One of the greatest Art Blakey Blue Note sessions of all time – and perhaps one of the greatest to realize the genius of the Jazz Messengers lineup that included Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor, and Bobby Timmons on piano! The trio of young talents are at the height of their early soulful powers here – working with Blakey and bassist Jymie Merritt in a set of tunes that are overflowing with expressive solos, unusual timings, and the Blakey genius for mixing bold statements with personally introspective moments. Nearly every track on the record's a classic – and titles include an early version of Bobby Timmons' "Dat Dere", plus Wayne Shorter's beautiful tunes "Lester Left Town", "Chess Players", and "Sakeena's Vision". LP, Vinyl record album

Off the Boyz N The Hood soundtrack. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A great moment in chart soul – when the legendary Soul II Soul were restoring our faith in modern music again! This US 12" single features 2 Teddy Riley new jack remixes (to pop into the charts), plus the Caron Wheeler 12" version and that Nellee Hooper 7" version. All that and extra beats, too! 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A long-overdue full length album from Ace Of Cups – a really unusual female group from the Bay Area scene of the late 60s – but one who never hit the heights of their bigger San Francisco contemporaries! The girls have this really great look on the back – kind of flower power, but with a bit more charm – a quality that comes through in the music, with is often more garagey than trippy – but which also has a way of putting forth female vocals and honest ideas that might not flourish this strongly for similar groups until the post-punk years. That approach makes the whole thing a truly timeless collection of tracks – of the sort that maybe resonate more strongly today than they did back in the 60s. Titles include "Music", "Glue", "Taste Of One", "Stones", "Pretty Boy", "Waller Street Blues", "Simplicity", and a great version of "Afro Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A great little single from Carl Carlton – billed here as "Little Carl Carlton, the 14 year old sensation". Don't let Carl's age put you off, though – because the cut's a great little funky soul number, with a drum breakdown in the middle, which Carl shouts and sings over in a great way! The flip's a sweet little love number – not bad, and with a strongish groove thanks to drums, bass, and horns. 7-inch, Vinyl record

Featuring Jay-Z. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best full lengths by The Cramps! By the time A Date With Elvis came out in the mid 80s, The Cramps had pretty much perfected their wild mix of ghoulish innuendo and truly devoted roots rock/garage revivalism. The sex club and monster movie imagery was for show, but their love of rootsy rumbles was no joke! The record is dedicated to the memory of Ricky Nelson and the dedication is not ironic. Great, ghoulish Cramps at their mid-decade peak. Oh, and by the way. . .Elvis couldn't have handled a date with Ivy. She'd have wrecked that boy. Includes "How Far Can I Go?", "The Hot Pearl Snatch", "People Ain't No Good", "What's Inside A Girl?", "Can Your Pussy Do The Dog?", "Kizmiaz", "Aloha From Hell", "Cornfed Dames" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best full lengths by The Cramps! By the time A Date With Elvis came out in the mid 80s, The Cramps had pretty much perfected their wild mix of ghoulish innuendo and truly devoted roots rock/garage revivalism. The sex club and monster movie imagery was for show, but their love of rootsy rumbles was no joke! The record is dedicated to the memory of Ricky Nelson and the dedication is not ironic. Great, ghoulish Cramps at their mid-decade peak. Oh, and by the way. . .Elvis couldn't have handled a date with Ivy. She'd have wrecked that boy. Includes "How Far Can I Go?", "The Hot Pearl Snatch", "People Ain't No Good", "What's Inside A Girl?", "Can Your Pussy Do The Dog?", "Kizmiaz", "Aloha From Hell", "Cornfed Dames" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Sleazy, greasy early 80s trash rock from the one-and-only Cramps – live at New York's Peppermint Lounge! Includes Cramps classics "You Got Good Taste", "I Ain't Nothin But A Gorehound", "Beautiful Gardens" and more, plus that vicious Cramps take on "She Said" by hillbilly trash rock progenitor Hasil Adkins, "Faster Pussycat" and more. Lux sounds lucid as he ever does one second and like he's about the choke death seconds later, which is The Cramps personified, right? LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

