All Categories — All Formats  

Genius, pure genius! It was hard for Earth, Wind & Fire to go wrong at this point – and the album's a stellar blend of jazz, funk, and soul, all done in that perfect style they'd hit by the mid 70s. And even though this one was a monster album, of the type that you see in everyone's record collection from the time, it's still got a freshness that we always forget about – and lots of nice twists and turns that show that the band hadn't lost their more sophisticated roots. Case in point is the wonderful "Brazilian Rhyme", a short little groover that you'll instantly recognize as a sample from the first Tribe Called Quest album. Other tracks include "Jupiter", "In The Marketplace", "Magic Mind", "Runnin", "Be Ever Wonderful", and "Serpentine Fire".

Genius, pure genius! It was hard for Earth, Wind & Fire to go wrong at this point – and the album's a stellar blend of jazz, funk, and soul, all done in that perfect style they'd hit by the mid 70s. And even though this one was a monster album, of the type that you see in everyone's record collection from the time, it's still got a freshness that we always forget about – and lots of nice twists and turns that show that the band hadn't lost their more sophisticated roots. Case in point is the wonderful "Brazilian Rhyme", a short little groover that you'll instantly recognize as a sample from the first Tribe Called Quest album. Other tracks include "Jupiter", "In The Marketplace", "Magic Mind", "Runnin", "Be Ever Wonderful", and "Serpentine Fire". Plus, the CD features bonus tracks "Would You Mind?", "Runnin (original Hollywood mix)", and "Brazilian Rhyme (live)".

A cool large ensemble set from the same Teresa Record scene that gave us great albums by Pharoah Sanders and John Hicks! The group's led by trumpeter David Hardiman – and features a hip rotating lineup throughout.

Features Ella Fitzgerald on vocal performances of "April In Paris", "Party Blues", and "Every Day I Have The Blues" – with Count Basie backing. Also features a jam session version of "Billie's Bounce" – with Art Blakey, Charles Mingus, Tal Farlow, Zoot Sims, and others – and a solo piano take on "Lady Fair" by George Wallington.

One of our favorite South American rock records of all time – and maybe even one of our favorite rock albums too – a magnificent set by this sublime Peruvian group – done with a sound that's somewhere between late Beatles, early Bee Gees, and ELO in their prime! Yet the production style here is also a lot more primitive than that used by any of those bigger groups – which puts a lot more emphasis on the song structures and vocal phrasing of the tunes – a beautiful balance between harmony vocals, simple guitar lines, and these subtle rhythms that slide in with a seductive feel, and really send the whole thing home! Vocals are all in English, with these soulful undercurrents that are quite unexpected – and the overall sound is way more sophisticated than even their hippest SA contemporaries! Titles include "Children", "Carry On Till Tomorrow", "Walking In The Rain", "The City Will Be A Country", "It's A Sin To Go Away", and "Tomorrow". CD features 8 bonus tracks too – including "Blue", "Mornin", "California", "Feel", "Any World", and "Wake Up Joe".

A stellar box set of live Fania All Stars – recorded around the world and spanning the decades – on 4CDs that organize sets recorded Live In NYC, Live From El Barrio To San Juan, Live Around The World and a bonus for 4th disc of Studio Recordings – Three Decades! Includes tracks from some of our favorite live Latin albums of the 60s & 70s, including the classic Live At The Red Garter, Live At The Cheetah and Live At Yankee Stadium sets, plus albums such as Latin-Soul-Rock, San Juan 73 and more – including some unreleased mid 70s live recordings of the group doing their thing with Stevie Wonder and other sweet surprises. 52 tracks on 4CDs and includes a thick booklet of notes! Tracks include "Noche", "Guatacando", "Richie's Bag", "Anacaona", "Quitate Tu", "Estrellas De Fania", "Bemba Colora", "Soul Makossa", "Congo Bongo", "Guantanamera", "Ponte Duro", "Toro Mata", "Quitate Tu/Hang On Sloopy" with Stevie Wonder, "Country Girl-City Man", "Dinamita", "Back To My Roots", "Bamboleo", "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" and many more.

Some of the best of the best of The Fania All Stars – magical music from that short stint when the combo were recording for Columbia Records in the late 70s! While at Columbia, the group grew even more than the styles of their roots at the Fania label – picking up some hipper touches of soul, club, and fusion – all of which were worked nicely to tighten up their groove. And while you might think that after playing side-long jams, these shorter cuts could represent a more commercial side for the group – to us, this shift is an important one that has the ensemble taking the old energy of the Latind descarga and bringing it nicely into focus for a huge crossover audience. The cuts here sparkle and glisten with the best non-Latin funk and club of the time – and the CD features 13 tracks from the albums Spanish Fever, Rhythm Machine, Cross Over, and Delicate & Jumpy – titles that include "Coro Miayre", "Ella Fue", "Fania All Stars Cha Cha Cha", "Los Bravos", "Peanuts", "Prepara", "Que Pasa", "Sin Tu Carino", "Isadore", and "Foofer Soofer".

