All Categories — New Arrivals — All Formats   New Arrivals Last Two Days 1st Time at DGA  

We know, we know, you're wondering "Why is this here?". And truthfully, if it weren't for the fact that Quincy was at the top of his game when he produced this version of The Wiz, we'd write it off as total crap too, but there are a few moments peppered in here and there that will make... read more

A western soundtrack – but one that's groovier than you might expect, given that the music was done by Quincy and Jose! The general style is strings and western themes, but Quincy manages to put a bit of bounce at the bottom – using an electric bass in a syncopated style that's quite... read more

A very cool remake of this cut from Sharon Jones – produced by Ticklah here with a sweetly dubby vibe! "How Long" still has plenty of soul here, but it also takes on a bit of a Kingston groove too – stepping along with a 60s rocksteady vibe that supports Sharon's vocals... read more

Damn damn damn – maybe the funkiest album ever from Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings! The group have always been great, but there's something here that goes even farther than usual – an especially funky snap on the drums at the bottom, even on more laidback tunes – and a stone... read more

Sharon's got her political agenda straight on this one – working with heavy heavy backings from the Dap-Kings on a hip message-oriented cut that ranks with the best of the early 70s! The groove's overflowing with tight wah wah guitar, topped off by some nice chromatic Willie Hutch-like work... read more

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A tight little album from Tamiko Jones – one of the most enigmatic singers to come out of the south, stepping proud here in a sound that's almost in the Hotlanta vein! Tamiko's working with an assortment of Muscle Shoals musicians on the set – and the style of the album is a mixture of... read more

One of the greatest records ever cut by the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra – way way more than a big band jazz session, and a fantastically hip batch of grooves that encompasses a wealth of styles! The Jones/Lewis group could sometimes sound a bit clunky and overhashed – but on this... read more

Pretty darn hip stuff from Clifford – in that righteous soul jazz mode that he was using at Strata East, although perhaps a bit less focused than on those records. The record's actually got vocals on a number of tracks – scatting in a kind of hip Bill Lee sort of approach, singing... read more

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Margie Joseph gets a hipper treatment than on earlier records – a mix of east coast styles that adds in some Philly and early modern mellow arrangements, both of which provide a great contrast to Margie's southern-tinged vocals! The approach here is great – a fulling up and fleshing... read more

Joy Division recorded live at The Prince Of Wales Conference Center, below the YMCA – and a pretty stunning document of the pioneering band's mix of raw intensity with heavy mood – in a rare live setting! It's a legendary set – one that kicked off a 4 night series of shows at the... read more

Not the US group Kaleidoscope, but a Mexican one – very fuzzy and tripped out, with English language lyrics all the way through! The production is nice and muddy – in just that right psyche way to make the vocals lay on top of the guitars lay on top of the basslines – which gives... read more

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Nice little soundtrack for this obscure thriller starring Sean Connery. Michael Kamen (ex-New York Rock & Roll Ensemble) lays down some groovy tracks with a good 70's crime/thriller feel. Some tracks are more orchestral, but there's some nice moments with a good bass-y feel. Titles include... read more

The New York in the title is very apt – as the album's got a lot more soul, and a lot more solid club groove than some of Kano's other albums from the 80s! The overall feel is really great – moving along in a post-disco groove that's mostly based around spare rhythms, simple... read more

The great first single from Kanye's Late Registration LP – with some very clever verses and a busy, exciting production! The track is built up from a sample of the classic John Barry/Shirley Bassey hit "Diamonds Are Forever" (thankfully Kanye didn't speed the vocal part into the... read more

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Includes "Snake", "Been Around The World" feat Ja Rule, "Step In The Name Of Love (rmx)", "Who's That" feat Fat Joe, "Ignition", "You Knock Me Out", and "Dream Girl".... read more

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All you need is love – that, and some great vocals and backings as well! Anita Kerr really gets groovy on this little set – taking the famous sound of her harmony quartet into some great late 60s territory – a range of pop tunes hinted at by the Beatles reference on the cover... read more

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No need to be cautious here – as the album's the sort you can jump into right away – thanks to some wicked grooves from legendary guitarist Calvin Keys! Calvin's had a great revival in recent years, but this album's the stuff that first put him on the map – a brilliant early date... read more

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Beautiful fusion from guitarist Steve Khan – one of those great 70s players who could play things tight, yet still keep an edge! The album's got a well-produced groove – the same sort of soulful undercurrent you'd get in other Columbia fusion sets of the period – yet Khan's... read more

