One of the rare few records recorded by a young Andy Bey and his sisters! The group was an obscure jazz harmony trio formed by Andy in his earlier years – and it features him on piano, joining with the vocals of his two sisters Salome and Geradine Bey – in a soulful, moody style that's unlike anything else we can think of! Their three heavenly voices are backed by Kenny Burrell's guitar, Milt Hinton's bass, and Osie Johnson's drums, and there's lots of room around the arrangments for the Beys to stretch out and sing beautifully. Includes a haunting arrangment of "Round Midnight", plus "God Bless The Child", "Everytime We Say Goodbye", "Solitude", and the "Love Medley". CD

Wickedly clever British pop – plucked from our favorite period of this legendary British band! The record features the group hitting their songwriting stride – moving past the simple topics of earlier songs, into a flurry of snapshots of British life in the postwar years. Each song is a brilliant three minute ode to a certain aspect of life in England – served up with razor-sharp wit, and a creatively catchy approach to songwriting that few of the group's contemporaries could ever hope to match! The album features some of the best-known Kinks tunes from this time, plus overlooked gems – and titles include "Waterloo Sunset", "David Watts", "Death Of A Clown", "Two Sisters", "Situation Vacant", "Afternoon Tea", and "No Return". LP, Vinyl record album

Really tremendous work from Mandrill – an instant funky classic, and a set that has the group furthering the sublime sound they crafted on their seminal Composite Truth! The record has all these wonderful twists and turns – not just the usual 70s funky styles, but inflections from a globe's worth of influences – all filtered down and used here in fresh new ways to really keep the sound interesting – with a tightness that's never slick, and which instead has this really visionary approach that may well top some of Mandrill's higher-charting contemporaries! Instrumentation has plenty of jazz inflections, which really keeps things interesting – and the percussion has so many different styles going on, it's hard to keep track! Titles include the massive sample cut "Fat City Strut" – plus "Never Die", "Two Sisters Of Mystery", "She Ain't Lookin Too Tough", "Interlude", "Mango Meat", "Afrikus Retrospectus", and "Aspiration Flame". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing stuff! There has never been another group like Andy & The Bey Sisters – an amazing jazz-based trio of voices that featured a young Andy Bey (who later went onto sing with Gary Bartz and Horace Silver) plus his two swingin sisters! The trio mixes jazz vocal styles with other influences – like bossa harmonizing or gospel soul – and their records from the 60s are wonderful gems, dripping with soul and emotion that you'll hardly ever find on other vocal jazz LPs from the time, transforming songs into sublime versions that differ greatly from other renditions. This long-overdue CD brings together two of their rare albums for Prestige – Now Hear and Round Midnight – both nearly impossible to find on vinyl, and never issued before on CD. The set contains a total of 20 tracks – including "A Taste of Honey", "Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars", "Sister Sadie", "Besame Mucho", "September In The Rain", "Round Midnight", "Feeling Good", "Smiles", "Night Song", and "Solitude". Fantastic stuff – like nothing you've ever heard before! CD

Two early albums from this legendary group – back to back in a single set! First up is the self-titled Pointer Sisters – the group's debut, and an album that's a lot deeper than most of their crossover pop from years to come! At the time of the album's release, the trio were a badass group of female singers on the Bay Area scene – out to redefine the role of the girl group in soul – working not only with righteous power that was a real change from modes of the 60s – but also this trans-temporal quality that had them reaching back with ease for references from decades past, which also includes a surprising amount of jazz! The highlight here is the group's classic funky break version of Allen Toussaint's "Yes We Can Can" – and other titles include "Naked Food", "Wang Dang Doodle", "Sugar", "Pains & Tears", "Jada", "River Boulevard", and "Cloudburst". That's A Plenty is a wonderfully retro-styled set from the Pointer Sisters – one that has the group singing in a variety of older jazz modes, but which also mixes in a nice dose of heavy funk as well! The format's an odd one, but very typical of the group's genre-blending style – of the sort that first got them noticed strongly in the early 70s, then helped them bridge out to a wide variety of audiences later in the decade. Styles include bop, swing, and even a bit of trad jazz – plus some bluesier funk on the best numbers – and the album features an incredible 8 minute version of "Love In Them There Hills", done in a sweet 70s electric style! Other tracks include "Grinning In Your Face", "Little Pony", "Fairytale", "Black Coffee", "Shaky Flat Blues", and "That's A Plenty/Surfeit USA". CD