An incredible document of the growth of the European jazz scene in the postwar years – a set recorded in Berlin, but featuring a host of the best players from all over the continent! The mix of musicians here is wonderful – similar to some of the great boder-crossing experiments from Saba/MPS a few years later – but still wonderfully fresh in this setting – as modern jazz giants from the other side of the Atlantic come together with amazing clarity of sound – and a host of fresh ideas that really set them apart from their contemporaries in the US! The set features a driving take on "Haitian Fight Song" with Dusko Goykovich on trumpet, Albert Mangelsdorff on trombone, Arne Domnerus on alto, Hans Koller on tenor, and both Martial Solal and Tete Montoliu on piano. Other numbers include a version of "Am I Blue" with vocals by Monica Zetterlund, "Blue Monk" by a Montoliu trio, "Hittin The Blues" with vibes by Fats Said and guitar from Franco Cerri, "Gone With The Wind" with Arne Domernus on alto and Ronnie Ross on baritone, "3 + 3" with Domerus and ross – plus Koller on tenor and Cerri on guitar, and "Avertissez-Moi" by a larger group with Martial Solal on piano, Koller on tenor, Domerus on alto, Goykovich on trumpet, and Sadi on vibes!

No music – and as far as we can tell, the whole album's lifted from bits that appeared in the hit TV show. Not that that's a problem, though, as Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner, and crew never fail to please. Bits include "Breasts", "Archie & Maude", "Archie In Jail", "The Elevator", and "Sammy's Visit", featuring Sammy Davis Jr!

A nicely grooving mid 60s collective of Swiss All Stars – led by George Gruntz – in a great set from '64! The set was captured at Studio Bern in September of that year, it's it's captivating stuff. Gruntz leads and plays piano in the set, and it really is tailored to let the individual players shine brightly – no one's work is overshadowed here, but they groove together brilliantly, too. The 11-piece group is incredible – featuring Bruno Spoerri on tenor and baritone (getting plenty of time for impeccable solos), Heinz Bigler on alto, a trumpet trio of Ray Court, Franco Abrosetti and Hans Kennel, Ueli Staub on vibes (also with some great solos here), drummer Rolf Banninger, Raymond Droz on trombone and Heinz Christen on bass. Includes" Perdido", "Dig The Scene-Sax Battle", "There'll Never Be Another You", "Boy Shooting", "Ballad Medley: Moonlight In Vermont/Everthing Happens To Me/I Can't Get Started" and "El Sino-Trumpet Battle".

A bit of a supergroup – given that the combo features lead guitar from Harvey Mandel, and work from the Aliotta Brothers!

Excellent live set from the early 70's, featuring George Duke, Airto, Ernie Watts, and brother Nat. David Axelrod produced, and the LP's got that nice hard funky sound that he did so well during his stint with Cannonball. Includes the 12 minute groover "The Brakes", plus "Oh Babe", "Music, You All", and "Capricorn". Lots of funky drums and bass, and with a lot of space in the arrangements to let things break down!

Excellent compilation of some of the best tracks recorded by the Alegre All Stars. One of the greatest recording projects in Latin music, the Alegre All Stars was a loose collective of great talents like Charlie Palmieri, Bobby Rodriguez, Chombo, Jo Quijano, Kako, Johnny Pacheco, and lots of others – and the records they made were laidback sessions full of lots of fire, communication, and laughter. Few groups matched their ability to lay down a tightly swinging Latin groove, and you'll hear the proof on tracks like "Manteca", "Estoy Buscando A Kako", "El Sopon", and "El Manicero".

Production by Premier and Pete Rock.

The All Music Guide Required Listening collection of essential classic rock – featuring 1000 album reviews from the excellent All Music Guide reviewers – from the uber-legendary likes of Dylan, Springsteen, The Beatles, Hendrix and the like – to just as important and less mainstream celebrated greats like The Move, The Pretty Things, Grin, Tommy Bolin and so many more! Paperback, 271 pages.

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 massive All Music Guide To Rock – The Definitive Guide To Rock, Pop And Soul (3rd Edition) – featuring reviews of thousands and thousands albums as rated and reviewed by the exceptional All Music Guide writers! The book is an encyclopedia of pop music from the 50s to the early 00s – and an very, very good one – we find the All Music Guide an indispensable reference around here, and this is a great one to have on the shelf! 14,000 reviews of albums by more than 2000 artists. Amazing! Paperback, 1399 pages.

Pretty cool early work from Jug! This original 10" LP features one of his first blowing sessions for Prestige – caught in the company of Art Farmer, Lou Donaldson, Freddie Redd, and Kenny Clarke. The album features 2 long tracks – "Woofin & Tweetin" and "Juggernaut" – both of which were later issued on 12" LPs, but which are packaged here in a cool original 10" sleeve!

The major label debut of Amuzement Park – almost more obscure than the indie set that preceded it, and kind of in a different mode altogether! There's still a boogie groove to most of the set, but the group are also funking things up a bit more – possibly following a Minneapolis influence, and bringing some new wave basslines and sharper-edged keyboards into the tunes. Tracks are catchy, and often a bit poppy – and titles include "Gotta Dance", "Music Makers", "This Love", "APB", "Didn't You Know", and "Squeeze Me".

Sweet southern soul, with some production help by George Kerr – but mostly in a manner that reminds us of material coming out of the Malaco studios in the mid 70s. "Give Me All" is the real winner here, as it's a mellow loping ballad with a great hook that works well for Chuck's deep vocals!