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One of THE electric blues records of the 60s – a seminal set by Albert King that was probably blasted out of more college dorm rooms than southside juke joints, but which still more than deserves its due! The set was recorded by Stax with a nice raw sound – guitar very much upfront,... read more

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Ben E King goes into a sweet sweet music trance – that late 70s dancefloor mode that really helped transform his sound, and breathe new life into his career! The style's not really disco, but is more an upbeat take on modern soul – a groove that still broke big on plenty of dancefloors... read more

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One of our favorites by King Crimson – and a record with a lot more jazz than some of their others! Players include Mel Collins on lots of flutes and saxes – plus guests Keith Tippett on piano, Mark Charig on cornet, and Harry Miller on bass!... read more

Very cool stuff – a rare European-only album that brings together some of King Curtis' funkiest tracks ever – and which really stands as one of the most perfect full records we've ever heard from the King! The sound here is more Stax Records than some of the mellower cuts that Atlantic... read more

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The sweet debut from guitarist Earl Klugh – a player whose sound went onto dominate late 70s fusion in a big big way! Klugh's clearly stepping here into a space allowed by George Benson at the time – a blend of jazz and R&B that's warmer and mellower than work previously done on... read more

Gladys Knight pays tribute to a range of singers who came before her – Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and others – all the while earning our respect for her new inflections of these classics! The style here is less "torch revival" than you'd expect –... read more

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A landmark album of funky genius – and one of the first times a batch of funky 45s had ever been so tightly sewn into a full LP! By the time of this album's release, Kool & The Gang were already underground legends – cutting it up in small clubs around the east and midwest, and... read more

A magic carpet ride of funky soul from Kool & The Gang – classic Open Sesame from '76 – one that took the group to a higher level! It's not as rawly funky as some of the group's earlier albums, but they do still bring it, just with a cooler spirtual vibe that we never expected... read more

After this one, there was no turning back for Kool & The Gang! The record has them bringing their underground funk sound to the masses – with a choppy riffy groove that stands out almost as a public challenge to all the other pretenders that had been cropping up on major labels during... read more

Dawn of the 80s party rap from Kool DJ AJ! "Ah, That's The Joint" is notable as an early Terry Lewis production, but what's really great about it is how brilliantly it rocks a 70s funk vibe underneath the vocals. The bass groove is unstoppable and the the beat is incredible – with... read more

With the title cut from the days of the Kool Moe Dee vs. LL Cool J battles. And following the theme, the cover has a picture of Kool Moe Dee (in a white BK suit) standing in front of a jeep that has just run over a red Kangol! With "How Ya Like Me Now", 'Wild Wild West", "Way... read more

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The Jimi Hendrix of Turkey? That may well be the case with the legendary Erkin Koray – a musician who may not have had the pure chops of Hendrix, but who definitely helped transform the guitar sound of an entire generation! Erkin's got this massively wicked groove – rooted in years of... read more

A masterpiece of Turkish psychedelia – and quite possibly the greatest album ever from Turkish psychedelic maestro Erkin Koray – a mad blend of sounds that definitely lives up to its "elektronik" title! Most numbers feature a weird blend of electric guitar and baglama –... read more

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Spacey sounds from out of the ether – Kraftwerk's wonderful tribute to radio, spun out in the same spare electronics they used to give some love to the computer, too! The album's the first by the group to really work as a unified suite of tracks – building up wonderfully over the... read more

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An amazing little book, and one hell of a lifelong research project – a huge volume that documents deep details about the American underground of vanity, or "private" press records – obscure pieces of wax that were usually just pressed up by an artist for their own pleasure... read more

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One of the biggest major label hip hop albums of the early 80s – and easily one of the best ever full length sets from Kurtis Blow! There's a straightforward simplicity here that's totally great – a slight elevation of the Sugar Hill groove towards a more mainstream audience –... read more

A pair of killers from Kwick – back to back on a single CD! First up is the self-titled Kwick – sweet 80s groove from a quartet who were once known as The Newcomers, and recorded some Memphis singles for Stax – but who here reemerge more than fully-formed – leaping into the... read more

A great one from Lacy – with Steve Potts on alto and soprano, Bobby Few on piano, Irene Aebi on violin, Jean Jacques Avenal on bass, and Oliver Johnson on drums!... read more

Steve Lacy, working with a very comfortable lineup of Parisian players – Bobby Few on piano, Steve Potts on alto and soprano, Jean-Jacques Avenel on bass, Oliver Johnson on bass, and Irene Aebi on vocals and a bit of violin! Lacy plays soprano throughout, and the tunes often have that... read more

