All Categories — LPs  

One of the great records that Jug made for Prestige after he got out of the jug at the end of the 60's. George Freeman's on guitar, and his playing is positively smokin'. Harold Mabern plays piano and electric piano, and Idris Muhammad's on drums. With the funky cut "The Black Cat" (where George goes crazy on the solo), plus the nice groover "Jug Eyes".

Classic soul jazz material from trumpeter Donald Byrd – one of his most sinister (and most rare) albums for Blue Note! The group's a quintet, with frequent bandmate Pepper Adams on baritone, Duke Pearson on piano, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – all grooving with some of the tightness heard on other Adams/Byrd dates, but also a warmer, more open-ended approach to the music, especially on the solos! The tracks slink along with a dark little groove – and although Pearson's piano is often sweetly lyrical, it also has a nice hard sound that works well with the sharp-edged horn lines of Byrd and Adams. The album's very much in the vein of the pair's work on the Warwick label during the same time – and with excellent compositions that include "Say You're Mine", "Duke's Mixture", "The Cat Walk", and "Hello Bright Sunflower".

Classic soul jazz material from trumpeter Donald Byrd – one of his most sinister (and most rare) albums for Blue Note! The group's a quintet, with frequent bandmate Pepper Adams on baritone, Duke Pearson on piano, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – all grooving with some of the tightness heard on other Adams/Byrd dates, but also a warmer, more open-ended approach to the music, especially on the solos! The tracks slink along with a dark little groove – and although Pearson's piano is often sweetly lyrical, it also has a nice hard sound that works well with the sharp-edged horn lines of Byrd and Adams. The album's very much in the vein of the pair's work on the Warwick label during the same time – and with excellent compositions that include "Say You're Mine", "Duke's Mixture", "The Cat Walk", and "Hello Bright Sunflower".

A sweet mixture of jazz and R&B – with tenor work from Sam The Man Taylor and Haywood Henry.

One of our top 5 favorite Blue Note records of all time – a bold and powerful session from trumpeter Lee Morgan, but one that sat in the vaults for 15 years before release! The session was recorded around the same time as Morgan's hit The Sidewinder (which eclipsed its release at the time) – but it's got the soaring, searching energy of later Morgan work on records like Sixth Sense or Charisma – a whole new groove at the time, and one that's explored perfectly by a group that includes Jackie McLean on alto sax, Curtis Fuller on trombone, McCoy Tyner on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Art Blakey on drums. Modal lines come into play with older hardbop and soul jazz modes – and the result is an explosive batch of tunes that resonate with bold power throughout! Nearly all tunes are incredible originals by Lee Morgan – and titles include "Tom Cat", "Exotique", "Twice Around", and the completely captivating "Rigor Mortis". A treasure, and one not to pass up!

Titles include "Angelsea", "Boy With A Moon & Star On His Head", "18th Avenue", "Freezing Steel", and "O Caritas".

Incredible funky guitar – an all-instrumental gem from the legendary Little Beaver – quite different than his other vocal albums of the 70s, and a fair bit funkier too! The sound here is amazing – lots of snakey compressed guitar parts, nice wah wah moments, and a dope laidback groove that's similar to Shuggie Otis on his Inspiration Information album, but a little funkier too! Especially sweet are the sudden changes within the tunes – which find a killer groove, take a left turn or two, and then fall back into the groove nicely. Beaver wrote most of the cuts, and the track list includes "Hit Me With Funky Music", "Loosen Up", and "Tribute To Wes". But some of his best playing comes out on the covers, which have a nice laidback feel, in the best dope Little Beaver style – like "Never Can Say Goodbye", "Let's Stay Together", and "Summertime". Total perfection!

An excellent early album from the amazing Little Beaver – a set that's also probably one of his best ever – served up with some extra-dope guitar, and nice deep Miami soul production by Steve Alaimo! Beaver handled all the arrangements – which means that there's plenty of room for his great guitar to come to the forefront – and this album also features some of his great vocal work, set in a style that's a lot rawer than later releases – rooted a bit more in deep soul and blues, which fits nicely with the guitar. Titles include the single "Joey", plus the long "Katie Pearl", and a nice cover of "Two Steps from the Blues", which features his funky soul guitar on a nice solo – plus the tracks "What The Blues Is", "That's How It Is", "I'm Losin the Feelin", and "Give A Helping Hand".

A funky classic from Little Beaver – one of the best albums to come out of the Miami scene of the mid 70s! Little Beaver lays down some righteous guitar and heavy vocals over a cool spare backing groove on this one. It's a party, alright, but it's got the feel of the smoldering, latenight hours of it – after everyone's feeling real good for a long while! The sound is sort of a mix between slow cooking raw soul and heavier stripped down funk outings. One of Little Beaver's best – and one of our all time favorites! Titles include "I Can Dig It Baby", "Money Vibrations", "Let The Good Times Roll", and "Party Down (parts 1 & 2)".

An excellent album of smooth soul tracks – very different than Little Beaver's earlier work, but every bit as great! The album's got a warm, mellow finish that's almost a maturation of the sound that Beaver first forged on his Party Down album – with plenty of his deep soul vocals and guitar work laced through the mix, on top of lots of nice keyboard bits from Timmy Thomas! The groove is mellow Miami soul at its best – and in a way, it's this shift that really helped Beaver keep his music alive – giving it a depth that sets it apart from some of the hitbound Miami music of the period. Titles include the classic groover "Concrete Jungle", plus "When Was The Last Time", "Pretty Little Girl", and "I Really Love You Babe".

A Miami soul classic from the 70s – and a legendary pairing of George and Gwen McCrae – with results that soar past the individual work by the pair! Gwen's vocals are killer – deep, soulful, and still with the bite of her own TK albums – and the grooves here echo a bit more of George's world, but in a way that really makes for great interplay between the two singers – a back/forth sort of energy that pushes things away from any sleepy moments and throwaway tracks – and which also offers up a great 70s Miami take on the soul duo mode of the 60s. The record includes the wonderful "I'll Do The Rocking", plus "Mechanical Body", "Winners Together Or Losers Apart", "The Rub", "You And I Were Made For Each Other", "Let Your Love Do The Talking", and "I'm Coming At You".

An underground gem from Gwen McCrae – and the record that first set the tone for her dancefloor classics for Atlantic in the 80s! The album has Gwen shaking off some of the southern soul of her roots – stretching the genre out to hit notes that are much more in tune with modern soul of the time – a warmly sophisticated approach that uses Gwen's vocals to best effect on a variety of adult themes, but which also kicks in some great midtempo and mellow grooves on the set. A perfect example of this is the album's sublime stepper "All This Love I'm Givin" – a track that works perfectly on the dancefloor, yet which also has a heck of a lot of deep soul too – and the rest of the album follows in a similarly sublime sort of groove. Other titles include "I Can Only Think Of You", "I Found A Love", "Maybe I'll Find Somebody New", "The Melody Of Life", and "The Joy".

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!

