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Nice stuff from James! "Public Enemy" is a wonderful track, with a long spoken monologue that shows a great side of James' progressive ideas. Nice message about heroin, and a good backing with a mellow feel. "I Got A Bag Of My Own" is pretty nice too – a fast funky cut with a shouted chorus that really screams!

Gil Evans plays an electric grand piano and is joined by a rather large set of musicians who include Masabumi Kikuchi on a variety of synthesizers, Billy Cobham on drums, Lou Soloff on trumpet, George Lewis on trombone and many others. Tracks include some Evans originals – "Anita's Dance", "Jelly Rolls", "Alyrio", and "Variations On The Misery" plus others like Gershwin's "Gone, Gone, Gone" and Jimi Hendrix's "Up From The Skies".

Gil Evans plays an electric grand piano and is joined by a rather large set of musicians who include Masabumi Kikuchi on a variety of synthesizers, Billy Cobham on drums, Lou Soloff on trumpet, George Lewis on trombone and many others. Tracks include some Evans originals – "Anita's Dance", "Jelly Rolls", "Alyrio", and "Variations On The Misery" plus others like Gershwin's "Gone, Gone, Gone" and Jimi Hendrix's "Up From The Skies".

Gil Evans plays an electric grand piano and is joined by a rather large set of musicians who include Masabumi Kikuchi on a variety of synthesizers, Billy Cobham on drums, Lou Soloff on trumpet, George Lewis on trombone and many others. Tracks include two Evans originals – "Copenhagen Sight" and "Zee Zee" plus others like "Sirhan's Blues", a Jimi Hendrix song "Stone Free", and Mingus' "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress".

A strange lost relic from Beach Boy Bruce Johnston – recorded in the mid 70s with some sweet AOR production work by Gary Usher. The album's actually a fantastic slice of late 60s sunny LA pop – and features work by Curt Boettcher, Chad Stuart, and a few other lost pop luminaries – working with Johnston in a compressed style of pop that's got some nice similarities to the better 70s work of the Beach Boys. The album includes great remakes of "Deirdre" and "Disney Girls", a strangely nice version of "I Write The Songs" (actually written by Johnston himself!) – and the tracks "Rendezvous", "Won't Somebody Dance With Me", "Pipeline", and "Thank You Baby". A great bit of overlooked soft rock from the 70s! 2 bonus tracks on this Japanese CD edition: single and 12" disco versions of "Pipeline".

The Flavor Flav Meets Spike Lee version is a 4-minute skit where, of course, Flavor Flav meets Spike Lee in Brooklyn on his way to the studio.

The complete Public Enemy Def Jam collection on vinyl – Yo! Bum Rush The Show, It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, Fear Of A Black Planet, Apocalypse '91. . .The Enemy Strikes Black, Muse Sick-N-Hour Mess Age and the He Got Game soundtrack – that's 6 albums on 9 pieces of vinyl in a heavy-duty box! Put together to commemorate PE's 25th Anniversary, it's really beautifully done. Little more needs to be said about PE's late 80s/early 90s golden age of classic records – all of which are included here, of course – but the one-time panned later Def Jam recordings are pretty damn great, too – and you also get those here – and on vinyl, they way always sounded best! Everything Public Enemy Def Jam studio release from 1987 to 1998 is here.

Digitally re-recorded and remastered versions of the Def Jam classics on picture disc. (Note: This item is not for sale online until after the close of business on Saturday, 4/20/13. It is in limited supply – and by nature of the Record Store Day rules, it will be offered for sale first to customers who visit the Dusty Groove retail outlet in Chicago on that day. It will not be pre-sold, or reserved in any way. However, after the close of business on Record Store Day, we will offer up whatever we have left for sale online.)

Original and remix versions of this big early cut, plus the fantastic "Rebel Without A Pause". At the time, this was the only way you could get that cut, until, of course, it came out later on LP. Get this one, though, and relive the exciting early days. Pic sleeve, too.

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!

A 7 track EP of contemporary Arab hip hop from the Middle East – with timeless, funk-steeped beats, evocative regional samples and atmosphere – and clearly passionate rhymes, whether you speak the language or not! A remarkable testament to the global reach of strong, conciousness raising hip hop – but also a straight up solid head-nodding listening experience! Includes "Ya Deeb (Oh Wolf)" by Al Sayyed Darwish & El Rass, "Boov" by LaTlateh, "That El Soor (Under The Rampart)" by Armada Bizerte, "Janna Janna (Heaven Heaven) by El Far3i & El Rass, "Soura (Picture)" by Rami GB, "Rad Al Sha'b (The People's Response)" by Al Haqq and "foosh (Float)" by El Rass. Side B includes instrumentals for each track.

A heavy record with a heavy pedigree – a smoking set of funky instrumentals, all recorded directly to tape! The trio has a hard-burning sound that takes us back to the Prestige records jazz funk sound of the early 70s – the sort of groove you might have heard from Leon Spencer or Melvin Sparks – with Mike Flanigin on sweet Hammond, Jake Langley on smoking guitar, and Kyle Thompson driving the whole thing with some mighty fierce drums! The CD version has a few great cover versions on top of the solid Dupree originals – and the titles include "The Turtle", "Malibu Classic", "KC", "Moto Guzzi", "Leon's Thing", a great take on the Bacharach/David classic "Close To You", Tina Brooks' "David The King", Horace Silver's "Cookin' At The Continental" and more, 10 tracks on the CD.

A heavy record with a heavy pedigree – a smoking set of funky instrumentals, all recorded directly to tape, then pressed directly on heavy colored wax! The trio has a hard-burning sound that takes us back to the Prestige records jazz funk sound of the early 70s – the sort of groove you might have heard from Leon Spencer or Melvin Sparks – with Mike Flanigin on sweet Hammond, Jake Langley on smoking guitar, and Kyle Thompson driving the whole thing with some mighty fierce drums! Titles are mostly originals – and include "The Turtle", "Malibu Classic", "KC", "Moto Guzzi", and "Leon's Thing". 6 killer tracks on the vinyl version.

Singer Sarah Linhare's has Messages From The Future – delivered via this sweet little set of spacey future soul! Sarah's voice pulls you in pretty quickly, with genuine soul. The production is by Kenlo Craqnuques and a couple of guests, who all manage to blend soft, airy atmoshere with some fairly thick beats and other denser textures. The sounds work well together and the songs are memorable, so this one works out pretty darn well! Moonstarr produces a couple tracks, with additional guests Think Twice, Wayne Tennant & Anthony Pageot. Titles include "Grapefruit", "Sarinha", "Other Side", "Dirty Business", "No Question", "Step Up", "Move Along", " I Get Scared" and "Only Human".

