Full strength roots from Dr Aminatado! In a perfect world, this album would need no introduction from us – it's classic caliber to say the least! For those yet to visit the doctor, this is the perfect perscription –in which Dr Alimantado and Lee Scratch Perry lead you through a top tier side of funky Black Ark reggae with the heavy murky Perry touch and some mad Dee Jay stylings from the best dressed chicken in town. 10 cuts, including the awesome title track, plus "Just The Other Day", "Gimme Mi Gun", "I Killed The Barber", "Unitone Skank", "Can't Conquer Natty Dreadlocks", "Ride On", "I Shall Fear No Evil". CD

One of the few albums cut by this oft-overlooked southern soul diva – and one that mixes Muscle Shoals production with some nice uptown touches! Produced by Jerry Williams, Jr., aka Swamp Dogg! While the title comes of a bit flamboyantly, in truth, this record is an honest, personal, and earthy southern soul should-be classic. It's not only a personal triumph for Doris Duke, it's also one of greatest Swamp Dogg-produced records! Includes "I Wish I Could Sleep", "It Sure Was Fun", "He's Everything I Need", "Since I Fell For You", "Let Love Touch Us Now", "Bad Water", and a cool cover of "By The Time I Get To Phoenix". LP, Vinyl record album

Two different Jimmy Stewart comedy soundtracks from the 60s – both of them nice! First up is Dear Brigitte – an overlooked 1965 score by George Duning – done with a mix of the playful modes you'd expect from the story, and some of those great deeper dramatic touches that Duning used in more serious soundtracks – a really rich mixing of modes with a sound that's much stronger than we expected! Titles include "On To BBs", "The Captain", "Magical Moment", "Puzzled Cap'n", "Hey Dad", "Is It A Trick", and "She Sank". Next is an even groovier record – a rare non RCA Henry Mancini soundtrack from the early 60s – the score to Mr Hobbs Takes A Vacation, done with all the best mix of jazz and groovy elements we love in classic Mancini! Instrumentation mixes a key electric guitar melody with some lighter touches on woodwinds – really getting the most out of the melody with some shifts in timing and tone, juxtaposed with a few numbers that are even more playful! Titles include "Barn Swallow", "Something For Lauri", "Cream Puff", "Up His Nose", "A Month Off", and "Rudders & Sails". CD features 39 tracks in all – including 7 bonus tracks from the Mancini score! CD

Two Capitol classics from the great Gene Dunlap – back to back on a single CD! First up is It's Just The Way I Feel – a classic soulful fusion album recorded and released during the crucial years of the "Capitol Rare" sound! Gene Dunlap is a jazz drummer at heart – but he's got a flair for the modern soul song – and in the same style as Norman Connors or Harvey Mason before him, he manages to put together a strong record of grooves and ballads from behind the kit! The strongest point of the record is work by The Ridgeways, a female soul trio who sing on the best tracks, giving them a smooth Jones Girls-ish kind of sound. The album includes two modern soul classics – "Before You Break My Heart" and "It's Just the Way I Feel" – plus "Love Dancin", "Rock Radio", "I Got You", and "Surest Things Can Change". Party In Me is wonderful work from Gene Dunlap – a jazzy soul drummer, and also a maestro with a killer ear for a modern soul groove! The album's got a mix of grooves and sophistication that are a bit like the best early 80s material from Roy Ayers – never chartbound, and never too commercial – but nice and tight, and really well put together! The instrumentation has plenty of jazzy 80s groove touches – especially in the keyboards – and Dunlap does a nice job of balancing up beat tracks with the mellow moments we love so much in his work. Vocals are from a variety of singers – including the great Ethel Beatty, who'd sung with Roy Ayers – plus Phillippe Wynne, Pam Lawson, and Gene himself – and titles include "Something Inside My Head", "Something Special", "Corner Pocket", "There Will Never Be Another (Like You)", "Party In Me", "Jam City", and "This One's On Me". CD

Excellent 70s soul from the great Ronnie Dyson – first famous as a singer in the original cast of Hair, but later a soul star in his own right, with a few massive hits that brought him big fame! The arrangements here are by Thom Bell, who gives Ronnie's vocals a fragile quality that works wonders, and by Jimmy Wisner, who hits a little bit more of a deep approach with Ronnie – and the tunes on the set are a strong example of the more sophisticated styles of east coast production during the 70s. Includes Ronnie's big hit "One Man Band", plus "I Don't Wanna Cry", "When You Get Right Down To It", "A Wednesday In Your Garden", "The Love Of A Woman", "Girl Don't Come", "Don't Be Afraid", "Fever", "Make It With You", "(If You Let Me Make Love To You Then) Why Can't I Touch You", "Give In To Love", "Just Don't Want To Be Lonely", and "A Touch Of Baby". CD

Was there ever such a great run of records as the legacy of Earth Wind & Fire at Columbia in the 70s and 80s? It's hard to imagine a better one – as the strength of this collection will attest! Earth Wind & Fire didn't start their career at Columbia, but they really took off at the label right away – finding new heights of pride, power, and righteous energy – and a way of combining all their best soul, funk, and jazz roots into something completely new – reaching a much wider audience with their message, yet still staying true to themselves as well – an amazing balance that never wavers throughout the set. The package is filled with classic albums – including Last Days & Time, Head To The Sky, Open Our Eyes, That's The Way Of The World, Gratitude, Spirit, All N All, I Am, Faces, Raise, Powerlight, Electric Universe, Touch The World, and Heritage – and also features the Best Of CD, with single mixes of bigger hits, and the bonus Constellations album too – with rare tracks, live tracks, and some Maurice White productions too. Every album comes in a tiny LP-styled sleeve – and the box has a booklet of notes as well! CD

A classic set of sample-heavy wizardry from Edan – and a record that's every bit as psychedelic as you might expect from the cover! There's plenty of great psych flourishes in the samples, grounded in some heavy breakbeats that keep things on tracks – while the rhythms mix touches of madness and genius, with tongue twists that pay homage and blast forward simultaneously. Guests include Mr Lif, Insight, and Percee-P – and titles include "Funky Voltron", "I See Colours", "Torture Chamber", "Promised Land", "Time Outt", "Fumbling Over Words That Rhyme", "Making Planets", "Murder Mystery", "Rock & Roll", and "Smile". CD

Dave Edmunds in the 80s – still very much in charge of that special voice that made him a standout rocker from the UK scene the decade before – but also doing plenty to change with the times! Dave's vocals and famous guitar twang are wrapped around the kind of catchy tunes he always did so well – and the production, handled with help from Jeff Lynne, has some electro touches and compression around the vocals – elements that work surprisingly well, as in Lynne's own musical shift during the decade! There's plenty of classic Edmunds moments throughout – and titles include "Busted Loose", "Breaking Out", "Far Away", "How Could I Be So Wrong", "Can't Get Enough", and "Something About You". LP, Vinyl record album

