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Rare single by Bam and the Soulsonic Force off the Beat Street soundtrack.

An obscure soundtrack with music by Howard Roberts – not the guitar player, but the arranger who also directed the Howard Roberts Chorale. The album is a weird blend of funk, African leanings, and gospel influences – with a heavy full-on approach that makes the best cuts groove like prime blacksploitation numbers. Inlcudes the great groover "Funky, But?" – plus "Streak O Lean", "Banjoko", "Come To The Water", "Walk Softly", and "Sailin".

Babatunde Olatunji's two classic percussion ensemble albums for Columbia collected in one set. The first LP was recorded in New York with a mix of drums, chants, and afro grooves. Olatunji's joined by Montego Joe and Baba Hawthorne Bey on percussion, and they're backed by a large group of vocalists. The best moments are the spare percussion ones, and tracks include "Oya", "Jin Go Lo Ba", "Baba Jinde", and "Shango". After the success of his first Drums Of Passion set on Columbia, Babatunde Olatunji went even more drum-crazy the second LP – which features no less than 9 percussionists, plus a host of singers performing hard heavy tunes with a pretty strong African tinge. The material's not totally authentic, but it's more so than some of Olatunji's other albums – and it's still one of his best records from the 60s. Tracks include "Wasalu", "Ayinde", "Frekoba", "Alose", and "Omo Pup".

A great little album of percussion grooves – hidden under a package that looks like it's going to be a lot more rootsy, but which ends up sounding like some of the hipper conga-heavy sessions on labels like Liberty or GNP from the late 50s. Jackson plays much of the percussion, but there's other players on the set who kick in with some other percussion instruments – and some occasional piano and flute. Tracks include "Mambo Ricci", "Conga", "Jungla", "Road March", "Shango", and "Guaguanco".

A great collection of classic genre-straddling material from the 80s glory days of Celluloid Records – those pioneering singles that melded old school rap, electro, punk and world beat into club grooves like no others! Bass heavy funk, world weary caustic post punk, crisp electro, and extended 12" grooves all in the same package – it's an era that can never be replicated, but, thankfully can be anthologized! 21 tracks on 2CDs: "Escapades Of Futura 2000" (original 12" version), "Wild Style Extended" by Time Zone (original 12" version), "Get Movin" by Last Poets, "Why Is It Fresh?" by D ST (original 12" megamix 2 version), "Zulu Groove" (original 12" version) by Shango, "Change The Beat" by Fab Five Freddy (original 12" version), "What I Like" (original 12" French rap version), "Pata Piya" (original 12" version) by Manu Dibango, "World Destruction" (original 12" version – Bill Laswell rmx) by Time Zone feat Afraka Bambaataa & John Lydon, "Crazy Cuts" (original 12" long version and original 12" dubversion) by D ST and more!

A classic Mongo Santamaria record from the late 70's – one of the best of his albums for Vaya, filled with nice electric-tinged grooves, and some great work in the Latin fusion mode! The sound's different from his 60's recordings, with more of a jazzy vibe, and a sound that's a little bit more laid back – but also wonderfully majestic, stretching out with the same sort of warm electric touches that Ray Barretto used on his classic set The Other Road from a few years before. There's loads of nice Fender Rhodes in the set – and tracks include "Five On The Color Side", "Iberia", "Cruzan", "Spring Song", and "O Mi Shango".

The sounds of The Beatles – completely transformed – as a handful of tunes by John Lennon & Paul McCartney, and a few by George Harrison too, are taken up by the A&M Records crew of the 60s and 70s! We're huge fans of A&M, as the label's always had a way of taking already-great music, and making it even better – through inventive arrangements, cool studio production, and an ultra-stylish way of putting over a record – all of which really comes through here in the collection's transformative batch of tunes! Some of the singers are surprising choices, but really make the music come across wonderfully – and the overstuffed set features 26 tracks that include "Good Day Sunshine" by Claudine Longet, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by Punch, "All My Loving" by The Sandpipers, "Blackbird" by Punch, "Ob La Di Ob La Da" by Nick DeCaro, "Get Back" by Billy Preston, "Something" by Claudine Longet, "Don't Let Me Down" by Dillard & Clark, "For No One" by Liza Minelli, "Yesterday" by Chris Montez, "She's Leaving Home" by Julius Wechter & Baja Marimba Band, "Day Tripper" by Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66, "Golden Slumbers" by Claudine Longet, "Hey Jude" by Shango, and "Come Together" by Brothers Johnson.

Smoking salsa from the legendary Fania Records – a hip batch of numbers that focuses on the groundbreaking sounds of the New York Latin scene in the 70s! The track selection here is pretty classic, but that's ok with us – given the strength of the grooves – and there's also a nice touch of Latin Soul at times, showing the full range of the Fania sound. Titles include "A Mi Nena" by Rafi Val & La Differente, "Che Che Cole" by Willie Colon, "El Todopodoeroso" by Hector Lavoe, "O Mi Shango" by Mongo Santamaria, "Pachito Eche" by Tito Puente & Celia Cruz, "Tu Lo Sientes" by Joe Cuba, "Cucala" by Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco, "Brother Where Are You" by Ralfi Pagan, "Bilongo" by Eddie Palmieri, "Guaguanco Arsenio" by Tito Puente & Azuquita, "El Nuevo Barretto" by Ray Barretto, and "Ahora Es El Tiempo" by Louie Ramirez.