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A split 70s LP – with two earlier classics! First up is How I Feel About Jazz – an important early album from Quincy Jones! Q's working here in some of his hippest settings of the 50s – scoring longish versions of jazz tunes for groups that include players like Lucky Thompson on tenor, Herbie Mann on flute, Art Farmer on trumpet, Phil Woods and Gene Quill on alto sax, Hank Jones on piano, and even Charles Mingus on bass! As with most Jones albums of the time, Quincy has a way of making a bigger group sound nice and lean – hitting some especially nice edges along with the rhythms, and really showing the way towards a new soulful sound for a bigger band. Titles include a sublime 10 minute version of "Walkin" that kicks off the album with a great soulful groove – plus original tunes "Evening In Paris", "Stockholm Sweetnin", and "Boo's Blues", as well as a version of Cannonball Adderley's "Sermonette". Next is Quintessence – a very soulful set of big band material from Quincy Jones – recorded during that tight early 60s period when his arrangements just couldn't fail! The album's his only session for Impulse, and it's got a slightly deeper style than his work from the time for Mercury – a bit more sophisticated, with nice modern touches that take the tunes in surprising directions. Part of the greatness of the set lies in the players – as the album features work by Curtis Fuller, Thad Jones, Stu Martin, Freddie Hubbard, Patty Brown, Phil Woods, and Jerome Richardson – and titles include "Robot Portrait", "Hard Sock Dance", "The Twitch", and "For Lena & Lennie".

A hip little collection of funky work from Quincy Jones – nearly all of it from his key 70s years on A&M Records! The vibe here is totally great – possibly the best-remembered sound of the Q, recorded at a time when he was also gracing the world with a fair bit of funky soundtracks too! The music is rooted in Jones' earlier big band modes, but opens itself up to 70s funk and soul strongly – all in the hippest way possible, with a range of different styles that really expand the sound. There's a fair bit of electric elements mingling with the acoustic ones – and the track selection includes a number of Quincy's most-sampled tunes over the years. Titles include "Brown Ballad", "I Never Told You", "Eyes Of Love", "Summer In The City", "Along Came Betty", "Tell Me A Bedtime Story", "Velas", "Stuff Like That", "Superwoman", "You've Got It Bad Girl", and "Walkin".

A rare groover from the team of Ray Brown and Quincy Jones – a smoking little set that completely revises the music for The Adventurers! The original score for the film featured tunes by Antonio Carlos Jobim, played by Deodato – a great combination at the time, but completely different than the heavy funk laid out here by Ray and Quincy! The pair really cook things up strongly here – hitting some of the best funky vibes you'd hear on Quincy Jones scores from the late 60s and early 70s – or some of Ray Brown's funkiest jazz sessions of the time. Brown leads the band, and the set's produced by Quincy – who also arranged some tracks – with help from JJ Johnson, Tom Scott, and Jimmy Jones too. Titles include "Fat Cat Strut", "Polo Pony", "El Lobo's Marc", "Wishful Thinking", "Love Theme From The Adventurers", and "Go Down Dying".

The long-anticipated second album from Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings is a stunner – undoubtedly stronger than the group's fantastic debut – and a record that not only transcends the late model funk revival genre, but stands on footing as solid as the best hard funky soul of the late 60s and early 70s! If you're expecting a rehash of the heavy funk jams that burned on the Dap Dippin' album you won't be disappointed, but get ready for a deep, natural (hence the title) soulfulness that not only caught us off guard, but really forms the big, hard-beating heart of the album. The frothing, frenetic funk is as tight as ever, and in spots just as furious, but the attention to songcraft this time out is just as searing and indelible. The eight piece Dap Kings continue to be the best band in the land – with El Michels on baritone sax, Neal Sugarman on tenor, Homer Steinweiss on drums, not-so-secret weapon Bosco Mann on bass, vibes and piano. Guest appearances include fellow Daptone powerhouse vocalist Lee Fields on the the duet "Stranded In Your Love", and strings courtesy of the Bushwick Philharmonic, but make no mistake, this is the band's album. Amazing stuff from in indispensable group – an album that'll keep spinning in our circles for as many years as the great albums by the gritty soul forefathers do! Tracks include "How Do I Let A Good Man Down?", "Natural Born Lover", "My Man Is A Mean Man", a soulful reading of Woodie Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land", "Your Thing Is A Drag", "Fish In A Dish" and "All Over Again".

They might be borrowing her band, but they sure can't dampen her soul – because Sharon Jones is strongly back in action, and sounding funkier and more deeply soulful than ever! Given that Sharon wasn't singing back in the 60s, it's hard to think we'd be calling her the real deal – but in a world of crossover classic-copping soul singers, or slightly rewarmed older acts, Jones is a true treat through and through – the kind of soul singer whose work still recalls the best era of the funky 45 underground! The mighty Dap-Kings are in full force here – snapping along the groove with a range of classic soul influences – styles borrowed from Memphis, Miami, Muscle Shoals, and more – all sifted down to some of the tightest grooves any singer ever had the chance of working with! The production is amazing – as sharp-edged as the music – and handled by Bosco Mann with a sound that's as faithful to the roots as the cover might imply. Titles include "100 Days 100 Nights", "Tell Me", "Be Easy", "Nobody's Baby", "When The Other Foot Drops Uncle", "Something's Changed", "Keep On Looking", "Answer Me", and "Humble Me".

The fourth album from Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – solidifying what we learned pretty early on from the indomitable soul spirit that is Sharon and her impeccable combo the Dap-Kings – it's that this is not some retro soul revival novelty act, what they are is the greatest active embodiment of a true soul sound that will never go away! We've always loved that Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings recognize the studio and the stage as different worlds. On stage, Sharon is the possibly the most energetic, charismatic presence you'll ever see and the band brings heft and heat. In the studio, they stretch out and diversify wonderfully, bringing both raw, unpolished funky soul realness to some more stripped down numbers and a full on Stax or Hi level heaviness to the bigger ones. The songs are better and more memorable than ever on this record – with "The Game Gets Old" and "I Learned The Hard Way" (an astoundingly strong one/two punch for the opening minutes) plus "Better Things", "Give It Back", "Money". "The Reason", "Window Shopping", "I'll Still Be True", "Without A Heart", "If You Call" and "Mama Don't Like My Man".

One of the greatest records ever cut by the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra – way way more than a big band jazz session, and a fantastically hip batch of grooves that encompasses a wealth of styles! The Jones/Lewis group could sometimes sound a bit clunky and overhashed – but on this set, they've got a surprisingly lyrical approach – free-thinking and easily grooving, but with room for complicated solos and complex rhythms. All tracks are originals by Thad Jones – and players include Roland Hanna on electric piano, David Spinozza on guitar, and a host of great talents on reeds and brass. Titles include the sweetly funky cuts "Us" and "Ahunk Ahunk", plus the tracks "Dedication", "Consummation", "Tiptoe", and "Fingers".

The stellar solo debut of Janis Joplin – fronting her own Kozmic Blues Band after the break from Big Brother! The raw emotion of her voice is as impressive as ever here – and there is more of a rockin' blues vibe here than on her earlier records – thanks the killer horn section in this new band. There's some stripped down numbers, too, giving this record a pretty balanced feel. A classic! Titles include "Try", "Maybe", "As Good As You've Been To This World", "Kozmic Blues", "To Love Somebody", "Little Girl Blue", and "One Good Man".

Joy Division recorded live at The Prince Of Wales Conference Center, below the YMCA – and a pretty stunning document of the pioneering band's mix of raw intensity with heavy mood – in a rare live setting! It's a legendary set – one that kicked off a 4 night series of shows at the venue that also included Throbbing Gristle, The Teardrop Explodes, Echo & The Bunnyman, Scritti Politti and others. Joy Division brings an intensity that shows their roots in punk rock, but also hints at the moodier sounds to come. It's a soundboard recording and of much better quality than is often found in similarly captured performances by underground heavies of the era. Includes "Dead Souls", "Disorder", "Wilderness", "Autosuggestion", "Transmission", "Day Of The Lords", "She's Lost Control", "Shadowplay", "Atrocity Exhibtion" and "Insight".

Beautiful new work from Joyce – possibly her best album in years! The lovely Brazilian singer/guitarist blows away all the newcomers in the modern bossa field – and shows the world that she's still one of the strongest talents of her generation. The album's got a stronger jazz component than some of her other recent albums, quite driving, in the mode of classic albums like Agua E Luz and Feminina – and Joyce's voice, guitar, and songwriting skills are top-notch all the way! An instant classic – one that will have you shelving all your faked-out remixed, Nu Brazil albums for the real thing! Titles include "Bota De Sete Leguas", "Azul Bahia", "Forcas D'Alma", "Na Casa Do Villa", "Quatro Elementos", "The Band On The Wall", and "Samba Da Silvia".

