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If you've ever wondered what the homes, studios, crates, shelves and work spaces of some of your favorite DJs and producers look like, here's a wonderful window, for peeking into the personal spaces of some of greatest in the game! Behind The Beat is a beautifully put together photo book – with shots of the batcaves and hideaways of some of the best and most influential hip hop era producers – including DJ Premier, Madlib, J Dilla, DJ Spinna, Nextmen, Dj Swamp, E- Swift, Kut Masta Kurt, Fat Jack, Beatminerz, DJ Shadow, DJ Design, Dan the Automator, Chief Xcel, Young Einstein, Numark, Cut Chemist, Thes One, J Zone , Mario Caldato Jr and others. Put together by Rafael "Raph" Rashid, Behind The Beat is an addictive page turner with brief introductions to each party, a small list of selected productions, and from there it moves on and lets the photography do the talking. Let's hope for series of sequels! Hardcover, 168 pages.

Cooler than ice – and cooler than just about any other label collection we've ever seen – a massive collection of work from the legendary Artic label, home to some of the best Philly grooves in the late 60s and early 70s! The package not only includes 6CDs, but also features 6 funky 45s as well – each of which features an unissued gem from the label – all wrapped up in a really well-done cover that comes with a 48 page booklet, and lots of vintage photos! There's never been a label overview like this one before – and the CDs feature every single issued by the company, both a and b-sides – a project that took the folks at Jamie many years to produce, but which has been well worth the wait. The music is wonderful throughout – great female soul, some soaring group tracks, and even a few funky nuggets too – way more than we ever knew that Arctic ever recorded. In addition to early efforts from later stars like Barbara Mason or Kenny Gamble, the set also features music by Honey & The Bees, The Ambassadors, The Combo Kings, The Rotations, Teddy & The Fingerpoppers, Three Strangers, Billy Floyd, Jack & Jill, The Temptones, Kenny Hamber, Herb Johnson, Winfield Parker, Lane Relations, Volcanos, Della Humphrey, Royal Five, and many others. The set's six 7" singles are amazing too – a dozen tracks that have never been heard before – including "He's Got To Love Me" and "Catch Him Love" by Barbara Mason, "I'm At My Best When I'm Down" and "The Rock" by The Combo Kings, "It Takes Two" and "Fat Daddy" by Kenny Gamble, "No Doubt About It" and "Lover Boy" by The Tiffanys, "Doctor Love" and "I Only Have Eyes For You" by The Ambassadors, and "I Love You Just The Same" and "Fallin Star" by Winfield Parker.

The great debut of Townes Van Zandt! On the level of pure songwriting, it's masterful – Townes was pretty much in peak form on that front even on the debut! The record is at it's best when it's at it's most intimate – simply letting his voice and acoustic guitar carry everything. There's some fairly adventurous production by Jack Clement & Jim Malloy, though – a bit out of character for Townes at his slightly later, more stripped down and iconic – but that's actually something we appreciate a lot more than we used to. Like the big budget studio recordings of Van Zandt's songs as covered by others, it goes to show just how sturdy and adaptable his songs are in different settings. Classic! Includes "For The Sake Of The Song", "Tecumseh Valley", "Many A Fine Lady", "Quick Silver Dadreams Of Maria", "I'll Be There In The Morning", "Sad Cinderella", "All Your Young Servants", "Sixteen Summers, Fifteen Falls" and more.

Mighty keyboards from Francesco Gazzara – easily one of our favorite Irma Records artists from years back – still sounding pretty darn great here in a nicely mature setting! The album's got a bit of the bossa promised in the title, but also has a wider-ranging groove too – echoes of older keyboard modes, mixed with bits of jazz funk at times – all handled by Gazzara on a range of Fender Rhodes, Hammond, Korg, and other keys – with core bass and drums, and additional help from Lily Latuheru on vocals and Dario Cecchini on flute and saxes! Most tracks are instrumentals, but Lily's soulful tones definitely make the vocal tracks sound great too – and titles include "New Frontier", "Blow Your Mind", "Ivory Skyscrapers", "Bahia Moon", "Berimbau", "Black Jack", and "Song For My Father".

