Great stuff from Gary – one of his more obscure albums, and a record dedicated to the signs of the Zodiac! The tracks are a mixture of Gary's usual easy jazz approach – with vibes, whistling, and bossa-style rhythms showing up a lot – plus a few more driving numbers that are more... read more
Gary McFarland —
Today ... LP
Skye,
Late 60s. Very Good- Gatefold ....
$16.99
Wild stuff – and very different than Gary McFarland's earlier albums! Today was recorded late in Gary's career, and is has him moving a bit away from jazz – into a more sunshine pop feel – one that still retains plenty of the bossa and breezy elements of his Verve work, but which... read more
A real mind-trip – and an incredible document of the times – not just ideas floating around in the late 60s, but also new ways of making records too! The album is loosely based around ideas and writings from The Medium Is The Massage – McLuhan's important 1967 book, co-written... read more
Imagine if the Ventures were actually aliens – and you've only got part of the picture on this one! Mad studio genius Joe Meek composed and conceived this incredible 60s session of strange space-age instrumentals – one that mixes instrumental surf-flavored guitars with crazy sound... read more
Sergio Mendes —
Great Arrival ... CD
Atlantic (Japan),
1966. New Copy ....
$15.99
One of Sergio Mendes' most dreamy albums – quite different than both his vocal work with Brasil 66, and his smaller combo sides from Brazil! There's still a strong bossa component to the record – but the setting has Sergio's piano lines laid out over larger arrangements with a good... read more
Michael Seven (Mike Melvoin) —
Michael Seven ... LP
Amos,
Early 70s. Very Good+ ....
$6.99
Some very groovy work – played by an LA septet with Mike Melvoin on organ and piano – plus Tom Scott on saxes, Gary Coleman on vibes, and Hal Blaine on drums! Also features work by Dennis Budimir on guitar, Larry Knechtel on bass, and Jim Horn on sax – on titles that include... read more
A mod little record from trumpeter Willie Mitchell – a set that's as groovy as it is soulful, with a vibe that's somewhere between 60s instrumental outings on Verve and Atlantic Records! Tunes are a mix of soul and pop numbers, handled by Mitchell's combo with some mighty tight drums and... read more
One of Hugo Montenegro's best moog albums – and a killer batch of tracks written by Stevie Wonder! Hugo and crew go to town with a host of electric keyboards – including moogs and Arps, backed up by some straight electric piano – and they lay down 10 smooth funky renditions of... read more
A weird and wonderful record – the early hits of Neil Diamond, played on the moog and ARP by the mighty Hugo Montenegro! The approach to the set is pretty darn cool – as it takes 10 of Neil's best early tunes, and runs them through arrangements by Montenegro that run from funky to... read more
One of the grooviest takes on The Beatles we've ever heard – served up by a hip group of LA players led by pianist Don Randi! The style here is very hard and percussive – more soulful and swinging than the original tunes on the Rubber Soul album, and often done with a tightly vamping... read more
The Mystic Moods take a clever gimmick, and make it stick – using sound effects of rain and storms, as on other early albums, and mixing the whole thing with some really sweet instrumentals! The album features some great Don Ralke originals that get past the covers on earlier sides –... read more
A classic bit of mature mood music – one that featuers 60s instrumental pop themes, mixed with sound effects of a rainy stormy night! Titles include "Love Is Blue", "Waltz For Tricia", "Lover's Lullaby", "Visions", "Come Saturday Morning",... read more
Mystic Moods Orchestra —
Highway One ... LP
Warner,
1972. Very Good+ ....
$1.99Just Sold Out!
A sublime easy classic by The Mystic Moods – who by this time had transformed from a simple "sound effects plus easy listening" group into a sexy electric LA combo. This is one of their first albums for Warner, recorded with a nice sly slightly-funky sound – and it's a... read more
Very groovy stuff! Although the bulk of the material on this album is "pops meet jazz", in the hands of Oliver Nelson, it's transformed into something wonderful – with just the right blend of jazz to keep things lively. The arrangements have a nice off-kilter sound that works well... read more
A 60s party from drummer and madly grooving instrumentalist Sandy Nelson – way more than a frat party – this one's for the beaches, basements, drag-strips and anywhere else! This is the second dip into the wealth of Imperial singles and albums cut by Sandy – into the mid 60s... read more
A totally excellent album! Sure, Peter Nero could be one of the sleepier piano players of the 60s – but on this little gem, he's playing moog, and it sounds great! Nero's taking moog to the sweet soundtrack groovers "Midnight Cowboy" and The Windmills Of Your Mind" –... read more
The tinkling piano of Peter Nero – heard to great effect on these two 60s albums for RCA! On Impressions, the sweet piano of Peter Nero takes on the music of Burt Bacharach – all with results that are every bit as groovy as you might expect! There's a bit more punch to the record than... read more
Janko Nilovic —
Chorus ... CD
Dare Dare (France),
Early 70s. New Copy ....
