All Categories — All Formats  

Genius, pure genius! It was hard for Earth, Wind & Fire to go wrong at this point – and the album's a stellar blend of jazz, funk, and soul, all done in that perfect style they'd hit by the mid 70s. And even though this one was a monster album, of the type that you see in everyone's record collection from the time, it's still got a freshness that we always forget about – and lots of nice twists and turns that show that the band hadn't lost their more sophisticated roots. Case in point is the wonderful "Brazilian Rhyme", a short little groover that you'll instantly recognize as a sample from the first Tribe Called Quest album. Other tracks include "Jupiter", "In The Marketplace", "Magic Mind", "Runnin", "Be Ever Wonderful", and "Serpentine Fire".

Genius, pure genius! It was hard for Earth, Wind & Fire to go wrong at this point – and the album's a stellar blend of jazz, funk, and soul, all done in that perfect style they'd hit by the mid 70s. And even though this one was a monster album, of the type that you see in everyone's record collection from the time, it's still got a freshness that we always forget about – and lots of nice twists and turns that show that the band hadn't lost their more sophisticated roots. Case in point is the wonderful "Brazilian Rhyme", a short little groover that you'll instantly recognize as a sample from the first Tribe Called Quest album. Other tracks include "Jupiter", "In The Marketplace", "Magic Mind", "Runnin", "Be Ever Wonderful", and "Serpentine Fire". Plus, the CD features bonus tracks "Would You Mind?", "Runnin (original Hollywood mix)", and "Brazilian Rhyme (live)".

Earth, Wind & Fire's first album – recorded at a time when the group recently had ties to the Chicago soul and jazz scenes, and a range of experience that ran the gamut from work with Sun Ra, the Artistic Heritage Ensemble, The Pharoahs, Ramsey Lewis, and countless other influential groups. Headed up by Maurice White on drums and percussion, the group forged an amazing blend of all these influences, creating a future soul sound that pushed black music to the next level – taking a wealth of previously underground modes of expression, and fusing them into a soaring sound that would soon put them at the top of the charts. This album's a lot looser and freer than their Columbia albums – with plenty of raw funk and some nice off-beat jazz soling. Includes the classic break track "C'Mon Children", plus "Fan The Fire", "Bad Tune", and "Moment Of Truth".

A tremendously beautiful album – and a righteous anthem of power and growth that seems to open itself up to us more and more over the years! Earth Wind & Fire are at their height here – mixing together soul and funk with a set of influences that includes African percussion and Brazilian jazz – then blending the whole thing effortlessly into a cosmic sound that's simply breathless! "Keep Your Head To The Sky" is a song of pride that became an instant underground classic; "Zanzibar" is an incredible reworking of Edu Lobo's famous composition, turning the Brazilian baroque track into a spacey groover that soars on for 13 minutes; and "Evil" is a great tune that features the electrified Kalimba that became the band's sonic and legal trademark over the years! Other titles include "The World's A Masquerade", "Clover", and "Build Your Nest".

A rare promo pressing of one of Earth Wind & Fire's biggest hits!

The Powerlight is burning bright – Maurice White, Philip Bailey, and the rest of the group still very much in classic formation! Even on a post-70s set like this, Earth Wind & Fire still manage to come up with tracks that beat the rest of the ensemble funk groups that grew up in their wake – groovers that still set a new level for the boogie generation, and mellow tracks that cross over beautifully without ever getting to soppy or adult contemporary. The balance is a tricky one, but the group always manage to pull it off – and guide the whole presentation of work here with enough class and care to show that the whole thing's the result of genius planning, and not just some happy accident! Titles include "Something Special", "Miracles", "Fall In Love With Me", "Straight From The Heart", and "Spread Your Love".

Amazing! Earth Wind & Fire's ultimate moment of the 70s – and a perfect blending of all their influences that stands as a lasting tribute to their super-huge effect on soul music! The record features all aspects of the band coming into perfect cohesion – bassy funk, mellow soul, and afrocentric jazz – all expertly handled by the great Charles Stepney, who still has the same rich talent for blending styles that he had while working at Chess/Cadet during the glory days of the late 60s. Some of these songs have been played to death (and covered so much) over the years that it's often easy to forget what a crowning moment this was for former underground soul heroes Earth Wind & Fire – but we'll never cease to be amazed at the power of their mid 70s work, and this album's the best of the best. Titles include "Shining Star", "That's The Way Of The World", "Reasons", "Africano", "See The Light", and "Happy Feelin". CD also features 5 bonus tracks – "Shining Star (future star)", "All About Love (first impressions)", "Happy Feelin (anatomy of a groove)", "Caribou Chaser (jazzy jam)", and "That's The Way Of The World (Latin expedition)".

Electro-acoustic work from this hip Chicago quartet – a group that features Jim Baker on keyboards, electric piano, and acoustic piano; Mars Williams on saxes, zither, and "miscellania"; Brian Sandstrom on bass and electric guitar; and Steve Hunt on drums and percussion! The sounds are somewhat careful at points – coming slowly into focus from the farther reaches of the sonic range, then finding a fierceness as the players really let their talents unfold. Titles include "Screen Door Slam", "Cold Child With Fedora", "Treadmill To Obliviousness", "Contention", and "He Kept In Touch With The Sea By Telephone".

A cool 60s Capitol psych album – with organ from Tony Scott and flute from Paris Sheppard – and nice long tracks that include "I Just Thought Of The Moon", "The House Of Saturn", and "The Happening".

A stunning disco classic from Dan Hartman – maybe an unlikely talent for the dancefloors, given his image on the cover – but an artist who definitely went onto shape the sound of the clubs at the end of the 70s! The album's got the Hartman groove really hitting hard, and right on the money – a tightly compressed approach to disco that really lays heavily on the hooks – in a style that's similar to where Peter Brown was going at the time, with a similar compressed sensibility that gets past any of the fluff that was drowning others in the disco generation! In fact, it could well be argued that the approach here really helps focus a dancefloor sound towards the modes of the 80s – while still allowing for the fluid soul of the disco years too – a style that's summed up perfectly in the album's extended classic "Vertigo/Relight My Fire", which features famous vocals by Loleatta Holloway! Other titles are all sweet too – and include "Free Ride", "I Love Makin Music", "Just For Fun", "Love Strong", and "Hands Down". CD features some nice bonus tracks too – "Boogie All Summer (single)", "Relight My Fire (single)", "Hands Down (12" version)", "Hands Down (Hands Up)", "Relight My Fire (historical 1979 rmx)", and "Vertigo/Relight My Fire (progressive instrumental rmx)".