A mid 80s classic from Atlantic Starr – at the height of their catchy commercial fame – bouncing along with rhythms that crossover nicely to the mainstream, yet still keep a bit of their previous funky edge intact! The groove here is almost in the style that Atlantic Starr inspired in so many other younger groups in the earlier part of the 80s – although it's also a bit more polished too. Most instrumentation is electric, and tunes are mostly written by the team of David and Wayne Lewis – both of whom sing on the record. Barbara Weathers also handles female vocals, and titles include "Once Lover At A Time", "Let The Sun In", "My Mistake", "I'm In Love", "Always", "Don't Take Me For Granted", and a version of Sam Dees' "All In The Name Of Love".

Features solos from Moe Koffman on soprano sax and flute, Guido Basso on trumpet, Rob McConnell on trombone, Peter Appleyard on vibes, and Phil Nimmons on clarinet.

An earlier classic from The Beach Boys – and easily one of their best records from the prime sun and surf era for the group – with rave up rockers and some sweet ballads! So much as been written about the foreboding behind-the-scenes circumstances in Beach Boys lore, even during these early years, it can steal away from the more innocent charms if you allow it to – but don't! This is all about soaring, groovy harmonies and impeccable production – on tunes that include "I Get Around", "All Summer Long", "Hushabye", "Little Honda", "Wendy", "Carl's Big Chance", "Girls On The Beach", "Drive-In", "Don't Back Down" and more. Includes the complete album in both the mono and stereo mixes.

A sweet debut from soul singer Regina Belle – a nice dose of class and sophistication in the world of mid 80s R&B! Regina's got a well-developed style right from the start – the kind of poise that you might hear from someone like Phyllis Hyman, especially on the mellower cuts – with nice undercurrents of jazz that really help send the whole thing home – and really keep the album away from cloying commercial styles too! The set features some mighty nice instrumental elements alongside the vocals – including keyboards from Dexter Wansel and alto from Don Myrick – and titles include "Show Me The Way", "Intimate Relations", "Gotta Give It Up", "So Many Tears", "Please Be Mine", and "You Got The Love". CD features lots of bonus tracks – "Without You", "Show Me The Way (ext)", "You Got The Love (rmx)", "How Could You Do It To Me (rmx)", "So Many Tears (cool mix)", and "Show Me The Way (inst)".

Biz's last album for Cold Chillin', before semi-retiring from the scene for a couple of years. As you'd guess from the title, the Biz is smarting a bit from the brouhaha over "Alone Again", but the album's still filled with his typical madness, which to us, is a good thing! 12 tracks in all, including "I'm The Biz Markie", "Young Girl Bluez", "Let Me Turn You On", "Bad By Myself" and "Funk Is Back".

Killer material from the 1964 edition of the Jazz Messengers – an incredibly hard-hitting sextet that features Freddie Hubbard, Curtis Fuller, Wayne Shorter, Reggie Workman, and Cedar Walton. The mix of players is amazing, and Walton's warm lyricism is a haunting combination with the sharp-edged solos of Shorter and Hubbard. All tracks are long, and titles include "Free For All" and "Hammer Head" – both written by Shorter – plus "The Core", by Hubbard, and a beautiful version of Clare Fischer's "Pensativa".

One of the headiest albums from the team of Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart – as you might guess from the image on the cover! The album continues the playful quality of previous A&M sets, but also has a deeper feel too – a bit more soul on the vocals, which really comes through on the album's few covers – and a slightly more socially-conscious approach to the lyrics too – supported by backings by a core group that features John Gallie on some especially great organ and keyboards, and great arrangements from Jimmie Haskell! The shift is great proof that these two were way more than just songwriters – and titles include "Change", "Maybe Somebody Heart", "Abracadabra", "My Baby Loves Sad Songs", "Thanks For Sunday", and "Strawberry Girl". CD features bonus mono tracks – "Six & Six", "LUV – Let Us Vote", "We're All Going To The Same Place", "PO Box 9487", and "Alice Long".

The only full album ever cut by Tina Britt – a great female soul singer who really should have scored big with work like this! Tina was a discovery of Juggy Murray – the Sue Records soul powerhouse who'd helped set fire in the careers of Inez Foxx, Baby Washington, and Tina Turner – and who seemed about to do the same thing with his great work producing this excellent little set. For the record, Juggy combines some of the grittier sounds of his work on Sue with the deeper soul touches that were coming from the southern scene of the time – and he sets Tina up with a great batch of material heavy on influences from Memphis and Muscle Shoals. One of the tracks are originals, but Tina sings them as if they were her own – and titles include "Key To the Highway", "Hawg For You", "My Lover's Prayer", "Who Was That", and "You Ain't Nothing But In The Way". CD adds in 8 more bonus tracks – 3 previously unreleased – with titles that include "It's My Thing", "He Put The Hurt On Me", "Look", "You're Absolutely Right", "Teardrops Fell Every Step Of The Way", "I Found A New Love", and "The Real Thing".

A killer set from the young Kenny Dope – one of his first big-name projects of the 90s, and a great showcase for his already-mature approach to a groove! There's echoes here of the indie east coast club scene of a few years before – some of the soul of New Jersey, and the playful pastiche of Todd Terry and others – yet Kenny also takes things even farther, really hitting that warm, soulful synthesis of elements that made his Masters At Work productions so unique – way more than just the sum of their parts, as you'll hear here! The record has a few famous samples that stand out nicely – and titles include "Whew", "Sayin Dope", "Got Myself Together", "Time & Space", "Just Plain Funky", "You're A Runway", and "The Bomb" – in both radio edit and "original Henry St mix".

