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Freaky funky sounds from The Gentlemen – a Brazilian combo from the early 70s, and one who work in a really dark mix of modes! At some level, the group feel a bit like some of the 60s Jovem Guarda groups – in that they have a bit of an influence from Anglo rock, particularly the more garagey variety. But they're also trippier too – and have that great post-Tropicalia Brazilian mode of reaching out for plenty of styles at once – to really mix things up in a freaky, fuzzy brew! Basslines are especially great – very pronounced, even on the mellower tracks – and there's some cool fuzz on the guitars to keep things from every sounding too clean or polished – particularly on some of the longer tracks, which feature great psych-styled jamming with the organ as well! Titles include "Vazio", "Sorriso Selvagem", "Vestido Branco", "Uma Voz Outra Voz", "O Embarque", "Eu Juro", "Isso E Amor", and "Agora Estou Livre".

Freaky funky sounds from The Gentlemen – a Brazilian combo from the early 70s, and one who work in a really dark mix of modes! At some level, the group feel a bit like some of the 60s Jovem Guarda groups – in that they have a bit of an influence from Anglo rock, particularly the more garagey variety. But they're also trippier too – and have that great post-Tropicalia Brazilian mode of reaching out for plenty of styles at once – to really mix things up in a freaky, fuzzy brew! Basslines are especially great – very pronounced, even on the mellower tracks – and there's some cool fuzz on the guitars to keep things from every sounding too clean or polished – particularly on some of the longer tracks, which feature great psych-styled jamming with the organ as well! Titles include "Vazio", "Sorriso Selvagem", "Vestido Branco", "Uma Voz Outra Voz", "O Embarque", "Eu Juro", "Isso E Amor", and "Agora Estou Livre".

A killer set of 50s modern jazz – a bridge between the east coast small combo style of New York, and the cooler sound of the west in LA – hence the two cities in the title! The album's one of the best early moments from tenorist Warne Marsh – a set that ranks right up there with his best Atlantic material from the same stretch – and which has him blowing alongside additional tenor from Ted Brown – in a manner that's a lot like Ted's classic album on Vanguard! The rhythm section has a nice sense of space and modern charm – with Ronnie Ball on piano, Ben Tucker on bass, and Jeff Morton on drums – but the real star is Marsh out front – blowing in a mode that's clear, clean, and simple, but with an edge that was missing from most of his contemporaries! Titles include "Smog Eyes", "Quintessence", "Jazz Of Two Cities", "I Never Knew", and "Lover Man".

Heavy, soul-baring lyricism delivered with spiritual resonance and wise authority by Gil Scott-Heron – his first album shot in far too many years, and a direct hit – essential listening for longtime listeners and neophytes alike and a well worthy entry in a legendary career! Scott-Heron is documenting his world as profoundly and poetically as ever here, and the production is built with spare, haunting beats and atmospheric bits of strings, guitar, keys, loose atmospherics and hazy electronics – loosely framing his voice and giving it all the room in needs to carry the mood. Gil sings and speaks with equal authority throughout, and you can hear the years in his voice like never before, giving him the worn edges of the old soul he always evoked. This is a record we're proud to put among his treasured recordings of the 70s and early 80s. Titles include "On Coming From A Broken Home" (Parts 1 & 2), "Your Soul And Mine", "I'll Take Care Of You", "Where Did The Night Go", "Running", "The Crutch" and more, including several interludes that are pretty amazing – captures of conversation that show Gil nearly as charismatic and poetic in "off" moments as he is recording a song. Also includes 2 covers, "Me And The Devil" (the Robert Johnson song) and the title track, Smog/Bill Callahan's "I'm New Here", given a whole new life.

Easily one of the funkiest albums that James Brown ever recorded – and one of his few entries into the blacksploitation genre of the 70s! James really outdid himself for this one – working at a hard burning pace that had the JBs cooking up some killer funk for just about every number in the set – and which also has James himself stepping out vocally for a few key tracks. The album features the massive groover "People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul" – a slamming track that beats nearly every number in the JB 70s catalog – plus other cuts that include "To My Brother", "Brother Rapp", "Sexy Sexy Sexy", "Slaughter Theme", "Transmogrification", "King Slaughter", and "How Long Can I Keep It Up".

