July 28, 2004 by A.S. Van Dorston

If you go by typical album canons, you would think there were only a small handful of great soul albums by Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Otis Redding, Curtis Mayfield, and a couple live albums by James Brown and Sam Cooke. Considering the large scope of soul, that’s a pretty miniscule sample. The argument is that aside from some exceptions in the 70s, it was a singles based genre in which albums were haphazard collections of singles padded by filler. This is partly true, especially for the Godfather of Soul, James Brown. He seemed to have little interest in issuing strong albums, spreading his best singles thin throughout several albums a year. Two of his best studio albums, Think! (1960) and It’s A Mother (1969) are marred by out-dated tracks that clash with the revolutionary music. Sam Cooke and, during her nine album Columbia tenure, Aretha Franklin also suffered in varying degrees. It was a combination of that presumption, and the fact that Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On (1971) and Stevie Wonder’s Songs In The Key Of Life (1976) were almost unanimously considered two of the greatest soul albums, that kept me from digging deeper for many years. While both albums had some great lyrical moments, What’s Going On sounded to me like noodly supperclub music, with light jazz arrangements that reminded me of music from “The Love Boat” and meandering vocal tricks that try to distract from the lack of hooks and melodies. Songs had more musical highlights, but was bloated beyond redemption with sacharine, trite ballads. If that was the best soul had to offer, why bother digging deeper? My opinion of those albums have softened somewhat over the years, but I maintain that critics have put far too much importance on them, while unjustly ignoring the richness of talent bubbling beneath the hits. My revelation of how vast the soul catalog really is started in the early 90s with the incredible nine volume Stax box set, the Motown box, and brilliant collections issued by Atlantic/Rhino of Solomon Burke, Wilson Pickett, Percy Sledge and Clarence Carter. With a properly blown mind, I ended up buying every album I could by favorites Aretha, Otis, Curtis and Al by the end of the decade. Peter Guralnick’s book Sweet Soul Music inspired me to pick of collections of O.V. Wright, James Carr, Don Covay, Garnett Mimms, Joe Tex and others. After the binge of reissues, further treasures continued to be issued on CD for the first time throughout the 00s. That’s when I started realizing that even these so-called second tier artists had a lot more to offer outside the compilations, with deep album cuts that were just as good as some of the hits. With more albums in print than ever, and MP3s available of out of print albums, I’ve been able to hear more albums in the last few years than I had throughout the 90s. At least 18 years after picking up the earliest reissues, I finally feel like I have heard enough to come up with a useful list of 200 favorites. Hopefully this list will convince some who still think there are only five or six classics, that there are easily more than a couple hundred classics out there, with plenty more I still haven’t heard yet. In a just world, or at least at Fast ‘n’ Bulbous, Donny Hathaway, Terry Callier and Bill Withers stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Gaye and Wonder, and even surpass them at times. Despite her range delving further into blues and jazz than most of the artists, Nina Simone gets her rightful place in the soul pantheon. Etta James and Irma Thomas’s Muscle Shoals sessions nearly rival Aretha’s best work. While recent hipster favorites Rozetta Johnson, Doris Duke, Shuggie Otis, Baby Huey, Betty Davis, Candi Staton, Bettye Swann and Swamp Dogg make the list, they don’t quite measure up to underrated albums by James Carr, Percy Sledge, Solomon Burke, Clarence Carter, O.V. Wright and Jimmy Hughes. And contrary to popular belief, there are some consistently great 60s Motown albums by The Temptations, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles and Martha & the Vandellas.