Sexy soul from the great Gwen McCrae – a key follow-up to her massive Rockin Chair, and an album that showed that she could go a lot deeper than just pop soul! Given Gwen's contribution to the early disco years, the record's got a surprisingly laidback feel – classic female southern soul at its best, with a number of tracks that hit a great sort of late nite, lovelorn sort of mode – almost like some of Ann Sexton's work from the time. Other tunes pick up the groove a bit more, but still go for more of a funky soul sort of style than a disco one – and all tracks really make the best use of Gwen's deep soul vocals. Clarence Reid wrote most of the material, and great cuts include "Love Without Sex", "Something So Right", "Tears On My Pillow", "Mr. Everything", "Damn Right It's Good", and "Iron Woman".

Sexy soul from the great Gwen McCrae – a key follow-up to her massive Rockin Chair, and an album that showed that she could go a lot deeper than just pop soul! Given Gwen's contribution to the early disco years, the record's got a surprisingly laidback feel – classic female southern soul at its best, with a number of tracks that hit a great sort of late nite, lovelorn sort of mode – almost like some of Ann Sexton's work from the time. Other tunes pick up the groove a bit more, but still go for more of a funky soul sort of style than a disco one – and all tracks really make the best use of Gwen's deep soul vocals. Clarence Reid wrote most of the material, and great cuts include "Love Without Sex", "Something So Right", "Tears On My Pillow", "Mr. Everything", "Damn Right It's Good", and "Iron Woman".

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!

Fantastically funky tunes from Italy! This set's one of the funkiest batches of sound library tunes we've heard in ages – pulled together by producer Aldo Sinesio, who recorded the material back in the 70s for his obscure Fly Records label. Sinesio's got a great ear for the funky bassline – and these tracks are rippingly great instrumentals with a heavy groove on nearly every cut. Keyboards are the main solo instrument – as Hammond and piano wail away on the melody, while bass and drums roll away underneath, punching out a very funky sound! Titles include "Ramsey", "Wave", "Halloo", "Lapedusa", "Crossway", "La Gang", "Week End", "Senza Propsettive", and "Trice".

A funky classic from Little Beaver – one of the best albums to come out of the Miami scene of the mid 70s! Little Beaver lays down some righteous guitar and heavy vocals over a cool spare backing groove on this one. It's a party, alright, but it's got the feel of the smoldering, latenight hours of it – after everyone's feeling real good for a long while! The sound is sort of a mix between slow cooking raw soul and heavier stripped down funk outings. One of Little Beaver's best – and one of our all time favorites! Titles include "I Can Dig It Baby", "Money Vibrations", "Let The Good Times Roll", and "Party Down (parts 1 & 2)".

A monster of a rare funk album – recorded by a tight little combo who should have been huge! Raw Soul Express have a touch of jazz in their playing – coming off here with a sound that reminds us of Wood Brass & Steel, and a rare few other funk acts of the time who knew how to do more than just hit a heavy drum and pluck a noisy bass! Not that the band is slick, though, because they definitely earn the "raw" in their name with some sharp edges on the instrumentation – it's just that they're great at what they do, with a quality level that shows up on more than a few of the album's sparkling tracks. Titles include "RSE", "Burn The Candle", "Music Meditation", "Right On", and "Emergency".

A great little set of grooves – and different than a lot of the other Italian comps we've stocked! This one features work from three sound library sources – Ivan Basilio/Alessandro Alessandroni, The Pawnshop (featuring Eraldo Volonte), and Joy Unlimited, a band who was known more for their proggy rock, but who check in fine here with some nice funky numbers from 1972! There's a lot of guitar interplay in the tracks – from mod groovy 60s guitar, to spacey sitar, to slick electric funky bass – and although a lot of the tracks are funky, there's about an equal emphasis on melody and rhythm. Titles include "Blower", "Swoop", "Breeding Ground", "Bass String", "Black Spot", "Soul Gravy", and "Lotus" – and yes, they're all as great as they sound!

Raw, original instrumental funk from The Cactus Channel – who are coming straight outta Melbourne – and they're barely outta high school! It's kind of stunning that a group as youthful as this one is delivering such a finely-honed set of rave-up funk! It's largely done in the 70s action soundtrack and psych funk modes – recorded to analog for an authentic feel – with heavy drums, solid guitar and bass, a five piece horn section and lots of organ. There's some slower-cooking groovers, too, leaving space for some sharp solos. We really need to visit Australia and study whatever it is down there that's inspiring such a wealth of modern funk! Includes "Emanuel Ciccolini", "The Colour Of Don Don", "Budokan", "Tom Has Ideas", "Level Up", "Boss Cat", "Jungle Run", "Under The Birdcage" and "Hot Teeth".

The cover's a striking one – and it definitely supports the music inside, given that most of these Bo Carter tunes are vintage blues tunes with a decidedly erotic bent! The metaphors are obvious, but they're put together beautifully – without any of the heavy-handed schlock that later copycats would never get quite right – and set to spare acoustic lines that complement Carter's vocals wonderfully. And in a case where a title is definitely more than enough to get you started – let us say simply that the tracks include "Pig Meat Is What I Crave", "What Kind Of Scent Is This", "Mashin That Thing", "Pin In Your Cushion", "Ram Rod Daddy", "Ants In My Pants", "Pussy Cat Blues", and "My Pencil Won't Write No More".

A great solo performance from Jerome Cooper – not just drums and percussion, but work on flute, balaphone, and other instruments too! Cooper really brings all of his most thoughtful elements into play here – working slowly, and covering space with ideas that really take some time to stretch out and find themselves – then confidently move forward to open up new chapters in the performance – a bit like some of the best early moments of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago, but presented here as a solo act! Side one features "The Unpredictability Of Predictability", in four movements – and side two features "Bert The Cat".

A funky masterpiece from Bill Cosby – hardly the sort of record you might expect from all of his years on mainstream TV! This set was cut back when Bill was a much hipper cat on the LA scene – and it was the start of a brief all-instrumental run with his Badfoot Brown ensemble – a group who's not named in the notes on the record, but who offer up some seriously funky grooves! Bill supposedly plays keyboards himself – some really mad electric piano that's often repetitive, cyclical, and really hypnotic – a tripped-out style that's more funk than jazz, and which is easily one of the best parts of the record. But the rhythms are great too – equally hypnotic, and build up from bass, organ, guitar, and this whomping sort of drum part – echoing strongly in the background and really bringing a spooky feel to the set. Side one includes the amazing "Martin's Funeral" – sampled famously by Tribe Called Quest, and a 15 minute jam that's inspired by the funeral of Martin Luther King. Side two features "Hybish Shybish", an even longer track that's sort of an improvised jazz game – and which features tripped-out instrumental trading that's simply amazing. The whole record is really mindblowing – a messed-up jam session that's well worth the legend that's been built up around it over the years – and we're hard-pressed to think of another album like it! And as a special bonus, the package features these really long notes written by Bill Cosby himself – words that are as unusual as the music, and a side of him that's hardly been shown again.

An excellent and oft-overlooked 50s session from Duke – recorded in Chicago as a one-off for the Bethlehem label, and done with a lush, rich sound that's really tremendous! The group's nicely restrained and very moody – playing here in a mellow late nite mode that offers a good focus on the best horn soloists in the group, yet which also really hangs together perfectly from the slow-moving and eerie tone of the rest of the group. Jimmy Grissom sings a bit on the set, and other players include Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Cat Anderson, and Ray Nance – on tracks that include "Day Dream", "Blues", "Frustration", "My Funny Valentine", and "Laura".

