Sammy belts it out wonderfully on a set of show-stoppers – tunes with Broadway sources, but redone here by Sam with a tight, jazzy finish! The approach makes the record one of his best of the 60s – a really solid set that virtually reinvents each tune – giving them the Davis positive spin, and really stepping out strongly on titles that include "Once In A Lifetime", "Begin The Beguine", "Something's Coming", "Can't We Be Friends", "Too Close For Comfort", and "A Lot Of Livin To Do". LP, Vinyl record album

The second volume in Rhino's groovy set of TV cop show theme songs – put together with the Nick At Nite TV Land crew, and featuring a track selection that's hipper than you might think! There's a few on here that we could have done without, but there's more than enough great numbers to make the set worthwhile – especially because they haven't been reissued elsewhere. Titles include "Mannix" by Lalo Schifrin, "Charlie's Angels" by Jack Elliott, "77 Sunset Strip" by Warren Barker, "Vega$" by Dominic Frontiere, "Cannon" by John Parker, "Hart to Hart" by Mark Snow, "Hawaiian Eye" by Warren Barker, "Tenspeed & Brownshoe" by Mike Post, "Theme From Checkmate" by John Williams, and "Harry O" by The John Gregory Orchestra. 16 tracks in all! CD

A hell of a house party – one that's overflowing with rare American soul from the 60s, and which also includes some surprising bits from the British scene as well! This isn't any sort of Big Chill package of overplayed hits – as the UK scene of the 60s really knew how to pick and choose the best soul tracks of the time – maybe no surprise, given that this moment was not only a time when so many big Brit groups broke forth, inspired by American soul – but also when the underground Northern Soul scene first got its start! The box is a whopping 89 tracks in all, with titles by Timebox, Jason Knight, Lorraine Silver, Eddie Floyd, Marlena Shaw, Chuck Wood, The Olympics, Show Stoppers, Bobby Sheen, Soul Sisters, Darrell Banks, Solomon Burke, Jackie Lee, Darrow Fletcher, Bettye Lavette, Bobby Wells, Rex Garvin & The Mighty Cravers, Jack Hammer, Tommy Hunt, Wynder K Frog, The Foundations, Alan Bown Set, Ferris Wheel, Garnet Mimms, Jackie Edwards, and many many others! CD

Not really blues, but not really soul either – a wonderful mix of modes that's come to be known as the popcorn sound of the early 60s! The style's hardly "pop" at all – and instead, these tunes are plenty gritty throughout – more like numbers you'd hear blasting out of a backroom jukebox, or on the decks of some deep soul DJ dedicated to serving up a rough-edged groove! Lots of these numbers might be called post-R&B – as they still have some of the styles of the 50s, mixed with the tighter punch of the newborn soul sound – and the set's a wonderful illustration of this magical moment in music, finally getting some credit after all these years. CD features loads of tracks we'd never heard before – and titles include "Don't Knock It" by Sinner Strong, "You Lied" by Marva Josie, "Mr Lonely" by Freddie North, "When You See Me Hurt" by Carl Lester & The Show Stoppers, "Well I Done Got Over It" by Bobby Mitchell, "I'm Comin Home" by Bobby John, "I Ain't Talkin" by Pat Hunt, "This Little Lester" by James Wayne, "Why Oh Why" by Austin Taylor, "Rockin Bed" by Valerie Carr, and "I'm Hurted" by Mamie Perry. 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

A massive amount of rare Northern Soul cuts – almost all of them from the Heritage Records empire of producer Jerry Ross! There's plenty of Philly elements in the mix, but the set also shows Jerry's good ear for crossing over into other camps too – and some of these tunes also have a sound that would have been right at home in the Detroit scene of the late 60s. A few numbers are even rock/pop cuts, but still work very well in the context of the soul material – and the CD features 20 titles that include "Green Grow the Lilacs" by The Festivals, "Ain't Nothin' But A House Party" by The Showstoppers, "I Dig Everything About You" by The Mob, "You Gave Me Somebody To Love" by The Dreamlovers, "Loan Shark" by Chapter One, "I Get By Without You" by Kenny Gamble & Tommy Bell, "Baby Show It" by The Festivals, "Bok To Bach" by Father's Angels, "Eeny Meeny" by The Showstoppers, "Pick Up My Toys" by The Devonnes, "I've Been Hurt" by Bill Deal & The Rhondels, and "You Aint' Sayin' Nothin' New" by Virgil Henry. CD

A great entry in one of our favorite series for rare soul tracks these days – a really special sort of collection that brings together tracks with a vibe that's very much all its own! The set definitely serves up the "real side" that it promises in the title – tunes that aren't showy or full of fuss – and instead, these easygoing soul tracks that hit their mark, right from the start – then go long with tremendous staying power, and a sense of warmth that has us returning to the set again and again for repeated listenings! The choice of cuts is sublime – a few familiar numbers mixed with overlooked tracks from artists we know, but haven't heard from in this way before – served up on 20 tracks that include "Never Set Me Free" by Continental Showstoppers, "I'm Coming Home" by Gerald Taylor, "I Can Remember" by The Whispers, "I'd Believe Him" by Deniece Chandler, "What Does It Take" by The Electrifying Cashmeres, "If You Decide" by Bull & The Matadors, "Try Something New" by Eddie Billups, "When" by Joe Simon, "Lover Come Back" by Jackey Beavers, "Nobody But You" by Willie Hightower, "I Hate Hate" by Razzy Bailey, "Why Don't You Write" by Lee Bates, "Grooving With My Thing" by The DeVons, and "Smooth Sailing" by Three Shades Of Soul. CD

With selections by Duane Eddy, Ray Sharpe, Sanford Clark, Joe Brown, Billy & The Essentials, Mitchell Torok, The Virtues, Dale & Grace, The Velaires, Mark Robinson, Marty Wilde, Danny & The Juniors, The Showstoppers, and Fantastic Johnny C. LP, Vinyl record album

An early Northern Soul collection from the UK, done before Charly and Ace really started hitting the record racks – and with a great batch of 16 tracks from American soul singers, including work from Barbara Mills, The Showstoppers, Dobie Gray, Johnny Bragg, Gloria Jones, Sandy Wynns, The Carstairs, Ann Sexton, Eloise Jaws, The Jelly Beans, and others! LP, Vinyl record album