The mindblowing debut of De La Soul – a set that's inarguably one of the most important records in hip hop history – overflowing with playful, endearingly oddball trio rhymes and Prince Paul production at it's most sprawlingly sampled and creative! The set has classic songs that stand out well enough on their own – but they're all also wonderfully linked together as a whole, making the album one of the first really well-thought out full length albums in hip hop – filled with loosely connective skits with recurring characters that are vital to the experience of listening to the record as a whole! Additionally, the set is especially fascinating given its 1989 release year – a time when so many of the contemporaneous crews and solo MCs on both the east coast and west coast were going grittier, darker and more profane – but it doesn't feel like a conscious reaction to that, as much it feels like sharp trio and a brilliant producer carving out their own damn creative niche. Includes "Me Myself & I", "The Magic Number", "Plug Tunin", "Say No Go", "Tread Water", "Eye Know", "Buddy" and much more! LP, Vinyl record album

The mindblowing debut of De La Soul – a set that's inarguably one of the most important records in hip hop history – overflowing with playful, endearingly oddball trio rhymes and Prince Paul production at it's most sprawlingly sampled and creative! The set has classic songs that stand out well enough on their own – but they're all also wonderfully linked together as a whole, making the album one of the first really well-thought out full length albums in hip hop – filled with loosely connective skits with recurring characters that are vital to the experience of listening to the record as a whole! Additionally, the set is especially fascinating given its 1989 release year – a time when so many of the contemporaneous crews and solo MCs on both the east coast and west coast were going grittier, darker and more profane – but it doesn't feel like a conscious reaction to that, as much it feels like sharp trio and a brilliant producer carving out their own damn creative niche. Includes "Me Myself & I", "The Magic Number", "Plug Tunin", "Say No Go", "Tread Water", "Eye Know", "Buddy" and much more! LP, Vinyl record album

The mindblowing debut of De La Soul – a set that's inarguably one of the most important records in hip hop history – overflowing with playful, endearingly oddball trio rhymes and Prince Paul production at it's most sprawlingly sampled and creative! The set has classic songs that stand out well enough on their own – but they're all also wonderfully linked together as a whole, making the album one of the first really well-thought out full length albums in hip hop – filled with loosely connective skits with recurring characters that are vital to the experience of listening to the record as a whole! Additionally, the set is especially fascinating given its 1989 release year – a time when so many of the contemporaneous crews and solo MCs on both the east coast and west coast were going grittier, darker and more profane – but it doesn't feel like a conscious reaction to that, as much it feels like sharp trio and a brilliant producer carving out their own damn creative niche. Includes "Me Myself & I", "The Magic Number", "Plug Tunin", "Say No Go", "Tread Water", "Eye Know", "Buddy" and much more! LP, Vinyl record album

An insanely wonderful record from De La Soul – a set that's sometimes eclipsed by its legendary precursors, but which would easily stand as the best record in the catalog by any other group! Prince Paul's production is impeccable – leaner than before, likely due to new restrictions on samples – but with a focus that really hones in on the incredible word play that De La have developed even more strongly than before! That strong sense of whole album presentation the group really helped forge in hip hop is definitely in place here – on titles that include the classics "Ego Trippin' (Part 2)" and "Breakadawn", "Eye Patch", "En Focus", "Patti Dooke", "I Be Blowin'", "3 Days Later", "Area", "I Am I Be", "In The Woods", and "Stone Age". LP, Vinyl record album

