All Categories — All Formats  

Nice and rarely seen trio side from under-recorded Chicago pianist Anderson. He plays here with Bill Lee and either Walter Perkins or Philly Joe Jones on drums, in a trio that made the core of the rhythm section on Frank Strozier's excellent Jazzland date, Long Night. The group is in fine form here, running through both standards and originals, and though Anderson's name isn't as well known as many other pianists, it ought to be, and he was no stranger to other Windy City jazz greats such as Johnny Griffin. Imagine a cross between Bill Evans and Elmo Hope, and you might get a picture of where he's coming from, though Anderson's voice is all his own, weaving some nice sinuous lines on a set that leans heavily on ballads here, including "You'd Be Nice To Come Home To", "My Funny Valentine" and the originals "See You Saturday" & the title track.

A rare "with strings" session for altoist Lee Konitz – recorded back in his great years with Verve, set to wonderful arrangements from a young Bill Russo! The style here is a bit darker and more spare than some of the other albums of this type from the time – and Russo brings plenty of somber tones to the record – not in a bad way, but in a style that lets Lee's horn be the most strongly redeeming feature of the session – often stepping forth in relatively unfettered mode, with many of the strings at the lower end of the sound spectrum. Titles include the extended "An Image Of Man", plus "What's New", "Blues For Our Children", "The Daffodil's Sake", and "Music For Alto Saxophone & Strings".

A hell of a trumpeter – making his debut here on one of the grooviest albums on the legendary Latin Percussion label! The session's a bit fuller than some of the other LP albums – a crackling blend of jazz, funk, and Latin rhythms – warm, but with some pretty complicated moments, very much in the best spirit of the second wave of NuYorica grooves! There's still lots of the tight percussion that makes Latin Percussion sessions so great – but the record also features fuller instrumentation too – in ways that really make things soar. Players include Eddie Martinez on Fender Rhodes, Jon Faddis and Randy Brecker on additional trumpets, Steve Khan on guitar, and Carlos Patato Valdez on congas – and Ruben Blades even plays a bit of acoustic guitar on the record. The overall feel's a bit like some of the great Fania/Columbia co-productions – but a bit rawer at points – and titles include "Diana", "Genesis", "Nice & Warm", "Viva Martinez", "I Know", "Hot Blood", and "Perico" – most of which are separated by short percussion interludes!

England was a surprisingly funky place in the 60s and 70s – home to a rich array of great grooves created by the scene's important sound library labels – staffed by the cream of the crop of the British jazz musicians and soundtrack composers of the time! The work of these cats often backed bigger names in film and TV – James Bond, The Avengers, Dave Allen, and others – but this set digs even deeper, to uncover a host of great instrumental moments that go way beyond famous movie themes – a wealth of excellent cuts from the late 50s through the late 70s – starting with exotic jazz modes, moving into 60s mod swingers, and including a fair bit of 70s electric funk as well! This scene's been reissued a bit before, but never this well – as Soul Jazz do their usual top-shelf job of bringing the music together – and offering up detailed notes and a great package that really sends the whole thing home. 2CD version features 36 tracks that include "Condition Red" by Barry Stoller, "Light Flight" by Pentangle, "Man Alive" by Tony Hatch, "The Contract Man" by Bullet, "Echo Four Two" by Laurie Johnson, "Man Friday" by Syd Dale, "Hard Hitter" by Keith Papworth, "Fragment Of Fear" by Johnny Harris, "Sort Of Soul" by Birds & Brass, "Fiesta Numero Uno" by The Marleybone Orchestra, "The Persuaders" by John Barry, "Getting Nowhere In A Hurry" by Roy Budd, "Canvas" by Brian Bennett, "Death Line" by Will Malone, "Folk Song" by James Clarke, "Steam Heat" by Barbara Moore, "Artful Dodger" by Syd Dale, "Jaguar" by John Gregory, "Whole Lotta Love" by CCS, "Face Up" by Alan Moorehouse, "Angels" by Alan Parker, and "Soul Thing" by Keith Mansfield.

England was a surprisingly funky place in the 60s and 70s – home to a rich array of great grooves created by the scene's important sound library labels – staffed by the cream of the crop of the British jazz musicians and soundtrack composers of the time! The work of these cats often backed bigger names in film and TV – James Bond, The Avengers, Dave Allen, and others – but this set digs even deeper, to uncover a host of great instrumental moments that go way beyond famous movie themes – a wealth of excellent cuts from the late 50s through the late 70s – starting with exotic jazz modes, moving into 60s mod swingers, and including a fair bit of 70s electric funk as well! This scene's been reissued a bit before, but never this well – as Soul Jazz do their usual top-shelf job of bringing the music together – and offering up detailed notes and a great package that really sends the whole thing home. Part 1 – 2LP version features 19 tracks that include "Condition Red" by Barry Stoller, "Light Flight" by Pentangle, "Man Alive" by Tony Hatch, "The Contract Man" by Bullet, "Echo Four Two" by Laurie Johnson, "Man Friday" by Syd Dale, "Hard Hitter" by Keith Papworth, "Fragment Of Fear" by Johnny Harris, "Sort Of Soul" by Birds & Brass, "Fiesta Numero Uno" by The Marleybone Orchestra, "The Persuaders" by John Barry, and "Getting Nowhere In A Hurry" by Roy Budd.

England was a surprisingly funky place in the 60s and 70s – home to a rich array of great grooves created by the scene's important sound library labels – staffed by the cream of the crop of the British jazz musicians and soundtrack composers of the time! The work of these cats often backed bigger names in film and TV – James Bond, The Avengers, Dave Allen, and others – but this set digs even deeper, to uncover a host of great instrumental moments that go way beyond famous movie themes – a wealth of excellent cuts from the late 50s through the late 70s – starting with exotic jazz modes, moving into 60s mod swingers, and including a fair bit of 70s electric funk as well! This scene's been reissued a bit before, but never this well – as Soul Jazz do their usual top-shelf job of bringing the music together – and offering up detailed notes and a great package that really sends the whole thing home. Part 2 – 2LP version features 17 tracks that include "Canvas" by Brian Bennett, "Death Line" by Will Malone, "Folk Song" by James Clarke, "Steam Heat" by Barbara Moore, "Artful Dodger" by Syd Dale, "Jaguar" by John Gregory, "Whole Lotta Love" by CCS, "Face Up" by Alan Moorehouse, "Angels" by Alan Parker, and "Soul Thing" by Keith Mansfield.

One of the most tape-centric entries in this great Lost Reel series – given that the recordings here were pulled from a San Francisco rehearsal by Ra & The Arkestra – and still contain some evidence of the recorder turning on and off! But despite that technical element – which actually creates a nice little window into the way the band worked away from the stage, and focused on certain elements on their own – the music here is still plenty darn great, and offers up a rare glimpse of the group during a short SF residence. The tracks include a few "unidentified titles" – which, according to the notes, are numbers that possibly haven't appeared on other recordings – and players include Ra, John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, Danny Ray Thompson, and James Jackson. 2CD set features titles that include "Dance Of The Living Image", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Astro Nation", "Hard Hearted Hannah", "Passin Gas", "Sophisticated Lady", "Watusi", and a few of those unidentified titles!

Double Image is Dave Samuels and David Friedman on vibes and marimba, Harvie Swartz on bass, and Michael Di Pasqua on drums. Songs include "Passage", "The Next Event", "Sunset Glow", and "Crossing".

