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A breakout record that forever put Wilson Pickett at the top of the heap for mainstream 60s soul – thanks to the oft-covered, endlessly played "Mustang Sally" single that leads off the set! And although the groove established by that track helped Pickett establish an audience on both sides of the fence, the full album itself is much deeper stuff – a searing album of southern-styled soul recorded with some great Muscle Shoals production – Rick Hall and Tom Dowd at the helm – and key session players who include Charlie Chalmers, Chips Moman, Tommy Cogbill, Spooner Oldham, and Roger Hawkins – all of whom help give the record the intimate, earthy feeling that helped Pickett step out with a stronger sound than earlier recordings. (And in fact, this album's perhaps a key pre-Aretha Franklin example of the way that Atlantic's vision could majestically change the sound of an already-known soul artist – bringing them far deeper than ever before.) Titles include "Mustang Sally", "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love", "Nothing You Can Do", "Three Time Loser", "Sunny", "She Ain't Gonna Do Right", "Knock On Wood", "Time Is On My Side", and "You Left The Water Running".

Wonderful work from the team of Donald Byrd and Gigi Gryce! Byrd is at his youthful best here – blowing with a soulful imagination that's surprising, given his young age, and honed to a modern edge by the arrangements of Gryce. Conversely, Gryce's tone on the alto is fantastic – less measured than on other albums, and perhaps given a bit more of a gutsy push by his work here with Byrd. Of course, the rest of the group helps, too – and with Art Taylor on drums, Tommy Flanagan on piano, and Wendell Marshall on bass, the whole set grooves nicely! Titles include "Little Niles", "Sans Souci", "Nica's Tempo", and "Speculation".

Mindblowing music from Sun Ra & The Arkestra – sounds recorded during the same marathon session that gave the world the records Other Planes Of There, When Sun Comes Out, and When Angels Speak Of Love – but titles that are much more obscure overall! The initial release of the material featured very misleading notes, but the true details of the session are even more impressive – as Ra plays a variety of unusual instruments alongside piano – including the piano strings, space organ, and clavioline – alongside some sublime straight horn work from John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on alto and oboe, Pat Patrick on baritone, Danny Davis on alto and clarinet, Walter Miller on trumpet, Robert Cummings on bass clarinet, and Ali Hasaan on trombone! The lineup here has that raw power the Arkestra first unleashed after their initial move to New York – almost a sense of new freedom in the new environment – even at a time when they weren't clicking on a financial level, but still continued to push forward with new ideas in music! Some passages have this great approach that links the cosmic ideas of the Arkestra with older traditions of jazz soloing – while others reflect the growing concern of the group with new textures and sounds – making for some very impressive elements on both the horns and percussion. The group is completed by Ronnie Boykins on bass, Art Jenkins on space voice and percussion, and Tommy Hunter on drums, percussion, and some mighty nice reverb – and titles include "Biosphere Blues", "Intergalactic Research", "Earth Primitive Earth", "New Planet", and "Continuation To Jupiter Festival".

Massive soul from Wendy Rene – one of the lesser-known talents from the Stax Records scene of the 60s, and an artist who's finally getting her due! We're not sure why Wendy never hit bigger at the time – because her singles here are wonderful – excellent female soul that not only ranks with the best of the Stax sound of the time, but which also challenges the bite of some of the best Motown music too – thanks to a particularly northern groove on some of the best cuts here! In fact, it may well be this style – often closer to Detroit soul than the usual Memphis bag at Stax – that might have held Wendy back. But that's hardly an issue all these many years later – and our hat's off to the folks at Light In The Attic for not only bringing together her rare singles, but also collecting unreleased songs, other rarities, and even material performed with the group The Drapels – all recorded in the years 1964 and 1965, and supported by some great notes too. Titles include "Bar B Q", "I Wish I Were That Girl", "What Will Tomorrow Bring", "Last Love", "Crowded Park", "Give You What I Got", "Deep In My Heart", "Wondering", "First Kiss", "Reap What You Sow", "After Laughter Comes Tears", and "He Hasn't Failed Me Yet".

The Lone Ranger delivers a silver bullet with this batch of bouncing dancehall niceness featuring a Channel One posse that includes Sly & Robbie, Soldgie, Scientist and Barnabas! Probably best known as Studio One's top DJ, the Lone Ranger proves he can keep the bad guys in check even under his own production with this set that delivers a tight batch of tracks that hit the bull's eye with every shot! 10 tracks in all, including "Tom Drunk", "Rub 'N' Scrub", "Legalize The National Herb", "Gunshot Mek Daughter Drop", "Liviing As A Poor", "Johnny Make You Bad So", "The Clock", "Lone Ranger & Tonto", "Solomon" and "Love Affair Problem".

