "Blind Baby", "Dream Merchant", "Forever", "I Remember Well", and "Granddaddy" LP, Vinyl record album

A 70s ensemble funk classic from Sound Experience – one of the tightest large groups of the time! The group have a really full sound that's part Kool & The Gang and part horn-heavy BT Express – one that uses some really great work on sax, trumpet, and trombone – laid out over some tighter snapping rhythms that really come off wonderfully! The title tune on the set is worth the price of admission alone – as it's a mad-riffing funky tune with funky guitar and clavinet riffing away at the bottom, while the rest of the group goes mad over the top! And although the set was recorded at the legendary Sigma Sound studios – with help from a few Philly regulars – it's actually got a sound that's harder hitting and more funk-based than the usual Philly session of the time. Titles include "Boogie Woogie", "Got To Keep On the Move", "He's Looking Good and Moving Fast", "Sha Na Na Na Boom Boom", and "He Don't Really Love You". LP, Vinyl record album

The first full album cut by The Trammps – and a landmark bit of Philly club sounds! The group had already been grooving the burgeoning east coast disco scene for years, which is why the album's called The Legendary Zing Album (the group's version of "Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart" was a big early hit, and supposedly led people to ask for a "Zing" album.) The whole thing's got a massive Harris-Baker-Young sound – with that sweet groove that the trio were pioneering in Philly, a mixture of small combo grooving with strings added in at just the right points. The Trammps themselves add in some great harmonies – never overwhelmed by the full sound of the grooves, singing very much in a Spinners mode on cuts like "Pray All You Sinners", "Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart", "Rubber Band", and "Hold Back The Night". The album also features two great instrumentals – "Tom's Song" and "Penguin At The Big Apple" – both of which have that sweeeeet Norman Harris guitar! CD

The first full album cut by The Trammps – and a landmark bit of Philly club sounds! The group had already been grooving the burgeoning east coast disco scene for years, which is why the album's called The Legendary Zing Album (the group's version of "Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart" was a big early hit, and supposedly led people to ask for a "Zing" album.) The whole thing's got a massive Harris-Baker-Young sound – with that sweet groove that the trio were pioneering in Philly, a mixture of small combo grooving with strings added in at just the right points. The Trammps themselves add in some great harmonies – never overwhelmed by the full sound of the grooves, singing very much in a Spinners mode on cuts like "Pray All You Sinners", "Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart", "Rubber Band", and "Hold Back The Night". The album also features two great instrumentals – "Tom's Song" and "Penguin At The Big Apple" – both of which have that sweeeeet Norman Harris guitar! LP, Vinyl record album

One of Airto's best albums ever – and one that we never tire of hearing! There's a sublime quality here that steps perfectly right off of the percussionist's groundbreaking work with Quarteto Novo! Airto's joined on this set by Hermeto Pascoal – also from the Quarteto Novo group – as well as wife Flora Purim, bassist Ron Carter, and the always-great Sivuca – who plays guitar on the record. There's a swirling blend of jazz, Brazilian rhythms, and free-thinking soul to the set – one that's never been captured so perfectly on other Airto albums – and which has a lean, clean sound that's simply beautiful. The overall sound is quite rootsy, without many fusion touches at all – and Hermeto's reed work really brings in a great edge to the whole session – one that makes the album differ a bit from much of the other Airto/Flora work of the time. Titles include a classic take on the tune "Bebe", plus "Andei", "Mixing (Misturada)", "The Tunnel", and "Frevo". CD

