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Funky Bo Diddley – one of Bo's key early 70s sessions for Chess Records – all of which have him stepping out in a much harder groove than years past! The sound here is relatively tight – with Diddley guitar and vocals on top of some larger arrangements from Bob Gallo – backings that mix together sounds from contemporary rock and soul, but always with an ear for the roots that Bo inspired in the first place – put forward towards a new generation with nicely kicking rhythms and really fuzzy guitars! The standout number here is the break classic "Go For Broke" – a drum-heavy instrumental that's worth the price of the record alone – and other titles include the great original "Pollution", plus versions of "The Shape I'm In", "Down On The Corner", "Lodi", "Bad Side Of the Moon", and "Bad Moon Rising".

Heavy funk from the legendary Bo Diddley – one of his amazing comeback albums from the early 70s for Chess, all of which are plenty darn great! For this set, Bo's traded in the scratchy guitar mode of his classic work for a sweeter, tighter funk-based sound – a groove that's supported strongly with electric studio arrangements from Wade Marcus – used here in very nice contrast to Diddley's rougher vocals and guitar! The style's got a bit more electric jazz touches than some of the other Chess blues funk records from the time – but the overall sound is still bound to please any funk fan – and titles include "Bite You", "Stop The Pusher", "You've Got a Lot Of Nerve", and the breakbeat classic "Hit Or Miss"!

Heavy funk from the legendary Bo Diddley – one of his amazing comeback albums from the early 70s for Chess, all of which are plenty darn great! For this set, Bo's traded in the scratchy guitar mode of his classic work for a sweeter, tighter funk-based sound – a groove that's supported strongly with electric studio arrangements from Wade Marcus – used here in very nice contrast to Diddley's rougher vocals and guitar! The style's got a bit more electric jazz touches than some of the other Chess blues funk records from the time – but the overall sound is still bound to please any funk fan – and titles include "Bite You", "Stop The Pusher", "You've Got a Lot Of Nerve", and the breakbeat classic "Hit Or Miss"!

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".

Bo Diddley tearing it up in the mid 80s – with a fairly raucous, hard-charging presentation of his iconic sound, plus more electric bluesy numbers with sax and a more stretched out groove. Titles include "Intro/Bo Diddley", "Doctor Jekyll", "Everleen", "I Don't Know Where I've Been", "You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover", "I'm A Man", "Road Runner" and "Mona".

A wicked reinvention of the sound of Bo Diddley – a set that electrifies his groove even more than before – and takes him into the same mix of funk and blues that Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf were exploring at the time! This album's right up there with the two Cadet/Chess classics by both of those artists – and is possibly even more messed-up too – with lots of jagged edges that push past the usual Bo Diddley groove – even though that classic sense of rhythm is still at the core to drive things along! We don't know who's playing drums, but they've got a nice heavy handed approach that makes these tracks really boom – and the set's in a massively funky style that's taken far too many years to be acknowledged for in the mainstream! Lots of nice ones, including "Shut Up Woman", "Funky Fly", "Power House", "Black Soul", "Elephant Man", and "I've Got A Feeling".

Forget the silly cowboy costume on the front cover – because this is a heck of a great album! Bo might have gotten saddled (no pun intended!) with a silly gimmick for the title and image of the set – but the album's one of his best from the early Chess years, and features a rip-roaring batch of tracks that really cut it up in his classic scratchy guitar mode of the time! Lyrics are great – nearly all originals by Bo himself, with that hip swinging, and hard-wailing approach that was always a lot of fun – and cuts include "Gunslinger", "Diddling", "Cheyenne", "Cadillac", and "Doing The Craw-Daddy".

Have guitar, will travel – and back in the day, Bo Diddley was going pretty darn far with great material like this! The album's a real standout, even in the classic Chess catalog of the early years –no filler, no covers, just all original material by Bo Diddley – done in that unique Diddley blend of fast riffing guitar, playful vocals, and odd rhythms that often chug along at a really frenetic pace, especially in these pre-funk years! A key influence on funky music for many years to come, and a record that explodes from the very first note – on a set of original tracks that include "Run Diddley Diddley", "Mumblin Guitar", "Say Man, Back Again", "Come On Baby", "Dancing Girl", "She's Alright", and "Cops & Robbers".

