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A sweet surprise from Andy Compton of The Rurals – work that's even more profoundly steeped in deep soul atmosphere – with Compton collaborating with seductive female vocalists for one of the sultriest underground soul sets we've heard in a while! This is one of those records that you'd expect to be good, given Andy's previous work – and it's actually a knockout! It's elegant and slow cooking, but it's too hypnotic and intoxicating to call it laidback. Smolders with keys, beats and bass with some jazzy soul flourishes. 9 of the 13 tracks are sung by Jaidene Veda, with some great spoken passages, too. Other vocalists include Diviniti, Kafele and Ladybird – and the singers write their own lyrics, giving the album a collaborative vibe as a whole. Includes "And It Rains", "Bluenotes", "Believing", "Imagined", "Where Do We Go", "Record By Record", "Tomorrow", "Oh Love I", "7 Days", "Soon" and "No Limits".

The second album from disco superstar Peter Brown – and a batch of tracks that's a bit less clubby than before! Brown's emerging here more as a fully-fledged pop singer in his own right – showing at least a bit of confidence by putting himself on the front cover this time around, even though his back is to the camera! The tunes are catchy, and co-produced with Cory Wade – who'd helped so strongly with Brown's Fantasy Love Affair classic for TK Records – and there's plenty of that sweetly compressed production in this set too. Titles include the crossover classic "Love In Our Hearts" – which almost has a Queen-like chanting groove – plus "Penguin", "West Of The North Star", "Leadmeon", "Got To Get The Show On The Road", "It's Alright", and "Crank It Up".

A wild batch of soul novelty tracks – recorded by the HDM label in the late 70s, and issued here for the first time as a full album! The work grew out of a side project for the group Black Ice, and features a fair bit of vocal and songwriting help from labelmate Eddie Horan – who sings lead on some tracks here, alongside Ray Jackson, Hadley Murrell, and others! The standout cut is the classic "Larry Move Your Hand" – based on Flip Wilson's character Geraldine – and a few other numbers follow that vibe, while others take on more of an 80s boogie sort of approach – still with a good sense of wit in the lyrics. Titles include both vocal and instrumental versions of "Larry Move Your Hand" – plus "You Got The Makings Of A Real Freak", "Everybody Get Ugly", "Take It Home & Squeeze It", and "Music Freak".

Under-exposed genius from the legendary Raymond Scott – a set of straighter jazz material from the late 40s, but all of it with Scott's undeniable sense of madness still very firmly in place! Most of the work here is small combo – played by either a quintet or sextet – and although the styles aren't as dramatic as in some of Raymond's better-known cartoon work, there's still an undeniably fluid, playful feel to the music! Instrumentation includes Scott on piano and celeste, plus trumpet, tenor, clarinet, bass, and drums – and some tracks even feature great early vocals from Dorothy Collins, who seems much madder than usual in the context of the combo! The work appears to have originally been issued by the Master and Audiovox labels – and titles include "Street Corner In Paris", "The Penguin", "By Heck", "Who", "Bird Life In The Bronx", "Curley Cue", "Somebody Loves Me", "Little Girl", "Ectoplasm", "Question Mark", and "Dedicatory Piece To The Crew & Passengers Of The First Experimental Rocket Express To The Moon".

2 of the best Rufus Thomas funky albums for Stax – back to back on a single CD! First up is Did You Heard Me – recorded in the early 70s with backing by The Movement and The Bar Kays, and with a good raw Stax sound on most cuts! Rufus is certainly in the "funky ___" mode here – doing a formulaic approach to funk that has him taking a theme for a song, and pushing it to the max by shouting and grooving it over and over again. Fortunately, the style still works well here – without the cliches of later albums, probably thanks in part to the album's tight funky backgrounds. The record features three tasty two-part single tracks – "The Breakdown (parts 1 & 2)", "Do The Push & Pull (parts 1 & 2)", and "Do The Funky Penguin (parts 1 & 2)" – all of which stand as some of Rufus' most-collected funky singles. Also features the groovy soul track "6 3 8", plus "Love Trap" and "The World Is Round". Crown Prince is a crowning achievement for Rufus Thomas – a set that bubbles over with funky intensity, and one of the last great albums he ever recorded for Stax! The funky Rufus mode is still in full full swing here – with loads of tunes that have the word "funky" in the title – basically jamming numbers that seem to let Thomas loose on vocals – coming up with whatever sort of catchy lyrics he can over the romping grooves underneath. Titles include two of his best funky tracks "Funky Robot" and "Funky Bird" – plus "I Wanna Sang", "Steal A Little", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Baby It's Real", "Steal A Little", and "Git On Up & Do It".

A killer live set by Rufus Thomas – recorded right at the height of his funky comeback, before a very right-on crowd at PJ's Nightclub in LA! Rufus was always a great entertainer, and he really opens up in this live setting – doing some nice versions of "Do The Funky Chicken", "Push & Pull", "Walking The Dog", and "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" – and starting out the set with a 12 minute monologue! Heck, the whole thing sounds so great that even the old songs get a new lease on life! CD also features 3 more bonus tracks – we think from the Wattstax concert – titles that include "Do The Funky Chicken", "Do The Funky Penguin", and "The Breakdown".

