Classic sounds from the well-named "prince of power pop" – the mighty Phil Seymour, a singer who only gave us a few albums at the start of the 80s – but a singer who really helped to define a generation at the time! Seymour came onto the scene after the initial ripples of punk and new wave – and, in a way, his music was almost more of a basic return to standard rock and roll – but without all the overblown trappings of the 70s, in a way that really just focused on the singer and the song, and Seymour's incredible talent for putting over a hook! Titles include "Precious To Me", "I Found A Love", "Let Her Dance", "Won't Finish Here", "Baby It's You", "Love You So Much", "Trying To Get To You", and "Then We Get Up". LP, Vinyl record album

Early 80s Chicago new wave. Two songs from this release also appear on very early Sub Pop cassette 'zine compilations. LP, Vinyl record album

A really tremendous album from The Talking Heads – and a set that moves far past their already-great early records, to really show a rhythmic complexity we never would have expected! Brian Eno is helping the group in the studio again here, and the record really shows both David Byrne and Eno's late 70s fascination with global rhythms – elements that are often used in spare, simple little ways to really help inflect the tunes with a playful imagination that goes way beyond the colder post-punk and new wave of most of their contemporaries! The balance of previous aesthetics with these new grooves is wonderful – heard to great effect on the classic club cut "I Zimbra" – but brewing up strongly underneath on gems that include "Mind", "Paper", "Cities", "Life During Wartime", "Memories Can't Wait", "Air", "Heaven", "Animals", "Electric Guitar", and "Drugs". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from Too Short, and like the first, a set that firmly established both the Cali scene and the Bay Area as a hotbed of harder-hitting hip hop! And sure, there were countless later gangsta acts that slide into the sorts of cliches that often marred the genre – but back at the start, folks like Too Short, Ice T, and NWA were really exploding with a sense of message that was quite a surprise to anyone whose ears were pointed to the east – really opening the door for countless other scenes to add their two cents – including the big wave that would soon rise from the south. The whole thing still sounds surprisingly fresh all these many years later – and titles include "Life Is Too Short", "I Ain't Trippin", "Nobody Does It Better", "Cuss Words", "City Of Dope", "Don't Fight The Feelin", "Rhymes", and "Pimp The Ho". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the real standouts in the late 70s run of records from The Tubes – a set that's not only got the tunes united by a concept, but which also features some impeccable production from Todd Rundgren! The group's fuzz on the guitars is turned up nice – almost like they're trying to give a nod to the new wave generation, while Rundgren ups the catchiness of their tunes, and finds a way to make the whole thing not get bogged down in the larger concept of the record – which is a commentary about television in the modern age. Titles include "TV Is King", "Prime Time", "Getoverture", "I Want It All Now", "No Way Out", "Only The Strong Survive", and "Telecide". LP, Vinyl record album

The Ike & Tina Turner Revue shakes the foundation at Carnegie Hall on April Fools Day, 1971! There's a good reason for there being so many live albums by Ike & Tina – it's because they're damn great on stage – and this NYC set is a strong showcase for The Ikettes and The Kings Of Rhythm, too! The group was riding a peak wave of popularity around this time, and they cover a wide variety of songs in a set that's masterfully-paced – starting out slow and building up intensity as it goes! Titles include the Ikettes-led "Piece Of My Heart" and "Everyday People", the thunderous Tina intro "Doin' The Tina Turner", "Sweet Soul Music", "Proud Mary", "I Smell Trouble", "Ike's Tune", "I Want To Take You Higher", "I've Been Loving You Too Long", "Respect" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite Walter Wanderley albums ever – and a record that moves past the more familiar bossa trio style used on his hits for Verve, into groovier new territory with added players who include Dom Um Romao on drums and Marcos Valle on guitar! And not only is the lineup expanded, but the styles are too – as Wanderley moves away from the straighter bossa and samba jazz of his roots, into the world of more unusual, more complicated rhythms that were showing up in the Brazilian scene at the end of the 60s. Marcos Valle's contribution is felt strongly here – as the album includes a fantastic instrumental take on his classic "Crickets Sing For Anamaria" (aka "Os Grilos") – plus other Valle compositions that include "Ainda Mais Lindo", "Batucada", and "E Preciso Cantar". Other tracks include "Wave", "So What's New", and "O Barquinho". LP, Vinyl record album

A later album by the Zimbo boys, but which still has the Trio playing in their classic bossa style, and in a tribute to Jobim that's got them doing some of his best compositions, like "Wave", "Garota de Ipanema", "So Danco Samba", "Felicidade", and "Chega De Saudade". The sound is still acoustic – although the production's sweetened things up a bit – and the band hasn't lost any of their bossa flair over the years! LP, Vinyl record album

