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Larry Graham's definitely got his groove back – and steps out here with his funkiest album in years! Graham's not content to just recall the glory days of Graham Central Station – as he really goes for a nice range of flavors in the set – including a taste of New Orleans, heard in the opening drumline on the record – then echoed by some of the tight horn parts in other sections – even though other numbers move into a tighter electric funky style. As before, the bass is definitely driving the bus on most numbers – and Larry's got help on the set from both Prince and Raphael Saadiq – whose vocals really help expand the sound too. Titles include "Throw N Down The Funk", "Raise Up", "Shoulda Coulda Woulda", "Higher Ground", "Welcome 2 Our World", "Movin", and "One Day".

Sweet South African soul from Hugh Masekela – a set that shows that Hugh's greatness certainly hasn't dimmed with time! There's a warm, captivating sound to the record that draws us in right away – a maturity to Masekela's approach – a depth that not only stretches back to his roots, but also seems to find a way to embrace other modes of South African music of the previous few decades too! Hugh plays plenty of his famous trumpet on the date, and also sings lead vocals on most titles – and tunes include "Fela", "Sossie", "Iph'Indlela", "Mfana", "Makoti", "Uyeyeni", "No Harvest", and "Scatter My Dada".

A dozen tracks – and a pretty expansive retrospective of the career of 70s funk stalwarts Chocolate Milk! The package starts with their early heavy funk days recording with Allen Toussaint, and it moves up to their smoother sounds of the early 80s – when the band was hitting more of a modern groove. Titles include "Girl Callin", "Action Speaks Louder than Words", "Running Away", "How About Love", "Who's Getting It Now", "Let's Go All The Way", "Take It Off", "Say Won'tcha", and "Blue Jeans".

Rare Afro Rock from Nigeria's Semi-Colon group – and it's an astonishingly strong record! It's got fuzzy guitar grooves and spacey electic piano that are indebted to the global psych soul and rock scenes of the late 60s and early 70s – but the rhythmic sensibility, percussion and vocals are prime 70s Nigeria. The record has 3 great jams per side, which is perfect – allowing each number plenty of space to stretch, and sink into to a hypnotic groove, but they're just succinct enough to leave us wanting more! Includes "Ndia Egbuo Ndia", "Ebenebe", "Isi Agboncha", "Afro Jigada", "True Fine Mama/True Fine Woman", "Giam Blow" and "Yanga (Okongwu)".

Nigerian funk & boogie numbers from the late 70s & early 80s – post Afrobeat and post disco material from the prosperous, post dictatorship years – funk, soul and disco infused stormers from Mixed Grill, Bayo Damnazio, The Stormmers, Joe Maks, Segun Robert, Martha Ulaeto, Honey Machine, Emma Baloka and more! Joyous, infections grooves with modern production and masterful musicianship – be it tight jazz funk, dancefloor soul, or synth & keys flavored boogie. The set has English vocals throughout, and the titles include "A Brand New Wayo" by Mixed Grill, "Show Me Your Backside" by Kris Okotie, "Boys And Girls" by Joe Moks, "Music Alone" by Martha Ulaeto, "Slow Down" by Amas, "Funky Situation" by Chris Mba, "Pleasure" by Honey Machine, "Love Or Money" by The Stormmers, "Let's Love Each Other" by Emma Baloka and more. 15 tracks on 2LPs.

The first 5 ELP albums– Emerson Lake & Palmer, Tarkus, Pictures At An Expedition, Trilogy and Brain Salad Surgery – all picture discs – in a 5LP box set!

Speedy West may be the greatest pedal steel slinger in the history of the instrument, and together with ace guitarist Jimmy Bryant they bridged the gap between the 50s Western swing of Bob Wills and the soon to arrive Sun Records sound with their pioneering country-jazz instrumentals. This is essential stuff for fans of traditional country stompers – or sweaty, swaggering boogie in any genre! Tracks include "Stratosphere Boogie", "Blue Bonnet Rag", "Cotton' Picking", "Old Joe Clark", "Slepwalker's Lullaby", "Arkansas Traveler", "The Night Rider", "Speedin' West", "Comin' On", "Bryant's Bounce", "Pickin' Peppers", "Shuffleboard Rag", "Filppin' The Lid" and lots more.

The first of Bobby's highly successful Poet albums from the early 80s – wonderfully done albums that showed the world that he was still very much on top of his game at the time! The sound here is great – still with that older Womack rasp and warmth, but also done in a slightly smoother mode that grooves things up with some modern soul touches, yet never loses Bobby's charm! Tunefully, the record is one of his best in years – with some wonderful mellow soul groovers that never fail to delight – all produced with a warm California sound, and featuring some great backing vocals by The Waters and a host of other Womacks. Titles include "So Many Sides Of You", "Lay Your Lovin On Me", "Secrets", "Just My Imagination", "Games", "If You Think You're Lonely Now", and "Where Do We Go From Here".

The soundtrack that put John Barry over the top – and to many, THE James Bond soundtrack! The album chills from the first notes of the haunting title theme – the majestic "Goldfinger", sung by Shirley Bassey with a tone that's as dangerous as a razor-sharp hat spinning through the air! Barry then takes over with some wonderful instrumentals – a blend of crime jazz, mood pieces, chase themes, and more – all peppered with that dark dark Bond theme that we love so much! Titles include "Into Miami", "Teasing The Korean", "Alpine Drive", "Bond Back In Action", "Gassing The Gangsters", and "Death Of Goldfinger".

Fantastic funkiness! Although Les Baxter's best known for his easy listening work in the late 50s/early 60s, this 1969 biker flick soundtrack is a motherlode of funky funky tracks, and a veritable cornucopia of breakbeats. The drums are nice and hard, and there's plenty of fuzzy guitars to give a razor sharp edge to the groove! A few tracks have vocals, but it's the funk rock instrumentals that drive this one into pulp soundtrack classic status. Highlights include the classics "Hogin' Machine" and "Hot Wind", but there's lots of other nice ones like "Soul Groove", "Chain Fight", "Dan's Theme", "Scoobee Doo" and the killer "Wheels (Main Title Theme)". This great limited edition CD version has a 4 bonus tracks made up of the full version of the end title song, medleys of shorter cues from the film, instrumental bits and more. "Travelin' Man", "Take It From Me (Source)/Gila Monster/Cathy Left Behind /Mongoose Gets Beans", "Gang Rides Through The Hills/Tosses Bike Over Bank/Snake Or Rope" and more.

A stone classic from Black Heat – the group's second album, and even tighter than their first! The group's size has dropped a bit between albums – but that only helps them cook even more – dropping a bit of the horn section from before, which allows even more emphasis on their razor-sharp rhythms! There's a slight hint of Afro Funk in some of the rhythms – and the keyboards cook with lots of sweet clavinet lines – mixed with a production style that features some bubbling electronic elements that remind us a lot of that crazy "magic bag" that was used by the Lafayette Afro-Rock Band. That group might be a good point of comparison, but the band also shares a lot of Kool & The Gang's ensemble funk style – especially on their cover of "Love The Life You Live" – which they burn here beautifully! Other tracks include "Super Cool", "M&M's", "Rapid Fire", "You Should Have Listened", "Times Have Changed", and "Check It All Out".

Brand New Heavies back in action – and sounding every bit as great as always! The group still has that sublime mix of soul, jazz, and funk that's made them so great right from the start – a mode that's steeped in classic influences from the 60s and 70s, yet finds a way to come out sounding really fresh and unique on every track! Instrumentation is razor-sharp, and mostly live – and vocals are by N'Dea Davenport, Jan Kincaid, Dawn Joseph, and Simon Bartholomew – creating a nice mix of personalities that make the record feel even more joyously collaborative than ever – almost as if the group's borrowed a page from the Incognito book – and the great way that combo has of coming together. The sound is warm and flowing throughout – never stiff or commercial – and titles include "Heaven", "Turn The Music Up", "Do You Remember", "On The One", "Sunlight", "Forward", "Addicted", and "A Little Funk In Your Pocket".

