Search "U9060" 209 Items

The Label: TK Records in essence represents the city of Miami when it came to Soul/R&B
and the early stages of Disco. In 1974, George McCrae gave the label its first #1 Disco
hit with Rock Your Baby. A little more than a year after McCrae's hit, the record label
struck gold with KC & The Sunshine Band with five #1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100.
Needless to say at the height of the genre’s cultural domination TK did pretty well.
Timmy Thomas: Without a doubt, he’s most famously known for the hit song Why Can’t We
Live Together. The record topped the U.S. Billboard R&B chart, made the top three in the
Billboard Hot 100 and was charted in top 10 in many countries including the UK. A staple
in the R&B scene, he had a succesful solo career until the mid 80s, later focusing on
the writing and production side of the business.

Why Can’t We Live Together: It may have been his biggest hit, but also one that keeps
resonating to this day. A response to the devastating news coming from the war in
Vietnam, its words “No more wars, we want peace in this world, and no matter what color,
you’re still my brother.” are indicative of a time marked by the horrors of war abroad,
and the racial discrimination in America. Written and Produced by Timmy Thomas himself
solely on a Lowrey organ, and an early rhythm machine, the song however was far from
simple as its emotive message continues to provide a profound context. And even though
it’s been covered over the years by many artist including Sade and Joan Osborne, Why
Can’t We Live Together has managed to come back on the charts again in 2015, as the
instrumental backing to Drake’s Hotline Bling, which has now sold over 2 Million copies
in the U.S. Alone. Once a hit, always a hit.

Africano: When it comes to this Deep Disco cut, Africano is one of those tracks that
probably never got much shine in America, but has since become a dancefloor favorite of
underground disco DJs worldwide. Curiously, years after its release, its biggest
supporters were Italian DJs like Danielle Baldelli, Mozart and Gianni Maselli who during
the 80s played Disco, African records, American R&B, and reggae to create what has been
since become known as the Afro-Cosmic scene at the height of Club culture in the
discothèques of Northern Italy.

One of the more idiosyncratic U.S. independent labels must be the Hep’ Me imprint from New Orleans run by veteran Soulman Senator Jones. Very few of Hep’ Me's numerous releases made it out of New Orleans and the ones that did, tended to go into collections and nowhere else. Las Vegas Connection's ‘Running Back To You’ surfaced some time in the mid 1970s but there were never enough copies for it to take off. Hopefully that will change with this re-release on the original label.

Also, a lovely piece of mid-tempo soul on the flip with the stunning ‘Can't Nobody Love Me Like You Do’. Original copies are few and far between and the current price benchmark for this superior slab of New Orleans vinyl is hovering around the £250 mark. As with most of our reissues this will appeal to across-the-board scenes.

Prime are delighted to announce the long-awaited OFFICIAL 12 inch re-release of probably the most revered Paradise Garage anthem of all time - M.F.S.B. feat The Three Degrees and the now legendary "Love Is The Message".

Originally released in 1973, "Love Is The Message" has sustained dance-floors across the world ever since and here we present the full original 11.28 mix from Tom Moulton which is always a £25-30 record if you've ever been lucky enough to find a mint one and copies of the rarer U.S. 12" with the long mix are like gold!

Worry no more as the quality on this 12" is from the best master and 100% sanctioned by Sony Music.

On the flip we are proud to re-release "T.S.O.P. (The Sound Of Philadelphia)" aka the official Soul Train theme, using Tom Moulton's full original 5.42 mix. Another piece of significant dance-floor history.

As double-siders go, it really doesn't get any better than this. There is already high-demand from lots of DJs needing to replace their battered copies so accept no substitute. This is the real deal.

Cut corner. Barely any ring wear.

Vinyl has scuffs and a few hairlines, but plays VG+. Cover has small seam split.

US original.

Cover close to VG+

sampled by De La Soul & Brand Nubian / get your it together

Tiny stain on front cover.
Record is close to VG+.
Includes original inner sleeve.