Aretha Franklin – I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You (Atlantic) 67
Curtis Mayfield – Curtis (Curtom) 70
Curtis Mayfield – Superfly (Curtom) 72
Sly & the Family Stone – There’s A Riot Going On (Epic) 71
Al Green – I’m Still In Love With You (Hi) 72
Al Green – Call Me (Hi) 73
Otis Redding – Complete & Unbelievable: Dictionary Of Soul (Stax) 66
Sam Cooke – Night Beat (Abko) 63
Nina Simone – Wild Is The Wind (Four Women) (Philips) 66
Aretha Franklin – Aretha Now (Atlantic) 68
Aretha Franklin – Lady Soul (Atlantic) 68
Stevie Wonder – Innervisions (Tamla) 73
Donny Hathaway – Everything Is Everything (Atlantic) 70
James Carr – You Got My Mind Messed Up (Kent/Ace) 67
Percy Sledge – When A Man Loves A Woman (Atlantic) 66
Otis Redding – Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul (Stax) 65
Bill Withers – Just As I Am (Sussex) 71
Clarence Carter – This Is Clarence Carter (Atlantic) 68
Funkadelic – Maggot Brain (Westbound) 71
Funkadelic (Westbound) 69
Bill Withers – Still Bill (Sussex) 72
The Temptations – Sky’s The Limit (Motown) 71
Curtis Mayfield – Roots (Curtom) 71
Eddie Kendricks – People…Hold On (Motown) 72
Curtis Mayfield – There’s No Place Like America Today (Curtom) 75
Sly & the Family Stone – Stand! (Epic) 69
Solomon Burke – Rock ‘n’ Soul (Atlantic) 64
Nina Simone – Sings The Blues (RCA) 66
Sam Cooke – Ain’t That Good News (RCA) 64
Stevie Wonder – Talking Book (Tamla) 72
Esther Phillips – From A Whisper To A Scream (Kudu) 72
Esther Phillips – Black-Eyed Blues (Kudu) 73
Terry Callier – What Color Is Love (Cadet/Verve) 72
James Carr – A Man Needs A Woman (Kent/Ace) 68
Wilson Pickett – The Sound Of Wilson Pickett (Atlantic) 67
Solomon Burke – King Solomon (Atlantic) 68
The Chi-Lites – (For God’s Sake) Give More Power to the People (Brunswick) 71
Lee Moses – Time And Place (Maple) 71
Lee Dorsey – Yes We Can (Polydor) 70
Sly & The Family Stone – Life (Epic) 68
Parliament – Mothership Connection (Casablanca) 75
Wilson Pickett – In Philadelphia (Atlantic) 70
O.V. Wright – A Nickel And A Nail And The Ace of Spades (Back Beat) 70
Etta James – Tell Mama (MCA/Chess) 68
Irma Thomas – Something Good: The Muscle Shoals Sessions (Chess/MCA) 67
Otis Redding – The Immortal Otis Redding (Stax) 68
O.V. Wright – Nucleus Of Soul (Back Beat) 68
The Impressions – The Young Mods’ Forgotten Story (Curtom) 69
Jimmy Hughes – Why Not Tonight? (Atco) 67
Jimmy Hughes – Something Special (Volt) 69
The Meters – Look A-Py Py (Josie) 69
Funkadelic – Free Your Mind And Your Ass Will Follow (Westbound) 70
Funkadelic – Standing On the Verge Of Getting It On (Westbound) 74
The Meters – Rejuvenation (Reprise) 74
Al Green – Let’s Stay Together (Hi) 71
Esther Phillips – Alone Again, Naturally (Kudu/Reel) 72
The Temptations – All Directions (Motown) 72
Donny Hathaway – Extension Of A Man (Atlantic) 73
Bobby Bland – Two Steps From the Blues (MCA) 60
Nina Simone – Let It All Out (Philips) 66
Nina Simone – High Priestess Of Soul (Philips) 66
Al Green – The Belle Album (Hi) 77
Al Green – Gets Next To You (Hi) 70
Minnie Riperton – Perfect Angel (Capitol) 74
Donny Hathaway (Atlantic) 71
