Funk | Soul 318 Items

"Dr. John's Gumbo" is the fifth album by New Orleans singer and pianist Dr. John, a tribute to the music of his native city. The album is a collection of covers of New Orleans classics, played by a major figure in the city's music.
"Dr John's Gumbo" was released in 1972 and is in many ways a tribute by Dr. John, aka the Night Tripper, to his hometown New Orleans. It features excellent interpretations of New Orleans traditionals ("Iko Iko", "Tipitina", "Junko Partner" and "Stack-O-Lee") and contemporary R&B written or played by the likes of Huey Piano Smith ("Blow Wind Blow" and "Huey Smith Medley") Earl King and Earl Gaines ("Big Chief", "Let The Good Times Roll" and "Lonely Lonely Nights").
Dr. John delivers a strong set of infectious songs drenched in good vibes and spiced with a pinch of voodoo. His eccentric (stage) appearance adds unique color to his stature as master of the ivories and as an entertainer.
This great album receives the full Analogue Productions reissue treatment here, starting with Kevin Gray's remaster from the original analogue tapes. Then we back that up with 200-gram plating and pressing on super-silent vinyl by our own Quality Record Pressings. Finally it's all housed in a tip-on gatefold jacket from Stoughton Printing. Deluxe all the way; you'll be estatic with the results!

Gil’s final album for Flying Dutchman, it capped a hugely creative period for him when he wrote many of his best-remembered songs.

Why you'll love it...
With the ’60s coming to an end, the revolutionary spirit of the times was so ubiquitous that it simply demanded more from its artists. We started to see this shift in rock ’n’ roll (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones) and in jazz (Lee Morgan, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock); it was time that pop and soul music followed suit. Marvin Gaye would release the seminal What’s Going On in May 1971, and while What’s Going On was pivotal in allowing Black artists to deliver popular music with a message that spoke to the times, There’s a Riot Goin’ On followed Gaye’s lead, but pushed the boundaries further. Sly Stone challenged what was possible for a Black artist in popular music, both lyrically and sonically.

Sly & The Family Stone’s There’s a Riot Goin’ On was synonymous with the anxiety felt by all alive at that time — how to navigate this new decade, after all the turmoil experienced in the last one. It’s a bit of a “purple haze,” really. Artistically, Sly managed to harness the confusion that not only he felt, but that most people were feeling then.

Fully licensed ! 180 gr. vinyl Carol Woods was born in Jamaica, New York in 1943. She was deeply influenced by her grandfather, a Pentecostal minister, and her mother Marion Jones, which led her to become lead singer with the local church choir. A necessary soulful album long out of print. Recorded in London and published on Ember (british label formed in the early 1960s by club owner and promoter Jeffrey S. Kruger, owner of the Flamingo Club, London) in 1971, ‘Out Of the Woods’ is still a shiny gem on its own. The four tracks on her singles were included and the rhythm section backing tracks for the remainder were put down by Beau Ray Fleming (well known for his studio work with Mandrill) in New York. Ember s producer, Mike Berry, then added Carol s vocals and the horn section. Woods‘ vocals are full and rich and the record has a sort of post-Supremes vibe with an obvious seventies approach. Since that time Carol has found success in stage musicals, such as One Mo Time where she took over the role of Big Bertha Williams, the hard drinking Vaudeville star. She has also appeared in movies, including Eddie Murphy ‘Raw’ where she played Eddie s aunt.

