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Classic! The third LP from the Time, and last before Morris Day went off and started his solo career – though by this point Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis had departed the group. Nonetheless, the sound is still tight modern funk, with Jesse Johnson and crew keeping things in the great post-Prince Minneapolis pop-funk sound, including some nice dance numbers like "Jungle Love" and "The Bird" – and Morris just being Morris on cuts like "My Drawers", "Chili Sauce" and "If The Kid Can't Make You Come".

One of the few albums ever cut by 50s singer Paula Castle – a really great vocalist with a sound that matches the best Bethlehem records work of her labelmate, Chris Connor! Castle's got a nicely-composed approach to singing – never too flowery or overdone, yet also never too cool, either – a perfect balance that comes through beautifully with the set's stripped-down backings – just a quartet with Ronnie Selbey on piano, and flute by Sam Most. Most's flute really shades in the tunes nicely – underscoring things with some subtle blue tones that are really great – and titles include "I'm Shooting High", "Yesterday's Gardenias", "Here I Am In Love Again", and "Lost Love".

Hardly the kind of record you'd expect with the words "castle" and "country" in the title – a madly tripped-out sound library session that's equal parts psych funk and experimental sounds! Some of the shorter tunes are nice and funky – with raw, minimal drums and guitar that almost seem like they're going to veer off the track – a bit like the John Cale/Terry Riley experiments on Columbia. But other tunes are weirder and spacier – some with fuzzy electronics, others with a weirdly spacious, open use of guitar or piano – not really dreamy, but more tripped-out and long-form – almost a precursor to Spacemen 3. Titles include "City Sound Perspective", "Old Colours", "White Gladiator", "Green Water", and "Vision Of Shore".

Heist films always provided some of the best soundtracks of the 70's, and this one (starring Robert Shaw and Richard Roundtree, and issued in the US as Diamond Shaft) is no exception! Roy Budd rises to the groovy occasion and scores some excellent moments that match a light orchestral sound with a throbbing electric bass and percussion underground – in a style that's like Lalo Schifrin's best work from the time. The LP's overflowing with tracks, including a few bonus mixes, and there's even 2 vocal numbers that feature The Three Degrees. Titles include "The Thief", "Beauty & The Bass", "Diamonds", "Party Piece", "Thief On the Prowl", and more! Nice notes, and some nicely funky crime themes, too! Nice gatefold cover, too!

A great group with a really heavy crossover soul sound! Don't confuse these guys with the American group of the same name from the period, because this ensemble's a British act coming out of the mod scene – heavily steeped in influences from the American scenes in Memphis and Detroit, but also working with some nice trippy rock elements on guitar and keyboards. The lead vocals are surprisingly soulful, and a few of the tracks have some nice funky undercurrents – especially on the group's cover of "What Is Soul", which shares the same break as the original! The CD features a lot of tasty bonus tracks in addition to the group's one album, plus great notes on the group – 20 titles in all, including "What Is Soul", "Something Good", "I Can't Break The Habit", "You Keep Me Hangin On", "Three Cool Cats", "Number One Guy", and "She Put The Hurt On Me".

A nice jammer from the "second wind" period of CTI – and a strong return to Latin jazz for Ray! The set's a great mixture of smooth CTI electric funk and Latin-oriented grooves – and it features work by Ray on congas and percussion, plus a list of players that includes Tito Puente, Charlie Palmieri, Steve Gadd, John Tropea, Carlos Franzetti, and Willie Torres. The melds the styles beautifully – with plenty of languid, rubbery jamming with percussion that thumps just hard enough! Really kind of a stunner from '79 – one that came at welcome time for both Barretto and CTI! Includes the great electric Latin groover "Mambotango", plus "The Old Castle", "La Cuna", and a sublime vocal remake of Stevie Wonder's "Pastime Paradise"!

A real killer from the legendary Joe Bataan – an album of righteous power that really lives up to the dynamic promise of the title and cover! Joe Bataan's in top form throughout – serving up a blend of Latin grooves and 60s soul influences that few other artists of the time could touch – soaring and upbeat one minute, but mellow and laidback the next. There's a number of longer tracks on here that really move past the standard Latin Soul modes – bringing in bits of descarga jazz, instrumental soul, and mellower ballads to Joe's already-great blend of styles. The depth here is tremendous, and nearly every track's a winner! Titles include the slamming "It's A Good Feeling (Riot)", "Muneca", and "Mambo De Bataan" – plus the soul tracks "What Good Is A Castle", "My Cloud", "Daddy's Coming Home", "Ordinary Guy", and "For Your Love".