Brilliant basswork from Henry Franklin – one of the hippest cats handling his instrument on the west coast in the 70s – working here with a wicked ensemble of soulful, righteous players! Franlin's bass sets the tone of the record right from the very first note – but the album's a very collaborative effort, too – and features Oscar Brashear on trumpet, Charles Owens on tenor, Bill Henderson on soprano sax, Ndugu Chancler on drums, and Kirk Lightsey on both piano and flute! The legendary David Durrah plays piano on two tracks – his own "Waltz for "Boobuss" and "Venus Fly Trap" – and the Sisters Happiness sing vocals on the latter cut, too. Other titles include "Blue Lights", "Soft Spirit", and a version of Chick Corea's "What Was". CD

An obscure gospel group, but a great one too – thanks to plenty of secular soul inflections in their music, which gives these classic tracks a real crossover appeal! The group hail from San Diego, maybe a bit farther off the gospel map – and they've got this warm way of blending subtle spiritual messages with groovy modern soul styles – groovers on most of the cuts, which are taken from the two rare albums by the group – one from 1979, the other from 1983. The feel is somewhere in the territory of the Clark Sisters at their best – maybe slightly less clubby overall – and titles include "I Feel The Spirit", "No Need To Worry", "Third Day", "He'll Make Everything Alright", "The Time Is Right", and "Psalms 24". LP, Vinyl record album

A real landmark of bad-walking soul – one of two rare albums cut by vocalist Esther Marrow, easily one of the hardest singing sisters of her generation! Esther's got roots in gospel, but she's singing here in a righteous mode that features plenty of funky undercurrents in the backings – a style that hits harder than work by Aretha Franklin or any of the better-known female singers of the time – and which holds up beautifully over the years! Many tracks here are obscure ones, arranged tightly by Artie Butler and Gene Page, both of whom do a great job of blending fuller orchestrations with tighter drums on the bottom – giving the record a good kick on most tracks, but still shading in the tunes with enough sophistication to match Esther's interpretation of the work. As hard-hitting as Marlena Shaw during her best years at Cadet – with titles that include "No Answer Came", "Money Honey", "Walk Tall", "Peaceful Man", "Hello Brother", "Chains Of Love", "It's A Long Night", and "He Don't Appreciate It". CD

The Mr Bongo Record Club just seems to get hipper and hipper as the volumes go on – to a point where this fifth edition in the collection is overflowing with tracks that we might never have heard otherwise! Plus, the scope of sounds here is really great too – a mix of styles from around the globe, but also not a "world music" styled compilation – as the selection handled in a way that more shows that funk and soul are really universal – something we learned from the folks at Mr Bongo many years back! There's even a few Japanese tracks too, and one or two contemporary surprises – in a set list that include "Ready For War" by Eamon, "Duplo Sentido" by Tete Da Bahia, "Romance" by Hiroshi Suzuki, "Nebine" by Malouma, "Sing A Song" by Willy Chirino, "You Are Delicious" by Mave & Dave, "Oooh Baby" by Pamoja, "Tiba Kamo" by Philip Malela, "Rise Up (disco mix)" by Tyrone Evans, "I Hate Telling A Lie" by Stimela, "Let's Be Happy (disco mix)" by Gyedu Blay Ambolley, "Kakashi" by Yasuaki Shimizu, and the original version of "I Believe In Miracles" by Mark Capanni – later made famous by The Jackson Sisters! LP, Vinyl record album

A killer look at one of our favorite scenes in the UK in the punk years and beyond – the city of Leeds, home to a surprising amount of really fantastic groups – some of whom were initially united in a scene-based style, many more who later exploded in a range of very groovy modes that were all their own! The title's taken from a song by The Mekons – back when they shared a lot with Gang Of Four – and in addition to those two great groups, the package features material by a startling array of others – groups who really run the gamut once the 80s moves on – in a lineup that includes Cassandra Complex, Three Johns, Vicious Pink, Deja Vu, The Hollow Men, Wedding Present, The Mission, Son Of Sam, Age Of Chance, Edsel Auctioneer, Pale Saints, Snapdragons, Sisters Of Mercy, Soft Cell, Girls At Our Best, Scritti Politti, The Neats, Jerks, and many others. As you'll guess from the groups, there's a great range of punk, indie, and industrial material here – plus some noisy bits as well – and the whole thing's presented with a great booklet of notes on everyone included, and the scene in Leeds as well. CD

