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Mindblowing music from The Byrds – and one of the greatest evolutions in pop music from the 60s! The Byrds were always at the forefront of their generation – starting out as a folksy act mixing in early psychedelia, then reaching for deeper roots with a love of country, yet also really keeping their own unique identity – and finding a way for most group members to grow their own interests and help shape the sound of the band! This balance is unique, as is the mighty range of records that encompassed it – their legendary sounds for Columbia Records, which are presented here in a beautiful box of 13 CDs, featuring 11 full albums, all with their original artwork in LP-styled sleeves! Titles include Mr Tambourine Man, Turn Turn Turn, Fifth Dimension, Younger Than Yesterday, Notorious Byrd Brothers, Sweetheart Of The Rodeo, Dr Byrds & Mr Hyde, Ballad Of Easy Rider, Untitled Unissued, Byrdmaniax, and Farther Along.

Aerosmith's second album – and a prime slab of badass mid 70s rock – coming close to, maybe even equalling Toys In The Attic as ultimate Aerosmith badassery! It's got a tighter, puncier sound their debut – courtesy producer Jack Douglas – who would continue to produce Aerosmith in their pre-blowout 70s best. It opens on with one of their staples, "Same Old Song And Dance" and other tracks include their kickass cover of "Train Kept A Rollin'", plus "Lord Of The Thighs", "Spaced", "Woman Of The World" and "Pandora's Box".

Aerosmith at their most classic! At their peak, Aerosmith brought a hard rock edge to the more groove oriented boogie and blues rock influences. Toys In the Attic is most certainly one of their peaks, if not THE peak. Includes the all time greats "Walk This Way" and "Sweet Emotion", plus "Big Ten Inch Record", "Uncle Salty", "Round And Round", "You See Me Crying", "Adam's Apple" and "No More No More".

Rare post-Warner Brothers work from The Association – an album that's gentler and more mature than their earlier hits, done in a great blend of soft rock and post-Sunshine styles! The sound here is quite different even than the last Warner albums – which brought in a bit heavier guitars – and the group are going for a style that's beautifully mellow, and produced with this compressed groove that makes wonderful use of their classic harmonies. And while you might expect such a record to be too smooth, or too slickly AOR, the overall sound is still quite personal, and almost fragile – carried off carefully through instrumental arrangements by Benny Golson that never dominate the vocals, and only shade in the tunes with the right touches for the right moments. Titles include "Come The Fall", "Midnight Wind", "Silent Song Thru The Land", "Darling Be Home Soon", "Rainbows Bent", "Kicking The Gong Around", "Indian Wells Woman", and the sublime "Snow Queen".

Lost funk rock from Ballinjack – the rare self-titled set for Columbia that's arguably best remembered for being so massively sampled – but the group that deserves a more widely-credited legacy! The sound is a bit like Mandrill on the best cuts, with the band going hard on the funky drums with some great brassy movements, flute and guitars. Lots of deftly jazzy movements, too – standout flute and guitar moments throughout. Tracks include the famously sampled "Found a Child" and "Never Let 'Em Say" (believe us, you've heard these samples plenty, and it's cool to hear them in their original context. . .great stuff and little wonder they were so strongly utilized by hip hop production heavies), plus "Super Highway", Festival", "Telephone", "Ballin' The Jack", "Street People", "Carnival", and "Hold On".

Titles include "Walk Like An Egyptian", "Manic Monday", "Not Like You", and "If She Knew What She Wants".

Cheap Thrills, maybe – but they cut deeply and last forever! This is one of the greatest albums by Big Brother & The Holding Company – and it's also one of the most important in cementing the legacy of singer Janis Joplin. The raw manic energy of the group at their live best is somehow bottled and presented on record as perfectly as it ever could be – and even better are the delicate moments that show such an incredible depth! Titles include "Turtle Blues", "Oh Sweet Mary", "Ball & Chain", "Summertime", "Piece Of My Heart", and "I Need A Man To Love".

Cheap Thrills, maybe – but they cut deeply and last forever! This is one of the greatest albums by Big Brother & The Holding Company – and it's also one of the most important in cementing the legacy of singer Janis Joplin. The raw manic energy of the group at their live best is somehow bottled and presented on record as perfectly as it ever could be – and even better are the delicate moments that show such an incredible depth! Titles include "Turtle Blues", "Oh Sweet Mary", "Ball & Chain", "Summertime", "Piece Of My Heart", and "I Need A Man To Love".

