The Decks Files - Victor FF-700/FF-700L

Sister Sledge - Got To Love Somebody Today (1980)

This track hails from Love Somebody Today, the follow-up album to the mighty 1979 album We Are Family and seems pretty much a forgotten child of the Nile Rogers/Bernard Edwards collaborations. It did get a release, but failed to reach the heights that the more famous sibling songs did (US Pop no.64, R&B no.6), but make no mistake, Got To Love Somebody Today is no poor relation to the sisters more famous tracks.
As an aside, Love Somebody Today was one of four albums to be written and produced by Edwards and Rodgers in 1980, the other three being Sheila and B. Devotion's King of the World which included its hit single Spacer, Chic's fourth studio album Real People and Diana Ross' multi-platinum selling Diana which includes Upside Down, I'm Coming Out and My Old Piano.
Thats some prodigious output for one year.

- FVHK5K

Mary Clark ‎- Take Me I'm Yours (1980)

Not much seems to be known about either the artist or label; Mary Clark only released this track (and a great one it is) and it was the only release on the Le Shawn label, in 1980. According to some sources, less than 200 copies were pressed, so laying your hands on a copy would be hard, to say the least.
But in the digital age, nothing is impossible. The song has surfaced on the Internet via various platforms, so one of those 200 lucky owners went that extra mile and ripped this gem to Mp3. Whomever you are, we thank you, as  a bass line like this well as flights of brass and violins and the powerful and vibrant voice of Mary Clark deserve a wider audience.

-FVHK5K

The Crusaders with Bill Withers - Soul Shadows (1980)

From the 1980 album Rhapsody and Blues and featuring the sublime vocals of Bill Withers.
The group shortened their name to The Crusaders in 1971, and adopted a jazz-funk style. They also incorporated the electric bass and electric guitar into their music. Bass guitarist Robert "Pops" Popwell and guitarist Larry Carlton joined the band, and featured on the group's albums throughout most of the 1970s. With this new style came increased crossover appeal, and the group's recordings started to appear on the Billboard pop charts. The height of the group's commercial success came with 1979's Street Life, with Randy Crawford as featuring singer, which peaked at No.18 on the pop album charts and the title track from the album made the Top 10 on the R&B chart and No.36 on Billboard′s Hot 100 chart.
In April 2010, Joe Sample announced a reunion tour with Wayne Henderson and Wilton Felder (but not Stix Hooper); the first reunion of these founding members of the Jazz Crusaders since 1974.

- The Oakland Stroke