A Curtis Mayfield double-header – totally great all the way through! Sweet Exorcist is a wonderfully wicked album from Curtis – one that's not nearly as famous as his Superfly set, but which is every bit as great! The groove here is lean, mean, and totally righteous – a bit more stripped-down than some of the rumbling funk of other Curtom efforts, and served up with a fluid groove that makes the album a killer from start to finish! As with Superfly, there's a nice blend here between uptight funky tracks and some more laidback soul – showcasing both sides of the Curtis Mayfield sound of the 70s – the brash society-changing soul, and the mellower, more fragile voice that first came to prominence in The Impressions. Titles alone tell you the vibe of the record – and they include "Ain't Got Time", "To Be Invisible", "Kung Fu", "Suffer", "Power to the People", and "Make Me Believe In You". Got To Find A Way is a great album that's often overlooked amidst the flurry of early 70's releases on Curtom, but which still stands as one of Mayfield's greatest from the 70s! In fact, we'd say that the album's one that we enjoy putting on more than most – because the songs are less familiar, and not nearly as played-out as some of Curtis' bigger hits. The production style's still the same – with plenty of rumbling funky soul, arranged by Rich Tufo in that classic Curtom mode – and you can't beat Curtis' vocals on songs like "Mother's Son", "Love Me (Right In the Pocket)", "A Prayer", and "Ain't No Love Lost". CD features a total of 13 tracks in all – and great notes on the albums! CD

Fantastic! The lost link in the Chicago soul scene of the 60s was Baby Huey – and he was a pretty darn big link too, if you've ever seen him in pictures! Weighing in at about 300 pounds, Baby Huey was sort of a rockin' soul star who played clubs on both sides of the city, to audiences of all types – working in a party-styled blend of funk, rock, and soul that was one of the most powerful grooves going down in the Windy City at the time! Huey sadly passed away at a very young age, leaving only this full album as his legacy – a great batch of hard-hitting soul tracks that are among some of the funkiest work ever recorded for the legendary Curtom label! The set includes Huey's classic version of "Mighty, Mighty", a club favorite from the live shows – plus the excellent Curtis Mayfield tune "Hard Times", famous as an oft-used sample track! Other titles include "A Change Is Going To Come", "California Dreamin", "Running", and "Mama Get Yourself Together". LP, Vinyl record album

Unabashed diva work from Linda Clifford – and a record that brings together the best midtempo soul of her earlier Curtom work, with the stronger, fuller disco groove that she was hitting as her career progressed! The album features some production work by Norman Harris and Curtis Mayfield – both of whom seem to bring out the best in Linda, especially Harris – who could work magic by adding a strong Harris Machine groove to just about any singer. The rest of the tracks feature production by Juergen Koppers – and titles include "King For A Night", "Bailin Out", "Repossessed", "Lonely Night", "Never Gonna Stop", "I Just Wanna", and "Here's My Love". CD features bonus tracks – "King For A Night (12" mix)" and "I Just Wanna (single version)". CD

An amazing record – quite possibly the best ever by Chicago soul legend Leroy Hutson! The whole thing's a smooth soul masterpiece beyond compare – a stunning blend of great songwriting, sexy vocals, and buttery production that rank it up there with the best work of 70s giants like Marvin Gaye, Leon Ware, or Roy Ayers. Leroy's got a voice that's both warm and mellow, yet incredibly honest at the same time – and the songs on the record show a range of colors and emotions that perfectly fit his unique style. Features mellow "Cool Out", the funky "Lucky Fellow", the sweet "All Because Of You", and the sublime cuts "It's Different" and "Can't Stay Away". The whole thing's great – and is one of the crowning achievements of the Chicago soul scene! LP, Vinyl record album

A killer early album by the great Leroy Hutson – the first set that has him stepping out as a true soul genius for the 70s! Hutson had originally been a later member of The Impressions – replacing Curtis Mayfield briefly after he'd gone solo – but he also had spent a fair bit of time working around the Chicago soul studio scene of the late 60s and early 70s, lending his talents to other singers – and this album is kind of a "bustin' out of the studio" album in it's presentation of Hutson's material. The record features a number of great sweet soul cuts – like "Ella Weez" and "Can't Say Enough About Mom" – mixed with nice funky tracks, like "The Ghetto '74", which is a remake of "The Ghetto", a tune that Hutson wrote with Donny Hathaway. The record's a prime example of the genius of Chicago soul in the 70s – with great arrangements that have a lot of space for Leroy's singing, yet still come down hard and nasty in parts, like some of the funkier stuff on Curtom. LP, Vinyl record album

