What are your favorite funk and soul albums from 1975 or earlier?

Title says it all.

I am looking for suggestions and a consensus of the best albums.

I am asking from or before 1975 because I don't particularly enjoy the stuff after the mid-1970s

 

Earth, Wind & Fire: That's the Way of the World
Earth, Wind & Fire: Gratitude
Earth, Wind & Fire: Open Our Eyes
Earth, Wind & Fire: Head to the Sky
Tower of Power: Tower of Power
Tower of Power: Back to Oakland
Tower of Power: Urban Renewal
MFSB: Love is the Message
MFSB: Universal Love
The Stylistics: Stylistics
The Stylistica: Round 2
The Stylistics: Rock 'N Roll Baby
The Commodores: Machine Gun
The Commodores: Caught in the Act
The Three Degrees: Three Degrees
The Three Degrees: International
Spinners: Pick of the Litter
Spinners: Spinners
The Blue Magic: Blue Magic
Stevie Wonder: Innervision
Stevie Wonder: Talking Book
Stevie Wonder: Fulfilingness First Finale
Stevie Wonder: Where I'm Coming From

 

Wow, thanks for such an extensive list. I didn't think anyone was going to respond

 

Thinking only of albums made as albums, not compilations of singles (which are some of the best ways to hear many of the great soul acts of the '60s), pre-'75

Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved a Man The Way I Love You (I think the greatest soul album of all); Spirit in the Dark; Life at the Fillmore West
Sam Cooke - Night Beat; Live at the Harlem Square Club
Otis Redding - The Immortal Otis Redding; Live in Europe
James Brown - Live at the Apollo Vol. 1, 2, 3; Sex Machine; The Payback; Love Peace Power
JBs - Doing It to Death
Sly & the Family Stone - Stand; There's a Riot Going On; Fresh
Funkadelic - Maggot Brain; America Eats Its Young
Parliament - The Mothership Connection (takes you right up to '75)
Stevie Wonder - Talking Book; Innervisions
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On?; Let's Get It On
War - War Live
The Impressions - The Young Mod's Forgotten Story
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis; Curtis/Live; Superfly Soundtrack

And I wouldn't be without some singles collections on a lot of the '60s acts:

The Best of Sam and Dave
James Brown - Foundations of Funk; Funk Power; Make It Funky
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles - Anthology
Temptations - Greatest Hits Vol 1 & 2
Four Tops - Greatest Hits
The Best of the Meters
Sly & the Family Stone - Greatest Hits
Isley Brothers - Greatest Hits (T-Neck label; late '60s/early '70s stuff on their own label)
Marvin Gaye - Super Hits
Marvin & Tammi - Greatest Hits

 

Terry Callier, Occasional Rain
Terry Callier, What Color Is Love
Miles Davis, On the Corner
Curtis Mayfield, soundtrack to Superfly
Isaac Hayes, Hot Buttered Soul
Lonnie Liston Smith, Expansions
Roy Ayers, Everybody Loves the Sunshine
Roy Ayers, soundtrack to Coffy

 

In no particular order:

Tower of Power -- "East Bay Grease"
Tower of Power -- "Bump City"
Tower of Power -- "Tower of Power"
Tower of Power -- "Back to Oakland"

Elvin Bishop -- "Rock My Soul"

The Stylistics -- "Stylistics"
The Stylistics -- "Round 2"
The Stylistics -- "Rock 'N Roll Baby"

Temptations -- "Greatest Hits Vol 1 & 2"

War -- "All Day Music"
War -- "The World is a Ghetto"

.

 

I don´t want to highlight the obvious milestones of that era (Aretha, Sam, Stevie, Marvin, Otis and Mr. Dynamite). I would only want to point how amazing are the first two Stylistics albums. Some of the finest soul ever made. I think they deserve higher recognition.

 

The Jackson 5: Get It Together, Dancing Machine, and Moving Violation

 

Don't forget Joe Tex and Bill Withers!

 

Johnny Guitar Watson : "Funk Beyond The Call Of Duty"

 

War - The World Is A Ghetto, Deliver The Word, Why Can't We Be Friends
Marvin Gaye - What's Goin' On
Al Green - I'm Still In Love With You
Sly and the Family Stone - There's A Riot Goin' On

 

There's so many but two that come to mind instantly:

Meters: Look-Ka Py Py (Funky ass NOLA band)
Sly: There's a Riot Goin' On

Lots of plays of these two in my house!!

 

Temptations - Sky's The Limit

 

Thanks for this one. Added it to my Amazon Wish List!!

 

All the albums that are already referenced above are great choices. I think that the Temptations Cloud Nine is also fantastic and several other James Brown albums (like The Payback, In the Jungle Groove and if you like live albums Love, Peace, Power is awesome: Bootsy and Catfish were in JB's band then) should be included. People hear "The Commodores" and think "Three Times a Lady", but in their early years, they were a dynamite funk band. I've been listening to Machine Gun, Caught in the Act and Movin' On NON-STOP lately. Almost every song on those LPs is seriously funky! If you don't think "Machine Gun", "Gonna Blow Your Mind", "Slippery When Wet", "The Bump", "Mary, Mary" and "Gimme My Mule" aren't funky ...

 

Tower of Power -- "East Bay Grease"
Tower of Power -- "Bump City"
Tower of Power -- "Tower of Power"
Tower of Power -- "Back to Oakland"

 

Donny Hathaway - Live
Donny Hathaway - Extension of a Man
Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On
Bill Withers - Live at Carnegie Hall

 

Anything from Edwin Starr, Bill Withers or Sly & the Family Stone for me...

 

Shuggie Otis - Inspiration Information
Parliament - Osmium

 

Lee Dorsey - Yes We Can and Night People (which is '78 but trust me still counts)
Bill Withers - Still Bill and Live at Carnegie Hall
Ann Peebles - Part Time Love, Straight From the Heart, I Can't Stand The Rain

 

Betty Davis - s/t, They Say I'm Different, Nasty Gal

 

The Sylvers - II
The Sylvers - III

 

Gil Scott Heron - "Pieces of a Man"