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Quite possibly the greatest Larry Young album of the post-Blue Note years – and a massive bit of funk that totally redefines his sound! Larry's working here with his hip group Fuel – an ensemble that features Laura Logan on lead vocals, giving the tunes a real focus through her lyrics – and letting them pack a bit more punch too, since her voice sounds a lot like Betty Davis at the time! Larry's keyboards are forceful, but never too over the top – and he's notched things down a bit to focus on the overall groove of the set – still keeping things adventurous on the keys, but also working in a mode that's much more heavily jazz funk! The album's one of THE essential electric jazz sets of the 70s – and features the classic break cut "Turn Out the Lights" – plus other great tracks that include "Floating", "Fuel for the Fire", "I Ching", "H+J=B (Hustle + Jam = Bread)" and "New York Electric Street Music".

Quite possibly the greatest Larry Young album of the post-Blue Note years – and a massive bit of funk that totally redefines his sound! Larry's working here with his hip group Fuel – an ensemble that features Laura Logan on lead vocals, giving the tunes a real focus through her lyrics – and letting them pack a bit more punch too, since her voice sounds a lot like Betty Davis at the time! Larry's keyboards are forceful, but never too over the top – and he's notched things down a bit to focus on the overall groove of the set – still keeping things adventurous on the keys, but also working in a mode that's much more heavily jazz funk! The album's one of THE essential electric jazz sets of the 70s – and features the classic break cut "Turn Out the Lights" – plus other great tracks that include "Floating", "Fuel for the Fire", "I Ching", "H+J=B (Hustle + Jam = Bread)" and "New York Electric Street Music".

Funky fusion in a runaway spaceship – the second album by Larry Young's cosmic heavy Fuel ensemble! The album's a perfect batch of jazzy keyboard grooves in a tradition that includes Lonnie Liston Smith, Johnny Hammond, and Charles Earland during his Mercury years – with Larry on moog, organ, Hammond B-3, Fender Rhodes, and other cool keyboards – grooving with a sound that ranges from fast and choppy to sweet and spacious. Julius Brockington also plays a lot of funky keys on the set next to Larry, and although a few tracks have vocals, the real focus here is on the instrumentation. Titles include "Startripper", "Message From Mars", "Moonwalk", "Sticky Wicket", and "Flytime". His last album, and a nice bit of far-reaching funk!

Brian Auger's first album with The Oblivion Express – a harder-rocking ensemble than his initial Trinity trio, but one who also really pushed things with a really jazzy edge! Like many of Auger's contemporaries on the UK scene, Brian was making the shift from Brit beat group jazz and soul, into a style that was more progressive and harder-driving – one that blended together jazz and rock, but which still, in Auger's case, held onto many of the best soulful sounds of earlier years! Tunes are nice and long, and really hard-jamming – with plenty of soaring organ lines throughout – and titles include "Total Eclipse", "The Light", "Oblivion Express", "On the Road", and "The Sword". CD features the bonus track "Dragon Song".

One of Braxton's great records for BYG, and like the other one, a very cool session that has Braxton playing in a vibe that shows his AACM roots much more clearly than a lot of other sessions. He's playing here with a number of other Chicago expatriates, including Leroy Jenkins, Steve McCall, and Leo Smith – and between them, the four players handle a huge amount of string, reed, percussion, and keyboard instruments, switching off and on in a warmly experimental sound that characterizes the best work of the Chicago avant garde from the time. Tracks include "The Light On the Dalta", "Simple Like", and one of Braxton's weird symbol compositions. Ironically, this French session from the late 60's still stands as one of the best ways to witness the budding Chicago avant garde!

Frank Frost really kicks it hard on this set of classic recordings from the 60s – a batch of tracks that easily show why Frost was one of the funkiest bluesmen to record for the Jewel/Paula label! Frank sings and plays harmonica – but an equal attraction here is the rhythms – which are often tight and vamping, and sometimes hard and heavy too – definitely more funk-based at points than the more common rolling blues of the time – although when Frost hits more standard modes, he's still pretty great too. Titles include "Harpin On It", "My Back Scratcher", "Never Leave Me At Home", "Janie On My Mind", "Ride With Your Daddy Tonight", "Five Long Years", "Pretty Baby", and "Harp & Soul".

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 early 70s sweet soul masterpiece by The Presidents – a great album that kicks off with a title track of that was a huuuuuuuge hit back in the day, but the full length album by the group just about never shows up! It's just beautiful stuff, with lots of tasty harmony soul tracks with production by Van McCoy, who also wrote and arranged the bulk of the material. The vocals are great and the strings soar pretty grandly, without compromising the group soul backdrop. Includes the big title hit, of course, plus "Gotta Keep Movin", "For You", "Sweet Magic", "This Is My Dream World", and "How Can You Say You're Leavin". This Fuel CD is subtitled Their Greatest Hits – which it essentially is, but it's the complete original album, plus one more, "The Sweetest Thing This Side Of Heaven". We're just thrilled to see this worthy material finally get a real reissue!

