Let me hear your favorite SOUL JAZZ compilations?

Though the dynamite series and studio one-soul are also favs.

I really enjoy the jazz reissues, so right now my fave is New Thing!, right behind it is Studio One Rockers, The World of Arthur Russell, Nu Yorica! and Nu Yorica Roots!, and Universal Sound of America.

The post-punk comps I already owned the tunes on, so I passed on buying those. In the Beginning ... has a fantastic selection.

SJ is a label they should have a subscription plan for, since I'm going to be getting anything they do anyway ...

Soul jazz is the best reissue label!

300% Dynamite is actually the best Reggae compilation (asides from Trojan's Tighten Up series) I can think of. But yes, they need liner notes.

New Thing! is okay, strange modern jazz with a dash of funk. Quite nice, not necessarily my thing but I think there's something for everyone on there.

The Studio One DVD/CD compilation (Studio One Classics? I forget the name) isn't really worth it. The compilation is too short and the DVD is really uglily produced and doesn't really show an insight into the world of Jamaican music. The booklet is okay, but then you don't really want to spend that kind of money on a booklet do you?

1. Hustle : Reggae Disco. Deeply wonderful stuff - the two Joe Gibbs productions on here are amazing. Essential.

2. Chicago Soul. Contains the best record ever made, Etta James's 'You Got It', some far out stuff from the likes of Dorothy Ashby and Rotary Connection and the more trad Chicago sounds of Howlin'Wolf, Buddy Guy and Bo Diddley. I never realised that Ramsey Lewis's 'Party Time' was the orig. of Double Barrel before I heard this album.

3. Studio One Rockers. Every track is an absolute classic - by far the nest in the Studio One series. Compulsory listening : Johhny Osbourne (Truth and Rights), Lone Ranger (Badder Dan Dem) and Marcia Griffiths (Feel Like Jumping).

4. ESG - South Bronx Story.

5. Konk - The Sound Of Konk

6. Studio One Dub - really excellent S.Morris/C.Dodd versions of mainly Studio One cuts, some from the other records in the series.

Also very good : Joe Gibbs Productions/The Sound Of Philadelphia/any of the x00% Dynamite series/Burning Spear At Studio One/Studio One Ska/Jackie Mittoo : The Keyboard King at Studio One

Mildly disappointing : Studio One Scorchers/Studio One Funk/Impact! (Randy's productions)/Studio One Soul

I need to get British Hustle soonish!

The World of Arthur Russell is great (I'd only heard Lets Go Swimming before that) and I'm looking forward to The Mark Stewart one.

They get stick sometimes for the 100% Dynamite things being all over the place with no sleevenotes, but they certainly seem very (just before the) zeitgeist-y with their choice of re-issue artists. I'm sure them putting out ESG was hugely influential.

I would be quicker to say the ones I don't like : Barrio Nuevo.

I suspect I would dislike the "brown power" Chicano Rock one, but I might be wrong.

I am glad the "Per Cent" series has no sleevenotes - it's a party time soundtrack, we hedonists don't have time to sit around reading mini-biographies, we're too busy doing the Hokey Cokey for that.

A compilation of Hokey Cokey versions would be good. I bet Tito Puente would be on it.

Dr C, are the mildly disappointing ones mildly disappointing because you knew a lot of it already? I think Scorchers is great, and Soul has some corkers too. Impact! duplicates some stuff off a Pressure Sounds compilation, but looks nicer and has, I think, an interview. Not that I'd know, of course, being a hedonist.

I think I have missed a few Studio One CDs.

'Scorchers' probably deserves another listen - I'm not a massive fan of those Sound Dimension etc instrumentals. I *should* be because I like all the J.Mittoo organ action. Anyway. 'Soul' - I think I was unfair upthread - it's good.

Impact - I thought didn't hang together v.well. A lot of territory covered, but some pretty mediocre tracks (Randy's All-Stars, Charley Ace, even Tommy McCook, the underwhelming Skin,Flesh and Bones)and a couple of over-familiar ones (e.g Woman Of The Ghetto) conspired to leave me unimpressed.

Scorchers - definitely the weakest of the Studio One series. I can't help thinking that Soul Jazz haven't really done all they could in remastering these tracks. Even Trojan manage to get a really punchy sound on mid-sixties ska and rockteady material on their full-price comps (not on the 3-CD boxes tho'). The Jackie Mittoo tracks are solid, but not his best and there are at least half a dozen real makeweights. Pablove Black's 'Push Pull' is ace, however!

