One of the rarest albums ever from the legendary Mort Garson – an all-electronic film score, one that was originally only available on record in the lobby of a Seattle theater that was showing the film! The tracks are shorter than on some of Garson's more commercial projects of the time, and there's a lot more of them too – all with a vibe that resonates nicely with some of Mort's more private recordings, including some of his advertising work – showing that even though the project was a small one, Garson was still bringing his all to the music. Titles include "Sail Sail", "Kevin's Theme", "No Smoking", "Bamboo City", "Walk To Grange Hall", "Jeep Ride", "Dead Tree", "Walk To The Other Side Of The Island"- and "Virgil's Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few cases in the history of pop music where the record is worth all the hype! Marvin blew everyone's mind when he unleashed this amazing suite of political soul tunes – not only just because he'd moved past the simple love songs of earlier years, but also because he was working with an amazingly complicated approach to soul music, one that would touch the work of others for years to come. David Van DePitte arranged and conducted the whole album – with soaring orchestrations mixed with smooth modern soul, in a style that reminds us a lot of the work of Charles Stepney at Cadet, who'd been doing this sort of thing for years but with less success. In the hands of Marvin Gaye, though, the material has an amazing quality – and all the disparate elements of the album are fused together in one powerful message by Marvin's incredible voice. One that we never tire of, and a record to be listened to all the way through every time. Titles include "What's Goin On", "Save The Children", "Flyin High (In The Friendly Sky)", "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)", and "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few cases in the history of pop music where the record is worth all the hype! Marvin blew everyone's mind when he unleashed this amazing suite of political soul tunes – not only just because he'd moved past the simple love songs of earlier years, but also because he was working with an amazingly complicated approach to soul music, one that would touch the work of others for years to come. David Van DePitte arranged and conducted the whole album – with soaring orchestrations mixed with smooth modern soul, in a style that reminds us a lot of the work of Charles Stepney at Cadet, who'd been doing this sort of thing for years but with less success. In the hands of Marvin Gaye, though, the material has an amazing quality – and all the disparate elements of the album are fused together in one powerful message by Marvin's incredible voice. One that we never tire of, and a record to be listened to all the way through every time. Titles include "What's Goin On", "Save The Children", "Flyin High (In The Friendly Sky)", "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)", and "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)". This fantastic 50th Anniversary version features new mastering by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, an essay by Hanif Abdurraqib, and a full record of bonus material that includes "What's Going On (stripped)", "What's Going On (rhythm & strings inst)", "What's Going On (mix 1 with no strings or horns)", "Symphony (demo version)", and original mono single mixes of "What's Going On", "God Is Love", "Mercy Mercy Me", "Sad Tomorrows", "Inner City Blues", and "Wholy Holy". LP, Vinyl record album

The lost legacy of a Twin Cities group who gave the world two great singles back in the day – but also left behind a lot of other excellent material that never saw the light of day! Joker's Wild sound a lot like you might guess from their look on the cover – psychedelic, but down to earth too – that smaller city vibe from a point when garage rock groups were learning how to really play their instruments, write great songs, and expand their sound with a better understanding of the studio – all of which really marks the work on this set! The lineup is lean, and the sound is nice and raw throughout, but surprisingly tuneful too, thanks to strong production – and titles include rare singles "All I See Is You" and "Echo" – plus "Copper Penny", "Good Time", "Hard Road", "I See You", "Stranger", "Witch", "That Man's Not You", "River", "Dissatisfied", "American Dream", "Peace Man", "Park Music", and "Have You Ever Loved Somebody". LP, Vinyl record album

