Blues Vinyl 362 Items

One of the most unique albums to ever come out of the Miami soul scene of the 70s. Milton Wright has a really jazzy groove to his music - and he mixes his own acoustic guitar lines with warm keyboards and a bit of synth or moog. Milton's vocals have the chops to live up to the heady batch of soul artists. This record feels like nothing else you've ever heard, but which you can't live without once you've heard it!

US original!

Trying to define what it is that makes Dr. John special is much like trying to define the word "soul'—you can surround it. But nailing it down is a whole ‘nother smoke. You can point to his sense of history, how he's never forgotten from whence he came, how his music always returns to his roots, even honoring the proud heritage of his native New Orleans. You can dissect his technique, marveling at the adroitness of the hands right and left; admiring the strong second line; respecting the tributes to his inspiration, Professor Longhair, apparent at every turn. And you can note how his peers consider his presence at a session as lending instant credibility to that particular project.

"Upon the release of The Brightest Smile in Town, the reviews were effusive. Chicago critic Bill Knight’s comparisons to Fats Waller and James P. Johnson were high compliments indeed. Downbeat’s Jim Roberts called the playing 'graceful'; noting that the LP had a broader scope than its predecessor. Jazz Times’ Rhodes Spedale summarized: 'He’s never been in better form than here.'

We kept in touch over the years. Mac was always generous and encouraging. Little did we know when The Brightest Smile in Town was released, what accolades lay ahead for Mac Rebennack and Dr. John. From the innovative guitar triumph 'Storm Warning' on the Rex label in 1959, to his 2012 Grammy-winning Locked Down album, Mac’s musical light shone brightly for seven decades. We were fortunate he chose to play for us. I’m sure he’d say that he was lucky too." - Jack Heyrman, Clean Cuts Producer

Why you'll love it...
In 1974, Hound Dog Taylor recorded his last studio album; Natural Boogie, appearing here in VMP Classics. The release nearly derailed Alligator Records, its creation was a disaster and Hound Dog himself died of lung cancer less than two years after its release. It’s a record that could have sunk multiple ships; that it sounds so raucous, wild, mercurial and is a downright blast feels incongruous in retrospect.

Bruce Iglauer, the founder of Alligator Records — who produced Natural Boogie, and worked closely with VMP on this reissue — said of the album: “This reissue is important to me because I hope that this is going to reach some people who have no idea who Hound Dog was. He’d be so tickled that people still wanted to hear his music that much later. He just thought of himself as a happy barroom entertainer. He never thought of a legacy, as such. If he had, he might have left a will and then it would’ve been easier to pay the royalties, too (laughs).”

Vinyl is Close to VG+. 1977 reissue.

Company sleeve included

A deep, funk-fuelled Smithstonian double sider, straight outta Memphis. An eerie spiritual soul track ‘Mississippi Mud’ on the A side, paired with an equally low-slung funk number ‘Just Sitting’ on the B. The original changes hands for £250+…so buy or cry! Black label version original black sleeve.

Looking Back is an instrumental album demonstrating Russell’s virtuosity on the harpsichord. Much of the material arose from recording sessions in the mid sixties. The album has remained a ‘must have’ component of every Russell fans’ record collection. By the time this album was released, he was considered to be the biggest concert draw of 1973 by Billboard magazine. Pressed on heavyweight purple vinyl in special edition orange sleeve.

From mellow crossover soul to furious heavy funk, all the way to sweet ballads, the self titled LP from 1619 Bad Ass Band has it all! We’ve taken Nothing Can Stop My Loving You and Step Out from the LP to cut a seven inch single!

Long considered by crate diggers to be rare even among the ultra rare TSG records, 1619 Bad Ass Band’s self-titled album is like catnip for rare groove collectors! From the mellow crossover soul, furious funk, sweet ballads, and everything in between, we’ve selected mid-tempo dance number “Nothing Can Stop My Loving You” and heavy funk number “Step Out” (famously sampled by DJ Shadow) to be cut on 7 inch 45rpm vinyl!

The long awaited reissue! A classic “If you know you know” for collectors, this private press record rarely even makes its way to the second hand market, but fetches jaw-dropping prices when it does!

Recorded quietly in Minneapolis in 1977, the sole album from singer-songwriter and producer Ernie Story is one of the finest examples of the musical territory where AOR meets Modern Soul. Mellow grooves are a-plenty, but the occasional touch of gospel is what takes it up a notch.

Story’s experience providing songs for The Impressions, Curtis Mayfield, and The Chi-Lites should be proof enough that these songs are of the highest quality. But put down your needle and take one listen to the staccato rhythm guitar and wildly percussive beat of “disco City” and you won’t have any doubts! Or perhaps the acoustic instrumental number “The E Groove” is more your style. Maybe even the softly psychedelic band and soulful vocals of “Chain Gang” is what gets you going. Across nine tracks, Ernie Story never slows down, with fantastic songs from beginning to end. P-vine is proud to be giving Meditation Blue its first ever reissue, now complete with an obi-strip!

Vinyl is Close to VG+. Cover has slight wear. Puppet sleeve.

Speciality pressing. Seam split.

The Whatnauts emerged from Baltimore in the late 60"s and were produced by George Kerr & Michael Watson. This 8-song original LP has become a classic 70s soul album, mixing ballads and groovy tracks. While "You forget too easy" could be played on any lowriders mixtape, "I"m So Glad I Found You" featuring Linda Jones is the perfect Northern soul floor filler. The beatmakers & producers are given their share too, with the drum breaks of the groovy "Why Can"t People Be Colors Too?" And to make this reissue even more collectable, Playoff Records added the 80s funky "Help is on the way" sampled by De La soul as the perfect bonus track. A must have for any diggers or soul music fans.

Original Japanese pressing with obi and insert.

Cover and inner sleeve with sticker

Japanese pressing with OBI and insert. Cover and vinyl are close to NM.

Copy close to VG+

Wilson Pickett was quite simply one of THE great soul singers. Pickett's phenomenal gospel-honed voice and involvement in his best songs marked him down as a major soul performer and even as late as the mid-70's, a producer as astute as Brad Shapiro was not likely to take too many musical liberties when 'updating' Wicked Pickett. This 1976 album, recorded at Sound Shops Studio in Nashville, featurees the two R&B single hits : "The Best Part of A Man" and "Love Will Keep Us Together" This success prompted this 10-track "Chocolate Mountain" album.Shapiro chose a musical 'sound' to tie in with the more funky demands of the mid-70's but Pickett's voice and approach to a lyric never really changed. Swampy and bluesy with plenty of 'rap' from Pickett or more gospel oriented funcky tracks, Pickett works the lyrics like the soul veteran he already was by 1976 and the quality of these excellent songs for all to enjoy.

Promo copy. Japanese pressing. OBI is missing.

Original Japanese pressing with obi and insert.

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Vinyl with a couple of light scuffs