Early genius from the legendary pianist Hasaan – an artist most people know for his famous Atlantic album with Max Roach, but who steps out here in a set of earlier material that's completely amazing! The set begins with six trio tracks – performed in a group with Henry Grimes on bass and Kalil Madi on drums – a combo who carve out space that's completely their own, taking some of the 50s modern piano ideas of Herbie Nichols and Thelonious Monk, but letting them loose with even more imagination – yet also avoiding any too-free modes as well. The balance is incredible – on all original titles that include "Viceroy", "Pay Not Play Not", "Off My Back Jack", "Almost Like Me", and "Dinka Street". Next are three long tracks that feature the vocals of Muriel Gilliam (aka Muriel Winston from her Strata East days), singing alongside Hasaan's piano on these really amazing takes on standards – stretched out, and given lots of sharp edges – on takes of "Embraceable You", "Stella By Starlight", and "Body & Soul". Last up are two very long solo tracks – stunningly imaginative versions of "After You've Gone" and "End Of A Love Affair". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic mix of heady sounds and heavy funk from The Heliocentrics – and a record that continues the vibe of their previous set – in which the team of Malcolm Catto and Jake Ferguson were joined by the lovely vocals of Barbora Patkova! Patkova's presence is just what the group needs to really ground their sound – a female singer up front, but one who's as equally comfortable with distortion, fuzz, and echoey spaces as the two instrumentalists – a trio who continue that unique tradition of psychedelic funk that we first loved in Catto's early work on Mo Wax! Titles include "99% Revolution", "Hanging By A Thread", "Nonsense (part 1)", "Light In The Dark", "People Wake Up", "Burning Wooden Ship", and "Elephant Walk". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most striking mid 70s sessions from Japanese trumpeter Terumasa Hino – an extended suite of tracks performed by a very hip group that includes Mtume on congas and percussion, Cecil McBee on bass, and Motohiko Hino on drums! The approach here is almost in a mid 70s spiritual soul jazz mode – with lots of spare percussion and bass work at the beginning, building in mood and meaning as the set goes on and things heat up. Hino plays trumpet and percussion, and all players vocalize at parts of the performance – chanting along with the tunes in a way that really adds a soulful undercurrent to the record. Titles include "The Good People", "Hohjoh", "Hogiuta", and "Yuhkyu". CD

A beautiful later Blue Note album from vibist Bobby Hutcherson – a set recorded after his famous association with Harold Land, but with a groove that's wonderfully soulful in a whole different way! Bobby plays marimbas instead of vibes this time around, and he's working with his own arrangements for a slightly larger group – one that has some sweet fusion overtones, and these wonderful mellow funk inflections – so that even the mellow cuts have this warmly glowing, ultra-soulful sound that's mighty nice – a bit like some of the work from Gene Harris around the same time. Other players include Jerry Peters on Fender Rhodes, who also helped out with the arrangements – plus Harvey Mason on drums and Ernie Watts on reeds – and a few tracks feature sweet backing vocals from The Waters. The highlight here is a nice moody extended version of "People Make The World Go Round", but all cuts are great, and titles include "Silver Rondo", "Manzanita", "NTU", and his dark cover of "Theme From MASH". CD

A set that's as playful as the image on its cover – and one that's pretty darn soulful too – a really great criss-crossing of modes from a trio of three very different personalities who manage to come together with a vibe that's very much their own! The combination of three almost makes us think of Deee Lite – but these guys are more contemporary soul than club, yet share a similar sense of interaction that really keeps things interesting throughout, and which serves as a great way to move past some of the posturing you might get from a solo artist in the lead. Titles include "Upqua", "Omersaar", "The Martyr", "Other People's Pictures", "The Juice", "First Impressions", and "Something To Do". CD

A never-issued gem from the UK scene at the end of the 60s – totally top-shelf work from that moment when earlier beat group energy was exploding into new modes of prog, psych, and hard rock! There's an organ at the core of most of these tunes – still with the lean tones of the previous generation, but taking off on longer runs – and the guitars are fuzzier and turned up more, and the group have this bolder energy that really pushes past any sort of American roots and influences – all at a level that makes the record a nascent masterpiece that should have become a classic! The group were slated as one of the next big stars on the NEMS label, and the notes have a full story of their short career – next to tracks that include "Time Keeper", "Venetian Glass", "Space Shanty", "Taxman", "Same Girl", "Pattern People", "Venetian Glass", "I'm In Love With A Girl Like You", and instrumental takes on some of the tunes too. CD

The first-ever collection to focus on the work of this lost soulful genius – an artist whose name never made the history books, but who we can always trust when we see it on the label of a funky 45! This set brings together most of those great singles from the early 70s – a wicked run of sharp-edged, always-biting numbers that Chet Ivey recorded for the Sylvia label – run by old school tenor wailer Al Sears! Both Chet and Al had years of experience in music before these singles – but refocus their energy in a badass version of 70s funk – clearly inspired by the James Brown and blacksploitation styles of the time, but given a very special spin, thanks to Chet's personality and way of putting over a tune. The instrumentation is every bit as important here as Ivey's vocals – and titles include "Funky Chit Chat (parts 1 & 2)", "Recipe To Get Down (parts 1 & 2)", "Bad On Bad", "So Fine", "Movin", "When Love Comes Home", "Dose Of Soul", "Party People (parts 1 & 2)", "Get Down With The Geater (part 1)", "Been So Long", "He Say She Say", and "Don't Ever Change". CD

Although they were a UK soul act, Jimmy James and The Vagabonds were a perfect match for the Atlantic soul stable of the 60s. The group had a smooth group style that was partly uptown, partly northern soul – as clearly illustrated in this album, which is divided up into a "mood red: you feel like leaping" side, and a "mood blue: you feel like digging deeper" side. The band chose some good material that really helps them maintain a solid socking soul sound – including "The Entertainer" and "Ain't Love Good, Ain't Love Proud" by Tony Clarke, "Ain't No Big Thing" and "I'm Just A Fool For You Girl" by Gerald Sims, and "Little Boy Blue" and "People Get Ready" by Curtis Mayfield. Also features "Come To Me Softly", a sweet dreamy ballad by Jimmy, and kind of a bit crossover hit for the boys. LP, Vinyl record album

2 of Boogaloo Joe's best and rarest albums on one CD – guitar jazz funk at its best! First up is Boogaloo Joe – a killer session of funky guitar jazz, and the record that gave Ivan "Boogaloo" Joe Jones his nickname! The set's a full-on wailer that really blows away Joe's first two on Prestige – breaking out ouf the box with a killer lineup that includes Rusty Bryant on tenor, Bernard Purdie on drums, and Sonny Phillips on organ – all working with Joe's incredibly tight guitar lines to craft some wicked tunes that take soul jazz firmly into the sound of the 70s! Titles include "Boogaloo Joe", "People Are Talking", "Dream On Little Dreamer", and "Atlantic City Soul". Right On Brother is next – and is Ivan's first truly sublime album – a set that showed the world that he was easily one of the greatest jazz guitarists of his generation – able to spin out single-note jams with a speed and dexterity that few others could match! The groove here is totally great and very righteous – heavy drums from Bernard Purdie, wailing organ from Charles Earland, and saxophone from Rusty Bryant – all cooking together in the best early 70s Prestige jazz funk mode! Titles include "Right On", "Brown Bag", "Things Ain't What They Used To Be", and "Poppin". CD