A lost treasure from James Brown & The JBs – a vintage live performance from the early 70s, and one that captures the group at the height of their powers! The format here is very similar to the excellent Revolution Of The Mind set – a totally funky, totally righteous live performance that has James and the group even more energized than in the studio – working with the kind of razor-sharp intensity that made them a legendary funk act – leaping from tune to tune with nary a break at all! Bobby Byrd acts as the MC, and joins James for a bit of vocals – and the group at this point still includes Bootsy Collins on bass, plus loads of great guitar from Catfish Collins, and Fred Wesley on trombone and Jabo Starks on drums. Dave Matthews handled some of the arrangements – and titles include "Soul Power", "Sex Machine", "Bewildered", "It's A New Day", "Ain't It Funky Now", "Brother Rapp", "Super Bad", "Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose", and "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag/I Got You/I Got The Feelin".

Razor-sharp funk from The Chapparals – an Atlanta group from the 70s, and one with a great balance of ensemble grooving and deeper soul roots! There was really something special in the Atlanta scene at the time – an approach to large group funk that was different than most northern scenes, and which could still come across with a lean sort of energy, even when hitting tight on the money for the dancefloor! These guys are a perfect summation of that groove – and the album's a blistering blend of bassy rhythms and tight instrumentation – including some mighty sweet keyboards that snake wonderfully alongside the guitar and horns, sometimes with some wild moogy touches that are almost P&P funk. The whole thing's great – one of those albums that's rare, but mighty satisfying too – and titles include "Juicy Fruit", "Shake Your Head (parts 1 & 2)", "Stop Cheating On My Lady", "Country Girl", "Hittin It", "Jam Around The World", and "The Brew".

Tremendous work from trumpeter Ted Curson – and one of the few records that shows up often in his oeuvre, but which is every bit as great as his rare and expensive albums! Side one features killer material from Curson's group with tenorist Bill Barron – three cuts recorded in Paris in 1964, all of them razor-sharp, and overflowing with modern ideas – tracks that include "Searchin For The Blues", "Desolation", and "Light Blue". Side two features Curson in another European mode – working as the bold soloist in front of a larger Yugoslavian big band – with searing readings of his classics "Straight Ice", "Flip Top", and "Quicksand".

One of the greatest grooves from the legendary Desco Records years – a brilliant album of modern Afro Funk done by The Daktaris – in a groove that's just as hard-hitting as any of Fela's work from the 70s! The album was one of the first to bring back an older African style to current funk – and even years later, it's still one of the best examples of the sound – a razor-sharp session that helped set the stage for better-known Antibalas work to come! Percussion and guitar is super-heavy throughout – produced with that bare-bones Desco style, and handled in a way that makes you think the record might be some treasure from mid 70s Nigeria – a trick the label tried to pull when it was released! Cuts include a cover of Fela's "Upside Down", James Brown's "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose", and the originals "Super Afro-Beat", "Daktari Walk", "Voodoo Soul Stew", and "Quiet Man Is A Dead Man".

One of the greatest grooves from the legendary Desco Records years – a brilliant album of modern Afro Funk done by The Daktaris – in a groove that's just as hard-hitting as any of Fela's work from the 70s! The album was one of the first to bring back an older African style to current funk – and even years later, it's still one of the best examples of the sound – a razor-sharp session that helped set the stage for better-known Antibalas work to come! Percussion and guitar is super-heavy throughout – produced with that bare-bones Desco style, and handled in a way that makes you think the record might be some treasure from mid 70s Nigeria – a trick the label tried to pull when it was released! Cuts include a cover of Fela's "Upside Down", James Brown's "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose", and the originals "Super Afro-Beat", "Daktari Walk", "Voodoo Soul Stew", and "Quiet Man Is A Dead Man".

A killer groove! "Fallin In Debt" is a chunky, funky monster that feels like some lost southern funk cut from the end of the 60s – razor sharp drums that move surprisingly fast, tight horns that pepper the groove but never overwhelm, and great vocals from DeRobert that set the pace of the cut nicely! Guitar riffs quickly alongside the triple-time groove – and the whole thing's backed by "Stay On Point" – another wickedly funky tune with an offbeat sense of rhythm!

A record as revolutionary as the French year in which it was recorded – an amazing batch of late 60s grooves from Parisian pop madame France Gall! The set's upbeat and jaunty, with plenty of fuzz – almost a psyche pop sound, with lots of groovy guitars that make the album sparkle with plenty of razor-sharp notes! Gall's vocals are as wonderful as ever, and almost sound a bit more sinister in this setting – thanks to arrangements by Alain Gouraguer and the great David Whitaker. There's plenty of France Gall classics here – including versions of the Serge Gainsbourg tunes "Nefertiti" and "Teenie Weenie Boppie" – plus "Toi Que Je Veux", "Made In France", "Bebe Requin", and "Avant La Bagarre".

If you've ever needed a definition of hardbop, this is it! The set's a crack quartet session for Blue Note, recorded in the mid 50s by a young Johnny Griffin – fresh in from Chicago, and playing with tons of fire and loads of imagination! Wynton Kelly's on piano and Max Roach is on drums – and the excitement never stops as the group rolls their way through the tightly-crafted tunes on the set. And don't mistake the session as just a head-blowing album with no creativity – because the whole thing's incredibly precise, and the real charm is the way in which the razor-sharp group manages to twist and turn so deftly – yet still always plays with creative imagination and thoughtful solos! Cuts include "Mil Dew", "Chicago Calling", "These Foolish Things", The Boy Next Door", "Lover Man" and "It's Alright With Me".

Funky fusion doesn't get any funkier than this – and the album's one of the greatest 70s recordings by jazz funk trumpeter Eddie Henderson! The album's got a harder edge than a lot of Eddie's other records of the decade – razor sharp rhythms crackling away underneath a sublime space-heavy mix of keyboards, bass, saxes, and Eddie's funky trumpet. The group includes work by Bennie Maupin on reeds, George Duke on keyboards, Julian Priester on trombone, and Harvey Mason on drums – and the great Skip Drinkwater is at the production chair, cutting the grooves here with a lot more fire than in some of his later work! The whole thing's great – and titles include "Involuntary Bliss", "Galaxy", "Kumquat Kids", and "Explodition".

The smoking return of Martha High – a singer who worked famously with James Brown during his funk years, but who never got the same shot at full-length fame as Lyn Collins or Marva Whitney! Martha's every bit as great – and although she did cut later records in the disco years, it's only recently that folks have finally discovered the true depths of her talents – as she's returned to the fold with amazing vocals, and strong support from the global funk underground! After a previous set with Shaolin Temple Defenders, Martha breaks out even more strongly here with backing from Speedometer – a UK combo who've played together for years, and are already razor-sharp on their own – making for the perfect sort of groove to restore High to the sound of her years with James Brown. The album's brilliant all the way through – not a rehash of older modes, but a rich union of two very strong talents – coming together in an effort that's definitely greater than the sum of its parts. Titles include "I'd Rather Go Blind", "No More Heartaches", "No Man Worries", "Never Never Love A Married Man", "You Got It", "You Got Me Started", "Dragging Me Down", and "Trouble Man".

The smoking return of Martha High – a singer who worked famously with James Brown during his funk years, but who never got the same shot at full-length fame as Lyn Collins or Marva Whitney! Martha's every bit as great – and although she did cut later records in the disco years, it's only recently that folks have finally discovered the true depths of her talents – as she's returned to the fold with amazing vocals, and strong support from the global funk underground! After a previous set with Shaolin Temple Defenders, Martha breaks out even more strongly here with backing from Speedometer – a UK combo who've played together for years, and are already razor-sharp on their own – making for the perfect sort of groove to restore High to the sound of her years with James Brown. The album's brilliant all the way through – not a rehash of older modes, but a rich union of two very strong talents – coming together in an effort that's definitely greater than the sum of its parts. Titles include "I'd Rather Go Blind", "No More Heartaches", "No Man Worries", "Never Never Love A Married Man", "You Got It", "You Got Me Started", "Dragging Me Down", and "Trouble Man".