Bo Diddley's a hired gunslinger – doing his oft-imitated, never bettered thing as a session player here in a formative mid 50s period – playing for Billy Boy Arnold, Little Walter, Billy Steward, The Schoolboys and The Marquees! Diddley's actually the credited or co-credited composer on most of these tunes, too – the dude did his own thing, not others – and it's a great little set of 50s bluesy and rollicking gems. 11 tracks: "You Got To Love Me Baby" and "I'm Sweet On You" by Billy Boy Arnold, "Hate To See You Go" and "Roller Coaster" by Little Walter,, "Billy's Blues" by Billy Stewart, "Wyatt Earp" by The Marquees and more.

A massive amount of early work by The Animals – brought together in one overstuffed package with some unreleased tracks as well! The group here have a great rough sound – much more bluesy than in later years, which turns out to be a perfect setting for the young Eric Burdon – whose vocals soar out wonderfully over a mix of original tunes and remakes of American classics by folks like Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker, Sam Cooke, Bo Diddley, and others! Producer Mickie Most really knows how to keep the right sort of edge on the tunes – lots of raw power in the instrumentation, especially the Hammond and guitar – and a stark, dark quality to Eric's vocals that went onto become the stuff of legend. Package features 40 tracks in all – with titles that include "I Believe To My Soul", "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", "Club A Go Go", "For Miss Caulker", "Feel", "Boom Boom", "Don't Want Much", "It's My Life", "House Of The Rising Sun", "We've Gotta Get Out Of This Place", and "I'm Gonna Change The World".

Late Chuck Berry for Chess Records – and two albums that really get past the hits! The package is a bit unusual – in that it brings together two different UK albums that featured early Berry Chess recordings – most of which were from his later years at the label, and have him really opening up on guitar! There's still plenty of catchy tunes, and Chuck's guitar is definitely the stuff of legend – but, like Bo Diddley as his more obscure, there's also a compelling freshness to this music that may well have you appreciating Berry even more than before. 26 tracks in all – with titles that include "Big Ben", "You Never Can Tell", "Diploma For Two", "Liverpool Drive", "Don't You Lie To Me", "Guitar Boogie", "Fraulein", "Deep Feeling", and "Come On".

A killer album of funky blues – recorded by Howlin Wolf during the period when Chess/Cadet was backing its older artists up with some of the newer funk musicians it had working in its studios! The overall sound works quite well – and although purists at the time moaned at the way artists like Wolf, Etta James, and Bo Diddley were being handled (especially with a "we know better than them" message on the cover like this!), the funky blues records from this time actually seem to be some of the most enduring from Chess – especially with younger listeners in the 21st Century! A big part of the success here goes to producers Charles Stepney and Gene Barge – who helped bring together a younger batch of players for Wolf's backing – including Pete Cosey and Phil Upchurch on guitars, Louis Satterfield on bass, and Morris Jennings on drums. Titles include "Spoonful", "Tail Dragger", "Smokestack Lightning", "Red Rooster", "Evil", and "Down In The Bottom".

Funky blues work from Howlin Wolf – his key entry into the funked-up genre that Chess Records was cutting at the end of the 60s with other blues artists like Etta James, Bo Diddley, and Muddy Waters! As on records with those artists, Wolf's older modes are updated here for a hipper, younger audience – backed up with a bouncing batch of electrified backings arranged by Sonny Thompson, and conducted by Thompson and Cash McCall, the latter of whom is most likely playing a bit of guitar here. Tracks are a bit longer than usual, and filled with plenty of heavy guitar bits next to the vocals – and titles include "I Smell A Rat", "Miss James", "If I Were A Bird", "She's Lookin Good", "Turn Me On", and "Message To The Young".

