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Some of the greatest work ever by The Main Ingredient – a selection of their singles for RCA records from the late 60s and early 70s – but one that goes way past just the hits, in order to fully trace the evolution of their heavenly vocal style! The trio started out as an already-great harmony act in the late 60s – a group who were even sweeter and more soaring than some of their contemporaries – making them perfectly placed to move into some of the more righteous harmony modes of the 70s – including some surprising turns towards more righteous, political material. The 22 track package is the greatest we've ever seen on the group – 15 pages of deeply detailed notes, in true Ace/Kent mode – plus singles that include three by The Insiders, "I'm Better Off Without You", "If You Had A Heart", and "I'm Just A Man" – as well as Main Ingredient singles that include "Black Seeds Keep On Growing", "California My Way", "Magic Shoes", "Everybody Plays The Fool", "You've Got To Take It If You Want It", "Girl Blue", "Happiness Is Just Around The Bend", "I Was Born To Lose You", "Brotherly Love", "You've Been My Inspiration", "I'm So Proud", "Spinning Around", "I'm Leaving This Time", "Rolling Down A Mountainside", "The Gold Old Days", and "Shame On The World".

A lost Burt Bacharach treasure – a bit later than classic vintage, but a wonderful album from the mature maestro – and sometimes overlooked, due to its status as a soundtrack! The work here is totally great – that mellow, easy-flowing style that Burt really perfected around the time of Living Together – served up here in a batch of sweet instrumental tracks, plus a few key vocal numbers with lyrics sung by Jackie DeShannon, Libby Titus, and Michael McDonald – all of whom slide down more into the Bacharach ethos than stand out as their usual selves – and we mean that in a good way! Titles include "I Don't Need You Any More", "In Tune", "If We Ever Get Out Of Here", "On The Beach", "I've Got My Mind Made Up", "Find Love", "Luisa", and "I Think I'm Gonna Fall In Love".

Classic level greatness from Bobby Bare – with the complete The Real Thing and I Hate Goodbyes/Ride Me Down Easy records from 1970 and 1973 – plus a smattering of some his best ever recordings as bonus tracks! At his peak – and we consider this to be peak material – Bobby Bare had and easygoing, laconic storyteller vocal style that's as great as any of his more celebrated peers – plus the songs of friend and collaborator Shel Silverstein as well as songs by Tom T Hall, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Joe Shaver, Mickey Newbury and other legends to work with. Add to that a perfect mix Nashville Sound lushness and stripped-down country laid down by the best session musicians in the business and the recipe is pretty close to perfection! 24 tracks in all: "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", "The Chicago Story", "Ride Me Down Easy", "I'll Love The Hurt Out Of You", "(Margie's At) The Licoln Park Inn", "A Restless Wind", "Send Tomorrow To The Moon", "Poison Red Berries", "California Dreams", "Tulsa County", "I Hate Goodbyes", "Barbara Joy", "What's Your Mama's Name, Child", "A Train That Never Runs" and more.

An amazing departure for David Bowie – hardly the kind of record you would expect from his oboe-filled tunes of a few years before – and really the start of the groundbreaking, earthshaking, reinventionist era of his genius! There's a spacious, soaring quality to Space Oddity that's every bit the kind of magical music you might hope for in a set recorded at the close of the 60s – a shift into new modes, new sounds that seem to suck up all the best influences in rock from the previous few years, but fuse it into a new cosmic vision for the next decade. And while others might stumble on cliche with the weight of such a task, Bowie pulls it off brilliantly – mixing his fuzzier feelings with some of his more personal leanings – and showcasing a newly deep sense of songwriting here that's really amazing. Some tunes have the sensitivity of work on Hunky Dory, while others burn with the fire of Man Who Sold The World – all in a balance that never sounds schizophrenic at all. Titles include"Space Oddity", "Memory Of A Free Festival", "God Knows I'm Good", "Cygnet Committee", and "Unwashed & Somewhat Slightly Dazed".

An amazing record – one that stands as one of Chico Buarque's greatest from the 70s! The set was recorded in Italy in 1970 – and features Chico singing lead vocals over backings handled by Ennio Morricone – all in a style that's a perfect blend of MPB with the best elements of the Italian scene of the time! The songs are all originals written by Chico – and have a light and dreamy samba/bossa feel, one that's inflected by the off-beat orchestral style of Morricone, and supported by vocals from I Cantori Moderni. The feel is halfway between Chico's work on RGE and some of the dreamier Morricone soundtracks of the time – and it's a wonderful thing to have a strong male lead vocal over backings from Morricone – a really rare thing for the time, with results that are tremendous. Titles include "Rotativa", "Samba E Amore", "Nicanor", "Tu Sei Una Di Noi", "In Te", "Ed Ora Dico Sul Serio", and "Quete E Quelle".

One of the coolest club combos of the 70s – the mighty Dr Buzzard's Original Savannah Band – a group with a sound that's a lot tighter than their name! The group's probably best known for giving exposure to August Darnell in his pre-Kid Creole years – but they've also got a sound that's really all their own, and which draws strongly from all members of the group – making them way more than just another Darnell side project. Old and new styles come together wonderfully in the band's music – but the approach isn't just easy retro disco, and instead is often a warmer take on mainstream 70s disco modes – one that dips into the past to pull back the right elements to bring a bit more life to the sound. Arrangements are mostly by Stony Browder Jr, who co-wrote most of the tunes – and titles include "The Gigolo & I", "You Got Something/Betcha The Love Bug Bitcha", "Transistor Madness/Future DJ", "Cherchez La Femme/Se Si Bon", "Mister Love", "Sunshower", "Nocturnal Interludes", "Soraya/March Of The Nignies", "Auf Wiedersehen/Darrio", "I'll Play The Fool", and "Hard Times".

A strange film, but a great soundtrack! George Duning came up with an excellent batch of jazzy tracks for the film – and most of them swing hard and tightly, with strong jazzy solos, in a manner that's similar to some of Henry Mancini's best scores of the late 50s. A number of tracks have odd "Eastern" touches in the melody – mostly through the use of percussion – and this makes the jazzy tracks even nicer, and gives them a strange feel that's similar to some of the "east meets jazz" albums on Verve during the 60s. Titles include "Aberdeen Caper", "Gwenny Lee", "At The Namcock", "Groove For Suzie", and "Hit The Road To Dreamland" – and this great CD version features 29 tracks in all, with lots of rare bonus tracks!

A wealth of great work from vocalist Ethel Ennis – her full This Is Ethel Ennis album for RCA, plus a host of additional bonus tracks as well! The full album features Ethel's great vocals alongside dynamic backings from Sid Bass – music that's certainly jazz at the core, but which also has some of the more inventive flourishes that Sid was bringing to his own instrumental sides for RCA – not really tricks or gimmicks, but these great little touches that help keep things interesting throughout! Ethel's vocals are straightforward, but have a nice undercurrent of soul – more so than the usual RCA singers of the time – and titles include "Dear Friend", "An Occasional Man", "He Loves Me", "As You Desire Me", "Who Will Buy", "Night Club", "Love Don't Turn Away", and "When Did I Fall In Love". CD also features 10 more bonus tracks – additional RCA singles cut by Ennis with backings from Dick Hyman, Claus Ogerman, Marty Manning, and others. Titles include "Matchmaker Matchmaker", "I've Got That Feeling", "About Love", "We Could Learn Together", "San Juan", and "The Boy From Ipanema".

Two amazing sets from Harold McNair – a fantastic London 60s flute player with a really sharp edge! The self-titled Harold McNair has the leader working in a tight combo with some nice offbeat sounds – including a lot of breathy, soul-toned notes that remind us a fair bit of Roland Kirk – but which also showcase some of Harold's West Indian roots! (McNair was part of the same great West Indian influx of jazz musicians that also gave England Joe Harriott and Dizzy Reece.) The group features Harold mostly on flute, plus a bit of tenor – alongside Bill LeSage on piano, Spike Heatley on bass, and Tony Carr on drums – and titles include the seminal groover "The Hipster" – worth the price of the record alone – plus "Mento", "Indecision", "The Cottage", and "Mini Blues". Flute & Nut features the flute of Harold McNair alongside some sweet arrangements from John Cameron – with whom Harold worked famously on Donovan sessions in the 60s! Many tunes are McNair originals, and Harold's flute is definitely in the lead – but we also love the grooves that Cameron brings on board – a sweet blend of soulful jazz and sound library styles – all of which gives the album a similar feel to Roland Kirk's work with the Benny Golson group on Mercury. Titles include "Burnt Amber", "Herb Green", "Nomadic Joe", "Barnes Bridge", and "The Umbrella Man".