A totally amazing look at Lee Hazlewood's late 60s record label – served up in a host of rare singles by other artists who were working with Lee at the time! The range of styles is wide, but there's a really focused feel to the whole thing – given Hazlewood's key touches in the studio behind the singers, and his undeniable sense of wit and warmth, which makes just about all these artists sound way better with Lee than they would on their own! This limited-edition box is totally beautifully – with eleven individual 7" singles, each with original label and sleeve art – plus the rare "Woodchucks" pic sleeve, a special Hazlewood puzzle, an LHI 45 adapter, and even a download card for all the music – packaged in a heavy-duty magnetic flip-top box! Titles include "Lady Barber" by Lynn Castle, "Invisible People" by Hamilton Streetcar, "Come Down" by Honey LTD, "The Street Song" by The Kitchen Cinq, "Trouble Maker" by Lee Hazlewood, "Valentine Grey" by Danny Michaels, "It's A Nice World To Visit" by Ann Margret, "Bo-Dacious" by The Woodchucks, "Anyone Who Had A Heart" by Eve, and "Nobody Like You" by Lee Hazlewood & Suzi Jane Hokum.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience at their most classic! Tripped out bluesy cosmic rock ferocity and great songs, too – firing on all cylinders here on the middle record of their ultra epic three LP series of unimpeachable greatness. Titles include "EXP", "Up From The Skies", "Spanish Castle Magic", "Castles Made Of Sand", "She's So Fine", "One Rainy Wish", "Bold As Love" and more.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience at their most classic! Tripped out bluesy cosmic rock ferocity and great songs, too – firing on all cylinders here on the middle record of their ultra epic three LP series of unimpeachable greatness. Titles include "EXP", "Up From The Skies", "Spanish Castle Magic", "Castles Made Of Sand", "She's So Fine", "One Rainy Wish", "Bold As Love" and more.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience at their most classic! Tripped out bluesy cosmic rock ferocity and great songs, too – firing on all cylinders here on the middle record of their ultra epic three LP series of unimpeachable greatness. Titles include "EXP", "Up From The Skies", "Spanish Castle Magic", "Castles Made Of Sand", "She's So Fine", "One Rainy Wish", "Bold As Love" and more.

Great stuff from Groove – a tight, no-nonsense set of hard grooves featuring a quartet that includes Rusty Bryant, Billy Butler, and Herbie Lovelle. There's a strong bottom sound to the session – picking up from the Misty days, when Groove learned that he could take just about any track, and make it groove like a mofo! Because of this, the album's selections – "That Healin Feelin", "Irene Court", "Castle Rock", and "On a Clear Day" – all sound night and tight, as Groove would have delivered the tunes playing before one of his many well-attended audiences at the time!

A treasure trove of rare funk – a massive package that not only includes the legendary Inspiration Information album by Shuggie Otis, but which also adds in four bonus tracks to that classic – plus a full other album of unreleased vintage work! Shuggie Otis is the son of Johnny Otis – the LA R&B maestro who was moving heavily into funk at the end of the 60s – and he has this tripped out, super-dope guitar style that he played to strong effect on Johnny's albums of the late 60s and early 70s, and on his first two solo albums, which were kind of bluesy in tone. But for Inspiration Information, he shocked the world by moving into a stripped-down mode that pairs his guitar with spare drum machine rhythms, flanged-out deeply soulful vocals, and one of the most laidback conceptions of funk you'll ever hear. The album's a landmark – one of those gems that's unlike anything else you can think of, but which will redefine your concept of what you want in a record for years to come. Every track's a winner – and the whole thing's a perfectly unified batch of tunes that includes instant classics like "Inspiration Information", "Island Letter", "Aht Uh Mi Hed", "XL 30", and "Rainy Day" – plus unreleased bonus tracks "Miss Pretty", "Magic", "Things We Like To Do", and "Castle Top Jam". Then – as if that's not enough – the set features incredible rare material from Shuggie – 14 more tracks as the Wings Of Love album, mostly recorded in the late 70s post-Inspiration years, plus a few tracks from later vintage too! The sound is great – the kind of extra bits we've been wanting to hear from Otis for many many years – finally unleashed from the vaults, and showing a style that really echoes the groove that others had copied from him – like The Brothers Johnson and some later contemporaries. There's plenty of great lost nuggets on Wings – and titles include "Trying To Get Close To You", "Give Me Something Good", "Wings Of Love", "Give Me A Chance", "Fireball Of Love", "Fawn", "If You'd Be Mine", "Black Belt Sheriff", and "Destination You".