A stone classic from Blood Sweat & Tears – and a record that went onto have a tremendous impact in jazz, rock, funk, and soul! The group's format is plenty darn famous – adding a lot of horns to hip riffing grooves – but despite countless plays on oldies stations over the years, this initial album still has a power that's undeniable – a way of putting the whole thing together that really uses the best elements of the late 60s studio – handled with sweet production from James William Guerico that rivals his best work for Chicago! Even the lead vocals by David Clayton Thomas hold up nicely – and the set includes the classics "Variations On A Theme By Eric Satie", "And When I Die", "Smiling Phases", "More & More", "Spinning Wheel", and "You've Made Me So Very Happy". CD features bonus live tracks – "More & More" and "Smiling Phases".

A wild debut from Blood Sweat & Tears – one of those records that forever changed the face of popular music! The set's noteworthy not just for early vocals from Al Kooper – who was a key part of the group at their start – but also for key production work from a young John Simon – who helped arrange a bit, threw in a few musical touches, and really gave the group some focus on record – of the sort that would continue over the course of man albums. The set's got some added strings at points, and there's even some backup vocals from the duo of Valerie Simpson and Melba Moore. Titles include "Overture", "I Can't Quit Her", "Just One Smile", "Without Her", "My Days Are Numbered", "Morning Glory", and "So Much Love/Underture". CD features bonus tracks – "Refugee From Yuhupitz", plus demo versions of "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" and "The Modern Adventures Of Plato Diogenes & Freud".

David Bowie's grabbing the cover of Heroes for this surprisingly great album – using the old cover art, then marking it over – in ways that definitely give a hint at the sound underneath! The style's darker and edgier than we've heard Bowie in years – kind of in "Joe The Lion" territory at times – given the fuzzy use of guitar, and raspy touches on the vocals and other instrumentation – almost as if the whole thing's got the same sort of back to basics approach that David found during his years in Berlin. Yet overall, there's more sweet moments too – some surprisingly warm tunes that, while not like contemporary pop hits, may well help remind the world that the Bowie star can still shine brightly in the right setting. Titles include "Dirty Boys", "The Next Day", "If You Can See Me", "Boss Of Me", "Dancing Out In Space", "Love Is Lost", and "Valentines Day". Deluxe CD version features three bonus tracks – "So She", "Plan", and "I'll Take You There".

David Bowie's grabbing the cover of Heroes for this surprisingly great album – using the old cover art, then marking it over – in ways that definitely give a hint at the sound underneath! The style's darker and edgier than we've heard Bowie in years – kind of in "Joe The Lion" territory at times – given the fuzzy use of guitar, and raspy touches on the vocals and other instrumentation – almost as if the whole thing's got the same sort of back to basics approach that David found during his years in Berlin. Yet overall, there's more sweet moments too – some surprisingly warm tunes that, while not like contemporary pop hits, may well help remind the world that the Bowie star can still shine brightly in the right setting. Titles include "Dirty Boys", "The Next Day", "If You Can See Me", "Boss Of Me", "Dancing Out In Space", "Love Is Lost", and "Valentines Day".

An amazing little record from Joe Byrd – an artist with roots in serious music, but who's serving things up here with a wild hippie aesthetic that makes the whole thing come across more like a "happening" than the usual sort of studio album – but in ways that also echo an earlier generation of Americanist composition too. The process of the record mimics some of Byrd's famous work in New York – and has a very collaborative feel overall, with elements of electronics, acoustics, and vocals coming together beautifully! There's some great tabla, harpsichord, moog, and organ on the record – plus more serious woodwinds and brass – and vocals from Victoria Bond, Susan De Lange, Christie Thompson, and Ernie Anderson – plus Joe himself. Titles include "Kalyani", "Moonsong Pelog", "You Can't Ever Come Down", "Gospel Music", "Nightmare Train", "Leisure World", and "The Elephant At The Door".

An avant pop/offbeat classic from John Cale and Terry Riley! We'll be fast to admit that Cale's solo stuff don't always float our boat – but this collaboration with minimalist composer Terry Riley is nothing short of an amazing. It's an album of mostly long modal instrumental tracks (with one vocal one) that grooves along in a spacey funky way. Riley plays piano, organ, and soprano sax – and Cale joins in on bass, guitar, viola, and harpsichord. The two of them groove together in these totally cool tracks that build and build, with minimal lines repeating over and over in endlessly fascinating groove – in a way that touches on a weirdly funky mode! The cut "Ides Of March" has the potential to be dancefloor groover in the jazz dance scene, and there's lots of other great tracks like "Church of Anthrax", "The Protege", and "The Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles".