The question in the title is almost a moot point – because with the quality of a record like this, we hardly care if other bands come back at all! Duke's working here on a batch of older big band standards – as you might guess from the title – but the tracks all have a nice little flourish that's filled with plenty of those later Ellington touches – a seemingly effortless ability to place interesting horn bits and rhythmic twists into tunes that you thought you might already know. The set features new takes on classics associated with the bands of Esrkine Hawkins, Glen Gray, Woody Herman, Les Brown, and others – and titles include "Rhapsody In Blue", "Smoke Rings", "Artistry In Rhythm", "The Waltz You Saved For Me", "Woodchopper's Ball", and "Good Bye". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing box set – five full albums of material, plus lots of bonus tracks too! First up is Flowers – a soaring classic from The Emotions – thanks to some supreme help from the Earth Wind & Fire side of the soul spectrum! This set has the trio really sounding great – with Kalimba Productions by Maurice White and Charles Stepney – and a good deal of EWF help on the instrumentation as well! The girls break out of the rootsier style used on their earlier Stax recordings, and manage to fit perfectly with the jazzy tinges of the new grooves – and, along with Ramsey Lewis and EWF, the Emotions were part of a hugely successful trinity during the late 70s – one that took the indie soul roots of the Chicago scene and turned it into landmark big business for Columbia Records. The album's got a new approach to female group soul that would go onto shape R&B for years to come – and titles include "Flowers", "I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love", "We Go Through Changes", "Special Part", and "You've Got The Right To Know". Next is Rejoice – a huge hit for both The Emotions and Maurice White – whose Kalimba Productions handled this album in the same hit mode they'd been using for Earth Wind & Fire! There's a polished, soaring bounce her that definitely shows the Earth Wind & Fire touch – and which takes the girls miles from their rougher, rootsier soul of the Stax/Volt years – yet like all the best EWF records of the time, the sound is also plenty soulful, with lots of righteous undercurrents. The album includes the group's wonderful track "Don't Ask My Neighbors", a heavenly tune that builds on a long tradition of sweet female soul from Chicago; the super-huge "Best Of My Love", a hit on dancefloors and radios for years to come – and many other nice numbers like "Blessed", "How'd I Know That Love Would Slip Away", and "Key To My Heart". Sunbeam is great little album from The Emotions – largely because it sounds a lot like prime mid 70s Earth Wind & Fire, with female vocals added over the top – ultimately, pulling away with a soulful charm all its own! Maurice White produced the whole set, and it's got a soaring spacey sound that provides a perfect spiritual edge to the girls vocals – taking them way past the hits, into much more sophisticated soul territory. There's a beautifully righteous vibe going on throughout – a sound that's almost like Minnie Riperton at her 70s Capitol best – and titles include "Love Vibes", "Walking The Line", "Time Is Passing By", "I Wouldn't Lie", "Smile", and "Spirit Of Summer". Come Into Our World has the sweet Emotions at the top of their game – one of the brilliant albums that has the soulful trio working hand in hand with Earth Wind & Fire! The girls were plenty great in their early years, but working with Maurice White and company, they really took off – hitting a whole new level that really unlocked some deeply spiritual power in their vocals! And sure, the approach also yielded the group plenty of hits – but for good reason, too – given the classic quality and all-great nature of a set like this. Maurice White produced, and the lineup is filled with plenty of Earth Wind & Fire players too – working with some great arrangements from Tom Tom 84, Wade Marcus, and others. Tunes are balanced between clubby numbers and some nice midtempo moments – and titles include "Where Is Your Love", "Cause I Love You", "Come Into My World", "On & On", "I Should Be Dancing", "Layed Back", and "Yes I Am". New Affair has The Emotions breaking free a bit from the Earth Wind & Fire influence, and grooving nicely with a sweet 80s feel! The girls' voices are still quite wonderful – some of the deepest harmonies in the female soul world at the time – and the tunes kick it up nicely in a blend of snapping bassy club tracks and mellower cuts that sweetly sway with their great vocals! Loads of wonderful tracks – and an album not to miss! Titles include "Turn It Out", "There'll Never Be Another Moment", "Now That I Know", "Love Lies", "When You Gonna Wake Up", and "Here You Come Again". 3CD set features 8 bonus tracks – including "Boogie Wonderland (12" mix", "Don't Ask My Neighbors (single version)", "I Should Be Dancin (single version)", "My Baby Dance", "Changes", "Where Is Your Love (single version)", and "Flowers (single version)". CD

A really classic album from The Emotions – much harder and grittier than their earlier singles from Chicago, and quite different than their later sounds in the Earth Wind & Fire generation! The style here is almost funk – and definitely gets pretty close on a few cuts – thanks to sharp production from David Porter and Ronnie Williams, who dredge up some of the deeper sounds of the Stax label at the time, and match them with the trio's impeccable vocals! The record's got a down-looking vibe that really lives up to the cover image – a kind of subtle pride that really comes through in the music, and which may well make this album the greatest the girls ever cut. Titles include the stellar cut "Blind Alley" – a famous sample from years back, and a wonderful funk tune on its own – plus "Boss Love Maker", "Love Ain't Easy Onesided", "Show Me How", "Love is The Hardest Thing To Find", and "Boy I Need You". LP, Vinyl record album

A groundbreaking collaboration between Brian Eno & David Byrne – recorded with a spare, stripped down love of electronics and found sound samples – in a mode that would have a huge influence on countless records to come! Part of the set resonates with the quirky grooves found in Byrne's early Talking Heads records – but the overall sound is much more stark than that work, and is characterized by key found vocals and odd ethnic bits that really set the tone for each new tune. Eno's influence is felt strongly in the simplicity of the tracks, and in the darkly resonant production modes – that classic Eno touch used here before it became a bit too trademark, in a way that could still make a record like this sound great, even when coming from major label sources! A key force in shaping countless genres to come in the next 25 years – with great tracks that include "America Is Waiting", 'Regiment", "The Jezebel Spirit", "Qu'ran", "Moonlight In Glory", "A Secret Life", "Come With Us", and "Mountain Of Needles". LP, Vinyl record album

Pre-US work from Juan Garcia Esquivel – 2 early albums recorded in Mexico in the mid 50s! First up is Las Tandas – a set that's got a hip mix of jazz, swing, and Latin orchestral touches – presented here with some spoken announcements at the beginning of each track, in a way that supposedly sounds "live" – although the recording of the instruments is more in studio-level quality. Titles are all quite unusual – and often offer an odd extrapolation of older modes from the decade before – slightly re-arranged in more modern 50s orchestral modes. Titles include "Politecnio Rock & Roll", "Goya Universidad Rock & Roll", "Una Y Otra Vez", "Collar De Perlas", "Potpourri Curiel", and "Tren Nocturno". To Love Again is one of the rarest of Esquivel's RCA albums – a set that was recorded in Mexico, but issued as one of his first albums in the US! The sound's a bit romantic, but it's still got plenty of elements of his classic RCA work – including his unique approach to arrangements, and his penchant for lots of nice little instrumental flourishes that burst out of the larger ensemble with a nice sense of flourish! Titles include "Jungle Drums", "Vereda Tropical", "Siboney", "Hornblowers Serenade", and "Nocturnal". CD

A classic set to feature the Bill Evans Trio with the great Scott Lafaro on bass and Paul Motian on drums! Listening to the set we're reminded of what always brings us back to Evans' playing – a quality that's often described as moody, but which is really is quite spry and lively throughout this set, without ever giving up its lyrical approach. Titles are mostly standards – but really transformed by the touch of the trio – and tunes include "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "Autumn Leaves", "Witchcraft", "When I Fall In Love", "Peri's Scope", "What Is This Thing Called Love", "Spring Is Here", "Some Day My Prince Will Come", and "Blue In Green". CD features alternate takes of "Autumn Leaves" and "Blue In Green". CD

A classic set to feature the Bill Evans Trio with the great Scott Lafaro on bass and Paul Motian on drums! Listening to the set we're reminded of what always brings us back to Evans' playing – a quality that's often described as moody, but which is really is quite spry and lively throughout this set, without ever giving up its lyrical approach. Titles are mostly standards – but really transformed by the touch of the trio – and tunes include "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "Autumn Leaves", "Witchcraft", "When I Fall In Love", "Peri's Scope", "What Is This Thing Called Love", "Spring Is Here", "Some Day My Prince Will Come", and "Blue In Green". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic set to feature the Bill Evans Trio with the great Scott Lafaro on bass and Paul Motian on drums! Listening to the set we're reminded of what always brings us back to Evans' playing – a quality that's often described as moody, but which is really is quite spry and lively throughout this set, without ever giving up its lyrical approach. Titles are mostly standards – but really transformed by the touch of the trio – and tunes include "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "Autumn Leaves", "Witchcraft", "When I Fall In Love", "Peri's Scope", "What Is This Thing Called Love", "Spring Is Here", "Some Day My Prince Will Come", and "Blue In Green". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic set to feature the Bill Evans Trio with the great Scott Lafaro on bass and Paul Motian on drums! Listening to the set we're reminded of what always brings us back to Evans' playing – a quality that's often described as moody, but which is really is quite spry and lively throughout this set, without ever giving up its lyrical approach. Titles are mostly standards – but really transformed by the touch of the trio – and tunes include "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "Autumn Leaves", "Witchcraft", "When I Fall In Love", "Peri's Scope", "What Is This Thing Called Love", "Spring Is Here", "Some Day My Prince Will Come", and "Blue In Green". CD features 1 bonus track! CD

Mid 70's 2LP set that combines fantastic early work from Gil Evans and Tadd Dameron. The Gil Evans tracks are shorter and less ambitious than some of Evans' work on Impulse, but the group is excellent – and even in a shorter format, the conception of the work still contains plenty of rich new ideas. Players include Louis Mucci, John Carisi, Steve Lacy, Willie Ruff, Paul Chambers, Nick Stabulis, and Lee Konitz on alto. Titles include "Ella Speed", "Big Stuff", "Jambangle", "Nobody's Heart", and "Remember". Tadd Dameron's contributions here are from a wonderful modernist session – and one that's especially great because it's filled with fresh themes that get past some of his over-reissued standards! Players here include Clifford Brown and Idrees Sulieman on trumpets, Gigi Gryce on alto, Benny Golson on tenor, and Dameron on piano. Titles include "Philly JJ", "Choose Now", "Theme Of No Repeat", and "Dial B For Beauty". Also included are readings of classic Dameron compositions – like "The Scene Is Clean", "Fontainebleau", and "Delerium" – all played by a great little group that includes Dameron on piano, plus Joe Alexander on tenor, Sahib Shihab on alto, Kenny Dorham on trumpet, and Henry Coker on trombone. LP, Vinyl record album

