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Some of the earliest work of Jacques Brel – and some of the best as well! The collection is a massive overview of Brel's first recordings in the mid 50s – all original compositions that marked not only a new generation for songwriting in France, but a revision of the role of the male singer as well! Brel is at once sardonic and emotive – carefully balanced between up-close observation and a slight sense of distance that shows in the wit he brings to the topics of his tunes. Arrangements are often simple and stylish – shifting strongly to fit the spirit of the songs, making for a slightly un-definable quality to the overall album – but in a way that also keeps things interesting. The work was recorded between 1953 and 1956, with backings by Andre Grassi, Michel Legrand, and Andre Popp – and the CD features a whopping 34 tracks that include "La Bastille", "La Haine", "Grand Jacques", "Il Pleut", "S'Il Te Faut", "A Deux", "Les Gens", "Saint Pierre", "Quand On N'A Que L'Amour", "La Foire", "Le Troubadour", "C'Est Comme Ca", "L'Accordeon De La Vie", and "L'Ange Dechu".

A pretty strong set of some of the more essential DJ Shadow – and one that smartly digs past the more obvious selections to include some great single edits, deeper mid- and later-era Shadow gems, one of the stronger Shadow-era UNKLE cuts and other leftfield choices! That said, there's some straight up essential DJ Shadow classics here, too – and it's well paced, to boot. If you don't already own most of Shadow's catalogue, you probably need this! Includes "Midnight In A Perfect World", "High Noon", "I've Been Trying", "This Time (I'm Gonna Try It My Way", "You Can't Go Home Again (Radio Edit)", "Scale It Back (Radio Edit)" feat Little Dragon, "Listen" feat Terry Reid, "Stem (Single Edit)", "Six Days", "Won't You Be", "Lonely Soul (7" Version)" with Richard Ashcroft, "Blood On The Motorway", "You Made It" with Chris James and "Redeemed".

A great set of archival DJ Shadow instros from the early-to-mid 90s – from back when his primary means of production was the Akai MPC sampler – along with his endless arsenal of vinyl and limitless creative inspiration! This is formative, but essential material for fans of classic Shadow. It's a superior follow up to the 4 Track Era compilation, and a solid blueprint for his very best work to come! This is all previously unreleased, and it was produced from 1992 to 1996 – which is the period that beat heads and leftfield hip hop production historians outta know culminated in the release of the classic Endtroducing album. That said, this is not a set of Endtroducing leftovers – it's strong, original and legacy-building instrumental work from a crucial period – assembled by the man himself! 24 tracks on the CD. Includes "Intropy (Original Version)", "Vee In Detroit", "Alright", "Don't Try It", "Falling Up", "Aye", "Britty But Magic", "Atmospheric Disturbances", "Quickstep", "Freddi's Popcorn", "From The Old School", "Mystical With Solo", "Fast Rap Fanfare" and more.

Arthur Lyman in 1966 – heard here on two albums from that year, packaged together on a single CD! Lyman 66 has Arthur still working strongly in the vibes/percussion blend of his start – moving into tunes that are familiar 60s pop numbers, but still done here in a smaller combo instrumental mode – and not the "added orchestrations" style of other exotica players of the time. Vibes are often the dominant instrument, played with a nice sense of tone and color – and titles include "Kon Tiki", "Jungle Cat", "Waimea Cowboy", "Fiddler On The Roof", "Only Yesterday", "Mary Poppins Medley", and "Taste Of Honey". The Shadow Of Your Smile is almost jazzy at times – exotically so, but still with a jazz-based sense of sound, tone, and timing – one that shows that Arthur Lyman's really grown since his days in the Martin Denny combo, and certainly earns all the recording time in the studio given to him during the 60s! Percussion, piano, guitar, and even a bit of electric bass come into play nicely here – and the tunes change up rhythms a bit more than usual, with even a dose of Latin in the mix. Titles include "I'll Remember You", "Moon Over Naples", "Marobi", "Yesterday", "Shadow Of Your Smile", and "Hang On Sloopy".

Two Johnny Mathis gems from his years at Mercury Records – back to back on a single CD! Sweetheart Tree is a unique album – in that it represents some unusual London sessions from Johnny Mathis – material recorded in the UK with different arrangers than usual – including Tony Osborne, Alyn Ainsworth, and Allyn Ferguson – all of whom help give Mathis a slight change of flavor here! The new talents make for a fresh change – and the album also brings in a few US tracks too, with work by Glenn Osser and Lincoln Mayorga – on titles that include "Symphony", "The Skye Boat Song", "A Wonderful Day Like Today", "Clopin Clopant", "This Is Love", and "I'll Close My Eyes". The Shadow Of Your Smile is a record that has the singer both hitting classic modes, and stretching out towards some of the hip changes in 60s music as well! The mix of tunes is very nice – with a few Beatles tunes, some bossa tracks, and a few more standard numbers to round out the mix – all arranged with some inventive rhythms by John Pisano, Glenn Osser, Jack Elliott, and Tony Osborne – in ways that make for a nice sense of variety throughout the record. Titles include a great reading of "The Shadow Of Your Smile" – plus "Quiet Nights", "Michelle", "Taste Of Honey", "Melinda", "Come Back To Me", "Something's Coming", and "Moment To Moment".

The third album by this Leon Ware side project – and possibly the best! The album's got a tight, funky sound right from the get-go – kind of a perfect 80s groove that never showed up on the group's previous records, but which really seemed to be the sound they were waiting for! And as with some of Ware's other productions of this point, the overall approach is careful, classy, and quite far from some of the too-commercial soul of the time – a great sort of balance that references all the changes going on in the indie soul world of the time, but put together with a professionalism that really makes the album sparkle! Ware wrote some of the songs songs and produced, and the nicest cuts include "Best Lady", "Shadows in the Streets", "Clouds", and "Sinister Way". Other cuts include "Tennis Shoes", "Born To Hustle", and "Party In The Streets".

The one-and-only record by Anonymous – a mid 70s Indianapolis group who only ever pressed up a few hundred copies – and now it's one of best and most desired private press gems of its time! It's got a great sound that bears the influences of some of the great California combos of the period – think The Byrds and Crosby Stills Nash & Young – with great lead and harmony vocals and brilliant acoustic guitar work. What's most remarkable is that their songs and performances live up to those groups – it really seems like the only thing that held them back was the lack of a big production budget, promotion and distribution. Talent-wise, they have the goods! A really solid, timeless set. Includes "Who's Been Foolin'?", "J Rider", "Up To You", "Shadow Lay", "Pick Up And Run", "We Got More", "Sweet Lilac" and "Baby Come Risin'". This first ever licensed re-release feature liner notes by Aaron Milenski of Acid Archives.

A beautiful pairing of horns – the compressed trombone and trumpet sounds of Bob Brookmeyer and Tom Harrell – coming together here in a record that's one of the real standouts from Brookmeyer's 70s years, and a key demonstration of the young powers that would really make Harrell shine in later decades! The players have a way of blowing that's almost a great 70s update of 50s modern modes – a clear thought to the way they'd work together, but with a more fluid, soulful energy too. Rhythm is just the right kind of easygoing to make the whole thing gell wonderfully – and titles include "Shadow Box", "Marchons", "On A Theme Of Debussy", "Water's Edge", "Upper Manhattan Medical Group", and "Passages".

The stellar remix version of DJ Shadow's early 00s masterpiece Private Press – made for the Japanese market and never released in the US – featuring remixes, b-sides and more – with mixes or appearances by Unkle, Roots Manuva, Mos Def, Z Trip and others! 14 tracks in all: "Six Days (Soulwax mix)", "GDMFSOB" (Unkle Undcensored) feat Roots Manuva, "Walkie Talkie" (extended radio edit), "Six Days" (rmx) feat Mos Def, "Mashin On The Motorway" (radio edit), "Right Thing" (Z-Trip 'Get The Party Off Mix' In Three Parts) and more. CD is enhanced, featuring videos for "Walkie Talkie" and "Six Days".

Chicago reed player Ed Wilkerson (also known as the leader of 8 Bold Souls, and a member of the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble) formed this group in the 80's as sort of a mixed large band of Chicago avant garde players, but with more of a focus on tighter swingin' sounds. This, their only LP, includes the cuts "Strollin", "Quiet Resolution", "Feets Of Clay", and "Honky Tonk Bud", which also yielded a video, that was shown quite a bit in Chicago at the time.