One of the hippest Italian soundtracks of the 60s – and a motherlode of tracks by the great Piero Piccioni! The soundtrack is the source of the oft-compiled "Mr Dante Fontana", a nutty groover about the mod fashion scene in Italy – and it also features the famous tracks "Richmond Bridge" and "You Never Told Me". Most of the music is by Piccioni and the wonderful vocal group I Cantori Moderni, with Edda Dell'Orso on vocals – but the CD also features some work by Lydia Mac Donald, Julie Rogers, and Ennio Morricone. Includes a few versions of the "Fontana" and "Richmond", plus "Ascot Dream", "Magic Castle", "Tango Walk", "Drag Beat", "This Is Life", "Palace Parade March", "Babylon, I'm Coming", and "His Dream Has Come True". Very groovy – with loads of excellent material, and 27 cuts in all!

The great late 60s record from Peruvian rockers The (St Thomas) Pepper Smelter! Soul & Pepper is a batch of fuzzy, organ-heavy groovers – with a few strong covers and some worthy originals by the band. It has a pretty tight late 60s feel – one that's informed by their garage and freakbeat forbears from around the world – along with some uniquely South American sounds. They take on "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", "Strange Brew" and "Hey Joe" – and they put a unique spin on those classic tunes – but the group's originals are pretty great, too! Other tracks include "Pepper's Boogaloo", "Answer", and the wild "Betty Boom, Little Monster Doggie and Peggie At The Witches Castle". They sing in English on most tracks – and this great CD version has 3 bonus cuts – including a Spanish version of "Stormy", plus the instrumentals "Un Nuevo Verano" and "Outside Woman Blues".

An excellent early album from Japanese drummer Masahiko Togashi, featuring a group that he co-led with trombonist Hiroshi Suzuki! The quintet's got a sound that's kind of a messed-up take on the Blue Note groove of the 60s – particularly the Lee Morgan rolling funky soul jazz sound of the middle part of the decade – and the record's got a unique tip that we really like a lot! Basically, the band starts out with a hardbop groove – but then will roll into solo moments that, while not entirely out, have a strange off-beat quality that's really fresh. Tetsu Sushimi is on trumpet – part of a trumpet/trombone frontline that weaves together nicely, along with some great piano work, and strong rhythm from Togashi. Titles include "Castle Cats", "Suzu No Uta", "Passion", and "Variation".

A rollicking follow-up to one of the best compilations of rare rockers from Bayou country you could ever hope to score – and it's just as great as the first Boppin' By The Bayou set – with tracks by Rocket Morgan, Pee Wee Trayhan, Mickey Gilley, Tony Perreau, Glen Owens, Jay Chevalier, Wiley Jeffers, Al Ferrier and many more! It's got some material that's akin to rockabilly, boogie woogie and R&B-fueled rockers from the period made famous elsewhere in the south – but with some surefire swampy characteristics that's pure Louisiana, too! 28 tracks in all – with rare singles and LPs released on labels such as Zynn, Castle, Flyright, Speedy, Goldband and others – plus some previously unreleased stompers! "You’re Humbuggin' Me" by Rocket Morgan, "Too Hot To Handle" by Vince Anthony, "Got A Right To Cry" by Glen Owens, "Going Back To Cocodrille" by Cajun Joe, "Oh Nell" by Warren Storm, "Castro Rock" by Jay Chevalier, "Rock-A-Me Lulu" by Johnny Jano, "She's Coming Back Again" by Wiley Jeffers, "Whose Baby Are You" by Robert Owens and more.

A gal-themed set from the great Soft Sounds series – one that features some incredibly groovy work from the late 60s – a hip mix of Sunshine Pop, psyche rock, and more! The female vocals really tie the tunes together nicely – especially as a number of singers seem to share similar modes when approaching their music – echoes of earlier folk, touches of vocal jazz, and occasional sweet sounds that really flesh things out nicely. Most of the backings are groovy enough to almost be funk at points – especially when percussion kicks up, or basslines really get going – and there's also some freakishly fuzzy moments that really stand out too! As with other volumes, there's some great track-by-track notes on the tunes – and titles include "Psychedelic Movement" by The Ravelles, "Green Plant" by Amanda Ambrose, "The Aquarians" by The Aquarians, "If I Didn't Want To See You Anymore" by Morningstarr, "See The Farmer" by Bunches A Good, "The Lady Barber" by Lynn Castle, "What Do You Do When You've Lost Your Love" by Guardians Of The Rainbow, "Flowers In The Air" by Sally Eaton, "Billy Sunshine" by Sugar Townes, "All I Dream" by Estelle Levitt, "In The Middle Of The Night" by The Pipe Dream, and "Meditation 1968" by Ellen Margulies.

