Funky nuggets from one of the greatest reggae labels of all time – a really wonderful collection that gets at some of the more hard-hitting material from Kingston powerhouse Studio One Records! Given the way that Studio One helped bridge the worlds of soul during the years of Jamaican ska and rocksteady, the funk is no surprise – and the package features both remakes of American funky numbers and plenty of homegrown cuts, all served up by some of the giants from the scene at the time. Titles include "Sidewalk Doctor" by Pablove Black, "007" by Soul Brothers, "Love Jah" by Sound Dimension, "Do Your Thing" by Leroy Sibbles, "Idleberg" by Cedric Im Brooks, "African Descendants" by Alton Ellis, "Reggae Feet" by Lloyd Williams, "Hang Em High" by Jackie Mittoo, "Beat Down Babylon" by Prince Frances, "Funky Broadway" by Delroy Wilson, "It's A Shame" by Alton Ellis, "Melting Pot" by Underground Vegetables, "Music Answer" by The Sharks, and a surprising remake of "Shaft" by the unlikely Cedric Im Brooks. CD

An excellent dip into the rootsier material from the Studio One catalog – the kind of reggae classics that have forever made the label one of the best Jamaican companies! The package is every bit as sublime as Soul Jazz's other reggae compilations – and it features a selection of tunes that far outshines most other reissues of Studio One material, and which includes some great rare gems that have a heavy soulful feeling. Titles include "Meditation" by The Cyclones with Count Ossie, "Set Me Free" by L Crosdale, "More Creation" by Lennie Hibbert, "Fear Not" by Winston Jarrett, "Blackish White" by Alton Ellis, "Far Beyond" by Leroy Wallace, "Addis A Baba" by Willie Williams, "Lumumbo" by Bunny & Skitter, "Africa Here I Come" by Freddie McGregor, and "Congo Rock" by Sound Dimension. LP, Vinyl record album

The legendary Studio One label recorded some of the hippest singers on the Kingston scene from the late 60s onward – and one of the ways they made them sound especially great was to use some of the city's coolest musicians on the sessions, and also give them some space to cut some key instrumentals of their own! The cuts here represent a time when Jamaican music was really hitting its stride with a really unique vibe – and these groups have really shifted from the sort of jazz, mento, or calypso that instrumental groups were cutting in the early part of the 60s – to work in ska, rocksteady, and early reggae modes that offer up a perfect blend of heavy rhythms and standout solo instrumentation! The package brings together 19 tracks from these glory days at Studio One – and titles include "Heavenless" by Don Drummond, "Bugaloo" by Soul Bros, "Black Up" by Karl Bryan & Count Ossie, "Still Calling" by Soul Defenders, "Namibia" by Liberation Group, "Sidewalk Doctor" by Jackie Mittoo & Brentford Rockers, "Heavy Rock" by Sound Dimension, "Money Generator" by Karl Bryan & The Afrokats, "Jericho Skank" by Jackie Mittoo & Ernest Ranglin, and "Ringo Rock" by The Soul Vendors. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the seminal sides cut by Donald Byrd in his partnership with Pepper Adams – a high-up, low-down set that's a smoker all the way through! Byrd's brightness on trumpet is nicely matched by Adams' fluid work on baritone sax – and the pair are wonderfully supported by a rhythm trio that includes Herbie Hancock on piano, Butch Warren on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all players who can hit a sock-hard groove one minute, then let loose with a lyrical flourish the next. The approach of the record is tightly soulful, with loads of great changes – and some surprising dark edges that really add in a whole new dimension to the Donald Byrd sound of the time. Titles include "Shangri-La", "Jorgies", "Hush", "6 M's", and the moody "Requiem"! CD

One of the seminal sides cut by Donald Byrd in his partnership with Pepper Adams – a high-up, low-down set that's a smoker all the way through! Byrd's brightness on trumpet is nicely matched by Adams' fluid work on baritone sax – and the pair are wonderfully supported by a rhythm trio that includes Herbie Hancock on piano, Butch Warren on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all players who can hit a sock-hard groove one minute, then let loose with a lyrical flourish the next. The approach of the record is tightly soulful, with loads of great changes – and some surprising dark edges that really add in a whole new dimension to the Donald Byrd sound of the time. Titles include "Shangri-La", "Jorgies", "Hush", "6 M's", and the moody "Requiem"! LP, Vinyl record album