A batch of late recordings by proto rock shackshacker Hasil Adkins – and one of the sweetest vinyl releases yet on Nero's Neptune – who are proving to be one more important labels out there championing obscure, rural guitar heroes! Hasil strived to top Elvis in the late 50s and early 60s with an inimitable style of primitivist rock, but he actually ended up inspiring thousands of garage rockers, punks and rockabillies instead, thanks to ramshackle home recordings and wild-eyed lyricism. He was still making some wild music later in life, but the later stuff is also oddly sweet. Near the end, Hasil found love, and these recordings were inspired by just that – and it includes a 24-page color illustration booklet by Amy Krueger – who loved Hasil back, and inspired these songs. It's quite faithful in sound and style to his killer early recordings – but he ain't aiming to start dance crazes about chickens anymore! If you dig any of his earlier work, we can't recommend this one highly enough! Titles include "Got A Girl In Minnesota", "Endlessly", "I'm Lonely Tonight Little Amy", "Evening Shadow Road", "Play Pretty", "I Dreamt About Amy Last Night", "Bacon & Eggs" and "How Much I Love You".

The one-and-only record by Anonymous – a mid 70s Indianapolis group who only ever pressed up a few hundred copies – and now it's one of best and most desired private press gems of its time! It's got a great sound that bears the influences of some of the great California combos of the period – think The Byrds and Crosby Stills Nash & Young – with great lead and harmony vocals and brilliant acoustic guitar work. What's most remarkable is that their songs and performances live up to those groups – it really seems like the only thing that held them back was the lack of a big production budget, promotion and distribution. Talent-wise, they have the goods! A really solid, timeless set. Includes "Who's Been Foolin'?", "J Rider", "Up To You", "Shadow Lay", "Pick Up And Run", "We Got More", "Sweet Lilac" and "Baby Come Risin'". This first ever licensed re-release feature liner notes by Aaron Milenski of Acid Archives.

It seems like when this came out, critics, promoters, and even DJs liked to drop the term "Trip Hop" whenever possible, and this album was held up as the watershed mark. A few years down the line and it still holds up, but as an instrumental hip hop LP, as much as a rock album (Shadow's gone on to show his true colors with subsequent efforts) or anything else. Cinematic and epic in scope, this LP as much as anything else helped resurrect the career of David Axelrod, though some of us were hip to him all along, but Josh Davis is clearly a fellow traveller in the coloristic approach he uses, that never forgets the funk. Includes "Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt", "The Number Song", "Changeling", "What Does Your Soul Look Like (pts 1 & 4)" and "Midnight In A Perfect World".

Rare Tejano R&B from The Wetbacks – a knowingly seedy number if there ever was one – backed by "Summertime" by the Spot Barnett Orchestra – rare tracks issued on San Antonio's Wildcat label and paired up on this great single courtesy Drop Shadow Records! "Jose Jimenez (Part 1)" has a loose, dusty Tex-Mex guitar groove, shout-along vocals and really walloping drums! It peaks with some great interplay between the sax and guitar. "Summertime" is a nice take on the George Gershwin classic with a loose, but killer groove by the Spot Barnett Orchestra.

Wonderful Sammy from his years at Reprise – and a beautiful album cut in collaboration with arranger Marty Paich! Marty had a swinging, jazzy style that always brought out the best in Sam – even on an album of fuller, mellower tracks such as these. The title hit is done by Sammy in a heartfelt style that showed that he could be every bit the pop crooner as some of his contemporaries, and the album follows in a similar mode – but also throws in some more upbeat numbers that keep things fresh and grooving. Titles include "Song From Two For The Seesaw", "We Kiss In A Shadow", "Love Is The Tender Trap", "Back In Your Own Back Yard", "There Was A Tavern In The Town", and "Falling In Love With Love".

An excellent EP – featuring only 3 tunes, but all very soulful! Davis Import sounds more like a disco group, but the label bills the group as Davis Brothers – which is much more in keeping with the sound of the record, as it's got a warm and mellow harmony feel. There's a great late 70s sophisti-soul harmony approach to the set – one that reminds us a lot of the work of Windy City – and although the album's only got 3 tracks, they're all pretty great. Titles include "Star Child", "You're The One", and "Shadow Fate".

An album that signifies its style right from the first track – which echoes Martin Denny's classic "Quiet Village", but which then rolls into a set of sprightly arrangements from Julius Wechter – who almost brings an A&M Records vibe to the album! Tunes are mostly Denny remakes of 60s instrumental themes, plus a few originals co-penned with Wechter – and there's some nice percussion bits that lurk in the background next to Denny's piano – which mostly rings out in the lead. Titles include "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Lara's Theme", "Strangers In The Night", "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me", "Patch Of Blue", "Promises", and "Snowflakes In Summer".

A comprehensive anthology of The Electric Prunes singles for Reprise – all in their original mono mixes – and a long overdue collection! We've been spinning and loving the Electric Prunes albums for so long, we're actually quite guilty of overlooking just how succinctly and sharply brilliant they are as a singles band! That alone makes this strong set on Real Gone worthwhile, but the tight, punchy mono mixes seal the deal! All of the great singles are here – from their early garage-psych gems to the trippier, though still tightly-grooving tunes towards the end of the decade – plus a groovy radio spot for the Vox Wah Wah Pedal! Includes "Ain't It Hard", "I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)", "Luvin'", "Dr. Do-Good", "The Great Banana Hoax", "Credos", "Shadow", "Violent Rose", "Sell", "Love Grows", "The Adoration", "Help Us (Father, Our King)", "Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers", "Sanctus", ""Flowing Smoothly" and more. 24 tracks in all.

Everything But The Girl – smack dab in the middle of a great run during the 80s! The style here moves a bit more towards conventional pop – but there's a depth that still lives up to the group's initial genius – songwriting that's gently expressive, but never overdone – and backings that still steer clear of most of the clunkiest moments that were often holding back other groups at the time. The rich background of Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt is what really makes the whole thing sparkle – that care for a song that they had right from their solo starts – still very much intact here – on titles that include "Love Is Here Where I Live", "These Early Days", "I Always Was Your Girl", "Goodbye Sunday", "Shadow On A Harvest Moon", "Lonesome For A Place I Know", and "Apron Strings". 2CD version features tracks from singles that include – "Home From Home", "I Don't Want To Talk About It", "Another Day Another Dollar", "No Place Like Home", and "Dyed In The Grain" – plus demos of 8 more tracks from the album – and a bonus outtake of "Apron Strings (alt film version)".

A live recording with a bit of a 70s loft jazz feel – Eyges on cello, in trio format with Byard Lancaster on reeds and Sunny Murray on drums. The strength of Lancaster's reeds carries the set, although Eyges does get in some nice bits on plucked cello from time to time. Titles include "Loquacity", "The Way It Is", "Crossroads", "Nothing Has Changed", "Cast A Long Shadow", and "Good Medicine".

Fantastic stuff from Art Farmer, and a real return to more soulful playing, after noodling around a lot with other odd projects during the mid 60s. The group's stone cold and solid – with Cedar Walton on piano, Jimmy Heath on tenor, Walter Booker on bass, and Mickey Roker on drums – and Farmer's playing is a lot more hard-hitting than on other albums from the time, but still retains his majestic sense of lyrical beauty and poise. Plus this expanded 80s issue of the set adds a second LP to the original, for twice as much material, with 12 tracks in all, including "One For Juan", "Nino's Scene", "Short Cake", "The Time & The Place","Te Shadow Of Your Smile", "Make Someone Happy", "On The Trail", "Blue Bossa", "Is That So", 'Dailey Bread", "Satin Doll" and "Misty".

An amazing album by the great guitarist Eddie Fisher – and completely unlike his later funk records! Eddie plays stripped down jazz with a small combo that includes organ by Robert Selby, bass by Paul Jackson, and some rhythm guitar by Phil Westmoreland – and the twin-guitar approach creates this super-dope style that's light years ahead of its time, with a sophistication that points the way to later mid 70s work on labels like CTI and Kudu! Eddie's guitar work is an incredible exercise in spareness and soulfulness – best heard on the fantastic "Third Cup", a long drawn-out jazz stepper that's got to be heard to be believed. The cut's been a favorite on the Chicago jazz stepper's scene for years – and it alone is worth the price of the album. However, the record features some other wonderful stuff – like a sublime version of "Shadow Of Your Smile" that runs for a bubbling 12 minutes – plus the originals "Shut Up", "Scorched Earth", and "Two By Two".

An amazing album by the great guitarist Eddie Fisher – and completely unlike his later funk records! Eddie plays stripped down jazz with a small combo that includes organ by Robert Selby, bass by Paul Jackson, and some rhythm guitar by Phil Westmoreland – and the twin-guitar approach creates this super-dope style that's light years ahead of its time, with a sophistication that points the way to later mid 70s work on labels like CTI and Kudu! Eddie's guitar work is an incredible exercise in spareness and soulfulness – best heard on the fantastic "Third Cup", a long drawn-out jazz stepper that's got to be heard to be believed. The cut's been a favorite on the Chicago jazz stepper's scene for years – and it alone is worth the price of the album. However, the record features some other wonderful stuff – like a sublime version of "Shadow Of Your Smile" that runs for a bubbling 12 minutes – plus the originals "Shut Up", "Scorched Earth", and "Two By Two".