Rare rock from the Japanese scene of the postwar years – but sounds that definitely have a universal appeal overall! Masaaki Hirao is way more than just a novelty remake of American rockers of the time – as he's got a sharp-edged sound that easily rivals the best we had to offer here in the US – the charm of Elvis, the propulsion of Johnny Burnette, and the offbeat appeal of Buddy Holly! Yet the sounds here are often quite their own thing, too – especially on the Japanese language numbers which make up most of the set, and which have Masaaki stepping away from straight American cover versions, and really doing some great things on his own. The guitar lines are especially great – recorded with brilliant twang and echo that really matches the power of the vocals – and the set features some mighty nice live tracks that are even more biting than the studio material! 10 cuts in all – including "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", "Hoshi Wa Nandemo Shitteiru", "Isuki No Komoriuta Rock", "Crazy Love", "Ooh My Soul", "Jenny Jenny", "Miyo Chan", and "Blue De Memphis". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A live counterpart to the first Motorhead album on Chiswick – a set that's got the same weird blend of proto-punk and pub rock – all served up with a bit of a hint of the style to come! The guitars are even heavier than on the studio set – and the drums are too – and there's a nicely muddy quality to the mix that makes the whole thing sound sneeringly wonderful, and which links Motorhead more closely to the punk generation of the time than you might expect! Titles include "Iron Horse/Born To Lose", "White Line Fever", "The Watcher", "On Parole", "City Kids", "Train Kept A Rollin", and "Keep Us On The Road". LP, Vinyl record album

A six track EP by the re-formed group – with titles that include "No Second Chance", "Talk Of The Devil", "I Think It's Coming Back Again", "Can't Find The Lady", "As Long As The Price Is Right", and "Waiting For The Lightning To Strike". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

Really early genius from The Sonics – and the kind of music that reminds us why the legendary group still continue to sound so wonderful after all these years! The Sonics had an edge that was different than most of their contemporaries – definitely honed on plenty of influences from earlier rock and R&B, but also letting loose with a kind of frenzy that not only made them one of the most stunning acts of the early garage psych years, but which continued to get the group plenty of interest once punk rolled in too. The highlights here might well be the group's standout originals – "The Witch", "Psycho", and "Strychnine" – worth the price of admission alone – but laid out here next to other great cuts that include "Do You Love Me", "Roll Over Beethoven", "Boss Hoss", "Money", "Walking The Dog", Nighttime Is The Right Time", and "Dirty Robber". LP, Vinyl record album

Blazing 60s & 70s string-shredding mastery from Japan's great guitar instrumentals guru Takeshi Terauchi – whose playing matches the greatest 50s & 60s rock guitar gurus in both dexterous ability and pulpy mood setting! Takeshi put his own unique spin on the chugging styles of the period – hard-charging twang, surf and beat in the 60s, and distorted spacey and funky rock later on in the 70s – all of it pretty amazing! Includes "Ganroku Hanami Odori", "Rising Stars", "Sado Okesa", "The Clamour Of The Sun", "South Pier" and "Summer Boogaloo" by Takeshi Terauchi & The Bunnys, plus "Hoshi Eno Tabeji (Journey To The Stars", "Sa No Sa", "Touryanse", "Nambuzaka Yuki No Wakare", "Tsugaru Eleki Bushi" and more by Takeshi Terauchi & Blue Jeans. 14 tracks on the vinyl version. LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Anthrax's I'm The Man EP may be dumb fun, but it's high-minded dumb fun, and done with geniune love for classic rap. . .gutsy stuff from these true godfathers of thrash metal, from a time when their peers took themselves way too freaking seriously. Well, either gutsy, or maybe they just didn't give a s**t, which makes it all the more amusing. Punchy riffs, an obvious take on Billy Squier's "Big Beat" in the drums, and their knowingly goofy attempts at Beastie Boys-style comic rap. If rap metal began and ended right here we'd be better off, but we won't blame Anthrax for all the bad stuff to come! Includes "I'm The Man (Censored Radio Version)", "I'm The Man (DEF Uncensored Version)" – plus live versions Anthrax staples "Caught In A Mosh", "I Am The Law" and "I'm The Man". LP, Vinyl record album