The harder of the two Gil Evans albums on Impulse to find, and the best – really far-reaching material that has Evans coming into contact with some of the hippest jazz players of his generation! The record's got three incredible tracks written by Cecil Taylor – a very bold move for Evans, given Taylor's strongly out reputation even at this point in his career – and possibly even more bold, given that Taylor's on the tracks playing piano, alongside players who include Archie Shepp, Jimmy Lyons, Sonny Murray, and Henry Grimes. The material's fantastic, and is a key part of Taylor's work at the time, and shows a very different setting for his piano – a bit of tension with the larger Evans group, in a way that's almost more compelling than his own early dates as a leader! Taylor titles include "Pots", "Bulbs", and "Mixed". The other tracks on the album were written by John Carisi, who wrote the classic "Israel" for Miles Davis' nine piece group in the late 40s – but who here contributes "Moon Taj", "Angkor Wat", and "Barry's Tune". Carisi's tracks are a bit more subdued, but no less wonderful – and arrangements are by Taylor and Carisi, of their own music, presented with the Evans modern touch. If you ever needed a record to convince you that Gil Evans was a genius, this is it! CD

The harder of the two Gil Evans albums on Impulse to find, and the best – really far-reaching material that has Evans coming into contact with some of the hippest jazz players of his generation! The record's got three incredible tracks written by Cecil Taylor – a very bold move for Evans, given Taylor's strongly out reputation even at this point in his career – and possibly even more bold, given that Taylor's on the tracks playing piano, alongside players who include Archie Shepp, Jimmy Lyons, Sonny Murray, and Henry Grimes. The material's fantastic, and is a key part of Taylor's work at the time, and shows a very different setting for his piano – a bit of tension with the larger Evans group, in a way that's almost more compelling than his own early dates as a leader! Taylor titles include "Pots", "Bulbs", and "Mixed". The other tracks on the album were written by John Carisi, who wrote the classic "Israel" for Miles Davis' nine piece group in the late 40s – but who here contributes "Moon Taj", "Angkor Wat", and "Barry's Tune". Carisi's tracks are a bit more subdued, but no less wonderful – and arrangements are by Taylor and Carisi, of their own music, presented with the Evans modern touch. If you ever needed a record to convince you that Gil Evans was a genius, this is it! LP, Vinyl record album

A great snapshot of jazzy London in the years before the acid jazz explosion of the late 80s – and a surprisingly great soundtrack that's stood the test of time much more than the actual film! The music here represents a jazz-based undercurrent of the London scene that was already turning its ears back in time – to a pre-mod era of the late 50s, which is the setting for Colin McInnes original novel used for the film – portrayed here in a pastiche of vocal and instrumental songs that often have a fair bit of classic touches! Gil Evans was brought in for most of the instrumentals, and turns out some really sparkling charts that have all the charm of his best work of the 50s – and other contemporary artists do a pretty great job themselves – at least on the more jazz-based numbers. Evans numbers include "Va Va Voom" – and the better jazzy tunes includes the excellent "Killer Blow" by Sade, plus "Have You Ever Had It Blue" by The Style Council, "That's Motivation" and "Absolute Beginners" by David Bowie, "Rodrigo Bay" by Working Week, "Selling Out" by Slim Gallard, and "Riot City" by Jerry Dammers. LP, Vinyl record album

A great snapshot of jazzy London in the years before the acid jazz explosion of the late 80s – and a surprisingly great soundtrack that's stood the test of time much more than the actual film! The music here represents a jazz-based undercurrent of the London scene that was already turning its ears back in time – to a pre-mod era of the late 50s, which is the setting for Colin MacInnes original novel used for the film – portrayed here in a pastiche of vocal and instrumental songs that often have a fair bit of classic touches! Gil Evans was brought in for most of the instrumentals, and turns out some really sparkling charts that have all the charm of his best work of the 50s – and other contemporary artists do a pretty great job themselves – at least on the more jazz-based numbers. Evans numbers include versions of Charles Mingus' "Boogie Stop Shuffle" and "Better Git It In Your Soul", plus his own "Va Va Vaoom" – and the better jazzy tunes includes the excellent "Killer Blow" by Sade, plus "Have You Ever Had It Blue" by The Style Council, "That's Motivation" and "Absolute Beginners" by David Bowie, "Rodrigo Bay" by Working Week, "Selling Out" by Slim Gaillard, and "Riot City" by Jerry Dammers. LP, Vinyl record album

Four incredible albums from the young Georgie Fame – plus a bonus CD of rare material, bonus tracks on all CDs, and 18 previously unreleased tracks – all in a box set with a 48 page book, 5 postcards, and a poster too! First up is Rhythm & Blues At The Flamingo – blistering early work from a young Georgie Fame – a set that definitely lives up to the Rhythm & Blues in the title! The set was recorded live at London's hip Flamingo club – and Georgie and The Blue Flames are very much in command of the crowd – burning with the intensity of a American small organ combo, especially the early 60s variety that often played equal parts soul jazz and R&B! Georgie's on the Hammond, and also sings with a rough-edged style that's plenty soulful, and incredibly appealing – a mode that oozes charisma, but never sounds fake or forced. Titles include "Do The Dog", "Eso Beso", "Work Song", "Baby Please Don't Go", "Shop Around", "Humpty Dumpty", and "You Can't Sit Down". Fame At Last is a brilliant mix of jazz, soul, and R&B – all filtered through a mod sort of London freshness, as early proof that the city could always take some great things from our own musical roots, and feed it back to us with a whole new flavor! Georgie's no copycat here, though – and the sound is instantly Fame-like – a style that's really not the sort that any Americans were doing at the time, and certainly never this well. Hard-burning Hammond colors most of the tunes here – played with a tightly vamping quality – but it's Georgie's charmingly crackling vocals that really win us over! Titles include "Gimme That Wine", "Pink Champagne", "Monkeying Around", "Green Onions", "Let The Sunshine In", "Get On The Right Track Baby", "I'm In The Mood For Love", and "I Love The Life I Live". Sweet Things is a definite sweet thing from Georgie Fame – a record that has him filling in his sound even more than before, with tremendously soulful results! The backings here are bigger than before – a bit tooled in an American soul mode, but still with that beautifully raspy Georgie Fame touch – lots of jazzy inflections on the vocals, and a way of handling a tune, even a familiar one, and really working it on his own level. Hammond still fills in most of the tunes, but other instrumentation includes some nice African percussion from Speedy Acquaye, saxes from Pete Coe, and some nice bold drums from John Mitchell. These come out to the forefront on the classic funky tune "Music Talk" – and still sound great on other numbers that include "The World Is Round", "Last Night", "Dr Kitch", "My Girl", "Ride Your Pony", and "Sweet Thing". Sound Venture is one of the jazziest early albums from Georgie Fame – a set that has him singing with the big band of Harry South, at a level that's a lot more complicated than some of his other work with The Blue Flames! The style here still has that mod 60s London feel, but it also has some deeper inflections as well – modes borrowed a bit from Jon Hendricks or Mose Allison, yet served up with even greater complexity – at a level that really points towards the tremendous growth Fame would unleash over the next few years. Members of the group include Tubby Hayes, Ronnie Scott, Tony Coe, Dick Morrisey, Kenny Wheeler, and many other key Brit jazz figures of the time – and titles include "Three Blind Mice", "Dawn Yawn", "Feed Me", "Lovey Dovey", "Lil Darlin", "Lil Pony", "I Am Missing You", and "Many Happy Returns". CD5 is Bend A Little – a package with 20 unusual titles – demos, rare tracks, and outtakes – including unreleased tracks, IBC recordings, and even two German tracks too! Plus, each individual CD comes with bonus tracks – 40 bonus tracks, in addition to the 20 more titles on the Bend A Little set – a huge amount of material! CD

A really wonderful project that was years in the making – a mix of American club and Brazilian elements – put together by a group that includes members of Azymuth and Banda Black Rio, as well as the legendary Arthur Verocai! Jose Roberto Bertrami's the strongest contributor here – and the music really echoes that great late 70s/early 80s point when the Azymuth fusion groove crossed over into tighter, funkier territory – coming off here with a sound that's got really universal appeal and a wickedly classic vibe overall – like some unusual cross-breeding of Brazilian grooves and Salsoul Records! Vocals are by Mia Mendes and Marcina Arnold, but the instrumentation is even better than the lyrics – filled with jazzy touches, blended with bits of strings, and perfectly produced all the way through. Really tremendous stuff – one of the freshest records we've heard from Far Out in years – with titles that include "Mystery", "Keep Believing", "Dead Dance", "The Last Carnival", "A Disco Supreme", "Vendetta", and "Don't Cha Know He's Alright". 2CD set features 8 more bonus remix tracks too! CD

Mid 70s and mellow work from two legendary Brazilian vocalists – the great Dick Farney and the lovely Claudette Soares, singing here in a set of duets that include a number of classic Brazilian tunes set to lush arrangements. The sound is very classic – kind of a 70s take on an older era, with slight electric touches mixed with more traditional strings and piano – and titles include "Este Seu Olhar", "De Voce Eu Gosto", "Minha Namorada", "O Que E Amar", "Tudo Isto E Amor", "Fotografia", "O Nosso Olhar", and "Castigo". LP, Vinyl record album