The beautiful debut UK single by PiL – never before issued in the US – and featuring an exact reproduction of original fold-out newsprint sleeve! Amazing!

Smoking grooves from an incredible group – the amazing Afro Blues Quintet, a combo with a sound like no other! These guys were never one for stardom, but during the mid and late 60s, they burned up the west coast scene with an incredible blend of vibes, piano, and reeds – often kicked up nicely with some hard-rolling rhythm work that gave their tracks a similar mod groove to classics by Johnny Lytle, Ramsey Lewis, or Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers! But the real difference with the ABQ (if we can call them that!) is that they had a really spacious approach to their sound – never putting too much into the mix, and instead using the space between the notes every bit as much as the notes themselves. The grooves are great, and since most of this work has never been reissued, the set's totally fresh to the ears of most listeners! As usual, the folks at BGP have done a great job with the notes – and the set features 22 tracks from the group's Mira, Surrey, and Crestview recordings – titles that include "Monkey Time", "Freaks", "La La La", "Southside Habit", "Mirror Image", "Afro Rock", "Evening Of The Beast", "Spartacus", "Candie Luv", and "Our Mambo".

An album that definitely lives up to its title – as congolero Francisco Aguabella comes on hard, hitting strong throughout – and serving up a wicked blend of Latin, funk, and soul! The mid 70s set is a standout recording from Aguabella – done after he left the group Malo, and one of the best west coast takes on the modes that scene was changing up from New York at the time – really transforming the sound of contemporary Latin with a trans-genre vibe that was easily some of the most revolutionary music of the period. Rhythms are acoustic, but there's a nice dose of electric energy too, thanks to some sweet keyboards. Some cuts have English vocals, others are instrumental – and titles include "Hitting Hard", "I Wanna Know", "Cisco", "Image of a Star" and a nice version of Edu Lobo's "Casa Forte".

The image on the cover is a great summation of the Aurra magic – a sweet blend of male and female vocals with plenty of soul – woven together in ways that are quite different from more cliched duet modes of earlier years! The grooves are at the center of the record – set out strongly by producer/arranger Stephen Washington, with loads of great basslines at the core! Yet it's the vocals that really make the record sparkle – work by Starleana Young and Curt Jones – both very individual singers who have a way of coming together here with a very fresh feel! Studio magic allows both to provide backup as well as lead vocals – and the album's filled with great groovers that include "It's You", "Make Up Your Mind", "A Little Love", "In My Arms", "Still Free", and "Checking You Out". CD features lots of bonus tracks – "Checking You Out (Shep Pettibone 12" mix)", "Make Up Your Mind (unreleased Tom Moulton rmx)", "Make Up Your Mind (orig 12" inst)", "A Little Love (orig 12" rmx)", and "A Little Love (orig single)".

One of the greatest albums ever by studio genius David Axelrod! The album's one of Axelrod's first on his own – cut for Capitol Records at a time when he was working with some of the label's biggest selling soul acts – like Cannonball Adderley and Lou Rawls – turning their already-successful sounds into super-hit material by adding some nice funky touches, and excellent baroque production. This album lets Axelrod fully explore his talents for larger studio arrangements, and complex yet soulful instrumentation. The record is subtitled "an anthology of awareness after birth, based on the 18th century poems of William Blake" – and it features incredible arrangements conducted by Don Randi, played by a host of excellent LA jazz and studio players. The overall sound is spacey and dark, with nice touches of funk, and plenty of cool instrumental passages that have been sampled over the years by hip hoppers and other producers. Titles include "London", "The Fly", "The Human Abstract", "A Divine Image", and "The Sick Rose". Reissued with the original gatefold cover, and everything!

Man, these guys really know how to groove – and even on a bigger label, with a more commercial image, they still manage to come up with a tight little set! There's a key ear for a bassline and beat that keeps The Bar-Kays standing stronger than most of their contemporaries – a sense of rhythm schooled in years of indie funk that comes through even on the mellower cuts here – which themselves show an even better side of the group in this generation, one that comes across great here on a few slower numbers that have a sweetly stepping groove. Titles include "Nightcruising", "Freaky Behavior", "Feels Like I'm Falling In Love", "Touch Tone", "Hit & Run", "Unforgettable Dream", "Traffic Jammer", and "Backseat Driver". CD also features a bonus single mix of "Hit & Run".

Hard to deny the lasting power of this crucial album from The Beatles – a set that unleashed some of their trippiest sounds and most tender moments too! The mix of wit and honesty is wonderful – and the sonic range is dynamic as the archetypal cover image – a package that's had an undeniable impact on modern music for the past few decades! Titles include "With A Little Help From My Friends", "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", "She's Leaving Home", "Lovely Rita", "When I'm Sixty Four", "A Day In The Life", and "Fixing A Hole".

Hard to deny the lasting power of this crucial album from The Beatles – a set that unleashed some of their trippiest sounds and most tender moments too! The mix of wit and honesty is wonderful – and the sonic range is dynamic as the archetypal cover image – a package that's had an undeniable impact on modern music for the past few decades! Titles include "With A Little Help From My Friends", "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", "She's Leaving Home", "Lovely Rita", "When I'm Sixty Four", "A Day In The Life", and "Fixing A Hole".

An iconic early cover image from The Beatles – with iconic early music to match! The tunes are short, tuneful, and undeniably great – that sound that instantly set the group apart from just about all of their contemporaries. Titles include "It Won't Be Long", "All My Loving", "Hold Me Tight", "Roll Over Beethoven", "You Really Got A Hold On Me", "I Wanna Be Your Man", "Money", "Little Child", and "Devil In Her Heart".

The wild first album from Bloodstone – a much trippier affair than some of the group's later work, as you might guess from the image on the cover! There's a really heavy vibe going on with some of the tracks here – almost an echo of psychedelic soul from the Norman Whitfield camp, with perhaps some of the fuzzy guitars of the Westbound scene too – all a very different change from the sweeter harmonies Bloodstone would drop later in the 70s still a bit rough around the edges here, but in a great way! The album's got plenty of appeal for fans of heavy funk, and there's a definite righteous undercurrent to the music – as you'll hear on tracks like "This Thing Is Heavy", "Dumb Dude", "Lady Of The Night", "Friendship", and "Take These Chains".

One of the headiest albums from the team of Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart – as you might guess from the image on the cover! The album continues the playful quality of previous A&M sets, but also has a deeper feel too – a bit more soul on the vocals, which really comes through on the album's few covers – and a slightly more socially-conscious approach to the lyrics too – supported by backings by a core group that features John Gallie on some especially great organ and keyboards, and great arrangements from Jimmie Haskell! The shift is great proof that these two were way more than just songwriters – and titles include "Change", "Maybe Somebody Heart", "Abracadabra", "My Baby Loves Sad Songs", "Thanks For Sunday", and "Strawberry Girl". CD features bonus mono tracks – "Six & Six", "LUV – Let Us Vote", "We're All Going To The Same Place", "PO Box 9487", and "Alice Long".

Features very early work with Chris Powell & His Blue Flames – on "Ida Red" and "I Come From Jamaica" – plus 3 longer Philly sides from 1956, with Billy Root on tenor and Sam Dockery on piano – on titles that include "Walkin", "Donna Lee", and "Night In Tunisia".