Cover close to VG+

The instantly recognisable, Northern / Modern Soul crossover, Rare Pleasure – Let Me Down Easy, featuring the entrancing Sandy Barber on lead vocals, gets a much-welcomed official reissue on 7 Inch. A classic in it’s own right, alongside being expertly sampled by David Morales for the house anthem ‘Needin’ U’, original’s trade hands for £100+ so an official reissue is long overdue. Limited Red Vinyl version in a tasty South Street Disco Sleeve.

Two Spanish slow disco tracks from 1977, originally released in 7" format, brought back in 12" format with an additional extended edit, very respectful to the original. "Zorongo" is a re-interpretation of a Andalucian popular folk song with Arabic influence, a gypsy love song from ancient times which was collected and presented by Spanish poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca before his death/disappearing during the Spanish Civil War. Jobam's new arrangement gives it a heavy downtempo disco facelift, taking the original gypsy warrior intensities of dealing with love and contrasting them with a beautiful orchestral string driven addition to the theme. Heavy Balearic, emotionally loaded gypsy business, something one could very easily imagine hearing at a 10 hour Harvey set in Pikes, Ibiza.

With insert

We've got a bit of an obsession with Hozan Yamamoto here at Mr Bongo! A legend of Japanese jazz, he is rightly regarded as a true master and was recognised as a "living national treasure" by the Japanese government in 2002. Over five decades he pushed the genre into new directions, absorbing fusion, funk, spiritual jazz and many other sounds, resulting in a discography studded with gems of rare beauty. Exploring his back catalogue has taken us on an engrossing journey that now sees us reissuing another work from this ground-breaking musician.

Though not translating perfectly into English 'Akuma Ga Kitarite Fue Wo Fuku', (kitarite has not been a modern expression in Japanese) roughly means 'The Devil Comes Playing The Flute' / 'The Devil Is Coming While Blowing The Whistle' or 'Devils Flute’. It is the original soundtrack to Kôsei Saitô’s 1979 mystery and suspense movie, ‘Devil’s Flute’. The film is based on a story by the famous author, Seishi Yokomizo, and is centred around a much-loved fictional Japanese detective, Kosuke Kindaichi. A Japanese Sherlock Holmes that has been popular for generations.

Hozan Yamamoto was invited to compose the soundtrack directly by the producer of the film, Haruki Kadokawa. Mr Kadokawa also hired keyboard player and producer Yu Imai as assistant producer on the project, resulting in a stunning cosmic, breaks and beats-laden, funk, disco soundtrack extravaganza.

When it comes to the soundtrack and the technology of the time, Hozan Yamamoto and Yu Imai got inventive, tripped out, funked up, and experimented, creating a quirky soundtrack masterpiece that needed to be heard more outside of Japan. Differing from the more traditional Japanese music orientation of some of his other albums such as 'Beautiful Bamboo-Flute' (also released on Mr Bongo) the album showcases a number of genres, from lush atmospheric incidental music to disco and funk grooves, experimental nuggets, drum and flute workouts, to neo-classical and more.

A special record that showcases the further depths of this wonderful musician's talents.

Cover with promo stamp.

Cover has a cut-out.

Golden promo stamp on front cover. Sticker residue on front.

Price tag. Original US pressing.

Official reissue with same original packaging of 1973 The neapolitan singer Gigi Pascal (real name Giancarlo D'Auria) had a long career as soloist in the melodic pop field, with some singles dating from the end of the sixties.
As many others he was attracted by the newly born rock groups of the early 70's, and assembled one with the odd name Pop Compagnia Meccanica. This group had a similar story to Fabio Celi & gli Infermieri, also from Naples, as they released an album in 1973 that sounds like it had been recorded three or four years earlier.
Only the first names are known of the other musicians playing with Pascal, the only known member was drummer Fulvio Marzocchella, that played with pop artists such as Umberto Bindi, Nico Fidenco, Patty Pravo and Orietta Berti. Debut is a very short album (eight songs for around 26 minutes) with the organ as main instrument and, where Fabio Celi's album had frantic vocals, this has a softer, more relaxed voice that owes much to the melodic Italian pop of the 60's, but always well mixed with the band's sound.
The music has some nice classical influences, like in the instrumental Fuga in Si minore, or Crescente and the long Un concerto with a very good and complex arrangement, but sometime the sixties' sound is more evident, like in the opening La tua voce.Gigi Pascal released two more singles in 1975, one of them still with the name of Pop Compagnia Meccanica. In the 80's he released singles and LP's under the nicknames Jaco D. and Jaco

Small sticker on cover.
Record is close to VG+.