Mid 70s and mellow work from two legendary Brazilian vocalists – the great Dick Farney and the lovely Claudette Soares, singing here in a set of duets that include a number of classic Brazilian tunes set to lush arrangements. The sound is very classic – kind of a 70s take on an older era, with slight electric touches mixed with more traditional strings and piano – and titles include "Nos", "Chuva", "Nick Bar", "Ela Foi Embora", "Tomara", "O Amor Em Paz", and "Apelo". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost classic from Father's Children – the group's only album ever, but an impeccably produced set – thanks to the efforts of Wayne Henderson's At Home Productions team! The groove here is similar to that forged by Henderson over at Fantasy – soul, but inflected with plenty of jazzy fusion touches – instrumentation that steps out riffing with a really great edge, and fleshes out the sound with a lot more creativity and imagination than mainstream soul at the time. The best grooves here have a midtempo boogie flavor – with plenty of righteous jazzy touches alongside the richer harmonies that flow out warmly on the lyrics! Titles include their landmark track "Hollywood Dreaming", plus other nice ones like "Got To Get Away", "Gone Bad", "You Can Get It", "Music For Your Mind", "Wild Woman" and "Shine On". 2 bonus tracks on this CD version: 7-inch edits of "Hollywood Dreaming" and "Shine On". CD

A really well-chosen set of classic Afro Funk records from Fela Kuti – hand-picked by Idris Elba, and brought together in this limited box set! Open & Close is an early classic from Fela Kuti & Africa 70 – the kind of early 70s record that helped both the leader and the group establish themselves as a global powerhouse of funk and soul! The set begins with the side-long "Open & Close" – a righteous tune that's driven onward by lots of tight drums from Tony Allen – young, focused, and completely amazing here – while Fela delivers all these madly leaping electric piano lines amidst the super-sharp horn section – all moving instrumentally for many minutes before the vocals come into play! Side two features two shorter tracks, but still nice and long in comparison to most funky groups – the wonderful "Swegbe & Pako" and "Gbagada Gbagada Gbogodo Gbogodo" – tunes that really send the record over the top! Fela teams up with vibist Roy Ayers on Music Of Many Colors – one of the best soul collaborations ever – a whopping album that brings together the best sides of these monster soul talents of the 70s! In keeping with Fela's work, the tracks are long and Afro-tinged, with a complicated groove that grows over the length of the track. And in keeping with Roy's work, the album has a sweet soulful feel, with lots of nice jazzy touches, cool vibes, and great vocals by Roy. Two long tracks, both classics: "2000 Black" and "Africa, Center of the World". Opposite People is seminal work from one of Fela's most crucial periods – recorded at a time when his soul was the deepest! The album features 2 long tracks – "Opposite People" and "Equalisation Of Trouser & Pant" – and they both have beautiful spooky keyboards in the instrumental passages, then leap into hard soul vocals by Fela. Tremendous stuff – done in a style that shows that no matter how many people cop or remake Fela's sound, he's still the best one to do it! The rare Stalemate album features the side-long tracks "Stalemate" and "Don't Worry About My Mouth" – both really hard-driving numbers, with a fantastic mix of vocals and grooves! Live In Amsterdam is an excellent live set from Fela – one that shows that he was still very capable of going over the top during the 80s! The set's a double LP – and it features 4 great numbers by the group, with Fela on soprano sax, piano, and organ, and plenty of other great work on tenor, alto, and trumpet. Titles include "Gimme Shit I Give You Shit", "Custom Check Point", "Movement Of The People", and "Political Statement Number 1". I Go Shout Plenty is a great one from Fela – with a date of 1986, but a sound that's pure late 70s! The record features 2 long tracks – "I Go Shout Plenty" and "Why Black Man Dey Suffer" – and they're both hard groovers with a strong political feel. "Why Black Man" is especially nice, and has some great keyboard riffing in the middle, with that great tinny sound that you'll hear on the best Fela albums. One that we almost never see – and issued on the Decca subsidiary Afrodisia. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best soul collaborations ever! Fela and Roy Ayers team up for this whopping album that brings together the best sides of these monster soul talents of the 70s! In keeping with Fela's work, the tracks are long and Afro-tinged, with a complicated groove that grows over the length of the track. And in keeping with Roy's work, the album has a sweet soulful feel, with lots of nice jazzy touches, cool vibes, and great vocals by Roy. Two long tracks, both classics: "2000 Black" and "Africa, Center of the World". Long overdue! CD

One of the best soul collaborations ever! Fela and Roy Ayers team up for this whopping album that brings together the best sides of these monster soul talents of the 70s! In keeping with Fela's work, the tracks are long and Afro-tinged, with a complicated groove that grows over the length of the track. And in keeping with Roy's work, the album has a sweet soulful feel, with lots of nice jazzy touches, cool vibes, and great vocals by Roy. Two long tracks, both classics: "2000 Black" and "Africa, Center of the World". Long overdue! LP, Vinyl record album

A masterpiece of soundtrack scoring from Jerry Fielding – done for Sam Peckinpah's classic Mexico-set thriller with Warren Oates in the lead! Those other two names are more than enough to get us to needle drop the record – but it's Fielding's music that really captivates us – deep orchestrations that we never would have expected in his work the decade before – handled by Lennie Niehaus and Greg McRitchie, both of whom really unlock these channels of rich tonal colors in the music – while Jerry's score serves up all these nice changes throughout, including some key action moments, a touch of solo guitar flavoring, and other bold elements that really make the record leap from the speakers the way the film leaps off the screen. Titles include "Bring It To Me", "Gathering Information", "Marriage Plans", "Bennie's Revenge", "Killer's Rhapsody", "Requiem For Alfredo", "El Jefe", and "Road Kill". Intrada reissue includes 10 tracks from Fielding's score for the film Killer Elite, released the following year. CD

The one and only album from First Class – an east coast harmony group from the 70s, and one who work proudly here in some of the more uptempo styles of the time! Tracks here are often a bit extended, and filled with warmly clubby touches that are a nice All Platinum answer to the sound of Philly at the time – recorded in New Jersey, with orchestrations by Sammy Lowe and Mike Terry, who both take the music past standard dancefloor work. Tommy Keith plays some mean guitar in the backing group, and he also wrote and produced the whole record. Tracks include the wonderful stepper "Me & My Gemini" – a cut so good it makes us want to change our horoscope sign – plus the titles "Foxy Lady", "Let's Make Love", "This Is It", "Filled With Desire", "I've Got You", and "Lady Of The Evening". LP, Vinyl record album

The Flying Mojito Brothers didn't record in the 70s – but they love to take older records from the decade, mix them up, and create something really new in the process – contemporary cuts that are filled with echoes of classic AM Radio – but at a level that's often very much in the background, so that the funk and club touches of the Bros really dominate in the lead! The duo's edits have gotten great attention online, and are presented here in a limited package for DJ work – with titles that include "Do It Again", "Carry On", "Mudbone", "Riders On The Storm", "Tonight's The Night", "Union Man", "Keep On", "Nighttime In The Switching Yard", "Gold Dust Woman", and "Arizona Desert". LP, Vinyl record album

A pop soul classic from Force MDs – the kind of record that countless other groups would copy in years to come! The MDs' mix of hip hop production and straighter soul was hardly new at the time, but it's carried off perfectly here – done in a way that shakes off the last vestiges of the harder modes of earlier records, and moves the focus over to the sweeter side of the group's harmonies – letting Stevie D, TCD, Mercury, and Trisco sparkle with the warmth that's really their strongest suit. There's still a fair bit of beats, keyboards, and bassy bottom parts, but the harmonies here are probably the best thing going – and tracks include "Midnite Lover", "Your Love Drives Me Crazy", "Touch & Go", "Would You Love Me", "Love Is A House", and "Take Your Love Back". CD

Pretty great stuff by Aretha – despite what the pro-Atlantic Records books say! The record is one of the first she cut with John Hammond at Columbia, and although it's not in the classic soul mode of the Atlantic sessions, it's a darn nice batch of bluesy jazz tracks that would still stand the test of time well if people weren't so hung up on the propaganda that plays down the Columbia years. Backings are by Richard Wess on most tracks, and at times Aretha's voice is recorded with a nice echoey touch that gives the material almost an R&B-ish feel. Titles include "Rough Lover", "You Made Me Love You", "It's So Heartbreakin", "Nobody Like You", "I Told You So", and "Just For You". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic 70s soul soundtrack – and a dream of a combination! Curtis Mayfield wrote the soundtrack and produced the album – and the result is a killer batch of 70s soul tracks that matches Aretha's strong vocals with the hip Curtom sound of Chicago! Aretha was still doing pretty well at this point, but the album really gave her a push – and the super-hip setting let her record some of her best work of the 70s. If you own only one Aretha Franklin album from the 70s, it should probably be this one – as the mixture of soul, funk, and soundtrack grooves is great, and a refreshing change from some of the cliches that could show up on other records. Features the sublime "Something He Can Feel", plus "Loving You Baby", "Look Into Your Heart", "Sparkle", and Jump". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful album that perfectly mixes both sides of Aretha Franklin's talents – the hard-edged soul singer who first flourished at Atlantic records in the late 60s, and the artist who was growing even more as a vocalist – really reaching out her wings to more sophisticated material! There's a balance here that makes the record one of the deepest that Franklin ever recorded for Atlantic – lots of larger Arif Mardin touches, but also some raw moments that really round things out – on titles that include Aretha's classic take on the Weldon Irvine/Nina Simone tune "Young Gifted & Black", the funky classic "Rock Steady", the wonderful mellow groover "Day Dreaming", the hit "Brand New Me", and the strangely compelling "First Snow In Kokomo" – plus other titles that include "All The King's Horses", "Oh Me Oh My", "Border Song", "Didn't I Blow Your Mind", "April Fools", "I've Been Loving You Too Long", and "The Long & Winding Road". CD