Weird and wild sounds from bassist Ingebrigt Haker Flaten – working here solo, but on an electric bass – with results that are very different from his playing on an acoustic version of the instrument! The tones are often quite noisy, and very offbeat – sometimes far from music, but wonderful in their sense of space and texture – really opening up a whole new side of Ingebrigt's talents, and moving him way past territory we know from other work! The set was recorded live in the studio, with one more Chicago concert performance – and titles include "Birds", "BP", "Shadow Hillside", "Two", "Lucia", and "Chicago".

Fantastic stuff – one of Galper's best non-electric sets of the 70s! Galper's working here with a quartet – playing piano in a group that includes Terumasa Hino on trumpet, Cecil McBee on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. With a rhythm section that hip, Hino lays out some of his best work in years – searing trumpet solos over the top, stretched out but never too sloppy, as the tracks always maintain a strong rhythmic pulse and a lot of soul. Titles include "Shadow Waltz", "Mr Fixit", "First Song In The Day", and "Red Eye Special". CD also features a previously unissued alternate take of "First Song In The Day".

We can never get enough of Eddie Harris – and a record like this is a great reason why! Despite all the many different settings Eddie worked in at Atlantic, he still always stayed true to his roots – and a record like this is a perfect example of that – no electric horn, no funk, but a rock-solid sense of tone and timing that's unbelievable – and which makes the album a soulful treasure throughout! Of course, the group really helps a lot too – keeping things as in the pocket as Eddie's playing – with great rhythms from Cedar Walton on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. And as an added treat, the set features killer work on trumpet from Ray Codrington – a player who we only know from the JFK Quintet albums – but who's an equal killer here. Titles include the first version of Eddie's classic "Freedom Jazz Dance", plus "Born To Be Blue", "Love For Sale", "Shadow Of Your Smile", and "Cryin' Blues".

Pretty hip stuff from drummer Billy Hart – and a record that mixes New York loft jazz traditions with a warmer sense of soul jazz that was being forged by some of the players on the record. Players like Don Pullen, Eddie Henderson, Hannibal Marvin Peterson, Dewey Redman, and Oliver Lake come together nicely – and the album's filled with original tracks that include "Diff Customs", "Layla Joy", "Shadow Dance", "Corner Culture", and "Pharoah".

Beautiful 60s work from Hampton Hawes – a set from the middle of the decade, a period when he wasn't recorded all that often – but one not issued by Contemporary until his American revival in the 70s! The group's got a wickedly fluid feel – not just Hamp's always-amazing piano, but also great drums from Donald Bailey and some especially great bass from Red Mitchell – really hitting those rounded, warm tones that would flower even more boldly during his time overseas. The sound is great – almost more of a Saba/MPS piano set than the usual Contemporary bag – and titles include "I'm All Smiles", "Searchin", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Spring Is Here", and "Manha De Carnaval".

Essential work from Eddie Henderson – one of the trumpeter's hippest albums of the 70s, and a key link between his early righteous days and his later smoother sound! The set's a near-perfect blend of all elements involved – tight funky rhythms, spacey soulful instrumentation, and wicked production work from the mighty Skip Drinkwater in the studio – a record that's as essential to his legacy as Gears is to that of Larry Mizell! Henderson's trumpet work is totally great – often muted, and always snakey inside the rhythms – and other players here include Julian Priester on trombone, Hadley Caliman on flute and soprano sax, Patrice Rushen on keyboards, Paul Jackson on bass, and Headhunter Mike Clark on drums. Titles include the excellent groover "Inside You", plus "Kudu", "Acuphuncture", "Time & Space", "Dr Mganga", and "Dark Shadow".

An early showcase for the talents of Japanese trumpeter Terumasa Hino – a smoking set that showcases his talents in two different settings! The album begins with a quintet that features Hino with Takeru Muraoka on tenor and Hiromasa Suzuki on piano – working through a great open-ended take on "Shadow Of Your Smile", with a long edgey solo from Hino! Next, the set features two larger ensemble numbers – with the core players of the quintet, plus added horns and guitar – all used together in some of Terumasa's best early style of arranging – complex and modern, yet never too far out – and instead a bold vision of jazz, filled with rich tones and colors – on versions of Hino's composition "Night Dreamer", and the tune "Slobber".

Maurice Jarre's wonderfuls core for Topaz – one of the last great films from Alfred Hitchcock! The music is quite a change from some of the more bracing sounds you'd normally associate with classic Hitchcock – as Jarre comes up with this light and lovely theme that's interwoven through a number of different readings – a perfect European 60s soundtrack mode to fit the espionage setting of the film – carried off through some gentle woodwind passages, keyboards, and darker orchestrations. As things move on, a bit more shadow creeps into the music – yet things always return to a redemptive mode – in a way that's always been one of the best qualities of Jarre's classic scores. Titles include "From Copenhagen To Washington", "Suspicion", "The Hidden Microfilm", "Secret Identity", "Betrayal", "Main Title", and "French Embassy".

BB King in London – not playing live, but working in the studio with a host of British musicians he'd inspired over the years! The lineup varies from track to track, giving a nice sort of variety to the album – and the overall feel is a bit like some of the Chess London sessions of the time – but maybe more blues overall! Features work by Peter Green on guitar, Steve Marriott on harmonica, Alexis Korner on acoustic guitar, Gary Wright on electric piano and Hammond, Ringo Starr on drums, and The Mystery Shadow on Hammond – and titles include "Ghetto Woman", "Wet Hayshark", "Part Time Love", "We Can't Agree", and "Blue Shadows". CD also fetaures the bonus track "May I Have A Talk With You".

While most heads are checking for the "Real Deal" 12" with Shadow's Lesson 4 remix on the flip, this other single off the Lifer's Group album is still nice, with tight production by Organized Konfusion on the a-side, and nicer beats than we recall from Doctor Jam and Phase 5 on the flip.

A lasting classic from the funky female foursome who were one of the biggest acts on Motown in the mid-80s – working here with super tight production and arrangements from Rick James – who also wrote all the songs on the record too! The girls' look is a bit dated, but their sound has surprisingly strong staying power – partly because of Rick's crossover version of funk in the rhythms, but also because of the way the vocal interplay still stays nice and catchy! The album's definitely commercial, but doesn't have that clunk that makes other efforts of this time from the time fall flat – and titles include "In My House", "I Betcha", "Girlfriend", Wild & Crazy Love", "Shadow Lover", "Break It Up", and "Lonely For You".

A lasting classic from the funky female foursome who were one of the biggest acts on Motown in the mid-80s – working here with super tight production and arrangements from Rick James – who also wrote all the songs on the record too! The girls' look is a bit dated, but their sound has surprisingly strong staying power – partly because of Rick's crossover version of funk in the rhythms, but also because of the way the vocal interplay still stays nice and catchy! The album's definitely commercial, but doesn't have that clunk that makes other efforts of this time from the time fall flat – and titles include "In My House", "I Betcha", "Girlfriend", Wild & Crazy Love", "Shadow Lover", "Break It Up", and "Lonely For You".

A monster record by Brother Jack McDuff, and one of his best-ever – in our humble opinion! At first glance, the album appears to be just a bunch of jazz covers of standards and pop tracks – like "Tobacco Road", "Shadow Of Your Smile", "This Bitter Earth", and "Teardrops From My Eyes" – but Jack's got some help from JJ Jackson on the arrangements, and the outwardly simple tracks are twisted into these amazing grooves that have Jack wailing away in strange choppy funky ways on the organ! The whole album must be heard to be believed, and the version of "Shadow Of Your Smile", which starts with a nice break, is worth the price of the album alone! Plus, the whole thing's packaged in a very groovy cover, too.

A mod little record from trumpeter Willie Mitchell – a set that's as groovy as it is soulful, with a vibe that's somewhere between 60s instrumental outings on Verve and Atlantic Records! Tunes are a mix of soul and pop numbers, handled by Mitchell's combo with some mighty tight drums and good use of organ on most numbers – which creates a fluid feel that really takes off with the album's fresh and inventive arrangements! Even familiar tunes are transformed nicely by Mitchell's great touch in the studio – as you'll hear on cuts that include "634-5789", "Taste Of Honey", "Secret Agent Man", "Bad Eye", "Wooly Bully", "Java", "Shadow Of Your Smile", and "Hot Cha".

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".

A fantastic full length set from Quasimode – the Japanese club jazz combo who first blew our minds with their single for Raw Fusion! Hearing them here in a full LP, the sound is even better than before – a range of jazzy changes and tight instrumental work that reminds us of Blue Note or Prestige in their mid 60s prime – with a wonderful blend of soul jazz and hardbop styles running through the mix, plus a fair bit of rolling modal rhythms aimed at the sound of the contemporary scene! Tunes are mostly upbeat throughout – and build from percussion, piano, bass, and drums – topped off by additional tenor, trumpet, soprano, and vibes on some numbers – and also featuring a bit of Fender Rhodes as well. The album features the group's great version of Tubby Hayes' "Down In The Village", plus the original tracks "Oneself Likeness", "Feelin Green", "Skelton Coast", "Ipe Amarelo", "Lucky Luciano", "Giant Black Shadow", and "1000 Days For Spirit".