Later Curtom work from The Impressions – but still plenty darn nice, with a super-dope vocal group approach on the best tracks! The title cut is worth the price of admission alone – as it's a slow-stepping harmony tune that really burns with a sweet mellow feel – sung to perfection by a quartet lineup that includes younger singers Ralph Johnson and Reggie Torian working with older Impressions Fred Cash and Sam Gooden. Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy had a good hand in much of the record – bringing it into the warm, sophisti-soul style they were using at the time – and arrangements include some great work by Richard Evans and Rich Tufo. Titles include "Loving Power", "If You Have To Ask", "Sunshine", and "I Can't Wait To See You". LP, Vinyl record album

Pure genius from Curtis Mayfield – and a record that's got all the righteousness and political power you might guess from the cover! The album burns with a sense of empowerment that's every bit the best strength of Curtom in the 70s – a sublime blend of heavy soul, funky undercurrents, and far-reaching arrangements that still always manage to groove! And Curtis' vocals are great too – echoing out with a newfound presence that far surpasses the raspy quality of his early work with The Impressions. Arrangements are by Rich Tufo, production is by Mayfield, and titles include "Future Song" (aka "Future Shock"), "Keep on Trippin", "Can't Say Nothin", "Back To The The World", and "Right On For The Darkness". LP, Vinyl record album

A mindblowing solo set from Curtis Mayfield – a record that not only foregrounds all the subtle politics he'd been forging in the Impressions during the 60s – but one that also really has Mayfield exploding as a force to be reckoned with in the studio! The album's a personal masterpiece – to the career of Curtis what the early solo albums of Issac Hayes were to his own genius – a bold, unfettered statement of pride and power – of the sort that would both make Mayfield and the Curtom Records label forces to be reckoned with in the 70s. Every cut is a classic – and titles include "Move On Up", "If There's a Hell Below We're All Gonna Go", "Miss Black America", "Wild & Free", "Give It Up", "The Makings Of You", "The Other Side Of Town", and "We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

A mindblowing solo set from Curtis Mayfield – a record that not only foregrounds all the subtle politics he'd been forging in the Impressions during the 60s – but one that also really has Mayfield exploding as a force to be reckoned with in the studio! The album's a personal masterpiece – to the career of Curtis what the early solo albums of Issac Hayes were to his own genius – a bold, unfettered statement of pride and power – of the sort that would both make Mayfield and the Curtom Records label forces to be reckoned with in the 70s. Every cut is a classic – and titles include "Move On Up", "If There's a Hell Below We're All Gonna Go", "Miss Black America", "Wild & Free", "Give It Up", "The Makings Of You", "The Other Side Of Town", and "We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite Curtis Mayfield albums ever – a massive early 70s effort that's filled with wonderful songs all the way through, and quite possibly one of the most perfect realization of the righteous vibe of the early 70s Curtom years! Curtis is in fine form throughout – as a singer, composer, and producer – but he's also got some excellent Chicago soul help from arrangers Riley Hampton and Johnny Pate – both key talents on the 60s Windy City scene, still able to come up with a deeply soulful groove here – and both able to blend together strings and funk in the way that Curtis was going for at the time. Titles include the massive "We Got to Have Peace" – a tune that never gets old – plus "Underground", "Keep On Keepin On", "Now You're Gone", "Get Down", "Love To Keep You In Mind", and "Beautiful Brother of Mine". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the last great Curtis Mayfield albums – often overlooked, but essential in any collection of his work! The sound is still very much in the classic Curtom mode, with less of the uptempo and disco groovers that were showing up on some of the other records from the time – and more of the sweetly soulful styles that Curtis was also working on as his 70s career progressed. There's a wonderful sense of Mayfield's persons that comes through on every cut here – the righteous, proud Curtis from the earlier part of the 70s – and the warmer, mature Mayfield that was showing up a bit later on. Titles include the classic groover "Tripping Out" – plus "Never Let Me Go", "Something To Believe In", "It's Alright", and "Never Stop Loving Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Curtis Mayfield's lasting classic – and an album that the world will remember forever! Apart from being his hugely successful entry into the blacksploitation soundtrack field, this album's also a monster set of grooves that includes some of Curtis' funkiest work ever – a record that works as well as a 70s soul album as it does a hip action film score! The track list alone reads as a who's who of 70s funk – filled with gems that include "Pusherman", "Freddie's Dead", "Little Child Runnin' Wild", "Give Me Your Love", and "Superfly" – and the rest of the set is equally great, essential listening throughout! LP, Vinyl record album