A beautiful album that perfectly mixes both sides of Aretha Franklin's talents – the hard-edged soul singer who first flourished at Atlantic records in the late 60s, and the artist who was growing even more as a vocalist – really reaching out her wings to more sophisticated material! There's a balance here that makes the record one of the deepest that Franklin ever recorded for Atlantic – lots of larger Arif Mardin touches, but also some raw moments that really round things out – on titles that include Aretha's classic take on the Weldon Irvine/Nina Simone tune "Young Gifted & Black", the funky classic "Rock Steady", the wonderful mellow groover "Day Dreaming", the hit "Brand New Me", and the strangely compelling "First Snow In Kokomo" – plus other titles that include "All The King's Horses", "Oh Me Oh My", "Border Song", "Didn't I Blow Your Mind", "April Fools", "I've Been Loving You Too Long", and "The Long & Winding Road". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful album that perfectly mixes both sides of Aretha Franklin's talents – the hard-edged soul singer who first flourished at Atlantic records in the late 60s, and the artist who was growing even more as a vocalist – really reaching out her wings to more sophisticated material! There's a balance here that makes the record one of the deepest that Franklin ever recorded for Atlantic – lots of larger Arif Mardin touches, but also some raw moments that really round things out – on titles that include Aretha's classic take on the Weldon Irvine/Nina Simone tune "Young Gifted & Black", the funky classic "Rock Steady", the wonderful mellow groover "Day Dreaming", the hit "Brand New Me", and the strangely compelling "First Snow In Kokomo" – plus other titles that include "All The King's Horses", "Oh Me Oh My", "Border Song", "Didn't I Blow Your Mind", "April Fools", "I've Been Loving You Too Long", and "The Long & Winding Road". LP, Vinyl record album

The surprisingly rich lost legacy of Freedom – a group who were initially born out of a breakup with Procol Harum, but then went through some huge growth on their own over the space of a few short years! As you'll hear in this set of complete albums from the group (plus bonus tracks too!), the band began as more of a Hammond-based combo, then shifted towards a wickedly-sharp harder rocking group with lots more guitar in the lead – equally tight in both incarnations, and with a quality level that should have made them much bigger than they were! The group recorded for a few different labels, and some of their records never crossed the Atlantic back in the day – yet taken as a whole, the work here is excellent throughout – with plenty of inventive touches that really have them marking their own territory as the years move on. The package begins with their excellent soundtrack for the film Nerosubianco, which includes lots of rare bonus tracks too – followed by the BYG/Actuel classic Freedom At Last, and three more great albums Freedom, Through The Years, and Freedom Is More Than A Word – as well as more bonus tracks too. The box features 59 tracks in all, detailed notes, and all albums in mini LP-styled sleeves too! CD

A sublime little set from the legendary Dave Frishberg – his first vocal effort ever, and quite different than most of his later work! At the time of the record, Frishberg was a songwriter who penned such underground hipster jazz vocalist classics as "I'm Hip" and "Peel Me A Grape" – and the set has a clever, laidback feel that's very much in the spirit of those two great tunes – Dave singing and playing electric piano, clavinet, and organ – with some great jazzy touches by a group that includes Al Cohn on tenor, Bill Berry on trumpet, and Garnett Brown on trombone. There's a nicely offbeat feel to the record – both the tunes and the vocals – that reminds us a lot of the work of Bob Dorough – and part of this may have to do with the fact that Dorough cronie Stuart Scharf played guitar on the album. But the real genius is up to Frishberg, who's clever without being cloying – witty without ever being full of himself – and incredibly charming in the way he delivers the lyrics with a simple, honest approach. Titles include "The Prophet Of Doom", "Oklahoma Toad", "One Horse Town", "Van Lingle Mungo", "The Secret Of Successd", "Wallflower Lonely Cornflower Blue", and "Nasty Nasty Habit". LP, Vinyl record album

The first solo set from Peter Gabriel – and a record that was quite a surprise upon initial release – kind of a stripped-down variant of the energy that Gabriel brought to his early work with Genesis, presented in a nicely lean way that allowed for all the best focus on his key ideas! The style here is light years away from the last moments Gabriel was with Genesis – although there's still a few nice touches of the Lamb Lies Down generation, too – and the vocals are more pointed, more focused, and arguably more personal too. Instrumentation holds up better than you might expect – especially as there was no move at all to nod to the nascent punk generation – and titles include the hit "Solsbury Hill", plus "Modern Love", "Slowburn", "Humdrum", "Waiting For The Big One", "Down The Dolce Vita", and "Here Comes The Flood". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Serge Gainsbourg's best albums ever – a set that we love every bit as much as his Melody Nelson classic, or his killer records with Jane Birkin! The set was recorded in the mid 70s, and it features amazing orchestrations from Alan Hawkshaw – backings that are even better than Hawk's previous sound library work, and which are filled with loads of cool spare moogy and electronic bits filtering in and out of the mix! Some tracks bubble with the same brooding brilliance and funky touches that you'd find on the Melody Nelson album – and others have a uniquely spacey quality that's unlike any of his other work! Tracks include "Transit A Marilou", "Aeroplanes", "Variations Sur Marilou", "Premiers Symptomes", and "Lunatic Asylum". A great record – and one of the first of Serge's that we'd recommend! CD

One of Serge Gainsbourg's best albums ever – a set that we love every bit as much as his Melody Nelson classic, or his killer records with Jane Birkin! The set was recorded in the mid 70s, and it features amazing orchestrations from Alan Hawkshaw – backings that are even better than Hawk's previous sound library work, and which are filled with loads of cool spare moogy and electronic bits filtering in and out of the mix! Some tracks bubble with the same brooding brilliance and funky touches that you'd find on the Melody Nelson album – and others have a uniquely spacey quality that's unlike any of his other work! Tracks include "Transit A Marilou", "Aeroplanes", "Variations Sur Marilou", "Premiers Symptomes", and "Lunatic Asylum". A great record – and one of the first of Serge's that we'd recommend! 2CD version features a whole bonus set of instrumental tracks from the album sessions – and alternate versions of "Transit A Marilou", "Lunatic Asylum", "Meurtre A L'Extincteur", and "Ma Lou Marilou". CD

Smooth as silk, with plenty of soul – a classic set that has the guitar of Eric Gale produced by the legendary Allen Toussaint! The cross of talents is pretty compelling – and although the album's not a New Orleans funk outing, it definitely shares some of the more creative elements that you'd get from some of Toussaint's other side projects at the end of the 70s. A few numbers definitely have a bit more bump than you'd expect from a fsuion date like this – and Toussaint himself plays piano and moog on the record, and even sings a tiny bit. Robert Dabon plays Fender Rhodes – and titles include "You Got My Life In Your Hands", "War Paint", "Touch Of Silk", "Au Privave", "With You I'm Born Again", and "Once In A Smile". LP, Vinyl record album

A great package – one that features the self-titled Taana Gardner album from the legendary New York club act on West End Records – plus lots of bonus material too! The core record is the only full length album cut by singer Taana Gardner – quite a surprise, given how much impact she had on the clubs with her 12" singles at the start of the 80s! The album's got Gardner as a much richer singer than you might expect – able to lay back on a mellow track as well as step out on a groover – always with that higher range of vocals that really made her a standout at the time, but in ways that are never gimmicky or poppy at all. And in fact, there's a lot more depth to the record than you'd guess from the dated exercise cover image – a classic soul approach that's also quite a surprise for the mostly disco West End label too. Tracks are all nice and long – and backings are by Sunship, with Bernard Wright on Fender Rhodes. Titles include "Work That Body", "We Got To Work It Out", "When You Touch Me", "Paradise Express", and "Just Be A Friend". 2CD set features lots of bonus material – Kenton Nix extended mixes of "When You Touch Me", "Just Be A Friend", and "Work That Body" – plus two key non-LP singles, "That's The World (12" club)" and "Heartbeat (12" club) – and lots of later mixes that include "No Frills (Larry Levan mix)", "I'm Comin (radio mix)", "Work That Body (MAW re-edit)", "When You Touch Me (MAW re-edit)", "Work That Body (wing it for the A-Man Tom Moulton edit)", and "Paradise Express (Gomi's tribute vocal)". CD