Without OBI. with insert. close to NM

Originally released in 1979, strangely only in Portugal, yet produced by a French duo, Anselmi/Silvestre. “Music Love Song” is a 7 minute long European disco excursion with an unmistakably unique aesthetic, confidently breaking every rule in favour of a sound unheard of at the time. Employing unorthodox studio techniques that would have been unacceptable for most major labels this single only made it on a relatively small sublabel in Portugal for some mysterious reason. The result is a deeply cosmic/melancholic escapade with dreamy androgynous vocals and raging guitars at 130+ BPM - hard to forget. Officially re-issued, remastered and released with original artwork that is no less bold than the music.

Beautifully produced German Disco release with an environmental edge. Originally released in 1979 on a Contemporary Christian Music Label called Lord, this rarity is remastered and brought back to life with a respectful extended, previously unreleased, edit.

Original US Terre Haute pressing.

Light ring wear.

Los angeles Pressing. Original inner sleeve

The cover has a tracklist sticker front and quite some damage to back side.

Japanese pressing with obi.
Obi has some tears.

We are proud to announce another belter of a double-sided monster. Welcome to the brilliant Herbie Hancock with the always in-demand slinky groover Stars In Your Eyes on the much coveted 11.21 "special disco remix".
This is quite simply one of the smoothest Disco rides you will ever take with a production made in heaven and a vocalist supreme with Gavin Christopher taking it to another level. Find an original U.S. promo of this if you can.
There's lookalikes about which are inferior quality! As if that wasn't enough, we've only gone and paired it with the hugely rare U.S. promo-only 12" "special
disco remix" of the scintillating Saturday Night.
This is as rare as hens teeth and you'd be lucky to find a mint one for less than €50.
Featuring an extended percussion break from the fantastic Sheila E, this a very different mix to the original album version and was never widely circulated at the time.
So another nice rare gem. As double-siders go, this really takes some beating. Order with confidence because this will still be selling for years to come.

Vinyl with scuffs and hairlines

Original US pressing.

Cover has storage wear, seam splits, yellowing and sticker residue!
Vinyl has scuffs and hairlines.

Original inner sleeve with seam splits

/ 300000 synths / ai no corrida

Born in Cameroon, Vicky began banging the drums at the age of 9. By 13 he had moved onto bass and within a couple of years he was playing every night from 10pm to 5am in the Castel Douala Cabaret. At the age of 19 Vicky moved to Paris to study Banking and Commerce and cram in even more music. He took classes at Épinay-sur-Seine Conservatoire music school and it was here that he met Bandmates of his Dikalo project.

Word spreads and he soon becomes one of the most sought after bass players in the Afro arena. His session work features on many scenes stars, Manu Dibango, Eko Tala AM, Kemayo, Sammy Massamba, Toto Guillaume and many more. A chance meeting with the Gibson brothers also see him play on two of their hit albums. In the 80's Vicky moved to the US for spell and excels as a session bassist and touring musician.

We pick up the story in 1981. With his stature as a musician and bass player riding high he takes a detour to Nigeria to record with the Afrodisia label in Lagos. The "Thank U Mamma" album is the result. It is repressed for the first time, here in 2018 on the revitalised Afrodisia label.

Musical proceedings open up with the heartfelt ode to his mother "Thank U Mamma", smooth pop meets afrobeat boogie. "Marina Drive" slows things down with its smoldering jazz. Side Two opens with "Its Not Serious" a catchy vocal number underpinned with funky guitars and striding basslines. "Stormy Rain" is lazy guitar jazz swansong. We close off the album with the ever so funky "You". Slick funk grooves powered along with a dose of slap bass. As a side note Vicky actually plays left handed but with a "upside down" right handed bass. This upside-down precursor making his effortless slap playing even more impressive.