A great bit of 70s electric work from Quincy – and probably his funkiest album ever! Quincy's really stepping out here from the straighter and spacier styles of earlier records – going for more of the dirty grooves he was cutting up for soundtrack albums, and hitting notes that were a lot more fitting for the blacksploitation era. The record includes the massive funky track cut "Hikky-Burr", which was the theme to the first Bill Cosby Show, and which has a sinister groove, and some wild shouted lyrics! Also features two more great themes – "Ironside" and "The Anderson Tapes" – both of which have a cool electric sound to them, and the nice title cut, which actually features Quincy on vocals! Other tracks include "Cast Your Fate To The Wind", "What's Going On", "Brown Ballad" and more.

Early pre-Blue Note hardbop by Jackie McLean – and one of the few recordings to feature his sextet with Ray Draper! Draper was a real legend in late 50s jazz – a tuba (?) player, believe it or not, with a sound that was dark, brooding, and very modern – very unlike you'd expect from the instrument. This album has the same rich quality as the session Draper recorded with Coltrane in the same period – and it also features 2 of his amazing compositions, "Filide" and "Two Sons". As for the rest of the group, Webster Young plays coronet, Gil Coggins plays piano, and George Tucker's on drums – and other titles include "Millie's Pad", "Tune Up", and "What Good Am I Without You".

A pair of killers from this legendary group! High On Music is one of the funkiest albums ever from The Memphis Horns – that super-tight instrumental combo headed by Andrew Love on tenor and Wayne Jackson on trumpet! Both players had years in the Memphis soul scene under their belt by the time of this set – and instead of just going for familiar modes, they wisely try to reach for a whole new groove – bringing in a bit of New York funk from the time, particularly the tighter ensemble sound of the Fatback generation. Booker T still handles production, which ensures a link to Memphis roots – and there's some great keyboards, which underscore the horns nicely. Titles include "Freedom Train", "Get It Up", "80 Proof Red", "Move Your Feet", "Keep On Doin' It", "Crystal Mellow", "Love's Mood", and "Beale Street Shuffle". On Get Up & Dance, The Memphis Horns expand their groove – still serving up their great blend of funky soul horns, but also adding in a bit of vocals too! The core focus of the album is still instrumental – based around that amazing sound led by Memphis soul legends Andrew Love and Wayne Jackson – but given the dancefloor orientation of some of the best tracks here, vocals are a perfect blend for the sound – lyrics that never dominate too much, but which have a great way of underscoring the groove! Singers include DJ Rogers, Lani Groves, Deniece Williams, and James Gilstrap all sing on the record – and titles include "Just For Your Love", a smooth mellow stepper that's pretty darn catchy – plus "Love Is Happiness", "Get Up And Dance", "Memphis Nights", "What The Funk", "Don't Abuse It", "Keep On Smilin", and "Waitin For The Flood".

A great collection of work by Fats Navarro – his complete Blue Note recordings, and a masterful collection of trumpet-based bop! There's are a total of 26 songs on this 2 LP set and several groups that Navarro played with are represented – The Tadd Dameron Sextet & Septet, The McGhee/Navarro Boptet and Bud Powell's Modernists. Other members of these groups included Charlie Rouse, Wardell Gray, Kenny Clarke, Milt Jackson and many more. Titles include "Our Delight", "The Chase", "Dameronia", "Lady Bird", "Double Talk", "The Skunk", "Dance Of The Infidels", and "Wail".

While the rest of the Jamaican music industry was transitioning to the digital sound, Bullwackie Barnes soldiered on, based in NYC, cutting fat slabs of wax with a heavy vintage sound. This side of dubs cut by his studio team that often included Leroy Sibbles, Jackie Mittoo and Junior Delahaye and based on rhythms used by Horace Andy and Max Romeo features a deep, dark sound and crisp, tight production, with a deft and subtle touch on the console. Cut years after the golden age of dub, but easily ranking up their with our favorite dub LPs. 10 cuts in all: "African Roots Act II Dub", "Revelation In Dub", "Goinna Fight Dub", "Journey Rock", "Lam's International Dub", "Mama Land Dub", "Lonely Dub", "Mystic Dub", "Sea Of Dub" and "African Man Dub".