It always feels like we're waiting a long time for a new record from Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – but it's always well worth the wait! This time around, they've found a way to focus their energies even more than before – still sticking strongly in the horn-heavy groove that we love, but also opening things up a bit more on the rhythm tip, too – and going for production that, if anything, makes them sound even more earnest, honest, and spontaneous than before! The record really preserves the live energy that makes the group so compelling – that razor sharp criss-crossing of jazz traditions and styles – steeped in a Chicago legacy that includes Sun Ra and Phil Cohran, but coming across with a hell of a lot more groove than either of them too. Titles include "Touch The Sky", "Kryptonite", "Pluto", "Black Boy", "World Champions", and "Starfighter".

Fast, frenetic funk – a romping 60s take on "James Brown's Boogaloo" – done at a level that's even rawer than the original from The Godfather himself! The guitar moves super-fast – cutting the tune with a razor-sharp rhythm that's then peppered with burning organ lines – plus a bit of heavy tenor on one of the versions here!

Razor-sharp funk from The Jig – a group who come across with a really classic feel throughout – and a vibe that's a lot like The JBs at their early 70s best! Like that legendary group, these guys have a great way of fusing their horn parts with their rhythms – compressing trumpet, tenor, and baritone sax down with some mighty sweet Hammond, guitar, bass, and drums – and often with a mostly-instrumental focus that means that the instruments offer up most of the "voice" of the set! Joseph Bowie guests on a few tracks, and Benjamin Herman plays on another – but it's the core group that really gets the album going, and hardly ever lets up at all. Titles include "Move To The Groove", "Super", "Bike Ride", "Smith & Western", "The Gravy Pit", and "Up Or Out".

Easily the most hard-hitting of Blue Note's 2LP Lighthouse Live series from the early 70s – and a record that really lets Elvin Jones and his group stretch out and play! The setting is a perfect one for Jones – given the boundless energy already present on his studio sessions for Blue Note at the time – really fierce work that goes beyond even his classic Coltrane performances – pushing the limits in a sweet blend of rhythm and reeds! The group here is Elvin's razor-edge combo from the early 70s – the one that features Gene Perla on fat funky bass, and both Steve Grossman and Dave Liebman playing choppy reeds along with the grooves – really amazing hornmen at this point in their career, blowing here with interplay that's simply fantastic! Jones' leadership both draws from his years with Coltrane, yet also takes the music to key new levels – increasing the energy without blowing the top off, and creating a vivid new groove that so many others would try to cop later in the 70s – but never do this well. Titles on this first volume include "Fancy Free", "Sambra", and "The Children Save The Children".

Easily the most hard-hitting of Blue Note's 2LP Lighthouse Live series from the early 70s – and a record that really lets Elvin Jones and his group stretch out and play! The setting is a perfect one for Jones – given the boundless energy already present on his studio sessions for Blue Note at the time – really fierce work that goes beyond even his classic Coltrane performances – pushing the limits in a sweet blend of rhythm and reeds! The group here is Elvin's razor-edge combo from the early 70s – the one that features Gene Perla on fat funky bass, and both Steve Grossman and Dave Liebman playing choppy reeds along with the grooves – really amazing hornmen at this point in their career, blowing here with interplay that's simply fantastic! Jones' leadership both draws from his years with Coltrane, yet also takes the music to key new levels – increasing the energy without blowing the top off, and creating a vivid new groove that so many others would try to cop later in the 70s – but never do this well. Titles on this second volume include "New Breed", "My Ship", and "Sweet Mama".

Fantastic French grooves from the end of the 60s – a killer set of jazz-based tracks recorded by trumpeter Ivan Jullien, with help from funky arranger Michel Colombier! Jullien recorded a fair bit of jazz and studio work around the time, and his playing here is razor-sharp – and supported by Colombier grooves that rival his best soundtrack material, his experiments with Pierre Henry, or his backings for singers like Serge Gainsbourg or Brigitte Bardot! Colombier also plays keyboards on the record, as does the great Maurice Vander – amidst a host of other great French jazzmen who include Pierre Gossez on sax, Roger Guerin on additional trumpet, and Eddie Louiss on organ. Drums are nice and funky on most cuts – and the whole thing kicks even more than most funky big band records on MPS! Includes the great break cut "I Remember Otis" – plus "Sonoro", "The Looser", "Talk", "An Oscar For Eddy", "Wake The Monster", "Edith", and "Crescendo".

Seminal solo sounds from the great Curtis Mayfield – a perfect package that sums of everything that's great about his early years at Curtom Records! The music here is as revolutionary today as it was back in the early 70s – proud, righteous songs that are filled with power and politics, yet also have a deeply personal feel too – that unique Mayfield way of mixing social change with individual expressions – never summed up more beautifully than on the work in this set! The package features the classic solo debut Curtis, the legendary Superfly soundtrack, the completely great Roots album, the razor-sharp Back To The World, and the double-length gem Curtis/Live, filled with long tracks and unique acoustic instrumentation!

A 70s album, but one that features very early sides from Atlantic Records – raw acoustic blues from Willie McTell, recorded on a 12 string guitar down in Atlanta! The album's not just a great example of McTell at his best – witty vocals, and really sharp lines on the acoustic guitar – but also a key illustration of the Atlantic approach right at the start – an ability to find the best setting for the best talents – and really let them open up in a spontaneous, soul-drenched style! Titles include "You Got To Die", "Kill It Kid", "The Razor Ball", "Broke Down Engine Blues", "Dying Crapshooter's Blues", "Blues Around Midnight", "Pearly Gates", and "Soon This Morning".

Pivotal work from one of the first bluesmen to ever use "blind" in his name – sides recorded by the legendary Willie McTell when he was at the height of his powers! Most tracks here feature well-recorded vocals from Willie – especially for the time – a haunting accompaniment to his deft work on acoustic guitar, which makes up the bulk of the instrumentation for most of the tracks. Ruth Day joins Willie on a few numbers – and titles include "Razor Ball", "My Baby's Gone", "Atlanta Strut", "God Don't Like It", "Scary Day Blues", "Experience Blues", "Kind Mama", and "Cold Winter Day".

The first moment of genius from the Steve Miller Band – a killer debut that also features a young Boz Scaggs as a key member of the group! Steve's the core star here, though – setting things up in this amazing blend of psych, blues, and hard rock – one that's easily a lot more ballsy than most of his Bay Area contemporaries at the time – really taking off on some propulsive rhythms, razor-sharp guitar, and cooking keyboards! Scaggs' vocal help is mighty nice – and titles include "You've Got The Power", "Pushed Me To It", "Junior Saw It Happen", "Baby's Callin Me Home", "Roll With It", and "Key To The Highway".

The heaviest album so far from Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro – and proof that this Japanese funk combo is really headed in the right direction! These guys have always been great, but this time around everything is razor sharp, and right on the money – played with a deftness the group didn't display on their first album – and which few other funk combos could hope to match! Guitars riff away very strongly – a key part of the rhythms – and horn passages are hard-blasting, in a mighty nice way. Titles include "Atmos 2000", "Watchin", "Mud City", "Stompin Joe", "Lie On The Side", "Perfect Time", "Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind", and "Yesterday's Delight".

A great little title for this stone cooker – as The New Mastersounds play with enough raw funk energy, the could easily crack the coast of northern California! We've loved these guys for years – and they still blow us away with their razor-sharp energy – a mindblowing sense of perfection that's still deeply funky and very spontaneous – not slick or smooth, as musicians of this caliber could easily be – but delivered as a socking punch to the rest of the deep funk underground – as proof that if you've been playing together this long, you can rise to the top of the heap with an amazingly funky sound! The guitar of Eddie Roberts is sublime, the drums of Simon Allen are nice and heavy, and the organ of Joe Tatton really cooks the whole thing together – on tracks that include "You Mess Me Up", "Yo Mamma", "Mission Creep", "Ding A Ling", "Turncoat", "Make Up Your Mind", "Each To Their Own", and "Welcome To Nola".