A masterpiece – one of 2 crazy albums in which Woody Herman's late band meets the Cadet arrangements of Richard Evans. You might think the combination wouldn't work – Woody's big band flourishes meeting up with Evans' compressed soulful grooves – but gosh, the record is simply incredible, and it's one that we'd never part with in a million billion years! Worth it alone for the version of Edu Lobo's "Pontieo", but there's lots of other nice stuff – like "I Say A Little Prayer", "Hush", "Keep On Keepin On", and "Light My Fire".

Insanely wonderful music from Andrew Hill – a lean, stripped-down session that has Hill working at his firey best – in a space that's somewhere between the "new thing" recordings of Jackie McLean, and the brooding brilliance of Andrew's later Smokestack session! The group here has some key figures fleshing out the sound – a young Joe Henderson, blowing tenor with a very edgey quality – the very versatile Richard Davis on bass – and the great Roy Haynes on drums, very much at his most fluid interpretation of rhythm! The whole set's pretty darn great – one of the more mindblowing Blue Notes you'll ever hope to buy – and tracks include "Pumpkin", "Subterfuge", "Cantarnos", and "McNeil Island".

Way different than any other Indian film music you might have heard before – hardly the festive jams of Bollywood classics – and instead, a fresh funky electro mode that's mighty nice! If it weren't for the lyrics, some of these tracks might well have come from the New York street scene of the early 80s – given the beats, the keyboards, and the way the tunes often use sharp short sonic impulses to create some of the best energy in the mix – which also means that there's plenty of groovers along the way! If you dig synth-heavy grooves and 80s club jams, there's plenty here to love – and even if you don't, the package is a wonderful discovery too – filled with notes and photos that really help us appreciate the music. Titles include "Vikram", "Anand", "Paadu Nilave", "Iravu Pookkal", "Poovizhi Vasalile", "Sathya", "Chinna Veedu", and "Agni Natchatram".

Funky dancefloor material from the Isleys – pretty guitar-heavy, and not really their best moment, as the soul quotient's a bit low, and they're kind of lost in the grooves. "I Wanna Be" is served up in a disco version, which is really just an extended funker.

Rick James fires it up at the end of the 70s – stepping out at full star power that has him rivaling the strength of Bootsy Collins at Warner, and paving the way for the rise of Prince in the early 80s! As with Prince, James' version of funk here is a bit offbeat – lots of riffing guitars in the mix, and a bad-strutting groove that's still conventional mainstream funk of the time, yet with some edgier elements that led Rick to label his music as "punk funk" (or was it "funk punk"?) Given the end-of-70s spirit, you might also say that some of the cuts were aimed at the dancefloor – although James was never really one to storm the discos as much as others. Titles include "Love Gun", "Fire It Up", "Come Into My Life", "Lovin You Is A Pleasure", and "Stormy Love".

A motherlode of mid-to-late 60s Killer – 5 whole albums for Smash Records – I'm On Fire, Return Of Rock, Memphis Beat, Soul My Way and Together (with Linda Gail Lewis) – in a 2CD set! The heart of the collection are the records Jerry Lee cut for Smash from '65-'67 – and they're classic to us, but actually quite overlooked in the canon – with some blistering takes on Memphis rock, soul and boogie woogie – great records that didn't sell a ton of copies at the time, leading up to his stellar run as a country music star. It also includes '69's I'm On Fire compilation of singles from the earlier 60s, and his decent country duets album with sister Linda Gail Lewis. 58 songs and almost 2 1/2 hours of vintage Jerry Lee Lewis! Includes "Memphis Beat", "I'm On Fire", "This Must Be The Place", "Hit The Road Jack", "Flip, Flop And Fly", "Baby, Hold Me Close", "Sexy Ways", "Mathilda", "Sticks And Stones", "Big Boss Man", "The Urge", "Shotgun Man", "I Bet You're Gonna Like It", "Secret Places", "Jackson", "We Live In Two Different Worlds" and many more!

A stone classic from Bobby Lyle – and a record that really has him stepping out strongly, both as a keyboardist and a singer! Bobby's strength at this point is undeniable – and he's got a perfect sense of balance that rivals contemporaries like Roy Ayers or Webster Lewis – both of whom work in a similarly jazzy groove! Lyle plays some great Fender Rhodes on the set – plus other more way-out keyboards too – and production is by the At-Home team, who really know how to bring in a strong sense of focus to the grooves, while still letting the best jazzy elements flourish. Titles include "Space Place", "Stop Running Away From Love", "Getting Into Love", "Dream Lady", "Stop Running Away From Love", and "For Love".

A sweet sweet set of rare tracks from start of the 80s – all recorded in the far-out locale of Rock Island, IL – but done with a funky groove to rival the best sounds coming out of New York or Minneapolis at the time! Midnight Express were a regional show band, and they've got a bass-heavy, bottom-centrist groove that's totally great – really bumping up from the lower level with some great basslines and stark drum bits too – heard here in an all-instrumental groove that's really wonderful – just the kind of local genius that's waiting to be discovered all these many years later! Titles include "Terry Jam", "Receiving End", "Tri-City Connection", "Breeze UP", and "Danger Zone Demo".

Real 80s groove soul – with polished sound that's got a bit of a jazzy flavor in it, thanks mostly to the competent instrumentation of the band. Titles include "You Satisfy Me", "Just A Little Bit", "Heavy Rotation", "Start It Up", "Sweet Lady", and "You Got Everything".

One of the biggest albums ever for Ohio Players – a set that took their earlier funk sound and targeted firmly at the mainstream with a lean, mean groove that a million other groups copied at the time! There's still plenty of the soul of the early years in the group's approach here – and sometimes, the mellower tracks show a wonderful talent for harmonies coming even more fully to the top. But the real appeal of the record has always been the bold, bassy grooves that hit strongly just as ensemble funk was exploding in the mainstream during the early years of disco – making plenty of space for the Players and their contemporaries to grab up new audiences who never would have touched a record like this five years before! There's plenty of grit in the grooves on the best numbers – a style that's maybe not as dirty as on Westbound, but still more than enough to make any real funk fan proud. Titles include "Fire", "Together", "Together/Feelings", "It's All Over", "Runnin' From the Devil", "Smoke", "What The Hell", and "I Want To Be Free".

The rare sound library disco record from Piero Piccioni & Luis Bacalov from the end of the 70s – really cool stuff with funky drums, guitars and bass that soars gloriously with strings – anchored by the 18+ minute title track and featuring several other cues! "Fire Stars Dances" is a langorous late period disco, while "Warsaw Concerto" recasts some more operatic sounds in a disco mode. Other tracks include "Prelude To Love" and "You Never Told Me" and this great CD edition includes 2 shorter alternate takes of the title track.