One of just a couple of albums by Leonard Cohen from the 80s – certainly an underappreciated one, in regard to his late 60s and early 70s canon – and that's a shame, because this is pretty brilliant stuff! Stylistically, there's sparse folk pop, some steel guitar twang and then modern production touches that can't mess it up, thanks to the weight and gravity of Cohen's own voice and the beautiful female backup. Titles include "The Night Comes On", "The Captain", "If It Be Your Will", "Dance Me To The End Of Love", "Coming Back To You" and "Hallelujah".

One of those great examples of a wildly successful songwriter recording a terrific album of his own, but not connecting with the pop consciousness – which is shame, because Roger James Cooke's Study is, well, a study in wonderful late 60s songcraft! Cook was actually no stranger to performing, having scored a hit with Roger Greenaway as David & Jonathan – but this solid Columbia album really deserves a bigger audience. Titles include "Primrose Jill", "Black Paper Roses", "Teresa", "Something", "Ellie", "Today I Killed A Man I Didn't Know", "My Home City", "Stop" and more. This great CD version from RPM has 11 bonus tracks: late 60s and early 70s singles and B-Sides including "I'm Burning", "Paper Chase", "Someday", "Anticipation Grow", "People I've Gotta Dream" and more.

Elvis Costello's early 80s foray into 60s Nashville and otherwise country-indebted songbooks – and it's a nice one! Even on his tighter, blistering punk era records, Elvis demonstrated not only the voice, but a great ear for the roots and soul that came before him. He showed some soul love quite profoundly a year-or-so earlier on the Get Happy album, and here he works in a similarly respectful mode for classic country, countrypolitan and even a little bit of honky tonk. Produced by Billy Sherrill – who was absolutely essential in the country crossover sound of the 60s and 70s. It's a bit overlooked, but we love this record! Includes "Why Don't You Love Me (Lie You Used To Do)", "I'm Your Toy", "Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down", "Sittin' And Thinkin'", "Honey Hush", "How Much I Lied" and more.

Elvis's first self conscious foray into soul, Get Happy pretty much runs the gamut of soul pop styles of the decade and a half that preceded it – and ultimately comes off as one of the most affectionate albums of Costello's career, and one of the most stomping blue-eyed soul albums of the 80s. The album includes a whopping 20 tracks: "Love For Tender", "Opportunity", The Imposter", "Secondary Modern", "King Horse", "Posession", "High Fidelity", "Riot Act", "Human Touch", "Beaten To The Punch" and more.

Essential old school Elvis Costello from the peak years of the Attractions era! Trust is one of the earliest albums in which Costello started to shake the punkish roots off just a bit, adding a bit more of his sock soul influences into his patented power pop. Tracks include "Clubland", "Lover's Walk", "You'll Never Be A Man", "Pretty Words", "Watch Your Step", "New Lace Sleeve", and "From A Whisper To A Scream".

Titles include "Mystery Dance", "Pay It Back", "Alison", "Blame It On Cain", "Watching The Detectives", "Miracle Man", "Welcome To The Working Week", "Less Than Zero", and "The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes".

A really wild little album – and exactly what it says in the title: hard rock from the Middle East! The album takes eastern instrumentation on oud, bouzoki, tamboura, and accordion – and fuses it with some hard grooving bass, guitar, and drums – all hitting heavy late 60s acid-tinged modes, and making for a perfect blend with the exotic instrumentation! The album's arranged and directed by Felix Pappalardi, and has some of the nice funky rock touches of his own work – not to mention a sound that's unlike anything else we can think of! Titles include "Wala Dai", "Kley", "Besaha", "Treea Pethya", "Hala Laya", "Selim Alai", and "Isme".

A nice little funky fusion set by Dreams – who were basically the Brecker Brothers, before they stepped out on their own and started calling themselves by that name! The fusion super group actually hews a little closer to the rock side of the fusion game at times, but there's no shortage of jazzy chord structures and some nice riffing and soloing going one – not unlike Chase or some of the other groups that were grooving in a similar jazz rock vein at the time! Billy Cobham joins the Breckers on the set – and titles include "Devil Lady", "15 Miles To Provo", 'The Maryanne", "Holli Be Home", "try Me", "Dream Suite" and "New York".

The first album, and a bit more straight folksy than later work – but still with some amazing young flashes of genius! Titles include "Highway 51", "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean", "Song To Woody", "Man Of Constant Sorrow", "Fixin To Die", "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down", and "Talkin New York".

