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A classic album of short hard funky grooves – put together by the legendary Oliver Sain, a genius instrumentalist/producer from St. Louis, and the man behind more soul classics than you might imagine! Oliver plays alto, organ, and piano on most cuts – and the backing is spare and hard on nearly all the tracks. Some of Sain's later work got a bit weak, but this one's a classic, and has a great 70s funk sound! Titles include "Bus Stop", "Booty Bumpin", "Libra's Dream", "Sporty Mae", and "Laid Back".

A guide to essential Old School Rap & Hip Hop from team at the indespensible All Music Guide – featuring more than 500 music reviews of important records by Grandmaster Flash, Run-DMC, NWA, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy and so much more – plus reviews on soul and funk LPs that were instrumental in the creation of hip hop, from ESG, The Emotions, Gil Scott-Heron, Marva Whitney and many more! The book is divided into 2 parts, The Roots Of Rap and Digging In The Crates, and organized alphabetically. Paperback, 166 pages, with several reviews per page.

The lone album from the Bubble Puppy – a monumental effort of late 60s hard grooving psychedelia – and one of very best albums to come out of the original Texas psych scene! A couple of the Pup's labelmates at United Artists get a lot of revelry all these years later, and rightfully so – who would argue the importance of The Red Krayola and 13th Floor Elevators – but Bubbly Puppy deserve to be on that top shelf, too. The sound is tight and hard hitting, with trippy lyricism and groovy group harmonies, while the guitars range from cathartic fuzz to some surprisingly pretty melodicism. Not as far out as some of their peers, but the groove is absolutely killer. Titles include the benchmark single "Hot Smoke And Sasafrass", plus "Todd's Tune", "I've Got To Reach You", "Lonely", "Hurry Sundown", "Elizabeth", "It's Safe To Say", "Beginning" and much more.

A various artist compilation Prestige put together to capitalize on the popularity of the Oscar-winning Elizabeth Taylor film Cleopatra with music that features Eastern and Egyptian themes. In spite of how you may feel about the concept, the set features some tracks that have become harder to come by on vinyl, and plays nicely whether you're considering the theme. . .or not. 5 tracks in all: "La Ibkey" by Ahmed Abdul Malik, "Taboo" by Yusef Lateef, "Anadolu Oyuni" by Oudi Hrant, "Ackmet" by dizzy Reece, and "Bakai" by John Coltrane.

Beautiful guitar work from Elizabeth Cotten – much more sensitive and lyrical than you might expect – with a warmth that really goes beyond the usual Folkways record of this nature! Elizabeth sings on the set at points – in this raspy, time-worn style that's pretty compelling on its own – but honestly, it's the guitar that really grabs us – played with deftness that's impressive, and a sense of greater sound that really shows some unique phrasing throughout. Titles include "Freight Train", "Run Run Mama Your Son Done Gone", "Spanish Flang Dang", "When I Get Home", "Vastopol", and "I Don't Love Nobody".

Beautiful stuff from singer Diana Darby – one of our favorite voices in the indie folk landscape! There's a hushed tone to Diana's voice that softens some fairly heavy lyricism – on personal songs that manage to speak the plain, sometimes harsh truths of love and spirituality with a fragile, hypnotic beauty. She accompanies herself on guitar, and the other instrumentation is as subtle and strong as her singing and songcraft – with light percussion, cello, bass, pedal steel, banjo and sax. Diana has been with Delmore Recordings for over a decade now – the label that's doing the world such a service by unearthing archival Karen Dalton – and it's great to hear new music on Delmore that'll truly stand the test of time just as strongly! Includes "Looking For Trouble", "Snow Cover Me", "If Love", "Spinning", "Buttercup", "Oh Butterfly", "Ugly Little Toad", "Heaven", "The Alphabet", "Elena", "Little One" and "Talking To God".

Beautiful stuff from singer Diana Darby – one of our favorite voices in the indie folk landscape! There's a hushed tone to Diana's voice that softens some fairly heavy lyricism – on personal songs that manage to speak the plain, sometimes harsh truths of love and spirituality with a fragile, hypnotic beauty. She accompanies herself on guitar, and the other instrumentation is as subtle and strong as her singing and songcraft – with light percussion, cello, bass, pedal steel, banjo and sax. Diana has been with Delmore Recordings for over a decade now – the label that's doing the world such a service by unearthing archival Karen Dalton – and it's great to hear new music on Delmore that'll truly stand the test of time just as strongly! Includes "Looking For Trouble", "Snow Cover Me", "If Love", "Spinning", "Buttercup", "Oh Butterfly", "Ugly Little Toad", "Heaven", "The Alphabet", "Elena", "Little One" and "Talking To God".

