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Pretty compelling stuff from Brit arranger Ray Martin! Sound Of Sight – a record that's exactly what it's titled at – a very visual set of sounds, made up mostly from music, but also featuring some cool sound effects as well – all laid out over original tunes by Martin, which act almost like these mini-movies in sound! The scoring is quite dramatic, and most numbers go for much longer than usual for the average Phase 4 album – and the 1963 date of the record makes for a handful of groovy touches mixed in with the more traditional cinematic styles. Titles include "Hoodunit", "Tearjerker", "Egyptian Epic", "Westorama", "Flagwaver", and "Cartoonik".

Sounds sleepy – but it's totally groovy!! The mad talents of Italian soundtrack genius Piero Umiliani are turned towards his love of Duke Ellington – and the result is an incredibly groovy batch of tracks that mix up jazz, electronics, and plenty of great keyboards! The bulk of the material on the set was recorded in 1974 – and it features Umiliani playign moog and ARP, in a strange sort of "tribute" to Ellington that takes the usual Duke tunes, and turns them into hard grooving little numbers, with lots of bubbling electronic bits and weird sound effects. The first cut on the set is a mad mad version of "Caravan" which leaps and churns all over the place, sounding funkier than you could ever imagine! As the set progresses, some of the tracks are more traditionally jazz-based, but everything is played by a larger group, and the groove is still pretty darn excellent! Titles include "Ode To Duke Ellington", "Solitude", "Dreaming Of Duke", "Jeep's Blues", and "Never Together".

One of the building blocks of the late 60s Tropicalia scene in Brazil – and a standout solo debut from the young Caetano Veloso! The album's got an approach that's as dynamic and trippy as its cover image might imply – the same amazing blend of sounds and styles you'd hear on contemporaneous records by Gal Costa or Os Mutantes – served up with similar wit, wisdom, and charm! Caetano's vocals are amazing throughout – filled with raspy power that goes beyond the barriers of language – and the production has loads of surprising elements tripping through the mix – some rootsy, some slightly orchestrated – but with a softer approach that resonates strongly with more psychedelic use of organ and guitar. The album's as powerful today as it was decades ago – an essential recording that holds up beautifully year after year! The kickoff track is "Tropicalia" (surprisingly enough!), and the album is a non-stop ride through gems like "Alegria, Alegria", "Onde Andaras", "Paisagem Util", "Ave Maria", and the groovy "Soy Loco Por Ti America", written by Gilberto Gil.

Some of the coolest work Kai Winding ever recorded – two very odd albums, back to back on a single CD! Soul Surfin is hardly the trombone jazz outing you might have guessed from Kai's famous work with JJ Johnson – and instead, an electrified set that's got plenty of cool 60s touches! Winding does play trombone, but the group also features lots of guitar from Kenny Burrell, electric piano from Paul Griffin, and ondioline from Jean Jacques Perry – who really gives the whole thing a cool sort of watery sound – making the guitar and trombone sound wonderful together! Burrell's at his boldest too – almost surf-ish in parts – and titles include the album's hit version of "More", plus "Gravy Waltz", "China Nights", "Pipeline", "Sukiyaki", "Tube Wall", "Sinner", and "Hearse Ride". Mondo Cane 2 is a sweet return of the cool sounds that Kai Winding cut on his Soul Surfin album – not really jazz, but a wicked hybrid of groovy 60s modes – set to larger orchestrations this time around, but still featuring some great ondioline from Jean Jacques Perry! Perry's instrument is really unique – gliding out here in ways that make the instrumental tunes cross over to worlds that Winding might never have touched before – augmented by great arrangements from Claus Ogerman, Charlie Calello, Billy Byers, and Winding himself! The set features guitar from Les Spann – and titles that include "Python", "Mondo Cane #2", "The Gospel Truth", "Warm", "Theme From The Medic", "The Struggle", and "Portrait Of My Love".

No need to be a connoisseur to enjoy this set – because the tunes here are all plenty darn groovy – rare soul numbers with an instant appeal to our ears, thanks to their freshness and the quality of the work! The package features rare singles and a bunch of previously unissued tracks from the vaults of the Kent/Modern labels – most recorded at the end of the 60s, in a range of soulful styles! Some numbers have a sweeter feel, but many echo the headier sounds of the times – bringing in some funkier or psychedelic soul influences, even when the themes might be a bit more conventional, or the grooves a bit more mellow. As always with Kent, the package features loads of notes on the music – enough to help even a novice become a connoisseur after a few listenings – and the CD features 24 titles that include "Cut Me Loose" by Gene Taylor, "Beverly" by Billy Watkins, "If I'd Lose You" by Jackie Day, "That Righteous Feeling" by Marvin Phillips & The Spinners, "My Name Is Misery" by Al King, "I've Gotta Get You Back" by Mary Love, "I'm Guilty" by Vernon Garrett, "Can't Count The Days" by Jeb Stuart, "Baby Baby Baby" by Leon Peterson, "The Ta Ta Song" by Little Henry & The Shamrocks, and "It's OK" by Esther Williams.

