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A massive collection of work from Sister Sledge – a Philly quartet who were able to take an older version of female group soul deep into the disco years – then keep on making great music well into the 80s! The hits of the group are certainly well-known, but they've got a rock-solid approach that always makes their full albums worth digging into – really wonderful records that are heavy on classic Philly soul production at the start, then continue to move past the sorts of disco cliches that so many other female 70s acts got stuck on – as you'll hear in this batch of music that moves all the way up through 1985, and still has the group sounding great! The package adds in some great bonus material too, for a total of 97 tracks – and albums include Circle Of Love, Together, We Are Family, Love Somebody Today, All American Girls, Sisters, Betcha Say That To All The Girls, and When The Girls Meet The Boys. CD

Cerrone's definitely got the Golden Touch here – grooving long and strong, with that mix of cosmic club and warmer disco that made his 70s music so great! The album's a masterpiece all the way through – driven by great percussion from the maestro, and swirled up into a heavenly mix at the legendary Trident studios – with some mighty sweet keyboards that really make the whole thing sparkle! There's a nice undercurrent of fuzz at points, too – hinting at French club to come – and the whole thing's a wonderful standard-setting record that really earns all the accolades it's gotten over the years. Titles include the long funky version of "Rocket In The Pocket" – plus "Je Suis Music", "Look For Love", and "Music Of Life". LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of later albums from the great Ronnie Dyson – both of which show him moving strongly well into the 80s! The first set is a self-stated Phase 2 in Ronnie Dyson's career – one that has him moving with a bit more confidence than before, and nicely maturing into a sweet 80s sort of sound! Bobby Eli's at the helm, both on production and rhythm arrangements – and the style here is almost a bit more sophisticated than Dyson's earlier work – kind of that Philly Modern that some of Eli's older contemporaries were hitting. There's no standout hits, but the album's got a nice sense of balance because of that – and overall, the instrumentation's more late 70s than some of the thinner 80s commercial modes. Titles include "Now", "Say You Will", "Heart To Heart", "One More Chance For The Fool", and "Even In The Darkest Night". On Brand New Day, Ronnie's a long way from his falsetto soul hits of the early 70s – but he's seriously back on track as a soul artist, thanks to some smooth help from the Ingram family! Butch Ingram produced the album, and the rest of the Ingrams helped out on instruments, vocals, and even some of the songwriting. In fact, this is more of an Ingram record – with a sound that's very much like their work from the same time – than it is a Ronnie Dyson album. Not that that's a problem, though, as the record's a pretty nice batch of 80s groovers that includes the tracks "You Better Be Fierce", "I Gave You All Of Me", "Tender Lovin Care", "Waiting For You", and "All Over Your Face". CD

Two great tracks from Dee Edwards – from a time when the Detroit singer was really getting a chance to shine! "Put The World On Hold" has a sweet lyric over a soaring groove – not entirely clubby, maybe more modern soul overall – with a slightly complex set of changes that really make the tune stand out! "Put Your Love On The Line" has a really cool funky vibe – upbeat club, but with an intensity to the instrumentation, which really seems to bring out the best in Dee's vocals! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Titles include "The Curse Of Baba Yaga", "The Old Castle", "Blues Variation", "Promenade", "The Sage", and "The Gnome". LP, Vinyl record album

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A stunner of a funk album – a must-have for any fan of all things funky! This is the one-and-only record cut by the Fabulous Counts, a version of the Counts before they recorded for Westbound – and nearly every cut is a funky 45-type gem! The group's got a hard and heavy sound that mixed conga grooving at the bottom, guitar jamming in the middle, and lots of funky horns over the top – and the instrumental sound of the record is a non-stop funky party all the way through – all top-shelf material all the way through, with a sound that few other combos can match! The title track is an awesome groover – and the record features lots of other nice ones, like "Dirty Red", "Who's Making Love", "Girl From Kenya', "The Other Thing", "Scrambled Eggs", and "The Bite". CD