Easily one of the greatest records that Brazilian percussionist Airto ever recorded – a stunning blend roots and jazzy currents, and a set that follows strongly off his work in the group Quarteto Novo! The set's got contributions from one of his key partners in that combo – reedman Hermeto Pascoal – and like Pascoal's material at this point, the whole thing is maybe one of the most perfect realizations of the musical vision that Airto was going for! There's none of the tighter, more polished sounds of his later fusion years – and this is the record that will show you just why his arrival on the American scene made such big waves at the time. Flora Purim also sings on the record – and titles include "Andei", "On Sonho", Papo Furado", and "O Galho da Rosiera". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest records to ever come from the legendary Ze Records scene – a Bob Blank project that does a great job of mixing up funk, disco, soul, Latin, and even a bit of funky jazz! The rhythms are right up there in classic Ze mode – with lots of percolating August Darnell touches – and vocals on the set are by the mighty Taana Gardner, easily one of the queens of the disco at the time, as well as Chris Wiltshire and Ron Rogers. Instrumentation is live, with horns from James Chance, keyboards from Carlos Franzetti, guitar from Bob Blank, and vibes by "Sugar-Coated Andy". Titles include include "Maladie D'Amour", a nice August Darnell tune – plus "Spooks (disco mix)", "Emile", "Marathon Runner", and "Goin To A Showdown". LP, Vinyl record album

The Buddah soul stable came out in full force for this soundtrack, including Harvy Fuqua, The New Birth, Barbara Mason, and Horace Ott – as well as the little known group Badder Than Evil! They play on the great instrumental track "Hot Wheels", which is the chase theme in the film, and a great sample track! Also includes "Super Shine #9", sung by Sister Goose & the Ducklings, which is a very groovy, goofy, soulful number – plus the tracks "Child Of Tomorrow", "Harlem Dreams", "Child Of Tomorrow", and "Come On & Dream Some Paradise". LP, Vinyl record album

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An early 70s set from Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band – but one that was actually recorded in the mid 60s – a bit before the classic Trout Mask Replica! The set shows Beefheart and the band at their most unbridled – really jamming with bluesy roots, but into the very trippy outer limits – with the Captain on vocals, harmonica, and "first-time musette" – plus Alex St Claire Snoufer and Antennae Jimmy Simmons on guitars, Jerry Handley on bass, and Drumbo on drums. Titles include "Tarotplane", "Kandy Korn", "25th Century Quaker", and "Mirror Man". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant mix of soul and jazz from the legendary Norman Connors – a key album in breaking Norman out back in the 70s – and a record that's still pretty darn perfect all these many years later! You can hear Connors' deep roots throughout the set – but they're often used towards a more sophisticated soul agenda, too – blending in elements of jazz vocals and modern R&B, at a level that so many other artists would copy in years to come – but which Norman virtually helped invent with this landmark album! There's some mellow moments on the record that are every bit as wonderful as the funky ones – some laidback tracks that feature sublime vocals from Jean Carn, pre-Philly – and which also really introduce the soul side of Michael Henderson – an artist who most folks had previously known as a bass player. Connors mixes the funky and the smooth at a level that rivals the best Roy Ayers material of the same time – and titles include the massive hit "Valentine Love" – plus "Saturday Night Special", "Kwasi", "Dindi", "Akia", "Skin Diver", and a sweet version of "Maiden Voyage"! CD features bonus 7" mixes of "Saturday Night Special" and "Valentine Love". CD

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Always-great work from the 5th Dimension – one of their biggest albums ever, built around the group's hit version of "Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In", and featuring some other psychedelic pop soul gems like "Sunshine Of Your Love", "Blowing Away", "The Hideaway", "The Winds of Heaven", and "Working On A Grooving Thing". Also includes the excellent "Wedding Bell Blues" – one of the greatest songs of all time! CD features a bonus track – "Chissa Se Tornera" – never issued in the US before! CD

The fab first album from the 5th Dimension – and as groovy a batch of pop soul harmonies as you'll ever hope to find! Jimmy Webb is already at the helm on this one – arranging and conducting the group with his heavenly 60s pop approach – all produced to perfection by the amazing Bones Howe! The record soars to the top with the hit "Up Up & Away", and features many other great numbers –lesser-known, but really wonderful gems like "California My Way", "Another Day Another Heartache", "Pattern People", "Rosecrans Blvd", "Learn How To Fly", and the group's great cover of Tim Hardin's "Misty Roses"! CD also features 3 bonus tracks – "Too Poor To Die", "Train Keep On Movin", and "I'll Be Lovin You Forever". CD