One of Duke's most popular albums of the 50s – but we won't hold that against him! The session's one of a number of 50s outings that revisit older classics with the new level of quality offered in the studio – and it's got a similar feel to some of Duke's work for Bethlehem around the same time, which was also done by producer Gus Wildi – tight, but never too facile – and a perfect demonstration of the great balance the Ellington orchestra had at the time. The group includes key players Ray Nance, Cat Anderson, Clark Terry, Juan Tizol, Harry Carney, Paul Gonsalves, and Jimmy Hamilton – and titles include "Black & Tan Fantasy", "Rockin In Rhythm", "Flying Home", "Happy Go Lucky Local", and "In The Mood".

The album's a bit less "historical" than you might guess from the title – at least at the time it was issued in the mid 50s! The material is from Chicago sessions recorded in 1956 – unusual non-Columbia material for the period, featuring the Ellington group working in a slightly older-styled mode. Much of the material is from the earlier songbook of the orchestra – but it's done here with some slight modern touches that show the 50s impulses of the group firmly in place. Players include Cat Anderson and Clark Terry on trumpet, Johnny Hodges on alto, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, and Harry Carney on baritone sax – and titles include "Midriff", "Ko Ko", "Lonesome Lullaby", "Upper Manhattan Medical Group", "Jack The Bear", "Stompy Jones", and "Creole Love Call".

Excellent Duke Ellington work from the late 50s – written and recorded during a period in which he was reemerging with a stronger jazz vision than ever before! The set was written by Ellington and Strayhorn – and dedicated to the Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario – but forget the Bard-inspired roots of the tracks, because the shimmering moods of the pieces is pure Ellington – with a richness of feeling that's totally great, and a sound that's wonderfully fresh, given that most of these numbers aren't overplayed Ellington compositions! Players include Cat Anderson and Clark Terry on trumpets, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, and Johnny Hodges on alto – and titles include "The Telecasters", "Circle Of Fourths", "Sonnet For Caesar", "Sonnet To Hank Cinq", and "Such Sweet Thunder".

True masterpieces from Duke Ellington – some of his greatest compositions, presented here in an early Columbia LP that offers up "uncut concert arrangements" – clearly grooming a new side of Duke for the long-playing audience! The recordings were made in 1950, with players who include Johnny Hodges and Paul Gonzalves on saxes, Ray Nance and Cat Anderson on trumpets, and Tyree Glenn and Quentin Jackson on trombones. The tracks include "Mood Indigo", "Sophisticated Lady", "The Tattooed Bride" and "Solitude".

Great middle period work from Gong – lean, jazzy, and almost fusion-based at times – without any of the indulgences of the early years! The sound here is a beautiful blend of keyboards from Patrice Lemoine, percussion from Pierre Moerlen and Mierelle Bauer, bass from Mike Howlett, and saxes from Didier Malherbe – and although there are a bit of vocals on the record, they're often compressed way down in the mix – as you might find on other Virgin progressive albums from the time. Titles include "Chandra", "Wingful Of Eyes", "Mandrake", "Shamal", "Bambooji", and "Cat In Clark's Shoes".

Hodges leads a large group of Ellington players that includes Willie Cook, Clark Terry, Cat Anderson, Jimmy Hamilton, Harry Carney, Ray Nance, and Jimmy Woode. The overall sound has that Ellington-minus-Ellington, plus-Hoges feel of similar Verve sessions like these – with lots of nice strong Hodges tenor work in the foreground. Titles include "Digits", "Viscount", "Segdoh", "An Ordinary Thing", and "Little Rabbit Blues".

Hodges blows out front in a set of shimmering Billy Strayhorn arrangements – conducted by Strayhorn himself, and featuring players that include Cat Anderson, Howard McGhee, Lawrence Brown, Jimmy Hamilton, Harry Carney, and Paul Gonsalves. The set's a bit more mellow than some of Hodges' more firey sets for Verve – but in a good way. Titles include "Azure", "Tailor Made", "Day Dream", "Jeep's Blues", "Gal From Joe's", and "Your Love Has Faded".

A startlingly great mid 70s loner folk record by Scott Key – with some of the finest, most artful fingerstyle guitar we've heard on a self-recorded album from the period – and a really strong record that would be right at home on the Takoma label! Recorded in Colorado by Key himself, who plays acoustic guitar and bottleneck slide on songs that reveal a masterful acoustic guitar player, as well as creative ear for drones and post-psych effects. Occasionally has vocals, but it's a largely instrumental effort – and a brilliant one! Titles include "Cat Soup", "Buzzard Blues", "The Laughing Cowboy", "The Moonshiners Are Gone", "Goon Lagoon", "This Forst And The Sea" and more.

One of the greatest albums ever from pianist Ronnie Kole – a hip cat who played heavily on the New Orleans scene of the 60s and 70s – but who also had a soulful sound that was much more in keeping with piano work from the Windy City! This set has a nice crackle from the start – and although some of the cuts are ballads, Ronnie still brings in this gentle swing that's mighty nice – a bit in the way that Ramsey Lewis or Ahmad Jamal might have handled the cuts for Chess Records in the mid 60s – with a similarly hip approach to soul jazz. Some cuts feature a bit of added instrumentation from arranger Charlie Brent – and titles include the sweet "Great Stone Bottle", which has a nice break and some organ in the background – plus "Love Story", "Close to You", "Secret of My Soul", "My Sweet Lord", "He Ain't Heavy", and a groovy cover of "Sesame Street"!

Gritty blues from the great Lightnin Slim – a set of tracks that has a romping, almost rocking groove right from the start – the kind of back/forth energy we might expect to hear more from Jimmy Reed at the time! The overall proceedings are definitely in a more rootsy mode, though – with stripped-down instrumentation that really gets at the core of the vocals and rhythms – not to mention some great harmonica parts too! Titles include "Lightnin's Troubles", "GI Slim", "My Starter Won't Work", "Rooster Blues", "Tom Cat Blues", "It's Mighty Crazy", and "I'm Leavin You Baby".

Obscure batch of jazzy pop originals by this obscure singer from Indianapolis. Jimmy's clearly trying for a Lou Rawls Capitol sort of style, but he's also got a voice that's a bit raspier and blusier than Lou. Most of the tracks are originals by Jimmy, and titles include "Searching", "Quiet", "Sorry About That", "Nothing's Gonna Change My Mind", and "Cat Walk".

A great slice from Jackie McLean's rare unissued 60s sessions for Blue Note – a rollingly soulful session that stands in stark contrast to some of his more modern sides of the time! The set's got Jackie working with a group that includes Lee Morgan on trumpet and Harold Mabern on piano – in a vamping, soaring vibe that's similar to the feel of contemporaneous Morgan sessions like The Gigolo or Tom Cat – but which has a slight bit of McLean's more modernist edge from time to time. Mabern's piano work is tremendous – filled with life and joy that soar the album effortlessly along – and the lyrical drum work of Billy Higgins and basslines from Herbie Lewis are also very much a key part of this groove. The set was originally recorded in 1965, but only made a first appearance on record in 1979 – and even then, only briefly! Titles include "Vernestune", "Slumber", "Bluesanova", "Consequence", and "Tolypso".