Late 70s punk and new wave bands in the Minneapolis area! Includes Suburbs, Commandos, Jets, Pistons, Fingerprints, Buzz Barker & The Atomic Bums, and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Early 80s synthy soul and new wave sounds from Joan Armatrading – really taking her earlier, kind of folk soul based sound confidently into the early 80s keyboard heavy grooves with some pronounced Caribbean flourishes! Lots of punchy rhythms and neon bright 80s sounds, but it's the songs that transcend here – the tunes are always insistent, and Joan's voice is as warm and inviting as ever. Titles include "At The Hop", "I Wanna Hold You", "I'm Lucky", "The Weakness In Me", "No Love", "Romancers", "Ican't Lie To Myself", "Only One" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A great debut from Bow Wow Wow, and a mighty second act from Maclolm McLaren – whose work with the young group was one of his main projects after getting rejected by the Sex Pistols! This group's got a very different vibe, and an equally longstanding appeal – as playfully new wave as the Pistols were punk – with all sorts of romping rhythms that are heavy on drums, played by ex-members of The Ants – and fronted with lead vocals from the teenaged Annabella Lwin – a singer who really knows how to step out front with a lot of brash, young energy! There's a tribal groove to most tracks that really fits the title of the album – and tracks include "Jungle Boy", "King Kong", "Chihuahua", "Go Wild In The Country", "Why Are Babies So Wise", "Orang-Outang", and "Hello Hello Daddy (I'll Sacrifice You)". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic album from this legendary Brazilian saxophonist – and one that's way different than the usual instrumental reading of the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim! The setting is less of a bossa-inspired one than a post-Coltrane mode – as Victor Assis Brasil blows alto sax, and a bit of soprano – on long, stretched out versions of Jobim compositions – often given a bit of modal energy, thanks to the group's strong piano and organ performances by Dom Salvador. The rest of the players are all great, too – Helio Delmiro on guitar, Edson Lobo on bass, and Edison Machado on drums – all players who grew up in the bossa jazz years of the 60s, but who here are set free to explore new territory by producer Roberto Quartin. The whole thing's wonderful – and titles include "Bonita", "Wave", "Quartiniana", and "Dindi". LP, Vinyl record album

A light and dreamy set of Brazilian vocal tracks – recorded in 1967, and featuring the voice of singer Lenita Bruno, a strong 60s talent with a style that's somewhat like Sylvia Telles. Arrangements on the set are by Clare Fischer – who plays piano, organ, and electric harpsichord in a small combo that also includes guitar by Laurindo Almeida, flute by Bud Shank, and percussion by Paulinho. Some tracks augment the ensemble with a string quartet – who give the material an appropriately sad tone, perfect for Lenita's blue-styled vocals. Includes a nicely grooving version of "Chove Chuva", plus the tracks "Wave", "Winter Moon", "Sing Sing More", "Dindi", "Stay My Love", and "Someone To Light Up My Life". LP, Vinyl record album

A well-remembered classic from The Cars – one of those records that had the group finding a perfect way to tap into new wave energy from the underground, yet somehow manage to score some major hits at a time when American radio was still pretty shy of so many new sounds! This set still has the group pretty close to their Boston roots – commercial, but never too polished – and in addition to the title hit "Shake It Up", other tracks include "Think It Over", "Since You're Gone", "I'm Not The One", "Victim Of Love", "This Could Be Love", and "A Dream Away". LP, Vinyl record album

What a weird one! This strange little record is one of the few that the team of Lol Creme and Kevin Godley cut after leaving 10CC – and it's a melange of odd songs that take off from the compressed pop style of their former group. Some of the lyrics are a bit silly, but there's also some strangely wonderful pop moments – floating vocals and compressed guitars and studio playing all coming together, in a mode that's pre-new wave, more classic rock baroque, and without space in the timeline of popular music. Titles include "Punchbag", "Group Life", "Sandwiches Of You", and "This Sporting Life". LP, Vinyl record album

A heck of a great record – and we don't mind saying it! After knocking around in territory that ran from new wave to neo ska, retro swing, and other assorted genres, Joe Jackson really emerged with a strong voice on this 1982 classic. The album's a loving tribute to New York – and is steeped in Jackson's growing knowledge of Latin and jazz music – performed here by a great group that really sets things up right, and recorded in a warmly acoustic mode that was quite striking for the time! The tracks on the set hold up incredibly well over the years – getting past the cliches that later plagued Jackson's career, and reminding us of how great he was at his best. LP, Vinyl record album

The first of six "comeback" albums that this great Chicago soul singer cut during his second wave of recording during the late 70s! Walter had originally done some amazing work with the great Carl Davis at the Okeh label during the mid 60s – and this album marks a return to their collaboration – this time at Davis' own Chi-Sound subsidiary of 20th Century Records. Jackson here takes all the smooth sophistication of his early days, and transforms himself into an adult singer of soul songs – taking a route similar to that travelled by singers like Jerry Butler or Lou Rawls at the same time. Like Rawls, the style doesn't always work – but when it does, it's great. Titles include "Love Is Lovelier", "Words", "Too Shy To Say", "Please Pardon Me (You Remind Me Of A Friend)", "Love Woke Me Up This Morning", and a remake of "Welcome Home". LP, Vinyl record album

Groundbreaking work from the legendary Ahmad Jamal – not just in his own career, but in live jazz in general! The album's a classic recording of Jamal's trio with Israel Crosby on bass and Vernell Fournier on drums – captured at the Pershing Lounge on the south side of Chicago, where Jamal was clearly wowing the crowd with his amazing talents on the piano. The groove here is sublimely fluid and soulful – clearly the next wave of expression on the piano in the 50s, and as important to the Chicago scene as Bill Evans was to that of New York at the time. The recording quality is wonderful – clear enough to capture the subtleties of Crosby's amazing bass, and the lightly tippling sound of Fournier's drums – and titles include a classic extended reading of "Poinciana", plus "What's New", "But Not For Me", and "No Greater Love". LP, Vinyl record album