One of the most fantastic albums by the JBs – a masterpiece of funky jamming, tight instrumentation, and that free yet tight style of the James Brown 70s years! The tracks are longer than on some of the earlier singles – especially the 8 minute jammer "(It's Not The Express) It's the JBs Monourail", an answer to BT Express' theme song, and a fantastic cut that's held up through so many years and so many scenes! Another great jammer is the group's version of "Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself", which runs for nearly 10 minutes – plus spacey funk tracks "Transmogrification" and "Taurus, Aires, & Leo", and the tighter jammer "Soul Funky Train", which returns to the group's funky 45 mode. Fantastic all around – and the kind of record you'll be playing for your grand kids!

A gem of an album from Randy Newman – a masterpiece of understated with from the mid 70s, and one of his most fully-conceived records for Warner Brothers! The album offers up a vision of the south, past and present, through Newman's eyes – eyes that are partially clouded by the distance of the scene seen from the vantage point of smoggy LA, but which still manage to pull out various strands of life with surprising poignancy. It's easy to write this one off as some sort of slap against the face of the backward south in the 70s, but Newman actually approaches his subjects with some sort of subtle tenderness – not nearly as mean as you might think on first listen, as evidenced by the beautiful orchestrations he penned for the sessions. Titles include "Birmingham", "Marie", "Rednecks", "Louisiana 1927", "Rollin", "Back On My Feet Again", and "Wedding In Cherokee County".

Incredible tunes from the second generation of the surf music scene – a time when the sweeter sounds of Southern California were shed for the heavier, headier modes of the late 60s! The package is a wonderful look at this under-exposed genre – and features rare work recorded for surf films from both the US and Australia – the latter of whom would carry the genre forward more strongly than even her American counterparts. Most tracks here are instrumental, but they're a far cry from The Surfaris or Ventures – as the guitars are often fuzzy and jamming, over rhythms built from rumbling bass and heavy drums. Titles include "Crumple Car" and "Innerspace" by Farm, "Junkyard" and "Hollywood" by G Wayne Thomas, "Big Green" and "Sitar Track" by Music Convention, "Dream Chant" by Ticket, "Transparent Dream" and "Animal Kingdowm" by Smoghorn, "Drainpipe" by The Protein Brothers, "Evolution" by Tamun Shud, and "Gypsy Shoes" by G Wayne Thomas.

An excellent collection of tight modern soul and funky uptempo numbers – cuts that aren't really disco, but which are smoother than the usual funk you'd hear on the Jazzman label – a really unique hybrid that's hand-picked by the mighty Fryer! Lots of the grooves here have a cool indie feel – a bit like Fantasy Records funky soul of the late 70s, and a bit like some of the more soulful club of the east coast scene at the time – and given the tightness of the instrumentation, there's often some nice jazzy touches in the mix – making some of the solos as appealing as the vocals! Most tracks here are of late 70s vintage, although there's a few bits from other years too – and titles include "People" by Elipsis", "Simple Song" by Zebra, "Life Goes On" by Freak, "Rollercoaster" by George Smallwood, "Mellow Feeling" by Barbara Lynn, "Funktown" by Nate Calhoun, "I've Got It" by Tolbert, "Party & Get On Down" by Big Apple Band, "Give Me One More Chance" by Target, "You're The One" by Kings Go Forth, "You're The Best" by Larom Baker, "What About The Child" by Gold, and "Keep Her Happy" by Phillip Wright.

One of the most fantastic albums by the JBs – a masterpiece of funky jamming, tight instrumentation, and that free yet tight style of the James Brown 70s years! The tracks are longer than on some of the earlier singles – especially the 8 minute jammer "(It's Not The Express) It's the JBs Monourail", an answer to BT Express' theme song, and a fantastic cut that's held up through so many years and so many scenes! Another great jammer is the group's version of "Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself", which runs for nearly 10 minutes – plus spacey funk tracks "Transmogrification" and "Taurus, Aires, & Leo", and the tighter jammer "Soul Funky Train", which returns to the group's funky 45 mode. Fantastic all around – and the kind of record you'll be playing for your grand kids! CD adds 5 extra bonus cuts, all from hard-to-find People singles, and not on other LPs – including "J.B. Shout", their version of "Alone Again", "Sportin Life", "Dirty Harri", and the two part classic "Everybody Wanna Get Funky One More Time". Nice stuff, and a good reason to pay the extra price for the Japanese reissue!