A totally great little compilation – rare late 70s/early 80s tracks pulled from the collection of the Parry Music sound library – put together with an especially strong focus on electronics! There's a great retro/future feel to the whole thing – one that definitely lives up to the title – and the electric touches run from spare 70s analogue elements to some wider 80s keyboard sounds – really balanced out nicely to keep a good sense of variety throughout! Titles include "Drone No 1" and "Remote Control" by Harry Forbes, "The Beginning" by Johnny Hawksworth, "New Invention" by Nino Nardini, "Poseidon" by Paul Williams, "Bio Rhythm" by Paul Kass, "Dawn Light" by Robin Artus, "Integrator" by Hermann Langschwert, "Future Directions" by Rick Miller, and "Sonic Rhythm" by Barry Schleifer.

Greil Marcus takes an ambitious look at the life and works Van Morrison – this is no regular rock and roll biography, Marcus goes deeper and approaches Van by observing his most unclassifiable moments in his career. From the transcendent, sublime genius of classics such as Astral Weeks to the years and years of completely forgettable work (in Marcus's view), he covers it all in his signature, brilliant style of writing. Hardcover, 195 pages.

A guide to essential Old School Rap & Hip Hop from team at the indespensible All Music Guide – featuring more than 500 music reviews of important records by Grandmaster Flash, Run-DMC, NWA, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy and so much more – plus reviews on soul and funk LPs that were instrumental in the creation of hip hop, from ESG, The Emotions, Gil Scott-Heron, Marva Whitney and many more! The book is divided into 2 parts, The Roots Of Rap and Digging In The Crates, and organized alphabetically. Paperback, 166 pages, with several reviews per page.

2 rare slices of exotica by Les Baxter – back to back on one CD! The first half of the set features material from the album Ports Of Pleasure – a dreamy exploration of south sea ideals that's got a more lightly drifting quality than some of Baxter's more percussive exotica albums, and which is awash in dreamy soundscapes penned by Les himself! The orchestrations are large and bold throughout – mixing strings and woodwinds almost in a soundtrack-y mode – but always with the light sense of interplay that makes Baxter's work so great. Titles include "Monkey Dance Of Bali", "Pearls Of Ceylon", "Tahiti A Summer Night At Sea", "Hong Kong Cable Car", "Tramp Steamer To Singapore", "Harem Silks From Bombay", and "Sidewalk Cafes Of Saigon". The Sacred Idol is a real standout set from the end of Les Baxter's run at Capitol Records – originally scored for a film that was never released, but a great set of tracks that more than stands strongly on its own! The theme here is a Mexican/Latin American one – explored by Baxter with his trademark blend of larger orchestrations and lighter exotica touches – often swirling around in an extremely evocative mode that makes us wish the film had been issued to the public, and at a few key moments even hinting at the funkier modes that would follow on some of Les' later work for other labels. Titles include "Aqueducts", "Gardens Of The Moon", "Pyramid Of The Sun", "Temple Of Gold", and "Procession Of The Princes".

Very very very cool stuff from Italy in the 70's. This tight little combo featuring Fender Rhodes, electric bass, and congas lays down some super tight grooves with a very deep, very funky, very laid back feel. Originally intended for soundtrack use in TV and commercials, this disc has finally been released to the public, and it's been worth the wait! As great as the words "Fender Rhodes", "Italy", and "congas" might suggest, and even better upon repeated listenings. Some tracks have a slightly Latin feel, while others sound like super mellow CTI grooves. Excellent stuff, and it's hardly been off our turntable this month!

Amazing images from the Santeria underground in contemporary Cuba – the rich spiritual culture that's persisted for decades – and, if anything, has gotten only stronger through a rich network of local practice and dedicated spirituality! The photographs here are all in brilliant black and white – shot both behind the scenes, and at public festivals – and accompanied by notes and writing in both English and Spanish. The oversized book is 158 pages, with very good paper stock – a heavy coffee-table tome on the topic!

Amazing images from the universe of Sun Ra – a mixture of rare photographs and mural images painted by Aye Aton – sometime percussionist with the Arkestra, and a heck of a great painter too! The book begins with these stunning full color photographs of Ra on the set of Space Is The Place – images from 1972 that echo the cover of the album of the same name, but which feature a costumed Ra in a number of different settings – including a few parking lot shots that make him look like a true visitor from the cosmos, briefly walking on our planet! The bigger second half of the book features photographs of murals painted by Aton (who's also known as Robert Underwood) – all of them spacey and trippy, and in a similar spirit to the Saturn Records album covers – except these were all painted on walls and ceilings, in very vivid colors. Aye painted many images in the Arkestra commune in Philly – and other paintings appear to be from the south side of Chicago – and all work here is seen by the wider public for the first time ever. Archivist John Corbett provides an essay with the book to situate the work – and the whole thing's a vivid visual treat for any fan of Sun Ra!

The best of a handful of albums that the one-time Prince bassist put out in the early 80s – a record that made a splash via the great Prince-penned "The Dance Electric" – possibly a blessing and a curse for AC, as Prince was so huge at the time that the record going public was too quick to dismiss him as a clone! But don't let that stop you – as Cymone's got a groove that's all his own – and an 80s soul star definitely worth rediscovering. The percussive vibe is similar to Prince, but Andre's got a leaner, funkier style overall – virtually working as a one man band here, and handling most instrumentation himself – which brings a compact feel to the record that really comes through in the tightness of the grooves. Titles include "The Dance Electric", "Lipstick Lover", "Pretty Wild Lover", "Book Of Love", "Vacation", "Satisfaction", and "Neon Pussycat".

Whether you're a pitmaster or a sous chef, you always need a little coverage in the kitchen – and if you're like us, you're most likely spinning a bit of music while you cook – so why not combine the two, and host your folks with a Dusty Groove Apron? We actually created these for our used record department – so that they could spend a day digging through vinyl, and not get completely covered in dust. But due to customer requests, we're also offering them to the public – perfect for everyday use in the kitchen, hosting a BBQ in warm weather, or even working around the woodshop in your basement! Heavy cotton denim, with the Dusty Groove logo at the top, two pockets below, a pen pocket, and an adjustable neck strap – so that we can confidently say that one size fits all.