Plenty of early classics and hits – including "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right", "Blowin In The Wind", "Down The Highway", "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall", "I Shall Be Free", "Bob Dylan's Dream", and "Oxford Town".

A pivotal moment for Bob Dylan – and maybe one of THE albums of the 60s! The newly-electrified Dylan really takes off here – putting more punch and bit into his already-strong lyrical approach – and twisting things in amazing ways that still leave us breathless all these many years later! And sure, the album gave Bob a few hits – which are nestled in here next to headier tunes that work together perfectly. Titles include "Like A Rolling Stone", "Ballad Of A Thin Man", "It Takes A Lot To Laugh It Takes A Train To Cry", "From A Buick 6", "Desolation Row", "Highway 61 Revisited", and "Queen Jane Approximately".

A pivotal moment for Bob Dylan – and maybe one of THE albums of the 60s! The newly-electrified Dylan really takes off here – putting more punch and bit into his already-strong lyrical approach – and twisting things in amazing ways that still leave us breathless all these many years later! And sure, the album gave Bob a few hits – which are nestled in here next to headier tunes that work together perfectly. Titles include "Like A Rolling Stone", "Ballad Of A Thin Man", "It Takes A Lot To Laugh It Takes A Train To Cry", "From A Buick 6", "Desolation Row", "Highway 61 Revisited", and "Queen Jane Approximately".

A pivotal album for Dylan – featuring complicated dark little numbers like "All Along The Watchtower", "The Ballad Of Frankie Lee & Judas Priest", "I Am A Lonesome Hobo", "I Pity The Poor Immigrant", "The Wicked Messenger", "As I Went Out One Morning", and "Down Along The Cove".

Bob Dylan and his great band whip up a moody, yet darkly humorous Tempest – and while the overall greatness of his records came down just notch or two after Love And Theft – this one goes the other way and comes pretty damn close to his late-era peaks! Lyrically, it's definitely better than the past couple records – with verse after verse of poetic storytelling – which is carried all the more effectively by his weathered rasp. Sound-wise, Dylan is as indebted as ever to pre-rock rhythm & blues, but there's some nice fuzzy electrified arrangements, too – and it's all played by a stellar band that's been with him for a long time now, one perfectly-suited for the style: guitarists Charlie Sexton & Stu Kimball, BR5-49 fiddler and steel guitarist Donnie Herron, bassist Tony Garnier, drummer George Receli, and a most noteworthy guest in Los Lobos' David Hidalgo on accordion. Includes "Duquesne Whistle", "Soon After Midnight", "Narrow Way", "Long And Wasted Years", "Pay In Blood", "Scarlet Town", "Early Roman Kings", "Tin Angel", "Tempest" and "Roll On John". This deluxe limited CD edition includes a 60-page bound notebook with dozens of rare vintage magazine covers – produced exclusively for this edition.

Some of the darkest acoustic work that Dylan ever recorded – and filled with beautiful songs like "With God On Our Side", "North Country Blues", "Only A Pawn In Their Game", "The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll", "Boots Of Spanish Leather", and "The Times They Are A-Changin". A real masterpiece from just before he started shaking off everyone's expectations.

2 unreleased recordings from the Self Portrait sessions! Wigwam is here in spare, but strong demo form. The flip is a cover of Eric Anderson's "Thirsty Boots" – which ended up also being recorded by a who's who of folk and singer-songwriter favorites from John Denver to The Kingston Trio – but Dylan's version, solid as it is, was left off of the Self Portrait album and it's officially released here for the first time!

Dylan & The Band's legendary Basement Tapes – those amazing late 60s Woodstock recordings – and an album that was a classic long before it was officially released in the mid 70s! Bootleg after bootleg of some these recordings might have sold enough copies on the grey market in the early 70s to go platinum back in the day, so there's little wonder that Columbia would finally get some kind of official release out there – and it lives up to the legend! Dylan's conversational, seemingly spontaneous lyricism stretches over a good portion of it, with some much more soulful numbers, too – and those are all the more effective with The Band's incredible instrumentation, backing and occasional lead vocals. Includes "Odds And Ends", "Million Dollar Bash", "Tears Of Rage", "Tiny Montgomery", "Nothing Was Delivered", "Too Much Of Nothing", "Clothes Line Saga", "You Ain't Goin Nowhere", "Open The Door, Homer", "This Wheel's On Fire, "Crash On the Levee (Down In The Flood)", "Long Distance Operator".

