A killer classic from Iron Butterfly – a group who always had way more to offer than their hits, as you'll find out when dipping into this full length set! The album's worth it alone for the organ lines – which kind of take off from the territory of The Doors, but are often more unusual – and mixed with vocals that can have an eerie sensibility, but without ever sounding indulgent! The music's not pop psych, but it's also never too full of itself – and titles include "In The Crowds", "In The Time Of Our Lives", "Soul Experience", "Lonely Boy", "Belda Beast", and "Filled With Fear". LP, Vinyl record album

The album that rocked a million dorm rooms back in the 60s – and for good reason, too – given that the title track is a side-long, totally jamming monster – the kind of track that was really revolutionary at the time, and which still has a hell of an impact all these many years later! "In A Gadda Da Vida" was shortened to a single – with the big hook intact – but this classic album version runs for 17 minutes in length, and has the group doing all these cool jams with their instruments – all the animals in the garden of Eden talking to each other (or at least that's what our addled teenaged minds always thought!) Shorter tracks are mighty nice too – a heady, heavy brew of Hammond and fierce guitar from Erik Brann, on cuts all penned by group leader Doug Ingle. Titles include "Termination", "My Mirage", "Flowers & Roses", and "Most Anything You Want". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A record that's not a complete metamorphosis for Iron Butterfly, but one that definitely has the group stretching out with even more force and confidence than before! The group were maybe one of the few to come to hard rock via psych, instead of the blues rock path that so many others took at the time – and that difference is key here, as the songs really resonate with the potential for trippiness, but have this great sense of focus – one that makes the vocals sound even more potent than ever. There's still plenty of great organ work too – and titles include "Free Flight", "Shady Lady", "Best Years Of Our Life", "Slower Than Guns", and "Stone Believer". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy sounds from Iron Butterfly – a record that's not nearly as well known as their classic In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida – but which has a very similar vibe all the way through! The songs are a bit shorter, but these guys really manage to do a lot with a little – using lots of brooding bass right up from the bottom, to create a blueprint for hard rock imitators in years to come – none of whom were able to match these guys' simple, direct approach – and their optimistic sense of power in their music. Many numbers often have this vocal interplay that really works wonderful with the fuzzy guitar lines – and titles include "Possession", "Unconscious Power", "So Lo", "Look For The Sun", "Stamped Ideas", "Fields Of The Sun", and a nice fuzzy funk version of "Get Out Of My Life Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes "Straight On" and "Dog & Butterfly". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary pairing of talents – as Japanese jazz singer Kimiko Kasai works alongside Herbie Hancock – in a setting that's very much on the soul side of the spectrum! Both Herbie and Kimiko started out with a straighter jazz sound in their early years – but by the end of the 70s, they'd both picked up plenty of influences from R&B – although Kasai's work was largely unknown to American audiences. This set is one of those rare Japanese-only sessions by Herbie at the time – a few of which have gotten released overseas as the decades have gone on – and Hancock is in his best keyboard groove, and also gets additional help on the keys from Webster Lewis – who no doubt brings a strong soul current to the music too. Other musicians include Bennie Maupin on soprano and tenor sax, Paul Jackson on bass, Ray Obeido on guitar, Alphonse Mouzon on drums, and Bill Summers on percussion – in a groove that's like a tighter take on the sound of The Headhunters. Kimiko sings in English – and titles include some great versions of Herbie Hancock tunes – including "Maiden Voyage", "Sunlight", "Butterfly", "Tell Me A Bedtime Story", and "Harvest Time" – plus a great take on Stevie Wonder's "As", the cut "Head In The Clouds", and the funk-steeped opener "I Thought It Was You". LP, Vinyl record album