Pinch us, we're dreaming – a lost album from The JBs! The set's a treasure for any fans of the funky James Brown sound of the early 70s – and it features material originally recorded for release as the first full length album by The JBs in 1972 – but never issued at the time! A few cuts here made it onto other records and singles in different versions, but others are completely fresh – and heard here for the first time ever – really helping expand our understanding of the group at this point in their career. Dave Matthews did a lot of the arrangements for the set, and there's a surprising amount of jazz in the mix, too – lots of full horn passages that show Fred Wesley leading the group with a damn hard-swinging sound – mixed in with just the right degree of soul you'd expect, but in ways that are different than some of the later JBs jams. Titles include "Transmograpification", "Use Me", "Everybody Plays The Fool", "Sweet Loneliness", "Watermelon Man", "Secret Love", "You've Got A Friend", and "Seulb". CD also features 4 bonus non-LP singles – "Funky & Some", "JB Shout", "Back Stabbers", and "Alone Again Naturally" – all killer funky 45s from the early 70s!

Easily one of the funkiest albums that James Brown ever recorded – and one of his few entries into the blacksploitation genre of the 70s! James really outdid himself for this one – working at a hard burning pace that had the JBs cooking up some killer funk for just about every number in the set – and which also has James himself stepping out vocally for a few key tracks. The album features the massive groover "People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul" – a slamming track that beats nearly every number in the JB 70s catalog – plus other cuts that include "To My Brother", "Brother Rapp", "Sexy Sexy Sexy", "Slaughter Theme", "Transmogrification", "King Slaughter", and "How Long Can I Keep It Up".

Easily one of the funkiest albums that James Brown ever recorded – and one of his few entries into the blacksploitation genre of the 70s! James really outdid himself for this one – working at a hard burning pace that had the JBs cooking up some killer funk for just about every number in the set – and which also has James himself stepping out vocally for a few key tracks. The album features the massive groover "People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul" – a slamming track that beats nearly every number in the JB 70s catalog – plus other cuts that include "To My Brother", "Brother Rapp", "Sexy Sexy Sexy", "Slaughter Theme", "Transmogrification", "King Slaughter", and "How Long Can I Keep It Up".

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

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

Prog takes a deep look at the long history Rush – featuring new interviews with Geddy, Alex and Neal! Prog the magazine always takes a pretty liberal, and non-elitist approach to what they classify as progressive rock – and we dig that! This issue covers Spock's Beard, The Flaming Lips, Kevin Ayers, The Magic Band, Family, Cosmograf, Roger Hodgson, Bitches Brew-era Miles Davis and more. The free CD is titled The Spirit Of Radial – with tracks by Spock's Beard, Motorpsycho, Hedvig Mollestad Trio, Nine Stones Close, Blue Cartoon, Vienna Circle, Grand General and many more.

A pair of overlooked albums from Clover – a great Bay Area group from the start of the 70s – best known for later work with Elvis Costello and Huey Lewis! Clover is a great start for a very cool group – a set that definitely draws on some of the "out of the city" sounds of the post-Haight scene in SF – as you might guess from the cover – but which also has some funkier undercurrents too, and almost a garagey mix of soul amidst the rootsy elements – one that really shows the evolution of a group like this from the styles of a few years before! Titles include a cover of "Shotgun", plus "Come", "Could You Call It Love", "Southbound Train", "Going To The Country", and "Stealin". Fourty Niner shows a wonderful growth in Clover – a record that really has the group coming into their own, and hitting some of the best Marin County vibes of the time! There's a definite rootsy feel to the record – some of those Bay Area transmogrifications of sounds from the south, into much more hippie-oriented styles – but there's also a sense of confidence and care with songwriting that should have made these guys huge – a quality that easily rivals the best work from the late Byrds or early Eagles camp – with maybe a bit to challenge The Band too – served up with a great Fantasy Records rock approach all the way through. Titles include "Mr Moon", "Harvest", "Old Man Blues", "Sound Of Thunder", and "Love Is Gone".