One of the best early albums from the legendary Moondog – a set that got wider circulation than his first few releases, and really helped expand his reach beyond New York City! Moondog's still at his simple best here – working in a blend of rhythmic percussion, stringed instruments, flute, and other rootsy instrumentation – all with echoes of Eastern styles, but served in a way that definitely has more of a touch of American exotica! All numbers are played by small groups – or even solo by Moondog – and any vocalizations take on almost an instrumental feel – sliding in alongside sound effects, animal noises, and other obscure utterings. The album's almost the art world equivalent of Martin Denny – but has a lot more depth than easy kitsch – and is still tremendously powerful stuff all these years later! Titles include "Caribea", "Big Cat", "Frog Bog", "To A Sea Horse", "Surf Session" and "Trees Against The Sky". This reissue is the original version of the record that was also issued as Moondog on Prestige.

Mulligan always sounds great next to a tenor – especially in the Verve series that has him teamed up with players like Johnny Hodges, Paul Desmond, or Stan Getz. This release, cut with Ben Webster upfront, is one of the best of that series – and features the pair blowing easily and soulfully on some long tracks with rhythm by Jimmy Rowles, Leroy Vinnegar, and Mel Lewis. Titles include "Go Home", "The Cat Walk", "Sunday", "Who's Got Rhythm", and "Tell Me When".

Nice one! This is a groovy reissue of the soundtrack to Milano Violenta, written by Enrico Pieranunzi and Silvano Chimenti, and performed by the funky studio group Pulsar Music Ltd. The feel of the album is similar to that of some of the best tracks on the Stroboscopia comps – with lots of tight drums, rumbling basslines, and cool electric moments. The whole thing is very groovy all the way through – with no dead moments, and a good mix of cool themes that keeps changing all the time. Titles include "High Tension", "Subway", "Blue Funk", "Cat Theme", "Obsession", and "Dreamland".

The incredibly rare underground funk of Stone Coal White – whose couple of raw, incendiary psych funk 45s have been furiously sought for years – fleshed out here with newly discovered and previously unissued tracks for this most amazing full length on DJ Shadow's Cali Tex label! Stone Coal White featured a core lineup of bassist Melvin Payne, drummer Joe Roddrick and guitarist Tommy Mundy (or is it Munday?) – busting out a hazy, raucous and fuzzed out groove that's steeped in both funk and psychedelia. It's got more of a raw edge than most of their contemporaries and the later 70s combos to come out of the fertile Dayton scene – really cool stuff that's a joy to see respectfully issued all these years later. Mucho thanks to Dante Carfagna and Josh Davis for seeing it through! There's a revolving cast of vocalists – Dennis Mundy on "You Know" and "Hell Below", King Solomon Prather on "People's", Robert "Dapp" Brown on the gritty cover of "Ain't No Sunshine" and a cat called Cookieman on "Move Your Hand". Also includes "Stone Coal White", "Warm Up" and "Free".

A surprisingly nice solo set – with the classic "Rough Boys", plus "Cat's In The Cupboard", "Let My Love Open The Door", "Jools & Jim", "A Little Is Enough", and "I Am An Animal".

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 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!

Dark 80s electronics from X Ray Pop – a record that has all the freaky, fuzzy touches of some of the best work coming out of the North of England in the late 70s – but was recorded a few years later, and originally only issued as a limited edition cassette tape! That format is the only reason the record never got wider acclaim at the time – as it's a corker, and would easily have become one of the best-remembered electro-trash sets of the time – punky in attitude, but electro in presentation – and topped with some surprisingly sweet French language vocals from the lovely Zouka Dzaza. Doc Pilot handles all the keyboards and beats – and titles include "Chapeau Volant", "Bobby Bonbek", "Nana Electronique", "Nous Sommes", "Gogol Le Mongol", "Funky Cat", and "Cobaye".

Another astounding set of heavy vibrations from Soul Jazz in there ongoing series of collections focusing on great Jamaican music! This bouncing set takes a long, deep look at Dancehall culture, and accompanies a great book by Beth Lesser! While dance halls have existed in Jamaican music for years, the focus here is Dancehall with a capital D, from the early 80s on, when Jamaican music took a turn away from the heavier, sufferer's themes of the Roots era and became more interested in rocking good times! This set is filled with certified classics, guaranteed to ram the dance and capture the heavyweight title in any soundclash, all bouncing numbers from the pre-digital era through more stripped down Casio-driven treasures. 17 tracks in all, including "Bam Bam" by Yellowman, "Pumpkin Belly" by Tenor Saw, "Cu-Oonuh" by Reggie Stepper, "Agony" by Pinchers, "Diseases" by Michigan & Smiley, "Cool Out Son" by Junior Murvin, "Entertainment" by Triston Palma, "Arleen" by General Echo, "Here I Come" by Barrington Levy, "Chop Chop" by Cutty Ranks, "M16" by Lone Ranger, "Trash & Ready" by Super Cat, and "Soon Forward" by Gregory Isaacs.

Easily the best collection so far in the Let's Boogaloo series – and one that's overflowing with great older work from the 60s and 70s! We've liked the other Let's Boogaloo sets plenty, but this one's even more deep funk oriented than before – and not only features some great rare funky 45 material, but also a few great sound library rarities – mixed in alongside the newer cuts that Record Kicks always champions, done in a mix of funky and mod styles overall! Previously unreleased titles include "Funky Skunk" by Pete Thomas, "Beatcoma" by Alan Moorehouse, "Jazz Cat" and "Latin Soul Strut" by D Glover & G Crockett, and "Miss Augusta" by Minivip – and other cuts include "Hot Pants Party" by Guy Morris, "Look What You Can Get" by Funky Nassau, "Don't Let This Happen" by Fred Hughes, "Say Yeah Yeah" by Yvonne Fair, "Getting Down" by Brand New Rhythm, "Ain't Gonna Tell No More" by Stoned Soul Picnic, and "Oh My" by The Dansettes. 16 tracks in all!

A startlingly deep and diverse second volume of ethnographic recordings from the first half of the 20th century – Secret Museum Of Mankind Volume 2 – material culled from archival 78s of recordings made all over the world! Includes recordings from Bulgaria, Puerto Rico, India, Mozambique, Ukraine, Trinidad, Kazakhstan, Ceylon, Tibet and many more points globally – compiled by archivist Pat Conte and seeing a very well done vinyl pressing of the series after initial CD sets in the 90s. Amazing! 23 tracks on 2LPs: "Storise Khoro Goliamo" by Mita Stoycheva (Bulgaria), "Old Time Cat-O'-Nine" by Lord Invader (Trinidad), "Paghjelle" by Corale Corse (Corsica), "Kaike Ena Sholio" by A Kostis (Greece), "Umakotshaha" by John Bhengu (South Africa), "Liau Kwo Da Tsaou Yuen" by Bau In Da Li Ga (Tibet) and much more!