A groovy collection of psychedelic pop tunes from the Apple Records era – singles that range from a sort of Beatles-esque pop psyche miasma, to far odder bits that are still gloriously tuneful – songs by Fire, Sands, Grapefruit, Denis Couldy, Rawlings And Hupstep and many more! On top of being kind of a time capsule of some of the stranger pop tunes to flirt with the mainstream of the time, the some of the bands here include young members who would move on the some greener pastures in bands like Badfinger. Groovy stuff! 18 tracks in all: "Father'sName Is Dad" by Fire, "Listen To The Sky" by Grapefruit, "Forgive And Forget" by Rawlings And Huckstep, "Goodbye Mozart" by Gallagher & Lyle, "Tea And Toast Mr Watson" by Denis Couldry, "Fall Of The Castle" by Grapefruit, "How Does It Feel" by Iveys, "Fantastic Story Of The Steam Driven Banana" by Legay and more.

Lots of long tracks with plenty of organ and guitar – titles include "Castle In the Air", "Plastic Girl", "Floating", and "The Light From Deep Darkness".

Lots of long tracks with plenty of organ and guitar – titles include "Castle In the Air", "Plastic Girl", "Floating", and "The Light From Deep Darkness".

Titles include "The Curse Of Baba Yaga", "The Old Castle", "Blues Variation", "Promenade", "The Sage", and "The Gnome".

A really fantastic album that's one of Eddie Harris' most unique albums of the 60s! The record features Eddie blowing in that lean and soulful mode that he used on his best Vee Jay albums – a bit exotic, but never meandering, with impeccable placement in all his solos, and a tone that's probably one of the most revolutionary he ever used. Some tracks have a backing chorus of female voices, singing in a floating mode that's hip and easy – and others are straighter jazz tunes, with a nice little groove. Features the modal gem "Hip Hoppin", plus "Stum Stang", "Django's Castle", "More Soul Than Soulful", and "Brother Ed".

The Jimi Hendrix Experience at their most classic! Tripped out bluesy cosmic rock ferocity and great songs, too – firing on all cylinders here on the middle record of their ultra epic three LP series of unimpeachable greatness. Titles include "EXP", "Up From The Skies", "Spanish Castle Magic", "Castles Made Of Sand", "She's So Fine", "One Rainy Wish", "Bold As Love" and more.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience at their most classic! Tripped out bluesy cosmic rock ferocity and great songs, too – firing on all cylinders here on the middle record of their ultra epic three LP series of unimpeachable greatness. Titles include "EXP", "Up From The Skies", "Spanish Castle Magic", "Castles Made Of Sand", "She's So Fine", "One Rainy Wish", "Bold As Love" and more.

Plenty of flavor here – a really well-crafted brew that's heavy with searing saxophone from Mike Selesia – mixed with other rootsy instrumentation in a very groovy way! Mike plays soprano, tenor sax, and flute on the set – clearly inspired by the John Coltrane generation, yet taking things in lots of different soulful directions too – a bit like Nathan Davis on some of his excellent self-released sets around the same time! Each track seems to showcase the horns in a different way, really giving the record a great sense of depth throughout – and overall, making it way more than just one of those rare albums with one good track. Other instrumentation includes piano, organ, Arp, guitar, tamboura, bass, congas, and drums – and Mike plays a cool tenor bassoon on two tracks too! Titles include "Eastern Raga", "Castle Spook (parts 1 & 2)", "Flavor", "Mr PC", "Brute Strength", and "Yusef's Way".

An amazing tribute to one of our favorite soundtrack composers ever – a massive overview of the work of Michel Legrand, one that spans over 70 films, 4 decades, and 5 hours of music! The package looks at Legrand's career on a film-by-film basis – offering up key tracks and themes in a historical progression that begins in late 50s France, runs through key European films of the 60s, and takes off into important global territory in the 70s. Throughout this long span of work, Legrand always has an amazing ear for the sensitive melody – the kind of simple, straightforward tune that often becomes as important to a film as the image itself (and honestly, looking through the films in this collection, it's clear that many of the tunes have had a longer life than the movies they were used in!) The package comes complete with a great booklet on Legrand's career, complete with older photos and images – as well as both English and French versions of an interview with Legrand, and reflections on his work by Sydney Pollack, Agnes Varda, Norman Jewison, and others. Includes music from the films Lola, Cleo De 5 A 7, Le Gentleman D'Epsom, Eva, Love Is A Ball, The Happy Ending, Sweet November, Play Dirty, L'Homme A La Buick, The Go-Between, Le Mans, Portnoy's Complaint, Time For Living, Brian's Song, Peau D'Ane, To Catch A Pebble, Le Gang Des Otages, Castle Keep, The Magic Garden Of Stanley Sweetheart, F For Fake, Un Homme Est Mort, Lady Sings The Blues, Breezy, and many others!