One of only two albums cut by the Four Souls group of drummer Lenny McBrowne – a really cooking combo that should have gotten greater exposure back in the day! The west coast group were clearly one of the hippest acts working on their scene at the time – as they've got a unique blend of soul jazz and modernism – one that cooks with Jazz Crusaders-like energy at points, but also has some sharper edges too – a bit in the vein of the wonderful JFK Quintet from the DC scene. Players in the group include Terry Trotter on piano, Don Sleet on trumpet, Daniel Jackson on sax, and Herbie Lewis on bass. Jackson's a real standout in the group – a player with a great edge and real sense of feeling, and one we'd love to hear more of. Titles include "Soul Sisters", "Invitation", "Dearly Beloved", "Lazinka's Tune", "Cerise", and "McBrowne's Galaxy". LP, Vinyl record album

An essential record from Gary Bartz – one of two albums he cut with Andy Bey, and the killer group he was calling his NTU Troup! Andy's vocals are incredible – light years ahead of anything he did with his sisters, and similar to those he laid down on his own solo album for Atlantic, and on Blue Note sides with Horace Silver – a righteous mix of jazz and soul, with a burning intensity that makes the political themes of the tracks come out strongly. The album includes one of Andy's all time classics – the original 7 minute version of "Celestial Blues", plus the fantastically grooving "Uhuru Sasa" – as well as the cuts "The Planets", and "Blue (A Folk Tale)". And Gary Bartz is pretty great too – dropping in these angular reed lines that really give the record an edge, and which sound totally great next to Bey's vocals! LP, Vinyl record album

The Mr Bongo Record Club just seems to get hipper and hipper as the volumes go on – to a point where this fifth edition in the collection is overflowing with tracks that we might never have heard otherwise! Plus, the scope of sounds here is really great too – a mix of styles from around the globe, but also not a "world music" styled compilation – as the selection handled in a way that more shows that funk and soul are really universal – something we learned from the folks at Mr Bongo many years back! There's even a few Japanese tracks too, and one or two contemporary surprises – in a set list that include "Ready For War" by Eamon, "Duplo Sentido" by Tete Da Bahia, "Romance" by Hiroshi Suzuki, "Nebine" by Malouma, "Sing A Song" by Willy Chirino, "You Are Delicious" by Mave & Dave, "Oooh Baby" by Pamoja, "Tiba Kamo" by Philip Malela, "Rise Up (disco mix)" by Tyrone Evans, "I Hate Telling A Lie" by Stimela, "Let's Be Happy (disco mix)" by Gyedu Blay Ambolley, "Kakashi" by Yasuaki Shimizu, and the original version of "I Believe In Miracles" by Mark Capanni – later made famous by The Jackson Sisters! LP, Vinyl record album

A rare nugget from the Voices Of East Harlem – an obscure second album of material for Elektra Records, issued after their debut on the label – but only as an overseas release! The album follows strongly in the righteous blend of gospel and soul on Right On Be Free – and the set seems to feature material that may well have been recorded at those sessions, plus some other unreleased tracks too – all pulled together in a style that could have made these guys as big as The Staple Singers on Stax! There's actually a deeper vibe here – and a sound that's even deeper than on their two later albums for the Just Sunshine label – as the group take on work by some rock acts, like Bob Dylan or Creedence Clearwater Revival – and mix the music with their own soulful music to create something really amazing. Titles include "Nation Time", "Oxford Town", "Sit Yourself Down", "No No No", "Hey Brother", "I Want To Be Free", "Proud Mary", "Freedom", and "Kind Woman". CD

Leonard Cohen's debut for Columbia, one of the most astounding first albums if its era, and to this day a towering achievement in both songwriting and myth making! The production is that perfectly haunting mix of sparseness and grandeur, with Cohen's lyricism piercing and penetrating wonderfully – his voice never sounded better, and this is certainly one of the great "lightening in a bottle" efforts that was hard to top by Cohen or anyone else in the more poetic upper levels of pop music. Includes "Suzanne", "Master Song", "Winter Lady", "The Stranger Song", "Sisters Of Mercy", "So Long, Marianne", "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye", "Stories Of The Street", "Teachers", and "One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong". CD features two bonus tracks – "Store Room" and "Blessed Is The Memory". CD

Includes music from Holly Cole, Dianne Reeves, Julie London, Betty Carter, Ella Fitzgerald, Dodo Green, Lorez Alexandria, Jerri Southern, Nina Simone, and Nancy Wilson. CD