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Titles include the sublime "My True Story" – plus "When I Was Single", "Never Never", "Hurry Back", "Johnny Never Knew", "Rain", "These Golden Rings", and "Hully Gully Callin Time". LP, Vinyl record album

Joe blows it strong and mellow – in this spare swinging group that includes Frank Wess on tenor, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Eddie Jones on bass, and Oliver Jackson on drums. Tracks are warm and unpressured, more in a Verve mode than a Prestige one – and titles include "Wednesday's Blues", "Jive At Five", "Taps Miller", and "Cuein The Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

With Dave McKenna on piano, Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar, Jerry Bruno on bass, and Butch Miles on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Joe Jackson takes on hip hits from the postwar years – music of Louis Jordan and others – with surprisingly great results! LP, Vinyl record album

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A big one for Billy Ocean – a set that's got some catchy beats on the bottom and plenty of sweetly crafted vocals over the top! The style's smooth, but never too much so – thanks to a nicely percolated sense of rhythm on most of the numbers – and in a way, the record represents a nice transition for Billy – a set that pushes him even further past his Caribbean roots into the mainstream of American soul. There's a bit of a quiet storm vibe on here, but one that's never too heavy or forced – and titles include "Love Zone", "Without You", "There'll Be Sad Songs", "Bitter Sweet", "It's Never Too Late To Try", "Showdown", "Promise Me", and "Love Is Forever". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from Too Short, and like the first, a set that firmly established both the Cali scene and the Bay Area as a hotbed of harder-hitting hip hop! And sure, there were countless later gangsta acts that slide into the sorts of cliches that often marred the genre – but back at the start, folks like Too Short, Ice T, and NWA were really exploding with a sense of message that was quite a surprise to anyone whose ears were pointed to the east – really opening the door for countless other scenes to add their two cents – including the big wave that would soon rise from the south. The whole thing still sounds surprisingly fresh all these many years later – and titles include "Life Is Too Short", "I Ain't Trippin", "Nobody Does It Better", "Cuss Words", "City Of Dope", "Don't Fight The Feelin", "Rhymes", and "Pimp The Ho". LP, Vinyl record album

A big one for Billy Ocean – and a set that has the singer sounding even more confident and powerful than ever before! Ocean's not afraid of a hook by this point in his career, and the album's filled with the kind of catch crossover tune that Billy could do better than just about anyone else – music that got him a big audience way beyond soul, especially on the other side of the Atlantic. Titles include "The Colour Of Love", "Calypso Crazy", "Here's To You", "Because Of You", "Get Outta My Dreams Get Into My Car", "Stand & Deliver", and "Gun For Hire". LP, Vinyl record album

On his second LP, KRS wisely brings in producers Premier, Diamond D, Showbiz and others to liven things up. Except for "Free Mumia", less politics than his earlier LPs. 16 tracks including "MC's Act Like They Don't Know", "Rappaz R N Danja", "Represent the Real Hip Hop", and four BDP classics "I'm Still #1", "My Philosophy", "Jack of Spades", "Why Is That?", and guest vocals from Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes, Mad Lion, Channel Live, and Das Efx. LP, Vinyl record album

A masterpiece from prime era Tribe Called Quest! Midnight Maurauders was Tribe's third LP, and even though there were no tracks yet credited to the Ummah, this is pretty much the beginning of Tribe's transition to that sound – with the same mellow, laid back vibe as their best early material, but less of an overtly jazzy reference in their sound. Phife and Tip are still on point lyrically, and honestly, this is pretty much the last LP that Tribe dropped that's got nearly all hits and no misses on it. With the cuts "Award Tour", "Midnight", "Electric Relaxation", "Clap Your Hands", "Oh My God", "The Chase, Part II", and "Keep It Rollin". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal late 80s righteous hip hop from KRS and Boogie Down Productions! By All Means Necessary shows remarkable change in lyrical style from Criminal Minded, delivering a eavy dose of knowledge at a time when so much hip hop was all about rocking the party. KRS's lyrics here mark a serious turn for political hip hop, and it sets a new standard production-wise, as well. Greatness! Includes "My Philosophy", "Ya Slippin'", "Jimmy", "Illegal Business", "Stop The Violence", "Nervous", "I'm Still #1", "Part Time Suckers", "T'Cha - T'Cha" and 'Necessary". LP, Vinyl record album