A hell of a great record – as you might already guess from the fact that Kassin produced the album, and it also features guest appearances by Chico Buarque and Tom Ze! Yet Thais Gulin is clearly the main draw here – a really lovely, inventive singer with a freshness that comes through on the very first tune – the haunting string of "ooo" sounds in the title, set to sounds that are earthy enough to be earnest, yet gentle enough to sensitively deliver Thais to the public. The rest of the record follows with a similar balance between charm and creative expression – and titles include "Little Boxes", "Encantada", "Cinema Americano", "The Glory Hole", "Agua", "Horas Cariocas", "Se Eu Soubesse", and "Revendo Amigos".

Srong work from Boris Hoff (tenor and soprano sax, sine tones and harmonium), Steven Hess (drums and electronics), Keefe Jackson (contrabass clarinet & tenor sax) and Juun (piano) – recorded at Chicago's Experimental Sound Studios in April of '10. Slow building atmosphere and tense interplay from exceptional players on the aptly named Creative Sources label. Includes 2 long pieces: "Public" (29+ minutes) and "Personal" (12+ minutes) and the shorter middle piece "Social" (nearly 6 minutes).

Our favorite album ever from Roland Kirk – and a beautiful mix of two different sides of his genius! Side one's got Roland doing these crazy takes on late 60's pop cuts like "My Cherie Amour" and "Say a Little Prayer", plus his own "songs", done with soulful vocals and a straight-on approach that shows him trying to break out of the avant jazz underground, and reach a wider audience with a spiritual message on tracks like "Search For The Reason Why" and "Spirits Up Above". If this description sounds like a mess, it's not – because this side of the album is one of Kirk's most brilliant statements ever about jazz, soul, love and freedom! Side two has Roland in a straighter vein – running through a tight live set from Newport 1968, handled with fire and imagination, the kind of boundless energy he always brought to his public appearances. Tracks on that set include "One Ton", "Three For The Festival", "Afro Blue", and some great remarks by Roland!

After this one, there was no turning back for Kool & The Gang! The record has them bringing their underground funk sound to the masses – with a choppy riffy groove that stands out almost as a public challenge to all the other pretenders that had been cropping up on major labels during the same time. The band are as tight as they ever were – and they're rolling like a non-stop locomotive with a horn-heavy groove on classics like "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging", while also showing hints of their strong mellow future on the cut "Wild & Peaceful". The album also includes the massive two part jammer "Funky Stuff" and "More Funky Stuff", plus "This Is You, This Is Me" and "Life Is What You Make It".

Ostensibly released as a project by Penthouse Magazine, and packaged in a tri-fold cover that includes loads of nudie photos of their playmates (or is it "pentmates"?), this is actually a nice bit of extended disco grooves, with some good acoustic percussion, hard conga and kick drums, strings, and electric keyboard lines. The album's broken out into two long tracks (on on each side), "Let's Make Love In Public Places" and "Let Me Be Your Fantasy". Both are nice disco groovers, and we don't see this album that often, either!

Funky madness from the mind of Galt MacDermot – the second volume of rare work from his deep deep vaults! Galt's best known to most of the world as the man who wrote the music for Hair, but to us beatheads, the best stuff is his rare work – a wealth of incredible drumbreaks, basslines, piano riffs, and quirky rhythms – recorded for years on his own, finally now getting out to the public! This album's almost better than the first volume – as it's filled with stripped down instrumental cuts that feature plenty of drums (by either Idris Muhammad or Bernard Purdie), electric keyboards, and other instrumentation like flute or guitar. A few cuts have vocals, but even those are nice and funky – and honestly, the album's maybe even better all the way through than most of Galt's classic albums from the old days! Titles include "Ba Ba Black Baby", "Lost Dreams", "Ghetto Suite Medley", "DD 2 03", "Wurly", "Water Fight", and "Cleanly & Pump".

Fuzzy Texas work from the 60s – music that's got a mighty strong influence from Bob Dylan – but which is done with a sound that's way more garagey than Bob would have every attempted! There's a vibe here that almost offers an early look at the Dallas scene that gave the world some headier psych – a style that still has one foot in folk rock, but another even more strongly pointed towards reverb and distortion – often with really cool results! Tunes are mostly originals, and mix jingle jangle leanings with some darker tones – on titles that include "A Public Execution", "Cryin Inside", "Lie Beg Borrow & Steal", "Look At The Sun", "Promises Promises", "Do The Best You Can", and "Maid Of Sugar Maid Of Spice".

Paris comes atcha, with Dead Prez and Public Enemy in tow.

Sweet folksy pop from the glory days of A&M! Evie has a voice that's emotive in a folk rock way, but which is here produced with smoother west coast arrangements that are more in an LA mode. The overall sound of the album is very hip – with that cool late 60s approach that never gets picked up by oldies stations, and which is only the province of records like this, odd mis-shots in the pop economy that often got cut out as soon as they were produced, shunned by an uncaring record buying public. Titles include "Crazy Annie", "It's This I Am", "Shadow Of The Evening", "Close Your Eyes, Cross Your Fingers", "Any Way That You Want Me", "One Find Summer Morning", and "I'll Hold Out My Hand". Also includes the bonus track "Maybe Tomorrow".

Cybil Shepherd sings Cole Porter tunes as they were originally written – meaning that all the double meanings and "blue" lyrics are intact without the editing that was later done for the general listening public. Her singing is not bad, very much in the style of a Broadway musical singer or that of the Las Vegas showroom. Tracks include "Let's Do It", "My Heart Belongs To Daddy", "Kate The Great", "Anything Goes", "Give Him The Oo-la-la", "Let's Misbehave", and "Brush Up Your Shakespeare". The music was arranged and conducted by Artie Butler and the album was directed and produced by film maker Peter Bogdanovich.

Duets between alto saxophonist Rob Brown and pianist Matthew Shipp, recorded at a time when Shipp was first bursting into public consciousness as one of the stronger figures of the east coast avant garde of the past 25 years. Most tracks are numbered versions of "Sonic Exploration" – and the record also includes takes on "Oleo" and "Blue In Green".

Spacey, club ready remixes of ascending hip hop-gospel-soul spirits Washington Projects – plus the full Light Up The Dark album as a bonus disc! Washington Projects blend modern hip hop and R&B singing and rhymes beautifully well, with inspirational songs that are, well, genuinely inspirational. Space Time Continuum is filled heavily thumping, pulsing, floor-shaking remixes from the duos previous couple of albums. Titles include "Work (Intergalactic Public Transit Mix)", "Time (Spiral Galaxy Mix)", "My Dream (Wicker Park Mix", "Zephyr Wings (Chicago Discothaque Mix)", "Yesterday (Northern Lights Mix)" and more. Includes the Light Up The Dark album as a bonus disc, with "Light Up The Dark", "You Are Beautiful", "My Dream", "Stay", "Go", "Justus", "Momma", "Heaven Here I Come" and more.