The massive debut of reedman Ronnie Laws – a groundbreaking set of funky fusion tracks that set the standard for years to come! Ronnie's the kid brother of Hubert Laws – who was already having great fame at CTI – but here, the younger Laws works with producer Wayne Henderson – who was just getting his At Home Productions team off the ground, a force that was maybe only second to the Mizell Brothers when it came to soulful fusion in the 70s! The approach here is sharper, deeper, and edgier than some of Ronnie's later work – as complicated as it is funky, but always right on the money – and graced with some excellent keyboard work by other members of Henderson's Crusaders – including Wilton Felder on bass and Joe Sample on keyboards. The album includes the original, seminal version of the oft-recorded classic "Always There" – plus the deep mellow jam "Tidal Wave", which gained great fame as a hip hop sample – as well as "Momma", "Never Be The Same", "Why Do You Laugh At Me", "Nothing To Lose", and "Tell Me Something Good". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite records ever from the great Sven Libaek – an artist who's possibly best known for his underwater soundtrack work of the 70s, but who shines equally well here on a 60s album that has him hitting the top of the waves! The music was written for a surf film in 1966, but has a vibe that's much richer than that – some vibes-heavy tracks that showcase Sven's background in jazz, and which tie nicely to some of the Bruce Brown jazz/surf soundtracks of the early 60s LA scene – mixed with other numbers that have more of an Aussie vibe, in that light wrapping of rhythmic currents and lyrical instrumentation! The vibes alone are worth the price of admission – and titles include "Bikini Girls", "The Lost City", "In The Wave", "To Ride A White Horse", "Turistas Turistas", "Bush Fire", "Break Of Dawn", and "Fun & Games". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked set from the new wave years of A&M! LP, Vinyl record album

A hell of a trumpeter – making his debut here on one of the grooviest albums on the legendary Latin Percussion label! The session's a bit fuller than some of the other LP albums – a crackling blend of jazz, funk, and Latin rhythms – warm, but with some pretty complicated moments, very much in the best spirit of the second wave of NuYorica grooves! There's still lots of the tight percussion that makes Latin Percussion sessions so great – but the record also features fuller instrumentation too – in ways that really make things soar. Players include Eddie Martinez on Fender Rhodes, Jon Faddis and Randy Brecker on additional trumpets, Steve Khan on guitar, and Carlos Patato Valdez on congas – and Ruben Blades even plays a bit of acoustic guitar on the record. The overall feel's a bit like some of the great Fania/Columbia co-productions – but a bit rawer at points – and titles include "Diana", "Genesis", "Nice & Warm", "Viva Martinez", "I Know", "Hot Blood", and "Perico" – most of which are separated by short percussion interludes! LP, Vinyl record album

A classic album from one of the coolest groups to emerge from the southern rock scene of the 70s – a combo who can be as tight and jazzy as The Crusaders one minute, then show off their down home roots the next! Sea Level have a sound that's impeccable throughout this self-titled set – almost a Macon, Georgia answer to the sound of Steely Dan in LA – and the set mixes instrumental tracks that have a jazzy fusion vibe with more straightforward tracks that hit the soul-inspired sound of southern rock in the years after the rise of Memphis and Muscle Shoals. The jazz cuts are the real charmers – tremendous stuff that we'd rank right up there with the best fusion of the period – and titles include "Rain In Spain", "Shake A Leg", "Grand Larceny", "Scarborough Fair", "Just A Good Feeling", "Tidal Wave", and "Nothing Matters But The Fever". LP, Vinyl record album

A great late 60s gem from pianist Horace Silver – and a great bridge between his earlier soul jazz for Blue Note, and some of his more righteous work to come in the 70s! At one level, the sound here steps off from classics like Serenade To A Soul Sister or The Jody Grind – but at another level, there's a more open approach to the music – one that has Horace sliding into new tones and colors, with a slightly lyrical undercurrent as well. As on some of his later dates, the mellower moments are often the most compelling – showing a newly mature side of Silver's talents, and a new love of space between the notes that really helps to break the mode of previous recordings! The group here features the great Bennie Maupin on tenor and flute, Randy Brecker on trumpet and flugelhorn, John Williams on bass, and Billy Cobham on drums – and titles include "Lovely's Daughter", "Risin Sun", "You Gotta Take A Little Love", "Down & Out", and "Brain Wave". LP, Vinyl record album

The only record from this group that would sort of morph into Apollonia 6, one of many Prince vehicles during the 80s. As you'd hope from a Prince side project, the tracks here bubble with his new wave/pop/funk crossover, though really the hit "Nasty Girl" is pretty much the only standout, but a great one at that. Also includes "Wet Dream", "If A Girl Answers (Don't Hang Up)", "Bite The Beat" and "3x2=6". LP, Vinyl record album

Original 10" LP featuring the second set of historic duets between Brazilian guitarist Almeida and the great LA alto player Bud Shank. This is the stuff that supposedly ended up back in Brazil and inspired the wave of musicians involved in the bossa nova momement. It's been repackaged a number of times, but it's great to have in this cool original package, with a weird polarized cover featuring a strange green design of intertwining leaves. LP, Vinyl record album