A really funky set from the UK scene of the 70s – an album that mixes West African roots with some of the hipper elements going on in London at the time – a city where Remi Kabaka had been lending his talents to a variety of different records over the years! The set was issued by Island Records, and has the kind of cross-cultural groove the label did so well – and at some level, the record's sort of a second chapter in some of the African-influenced funk that was bubbling over on the London scene in the early 70s – maybe a bit sharper and tighter overall, but no less funky! The basslines are especially nice – nice and deep, with maybe an influence from Jamaican music, even though there's no reggae at all on the set. Titles include "Future Of 1000 Years", "All Black Festival", "African Hustle", "Blue Lagos", "Meteorite", "Sure Thing", and "Kabaka". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive exploration of the music of Kashmere Stage Band – the legendary Texas funk combo whose work barely got any circulation at the time – but who've become minor stars, thanks to the efforts of Stones Throw and Wax Poetics! The set goes even deeper than any of the previous vinyl reissues of work by the group – and features some previously unreleased tracks, and alternate takes on their funkiest numbers! The Kashmere groove is incredible – blasting horns, scratchy guitars, and funky drums – all wrapped super-tight around a range of original material and some more familiar numbers – all recast here in super-heavy funk mode! Titles include "All Praises", "Thank You", "Scorpio (extended)", "Headwiggle", "Do You Dig It Man", "Getting It Out Of My System", "Zero Point (parts 1 & 2)", "Boss City", "Burning Spear", "Take Five", and "Keep Doing It". LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool album from the Japanese scene of the 80s – one that's much more experimental and creative than some of the city pop material of the time – with a shifting style of music that really keeps things interesting! Ryuichi Sakamoto helped with the first track on the set, which also rounds out the end of side one – and there's definitely elements of the YMO-era electro pop on the record, but mixed with more instrumental material that partly echoes the ambient sounds of the era – but also with more experimental material that's sometimes playful, sometimes a bit dark – almost echoing some of the hipper New York downtown experiments of the Laurie Anderson generation. Koharu Kisaragi handles most of the work herself - through a variety of keyboards, samples, and electronics next to her vocals – but there's also some live percussion, piano, bells, and recorder on the record too. Titles include "Neo Plant" in two versions – plus "Paraffin", "Bon Voyage", and "Traumerei". LP, Vinyl record album

The second installment in the Videoclub – and like the first, a set of tracks that definitely lives up to the vintage action styles promised on the cover! The tracks are heavy on influences from classic crime, cop, and kung fu soundtracks – served up as shorter instrumental tracks that also make a nice nod to 70s sound library styles too – all with production that's totally great, and right on the money – so that the music never sounds too contemporary at all, and really has the spirit of analog funk from back in the day! Titles include "Trouble In Istanbul", "Bombay Sapphire", "Land Cruiser Radio", "Cairo City Limits", "High Voltage", "Golden VHS Awakening", and "She's An Agent". LP, Vinyl record album

A 90s album from the farther reaches of the Wu-Tang empire – a set that still shares some qualities with the core members' solo efforts, but which also maybe stands apart more in the tone of MC La The Darkman! The rapper ended up in Atlanta, and there's a quality here that maybe hints at that move in his music – harder and more street-styled than most of the Wu-related projects – trying to tell it like it is from the grass roots, but reveling in that experience as well. Production is by Havoc, Carlos Broady, Rza, 4th Disciple, and DJ Muggs – and guests include Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, Havoc, and DJ Rogers. Titles include "Lucci", "Shine", "City Lights", "What Thugs Do", "Heist Of The Century", "Fifth Disciple", "Spring Water", "Street Life", "Figaro Chain", "Polluted Wizdom", and "Wu-Blood Kin" LP, Vinyl record album

The moog wizard Hugo Montenegro takes on the music of Stevie Wonder – in a blend that maybe makes the record one of the coolest that the studio maestro ever recorded! Hugo had already proven that he could groove in the 60s, and he picked up the moog at the end of the decade and started really working magic with the electronics – and here, the songs of Stevie Wonder provide an extra-special setting for his talents – as Hugo mixes in a range of keyboards, including some Arp, with tight studio work from Carol Kaye on bass, Hal Blaine on drums, and Larry Carolton on guitar. Titles include great versions of "Living For The City", "Too High", "Superstition", "Higher Ground", "You've Got It Bad Girl", and "All In Love Is Fair". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite Lee Morgan albums, and one of his least known – a set recorded in the crucial last five years of his life, and a sparkling mix of hard bop, soul jazz, and slight bits of modernism – that magical mix that Lee was hitting as he reached farther and farther with his music – an amazing legacy in jazz that has us loving every Morgan session from 1965 onward! Lee's playing in very comfortable territory, with a group that includes Bennie Maupin on tenor, Cedar Walton on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – but that doesn't mean that the proceedings are relaxed at all, because the interplay between the players is flawless, and they use their familiarity as a great springboard to soar off into rich new territory. Lee wrote all the tunes on the record – like "Caramba", "Suicide City", and "Soulita". An excellent record throughout, and one that we'd never part with! LP, Vinyl record album