Kendrick Lamar takes wider creative left turns than ever before on To Pimp A Butterfly – with a funk steeped production style that filters tried-and-true P Funk influences through leftfield modern beatcraft styles, inspired by cats like Madlib to Thundercat, the latter of whom is an official contributor. Fresh material from an increasingly pivotal figure – who may not be revolutionizing the game on the level of the heavy critical praise he's heaped with, but he's certainly marching to his own beat, rather than chasing hits! Includes "Wesley's Theory" with George Clinton & Thundercat, "King Kunta", "These Walls" with Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat, "Aright", "For Sale?", "Institutionalized" with a Slick Rick-homage of a guest verse by Snoop Dogg (sign us up for any record that gives props to The Ruler...and extra points for transplanting that style of flow to Compton), "Momma", "Hood Politics", "The Blacker The Berry", "How Much A Dollar Cost" feat James Fauntleroy & Ronald Isley, "Mortal Man" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A record with a really unique vibe – definitely jazzy, but different than most other South African jazz of the time – as the set spins out two very long tracks that take their groove from township modes of the period, but then use some of the longer-form rhythmic jazz instrumentation that bubbled up on the SA scene from the 60s onward! Bra Sello plays some great alto on the set, but there's also guitar, flute, organ, and other solo instrumentation too – and although some vocals might come into the mix here and there, they never get in the way of the solos – on the extended tracks "African Queen" and "Butterfly". LP, Vinyl record album

A dancefloor classic! The album's the second by Gregg Diamond's Bionic Boogie, and head and shoulders above the rest – a sublime blend of soul and club that's hardly been matched again! Diamond manages to make things groove, but never loses sight of the soulful styles that make the record so great – and works here with key contributions from a young Luther Vandross, who gives the album some of the same strong vocal arrangements he brought to his own first two albums on Atlantic! Luther sings lead on the album's legendary track "Hot Butterfly", and works in a group with Cissy Houston on other tracks – sweetly soaring with vocals that go far beyond most disco efforts of the time. Simply sublime, and with classics that include "Hot Butterfly", "Paradise", "Cream (Always Rises To The Top)", "Chains", and "When The Sh*t Hits The Fan (Rocket Pocket)". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Strange title, but a nice little record from Gerry Mulligan – one that has him working with a small group that often features a piano, and which has a light airy feel that's a bit bossa in the nicest parts! The record is one of a few gems that Mulligan cut in the 60s – with a playful feel that moves past the academicism of some of the 50s work, and which manages to pick up a bit of soul on the way. The group includes Art Farmer, Bob Brookmeyer, Jim Hall, and Dave Bailey – and tracks include "The Ant Hill", "Crazy Day", "Butterfly With Hiccups", and the haunting "Theme For Jobim". LP, Vinyl record album

Pure vocal magic – featuring the lovely Flora Purim at the height of her California powers – working in a sublime mix of jazz, fusion, and Brazilian rhythms – a sound that she virtually invented! The group on the set is one of her greatest of the time – with players that include Joe Henderson, George Duke, and Stanley Clarke – coming together with some great Brazilian percussion from husband Airto. The tracks are tight and jazzy – and include "Light As A Feather", "Dr. Jive (parts 1 & 2)", "Butterfly Dreams", "Moon Dreams", and "Dindi". This is the stuff that virtually defined the Brazilian/American groove of the 70s – and it's still light years ahead of any of Flora's many imitators! LP, Vinyl record album

Another soulful set of jazz standards that pairs the great Lorez with a group led by Gildo Mahones. Gildo's always been one of the best piano players we've heard accompaning a vocalist, and his work with Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross is the stuff of legends. This group has the added benefit of good tenor work by Herman Riley, and the band swings well with Lorez as she soulfully makes her way through tracks like "Mandy Is Two", "Skylark", "Harlem Butterfly", and "P.S. I Love You". LP, Vinyl record album

Roger Glover steps aside from Deep Purple – and delivers one of his strangest records of the 70s – an oddly glammy, hard rock interpretation of material from the children's book of the same name! The set actually scored a surprising hit with the very catchy "Love Is All" – which features Ronnie James Dio on vocals – and the set features Dio singing on a few other cuts, "Sitting In A Dream" and "Homeward" – then features Glover working with other singers who include Jimmy Helms on "Waiting", Eddie Hardin on "Sir Maximus Mouse", Tony Ashton on "Together Again", and Glenn Hughes on "Get Ready". Glover produced – and the whole thing is way cooler than you might expect! LP, Vinyl record album

An early gem on the German Selected Sound library series – one that features work by a number of different artists, and is all the groovier because of that! Hardy's Jet Band dominate the first part of the album – and turn in these killer cuts that mix together fuzzy guitar and funky grooves, with a very cool psychedelic style! That approach continues a bit on the other tracks – equally cool and trippy electric work by Klaus Wuestoff, Jan Troysen, and Gary Pacific – who each get a few tracks on the record! The whole thing's great – even better than later Selected Sound albums – and titles include "Lady In Space", "Big Beat", "Sorry Doc", "Blue Butterfly", "What You Call To Be Free", "Pop Happening", "Ghetto Gap", "Soft Wind", and "A Blue Message". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