A set that's partly an album by massive funk trio Khruangbin, and partly a tribute to some of the musicians they worked with on a recent tour – as side one has the other performers in the lead, while Khruangbin gets plenty of instrumental space on the flipside! The group themselves turn in a great James Brown tribute in the mix of "Blind Man Can See It/It's The Monaurail" – and also serve up "Bin Bin", "Friday Moring", "People Everywhere", and "Number 4". Other titles include "Nobody Smokes Anymore" by Robert Ellis, "Woman Trouble" by Kelly Doyle, "At The Trailride" by Ruben Moreno, and "Don't Bother Me" by The Suffers. LP, Vinyl record album

A bit one for Patti Labelle in the 80s – a set that crossed over big at the time, but which still has the lady in very soulful territory! Patti seems to sparkle most here on the mellower cuts – the gentle groovers and laidback ballads that helped open her up to a whole new audience, and which really give her a different sound than her 70s Labelle years. Titles include the Bacharach/Carol Bayer Sager title "On My Own" – sung as a duet with Michael McDonald – plus "Oh People", "There's A Winner In You", "Finally We're Back Together", "Beat My Heart Like A Drum", "Kiss Away The Pain", "Something Special", and "You're Mine Tonight". LP, Vinyl record album

Joelle Leandre is a fantastic musician who always give us sounds that are way more than most – and here, she continues that long legacy by pairing with accordion player Pascal Contet, who's got a way of handling his instrument and really matching the creative energy of Joelle! Leandre's bass is bowed and quietly plucked – often used as a subtle generator of sound, which is then echoed by the accordion – played by Pascal with a way that makes you feel subtle breath through space, rather than the more freewheeling cascade of notes that most people might associated with the instrument. The approach is spun out here over ten very well-titled "miniatures" – a delight throughout! CD

With 38 tracks including "Imagine", "Watching The Wheels", "Jealous Guy", "Oh Yoko!", "Power To The People", "New York City", "Woman", "#9 Dream", and "Gimme Some Truth". CD

Groundbreaking work from Ketty Lester – a really important singer who equally skirted the worlds of jazz and soul! Ketty's got a great sophisti-soul style on the set – working with arrangements by Lincoln Mayorga, and coming off with a sound that would clearly go onto inspire Nancy Wilson and Marlena Shaw. Includes the hit "Love Letters", plus "You Can Have Him", "When Day Is Done", "Lonely People Do Foolish Things", "Hello Lover, Goodbye Tears", and "Looking For A Boy". LP, Vinyl record album

Totally wicked guitar work from the mighty O'Donel Levy – easily one of the hippest talents to ever work for the Groove Merchant label! Levy's got a sound here that's a bit like Wes Montgomery on some of his late 60s sides, but also a fair bit funkier overall – a style that's steeped in soul and schooled on advancements in the 70s generation of funk fusion and blacksploitation soundtracks. Backings are relatively large – arranged by Manny Album, with players who include Charles Covington on organ and electric piano and Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet. Tracks include covers like "I Wanna Be Where You Are", "People Make the World Go Round", and "Maiden Voyage" – plus some nice originals, like "Dawn Of A New Day" and "Baa Waa". CD

A killer live set from Ramsey Lewis and his classic early 60s trio – a record that's not nearly as well known as The In Crowd, but every bit as great! Drummer Red Holt and bassist Eldee Young really get in some great elements here – working with Ramsey's piano in a groove that's far more than the standard trio mode of the time – and much more in a triangulated exchange of energy that's filled with life and joy throughout! Side one begins with a 12 minute "West Side Story Medley" – one that starts slow, but really builds with excitement as the tune rolls on – and other tunes include a version of "My Babe", with some funky cello work by Eldee Young; a soul-stepping take on "Something You Got"; Ramsey's original "The Caves"; and versions of "People", "Fly Me To The Moon", and "The Shelter Of Your Arms". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant and beautiful album from Damon Locks – even more powerful than his Where Future Unfolds album, and that's saying a heck of a lot! The record proclaims part of its mission in its title – and is maybe the first set we've heard to point the way forward creatively after the dark days of 2020 – reclaiming the future for the present, as Locks works with a stunning array of Chicago-based talent – including Angel Bat Dawid on clarinet, Ben LaMar Gay on cornet and melodica, Dana Hall on drums, and Arif Smith on percussion! There's no other instruments in the core of the combo – but Locks adds in plenty of electronics and sound samples, including both musical moments and all these many found voices which are woven through the record alongside vocals by a sextet of singers – a chorus who rise up and give the whole thing a heavenly vibe that's completely mindblowing! While so many others are doing a decent job of reworking a 70s jazz spirit, Damon's giving us the future to come – the kind of visionary work we always knew he was capable of, but which is now finally getting the chance to exist on record. Titles include "The People Vs The Rest Of Us", "Keep Your Mind Free", "Movement & You", "Now", and "The Body Is Electric". CD

Beautiful brown-eyed soul from the Ohio scene of the 70s – just the sort of record you might have expected to hear from East LA or Spanish Harlem back in the day – but even more amazing to come from Cleveland! The group are a Latin combo at the core, but they've soaked up plenty of soul influences from the late 60s and early 70s – bringing in bits of harmony soul, funk, and other hip touches to really expand their groove – in ways that are similar to the changes Joe Bataan and his contemporaries were going through at the time! There's a few funky instrumentals that get nicely tripped out, offset with some wonderful mellow soul numbers, and a few straighter Latin bits – all of which show a really amazing range for the group. As usual, Numero does a great job of bringing their whole story to light through the great notes – but even without them, we're plenty happy with the music on the set! Titles include "Loving You", "To Be Sure", "Here We Go Again", "Cold Wine", "Trivialities", "Just Call Me", and "Listen People". CD

One of those 90s albums that really made people sit up and take notice of saxophonist Joe Lovano – a musician who'd been appearing on records since the 70s, but who finally got the due he deserved when Blue Note let him open up like this! The album's got a relatively loose, open vibe – almost free, but still swinging at most points – as Joe blows tenor, soprano, and straight alto sax in a trio with the great bassist Dave Holland, the the legendary Elvin Jones on drums! In some way, the record's an extension of that vibe that Jones had in the early 70s – when he's really let a strong reed player take the lead, while also egging him on with his boundless energy – interplay that definitely happens here, on titles that include "New York Fascination", "Eternal Joy", "Villa Paradiso", "Days Of Yore", "4 On The Floor", and "Studio Rivbea". LP, Vinyl record album