The tough, but tender ladies of 60s and 70s country music – sweet, soaring and soulful tunes from a bunch of women who'd eventually crossover to mainstream superstardom – and others who are mostly beloved these days to us vintage honky tonk and country soul diggers! The Country Soul Sisters series does a terrific job of highlighting the strains of soul and county-fied funk rumbling underneath so many great 60s and 70s Nashville productions – something we've tried to convince folks of for years – and beyond doing us that cultural solid, it's a straight-up fantastic batch of groovy music. Vol 2 is even better than the first – with tunes by Dolly Parton, Jeannie C Riley, Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty, Tammy Wynette, Bobbie Gentry, Jean Shepard, Kitty Wells and many more! Includes Includes "Little Town Square" by Jeannie C. Riley, "Color Him Father" by Linda Martell, "The Bargain Store" by Dolly Parton, "My Baby Walked Right Out On Me" by Wanda Jackson, "Okolona River Bottom Band" by Bobbie Gentry, Linda Ronstadt's country chanteuse take on Dylan's "Baby, You've On My Mind", "I'm Alone" by Jean Shepard, "Your Ole Handy Man" by Jan Howard, "I Never Said I Love You" by Barbara Mandrell, "If I Can't Be Your Woman" by Lynn Anderson and more.

A massive collection of soulful groovers – tunes that packed the dancefloors in the days before disco, and which definitely show the harder edge of the soul spectrum! The set starts off with mid-60s tunes based around a simple rhythm and a quirky dance gimmick – then branches out into some hard-hitting sock-soul numbers from later in the decade, and eventually slides into some sweet 70s funk! The overview of tunes is a great one, with some tasty familiar numbers, some great obscurities, and a few tracks that have been massively hard to find on CD! Titles include "The Greasy Frog" by Jeb Stuart, "The Matador" by Major Lance, "The Dip" by The Whispers, "Jerk It" by The Gypsies, "The Chicken" by Jackie Lee, "The Meditation" by TNT Band, "Broadway Freeze (parts 1 & 2)" by Harvey Scales & The Seven Sounds, "Walkin The Duck" by The Triumphs, "Temptation Walk" by The Entertainers IV, "Moon Walk (parts 1 & 2)" by Joe Simon, "Bumpin & Stompin" by Garland Green, "Bus Stop" by Fatback Band, and "Do The Sissy" by Albert Collins. 26 tracks in all!

Synth heavy rarities and vintage electronics flavored gems from a pioneering roster of both revered and lesser-remembered experimental heavies – including Peter Thomas, Bruno Spoerri, Klaus Weiss, Jacky Chlard, Ilaiyaraaja and others – complied by Andy Votel! Votel has the utmost love and respect for the material, and the selections are top notch – electronic and experimental pop, funky synth prog, pulsing soundtrack soundscapes and more – no less mind-melting post millenium as it all must have been when originally recorded! Great music from some of the brains behind Can, Hawkwind, Soft Machine, Niagara, Nucleus and more. 16 tracks in all: "Sound Of Wetness" by Suzanne Ciani, "Evarella 2073" by Peter Thomas, "Surf" by Saratoga Space Messengers", "Baustellenmusik" by Bruno Spoerri, "Atari Corporate Tag" by Suzanne Ciani, by "Yaaro Sonnaangalaam" by Ilaiyaraaja, "Gods Of Norse" by Cybotron, "Les Scandales" by Jacky Chalard & Dynastie Crisis, "Splot" by Karl Jenkins & Soft Machine", Rod Hunter's synth take on the funky break classic "Apache" and more.

