All Categories — LPs  

The swaggering, hard grooving and hard rocking debut of Aerosmith! While "Dream On" gets as much or more rock radio play than any song should ever need, it's actually pretty easy to overlook just how good the rest of the record is. They may borrow the bluesy swagger of the Stones and... read more

Aerosmith's second album – and a prime slab of badass mid 70s rock – coming close to, maybe even equalling Toys In The Attic as ultimate Aerosmith badassery! It's got a tighter, puncier sound their debut – courtesy producer Jack Douglas – who would continue to produce... read more

Aerosmith at their most classic! At their peak, Aerosmith brought a hard rock edge to the more groove oriented boogie and blues rock influences. Toys In the Attic is most certainly one of their peaks, if not THE peak. Includes the all time greats "Walk This Way" and "Sweet... read more

The cover of this one makes it look like a no-name leaderless session, but this one actually features some great work by some very hip players! Half the album features vibist Teddy Charles leading a group of modernists that includes Hal McKusick, Frank Socolow, Bill Russon, Bob Brookmeyer, Mal... read more

A lost heavy rock classic from the Dunwich Production team – recorded in Michigan, but with extra orchestral backing in Chicago – for an approach that gives the record a slightly pop quality that tempers the harder rock sound nicely. The songs are actually pretty catchy, in a post-Summe... read more

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A very soulful batch of fusion tracks from drummer Horacee Arnold – here leading a group that includes reed talents Billy Harper and Joe Farrell, percussionist Ralph McDonald, guitarist Ralph Towner, and Dave Friedman on vibes and percussion. Tracks are long and spiralling, with a spiritual... read more

One of the most hard-hitting albums ever cut by pianist Georges Arvanitas – an early effort that's all soul jazz all the way through! Although Arvanitas is best known as a committed modernist, especially in later years, this sweet early 60s session is a stone cooker in the best mode of Blue... read more

Roy Ayers in a seductive mid 80s mode – his first for Columbia – and a record with some incredibly nice moments that blow away most of his contemporaries! The synth soul and drum machine era might seem like an odd fit for Roy's jazzy vibes, but it actually works really well here! You... read more

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Titles include "Walk Like An Egyptian", "Manic Monday", "Not Like You", and "If She Knew What She Wants".... read more

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One of Tony Bennett's greatest jazz sessions – a sublime mid 50s outing that features small combo backing from guitarist Chuck Wayne! The setting is extremely spare for the time – a real contrast from the higher drama of some of Tony's 50s chart hits, and the kind of a record that... read more

A record that has a Motown hit for its title, but the album's got a depth that marks Bennett as one of the most complex singers of his generation – way past the broad belter of ballads from the 50s, and an all-adult male vocalist whose sound was essential to the sophistication of the... read more

Warm backings from Marty Manning – and a set that really has Tony Bennett coming into his own for the 60s! Titles include the classics "I Wanna Be Around" and 'The Good Life" – plus "Once Upon A Summertime", "If You Were Mine", "Someone To... read more

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An overlooked gem! The set's got Tony singing to some great mellow backings from the Ralph Sharon trio – nice and jazzy, with versions of "Rules Of The Road", "Green Dolphin Street", "When Lights Are Low", and "Speak Low".... read more

A 2LP set that features some great early groovers from George Benson – cut for Columbia back in the late 60s, when George was fresh out of Jack McDuff's classic combo, and grooving on his own with the help of organist Lonnie Smith. These tracks have gotten pretty hard to find on vinyl over... read more

A superb recording of Alban Berg's masterpiece!... read more

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Titles include "Don't Ever Leave Me", "Why Was I Born", "Can't Help Lovin That Man", and "Bill".... read more

Backings by Luther Henderson – and titles include "I'm Thru With Love", "I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan", "You'll Never Know", "The Party's Over", and "But Not For Me".... read more

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Film recording – with Natalie Wood, Rita Moreno, and Richard Beymer.... read more

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Cheap Thrills, maybe – but they cut deeply and last forever! This is one of the greatest albums by Big Brother & The Holding Company – and it's also one of the most important in cementing the legacy of singer Janis Joplin. The raw manic energy of the group at their live best is... read more

