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This one's got it all – fuzzy instrumentals, sweet harmonies, and some nice trippy parts too – all wrapped up in a set that's easily one of the best Tower Records rock soundtracks of the 60s! Most of the schlocky biker soundtracks from the time are already pretty darn great – but this one's even a cut above – put together with a special quality that's always made us dig this one the most! The album features a great cut called "Hellcats" – a harmony rocker by The Sunrays, and just as great as their own album tracks. The set also features an instrumental "Hellcats" and "The Angry Mob" by The Arrows – plus psych oriented tracks by Davy Jones & The Dolphins, including "The Only Way To Fly", "Mass Confusion", and "Let's Live A Little" – and "I'm Up" and "The Marionettes" by Somebody's Chyldren.

Wonderful B-Movie sleaze from Mike Curb and his usual host of studio rock freakout groups! The sound is pure Tower – a bit kitsch and a bit garagey – kind of a blend of the gritty sound of the late 60s underground, mixed with soundtrack modes that offer up a cool fantasy of that scene as well! There's plenty of unusual groups here – and tunes include "Mondo Hollywood" by the Mugwump Establishment, "Magic Night" by Mike Clifford, "Last Wave Of The Day" by The Riptides, "Great God Pan" by God Pan, "Magic Night March" by 18th Century Concepts, and "Moonfire" by the great Davie Allan & The Arrows! Also features the "Mondo Hollywood Freakout" by the Mugwump Establishment – a freaked-out instrumental that's worth the price of the record alone!

Baritone country vocal badassery from The Baron – the great Dick Curless's excellent, perhaps career best Long Lonesome Road album from 1968 – loaded up here with 19 bonus tracks that extend the sound and style really well! Curless may be best remembered for his trucker songs, but he covered the stylistic breadth of honky tonk subject matter as well as any of the other rough hewn country heroes of his day. The deep, weighty vocal style is paired well with the sad, mournful songs, but he does it with such style and charisma that it's never a downer. The way he holds a note with that voice at the end of a line, eeking every bit of emotion possible from the words is incredible – and the songs here are up there up the best he ever recorded. 29 tracks in all: "You Can't Go Back Again", "Bury The Bottle With Me", "A Tombstone Every Mile", "The Heartline Special", "Highway Man", "When Dad Was Around", "End Of The Road", "I Ain't Got Nobody", "Woman Don't Try To Sing My Song", "Been There People", "Just For The Record" and many more.

A beautiful 2CD set of long buried Townes Van Zandt recordings from the early 70s – a period that you can easily argue was his peak – even though few people were buying his records at the time! You get a pretty solid representation of 2 sides of the Townes sound on this great compilation from Omnivore. Disc One features alternate studio versions of some of our favorite songs – a good deal of which were produced by Cowboy Jack Clement at his Nashville studio in 1972 – plus a handful that Townes recorded in LA a year earlier. These have a sound that are fleshed out enough instrumentally, but without the horns, strings and some of the other grander aspects of the officially released album versions in hopes of breaking Townes through to a larger audience at the time. Ironically, it's the rawness and intimacy that Townes fans are drawn to – and that's what you get here! The second disc features demos that mostly feature just Townes's voice and acoustic guitar – and it's achingly beautiful! Despite the familiar track list, every song on this 2CD set is previously unreleased – and essential for longtime Townes fans and newbies alike! Includes "T For Texas", "Who Do You Love", "Sunshine Boy", "Pancho & Lefty" (an alternate 1972 mix without strings and horns), "Sad Cinderella", "Lungs", "Mr. Mudd & Mr. Gold", "White Freight Liner Blues", "Two Hands" and more on the studio sessions disc – and the titles on the disc of demos includes "Heavenly Houseboat Blues", "Diamond Heel Blues", "Tower Song", "Hightway Kind", "Old Paint", "Standin'" and more. 28 tracks in all – and it features some excellent notes by Colin Escott.