The Enjoy Records Story – but from the early days, when the label was a powerhouse outlet for R&B, blues, and early soul music – years before they also started cutting hip hop as well! The tracks here are all a great illustration of the keen ear of the imprint, and their strong focus on a few key acts who could really knock it out of the park – music that made Enjoy a key player at the start of the soul years of the 60s – even though some of its best artists went onto later fame at bigger labels. The collection is the best we've ever seen on Enjoy during these seminal years – and features a whopping 36 cuts that include "People Sure Act Funny" by Titus Turner, "Hoop & Holler" by Riff Ruffin, "I Believe To My Soul" by Louis Jones, "What Ya Gonna Do" by Noble Watts & June Bateman, "Get It" by Jay Dee Bryant, "Let's Do The Boston Monkey" by Les Cooper, "Don't Lie" by Sammy Taylor, "Sad Song" by The Channes, "Long Time No See" by Ronnie & The Manhattans, "Hot Potato" by The Rinky Dinks, "Ain't Nobody's Business" by Mary B, "It Hurts Me So" by Elmore James, "Soul Twist" by King Curtis, and "What Shall I Do" by Gladys Knight & The Pips.

Amazing work from one of Chicago's best indie labels of the 60s – a wealth of wonderful soul that easily ranks with some of the best work at Chess or Vee Jay at the time! USA's a label that's also known for work in the rock and blues field, but the company had a marvelous ear for soul back in the day – and was often able to grab key Windy City talents before they broke big – or others who were already great, but finally found the right sort of treatment they needed at USA – a care with production and presentation that often rivals some of the beautiful presentation that Curtis Mayfield was bringing to his Impressions recordings or work with other artists – lots of deep soul roots, but also the tightness and sophistication that made Chicago so great at the time. The package features 36 rock-solid tracks – and titles include "Hot Spring Water" by Billy The Kid Emerson, "Come On In" by Detroit Jr, "A Lonely Boy" by Lee Wilson, "Step It Up" by Al Perkins, "I'll Wait For You" by LC Cooke, "No Appreciation" by Tut Sutton, "Taunting Love" by Frankie Newsom, "Just Being Careful" by Baby Huey & The Baby Sitters, "What You Don't Know" by Oscar & Anita, "Sweet Little Woman" by McKinley Sandifer, and "You Gotta Pay Dues" by Chris Campbell.

Brian Auger's first album with The Oblivion Express – a harder-rocking ensemble than his initial Trinity trio, but one who also really pushed things with a really jazzy edge! Like many of Auger's contemporaries on the UK scene, Brian was making the shift from Brit beat group jazz and soul, into a style that was more progressive and harder-driving – one that blended together jazz and rock, but which still, in Auger's case, held onto many of the best soulful sounds of earlier years! Tunes are nice and long, and really hard-jamming – with plenty of soaring organ lines throughout – and titles include "Total Eclipse", "The Light", "Oblivion Express", "On the Road", and "The Sword". CD features the bonus track "Dragon Song".

Heady sounds from one of Harlem's hippest indie labels of the 50s – the Red Robin imprint, home to a rich array of blues, R&B, and vocal group numbers! The company had a relatively small roster, but really helped its artists find the right sort of groove – in some cases to flourish at a level they'd never done before, in others to get a great start before moving onto bigger fame elsewhere – but still always at a level that had them giving their best! This 2CD package features three dozen numbers from the 78rpm era – the kind of heavy platters that kept Harlem moving in the years between swing and soul – on cuts that include "Hard Rock" and "The Hammer" by Red Prysock, "Shake Baby Shake" and "Drunk Again" by Champion Jack Dupree, "Juicy Fruit" by Tiny Grimes, "Can't Do Sixty No More" and "Go Back" by The Du Droppers, "Daisy" and "Don't Dog Your Woman" by Brownie McGhee, "Doggin My Heart Around" by Sonny Terry, "Earthquake" by Charlie Singleton, "Bobby's Boogie" by Morris Lane, "The Man I Crave" by Sadie Birch, "I've Got A Feeling" and "Tippin" by The Topps, and "You Didn't Give Me A Chance" by Sandra Grimes.

A great later sleeper from Brian Auger – a record that's much deeper and more soulful than some of his earlier work – and done in a soaring style that's really great! Alex Lighterwood sings as much as Auger plays the keys here, but that's ok with us – because he fuses his voice very nicely with organ, electric piano, and moog – creating a spacily soulful quality that's produced with a nice flanged-out style! Some tracks are funky, others are more laidback – and the set's a great illustration of how far Auger had come in just a few years. Titles include the spacey "Thoughts From Afar", the fast-jamming "The Big Yin", a Latin-tinged instrumental "Something Out Of Nothing", plus "Future Pilot" and "Brain Damage".