A really breakout set from Jonathan Butler – a double-length album that really has the singer/songwriter taking off! Butler's really finding his best groove here – that mature blend of soul, jazzy bits, and a good ear for a hook – all done in that crossover careful style that helped Jonathan find a huge new audience up here in the Northern Hemisphere – and which continues to make this set one of Butler's best-remembered moments. Titles include "Lies", "Love Songs Candlelight & You", "Holding On", "I Miss Your Love Tonight", "One More Dance", "Barenese", "Overflowing", "Loving You", "Say We'll Be Together", and "Give A Little More Loving". LP, Vinyl record album

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Classic quiet storm material from Glenn Jones – smooth, mellow, with a snaking drum machine laying down the groove on most of the cuts, hitting hard with splashy beats that envelop Glenn's sweet lyrical approach. Titles include "All I Need To Know", "Oh Girl", "That Night Mood", "Living In The Limelight", "At Last", "We've Only Just Begun", and "It's All In The Game". Lots of classics given the 80s slow jam treatment! LP, Vinyl record album

The album that made Billy Ocean a superstar for a little while, one that had a HUGE couple of years on the charts, even longer service as a snapshot of its era, and is now one that we can look at freshly and appreciate for all of the unstoppably catchy pop soul craft that made it so massive in the first place! Billy's earlier Caribbean inflected pop and R&B was good stuff that deserved a bigger audience and boy did it ever find him with the mid 80s hits "Caribbean Queen", the killer ballad "Suddenly" and the crazy fun "Loverboy". Other tracks include "Mystery Lady", "Lucky Man", "Dancefloor" and "If I Should Lose You". LP, Vinyl record album

The album that made Billy Ocean a superstar for a little while, one that had a HUGE couple of years on the charts, even longer service as a snapshot of its era, and is now one that we can look at freshly and appreciate for all of the unstoppably catchy pop soul craft that made it so massive in the first place! Billy's earlier Caribbean inflected pop and R&B was good stuff that deserved a bigger audience and boy did it ever find him with the mid 80s hits "Caribbean Queen", the killer ballad "Suddenly" and the crazy fun "Loverboy". Other tracks include "Mystery Lady", "Lucky Man", "Dancefloor" and "If I Should Lose You". LP, Vinyl record album

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An early moment of global exposure for South African guitarist/singer Jonathan Butler – with titles that include "Baby Please Don't Take It", "Crossroads Revisited", "Thinking Of You", "Gentle Love", "Song For Jon", and "7th Avenue South". LP, Vinyl record album

Sound, space, tone, and color – a tremendous effort from trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, and a record with a really unique feel! The album features a wonderful group that includes Brookmeyer on valve trombone, Stan Getz on tenor, Gary Burton on vibes, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – all coming together in a way that's extremely equally-weighted – with less of Brookmeyer as the leader, than as a warm friend, gathering together a few key players in the studio. Given that Getz worked with Brookmeyer back in the early 50s, and had Burton in his group at the time, the album's always a link between both sides of a decade in Stan's career – but with the presence of the modernists on the rhythm team, there's a sound here that's much more unique – one that has a place for Stan's wonderful tone, and Brookmeyer's airy phrasing – but which also drives along in a rhythmically pulsing mode that almost puts Burton's vibes at the top of the set on some numbers. There's a change in mood from tune to tune that gives the record a remarkable depth, but without sounding schizophrenic – and titles include "Bracket", " Wrinkle Time", "Jive Hoot", "Skylark", "Sometime Ago", and "Who Cares". LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of work from one of the hippest bandleaders to emerge in the swing generation – and one of the few to be able to tie his approach to the growing worlds of modern jazz and jump jive too! The set features material from Woody Herman's first three "herds" – the first, his initial recording group with Columbia; the second, his groundbreaking group with the "four brothers" group of horn players who included Stan Getz and Jimmy Giuffre; and the third his mid 50s revival group that had Ralph Burns turning in some great modern arrangements to rework that four brothers sound. The set features very lively notes from Woody himself – and titles include "Non Alcoholic", "Caldonia", "Good Earth", "Four Brothers", "Early Autumn", "Third Herd", "Mulligan Tawny", "Blame Boehm", and "Sidewalks Of Cuba". LP, Vinyl record album

