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Recorded live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City, February 7-10, 1983. A HUGE amount of material! Includes the tracks "Say Hello", "Walk The Dog", "Violin Solo", "Closed Circuits", "For A Large And Changing Room", "Pictures Of It", "Language Of The Future", "Reverb", "If You Can't Talk About It, Point To It", "City Song", "Finnish Farmers", "Democratic Way", "Private Property", "Neon Duet", "Difficult Listening Hour", "So Happy Birthday", "Dance Of Electricity", "Sax Duet", "Born, Never Asked", "From The Air", "Beginning French", "Talkshow", "Cello Solo", "Blue Lagoon", "Stiff Neck", "Hothead", "Telephone Song", "Sweaters", "We've Got Four Big Clocks", "I Dreamed I Had To Take A Test", "Big Top", "It Was Up In The Mountains", "Big Science", "Red Map", "Strike", "False Documents", and many, many more!

A beautiful little soundtrack for this late John Wayne western – scored by Elmer Bernstein in a wonderfully expressive way – with a quality that goes way past the usual entries in the genre! There's almost a slight undercurrent of sentimentality to the music – not in a cloying way, but with a quality that seems to reference the entire history of the western with sensitive ears – in a way that the film almost seems to do with its story, as well – carrying things forward without too much drama, but this subtle depth that really makes the music special! The recording quality is excellent, and Bernstein's scoring shows some instrumental modernity he wouldn't have had a few years before – complex use of subtle elements that really comes through in the production. Titles include "Born To Hang", "Necktie Party", "Smoke", "New Money", "Surrounded", "Thickening Plot", "Billy Joe", "Train", and "Venture".

A pretty darn cool little record – even if it is a bunch of cover versions! As the title proclaims, the set presents the winners of a US Army competition for its members stationed in Europe in the early 70s – one that chose The Black Seeds for side one of the album, and Sound Trek for side two! The Black Seeds are a sweet harmony group with a really heartbreaking feel – very much in the New Jersey/Philly mode, and sounding great on a number of roughly-done covers that include "Go Outside In The Rain", "Black Magic Woman", "Do Your Thing", "Backstabbers", and "Ain't No Sunshine". The Sound Trek are a bit more groove-oriented – kicking off their set with an instrumental reading of "Kool & The Gang", but then rolling into a batch of vocal soul covers that include "Walking In The Rain", "Backstabbers" (again!), "Coldest Days Of My Life", and "I Love Everything About You".

Early 70s ensemble funk from Mugo – a DC group made up of students from McKinley Tech High School – combining tightly energetic, fairly sprawling instrumentation and soulful vocals – a number of unreleased tracks from the sessions that also produced their rare 70s single, newly mixed by Kenny Dope for the Kay Dee label! The school band vibe really kind of comes into play via the uncommon mix of instruments, and that works really, really well – B-3, Rhodes and Korg synthesizer provide for some spacier touches, while flute and piano also find room in the group's sound alongside the funky drums, guitar and bass – with feverish vocals and some killer instrumental passages. The performances are inventively strong, too – it doesn't sound like a bunch a kids, that's for sure! We we flipped over the single Kay Dee put out of the group, and we're all the more ecstatic over the great LP! Includes "Change", "Organized (Kenny Dope Edit)", "Space Traveler", "I Love Music", "How Time Fly's", "All About Love", "Love Has Gone", "Sing A Song" and "Water".

One of the most righteous Horace Silver albums for Blue Note – and a far-reaching, politically-bent batch of tracks that feature vocals by Andy Bey, in a similar style to the work he did on the Gary Bartz records from the time – very hip, and quite different than other jazz vocal work from other singers! Silver plays electric piano on most of the record – and other musicians include Houston Person on tenor and Idris Muhammad on drums – both of whom figure on cuts that feature singer Jackie Verdell replacing Andy Bey. The groove is pretty great throughout – lots of those offbeat lines that you might hear on other Bey albums, warmed up with some of Silver's more familiar soul jazz – and the album is volume 1 (or "Phase 1") of Horace's trippy United States Of Mind series, a series of records on the state of the then-trashed union (proving once again that what goes around, comes around!) Tracks include "The Happy Medium", "Permit Me To Introduce Myself", "Wipe Away the Evil", and "Love Vibrations".

One of the most righteous Horace Silver albums for Blue Note – and a far-reaching, politically-bent batch of tracks that feature vocals by Andy Bey, in a similar style to the work he did on the Gary Bartz records from the time – very hip, and quite different than other jazz vocal work from other singers! Silver plays electric piano on most of the record – and other musicians include Houston Person on tenor and Idris Muhammad on drums – both of whom figure on cuts that feature singer Jackie Verdell replacing Andy Bey. The groove is pretty great throughout – lots of those offbeat lines that you might hear on other Bey albums, warmed up with some of Silver's more familiar soul jazz – and the album is volume 1 (or "Phase 1") of Horace's trippy United States Of Mind series, a series of records on the state of the then-trashed union (proving once again that what goes around, comes around!) Tracks include "The Happy Medium", "Permit Me To Introduce Myself", "Wipe Away the Evil", and "Love Vibrations".