Without a doubt, one of the most famous scores to come out of Hollywood in the 40s – David Raksin's enduring soundtrack for Laura – and it's as beautiful now as ever! The theme was recorded time and time again over the next few decades – in vocal and instrumental versions, by hundreds of artists. The entire score is wonderful though – and mighty influential, too! It's lush and lovely, with noirish touches – seemingly serving as a template for so many dramatic scores to come! Includes the main title theme plus "The Phonograph", "The Café", "Waldo Walks Away", "Mark", "Apartment House", "The Party", "Laura Leaves", "Night" and more. This great CD version on Kritzerland includes full original score – plus the a bonus test demo fand also presents the full "Laura Suite – Theme And Variations" by Raksin, conducted by Alfred Newman, and runs over 27 minutes long!

Catchy glam pop from guitarist Mick Ronson – the blazing player best remembered for his work with Bowie, here blending punchy riffs and heavier sounds with bubbly hooks and playful production touches. Our favorite tunes showcase the heavy guitar fuzz, but the oddball cutesy songs are endearing in their strange way. Ronson kind of throws a bunch of stuff at the wall here, and the stuff that sticks gets you nodding your head and smiling at the more innocuous touches. Titles include "Billy Porter", "This Is For You", a weird, piano peppered cover of the Velvet Underground's "White Light/White Heat", "Empty Bed", "This Is For You", "Woman" and more. This CD version includes 9 bonus tracks, which include Mick's version of "Life On Mars", "I'd Rather Be Me", "28 Days Jam" and more.

Some great 50s work from modernist George Russell – an expanded version of his work for the RCA label at the time! The first 12 tracks, plus 2 alternates, are from the Jazz Workshop album issued under Russell's name for RCA – A nice little set that's not as arch-modern as some of his later work, with strong playing in kind of that east coast chamber jazz mode that you'd find in some of the other RCA sides of the time. Players include Art Farmer, Hal McKusick, Bill Evans, Barry Galbraith, and Joe Harris – and the tracks are mostly originals, written with slight touches of whimsy, but less of the indulgence on that front as you'd hear on west coast material. Titles include "Witch Hunt", "The Sad Sargeant", "Ballad Of Hix Blewitt", "Knights of The Steamtable", "Jack's Blues", and "Night Sound". Added to these 14 tracks are an additional 4 from the Hal McKusick Jazz Workshop album on RCA – all tunes penned by Russell, and played by a group that's essentially the same as those on Russell's album, with a few slight personnel shifts. Titles include "Lydian Lullaby", "Miss Clara", and "The Day John Brown Was Hanged".

Two great slices of work from The Tymes – each of them different! First up is the Trustmaker album from 1974 – soaring soul from The Tymes – arguably their biggest album ever, and a key RCA Records soul set from the 70s! Like others at the time, the group get a hip new style here with help from the Sigma Sound Studios – working with Richie Rome arrangements, conducted by group member Billy Jackson – in a level that really brings a new sort of sophistication to their sound! The upbeat tunes were the biggest hits, but we're also fans of the mellower moments here too – which remind us of the more harmony-oriented roots of the group, and show that they still had plenty of their own soul to offer, even amidst the Philly setting. Titles include the huge hit "You Little Trustmaker", plus "Someway Somehow, I'm Keepin You", "The Crutch", "Are You Lookin", "Innerloop", "Ms Grace", and "North Hills". Next up is the People album from 1969 – warm, wonderful harmony work from The Tymes – a set that features lots of familiar tunes, but redone in really great ways by the group! The harmonies are the key here – as the group's vocals are totally sublime – cascading magnificently amidst some fuller arrangements that might have been aimed at a crossover market, but which hardly ever dampen their soul at all. Jimmy Wisner handled production, and brings in a gentle swing to some of the tunes – a groove that's certainly made one track, their title version of "People", a big fave down in the Carolinas over the years. Other tracks include "City", "For Love Of Ivy", "Look Of Love", "God Bless The Child", "Make Someone Happy", "The Love That You're Looking For", and "The Way Of The Crowd".

A great later sleeper from Brian Auger – a record that's much deeper and more soulful than some of his earlier work – and done in a soaring style that's really great! Alex Lighterwood sings as much as Auger plays the keys here, but that's ok with us – because he fuses his voice very nicely with organ, electric piano, and moog – creating a spacily soulful quality that's produced with a nice flanged-out style! Some tracks are funky, others are more laidback – and the set's a great illustration of how far Auger had come in just a few years. Titles include the spacey "Thoughts From Afar", the fast-jamming "The Big Yin", a Latin-tinged instrumental "Something Out Of Nothing", plus "Future Pilot" and "Brain Damage".

A killer album of 70s New Orleans funk! Chocolate Milk were an amazing funk group in their best moments – and this album is certainly one of those moments – a blistering batch of tracks that set a whole new style for the Crescent City scene, and which showed that producers Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn could easily hit the hipper notes of the 70s! There's a tight rhythmic sound at the core of most numbers, but expanded instrumentation over the top – bits of spacey electrics or jazzier electronics that never would have shown up in Sansu records of years back, but which show that with the right group, New Orleans funk could easily take on the hippest styles going down on both coasts! The title cut, "Action Speaks Louder Than Words", is a slow funk classic – and the record also includes the incredible electronic-tinged "Time Machine", a perpetual favorite these days. Other nice tracks include "Pretty Pimpin' Willie" and "Ain't Nothin' But a Thing". Arguably the band's best album ever! This Big Break UK remastered edition includes one bonus track: "My Mind Is Hazy (Single Version).

Teddi's working here with some jazzy backings from Al Cohn and his orchestra!

A sweetly dreamy little album recorded by Daevid Allen away from Gong – working here with his drum-less group Euterpe, described in the notes as "an amazing bunch of catalunatics"! The record was recorded in a home studio in Majorca, and has a really relaxed feel – one that's somewhat spare and intimate, but with a lyrically sing-song sort of approach – one that only further pulls out the more playful side of Allen's vocals. Instrumentation includes mandolin, moog, bass, and guitar – and the approach is almost a prog folk move into the territory of Syd Barrett. Titles include "Children Of The New World", "Spirit", "Song Of Satisfaction", "Have You Seen My Friend", "French Garden", and "Wise Man In Your Heart". CD also features the bonus track "Euterpe Gratitude Piece".

An amazing collection – every single Jorge Ben album recorded for Philips – one hell of a massive legacy in music, packaged here with a bonus CD of rare material too! The albums in the collection are the stuff of legend – amazing discs that forever changed the face of Brazilian music with Jorge's unique blend of samba and soul, plus a touch of funk as the 70s came on – and together, the music is a mindblowingly heavy batch of work that few other artists could ever match! Titles include Samba Esquema Novo, Sacudin Ben Samba, Ben E Samba Bon, Big Ben, Jorge Ben (1969), Forca Bruta, Negro E Lindo, Ben, 10 Anos Depois, A Tabua De Esmeralda, Solta O Pavao, Gil E Jorge, and Africa Brasil. Rarities disc is unique to this set, from what we can tell – and is filled with goodies too!

New grooves, but with an older dancefloor style – recorded here in a sound that's got lots of the dark electronics that showed up on the European scene in the early 80s! At many levels, this record is one that could have played big in the clubs in Berlin or Manchester, circa 1983 – as it's got lots of analogue electronics and programmed rhythms that pulsate strongly, but often with a colder sort of groove. The focus is mostly on the instrumentation, although there are a bit of vocals – and if the record didn't have a 2006 copyright date, the set could easily pass itself off as a lost relic from the Sheffield scene of many years back! Titles include "The Devil In Us", "Coach Me", "On Just Foot", "I Regret The Flower Power", and "An Other Skin".

A selection of late 80s South Bronx Teachings – classic Boogie Down Productions circa Criminal Minded! South Bronx Teachings focuses soundly on the class of '87 – so you get fistful of the Criminal Minded cuts and a few other blasts from KRS-One & Scott La Rock, nicely paced over 13 tracks. Includes "Poetry", "South Bronx", "9MM Goes Blang", "Word From Our Sponsor", "Elementary", "Advance", "D-Nice Rocks The House", "The Bridge Is Over", "Criminal Minded", and "P Is Free (rmx)".