They may look goofy on the cover, but the young B-52s are incredible here – working with this spare sense of power that almost makes us think that we didn't need most of what happened in rock and roll during the 70s – given the way these guys can distill a mood or moment down to just a few deft instrumental turns and offbeat lyrics! The record's not punk, but it's also not new wave either – at least in the conventional way – and there's a darkness here that goes way past any simple cliches you may have associated with the band – a haunting feel that transcends most of what they were ever capable of in later years. We might even say this one tops their debut – and titles include "Party Out Of Bounds", "Dirty Back Road", "Runnin Around", "Give Me Back My Man", "Private Idaho", "Devil In My Car", "Quiche Lorraine", "Strobe Light" and "53 Miles West Of Venus". LP, Vinyl record album

Not The Cars' first album, but the one that definitely catapulted them from Boston underground to mainstream fame – quite a surprise, given the style that most of the bigger acts were laying down at the time! And of course, we say that from the more mainstream bent of our American market – where punk had yet to penetrate the radio and other outlets – which made the new wave sounds of The Cars a surprisingly strong tilt in a more contemporary direction for both major labels and broadcast radio. All these many years later, the group's elevated to classic rock status, but that's only because of the strength of the songs – a classic lineup that includes "Let's Go", "Candy O", "Night Spots", "You Can't Hold On Too Long", "Got A Lot On My Head", "It's All I Can Do", and "Since I Held You". LP, Vinyl record album

Perhaps the most heavenly of all the Chi-Lites albums, with soaring harmonies leaping all over beautiful Chicago soul production, and loads of great heartbreaking stories unfolding as the whole thing spins away! A true masterpiece from the Chicago scene – and filled with loads of wonderful moments that almost seem to be the group's answer to some of the growing wave of harmony soul coming from the east coast at the time. Includes the excellent title track, plus "Just Two Teenage Kids", "Too Late To Turn Back Now", "Someone Else's Arms", "You Smiled The Same Old Way", "My Heart Just Keeps On Breakin'", and "Love Comes In All Sizes". Nice cover, too, with a skyline shot of Chicago around the same time that Bob Newhart was working there as a shrink! LP, Vinyl record album

A classic slice of Jamaican roots – and an essential record from the godlike hands of Lee Perry! The set was produced by Perry at Black Ark – and instantly became the stuff of legend, even though the initial version of the album got very limited exposure – which has led to years of differing reissues and versions of the record! Yet the core sound is always very much in place, no matter what the setting – very spiritual lyrics from the group themselves, set to nicely stripped-down rhythms and instrumentation that are a great contrast to the wave of more polished international reggae releases that were garnering mainstream attention at the time. The lasting power of the set is proof that maybe when it comes to roots, you've got to really go to the roots to get it right – as you'll hear on classic tracks that include "La La Bam Bam", "Fisherman", "Congoman", "Children Crying", "Open Up The Gate", and "The Wrong Thing". LP, Vinyl record album

A European session, with Davis on tenor, Thomas Clausen on piano, Bo Steif on bass, and Alex Riel on drums. Titles include "Locks", "Wave", "Bye Bye Blackbird", and "Out Of Nowhere". LP, Vinyl record album

A superb album from vocalist Johnny Hartman – a later date, but one that we'd rank right up there with his important Impulse Records material of the 60s! In fact, the album's something of a return to greatness for Hartman – the kind of date that should have become a jazz standard, had it not gotten lost in the unfortunate fates of the short-lived Beehive label – who did a really tremendous job with this set. Rather than try to make Johnny a modern singer, in any sort of forced idiom – Beehive instead return him to the best modes of yore, and give him simple, soulful support from a small group that features Frank Wess on tenor and flute, Joe Wilder on trumpet, and Billy Taylor on piano. The track list is great – the kind of tunes that really bring out the sophisticated side of Hartman's talents, yet allow him to be sensitive, too – and titles include "Nobody Home", "Wave", "Easy Living", "I Could Write A Book", and "For All We Know". LP, Vinyl record album

