Kool & The Gang as One

NOW Music was delighted to see the fantastic response to NOW - Yearbook 1984, with the album reaching No.1. Clearly, 1984 has a place in people’s hearts (and collections). However, we couldn’t possibly fit the full range of amazing tracks available on one compilation. NOW is proud to present NOW - Yearbook Extra 1984 with 60 more essential hits from the year. Released as a limited edition 3CD set, collectors and 80s pop lovers will find it a great compliment to their Yearbook collection. Including massive hits from Queen, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Sade, Elton John, Eurythmics, and Billy Joel, together with pop gems from Spandau Ballet, Culture Club, Allison Moyet, Duran Duran, Paul Young, and Frankie Goes To Hollywood.

The VA - Mastercuts Funk (2005) is a compilation album released as part of the Mastercuts series, which is known for curating a diverse range of tracks from various genres of music. In this case, the album focuses on funk, showcasing the genre's rich history and groove-based rhythms.

Brazil has always had its own brand of musical virtuosity, one that combined a distinctive and innate rhythmic swing with an effortless ability to turn seemingly abstract riffs into ridiculously catchy hooks. In the late '60s and '70s when these talented players in Rio and Sao Paolo turned their focus towards the North American funk scene and bands like Kool & the Gang, the Meters and the JBs, a new element was added to the mix. As the more polished sound exemplified by Quincy Jones and CTI Records took hold, Brazilian musicians red right back with their own distinct twist on the sound, one that inevitably revolved around a rhythm section laying down grooves that were both the tightest and the most supple imaginable. If that combination seems paradoxical, this collection will make the notion clear. Culled from the times no vocalist was claiming the spotlight, these instrumentals focus firmly on the rhythm section and its funky accompaniment, a journey through the '70s heyday of instrumental funk from Brazil from its rawest roots to refined boogie gems.

Ever since a glut of reissues in the late '90s and early '00s kicked off a wave of recognition for long-forgotten (or never-known) funk and soul albums, it seems like a week doesn’t go by without learning another "holy grail" finally being repressed. Of course, not every grail is all that holy, and if we're being honest with ourselves, a not insignificant number of those rescues from the back of the crates could have just been left there in the first place. So, what to make of the reissue of Your Love Is My Desire, the debut album by a Detroit group with a weird name that, Jethro Tull-style, often had them mistaken for a solo act? An album that was released in 1980 on the then-waning Westbound Records label? An album that—checks notes—fetches around $500 whenever a decent original vinyl copy shows up for sale? Well, Your Love Is My Desire may not exactly be "holy grail" material, as it's been reissued a few times since its primary release, and sonically it's far from the sort of obscure funk arcana that drives collectors crazy. Instead, it's the sort of aficionado's darling that actually deserves the wider reissue it's getting via the revived Westbound Records.

Brazil has always had its own brand of musical virtuosity, one that combined a distinctive and innate rhythmic swing with an effortless ability to turn seemingly abstract riffs into ridiculously catchy hooks. In the late '60s and '70s when these talented players in Rio and Sao Paolo turned their focus towards the North American funk scene and bands like Kool & the Gang, the Meters and the JBs, a new element was added to the mix. As the more polished sound exemplified by Quincy Jones and CTI Records took hold, Brazilian musicians red right back with their own distinct twist on the sound, one that inevitably revolved around a rhythm section laying down grooves that were both the tightest and the most supple imaginable. If that combination seems paradoxical, this collection will make the notion clear. Culled from the times no vocalist was claiming the spotlight, these instrumentals focus firmly on the rhythm section and its funky accompaniment, a journey through the '70s heyday of instrumental funk from Brazil from its rawest roots to refined boogie gems.

101 Everlasting classic songs to forever remember. Golden melodies span across half a century. 6CDs for the ultimate audio experience.

Mellow Mellow: Original 1970s Smooth Grooves & Chilled Breaks Review by Andy Kellman
What ties these 12 soul/funk gems from the '70s together, apart from stylistic and periodic similarities? First and foremost, the feel of each song is reflected in the disc's title, which obviously takes its name from the first selection here, Lowrell's "Mellow Mellow Right On." Second, this disc comes with a sticker affixed to it that proclaims, "Original sources for Massive Attack, A Tribe Called Quest, Eric B. & Rakim, Mary J. Blige, Portishead, and more." Mellow Mellow, like any good compilation or mix tape of smooth '70s soul, acts as an elixir, siphoning the tension from your body and mind. Adequate space is reserved for crate-digger favorite Roy Ayers, who is behind three of the songs here.

The VA - Mastercuts Funk (2005) is a compilation album released as part of the Mastercuts series, which is known for curating a diverse range of tracks from various genres of music. In this case, the album focuses on funk, showcasing the genre's rich history and groove-based rhythms.