A great album by Curtis Mayfield – filled with some excellent lesser-known gems! There's No Place Like America was Curtis' scathing testament to the State Of The Union – and it's got a hip political tone that's right up there with the best of his early 70s songwriting – perhaps even more so, as the message is a bit subtler than on other albums, and laid out in this stoner mellow funk vein that's very tasty throughout, and which makes for an extremely unified album! The album includes a version of the cut "Hard Times", which was done earlier by Baby Huey, plus "Blue Monday People", "Love To The People", and "When Seasons Change". Also includes the great sweet love song, "So In Love"! LP, Vinyl record album

Two of the best numbers from the soundtrack to Let's Do It Again! Curtis Mayfield wrote both tracks – and although you're probably familiar with the funky favorite "Let's Do It Again", you'll also totally dig the spacey soul classic "After Sex"! The cut's got a spare moody feel, a mix of harp and spare guitar, building piano riffing, voices, and very light orchestrations. Incredibly haunting, and it brings back the glory days of the old Cadet Studios scene! 7-inch, Vinyl record

The standout classic from Curtom disco diva Linda Clifford – and an album that showed that Chicago could rival Philly in the clubby groove department! Linda has a proud presence that really matches that of her better-known sisters in the City Of Brotherly Love – and she's singing here with a strong sense of personality that really sets the album apart from other female disco albums of the era. One of the greatest examples of this is her stunning "Runaway Love" – which has a bad-rapping, almost Marlena Shaw-esque monologue in the middle – but other tracks are equally nice, and include "Gypsy Lady", "If My Friends Could See Me Now", "Broadway Gypsy Lady", "You Are You Are", and "I Feel Like Falling In Love Again". Arrangements are by Gil Askey – who also produced the set in collaboration with Curtis Mayfield! CD features the bonus tracks "Runaway Love (12" mix)", "Gypsy Lady (12" mix)", and "If My Friends Could See Me Now (12" mix)". CD

A pair of overlooked gems from singer Ed Townsend – a talent we'd rank right up there with Jesse Belvin or Arthur Prysock in his early years! First up is New In Town – an obscure early session from Ed Townsend – an artist who's perhaps better known as a songwriter of hits for others, and slightly less as a 70s soul singer on Curtom and Casablanca! Yet here, Ed's starting out his career as a mainstream crooner – cast by Capitol as a sepia Sinatra, and even working with arrangements from Frank's Capitol mainstay, Nelson Riddle! There's a bit more drama here than you might hear on a Sinatra album – a slightly deeper range that slides towards more conventional pop vocals of the period – but the whole album's pretty darn compelling, especially the overall package. Titles include "Symphony", "I Am", "New In Town", "Goin My Way", "Till The End Of Time", "Mam'selle", "Do Nothin Till You Hear From Me", and "Lover Come Back To Me". Glad To Be Here is another great album – every bit as wonderful as the first! Orchestrations are by Nelson Riddle, and the album's got a gentle swing that we really enjoy – Ed singing over some lesser known tracks, and bringing a raspy soulfulness to the more familiar ones. Titles include "What's Wrong With Me", "Golden Earrings", "I'm In Love", "Don't Ever Leave Me", and "On The Street Where You Live". CD

