Although it would be easy to write these guys off as a cheapo product emblazoned with the Soul Train name to cash in on the fame of the TV show, the gang's actually a pretty decent harmony soul act, and they really benefit from strong Norman Harris production on this LP. The ensemble features 2 female vocalists and 3 male ones – and they have a sweet grooving style that's kind of in the same mode as The Spinners, but which also hints at some of the later LA harmony hits on the Solar label, which is no surprise, since Solar owner Dick Griffey's involved in the project as executive producer. Philly soul arrangements abound – by Harris, Ronnie Baker, or Bobby Martin – and tracks include "That Certain Way", "How Much Longer", "All My Life", and the "Soul Train Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

K-tel style compilation that was probably sold on TV, with a bunch of short versions of hot soul tunes that were making the rounds every Saturday afternoon on Soul Train. Nothing hard to find here, but a nice piece of the past, with 20 tracks in all, including George McCrae "Rock Your Baby", Isaac Hayes "Wonderful", Curtis Mayfield "Future Shock", The Spinners "I'll Be Around", The Staple Singers "I'll Take You There", The Soul Children "I'll Be The Other Woman", Kool & The Gang "Funky Stuff", The Moments "Sexy Mama", The Impressions "Finally Got Myself Together", The Natural Four "Can This Be Real" and Sylva "Pillow Talk", plus a bunch more. . . LP, Vinyl record album

Don't be put off by the cheesy look of the cover – as the set's filled with cool, classy funk rarities – a really wonderful selection of tracks that features plenty of gems that work perfectly here together! The long-running Mood Mosaic series has been at it longer than most – and they've continued to really grow and expand their musical palette as the years have gone on – so that by the time of this 18th volume, you'll find an amazing blend of cuts from jazz, soul, Brazilian, rock, and other global sources – brought together in a really beautiful mix of funky moods and modes! Titles include "Growing" by Hareton Salvanini, "Ceddo" by Manu Dibango, "Love To Fly" by Venus Gang, "Gang Train" by Bernard Estardy, "Coasting" by A Band Called O, "Some Kind Of Fever" by Maxine Sellers, "Slabo Day" by Peter Green, "Soul Raga" by Mehrpouya, "Main Theme" by Rosebod, and "Nijana" by Jana Koubkova. LP, Vinyl record album

Don't be put off by the cheesy look of the cover – as the set's filled with cool, classy funk rarities – a really wonderful selection of tracks that features plenty of gems that work perfectly here together! The long-running Mood Mosaic series has been at it longer than most – and they've continued to really grow and expand their musical palette as the years have gone on – so that by the time of this 18th volume, you'll find an amazing blend of cuts from jazz, soul, Brazilian, rock, and other global sources – brought together in a really beautiful mix of funky moods and modes! Titles include "Growing" by Hareton Salvanini, "Ceddo" by Manu Dibango, "Love To Fly" by Venus Gang, "Gang Train" by Bernard Estardy, "Coasting" by A Band Called O, "Some Kind Of Fever" by Maxine Sellers, "Slabo Day" by Peter Green, "Soul Raga" by Mehrpouya, "Main Theme" by Rosebod, and "Nijana" by Jana Koubkova. CD

A sweet set of soundtrack funk – from a film named after one of our favorite streets in Chicago! Although the record's got an approach that's perhaps a bit tighter and smoother than anything going down on Stony in the late 70s, it does manage to share a good deal of styles with the Chi-soul scene of the time – thanks to work on the record from Chicagoans Gene Barge, Sonny Seals, and Tennyson Stephens! Many of the tracks on the set have a bad-walking soul approach – one that's kind of a mixture of funky and bluesy – and these are laid out next to some jazzier instrumentals that we like most of all – tunes that have a great funky soundtrack feel, but with a bit more fusion touches than usual, probably because of the work of David Matthews. Titles include "Percy Fired", "Party Lights", "High Speed Posters", "Back To Business", "Chase The Train", "Gangster City", "Dream Ride", and "Peace Of Mind". CD

A sweet set of soundtrack funk – from a film named after one of our favorite streets in Chicago! Although the record's got an approach that's perhaps a bit tighter and smoother than anything going down on Stony in the late 70s, it does manage to share a good deal of styles with the Chi-soul scene of the time – thanks to work on the record from Chicagoans Gene Barge, Sonny Seals, and Tennyson Stephens! Many of the tracks on the set have a bad-walking soul approach – one that's kind of a mixture of funky and bluesy – and these are laid out next to some jazzier instrumentals that we like most of all – tunes that have a great funky soundtrack feel, but with a bit more fusion touches than usual, probably because of the work of David Matthews. Titles include "Percy Fired", "Party Lights", "High Speed Posters", "Back To Business", "Chase The Train", "Gangster City", "Dream Ride", and "Peace Of Mind". LP, Vinyl record album

An early session from German pianist Wolfgang Dauner – one with a sound that's every bit as great as you'd expect from the title! The "dream talk" component here is one that comes from Dauner's gentle, yet modern approach to the keys – one that's clearly learning lessons from 50s modernists like George Russell or Bill Evans, but which is stretching out here in some of the bolder freedoms of the European scene at the time – a precursor to later modes on MPS and Saba, but performed here with a bit more careful restraint. The record's nicely free from some of the overindulgences of some of Dauner's 70s sides, and is an acoustic effort throughout – extremely imaginative, with a "set free" quality that's also never too "out", nor too full of itself – a bit like the best early recordings by Steve Kuhn. Wolfgang's approach to the keys is nothing less than revelatory – and he receives well matched accompaniment from bassist Eberhard Weber and drummer Fred Braceful. Titles include "Free Fall", "Dammerung", "Soul Eyes", "A Long Night", "Dream Talk", and "Bird Food". CD