Killer modern soul, from one of the masters of the genre! This set by Keni Burke features some strong compositions that rank with his good work for RCA from the early 80's, and the production, while a bit more modern, is still pretty sensitive to Keni's good smooth soul sound. Includes the massive stepper's track "Indigenous Love", plus "I Need Your Love", "This Dedication", "I Get Off On You", "It's Alright", and "Nothin' But Love".

Warmly wonderful sounds from Maria Creuza – really coming into her own at the time of this mid 80s set – and finding a way to blend together rootsy sounds and sophisticated production – all with a result that's a bit like Gal Costa at the time! There's a gentle feel to the set – not sleepy or mellow, but kind of easygoing – as Maria delivers the lyrics with a relatively personal feel, over arrangements that sometimes have a touch of samba, more often a touch of light jazz. Titles include "So Pra Descansar", "Maliciosa", "Tua", "Milagre De Amor", "Fragmentos", "Vontade", "Estrela Cadente", and "Sessoes De Cinema".

Pure magic from the lovely Maria Creuza – a singer who only seems to get more soulful as the years go on! The set's got a different feel than some of Maria's earlier work – rootsy some minutes, but with a soul-styled sophistication at others – often arranged with jazzy undercurrents that really seem to let her vocals take off nicely. Arrangements are by Sivuca (who also makes a guest appearance on the set) – plus Gilson Peranzzeta, Carlos Kalunga, and Luiz Roberto – and titles include "Coracao Vira Lata", "Ifa Uma Canto Pra Subir", "Luz", "Pura Magica", "Delicado Perfume", "Sou Rei", and "De Tentacao A Cantada".

An overlooked gem from 80s Brazil – a rare bit of indie samba work from Luiz Carlos Da Vila – and a record that's definitely a cut above the usual material in the genre! There's a wonderfully rich sound to the record right from the start – soulful vocals from Luiz Carlos, and some rootsy percussion – but also these warmer backings that almost have jazzy changes at times – of the sort that you might get if Joao Donato ever arranged a samba record. The original was issued on the small Arca label – so has escaped the attention of global ears for years – but the set's a record well worth seeking out. Titles include "Morro Molhado", "Diamante", "Das Origens", "Bracos De La", "Notavel Amiga", "A Flor Da Esperanca", and "Tudo Se Ilumina".

Easygoing samba sounds from Mano Decio Da Viola – an overlooked 70s gem, but a set that stands with the best of Mano's bigger contemporaries in the samba scene! Mano's vocals have this raspy, personal feel – almost as if he's speaking instead of singing at some points – although there's plenty of singing interplay between his lyrics, lead acoustic guitar lines, and the percussion that drives most of the tunes from the bottom. Titles include "Santos Em Outros Tempos", "Herois Da Liberdade", "Obsessao", "Encontro Marcado", "Passaro Do Cantua", "Dona Santa Rainha Do Maracatu", and "Comando Geral".

A wonderfully complicated soundtrack – one with many moods, and some really great work overall! The set starts out a bit strangely – pushing the "concerto" aspect with some overly-dramatic classically-styled themes – but as the work unfolds, a range of different influences come into play – including some jazzier themes, some sparer instrumental ones, and a few really nice lighter and groovy numbers that almost have a love comedy sort of approach – one that's much more in keeping with the 1970 date of the film! Instrumentation on these gets nicely electrified, and titles include "Tema Di Barbara", "Seduzione E Incubo", "Sweet Barbara", "Thorpe Overture", "Isabel & Tom", "Cercando Un Fantasma", "90 Miles To London", "Good Night Anthony", and "Georgy & Mamie". CD features much better art than the previous version – and a total of 11 more bonus tracks – which makes for a mighty sweet package!

A wonderfully complicated soundtrack – one with many moods, and some really great work overall! The set starts out a bit strangely – pushing the "concerto" aspect with some overly-dramatic classically-styled themes – but as the work unfolds, a range of different influences come into play – including some jazzier themes, some sparer instrumental ones, and a few really nice lighter and groovy numbers that almost have a love comedy sort of approach – one that's much more in keeping with the 1970 date of the film! Instrumentation on these gets nicely electrified, and titles include "Tema Di Barbara", "Seduzione E Incubo", "Sweet Barbara", "Thorpe Overture", "Isabel & Tom", "Cercando Un Fantasma", "90 Miles To London", "Good Night Anthony", and "Georgy & Mamie".

American sounds, but forged in Sweden – a surprisingly great batch of work from expatriate Jack Downing – including some rare singles, previously unreleased tunes, and even some live material too! Downing clearly picks up some of the folk rock styles of the post-Dylan generation – but he's also got this rough, raspy style of singing that's much more garagey at points than any folkies in the US – a weird sort of hybrid that only gets more interesting as the music here moves into the early 70s! The package brings together a full album recorded for RCA in Sweden, singles for Karusell, RCA, and CBS, and some live material recorded for Swedish radio too – 37 tracks that include "No Man's Land", "Out My Light", "Muddy Water", "Queen Jane Approximately", "Branded Man", "Only Dadd That'll Walk The Line", "The Kind Of Words", "Greenback Dollar", and "Going To California".

The best yet from Flying Lotus – who we keep allowing ourselves to believe has hit an insurmountable peak with each new record – but he just keeps getting better! Where the preceding Cosmogramma upped the stranger, spacier and more abstract textures, Until The Quiet Comes is a bit more inviting – and to his credit, Flying Lotus keeps things as innovative as ever, while still giving this one just a bit more immediately appealing atmosphere. There's nearly always a compelling beat, whether it's abstract boom bap or bubbly and synthy, with heavy bass and thick waves of sound floating over. An incredible roster of guests contribute, too – including string-arranger Miguel Atwood Ferguson, vocalists Erykah Badu, Laura Darlington and Radiohead's Thom Yorke, keyboardist Dorian Concept, and others – but there's little doubt that this is purely the Flying Lotus show. Greatness! Titles include "All In", "Sultan's Request", "See Thru To U" with Erykah Badu, "DMT Song" with Thundercat, "The Nightcaller", "Only If You Wanna", "Electric Candyman" with Thom Yorke, "Hunger" with Niki Randa, "Phantasm" with Laura Darlington, "Dream To Me" and more.

A windy city hero – the amazing Garland Green, a singer who makes us mighty proud we hail from Chicago! Garland's got an incredible style that few others can touch – partly schooled in the 60s iceman modes of Jerry Butler and Walter Jackson, with all the sophistication that might imply – but also often given a raspier twist, with slightly southern echoes that make Garland's music feel even more deeply personal! And while most folks know Green's big hits for the Uni label, this package shows a rich legacy that goes much father than that – work recorded for labels that include Cotillion, Spring, RCA, Ocean Front, and Revue – in addition to some key Uni tracks. This trans-label set really does a wonderful job of showing the full range of Garland's mighty talents – a sublime set of soul cuts that run from the start of the 70s right up to the early 80s modern years – packaged with detailed notes too. Titles include "Since You've Been Gone", "These Arms", "Just Loving You", "Just My Way Of Loving You", "He Didn't Know", "Don't Think That I'm A Violent Guy", "Love's Calling", "Just What The Doctor Ordered", "Sweet Loving Woman", "Ask Me What You Want", "You Played On A Player", "Don't Let Love Walk Out On Us", and "Sending My Best Wishes".

A young group, but one with a great take on an older aesthetic in jazz – the chamber styles of the late 50s modern scene, recast here with a hell of a lot more energy than before! The group play together in differing formations – from trio to septet – and their vision here is really wonderful – hardly just a copycat of the more academic modes of the RCA or west coast scenes of the 50s, and instead a really great style that shows the evolution of that genre through other modern generations that include the AACM and loft jazz scene of the 70s. These guys are great, and really onto something good – and the lineup includes John Beard on guitar, David McDonnell on alto and clarinet, Nick Broste on trombone, Patrick Newbery on trumpet, Nate Lepine on flute, Greg Danek on bass, and Dylan Ryan on drums and vibes. Titles include "The Sparrow", "Italian Ice", "Lavender Panther", "Mahogany", "Red Dawn", and "Eyeball".