25 tracks! CD

Killer work by this fab Chicago soul group – a bunch of young kids, ala The Jackson Five, with sweet soul sound that actually predates the work of Jermaine and Michael and Tito, and which paved the way for countless 70s groups to come! The Five Stairsteps were first discovered by Curtis Mayfield – who wrote and produced a number of tracks on the set – but they had a strength of their own (thanks in part to a young Keni Burke, who was in the group), and continued to grow over the years, changing their sound to fit their expanding ages, and the changing material they needed to cope with the growth in soul in the early 70s. The set's filled with classics – including the super-huge hit "Ooh Child", plus "The Girl I Love", "Behind Curtains", "Come Back", "World Of Fantasy", "You Waited Too Long", "We Must Be in Love", "Oooh, Baby Baby", "Don't Waste Your Time", "Something's Missing", and the break-heavy "Don't Change Your Love". CD

Great stuff from Edwin Hawkins – as much of a soul album as it is a gospel set – but that's no surprise, given how important the Hawkins sound was to skirting both genres! The album was arranged and conducted by Johnny Harris – who gives it a great undercurrent of grooviness that mixes perfectly with the righteous Hawkins style of vocals. And in a way, the album's almost the best of Hawkins' recordings from the time – as it moves past the cliches of his hits, and into a cool groove that almost has a Donny Hathaway feel at times. Titles include "Some Kind Of Friend", "Jubilation", "You Can't Please Everybody", "Precious Memories", "New World", "Do My Thing", "Someday", and "Do It Today". LP, Vinyl record album

Michael Henderson definitely does it all here – mixing jazz and soul and funk with his own strong sense of personality – all at a level that's head and shoulders above most of his contemporaries! Henderson's that rare breed in soul music – part of an elite 70s lineup who were rooted in jazz, able to sing soul, and yet still keep all the depth of their roots in their grooves! At times, Henderson sings with the poise and class of a jazz vocalist – at others, he's got the sensual slink of a R&B giant – always amidst instrumentation that goes way past the obvious, and avoids any of the commercial cliches that were plaguing mainstream soul at the time. There's a really timeless feel to the record – the sort that's kept Henderson at the top of the hip soul stacks for years – and titles include "Wait Until The Rain", "In The Summertime", "Riding", "To Be Loved", "I Do It All", and "Playing On The Real Thing". LP, Vinyl record album

Massive work from Michael Henderson – exactly the kind of record we point to when people ask us what all the fuss is about! Michael perfectly blends funky jazz, mellow fusion, and his own warm style of vocals here – in a sophisticated mix that puts him right at the top of the 70s intelligentsia of soul – with artists like Roy Ayers or Norman Connors – the latter of whom gave Henderson his start as a singer! Yet the album's definitely Michael's own – filled with beautiful original compositions that take his work on bass as their starting point, but move into a sublime array of jazzy elements shaped to suit the spirit of each tune. Titles include the classic mellow stepper "Let Me Love You" – plus other great tracks "I Can't Help It", "Won't You Be Mine", "Whip It", "Goin Places", and "I'll Be Understanding". LP, Vinyl record album

Think what you want about Lena Horne – but this is a plenty darn groovy album! Sure, Lena's style is usually a bit classy and uptown – almost so much so that we don't really dig most of her records. But here, she's working in a very groovy style – paired with the great guitarist Gabor Szabo, in a set of sweetly swinging tunes that share many touches with Gabor's grooviest sides for Impulse and Skey in the 60s! Gabor produced and arranged with Gary McFarland – and the pair really transform the sound of Lena's voice, taking her normally-poised vocals and loosening them up with a subtly funky undercurrent. Richard Tee plays some great organ on the set, in a small combo that also includes Grady Tate and Chuck Rainey – and titles include a lot of Beatles covers – like "Rocky Raccoon", "Fool On The Hill", and "In My Life" – plus the cuts "Nightwind", "Watch What Happens", and "My Mood Is You". LP, Vinyl record album