Sublime early work from Magic Sam – an Chicago bluesman who never hit bigger fame until the last few years of his too-short career – but who's represented here with some killer sides from the legendary Cobra label! Sam's guitar playing alone is worth the price of admission – deft and sharp, with moments that really step out from some of his electric contemporaries – and his vocals have a great gritty sense of soul that really shows his ties to the west side scene of the 50s and 60s – almost with an R&B sort of inflection at times. The package brings back rare 78s with crystal-clear sound – and titles include "21 Days In Jail", "All Your Love", "Look Whatcha Done", "All Night Long", "Love Me With A Feeling", "Magic Rocker", and "Roll Your Money Maker".

The one and only album ever cut by The Winstons – an obscure mixed-race soul combo who had roots in Otis Redding's touring band, and who hit big with a soul Grammy in 1969 for the title track to this one, "Color Him Father". The cut's an amazing document of its time, a sweet little story-song about a boy who's lost his dad in the war (Vietnam?), and who grows to love the new guy that his mom is dating. Sounds sappy, but it's one of the most compelling soul singles of the 60s – and is always a treat to hear. The other big cut on the record is the classic breakbeat track "Amen Brother", which is an instrumental reading of the gospel standard, done in a fast-funk style that's been sampled for years – both by hip hoppers and by drum n bass producers! Other tracks include "The Chokin Kind", "The Greatest Love", "Everyday People", and "Only The Strong Survive". This Fuel CD edition has 4 bonus tracks: "Love Of The Common People", "Wheel Of Fortune", "Say Goodbye To Daddy" and "Mama's Song"

Raw r&b, uptempo blues & hard soul from the vaults of Cobra Records – a Chicago label that really only operated from the mid-to-late 50s – but for a time rivaled Chess and helped form the seeds of some of the most incredible soul & blues for decades to come! Cobra and its subsidiary Artistic released really nice early sides by young Ike Turner, Betty Everett and Buddy Guy – plus work by comparative veterans of the time like Duke Reid and Harold Burrage – artists whose legacy would loom large in the years to come. Load of rollicking raw greatness – work that no doubt hugely helped influence loads of incredible Midwestern soul in the early 60s and onward! Titles include "This Is The End" and You Sure Can't Do" by Buddy Guy, "Roll Your Moneymaker" by Shakey Jake, "I'm Gonna Forget About You" and "You've Got To Lose" by Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm, "Something Else" and "The Duke Walks" by Duke Jenkins, "My Love" by Betty Everett, "Messed Up" by Harold Burrage, "I'll Just Keep Walkin'" by Lee Jackson, "Irma Lee" by Guitar Shorty and more!

One of the last great blues artists to record for the Jewel/Paula label – and a key figure in the Chicago underground as well! Buster Benton works here with a style that's definitely got the Chicago electric vibe of the 70s – but which also echoes earlier, rootsier modes as well – often delivered with a style that's a lot earthier than most of the other blues work coming out at the time on bigger labels – exactly the kind of sound that kept Benton a club favorite back in the day. Titles include "Sweet 94", "Spider In My Stew", "Sorry", "Lonesome For A Dime", "Do It In The Rain", "Lean On Me", "Love Like I Wanna", "Born With The Blues", "Dangerous Woman", and "Money Is The Name Of The Game".

Chicago blues, with a dose of soul – and a smoking set of early Jewel label recordings by George "Wild Child" Butler – most of which were produced by the legendary Willie Dixon! The tunes here have that gritty groove you might know from Chicago electric work on Chess – particularly by Jimmy Reed – a chugging, funky style that's mighty nice – and which works wonderful to help draw out the best inflections from Butler's bold vocals. Titles include "Gravy Child", "Axe & The Wind", "Open Up Baby", "Harmonica Player", "My Forty Year Old Woman", "She Walks Like My Mary Ann", and "Do Something Baby".

The heavy bag here is a bluesy one – as Lowell Fullsom's working in territory that's got a lot of rootsy, almost southern blues in the mix – but which still cracks out at times with his hipper, more funk-tuned groove! There's a few tracks on here that hearken towards the "Tramp" groove from his Kent years – like "Lady In The Rain" and "Sleeper" – both of which have a nicely funky undercurrent and vamping guitar that really snaps along with the rhythm. Other numbers have a straighter blues feel, but one that still has a sinister approach that goes way past cliches for the college crowd – showing Lowell to be firmly in charge, no matter what the setting. Tracks include "Sleeper", "Lady In The Rain", "Man Of Motion", "Why Don't We Do It In The Road", "Look At You Baby", "Trouble Everywhere", and "This Feeling". CD features 3 bonus tracks – "Stoned To The Bone", "Every Second A Fool Is Born", and "Lonesome Christmas".