$9.99
The "chorus" in the title is appropriate – as there's a flurry of wordless vocals in the mix of this one! The record feels a bit like some of Ennio Morricone's more vocal-oriented soundtracks from the early 70s – with breezy voices drifting over slightly funky arrangements,... read more
A very high-art moment for Jack Nitzsche – and a set that prefaces most of his famous soundtrack work to come! The album's completely different than Jack's earlier work in the 60s – and is more of a full-scale orchestral session, done with the London Symphony Orchestra, and featuring... read more
Wild! The Nutty Squirrels were an obvious attempt to cash in on the success of Alvin & The Chipmunks during the late 50s – a studio-trickery session handled with the voices of Don Elliott and Sascha Burland – but to our ears, honestly, the album's a lot better! You see, both... read more
This groovy pair didn't last long on the pop charts, but they did score relatively big with the swnging "Cinderella Rockefella" – a mad late 60s pop tune that's included here on this US album. The cut's a great one – pretty silly, but always enjoyable, and the kind of stunner... read more
The 101 Strings organization matches up with a groovy percussion ensemble, for a sound that's like some of the good RCA percussion bachelor pad LPs from the 50's. Tracks include "Voodoo Moon", "Ski Run", "Dizzy Fingers", "Roller Coaster", and "Bats In... read more
An absolute treasure of tripped-out, space age symphonic funk from 101 Strings! On this set the undocumented group of session players run through a whole bunch of spacey cuts, complete with fuzzed out electric guitar and sitar, weird period electronics, and more than a few funky drum breaks. It's... read more
A weirdly great little record! At first glance, you might think that this album's just another version of the super-huge moog hit "Popcorn" – but it's a lot more than that! The group has sort of a sing-song funky feel – hard piano, some nice drums, and grooves that remind us... read more
We're not entirely sure about the "incident" mentioned in the title – clearly front page news back in the day – but we can say that the album's a sweet little groover with a nice mod bounce – a set that features lots of great organ and piano from the mighty Marty Paich,... read more
Rene Paulo —
Black Coral ... LP
Liberty,
Late 50s. Very Good ....
$11.99
A fairly straight album of piano tracks for Liberty, but with a subtle Polynesian feel to it. The cover would imply more, though – since it's got a beautiful underwater shot of an exotic looking model hiding behind some coral! Titles include "Hana", "Black Coral", "M... read more
A great bit of moogy madness! The Peppers were a bit like Hot Butter and other early 70s moog-based combos, but they also had a style that was a bit more funky – and was geared more towards the soul market, in which most of their singles usually travelled. This album's one of the group's... read more
An obscure US album that presents some late 50s work recorded by Parisian easy maestro Andre Popp! Popp's had a strong reputation for years as being the Esquivel of the other side of the Atlantic, and this album's a perfect illustration of that point – very much like the earliest Esquivel... read more