Cheap Thrills, maybe – but they cut deeply and last forever! This is one of the greatest albums by Big Brother & The Holding Company – and it's also one of the most important in cementing the legacy of singer Janis Joplin. The raw manic energy of the group at their live best is... read more

Now a classic, and pretty tough to get a hold of on vinyl. Beats by Buckwild, Showbiz and Lord Finesse, rhymes by Harlem's finest. Big L didn't leave behind much recorded work, but if this LP has to stand as his legacy, it's a mighty fine statement. Alongside some of the latter day QB hip hop,... read more

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An incredible early experimental album from Art Blakey – one of the first to feature him in expanded percussion format! Side one of the album features the extended "Drum Suite" – a set of 3 tracks ("The Sacrifice", "Cubano Chant", and "Oscalypso")... read more

A stone classic from Blood Sweat & Tears – and a record that went onto have a tremendous impact in jazz, rock, funk, and soul! The group's format is plenty darn famous – adding a lot of horns to hip riffing grooves – but despite countless plays on oldies stations over the... read more

Blood Sweat & Tears are really stretching out here – working their already-famous magic through a range of great tunes, both originals and covers – and coming up with some great longer-form expressions of their sound in the process! David Clayton-Thomas is firmly in the lead on... read more

Titles include "Albert's Shuffle", "Stop", "Man's Temptation", "This Holy Modal Majesty", "Really", and "Season Of The Witch".... read more

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David Bowie's grabbing the cover of Heroes for this surprisingly great album – using the old cover art, then marking it over – in ways that definitely give a hint at the sound underneath! The style's darker and edgier than we've heard Bowie in years – kind of in "Joe The... read more

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Sound, space, tone, and color – a tremendous effort from trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, and a record with a really unique feel! The album features a wonderful group that includes Brookmeyer on valve trombone, Stan Getz on tenor, Gary Burton on vibes, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass,... read more

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Trend-setting vocal work from Oscar Brown Jr – one of the hippest singers of his generation, and a vocalist who really took things to the next level in the 60s! Brown's got a sound that's partially influenced by the vocalese of Eddie Jefferson, Jon Hendricks, and other singers of the 50s... read more

Way more than just a gimmicky bossa nova session – and a surprisingly great showcase for the inventive rhythms of the Brubeck group, and the sensitive alto work of Paul Desmond! The record's got a really different feel than some of Dave's other work for Columbia – in that the modernism... read more

A sweet live set from Dave Brubeck's early years on Columbia Records – recorded in New York, but with all the calculated cool and modern tones Brubeck first forged in the San Francisco scene of the 50s! Paul Desmond's on board on alto sax – really getting a lot of space to stretch out... read more

The Dave Brubeck Quartet goes to college – a pretty good place for the combo, considering how many fans they had on campus in the 50s! The sound here is never too academic for the setting, though – just the same sort of Brubeck groove first forged in the small clubs in San Francisco... read more

Like Dave Brubeck's legendary Time Out set? Try this one – a great record that takes off from the concept of the first, but which goes in some very fresh new directions – using the same great group with Paul Desmond on alto, Eugene Wright on bass, and Joe Morello on drums! Dave's... read more

One of the lesser-known sets in Dave Brubeck's classic "time" series for Columbia – even more inventive than Time Out! Paul Desmond plays alto – and titles include "Travellin Blues", "He Done Her Wrong", "Cassandra", "40 Days", "Tim... read more

A sweet pairing of Brubeck and Mulligan – on titles that include "Broke Blues", "Journey", "Cross Ties", "Blues Roots", and "Moving Out".... read more

Ray Bryant's turning his heavy-hands version of the piano to a set of film themes here – grooving familiar numbers with a nice little soul jazz groove – but still also keeping a bit of a soundtrack feel! Richard Wess scored some larger arrangements for the record – providing a... read more

Pure genius from Ray Bryant – the kind of a record that few other players could ever hope to cut, and a fantastic demonstration of Ray's extremely soulful approach to the trio format! Bryant's working here with Bill Lee on bass and Mickey Roker on drums – in a triple-burning setting... read more

