One of a number of similarly titled compilations of tracks that features some of Jerry's finest (and famous) moments for the Vee Jay label. There's more than a few numbers here that have become pretty hard to find on vinyl, and the package doesn't appear to be all that special, the music is outstanding throughout. 12 tracks in all, including "He Will Break You Heart", "For your Precious Love", "Come Back My Love", "A Lonely Soldier", "Find Another Girl", "The Gift Of Love", "Where Do I Turn" and "Couldn't go To Sleep". LP, Vinyl record album

Mellow soul mastery from Norman Connors – compiled from his Buddah and Arista era – and a really top notch set that's full of beautiful songs, and does a great job of documenting his subtly evolving style from the mid 70s to early 80s! Connors is a master of laidback, sultry soul and some of this best work of the period is in this set. It's all in Norman's warm, mellow wheelhouse, but the style does progress in subtle ways over the years – with easygoing sophisticated soul arrangements all with way, but bringing in some spacey keyboard flourishes as the 70s turn into the 80s. Norman's voice leads the way, though, and the titles include "Valentine Love", "You Are My Starship", "Phoenix", "Stella", "Handle Me Gently", "Invitation", "Justify", "You Bring Me Joy", She's Gone", "Stay With Me", "Take It To The Limit", "Butterfly", "Wouldn't You Like To See", "Listen", "Once I've Been There", "Betcha By Golly Wow" and more. 18 in all. CD

Early genius from drummer Norman Connors – a sensational bit of righteous soul jazz – right up there with the best work on Strata East and Black Jazz from the time! The sound here is full, soulful, and spiritual – as Connors heads up a large ensemble that includes luminaries like Herbie Hancock, Eddie Henderson, Gary Bartz, Carlos Garnett, Buster Williams, and Dee Dee Bridgewater – all working together in a formation that's free spirited, yet tightly unified – often at a level that's even stronger than their own recordings! The album mixes a few longer tracks with shorter numbers – in a mode that reminds us a lot of Garnett's classic Black Love album – and titles include "Song For Rosa", "Black Lightnin", "Dark Of Light", "Butterfly Dreams", and "Laughter". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty wild set from Elephants Memory – one that's as trippy as you'd guess from the group's image on the cover – and equally collaborative too! There's a strong mix of male and female vocals here – over guitar and rhythms that move effortlessly between blues rock and psych – all with a pretty loose, freewheeling sense of production – but enough tightness to make some of the chorus moments snap out nicely! Wes Farrell produced, but seems to really let the band do their thing – and in addition to songs written by group members Stan Bronstein, Michal Shapiro, and Richard Sussman – there also seems to be some song contributions from Tony Visconti too. Titles include "Hot Dog Man", "Talkin A Walk", "RIP", "Jungle Gym At The Zoo", "Don't Put Me On Trial No More", "Crossroads Of The Stepping Stones", "Band Of Love", and "Brief Encounter". LP, Vinyl record album

The great Michael Henderson is a hell of a talent in 70s soul – an artist that some folks know for his more way-out work on bass with Miles Davis, or his early vocals with Norman Connors – but also a singer, arranger, and key creative talent – one who followed the same path as Connors, by moving from jazz to super-sophisticated soul! Henderson's music really took shape in the second half of the 70s – which is the territory covered by most of this collection – a great look at the artistic flowering of Henderson on the Buddah label, with a few key collaborations thrown in for good measure too. The 2CD set features 34 tracks in all – all with that wonderful sense of track selection that always makes these Soulmusic.com sets so great – and titles include early tracks recorded with Norman Connors – "You Are My Starship", "Valentine Love", and "We Both Need Each Other" – and duets, with Roberta Flack on "At The Concert", and a post-Connors performance with Phyllis Hyman on "Can't We Fall In Love Again". Other titles include "Time", "Make Me Feel Better", "In The Night Time", "Am I Special", "To Be Loved", "Do It All", "Be My Girl", "Solid", "Treat Me Like A Man", "Stay With Me This Summer", "Whip It", "Goin Places", "Let Me Love You", "Take Me I'm Yours", "Wide Receiver", "Playing On The Real Thing", "Riding", "Reach Out For Me", "Slingshot", "Fickle", "Come To Me", "Geek You Up", "Make Me Feel Like", and "Make It Easy On Yourself". CD