Great Mid 70s records from Cameo – Cardiac Arrest from 1975 and We All Know Who We Re from 1977 – together in a single set! Cardiac Arrest is excellent early work from the group. It's got a really sublime approach – tightly funking, but not too fast, in the mode of some of their weaker 80s material. The band have that tightly snapped groove firmly in place – as you'd already know if you've heard the album's classic sample cuts, "Rigor Mortis" and "Post Mortem". Other tracks include "Funk, Funk", "Find My Way", and "Good Times" – and the record's one of the best of the bunch from this period! We All Know Who We Are is of the most overlooked Cameo albums – and one we go back to more than the rest! Unlike some of the group's other funk-heavy outings, this one's nicely restrained, with a sophisticated ensemble soul style that reminds us of the best mid 70s work by Earth Wind & Fire. A real highlight is the smooth stepping title cut – "We All Know Who We Are" – a wonderfully catchy number that's also got a really righteous message, and kind of a "Damn Right I Am Somebody" intro, with the band rapping to each other before the song starts. Other tracks include "It's Serious", "Inflation", and "Stand Up".

One of Ron Carter's best from the 70s – a hip and subtle effort recorded for CTI, with a small group that includes Joe Henderson on tenor, Roland Hanna on piano, and Billy Cobham on drums! Henderson's tenor work dominates the album, and the long tracks really let him snake around mightily – blowing with that dark edge that we totally love, and taking the record in much different directions than some of Carter's other albums. Richard Tee also plays electric piano on the title "117 Special" – and other tunes include "A Feeling", "All Blues", "Rufus", and "Will You Still Be Mine". This CTI 40th Anniversary edition was remastered using the original analog tapes.

A legendary batch of funky rock tracks – noteworthy not only for production by Jimi Hendrix, but also for the group's insanely great groove! There's a bluesy undercurrent here, but sharpened much more strongly for the funk generation – which takes Cat Mother way past contemporaries like Canned Heat or The Steve Miller Band – yet also still has the gritty power of both of those groups. Jimi's production is surprisingly great – fused tightly at times, in ways that almost preface some modes that bigger acts would take rootsy sounds in the 70s, but much more revolutionary here. The set's worth it alone for the trippy instrumental jam "Track In A", and other tracks include "Can You Dance To It", "Marie", "How I Spent My Summer", "Bramble Bush", "Boston Burglar", and "Favors".

A really amazing little record – way more than usual for this sort of live recording – given that it features some very unique performances together by artists we've never heard on the same stage otherwise! The premise is simple, but wonderfully effective – in that the album brings together some of the leading lights of the Columbia/CBS jazz stable at the time – a massive lineup of talent from a few key generations in jazz, sounding surprisingly great hear together! All tracks are nice and long – and titles include a brilliant version of "Infant Eyes" by a quartet with Stan Getz on tenor and Bob James on piano; "Fried Bananas" with Dexter Gordon on tenor, Slide Hampton on trombone, Woody Shaw on trumpet, and George Duke on piano; "Bahama Mama" with Bob James on keyboards, Bobbi Humphrey on flute, Eric Gale and Steve Kahn on guitars, and Billy Cobham on drums – and the long jam session tracks "Montreux Summit", "Blues March", and "Andromeda" – which feature work from most of the players above, all working in one large group – plus added flute from Hubert Laws and Thijs Van Leer, percussion from Ralph Maconald, and bass from Alphonso Johnson.

A wonderful follow-up to the first Montreux Summit album – and like that classic, a groundbreaking assemblage of some of the best jazz musicians of the 70s! The format here is slightly different – with more of a focus on smaller groupings of musicians, but still with a really fresh ear for unusual combinations – especially with players you're not always likely to hear together – all stretching out on some sweet longer tracks. Tunes include a version of "Moontrane" with Woody Shaw on trumpet, Dexter Gordon on tenor, Slide Hampton on trombone, and George Duke on Fender Rhodes; "Two Part Invention" with Bob James on piano and Hubert Laws on flute; "Kanon For Flutes", with work by Bob Militello and Thijs Van Leer on flutes, alongside Bob James on Fender Rhodes, Eric Gale on guitar, and Peter Erskine on drums; "Red Top" with Dexter Gordon and Stan Getz on tenor, and Maynard Ferguson and Woody Shaw on trumpet; "Rites Of Darkness" with George Duke on Fender Rhodes, Bob James on keyboards, and Steve Kahn on guitar; "Be Cool" with James on Fender Rhodes, Duke on keyboards, Bobbi Humphrey and Hubert Laws on flute, and Eric Gale and Steve Kahn on guitar; and a sweet take on James' "Night Crawler" – with Stan Getz on tenor, Bobbi Humphrey and Hubert Laws on flute, Eric Gale and Steve Kahn on guitars, and Bob James himself on Fender Rhodes!

A hard slammer from the Clarke-Boland Big Band – recorded when the band was burning up the road in Europe, taking great players and audiences in one fell swoop, coming up with some of the strongest straight jazz of their generation! The album features stunning solos all around by an all-star mix of American and European players that includes Benny Bailey, Johnny Griffin, Tony Coe, Dave Pike, Sahib Shihab, and Ronnie Scott – all coming together with incredibly fluidity, yet also breaking out for some massive solos on their own! Arrangements are by Boland – tight, right, and outta site – and titles include "Let's Face The Music & Dance", "High School Cadets", "By Strauss", "Gloria", "Sweet & Lovely", "Get Out Of Town", and "I'm All Smiles".