A tremendous debut from this overlooked late 60s group from the UK – a powerhouse that would later go onto fuel bigger groups like Jethro Tull, Emerson Lake & Palmer, and Uriah Heep! This initial outing has a surprisingly soulful feel at times – still very rockish in the presentation, but with a style that's still tipping out of the Brit beat group years too – so that even when things are freewheeling and almost progressive, you can still feel some bluesy undercurrents in the vocals and keyboards! John Glascock handles bass, Ken Kensley keyboards – and both sing as well, along with guitarist Joe Konas. Drummer Lee Kerslake completes the group – and titles include "Radio Show", "Farthing Man", "I Never Knew", "Towards The Skies", "Looking Glass", and "Candles Getting Shorter". 2CD set features the full original mono and stereo mixes of the album – plus bonus tracks that include "Somewhere In The Stree", "Baby's Rich", "Real Love Guaranteed", and a great cover of The Beatles' "Hey Bulldog".

A smoking second set from The Gods – and a record that captures the British scene at a perfect point when new ideas were definitely coming into play, but could still be served up in a style that was pretty lean and mean overall! All the cuts on the set have the potential of being much longer overblown numbers – yet The Gods really keep their focus wonderfully, and hone the tunes down to their best elements – with tight guitar work here, some compelling lyrical twists there, and bigger ideas that seem to inform the whole thing, yet never push anything towards pretension. Titles include "Lady Lady", "Penny Dear", "Long Time Sad Time Bad Time", "Five To Three", "Autumn", "To Samuel A Son", and "Sticking Wings On Flies". CD also features two bonus tracks – "Maria" and "Long Time Sad Time Bad Time (mono version)".

One of the greatest moog albums ever – all original sounds and tunes from the legendary Bruce Haack! Haack had spent most of the 60s doing small label kiddie records on his own, but this late 60s gem on Columbia is probably his best known work – a masterpiece of short and groovy little songs that are heavy on analogue electronics and special effects! There's a really fuzzy feel to most of the work here – heavy echo and reverb that give the album a very dark feel, even when the songs are a bit light and playful. Haack's lyrics are great too – quite conceptual, with a spiritual undercurrent that's surprisingly great – and which adds a further layer of meaning to the set! The whole thing's a bit like the Silver Apples, but more experimental – and there's a love of sound, shape, and texture that Haack never matched again on later albums. A key predecessor to Suicide, Stereolab, and countless others – with titles that include "Electric To Me Turn", "Cherubic Hymn", "Program Me", "War", "Incantation", "Angel Child", "Super Nova", "Requiem", "Song Of The Death Machine", and "National Anthem To The Moon". CD features the previously unreleased "Electric To Me Turn (alternate version)", and a Canadian radio interview interspersed with songs!

One of the wildest records of the early 70s – and it's still pretty darn hard to argue with the power of this one – even if the meddling of the producers is nearly as legendary as the album itself! There's still such a manic energy to the original release mix – one that clearly inspired, if not altogether gave birth to the punk scene – and makes the album one of those quintessential examples of great art being made under compromising circumstances. Fierceness personified! Includes classics like "Search & Destroy", "Death Trip", "Gimme Danger", "Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell (aka Hard To Beat)", "Raw Power", "Shake Appeal", and "Death Trip". We're in that rare camp that finds both Bowie's original mix AND Iggy's noisy-as-hell, paint-peeler of a mix from the late 90s entirely essential – and the latter appears here on vinyl for the first time! This completely incredible 2012 vinyl edition includes both mixes in a 2LP set with 16 page booklet.

Titles include "White Bird", "Bombay Calling", "Bulgaria", "Time Is", and "Girl With No Eyes".

Hey, that's Phil Woods turning out a great alto solo at the end of "Just The Way You Are"!

A strange lost relic from Beach Boy Bruce Johnston – recorded in the mid 70s with some sweet AOR production work by Gary Usher. The album's actually a fantastic slice of late 60s sunny LA pop – and features work by Curt Boettcher, Chad Stuart, and a few other lost pop luminaries – working with Johnston in a compressed style of pop that's got some nice similarities to the better 70s work of the Beach Boys. The album includes great remakes of "Deirdre" and "Disney Girls", a strangely nice version of "I Write The Songs" (actually written by Johnston himself!) – and the tracks "Rendezvous", "Won't Somebody Dance With Me", "Pipeline", and "Thank You Baby". A great bit of overlooked soft rock from the 70s! 2 bonus tracks on this Japanese CD edition: single and 12" disco versions of "Pipeline".