A classic set from this massively underrated singer/songwriter! Paul Williams was definitely at the height of his mainstream popularity by the time of this set – with endless appearances on countless TV shows, not to mention work in The Planet Of The Apes films – yet the record's got a nicely personal feel at times – still that fragile intimacy that's always made Paul's recordings of his music so great! A few cuts definitely show a bit more swagger than before – the growing Williams public persona, although not yet at Paradise Phantom level – but it's the gentler tunes that really stand out best, including Paul's own readings of "Rainy Days & Mondays" and "You & Me Against The World". Other titles include "Born To Fly", "You Know Me", "That's What Friends Are For", "Inspiration", "What Would They Say", and "In The Beginning".

An amazing movie in sound – supposedly music (and more) that was going to be used in a film project, issued to the public while Zappa was trying to raise money for production! The album's one of the most tripped-out studio efforts to date from the group – loads of overdubbing, and wonderfully complicated instrumentation – with some especially great keyboards from Don Preston and Ian Underwood, whose keys alone almost preface the future of fusion – while, at the same time, display some key links to 20th century avant music as well! Vocals are dropped in at just the right time, but the instrumental interplay is what really makes the record special – over many short tracks that include "Mr Green Genes", "We Can Shoot You", "Dog Breath Variations", "Sleeping In A Jar", "The Legend Of The Golden Arches", "Uncle Meat", "Cruising For Burgers", and "King Kong" in many variations.

Stellar material that Ike Turner produced in just a couple years for Modern Records – in many cases, with Ike also given the songwriting credit – New Orleans & LA recordings from '63-'65! Ike was one incredible vessel of pure musical talent and ingenuity – overshadowed badly by that red hot hell of a public and private life. That's a shame for a number of reasons, but the work speaks for itself. What's most incredible here, is that other voices speak for their own immense talent as well as Ike's work behind the scenes. It's get great, rare material by Ike & Tina Revue & Kings Of Rhythm members and others. 27 tracks in all: "Darkest Hour", "I Smell Trouble", "Feel So Good" and more by Jimmy Thomas, "All In My Mind" by Tina Turner, "In Love" by Jackie Brenston & The Ikettes, "That's All Right" and "You're So Fine" by Vernon Guy, "Think" by Bobby John & The Ikettes, "Walking Down The Aisle" by Ike Turner & The Ikettes and more.

Double LP collection from 1987-88. Public Enemy "Don't Believe The Hype", EPMD "Strictly Business" (club mix), De La Soul "Plug Tunin", Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock "It Takes Two", Kool Moe Dee "Wild Wild West" (extended remix), Salt-N-Pepa "Push It" (remix), Run DMC "Run's House", and five more.

The folks at Black Power records put this one together for Irma's La Douce label, and it's a great batch of tasty Italian jazz funk cuts that were never released to the public. As with the Trunk or Scoctopus comps, most of this stuff was recorded for commercial use, and only came out on limited pressing originally. Unlike those, though, this one's totally over the top funky, with great grooves throughout, and an excellent electric Italian groovy sound. You may recognize some of the artists, like The Cabildos, Mark Molino, or Yellow Sharks, but even if you don't, it's all great stuff!

Includes "Destroy All Masters" by Son Slawta Melquan, "Out For Just Us" by 5ive-O, "Runbo N Da Jungo" by Wreck League, "Mind Deep" by Public Enemy, "Dweeb" by Bonne N Clyde, and "Hooptie Car" by Punk Barbarians.

One of the best James Brown soul LPs from the 70's, with a great mix of funky tracks and deeper soul tracks. The latter is represented by the classics "Public Enemy #1" and "King Heroin", both hard soul political tracks. The funk is represented by "Talkin' Loud & Sayin' Nothing", "There It Is", and James's version of "I Need Help" (which was also recorded by Bobby Byrd). Another great reissue of an album we hardly ever see in good shape – and at about one fifth the price of an original copy!

If there's anyone who earns the name "Mr Soul", it's gotta be Sam Cooke – given that records like these were crucial to getting the term of soul music out to the public in the 60s! The set's a great illustration of the way that Sam cooks up soul, too – as it mostly features familiar tunes, recast by Cooke with a new soul music approach – that deeper feeling he brings to the lyrics, while still holding up a professional polish that rivals the great singers of the decade before. Horace Ott handled the arrangements, with a great blend of strings and soul – and titles include "Smoke Rings", "I Wish You Love", "Little Girl", "Driftin Blues", "Send Me Some Lovin", and "Chains Of Love".

The best of a handful of albums that the one-time Prince bassist put out in the early 80s – a record that made a splash via the great Prince-penned "The Dance Electric" – possibly a blessing and a curse for AC, as Prince was so huge at the time that the record going public was too quick to dismiss him as a clone! But don't let that stop you – as Cymone's got a groove that's all his own – and an 80s soul star definitely worth rediscovering. The percussive vibe is similar to Prince, but Andre's got a leaner, funkier style overall – virtually working as a one man band here, and handling most instrumentation himself – which brings a compact feel to the record that really comes through in the tightness of the grooves. Titles include "The Dance Electric", "Lipstick Lover", "Pretty Wild Lover", "Book Of Love", "Vacation", "Satisfaction", and "Neon Pussycat". This Big Break remastered edition has 5 bonus tracks: "Fallin' Fallin", "Red Light", "The Dance Electric (Single Version)", "Lipstick Lover (12" Club Version)" and "Satisfaction (12" Club Version)".

Searing work from guitarist Jesse Hector – an unusual link between punks and rockers on the British scene of the 70s! Jesse's got a career that spans 40 decades in rock – starting with early garagey recordings that were influenced heavily by American acts of the late 50s, but done in a stripped-down way that shared plenty of energy with the early punks – even if Hector's own leanings weren't as punk-like. His work with Crushed Butler at the end of the 60s has already been brilliantly re-discovered by another CD on RPM – and this collection presents tracks from around and well after those years – recordings done mostly in the 70s, plus a few surprisingly great tracks from the early 90s that actually seem to have even sharper guitar work and more propulsive energy. There's a sense of power and personality here that makes us wonder why Jesse's not more of a household name in accounts of these years – but part of the charm of this set is also that mystery – why a talents so strong didn't burn more brightly in the public eye! CD has great notes on all the tracks – and features 20 titles that include "Carolina", "Leavin Town", "Runnin Wild", "Foxy Lady", "New York Groover", "I'm A Liar", "Gatecrasher", "She's My Gal", "Leavin Home", "Factory Grime", and "Love Is All Around Me".