Another one of their crazy LPs, which are sometimes hard to find amidst the pop stuff they normally did. This one's got them doing some originals and some standards, augmented by a tight little ensemble of three percussionists and one bassist. The added instruments drive their piano stuff – which is already percussive enough, what with weird keys and mallet designs – into a driving new dimension. 12 tracks in all, including "Che Si Dice", "Va Va Voom", "Aflame", "Parade Of The Bobbies", "Cielito Lindo", "Beyond The Blue Horizon", "Three O'Clock In The Morning" and "The Nearness Of You". LP, Vinyl record album

Don't miss this one! For years, we passed this one by, thinking it an impure version of the great jazz duo Jackie & Roy. Now, though, we realize that it's one of their masterpieces, and takes their hip vocal sound into a new dimension, with cool L.A. production from the late 60's, and some great material that pushes them to the next level – like Marcos Valle's "Deus Brasilero" and the Bee Gee's "Holiday", or the songs "Open", "Without Rhyme Or Reason", and "Winds Of Heaven, all written by the great Fran Landesman. Massive grooviness, perhaps inspired by the vegetation in the title of the LP! LP, Vinyl record album

The first album from the team of Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr – and a set that's arguably even more soulful than their work together in The 5th Dimension! The pair are lucky to have Groovesville soul maestro Don Davis at the helm – helping them hit a more mature, more contemporary sound that mixes equal parts club rhythms with some of the smoother styles of the late 5th Dimension years. McCoo's vocals are especially wonderful – classy, but always quite heartfelt – at a level that almost comes across like some of the best Philly International vocalists of the same period – especially on the soaring disco numbers! Titles include "You Can't Change My Heart", "You Don't Have To Be A Star", "We've Got To Get It On Again", "Easy Way Out", "My Love For You", and "I Hope We Get To Love In Time". LP, Vinyl record album

Frankie, Frankie – OW! Take a broken-down synth, some crazy vocals, and a rich sense of imagination – and you've got one of the seminal groups of the New York scene of the early punk years. Suicide were a key bridge between earlier prog underground sounds and the art-rock punk styles that were coming out of New York in the late 70s – and one that was in a space that was completely their own – and still is, after all the decades since the release of this record! With this one landmark album, the band completely dismantled the cold German prog synth of groups like Kraftwerk, La Dusseldorf, and Tangerine Dream – and created a wild sound of spare anguish that brought a whole new dimension to punk rock. The album has got to be one of the top 50 "must have" rock records of all time – and titles include the cuts "Ghost Rider", "Rocket USA", "Johnny", "Frankie Teardrop", "Che", and "Cheree". LP, Vinyl record album

They're not lying with the title of this one, as most of the cuts here are unreleased – some completely unheard tracks from the Studio One catalog, others that are stereo versions of tunes that were only ever around in mono – mixed here with a few other rare gems from the deep vaults of one of the hippest reggae labels of all time! The styles run the gamut, but there's also an all-killer, no filler approach here – with titles that include the unreleased tunes "Sleeping Trees (discomix)" by The Saints, "Flying Time" by Carey Wildman Johnson, "Brentford Rock" by Studio One Rockers, "We Are In The Mood" by The Royals, "Kinshasa" by Count Ossie & The Sound Dimension, "Hello Carol" by Prince Jazzbo & The Gladiators, "Many Days" by Alton Ellis, "Too Long" by The Goods, "Think It Over" by Otis Gayle, and "Tribulation" by Jennifer Lara – plus unreleased stereo mixes of "Last Dance" by The Thrillers, and "Feel Like Jumping (take 2)" by Marcia Griffith. LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing music from The Byrds – and one of the greatest evolutions in pop music from the 60s! The Byrds were always at the forefront of their generation – starting out as a folksy act mixing in early psychedelia, then reaching for deeper roots with a love of country, yet also really keeping their own unique identity – and finding a way for most group members to grow their own interests and help shape the sound of the band! This balance is unique, as is the mighty range of records that encompassed it – their legendary sounds for Columbia Records, which are presented here in a beautiful box of 13 CDs, featuring 11 full albums, all with their original artwork in LP-styled sleeves! Titles include Mr Tambourine Man, Turn Turn Turn, Fifth Dimension, Younger Than Yesterday, Notorious Byrd Brothers, Sweetheart Of The Rodeo, Dr Byrds & Mr Hyde, Ballad Of Easy Rider, Untitled Unissued, Byrdmaniax, and Farther Along. CD

