The sound of the future! An early Arthur Baker electro classic for you to pop and lock to your heart's content to. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Titles include "I'm Free", "House For Sale", "Bad Risk", "Feel Like Making Love", "Solitary Love Affair", and "Do What Makes The World Go Round". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible blend of southern and modern soul – the second album by soul songwriter Sydney Joe Qualls, recorded in both Chicago and Muscle Shoals, with a stone mellow sound that's outta site! The groove here is extremely well-done – tight, but never too slick – and with a soaring quality that marks the best late 70s soul coming out of Chicago at the time, but which also has some rootsier vocals from Sydney. The album's a classic for the standout groover "I Don't Do This" – but the whole thing's pretty darn great, and tracks include "Bad Risk", "I'll Run To Your Side", "Let the Woman Know", "I Could Be So Good For You", and "Where Have You Been". LP, Vinyl record album

Usher comes home strong on his first album in nearly a decade –with his ageless voice, overall presence, and almost unrivaled way of fitting right in while also slyly transcending the reigning sounds of pop, soul and R&B of any given day! It's a 20 track set that's surprisingly strong throughout, giving him plenty of space to do just about everything he does so well – tight collaborations, tender balladry, dancefloor ready jams and all. He's still a king! Includes "Keep On Dancin'", "Good Good" with Summer Walker & 21 Savage, "Kissing Strangers", Risk It All" with with HER, "Big", "On The Side", "I Am The Party", "Luckiest Man", "I Love U", "Please U", "Room In A Room", "Bop", "Stone Kold Freak", "Coming Home" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A flawless batch of classics from Millie Jackson in the heart of her early years on Spring Records – maybe sounding better than ever here! Millie's raunchier style would come later on, but here she's working in styles that are a perfect mix of gritty and sweet – arrangements tailored perfectly to those characteristics in her sultry, smoky voice – and equally at home in sessions in Muscle Shoals, Philly or NYC. Covers the bases from moody southern soul, to tender ballads, to lightly soaring strings – and the mixes by Steve Levine really bring out the vibe of the original sessions, as closely as possible to the spirit and vision of the original recordings – a restoration as opposed to a revision. Includes "Sweet Music, Soft Lights & You" featuring Isaac Hayes, "House For Sale", "I'll Continue To Love You", "My Man, A Sweet Man", "I Cry", "If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Wanna Be Right)" and "It Hurts So Good" – plus "Kiss You All Over", "Bad Risk", "Never Change Lovers In The Middle Of The Night" and more. 12 tracks on the CD. CD

The mighty Prince is on the cover this time around – heralding a series of well-penned articles inside, including pieces by Ann Powers and Greil Marcus! There's plenty more too – as the issue is overflowing with other cool topics – including a look at the Helter Stupid fiasco in the career of Negativland, Brooklyn hip hopper Paula Perry, LA harpist Mary Lattimore, women at Factory Records, UK comic Stewart Lee, Boston's High Risk Group from the 80s, a comic on the tune "Lee Remick" by the Go-Betweens, and the artwork of Marcel Duchamp, remixed! As always, the presentation is great – full color throughout, and a lot more contents than ads. Magazine

The Roger Corman-Phil Spector year of the mighty Ramones! End Of The Century is a huge departure from the 1-2-3-4 burst and roar of the first 4 Ramones albums – a big ol' Phil Spector production – recorded concurrently with the filming of late 70s hottie PJ Soles dancing around in her underwear with a shy and shell-shocked Joey in Rock And Roll High School! Lord knows that End Of The Century was the end of the Ramones as we knew and loved them on LP (they remained great live until the very end), but it holds up very well and the big sound brings a smile. Plus it's got "Chinese Rock", worth the price alone. Other tracks include "Do You Remember Rock'N'Roll Radio?", "I'm Affected", "Danny Says", "The Return Of Jack & Judy", "Let's Go", "Baby, I Love You", "I Can't Make It On Time", "This Ain't Havana", "Rock N Roll High School", "All The Way" and "High Risk Insurance". LP, Vinyl record album

