Level 42 - The Complete Polydor Years: 1985-1989 (10 CD, 2021/FLAC)

 The Complete Polydor Years 1985-1989 contains the 1985 live album A Physical Presence and three studio albums: World Machine (1985), Running in the Family (1987) and Staring at the Sun (1988).

That’s five CDs to cover the albums. A further five discs brings together B-sides, 7″ remixes, 12-inch remixes and other rarities from this period. Like the first, very well received, box set this has been compiled in conjunction with Level 42 and band experts Paul Wallace, Paul Waller and Simon Carson.

 

 

War / Eric Burdon and War 1970-2014 [FLAC + 320]

 

War (originally called Eric Burdon and War) is an American funk band from California, known for the hit songs "Low Rider", "Spill the Wine", "Summer", "Why Can't We Be Friends?, "The Cisco Kid", and "The World Is a Ghetto". Formed in 1969, War was a musical crossover band which fused elements of rock, funk, jazz, Latin, rhythm and blues, and reggae. The band also transcended racial and cultural barriers with a multi-ethnic line-up. War was also subject to many line-up changes over the course of its formation, leaving member Leroy "Lonnie" Jordan as the only original member in the current line-up.

Although War's lyrics are often socio-political in nature, their music usually had a laid-back, California funk vibe. A particular feature of War's sound is the use of harmonica and saxophone playing melody lines in unison, sounding like a single instrument, for example in the melody of "Low Rider". The music has been sampled and recorded by many singers and groups, ranging from R&B/pop singers such as Janet Jackson to nu metal band Korn and hip hop groups like TLC.

1970 - Eric Burdon &  War - The Black Man's Burdon 2CD

1970 - Eric Burdon & War - Declares

1970 - War

1971 - All Day Music

1972 - The World is a Ghetto

1973 - Deliver The Word

1974 - War Live 2CD

1975 - Why Can't We Be Friends

1976 - Eric Burdon & War -  Love Is All Around

1976 - Platinum Jazz (Avenue 24 Karat Gold Collection)

1977 - Galaxy

1987 - The Best of War... and More

1995 - Eric Burdon & The War - The Best Of

1996 - Anthology 2CD

2003 - The Very Best Of War 2CD

Bill Withers - The Complete Sussex and Columbia Albums (9 CD, 2012/FLAC)

 

Bill Withers: The Complete Sussex and Columbia Albums celebrates the timeless artistry of an American master. The set includes the nine albums that Bill released between 1971 through 1985. The albums have been reproduced in their original jackets and have been newly mastered from the original analog tapes by Grammy Award-winning engineer Mark Wilder. Bill Withers is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the recipient of ASCAP's 2006 Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award. His warm, rich and truthful voice speaks to real people, and real life, and he will tell you that it's more important to be real than to be rich.

He was 30 years old when he came out of the U.S. Navy in 1971. He made a living installing toilets in commercial jetliners, and then he decided to give music a try. His first two albums Just as I Am and Still Bill - featured "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Lean on Me." The two singles sold more than a million copies each, and by the time he played Carnegie Hall in 1973, Bill Withers was acknowledged as a great American troubadour. Four decades later, his music still resonates with originality and universality.

1971 - Just As I Am (00:35:37)

1972 - Still Bill (00:36:15)

1973 - Live At Carnegie Hall (01:17:09)

1974 - +'Justments (00:37:57)

1975 - Making Music (00:43:51)

1976 - Naked & Warm (00:41:03)

1977 - Menagerie (00:38:27)

1978 - 'Bout Love (00:39:03)

1985 - Watching You Watching Me (00:45:12)

 

 

The J.B.'s - Funky Good Time: The Anthology (2 CD, 1995/FLAC)

The J.B.'s recorded under various billings in the early '70s, including the J.B.'s, Fred Wesley & the J.B.'s, Maceo & the Macks, the First Family, the Last Word, and others. This double CD gathers 30 of the prime tracks by all of the above configurations from the first half of the '70s, including all nine of their chart hits and quite a few rare singles and long versions. Often, James Brown himself chips in with incidental vocals (though this is mostly instrumental) and keyboards. The two-and-a-half-hour program can start to sound monotonous if taken all at once, but it's prime, often riveting funk, jammed with lockstep grooves that vary between basic R&B vamps and imaginative, almost jazzy improvisation.