The groovy French pop of Serge Gainsbourg gets the remix treatment! After years of being sampled by hip hoppers, referenced by post-rockers, and claimed as an influence by a wide range of singers and instrumentalists – Serge Gainsbourg's finally breaking into the mainstream of modern music with this tasty batch of remixes from some of Europe's best producers. Of course, ol' Serge is probably rolling over in his grave at the thought of the project – but from our end of things, the whole thing sounds pretty groovy! Titles include "La Bas C'est Natural" remixed by Faze Action, "Ballade De Melody Nelson" remixed by Howie B, "Bonnie & Clyde" remixed by Herbert, "Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus" remixed by Dzihan & Kamien, "Requiem Pour Un Con" remixed by The Orb, "Marabout" remixed by Bob Sinclair, and "Lola Rastaquouere" remixed by Chateau Flight.

Really rare grooves from an incredibly obscure scene – and that's saying a lot, given how many global sounds have been circulating in recent years! The cuts here represent a unique outpouring of funky club styles from the nation of Surinam – tracks recorded by a handful of groups in the wake of their mid-70s independence – and as filled with as much joy and positive energy as you might imagine from such a political moment! The grooves are surprisingly great – upbeat funk, with lots of jazzy inflections – in a space that's somewhere between the sound of Fantasy Records in the mid 70s, and Capitol soul at the start of the 80s – tight, but never too slick – and as cool as it is classy. Lyrics are in English, and titles include "Sweet Dream" by Alwin Reingoud, "Groovy Weekend" and "Disco Party" by Erwin Bouterse & The Group Roetoe, "Try Try Try" and "You Are Gonna Miss Me" by Solat, "Funkin In Your Mind" and "Going Insane" by Sumy, "Here's To You" by Thunderstorm, and "Waiting For Your Love" by Usje Sukatma.

Driving rhythms, rave-up guitar licks, groovy mod organ and proto-psychedelic guitar – from 60s Thailand! The Thai Beat series shines a warm light on the rare rock from "the Land of Smile" – and it's a worthy endeavor! The freewheelin' sunshine 60s groove stretched all across the globe, and this series does a pretty incredible job of show just how far – on top of showcasing some worthy groovy music! 20 tracks in all: "Kratae" and "Gangsaen '66" by Johnny's Guitar, "Meow" by The Cat, "Yipmerdai" by Der Dong Dang, "Boongatanyon" and "James Bond Theme" by Son Of PM, "Louise Kennedy" by Poo Yai Lee, "Kaw-Liga" by Silver Sand, "Yom Pha Barn Norn Pahwaa (Satan's Nightmare)" by Paiboon and lots more!

The first Chicago album – presented here in all its jazzy brilliance! Back in the day, we used to wince when we heard these guys – but over the years, thanks to much rediscovery of the band by groove hounds, we've really come to like their work a lot. This first album especially has some great moments – complicated jazzy bits that you might have forgotten about, and some surprisingly groovy material that sounds a lot better than you might remember! Includes the classics "Beginnings", "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is", "Questions 67 & 68", and "Listen" – plus the tracks "Someday", "I'm A Man", "Free Form Guitar", and "Liberation".

A great little Brazilian group from the 70s – one who continues the harmony styles of Sergio Mendes in the 60s, but takes the music into some groovy new directions! The sounds here are more samba than bossa – with guitar and percussion dancing nicely together in the rhythms as group members sing sweetly over the top – and both piano and keyboards adding in some nicely jazzy inflections to the groove, often with the more sophisticated phrasings you might expect in some of the EMI/Odeon work from earlier in the decade. Sivuca joins the group on both accordion and moog (!) – and the whole thing's got a sweetly-grooving style that's totally great! Titles include "Estatutos De Gafiera", "Loteca", "Amor Em Jacuma", " Iboru Iboya", "Beijo Baiano", "O Trem Atrazou", "Asa Branca", and "Fogo Pago".

A feast of funky head sounds – laid out in beautiful silhouette! The image features a brain stuffed with all the groovy styles of music we carry at Dusty Groove America – held inside by a logo-emblazoned set of headphones – the kind of picture that looks great from a distance, and even cooler when you come up close! Our logo and website address are on the back – and the shirt is printed in brilliant white on a bold black – 100% cotton Hanes Beefy-T.

Great early work from Nico Fidenco – an Italian composer we know best for his sexy work in the 70s – but who still sounds equally great here on a 60s intrigue thriller! There's some great mod touches on a few numbers – groovy tunes that have a shake and jerk rhythm that really keep things playful – mixed with a few more brooding tracks that definitely flesh out the sound – showing some mellower moments that make the record way more than just a handful of catchy instrumentals. Most styles are pretty tuneful – and there's a cool organ mode that really jumps out nicely and keeps things interesting – especially amidst the driving drums and guitar. CD features 18 tracks in all – including two vocal versions of the tune "If You Go Away".

A totally groovy soundtrack from Giovanni Fusco from the late 60s – is work for Il Sesso Degli Angeli – with sounds that range from stripped down moddish pieces, to acoustic guitar grooves to Italian pop styles of the time – great stuff that's somehow never been issued before this release on Beat Records! Includes 17 sequences of the title theme with a pretty dynamic stylistic range, plus "Pink Purple Yellow And Red", "Verde Rosso Giallo E Blu" and more.