An instant party throughout – a bubbling set of R&B and soul tracks with a focus on goofy lyrics and nonsensical bits! The tracks here really unlock the grooviest part of older R&B styles – the hard-hitting sounds that have been compiled on sets like Stompin over the years, distilled down into one great 27 track set – complete with the high standards for sound quality and liner notes we've come to expect from the Ace label! Pop this one in the CD player, crack open a few beers, and we can guarantee there won't be a stick of furniture left standing in the house by the end! Titles include "Um Bow Bow" by The Bobbettes, "Yama Yama Pretty Mama" by Richard Berry, "Bip Bop Bip" by Pretty Boy, "Ookey Ook" by The Penguins, "Great Googa Mooga" by Tom & Jerrio, "Rubber Biscuit" by The Chips, "Jambo" by Claude McLin, "Ay La Bay" by Dolly Cooper, "Shimmy Shimmy Ko Ko Bop" by Little Anthony & The Imperials, "Voodoo Voodoo" by Lavern Baker, and "Boom Pacha Boom" by Billy Byrd & His Penguins.

A great record from folk rock oddball Michael Hurley – with spare, ragged little solo guitar & vocal tunes that greatly showcase both Hurley's easygoing, slowly rolling along vocals, as well has his piercing, high emphatic howls– plus more fleshed out tunes with the band, full of groovy, eccentric instrumentation. He brings in some fiddle and mandolin for a rustic feel here and there, a coronet that lends a bit of a jazzy cognizance, and more streamlined, folk rock touches. The album includes a Hurley staple or two, including "Werewolf" – plus "Grand Canyon Line", "English Nobleman", "Be Kind To Me", "Troubled Waters", "Sweedeedee", "Open Up", "Jocko's Lament", "Light Green Fellow", "Get The Best Of Me", "Biscuut Roller", "When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano" and "Penguins".

Beautiful sounds from the Entourage ensemble – a record that's got a really meditative blend of acoustic elements with a few electric touches – used in ways that start in jazz, then move way beyond! Instrumentation includes guitar, flute, keyboards, violin, and mbira – coming together with really unusual inflections that are partly borrowed from Eastern sources – like Noh theater, or Balinese music – but which unfurl with a more freewheeling, American underground vibe as well! No sounds are ever too sharp, and there's almost a hint of the instrumental experiments in the 80s underground – such as work by Penguin Cafe Orchestra or Soft Verdict – but with an earthier feel overall. Titles include "Jattle Boxes", "Giraffes", "Solo For Electric Viola", "Michael's Song", "Silver Drum", and "Percussion Dance".

Tracks by The Harptones, Fiestas, Capris, Cleftones, Solitaires, Penguins and more.

One of our favorite volumes in this now-legendary series – a set of grooves that runs from 70s electric back to 60s groovy – with plenty of space in between! There's a number of cuts on here that feel like they were lifted from lost CTI sessions of the 70s, thanks to warm keyboards and spare, subtle beats – while others mix together mod 60s styles, and even bits of Latin and Brazilian influences! The track selection is sublime, and still one of the best illustrations of the genius of this period – with tracks that include "Diamond Bossa Nova" by Franceso De Masi, "Lady Magnolia" by Piero Umiliani, "Nago" by Luiz Bacalov, "Bob E Hellen" by Piero Umiliani, "North Pole Penguin" by Piero Piccioni, "Beryl's Tune No 2" by Agusto Martelli, "Flute Sequence" by Franco Micalizzi, "Danza Citar Free" by Piero Umiliani, "Honey Rhythm & Blutter" by The Green Future, "Esquetando Os Tambourinos E Cuica" by Sergio Nilo, and "Soul Samba" by Attilio Donadio.

A massive amount of classic sample tracks – all funky nuggets pulled from the legendary catalog of Stax Records! The set's the first American set we've ever seen to pay tribute to Stax from this perspective – and alongside a well-chosen batch of tunes, all remastered for the set, the collection also features track-by-track notes that tell the importance and revival of all the tunes within – helping identify later uses of the original grooves, while still showing plenty of respect for the originals! Titles include "Humpin" by The Bar-Kays, "Blind Alley" by The Emotions, "Ghetto Misfortune's Wealth" by 24 Carat Black, "Why Marry" by Sweet Inspirations, "Melting Pot" by Booker T & The MGs, "Hung Up On My Baby" and "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic" by Isaac Hayes, "Get Up & Get Down" by The Dramatics, "I Forgot To Be Your Lover" by William Bell, "Do The Funky Penguin" by Rufus Thomas, "As Long As I've Got You" by Charmels, "I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over" by David Porter, "After The Laughter Comes Tears" by Wendy Rene, and "Packed Up & Took My Mind" by Little Milton.

It's like the glory days of Warner Brothers all over again – as Van Dyke Parks reminds us why we love him so much with a tune like "Missin Mississippi"! The track's got this minimalist acoustic groove – flowing forth in waves of sound that are almost like Penguin Cafe – a perfect sound for the Discover America lyrics! "The Parting Hand" has a churchy harmony at the core, but then again breaks into this Americanist mode that's simply beautiful – as if Van Dyke's been waiting all these years to show us that he's the next generation's Aaron Copland!