If De La Soul took the world by storm with their groundbreaking debut, they definitely pushed hip hop even farther ahead with this killer second album – a record that refines all the best impulses of the first set, and has the trio coming across with an even greater command of the space of a full length set! After a decade or more where most hip hop albums were just a string of singles and other cuts, De La (along with Public Enemy and a select few others) really helped the medium move into the realm of the album – weaving together cuts that are killer enough to be singles with all sorts of skits and album tracks, all with a vibe that has the whole thing flowing together wonderfully! The humor and wit of the group in their youth is still very much on point, as is the production work of Prince Paul – and the album bubbles over with longform imagination and careful execution that many groups could still hope to match! The samples are superb, nice and funky – and titles include "Oodles Of O's", "Talkin Bout Hey Love", "A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays", "Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa", "Ring Ring Ring", "Keepin The Faith", "Bitties In The BK Lounge", "Pass The Plugs", "Pease Porridge", and "Fanatic Of The B Word". 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 set from the late 90s, but one that's got a very timeless vibe – as it features spare duets on kora between these two legendary players – coming together in a way that's completely magical, and fresh enough to earn the "new ancient" in the title! There's a sense of warmth to the proceedings right from the start – an improvising sympathy that seems borrowed from jazz, although there's nothing jazz-like at all in this music – and the production uses just the right touch of echo to bring out the resonant qualities of the instruments, but never seeks to commercialize the proceedings at all. Titles include "Salaman", "Bi Lamban", "Kita Kaira", "Korobali", "Yamfa", "Cheikhna Demba", and "Bafoulabe". LP, Vinyl record album

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Gang Starr at pretty close to peak level here on 1994's Hard To Earn – and rather than continue to ride the waves they made on the previous couple classic albums, Guru sharpens the lyrical tone just a bit – spitting some more incisive rhymes over apporpriately gritty soul jazz beats from Primo. Tracks include the classic "DWYCK" featuring Nice & Smooth – which is just about our favorite Gang Starr track ever, to be honest – plus "Speak Ya Clout" featuring Jeru and Lil Dap, "Mass Appeal", "Code Of The Streets", "Brainstorm", "Tonz O Gunz", "Suckas Need Bodyguards", "Blowin Up The Spot", "Mostly Tha Voice", "F.A.L.A.", "Now You're Mine", "Comin For Datazz", "Aiight Chill...", "The Planet", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Featuring "Hot Child In The City"! LP, Vinyl record album

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A groundbreaking meeting of musical icons – with veteran jazz greats, a couple of then-young guns, and one of the MCs who helped bring jazz into hip hop in the first place! Jazzmatazz bridges both stylistic and generational boundaries in incredible ways, not only an earnest effort by Guru to pay heartfelt tribute to heroes, but to show his own and subsequent generations its the vitality and longevity jazz music – with a lineup that includes Donald Byrd, Roy Ayers, Ronny Jordan, Lonnie Liston Smith, Carleen Anderson, N'Dea Davenport and MC Solaar. 12 tracks in all, including "Slicker Than Most", "No Time To Play", "Loungin", "Sights In The City", "Le Bien, Le Mal", "Transit Ride", "When You're Near", "Down The Backstreets", "Respectful Dedications", "Take A Look At Yourself" and "Trust Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Guests include Richie Havens and Randy Crawford. LP, Vinyl record album

A nice change in sound for Debbie Harry – thanks to Chic production from Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards – who really help the solo singer find a groove that's quite different than her work in Blondie! The style's a mixture of the funky club that Chic did so well, with elements that lean a bit more towards an early 80s rockish dancefloor – almost with a vibe that echoes some of the UK imports trickling over to these shores at the time, but with a definite New York vibe underneath! The setting gives Harry's vocals a great way to hit a more playful nature – that sound that was creeping in a bit in Blondie, but which some folks thought was wrong for the group – and Chris Stein is still on hand to bring in some street-sensitive riffing guitar. Titles include "Backfired", "Military Rap", "Oasis", "Surrender", "Chrome", "Jump Jump", and "The Jam Was Moving". LP, Vinyl record album

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Original version in the seldom seen cover, and with "Congo Man" instead of the later included hit "Dancing With Myself". LP, Vinyl record album

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Titles include "Crossfire", "Working John Working Joe", "Uniform", "The Pine Marten's Jug", "Batteries Not Included", "Prtect & Survive", and "Black Sunday". LP, Vinyl record album