Nina Simone – I Put A Spell On You (Philips) 65
Nina Simone – Pastel Blues (Philips) 65
Aretha Franklin – Amazing Grace (Atlantic) 72
Etta James (Chess/Hip-O Select) 73
Ann Peebles – Straight From The Heart (Hi) 72
Minnie Riperton – Come To My Garden (GRT/Varese) 70
The Staple Singers – City In The Sky (Stax) 74
Ann Peebles – Can’t Stand the Rain (Hi) 74
Sly & The Family Stone – A Whole New Thing (Epic) 66
Curtis Mayfield – Back To The World (Curtom) 73
The Temptations – 1990 (Motown) 73
The Temptations – Masterpiece (Motown) 73
Billy Paul – Going East (Philadelphia International/EMI) 71
Betty Davis (Just Sunshine/Aztec) 73
Esther Phillips – Performance (Kudu) 74
Chairmen Of The Board – Skin I’m In (Invictus) 74
Billy Paul – War Of The Gods (Philadelphia International/EMI) 73
Terry Callier – Occasional Rain (Cadet/Verve) 72
Sam Dees – The Show Must Go On (Atlantic) 75
Eddie Kendricks – All By Myself (Motown) 71
The Isley Brothers – 3 + 3 (T Neck) 73
Sly & The Family Stone – Fresh (Epic) 73
Betty Davis – Nasty Gal (Just Sunshine/Aztec) 75
Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On (Motown) 73
Isaac Hayes – Hot Buttered Soul (Stax) 69
The Stylistics (Amherst) 71
The Delfonics (Buddha) 70
Curtis Mayfield – Sweet Exorcist (Curtom) 74
Al Green – Explores Your Mind (Hi) 74
Terry Callier – I Just Can’t Help Myself (Cadet/Verve) 74
The Impressions – This Is My Country (Curtom) 68
Jimmy Hughes – Steal Away (Vee Jay) 64
Sam Cooke – Mr. Soul (RCA) 63
Otis Redding – The Dock Of The Bay (Stax) 68
Otis Redding – The Soul Album (Stax) 66
The Isley Brothers – It’s Our Thing (T Neck) 69
Don Covay – Mercy! (Atlantic) 65
Clarence Carter – The Dynamic Clarence Carter (Atlantic) 69
Shuggie Otis – Inspiration Information (Epic/Luaka Bop) 74
The Temptations – Psychedelic Shack (Motown) 70
Marvin Gaye – Here, My Dear (Motown) 78
Bobby Womack – Fly Me To The Moon (Minit) 68
The Temptations – Cloud Nine (Motown) 69
Otis Redding – Pain In My heart (Stax) 64
Doris Duke – I’m A Loser (Canyon) 70
Etta James – Call My Name (Kent) 67
Ann Peebles – Part Time Love (Hi) 71
Otis Redding – The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads (Stax) 65
O.V. Wright – Memphis Unlimited (Back Beat) 72
Solomon Burke – I Wish I Knew (Atlantic) 68
Etta James – Come A Little Closer (Chess) 74
Betty Wright – Danger High Voltage (Alston) 74
Eddie Kendricks (Motown) 73
Eddie Kendricks – Boogie Down (Motown) 73
Chairmen Of The Board – Bittersweet (Invictus) 72
Percy Sledge – Warm & Tender Soul (Atlantic) 66
Sam & Dave – Soul Men (Atlantic) 67
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – Make It Happen (Motown) 67
The Temptations – With A Lot O’ Soul (Motown) 67
Wilson Pickett – The Exciting Wilson Pickett (Atlantic) 66
Don Covay – See Saw (Atlantic) 66
Percy Sledge – The Percy Sledge Way (Atlantic) 67
Howard Tate – Get It While You Can (Verve) 66
Little Willie John – Nineteen Sixty Six (The David Axelrod/H.B. Barnum Sessions) (Kent) 66
Wilson Pickett – The Wicked Pickett (Atlantic) 66
Martha & the Vandellas – Dance Party (Motown) 65
Sly & the Family Stone – Dance To The Music (Epic) 67