Horace Silver at his most righteous – stepping out here in the amazing Phase 2 of his United States Of The Mind series – with some heavy vocals from the great Andy Bey! The grooves are more complicated than Silver was laying down a few years before – yet still equally soulful – and in addition to vocals by Be, and his sister Salome, the group also features Silver on electric piano, plus Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet & fluegelhorn, Harold Vick on tenor sax, and Bob Cranshaw on bass, Richie Resnicoff on guitar and Mickey Roker on drums – a sweet little combo who really open up with a hip, righteous groove! The titles probably give more information about the tracks than we ever could, and include "Acid, Pot, Or Pills", "Soul Searchin", "What Kind Of Animal Am I", "I've Had A Little Talk", and "Big Business".

Horace Silver at his most righteous – stepping out here in the amazing Phase 2 of his United States Of The Mind series – with some heavy vocals from the great Andy Bey! The grooves are more complicated than Silver was laying down a few years before – yet still equally soulful – and in addition to vocals by Be, and his sister Salome, the group also features Silver on electric piano, plus Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet & fluegelhorn, Harold Vick on tenor sax, and Bob Cranshaw on bass, Richie Resnicoff on guitar and Mickey Roker on drums – a sweet little combo who really open up with a hip, righteous groove! The titles probably give more information about the tracks than we ever could, and include "Acid, Pot, Or Pills", "Soul Searchin", "What Kind Of Animal Am I", "I've Had A Little Talk", and "Big Business".

An amazing document of righteous soul jazz – the full recordings for Horace Silver's United States Of Mind trilogy – done in collaboration with singers Andy and Salome Bey! The sound is completely different from Silver's work of the 60s – very righteous and message-oriented, with lyrics that often express social and political issues of the time – but which are delivered by the singers in a hip style that takes them far beyond their era – so much so, in fact, that all three albums are really only being appreciated to their fullest years later! Most of the recordings feature smaller combo instrumentation from groups that have Silver playing mostly electric piano – alongside musicians that include Randy Brecker, George Coleman, Houston Person, Idris Muhammad, Harold Vick, and Cecil Bridgewater – and overall, the tunes almost feel more like work that would have been issued on the Strata East label, instead of the usual Blue Note grooves of the time. Wonderful to have back out again – especially in this complete version, which features 28 tracks on 2CDs! Titles include "Big Business", "The Happy Medium", "Won't You Open Up Your Senses", "Soul Searchin", "All", "From The Heart Through The Mind", "Total Response", "Cause & Effect", "Wipe Away The Evil", and "Peace".

R&B, gritty blues, and some killer tenor talents – a wicked collection of vintage masters from legendary indie United Records! Musically, the package is very much on a par with Ace/Kent collections of this type – the sort that might feature material from King or Modern/RPM Records from the same vintage – and our hat's off to Delmark for doing such a great job of bringing back these crucially overlooked sounds from Chicago! Titles include "Cool Leo" by Leo Parker", "Cut That Out (alt)" by Junior Wells, "Organ Grinder" by Jimmy Coe, "Walking Home" by JT Brown, "Let's Get High" by Morris Pejoe, "Crazy Walk" by Tab Smith, "In The Dark" by Grant Jones, "Nona" by Paul Bascomb, "Goodbye" by The Pastels, "Tiny's Boogie" by Tiny Grimes, "Sophisticated Lady (alt)" by Jimmy Forrest, and "Come In The Room" by Robert Anderson.

A strange 2LP set – put together in 1971, with a cover and a gatefold format that makes it look like current electric Miles on Columbia, but a track list that features Miles early 50s recordings for Blue Note! The tracks were all recorded by Rudy Van Gelder – and the sessions feature JJ Johnson, Gil Coggins, Art Blakey, Kenny Clarke, Jackie McLean, and Oscar Pettiford. Titles include "Weirdo", "Woody N You", "Lazy Susan", "CTA", "Dear Old Stockholm", "Chance It", "Donna", "Yesterdays", and "The Leap".

George Jones in one of his most classic periods – singles he cut with producer Pappy Daily for United Artists from the early-to-mid 60s – and some of the greatest barroom laments and rave up honky tonk treasures ever! Producer Pappy Daily frames the inherent sorrow, boozy slur and sly pug attitude of The Possum's voice with near-perfect backing of solid waltz patterns, laid down by session legends like Pig Robbins, Grady Martin and Billy Strange – along with effective, ghostly choruses by The Jordanaires. Classics and relatively forgotten gems alike – including "The Race Is On", "She Thinks I Still Care", "Magic Valley", "Big Fool Of The Year", "My Tears Are Overdue", "Your Heart Turned Left (And I Was On The Right)", "Brown To Blue", "Wrong Number", "Least Of All", "World's Worst Lover", "A Good Old Fashioned Cry" and many more. 32 in all!