An amazing live date from Sun Ra & The Arkestra – recorded in Cairo in 1971, with a very transcendent sound overall! Ra and the group are clearly inspired to be working in the shadow of the pyramids – and their music sometimes has Eastern overtones, a bit in the manner of Salah Ragab – their associate in Egypt – yet at other times, things get quite outside and noisy too! The keyboards are especially wonderful – as Ray plays "tiger organ" and moog, in addition to conventional piano – adding in the electronics with really spacey tones that really push the limits of the music. And some of the reeds really help shape the sound of the songs too – stark and soulful at key moments, but also forceful in formation at others – played by John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on flute and alto, Danny Thompson on baritone and flute, Kwame Hadi on trumpet, Danny Davis on flute and alto, Larry Northington on alto, Eloe Omoe on bass clarinet . The group comes together for a tight reading of "Space Is The Place" – and other titles include "3rd Planet", "Horizon", "Starwatchers", and "Shadow World". CD also features tracks not on the original album – "The Satellites Are Spinning", "We'll Wait For You", "Enlightenment", and "Love In Outer Space".

If you've ever wondered what the homes, studios, crates, shelves and work spaces of some of your favorite DJs and producers look like, here's a wonderful window, for peeking into the personal spaces of some of greatest in the game! Behind The Beat is a beautifully put together photo book – with shots of the batcaves and hideaways of some of the best and most influential hip hop era producers – including DJ Premier, Madlib, J Dilla, DJ Spinna, Nextmen, Dj Swamp, E- Swift, Kut Masta Kurt, Fat Jack, Beatminerz, DJ Shadow, DJ Design, Dan the Automator, Chief Xcel, Young Einstein, Numark, Cut Chemist, Thes One, J Zone , Mario Caldato Jr and others. Put together by Rafael "Raph" Rashid, Behind The Beat is an addictive page turner with brief introductions to each party, a small list of selected productions, and from there it moves on and lets the photography do the talking. Let's hope for series of sequels! Hardcover, 168 pages.

One of the greatest albums to ever sum up the genius of Lou Rawls in the 60s – a brilliant live set put together with the talents of David Axelrod! The record perfectly captures the easy-going soul of Rawls in the early years – a natural approach to his music that made him one of the best singers of his genre at the time, and which comes out especially strong in the album's upbeat monologues, which are often delivered by Lou with musical accompaniment, then leap strongly into the lyrics of a tune. Backing is by a small jazzy combo that includes Herb Ellis on guitar and the great rhythm team of Jimmy Bond on bass and Earl Palmer on drums – both of whom bring a nice little groove to most of the album's numbers. Titles include "Street Corner Hustler's Blues/World Of Trouble", "Southside Blues/Tobacco Road", "The Shadow of Your Smile", "In The Evening When The Sun Goes Down", "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good", and "The Girl From Ipanema".

A rare treasure from British trumpeter Dizzy Reece – quite different than his albums at the time for Blue Note! Dizzy's playing here with a style that has a fair bit of exotic touches – not entirely in the Yusef Lateef mode, but definitely with a similar blend of hardbop, soul jazz, and some of the Eastern-styled themes that you might expect from an album entitled Asia Minor. His trumpet is still firmly in the lead, but it's boldness is inflected by some great work from reed players Cecil Payne on baritone and Joe Farrell on tenor sax and flute – making a young appearance here, but already showing a great talent for soulful exploration. The rest of the group features Hank Jones on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Charlie Persip on rhythm – and all players are surprisingly well matched, and led strongly by Reece through a visionary set that includes the titles "The Story Of Love", "The Shadow Of Khan", "Yamask", "Spiritus Parkus", and "Ackmet".

A crucially important record in Sonny Rollins' career – one that had him breaking out of the straight bop sound, and emerging as a major power on the tenor sax – one with limitless creative power! The set features Rollins working with only drum and bass accompaniment – played by Max Roach and Oscar Pettiford, respectively – and the lack of piano or other horns gives Rollins a free space in which to work his magic, doing so incredibly on the album's "Freedom Suite", an extended piece that runs for nearly 20 minutes, and which pushes all conceptions of the tenor's ability to solo freely on record. The other side of the record features shorter tracks – "Shadow Waltz", "Someday I'll Find You", and "Will You Still Be Mine?" – blown with no less creativity.

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

One of Lalo Schifrin's greatest soundtracks ever – a gem of a TV score that's been lost for years – and not nearly as famous or well-reissued as Mission Impossible, Bullitt, or Enter The Dragon! The tunes are pure Schifrin all the way through – a mix of jazz, bossa, and funk – served up with a style that's always tight, and which makes for plenty of great groovers all the way through. Instrumentation includes vibes, flutes, guitar, and plenty of great horns – but the rhythms at the bottom are what really hold the whole thing together – romping along with lots of great 70s touches, in a groove that's much hipper than even most of the other cop show soundtracks of the time! Titles include "The Shadow", "Hunt Down", "The Edge Of Night", "Mannix", "Turn Every Stone", and "Fear".

The incredibly rare underground funk of Stone Coal White – whose couple of raw, incendiary psych funk 45s have been furiously sought for years – fleshed out here with newly discovered and previously unissued tracks for this most amazing full length on DJ Shadow's Cali Tex label! Stone Coal White featured a core lineup of bassist Melvin Payne, drummer Joe Roddrick and guitarist Tommy Mundy (or is it Munday?) – busting out a hazy, raucous and fuzzed out groove that's steeped in both funk and psychedelia. It's got more of a raw edge than most of their contemporaries and the later 70s combos to come out of the fertile Dayton scene – really cool stuff that's a joy to see respectfully issued all these years later. Mucho thanks to Dante Carfagna and Josh Davis for seeing it through! There's a revolving cast of vocalists – Dennis Mundy on "You Know" and "Hell Below", King Solomon Prather on "People's", Robert "Dapp" Brown on the gritty cover of "Ain't No Sunshine" and a cat called Cookieman on "Move Your Hand". Also includes "Stone Coal White", "Warm Up" and "Free".

The incredibly rare underground funk of Stone Coal White – whose couple of raw, incendiary psych funk 45s have been furiously sought for years – fleshed out here with newly discovered and previously unissued tracks for this most amazing full length on DJ Shadow's Cali Tex label! Stone Coal White featured a core lineup of bassist Melvin Payne, drummer Joe Roddrick and guitarist Tommy Mundy (or is it Munday?) – busting out a hazy, raucous and fuzzed out groove that's steeped in both funk and psychedelia. It's got more of a raw edge than most of their contemporaries and the later 70s combos to come out of the fertile Dayton scene – really cool stuff that's a joy to see respectfully issued all these years later. Mucho thanks to Dante Carfagna and Josh Davis for seeing it through! There's a revolving cast of vocalists – Dennis Mundy on "You Know" and "Hell Below", King Solomon Prather on "People's", Robert "Dapp" Brown on the gritty cover of "Ain't No Sunshine" and a cat called Cookieman on "Move Your Hand". Also includes "Stone Coal White", "Warm Up" and "Free".

The Billy Taylor touch is mighty nice here – on a blend of tracks that were partially recorded during Billy's earliest years as a leader, and partially recorded during his big rise to fame in the late 50s! Taylor's handling of the piano is beautiful throughout – already quite soulful, but showing some of the warmer, more lyrical modes of Billy's early years too! Half the tracks are from 1951 – recorded with a quartet that includes John Collins on guitar, Shadow Wilson on drums, and Al McKibbon on bass – and the other half are from 1958, with Billy's famous trio with Ed Thigpen on drums and Earl May on bass – a lineup similar to his recordings for ABC. Titles include "Good Groove", "Somebody Loves Me", "You Make Me Feel So Young", "Can You Tell By Looking At Me", and "Earl May".

A strange, cool and stylistic boundary busting set from Australian jazz rock guitar player Rob Thomsett! Yaraandoo is a 1975 set inspired by Aboriginal folklore. It has some spare, dryly wispy bits of percussion and bamboo flute that feels that gives it that feel – but Thomsett also brings in some loose, proggy and jazzy rock dynamics with heavy drums and electric guitar, some improvisational jazz inspired passages, plus some tape delay and other effects. Includes "Baiame", "Moulding Of Red Earth", "Nameless Children", "New Life – Refusal", "Shadow Of Yaraan", "Flight Of Yaraan", "Tears Of Blood – Endless Weeping" and more.

Brilliant work by McCoy Tyner – an album that has him firmly stepping out of the shadow of Coltrane with a sound influenced by the rising Afro-centric style of soul jazz to emerge in the 70s! The group on the set is a quartet with Bobby Hutcherson on vibes – and the mixture of Hutcherson's vibes and Tyner's piano is extremely compelling – stretching out in long, rhythmic, modal lines that dance and light the groove no matter what the tune. The rest of the group features Herbie Lewis on bass and Freddie Waits on drums – and titles include the great original compositions "African Village", "May Street", and "Little Madimba".