A great little title for this stone cooker – as The New Mastersounds play with enough raw funk energy, the could easily crack the coast of northern California! We've loved these guys for years – and they still blow us away with their razor-sharp energy – a mindblowing sense of perfection that's still deeply funky and very spontaneous – not slick or smooth, as musicians of this caliber could easily be – but delivered as a socking punch to the rest of the deep funk underground – as proof that if you've been playing together this long, you can rise to the top of the heap with an amazingly funky sound! The guitar of Eddie Roberts is sublime, the drums of Simon Allen are nice and heavy, and the organ of Joe Tatton really cooks the whole thing together – on tracks that include "You Mess Me Up", "Yo Mamma", "Mission Creep", "Ding A Ling", "Turncoat", "Make Up Your Mind", "Each To Their Own", and "Welcome To Nola".

Damn, we love these guys! And this time around, Osaka Monaurail sound harder and heavier than ever – very much back in their best 70s JBs mode – after a recent foray into 60s soul! The rhythms are incredibly tight – razor-sharp, with a forcefulness that few other funky combos can match – that hard-ripping groove you're usually only likely to find on the best James Brown productions from back in the day. Instrumental passages are at the forefront, too – which means a bit less vocals from group leader Ryo Nakata, although we still always love his unique funky soul approach when he does come into the mix. Titles include "Endemism", "Work Song", "Hung Up", "Andrias Japonicus", "Stop Doggin Me Around", "Syrinxology" and "The Archipelago". 11 tracks on the CD.

Damn, we love these guys! And this time around, Osaka Monaurail sound harder and heavier than ever – very much back in their best 70s JBs mode – after a recent foray into 60s soul! The rhythms are incredibly tight – razor-sharp, with a forcefulness that few other funky combos can match – that hard-ripping groove you're usually only likely to find on the best James Brown productions from back in the day. Instrumental passages are at the forefront, too – which means a bit less vocals from group leader Ryo Nakata, although we still always love his unique funky soul approach when he does come into the mix. Titles include "Endemism", "Work Song", "Syrinxology", "Andrias Japonicus", "Stop Doggin Me Around", "Mother Popcorn" and "The Archipelago". 10 tracks on the vinyl version.

Damn, we love these guys! And this time around, Osaka Monaurail sound harder and heavier than ever – very much back in their best 70s JBs mode – after a recent foray into 60s soul! The rhythms are incredibly tight – razor-sharp, with a forcefulness that few other funky combos can match – that hard-ripping groove you're usually only likely to find on the best James Brown productions from back in the day. Instrumental passages are at the forefront, too – which means a bit less vocals from group leader Ryo Nakata, although we still always love his unique funky soul approach when he does come into the mix. Titles include "Endemism", "Work Song", "Hung Up", "Andrias Japonicus", "Stop Doggin Me Around", and "The Archipelago".

Amazing 70s work from British altoist Mike Osborne – working here with a razor sharp trio that includes Harry Miller on bass and Louis Moholo on drums. Osborne's tone is already tremendous at the start – but the added rhythmic pressure of Miller and Moholo really make the album cook – burning with more intensity than the usual Ogun session of the time, and really taking on a triple-sided sort of interplay that allows each player ample voice on the date. There's almost a late 50s Sonny Rollins Trio sort of legacy going on here – but one pushed to freer 70s dimensions at times – and the whole thing's a great testament to the hidden talents of the critically overlooked Osborne! The side-long "All Night Long" suite includes improvs on "All Night Long", "Rivers", "Round Midnight" and "Scotch Pearl", and side 2 is also taken up by "Recapulations", another suite featuring "Ken's Tune", "Country Bounce", "All Night Long" and "Trio Trio". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "Scotch Pearl" and "Now & Then Here & Now".

A double-length live set from this tight Japanese fusion combo – a quartet with very heavy keyboards in the mix, as you might guess from the Korg placement on the cover – and some razor-sharp guitar from Hirokuni Korkikaia! Hiro's got a style that's tight, but never overly polished – at least not in the live setting here – and he steps out with a frenetic edge that recalls some of the most jamming fusion guitarists of the 70s – a quality that's bound to reach out and impress non-jazz audiences with his deft work on solos. Tracks are long, and plenty jamming – and titles include "Gold Rush", "Purple Saurus", "Now Or Never", "Last Blues", "Tears Of Mermaid", "Dimension Traveler", and "Z Paradise".

The first two albums from Ozone – back to back on a single CD! Walk On is the great debut of Ozone – a group who'd worked previously as the backing band for Billy Preston – which should give you an idea of how great they are! The group have a razor-sharp way of putting things together – tight and funky, yet never over the top – and definitely a real cut above most of their contemporaries – even at this heady time for soul music! The balance of their sound is wonderful – with some occasional smooth moments amidst the jazzy funk – and the whole thing feels more like some of the best Capitol Records groovers of the time, instead of what you might expect from early 80s Motown. Titles include "Cosmic Egg", "Ego", "Walk On", "This Is Funkin Insane", "That J", and "You On My Mind". Send It is filled with killer grooves from Ozone – an overlooked early 80s group on Motown, and easily one of the label's strongest suits of the time! The group have the tighter sound of most of the Motown work of the time – but they also manage a looser, more organic sort of approach to their groove – a sound that's almost more in the ensemble funk and 80s groove best of the Capitol Rare scene of the time, and a lot less like some of the more chartbound acts on their label. There's plenty of bass in the backings, but it's never used in a way that's too over the top – and the group balance things out nicely with a careful approach to vocals and some more sensitive ballads. Titles include "Keep On Dancin", "Over & Over Again", "Gigolette", "Do What Cha Wanna", "Tune Up", and "Girl I Can't Wait". Also includes a 12" single mix of "Gigolette".

A great New York group – and one that features the heavy frontline talents of Joe Magnarelli on trumpet, Jerry Weldon on tenor, and Peter Bernstein on guitar – plus razor-sharp rhythms from Spike Wilner on piano, Neal Miner on bass, and Joe Strasser on drums! As you'd guess from the players involved, there's a great sort of swing to the lineup – a rock-solid, soulfully-grooving approach to the music that gets going right from the start – and really takes off with the album's extended tracks, which offer up plenty of room for solo explorations. The album easily matches some of the best albums on Criss Cross by some of the group members – and features titles that include "Contemplations", "Bilbao", "Righty O", "A Foolish Lament", and "Simple As That".

A standout classic from Platypus – one of the tightest funk acts to work for Casablanca Records in the 70s! The quintet have a razor-sharp sound right from the start – leaner than some of the bigger funk ensembles of the time, but equally powerful in the end – thanks to a great ear for crafting grooves that are filled with complicated changes – yet come off with a solid funky punch! The balance is unique, and although the record's plenty funky, it's also got some fresh qualities that really set it apart – and which definitely put Platypus at the level of some of the best second-generation funk groups hitting the scene at the time. Titles include the excellent "Street Babies", which has a good Slave-ish kind of groove – plus "Love The Way You Funk", "Don't Go Away", "Dance If You Can", and "Running From Love". CD features six bonus tracks – including "Dancing In The Moonlight (12" disco)", "Love The Way You Funk (12" disco)", "Street Babies (12" disco)", "Dance If You Can (single)", "Dancing In The Moonlight (single)", and "Love The Way You Funk (single)".

Wonderfully tight work from Pleasure – a record that definitely lives up to the lean, clean image on the cover – as it's got the group honing their funky skills even more strongly than before! Wayne Henderson's at the helm, finding the group hit this razor-sharp groove that comes through right from the start – really refining their already-great sound into some of the tightest jazz funk on record at the time! Every track is a gem – and the set's got funky killers, mellow steppers, and plenty more – as you'll hear on the cuts "Celebrate The Good Things", "Foxy Lady", "Get To The Feeling", "Ladies Night Out", "No Matter What", and "Farewell Goodbye".

