Includes the classic title hit "Long Run" – plus "The Sad Cafe", "Heartache Tonight", "Those Shoes", "Teenage Jail", "King Of Hollywood", and "The Disco Strangler". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet campy disco classic – and a record that's been close to our hearts for years! Celi Bee may have had white hair and a hokey kind of look, but she won us forever with her incredible "Superman" – a five minute homage to the man in red and blue, and the leadoff track on this debut set! "Superman" is a sweet disco number with lots of strings, heavy rhythms at the bottom, and an erotic vocal that seems to offer the big guy more action than Lois Lane ever did. The rest of the tracks follow in a similar sleaze disco mode, and titles include "Smile", "It's Sad", "Hurt Me Hurt Me", "One Love", and "Closer Closer". CD features lots of bonus tracks – "Smile (alt mix)", "Hurt Me Hurt Me (alt mix)", "It's Sad (alt mix)", and 7" mixes of "Superman" and "One Love". CD

A turning point for Loleatta Holloway – as she makes the move from dreamy southern soul diva to club queen of the late 70s! Norman Harris is producing, and the record has a soaring Philly disco sound that proves to be just as great for Loleatta's soulful vocals as the stripped-down southern modes of earlier albums! Gone are the sad tears of earlier weepies, and in their place is a strong sense of joy and power – Loleatta's very positive, very progressive, and very dedicated to standing her own ground! Includes the big single "Hit & Run", plus "Dreamin", "We're Getting Stronger", "Ripped Off", and versions of "That's How Heartaches Are Made" and Curtis Mayfield's "What Now". CD features 5 bonus tracks too – "Hit & Run (orig Walter Gibbons 12" mix)", "We're Getting Stronger (orig Walter Gibbons 12" mix)", "Hit & Run (single version)", "Hit & Run (Paul Simpson hit mix)", and "Hit & Run (acapella)". CD

The Jazz Crusaders at their early best – swinging hard, and virtually defining the sound of soul jazz on the west coast scene of the 60s! The sound here is impeccable – tight rhythms overlaid with searing solos – all the best the young group had to offer, thanks to the early genius of Wayne Henderson on trombone, Wilton Felder on tenor and alto, Joe Sample on piano, and Stix Hooper on drums. The set also features a bit of guitar from Joe Pass, and bass from Monk Montgomery – who brings in a nice bottom to the rhythms – furthering the groove that really keeps things going! The set list is a mix of originals and tracks by other jazz artists, and includes "Long John", "Out Back", "Bachafillen", "Sweetwater", and "You Are Only Sometimes Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

Great modern soul from Brazil – a tight little set that's got a similar vibe to some of the work that Marcos Valle and Leon Ware were doing together in the early 80s! The groove here is nice and jazzy – arranged by Lincoln Olivetti in a style that's funky, but laidback too – a warm post-disco approach that produces lots of upbeat tunes, but which state their case in a very classy way! Junior sings in Portuguese throughout, but with phrasing that almost makes for a universal sense of soul – and there's a sunny glow to the whole thing that really goes beyond the boundary of language. Titles include "Rio Sinal Verde", "Agre Doce", "Super Sensivel", "Hora H", "Via Aerea", "Pedras De Cristal", "Entrego A Deus", "Obvio", and "Copacabana Sadia". CD

