Fantastic stuff from this great Philly group! "Cowboys To Girls" is probably the group's biggest track from the old days – with a loping hook that's as sweet as it is catchy! "Turn The Hands Of Time" is wonderful too – with a strident driving groove, punctuated with vibes, and featuring some incredible harmonies that really send the message of the cut! Bobby Martin arranged both cuts – and did a fantastic job! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A classic – and one that we pull out every year on Mother's Day! Goofy, but fantastic – and with a compelling vocal that always gets us hooked. One of those songs that shouldn't be so great, but year after year, we still love hearing it! Plus, the part 2 has a great spoken bit! 7-inch, Vinyl record

With selections by The Drifters, The Globetrotters, The Futures, Jerry Butler, Jim Gilstrap, The Trammps, The Platters, Chairmen Of The Board, Benny Spellman, The Ravens, The O'Jays, Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs, The Tams, and The Intruders. LP, Vinyl record album

This series keeps on getting better and better – and this fourth installment may well be the best illustration to date of the birth of soul music! As hinted by the title, the collection features tracks from the late 50s and early 60s that marked a key transition from earlier R&B and blues into soul music – work that pulled a bit more strongly from the church than some of its predecessors, and which also put over a groove that was a bit more sophisticated, sometimes a bit more polished – all to set the stage for the huge soul music explosion to come later in the 60s! A number of the artists here are familiar from R&B years, but they're represented by tracks that show a real change in their styles – and others are known from later successes, but stand out here with early work that's a lot more formative – making them a perfect choice for the collection. CD features 24 tracks in all – including "Come On & Stomp" by Marv Johnson, "Lil Valley" by The MMs & The Peanuts, "Bossa Nova Baby" by Tippie & The Clovers, "Irresistible You" by Bobby Peterson, "Take Your Heart" by Betty Willis, "Puff" by Kenny Lynch, "Jack Be Nimble" by The Intruders, "A Clock That's Got No Hands" by Della Reese, "I Came Running" by Wade Flemons, "You'd Be Crying Too" by The Matadors, "The Gypsy Said" by The Fiestas, "Please Don't Cry Anymore" by Ketty Lester, "Pretty Little Girl Next Door" by Bobby Day, and "Trouble I've Had" by Clarence Ashe. CD

Some folks might associate Philadelphia soul with the famous Gamble & Huff productions of the 70s disco years – but the city was already overflowing with great music in the years before Philadelphia International – as you'll hear in this totally groovy set! Philly was making as much great soul music in the 60s as Detroit, Chicago, and New York – thanks to an earlier musical framework that was set up by the city's big pop hits of the late 50s – which provided plenty of labels, studios, and other facilities for Philly's ever-growing array of soul talents, too – so much so that by the end of the 60s, the city was turning into a destination for singers outside of town – almost as much of a musical magnet as studios in Memphis or Muscle Shoals! This set does a great job of bringing together both aspects of that scene – wonderful homegrown talent, mixed with outsiders to really took off in the new Philly sound of the 60s – a joyous, positive, upbeat approach that worked wonderfully well for a variety of artists. Titles include "Your Fool Still Loves You" by Oscar Weathers, "It's All Over But The Shouting" by George Tindley, "You've Been Untrue" by The Delfonics, "Ain't Nothing But A House Party" by The Show Stoppers, "Peace To You Brother" by Lou Johnson, "Christine" by Executive Suite, "Help Me" by Honey & The Bees, "You Got What I Need" by Freddie Scott, "Rainmaker" by The Moods, "Keep On Striving" by Moses Smith, "That's The Price You Have To Pay" by Brenda & The Tabulations, "What You Gave Up" by The Continental 4, "Every Day Is A Holiday" by The Intruders, "Standing In The Darkness" by The Ethics, and "Girl You're Too Young" by Len Barry. CD

Sublime soul from the great Thom Bell – one of our favorite arranger, producer, songwriters of all time – and a talent who really helped push the Philly soul scene much farther than most during the 70s! Bell was trained as a classical pianist as a kid – which might explain part of his ear for a special sort of tune – but by the time of this work, he was neck-deep in the soul scene – and working with a fantastic track record for bringing the best out of a very wide variety of artists! Bell was especially great with groups – he helped more than a few really stretch out their wings and grow – but as you'll hear here, Thom also handled a fantastic range of music in Philly studios – all with magnificent touches that really set the tunes apart from the rest – French horns, harpsichord, and especially that twangy sitar sound that worked so well with a harmony ballad. The set's got 23 tracks in all, and a massive set of notes on the man and his music – with titles that include "What I See" by Three Degrees, "Here I Go Again" by Archie Bell & The Drells, "You've Been Untrue" by The Delfonics, "Moody Woman" by Jerry Butler, "Something For Nothing" by MFSB, "One Man Band" by Ronnie Dyson, "Close The Door" by Teddy Pendergrass, "Life Is A Song Worth Singing" by Johnny Mathis, "Look The Other Way" by Lesley Gore, "What Kind Of Lady" by Dee Dee Sharp, "It's The Same Old Love" by The Courtship, "Do You Remember Yesterday" by The Intruders, "Track Of The Cat" by Dionne Warwick, and "I Wanna Be A Free Girl" by Dusty Springfield. CD