A great introduction to the music of Shuggie Otis – the tripped-out guitarist who's best known for his early 70s classics for Columbia Records! This set comes from those three amazing albums – and showcase Shuggie's shift from bluesy funk guitar to the more laidback, tripped-out work of his classic Inspiration Information album! Cuts from that classic take up all of side two – including "Aht Uh Mi Hed", "Sparkle City", "Inspiration Information", and "Island Letter" – and side one features other gems that include his original recording of "Strawberry Letter 23", plus "Me & My Woman", "Hurricane", "Baby I Need You", "Sweet Thang", and "Ice Cold Daydream". LP, Vinyl record album

Early work from Robert Ponger – the guy who gave Falco such a strong groove in the 80s, but who's heard here on a cool late 70s album that's heavy on disco! The music here has a sweet electronic groove – a bit like Munich disco of the time, but more stripped-down and personal – and with spacey qualities that resonate well with the Italian cosmic scene that would burst forth even more strongly in the 80s! Most tracks are heavy on keyboard lines, and feature guitar bits as well – and the usual disco warmth comes into the mix as well, with occasional strings and backing vocals. Titles include "Nights In The City", "Johnny's Discothek", "Love Train", "Jodel Funk", "Starbird", "You Are My Yesterday", and "Firewalk". LP, Vinyl record album

Nicely gritty work from London's Rarelyalways – an artist who's certainly got a touch of grime in his music, but one who also manages to come across with a more widely soulful style as well! Rhythms are nicely sharp around the edges, and have a bassy bottom that we really love – qualities that are partly due to the great production work from Ricco Komolafe on most of the record – yet the set also features plenty of other musicians in the mix too, which is definitely part of the depth that gets nicely past what you might expect! Titles include "Urgent", "Remote", "Fire", "Work", "City Boy", "MSG", "Voice Note 0142", "Help Desk", and "AOB". LP, Vinyl record album

A wealth of funky instrumentals – never issued before! Sam & The Soul Machine were a funky New Orleans combo that had a sound that was a heck of a lot like the Meters – dubby bass, tight snapping drums, and some warm and bubbling organ work that gave the music a sweetly soulful finish. This fantastic set of tracks was recorded in 1969 – right at the height of the Crescent City funk scene – but was never issued before, due to a strange twist of fate (not to mention the IRS!) Rough and ready – and a perfect slice of deep deep funk! 12 tracks in all – including "T-Time", "Stand", "Mercy D", "Slow Motion", "Wanted Alive", "Meditation", and "Thesis". LP, Vinyl record album

Really wonderful live material from tenor genius Archie Shepp – recorded in Paris, a city that always seemed to bring out the best in his music! Here, Shepp's blowing in a mode that's like some of his later Impulse Records from the early 70s – more spiritual overall, with a free-flowing blend of influences, and a slight nod to the straighter sounds that would emerge a bit more in the decade – served up with a very hip quintet that includes Siegfried Kessler on piano, Bob Reid on bass, Noel McGhie on drums, and Pablo Kino on percussion! The bottom-heavy sound of the group is wonderfully offset by Shepp's raspy, soulful tone on tenor – on titles that include a long take on "Things Have Got To Change" – plus "Blues For Donald Duck" and "Along Came Betty". LP, Vinyl record album