The title's a bit misleading, because the set features unusual music from the second half of Clarence Henry's career – and not the hits you might expect – yet the whole thing's a really cool blend of sounds from the Frogman's overlooked years on the Crazy Cajun label! Henry's easily one of the most unusual singers of both pop and soul music – able to hit these really high notes at some points, or rumble like a frog at others – yet here, he often plays it nicely straight, and reminds us that he's a great soul singer when he gets a chance – working in some Louisiana arrangements that definitely lean towards southern soul at most points. Titles include "It Went To Her Head", "Cheatin Traces", "Sea Cruise", "Lovin Cajun Style", "You Can Have Her", "I Can't Take Another Heartache", "In The Jailhouse Now", "Rock Down In My Shoe", and "We'll Take Our Last Walk Tonight".

Great early work from Little Joe Blue – a wonderful set that shows all the strong promise and soulful power he had at the start! The package brings together formative sides cut by Blue for the Jewel/Paula label – tracks done after his initial Chess recordings, and which show this amazing vocal power all the way through – a way of reaching out and working the twists and turns of a lyric that few of his contemporaries could match! Production is nice and basic – the best you could hope for from the label at the time – and titles include "Peaceful Man", "Standing On The Threshold", "Don't Stop Loving Me", "Shakin Hands With The Judge", "Gonna Walk On", "Sometime Tomorrow", and "Little Joe Blue".

Amazing work from Cobra Records – a short-lived label on the Chicago scene of the 50s, but one who managed to cut some music to rival more famous sounds over at Chess Records and Vee Jay! The scope of styles here is wonderful – from gritty blues to early soul to hard-edged doo wop and more – a really wonderful testament to the strength of Cobra at its height, and to the Chicago scene as well! The package features key early work by artists who's break big later on other imprints – and titles include "I Can't Quit You Baby" by Otis Rush, "Rock & Roll Boogie" by The Clouds, "She Knocks Me Out" by Harold Burrage, "Shake It" by Duke Jenkins, "Easy Baby" by Magic Sam, "You Don't Love Me" by Ike Turner, "Tell Me Darling" by Betty Everett, "Little Chickie" by Jimmy Kelly & The Rock A Beats, "Hidden Charms" by Charles Clark, "Sit & Cry" by Buddy Guy, "Lonely Lonely Village" by The Calvaes, and "Fishin In My Pond" by Lee Jackson.

Postwar blues from Chicago – a great double-length collection of rare material from JOB Records – a Windy City imprint that was much smaller than Vee Jay, Chess, and Mercury – and who only ever issued most of this material as 78 rpm singles! The JOB sound is definitely rough and raw – still showing the strong influence of electric guitar's introduction to northern blues, yet putting the music forward with a stripped-down sound that's really timeless – and which often emphasizes piano as much as guitar. No surprise, there's some great keyboardists on the set – working in a really dark-edged style – as you'll hear on the 36 track set of tunes that includes "Evening Sun" by Johnny Shines, "Drinking Woman" by John Brim & His Trio, "My Head Can't Rest Anymore" by Baby Face Leroy Foster, "Down Home Child" by Sunnyland Slim, "Boogy Fool" by Snooky Pryor, "Dark Road" by Floyd Jones, "Five Long Years" by Eddie Boyd, "How Much More" by JB Lenoir, and "Rough Treatment" by Little Hudson & His Red Devil Trio.

A tremendous debut from this overlooked late 60s group from the UK – a powerhouse that would later go onto fuel bigger groups like Jethro Tull, Emerson Lake & Palmer, and Uriah Heep! This initial outing has a surprisingly soulful feel at times – still very rockish in the presentation, but with a style that's still tipping out of the Brit beat group years too – so that even when things are freewheeling and almost progressive, you can still feel some bluesy undercurrents in the vocals and keyboards! John Glascock handles bass, Ken Kensley keyboards – and both sing as well, along with guitarist Joe Konas. Drummer Lee Kerslake completes the group – and titles include "Radio Show", "Farthing Man", "I Never Knew", "Towards The Skies", "Looking Glass", and "Candles Getting Shorter". 2CD set features the full original mono and stereo mixes of the album – plus bonus tracks that include "Somewhere In The Stree", "Baby's Rich", "Real Love Guaranteed", and a great cover of The Beatles' "Hey Bulldog".

Early brilliance from The Small Faces – a set that perfectly sums up all the aspects that set them apart from their peers on the British scene of the 60s! Sure, there's the requisite mod touches in the music's influence from American R&B and garage – but there's also a winningly unique vibe in the way the whole thing comes together – almost a touch of nascent psych, yet used in very economical ways – to perfectly fuel Steve Marriott's lead vocals, and send them soaring where few others might dare to go at the time! There's a cohesion and focus of vision that grabs us right from the start – and holds strongly, even when the group are handling other folks' songs too. Titles include "Runaway", "My Mind's Eye", "That Man", "Hey Girl", "All Or Nothing", "Plum Nellie", "You Really Got A Hold On Me", and "My Way Of Giving". MASSIVE 2CD package features – full mono mix of the album – plus bonus tracks that include "Understanding", "I Can't Dance With You", "I Can't Make It", "Just Passing", "Picanniny", "My Minds Eye (stereo)", "Understanding", and loads more – including alternates, rare mixes, and more!