One of Jubilee's excellent collections of earlier vocal group material – served up in a cool covered package with some nice Scorpio Rising overtones! Most material here has a style that's older than the cover image would imply – but the album, like others in the series, was a key format for presenting these older gems to a slightly younger audience. Titles include "Fine Fine Frame" and "Dear Lord" by The Continentals, "The Gleam In Your Eye" and "The Closer You Are" by The Channels, "Castle In The Sky" and "When I Woke Up This Morning" by The Bop Chords, and "If I Could Make You Mine" and "Tonight" by The Love Notes.

Codeine's complete early 90s Sub Pop recordings – plus a wealth of bonus material that includes some great demos, live tracks, singles and Peel Sessions – a beautiful box set from Numero! The set puts together each of the 3 double gatefold vinyl versions of Frigid Stars, Barely Real and White Birch – that's 6LPs of essential Codeine – plus the complete recordings on 3CDs. All tracks restored from the original masters, each gatefold features an insert booklet of notes, essays and photos, and the box set version also includes a 5' X 1' poster! Moody, masterful indie rock with an intoxicating haze – Codeine truly deserves a lavish, respectful archival bounty such as this! Frigid Stars includes "D", "Gravel Bed", "Pickup Song", "3 Angels", "New Year's", "Second Chance", "Cave-In", "Cigarette Machine", "Old Things" and "Pea". Numero's double vinyl version includes a full LP of bonus tracks: "Castle (Demo)", "Skeletons (Demo)", "3 Angels (Demo)", "Corner Store (Demo)", "Summer Dresses", "Pea (Acoustic)", "Second Chance" (Demo), "Pickup Song (Demo)", "Cave In (Demo)" and "Kitchen". Barely Real includes "Realize", "Jr", "Barely Real", "Hard To Find", "W." and "Promise Of Love". Bonus tracks include "Jr (Demo)", "Tom (Demo)", "Wird (Demo)", "I Wonder (Demo)", "Hydroplane", "A L'Ombre De Nous", "Realize (Demo)" and "Broken-Hearted Wire". White Birch includes "Tom", "Wird", "Vacancy", "Kitchen Light", "Washed Up", "Smoking Room", "Median (Peel Session)", "Loss Leader (Peel Session)", "Sure Looks That Way (Peel Session)", "Atmosphere", "D (Live)", "Something New", "Ides (Demo)" and "Smoking Room (Demo)".

A double set of macabre soundtracks to Paul Morrissey's 70s eroticism laced odes to classic lit and movie monsters – Il Mostro E In Tavola Barone Frankenstein, aka Flesh For Frankenstein, and Dracula Cerca Sangue Di Vergine E Morti De Sete, aka Blood For Dracula and Andy Warhol's Dracula – in a great 2CD set! Both films were shot in Italy with star Udo Kier and many of the same actors, and both are quite beautiful! Il Mostro E In Tavola Barone Frankenstein is surprisingly delicate, with lots of piano and elegant strings, leading up to tenser and more dramatic passages. "Frankenstein's Theme", "Dinner AT The Castle", "Love And Death", "End Of A Myth", "Death Of The Baron" and many more. 20 bonus tracks (!!!) made up of additional, unused music. Dracula Cerca Sangue Di Vergine E Morti De Sete is a similar piece of work, but more richly string-laden, and ultimately just as strong – with some old fashioned European dance-styled songs. Includes "Old Age Of Dracula", "On Journey Again", "The Last Victim", "More Blood", "Nostalgia", "In The Cellars Of The Castle" and more, including 13 bonus tracks.

A far-reaching selection of styles from Diesler – a one man operation that spins enough sweet, beat heavy mastery to outpace a lot of full blown collectives! Diesler first came to our attention with his contribution to the Tru Thoughts Shapes One compilation – and he carries that vibe here, but goes a lot deeper with a full tracklist of his own! The set's a nice mixture of pulsing club beats, driving production, and lots of raw jazzy touches! Tracks include "Cotton Wool", "Downtime", "Sandcastles", "Dark Water", "High Time", "Burnley Wallet", "City Of God", Redux", "Heist Theme", and more.