A full three albums by the legendary Pyramids – all packaged together in one complete set, with a bonus video too! The Pyramids recorded three key records during the 70s – each of them an underground classic, all served up in a wonderful bit of spiritual soul jazz with a really cosmic feel! The group are heavy on percussion and reeds – blending congas and assorted other percussion instruments with soprano sax, alto, and flute – all in a captivating sound that builds up nicely over the course of the album's two long tracks! The music is very organic – never too forced, nor never too far out – and there's a majestic quality to the whole thing, one that really lives up to the group's name and image on the cover. And although the ensemble hail from Ohio – hardly a spot you'd peg for spiritual jazz in the 70s – they're a key link between the early 70s avant movements in Chicago and St Louis, some of the hip grooves in Detroit's Tribe Records scene, and the growing loft jazz movement in New York. The reeds are especially nice – alto sax from Idris Ackamoor and flute from Margo Ackamoor – and all other group members play percussion, and vocalize too – singing along with some of the tunes in chanting, chorus formation, which adds an even further element of soul to the mix. Includes the full albums Lalibela, King Of Kings, and Birth Speed Merging – with bonus video content of The Pyramids Live On KQED in 1975.

Norwegian metal.

Amazing sounds from Heiner Stadler – an artist who's not just remembered for his own work on piano, but for his great talent for choosing excellent players to work with! In fact, this album may well be best known for the musicians working with Heiner more than for his own talents – a well-chosen batch of sharp-edged, yet soulful early 70s musicians – including both Joe Farrell and Tyrone Washington on tenor, Reggie Workman and Barre Phillips on bass, Jimmy Owens on trumpet, Dee Dee Bridgewater on vocals, Manfred Schoof on cornet, Wolfgang Dauner on piano, and Lenny White and Joe Chambers on drums! With players like that, it's hard to miss – and Heiner makes music that's got some of the free, open exchange of the new thing generation, mixed with the spiritual undercurrents of the loft jazz period – really letting the key soloists express themselves strongly. CD features 8 tracks from both volumes of the albums – "No Exercise", "Three Problems", "Heidi", "Bea's Flat", "Love In The Middle Of The Air", "UCS", and "All Tones".

A rare early 70s record from guitarist, singer and songwriter Ray Stinnett – who was the guitar player for Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs at their wooliest and bulliest – and made this long-buried solo record for A&M in '71! Ray was born in Memphis, and after his success with Sam The Sham, he dropped out for a while in San Francisco before heading home to Memphis. A Fire Somewhere was recorded at Fame and Argent, and sure enough, it's got quite a swampy southern groove at times – but there's also some sparer acoustic numbers that carry a post-hippie vibe that he no doubt soaked up in San Francisco. It's hard to believe it's been shelved for such a long time! Includes "Salty Haze", "You Make Me-Feel", "Silky Path", "Wheel Of Time", "Stop", "Long Rivers Flow", "America", "You & I", "Honey Suckle Song", "Liberty High", "Natural High", "Love Is The Answer", "A Fire Somewhere" and "The Rain".

A rare early 70s record from guitarist, singer and songwriter Ray Stinnett – who was the guitar player for Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs at their wooliest and bulliest – and made this long-buried solo record for A&M in '71! Ray was born in Memphis, and after his success with Sam The Sham, he dropped out for a while in San Francisco before heading home to Memphis. A Fire Somewhere was recorded at Fame and Argent, and sure enough, it's got quite a swampy southern groove at times – but there's also some sparer acoustic numbers that carry a post-hippie vibe that he no doubt soaked up in San Francisco. It's hard to believe it's been shelved for such a long time! Includes "Salty Haze", "You Make Me-Feel", "Silky Path", "Wheel Of Time", "Stop", "Long Rivers Flow", "America", "You & I", "Honey Suckle Song", "Liberty High", "Natural High", "Love Is The Answer", "A Fire Somewhere" and "The Rain".

Gloriously soulful and passionate postwar gospel – one of the best ever compilations on the Tompkins Square label – shining a powerful light on rare African American church recordings, street corner sermon style numbers, choir backed testifying soul & blues, and straight up wonderful spiritual soul music all the way! The tunes range from the mid-to-late 1940s through the 1970s for the most part, with a few later recordings – and part of what's so inspiring about it is the disregard of formality to the program. It has crackly field recordings of congregations, reverends and choirs, back porch gospel blues, and more polished, but no less passionate recordings – the common thread being the raw, honest devotion and deeply felt soulfulness of it. Hats off to producer, compiler Mike McGonigal for putting together such an excellent set, and for his concise, but well done notes on each track, and to Tompkins Square for continuing to raise the bar! 80 tracks on 3 discs: "Peace In The Valley" by Rev Lonnie Farris, "Rock And Roll Sermon" by Elder Beck, "So Glad" by Rev Robert Ballinger, "Wasn't That A Mystery" by Madison County Senior Center Singers, "The Wicked Shall Cease From Troubling" by Nathaniel Rivers, "Jesus' Blood" by Golden Stars Of Greenwood, SC, "God's Mighty Hand" by Rev Utah Smith, "Fire Shed In My Bones" by Boyd Rivers, "Power Is In The Heart OF Man" by Brother & Sister W B Grate, "You Ought To Been There" by The BC Harmonizers, "Go Devil Go" by Madam Ira May Littlejohn and more.

Some of the best funky singles of recent years released on one CD! The Soul Fire label is probably the most dedicated flag waver around for the classic funk sound – producing limited edition funky 45s by classic artists and newbies working in a classic mode – artists like Sugarman Three, Lee Fields, and Detroit Sex Machines. Many of the singles are now out of print on vinyl forever – and they are collected here, and on Grazing In The Trash Volume 1, with both the a & b sides! Titles include "Don't Think. . .Do" and "Get Up In Your Hot Pants" by Bama & The Family, "Soul Dig Part 1" and "Soul Dig Part 2" by Soul Diggers, "Solid Funk" and "Funky Moon" by Sugarman Three, "Soul Dynamite" and "Ain't It Funky Now" by Lee Fields & The Explorers, "Funky Crawl" and "Rap It Together" by Detroit Sex Machines, "Get Down" and "Moon Mission" by Joseph Henry & The Soul Command, and "In The Raw" and "The Bastard" by Whitefield Brothers.

A nice compilation of tracks pulled from Blood & Fire's fantastic reggae reissue series. While this is the sort of collection labels put together to introduce you to their catalog, it plays really well from beginning to end – a wonderful testament to the deep digging the folks at Blood & Fire have done to bring together some sought after roots tracks! 14 tracks: Johnny Clarke "Every Knee Shall Bow", Impact All Stars "S-Corner Dub", U Brown "News to the Nation", Vivian Jackson & the Prophets "Love of Jah", Junior Byles "Pitchy Patchy", Morwell Unlimited "Morwell's Theme", Horace Andy "Don't Let Problems Get You Down", Impact All Stars feat. Tommy McCook "Jaro", Johnny Clarke "Age Is Growing", U Brown "Live As One", the Prophets & Trinity "King Pharoah's Plague (discomix)", Bim Sherman "Mighty Ruler", Morwell Unlimited "Jungle Shuffle" and Horace Andy "Pure Ranking (discomix)".