The rare second album from Juju – the avant jazz collective who'd later morph into funk band Oneness Of Juju, but who still sound pretty revolutionary here! There's a bit more focus than before – still energy that's a lot like the best righteous jazz groups coming out of Chicago or St Louis at the same time, but maybe a bit more direct, too – and really showing some of the stronger spiritual tones that would only blossom more strongly in later years! Reedman Plunky Nakabinde is firmly at the helm of the group – on tenor, flute, and soprano sax – but the set also features great work from Lon Moshe on vibes and percussion, Babatunde on congas and drums, Phil Branch on bass, and Al-Hammond Raul on piano and percussion. The sounds are a bit less Afro-styled than on the Oneness records, but still have all the great spiritual currents – and titles include an excellent version of Pharoah Sanders' "Black Unity", plus the original tunes "Contradiction","Nia", "Black Experience", and "The End Of The Butterfly King". Features two bonus tracks – "Live Revolution" and "Live Revolution Continues".

Fantastic French grooves from the end of the 60s – a killer set of jazz-based tracks recorded by trumpeter Ivan Jullien, with help from funky arranger Michel Colombier! Jullien recorded a fair bit of jazz and studio work around the time, and his playing here is razor-sharp – and supported by Colombier grooves that rival his best soundtrack material, his experiments with Pierre Henry, or his backings for singers like Serge Gainsbourg or Brigitte Bardot! Colombier also plays keyboards on the record, as does the great Maurice Vander – amidst a host of other great French jazzmen who include Pierre Gossez on sax, Roger Guerin on additional trumpet, and Eddie Louiss on organ. Drums are nice and funky on most cuts – and the whole thing kicks even more than most funky big band records on MPS! Includes the great break cut "I Remember Otis" – plus "Sonoro", "The Looser", "Talk", "An Oscar For Eddy", "Wake The Monster", "Edith", and "Crescendo".

An amazing album that's one of the greatest-ever descarga sessions to come out of the New York scene! The album's supposedly a tribute to pianist Noro Morales – but it's got a fire and energy that goes way beyond even Morales' best work, one that has the group recording in a long-format approach that was very different, and much harder-jamming than any of Morales' recordings from the 50s. The tracks are mostly Morales originals, but you'd hardly recognize them in the way the band takes off from their simple structure – using the room of the full recording to groove hard on the album's best long tracks – "Mi Guajira", "Ponce", and "Vitamina" – all of which are the kind of Latin jammers you buy reissues like this for! Players include Louie Ramirez, Charlie Palmieri, Cachao, and Hector Rivera – and other tracks include "Perfume De Gardenia", "Desvelo De Amor", and "Malditos Celos".

The first album by this sweet little Hawaiian band from the 70s – a great mix of jazzy rock and smoother AOR styles, with a soulful finish that made the group one of the best of the islands! Titles include "Going Going Gone", "The Hurt", "Nightbird", "Naturally", "All I Want", "Kona Daze", "To Be True", "When The Morning Comes", and "Everything Is Love".

A mind-blowing collection of work from Kaleidoscope – the ultra-hip psych combo who recorded some great work for Epic Records at the end of the 60s! This package not only features all the group's important albums, but also includes a wealth of rare singles too – including some surprising gems recorded for Epic in unusual situations, proof that the label really expected the band to break big at the time! The 3CD package features 45 tracks in all – with titles that include "Egyptian Gardens", "I Found Out", "Little Orphan Nannie", "Please", "Rampe Rampe", "Love Games", "Egyptian Candy", "Lie To Me", "Let The Good Love Flow", "Cuckoo", "Seven-Ate Sweet", "Banjo", "Why Try", "New Blue Ooze", "Lie & Hide", "Sefan", "Chocolate Whale", "Another Lover", "Sneakin In The Ghetto", and "Ballad Of Tommy Udo".

Genius, pure genius! If you've ever wondered why folks think Stan is so great, check out this landmark set of postwar modern swing tunes – some of the most groundbreaking work of its generation, and proof that there was still a lot of room to grow within the big band format. June Christy provides some icy vocals on a few numbers, and other strong players on the set include Vido Musso, Boots Mussulli, Kai Winding, Eddie Safranski, and Shelly Manne. Arrangements are by Pete Rugolo, Gene Roland, and Stan – and titles include "Artistry In Bass", "Artistry In Percussion", "Fantasy", "Come Back To Sorrento", "Soothe Me", "Opus In Pastels", and "Artistry In Bolero".

Ha! This one really takes us back! The set was a massive breakthrough for August Darnell – one of his biggest hits since his day with Dr Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, with an equally appealing approach to the dancefloor. Tracks mix early 80s New York club styles with Darnell's mad retro/exotic take on the world – coming out with a sound that's slightly hokey, but equally catchy! Includes the hits "Annie (I'm Not Your Daddy)", "I'm A Wonderful Thing Baby", and "Stool Pigeon" – plus the cuts "Imitation", "I'm Corrupt", "No Fish Today", and "Loving You Made A Fool Out Of Me".

A pair of killers – back to back on a single CD! First up is the killer debut from the Dazz Band – issued way back when they were named Kinsman Dazz, and when "dazz" was a reference to the fact that the group could play both dance music and jazz! That jazzy element is definitely in place here – as the set's got lots of hip instrumental touches over the core funky grooves – produced with some great help from Philip Bailey and Ralph Johnson, who bring in a bit of Earth Wind & Fire vibe – and set to some larger arrangements from Patrice Rushen, who ups the jazzy quotient too! But the core sound of the group is what really drives the album – a well-crafted batch of Ohio funky numbers that step along with the best of their generation – on titles that include "Makin Music", "Forget About Lovin You", "Get Down With the Feelin", "Stand In Your Way", "And I Mean", and "Dazzberry Jam". On the Dazz album, Kinsman Dazz are even funkier here than before – showing off their Ohio roots, and pointing the way towards the classic Dazz Band sound they'd forge in the 80s! Rhythms are very tight throughout – but still often touched with the jazzy elements that made the group so great in their early years – echoing a bit of an Earth Wind & Fire sound, as Philip Bailey's on board to help a bit with arrangements and background vocals. The whole thing's great – a super-tight record without any filler at all – and titles include "I Searched Around", "Love Design", "Keep On Rockin", "Can't Get Enough", "Dancin Free", and the wonderful "Catchin Up On Love", a spacey harmony track with a really anthemic sound!

Raw, rare material from The Knack – a previously-unissued live performance from 1978 – recorded a year before their famous debut! We love that album to death, but the group have even more bite here – a rough-edged quality that's almost garagey at points – and which does a great job of linking together the Sunset Strip energy of both the 60s and 70s scenes – really showing that LA evolution that birthed The Knack in the first place! Most of the tunes here are familiar from the first album, but the versions here are much more powerful – almost like hearing some gritty demos of the band in formation. Titles include "Daughter Of The Law", "She's So Selfish", "Art War", "My Sharona", "That's What The Little Girls Do", "Good Girls Don't", "Let Me Out", "End Of The Game", "It's Alright", and "Your Number Or Your Name".

Not the power pop phenom Knack of "My Sharona" fame – and not the mid 60s UK Knack. This is the mid 60s Sunset Strip Knack – and one of at least 3 great band to have that name that we've been hipped to so far! This particular Knack was fairly short-lived. They signed with Capitol and released 4 strong singles back in the day – and all 8 of those sides are on this CD from Now Sounds UK – along with 5 previously unreleased tunes. It's strong, hooky Cali-bred take on post Brit Invasion grooves – well worth the discovery! Titles include "Time Waits For No One", "I'm Aware", "Pretty Daisy", "Softly, Softly", "The Spell", "Freedom Now", "The Girl With The Dark Brown Eyes", "Once Upon A Cheek", "No Show Today", "Merry Go Round" and more.

Crazy funk from a crazy-costumed geezer with an equally crazy name! Boobie Knight led an obscure 70's funk outfit that was somewhere between Sly & The Family Stone and The Jimmy Castor Bunch. His group has a definite guitar-heavy sound that's a bit blunted, and a bit fuzzed out at times – but which also has a nice soulful edge at it's best moments. The band here includes vocals by Al Johnson (who may well be the same Al Johnson who went onto later mellow soul fame) – and titles include the crazy "Earth Creature", plus "The Lovomaniacs", "Power Greater Than Man", "Feeling My Cheerios", and "Woman Will Make You Love".

Righteous earth mama vibes from our hometown sweetheart Bonnie Koloc. Bonnie was part of the original folk cabaret scene around old town here in Chicago, and this is her first album, with her gutsy, folky vocals and songwriting underpinned by a groovy rock-inflected backing band, that features Phil Upchurch on bass! Titles include "Don't Leave Me", "After All This Time", "new York City Blues", "Devil's Nine Questions", "Another new Morn", "Rainy Day Lady", "Jazz Man", "Victoria's Morning", "Got To Get What You Can", and "One Sure Thing".