Eternal soul from Marvin Gaye in both its classic form AND in a contemporary light – on a nice little 10-inch single! Side 1 features the original 7-inch single mono versions of "What's Going On" and "God Is Love" – both as mindblowing today as ever – not only just because it documents the incredible moment Marvin moved past the simple love songs of earlier years, but also because he was innovating an amazingly complicated approach to soul music, one that would touch the work of others for years to come. Side 2 features new versions of "What's Going On" with contemporary hip hop soul hero BJ The Chicago Kid and a remix – both of which are surprisingly solid given the historical heft of the originals, but we really gotta hand it to BJ The Chicago Kid for approaching the contemporary remodel/"duet" with the utmost care and respect! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Marvin blew everyone's mind when he unleashed this amazing political soul tune – not only just because he'd moved past the simple love songs of earlier years, but also because he was working with an amazingly complicated approach to soul music, one that would touch the work of others for years to come. Classic. 7-inch, Vinyl record

An overlooked groover from Gloria Gaynor – warm, wonderful, and filled with some great Philly touches! Sure, the record's got a Park Avenue address, but it's also got some great arrangements from Norman Harris, Jack Faith, and Ron Kersey – all of whom bring in a bit more warmth than on other Gaynor records, and wrap up her vocals in a sweetly gliding sound! This approach is heard to classic effect on the sublime "This Love Affair" – worth the price of the record alone – but it also keeps on going nicely through a set list that includes "Part Time Love", "For The First Time In My Life", "You're All I Need To Get By", "After The Lovin", and "Kidnapped". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning tribute to the wonderful Bobbie Gentry – and maybe the first package to really show the world how much she has to offer past her one classic crossover hit! Bobbie started out like a rocket with the country gem "Ode To Billie Joe" – a tune she wrote herself, and followed with lots of other great music on the original debut album here – which then set the scene for a great expansion into other modes, as Capitol Records really opened up their resources for Gentry to record in the late 60s! This huge package features everything that Bobbie ever recorded for the label – not just some great full albums, but also some rare singles, demos, and alternate takes – plus 75 unreleased tracks (!) – and then a full incredible album Live At The BBC – which features 26 tracks of Gentry really knocking it out of the park. The BBC material has these really dark, brooding orchestrations – almost like Bobbie's getting some Scott Walker late 60s backings – and the whole box set might be worth it alone for that double-length album! The package is a very cool 10" slipcover – with a huge booklet of notes, postcards, lyric inserts, and more – 177 tracks in all, with albums that include Ode To Billie Joe, The Delta Sweete, Local Gentry, Bobbie Gentry & Glen Campbell, Touch Em With Love, Fancy, Patchwork, and Live At The BBC. CD

A 60s album that collects earlier 10" sessions from the young tenor genius Stan Getz – one from 1949, and one from 1954! The 1949 sessions have Stan playing in a group with Terry Gibbs, Shorter Rogers, and George Wallington – on tunes that include "Michelle (parts 1 & 2)", "T&S", "Cuddles", and "Terry's Tune". The 1954 sessions are a bit more in the classic "Early Stan" mode – as they feature Getz working in a quintet with Jimmy Raney on guitar and Hall Overton on piano – very much in the Roost mode that first got Stan his fame, with that amazing tone really opening up on numbers that include "Motion", "Lee", "Signal", and "Round Midnight". LP, Vinyl record album

A very interesting live set from 1969, and one that captures Stan Getz hanging in the balance between a number of different eras! He's playing here in a vein that's very similar to his work on the classic Sweet Rain album – with wonderfully rich emotional solos, filled with pain and longing – but the record also features touches of earlier bossa years, especially on the track "One Note Samba", which features an unnamed female vocalist! The group's a very hip one – with Stanley Cowell on piano, Miroslav Vitous on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – and titles include "For Jane", "All The Things You Are", "Major General", "The Song Is You", "One Note Samba", and "Folk Tune For Bass". CD

One of the darkest albums ever recorded by Astrud Gilberto – her 60s last session for Verve Records, and a batch of beautifully moody tunes throughout! Arrangements are by Albert Gorgoni, who'd handled Gilberto's previous September 69 album – but the style here is a bit mellower, a bit sadder – touched with more adult themes of love, life, and loss – and very much in keeping with Astrud's tear-stained image on the cover! There's a sound here that almost mixes Gilberto's earlier bossa with the more baroque modes of Scott Walker at the end of the 60s – and as with Scott Walker's classic solo sets, the album shows a side of Astrud's talents that we never would have expected a few years earlier! Titles include "Wailing Of The Willow", "Where's The Love", "Wee Small Hours", "If", "Without Him", "Trains & Boats & Planes", "The Sea Is My Soil", and "Didn't We?". CD

Bebel's second album for Six Degrees – and quite possibly an even better album than the first! Not one to rest on the laurels of her success of recent years, Bebel seems to diverge a bit from the sound of her initial hit – going for a deeper approach to songwriting, and a musical style that shows she's got a lot more to offer than just bossa remix-styled vocals! The album kicks off with a wonderful take on Os Mutantes' English reading of the Tropicalia classic "Baby" – then rolls into a sweetly laidback set of tracks that borrow a lot from the bossa, but which also have some extremely personal songwriting touches. Overall, there's less beats and more natural instrumentation than before – and the album feautres guest work by Joao Donato and Carlinhos Brown, as well as some great use of strings! Titles include "Winter", "O Caminho", "Ceu Distante", "Next To You", "All Around", "River Song", "Every Day You've Been Away", and "Simplesmente". CD

The complete legacy of Glad – and the related New Breed group as well! The set begins with the group's classic album Feelin Glad – a sweet bit of 60s sunshine, and a record that's every bit as charming as you might guess from the cover – served up by a group who are well into the best harmonies of the time, but also digging for something deeper too! The vibe isn't really psychedelic, but there's certainly some of those elements at play – as the group get help on some larger arrangements from producer Erik Wangberg, who uses just the right touches from song to song to keep things interesting, and from ever falling into too-familiar territory! The record's filled with groovy little original tunes in a variety of flavors – and titles include "Bedtime Story", "A New Tomorrow", "Sweet Melinda", "Silly Girl", "Johnny Silver's Ride", "No Ma It Can't Be", and a cool remake of "Shape Of Things". CD also features 8 more mono Glad singles, mostly of tracks from the album – plus 8 more earlier tracks by The New Breed – all mono singles by an earlier version of the group, already really able to deliver pure Cali harmonic genius! CD

Sublime instrumental work from the great Jackie Gleason – a beautifully-done collection of his classic sides for Capitol Records – music that's definitely steeped in the romantic moods promised in the title! Jackie's got a way with a tune that few other leaders can touch – cool, shimmering horn parts that often have the lush hues of a Kenton arrangement, but which come across with a lot more warmth overall – just the sort of music to set the mood back in the day – and a really strong contrast to Gleason's dynamic persona as a comedian. The package has a beautiful cover, and features 40 tunes that include "It All Depends On You", "Mystery Street", "If He Walked Into My Life", "I'm In The Mood For Love", "Out Of Nowhere", "The Best Is Yet To Come", "The Moonlight", "That Certain Party", "Glamour", "Ruby", "Lover Man/Smile", "The Girl From Ipanema", "Moon River", and "Days Of Wine & Roses". CD

One of the earthiest recordings made by Bill Laswell during his run of classic productions on Axiom Records – a set that's very faithful to the unique sound of the Gnawa musicians of Morocco, and which features no performance at all from Laswell! Sometimes, Bill would like to insert himself in the proceedings, or inflect the music with his own identity – but he stays nicely aside here, and allows the large ensemble to really do their thing – making incredible music through interplay between vocals and percussion, touched with a few local instruments as well – including oud, sintir, and darbouka! Often, the percussion is augmented by handclaps, which really brings a sense of urgency to the record as the songs build up – and titles include "Tramin", "Chabako", "Toura Toura Tour Kelilah", "Hamouda", "Said Fafy Drum Solo", "Jillala", and "Mimoun Mamrba". LP, Vinyl record album

The modern touch indeed! You can't get any more classic Benny Golson than this – a sublime late 50s album that features Benny with a sextet, working out amazing versions of the sorts of material that set him apart from every other jazz arranger of the time! The tracks here are complicated, yet have a rootsy soulfulness that makes them instantly compelling – and Benny's tone on tenor sax is sharp and angular, yet also has a raspiness that gives it a degree of honesty you wouldn't expect from a budding young modernist. The rest of the players – Max Roach, Paul Chambers, Wynton Kelly, JJ Johnson, and Kenny Dorham – are equally great, too – and amidst Benny's arrangements, they come together as if they'd been playing in this format for years! Titles include "Out Of The Past", "Venetian Breeze", "Reunion", "Hymn To The Orient", and "Blues On Down". CD