An amazing double-header – and a set that really adds a lot more music than we might have expected! First up is a richly expanded version of Cleopatra Jones – one of the best of the blacksploitation scores of the early 70s – a masterpiece of music that we rate every bit as high as Shaft or Superfly – maybe even higher! The music here is incredible – a surprising funky turn for JJ Johnson, who most folks know for his straighter jazz work – and like Marvin Gaye, Barry White, and others who were surprising the world with their ability to score music for a full film during the early 70s, JJ really knocks it out of the park with this one – coming up with a batch of tunes that are a wonderful mix of sophisticated scoring, creative instrumentation, and some damn funky grooves! The title cut features Joe Simon on vocals, and Millie Jackson sings on the cuts "Love Doctor" and "It Hurts So Good". The rest of the set is instrumental, and other cuts include an instrumental take on "Cleopatra Jones", plus "Go Chase Cleo", "Goin To The Chase", "Wrap Up", and "Airport Fight". This new version features 17 bonus tracks from the original film score, not the record – amazing extra music by Carl Brandt, with titles that include "Emdee", "Elevator/Cleo & Captain", "Pot Burn/Mommy/Police Raid", "Ambush", "Doodle Apartment", "Before Crash", and "Snake Crib". CD 2 features some long-lost music from the film Cleopatra Jones & The Casino Of Gold – a well-known follow-up to the original movie, but one that was never properly represented on record – making this CD set a long-awaited premiere of the original music for the film! The set features music by Dominic Frontiere – penned in a mix of funky action modes, with some slight exotic touches too, due to the location of the story. Frontiere's in his best soul/funk mode – a side that few folks realize he can do this well – and the music has a slightly different feel than JJ Johnson's Cleo Jones work, but is equally nice. Titles include "Casino Source", "Chopped Meat", "Oymia", "Les Orgie", "Fatman Stomp", "Dead Dragon Lady", and "Pool Hall Rock" – plus the vocal number "Playing With Fire". CD also features 4 more bonus tracks from Cleopatra Jones – including extended versions of the theme, and Pattie Brooks singing "Swing Down Chariot" and "Am I Blue". Great notes too – very full, with lots of photos, in the best Film Score tradition!

A hip album that mixes gospel and jazz – recorded in 1968 as a tribute to Martin Luther King. The album was put together by Jesse Jackson's Operation Breadbasket operation – but it really features a bunch of Chicago jazz and studio players, including Phil Upchurch, Charles Stepney, Morris Jennings, Burgess Gardner, and Ben Branch himself, whose tenor takes the lead on most tracks. The core of most tracks is moody soul jazz – but some cuts have vocals, with solos by Clay Evans and Sammy Lewis, and group vocals by the Breadbasket Choir. Titles include "Hard Times", "My Heavenly Father", "We Shall Overcome", and "If I Could Help Somebody".

An expanded version of Hugo Friedhofer's score for One Eyed Jacks – a compelling soundtrack for one of the more ill-fated westerns of the 50s! Friedhofer really moves beyond familiar stereotypes here – using offbeat orchestrations, often heavy on woodwinds and solo instrumentation, to create a nice sense of place and space – almost exotic at points, then underscored by bolder dramatic themes that build as the soundtrack unfolds. There's almost as much drama in the music as you'll find on the screen – and titles include "Seduction", "Contrition", "Toast To Friendship", "Kiss Of A Scoundrel/Pursued By Rurales", and "Finale". CD features a full bonus disc – a second CD with 27 more tracks from the original score, as well as alternates of the main themes on the first disc!

A windy city hero – the amazing Garland Green, a singer who makes us mighty proud we hail from Chicago! Garland's got an incredible style that few others can touch – partly schooled in the 60s iceman modes of Jerry Butler and Walter Jackson, with all the sophistication that might imply – but also often given a raspier twist, with slightly southern echoes that make Garland's music feel even more deeply personal! And while most folks know Green's big hits for the Uni label, this package shows a rich legacy that goes much father than that – work recorded for labels that include Cotillion, Spring, RCA, Ocean Front, and Revue – in addition to some key Uni tracks. This trans-label set really does a wonderful job of showing the full range of Garland's mighty talents – a sublime set of soul cuts that run from the start of the 70s right up to the early 80s modern years – packaged with detailed notes too. Titles include "Since You've Been Gone", "These Arms", "Just Loving You", "Just My Way Of Loving You", "He Didn't Know", "Don't Think That I'm A Violent Guy", "Love's Calling", "Just What The Doctor Ordered", "Sweet Loving Woman", "Ask Me What You Want", "You Played On A Player", "Don't Let Love Walk Out On Us", and "Sending My Best Wishes".