James Brown, proud and loud – a smoking 60s album that provides a great link between his earlier styles and his freer roots – with a brilliant blend of funk, soul, and a touch of raw R&B! Given the power of The Godfather at this point, there's no denying that even the older cuts have a punch that few others could match – making for a record that feels mighty darn unified, despite the stretch of time between a few of the recordings. Titles include the funky gems "Ain't That a Groove (pts 1 & 2)", "The Scratch", "Is It Yes or Is It No", and James' great version of "The Bells" that's always been one of our favorites – plus Just You & Me", "I Love You Yes I Do", "Come Over Here", and "I Don't Mind". The cover also comes with an "autographed" photo of James on the back with the text "James Brown Fans – Frame This 8 x 10 Picture" – and an image that says "Soul Brother #1 Is Peeking At You Thru The Key Hole"!

Urban radio from the inside – the third volume in Marcus Chapman's very detailed memoirs – covering his important late 90s years at Chicago's WGCI! Unlike other books of this nature, which are usually just history – and ancient history at that – Chapman's volume really digs deep, not just into specifics of life in the radio business, but in the music business in general – with many very personal stories, and a fair bit of editorializing as well! The detail that Chapman uses is wonderful – really recreating this key period in urban radio in ways we might not have expected – and usually with a level of class and consideration that goes way past the sexy image on the cover. 283 pages, softcover.

Classic work from Willie Colon – the "payoff" of his youthful hoodlum routine, and a hard-hitting batch of salsa tunes pulled from earlier records – all in a package that defines his groove of the 70s! Hector LaVoe's on vocals with Willie's group – and he's also standing with Willie on the cover, a nice image that has the two of them dressed as big-time gangsters, standing next to a Rolls Royce! (Wonder what it cost them to rent that for the cover shoot?) But more important than Willie's perpetuation of himself as the bad boy of Latin music, is the overall sound of the record – fierce salsa, with a really strong approach that's as bold and proud as the image which supports it. Solid all the way through, and tracks include "El Malo", "Jazzy", "El Titan", and "Che Che Cole", a nice groover.

With a photo like that on the cover, we've gotta say that we did Pat Dahl too! The set's a relatively obscure little vocal album, cut by a singer we've never heard of otherwise – with a sexy 60s image that either meant that she had a successful live career in small clubs, or was somebody's secret girlfriend! But despite that fact, the music is actually pretty great too – just the right sort of slinky approach to jazz that you might expect – and served up here with a surprisingly top-shelf batch of arrangements – supposedly penned only for the session by Pete Rugolo, Marty Paich, Shorty Rogers, and Benny Carter! Backings are lively, and jazzy, and titles include "Ten Cents A Dance", "Show Me", "Lonely Woman", "Someone To Watch Over Me", and "I'm In Love With the Honorable Mr So & So".

Jackie DeShannon serves up some wonderful renditions of popular tunes from the 50s and 60s – stepping aside from her usual role as songwriter, and singing sweetly to some great arrangements from George Tipton! The style is somewhere between 60s pop and more sophisticated vocals – often sharing the best elements of both at the time, and offering a side of Jackie's talents that isn't often captured this way on record. The song choices are especially nice – making the record way more than just a "filler" set – and titles include "If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody", "Are We Dancing", "Everything Under The Sun", "Merry Go Round In The Rain", "No Easy Way Down", "Dream", "Don't Dream Of Anybody But Me", and "It's All In The Game". CD adds 9 more tracks from the album New Image – a similar set of standards and covers with arrangements by Marty Paich – and a set of titles that includes "A Proper Girl", "Sunday Kind Of Love", "The Carnival Is Closed Today", "I'll Be Seeing You", "That's The Name Of The Game", and "Poor Someone".

An album that's every bit as hip as you'd expect from its Sam Rivers-inspired cover image – a beautiful tribute to the modal jazz scene of the 60s, particularly the work of John Coltrane and some of his followers on Impulse Records! Apart from a cover of "Naima", though, the set's hardly a simple rehash of Coltrane modes – as all other tunes are originals, and the band delivers them with a core piano trio groove, then adds in flute, tenor, and soprano sax on different tracks! Rhythm is at the heart of the record, and bassist/leader Jerker Kluge really moves the group with a pulsating sound on his instrument – a deep, soulful tone that's matched beautifully by the brightly soaring piano lines of Jo Junghanss. A few cuts feature vocals by Julia Fehenberger, who further deepens the soul of the record – and the whole thing's a massive killer – like finding some lost Saba/MPS gem from the late 60s, with all the European jazz genius you'd expect from such a reference. Titles include "Heaven & Earth", "Naima", "Orange Flower", "Red Smoke", "Starlings Talk", and "Black Tiger".

Searing live work from Eric Dolphy – part of a series of recordings that set a whole new standard for live jazz recording! The record features Dolphy going even farther out than on his studio sides from the time – as the record features very long tracks performed by a crack group that includes Booker Little on trumpet, Mal Waldron on piano, Richard Davis on bass, and Ed Blackwell on drums. Despite the length of the tracks, Dolphy isn't as far out as on later European live recordings – but the performance is a great example of his inventiveness within a mainstream structure, and the modernist tendencies of both Waldron and Little shine very brightly in the set. The concert was one of Little's last (and greatest) recordings – sometimes billed as a "memorial", even though he was still alive when it was done – and titles on this volume include "Aggression" and "Like Someone In Love".

One of the slinkiest shirts we've ever offered – featuring a wistful-looking lass with her hair in the breeze and a sultry twinkle in her eye! The image is rendered with a few simple lines – falling together, almost accidentally, to reveal this lovely lady caught in a moment of private contemplation. Thinking about her latest purchase from Dusty Groove? Perhaps. Or perhaps a lost love from days done, never to be returned. Capture the moment in heavy 100% cotton – more lasting than bronze.

One of the slinkiest shirts we've ever offered – featuring a wistful-looking lass with her hair in the breeze and a sultry twinkle in her eye! The image is rendered with a few simple lines – falling together, almost accidentally, to reveal this lovely lady caught in a moment of private contemplation. Thinking about her latest purchase from Dusty Groove? Perhaps. Or perhaps a lost love from days done, never to be returned. Capture the moment in heavy 100% cotton – more lasting than bronze.

One of the slinkiest shirts we've ever offered – featuring a wistful-looking lass with her hair in the breeze and a sultry twinkle in her eye! The image is rendered with a few simple lines – falling together, almost accidentally, to reveal this lovely lady caught in a moment of private contemplation. Thinking about her latest purchase from Dusty Groove? Perhaps. Or perhaps a lost love from days done, never to be returned. This is a 'relaxed fit' ladies'shirt with shorter body length, slight scoop neck and tapered sleeves.

One of the slinkiest shirts we've ever offered – featuring a wistful-looking lass with her hair in the breeze and a sultry twinkle in her eye! The image is rendered with a few simple lines – falling together, almost accidentally, to reveal this lovely lady caught in a moment of private contemplation. Thinking about her latest purchase from Dusty Groove? Perhaps. Or perhaps a lost love from days done, never to be returned. This is a 'relaxed fit' ladies'shirt with shorter body length, slight scoop neck and tapered sleeves.