Incredible choral harmonies – recorded in a way that really captures the intensity of this unique style of spiritual music! The convention features the voices of a hundred or so regular folks – farmers, tradesmen, and their families – all coming together to work through songs from The Sacred Harp – a compendium of four-part hymns that are handled by the members of the group with amazing interplay! The rising voices dip and turn, merge and split – all with a sonic intensity that much more strongly recalls choral modes we know from Eastern Europe or Russia. Alan Lomax had tried to record the convention before, but to no avail – and this 1959 recording marks the one time he was able to capture their magic on record. The package comes with an insert of notes – and was done in conjunction with the Alan Lomax archive!

Willy Mason & Brendon Benson recorded live at United in February of '13.

Live acousic all analogue session featuring Blitzen Trapper.

Northern Soul from the the Harthon Records vaults – rare ones from the Philly scene! "Honey Please Stay" has nice stripped down instrumental arrangements, with piano and bass prominent in the mix with the drums – with the song really taking flight via the strong lead and sweet harmony backing vocals. "Baby Don't Do It" ups the tempo just a bit – and it'sn another great number!

An excellent little collection – one that shows that the Chicago-based United Records label cut vocal work to match the best New York indies in the 50s! The tunes here are mostly jazz, but have some of the harder edges that you'd guess from United's R&B work too – and the singers are all wonderfully top-shelf – a fair bit of names you might not know at all, which makes the package a real revelation to our ears – mixed with rare recordings by a few others, including the first sides ever from Della Reese! Backings are great – tight and jazzy, often with a strong element of bop – and titles include "Never To Cry Again" and "Fallen" by Bixie Crawford, "Until I Fell For You" by Vanita Smythe, "I Can't Forget" and "Somebody Will Understand" by Terry Timmons, "How Deep Is The Ocean" and "A Fool Was I" by Helen Fox with Jimmy Coe, "Mays' Haze" and "Old Mill Stream" by Betty Mays with JJ Johnson & Kai Winding, "Please Wait For Me" by Debbie Andrews, and "Yes Indeed" and "Blue & Orange Birds & Silver Bells" by Della Reese with Jimmy Hamilton.

An unusual version of this album – not the soundtrack, but a special radio promo, recorded on opening night – with interviews with Burt Bacharach and Jerry Orbach – plus snippets from other folks like Neil Simon, Herb Alpert, Sidney Lumet, Ben Gazzara, Milton Berle, and even Burt's parents!

JR's cut some records that have a rootsier feel – but this one features smooth modern arrangements and production by Phil Medley and Buddy Scott. The set begins with an uptempo clubby remake of "Taste of Honey", and also features a nicely grooving take on "Stella By Starlight". Other tracks include "Million To One", "Live Love & Play", "Love & Conversation", and "The Coming Of Your Love".

One of our favorite Ray Barretto albums of the 60s – a real gem from the pre-Latin Soul years! The album's a clear attempt to cash in on the cash in on the James Bond craze of the time – issued by United Artists, who were releasing the Bond films, but also had Ray under contract during the period too. But despite that simple gimmick, it's a great little set – with a quality level that goes way beyond Bond soundtracks, or the usual from Barretto at the time! The tracks are all hard and groovy, with an excellent jazz feel – and some killer arranging from Ray that's right up there with the work he did for his legendary Charanga Moderna album! You may recognize the song titles – but their versions here are superb, and the album's filled with many many wonderful moments that step out with mad rhythms and great jazzy touches. Titles include "Mister Kiss Kiss Bang Bang", "OO7", "Search For Vulcan", "Thunderball", and "Goldfinger". Nice "spy" shot of Ray on the cover, too!

The soundtrack that put John Barry over the top – and to many, THE James Bond soundtrack! The album chills from the first notes of the haunting title theme – the majestic "Goldfinger", sung by Shirley Bassey with a tone that's as dangerous as a razor-sharp hat spinning through the air! Barry then takes over with some wonderful instrumentals – a blend of crime jazz, mood pieces, chase themes, and more – all peppered with that dark dark Bond theme that we love so much! Titles include "Into Miami", "Teasing The Korean", "Alpine Drive", "Bond Back In Action", "Gassing The Gangsters", and "Death Of Goldfinger".

An excellent gimmick – and yet another way that United Artists was trying to push its "Bond" catalog in the 60s! Count Basie brings a soulful swing to the work of John Barry – hitting hard on the tracks with his own smoking piano, and an orchestra filled with some of his best players, like Al Grey, Eric Dixon, and Freddie Green – as well as Eddie Lockjaw Davis, an artist who wasn't credited on the session at he time. Arrangements are by Chico O'Farrill and George Williams – and titles include "Thunderball", "From Russia With Love", "007", "Girl Trouble", and "Goldfinger".