Surf guitar hits the drag strip – as Dick Dale makes the same move as most of his Cali contemporaries of the 60s – shifting his groove from waxed boards and woodies over to the world of hot rods! The sound's still pretty much the same, though – smoking instrumentals filled with Dale's amazing lines on guitar – a way of hitting the instrument that was a lot harder, heavier, and more frenetic than most other surf/instro players of the period – with a raw bite that arguably sets the scene for hard rock in the part of the decade to come! Vinyl version features 14 tracks rom Dale's hot rod recordings for Capitol – with cuts that include "50 Miles To Go", "Nitro Fuel", "Surf Buggy", "Firing Up", "Taco Wagon", "The Victor", "Mag Wheels", "Wild Wild Mustang", and "Night Rider".

London's always been one of the hippest cities in the world – but back during the postwar years, there was an especially wonderful outpouring of music on the scene – a rich array of new sounds and styles pulled from around the globe – as so many residents from crumbling British empire came to live in the UK! Musicians and listeners arrived in London with plenty of cultural baggage on hand – influences from the Caribbean, West Africa, and India too – plus other smaller scenes that once fell under the British banner, all now the fuel for the cultural fire that was happening in England! The title here tells plenty about the music being made in this newly-formed scene – bits of African highlife, Jamaican calypso, American jazz, Cuban Latin, and more – all filtered into the modernism of the 50s, and given a new twist that was decidedly urban as well. The package may well be the most impressive so far in this legendary series – and is certainly the one that moves the farthest past any sort of easy expectations or cultural conventions. Titles include "Women Police In England" by Mighty Terror, "My Sorrow" by West African Swing Stars, "Cricket Umpires" by Lord Kitchener, "Jordhu" by Caribbean Swing Band, "Trumpet Highlife" by Shake Keane, "Calypso Mambo" by George Browne, "Cuban Nightingale" by Buddy Pipp's Highlifers, "Kitch" by The Quavers, "Tabu" by Mona Baptiste, "King Jimmy Foo Foo" by Tejan Sie with The West African Rhythm Brothers, "The Escape" by Dizzy Reece, "Mambo Contempo" by Ginger Johnson, "Life In Britain" by Mighty Terror, "Sway" by Buddy Pipp's Highlifers, "Song Of Joy" by Rupert Nurse's Calypso Band, "Joe Louis Calypso" by Lord Beginner, "Uncle Joe" by Fitzroy Coleman Quintet, "Me Donkey Want Water" by Tony Johnson, "Belly Lick" by Eric Hayden, "Nigeria Odowoyin" by West African Rhythm Brothers, and "Football Calypso" by King Timothy.

Stunning funk from the UK sound library scene of the 70s – a second great entry in this series that really ups the ante for the genre! The tunes here are pulled from a host of leading production companies at the time – and they offer up a sweet array of instrumental modes from the period – from jazzy riffing grooves to more ambitious soundtrack numbers with a really complicated vibe – yet one that never strays from the core funk promised in the title! In addition to offering cover scans of the original record, the package also tells a brief history of each imprint involved – Peer, Rouge, Programme, Bruton, and others – kind of a mini-lesson in sound library stalwarts – set here to some very groovy tunes. Titles include "City Police" by Dave Gold, "Nevada Junction" by Steve Gray, "Hot Property" by Keith Mansfield, "Fuel Injection" by Alan Hawksworth, "Flash Barrier" by John Hawksworth, "Beatin It" by T Elerth, "Thrust" by Nick Ingman, "Fast Drive" by Frank McDonald & Gerry Shury, "Gun Man" by John Saunders, "Product Efficiency" by Johnny Pearson, "Punch Drunk" by Duncan Lamont, "Riff Raff" by Martin Kershaw, and "Hit Man" by Sound Prospect.

London's always been one of the hippest cities in the world – but back during the postwar years, there was an especially wonderful outpouring of music on the scene – a rich array of new sounds and styles pulled from around the globe – as so many residents from crumbling British empire came to live in the UK! Musicians and listeners arrived in London with plenty of cultural baggage on hand – influences from the Caribbean, West Africa, and India too – plus other smaller scenes that once fell under the British banner, all now the fuel for the cultural fire that was happening in England! The title here tells plenty about the music being made in this newly-formed scene – bits of African highlife, Jamaican calypso, American jazz, Cuban Latin, and more – all filtered into the modernism of the 50s, and given a new twist that was decidedly urban as well. The package may well be the most impressive so far in this legendary series – and is certainly the one that moves the farthest past any sort of easy expectations or cultural conventions. Titles include "Women Police In England" by Mighty Terror, "My Sorrow" by West African Swing Stars, "Cricket Umpires" by Lord Kitchener, "Jordhu" by Caribbean Swing Band, "Trumpet Highlife" by Shake Keane, "Calypso Mambo" by George Browne, "Cuban Nightingale" by Buddy Pipp's Highlifers, "Kitch" by The Quavers, "Tabu" by Mona Baptiste, and "King Jimmy Foo Foo" by Tejan Sie with The West African Rhythm Brothers.