A mighty nice collection of cuts – one that not only really gets at the genius of Burt Bacharach's songwriting, but also shows the way his music works well in so many different settings too! The 40-track collection is heavy on music from the 60s and 70s, and also features a few gems from later years too – and the music here is a mix of soul, vocal, rock, and other styles – with a wide range of artists that really show Burt's lasting impact on music in the 20th century! These tunes are undeniable gems – classics you've no doubt heard in some version over the years – yet some of the readings here are unusual, and unusually fresh as well – a lasting tribute to the sublime sounds of Bacharach. Titles include "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" by Isaac Hayes, "Wishin & Hopin" by Brenda Lee, "A House Is Not A Home" by Brook Benton, "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" by Dusty Springfield, "Take A Broken Heart" by Rick Nelson, "Baby It's You" by Smith, "Tower Of Strength" by Gene McDaniels, "Trains & Boats & Planes" by Astrud Gilberto, "Anyone Who Had A Heart" by Dionne Warwick, "Love's Still The Answer" by Ronald Isley, "Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa" by Gene Pitney, "My Little Red Book" by Manfred Man, "Nikki" by Burt Bacharach, "Wives & Lovers" by Jack Jones, "Walk On By" by Gloria Gaynor, "Make It Easy On Yourself" by Walker Brothers, and "Message To Michael" by The Marvelettes.

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.

A trio of amazing albums – all of which really live up to the legend of Kim Fowley! First up is the well-titled Outrageous – one of the wildest albums ever from LA scenester Fowley – done in a very weird, very messed-up style that sort of sounds like The Stooges meet The Modern Lovers meet Alice Cooper! Fowley's fantastic on vocals – which are sort of of screeched and screamed, with revolutionary Riot On Sunset Strip-type lyrics, fused with a bit of Jim Morrison stoner spiritualism – a lot more compelling than you'd expect, and really mindblowing all the way through! The album's a perfect illustration of the genius that made Kim legendary, even when he wasn't having much of an impact on the mainstream – and titles include the incredible "Animal Man", plus "Hide & Seek", "Chinese Water Torture", "Bubble Gum", "Inner Space Discovery", and "Caught In The Middle". Next is Born To Be Wild – mindblowing organ work from the mighty Kim Fowley – a rare instrumental set that has Kim carving out amazing sounds on the organ that really match is vocal force on other records of the time! The set's a bit more soulful than usual for Fowley – a record that almost pushes a soul instrumental sound more strongly than Kim's usual Sunset Strip sleaze – although there is a nice fuzzy undercurrent to the record at times too! The set burns like some lost Tower Records soundtrack – and titles include "Born To Be Wild", "Soul Limbo", "Space Odyssey", "I Can't Stop Dancing", "Savage In The Sun", "Fresno1963", and "Pictures of Matchstick Men". Good Clean Fun is filled with awesome work from madman Kim Fowley – an album that offers hard rockers, some nice groovers, and even some trippier tracks that feature spoken or performed bits! The record's got a really wonderful approach that's a look at the lost genius of the LA scene of the late 60s – emphasized by an appearance on the record by Rodney Bingeheimer, the mayor of Sunset Strip, plus work by Motorcycle John and the Frog Prince! If you've ever heard about Fowley, but never found the record to truly convey his insanity on record, this is the one to check out – as it's as brilliant as it is insane! Titles include "Energy", "Baby Rocked Her Dolly", "Motorcycle", "One Man Band", "Good Clean Fun", "Search For A Teenage Woman", "I'm Not Young Anymore", "Lights The Blind & Lame Can See", and "Kangaroo".

A great one from Ben E King's "Supernatural" comeback years in the mid 70s – recorded at Sigma Sound with a really stellar approach on both the groovers and the mellow tunes! Ben's really letting his vocals open up on the set – going for that richness that was sometimes held back in the more uptown arrangements of the 60s, but which really flowers here in a fuller, richer, smooth soul mode. Arrangements are by Norman Harris, Bert De Coteaux, Ron Kersey, and Ron Baker – and the album's a great example of how the Sigma approach could take a great singer and make them even better! Titles include the Sam Dees tracks "I Betcha Didn't Know That", "Standing In The Wings Of Heartache", "No Danger Ahead", and "Tower Of Strength" – plus a great cover of Ashford & Simpson's "I Had A Love", and the cuts "Smooth Sailing", "We Got Love", and "Everybody Plays The Fool".