A hefty book on the great Otis Redding – one of the best soul singers of all time, even though he left this planet all too soon! Redding's career on record was less than a decade long, but marked by a huge amount of work – not just time in the studio, with the legendary Stax Records – but also countless hours on the road, where Otis honed his talents and perfected his craft – while additionally putting both himself and his talents at risk. Author Mark Ribowsky looks at these years in wonderful depth – mostly with a focus on Redding, but also a strong look at Stax as well – as the partnership between the two was one of the most important in soul music at the time, and continues to have an impact all these many years later. Book is 366 pages, with copious notes at the end – hardcover, and with some black and white images. Book

Usher comes home strong on his first album in nearly a decade –with his ageless voice, overall presence, and almost unrivaled way of fitting right in while also slyly transcending the reigning sounds of pop, soul and R&B of any given day! It's a 20 track set that's surprisingly strong throughout, giving him plenty of space to do just about everything he does so well – tight collaborations, tender balladry, dancefloor ready jams and all. He's still a king! Includes "Keep On Dancin'", "Good Good" with Summer Walker & 21 Savage, "Kissing Strangers", Risk It All" with with HER, "Big", "On The Side", "I Am The Party", "Luckiest Man", "I Love U", "Please U", "Room In A Room", "Bop", "Stone Kold Freak", "Coming Home" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

16 tracks of sweet and smooth 70s soul – hand-picked with a freshness that should appeal to the modern hip hop fan as much as the older soul collector. The tracks on here aren't as beat or break-heavy as some of the material on other sample-driven collections we stock – but that's fine with us, as the tracks move into a sophisticated soul range that's always a pleasure to hear, bringing together the kind of well-produced 70s tracks that have shown up on series like Strange Games & Funky Things or Mellow Mellow, both of which have been longtime favorites with the DGA crowd! Titles include "Sweet Taste Of Sin" by Dennis Coffey, "I'll See You In Hell First" by Phillip Mitchell, "Do It To Me Now" by Fatback, "Don't Risk Your Happiness On Foolishness" by Fantastic Four, "Killing Time" by Natural Essence, "Your Love Is My Desire" by Eramus Hall, "Baby Get Down" by Eddie McLoyd, "Set It Out" by The Detroit Emeralds, "Love Starved" by Shirley Brown, "I'm Gonna Have To Tell Her" by Isaac Hayes, "If I Had The Power" by Johnny Guitar Watson, and "I Got To Have Your Love Now" by Caesar Frazier. LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet and smooth 70s soul – hand-picked with a freshness that should appeal to folks who found these sounds through the hip hop that these grooves laid the sonic groundwork for. The tracks on here aren't as beat or break-heavy as some of the material on other sample-driven collections – but that's fine with us, as the tracks move into a sophisticated soul range that's always a pleasure to hear, bringing together the kind of well-produced 70s tracks we love! Titles include "Sweet Taste Of Sin" by Dennis Coffey, "I'll See You In Hell First" by Phillip Mitchell, "Do It To Me Now" by Fatback, "Don't Risk Your Happiness On Foolishness" by Fantastic Four, "Killing Time" by Natural Essence, "Your Love Is My Desire" by Eramus Hall, "Baby Get Down" by Eddie McLoyd, "Set It Out" by The Detroit Emeralds, "Love Starved" by Shirley Brown, "I'm Gonna Have To Tell Her" by Isaac Hayes, "If I Had The Power" by Johnny Guitar Watson, and "I Got To Have Your Love Now" by Caesar Frazier. CD

One of the great "songbook" albums by the Rubber Band – and a very different set than their better-known Hendrix record! As you'd guess by the title, this session has the group taking on Cream – performing instrumental versions of some of the group's most groove-heavy tunes, but doing so in a way that avoids the risk of falling short of Eric Clapton's guitar work – by just not using much guitar at all! Instead, the versions of the tunes are funkily baroque – still with heavy Ginger Baker-styled drums on the bottom, but often using strings and woodwinds in weird ways to carry the rest of the tune. The approach is almost like some of the best Brit Easy records from the time – with a full orchestral sound thinned into a tight rock funk groove! The set's got an especially great version of "Strange Brew", with organ that sounds like it could be played by Alan Hawkshaw – plus the tracks "White Room", "Deserted Cities Of The Heart", "Toad", "We're Going Wrong", "Those Were The Days", "Sunshine Of Your Love", and "Sweet Wine". LP, Vinyl record album

