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The final third of Jackie DeShannon's legendary run for Imperial Records in the 60s – a smashing batch of singles that really represent some great musical growth at the time! On these sides, Jackie's even more soulful than before – definitely taking inspiration from the generation of singers who were singing her songs – and from the growing wave of girl vocalists who were working with more soulful styles too – especially those from the Brill Building scene. The result is a great blend of New York uptown and LA sunshine – a superb batch of tunes that really sums up the unique place that Jackie DeShannon had in modern music. Many tunes are originals by Jackie – and the set also features great tunes penned by Jimmy Holiday and Bobby Womack too – titles that include "Changin My Mind", "I Keep Wanting You", "What Is This", "Nicole", "Nobody's Home To Go Home To", "You Keep Me Hangin On/Hurt So Bad", "Brighton Hill", "Christmas", "Keep Me In Mind", "Bird On The Wire", "What Was Your Day Like", "Put A Little Love In Your Heart", "Always Together", and "Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown".

The third in The Drifters' early 70s revival run in the UK for Bell Records – and possibly the strongest album of the bunch! The lineup of the group has changed a bit, but the sound here is still the same – a nice 70s update of the group's earlier sound – in a way that still keeps all the lilting moments of the early 60s Drifters' style on Atlantic, but which also brings in some fuller, smoother production too – handled by Roger Greenaway, who also wrote a number of tracks for the record too. The wealth of original material really keeps things fresh – and has the group stretching past a simple rehash of the early days – and titles include "The Juggler", "Harlem Child", "Hello Happiness", "I've Got You On My Mind", "Don't Cry On A Weekend", "Can I Take You Home Little Girl", "There Goes My First Love", and "You Chose A Fine Time". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "It Looks Like I'm The Clown Again" and "Closely Guarded Secret".

A gem of an album from trumpeter Matthew Halsall – his third on the Gondawa label, and like all the others, a set that we'd easily rank right up there with the best 70s spiritual jazz on labels like Strata East or Black Jazz! The set's got a fluid sound that's extremely compelling – kind of a post-Coltrane vibe that has all the players stretching out nicely, but always in a soulful way – never too overdone, or too avant – always staying in the right sort of expressive modes to keep their energy focused. And in the group with Halsall's trumpet is the tenor of Nat Birchall – labelmate on Gondawa, and a player we totally love too – with rhythm support from Adam Fairhall on piano, Gavin Barras on bass, and Gaz Hughes on drums – plus a bit of harp from Rachael Gladwin on one track. Titles include "Samatha", "The End Of Dukkha", "Song For Charlie", and "Music For A Dancing Mind".

Maybe the third great Philly studio group of the 70s – after MFSB and Salsoul Orchestra – a killer combo who provided backing grooves to plenty of great club tracks over the years – and who step out strongly here on their own debut album! Bunny Sigler helps give the album a sharp focus – with his own production and songwriting in play – in modes that are very much like his own best club tracks of the time – but the group is more than great enough on their own – with a funky edge that definitely lives up to their name, and a groove that's even sharper than the two aforementioned contemporary combos. Lead vocals are by James Carmichael, who's totally great – and titles include "Don't You Wanna Party", "Never Let It Go Away", "I Got My Mind Made Up", "Dark Vader", "Wide World Of Sports", and "You Say You Want Me To Stay". CD features bonus tracks that include "I Got My Mind Made Up (12" rmx)", "I Got My Mind Made Up (single)", "Crying (12" rmx)", "Crying (single)", and "Dark Vader (Pat Stapley rmx)".

Top notch instrumentals from the loose collective dubbed Third World All Stars – recorded in the mid 70s at London's Chalk Farm and EFM studios – and featuring both London-based and visiting Jamaican legends in the mix! The production is billed to Count Shelly, and it features some base rhythms cut for Errol Dunkley's Sit And Cry Over You Record – released on Shelley's label. The rhythms are indeed impeccable, and there are all these unique soulful layers added to them that really give it a worthwhile life of their own as a soulful reggae instrumentals set. Players include Michael Bammy Rose on sax, Lester Sterling on trumpet and sax, Tyrone Downie, Gladdy Anderson and Winston Wright on keys, Jackie Jackson on bass and Winston Grennan on drums. Beautiful, timeless and soulful rhythms that are on par with the finest Carribbean music of the period – whether it was recorded in Kingston, London, or anywhere else. Essential! Includes "Rebel Rock", "Repatriation Remedy", "Our Dream World", "Patricia's Love", "Soothing In The Mind", "Black Moon", "For All Ways", "Just For You", "Train To Skaville" and "Moog In Blues".