The album that really broke Jethro Tull out of the prog rock underground and into the mainstream – and a set that showed that the group weren't just a combo with creative use of flute, but a band that could really rock off their ass when they wanted to! Previous records were all pretty great, but there's definitely something special in the air with this one – an extra-amped version of the group that even seems to have Ian Anderson's flute blowing out all stops, and his vocals sounding even more menacing than before! Martin Barre's maybe the real master, though – searing on guitar, and punctuating all of Anderson's efforts with his own mad energy – on titles that include the classic "Aqualung", plus "Wondering Aloud", "Cheap Day Return", "Cross Eyed Mary", "My God", "Slipstream", "Locomotive Breath", "Wind Up", and "Mother Goose". LP, Vinyl record album

An early gem from Jethro Tull – and a set that has the group really reaching forth with some of their more complicated, jazz-based musical impulses – while still holding onto some of the rawer power of the early days too! The album's lesser-known than some of the group's earlier hits – which may well make it even fresher all these many years later – a really stunning set of sounds that showcases the newly lyrical sensibility of Ian Anderson – both vocally and on flute – as well as the searing guitar of Martin Barre, which was really becoming a core element of the group at this point. Titles include "For Michael Collins Jefferey & Me", "Inside", "Play In Time", "Sossity You're A Woman", "With You There To Help Me", and "Nothing To Say". LP, Vinyl record album

Features the titles "Beastie", "Clasp", "Slow Marching Band", "Seal Driver", "Watching Me Watching You", "Broadsword", "Pussy Willow", and "Fallen On Hard Times". LP, Vinyl record album

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Titles include "Old Brown Mouse", "Weathercock", "Journeyman", "Moths", "No Lullaby", and "And The Mouse Police Never Stops". LP, Vinyl record album

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A bit of old, and a bit of new – and includes some great live material on the second half, including the extended "By Kind Permission Of" and "Dharma For One" – and the great "Christmas Song". Other titles include "Bouree", "Song For Jeffrey", "Love Story", "Wondering Again", "Up The Pool", "From Later", and "Nursie". LP, Vinyl record album

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Includes "Teacher", "Aqualung", "Thick As A Brick", "Locomotive Breath", "Fat Man", "Living In The Past", "Rainbow Blues", "Nothing Is Easy", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Lots of classics – including "Living In The Past", "Aqualung", "Bungle In The Jungle", "Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of A New Day", "Life's A Long Song", and "Thick As A Brick". LP, Vinyl record album

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Titles include "Minstrel & The Gallery", "Warchild", "Passion Play (edit 9)", "Glory Row", "To Cry You A Song", "Thick As A Brick (edit 4)", "A New Yesterday", "Cross Eyed Mary", and the great "Bouree". LP, Vinyl record album

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Funky bluesy flutey magic from The Tull – includes a wonderful version of Roland Kirk's "Serenade To A Cuckoo" – plus "My Sunday Feeling", "Dharma For One", "It's Breaking Me Up", and "Song For Jeffrey". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Taxi Grab", "Pied Piper", "Chequered Flag", "Big Dipper", "Bad Eyed & Loveless", "Quizz Kid", and "From A Dead Beat To An Old Greaser". LP, Vinyl record album

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Includes the classics "Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of A New Day" and "Bungle In The Jungle". LP, Vinyl record album

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With Gary Moore on guitar. LP, Vinyl record album

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Includes "Stuck With You", "Jacob's Ladder", "Hip To Be Square", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

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Huey's biggest album of the 80s – with hits that include "I Want A New Drug", "Heart & Soul", "If This Is It", and "The Heart Of Rock & Roll". LP, Vinyl record album

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Procol Harum were one of those groups who continued to sound amazing, even way past their initial hits – as you'll discover here on this wonderful gem from 1974! The album's got everything we love in the group very firmly in place – that strange mix of blues roots and drama, fused with loads of great organ and piano lines, and topped with the always-unique vocals of Gary Brooker – a singer who can make even the simplest lyric sound wonderful, but always without ever overstating his case! The balance is hard to describe in words, but it's perfectly Procol-like throughout – on well-penned, well-produced tracks that include "Beyond The Pale", "Nothing But The Truth", "The Idol", "Thin End Of The Wedge", "New Lamps For Old", "Butterfly Boys", and "As Strong As Sampson". LP, Vinyl record album