Rare work from the west coast mainstream pop underground of the 60s – that magical musical place where cats who had bigger gigs were able to make some special sounds in between the chart singles – groovy little records that often got lost amidst the shifting sands of time! Two of the biggest talents on that scene of the time were Beach Boy Bruce Johnston and producer Terry Melcher – both of whom worked on much bigger projects, especially in later years, but also cut some cool stuff here together as a duo. The music here is heavy on the harmonies you'd expect from a duo with their experience – but most vocals are duo mode, not quartet or quintet – set amidst some totally sweet hot rod and surf-styled music – produced mostly by Melcher with this cool squished-up studio sound! The set features rare singles, a few unissued numbers, mono cuts, and even some work by the related Rogues – 20 whopping titles that include "Come On Let's Go", "Hawaii", "Summer Means Fun", "Raining In My Heart", "Roger's Reef", "Yeah", "Thank You Baby", "Halfway", "Four Strong Winds", "Look Who's Laughing Now", "Come Love", and "Custom Machine".

Mark Lindsay's getting a bit shaggy on the cover of this one – and his music is too! But that change is a nice one – a deepening of the mature modes that Lindsay brought to his sound after leaving the Raiders, steeped here in some of the best adult pop modes of the time! In a way, the record's quite similar to some of the best coming out from A&M in the same generation – a set that takes the best elements of 60s pop, and tries to put them together in ways that reach out nicely to a new generation in the 70s. Lindsay's somewhat headier than before, but there's still also a relative sense of lightness that we always like in his solo music. Arrangements are by John D'Andrea – and titles include "It's Too Late", "Need A Little Time", "Never Can Say Goodbye", "If You Could Read My Mind", "The Old Man At The Fair", "All I Really See Is You", and "Been Too Long On The Road".

Moby Grape's self-conscious, but hardly less groovy late 60s excursion into loose, free form and largely instrumental psychedelia – the sweet and therefore appropriately titled Grape Jam! GJ is really a world away from their earlier rock regalia – with superstar special guests Al "How Does It Feel" Cooper and Mike Bloomfield brought in the flesh out the open-ended sounds. The sounds roll from walloping instrumental rock, to bluesier jams, to some driving nearly funky bits! Titles include "Never", "Boysenberry Jam", "Black Currant Jam", "Marmalade" and "The Lake".

Laura Nyro's first album ever – originally issued by Verve/Forecast in the mid 60s, but brought back out on the market by Columbia, during the height of Nyro's early 70s fame for the label! Even at this early point, Nyro sounds wonderful – a fair bit more soulful than most other female pop singers of her time – with a fully-fleshed out approach to the vocals that's mature and sensitive, and almost a bit more confident at times than in later years. Arrangements are by Herb Bernstein, and almost have the same sort of sunny feel as The 5th Dimension in their famous covers of Nyro's tunes – again with more soul than we might have expected for the time. Titles include "Lazy Susan", "Stoney End", "Flim Flam Man", "Buy & Sell", "He's A Runner", "Billy's Blues", and "Wedding Bell Blues".

A tremendous album from Laura Nyro – a real return to the soulful style of her roots, thanks to help from Labelle on backing vocals, and the team of Gamble & Huff on production! If Nyro only ever gave the world this record, that would more than be enough – because the whole thing's an incredibly hip blend of her own great songwriting and some of the more righteous strands of American soul music at the time. Most of the tracks are older soul numbers – some done relatively straight, others done with the more personal, contemplative style you'd expect from Nyro during these years. And decades before Amy Winehouse or Joss Stone started hitting territory like this, Nyro proved that a set of soul tracks like this could come off well, if handled with the right talent! Titles include "The Bells", "I Met Him On A Sunday", "Spanish Harlem", "You've Really Got A Hold On Me", "Desiree", "The Wind", "Nowhere To Run", and "It's Gonna Take A Miracle". CD features 4 bonus tracks too – "A Natural Woman", "Ooh Child", "Up On The Roof", and "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing".

Titles include "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", "Welcome To The Machine", "Have A Cigar", and "Wish You Were Here".

