The first album attempt to recreate the live Dead experience! Long jams as only Jerry and crew could play them – with cuts that include "Dark Star", "The Eleven", "Feedback", "Turn On Your Love Light", and "We Bid You Goodnight". LP, Vinyl record album

Anthony and crew were one of the few groups who actually got better when they moved from the raw indie scene to the slicker major label one – as you'll hear perfectly on this set of some of their best work for the Veep/DCP/United Artists label. Teddy Randazzo handled all the arrangements and production, and his breathy uptown style works perfectly with the band's soulful harmonies. 12 numbers in all, including "I'm Hypnotized", "Beautiful People", "Georgy Girl", "A Thousand Miles Away", "You Only Live Twice", "Goin' Out Of My Head", "Two People In The World", "A Prayer & A Jukebox", 'When You Wish Upon A Star", "You Better Take It Easy Baby" and "If I Remember To Forget". LP, Vinyl record album

Definitely hard wailing stuff from Jr and group – caught here in a smoking live setting, which really lets them open up! The record begins with an introduction by the Velvelettes, and ends with Earl Van Dyke performing "Heartbreak" – but the rest of the album's by Jr and crew, and titles include "Hot Cha", "Shake & Fingerpop", "Cleo's Back", "Shotgun", "Ame Cherie (Soul Darling)", and "Tune Up". LP, Vinyl record album

Beat-heavy work from the Tuff Crew – a group who definitely live up to their name on the bottom end! Much of the work here is very drum machine-heavy – in a style that was maybe used more widely a few years before in hip hop, but which still gives this album by the group a nice sense of urgency – this raw lyrical vibe from the Philly scene, which maybe had more of an edge than New York at this moment! There's a few nods towards more lyrical rhymes from time to time, and the record does have some nice samples and other bits that burst in here and there – often used starkly, but in a great way. Titles include "Let It Rip", "Smooth Momentum", "My Part Of Town", "North Side", "Open Field Attack", "It's Mad", and "Deuce Ace Housin". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite an obscure one by Love – a mid 70s record that actually has quite a bit of soul in the mix! The album almost seems to be going for a Sly Stone approach – expanding the group past Arthur Lee and crew with a host of additional players that include Harvey Mandel, Bobby Lyle, and Joey Deguero. There's still plenty of bluesy and rocky tracks – but there's also a great cover of William DeVaughn's "Be Thankful For What You Got" – done in a chunky mode that really hits a great groove with us (and which is proof that people were covering the tune even back when it was first released!) Other tracks move between soulful rock, Thin Lizzy-esque compressed guitar numbers, and other styles that show a bit more soul than might be expected. Titles include "Time Is Like A River", "Everybody's Gotta Live", "You Said You Would", "Busted Feet", "With A Little Energy", and "Who Are You". LP, Vinyl record album

A fine entry in Atmosphere's Sad Clown Bad series – this one with a laidback, funky sound fleshed out by some piano tinkering and live bass. A worthy EP from Minneapolis's finest – a crew whose low key "soft" releases are tighter than most of the high profile product out there. Titles include "Sunshine", "The Number One", "Rftc", "Mattress" and "Don't Forget". LP, Vinyl record album

Cee-Lo Green gits up and gets out on his own – without the heavy burden of too many guest appearances – and the result may be the best album to come out of the Dirty South in quite a while! Cee-Lo's raspy, cotton-mouthed speak & sing style has always been one of the strongest attributes of the Goodie crew, and it's great to hear it stretched out over a fully-realized LP that is worthy of his unique talents. Sweaty, deeply funky, and a bit similar to the kind of material we used to expect from the Native Tongues at their strongest, but with Cee-Lo's unmistakable Cameo inspired croon out front. Includes "Bad Mutha", "Big Ole Words (Damn), "Closet Freak", "Live (Right Now)", "El Dorado Sunrise", "A Thug's Concern", "One For The Road", "Let Him Sing If He Wants To (Break)", "Suga Baby" featuring Big Gipp and Backbone, "Gettin' Grown", "Bass Head Jazz", "Microhard" featuring Jahalla and Kirland Underwater, "Under The Influence", "(Follow Me)", "Medieval Times (Great Pretender)", "Country Love", "Awful Thing", "Maintenance Man (Break)" "Young Man (Sierra's Song)", and "Well Damn, Lo (Break)". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most mindblowing sonic experiments of the 70s – Lou Reed's legendary Metal Machine Music opus! The double-length set is a really revolutionary batch of music – hardly what you'd expect from Lou's previous records, and a noisy, metallic album that really lives up to its title. The album's been argued about for years – hailed by some as a key precursor to industrial sounds to come in later years – written off by others who just say that Reed was delivering a "screw you!" message to RCA. But whatever the case, the album's a completely compelling one – and features the extended composition "The Amine B Ring" – served up in four parts that are spread over the 2LP length of the set! LP, Vinyl record album

A groovy Les Baxter album from the pre-exotica years – a set that showcases all the lively, jaunty styles that Les brought to his initial instrumental run on Capitol Records! The mix of sounds is as colorful as the title might imply – some Latin modes, wordless vocal passages, and plenty of instrumental tricks – even a bit of whistling at times, which comes across in this mighty cool way – as Baxter and crew turn out their own version of famous European instrumentals, zinged up in this groovy late 50s California mode! Titles include "Love Begins", "La Panse", "Love Theme From Farewell To Arms", "The Lonely Whistler", "Heartstring Melody", and "Ricordante Marcellino". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent set of midtempo soul tracks recorded at Sigma Sound – and probably the group's greatest album for Philly International! The progression from raw Texas funk to smooth Philly soul was a big one – but Archie and crew did it wonderfully, and kept a lot of their soul intact during the move – really shining strongly in this new mode, and keeping their sound alive a lot longer than most of their late 60s contemporaries. Proof that the group sound was one of the biggest assets of the Philly imprint – whatever the form, and whatever the origin. Includes the stellar cuts "Don't Let Love Get You Down" and "Where Will You Go When The Party's Over" – plus "Everybody Have A Good Time", "I Swear You're Beautiful", "I Bet You I Can Do That Dance You're Doing", and "Nothing Comes Easy". LP, Vinyl record album

A very unusual set – as Chet Baker plays with larger arrangements from Jerry Styner, which include work from members of the wrecking crew! There's a melancholy feel that really lives up to the image and title of the record – and while most tunes feature just Chet's trumpet in the lead, he also sings on an incredible version of "Come Saturday Morning" – maybe one of the saddest takes on the tune ever, completely heartbreaking! Titles include "Evil Ways", "You've Made Me So Very Happy", "Something", "Spinning Wheel", and "Vehicle". LP, Vinyl record album