A book that's a typographical masterpiece – a look at letters and signs from around the globe, past and present – organized in a wonderfully striking way! The book is part history, and much more about art and graphic design – as it's filled with page after page of really beautiful images – some that artworks, some that are listings of alphabetic fonts, and some that are just odd signs and photographs from the world at large! Obviously, letters are the main subject matter, but the book is way more than that – a beautifully expanded version of the original A2Z volume, with some great vintage advertising from the European scene – served up in a hefty, full-color, softcover volume, 314 pages in all. Book

Way more than just a random jazz compilation – and instead a set that comes with a hefty book about the Boston jazz underground in the 70s – almost 80 pages in length, complete with images of records, vintage photos, and lots of notes on this under-documented scene! And while Boston's always been something of a hotbed of jazz activity – thanks to the younger students who hit the city to study at Berklee and other schools – this material represents a much deeper, more spiritual current of jazz – work that's in the same territory of the AACM or loft jazz scenes of the period, but also with a current of freewheeling electric material too! At this price, the whole thing would already be great as a collection of rare spiritual jazz, but with the book and overall package it's a hell of a deal – packed with musical goodness on cuts that include "Sketch (parts 1 & 2)" and "Road Through The Wall (parts 2 & 3)" by Thing, "For Margot" and "Tarot The Moon" by Mark Harvey Group, "The Creator Is So Far Out" and "Egypt" by Phil Musra Group, "9 Degrees Black Women Liberation" by Worlds, "Year Of The Ear Herds & Hoards" by Baird Hersey with Dave Liebman, and "Play Sleep" by Stanton Davis' Ghetto Mysticism. CD

A much-needed look at the Dutch jazz scene in the 50s and 60s – a spot in Europe that was turning out some really fantastic modern material – at a level that's every bit as great as better-known work coming from France, Germany, and Scandinavia at the time! Many of the players here quickly became giants who would dominate on the Dutch scene for years to come – and even at this early point, their work is wonderful – occasionally graced with guest work from American players, but already more than great enough on its own – and filled with a mix of sharp rhythms, new ideas, and impeccable instrumentation throughout. As with other Sdban titles, the presentation is wonderful – not just a great set list, but an overall feel that makes the package as hefty as the music inside. Titles include "Four On Six" by Kwartet Martin Verlinden, "So Why" by Kwartet Leo Meyer, "Amsterdam Blues" by Diamond Five, "Lady Elisabeth" by Tony Vos Quartet, "Blues For Eddy" by Red & Brown Brothers, "Sem" by Frans Elsen, "Relaxin With Rhythme" by The Rhythme All Stars, "Mensen Van Morgen" by Herman Schoonderwalt, "Wives & Lovers" by Rita Reys & Oliver Nelson, "Comin Home Baby" by Trio Tony Vos, "Sing Sing Sing" by Leddy Wessel with Jack Van Poll, "Blues Minor" by Boys Big Band, and "Afro Blues" by Herbie Mann with Wessel Ilcken Combo. CD

Prog rock was shifting a bit as 1974 came into view, but the leading lights of the scene were still going strong – sometimes with new modes and slight shifts in production techniques that showed that the music was evolving very strongly, and not just content to mire in the modes of an initial wave of activity! If anything, most of the cats on this set are even sharper musicians and more daring songwriters than a few years before – which means that sometimes, there's an even more focused approach to the music – a bold message that can come across strongly, without a full side album jam – and with production elements that don't oversaturate as much, which almost seems to indicate that the prog scene of the moment were having some thoughts about musical shifts to come! As with the other titles in this series, the box features a superb set list – really well-chosen cuts that go past the obvious – accompanied by a very hefty set of notes on each act and the tunes within. 4CD set features 51 tracks in all – work from Caravan, Hawkwind, Gong, PFM, Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Peter Hammill, Neutrons, Nektar, Hatfield & The North, Traffic, Gravy Train, Darryl Way's Wolf, Procol Harum, Jethro Tull, Stackridge, Greenslade, Strawbs, Kevin Ayers, Jack Bruce, and others! CD

One of the most unique packages we've ever seen from the mighty Mosaic Records – not a set that focuses on a specific artist or record label – but instead a treasure trove of freshly-unearthed material from the archives of Bill Savory – a legendary sound engineer whose work for Columbia Records helped transform our understanding of classic jazz! The sides here aren't Bill's work for that label – but instead feature recordings he made of rare broadcast performances – material that's surprisingly well-recorded, given Savory's skills with the technology of the times – which means that these tracks are way more than the kind of fuzzy radio tapes that used to show up on older jazz bootleg albums. Mosaic did a great job of restoring these materials, and presenting them with wonderful clarity – in a succession of late 30s performances that feature rare work by Count Basie, Albert Ammons, Mildred Bailey, Teddy Wilson, Glenn Miller, John Kirby, Carl Cress, Ella Fitzgerald, Coleman Hawkins, Fats Waller, Lionel Hampton, Roy Eldridge, Jack Teagarden, and other giants of the swing generation. There's 108 tracks in all – including a few surprisingly long performances – and the whole thing comes with the usual hefty Mosaic Records package of notes and photos! CD

