A smoking live set from Jimmy Reed – filled with the kind of rocking, rollicking numbers that made his bluesy groove an undeniable influence on the UK scene of the 60s! Most numbers begin with a compelling vamp, then have Jimmy taking the lead on vocals – adding in plenty of charm in ways that few later bluesmen ever seemed to be able to match. And at times, there's a nice undercurrent of fuzz in Reed's guitar – almost making him one of the first folks to really use distortion in his music – on a great set of cuts that includes "I'm Going Upside Your Head", "The Devil's Shoestring (part 2)", "A New Leaf", "I Wanna Be Loved", "Wear Something Green", "You've Got Me Waiting", and "When You're Doing Alright". LP, Vinyl record album

Essential New Orleans piano from Professor Longhair – an artist who was neither a professor, nor a man with much hair! The chrome-domed pianist had a huge influence on the sound of New Orleans R&B and soul to come – as he played in a triplet-heavy way that was rooted in blues, but provided a key link to the rhythms that would dominate Crescent City music in following decades. This album features original Atlantic sides cut in New Orleans in 1949 and 1953 – about as classic as you can get for Longhair, with tunes that include "Tipitina", "Hey Now Baby", "In The Night", "Ball To The Wall", "Who's Been Fooling You", "She Walks Right In", and "Willie Mae". (Soul, Blues) LP, Vinyl record album