Dennis Coffey and Mayer Hawthorne – a pairing we never could have imagined years back, but who come together here beautifully on a cover of the old Parliament number! "All Your Goodies Are Gone" sounds even more soulful here than on the original – and Coffey's guitar is nice and sharp, yet nicely bows to the background a bit to let Hawthorne push his vocals! Speaking of vocals, Kings Go Forth make a great appearance on the flipside – making us wonder when they'll be serving us up a new album!

3rd LP by the man who put Chicago on the map as a hip hop center. 2 LPs strong, and with a lot of guest appearances by folks like De La Soul, Q-Tip, Chantay Savage, Erykah Badu, and Cee-Lo. No I.D. produced most of this, and a few tracks were done by Doug Infinite. Includes "1 '2 Many", "Reminding Me Of Sef", "My City", "Real Nigga Quotes" and "Retrospect For Life".

A very weird record – and one of the most compelling albums ever cut by organ whiz Dave Baby Cortez! The record's a mixture of many different styles – the pop soul instrumentals of Dave's earlier career, the funky soul jazz of the early 70s, and some trippier sounds that have a wild spaced out feel – hardly what you'd expect from Dave's early 60s hits! Arrangements are by Sammy Lowe, and the approach is mostly in the small combo format, with some added backings on a few of the cuts – all nicely run through the rougher New Jersey edges of the All Platinum label – which really helps enforce the sound of the record! Titles include the classic "Funky Robot (parts 1 & 2)", plus the cuts "Funk Shack East", "Pretty Eyes", "P's and Q's", "Born Funky", and "Tongue Kissing", which has a spoken voice narrating how to French kiss!

The greatest entertainer ever? We think so – and this 2LP set offers Sammy D in the best possible way to get him: live, and in the very familiar turf of the Sands Hotel. This live album, and it's counterpart (At The Cocoanut Grove, also on Reprise) are, in our opinion, Sammy's best recordings – because they feature him ripping through a bunch of material, doing lots of great impressions and medleys, and really swinging with a tight little combo led by Michael Silva, the drummer. The groove is really jazzy – way jazzier than on some of Sammy's studio LPs from the time – and he runs through a range of material from pop tunes to standards, done in a style that's far different than you'd expect for the titles. The vocals are tight, heartfelt, but also given a professional little finesse that really makes them sparkle. Titles include "Ain't I", "Another Spring", "On A Clear Day", "As Long As She Needs Me", "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home", "The Lady Is A Tramp", and 2 fantastic medleys with lots of jazzy songs. Heck, Dean Martin never got a chance to cut a double live album – and Frank really ever did one – so given that Sammy got a chance to do two of them, you've gotta figure the format really worked for him! This is the real Mr. Entertainment, and you owe it to yourself to hear him as he really was.

A rollicking 70s comedy score from the team of Guido & Maurizio De Angelis – quite a change from the harder sounds of their more familiar crime soundtracks! The album begins with some short tunes that are plenty playful – almost a 70s take on some of the more whimsical melodies you might find in Italian cinema of the early 60s – such as in the work of Nino Rota. Other tracks start to shift the mood a bit, but in ways that are a bit more contemporary – sometimes using slight funky touches or keyboards, but then quickly returning to more traditional fare in the end. CD features a total of 28 short tunes in all!

A stone pop soul winner from DeBarge – the kind of record that made the group a heck of a lot of money back in the 80s, and which sounds surprisingly great to our ears today! The record features lots of electro arrangements – fuzzy keyboards and bass pedals grooving around in a way that's got traces of "street" electro, mixed with some super-smooth LA production, and used brilliantly by the group in a family-based pop harmony way that stretches back to some of the great 70s groups of the same style – like The Sylvers or the Stairsteps. A heck of a lot nicer than we remember, and pretty great all the way through – with tracks that include "I Like It", "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", "All This Love", "I'm In Love With You", "Can't Stop", "It's Getting Stronger", and "Life Begins With You".

A stone pop soul winner from DeBarge – the kind of record that made the group a heck of a lot of money back in the 80s, and which sounds surprisingly great to our ears today! The record features lots of electro arrangements – fuzzy keyboards and bass pedals grooving around in a way that's got traces of "street" electro, mixed with some super-smooth LA production, and used brilliantly by the group in a family-based pop harmony way that stretches back to some of the great 70s groups of the same style – like The Sylvers or the Stairsteps. A heck of a lot nicer than we remember, and pretty great all the way through – with tracks that include "I Like It", "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", "All This Love", "I'm In Love With You", "Can't Stop", "It's Getting Stronger", and "Life Begins With You".

We can't help but favor the Dells earlier soul work, but later disco numbers like the a-side of this nice single, and the sophisticated title track off the I Touched A Dream LP, a more downtempo cut, are no less great!

Nasty nasty funk from the great Bo Diddley – one of his rare funky 70s classics for Chess – produced by Johnny Otis with a really tripped-out groove! The album's got an edge that seems to go even farther than some of Bo's other Chess work at the time – and picks up the full-on Otis funky mode by leaning hard on the drums, pulling up the bass, and bringing in a trio of female lovelies to back up Bo on vocals! Gloria Scott's one of the vocalists on the album, and Shuggie Otis even joins in on the funky party with some sweet guitar! But even with all this help, Bo's still the star of the story – and his massive chugging approach to guitar is moving full steam ahead on the set – really ripping a groove through a great batch of original tracks that include "Take It All Off", "I've Had It Hard", "Good Thing", "Bad Trip", "Infatuation", "Bo Diddley-Itis", "Woman", and "Look At Grandma".