A killer batch of rare funky tunes – pulled from a host of tiny labels, and put together with a quality level that would blow away a crate full of of funky 45s! This 3rd volume in the Super Funk series seems to dig even deeper than the first 2 – and it also includes few incredible little nuggets that were never officially released in any format! Includes "The Tramp (From Funky Broadway)" by The Showmen Inc, "Put It In" by Johnny King And The Fatback Band, "Cissy Popcorn" and "Funky Chicken" by Preston Love, "Soul Livin" by Everyday People Unlimited, "Brother Brown" by Camille Bob, "At The Soul In" by Count Yates And The Rhythm Crusaders, "Cat Scream" by Li'l Buck, "Bending Soul" by the Soul Blenders", "Ain't It A Groove" by Chico & Buddy, "Soul Brothers Testify" by Soul Senders, "Fat Man" by TKOs, "Sweet Potato Gravy" by Maurice Simon And The Pie Men, and lots more! 20 tracks in all.

The classic first volume in this series, put together back in the 80's, when loads of hip hop tracks were sampling things like "Inspector Gadget" and "Batman". Still classic now, though, and with loads of material, like The Flintsones, Batman, Lost In Space, Star Trek, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Green Acres, Mr. Ed, The Munsters, Popeye, Felix the Cat, Ironside, Mannix, The Man From UNCLE, Mission Impossible, and lots lots more! Classic stuff, with 65 tracks in all!

Lovely work from singer Michael Johnson – an obscure American vocalist from the mid 70s, with a sweetly folksy style that recalls the work of Cat Stevens, Paul Simon, or James Taylor, but which has a sense of depth that's all its own! The album is done in a lightly folksy style that also has some jazzy overtones – with Johnson on acoustic guitar alongside his vocals. Titles include "Take My Body Home", "Troubled For You", "Cain's Blood", "Love & Sex", "The Good Life", "Goodbye", and "May You Never".

A mega-hit for David Bowie – and an album that reduced some of the complexity of previous efforts, yet still managed to hold onto all that was great! There's definitely some massive chart material here, but the tunes are still some of the best of their time, pop-wise – tracks that bring forward the best dark corners of the Bowie mythos, and refine them slightly for a new generation – always in tunefully compelling ways. And despite the crossover fame of the set, it holds up surprisingly well over the years – possibly because of that status. Titles include "Modern Love", "China Girl", "Let's Dance", "Without You", "Criminal World", and "Cat People" (in a different take than the soundtrack version.)

A real smoker of a session – Rusty Bryant's first comeback album of the jazz funk years, done in a mode that virtually set the tone for other Prestige sessions of the time! Rusty's working here on alto sax, in a mode that's clearly inspired by the Lou Donaldson sessions of the time on Blue Note – but done with a freer, looser, more rolling sort of vibe. Organist Sonny Phillips really makes the set great with some fluid work on the Hammond that matches Bryant's groove – and guitarist Grant Green's also in the group, setting up some great single note lines that punctuate the tunes nicely. A key factor is also bassist Bob Bushnell, who plays Fender bass on the record (an element missing from the Donaldson sound), and gives the record a key bit of motion at the bottom! Tracks include the groovy "Zoo Boogaloo", plus "Streak O' Lean", "Night Flight", "The Cat", and "Ready Rusty".

Despite the title of the album, the group's a sharp-edged fusion combo – one that hails from late 70s Japan, and who works here in the best mainstream fusion mode of the time! The tunes are mostly jazz funk with a bit of polish – heavy on guitars from Kazuo Takeda, who also takes off on some pretty nice solos – and also featuring keyboards from Hisao Sakurai and tenor from Mitsuru Kanekuni. The record is never too jamming, nor too smooth – but one number does feature some unfortunate blues vocals from Takeda. Titles include "Spinning Toe Hold No 2", "No Problem", "Wild Cat", "Swamp Boy", and "Fou Fou Gun Gun".

A masterful tribute from one bad cat to another – and easily one of Miles Davis' greatest electric albums ever! The album's got a powerful, epic sort of feel – a renewed focus after the looser style of Bitches Brew, and the 70s live albums – and one that mixes a deeper funky sound with the raw, exploratory style Davis had let loose a few years before. Michael Henderson's bass is a big part of the power of the record, and John McLaughlin's guitar has never sounded better, or sharper. Teo Macero made the whole thing magic in the studio, and titles include two sidelong funkdafied jams – "Right Off" and "Yesternow".

Rare early 70s psychedelia from Felt – led by an Alabama teenager named Myke Jackson (not to be confused with the late 70s-80s post punk Felt) – as far as we know, it's the only Felt record and it's really good one! The group has something of a grounded basis, steeped in psych influences – particularly flavored by swirling keyboards – but there's a song-based, solidly emotional southern inflection to the material. Jackson sounds like an experienced cat, too – not a boy of 17! Titles include "Look At The Sun", "Now She's Gone", "Weepin' Mama Blues", "World", "The Change", and "Destination".

Titles include "Cosmic Charlie", "China Cat Sunflower", "Doin That Rag", "Mountains Of The Moon", and "Dupree's Diamond Blues".

A very groovy organ record from Dick Hyman – one that has him playing spy themes, like "The Liquidator", "Thunderball", "Man From UNCLE", "The Cat", "Agent Double O Soul", "A Man Alone", and "Theme From Honey West". Hyman's playing in a streamlined moody way – not as funky as on his moog records, but still quite nice, and with a very good groove!

One of the best of Elton's early years – with cuts that include "Hercules", "Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters", "Salvation", "Slave", "Rocket Man", "Honkey Cat", "Mellow", and "I Think I'm Going To Kill Myself".

The second album from Little Feat – and it's a great one! Loose roadhouse blues-y and country rock styled songs – infused with their own weirdness! This is one of those great examples of a band that not only loved, but could play down home American music of many kinds – and add their own personal craft and idiosyncratic charms to whatever they touched. Includes "Easy To Slip", "Cold Cold Cold", "Triple Face Boogie", "Sailin' Shoes", "Cat Fever", "Texas Rose Café" and more.

A long-overdue tribute to the legendary Moondog – one of the true visionaries of American music in the 20th Century! Moondog got his starts as a blind musician working the streets of New York at the end of the 40s, but he did so (as you'll note on the cover photo) with a range of unusual instruments of his own invention, and in a minimal, rhythmic style that linked together primitivism with higher musical ideals. Moondog's often been called "the father of minimalism" – and while his experiments of the 50s prefaced the work of Steve Reich, Terry Riley, and others, his work was also much more personal, and had an earthy intensity that's still tremendously powerful even decades later! This collection is one of the first to dip into the earliest of Moondog's recordings – his recordings for the Mars, SRC, Brunswick, and Moondog labels – which are presented here alongside selected tracks from his albums for Epic and Prestige, also of similar vintage. Nearly all the tracks here offer a very primitive blend of percussion that's sometimes mixed with unusual woodwind or stringed instruments – nearly all of Moondog's own invention – and the package also features some great notes on his long career, plus some photos that are as gripping as the music itself! Titles include "Down Is Up", "Big Cat", "Bumbo", "Rimshot", "Rabbit Hop", "Instrumental Round", "Be A Hobo", "Dog Trot", "Oasis", "2 W 46th Street", and "Why Spend The Dark Night With You".

