Funk | Soul 149 Items

US original mono pressing.

Originally from 1961, here is a searing soul tinged R'n'B pleader. This reissue is backed with the original flip, which also is a nice mover.

US original mono pressing. Vinyl with scuffs and a couple of small scratches.

US original, stereo version.

US original. Seam split.

Deliberately presented as a dance music release, this brilliant Quincy Jones album - first released on Mercury label in 1961 - comprises material from two marvelous big band performances recorded the year before in Paris and New York. Here the great composer and arranger leads a first class "dance organization", a top-flight big band featuring the cream of NY Jazz musicians, among them: Clark Terry and Freddie Hubbard - trumpets, Curtis Fuller and Melba Liston - trombones, Phil Woods, Oliver Nelson and Sahib Shihab - saxes, Stu Martin - drums. An exquisite platter of highly swinging and danceable grooves signed by the genius of Quincy Jones

Vinyl with scuffs and hairlines. Cover with shelf wear.

Japanese pressing with OBI!

seam split

Record has many hairlines and surface marks. Cover has slight water damage, no splits or tears.

Back To Black 180 gram vinyl reissue

Bottom spine is torn. Original inner sleeve.

Tear in spine. Writing on cover.

Writing on cover.

Tear in top spine.

Original US pressing.

American Rhythm 'n' Blues singer Nathaniel Mayer (1944-2008) is mostly remembered for his raw vocal timbre and for his particularly wild live act. Originally released in 1963 on Detroit based label Fortune Records, "Going Back To The Village Of Love" still sounds like an incredibly explosive hyper-energetic irreverent piece of pure Detroit sound.

Most listeners only became aware of Billy Preston as a solo artist after he signed to Apple Records in the late 1960s. But he'd been recording for a long time prior to that, dating back to when he was a teenager. This instrumental album for Sam Cooke's SAR label (issued on its sister Derby imprint) was cut in March 1963, when Preston was still going to high school in Los Angeles. The very fact that it's wholly instrumental indicates that it's pretty early in Preston's evolution, and though he does play some piano, it's really on the more uptempo, organ-dominated tunes where he hits the best groove. In truth, these aren't any great shakes even when it comes to soul organ instrumentals, but they have a nice swinging bounce that places them a cut above period background music, though they fall a good ways short of being spellbinding. The slower numbers (including covers of hits by Sam Cooke and Ray Charles) verge on easy listening; in contrast, the more urgent cuts are cookin', with bop, jazz, and gospel influences spicing up the soul/R&B recipe. (allmusic)

Born in rural Mississippi and associated with Memphis, versatile entertainer Rufus Thomas is a legendary figure, having been a tap-dancer, comedian, and DJ before recording for Satellite in 1961—the label that soon became Stax. Thomas’ improvised hit, ‘The Dog,’ led to immortal follow-up, ‘Walking The Dog,’ so massively popular that it became the centerpiece of his debut LP, an irresistible blend of funk and soul with lashings of Thomas’ trademark humour. Whether with originals or standards like ‘Ya Ya’ and ‘Land Of 1,000 Dances,’ Thomas keeps the action tight and in addition to both ‘Dog’ hits, there is further installment, ‘Can Your Monkey Do The Dog,’ co-penned with Stax’s Steve Cropper. A killer set!

Fame collectors know how rare this 45 is to find in the wild; it hardly ever happens. ‘Go Away With Me’ is a fabulously, catchy dance number from 1963 when the little-known Dixon wandered into the Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals and laid these track down. It is one of Dan Penn’s very early compositions and the nascent talent of the writer is in evidence here. The tuneful self-penned ‘Time Will Tell’ flip reveals another accomplished musical bent to the singer who, though he only cut two 45s, was revered as a major Muscle Shoals influence by the likes of Jimmy Johnson, Donnie Fritts and David Hood.

The Exciters began as the Masterettes, a girl group formed by high school friends Brenda Reid, Carol Johnson, Lillian Walker, and Sylvia Wilbur. A single was cut for Brooklyn’s Le Sage label before Wilbur was replaced by Brenda’s husband, Herb Rooney, and after auditioning for Leiber & Stoller, the Exciters recorded the international smash ‘Tell Him’, a song so popular that it spawned foreign language renditions. Our edition of this marvellous debut LP includes the spectacular follow-up hit, ‘Do Wah Diddy,’ another immortal nugget of irresistible pop soul. Bright, light grooves for your dancing feet!