What can we say? This is one of the greatest albums of all time! The record's got a sound that's completely unique – as crack LA garage punk rock meets Hollywood baroque production, and the result is an amazing bit of loud guitar noise backed by strings and horns, all graced by the godlike vocals of the great Arthur Lee. Forever Changes is a milestone in rock – an incredibly bleak document about insanity, escape, and the coming revolution that never happened. Think of all the best moments of Wild In The Streets, Zabriske Point, and Invocation of My Demon Brother rolled into one – and you'll only have a tiny slice of the picture! A record that will haunt us until the day we die – filled with incredible songs like "Alone Again Or", "Old Man", "Daily Planet", "Red Telephone", and "Maybe The People Would Be The Times Or Between Clark & Hilldale". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite an obscure one by Love – a mid 70s record that actually has quite a bit of soul in the mix! The album almost seems to be going for a Sly Stone approach – expanding the group past Arthur Lee and crew with a host of additional players that include Harvey Mandel, Bobby Lyle, and Joey Deguero. There's still plenty of bluesy and rocky tracks – but there's also a great cover of William DeVaughn's "Be Thankful For What You Got" – done in a chunky mode that really hits a great groove with us (and which is proof that people were covering the tune even back when it was first released!) Other tracks move between soulful rock, Thin Lizzy-esque compressed guitar numbers, and other styles that show a bit more soul than might be expected. Titles include "Time Is Like A River", "Everybody's Gotta Live", "You Said You Would", "Busted Feet", "With A Little Energy", and "Who Are You". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from Love Sculpture – a heavy British trio from the end of the 60s – and one that features a young Dave Edmunds on guitar! There's a slight bluesy undercurrent in Dave's style, but the music also has that tightly compressed sound that would emerge more strongly during his hit solo years – yet which is presented here with some very nice rough edges. Songwriting is especially great – a fresh approach to territory that was beginning to sound a bit stale in the hands of some of the group's contemporaries – presented here with a clean, lean sound that's almost a precursor to power pop at points, yet which still has a heavier late 60s rock feel. Titles include "In The Land Of The Few", "Seagull", "People People", "Mars", "Sabre Dance", "Farandole", and "You Can't Catch Me". LP, Vinyl record album

An album of theirs that you don't see that often – with Barry White's takes on popular movie hits. Some of this veers a little to close to the cheesy side of things, but it's worth it for the "Theme From King Kong" alone, an uptempo funk number that has a great almost afro-funk guitar, way up front in the mix. There's also a great take on the theme from Shaft, and "People of Tomorrow Are the Children of Today" from the Together Brothers soundtrack. LP, Vinyl record album

An overstuffed collection of work from the great Arthur Lyman – initially known as one of the hip percussionists in the Martin Denny group, then a huge exotica star on his own – thanks to wonderful work on vibes and a whole host of other instruments! As with Denny, Lyman's music was always tied strongly to themes of the Pacific – part of the wave of interest in the new statehood of Hawaii as many Americans made the trip for vacations – but also a key moment in a musical legacy that's really stood the test of time over the years – as tropical elements are brought into play with styles borrowed from jazz, Latin, and easy – all to forge a new sort of groove. The 2CD set features 48 gems from Lyman's best years – all hand-picked by Lux & Ivy – and titles include "Trigger Fantasy", "Leis Of Jazz", "Sim Sim", "Sea Breeze", "Kalua", "Bahia", "Jungle Jalopy", "Busy People", "Happy Voodoo", "Otome San", "Blue Sands", "Bwana A", "Quiet Village", "Lullaby Of Birdland", and "Dahil Sayo". CD

From our perspective in the 21st Century, the film career of director David Lynch is the stuff of legend – long and loudly hailed – yet for the man himself, the road to success was a long one – and even along the way, Lynch struggled with countless creative difficulties and personal issues that sometimes made the path between thought and expression a very long one! Here, Lynch himself recounts a lot of those years of struggle, with plenty of help from co-writer Kristine McKenna – who weaves together all sorts of material from dozens of interviews with people in Lynch's life and career, both personal and professional – voices that are added to David's own to provide a very illuminating picture of the real world that's obscured by the cinematic image. Hardcover edition is 577 pages, with many black and white images throughout. Book

While we're not big on career retrospective best of's, especially artists like Marley, whose been collected over & over, this is actually a respectable set, and the deluxe edition includes a full CD of bonus tracks, all remixes from the 80s. Don't worry though, we know there's clubby remixes of some of his material out there, but there's none of that here. The remixes were handled by folks like Errol Brown, ET Thorngren & Groucho Smykle, and are all tastefully put together, plus there's a number of tunes included that weren't part of the original set. The original CD includes tons of classics, like "Get Up Stand Up", "Exodus", "Stir IT Up", "Easy Skanking" & 'Redemption Song" and the remixes include "One Love/People Get Ready", "Coming In From The Cold", "Buffalo Soldier" & "Lively Up Yourself". 29 tracks in all. CD

A real treasure from reedman Maulawi Nurudin – originally recorded as part of the Strata Records scene in Detroit, but done in Chicago in 1973 – and issued here for the first time ever! The vibe here is almost more Tribe Records than some of the other Strata sides – as Maulawi blows tenor and other reeds over these modal grooves with drums from Tani Tabbal, plus bass and keyboards from other unknown musicians – all in a laidback style that's rich and soulful – almost a spiritual jazz take on territory that would later be explored by Grover Washington Jr, especially given Maulawi's use of soprano sax! Titles include great takes on "Maiden Voyage", "People Make The World Go Round", and "I Say A Little Prayer" – plus the originals "Orotunds", "Where Is The Place", and an "Unknown Track". LP, Vinyl record album

A mindblowing solo set from Curtis Mayfield – a record that not only foregrounds all the subtle politics he'd been forging in the Impressions during the 60s – but one that also really has Mayfield exploding as a force to be reckoned with in the studio! The album's a personal masterpiece – to the career of Curtis what the early solo albums of Issac Hayes were to his own genius – a bold, unfettered statement of pride and power – of the sort that would both make Mayfield and the Curtom Records label forces to be reckoned with in the 70s. Every cut is a classic – and titles include "Move On Up", "If There's a Hell Below We're All Gonna Go", "Miss Black America", "Wild & Free", "Give It Up", "The Makings Of You", "The Other Side Of Town", and "We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums ever from the legendary soul singer Curtis Mayfield – even though it's different than most of the rest as well! Curtis is captured here in a small club, with a tight band, spinning out these extended readings of some of his best tunes – both tracks he sang with The Impressions, and as a solo act – completely transformed here in the righteous energy of the setting! The vibe is similar to the classic Donny Hathaway Live album from the same time – save for the fact that this set is double-length, and maybe even more powerful as Curtis sings and plays guitar in a small group with additional guitar, bass, and drums – and some very hip percussion from Master Henry Gibson, of Pharoahs fame. Tracks include "We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue", "Stare and Stare", "Check Out Your Mind", "Stone Junkie", "I Plan To Stay A Believer", "If There's A Hell Below We're All Going To Go", "Mighty Mighty", and "The Makings Of You". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible step forward for 60s soul singer Gene McDaniels – so much so, that most folks hearing this album can't believe he's the same guy who recorded for Liberty Records a few years before! The album's incredibly righteous right from the start – and has a genre-busting quality that isn't quite soul, but isn't rock or anything else either – and instead, the kind of progressive, "years ahead of its time" sort of set that guys like David Axelrod were cutting in the same stretch. Apart from the title, the whole record's got a strong political message that's probably best embodied in the statement on the back – "Under conditions of national emergency, like now, there are only two kinds of people – those who work for freedom, and those who do not – the good guys vs the bad guys". With words like that, you can definitely bet that Eugene is on the side of the good guys – really pushing a social agenda with some wonderfully-penned tunes on the album – set to cool musical backdrops from the equally-righteous William S Fischer. Titles include "Love Letter To America", "Black Boy", "Outlaw", and "Sagittarius Red". CD