Fab pop harmony soul! The Friends Of Distinction were LA counterparts of the 5th Dimension – and at one time, members of both groups had worked under the name of Rex Middleton's Hi Fi's. Unlike the 5th Dimension, who were a bit more pop, the Friends Of Distinction stayed more in the soul vein – using the sweet harmony style they'd crafted earlier to work through some jazzy changes that brought a whole new sound to the male/female soul group mode. This 11 track greatest hits collection features some of their best gems from the RCA years – including the super-huge vocal version of Hugh Masekela's "Grazing In The Grass" and other great ones like "I Really Hope You Do", "Crazy Mary", "Going In Circles", "Love Or Let Me Be Lonely", "Time Waits For No One", "It Don't Matter To Me" and "Great Day". LP, Vinyl record album

A long-overdue audio presentation of the famous performance that was captured in 1985, and used in the concert film of the same name – brought together here as an audio release that stands as a tremendous document to the strength of Prince and his famous group of the time! This is the fantastic lineup that features Wendy & Lisa, who helped Prince hit a whole new level of grooviness – a blend of funk, soul, and rock touches that takes the Purple Rain sound to a much richer dimension in the setting of the arena! The performance was recorded at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse on March 30, 1985 – and the core set features 20 tracks that include "Let's Go Crazy", "1999", "God", "Computer Blue", "Darling Nikki", "International Lover", "Possessed", "Do Me Baby", "Irresistible Bitch", "Little Red Corvette", "I Would Die 4 U", and "Delirious" – plus extended jams that include an 11 minute version of "Baby I'm A Star", a 9 minute version of "When Doves Cry", and a 19 minute version of "Purple Rain"! CD

A really wonderful album in the Verve Records catalog of the 60s – a set that's not only a fantastic meeting between two superstar jazz musicians, with Jimmy Smith on Hammond and Wes Montgomery on guitar – but one that also takes things in a whole groovy new dimension, thanks to the arrangements of Oliver Nelson! Nelson is at his soulful best here – working on hard-swinging charts that almost seem to liberate Jimmy and Wes to do even more with their solos – really stretching out, with an especially great sound from Smith on the organ – maybe at a level that makes the record one of his best of all time for Verve! Titles include "James & Wes", "Night Train", "13 (Death March)", and "Down By The Riverside". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's way more than just another dip into the legendary catalog of the Studio One label – as there's a well-chosen selection of cuts here that go well past the hits, and really live up to the kind of "classics" promised in the title! It's no secret that Studio One was one of the first and most important studios and labels to rise up on the Kingston scene at the end of the 60s – pioneering impeccable production, tight musicianship, and the kind of soul-drenched vocals that helped Jamaican music rich a much larger global audience – music that's given a fantastic showcase here on titles that include "No Man Is An Island" by Dennis Brown, "Simmer Down" by The Wailers, "I'm Just A Guy" by Alton Ellis, "Rocking Time" by Burning Spear, "Confucious" by Don Drummond, "Rub A Dub Style" by Michigan & Smiley, "Fever" by Horace Andy, "School" by Prince Jazzbo, "Love Me Forever" by Carlton & The Shoes, "Rockfort Rock" by Sound Dimension, "Pretty Looks Isn't All" by The Heptones, and "El Pussycat Ska" by The Skatalites. LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent compilation that's very much in the spirit of the 100% Dynamite sets on Soul Jazz! This time, Soul Jazz dig through the vaults of the legendary Studio One catalog – some of the most important reggae and rocksteady ever recorded, virtually all of it produced under the tutelage of Clement "Coxone" Dodd. Much of this material has been floating around over the years, but we'd be hard pressed to think of a better collection of it – especially when considering the excellent fidelity of the set, which is way better than an of Dodd's own reissues of the material. Plus, the folks at Soul Jazz have gone out of their way to put together the tracks as an extremely well-thought out introduction to the music, not just a scattered batch of tunes that happened to be available. The set also includes a recent interview with Clement Dodd, plus loads of great rocksteady and early reggae tracks. Titles include "Surfin" by Ernest Ranglin, "Real Rock" by Sound Dimension, "Feel Like Jumping" by Marcia Griffiths, "Greedy G" by Brentford All Stars, "Village Soul" by Lennie Hibbert, "Ethiopia" by Cedric Brooks, "Crabwalking" by Prince Jazzbo, "Hot Milk" by Jackie Mittoo, "Badder Dan Dem" by Lone Ranger, and "Bobby Bobylon" by Freddy McGregor. CD