James Brown (vocals, organ, synthesizer, drums); Lyn Collins, Vicki Anderson (vocals); Phelps "Catfish" Collins, Hearlon "Cheese" Martin, Jimmy Nolen (guitar); Jimmy Parker (alto saxophone); Maceo Parker (alto saxophone, flute); St. Clair Pinckney (tenor saxophone); Darryl "Hasaan" Jamison, Jerone "Jasaan" Sanford, Russell Crimes, Isaiah "Ike" Oakley (trumpet); Fred Wesley (trombone, vocals); Bobby Byrd (piano); Dave Matthews (electric piano, organ); William "Bootsy" Collins, Fred Thomas (bass); John "Jabo" Starks (drums); Johnny Griggs (congas).

 

 

VA - The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 3 (1963) [5 CD, 2005/FLAC]

 The Motown label crafted a uniform house sound so instantly identifiable that "Motown" unequivocally became a style unto itself. During the '60s, Berry Gordy, Jr.'s Detroit label became the biggest independent in the music industry, thanks to its smooth, sophisticated blend of R&B and memorable pop melodies.

 

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong discography [2010-2022]

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong is an American funk jam band from Baltimore, Maryland. The band has garnered a following as a result of their consistent touring, playing as many as two hundred shows a year.

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong began in 2009. They released their first full-length album titled Funk E P in 2010. This album name is a play on words says vocalist/guitarist Greg Ormont, and unfortunately the name led people to think this first album was just an EP. In July 2014, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong released their second full-length album titled Psychology. Pigeons Playing Ping Pong has hosted Domefest every year since 2009. The location of the festival has changed periodically but is currently held at Legend Valley in Thornville, OH. In a 2017 interview, Greg Ormont (vocals/guitar) said, "We met in college at the University of Maryland and the dorm project turned into the real thing. We've been playing for over 8 years. We've been touring the country for 4–5 years and just having a blast spreading our high energy psychedelic funk and good vibes. We like to bring the party and show people a diverse time that is positive and fun and everyone leaves a happier person.” 

• Greg Ormont - Vocals, Guitar 
• Jeremy Schon - Guitar, Vocals 
• Ben Carrey  - Bass, Vocals 
• Alex Petropulos - Drums, Vocals, Looks

Studio albums

• Funk E P (2010, self-released)
• Psychology (2014, self-released)
• Pleasure (2016, self-released)
• Pizazz (2017, self-released)
• Presto (2020, self-released)
• Perspective (2022, self-released)

Live Albums

• The Great Outdoors Jam (2017)

VA - Roots Of Funk 1947-1962 Vol.1-3 (3 CD, 2005/FLAC)

 

What are the roots of funk? Since the early Twentieth Century, this term has come to mean sweat, unpleasant body odor and, by analogy, heartfelt dance music.

 
Symbolic of “Black Power” and African-American liberation culture, funk has deep roots embedded in the intense afro-caribbean musics of Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica, and New Orleans.

 
Starting with “funky” jazz, “soul jazz” and soul, up to the 1960’s syncopated musics, it has had illustrious “rare groove” precursors such as Bo Diddley, or Sun Ra, whose afro-futurism left its mark on George Clinton, Herbie Hancock and the like. Keeping in line with his “Roots of Punk Rock”, “Roots of Ska” and “Roots of Soul” collections, Bruno Blum has gathered this eclectic selection from the roots offunk music. He recounts here the spirit and influences that shaped the early hits of James Brown, The Meters, Eddie Bo, Funkadelic and others.

VA - The Casablanca Records Story (4 CD, 1994/FLAC)

Casablanca Records, Inc. was formed in 1973 by former Buddah Records executives Neil Bogart (who named the label as an homage to the classic film Casablanca), Cecil Holmes, Larry Harris and Buck Reingold.