Groovy 60s spy soundtrack work – with a mod French twist! The CD documents a series of excellent scores by French composer Michel Magne – written for a run of mid 60s films based around the character of OSS 117 – a James Bond-like secret agent known to the French public through a series of 242 successful novels! The scope of OSS 117's adventures was large – as globe-spanning as that of James Bond, a fact that gave Magne plenty of room to throw in cool exotic, groovy, and jazzy elements to the soundtracks – in a style that was ultimately a heck of a lot more lively than that of John Barry, and which easily matches the best 60s soundtrack work of Lalo Schifrin, Jerry Goldsmith, or Hugo Montenegro! We'd honestly never heard any of these tracks before – but our love of Magne led us to the set, and we were certainly rewarded – as the 23 track package is overflowing with incredibly groovy tunes, and has the feel of some of the best Crippled Dick collections from years past! The four films on the set include OSS 117 Se Dechaine, Banco A Bangkok Pour OSS 117, Furia A Bahia Pour OSS 117, and Atout Coeur A Tokyo Pour OSS 117 – and titles include "OSS 117 Hully Gully", "Banco A Bangkok", "Poursuite Thailandaise", "Hubert Rit Jaune", "Samba Furiosa", and "Slow Du Soleil Levant" – as well as a bonus remix track by Roudoudou!

The mothership has landed! While attempting to make a definitive compilation of all of Scratch's productions would take well more than 3 CDs, this set does a fine job of touching on important highlights and unearthing a few hidden gems, from the fertile Black Ark period. 55 tracks in all, with a fat 52 page book with extensive notes and loads of great photos, we'll let the exhaustive track list speak for itself: Max Romeo "One Step Forward", "War In A Babylon", "Chase The Devil" and "Norman", Devon Irons "Vampire", the Heptones "Sufferer's Time", "Mr. President" with Jah Lion, "Why Must I (version)" with Lee Perry and "Make Up Your Mind", Junior Dread "Sufferer's Heights", The Congos "Don't Blame On I", "Feast Of The Passover" and "CongoMan", The Meditations "Much Smarter", "Life Is Not Easy", and "No Peace", Junior Murvin "Tedious", 'police & Thieves", "Bad Weed" and "Roots Train" with Dillinger, Mikey Dread "Dread At The Mantrols", Errol Walker "In These Times", "John Public" and "John Public (version)" with Enos Barnes, Glen DaCosta "Magic Touch", Jah Lion "Soldier & Police War", Raphael Green & Doctor Alimantado "Rasta Train", Augustus Pablo "Vibrate On", The Upsetter Review with Junior Murvin "Closer Together", Keith Rowe "Groovy Situation", George Faith "To Be A Lover (Have Some Mercy)", Lee Perry "Dub Revolution Pt. 1", "Dreadlocks In Moonlight", "Soul Fire", "Curly Locks" and 'Roast Fish & Cornbread" and The Upsetters "One Step Dub", "Vamp A Dub", "Sufferer's Dub", "Much Smarter Dub", "Life Is Not Easy Dub", "Revelation Dub", "In These Times Dub", "Grumblin' Dub", "No Peace Dub", "Party Time pt. 2", "Vibrator", "Bird In Hand", "Dyon Anasawa" featuring Full Experience, "Rastaman Shuffle", "Groovy Dub" and "Corn Fish Dub".

One of the most tripped-out albums of funk you'll ever buy – a rare treasure with a very unusual history! The Stark Reality were a cool little combo formed to work on public television in Boston in the late 60s – and the combo featured some heavy guitars, fuzzed-up vibes, and some monster percussion laid out in tight bass and drum rhythms that were years ahead of their time! The group recorded one rare album – ostensibly a children's record, but based around old compositions by Hoagy Carmichael, completely pulled apart, sliced up, overly harmonized, and spat out into wild funky tunes that bear no resemblance to their originals! The original album – Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy Carmichael's Music Shop – has been a holy grail for collectors for years (we once sold a copy for hundreds of dollars!), and the music has only ever really been heard by a few dedicated beatheads that have tracked down rare copies. Now, though, the geniuses at Stones Throw have put out the whole LP, plus bonus material, in one fantastic package that is soon to make the Stark Reality legends amongst funky fans the world over! Mad vibes meet fuzzy guitars meet killer funky beats – and the whole thing's a masterpiece that will never be duplicated again! Tracks include "Too Much Tenderness", "Sunday's Song", "Roller Coaster Ride", "Say Brother", "Rocket Ship", "All You Need To Make Music", "Junkman's Song", and "Thirty Days Hath September".

The title's quite right on this one – because the group's heavy on dub, but also uses trombones as well – all in a mode that sometimes recalls the classic sound of Kingston, yet which also has some deep funk elements as well! Twin trombones stretch out beautifully – often quite rhythmic in their approach, and intertwined with tight basslines, echoey drums, and sweet guitar riffs too – and titles include "Trio Tro Tro", "Public Option (Prince Polo dub)", "Q Street (Subatomic Sound System rmx)", "Washingtonian", "Neolithic", and "We Will Begin Again (DJ Trainwreck rmx)".

Livin' the "Bon Bon Vie", with this classic uptempo groover from T.S. Monk! You'd hardly guess that this guy was Thelonious Monk's son – but who cares about his roots when the album grooves so hard? This Monk plays drums, not piano, but the best tracks on the record have a tight keyboard funky soul sound that's virtually a blueprint for 80s groove – lots of jazzy elements that warm things up nicely, and a catchy rhythmic pulse that never quits! The standout cut is the classic "Bon Bon Vie", a dancefloor groover that will never die, and a huge sample for Public Enemy – but the album also includes many other great cuts, like "House Of Music", "Hot Night In The City", and "Last Of The Wicked Romancers".

