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". CD

A trio of key albums from Mott The Hoople – presented here in a high-audio package! First up is Hoople – Mott The Hoople in all of their 70s glory – Ian Hunter with superb songwriting skills, and vocals delivered in a way that have a lot more bite than his later solo work – all wrapped up in this fuzzy, compressed, glam-styled production that's totally great! Sure, David Bowie had the Spiders From Mars – but Mott The Hoople were the real deal, and were totally committed to this mode to the hilt – as you'll hear on titles that include "Pearl N Roy", "Born Late 58", "Marionette", "Through The Looking Glass", "Roll Away The Stone", "Crash Street Kidds", and "Trudi's Song". Next is All The Young Dudes – maybe the most classic of all the Mott The Hoople albums of the early 70s – thanks in part to the classic title track, which was given to the group by David Bowie – who also supported the group with some fantastic production on this record too! Yet that hit is only one of many gems within – all delivered in a style that shows that Ian Hunter and the group were maybe in the territory of Mick Ronson and Bowie before they find their way with Ziggy – delivered here perfectly on tunes that have all the best elements of glam, but maybe more hard rock permanence and lyrical sensitivity too! In addition to "All The Young Dudes", the set also features a great remake of the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane" – and the cuts "Soft Ground", "Sea Diver", "Sucker", "Jerkin Crocus", and "Momma's Little Jewel". Last up is Mott – a fantastic classic – the kind of record that will remind you that Mott The Hoople were way more than a glam band with a big radio hit – as there's a depth, complexity, and completely satisfying quality to the record that holds on all the way through! Sure, the group's got fantastic guitar – courtesy of Mick Ralphs, who was setting a tone that so many others would copy in years to come – but there's way more going on here, and the group are really getting a sense of their power and identity – even if they were never hitting the full chart status they deserved. The whole thing's great – lots of perfect moments from Ian Hunter – and titles include "Hymn For The Dudes", "Whizz Kid", "All The Way From Memphis", "I Wish I Was Your Mother", "Ballad Of Mott The Hoople", and "Honaloochie Boogie". CD

Blues 45s – but material that's also pretty close to the funky 45 spirit of the 60s too – given that most of these cuts have a pretty raw groove! The blues element usually comes from a guitar or harmonica element, or a way of vocal phrasing – but much of the background instrumentation hits a gritty soul groove that's pretty darn funky overall – a great fusion of modes that must have sounded pretty darn great coming from a jukebox in the back room of some south side nightclub! This second volume is every bit as great as the first – and titles include "Love Is A Serious Thing" by Otis Reed, "Stretchin Out" by Little Sonny, "Lonesome" by Memphis Slim, "Don't Change Your Mind" by TB Fisher, "You Won't Treat Me Right" by TV Slim & His Bluesmen, "Fatten Pin" by Clyde Hopkins, "Dark River" by Freddy Young, "I'm Leaving You" by Bob Reed & His Band, "I Tried" by Larry Davis, "Pickin Heavy" by Joe Scott, "Roll On Train" by Elton Anderson, and "I'm So Tired" by Eddie Bo. CD

The definitely got the title right here – as BB King is plenty great, and already a powerhouse in these early years of his career! King sprung forth from the Memphis scene almost fully-formed – and in addition to his famous guitar work, he was also a hell of a singer who could bring a new sort of soulful presence to blues music – able to croon with the charm of a jazz singer in the right moments, join with a doo wop group at others, yet come on with the power of a bluesman whenever he stepped in front of the mic! This great album has BB in all these modes – recorded with brilliantly bold sound – and titles include "I Had A Woman", "Sweet Sixteen", "Someday Baby", "I'm Gonna Quit My Baby", and "I Was Blind". CD features 8 bonus tracks – including "Down Now", "Bim Bam", "Young Dreamers", "Shotgun Blues", "Woman Don't Care", and "Broke & Hungry" – some in rare unissued takes. CD

A monumental collection of work by the legendary Booker T & The MGs – one that features a huge amount of the group's best recordings – mostly pulled from their early years at Stax Records, and including some rare album tracks, b-sides, and other nice bits! Memphis soul expert Robert Bowman put the package together and also provides a great set of notes – and the whole thing features a whopping 65 tracks that include "Heads Or Tails", "Be Young Be Foolish Be Happy", "Chicken Pox", "Melting Pot", "Gotta Serve Somebody", "Hole In The Wall", "Terrible Thing", "MG Party", "Booker's Theme", "Meditation", "Sarasota Sunset", "Soul Dressing", "Be My Lady", "My Sweet Potato", "Booker's Notion", "I Can Dig", "Never My Love", "Blue On Green", "Ode To Billie Joe", and "Hip Hug Her". CD