A sweet harmony set from Pozo Seco – working here partly as the duo of Don Williams and Susan Taylor, and partly in the trio format known from their previous records as the Pozo Seco Singers! The duo tracks are especially nice, and really showcase Taylor's amazing vocals – and the album's got a mixed production approach that has some of the tunes in the older country/folk harmony style of the mid 60s, and some of the others in a mode that's a bit darker and moodier overall. Titles include "Spanish Harlem Incident", "You Better Sit Down Kids", "Good Morning Today", "Hey Babe Open Up Your Mind", "Keep On Keeping On", and "Gotta Come Up With Something". CD has LOTS of bonus tracks too – 11 more numbers that include "Tomorrow Proper", "Louisiana Man", "I Believed It All", "Excuse Me Dear Martha", "Creole Woman", "High On Life", "Till You Hear Your Mama Call", and "Leavin".

Nothing too peaceful here – at least not in a sleepy sort of way – as The Rascals are really hitting on all burners, and starting to mix a bit of funk in with their groove! The record's a great extension of the group's last work on Atlantic – and it takes that already-righteous territory, and furthers it a bit more with some heavy rhythms on the bottom, and nicely jamming guitar work on the top! There's a great sense of soul that informs the whole album – even at some of the more rockish points – and titles include the excellent side-long cut "Peaceful World", a long instrumental workout with a nice slow bubbling funky sound that's almost in the style of Chicano rock. The albumf eatures guest work from jazz players like Hubert Laws on flute, Alice Coltrane on harp, Garnett Brown on trombone, Joe Garrell on tenor sax, and Joe Newman on trumpet – and other titles include "Little Dove", "Visit To Mother Nature Land", "Happy Song", "Icy Water", "Sky Trane", and "In & Out Of Love".

Drag strip rockers to more vocals based surf and otherwise pop numbers by The Rip Chords! Hey Little Cobra has a wealth of numbers, with the vocals kind of floating over the arrangements and a surreal way – be they duo harmonies or more layered Beach Boys & 4 Seasons style – with seedy & pulpy rockers and sweeter numbers. Includes "Hey Little Cobra","409", Shut Down", "Drag City" and many more.

Titles include "Eternal Caravan Of Reincarnation", "Waves Within", "Look Up", "Just In Time To See The Sun", "All The Love Of The Universe", and "Stone Flower".

Includes "Evil Ways", "Jingo", "Hope You're Feeling Better", "Samba Pa Ti", "Black Magic Woman" and more.

If you think you know Boz Scaggs, think again – because this early Columbia album features a whole different sound! The Scaggs here is a really loose and soulful one – as Boz steps out of the freewheeling late 60s Bay Area scene with a really wonderful take on blue-eyed soul – an approach that's clearly informed by the sound of The Rascals and some of the New York scene, but which also has some tasty California touches that really transform the mood. Boz vocals are pure and straightforward – and the instrumentation on the set has a tight, but laidback sort of feel – no surprise, as Boz' band of the time was really great. There's a real Free Soul sort of feel to the record – and tracks include "Moments", "Downright Women", "Painted Bells", "Alone Alone", "Near You", "We Were Always Sweethearts", "Can I Make It Last", and "We Been Away".

Boz Scaggs at the height of his early powers – still very much in the best blue-eyed soul style that first got him noticed by CBS, but also working with a stronger, richer, prouder sound that's really great! A number of the tracks on the set were recorded in Muscle Shoals, with superb small combo soul backing that Boz seems to respond to tremendously well – hitting a mode that's somewhere between Al Green and Van Morrison, with vocals that are simply mindblowing, and extraordinarily soulful. The rest of the set was recorded in San Francisco, and has a similarly freewheeling sound to Boz debut for CBS – with some great backing vocals by Linda Tillery and Dorothy Morrison as well. Titles include "Dinah Flo", "Slowly In The West", "Full Lock Power Slide", "Old Time Lovin", "Might Have To Cry", "Hello My Lover", "He's A Fool For You", and "Freedom For The Stallion".

An early 70s solo album from the man who invented bluegrass banjo picking. Tracks include "T For Texas", "Sally Gooding", "Both Sides Now", "Bugle Call Rag", and "Foggy Mountain Breakdown".

An almost all-jazz release by Soft Machine – and a tasty bit of proggish tunes with a spare electric modal groove. Robert Wyatt's still on drums, and the rest of the group features Hugh Hopper on bass, Mike Ratledge on organ and piano, and Elton Dean on saxes. Titles include "Teeth", "Kings & Queens", and the "Virtually" suite, which takes up all of side two.