Two Verve albums from Johnny Hodges – both relatively obscure, and both pretty darn great! The Eleventh Hour is an overlooked gem from Johnny Hodges – a 60s session that hearkens back to the "with strings" Verve mode of the 50s – but one that also updates the approach strongly, thanks to some well crafted arrangements by Oliver Nelson! Nelson's work in the jazz backings for soloist mode during the 60s was some of the best of the big band genre – and although his work here is much more in the mellow tone mode than his backings for players like Jimmy Smith and Lou Donaldson, Hodges is still getting top shelf treatment, some really wonderful washes of sound and color that show that his tone is still very much alive! A nice preface to the pair's classic set for Flying Dutchman – and with tracks that include "Something to Live For", "Don't Blame Me", "Warm Valley", "The Eleventh Hour", "Guitar Amour", and "You Blew Out The Flame In My Heart". Sandy's Gone is a set that has the sweet alto sax of Johnny Hodges working with great arrangements from Claus Ogerman – a mode that's a bit more groovy and 60s than some of Johnny's previous work – in a setting that offers up a nice change for his sound! Claus is in fine form here – swinging with the same style as his own instrumental records for RCA in the 60s – echoes of his German roots, especially in the use of bass at the bottom – which gives even some of the gentler tunes a nice kick we're not used to hearing in Johnny Hodges material. Johnny's got a sound that's soulful, yet sweet too – almost pop, but still very strongly rooted in jazz – on titles that include "Again", "Sandy's Gone", "Monkey Shack", "Scarlett O'Hara", "Candy's Theme", and "Follow Me".

Weldon Irvine meets Strata East – and the result is one of the keyboardist's funkiest albums ever! The set's more jazz-based than the soul/funk outings Weldon cut for RCA and his own label – with great focus on Weldon's lines on clavinet and Fender Rhodes – supported by sweet guitar lines and lots of heavy percussion – often a mix of drums and congas, which really sounds great. Pianist Virginia Joe Jones joins the group on a few cuts – but the main star here is definitely Weldon, who sparkles wonderfully on some spiritual keyboard solos. Titles include "Pleasure Pain & Me", "Marjorie Moon", "Down Home", "Fat Mouth", "Turkish Bath", and "Gemini Mood".

Rare work from Weldon Irvine – a selection of tracks recorded as private studio outings, reissued briefly by Luv N Haight in the early 90s, and then only on vinyl! The style here is much more jazz-based than some of Irvine's soul recordings – a mode that's often all instrumental, and which features Weldon playing more acoustic piano than on his 70s fusion classics – but usually mixed in with sweet electric elements, too – which creates this wonderfully righteous balance in the music! The whole thing's very soulful, with plenty of undercurrents of the RCA years – and guest players include Steve Grossman on tenor, Marcus Miller on bass, Tom Browne on trumpet, and Bobby Broom on guitar – the latter 3 of which all worked with Weldon at GRP, making us guess that some of these 80s sides were intended for release on that label. Titles include "Kundabuffer", "Music Is The Key", "Mr PC", "We Can Try Again", and "Blues For Spike". CD features a huge amount of bonus tracks – including "Blue In Green", "Heard It All Before", "It's Funky", "Shopping", "The Sisters", "Think I'll Stay A While", and "Misty Dawn" – all only ever on the Sisters album, making their first appearance here on vinyl.

An excellent early album from Millie Jackson – recorded in a southern soul style in New York and Muscle Shoals, but a lot hipper than most of the rest of the female soul that was coming out of the south at the time. For one thing, Millie was a bad mamma singer – rapping hard and frankly about the way things is (or were). For another, Millie's not necessarily as great in the sweet department as some of her contemporaries – so she sticks to the harder material, except for a few tear jerking ballads, and adds in a lot of humor and touches of the fierce sarcasm that would soon become her calling card in the soul business. Gary Byrd penned the leadoff cut "I Cry", and the other tracks include "Two Faced World", "Hypocrisy", "Good To The Very Last Drop", "Help Yourself", and "Now That You Got It". CD features a whopping amount of bonus tracks too – previously unissued versions of "It Hurts So Good", "Help Yourself", "Here Comes Love", "That's My Style", "Hypocrisy", and "Breakaway" – all sounding much more different than the master takes!

Beautiful new work from Joyce – possibly her best album in years! The lovely Brazilian singer/guitarist blows away all the newcomers in the modern bossa field – and shows the world that she's still one of the strongest talents of her generation. The album's got a stronger jazz component than some of her other recent albums, quite driving, in the mode of classic albums like Agua E Luz and Feminina – and Joyce's voice, guitar, and songwriting skills are top-notch all the way! An instant classic – one that will have you shelving all your faked-out remixed, Nu Brazil albums for the real thing! Titles include "Bota De Sete Leguas", "Azul Bahia", "Forcas D'Alma", "Na Casa Do Villa", "Quatro Elementos", "The Band On The Wall", and "Samba Da Silvia".

2 Columbia killers from Charles Lloyd – back to back in a single set! Discovery is a wonderful bit of soul jazz – much less trippy than some of Lloyd's later work, and handled with a soulful flair that's a mix of Coltrane spiritualism, with an even larger dose of the sort of post-Trane experimentations in jazz that would crop up during the early 70s on smaller independent labels. The record's quite advanced for its time – and features Lloyd's tenor and flute next to piano by Don Friedman, bass by either Richard Davis or Eddie Khan, and drums by Roy Haynes or JC Moses. Includes Lloyd's classic "Forest Flower", plus "Little Peace", "Love Song to A Baby", "Sweet Georgia Bright", and "Bizarre". Nirvana is lovely work from Charles Lloyd – recorded at the point when he was just pushing off from Chico Hamilton's group, and before he got too noodly for his own good! Side one of the record features Lloyd with his own group – jazzing it up in a mix of flute, guitar, and percussion on a number of short tracks that have a light and breezy feel. There's a nice dose of bossa in the set, plus some of the other freer rhythmic styles that Lloyd and Hamilton experimented with together at the time – but all of the tracks have a strong rhythmic pulse, and never lose their groove for too much experimentation. Side two features two wonderful tracks with Hamilton's group at a point when Lloyd was still working with the ensemble – both long tracks with a modal pulse and a great deal of spirituality – again free, but never too much so! A nice little album – with tracks that include "Island Blues", "Carcara", "Long Time Baby", "One For Joan", and "Freedom Traveler".

A beautiful album from Jon Lucien – one that's been far too neglected over the years! This was Lucien's second album for Columbia – and it's a wonderfully strong effort that fuses together jazz, soul, and Brazilian styles, in a manner that recalls some of his best work for RCA – but also moves the music into a slightly more modern soul vibe, too! The sound's a bit tighter than in earlier years – but the best cuts really benefit from this approach, and have sort of a Bill Withers-esque mix of smooth instrumentation and real soul vocals. Titles include the classic "Hello Like Before", plus "Child Of Love", "Mi Vida", "Spring's Arrival", "Gaku", and "If I Could". CD features a bonus early version of "Child Of Love".

A festival of samba from mid 70s Brazil – a set that's packaged with an unassuming title and cover, but which contains a host of excellent samba tunes throughout! The artists' names are slightly submerged in the presentation – but the record smokes like some of the best music from the bigger samba acts of the time – and feels more like a single-artist set on 70s RCA Brazil, than some of the second rate material that you'd usually find in such a package. Titles include "Vira Vira" by Coro, "Terra Boa" by Lumumba, "Mangueira Em Tempo De Folclore" by Eni, "Dim Dim Dim" by Coro, "Rosa Maria" by Lumumba, "A Festa Do Divino" by Eni, "Vira Vira" by Coro, "Boi Da Cara Preta" by Lumumba, and "Rei Da Franca Na Ilha Da Assombracao" by Eni.

A heavy slab of jam band funk! Mushroom are a heavy jamming funk outfit with a classic groove – working hard with horns and Fender Rhodes to craft up solid slabs of groove, circa early 70s Atlantic Records vintage. This 5 track ep has about as much music as you'd find on a regular album – and it's awash with great remixes, like the Bundy K Brown remix of "American's Own The Moon", and the Quintus Kannegiesser remix of "Let's Have Sex", both of which are considerably more modern sounding than some of the other tracks on the set, like the group's cover of "Compared To What" or the original "Foxy Music".

A completely unique little set from singer Steve Parks – a set cut in the Bay Area scene of the early 80s – but done with a righteous 70s vibe that mixes jazz, soul, and bits of Latin influences as well! The overall approach is definitely soul, but there's plenty of jazz inflections in the vocals and instrumentation – a vibe that's not unlike the best sound of Jon Lucien on RCA, but which is carried here by Parks with a bit more force – and these undeniably fluid vocals sounds that really blow us away! Instrumentation is right on the money – warm, jazzy, and never hokey at all – with lots of great acoustic percussion at the core. Titles include the massive sample track "Movin In The Right Direction" – plus "All In A Day", "Everything's Gonna Be OK", "Don't Stop Now", "The Golden Key", and "Sadness In My Samba". CD features an insane number of bonus tracks – 9 more numbers that include "Wrong Decision", "Should've Been Wishing", "Wonderful", "Stop Drop Everything", "You Make It Easy For Me", and "Shimmy & Jive".

