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We'll be honest, there's not that much funk going on in this album – or at least not nearly as much as you'd expect from the title – but it's also not a bad soul record, and it's probably one of Eric's best overall. Steve Cropper arranged and produced the set, and there's enough of a Memphis groove on the best cuts – especially the extended "It's Time For Me To Make Love To You" – to keep the record going. Other titles include "A Gift To You", "Like It Should Be", "I Can Smell That Funky Music", "Stop Looking Down", and "Wrap Me In A Map".

A second set of recordings made by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway – recorded, we think, in earlier years, but issued at the end of the 70s, after Donny's untimely passing. The set was co-produced by Eric Mercury and Flack – and is really more of an album by Roberta, with some added vocals by Donny – plus guest vocal appearances by Luther Vandross, Gwen Guthrie, and Eleanore Mills, and even Mercury, who sings a bit on one track. Titles include "Stay With Me", "Don't Make Me Wait Too Long", "God Don't Like Ugly", "Only Heaven Can Wait", and "Disguises".

Excellent work from this fab French vocal group – their second LP, and infinitely harder to find than the first! The group was led by Blossom Dearie – the American singer, living in Paris at the time, and in the vein of groups they inspired (Les Double Six, The Swingle Singers) The Blue Stars sing vocalese versions of jazz standards, done in a romping groovy style that's a bit like Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross, but perhaps less solo-oriented. Titles include "Move", 'I'll Remember April", "Please Be Kind", "Promises & Lies", "Don't Be That Way", and "Bernie's Tune". CD also features a huge amount of bonus tracks – 8 more cuts that include "Lola", "Lettre A Virgine", "Embrasse Moi Bien", "C'Est La Vie", and "Grapevine".

Don't mix these guys up with the bigger-name Genesis – because this combo doesn't feature Phil Collins or Peter Gabriel – and instead is an American group from the late 60s that works in a sweetly melodic approach to psychedelia! Some tunes are heavy on the fuzz, with guitars right out front – but others have a slightly more baroque style that befits the group's image on the cover – little bits of woodwind and cello that sweeten the tunes nicely. But it's really the heavier guitars that make the record great – played sharply, and with great focus – sounding especially nice alongside some of the sweeter female vocals. Titles include a roaring 16 minute track titled "World Without You", plus shorter numbers like "Angeline", "Ten Second Song", and a version of Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne".

A genius album from Swedish baritone giant Lars Gullin – and a set that's from a period that was much less documented on our side of the Atlantic! Gullin was one of the undisputed masters of the instrument, and his American recordings on Mercury and Prestige stand as proof to his talent – but his work from the 60s, done back in his native Sweden, has been lost for years – and is often deeper and more complicated than his US sides of the 50s! This set from 1964 features Gullin in the company of a host of very talented "pals" that includes some of the greatest talents in jazz in Sweden at the time – Rolf Billberg on alto, Jan Allan on trumpet, Harry Backlund on tenor, Torgny Nilsson on trombone, and Lars Sjosten on piano – all artists used by Gullin in varying combinations, working through these wonderful arrangements of original tunes that are among some of the best he ever wrote. The set features haunting arrangements that defy description, and which allow the soloists free room to express themselves in a manner that skirts between hardbop and modernism, but which always manages to swing! Titles include "It's True", "I've Seen", "Prima Vera", "Decent Eyes", "Gabriella", and "Portrait Of My Pals". CD also features 4 bonus tracks too!

Groovy guitar instrumental tracks by one of the biggest international talents of the 60's. Ingmann's guitar has a unique hard edged sound that's in keeping with American instrumentalists of the same type, but which has a cool overdubbed guitar sound that's a bit like Les Paul. Titles include "Margie", "Frenesi", "Qui Zaz", "Camondongo", and "Yourtel Gingando".