A great document of an early all-star jazz concert – recorded at Town Hall by a young Bob Shad – who's clearly working here in the same live territory as producer Norman Granz! There's a great sense of variety going on here – and the record's maybe worth it alone for an excellent performance by a trio with Gene Krupa on drums and Charlie Ventura on tenor – with only piano, and no other instrumentation – a great mode for both players! The album also features work from a quintet led by pianist Teddy Wilson with Flip Phillips on tenor – on the tune "Sweet & Lovely"; a trio with Billy Taylor on piano and Stuff Smith on violin, on "Perdido"; a fantastic duet between Don Byas' tenor and Slam Stewart's bass on "I Got Rhythm"; and a Red Norvo group with Shorty Rogers on trumpet and Flip Phillips on tenor, on the tunes "The Man I Love" and "One Note Jive". LP, Vinyl record album

Nice 50's mambo material from one of the giants of the genre – and a good batch of tracks by Noro that you might not track down elsewhere. Tracks include "Mambo Away", "Humberto's Jump", "The Up & Down Mambo", "Mambo Jive", and "Ku-Kue". LP, Vinyl record album

A big crossover hit for Osibisa – a record that has the group softening up their groove slightly from the heady days of the Roger Dean album covers, yet still retaining enough Afro Funk to keep things interesting! If anything, the rhythms here are a bit pan-global – sometimes hard and heavy, sometimes lighter and more focused on the melodies of the tunes, especially on the catchier numbers – and instrumentation includes plenty of horns and percussion! Titles include "African Jive", We Belong", "Home Affairs", "Osibirock", and "Kelele". LP, Vinyl record album

Johnny's very much in his "revival" mode here – dipping back to his earlier R&B roots, and working with a host of famous older blues singers. The set's got vocals by Roy Milton, Roy Brown, Esther Phillips, Mighty Mouth Evans, Ivory Joe Hunter, Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, Margie Evans, and Big Joe Turner – and even though Shuggie Otis is on the album, the whole thing's a pretty bluesy affair overall. Titles include "Shuggie's Boogie", "Plastic Man", "Margie's Boogie", "Baby You Don't Know", "Little Esther's Blues", "RM Blues", "Goin Back To LA", "Willie & The Hand Jive", and "Since I Met You Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

One of their biggest LPs, this one hardly needs any introduction from us, with the massive hit "Another One Bites The Dust", that appeals to beat diggers and mullet-headed rockers alike! Also includes "Dragon Attack", "Play The Game", "Need Your Loving Tonight", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", "Rock It (prime jive)", "Don't Try Suicide" and "Sail Away Sweet Sister". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great little set from Zoot Sims – earthy, and almost a bit more fragile than much of his other work! There's a real "down home" feel to the whole record – as Zoot blows comfortably and easily in a quartet with Dave McKenna on piano, George Tucker on bass, and Dannie Richmond on drums – making a rare non-Mingus appearance for the set! Zoot's horn has a bit more dirt in the tone than on some of his "cleaner" sessions – a style that we like a lot, and which really fits the feeling of the set. Titles include "Doggin' Around", "Avalon", "Jive At Five", "I've Heard That Blues", and "Goodnite Sweetheart". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Sarah Vaughan's first albums of Latin-tinged tracks – showing the roots of her interest in Brazilian music that would develop even more fully into the 70s. The record features a large group arranged and conducted by Frank Foster – with a host of jazz soloists, plus Latin percussion by the likes of Willie Bobo, Jose Mangual, and Willie Rodriguez. Titles include lively versions of "Jive Samba", "The Boy From Ipanema", "Mr Lucky", "Quiet Nights", and "Moment Of Truth". Tasty stuff – and very groovy! LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by Carnations, Corvairs, Jive 5, Leopards, Mellokings, Dean Barlow, George Jackson & Unisons, Headlinvers, Johnny & The Jokers, Cameos, Meteors, and Dontells. LP, Vinyl record album