Dele Sosimi was raised in the shadow of Fela Kuti, literally – as he spent part of his youth in Fela's commune – yet his music is nicely free of some of the overdone Afro Funk modes of the 70s, and instead really finds a fresh way forward with all sorts of wonderful criss-crossings of styles! Sosimi was born in London, and later returned to the city – and the work here really has that special sparkle when the British scene gets things right – bringing together elements of its post-colonial richness, but with a new vision for the future – optimistic and uplifting, but never in a way that makes the music seem too facile or easygoing. One of Dele's key musical partners here is Sam Duckworth, of Get Cape Wear Cape Fly fame – and titles include "Open Up", "Ride Out The Storm", "Ori Mi", "Mo Se Bola Tan", and "E Si Medo". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unusual set from the Twin Cities scene in the 70s – an obscure album from singer Ernie Story – who comes across with a lot of blue-eyed soul in his vocals, and works in this blend of dark-tinged acoustic elements and funk – maybe somewhere in the territory of more famous work by artists like Bill Withers or Rodriguez! At times, Story's music definitely has the moodier currents of the latter – an element that maybe kept him from getting wider circulation – but his vocals are fantastic, and there's this nice use of drumbeats that really punctuate the music with this slow-stepping vibe that really works with the vocals. Other instrumentation is nice and spare – which furthers the vibe of the record – and titles include "Tribute To Lady Jane", "Disco City", "Chain Gang", "Sinners Lament", "Lost Without You", and "Dreamers Holiday". LP, Vinyl record album

You won't find Joyce Street in the Country Music Hall Of Fame, but she's the kind of singer who definitely could have been huge, had she ever hit the big time – yet maybe one who's even more fascinating on this series of singles recorded for a variety of small labels in the 70s – all the kind of heartfelt, honest work that's very different than the arena-filling music of the outlaw generation! Joyce has a voice that recalls some of our favorite female country singers to emerge in the 60s, and hearing this work is like catching one of them before they were picked up by a major label – recording with a real since of sincerity that definitely does justice to her music. Titles include "Life Ain't Worth Livin", "Back Streets Of The City", "Love In My Heart", "California You're Slippin", "Mississippi Moonshine", "Woman Do Something Nice", and "That Man Of Mine". LP, Vinyl record album

A huge crossover hit for the Talking Heads – music released in conjunction with the great film of the same name, but with a unified vibe that made the whole thing way more than just another soundtrack! In many ways, the set's a part two to Little Creatures – delivered with the same sort of upfront charm, and ear for well-crafted tunes that really display the sharper songwriting skills of David Byrne in this period. Yet there's also some hints of the global elements that were always present in his music, and which would come more to the fore during the Luaka Bop years – used in more subtle ways here. Titles include the big hit "Wild Wild Life" – plus "People Like Us", "Puzzlin Evidence", "Love For Sale", "Radio Head", "Dream Operator", "City Of Dreams", "Hey Now", and "Papa Legba". LP, Vinyl record album

A monster from start to finish – not only the greatest album from War, but maybe one of the greatest mainstream funk albums of all time! The set's got a really unique groove – one that so many others tried to copy, but which was forged here first – in a wicked LA blend of Chicano funk, heavy organ lines, and soulful singing that sews the whole thing together perfectly. Just about every cut is upbeat and funky – rolling along at that low-rider pace that was War's lasting contribution to funk music – and the album features the huge hits "World Is A Ghetto" and "Cisco Kid", two of the brightest spots on radio funk from the 70s – plus classics like "Four Cornered Room", "City Country City", "Where Was You At", and "Beetles In The Bog". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest albums recorded by trombonist Kai Winding in the 60s – a set that follows the larger ensemble mode he moved to after parting ways with trombonist JJ Johnson, yet one that also has some surprisingly groovy elements in the mix! The album was recorded in Nashville, and features the "modern country" promised in the title – as Kai takes on tunes from the Nashville songbook, with help from Bill McElhiney and Grady Martin on the larger charts – the latter of who also plays guitar on record, alongside Nashville legend Harold Bradley! There's some great use of organ at times, which really emphasizes a more soulful vibe in the music – and the Anita Kerr singers come in on a few tracks, with those wonderful harmonies that sound even better in a non-country setting than they do on their standard work for RCA. Titles include "Wolverton Mountain", "Busted", "I Really Don't Want To Know", "Detroit City", "I Walk The Line", "Dang Me", and "Slippin Around". LP, Vinyl record album