A tight, old school set of jazz from the Dutch American All Stars – a group that features trumpeter John Marshall, pianist Hod O'Brien, bassist Jacques Schols, and drummer Peter Ypma – all playing here in very relaxed, familiar company! There's nothing too fancy or overdone with these tunes – and they spin out with that easygoing feel we love in any album that has O'Brien on piano – a mature mode of jazz that never tries too hard to overstate its case, but gets plenty of greatness done along the way. Marshall's horn has all the sparkling tones we love in other Blue Jack Jazz recordings, and the basswork from Schols really adds a nice undercurrent of soul to the set. Titles include "Joop's Lope", "Forecast", "Quasimodo", "Frisky", "Milestones", and "Zanzibar". CD

Beautiful brown-eyed soul from the Ohio scene of the 70s – just the sort of record you might have expected to hear from East LA or Spanish Harlem back in the day – but even more amazing to come from Cleveland! The group are a Latin combo at the core, but they've soaked up plenty of soul influences from the late 60s and early 70s – bringing in bits of harmony soul, funk, and other hip touches to really expand their groove – in ways that are similar to the changes Joe Bataan and his contemporaries were going through at the time! There's a few funky instrumentals that get nicely tripped out, offset with some wonderful mellow soul numbers, and a few straighter Latin bits – all of which show a really amazing range for the group. As usual, Numero does a great job of bringing their whole story to light through the great notes – but even without them, we're plenty happy with the music on the set! Titles include "Loving You", "To Be Sure", "Here We Go Again", "Cold Wine", "Trivialities", "Just Call Me", and "Listen People". CD

What can we say? This is one of the greatest albums of all time! The record's got a sound that's completely unique – as crack LA garage punk rock meets Hollywood baroque production, and the result is an amazing bit of loud guitar noise backed by strings and horns, all graced by the godlike vocals of the great Arthur Lee. Forever Changes is a milestone in rock – an incredibly bleak document about insanity, escape, and the coming revolution that never happened. Think of all the best moments of Wild In The Streets, Zabriske Point, and Invocation of My Demon Brother rolled into one – and you'll only have a tiny slice of the picture! A record that will haunt us until the day we die – filled with incredible songs like "Alone Again Or", "Old Man", "Daily Planet", "Red Telephone", and "Maybe The People Would Be The Times Or Between Clark & Hilldale". LP, Vinyl record album

A wild set of early 70s leftfield folk from Caroline Peyton – a freewheeling batch of tunes that's a little bit more out there than the warmer, sunshine folk soul of the later Intuition album – but a unique gem that's a great showcase for Caroline's stunning voice, and the songwriting of partner Mark Bingham. The duo's creative origins trace back to a hippie commune outside of Bloomington, Indiana – and the tunes often feel like an unselfconscious, artier riff on the Cali folk scene of the time. The arrangements are built around the voice, and piano on many of the tracks. Unconventional, but warm and true – well worth a late discovery. Original album tracks include "The Sky In Japan Is Always Close To You", "Pull", "Don Beggs", "Tuna", "Engram", "Sweet Misery", "Hook", "Gone For A Day" and more. The Numero/Asterisk reissue goes the extra mile with liner notes by Edd Hurt, lots of photos, and bonus tracks including "Breathe (Live)", "Alll This Waiting", "Paths Of Light", "White Teeth" and enhanced video footage – "Call Of The Wild" and "Fishing Blues" live at the Hummingbird Cafe, in Bloomington, Indiana. CD