Yes, it was a mega-hit – and yes, it was one of those records that everyone who lived through the 70s seemed to own at one time – but after all these decades, you can't deny the power of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack – especially for the way that it mixed club soul classics with new original material! Obviously, the Bee Gees cover placement make them big stars of the record – but the set's also got some great early disco gems – like "Open Sesame" by Kool & The Gang, "Disco Inferno" by The Trammps, "KJEE" by MFSB, "Calypso Breakdown" by Ralph MacDonald, "Fifth Of Beethoven" by Walter Murphy, "If I Can't Have You" by Yvonne Elliman, "Boogie Shoes" by KC & The Sunshine Band, and "More Than A Woman" by Tavares. The Bee Gees reinvent themselves from the early days – and sing "Stayin Alive", "How Deep Is Your Love", "More Than A Woman", "Jive Talkin", "You Should Be Dancin", and "Night Fever" – and the set also features a few instrumentals by David Shire – "Manhattan Skyline", "Night On Disco Mountain" and "Salsation". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the coolest album ever recorded by the great Babs Gonzales – singer, poet, and a key force on the scene during the early years of bebop! Babs has a style that's unlike anyone else – he does a bit of the vocalese soloing based on jazz instrumentation that you'll hear from Eddie Jefferson or King Pleasure, but he's also got a wit and raw energy that's maybe more in the Slim Gaillard vein – sophistication mixed with down to earth pleasure – served up here on material that's from a time when Babs was mostly recording on 45s and 78s! Gonzales had key friends and supporters on the modern jazz scene of the postwar years – and the lineup here includes tenor from Johnny Griffin and Charlie Rouse, piano from Horace Parlan, and very hip arrangements by Melba Liston. Titles include "Me Spelled ME Me", "Them Jive New Yorkers", "A Nite In Tunisia", "Movin' & Groovin'", "You've Changed", "Babs Mood For Love". and "Cool Cookin". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer diller of a live set from Brother Jack McDuff – a cut that burns with energy that almost beats his studio 60s classics for Prestige! The group is one of Jack's best ever – a lineup that includes the twin tenors of Red Holloway and Harold Vick, plus incredibly sharp guitar from a young George Benson, and some of the most unique soul jazz drum work you'll ever hear – courtesy of the amazing Joe Dukes. Despite their individual strengths, which might make this whole thing an ego-fest – all players fit perfectly into place on the album's hard wailing batch of groovers, and groove together with a sympathetic energy that's simply amazing! Titles include a great remake of "Jive Samba", plus "Dink's Blues", "Grease Monkey", "Passing Through", and "Vas Dis". This is the kind of thing live recording equipment was made for! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the last great records by Charles Mingus – a set of extremely compelling original compositions, played by a fresh group of younger players, plus a few older masters! The record's got a fire and sense of emotion that's missing from a number of other 70s Mingus sessions – and it's one of the few later albums we'd easily rank right up there with his late 50s and early 60s classics! Orchestrations were partially arranged and conducdted with help from Sy Johnson – and soloists include James Moody and Bobby Jones on tenor, Charles McPherson on alto, Snookie Young and Lonnie Hillyer on trumpet, and Roland Hanna on piano. Titles include "The Shoes Of The Fisherman's Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers", "Adagio Ma Non Troppo", "The Chill of Death", and "The I Of Hurricane Sue". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Louie's greatest albums ever – a hard-swingin batch of vocal group tunes, with all the sound that made him famous! The album was cut at the height of Louie's career back in the 50s – with vocals by Keely Smith on 2 tracks, and backing by the tight combo of Sam Butera and The Witnesses. Tracks include the classic medley of "Just A Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody", plus classics like "The Lip", "Nothin's Too Good For My Baby", "Oh Marie", "Jump Jive & Wail", and "I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work by one of the archetypal funky soul bands of the 70s – and a group whose impact is still being felt today! Of course, one of the reasons for that is Chaka Khan's incredible vocals – caught here at a prime early point, and very nicely set against some warm electric keyboards and tight groovy guitars – which provide a groove that's live and spontaneous, and never too forced – just the right kind of energy to work perfectly with her approach to the lyrics, without any of the too-polished modes you'd fine from copycat groups trying to fake a sound like this. Rufus had been with Chaka for years by this point – fusing together a sublime blend of funk, soul, jazz, and rock – a sound they forged woodshedding in Chicago in the early days, let loose in perfect studio territory on the west coast of the 70s. The whole thing's a classic – and titles include "Jive Talking", "Sweet Thing", "Fools Paradise", "Circle", "Everybody Has An Aura", and "On Time". LP, Vinyl record album

