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Spacey fingerstyle guitar meanderings from Robbie Basho – a contemporary of John Fahey who helped create the genre of tripped out, open tuning excursions! This album was recorded after Basho's early work for the Takoma label, and it's got a bit less Native American imagery than before – replaced with more of a sense of Eastern mysticism for inspiration that also features some vocals alongside the guitar! Titles include "Venus In Cancer", "Eagle Sails The Blue Diamond Waters", "Kowaka D'Amour", "Song For The Queen", "Cathedrals Et Fleur De Lis" and "Wine Song (Sweet Wine Of Love)".

A nice bit of space age disco fantasy from Boney M – a set that's got a few more electronic touches than some of the group's other records, but which still continues in a straight ahead poppy vein! There's a sound here that's arguably a bit more sophisticated than before – especially on some of the rhythms, which almost hint at Bohannon like complexity at the bottom. There's almost a bit more club appeal than you might expect – although other tunes are definitely more the stuff of hotel lobby dancefloors than warehouse parties in New York. Titles include "King Of The Road", "Nightflight To Venus", "Voodoonight", "Brown Girl In the Ring", "Heart Of Gold", and the hit version of "Rivers Of Babylon".

A later date from altoist Richie Cole – the player who first grabbed our attention during his Muse Records years of the 70s! The set features Vic Juris playing guitar – an old labelmate from the Muse years – and the mix of guitar and alto in the frontline makes for some unusual grooves that open up a whole new side of Cole's sound – one that's still plenty sharp on the edges when it wants to be, but which also has almost more of a rhythmic pulse than before! Other instrumentation includes Lou Forestieri on piano, Ed Howard on bass, Tommy Campbell on drums, and Ray Mantilla on percussion – and titles include great versions of West Side Story tunes like "Cool & Jet Song", "Maria", "Something's Coming", "I Feel Pretty", and "Somewhere".

Here's where it started getting weird for Bolan & T Rex – with strange bits of soul and other elements in the shiny, spacey veneer! Includes "Venus Loon", "Sound Pit", "Galaxy", "Change", "Teenage Dream", "Interstellar Soul", "The Meathawk Immaculate", "Nameless Wildness", "Liquid Gang", "The Leopards Featuring Gerdenia & The Mighty Slug" and more.

Lo Borges looks surprisingly youthful in the artwork for this CD – and his music sounds the same – every bit as fresh and personal as when he first sprang onto the scene with Milton Nascimento at the start of the 70s! As with other recent efforts, the songwriting is superb – as thoughtful as ever, and put together with a gentle sort of cohesion that really makes the whole thing shine – amazingly subtle, and still some of the most naturalistic material you'll ever hear from Brazil! Production is very much up to the task, with a timeless quality that makes the record feel like some of Borges' best material from decades past. Titles include "Antes Do Sol", "On Venus", "De Mais Ninguem", "Xanana", "Da Nossa Criacao", "Quem Me Chama", and "Cancao Mais Alem".

Brilliant basswork from Henry Franklin – one of the hippest cats handling his instrument on the west coast in the 70s – working here with a wicked ensemble of soulful, righteous players! Franlin's bass sets the tone of the record right from the very first note – but the album's a very collaborative effort, too – and features Oscar Brashear on trumpet, Charles Owens on tenor, Bill Henderson on soprano sax, Ndugu Chancler on drums, and Kirk Lightsey on both piano and flute! The legendary David Durrah plays piano on two tracks – his own "Waltz for "Boobuss" and "Venus Fly Trap" – and the Sisters Happiness sing vocals on the latter cut, too. Other titles include "Blue Lights", "Soft Spirit", and a version of Chick Corea's "What Was".

A pretty odd little record from Gloria Jones – a great soul singer back in the 60s when she was pounding out the hard northern numbers, but not so great here, where she's in an odd style that mixes disco with a hard soul approach, and just doesn't work. The "Reunited" in the title refers to Gloria and Ed Cobb – her producer on earlier records, and the force behind this effort. Gloria had previously spent time working in the group T Rex and was married to the late Marc Bolan – and she dedicates the painful number "Sixty Minutes Of Making Love" to their time together. Features a remake of Gloria's original hit "Tainted Love", plus "Body Heat", "The Touch Of Venus", and "I'm Going To Run Away With Him Tonight".