London's always been one of the hippest cities in the world – but back during the postwar years, there was an especially wonderful outpouring of music on the scene – a rich array of new sounds and styles pulled from around the globe – as so many residents from crumbling British empire came to live in the UK! Musicians and listeners arrived in London with plenty of cultural baggage on hand – influences from the Caribbean, West Africa, and India too – plus other smaller scenes that once fell under the British banner, all now the fuel for the cultural fire that was happening in England! The title here tells plenty about the music being made in this newly-formed scene – bits of African highlife, Jamaican calypso, American jazz, Cuban Latin, and more – all filtered into the modernism of the 50s, and given a new twist that was decidedly urban as well. The package may well be the most impressive so far in this legendary series – and is certainly the one that moves the farthest past any sort of easy expectations or cultural conventions. Titles include "The Escape" by Dizzy Reece, "Mambo Contempo" by Ginger Johnson, "Life In Britain" by Mighty Terror, "Sway" by Buddy Pipp's Highlifers, "Song Of Joy" by Rupert Nurse's Calypso Band, "Joe Louis Calypso" by Lord Beginner, "Uncle Joe" by Fitzroy Coleman Quintet, "Me Donkey Want Water" by Tony Johnson, "Belly Lick" by Eric Hayden, "Nigeria Odowoyin" by West African Rhythm Brothers, and "Football Calypso" by King Timothy.

Massive music from the Northern Soul years of the 60s – American tunes that played heavily on British dancefloors – and went on to fuel the all-night energy of the scene! The sound is upbeat soul throughout – killer tracks from Detroit, Chicago, New York, and other US locales – most of which were overlooked at the time by most US audiences, but discovered and brought to life overseas. This massive 2CD package brings together two classic Charly Records compilations dedicated to the glory days of the scene – put together by collectors who really know their grooves, and expanded here with lots of bonus tracks that weren't on the original versions! There's a whopping 56 tracks in the set, packaged in a hardcover book-style cover, with great color notes and images in the middle – and titles that include "Sweet & Easy" by Van McCoy, "You're Gonna Need Me" by Ted Ford, "Why Don't You Write" by Lee Bates, "But I Couldn't" by Willie Harper, "Touch Me Hold Me Kiss Me" by The Inspirations, "That Other Place" by Wade Flemons, "Come On Train" by Don Thomas, "Lonely For You Baby" by Sam Dees, "Omar Khayyam" by The Rubaiyats, "I Can't See Your Love" by The Ballads, "So Blue" by Joe Murphy, "Gonna Take A Journey" by Barrett Strong, "Shake Off That Dream" by Eddie Billups, "Just Like The Weather" by Nolan Chance, "Mr Bang Bang Man" by Little Hank, "Young Man Old Man" by The Stokes, "Halos For The Angels" by Blanch Carter, and "Momma's Gone" by Little Johnny Blair.

The first album from The English Beat – and not only is it one of the most essential of the English ska revival era of the late 70s and early 80s – it's one the most enduring records of 1980 in any genre! The English Beat, like the best of their peers, used ska and rocksteady inspiration to fuel their own contemporary UK sound – and it sounds great to this day! The rhythms are tighter and punchier here than on later records, with some pop, mod and soul lacing their songwriting and vocal. A landmark! Includes "Mirror In The Bathroom", "Hands Off. . .She's Mine", "Twist & Crawl", "Big Shot", "Best Friend", "Jackpot" and more. This 2012 CD version also includes "Ranking Full Stop" – which wasn't on the original UK release.

Huge! Dark, heavy – an album of mythical proportions, and that's a lot to say for a mainstream LP! It would be hard to imagine the modern rock landscape without this album or group, who provided the template for so much music to follow, and the soundtrack to many bong-fueled excursions to the dark side! Includes "Black Sabbath", "The Wizard", "Wasp/Behind The Wall Of Sleep/Bassically/NIB", "Wicked World", and "A Bit Of Finger/Sleeping Village/Warning".