Casablanca's first major signing was Kiss. Casablanca became most successful as a disco label, signing artists like Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, the Village People, Brooklyn Dreams, Patti Brooks and Lipps, Inc. (with lead vocalist Cynthia Johnson) as well as Four Tops, Cher, Irene Cara, Captain And Tennille, Dr. Hook, Mac Davis and George Clinton's great P-Funk band Parliament. 

The Midnight Special - Live on Stage 1974 (DVDRIP video)

 

Featuring an incredible array of the greatest musicians of the 1970s and early 80s, The Midnight Special stands alone in the history of rock ‘n’ roll as the first ever late-night live concert show on TV, capturing the spirit of a time when rock was exploding in so many new, exciting directions. For nine thrilling years, The Midnight Special brought audiences the very best live music from every genre – rare performances right into homes every week – complete with the intimacy of close-ups and multiple camera angles that placed you right there with the on-stage action. It was an exciting time, and it’s now been restored and re-mastered in this exclusive series.

• Ike & Tina Turner – Proud Mary
• Barry White – Can’t Get Enough of Your Love Baby
• Sly & The Family Stone – Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin)
• David Essex – Rock On
• The O’Jays – Love Train
• Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On
• Golden Earring – Radar Love
• Bill Withers – Ain’t No Sunshine
• James Brown – The Payback-Part 1
• Gordon Lightfoot – Sundown
• Gladys Knight & B.B.King – The Thrill Is Gone
• Maria Muldaur – Midnight at the Oasis
• Neil Sedaka – Laughter in the Rain
• Redbone – Come and Get Your Love
• Aerosmith – The Train Kept A Rollin’

Labi Siffre - My Song (9 CD, 2020/FLAC)

 My Song is a 50th anniversary Labi Siffre nine-CD box set which features all of his albums and a generous selection of bonus tracks. 500 copies come with a ph0to personally SIGNED by Labi Siffre!

Siffre is probably best known for penning ‘It Must Be Love’ (covered by Madness in 1981) and for his powerful anti-apartheid anthem ‘(Something Inside) So Strong’, which peaked at number four in the UK singles chart in 1987.

The box features the following nine albums: Labi Siffre (1970) The Singer and The Song (1971) Crying Laughing Loving Lying (1972) For The Children (1973) Remember My Song (1975) Happy (1975) So Strong (1988) Man of Reason (1991) and The Last Songs (1998). They all come packaged in vinyl replica card wallets, and are accompanied by a 32-page booklet in which Labi speaks candidly about his career. 

In total, there are 146 recordings in this collection with 44 bonus tracks. Labi’s last album, The Last Songs has been remastered in 2020 especially for this set and contains two newly recorded bonus tracks. 

 

Funkadelic - First Ya Gotta Shake The Gate (3 CD, 2014/FLAC)

 First Ya Gotta Shake the Gate is the thirteenth studio album by the funk band Funkadelic. The album was released by The C Kunspyruhzy in 2014 and consists of newly recorded material.

The album consists of 3 discs comprising 33 tracks in total, which has been explained to mirror the 33 years that had elapsed since Funkadelic's last official album release in 1981, The Electric Spanking of War Babies. Like most of the Funkadelic catalog, the album features cover artwork by artist Pedro Bell. 

 

Funkadelic discography [1970-2008]

 Funkadelic was an American funk rock band formed in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1968 and active until 1982. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, pioneered the funk music culture of the 1970s. Initially formed as a backing band for Clinton's vocal group the Parliaments, Funkadelic eventually pursued a heavier, more psychedelic rock-oriented sound.