Stunning sounds from the team of Serge Gainsbourg and Michel Colombier – and maybe the most perfect example of why Gainsbourg soundtracks can be so great! First up is the duo's fab music for the film Le Pacha – a wonderful blend of trippy touches and more subtle jazzy moments, plus bits of electric sitar and bassy funk – shifting effortlessly from track to track to create a mad melange of musical grooves! Cuts include the classic "Requiem Pour Un Con", which is a funky gem – plus "Psychastenie", "Joss A La Calvados", "Un Noel 67", "Cadavres En Serie", "Batucada Meurtriere", and Brigitte Bardot singing "Harley Davidson"! Next is Vidoq – a handful of songs originally penned for a TV series in the 60s, and very unusual work from Serge! The tunes include two very offbeat vocal numbers, sung in this deep-voiced style – plus a few more serious instrumentals, but with a weird twist. Titles include "Le Mariage De Vidocq", "A Vous De Jouer", "L'Evasion", and "Chanson Du Forcat". Comment Trouvez-Vous Ma Soeur – or "how do you find my sister?" – seems like a perfect title for a film to feature music from Serge – and the music definitely follows suit! The movie's from 1964, so captures that pivotal time when Gainsbourg was shifting from classier French styles to groovy ones – both modes featured here in the instrumentals directed by Colombier, and on Serge's vocal reading of the title tune. Tracks include "Erotico Tico", "No Love For Daddy", "La Course Au Mariage", "Rendez Vous A L'Eglise", "Surboum Chez Ma Soeur", and "Quart D'Heure Americain".

One of LA's best arrangers cooks up a very cool batch of instrumental cuts to honor the surfing crowd – and it totally transcends the genre! It evokes the mood and the style nicely, but it's not run of the mill surf music at all – but more of a 60s LA studio instrumentals celebration with a larger sense of arrangements, and some groovy guitar solos by a young Glen Campbell. Kind of close to a mid-period Beach Boys sense of arrangements-meet-surf sounds, and a nice Capitol sound to it. Titles include "Murphy's Grey Wet Suit", "Quigg Rides Again", "Surfing Baja", "Goofy-Foot Glen, "Come September", "End Of The World", "Easy Surf" and more.

Pure wonderfulness from Dave Mackay & Vicky Hamilton – one of the hippest duos ever to record a jazz record! The duo are a bit like Jackie & Roy at their best – in that Dave plays piano (including a bit of Fender Rhodes) and sings duet vocals with Vicky Hamilton in a sweetly swinging way that sounds very very groovy. Yet the overall sound is even groovier than Jackie & Roy – touched with influences from Sunshine Pop and the hipper side of the jazz spectrum – in a style that's extremely inventive, and unlike anything else we can think of! Tunes are mostly originals penned by the pair, and instrumentation on the record includes flute and saxes from Ira Schulman and guitar from Joe Pass – alongside keyboards from Dave, plus bass and drums. There's a beautifully breezy feel to the whole record – really the blueprint for countless 70s jazz vocal efforts to come from others – and titles include "Happying", "If I Ask You", "4 Ira", "See My Rainbow", "Peek A Boo", "Free", "Silent", and "Reach Out".

Pre-moog work from Hugo Montenegro – but a set that's still pretty darn groovy! The Beach Boys reference in the title is very well put, as Hugo's using some cool harmony vocals for the record – a chorus that definitely takes some of its inspiration from Brian Wilson, singing here both with lyrics, and some wordless modes – not on every track, but used enough to give the record a really Sunshine Pop sort of appeal! Other instrumentation is great too – electric bass underneath fuller strings, offbeat woodwinds, fuzzy guitar, and even a bit of whistling – which has a cool sort of electronic feel. The blend of sounds is amazing – very unique, and already showing that Montenegro's one of the hippest talents of the 60s. Titles include "Classical Gas", "Rosemary's Baby", "Night Rider", "Lady in Cement", "A Future Left Behind", "Tony's Theme", and "Good Vibrations".

No, not the New Wave of French cinema and not the new wave of post punk pop errata in the late 70s and early 80s – this New Wave is a pretty great, yet poorly remembered LA soft rock group 'circa '67 – with laidback vocals and warmly soaring arrangements by the great Gene Page! The vocals are soft and harmony laden, with groovy 60s west coast songs lushed up with vibes, harpsichords, oboes, strings and lightly layered psych flourishes! This great Now Sounds UK CD features the group's original self-titled Canterbury album in both the original stereo and mono versions in full – plus 5 bonus tracks! Includes "Little Dreams", "The Shade Of The Sun", "Live For Today", "Not From You", "Where Do We Go From Here" and more – with bonus tracks "Tightrope", "Kiss The Mountain", "You Never Said I Love You" and 2 more.

One of the funkiest records ever cut by studio jazz genius Janko Nilovic! This set definitely earns the "soul" in the title – as Janko blends his usual mad mix of studio sounds with some heavier 70s elements – including a fair bit of fuzzy guitar, funky beats, and some nice horn fills. About half the tracks on the album benefit from this sort of approach – kind of across between blacksploitation soundtrack scoring and the tighter instrumental moods of work by The Duke of Burlington. The other half is more in Janko's usual bag – nicely groovy jazz numbers, some with a slinky 70s edge! Titles include "Hippocampus", "Open Country", "Crazy Enterprise", "Drug Song", "Soul Impressions", "Man Of Genius", "Push Push", and "Family Tree".