Elsa Popping & Her Pixieland Band (Andre Popp) —
Delirium In Hi Fi ... LP
Columbia,
1957. New Copy (reissue)....
$6.99
A lost Hi Fi gem! Released in America under the name of "Elsa Popping & Her Pixieland Band" – the record is actually a stunning collaboration between French orchestra leader Andre Popp and sound effects wizard Pierre Fatosme. The sound is wild and swinging, with a feel that's... read more
Nice one! This is a groovy reissue of the soundtrack to Milano Violenta, written by Enrico Pieranunzi and Silvano Chimenti, and performed by the funky studio group Pulsar Music Ltd. The feel of the album is similar to that of some of the best tracks on the Stroboscopia comps – with lots of... read more
Great work from pianist Don Randi – and a lost David Axelrod gem! The album features Randi playing over Axelrod arrangements – and as a whole, it's really more of an Axelrod album than anything else – especially considering the fact that Randi was the player on some of Axe's own... read more
Not Raymond Scott himself, but an assemblage of current players, inspired by the work of composer Raymond Scott – coming together to perform new versions of some of Scott's madder compositions! The set is extremely well put-together – produced by Irwin Chusid, curator of the Scott... read more
A Brit easy gem from the great Les Reed – one of the massive talents working in England's instrumental scene during the 60s, and an arranger who's got a hipper flair for a tune than most! Les does a great job here with a set of sunny groovers – mostly standards, including a few with a... read more
Mindblowing music from this ultra-cool musician – nearly three albums packaged on one CD! First up is Stones – a very groovy set of tunes that we'd rank right up there with Hal Blaine's Psychedelic Percussion for sheer nuttiness! Emil Richard plays a range of percussion instruments... read more
One of the grooviest albums to come from the godlike hands of Emil Richards – a hip LA vibist who touched equally the worlds of jazz, soul, rock, and easy! This album's got a bit more punch than some of Richard's more jazz-based sessions – with Emil playing a wide range of percussion... read more
Johnny Richards —
Wide Range ... LP
Capitol,
1957. Very Good ....
$4.99
A killer album from Johnny Richards – possibly the best he ever cut! The album sparkles with all the intensity he brought to Stan Kenton's Cuban Fire album – with bits of Latin, jazz, and some of the modernist scoring that Kenton, Richards, and Pete Rugolo were using at the time. ... read more
Jay Richford & Gary Stevan —
Feelings ... LP
Golden Pavilion (Portugal),
1974. New Copy (reissue)....
$25.99
A sweet groover from the Italian scene of the 70s – music that's got a lush feel, but a funky one too – a great mix of strings and electric instrumentation that rivals the best cop/crime work of the time – yet also has a nice sexy feel too! There's almost a blacksploitation vibe... read more
One of the more obscure 60s albums by Nelson Riddle – a selection of film themes! Great Music Great Films delivered in a nice style that has isolated instruments emerging from the larger string backings with a nice sense of lightness amidst the drama with larger orchestrations, but handled... read more
One of the weirdest Beatle-related projects of the 60s – and one of the most abstract, as well! The album's got kind of an odd concept – in that it purports to be a rediscovery of rare baroque music roots of famous Beatle tunes by Lennon & McCartney – recorded with offbeat... read more
Easy instrumentals and jazzy genius from the early 70s Brit scene – groovy, moddish jazz takes on pop and soundtrack hits of the time from the Harry Roche Constellation – with a vibe that betters the grooviest of sound library discoveries! There's a loungey charm to many of the tunes,... read more
A nice little session of Latin jazz – percussive at the bottom, but with an overall jazz mambo feel that's similar to early 50s work by Chico O'Farrill. Tracks are shortish, but have some nice solos by unnamed players – and titles include "Hi Fi Mambo", "Mambo A La... read more
David Rose (with David Axelrod) —
Bible ... LP
Capitol,
Mid 60s. Sealed ....