A mindblowing album from Ahmad Jamal – a fantastic start to the 70s, and a set of music that shows just how far the pianist had come in just a few short years! The album's all acoustic, but has some of that spacious flow that Jamal would bring to his work on Fender Rhodes – with an approach that's even more open in terms of song structure than his earlier trio material – as if Jamal's choosing to omit more notes than he's including – but all with a quality that still keeps the music very full and rhythmic – pulsating with a special sort of energy that's neither Bill Evans, nor McCoy Tyner – but instead this really amazing sound that's all Ahmad's own. The trio features equally wonderful work from Jamil Nasser on bass and Frank Gant on drums – and titles include "The Awakening", "I Love Music", "Patterns", "Wave", and "Dolphin Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from Grace Jones – still riding high on a disco wave here, but also finding her own space and sound too! The mighty Tom Moulton produced, ensuring some great sound for the set – and arrangements are by Thor Baldursson and John Davis, both of whom bring in nice sense of fullness, but never smother Grace too much – a key factor, given that her vocal approach is often a bit more restrained than some of the other disco divas of the time. There's less covers here than before, and Grace herself even penned some of the tunes. Titles include "Suffer", "Sinning", "Saved", "Atlantic City Gambler", "On Your Knees", and "Don't Mess With The Messer". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best solo records from Harvey Mason – best known as the drummer on some really monster 70s funky fusion sessions (such as Johnny Hammond's Gears album) – but a surprisingly well-rounded R&B artist overall! As with Norman Connors, another fusion drummer gone soul star, Harvey's working here in a style that mixes jazz influences with modern soul – grooving things for a more mainstream audience, but still keeping things real underneath. The record's filled with guest appearances by fusion greats – like Bob James, David Spinozza, Richard Tee, Lee Ritenour, and others – and Jim Gilstrap sings vocals on a cut or two. Titles include "The Race", "Groovin You", "Wave", "We Can", and "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album by Sergio and crew – and a real push forward for the group! The basic format of two-female harmony leads is still in place – but for some reason, this album gives a bit more of a nod to Brazilian roots than before, and really spices things up with an even more interesting array of songs! There's a bit less of the pop/cover style than before, and a bit more of a nod towards the hipper side of Brazilian music – especially the modernists of the bossa nova generation. Brazilian tunes include versions of "Constant Rain", "Cinnamon & Clove", "Bim Bom", and "Wave" – and there's also a few nice English numbers, like their hit version of "Night & Day", and a great reading of "Watch What Happens"! LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime solo material from the great Teddy Pendergrass – the kind of record that instantly proves that his departure from Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes was a great idea, as the man alone is even more of a power to be reckoned with! The set's a cornerstone in that great second wave of Philly soul from Gamble & Huff – that point when the rest of the world was picking up on the disco grooves they forged earlier in the 70s, and they went for a more adult, more sophisticated style with singers like Teddy, Jean Carn, Phyllis Hyman, and others. The whole thing's perfect – and nicely balances between mellow moments and groovers – with gems that include the always-great "Close The Door", the massive "When Somebody Loves You Back", and other cuts that include "Get Up Get Down Get Funky Get Loose", "Life Is A Song Worth Singing", "Cold Cold World", and "It Don't Hurt Now". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite 60s surf soundtracks ever – an amazing blend of Stu Phillips orchestrations with some key vocal moments from the trio of Dino Desi & Billy! The album's got a wonderful theme – "Thru Spray Colored Glasses" – sung initially by the trio, then served up by Stu in a number of variations that change with the different exotic locales of the film – India, Hong Kong, Hawaii, and Morocco – all referenced slightly in the instrumentation, but in ways that always retain Phillips' grooviest inspirations! Strings blend with bits of harpsichord, vibes, voices, Spanish guitar, and these "watery" woodwinds that almost remind us of Australian jazz in the same period – and titles include "Thru Spray Colored Glasses", "Big Wave Bay", "Incinerator", "Ranee Express", "Nazare", and "Cascis". LP, Vinyl record album

The excellent second album from Pilot, really perfecting the guitars, keyboards and vocals and hooks formula that shot them into the pop consciousness a year or so earlier – probably their best album ever! The first record had the massive hit "Magic" (aka oh, oh, it's. . .) but this record has a few tunes with hooks that are just as sharp. The opener "You're My No 1" is so catchy, we can hardly believe it's not a throwback pop radio staple, and the record has a few of tracks nearly as grand. The vocals & harmonies are better arranged, and the guitars and keyboards are in that great comfort zone between the glam pop of the previous couple years and the new wave pop to come. Somewhat silly bubble gum lyricism, sure, but it's tasty stuff! Other tracks include "January", "Love Is", "Call Me Round", "To You Alone", "Passion Piece", "Dear Artist" and more! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest mainstream rock and roll debuts of all time – and a record that still blows away just about any other later work by The Pretenders! The set's got this raw, sneering power that's neither punk, nor new wave – but which seems to be very much of that moment – a very unique blend of the group's Ohio roots and their London experience – honed to razor-sharp perfection, but never slick or polished at all. Chrissie Hynde is quite far from her ballad modes, and brings this raw, adult vibe to the record that really sets a whole new level for women in rock – never sweet, but never sexed-up either – standing as firmly in the group alongside her masculine cohorts as she does on the cover. Production is great – oddly dark in all the right ways, but with a very simple elegance – and the album's near-perfect from start to finish – with tracks that include "Precious", "The Phone Call", "Tattooed Love Boys", "Private Life", "Kid", "The Wait", and "Mystery Achievement". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer funk from the Italian scene of the 70s – work by the Pulsar Music Ltd combo, originally used as the soundtrack for the crime classic Milano Violenta! Italian crime films were really hitting their height at the time – documenting the new wave of terror that was hitting the cities in the 70s – and music like this perfectly set the scene, with a sharp mix of funk, jazz, and other urban elements – all served up in a non-stop barrage of totally great cuts, of the sort that you'd only find sparsely on American soundtracks of the period. Music is composed by Italian jazz great Enrico Pieranunzi with Silvano Chimenti – and titles include "Leyla Theme", "Running", "Walking At Sunrise", "Six In", "Swinging Day", "Blue Funk", "Dreamland", and "Cat Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