Very nice spacey soul from the late 70s Columbus, Ohio scene by Norman Whiteside's Wee – a mindblowing mix of jazz funk sophistication, harmony vocals and electric keyboard led psychedelic soul! Whiteside started Wee after the dissolution of Capsoul Records, where he was an important figure to say the least – and here he's working with a great group of Columbus players harmony vocals in the frontline, backed by some great jazzy arrangements, with slight touches of a Mizell groove. Many of the tracks have a mellow midtempo feel, and some really innovative use of electric keyboards and flanged production on the vocals. A fantastic rediscovery from the fertile 70s Ohio scene! This stellar Asterisk reissue of the 9 track original Owl LP extends the tracklist to 19 songs – including a bunch of previously unreleased tracks – with "I'm All Changed", "Alone", "Put It In Real Good", "Leavin You Alone", "Try Me" (album and 45 versions), and "Find Me, Love Me", "Stay", "Trying To Tell You How I Feel", "I Luv You", "Do You Know", "I Think I Am In Love With You" and more. CD

24 songs recorded live from New Beginning, Revisions, Risky Business, Just Reminiscing, Cool Change, Blue Angel, the Tribunes, and Cover To Cover. CD

11 tracks spanning the gamut of the headsy mid 90s scene: Ski "(Ain't Gonna) Justify" (Short Trip To Space Mix), Deep Freeze Productions "Sleeper", Children Of Judah "To The Bone" (Let's Get Stoned), Wiseguys "The Real Vibes", Marden Hill "Get Some In", Howie B "Breathe In", Soft Sugar Productions "Cubop", Kruder & Dorfmeister "High Noon", Mekon "Phatty's Lunch Box" (Suresh!t mix), and FRISK "Take The Sun Away" (Multiplicity mix). CD

Jazzy goodness galore – a set of really well-chosen tracks that we're not sure we've ever seen reissued before – mostly from obscure sources that might well have remained underdiscovered otherwise! Jazz is at the key, but there's also some soulful vocal moments too – and most tracks are long, and have a vibe that's a nice change from funky jazz or spiritual modes – even though there's still plenty of soulful energy throughout the set! Instrumentation is both electric and acoustic, and styles change up nicely – in ways that make each new track a great discovery, even if you've got ears that are well-trained on years of record digging. Titles include "On Dit" by Sara Alexander, "On A Winder's Day" by Afrodisax, "For You" by Dave Plaehn, "Pre-Stretch Warm Up" by Rick Panzer, "Du Ar Frisk" by Roger Ekman, "Philosophy" by Anne Marie Giortz, "Sengakuji" by Urban Hansson, and "Alcohol" by Rene Van Helsdingen. LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible album of harmony soul – easily one of the best you could ever hope to find! The Four Mints were an obscure group, but they sound really wonderful here – just as great as some of the bigger proponents of the genre in the early 70s – with an especially great talent for heartbreaking ballads! The album was the only one ever issued by the tiny Capsoul label – probably best known for their volume in Numero's Eccentric Soul series – and it features all of the group's singles for the label, plus one rare track – all wrapped up in a beautiful little cover. The sound is wonderful – a must-have set for any fan of group soul from the 70s – and titles include "You're My Desire", "In A Rut", "Row My Boat", "Why Did I Go", "Do You Really Love Me", and "Keep On Loving You". Plus, the CD also features 3 bonus tracks – rehearsal takes of "Too Far Gone" and "In A Rut", plus an instrumental of "In A Rut". CD

Macy's best album since The Id, the slept on second album that we must be all alone in thinking is far better than her smash hit debut – coming here with hooky, fun and anthemic pop soul framing Macy's distinctively gritty lead vocals and memorable hooks! Macy Gray has always mixed it up stylistically in a way you could call "taking risks", still with ultra catchy and commercial gloss, but we just think she's creatively restless and up for anything. Here she flirts with 70s bubblegum glam rock on "Kissed It", but for the most part the album layers pop and R&B influences from the past couple decades and we'll call it an appealing win for Ms Gray....even with the Auto-Tune, dammit. Includes "The Sellout", "The Comeback", "Lately", "Still Hurts" feat Romika, "Stalker", "Real Love" (with Bobby Brown!!!), "On & On" and more. CD