Three full albums from funky reedman Joe Thomas – served up in a single set! On Feelings From Within, the Ebony Godfather is grooving with a set of fuller backings – sweet clubby funk, arranged and conducted by Brad Baker (of B Baker Chocolate Company fame) – all as a showcase for Joe's sweet work on flute and tenor sax! There's a fair bit of keyboards on the tunes – played by Pat Rebillot and Barry Miles – and Steve Gadd's playing the drums on the date, which helps the rhythms keep a bit of an edge, even amidst the larger backing. Some cuts have backing chorus vocals, in a style used on other Thomas albums – and although definitely touched by a bit of disco fever, the album's still got a jazzy element too – like some of the crossover club sessions on the Kudu label from the 70s! Titles include "Funky Fever", "Feelins From Within", "Polarizer", "Coco", "Galaxy Dreamin", and "Venus". Make Your Move is sweet clubby grooving from Joe Thomas – a set that has the Ebony Godfather smoothing his groove a bit for the disco years of the late 70s, but still keeping things plenty soulful throughout! Brad Baker (of B Baker Chocolate Company fame) arranged and conducted the album, and he brings in some added vocals to the session – starting most tunes with a bit of singing before the instrumentalists get to solo in the grooves. The approach still works plenty darn well, though – and there's some great numbers here that slide in a bit of moogy vamping, in a way that's somewhat like some of Thomas' previous Ebony Godfather records. Titles include the funky "Caught You Lying Again", the smooth stepper "Let Me Be The One", and the tracks "Sugar Smack", "Get On Back", "Make Your Move", and "Your Love Is So Good To Me". On Masada, the cover's a bit righteous, but the grooves are wonderfully smooth – that shift towards warmer, club-based styles that Joe Thomas took in the 70s – an approach that comes off surprisingly well! Brad Baker's handling most of the arrangements here – with a fusion of jazz, funk, and club that's similar to some of the work coming out of the CTI/Kudu labels during the same stretch – and Joe's use of tenor sax on the album almost comes off like Stanley Turrentine in a similar setting, although with a bit less bite. Instrumentation includes keyboards, horns, and strings – and there's also a slight bit of chorus vocals on a few tracks too. Titles include "Poinciana", "Flame", "Let's Love", "Gemini Flyin' High", "I'm Gone & I'm Glad", and "Masada". CD

A tremendous document of work by Jake Thackray – one of the most unique talents on the British music scene of the 60s, but an artist who's sadly been un-remembered over the years! At first glance, Jake's definitely a folkie, but he's also one with a strong influence from French singer/songwriters like Jacques Brel or George Brassens – and takes key inspiration from them in the depth and darkness of his work. Like both Brel and Brassens, Thackray's got a style that's almost out of time – one that's ageless at some points, but with a very contemporary way of viewing the world – personal, pointed, and penned with an incredible sense of wit. In an era when most folkies were attacking the political or pushing into the fantastic, Jake spent careful time looking at human foibles and the complexities of interpersonal relationships – always from a distance, but close enough to note the odd humor in even the most banal situations. This wonderful set brings together 4 of Thackray's albums for EMI – Bantam Cock, Last Will & Testament, Jake's Progress, and On Again On Again – all of which feature Jake's slightly jazz-inflected vocals alongside acoustic guitar and very spare, but well-chosen additional instrumentation. Package also features a full disc of unreleased material – including different versions of other tunes on the albums. 97 tracks in all, and a wonderful musical discovery throughout! Titles include "The Cactus", "Country Bus", "Brother Gorilla", "The Girl In The Window", "Ulysses", "Scallywag", "Salvation Army Girl", "On The Shelf", "Go Little Swale", "Isabel Makes Love On National Monuments", "Joseph", "Famous People", "The Gravedigger", and "Leopold Alcocks". CD

Way more than just a "boogie" album – as you might think from the title – and much more a hard-hitting batch of funky tunes, mixed with some even cooler laidback numbers! The album follows heavily off the style of Wild & Peaceful – mixing together the group's older crack rhythms with some newer, hipper, jazzier inflections – making for an incredibly powerful sound that really opens them up. Titles include the massively funky "Jungle Jazz" – a jazzy follow up to "Jungle Boogie" – plus some spiritual numbers that have a cosmic soul jazzy feel, like the tracks "Cosmic Energy", "Ancestral Ceremony", and "Winter Sadness". The whole thing's great – and other titles include "Mother Earth", "Caribbean Festival", and "Ride The Rhythm". CD