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A wonderful mid 70s set from Gladys Knight & The Pips – a soundtrack date written and produced by Curtis Mayfield, who really helps bring a lot of depth to their music! Curtis really helps Knight and the group get out of some of their hit cliches of the 70s, and find some hipper space for the setting of the film – a mixture of some of the mellower tracks that Gladys' always sparkles on, mixed with some badder-stepping numbers that further deepen the groove – and which has kept the album alive over the years, thanks to some key hip hop samples. Tracks include the sublime "The Makings Of You", plus "Mr Welfare Man", "To Be Invisible", "Claudine Theme", "On and On", and "Hold On". LP, Vinyl record album

Rock-solid Buddah work from Gladys Knight & The Pips – still pretty righteous on the vocal tip, but often a bit fuller and more polished than before! Knight shows a great talent for a mature ballad here – no big hits, but that's part of the charm of the set – as there's a personal, intimate quality to the tunes that also comes from the less-familiar nature of the lyrics. A few more tunes get a bit uptempo – to be expected when Tony Camillo's helping with production and arrangements – and the album features the great sample cut "Don't Burn Down The Bridge", plus the tracks "I Feel A Song", "Seconds", "Love Finds Its Own Way", "Better Go Your Way", "The Goings Up & The Comings Down", "Tenderness Is His Way", and "The Need To Be". LP, Vinyl record album

A pivotal album for Gladys Knight and group – as the record features their super-huge hit "The Midnight Train To Georgia", a landmark track that not only had a catchy pop hook, but which spoke volumes about African-American migration in the postwar years. The track's one of those you've heard a million times, but it's got a strength that still holds up tremendously. Part of this is due to great production work by Tony Camillo – who handled arrangements and studio work on about half the tracks – and part is due to Jim Weatherly, who wrote the song, and about half the others on the album. The whole album's great – one of the best Buddah Records moments for the group – and titles include "I've Got To Use My Imagination", "Window Raising Granny", "Where Peaceful Waters Flow", "Once In A Lifetime Thing", "Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me", and "Storms Of Trouble Times". LP, Vinyl record album

After hitting big as a singer on the soundtrack for Claudine, Gladys Knight finally got her chance in front of the camera for Pipe Dreams – a record that featured her both as the star on film and on the soundtrack! The styles here are a bit more wider-ranging than the usual 70s soundtrack of this type – a bit of ballad soul, mellow numbers, and more – arranged by Dominic Frontiere and Michael Masser in styles that are a bit like some of Knight's own albums of the time. We like especially the jazzy vocalesey number "Pot Of Jazz", a nice number that deserves further discovery on a compilation – and other cuts include "Find A Way", "Follow My Dreams", "So Sad The Song", and "Alaskan Pipeline". LP, Vinyl record album

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A pivotal album for Barbara Mason – one in which she takes the little girl soul sound of earlier albums, and turns it into a sophisticated range of emotions that foreshadows later Philly work by singers like Jean Carn and Phyllis Hyman! Despite the Philly arrangements by Ronnie Baker, Norman Harris, and Vince Montana, there's actually a bit of a southern twinge to the record – an aspect that works nicely on the ballad cuts, which have kind of an Ann Sexton or Shirley Brown feel to them – sophisticated female soul at its best, and a real change overall for Barbara. Features the uptempo extended political cut "World War Three", plus "All in Love is Fair", "Bed and Board", "Caught in The Middle", "I Miss You Gordon", and "Me & Mr. Jones", her cover of the Billy Paul hit, and a nice version too! LP, Vinyl record album