The legendary Rinder & Lewis team headed up this Frenchy effort by the pop disco group Saint Tropez. The centerpiece is the album's cover of Serge Gainsbourg's classic "Je T'Aime", redone here with a distinct 70s feel, and a groove that's just right for the dancefloor. Other tunes include "Coeur A Coeur", "On Rien A Perdre", and "La Symphonie Africaine". LP, Vinyl record album

A really striking album in the career of Atomic Rooster – one that's a little bit groovier than most, and maybe a bit funky as well! The drums are great, and have plenty of soulful currents – and the Hammond, piano, and electric piano work of Vincent Crane almost seem to echo earlier UK beat group currents, but turned towards a much hipper 70s vibe – one that's followed by an equally extended range from vocalist Chris Farlowe, who seems to fold together both his mod and prog experience in the vocals! Steve Bolton brings in some tight, riffing guitar – and titles include "Time Take My Life", "Never To Lose", "Breathless", "People You Can't Trust", "All In Satan's Name", "Close Your Eyes", "Little Bit Of Inner Air", and "Stand By Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A set of unreleased improvisations between these two fantastic free jazz musicians – intended as a session in which, according to Paal Nilssen-Love, "we agreed to bring all the metal we could bring"! That means that Peter Brotzmann is blowing a wide variety of reed instruments, and Paal is handling lots of percussion and gongs next to his drums – yet all elements are used in these very spare styles, almost more loft jazz than you'd guess from the legacy of intensity from both of the musicians – which makes for yet another great late life surprise in the final years of Brotzmann – proof that he never stopped reinventing and opening doors to new avenues of creation! Titles include "Dancing Octopus", "Move On Over", "South Of No Return", "Butterfly Mushroom", "Found The Cabin But No People", and "Five Of Them Survived The Dream". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the earliest albums ever from Harold Budd – an artist who'd later rise to great ambient fame in the following decade, but who's maybe at his most sophisticated here! The set has all the hallmark of the new musical experiments that Brian Eno was showcasing on his Obscure Music label – where the set first appeared – and Budd plays electric piano with a very cool set of contemporary musicians – a lineup that includes alto sax from Marion Brown, harp from Maggie Thomas, marimba from Michael Nyman and John White, and glockenspiel from Gavin Bryars. Brian Eno produced the record, and vocalizes slightly – and tracks have a long-spun, almost spiritual vibe – on titles that include "Bismallahi Rrahmani Rrahmani", "Two Songs (Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord/Butterfly Sunday)", "Madrigals Of The Rose Angel", and "Juno". LP, Vinyl record album

The retro-styled font on the cover is a tipoff to the sound of this set – as Tre Burt steps back into the past a bit more and channels some strong influences from 70s soul, while still offering up that more contemporary blend of rock and R&B influences you'd know from his previous records! Production is nice and warm – again maybe nodding back to the past, especially early 70s Hi Records, but with more contemporary execution – on titles that include "Play Stevie Wonder", "Win My Heart", "I'm Aight Pops Just Tired", "Santiago", "Wings For A Butterfly", "To Be A River", "2 For Tha Show", and "Told Ya Then". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic Vee Jay work by Jerry Butler – one of his later albums for the label, but featuring a number of early tracks written with Curtis Mayfield! Includes the classic early Impressions-type duet "He Will Break Your Heart" – plus the cuts "Thanks To You", "I Found A Love", "Butterfly", "Sweet Was The Wine", and "The Gift Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet funky 80s set from trumpeter Donald Byrd – a record done after his 70s run at Blue Note with producer Larry Mizell, but in a groove that's equally great in its own sort of way! Isaac Hayes is the producer on the set, and also plays a lot of Fender Rhodes, plus piano, vibes, and percussion – in a sharp combo that has a mighty nice groove, and more keyboards from Chip Crawford too! There's some vocals on the record at times – thanks to the 125th Street group – and the whole thing has that same blend of soul, jazz, and funk as Donald's 70s records – but in an updated 80s mode. Tracks include the great mellow "I Love Your Love", plus "I Feel Like Loving You Today", "Butterfly", "Love Has Come Around", "Falling", and "I'll Always Love You". LP, Vinyl record album