Two great chapters of work from this legendary soul group – one that started out in the late 50s with an R&B vibe, rose to great fame on Motown, then really hit their stride on the material featured on this set! Gladys was always a great singer, but she really seemed to move onto greatness in the 70s – especially on the Buddah Records material that begins this collection – music that has the group moving past familiar group soul modes, to a sophisticated territory that really let Knight become the sort of diva that nobody would have expected a few years before! There's a richness in her voice that's really wonderful – and that continues strongly on the second half, which collects material for Columbia Records – including some great mellow groovers, and even a few hits from later years too. Package features 37 tracks in all – and titles include "The Way We Were/Try To Remember", "On & On", "To Be Invisible", "The Need To Be", "Little Bit Of Love", "The Makings Of You", "Make Yours A Happy Home (alt mix)", "Come Back & Finish What You Started", "Midnight Train To Georgia", "I've Got To Use My Imagination", "Landlord", "Taste Of Bitter Love", "I Will Fight", "Bourgie Bourgie", "Save The Overtime", "Hero", "Kiss Away The Pain", "You're Number One", "Seconds", "Add It Up", "I Will Fight", and "Still Such A Thing". CD

Quite a weird little record – part psychedelia, but with some really rootsy elements – and also some odd use of recorded music as well! The sound here is really mindblowing – experimental and trippy, but never too free or over the top – and the core instrumentation includes lots of fuzzy guitar, organ, and rough percussion – plus additional vocals in parts, and even a bit of sitar as well! The production abstracts some of the sounds nicely, but never too much – and at times a more traditional Japanese style of music lurks in the background, possibly as a brief nod to the Buddha in the title. Most unusually, though, is that the first track on the record features part of a David Axelrod album playing in the background! There's clearly an Axelrod influence going on – both in the structure and sound of the record – although the group also take things very much in their own direction too. Titles include "Shomyo (part 1)", "Flower Strewing", "Prologue", and "Prayer (parts 1 & 2)". LP, Vinyl record album

Although composed by 70s sex-soundtrack genius Pierre Bachelet, this one's mostly a batch of jaunty, jagged little themes, a bit like Nino Rota's work for Fellini, with lots of similar touches. There's one striking number, though – "Ivory Coast Drums" – which has a weird back/forth rhythm approach, a bit of echo on the drums, and a melodic progression that makes the track a nice dark little number. Bachelet sings vocals on the French version of the "Black & White" theme – and other tracks include "The Letter", "The Battle", "Crossing The Rhine", "Fresnoy's Theme", and "La Chanson Des Souliers". LP, Vinyl record album

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A weird and wild fuzzy group – one who do their own tunes, and tripped-out versions of hits – maybe a bit like Vanilla Fudge, although they bring in fuller arrangements on some tunes too! Danny O'Keefe is in the group – and titles include "Jimmy Bell", "Atlas", "How About You", "Hello Hello", "California Dreaming", and "Like A Rolling Stone". LP, Vinyl record album

A masterpiece of mellow soul and jazzy grooves from the groundbreaking Norman Connors – an album that sails to the stars on a sweet blend of mellow moments and more upbeat tracks too! The record features some crucial vocal talents from Michael Henderson and Phyllis Hyman – both relative newcomers here, and making a great transition from jazz to soul with Connors help – hitting this amazing territory that would inform countless other artists in years to come – but never be done again this well! The instrumentation is wonderful, too – schooled in the jazz roots of Connors' music – and featuring Gary Bartz on alto, and both Hubert Eaves and Onaje Allen Gumbs on keyboards. Titles include the seminal title cut "You Are My Starship" – one of the best late night slowjams ever – plus remakes of "The Creator Has a Master Plan" and "Betcha By Golly Wow" – and the cuts "So Much Love", "Just Imagine", and "We Both Need Each Other". LP, Vinyl record album

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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". CD

Wild stuff from the Stairsteps! "Because I Love You" is an incredibly spare track, with male vocals in the lead, and more of a rock-oriented Joe Cocker-ish backing – but it works quite well, and shows that the band's foray into crossover styles had its great moments. The flipside's not nearly as good, though, and has kind of a fake political agenda, and a rock sound that's too rock for us. 7-inch, Vinyl record

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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Obscure mellow midtempo soul on Buddah. The record's got an easy mellow feel that's quite nice and a bit folksy – and Heath has a progressive righteous approach that reminds us a bit of Terry Callier. The songwriting's a bit varied, but the nicest moments have that kind of hip underground sound that makes you happy you still dig through old LPs. 7-inch, Vinyl record