Nasty nasty funk from the great Bo Diddley – one of his rare funky 70s classics for Chess – produced by Johnny Otis with a really tripped-out groove! The album's got an edge that seems to go even farther than some of Bo's other Chess work at the time – and picks up the full-on Otis funky mode by leaning hard on the drums, pulling up the bass, and bringing in a trio of female lovelies to back up Bo on vocals! Gloria Scott's one of the vocalists on the album, and Shuggie Otis even joins in on the funky party with some sweet guitar! But even with all this help, Bo's still the star of the story – and his massive chugging approach to guitar is moving full steam ahead on the set – really ripping a groove through a great batch of original tracks that include "Take It All Off", "I've Had It Hard", "Good Thing", "Bad Trip", "Infatuation", "Bo Diddley-Itis", "Woman", and "Look At Grandma".

Sweet Chicago soul from this ex-lead singer of the Drew-Vels! The tracks are arranged and conducted by Phil Wright, and they have a pretty nice groovy soul feel – in the Capitol mode of the late 60s. The record's got a fair number of covers, like "I, Who Have Nothing", "What the World Needs Now", and "Midnight Confessions" – but there's also a lot of good soul cuts, too, like the title cut "I've Been Here All The Time", "Just Can't Forget About You", and Patti's great version of "Hard to Handle"!

A masterpiece of early electric Dylan – featuring classics like "Subterranean Homesick Blues", "Maggie's Farm", "Mr Tambourine Man", "Gates Of Eden", "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue", "It's Alright Ma", and "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream".

A great little back to basics effort from the Fania All Stars – one that shakes off some of the electric and clubby influences that were creeping in during their years at Columbia, and returns the group to a mostly salsa groove! The sound here is bold and bright throughout – traditional at one level, but colored with modern inflections and a deepening sense of sophistication that may well make it one of the group's most cohesive records ever! Members of the ensemble include Roberto Roena, Johnny Pacheco, Luie Ramirez, and Papo Lucca – and vocals are by Celia Cruz, Adalberto Santiago, Ruben Blades, Santos Colon, Hector Lavoe, and Cheo Feliciano. Titles include "Dinamita", "Dime", "Ublabadu", "Cuando Despiertes", "La Borinquena", and "Encantigo".

A landmark album – one that has the Fania All-Stars playing in a Latin club style that greatly influenced dance music for years to come! The title "Cross-Over" might make you think of this one as a sell-out attempt, but it's not – it's a brilliant effort by the New York Latin scene to reach a much larger audience, and at the time, it really really worked! The album's actually got a surprisingly strong jazz basis to a lot of the playing – mixed with soul, disco, and funk influences that helped make this one a big album in the crates of plenty of non-Latin listeners. Features work by Eric Gale, Ruben Blades, Louie Ramirez, and Johnny Pacheco – and includes the cuts "You Want It You Got It", "Brazilian Paradise", "What A Big Thing", "Los Bravos", and "Prepara".

After a disastrous attempt at recording a live show, the Fania All-Stars went in the studio with guests like Billy Cobham and Manu Dibango and created their funkiest and one of their finest albums of the seventies! A few cuts are more straight Latin sounding, some of these tracks have a nice hard funky jazz feel, and sound like they could have been recorded for Prestige. There's great versions of "Soul Makossa" and "Viva Tirado", plus a very nice track called "Smoke". Other titles include ""El Raton", "Congo Bongo", "Chanchullo", "There You Go" and "Mama Guela".

By the mid 70s, the New York Latin scene was boomin' so large it could easily fill venues like Yankee Stadium – as you'll hear on this excellent live set from the Fania All-Stars, a monster record that easily ranks with the best live Latin sides of the time – like Eddie Palmieri at Sing Sing, the Tico-Alegre All Stars at Carnegie Hall, or Mongo Santamaria at Yankee Stadium! Tracks are nice and long – a real mix of soul and Latin, with slight funk and electric touches – and players include Ray Barretto, Willie Colon, Bobby Valentin, Mongo Santamaria, Ricardo Ray, and Roberto Roena. Vocals are by a host of singers that include Santos Colon, Hector Lavoe, Ismael Rivera, and Celia Cruz – and titles on this first volume include "Pueblo Latino", "Mi Gente", "Diosa Del Ritmo", and "Soy Guajiro".

A key 70s moment of pride for the New York Latin scene – and one of a number of crucial live sets cut by the legendary Fania All Stars! The group were invited to play a three day music festival in Zaire in 1974 – timed to coincide with the Rumble In The Jungle Ali/Foreman fight – and after blowing the crowd away on the first night of the festival, they took the stage again for a massive encore on the last night – recorded here in all its glory! The energy of the set is amazing – as some of New York's greatest Latin artists of the time rock the house in front of a crowd of 80,000 Africans – creating a cultural exchange that should have made the State Department blush. Numbers include "En Orbita", "Guantanamera", "Quimbara", "El Raton", "Mi Gente", and "Ponte Duro". Package includes the full original film, plus lots of bonus footage that's extra-cool – including some great location shots in Zaire! Also features the full album on CD - but with more cuts than the film!