The New Mastersounds always sound grittier in a live setting – and this album is great proof of that fact! The drums seem harder, the guitar a bit more edgey, and the Hammond let loose even more than before – all flying together on grooves that run a bit longer than some of the combo's studio sets – with a bit more funky energy too! This cooking little date was recorded in San Francisco over the course of two nights that are nicely distilled down here – and the core quartet is joined by some added tenor and sax on three tracks, showing a whole new dimension of the Mastersounds groove. Titles include "Can't Hold Me Down", "Hot Dog", "Hey Fela", "Nervous", "Idris", "Thermal Bad", "Carrot Juice", and "The Minx". CD

A really wonderful album in the Verve Records catalog of the 60s – a set that's not only a fantastic meeting between two superstar jazz musicians, with Jimmy Smith on Hammond and Wes Montgomery on guitar – but one that also takes things in a whole groovy new dimension, thanks to the arrangements of Oliver Nelson! Nelson is at his soulful best here – working on hard-swinging charts that almost seem to liberate Jimmy and Wes to do even more with their solos – really stretching out, with an especially great sound from Smith on the organ – maybe at a level that makes the record one of his best of all time for Verve! Titles include "James & Wes", "Night Train", "13 (Death March)", and "Down By The Riverside". CD

It's been many years since Ural Thomas recorded his first soul single – and if anything, the passage of time has only made his voice sound even more wonderful – with a contemporary richness that we never would have heard back at the start! The set's not the first "comeback" album that Ural has cut with his younger group, The Pain – but it may well be the one that pushes him over the top, and gets the singer the sort of newfound global attention he finally deserves after all these years! Titles include "Heaven", "Gimme Some Ice Cream", "Second Dimension", "Apple Pie", "Ol Safiya", "El Ey Em Eh", "Do You Remember The Times", "Hung Up On My Dream", and "My Favorite Song". LP, Vinyl record album

Funky nuggets from one of the greatest reggae labels of all time – a really wonderful collection that gets at some of the more hard-hitting material from Kingston powerhouse Studio One Records! Given the way that Studio One helped bridge the worlds of soul during the years of Jamaican ska and rocksteady, the funk is no surprise – and the package features both remakes of American funky numbers and plenty of homegrown cuts, all served up by some of the giants from the scene at the time. Titles include "Sidewalk Doctor" by Pablove Black, "007" by Soul Brothers, "Love Jah" by Sound Dimension, "Do Your Thing" by Leroy Sibbles, "Idleberg" by Cedric Im Brooks, "African Descendants" by Alton Ellis, "Reggae Feet" by Lloyd Williams, "Hang Em High" by Jackie Mittoo, "Beat Down Babylon" by Prince Frances, "Funky Broadway" by Delroy Wilson, "It's A Shame" by Alton Ellis, "Melting Pot" by Underground Vegetables, "Music Answer" by The Sharks, and a surprising remake of "Shaft" by the unlikely Cedric Im Brooks. LP, Vinyl record album

Very groovy work from Marian Montgomery – an overlooked 60s singer who had a wonderful "punch" in her voice! At the time, Marian often recorded in a mode that was a lot like that used over at Reprise Records – a Ray Charles-inspired, Jimmy Bowen-popularized blend of pop, soul, and blues influences – often set to snappy syncopated backings that featured a good dose of Hammond organ behind the vocals! The songs on this set are a great example of Marian's lively style – with backings by Dave Cavanaugh that are very much in a Bowen mode – supported by arrangements from some of Capitol's grooviest talents of the time – including Jack Marshall, Bob Bain, Gerald Wilson, and Cavanaugh himself. And although this is the kind of a sound that should be hokey, it's oddly not – and we find ourselves really loving Marian's work more and more over the years. It's light, swinging, and always plenty positive and playful. Titles on this set include "Romance In The Dark", "Let There Be Love", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "Danke Schoen", "Kansas City", "Alright, Okay You Win", "The Good Life", and "Candy". LP, Vinyl record album

