Browse by Label: ARISTA

Artist:	SCOTT-HERON & BRIAN JACKSON, GIL
Title:	Bridges
Label:	ARISTA
Format:	LP
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	AB 4147HLP

180 gram exact repro reissue, originally released in 1977. "Gil Scott-Heron, Brian Jackson, and the Midnight Band take a slightly different approach with their 1977 effort, Bridges. With less of the gaping and world-infused sound prevalent on previous albums, the songs are more concise and Scott-Heron comes into his own as a singer depending less on his spoken word vocal style... the excellent songwriting exposes Scott-Heron at the height of his powers as a literary artist. The social, political, cultural, and historical themes are presented in a tight funk meets jazz meets blues meets rock sound that is buoyed by Jackson's characteristic keyboard playing and the Midnight Band's colorful arrangements. Scott-Heron's ability to make the personal universal is evident from the opening track, 'Hello Sunday! Hello Road!,' all the way through to the gorgeous '95 South (All of the Places We've Been).'" -- All Music Guide

Artist:	BLACKMAN, DON
Title:	Don Blackman
Label:	ARISTA
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	ARISTA 5509LP

Exact repro of this 1982 album from NYC's Don Blackman. No one in the western world has gone at least a few months without having one of those weird, prolonged-eye-contact dreams involving this album cover, but the music has also been sampled by the likes of Jay-Z, Madlib, Beat Konducta and People Under The Stairs. And for good reason. If handclaps and slap bass could hurt, this record would beat the shit out of you. "Yabba Dabba Doo" opens the album, but might as well be the title of every other song on this record. "You Ain't Hip" is absolutely terrifying; something like Betty Davis in a cocaine-psychosis mounting a saddle on your back and riding you ass-naked around a shag-carpeted studio. There's a few slow-funk ballads, notably "Since You Been Away So Long," which has its heart in the right place but ultimately goes down as smooth as oatmeal from a paperbag. This is a monstrous and unrelentingly killer piece of sick funk that will annihilate you.

Artist:	WRIGHT, BERNARD
Title:	'Nard
Label:	ARISTA
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	GRP 5011LP

Exact repro reissue, originally released in 1981. "Like Tom Browne and Lenny White/Twennynine, Bernard Wright was part of Jamaica, Queens' R&B/funk scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s, which gave us such major hits as Twennynine's 'Peanut Butter' and Browne's 'Funkin' for Jamaica.' Browne and White were both talented jazz musicians, but R&B/funk was their main focus at that time. Similarly, keyboardist/pianist Wright occasionally flirts with instrumental jazz on his debut album, 'Nard, but pays a lot more attention to vocal-oriented soul and funk. The only instrumentals on this out-of-print LP are the jazz-funk smoker 'Firebolt Hustle,' the Rodney Franklin-ish 'Bread Sandwiches,' and a relaxed interpretation of Miles Davis' 'Solar,' which finds Wright forming an acoustic piano trio with bassist Buster Williams and drummer Roy Haynes. Otherwise, this is an R&B album that is defined by such impressive funk as 'Spinnin',' 'Master Rocker,' and the goofy but wildly infectious 'Haboglabotribin'." -- All Music Guide

Artist:	SMITH GROUP, PATTI
Title:	Radio Ethiopia
Label:	ARISTA
Format:	LP
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	P 754942HLP

180 gram reissue, originally released in 1976. The follow-up to the acclaimed Horses, this album had a lukewarm reception upon its initial release, but has over time become recognized as one of Patti Smith's most challenging, defining moments, as the band expanded their sonic palette into noisier territory with more straight-ahead rock songs, and Smith's highly individual songwriting continually evolving with raw intensity and integrity. Songs like "Ain't It Strange," "Pissing In A River," and the title track seal the deal for making this album one of Smith's most honest and essential.

Artist:	BREAKWATER
Title:	Splashdown
Label:	ARISTA
Format:	LP
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	ARIS 4264LP

"Breakwater may have only released two albums while signed to Arista Records in the late 1970s, but those releases established a cult following for the eight-piece Philadelphia-based band that remains strong long after their breakup. Splashdown, their second LP, takes the romantic balladry and harmonies of Philly soul stalwarts like The Stylistics and Blue Magic and seamlessly infuses them with a dose of jazz and funk, creating tight, upbeat arrangements that fully exploit the group's robust rhythm section. Their solitary funk rock track 'Release the Beast' endures the most thanks to Daft Punk, who sampled the song's unmistakable synthesizer part for their 2005 single 'Robot Rock.' Packaged in an old-school paste-on jacket."

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Artist:	FRANKLIN, ARETHA
Title:	Aretha
Label:	ARISTA
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	AL 8442LP

Artist:	HEADHUNTERS, THE
Title:	Survival Of The Fittest
Label:	ARISTA
Format:	LP
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	ARISTA 4038HLP

Artist:	YOUNG, LARRY
Title:	Larry Young's Fuel
Label:	ARISTA
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	ARISTA 4051LP

Artist:	YOUNG'S FUEL, LARRY
Title:	Spaceball
Label:	ARISTA
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	ARISTA 4072LP