A mysterious bit of group soul from the 70s scene – a record that's full of original material, and delivered in a style that's very much like the best New Jersey and Philly indie sides from the start of the decade! By that, we mean that the group's a little rough around the edges – and we mean that in the best way possible, because the set eschews some of the more commercial styles that were coming up in the big disco year of 1976 – and instead goes for a stripped-down sort of vibe that really lets all the charm of the vocals come through! And although you might guess that the title track is a remake of a tune by the Chi-Lites – it's not, and that cut and most of the others are originals done for the album – titles that include "Like I Do", "Rich Man Alone", "I'm Gonna Be A Star", "When I Met You At The Circus", "Patience", "The Outsider", and "Stone Out Of Your Mind". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest debut albums of all time – a record that hit the world like a comet when it was released, and which will continue to burn brightly for many decades to come! There's few groups who get things so right as Gang Of Four on this set – balancing the sharp edges of UK punk with a deeper political sense – but one that puts its message across in these short, sharp, shocks that are often given an extra punch by some surprisingly strong basslines! The mix of rawness, message, and surprising groove really sets this one apart from the pack – and that includes the work by legions of groups who've tried to imitate it over the years. Tracks include "Ether", "Natural's Not In It", "Not Great Men", "Damaged Goods", "Return The Gift", "Guns Before Butter", "Glass", and "Contract". LP, Vinyl record album

The first, and perhaps the most conventional album by Spanky & Our Gang – but still pretty darn insane! The group are a strange mix of 60s styles – with bits of We Five, bits of Harpers Bizarre, bits of The Association – but a totally strange and totally fun approach to pop that's very much their own. Cuts on the album are a mix of originals and covers – and highlights include the incredible "5 Definitions Of Love" by Bob Dorough, "Distance" by Joe Renzetti, "Commercial" by the band, and the track "It Ain't Necessarily Bird Avenue". Great groovy stuff – and with arrangements by Renzetti, Dorough, and Stuart Scharf. LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet set that's part of a big early 80s run from Kool & The Gang – a time that saw the funk legends really hitting the mainstream, and winning over a huge new audience in the process! Given that the Gang virtually invented ensemble funk at the start of the 70s, they're perfectly poised here to move into modes that so many of their younger competition were trying – but never did so well – that blend of 80s elements and more sharply-fused funk instrumentation, all honed down into a tightly snapping groove. The real surprise, though, is the group's growing ability for ballads – which put records like this into hands of folks who never would have dug their funk a few years before. And while we might have had a few problems with that shift at the time, the passage of years has got the whole thing sounding pretty darn great to our ears – especially in comparison to so much weaker work from the time. Titles include "In The Heart", "Joanna", "Tonight", "Straight Ahead", "September Love", "You Can Do It", and "Home Is Where The Heart Is". LP, Vinyl record album

The "showdown...all the way live between the Sugarhill gang and the Furious Five". A nice early Furious Five cut that someone has sampled recently. And while were not the biggest Sugarhill Gang fans, they do alright on this cut with the Furious Five, who we suspect actually wrote the Sugarhill Gang's rhymes on this one. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Amazing work from Kool & The Gang – from a period when they were pushing past their tight early funky sound, into a super-dope mix of electronics and spacey jamming that is still pretty darn revolutionary today! Although you might think the album would be a bit disco by the date, it's not – and instead has the group moving more towards a style of cosmic righteousness that was undoubtedly influenced by the early work (and success) of Earth, Wind, & Fire. The album has a few live cuts - including an amazing 8 minute long live version of "Summer Madness", with an extended keyboard solo that's just great! Other titles include "Cosmic Energy", "Do It Right Now", "Universal Sound", and a remake of "Hollywood Swinging". LP, Vinyl record album

A pivotal album from Kool & The Gang – a record that pushes the group past their roots as a funky 45 combo, and into larger, more righteous territory overall! There's some nicely spiritual vibes running through the set – almost as if they borrowed a bit of energy from Earth Wind & Fire, while still hanging onto the core of their own funky groove – a style that's maybe summed up best on the album's killer cut "Little Children" – a very righteous jazzy soul number that's been sampled to great use, and one that introduced a great mellow sound for the group! The whole set's great, though – and other tracks include the dancefloor classic "Open Sesame", plus "Super Band", "Gift Of Love", "Whisper Softly", "Love", and "Sunshine". LP, Vinyl record album