Gil plays Jimi? Sounds like a gimmick, but it comes off pretty darn great – and it helps you forgive him for trying to convince the kids that he's not as old as his grey hair might make you think! As always with Evans, the key to the album is a beautiful balance between the strength of the players and vision of the arrangements – a hip mix of musicians who include Billy Harper on tenor and flute, Marvin Hannibal Peterson on trumpet, and both Ryo Kawasaki and John Abercrombie on guitars! Arrangements are great too – handled by Tom Malone, Warren Smith, and Howard Johnson – all of whom make the album way more than just an instrumental reading of Jimi Hendrix tunes – and instead a great platform for improvisation that uses tunes that include "Up From The Skies", "Foxy Lady", "Gypsy Eyes", "Voodoo Chile", "Angel", "Crosstown Traffic", and "Castles Made of Sand".

Sweetly percolated sounds from Five Star – a great collection that finally brings together all the remix material they served up on singles during their big run for Sony Music! The group burst into prominence at a time when music formats were really expanding, especially in the UK – where usually a few different varieties of a single were issued at once. Given the already-catchy sound of the group, their style is a perfect one for mixing – usually great hooks that really stand out, no matter what the changes made – which in most cases here, are for the better – and definitely emphasize the groove of the tunes! 2CD set features 26 tracks in all – and titles include "Hide & Seek (ext dance mix)", "Crazy (12" version)", "System Addict (dub rmx)", "Stay Out Of My Life (12" version)", "Let Me Be The One (dance mix by Hardrock)", "Love Take Over (Paul Hardcastle's ext version)", "RSVP (remix s'il vous plait)", "Whenever You're Ready (crazy dub jammy)", "Are You Man Enough (Shep Pettibone 7" mix)", and "Another Weekend (Friday night dub mix)".

Soaring soul from The Futures – a Philly group who'd already worked for years in the underground before cracking the racks with this debut LP in 1975 – schooled strongly in their best vocal modes from previous singles, and ready to unleash the best side of their sound on the world! The set's got a perfectly put-together style that's much more like some of the Philly vocal work on Atlantic of Philadelphia International at the time – although also not as commercial, thanks to a righteous undercurrent in the group's presentation and overall aesthetic – hinted at by their image on the cover! Arrangements are by David Van DePitte and Wade Marcus, who also echo a bit of Detroit styles too – particularly the righteous blend of The Temptations towards the end of their Motown years. The Futures are equally great on mellow cuts and stormers – and titles include Castles", "Do Unto Others", "Ninety Days (In The House Of Love Correction)", "I Had A Dream", "Love Will Be Around Forever", and "Super Love".

Soaring soul from The Futures – a Philly group who'd already worked for years in the underground before cracking the racks with this debut LP in 1975 – schooled strongly in their best vocal modes from previous singles, and ready to unleash the best side of their sound on the world! The set's got a perfectly put-together style that's much more like some of the Philly vocal work on Atlantic of Philadelphia International at the time – although also not as commercial, thanks to a righteous undercurrent in the group's presentation and overall aesthetic – hinted at by their image on the cover! Arrangements are by David Van DePitte and Wade Marcus, who also echo a bit of Detroit styles too – particularly the righteous blend of The Temptations towards the end of their Motown years. The Futures are equally great on mellow cuts and stormers – and titles include Castles", "Do Unto Others", "Ninety Days (In The House Of Love Correction)", "I Had A Dream", "Love Will Be Around Forever", and "Super Love". Plus, the CD features 7 bonus tracks – duets with Barbara Mason on "We Got Each Other" and "Make It Last" – plus "No One Could Compare", "Grade A Woman", "The Way Of A Woman In Love", "Castles (single version)", and "You Better Be Certain".

An amazing soundtrack from 60s Europe – one that features incredible work from saxophonist Barney Wilen, right up there with his best Parisian recordings of the time! The score was written by George Gruntz for a little-known Swiss film – but it stars an all-great cast of players that includes Wilen on tenor and soprano, Marcel Peeters on alto and flute, Raymond Court on trumpet, and the great Kenny Clarke on drums. Gruntz himself plays piano, and scored the music with some excellent noir-ish touches that give the album a similar feeling to some of the best Nouvelle Vague soundtracks by Wilen, Miles Davis, and Art Blakey. Titles include "Student Hang Out", "Jazz Appreciation", "Latin Stroll On Theme", "Spanish Castles", "The Proposal", and "Good Time Joe". 18 tracks on this beautiful vinyl pressing from Sonorama – which is expanded from the original 10-inch release of the material in 1960.

