All the best early years of Stacy Lattisaw – served up in one nice little set! And when we say "early", we mean early – given that Stacy was just in her teens when she sang a good number of the tunes on this collection! But although young, Lattisaw already had a depth that went beyond most of the older soul singers of her time – a mature, deep-voiced way of putting over a tune with a lot more careful balance of emotion than you might expect for such a youthful talent – and the big hit potential of these records really illustrates just how much Stacy could break past familiar girl soul modes, to a point where she was one of the most popular female singers of the 80s. CD features the full albums Young & In Love, Let Me Be Your Angel, With You, Sneakin Out, Sixteen, I'm Not The Same Girl, and her duet album with Johnny Gill, A Perfect Combination. The set also features bonus tracks from singles too! CD

The fantastic first album by Cerrone – a landmark disco record that features the 16 minute long "Love In C Minor" – a swirling bit of strings, beats, and female voices – one of those tunes that forever went onto change the face of dance music in the 70s! Cerrone really set up a whole new blueprint for club here – stretching things out plenty, and layering in subtle time and chord shifts that expose the proggish influences that filtered into French club as the 70s wore on! The title track's got some nice keyboards by the great Alan Hawkshaw – who sounds even better on the album's cool disco version of "Black Is Black" and the tight snare-beat original, "Midnite Lady". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A nice batch of Memphis soul tracks, produced in a sparkling modern vein, with some very nice moments. The title cut's a remake of the Seals & Crofts track "Closer", but the best cuts are the ones written (or co-written) by the great Bettye Crutcher (of Stax fame). These include the great "Can't You See I Love You", plus "Bringing You Love", and "I'm Everything You Need". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Margie Joseph's really hitting on all burners here – thanks to sublime production from Lamont Dozier, working at the height of his mid 70s powers! Joseph's earlier deep soul vocals are given a nice sense of focus and righteous energy from Dozier's production – a fullness that somehow makes her sound almost better than before, with that mix of professionalism and personal presence that Lamont was laying down on his own great albums. Most of the rhythms are in a mellow midtempo mode – never too aimed at the clubs, but nicely picked up and smoothed out a bit from Joseph's earlier work – and sort of given that Detroit "umph" that rose to prominence in the early 70s HDH generation. Titles include "Didn't I Tell You", "Hear The Words Feel The Feeling", "Prophecy", "All Cried Out", "Feeling My Way", "I Get Carried Away", "Why'd You Lie", and "Something To Fall Back On". LP, Vinyl record album

Jean's come a long way from her New Orleans roots on this one – working with singer Premium, and recording with Bobby Eli in a mode that's kind of a Philly moder update on the New York sound. The overall quality of the album's quite polished, but not in that perfect way that Bobby brings to his best work. Titles include "Does It Mean You Love Me", "One On One", "Keep It Comin", "What Are We Waiting For", and "You Got The Papers (But I Got The Man)". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

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

A crisp, but funky set from Sister Sledge – produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic, who also lead the studio band – tight funky soul grooves all the way! After the dizzying heights of We Are Family, there might have been nowhere to go but down commercially, but Love Somebody Today sounds great to our ears. It's really all about an in the pocket groove this time out, without any pop disco cliches but with the same exuberant charms and killer group vocals – and loads of funky dancefloor soul. Sweet! Titles include "Got To Love Somebody", "You Looked Around", "I'm A Good Girl", "Easy Street", "Reach Your Peak", "Pretty Baby", "How To Love" and "Let's Go On Vacation". 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

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

A seminal album from the end of the 60s – the triple-length soundtrack to the legendary Woodstock Festival in 1969 – pulled from all the many hours of material recorded for the film of the event! The set list reads not just like a "who's who" of hipness at the time – but also expands to show just how wide the range of sounds was in the underground – strands that move past the obvious rock material that you might expect, and which have the record standing as a great memory to the time – with maybe more diversity than some of the more monolithic memories! Features work by Canned Heat, Arlo Guthrie, Jimi Hendrix, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Richie Havens, Santana, Ten Years After, The Who, Country Joe & The Fish, Sly & The Family Stone, Joan Baez, Butterfield Blues Band, Joe Cocker, Jefferson Airplane, John B Sebastian – and yes, Sha Na Na. LP, Vinyl record album

The Impressions first album for Cotillion, cut after a great 70s run on Curtom – but one that's done with a sound that still carries on the groove nicely! The more righteous tones of the earlier work are shaken loose a bit, to be replaced by a fuller approach to the music built from arrangements by HB Barnum, Gene Page, and Gil Askey – a bit more LA than Chicago, but with a soaringly soulful quality that almost recalls the sound of The Spinners during their best Philly years. As with that work, the harmonies here are all right on the money, and get plenty of space to sparkle amidst the full strings and tight rhythms – and new group member Nate Evans really brings a deep sense of soul to the group's work. Many tunes were written by the team of Mervin Seals and Melvin Steals – and titles include "I'm A Fool For Love", "Same Old Heartaches", "This Time", "Stardust", "I Need You", and "What Might Have Been". LP, Vinyl record album

Fatback flying like the Phoenix – but hardly rising from the ashes, given that the group's always on top! The sound here is a bit different – slightly leaner than before, but in a good way – with lots of core keyboards from Bill Curtis, who also handles most of the lead vocals – although as with most Fatback sets, there's plenty of sharing on that front with the rest of the group members – a bit of harmony here, a switched lead there – all keeping things nice and fresh! And this time around, there almost seems to be more of a focus on the mellower cuts, which we like a lot – because we've always enjoyed the more laidback numbers tucked in amidst the group's funkier sets – so this album's a real treat, with plenty of mellow and midtempo groovers. Titles include "The Drum Song", "Lover Man", "Call Out My Name", "You've Got That Magic", "Big Brother", "Jump Up Baby Jump Up", and "I Love You So". CD

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

The title's an apt one, as Marion's taking gospel to the sound of "now" – working with arranger/producer Robert Banks, and a musical lineup that includes vibes, organ, and guitar. The overall feel isn't as totally hip as some of her other work, but it's definitely got an Atlantic level of production, taking Marion out of the gospel ghetto. Titles include "Am I A Soldier", "Come On People", "Bad News Bad Times", "Going Home", and "Though Your Sins Be As Scarlet". LP, Vinyl record album