Aretha Franklin – Aretha Arrives (Atlantic/Rhino) 67
Michael Jackson – Thriller (Epic) 82
Gloria Jones – Share My Love (Reel/Universal) 73
Martha & the Vandellas – Watchout! (Motown) 66
Betty Harris – Soul Perfection (Action) 69
Candi Staton – I’m Just A Prisoner (Fame) 69
Stevie Wonder – Music Of My Mind (Motown) 72
Johnnie Taylor – Taylored In Silk (Stax) 73
Gladys Knight & The Pips – Imagination (Buddah) 73
Ann Peebles – Tellin’ It (Hi) 76
24-Carat Black – Ghetto: Misfortune’s Wealth (Stax) 73
Millie Jackson – It Hurts So Good (Westbound) 73
Bettye Swann – The Soul View Now (Capitol) 68
Rose Royce – Car Wash (MCA) 76
Cymande (Janus/Sequel) 72
The Meters – Struttin’ (Josie) 70
James Brown – Sex Machine (Polydor) 70
Ernie K-Doe – Here Come The Girls! (Great American Music) 70
Baby Huey & The Babysitters – The Baby Huey Story: Living Legend (Water) 70
Willie Tee – I’m Only A Man (Tuff City/Get On Down) 73
Al Green – Livin’ For You (Hi) 73
Betty Davis – They Say I’m Different (Just Sunshine/Aztec) 74
James Brown – Live At the Apollo (Polydor) 67
Bobby Womack – Understanding (UA) 72
Aretha Franklin – Young, Gifted And Black (Atlantic) 71
Clarence Carter – Patches (Atlantic) 70
Wilson Pickett – The Midnight Mover (Atlantic) 68
Percy Sledge – Take Time To Know Her (Atlantic) 68
Laura Lee – Women’s Love Rights (Hot Wax) 71
O.V. Wright – If It’s Only for Tonight/Eight Men, Four Women (Back Beat) 65
Allen Toussaint – Life, Love and Faith (WB) 72
James Brown – There It Is (Polydor) 72
Clarence Carter – Testifyin’ (Atlantic) 69
Jean Knight – Mr. Big Stuff (Stax) 70
Eddie Hinton – Very Extremely Dangerous (Capricorn) 78
Etta James – At Last! (Chess) 61
Solomon Burke – If You Need Me (Atlantic) 63
Sam & Dave – Double Dynamite (Atlantic) 67
Joe Tex – The Love You Save (Atlantic) 66
Joe Tex – I’ve Got To Do A Little Better (Atlantic) 66
Sam & Dave – Hold On, I’m Comin’ (Atlantic) 66
David Ruffin – My Whole World Ended (Motown) 69
The Isley Brothers – The Brothers Isley (T Neck) 69
Roberta Flack – First Take (Atlantic) 69
Ray Charles – The Genius Of Ray Charles (Atlantic) 59
Fontella Bass – Free (Paula/Fuel) 72
Laura Lee – Two Sides of Laura Lee (Hot Wax) 72
Margie Joseph – Makes A New Impression (Volt) 71
James Brown and the Famous Flames – Think! (King) 60
Tyrone Davis – Can I Change My Mind (Dakar) 69
Tyrone Davis – Turn Back the Hands of Time (Brunswick) 70
The Impressions – This Is My Country (Paramount) 68
Honey Cone – Sweet Replies (Hot Wax) 71
The J.B.’s – Food For Thought (Polydor) 73
The J.B.’s – Breakin’ Bread (Polydor) 74
Bill Withers – ‘Justments (Sussex) 74
James Brown – The Payback (Polydor) 73
Swamp Dogg – Total Destruction to Your Mind (Canyon) 70
The Impressions – We’re A Winner (Paramount) 68
Howard Tate – Howard Tate’s Reaction (Turntable) 69
Aretha Franklin – This Girl’s In Love With You (Atlantic) 70
The Impressions (Paramount) 63
The Impressions – Keep On Pushing (Paramount) 64
Merry Clayton – Gimme Shelter (Repertoire) 70
The Impressions – Check Out Your Mind! (Curtom) 70
Bobby Womack – The Facts Of Life (USA) 73
Bobby Womack – Communication (UA) 71