A killer early session from Sun Ra! Ra plays organ and electric piano, and the band includes Gilmore, Pat Patrick, Marshall Allen, Ronnie Boykins, Art Hoyle, Phil Cohran, and Julian Priester. The group's also got an electric bass, which gives the tracks a nice bottom, and a good spooky feel. Nothing's too out, but the record's got a great off-kilter sound, and lots of original tracks like "Between Two Worlds", "Tiny Pyramids", "Music From the World Tomorrow", and "Angels And Demons At Play".

Sun Ra's really moving forward with this classic set – refining the sound of his Chicago-based Arkestra, and reaching for new territory that moves him way past familiar jazz modes! The cover bills the group as playing "music from tomorrow's world" – and you can definitely hear that on some titles here, including one number that features Ra on some really haunting celeste, and another that features Marshall Allen making weird noises with his mouthpiece! The group is all greats from the old days – John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on flute, Pat Patrick on baritone and flute, James Spaulding on alto and flute, Hobart Dotson on trumpet, Charles Davis on baritone, and Ronnie Boykins on bass – and titles include "Hours After", "Saturn", "Ancient Ethiopia", and "Blues At Midnight".

The most fully-formed album from Nat Birchall so far – and one that has him definitely going into another dimension in jazz, thanks to a slightly expanded lineup! The shift here is almost that betweeen the 60s spiritual sounds on Impulse Records, and the label's groundbreaking material in the post-Coltrane years of the early 70s – a time when folks like Pharoah Sanders, Marion Brown, Alice Coltrane, and others were really helping to redefine a sense of spiritualism in jazz – yet always at the best moments still hanging onto the core sense of individualism that first got the movement started in the 60s! Nat Birchall is at the head of the group – blowing fantastic lines on tenor and soprano sax – searching and righteous, but always with a sense of gentleness too – a really special blend that makes the album sparkle. Other players include Adam Fairhall on piano, Corcy Mwamba on vibes, and Rachael Gladwin on harp – and there's lots of nice percussion touches that are nestled in on the bottom. Birchall wrote all tracks – and titles include "Ancient World", "Dance Of The Mystic", "Radiant Will", "Peace In Ninevah", and "Sacred Dimension".

Diverse beatcraft from a pioneer of beathead culture – the never predictable, still vital DJ Vadim! Spacey keys, funky bass, atmospheric synth and top notch turntable skills are, as always, the main tools of Vadim's trade – but the cross-cultural, globe-spanning styles he manages to cook up are as impressive as ever on Don't Be Scared. Glitchy funk and soul from around the world, echoey dancehall and more float in and out, with some sampled bits of vocal as well as some great guest singers on the mic. Another win for Vadim and BBE! Includes "Hide N' Seek", "Lemon Haze", "I'm Feeling U" with Gregory Blackman, "This DJ" feat J-Man, "Set Them Free" feat Sabira Jade, "Leader" with Yarah Bravo, "Vah Vaow" feat Heidi Vogel, "Take My Time" with Jazz Bailey and "Closed Eyes" feat Yarah Bravo, Pugs Atomz and Jazz Bailey.

Digitally re-recorded and remastered versions of the Def Jam classics on picture disc. (Note: This item is not for sale online until after the close of business on Saturday, 4/20/13. It is in limited supply – and by nature of the Record Store Day rules, it will be offered for sale first to customers who visit the Dusty Groove retail outlet in Chicago on that day. It will not be pre-sold, or reserved in any way. However, after the close of business on Record Store Day, we will offer up whatever we have left for sale online.)

A groundbreaking collection of work from the legendary Tom Ze – and a record that really helped introduce his genius to the world outside of Brazil! Although it's hard to understand from the perspective of over a decade – especially one that's seen Tom Ze rise to fame again – when this compilation was first put together, the music of Tom Ze had all but fallen off the musical map of Brazil. Ze was one of the founding fathers of Tropicalia – and unlike other members of that group, who rose to great fame during the 70s, and straightened up their act a bit – Ze always remained a committed modernist, continually inventive well into the 70s and 80s – really coming up with amazing sounds that are always compelling, challenging, and often have a nicely quirky feel as well. The style's incredibly hard to pin down – and in fact, we might describe the recordings as being "anti-style" – but if you've heard any of Ze's work, you know you're in for a treat. The collection brings together material from a number of different labels – and titles include "Ma", "Doi", "Hein?", "Cademar", "Um Oh E Um Ah", "Augusta Angelica E Consolacao", "O Riso E A Faca", "Ui", and "A Felicidade".