Way more than just a simple reissue – because there's so many tracks on here, it's more like spending a day in the vaults of Sirocco Records! The core material here comes from Voyage 3 – a soaring third set from Voyage, – and one with a bit of a post-disco groove, as you might guess from the new wave look of the cover! The tunes still step out with plenty of clubby rhythms and keyboards, but also bring the guitars up a bit more – and almost give them a sharp edge at times – seeming to go for a crossover style that really works well with the lyrics. But the best cuts, as before, are mostly instrumental – and have that soaring, spacey sound that really lives up to the "voyage" name – a cool Euro-disco groove that works perfectly, even when the vocals drop out. Titles include "I Love You Dancer", "I'm Only Human", "Do It Again", "I Don't Want To Fall In Love Again", and "All The Way". Yet there's way way more, as promised – including 7 more tracks from Special Instrumental No 3 – an all-instrumental version of the album that's almost even better. Then, you also get the Sylvia Mason album – a project with a soulful singer fronting the same production lineup of Marc Chantereau, Slim Pezin, Pierre Alain Dahan, and Roger Tokarz! Sylvia's vocals really bring in a lot more soul than usual for Voyage material – sounding great on cuts that include "Shadow In The Sun", "Hello Superduper Star", "You're Like A Silent Movie", "Afraid Of Love", and "We've Gotta Dance". CD also features lots of bonus tracks too – including "I Love You Dancer" in 12" and 7" mixes, "We've Gotta Dance" in 12" and 7" mix , "I Don't Want o Fall In Love Again (7" mix)", and "Discotch" in 12" and 7" mixes!

Great American soloists – presented here in rare European work from the late 60s! The album has each individual player delivering a small set with the Jazz Live Trio – a combo led by pianist Klaus Koenig, with a great ear for shifting modes to bring out the best in a strong-voiced guest soloist. Phil Wood's performance is definitely proof of that – worth the price of admission alone, as Phil snakes out beautifully on long, soulful alto lines that rival any of his other work of the time – on the tracks "Freedom Jazz Dance" and "I Remember Bird". Leo Wright is wonderful too – kicking into high gear on alto and flute, really showing off his association with Dizzy on "Groovin High", then sliding into a soulful style on "The Shadow Of Your Smile". The set also features Stuff Smith sliding nicely on "C Jam Blues" and "How High The Moon" – plus Eddie Daniels, back when he still had a bite, on "Some Day My Prince Will Come".

A really unique little record – and a wonderful cross-section of the Japanese scene at the start of the 70s! The album features work by three trios – hence the title – some avant, some straight, and all if it pretty great! First up are the Yosuke Yamashita trio – who really step outside on the tracks "Dore" and "Morkurin Gugan" – material that really demonstrates the sharp, free-thinking sound of the group. Next is work from a trio led by Itaru Oki, with some really bold trumpet lines – stretching out and carving great space over relatively open, free territory – on titles "Flying Into Space" and "Conversation With Water". The trio of Yuji Ono follows, grooving soulfully on some tracks instrumentally, joined by vocals from Kimiko Kasai on a few others – titles that include "Kenny's Mood", "Get Out Of Town", and "Autumn Leaves". Then, the best work of all – two long vocal tracks that feature Kasai singing hip and wordlessly, with combined backing from the groups of Oki and Ono – titles that include "Black Shadow Woman" and "Theme Of The Unknown People".

Stunning sounds from the farther reaches of the El Paso scene – amazing music that really gets at the rich array of underground acts working in the shadow of bigger local hero Bobby Fuller! The cuts here are very heavy on guitars, and often recorded with an echoey approach that makes each twang as resonant as thunder – a perfect way to make a heck of a lot out of a little, and really bring the best out of some of these groups! Our favorite cuts here are by Bob Taylor & The Counts – a combo that sports some really wicked guitar right up front, and raw vocals and tumultuous drums that almost recall the sound of early work by Johnny Burnette. Bob Taylor titles include "Taylor's Rock", "Child Fortune", "Thunder", and "Jill" – and other cuts include "You're Wrong" and "The Shadows Dance" by Johnny Garmon & The Shadows, "Be Mine" and "Jim's Jive" by Jerry Bright & The Embers, "Runaway" by Rock Kings, "Party" by Al Sims & The Alpine Two, "Little Rome" by Max Alexander & The Hi Fi Combo, and "Finders Keepers" by Don Guess & The Rock Kings.

Stunning sounds from the farther reaches of the El Paso scene – amazing music that really gets at the rich array of underground acts working in the shadow of bigger local hero Bobby Fuller! The cuts here are very heavy on guitars, and often recorded with an echoey approach that makes each twang as resonant as thunder – a perfect way to make a heck of a lot out of a little, and really bring the best out of some of these groups! Our favorite cuts here are by Bob Taylor & The Counts – a combo that sports some really wicked guitar right up front, and raw vocals and tumultuous drums that almost recall the sound of early work by Johnny Burnette. Bob Taylor titles include "Taylor's Rock", "Child Fortune", "Thunder", and "Jill" – and other cuts include "You're Wrong" and "The Shadows Dance" by Johnny Garmon & The Shadows, "Be Mine" and "Jim's Jive" by Jerry Bright & The Embers, "Runaway" by Rock Kings, "Party" by Al Sims & The Alpine Two, "Little Rome" by Max Alexander & The Hi Fi Combo, and "Finders Keepers" by Don Guess & The Rock Kings.

A very cool relic from the post-punk scene of the early 80s – the first-ever album on Les Disques Du Crepuscule, originally issued as a cassette, and featuring a really wide range of wonderful music! The collection features some key bits by British artists – including some Factory Records stalwarts – plus other more arty and experimental songs thrown in as well, all wrapped up with a booklet of artwork that further underscores the higher concept leaning of the project. Some of the best tracks are atmospheric instrumentals, and titles include "Stranger" by Repetition, "Children On The Hill" by Harold Budd, "Sleep Will Come" by Durutti Column, "The Music Room" by Martin Hannett, "Cat" by The Names, "Airwaves" by Thomas Dolby, "The Shadow Garden" by Bill Nelson, "Armoury Show" by Richard Jobson, "A Walk Through H" by Michael Nyman, "White's SS" by Gavin Bryars, "Meine Freunde" by Der Plan, "Twist Up" by Gilbert & Lewis, and "Haystack" by Kevin Hewick & New Order.

We hardly need tell you about this one – especially since you've been ringing our phone off the hook for it since it was first announced! The set is a monster compilation of rare funky material, put together by the legendary Keb Darge, and the enigmatic Josh Davis (known to most of the world as DJ Shadow!) You'll be hard pressed to find most of this stuff elsewhere, as it's culled from the personal collections of these rare funk specialists – and the set is lovingly packaged with the same high level of care that you'd expect from BBE. Titles include "Butter That Popcorn" by The RDM Band, "Party Time" by The Masters, "Let's Do It Today" by The US, "Do It Again" by Deep Heat, "The World" by Sandi & Mateus, "Back Talk" by Second Amendment Band, "Can't Stop Now" by Mr. Magic, "Tell Me" by Ricky Calloway, and "Mr. Machine" by The Chefs. Very nice, very hard, very funky – you know the deal!

Sublime ballad work from Dutch vocalist Ann Burton – sung with near-invisible accompaniment from the Louis Van Dyke trio! Van Dyke's got an especially tender touch on the keys – one that hangs in air with great space between the notes – a mode that's simply perfect for Ann's ethereal way of putting over a tune! Tracks are mostly familiar standards, but they've got a fragile approach here that makes them sound especially fresh – and a few tracks feature some especially nice tenor sax work from Rudy Brink. Titles include "Someone To Watch Over Me", "A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening", "It Never Entered My Mind", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Here's That Rainy Day", and "That Ole Devil Called Love".

Was funk ever this great again? Maybe not – as Mickey & The Soul Generation were one of the greatest groups of their generation – a completely polished gem, in the sometimes rough-edged funky 45 rockpile! The band never cut a full album, but their 7" singles from the early 70s are the stuff of legend – some of the first funky 45s that started passing amongst collectors, prized for their incredibly tight sound – right up there with the JBs, Meters, and other established funky acts for pure "in the pocket" action. Most of that rare early work's never been reissued – save for the occasional dodgy boot – which is why it's even more wonderful to have this double-length set of work by the group, complete with a fuller track listing than we'd ever imagined they recorded, and full notes on the music and band by Josh Davis, aka DJ Shadow! The 2LP set features 19 tracks – including released and unreleased recordings – with numbers that include "Iron Leg", "Football", "Up The Stairs & Around The Bend", "Give Everybody Some", "Joint Session", "Chocolate", "Message From A Black Man", "Soulful Sickness", "UFO", "Hey Brother Man", "Southern Fried Funk", "How Good Is Good", and "We Got To Make A Change".