Six albums in, and these guys still aren't losing their groove – and if anything, they seem to be getting even tighter and funkier with the 80s groove generation! Randy Muller's still the main man making things happen here – giving the group their trademark horn sound, and that fantastically tight approach to rhythm – one that's very much inherited from the early BT Express groove, but which is almost sharper and more mature. There's a lean quality to these tracks that's quite surprising, given the nine piece lineup of the group – but that's very much the Muller touch, and its in full force here. Titles include "Do Ya", "Working Harder Every Day", "We Can Do It", "I'm Not Gonna Stop", "Don't Try To Change Me", and "We Are Brass".

15 classic tracks from Brass Construction – featuring mid 70s tunes lifted from the group's well-selling albums on United Artists! The tracks are a blend of disco, soul, and funk – with more than a bit of the horn-heavy groove that earns the group their "brass construction" name. Titles include "Movin", "Good News", "Changin", "What's On Your Mind", "Walkin The Line", "Ha Cha Cha (Funktion)", "Give & Take", "Help Yourself", "LOVEU", and "The Message".

A classic set that goes "slam" from the very first note – and which helped to set the pace for countless ensemble funk acts to come! Brass Construction had a wonderful sound that was the best-realized version of the east coast indie club combos of the mid 70s – funky at the bottom, but polished at the top, in a style that was equally appreciated by fans of disco and more classic funky soul! The "brass" in their title was certainly strongly supported – as the group used a brace of horns on the top of the mix, smoothly gliding over the choppier rhythms at the bottom. And while there's certainly some vocals on the set, they often take second stage to the tight instrumentation of the group! The set includes the classic "Movin" – virtually a blueprint for mainstream funk at the time – plus the tracks "Changin", "Love", "Talkin", "Dance", and "Peekin".

The second album from Brass Construction – heavy horns, basslines, and stellar dancefloor grooves – a stone classic! The first one was totally great, but they cast a wider stylistic claim on II – their trademark funky sound is still very firmly in place, but they bring more to the plate. The rhythms and percussion have a more globally steeped flare at points on the album, and there's a more smoldering, slightly mellower vibe on some tracks, without sacrificing the funk. The whole thing's fused together wonderfully – with the larger group moving with the energy a much smaller combo – and titles include "Sambo", "Screwed", "Get To The Point", "What's On Your Mind", and "Now Is Tomorrow".

Quite obscure later work from Maxine – done in a style that's partly like her classic uptown soul work for Wand, but which also has some more down-home and rootsy moments – in an approach that was clearly intended to make her come across as more of a hard soul singer! Arrangements are by Bert De Coteaux, and all very strong throughout – with a level of quality that matches the Atlantic sort of session of this type, which was probably what Bert was aiming for! Titles include the single "We'll Cry Together", plus "Piece Of My Heart", "See & Don't See", "Reason To Believe", "You're The Reason I'm Leaving", and "Didn't You Know".

Arranged by Leroy Holmes and Arnold Goland – and titles include "Two Strangers In The City", "The Same Old You", "Strangers In The Night", "The More I See You", and "The Wishing Doll".

This is a repackaged version of an album that was originally issued under Cecil Taylor's name, under the title Hard Drive (and later Stereo Drive, or something like that). The record brings together two of the late 50's most promising modernists – Cecil Taylor and John Coltrane – in a group that includes Kenny Dorham, Chuck Israels, and Louis Hayes. The music is a startling mix of styles – as Taylor's heavy piano clashes noisily with Trane's free flowing lines on the tenor. It doesn't always work, but it's well worth a listen, and stands as a critical meeting of two important talents that were both best known on their own. Tracks include "Shifting Down", "Double Clutching", and "Just Friends".

A wonderful album from this enigmatic soul group! Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose were one of a handful of early 70s groups – like Chairmen Of The Board or 100 Proof Aged In Soul – who had a sound that was incredibly hard to peg. There were bits of southern rawness in the vocals, but the overall approach also had plenty of elements of smoother Northern Soul, and wasn't afraid to use strings or uptown arrangements when they were needed. This album's their best, and features 10 tracks written by Eddie Cornelius, plus a great little cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together". Tracks include the sublime easy soul number "Too Late To Turn Back Now", choppy odd groover "Treat Her Like A Lady", and the cuts "Gonna Be Sweet For You", "Let Me Down Easy", and "Lift Your Love Higher".

Post-Blues Magoos work by the team of Joey Stec and Ralph Scala – both of whom bring a lot of the late Magoos energy to these sides originally recorded for United Artists in the early 70s! The work's got a blend of blues, rock, and soul influences – all done with more proficiency than the early Magoos sides, but still rough and raw enough to keep their core interests shining through. Titles include "Don't Blame Me", "Loving You More", "Give Me Love", "Get It Get It", "I Take What I Want", "I've Got No Time", and "Baby Don't Cry".