Blistering funk rock and raw, tightly grooving psych soul from small town Victoria, TX – trailblazing material from Kool & Together. This is an amazing anthology from Heavy Light/Light In The Attic that pulls together material from private press 45s the group put in the early-to-mid 70s and previously unreleased tracks recorded by Texas music legend Huey P Meaux. There's a raw soul, funky drums & percussion core to Kool & Together's style that's really great! Singer Tyrone Sanders doubles as the group's conga player, which is a great touch! There's a demonstrable level of gritty psych soul and rock in the mix, too – wah wah guitar, in particular – but they're much more into a tight, heady groove than the kind of lumbering heft and solo-heavy styles of other Hendrix disciples. It's a family band – the earliest tracks on the set feature Charles Sanders Sr on vocals, with Charles Jr on guitar, Tyrone on conga and Joe Sanders on drums – with the boys trading lead vocals and instrumentation on other later recordings, along with additional players. A great discovery from Heavy Light Records! 19 tracks in all: "Sittin' On A Hot Red Stove", "I Know", "If You Can", "Wino Man", "Magic Words", "Peace Is At Hand", "Better Days", "Fly So High", "Electronic Funk", "Reaching Out", "Hooked On Life", "Blow It Out Your Mind", "Get Your Feet Off The Ground" and more, plus 4 demos: "Escapism Beat", "Hot Pants", "Nassau Beat" and "Wino Man".

What a killer combination – Kool & The Gang and Schlitz Malt Liquor – two of the baddest forces of the 70s! The album's a special promotional album that collects mid-period work by the group, and serves it up in a cool cover that's got the band kicking back with The Bull – and tracks include "Funky Stuff", "Summer Madness", "Jungle Boogie", "Hollywood Swingin", "Open Sesame", and "Sugar".

Often overlooked amidst the bigger early albums by Kool & The Gang – but a totally solid record of funky stuff that's right up there with their best work! The band is super-tight at this point, grooving along in a hard drum, heavy bass, wah wah guitar frenzy – and even the vocals are great by this point, with that good mix of funky soul and humor that made the band so much more entertaining than some of their contemporaries. Tracks include the spacey "Wild Is Love", the super-dope "Rated X" and "North East South West", the mellow jazz number "I Remember John W Coltrane", and the cuts "Good Times", "Country Times", and "Making Merry Music".

A shameless dancefloor cash-in move – but with a few nice touches! You all know the big title cut "Ladies Night", so we won't bother to describe it – but we can say that the group wisely hooked up with Deodato, who produced, mixed, and even played keyboards on the album. Deodato keeps a nice jazzy punch in the tracks, while still moving towards the slickly produced funk sound that was the group's main approach at the time of the record. JT Taylor's on vocals, and the album's even got a few mellow cuts – like the crossover easy number "Too Hot" – amidst the midtempo 80s grooves. Other tracks include "Hangin Out", "Tonight's The Night", and "Got To Get You Into My Life". And honestly, if the album was the first by a new band, we might rate it higher – but since it's one of the last semi-solid efforts from Kool & The Gang, we're not as enthusiastic.

Fantastic live stuff from the classic early period of Kool & the Gang! The set swings mightily with a sound that's hardly matched on some of their studio albums, and the band proves that their tightness isn't just a batch of studio tricks as they blow away the crowd at the Sex Machine night club. There's lots of great live jamming here, and some of their best early cuts like "Let The Music Take Your Mind", "Who's Gonna Take The Weight", "Funky Man", and more. This is a very nice reissue pressing, with a cool gatefold wraparound cover, and some very heavy funky wax! Another one that we never thought we'd see again on vinyl – now out for the masses at a nice nice price.

After this one, there was no turning back for Kool & The Gang! The record has them bringing their underground funk sound to the masses – with a choppy riffy groove that stands out almost as a public challenge to all the other pretenders that had been cropping up on major labels during the same time. The band are as tight as they ever were – and they're rolling like a non-stop locomotive with a horn-heavy groove on classics like "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging", while also showing hints of their strong mellow future on the cut "Wild & Peaceful". The album also includes the massive two part jammer "Funky Stuff" and "More Funky Stuff", plus "This Is You, This Is Me" and "Life Is What You Make It".

After this one, there was no turning back for Kool & The Gang! The record has them bringing their underground funk sound to the masses – with a choppy riffy groove that stands out almost as a public challenge to all the other pretenders that had been cropping up on major labels during the same time. The band are as tight as they ever were – and they're rolling like a non-stop locomotive with a horn-heavy groove on classics like "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging", while also showing hints of their strong mellow future on the cut "Wild & Peaceful". The album also includes the massive two part jammer "Funky Stuff" and "More Funky Stuff", plus "This Is You, This Is Me" and "Life Is What You Make It".

An unusual set from Kracker – a record that's possibly more rock/pop at the core, but one that definitely shares some of the soulful touches of other albums on the Dash label too! The group dress like a funk band on the album's flipside photo – and they've got vocal interplay that's not unlike some of the blue eyed soul groups on the east coast – set to rhythms here that are sometimes disco, sometimes a bit more flamboyant pop – and titles include "Woman", "Lucky Are Those", "Lady Of My Life", "Alarm Clock Blues", "Back In My Arms Again", and "Gentleman Of Men".

What can we say? Despite the stupid appearance of the band, "White Horse" was a classic breakdance/electro track that crossed over so big it had kids in Kansas running out to by parachute pants and squares of linoleum to play along with the kids in the Bronx. Despite that runaway hit fame, though, the cut's a compelling one – with that perfect mix of post-disco post-punk grooves, warm in just the right places, and coldly appealing in others.

A pretty hip set of big band arrangements – very much along the lines of early 50s Stan Kenton, with a tight swing, but a nicely modern undercurrent as well! The arrangements, as the title indicates, are all by Gerry Mulligan – and in addition to the piano of Elliot Lawrence, players include Al Cohn and Hal McKusick on saxes, Nick Travis on trumpet, Eddie Bert and Paul Sheldon on trombones, Buddy Saunders on bass, and Don Lamond on drums – all players with a great ear for mixing up tightness on the heads, and a more laidback groove during the solo moments. Tracks are short and angularly arranged – and titles include "But Not For Me", "Happy Hooligan", "My Silent Love", "Mullenium", and "Bweebida Bwobbida".

A killer album of jazzy bossa grooves – originally recorded in France in the early 70s, and darn hard to find in any format! The record was cut for the tiny Saravah label – home to groovy French acts like Brigitte Fontaine and Areski, as well as an elite group of jazz and world musicians. The overall style is similar to bossa nova piano sessions coming out of Brazil in the 60s, but the groove is a lot freer, and the band has a nice rolling sound that might be compared to some of the MPS jazz/Brazilian crossover sessions. Fernando Martins is the pianist, and Edson Lobo is on bass. Titles include "Upa Neguinho", "Nascente", "Bia", "Noa Noa", "Samba Novo", "Berimbau", "Nao Tem Solucao", and "Muito A Vontade". Very nicely repackaged, too!

Led Zeppelin's final album of the 70s! The band was conscious as ever of modern studio sounds by the this point – and they find a way to deliver their hard blues-inspired heavy rock with some new wave synth and other late 70s touches. It works pretty well, and with songs as great as "Fool In The Rain" and "All My Love" on the record, they really couldn't go wrong. Other titles include "In The Evening", "South Bound Suarez", "Carouselambra", and "I'm Gonna Crawl".

A great example of the sound of ECM in the early 70s, with Liebman playing in his post-Miles band angular modernist style with warm electric and acoustic accompaniment from Richard Beirach, Frank Tusa and Jeff Williams rounding out the quartet . The set is made up of three long, spiralling numbers, with the players intersecting and weaving together their lines, blurring the difference between solos, group improvisation and head melodies, and there's a large host of guest players, including John Abercrombie, Don Alias and Badal Roy. Titles include "Pablo's Story", "Sam's Float" and "MD/Lookout Farm".

With a name like this, you'd expect Lollipop Shoppe to be a sweet California band with a sunny pop feel – but instead, they've got a really nasty, nicely gritty sort of feel – kind of Sunset Strip garage rock turned towards more manic modes, a bit like early Love at their best! There's a raw power here that's simply wonderful – hardly what you'd expect from the usual groups on Uni Records at the time – and more the style you'd be likely to find from some small indie set out in the hinterlands. Guitars are raw and rugged, vocals are sung with a heartbreaking intensity – and a clear bit of craziness – and the rough-edged production really suits the group's sound wonderfully. Titles include "You Must Be A Witch", "It's Makin It", "I'm Gonna Be There", "It's Only A Reflection", "It Ain't How Long", and "Don't Close The Door On Me". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "Someone I Know" and "Through My Window".