Two hard to get early recordings from one of the architects of the hard bop sound, and certainly one of the foremost alto saxophonists of the 50s and 60s. Fat Jazz is a classic pre-Blue Note recording by McLean – one of the few recordings to feature his sextet with Ray Draper! Draper was a real legend in late 50s jazz – a tuba player, believe it or not, with a sound that was dark, brooding, and very modern – very unlike you'd expect from the instrument. The album has the same rich quality as the session Draper recorded with Coltrane in the same period – and it also features 2 of his amazing compositions, "Filide" and "Two Sons". The rest of the group is made up of Webster Young on cornet, Gil Coggins on piano, and George Tucker on bass and Larry Ritchie on drums – and the two other numbers featured are "Millie's Pad" and "What Good Am I Without You". The second set is a really hard one to find, on the tiny Ad Lib label, one of Jackie McLean's earliest dates as a leader. He's working with a quintet that includes Donald Byrd, Doug Watkins, Mal Waldron, and Ron Tucker. The feel here is similar to McLean's albums for Prestige at the same time – a mixture of bop and some of the modernist themes that often surfaced in McLean's work, played in a seductively laidback manner, but with a razor-sharp intensity overall. There's 4 numbers here too: "Mood Malody", "Lover Man", "Blue Doll", "The Way You Look Tonight". Please note that neither of these sets feature all of the tunes issued on the original LP's.

A very nice groover from Jimmy – and a session that was recorded earlier, but not issued by Blue Note until the end of the 60s. The format is hard-wailing sextet – with Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Ike Quebec on tenor, and Jackie McLean on alto. Jimmy's usual trio at the time holds the fort on the rhythm department, and all players groove very nicely on a set of 4 long tracks that includes "Big Fat Mama", "Plain Talk", and "Time After Time". Weird cover, too – with a lady's face in a cup of coffee!

The tough, but tender ladies of 60s and 70s country music – sweet, soaring and soulful tunes from a bunch of women who'd eventually crossover to mainstream superstardom – and others who are mostly beloved these days to us vintage honky tonk and country soul diggers! The Country Soul Sisters series does a terrific job of highlighting the strains of soul and countrified funk rumbling underneath so many great 60s and 70s Nashville productions – something we've tried to convince folks of for years – and beyond doing us that cultural solid, it's a straight-up fantastic batch of groovy music. Vol 2 is even better than the first – with tunes by Dolly Parton, Jeannie C Riley, Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty, Tammy Wynette, Bobbie Gentry, Jean Shepard, Kitty Wells and many more! Includes Includes "Little Town Square" by Jeannie C. Riley, "Color Him Father" by Linda Martell, "The Bargain Store" by Dolly Parton, "My Baby Walked Right Out On Me" by Wanda Jackson, "Okolona River Bottom Band" by Bobbie Gentry, Linda Ronstadt's country chanteuse take on Dylan's "Baby, You've On My Mind", "I'm Alone" by Jean Shepard, "Your Ole Handy Man" by Jan Howard, "I Never Said I Love You" by Barbara Mandrell, "If I Can't Be Your Woman" by Lynn Anderson and more.

A triple pack of early magic from Natalie Cole! Inseparable is Natalie's stunning debut for Capitol Records in the mid 70s – a real surprise, and a set that should have had the singer blossoming even more than she did at the time! As with some of the other Capitol soul sessions of the time, the album's done very firmly under the guidance of Charles Jackson and Marvin Yancey – a pair who give Natalie just the right sort of backing to launch her career – a sound that's full and rich, deeply sophisticated – but also still plenty soulful, almost in the mode of some of Minnie Riperton's work at the time. Given the pair's Chicago roots – and the arrangement help from Richard Evans – that comparison is no surprise, and Natalie rises to the occasion nicely. Titles are all originals too – and include "Needing You", "Joey", "I Can't Say No", "Something For Nothing", "I Love Him So Much", "You", "Your Face Stays On My Mind", and the huge hit "This Will Be". Next up is Natalie – a record that really has Natalie Cole finding her groove – not needing any help from her famous familial legacy, thank you – and instead stepping out with a tight, proud mode that really helped refine the sound of female soul in the 70s! The album's got plenty of influences from the Chicago soul scene – including songwriting and production from the team of Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy – and work from key session players like Richard Evans and Gene Barge, who worked in the Curtom Studios to craft the grooves on the set! Titles include "Keep Smiling", "Mr. Melody", "Heaven Is With You", "Can We Get Together", "Touch Me", "Hard To Get Along", and "Good Morning Heartache". Unpredictable is an album that reunites Natalie Cole with the smooth soul team of Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancey – the team who did such a great job with Natalie's Capitol debut, and who really continue the groove here too! The album's got a rock-solid approach through and through – a quality that has Natalie really standing out on her own as a positive young artist in soul – without any need to nod towards her father, as in later years. And Jackson and Yancey bring a nice dose of Chicago soul class to the affair – which turns out to be a perfect match for Natalie's vocals! Titles include "Be Mine Tonight", "Party Lights", "This Heart", "I've Got Love On My Mind", and "Still In Love".