An unlikely pair, but a great one here – and the record's one of those few magical moments where bringing together unusual partners actually works! Mulligan's cool hardly seems a match for Monk's angular modernism, but together the players seem to strike a middle ground that resonates with the strength of both – a sound that cuts a bit more edge on Gerry's normally smooth baritone, and which still lets Monk's keys flow into wonderful twists and turns. Rhythm is by the great bassist Wilbur Ware and drummer Shadow Wilson – and titles include the Monk classics "Straight No Chaser", "Rhythm A Ning", "Round Midnight", and "I Mean You" – plus a version of Mulligan's "Decidedly".

Yeah, yeah, Luke and the 2 Live Crew are responsible for an entire chapter of Hip Hop history we'd rather forget, but even DJ Shadow is giving the early records dap these days. This is their first LP – the blueprint for all Bass music to come. "We Want Some P***y", "Throw The D", "Beat Box", "Get It Girl" and the very respectable scratch track "Mr Mixx On TheMix!!", plus "2 Live Is What We Are. . .(word)", "Check It oUt Yall. . .(freestyle rappin)" and "Cut It Up".

Incredible work from the amazing Dorothy Ashby – a brilliant set of funky and spiritual tunes, set to full backings from Chicago soul arranger Richard Evans! This album is easily one of Ashby's greatest, and it's dedicated to the writings of Omar Khayyam – one of the forces guiding Dorothy's more spiritual sound at the end of the 60s, clearly opened up in a way that's not unlike the direction of Alice Coltrane's work, but a lot more focused and a lot more funky! Ashby not only plays her usual jazz harp, but also koto as well, and even sings a bit too – and the larger group directed by Evans features work by Stu Katz on vibes and kalimba, Lenny Druss on flutes, and Cash McCall on guitar – all in a groove that's really a precursor to the Earth Wind & Fire generation of the Chicago scene! Titles include the amazing break "The Moving Finger" – worth the price of the album alone – plus "Dust", "Joyful Grass & Grape", "Heaven & Hell", "Wax & Wane", "Shadow Shapes", "For Some When Young", "Myself When Young", and "Drink".

A great title for this one – as the album's got a cool, laidback groove that's very much in a "night song" mode! Arrangements are by Don Sebesky – in that warm and fluid mode he was bringing to some of his best CTI sides at the time – and they push Kenny a bit more than usual, as he stretches out over the larger arrangements with some really great solo work that dips, turns, and rolls with incredibly warm hues of sound. Kenny plays solo on 2 tracks, and with a smaller quartet on a few more – and titles include "Night Song", "Love You Madly", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Brother Where Are You?", "Nighthawk", and "Teach Me Tonight".

A really comprehensive look at the career of Chicago soul genius Terry Callier – and one that captures just about every phase of his career, and not just his famous albums for Chess! There's certainly a few tracks from the Chess/Cadet years here – but the record also features Terry singing 60s Northern Soul, spare traditional folk, upbeat 80s groove, and lots lots more. Titles are pulled from labels that include Prestige, Erect, Premonition, Chess, Verve, and Mr Bongo – and the 2CD set features a whopping 24 tracks that include "Look At Me Now", "I Don't Want To See Myself", "If I Could Make You Change Your Mind", "Big City (live)", "Ordinary Joe (demo)", "Be My Woman", "I'm A Drifter", "Spin Spin Spin", "You Goin Miss Your Candyman", "Midnight Mile", "Jazz My Rhythm & Blues", "Sierra Leone", "Darker Than A Shadow", "Step Into The Light (live)", "People Get Ready (live)", "Can't Catch The Trane (demo)", "Dancing Girl", "Alley Wind Song (demo)", and "Monuments Of Mars".

The best work we've heard in years from Terry Callier – the legendary soul singer from Chicago who's finally getting his due! This album avoids many of the mistakes of Terry's recent comeback efforts – and has him working with the best of the London scene – extremely fitting, as London's always given Terry some of his biggest support, and were crucial in bringing him back from obscurity! Most of the tunes on the set are produced by Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick, of Incognito – and they go for a spacious sound that's a strong extension of Terry's classic work for Cadet – rough vocals and acoustic guitar mixed with warmer keyboards, tight rhythms, and touches of strings. The album also features guest appearances by Paul Weller, Marc Mac of 4 Hero, and a number of other important London forces – and tracks include "Brother To Brother", "Imagine A Nation", "Monuments Of Mars", "Darker Than A Shadow", "Running Around", and "Speak Your Piece". CD features 14 tracks in all – including "Turn This Mutha", "Caravan Of Love", "Sierra Leone", "Just My Imagination", and "Tokyo Moon".

Slightly easy, slightly baroque, and with a sound that's somewhere near Free Design, The Mamas & The Papas, and other groups of the time – The Clique were one of the many groovy lost pop bands that came out of the west coast during the 60s. The record boasts the original version of the track "Superman", which went to become a big hit for R.E.M. about 20 years later. There's lots of other nice groovy original material, like "Sugar On Sunday", "Shadow Of Your Love", "Judy, Judy, Judy", and a cool version of the Bee Gees "Holiday". 17 tracks, with extra cuts, and good liner notes on the band.

A later effort from James D-Train Williams, but still plenty darn great – and proof that his groove was still one of the strongest in 80s soul music! The style of the set follows from Williams' best earlier work – a bit of bounce at the bottom of most of the tracks, but never too much – just enough to make the titles bubble with enough electricity to carry through the catchiest hooks of the lyrics. Instrumentation includes a fair bit of 80s drum machine rhythms, offset by the deeper soul of Williams' vocals – and titles include "Curious", "Runner", "In Your Eyes", "Order In The House", "Smile", "Runner (dub mix)", "With All My Heart", and "Shadow Of Another Love".

A pair of late 60s albums from Martin Denny – back to back on a single CD! Exotic Love is an overlooked gem from Martin Denny – cut during a range of later sides for Liberty Records, but somehow a standout, thanks to some soulful undercurrents in the music! The arranger is billed as Harold Johnson – who may well be the same cat leading the groovy sextet over on Revue Records at the same time – and the record has this subtle groove that's mighty nice – definitely an ear for some of the more soul-based instrumental styles of the 60s, with a nice bounce on the bottom that might almost make some of these cuts just right for older-style steppers. Instrumentation has a few exotic touches, but more piano than anything else – and titles include "A Beautiful Morning", "Love Exotic Style", "I Say A Little Prayer", "This Guy's In Love With You", "Love Is All Around", and "Voodoo Love". Exotica Today is an album that signifies its style right from the first track – which echoes Martin Denny's classic "Quiet Village", but which then rolls into a set of sprightly arrangements from Julius Wechter – who almost brings an A&M Records vibe to the album! Tunes are mostly Denny remakes of 60s instrumental themes, plus a few originals co-penned with Wechter – and there's some nice percussion bits that lurk in the background next to Denny's piano – which mostly rings out in the lead. Titles include "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Lara's Theme", "Strangers In The Night", "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me", "Patch Of Blue", "Promises", and "Snowflakes In Summer".

Everything But The Girl – smack dab in the middle of a great run during the 80s! The style here moves a bit more towards conventional pop – but there's a depth that still lives up to the group's initial genius – songwriting that's gently expressive, but never overdone – and backings that still steer clear of most of the clunkiest moments that were often holding back other groups at the time. The rich background of Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt is what really makes the whole thing sparkle – that care for a song that they had right from their solo starts – still very much intact here – on titles that include "Love Is Here Where I Live", "These Early Days", "I Always Was Your Girl", "Goodbye Sunday", "Shadow On A Harvest Moon", "Lonesome For A Place I Know", and "Apron Strings".

One of the biggest hits of the 60s for Richard Groove Holmes – and for good reason too, given the title single of the record! After the success of Groove's version of "Misty" – originally issued in long form on the Soul Message album, but presented here as a shorter single version – Holmes went into the studio to lay down this set of cuts with a similar feel – hard swingin', short hard takes on standard and pop material, all set to hard-burning Hammond from a combo that features Gene Edwards on guitar and George Randall on drums. Despite the familiarity of the titles, the band just cooks – with hard choppy playing, and some of the nimblest solos that Groove ever laid down. Great stuff, and well worth the "hit" status it received in the 60s – with titles that include "Misty", "Summertime", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "The More I See You", "What Now My Love", and "There Will Never Be Another You".