A treasure trove of rare grooves you've probably never heard before – all pulled from the tiny, but excellent, catalog of Montparnasse 2000, a super-hip French sound library label! Most of these tracks were never issued formally to the public – only recorded to serve as backings in radio, TV, and commercial use – but that doesn't stop them from being some really great funky grooves, especially as most of them were performed by some of France's best funky jazzmen of the time! There's a sweet 70s groove that bubbles through the whole set – lots of funky drums, choppy guitar, sweet keyboards, and other classic instrumental touches – and since the Montparnasse catalog has been virtually untapped until now, nearly every track is super-fresh to our ears! Titles include "Turn In Around" by Willy Albimoor, "SOS 17" by Guy Pedersen, "Violence" by Caiage, "OK Richard" by Sylvano Santorio, "Don't Be Cool" by Jacky Giordano, "Danger" by Rene Costy, "Grand Roque" by Maurice Vander, "Vision Pop" by JJ Rober & JM Guise, and "Catalepsy" by Eric Framond.

Wonderful work from both Buddy Collette and Irene Kral – initially recorded for the Navy Swings radio show in the early 60s, and finally presented here to the public on CD! The tracks all feature Buddy's early 60s quintet with Al Viola on guitar and Jack Wilson on piano – and Buddy himself is very strongly the lead soloist in the set, stepping away from some of the more tightly arranged modes of his albums of the 50s, and hitting some wonderfully spontaneous moments on flute, clarinet, tenor, and alto sax. Wilson's piano is as lovely and lyrical as on his best albums as a leader from the time, and provides perfect accompaniment to Kral on the album's vocal tracks – which comprised 6 of the CD's total 14 numbers. Kral tunes include "The Meaning Of The Blues", "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most", "Detour Ahead", and "It's A Wonderful World" – and instrumental tunes include "A Taste Of Fresh Air", "Hunt & Peck", "Emaline's Theme", "Road Trip", and "Soft Touch".

After this one, there was no turning back for Kool & The Gang! The record has them bringing their underground funk sound to the masses – with a choppy riffy groove that stands out almost as a public challenge to all the other pretenders that had been cropping up on major labels during the same time. The band are as tight as they ever were – and they're rolling like a non-stop locomotive with a horn-heavy groove on classics like "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging", while also showing hints of their strong mellow future on the cut "Wild & Peaceful". The album also includes the massive two part jammer "Funky Stuff" and "More Funky Stuff", plus "This Is You, This Is Me" and "Life Is What You Make It".

Fuzzy and funky grooves from one of the greatest European talents of the 70s – the great Janko Nilovic, a studio genius whose true talents are only being appreciated today! This wonderful set of tunes was originally scored for an obscure French sound library series, and is finally making it out to the public in this package – a sweet batch of funky tunes that will make you feel like you found a killer soundtrack from back in the day! Lots more heavy guitars than on some of Janko's other work – and other nice electric touches on bass and keyboards too – plus some occasional mellower cuts that stretch out in spacious scoring! Titles include "Rush On The Ball", "Duty Free", "Ski Trails", "Real Happening", "Face To The World", "In The Space", and "Love On the Moon".

Funky electronic sound library genius from Bruno Spoerri – a Swiss 70s composer who cut some incredible work for obscure industrial sources! Bruno's music is heavy on analogue electronics – sometimes used sparely and spacily, but other times in a very rhythmic fashion that's strongly in keeping with the machines, products, and processes his tunes were used to promote! And apart from one great reissue 45 years back on Jazzman, most of Bruno's work has never been heard (at least consciously) by a larger audience – and this excellent LP marks the first time that most of these tunes have ever been made available to the public at large! As with other titles on the Finders Keepers label, there's a mania here that runs through the entire set – a "something's different" sort of feel that really makes the record an instant treasure – yet one with enough of a groove to also appeal to those who dug the funk on Bruno's Jazzman 45! Titles include "Lilith Singing In The Dark", "Soft Art Theme", "Lilith The Dance", "Les Electroniciens", "Oederlin", "Gluckskugel Title", "Drillin", "Lilith On The Way" and "Wer Gwunnt".

A treasure trove of rare grooves you've probably never heard before – all pulled from the tiny, but excellent, catalog of Montparnasse 2000, a super-hip French sound library label! Most of these tracks were never issued formally to the public – only recorded to serve as backings in radio, TV, and commercial use – but that doesn't stop them from being some really great funky grooves, especially as most of them were performed by some of France's best funky jazzmen of the time! There's a sweet 70s groove that bubbles through the whole set – lots of funky drums, choppy guitar, sweet keyboards, and other classic instrumental touches – and since the Montparnasse catalog has been virtually untapped until now, nearly every track is super-fresh to our ears! Titles include "Turn In Around" by Willy Albimoor, "SOS 17" by Guy Pedersen, "Violence" by Caiage, "OK Richard" by Sylvano Santorio, "Don't Be Cool" by Jacky Giordano, "Danger" by Rene Costy, "Grand Roque" by Maurice Vander, "Vision Pop" by JJ Rober & JM Guise, and "Catalepsy" by Eric Framond.

A legendary set of sound library grooves – and actually one of the first to kick off the genre! The package brings together rare tracks from the small Italian Octopus label – not nearly as well-known as De Wolfe, KPM, or other sound library giants – but an equally great source of rare funky jazz cuts that were never issued to the public at the time – recorded as part of the huge wave of studio activity in Italy during the 60s and 70s! Given that the set was collected by Schema, you can bet that the tracks are right on the money – and titles include "Curly" by Stellio Subelli, "Sculturea Beat" by Angelo Baroncini, "Diacromeico" by Sandro Brugnolini, "Games" by Pasquale Castiglione, "First Black" by Mario Molino, "Maze" by Roberto Conrado, and "Verso L'Infinito" by Alessandro Alessondroni.

The best of a handful of albums that the one-time Prince bassist put out in the early 80s – a record that made a splash via the great Prince-penned "The Dance Electric" – possibly a blessing and a curse for AC, as Prince was so huge at the time that the record going public was too quick to dismiss him as a clone! But don't let that stop you – as Cymone's got a groove that's all his own – and an 80s soul star definitely worth rediscovering. The percussive vibe is similar to Prince, but Andre's got a leaner, funkier style overall – virtually working as a one man band here, and handling most instrumentation himself – which brings a compact feel to the record that really comes through in the tightness of the grooves. Titles include "The Dance Electric", "Lipstick Lover", "Pretty Wild Lover", "Book Of Love", "Vacation", "Satisfaction", and "Neon Pussycat". Massive 2CD version features loads of bonus tracks – 20 more numbers that include lots of mixes of "The Dance Electric", "Satisfaction", and "Lipstick Lover" – plus "Vacation (Andre Cymone mix)", "Let Me Kiss The Bride (inst)", and "Anything (inst)".