An amazing document of the wide wide reach of Earth Wind & Fire at the end of the 70s – that joyous, righteous spirit that not only flowed through their own music, but seemed to touch most of the soul and jazz world as well! The set's a much-needed look at the way that energy from EWF flowed out to so many other folks too – as the group's tunes were frequently covered, its members frequently worked with other artists, and Maurice White frequently lent his production talents to others in the studio! The package is overflowing with greatness from the great ones – a killers set of tracks that include "Got To Find My Way" by Pockets, "Tequila Mockingbird" by Dee Dee Bridgewater, "Let's Get Together" by Paulinho DaCosta, "City Lights" by Valerie Carter, "Ancient Source" by Caldera, "Answer To My Prayer" by Alton McClain & Destiny, "Let Love Groove Me" by Syliva St James, "The Boy I Left Behind" by Deniece Williams, "Glow Love" by Mighty Clouds Of Joy, "And I Do" by Abraham Laboriel, "I Waited" by Blue Magic, "Dream Come True" by Stargard, and "Theme For Relana" by Gene Harris.

A later one by the Meters, and a record that shows signs of their morphing into the Neville Brothers, but still a darn good batch of New Orleans funk, although with less of the spare hard scratchy sound as their early records. Allen Toussaint produced, and the group has a nice guitar heavy sound. Cuts include "Middle Of The Road", "Out In The Country", "Love Slip Upon Ya", "Running Fast", and their classic "Fire On The Bayou". Incredibly cool saturated orange psychedelic cover of the boys on the bayou with "The Meters" written in fire letters.

Plenty of fire here – the kind of quick-witted piano work we've really come to admire from Tete Montoliu – who really hits a new level of genius on his 70s recordings for the Steeplechase label! Montoliu has this amazing way of hitting hard, with a real edge – then laying back and just letting things flow – kind of a shift between left and right hand emphasis that really makes for some breathtaking runs on the keyboard – especially with backing here from Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass and Albert Tootie Heath on drums. Tracks are nice and long, and titles include "Sweet Georgie Fame", "Blues For Perla", "Falling In Love With Love", and "Old Folks".

Some of the greatest British jazz of the 60s – two early albums by the groundbreaking Ian Carr/Don Rendell quintet! Carr was a trumpeter and Rendell was a saxophonist – and together, the pair led a group that had an amazing flair for tones, colors, and interesting rhythmic progressions – picking up on the modal and exotic influences that were bubbling under in the British scene of the time, especially in work of players like Joe Harriott and Michael Garrick – but putting things together with a groove that was a bit more straight ahead, and inflected by the soulful lyricism of Blue Note artists like Horace Silver and Art Blakey! Both albums are tremendous – rich and under-discovered jazz territory, and overflowing with incredible original compositions that will make the set one of the freshest jazz CDs you purchase this year! Titles include "Latin Blue", "Just Blue", "Garrison 64", "Tan Samfu", "Jubal", "Dusk Fire", "Spooks", and "Ruth".

Fantastic stuff through and through – and almost a "best of" best of collection from the 70s! The album's a key illustration of the genius of Earth Wind & Fire on Columbia Records – because by the time the set was released in 1978, most of the tracks were already well-known hits – but still had a soulful power and righteous undercurrent that few other chart acts could match. Maurice White, Charles Stepney, and the others have a perfect way of holding onto their deepest inspirations while honing their sills in the studio – and the results of that commitment are heard beautifully on tracks that include "Got To Get You Into My Life", "Shining Star", "Getaway", "Can't Hide Love", "Fantasy", "Reasons", "September", and "That's The Way Of The World".

Great stuff! Although a live album, Gratitude is one of Earth Wind & Fire's greatest from the mid 70s – a very tight batch of grooves that proves that Maurice White & Co. could play just as well on stage as they could in the studio – and the noise of the crowd going wild is enough to confirm that! And although a live set, the record's actually a bit half and half – with a few added studio tunes to keep the hits coming. Includes their classic version of Skip Scarborough's "Can't Hide Love", plus the mellow jams "Yearnin' Learnin'" and "Reasons", the funky "Shining Star", and a great cover of "Sun Goddess", which was also done by Ramsey Lewis with the group.

A megahit album from Earth Wind & Fire – a record that spawned 2 of their biggest numbers ever – the mellow classic "After The Love Has Gone", and the club classic "Boogie Wonderland"! The rest of the album is equally great to follow in the strength of those two numbers – and like always for EWF, even when the group's hitting the charts big, they're still righteous as can be – with lots of great undercurrents that reflect their earlier years in jazzier styles! Other titles include "Star", "Wait", "You & I", "In The Stone", and "Can't Let Go".

Two classics from Earth Wind & Fire – back to back on one CD! Last Days & Time is Earth Wind & Fire's first album for Columbia Records – the start of a really legendary run during the 70s! The sound here is a bit tighter than their first two for Warner Brothers – a groove that has funk and soul taking a bit more precedence over the jazz of their roots – but all in a blend that's completely fresh and unique, and which takes all the righteous energy of the past, and focuses it here even more strongly! And while the groovers are great, there's also a few sweet numbers that are almost even better – some slightly mellow tracks that don't hit that commercial ballad sound of the group's later years – and which almost have an earthy, organic feel overall. The whole thing's tremendous – truly essential work by the group at their best – and titles include "I'd Rather Have You", "They Don't See", "Make It With You", "Remember The Children", "Mom", "Power", and "Time Is On Your Side". Head To The Sky is a tremendously beautiful album – and a righteous anthem of power and growth that seems to open itself up to us more and more over the years! Earth Wind & Fire are at their height here – mixing together soul and funk with a set of influences that includes African percussion and Brazilian jazz – then blending the whole thing effortlessly into a cosmic sound that's simply breathless! "Keep Your Head To The Sky" is a song of pride that became an instant underground classic; "Zanzibar" is an incredible reworking of Edu Lobo's famous composition, turning the Brazilian baroque track into a spacey groover that soars on for 13 minutes; and "Evil" is a great tune that features the electrified Kalimba that became the band's sonic and legal trademark over the years! Other titles include "The World's A Masquerade", "Clover", and "Build Your Nest".