Four incredible albums from Hammond legend Brian Auger – a key link between jazz and the headier sounds of the UK scene at the end of the 60s! First up is Open – one of the amazing early albums from the team of Julie Driscoll and Brian Auger – kind of a next-generation to the Brit beat group sound of the mid 60s – one that moves beyond simple R&B modes, to bring in more sophisticated soul and jazz touches! Driscoll's vocals are amazing – some of the boldest belted out in the British scene at the time – and Auger's Hammond work really cooks throughout – at a level that easily makes him one of the best UK organists to hit the scene, amidst some very heady company in the 60s. There's a few bluesy moments, but our favorites are the funky ones – especially the group's reading of "Season Of The Witch", which is tremendous. Other cuts include "In & Out", "Black Cat", "Goodbye Jungle Telegraph", and "Break It Up". Definitely What is a landmark batch of funky organ work that made big waves in both the rock and jazz worlds at the time! Auger's really stretching out here – getting past the simple R&B of his roots, and going into a bubbling funky style that's clearly touched by chromatic inspirations from Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith – both of whom are referenced by some of the song structures on the set. The album's filled with killer organ-based instrumentals – some lean and stripped down, others full and rich – and all of them coming across with a richly soulful sound that you'd hardly expect from a member of the British rock scene! Titles include "Day In The Life", "Red Beans", "Definitely What!", and his classic "Bumpin' On Sunset". Streetwise is filled great funky grooves by the legendary Trinity group – featuring excellent keyboard work by Brian Auger, recorded during the period when he was really beginning to stretch out a bit, and hit a much more open-ended kind of sound. Julie Driscoll is still on vocals, singing in her raw sound, but Brian's Trinity group gets a fair number of nice instrumental moments on the set – which are greatly appreciated! Titles include the classic and sample laden "Light My Fire", "Czechoslovakia", "Finally Found You Out", "In Search Of The Sun", "Ellis Island", "I've Got Life", and "Save The Country". Befour is the third album from Brian Auger & The Trinity – and the first to feature the group recording without vocals from Julie Driscoll! The sound here is just as soulful as before – a tight take on American soul jazz and funky soul of the 60s – pushed along by Auger's mighty work on the Hammond organ, and featuring (this time around) some male lead vocals, which seem to give the album an even deeper feel than earlier work! Auger's included some great covers of American tunes like "I Want To Take You Higher", "Listen Here", and "Maiden Voyage" – all redone with some great Brit beat group touches – and the album also features a great take on Faure's "Pavane", and Auger's own "Just You Just Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous tribute to the tenor talents of Paul Bascomb – pulled together here from rare 78rpm sides for United Records – including more than a few that were never issued at the time! Bascomb's got a rich and soulful tone – easily one of the best of the postwar generation, even though Paul never got the same sort of due as tenorists on big labels like King, Chess, or Savoy! The set features most of the same players on all tracks – Bascomb on tenor, Eddie Lewis on trumpet, Frank Porter and Tommy Waters on alto, and Duke Jordan on piano – and Porter sings on a few tracks too. Titles include "Mumbles Blues", "Blues & The Beat", "Black Out", "Nona", "Love's An Old Story", "Liza's Blues", and "Soul & Body". LP, Vinyl record album

After "The Bottle", Joe's big remake of the Gil Scott Heron song in 1975, "Rap-O Clap-O" was probably his second biggest club cut. The track's got a very catchy groove – with sort of a stomping beat that Joe used to cook up his own dance. Arranged by the great Marty Sheller, so it's still got some Latin soul cred. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A key step in the path from The Housemartins to Fatboy Slim – Norman Cook's first big dancefloor excursion, and a super-big hit that sounds surprisingly nice these days! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A key step in the path from The Housemartins to Fatboy Slim – Norman Cook's first big dancefloor excursion, and a super-big hit that sounds surprisingly nice these days! 12-inch, Vinyl record