Yep, her milkshake really is better than yours! Hip hop future funk chanteuse Kelis Rogers takes a big step out on her own for her first full length effort for Star Trak – and the result is one damn fine, wholly unpretentious funky party album, a tasty and unique confection! The production by longtime collaborators/mentors the Neptunes is all about swirling, chest shaking synths and treble-heavy clapping beats – and Kelis spreads her wings this time with additional booth work by Dallas Austin, Andre 3000, Rockwilder, and Raphael Saadiq. If you only caught up with Kelis with the aggressively catchy, pounding "Milkshake" single, you'll dig the rest of the album, too – even the more earnest, Raphael Saadiq-produced soul tunes are designed to get you’re a** moving a little. Tracks include "Milkshake", "Trick Me", "Keep It Down", "Protect My Heart", "In Public" with Nas, "Millionaire" featuring vocals and production by A3K (this one would sound perfectly in place on The Love Below), "Glow" and "Attention" with Raphael Saadiq, "Marathon", "Rolling Through The Hood" and more.

Nice compilation put together at the end fo the 80s with tracks for the preceding few years on Def Jam, with a number of now hard to find cuts. 13 tracks in all: LL Cool J "Rock The Bells", "Jack The Ripper" & "I'm Bad", Original Concept "Can You Feel It?", Beastie Boys "Rhymin' & Stealin" & "Fight For You Right (To Party)", Russell Rush & Jazzy Jay "Cold Chillin In The Spot", Public Enemy "Son Of Public Enemy (Flavor Whop version)" & "Rebel Without A Pause", Poppa Ron Love "I'm A Girl Watcher", Davy D "Have You Seen Davy?" and Slick Rick "The Ruler's Back".

A funky treasure trove from Apple & The Three Oranges – a group we hardly know at all, but who really blow us away with the cuts on this collection! The groove is plenty hard right from the get-go – the best of the funky 45 underground of the early 70s – which means that there's more 60s rawness on the record than you'd get from bigger-label funk at the time – as Ed "Apple" Nelson still works here with a mostly underground vibe! Ed plays drums – which are mighty hard on most numbers – and his vocals have this offbeat, off-kilter, over the top quality that almost reminds us a bit of the Hank Ballard/James Brown recordings for late 60s King – particularly in the way that Nelson's completely unbridled with his energy. The whole thing's great – one of the best funky collections we've heard in years – and presented with a rich amount of notes and historical information too. Titles include "Free & Easy (parts 1 & 2)", "Moon Light", "Curse Upon The World", "What Goes Around Comes Around", "Down Home Publicity", "True Love Will Never Die", "Gotta Stand For Something (parts 1 & 2)", and "I'll Give You A Ring". CD features a massive 52 page booklet, too!

Digging deep in the glory days of doo wop and rock and roll – another fab issue of this sweet publication that goes way past the hits! This time around, the issue includes articles on the Four Larks, Bel Larks, Monograms, Sammy Strain, and Danny & The Juniors – all with a great mix of historic details and personal recollections – and interspersed with vintage photos and label scans as well. A short publication, but packs plenty of punch!

A 12 X 7" box set version of Mayer Hawthorne's breakout How Do You Do – with each track from the album paired with its own previously unreleased instrumental version – in individual photo sleeves that lay out as a full mosaic! The Mayer Hawthorne story was a strange one from the start – white producer/DJ crafting real-deal, moody, sultry throwback soul under a pseudonym that gets him signed to Stones Throw. The best news, really, is that he's still doing what we loved on the Stones Throw record and singles. Skirting both throwback Motown AND indie soul conventions, but winking ever so slyly at them, making strings sound scratchy, warm and well-worn, subtle horns to sooth and stir, his own vocals layered for a group-like effect. Bonus points for his use of the superstar cameo – he brings Snoop Dogg in to SING, not to serve as an obligatory rhyme cameo. Well played, Mayer Hawthorne! Includes "Get To Know You", "A Long Time", "Can't Stop" with Snoop, "Finally Falling", "Hooked", "You Called Me", "No Strings", "Dreaming", "The Walk" and more. Comes in a heavy duty box – which also includes a custom display sheet that can hold all 12 singles. Beautiful!

Mayer Hawthorne moves to the majors on How Do You Do – bringing that fun, neo classic bedroom soul sound he did so well on Stones Throw with him – pretty much picking up right where Strange Arrangement left off! The Mayer Hawthorne story was a strange one from the start – white producer/DJ crafting real-deal, moody, sultry throwback soul under a pseudonym that gets him signed to Stones Throw. The best news, really, is that he's still doing what we loved on the Stones Throw LP and singles. Skirting throwback Motown and indie soul conventions, but winking ever so slyly at them, making strings sound scratchy, warm and well-worn, subtle horns to sooth and stir, his own vocals layered for a group-like effect. Bonus points for his use of the superstar cameo – he brings Snoop Dogg in to SING, not to serve as an obligatory rhyme cameo. Well played, Mayer Hawthorne! Includes "Get To Know You", "A Long Time", "Can't Stop" with Snoop, "Finally Falling", "Hooked", "You Called Me", "No Strings", "Dreaming", "The Walk" and more.

A limited edition slice of goodness from Mayer Hawthorne – a live performance recorded for the Morning Becomes Eclectic program on KCRW in LA! The material's a nice addition to the studio Hawthorne we already love – and shows a new sort of warmth that comes through not just in the performance, but in some of the interview bits too. The band is a small combo, and titles include "No Strings", "Love In Motion", "Dreaming", "The Walk", "Shiny & New", and "I Wish It Would Rain".

Very unusual – a promo letter from Warner publicity director Pete Johnson – perfectly illustrating the wit that the label had in the late 60s!

Nothing ugly about this issue – as the heavy volume celebrates the 30th Anniversary of this wonderful publication – stuffed to the gills with great bits on great sounds from the 60s and 70s! This time around, the big articles are on The Nazz, The Seeds, and Radiators From Space – with smaller bits on Cyril Jordan, Ty Wagner, and New York Dolls. And although the cover bills the magazine as "The fanzine that refuses to die" – the book-heavy contents are way more than any zine might offer – a whopping 175 pages, filled with dense writing and lots of images – and a good number of reviews as well!