A great live classic from the Cannonball Adderley Sextet of the early 60s – that famous group that included Nat Adderley on cornet, Yusef Lateef on tenor and flute, Joe Zawinul on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums! Tracks are long, and these guys are really on fire in a live setting – and titles include a stellar 11 minute version of "The Jive Samba", one of Cannonball's greatest tracks – plus "Primitivo", "Lillie", and "Mellow Buno". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure little album from Jack "Mr Bongo" Constanzo – his only entry into the Latin Soul genre, and a really nice batch of grooves! Jacko's working here with singer Gerrie Woo – who sings in English on about half of the album's tracks, giving the set a nice pop-styled Latin groove that reminds us a lot of Willie Bobo's work for Verve, and some of the more unusual indie Latin albums of the time. The set's filled with loads of great numbers – including Hector Rivera compositions "Recuerdos", "Que Vengo Acabando", "Don't Squeeze The Peaches", and "Mambo Jack" – plus covers of "Jive Samba", "Words", and "Green Onions". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal classic from Michael Franks – one of those records that's almost a whole genre unto itself, and which set a whole new tone for the male voice in American music! The style here is light and jazzy – almost an evolution of modes first begun by Kenny Rankin, and served up here with a similarly compressed production style that really brings out the jazz in the instrumentation. Players include Michael Brecker, Joe Sample, Larry Carlton, and David Sanborn – all sounding great with a bit of added strings from Nick DeCaro. But the real star of the set is clearly Franks – whose light vocals and creative lyrics sound wonderful next to the electric piano on the set. Titles include "Eggplant", "Monkey See Monkey Do", "Jive", "Mr Blue", "Popsicle Toes", "St Elmos Fire", "I Don't Know Why I'm So Happy I'm Sad", and "Sometimes I Just Forget To Smile". LP, Vinyl record album

BB King at his late 60s best – working here in the company of producers Johnny Pate and Quincy Jones, and serving up a great blend of blues and soul in the process! The set's less a "best of", than a collection of ABC work that doesn't seem to be on the other full albums of the time – mostly produced by Johnny Pate, with those great Chicago soul touches that helped his work with King really cross new boundaries – and finally give BB the kind of full, forceful approach that Bobby Blue Bland had been getting for years. The Quincy Jones cuts are two from the soundtrack to For Love Of Ivy – both pretty groovy, with a socking soul punch – and titles on the full album include "Tired Of Your Jive", "Don't Answer The Door", "The BB Jones", "Paying The Cost To Be The Boss", "All Over Again", "I Don't Want You Cutting Off Your Hair", "Sweet Sixteen", "Meet My Happiness", and "You Put It On Me". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the great mid 70s albums from Tom Waits in his earlier boozy, growling balladeer mode – with lots of slower, piano-led bluesy and jazzy ballads – on top of the jivey, gravelly charisma of his voice and songwriting that already had him approaching legendary status even though he was still in 20s! The mix of that gruff voice and the fairly pretty instrumentation is prime Waits from this period, making 40s, 50s and 60s-inspired songcraft as fresh as ever in the late 70s and remains so to this day. Includes "Cinny's Waltz", "Muriel", "I Never Talk To Strangers", "A Sight For Sore Eyes", "Barber Shop", Foreign Affair" and more. LP, Vinyl record album