One of our top 10 dub albums of all time! This album bridges the gap between the the low-fi, down and dirty excursions of the 70's dub era, and the later high tech dub revolution brought on by On-U, Mad Professor and Jah Shaka. The rhythms here are all first rate, drawn mostly from their Chill Out LP with a few from Red, fueled by Sly and Robbie and a cast of regulars from the Island/Mango stable. Sly & Robbie also handle the production duties, and there's no shortage of fat grooves and unrelenting rhythms, then taken to the next level with deep space echo drops and 21st century sound effects and tape edits. Includes "Ion Storm", "Big Spliff", "Boof'N'Baff'N'Biff", "Puffed Out" and "Android Rebellion". This CD reissue's been newly remastered, with 3 additional dubs as bonus tracks: "Cool Off", "Destination Unknown" and "Fire & Brimstone".

Spiritually and politically charged hip hop from Brother Ali – fueled by funky soul-styled production from Jake One! Ali has long been one of the stronger MCs when it comes to balancing strident and socially cognizant lyricism, and he's at his best here – and working with producer who knows good and well how to frame the rhymes very strongly. Include"Letter To My Countryman" feat Cornell West, "Only Life I Know", "Stop The Presses", "Fajr", "Gather Round" with Amir Sulaiman, "Won More Hit", "Need A Knot" and more.

Raucous drag strip rockers and driving R&B-fueled instrumentals by The T-Bones – killer material on Liberty from a group of young session wizards – including Hal Blaine, Glen Campbell, Leon Russell, Dave Pell, Steve Douglas and others! It's wildly fun stuff that goes all in with the drag strip novelty – but totally transcends it – with some rubber-burning, rumbling excellence! Killer guitars, sax, organ drums from a one-time relatively anonymous cast of players. Includes "Hey Little Cobra", "Shut Down", "Drag City", "Draggin'", "Scorchin", "Little Deuce Coupe", "Boss Drag" and more.

The complete recordings of The Wheels – a mid 60s rockin' R&B combo from Belfast! The Wheels were friends and contemporaries of Van Morrison and Them, and got badly overshadowed as far as history is concerned. This Big Beat compilation is our first and to date only introduction to the group, and it's exciting stuff! Raucous, driving R&B-fueled sounds similar to their more iconic peers, tough The Wheels are gruffer and more ferocious overall. Ultimately, if falls somewhere between Them and the gnarlier sides of the Nuggets generation. Includes "Road Block", "I'm Leaving", "Bad Little Woman", "Don't You Know", "Kicks", "You Got Me Dizzy", "Gloria", "Tell Me (I'm Gonna Love Again)", "Bad Little Woman (US Version)" and more.

The complete recordings of The Wheels – a mid 60s rockin' R&B combo from Belfast! The Wheels were friends and contemporaries of Van Morrison and Them, and got badly overshadowed as far as history is concerned. This Big Beat compilation is our first and to date only introduction to the group, and it's exciting stuff! Raucous, driving R&B-fueled sounds similar to their more iconic peers, tough The Wheels are gruffer and more ferocious overall. Ultimately, if falls somewhere between Them and the gnarlier sides of the Nuggets generation. Includes "Road Block", "I'm Leaving", "Bad Little Woman", "Don't You Know", "Kicks", "You Got Me Dizzy", "Gloria", "Tell Me (I'm Gonna Love Again)", "Bad Little Woman (US Version)" and more.

A rollicking follow-up to one of the best compilations of rare rockers from Bayou country you could ever hope to score – and it's just as great as the first Boppin' By The Bayou set – with tracks by Rocket Morgan, Pee Wee Trayhan, Mickey Gilley, Tony Perreau, Glen Owens, Jay Chevalier, Wiley Jeffers, Al Ferrier and many more! It's got some material that's akin to rockabilly, boogie woogie and R&B-fueled rockers from the period made famous elsewhere in the south – but with some surefire swampy characteristics that's pure Louisiana, too! 28 tracks in all – with rare singles and LPs released on labels such as Zynn, Castle, Flyright, Speedy, Goldband and others – plus some previously unreleased stompers! "You’re Humbuggin' Me" by Rocket Morgan, "Too Hot To Handle" by Vince Anthony, "Got A Right To Cry" by Glen Owens, "Going Back To Cocodrille" by Cajun Joe, "Oh Nell" by Warren Storm, "Castro Rock" by Jay Chevalier, "Rock-A-Me Lulu" by Johnny Jano, "She's Coming Back Again" by Wiley Jeffers, "Whose Baby Are You" by Robert Owens and more.

Breathtaking 60s pop, soul & rock tunes penned by Jackie DeShannon – a wide range of glorious singles from Irma Thomas, The Fleetwoods, Helen Shapiro, Barbara Lewis, Duane Eddy, The Concords, The Byrds, Peggy March and many more! Jackie's is an amazing story – starting out as a TV friendly hillbilly & rockabilly pop singer in the late 50s, and going on the be a hugely successful songwriter in the 60s for a wildly diverse pool of singers – from folk pop, to stomping pulpy rock of the Lee Hazlewood and Jack Nitzsche school (the latter a frequent collaborator), to r&b fueled vocal tunes, Jackie wrote all kinds of great stuff, and kept recording to boot. This set couldn't be more appealing, and it's a lovely tribute to a great talent! 27 tracks: the fiery "Break-A-Way" by Irma Thomas, "Woe Is Me" by Helen Shapiro, "Guitar Child" by Duane Eddy & The Rebelettes, "Thank You Darlin'" by Rick Nelson, "Don't Doubt Yourself Babe" by The Byrds, "Stop That Girl" by Barbara Lewis, "I Remember The Girl" by The Bandits, "Only You Can Free My Mind" (previously unreleased demo) by Jackie DeShannon and much more.