Lost genius from trumpeter Lee Morgan – a session recorded for Blue Note in 1967, but not issued until the late 70s – and even then, only for a very short time! The session has Morgan moving into that wonderful last stage of his career – working in tight formation towards a sound that still had that groovier hardbop styles of earlier recordings, but which also unfolds towards a more ambitious spiritual jazz mode. The writing on the session is superb – original tunes that crackle with energy in a surge of dark notes and shadowy moods, inspiring the soloists to express themselves at levels that rank with their best work of the time! The group features David Newman on tenor – sounding completely different, and far more righteous, than on his Atlantic sides of the 60s – plus Cedar Walton on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. A great sound overall – right up there with Tom Cat or The Gigolo for lyrical modernism – and with titles that include "Sneaky Pete", "The Mercenary", "Sonic Boom", and "Mumbo Jumbo".

One of the greatest albums ever from The Rolling Stones – a set that still draws on all the bluesy roots of their best 60s material, yet which also shows a sharper, nastier edge as well! The album shows the tremendous sense of focus and power the Stones had in this crucial late 60s stretch – a bold step forward that would give them some of their most memorable moments ever, launched by this sublime set of tracks that includes "Sympathy For The Devil", "Street Fighting Man", "Dear Doctor", "Parachute Woman", "Prodigal Son", "Factory Girl", and "Stray Cat Blues".

One of the best-ever Lalo Schifrin LPs! It's got a very cool organ-driven keyboard sound, tight jazzy arrangements, and a great set of themes like "Once a Thief", "The Cat", "The Man From Thrush", and "Blues a Go Go". Very swingin', very cool, and recorded before he laid down Mission Impossible and Bullitt. Cool gatefold cover, too, with a nice shot of Lalo smoking a pipe!

A strange record, and pretty darn goofy – but proof that the Jimmy Smith/Oliver Nelson team could tackle just about anything and make it come up hard and swinging! The album has Nelson arranging a jazz version of Prokofiev's Peter & The Wolf, with Smith soloing out front on most tracks, and lots of nice players in the group, like Billy Butler, Grady Tate, Richard Williams, and Richard Davis. The reed players really stand out, as they play the voices of the characters in the piece, and the album includes some very deft work by Jerome Richardson, Jerry Dodgion, Phil Woods, and Bob Ashton. Titles include "Duck Theme", "Jimmy & The Duck", "Cat In A Tree", and "Elegy For A Duck".

Man, if Sesame Street sounded this groovy, we'd still be at home, sitting on the couch watching TV! Think of the album as kind of an alternative take on the Sesame Street sound of the early days – one that went past the easy multiculturalism of Gordon and Maria, into a style that was much more righteous – and handled in a socking 70s soul mode! The group are a vocal quintet with a solid harmony sound – working here in a blend of funk, soul, and mellower numbers – initially recasting versions of Sesame Street hits, but eventually moving into some of their own numbers on the second side of the album. Highlights include the group's own funky classic "The Cat Walk" – a loping slow funk groover that we've loved for years as a funky 45, and which is worth the price of the album alone – plus their snapping drum remake of the Sesame classic "Come On & Get It". Other tracks include "Soul Children Flower Children", "Time Will Tell", "It's Love I Feel Inside", and "What Happened To The Vows We Made" – plus versions of "Sesame Street" and "Rubber Duckie".

One of a handful of enigmatic albums cut in the early 70s by Sixto Rodriguez – a Latin-tinged singer with a style that's a bit like that of Jose Feliciano, but trippier, and with more rock and folk touches! This set's probably his best one – thanks to arrangements and production by Dennis Coffey and Mike Theodore, both of whom give the album a stoned-out feel that sets it up nicely with other work on the Sussex label at the time. The album's got a lot of "deep" cuts with semi-political lyrics – including "Inner City Blues" (not Marvin's version), "Like Janis", "This Is Not A Song, It's An Outburst", and "Crucify Your Mind" – and Rodriguez seems like he must have been one hip cat back in his day!

One of a handful of enigmatic albums cut in the early 70s by Sixto Rodriguez – a Latin-tinged singer with a style that's a bit like that of Jose Feliciano, but trippier, and with more rock and folk touches! This set's probably his best one – thanks to arrangements and production by Dennis Coffey and Mike Theodore, both of whom give the album a stoned-out feel that sets it up nicely with other work on the Sussex label at the time. The album's got a lot of "deep" cuts with semi-political lyrics – including "Inner City Blues" (not Marvin's version), "Like Janis", "This Is Not A Song, It's An Outburst", and "Crucify Your Mind" – and Rodriguez seems like he must have been one hip cat back in his day!

One of the last recordings ever made by Bukka White – recorded in West Memphis in the early 70s, but with a sound that stretches back to the delta decades before! The album features White alone on vocals and acoustic guitar – captured with an up-close quality that's beautiful, and which is especially great to illustrate his creative phrasings on the strings of the steel guitar – ringing out with a rough-handed quality that's extremely powerful. Titles include "Black Crepe Blues", "Gibson Hill", "Sic Em Dogs On", "1936 Triggertoe", "Black Cat Bone Blues", and "Shake My Hand Blues".

A much-needed look at the funky Miami scene of the late 60s and early 70s – the new powerhouse of southern soul, after the slowdown in the scenes in Memphis and Muscle Shoals! The Miami sound was harder, tighter, rawer, and faster than that of other southern outlets – based around a really strong ability to pick up a little riff, cook it up nicely, and create the perfect backdrop for sock-soul vocals. By the mid 70s, Miami was topping the charts with disco tunes that sprung out of this energy – but the tracks on this set are all heavy-hitters from the pre-disco years – kickass funky tunes that burn like a box full of rare funky 45s! Titles include "You Got To Be A Man" and "The Spanish Flyer" by Frank Williams & The Rocketeers, "Do It To Me One More Time" and "Somebody Done Took My Baby & Gone" by Joey Gilmore, "Cadillac Annie" by Clarence Reid, "You Got To Be A Man" and "A Woman Will Do Wrong" by Helene Smith, "Funky Cat", "Save Me", and "Fantasy World" by James Knight & The Butlers, "Funky Me" by Timmy Thomas, "Funkadelic Sound" by Little Beaver, "Don't Make The Good Girls Go Bad" by Della Humphrey, "I Get Lifted" by George McCrae, and "Cramp Your Style" by All The People.

A surprisingly great little record from Clark Terry – filled with warmth, humor, and some really great grooves! The core of the album is the track "Mumbles", one that's based around Terry kind of slurring a scat vocal to a jazzy 60s groove. The track was a minor hit at the time, and Mainstream recorded a whole album around it – using the arranging talents of Joe Cain, who runs through a lot of elements that really make the set cook – from Latin percussion, to Hammond organ grooving, electric guitar, and an overall sound that's got a hip Verve Records feel. Players include Vinnie Bell, Willie Bobo, Grady Tate, and Jerome Richardson – and Cain really makes the record groove in ways that we've never heard on another Terry session. Titles include "Mumbles", "Rum & Mumbles", "Big Spender", "The Mumbler Strikes Again", "El Blues Latino", and "The Cat From Cadiz".

The first full album recorded by A Certain Ratio – and a mad mix of styles that's immediately compelling! The group are a key link here in so many traditions – British punk, 70s funk, dub, and late prog – all coming together under the godlike production talents of Martin Hannett to make the album one of the gleaming jewels in the crown of the young Factory Records label. There's never been a record of such scattered, skittish darkness – and even though short songs like "The Fox", "Forced Laugh", "Felch", "My Spirit", and "Loss" are arresting, the whole thing's magnificently capped off by the extended percussion jam "Winter Hill" – a tune that sounds like a batucada group trying to drum their way across a post-apocalyptic landscape!