The long-overdue release of an unissued Blue Note session from 1959 – one that features a version of the Jazz Messengers right before Wayne Shorter joined the group, with the mighty Hank Mobley on the quintet lineup on tenor! The Messengers in 1959 and 1960 were really at the top of their game – and here feature the fantastic newcomers, Lee Morgan on trumpet and Bobby Timmons on piano, both of whom were helping drummer Blakey to form a new, evolved version of the sound he'd been crafting with other lineups in previous years – aided here by the rock-solid Jymie Merritt on bass! As with some of the other unissued Blue Note dates of this type, the whole thing is fantastic – not an unformed, half-baked session – but the kind of material that could stand right next to Blakey classics of the time, like The Big Beat or Moanin. Titles include "Quick Trick", "M&M", "Just Coolin", "Jimerick", "Close Your Eyes", and "Hipsippy Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A crossover classic from the lovely Deborah Harry – a tune that broke Blondie big on the airwaves, yet which also had a great life of its own in the clubs – no doubt due to its driving Giorgio Moroder-influenced disco beat! Yet the track's also got a lot more to live up to, too – an important meeting of punk and disco – reconciled for just a minute, at a level that makes the track a cornerstone for both generations! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Early 90s greatness from Brand Nubian – and proof that the group had a lot of life in them, even after Grand Puba set out on his solo career! Sadat X and Lord Jamar acquit themselves nicely on the mic, and the beats are head-noddingly satisfying too – work from DJ Sincere this time around, but very much in the best Brand Nubian mode! The whole thing's a landmark from that moment when the 5% movement had a big impact on hip hop – which means there's a few dated opinions at points, although the set's got more than enough strength to stand as a lasting classic. Titles include the singles "Allah U Akbar", "Love Me Or Leave Me Alone", and "Punks Jump Up To Get Beat Down" – plus the cuts "Travel Jam", "Steal Ya Ho", "Steady Bootleggin'", "Black Star Line", "Meaning Of The 5%", "Ain't No Mystery", "Pass The Gat", 'Allah & Justice", "The Godz", "Brand Nubian Rock The Set", and "Black & Blue". Features a bonus 7" single with the tracks "Punks Jump Up To Get Beat Down (single mix)" and "Love Me Or Leave Me Alone (rmx)". LP, Vinyl record album

Proof that blues rock can be turned towards a useful end – and a landmark album from one of the greatest Brit groups of the post-beat era! CCS (Collective Consciousness Society) were more of a studio project than anything else – but their first few records sparkled with a groove and energy level that surpassed most other work going at the time – thanks to large backings from arranger Johnny Cameron, of Brit Easy and soundtrack fame – working here with UK bluesman Alexis Korner in a format that mixed big funky backings with Korner's down-home blues rock! The Cameron touches really help get away from any blues cliches of the genre – and the inclusion of jazz players like Harry Beckett, Henry Lowther, Kenny Wheeler, and Ray Warleigh makes for a really hip approach to instrumentation that goes way beyond simple studio support. Most tracks are instrumental, but the set does include some vocals – and the group scored a standout hit with the album's cover of "Whole Lotta Love", and followed up with other covers that include "Satisfaction", "Living In the Past", "Wade In The Water", and "Bom Bom". Also includes the original tracks "Waiting Song", "Dos Cantos", and "Lookin For Fun". LP, Vinyl record album

Chemical Brothers still riding high at the end of the 90s! In some ways, Surrender scales back on bigger, more boisterous big beat vibe for slightly hipper dancefloor vibe – but there's really a ton of ambitiousness here. Just a glance at the guest appearances is clue of how wild the ride is – a far reaching lot for sure – including Missy Elliot, Bernard Sumner, Hope Sandoval, Bobby Gillespie, Jonathan Donahue of Mercury Rev and more. Includes "Music: Response", "Under The Influence", "Out Of Control", "Orange Wedge", "Let Forever Be", "The Sunshine Underground", "Asleep From Day", "Got Glint?", "Hey Boy Hey Girl", "Surrender" and "Dream On". LP, Vinyl record album