An incredible step forward for 60s soul singer Gene McDaniels – so much so, that most folks hearing this album can't believe he's the same guy who recorded for Liberty Records a few years before! The album's incredibly righteous right from the start – and has a genre-busting quality that isn't quite soul, but isn't rock or anything else either – and instead, the kind of progressive, "years ahead of its time" sort of set that guys like David Axelrod were cutting in the same stretch. Apart from the title, the whole record's got a strong political message that's probably best embodied in the statement on the back – "Under conditions of national emergency, like now, there are only two kinds of people – those who work for freedom, and those who do not – the good guys vs the bad guys". With words like that, you can definitely bet that Eugene is on the side of the good guys – really pushing a social agenda with some wonderfully-penned tunes on the album – set to cool musical backdrops from the equally-righteous William S Fischer. Titles include "Love Letter To America", "Black Boy", "Outlaw", and "Sagittarius Red". LP, Vinyl record album

A real mind-trip – and an incredible document of the times – not just ideas floating around in the late 60s, but also new ways of making records too! The album is loosely based around ideas and writings from The Medium Is The Massage – McLuhan's important 1967 book, co-written with Quentin Fiore – and represented here as a wild sound collage that blends together music, sounds, media snippets, and readings by McLuhan, Fiore, and a host of other voices! The album's actually much more of a "happening" than a spoken word album – a real studio party that's cut up and messed up by all the added effects, sounds, and music – genius that comes from Jerome Agel, who put the whole project together – and delivered it to the loving hands of John Simon, who produced some other wonderful records of this nature for late 60s Columbia. A real delight throughout – and the kind of an album we wish people still kept making! Great reissue package – in a gatefold LP-styled sleeve, with additional artwork, rare photos, full notes on the sessions, and more! CD

The Mekons follow up to Fear & Whiskey, another incredible moment in what might by their best ever period – and most certainly a favorite of ours for the addition of the great Sally Timms to the band! We can't speak for the crowds overseas, but at this point in the Mekons touring career, we'd wager that as many 25 out of every 40 people at their live shows in the US were rock critics with literary ambitions. We mean that as a compliment to both the band and the critics. There's a poetic, boozy passion to the lyrics and the musical craft is a little more straight forward here than the preceding effort, and a maybe a little more formative of the alt country sound they'd come be credited for inspiring. It's their second straight up classic album in a row, with titles including "Hello Cruel World", "Ugly Band", "Big Zombie", The Letter", "Dream Dream Dream", "Slightly South Of The Border", "King Arthur", and "Oblivion". CD

Includes the songs "Cissy Strut", "Live Wire", "Sophisticated Cissy", "Look-Ka Py Py", "Pungee", "Tippi-Toes", "Soul Island", "Cabbage Alley", "People Say", "Hey Pocky A-Way", "Just Kissed My Baby", "Jungle Man", "Out In The Country", "Fire On The Bayou", "They All Ask'd For You", and "Trick Bag". CD

A key record in the second chapter of Joni Mitchell on record – a set that has both her vocals and her overall music style flowing with all these amazing touches you might not have heard a few years before – jazzier currents in her music that really set the album apart from earlier work in Joni's career! Mitchell responds to the music with soaring vocals that are completely wonderful, and nicely changed up in character from tune to tune – given backing by a host of great jazz and studio players who include Tom Scott on reeds and Joe Sample on keyboards! Titles include her classic version of "Twisted" – a redone version of the old Annie Ross track – plus the classic hit "Help Me", and "Just Like This Train", "Car On A Hill", "Court & Spark", "Down To You", "Free Man In Paris", and "People's Parties". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best ever efforts from the Monkees – really the first album where Mickey, Peter, Davy and Mike took creative control from the TV people – and created and album of groovy late 60s pop to rival those of their influences! Headquarters famously features a lot more original material than previous LPs – and it still sounds remarkably fresh! It really doesn't feature any of their huge hits, so it stands up really well without the crutch of nostalgia! Titles include "You Told Me", "I'll Spend My Life With You", "Band 6", "I Can't Get Her Off My Mind", "Mr Webster", "Sunny Girlfriend", "Zilch", "No Time", "Early Morning Blues And Greens", "Randy Scouse Git". LP, Vinyl record album

A mindblowing record from the great Ed Motta – a set that continues all the warmer, English language elements of his recent albums – but one that also seems to have Ed hitting a new sort of sophistication too! The sound is incredible – almost out-AORing all the global AOR references that Motta's given us in both his own music, and some of the great collections he's done over the years – but there's also more of a special small combo vibe, with some instrumentation on the record that seems even more compelling than usual – and which includes some great guitar moments from Ed, in addition to Fender Rhodes. Take it from us, the whole thing is superb – as appealing to fans of the older soul tradition that Motta inherited in his youth, as it is to people who love jazzy vocals, and even those elite few of us who think that Steely Dan were one of the highest points in 20th Century music. (Ed's with us on that one, by the way!) Titles include "Lost Connection To Prague", "Novice Never Noticed", "The Required Dress Code", "X1 In Test", "The Tiki's Broken There", "Shoulder Pads", and "Your Satisfaction Is Mine". Great bonus tracks here – "Sweetest Berry (alt version organ)", "Sweetest Berry (alt version piano solo)", "Novice Never Noticed (alt solo)", "X1 In Test (alt take 2)", "The Tiki's Broken There (alt take)", and "Your Satisfaction Is Mine (inst version)". CD

The Move are looking a bit fuzzier here than in their earlier years – and they're sounding a bit fuzzier too, but in a way that's totally great! The group's down to a quartet, which seems to bring even more focus on the great vocals of Carl Wayne, and heady guitar of Roy Wood! There's a brashness here the group didn't have before – a direction that points more towards some of Wood's later solo work, but which still has the core crispness and wit that makes The Move so wonderful – even as they blossom here into a more full-formed psychedelic act. Tunes are longer, and definitely trippier – but in a wonderfully playful way that's never too full of itself. The group produced themselves this time around, and get some great help on arrangements from Tony Visconti – on titles that include "Fields Of People", "Hello Susie", "The Last Thing On My Mind", "Don't Make My Baby Blue", and "Beautiful Daughter". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet little large group session from Gerry – a bit harder swinging than some of his mid 50s small group work, but still with that mellifluous glide that's the trademark Mulligan sound! Arrangements are by some great talents – including Al Cohn, Johnny Mandel, and Bob Brookmeyer, who also plays valve trombone on the set – and titles include "Blueport", "Body & Soul", "Black Nightgown", and "Let My People Be". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet little large group session from Gerry – a bit harder swinging than some of his mid 50s small group work, but still with that mellifluous glide that's the trademark Mulligan sound! Arrangements are by some great talnets – including Al Cohn, Johnny Mandel, and Bob Brookmeyer, who also plays valve trombone on the set – and titles include "Blueport", "Body & Soul", "Black Nightgown", and "Let My People Be". CD