One of the greatest albums ever from BT Express – tighter, smoother, and classier than the group's early funky disco sessions – and with a cosmic sound that shows them really growing at the time! The sound here steps off from both the group's own horn-heavy disco sides of the 70s, and... read more

A killer set that's extremely well-titled – as BT Express were one of the hottest ensemble funk acts of their time! The groove here is definitely aimed at a more disco-oriented dancefloor than before – but the overall sound is plenty funky enough for our ears – thanks to some... read more

These guys are still pretty darn great at this point – and the album's an updating of their uptempo funky club sound, one that still retains a lot of the best elements of earlier efforts. Horn arrangements are very strong, handled by Carlos Ward with a nice touch of jazz – and the... read more

An overlooked gem from BT Express – the group's 5th album, but still very much in the tightly-crafted ensemble mode of earlier years! The guitar and bass interplay on the set is amazing – handled by arranger/guitarist Billy Nichols, with a chromatic edge that really brings a lot of... read more

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One of Joe Bushkin's more jazz-oriented sessions – thanks to trumpet from Buck Clayton!... read more

A gem of a session from the European expatriot scene of the postwar years – not really a tribute to Cannonball Adderley, but a rare meeting of Bud Powell and Don Byas in the studio, produced by Cannonball in Paris in 1961! The record has a tremendous amount of fire and focus –... read more

Charlie Byrd gets some top-shelf treatment here – in a wonderful album of tunes by Antonio Carlos Jobim, all recorded with full backing arrangements, and sound quality that's a lot better than some of Byrd's previous albums! The setting has Charlie's acoustic guitar right up front in the mix... read more

Wonderful work from the team of Donald Byrd and Gigi Gryce! Byrd is at his youthful best here – blowing with a soulful imagination that's surprising, given his young age, and honed to a modern edge by the arrangements of Gryce. Conversely, Gryce's tone on the alto is fantastic – less... read more

Wonderful work from the team of Donald Byrd and Gigi Gryce! Byrd is at his youthful best here – blowing with a soulful imagination that's surprising, given his young age, and honed to a modern edge by the arrangements of Gryce. Conversely, Gryce's tone on the alto is fantastic – less... read more

The second of two early LPs that the Byrd and Gryce team cut for Columbia – and the more obscure of the two by far! This one features the group's groundbreaking format – a mixture of hardbop and modern jazz, always swinging, but angularly carved, with striking tones and colors that... read more

An amazing little record from Joe Byrd – an artist with roots in serious music, but who's serving things up here with a wild hippie aesthetic that makes the whole thing come across more like a "happening" than the usual sort of studio album – but in ways that also echo an... read more

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Titles include "Hello There", "Gidon's Bible", "Fairweather Friend", "Charlemagne", "Bring It On Up", and "Amsterdam".... read more

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Johnny's first LP for Columbia! His terse, spare Sun style is still in evidence here with a slightly more crisp and polished sound, but no less powerful thanks to that famous wobbly baritone. Johnny would soon start stretching out good and wide thanks to the full creative freedom Columbia... read more

Johnny's first LP for Columbia! His terse, spare Sun style is still in evidence here with a slightly more crisp and polished sound, but no less powerful thanks to that famous wobbly baritone. Johnny would soon start stretching out good and wide thanks to the full creative freedom Columbia... read more

A stunning live prison performance from the Man In Black, recorded in conjunction with a television special. Titles include "Starkville County Jail", "I Walk The Line", "Folsom Prison Blues", an incredible version of "Wanted Man", and what became the single... read more

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A dream of a record from Chad & Jeremy – a fantastic bit of psychedelic pop produced by Gary Usher! The album's got quite a different feel than the rest of the duo's work – as their standard Brit pop style is augmented by lots of extra strings and woodwinds, super-baroque in a... read more

This one has the Chambers working in a number of styles, sweating hard in a gritty version of Otis Redding's "I Can't Turn You Loose" and to some funky percussion and call-and-response vocals on "Do Your Thing", and grooving softly on "Guess Who" and others. Other... read more

The first Chicago album – presented here in all its jazzy brilliance! Back in the day, we used to wince when we heard these guys – but over the years, thanks to much rediscovery of the band by groove hounds, we've really come to like their work a lot. This first album especially has... read more