Sleazy, greasy early 80s trash rock from the one-and-only Cramps – live at New York's Peppermint Lounge! Includes Cramps classics "You Got Good Taste", "I Ain't Nothin But A Gorehound", "Beautiful Gardens" and more, plus that vicious Cramps take on "She Said" by hillbilly trash rock progenitor Hasil Adkins, "Faster Pussycat" and more. Lux sounds lucid as he ever does one second and like he's about the choke death seconds later, which is The Cramps personified, right? LP, Vinyl record album

De La Soul take on the world of hip hop with a record that's very much at the top of their game – leaner in production than before, but at a level that also brings a bit more bite to their rhymes – a good thing too, as the group take on some of their contemporaries as they assess the state of hip hop in the shadow of the 21st Century! The shift from previous records is almost like that taken by Tribe Called Quest on Low End Theory – focusing their music, while still throwing in some of their trademark skits – and maybe even making the group sound more serious, yet never in some of the "too hard" styles that they rail against on the set. The set has two key moments for the up-and-coming generation – great cut "The Bizness", with a guest appearance by Common, and "Big Brother Beat" with help from Mos Def – next to other tracks that include "Supa Emcees", "Itzsoweezee", and "Betta Listen". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice little shark-themed soundtrack, but one that comes across with a vibe that's quite different than any of the music used for Jaws – partly because there's a number of vocal tunes in the mix! The set features three standout songs – "Hollywood Big Time" and "You've Changed The World For Me", sung by Yvonne Wilkins – and "Ballad", which is sung by composer Maurizio De Angelis himself – which are then mixed with instrumental numbers that are electric and keyboard-heavy, maybe more in line with Italian slasher/horror work of the period than you might expect! The colder electronics must have given the watery scenes a really great vibe on the screen – and the package features great sound throughout, and a mighty nice graphic appeal. LP, Vinyl record album

There's never been a better bit of pop throwaway dancefloor fodder ever! Sure, these guys were blaring out of every cheap radio at the time, and it was just about impossible to walk into a shopping mall without hearing "Groove Is In The Heart" for about 5 years after the album came out – but to us, that was a great thing, and the record represents one of the high points in pop music of the past few decades. Thanks to some skillful sampling by Towa Tei, the group were grounded in a rich history of funk, house, disco, soul, and Brazilian influences – all of which they managed to blend with a postmodern perfection that other groups could only ever dream of! The big hits are certainly very familiar, but the whole album's a delight – and tracks include "Who Was That?", "Smile On", "Try Me On . . . I'm Very You", "World Clique", "ESP", and "Good Beat". LP, Vinyl record album

A 2LP set of rare Doors – the LA Woman Workshop Sessions – three sides of never-before-released tracks from the sessions, plus a laser-etched fourth side with the "Electric Woman" art originally issued with the landmark LA Woman LP! The vinyl focuses exclusively on the unreleased material – with alternate versions of "The Changeling", "Love Her Madly", "The Wasp (Texas Radio And The Big Beat)" and "Riders On The Storm", plus versions of "Cars Hiss By My Windows", "LA Woman" and "Been Down So Long" featuring rhythm guitar by Marc Benno. Last, but not least the previously unreleased song "She Smells So Nice" and "Rock Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing stuff – and the beginning of a strong tradition of west coast funky Latin groups! El Chicano were one of a number of groups to emerge from LA of the 60s – rising forth on a wave of Mexican American pride to come up with a west coast version of the Latin Soul sound that had been emanating from Spanish Harlem a few years earlier. The group had an organ-heavy sound that first scored big on their rendition of Gerald Wilson's "Viva Tirado" – done as a single by the group with a stepping jazz beat that was missing from the earlier version, which worked great with their bubbly organ sound. The album was recorded to follow up the hit – done as a live set after hours at the Kabuki Sukiyaki Restaurant in south LA, and filled with tight jazzy covers 60s groovers like "Cantaloupe Island", "Eleanor Rigby", "Hurt So Bad", and "Coming Home Baby". The record's also got an amazing version of "Quiet Village" – and while it may not be as Latin as some of the group's later work, it's the beginning of a great tradition, and has a sound that was copied endlessly – but rarely matched! LP, Vinyl record album