A double-length collection of work from two obscure Atlanta soul labels – the Tragar and Note imprints, both run by local producer Jesse Jones! Back in the day, Atlanta wasn't nearly as big of an outlet for soul records as it's become in recent years – so Jones' labels were key in showcasing under-exposed local talent in the city, a range of soul groups, solo singers, and funk combos – all produced here with a really fresh sound! Nearly every track here is super-obscure – and there's few southern soul cliches to get in the way of the music – no overdone blues, no Hotlanta disco, no Muscle Shoals copies – just honest-to-goodness indie soul at its best – full of life, vitality, and personality – all presented with the usual deep-digging Numero look at the artists in the notes. The package is one of the biggest Numero collections so far – and really tells the tale of this crucially overlooked scene – a key link between more familiar southern styles and rising Northern modes, all with a personality of its own. Titles include "All Because of You" and "Down In The Country" by Tee Fletcher, "The Hump" and "Tipping Strings" by The Knights, "Somebody Got A Help Me" and "Love is So Mean" by Richard Cook, "Ain't That Sharp" by Young Divines, "Watch The Dog That Bring The Bone" by Sandy Gaye, "Messing Around" by Bobby Owens & The Diplomats, "Shake Daddy Shake" and "Try" by Eula Cooper, "Tumbling Down" by Langston & French, "You Got A Spell On Me" by Bill Wright, "Now That I'm Wise" by Nathan Wilkes, and "Nitecap" by L Daniels. LP, Vinyl record album

A double-length collection of work from two obscure Atlanta soul labels – the Tragar and Note imprints, both run by local producer Jesse Jones! Back in the day, Atlanta wasn't nearly as big of an outlet for soul records as it's become in recent years – so Jones' labels were key in showcasing under-exposed local talent in the city, a range of soul groups, solo singers, and funk combos – all produced here with a really fresh sound! Nearly every track here is super-obscure – and there's few southern soul cliches to get in the way of the music – no overdone blues, no Hotlanta disco, no Muscle Shoals copies – just honest-to-goodness indie soul at its best – full of life, vitality, and personality – all presented with the usual deep-digging Numero look at the artists in the notes. The package is one of the biggest Numero collections so far – and really tells the tale of this crucially overlooked scene – a key link between more familiar southern styles and rising Northern modes, all with a personality of its own. Titles include "All Because of You" and "Down In The Country" by Tee Fletcher, "The Hump" and "Tipping Strings" by The Knights, "Somebody Got A Help Me" and "Love is So Mean" by Richard Cook, "Ain't That Sharp" by Young Divines, "Watch The Dog That Bring The Bone" by Sandy Gaye, "Messing Around" by Bobby Owens & The Diplomats, "Shake Daddy Shake" and "Try" by Eula Cooper, "Tumbling Down" by Langston & French, "You Got A Spell On Me" by Bill Wright, "Now That I'm Wise" by Nathan Wilkes, and "Nitecap" by L Daniels. LP, Vinyl record album

A massive collection of work from these important years in music – and even if you don't know or care about Gary Crowley, who's pictured on the cover, you'll find plenty to love here if you dig UK sounds from the late 70s and early 80s! As indicated by the title, the set focuses on new wave and punk tracks – which also means that there's plenty of post-punk too – and the package does a really great job of offering up music that stands the test of time, even though much of it never got much play on American airwaves back in the day – music that really helped set the tone for a generation, and whose effects are still resonating all these many years later. As with volume one, the presentation is great – a very nice package, with detailed notes – and the 2LP version features 28 titles – with work by The Times, Shake, The Limps, Newtown Neurotics, The Slits, Gary Valentine, Basement 5, Dolly Mixture, Liquid Stone, The Subterraneans, Stiff Little Fingers, The Jam, Zounds, The Cure, The City Limits, Moving England, The Barracudas, Penetration, X-Ray Spex, The Limit, Magazine, Golinski Brothers, The Clash, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