Sublime vocal work from a contemporary Georgian ensemble – but one who work strongly in the best ancient modes of the Eastern world! The group have an amazing polyphonic approach – voices rising and falling, crossing and turning, coming together in a way that's far more than usual choral work – with a heavenly quality that's completely transcendent! The approach is a bit like some of the Bulgarian choral work made popular a few decades back, but also a bit more folksy too – given the personal approach of the recording, and the use of light acoustic instrumentation and percussion from time to time – although the vocal passages are clearly the main focus here. CD features 25 tracks in all – some traditional, some more recent, all of them beautiful!

Life! Liberty! Vengeance! A wild and very cool soundtrack for Tarantino's dual Blacksploitation/Spaghetti Western homage Django Unchained – featuring bits from some of our favorite Italian western composers mixed up with classic and contemporary funky soul and hip hop! It's the kind of soundtrack that could only happen for Quentin Tarantino – with rare and hard-to-find compositions by Luis Bacalov, Ennio Morricone, Riz Ortolani and Jerry Goldsmith on one hand – along with a few seemingly antithetical new compositions on the other – including a track penned by star Jamie Foxx for Rick Ross, a James Brown "Payback" remix with a vocal from the 2Pac archive, plus ones by Anthony Hamilton, John Legend and others! Last but not least, it's got some great bits of film dialogue by Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson and Leonardo DiCaprio. Titles include "Django" by Luis Bacalov, "The Braying Mule" by Ennio Morricone, "Nicaragua" by Jerry Goldsmith with Pat Metheny, "Day Of Anger" by Riz Ortolani, "Unchained (The Payback/Untouchable)" by James Brown with 2Pac, "Who Did That To You?" by John Legend, "100 Black Coffins" by Rick Ross, "Trinity (Titoli)" by Annibale E I Cantori Moderni and many more.

An excellent collection of soulful house from the current Detroit underground – one that's bubbling over with great work from lesser-known talents – all of whom come together to prove that these days, Detroit's one of the most happening music scenes on the planet! There's a really unified feel to the record, despite the presence of so many different artists – and much of the work here is kind of a homegrown version of the better-known cosmic grooves that have been emanating from the city in the work of Amp Fiddler, Ayro, and others in recent years. There's perhaps a bit more of a house-heavy vibe here than those references might imply – but the sound is cosmically soulful all the way through, with some great vocals on the best tracks! Titles include "Melodies From The Jazz Republic" by Mick Huckaby, "A Walk Thru Osaka" by Marcellus Malik Pittman, "Ecoutez" by Keith Worthy & Malik Alston, "Hot N Funky" by Delano Smith, and "In The Dark" by Raybone Jones, Marcellus Malik Pittman, & Rick The Godson Wilhite. The 2012 double vinyl version includes the bonus track "Bosmos" by Rick The Godson Wilhite & Kenny Dixon Jr (Moodyman). 6 long jams on 2LPs.

A wealth of popular cuts from Mali, Congo, Zaire, Cameroun, and the Central African Republic!

Sexy cartoons galore – pulled from the pages of the vintage Humorama publications of the 50s, 60s, and 70s – and featuring work from comic giants Jack Cole, Dan DeCarlo, Basil Wolverton, Dave Berg, Bill Ward, and others! The gimmicks are usually simple – a busty gal in skimpy clothing in a possibly tricky situation – but the execution here is brilliant, especially given the great postwar look of most of the cartoons. The book follows in the individual artist series from Fantagraphics – but is bigger than those volumes, with a great sense of variety – over 200 pages, in black and white and a bit of color too.

The story of Bozo The Clown, told by the man himself – served up in a very vivid format that's as playful as the old TV show! We're part of the generation who grew up with the crazy red-haired clown – and Harmon's book definitely tells plenty of the tale we never saw on TV – the backstory of Bozo, and some of the wheeling and dealing it took to get the program to a wide audience. There's a fair bit of images in the book too – some color, some black and white, and lots from other media versions of the clown – and the publication is 224 pages, with some great typography too!

A lavish book that documents the rich graphic legacy of McSweeney's – a press that makes books as beautiful to view as they are to read – thanks to work from some of the most forward-thinking graphic artists around! The huge volume features hundreds of images – from rough sketches to final publications – showing the full range of creative process that goes into each publication – not just the McSweeney's journal, individual books, and other projects as well! The book features contributions and commentary from a huge cast of folks – including Chris Ware, Michael Chabon, Charles Burns, Joyce Carol Oates, Dave Eggers, David Byrne, Tony Millionaire, and many others – and features loads of full-color images too. 262 pages, hardcover, and coffee table-sized!

The long-overdue return of this classic acid folk and psych zine – now in the hands of Mushroom instead of Bevis Frond! The shift seems to have only helped the publication – as this heavy-duty issue is almost as thick as a book – filled with interviews that include Davey Graham, Shirley Collins, Ron Ashton, Elaine Brown, Vashti Bunyan, and Michael Chapman – plus a discussion of British folk rock with Devendra Banhart. There's also a wealth of reviews, hardly any ads at all, and a bonus CD that features 20 rare songs – including material by Doug Yule, Davey Graham, Fern Knight, Steve Wynn, Shirley Collins, Barbara Manning, and Kendra Smith.

Great source material on the legendary Jimi – a wealth of interviews from 1967 through 1970, all pulled together in one super-packed book! The interviews are presented chronologically – in a way that not only shows the changing perception of Hendrix as he's handled by different interviewers and publications – but which also shows Jimi's changing presentation of himself as well! Not all the work here is straight interview – as key stories from American and European press are interspersed too – making it feel like you're following Hendrix during these key years right from the frontlines. 362 pages, hardcover, and filled with notes too.

Damn – these guys never stop giving out the good stuff! Even 31 issues into their historic run, Wax Poetics still hits on more music that matters to us than anyone else – with features this time on Shuggie Otis, Grant Green, Os Mutantes, Patrick Adams, Larry Coryell, Slick Rick, and MF Doom! Few publications take the time to cover music like this, and none do it so well – with an always-thoughtful level of writing, and a beautiful set of photos and vintage images that make the articles almost as worth digging as a crate full of old vinyl! And as always, you get plenty for your money – over 125 full-color, journal-like pages – a high-quality testament to all things funky.

A hefty issue of one of the grooviest magazines around – a great publication that we can really trust to cover all things trippy! The cover feature is a big article on Shocking Blue – a long one that really gets at the full details of the group, with lots of vintage pix, too – and other nice features include the Bevis Frond Family Tree, a look at Sundazed Records, 20 Questions with Richard Thompson, and the cool Simon's Record Challenge – filled with rare vinyl from around the world! Also includes articles on The Rolling Stones, Jelly Fish, and Ian Matthews – and loads of reviews and news!