One of the slinkiest shirts we've ever offered – featuring a wistful-looking lass with her hair in the breeze and a sultry twinkle in her eye! The image is rendered with a few simple lines – falling together, almost accidentally, to reveal this lovely lady caught in a moment of private contemplation. Thinking about her latest purchase from Dusty Groove? Perhaps. Or perhaps a lost love from days done, never to be returned. This is a ladies' fit with a fitted body, shorter length and tapered sleeves.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 bold black on brilliant white – a 100% cotton Hanes Beefy-T.

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 bold black on brilliant white – a 100% cotton Hanes Beefy-T.

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 bold black on brilliant white – a 100% cotton Hanes Beefy-T.

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 bold black on brilliant white – a 100% cotton Hanes Beefy-T.

The new Dusty Groove logo – on a spanking new shirt as well! This may well be the most colorful short we've ever sported – a fresh update of the Dusty Groove image, served up in red, white, and brilliant blue! The colors look great together – and are silkscreened beautifully on a heavy-duty shirt – preshrunk to fit – and 100% cotton as well. A smaller version of the logo is on the flipside, completely in red – and with the website address too – in case you forget where we live!

The new Dusty Groove logo – on a spanking new shirt as well! This may well be the most colorful short we've ever sported – a fresh update of the Dusty Groove image, served up in red, white, and brilliant blue! The colors look great together – and are silkscreened beautifully on a heavy-duty shirt – preshrunk to fit – and 100% cotton as well. A smaller version of the logo is on the flipside, completely in red – and with the website address too – in case you forget where we live!

The new Dusty Groove logo – on a spanking new shirt as well! This may well be the most colorful short we've ever sported – a fresh update of the Dusty Groove image, served up in red, white, and brilliant blue! The colors look great together – and are silkscreened beautifully on a heavy-duty shirt – preshrunk to fit – and 100% cotton as well. A smaller version of the logo is on the flipside, completely in red – and with the website address too – in case you forget where we live!

The new Dusty Groove logo – on a spanking new shirt as well! This may well be the most colorful short we've ever sported – a fresh update of the Dusty Groove image, served up in red, white, and brilliant blue! The colors look great together – and are silkscreened beautifully on a heavy-duty shirt – preshrunk to fit – and 100% cotton as well. A smaller version of the logo is on the flipside, completely in red – and with the website address too – in case you forget where we live!

A great little shirt – one that looks like one of those old school posters that used to advertise record shows – complete with an image of a self-contained record player atop a row of record spines too! The whole thing really stands out – the kind of shirt that loudly proclaims your love for all things vinyl – and the flipside also carries the Dusty Groove website address! Printed in heavy colors on a 100% cotton Beefy T, in Natural!

A great little shirt – one that looks like one of those old school posters that used to advertise record shows – complete with an image of a self-contained record player atop a row of record spines too! The whole thing really stands out – the kind of shirt that loudly proclaims your love for all things vinyl – and the flipside also carries the Dusty Groove website address! Printed in heavy colors on a 100% cotton Beefy T, in Natural!

A great little shirt – one that looks like one of those old school posters that used to advertise record shows – complete with an image of a self-contained record player atop a row of record spines too! The whole thing really stands out – the kind of shirt that loudly proclaims your love for all things vinyl – and the flipside also carries the Dusty Groove website address! Printed in heavy colors on a 100% cotton Beefy T, in Natural!

A great little shirt – one that looks like one of those old school posters that used to advertise record shows – complete with an image of a self-contained record player atop a row of record spines too! The whole thing really stands out – the kind of shirt that loudly proclaims your love for all things vinyl – and the flipside also carries the Dusty Groove website address! Printed in heavy colors on a 100% cotton Beefy T, in Natural!

A great little shirt – one that looks like one of those old school posters that used to advertise record shows – complete with an image of a self-contained record player atop a row of record spines too! The whole thing really stands out – the kind of shirt that loudly proclaims your love for all things vinyl – and the flipside also carries the Dusty Groove website address! Printed in heavy colors on a 100% cotton Beefy T, in Natural!

A bird in a tree, tied to a turntable by a set of headphones! Don't ask us to explain it – but we love the image, and think you will too – one of the most creative we've ever gotten in our t-shirt design contest! The shirt's printed on brilliant white, which really makes the playful colors pop out nicely – and the back shoulders carry the Dusty Groove website address – so you can let everyone behind you know where you shop! The toddler tee is 100% cotton, from Precious Cargo – and at the very least, this it should ensure you've got the hippest gift at your sister-in-law's baby shower this spring!

A bird in a tree, tied to a turntable by a set of headphones! Don't ask us to explain it – but we love the image, and think you will too – one of the most creative we've ever gotten in our t-shirt design contest! The shirt's printed on brilliant white, which really makes the playful colors pop out nicely – and the back shoulders carry the Dusty Groove website address – so you can let everyone behind you know where you shop! The toddler tee is 100% cotton, from Precious Cargo – and at the very least, this it should ensure you've got the hippest gift at your sister-in-law's baby shower this spring!

Chicago stepping taken to the next level – in this great follow up DVD to the first Chicago Steppers package! This one's actually a lot better done than the first one – better production values, better image quality, and an overall more classy level of presentation – all of which is good, because the moves here are more complicated than the first time around. In addition to regular instructional footage, the DVD features an interview with legendary DJ Herb Kent – the 50s and 60s soul legend whose career was revived in the 90s steppers scene. Music is by Bobby Hutton, Marzette Griffith, and others – and the DVD also provides introduction to steppers clubs like the 50 Yard Line, Taste Entertainment Center, and others.

The "Angels" in the title are Hells Angels – as this is a pretty rough looking biker flick, pictured in a nice on the road image on the front cover! The music is actually a pretty diverse mix of rock songs by some lesser-known acts – the majority by hard-grooving group called East West Pipeline. Their tracks are pretty darn great – tight, fuzz guitar rockers with surprisingly sweet harmonies. Also includes cuts by Texas psych combo Fever Tree, Buffalo Springfield drummer Dewey Martin, Mark Eric and Rabbit Mackay. Titles include "Taking A Bath", "Angels Die Hard", "Something's Wrong", "Kern County Line", and "Questions" by East West Pipeline; "Death Is The Dancer" by Fever Tree; "Tendency To Be Free" by Rabbit MacKay; "I Want To Take You Higher" by Sylvanus; and "Indian Child" by Dewey Martin & The Medicine Ball.

Duke Ellington makes a rare Verve appearance on this classic album – and works strongly in the mode of earlier sides recorded for the label by Johnny Hodges! There's a relaxed, small group feel going on here – one that's a bit different than some of the tighter Ellington work on Columbia during the 50s, and which almost paves the way for some of the more intimate piano sides that Duke would record during the 60s. In a way, Hodges is almost at the lead – given how comfortable he is here in a Verve setting – and other players include Harry Edison on trumpet, Les Spann on guitar, Sam Jones on bass, and Jo Jones on drums. The real charm, as always, is Hodges' solos, lean, mean, raspy, and soulful – and titles include "Weary Blues", "Royal Garden Blues", "Loveless Love", "St Louis Blues", and "Wabash Blues".

A weird and wonderful little record – the only album ever made by American singer Emily Bindiger – cut at the tender age of 16 in France, with backing from the band that usually supported Michel Polnareff! The style here has that sweet mix of acoustic and electric elements we love in Polnareff's music – recorded in a similarly echoey way – but Emily's English language inflections and lyrical presentation also make the record sound quite different overall – often times as dark and spooky as you might guess from the image on the cover! Titles include "Song For Steven", "Jesus Said", "Confession", "Sunflower Seeds", "Song Of Decision", and "Old Lace".