What can we say? This is one of the greatest albums of all time! The record's got a sound that's completely unique – as crack LA garage punk rock meets Hollywood baroque production, and the result is an amazing bit of loud guitar noise backed by strings and horns, all graced by the godlike vocals of the great Arthur Lee. Forever Changes is a milestone in rock – an incredibly bleak document about insanity, escape, and the coming revolution that never happened. Think of all the best moments of Wild In The Streets, Zabriske Point, and Invocation of My Demon Brother rolled into one – and you'll only have a tiny slice of the picture! A record that will haunt us until the day we die – filled with incredible songs like "Alone Again Or", "Old Man", "Daily Planet", "Red Telephone", and "Maybe The People Would Be The Times Or Between Clark & Hilldale". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty amazing album from vocalist Caroline Peyton – a eclectic set from '77 that manages to cohesively blend pop, country, soul, folk and even a touch of disco-styled funk – but it all holds together masterfully thanks to credible craftsmanship and especially to Caroline's lovely vocals! Caroline has an incredible voice – and she's given plenty of room on these tracks to really fill the room with it. Some of tunes wouldn't be out of place at all in the Laurel Canyon scene, but she also handles a more diverse palette of styles. One track, "Party Line" takes a left turn towards club soul, and despite being a bit of an anomaly, it somehow feels right in place with the rest of it. there's an honest, midwestern aura here that shines through wonderfully. Caroline and songwriter/producer Mark Bingham made impeccable team on the couple of underappreciated records they made together in the 70s, and Intuition is a true gem! Original album tracks include "Still With You", "Together", "Donkey Blues", "Call Of The Wild", "Just As We", "You Too", "Brister", All This Waiting" and "Light Years". Numero/Askerisk goes the extra mile with this well done revisit – with nice liner notes by Edd Hurt, photos, and 7 bonus tracks, including demos, outakes and more – including "Shake Down", "Another Today", "Try To Be True", "Spin" and more. CD

A wild set of early 70s leftfield folk from Caroline Peyton – a freewheeling batch of tunes that's a little bit more out there than the warmer, sunshine folk soul of the later Intuition album – but a unique gem that's a great showcase for Caroline's stunning voice, and the songwriting of partner Mark Bingham. The duo's creative origins trace back to a hippie commune outside of Bloomington, Indiana – and the tunes often feel like an unselfconscious, artier riff on the Cali folk scene of the time. The arrangements are built around the voice, and piano on many of the tracks. Unconventional, but warm and true – well worth a late discovery. Original album tracks include "The Sky In Japan Is Always Close To You", "Pull", "Don Beggs", "Tuna", "Engram", "Sweet Misery", "Hook", "Gone For A Day" and more. The Numero/Asterisk reissue goes the extra mile with liner notes by Edd Hurt, lots of photos, and bonus tracks including "Breathe (Live)", "Alll This Waiting", "Paths Of Light", "White Teeth" and enhanced video footage – "Call Of The Wild" and "Fishing Blues" live at the Hummingbird Cafe, in Bloomington, Indiana. CD