Procol Harum check into the Grand Hotel – and check out with one of their greatest albums ever! The set's got that majestic sound that was the group's strongest point – a strange mix of the very personal vocals of Gary Brooker and the expansive blend of piano, organ, and guitar that the group often sent soaring to the skies – augmented here with some perfect use of strings and chorus – never too heavy, but all fused perfectly with the core energy of the sextet! In fact, it's that sense of compression – of folding everything together so well – that really makes the group so great, and such an important precursor for so many acts that were beginning to blossom in the UK scene, using a similar approach in different ways. Yet it's that Gary Brooker/Keith Reid sense of songwriting that still sets these guys apart from anyone else – as you'll hear on titles that include "Grand Hotel", "Tojours L'Amour", "TV Caesar", "A Souvenir Of London", "Robert's Box", "Fires", "For Liquorice John", and "A Rum Tale". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite an unusual moment for Procol Harum – still riding strong here onto their ninth album as a group – but also bringing in the legendary production team of Leiber & Stoller to help sharpen their sound! Yet apart from a few well-placed covers, all the genius of Gary Brooker and the group is firmly intact – organ work is maybe trimmed down a little, but his own vocals and piano are tremendous – as is the overall sense of song structure throughout! Titles include "Fool's Gold", "The Unquiet Zone", "Pandora's Box", "Eight Days A Week", "Without A Doubt", "The Piper's Tune", "I Keep Forgetting", and "Typewriter Torment". LP, Vinyl record album

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Part of a generation of US Acid Jazzers we could never really get behind at the time, this set fares a little better in retrospect. The playing has a crispness about it that we felt lacked edge back then, but betrays a debt to some of our favorite 70s jazz funk on second listen. Includes "Jazz In The Present Tense", "Keep The Rhythm Strong", "Montuno Funk", "Blood Brother", "Daddy Love", "Now This Is How We Do It", "Inside Is A Stride", "Morning After Paradise" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

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A bona-fide new romantic classic – with the hit "True", plus "Lifeline", "Heaven Is A Secret", "Code Of Love", "Pleasure", "Foundation", "Gold", and "Communication". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most important albums on the mighty 2 Tone label – and part of a huge ska revival on the British scene that would send ripples through modern music for years to come! And sure, the words "ska" and "revival" in the same sentence can often make most folks wince – but The Specials here work at a time long before the mode was reduced to cliche – and during a punk rock period when their contributions were especially vital – presented beautifully here on an album that's also produced by a young Elvis Costello! There's no overdone jams, no schlocky frat boy modes, just hard-edged London ska with a strong nod back to Kingston roots – on titles that include "A Message To You Rudy","Do The Dog", "It's Up To You", "Doesn't Make It Alright", "Concrete Jungle", "Monkey Man", "(Dawning Of A) New Era", "Too Much Too Young", and "Gangsters". LP, Vinyl record album

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Titles include "Spotted Cow", "Rosebud In June", "John Barleycorn", "Saucy Sailor", "King Henry", "Sheep Crook & The Black Dog", and "Royal Forester". LP, Vinyl record album

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The fantastic debut of Steeleye Span – a legendary British group formed by bassist Ashley Hutchings after his departure from Fairport Convention! The style here is a great continuation of that mode that the earlier group worked out on their Liege & Lief album – a reworking of older British folk modes, but with the compelling addition of electric bass at the bottom – an instrument that gives this subtle pulse to the music amidst the more acoustic instrumentation, in ways that are indescribably haunting, and really keep the whole thing from sounding like any sort of standard folk! Maddy Prior sings most lead vocals, and the instrumentation includes plenty of guitars, fiddle, harmonium, concertina, and mandolin – and titles include "A Calling-On Song", "My Johnny Was A Shoemaker", "All Things Are Quite Silent", "Copshawholme Fair", "Dark Eyed Sailor", "Blackleg Miner", and "Twa Corbies". LP, Vinyl record album

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