Martha and the girls' entry into Motown's well-done series of 70s multi-LP collections – this one only a double-length set, but still filled with plenty of great bits by the group! The set features a solid decade's worth of work – material from the trio's 1962 start at Motown, up to some of their even better albums for the label in the early 70s. Titles include "Bless You", "Honey Love", "Love Makes Me Do Foolish Things", "My Baby Loves Me", "Honey Chile", "Jimmy Mack", "I Promise To Wait My Love", "Benjamin", "Tear It On Down", "In & Out Of My Life", "Live Wire", "Wild One", "Motoring", "Nowhere To Run", "Quicksand", "Love Is Like A Heat Wave", and "I'll Have To Let Him Go". LP, Vinyl record album

Another masterpiece of RCA's Stereo Action series – billed on the front cover as "The Sound Your Eyes Can Follow"! Schory certainly gets in the spirit of the session – using a variety of percussion instrumentation to bounce between the right and left channels, coming up with a tweeter-popping batch of tunes that transform typical Broadway numbers into whimsical little instrumentals! Tracks include "El Sombrero", "I Got Rhythm", "Camelot", "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue", "Bali Hai", "Heat Wave",a nd "Show Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful mellow session from this great guitarist – with Hank Jones on piano, George Duvivier on bass, and Derryl Goes on drums. Titles include "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You", "Don't Sleep In The Subway", "Sunny", "Wave", "Exodus", and "Emily". LP, Vinyl record album

The third album from The Cars, and a set that nicely focuses more on some of the sharper, new wave elements in the group's sound – maybe more of a confident return to the quirky modes that got them going in the first place, once they were solidly at the forefront of the American mainstream! The keyboards and basslines often take more of a lead on the tunes, with the guitar lines nicely compressed in the rhythms – and titles include the hit "Touch & Go" – plus "Down Boys", "Misfit Kids", "Up & Down", "You Wear Those Eyes", "Running To You", "Gimme Some Slack", "Don't Tell Me No", "Getting Through", and "Panorama". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic new wave soundtrack to this late 70s film about wayward kids that starred Matt Dillon and Vincent Spano. Tracks include "Ooh Child" by Valerie Carter; "Hello There", "Surrender", "Downed", and "Speak Now of Forever Hold Your Piece" by Cheap Trick; "Just What I Needed" and "My Best Friend's Girl" by The Cars; and "Teenage Lobotomy" by The Ramones. Very much in the Valley Girl soundtrack spirit. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic, freewheeling session from trumpeter Ted Curson – one that we'd rank right up there with his seminal sides for the French Futura label! Like those, this album really features Ted stretching things out – working in very loose trio formation, with just Ray Drummond on bass and Roy Haynes on drums – on these open-ended tunes that still swing with plenty of soul, even without any other instrumentation. Curson's horn is great – blown beautifully, and filled with spirit – and some numbers have him really reaching out with his sound, in ways that may well make the date one of Ted's most adventurous since the 60s! Titles include classic Curson tunes "Quicksand" and "Straight Ice" – plus "Round Midnight", "Snake Johnson", "Pent Up House", and "Wave". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Neat Neat Neat", "New Rose", "See Her Tonite", "So Messed Up", "I Feel Alright", "Stab Your Back", and "Born To Kill". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little set from Brazilian percussionist Jackson Do Pandeiro – an album that grooves along on a strong wave of forro – that rootsy genre that burst big on the Brazilian scene of the 50s – tying together folksy roots and modern samba nicely, with lots of heavy percussion and basslines at the bottom of the music, and some great accordion work as well! The vocals have a raspy, soulful charm – a precursor to more soulful samba modes to come – and titles include "Falso Toureiro", "Ele Disse", "Cajueira", "Eta Baiao", "Moxoto", and "Meu Enxoval". LP, Vinyl record album

The major label debut of one of the teens most distinctive voices in hip hop – and certainly one of it's most surprising creative AND sales success stories! It's impossible to consider his rhymes without factoring in the "troubled youth" lore, "Free Earl" merch, etc. that certainly helped solidify his reputation, but reputation aside, it's honest (if often ugly) lyricism, slowly spit delivery, and wild mix of contemporary rap slang and machismo with jarring personal narratives is seriously mesmerizing. Includes "Pre", "Burgundy", "20 Wave Caps", "Sunday", "Hive", "Chum", "Sasquatch", "Hoarse", "Molasses" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing stuff – and the beginning of a strong tradition of west coast funky Latin groups! El Chicano were one of a number of groups to emerge from LA of the 60s – rising forth on a wave of Mexican American pride to come up with a west coast version of the Latin Soul sound that had been emanating from Spanish Harlem a few years earlier. The group had an organ-heavy sound that first scored big on their rendition of Gerald Wilson's "Viva Tirado" – done as a single by the group with a stepping jazz beat that was missing from the earlier version, which worked great with their bubbly organ sound. The album was recorded to follow up the hit – done as a live set after hours at the Kabuki Sukiyaki Restaurant in south LA, and filled with tight jazzy covers 60s groovers like "Cantaloupe Island", "Eleanor Rigby", "Hurt So Bad", and "Coming Home Baby". The record's also got an amazing version of "Quiet Village" – and while it may not be as Latin as some of the group's later work, it's the beginning of a great tradition, and has a sound that was copied endlessly – but rarely matched! LP, Vinyl record album

