Soul : Funk : RnB

Frank Ocean – Channel Orange (2xLP Colored Vinyl)

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@POWERPLANTRECORDS | PowerPlantRecords.com | Leave a positive Google review! Title: Frank Ocean – Channel OrangeYear/Genre/Sub-Genre/City: 2012, R&B, Alternative R&B, Los Angeles, CACondition: New Cultural Facts: Media Narrative: He published a deeply personal Tumblr letter days before release, but he refused to turn it into a rollout—no big TV victory lap, just the work sitting there with the context hanging over it. That restraint became part of the legend: the industry wanted a s...

Marvin Gaye – What's Going On (Staff Pick!)

Title: Marvin Gaye – What’s Going OnYear/Genre: 1971, Soul / R&BMatrix #: TS 310Condition: Ne...

Title: Marvin Gaye – What’s Going OnYear/Genre: 1971, Soul / R&BMatrix #: TS 310Condition: New Cultural Facts: Inspired by letters from Gaye’s brother in Vietnam and police brutality in Detroit, it turned personal grief into protest art. Motown executives initially resisted releasing it, fearing its political tone would alienate pop audiences. Gaye produced the album himself—unheard of at Motown—establishing artist autonomy within the label’s system. +3 4/2/25- EK 4/23/25 TC 6/19/...

Rage Against The Machine – Rage Against The Mac...

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@POWERPLANTRECORDS | PowerPlantRecords.com | Leave a positive Google review! Title: Rage Against the Machine – Rage Against the MachineYear/Genre: 1992, Rap Metal / Alternative MetalCondition: New Cultural Facts: Released right after the 1992 L.A. uprising; early shows functioned like activist gatherings as much as “concerts.” The cover photo (Thích Quảng Đức, 1963) led some stores to hide or refuse it, forcing mainstream retail to confront real protest imagery. The fist logo was design...

Charles Bradley - Changes (Staff Pick!)

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@POWERPLANTRECORDS | PowerPlantRecords.com | Leave a positive Google review! Title: Charles Bradley – ChangesYear/Genre/Sub-Genre/City: 2016, R&B, Soul, Brooklyn, New YorkCondition: New Cultural Facts: Studio Lore: Cut with Menahan Street Band as his backing unit, keeping the Daptone-era “band in a room” workflow central. Media Narrative: He became a late-life breakout—industry press framed him as an “overnight” story even though he’d been performing for decades. Personal Struggle: ...

The Best Of Etta James (Staff Pick!)

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@POWERPLANTRECORDS | PowerPlantRecords.com | Leave a positive Google review! Title: Etta James – The Best Of Etta JamesYear/Genre/Sub-Genre/City: 1973, R&B, Soul, Los Angeles, CACondition: New Cultural Facts: Scene Ecology: Got “discovered” as a teenager in L.A. by bandleader Johnny Otis after sneaking into his revue world—her career starts in clubs, not labels. Legal Trouble: Spent years trapped in addiction and court pressure; managers, tours, and paychecks kept collapsing, then res...

Curtis Mayfield – Super Fly (Staff Pick!)

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@POWERPLANTRECORDS | PowerPlantRecords.com | Leave a positive Google review! Title: Curtis Mayfield – Super FlyYear/Genre/Sub-Genre/City: 1972, Soul, Funk, Chicago, ILCondition: New Cultural Facts: Political Science: Wrote it as a critique of the drug economy and the glamorization of hustling—using the film’s world to argue against it. Studio Lore: Mayfield ran his own operation (Curtom) and controlled the sessions, a rare level of Black artist ownership in early-’70s soundtrack culture. ...

ZAPP - ZAPP (COLOR) (Staff Pick!)

Title: Zapp – Zapp (Zapp & Roger)Year/Genre: 1980, FunkCondition: New Cultural Facts: Zapp ...

Title: Zapp – Zapp (Zapp & Roger)Year/Genre: 1980, FunkCondition: New Cultural Facts: Zapp emerged from Dayton, Ohio’s dense late-1970s funk community, which also produced acts tied to the wider Parliament-Funkadelic orbit. Produced with heavy involvement from Bootsy Collins, the album cemented Roger Troutman’s talk box as a visual and sonic signature in live shows and videos. Its riffs and keyboard lines became core source material for West Coast hip-hop, especially 1990s G-funk pr...

Whitney Houston ‎– Whitney Houston

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@POWERPLANTRECORDS | PowerPlantRecords.com | Leave a positive Google review! Title: Whitney Houston – Whitney HoustonYear/Genre/City: 1985, Pop/R&B, Newark, NJMatrix #: AL8 8212Condition: EX Cultural Facts: Family Ties: Raised inside a pro music network—Cissy Houston’s circle and cousin Dionne Warwick gave her early, real industry access. Media Narrative: One of the first Black women positioned as an across-formats MTV pop star, forcing mainstream TV and radio gatekeepers to shift. ...

Snoh Aalegra – Ugh, Those Feels Again (SUPER St...

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@POWERPLANTRECORDS | PowerPlantRecords.com | Leave a positive Google review! Title: Snoh Aalegra – Ugh, Those Feels AgainYear/Genre/Sub-Genre/City: 2019, R&B, Alternative R&B, Los Angeles, CACondition: New Cultural Facts: Media Narrative: Prince heard her early work, reached out, and she’s said he mentored her for a couple years before his 2016 death. Scene Ecology: Moved from Sweden to L.A. (2012) and later plugged into No I.D.’s ARTium circle without a radio-first pathway. Fam...

Sly & The Family Stone – Stand!

Title: Sly & The Family Stone – Stand!Year/Genre: 1969, Funk / Soul / Psychedelic Rock...

Title: Sly & The Family Stone – Stand!Year/Genre: 1969, Funk / Soul / Psychedelic RockMatrix #: BN 26456Condition: VG+ (light scuffs, plays strong) Cultural Facts: Released during the height of the Civil Rights era, it blended social commentary with radical optimism. Features “Everyday People,” a unifying anthem against prejudice inspired by Sly Stone’s own interracial band. The album’s raw mix and layered production shaped the direction of 1970s funk and soul. For fans of ...

Prince And The Revolution – Purple Rain (Staff ...

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@POWERPLANTRECORDS | PowerPlantRecords.com | Leave a positive Google review! Title: Prince And The Revolution – Purple RainYear/Genre/Sub-Genre/City: 1984, Pop, Pop Rock, Minneapolis, MNCondition: New Cultural Facts: Studio Lore: The project was built as a film + album strategy; key performances were captured in front of a live audience and then shaped into the final record. Scene Ecology: The “Minneapolis sound” was a real local system—Prince’s circle (The Time, Vanity 6, Wendy & Lis...

STEVIE WONDER – Fulfillingness' First Finale (7...

Year/Genre: 1974 / SoulMatrix #: T6-332S1Condition: Sounds great! Light surface marks that do not...

Year/Genre: 1974 / SoulMatrix #: T6-332S1Condition: Sounds great! Light surface marks that do not affect playability. Description: Released in July 1974, Fulfillingness’ First Finale marked a more introspective turn in Stevie Wonder’s “classic period,” following the ambitious Innervisions. Recorded between Los Angeles and New York, it pairs socially conscious messages with playful moments, earning the Grammy for Album of the Year. Its success reflected Stevie’s growing creative control during...