Rare work by Garland – recorded away from Chicago, in Philly, at Sigma Sound, with production and songwriting by Bunny Sigler and Phil Hurtt, and arrangements by Norman Harris and Ronnie Baker. The combination of Green's bluesy vocals with a smooth Philly soul approach works very nicely – especially on "Love Is What We Came Here For", a stretched out, very mellow track that we like a lot! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A crossover classic from Stacy Lattisaw – an album that's much more mature than her earlier work, despite the "girl" in the title! The tunes are often slow-building and somewhat emotive – in a way that has Stacy stretching out her vocals a bit more than before as she reaches for deeper themes. A few other numbers are back towards the catchier pop of Lattisaw's start – the kind of back/forth, sing/song tunes that really suit her vocals, and which may still be the strongest suit here. Instrumentation is heavy on keyboards, mostly from Robbie Buchanan – and titles include "Can't Stop Thinking About You", "I'm Not The Same Girl", "Toughen Up", "Together", "I Thought It Took A Little Time", "He's Just Not You", and "Coming Alive". CD

"Funky Music" is a great early tune from Luther Vandross – a soaring clubby number based on the same changes as "Fascination", which he wrote with David Bowie – but done here in a style that's a lot more soulful, and very very groovy! 7-inch, Vinyl record

His first album, and his best! After working as the silent talent on albums by David Bowie, Gregg Diamond, and others – Luther Vandross finally got the chance to cut an album on his own, and it's incredible! The record has a perfect sound – one that verges on disco, but never falls into any of its cliches; touches on mellow soul, but never gets too mellow; and which always goes for the best hook in a song, instead of resorting to trickery. The whole thing's pretty darn great – and the record includes "Funky Music (Is a Part of Me", a remake of the track "Fascination" that he cut with Bowie, plus the tunes "The 2nd Time Around", "Emotion Eyes", "This Strange Feeling", and "It's Good For The Soul (parts 1 & 2)". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic collection of grooves from Mass Production – one of the best of the large funk ensembles to hit the mainstream at the end of the 70s – even though they didn't always get the success they deserved! That doesn't stop these guys from giving their all, though – super-sharp, super-tight instrumentation that comes down on the groove right from the get-go – and which moves with a fast funk energy that's a nice contrast to some of the stiffer, clunkier modes that were floating around at the time! These guys inherit the best impulses of Earth Wind & Fire and Kool & The Gang – and find a way to make their large lineup sound nice and lean, never too overcooked – with shifting vocals that really help keep things interesting throughout. The 3CD package features 45 tracks from their seven year stretch recording for Atlantic/Cotillion Records – and titles include "Sky High", "Groove Me", "Our Thought", "Bopp", "Turn Up The Music", "Diamond Chips", "Inner City", "Sun Dancer", "Victory 83", "Magic", "I Like To Dance", "Welcome To Our World", "Slow Bump", "Time Bomb", "Keep My Heart Together", "Cosmic Lust", "I Believe In Music", "Fun In The Sun", "Just Wanna Make A Dream Come True", "Firecracker", and "Eknuf (inst)". CD

An excellent batch of straight ahead funk from David Fathead Newman! The record's a return to basics after a few more overly-produced sessions – and it features a stripped down quintet with Bernard Purdie on durms, Erick Gale on guitars, Blue Mitchell on trumpet, and Steve Novosel on bass. The overall feel is a bit in the Kudu funky mode – with plenty of electricity in the instrumentation – but Newman's gutsy solos over the top keep the whole thing clean and simple, more in the style of some of the Mainstream small group sessions from the time. Titles include "Blue Caper", "Captain Buckles", "Negus", "The Clincher", and "Joel's Domain". CD

Obscure later work from this girl-watchin group – both sides have a nice funky current, and great raspy vocals! 7-inch, Vinyl record

The second album from Sister Sledge – recorded in Munich with the team of Michael Kunze & Sylvester Levay, the guys behind the big disco hits by Silver Convention – with that tight, bright and bouncing soul groove and sultry group vocals from the sisters! The approach works very well – as girls had those perfectly adaptable vocals that could easily roll with the style of the Munich scene – as they later did to that of Nile Rogers. Great, overlooked early work from team Sledge! Titles include "Moondancer", "Funky Family", "Do The Funky Do", "Hold On To This Feeling", and versions of the Stevie Wonder songs "As" and "I Was Made To Love Her". CD