Heavy dubs from a fairly unsung producer Phil Pratt – a set recorded at Channel One at the end of the 70s/start of the 80s –backed by the mighty rhythms of Sly & Robbie and other key figures in some of the greatest Jamaican music! This is some of the most adventurous dub we can think of from that time, yet it doesn't go too far off the experimental deep end – with acres of infectious echo and some tripped out atmosherics. Ron Brian is on guitar, Bobby Kalphat & Ansel Collins on keys, Tommy McCook & Herman Marquis on horns. Includes "Dial-M-For Murder", "Danger UBX", "Stinger", "Beware Of This Rass Dub", "Chase A Crooked Shadow", "Don't Watch My Size", "Walking Razor", "Wonder Woman Dub", "Bad Boy Dub" and "Jam Up".

The greatest of Dizzy Reece's 3 LPs for Blue Note – and it's also the hardest to find! The British trumpeter is playing here with a group that is totally classic hardbop Blue Note – and which includes Hank Mobley on tenor, Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. Mobley's playing is fantastic – as on all of his Blue Notes – and his presence alone takes the set into another level. His solos on the harder tracks are all great, and played with a razor-sharp edge that opens up Reece a lot more than usual. Tracks include "The Rebound", "Groovesville", "The Rake", and "A Variation On Monk". Great stuff, and a true classic lost Blue Note!

A really rich second album from Ripple – a group who took awhile to return to the studio, but really developed a lot in the process! The combo started out as a straight funk act – but here, they really take off with a tight approach to their instrumentation – razor-sharp work on guitar, keyboards, bass, and percussion – soaring off into the clouds with energy that more than matches the image on the cover! Given their Atlanta roots, there's a vibe here that's a bit like some of the best Tommy Stewart material of the time – and Floyd Smith produces the group on the record, really finding a great way to blend everything together, but without ever losing an edge! Titles include the club classic "The Beat Goes On and On" – plus "Sons of The Gods", "Do What You Wanna Do", "Here I Stand", "Call Me Traveling Man", and "Victorious". CD features bonus tracks – "The Beat Goes On & On (orig Jim Burgess 12" mix)", "The Beat Goes On & On (orig single version)", and "Today (orig single version)".

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".

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".

Quite possibly THE greatest Sonny Rollins album of the early years – or at least the one that has received the most accolades over the years! The record is a brilliant batch of quartet tracks that reinvents bop through Sonny's complicated, yet seemingly automatic solos – an excellent showcase for his razor-sharp talents for improvisation and invention, played with effortless ease, yet still one of the great bar-setting performances of 50s jazz. The group features Tommy Flanagan, Max Roach, and Doug Watkins – and tunes include an original reading of the perennial Rollins' standard "St. Thomas", plus a great version of "Moritat (Mack The Knife)", and the cuts "Strode Rode" and "Blue 7".

A seminal 70s set from this key Aussie band – one that almost had more of an impact here in the US than they did in their homeland! The sound is pretty tight, even though there's some larger horns on some cuts – and The Saints have a razor-sharp guitar edge that doesn't profess to be punkish, but which sits alongside nicely with the other harder Sire work of the time. Titles include "Run Down", "This Perfect Day", "(I'm) Misunderstood", "International Robots", "No, Your Product", "Memories Are Made Of This", and "Lost & Found".

A funky funky big band – and one that blasts away with a power that's just incredible – almost the force of some small combo from the funky 45 universe, stretched out over a wide range of heavy horns! The album's light years past the previous album from Samuel Jon Samuelsson – and we like that one a lot, so that will tell you what we think of this one – a record that's unlike anything else we can think of, almost a distillation of 70s funky big band modes, run through a razor-sharp sense of rhythm – and topped with a few slight keyboard touches amidst the full-on brace of horns, guitar, and percussion! The sound is mindblowing – "fokking" amazing, if we can pun off the title – and tracks include "Ahoba Rodney", "International Monetary Funk", "God Blessi Island", "Chicken Street", and "Phobos & Deimos".

One of Gil Scott-Heron's best albums from later years! The record's got some wonderful mellow cuts – the kind that send chills up our spine, and which remind us of Gil's stripped-down jazzy work on the album Winter In America. And in fact, Gil does an excellent remake of the classic track "Your Daddy Loves You" from that album – adding in a bit more production than on the original, but still doing the cut with a wonderfully soulful vibe. A few cuts have a razor sharp lyricism laid down over jazz funk arrangements – "The Klan" and "Waiting For The Axe To Fall" in particular – but the best numbers are wonderfully sophisticated jazzy numbers, like "Combinations" and "The Train From Washington".

The amazing return of the Shaolin Temple Defenders – a group who've really deepened their sound since we last heard from them! On previous albums, the Defenders were a razor-sharp funk combo – a French ensemble who'd really studied the funky 45 underground of the late 60s and early 70s – and definitely knew how to get that sound right! This time around, they've also picked up a deep soul vibe as well – bringing vocals into the mix even more strongly than before – sung by Brother Lion with this raspy style that feels like some of the best southern soul at the start of the 70s. The funky currents of the group are still firmly in place – sometimes with a heavy 70s twist, sometimes with a more laidback vibe that lets the vocals take center stage – and titles include "Blue Shades", "Do You Remember", "Spirit Of The South", "Temple Of Soul", "Super Nacho Funk", "Let Your Love Shine On Me", "It's So Easy", "Our Love Will Live Forever", and a cover of "Kung Fu Fighting". CD also features two bonus tracks – "Night & Day" and "At The Drive-In".

The amazing return of the Shaolin Temple Defenders – a group who've really deepened their sound since we last heard from them! On previous albums, the Defenders were a razor-sharp funk combo – a French ensemble who'd really studied the funky 45 underground of the late 60s and early 70s – and definitely knew how to get that sound right! This time around, they've also picked up a deep soul vibe as well – bringing vocals into the mix even more strongly than before – sung by Brother Lion with this raspy style that feels like some of the best southern soul at the start of the 70s. The funky currents of the group are still firmly in place – sometimes with a heavy 70s twist, sometimes with a more laidback vibe that lets the vocals take center stage – and titles include "Blue Shades", "Do You Remember", "Spirit Of The South", "Temple Of Soul", "Super Nacho Funk", "Let Your Love Shine On Me", "It's So Easy", "Our Love Will Live Forever", and a cover of "Kung Fu Fighting".

A seminal set of Sonny Stitt recordings for Prestige – material that was originally issued on singles and 10" LPs, pulled together to make one classic album! The material here was recorded in 1951 and 1952, and shows Stitt at all of his prime youthful power – blowing beautifully with a razor-sharp tone, and a sense of improvisational imagination that few others could match! Sonny plays alto, tenor, and baritone – and other players include Joe Newman on trumpet, Kenny Drew or Junior Mance on piano, and Art Blakey on drums. Titles include "Cherokee", "Imagination", "Can't We Be Friends", "Liza", "Cool Mambo", "Sonny Sounds", and "Blue Mambo".

One of the greatest records ever cut by Sun – the late 70s funk group who some excellent albums for Capitol Records – a group whose records never made the charts as strongly as their contemporaries, but not for lack of quality! This set's a great batch of heavy ensemble funk with an edge that's not always heard on other Sun records – lots of razor-sharp guitars riffing away in saw-cut modes, striking hard at the grooves of the record, and chilling out nicely for the mellower cuts. The blend is wonderful – totally tight, and totally top-shelf all the way through – yet never in a commercial way at all. Titles include "Wanna Make Love", "My Woman", "Live On Dream On", "The Show Is Over", "Love Is Never Sure", and "They're Calling For Me".