Always-lovely work from Sabrina Malheiros – serving up a sublime blend of Brazilian roots and soulful overtones – a style that's easily made her one of the best artists on the Far Out label over the years! Sabrina's got a family lineage that traces back to Azymuth – and the music here has the similar blend of fusion instrumentation, earthy Brazilian percussion, and soaring American soul that you'll find in the best classics by that group – all with the added special spark that comes from her sweet vocals too! Production and arrangements are by Daniel Venom Maunick, who brings in a slight dose of Incognito soul too – really making for a record that's quite possibly the best we've heard from Sabrina so far – and that's saying a heck of a lot. Titles include "Lirio De Venus", "Bobeira", "Opara", "Candeia", "Fragil", "Can't Hide Love", "Primeira", and "Paranoia".

Weird and wild work from producer/performer Jean-Pierre Massiera – the force behind Les Maledictus Sound, and an even crazier talent on his own! The tracks on this first volume are completely over the top – a psychotic, psychedelic blend of fuzzy guitars, rough percussion, spare electronics, and occasional funky touches – sometimes topped with some even weirder vocals that further trip out the sound, and push things into territory that almost makes the Cherrystones compilations sound mainstream. Massiera clearly has plenty of skills in the studio – as the production here is as imaginative as the vocals and instrumentation – and work on the set is by a variety of artists, with titles that include "Bizarre" by Les Chats, "Space Woman" by Herman's Rocket, "Space Inferno" by Venus Gang, "Engins Bizarres Et Gens Etranges" by Basile, "La Turbie Piranhienne" by Piranhas, "Psychose" by Les Monegasques, "Jingle Jungle" by Starlights, and "Dali Court" and "Plus Jamais Ca" by Jean-Pierre himself!

One of the most striking records so far from the mighty Rob Mazurek – a set that makes us more than glad we've been following his musical journey for the past two decades! The set's got a nicely compressed feel – one that takes some of the looser energy that's been bubbling up in recent Mazurek records, and delivers it in a tight quartet format – with Rob's sparkling cornet in the lead, amidst great piano from Angelica Sanchez, bass from Matt Lux, and drums from John Herndon! Given the wide resumes of all players, there's a really shifting sense of sound here – one that's bold one minute, introspective the next – and never falls into too-familiar jazz phrasing modes. Yet Mazurek's also really matured as a player, too – working here with a sensitivity we never would have expected years ago – captured with great clarity in the recording. Titles include "Magic Saturn", "Spiritual Mars", "Twister Uranus", "Spanish Venus", "Folk Song Neptune", and "Spiral Mercury".

One of the most striking records so far from the mighty Rob Mazurek – a set that makes us more than glad we've been following his musical journey for the past two decades! The set's got a nicely compressed feel – one that takes some of the looser energy that's been bubbling up in recent Mazurek records, and delivers it in a tight quartet format – with Rob's sparkling cornet in the lead, amidst great piano from Angelica Sanchez, bass from Matt Lux, and drums from John Herndon! Given the wide resumes of all players, there's a really shifting sense of sound here – one that's bold one minute, introspective the next – and never falls into too-familiar jazz phrasing modes. Yet Mazurek's also really matured as a player, too – working here with a sensitivity we never would have expected years ago – captured with great clarity in the recording. Titles include "Magic Saturn", "Twister Uranus", "Spanish Venus", "Folk Song Neptune", "Primitvie Jupiter" and "Spiral Mercury".

One of the greatest Blue Note albums of all time! Hank Mobley leads an incredibly soulful group that includes Lee Morgan, Curtis Fuller, McCoy Tyner, and Billy Higgins – and the group plays this amazing mix of soul jazz and modal grooves that is hardly matched by anything else in the Blue Note catalog. Every cut is a winner, and titles include "Venus Di Mildew", "The Morning After", and "Ace Duce Trey". Fantastic material all the way through, with tracks that will stay in your head for years – and one of the greatest jazz album covers ever!