A big hit for the group – and a great album of smooth funky soul! Spirit is a perfect example of the way that Earth Wind & Fire could tighten things up, yet still keep them real – holding onto the deeply spiritual side that first made them great – but also focusing their energy towards a wider audience that showed their influence for years! Of course, with Charles Stepney helping out on production, it's hard to miss – and he's one of the few cats who could handle a blend like this so well. The compression in the band's playing is impeccable – with just the right mix of spacey spiritualism, sophisticated jazzy playing, and a straight ahead love of the soulful hook. Includes the instrumentals "Biyo" and "Departure", plus the vocal tracks "Earth Wind & Fire","Burnin Bush", "Spirit", "Imagination", and "Getaway", all produced to perfection by Maurice White and Charles Stepney!

A really great album from Fire – a set that has the trio expanded way more than usual, into jazz orchestra form – and working here in a style that's wonderfully soulful and spiritual overall! The set isn't just a spiritual jazz outing – as it's got these really unique flavors and colors that still echo the intensity of the previous Fire trio outings, but which spread the energy out over the larger ensemble, then give it a lot more focus too – less improvisation, and instead some really visionary arrangements that make the whole thing shine brilliantly from start to finish. There's a bit of vocals, which are tremendous too – almost echoing some of the Fontella Bass work with the Art Ensemble Of Chicago, but darker too. Mats Gustafsson conducts the group – and really blows us away with his efforts – and the set features one long two part composition – with performances by Sten Sandell on piano and electronics, Mariam Wallentin and Sofia Jernberg on voice, Magnus Broo and Emil Strandberg on trumpet, Jonas Kullhammar on bass sax, Fredrik Ljungkvist on baritone and clarinet, and Mats himself on tenor and live electronics!

Lots of fast, funky organ riffing on "Straight Fire" – a cooking little cut that has lots of bass romping around in the rhythms – and a mighty lean groove that definitely stays the course throughout! "Thumpin" is another great instrumental too – with the drums kicked up a bit more than on the flipside, really pushing hard on the cut's tight blend of bumping bass and heavy Hammond!

Fast guitar steps out quick on "Firewalker" – setting a groove that's followed by fast congas and some heavy riffing horns – all burning together with just the right sort of intensity you'd guess from the group's name! "Chalupa" continues with a sweet tropical groove – darn funky, and with this cool plunky beat that's mighty unique!

Fast guitar steps out quick on "Firewalker" – setting a groove that's followed by fast congas and some heavy riffing horns – all burning together with just the right sort of intensity you'd guess from the group's name! "Chalupa" continues with a sweet tropical groove – darn funky, and with this cool plunky beat that's mighty unique!

A fantastic session of Latin jazz – recorded by Ray Mantilla with a tight version of his Space Station combo! The album's a very percussive one – with percussion from Mantilla mixed with drums from Steve Berrios, who also plays percussion, and more drums from Joe Chambers, who also plays a bit of vibes on the date! Other players include Eddie Martinez on piano, Peter Barshay on bass, and Dick Oatts on saxes and flute – and there's a soulful groove here that makes the set run a lot deeper than other Latin jazz sides of its vintage – with an approach that's almost in an early 70s indie soul jazz mode, complicated rhythms dancing around searching spiritual solos that keep pushing onward as the album expands. A real treat from beginning to end – and with tracks that include "Ode To Vivian", "Gourdo Lobo", "Six For Kim", "Mariposa", and "En Nostros".

Killer funk from the glory days of the Prestige Records scene! "Got Myself" is one of the catchiest numbers ever ecorded by Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers – a barrage of bouncy beats, peppered with jaunty piano, and completed by a frenetic funky flute line over the top! "Fire Eater" is one of those cuts that just goes "whomp" from the word go – slamming with some Idris Muhammad-styled beats, very heavy work on the Hammond organ, and a killer tenor solo from Rusty!

One of the greatest albums by this funky Latin combo! The record differs from some of their earlier Prestige albums in that the tracks are longer, more instrumental, and have a hard fuzzy electric groove. The band jams hard in a way that's more like some of the funk combos of the early 70s, than the Latin groups from which they came – and that's no problem by us, because the results are wonderful! Includes two funky numbers written by Sonny Phillips – "The Spokerman" and "Jamilah" – plus a great extended cover of "Cloud Nine". Great horn work from the funky Pazant Brothers, plus Seldon Powell, who also plays flute and tenor on the album – and other jazz funk stars on the album include Bernard Purdie, Billy Butler, and Neal Creque, Pucho's right hand man!

T-Connection are definitely on fire with this smoking little set – a killer batch of late 70s club, done with almost equal parts funk, soul, and disco! As with their debut, the group here are right on the money instrumentally – playing with a dexterity that few other large funk groups could match this well – especially blistering on some of the album's longer tracks too. There's also a great sense of balance to the record too – a ballad, some midtempo numbers, and a more well-rounded feel that also shows the group going for a wider palette of sounds than just their usual grooves. But as always, the upbeat club tracks are the best – and titles include "Lady Of The Night", "On Fire", "Cush", "Groove To Get Down", and "Let Yourself Go".

A nice compilation of tracks pulled from Blood & Fire's fantastic reggae reissue series. While this is the sort of collection labels put together to introduce you to their catalog, it plays really well from beginning to end – a wonderful testament to the deep digging the folks at Blood & Fire have done to bring together some sought after roots tracks! 17 cuts: Linval Thompson & U Brown "Train to Zion (discomix)", Vivian Jackson & the Prophets "Fire In A Kingston", Impact All Stars "Easy Come Dub", Junior Byles & Rupert Reid "Chant Down Babylon", Johnny Clarke "Love Up Your Brothers & Sisters (extended)", King Tubby "Bag A Wire Dub", Max Romeo "Valley of Jehosaphat (extended)", the Chantells "Natty Supper", Inner Circle & the Fatman Riddim Section "General Amin", Cornell Campbell "Two Face Rasta (extended)", Trinity "Tradition", Linval Thompson "Jah Jah the Conqueror", Sylford Walker "Babylonians", Big Youth "Mama Look", Gregory Isaacs "Slave Master",the Tamlins "Baltimore" and Leroy Smart & I Roy "Jah is My Light/Wicked Eat Dirt".

A surprisingly wonderful tribute to the genius of Earth Wind & Fire – new versions of some of the group's best songs from the 70s, all put together in a set that was supervised by Maurice White himself! The package is hardly the scatter-shot affair that other tribute albums tend to be – and instead, there's a nicely unified sound that really revives the most soulful aspects of Earth Wind & Fire's music, but points it strongly towards a new generation in the 21st Century! The artists really preserve the warmth that made the original work so great – and although some of the styles are relatively modern, they've got plenty of classic undertones too. Titles include "Love's Holiday" by Lalah Hathaway, "That's The Way Of The World" by Dwele, "Reasons" by Musiq Soulchild, "Devotion" by Ledisi, "Can't Hide Love" by The Randy Watson Experience with Bilal, "Fantasy" by Meshell Ndegocello, "September" by Kirk Franklin, "Be Ever Wonderful" by Angie Stone, and "Shining Star" by Chaka Khan.

