Carrie Lucas - Show Me Where You Coming From (1982)

One of the biggest stars of the legendary Solar Records during the late 70s -- the sweet voiced Carrie Lucas, best known for her catchy dancefloor groovers! At one level, Carrie was a west coast disco diva who rivaled the strengths of New York singers on some of the smaller labels.

Double Exposure - Ten Percent (1976)

Double Exposure are part of the "second wave" of east coast vocal groups and like their contemporaries, they mix the sweet harmony soul tradition of earlier years with the bourgeoning clubby sound that was coming out of Philly. The track was produced by the Baker/Harris/Young team and it's still a stunning anthemic club number.

FF Yellowhand - Can You Feel It (1981)

French Boogie at its best created by François Feldman. He created his first group at the age of 14 and occurred in some clubs. In 1980, Feldman recorded his first song, "You Want Every Night/Can You Feel It", then "Ma Petite Vidéo" in 1982, "Folle sur les bords" in 1983 summer, "Wally boule noire" and "Obsession" in 1984, and finally "Amour de corridor" in 1985, but all these singles remained unsuccessful.
In 1986, he hit notoriety with his song "Rien que pour toi" which reached number 12 on the SNEP Singles Chart and sold 200,000 units. Thereafter, Feldman had many success in France, becoming a well established star in France. He made very good sales in 25-year career, he sold about ten million albums in several countries, including Belgium, Italy, Canada and Japan.

A Taste Of Honey - Boogie Oogie Oogie (1978)

Taste Of Honey's "Boogie Oogie Oogie" hardly needs an introduction -- Released from their self-titled album in 1978, it became an extremely popular "crossover" song. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It would eventually sell over two million copies and has become one of the most recognizable songs from the late 1970s disco era. It would also help the group win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist of 1978 and it's one of those classics that broke big on the club, hit hard on radio, and still gets revived a lot today! The tune's a joyous bouncing bit of mainstream disco.

Sugarhill Gang - Rappers Delight (1979)

This pioneering group inaugurated the recorded history of hip hop with their single "Rapper's Delight", a multi-platinum seller in 1980. Englewood based producer and indie label owner Sylvia Robinson had become aware of the hip hop block parties occurring around New York during the late 1970s, so she gathered three locals from her town: Guy O'Brien, who was the original Master Gee; another local rapper, Michael Wright, who called himself Wonder Mike, and Big Bank Hank. The vocalists were then teamed up with three session musicians, namely the future Living Colour bassist, Doug Wimbish, guitarist Little Axe and drummer Keith LeBlanc. Together, they recorded all of the Sugarhill Gang's work.

Lakeside - It's All The Way Live (1978) [Live 1980]

Great stuff from the glory days of the LA bass-pedal funk era! Easily one of the greatest Lakeside tracks ever -- a keyboard-heavy bit of funk that really helped set the sound for the west coast scene at the time! There's a strong hook to the number that really makes it stand out from Lakeside's other work -- still rough on the main vocals, but supported by warmer choruses that help it glide along with the promise of the bottom!

Bar-Kays - Freakshow On The Dance Floor (1984)

Man, these guys really know how to groove-- with amazing choppy guitar, bumping basslines, and brassy horns -- all wrapped up with some amazing production!

GAP Band - Party Train (1982)

The Gap Band are definitely in full bloom on this track from the early 80s -- hitting that fierce funk mode they do so well, with lots of snapping lines at the bottom of the rhythms! The style is trademark Gap all the way through --- a percolated approach to funk that's tight, but never too slick. Charlie Wilson handles most of the lead vocals, with support from brothers Robert and Ronnie.

Kurtis Blow - Christmas Rapping (1979)

One of the biggest major label hip hop tunes of the late 70s - and easily one of the best tracks from Kurtis Blow! There's a straightforward simplicity here that's totally great - a slight elevation of the Sugar Hill groove towards a more mainstream audience --- but one that never loses the basic back/forth party rhythms of the old school scene.

Sylvers - Come Back Lover (1982)

The extended Sylvers family contributes on the album 'Concept' from 1981, representing songwriting from Nidra, James,Leon and Carmaine Sylvers as well as fine production work from Leon Sylvers III. The 9 tracks featured cross the boundaries of soul and funk with ease. The standout is "Come Back Lover Come back", the musical intro is so beautifully arranged. This album for whatever reason did not gain wide air play went it debuted, personally listening to many of the tracks they hold up to the test of time very well. On a final note, sadly Brother Edmund Sylvers passed away in Richmond,Va on May-31-2004 (age listed,47) after battling cancer, as reported nationally in JET Magazine. Edmund was married with 11 children. Edmund also produced a solo album in 1980, producing the hit "That Burning Love"( ironically he was also the voice of Marlon Jackson in the Jackson 5 cartoon series that aired in the early 70's on network T.V.).... R.I.P Soul Brother.

Yarbrough & Peoples - Don't Waste Your Time (1984)

Calvin Yarbrough and Alisa Peoples first met when they were small children, growing up in Dallas, TX. The singing duo of Yarbrough and Peoples burst onto the music scene with the million-selling single "Don't Stop the Music," a sinewy slab of synth-based R&B/funk that was ahead of its time and had a far-reaching influence in the years following.