A pair of stormers from Sun – back to back on a single CD! Wanna Make Love is one of the greatest records ever cut by Sun – a group whose records never made the charts as strongly as their contemporaries, but not for lack of quality! This set's a great batch of heavy ensemble funk with an edge that's not always heard on other Sun records – lots of razor-sharp guitars riffing away in saw-cut modes, striking hard at the grooves of the record, and chilling out nicely for the mellower cuts. The blend is wonderful – totally tight, and totally top-shelf all the way through – yet never in a commercial way at all. Titles include "Wanna Make Love", "My Woman", "Live On Dream On", "The Show Is Over", "Love Is Never Sure", and "They're Calling For Me". Sun Power is a solid smoker from Sun – the kind of tight funk set that made the group one of the greatest soul acts on Capitol Records during the late 70s! There's a wicked Ohio vibe going on throughout – everything focused together, and right on the money – even despite the large size of the ensemble – and touched with a slightly jazzy undercurrent that carries strong echoes of Earth Wind & Fire! Rhythms are nice and tight, with keyboards, guitar, and brassy horns over the top – and on the mellower cuts the vocals have a nicely compressed quality. Titles include "Conscience", "We're So Hot", "Organ Grinder", "She Lives Alone", "Time Is Passing", and "Light Me Up".

Funky club from the always-great T-Connection – all extended numbers, served up in one dancefloor-packing set! T-Connection are easily one of our favorite groups from the late 70s club years – and although they played big in discos, the combo also had a core instrumental sound that was steeped in funk – with lots of raw acoustic percussion, tight guitar and bass riffing, and a razor-sharp groove that was always at the top of its game! The package brings together some of T-Connection's best dancefloor tracks from their great run at TK Records – mostly numbers from the late 70s and early 80s, all presented in full or extended versions. Titles include "Disco Magic", "At Midnight", "Do What You Wanna Do", "Saturday Night", "Let Yourself Go", "On Fire", "Everything Is Cool", "Love Odyssey", "Totally Connected", and "Do What You Wanna Do (94 remix)".

Great work by one of the funkiest disco bands of the late 70s! T Connection were always a step above most of their contemporaries, especially some of the weaker pop disco acts on the TK family of labels – which was the group's home during these years. They brought a really solid conception to all of their work in the early days – and this record's a great mix of soul and funk club tracks, done with a precision that almost approaches Earth Wind & Fire in the mid 70s – razor-sharp, and right on the money throughout! Vocals are tasty, there's lots of nice guitar work, and the production has a modern sound that points ahead to the 80s groove years. Tracks include "Totally Connected", "Let's Do It Today", "Choosing", "That's Love", and "Ecstasy".

A massive groover from Timmy Thomas – really hitting here on all burners, and moving with a groove that's much fuller than the drum machine fills of his early years! The sound is Miami club at its best – wickedly uptempo rhythms that are played with razor-sharp intensity – still mostly funk at the core, with lots of live instrumentation that moves at a precision that's hard to beat! Timmy still adds in some great sweet moments from time to time – reminding us of his skill with a ballad – but the groovers also push him into Bohannon territory – which is quite a compliment from us! King Sporty handled the arrangements and production – and definitely deserves credit for the grooves – and Betty Wright adds in a bit of sweet guest vocals too. Titles include "Touch To Touch", "When A House Got Music", "Game Of Life", "Africano", "Torrid Zone", "Love For The People", and "Sweet Music".

Three dudes, but pretty darn funky dudes at that – working together here on two razor-sharp instrumentals! "777" has mad bass and crackling drums – both recorded with a slightly muddy quality, so that they blend together beautifully in the groove – and leave plenty of room for a raw guitar solo over the top! "Sex Machine" isn't the James Brown hit exactly – but kind of a reworking of the core groove, with a weird little keyboard instead of any vocals – and a equally raw funky feel overall!

Excellent work from New Orleans soul legend Allen Toussaint – and a set that may well be his funkiest album ever! The set features 12 tracks from the early 70s – a time when Toussaint was mixing a bit of funk into the heavy soul mix that he'd had from his early days in the Crescent City scene – coming up with a blend that's even darker, and more powerful than all his famous production and projects of the 60s! And while some of Allen's later work tended towards cliche, this record captures him right at that perfect point when all of this was totally fresh – delivered with a razor-sharp edge, and with great instrumental help from New Orleans legends like Leo Nocentelli, Zig Modeliste, and George Porter Jr – all of whom make the album groove harder than most of the other soul albums on Warner at the time. Titles include "Soul Sister", "Victims Of The Darkness", "Am I Expecting Too Much", "Out Of The City", "Goin Down", "Electricity", "Fingers & Toes", and "On Your Way Down".

Numero Group does it again – and manages to pull together all the best bits from the crucially overlooked powerpop scene in the Land Of Lincoln – a wealth of wonderful groups from the 70s and 80s, all of whom recorded great indie sounds in Illinois! Sure, you've heard of Cheap Trick, and maybe The Kind – but Illinois was also home to handfuls of other great groups – many of whom never found national fame, due to lack of access to the kind of A&R that groups on the coast were getting. The sound here is wonderful – razor sharp guitars, super-tight drums, and tuneful lyrics that still burst forth with plenty of power – a great reminder that not all the hot energy of the late 70s was going into punk rock. As usual, Numero's overdone themselves with the package – lots of info on the groups, and the kind of stylish package that even goes way beyond most of the original records too. Titles include "At Practice" by Band Jocks, "Get Away" by Julian Leal, "I Wanna Make You" by Prettyboys, "Midnight Girls" by Eyz, "Where Are You Now" by Tom Orsi, "More & More" by Lay Z, "See You Tonight" by Contra-Band, "Kyle" by Loose Lips, "Total Insanity" by The Kind, "So Lifelike" by The Jerks, and "I Have Always Loved You" by Paul.

Numero Group does it again – and manages to pull together all the best bits from the crucially overlooked powerpop scene in the Land Of Lincoln – a wealth of wonderful groups from the 70s and 80s, all of whom recorded great indie sounds in Illinois! Sure, you've heard of Cheap Trick, and maybe The Kind – but Illinois was also home to handfuls of other great groups – many of whom never found national fame, due to lack of access to the kind of A&R that groups on the coast were getting. The sound here is wonderful – razor sharp guitars, super-tight drums, and tuneful lyrics that still burst forth with plenty of power – a great reminder that not all the hot energy of the late 70s was going into punk rock. As usual, Numero's overdone themselves with the package – lots of info on the groups, and the kind of stylish package that even goes way beyond most of the original records too. Titles include "At Practice" by Band Jocks, "Get Away" by Julian Leal, "I Wanna Make You" by Prettyboys, "Midnight Girls" by Eyz, "Where Are You Now" by Tom Orsi, "More & More" by Lay Z, "See You Tonight" by Contra-Band, "Kyle" by Loose Lips, "Total Insanity" by The Kind, "So Lifelike" by The Jerks, and "I Have Always Loved You" by Paul.

The birth of Miami soul, and a beautifully done document of the rare Deep City label – home to Willie Clarke, Clarence Reid, and Betty Wright in the years before Alston and TK Records! Way before Miami soul started cracking the charts at the start of the 70s, Deep City was already putting the best parts in place – working with a tight roster of artists and an equally tight in-house band that rose from the ranks of Florida A&M's Marching 100 band – razor-sharp instrumentalists who helped forge a groove worthy to rival the sounds of Memphis, Muscle Shoals, and even the best of Detroit at the time – given that some of the work here has a much sweeter soul sound than other 60s southern soul. As usual, the Numero team have done an incredible job with the package – pulling out rare photos, personal stories, and just the right amount of information to breathe new life into the Deep City label and help it live anew. Titles include "Paralyzed" and "Good Lovin" by Betty Wright, "Am I A Good Man" by Them Two, "Someone To Fulfill My Needs" and "I Love You Baby" by The Moovers, "I Am Controlled By Your Love" and "Willing & Able" by Helene Smith, "Good Thing (part 1)" by Frank Williams & The Rocketeers, "It's My Baby" and "The Upset" by Paul Kelly, and "Stay Away From My Johnny" by Freda Gray & The Rocketeers. 2LP version features 6 bonus tracks – all instrumental – including "Good Lovin (inst)", "I Love You Baby (inst)", "Darling I'll Go (inst)", and "Am I A Good Man (inst)" by The Deep City Band – and "Stay Away From My Johnny (inst)" and "Good Thing (part 2) (inst)" by The Rocketeers.

