All Categories — CDs  

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Solid 80s grooving from Leroy Burgess & Aleem – a bit more hit-oriented here than in earlier years, but still plenty darn great! Burgess has really grown strongly as a vocalist by this point – shaking off the rougher indie edges of his roots, and going for a tight, professional... read more

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A dozen tracks from one of the greatest east coast harmony groups of the 70s! Blue Magic came onto the scene a bit later than some of their other hit making geographical neighbors – like The Stylistics or The Moments – but their sound was pure 70s harmony all the way, and the group had... read more

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Sublime soul from Change – an Italian combo who got some great American help on their early 80s for Warner Brothers! The Change groove is totally great – a stripped-down blend of beats, bass, and keyboards that was head and shoulders above much of the clunkier 80s soul of the time... read more

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11 tasty numbers by Chic, all filled with the lively guitar work and tight production of Nile Rodgers – and the group's own strong talent for delivering a hook that won't miss. Sure, it's pop disco for the masses, but most of these cuts still sound surprisingly good these days. Includes the... read more

Great work by this legendary hard swinging band – an early 60s American album issued on Atlantic Records, in the years before the Clark Boland Band's legendary run on MPS! Despite the early date, the album's got all the core elements of the band's sound in place – soaring rhythms,... read more

An album that certainly lives up to the promise of its title – as it's filled with amazing instrumentation, groundbreaking compositions, and a sound in jazz that few ears could imagine at the time! The groove here is extremely modal – all instruments rolling along on the same rhythmic... read more

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The title may be a simple one, but the record really marks a key point in John Coltrane's development – an embrace of the newer freedoms allowed to him at Atlantic Records, but in a way that's a bit more subtle than some of his other work for the label! At one level, the record moves at the... read more

Coltrane plays the blues, but in a way like nobody else – stepping off of the deeply soulful sound of his late Prestige years, and moving into even more open and exploratory space for Atlantic! The setting is bare bones and simple – and many of these numbers begin with the sort of... read more

One of the more obscure John Coltrane albums for Atlantic – but a beautiful batch of spiritual numbers that really show him pushing towards the sound of A Love Supreme! The date on the album's 1966, but the material was recorded earlier – in that key turning point year of 1960, when... read more

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One of Chris Connor's standout albums for Atlantic Records – and a session that actually makes us really appreciate the presence of Maynard Ferguson! The album's got a bit more punch than some of Chris' other records for the label, and is a nice shift in mood after a series of sad, dreamy,... read more

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A dozen of the biggest numbers from the seminal vocal group, including "There Goes My Baby", "(If You Cry) True Love, True Love", "Dance With Me", "This Magic Moment", "Save The Last Dance For Me", "I Count The Tears", "Some Kind Of... read more

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Fantastic work from one of the most unique talents in jazz! Rufus Harley plays bagpipes – yes, that's right, bagpipes – in a modal Coltrane-esque way that's simply got to be heard to be believed. He uses the drone capability of the instrument to explore reed patterns in the same way... read more

All classics – with 15 cuts that include "The Ghetto", "Where Is The Love", "Giving Up", "Someday We'll Be Free", "To Be Young Gifted & Black", "This Christmas", "You've Got A Friend", "Back Together Again",... read more

Japanese reissue of Donny's beautiful live album, and the one that really lets you hear him opening up, both vocally and instrumentally. Recorded in Hollywood and New York, with a tight little band, and great extended versions of "The Ghetto" and "Voices Inside (Everything Is... read more

One of Freddie Hubbard's wildest records ever – a really unique experiment with electronics, and a set that sounds way different than his other albums for Atlantic, Blue Note, or CTI! The key factor here is experimentalist Ilhan Mimaroglu – who adds lots of electronics and processed... read more

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Margie Joseph's working here with 70s smooth soul maestro Johnny Bristol – and the resulting album is every bit as great as Bristol's own work from the time! Johnny's in perfect form here – coming up with those slightly funky, slightly polished backings that were his best stock in... read more