Really nice work from The Four Tops – proof that they were still going quite quite strong after Motown! The album's got a hip sound that shows the group moving through a wider range of emotions than we ever remember – crafting rich deep harmonies that still stand apart from the big wave of sweet soul quartets of the early 70s, and which sparkle with all the emotion that Levi Stubbs' voice had to offer. Includes their great theme to Shaft In Africa, the track "Are You Man Enough" – plus loads of other great ones like "I Just Can't Get You Out Of My Mind", "It Won't Be The First Time", "Sweet Understanding Love", "Too Little, Too Late", "Peace Of Mind", and "Main Street People". LP, Vinyl record album

Grant Green's last session as a leader – and although the tracks are a bit slicker than earlier work, the album's still pretty darn nice. The tracks are long in a CTI-type funky jazz mode, with arrangements by Mario Sprouse, and a nice little Latin feel to some of the best numbers. Green's solo ability is still quite good – and on the more uptempo tunes, he solos with that versatility and amazing dexterity that you'd find on his best earlier sessions. Other tracks have him in a mellower, more chromatic and Wes Montgomery-inspired mode – and titles include "Empanada", "Three Times A Day", "Nighttime In The Switching Yard", "Easy", and "Wave". LP, Vinyl record album

The classic opening salvo from The Jam! In The City finds the band in prime form right out of the, already blending their love of 60s beat and R&B with fast, infectious energy of first wave punk rock. They stood out from the pack tremendously back in the day, and that uniqueness kept the best of their records from ever aging a day – it's as incredible as ever! Includes "In The City", "I've Changed My Address", "Slow Down", "I Got In Time", "Away From The Numbers", their mod punk riff on Neal Hefti's "Batman Theme", "In The City", "Sounds From The Street", "Non-Stop Dancing", "Time For Truth" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A mindblowing album from Ahmad Jamal – a fantastic start to the 70s, and a set of music that shows just how far the pianist had come in just a few short years! The album's all acoustic, but has some of that spacious flow that Jamal would bring to his work on Fender Rhodes – with an approach that's even more open in terms of song structure than his earlier trio material – as if Jamal's choosing to omit more notes than he's including – but all with a quality that still keeps the music very full and rhythmic – pulsating with a special sort of energy that's neither Bill Evans, nor McCoy Tyner – but instead this really amazing sound that's all Ahmad's own. The trio features equally wonderful work from Jamil Nasser on bass and Frank Gant on drums – and titles include "The Awakening", "I Love Music", "Patterns", "Wave", and "Dolphin Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

Groundbreaking work from the legendary Ahmad Jamal – not just in his own career, but in live jazz in general! The album's a classic recording of Jamal's trio with Israel Crosby on bass and Vernell Fournier on drums – captured at the Pershing Lounge on the south side of Chicago, where Jamal was clearly wowing the crowd with his amazing talents on the piano. The groove here is sublimely fluid and soulful – clearly the next wave of expression on the piano in the 50s, and as important to the Chicago scene as Bill Evans was to that of New York at the time. The recording quality is wonderful – clear enough to capture the subtleties of Crosby's amazing bass, and the lightly tippling sound of Fournier's drums. Titles on this second volume include "Billy Boy", "Too Late Now", "All The Things You Are", "My Funny Valentine", and "I'll Remember April". LP, Vinyl record album

Pretty great sounds from the legendary Antonio Carlos Jobim – an album cut a bit later than his bossa years, but with a darkly sophisticated sound that's pretty darn compelling! The album features larger orchestrations by Claus Ogerman, and in a way, it's similar to the Jobim album on Decca from 1973 (aka Maita Pere) – in that it's got all the simple elements of Jobim's earlier bossa scoring, flushed out into moodier orchestral forms that we'd rank right up there with the modernist work of Gil Evans or Duke Ellington. A few cuts have a breezier sparer sound, and you'll hear English versions of some older bossa tunes. Titles include "Dreamer", "Canta Mais", "Olha Maria", "Wave", "Two Kites", "This Happy Madness", "Song Of The Sabia", "Estrada Do Sol", "Voce Vai Ver", "Off Key", and "Triste". LP, Vinyl record album

A pivotal album from Grace Jones – and a record that has her shedding some of her fuller styles from the disco years, and moving into some of the darker, colder grooves we always love the best! The title track is reason alone to buy the record – a remake of The Normal's "Warm Leatherette", done here by Grace in a way that somehow gives the electro dance number a sense of soul! Most other tracks are remakes too – but in a really great way that follows in a playful Ze Records approach to all things older – loving the original essence, but revitalizing things for a newer wave of sound. Titles include versions of "The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game", "Love Is The Drug" and "Private Life" – plus "Pars", "Breakdown", and "Bullshit". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic set from that second chapter on the California scene – that moment when the big initial wave of successful groups had rose and broke, leaving behind all sorts of new creative partnerships! This set's a great example of one of those – as Jefferson Airplane members Paul Kantner and Grace Slick come together with David Freiberg of Quicksilver Messenger Service – then open the door to a whole host of guests who really help make the whole thing an all-star Bay Area affair! You can definitely hear some echoes of Quicksilver, especially some of the more down to earth modes of the later records by that group – which fit perfectly with the vocals – and the lineup features work by Jerry Garcia on guitar on most tracks, plus Mickey Hart on percussion, Papa John Creach on violin, Jorma Kaukonen on guitar, Jack Casady on bass, The Pointer Sisters on backup vocals, and even David Crosby on guest vocals on one track. Titles include "White Boy", "Fishman", "Sketches Of China", "Ballad Of The Chrome Nun", "Flowers Of The Night", and "Across The Board". LP, Vinyl record album