Blood & Fire dips into their excellent catalog of fine, fine reggae and pulls together an outstanding little compilation of some of the best tracks from the catalog! This nicely priced set focuses on vocal numbers, all voiced by top notch artists, showcasing the breadth of great music cut during the golden era of Jamaican music that makes up the body and soul of Blood & Fire's dynamite releases! 18 tracks in all, including "Fire Fe The Vatican" by Max Romeo, "Storm" by Gregory Isaacs, "Children Of Jah" by the Chantells, "Problems" by Horace Andy, "Rent Man" by Black Uhuru, "Chant Down Babylon" by Sylford Walker, 'Go Down In Silence" by Prince Alla, "Man Next Door" byDennis Brown, "Fight It To The Top" by Michael Prophet, "Every Knee Shal Bow" by Johnny Clarke, "At The Feast" by the Congos, "Yes Yes Yes" by Errol Holt, "Jah Jah The Conqueror" by Linval Thompson, "Give Jah Praise" by WIlli Williams, "Deliver Me From My Enemies" by Yabby You, "Judgement Time" by Junior Ross & The Spear, "Bandulu" by Cornell Campbell and "Remember Me" by Junior Byles & Rupert Reid.

Fantastic stuff through and through – and almost a "best of" best of collection from the 70s! The album's a key illustration of the genius of Earth Wind & Fire on Columbia Records – because by the time the set was released in 1978, most of the tracks were already well-known hits – but still had a soulful power and righteous undercurrent that few other chart acts could match. Maurice White, Charles Stepney, and the others have a perfect way of holding onto their deepest inspirations while honing their sills in the studio – and the results of that commitment are heard beautifully on tracks that include "Got To Get You Into My Life", "Shining Star", "Getaway", "Can't Hide Love", "Fantasy", "Reasons", "September", and "That's The Way Of The World".

Spiritual, soulful, and oh, so beautiful! This record captures Earth Wind & Fire at a perfect transition moment – when they've still got some of their avant jazz roots, but are leaning towards the smooth soulful funk sound that put them on the charts a few years later. The whole thing's a wonderful mix of spiritualism and funky jazz – and it includes their massive cover of "Mighty Mighty", plus a lot of tracks with cool instrumentation, like "Kalimba Story", "Drum Song", and "Caribou". Great jazzy groovers, all of them! Contains 4 previously unissued tracks – "Ain't No Harm To Moan", "Step's Tune", "Dreams", and "Fair But So Uncool (Walkin In N'Awlins mix)".

Amazing! Earth Wind & Fire's ultimate moment of the 70s – and a perfect blending of all their influences that stands as a lasting tribute to their super-huge effect on soul music! The record features all aspects of the band coming into perfect cohesion – bassy funk, mellow soul, and afrocentric jazz – all expertly handled by the great Charles Stepney, who still has the same rich talent for blending styles that he had while working at Chess/Cadet during the glory days of the late 60s. Some of these songs have been played to death (and covered so much) over the years that it's often easy to forget what a crowning moment this was for former underground soul heroes Earth Wind & Fire – but we'll never cease to be amazed at the power of their mid 70s work, and this album's the best of the best. Titles include "Shining Star", "That's The Way Of The World", "Reasons", "Africano", "See The Light", and "Happy Feelin". CD also features 5 bonus tracks – "Shining Star (future star)", "All About Love (first impressions)", "Happy Feelin (anatomy of a groove)", "Caribou Chaser (jazzy jam)", and "That's The Way Of The World (Latin expedition)".

A real sleeper of an electronic disco number – pulsating sequencer driven club tracks from Dan Hartman! Bubbling synths and a pounding 4 on the floor beat add up to a great late 70s disco number, a slightly more obscure single by him, but a great one nonetheless!

A stone classic from Bobby Lyle – and a record that really has him stepping out strongly, both as a keyboardist and a singer! Bobby's strength at this point is undeniable – and he's got a perfect sense of balance that rivals contemporaries like Roy Ayers or Webster Lewis – both of whom work in a similarly jazzy groove! Lyle plays some great Fender Rhodes on the set – plus other more way-out keyboards too – and production is by the At-Home team, who really know how to bring in a strong sense of focus to the grooves, while still letting the best jazzy elements flourish. Titles include "Space Place", "Stop Running Away From Love", "Getting Into Love", "Dream Lady", "Stop Running Away From Love", and "For Love".

T-Connection are definitely on fire with this smoking little set – a killer batch of late 70s club, done with almost equal parts funk, soul, and disco! As with their debut, the group here are right on the money instrumentally – playing with a dexterity that few other large funk groups could match this well – especially blistering on some of the album's longer tracks too. There's also a great sense of balance to the record too – a ballad, some midtempo numbers, and a more well-rounded feel that also shows the group going for a wider palette of sounds than just their usual grooves. But as always, the upbeat club tracks are the best – and titles include "Lady Of The Night", "On Fire", "Cush", "Groove To Get Down", and "Let Yourself Go".

An explosion of music from the legendary ESP Records label – a 50th Anniversary tribute to all the genius that made the imprint so wonderful back in the day – and easily one of the most important jazz labels in America! The set here focuses heavily on ESP's contribution to avant jazz – and the tracks feature the cream of the crop of the east coast scene at the time – particularly the groundbreaking New York players who were running forward with the experiments of the "new thing" generation, and starting to forge the first space for free jazz in the US! Titles include "Burn Baby Burn" by Norman Howard, "No 6" by New York Art Quartet, "The Lady" by Frank Wright, "Cocktail Piece" by Don Cherry, "Metamorphosis" by Sonny Simmons, "Other Worlds" by Sun Ra, and "Batterie" by Paul Bley.

A loving tribute to the legendary Bill Everett – filled with rare drawings, vintage comics, and a huge amount of biographical information! Everett was one of the key forces of comic books in the early days – creator of Sub-Mariner for Marvel/Timely, and artist of countless action, horror, and sci-fi features – a good deal of which are referenced in the book! Everett emerged on the scene with draftsmanship that was already head and shoulders above most of his contemporaries – and by the late 40s, his work was incredible – a sense of line, space, and balance that was simply beautiful – presented here in some oversized images that really leave us breathless! The book's filled with color images, nestled alongside the writing – and it's coffee-table sized, almost 200 pages in length!