A holy grail of funky music – and a rare gem from the DC scene of the 70s! Keyboardist Hilton Felton cut this wicked killer for his own tiny label – Hilton's Concept – and it's a very unique blend of jazz and funk modes, done with help from members of The Blackbyrds and Three Pieces! Felton plays Fender Rhodes, vibes, organ, and even some percussion on the record – grooving in this stretched-out, easygoing way that's unlike anyone else we can think of – often with fuller backings that might be at home on a soundtrack, but which have a much more open flow overall. Most tracks are nice and long, with plenty of sweet electric solo space – and titles include the classic "Bee Bop Boogie", a 9 minute groover with a monster break on the intro – plus "The Light Of Mankind", "Man For All Reasons", "Tell Her Love Has Felt The Need", "Love's Losers", and "Blues For a Weary Man".

Larry Heard and Robert Owens what more need we say? Mr Fingers adds his soulful, jazzy touch to a classic classic Chicago house bass line, then Robert Owens lays his rich vocals over the top for a certified classic!

The great debut from First Class – an east coast harmony group from the 70s, and one who work proudly here in some of the more uptempo styles of the time! Tracks here are often a bit extended, and filled with warmly clubby touches that are a nice All Platinum answer to the sound of Philly at the time – recorded in New Jersey, with orchestrations by Sammy Lowe and Mike Terry, who both take the music past standard dancefloor work. Tommy Keith plays some mean guitar in the backing group, and he also wrote and produced the whole record. Tracks include the wonderful stepper "Me & My Gemini" – a cut so good it makes us want to change our horoscope sign – plus the titles "Foxy Lady", "Let's Make Love", "This Is It", "Filled With Desire", "I've Got You", and "Lady Of The Evening". CD features lots of bonus tracks – including "Me & My Gemini (7" version)", "Me & My Gemini (inst)", "I Do", "So Glad That I Got You", and "This Is It (7" single)".

The rare second set from First Class – and a set that's every bit as heavenly as the first! The album's a great slice of later New Jersey soul – still very much in the mode started by groups like The Moments or Whatnauts, but showing a stronger Philly influence on the groovers – which are mixed in here with gentler, mellower cuts that really show the group's great harmony talents! Although never as big as contemporaries like Blue Magic, First Class have a great approach that really holds on strong throughout the set – working here with production from George Kerr, Donnie Elbert, and Tommy Keith – all of whom know how to get the sound right for the feel of the tunes. Titles include "Give Me Lend Me", "Let's Make Love", "Coming Back To You", "Lucky Me", "Hypnotized", and "Going Out Of My Head". CD features four bonus tracks too – "It's Never Too Late", "Beginning Of The End", and "Don't Know What You're Doing" in both stereo and mono versions.

Tony Fletcher's impressive, sprawling look at the street music fom New York – one that covers the heart of the 20th century! Fletcher has penned the kind of far-reaching tome hear that truly commands respect – covering 50 years of NYC music from the early days of 78s to the punk & disco 70s vinyl – covering jazz, Tin Pin Alley songwriting, Broadway, boogie, mambo, glam rock and everything in between. Paperback, 476 pages.

An early 80s gem from Aretha Franklin – one of the best of her years at Arista Records, thanks to solid help in the studio from the mighty Arif Mardin! Mardin's in perfect form here – the same blend of older soul and jazzier, more sophisticated styles that he was also bringing to Chaka Khan at the time – although Franklin's arguably more deserving of his talents, given her long relationship with the producer! There's a full, mature feel here – one that really gets Aretha back in gear as a singer, and shows off her talents to a new generation in new ways – yet all without trying too hard for a crossover hit. Tunes include a few originals by Franklin, and titles include "Kind Of Man", "Whole Lot Of Me", "Love All The Hurt Away", "You Can't Always Get What You Want", "It's My Turn", "There's A Star For Everyone", and "Hold On I'm Coming".

A fantastic single! "Don't Think That I'm A Violent Guy" is an amazing song that starts out with Garland knocking loudly at his girlfriend's door, and telling her to open it up and not be mad just because he "smacked her pretty little face". He then proceeds to argue that he's not a violent guy, and the whole thing grooves on from there. The arrangements are spectacular, and Garland's voice is beautiful throughout.

Dirty beats with some sweet earthy touches – and a record that we like a lot more than usual for this sort of thing! Guts mixes it up with a host of classic influences – bits of spiritual jazz, cinematic soundscapes, 70s funk, dancehall, and electro – but all wrapped into something nicely fresh, especially given their great sense of melody throughout – which makes most tracks a lot more tuneful than you might expect! Titles include "Come Closer", "Ghetto In Paradise", "Freedom", "Lassier Lucie Faire", "What Is Love", "Senza", "Mi Isla Tropical", and "Little Black Cat".

An obscure west coast soul set from Quinn Harris – a well-titled "mastermind" with a great ear for a gritty groove! The set's got a really unique sort of feel – not just straight funk, but not straight soul either – kind of a hip blend of modes that often includes some warmly jazzy touches next to deeper soul vocals from soul sister Lady Bianca! Harris directs the group, and plays sax, flute, piano, and organ – all of which are used to nice effect in an array of different modes – especially the flute, which is often mixed with a stepping bassline to create a blackspolitation sort of groove. There's a small horn section in the combo, and they play without cliche – just the right sort of coloring to shade in the tunes without overpowering them in the usual horn section way. Billy Street handles male vocals on a few other tracks in the set, and titles include "Stop Telling Me Lies", "All In The Soul", "We Got To Get Together", "Never Too Hard To Bear", "Doctor Of Love", and "This Summer". CD also features bonus 7" versions of "Stop Telling Me Lies" and "We Got To Get Together".