One movie, and two different soundtracks – each handled by really great composers, and packaged here with a wealth of bonus tracks too! First up is the Piero Piccioni version of the score – put together with these brooding, subtle sounds that are then expanded nicely in orchestrations by Bruno Nicolai – almost a bit fuller on orchestrations than usual for Italian scores of this time – but also filled with cool percussion, exotic instrumentation, and other cool touches that really make the music shine! Titles include "Bora Bora", "Tamoure Festival", "Tamoure Nella Sera", "Eros In Hiro", "Tahiti Tamore", and "I'Sola Incanta". CD also features 17 more bonus tracks worth of music by Piccioni! Next up is the Les Baxter soundtrack – not classic exotica, but some fantastic soundtrack work with a groovy late 60s feel! Many of the tracks have a rumbling electric bass and some warm keyboards underneath a canopy of sexy strings – in a way that sounds like some of the best Italian scores from the late 60s, which probably accompanied exotic sex films as silly as this one! Titles include "Coral Cliffs", "Schooner", "Amber Skin", "Trade Winds", "Emerald Sea", and "Bora Bora". CD features 22 more bonus tracks from Les, too – making for a huge 60 titles in all!

A tremendous little soundtrack – even if you've seen it a million times! Simon & Garfunkel always had a really dark quality to their music, but it never seemed to show as much on the pop charts as it did when used brilliantly by Mike Nichols in this important film. Their tunes emerge in slightly different versions, with a style that's a bit more adult and more off-center than we remember – all sitting next to some groovy instrumental tunes score by a young Dave Grusin, and shifting the mood nicely from track to track. Titles include "Whew", "Scarborough Fair/Canticle", "The Singleman Party Foxtrot", "April Come She Will", "On The Strip", "The Folks", "Mrs Robinson", and "Sounds Of Silence".

Sensual soundtracks from German maestro Peter Thomas – very groovy music recorded for two sex-ed films of the late 60s! The sounds here are every bit as wonderful as those we've come to love in Thomas crime and sci-fi scoring – lots of cool 60s instrumentation on keyboards, funky drums, guitar, and horns – mixed up with odd production effects, weird vocal bits, and larger orchestrations that never get in the way of the core grooves – yet really help take things to the next level! This material is a really under-discovered side of Thomas' career – but stands equally well next to his better-known gems – and given that the sexy films are titled The Perfect Marriage and Every Night Of The Week, you can bet there's plenty of slinky bedroom action going on in the grooves. The package is beautiful – with full color images, and notes in English and German – and the CD features 24 tracks in all, with titles that include "Love Maker", "Big Love", "Teach Me Teacher", "The Grand Day", "Hurdy Gurdy", "The World's History", "Cin Cin Mon Marie", "First First Love", "The Marriage", "Coitude Melanchodelic", "Shaker", "Playboy", and "Gisela's Seduction".

Amazing work from a key force in jazz organ – not Jimmy Smith, not Jack McDuff, but Brazilian musician Walter Wanderley! Not long after American artists first started hitting the Hammond for groovy sounds in the 50s, Wanderley picked up the instrument down in Brazil – and fused a jazz organ approach with lots of lively samba rhythms – to created a style that went onto become the stuff of legend, thanks to later crossover classics on Verve! The sounds here are those from Walter's roots – four albums recorded for EMI/Odeon at the start of the 60s – most of which we've never even seen in the original – which makes this reissue package even more essential! Many tracks were recorded in the early bossa nova years, and there's definitely a bossa jazz vibe to most numbers here – especially given the tight percussion, and Wanderley's great way with an easygoing groove. 4CD package features rare albums Eu Voce E Walter Wanderley (1959), Feito Sob Medida (1959), Successos Dancantes Em Ritmo De Romance (1960), and Sucesso E Samba (1960) – all totally great all the way through, with original cover art too! (Note that there are some offbeat sound passages – mostly flaws in the original tapes that create occasional distortion at short points – which haven't been corrected by the remastering. But the set is fully licensed and legitimate.)

Pretty great stuff – two groovy albums from German maestro Kai Warner, back to back on a single CD! Warner Plays Wagner is exactly what it sounds like – Kai takes on a host of compositions from Richard Wagner – but the results sound even better on record than they do on paper – thanks to Warner's groovy way of mixing strings together with early 70s production modes – all in ways that are far less classical than kind of a hip sort of soundtrack or sound library sort of vibe! Strings are heavy, but the grooves are too – and there's often a nice little bounce on the bottom, which cuts through the orchestrations in a great way, with lots of nice moments you wouldn't expect. Titles include "Tannhauser", "Am Stillen Herd In Winterszeit", "Lohengrin", "Dir Ton Lob", and "Lied An Den Abensternd". Swingin Johann is a whole new take on the music of Strauss – big band versions of older waltz numbers from the 19th century, but pepped up with plenty of that economic miracle German mode of the 70s! Instrumentation is jazz-based, but gets some sound library touches too – a bit of electrification in the bass, and some smoothing in the production – and even a bit of keyboards too. The end result isn't far from Berry Lipmann at the time – and titles include "Wiener Bonbons", "Annen Polka", "Wer Uns Getraut", "Rosen Aus Dem Suden", "Schatz Walzer", "Thema Aus Die Fledermaus", and "Kunstlerleben".

