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One of the best Art Blakey albums ever! This masterful session was one of two legendary ones that were recorded in 1961, but not released until the end of the 60s. The record features the incredible Morgan/Timmons/Shorter lineup, and it's filled with fantastic material that never saw the light of day elsewhere, like "Those Who Sit & Wait", "The Witch Doctor", and "A Little Busy" (the last of which the great jazz dj Bill Lee has been using as his theme in Chicago for many many years!) The record is an undisputed gem, one of the hardest of all Blakey sessions to find on vinyl, though this is an Applause label reissue of the Blue Note title – with a different cover than the original.

Stunning! Although many know Bobby Byrd as the longtime associate of James Brown, and although his singles do turn up from time to time on compilations, this one and only album by him is super-rare. The album's a live recording (although we've never been sure if it's not one of James Brown's "fake" live projects, with studio tracks and applause added in) – and it contains a killer batch of funky tracks like "I Need Help (I Can't Do It Alone)" (parts 1 & 2), "Funky Soul", "My Concerto", "You Got To Have A Job (If You Don't Work, You Can't Eat)", and "Hang Ups We Don't Need (The Hungry We've Got To Feed)". Loads of breakbeats, and a killer funky groove with Bobby singing in a style that's as great as James Brown's best funky stuff from the time, but with a darker edge to it. Classic stuff, and an unbelievable one to have on low-priced reissue!

A cooking set of live performances by The Ventures – key proof that their searing guitar sounds weren't just the result of some studio trickery! The set features the group in three different settings – at home in the US, over in the UK, and in Japan – where they enjoyed a huge amount of fame in the 60s! All cuts are mighty smoking – core grooves that are heavy on tight, fuzzy guitar lines – and driven by drums that are arguably even more pounding than on the studio albums. The applause is quite high at times – possibly dubbed in – and titles include "Driving Guitars", "Yellow Jacket", "Wipeout", "Journey To The Stars", "Caravan", and a sweet medley of "Walk Don't Run/Perfida/Lullaby Of The Leaves".