Fred Lonberg-Holm at his collaborative best – working with a great group of Chicago citizens, each of whom shape the others' sound in the set! Parts of the record have Lonberg-Holm's older style of arch avant energy – an almost academic mode that comes across with thoughtfully expressive passages. Yet other sides of the music are much more freewheeling – and almost swinging, which is quite a change for Fred – but a welcome one too! Things never get too conventional, as the older modes grab back the newer ones from time to time – making for a rich set of sounds that come from Lonberg-Holm on cello and guitar, Aram Shelton on alto and clarinet, Keefe Jackson on tenor and bass clarinet, Josh Berman on cornet, Anton Hatwich on bass, and Frank Rosaly on drums – and, oddly, at some point nearly every band member plays some form of trumpet, too. Titles include "Infra Pass", "It's A Tough Grid", "Later News", "Lazy Day", "Roses", and "Simpler Days".

A really nice batch of early 80s soul from Loose Ends – one of the best remembered groups who were making strong soul music in Britain in the period – and who actually recorded this excellent first album at Philadelphia's Alpha Studios! Making the record in Philly was a wise decision – the sounds range from classic level slow jams, to solid modern soul to touches of electro and more dancefloor geared groovers – and it sounds like work of deft scene veterans rather than a full length debut for the group! The songs were written by the band who, at that time, included Jane Eugene, Carl McIntosh and Steve Nichol. Tracks include "Hangin On A String", "Choose Me", "Music Takes Me Higher", "Dial 999", "Tell Me What You Want", "A Little Spice", "So Much Love", and "Let's Rock". This great Soulmusic.com CD edition has wealth of bonus tracks: seven in all, including "In The Sky (UK Single – Long Version)", "Only A Day Away", "No Stranger To Darkness (UK Single)" and more.

One of the most striking groups we've heard from the Chilean scene of the late 60s – a quartet who have the groovy garagey sound of their contemporaries, but also manage a darker style overall! The lyrics are in English throughout – something the band always insisted on – but sung in a weird style, and they've got this stark quality that really goes with the skittish guitar on the tunes – played in ways that are a lot less derivative than some of the other South American combos of the period – with a freshness and economic use of psych that links Los Vidrios Quebrados much more strongly to the best London groups of the post-mod years. Tunes are all originals, and pretty darn great – and titles include "Concierto En La Menor Opus 3", "Palabras Y Palabras Y", "Las Dos Caras Del Amor", "En Tu Miranda", "Oscar Wilde", and "Ficciones".

Two soundtrack-themed albums – back to back on one CD! Themes For Super Heroes is a 1979 effort from Geoff Love – one timed to match up with the successful Superman film, but which also features bits from a range of TV heroes as well! Love's arrangements are lush, but often quite lean – done with some warm 70s glow at points, but never that sleepy, and with an ear for the right sort of dynamic bigger band arrangements to keep things interesting, when needed! Titles include "Blakes 7", "Spiderman", "The Bionic Woman", "The Six Million Dollar Man", "The Incredible Hulk", "Can You Read My Mind", and "Dick Barton Special Agent". Big Terror has a striking picture of Jaws on the cover – and follows up with its main theme, as well as key themes from a host of other 70s horror and disaster movies! Geoff Love changes things up in just the right way – almost making the album feel like a fresh batch of easy instrumentals instead of recaps of the exact soundtracks – on titles that include "Three Days Of The Condor", "The Exorcist", "The Eiger Sanction", "Jaws", "The Executioner", and "Death Wish".

An excellent funk party all the way through! Preston was Johnny Otis' tenor star in the late 60s – and this album has him grooving hard with members of Johnny's band, including a young Shuggie Otis, who's really wailing with some acid licks on guitar! The overall feel is very much in the funky 45 mode – and most cuts are instrumentals, occasionally with a bluesy twist. One number – "Cool Ade" – has a hip call-response vocal, and other tracks include "Hoe Cakes & Sorghum", "Cream Dream", "Neck Bones", "Chili Mac", and "Pot Likker".

An excellent funk party all the way through! Preston was Johnny Otis' tenor star in the late 60s – and this album has him grooving hard with members of Johnny's band, including a young Shuggie Otis, who's really wailing with some acid licks on guitar! The overall feel is very much in the funky 45 mode – and most cuts are instrumentals, occasionally with a bluesy twist. One number – "Cool Ade" – has a hip call-response vocal, and other tracks include "Hoe Cakes & Sorghum", "Cream Dream", "Neck Bones", "Chili Mac", and "Pot Likker".

A very cool Elektra compilation – with rare non-Buddah work by the Lovin Spoonful, plus material by Al Kooper, Tom Rush, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and Eric Clapton & The Powerhouse!

Madlib invades Blue Note! He gets free reign of the catalog for this mix of sampler genius and live band interpretations, too, as/with Ahmad Miller, Yesterdays New Quintet, Malcolm Catto, Medaphoar, and others from the Stones Throw camp. This one's truly a conceptual triumph, if there ever was such a thing – one of the greatest hip hop producers alive, given carte blanche with the source beats of the century! Madlib's Blue Note crates are heavily weighed in the mid 60s through mid 70s electric beats that often get the shaft in mainstream jazz round-ups, but floor the beathead world into overdrive. Re-interpretations, remixes, and revisions are spliced seamlessly with the source samples, creating a whole new world where hip hop and late model live funk not only co-exists with classic Blue Note jazz, but it actually draws a linear transition between the 2 genius art forms. Beautiful stuff – if the album isn't the most original idea to come along all of these years into the hip hop & jazz underground, it's certainly one of the most perfectly realized projects of its kind, ever! It's one for the time capsule – pure funky sample wizardry by any standard! Includes Monk Higgins' "Slim's Return" interpreted by Ahmad Miller and DJ Lord Such on cuts, "Donald Byrd's "Distant Land", "Ronnie Foster's "Mystic Bounce", Yesterday's New Quintet's adaptation of Wayne Shorter's "Footprints", Madlib Invazion's "Funky Blue Note", the Joe McDuphrey Experience take on Horace Silver's/Herbie Hancock's "Peace/Dolphin Dance" and lots more.

Madlib invades Blue Note! He gets free reign of the catalog for this mix of sampler genius and live band interpretations, too, as/with Ahmad Miller, Yesterdays New Quintet, Malcolm Catto, Medaphoar, and others from the Stones Throw camp. This one's truly a conceptual triumph, if there ever was such a thing – one of the greatest hip hop producers alive, given carte blanche with the source beats of the century! Madlib's Blue Note crates are heavily weighed in the mid 60s through mid 70s electric beats that often get the shaft in mainstream jazz round-ups, but floor the beathead world into overdrive. Re-interpretations, remixes, and revisions are spliced seamlessly with the source samples, creating a whole new world where hip hop and late model live funk not only co-exists with classic Blue Note jazz, but it actually draws a linear transition between the 2 genius art forms. Beautiful stuff – if the album isn't the most original idea to come along all of these years into the hip hop & jazz underground, it's certainly one of the most perfectly realized projects of its kind, ever! It's one for the time capsule – easily Madlib's masterpiece, and pure funky sample wizardry by any standard! Includes Monk Higgins' "Slim's Return" interpreted by Ahmad Miller and DJ Lord Such on cuts, "Donald Byrd's "Distant Land", "Ronnie Foster's "Mystic Bounce", Yesterday's New Quintet's adaptation of Wayne Shorter's "Footprints", Madlib Invazion's "Funky Blue Note", the Joe McDuphrey Experience take on Horace Silver's/Herbie Hancock's "Peace/Dolphin Dance" and lots more.

The eponymous full length from Nashville psyche funk trio Magic In Threes! There's something of a sound library style to the set – but the trio format gives their take on that groove in a bit of a tighter, more reigned in take on the groove. That's not to say it's not a diverse tapestry of tripped out grooves, but the cohesive mix of snaky rhythms, hazy organs and smoky atmosphere that gives it more of a working band vibe. Solid work on the GED Soul label! Includes "Nick's Theme", "Neal's Lament", "It's Good To Be The King", "I Got Warrants", "Rancho Relaxo", "Beatin' Tha Breaks", "Mesothelioma","Pushin' Off" and "Trinity Way".

Two of our favorite albums by The Main Ingredient – back to back on a single CD! Euphrates River is a wonderfully complex batch of tunes that shows that the group were taking a cue from some of their hipper contemporaries, and pushing past a stock hit formula. Bert DeCoteaux was still arranging, but the group produced themselves, giving the record a sexy funky feeling in the best parts, not that dissimilar from some of Marvin Gaye's work, or records by groups like The Isley Brothers or The O'Jays. Includes great versions of two Seals & Crofts songs – "Summer Breeze" and "Euphrates" – both a perfect example of this style, as is "Happiness Is Just Around The Bend" – plus a great reading of Willie Hutch's "California My Way", which has a super-dope sample at the beginning. Of course, the album still includes material like their hit " "Just Don't Want To Be Lonely", a sweetly style AM radio pop hit in the band's best style of earlier years. Afrodisiac is one of the most righteous albums ever from the Main Ingredient – as you might guess from its title and stylish cover! The group are really opening up here – and show a distinct Stevie Wonder influence throughout – not just because they perform their own hip takes on a number of tunes by Stevie, but also because Wonder himself plays a bit on the record! Rhythms are inventive, and grooves nice and complex – way past standard chart soul, into a heady mix that holds up beautifully over the years. Keyboards slide in great with the harmonies – and titles include great versions of Stevie Wonder tunes "Superwoman", "Where Were You When I Needed You", "Something Lovely", "Girl Blue", and "I Am Yours" – plus the great breakbeat track "You Can Call Me Rover", which has a very tight drum sound at the beginning, and tight soul harmonies all the way through. Also features a hip take on the Isleys' "Work To Do" too!