A beautiful record – although one that's tinged with a touch of sadness, given the setting. In what was becoming an unfortunate tradition in their later years, the remaining members of the legendary South African jazz group The Blue Notes join together to mourn the passing of one of their original bandmembers – the great bassist Johnny Dyani, a player whose sound had a key influence on both African and European jazz scenes of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. The group for this session is reduced to Chris McGregor on piano, Louis Moholo on bass, and Dudu Pukwana on alto and soprano saxes – working together in a beautiful session of tunes that hearken back to the rhythms of the group's roots – while still allowing some of the freer interplay that they discovered in later years. McGregor's piano is especially nice – tinged with sadness and appropriate blue notes – providing a nice undercurrent to the solo work of Pukwana. Titles include "Funk Dem Dudu", "Eyomzi", "Blues For Nick", and "Monks & Mbizo". CD

A beautiful record – although one that's tinged with a touch of sadness, given the setting. In what was becoming an unfortunate tradition in their later years, the remaining members of the legendary South African jazz group The Blue Notes join together to mourn the passing of one of their original bandmembers – the great bassist Johnny Dyani, a player whose sound had a key influence on both African and European jazz scenes of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. The group for this session is reduced to Chris McGregor on piano, Louis Moholo on bass, and Dudu Pukwana on alto and soprano saxes – working together in a beautiful session of tunes that hearken back to the rhythms of the group's roots – while still allowing some of the freer interplay that they discovered in later years. McGregor's piano is especially nice – tinged with sadness and appropriate blue notes – providing a nice undercurrent to the solo work of Pukwana. Titles include "Funk Dem Dudu", "Eyomzi", "Blues For Nick", and "Monks & Mbizo". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful package – four full albums by one of the most unique groups of their time! First up is These Things Too – the first Reprise album from Pearls Before Swine – a bit more straight ahead and folksy than their work for ESP – but in a really great way, one that lets you hear the best of Tom Rapp's amazing songs and vocals! The album follows in a tradition that includes Tim Buckley, Tim Hardin, Leonard Cohen, and Fred Neil – but it's also got a really unique style that's the unique province of Tom Rapp – the main force behind the group, and the voice on all of the tunes. Rapp's vision was quite unique for the time – not nearly as revolutionary or personally preoccupied – more sad at the fading world, and granted with a unique ability to paint any subject in shades of blue. Titles include "Wizard Of Is", "Frog In The Window", "Footnote", "Look Into Her Eyes", "These Things Too", and "Mon Amour". Use Of Ashes is an incredibly beautiful album from Pearls Before Swine – one that uses light orchestrations to create a baroquely folksy sort of feel – easily elevating the album past previous efforts, into classic territory we'd rank with the best from Nick Drake or Leonard Cohen! The whole album's great – with fragile and haunting songs from Tom Rapp, all supported by sparsely arranged instrumentation that includes harpsichord, flute, oboe, cello, and dobro. Genius throughout – and a clear inspiration for music still being made 30 years later – with classic tracks that include "The Jeweler", "Rocket Man", "Song About A Rose", "The Old Man", "When The War Began", and "From The Movie Of The Same Name". Next is Beautiful Lies You Could Live In – one of the most perfectly formed albums ever recorded by Tom Rapp's enigmatic group Pearls Before Swine – a record that does an incredible job of skirting between Rapp's earthy sense of the planet's passing, and his ambitions for larger forums of expression. The core group is lightly folksy – with strong use of acoustic guitar that goes far beyond any folk rock cliches – plus some additional arrangements that feature contributions from the team of Bob Dorough and Stu Scharf, who seem to have a habit of appearing on under-discovered gems like this one, and making them sound all that more hip! The whole thing's great – filled with beautiful songs that should have been as over-recorded as the best by Tim Hardin or Leonard Cohen – with titles that are even better, too! Tracks include "Snow Queen", "A Life", "Butterflies", "Simple Things", "Freedom", "She's Gone", and "Island Lady". Last up is City Of Gold – a return to folksier forms for Tom Rapp and Pearls Before Swine – working here in territory that's very different than some of the baroque light arrangements used on previous records. Rapp's emerging as a more confident singer/songwriter – recording in an almost Dylan-like setting, but with more of the irony of Leonard Cohen, and as always, working in a timeless idiom that's still beginning to be understood more than 30 years after its inception. Beautiful work throughout – as earthy as it is majestic – and with titles that include "My Father", "The Man", "Once Upon A Time", "City Of Gold", "Nancy", and "Wedding". CD