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". CD features bonus tracks – "Do Me (7" version)", "Baby (7" version)", "No One Can Love You More (7" version)", "Loving You Losing You (7" version)", and her version of "Betcha By Golly Wow" with Norman Connors! CD

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A groovy bit of instrumental pop – based on classical themes, but handled in a nice bubble gum style by Kastenetz & Katz! LP, Vinyl record album

By the time she reached the Buddah label, Gladys Knight had already recorded for many years and other labels, but that didn't stop her and The Pips from having an extremely successful run during their stay there – as is evidenced by the great selection of hits on this set! The album includes the super-huge "Midnight Train To Georgia" and "Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me", plus the sophisticated soul reworking of "Try To Remember" mixed with "The Way We Were". Also includes 2 nice Curtis Mayfield cuts – "Make Yours A Happy Home" and "On & On"! LP, Vinyl record album

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

2 early 70s gems from pianist Steve Kuhn – back to back on one CD! First up is his amazing self-titled set for Buddah from 1971 – an incredibly inventive album that takes his earlier modern style, and fuses it with a warmer sort mode for the 70s! The approach is quite unique – in that Kuhn's core trio style is augmented both by additional percussion from Airto, plus occasional string quartet backing – for a sound that's fresh and different on each new tune! Some tracks feature Fender Rhodes, but most are acoustic – and Steve even sings a bit at one point, showing his newly discovered talent for penning a creative lyric. Our favorites are the groovers "The Baby (aka Saharan)" and "Time To Go (aka Tomorrow's Son)" – and the album also features a great version of "Pearlie's Swine (aka The Zoo)". Other tracks include "The Drinking Song", "The Meaning Of Love", and "Silver". Added to that set is another equally brilliant set – one that features all Fender Rhodes throughout, with a combo that includes Steve Swallow on electric bass, Bruce Ditmas on drums, and Sue Evans on percussion – a lineup that's almost similar to Kuhn's Trance album for ECM, as is the sound of this set! The groove's a bit more open and flowing than Trance, though – with more of those wonderfully rolling numbers that were fast earning Kuhn a name at the time – tracks that are a bit modal, but also have their own unique sense of flow, and a sound that's never nearly as outside as Steve's work from a few years before. Titles include "Day Dreaming", "A Change Of Face", "Remembering Tomorrow (aka Ulla)", "Last Tango In Paris", "Life's Backward Glance", and "Trance". CD

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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

Smooth mellow soul by Michael Henderson – taking up where he left off with his work with Norman Connors, and proving that he was an even better vocalist than bassist. The overall sound of this one's perhaps a bit slicker than his first 2 albums on Buddah – but there's still some strong modern soul moments, and good production from the Sigma Sound Studios. The best cuts have a smooth mid-tempo groove – not unlike the modern soul coming out of Philly at the time, and perfectly suited to Henderson's jazzy sensibilities. Titles include "Take Me I'm Yours", "Whisper In My Ear", "Am I Special", "One To One", and "In The Night-Time". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic solo material from the great Peter Hammill – really finding his voice here away from Van Der Graaf Generator – and getting some great help from Robert Fripp on guitar! Titles include "The Birds", "Vision", "Solitude", "Imperial Zeppelin", "Candle", and "Happy". LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks from Phyllis' years at Buddah and Arista – some of her finest work, and most of it an extremely unique blend of smooth jazz and modern R&B, done in a style that many tried to copy over the years. The tracks are produced by the likes of Skip Drinkwater, Mtume, and Chuck Jackson – and titles include "Gonna Make Changes", "You Know How To Love Me", "Under Your Spell", "Somewhere In My Lifetime", "Tonight You & Me", "Betcha By Golly Wow", "Your Move, My Heart", and "The Answer Is You". Liner notes by Nelson George, too! CD

Very obscure work from the great Barbara Mason – a set that has a Buddah Records-era photo of her on the front, but which feels as if was recorded about a decade later – although it's a bit hard to tell, as there's not much detail in the notes! Yet despite that lack, there's some great material here – tracks that really showcase Barbara's maturing vocal approach, with a range that's much stronger than her late 60s hits – as she takes on a few soul tunes by others, redoes some of her classics, and throws in a few new tracks too! Titles include "Don't You Ever Take Your Love Away", "You Got Me Runnin", "People Make The World Go Round", "Feel Like Making Love", "Give Me Your Love", "Easy", "I'm So Proud", and "The Ghetto" – plus two different versions of the tunes "From His Woman To You", "Shackin Up", and "Yes I'm Ready". CD