A beautiful love letter to contemporary Brooklyn – originally commissioned by BAM, as part of a longer piece that included narration, animation, and paintings – but a work that stands more than strongly here on its own! The music has a wonderful mix of themes – sometimes straight, sometimes a bit more abstract, to the point of illustration – played by a shifting lineup of younger musicians who really deliver on the promise of Darcy James Argue's compositions – a group that includes John Ellis on tenor sax, Rob Wilkerson on alto, Ryan Keberle on trombone, Matt Holman on trumpet, Nadje Noordhuis on flugelhorn, and Sebatian Noelle on guitar. Titles include "The Neighborhood", "Builders", "Grand Opening", "Coney Island", "Construction/Destruction", "The Tallest Tower In The World", and "Missing Parts".

Truly, truly one of the most essential reggae albums of all time, and without a doubt one of our top dub albums. While we may be known for our hyperbolic comments on LPs here at Dusty, this album is very much deserving of the praise, and if you don't own it, you need to. Basically a collection of dubs of rhythms for some of Pablo's most popular productions as vocal cuts on 45s that had rocked the sound systems, this set features a mighty rockers rhythm team and mixing courtesy Errol Thompson and King Tubby. All solid tracks. Includes "Keep On Dubbing", "Stop Them Jah", "Young Generation Dub", "Each One Dub", "555 Dub Street", "Braces Tower Dub", "King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown", "Corner Crew Dub", "Say So", "Skanking Dub" "Satta Dub" and "Frozen Dub".

One of the few solo albums ever cut by organist Chester Thompson – a player who's known to most as the keyboardist in Tower Of Power, but one who's also remembered by a select funky few for this killer record for the Black Jazz label! The album's a stripped-down quartet session – with labelmate Rudolph Johnson on tenor, blowing some beautiful lines alongside long, drawn-out Hammond solos from Thompson! The overall feel is similar to some of the great late 60s Prestige sessions – especially Don Patterson dates – with the group free swinging away in a very live format, just like you might have heard if you caught them in some hip southside club. Other players include Al Hall Jr on trombone and Ray Pounds on drums – and the album features four long jamming tracks, with titles that include "Mr T", "Trip One", "Weird Harold", and "Powerhouse".

A selection of Warner Brothers-related funk – but featuring some killer numbers that move way past the hits! This is one of the funkiest compilations we've ever heard from a major label – and it's proof that deep down in their catalogs, the majors were working just as hard as the indies to come up with some killer slabs of funk, as you'll hear in this set of 20 gems recorded between the years 1968 and 1974! Many of these numbers were only issued on 45s – or on long out of print LPs – and even though there's a few numbers on here that you may know, the set's also got a number of others that you probably don't, as it even surprised us with some of its funky goodies! Titles include "Getting Uptown" by United 8, "Don't Come Around Here Anymore" by Mark Putney, "Shop Talk (version 1)" by Cold Blood, "Come Little Children" by Donny Hathaway, "Sexy Coffee Pot" by Tony Alvon & The Belairs, "Soul Machine" by The Meters, "Pop Popcorn Children" by Eldridge Holmes, "What So Never the Dance (parts 1 & 2)" by The Houseguests, "Back On The Streets Again" by Tower Of Power, "65 Bars & A Taste Of Soul" by Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, "Nobody But You Babe" by Clarence Reid, and "You Gotta Know Whatcha Doin" by Charles Wright.

A great idea for a compilation – a really cool set that focuses on the best days when jazz and rock were really combined together – that stretch in the late 60s and early 70s when horns were equally blended with guitars, in a groove that was plenty powerful overall! Some of the numbers here are familiar giants of the genres, and others are a bit surprising – and together, the music really does a great job tracing this evolving trend through its growth in the 70s! Titles include "Killing Floor" by Electric Flag, "Get It On" by Chase, "What Is Hip" by Tower Of Power, "Hold On" by Memphis Horns, "Mercy Mercy Mercy" by The Buckinghams, "Gonna Fly Now" by Maynard Ferguson, "Some Skunk Funk" by Brecker Brothers, "Vehicle" by Ides Of March, "In The Stone" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Non Pacem" by Azteca, "Goldmine" by Sons Of Champlin, and "New York" by Dreams.