An odd collection for the Prestige family of labels, featuring groups led by two artists who aren't normally associated with the label. The first four numbers are by Fats Navarro, recording alongside Don Lanphere, Al Haig, Tommy Potter and Max Roach: "Stop", "Go", "Infatuation" and "Wailing Wall". Miles leads a great bop group with Jackie McLean, Sonny Rollins, Walter Bishop, Tommy Potter and Art Blakey on "My Old Flame" and "Conception", and Diz rounds out the set in a sextet that features Jimmy Heath, Jimmy Oliver, Milt Jackson, Percy Heath and Joe Harris on "Thinking Of You", "Too Much Weight", "She's Gone Again" amd "Nice Work If You Can Get It".

2 of Brother Jack's best albums for Atlantic on one CD! Both records have a groovy 60's soul jazz organ sound, and the kind of amazing arrangements that make Jack's albums way better than most of his contemporaries. Change Is Gonna Come has lots of short soulful instrumentals, Joe Dukes or Pretty Purdie on drums, and titles like "Down In The Valley", "Same Old, Same Old", "No Tears", "Minha Saudade", and "Hotcha". Double Barrelled Soul has David Fathead Newman as a special guest, and features some nice early guitar playing by Melvin Sparks. That one includes a great version of "Sunny", plus the cuts "Esperanto", "Duffin' Round", and "More Head". Nice stuff, and over 70 minutes of funky organ grooves!

Synth heavy rarities and vintage electronics flavored gems from a pioneering roster of both revered and lesser-remembered experimental heavies – including Peter Thomas, Bruno Spoerri, Klaus Weiss, Jacky Chlard, Ilaiyaraaja and others – complied by Andy Votel! Votel has the utmost love and respect for the material, and the selections are top notch – electronic and experimental pop, funky synth prog, pulsing soundtrack soundscapes and more – no less mind-melting post millenium as it all must have been when originally recorded! Great music from some of the brains behind Can, Hawkwind, Soft Machine, Niagara, Nucleus and more. 16 tracks in all: "Sound Of Wetness" by Suzanne Ciani, "Evarella 2073" by Peter Thomas, "Surf" by Saratoga Space Messengers", "Baustellenmusik" by Bruno Spoerri, "Atari Corporate Tag" by Suzanne Ciani, by "Yaaro Sonnaangalaam" by Ilaiyaraaja, "Gods Of Norse" by Cybotron, "Les Scandales" by Jacky Chalard & Dynastie Crisis, "Splot" by Karl Jenkins & Soft Machine", Rod Hunter's synth take on the funky break classic "Apache" and more.

That's hokum, not hokey – defined in the notes as "a trite, pornographic ditty"! And while the stuff here may be a bit tamer than the triple X features you'll find in your local video store, the collection offers up some surprisingly risque themes from blues 78s of the late 20s and early 30s – all put together with the usual great Yazoo packaging, right down to the Robert Crumb image on the cover. Titles include "Banana Man Blues" by Memphis Minnie, "Please Warm My Weiner" by Bo Carter, "Darktown Gambling" by Robert & Charlie Hicks, "Ham Fatchet Blues" by Buddie Burton, "You Put It In I'll Take It Out" by Papa Charlie Jackson, and "The Coldest Stuff In Town" by Whistling Bob Howe & Frankie Griggs.