The creepy creepy soundtrack to Carrie – penned by Pino Donagio with a wonderful mix of the sweet and the sickly! Things start out lush, almost romantic at points – setting us up for a big fall as the darker, more horrific moments come into the mix – put together with some great atonal orchestrations that almost feel like they were lifted from Italian films of the time – getting increasingly dramatic as the story moves on! There's also a few proto-disco numbers that offer a nice respite – almost funky club numbers that were most likely used in the high school dance scene – and this CD debut of the music was remastered entirely from the master tapes, and brings together all the music in the correct film order – with bonus tracks too. Titles include the vocal numbers "Born To Have It All" and "I Never Dreamed Someone Like You Could Love Someone Like Me" – plus "Carrie Returns Home", "Carrie & Miss Collins", "The Principal's Office/The Ashtray", "The Tuxedo Shop", and "The Retribution".

Dang, who the heck are these guys? They're great! The Exportations seem to have only popped up for this one album, but they've got a solid harmony soul sound that's right up there with the best groups of the 70s – and which in fact feels a lot more like indie work from the early part of the decade than you'd guess from their placement on United Artists, and the 1978 date of this LP. They appear to be a Detroit group, and they've got a great talent for mixing the rough and the smooth – in the manner of The Dramatics best work of the time. Titles include "Main Ingredient", "You've Been A Long Time Coming", "Kiss Me Love", "Strange Sensations", and "Music". Great harmony soul – and a record you'll treasure as much as any indie session of its type!

One of the nicest albums that Ferrante & Teicher cut for United Artists! The record has bits of prepared piano over exotic backings – perhaps not as crazy as some of their albums for Westminster, but still with some good off-beat touches that make the album one of the few that's really worth seeking out by them. Plus, the Exotica arrangements give the piano pair a different sound than usual – a bit less staid, with a pretty nice batch pad groove. Titles include "Taboo", "Shangri La", "Moon Of Manakoora", "Negligee", "Jungle Drums", and "Adventures In Paradise".

A standout 60s soundtrack from the great Manos Hadjidakis – penned for a heist thriller from director Jules Dassin! The music follows slightly off the Dassin/Hadjidakis pairing on Never On A Sunday – using lots of familiar Greek elements, but moving these into more complicated film score modes as well – particularly on some of the cool mood-setting numbers you'd find in a heist film of this vintage – a surprisingly great setting for some of the more exotic moments in the music. There's plenty of bazuki in the mix, and some nice percussion too – and titles include "Meet Hans", "Istanbul", "Meet Arthur Simpson", "Main Title", "On The Road", and "The Road To Riches".

What a movie! Bob Hope, Frankie Avalon, and Tuesday Weld on the same screen! But even better, the great Jimmie Haskell handled the music – and he comes up with some excellent touches that make the record groove a bit more than many of its contemporaries. Jimmy contributes some cool instrumental tunes that pop organ, guitars, and drums around other instrumentation – and also brings a nicely syncopated approach to vocal numbers by members of the cast, giving them the punch of some of his work for Reprise at the time. Frankie sings "I'll Take Sweden", "Would Ya Like My Last Name", and "The Bells Keep Ringin"; Tuesday sings "Give It To Me"; and Bob does "Nothing Can Compare With You" over instrumentations that sound a lot like Dean Martin's at the time. Instrumental titles include "Watusi Jo", "Kissin Polka", "I'll Take Sweden", and "The Bells Keep Ringin".

Quite possibly the best album ever from funky maestro Monk Higgins! The record's got some of his tighest work of the time – with plenty of tight breaks, nice keyboards, and soulful sax riffs – and Monk is going full-out on the arrangements, in the manner that he used for his best late Blue Note work with The Three Sounds or Blue Mitchell. The group's listed as "The Specialties" on the cover, and they vamp along nicely, like some of Monk's funky groups from the late 60s funky 45 days. Titles include "Gotta Be Funky", "Big Water Bed", "Up On The Hill", "Last Flight To Dallas", and "Libra's Way".

The title's a bit misleading – as the set's not exactly the stuff of hits – but it is a wicked collection of material that ZZ Hill recorded for United Artists Records in the early 70s – sublime southern soul, finally getting its due in this reissue package! Hill's style here owes a lot to some of the Memphis singers of the 60s – especially Otis Redding and Bobby Blue Bland, both of whom would be welcome references here – although ZZ's also stepping out strongly with his own bad self as well – putting in a bit more punch, and hipping things up for a 70s market that had southern soul audiences stretching way up north and out west too. There's also none of the blues modes that Hill adopted in later years – which is great if you've only heard his Malaco dates – and titles include "Bad Mouth & Gossip", "I Created A Monster", "I Don't Need Half A Love", "Ain't Nothing You Can Do", "Am I Groovin You", "Look What You've Done", "That Ain't The Way You Make Love", "Snap Your Fingers", "Can I Get A Witness", and "Dream Don't Let Me Down".