A real cooker – and a stone soulful set that works some real magic at so many levels! First off, the record brings together two of the hottest talents on the west coast scene of the 60s – pianist Les McCann, and the firey young Jazz Crusaders – who are really burning here with a tightness and sense of energy that's amazing. But more than that, the record also features Les hitting some keys alongside his usual piano – both electric piano and Hammond, which come off here with a great sound – especially alongside Joe Sample's additional work on acoustic piano and organ. Horn solos are great – with tight work from Wilton Felder on tenor and Wayne Henderson on trombone – and titles include "Big City", "Spanish Castles", "Damascus", "Blues For Yna Yna", "This Here", and "All Blue".

A definite set of bare essentials from the Spontaneous Music Ensemble – especially given that at this point, the group was stripped down to just the duo of John Stevens on percussion and cornet, and Trevor Watts on soprano sax! The material was all recorded live, and the double-length set is an amazing illustration of the genius that Stevens brought to the group – a way of working and reworking a very simple concept – such that the freedom of improvisation was also given a structure, yet one with a logic that would often defy more simplistic conceptions of jazz! The package features a massive 16 previously unissued tracks – a great look at this unique chapter of the group – with titles that include "In The Midlands", "For Phil", "Three Extracts", "Newcastle 72", "Open Flower", and "Opening The Set".

The title here is an apt one – as the SME is a trio on most of these recordings, but augmented by a nice range of players on two of the album's five tracks! The core group features John Stevens on cornet and percussion, Nigel Coombes on violin, and Roger Smith on guitar – working in some relatively subtle sonic space together on their own tracks – but really hitting their stride as the group expands! Added players include Jon Corbett on trumpet, Paul Rutherford on trombone, Trevor Watts and Lol Coxhill on soprano saxes, Howard Riley on piano, and Maggie Nicols on voice – and titles include "Triangle", "Reciprocal", "A Fragment Of Static", and "Newcastle 78A".

Mod, retro, and tripped-out grooves – a great sampling of some of the most playful work on the Italian scene of the past few years – including a huge number of artists that we only know from singles! The approach here takes off from the sound first crafted by some of the Irma La Douce scene – a blend of older retro-styled elements with modern dancefloor rhythms – in a mode that's always entertaining, and usually pretty darn charming as well! There's loads of great cuts on the set, and the package features 10 titles that include "Latino (Nicola Conte rmx)" by Fuzz Against Junk, "Engano" by Bob Dusi, "Capo Est" by Mop Mop, "Magic World" by Tantra Tribe, "Bramaputra" by Way O, "A Bocca Chiusa" by Vip 200, "La Javaneise" by Art Cluso, and "Castles In Spain" by Ghita.

A long-overdue collection of all the mixes, side-projects, and rare "Nicola Conte version" tracks that have cropped up in the past decade or so – work that's every bit as great as the material Conte includes on his own albums and singles! Nicola Conte's not a remixer – he's a re-imaginer – and when he sets out to serve up his own version of a track, he often starts from scratch – using his own band, his own arrangements, and his own key elements – all of which turn any projects for other artists into grooves that are very Conte-directed – the kind of classic jazz-infused gems that Nicola's been laying down on his own Schema Records label for over a decade! This double-disc set is filled with amazing work that Conte's done for other folks – and it also include a few rare and unreleased tracks under his own name as well – a massive helping of music that's really mindblowing throughout – sure to please any fan of Nicola, as well as anyone who digs the artists included in the package. Nicola Conte tracks include "Castles In The Rain", "Charade", "New Blues", "When I Wish Upon A Star", "Solo", "Black Is The Graceful Veil (acoustic version)", "Groovy Samba", and "All Or Nothing At All", which features vocals by Jose James! Other cuts include Conte mixes and reworks of "Stolen Moments (Midnight Mood rework)" by Mark Murphy, "Yellow Daisies" by Fertile Ground, "So Danco Samba (Nicola Conte rework)" by Til Bronner, "Terra De Ninguem" by Sabrina Malheiros, "Take Off (Campi's Idea version)" by Marco Di Marco, "3 Corners (For Friends & Relatives version)" by Five Corners Quintet, "You Are" by Povo, "Our Love" by Luisito Quintero, "Healing Blue (shape of jazz to come version)" by Sunaga T Experience, "Lotus Sun" by Maki Mannami, "Heaven (west coast vibes rmx)" by Bitter:Sweet, "Quiet Nights (out of the cool version)" by Re:Jazz, "Elevated States" by Thunderball, "Mood Indigo" by Akiko, "Take Five (Nicola Conte rmx)" by Roberto Roena, and "Kerma Elastica (Nicola Conte rmx)" by Bobby Hughes Combination.