A tight collection of uptempo funk and disco-driven soul tunes – with a selection that goes way past the usual dancefloor favorites! We're not sure how to read the title (which seems to have some sort of "inside take" on black culture in America) so we'll write that off to the overzealous imagination of the British compilers of the set – but we will say that the package includes some great numbers that we wouldn't have thought of otherwise, including a few previously unissued tunes by artists on the Westbound label! The groove is upbeat on most tracks, with plenty of jazzy flourishes and a soulful approach to disco. Titles include "Disco Booty" by Melvin Sparks, "Love Don't Come Easy" by New Jersey Connection, "I Need Somebody To Love Tonight" by Sylvester, "Free Man" by South Shore Commission, "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" by The Clark Sisters, "Latin Disco" by The Counts, "Alvin Stone (The Birth & Death Of A Gangster)" by Fantastic Four, "Moon Trek" by Mike Theodore, "Sadie" by Joe Bataan, "Sure Can't Go To The Moon" by CJ & Co, and "The Magic Man" by King Errison. CD

Joe Bataan working in a pronounced dancefloor soul mode! While the legendary Bataan was no stranger to the fusion of Latin, soul and funk, this some of the most club soul oriented sounds from Joe we've ever heard – and the sessions are seeing official release for the first time ever! The recording feature players who worked on Joe's stellar Afrofilipino and features a backdrop of wonderful Afro and Latin percussion and rhythms with the best sounds of the NYC dancefloor soul in the mix – with uptempo and midtempo vocal numbers flirting with disco and modern soul very nicely – with solid lead vocals and groovy female backup! Most tunes bring a bit of harp into the mix for a little more of a soar that plays off the percussion in really cool way. Titles include "Sadie", "When We Get Married", "My Cloud", "I Need Love", a take on the Isaac Hayes "Theme From The Men", "Let Me Kove You", "My Opera" and "I Do Love You". CD

A beautiful bit of electro pop from Modern Art – a group who was a much more obscure part of the UK post-punk scene than some of the artists recording for labels like Cherry Red or Factory Records! Yet there's also a sound here that really evokes some of the hipper strands of the latter – maybe the sound of early New Order, but without as much darkness, or the excellent From The Hip album by Section 25! Like that record, the approach here is spare and focused on electric percussion and instrumentation – used very tunefully, and on tunes that are surprisingly catchy, even though quite far from any commercial territory. The simplicity gives the record a surprisingly optimistic feel – and since the original run was only issued on cassette, the whole thing missed getting the attention it deserved the first time around. Titles include "Dreaming Again", "Discover", "Sad Delusion", "Oriental Towers", "Sand In Your Eyes", and "Stars" – with three bonus tracks too! CD

Rare Brazilian funk from the early 80s – served up here on a range of tracks that originally appeared on Brazil's unique 7" compacto format at the time! The smaller records were the nation's equivalent to 12" singles up north – and most spun at 33rpm, which allowed more space for the sorts of boogie rhythms and funky flow taking place here! There's plenty of elements that echo the sound of 80s soul in the US – with the beats, keyboards, and electro elements you might expect – but as with Brazilian soul from the decade before, there's also plenty of cool homegrown touches too. Titles include "Estou Livre" by Tony Bizarro, "Velho Guerreiro" by Rubao Sabino, "Break Mandrake" by Electric Boogies, "Ve Se Me Esquese" by Tony Blue, "Ta Dando Mole Ze" by Cassiano, "Dance Com A Gente" by Let's Dance, "Ve Se Decide" by Tim Maia, "Macaco Pesado" by Newton Drinckwater, and "Super Amor" by Gaby Do Whiskadao. LP, Vinyl record album