Modern southern soul from CL Blast – a singer who took his music into great new territory during the time covered on this set! CL was a vocalist with roots in much bluesier modes, but at the end of the 70s, working with producer Frederick Knight, he really hit his stride in hipper, more contemporary styles – using an approach that was a bit like the updated Johnnie Taylor sound over at Columbia, but still somewhat more southern overall! There's a mix of Miami and Malaco vibes going on here – the tightness of the former but without the too-contemporary styles of the latter – and although Knight's production (plus a bit of help from Sam Dees) really sets the tone of the tunes, it's Blast's vocals that send the whole thing home. CD features 20 tracks in all, plus great notes on the music – with titles that include "Don't Fight The Feelin", "Beautiful Lover", "I Wanna Get Down", "50/50 Love", "Boomerang Love", "Let Me Entertain You", "Drown In My Own Tears", "I've Got To Make It On My Own", "If I Had Loved You More", "Share You Love With Me", and "Lay Another Log On The Fire".

Great stuff! Although a live album, Gratitude is one of Earth Wind & Fire's greatest from the mid 70s – a very tight batch of grooves that proves that Maurice White & Co. could play just as well on stage as they could in the studio – and the noise of the crowd going wild is enough to confirm that! And although a live set, the record's actually a bit half and half – with a few added studio tunes to keep the hits coming. Includes their classic version of Skip Scarborough's "Can't Hide Love", plus the mellow jams "Yearnin' Learnin'" and "Reasons", the funky "Shining Star", and a great cover of "Sun Goddess", which was also done by Ramsey Lewis with the group.

Plenty of fire here – thanks to tight work by an ensemble that features Mats Gustafsson on tenor, Fender Rhodes, and organ – plus live electronics as well – plus heavy bass from Johan Berthling and drums from Andreas Werliin – topped with fuzzy guitar from Oren Ambarchi, who joins the group for this date! Overall, the album's one of the heaviest we've ever heard from Fire – still with some of the improv leanings that you'd expect from Gustafsson, but also really making bold use of the bass and guitar to up the fuzz, and ramp up the rhythmic quotient of the record too. Tracks are long, and titles include "A Man Who Might Have Been Screaming", "Possibly She Was One Or Had Been One Before", "He Wants To Sleep In A Dream", and "And The Stories Will Flood Your Satisfaction".

A really great album from Fire – a set that has the trio expanded way more than usual, into jazz orchestra form – and working here in a style that's wonderfully soulful and spiritual overall! The set isn't just a spiritual jazz outing – as it's got these really unique flavors and colors that still echo the intensity of the previous Fire trio outings, but which spread the energy out over the larger ensemble, then give it a lot more focus too – less improvisation, and instead some really visionary arrangements that make the whole thing shine brilliantly from start to finish. There's a bit of vocals, which are tremendous too – almost echoing some of the Fontella Bass work with the Art Ensemble Of Chicago, but darker too. Mats Gustafsson conducts the group – and really blows us away with his efforts – and the set features one long two part composition – with performances by Sten Sandell on piano and electronics, Mariam Wallentin and Sofia Jernberg on voice, Magnus Broo and Emil Strandberg on trumpet, Jonas Kullhammar on bass sax, Fredrik Ljungkvist on baritone and clarinet, and Mats himself on tenor and live electronics!

Insanely wonderful music from Andrew Hill – a lean, stripped-down session that has Hill working at his firey best – in a space that's somewhere between the "new thing" recordings of Jackie McLean, and the brooding brilliance of Andrew's later Smokestack session! The group here has some key figures fleshing out the sound – a young Joe Henderson, blowing tenor with a very edgey quality – the very versatile Richard Davis on bass – and the great Roy Haynes on drums, very much at his most fluid interpretation of rhythm! The whole set's pretty darn great – one of the more mindblowing Blue Notes you'll ever hope to buy – and tracks include "Pumpkin", "Subterfuge", "Cantarnos", and "McNeil Island". CD features 2 bonus tracks too – alternate takes of 2 tracks on the album.

A killer – and one of those tunes you'd swear you heard back in the day – but which is even greater given that it's a contemporary recording! There's a bursting power to "Comencemos" that almost feels like "Jungle Boogie"-era Kool & The Gang – a way of having the rhythms blast out past simple configurations – driving on the horns, guitar, and other instrumentation to wicked new heights as the tune explodes! "Tokuta" is a great original by the group – almost Afro Funk, but tighter too – with horns blasting over percussion that never lets up – and a wicked guitar riff that burns all the way through!

The title's no joke, as Earth Wind & Fire are definitely part of the electric universe of early 80s Columbia Records – the galaxy that also includes Herbie Hancock during his electro years! As a result, there's a lot more keyboards and electric rhythms in the set than before – a new setting for the still-positive expressions of the group – one that works especially well on the mellower cuts! These really have the group opening up their best ballad modes – stretching out to crossover nicely, yet still with a quality level that's head and shoulders above most of their contemporaries. Of course, the sweet vocals of Philip Bailey really help put over some of the best cuts too! Titles include "Moonwalk", "Touch", "Could It Be Right", "Sweet Sassy Lady", "Spirit Of A New World", and "We're Living In Our Own Time".

Modern live soul from Cooper – Live at Portland's Star Theater. Includes a cover of Aretha Franklin's "Baby I Love You".

An early record by Experience Unlimited – better known to most of the world as EU, the DC funk outfit that went onto become pretty big in the GoGo scene, and who scored big with the 80s party cut "Da Butt". This one's nothing like that stuff – and instead catches the group when they were part of a more spiritual scene, the same DC one that gave the world Oneness Of Juju. This album has the group very much in a mid 70s Earth Wind & Fire mode – jamming hard and free, with plenty of electric guitar riffing, funky keyboards, horns, and lots of percussion. Some tracks have vocals, and some are instrumentals – but the whole thing's an extremely unified album with a great overall vibe. Titles include "Functus", "Free Yourself", "Hey You", "It's All Imagination", and "Funk Consciousness".

Tight!! Lee Fields, one of the great criminally under appreciated funky geniuses of the 70s is back with another pounding, raw funk classic that still finds the man at the peak of his powers, decades after he first made mark on the funk landscape! This is Lee's first full length effort for Soul Fire, a label that we all know goes to painstaking lengths to carefully carry the torch lit by the People Records scene in the 70s into the future, and it's great to see a titan like Lee do amazing work for a great label that does it purely for the love! Lee is absolutely on fire on all 10 of these tracks, with a Godfather like delivery that knocks us out of our chairs every time, whether it's that fiery funk howl that we love so much, or a smooth, soulful glide on the occasional ballad. He's backed up by a bona fide funky orchestra at Soul Fire Studios that includes TONS of hot drums, propulsive percussion, and some driving conga work that steers things into an afro funk groove on several of the tunes. The group MVP, other than Lee himself, could be multi instrumentalist Leon Michels, whose work on flute, keys, tenor and baritone sax, as well guitar and bass not only helps keep the classic 70s feel going, but keeps things crackling at breakneck speed. This isn't newfangled funk revival, this is the real deal from one of the originators – a 33-minute funk maelstrom that will knock you right out of your chair, and have you restarting it the second it ends! Includes "Problems", "The Right Thing", "Rapping With Lee", "I Don't Know Where I'm Going", and "Honey Dove". Oh, if only all of our heroes remained this vital!