One of Oliver Nelson's hippest albums – a bold statement of righteous energy, and a fantastic summation of all the genius he'd created during the 60s as an arranger for other people's records! The record is almost at a Duke Ellington level – a complex yet soulful suite of tracks for the post-60s years – complete with some sound effects of rioting and urban strife at the beginning, and a mix of modern, modal, and compositional styles that bursts out with pride and power that we wouldn't have heard in Nelson's music a decade before! The soloists are great – and the album features wonderful read work from John Klemmer, Frank Strozier, and Nelson himself – on great original titles that include "Self Help Is Needed", "I Hope In Time A Change Will Come", "Requiem Afterthoughts", "Lamb Of God", and "Martin Was A Man A Real Man". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful package – a set that brings together two rare funk albums by Newban, an early version of Atlantic Starr – plus bonus tracks too! The first Newban record is one of the sweetest ensemble funk albums of the 70s – and a record that's gone on to become a classic, despite the fact that most people know little about the group! Newban have a sound that's almost a jazzier take on the Earth Wind & Fire groove of the time – a style that's warm and fluid, and which really gets past the cliches of other larger funk acts – and manages to find a space in sound that's all its own! There's lots of odd phrasings and chords on the set – creating these very blue passages even when the group's grooving in an uptempo mode – almost like the sense of sadness that creeps out from Stevie Wonder's work during his best early 70s years. The sound is totally unique, and uniquely wonderful – and the album includes the classic "Father Time", plus the cuts "Magic Lady", "Mellow Days, Easy Nights", "Fatback Sally", and "Hungry Grin". Newban 2 is every bit as great as the first album – if not better – with some excellent excellent lost material that's the kind of stuff that still keeps you diggin' for the hard ones. Includes the track "Greenburgh", with a tight funky intro and a smooth sweet soul groove, plus lots of other great cuts like "Free Your Mind", "Easin' Through", "Find a Place to Live", and "Rhythm & Rhyme". This deluxe package also features three rare bonus tracks – "Oh Wow", "Miracle Holiday", and "Bells" – tracks recorded before the first two albums! CD

A masterpiece of hard and heavy funk – from one of the best bands of the early 70s! The Nite Liters were a legendary funky combo that provided the backing for some of New Birth's best albums – but on their own, they were even funkier, and had a sound that was part JBs, part Meters, and all funky! This album may well be the group's best – their last for RCA, and a set that really has them honing their edge incredibly. The drums are amazing, the keyboards great, and the horns have this quality that's both complex, yet right on the money – making for a richness in sound that really sets the group apart from their contemporaries. A few singers from The New Birth provide chorus vocals on a few tracks – but most of the set is instrumental, and the record's one we'd gladly stack next to our Meters albums on Josie or JBs classics on People. Every track's a gem – and titles include "Drumology", "Excuse Me While I Do My Thing", "Serenade for a Jive Turkey", "Happy Hooker", "Craaashing", "Damn", "Pee-Foul", and a sweet cover of "Valdez in the Country" that's been sampled at least once over the years! CD

One of the early 00s "commercial" LP's that's at least as dope as our underground favorites – real hip hop that still keeps the party people movin', with a number of cuts produced by the Neptunes & Swizz Beats. Tracks include the instant classic "Nothin", plus "Hit Me Slime" featuring Nas, Ice-T, Nelly, & others, "God's Favorite", "Grimey", "Nahmeanuheard" (original and remix), "Mr. CEO", "Live My Life" featuring Ja Rule, "Full Mode", "Love Ya Moms" featuring Capone & others, "Head Bussa", "Wanna Be Like Him", "Black Clouds", "Banned From Another Club", "Now I Pray", "Consider This" featuring Kelis, and the bonus track "The Life Of A (Gangsta) Capone". LP, Vinyl record album

A cool Japanese-only package – with titles that include "Back Stabbers", "992 Arguments", "Love Train", "Give The People What They Want", "Survival", "Unity", "I Love Music", "Livin For The Weekend", "Time To Get Down", "Put Your Hands Together", and "For The Love Of Money". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album for the O'Jays – a set that moved them from the indie ranks to 70s megasoulstatus! After years of bumping around on a variety of labels, and in a variety of styles, the group really exploded with this wonderful set – an album that has them soaring along in the righteous Philly groove of the early 70s – a sound that turned out to be a perfect foil for the trio's sublime, yet earthy harmonies. Arrangements are by some fo the best of the core Philly scene – Thom Bell, Norman Harris, Ronnie Baker, and Bobby Martin – and the album's overflowing with great tunes that completely redefine the sound of group soul in the 70s! Includes megahits "Back Stabbers" and "Love Train" – plus "Shiftless, Shady, Jealous Kind of People", "When The World's At Peace", "Time To Get Down", "Who Am I" and more! CD

A pivotal album from The O'Jays – and an undeniable Philly classic! The record was the third the group cut for the Philadelphia International label – but it was really the first one that pushed their strong righteous soul agenda, sort of a mix of message-oriented lyrics and heavy soul (ala The Temptations), fused with the warmer more sophisticated styles of the Philly sound! The blend is perfect – and has a way of getting the message from the underground right into the living room – and a bit onto the charts as well! From the image on the cover – which features the group in a slave ship setting – to politics of tracks like "Don't Call Me Brother", "For The Love Of Money", "Put Your Hands Together", and "This Air That I Breathe", the record's an extremely unified effort – kind of to the O'Jays what What's Going On was to Marvin Gaye. Other titles include "You Got Your Hooks In Me", "Now That We Found Love", and "People Keep Tellin Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A fitting title to this one – as it virtually describes the standard that the blues business was operating on during the early 70s – as artists came out of the shadows and found big audiences on college campuses, rock clubs, and other crossover scenes! The concept is carried to the Nth degree on the cover – which has a front image of a young Asian boy eating a big watermelon, Sambo-style – and the back cover features notes that say things like "Chinese kids like watermelon, Irish like bagels, black people like Jewish rye, and today everybody loves the Blues." Fortunately, this comic packaging doesn't affect the album too much – as Junior's still in the fine form he was at the end of the 60s, cruising between blues and soul, with a slight touch of jazz, in a unique way that sounds better to our ears than the work of most of his contemporaries. Titles include "Five Long Years", "That's Alright", "Way Back Home", "Man Or Mouse", and "I Like Your Style". CD

An album with a wonderfully dramatic sort of approach – post-psych, but still plenty heady – and served up by a mysterious deep-voiced singer who had many people thinking that Jim Morrison had done some mojo rising at the time! Yet the set's hardly a Door-styled effort, either – as these guys hail from Detroit, and definitely echo with some of the freakier, spookier side of their city's scene – able to fold hard-edged expressions into a warmer sort of flow, one touched with hypnotic darkness that's very different than any sort of major label record from the mid 70s! If the set were a late 60s Dunwich production that got placed at Mercury, its sound would make a lot more sense – but somehow it's even cooler as a lost relic from the time, but one that sounds nothing like the rising AOR generation. Titles include "Half A Life", "Devil's Child", "Black Magic/White Magic", "Merlin", "Stand Beside My Fire", "Welcome To Hell", and "Spiders Will Dance On Your Face While You Sleep". CD