Rick James – Come Get It! (Motown) 78
Marva Whitney – It’s My Thing (King) 69
Millie Jackson – Caught Up (Westbound) 74
Stevie Wonder – Fulfillingness’ First Finale (Motown) 74
Smokey Robinson – A Quiet Storm (Motown) 75
Gene Chandler – The Girl Don’t Care (Brunswick) 67
Bobby Womack – My Prescription (Minit) 69
Etta James – Second Time Around (MCA/Chess) 61
Sam & Dave – I Thank You (Atlantic) 68
The Impressions – One By One (Paramount) 65
The Impressions – People Get Ready (Paramount) 65
Bobby Charles (Bearsville/Rhino Handmade) 72
Syreeta – Stevie Wonder Presents Syreeta (Motown) 74
Laura Lee – I Can’t Make It Alone (Hot Wax/Invictus) 74
Stevie Wonder – Songs In The Key Of Life (Motown) 76
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes (Philadelphia International) 72
Syreeta (Motown) 72
Parliament – Osmium (Invictus) 70
James Brown – It’s A Mother (Polydor) 69
Marvin Gaye – Midnight Love (Columbia) 82
Lyn Collins – Think (About It) (Polydor) 72
Ray Charles – Hallelujah I Love Her So (Atlantic) 57
The O’Jays – Back Stabbers (Philadelphia International) 72
Marvin Gaye – I Want You (Motown) 76
Marie Queenie Lyons – Soul Fever (Vampi Soul) 70
Joe Tex – Buying A Book (Atlantic) 69
Arthur Conley – Soul Directions (Atco) 68
Sam Cooke – One Night Stand: Live at Harlem Square Club, 1963 (RCA) 63
Bobby Womack – Lookin’ For A Love Again (UA) 74
Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On (Motown) 71
Michael Jackson – Off The Wall (Epic) 79
Billy Paul – 360 Degrees Of Billy Paul (Philadelphia International/Sony) 72
Bill Withers – Making Music (Columbia/Reel) 75
Johnnie Taylor – One Step Beyond (Stax) 71
Willie Hutch – The Mack (Motown) 73
Marvin Gaye – Trouble Man (Motown) 72
Marvin Gaye – In Our Lifetime (Motown) 81
Stevie Wonder – Signed, Sealed and Delivered (Motown) 70
The Impressions – Ridin’ High (Paramount) 66
The Impressions – The Fabulous Impressions (Paramount) 67
Mavis Staples – Only for the Lonely (Stax) 69
Esther Phillips – What A Diff’rence A Day Makes (Kudu) 75
Barbara Lewis – The Many Grooves Of Barbara Lewis (Stax) 69
The Jacksons – Destiny (Epic) 78
Freda Payne – Band of Gold (HDH/Edsel) 70
Charles Wright & the 103rd Street Rhythm Band – Express Yourself (WB) 70
Swamp Dogg – Rat On (Elektra) 71
Syl Johnson – Is It Because I’m Black? (Twinight) 70
Etta James – Losers Weepers (Kent) 70
Syl Johnson – Total Explosion (Hi) 75
David Ruffin – David (Motown) 71
Bill Withers – Naked & Warm (Columbia/Reel) 76
Doris Duke – Woman (Shout!) 75
Laura Lee – Love More Than Pride (Chess) 69
Wilson Pickett – I’m In Love (Atlantic) 68
Millie Jackson – Still Caught Up (Westbound) 75
David Ruffin (Motown) 73
Wilson Pickett – In The Midnight Hour (Atlantic) 65
Johnnie Taylor – Wanted: One Soul Singer (Stax) 67
Solomon Burke – Proud Mary (Atlantic) 69
The O’Jays – Ship Ahoy (Philadelphia International) 73
Barbara Mason – Give Me Your Love (Buddah) 73
Merry Clayton (Repertoire) 71
Labelle – Nightbirds (Epic) 74
Nona Hendryx (CBS/T-Bird) 77
The Temptations – Wish It Would Rain (Motown) 68
The Temptations – Solid Rock (Motown) 72
Esther Phillips – For All We Know (Kudu) 76