Funkadelic.1970 Free Your Mind (2005 remastered)

Funkadelic.1970 Funkadelic (remastered 2005)

Funkadelic.1971 Maggot Brain (2005 remastered)

Funkadelic.1972 America Eats Its Young (2005 remastered)

Funkadelic.1973 Cosmic Slop (remastered 2005)

Funkadelic.1974 Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On (remastered 1991)

Funkadelic.1975 Let's Take It to the Stage (remastered 1992)

Funkadelic.1976 Hardcore Jollies (remastered 1993)

Funkadelic.1976 Tales of Kidd Funkadelic (1992 remastered)

Funkadelic.1978 One Nation Under a Groove (remastered 1993)

Funkadelic.1979 Uncle Jam Wants You (remastered 1993)

Funkadelic.1980 Connections & Disconnections

Funkadelic.1981 The Electric Spanking of War Babies (remastered 2003)

Funkadelic.1996 Funkadelic Live - Meadowbrook, Rochester, Michigan 1971

Funkadelic.2000 Funk Gets Stronger [2 CD]

Funkadelic.2000 The Original Cosmic Funk Crew

Funkadelic.2005 Whole Funk & Nothing But The Funk [2 CD]

Funkadelic.2007 By Way Of The Drum

Funkadelic.2008 Toys

Average White Band - The Complete Studio Recordings 1971-2003 (19 CD, 2014)

The Average White Band (also known as AWB) are a Scottish funk and R&B band that had a series of soul and disco hits between 1974 and 1980. They are best known for their million-selling instrumental track "Pick Up the Pieces", and their albums AWB and Cut the Cake. The band name was initially proposed by Bonnie Bramlett. They have influenced others, such as the Brand New Heavies, and been sampled by various musicians, including the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, TLC, The Beatnuts, Too Short, Ice Cube, Eric B. & Rakim, Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, Christina Milian, and Arrested Development, making them the 15th most sampled act in history. As of 2020, 48 years after their formation, they continue to perform.  

1973 - Show Your Hand (00:42:22)

2003 - How Sweet Can You Get? (aka 'The Clover Sessions' - 1973) (00:39:52)

1974 - AWB (00:39:58)

1975 - Put It Where You Want It (00:40:35)

1975 - Cut The Cake (00:42:38)

1976 - Soul Searching (00:46:14)

1976 - Person To Person 2CD (01:26:56)

1977 - Benny And Us / Average White Band & Ben E. King (00:41:47)

1978 - Warmer Communications (00:43:40)

1979 - Feel No Fret (00:37:38)

1980 - Shine (00:38:32)

1980 - Volume VIII (00:37:48)

1982 - Cupid's In Fashion (00:41:37)

1988 - Aftershock (00:39:51)

1996 - Soul Tattoo (00:56:35)

2003 - Living In Colour (00:50:28)

2014 - Alternate Versions, Rarities And Mixes 2CD (01:36:00)

VA - Greatest Ever Decade 70's (4 CD, 2021/FLAC)

 

 

 

Level 42 - The Complete Polydor Years 1980-1984 (10 CD, 2021/FLAC)

 

The Complete Polydor Years 1980-1984  is a ten-CD Level 42 box set that brings together the first five albums alongside an extraordinary amount of bonus material.

This new package features the albums Level 42 (1981), The Early Tapes (1982), The Pursuit of Accidents (1982), Standing in the Light (1983) and True Colours (1984). But that’s only half the story because five further CDs offer a wealth of seven-inch remixes (some new to CD), B-sides, 12-inch mixes and bonus tracks including early performances at the Regal Theatre in Hitchin (in Hertfordshire, England).

The set has been compiled in conjunction with Level 42 and band experts Paul Wallace, Paul Waller and Simon Carson. Tony Dixon at Masterpeice Masters has handled the remastering process.

 

 

Chairmen Of The Board (General Johnson, Harrison Kennedy, Danny Woods) - The Complete Invictus Studio Recordings: 1969-1978 (9 CD, 2014/FLAC)

 Motown’s legendary songwriting/production team, Holland-Dozier-Holland, left the fold in 1967, to establish their own Invictus/Hot Wax group of labels.

They had worldwide hits with their flagship act, Chairmen Of The Board, debuted the first album by Parliament, as well as scoring a UK #1 with Freda Payne’s ‘Band of Gold.