Mindblowing work from Booker Ervin – one of our favorite albums ever from his years at Prestige, and a record that really earns its haunting title and cover image! Book's definitely headed out to space on this one – working in a freer mode than on some of his Texas tenor-styled albums – and getting great accompaniment in his journey from Jaki Byard on piano, Richard Davis on bass, and Alan Dawson on drums. The Davis/Dawson team is a delight throughout – soulful and in the pocket, yet working with enough sense of space to allow Ervin and Byard to really take off on their solos! The album features 4 long tracks – and titles include "There Is No Greater Love", "Number Two", "Mojo", and "I Can't Get Started".

A great little set from Alan Evans – better known as the drummer in Soulive, but equally smoking out here on his own! Alan doesn't always record on his own, but when he does, it's usually a great thing – and this cooking little album definitely lives up to the funky tightness we'd expect! In addition to drums, Evans also plays guitar and bass on the record – and other instrumentation includes more guitar and lots of Hammond too – but used in a style that's very different than Soulive – still funky, but a bit spacey and cosmic too – a bit in keeping with the image on the cover! Evans also sings a bit, with this great raspy style buried down amidst the groove – and titles include "Hotcakes Meltdown", "Thor", "Cosmic Hazel Dust", "Who Dare Knock", "They Call Me Velvet", "Have You Seen Him", and "Biscuits".

A great little set from Alan Evans – better known as the drummer in Soulive, but equally smoking out here on his own! Alan doesn't always record on his own, but when he does, it's usually a great thing – and this cooking little album definitely lives up to the funky tightness we'd expect! In addition to drums, Evans also plays guitar and bass on the record – and other instrumentation includes more guitar and lots of Hammond too – but used in a style that's very different than Soulive – still funky, but a bit spacey and cosmic too – a bit in keeping with the image on the cover! Evans also sings a bit, with this great raspy style buried down amidst the groove – and titles include "Hotcakes Meltdown", "Thor", "Cosmic Hazel Dust", "Who Dare Knock", "They Call Me Velvet", "Have You Seen Him", and "Biscuits".

Ouch – what a cover! The image is so graphic, it makes the grooves on the record sound tame by comparison! Yet given that the soundtrack's done by Nico Fidenco – well-known for his sexy work of the 70s – there's plenty of great stuff going on here – a mix of Italian and horror modes – all quite fitting, given that the film features a horny zombie! Keyboards are great – and sometimes have these cool moogy touches that glide along nicely – slow-stepping in that slinky, sexy, Euro erotic way that you'd expect from Fidenco. Other modes are slightly spookier, yet usually with an undercurrent of whimsy – to keep in line with the tongue-in-cheek plotline – and the CD reissue features 18 tracks from the film, all remastered nicely!

Early early work from Lee Fields – a set originally issued at the end of the 70s, but with a raw funky power that's much more like music from a decade before! The set was a real anomaly at the time, and was passed over for years – but through the decades, it's earned Lee legendary status as one of the few cats who were keeping things hard and funky when the rest of the country was going disco – a reputation that's definitely held up strongly by the gritty tracks in the set! There's a strong echo of southern soul in the music – again the feel of something from years before – and the raw production only seems to make the whole thing sound even better – with an edge that's even different than Fields' better-known work of recent years. The album was done for the tiny Angle 3 label – a company so small that it opted for one of the "stock" images that was given the album by the pressing plant, which gave the album a very unspectacular cover – corrected on this deluxe reissue by the great cover image here. This reissue also features loads of bonus tracks too – other rare Lee Fields singles from over the years – making the package a true testament to his pre-revival genius! Album tracks include "Everybody Gonna Give Their Thing Away (parts 1 & 2)", "Flim Flam", "Wanna Dance", "She's A Lovemaker", "Mighty Mighty Love", and "Let's Talk It Over". Bonus tracks include "Fought For Survival", "Funky Screw", "The Bull Is Coming", "Take Me Back", "You Been Cutting Out On Me", and "Bewildered".

Way more than disco, a bit different than funk, and a lot cooler than you might guess from the image on the cover – a stone classic from Miami groovers Foxy, and easily one of their best records ever! The set's nice and tight right from the start – not really disco, but more of a compressed approach to funk, with some surprising Latin touches too – especially in some of the percussion moments that really open up, creating a nice sense of energy to the record! The group have more than enough tightness to cross over to the AOR crowd, but they still keep things sharp on most tracks – and make the album real TK standard from the glory days. Titles include "Devil Boogie", "Hot Number", "Chicapbon Chicapbon", "Headhunter", "Lady", "Give Me That Groove", "Lady Of The Streets", and "Give Me A Break".

These guys just get better and better with each release – finding a tightness they never had before, yet still keeping all of their sharp edges intact! The sound here is nicely focused, and very heavy on both saxes and brass – bursting forth in kind of an old school mode, yet set to rhythms and energy that have a very youthful feel! At some level, we might actually call these guys a precursor of the Japanese club jazz scene of recent years – especially the work of Soil & Pimp – but they've also got a sound that, while rhythmic, is also more jazz overall – although some moments here definitely groove! Titles include the long "First Dawn", plus "Dancer's Image" and "So Blessed". 2CD set features 6 more bonus tracks too!

A legendary record – and one that's well worth all the anticipation it's gotten over the years! The set features rare, previously unreleased material done by Funkadelic during their classic years at Westbound Records – some songs, and some studio jams – of the sort the group were famous for, especially during their time at Westbound! The songs are totally great – massively funky numbers that rank right up there with classics of the Cosmic Slop years – and the jams are almost even better, a rare opportunity to hear the genius collective at work in the studio – without any edits at all to get in the way! We'd easily rank this set right up there with Free Your Ass or America Eats Its Young – and after years of waiting, it's great to have this wonderful collection finally out for the masses! Songs include "Heart Trouble", "Talk About Jesus", and "The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg" – and jams include "Vampy Funky Bernie" and "Slide On In".

Soaring soul from The Futures – a Philly group who'd already worked for years in the underground before cracking the racks with this debut LP in 1975 – schooled strongly in their best vocal modes from previous singles, and ready to unleash the best side of their sound on the world! The set's got a perfectly put-together style that's much more like some of the Philly vocal work on Atlantic of Philadelphia International at the time – although also not as commercial, thanks to a righteous undercurrent in the group's presentation and overall aesthetic – hinted at by their image on the cover! Arrangements are by David Van DePitte and Wade Marcus, who also echo a bit of Detroit styles too – particularly the righteous blend of The Temptations towards the end of their Motown years. The Futures are equally great on mellow cuts and stormers – and titles include Castles", "Do Unto Others", "Ninety Days (In The House Of Love Correction)", "I Had A Dream", "Love Will Be Around Forever", and "Super Love". Plus, the CD features 7 bonus tracks – duets with Barbara Mason on "We Got Each Other" and "Make It Last" – plus "No One Could Compare", "Grade A Woman", "The Way Of A Woman In Love", "Castles (single version)", and "You Better Be Certain".