A pair of great early albums from Main Ingredient – Tasteful Soul from 1970 and Bitter Sweet from 1971 – in a single set! Tasteful Soul is one of the groups earliest records, with a great set of Bert DeCoteaux arrangements, and a totally sweet soul harmony sound! The arrangements are nice and airy, with lots of smooth sweeping passages that let the vocals float around effortlessly. Tracks include "Magic Shoes", "I'm Better Off Without You", "Spinning Around", "Need Her Love", "Searching", and "Somebody's Been Sleeping". Bitter Sweet is another gem,, and the one that includes the big hit "Everybody Plays the Fool", one of the all-time great AM radio soul classics! Nice east coast group soul throughout, with that slightly heavy production style the band was hitting at the time. Other titles include "No Tears", "Fly Baby Fly", "You've Got to Take It", and "I Can't See Me Without You". 20 tracks in all!

An excellent obscure album of young, undiscovered and lesser-known Chicago jazz players from the early 70s – like Charles Williamson, Sonny Seals, Tyrone Taylor, and Jodie Christian – all of whom play very nicely, and lay down some hard funky big band stuff. There's 4 nice extended tracks, and the record features two great funky numbers – "Hush" and "Music For Gong Gong", plus 2 ballads "Misty" and "Lover Man". Very nice grooves, and the kind of record we love to find!

Wonderful stuff! You probably know Mama Cass as one of the "mamas" in the Mamas & Papas – but she's got an insane pop vision on her own, a mad mix of the sweet, psychedelic, and historic, filtered through the haze of a late 60s LA summer afternoon. File this one next to your gems by The Association, Harper's Bizarre, and Van Dyke Parks – and you'll grow to love Mama for her tripped-out groovy pop! Titles include "You Know Who I Am", "Sweet Believer", "Rubber Band", "Long Time Loving You", and "California Earthquake".

Mandrill's first album of funky Latin jazz and soul – a landmark in crossover styles that still sounds remarkably fresh today! Unlike later records, which feature a tighter funk sound, this one has the band jamming out in a Latin-inflected mode that sounds like some of the best Chicano bands from LA during the early 70s. There's loads of funky flute, sweet organ riffing, and heavy drum and bass interplay. Includes the extended suite "Peace & Love", plus other funky goodies like "Symphonic Revolution", "Rollin' On", "Warning Blues", and "Mandrill".

A tasty set from Mandrill – one of their first records away from the Polydor label, but every bit as great as later efforts for that company, especially Mandrilland. The overall sound is a bit smoother than some of their full-out funky albums – but in a way that really helps blend together the band's unique mix of soul, Latin, and Afro-percussion grooves. Titles include "Stop & Go", "Yucca Jump", "Wind On Horseback", "Tee Vee", and "Peck Ya Neck".

A rare session from Herbie Mann – hardly the sort of operatic fare you might guess from the title, and instead one of Herbie's most enigmatic albums of the time, thanks to a nicely dark-edged quality to the sound! Herbie's flute is crisp and clean, but also extremely soulful – and the set features Mann in a variety of settings. 4 titles feature backing by a trio with Jimmy Rowles on piano, Buddy Clark on bass, and Mel Lewis on drums – all playing with moodier tones than you might expect from some of their other work of the time. 3 more tunes feature a more Latin vein – with great arrangements from Laurindo Almeida, and guitar from Tony Rizzi. And a few more tracks feature a bit of strings, and some added rhythm by a group with Jimmy Rowles on piano and Howard Roberts on guitar. Titles include "Let's Dance", "Tenderly", "Strike Up The Band", "Frenesi", "Oddles Of Noodles", "Evolution Of Mann", "Baia", and "St Louis Blues".

A rare album that Rusty Evans cut as Marcus for the Kinetic label – a beautifully produced set of lushly-accent psych folk – in a great package filled with demos, alternate versions and outtakes – in a 2CD set from Lion! Evans may be best remembered for his San Fransisco Sound production work, late 60s psychedelia that's a perfect encapsulation of the Haight-Ashbury scene of the time. His material as Marcus (which is his real first name) bridged that vibe with gentler folk rock touches, with lots of great acoustic instrumentation and flute in mix. His fragile, quivery vibrato vocals are laidback and unique, as is the spriritually trippy lyricism! Disc One features the original LP, followed by acoustic demos and alternates with the studio band. Includes "(We'll All) Go Together", "Time Of Our Time", "Grains Of Sand", "Royal Maze", "Color Song", "Children Of Aquarius", "Royal Maze", "High Priestess" and more. Disc Two is a full disc of alternate versions and outtakes – many of them quite different than versions that made the album – and often just as great! 42 tracks on 2CDs.

Rare mid 80s recordings from singer Bunny Marrett – a largely unrheralded hero of the Bristol reggae scene of that decade – and strong work that's gone unreleased until now! Recorded in '86, Marrett plays rhythm guitar and sings, with a band that includes Glen Crooks, Bob Locke, Tim Norfolk, Tony Orrell and UK Scientist. Stellar roosty sounds from the Bristol scene. Includes "I'm Free", "Natural Princess", "Farm Diggin'", "Farm Dubbin'" "Jazzy Reggae" and "Jazzy Reggae Dub" – plus the bonus "Times Are Getting Harder (Shoc Wave 12", 1981)" and "Hard Times Dub (Shoc Wave 12", 1981)".

Rare mid 80s recordings from singer Bunny Marrett – a largely unrheralded hero of the Bristol reggae scene of that decade – and a 6 track set of strong work that's gone unreleased until now! Recorded in '86, Marrett plays rhythm guitar and sings, with a band that includes Glen Crooks, Bob Locke, Tim Norfolk, Tony Orrell and UK Scientist. Stellar roosty sounds from the Bristol scene. Includes "I'm Free", "Natural Princess", "Farm Diggin", "Jazzy Reggae" and "Jazzy Reggae Dub".

Arranger Onzy Matthews plays piano and leads a nice tight band that includes LA soul jazz players like Curtis Amy, Clifford Scott, Bobby Bryant, Ray Crawford, and Horace Tapscott! The title sums up the sound of the session perfectly, as the tracks are bluesy, but with an elegant sense of arrangement, as you might expect from a jazz release on Capitol at the time. The solos of the stars are fairly prominent, and the LP's better than you might expect. Titles include "Pensive", "Dallas Blues", "Blues Non Stop", and "Somethin's Cookin".

It's always a sign of how huge Frankie Beverly was during the 80s that Capitol let him cut not one, but two double live albums during the early part of the decade. This one, his first, has the band grooving wonderfully before a crowd going mad in New Orleans. The tracks retain all the charm of the studio renditions – and are stretched out a bit more, with some nice interplay with the crowd. Includes early Maze classics – like "Happy Feelins", "Southern Girl", "Look At California", and the big sample track "Joy & Pain".

A warm soul classic from the great George McCrae – his first album after cracking big with Rock Your Baby – and a surprisingly deep effort that goes past the obvious cash-in TK mode of the time! KC & The Sunshine Band back up George on most of the record, and the album's got that "wah wah" sound that the group used on many of their own LPs at the time – a gently funky approach that provides a great counterpoint to McCrae's sweetly crackling vocals. KC also produced the album, and wrote all the songs for George too – and titles include "Baby Baby Sweet Baby", "You Treat Me Good", "It's Been So Long", "Sing A Happy Song", and "I Ain't Lyin". CD features the bonus track "Honey (single)".

A landmark album from the Miami soul scene of the 70s – the record that put Gwen McCrae on the map, and showed to the world that the TK sound was about to dominate the charts! There's a really unique groove to the set – part older southern soul, part percolated electric modes – that funky groove that Little Beaver, Timmy Thomas, and some of Gwen's TK contemporaries had been cooking up at the time. Both Beaver and Thomas are working on the sessions – as are Willie Clark, Latimore, and George Perry – and even the backup vocals are hip – with help from George McCrae, Betty Wright, and KC of Sunshine Band fame. But throughout it all, Gwen's the real star – singing with an impeccable vocal approach that's full of soul, yet never overdone – heard to amazing effect on the classic track "90% Of Me" – and other gems that include "For Your Love", "He Keeps Something Groovy Going On", "It Keeps On Raining", "He Don't Ever Lose His Groove", "Move Me Baby", and "Let Them Talk". Also features the classic "Rockin Chair" – added to the self-titled Gwen McCrae album from 1974, and retitled here to get the hit on an album!