A fantastic book of images from the early 80s hip hop scene in New York – put together by a photographer who was right on the scene for a number of key years – and snapped hundreds of images of performers, clubs, street scenes, graffiti artists, and all the other forces that made hip hop happen! The book's a bit like the classic Back In The Days by Jamel Shabazz, but it also goes even further – as Bramly managed to capture a heck of a lot of key DJs and rappers, and also includes comments and memories from many of them too – snippets of text that are every bit as essential as the images – although the images are more than enough on their own! Bramly's got a great eye – both for a key moment, and composition within the frame – and the book is stuffed with images throughout, both color and black and white – in a hefty softcover volume that's over 300 pages in length. Book

A beautiful book, and one that's almost as enjoyable as finding a box of rare records from the funk and soul underground of the 60s and 70s! The book is a huge overview of funk and soul from Ohio – starting with the early 60s, and running up to the big years of Ohio funk that rose on the charts into the 80s – presented here with information on 1700 different artists, 500 record companies, and over 3000 different albums – many presented with label scans and other visual information too! Both the Numero Group and soul historian Dante Carfagna are no strangers to the Ohio scene – as they've both plumbed the depths in recent decades, and have given us no end of fantastic discoveries that we never would have heard otherwise – really wonderful material from Cinncinnatti, Cleveland, Columbus, and other cities – all music that makes up the rich array of scenes and talents presented in the book. There's a very visual presentation to the book – with over 125 pages alone of rare photos, posters, and other images from the scene – next to another huge chapter that features almost 80 more pages of rare record label scans and covers! Next to that, you'll find chapters that list different Ohio record labels, along with releases; Ohio pressing plants and recording studios; and even Ohio funk and soul artists who recorded for non-Ohio and national labels, and some who made no records at all! We love the presentation – as the huge book is very image and information-heavy, with no essays or other writing at all – beautifully done in a hardcover volume, with 350 pages – super-hefty, and a great gateway to continued digging for rare material from this surprising hotbed of funk and soul. And hopefully, we'll see books on the rest of the 49 states to follow in this format! Book

Soulful and pounding! Joe Dukes is one of the greatest soul jazz drummers ever – the key to the unique sound that Jack McDuff had during his big rise to fame in the mid 60s, a combination of tightly funky rhythms underneath, with a freer approach to the top of the kit that worked perfectly with McDuff's hefty Hammond Organ work. The group on this album's McDuff's classic quartet that includes Red Holloway on tenor and alto, George Benson on guitar, and Dukes on drums. The album's got an incredible sound, with Dukes' unique approach to drums scattering all over the kit, creating these complicated dancing rhythms for the organ, sax, and guitar lineup. The album's filled with excellent groovers, like "Moohah the D.J.", "Soulful Drums", "Greasy Drums", and "My Three Sons" – and the whole thing's great! . Filled with excellent groovers, like "Moohah the D.J.", "Soulful Drums", "Greasy Drums", and "My Three Sons". Super-rare, too! LP, Vinyl record album

A mighty hefty set of photos of Roxy Music on stage – served up in a massive oversize book that's filled with fan photos from the early days onward! Photographer Jocelyn Fiske has a lifetime love of Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry – and managed to sneak some great shots of the group in the early 70s, then get very serious once their comeback years hit in the later part of the decade – served up here in hundreds of oversized, full color shots of the new romantic years, later solo Bryan Ferry, and even the 21st Century reunion as well! The images are striking – these are definitely not the polished shots of Ferry and the group on the album covers – and from the drenched look of Bryan on stage alone, the whole thing stands as a vivid testimony to the "work" that went into the music of Roxy! Hardcover edition is oversize, 317 pages, and full color throughout. Book

A hefty look at the key role of composition in British jazz during the glorious modern uprising that began in the second half of the 60s – a book that features chapters on key figures from that moment, including Barry Guy, Mike Gibbs, Michael Garrick, Mike Westbrook, John Mayer, and Keith Tippet! Each of the artists had their own way of mixing stricture and improvisation – Mayer in his experiments with Indian music, Guy in his embrace of free jazz, Gibbs in the way he mixed rock influences with avant jazz – a legacy that continues to be hugely influential, all these many years later! And don't mistake "composer" with "classical" – as none of these artists made music that was jazz throughout, not some of the more highbrow experiments on the American scene of the postwar years – an approach that author Duncan Heining gets at well in these pages, then backs up with a great bonus 2CD set of material to illustrate his arguments. Hardcover book is over 300 pages, with some black and white images. Book