A way way deeper set than the first volume of Bay Area Funk – and a collection that shows that things got pretty heavy on the San Francisco and Oakland scenes of the 70s! A good number of the tracks here are instrumental, and show some wonderful interplay between the trippier sides of funky jazz and the harder sides of soul going on in the Bay Area back in the day – killer music from the fringes that often got lost in the shuffle of all the better-known music coming out on the bigger labels! The work here is all from very tiny labels – expertly selected and all officially cleared by the Luv N Haight team with keen respect for the artists involved – and in a way, the package has set a new high standard for the label! A tremendous discovery, and filled with tracks we'd never heard before – titles that include "Stop Look Listen" by Primevil, "Poor Sad Child (part 1)" by The Windjammers, "Born To Live With Heartache" by Mary Love, "Move In The Room" by Dawn & Sunset, "Ebony" by Project Soul, "Acid Lady" by San Francisco TKOs, "Hip Breakin" by Little Denise Stevenson, "Devil's On The Run" by Uptights Band, "Brute Strength" by Mile Selesia, and "Lenient With My Love" by The Relatives. CD

A really rare side of the legendary De-Lite Records – served up here in a range of obscure 45s before the company exploded into bigger fame with the success of Kool & The Gang! The work here puts De-Lite right on the same level as important indies on the east coast at the turn of the 70s – and shows an especially strong ability to capture the best group styles of the period – from the sublime harmony styles being crafted in New Jersey and Philly, to some of the growing funky styles in the pre-disco years! The set's a much-needed look at this early part of the label – and also features titles on the related Red Coach label too – in a wonderful package of 25 tracks that includes "I'll Never Let You Get Away" by Universal Mind, "So Long Sweet Little Girl" by Reggie Saddler Revue, "I'm At The Breaking Point" by The Trumains, "Girl (part 1)" by Philadelphia Ambassadors, "Gotta Let Some Sunshine Into My Life" by The Exceptionals, "I'll Always Love You" by The New Cymbals, "So Fine" by The Fiestas, "The Story Of Our Love" by The Carstairs, "Love You Can't Shake It" by Reggie Saddler & The Jammers, "Nothing In The World" by The Electras, "Back On The Road Again" by Richmond International, and "Love Foundation" by Electrified Action. CD

Easily the best-remembered album by Labi Siffre – thanks to some well-used sample tracks over the years! But over and above the fame of the funky tunes "The Vulture" and "I Got The", the record's a key part of Siffre's 70s catalog – a record that's as great for its complex songwriting and deeply personal lyrics as it is for its Fender Rhodes lines, and tight musical backings from the combo of Big Jim Sullivan. All titles here are originals, and even when the groove slows down there's a depth that clearly marks Labi as one of the best singer/songwriters of the 70s – a talent who's been finally rediscovered in recent years, although sometimes only remembered for a few jazzy hooks from these tunes, and not the strength of the whole magilla! Here's your chance to dip into the Siffre sound at its fullest – on tracks that include "The Vulture", "I Got The", "Another Year", "Down", "Old Time Song", "Sadie & The Devil", "Remember My Song", and "Turn On Your Love". LP, Vinyl record album

After hitting big as a singer on the soundtrack for Claudine, Gladys Knight finally got her chance in front of the camera for Pipe Dreams – a record that featured her both as the star on film and on the soundtrack! The styles here are a bit more wider-ranging than the usual 70s soundtrack of this type – a bit of ballad soul, mellow numbers, and more – arranged by Dominic Frontiere and Michael Masser in styles that are a bit like some of Knight's own albums of the time. We like especially the jazzy vocalesey number "Pot Of Jazz", a nice number that deserves further discovery on a compilation – and other cuts include "Find A Way", "Follow My Dreams", "So Sad The Song", and "Alaskan Pipeline". LP, Vinyl record album