A nice bit of funky organ work from Jimmy McGriff! The record's recorded with a slightly larger than usual band – but that's a good thing here, as players like Horace Ott, Cliff Davis, Richard Evans, and Everett Barksdale provide a strong bouncy groove, which Jimmy uses to solo over the top with some lean, mean funky Hammond solos! The album's got some excellent stone funky classics – like "The Bird", "Groove Grease", and "Plain Brown Bag" – plus some surprisingly funky readings of standards like "Canadian Sunset" and "Mr Lucky", both made to sound super-nice, thanks to excellent work on bass and drums!

Titles include "Star Wars & Other Galactic Funk", "The Last Battle", "Cantina Band", "Throne Room & End Title", and "Other Galactic Funk".

Perhaps the most beloved of albums by Mercury Rev – and also their most unique! This is a band that was just about the least predictable group to appear on a major label during the early 90s "alternative" feeding frenzy – certainly one of those great bands whose influence and impact extends far beyond however many records they sold at the time. Deserter's Songs has textures picked up from classic ornate pop, waltzy numbers and dreamy atmosphere to spare– paired with off kilter vocals and a freewheeling, creative sensibility. A classic! Includes "Holes", "Tonite It Shows", "Endlessly", "I Collect Coins", "Opus 40", "Hudson Line", "The Happy End (The Drunk Room)", "Goddess On A Hiway", "The Funny Bird", "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp".

Real 80s groove soul – with polished sound that's got a bit of a jazzy flavor in it, thanks mostly to the competent instrumentation of the band. Titles include "You Satisfy Me", "Just A Little Bit", "Heavy Rotation", "Start It Up", "Sweet Lady", and "You Got Everything".

The first moment of genius from the Steve Miller Band – a killer debut that also features a young Boz Scaggs as a key member of the group! Steve's the core star here, though – setting things up in this amazing blend of psych, blues, and hard rock – one that's easily a lot more ballsy than most of his Bay Area contemporaries at the time – really taking off on some propulsive rhythms, razor-sharp guitar, and cooking keyboards! Scaggs' vocal help is mighty nice – and titles include "You've Got The Power", "Pushed Me To It", "Junior Saw It Happen", "Baby's Callin Me Home", "Roll With It", and "Key To The Highway".

A great, rare early album by The Miracles! The album features the group back when they still had a female member, who gives the band a beautiful high harmony sound in tandem with Smokey Robinson's falsetto vocals. The reissue includes the great original cover – and loads of nice original tracks, like "You've Really Got A Hold On Me", "Your Love", "A Love She Can Count On", "I Can Take A Hint", and "Such Is Love, Such Is Life". Great great stuff – with a much rawer sound than later recordings!

We give up! Just when we thought the gravy train had stopped running, the last train to skaville pulls into the station with 16 jaunty numbers fusing ska and rocksteady with a healthy dose of Jamaican soul at the hands of Jackie Mittoo and the Soul Brothers under the guidance of Coxsone Dodd! After the Skatalites busted up in the mid 60s, Dodd set about assembling a new house band, bringing Mittoo and a number of the original members of the Skatalites, including Lloyd Brevett and Roland Alphonso, together with some of the new, younger talent, and the fine folks at Soul Jazz have assembled a mighty, mighty set of their finest moments. But as Coxsone says in the liner notes, let's "Cut the chatter and spin the platter"! Includes "James Bond", "Voodoo Moon", "Chicken & Booze", "Hpney Pot", "Mr Flint", "Dr Ring Ding", "Got My Boogaloo", "Home Made", "Sufferer's Choice" and "Hot & Cold".

A classic set of high-class jazz from the MJQ – one that shows John Lewis' growing compositional skills, and the band's always tight ability to work in a compressed chamber format. Features the extended "Fontessa" suite, plus the tracks "Versailles", "Angel Eyes", "Bluesology", and "Woodyn You".

Sweet sweet sweet soul from The Moments, and one of their rare early albums for the Stang label! The tracks are all beautiful New Jersey harmony soul, of the sort that The Moments and others put on the charts in a large way during the early 70s – and the band's smoothing their act up a bit, but still has some of the roughness that makes the best New Jersey soul albums so compelling! Of course, Sylvia Robinson probably had something to do with that – as she was still just hitting her stride in the studio – finding a great way to present the group with all the fragility of their earliest years, but also a bit more punch than usual. Titles include their hit "Love On A Two Way Street", a surprisingly great cover of "Rocky Raccoon", and other nice ones like "So This Is Our Goodbye", "I Do", "Key To My Happiness", and "Lovely Way She Loves".

Melba Moore's still very much in command of her stage presence here – working with the kind of positive, powerful energy that first got her noticed many years back! The setting is a relatively professional one – with a full band on stage providing accompaniment, and even taking over a bit instrumentally when Melba runs away for a costume change – of which there are a few in the set! Freddie Jackson joins Moore on stage for "Just A Little Bit More" and a "Christmas Medley" – and other tunes include "Falling", "This Is It", "Rainbow", "You Stepped Into My Life", "Stormy Weather", "Mozart", "Summertime", and "Purlie".

Mid 70's live album by Rudy Ray Moore, and one of the few records of his that we've seen that isn't on Kent. There's a band backing him up, but they're sort of in the background, and you can't hear them that well because Rudy's thundering voice is booming out over tracks like "Hell Of A Blow Job", "Crack Me Some Nuts", "Grow By The Minute", and "Fast Black".

Modern blue-eyed soul from Kendra Morris on Wax Poetics Records – and it delivers in full on the promising couple of Wax Po singles leading up to this solid full length! If the title Banshee brings to mind a shrill spooky cry, fear not – because Kendra is a natural, truly soulful singer! There's a nice live band feel to the record, too – with core backing of guitar, drums bass and spacey keys – plus occasional violin and other additional instrumentation. A win! Titles include "Waiting", "The Plunge", "Old Photos", "Right Now", "Today", "How You Want It", "If You Didn't Go", "Concrete Waves", "Here", "Banshee" and more.

Modern blue-eyed soul from Kendra Morris on Wax Poetics Records – and it delivers in full on the promising couple of Wax Po singles leading up to this solid full length! If the title Banshee brings to mind a shrill spooky cry, fear not – because Kendra is a natural, truly soulful singer! There's a nice live band feel to the record, too – with core backing of guitar, drums bass and spacey keys – plus occasional violin and other additional instrumentation. A win! Titles include "Waiting", "The Plunge", "Old Photos", "Right Now", "Today", "How You Want It", "If You Didn't Go", "Concrete Waves", "Here", "Banshee" and more.

One of the rarest albums on the Groove Merchant label – and one of the best! Ramon Morris has a sweet tone on the tenor that works very well with the electric piano in his tight little combo – grooving with a style that's like the best Black Jazz funk records of the time – mixing together bright notes, funky rhythms, and plenty of great chord changes! Cecil Bridgewater's on trumpet, and the band has a really righteous feel – with lots of real soul and thoughtful playing mixed into the jazz funk grooves of the record. Massive – with titles that include "Sweat", "Lord Sideways", "Sweet Sister Funk", and a nice version of "People Make The World Go Round".

Motorhead tearing it up in the early 80s and arguably hitting their absolute peak – the final album with the classic trio lineup of Lemmy, Fast Eddie Clarke and Philthy Animal Taylor – capping off one of the most trailblazing periods for any band in rock & roll history! Iron Fist is as unrelenting and stubbornly gruff as the preceding Overkill and Ace Of Spades LPs, a loud and clear statement that this band was committed in full to the sound they created. Includes "Iron Fist", "Hert Of Stone", "I'm The Doctor", "Loser", "Shut It Down", "Speedfreak", "(Don't Need) Religion", "Bang To Rights" and more.

Mr Drum, you're one heck of a funky player – a mysterious Japanese musician from the early 70s, and one who really knows how to kick into a groove! The drums are definitely at the forefront here – breaking hard right at the start of the record, and mixing with raw guitar and freaky big band backings – all in one of the hippest hybrids of styles we've heard from the Japanese scene at the time! Tunes are mostly familiar numbers from American pop – but their reworked in styles that run from funky to trippy to mod – all as instrumentals with a mighty sharp edge. Titles include "The Drum", "Want Ads", "Lowdown", "Brown Sugar", "It Don't Come Easy", "Indian Reservation", and "Never Can Say Goodbye".

Fantastic sounds from one of our city's greatest groups of the past decade – the mighty Mucca Pazza, a darn funky band who are heavy on horns, but move with an incredibly lean groove! The label describes the group as "the marching band that thinks it's a rock band" – but we've always found these guys to be even more playful than that – not rock, but kind of a multi-instrumental "happening" – especially when they crop up at street performances – which are always as visually stimulating as they are musically groovy! This full album represents the group even better than we might have imagined – with a great focus on the harder-romping sound of their music. Titles include "Sexy Bull", "Marcia Anormale", "Boss Taurus", "Monster Tango", "Rabbits & Trees", "Last Days", "Sunday Showing (part 1)", and "Coolashell".