A real standout from Ray Davies and crew – heavy-hitting here with guitars that seem a bit more amped up than usual, and a slight post-punkish groove that's almost a reinvention of the group's sound for an 80s new wave market! The album's a surprisingly hard rocker in parts, and has a darkness that's a nice change from some of the late 70s Kinks material – but also shows Ray still able to come up with some more tender numbers in just the right spots. Tracks include "Add It Up", "Destroyer", "Yo Yo", "Art Lover", "Better Things", "Killer's Eyes", "Around The Dial", and "Give The People What They Want". LP, Vinyl record album

A supremely wonderful album from The Modern Jazz Disciples – a great little combo who had a much more cooking sound than any other groups of the time with "modern jazz" in their name! The group have a distinctly soul jazz sort of approach, but one that has enough modern touches to warrant their name – and although the group hailed from the Ohio scene, which was one of the reasons why they probably never got their due back in the day, a record like this really stands as a great testament to the wonderful energy that was going on in local US jazz spots in the postwar years! The horn work in the set is really wonderful – played by Curtis Peagler on alto sax and William Hickey Kelly on normaphone and euphonium, both horns that really add some unusual colors to the set. Rhythm is tight, sharp, and extremely soulful – thanks to fluid piano from William Billy Brown, bass from Lee Tucker, and drums from Roy McCurdy, who'd later go on to greater fame. Titles include "Disciples Blues", "Slippin & Slidin", "Little Taste", "Perhaps", and "Huck's Delight". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic! Where would electronic pop be without Gary Numan's "Cars"? Alongside Kraftwerk's classic 80s albums and Yellow Magic Orchestra's first LP, this album by Gary Numan ranks as one of the most essential synth driven LPs on a creative level – and it rightly brought the sound to the masses at the time, too – thanks to a brilliant pop sensibility, awash with robotic tones that will forever vindicate 80s new wave. Includes "Airlane", "Metal", "Complex", "Films", "ME", "Tracks", "Observer", "Conversation", "Cars" and "Engineers". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure live date from Anita O'Day, but done at that great 70s point when she was getting a nice groovy edge in her style! There's still some of the O'Day brightness of her 50s recordings – but there's also a nice 70s element too – one that changes things up with some of the more mature, more adult modes that other jazz singers were picking up – maybe drinking up, too – but in ways that overall make the record sound a lot cooler than Anita back in the early days! The trio features Merril Hoover on piano, George Morrow on bass, and John Poole on drums – and titles include "Anita's Blues", "Wave", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", "A Song For You", and "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To". LP, Vinyl record album

Two rare Charlie Parker albums in a single set! First up is Bird On 52nd Street – one of the more obscure Charlie Parker sessions of the 40s – at least in the original release! The material was recorded in 1948, on a home tape recorder, but not issued until after his death – part of a huge wave of Charlie Parker material that hit the market at the end of the 50s and start of the 60s! The sound here is quite raw – made even more so by the recording quality – but it also offers up a good illustration of the sheer power of Bird back in the day, the kind of bold, bracing energy that made even more than the regular jazz world sit up and take notice. The group's a quintet – with Miles Davis on trumpet, Duke Jordan on piano, Tommy Potter on bass, and Max Roach on drums – and there's been a few tape tricks in the mastering, in order to come up with a better version of some of the recordings. Tracks are short – in true bebop format – and titles include "Night In Tunisia", "Dizzy Atmosphere", "Out Of Nowhere", "My Old Flame", "How High The Moon", "This Time The Dream's On Me", "Hot House", and "Chasin The Bird". Next is Bird At St Nicks – a posthumous issue of an early 50s live set by Charlier Parker – one of the many that were rushed to the public in the years after his early death. The set, like many of the other live ones from the time, isn't recorded that well – but the music is still pretty wonderful. There's a real focus on Bird in the way the microphone was set up – so although you hear the rest of the band comping in the background, the album almost works like a session of solo sax work by Parker – as his alto is right out front in the mix, playing with a faltering style at times – but in a way that only seems to deepen our vision of his genius. Players include Red Rodney on trumpet and Al Haig on piano – and titles include "Ornithology", "Star Eyes", "Visa", "I Didn't Know What Time It Was", and "Confirmation". LP, Vinyl record album

Pure genius from Oscar Peterson – one of his finest moments ever! The record is very different than most of Oscar's over-recorded trio format ones – and features Claus Ogerman crafting some impeccable backings of lofty strings and compressed horns, creating a pillow of air that takes Oscar's piano to the sky and beyond, floating into realms never dreamed of on other LPs! The set sparkles with a strident MPS easy groove – completely sublime, with a perfectness that we'd ascribe to a rare few albums, such as the similar-grooving Jobim album Wave, also helped out tremendously by Ogerman. Titles include "Dreamsville", "Sally's Tomato", "Sunny", "Wave", "Wandering", and "Ode To Billy Joe". LP, Vinyl record album