Snap your fingers to a pair of great albums by ZZ Hill for United Artists! The Best Thing That's Happened To Me is one of his best of ZZ's albums – recorded with a really tight down-home feel, and a style that's maybe even a bit more straight southern soul than some of his albums on smaller labels! Arrangements are by Arthur Wright, and they've got lots of warm touches that really work perfectly with ZZ's vocals – pushing the whole album to a top-shelf level, and making it a lost treasure of southern soul that we'd rank with the best of the genre from the time! Titles include "Your Love Makes Me Feel Good", "Cause I Love You", "Friendship Only Goes So Far", "You Were Wrong", and "I've Got To Get You Back". ZZ is more standout l – another of the few albums he cut for United Artists in the early 70s, all of them great! The set's got a really tight tight feel – recorded at Fame Studios with a warm and lean style that pushes ZZ past the blusier roots of earlier sides, into a completely on top 70s southern soul sort of approach. The backing group is filled with great instrumentalists, the songs are all fresh and without cliché, and ZZ himself really steps up with some incredibly well-placed vocals. Titles include "You're Killing Me", "The Best I Ever Had", "Clean Up America", "It Ain't Safe", and "Let Them Talk".

An excellent Quincy Jones score that stands head and shoulders above the soundtrack to the first film in this series, In The Heat Of The Night. Q is in fine fine form with this material – adding in a lot more funk than before, to fit the uptown theme of the film. There's lots of nice jazzy tracks on the record, and some tight funky ones that made the soundtrack virtually a blueprint for the blacksploitation sound of the 70s! Titles include "Soul Flower", "Call Me Mr. Tibbs", "Black Cherry", "Blues For Mr. Tibbs", and "Fat Poppadaddy".

A very strange little record – composed for a very strange film directed by Allen "Candid Camera" Funt – in which people are surprised by a nude woman, and have to react accordingly. There's a lot of tunes on here that have an almost Harper's Bizarre feel – that kind of "sweet, but dark inside" style that we love from late 60s rock albums on Warner Brothers. The mood changes from track to track, to fit the situations of the scenes – and there's plenty of great tunes on here with sweet or groovy vocals and a hip easy soft pop style. Titles include "Kids", "Too Bad You Can't Read My Mind", "Pardon Me", "Let's Get Down To It", "What Do You Say To A Naked Lady", and "Hail To Humanity".

Sparkling work from singer Irene Kral – and possibly the best album she ever cut! The backings here are by the Herb Pomeroy group – a slightly modern ensemble that still knows how to swing with a good dose of Boston soul – and the overall feel of the album's a lot more forceful than some of Irene's other albums, packing a punch we didn't know she had, and which we're happy to hear! There's a few cooler overtones here – somewhat in the June Christie mode – but overall the sound is upbeat, full, and swinging – served up with in arrangements by Ernie Wilkins and Al Cohn. Titles include "This Little Love", "What's Right For You", "Comes Love", "Lazy Afternoon", "I'd Know You Anywhere", and "It Isn't So Good".

An amazing version of this one – the core soundtrack really expanded with a lot of extra from the film, not just the record – and presented here as a 2CD set with loads of extra source music, alternate takes, and cues as well! The core version of Happy Ending is a real slice of genius from Michel Legrand – one of his brilliant late 60s soundtracks, not as well remembered as, but cut during the same period as The Thomas Crown Affair. The soundtrack is probably best remembered for the incredible theme "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life" – sung here in 2 versions by Michael Dees, and also served up in a nice instrumental take as well. But overall, the whole record is pretty darn great – not as out and out groovy as some of Legrand's other work, but with a great mix of moody, jazzy, and atmospheric – handled with some really great instrumental touches that are all Legrand, all the way! Titles include "Smooth Sailing", "Collage", "Diamonds Are Forever", "Floating Time", "Hurry Up N Hurry Down", and "Whistle While You Swing". 2CD version features all the material unearthed for that very limited MGM box set a few years ago, a total of 48 tracks in all – with other gems that include "Soft Sell", "Till Death Do Us Part/That Trapped Feeling", "Bahama Blues", "The Stripper", "Reconciliation", and "It Ought To Be Forever".

Great stuff! This is the "alternate" version of Michel Legrand's great score to Les Demoiselles De Rochefort – and it's totally great all the way through! The whole thing's nice and jazzy, totally swinging, and has a groove that you don't get in some of Legrand's other work. We've been listening to this for years, and it's never dulled on us. Very groovy, very Frenchy, and very tough to find. Titles include "Chanson De Simon", "Les Rencontres", "Toujours Jamais", "De Dephine A Lancien", "Nous Voyageons De Ville en Ville", and "Marins, Amis, Amants, Ou Maris".