Early 70s ensemble funk from Mugo – a DC group made up of students from McKinley Tech High School – combining tightly energetic, fairly sprawling instrumentation and soulful vocals – a number of unreleased tracks from the sessions that also produced their rare 70s single, newly mixed by Kenny Dope for the Kay Dee label! The school band vibe really kind of comes into play via the uncommon mix of instruments, and that works really, really well – B-3, Rhodes and Korg synthesizer provide for some spacier touches, while flute and piano also find room in the group's sound alongside the funky drums, guitar and bass – with feverish vocals and some killer instrumental passages. The performances are inventively strong, too – it doesn't sound like a bunch a kids, that's for sure! We we flipped over the single Kay Dee put out of the group, and we're all the more ecstatic over the great LP! Includes "Change", "Organized (Kenny Dope Edit)", "Space Traveler", "I Love Music", "How Time Fly's", "All About Love", "Love Has Gone", "Sing A Song" and "Water".

A heavy slab of jam band funk! Mushroom are a heavy jamming funk outfit with a classic groove – working hard with horns and Fender Rhodes to craft up solid slabs of groove, circa early 70s Atlantic Records vintage. This 5 track ep has about as much music as you'd find on a regular album – and it's awash with great remixes, like the Bundy K Brown remix of "American's Own The Moon", and the Quintus Kannegiesser remix of "Let's Have Sex", both of which are considerably more modern sounding than some of the other tracks on the set, like the group's cover of "Compared To What" or the original "Foxy Music".

The second outing from this west coast, tripped out, drugged up, funky jazz act – and arguably better than their first! The album's got a sound that will appeal to fans of the more progressive end of grooving – with plenty of long tracks that have the band jamming in a kick-back mode that's reminiscent of the style of some of the European jazz rock groups of the early 70s. Titles include "Sonia & Sony", "What's The Deal With Q?", "Brian Felix & The Trinity", "Are We Being Taped?", "Theme Song For Stereo Steve", and "4 Men With Beards".

A great record by east coast funky soul group Mystic Merlin – and a diverse one, with some jazzy uptempo club tracks, and others on the funkier edge of that style – excellent work from this oft-overlooked band on Capitol! There's a bit of that nice, smoothed out group soul sound that Capitol was hitting so well at the beginning of the 80s, but the band does it their own way – which includes a more searing, funkier sound on a few tunes! Titles include "Just Can't Give You Up", "Dark Side Of Your Love", "Dreams", "Burned To Learn", and "Don't You Want To Be A Star". 4 bonus tracks on this Big Break CD edition: "Burned To Learn (Single Version)", "Got To Make The Best (Of A Love Situation)" (12" Disco Version)", "Just Can't Give You Up (Single Version)" and "Can't Stop Dancing (No Matter What I Do (Single Version)".

A lively band of young British players, packed into a large group with a tight swinging sound that evokes some of the better continental bands of the sort at the time – like the Clarke-Boland Ensemble, the Johnny Dankworth group, and even bits of Mike Westbrook's early work. The set list is a nice group of lesser-known titles – like "Who-Wray?", "Full House", "Spaghetti Junction", "Marianne", "Eleven Plus", and "Legs Eleven". Orchestra directed by Bill Ashton, and the set was recorded at London Weekend Television in 1975. And if it sounds drippy, give it a chance – as there's more than a few nice cuts here that feel like they're lifted off a compliation like Jazz Biznezz, or some of those other hip European sets!

An undiscovered chapter in the career of Norwegian saxophonist Carl Magnus Neumann – the player best known for his funky contributions to the work of Webster Lewis and the Band No Name of the Club 7 scene – but who's presented here as a much richer jazz musician overall! The set features three rare slices of work by Neumann – two 70s studios sessions, and one early 80s live date – the former with small group instrumentation that includes guitar, bass, and percussion – the latter with a slightly bigger lineup that adds four cellos into the mix! Neumann composed most of the material himself, and it's all pretty darn expressive work – bold and meaningful, yet without being too outside or avant – more in the kind of extended, open way of approaching jazz that so many 70s pianists were attempting. Carl plays alto sax throughout, and titles include "Kludder", "Kalimera", "Blues", "Nr 1", "No Surt Og No Sott", "Wind", and "Ballade".

2 long-overdue classics from New Birth – back to back on a single CD! Ain't No Big Thing captures the group near the beginning of their career – when they were sort of a funky soul army, featuring the instrumental talents of The Nite-Liters, the vocal strength of a number of excellent members, and the raw production skills of the great Harvey Fuqua! This album's one of their best-ever – and it features a great mix of soul and funk, with some sweet cuts, and other nice harder numbers, all done in the warm spirit of the group when they were in their prime. Includes "Honeybee", "Oh What a Feeling", "How Good It Feels", plus groovy covers, like "I Want to Make It With You" and "Never Can Say Goodbye". Coming Together is an excellent early album by New Birth – with a good straight ahead soul style, and some nice arrangements by Vernon Bullock, Harvey Fuqua, and Bert De Coteaux. The tracks are a mix of originals and covers, and the band is great throughout – grooving hard in a souful way that makes the record glisten with an honest intensity that's missing from some of the group's later work. With "African Cry", "Don't Knock My Love", "All the Way", "Two Kinds of People", "Yesterday I Heard The Rain", and "I Don't Want To Do Wrong". A tough one to find, and the album that will make you love the band!

One of the funkiest groups on the Invictus label – a tight combo who've got some wonderful energy throughout! The group may well be the same combo that recorded earlier as the Port Authority Band for the US Navy (we've never been sure of that) – and this album's definitely got the same wonderful blend of jazz and soul, served up with lots of funky rhythms underneath – upbeat and uptempo, in ways that aren't exactly club, but which aren't that far off either! There's some great tight horns on the set – almost in a Brass Construction mode, but a bit leaner too – and some cuts have these really cool moogy keyboards that we totally love. Titles include "I Got It", "I Don't Want To Work Today", "Rainbow", "Guess I'm Gonna Cry", and "Twilight Zone". Includes bonus tracks "I Got It (part 1)", "I Got It (part 2)", "I Got It (special disco version)", and "I Used To Hate It (special disco version)".

An Afro Funk treasure from the 70s – a rare album recorded by Pax Nicholas, a singer and percussionist who was part of Fela's legendary Africa 70 band! The album's got a sound that definitely echoes that heritage, but with a groove that's pretty weird too – more stripped down than most of Fela's work, with a thin keyboard part that often pulsates under the horns, creating an offbeat, edgey vibe in the music! Nicholas' groove is almost like taking Fela, and putting it through an odd sort of filter – one that turns things slightly sideways, and brings a really fresh sound to more familiar Afro Funk modes – kind of with the same other-worldly feel we love in some Ethiopian work of the time. Tracks are all nice and long – and plenty jamming – and titles include "Na Teef Know De Road Of Teef", "Ataa Onukpa", "Na Six Feet", and "You".

Cold, hard, and funky! This might be the greatest album ever by this legendary 70s funk band – and it's got a killer sound that has the tightness of the JBs, the rawness of the early Meters, and the frenzy of a rare funky 45! Includes the incredible "Afro Strut" – worth the price of the record alone, as it's got this screaming sax riff that's completely insane! Other nice ones include covers of "Shaft" and "Them Changes", plus "Brand X", "Baker's Instant", and "Respect To The Other Man".

Certainly one of the greatest albums by this excellent (and oft-overlooked!) group from the 70s! The band of young Bahians deliver a great mix of tracks tinged with bits of rock, funky samba, and even a few psychedelic influences – with alternating male and female vocals, and some excellent songwriting that places the record right up there with some of the best work by Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil from the same time! We love this one to death, and find it to be one of the few records by the group that we return to again and again – a real post-Tropicalia classic that's filled with great songs. Tracks include "Preta Pretinha", "Besta E Tu", "A Menina Danca", "Swing De Campo Grande", and "Tinindo Trincando".

A beautiful lost relic, and a monster batch of long jazzy grooves! The album was recorded in the great tradition of "musicans in prison" albums, like those by The Escorts in the early 70s, and it features an incredibly soulful band made up of jazz musicians in lockdown at the Ohio State Penitentiary during the mid 70s! We don't recognize any of the names on the album, but the players work with a hell of a lot of soul and spirit – on longer tracks that almost have the feel of 70s work by The Pharoahs or Phil Cohran's Artistic Heritage Ensemble. Way better than anything you'd usually get of this nature – and definitely light years beyond any school or army band recording – and much more like a 70s underground spiritual jazz set. All of the material was written and arranged by Logan Rollins, and the tracks have a large group feel, with long drawn out grooves, and plenty of room for nice nice solos – and titles include "Psych City", "Mantra Dance", "Counterry Bosa Davan", and "Java Man".