Possibly the rarest album by UK outfit pf Alan Bown! The group is named for founder, trumpet and flugelhorn player, and they got around bit earlier in an R&B-styled mode, then billed as The Alan Bown Set. Starting with this cool record, they committed to more of a psychedelic pop mode. That serves them well! The tunes are infectious, skewing the the accessible side of the psych sound. The drums hit hard and there's both punchy electric and chiming acoustic elements – usually with groovy organ and huge melodies. Outward Bown has never had much luck in the market place, and this 2CD UK edition aims to remedy that – with the full stereo version plus the bonus track "Little Lesley" on disc one, plus the full mono version with a few additional bonus tracks on disc two. Includes "Toyland", "Mutiny", "Sally Green", "Love Is A Beautiful Thing", "Violin Shop", "You're Not In My Class", "Technicolor Dream", one of the most unique covers of "All Along The Watchtower", "My Girl Of The Month May" and more.

Seminal southern soul from the great Willie Hightower – a singer we'd rank right up there with Otis Redding, Al Green, and James Carr! Willie's got an incredible voice that grabs you right away – earthy and honest, yet also extremely well controlled – almost a down home take on the sound of some of the smoother soul singers of the 60s – in a manner that reminds us a bit of Garnett Mimms, and which really stands apart from other vocalists of the time. The 18 tracks on this set represent Willie at his best – and the collection features material recorded for producer Bobby Robinson (issued on both the Capitol and Enjoy labels), and Muscle Shoals maestro Rick Hall – brought together with beautiful fidelity, in a package that finally gives Willie his due, and which will hopefully get his name out there with the rest of his lendary contemporaries! Titles include "Walk A Mile In My Shoes", "You Used Me", "Back Road Into Town", "Nobody But You", "I Love You", "Poor Man", "Let's Walk Together", "Somebody Have Mercy", "You Are Mine", "It's A Miracle", and "Ooh Baby How I Love You".

Solo piano from one of Japan's most inventive talents on the keyboard – really stretching out here in a warmly acoustic setting, in a style that's quite freewheeling and open, yet without some of the more avant moments of later years too! There's a sense of balance here that's really beautiful – as Yosuke blocks out these bold shapes in sound – stacking them together as he builds the music into great towers of tone – seemingly random at points, yet always coming together with an inherent sense of order that leaves us breathless by the end! Tracks are nice and long – and titles include "Communication", "Paraphrase", "Flight From Autumn Leaves", and "Closing Theme".

A sweet tribute to Jimi Hendrix – served up by older soul legend Lonnie Youngblood – who actually recorded with Jimi in his early days! The set here is a very faithful presentation of the Hendrix aesthetic – maybe a bit more funk than rock, which is a good thing for us – and feeling a lot like some of the best underground Hendrix-inspired rock funk sets from the early 70s! All tracks have vocals, and plenty of guitar – maybe not as fuzzy or frenetic as Jimi's, but still pretty darn nice – and the rhythms and track selection definitely focus on the more soulful side of the Hendrix oeuvre, especially once the album gets going. Titles include "If Six Was Nine", "All Along The Watchtower", "Fire", "Foxy Lady", "Stone Free", "Red House", "Changing Lanes", "We Gotta Live Together", and even a version of "Star Spangled Banner".

A soulful testament to the towering talents of songwriter, bandleader, producer and singer Richard Popcorn Wylie – a killer collection of singles that Richard had a hand in by Tommy Neal, Mighty Lovers, Luther Ingram, Betty Boo, Tony Hester, Mighty Lovers, Detroit Executives, Jimmy Soul Clark and Popcorn himself! A somewhat grittier, but still sweet as can be side of Motor City soul of the mid-to-late 60s. Includes "Goin' To A Happening" by Tommy Neal, "Get It Babe" by Stanley Mitchell, "Stop That Boy" and "Spellbound" by Betty Boo, "Hanky Panky" by Richard Popcorn Wylie, "Spaceland" by Tony Hestor, "Savin' My Love For You" by People's Choice, "Quit Twistin' My Arm" by Stanley Mitchell "Cool Off" by Detroit Executives and more. 25 tracks in all.

The oft-covered Bob Dylan songbook never sounds so soulful – classic interpretations of Dylan's canon from a great, far reaching roster of black artists – from the the ever-stirring Staple Singers, southern soul heroes Howard Tate and OV Wright, charismatic country soul from Brook Benton, great gender role perspective flipped versions by Nina Simone and Patti LaBelle, a funky tamborine take by Con Funk Shun and much more! It’s another excellent entry in the Songwriter Series from Ace Records, extra excellent in that it takes an obvious hero of 60s Songwriter – and actually pulls together songs that'll take you by surprise for their depth – whether you treasure Dylan, deep 60s & 70s solo & group R&B, funk, folk soul...or all of the above! Includes "Blowin In The Wind" by OV Wright, "Girl From The North Country" by Howard Tate, "The Man In Me" by The Persuations, "Lay lady Lay" by The Isley Brothers, "Emotionally Yours" by The O'Jays, "All Along The Watchtower" by Bobby Womack, "Maggie's Farm" by Soloman Burke, "Mr. Tamborine Man" by Con Funk Shun and more. 20 tracks in all.