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A great large group project from reedman Oliver Lake – and a great reminder of his mighty strengths as a writer and arranger too! Right from the start, Lake's had a great ability to move between smaller, intimate settings and more ensemble-based music – and here, he's at the helm of a... read more

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One of Yusef Lateef's funkier albums for Atlantic – and a record that features some great keyboard work from Kenny Barron! The liner notes indicate a current Lateef fascination with rhythm, and it tries to present this fascination in a way that implies a bigger intellectual approach to the... read more

The debut single off Laurnea's debut album, with a bit more of a commercial sound than she's got on New Territory, though the Designated Hitters mix on the flip has a feel that may appeal more to fans of her newer sound.... read more

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Wonderful sounds from Hubert Laws – and like some of his best CTI work of a few years before, a set that really goes way beyond any easy expectations! There's moments of ambition here that really link the record to Laws' CTI sides – that mix of fuller arrangements and higher-concept... read more

Massive early work from Hubert Laws – and a set that really shows some more the more Latin and soul sides of his talents! Tracks here have a tight punch throughout – with some great New York 60s rhythms that feature a young Chick (then called "Armando") Corea on piano, then a... read more

One of the most sublime Hubert Laws albums for CTI – a set that features his incredibly soulful flute work floating over these beautiful large arrangements by Don Sebesky – all ticked by some sweet electric piano from Bob James! The sound is perfect – that balance of soul and... read more

A stone classic from reedman Ronnie Laws – and an album that really helped set a whole new standard for funky fusion in the 70s! Laws works here with great Wayne Henderson production – which gives the album an even sharper sound than other Blue Note sets of this vintage – and... read more

Two stone classics from Ronnie Laws – back to back on a single CD! Friends & Strangers is a stone classic from reedman Ronnie Laws – and an album that really helped set a whole new standard for funky fusion in the 70s! Laws works here with great Wayne Henderson production –... read more

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Modern swing by this gypsy-jazz-vocal quintet.... read more

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A pretty bold assertion from Peggy Lee on the title – but she backs it up nicely in this obscure album of "guy" songs from the end of the 50s! There's a playful feel to the music that fits Lee's vocals very well – as do the bouncy arrangements from Jack Marshall, who turns... read more

A great illustration of the upbeat, positive vibe that Peggy Lee could serve up when she was at her best – a cool Capitol Records mode that really helped Lee set a whole new tone for singers in the 60s! The great Jack Marshall is at the helm on arrangements – putting things together... read more

A nice little live set – recorded at Shelly Manne's club in LA, and one that features a trio with Michel Legrand on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums – all playing together on a combination of improvisational, original tunes and some more familiar ones! The... read more

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Not the out there primal scream of Plastic Ono, and more of an impeccably produced, easy to love landmark from John Lennon! The title track, beautiful as it is, is so heavily ingrained into rock & roll myth making machine that it's become too easy to overlook how great most of the songs on the... read more

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A great later album from O'Donel Levy – recorded after his initial flurry of work for the Groove Merchant label, but still plenty darn nice! The sound here is slightly smoother and a bit more electric than before – with Levy's sweet guitar work snaking out over some larger backings... read more

One of the strongest sessions recorded by pianist John Lewis in the 50s – a date that shows depths of his talents that run even greater than his work with the Modern Jazz Quartet, quite possibly because is work on piano is at the forefront of the record throughout! There's a sense of... read more

Sweet, funky, and outtasite – one of Ramsey Lewis' greatest albums of the 60s – cut under the supervision of Chicago soul maestro Charles Stepney! The album's an amazing mix of jazz, funk, and the more baroque and spacey elements – that were running through the Chicago soul and... read more

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A late 60s groover from the second Ramsey Lewis trio – the one that features Cleveland Eaton on bass and Maurice White on drums, both doing a pretty great job of filling the spot vacated by Eldee Young and Red Holt! The album's a live one, cut in the successful mode of Ramsey's records with... read more

Massive keyboard work from the great Ramsey Lewis – easily one of his best records ever, thanks to some spaciously funky production by Charles Stepney! Stepney plays keyboards here along with Ramsey, and the twin-keys approach makes for a sound that's extra-special – one that sums up... read more

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An overlooked gem from Ramsey's 70s years at Columbia – a record that has him grooving over larger arrangements, sweeping along in a great blend of soul and class that makes for some really great numbers! Side one of the album features Ramsey playing keyboards on the extended "Legacy&quo... read more