Funky blues work from Howlin Wolf – his key entry into the funked-up genre that Chess Records was cutting at the end of the 60s with other blues artists like Etta James, Bo Diddley, and Muddy Waters! As on records with those artists, Wolf's older modes are updated here for a hipper, younger audience – backed up with a bouncing batch of electrified backings arranged by Sonny Thompson, and conducted by Thompson and Cash McCall, the latter of whom is most likely playing a bit of guitar here. Tracks are a bit longer than usual, and filled with plenty of heavy guitar bits next to the vocals – and titles include "I Smell A Rat", "Miss James", "If I Were A Bird", "She's Lookin Good", "Turn Me On", and "Message To The Young".

Funky blues work from Howlin Wolf – his key entry into the funked-up genre that Chess Records was cutting at the end of the 60s with other blues artists like Etta James, Bo Diddley, and Muddy Waters! As on records with those artists, Wolf's older modes are updated here for a hipper, younger audience – backed up with a bouncing batch of electrified backings arranged by Sonny Thompson, and conducted by Thompson and Cash McCall, the latter of whom is most likely playing a bit of guitar here. Tracks are a bit longer than usual, and filled with plenty of heavy guitar bits next to the vocals – and titles include "I Smell A Rat", "Miss James", "If I Were A Bird", "She's Lookin Good", "Turn Me On", and "Message To The Young".

Rare mid 60s garage rock from Adrian Lloyd – the wild scream-punctuated/Bo Diddley beat inspired "Lorna" and the less manic, but just as great "Got A Little Woman"! The hard-to-find Charger Records single gets much-needed reissue here by Sundazed.

The complete Josie work from the mighty Meters in a 2CD set – including the self-titled '69 album, Look-Ka Py Py and Struttin' from 1970, plus a bunch of great singles and numbers with Art Neville and Cyril Neville! Disc 1 features Meters & Look-Ka Py Py – the former simply one of the greatest albums in the history of funk – and the latter an all time classic funky instrumental LPs, with a choppy tight guitar groove. Includes "Cissy Strut", "Cardova", "Art", "Stormy", "Look-Ka Py Py", "Dry Spell", "Little Old Money Maker" and more. Disc 2 starts with Struttin' – about as hard, heavy and funky as you can get – with "Chicken Strut", "Go For Yourself", "Ride Your Pony", "Hand Clappin Song" and more. Also includes the singles "Message From The Meters", "Zony Mash", "I Need More Time", "Sassy Lady" and more, plus "Bo Diddley" (Pts 1 & 2)", "Heartaches" and "I'm Gonna Put Some Hurt On You" with Art Neville from '68, plus "Gossip" and "Tell Me What's On Your Mind" with Cyril Neville circa '70.

The funk-tinged, pyschedelic soul album from Muddy Waters – one that irritated many a blues purist in its day – but it's finally reaching its earned status as a leftfield gem! You know, in the immediate years after this one (and similar funky blues albums on Chess/Cadet) was released, it was downplayed as a cheap attempt to sell out Muddy's classic blues sound. These days, it's treasured by many of us as a unique funky session that merged the best of Chicago's funk, soul, and blues worlds – taking Muddy's sound way past earlier records and into uncharted waters. It's similar to some of the work on Chess at the time by Bo Diddley and Etta James – and it includes lots of nice updated groovers like "I'm A Man", "I Just Want To Make Love to You", "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Same Thing", "She's All Right", and "Tom Cat". Arrangements are by Charles Stepney, too!

The story of one of the most legendary soul clubs in the UK – home to the great wave of Northern Soul enthusiasm that burst big in the 60s – plus a fair bit of hanky panky as well! This collection shows a decidedly raw side of the club's roots – American soul from the 60s, plus a fair bit of R&B as well – a groove that's rougher than you might find on other Northern Soul collections – which often tend towards some of the tighter Detroit productions of the period. The CD features a whopping 28 tracks in all – with lots of tracks from Chicago and the Motor City – and the package is a cool book-style one, with 24 pages of full-color images and photos, plus notes as well. Titles include "Road Runner" by Bo Diddley, "Good Times" by Gene Chandler, "Turn On Your Lovelight" by Bobby Blue Bland, "Do The 45" by The Sharpees, "Get Down With It" by Bobby Marchan, "I Spy For The FBI" by Jamo Thomas, "And Get Away" by The Esquires, "I Can't See Your Love" by The Ballads, "Searchin" by Alvin Robinson, and "You Shot Me Through The Grease" by Alvin Cash.

