All Categories — LPs  

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Sounds like Herb Alpert, but it grooves in ways that we hardly expected – playful, creative, and filled with so many more rhythms than just the Tijuana groove we might have thought! There's a real deepening sense of instrumental pop going on here – as Herb explores some of the darker... read more

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The first album by Atlantic Starr – a tight set of modern soul tunes with a very different feel than their later work! Part of the credit goes to Bobby Eli – who arranged and produced the set, giving it a feel that's almost late Philly – tight, sophisticated, and right on the... read more

Quite possibly the greatest moment ever for Burt Bacharach – and that's saying a heck of a lot, considering the greatness of all of his work! The record's a slightly-overlooked gem from Burt's 70s years – a record that steps off the compressed sophistication of his best 60s work for... read more

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A far reaching late 70s set from Gato Barbieri – a record that blends fusiony jazz funk, lush stings, and Latin rhythms and fluid solos on a varied batch of tunes! One of the more interesting things about the production is that those varied approaches often come into play within the same... read more

An early George Benson groover from the A&M years of CTI – a set that's quite different than his famous 70s sets, with a really unique sound overall! The arrangements here are by Latin Soul maestro Marty Sheller – who brings some of the vibe to the set that he brought to his 60s... read more

Booker T's definitely into a great new groove here – one that really extrapolates his Memphis roots through the haze of early 70s California – coming up with some wonderful sounds along the way! There's a definite A&M vibe to the record – that mix of rootsy modes and hipster... read more

The Brothers Johnson are hardly out of control on this mid 80s set – as the album's got a tight groove that shows the duo are still going strong long past their 70s fame! As before, there's a bit of bounce on the bottom – that bassy groove that the pair first crafted back in their... read more

Smooth jazzy soul from the Brothers – still sounding wonderful at this point, producing themselves for the record, and using the best parts of all those lessons they learned from Quincy Jones! The bass is a bit down in the mix for this album – a good move, considering that 1981 was... read more

Produced by Joe Gibbs and Clive Hunt. Titles include "On The Rocks", "I Need Your Love", "Come On Baby", "The Existence Of Jah", "The Cheapter", and "Your Man".... read more

Excellent mid 70s duet jazz from pianist Dave Brubeck & alto Paul Desmond! Duets 1975 is a nicely laidback work from the duo – playing here with no other accompaniment, in a spare set of material that's incredibly fragile and intimate – and all the better for that. The move is a... read more

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Paul Desmond serves up his own versions of some key tunes by Simon & Garfunkel tunes – with results that are simply amazing! The style here takes all the airy brilliance of the original S&G tunes, and turns it towards a more jazz-based mode – one that has some of the slight... read more

One of our favorite Paul Desmond records of all time – a set of understated brilliance that really lets him display his genius! Desmond at this time had been lost in some other sets that respected his talents, but didn't offer the greatest proof that he'd been growing as an artist –... read more

A post-Parsons effort from The Flying Burrito Brothers – unfairly overlooked and worthy country rock from the innovators! The live "Last Of The Red Hot Burritos" was the final album of this period of Burrito history, an energetic set that's heavy with classics from the first couple... read more

One of the best rock albums of the late 60s, and probably THE best record Gram Parsons ever played on. Parsons spearheaded the sound earlier with the International Submarine Band and the Byrds, but this first Burritos album is where the epiphanies are found. Traditionally structured weepers that... read more

Arguably one of the most successful double live albums ever! Includes the classic "Baby I Love Your Way", and "Show Me The Way".... read more

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A really crazy LP of Zodiac pondering, with cool electronic music by Mort Garson – the guy behind "The Wozzard of Id"! There's some cool spoken bits about the featured "sign" on the LP – then these cool little musical interludes, which are very much in Garson's best... read more

A really crazy LP of Zodiac pondering, with cool electronic music by Mort Garson – the guy behind "The Wozzard of Id"! There's some cool spoken bits about the featured "sign" on the LP – then these cool little musical interludes, which are very much in Garson's best... read more

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A work of understated brilliance from guitarist Jim Hall – and one of our favorite records by him! The setting is simple – Hall plays live with a trio, on a set of familiar standards – but the results are remarkable, as both Hall and the rhythm section manage to bring a hell of a... read more

The beautiful first solo album by Lani Hall – recorded after years of work with Sergio Mendes in the Brasil 66 group – and done in a style that certainly reflects her great vocals with that ensemble, yet which also expands her sound tremendously! The set was arranged and produced by... read more