Piano genius Ahmad Jamal is really taking off here – letting his solos stretch out and his impeccable sense of timing really move things forward from his studio sides of the time – allowed plenty of freedom in the space of the Penthouse nightclub in Seattle during the mid 60s! The package features three different performances, all of which have sublime work on bass from Jamil Nasser – easily one of Jamal's greatest accompanists, and a player whose sense of rounded energy seems tied to the keys of Ahmad's piano at every single moment. Drums are by a different player on each date – Chuck Lampkin, Vernel Fournier, and Frank Gant – and titles include long versions of "Concern", "Feeling Good"," My First Love Song", "Who Can I Turn To", "I Didn't Know What Time It Was", "Invitation", and "Poinciana". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great idea for a book on records – and one that's completely different than most that we've seen before! Unlike other books of this nature, which are filled with "essential" or "classic" records – this book is full of flops, or records that never really hit the heights, but which are pretty darn great overall! In the eyes of the authors – and our eyes too – all of these records are under-acknowledged gems – some by big names, others by more obscure artists – lots of which never got their full due at the time. The book is filled with some of our favorite records of all time – which is a big hats off to the long list of contributors, who include Miriam Linna, Steve Shelly, Peter Holsapple, Russ Titelman, Marshall Crenshaw, Bob Irwin, Lenny Kaye, and many others – who've come up with a set of essays on titles that include The Living Legend by Baby Huey, Gene Clark & The Gosdin Brothers, Continued by Tony Joe White, Delta Sweete by Bobby Gentry, Entertainment by Family, Desertshore by Nico, Young Mod's Forgotten Story by The Impressions, Roots by The Everly Brothers, Rock Bottom by Robert Wyatt, and lots lots more! The book is filled with records that we love, and that we'd now call classic – served up in a hefty softcover edition that's almost 400 pages in length, with black and white images throughout. Book

A beautiful issue of this beautiful magazine – filled with the stories of people and their records, and the other elements of culture that move their lives! As with other volumes, this one is super-hefty – over 200 pages, and as much a magazine with photography as a music publication itself – with loads of shots inside that rival the cover, and which often feature a more close-up look at a record collection. This time round, features are on Alexis Le Tan, Ron Morelli, Eddie Ruscha, Phil Mison, Andee Frost, Kim Ann Foxman, Suso Saiz, Joe Goddard, and others – and there's also a very cool section on rare party invites by Keith Haring! Magazine

A hefty book on the great Otis Redding – one of the best soul singers of all time, even though he left this planet all too soon! Redding's career on record was less than a decade long, but marked by a huge amount of work – not just time in the studio, with the legendary Stax Records – but also countless hours on the road, where Otis honed his talents and perfected his craft – while additionally putting both himself and his talents at risk. Author Mark Ribowsky looks at these years in wonderful depth – mostly with a focus on Redding, but also a strong look at Stax as well – as the partnership between the two was one of the most important in soul music at the time, and continues to have an impact all these many years later. Book is 366 pages, with copious notes at the end – hardcover, and with some black and white images. Book

A long-overdue return to form for Roctober – one of our favorite magazines in the 90s and 00s, and a publication that always gave us plenty of bang for our buck! That tradition certainly continues here – as the hefty zine runs for well over 120 pages – stuffed to the gills with the mix of punchy prose and comics that always made it such a standout! This time around, subjects include Linda Gail Lewis, Lady Saw, The Shaggs, Divine, Exuma, Jobraith, Ozone, Nardwuar vs Marc Maron, Will Glover, and Curtom soul legend Holly Maxwell – all with the sort of presentation you won't find anywhere else. Great to have Roctober back – and nice to see someone still invested this strongly in the zine format too! Magazine