Top notch instrumentals from the loose collective dubbed Third World All Stars – recorded in the mid 70s at London's Chalk Farm and EFM studios – and featuring both London-based and visiting Jamaican legends in the mix! The production is billed to Count Shelly, and it features some base rhythms cut for Errol Dunkley's Sit And Cry Over You Record – released on Shelley's label. The rhythms are indeed impeccable, and there are all these unique soulful layers added to them that really give it a worthwhile life of their own as a soulful reggae instrumentals set. Players include Michael Bammy Rose on sax, Lester Sterling on trumpet and sax, Tyrone Downie, Gladdy Anderson and Winston Wright on keys, Jackie Jackson on bass and Winston Grennan on drums. Beautiful, timeless and soulful rhythms that are on par with the finest Carribbean music of the period – whether it was recorded in Kingston, London, or anywhere else. Essential! Includes "Rebel Rock", "Repatriation Remedy", "Our Dream World", "Patricia's Love", "Soothing In The Mind", "Black Moon", "For All Ways", "Just For You", "Train To Skaville" and "Moog In Blues".

A really wonderful compilation of rare material from the early days of Cherry Red Records – that great British label who brought some incredibly sweet pop into an otherwise dark post-punk world! The set's especially nice for its wealth of material by Everything But The Girl and solo members Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn – as nearly a third of the set is material by various combinations of the above. Includes "Can't", "Tower Of Silence", and "Aubade" by Ben Watt; "Goodbye Joe" by Tracey Thorn; and "Feeling Dizzy" and "On My Mind" by Everything But The Girl. Also includes "My Brilliant Career", "Son Of God's Mate", and "Inside Out" by The Nightingales; "If She Doesn't Smile" and "Thousand Guitars Of St Dominiques" by Fantastic Something; "4 Countries" and "The Coroner & The Inquest" by The Reflections; "This Is For The Moment", "Think", "Rushes", and "The Trial" by Five Or Six; and "The Bridge" by The Monochrome Set.

We never stopped ourselves to ask what "stonking" means – but with tunes this great, who cares! The set's the third in a really great batch of Northern Soul compilations from EMI UK – featuring rare tracks pulled from EMI-owned labels like Capitol, Liberty, and other companies that don't necessarily jump to mind when thinking "classic soul" – but who cut some really great singles back in the 60s! The set's a real treasure trove – and features tons of tracks we'd never heard before. Titles include "Kissin Her & Cryin For You" by The Checkmates, "River Of Tears" by Barbara Banks, "I Feel Good" by Bettye Lavette, "One Day Love" by Tommy Dodson, "60 Minutes Of Your Love" by Homer Banks, "Good Little You" by Joey Dee, "I Hurt On The Other Side" by Jerry Cook, "In The Same Old Way" by Scotty Williams, "Turn Around Baby" by Lena & The Deltanettes, "My Heart Is In Danger" by Alder Ray, "She Blew A Good Thing" by Donald Height, "It's A Sad Thing" by Ray Pollard, "Why Did You Do It To Me" by The Thieves, and "I Can't Do It" by Eddie & Ernie.

The third (and the third great) album Talking Heads – the Eno-produced Fear Of Music – with the nice funky and African influences really starting to sink in as integral elements of the group's iconic sound! To date, the group balanced their oddball elements with touches of darkness, and that continues here, too – a bit of world weary energy inflects the vibe, though without ever overshadowing the infectious energy. Includes "I Zimbra", "Mind", "Paper", "Cities", "Life During Wartime", "Memories Can't Wait", "Air", "Heaven", "Animals", "Electric Guitar" and "Drugs".

The third album from Maya Azucena and here debut for the Half Note label – brilliant true soul from one of our favorite voice of the past decade – really at her best here! Maya may be drawing from a more diverse stylistic spectrum here – there's some classic brass backed soul numbers, more stripped down acoustic instrumentation, strains of hip hop soul and other touches – but it flows perfectly thanks to her straight up beautiful voice and her own songwriting anchoring it all tightly. We wondered if she was going to move more towards a jazzy style with the move to Half Note, but this is soul music through and through! Includes "Cry Love", "Shine", "Near", "Change My Mind", "Belong To The Sun". "Run Into The Light", "Warriors", "Live On", "Little Ghetto Boy" feat Chris Rob and more.

The third album in an amazing early run from The Delfonics – the kind of work that set a whole new standard for group soul in the 70s! A number of the tracks here had already risen to fame before the album's release as singles – and these are mixed with some additional tracks that are woven together in a near-perfect symphony of sound! The mighty Thom Bell arranged most of the numbers here – save for 2 by Anthony Dorsey – and the group's heavenly harmonies are in amazing form on both mellow ballads and a few more righteous numbers. Titles include "Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time", "Funny Feeling", "Over & Over", "Baby I Love You", "When You Get Right Down To It", "Delfonics Theme", "Trying To Make A Fool Of Me", "I Gave To You", "Down Is Up Up Is Down", and "Think About Me".