With Candi Staton hitting the UK to play the Love Supreme festival over the weekend of 30th June/2nd July, Ace records is delighted to reissue her debut LP, which has been out-of-print on vinyl for decades. "I'm Just A Prisoner" was released in 1970 and remains a definitive slice of Southern soul. Recorded at Rick Hall's legendary FAME studio in Muscle Shoals, "I'm Just A Prisoner" pulled together five tracks - 'I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart (Than A Young Man's Fool)', 'I'm Just A Prisoner (Of Your Good Lovin')', 'Evidence', 'You Don't Love Me No More' and 'Sweet Feeling' - that had appeared as A and B-sides on early singles issued in 1969 and 1970. These were augmented by another five tracks recorded specifically for the album; 'Someone You Use', 'Get It When I Want It', 'Do Your Duty', 'That's How Strong My Love Is' and 'Another Man's Woman, Another Woman's Man'. Like Southern fried chicken, this music is essential food for your ears. This new edition includes an inner sleeve featuring a new interview with Candi conducted by Ace Records' Ian Shirley about this magical stage of her career as well as photos from the period.

Also from 1970 is Funkadelic’s second LP.

In a thick card gatefold sleeve with 180g blue vinyl pressing

- "Eulogy and Light" sampled by Above the Law for "Black Triangle"

- "Free Your Mind" sampled by JCD and the Dawg lb for "Bon Appetit",
Kris Kross for "Freak da Funk" and
X-Clan for "Earth Bound" & "Shaft's Big Score"

Leon Thomas’ debut as a leader was this classic of spiritual jazz recorded for Bob Thiel’s Flying Dutchman label. Originally pressed in 1969, it features an all-star band including Pharoah Sanders (under the name Little Rock), Lonnie Liston Smith (piano), James Spaulding (alto sax), Cecil McBee (bass), Roy Haynes (drums) and Richard Landrum (bongos).

“Spirits Known And Unknown” features versions of ‘The Creator Has A Master Plan (Peace)’, the classic ‘Song For My Father’, ‘One’, ‘Echoes’ and the topical ‘Damn Nam (Ain’t Goin’ To Vietnam)’. Subtitled New Vocal Frontiers upon release, the rear sleeve noted that “Thomas is searching as far into himself as he can go for spirits known and unknown and is creating new dimensions of vocal expressiveness to bring these spirits – these feelings – into the experience of others.” The fact that this album is hailed as a classic shows that he succeeded.

Pressed on 180gm vinyl we have remained faithful to the original pressing replicating the Flying Dutchman label style and gatefold-sleeve.

A monumental force firmly rooted in the soul canon, Willie Hutch is most notable for recording two of the best Blaxploitation soundtracks, The Mack and Foxy Brown. Yet his legacy is much greater. Outside of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson, Hutch was arguably Motown's top male solo artist of the 70s. Prior to his association with Gordy et al, Hutch crafted his opening statements for RCA, two vital LPs that Be With Records is honoured to present today. His debut, Soul Portrait (1969), is an incredible slice of gritty, Southern-fried soul. Think Stax with a touch of Detroit sparkle. As a whole, the album demonstrates the self-contained act Hutch was; he wrote every tune on the album while also arranging and conducting for it. It features 11 timeless grooves, with a blend of beat ballads and undeniable dancers.

Monstrous blue-eyed soul / garage double-sider and a must for any rare groove DJ.
250 copies pressed.

Why you'll love it...
"‘I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You’ runs the stylistic gambit without feeling Franklin is doing things just for show. The album isn’t trying to function as a resumé of her skills. Genre shifts feel organic and natural. “Don’t Let Me Lose This Dream” is built on a bossa nova groove, while “Do Right Woman Do Right Man” has a little country ballad flavor. “Dr Feelgood (Love Is A Serious Business)”—one of four songs penned by Franklin herself—is a bluesy belter. She might have been Queen of the genre, but pigeonholing Franklin in soul is like calling Sugar Ray Leonard just a welterweight. She could shuffle through styles as smooth as velvet. Everything is stamped with her own distinct character."

180 gram high quality pressing vinyl!

11 tracks ... sampled by Guru, Ghostface, Geto Boys ... 180 gram vinyl

The 1958 space-age classic from theremin maestro Paul Tanner
and André Montero & His Orchestra sees a welcome reissue. The eerie sound, colourful orchestral blending and haunting melodies have turned 'Music For Heavenly Bodies' into a true crate digging classic, sounding lightyears ahead of its time.