If the supermarket still sounded this funky, they'd never have any trouble getting us to do the shopping – thanks to the wonderfully groovy sound library tunes served up on this CD! The collection's a great reminder of the days when Muzak could still sound plenty darn wonderful – an instrumental soundtrack to shopping that was very much in line with the best film and TV themes of the period – fuzzy guitar, burning Hammond, and more – all set to subtly funky rhythms that were more than enough to help keep the mood bright as the shoppers moved down the aisles with their carts! All tracks here are from the UK Rediffusion sound library – an under-tapped source of great bits that's similar to DeWolfe or KPM, but much less familiar. Most numbers are by the cream of the crop of the Brit Easy scene – and although most tracks are originals, there's also a few surprising covers too. Titles include "Take Eight" by Pete Moore, "The Cutter" by Vic Flick Sound, "Some Other Time" by Alan Moorehouse, "Hold Tight" by Howard Blaikley Orchestra, "Flash" by Val Merrall, "Next Of Kingsleigh" by Harry Stoneham, "Cat Walk" by Pete Moore, "Spoofin" by Tony Evans, "John & Paul" by Tony Osborne, "Cubanana" by Vic Flick Sound, "Friendship Train" by Rosetta Hightower, "Solar Wind" by Pete Moore, and "Soul In Space" by Harry Stoneham. 25 tracks in all – and great notes too!

Groovy tunes compiled by the folks who brought us the Soft Sounds For Gentle People compilations of lost late 60s pop psychedelia! He & She takes a novel approach and digs up the deepest nuggets by guy-girl combos – full of deep sinking hooks, bright counterpart harmonies, and trippy lyricism – most done in a buzzing Cali sunshine sound! It's full of great tunes by seldom heard groups – with a big sunshine sound! 22 tracks in all: "Hippy Dippy Funky Monkey Double Bubble Sitar Man" by The Hubbels, "Up Here" by Tony and Siegrid, "Time" by Kathy And Larry, "Circus" by Friend And Lover, "Taxicab" by Bunky And Jake, "Big Dsaddy Blues" by St George And Tana, "Sheridan Square" by Smokey And His Sister, "Rock N Roll Gypsies" by Gypsy Trip and more!

A rich look at the world of Vampi Soul – especially the expanded range of sounds the label's been handling in recent years! At their start, Vampi took the "Soul" in their name quite seriously – and mostly focused on funk and soul. But lately, they've really been opening things up – moving into a wide range of great grooves – mod 60s material, Afrobeat, global styles, psychedelia, and lots lots more – almost all of it still pretty darn upbeat and groovy – with great links to the earlier modes of the label. The set's a great way to sample the rich array of styles without buying individual titles on their own – as the collection features 20 titles that include "Trip" by Emma De Angelis, "Rocky Mountain Roundabout" by The Mohawks, "Dye Dye" by Segun Bucknor, "Dongoh" by Los Sidearals, "Bat Macumba" by Garotas Suecas, "El Jamaiquino" by El Gran Fellove, "Cumbia Pop" by Los Beltons, "La Bocachico" by Frente Cumbiero, and "Muntie" by The Ramblers International.

Soaring sounds from Philadelphia International – the label that virtually defined the sound of soul in the 70s, thanks to a succession of ultra-big hits! Those cuts are great, but this set goes even deeper – to move past the chart standouts, and come up with a brilliant batch of Philly groovers that stayed mostly on the underground – but which have had a huge influence on the global scene over the past few decades! All the best Philly 70s elements are in place here – tight rhythms, impeccable musicianship, and production that finds a way to polish without ever making things too slick – a wonderful blend that makes these tunes totally top-shelf all the way through – and even fresher than some of the bigger hits you'd know from the artists. Titles include "Hey Baby" by Anthony White, "I Heard It In A Love Song" by McFadden & Whitehead, "Old People" by Archie Bell & The Drells, "Sunshine & You" by The Futures, "Groovy People" by Lou Rawls, "You Can't Come Back Now" by Jean Carn, "Tell The World How I Feel About Cha Baby" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, "Let The Dollar Circulate" by Billy Paul, "Found A Love You Couldn't Handle" by The Stylistics, and "I'm Just Thinking About Cooling Out" by Jerry Butler.

Far out harmonies and psyche pop from the mid-to-late 60s – and another groovy batch of obscurites from the Cali scene and beyond in the Soft Sounds For Gentle People series from Pet Records! The series has only gotten deeper and groovier since the first one came out – many singles from groups that were recording for the major labels at the time, but the majority of whom are fresh discoveries to us – and if labels like Columbia, Warner Bros and Capital provided the opportunity for richer sounds and production, it's used to shoot the grooves even further out, without comprising the catchy grooves and sweetly soaring male and female harmonies. Possibly the best entry yet! 21 tracks in all: Titles include "Take A Bus" by Stix & Stonz, "Nothing Sacred" by The Johnnys, "Look At The Sun" by Mouse, "Hello" by Things To Come, "Kill The Cobra" by Bentley Road, "It's A Groovy World" by The Lollipop Fantasy, "Looking Down" by 1st Century, "Wispy Paisley Skies" by Fraternity Of Man and more.