A huge look at the Liverpool scene in the UK – but one that doesn't focus on the generation of the Beatles and Brit Invasion groups – and instead brings some great attention to the city's contribution to the post-punk years and beyond! The package is tremendous – 100 songs in a huge booklet of notes – tracing an evolution from the late 70s years, when Liverpool was as creative and fervent of a scene as other North England territories, like Manchester and Sheffield – but also one that could quickly develop some tuneful aspects too, which no doubt helped the rest of the UK music scene of the 80s find a way to expand in some great global directions! Throughout the whole time covered here, there's a great tension between experimentation and commercial success – one that's covered beautifully by the many tracks in the collection, and also documented in the hefty notes within. There's far too many tracks here for us to list – but let us say that the package is overflowing with work by artists as diverse as Dalek I, The Wild Swans, China Crisis, Pink Industry, Care, Box Of Toys, Deaf School, Big In Japan, Pale Fountains, Icicle Works, Dead Or Alive, The Lotus Eaters, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Mr Amir, Brenda & The Beach Balls, Jegsy Dodd & The Sons Of Harry Cross, The La's, Jactars, Magic Carpets, Barbel, The Walking Seeds, Thomas Lang, Ministry Of Love, Nightmares In Wax, OMD, The Planets, Spitfire Boys, Geisha Girls, Royal Family & The Poor, Public Disgrace, It's Immaterial, The Balcony, The Yachts, Teardrop Explodes, Original Mirrors, The Press Gang, Moderates, Egypt For Now, Those Naughty Lumps, Flock Of Seagulls, Freeze Frame, Echo & The Bunnymen, and many more! CD

A mighty hefty issue of this fantastic magazine – full of interviews with artists and musicians about their record collections – and put together with loads of lovely full color photographs throughout! The book-style publication is very unique – as it goes way past music production and standard record collecting narratives – to focus on the way that people interact with the records they bring into their homes – served up in really well-done interviews that are peppered with photos – in a full color presentation that's over 200 pages in length, with hardly any ads. This time around, the issue features interviews with DJ Harvey, Ariel Kalma, Jun Takahashi, Pedro Winter, Moxie, Pierre Rousseau, DJ Sundae, Max Essa, Sofie, and others – all of whom have very different tastes, and very different takes on music! Magazine

A complete run of music from the Revillos – a group who only gave the world two full studio albums in their initial run, then recorded live albums later in the 90s – all of which are here, along with a whole host of bonus material too! The Revillos always had a bit of a retro look to them – and although they grew up in the post-punk years of the UK, their style is a mad mash-up of new wave modes and 50s elements – maybe vaguely in the territory of the B52s, but with a style that's very much the group's own! This set brings together a massive 140 tracks in all – the full albums Rev Up and Attack Of The Revillos, the latter in two different versions – plus the sets Live & On Fire In Japan, and Totally Alive – and then two more live recordings from 1981, one British and one American – plus lots of bonus tracks from singles, some John Peel sessions, and other BBC material too – in a hefty box with a big booklet of notes. CD

A much-needed look at the Dutch jazz scene in the 50s and 60s – a spot in Europe that was turning out some really fantastic modern material – at a level that's every bit as great as better-known work coming from France, Germany, and Scandinavia at the time! Many of the players here quickly became giants who would dominate on the Dutch scene for years to come – and even at this early point, their work is wonderful – occasionally graced with guest work from American players, but already more than great enough on its own – and filled with a mix of sharp rhythms, new ideas, and impeccable instrumentation throughout. As with other Sdban titles, the presentation is wonderful – not just a great set list, but an overall feel that makes the package as hefty as the music inside. Titles include "Four On Six" by Kwartet Martin Verlinden, "So Why" by Kwartet Leo Meyer, "Amsterdam Blues" by Diamond Five, "Lady Elisabeth" by Tony Vos Quartet, "Blues For Eddy" by Red & Brown Brothers, "Sem" by Frans Elsen, "Relaxin With Rhythme" by The Rhythme All Stars, "Mensen Van Morgen" by Herman Schoonderwalt, "Wives & Lovers" by Rita Reys & Oliver Nelson, "Comin Home Baby" by Trio Tony Vos, "Sing Sing Sing" by Leddy Wessel with Jack Van Poll, "Blues Minor" by Boys Big Band, and "Afro Blues" by Herbie Mann with Wessel Ilcken Combo. LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing sounds from Peru – the kind of really mindblowing music that will grab your ears, no matter where you're from – and really knock you over with a weird and wonderful blend of styles! The rhythms definitely have some of the cumbia promised in the title, most of these numbers are electrified, and touched with plenty of influence from 60s instrumental and psychedelic rock – a special blend cooked up down in Peru, and originally issued on labels like Dimsa and Infopesa – beautifully collected here in a stunning set of tracks that are presented with richly detailed notes on the music! Many numbers are instrumental, but some are vocal too – and the package has a hefty 34 tracks in all, with titles that include "Mi Choza, Mi Chacra Y Mi Mujer" by Manzanita, "Boogaloo Del Perro" by Los Destellos, "Baila Flaquita Baila" by Los Ecos, "Illimana" by Los 5 Palomiullas, "Recordando A Fachin" by Juaneco Y Su Combo, "Sin Exito" by Grupo Celeste, "Selva, Selva" by Juanaco Y Su Combo, "Colegiala" by Los Ilusionistas, "El Panadero" by Los Beta 5, and "Peti Pan" by Los Demonios Del Mantaro. CD