The late 50's work of Max Roach is some of the most crucially overlooked material in the history of modern jazz. His various groups at the time were filled with some of the brightest young players of the time – like George Coleman, Julian Priester, and Booker Little – all of whom were firmly rooted in a bop tradition, yet also committed to pushing the envelope of the music whenever they could. This 1958 United Artists album by Little is virtually a Roach session, and features group members Coleman and Little, plus Art Davis and Tommy Flanagan – all of whom fall perfectly into line behind Roach's masterful drumming on tracks like "Rounder's Mood", "Dungeon Waltz", and "Jewel's Tempo".

A funky classic from Galt MacDermot! The record is Galt's score for the blacksploitation film that starred Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St Jacques – and it's a mix of vocal and instrumental tunes that takes off from the sound of his late 60s work. Melba Moore sings on a few cuts – and others have lyrics sung by George Tipton, Sakinah, Leta Galloway, and Denise Dillpena, mostly in a early 70s pop soul sort of mode. The instrumentals are actually the best bits, though – with those odd little rhythms that Galt could hit when he really wanted to! Titles include "Man In Distress", "Harlem Medley", "Black Enough", "Stockyard", "Deke", "Ed & Digger", "Coffin Ed & Gravedigger", and "Harlem By Day".

A funky classic from Galt MacDermot! The record is Galt's score for the blacksploitation film that starred Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St Jacques – and it's a mix of vocal and instrumental tunes that takes off from the sound of his late 60s work. Melba Moore sings on a few cuts – and others have lyrics sung by George Tipton, Sakinah, Leta Galloway, and Denise Dillpena, mostly in a early 70s pop soul sort of mode. The instrumentals are actually the best bits, though – with those odd little rhythms that Galt could hit when he really wanted to! Titles include "Man In Distress", "Harlem Medley", "Black Enough", "Stockyard", "Deke", "Ed & Digger", "Coffin Ed & Gravedigger", and "Harlem By Day".

A tasty set from Mandrill – one of their first records away from the Polydor label, but every bit as great as later efforts for that company, especially Mandrilland. The overall sound is a bit smoother than some of their full-out funky albums – but in a way that really helps blend together the band's unique mix of soul, Latin, and Afro-percussion grooves. Titles include "Stop & Go", "Yucca Jump", "Wind On Horseback", "Tee Vee", and "Peck Ya Neck".

Features tracks from Mulligan's work on I Want To Live – and Brookmeyer's Kansas City Revisited album. Bob's also listed as "Bobbie" on the cover!

The first James Bond soundtrack – pre-John Barry, but already showing Bond music as a genre unto itself! Monty Norman handles the music – and brings together some cool Caribbean sounds with familiar jazz riffs – a blend that showcases the Jamaican setting of the main narrative, but also paves the way for lots of spy jazz to come! Titles include "James Bond Theme", "Under The Mango Tree", "Jamaica Jazz", "Dr No's Fantasy", "The Boy Chase", "Love At Last", and "The Island Speaks".

Nice mellow LA funk, played by Lee Oskar with help from a lot of his bandmates in the group War. The sound is similar to some of War's Chicano funk grooves – but with some very nicely punctuated rhythms that have the drums snapping out more than on War's albums from the time. Oskar's harmonica playing is processed in a very cool way that almost completely hides its origins, and which gives it a lot of cool sounds and tones that you wouldn't expect. Titles include "The Journey", "BLT", "The Promised Land", and the nice nice "Down The Nile".

Ambitious fusion work from Gian Piero Reverberi – an Italian keyboardist with a really sweet sound! The set's kind of in a disco-fusion mode, with some slightly more serious touches – and a few of the tracks on the album have a nice laidback and funky approach, thanks to drums from Tullio De Piscopo, the percussionist who went onto cut some of his own great singles in later years! Includes the electric groover "Windy Wendy", a nice cover of "Stairway To Heaven", and the tracks "Bahia", "Angel Drops", "Muni's Mood", and "Innervoice".

Groovy steel band cuts – sweet takes on "Aquarius", "Everybody's Talkin", "Popi", and "Oh Calcutta"!

Trumpeter Rex Stewart heads a great lineup of players from the Fletcher Henderson band – including Joe Thomas and Taft Jordan on trumpets, Benny Morton and Dicky Wells on tormbones, Buddy Tate and Hilton Jefferson on saxes, and Red Richards on piano!

A monster from start to finish – not only the greatest album from War, but maybe one of the greatest mainstream funk albums of all time! The set's got a really unique groove – one that so many others tried to copy, but which was forged here first – in a wicked LA blend of Chicano funk, heavy organ lines, and soulful singing that sews the whole thing together perfectly. Just about every cut is upbeat and funky – rolling along at that low-rider pace that was War's lasting contribution to funk music – and the album features the huge hits "World Is A Ghetto" and "Cisco Kid", two of the brightest spots on radio funk from the 70s – plus classics like "Four Cornered Room", "City Country City", "Where Was You At", and "Beetles In The Bog".