The first Atlantic album from Margie Joseph – a great second generation southern soul singer who really helped the label find a new sound in the 70s! Margie got her start on Stax, but she sounds even better here – a bit more mature, slightly more urban, and backed with a bad-walking... read more

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Some of the greatest spiritual jazz of the late 60s – and 2 of Rahsaan Roland Kirk's best Atlantic albums back to back on one CD! The Inflated Tear is a landmark album from Roland – one of his key 60s sides for Atlantic records, and an amazing blend of soul jazz, hardbop, and freer... read more

One of the hippest albums that Rahsaan Roland Kirk ever recorded – a perfect realization of his "black classical music" ethos, and a pan-generational jazz album that's all held together by one unique musical vision! Side one features the extended suite "The Seeker", which... read more

A stone classic from Roland Kirk – and a record that beautifully balances his modern ideas and playful energy – as you might guess from the title! While posing as the "whistleman", Roland's also pushing the boundaries of jazz a few steps forward too – not just in modern... read more

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Little Brother transitions to the majors with their soulful underground sound intact – and deliver an effort that in the best moments improve upon the already classic Listening LP! It looks like this just isn't going to go over with the TRL crowd, despite the Atlantic logo. The soul sample... read more

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Titles include "Agua", "Soul Food To Go", "Capim", "Notes From The Underground", "Jungle Pioneer", and "The Zoo Blues".... read more

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One of Mingus' classic sessions from the middle period – a legendary blending of jazz with bluesy gospel touches, in a mode that seemed to move away from the politics of some of the late 50s years, and open up his work to a whole new audience! The band is an all-star ensemble all the way... read more

Stunning stuff – and one of the greatest Charles Mingus albums of all time – a true treasure recorded in that magical year of 1957, when Mingus was finally finding his strongest voice in modern music! The album's near-perfect from start to finish – as bold a statement in jazz as... read more

A searing live set by Charles Mingus – a double-length performance recorded in Antibes during his classic years for Atlantic Records, but not issued by the label until many years later! The album's a great extrapolation of the sound that Mingus had forged on sessions for Columbia, Atlantic,... read more

Quite a crazy little record from Charles Mingus! Mingus plays piano and sings (yes, you read that right!) in a tight sextet with Booker Ervin and Roland Kirk on reeds, and Jimmy Knepper on trombone. Mingus is trying out a kind of messed-up, blues-inspired sound here – but for some reason... read more

One of the great Mingus albums for Atlantic – and a record that brings together material from 2 different sessions: one from 1957, with Shafi Hadi on alto; and another from 1961, with Roland Kirk and Booker Ervin on saxes. The '57 session has a raw quintet sound, and features some haunting... read more

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The MJQ always manage to sound especially great when working on music for film – and this album's a great illustration of that fact! The work here is written by John Lewis, for a movie that never lasted the test of time as much as the record – and it's some of John's most evocative... read more

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2 albums in the kind of "between the hits" years for The Spinners – one featuring lead vocalist Phillipe Wynne, the other featuring new arrival John Edwards. The sound here isn't as right-on or soaringly confident as in earlier years – but there are some nice moments that... read more

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Culled from the rich history of the Atlantic records label, and lovingly put together with great notes and everything! 25 tracks in all, including "Knock On Wood" by Eddie Floyd, "Try A Little Tenderness" by Otis Redding, "Mustang Sally" and"Funky Broadway"... read more

One of the best remix projects we've heard in years – most likely because the original work is so great! As the title indicates, the set features older Atlantic soul classics – remixed by a host of modern talents that include King Britt, Sa-Ra, Vikter Duplaix, and Quantic – all... read more

Third groovy volume in this great series – and we do mean groovy! The album features rare Latin and Latin Jazz tunes from hard-to-find albums in the Atlantic/Warner catalog – and it's got a great selection that's clearly aimed at the hipper side of the dancefloor. This volume pushes... read more