The modern touch indeed! You can't get any more classic Benny Golson than this – a sublime late 50s album that features Benny with a sextet, working out amazing versions of the sorts of material that set him apart from every other jazz arranger of the time! The tracks here are complicated, yet have a rootsy soulfulness that makes them instantly compelling – and Benny's tone on tenor sax is sharp and angular, yet also has a raspiness that gives it a degree of honesty you wouldn't expect from a budding young modernist. The rest of the players – Max Roach, Paul Chambers, Wynton Kelly, JJ Johnson, and Kenny Dorham – are equally great, too – and amidst Benny's arrangements, they come together as if they'd been playing in this format for years! Titles include "Out Of The Past", "Venetian Breeze", "Reunion", "Hymn To The Orient", and "Blues On Down". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from the king of the novelty number – the man who invented the trick of playing snippets of popular records as the answer to questions in a fake interview! Includes all his classics – "Mr Jaws", "The Touchables", "Flying Saucer", "Watergate", "Return Of The Jedi Returns", and "Energy Crisis 74". LP, Vinyl record album

That's a pretty racy cover – but the music inside is a lot more cool and classy – a set of sweet jazz funk numbers put together by the famous French maestro Alain Goraguer, with lots of nice electric touches! You may know Goraguer from his 60s work with singers – including France Gall and Serge Gainsbourg – or from his straighter soundtracks of that decade too – but here, he's going for a groovier, funkier style – one that fits the porno spirit of the cover, but with all the care and presentation of Alain's earlier work! In other words, these aren't just throwaway tracks churned out quickly for naughty movies – and instead, the songs are more like a 70s progression from the 60s soundtrack material by Goraguer. Titles include "Partenaires Particulieres Pour Parties Fines", "Kikumi Paravent Et Par Derriere", "Birgit Et La Male Du Pays", "Juliette Decoincee Dans L'Ascenseur", "Marie Jeanne Astique Le Pont", and "Post Scriptum Post Coitum". LP, Vinyl record album

A completely charming little set from trumpeter Dusko Goykovich – put together with just the sort of classic feel you'd expect from the title! The set was recorded in the same stretch as the Nathan Davis album on DIW, London By Night – and the lineup here is essentially the same as that one, minus Davis – a group with Dusko Goykovich on trumpet, Kenny Drew on piano, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Al Levitt on drums! There's a great swing to the rhythm section, and Goykovich blows plenty of niceness over the top – those soulful, expressive lines that we love so much in his music over the years – often set here to original tunes that really help keep things fresh. Titles include "Inga", "Nella", "New Bop Theme", "Doboy", "Faros", "The Touch Of Your Lips", and "Recado Bossa Nova". CD

A classic album from one of the hippest groups on the UK scene of the 50s – Kenny Graham's excellent Afro-Cubists ensemble – an outfit with a sound as great as its name! There's a fair bit of percussion in the approach here – a sound that's definitely informed by the Cubop experiments of Dizzy Gillespie, Machito, and others on the US scene at the end of the 40s – and the music also features some slightly more exotic touches too, served up with an especially well-arranged approach to the horns. In addition to Graham's strong work on tenor, other players on the date include Stan Tracey on piano and vibes, Joe Hunter on trumpet, and Phil Seamen on drums – on titles that include "I'll Get By", "Olwen's Dream", "Swallowin The Blues", "Cuban Fantasy", "Rockin In Rhythm", and "Bongo Chant". CD features 4 bonus tracks – 2 from the album Tenorama, "Teddy Boy" and "Poinciana" – and 2 more from All The Winners, "Mood Indigo" and "Top Score" – played by the Melody Maker All Stars. CD

A very cool idea for a collection – a set that takes all the classic early Al Green material for Hi Records, and adds in some larger orchestrations – all at a level that's way better than you might expect, and with a sound that's very faithful to the originals! The larger charts are dropped in with a nicely subtle touch – so that Al's vocals aren't impinged at all, and the strings are used to sweeten up the tunes in all the right ways – very much as if the original recordings might have been given a bit of an Arif Mardin touch over at Atlantic Records, while still retaining the Memphis sound at the core. Titles include "Look What You Done For Me", "Take Me To The River", "Tired Of Being Alone", "Call Me", "Let's Stay Together", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Here I Am", "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart", "Sha La La", "I Can't Get Next To You", and "Let's Get Married". CD

One of the coolest, grooviest albums that pianist Vince Guaraldi ever recorded – a set that's got the same Peanuts theme as his earlier dates for Fantasy Records, but which also features some sweet electric touches that only make things even better than before! In addition to his warmly vamping piano, with all those lyrical touches we love so much, Vince is playing an electric harpsichord too – which makes for some very groovy moments – in a cool quartet that features guitar from Eddie Duran, bass from Stanley Gilbert, and drums from the great Carl Burnett! All tunes are Peanut-themed – the music that Guaraldi wrote for the TV specials – but they're sometimes taken at a looser style that's even jazzier overall – as you'll hear on the classic "Linus & Lucy", plus "Red Baron", "Peppermint Patty", "Great Pumpkin Waltz", and "Rain Rain Go Away". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic of Canadian rock – and a set that broke big on this side of the border too! Wheatfield Soul is a sublime showcase for the young talents of Burton Cummings, Randy Bachman, and other members of the group – working here in a mix of jazz/rock modes and blue-eyed soul that would go onto set the scene for countless other groups in years to come – hard to describe accurately, but beautifully summed up in the album's "These Eyes" hit! Cummings vocals and keyboards come across wonderfully – and the rhythms often have clever changes that hint at his jazzy future to come, but on shorter tunes here that have a rich amount of complexity packed in a very tight space. Titles include "These Eyes", "Lightfoot", "I Found Her In A Star", "Pink Wine Sparkles In The Glass", "Maple Fudge", "We're Coming To Dinner", "When You Touch Me", and the amazing 10 minute tune "Friends Of Mine". CD

A classic of Canadian rock – and a set that broke big on this side of the border too! Wheatfield Soul is a sublime showcase for the young talents of Burton Cummings, Randy Bachman, and other members of the group – working here in a mix of jazz/rock modes and blue-eyed soul that would go onto set the scene for countless other groups in years to come – hard to describe accurately, but beautifully summed up in the album's "These Eyes" hit! Cummings vocals and keyboards come across wonderfully – and the rhythms often have clever changes that hint at his jazzy future to come, but on shorter tunes here that have a rich amount of complexity packed in a very tight space. Titles include "These Eyes", "Lightfoot", "I Found Her In A Star", "Pink Wine Sparkles In The Glass", "Maple Fudge", "We're Coming To Dinner", "When You Touch Me", and the amazing 10 minute tune "Friends Of Mine". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful blues from Guitar Slim – west coast material from the mid-50s, recorded with some very hip backings! Slim's got a lean, mean edge – a style that's a bit similar to Johnny Watson in his early years, touched with some of the class of the R&B scene that was bubbling up in the late 40s in LA! The added instrumentation really makes the tracks great – not just the usual blues, but a more sophisticated mode with some nicely jazzy undercurrents. The set's very well put-together too – 26 tracks in all, with titles that include "Going Down Slow", "The Things That I Used To Do", "Well I Done Got Over It", "Twenty Five Lies", "Stand By Me", "Sufferin Mind", "You're Gonna Miss Me", "I Got Sumpin For You", "Story Of My Life", and "Our Only Child". CD

Merle Haggard's criminally underrated second album for Anti- – finding him looking back to the songbook of Lefty Frizzell and other classic honky tonk laments with a master's touch – essential for Hag fans or anyone ready to be schooled in true, real deal, hokum free country music. The production is barely a production at all – Hag set his band up in a cabin on his property and basically lets it all play out live and direct, a God given gift to those of us who loved the songs he recorded in the 80s and early 90s, but couldn't deal with the glossy over-production – and his voice sounds better than it has in years. Includes the excellent originals "More Than My Old Guitar" and "Honky Tonk Mama", Lefty's classics "Always Late (With Your Kisses)", "If You've Got The Money (I've Got The Time)", "My Baby's Just Like Money" and "I Want To Be With You Always", plus Hank Sr's "Honky Tonkin". If only this thing sold well enough for Anti- to bankroll Vol 2, we coulda died happy. CD

A heck of a charmer from Haircut 100 – one of a handful of great UK albums from the early 80s that mixed post-punk energy with warmer touches from jazz and Latin – all in a blend that's completely wonderful overall! Haircut 100 were never trying to change the world – and they certainly never passed themselves off as a real jazz combo – but they've got a great way of adding in just the right touches on sax, congas, and even a bit of vibes – all to create a captivating setting alongside Britpop guitar lines and the great vocals of Nik Heyward. Nik's way more appealing here than on his later work – unabashedly groovy, on tunes that include the classic "Love Plus One", alongside "Snow Girl", "Lemon Firebrigade", "Favourite Shirts", "Milk Film", "Surprise Me Again", and "Fantastic Day". LP, Vinyl record album