The American debut of The English Beat – aka the UK group The Beat, who'd been making some big waves with import 45s on the 2Tone label, the burst forth on our US market with a slight shift in name, due to another group hogging their original moniker on our side of the Atlantic! That bit of backstory hardly need matter, though – as the group wear their English loud and proud here, setting off a huge ska revival as they blend Jamaican roots with London attitude in the post-punk years – stacking up a set of classics that continue to groove many turntables all these many years later. Titles include "Mirror In The Bathroom", "Hands Off She's Mine", "Twist & Crawl", "Big Shot", "Best Friend", and "Jackpot". LP, Vinyl record album

The American debut of The English Beat – aka the UK group The Beat, who'd been making some big waves with import 45s on the 2Tone label, the burst forth on our US market with a slight shift in name, due to another group hogging their original moniker on our side of the Atlantic! That bit of backstory hardly need matter, though – as the group wear their English loud and proud here, setting off a huge ska revival as they blend Jamaican roots with London attitude in the post-punk years – stacking up a set of classics that continue to groove many turntables all these many years later. Titles include "Mirror In The Bathroom", "Hands Off She's Mine", "Twist & Crawl", "Big Shot", "Best Friend", and "Jackpot". LP, Vinyl record album

Great early work from King Sunny Ade – billed as "volume 12" – but a set that's way before his bigger 80s fame on Island Records! The title cut takes up all of side one – and side two features shorter tracks that include "Gbogbo Wa L'Ope", "Asiko Ni", and "Ori Olowo". LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "D&D Soundclash" with Cocoa Brovas and production by Da Beatminerz, "Mic Stance", "Equality", "Defeat", and "Monotony", all with production by Premier, "Whirlwind Thru Cities", "Mortal Kombat" with Masta Killa, "Bring It Right", "Trilogy Of Terror" with Guru & Hannibal Stax, "Self Mastery", "Bigacts Littleacts" with GZA, "Warfare" with M.O.P., "Soul Assassination", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Pop soul from the Alessi brothers – bright, upbeat and glossy groovers that sound sweeter that we would have imagined all these years – with tight songcraft, hooks you can't shake if you try, and played by some all star musicians - Larry Carlton, Tom Scott, Ernie Watts, Lenny Castro and more! Christopher Cross is also on the album, and he blew up pretty big for a little while around this time, and Long Time Friends are just as unshakable as his huge hit! Titles include "Jagged Edge", "I'm Gonna Tell Her Tonight", "How Long, How Much", "Still In Love", "Forever", "Long Time Friends" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A real landmark from the west coast scene – served with straight up, stripped down beats from E Swift and King Tee – plus a couple of very early Madlib tracks as well! And although the album's got more rhymes about booze than we could have imagined in rap, then or now, it transcends the motif big time – never too sloshed to raise the bar – maybe making that move from politics to party that Black Flag did the decade before. Titles include "Lik Wit", "Only When I'm Drunk", "Last Call", "Can't Tell Me Sh*t", "Turn Tha Party Out", "Bullsh*t", "Soda Pop", "Make Room", "Mary Jane", and "Who Dem Ni****". LP, Vinyl record album