A dream of a record from Crown Heights Affair – the group's classic first set, and maybe as fine a batch of early club work you could ever hope to find! Like so many of the east coast acts at the start of the disco generation, these guys are a well-trained funk ensemble, playing at a faster clip for the new dancefloor sound – which means that at the core, they've still got some fantastic instrumentation – and a groove that rivals their bigger contemporaries, like Kool & The Gang, Fatback, or BT Express! The drums are fantastic, the basslines nice and subtle, the horns used with some real grace – and there's also some really cool moog solos on the best numbers – which really makes the album a treat. Titles include both disco and vocal versions of their hit "Dreaming A Dream" – plus the tracks "I Am Me", "You Smiled", "Foxy", "I Am Me", "Feeling Tall", "Every Beat Of My Heart", "Na Na Hey Hey", and "Picture Show". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes "Join My Gang", "You Don't Know What's Right, You Don't Know What's Wrong", "10-5-60", "And She Rides", and "Born To Believe In You". LP, Vinyl record album

Features selections by Talking Heads, Peter Gabriel, Time, Gang Of Four, Laurie Anderson, Ramones, Roxy Music, Pretenders, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

Mixed compilation featuring tracks by Andrea True Connection, Salsoul Orchestra, Ritchie Family, Gwen McCrae, Kool & The Gang, Walter Murphy, KC & The Sunshine Band, George McCrae, Crown Heights Affair, Flash Cadillac & The Continental Kids, and Ecstasy Passion & Pain. LP, Vinyl record album

Hammering stuff! This is one of the hardest of the Goldmine compilations – with a heavy-duty garagey mix of soul, R&B, and beat-heavy tunes that fit perfectly together. The overall sound is super-mod, with the kind of grooves you'd expect to find at some wonderful underground party in London during the late 60s – where original soulboys are dancing all night long to a color-blind mix of storming chunes. Titles include "The Snake" by Al Wilson, "Jump & Dance" by Carnaby, "Exus Trek" by Luther Ingram, "Alligator Boogaloo" by Sandy Nelson, "These Boots Were Made For Walkin" by The Happy Cats, "Charley" by The Soul Runners, "Coffee Pot 2" by Bo Junior, "Crawling Up A Hill" by John Mayall, "Wobble Legs" by Tommy Dark, "Chain Gang" by The Powerhouse, and "Baby You Got It" by The Truth. 20 cuts in all – and all hardcore! LP, Vinyl record album

The third album from Black Heat – and quite possibly the funkiest of the bunch – thanks to an even tighter sound than before, and lots of emphasis on the bottom of the groove! The group's got a few more members than before, but their sound is somehow even leaner – a really tight approach to ensemble funk that really sits proudly with the best of the Kool & The Gang/Fatback generation – with some sweet Afro-inspired touches as well! The organ on the set is especially nice – played by Johnell Grey, and bubbling up nicely underneath the horns – and the drums from Esco Cromer have a wicked kick too, even on some of the album's mellower cuts. Titles include the killer break cut "Zimba Ku", plus "Questions & Conclusions", "Love", "Prince Duval", "Feel Like A Child", "Keep On Runnin", and a nice funky version of "Drive My Car". LP, Vinyl record album

Funky madness from the legendary Rhythm Makers – a dancefloor combo with a really incredible groove! The group has an approach that's a lot like Kool & The Gang at their best, or like some of the best mid 70s albums by the Kay Gees or Fatback – lots of bass at the bottom, very tight vamping by the band, and a wikki-wikki funky sound that's totally great! Many of the tracks on the set make good use of moog or keyboards – never too much, but just the right dose to spook things up a bit – and although many of the cuts have vocals, the overall focus is still in the instrumentation – which always comes across pretty darn great, and which is played with incredible precision throughout! The combo later morphed into GQ, but they've got a much rawer sound here – and titles include "Can You Feel It (parts 1 & 2)", "You Better Believe It", "Soul On Your Side", "Zone", "Funk N You", and "Street Dreamin". LP, Vinyl record album

And a disco party it is – with 14 groovers from the TK/Marlin catalog, featuring some of the best Miami groovers of the mid to late 70s! Titles include "Gimme Some" by Jimmy Bo Horne, "Do Ya Wanna Get Funky With Me" by Peter Brown, "Rock Your Baby" by George McCrae, "Love Chant" by Eli's Second Coming, "Get Down Tonight" by Kool & The Gang, "Get Off Your Ahh & Dance" by Foxy, "Do What You Wanna Do" by T Connection, "Superman" by Celi Bee & The Buzzy Bunch, "Where Is The Love" by Betty Wright, and "Calypso Breakdown" by Ralph MacDonald. LP, Vinyl record album