Insanely wonderful grooves from lost Italian sources! Like the other two volumes in this series, this third entry in the Stroboscopia set is a must-have if you dig 60s Hammond organ groovers, 70s keyboard funk tracks, and any sort of tune that has a slightly offbeat edge. The set list features 20 tracks in all – all instrumentals with the kind of funky and groovy sound that you'd expect to find on jazz albums by more famous funk artists, but which are equally great in this nicely packaged compilation! Titles include "Carter", "Joy Bells", "The Taste Of Repeat", "Asfalto", "Smooth & Manly", "Supermarket", "A Little Sad", and "Malcontento Popolare" – and artists include Rino De Filippi, Giuliano Sorgini, Puccio Roelens, Alessandro Alessandroni, and Mirot Lash. One of the best sets on Plastic we've heard in years!

'A great little Brazilian group from the 70s – one who continues the harmony styles of Sergio Mendes in the 60s, but takes the music into some groovy new directions! The sounds here are more samba than bossa – with guitar and percussion dancing nicely together in the rhythms as group members sing sweetly over the top – and both piano and keyboards adding in some nicely jazzy inflections to the groove, often with the more sophisticated phrasings you might expect in some of the EMI/Odeon work from earlier in the decade. Sivuca joins the group on both accordion and moog (!) – and the whole thing's got a sweetly-grooving style that's totally great! Titles include "Estatutos De Gafiera", "Loteca", "Amor Em Jacuma", " Iboru Iboya", "Beijo Baiano", "O Trem Atrazou", "Asa Branca", and "Fogo Pago".

An early moment of genius from the young Clare Fischer – one of his first sets for a larger ensemble, and the start of years of great work to come! Previous Pacific Jazz sessions featured Fischer in a piano trio – but this album lets Clare loose on a host of his own inventive arrangements – a set of charts and compositions that easily move between the modern and the groovy – sometimes using offbeat tones and sounds that rival the best that Ellington or Gil Evans had to offer – other times coming across with this fluidity that's a perfect summation of the way that Fischer pulled together all of the California cool of the 50s, and managed to come up with something completely fresh for the 60s! The modern edges will come as a real surprise to those who only know Fischer's more easygoing work – and in addition to Clare's own work on piano and organ, the record also features Jerry Coker on tenor, Gary Foster on tenor and clarinet, Jack Nimitz on bass clarinet and baritone, Sam Most and John Lowe on flutes, and Don Shelton on alto – all working with reed interplay that's completely sublime. Titles include "Bittersweet", "Igor", "Canto Africano", "Extension", "Passacaglia", and "Ornithardy".

Two very groovy 60s soundtracks – back to back, and both appearing on CD for the first time ever! First up is Divorce American Style – a nice little soundtrack written by Dave Grusin for this dark and depressing 60s comedy that starred Dick Van Dyke and Debbie Reynolds! Grusin's score is extremely well-written – as great on the mellow and sad moments as it is on the more upbeat ones – almost going into Neal Hefti territory with its rich array of blue notes and understated jazzy phrasing – really great sounds from the budding young jazz talent! And sure, there's still a few nice groovers on the set that have a kitschy 60s feel – it wouldn't be a Dick Van Dyke film without them – and titles include "The Other Woman", "Before The Storm", "The Judgement", "Sudden Bachelor Blues", "Financial Counterpoint", "Tacos Por Uno Por Favor Jose", "The Scheme", "Sunday Fathers", and "Social Suburbia". Art Of Love is one of Cy Coleman's best records from the 60s – a swinging little soundtrack that's awash in all his best jazzy tendencies – the modes first honed up at the Playboy Penthouse, and expanded even more on a range of 60s scores! The film's a bit forgotten – a goofy 60s comedy starring Dick Van Dyke, James Garner, Elke Sommer, and Angie Dickenson – but the music lives on wonderfully, and has a jazzy flourish with a bit of kitsch – somewhere in the Mancini style of the 60s, but with some wonderful floating piano lines by Cy himself! Orchestrations are by Bob Bain and Russ Garcia – both very groovy talents – and titles include "Nikki", "Parisian Women", "So Long Baby", "Kick Off Your Shoes", and "Inspector Revisited".

Fantastic! This classic bit of funky electronic French stuff has been showing up in bits and pieces on various compilations over the past few years (most notably the cut "Psyche Rock", which has some sample history to it), but this is the full release of this amazing collaboration between electronic music pioneer Pierre Henry and Michel Colombier – a soundtrack for a full length ballet of groovy electronic pieces that sounds as fresh today as it did back in the late 60s! It's great all the way through, and many tracks have the same feel as the famous "Psyche Rock" – funky, chunky, and bristling with electric energy. Other tracks have a very spare electronic sound – there's odd bubbling sounds, cool funky beats, and some very groovy melodies.