Afro Funk meets 80s groove – and the band's not a bad extension of some of the Afro Funk jams of the 70s. Sipho Mabuse produced, and sings lead vocals. Tracks include "Soul Fire", "Dance", "Liven Up", "Get Funky", and "Party".... read more

Pretty hip stuff from drummer Billy Hart – and a record that mixes New York loft jazz traditions with a warmer sense of soul jazz that was being forged by some of the players on the record. Players like Don Pullen, Eddie Henderson, Hannibal Marvin Peterson, Dewey Redman, and Oliver Lake come... read more

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A masterpiece of synth pop – and a landmark album for the Human League! The record took the group from the Brit post-punk underground to the charts of the world – with a stark blend of noisy keyboards, spare beats, and Phil Okey's wonderfully flat and monotone vocals. And although the... read more

Some great early 80s pop groove material from Human League – less of the colder synth of before, and more of the warmer soul-based sound that worked surprisingly well for the group! The EP features a number of tracks that fell between the LPs – including the extended version of their... read more

A new taste from Humble Pie – who moved into more of a rock 'n' soul vibe on 1973s Eat It than the more hard rocking previous couple of albums– originally a double LP of studio material on 3 sides a 4th side of live numbers captured at Green's Playhouse in Glasgow. The Clydie King... read more

A breakout album for Janet, with prime New Jack, or should we say New Jill, Swing production from the then unstoppable Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Flyte Tyme production team. Includes "Control", "Nasty", "What Have You Done For Me Lately", "The Pleasure... read more

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Stunning early work from Joe Jackson – much more hard-edged than you might expect! There's a nice bite here – and tracks include "Fools In Love", "Pretty Girls", "Happy Loving Couples", "Sunday Papers", "One More Time", and "Is She... read more

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... read more

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An incredible record – from the first off-key note to the last! The album's filled with some wonderfully moody LA studio sounds, arranged by Deodato, and a has a great swirling mix of sound that weaves around Jobim's lofty guitar and piano beautifully – complex, but still with the airy... read more

A stunning mix of talents that brings the heavenly piano and guitar of Antonio Carlos Jobim into play with the lush, but light arrangements of Claus Ogerman – a swirling mix of post-bossa loveliness that redefines Jobim's sound, and opens up new avenues for exploration in sound! The... read more

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In the early 70s, Quincy Jones surrounded himself with some of the best young soul and jazz talent he could find, plus a few older pros – and the result was a great series of albums that spanned genres and created a whole new approach to modern R&B. This gem of a record was put together... read more

A real step forward for Quincy Jones – a record that really shows the jazzman moving into sophisticated new territory – a sound that's just right for the CTI generation! The album's got a vibe that's a bit similar to Quincy's Walking In Space album, but it's a lot deeper too –... read more

A really great, oft-overlooked album from the best period of Quincy Jones! This album is quite possibly Quincy's most farthest-reaching – as he works in an array of styles that really shows his growing genius in the studio – not just jazz and soundtrack modes, but more soul-based ones,... read more

The Dude at the height of his powers – serving up a smooth blend of soul and jazz that set the standard for an entire generation! As with some of his other 70s albums, Quincy's working here with a host of great talents that make the record sizzle – guests that include Hubert Laws,... read more

One of the greatest Quincy Jones albums of all time! The record's a spacey jazz masterpiece – and it combine's Quincy's soulful soundtrack vision with the excellent production talents of Creed Taylor, for a monster album of long drawn out cuts that mix soul jazz with more sophisticated... read more

Sweet funky Q for the 70s – easily one of the coolest albums ever from Quincy Jones! The album's got a very heavy electric vibe – one that's kind of a laidback take on the styles that Jones was forging in some of his 70s soundtrack work – served up with massive work on the... read more

Just the kind of cool high-concept work we love from A&M Records – an all-star project with performances by Jessi Colter, Eric Clapton, Bernie Leadon, Waylon Jennings, and others!... read more

Titles include "Hard To be Friends", "Part Of Your Life", "I'm Down", "Loving Arms", "I Hard The Bluebirds Sing", and "From The Bottle To The Bottom".... read more

An incredible album from Peggy Lee – baroquely beautiful, in a way that builds massively off of her "Is That All There Is Period" – and take her into territory that's almost equal to Lotte Lenya! The whole album was written by the team of Lieber & Stoller, in a sad, boozy... read more

With Liebman on reeds and Richie Bierach on piano – plus percussion from Badal Roy!... read more

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One of the best albums ever by LTD – featuring some wonderful early vocals by Jeffery Osborne, and stellar production by the team of Larry and Fonce Mizell! The Mizell Brothers sound a lot different here than they do on their Blue Note work – more deeply soulful, with a sound that's... read more