Smokey's Family Robinson finds Smokey exploring rather than simply setting out to continue riding the waves made by Quiet Storm. There's bits of dancefloor funk, pared down keyboard soul, spacey jams and a sweet ballad or two – all with Smokey's soul strirring vocals in peak form. Titles include "When You Came", "Get Out Of Town", "So In Love", "Open", "Castles Made Of Sand" and more

One of the most cerebral Wire cover features to date – a 20 page special that looks at the relationship between language and underground music – with contributions from David Toop, Nina Power, Alasdair Roberts, Ken Hollings, Hua Hsu, Rob Young, and others! The issue also still has some of its favorite features too – including the Invisible Jukebox with Jaap Blonk as a guest, looks at scenes in Newcastle, Australia and the Northeast of England – as well as a massive amount of reviews, news, and other nice bits!

A killer collection of 60s Stevie Wonder work for Motown – almost a greatest hit of the label's greatest hits series – given how wonderful most of the tunes are! The set does a great job of moving through the full range of Stevie's 60s talents – from instrumental groovers heavy on drums and harmonica, to vocal tracks that show the growing power of Wonder's appeal – a maturing, magnificent style that would set a whole new tone for soul in the 70s! Titles include "Contract On Love", "Fingertips Part 2", "I Was Made To Love Her", "Work Out Stevie Work Out", "Uptight", "Castles In The Sand", "Hey Harmonica Man", "I'm Wondering", and the always great "Hey Love".

Titles include "Franklin's Tower", "Crazy Fingers", "Sage & Spirit", "Blues For Allah", "Sand Castles & Glass Camels", and "The Music Never Stopped".

Think what you want about Jean-Luc Ponty – this early session is pretty darn hip! Ponty's not nearly as overblown as he is on other records – and he falls nicely into both a tradition of French modernism and hip European jazz violinists, recording here in the company of other French players like Michel Portal on flute, Eddy Louiss on organ, Daniel Humair on drums, and Guy Pedersen on bass – a very groovy lineup that's perfect for the gliding, soaring sound of Ponty's instrument! The tracks are a mixture of bop standards and tunes by French jazzers like Jef Gilson, Martial Solal, and Raymond Fol – and titles include "Une Nuit Au Violin", "Postlude In C", "Night In Tunisia", "Au Privave", and "Spanish Castles".

Spirit, swing, and a whole lot more – a mighty collection of music all hand-picked by the legendary Nicola Conte! There's a deeply soulful groove to the whole thing – and a touch of the exotic as well – and the package really reminds us a lot of the great Gilles Peterson Universal collections that were out a few years back – full of deep tones and rich colors, and proof that when you've got the right guy at the helm, a collection of older jazz tracks can be way more than just the sum of its parts! In addition to Universal label work – originally issued on Decca, Emarcy, and other labels – the package features some Fantasy/Prestige tracks too – including some great gems we might have missed otherwise. Almost 75 minutes of music – with titles that include "Taboo" by Dorothy Ashby, "New Delhi" by James Clay, "Big P" by New Jazz Orchestra, "Juan-Les-Pins" by Staffan Abeleen, "Subo" by Klaus Weiss, "Spanish Castles" by George Gruntz, "Modette" by Roy Haynes, "My Favorite Things" by Sound Of Feeling, "Jungle Fantasy" by Yusef Lateef, "Feeling Good" by Pat Bowie, "The Hooter" by Ernie Wilkins, "Afro Blue" by Abbey Lincoln, "Bogota" by Ahmad Jamal, and "Baltimore Oriole" by Lorez Alexandria.

Mod, retro, and tripped-out grooves – a great sampling of some of the most playful work on the Italian scene of the past few years – including a huge number of artists that we only know from singles! The approach here takes off from the sound first crafted by some of the Irma La Douce scene – a blend of older retro-styled elements with modern dancefloor rhythms – in a mode that's always entertaining, and usually pretty darn charming as well! There's loads of great cuts on the set, and the package features 15 titles that include "Bowinda" by Magneti C4, "Latino (Nicola Conte rmx)" by Fuzz Against Junk, "Engano" by Bob Dusi, "Capo Est" by Mop Mop, "Magic World" by Tantra Tribe, "Stripper Girl (Frank Popp rmx)" by Sam Paglia, "Bramaputra" by Way O, "A Bocca Chiusa" by Vip 200, "La Javaneise" by Art Cluso, and "Castles In Spain" by Ghita.