Laura Nyro's first album ever – originally issued by Verve/Forecast in the mid 60s, but brought back out on the market by Columbia, during the height of Nyro's early 70s fame for the label! Even at this early point, Nyro sounds wonderful – a fair bit more soulful than most other female pop singers of her time – with a fully-fleshed out approach to the vocals that's mature and sensitive, and almost a bit more confident at times than in later years. Arrangements are by Herb Bernstein, and almost have the same sort of sunny feel as The 5th Dimension in their famous covers of Nyro's tunes – again with more soul than we might have expected for the time. Titles include "Lazy Susan", "Stoney End", "Flim Flam Man", "Buy & Sell", "He's A Runner", "Billy's Blues", and "Wedding Bell Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A true pleasure indeed – easily one of the greatest records ever by the Ohio Players, and a perfect summation of all things great in their groove! The album's a landmark effort – even for the heady days of the early 70s – as the Players manage to bring together a fair bit of jazz with their famous guitar-driven funk – all in a blend that's a lot more sophisticated than most other funk combos of the time, from the rhythms at the bottom to the instrumentation on the top! There's a darkness here that's undeniable – but the album's also not just a head trip into the fuzziest reaches of the studio – as the jazzier inflections help illuminate the farthest corners, and really bring the whole album back to focus with a wonderfully redemptive groove! Psychedelic elements are still all over the place, but also used sparingly enough to be most effective – a brilliant balance that few groups of this type were ever able to muster. Titles include the classic "Funky Worm", with the wild moogy bit that's been sampled loads of times over the years by a gazillion hip hoppers – plus loads of other nice ones, like the slow bonking funker "Pride & Vanity", the wild "Walt's First Trip", and the groovy "Laid It" – as well as "Pleasure", "Paint Me", "Our Love Has Died", and "Walked Away From You". CD features amazing sound and a whopping 7 bonus tracks – including "Ruffell Foot", "What It Is", "Rooster Poot", "Gone Forever", "Dimensions In Time", and "Introducing The Players". CD

The sonic intensity of saxophonist Mats Gustafsson gets a perfect foil here in the electronics of Joachim Norwall – a musician who really helps Gustafsson to reach some of the most powerful sounds we've heard from his horns in years! Mats can have a way of blowing his instruments as if they're almost modular electronics – not in a cold sort of approach, but one that works the reeds and pads with a pulsating sort of energy – waves of sonic activity shifting in pace, as he creates this incredible magic on baritone sax, slide saxophone, bass saxophone, alto fluteophone, and flute – while Norwall delivers work on analogue electronics in a range of different styles. Sometimes the electronics are more in the background of the saxophone improvisations, sometimes more actively upfront – and titles on the set include "There Are Some Worlds Where All Dreams Die", "Their New Life Was Their Final Life", "Birdbrain", "His Fingers Moving In The Air Produced A Soft Organ Like Music", "Here Eyes Were Like Cold Fires", and "The Day Of Days Was There". LP, Vinyl record album

Laura Nyro's first album ever – originally issued by Verve/Forecast in the mid 60s, but brought back out on the market by Columbia, during the height of Nyro's early 70s fame for the label! Even at this early point, Nyro sounds wonderful – a fair bit more soulful than most other female pop singers of her time – with a fully-fleshed out approach to the vocals that's mature and sensitive, and almost a bit more confident at times than in later years. Arrangements are by Herb Bernstein, and almost have the same sort of sunny feel as The 5th Dimension in their famous covers of Nyro's tunes – again with more soul than we might have expected for the time. Titles include "Lazy Susan", "Stoney End", "Flim Flam Man", "Buy & Sell", "He's A Runner", "Billy's Blues", and "Wedding Bell Blues". CD

A mix of now sound, jazz & classical – Includes tracks by Les Baxter, Stan Kenton, Les Paul, Ray Anthony, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

2 rare Sun Ra Saturn albums back to back on one CD! Cosmic Tones is one of the Ra's greatest albums for Saturn – a record that has him playing clavioline and echoey "cosmic side drums" with a great spacey sound that was probably arrived at through some primitive reverb and echo techniques! The overall effect is everything you'd imagined about Sun Ra – a mixture of hardbop, soul jazz, and some spacey musings that are definitely out of this world! Titles include "Moon Dance", "Voice of Space", and "Adventure Equation". Art Forms features material recorded in New York in 1961, and released on Saturn in 1965 – but whatever the date, it's still light years ahead of its time! Ra plays piano, as usual, but he also works with some beautiful instruments of his own creation – including the strangely wonderful Sun Harp, the Dragon Drum, and the Spiral Percussion Gong. The percussion instruments are heard to great effect on the track "Solar Drums" – which has an echoey percussive sound that's really wonderful! The rest of the group includes John Gilmore, Ronnie Boykins, Pat Patrick, Clifford Thornton, Marshall Allen, and Clifford Jarvis – classic Ra players all of them – and other titles include "Lights On A Satellite", "Kosmos In Blue", and "Cluster Of Galaxies". CD