A great step forward for the legendary Tim Maia – working here in a style that's even tighter and more sophisticated than before – yet still equally filled with funk and soul! The arrangements are a bit bigger than before, and the production a bit more professional – but that change only brings Tim into even more heavenly soul territory – with a mix of grooves and strings that lays somewhere between the best early 70s work on labels like Curtom or Motown! Tim's got a new sense of majesty on the album – and also sings in English in a few spots – at a level that makes us wonder why he was never able to crack the American soul market at the time. An essential record from the man who brought American soul music to Brazil – with tracks that include "Over Again", "New Love", "O Balanco", "Reu Confesso", "Preciso Ser Amado", "Amores", and "Do Your Thing Behave Yourself". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic music from 9th Creation – an album that was recorded in the early 80s, but never issued at the time – which is a heck of a shame, as it's some of the best work we've ever heard from the group! The album's got a great blend of funk and soul – with a deepening of both the vocal and instrumental arrangements, at a level that really keeps things interesting throughout – and which unlocks these righteous elements in the music that we totally love! There's a fair bit of uptempo tracks, but these are mixed with great mellower moments too – with a vibe that's maybe a bit like the last few Leroy Hutson albums on Curtom – which is mighty fine praise from us. The notes indicate that only cassette copies were made of the sessions, but Past Due have done a wonderful job of bringing the music back to life with surprisingly strong fidelity – and titles include "More & More", "Always Be Lovers", "Let It Shine", "Beautiful Lady", "Music Is My Pen & Paper", and "A Step Ahead". LP, Vinyl record album

Never-heard music from the legendary Rasputin's Stash – a funk group who recorded famously on Atlantic and Curtom in the early 70s, then created this gem of an album that appears here for the first time ever! The quality of the work is fantastic, and even seems better than their Curtom album – as they're still as gritty and funk as before, but have this more complex sense of interplay – both in their instrumentation, and in their vocals, which are filled with all these cool harmonic twists and turns – as if The Notations had teamed up with Curtis Mayfield, to create one of the greatest Chicago funk albums of all time! The group produced the whole thing themselves – and although this one never made it to the history book, it's going right to the top of our list of 70s funk classics. Titles include "Make Up Your Mind", "Tarantula", "Children Of The Lord", "Cool When You Don't Know It", "Paradise", "You've Got To Face It", and "TLC". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing work from The Voices Of East Harlem – a group with roots in gospel, but working here in a wonderfully soaring secular soul style – complete with arrangements and production from the legendary Leroy Hutson! The style here is similar to some of Leroy's best work, and that of his contemporaries on Curtom – a sound that's righteous and often funky, but able to hit some sweeter, warmer notes as well. Individual voices step out from the larger ensemble and take key leads on some tracks – and the overall style is simply mindblowing, at a level that makes us easily rank this as one of our favorite soul albums of all time! A must-have album, and one we've treasured for years – with tracks that include "Just Got To Be Myself", "So Rare", "March Across This Land", "Amazing Love", "Take A Stand", and "Can You Feel It". LP, Vinyl record album

A mellow soul classic from Chicago – and one of the last great records to come out of the city's hip 70s soul scene! We know very little about Crystal Winds – save for this excellent record, one of the few titles issued on the short-lived Cash Ear label, a south-side imprint in the tradition of 70s powerhouse labels like Curtom or Chi-Sound. The work's got a wonderfully polished feel – lots of jazzy harmonies on the vocals, and a smooth midtempo groove that reminds us of some of the best work on Fantasy Records, especially those handled by Wayne Henderson and At Home Productions. Includes a great jazzy stepper called "Signs of Winter's Time", plus other great tracks like "So Sad", "Love Ain't Easy", and "It's A Wondrous Thing". CD

Incredible stuff – a never-issued funky soul record from the 70s – but one that you'll proudly stack next to your rare classics from Ramp, 24-Carat Black, and James Mason! Like work by all three of those acts, this early set by Father's Children is massive righteous – filled with deep soul and strong social messages, while also coming across with a hell of a groove, too – thanks to some wickedly funky backings, and production that keeps the whole thing burning along beautifully! The set is amazing – quite different than the later Mercury Records album by the band – and more like the kind of record you'd expect to hear from Curtom or early 70s Stax – a perfect choice for the folks at Numero to bring to light after all these years – and another reason why their efforts are always worth checking out. As usual for the label, there's a full set of notes and photos that tell the story of the group and this lost treasure – but even if it came out with no artwork at all, the music would still have us raving – as you'll hear on cuts that include "Universal Train", "Everybody's Got A Problem", "Linda", "Dirt & Grime", "Who's Gonna Save The World", and "Kohoutek". CD