A mid 60s set from Birgit Lystager – the Danish beauty and groovy sunshine pop singer – on a set of tunes here that are nearly as alluring as the album cover! There's a touch of the grand, yet artfully sweeping arrangements of here later work, but there's something of a more intimate approach on some numbers. Beautiful stuff, and 60s sounds that should have been better known around the world! Titles include "I'm Waiting For A Bus", "Fingertips", "You Call This A Merry-Go-Round", "Ready To Meet You", "Choosing Words", "I'm Nothing But A Girl" and more.

Super-heavy funk from late great Desco Records scene! The Mighty Imperials were one of the best funky 45 groups to record for mighty deep funk Desco label – and their first album never properly saw the light of day, thanks to some pressing and distribution messups before the demise of the company. Now, the whole thing's finally out officially – a funky treasure that sounds like a lost 70s gem, and which has almost as much mystique, given the status of the original record! The core combo features organ, drums, bass, and super-heavy guitar – and the album also features them recording with some additional vocal help from Joseph Henry! Henry sings in a mode that's very similar to Lee Fields' work with the deep funk scene – and his vocals are on a number of tracks on the album – leaving the rest as groovy funky instrumentals with a nice heavy late 60s sock-boogaloo sound! Includes covers of "Never Found A Girl" and "Cold Sweat" – plus originals "Soul Buster pt 1", "Chico's Barnyard", "Kick The Blanket", "Thunder Chicken", and "Joseph's Popcorn".

Fantastic sounds from one of our city's greatest groups of the past decade – the mighty Mucca Pazza, a darn funky band who are heavy on horns, but move with an incredibly lean groove! The label describes the group as "the marching band that thinks it's a rock band" – but we've always found these guys to be even more playful than that – not rock, but kind of a multi-instrumental "happening" – especially when they crop up at street performances – which are always as visually stimulating as they are musically groovy! This full album represents the group even better than we might have imagined – with a great focus on the harder-romping sound of their music. Titles include "Sexy Bull", "Marcia Anormale", "Boss Taurus", "Monster Tango", "Rabbits & Trees", "Last Days", "Sunday Showing (part 1)", and "Coolashell".

A full funky set of work from the legendary Janko Nilovic – one of the hippest sound library talents in 70s France, and a composer with a very unique sort of groove! There's a tremendous range of sounds here – all of them groovy – from American-styled soundtrack funk, to spare Latin-sounding rhythms, to weirder more experimental tracks that mix voices up like instruments – and lots more beyond description and simple categorization! The package pulls together the funkiest tracks from Janko's hard-to-find albums – most of which were originally on small French sound library labels, like Montparnasse 2000 or Telemusic. The double-length set features 23 tracks in all – including "Cross Rolls", "Blows & Rhythms", "Improvisation Pour 2 Voix", "Post Scriptum", "Aerospatial", "Weekend A Chelsea", "Funky Village", "Le Vent Dans Les Algues", "To & Fro", "Shadow Of Our Life", and "Golf Open".

Very groovy work from Jennie Smith – a singer known for her work on the Tonight Show, but who sounds even hipper here! Mort Garson handled the backings, and they've got lots of the playful touches that you'd hear on his groovier 60s instrumental work – mixed with some of the watery strings used on mellower dates – both a perfect match for Smith's vocals, in ways that help take her out of the straighter style she was using in the late 50s. There's kind of a hip 60s "adult" feel to the record – quite different than the more sentimental modes of RCA a few years before – and Smith turns out to be a wonderful singer in such a setting. Titles include "Gravy Waltz", "Fly Me To The Moon", "This Could Be The Start Of Something", "Let's Face The Music & Dance", "My Man", and "Nice & Easy". CD features the bonus track "As I Love You".

Groovy genius from German arranger Peter Thomas – a sweet little follow-up to his soundtrack for Chariots Of The Gods! This time around, the setting's a bit more funky – a great mixture of mid 70s grooves with some of the trippier touches you'd know from Peter's previous space scores – all wrapped up with impeccable German production that really makes the whole thing sparkle! Some cuts are heavy on keyboards, while others mix up modes nicely – and as usual with Thomas, there's a really rich array of great sounds that keeps things delightful throughout. Daisy Door sings on the one vocal cut – "Dankeschon Fur Das Wiedersehn" – and other cuts include "Power Boost", "Mysteries Of Humanity", "Gamblin Ostinato", "The Eyes Of The Golden Mask", "Gods & Natives", and "Crystal Skull".

A great look at the Amphonic Sound Library – an under-compiled UK imprint from the 70s, and one who issued some very groovy groovy work! The set brings together a range of different sessions produced by Syd Dale – the mighty maestro you might know from his work at KPM, sounding equally groovy over here at Amphonic! The tracks are all from the 70s, and have a style that's a bit warmer and more electric than some of the earlier Brit sound library material – some especially sweet undercurrents that remind us a lot of our favorite styles coming from the Selected Sound label over in Germany. There's a jazzy feel to most of the numbers – lots of great keyboards, guitars, and horns – mixed in with swinging rhythms and some occasional fuller strings on titles that include "Swayin" and "Girl In A Whirl" by James Clarke, "Shifting Sands Of Sound" and "Cross Talk" by Dick Walter, "Soul Searching" and "Poltergeist" by Steve Gray, "Melina" and "Salvador Setup" by Ray Davies, "Setting The Scene" and "Vegas Venue" by Dick Walter, "First Flight" by Gerry Butler, "The Heavy Gang" by Syd Dale, "A Moment In Time" by Dick Doerschuk, and "Tomorrow Is Now" by Ronnie Hazelhurst. 25 tracks in all – and really great sound!