Mindblowing funk from one of the greatest combos on the New York scene of the early 70s – Pazant Brothers Eddie & Al, heard here on a host of their greatest recordings! The package goes way past any other Pazant reissues we've seen – and features not only work from the group's famous Vanguard album, but way way more work from a host of early singles for the RCA, GWP, and Vigor labels! The 22 track package is overstuffed with horn-heavy funky grooves that mark the Pazants as one of the hottest things going at the time – snapping on the beat with a tightness learned from their old boss Pucho, but also a willingness to explore brassier grooves in a style that seems to be influenced from the New Orleans and Texas scenes of the late 60s. Producer/arranger Edward Bland had a good hand in much of this work – giving the tracks a gritty, nitty, Perception/Today kind of groove – and a few of the very best numbers on the record even bring in some wicked scratchy guitar into the mix! Includes early and later (Vanguard) versions of "Skunky Juice", "New Orleans", "Toe Jam", "Work Song", and "A Gritty Nitty" – plus "Chick A Boom", "Greasy Greens", "Fever", "Juicy Lucy", "Chicken Scratch", "Fly Vines", and "Back To Beaufort".

A strange, yet worthy leftfield album by the Pretty Things – one that features unknown French singer and wealthy Pretty Things fan Phillip Debarge – who essentially commissioned the group to write and produced this grooving little record! The Pretty Things and Debarge recorded the set at Nova Studios – one of the earliest London facilities with the state of the art multi-tracking, circa '69 – but there's still a nicely rugged and raucous underbelly to the production that's just tripped out enough with mellotron, harpsichord and harmonies. The album never saw light of day before the good people at Ugly Things saw it through all these decades later – and it's a surprising treasure from the seminal years of the group! Includes "Hello, How Do You Do?", "You Might Even Say", "Peace", "Eagle's Son", "It'll Never Be Me", and "All Gone Now".

Mindblowing music from this ultra-cool musician – nearly three albums packaged on one CD! First up is Stones – a very groovy set of tunes that we'd rank right up there with Hal Blaine's Psychedelic Percussion for sheer nuttiness! Emil Richard plays a range of percussion instruments – as on other albums from the time – vibes and lots of mallet and percussion instrument – but he's also working with a really noisy moog, handled by Paul Beaver, and some weird "22-tone-to-the-octave" instruments that give the album an other-worldly tone that we really love. The whole thing bubbles and bleeps and grooves – with plenty of jazz still in the mix, as befits Richards' roots in the LA scene of the late 50s. 12 tracks in all – all named after birthstones – with titles that include "Garnet", "Moonstone", "Emerald", "Topaz", "Opal", and "Ruby". Next up are 6 tracks from New Time Element – one of the grooviest albums to come from the godlike hands of Emil Richards! This album's got a bit more punch than some of Richard's more jazz-based sessions – with Emil playing a wide range of percussion instruments, plus vibes and marimba – all backed by some incredibly groovy work on organ and piano by Dave McKay! Arrangements are by Tom Scott and Paul Beaver – and the record's got the jaunty, swinging quality of some of Scott's best early work of the time – particularly his early gems for Impulse! Titles include a great version of Tom Scott's oft-recorded "Blues for Hari", a very groovy number with a great 60s eastern feel – plus "Hot Fudge Sundae", "Happy Together", "Jimmy", and "Georgy Girl". And last but not least are 8 tracks that comprise Journey To Bliss – a fantastic bit of "Eastern" tinged jazz – and a real musical Journey To Bliss on its own! Vibist Emil Richards has always been totally groovy in our book – but he really outdoes himself here – working in an exotic mode that features lots of weird percussion over choppy modal grooves from keyboards, guitar, and drums – all in a wild blend of rhythms and grooves played by Richards and his Microtonal Blues Band. Players include Tom Tedesco and Dennis Budimir on guitar, Dave MacKay on keyboards, and Joe Porcaro on drums – but all players handle a variety of instruments, as does Richards, who must play dozens of different percussion elements on the set! Side one of the album features some great short groovers – like "Maharimba", "Bliss", "Mantra", and "Enjoy Enjoy" – all of which are in a tripped-out LA guru hippy mode that's simply wonderful! Side two features the extended "Journey To Bliss" suite, which has some spoken bits and a much wilder sound – but also the same sort of groovy pop-Eastern sound as side one!

Kind of an amazing collaboration – a core group that features Tony Allen, Damon Albarn, and Flea – with guest appearances by Erykah Badu, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Fatoumata Diawara, M.anifest, Cheick Tidiane Seck, and Thundercat! The sound of the set is surprisingly wonderful – hardly a cloying collection of common elements in the trio's music – and instead a rich new territory that's almost a 21st Century re-invention of older Afro Funk modes! Allen's drumming is razor-sharp, and gives the record an acoustic energy that's really excellent – and Flea's basswork is astounding too – rough, rootsy, and really dynamic – in ways that have us unexpectedly complimenting him for his talents. Titles include "Lol", "Night Watch", "Forward Sweep", "Extinguished", "Rotary Connection", "Worries", "There", "Check Out", "Benko", and "The Unfadable".

A later recording from Pharoah, when he was working with Bill Laswell in the mid and late 90s. Laswell's on production, and the lineup features some of his international and funk-based crew like Foday Muso Sosa, Bernie Worrell and Aiyb Deng, plus older collaborators like Michael White, and some of the then young newer scene liek Charnett Moffett. The vibe is definitely of the times, with some heavier elements and hip hop influenced beats, but a few classic spiritual grooves too. 6 numbers in all, including "Our Roots (Began In Afrca)", "Nozipho", "Tomoki", "Ocean Song", "Kumba" and "Country Mile".

A really compelling little set from Satisfaction Unlimited – a group we only know from this one corker of a record on the Hot Wax label! The style's a bit in some of the harmony modes of the east coast scene of the time – yet like most Hot Wax/Invictus work, there's also a bit of an odd twist too – a quality that's hard to peg in words, but which is sometimes slightly trippy, other times warmly soulful – almost a Cali indie sort of vibe – with a bit of sunshine that breaks through amidst some of the darker, heavier themes of the record. There's plenty of great numbers with a catchy vibe that could have almost gotten these guys the radio play of some of the RCA groups of the time – and titles include "Time For Us", "Think of The Children", "Bright City Lights", "Let's Change The Subject", "Come On Back", and "Why".

Gil Scott-Heron at his early best and most revolutionary – circa Small Talk At 125th And Lenox, Pieces Of Man and Free Will, plus a host of rare and unreleased material – the complete Flying Dutchman Masters in a masterfully compiled anthology! Rather than simply collecting the original Flying Dutchman albums into a box set, BGP does a terrific job here of organizing it by style. Disc One (Songs) focuses on the soul-based songcraft – while Disc Two (Poetry, Jazz & Blues) features the strident jazzy poetry that inspired most hip hop and spoken word to come. Disc Three features alternate takes and rarities – all of which have never been officially released before now! The set includes every recording that Gil made for Flying Dutchman that's known to exist – and if you're keeping tally, that's all of the tracks from the above-named classic albums – plus the great "Artificialness" from Pretty Purdie's Stand By Me record with Gil on vocals – and the surviving alternate takes. Even if you have all of the original albums, the set is worth picking up for the bonus material and the thick, nicely done booklet of notes and photo – which really adds some top notch historical perspective. 51 tracks on 3CDs: "Lady Day And John Coltrane", "Home Is Where The Hatred Is", "Whitey On The Moon", "Free Will", "Pieces Of Man", "Brother", "Ain't No New Thing", "The Needle's Eye", "The Get Out OF The Ghetto Blues", "Evolution (And Flashback)", "Billy Green Is Dead", "The Middle Of Your Day", "Save The Children", "Who'll Pay Reparations On My Soul?" and many more.