Seminal sounds from the Kansas City scene of the late 70s – a wealth of power pop work from the tiny Titan label – all brought together in one of the most brilliant packages we've ever seen from the Numero Group! Like most Numero releases, there's a great story behind this set – a tale of bounced checks, interstate culture, and a cadre of great groups who would have been huge – had they recorded this music out on the coast! Titan's way more than just a tiny label that managed to put out some killer singles back in the day – it's a pop powerhouse that shows just how much under-discovered genius the American scene can hold – music that really helps break down simple understandings of late 70s rock, especially when presented this well. The 2CD set features 42 tracks and a 40 page booklet – a great counterpart to Numero's Yellow Pills set – filled with notes on Titan, a complete discography, and a wealth of wonderful photos that really make this unique scene come alive. Titles include "Shark" and "Real Life Saver" by Gary Charlson, "No Way Baby" and "I Wanna Be" by Arlis, "It's Your Heart Tonight" and "Radio Heart" by Secrets, "Please Change Your Mind" and "Baby It's You" by Boys, "Rock N Roll Song" and "Radio City" by Bobby Sky, "The Last Song" by JP McClain & The Intruders, "Cry" and "Didn't Like It Anyway" by Gems, "Coit Tower" and "Drink A Toast" by Millionaire At Midnight, and "I Think About You" by Scott McCarl. CD

Music from Tyrone Davis, Mel & Tim, Barbara Lynn, Lee Dorsey, Little Willie John, the Delfonics, the Intruders, Peaches & Herb, Jackie Wilson, the Isley Brothers, Joe Henderson, Joe Tex, Brenda & The Tabulations, OC Smith, and more. CD

They liked things raw in Texas in the 60s – a place where garage bands often worked heavily in fuzz and freak, so much so that they often had a psychedelic current in their music! This set really lives up to that legacy, and also digs deeper than most to a source of tracks that's completely rare – the tiny Sea Ell label, which is presented here in a host of shortly-circulated singles, plus rare demo material too! CD1 features 22 tracks that comprise all the singles on the label – we think with a and b-sides for most – on work by The Coachmen, Knights Bridge, The Intruders, George Washington & The Cherry Stompers, Derby Hatville, Satyn's Children, and The Wolves. CD2 features demo material – five 1967 demos by the Smokin Bananas, plus 15 more 1966 demos by The Intruders. CD

Music from Soul Survivors, The Intruders, Archie Bell & The Drells, Jerry Butler, The O'Jays, The Intruders, Dusty Springfield, Wilson Pickett, Billy Paul, Bunny Sigler, Laura Nyro & LaBelle, Joe Simon, Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes, The Ebonys, and more. CD

One of the most soulful records ever recorded by Joe Bataan – a sweet blend of harmony soul and east coast styles, done in a mode that's a bit less Latin than some of his earlier records – but really wonderful overall! The style here is almost late 60s Philly soul – particularly that of the Intruders, O'Jays, or other harmony-heavy groups – and the production has a rootsy edge that really gets at the honesty in Joe's approach. And given Joe's wonderful approach to these heartfelt tunes, we hardly miss the Latin rhythms at all – as we're really in love with his soul tunes here! Titles include "Ordinary Guy", "Unwed Mother", "Young Gifted and Brown", "Under the Street Lamp", and "I'm No Stranger". LP, Vinyl record album

Nice collection of early 70's Gamble and Huff stuff, with a number of tracks that aren't too easy to find otherwise, like "Regina" by Bunny Sigler, "Stay With Me" by The Futures, "Super Groover" by Talk of the Town, "Slow Motion" by Johnny Williams, and "It's Forever" by The Ebonys – cuts that were more likely singles on the label. Also includes some more well known hits: O'Jays "Love Train", the Intruders "I'll Always Love My Mama", Billy Paul "Me & Mrs Jones", Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes "If You Don't Know Me By Now" and MFSB "Family Affair", 10 tracks in all. LP, Vinyl record album

The second volume of the soundtrack to the film Dead Presidents. Like the first volume, this is a whopping batch of classic 70s soul tracks – including "Right On For The Darkness" and "We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue (Live)" by Curtis Mayfield, "I Got The Feelin" and "Ain't That A Groove" by James Brown, "Smiling Faces Sometimes" by The Undisputed Truth, "Cowboys To Girls" by The Intruders, "Keep On Pushing" and "(Man Oh Man) I Want To Go Back" by The Impressions, "I Was Made To Love Her" by Stevie Wonder, "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby" by Sam & Dave, "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Jerry Butler and "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)" by The Temptations. CD

Music from the Intruders, Billy Paul, Bunny Sigler, Ebonys, Jacksons, Futures, Lou Rawls, Dee Dee Sharp, O'Jays, Three Degrees, and more. CD

Music from the Ebonys, the O Jays, the Intruders, Billy Paul, Bunny Siegler, the Three Degrees, the Trammps, MFSB, Derek and Cyndi, Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes, the Soul Survivors, Archie Bell And the Drells, and more. CD

With selections by Aretha Franklin, Lee Dorsey, The Impressions, The Poets, Gene Chandler, The Olympics, Five Stairsteps, Barbara Mason, Aaron Neville, The Volcanos, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, The Capitols, Intruders, Bar Kays, Mad Lads, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Esquires, and Freddie Scott. LP, Vinyl record album