A slightly headier sound than before from Chad & Jeremy – music that's still in a great mix of Brit Invasion and Sunshine Pop, but which also shows a somewhat deeper sensibility too – a desire to reach past the simpler pop modes that first got the pair going here in the US! Chad Stuart's listed as the music director for the album – and we're not sure if he's the one responsible for the sound, but there's definitely some great elements going on – bits of flute, harpsichord, flugelhorn, and more – all wrapped up beautifully with some great production that hangs the whole album in a warmly harmonic pillow of sound. Titles include "Ain't It Nice", "Distant Shores", "Morning", "Homeward Bound", "You Are She", and "Don't Make Me Do It". CD features a whopping 13 bonus tracks – including "Last Night", "Teenage Failure", "Anytime", "Sticks & Stones", "Love Is Strange", and "If You Need Somebody".

A lost heavy rock classic from the Dunwich Production team – recorded in Michigan, but with extra orchestral backing in Chicago – for an approach that gives the record a slightly pop quality that tempers the harder rock sound nicely. The songs are actually pretty catchy, in a post-Summer Of Love pop mode – and titles include "Magic Bed", "What's In My Mind's Eye", "Heart Attack", "Strange", "Thoughts & Feelings", and "Ode To Missy Mxyzosptlk".

Titles include "Hurricane", "Isis", "Joey", "Romance In Durango", "Sara", and "One More Cup Of Coffee".

A long-overdue collection of work by this sublime Ohio soul group of the 60s – a trio of lovely ladies with a really tremendous sound! Gigi & The Charmaines are hardly the girl group cliche you might think from their sweet name and the image on the cover – and on most of the numbers here, they're hard-rolling at a pace that's somewhere between the best Detroit Northern Soul of the time, and some of the sweeter female soul that was coming out of Chicago at the end of the 60s. Ace have really outdone themselves with the collection – and bring together the group's singles on the Columbia, Date, and Fraternity labels – as well as some other key sides that have them performing vocals on records by other artists in the lead! CD features a whopping 28 tracks in all, plus a full set of notes – with titles that include "Guilty", "Poor Unfortunate Me", "Eternally", "Girl Crazy", "If You Ever", "I Idolize You", "Rockin Old Man", "On The Wagon", "What Kind Of Girl Do You Think I Am", "All You Gotta Do", "GI Joe", "I Can't Go On This Way", and "I Don't Want To Lose Him" – plus "I'm So Satisfied" with Max Falcon, "Lucy Miloo" with Kenny Smith, "Baby Please Don't Go" with Carl Edmonson, and "Baby What's Wrong" with Lonnie Mack.

Smoking hot rod grooves – put together by studio maestro Bruce Johnston in the years before he became a bigger Beach Boy! The set's one of many groovy surf/car sets that Johnston cut during this mid 60s stretch – although it's more obscure than most, given its release on Smash Records – instead of the usual Capitol or Columbia outlets for his work. But the lineup features some key familiar faces from those other projects – guitar from Glenn Campbell and Tommy Tedesco, and some mighty drums from the great Hal Blaine! Hot Rod enthusiast George Barris adds his name to the project – and also gives up some nice car knowledge on the back cover – and titles include "Stick Six", "Fireball", "Jive Driver", "Super Fine", "Firecracker 400", "Hotty 32", and "Speed Shifters".

If Terry Melcher hadn't given Charles Manson the brush off, this album may well have come out on Columbia in the late 60s, and made Manson the rock and roll star he wanted to be! And while we're as disturbed as everyone else by the history of Charlie's violence, we also have to admit that we're kind of taken by this album – and find it a surprisingly good little record in a 60s folksy mode. There's really none of the creepiness that you might expect, and Manson's got a naivete that kind of transforms a Dylan-esque style into one that's overflowing with the raw emotion and personality of Jonathan Richman (but none of the silliness, of course.) CD features 26 tracks in all – the most expansive version we've seen – and also includes a few alternate takes. Most of the music is recorded in a spare style, with acoustic guitar backing and a bit of additional vocals – and titles include "Ego", "Look At Your Game Girl", "I'll Never Say Never To Always", "Home Is Where You're Happy", "Big Iron Door", "I Once Knew A Man", "Garbage Dump", "True Love You Will Find", "Who To Blame", "Don't Do Anything Illegal", and "Sick City".

We've gotta admit, this record sounds a lot better with the passing of time than we might have expected – thanks in part to some totally sweet Fender Rhodes, used often, and in all the best ways to pepper the tunes! Barry Beckett and Bob James handle the keys – and there's even some gospel touches at times, thanks to help from the Jessy Dixon Singers and Chicago Community Choir. And Paul Simon's songwriting is mostly mature – and even on the hit "50 Ways", the drums from Steve Gadd more than make up for any clunk!