A deeply effective set from Bonobo! North Borders has beats that are as compelling as any in Bonobo's canon – often thumping pretty hard – paired with gorgeous electronic sound washes and really deft use of vocal samples and guest singers. The mix of compelling beats and lighter, more ethereal atmosphere is a nice touch – and the use of voices, whether sampled or sung by a guest, really brings in an uncommon emotional depth. Includes "First Fires" with Grey Reverend, "Emkay", "Don't Wait", "Cirrus", "Heaven For The Sinner" with Erykah Badu, Towers" with Sjerdene, "Jets", "Antenna", "Know You", "Ten Tigers", "Sapphire", "Transits" and "Pieces" feat Cornella.

Hard blues and soul loving material from Hendrix – the excellent South Saturn Delta compilation of rarities, alternate mixes and other bits from throughout Jimi's too short life and career! It’s killer stuff that stands up today as well as any posthumous Hendrix release, really pulling together the breadth of stylistic range over the years. Includes "Look Over Yonder", "Here He Comes (Lover Man)", "South Saturn Delta", "Tax Free", "Midnight", "Drifter's Escape", "Midnight Lightning", "All Along The Watchtower", "Power Of Soul" and more.

Pioneering efforts in experimental music from Karlheinz Stockhausen and Pierre Boulez – provacative, influential 50s material from these towering figures compiled for this CD from El Records. Stockhausen's "Etude Concrete" and Nr 5 Zietmasse (Time-Measures) For Five Woodwinds kick it off, the former a blunt, statically missive, the latter a playfully tense piece. These are followed by Boulez Le Marteau Sans Maitre recordings from 1953-1955, 9 pieces in all, To close, Stockhausen's Klavierstuck XI pieces from 1956, with David Tudor on piano.

If the supermarket still sounded this funky, they'd never have any trouble getting us to do the shopping – thanks to the wonderfully groovy sound library tunes served up on this CD! The collection's a great reminder of the days when Muzak could still sound plenty darn wonderful – an instrumental soundtrack to shopping that was very much in line with the best film and TV themes of the period – fuzzy guitar, burning Hammond, and more – all set to subtly funky rhythms that were more than enough to help keep the mood bright as the shoppers moved down the aisles with their carts! All tracks here are from the UK Rediffusion sound library – an under-tapped source of great bits that's similar to DeWolfe or KPM, but much less familiar. Most numbers are by the cream of the crop of the Brit Easy scene – and although most tracks are originals, there's also a few surprising covers too. Titles include "Take Eight" by Pete Moore, "The Cutter" by Vic Flick Sound, "Some Other Time" by Alan Moorehouse, "Hold Tight" by Howard Blaikley Orchestra, "Flash" by Val Merrall, "Next Of Kingsleigh" by Harry Stoneham, "Cat Walk" by Pete Moore, "Spoofin" by Tony Evans, "John & Paul" by Tony Osborne, "Cubanana" by Vic Flick Sound, "Friendship Train" by Rosetta Hightower, "Solar Wind" by Pete Moore, and "Soul In Space" by Harry Stoneham. 25 tracks in all – and great notes too!

You could go 'round and 'round with music historians arguing whether or not this album, or Java Java Java or Aquarius Dub was the first full length dub LP, but it makes no difference to us, this is one mighty set of Perryisms, wrought in the pre-Black Ark era. There's a dozen of the Upsetter's finest rhythms rendered in dub versions here, and though he's uncredited on the sleeve, we've read that King Tubby was responsible for the wonderful reverb and mixing console action taking these tracks to the next level. Essential! Includes "Blackboard Jungle Dub (version 1)", "Rubba, Rubba Words", "Cloak A Dagger (version 3)", "Dreamland Dub", "Fever Grass Dub", "Sinsemilla Kaya Dub", "Moving Forward", "Kasha Macka Dub" and "Setta Iration Dub".