Chairmen Of The Board were unusual at the time, with all the group members being featured vocalists in its line-up.

This 9 CD, 97-track anthology includes Chairmen Of The Board’s four studio albums for Invictus, as well as the Invictus solo albums released by General Johnson, Danny Woods and Harrison Kennedy.

The two bonus discs include alternate versions, non-album singles and selected mixes, including two Tom Moulton remixes of their two biggest UK hits ‘Give Me Just A Little More Time’ and ‘(You’ve Got Me) Dangling On A String’, which were first released in 2014.

 

 

Lionel Richie discography [1982-2019]

 Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and television personality. During the 1970s, he recorded with the funk band the Commodores, and his solo career made him one of the most successful balladeers of the 1980s. Outside of his music career, he has served with Luke Bryan and Katy Perry as a judge for the singing competition American Idol since its move to ABC from the Fox network, since 2018.

 

 

Wilson Pickett - Funky Midnight Mover: The Atlantic Studio Recordings (1962-1978) [6 CD, 2010/FLAC]

 

Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American R&B/Soul singer and songwriter.

Wilson Pickett was a force of nature, a one-man hurricane that blew everything out of his path. As he sang in one of his many Top 40 R&B singles, he was A Man and a Half, a title so fitting it served as a summary for Rhino’s 1993 double-disc compilation, a collection that stood as the most exhaustive Pickett retrospective until Rhino Handmade unleashed the six-disc box Funky Midnight Mover: The Atlantic Recordings (1962-1978), a monumental testament to the sweatiest, grittiest, soul singer who ever grabbed a microphone. This set may not be billed as the "complete recordings", but it is effectively that, rounding up all the master takes Pickett cut for Atlantic during those 16 years, dipping back for a few sides by his early group the Falcons, skipping his three-year sojourn at RCA from 1972-1975, adding some rarities, but essentially serving up all his prime titles in a handsome, hardcover book. Subtlety wasn’t quite Pickett’s strong suit, but that isn’t a liability: no matter what song came his way, he never sounded anything less than committed, and in the case of his disco dabblings of the late ‘70s, it could be some real dregs indeed. As this set illustrates, Pickett was game to follow the shifting sands of fashion, singing blaxploitation funk at the beginning of the ‘70s and glitzy disco at the end of it, singing it with the same fire he had when he was at Muscle Shoals in the late ‘60s, where he cut such timeless sides as “In the Midnight Hour,” “Knock on Wood,” “634-5789 (Soulsville USA),” “Mustang Sally,” and “Funky Broadway.” These singles naturally form the foundation of Funky Midnight Mover, but that is to be expected, as they’re always the core of any Pickett collection -- what the box proves is the magnitude of his talent and the consistency of his prime. Dig deeper than the ‘60s hits and there’s a wealth of great music -- pure, uncut Southern soul that’s sometimes adventurous, like when Wilson flirted with rock & roll on covers of “Hey Joe” and “Hey Jude”-- but what impresses is how Pickett remains a dynamic force even when the quality of the songs dips, as it undeniably does in his second stint at Atlantic. Despite this limp ending, the box never feels weak, it’s always strong and soulful, a necessary monument to a talent with no parallel in his time or in any other. 

 

 

VA - Time Life - Sounds of the Seventies (19 CD)

 

CD1 1970

CD2 1971

CD3 1973

CD4 1972: Take Two

CD5 1974

CD6 1974: Take Two

CD7 1975

CD8 1976

CD9 1976: Take Two

CD10 1977

CD11 1978

CD12 1979

CD13 1979: Take Two

CD14 Rock 'N' Soul Seventies

CD15 Guitar Power

CD16 FM Rock

CD17 The Late '70s

CD18 70s Dance Party 1972-1974

CD19 '70s Dance Party 1976-1977

Sly & The Family Stone - Original Album Classics (5 CD, 2010/FLAC)

 

1967 A Whole New Thing

1968 Dance To The Music

1968 Life

1969 Stand!

1971 There's A Riot Goin' On