Freeze is a wonderful set from Junie – a record that has all the offbeat funk he was crafting with the Ohio Players during their Westbound years – and the same sort of heady sound that would make Morrison a perfect match with the P-Funk empire! The record contains the legendary track "Granny's Funky Rolls Royce", which features a meeting between the Funky Granny (a near folklorish character from the early 70s, who'd appeared on records by Kool & The Gang and Ohio Players) and an alien, who tells urges to "buy this record, buy this record, buy this record" in a very silly voice! The funky comedy of this track is nicely matched by a range of other odd numbers and straighter soul cuts – and titles include "Freeze", "Super J", "Musical Son", "Junie II", "World of Woe", and "Cookies Will Get You". LP, Vinyl record album

Mega-hit material from KC & The Sunshine band – an album issued firmly into the disco years, but which still had the group hitting hard in their trademark Miami sound! The tracks here are a bit longer and more hook-heavy than before – and represent the kind of material that linked harder Kool & The Gang-styled funk with some of the crossover sounds that Miami was famous for at the time – a sound that was still largely pre-disco in its roots, but which also helped set the crossover scene for so many other groups of the 70s. The set is filled with loads of huge hits – like "Shake Your Booty", "I'm Your Boogie Man", and "Baby I Love You" – and other tracks include "I Like To Do It", "Come On In", and "Let's Go Party". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the forgotten stars of the De-Lite/Vigor Records label of the 70s – a female singer who does a great job here with some nice crossover disco material recorded in Philly! Jeanne's got a vibe that's maybe a bit more down to earth than some of the trashed-up divas trying to jam into the scene – a quality that really sets the album apart, and which works well to balance the more polished arrangements from Bhen Lazaroni. A bit surprise is also the presence of Kool & The Gang – who show up on the final cut, "Stop Look & Listen" – a mellow stepper that has a great laidback east coast vibe! Other titles include "Are You Ready For This", "Come To My Room", "Goodbye Traveler", "Forget That Girl", "Tired Of Writing Songs", "Let's Make Love", and "Do Those Little Things". CD features a bonus 12" version of "Let's Make Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Compilation of tracks produced by Sly & Robbie just as they were getting the Taxi gang started and stepping out as producers in their own right, at the dawn of the Dancehall era. The rhythm tracks are top notch, and in a lot of ways, this is our favorite period for these 2 reggae greats. The set includes both vocal and instrumental numbers, including "Triplet", "Devil Pickney", "Rock Music", "Pure & True", "Fort Augustus", "Sitting & Watching", "Baltimore", "Taxi Connection", "Bang Bang", "Red Hot", "Those Tricks", "Unmetered Taxi" and "VIA Music". LP, Vinyl record album

The moods of Bud Powell are some plenty darn ones – corners of sound that few other players had explored at this point in time – served up here especially well in the album's gentler numbers, which almost seem like evil doppelgangers to some of the more rote cocktail piano of the 50s! Powell's in tremendous form here – opening up with imagination on each new number, but never losing his sense of soul in styles that are too modern or too stiff. Rhythm is from Art Taylor on drums, and either George Duvivier or Percy Heath on bass – and titles include a great version of the Powell standard "Time Was" – plus the tracks "Buttercup", "Fantasy In Blue", "The Best", and "It Never Entered My Mind". Nice David Stone Martin cover too! CD

Boogie, electro, and 80s groove – all sorted out nicely in this killer collection of ultra-rare cuts! As with previous volumes, this edition of Nighttime Lovers shows a side of the 80s that hardly got any play at the time – the more underground work by lesser-known artists, much of which was issued on the bigger labels, but failed to crack the charts! You'll recognize a few familiar names here, but even those are represented by under-discovered corners of their work – and in true early 80s spirit, most tracks here are heavy on beats and keyboards – yet still leave plenty of room for real soul vocals. Titles include "So Delicious" by Point 3 FM, "What Am I Gonna Do" by Streetlife, "Never Gonna Give You Up (12" version)" by Gwendolyn Lassic, "Make It Easy" by Cross-Phyre with Demetrius, "You're My Doll Baby" by Norfolk, "Special Part Of Me (12" version)" by Charles Blackman, "The Same For Me" by California Executives with Ronald Dudley, "Magic Touch" by Gang's Back, "Love I Thought I Never Would Find Love" by James Govan, "Seconds Of Your Love" by Johnny Taylor, and "I Got My Game Plan Working Baby" by Arlene Bailey. CD