Don't mix these guys up with the bigger-name Genesis – because this combo doesn't feature Phil Collins or Peter Gabriel – and instead is an American group from the late 60s that works in a sweetly melodic approach to psychedelia! Some tunes are heavy on the fuzz, with guitars right out front – but others have a slightly more baroque style that befits the group's image on the cover – little bits of woodwind and cello that sweeten the tunes nicely. But it's really the heavier guitars that make the record great – played sharply, and with great focus – sounding especially nice alongside some of the sweeter female vocals. Titles include a roaring 16 minute track titled "World Without You", plus shorter numbers like "Angeline", "Ten Second Song", and a version of Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne".

A long-overdue collection of work by this sublime Ohio soul group of the 60s – a trio of lovely ladies with a really tremendous sound! Gigi & The Charmaines are hardly the girl group cliche you might think from their sweet name and the image on the cover – and on most of the numbers here, they're hard-rolling at a pace that's somewhere between the best Detroit Northern Soul of the time, and some of the sweeter female soul that was coming out of Chicago at the end of the 60s. Ace have really outdone themselves with the collection – and bring together the group's singles on the Columbia, Date, and Fraternity labels – as well as some other key sides that have them performing vocals on records by other artists in the lead! CD features a whopping 28 tracks in all, plus a full set of notes – with titles that include "Guilty", "Poor Unfortunate Me", "Eternally", "Girl Crazy", "If You Ever", "I Idolize You", "Rockin Old Man", "On The Wagon", "What Kind Of Girl Do You Think I Am", "All You Gotta Do", "GI Joe", "I Can't Go On This Way", and "I Don't Want To Lose Him" – plus "I'm So Satisfied" with Max Falcon, "Lucy Miloo" with Kenny Smith, "Baby Please Don't Go" with Carl Edmonson, and "Baby What's Wrong" with Lonnie Mack.

One of the darkest albums ever recorded by Astrud Gilberto – her 60s last session for Verve Records, and a batch of beautifully moody tunes throughout! Arrangements are by Albert Gorgoni, who'd handled Gilberto's previous September 69 album – but the style here is a bit mellower, a bit sadder – touched with more adult themes of love, life, and loss – and very much in keeping with Astrud's tear-stained image on the cover! There's a sound here that almost mixes Gilberto's earlier bossa with the more baroque modes of Scott Walker at the end of the 60s – and as with Scott Walker's classic solo sets, the album shows a side of Astrud's talents that we never would have expected a few years earlier! Titles include "Wailing Of The Willow", "Where's The Love", "Wee Small Hours", "If", "Without Him", "Trains & Boats & Planes", "The Sea Is My Soil", and "Didn't We?".

One of Joao Gilberto's first-ever albums – filled with incredibly beautiful bossa material that captures the vocals and guitar of Gilberto at their fragile early best – backed by sublime arrangements from Antonio Carlos Jobim and Walter Wanderley! The setting is perfect, and the sound is amazing – that incredible stripped-down breathy quality that made Joao a legend right out of the box – which so many others tried to copy over the years, but never got this right. A beautiful relic from the past – with a lovely image of Joao's young face on the cover – and titles that include "O Barquinho", "O Amor Em Paz", "Voce e Eu", "Coisa Mas Linda", and "Presente De Natal". CD features bonus tracks by some of Gilberto's contemporaries – including "O Barquinho" by Maysa, "Coisa Mais Linda" by Carlos Lyra, "Manha De Carnaval" by Sylvia Telles, "Bim Bom" by Oscar Castro Neves, and "O Samba Da Minha Terra" by Lucio Alves.

A real gem from the height of Dizzy's big band years at Verve – a stunning little set that features a hip larger group that includes Joe Gordon, Melba Liston, Rod Leavitt, Phil Woods, Ernie Wilkins, and Billy Mitchell. The groove here is well-orchestrated, well-placed soul – with less of the playful bop touches of earlier sides, and more of a hiply modern style that shows Dizzy stretching out in larger shades of color and tone. And while the "World Statesmen" cover and image might make you wary of some gimmick on the set, the album's key Gillespie through and through – a deft turn away from the styles of the bop years, into a world of sound that would support his career strongly for years to come! Titles include "Tour De Force", "Doodlin", "Night In Tunisia", "The Champ", "My Reverie", and "Dizzy's Blues".

A very cool sci fi soundtrack from Marcello Giombini – as sexy as the image on the cover might imply, but also pretty darn electric and spacey as well! The album echoes some of Giombini's earlier electronic sound library material – and is often spare, with heavy use of keyboards – in ways that are more like late 60s sci fi scoring than some of the more disco keyboards you'd hear in other space soundtracks from the time! The spareness really works well, and creates an evocative mood on both the mellower tracks and some of the more action-oriented ones – which even get slightly funky at points. CD features 16 tracks from the film – all of them pretty great!

A very groovy record with a very fitting title – especially once you hear the lyrics of the tunes! The Girls From Bahia are actually the Quarteto Em Cy – one of the best harmony groups of the bossa era, and famous for classic recordings on the Elenco label – but working here in a rare American context that has them singing in English with heavily accented voices! The overall setting's quite similar to their Brazilian classics – gentle bossa backings arranged by Oscar Castro Neves, who brings an airy feel to the set – and it's great to hear the girls singing here in English, in ways that link back to the older harmony groups that clearly inspired them. The whole thing's incredibly charming, and titles include "Surfing In Rio", "Tup A Tup", "The Face I Love", "Canto De Ossanha", "Image", "Useless Landscape", "Tears", "Voce", and "Pardon My English". CD also features the bonus tracks "Berimbau", "I Live To Love", and "Amaralina Beach".

A beautiful set from the mighty Egberto Gismonti – as up-close and personal as you'd guess from the image on the cover! The set's a bit less wild than some of Egberto's 70s material, yet it's still a lot fuller and more jazz-based than any of his recordings for ECM too – lots of right Brazilian jazz lines, soaring out with complicated rhythms, and a really free, soulful spirit in the solos! Egberto plays a fair bit of acoustic piano, and a bit of keyboards as well – and the album also features saxes and flute from Mauro Senise, bass from Zeca Assumpcao, and drums and percussion from the enigmatic Nene. Titles include the great cut "Loro", with a tight snapping snare, throbbing electric bass, and hard reeds all the way through – plus "Don Quixote", "Passarinho", "Em Familia", and "Sanfona".

Despite the innocence of the title and cover image, the grooves here are pretty darn mature – really hard-jamming fusion tracks served up with Jerry Goodman on electric guitars and violin, and Jan Hammer on a wealth of groovy keyboards! Hammer's still a bit restrained at this point – not nearly a schlocky as in later years, and with a good ear for unusual sounds from the Moog, Oberheim, and electric piano – all used nicely here with plenty of cool effects. Goodman himself sings a bit on the record, but not much – and the whole thing has a fusion feel that's very much like other releases at the time on the Nemperor label. Titles include "Steppings Tones", "Night", "Full Moon Boogie", "No Fear", "I Remember Me", "Country & Eastern Music", "Topeka", and "Earth (Still Our Only Home)".

A rare Spanish session from trumpeter Dusko Goykovich – and easily one of the most soulful albums he ever recorded! The set's got a warm, laidback vibe – very much in keeping with the title and cover image – as Dusko blows some great open-ended solos with rhythm from the trio of pianist Tete Montoliu – working here as a great accompanist to the leader, with flowing lines that perfectly match Dusko's energy! Tracks are longish, with a very relaxed vibe – and the rest of the group features Robert Langereis on bass and Joe Nay on drums – helping Gokovich hit a very different sound than on some of his more exotic albums of the time. Titles include "Blues To Line", "I Remember OP", "Old Fisherman's Daughter", and "The Child Is Born".