One of the biggest 70s moments from underground club maestro Patrick Adams – an amazing talent who's best known for his work on his own P&P family of record labels – but who steps out here with an even tighter sound! The album's brimming with the sorts of sweet moogy touches that Adams always brought to his work – that heavy use of cosmic keyboards that's continued to have a huge influence for years to come. But in addition to the spacey disco grooves on the bottom, the set's also got some great vocal help too – as Patrick brings in some heavy talents from the underground – including Leroy Burgess, Venus Dodson, and Donna McGhee – all of whom add a heck of a lot to the set! Titles include the seminal club track "Weekend", plus "I'm A Big Freak", "Have A Good Day", "Everybody Loves A Good Thing", "May My Love Be With You" and "Much Too Much".

One of the biggest 70s moments from underground club maestro Patrick Adams – an amazing talent who's best known for his work on his own P&P family of record labels – but who steps out here with an even tighter sound! The album's brimming with the sorts of sweet moogy touches that Adams always brought to his work – that heavy use of cosmic keyboards that's continued to have a huge influence for years to come. But in addition to the spacey disco grooves on the bottom, the set's also got some great vocal help too – as Patrick brings in some heavy talents from the underground – including Leroy Burgess, Venus Dodson, and Donna McGhee – all of whom add a heck of a lot to the set! Titles include the seminal club track "Weekend", plus "I'm A Big Freak", "Have A Good Day", "Everybody Loves A Good Thing", "May My Love Be With You" and "Much Too Much".

The Silver Convention are still recording in Germany here, but they're getting some great help from John Monster Davis – who seems to warm the grooves up a bit more than before, and give the album a nicely needed dose of soul! The song format is similar to their hits – three lead ladies singing the vocals, often with a bit more personality and presence than other pop disco trios – and as with many German disco albums of the time, there's a bit of thematic unity to the record, although it always takes second place to the groove. Titles include "Breakfast In Bed", "City In The Sun", "Get It Up", "Spend The Night With Me", and "Mission To Venus".

The masterful debut of Television! Marquee Moon is indisputably one of best records to come out of late 70s NYC . It's truly a singular achievement – one of the few records that seems to be on every rock literati's list of the all-time-bests – and actually deserves every bit of praise it gets! The guitars and vocals are bristling with all the post-punk energy of the lower east side in the 70s – but stands out for the off kilter melodicism and the extraordinary guitar heroism, courtesy Tom Verlaine. A genuine classic! Includes "See No Evil", "Venus", "Friction", "Marquee Moon", "Elevation", "Guiding Light", "Prove It" and "Torn Curtain".

Delicate dissonance, bruised beauty, and hazy noise pop – all in one of the best rock albums ever made – the amazing first album from the Velvet Underground and Nico! The album's the stuff of legend – and for good reason, too – a surprising slab of vinyl that barely set the world on its ear when first issued back in the mid 60s – yet a record that's gone onto have an influence felt for decades to come – arguably one of the most important rock records of all time. There's a really sinister edge to the record, even when things are sweet – and the range of subject matter and handling here is brilliant – from the dream pop slice of heaven "Sunday Morning", the melodic bitterness of "Femme Fatale", the massive White Light-esque freakout "European Son", and the sublime "Heroin" – quite possibly the inspiration for generations of drug use to come. The whole thing's a classic – with wonderful vocals from both Nico and Lou Reed – and titles include "Venus In Furs", "Run Run Run", "Black Angel's Death Song", "I'll Be Your Mirror", and "All Tomorrow's Parties".

Delicate dissonance, bruised beauty, and hazy noise pop – all in one of the best rock albums ever made – the amazing first album from the Velvet Underground and Nico! The album's the stuff of legend – and for good reason, too – a surprising slab of vinyl that barely set the world on its ear when first issued back in the mid 60s – yet a record that's gone onto have an influence felt for decades to come – arguably one of the most important rock records of all time. There's a really sinister edge to the record, even when things are sweet – and the range of subject matter and handling here is brilliant – from the dream pop slice of heaven "Sunday Morning", the melodic bitterness of "Femme Fatale", the massive White Light-esque freakout "European Son", and the sublime "Heroin" – quite possibly the inspiration for generations of drug use to come. The whole thing's a classic – with wonderful vocals from both Nico and Lou Reed – and titles include "Venus In Furs", "Run Run Run", "Black Angel's Death Song", "I'll Be Your Mirror", and "All Tomorrow's Parties". 2CD versions features 9 tracks from Scepter Studios sessions from 1966, 6 tracks from Factory Rehearsals in 1966, the stereo version of the album, and 5 alternate versions that include "All Tomorrow's Parties (alt single voice version)", "Heroin (alt version)", "European Son (alt version)", "I'll Be Your Mirror (alt mix)", and "All Tomorrow's Parties (alt inst mix)".

