A lesser-known number by Fonda Rae – but one that's still plenty darn nice, and proof that she was one of the best singers on the early 80s club scene! "Heobah" has a romping, thumping intro that's nice and spare – beats and a bit of lightly riffing guitar that really set the... read more
The second solo album by The Chef – a record that had hard time finding space outside the massive shadow of his first solo landmark Only Built 4 Cuban Linx – and like other Wu Tang solo albums of the era, there's a number of gems on here that really never had a chance to get over a bar... read more
Chef Raekwon cooks up some marvelous dishes. Ghostface Killer is featured on most tracks. Guests include Nas, Method Man, Inspektah Deck and more from the Wu-Tang Family. As always, impecable production by the RZA. Titles include "Spot Rusherz", "Can It Be All So Simple",... read more
Chef Raekwon cooks up one of finest hip hop albums in history – a standout moment in the Wu Tang canon and the 90s in general! Given Ghostface's presence throughout, the prime RZA production and other top shelf guests, you could almost call this one a Wu Tang Clan album, if not for Raekwon's... read more
An amazing set of music – two rare albums from Ohio funk legend Lou Ragland, plus bonus tracks, and a whole set of unreleased sessions too – a huge amount of new music, even if you've got some of the previous reissues! First up is the legendary Hot Chocolate album – one of the... read more
Don Ralke with Buddy Collette —
Bongo Madness ... LP
Crown,
Late 50s. Very Good- ....
$13.99
An excellent session of exotica-tinged Latin jazz – put together by pianist Don Ralke, and featuring some great work from flute player Buddy Collette – in a spirit that's very similar to Collette's own classic Jazz Heat Bongo Beat album! The set's also got some great bongo work by Jack... read more
Amazing sounds from Ram Jam Holder – an artist unlike anyone else we can think of! Black London Blues is a brilliant British set from Holder – not really blues at all, but a cool kind of crossbreeding of styles in the 60s London scene – almost the same mad mix of modes you might... read more
A beautiful take on the music of The Beatles – done in a completely different style than the originals! The tunes here are all famous numbers from the glory days of the fab four, plus a few later solo songs too – but Ze Ramalho performs them all in a mellow, stripped-down setting that... read more
Vintage live work from this legendary Brazilian rocker – a series of different concerts, all brought together in a very cool 2CD package! The set features material from the shows Atlantida (1973), Um Dia Antes Da Vida (1976), Tres Aboios Diferentes (1974), and Coletiva De Musica Paraibana... read more
Ramesh —
Ramesh ... CD
Pharaway Sounds (Spain),
Mid 70s. New Copy ....
$15.99
Dramatic funk from 70s Iran – some really compelling grooves, set to rich vocals by the lovely Ramesh! The approach here definitely borrows bits from Western culture – some rhythms and elements that echo American mainstream soul and funk of the time, with moogy touches too – but... read more
Dramatic funk from 70s Iran – some really compelling grooves, set to rich vocals by the lovely Ramesh! The approach here definitely borrows bits from Western culture – some rhythms and elements that echo American mainstream soul and funk of the time, with moogy touches too – but... read more
The Roger Corman-Phil Spector year of the mighty Ramones! End Of The Century is a huge departure from the 1-2-3-4 burst and roar of the first 4 Ramones albums – a big ol' Phil Spector production – recorded concurrently with the filming of late 70s hottie PJ Soles dancing around in her... read more
As great a rock & roll album as there's ever been! It's impossible to describe this record without sounding like a blow hard, but you really can't overstate what these four goony guys from Queens accomplished. 30-odd years of the most visceral pop music concentrated into 2 minute, 3 chord... read more
The third album by The Ramones and one that many fans argue is their very best – and they may be right! So. . .alright, let's get this straight right now – the songs don't sound the same, they ARE the same and that's why we love them! If you found a way to concentrate 30 years of the... read more
The fun fun soundtrack to Rock 'N' Roll High School – that gloriously, knowingly trashy Roger Corman produced movie vehicle for the Ramones! Of course The Ramones are all over he soundtrack, but it's got a bunch of 70s new wave and hard rock from Devo, Eno, Nick Lowe, Todd Rundgren and more.... read more
Nina Ramsby/Ludvig Berghe Trio —
Varsagoda Och Tack ... CD
Moserobie (Sweden),
2013. New Copy ....
$16.99
Really great vocals from Nina Ramsby – sung in Swedish, but in a cool way that really works wonderfully with the music! The trio of pianist Ludvig Berghe has always been a favorite of ours – and here, working with a singer, they find a sharp new space – soaring, soulful, and even... read more