A lasting classic from Digable Planets, and a record that really helped push the bar forward for hip hop at the time – at a level that's still kept this one strong all these many years later! Digable Planets weren't the first group to bring in some influence from jazz to their work – but they definitely found the right balance here, and a way of setting things up that was real and organic, instead of maybe just a nodding reference to the past that always felt a bit out of place. The use of live instrumentation next to samples is also key to the record's sound – common now, but pretty important at the time, especially in a world of declining sample access. The trio of Butterfly, Ladybug, and Doodlebug have a wonderful way of tripping through the lyrics – and titles include "The May 4th Movement Starring Doodlebug", "Black Ego", "Dog It", "Jettin", "Borough Check", "Highing Fly", "Dial 7", "The Art Of Easing", "KBs Alley", "Graffiti", "Blowing Down", "9th Wonder", and "For Corners". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Black Swan", "Azure", "In Triplicate", "Fifi", "Black Butterfly", "El Gato", "BP", and "4:30 Blues" – plus a speech by Duke at the end! LP, Vinyl record album

Late 60s compilation that features both standards and Ellington compositions – titles include "The Sheik Of Araby", "Dancing In The Dark", "Solitude", "Autumn Leaves", "Poor Butterfly", "Blue Harlem", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A weird bit of folk funk rock – and a totally cool record on early 70s Verve! The album was recorded during the Mike Curb years at MGM – and has a similar pop crossover, adult hip kind of sound to some of Curb's other big success stories. The sound's an unusual blend of folk and growing 70s pop modes – and the track "Let's Love" is a nice spacey groover with a flanged-out pop sound. Songs include "Butterfly", "From Japan To America", "Low Lay Low", "Teddy Bear", "Harlequin", "Caroline", "Face Of A Clown", "The Gun", "Rain", "Elie Lama Sabacthani", and "Let's Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Overlooked 70s work from Jimmy Giuffre – a hip trio session that has all the free elements of his earlier recordings, but possibly an even greater focus on tone! Jimmy plays a range of reeds here – tenor, clarinet, and flute – and he works with bass and drum accompaniment, but often in a really gentle way that allows his own solo energy to dictate the tunes – coming out in space that's boldly soulful on the tenor, yet more fragile and intimate on the flute – kind of a cross between more expressive avant work and some of the more spiritual tones of the time. The tenor tunes are especially great – kind of opening a new chapter for Giuffre's career – and the group features Kiyoshi Tokunaga on bass and Randy Kaye on percussion. Titles include "The Bird", "Mosquito Dance", "The Chanting", "The Butterfly", "Dervish", "Phoenix", and "Night Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic bit of funky jazz from German maestro Peter Herbholzheimer – an artist with a name that may not roll off the tongue, but whose groove is right up there with the best American artists of the CTI generation! Peter first got his start on the MPS label earlier in the 70s, and this sweet little set really follows in that best tradition – with larger arrangements that evoke some of the best 70s funky soundtrack modes, but with lots more room for jazzy solo work – including solos from Kenny Wheeler on flugelhorn, tenor and soprano sax from Ferdinand Povel, guitar from Eef Albers, organ from Dieter Reith, and even an electric trombone from Jiggs Whigham! Soul singer Inga Rumpf joins the group on versions of "Spirit" and "Superstition" – and other tunes include "Hipwalk", "Butterfly", "Stoned Cockatoo", "Jive Samba", and "Neosho" – all great! LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime work from The Hollies – a cool US album that brings together some of their best bits from their 60s UK run on EMI! Some of the best numbers here were arranged by Johnny Scott – and titles include "King Midas In Reverse", "Would You Believe", "Maker", "Step Inside", "Butterfly", "Postcard", "Dear Eloise", and "Wishyouawish". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from Incredible String Band – and incredible it is, a UK psychedelic folk gem that finds the group challenging conventions across the board – both artful and inviting, it's wonderful stuff! At this point, Clive Palmer had left, and Mike Heron and Robin Williamson contribute lead vocals with the additional vocalist Licorice also taking lead on a few tunes, the sound is fleshed out with more accompaniment and a rich warmth on a bevy of instruments – guitar, sitar, bowed gimbri, finger cymbals, tamboura, oud, rattles, flute, bass and piano. Includes the lovely and oft-covered "The First Girl I Loved", plus "Chinese White", "No Sleep Blues", "Painting Box", "The Eyes Of Fate", "The Hedgehog's Song", "You Know What I Could Be", "Gently Tender", "Way Back In The 1960s" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderfully expansive album from The Incredible String Band – initially performed as a stage project with the Stone Monkey dance troupe, and featuring the ISB at their most evocative and creative! Some tunes have a darker, sinister undercurrent – that link between the band and the acid folk underground – but others are more hippy dippy, with playful touches that still seem to have this undercurrent of evil somehow – an offbeat quality that really marks the special way that British groups like this were taking folk in very odd directions at the time – never losing sight of roots, but still never having the sense of optimism or indulgence of American acts. The double-length set has loads of especially nice instrumental moments – both acoustic and electric – and titles include "Bridge Song", "El Wool Suite", "The Juggler's Song", "Bad Sadie Lee", "Partial Belated Overture", "Walking Along With You", "Invocation", and "Robot Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