$3.99
A relatively obscure chapter in David Axelrod's career at Capitol – a record of instrumental themes from the film The Bible, plus other 60s epics – like Spartacus, Ben Hur, and so on. Axelrod only produced the album, but you can definitely hear his influence on Rose's sound –... read more
The Rubber Band turn their talents towards The Beatles – after successful earlier albums based around the work of Cream and Jimi Hendrix! The sound here is a bit more playful than the funkier sets from before – almost whimsical at times, with instrumentation that does odd things with... read more
An incredible little record – and one that helped take the Capitol Records surf sound of the early 60s into much hipper territory for the 70s! The record is certainly a "surf symphony" – in that it features a larger orchestra conducted by Jan Rubini – set to groovier... read more
A pair of compelling British instrumental albums back to back – both of them with a really unique flavor! Russo In London is a rare British outing for Stan Kenton alumni Bill Russo – a date recorded at the legendary Lansdowne studios, and one that may well be one of Russo's greatest... read more
Although not nearly as well-remembered as Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl is really our favorite comedian from the late 50s. He's got this incredible delivery style that is both immediately arresting and surprisingly heartfelt – and instead of doing short canned "bits", he just sort of... read more
A wonderful album from Lalo Schfrin! This one mixes together bossa piano and sweeping string arrangements – in a style that's incredibly dark-edged and driving, with a sound that's at once spooky and lovely – a dancing groove that makes the best tracks really sparkle! The album's... read more
A crazy album of funky tracks from Lalo Schifrin – very different than most of his other jazz and bossa work! This set's got some very tripped out styles that mix together funky backings, jazzy riffing, and even some nice electronics – a sweet little groove that's even more wild and... read more
Under-exposed genius from the legendary Raymond Scott – a set of straighter jazz material from the late 40s, but all of it with Scott's undeniable sense of madness still very firmly in place! Most of the work here is small combo – played by either a quintet or sextet – and... read more
Billed as "an infant's friend in sound" these Soothing Sounds albums were issued in the early 60's as an electronic aid to mothers with new babies. In reality, though, the records are these amazing bits of early electronic music, put together by the legendary Raymond Scott (known best to... read more
Spy themes galore – a full CD of famous James Bond tunes, paired with a whole bonus CD of additional work from Brit maestro Roland Shaw! Back in the 60s, Shaw recorded a host of great spy-styled sets for Decca – two albums of work with Bond on the cover and in the title, and two more... read more
2 LP set filled with spy themes conducted by Brit bandleader Roland Shaw, with a very groovy Phase 4 sound. Titles include "Mr Kiss-Kiss, Bang-Bang", "The Saint", "The Avengers", "Ipcress File", "Our Man Flint", "James Bond Theme", "D... read more
Easily one of the best of the Bond-alike albums of "spy" grooves from the 60s – handled by Brit easy maestro Roland Shaw, with a sound that's in keeping with the best soundtrack work of the time! Shaw's got a jazzy mode here that really opens up some of these tunes – letting... read more
George Shearing —
Deep Velvet ... LP
Capitol,
1964. Very Good- ....
$2.99
An overlooked 60s gem from George Shearing – mellow and jazzy, and done with a slightly different style than usual! Deep Velvet takes Shearing's piano and vibes and backs them up with a 12-piece woodwind choir – one that creates a shimmering backdrop of colors and tones for the core... read more
Cybil Shepherd sings Cole Porter tunes as they were originally written – meaning that all the double meanings and "blue" lyrics are intact without the editing that was later done for the general listening public. Her singing is not bad, very much in the style of a Broadway musical... read more
Not sure what they mean by "Ameriachi" in the title – but from the sound of the music, there's definitely a great A&M Records-styled mix of jazz, Latin, and South American modes! The set begins with a set of cookers from drummer Hideo Shiraki – working with an excellent... read more
Fanstastic LP! Produced by Nathan Davis, and released on the same label as his first two U.S. albums (after his return from Europe), this is a mad mix of breezy jazz and breakbeats. Break fans will looooove the cuts "Lunar Invasion" and "Fonky First", which both have a tight... read more
Soaring grooves from Bebu Silvetti – a set that definitely has the disco touches you'd expect on the Salsoul label, but which also seems to pick up a few soundtracky styles as well! Some tunes are upbeat and grooving, with a great blend of strings and beats – the kind that Silvetti... read more
Lots of percussion – and loud! Slatkin's normally a bit sleepy, but this record's filled with drums and chimes and vibes and loads of exotic percussion instruments – and swings with a groove that's in the best of the Liberty easy styles from the late 50s. Titles include "Night... read more
Soulful Strings —
Groovin' ... LP
Cadet,
1967. Very Good ....
$6.99
Seminal instrumental groovers from the Chicago Chi-soul scene! This great group was led by Chess/Cadet soul arranger Richard Evans, and it featured many of the instrumentalists who made Chess records so great – like Cleveland Eaton, Charles Stepney, Morris Jennings, and Phil Upchurch. The... read more
Soulful Strings —
In Concert ... LP
Cadet,
Late 60s. Very Good+ ....