Frankie Randal, Astronauts, & Others —
Wild On The Beach ... LP
RCA,
1965. Very Good+ ....
$13.99
Sunny mid 60s live material from Don Randi – playing in nice little nightclub setting on The Sunset Strip! The Hollywood scene of the mid 60s could make anyone groove – and perhaps none finer than west coast mainstay Don Randi – and this batch of piano trio instrumentals is prime... 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
Like the Beatles? Like jazz? Then here's a record for you! Don Randi plays tunes from Revolver – our personal favorite Beatles album – and he makes them swing with a hip 60s LA groove, often changing the rhythmic style of the songs to create a whole new groovy sound. Don plays piano... read more
The obscure first Verve album from Don Randi – a great little pianist who was well known for his lively club work on the LA scene in the early 60s! Don's got a touch on the keys that's both lyrical and soulful – somewhere between the pyrotechnics of Ramsey Lewis and the smoother... read more
Phil Ranelin steps out wonderfully here – in a session that may be one of the best in his recent revival years! The album's got some heavy help from the great Henry Franklin on bass and Big Black on congas – both players who help ground the rhythms right from the start, finding that... read more
Wonderful work from guitarist Jimmy Raney – easily one of his standout sets of the 60s, and a record that features some great second guitar from Jim Hall! The pairing of guitars makes for a really unique sort of sound – one that's more languidly flowing than some of Raney's previous... read more
Jimmy Raney & Doug Raney —
Nardis ... LP
Steeplechase,
1983. Near Mint- ....
$6.99
The last Capitol album from vocalist Sue Raney – and easily the most compelling of the bunch! Sue's in really great form here – shaking off some of the cooler west coast modes of earlier records, and going for a more lively, more fluid style that's sometimes touched with the R&B... read more
A fantastic album by this obscure vocalist – one of the first in a great run of work recorded by Sue Raney on the west coast scene! This session has Sue sounding a fair bit like Chris Connor or June Christy – often a bit icy, and sometimes sweet – but without some of the fuller... read more
The first album by a great singer that you probably never heard of – but who made some very nice records in her day! Sue's got a sad and slightly dreamy style that's in keeping with the hipper side of Capitol Records in the 50s – and she's working here with arrangements by Nelson... read more
One of the recent comeback albums cut by Ranglin – the famous Jamaican guitarist who worked heavily early reggae sides, on Monty Alexander's 70s releases for MPS, and who's been getting quite a bit of well deserved recognition these days. The album's got a number of different grooves –... read more
12 tracks in all, including "Housecall", "Telephone Love Deh Pon Mi Mind", "The Jam", "Girls Whine", "Get Up Stand Up & Rock", "Pay Down Pon It", "Ting-A-Ling" and "Roots & Culture". Less slackness on this... read more
Brilliant stuff – the follow-up to Sesame Street, a hipper show that was aimed at older kids, and which kind of played up the groovier aspect of the music a bit more at times. The soundtrack features performances by Rita Moreno, Morgan Freeman, June Angela, and Skip Hinnant – as well... read more
Post Pearls Before Swine work from Tom Rapp – a record that has him stepping out as a solo act, but with a feel that's quite similar to his recordings with the group! The mood here is laidback and slightly folksy – but also augmented more by piano than by guitar, and recorded with a... read more
Rare Earth —
Get Ready ... LP
Rare Earth,
1969. Very Good ....
$6.99Just Sold Out!
The first really major album from Rare Earth – issued on their own self-named subsidiary of Motown! The set's a perfect blend of the rich undercurrents of the heady Detroit scene of the late 60s – at one level a tripped-out rock record with styles that almost hint at MC5, at another... read more
Rare Earth —
One World ... LP
Rare Earth,
1971. Very Good+ Gatefold ....
$3.99
The Rascals' last album for Atlantic Records – and a set that has the combo relying more than ever on the talents of organist Felix Cavaliere! There's a great New York blend of rock and soul going on in the set – a confident, soaring sort of approach to the tunes that's past caring... read more
Rascals —
See ... LP
Atlantic,
1969. Very Good ....
$1.99
Harder rocking and almost deeper soul than before – and a tremendous evolution in the music of The Rascals – light years past the pop hits of a few years before! The group co-produced the album with Arif Mardin, and the sounds here are even more sophisticated than their Once Upon A... read more
Roger Raspail —
Fanny's Dream ... CD
Marge (France),
1997. New Copy ....
$8.9916.99
A mix of jazzy modes and rootsy percussion – put together on the Paris scene of the 90s, at a time when genres were really getting a lot of chance to cross over in styles! Some tunes are more electric than others, but the instrumentation changes throughout – and makes for a nice set of... read more
The one-and-only full length by Ann Arbor, MI combo The Rationals! The group comes from that fertile regional rock scene that also spawned The Stooges & MC5 – and while The Rationals rock out with primal abandon in moments, they also carry a much more soulful R&B influenced vibe than... read more
An obscure bit of Chicago jazz – featuring vocalist Luba Raushiek, kind of a self-styled spiritualist, with an approach that hits both traditional modes, and more far-out soulful ones – running through styles that range from Leon Thomas to Billy Eckstine, as was typical for a small club... read more