A real standout 70s set from Nina Simone – a one-off date for CTI Records, done with a sound that's different than her earlier work for RCA, Philips, and Colpix! The groove here is often as soul-based as it is vocal jazz – thanks to arrangements from David Matthews, who brings a similar sound here to his other work with Esther Phillips in the decade – another older singer who'd hit some very hip territory at the time. The groove here is very much like Phillips' best for Kudu – smooth and soulful, but in ways that still retain all the rasp and character of the lead vocals. Titles include a sublime reading of Randy Newman's excellent "Baltimore", plus "The Family", "My Father", "Music For Lovers", "Rich Girl", and "Balm In Gilead".

Wonderfully warm work from the late 70s years of Lonnie Liston Smith – material from his key stretch a Columbia Records, a time when he'd really learned to tighten up his groove a bit from earlier years, yet still keep all the deeper soul intact! The set kicks off with Song For The Children from 1979 – a set done by Lonnie with help from Bert DeCoteaux, who's still clearly aiming the record at the soul side of the spectrum – using Lonnie's cosmic blend of keyboards, rhythms, and vocals just the right way – and hitting some sounds that are a bit more righteous than other Columbia Records fusion acts of the time. Some cuts feature lead vocals by James Robinson – and other instrumentation includes saxes from Dave Hubbard and guitar by Ronnie Miller. The album kicks off with the soul jazz number "A Song For The Children", and other tracks include "Aquarian Cycle", "Street Festival", "Gift Of Love", and "Midsummer Magic". (Note that the reissue leaves off the track "Fruit Music", due to space restrictions.) Exotic Mysteries is one of the fullest-sounding albums ever cut by Lonnie Liston Smith – but one of the greatest albums too! The set has Smith really taking off a bit more than on his work for RCA or Flying Dutchman – hitting some fuller sounds in the studio, thanks to backings arranged by Berg DeCoteaux, who's clearly trying to push Lonnie's groove a bit more towards a soul fusion audience of the time, yet always without losing any of the righteous energy that makes the music so great. There's a wonderful blend of acoustic and electric keyboards on the set – wrapped up in bits of strings, and propelled strongly to the skies with some great rhythms that include bass work from a young Marcus Miller, who also wrote some of the tracks on the set. Vocals aren't often in the lead – usually just sung by a chorus, if at all – and some of the best numbers here have a laidback groove that's totally wonderful – nice and mellow, with lots of room for the keys! Tracks include "Quiet Moments", "Space Princess", "Night Flower", "Mystical Dreamer", "Magical Journey", "Singing For Love", and "Exotic Mysteries".

Bedrock beatcraft and DJ mix mastery from Steve Stein – including the hugely important Double Dee & Steinski mixes of the early 80s – paired up with solid later work for this excellent 2CD compilation! The Double Dee & Steinski stuff really couldn't be more important to the turntablist scene of the mid 80s, and its influence stretches up to and beyond the mash up DJs of the 00s. Monumental DJ funk and deftly blended samples. Astounding! Disc 1 is the retrospective material – featuring benchmark Double Dee & Steinski mixes: "The Payoff Mix", "Lesson 2 (James Brown Mix)", "Lesson 3 (History Of Hip Hop)", "Jazz" and "Voice Mail (Sugarhill Mix)" – plus the Steinski tracks "The Motorcade Sped On", "I'm Wild About That Thing", "Ain't No Thing", "Number Three On Flight Eleven" and more. Disc 2 is Nothing To Fear – A Rough Mix By Steinski – done for Solid Steel Productions and BBC London – 28 continuous cuts including "Swingset (10 beautiful girls mix)", "The Id (small world mix)", "By All Means Necessary (Malcolm & Bobby mix)", "I Like It Like That (Scratch It One Time mix)" "Country Grammar (hydro mix)", "Funk Construction (Prodigal Son mix)" and lots more. It's all in the title – it's a rougher set with the scratch & cut effects, bit not as dance club bubbly as other Steinski work.

Lean, mid 80s pop soul and funk from Tease – funky and nicely thumping work from a group that features singer and songwriter Kipper Jones! Kipper would go on to bigger and brighter prospects as a hit songwriter for other artists, but, both of Tease's self-titled sets in the 80s – this one for Epic, and an earlier effort for RCA – are both unjustly slept and and stand up pretty strongly with better remembered R&B albums from the period. Some of the album reminds us of the funkier pop soul sounds coming out of Minneapolis in the mid 80s, though Tease came together from the west coast scene at the time – with beats, keys, synth, bass and soulful vocals driving it. Nice stuff that's well worth checking out! Includes "The Note", "Better Wild (Than Mild)", "Firestarter", "Body Heat", "Total Control", "Soft Music", "Baby Be Mine" and "I Wish You Were Here".

One of the best Rufus Thomas albums from the 70s – a key record from his comeback years, and one that has him trading in his older R&B mode for a harder, funkier Memphis groove! Rufus was 52 at the time, but thanks to a never-dying fire, and some great youthful arrangements, the set crackles with a raw intensity that put him at the top of the funky Stax for the time! The set includes the massive comeback hit "Funky Chicken", plus a sublime remake of "Sixty Minute Man" – done in a slow and funky mode that rolls on for lover 7 minutes in all! Other tracks include "Soul Food", "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown", "Turn Your Damper Down", and remakes of "The Preacher & The Bear" and "Bearcat". And dang! There's a huuuuuge amount of bonus tracks here too – funky Stax singles from the early 70s – including "Funky Mississippi", "So Hard To Get Along With", "Funky Way", "I Want To Hold You", "Itch & Scratch (parts 1 & 2)", and "Boogie Ain't Nuttin (parts 1 & 2)".

One of the best Rufus Thomas albums from the 70s – a key record from his comeback years, and one that has him trading in his older R&B mode for a harder, funkier Memphis groove! Rufus was 52 at the time, but thanks to a never-dying fire, and some great youthful arrangements, the set crackles with a raw intensity that put him at the top of the funky Stax for the time! The set includes the massive comeback hit "Funky Chicken", plus a sublime remake of "Sixty Minute Man" – done in a slow and funky mode that rolls on for lover 7 minutes in all! Other tracks include "Soul Food", "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown", "Turn Your Damper Down", and remakes of "The Preacher & The Bear" and "Bearcat".

A smoking disco double-header from THP Orchestra – two excellent albums back to back, with loads of bonus tracks too! Early Riser has a groove that really has the group starting out strongly – a perfect early disco approach that's funky and instrumental, but which often echoes some other earlier instrumental eras too – partly in the choice of songs, partly in the way that familiar grooves are disco-fied for the 70s! There's more covers here than in later years, but all of them are done mighty well – with a strong use of funky guitars and keyboards that keep a nice edge on the rhythms. Titles include "Theme From SWAT", "More", "Dawn Patrol", "Early Riser", "Crazy Crazy", "Manha De Carnaval", and "Sugar Sugar". CD features 8 more bonus tracks added to the album – including "Theme From SWAT (orig 7" mix)", "Early Riser (orig 12" mix)", "Manha De Carnaval (7" edit)", "Fightin On The Side Of Love (12" mix)", "Fightin On The Side Of Love (inst 7" mix)", and "Fightin On The Side Of Love (inst 12" mix)". Two Hot For Love is a great little disco album – really a cut above its contemporaries, thanks to some great instrumentation overall! Side one features the extended "Two Hot For Love" title track – presented as a mini-suite of sorts with lead vocals from Barbara Fry, a singer who's really a lot more soulful than you'd expect. But even better are the keyboards by Michael Lewis – soaring out with similar spacey touches to his own AVI work, and bringing in some interesting interplay to the tune. Side two features some shorter tracks – including a great funky remake of "Manha De Carnival" with more great Lewis keyboards – plus "Crazy Crazy", "Dawn Patrol", and "Early Riser" – all longer versions than on the group's first album. CD features lots of bonus remixes of the title single "Two Hot For Love" – including an "RCA 12" mix", "7 inch b-side", "Pete Waterman 12" edit", and a few more single mixes.

One of the great modern genre busting-debuts we've had the pleasure of being so stunned by in quite a while! Thundercat's Golden Age is dizzyingly brilliant mix of 80s clubby synths and keys, future soul & funky soundscapes, 70s soul jazzy atmospherics and more – but it's hardly a mere genre-mash, Thundercat's got a unique and inventive vision all his own. A number of tracks feature vocals, but it's really about the mood – and what an expansive mood it is! He shows love here for influential figures from George Duke to Brainfeeder honcho Flying Lotus, to Erykah Badu – great stuff and we're thinking he's only gonna get better from here. Titles include "Hooooooo" (inspired by mid 70s George Duke), "Daylight", "For Love I Come", "Jamboree", "Boat Cruise", "Walkin", "Mystery Machine", "Return To The Journey", "Golden Boy", "Walkin'" (feat Erykah Badu) and more.