Texan rhythm and blues icon Barbara Lynn made an incredible impact in 1962 with the chart-topping debut single, ‘You’ll Lose A Good Thing,’ which has since been covered by Aretha Franklin, Freddy Fender, and countless others. A southpaw guitarist who wrote her own material, debut LP You’ll Lose A Good Thing captured our heroine at her best, the soulful smoky voice a striking contrast to the blues base of her backing musicians (including Dr John on keyboards). Containing the follow-up hits ‘Second Fiddle Girl’ and ‘Letter To Mommy And Daddy’ as well as the cherished title track, it’s a winner from start to finish.

Southside sweethearts, the Dreamliners, first came into the scene as the Royaltones in 1961 when they were students at South San High School in San Antonio, TX. In 1963, label head Abie Epstein signed them to his Cobra & Jox labels producing 4 singles. On the way to a studio session, Ana (Ana) Wilburn coined "The Best Things in Life" on the dashboard of her car. Out popped a playful Farfisa and harmony-driven tune reminiscent of the Crystals or Ronettes. Ana also wrote and sang lead on the haunting ballad "Just Me & You." A song about longing and adolescent heartache that's perfect for any post-breakup kleenex session.

Originally released on Sue Records in 1963 this was Ike & Tina Turner fourth album, the one that earned them a first grammy nomination and a further step in the consolidation of their international success. Most of the tunes here are highly energetic up-tempo numbers while the whole album comes as the fruit of a unique combination of raw R&B and highly energetic Rock n Roll.

Writing on cover.

Small light scuffs on both sides.
Cover lamination is peeling.

Japanese pressing without OBI!

promo Close to VG+

colored vinyl

Original US pressing.

This is an excellent 1964 soul-jazz album, recorded by Rudy Van Gelder.

The album Rock 'n Soul was originally released in 1964 by Grammy Award winning Solomon Burke (†2010). 7 tracks ended up in Top 100 Billboard Hits at the time. "If You Need Me" went as high as #2 in the Black Singles Chart. This extraordinary album is not only soulful but a confirmation that Burke is a genius when it comes to writing music and making it happen in a studio!

Original US stereo pressing. Copy close to VG

Early Reissue!

Vinyl with many scuffs and hairlines. Cover with heavy shelf wear and writing on the back.

Among the rarest albums from Jim Kirchstein's Wisconsin-based Cuca label, 1964's Birdlegs & Pauline runs a playful gamut of girl group soul, sultry R&B, bluesy torch songs, and junk shop doo-wop. The Rockford, Illinois-based husband and wife duo struck gold with their Top 20 R&B hit "Spring" the year prior and frequently returned to Sauk City to see if there was any additional magic up Cuca's sleeve. Gathered here are the best of Birdlegs & Pauline's family album of songs, featuring several previously unissued songs found deep in the Cuca vault.

Among the rarest albums from Jim Kirchstein's Wisconsin-based Cuca label, 1964's Birdlegs & Pauline runs a playful gamut of girl group soul, sultry R&B, bluesy torch songs, and junk shop doo-wop. The Rockford, Illinois-based husband and wife duo struck gold with their Top 20 R&B hit "Spring" the year prior and frequently returned to Sauk City to see if there was any additional magic up Cuca's sleeve. Gathered here are the best of Birdlegs & Pauline's family album of songs, featuring several previously unissued songs found deep in the Cuca vault.

Vinyl with scuffs, hairlines and a couple of deeper marks

Record has some hairlines and a few superficial scratches.

Seam split. Original US mono pressing.

Vinyl LP pressing.

Close to VG+

Sleeve has handwriting.

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

cover with puchhole and bottom seam split. vinyl has only superficial marks

Nina Simone was one of the best Blues singers of the 20th century. Only someone the likes of Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith had the power to lay a soul bare like she could, as her stripped-down 'Be My Husband' shows. Nina Simone never, ever disappoints. Re-released for the first time on vinyl since 1965, we hope we do 'Pastel Blues' justice. Includes 'Strange Fruit'!