Amazing early work from Ricardo Ray – material that's got a lot more fire than some of his better-known sides from the 70s! The album's a stone cooker all the way through – played by a tight young group with lots of descarga energy in their blood, and some of the pre-Latin Soul styles that were creeping around the New York scene – that cool combo sound that Joe Cuba was getting with his own group. Bobby Cruz is already with Ray at this point, and he does a great job on the vocal numbers on the album – but the real treat is Ricardo's group – who play with a hard jazzy intensity on the best tracks. These include the descarga "Here Comes Richie Ray", the jazz mambo "Jango", the jazz descarga "Theme", and the storming "Mi Guaguanco". Other cuts include "Summer Love", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", and "El Montuno De Hoy". LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool music from UK experimentalist Lori Vambe – an artist who works here on two very percussive albums that were issued on his own label back in the 80s, but with a style that's really unlike anything else we can think of! The music has a bit more punch than the "dreamtime" title might make you expect – but it's also not all drums, either – as instead Vambe has a way of using a variety of other instruments, including the stringed instrument on the cover, in a way that pulsates rhythmically with the percussion – all with a spare and haunting sound that's maybe a bit like some sort of post-punk expansion on the early ideas of Moondog! The set features the two full albums Drumgita Solo and Drumland Dreamland – the latter of which has a slightly fuller instrumental palette – and titles include "Un Minuto (Two)", "Going Home Boogie (One)", "Strumelody", "Drumsong (Three)", "Ydolemurd", and "Hum Drum Dring (Two)". CD

A very cool package – one that brings together a classic album, plus another disc of even more rare material! LP 1 features Blues & The Abstract Truth – one of the all-time classics of early 60s mainstream jazz – and a beautiful record that showcases writing and arranging talents of Oliver Nelson! Nelson had been bumping around a variety of sessions before this one – as a leader, sideman, and arranger – but it was with this album that his true talents really unfolded – sparkling with a depth of imagination and expression that marked him as one of the greatest artists in 60s American jazz! The group on the set is an all-star sextet – featuring Paul Chambers, Eric Dolphy, Bill Evans, Roy Haynes, and Freddie Hubbard – a disparate group of players who manage to come together with Nelson and find a unique voice that's rarely been duplicated again! The album features 6 fantastic compositions by Nelson, including "Stolen Moments", "Hoe Down", and "Yearnin". LP 2 features material from the Sound Pieces sessions – just the small group sides, with two previously unreleased tracks appearing here. The group features Oliver Nelson on soprano sax – plus Steve Kuhn on piano, Ron Carter bass, and Grady Tate on drums. Kuhn's piano brings a nice modern edge that works perfectly with the soprano – and titles include "Patterns", "Shadow Of Your Smile", and "Elegy For A Duck" – plus the unissued "Straight No Chaser" and "Example 78". LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool music from UK experimentalist Lori Vambe – an artist who works here on two very percussive albums that were issued on his own label back in the 80s, but with a style that's really unlike anything else we can think of! The music has a bit more punch than the "dreamtime" title might make you expect – but it's also not all drums, either – as instead Vambe has a way of using a variety of other instruments, including the stringed instrument on the cover, in a way that pulsates rhythmically with the percussion – all with a spare and haunting sound that's maybe a bit like some sort of post-punk expansion on the early ideas of Moondog! The set features the two full albums Drumgita Solo and Drumland Dreamland – the latter of which has a slightly fuller instrumental palette – and titles include "Un Minuto (Two)", "Going Home Boogie (One)", "Strumelody", "Drumsong (Three)", "Ydolemurd", and "Hum Drum Dring (Two)". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic soundtrack remix madness! The work of some of the greatest Italian composers of the late 60s and early 70s is updated for the modern dancefloor – and this set may well be the best of Easy Tempo's "Experience" series! Tracks include Piero Umiliani's "L'Uomo E La Citta" remixed by Raphael Sebbag, Umiliani's "Lady Magnolia" remixed by Kid Loco, Stefano Torrossi's "Walking In The Dark" remixed by DJ Vadim, Umiliani's "Panoramica" remixed by Cinematic Orchestra, Lesiman's "Messaggio" remixed by Gak Sato, Piero Piccioni's "Colpo Rovente" remixed by Benja & Fatalis, and lots lots more! LP, Vinyl record album