The vocals of Melba Moore, and some great Philly soul rhythms – put together with tight arrangements from McFadden & Whitehead, who give Moore a similar approach to some of the best Philadelphia International records of the time! There's a really nice sense of balance to the record – some mellower moments mixed in with the groovers, and a few stepping midtempo numbers that are especially nice – and which seem to unlock a depth and maturity in Melba's vocals we can really appreciate. Titles include "Living Freee", "You Are My River". "Standing Right Here", "Just Another Link", "Is This The End", "Promised Land" and "I Don't Know No One Else To Turn To". LP, Vinyl record album

A real stormer from Melba Moore – brilliantly-arranged dancefloor soul with beautiful lead vocals by Melba – on one of her best records of the 70s! Melba is straight-up amazing here, bringing genuine soul to feverish dancefloor gems and otherwise soaring numbers. This Is It was produced and arranged by Van McCoy, who was at the peak of his disco-era popularity at the time. We'd call this work here on Melba's record a creative peak for Van – even though if it didn't break Melba out in a big way commercially at the time. It includes the McCoy-penned should-be classic "This Is It", plus "Free", "Stay A While", a sweet cover of Curtis Mayfield's "Make Me Believe In You", "Lean On Me" (one of the greater showpieces for Melba's incredible voice), "Blood Red Roses", "Brand New" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A masterpiece of early Detroit disco – the debut album by Sins of Satan, and a club classic all the way through! The group have a great sound that really belies their Motor City roots – one that's not afraid to use heavier guitars and funkier elements, but which also rolls along in a tight clubby groove that's equal part disco and equal parts ensemble funk. Jimmy Roach is the main main behind the production and arrangements on the set – and he's got a great little touch that brings in some moogy bits from time to time, and which knows just the right point to chill out. The album's actually got two totally great mellow cuts – the spacey "Sunshine Girl" and harmony soul "Autumn" – alongside the hard-rolling groovers "Dance & Free Your Mind", "Rope-a-Dope", "Heavy Traffic", and "Devil's Disco". LP, Vinyl record album

Totally great – and a record you probably know nothing about! The album's one of the greatest ever to come out of the Hotlanta scene of the 70s – a tight batch of funk tracks with a heck of a lot of guitar. The set was produced by Tommy Stewart, of "Bump and Hustle" fame – and it's got an unusual style that's equally appealing to fans of funk, and fans of clubbier music – lots of tight playing, hard riffing, and longer grooves that soar along with impeccable grace. The whole thing's almost like the classic Wood Brass & Steel album – but with some rougher edges that make it even better! Includes the great tracks "Vine City" and "Messin Around", both of which are very long funk tracks, plus shorter cuts that are just as funky, like "Down Underground", "Freddie's Alive and Well", and "Buttermilk Bottom". Don't pass this up, it's a funky monster classic! This CD version includes a bonus 7-inch edit of "Buttermilk Bottom". CD

The lasting recorded legacy of Jimmy Walker – and material that shows a much sharper, much smarter side of his personality than his character on Good Times! Walker's got a fast-talking, bad-rapping approach that's definitely rooted in the party record scene of the 60s – yet which is also turned here to deliver a bit more social commentary – maybe a bit of Bill Cosby wit filtered in to clean things up, as Walker turns his talents to 70s society on both sides of the tracks. Plenty of great stuff to sample here, including "The Black Prince Has Arrived" and "Show Biz", a good bit on blacksploitation films – and other titles include "The Apollo", "Suburbia", "Caucasians & Other White Folks", and "The Ghetto". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent compilation of lost soul put out by Buddah – featuring a bunch of obscure artists from the early seventies – presented here as "classmates" in the next wave of soul! Tony Lammar sings "It's Too Late" and "I'd Do Anything"; Timothy Wilson is produced by George Kerr on "Baby, Baby, Please" and "Say It Again"; Henry Lumpin is produced by Lou Courtney on "Soul Is Taking Over" and "If I Could Make Magic"; and Clarence "Papa" Burke produced Mama & Papa Stairstep on "Windows Of The World" and "I Remember You", and his kids on "Million To One" and "Something's Missing". Very nice – and like finding a pile of great lost singles! LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "El Cemento", "Oda A Canario", "Plim Plim", "Nostalgia", "Despedida", "Alma De Criollo", and "Ay Que Rica Es". CD