An oft-overlooked gem from 70s Blue Note – and a great little record that's especially nice for the Bobby Hutcherson material! As you'd guess from the title, there's a larger orchestra working with the artists here – and in Hutcherson's case, this creates the same sort of soulful, sophisticated feel as his excellent Conception The Gift Of Love album – vibes mixed with strings, underscored by hip rhythms, and coming off as a wonderful extension of Bobby's earlier 70s work. His group features Manny Boyd on tenor and soprano, and George Cables on piano – and arrangements are by Dale Oehler, on tracks that include "Now", "Slow Change", and "Hello To The Wind" – all numbers co-penned with Eugene McDaniels, but done here as instrumentals. Carmen McRae sounds great in the setting too – similar to her other excellent Blue Note sides of the mid 70s – with Bill Holman arrangements on tunes that include "With One More Look At You", "Star Eyes", "The Man I Love", and "Sunday". Earl Klugh rounds things out with his own sweet guitar, plus keyboards from Onaje Allen Gumbs – set to Dick Hazard arrangements of "Angelina", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", and "Cabo Frio".

A killer album by MFSB – arguably one of their best! Gone are the string-heavy disco arrangements of earlier years, and in their place are some slick jazz funk grooves, mostly penned by Dexter Wansel, who produced a good bit of the album with a similar style to his best space funk records of the late 70s. A few cuts feature vocals, but the best bits are instrumental – and have some excellent keyboards, great guitar, and plenty of fresh jazzy playing. Titles include "Fortune Teller", "Manhattan Skyline", "Mysteries Of The World", "Metamorphosis", and "In The Shadow". Great stuff – and one not to pass up!

The pair of great pianists don't play together – but are featured on a side apiece of the record, pulled from their Savoy recordings of the 50s. The album's most notable for the work of Nichols – some of the few sides he ever cut, and along with his two Blue Note LPs, and one for Bethlehem, a key to understanding his rare and short-lived talent for modern improvisation. The Nichols sides feature Chocolate Williams on bass, plus a bit of vocals, Shadow Wilson on drums, and (possibly) Danny Barker on guitar. Titles by Herbie include "Who's Blues", "Nichols & Dimes", "My Lady Gingersnap", and "Good Story Blues". The Monk sides are cut with the Gigi Gryce Quartet – and include "Shuffle Boil", "Brake's Sake", and "Nica's Tempo".

An incredible record from funky drummer Idris Muhammad! Idris is probably known for his funky break work on Blue Note and Prestige records sessions of the late 60s and early 70s – but by the time of this 1974 album, he was really expanding his style, hitting a laidback groove that went way beyond the simple drum break, into a world of complicated fills and riffs that forever changed the face of funk. The best example of this is the album's standout groove – the massive cut "Loran's Dance", which has a mellow jazzy vibe that you'll recognize from its popular use as a sample cut over the years (by the Beastie Boys, DJ Shadow, and others.) All cuts are long and mellow, and other titles include "Power Of Soul", "Saddest Thing" and "Piece of Mind".

Definitely the sort of album to make you feel better – given the tight, soulful sounds of Ndugu Chancler and this Chocolate Jam Company! The album's got roots in jazz – Ndugu's a drummer with work on countless other albums – but also steps out with plenty of soul, too – thanks to vocals from Ndugu, Leo Miller, Josie James, and Maxi Anderson – who often sing together in this warm style that fits perfectly with the grooves in the set! Instrumentation is definitely a cut above the usual session of this type – no surprise, given the jazz and fusion heavyweights in the lineup – and the tunes are catchy and grooving, yet never clunky or commercial at all. The blend is sublime – the sort that's made the record a standout for years – and titles include "Send You My Love", "Space Connection", "Make You Feel Better", "Jungle Journey", "Love Anew", and "Come Into My Life Again". CD features three bonus tracks – "Shadow Dancing (7" version)", "Take Some Time (7" version)", and "Love Anew (7" version)".

An expanded version of the material that originally appeared on the Nothing Is album – stretched out here into a 2CD set that features loads of extra unreleased cuts from the recordings! The core album is one of the best non-Saturn Sun Ra albums of the 60s – material recorded live on a tour of New York colleges in 1966, and very much in a spirit that captures the Arkestra at their best! Longer tracks are juxtaposed nicely with shorter ones – in a way that has the group running very outside one minute, yet stepping soulfully back to the center the next – never schizophrenicly, but in a mode that really displays the full range of energy pulsing in the group. Interesting instrumentation on the set includes Ra on clavoline, plus Carl Nimrod on the beautiful-sounding "sun horn" – and other players include Marshall Allen on alto, John Gilmore on tenor, Pat Patrick on baritone, and James Jacson on log drum and flute. This 2CD version features both a first and second set, with even a bit of material from a soundcheck, too – a total of 25 titles that include "Theme Of The Star Gazers #2", "Is Is Eternal", "The Exotic Forest #2", "Space Aura", "Velvet", "Dancing Shadows", "Next Stop Mars", "Outerspaceways", "Shadow World", and "Sun Ra and His Band From Outer Space".

Incredible work from one of Sun Ra's most enigmatic periods! The album was recorded in Italy in 1978, right around the same time as "Disco 2000" (and not too far off from Languidity) – and it features Ra playing around with lots of cool spacey keyboards, in a spare cosmic style that's really out of this world! The overall sound is incredible – with an incredible sense of otherness that has Ra pushing the limits of the moog and organ to a level never heard before on record – and in a way, the set is everything you might have imagined when you first heard of Sun Ra as some strange jazz musician who claimed to be from outer space! The group is a quartet, with Michael Ray on trumpet, John Gilmore on tenor, and Luqman Ali on drums – and titles include "Saturn Research", "Media Dreams", "Year Of The Sun", "Constellation", and the haunting straight jazz piece "Twigs At Twilight". Expanded 2CD version features a huge amount of unheard music – a full disc of bonus tracks that includes "Friendly Galaxy", "An Unbeknown Love", "Of Other Tomorrows Never Know", "Images", "The Truth About Planet Earth", "The Shadow World", and even a version of "Space Is The Place"!

A legendary performance by Sun Ra & The Arkestra – and for good reason, too! The album was initially issued on a hard-to-find French import, but has cropped up in other formats over the years – and it's a stellar live date that really illustrates the group at their soulful best! Ra definitely goes past the usual here – and focuses the energy of the ensemble in a way that makes the whole extended performance very captivating throughout – especially in the way the group can get totally free at some spots, and perform with subtle, soulful tones at others. The lineup includes Marshall Allen on alto and flute, John Gilmore on tenor, Pat Patrick on baritone and bass clarinet, Danny Davis on alto and flute, James Jacson on clarinet and flute, Kwame Hadi on trumpet, Danny Thompson on baritone and bassoon, Alan Silva on bass, Rashied Salim on vibes, and vocals by June Tyson, Gloristeena Knight, and Verta Grosvenor. Ra himself plays moog, piano, organ, electric piano, and "intergalactic instruments"! Volume one includes an excellent long track called "The Cosmic Explorer", which has Ra going crazy on the moog, plus the shorter tracks "Star Gazers", "Shadow World", and "Enlightenment".

Unbelievable! This is one of the rarest Sun Ra records we've ever seen – and it's also one of the most compelling. There are no tracks listed on the label (although the Sun Ra discography lists them as "Sometimes The Universe Speaks", "Pleiades", "Third Heaven", "When There Is No Sun", "Halloween In Harlem", and "Shadow World") – and the sound is very very unusual. The first two tracks feature lots of spare reed work, mixing flutes, oboe, and clarinet with some occasional percussion. Then, the record shifts into an all-vocal number – almost like one of Ra's older doo wop tunes, but with a very strange sing-song lyric about the cosmos. Side two moves into larger group sounds, more in keeping with the mid 70s style of the Arkestra, and featuring some very firey solos mixed with a bit of synth. Great stuff, and the Arkestra at its most mystical!

Sweet and sexy sounds from William Sheller – a rare French set from the early 70s – and a record we'd rank right up there with the best work by Serge Gainsbourg and Jean-Claude Vannier! Sheller's got a similar groove here – a way of compressing the instrumentation right down to the core, and slipping it around slinky rhythms and spacey production – both of which make familiar instruments sound really way-out! There's also a bit of darkness to the set too – which comes from Sheller's process of recasting a mass structure into a new sort of vision – and a few points feature vocalizations alongside the way-out instrumentation. Titles include "Introit", "Ave Frater Rosae Et Aurae", "Lux Aeterna", "Hare Krishna", and "Souls Le Signe Du Verseau". Plus, there's some even groovier stuff at the end – a whole host of rare singers form Sheller, which feel like some of the best French sound library funk or soundtrack cuts of the period! These tracks are wonderful – and titles include "Couleurs", "Lands Of Shadow", "Generissimo", "Exctissimo", "Erotissimo", "My Year Is A Day", and "Living East Dreaming West".

A sweet sweet set from The Spinners – and a record that's more "today" than "yesterday", given the tight 70s arrangements from Thom Bell! Bell's Philly approach is still perfect for the group – unlocking their harmonies in very different ways than back in their Motown roots – and the set's got a wicked balance between these sublime slow ballads and some uptempo numbers that bubble like the best of the group's clubby contemporaries. And in the best Philly style, the set even features a few longer tracks that push the 8 minute mark – kind of soul symphonies, of the sort you'd be much more likely to hear from Gamble & Huff – and which really work well with the group's maturing vocal approach. Titles include "I'm Riding Your Shadow (Down To Love)", "You're Throwing A Good Love Away", "Honey I'm In Love With You", "I Must Be Living For A Broken Heart", "Just To Be With You", "Me & My Music", "You're The Love Of My Life", and "I Found Love (When I Found You)".