Sister Sledge finally takes over the production booth for 82's Sisters LP – and while their commercial peak had long passed, their uptempo, catchy post disco groove is in still in fine form! The Sisters take some risky moves towards straight up funk and early rap on the lead track "Super Bad Sisters" – and endearingly handle both tasks – and then roll out some sophisticated string-laden bits, neon dancefloor grooves, and winning slow jams later on in the set. One of the most diverse batches of tunes from Sister Sledge, with some real gems! Other tracks include "My Guy", "Lightfootin'", "My Special Way", "Everybody's Friend", "All The Man I Need", "Jacki's Theme – There's No Stopping Us" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The first album by Gregg Diamond's Bionic Boogie group – and a cooker of a set that follows strongly from Gregg's previous Hot Butterfly gem! Luther Vandross isn't on board this time around, but the overall groove is still totally great – upbeat, soaring, and put together with a jazzy undercurrent that really keeps things interesting – far more so than most other mainstream disco sets of the time! Brad Baker – of B Baker Chocolate Company – handled the arrangements – and the grooves spin out nicely from Diamond's keyboards, and a tight mix of strings and jazzy horns. Vocals are from the soulful trio of Gwen Guthrie, Ullanda McCullough, and Zachary Sanders – and titles include "Dance Little Dreamer", "Risky Changes", "Boogie Boo", "We Must Believe In Music", "Feel Like Dancing", and "Don't Lose The Number". LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime soul through and through – 2 classics from The Delfonics, back to back on a single CD! First up is self-titled record The Delfonics – the third album in an amazing early run from The Delfonics – the kind of work that set a whole new standard for group soul in the 70s! A number of the tracks here had already risen to fame before the album's release as singles – and these are mixed with some additional tracks that are woven together in a near-perfect symphony of sound! The mighty Thom Bell arranged most of the numbers here – save for 2 by Anthony Dorsey – and the group's heavenly harmonies are in amazing form on both mellow ballads and a few more righteous numbers. Titles include "Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time", "Funny Feeling", "Over & Over", "Baby I Love You", "When You Get Right Down To It", "Delfonics Theme", "Trying To Make A Fool Of Me", "I Gave To You", "Down Is Up Up Is Down", and "Think About Me". Tell Me This Is A Dream has The Delfonics just getting better and better! The longer the group recorded, the more they picked up this strange spacey quality that pushed them past some of their contemporaries of the early 70s. And on an album like this, they prove that they're way more than just Thom Bell puppets by showing that they have a rich talent for a wide variety of complicated arrangements that really push the vocal group sound of the 70s. They take many stylistic risks, coming up with really sinister new harmonies, and always managing to stay clear of the cliches that buried some of their mates on the charts. Bell still arranges some of the material, but the record also features work by Norman Harris and Caldwell MacMillan, who did the real genius work on the record. This masterpiece includes the sublime "Hey, Love", plus "Walk Right Up to the Sun", "I'm A Man", "Too Late", "Love You Till I Die", "Looking for a Girl", and "Round & Round". CD

Includes the songs "Skunk Hollow Blues", "I Know What You Do", "Your Love Has Faded ", "Tired Socks", "Day Dream", "Good Queen Bess", "That's The Blues, Old Man", "Junior Hop", "Squatty Roo", "Passion Flower", "Things Ain't What They Used To Be", "Goin' Out The Back Way", "You're Driving Me Crazy", "Who Struck John?", "It Shouldn't Happen To A Dream", "June's Jumpin'", "Violet Blue", "A Flower Is A Lonesome Thing", "Frisky", "Longhorn Blues", "Far Away Blues", "Searsy's Blues", "A Little Taste", "Charlotte Russe (Lotus Blossom)", and "Let The Zoomers Drool". CD

What can we say? This is one of the greatest albums of all time – and it's made even better through the addition of a bunch of previously unissued tracks! The record's got a sound that's completely unique – as crack LA garage punk rock meets Hollywood baroque production, and the result is an amazing bit of loud guitar noise backed by strings and horns, all graced by the godlike vocals of the great Arthur Lee. Forever Changes is a milestone in rock – an incredibly bleak document about insanity, escape, and the coming revolution that never happened. Think of all the best moments of Wild In The Streets, Zabriske Point, and Invocation of My Demon Brother rolled into one – and you'll only have a tiny slice of the picture! A record that will haunt us until the day we die – filled with incredible songs like "Alone Again Or", "Old Man", "Daily Planet", "Red Telephone", and "Maybe The People Would Be The Times Or Between Clark & Hilldale". CD version also includes "Hummingbirds (demo)", "Laughing Stock", "Wonder People (I Do Wonder) (outtake)", "Your Mind & We Belong Together", and alternate mixes of tracks on the LP. CD

Sweet acoustic folk rock from an obscure Colorado combo – a group who were perhaps a few years too late to make a mark with their sound, but who still sound wonderful nonetheless! This beautiful little record is the group's sole legacy – recorded for the tiny Owl Records label in 1973, and featuring a wonderfully harmonic approach! The instrumentation's all acoustic – warm guitars that slide in beautifully next to one another, plus mandolin, piano, and some occasional violin and recorder – and the vocals have a slightly spacey quality that fits in well with the themes of the tunes. Titles include "People Come", "And I A Fairy Tale Lady", "You Don't Have To Hurry", "Tappan Square", "Dorian 240 Lament", "Window", and "Binghamton". CD also features 4 bonus tracks – "Suite For Windy Spring", "Child", "Where I'm Bound", and "Chermaine". CD

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