Fantastic jazz funk by one of the best bands in the genre! This is probably Pleasure's most sought-after album, and it includes the classic breakbeat cut "Bouncy Lady", which begins with a nice hard drumbreak, and ends the same way! The record has a tight, smooth, soulful feel – similar to the best stuff coming out of the west coast Fantasy records scene at the time. There's lots of nice Wayne Henderson production on the record – with his trademark talent for snapping the drums nice and tight, while keeping the grooves nice and mellow. Includes the cuts "What Is Slick", "Reality", "Plastic People", and a great cover of "Midnight At the Oasis"! CD

Titles include "Galoshes And Rubbers", "People Will Say We're In Love", "Bustin' Suds", and "Let's Make It". 7-inch, Vinyl record

A late-life interview with Sun Ra – one recorded in the studio of composer Charlie Morrow, who is wise enough to let Ra open up and speak his mind! There's no music at all on the record – which is great, as you get to hear the wisdom of Sun Ra in a very different way than when he's playing piano, or leading the Arkestra – speaking in a voice that's both full of the larger ideas that have always shown up in his writings, but with a quality that's surprisingly down to earth! That side of Ra isn't always that well documented – and the record is a great illustration of the charms that Ra could have when working at a very interpersonal level – still a man of concepts, but also a man of the people as well. LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing album from Sun Ra – a set that's got some of the same soulful focus as Space Is The Place, and a really surprising sense of groove on many moments! The record's actually a bit funky – if you can believe it – and was recorded with electric keyboards, bass, and guitar (played by the mysterious Disco Kid) – at the studios of Bob Blank, at a time when he was really able to capture the many strands of music that would come together in a performance, then find just the right way to put them over on record! The album was originally dismissed by many Sun Ra fans for being a funk sell-out album – but over the years, it's become a prized album for its cosmic sense of soul and great focus of the group's more far-reaching ideas – and at some level, it's probably the sound that most people imagine the Arkestra to have when they're first starting out, rather than the more avant material that dominates most of their catalog. The whole thing is wonderful – and titles include "That's How I Feel", "Where Pathways Meet", "Twin Stars of Thence", and "There Are Other Worlds (They Have Not Told You Of)". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing album from Sun Ra – a set that's got some of the same soulful focus as Space Is The Place, and a really surprising sense of groove on many moments! The record's actually a bit funky – if you can believe it – and was recorded with electric keyboards, bass, and guitar (played by the mysterious Disco Kid) – at the studios of Bob Blank, at a time when he was really able to capture the many strands of music that would come together in a performance, then find just the right way to put them over on record! The album was originally dismissed by many Sun Ra fans for being a funk sell-out album – but over the years, it's become a prized album for its cosmic sense of soul and great focus of the group's more far-reaching ideas – and at some level, it's probably the sound that most people imagine the Arkestra to have when they're first starting out, rather than the more avant material that dominates most of their catalog. The whole thing is wonderful – and titles include "That's How I Feel", "Where Pathways Meet", "Twin Stars of Thence", and "There Are Other Worlds (They Have Not Told You Of)". Fantastic 2CD version – which includes both the commercial release, and the other mix of the record that Ra issued on Saturn – plus a great booklet of notes. CD

One of the best albums that Lou Rawls cut with the team of HB Barnum and David Axelrod – that incredible duo who made some of his 60s Capitol albums so great! The style here is wonderful – upbeat grooves from Barnum – who brings more soul into Lou's music than before – recorded by Axelrod with the right sort of sharpness and punch – that special quality he brought to Cannonball Adderley's 60s soul classics too! Rawls is really at home in the setting – stepping out in some points with these hip monologue passages that are as great as his singing – maybe even better, too – as they show a whole new side of Lou's personality – that badass, totally hip quality that people might never have expected from the early days. One of the best of these is the excellent "Old Man's Memories", about a guy sitting on a bench in Washington Park on the south side of Chicago, which then rolls into an amazing version of "It Was A Very Good Year". Other tunes have a great mix of soul and jazz – and titles include "Love Is A Hurtin Thing", "A Whole Lotta Woman", "Don't Explain", "Old Folks", and "Breaking My Back (Instead Of Using My Mind)". CD

One of the best albums that Lou Rawls cut with the team of HB Barnum and David Axelrod – that incredible duo who made some of his 60s Capitol albums so great! The style here is wonderful – upbeat grooves from Barnum – who brings more soul into Lou's music than before – recorded by Axelrod with the right sort of sharpness and punch – that special quality he brought to Cannonball Adderley's 60s soul classics too! Rawls is really at home in the setting – stepping out in some points with these hip monologue passages that are as great as his singing – maybe even better, too – as they show a whole new side of Lou's personality – that badass, totally hip quality that people might never have expected from the early days. One of the best of these is the excellent "Old Man's Memories", about a guy sitting on a bench in Washington Park on the south side of Chicago, which then rolls into an amazing version of "It Was A Very Good Year". Other tunes have a great mix of soul and jazz – and titles include "Love Is A Hurtin Thing", "A Whole Lotta Woman", "Don't Explain", "Old Folks", and "Breaking My Back (Instead Of Using My Mind)". LP, Vinyl record album

A bold move forward for Re:Jazz – a record that's even more cohesive than their first few, and which shows them emerging much more strongly as a group! As before, the approach here has the combo offering soulful jazz versions of tunes from the more popular side of the spectrum – but unlike before, there's a warmly flowing sense of energy that unites the whole record – an approach that's often topped by the vocals of Inga Luhning, an expressive singer who really gives the record a good focus – even though the record also features a bit of guest singing by Alice Russell and Ernesto. There's a sense of power and entitlement to the music here that goes way beyond the earlier releases – almost as if the band have stopped being tentative about their efforts, and move confidently forward with a sense that their music is really making a difference. Titles include "People Hold On", "Gabrielle", "Finally", "Rock It", "Too Many Holes", "Promised Land", "Back Home", "Not About Me", "Plastic Dreams", "Return To Damara", and "Stewed". CD

A rare gem of a record that's every bit as much a funk party as the disco celebration promised in the title – done with this lean, stripped-down vibe that often hits some of the same fast funk territory as late 70s gems from the P&P family of record labels! There's a nicely offbeat vibe going on here – a combo who clearly have chops from the funky 45 generation, picking up the pace a bit for the clubs, but also never going for a slavish pop disco style either – which means that the whole thing continues with a really great sort of edge, as congas in the rhythms come into play with lots of riffing guitar and some pretty massive basslines! All tracks are instrumental, which continues the funky 45 vibe of the set – and titles include "Let's Party People", "Movin & Groovin", "Road", "Reality", "Disco Party", "Clap & Hustle", and "Welcome". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice later noise pop moment in REM's canon, bringing some electric fuzz to the forefront after the soaring, anthemic alt folk of Automatic For The People! Monster might've been a bit divisive at the time, and maybe it still is after all these years, but it holds up better than a lot of their later work, with catchy vocals sailing over reverb-y guitars. REM changed courses a lot over the years, but this might be one of the their latest daring twists, especially coming out at right after the most popular peak. Includes "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?", "Crush With Eyeliner", "Star 69", "I Don't Sleep, I Dream", "Strange Currencies" and more. CD