2 lesser known albums by The Spinners – the first arranged by Thom Bell, the group's big supportive talent from the early days, the later arranged by Michael Zager, who's reaching a bit to try to give the group a more modern soul sound. Neither record is one of the group's finest – but overall, the CD's 14 tracks (3 are omitted from Labor Of Love, due to space restrictions) have enough good moments to show that The Spinners could still be going strong. The group's vocals are always a treat – even though there's not as many totally excellent tracks on the set – and titles include "I'm Riding Your Shadow", "You're Throwing A Good Love Away", "Honey I'm In Love With You", "Almost All The Way To Love", "Long Live Soul Music", "Give Your Lady What She Wants", "You're The Love Of My Life", and "I Found Love".

titles include "Yesterday", "You've Got Your Troubles", "No One Else But You", "Uptight", "Shadow Of Your Smile", and "Call Me".

Rough and raw grooves – way more than you might guess from the "twist" reference in the title! The sound here is more R&B than anything else – lots of heavy drums, honking sax, burning organ, and riffing guitar – but there's also some echoes of Latin rhythms, rockabilly raunch, and some 60s soul elements too – all percolating together wonderfully in a way that sounds like somebody blew the dust off a gritty pile of 45s, then filled them up to blast away in a decades-old jukebox in a tavern on the other side of the tracks! The CD version of Twistin Rumble Vol 2 collects many of the tracks from Twistin Rumble Volumes 3 & 4 vinyl – with plenty of rare gems – including "Switch Me" by Hector & The Frogmen, "The Frog" by Lonnie Brooks, "Georgia Slop" by Big Al Downing, "Who's Number One" by Ambrose Donald, "Beyond The Shadow Of A Doubt" by Sonny Day, "I'm Gonna Spend My Money" by Poor Boys, "Aunt Molly" by Billy Emerson, "Make Love To Me" by The Royal Premiers, "Do The Whip" by Skip Cole, "Can Your Monkey To The Dog" by The Golden Catalinas, "Stronger Than Dirt" by The Ardels, "Wah Wabble" by The Debelaires, "Madame Bootie Green" by Sonny Forrest, "Black Crack" by The Shardells, "The Ostrich" by The Primitives, "Shake Your Body Girl" by Larry Williams, "Slauson Shuffletime" by Round Robin and "Soul Finger" by Oscar & The Majestics. 29 tracks in all.

A sweet collection of early 70s female post folk revival material – independent and long lost recordings from unknowns that used folk and psychedelia as offerings to each singer's idiosyncratic muse – and another incredible collection of deeply sought rare tunes from the Numero Group! Numero really blows us away with their ability to seek out and lovingly reissue lost recordings – and package them in beautiful and insightful collections – and this one is as impressive as anything they've done to date. It features singer songwriters from sleepy midwestern Illinois and Minnesota, to the enlightened, heightened Bay, and points between and beyond – with songs from records originally pressed in runs of 500 to 5000. The thick booklet includes a page of notes for each artist in the collection, really rich stuff with photos, original single/album art, etc. The music is warm, groovy and sincere as can be, much of it surprisingly timeless! 14 tracks in all: "A Special Path" by Becky Severson, "Cricket" by Collie Ryan, "Sunlight Shadow" by Linda Rich, "Engram" by Caroline Peyton, "And I A Fairytale Lady" by Carla Sciaky, "Window" by Judy Kelly, "Dedication" by Mary Perrin, "Rain" by Marj Snyder, "Wildman" by Ginny Reilly, and a cover of the Stones/Marianne Faithful treasure "Sister Morphine" by Ellen Warshaw.

A tremendous European meeting of tenorist Dexter Gordon and trombonist Slide Hampton – brought together in this impeccable sextet session for MPS – a real standout in the label's straight jazz catalog over the years! By the time of the set, Gordon had been working heavily in Europe, especially Copenhagen – a locale where he was given ample freedom to stretch out and really explore his tone and phrasing. Hampton had also kicked around the continent a fair bit too, but in a tighter format, doing arrangements for others and working in bigger groups – and it's actually his careful touch that really helps shape the sound of the set – by bringing Gordon's groove into a focus more strongly than before, and reminding us that Dex was a great group player when he wanted to be! The frontline features Gordon's tenor, Hampton's trombone, and the trumpet of Dizzy Reece – often stating the heads in a fluidly soulful way, then breaking out nicely with individual voices – very much in the best Blue Note mode. Rhythm is by the trio of Kenny Drew on piano, Art Taylor on drums, and Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass – and titles include 3 excellent originals by Hampton – "A New Thing", "My Blues", and "A Day In Vienna" – plus a wicked almost-Lee Morgan-esque take on "What's New", and versions of "Shadow Of Your Smile" and "You Don't Know What Love Is".

A tremendous European meeting of tenorist Dexter Gordon and trombonist Slide Hampton – brought together in this impeccable sextet session for MPS – a real standout in the label's straight jazz catalog over the years! By the time of the set, Gordon had been working heavily in Europe, especially Copenhagen – a locale where he was given ample freedom to stretch out and really explore his tone and phrasing. Hampton had also kicked around the continent a fair bit too, but in a tighter format, doing arrangements for others and working in bigger groups – and it's actually his careful touch that really helps shape the sound of the set – by bringing Gordon's groove into a focus more strongly than before, and reminding us that Dex was a great group player when he wanted to be! The frontline features Gordon's tenor, Hampton's trombone, and the trumpet of Dizzy Reece – often stating the heads in a fluidly soulful way, then breaking out nicely with individual voices – very much in the best Blue Note mode. Rhythm is by the trio of Kenny Drew on piano, Art Taylor on drums, and Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass – and titles include 3 excellent originals by Hampton – "A New Thing", "My Blues", and "A Day In Vienna" – plus a wicked almost-Lee Morgan-esque take on "What's New", and versions of "Shadow Of Your Smile" and "You Don't Know What Love Is".

How many different personalities does Dan the Automator have? Way better than we'd expected, but we were only expecting a sort of joke one-off project. We should have known better, given that Prince Paul's themed projects (like Prince Among Thieves) have been pretty dope. Guest spots by just about everyone: Money Mark, DJ Shadow, Del, J-Live, etc. etc. Tracks include "Metaphysical", "Waterworld", "Truth", "Projects", "Sunshine", "Runway Song" "Rock N Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This)" and more.

A great reissue of the waaaay overlooked Latyrx LP from '97. Lateef & Lyrics Born pretty much laid the groundwork for what was going to be some of the most adventurous underground hip hop to come out of Cali in the mid-to-late 90s – opening the door for Blackalicious, the J5 and others. DJ Shadow's great production on several of the best cuts is some of his punchiest work, and Blackalicious's Chief Xcel is at his peak on a few of the others. Lyrics Born's production work doesn't come near the above mentioned maestros (his rhymes, on the other hand, are indeed top notch, in a freaky Pharoahe Monche kinda way) making the whole a bit uneven, but don't let that stop you. This is essential underground hip hop, an LP we're thrilled to see get a high quality official reissue! Cuts include ""Latyrx", "The Quickening", "Balcony Beach", "Funky Granules", "Bad News", "Burnt Pride" and more.

A rare gem of a session – live material recorded by the Voice Of America in 1957, and featuring a unique Thelonious Monk quartet with John Coltrane on tenor! The performance is contemporaneous with Coltrane's appearance on the legendary Monk's Music album for Riverside – and the overall feel here is a bit similar to that classic. Yet the live setting also allows Coltrane to open up and improvise a lot more – stretching out in fluid lines that are often a strong contrast to the more angular notes coming out of Monk's piano. Rhythm is by the team of Ahmed Abdul-Malik on bass and Shadow Wilson on drums – and titles are broken up into an "early show" and "late show" – 9 numbers in all that include "Bye-ya", "Epistrophy", "Nutty", "Crepuscule With Nellie", "Monk's Mood", and "Evidence".

Fantastically sweet pop from Chris Montez! Chris had a light little voice that was perfect for the A&M Records approach of the 60s – a style that has him singing gently over arrangements that glide and bounce around with ease, sometimes handled by Herb Alpert, in a breezy sunny LA mode that makes us want to be driving down Highway 101 with the top down, AM radio blasting out all of Chris' early singles at once! Chris' real genius here is the way that he takes standards and pop tunes – and, working with Herb, crafts them into a whole new sound – stripped down, streamlined, and perfect for the 60s! Titles include "One Note Samba", "The More I See You", "Fly Me To The Moon", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Call Me", "Hey Baby", and "Little White Lies". Also includes a whole bonus mono version of the album too!