Cool cuts from CAMPOS – a name that stands for "Cumbias And More Psychedelic Original Sounds" – which is a very good way to describe the music on the set! There's an update of older Colombian modes going on – served up by Joshua Camp, who handles all instruments and programs in the set – mixing acoustic elements with keyboards, samples, and other sonic delights – all in a mode that echoes some older styles that you might have heard on Discos Fuentes back in the 70s, but with a delivery that's very contemporary overall! Titles include "Rise Up Shapeshifters", "Cumbia VIP 600", "After The Flight", "Last Star In The Aubergine Sky", "The Saddest Of Parties", "The Eigth Door", and "Cumbia De Alpha Centauri". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful sounds from Roger Fahkr – a Lebanese singer/songwriter who recorded most of this music in the late 70s – but with a sound and style that's every bit as compelling as western talents from the earlier part of the decade! The tunes often begin with voice and acoustic guitar, but usually bring in a bit of keyboards or other elements to expand things slightly, but all while keeping the moody quality of Roger's English-language vocals intact – all with a quality that could easily have this work standing next to some of our favorite recordings by artists like Rodriguez, Terry Callier, or Alzo & Udine! There's an inexplicable quality to all of these cuts – a uniqueness that really lives up to our comparison with those other greats – and the whole pacakge is a huge discovery of an artist who might have been a huge global force, had he had the chance back in the 70s. Titles include "Sad Sad Songs", "My Baby She Is As Down As I Am", "Express Line", "Insomnia Blue", "Lady Rain", "Everybody Is Going Home", "Sitting In The Sun", "The Wizard", "Trip Thru Time", "Gone Away Again", and "Had To Come Back Wet". LP, Vinyl record album

The second anniversary of Gladys Knight & The Pips on Buddah Records – an album that really shows the new level of depth the group were able to hit at the label! A key factor on the album is work by Eugene McDaniels – who produced the record, and wrote a good number of tracks too – really pushing Gladys and the group into righteous territory they wouldn't have touched a few years before – a deeper groove that really matches some of their best soundtrack material of the mid 70s! Gladys really stretches out wonderfully with her leads – and the Pips provide just the right sort of warm backdrop to hold things together. Titles include "Street Brothers", "At Every End There's A Beginning", "Summer Sun", "Feel Like Making Love", and "Money". After hitting big as a singer on the soundtrack for Claudine, Gladys Knight finally got her chance in front of the camera for Pipe Dreams – a record that featured her both as the star on film and on the soundtrack! The styles here are a bit more wider-ranging than the usual 70s soundtrack of this type – a bit of ballad soul, mellow numbers, and more – arranged by Dominic Frontiere and Michael Masser in styles that are a bit like some of Knight's own albums of the time. We like especially the jazzy vocalesey number "Pot Of Jazz", a nice number that deserves further discovery on a compilation – and other cuts include "Find A Way", "Follow My Dreams", "So Sad The Song", and "Alaskan Pipeline". CD

Chicago Soul/New York Underground issue. Songwriter/manager Bernice Williams recalls the early days of Gene Chandler/The Du-Kays, and the true story of "Duke of Earl"; Northern Soul legends the Conquistadors tell tales of 1960s West Side Chicago teenage R&B (plus the first soul Jesus concept album); Do "The Chimp" with Chicago 60s garage rocker/R&B singer Jerry Mundo; H. Dwight Thompson tells tales of 70s NYC punk with the Heat and Klaus Nomi's first band! Relive the early Hip Hop parties of the Disco Fever nightclub; Nardwuar meets Jay-Z and N*E*R*D*; plus great interviews with Chris Montez and Doug Randle, and amazing tributes (by those who knew them) to Lux Interior, Michael Jackson, Billy Lee Riley, Sid Lavarents, Sky Saxon and (sadly) more. And amazing comix about Lennon, Danzig, Hagar, record store clerks, hot dogs, riots, and much more by the best underground cartoonists on earth! 120 pages. Magazine