One of the deepest albums that Count Basie ever recorded – thanks to some great arrangements and backings by Oliver Nelson! Nelson's working in the same groovy mode he used with Jimmy Smith's excellent Verve sessions – and although the record doesn't have the same sort of star soloist in the lead, the Basie band members do a great job of trading off solos over the enigmatic backings crafted by Nelson. A number of the tracks have a Latin flair – and work on electric bass grooves that push the set farther than the usual Basie outing of the time – with a flavor that's right up there with the hippest Nelson sessions for Flying Dutchman, and maybe even a bit like spiritual ensemble material too. Titles include versions of Albert Ayler's "Love Flower" and Pharoah Sanders' "Japan", plus originals by Nelson like "Afrique", "Kilimanjaro", and "African Sunrise". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the finest moments from the Monty Python Show – including "Flying Sheep", 'Trade Description Act", "Nudge Nudge", "Interesting People", "The North Minehead Bye-Election", "Me Doctor", "Pet Shop" and "Self Defence". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet bit of keyboard funk – a record hidden under a title that references the ET movie, but which is very different than a soundtrack! The set's got all sorts of keyboard solos over the grooves – mostly clubby rhythms, but sometimes a bit more laidback – and there's more than a few moments that have a nice sort of 80s electro vibe! Titles include the originals "Nuclear Confusion", "Slingshot Spaceshot", "Iodawn", "Doctor Strangelovers", and "Solaris". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest records ever made by singer Madeline Bell – even though it was never issued to the public at the time! Madeline Bell first broke big on the UK soul scene at the end of the 60s, and also sang famously on many studio sessions too – but here, she works alongside groovemaker Alan Parker (with some help from Mike Moran), to serve up vocal versions of tunes that also appeared on the instrumental album Sound Of Soul! That record was a counterpart to this one – also issued on the Themes label – but the presence of Bell's vocals really sends things over the top, and she works at a level that makes us wish that she and Parker had made more commercial releases at the time. All tunes are nice and soulful, with plenty of funky currents – and titles include "Love Doctor", "Move & Shake Your Body", "Soul Slap", "Crumpet", "That's What Friends Are For", "Flying High", "You're A Winner", "Mr Smooth Man", and "Love Is All". LP, Vinyl record album