Amazing stuff from Ahmed Abdul-Malik – one of the early 60s most enigmatic jazz talents! Malik was Thelonious Monk's bassist for a few years, but by the time of this record, he was working in a very sophisticated cross-cultural mode – pulling together many different strands of jazz and Eastern music, forging them into a very unique sound. Unlike some of Malik's other records, which featured a style that was very heavy on Middle Eastern instrumentation, this one's got a very even blend of jazz, and features excellent work by Tommy Turrentine on trumpet, Calo Scott on cello, Eric Dixon on tenor, and Andrew Cyrille on drums. Malik himself plays bass and oud, and the record's got a snaking mix of jazz and exoticism that's roughly similar to Yusef Lateef's work on Savoy, or some of Sun Ra's work from the time. Titles include "Nights On Saturn", "La Ibkey", "The Hustlers", and "Oud Blues".

A rare album by Ahmed Abdul-Malik – the bass player best known for his work with Monk, and for some of his groundbreaking experimental sessions that mixed together jazz music and Eastern influences! This album is one of Malik's greatest – a combination of both his modern and experimental sides, a mixture of off-key hardbop and odd instrumentation that includes cello, oud, and lots of extra percussion. The fantastic Tommy Turrentine plays trumpet on one cut, Richard Williams plays on all others – and the percussionists include Chief Bey, Montego Joe, and Andrew Cyrille! Titles include "The African Bossa Nova", "Wakida Hena", "Communication", "Suffering", and "Nadusilma".

Barbara Acklin's first album – and a landmark of Chicago soul that firmly established Acklin as one of the city's best writers and new female singers! Acklin had a classy sound that was different than some of her raw soul sisters in the city – but although she was classy, she also didn't have any of that little girl stuff that you might hear from singers like Denice Chandler or Barbara Mason. Instead, she had an approach that mixed a real soul vocal with more sophisticated material, in a manner that worked well with the evolving blueprint for the Brunswick Chisoul sound. Carl Davis and Eugene Record do a perfect job producing Barbara's songs, all forged nicely into the loping soul groove that set Chicago apart from other cities in the late 60s. Includes the big title track "Love Makes A Woman" – plus "Be By My Side", "Your Sweet Loving", "Come and See Me Baby", and a great cover of "The Look of Love"!

Almost an underground groove supergroup – given that the set features work from Earl Zinger (Rob Gallagher of Galliano) at the helm, production from 2 Banks Of 4, vocals from Valerie Etienne, and funky rhythms from Shawn Lee! The combination of talents come together here in a very new way – with a style that's much grittier and earlier than before, although still pretty darn groovy overall – almost putting a raspy old school touch on a scene that's definitely matured on its own, and may well be old enough to lay claim to the rootsy sound of this set! Rob's songwriting has definitely matured, and at some of the best moments, there's almost a British Tom Waits-y kind of quality to the set. Titles include "Below Sea Level", "Burial Blues", "Whip Of The Wind", "Laxfield Blasphemy", "Velvets Eleven", "Margaret Catchpole", and "Foggy Dew".

Wickedly hip work from Cannonball Adderley – and one of his real standout sessions for Capitol Records in the 60s! The set lives up to its "Africa" promise right from the very first note – and features a set of loud, proud tunes that really bring out the righteous sounds of this generation of new liberation – tunes that sparkle with lead alto and soprano sax from Cannon, but which really draw even more energy from the whole collective of musicians on the record – a hip lineup led by HB Barnum, who also did all the arrangements for the set! The result is a record that's unlike any of Adderley's other albums – from some of the evocative snakey lines on the top, to the hip mix of 60s Cali soul and African percussion on the bottom. And oh yeah, David Axelrod produced the whole thing too! Titles include "Gumba Gumba", "Up & At It", "Hamba Nami", "Ndolima", and "Lehadima".

They're not kidding with the name of this group – because the set's a masterpiece of 70s Afro Funk – totally great all the way through! The combo has African origins, but they're recording here in London – which makes for a really wonderful criss-crossing of cultural modes – the same sort of heavy, dark-tinged groups you'd hear from Cymande or Demon Fuzz – both of whom are a great comparison to the sound of this group! Bass is very heavy in the mix – not dubby, but really rumbling right from the start of each tune – and helping to set up the complicated percussion patterns, fuzzy guitar bits, and nicely trippy vocals – all of which are recorded in just the right way to make the sum of the elements sound like way more than the parts. Titles include "Afro Funk", "Tei Egwu", "Hot Love", "Farewell To Ibusa", and "Try & Try".

Excellent compilation of some of the best tracks recorded by the Alegre All Stars. One of the greatest recording projects in Latin music, the Alegre All Stars was a loose collective of great talents like Charlie Palmieri, Bobby Rodriguez, Chombo, Jo Quijano, Kako, Johnny Pacheco, and lots of others – and the records they made were laidback sessions full of lots of fire, communication, and laughter. Few groups matched their ability to lay down a tightly swinging Latin groove, and you'll hear the proof on tracks like "Manteca", "Estoy Buscando A Kako", "El Sopon", and "El Manicero".

A 60s bossa classic from Johnny Alf – a set that really showcases the bluer side of bossa at the time! The set's got a rich, sophisticated sort of sound – right up there with the best Elenco or Forma vocal sessions of the 60s, thanks to orchestrations by Jose Briamonte, which move along with this really dark undercurrent. Alf's vocals and piano contrast nicely, with these oddly-turning notes that are really unique – a distinct approach that made Johnny one of the most standout talents of this new generation. This album's easily one of his greatest efforts – and titles include "Gismi", "Kao Xango", "Cancao Pra Disfacar", "Ceu Alegre", "Eu So Sei", and "Bossa So".

The major label debut of Amuzement Park – almost more obscure than the indie set that preceded it, and kind of in a different mode altogether! There's still a boogie groove to most of the set, but the group are also funking things up a bit more – possibly following a Minneapolis influence, and bringing some new wave basslines and sharper-edged keyboards into the tunes. Tracks are catchy, and often a bit poppy – and titles include "Gotta Dance", "Music Makers", "This Love", "APB", "Didn't You Know", and "Squeeze Me".

Ann-Margret at her grooviest – singing the super-groovy theme from The Swinger – perhaps her greatest film appearance ever! There's a mod bounce to the album that goes way way beyond any of Ann's other albums of the period – thanks to arrangements from Marty Paich, Quincy Jones, and Johnny Williams – all of whom put a nice sort of lilt in the backings, and manage to capture Ann at her sexiest. The title tune "The Swinger" is worth the price of entry itself – as it's a catchy, guitar-twanging number delivered in an incredibly breathy mode – supported by 2 great instrumentals from the film as well, "Swinger's Holiday" and "Kelly's Dance". But even on more conventional numbers, Ann's got a great sound here – bringing whole new sexy life to tracks that include "I Wanna Be Loved", "By Myself", "I Just Want To Make Love To You", "More", and "Cute".