A rare Spanish session from trumpeter Dusko Goykovich – and easily one of the most soulful albums he ever recorded! The set's got a warm, laidback vibe – very much in keeping with the title and cover image – as Dusko blows some great open-ended solos with rhythm from the trio of pianist Tete Montoliu – working here as a great accompanist to the leader, with flowing lines that perfectly match Dusko's energy! Tracks are longish, with a very relaxed vibe – and the rest of the group features Robert Langereis on bass and Joe Nay on drums – helping Gokovich hit a very different sound than on some of his more exotic albums of the time. Titles include "Blues To Line", "I Remember OP", "Old Fisherman's Daughter", and "The Child Is Born".

A classic session of music from the mighty Raymond Scott – performed here by a small combo led by Scott's old tenor player Dave Harris! All of the tunes here were written by Scott, and many are of the vintage that stretches back to his cool cartoon work – those jaunty, jagged little songs that have been revived heavily in the past decade or so, thanks to renewal of interest in Scott's music. This album's sort of its own "revival" – one that features excellent lat 50s studio sound, which really updates the tracks wonderfully, and offers them up in even sharper-edged versions than some of the originals. Harris plays a host of reeds, and although this album's the only one he ever did as a leader, it more than lives up to the memory of his old mentor – and to the wacky image on the cover! Titles include "Dinner Music For A Pack Of Hungry Cannibals", "Siberian Sleighride", "Reckless Night On Board An Ocean Liner", "Twilight In Turkey", "Minuet In Jazz", "Powerhouse", and "The Toy Trumpet".

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

The darkly brooding image of Hampton Hawes on the front cover of this one is a real standout in the mostly-sweet cover lineup of the Contemporary label – but it's also a great indication of the sound of the record, which is something different than most of its contemporaries! Hawes is working here at his top-shelf early best – stepping around the keys of the piano with a sense of grace and spaciousness – but also a hard-hitting, highly rhythmic mode on the left – a bit soul jazz at times, mixing earthy elements with the sweeter, lyrical moments in his solos. Rhythm is by the team of Red Mitchell and Chuck Thompson – and titles include "Yesterdays", "Blues For Jacque", Stella By Starlight", "Steeplechase", "Round Midnight", "Autumn In New York" and "Section Blues".

Amazing sounds from Lee Hazlewood – some of his most offbeat, unbridled recordings ever – and that's saying a lot if you've already heard his classics for Mercury, MGM, and Reprise! The package here brings together rare work from Lee's own LHI label – packaged beautifully with a rich set of notes, session details, and some amazing photos that follow in the spirit of the nutty-looking cover image! Hazlewood's voice is sublime throughout – that deeper-than-deep quality that always leaves us breathless – perfect for the sly wit and and "aw shucks" sensibility of the tunes – and also for unlocking the growing adult sensuality that Lee was letting into his work at the time. A few female singers step forth in that great Hazlweood duet mode – Nina Lizell, Suzi Jane Hokom, and Ann Margret – who each sing on a few tracks – but Lee's in the lead on most numbers, and titles include the previously unreleased "I Just Learned To Run" – plus "The Bed", "Sleep In The Grass", "The Night Before", "If It's Monday Morning", "Won't You Tell Your Dreams", "Hey Cowboy", "No Train To Stockholm", "What's More I Don't Need Her", "Trouble Maker", and "Nobody Like You".

Amazing sounds from Lee Hazlewood – some of his most offbeat, unbridled recordings ever – and that's saying a lot if you've already heard his classics for Mercury, MGM, and Reprise! The package here brings together rare work from Lee's own LHI label – packaged beautifully with a rich set of notes, session details, and some amazing photos that follow in the spirit of the nutty-looking cover image! Hazlewood's voice is sublime throughout – that deeper-than-deep quality that always leaves us breathless – perfect for the sly wit and and "aw shucks" sensibility of the tunes – and also for unlocking the growing adult sensuality that Lee was letting into his work at the time. A few female singers step forth in that great Hazlweood duet mode – Nina Lizell, Suzi Jane Hokom, and Ann Margret – who each sing on a few tracks – but Lee's in the lead on most numbers, and titles include the previously unreleased "I Just Learned To Run" – plus "The Bed", "Sleep In The Grass", "The Night Before", "If It's Monday Morning", "Won't You Tell Your Dreams", "Hey Cowboy", "No Train To Stockholm", "What's More I Don't Need Her", "Trouble Maker", and "Nobody Like You".

A beautiful little record – one of those really unique, really sensitively soulful sessions of jazz that were coming out of the Japanese scene in the 70s – quite different than work you'd hear from any other point of the globe! The group's led by bassist Yoshio Ikeda – who has a way of carefully setting things up from the bottom – rolling out these warm acoustic lines that set the scene for the album's work on piano from Aki Takase, flute from Masami Nakagwa and Tamami Koyake, trombones from Shigeharu Mukai and Tadanori Knakawa, trumpet from Hitoshi Okano, and soprano and tenor from Suetoshi Shimizu – instruments that are spun out in these long, lyrical lines that are extremely beautiful – and as evocative as the title fo the record! Titles include "Down To The Sea", "After Image", "Anemophilous Flower", and "Rising Into The Sky".

A very goofy image on the cover – and some wonderfully goofy music to match! The group's way more than just a rock combo – as they play in styles that draw on jazz, 60s groovy instrumental modes, and even other Euro soundtrack elements of the time – all wrapped up in a sound that's as witty as you might guess from the image on the front. Some tunes have vocals, some are all instrumentals – and although the combo has a core structure of a rock group, they often inflect their instrumentation with lots of weird twists and turns – plus some cool production touches too! One of the best of these is the backward tape used to start off the funky "Leave This Lesbian World" – and other titles include "Don't Know Baby If You Are Safe", "Brooklyn 1146", "Hoppe Hoppe Reiter", "Vienna 69", "Don't You Feel Any Pain", "Sao Paulo Most Exclusive", and "Get Your Kicks On the Hill". Also features a bonus 7" EP – with four more songs from other soundtracks from TV and film!

A truly amazing album – unlike anything Eddie Kendricks ever did before, or since – and one of those records that really helped shape the sound of soul in the 70s! The music is as rich and powerful as the image on the cover – with some righteous undercurrents that really mark the time and place of the record, yet also help it transcend so many other standard soul modes of the period too! Arrangements are wonderfully complex – as you'll hear on the classic groovers "Girl You Need A Change Of Mind" and "Date With The Rain" – each very different numbers, but both a showcase for Kendricks' wonderful vocal approach. Other titles include the progressive "People Hold On" – plus "I'm On The Sideline", "Day By Day", "If You Let Me", "Let Me Run Into Your Lonely Heart", and "Someday We'll Have A Better World".

A truly amazing album – unlike anything Eddie Kendricks ever did before, or since – and one of those records that really helped shape the sound of soul in the 70s! The music is as rich and powerful as the image on the cover – with some righteous undercurrents that really mark the time and place of the record, yet also help it transcend so many other standard soul modes of the period too! Arrangements are wonderfully complex – as you'll hear on the classic groovers "Girl You Need A Change Of Mind" and "Date With The Rain" – each very different numbers, but both a showcase for Kendricks' wonderful vocal approach. Other titles include the progressive "People Hold On" – plus "I'm On The Sideline", "Day By Day", "If You Let Me", "Let Me Run Into Your Lonely Heart", and "Someday We'll Have A Better World".