The second Pharcyde record – and though not as blunted and playful as the first one, it's still nearly as great – with that unrivaled, wholly original, easy west coast vibe! The production is more steady-handed this time around, which alienated fans of Bizarre Ride early on, but it also laid the groundwork for the late 90s Jay Dee groove of keyboards and measured beats! The set also features production by M-Walk and Diamond D. 17 tracks including "Bullsh*t", "Pharcyde", "Groupie Therapy", the classic single "Runnin", "She Said", "Splattitorium", "Drop", "Somethin That Means Somethin", "Hey You", "Devil Music", "Emerald Butterfly", "Heart & Soul", "The Hustle", "The E.N.D." and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Classic-styled funk from Alex Puddu – not only the greatest record we've heard from him so far, but a set that's definitely worthy of its "golden age" claim in the title! The music is all new, but it was done for a series of short Danish porno films from the 70s – and Puddu gets a sound that's right on the money for the vintage – loads of great short funky soundtrack modes that are perfect for the time – handled with tight rhythms, great basslines, and some wicked jazzy solos that really send the whole thing home. Puddu plays a range of instruments – including electric sitar – in a group that also features some great Fender Rhodes, organ, sax, and flute – and the tunes are really wonderful throughout – like finding a lost soundtrack from the 70s that never got issued as an album. Titles include "Kinky Hairdresser", "Miss Butterfly", "Madam Delight", "Sex Bar", "Lusty Nurses", "Black Triangle", "Naughty Girls At The Wild Party", "The Dirty Games Of Dr Love", and "Piano For Lovers". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those totally cool records from the German new wave – a set that's every bit as cartoony as you might guess from its cover, and which resonates strongly with work at the time from artists like Pyrolator or Der Plan! The music is in the territory of cold wave electronics, but warmer and more playful too – almost like some of the Japanese work that sprung up at the end of the 70s, but with some of the quirkier elements that makes us love the German new wave so much! There's plenty of cool keyboards and processed vocals – and titles include "Butterfly Baccanal", "I Can Sing", "Wutt Wutt", "Bubbles & Smoke", "Shine On Me", and "I See Stars". LP, Vinyl record album

Vocalist Fay Victor pens lyrics for a jazz composer we're not sure we've ever heard with words before – modern piano legend Herbie Nichols, a player whose songs are often as full of angles and sharp changes as Thelonious Monk! And as you might guess from a style like that, the music doesn't easily lend itself to vocalization – but when it does, the results are amazing – as Victor's not only penned some fantastic lyrics for these tunes, she also delivers one of her best performances on record to date! The sound is modern, but never too outside – maybe like Jon Hendricks taking on some of Monk's music, in the way that Fay always retains a sense of humanity – working here with piano from Anthony Coleman, alto and baritone from Michael Attias, bass from Ratzo Harris, and drums from Tom Raney. Titles include "Descent Into Madness", "Non Fraternization Clause", "The Culprit Is You", "Shuffle Montgomery", "Sinners All Of Us", and "Bright Butterfly". LP, Vinyl record album