$7.99
Given that the Soulful Strings were really just a studio side project of the Chi soul arranger Richard Evans, it seems sort of strange to have them cut a live LP, but the session, recorded at Chicago's London House, works quite well, and has a bit more lively feel than some of their classic studio... read more
Moogy, groovy, and really wonderful stuff – a set of rare private recordings made by the team of Scott Ludwig and Maximillian Crook, both electric inventors and very groovy musicians in their own right! The pair have a bit of a connection to Del Shannon – who used their Musitron... read more
This is the third movement in the fantastic pop symphony that is Spanky & Our Gang! The record's perhaps their oddest to date – and mixes groovy vocal stylings with some fairly advanced production approaches that work perfectly with the incredible songs written by Stuart Scharf and Bob... read more
Groovy groovy stuff from Dusty – and some of her best work! Forget the Memphis sessions, we think this early British material is her best stuff – and the album's got Dusty grooving along in perfectly soulful format, on lots of nice tunes like "24 Hours From Tulsa", "Wishi... read more
Steel & Brass —
Steel & Brass ... LP
United Artists,
1970. Near Mint- ....
$3.99
Groovy steel band cuts – sweet takes on "Aquarius", "Everybody's Talkin", "Popi", and "Oh Calcutta"!... read more
Jack Sterling —
Cocktail Swing ... LP
Harmony/Columbia,
Late 50s. Very Good ....
$3.99
Ettore Stratta & His Orchestra —
Themes 75 ... LP
RCA,
1975. Very Good ....
$34.99
Great work from this famous Italian maestro – sweeping, soaring instrumentals – but also a bit funky at times too! Ettore brings a real soundtrack approach to most numbers – fitting, given that most tunes here are film themes – and he uses full strings, plus some nicely... read more
Big Jim Sullivan —
Sitar Beat ... LP
Mercury,
Late 60s. Good+ ....
$38.99
Groovy groovy sitar pop – played by Big Jim Sullivan, also known as Lord Sitar! This set is a great session of 60s pop tunes, turned Eastern, in the mode of work by Ananda Shankar or Vince Bell – with a blend of original compositions, mixing sitar, tabla, and all manner of baroque 60s... read more
One of the most obscure albums by vocalist Yma Sumac – and one of the most compelling too! The album has Yma working in the Andean style of her earlier 10" albums for Capitol – working with Moises Vivanco on a set of tunes that have a much more traditional and almost folkloric... read more
Yma Sumac —
Mambo! ... LP
Capitol,
1954. Very Good ....
$14.99
Quite possibly our favorite album ever by the enigmatic Yma Sumac – thanks to some lively arrangements by Billy May, who gives the set a swinging jazzy groove! As you might guess from the cover, the style here is more in a Latin jazz mode than some of Yma's other more ethereal work –... read more
Fantastic! This is Yma Sumac's rock album from the early 70s – and it's got a wild sound that's totally different from any of her work at Capitol! The record includes lots of electric instrumentation, and Yma's voice moves from the exotic to the psychedelic, as she sings along with some... read more
Yma Sumac —
Recital ... CD
ESP,
1961. New Copy ....
$10.9912.99
Yma Sumac on ESP Records – a unexpected meeting that's given us a rare concert performance from 1961! The CD features Yma singing live in Romania – working with backings from longtime partner Moises Vivanco, on a set of tracks that mixes older Peruvian roots with some newer, jazzier... read more
One of the earliest Capitol albums by otherworldly singer Yma Sumac! As with Yma's other records, the album features many original tunes written by Moise Vivanco – her frequent musical collaborator at the time, and the force behind much of the stronger South American musical elements of the... read more
Excellent trippy pop-psychedelia from Gabor Szabo! The record's a bit less jazz than some of his other efforts, with more of that faked-out "eastern"production that you'd get on efforts like these – with occasional voices behind his guitar. Titles include "The End Of... read more
Sweet and dreamy instrumental pop from John Andrews Tartaglia – an arranger we only know from a few late 60s sides at Capitol Records – all of which are pretty great! Tartaglia's got a style that's still heavy in mainstream 60s easy modes, but borrows a fair bit from the generation of... read more
A pair of very unusual albums – back to back on a single CD! The set's a bit out of order – and actually starts with Panic, the sequel to Creed Taylor's previous album for ABC, and like that one, a very weird mix of jazzy backings, odd sound effects, and cool production techniques! ... read more
The set's got a nice small combo sound – thanks to work from Pete Jolly on piano, Emil Richards on vibes, Julius Wechter on percussion, Jimmy Bond on bass, and Hal Blaine on drums!... read more