Delicate dissonance, bruised beauty, and hazy noise pop – all in one of the best rock albums ever made – the amazing first album from the Velvet Underground and Nico! The album's the stuff of legend – and for good reason, too – a surprising slab of vinyl that barely set the world on its ear when first issued back in the mid 60s – yet a record that's gone onto have an influence felt for decades to come – arguably one of the most important rock records of all time. There's a really sinister edge to the record, even when things are sweet – and the range of subject matter and handling here is brilliant – from the dream pop slice of heaven "Sunday Morning", the melodic bitterness of "Femme Fatale", the massive White Light-esque freakout "European Son", and the sublime "Heroin" – quite possibly the inspiration for generations of drug use to come. The whole thing's a classic – with wonderful vocals from both Nico and Lou Reed – and titles include "Venus In Furs", "Run Run Run", "Black Angel's Death Song", "I'll Be Your Mirror", and "All Tomorrow's Parties".

Tracks by Vivian Green, Goapele, Joe McDuphrey, Lizz Fields, Jay Z, Common Thread, Urban Ave 31, India Arie, Venus Malone, Detroit Experiment, Floetry, Little Brother, Angela Johnson, Fertile Ground, Jazzanova, Donnie, Common, Blaze, and Peven Everett. 35 tracks in all!!

Funky keyboards galore – and one of the greatest records ever from this legendary Brazilian jazz talent! The album follows nicely off Deodato's Prelude classic for CTI – and like that one, this set's built on long-flowing tunes that rise and fall with a wonderful sense of rhythm – a sublime electric piano groove that's quite different than anything Deodato recorded before – and possibly never realized this perfectly again after his CTI years. Other players include Stanley Clarke on bass, Billy Cobham on drums, and Hubert Laws on flute – and titles include the massive Latin funk track "Super Strut", plus the tunes "Pavane For A Dead Princess", "Skyscrapers", and a great version of "Nights In White Satin". Plus, this CD reissue features 3 bonus tracks – "Venus", "Do It Again", and "Latin Flute"!

Legendary work from Miles Davis – large group sessions that virtually define the "cool" in cool jazz! The work's quite different from Davis' earlier bop sides with Charlie Parker – and show a distinct influence from modernists like Gerry Mulligan (who is on the recordings) and from the experiments of the Tristano school. Miles is less the leader than the creative visionary – as all players come together in a perfect blend of sound, perfectly polished, and with a very dark edge. Titles include "Jeru", "Move", "Venus De Milo", "Budo", and "Deception".

The reeds of John Tchicai are always a treat, and really help make any album stand out when he's along for a guest appearance – which may be why John's name and photo are so prominent on this project recorded with the trio of Christopher Dell on vibes, Jonas Westergaard on bass, and Christian Lillinger on drums! All three players are great – working in very spacious timings and unusual textures and tones – but it's definitely Tchicai that helps push the album over the top – blowing with a sense of soul and power that hasn't dimmed at all over the space of decades – and which really takes us back to some of his key contributions on the European scene of the 60s and 70s. The vibes are an especially nice combination with the sax lines – and titles include "New", "Minor Or Major", "Venus", "Double Exposure", "Traveller", "Wet", and "Fond".

Late 60's issue of a record that's also known as Rocket Number Nine Take Off For The Planet Venus. The material was recorded in 1959 and 1960, but unissued until the mid 60's. Ra plays piano, chimes, and gong, and the tracks have a nice laid back spacey feel, with some ensemble vocals chanted by the group. Ronnie Boykins also plays the space gong on one cut, which sounds very nice. Cuts include "Somewhere In Space", "Space Loneliness", "Space Aura", and "Interplanetary Music". The cover's got a brilliant red and white drawing of volcanic land, piano keys floating in space, and a mysterious female figure in flames!

