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A rare full length set by The Crystals – Phil Spector genius in all its glory, and a range of tracks that takes the group way past their hits! There's a sense of darkness here that's really amazing – sadder and often slower than the usual girl group groove – and recorded with plenty of echo next to the voices of the group, which makes the songs sound somehow even bluer. Despite the "twist" in the title, most of the work here is not of the dancefloor type – and the album's a rare treasure from the Philles catalog! Titles include "Please Hurt Me", "There's No Other (Like My Baby)", "What A Nice Way To Turn Seventeen", "Frankenstein Twist", "Another Country – Another World", "Uptown", and "I Love You Eddie".

A great follow-up EP to Anika's addictive Stones Throw debut – a darkness-tinged batch of covers – bringing some great songs by The Kinks, The Crystals, Chromatics and Shocking Blue along with a pair of dubbed up versions of earlier Anika singles. There's a bit of no wave vibe of stark electronics and moody vocals, but Anika's got an overall presense unlike anyone else. Once again she gets some excellent production by Geoff Barrow of Beak> and Portishead. Titles include "I Go To Sleep", "He Hit Me", "Love Buzz", "In The City", "No One's There (Dub)" and "Yang Yang (Dub)".

The incredible drums and Rhodes-heavy jazz dance album from composer Thom Janusz – made in collaboration with NYC dancer, choreographer and company leader Ronn Forella – possibly the funkest, best and hardest-to-find album ever released by the Hoctor label! Ostensibly a hip 70s dance instruction set composed by Janusz for Forella – a frequent collaborator who also worked with Bob Fosse (in case the cover photo doesn't make that clear) – the music manages to transcend the niche to say the very least! It's a killer jazz funk album in it's own right. The groove is massive in spots and has a slower cooking, instrumental soul style in others – fantastic drums and percussion, keys that range from thickly-layered to astral, some great wah wah guitar grooving and funky bass lines throughout. We knew this record by reputation only over the years – it's such a joy to actually spend some time with it and hear how richly earned that rep is! Includes "Memories Of Georgia", "Mithra Plane 2", "Hippo Mancy", "Sculptures", "Crystals" (the drum breaks heavy standout) and "Wild And Wonderful".

A pair of funky jazz sets from Bennie Maupin – '77's Slow Traffic To The Right and '78's Moonscapes – together in a single set! Slow Traffic To The Right is Maupin's first LP for Mercury, and a great bit of spiritual funky jazz that recalls a lot of the sound of his work with The Headhunters. The first track, "It Remains to Be Seen", is an excellent groover, with some very dark keyboard work by Patrice Rushen, and the rest of the tracks are pretty great too. Pat Gleeson produced and plays synth on the LP, and the cuts include "Quasar", "You Know the Deal", "Water Torture", and "Lament". Next up is Moonscapes, and like a lot of the other Mercury jazz records from the late 70s, it's a great mix of funky jazz playing and smooth studio production. The production is again by Pat Gleeson, who was best known for his arp and synth playing in the mid 70s. Maupin's playing is great throughout, and his pinched hard reed sound feels good on both the fusiony tracks and the smoother funk ones! Tracks include "Nightwatch", "Sansho Shima", "Anua", "Crystals" and "Just Give It Some Time".

Mindblowing music from the trio of Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson, and Jo Armstead – most of it composed and recorded in New York during the mid 60s – before Armstead left for the Chicago scene, and Ashford & Simpson went to work for Motown in Detroit! The three writers have a really beautiful way of putting over a tune – fresh lyrics that are perfect for the budding soul generation of the 60s – and which often get some production work from the members of the trio too, especially on some of the tracks here that were issued by Wand Records. The package does a perfect job of unearthing these early years – pulling together compositions by the three (and occasionally just by Ashford & Simpson) – and illuminating this period with notes that are as thorough as the selection of tracks on the set. Titles include "Dance Children Dance" by Mary Love, "The Shoe Won't Fit" by Betty Everett, "Look Away" by The Shirelles, "Are You Trying To Get Rid Of Me Baby" by The Crystals, "I Don't Need No Doctor" by Sandy Nelson, "Please Little Angel" by Doris Troy, "The Real Thing" by The Chiffons, "Smokie Joe's" by The Jewels, "Say It Again" by Marie Knight, "Looky Looky" by Candy & The Kisses, "Mr Creator" by The Apollas, "You're Absolutely Right" by Tina Britt, "I'm Satisfied" by Chuck Jackson & Maxine Brown, "Cry Like A Baby" by Aretha Franklin, "Same Old Feeling" by Jo Ann & Troy, "Only Your Love Can Save Me" by Betty LaVette, and "Love Ain't What It Used To Be" by The Diplomats.

A great follow-up EP to Anika's addictive Stones Throw debut – a darkness-tinged batch of covers – bringing some great songs by The Kinks, The Crystals, Chromatics and Shocking Blue along with a pair of dubbed up versions of earlier Anika singles. There's a bit of no wave vibe of stark electronics and moody vocals, but Anika's got an overall presense unlike anyone else. Once again she gets some excellent production by Geoff Barrow of Beak> and Portishead. Titles include "I Go To Sleep", "He Hit Me", "Love Buzz", "In The City", "No One's There (Dub)" and "Yang Yang (Dub)".

The incredible drums and Rhodes-heavy jazz dance album from composer Thom Janusz – made in collaboration with NYC dancer, choreographer and company leader Ronn Forella – possibly the funkest, best and hardest-to-find album ever released by the Hoctor label! Ostensibly a hip 70s dance instruction set composed by Janusz for Forella – a frequent collaborator who also worked with Bob Fosse (in case the cover photo doesn't make that clear) – the music manages to transcend the niche to say the very least! It's a killer jazz funk album in it's own right. The groove is massive in spots and has a slower cooking, instrumental soul style in others – fantastic drums and percussion, keys that range from thickly-layered to astral, some great wah wah guitar grooving and funky bass lines throughout. We knew this record by reputation only over the years – it's such a joy to actually spend some time with it and hear how richly earned that rep is! Includes "Memories Of Georgia", "Mithra Plane 2", "Hippo Mancy", "Sculptures", "Crystals" (the drum breaks heavy standout) and "Wild And Wonderful".