Classic work by War! "World Is A Ghetto" is a great one – the title track to one of their best albums, and a soulful classic that never quits. Almost nicer is "Four Cornered Room" – a slow building tripped-out track, with percussion, weird "rocket" guitar sounds, stoned-out chanting, and other nice elements that make the cut a great one!

One of the best blacksploitation soundtracks of the early 70's – not only for the great title cut by Bobby Womack, "Across 110th Street", but for the excellent hard-hitting instrumentals by J.J. Johnson, which are perfectly in the groove of the blacksploitation generation! Lots of wah-wah guitar, funky keys, and tight riffing by the band – especially on the cuts "Harlem Clavinette", "Hang On in There", and "Harlem Love Theme". Also features "Do It Right" and another vocal version of "Hang On In There", both by Bobby.

Perfect pivotal Bobby! The record still has the raspy southern soul edge of earlier albums, but it benefits from some great smooth funky backing, laid down at Muscle Shoals with a host of legendary studio giants like Clayton Ivey, Roger Hawkins, Jimmy Johnson, and Truman Thomas. Includes killer funky stepper "You're Welcome, Stop On By", which has been sampled and covered many times over the years – plus "I Don't Wanna Be Hurt By Ya Love Again", "Let It Hang Out", "Lookin For A Love", "Doing It My Way", and "Don't Let Me Down".

Killer 70s work from Bobby Womack – reinventing himself here in a great style that keeps all the warmth and soulfulness of his Minit recordings, and gives it a healthy dose of 70s soul production – creating a sweet new groove that pushed Womack into a huge new audience at the time! Bobby strikes a perfect balance here – keeping things hip, but also tightening things up too – yet never by getting too smooth or too commercial. The result is a great batch of tracks that includes classics like "I Can Understand It", "Woman's Gotta Have it", and "Harry Hippy" – as well as a nice version of "Sweet Caroline", and Jimmy Lewis' great "Got To Get You Back".

It's a little-known fact that Memphis had a huge influence on the sound of late 50s/early 60s soul jazz – probably because most of the city's best players had to leave and go either to Chicago or New York to make their name. This set's a great reminder of that fact, as it brings together an important batch of players, most of them only freshly departed from Memphis at the time of the session – an assemblage that includes Frank Strozier, Phineas Newborn, Booker Little, Louis Smith, George Coleman, and Calvin Newborn. The tracks are long open-ended blowing session tunes – very different than the usual format for just about every player involved, which also makes for quite a striking record. Titles include very long takes on "Blue N Boogie", "Star Eyes", "After Hours", and "Things Ain't What They Used To Be".

A pair of hip 70s albums from the team of Ferrante & Teicher – back to back on one CD! In A Soulful Mood is a surprisingly soulful set from the team of Ferrante & Teicher – filled with lush instrumentals that mix their piano-heavy technique with some seductive 70s grooves! George Butler heads up the record on production, and definitely draws from some of his best orchestrated jazz albums of the time – bringing in currents you might not normally expect from the aging pair – and, in a way, making the larger orchestrations more of the lead than the keyboards. Although we've also got to admit, F&T play some sweet Fender Rhodes at times – on titles that include great 70s soul covers – like "Love's Theme", "Break Up To Make Up", "You Are Everything", "I'm Stone In Love With You", and "Betcha By Golly Wow" – plus an original called "Hong Kong Soul Brother", which has a nice funky soundtrack vibe! Killing Me Softly is a set that's heavy on strings, but still has some of the nice punch you'd find in the best Ferrante & Teicher albums of the 70s – done in conjunction with producer George Butler, but still with some traces of the old days too! The piano is mostly acoustic, and arrangements often have that lush mode the duo used when a bit less pyrotechnic – but there's a few gently funky numbers that still round out the set nicely. Titles include "Ben", "Also Sprach Zarathustra", "Seesaw", "Night Sounds", "Try Again", and "Living Together Growing Together".

A mid 70s masterpiece of heavy space rock from Hawkwind – one of their best albums ever! The sci fi errata that was always such crucial element to Hawkwind's ouvre is of course, still here in force, but the heavier, more insistent and lumbering groove really serves them well – spacey, hard rocking fun from legendary group that sounds as great here as they ever would on a studio album! Includes "The Psychedelic Warlords (Disappear In Smoke)", "D-Rider", "Web Weaver", "Goat Willow", "Paradox", "Lost Johnny" and more, plus "You'd Better Believe It (Single Version)", "Paradox (Single Version)", "The Psychedelic Warlords (Disappear In Smoke) (Single Version)" and "It's So Easy".