Few people did soulful fusion better than Lee Ritenour back in the early 80s – and the guitarist always seemed to find a way to really link together all the different sounds of the electric genre – from heavy jamming to soulful grooving to a rock-like appreciation for a good hook! Harvey Mason provides some great heavy drums, and also helped Lee produce – which gives the record a sharp, soulful focus that's like some of Harvey's own great records of the time – an undercurrent of funk that more than helps keep the Ritenour vocals moving along! Titles include "Mr Briefcase", "Countdown", "Good Question", "Dreamwalk", "Is It You", and "Just Tell Me Pretty Lies". LP, Vinyl record album

A groundbreaking album of theremin music – recorded at a time when many people had forgotten about the instrument a bit, but at a level that takes the electronic force to a whole new level! The theremin first rose to fame on 50s sci fi soundtracks and weird mood music records – and although it had gotten use on rock albums during the psychedelic years, it never got the proper treatment it deserved until this groundbreaking set from theremin wizard Clara Rockmore! Rockmore plays the instrument here alongside piano from Nadia Reisenberg – really stripping away sci fi futurist stereotype of the theremin, as she takes on work from serious composers, plus other sources too – using the instrument with a sense of drama, and the virtuosic control of a master instrumentalist – on titles that include "Vocalise", "Song Of Grusia", "The Swan", and "Chant Du Memestrel". LP, Vinyl record album

Hot and wild – two of the best words you could use to describe the late 60s Latin Soul material of Pete Rodriguez – especially on an album like this! This album has Pete and his combo at their best – stepping effortlessly between English-language, soul-based tracks – and other material that has them showing their Latin chops in a straighter Pacheco-inspired style – really tight small combo grooving, with that Spanish Harlem sound that cats like Pete could do so well. The whole thing's a winner, and titles include "Here Comes the Judge" and "People Want to Know", plus "Tears on My Pillow", "Carmela", "Pa'Lla Va", "Arranca En Fa", and "Cata Con Tata". LP, Vinyl record album

Very obscure later work from Jackie Ross – recorded in her years after Chess Records, with a sound that's a lot more mature than before! The style here is a bit like Marlena Shaw in the late 70s – a sophisticated blend of soul, jazz, and a little bit of club – served up with arrangements from Ben Wright and Jimmy Van Leer, the latter of whom produced the record. Jackie works surprisingly well in this setting – with a style that makes us wonder what would have happened had she got a chance at larger exposure at the time – particularly through a label like Philly International, whose sound of the time is clearly an influence here. Titles include "You Got Your Hooks In Me", "Only Time Has Changed", "The World Needs More People Like You", "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", "Can This Be Love", "The People Some People Choose To Love", and "Betcha By Golly Wow". LP, Vinyl record album

Very obscure later work from Jackie Ross – recorded in her years after Chess Records, with a sound that's a lot more mature than before! The style here is a bit like Marlena Shaw in the late 70s – a sophisticated blend of soul, jazz, and a little bit of club – served up with arrangements from Ben Wright and Jimmy Van Leer, the latter of whom produced the record. Jackie works surprisingly well in this setting – with a style that makes us wonder what would have happened had she got a chance at larger exposure at the time – particularly through a label like Philly International, whose sound of the time is clearly an influence here. Titles include "You Got Your Hooks In Me", "Only Time Has Changed", "The World Needs More People Like You", "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", "Can This Be Love", "The People Some People Choose To Love", and "Betcha By Golly Wow". CD

David Ruffin at the height of his solo powers – working in that mature mix of soul and strings that made him one of the more sophisticated Motown talents of the time! The set's produced and arranged by Van McCoy – at a level that's maybe more Philly soul than the Detroit sounds of David's roots – and the singer's vocals open up beautifully as he hits a few upbeat groovers, and some especially nice midtempo tracks that really make the album shine! McCoy also wrote most of the songs, too – and titles include the classic "Walk Away From Love", one of Ruffin's sweetest numbers ever – plus the tracks "Who I Am", "Wild Honey", "Statue Of A Fool", "Heavy Love", "It Takes All Kind Of People To Make A World", "Love Can Be Hazardous To Your Health", and "The Finger Pointers". LP, Vinyl record album

Our favorite-ever album from Gil Scott-Heron – and a set that we'd easily rank as one of our favorite soul records of the 70s! The mix of modes is mindblowing right from the start – as Gil's poetry comes into play with his growing talents as a singer, and his warm sensibility for jazz – all at a level that's light years ahead of anything any singer would have attempted a few years before – and which went onto have a huge influence for years to come. If you only know Gil from his protest work, there's a lot more here to discover – the bittersweet blend of pain and power that's always made him so fantastic. And yes, the record does include the groundbreaking "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" – but what we treasure even more is all the more personal numbers – including "Lady Day & John Coltrane", "Home Is Where The Hatred Is", "The Needle's Eye", "I Think I'll Call It Morning", "Save The Children", and "Pieces Of A Man". Brilliant all the way through! CD features three bonus tracks by Gil's group Black & Blues – "Chains", "Peace", and "A Toast To The People". CD

One of our favorite records ever on the legendary Nimbus label – a special home to spiritual jazz on the west coast at the end of the 70s – and crucial for giving us some really unique talents like this! Adele Sebastian may have only ever cut this one album as a leader, but she's a hell of a flute player with a very deep, spiritual vibe – these sublime lines that soar and stretch out over modal rhythms – played by a totally hip group that includes Rickey Kelley on vibes, Roberto Miranda on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums and a bit of gembreh – a string instrument that brings a nicely exotic vibe to the record. The group's rounded out by Bobby West on piano and Daoude Woods on percussion – and the songs have this open flow that's wonderful – never too far out, but always searching – as the group soar through a version of McCoy Tyner's "Man From Tanganyika", plus the tracks "Desert Fairy Princess", "Belize", "Prayer For The People", and "Day Dreamer". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the great fake live albums of the 60s – a set that promises to be a concert performance from the title and cover, but which actually just features The Seeds playing live together in the studio! Yet that little trick is hardly a problem – because the album's the last-ever from this seminal group, and captures them in a format that really lets them take off! Their studio sessions were always great, but this one's got a special edge from letting all the instruments work together in the same space at once, with no edits or dubs. The core combo sounds wonderful – searing guitar, trippy keyboard lines, and all the sneering vocals the young Sky Saxon can muster – served up over tracks that include "Mr. Farmer", "No Escape", "Satisfy You", "Night Time Girl", "Up In Her Room", "Gypsy Plays His Drums", "Mumble And Bumble", "Forest Outside Your Door", "900 Million People Daily All Making Love", and "Pushin' Too Hard". LP, Vinyl record album

The Silver Convention groove is nicely opening up on this set – with an approach that actually seems a bit jazzier than the group's first two albums, bringing more of a focus on the keyboards of Silvester Levay – who's really the brainchild behind the whole group anyway! At some level, Levay seems to be more influenced by the best American club work of the time – especially the Salsoul records that just kept on getting better and better, deeper and deeper with each year. The orchestrations have a bit more soul than before, and mix nicely with the group's trademark Euro-disco sound. Levay wrote all the music on the set, co-produced, and arranged – and his well crafted keyboard lines are the brightest spots in the whole set. Titles include "I'm Not A Slot Machine", "The World Is A Madhouse", "Plastic People", "Fancy Party", "Everybody's Talkin About Love", "Dancing In The Aisle", and "Land Of Make Believe". CD