Sublime soul through and through – 2 classics from The Delfonics, back to back on a single CD! First up is self-titled record The Delfonics – the third album in an amazing early run from The Delfonics – the kind of work that set a whole new standard for group soul in the 70s! A number of the tracks here had already risen to fame before the album's release as singles – and these are mixed with some additional tracks that are woven together in a near-perfect symphony of sound! The mighty Thom Bell arranged most of the numbers here – save for 2 by Anthony Dorsey – and the group's heavenly harmonies are in amazing form on both mellow ballads and a few more righteous numbers. Titles include "Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time", "Funny Feeling", "Over & Over", "Baby I Love You", "When You Get Right Down To It", "Delfonics Theme", "Trying To Make A Fool Of Me", "I Gave To You", "Down Is Up Up Is Down", and "Think About Me". Tell Me This Is A Dream has The Delfonics just getting better and better! The longer the group recorded, the more they picked up this strange spacey quality that pushed them past some of their contemporaries of the early 70s. And on an album like this, they prove that they're way more than just Thom Bell puppets by showing that they have a rich talent for a wide variety of complicated arrangements that really push the vocal group sound of the 70s. They take many stylistic risks, coming up with really sinister new harmonies, and always managing to stay clear of the cliches that buried some of their mates on the charts. Bell still arranges some of the material, but the record also features work by Norman Harris and Caldwell MacMillan, who did the real genius work on the record. This masterpiece includes the sublime "Hey, Love", plus "Walk Right Up to the Sun", "I'm A Man", "Too Late", "Love You Till I Die", "Looking for a Girl", and "Round & Round".

The genius of Roy Ayers knows no end – and as this set of unreleased work from the 70s proves, Roy was always working at top form back in the day – even above and beyond his classic albums from the time! The grooves here are tremendous – funky, soulful, jazzy, and every bit as wonderful as the work that Roy did for his classic albums on Polydor – and in a way, the whole set's even tighter and heavier than any of Roy's full LPs, because it's a distillation of his sound from the time, hand-picked from the vaults with an ear towards the kind of timeless grooves that have been a huge influence on many worlds of music for years! You've never heard any of these tunes before, but we can promise you'll love them every bit as much as Roy's tracks on albums like Coffy, Vibrations, Mystic Voyage, and other classics – and the quality of the set only further pushes our jaw-dropping respect for the man! Titles include "Holiday", "Kwajilori", "I Am Your Mind (part 2)", "Touch Of Class", "Third Time", "Come To Me", "Wide Open", "Funk In The Hole", "Liquid Love", "Tarzan", "Sunshine (demo)", and "I Like The Way You Do It To Me".

Some of the hippest sounds ever recorded on the Afghan scene – and a great reminder that the nation's got some standout music if you know where to look! The package is the third whopping volume in Pharaway's look at Ahmad Zahir – a charismatic singer who rose to huge fame in the 70s, but still has a sound that's pretty darn fresh to our Western ears – a mix of psychedelic production, exotic instrumentation, and some surprisingly compelling lead vocals – which tend to hold us rapt, even though we can't understand the language! Instrumentation often features plenty of raw percussion and offbeat reed lines – mixed with keyboards and guitar, to create this pan-generational sound that's really unique. Titles include "Shaady Kunaid Aye Dostan", "Tu Barayem Mogadasi", "Duzdi Eshgam", "Ansiman Begoyed", "Kai Bashad Kai", and "Nay Nay Hargez".

Some of the hippest sounds ever recorded on the Afghan scene – and a great reminder that the nation's got some standout music if you know where to look! The package combines the second and third volumes in Pharaway's look at Ahmad Zahir – a charismatic singer who rose to huge fame in the 70s, but still has a sound that's pretty darn fresh to our Western ears – a mix of psychedelic production, exotic instrumentation, and some surprisingly compelling lead vocals – which tend to hold us rapt, even though we can't understand the language! Instrumentation often features plenty of raw percussion and offbeat reed lines – mixed with keyboards and guitar, to create this pan-generational sound that's really unique. Titles include "Shaady Kunaid Aye Dostan", "Ahange Zindegi, "Az Nazo Che Maykhande", "Baduhait Konam", "Begzaro Ta Begeeryam", "Dil Ze Sowda", "Che Koosh Amadi Safaa Kardi", "Tu Barayem Mogadasi", "Duzdi Eshgam", "Ansiman Begoyed", "Kai Bashad Kai", and "Nay Nay Hargez".

Wonderful wonderful! The third album by Harpers Bizarre – and one that shows them growing in leaps and bounds with each new release! The record is a sublime fusion of sweet pop California 60s harmonies (ala The Sandpipers or The Lettermen), baroque arrangements with a fake dreamy nostalgia (ala Van Dyke Parks or Randy Newman), and drug-addled underground takes on the eazy sound of the generation (ala Brian Wilson or Love). This album is one of their most perfectly-realized visions, and it features a great blend of older songs, all hipped-up to modern LA arrangements by the likes of Nick De Caro, Perry Botkin, and others. The record has an approach that's simply mindblowing when you consider the amount of funds and effort that must have been put into a record that would only be truly appreciated 40 years later – and it's filled with great titles that include "Me, Japanese Boy", "Look To The Rainbow", "Funny How Love Can Be", "Mad", "Green Apple Tree", and "Las Mananitas".