... CD

A surprisingly great little album! The set's an all-instrumental session – featuring Goldberg on organ, with backing by great players that include Billy Butler and Eric Gale on guitar, Seldon Powell on sax, Wilbur Bascomb on trumpet, and Jimmy Johnson on drums. Most cuts have a burning kind of southern soul approach – sounding almost like Memphis instrumentals from the Stax side of the spectrum – and titles include "Tell Mama", "Turn On Your Love Light", "Honky Tonk", "Soul Man", "Sittin In Circles", "Bo Diddley", and "I Got A Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

Lionel Hampton with trumpeters Cat Anderson, Joe Newman and Doc Cheatham; tenor Arnett Cobb, baritone Pepper Adams, alto Earle Warren and pianist Teddy Wilson CD

A mix of 80s groove and mellower material from Michael Henderson – a sweet extension of the jazzy soul he first laid out in the 70s! The style here is a bit more electric and contemporary than before – less of the deeper, warmer tones – and a bit more synth drums and keyboards. But Henderson's mature, sophisticated approach to soul still holds it all together nicely – hitting its best vibe on the mellower cuts, which still let Michael's wonderful voice find some of its best notes. Titles include the great spacey stepper "Assault With A Friendly Weapon", plus "Love Will Find A Way", "Fickle", "Thin Walls", "You Wouldn't Have To Work At All", "Feeling Like Myself Once Again", and "Whip It", which was previously released, but makes a reappearance here. LP, Vinyl record album

Far and away our favorite album by Phyllis Hyman – her first, and with lots of the same smooth jazzy soul touches you'd find in her work with Norman Connors! Phyllis is still as sophisticated as she is on later albums, but there's a bit freer style to the record – and Phyllis breaks a bit from her normally restrained classy sound, into one that opens up a bit more emotionally – really soaring out here in a way that's quite different than later hits, with a vibrancy that still makes this album our favorite Hyman effort after all these years. Arrangements are by Onaje Allen Gumbs and Jerry Peters – and the album features the sublime jazzy groover "Children Of The World", which would sound great next to any Roy Ayers cut of the time! Other tracks include "Loving You Losing You", "One Thing On My Mind", "No One Can Love You More" and "Beautiful Man Of Mine". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... CD

A wild cut from the great Joey Pastrana – a Latin leader that most folks remember from the boogaloo and early salsa years – but who steps out here with a sweetly electric groove from the 80s! In a way, the cut's similar to the shift that Joe Bataan made at Salsoul during the decade – picking up strong currents from 80s club and even an influence from hip hop – as Joey calls out at the start of the track in a great way, before sliding into a warmer soul vocal! 12-inch, Vinyl record

... CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A great little soul album from this obscure west coast trio – a really wonderful group with two male singers and one girl – coming together here in a mix of sweet harmony numbers and upbeat groovers! Norman Connors produced, and he gives the group a really great sound on the set – really a cut above the usual act of this nature, almost with the deeper spirit of his own productions, or his work with Aquarian Dream – especially on the groovers and funky numbers! The title cut, "Sharing", is a great mellow number with a sweet soul feel – and the album's got another excellent cut called "Newsroom", which is a groover that sounds like it should be a theme song to a 70s sitcom about a TV news show – a recommendation that's tops in our book. Other tracks include "Kiss Away", "Back Here Again", "Last Night", "Pretty Girls", and "Snake Woman". LP, Vinyl record album