A heavy helping of Ethiopian grooves – pulled from the later volumes of the legendary Ethiopiques series, and served up here on a unique vinyl collection! The tunes are a nice mix of some of the best Ethio styles of the early 70s – and include a few standout funky numbers, plus some equally great tunes that mix jazzy styles with lots of exotic twists and turns! And there's something about the vinyl presentation that makes the music feel a bit different than on CD – a bit more urgent, perhaps – and with a crispness to the sound that's mighty nice. Titles include "Bey Lesenabetesh" by Getatchew Kassa, "Wefe Yelala" by Damtew Ayele, "Ber Anbar Seberelewo" by Tamrat Molla & Venus Band, "Lebene Sheweshew" by Samuel Beley, "Assiyo Belleme" by Mulatu, and "Yekermo Sew" by Sefou Yohannes.

Legendary work from Miles Davis – large group sessions that virtually define the "cool" in cool jazz! The work's quite different from Davis' earlier bop sides with Charlie Parker – and show a distinct influence from modernists like Gerry Mulligan (who is on the recordings) and from the experiments of the Tristano school. Miles is less the leader than the creative visionary – as all players come together in a perfect blend of sound, perfectly polished, and with a very dark edge. Titles include "Jeru", "Move", "Venus De Milo", "Budo", and "Deception". Also includes 13 live session tracks.

The rare and originally Japanese-only Seven Waves album from electronic musician Suzanne Ciani – plus her even rarer Voices Of Packaged Souls from 12 years earlier – together in a single set from Bird/Finders Keepers! Seven Waves was originally issued in the early 80s, and composed on a host of instruments that no longer exist! It's got a spare, ethereal sound – with an electronic vibe that's right up there with some of the best German or French soundtrack albums of this nature from the time – kind of post-Cluster, post-Tangerine Dream material – with shorter tunes and a great melodic focus! Titles include "Sirens", "Love In The Waves", "Wind In The Sea", "Sailing Away", "Water Lullaby", and "Birth Of Venus". Voices Of Packaged Souls is one of the first-ever albums to feature the music of Suzanne Ciani – and one of the wildest, too! The set was originally pressed up in a tiny 50 copy run – as part of an art exhibit in Brussels to feature a sound sculpture collaboration between Ciani and another artist – filled with loads of weird, wild, offbeat electronics by Suzanne – including some cool processed vocal passages, and loads of spare, stark sounds that work together as a beautiful collage – moving from noise to notes to noise and back again! This is the first time the Voices Of Packaged Souls material has ever appeared on CD – and the titles include "Sound Of Heat", "Sound Of Wetness", "Sound Of Love Turning", "Sound Of A Lighted Window", "Sound Of A Dream Kissing", "And All Dreams Are Not For Sale" and many more.

The legendary album from Mayo Thompson – pared down with more of an outsider folk rock vibe after the freaky psych of the first couple Red Krayola – and ultimately just as trailblazing! Mayo's voice and skewed songcraft are front and center, though there's piano, organ, fiddle, slide guitar, bass and drums coming in and out, too, but whether or not it was forthright goal, Mayo's weird lyricism is the star of the show, and you can hear the influence this record had on myriad underground rock figures in the decades that followed! Includes "The Lesson", "Oyster Thin", "Horses", "Dear Betty Baby", "Venus In The Morning", "To Black Legs", "Good Brisk Blues", "Around The Home" and "Worried Woman".

Includes Beethoven's "Symphony No 1 In C Op 21" and the "Egmont Ouverture Op 84", plus Wagner's "Lohengrin, Prelude To Ackt III", "Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg, Prelude To Act I", and "Tannhauser, Overture & Venusberg Music".

Classic soulful fusion session from the 70's. Drummer Lenny White is joined by a great group that includes Larry Young, Larry Coryell, Hubert Laws, Pat Gleeson, and Onaje Allan Gumbs. Some tracks are funky, and some are spacey, but all are pretty darn tight. Titles include "Mating Drive", "Venusian Summer", "Chicken Fried Steak", and "Prince Of The Sea".