Delegation - You Been Doing Me Wrong (1977)

Delegation was a British soul/funk/disco band that has been very popular in Europe but almost unknown in the United States. Delegation found success in countries like France, Germany, and England.
A Jamaican singer named Ricky Bailey was a co-founder of the band in the 1975. Their first single record, "The Promise of Love", became available in the summer of 1976. The second single, "Where is the Love We Used to Know", became a hit in Britain. The members of the band kept changing over the years, but Bailey was a constant, as was Ken Gold who produced several of their albums.

Tyrone Davis - Overdue (1980)

Some of the favorite work ever from Tyrone Davis with a wonderfully warm and mellow vibe! Tyrone hits a sound that's smooth, slinky, and completely sublime!

Strikers - Body Music [Part 1&2 ] (1980)

An excellent 80s groove classic! The Strikers are hardly hiding their theme on this one -- bringing the erotics of the disco into the lyrics full force! The cut builds with a skittish sort of rhythm that has a few post-disco elements -- including some cool moogy synthesizer that shows up even more heavily on the instrumental version!

Teddy Pendergrass - Is It Still Good To You (1980)

Theodore "Teddy" DeReese Pendergrass, Sr. (born 3/26/50) is also known as Teddy P, TP, or Teddy Bear.
Pendergrass's career began when he was a drummer for The Cadillacs, which soon merged with Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. Melvin invited Pendergrass to become the lead singer after he jumped from the rear of a stage and started singing his heart out.

Fatback - King Tim III (1979)

Contrary to popular belief, Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” - unleashed upon an unsuspecting world on September 24, 1979 - was not the first commercially successful hip-hop single. “King Tim III (Personality Jock),” a B-side released by a funk band called Fatback (originally The Fatback Band) on August 29, 1979, holds that distinction. An instant hit among both Manhattan radio djs and Bronx party rockers, “King Tim III” is also notable for being the first hip-hop single to chart, appearing on the R&B chart a mere seven days before “Rapper’s Delight” exploded on to the Top 40 chart.

T-Connection - On Fire (1979)

Fast funky grooving from T Connection -- at times sounding a lot more disco than on their first LP, but at others sounding a lot more like a funk act than ever before.

Midnight Express - Danger Zone (1983)

From circa 1983 comes The Midnight Express Show Band. This track is the buzz amongst the network of heavy hitter 80's rare groove collectors at the moment and word has it that the boogie master out of D.C. is in the process of reissuing it via 12" single. For the time being you can purchase the ultra rare original 7" release.

La Toya Jackson - If You Feel The Funk (1980)

Oh for the simple days of the Jackson family -- before everyone started fighting, and were just working on making good music! Here, LaToya Jackson gets production help from Ollie E. Brown -- and comes up with a clubby modern soul track that are probably as great as anything she ever recorded!

Booker Newberry III - Love Town (1984)

Booker Newberry III (born January 19, 1956) was a member of the mid 1970s groups Sweet Thunder ("Baby I Need Your Love Today.
Newberry signed Casablanca Records in 1983, and his single 'Love Town'originally released on the Boardwalk label, was a UK Top 10 hit.

Zapp - I Can Make You Dance (1982)

This one comes from Zapp's 3rd album, and one that shows them still very much on top of their game! The mix of tight bass, keyboards, and occasional vocoder bits is firmly in place from their first two albums - a stunning legacy of ensemble funk that pushes the older P-Funk ethos into hip new territory for the 80s! Roger and crew are superb throughout - fusing all rhythmic elements together beautifully, and electrifying the whole album with some great voice box vocals - almost making you feel like the instruments themselves are running the show!

Rose Royce - Is It Love You're After (1979)

A big one for the Producer Norman Whitfield - who found in Rose Royce what he'd been lacking for years: a hit group ready to handle a number of styles, all well, and all with an adventurous style that would break them past the legions of lackluster funky soul groups of the late 70s.

Tom Browne - Funkin' For Jamaica (1980)

"Funkin For Jamaica" is one of those old school jams we never tire of, with lots of nice choppy rhythms, and some great horn work by Tom Browne.

B.T. Express - Give It What You Got (1975)

B.T. Express - LP: Non-Stop (1975) are speeding it up a bit from the first album -- hitting more of a disco vein, as would be their due, since they were one of the key groups in inventing the genre! The core ensemble funk sound is still firmly in place, with loads of great horns arranged by the enigmatic Carlos Ward, a jazzy talent who always brought a nice edge to the group's albums.

Vaughan Mason - Jammin' Big Guitar (1981) [live in 2007]

A monster rollerskating track! "Jammin' Big Guitar" is almost every bit as great as "Bounce Rock Skate Roll" -- Vaughan's other classic from the time.

Real To Reel - Love Me Like This (1982)

Produced by Leon F. Sylvers III they did only two releases --
(the other is: 'Can You Treat Me Like She Does?' from 1983).

Voyage - Never Looking Back (1980)

La Voyage : members Ben Broomfield, Ted Willams, Dianne Willams, Bazie Donaldson, Ron Broomfield, Vince Broomfield, Hubert Rogers, Bryant English, Aaron Broomfield.

Aaron Broomfield - I'm Gonna Miss Ya (1981)

“Polyphase” is a funky synth laden disco jam from Aaron Broomfield. Released on his Mountain label and highly sought after($$$). Excellent interview with Aaron --> HERE

Garfield Fleming - Please Don't Send Me Away (1982)

Garfeld Fleming is a veteran singer with high energy talent. A former member of the Delphonics, Garfield's soil has talent that can hang with the best of them and longer.

H.B. Concept - Prisoner (1986)

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