A beautiful lost relic, and a monster batch of long jazzy grooves! The album was recorded in the great tradition of "musicans in prison" albums, like those by The Escorts in the early 70s, and it features an incredibly soulful band made up of jazz musicians in lockdown at the Ohio State Penitentiary during the mid 70s! We don't recognize any of the names on the album, but the players work with a hell of a lot of soul and spirit – on longer tracks that almost have the feel of 70s work by The Pharoahs or Phil Cohran's Artistic Heritage Ensemble. Way better than anything you'd usually get of this nature – and definitely light years beyond any school or army band recording – and much more like a 70s underground spiritual jazz set. All of the material was written and arranged by Logan Rollins, and the tracks have a large group feel, with long drawn out grooves, and plenty of room for nice nice solos – and titles include "Psych City", "Mantra Dance", "Counterry Bosa Davan", and "Java Man".

A massive batch of stoned-out funk from the Ohio Players – recorded here during their legendary years at Detroit soul powerhouse Westbound Records! At this point, the band have a style that's a mix of psychedelia, funk, and harmony soul – similar to labelmates Funkadelic, but perhaps not as crazy. The set includes most of their best cuts from the time – including gems like "Funky Worm", "Varee Is Love", "Walt's First Trip", "Food Stamps", "Laid It", "Singing In The Morning", "Ecstasy", "Climax", "Pain", "Sleep Talk", and "Player's Balling".

Great work from the Ohio Players – and proof that moving to a big label could be a good thing for a funky group! This was the band's first album for Mercury – and although one might have the temptation to say that the label cut down the radical funk sound of the trippy Westbound years, the move also taught the band to sharpen up their act, and get out of the repetitive sloppy groove into which they'd been lapsing during the past few years. The record's a lot smoother than earlier work – with a polished funky sound that would soon push the band right up there with Earth Wind & Fire at the top of the soul charts. And although there's familiar funky numbers like "Skin Tight", "Jive Turkey", and "Streakin Cheek To Cheek" – the best moment on the entire album is the wonderful spacey soul number "Heaven Must be Like This", a seven minute mellow groover that's got a sophisticated jazzy soul style, with voices and piano soaring into the heavens, in a way that always still sends chills down our spine! That cut shows the band's tremendous growth – and it's one of their best-ever!

Two funky classics – back to back on a single CD! Put The Music Where Your Mouth Is features some of the funkiest grooves recorded in the UK during the early 70s – the wicked first album by the Olympic Runners, a group who almost got their start by accident! The combo was booked to back up bluesman Jimmy Dawkins for a one-off session in London – but worked together so well in the studio, jamming before Dawkins showed up, that they decided to make it a go with a groove of their own – and this fantastic funky album is the result! The tracks are all instrumental, mostly short and midtempo – with tight changes, lots of guitar and keyboards, and a vibe that's almost in the spirit of Average White Band – but grittier and funkier overall. The title cut – "Put The Music Where Your Mouth Is" – begins with this riffed bass part that's virtually a blueprint for the BDP generation of samples – and other cuts include "Everyone A Winner", "Do it Over", "Taco Toes", "Grab It", "Sproutin Out", "Just Once Is Enough", and "Be My Main Squeeze". Out In Front features funky, fantastic grooves from this hip UK combo of the 70s – a set that's heavy on keyboards and guitars, all produced with this cool compressed feel by the mighty Mike Vernon! The sound is kind of a mix of 70s American funk from the mainstream, and some of those great British studio styles of the period – that way of comping all instruments down on a groove that you'd find in better glam and pop – turned here towards a much more soulful style for the Olympic Runners! Tracks include "Freeze on Funk", "Dump the Bump", "Panic Button", "Exit City", "Get This Thing Down", "Coucou N Flying Fish", and "Go No Further".

They left a blank in the title, so we'll never know what it is they witnessed – but that's alright with us, because Osaka Monoaurail's so goshdarn funky, we can always forgive them for their weird choice of titles! The group's a real standout in the international deep funk underground – as they play with an intensity to match the James Brown Band of the late 60s King years – really ripping along the rhythms with incredible tightness, and making their 9 piece lineup of horns, organ, percussion, and guitar burn with a really classic funky power! Vocalist Ryo Nakata has a weirdly raspy style that makes him one of the most striking singers in funk today – no copycat modes at all, and a rough and ready vocal approach that only adds even more weight to the groove of the group. CD features a blistering live performance that runs for nearly 80 minutes – 24 tracks in all, partying seamlessly next to one another in a mix of classics and original tunes. Titles include "Back & Alive 77", "The Coming Back", "Jam 1976", "Double Up Now", "New New Type Thing", "Whatever You Do", "Thankful", "What It Is What It Was", and "Theme From Shaft".

A pair of killers from Ozone – back to back on a single CD! Jump On It is filled with jumping grooves from Ozone – a smoking little set that's tight and right – and completely wonderful throughout! The set's got that perfect blend of funk and groove that always made Ozone so great – a quality honed through years as Billy Preston's backing band, and forged even more strongly on their own – with some extra added help here from both Michael Lovesmith as songwriter and arranger, and Angelo Bond as songwriter on a few cuts! The album's a killer all the way through – and stands as proof that Ozone were one of those great overlooked Motown acts at the start of the 80s – one who really should have been huge. Titles include "Your Love Stays On My Mind", "Mighty Mighty", "Ozonic Bee Bop", "Jump On It", "Rock & Roll Pop & Soul", and "Come On It". Lil Suzy is a smoking batch of funky grooves that has a lot more edge than most of the other work going on at the label at the time! There's echoes of Rick James funk in the mix, but the overall style is looser and freer too – almost with an ear towards some of the indie club styles of the time, yet tuned towards the tightness that you'd expect from Motown at its best. The arrangements are superb, and the band have a way of keeping the ensemble upfront throughout – yet also avoiding any of the cliches that other groups would hit so often. Occasional sweet moments really help balance the sound – and titles include "Shake It Down", "You'll Never Know How Much", "Ain't Got Far To Go", "I'm Not Easy", and "Let The Ozone Take Your Mind".

Really great work by The Association – recorded a few years after their "Cherish" and "Along Came Mary" singles, and with a sound that's a lot more sophisticated and far-reaching! The band still has their sweet harmony sound in place, but the arrangements and songwriting show a lot more signs of their association with the hip LA scene of the 60s – fitting them in nicely with the underground mainstream that was then rewriting the sound of rock at Warner Brothers. Titles include "Broccoli", "The Nest", "Love Affair", "Boy On the Mountain", and "Yes, I Will".

Seminal work from one of the 70s greatest groups! The band had always been great at love songs and uptempo numbers – but this record has them moving into more righteous area, picking up on some of the more socially conscious soul of their generation that had been working its way up the charts. The album features excellent production by Chi-Lite Eugene Record, who also wrote a lot of the material – plus arrangments by Tom Tom and Sonny Sanders. Great stuff all around, with the righteous social tunes "(For God's Sake) Give More Power to The People", "Trouble's A Comin", and "We Are Neighbors" – plus classic love songs "Have You Seen Her" and "Love Uprising", which are still kind of the band's strongest point. Loads more great stuff on this one, the album that helped the second wave of Chicago soul break out into the international market!

Although often eclipsed by their bigger hits, and lost in the shuffle because it didn't have a proper title – this is probably one of the finest albums ever by this legendary Chicago harmony soul group! The record has a very sophisticated soul sound, with harmonies that are even better than on earlier albums – and a great batch of tracks with some very unusual twists and turns that take them farther than the band's big hits. Includes the great groover "Go Away Dream", the hits "Marriage License" and "Stoned Out Of My Mind", and lots of other nice ones like "Homely Girl", "I Never Had It So Good", and "I Found Sunshine".

A whole new sound for Mark De Clive-Lowe – and a great one too – a completely different approach than any of his other previous records, and one that mixes his core cosmic grooves with a heavy dose of jazz! The set has Mark working with the Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra – who provide bigger band backing to his sweet keyboards and rhythms, making for a wonderful blend of acoustic and electric that almost takes us back to some of the best MPS sessions of this nature in the 70s! Most tracks feature at least one horn solo out from the larger group – and there's no vocals at all on the record, which further gives the whole thing a fresh vibe compared to some of Mark's recent releases. EP features 4 tracks – titles include "Money", "Take The Space Trane", "Caravan", and "Filthy Fingers".

A great record from folk rock oddball Michael Hurley – with spare, ragged little solo guitar & vocal tunes that greatly showcase both Hurley's easygoing, slowly rolling along vocals, as well has his piercing, high emphatic howls– plus more fleshed out tunes with the band, full of groovy, eccentric instrumentation. He brings in some fiddle and mandolin for a rustic feel here and there, a coronet that lends a bit of a jazzy cognizance, and more streamlined, folk rock touches. The album includes a Hurley staple or two, including "Werewolf" – plus "Grand Canyon Line", "English Nobleman", "Be Kind To Me", "Troubled Waters", "Sweedeedee", "Open Up", "Jocko's Lament", "Light Green Fellow", "Get The Best Of Me", "Biscuut Roller", "When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano" and "Penguins".