Ain't no party like a Alkoholik party – and year after year, this debut album still stands as one of the group's strongest moments! The album's a real landmark from the west coast scene – served with straight up, stripped down beats from E Swift and King Tee – plus a couple of very early Madlib tracks as well! And although the album's got more rhymes about booze than we could have imagined in rap, then or now, it transcends the motif big time – never too sloshed to raise the bar – maybe making that move from politics to party that Black Flag did the decade before. Titles include "Lik Wit", "Only When I'm Drunk", "Last Call", "Can't Tell Me Sh*t", "Turn Tha Party Out", "Bullsh*t", "Soda Pop", "Make Room", "Mary Jane", and "Who Dem Ni**as". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique album from Yugoslavian group Angel's Breath – one recorded in Brazil, which might come as no surprise, given that one of the members of the duo is Mitar Subotic Suba – who you'll also know from his groundbreaking album Sao Paulo Confessions! Suba got his start in Serbia, but was crucial in the Brazilian advances in the 90s before his too-early death in 1999 – and the record's definitely got some of the same appeal as the best music of the scene from Chico Science or Arnaldo Antunes – especially in the way it uses offbeat guitar lines, crispy electronics, and unusual rhythms next to lyrics that often feel as poetically experimental as they are tuneful! The whole thing's very difficult to describe, but that really gives it a hell of a lot of charm – and if it were not for the turmoil in Yugoslavia at the time, the set might have seen bigger global attention from the same cultural scene who were embracing Brazilian experiments of the period. Titles include "Madalena", "Velvet", "Caura", "Assassino", "Aplauzi", "40 Seconds Of Love", and "Metak". LP, Vinyl record album

A funky treasure trove from Apple & The Three Oranges – a group we hardly know at all, but who really blow us away with the cuts on this collection! The groove is plenty hard right from the get-go – the best of the funky 45 underground of the early 70s – which means that there's more 60s rawness on the record than you'd get from bigger-label funk at the time – as Ed "Apple" Nelson still works here with a mostly underground vibe! Ed plays drums – which are mighty hard on most numbers – and his vocals have this offbeat, off-kilter, over the top quality that almost reminds us a bit of the Hank Ballard/James Brown recordings for late 60s King – particularly in the way that Nelson's completely unbridled with his energy. The whole thing's great – one of the best funky collections we've heard in years – and presented with a rich amount of notes and historical information too. Titles include "Free & Easy (parts 1 & 2)", "Moon Light", "Curse Upon The World", "What Goes Around Comes Around", "Down Home Publicity", "True Love Will Never Die", "Gotta Stand For Something (parts 1 & 2)", and "I'll Give You A Ring". Features a great 16 page booklet with extensive liner notes and photos! LP, Vinyl record album

A funky treasure trove from Apple & The Three Oranges – a group we hardly know at all, but who really blow us away with the cuts on this collection! The groove is plenty hard right from the get-go – the best of the funky 45 underground of the early 70s – which means that there's more 60s rawness on the record than you'd get from bigger-label funk at the time – as Ed "Apple" Nelson still works here with a mostly underground vibe! Ed plays drums – which are mighty hard on most numbers – and his vocals have this offbeat, off-kilter, over the top quality that almost reminds us a bit of the Hank Ballard/James Brown recordings for late 60s King – particularly in the way that Nelson's completely unbridled with his energy. The whole thing's great – one of the best funky collections we've heard in years – and presented with a rich amount of notes and historical information too. Titles include "Free & Easy (parts 1 & 2)", "Moon Light", "Curse Upon The World", "What Goes Around Comes Around", "Down Home Publicity", "True Love Will Never Die", "Gotta Stand For Something (parts 1 & 2)", and "I'll Give You A Ring". Features a great 16 page booklet with extensive liner notes and photos! LP, Vinyl record album

Darn solid work from Ashford & Simpson – one of the duo's biggest albums for Capitol Records, and a great set from their 80s run for the label! The groove here is a bit more heavy on keyboards and beats than before, but the pair still keep things plenty soulful with their positive, upbeat approach to the music – rich, full, and always steeped in soul! The title track, "Solid", is one of the most-remembered tunes from the duo – and other cuts include "Outta The World", "The Jungle", "Honey I Love You", "Babies", "Cherish Forever More", and "Tonight We Escape". LP, Vinyl record album

