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Artist:
The Delfonics
Among the originators of the Philly soul sound of the late '60s and pre-disco '70s, the Delfonics fashioned hit after hit with the same basic formula of ultra-romantic crooning, three-part harmonies, and a supremely mellow accompaniment that came with a pillow of lush string orchestrations. The 20 Delfonics hits collected on La-La Means I Love You--including their best-known songs, "La-La Means I Love You" and "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)"--amount to R&B easy-listening, often soothing to the degree they become aural wallpaper. At times, though, this stuff can transcend its own schmaltz. --Roni Sarig
List Price: $11.98 |
Our Price: $6.88 |
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Artist:
Various Artists
Having showcased the work of his friends and collaborators Mort Shuman and Bert Berns, Ace now turns the spotlight on Philadelphia songwriter-arranger-producer Jerry Ragovoy. It brings together two dozen of his most significant moments from half a century of music making. Ragovoy's production work exemplifies the classic New York 'Big City' sound of the 60s. His catalogue includes numerous hall-of-fame classics, almost all of which are included here in their original versions. (Others can be heard on Vol 1 and the forthcoming Vol 2 of Ace's Bert Berns Story, Jerry and Bert having worked together in the mid 60s). The artists Ragovoy worked with on a regular basis: Garnet Mimms, Lorraine Ellison, Carl Hall, Irma Thomas and, perhaps especially, Howard Tate - are among the most cherished by serious soul fans, and all are featured here. The CD highlights include the rare original version of Time Is On My Side by trombonist Kai Winding, the even rarer, £300-rated debut 45 from Howard Tate You're Looking Good (also never previously reissued) and titles from both Jerry's first session (the Castelles) and his most recent to date (playing piano on Howard T...
List Price: $21.99 |
Our Price: $18.23 |
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Artist:
Various
Love Train: The Sound of Philadelphia includes 71 songs on 4 CDs. These are the American standards that defined an era, featuring such legendary artists as The Jacksons, The O'Jays, Teddy Pendergrass, Patti LaBelle, The Spinners, The Stylistics, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Billy Paul, Wilson Pickett and McFadden & Whitehead. This deluxe package contains some of the most recognized and enduring hits of our time PLUS a lavish booklet with unpublished photos, historical essays and intimate conversations with the architects of the Philly Sound, Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, Thom Bell and more.
List Price: $49.98 |
Our Price: $27.57 |
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Artist:
Various Artists
Motown did so many things well in the '60s and early '70s that this overview of the label's smashes (and some lesser-known classics) practically demands four CDs. It gets them, too, filling them with single mixes of more than 100 tracks. That the running order begins with Barrett Strong's statement of purpose "Money (That's What I Want)" and ends with Marvin Gaye's statement of concern "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" says a lot about how far the company moved in its golden decade--but no more so than what the same two cuts' differences in sound get across. The company was able to blend the smooth and the harsh in ways that few other pop entities have ever mastered, thereby getting over not only to the feet and the wallet, but to the heart. --Rickey Wright
List Price: $51.98 |
Our Price: $32.99 |
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Artist:
Various Artists
Whoopi Goldberg has a lot of talents, but singing is not one of them. Hearing her massacre Motown classics like "Dancing in the Street," "Ball of Confusion" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" in her flat, dull voice on this soundtrack album would be harmless if a whole generation weren't being introduced to these songs through her clumsy performances. Several choirs turn in lackluster performances of gospel numbers. The disc's one redeeming moment is Aretha Franklin's overpowering delivery of "A Deeper Love," written and produced by C+C Music Factory. --Geoffrey Himes
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Our Price: $10.10 |
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Artist:
Various Artists
Take Me To The River is a selection of 75 songs that tell the story of the golden era of Southern Soul 1961-77 over 3 CDs, with full notes and lavish illustrations in a 72 page full-color book, all lovingly encased in some rather special deluxe packaging. It's hard to contest any assertion that, while great Soul music was undoubtedly made right across America during the 60s and early 70s, the best of it was probably made in the Southern states and, specifically, in musically-enlightened cities and towns such as Memphis, Miami and Muscle Shoals. Here are 75 tracks that collectively do everything that is necessary to uphold any such assertion. Take Me To the River chronicles the story of Southern soul, from its advent in 1961 to its apex in the early 1970s. Its track listing was carefully chosen to reflect and demonstrate every facet of the genre, and - we hope - to appeal to both long time collectors and those who we hope will enjoy it deeply enough to delve further into the genre's breadth of repertoire. The track listing embraces everything from million selling, international hits to 45s that barely sold enough to cover their pressing costs. Quality is the com...
List Price: $59.98 |
Our Price: $46.11 |
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Artist:
Various Artists
List Price: $19.98 |
Our Price: $10.10 |
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Artist:
Various Artists
91 tracks deep and five hours long, this multi-artist, 4CD set mines rare, renowned, legendary, and little-known grooves from the vaults of Atlantic, Atco, and Warner Bros Records!
List Price: $64.98 |
Our Price: $39.98 |
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Waiting to Exhale is the exception that proves the rule about mish-mash '90s soundtrack albums. Even though it features 22 different female voices, the album boasts a rare continuity because Babyface wrote or cowrote 15 of the songs and produced all 16. Moreover, the gifted R&B artist used every song to explore the film's theme of women trying to balance self-respect and romantic desire. Not only has Babyface (nee Kenny Edmonds) created a fascinating song suite, he has produced one of the best middle-of-the-road-pop, adult- contemporary albums of the decade. Mary J. Blige stakes out a claim as the new diva on the block with an astonishing performance on "Not Gon' Cry." Babyface's music and lyrics suggest a woman barely holding back a swelling flood of anger and heartache, and Blige's brilliant vocal captures both the agitation and the restraint. --Geoffrey Himes
List Price: $13.98 |
Our Price: $6.75 |
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Artist:
Dianne Reeves
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Patti Austin
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Stevie Wonder
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George Duke
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Take 6
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Al Jarreau
List Price: $9.98 |
Our Price: $8.79 |
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