Esther Phillips – Capricorn Princess (Kudu/Reel) 76
Millie Jackson – Feelin’ Bitchy (Westbound) 77
Stevie Wonder – Where I’m Coming From (Motown) 71
The Temptations – Puzzle People (Motown) 69
The Isley Brothers – Givin’ It Back (T Neck) 71
Gwen McCrae – Lay It On Me (Columbia/Reel) 72
Shuggie Otis – Freedom Flight (Epic) 71
Jerry Butler – The Ice Man Cometh (Mercury) 68
Jerry Butler – Ice On Ice (Mercury) 69
Etta James – Bettah Than Evah (Chess) 76
Etta James – Deep In The Night (Chess) 78
The Isley Brothers – Get Into Something (T Neck) 70
Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell – United (Motown) 67
Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell – You’re All I need (Motown) 68
Earth Wind And Fire (WB) 71
The Temptations – Gettin’ Ready (Motown) 66
Syl Johnson – Dresses Too Short (Twinight) 68
The Temptations – The Temptations Sing Smoky (Motown) 65
The Temptations – The Temptin’ Temptations (Motown) 65
The Temptations – Meet The Temptations (Motown) 64
Bill Withers – Menagerie (CBS) 77
Curtis Mayfield – Never Say You Can’t Survive (Curtom) 77
Millie Jackson (Spring) 72
Freda Payne – Contact (HDH/Edsel) 71
Arthur Alexander (WB) 72
Parliament – Up For The Down Stroke (Casablanca) 74
The Isley Brothers – This Old Heart Of Mine (Motown) 66
Rozetta Johnson – Personal Woman 1970-75 (Clintone/Soulscape)
Johnnie Taylor – Who’s Making Love… (Stax) 68
Minnie Riperton – Adventures In Paradise (Capitol) 75
Eddie Kendricks – For You (Motown) 74
Johnny Robinson – Memphis High (Sony) 76
Allen Toussaint – Southern Nights (WB) 75
The Staple Singers – Let’s Do It Again (Curtom) 75
Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes – To Be True (Philadelphia International) 75
Lyn Collins – Check Me Out If You Don’t Know Me By Now (Polydor) 75
Stevie Wonder – Uptight (Motown) 66
Al Green – Is Love (Hi) 75
Al Green – Full of Fire (Hi) 76
Aretha Franklin – Spirit In The Dark (Atlantic) 70
Smokey Robinson – Smokey’s Family Robinson (Motown) 76
Syl Johnson – Diamond In The Rough (Hi) 74
Booker T. & the MGs – Green Onions (Stax) 62
Isaac Hayes – Shaft (Stax) 71
Aretha Franklin – Soul Sister (Columbia) 66
Earth Wind And Fire – That’s The Way Of The World (WB) 75
David Ruffin – Feelin’ Good (Motown) 69
Aretha Franklin – Soul ’69 (Atlantic) 69
Parliament – Motor Booty Affair (Casablanca) 78
Otis Clay – Trying to Live My Life Without You (Hi) 72
Joe Tex – Happy Soul (Atlantic) 69
Oscar Toney Jr. For Your Precious Love (Bell) 67
Joe Tex – Show Me (Atlantic) 66
The Chi-Lites – A Lonely Man (Brunswick) 72
Wilson Pickett – Hey Jude (Atlantic) 69
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles – Going To A Go-Go (Motown) 65
The Staple Singers – Be Altitude: Respect Yourself (Stax) 72
Isaac Hayes – Black Moses (Stax) 71
Garnet Mimms – I’ll Take Care Of You (United Artists) 66
James Brown – Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud (Polydor) 69
Roberta Flack – Chapter Two (Atlantic) 70
Joe Tex – The New Boss (Atlantic) 66
Sly & The Family Stone – Small Talk (Epic) 74
The Miracles – City Of Angels (Tamla/Hip-O) 75
Leroy Hutson – Hutson (Curtom) 75