The funk-tinged, pyschedelic soul album from Muddy Waters – one that irritated many a blues purist in its day – but it's finally reaching its earned status as a leftfield gem! You know, in the immediate years after this one (and similar funky blues albums on Chess/Cadet) was released, it was downplayed as a cheap attempt to sell out Muddy's classic blues sound. These days, it's treasured by many of us as a unique funky session that merged the best of Chicago's funk, soul, and blues worlds – taking Muddy's sound way past earlier records and into uncharted waters. It's similar to some of the work on Chess at the time by Bo Diddley and Etta James – and it includes lots of nice updated groovers like "I'm A Man", "I Just Want To Make Love to You", "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Same Thing", "She's All Right", and "Tom Cat". Arrangements are by Charles Stepney, too!

A much-needed anthology of solo material from VU drummer Moe Tucker – also the singer and one woman band on many of the best recordings here – a massive set that also includes recordings with Velvets cohorts Lou Reed, John Cale and Sterling Morrison, out rock eccentrics Jad Fair and Daniel Johnston, Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore and Lee Renaldo, Jonathan Richman and others! The majority of the material comes from independent and self-released records that Moe made from the early 80s to mid 90s – a fascinating wealth of songs that explore the proto rock primitivism that was such an indispensable facet of her style of drumming, along with excellent art rock collaborations with fellow outcast geniuses, Moe's loving, but skewed take on classic girl group songs and more. We learned some things about Moe Tucker we didn't know before this set. Thanks to Sundazed for such a solid statement on the great legacy of her later years! Includes "Bo Diddley", a wooly version of "Heroin", "Hey Mersh!", "Andy", "Pale Blue Eyes", "Lazy", "Then He Kissed Me", "I'm Waiting For The Man", "Spam Again (Live)", "I've Seen Into Your Soul", "Poor Little Fool", "I Wanna", "Last Night I Said Goodbye To My Friend" (previously unissued), "After Hours", "I’m Not", "Blue All The Way To Canada", "Slippin' And Slidin'", "Around And Around" and more. 28 tracks on the 3LP version.

An incredible follow up to the first New Orleans Funk compilation on Soul Jazz – even harder-hitting than the first, and filled with funky rare gems! This set took nearly a decade to follow the first, but it's been well worth the wait – and the crew at Soul Jazz have clearly used all that time to dig way past the obvious on the New Orleans scene, and come up with a really incredible batch of all-funky cuts all the way through! Even if you've got a dozen other New Orleans funk collections in your collection, you'll find plenty here to win you over – as the package goes out of its way to pull cuts from rare singles and under-reissued material – then wraps the whole thing up with the usual extra-thorough Soul Jazz approach to liner notes and details. And while some of the names are familiar here, they're nicely interspersed with lesser-known folks who keep things fresh – making for a winning lineup that really sets a new standard for this sort of set. Titles include "The Twitch" by Danny White, "Street Parade" by Earl King, "Four Corners" by Lee Dorsey, "Hot Tamales" by The Prime Mates, "Tequila" by Allen Toussaint, "Right Place Wrong Time" by Ray J, "Gossip" by Cyril Neville, "Hold On Help Is On The Way" by G Davis & R Tyler, "Funky Belly" by Warren Lee, "I'm Mr Big Stuff" by Jimmy Hicks, "The Rubber Band" by Eddie Bo, "12 Red Roses" by Betty Harris, "What Do You See In Her" by Inell Young, "You Keep Me Hanging On" by Bonnie & Sheila, "Yeah You're Right You Know You're Right" by The Gaturs, "The Tap" by Porgy Jones, and "Bo Diddley" by Art Neville.