Nice little underground session from the burgeoning young Chicago scene – oddly released on a UK label! Drummer Ted Sirota leads a lively little quintet that includes Jeff Parker on guitar, Kevin Kizer on tenor, and Rob Mazurek on cornet – and the band has a warm lyrical feel, and a surprisingly mature approach to playing. The whole album features original compositions by the members of the group – many with the kind of creativity that we've come to expect from Mazurek's Chicago Underground groups. Titles include "Geronimo's Free", "Carolynn's Blues", "Lonely People", "La Danse De Janvier", and "Little Spots". CD

A double length collection of Sly's classic work for Epic – featuring the best of the old days, when he was really into a groove! 20 titles: "Dance To The Music", "Everyday People", "Sing A Simple Song", "Don't Call Me N!gger, Whitey", "Stand!", "I Want To Take You Higher", "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)", "Babies Makin Babies", "Family Affair", "Everybody Is A Star", "M'Lady", "Life", "Fun", "You Can Make It If You Try", "Hot Fun In the Summertime", "Runnin' Away", "(You Caught Me) Smilin'", "Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa", "If You Want Me To Stay" and "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)". CD

Almost a "greatest hits" of greatest hits albums – one of those collections that almost sold more copies than all the full albums by the artist – forever earning Sly & The Family Stone a place in record collections around the globe! All the hits are here, laid out back to back in all their righteous goodness – never a single spot of filler, and all-classics, all the way through! Titles include "Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin", "Life", "Everyday People", "I Want To Take You Higher", "Everybody Is A Star", "Dance To The Music", "Hot Fun In The Summertime", and "Sing A Simple Song". All funky – all classic! LP, Vinyl record album

An odd little album in which Sly's classic funky tunes are remixed and extended by John Luongo – ostensibly for play on the dancefloors of the late 70s. Unlike recent remix projects, this one keeps most of the original song intact, and the real changes are in added rhythmic elements – designed to open up and extend the groove a bit. The overall feel is kind of in a TK funk mode, with longer bass and keyboard solos, and some percussion that occasionally breaks down. Remixed tracks include "Stand", "Everyday People", "I Get High On You", "Dance To The Music", and "Sing A Simple Song". LP, Vinyl record album

A stone killer from organist Lonnie Smith – one of his completely cooking early albums for Blue Note, and a hard-burner all the way through! Smith's working here with a really great group that includes Idris Muhammad on drums and Melvin Sparks on guitar – both of whom give the album a really heavy bottom, and almost make the set feel like one of those classic Prestige jammers from the same time. But added to them is a great horn section of Lee Morgan on trumpet, Julian Preister on trombone, and Bennie Maupin on tenor – all of whom give the record a slightly hipper, more modern feel – in keeping with the Blue Note groove of the time. Tracks are all nice and long – and titles include the originals "Turning Point" and "Slow High" – plus versions of "See Saw", "People Sure Act Funny", and "Eleanor Rigby". CD

An unreleased set of solo performances from trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith – one that we'd rank right up there with his most adventurous work of the 70s! Smith comes across wonderfully on the record – full of soul and imagination, and easily as impressive on his solo instruments as scenemate Roscoe Mitchell could be in a similar setting – always moving around with thoughtful shifts in timing and purpose, in ways that always make the whole performance feel very organic, especially as Smith moves between other instruments that include flute, percussion, gongs, and steelophone. Titles include "Jupiter's Astro Waves", "Blue Green Gardens Of The Indigenous People", and "Pan Sonic Fire Rhythms/Red Chrysanthemums/Dark Purple Night On Crater Lake With A Clear View Of Saturn's Rings & Moons". CD

Pure genius from this hardly-heard group – a really wonderful little record that mixes soul and funk with some slight Latin touches as well – all in a blend that's as incredible as the record is rare! The group have this really warm vibe on the vocal numbers – a mix of female lead and chorus bits that's not unlike Voices Of East Harlem, and equally righteous too. But there's also some instrumental bits that are even harder and heavier – almost funky descarga numbers with some really jamming instrumentation, including some fuzzy vibes at one point that almost recall Stark Reality. Titles include "Getting It Down", "Through No Fault Of Our Own", "It's Wonderful Baby/Gina", "Come On And Stay With Me", "Stuff N' Thing", 'Keep On Keepin' On", "Babylon", "Reality", "Judgement Day", and "My People". LP, Vinyl record album

Jeri Southern can be a hell of a jazz singer when she wants – and that was definitely the case on this gem of a record – a laidback small combo setting with excellent guitar accompaniment from Johnny Smith! Smith's trademark tones really color the record in a great way – enriching the sound and offsetting some of the more understated vocals from Jeri – but in a way that also lets us really hear her phrasing, too. The setting is spare and simple – and the song choice is great, too – with shifts between standards and a few more obscure numbers that show Jeri working at a deeper range than we know from other records. Titles include "Robins & Roses", "Without A Warning", "Where Or When", "Two Sleepy People", "Isn't It Romantic", and "Until The Real Thing Comes Along". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible album from the Japanese scene at the start of the 70s – served up by a group with a name that might be clunky, but which also belies one of that nation's heaviest combos of the time! The approach here is a bit like some of the tripped-out blues-influenced rock of the Led Zep generation in the UK – but as with some of this band's contemporaries in Japan, there's also a wilder, wiggier vibe going on too – more freewheeling, especially on the fuzz – and driven by tremendous drums that make for some great changes in some of the more hard-rocking numbers. Titles include "Mr Walking Drugstore Man", "Stoned Out Of My Mind", "Big Headed Woman", and "Ode To The Bad People" – plus the experimental "M Glue", and the acoustic "Sometime We'll All Fall Down". LP, Vinyl record album

A cool little album from the Kansas City scene – a mix of jazz, soul, and vocals – played by a mixed group that includes organ, guitar, vibes, and percussion! The sound is swinging soul jazz, but with vocals out front at times – and the sound is nicely rough around the edges, hardly the commercial affair you might guess from a group with "slick" in their name! These guys are clearly well suited to handling a variety of crowds, as you can tell from the shifting moods of the record – but they've also got a good talent for cooking up some good soulful tunes of their own, like the bossa-inspired "People's Choice", the mellow steppin "Voodoo Village", or the soul jazz groover "Crisco" – which begins with a really great break! The whole thing's pretty nice, and there's a few tasty cuts that also feature scatting vocals going together with the guitar. Titles include "Somewhere Along The Way", "Teach Me Tonight", "Gypsy In My Soul", and "Next Time You See Me". CD

Quite possibly the greatest soul band ever to come out of Milwaukee – and a tight little ensemble who've got a really great sound! The overall feel of their work is a bit hard to peg – as the group are equally great at mellow midtempo group numbers as they are at tighter, clubbier tunes that snap with a bit more of a horn-heavy sound – and throughout the record there's a really playful feel that shows that whatever the sound, whatever the setting, these guys just had a heck of a great time working with each other! That quality can be heard especially well on the title track "I Always Wanted To Be In The Band" – a great little number that's almost an updating of the TSU Tornadoes sound for the 70s – but the whole set's great, and other tracks move into some great super-dope production that we really love! Titles include "I Am A Lonely Man", "People", "Cool Days Are Out Of Style", "I Ain't Never Gonna Let You Go", and "Cash Money". LP, Vinyl record album