A great record by this very overlooked singer – a real hip cat on the early 60s New York scene – very jazzy, and very groovy!

A nice lost little record in the jazz-exotica vein! Bill Irwin's combo is a groovy group that mixes organ, guitar, and drums – and they have a sound that's part Martin Denny, part John Buzon trio, and all groovy! There's a lean quality here that's mighty nice – a bit more jazz than usual for a record like this, with less of the sleepy sounds that you'll get from more Hawaiian-styled sets. The album's got some nice little groovers – like the title cut "Seduction", the original "A Swingin Samba", and the "Song Of India Bossa Nova" – plus "Romance In The Tropics", "Desert Sands", and "Montana Magic".

An overlooked 60s gem from Oscar Peterson – one of his great sides for Limelight Records, and possibly the most soulful of the bunch! The group's a trio – with either Sam Jones or Ray Brown on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – and they've got a really great feel, one that's a bit different than some of Oscar's earlier groups of the 60s. Hayes' work on drums is nicely sensitive, and almost takes backseat to Peterson's rhythmic piano lines at times – and Jones' work on bass is always a treat, and kicks some of the best tracks here into a really great groove! The record's got a few great original titles, too – like the midtempo groover "Bossa Beguine", and the groovy "L'Impossible", a cool little instrumental that sounds like it was from a soundtrack by Francis Lai or Michel Legrand, and the title track "Blues Etude". Other titles include "Let's Fall In Love", "Shelley's World", "I Know You Oh So Well", and "Stella By Starlight".

An amazing collection of funky work from Communist Hungary – music that's really making us change our opinion about the Cold War! Back in the day, we used to think the Iron Curtain was in place to keep out Western forces – but now we know it was there to keep in groovy music like this – secret underground grooves that explode with the power of a thousand ICBMs! The core style here is mostly rock, but the groups bring in plenty of funk too – heavy drums, rumbling bass, and fuzzy guitar that really make these cuts groove nicely – in ways that are similar to some of the more proggish fusion that's been compiled from the Eastern European scene of the 70s, but usually in a more tuneful, lyric-oriented way. And while you can't understand most of the words in the songs, that's nothing to worry about at all – because these cuts are all musical gems through and through, and the lack of meaning in the lyrics only makes the vocals come through as one more instrument in the array of funky sounds. The package comes with full, amazingly detailed notes on the tunes – and the set features 20 tracks that include "Nem Biztos Semmi" and "Add Mar Uram Az Esot" by Kati Kovacs, "Egy Lany Nem Ment Haza" by Omega Redstar, "Vegallomas" by Hungaria, "Mondj Egy Meset" by Piramis, "Kergeskezu Favagok" by Locomitiv GT, "A Bolond Lany" by Illes, "Kivanj Te Is Nekem Szep Jo Ejszakat" by Meteor & Demjen Ferenc, "Hetkoznapi Balladak" by Bergendy, "Szevasz Haver" by Skorpio, and "Kinai Fal" by Nemenyi Bela & Atlantis.

Swirling psychedelia from the late 60s & early 70s – raga inflected soundscapes featuring the sitar – and a plethora of other mind-altering instrumentation in the psyche pop canon! Many of the tunes are kind of sole examples of a psychedelic combo trying out the sitar sound, while others feature regular dabblers – but it's all groovy stuff. Features acts from the UK and US scenes, with the Mecki Mark Men, Moonkyte, Full Moon Band, the comparably iconic Ananda Shankar, and much more! Titles include "Free" by Mecki Mark Men, "Caves Of Her Mind" by Stunt's Blue Leg Expedition, "I Know What To Say" by The Ugly Ducklings, "Where Will The Grass Grow" by Moonkyte, "Prayer To St Peter" by Nick Carter, "Renunciation" by Ananda Shanker, "One Grain Of Sand" by Wizz Jones, "The Shoemaker Of Leatherwear Square" by Lemon Pipers, "Aurore Cosmic" by Popera Cosmic and more. 20 tracks in all.

The third volume in this very groovy series takes a distinct Brazilian turn – and opens up into a sparkling set of bossa jammers and hard jazzy numbers that are extremely well-selected for the set! Not all the tracks are Brazilian in origin, but they are all hard to find – and the groove's extremely solid throughout! Tracks include "Quo Vadis Samba" by Goykovic-Novacek, "Carcara" by Tempo Trio, "Tim Dom Dom" by Joao Donato, "Jangal" by Dom Um Romao, "Batucada Sergiu" by Luis Carlos Vinhas, "Grand Nite For Swinging" by Mary Lou Williams, "Consolacao" by Larry Willis, "Influencia Do Jazz" by Bossa Tres, "Mudei De Idea" by Osmar Milito, "Un Sabor Latino" by Ricardo Marrero, "Cobranca" by Carlos Penha, and "Tema Pro Lins" by Rosinha De Valencia. Lots more, too!