If Paul's Boutique was the Beasties heavily mind-blown Dust Brothers dusted psychedelic hip hop Sgt Peppers, then Check Your Head is their down and dirty back to basics raw funk run at something like Never Mind The Bollocks. Their first outing without the guidance of an outside producer, though the trio did bring in ringers like Money Mark and Mario Caldato Junior, this set's a ride into a whole other mindset, still fueled by sunny So Cal vibes and the Beasties own take on rhyme science. It's hard to imagine an album that would produce so many anthems for true heads and the Lollapalooza crowd alike, but this is it. 20 tracks in all, including "Jimmy James", "Pass The Mic", "Gratitude", "Finger Lickin' Good", "So Whatcha Want", "Time For Livin'", "Something's Got To Give", "Groove Holmes" and "Professor Booty".

If Paul's Boutique was the Beasties mindblowing, Dust Brothers-dusted psychedelic hip hop Sgt Peppers, then Check Your Head is their down and dirty back to basics raw funk run at something like Never Mind The Bollocks. Their first outing without the guidance of an outside producer, though the trio did bring in ringers like Money Mark and Mario Caldato Jr, this set's a ride into a whole other mindset, still fueled by sunny So Cal vibes and the Beasties own take on rhyme science. It's hard to imagine an album that would produce so many anthems for true heads and the Lollapalooza crowd alike, but this is it. 20 tracks in all, including "Jimmy James", "Pass The Mic", "Gratitude", "Finger Lickin' Good", "So Whatcha Want", "Time For Livin'", "Something's Got To Give", "Groove Holmes" and "Professor Booty".

Huge! Dark, heavy – an album of mythical proportions, and that's a lot to say for a mainstream LP! It would be hard to imagine the modern rock landscape without this album or group, who provided the template for so much music to follow, and the soundtrack to many bong-fueled excursions to the dark side! Includes "Black Sabbath", "The Wizard", "Wasp/Behind The Wall Of Sleep/Bassically/NIB", "Wicked World", and "A Bit Of Finger/Sleeping Village/Warning".

If Paul's Boutique was the Beasties heavily mind-blown Dust Brothers dusted psychedelic hip hop Sgt Peppers, then Check Your Head is their down and dirty back to basics raw funk run at something like Never Mind The Bollocks. Their first outing without the guidance of an outside producer, though the trio did bring in ringers like Money Mark and Mario Caldato Junior, this set's a ride into a whole other mindset, still fueled by sunny So Cal vibes and the Beasties own take on rhyme science. It's hard to imagine an album that would produce so many anthems for true heads and the Lollapalooza crowd alike, but this is it. 20 tracks in all, including "Jimmy James", "Pass The Mic", "Gratitude", "Finger Lickin' Good", "So Whatcha Want", "Time For Livin'", "Something's Got To Give", "Groove Holmes" and "Professor Booty".

A mighty collaboration between Stanley Clarke & George Duke – working here in a pairing that refueled both of their careers for the 80s! In previous years, both Clarke and Duke had a penchant for really stretching out in complex, experimental modes – but here, they're playing in a relatively stripped-down and focused way – hitting some of the more soul-inspired sides of fusion at the time, although still without the slick or commercial feel of the rising GRP generation. Guitars figure heavily on a number of tracks, and vocals do too – sometimes in ways that are slightly too sweet and almost cloying. Tracks include "Wild Dog", "Louie Louie", "Sweet Baby", "I Just Want To Love You", "Winners", "Let's Get Started", and "Touch & Go".

The great "Rockfort Psychedelion" by Count Sticky – an organ-drenched, bass rumbling production by Lee Perry – backed by the sax & piano groover "Val Blows In" by Val Bennett! Brilliant, R&B fueled Scratch productions featured on the High Plains Drifter comp on Pressure Sounds.

One of Coryell's best albums ever – a much more expansive session than some of his other records, fueled by some of the spiritual intensity of the Impulse records generation. Players on the album include Steve Marcus on tenor and soprano sax, Mike Mandel on piano, Roy Haynes on drums, and Larry Killian on congas – working with Coryell on long trippy tracks that are clearly informed by the styles of 60s work by Chico Hamilton, Charles Lloyd, and Gabor Szabo. All tracks are long, and titles include "Call To The Higher Consciousness", "The Great Escape", and "Gypsy Queen".