A record that bristles with joy and life right from the very first note – a glorious celebration of sound, served up in a rich mix of percussion and melodic elements! The set was recorded in Bamako during the same stretch as key fighting in the capital of Mali during 2012 – but the quality of the music shows nothing of the trouble outside – and instead reflects the timeless quality of Bassekou Kouyate's music – a really rich blend of amplified acoustic instruments, spare percussion, and voices – served up with the same sunny intimacy of the cover image. Titles include "Madou", "Wagadou", "Jama Ko", "Dankou", "Sinaly", "Moustafa", "Poye 2", "Segu Jajiri", and "Mali Koori".

A record that bristles with joy and life right from the very first note – a glorious celebration of sound, served up in a rich mix of percussion and melodic elements! The set was recorded in Bamako during the same stretch as key fighting in the capital of Mali during 2012 – but the quality of the music shows nothing of the trouble outside – and instead reflects the timeless quality of Bassekou Kouyate's music – a really rich blend of amplified acoustic instruments, spare percussion, and voices – served up with the same sunny intimacy of the cover image. Titles include "Madou", "Wagadou", "Jama Ko", "Dankou", "Sinaly", "Moustafa", "Poye 2", "Segu Jajiri", and "Mali Koori".

One of the strongest sessions recorded by pianist John Lewis in the 50s – a date that shows depths of his talents that run even greater than his work with the Modern Jazz Quartet, quite possibly because is work on piano is at the forefront of the record throughout! There's a sense of darkness here that really fits the image on the cover – a style that's stated clearly on piano lines that are often as spacious as they are gentle, but which also have a moodier undercurrent below, thanks to Lewis' careful choice of keys and notes. The backing is often quite spare – Lewis sometimes plays just with Connie Kay's drums, or the guitar of either Jim Hall or Barry Galbraith – and at its fullest, the record features 2 trio numbers with the bass of Percy Heath and drums of Connie Kay. Tracks are lyrically and thoughtfully composed – and titles include "Two Lyric Pieces", "Harlequin", "D&E", "Little Girl Blue", and "Warmeland".

Money, minks, and a diamond tiara – whatever Julie wants, it's pretty well laid out in the album's cover image! The set's a slinky swinger that definitely follows in the spirit of the title track "Whatever Lola Wants" – that postwar vampy sort of groove that Peggy Lee was doing so well over at Capitol – a natural fit here for Julie London, given the naturally sensuous quality of her singing! The backings have just the right sort of sexy bounce for the themes – and London sexes it up even more than usual, really adding some great life to tunes that include "Love For Sale", "Why Don't You Do Right", "My Heart Belongs To Daddy", "Take Back Your Mink", "Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend", and "An Occasional Man".

A contemporary set, but one with a sweet 80s groove throughout – as you might guess from the image of Magoo's hand-held keyboard guitar on the back cover! The sound here is mean and lean, every bit in the best boogie/80s groove mode that the Boogie Times label explores on their reissues – delivered with very classic production elements that will easily have you thinking the album's some lost gem from the 80s indie vaults! Magoo really gets his sound right, and serves up plenty of great hooks in the process – on titles that include "Refaire Le Monde", "Slowdown", "Marchand D'Histories", "Comme Elles Respirent", "Les Gens", "Dr Boogie", and "Mon Mot A Dire".

A killer set from a group that never lets us down – stepping out here in a sound that's more modern, more mature than their hit work of the 70s – yet still filled with all the sublime harmony soul we'd expect from the trio of Tony Silvester, Cuba Gooding, and Luther Simmons! Wade Marcus did all the arrangements – really showing his strengths on the album's mellow cuts, which are our favorites here – although the upbeat cuts still also step out in that best 80s groove mode that RCA was exploring at the time – made even better by the strong vocals of the trio! The record's got a classic sound that goes way past its cover image – and titles include "Think Positive", "What Can A Miracle Do", "With You", "Makes No Difference To Me", and "Ready For Love".

Curtis Mayfield's lasting classic – and an album that the world will remember forever! Apart from being his hugely successful entry into the blacksploitation soundtrack field, this album's also a monster set of grooves that includes some of Curtis' funkiest work ever – a record that works as well as a 70s soul album as it does a hip action film score! The track list alone reads as a who's who of 70s funk – filled with gems that include "Pusherman", "Freddie's Dead", "Little Child Runnin' Wild", "Give Me Your Love", and "Superfly" – and the rest of the set is equally great, essential listening throughout!

A striking little set from vibesman Freddie McCoy – not just for the cool superhero image on the front cover, but also for the tight grooves underneath! The album's one of McCoy's most unified for Prestige – as all tracks feature a core quartet with Freddie on vibes, Charlie Wilson on piano, Steve Davis on bass, and Rudy Lawless on drums – not your usual Prestige players, and all musicians who really make the album sparkle! There's a bold soul jazz vibe running through the set – similar to some of Freddie's other work, but a bit more open too – and titles include a groovy take on "Girl From Ipanema", plus the soul jazz classics "Speak Out, Deagan!" and "Hav' Mercy" – as well as the cuts "Yesterdays" and "Spider Man".

Classic Philly soul from Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – a killer batch of studio tracks, despite the live image of the group on the cover! The album's got a slightly more expansive feel than some of the other Teddy Pendergrass-era albums by The Blue Notes – almost a mini-symphony of soul, and one that takes arrangements from Bobby Martin, Norman Harris, and Vince Montana – and wraps the vocals up in a soaring, righteous sort of feel! The rougher, more personal Teddy Pendergrass style of I Miss You is folded a bit more into the harmonies of the rest of the group here – and the result is a powerful wave of soul that pushes The Blue Notes right to the top of the pack. The album features classics like "The Love I Lost" and "Is There A Place For Me" – plus other nice material like "Concentrate On Me", "It All Depends On You", and "I'm Weak For You". This CD edition has 2 bonus tracks: "The Love I Lost (Part 1 – Single Version)" and "I'm Weak For You (Part 1 – Single Version)".

A bouncy little soundtrack – with a feel that's just what you'd expect from the cover – plenty of playful 80s grooves with a good mix of sex and schlock – all pretty heavy on keyboards, basslines, and beats! The film's an erotic romp, in the best style of the decade – and Franco Micalizzi has plenty of fun with the music – moving into styles that are a lot more playful than most of his serious scoring of the decade before – almost a musical equivalent of the sexy image on the front! CD features 22 tracks in all – with titles that include "Topeka Surfin", "Rimini Rimini", "Makin Changes", "Summer Night", "Funky Banana", and "Sweet Money".

A lighthouse of soul and spirit from the duo of Georgia Anne Muldrow and Dudley Perkins – coming together here in a mode that has both artists at the top of their game! The album's got a dense, layered feel that really lives up to the image on the cover – and definitely has the sort of political bent you'd expect from the pairing – served up over skittish cosmic beats and fuzzy freaky keyboards, with some distortion on the lyrics that really makes the whole thing crackle with energy right from the start! Titles include "Lighthouse", "Stand", "Power", "No More War", "Popstopper", "What", "Emo Funk", and "Muthadear".