Amazing sounds from one of the best funky combos anywhere – ever! Antibalas have certainly risen to fame in the years since we first heard their Afro-styled grooves – working famously in the Fela musical, and reaching generations of ears with their own brilliant records. Yet throughout it all, they've always stayed true to their sound – and, if anything, are even sharper, tighter, and funkier than before – all extremely adept not only at playing their instruments, but at hitting the right sort of sound to cut through all the BS that was holding back funky Afro grooves for years! Part of that sound comes from superb Daptone production by Gabriel Roth – who really knows how to keep things lean and mean and full of energy. But the core credit really goes to the group – who never cease to amaze us here – and continually come up with fresh sounds on their keyboards and horns – and inventive rhythms to match! Titles include "Dirty Money", "The Rat Catcher", "Ari Degbe", "Ibeji", "Sare Kon Kon", and "Him Belly No Go Sweet".

A real treat for the 2001 generation! Apollo 100 takes Bach's "Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring", and gives is a jazzy electric keyboard reading – kind of a perfect bit of fluffy pop for a generation that was already digging the classical/easy experiments of the Swingle Singers and Walter Carlos. Not all the material is classically oriented, but most of the tracks have some very nice keyboard work. Titles include "Jazz Pizzicato", "Evil Midnight", and "Reach for the Sky".

Righteous soul, but with a wicked groove too – a killer set from Aquarian Dream, made even better by some great Norman Connors production! In a way, Aquarian Dream were to Norman Connors what Ramp were to Roy Ayers – in that the group wasn't really that dominated by Connors, but they did benefit a lot from his groundbreaking work in the jazz funk field – getting a level of sophistication in their sound that's really wonderful – and mixed with almost equal parts soul, funk, and jazz in the instrumentation! Vocals are often in a harmony mode – again in the manner of Ramp – and there's a classy yet cosmic sound to the record that we totally love. (And there's also one more Roy Ayers-like connection in the vocal department – since the group features Sylvia Striplin, who later recorded for Roy's Uno Melodic label!) The album's got a number of nice groovers with a strongly off-beat sound – and titles include "Friends", "It Ain't Whatcha Say", "You're A Star", "Play It For Me", and "Gentle Thoughts".

One of the most creative albums ever from UK composer Neil Ardley – and that's saying a lot, given the complexity of his other work! The set's got a wonderful blend of jazz arrangements and some freer passages – scored by Ardley with some of his most sensitive, most beautiful music ever – almost as if the whole thing's an extended soundtrack for a passage in time – or at least a sonic journey that's filled with some wonderful twists and turns! There's definitely some jazz/rock elements in the music, but the main focus is jazz – and Ardley has that same strong sense of large charts and forward-moving rhythms that you'd find in the best early work of Mike Westbrook, particularly his albums for Deram. Players are a very familiar, and very top-shelf batch of British musicians – including Barbara Thompson, Dick Heckstall-Smith, and Don Rendell on reeds; Harry Beckett and Henry Lowther on trumpets; Derek Wadsworth on trombone, Frank Rocotti on vibes, and Stan Tracey on both piano and celeste. Ardley plays prepared piano, and Ivor Cutler makes a great guest appearance on one track – reciting "The Dong With A Luminous Nose" – and Norma Winstone sings on "Will You Walk A Little Faster". The title track – "A Symphony Of Amaranths" – is dedicated to Duke Ellington and Gil Evans – with a feel that more than lives up to both! LP features a bonus "outro" track too.

Groovy pop instrumental versions of Donovan's hits, including "Catch the Wind", "There Is a Mountain", "Sunny Goodge Street", "Jennifer Juniper", and "Hampstead Incident". The sound is very Brit now sound, with a lot of electric bass, and jumpy orchestrations banked in strings.

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".

A very groovy album of tracks that sounds extremely different from the mid-60's hits by the Association, but which also still shows their genius for production and for sensitive interpretation of sweet pop material. The whole thing's a lot more sophisticated than some of their other records – with a bit of a jazzy feel in parts, and a complicated singer/songwriter sound in others. The album includes their great version of Jimmy Webb's "P.F. Sloan", plus the cuts "Silver Morning", "A Funny Kind Of Song", "The First Sound", "Seven Virgins", and the goofy "That's Racin".

The first album by Atlantic Starr – a tight set of modern soul tunes with a very different feel than their later work! Part of the credit goes to Bobby Eli – who arranged and produced the set, giving it a feel that's almost late Philly – tight, sophisticated, and right on the money at all the best points! There's a number of sweet mellow ballads with lead vocals by Sharon Bryant, and other tracks that groove in an uptempo way that points towards more of the group's 80s work – a great mix of modes that makes for a really well-developed album right out of the gate. Titles include "Gimme Your Lovin", "The Love I Never Had", "Visions", "Keep It Comin", "Stand Up", "Where There's Smoke There's Fire", "We Got It Together", and "Being In Love With You Is So Much Fun".

This haunting EP brings you more of Atmosphere's signature tortured, playful, catchy songs of relationships and introspection. This EP is a tad bit more polished than their previous efforts, but Slug still harnesses the dark, bitter, nonchalant anger down inside him that spews forth these catchy rhymes that sound somewhere between yelling, rhyming and singing all at the same time, while remaining very intelligent and sarcastic. The ANT production on these tracks really shines and has definitely matured since his Overcast efforts. Tracks include "Between The Lines", "Like Today", "Tears For The Sheep", "Don't Ever F*cking Question That", "It Goes", "Aspiring Sociopath", and a second LP of instrumentals for the DJs!

One of a few records cut by this surprisingly popular Australian group – temporary ex-pats to the US scene, featuring Errol Buddle on tenor and Bryce Rhode on piano, two of the country's greatest jazz players of the 50s and 60s. Given the sympatico between the Aussie and LA mode of the 50s – this Hollywood-recorded session fits right in with other styles of the Bethlehem catalog at the time. Tracks are short and tightly arranged – and tunes include "So Nice", "Few Get It", "That Old Feeling", "Koala", and "Lover Man".

Stunning! This is David Axelrod's rare suite of tracks dedicated to saving the enviroment with a set of jazzy funky grooves! The record's probably his most baroque album ever, with a big group of jazz players that mixes vibes, guitars, and off-kilter reeds – plus a group of singers who perform some of the lyrics of the set, most of which are adapted from the Old Testament and from Navajo legends. The record's broken into two long suites – "The Warnings" and "The Signs" – and the whole thing blends together in a spacey, other-worldly mix of heavy arrangements and trippy grooves!

A wonderful departure for Kevin Ayers – an album that's a lot lighter and more whimsical than his original fame with Soft Machine! The tunes are extremely playful, and often quite catchy – almost a Donovan-esque blend of folksy roots and jazz inflections – but tuned a bit more towards trippier ends, thanks to instrumentation that includes celeste, electronics, flute, oboe, kazoo, cello, organ, and a wide range of different guitars! David Bedford handled arrangements, and other players on the session include some ex-Soft Machine comrades – like Hugh Hopper and Robert Wyatt! Ayers' vocals are produced with a nicely compressed quality that squeezes them in alongside the instrumentation – and titles include "Joy Of A Toy Continued", "The Lady Rachel", "All This Crazy Gift Of Time", "Eleanor's Cake", and "Girl On A Swing".