One of Heather B's finest, with production by Kenny Parker.

Fuzzy genius from Jimi – two rare tracks back to back on a limited reissue! "Come On (Let The Good Times Roll)" is awash in fuzz right from the start – Hendrix moving at a mighty quick clip up and down the fretboard – and pushing the bluesy core of the tune way past what you might expect! "Calling All The Devil's Children" comes on strong too – with a rumbling, bassy bottom that almost recalls some post-punk intros – before Jimi comes in and sets the whole thing on fire with some massive guitar!

Sparkling modern soul from the lovely Phyllis Hyman – and an album that has the singer picking up the wonderfully smooth groove that had become the Philly International sound of the mid 80s. This format works surprisingly well for Phyllis – quite possibly more so than it did even for longer-running artists on the label – as it gives her a great showcase for the more sophisticated and adult sort of themes that were really emerging in her music, the kind of classy soul that Hyman helped forge strongly at the time. Titles include the great numbers "Old Friend", "Ain't You Had Enough Love", "If You Want Me", "Living All Alone", and a nice version of "What You Won't Do For Love".

Twin pianos here – the acoustic of Masaru Imada, and the mixed acoustic and electric of Kenji Kohsei – working here together to co-lead a quartet in a sublime session from the 70s! Imadu's a really great player, with a wonderful sense of blocking out a tune – moving slowly at times, boldly at others – yet always holding us rapt with his inherent mix of lyricism and rhythm. Adding in Kohsei makes things even better – especially when he's using a Fender Rhodes – as that added warmth and color really heps shape things with a soulful edge – making the album feel like some lost American soul jazz date from a few years before. The rest of the group features Nobuyoshi Ino on bass and Hiroshi Murakami on drums – and titles include "Change Of Mind", "A Meadow", "The Concluding Chapter", "Planetary Hour", and "The Logbook".

A really strong debut from Iomos Marad of the Family Tree/All Natural family! Fans of J-Live, Talib Kweli, Relativity-era Common and Stakes Is High-era De La Soul should find much to love here. Like the best of other records from the All Natural and Molemen teams, the production style is timeless hip hop; it's stable, thumping soul beats and scratches that provide a firm back end for out front rhymes that actually have something to say. Features production from the should-be-huge Dug Infinite, plus nice work from All Natural's Capital D, G (riot), UNI, Memo from the Molemen and others. 16 tracks including "I Stand Alone", "I Confess", "Anotha Late Night", "Show & Prove", "Tight", "The Steele", "Deep Rooted", "Elevate", "Wildstyle", "Appetite To Ride" featuring J-Live, "Free" with Chicago soul chanteusse Tanya Reed and more.

2 Isley Brothers gems from 2 different eras – back-to-back on a single CD! 1969's It's Our Thing is a stone classic – the album that kicked off their successful T-Neck label, and established that mighty Isleys sound that would have such a huge influence in the 70s! It's filled with sinister, sexy numbers that bristle with energy that's still heard best here at the point of its creation! Tracks include "It's Your Thing", "Give the Women What They Want", "He's Got Your Love", "I Know Who You Been Socking It To", "Don't Give It Away", "He's Got Your Love", "Save Me", "Feel Like The World", and "Somebody Been Messin". Go All The way came about a decade later – at the end of the 70s, and the Isleys are still going strong – keeping it real and going for a smooth soul sound that would be one of their biggest strengths during the early 80s! This sound can be heard to perfection on the tracks "Say You Will" and "Here We Go Again", both wonderful numbers that have this strident groove that's part "Harvest For The World", part compressed guitars and keyboards working in a smooth wall of sound. Those two alone are more than worth the price of the record, and other titles include "Pass It On", "Go All The Way", and "The Belly Dancer" – all done in the Isleys' trademarked "part 1 & 2" style!

A key album in the Isley Brothers "extended funk" mode of the 70s – a style in which the group approached nearly every tune by adding in a "part 2" in order to stretch out the groove! The style here is bass-heavy funk, but less of the sort that other groups were using at the time – because the Isleys still bring in plenty of soul to the mix, and resist popping the bass too much so that they still have plenty of space for the slinky vocals that always make their work so great. Most of the titles on the album have this extended approach, and titles include "I Wanna Be With You (parts 1 & 2)", "Liquid Love (parts 1 & 2)", "Winner Takes All", "Love Comes & Goes (parts 1 & 2)", "Let's Fall In Love (parts 1 & 2)", "Let Me In Your Life (parts 1 & 2)", "Life In The City (parts 1 & 2)", "Go For What You Know", and "Mind Over Matter (parts 1 & 2)". CD also features a bonus track – "It's A Disco Night (12" disco version)".

Lost bit of soul by Chuck Jackson, recorded in LA in the early 70s, between his Wand hit years, and his later stuff on All Platinum. The sound is sort of a rootsy studio soul sound, if that makes any sense – but some of the tracks are also a bit funky. There's a great sample on the cut "Talk A Little Less", which is also a killer soul number itself – and other titles include "Maybe This Will Be The Morning", "Put A Little Love Away", "If That's The Way That You Want It", "Just a Little Tear", and "I Only Get This Feeling". Surprisingly great work from Chuck – and a record that should have been bigger, but which got buried when it came out.