We couldn't think of a better way to describe the sound of Slave than "stone jam"! The band's got a bass-heavy groove, mixed with a lot of soul, in a style that was often copied by many groups in the 80s, but never equalled. The real strength in the band was their songwriting – always fresh, and never too overindulgent in the funky elements. The vocals are tight and soulful, and the restriction of the of the funky bits makes from some nicely compressed grooves. Steve Arrington's on lead vocals – and tracks include "Watching You", "Never Get Away", "Stone Jam", "Feel My Love", and "Let's Spend Some Time". LP, Vinyl record album

The second part of this famous concert soundtrack recording, and still with lots of essential material – a full side of Jimi Hendrix performances, plus more from Jefferson Airplain, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Melanie, Mountain, Canned Heat, and Butterfield Blues Band – and the audience at the concert singing "Let The Sunshine In" during a rainstorm on Sunday! LP, Vinyl record album

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Two Cotillion classics from Screaming Lord Sutch – back to back on a single CD! First up is Lord Sutch & Heavy Friends – an album that's almost equally well-known for its work by a host of famous guests – including Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, John Bonham, and others! Page is perhaps the most involved here – as he produced the set with Sutch, co-wrote some tracks, and plays some mighty searing guitar – as does Beck, which makes the album almost worth it alone for all the wonderful solos! But Sutch himself is pretty great too – kind of a mish-mash of late 60s nasty camp references, with the same sinister vibe as Kim Fowley – and an equally freewheeling approach to a tune that makes the album a heck of a lot of fun. Titles include "Gutty Guitar", "Flashing Lights", "Wailing Sounds", "Thumping Beat", "Union Jack Car", and "London". Hands Of Jack The Ripper is filled with weird and wild sounds from Screaming Lord Sutch – and a set that has as many "heavy friends" at play as his better-known previous album for Cotillion! As with that set, the vibe here is an odd mix of older beat group styles from mid 60s London, but filtered through a generation that's already bursting out with hard rock, psych, and prog inspiration – which means any nod towards older rock and soul roots come out sounding very offbeat in the end! Players include Ritchie Blackmore on lead guitar, Keith Moon on drums, and Noel Redding on bass – and titles include "Country Club", "Great Balls Of Fire", "Bye Bye Johnny/Johnny B Goode", "Gotta Keep A Rocking", and "Hands Of Jack The Ripper", which is mini-horror movie itself! CD

Heavy dancefloor funk from ADC Band – grooving in a bass-heavy mode that almost seems like a mainstream take on P-Funk – but which also has some really great mellow soul elements on the mellower tunes! There's a great ensemble Detroit groove going on overall – and as an added bonus, soul jazz legend Marcus Belgrave plays trumpet on most of the tracks! Titles include "I Just Want To Hold You", "Stank Machine", "Midnite Creeper", "Talk That Stuff", "ADC Is Back", and "At The Party". LP, Vinyl record album

With the genius "Lucky Man" – plus "The Three Fates", "Knife Edge", "Take A Pebble", and "The Barbarian". LP, Vinyl record album

A windy city hero – the amazing Garland Green, a singer who makes us mighty proud we hail from Chicago! Garland's got an incredible style that few others can touch – partly schooled in the 60s iceman modes of Jerry Butler and Walter Jackson, with all the sophistication that might imply – but also often given a raspier twist, with slightly southern echoes that make Garland's music feel even more deeply personal! And while most folks know Green's big hits for the Uni label, this package shows a rich legacy that goes much father than that – work recorded for labels that include Cotillion, Spring, RCA, Ocean Front, and Revue – in addition to some key Uni tracks. This trans-label set really does a wonderful job of showing the full range of Garland's mighty talents – a sublime set of soul cuts that run from the start of the 70s right up to the early 80s modern years – packaged with detailed notes too. Titles include "Since You've Been Gone", "These Arms", "Just Loving You", "Just My Way Of Loving You", "He Didn't Know", "Don't Think That I'm A Violent Guy", "Love's Calling", "Just What The Doctor Ordered", "Sweet Loving Woman", "Ask Me What You Want", "You Played On A Player", "Don't Let Love Walk Out On Us", and "Sending My Best Wishes". CD