A pair of Mercury Records albums from Johnny Mathis – back to back on a single CD! First up is This Is Love – a record that really sparkles, thanks to backings from Allyn Ferguson, done in that perfect mix of soft strings and shimmering brass that seems to work best for the vocals of Johnny Mathis! The album's got a feel that's full, but never in a too-lush or sleepy way – that perfect balance you find on Johnny's key classics from the early years – of which this album is certainly a real standout. Ferguson's backings have a subtle sense of drama, but never overdone – and titles include "Over The Weekend", "More", "You Love Me", "Poinciana", "The Touch Of Your Lips", and "Just Move Along Meadowlark". Ole is an unusual Latin-themed album from Johnny Mathis – one that uses the drama of Spain, the exotic sounds of South America, and even a bit of bossa nova – all to help Johnny hit some new styles in his music! Backings are by Allyn Ferguson, and still cast perfectly for Mathis' vocals – so that while sounding fresh, the album also has a strong quality that ties it to other Johnny Mathis albums of the time – particularly the overlooked gems he cut for Mercury Records. Titles include "Samba De Orfeu", "Manha De Carnaival", "Serenata", "Bachianas Brasileiras", "Granada", and "Without You".

Rough and raw classics from Louis Jordan – served up with a bit more of an R&B tinge than some of his work from the late 40s! There's a searing quality here that really hits hard on the instrumentation – guitar parts and saxophone riffs that clearly mark the space that Jordan helped allow in American music at the time – moved into nicely by the group here on their renditions of classic tracks from the Jordan book! Titles include "Run Joe", "Early In The Morning", "Caldonia", "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby", "Beware, Brother, Beware", and "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens".

Perhaps THE greatest Quincy Jones album of the 60s – a hard-swinging batch of big band bossa tunes – and one of the greatest American takes on the bossa sound ever! Quincy really brings a lot of soul to the set – syncopating the bottom end of the tunes to really bring out the rhythms, and working with a jazzy flourish of horns that creates all these quick and clever little turns in the tunes! The sound's been heard most famously on the incredible track "Soul Bossa Nova" – an original by Quincy for the set, which has gone onto much greater fame through its use in the film Austin Powers, and a bazillion TV commercials! But the whole album's great too – and other tracks include "Serenata", "Lalo Bossa Nova", "Boogie Bossa Nova", and "Chega De Saudade".

An unusual package of Quincy Jones albums – featuring variations on two American records, presented here in offbeat German versions of the 60s! First up is Songs For Pussycats, kind of a mix of Quincy Jones' Pussycat album for Mercury with some tracks from other records too – all done in that wicked mix of jazz, soundtrack, and popular themes that Quincy virtually helped invent back in the 60s! The album's got plenty of great groovers that take a popular tune and kind of turn it on its ear – takes on tracks like "What's New Pussycat", "Take Five", "Mack The Knife", "Sermonette", "Mr Lucky", and "Cast Your Fate To The Wind" – all of which are souped-up by Quincy, and done in a rhythmic style that takes them past familiar versions you might know. Quincy In Rio is a set that seems to be the famous Big Band Bossa Nova album at the start, but which also features tracks from other 60s albums too – showing a whole new fresh side to Quincy's genius in a jazz bossa mode! Arrangements are very lively, with lots of great percussion underneath the soaring big band charts – and titles include "Bossa Nova USA", "Desafinado", "Jive Samba", "Baia", "The Gentle Rain", "Non-Stop To Brazil", "Samba De Una Nota So", and "I Love You & Don't Forget It".

The standout classic from Junior Giscombe – one of the more unique soul artists of his generation! The set's probably best known for its huge hit single "Mama Used To Say" – a killer cut with an incredibly catchy hook, and a groove that's lasted for years on 80s groove dancefloors – but the whole album's pretty darn wonderful overall, with slight twists and turns that are quite different than other mainstream soul sets of its type. Junior did the record in collaboration with producer Bob Carter, who also plays a fair bit of keyboards on the set – bringing in an airy, open feel that matches Junior's vocals wonderfully – in a sound that's somewhat sweeter than other male soul of the early 80s, but never in a way that's too soft or sleepy. Titles include "Mama Used To Say", "Too Late", "I Can't Help It", "Let Me Know", "Down Down", "Love Dies", "I Can't Help It", and "Darling You (Don't You Know)". Loads of bonus tracks too – including "Fame", "In Words", "Too Late (7" single)", "Too Late (alt version)", "Mama Used To Say (British party mix)", "Mama Used To Say (American rmx)", and "Mama Used To Say (American inst)".