A heck of a charmer from Haircut 100 – one of a handful of great UK albums from the early 80s that mixed post-punk energy with warmer touches from jazz and Latin – all in a blend that's completely wonderful overall! Haircut 100 were never trying to change the world – and they certainly never passed themselves off as a real jazz combo – but they've got a great way of adding in just the right touches on sax, congas, and even a bit of vibes – all to create a captivating setting alongside Britpop guitar lines and the great vocals of Nik Heyward. Nik's way more appealing here than on his later work – unabashedly groovy, on tunes that include the classic "Love Plus One", alongside "Snow Girl", "Lemon Firebrigade", "Favourite Shirts", "Milk Film", "Surprise Me Again", and "Fantastic Day". This 4CD package is totally great – in a 7" square book, with a bonus 44 page booklet of notes and new interviews! CD2 features Pelican Plus – 15 more bonus tracks that include the non LP cuts "Skip Club" and "Ski Club Of Great Britain" – plus all sorts of 12", 7" , and extended versions. CD3 features Junction Box – 11 more unfinished tracks, including some very cool instrumentals that really show the jazzier side of the group. And CD4 features a 14 track live set, recorded at Hammersmith Odeon in 1982! CD

A heck of a charmer from Haircut 100 – one of a handful of great UK albums from the early 80s that mixed post-punk energy with warmer touches from jazz and Latin – all in a blend that's completely wonderful overall! Haircut 100 were never trying to change the world – and they certainly never passed themselves off as a real jazz combo – but they've got a great way of adding in just the right touches on sax, congas, and even a bit of vibes – all to create a captivating setting alongside Britpop guitar lines and the great vocals of Nik Heyward. Nik's way more appealing here than on his later work – unabashedly groovy, on tunes that include the classic "Love Plus One", alongside "Snow Girl", "Lemon Firebrigade", "Favourite Shirts", "Milk Film", "Surprise Me Again", and "Fantastic Day". CD features 5 bonus cuts from singles – including "Boat Party", "Ski Club", and "October Is Orange Today". CD

From the sound of this set, Tracy Hamlin's a singer with no limits at all – both in the sound of her music, and the joyous energy she brings to this album! The set's not Tracy's first, but it's got this bold power that makes us feel like we're discovering the singer all over again – as Hamlin emerges with this pride and positive sensibility that sets the record on fire from the very first note – and really keeps things burning strong all the way through. There's a slight touch of classic soul in the mix – echoes of some of the best 70s female soul singers – but there's nothing retro about the record at all, because the whole thing's clearly cast in Hamlin's own voice – which is very strong indeed. Frank McComb guests on the track "My Good Day" – and other titles include "Cover Me", "No Limits", "Givin Me Sumthin", "Forever With You", "One Day In Your Life", and "Plans For Two". CD also features four bonus remixes, too! CD

Funky mid 70s Herbie Hancock – one his funkiest albums of the era! Herbie plays a host of cool keyboards – like Fender Rhodes, Arp, and clavinet – and he's joined by a group that includes just about all of the Headhunters – including Paul Jackson on bass and Mike Clarke on drums – plus help from a great array of other excellent guests – including Bennie Maupin and Wayne Shorter on reeds, Harvey Mason on drums, and even some guest keyboards from Stevie Wonder! The album's great – maybe a bit understated than Thrust, but still equally wonderful – and the whole thing's worth it alone for the classic uptempo cut "Hang Up Your Hang Ups" – alongside other cuts that include "Bubbles", "Heartbeat", and "Sun Touch". CD

A legendary album – and for good reason too – a set that's as mysterious as it is funky, and a record that's stayed at the top of our crates for years! The album features a really unusual collective of musicians, pulled together under the guidance of producer Paul Winley – a group that features George Benson on guitar, Dave Baby Cortez on organ, Willis Jackson on tenor sax, and Earl Williams on some massively funky drums! The music's a mix of funky jazz and gritty soul – put together with some really weird studio touches – including an uncredited male voice that comes in and out of the tracks, bad-rapping along with some very hip commentary. Ann Winley sings the female vocals on the set – often egged on by the dude – but the real charm of the record lies at the bottom – the wicked drums, funky basslines, and choppy instrumental bits that have gotten the set sampled plenty over the years. Titles include the classic "Smokin Cheeba Cheeba" alone, the groovy "Finger In It", a great breakbeat version of "Ain't No Sunshine" with a tenor solo by Willis Jackson, and the slow bluesy talking cut "Fed Up", a baaaad rap about a couple splitting up – done here in both vocal and instrumental versions. LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary album – and for good reason too – a set that's as mysterious as it is funky, and a record that's stayed at the top of our crates for years! The album features a really unusual collective of musicians, pulled together under the guidance of producer Paul Winley – a group that features George Benson on guitar, Dave Baby Cortez on organ, Willis Jackson on tenor sax, and Earl Williams on some massively funky drums! The music's a mix of funky jazz and gritty soul – put together with some really weird studio touches – including an uncredited male voice that comes in and out of the tracks, bad-rapping along with some very hip commentary. Ann Winley sings the female vocals on the set – often egged on by the dude – but the real charm of the record lies at the bottom – the wicked drums, funky basslines, and choppy instrumental bits that have gotten the set sampled plenty over the years. Titles include the classic "Smokin Cheeba Cheeba" alone, the groovy "Finger In It", a great breakbeat version of "Ain't No Sunshine" with a tenor solo by Willis Jackson, and the slow bluesy talking cut "Fed Up", a baaaad rap about a couple splitting up – done here in both vocal and instrumental versions. CD

A legendary album – and for good reason too – a set that's as mysterious as it is funky, and a record that's stayed at the top of our crates for years! The album features a really unusual collective of musicians, pulled together under the guidance of producer Paul Winley – a group that features George Benson on guitar, Dave Baby Cortez on organ, Willis Jackson on tenor sax, and Earl Williams on some massively funky drums! The music's a mix of funky jazz and gritty soul – put together with some really weird studio touches – including an uncredited male voice that comes in and out of the tracks, bad-rapping along with some very hip commentary. Ann Winley sings the female vocals on the set – often egged on by the dude – but the real charm of the record lies at the bottom – the wicked drums, funky basslines, and choppy instrumental bits that have gotten the set sampled plenty over the years. Titles include the classic "Smokin Cheeba Cheeba" alone, the groovy "Finger In It", a great breakbeat version of "Ain't No Sunshine" with a tenor solo by Willis Jackson, and the slow bluesy talking cut "Fed Up", a baaaad rap about a couple splitting up – done here in both vocal and instrumental versions. CD

Wow! We can never get enough of Eddie Harris. Despite all of the silly situations he's ended up in over the years, an album like In Sound still stands as a beautiful testament to all of the raw power in Eddie's playing. His tone is perfect, and totally unique – and he plays here with Cedar Walton on piano, Ron Carter on bass, Billy Higgins on drums, and the great Ray Codrington on trumpet, who also played with the JFK Quintet. No tricks here, just incredibly solid jazz playing, on tracks like Eddie's famous "Freedom Jazz Dance", plus "Born To Be Blue" and "Cryin' Blues". Mean Greens is another example of classic 60s soul jazz material by Eddie – and proof that the move to Atlantic was a good one! As usual with Eddie's 60s sessions, the players are very hip – and feature an amalgamation of younger and lesser-known talents like Melvin Jackson, Ray Codrington, and Sonny Philips. Cedar Walton also plays some lovely piano on the record, giving a few tracks a bit more of a lyrical touch than usual – and Eddie responds to this nicely in his solos. Includes an early take of "Listen Here", with Eddie on electric piano, next to Sonny Philips' organ. Also with "Goin' Home", "Blues In the Basement", and "Mean Greens". CD

A wonderful jazzy vocals set from Nancy Harrow – her first, and one of the rare few albums she cut as a headliner early on – a should be classic from 1960! Wild Women Don't Have The Blues, production wise, as a pretty deep stylistic range, from the very jazzy numbers like the opening "Take Me Back Baby", and the New Orleans jazz & blues touched title track and the closer "Blues For Yesterday", to more material that's more energetic, or more slowly grooving. Here voice is lovely, and she has a masterful control of it, and handles the material with grace and what sounds like plenty of experience, despite this being a debut album. Players include members of the Buck Clayton band, and titles include "On The Sunny Side Of The Street", "All Too Soon", "I've Got The World On A String" and more. CD

The title's a bit obtuse, but the music is warm and soulful throughout – a really tremendous session that carries on the strong legacy of solo work that Jimmy Heath was doing in the 70s! The feel here is a lot like some of Heath's dates for the Muse or Xanadu labels – and Jimmy's working here with a great rhythm section that includes Larry Willis on piano, Stafford James on bass, and Akira Tana on drums – players who provide a very soulful grounding for the set. Heath blows alto, tenor, and soprano sax – and remaining players include Tom Williams on trumpet and Tony Purrone on guitar. The groove is in a classic Prestige/Riverside mode – not hard hardbop, but soulful, with touches of post-Coltrane blowing, and the mix of lyricism and soul jazz that Heath's always brought to his best work. Titles include "Trane Connections", "Forever Sonny", "You Can See", "I Waited For You", and "Song For Ben Webster". LP, Vinyl record album