If you liked the first volume of this essential book, you'll love this revised edition – because it's almost 3 times bigger, and stuffed with great new features! The book's a lifetime labor of love for Freddy Fresh – an extensive discography that's got to be the most definitive book on early hip hop we've ever seen! The vintage of the titles listed in the book is 1979 to 1994 – and as Freddy says in the preface, there's a few records listed that may fall outside the rap genre or that time span, including some disco and electro numbers – but that's okay by us! The book's got tons of label scans – plus entries listed alphabetically by label and then in order by catalog number – and this exhaustive project reads like your dream want-list for years and years to come. Plus, in addition to the label and record listings, there's appendices with old school flyer scans, top picks from DJs and producers all over the globe, lists of resources for finding records and Freddy's own personal lists for records, including his "5 star" rated records, and songs and singles arranged by topic. An absolute must-have for any die hard fan of hip hop! Revised edition is 3 times bigger than the first one – 740 pages, with over 1500 new photos, and also features an updated section on bootlegs vs originals, New York City record store photos, info on overseas labels, an Ebay auction guide, a comprehensive cross-index, and lots more great bits.

A great soundtrack to a very strange film – a late Richard Burton/Elizabeth Taylor vehicle, with a very weird-sounding plot! The album's got some wonderfully groovy numbers that have a real kick to them – bass and drums dancing away on the bottom, with nice use of guitar and organ to soup up the groove! The mellower numbers are also really nice too – with a slinky sexy 70s groove that's got the feel of some of the best Italian work of the time. Sally Stevens sings on the track "For Openers", and other titles include "Cookout Society", "Under The Bridge", "Topless Rock", "Kiddo", "Get Me Out Of Here", "Snake Dance", and "Hammersmith Is Out".

Compelling, tightly moving and straight up exciting progressive jazz from Herculaneum – with driving drums, both heavy and more mood-centric horns, rhythms that range from Afro jazz to freewheeling avant rock inspiration – really riveting stuff and probably their best album yet! The group is no longer completely Chicago based, but they sound as together as ever. The sextet includes drummer/percussionist Dylan Ryan, trombone player Nick Broste, David McConnell and Nate Lepine on saxes, Patrick Newberry on trumpet and Greg Danek on bass. The group's approach of 4 horns and always insistent rhythms is as invigorating as ever here, and the collaborative compositions reach farther than ever. Modern greatness! Includes "The Dragon's Office", "Elmyr", "Chianti", "Fern", "Elizabeth Perkins", "Age Of Iron", "Little Murders" and "Rumors".

A weird little record from the Nigerian scene of the 70s – much more laidback than you might expect, and a set with a definite Jamaican influence too! At times, some of these tracks are almost more reggae than Afro Funk – although at other points, there's definitely the fierce energy of some more familiar Nigerian music of the period – making for a really cool blend that sets this album strongly apart from most of its contemporaries! Production is great – not really dubby, but kind of spread-out – in ways that make the Afro-styled numbers really sparkle strongly – and which trips out some of the more Jamaican sounding grooves. Titles include "Papa's Black Dog", "Lahila", "Elizabeth", "Come Back Again", "My Home", and "Jahojah Comfort Me".

One of the greatest records so far from the lovely Elizabeth Shepherd – a set that's got all the careful charm and jazzy swing of her own self-penned efforts – yet which also features Shepherd taking on a host of songs from years past! The approach is great – as these well-chosen tunes are completely transformed in the hands of Elizabeth's work on the piano and Fender Rhodes – and by her soulful yet swinging vocals – often backed by a cool acoustic combo who really know hot to keep things interesting. As with previous records, there's a few modern inflections, yet never too many to get in the way – and titles include "Poinciana", "Love For Sale", "Lonely House", "Feeling Good", "Sack Of Woe", "Midnight Sun", "Buzzard Song", and "Born To Be Blue".