The first album by the group that later went on to become Oneness Of Juju! The album was recorded with a group that featured Plunky Nakabinde and Lon Moshe on reeds and percussion – plus Babatunde on congas and drums – and the overall sound is very much in kind of an Art Ensemble Of Chicago mode - with more "out" soloing overall, mixed with some of the spiritual jazz leanings that would show up more on the group's later work. The album's a fitting record for the Strata East label – as it shows the imprint's equal ability to carve up heavy avant work and more strident spiritual soul jazz. And if we say so ourselves, Plunky's really a wailer on tenor and soprano – sounding a lot like Kalaparusha or some of the other AACM players from the time! Titles include "(Struggle) Home", "Soledad Brothers", "Freedom Fighter", and "Nairobi/Chants".

The heaviest album so far from Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro – and proof that this Japanese funk combo is really headed in the right direction! These guys have always been great, but this time around everything is razor sharp, and right on the money – played with a deftness the group didn't display on their first album – and which few other funk combos could hope to match! Guitars riff away very strongly – a key part of the rhythms – and horn passages are hard-blasting, in a mighty nice way. Titles include "Atmos 2000", "Watchin", "Mud City", "Stompin Joe", "Lie On The Side", "Perfect Time", "Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind", and "Yesterday's Delight".

A landmark of 70s Afro-styled jazz – and the first album by this famous underground collective! Oneness of Juju were a Washington DC-based group that grew out of the ashes of the Juju avant jazz ensemble – formed in the culturally rich African-American community of DC in the 70s, with spiritual and political aspirations that stretched far beyond the average funky combo. This first album is a masterful blend of percussion, jazz, and a slight bit of funk – alternating vocal tracks with harder-hitting jazz instrumentals, all held together under the leadership of sax player Plunky Nakabinde – a reedman whose work here alone is worth the price of admission – laid out nicely alongside some great percussion, Fender Rhodes, and wonderfully worm vocals on a few tracks. The album's one of the greatest independent soul jazz albums of the 70s – and it's filled with great tracks, such as the breakbeat classic "African Rhythms" and "Liberation Dues" – plus "Kazi", "Funky Wood", "Don't Give Up", "Poo Too", and "Incognito". CD features nice bonus tracks – "F#", "Don't Give Up (45 version)", "Got To Be Right On It (45 version)", "Nooky", and "Plastic (45 version)".

A fantastic record from one of the greatest underground jazz groups of the 70s! Oneness of Juju are perhaps best known for the heavy funk of their first album, African Rhythms – but we're actually partial to this second album – a warmly spiritual batch of soul jazz tracks, and a set that's filled with life, emotion, and wonderful instrumentation throughout! The group are a bit more relaxed overall – easing into things, but in a way that really builds up as the album moves on – as they layer together heavy percussion, sweet keyboards, and lots of great sax solos from Plunky Nakabinde – plus wonderfully warm vocals that add a soulful edge the group never had before, but which still is very jazzy – and not like the funky club of later years. The whole thing's wonderfully cohesive, and a treasure throughout – and titles include the warm vocal number "River Luvrite", to the harder hitting "Space Jungle Funk", and other gems like "Soul Love Now", "Follow Me", "The Connection", and "Love's Messenger". CD features lots of bonus tracks – "Love's Messenger (inst)", "Bootsie's Lament", "African Rhythm's Chant", "Make A New Start", "Nat's Rebellion", and "African Rhythms (45 version)".

Storming soul from Don Gardner & Dee Dee Ford – one of the hardest-hitting duos of the early 60s, and a pair who set the tone for countless other acts to come! The style here is definitely soul, but steeped in plenty of R&B too – partly from Dee Dee's smoking work on Hammond, and the way her vocals come together with Don's – almost more live than any other studio work of its type – with a spontaneous vibe that always kept the Gardner/Ford singles mighty interesting! Don had worked previously with Jimmy Smith and Groove Holmes as the organist in his group – but when Dee Dee hit the mix, the sound really took off – as Gardner's rich vocals found their perfect counterpart in the energy of the young keyboardist and singer. The set's one of the best we've ever seen to bring together their work for the Fire label – with 23 tracks in all, including long and short versions of "I Need Your Loving" – plus "Tell Me", "TCB", "I Got A Notion", "Honey Sweet", "Let's Go To The Party", "You Said", "The Quicker The Better", "Bad Luck", "Does He Or Doesn't He", and "I Got A Man".

The fuzzed out drone rock of Spaceman 3 – live in Amsterdam in the summer of '88! Where the group's best studio recordings blended weary, but catchy melodies and some more delicate songs with the heady distorted guitar sound. The live set, if this and the other recordings we've heard are representative, focuses a bit more on the latter, and it sounds pretty fresh and invigorating all these years later. Includes "Mary Anne", "Come Together", "Things'll Never Be The Same", "Take Me To The Other Side", "Rollercoaster". "Starship" and "Walking With Jesus".

The raw and melodic first wave sounds of Spacemen 3 – an early indicator of the boundless sounds to come the group and their offshoot projects to come – but this is a wholly worthy record and still one of the coolest psychedelic rock records of the 80s! Spacemen 3 always proudly wore their influences on their sleeves, and the inclusion of covers on this first record make that even more pronounced, but as it would continue or a couple decades to come with these guys, it's the fresh, personal approach to carrying the torches that make them so exciting. Essential! Titles include "Losing Touch With My Mind", "Hey Man", "Rollercoaster", "Mary Anne", "Little Doll", "2:35" and "DD Catastrophe".

While many listeners were first introduced to Horace Andy's beautiful falsetto singing through his more modern collaborations with Massive Attack, it's his original work for Studio One and some of these great sides cut in the mid 70s that we keep returning to. After he parted with Coxsonne Dodd, Andy worked with a handful of different producers, including NY based Everton DaSilva, for whom he cut this classic set of tunes, a more clear statement of his own personal vision. The backing and includes both Leroy Sibbles & Augustus Pablo, 2 of the heaviest songwriters in their own right, and the second half of this CD is a bonus dub LPs worth of material, cut by Prince Jammy, at the height of his knob-twirling prowess. Includes the essential title track, "Do You Love My Music", "Collie Herb" and "Problems".