The Commodores – Machine Gun (Motown) 74
Johnnie Taylor – Raw Blues (Stax) 69
Eddie Floyd – Knock On Wood (Stax) 67
Honey Cone – Soulful Tapestry (Hot Wax) 71
Honey Cone – Love, Peace And Soul (Hot Wax) 72
Denise LaSalle – On The Loose (Westbound) 72
Denise LaSalle – Trapped by a Thing Called Love (Westbound) 72
David Ruffin – Me N’ Rock N’ Roll Are Here To Stay (Motown) 74
David Ruffin – Who I Am (Motown) 75
David Ruffin – In My Stride (Motown) 77
Don Covay – Superdude (Mercury) 73
Don Covay – Hot Blood (Mercury) 74
Betty Wright – Danger High Voltage (Alston) 75
The Detroit Spinners – Spinners (Atlantic) 72
Parliament – The Clones Of Dr. Funkenstein (Casablanca) 76
Al Green – Have A Good Time (Hi) 76
Aretha Franklin – Take It Like You Give It (Columbia) 67
Garnett Mimms & The Enchanters – Cry Baby (United Artists) 63
The Ohio Players – Observations In Time (Edsel) 68
Joe Tex – Hold On To What You’ve Got (Atlantic) 65
Al Green – Green Is Blues (Motown) 70
Johnnie Taylor – Rare Stamps (Stax) 70
Lee Dorsey – Night People (EMI) 78
The Soul Children – Friction (Stax) 74
The Supremes – Where Did Our Love Go? (Motown) 64
Syl Johnson – Back for a Taste of Your Love (Hi) 73
Barbara Acklin – Love Makes A Woman (Brunswick) 69
Parliament – Funketelechy Vs. the Placebo System (Casablanca) 77
Otis Redding – Love Man (Stax) 69
Otis Redding – Tell The Truth (Stax) 70
Teddy Pendergrass (The Right Stuff) 77
The Soul Children (Stax) 69
The Soul Children – Best of Two Worlds (Stax) 71
Sam Cooke – Twistin’ the Night Away (RCA) 62
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles – Special Occasion (Motown) 68
Rick James – Bustin’ Out Of L Seven (Motown) 79
Rick James – Fire It Up (Motown/Hip-O) 79
Prince (WB) 79
James Brown – Get On The Good Foot (Polydor) 72
James Brown – Cold Sweat (King) 67
The Supremes – I Hear A Symphony (Motown) 66
Willie Mitchell – Ooh Baby, You Turn Me On (Hi) 68
James Brown – Out Of Sight (Smash) 64
Stevie Wonder – Hotter Than July (Motown) 80
Parliament – Chocolate City (Casablanca) 75
Eugene McDaniels – Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse (Atlantic) 71
Booker T. & the MGs – Hip Hug-Her (Stax) 67
William Bell – The Soul Of A Bell (Stax) 67
Honey Cone – Take Me With You (Hot Wax) 70
Roberta Flack – Quiet Fire (Atlantic) 71
Ann Peebles – If This Is Heaven (Hi) 78
Eugene McDaniels – Outlaw (Atlantic) 70
Freda Payne – Reaching Out (HDH/Edsel) 73
Gene Chandler – The Two Sides Of Gene Chandler (Brunswick/Demon) 69
Arthur Conley – Sweet Soul Music (Atco) 67
Arthur Conley – Shake, Rattle & Roll (Atco) 67
The Staple Singers – Be What You Are (Stax) 73
Marvin Gaye – Moods of Marvin Gaye (Motown) 66
Candi Staton – Young Hearts Run Free (WB) 76
Marvin Gaye – Take Two (Motown) 66
Marvin Gaye – In The Groove (Motown) 68
William Bell – Bound To Happen (Stax) 69
William Bell – Wow… (Stax) 71
Lou Bond (We Produce/Light In The Attic) 74
Arthur Alexander – You Better Move On (Dot) 62
O.V. Wright – The Bottom Line (Hi) 78
Garnett Mimms – As Long As I Have You (United Artists) 64
The Isley Brothers – Brother, Brother, Brother (T Neck) 72