I may have been wrong about Funk. I haven't had the chance to listen to the whole thing yet today, but it's essential for Price Moonie/Horace Andy's 'See A Man's Face'. I haven't seen that on any other comp and it is the total biz. Jeez, prime Horace Andy is sublime, he can sing, oh yes. And Moonie's chatting is just right, not too mad.

George Allen - Be Wise My Brethren is really good, as are some of the more extended instrumentals that follow it, can't remember the names offhand but I played this CD in the shop daily for about 3 months.

100 - 300% dynamite, faith, nu yorica roots, new orleans funk. saturday night fish fry, voodoo drums and chicago soul.

the esg, mark stewart, in the beginning there was rhythm, new york noise, arthur russell, acr and the can you jack? comps are great too but didn't really introduce me to anything new so didn't have as much impact.

and dr, c - is the skin, flesh and bonestrack you mention 'do it 'til your satisfied'? if so, you should give it another listen as it really is awesome.

Soul Jazz Digital MP3s available now! After a year in development we are happy to tell you that the Soul Jazz Records website now allows you to download MP3s. Most titles (though not all) are available.

Nice Up The Dance or 400% Dynamite are probably my favorite non-Studio One Soul Jazz comps.

Soul Jazz Singles 2006-2007

The entire Dynamite series. My least favorite is the abomination which is the Acid compilation.

wtf 'abomination'?

The link I posted has updated with a tracklisting- 3xCD comp, 2 unmixed, 1 mixed. Oddly enough Soul Jazz/SotU websites still don't mention it.

New York Noise is an excellent primer to the 80s post-punk scene, a genre I'd disliked for ages before hearing that compilation. Even more exciting is Sexual Life Of The Savages, which is the same idea except from Brazilian artists who seem to raise the bar even higher than their New York counterparts.

i have & like these two soul jazz things. what else would i like on the label? obviously there is ny noise parts 2 & 3... anything else of note in this realm?

not like those two but the miami comp is unf--kwithable. also their tropicalia comp is ace and has an amazing booklet.

i would love to get into their reggae, disco, soul, brazilian etc. comps but i fear this (copied from the Soul Jazz C/D thread):

Haven't investigated further, as may lead to expensive expansion of musical taste.

― Phil Knight (PhilK), Sunday, February 4, 2007 1:01 PM (4 years ago)

i've already spent a good amt of $$ on jazz records this year ;_;

Just got the recent Bossa Nova comp but only listened to it once and haven't formed an opinion yet.

i've heard very good things about their reggae comps but haven't bought one yet (and the thing is there are an abundance of quality roots-reggae reissue labels, many available inexpensively on emusic).

ilxor, I assume you've heard ESG and the World of Arthur Russell comp? There's also the "135 Grand Street, New York, 1979" soundtrack, but I haven't heard it:

http://www.souljazzrecords.co.uk/releases/?id=19054

Obv there's a whole lot of good releases in other genres. Personal favourites are New York Latin Hustle, the Philadelphia comps, Mantronix comp, Les Stances a Sophie soundtrack, Studio One Disco, Anchiskhati Choir...actually I could keep going.

They have a nice shop too.

The Studio One comps are pretty uniformly excellent (lots of stuff not compiled elsewhere.)

Barrio Nuevo: Latin funk, Latin rock, Latin disco, Latin soul

^ one of my favorite soul jazz compilations.

ilxor, I assume you've heard ESG and the World of Arthur Russell comp?

yes to ESG, but haven't come across the arthur russell yet, though i do like everything of his i've heard so far

Changed my life, that compilation did. Kind of.

the ESG? i'm 100% sure this is kind of blasphemy, but -- so far, at least -- it hasn't done much for me.

oh!, you meant the russell comp (just noted the word "comp"). apologies.

The London Jazz Classics 1 + 2 got me hooked. I've got a lot of love for the Nu Yorica! 1 + 2 + Roots and Soul Jazz Love Strata East comps. Also second the great shop.

Soul Jazz comps are absurdly expensive here. Hence I tend not to buy them in spite of coveting them.

i tried to use their online download store, but one too many bugs/pains stopped me from completing the purchase.

They do have a few things on emusic, but only a few in the US (more seems to be available in the UK). I grabbed Impact! and the Joe Gibbs Productions comps a while back, as well as the ESG stuff.

yeah, they've basically stopped making stuff available on emusic. not sure if it's an economic decision or a licensing issue (i'm guessing the latter).

I really think Big Apple Rappin' is my favorite out of all of these, but Arthur Russell is obviously fantastic as well.