Atlantic Starr definitely get straight to the point on this set – bursting out strongly with an upbeat groove from the very first note – all produced to perfection by maestro Bobby Eli, in the same manner as some of his other great late 70s work for other artists! The group's a big one, but they've got a lean focus here – a groove that has plenty of space for both male and female vocals, as well as a lot of instrumentation – yet never gets bogged down at all. Rhythms have a bit of boogie, and some older ensemble funk modes – and the vocals of Sharon Bryant are especially nice, cutting with a slight feminine edge against the more masculine leanings of the combo. Titles include "Kissin Power", "Straight To The Point", "Bullseye", "What'Cha Feel Inside", "Losin You", "Fallin In Love With You", and "Let The Spirit Move Ya". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent work from one of the funkiest steel bands around – a totally hip combo who just seem to be getting better and better with each new release! This time around, they've stepped up the beats even more than before – mixing their 70s funk and steel drum work with just a slight current from hip hop production – all of which almost makes you feel like Wu-Tang made a trip to the Caribbean, then came back with these tapes as a result! There's also some additionally cool touches in the horns – used with maybe some slight Ethio jazz inflections at points – alongside other elements that really help move the Bacao aesthetic forward in a mighty nice way. Titles include "Hotline Bling", "Grilled", "How We Do", "Hazy Memories", "In The Crosshairs", "The Champion's Walk", and a very cool take on the "Stranger Things Theme"! LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent work from one of the funkiest steel bands around – a totally hip combo who just seem to be getting better and better with each new release! This time around, they've stepped up the beats even more than before – mixing their 70s funk and steel drum work with just a slight current from hip hop production – all of which almost makes you feel like Wu-Tang made a trip to the Caribbean, then came back with these tapes as a result! There's also some additionally cool touches in the horns – used with maybe some slight Ethio jazz inflections at points – alongside other elements that really help move the Bacao aesthetic forward in a mighty nice way. Titles include "Hotline Bling", "Grilled", "How We Do", "Hazy Memories", "In The Crosshairs", "The Champion's Walk", and a very cool take on the "Stranger Things Theme"! LP, Vinyl record album

A nice one from Badu – one with a depth of feeling and genuine soulful vibes that live up to its title, despite the fact that she records for one of the world's biggest media conglomerates! It's all about the vibe here. Erykah rolls her syllables, scats and emotes feelings more than an actual narrative in the strongest of these cuts. It's not that she's forgone lyrics, but it's all about the ambience, not radio sing-a-longs. She also dives head first into her organic soul and hip hop hybrid sound a little more sparingly, but still better than most who that followed her lead post-Baduizm. She channels Donald Byrd on the great "Think Twice", which is pretty indicative of the vibe as a whole. The groove is sorta mellow, but in a very tripped-out way, with deep organ washes and synth tones, scratchy soul guitar, and crisp organic beats. There's an appearance by Dead Prez on "Steady On The Grind", and a really sweet old school flavored remake of the great "Love Of My Life" track from the Brown Sugar soundtrack with Queen Latifah and Bahamadia, but for the most part Erykah is sweating soul on her own spiritual plane here. It's gonna take a little while to sink in, but this may be her best album (despite whatever naysaying BS you may read in mainstream reviews.) Tracks include "Bump It", the great single "Danger", "Woo", "Back In The Day" and "I Want You". LP, Vinyl record album

A heck of a great batch of blue eyed soul tracks – much harder-hitting than you'd expect from the name of the group, and done with a "live studio" feel that really makes the session kick! The group's a big one, of mixed origin – of the sort of party club type acts that used to play a lot in the south in the 60s – and alongside original tunes, they also really groove on some upbeat numbers in a soaring Sam & Dave sort of mode. Titles include "I've Been Trying", "I'm Losing You", "Hey You", "Such A Fuss About Sunday", "Soul Man", "Shake", and "I Feel Good". LP, Vinyl record album

Man, these guys really know how to groove – and even on a bigger label, with a more commercial image, they still manage to come up with a tight little set! There's a key ear for a bassline and beat that keeps The Bar-Kays standing stronger than most of their contemporaries – a sense of rhythm schooled in years of indie funk that comes through even on the mellower cuts here – which themselves show an even better side of the group in this generation, one that comes across great here on a few slower numbers that have a sweetly stepping groove. Titles include "Nightcruising", "Freaky Behavior", "Feels Like I'm Falling In Love", "Touch Tone", "Hit & Run", "Unforgettable Dream", "Traffic Jammer", and "Backseat Driver". LP, Vinyl record album