The birth of ska – served up in a host of hard-edged classics from the early years – great Jamaican tracks that sound a lot more like soul music than most later incarnations of the genre – no surprise, given that many of these cuts were crafted from the strong influence of American radio on the Kingston airwaves! The rhythms are definitely what you'd call ska, but the vocals often have a deeper approach than we're used to in later work of the genre – heavily tilted towards the soul and R&B side of the spectrum, especially when more than one singer is featured on a track – and often mixed with razor-sharp instrumentation that packs the punch of a vintage funky 45! Titles include "Valley Of Green" and "Take Your Time" by Jackie Opel, "Men Alone" by The Deacons, "Lonely & Blue Boy" by Ferdie Nelson, "Sweet Dreams" by Bibby & The Astronauts, "Snake In The Grass" by Larry Marshall, "Ten Virgins" by The Angelic Brothers, "Everyday" by The Avalons, "My Darling Josephine" by Joe G Henry, "Dream For Tomorrow" by Al & The Vibrators, "Fresh Out Of Love" and "Someone" by The Jetts, and "Never Too Young To Learn" by Andy & The Avalons. 40 tracks in all!

Early bossa jazz from Sergio Mendes – recorded with his famous Bossa Rio combo, in the years before he moved to America! The album's a classic in Brazilian jazz – a tight album of bossa-inflected jazz tunes played with razor-sharp precision, handled with a style that went on to influence countless other Brazilian groups at the time. Mendes is in the lead on piano, and other players include Edison Machado on drums, Raul De Souza on trombone, and Hector Costita on tenor sax. The whole thing's great – a masterpiece of both jazz and bossa – and it's filled with classic tunes arranged by Jobim, Moacir Santos, and Sergio himself. Titles include "Nana", "Primitivo", "Desafinado", "Ela E Carioca", "Amor Em Paz", "Noa Noa", and "Neurotico".

Damn hard to go wrong with Cortijo at this point in his career – as records like this are razor-sharp, all the way through! The cooker features excellent vocals from a young Ismael Rivera – who's already got this transcendent quality that points towards larger Latin dimensions to come – and the group have a core energy that really gets back to basics – shaking off the larger trappings of Latin orchestras of a few years before, and really focusing in on the rhythms! Titles include "Chachaguere", "Manana Es Domingo", "Tuntuneco" , "Ramona", "Perfume De Rosas", "Un Telegrama", and "Pa'Tumbar La Cana".

One of Jackie McLean's earliest dates as a leader – a stone cooker that already shows an edge that sets him apart from other artists! The feel here is similar to McLean's albums for Prestige at the same time – a mixture of bop and some of the modernist themes that often surfaced in McLean's work, played in a seductively laidback manner, but with a razor-sharp intensity overall! Players include Donald Byrd on trumpet, Mal Waldron on piano, and Doug Watkins on bass – just the right sort of lineup to match the dark intensity of Jackie's music. Titles include "Mood Malody", "Lover Man", "Blue Doll", "It's You Or No One", and a key early take of "Little Melonae".

Bubbling 80s soul from Stephanie Mills – a set that has the singer's vocals really working strongly with some catchy rhythms that nicely balance between the clubs and the charts! Stephanie's almost in Deniece Williams territory here – working with a groove that's got plenty of potential to cross over to bigger markets – yet still marked by the really rich, full vocal approach that made her a winner right from the start! The backings definitely have that hook-heavy quality you'd hear in mainstream 80s soul – but Mills' approach more than makes the songs her own – even when things are grooving. Titles include "In My Life", "The Medicine Song", "Edge Of The Razor", "Undercover", and "Rough Trade". CD features three bonus tracks – "Edge Of The Razor (dance mix)", "Edge Of The Razor (dub mix)", and "The Medicine Song (Mark Berry 12" mix)".

Think major label rock is boring? Think again – and check out this incredible set of tracks from the late 60s and early 70s – all pulled from the catalogs of Liberty and United Artists Records, and recorded at a time when both labels were really willing to take a lot of chances with their music! In the 60s, Liberty was mostly known as a mainstream pop outlet in the US – but over in Europe, the company was recording some incredible cutting-edge groups that included important early prog rockers, space rockers, psyche rockers, and jazz rockers – the kind of genre-crossing groups that were the mainstay of FM radio in its early days, and which are documented here wonderfully in a 3CD set that's overflowing with rare tunes and great notes! Much of the work here has never been issued on CD, and the tracks offer a key picture of an era that's nearly lost – presented with a great sense of timing, history, and full-rocking energy. 39 tracks in all – with titles that include "Intro & Outro" by Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, "The Birthday" by Idle Race, "The Seed" by BB Blunder, "Here Comes Mister Time" by If, "Let Me Take You Home" by Gypsy, "Our Captain Cried All Hands" by Allan Taylor, "Little Boy" by Reg King, "Cherry Red" by The Groundhogs, "Paperhouse" by Can, "Country Girl" by Brinsley Schwarz, "Daughter Of The Fireplace" by Man, "Take Me Away" by Colin Scot, "Out Of My Tree" by Clive John, "Psychedelic Warlords" by Hawkwind, "Home Again" by Cochise, "Razor Blade & Rattlesnake" by Deke Leonard, and "Living In The World Today" by Neutrons.

If you've ever needed a definition of hardbop, this is it! The set's a crack quartet session for Blue Note, recorded in the mid 50s by a young Johnny Griffin – fresh in from Chicago, and playing with tons of fire and loads of imagination! Wynton Kelly's on piano and Max Roach is on drums – and the excitement never stops as the group rolls their way through the tightly-crafted tunes on the set. And don't mistake the session as just a head-blowing album with no creativity – because the whole thing's incredibly precise, and the real charm is the way in which the razor-sharp group manages to twist and turn so deftly – yet still always plays with creative imagination and thoughtful solos! Cuts include "Mil Dew", "Chicago Calling", "These Foolish Things", The Boy Next Door", "Lover Man" and "It's Alright With Me". CD features 2 bonus tracks – "Cherokee" and "The Way You Look Tonight".

Damn great work from Ledisi – an artist who hasn't missed a beat since moving to the majors a few years back – sounding almost funkier than ever before, thanks to some impeccable production and razor-sharp instrumentation! Ledisi's vocals are beyond challenge – old school deep soul we first came to love years back, on her classic indie sets – and this time around, the instrumentation seems even rawer than we remember – as if there's an old school funky combo backing the singer up on some tracks, mixed with other numbers that have some fuller backings, but still really retain their edge. Production is by a crew with some really great ears for this sort of sound – Rex Rideout, Raphael Saadiq, and others – and from the songwriting credits, it's clear that Ledisi's still very much in charge of the overall shape of the album. Titles include "Runnin", "Everything Changes", "Turn Me Loose", "Love Never Changes", "Knockin", "Goin Thru Changes", "I Need Love", "Say No", "Please Stay", and "Trippin".

Hank Mobley was a genius – as you'll hear on this incredible hardbop session from the 60s! He never made a bad album, and even when playing straight, he had a sheer raw power that made every moment rich with excitement! This session's got a great lineup that features Grant Green on guitar, Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – all working together in razor-sharp formation, with strong guidance from Mobley's tenor in the lead. Tracks are longish, with plenty of room for solos – and titles include "Smokin", "Greasin Easy", "Workout", and "Uh Huh".

Hank Mobley was a genius – as you'll hear on this incredible hardbop session from the 60s! He never made a bad album, and even when playing straight, he had a sheer raw power that made every moment rich with excitement! This session's got a great lineup that features Grant Green on guitar, Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – all working together in razor-sharp formation, with strong guidance from Mobley's tenor in the lead. Tracks are longish, with plenty of room for solos – and titles include "Smokin", "Greasin Easy", "Workout", and "Uh Huh". CD also features the bonus track "Three Coins In The Fountain".