A cool promo-only radio record – one that features tracks from LTD's earlier albums on A&M, mixed with interview bits and dialogue – more than enough to act as a special radio show in itself! The album is divided up into five banded segments, each with a few songs, interviews with... read more

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A surprisingly nice album for A&M, and one in which Letta's funky African soul style gets a bit more of an LA studio sound. The record features backing by a lot of well-known funky studio players, and Herb Alpert produced the record with a nice sound that still keeps Letta's rich voice in... read more

One of our favorite albums by Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 – a perfect bridge between the simple pop of earlier records, and the group's expanding sound as the 70s approached! The warmly glowing Brasil 66 style is still very strongly in place, but the music here is all a bit hipper –... read more

A classic double-length collection of work by Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 – titled a "Foursider" because of the 2LP format! The package is overflowing with greatness by the group – and the extra space allows the set to include some real gems from the later A&M years... read more

Way past the hits, and into some really great territory – a move that makes the record one of our favorite Sergio Mendes sets for A&M! The sweeter bossa pop style here is undercut with a bit more influence from late 60s Brazilian grooves – some of the more baroque turns that Sergio'... read more

A beautiful Japanese package – featuring A&M material, but in a completely unique cover, with lavish production!... read more

Super-dope work from the great Wes Montgomery – set to excellent early CTI arrangements from Don Sebesky and Deodato! The groove is nice and airy – with Wes' guitar floating over the top, yet still present enough to ring out loud and clear on all the tightly plucked notes – and... read more

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Was there a more tragic figure in the 60s scene than Phil Ochs? Perhaps, but this is still a wonderful piece of his odd and sad career, a great portrait with his unrelenting political stance still in place, though not as raw as some of his other LPs. More arranged than any of his other LPs, but... read more

Titles include "We Belong To Love", "Soweto", "You Should Be Mine", "Emotional", "A Second Chance", and "Love's Not Ready".... read more

Unlike a lot of the group's other records from the early 70s – most of which are all-acapella – this one features the group's rich harmony vocals backed by some heavier funk arrangements. Far from wrecking their sound, this approach actually makes them sound a lot better – and... read more

Not as completely sublime as some of Phillips' other records from the 70s, but with some jazzy touches that takes it past the hippy folk sound, into the farther reaches of the cosmic soul universe. Includes the jazzy instrumental "Planscape", which has a heavy fusion groove – plus... read more

A great one from Shawn Phillips – a set that has more of the jazzy tones of his later work coming to the forefront – in a sound that's fuller, richer than before – with larger orchestrations by Paul Buckmaster and Ian Green, and a growing sense of groove that's made Shawn one of... read more

Titles include "Spirits In The Material World", "Hungry For You", "Demolition Man", "Too Much Information", and "One World".... read more

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Everybody likes some kind of music – and on this record, Billy Preston delivers up jazz, gospel, blues, and rock – all styles that influence his sound strongly, and which are tied together nicely in one righteous blend! The album's not as schizophrenic as you might expect from the... read more

Billy Preston's first album on A&M Records – a surprisingly great home for his ever-evolving style! Billy give some big thanks in the notes to George Harrison, Bobby Womack, and Quincy Jones – all of whom he credits for bringing the album into being – although it's Quincy who... read more

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Set of free "out" tracks by this classic 70's loft avant group. Leroy Jenkins, Sirone, and Jerome Cooper mesh together brilliantly, and have honed their style sharply by the time of this A&M release. Gatefold cover, with the tracks "Trio for Trio", "Chinese Rock"... read more

Arranged by Mort Garson – with tracks that include "Child Of Clay", "Today", "Turnaround", "The Lovers", "You Pass Me By", and "My Love Is A Wanderer".... read more

A nice one by Tom Scott! He's veering here towards the more tightly produced sound of later years, but the overall feel is still quite nice – and the record has some good funky moments, and players like Howard Roberts, Emil Richards, and Mike Wofford really make the session cook with a... read more

A sweet bit of Island-inspired pop – recorded here by an LA group of the late 60s, with inspirations drawn from the Carribean sands and the California sun! The group use a style that mixes together bits of late 60s South African pop, ala Hugh Masekela, a touch of steel band funk, and... read more

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Titles include "Angelsea", "Boy With A Moon & Star On His Head", "18th Avenue", "Freezing Steel", and "O Caritas".... read more

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Includes "The Grand Illusion", "Come Sail Away", and "The Grand Finale".... read more

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