A lively album that mixes Caetano's rich songwriting style with a hard percussive base, which gives the tracks a fast jumpy feel, and gives even more power to Caetano's strong voice. There's little psychedelic bits, with good guitars that get noisy in parts, but there's also a warm MPB feel to the LP. Kind of hard to describe, but another unique bit of brilliance from one of the true geniuses of pop music in the 20th century. Tracks include "Um Frevo Novo", "Chuva, Suor E Cerveja", "Cara a Cara", "Qual e, Baiana?", and "La Barca". This Japanese CD edition has 6 bonus tracks: ""Barao Beleza", "E Coisa Do Destino", "Frevo Do Trio Electrico", "O Bater Do Tambor" and "Samba Da Cabeca".

Killer CTI work from Joe Farrell – with grooves so sharp you could cut your trousers on them! Farrell's angular reed style is in perfect form here – grooving with a small group that includes Herbie Hancock on piano, Joe Beck on guitar, Steve Gadd on drums, and Don Alias on percussion – a combo that's got a harder, tighter feel than most CTI groups – a key reason why Joe's records of this time are so legendary! The album features a fantastic version of Stevie Wonder's "Too High" – one that breaks all over the beginning with these riffs by Farrell, then grooves into a CTI electric funk mode for about 13 minutes. All tracks are long – and other tracks include "Hurricane Jane", "Geo Blue", "Penny Arcade", and "Cloud Cream".

A real standout 70s set from Nina Simone – a one-off date for CTI Records, done with a sound that's different than her earlier work for RCA, Philips, and Colpix! The groove here is often as soul-based as it is vocal jazz – thanks to arrangements from David Matthews, who brings a similar sound here to his other work with Esther Phillips in the decade – another older singer who'd hit some very hip territory at the time. The groove here is very much like Phillips' best for Kudu – smooth and soulful, but in ways that still retain all the rasp and character of the lead vocals. Titles include a sublime reading of Randy Newman's excellent "Baltimore", plus "The Family", "My Father", "Music For Lovers", "Rich Girl", and "Balm In Gilead".

One of Syreeta's deepest albums ever – proud, bold, and wonderfully righteous throughout – filled with a sense of message and purpose that was quite rare for Motown at the start of the 80s! Syreeta's really tapped back into that wonderful energy that made her so great when first working with Stevie Wonder – a warm, jazzy glow that suits her unique vocals perfectly – and which is shaped to perfection here by producers Richard Perry, Hal Davis, and Jerry Peters! The album's got a few funky groovers that are definitely Motown circa 1980, but its best moments are the mellower ones – which hit a Minnie Riperton-like quality that's mighty nice. Sheree Brown sings with Syreeta on a few cuts – and titles include "Blame It On The Sun", "Let Me Be The One", "Love Fire", "Here's My Love", and "You Bring Out The Love In Me" – plus "Please Stay" and "One More Time For Love", both duets with Billy Preston.

Grover Washington Jr's first few albums for Columbia – Strawberry Moon, Then & Now and Time Out Of Mind – together in a 2CD set! Strawberry Moon has a number of laidback groovers, with some solid Washington originals such as the title track and some sweet covers. BB King plays and sings on "Caught A Touch Of Your Love", with Jean Carne guesting on "The Look Of Love". Grover's sax is soulful and sweet throughout, and the titles include "Strawberry Moon", "Summer Nights", "Keep In Touch", and "Maddie's Blues". Then And Now is a nice one that has Grover working in a straighter jazz mode for the most part, taking a break from the soul and R&B groover –- the most timeless of the 3 albums compiled here! Players include Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Grady Tate and Darryl Washington. Titles include "Just Enough", "French Connections", "Stolen Moments", "Stella By Starlight" and more. Time Out Of Mind's title track is a cover of the Steely Dan classic, circa Gaucho – and this album finds Grover embracing the 80s a lot more than his previous album for Columbia. A mix of moods, with some electric funky flourishes and fusiony keys and synths. Titles include "Jamaica", "Sacred Kind Of Love", "Fly Away", the title track and more. This trio of albums represents a wide stylistic range covered by Grover in just a 3 year period!

Militant rockers rhythms with some fine toasting courtesy the top of the second generation of Dee Jays, Tappa Zukie. Probably his most well known record, both in and out of Jamaica, given the boost he got from some patronage courtesy a number of rock stars, this is still as fine an example of the Dee Jay form as you could get circa '78. Includes"MPLA", "Don't Get Crazy", "Stop the Gun Shooting", "Ital Pot", "Chalice to Chalice" and "Don't Deal With Babylon". 2 bonus tracks on this CD version: "Pick Up The Dub" and "Dub MPLA".

A treasure trove of 60s Bossa Nova – beautiful recordings, many from the heart of the 60s, all of which capture the sounds and styles of the era and rank among the most massively influential Brazilian music of the period – featuring Elis Regina, Jorge Ben, Tamba Trio, Edu Lobo, Baden Powell & Vinicius De Moraes, Elizete Cardoso and many more! Soul Jazz Records and compiler Stuart Baker set out to make this a definitive bossa compilation and they pretty much nail it! Made as the listening counterpart to the stellar book of album cover art, compiled by Baker and Gilles Peterson. As essential of a compilation as ever released by our friends at Soul Jazz, which is really saying something, because they always raise the bar! Disc one includes "Roda" by Elis Regina, "Inverno" by Roberto Menescal, "Berimbau" by Drival Caymmi, "Mas, Que Nada!" by Tamba Trio, "Viramundo" by Gilberto Gil, "Adriana" by Edu Lobo, "Lalari-Olala" by Jorge Ben and more. Disc two includes "E De Lei" by Elizete Cardoso, "O Morro Nao Tem Vez" by Antonio Carlos Jobim, "Samba Blim" by Tamba 4, "Tres Pontas" by Milton Nasciemento, "Canto De Xango" by Baden Powell & Vinicius De Moraes, "Carcara" by Zelia Barbosa, "Maria Moita" by Marilia Medalha and more. 34 tracks on 2CDs and includes a great 70+ page booklet of notes & photos.

Slammin's a definite good choice for the title of this one – as this 5th entry in the Easy Tempo series seems even funkier than the other volumes – a set that's got plenty of full-on grooves, hand-picked from the genius Italian soundtrack years of the 60s and 70s! If you're looking for a place to start digging the full range of talents of the maestros of this time, you'd be hard pressed to find a better collection – as the Easy Tempo name always means the best bits from this scene, served up in a package that packs a lot more punch than any single individual soundtrack! Titles include "Loco Love Motor" and "The Frog" by Augusto Martelli, "Montreal Non Stop" and "Anice Nuraghi" by Luiz Bacalov, "L'Arcangelo" by Piero Umiliani, "Running Fast" by Stefano Torossi, "Blazing Magnum" by Armando Trovajoli, "Trop's" by Alberto Baldan Bembo, "Vuca" by Tony Mimms, and "The Chicken" by Dick Oliver.

Kent's second volume of this great series of rare soul recorded for the RCA label in the 60's, featuring 24 cuts that came out mostly as singles (with a few rare LP cuts thrown into the mix.) Loads and loads of great 60's soul, including "Dance Little Girl" by The Cavaliers, "Love Is So Wonderful" by Dean Courtney, "Movin' Too Slow" by The Exciters, "You Only Live Twice" by Lorraine Chandler, "My Imagination" by The Metros, "Can't Let You Go" by The Geminis, "American Dollar" by Willie Kendrick, and lots lots more. Loads of unreleased tracks, and a great set of notes!

Amazing sounds from Gal Costa – a brilliant live album that follows strongly in the mode of her Recanto studio album! Like that set, this one features Gal in the most experimental style she's used in years – bits of electronics and contemporary underground modes layered in with her sublime vocals – all in ways that reopen that leftfield side of Costa's talents that have been buried for so many years! Some tracks are quite intimate and personal, others are very powerful – and the performance was put together by both Caetano and Moreno Veloso, with backing by a trio that also features percussion from Domenico too. Titles include "Tudo Gil", "Da Maior Importancia", "Mansidao", "Forca Estranha", "Meu Bem Mel Mal", "O Amor", "Baby", "Deus E O Amor", "Segunda", "Barato Total", and "Autotune Autoerotico".