2LP set that brings together 2 (then) unreleased sessions recorded by Sam Rivers for Blue Note during the mid 60s! The first album was later issued as Dimensions & Extensions – and features Sam Rivers starting to stretch out and get kind of free in a bit of a Blue Note late 60s New Thing mode, but still hanging back from the freer side he'd explore on later recordings for Impulse. James Spaulding, Donald Byrd, Julian Priester, and Cecil McBee are in the larger piano-less band which Rivers would later move away from as he started playing in more trio and small group settings. 6 tracks in all: "Precis", "Paean", "Effusive Melange", "Involution", "Afflatus" and "Helix". Next up is extremely dark material recorded by Andrew Hill as a leader, but featuring Rivers on tenor – a quartet date that's filled with jagged edges and bold fragments of sound! There's a really strong new thing vibe going on here – at a level that matches the brilliance of Hill's Smokestack album, but which is perhaps even better, given Rivers' sharp lines on tenor! As with many of the best Blue Note sets in this mode, the bass and drums almost get equal space with the main solo instruments – so that the percussion of JC Moses and bass of Walter Booker often hang out in space, shaping the sound of the record on their own, as all players contribute equally to the structure of the songs. Hill wrote all the numbers on the set, and titles include "Violence", "Pain", "Illusion", "Hope", "Lust", and "Desire". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic soundtrack remix madness! The work of some of the greatest Italian composers of the late 60s and early 70s is updated for the modern dancefloor – and this set may well be the best of Easy Tempo's "Experience" series! Tracks include Piero Umiliani's "L'Uomo E La Citta" remixed by Raphael Sebbag, Umiliani's "Lady Magnolia" remixed by Kid Loco, Stefano Torrossi's "Walking In The Dark" remixed by DJ Vadim, Umiliani's "Panoramica" remixed by Cinematic Orchestra, Lesiman's "Messaggio" remixed by Gak Sato, Piero Piccioni's "Colpo Rovente" remixed by Benja & Fatalis, and lots lots more! LP, Vinyl record album

Comet Is Coming are one of those groups who are almost a genre unto themselves – certainly part of the rich criss-crossing of styles that has been taking place on the London scene of the past decade or so – but also a trio who've found a way to forge forward and hold the world at bay with a record like this! At the core, the approach is simple – tremendous tenor work from Shabaka Hutchings, drums from Betamax, and keyboards from Danalogue – the latter two of whom are equally important as producers, in the way they take the live performance at the core, and work it into so many other shifting shapes and sounds! Hutchings' solos are always kept mostly intact, which makes for a beating soul to the record, and a nice link to previous generations of jazz – on titles that include "Pyramids", "Tokyo Nights", "Technicolour", "Code", "Lucid Dreamer", "Atomic Wave Dance", "Mystik", and "The Hammer". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the earliest albums as a leader from guitar genius Grant Green – and a set that shows off a different side of his talents than some of his other records of the time! The date has Grant working in a trio – with Ben Tucker on bass and Dave Bailey on drums – a super rhythm duo who are both soulful and modern, and who really have a great sense of matching the right modes of Green's guitar – which includes a number of those strong, long runs that always leave us breathless in these early years. The album has no Hammond or tenor – more frequent pairings with Green's instrument – and the open space really gives you the chance to hear what a completely inventive player Grant was, right from the start. The whole thing's great – and the album's got some great original titles that include "No 1 Green Street", "Grant's Dimensions", and "Green With Envy" – all of which sound a lot better than their gimmicky titles! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the earliest albums as a leader from guitar genius Grant Green – and a set that shows off a different side of his talents than some of his other records of the time! The date has Grant working in a trio – with Ben Tucker on bass and Dave Bailey on drums – a super rhythm duo who are both soulful and modern, and who really have a great sense of matching the right modes of Green's guitar – which includes a number of those strong, long runs that always leave us breathless in these early years. The album has no Hammond or tenor – more frequent pairings with Green's instrument – and the open space really gives you the chance to hear what a completely inventive player Grant was, right from the start. The whole thing's great – and the album's got some great original titles that include "No 1 Green Street", "Grant's Dimensions", and "Green With Envy" – all of which sound a lot better than their gimmicky titles! CD

Sweet soul from the husband and wife duo of Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr – their second album since leaving The Fifth Dimension – and it sounds as warm and appealing as ever! Marilyn & Billy hit it pretty big right out of the gate on the preceding I Hope We Get To Love In Time – and if The Two Of Us didn't make as deep of an impact on the charts, it's ultimately just as strong of a record. Arranged and produced by Frank Wilson, it's one of those great mid-to-late 70s pop soul albums that delivers big hooks and broadly appealing sounds without compromising the soul at the heart of it! Titles include "The Two Of Us", "In My Lifetime", "Look What You've Done To My Heart", "My Very Special Darling", and "My Reason To Be Is You". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the earliest albums as a leader from guitar genius Grant Green – and a set that shows off a different side of his talents than some of his other records of the time! The date has Grant working in a trio – with Ben Tucker on bass and Dave Bailey on drums – a super rhythm duo who are both soulful and modern, and who really have a great sense of matching the right modes of Green's guitar – which includes a number of those strong, long runs that always leave us breathless in these early years. The album has no Hammond or tenor – more frequent pairings with Green's instrument – and the open space really gives you the chance to hear what a completely inventive player Grant was, right from the start. The whole thing's great – and the album's got some great original titles that include "No 1 Green Street", "Grant's Dimensions", and "Green With Envy" – all of which sound a lot better than their gimmicky titles! Also includes two alternate takes. CD