Sublime early work from Robert Wyatt and crew – a psychedelic accented jazz rock classic that never gets old – and a visionary set that inspired a generation! The heavily fuzzy guitar sound is transcendent on Volume Two – with sudden jazzy changes, augmented by horns, and all done with a sly sense of humour for which the group doesn't get enough credit. The set's broken up into two different "concept" halves – and side one is "Rivmic Melodies" – and includes "Pataphysical Introduction", "A Concise British Alphabet", "Dada Was Here", and "Out Of Tunes". Side two is "Esther's Nose Job" – with the parts "Pig", "Fire Engine Passing With Bells Clanging", "Orange Skin Food", and "A Door Opens & Closes". Wyatt's on vocals and drums; Hugh Hopper is on bass, guitar, and alto; and Mike Ratledge plays some great Lowry and Hammond organ, plus a bit of harpsichord and flute!

Music from June Christy, Andre Previn, Johnny Green, Victor Young & others.

A cool compilation – and one that's much hipper than you'd guess from the Ibiza sticker on the cover! Instead of the usual sunny Spanish grooves, this one's filled with deeply spiritual tracks and hipper sounds from the left side of the club underground – some of our favorite artists from both sides of the Atlantic and Pacific, sifted out nicely by Daniel Pencoba with a really sensitive approach overall! The sound's laidback, but never in a chillout way – and titles include "Dawn" by Build An Ark, "Brown Sugar" by Dal Green, "Home" by Bing Ji Ling, "Once You're Near Me" by Kutiman, "Love Is To Blame" by Yukihiro Fukutomi with Isabelle Antena & Ernesto, "I'll Be Your Wings (M&D rmx)" by Invisible Session, "Reversed (Circle Research rmx demo)" by Elizabeth Shepherd, "Neil Diamond" by Bucky Johnson, "Life Angles" by Yesterdays New Quintet, and "Oasis" by Carlos Nino & Miguel Atwood-Ferguson.

Raw rompers from the Louisiana scene of the late 50s and early 60s – a more R&B twist on the sort of material covered in the great Boppin By The Bayou series from Ace! The package features some wicked rare singles, mixed with even more obscure unreleased tracks – all pulled together to showcase a style that's kind of like a grittier take on the sound of New Orleans – bits of rock and blues mixed in with the soul – all folded together with stomping rhythms that never know when to quit – and which really send home the tunes' raw vocals, sharp tenor, and tight guitar lines! The package features almost 30 tracks in all, plus great notes too – and titles include "Go Go Cat" by Flo, "Crazy About Love" by Elizabeth, "Rocky" by Rockin Sidney & His All Stars, "I Don't Care" by Tabby Thomas, "Honey Bee" by Blue Charlie, "Pretty Little Dolly" by Mad Dog Sheffield, "Sound The Bell" by Clarence Garlow, "Cool Down Baby" by Jerry Morris, and "I Wanna Know I Know Now" by Big Chenier.

A great soundtrack to a very strange film – a late Richard Burton/Elizabeth Taylor vehicle, with a very weird-sounding plot! The album's got some wonderfully groovy numbers that have a real kick to them – bass and drums dancing away on the bottom, with nice use of guitar and organ to soup up the groove! The mellower numbers are also really nice too – with a slinky sexy 70s groove that's got the feel of some of the best Italian work of the time. Sally Stevens sings on the track "For Openers", and other titles include "Cookout Society", "Under The Bridge", "Topless Rock", "Kiddo", "Get Me Out Of Here", "Snake Dance", and "Hammersmith Is Out".

Includes King Oliver with Butterbeans & Susie, Clarence Williams' Washboard Five, His Novelty Four, and Orchestra, Victoria Spivey, Sippie Wallace, Elizabeth Johnson, Hazel Smith, Texas Alexander, and Blind Willie Dunn's Gin Bottle Four.

A heavy helping of Ethiopian grooves – pulled from the later volumes of the legendary Ethiopiques series, and served up here on a unique vinyl collection! The tunes are a nice mix of some of the best Ethio styles of the early 70s – and include a few standout funky numbers, plus some equally great tunes that mix jazzy styles with lots of exotic twists and turns! And there's something about the vinyl presentation that makes the music feel a bit different than on CD – a bit more urgent, perhaps – and with a crispness to the sound that's mighty nice. Titles include "Bey Lesenabetesh" by Getatchew Kassa, "Wefe Yelala" by Damtew Ayele, "Ber Anbar Seberelewo" by Tamrat Molla & Venus Band, "Lebene Sheweshew" by Samuel Beley, "Assiyo Belleme" by Mulatu, and "Yekermo Sew" by Sefou Yohannes.