Incredible work by one of our favorite singers ever – the great Matt Dennis, an artist who's better known for his famous compositions of the postwar years, but who's also one heck of a great vocalist too! Matt's got a friendly, personable style of singing – one that reminds us a lot of Bobby Troup or Roy Kral, but which comes across with an even more relaxed and down to earth feel. The set features material from 2 of Matt's few albums under his own name – the Trend session Matt Dennis Plays & Sings, and the RCA set Dennis Anyone – both recorded live in the mid 50s, in a really unique style that has Dennis accompanying himself on piano, and delivering a bit of patter between the tunes as well. And while you might fear some schmaltzy, loungey sort of style to these sets, don't – because Dennis was cool and comfortable with himself, and there's an amazing sense of casual understatement to both sets. We love both records to death, and it's great to see them presented here like this – accompanied with some great notes that also include lyrics to some of Dennis' best numbers! 24 tracks in all – with titles that include "The Land Of Danger", "Where Do We Go From Here", "Will You Still Be Mine", "Junior & Julie", "It Wasn't The Stars That Thrilled Me", "Let's Get Away From It All", "Show Me The Way To Get Out Of This World", and "Too Late For Love".

Two different Jimmy Stewart comedy soundtracks from the 60s – both of them nice! First up is Dear Brigitte – an overlooked 1965 score by George Duning – done with a mix of the playful modes you'd expect from the story, and some of those great deeper dramatic touches that Duning used in more serious soundtracks – a really rich mixing of modes with a sound that's much stronger than we expected! Titles include "On To BBs", "The Captain", "Magical Moment", "Puzzled Cap'n", "Hey Dad", "Is It A Trick", and "She Sank". Next is an even groovier record – a rare non RCA Henry Mancini soundtrack from the early 60s – the score to Mr Hobbs Takes A Vacation, done with all the best mix of jazz and groovy elements we love in classic Mancini! Instrumentation mixes a key electric guitar melody with some lighter touches on woodwinds – really getting the most out of the melody with some shifts in timing and tone, juxtaposed with a few numbers that are even more playful! Titles include "Barn Swallow", "Something For Lauri", "Cream Puff", "Up His Nose", "A Month Off", and "Rudders & Sails". CD features 39 tracks in all – including 7 bonus tracks from the Mancini score!

Stunning sounds from the team of Serge Gainsbourg and Michel Colombier – and maybe the most perfect example of why Gainsbourg soundtracks can be so great! First up is the duo's fab music for the film Le Pacha – a wonderful blend of trippy touches and more subtle jazzy moments, plus bits of electric sitar and bassy funk – shifting effortlessly from track to track to create a mad melange of musical grooves! Cuts include the classic "Requiem Pour Un Con", which is a funky gem – plus "Psychastenie", "Joss A La Calvados", "Un Noel 67", "Cadavres En Serie", "Batucada Meurtriere", and Brigitte Bardot singing "Harley Davidson"! Next is Vidoq – a handful of songs originally penned for a TV series in the 60s, and very unusual work from Serge! The tunes include two very offbeat vocal numbers, sung in this deep-voiced style – plus a few more serious instrumentals, but with a weird twist. Titles include "Le Mariage De Vidocq", "A Vous De Jouer", "L'Evasion", and "Chanson Du Forcat". Comment Trouvez-Vous Ma Soeur – or "how do you find my sister?" – seems like a perfect title for a film to feature music from Serge – and the music definitely follows suit! The movie's from 1964, so captures that pivotal time when Gainsbourg was shifting from classier French styles to groovy ones – both modes featured here in the instrumentals directed by Colombier, and on Serge's vocal reading of the title tune. Tracks include "Erotico Tico", "No Love For Daddy", "La Course Au Mariage", "Rendez Vous A L'Eglise", "Surboum Chez Ma Soeur", and "Quart D'Heure Americain".

One of the greatest lost treasures on Motown – the rare third album from Ronnie McNeir, an artist who did plenty for the label back in the 70s, but only managed to ever get this one record released! The set's a gem – arguably his best record ever – and that's saying a lot, given the strength of his RCA and Prodigal sets. And like those records, this one's a sweet soul spectacular – written, arranged, produced, and performed by Ronnie – with the tight, warm, all-together quality that makes him an equal to Leon Ware back in the day – and which makes this record almost a great counterpart to Ware's Musical Massage set for Motown – another one-off album that's become the stuff of legend! The songs are amazing – totally fresh and deeply personal, but never in a cloying or commercial way – perfectly balanced on top of some gently grooving rhythms, spare keyboards, and soulful undercurrents that are a perfect example of the maturity that Detroit soul was hitting in the 70s. A young Ray Parker Jr plays lead guitar, but most other instruments are by Ronnie – and titles include "My Love Is Coming Down", "Funky Situation", "Selling My Heart To The Junkman", "Say You Will", "Goodbye After Sunday", and "It Won't Be Long". And while the core record alone would be enough to celebrate, Expansion's also done and dug out another 7 bonus tracks from the Motown vault of the 70s – material that Ronnie recorded for other albums that never materialized, every bit as great as the main stuff here! The discovery of this material is incredible – and makes for an overstuffed CD that's sure to get McNeir's name back out there again. Bonus tracks include "Start Over As Your Man", "Betcha I'll Prove", "Dream Come True", "For Those Who Don't Believe", "Just You Babe", and "I Can't See Myself Without You".

Early darkness from Ennio Morricone – an obscure mid 60s action thriller that combines boldly driving numbers with other tunes that slip into some of the spareness of his work for westerns! The work here is as mod and cool as you might guess from the cover – a bit more in a conventional 60s soundtrack mode, but still touches with great inflections on the woodwinds, and undercut by plenty of great lines on electric bass, guitar, and organ – all used sparingly but really effectively against the larger orchestrations! Tracks are often short, but really evocative – given a nice punch by Bruno Nicolai, who conducted the orchestra for the recording. A few tunes feature vocals by I Cantori Moderni – and titles include "Una Stanza Vuota", "Un Uomo Solo", "Colpo Alla Gioielleria", "La Prima Vittima", "Sul Lago Di Lugano", and "Una Tromba A Dallas". This fab reissue is filled with bonus tracks too – a total of 26 numbers in all!

Amazing material from this mini-soul empire – the mighty New Birth collective, which also features great backing work from The Nite-Liters! The package is a bit low on notes, but features some really standout performances from the ensemble – hard-hitting soul produced by the mighty Harvey Fuqua, and easily some of the most memorable material from RCA Records in the early 70s. The vocals are amazing – strong harmonies with really breakout leads, both male and female – and titles include the classic "Wild Flower" – plus "Dream Merchant", "I Can Understand It", "It's Impossible", "I Don't Want To Do Wrong", "I Wash My Hands Of The Whole Damn Deal (part 1)", "How Good It Feels", "Do It Again", "Until It's Time For You To Go", and "Granddaddy (part 1)".

No, not the New Wave of French cinema and not the new wave of post punk pop errata in the late 70s and early 80s – this New Wave is a pretty great, yet poorly remembered LA soft rock group 'circa '67 – with laidback vocals and warmly soaring arrangements by the great Gene Page! The vocals are soft and harmony laden, with groovy 60s west coast songs lushed up with vibes, harpsichords, oboes, strings and lightly layered psych flourishes! This great Now Sounds UK CD features the group's original self-titled Canterbury album in both the original stereo and mono versions in full – plus 5 bonus tracks! Includes "Little Dreams", "The Shade Of The Sun", "Live For Today", "Not From You", "Where Do We Go From Here" and more – with bonus tracks "Tightrope", "Kiss The Mountain", "You Never Said I Love You" and 2 more.

A landmark album from the New York Community Choir – a gospel group at heart, but one who've ended up in plenty of 70s soul collections – thanks to the strength of this sweet little set! The vocals are tremendous – proud and righteous, with a power that's undeniable – and backed by secular soul arrangements from Leon Pendarvis – who really finds a way to focus the group's energy and push it over the top! Pendarvis is wonderful here – and the album's filled with catchy groovers that match or beat most of the mainstream soul of the time – wicked tracks that really helped push gospel to the next level, and managed to get the group plenty of secular listeners as well. The whole thing's completely sublime – filled with positive feelings and mighty grooves – and titles include "Since You Came In My Life", "Nothing Can Separate Me", "Draw Now Closer", "Tell It All", "Changed", "Have A Good Time", and "Express Yourself". CD features three bonus tracks – "Express Yourself (12" mix)", "Have A Good Time (12" mix)", and "Easy To Be Hard".