Muhammad Ali's in for the biggest fight of the decade – as he tries to knock out tooth decay! Fortunately, he's got some help from famous friends like Frank Sinatra, Richie Havens, Ossie Davis, and Jayne Kennedy – so the going isn't too tough. Supposedly, this is volume 1 of the series – as if the world could have stood for any more volumes! Howard Cosell sits in for some special announcing, too! LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Do Ya Wanna Go Dancin", "Rock Around The Clock", "Let's Make Love Tonight", "Round & Round & Round", "Spirits", "The Little Rock Dancer From Dallas", "Dance With Me", and "Midnight Fever." LP, Vinyl record album

Production by Swizz Beatz, Alchemist, Buckwild, DJ Clue, and Ayatollah, plus guest spots by Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, Angie Stone, and MOP. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A very cool set, with work by players who include Albert Mangelsdorff on trombone, Ack Van Rooyen and Manfred Schoof on trumpets, Gunter Lenz on bass, Wolfgang Dauner on piano, and Rolf Kuhn, Heinz Saur, Gerd Dudek, and Emil Mangelsdorff on saxes! LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful group soul vocals effort from the Persuasions in the early 70s – working in a throwback acapella mode, but still with a fresh feel – thanks to a hip dawn of the 70s sound, and a stripped-down feel that you'd probably have never gotten back in the day! It's amazing how fresh it sounds, even today – each individual voice captured with crystal clarity, and strong genuine emotion – with an honest and real sound that's not overly polished. Wonderful! Titles include "Chain Gang", "Walk On The Wild Side", "Gypsy Woman", "Another Night With The Boys", "Let It Be", "Don't It Make You Want To Go Home", and "The Sun". LP, Vinyl record album

A dream of a record from Crown Heights Affair – the group's classic first set, and maybe as fine a batch of early club work you could ever hope to find! Like so many of the east coast acts at the start of the disco generation, these guys are a well-trained funk ensemble, playing at a faster clip for the new dancefloor sound – which means that at the core, they've still got some fantastic instrumentation – and a groove that rivals their bigger contemporaries, like Kool & The Gang, Fatback, or BT Express! The drums are fantastic, the basslines nice and subtle, the horns used with some real grace – and there's also some really cool moog solos on the best numbers – which really makes the album a treat. Titles include both disco and vocal versions of their hit "Dreaming A Dream" – plus the tracks "I Am Me", "You Smiled", "Foxy", "I Am Me", "Feeling Tall", "Every Beat Of My Heart", "Na Na Hey Hey", and "Picture Show". LP, Vinyl record album

Cube's anger goes full throttle on his second post NWA full-length. He takes every aspect of his social commentator standpoints to another level from his solo debut – the roles of the angry and educated leader, and the finger-pointing blamer each get their say here, and so do those furiously funky Lench Mob beats. One of the last great gangsta era records to be so propulsive and exciting – Dre's Chronic was waiting just around the corner to haze this sound out of the picture for good. Quite tough to find on wax in it's original pressing – includes "Givin Up The Nappy Dug Out", "The Funeral", "Wrong Ni**a To –- Wit", "My Summer Vacation", "No Vaseline" and "Steady Mobbin". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual session for Robin Kenyatta – featuring the leader on alto and flute, plus Wolfgang Dauner on clavinet and piano, Arild Andersen on bass, and Fred Braceful on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

One of Lalo Schifrin's first, and rarest soundtracks – and a bit more complicated than some of his later work. Given the setting of the film, there's a surprising number of jazzy tunes on here – including some cool easy breezy ones that are in keeping with Schfrin's best mid 60s work. These are also mixed with some more dramatic numbers, and a few tracks that have acoustic guitar playing a gentle lead style, similar to some of the tunes in The Fox. Titles include "Bean Time", "Egg Eating Contest", "Tar Sequence", "Ballad Of Cool Hand Luke", and "Road Gang". LP, Vinyl record album

A really amazing performance from Billy Bang – cut during some of his most creative years on the New York loft jazz scene, at a time when Bang was carving out a rich new space for his instrument in jazz – and helping move forward a very creative generation of musicians as well! The lineup here includes Bilal Abdur Rahman on tenor and soprano sax, William Parker on bass, Rashid Bakr on drums – along with Bang's violin, bells, shaker, and percussion. But almost even more compelling are a few spoken passages from Billy – extremely proud, righteous words, spoken with assurance that really sends them home – and which helps the album stand out strongly in the genre of jazz and spoken word. Not all tracks feature spoken bits, but when they appear, they're great – and titles include "Ganges/Enchantment/Tapestry" and "Black Man's Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A whole gang of mixes of this great commercial house track, from the early 90s, when it seemed as if house was really poised to take over the world. 12-inch, Vinyl record