Hank Mobley was a genius – as you'll hear on this incredible hardbop session from the 60s! He never made a bad album, and even when playing straight, he had a sheer raw power that made every moment rich with excitement! This session's got a great lineup that features Grant Green on guitar, Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – all working together in razor-sharp formation, with strong guidance from Mobley's tenor in the lead. Tracks are longish, with plenty of room for solos – and titles include "Smokin", "Greasin Easy", "Workout", and "Uh Huh". CD also features the bonus track "Three Coins In The Fountain".

Stunning! This is a beautiful album that's one of Max Roach's most powerful recordings, and a record that's been the inspiration for countless other imitations over the years. Roach leads a group with Richard Williams, Clifford Jordan, and Mal Waldron – and they're matched with a vocal chorus led by Coleridge Perkinson, who also did the arrangements for Donald Byrd's classic "with voices" albums. Unlike those, though, this set's a damn angry bunch of compositions, and the chorus wails away in a loud screaming powerful mode that will blow away any of your preconceptions about the "with voices" mode. The group sings wordless vocals (except for one cut, which has Abbey Lincoln singing in the lead), and provides a searing backdrop of sound for the band's razor sharp playing. Every cut's a winner, and the whole thing's a masterpiece! Titles include "The Profit", "It's Time", and "Another Valley".

The second album by The Sylvers – and a very hip batch of funky tracks that goes way beyond their roots as a kiddie soul group! The set was put together by Jerry Peters, with additional rhythm arrangements by Harvey Mason – and the pair of them give the set a very groovy feel, taking full advantage of the group's strong ability to turn a catchy lyric, but also adding some razor sharpness to the grooves. Titles include "Stay Away From Me", "Let It Be Me", "I Remember", "Cry Of A Dreamer", "Through The Love In My Heart", "Handle It", and "I Don't Need To Prove Myself".

Texas Latin from Beto & The Fairlaines – a key genre-crossing group who really made the Austin scene sparkle back in the day – represented here by some of their best early recordings! The music's heavy on jazz, and the instrumentation is razor-sharp – not just the tight horns, but also the keyboards too – handled by Beto with loads of funky touches that would be right at home in a 70s fusion session! The album mixes together live and studio tracks, with a progressively more modern feel as things move on – but never a sound that's too slick or commercial at all. Titles include "Playa Gloria", "Stomp Stomp", "Chalupa Supreme", "Mongoose Island", "Salsafied", "Dolores Dulces", "Kinshasa Kinshasa", and "Conga Dog".

Two funk blacksploitation soundtracks, back to back on one CD! Cornbread, Earl, & Me wasn't exactly a Superfly-type film, but the Blackbyrds do a nice job of playing Donald Byrd's score of funky instrumentals and sweeter jazz themes, written to fit the "coming of age" story of the film. The big sample cuts on here are the short cuts "Wilford's Gone" and "Soulful Source" – but there's a lot of other nice mellower numbers, like "Cornbread", "Riot", "One-Eye Two Step", and "The Gym Fight". Charles Earland did the funky score for Dynamite Brothers – an obscure Kung Fu movie, that was his one entry into the blacksploitation genre of the 70s. The lineup includes a lot of the great players that were helping him on his mid-70's stuff – Eddie Henderson, Dave Hubbard, Patrick Gleeson – and the groove is deeper and funkier than most of his other mid-70s Prestige albums. The album's got a very nice batch of material that really stands on its own away from the movie, with some very funky grooves that stand as some of the best shorter funk tracks cut by Earland from the time. Tracks include "Snake", "Razor J.", "Kunfusion", and "Weedhopper".

It always feels like we're waiting a long time for a new record from Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – but it's always well worth the wait! This time around, they've found a way to focus their energies even more than before – still sticking strongly in the horn-heavy groove that we love, but also opening things up a bit more on the rhythm tip, too – and going for production that, if anything, makes them sound even more earnest, honest, and spontaneous than before! The record really preserves the live energy that makes the group so compelling – that razor sharp criss-crossing of jazz traditions and styles – steeped in a Chicago legacy that includes Sun Ra and Phil Cohran, but coming across with a hell of a lot more groove than either of them too. Titles include "Touch The Sky", "Kryptonite", "Pluto", "Black Boy", "World Champions", and "Starfighter".

A great little record – exactly the kind of set that always has us looking out for rare European jazz sessions! As you'd guess from the title, the material was recorded in 1967 – and represents a strong advancement in the sound of Danish jazz – a move forward even more strongly from the key modern moments of the early part of the decade – with new sounds, new tones, and new rhythms that really keep things fresh! Tracks are all longish, and feature a group that includes Bent Jaedig on tenor and a bit of flute, Allan Botschinsky on trumpet, Bent Axen on piano, Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Alex Riel on drums – about as great of a lineup as you could get for the southern side of Scandinavia at the time, and players who all work beautifully together – razor-sharp on the start of the tunes, then opening up freely into their own personalities on the solos. Dusko Goykovich replaces Botschinsky on one number – the soulful "I Remember OP" – and other tracks include "B's Waltz", "Doo's Blues", and "Atlicity".

Madness back when they were strongly in a ska vein! Titles include "One Step beyond", "Tarzan's Nuts", "Madness", "Chimunks Are Go", "Razor Blade Alley", and "Land Of Hope & Glory".

An amazing album – simply groundbreaking, and a key turn for Jackie McLean! The record features a group of hip young players – including a very young Tony Williams, plus Grachan Moncur III, Bobby Hutcherson, and Eddie Kahn – all playing in a spare contemplative modernist mode that would soon become known as "new thing" jazz. The four tracks on the album – "Frankenstein", "Ghost Town", "Blue Rondo", and "Saturday & Sunday" – are extremely stark, and even Hutcherson's often-warm vibes sound harsh and metallic, especially next to McLean's razor-sharp tone. The record's a real treasure – and never too out to be unenjoyable by fans of McLean's more inside work. Extremely compelling – and we sure wish they were making them like this again! Also includes a bonus alternate of "Saturday & Sunday".

A fantastically funky full length set from Gizelle Smith – a hell of a great singer who's really been winning our ears with her funky 45s – now stepping out with an even more badass sound in the space of this album! Gizelle's groove is right up there with the hippest female singers in the deep funk underground – and the backings by The Mighty Mocambos are forged in years of funky 45 experience – razor sharp, with an especially great edge on the drums – which seem to drive all the other instruments in the combo! There's no hoke at all in the production, either – no fake-retro styles, just a clean, clear, classic approach to funky soul that makes the set an instantly timeless gem – one of those records you could have picked up 30 years back, and will definitely be playing again 30 years from now. Titles include "Snake Charmer", "Coffee High", "Everything Holds Blame", "Gonna Get You", "Out Of Fashion", "Love Alarm", "Hold Fast", "The Time Is Right For Love", "Magic Time Machine", and "Nothing For Nothing" – plus an instrumental of "Free Vibes".

Beautiful stuff – and one of the best Donald Byrd albums of the 60s! The album is a killer all the way through – recorded with a group that Byrd maintained for 2 years, one that featured Sonny Red on alto sax, Cedar Walton on piano, Walter Booker on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all of whom come together magnificently in a razor-sharp formation, mixing hardbop and soul jazz with an edge that you'll hardly find on any of Byrd's other albums from the time. A lot of the credit is due to Sonny Red – who plays with a raspy tone that's odd for the alto, and which really draws out Byrd's solo skills. Walton's got a heavy left-handed approach that really hits some great grooves – and the team of Booker and Higgins leap lyrically, yet also throw just the right amount of funk into the rhythms. Includes the Blue Break classic "Jelly Roll", the amazing jazz dancer "Book's Bossa", and the sublime "Slow Drag", one of the strangest groovers you'll ever hear!