A beautiful set of solos, finely crafted by Hemphill with a great deal of soul and emotion. Hemphill put together the whole album himself, and he claims that it is "dimensional solo music postured from the expressive blues idiom". Sounds about right to us, and album's one of our favorites by him from the time. Titles include "Hotend", "Countryside", "OK Rubberband", "Dirty Row", and "Antecedent". 2CDs strong. CD

One of the earliest albums as a leader from guitar genius Grant Green – and a set that shows off a different side of his talents than some of his other records of the time! The date has Grant working in a trio – with Ben Tucker on bass and Dave Bailey on drums – a super rhythm duo who are both soulful and modern, and who really have a great sense of matching the right modes of Green's guitar – which includes a number of those strong, long runs that always leave us breathless in these early years. The album has no Hammond or tenor – more frequent pairings with Green's instrument – and the open space really gives you the chance to hear what a completely inventive player Grant was, right from the start. The whole thing's great – and the album's got some great original titles that include "No 1 Green Street", "Grant's Dimensions", and "Green With Envy" – all of which sound a lot better than their gimmicky titles! CD

One of the earliest albums as a leader from guitar genius Grant Green – and a set that shows off a different side of his talents than some of his other records of the time! The date has Grant working in a trio – with Ben Tucker on bass and Dave Bailey on drums – a super rhythm duo who are both soulful and modern, and who really have a great sense of matching the right modes of Green's guitar – which includes a number of those strong, long runs that always leave us breathless in these early years. The album has no Hammond or tenor – more frequent pairings with Green's instrument – and the open space really gives you the chance to hear what a completely inventive player Grant was, right from the start. The whole thing's great – and the album's got some great original titles that include "No 1 Green Street", "Grant's Dimensions", and "Green With Envy" – all of which sound a lot better than their gimmicky titles! CD features 2 bonus alternate takes! CD

One of the earliest albums as a leader from guitar genius Grant Green – and a set that shows off a different side of his talents than some of his other records of the time! The date has Grant working in a trio – with Ben Tucker on bass and Dave Bailey on drums – a super rhythm duo who are both soulful and modern, and who really have a great sense of matching the right modes of Green's guitar – which includes a number of those strong, long runs that always leave us breathless in these early years. The album has no Hammond or tenor – more frequent pairings with Green's instrument – and the open space really gives you the chance to hear what a completely inventive player Grant was, right from the start. The whole thing's great – and the album's got some great original titles that include "No 1 Green Street", "Grant's Dimensions", and "Green With Envy" – all of which sound a lot better than their gimmicky titles! LP, Vinyl record album

A decade since their previous effort, and 14 years since their previous masterpiece, Portishead returns with Third – and, oh, what a mindblowing third act. The first thing you'll realize about Third is that it's not Dummy Part 3 – a welcome and surprising trait – but it does take their earlier way with a spooky, brooding and ominous framework to new dimensions. Secondly, there's no obvious single – it's to be taken as a whole. Beth Gibbons's vocals are as soul wrenching as ever, and an overall stark, melancholic beauty connects Portishead '08 to the old stuff, but they go deeper. Some bits are quite minimalist, wringing emotion from a low strum, a distant chime, or a haunting bit of dissonance – other parts are more richly layered and even a bit jarring. Pulp cinematic aura, feedback textured psychedelia, haunting European pop, and traces of field recorded folk flavor the sound – they've dabbled in all of these elements before – but never with this particular feel. The sound of epiphany. How many acts in the pop realm create a whole new style with a classic album, and then pull off something nearly as great almost 15 years later, without ripping themselves off? Add Portishead to that small list. We'll call '08 early, this is the best pop album of the year. Titles include "Silence", "Hunter", "Nylon Smile", "The Rip", "We Carry On", "Deep Water", "Machine Gun", "Small", "Magic Doors", "Threads". CD