An incredible, wide ranging but somehow deftly cohesive blend of songs with heart and soul – whether it's classifably soul music, or classic country, crackling blues, boogie woogie, primitive rock & roll, jumpin' r&b or wild-eyed modern rock – all songs that were chosen by Bob Dylan for his increasingly awe-inspiring radio show! Theme Time Radio Hour features 50 songs on 2CDs, spanning 75 years of classic tunes, classic characters and rare oddball nuggets – and if Bob Dylan's legend isn't already bursting at the seams, you may as well add the title of dapper old gentleman with impeccable taste to his crown! He spins the rolling 1930s blues of Leroy Carr, the charming cornpone of Grandpa Jones, rollicking bluesy soul from Otis Rush, cowboy harmonies from Sons Of The Pioneers, female girl group soul from the Donays, buzzing Chess sounds from Bo Diddley, pre-punk from the Modern Lovers, and so much more – that's just a taste! Includes "Turn Your Radio On" by Grandpa Jones, "Gun Fever" from The Valentines, "He Will Break Your Heart" by Jerry Butler, "Laughin & Jokin" by Ernie Chafin, "Mother Earth" by Memphis Slim, "Walk A Mile In My Shoes" by Joe South, "Those DJ Shows" by Patrice Holloway, ""Black Coffee" by Bobby Darin, "Mona" by Bo Diddley and tons more!

An incredible follow up to the first New Orleans Funk compilation on Soul Jazz – even harder-hitting than the first, and filled with funky rare gems! This set took nearly a decade to follow the first, but it's been well worth the wait – and the crew at Soul Jazz have clearly used all that time to dig way past the obvious on the New Orleans scene, and come up with a really incredible batch of all-funky cuts all the way through! Even if you've got a dozen other New Orleans funk collections in your collection, you'll find plenty here to win you over – as the package goes out of its way to pull cuts from rare singles and under-reissued material – then wraps the whole thing up with the usual extra-thorough Soul Jazz approach to liner notes and details. And while some of the names are familiar here, they're nicely interspersed with lesser-known folks who keep things fresh – making for a winning lineup that really sets a new standard for this sort of set. Titles include "The Twitch" by Danny White, "Street Parade" by Earl King, "Four Corners" by Lee Dorsey, "Hot Tamales" by The Prime Mates, "Tequila" by Allen Toussaint, "Right Place Wrong Time" by Ray J, "Gossip" by Cyril Neville, "Hold On Help Is On The Way" by G Davis & R Tyler, "Funky Belly" by Warren Lee, "I'm Mr Big Stuff" by Jimmy Hicks, "The Rubber Band" by Eddie Bo, "12 Red Roses" by Betty Harris, "What Do You See In Her" by Inell Young, "You Keep Me Hanging On" by Bonnie & Sheila, "Yeah You're Right You Know You're Right" by The Gaturs, "The Tap" by Porgy Jones, and "Bo Diddley" by Art Neville.

A massive tribute to the genius of soul in the Windy City – a wonderful compilation that really gets at the special sound Chicago brought into play during the early years of soul! The set is filled with key cuts from the Chi-town scene of the time – some of them lesser-known that the famous hits always associated with our hometown – and beautifully selected to really capture a moment when soul music was first starting to come together as a style! You can definitely hear roots from Chicago blues, gospel, and R&B in the cuts – but they're definitely all soul, all the way through – a killer batch of nuggets that manages to offer up fresh bits from some big names, and uncover some great cuts by some less familiar folks. The package features full track-by-track notes on the tunes by Bill Dahl – and titles include "Tragic" by The Sheppards, "At The Party "by Wade Flemons, "Hi Diddley Dee Dum Dum" By The Dells, "Tell Him" by The Drew-Vels, "I've Got A Girl" by Major Lance, "Senorita I Love You" by The Impressions, "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" by Don & Bob, "My Heart Cries" by Etta & Harvey, "Isle Of Sirens" by Jerry Butler, "Enchanted Garden" by The Accents, "You've Got A Great Love" by The Chanteurs, "Father Knows Best" by The Radiants, "Let Em Try" by Rosco Gordon, "Behind The Curtains" by Jan Bradley, and "Puppy Love" by Barbara Lewis.