An amazing batch of tracks that will convince you that Walt Dickerson is one of the greatest jazz musicians ever to touch a set of vibes! The record was Dickerson's first for Prestige, and (like most of his albums on the label) it features a quartet lineup that includes the enigmatic Austin Crowe on piano, a very young Andrew Cyrille on drums, and little-known bassist Bob Lewis – whose pulsating work here really makes the album move! There's a strong sense of modernism to the music – those sharper tones that set Dickerson apart from most of his contemporaries on the vibes – but there's also a great sense of soul and warmth as well, more so than on some of Walt's other albums. Titles include the classic "Death & Taxes" – a massive modal groover – plus the beautiful "Evelyn", the haunting "Time", and other titles that include "Infinite You" and "Elizabeth".

A crucial set of work from the overlooked Jards Macale – one of the hippest cats in Brazilian music during the 70s, heard here on one of his best early albums! The music here is really at the crossroads – a combination of the folksy edge of the 60s work of Geraldo Vandre, mixed with some of the trippier elements of the generation that would be best represented by Lula Cortes, all set free by some of the rich waves of energy that sprung from Brazil in the wake of the Tropicalia movement! Macale's got a way of really personalizing the tunes with both his vocals and guitar work – and the overall presentation moves from intimate to expansive with effortless ease. Titles include "Sem Essa", "So Morto", "O Crime", and "Solucos". CD also features a huge amount of bonus tracks – 10 more numbers that include "Gotham City", "Let's Play That", "Poema Da Rosa", "Revendo Amigos", "Orora Analfabeta", and "Rua Real Grandeza".

An essential book for detail-oriented beatheads – a "Sampling Dictionary", and one that spells out original samples used for thousands of hip hop tracks! The book's of Japanese origin, and it's done with a thoroughness that blows away previous efforts like this – completely alphabetical by the name of the artist doing the sampling, then song by song for the artist, with listings for both the artist and title of the original sample used! There's over 16,000 entries in the book – which is a well-produced paperback that's over 240 pages – essential for carrying around on crate-digging trips. Plus, the book also features "The Commandments Of Diggers" on the back – and the first one is "Always bring this book with you."

Great stuff from trumpet player Cicci Santucci and tenor sax maestro Enzo Scoppa – playing with an incredible small combo on the New Tradition album – their first record as Santucci Scoppa in many years! New Tradition stands up proudly with the classic Italian jazz, jazz funk, and sound libary grooves Santucci Scoppa cut from the late 60s through the 70s. They cover the bases sonically, from timelessly appealing bop influenced jazz, to laidback, cinematic Rhodes flavored jazz funk, to bossa styled numbers with vocals by Elizabeth J M Fletcher. Not so much a throwback or a comeback album, as much as it is a solid contemporary set of material with the pedigree. The band includes Nelil Angilley on keys, Davide Giovannini on drums, Pete Eckford on percussion, and Davide Mantovani on bass. 13 tracks on the CD: "Improvisations", "Transitions", "Rolling Stars", "Way Out", "Walking Fast", "Sardinia's Memory", "Night Travel", "Between 6th & 7th", "Elephant March", "Enchanted" and more.

A weird little record from the Nigerian scene of the 70s – much more laidback than you might expect, and a set with a definite Jamaican influence too! At times, some of these tracks are almost more reggae than Afro Funk – although at other points, there's definitely the fierce energy of some more familiar Nigerian music of the period – making for a really cool blend that sets this album strongly apart from most of its contemporaries! Production is great – not really dubby, but kind of spread-out – in ways that make the Afro-styled numbers really sparkle strongly – and which trips out some of the more Jamaican sounding grooves. Titles include "Papa's Black Dog", "Lahila", "Elizabeth", "Come Back Again", "My Home", and "Jahojah Comfort Me".

A higher concept album than usual for the team of Beaver & Krause – a record that still features plenty of cool moog and electronics by the pair, but which also has them teamed up with arranger Jimmie Haskell in a set of tunes that mixes older themes with original numbers! A fair bit of tracks here have vocals – either by Krause, or by female vocalists Cris Williamson, Adrienne Anderson, or Elisabeth Wilson – plus the "celestial choir" on a few tracks. There's a hearkening back here that's a bit confused at some moments – mixing Scott Joplin with the then-common apology to Native American mode – but things sound best on the original numbers, which have picked up a groove a bit more than before, and even have some nice warmer tones we really like. Titles include the spacey spinner "Between The Sun & The Rain", plus "Loves Of Col Evol", "Sweet Williams", "Bluebird Canyon Stomp", "Looking Back Now", "Child Of Morning Sun", and "All Good Men".