It's no secret that the city of Rio De Janeiro has an amazing musical legacy – one that began in the years before bossa nova became their calling card in the 60s, through so many musical revolutions in the 70s – on up to the current day, when the city is still abuzz with all sorts of amazing and fresh musical styles! Not long ago, we were very plugged into the sound of Rio through countless great records issued on the Brazilian scene – but more recently, things have gone digital and a bit more underground – which makes a collection like this such an essential way of keeping in touch with the music – a really well-done collection that shows just how much has been happing in Brazil in recent years! There's definitely echoes of older styles in the music, but they resonate with a freshness that's amazing – with qualities that make each new tune on the set a real delight – in a lineup that features titles that include "Sigo Num Site/Marmore" by Rosabege, "Vento De Bierada" by Dora Morelenbaum, "Bandeide" by Troa, "Gigolo" by Jonas Sa, "Soar Estranho" by Tiago Nassif, "Cliche" by Pedro Fonte, "Saudade"b y Ana Frango Electrico, "Avos De Experienca" by Exercito De Bebes, "Briga De Familia" by Vovo Bebe, "Apreco Antigo" by Le Ameida, "Sambolero" by Os Ritmistas, and "Dois Litorais" by Joana Quieroz. LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of rare soul tracks from the west coast scene of the 60s – one that has the Ace/Kent label returning to the territory of some of their earliest compilations, but with lots of fresh and unreleased material in the mix! The Kent and Modern labels trace their roots back to the initial outpouring of postwar R&B on the Los Angeles scene – and by the time of the 60s, the companies were in a great position to pick the hippest, coolest cats from their city's soul underground – often recording so much music, only a portion of it was ever released back in the day! That's definitely the case here – as 8 of the 14 tracks on the collection never saw release in the 60s – making the collection a fantastic mix of rare and released Northern Soul from the city of angels. Titles include "Wanting You (alt)" by Jimmy Bee, "Lay This Burden Down" by Arthur Wright & His Orchestra, "Love Is Gonna Get You" by Peggy Woods, "Can It Be Me" by Mel Williams, "Baby Without You" by Gene & Gary, "Nobody But Me" by The Other Brothers, "Make Me Yours" by ZZ Hill, "Hey Stoney Face" by Mary Love, "No Puppy Love" by Johnny Copeland, "This Man Wants You" by Wally Cox, and "Get To Steppin" by Jackie Day. LP, Vinyl record album

A record that picks up on a very particular strand of Japanese music in the 70s – and one that's maybe not even fully described with all the evocative words in the title! The sounds here are leaner and more open than work you'd know from the city pop years – but also not like Japanese rock of the late 60s, and maybe not even like some of the bigger names of the 70s who crossed over to American audiences. Instead, the whole package is very creative and inventive – certainly with currents of psych and soul, but often moving into territories that really defy easy categorization – as if these Japanese artists feel free to pick and choose whatever they want to put in the mix! The sound is great, and the album is a treasure trove of discoveries – with sounds that include "Aoi Galasu Dama Blue Glass Ball" by Yoshiko Sai, "Have You Smoked Gauloise" by Hiroshi Kamayatsu, "Jikan Wo Koero Go Beyond Time" by Tadashi Goino Group, "Omae You" by Jun Fukamachi, and "Hachigatsu No Inshow Augusts Impression" by Momotaro Pink. LP, Vinyl record album

Gary, Indiana is maybe best known as the hometown of the Jackson 5 – but the city also had plenty of other soul singers back in the day – as you'll discover on this really well-done collection of tracks! The set's titled after the Chicago Skyway, a huge industrial structure that links the south side of the Windy City with Gary – and that link is a key one, as many of the artists here have a resonance with Chicago soul too – working with qualities that are often a bit more sophisticated than usual, and not as directly aimed at the charts or the dancefloor – a really special breed of soul music that makes for a wonderfully rich collection! As usual with Numero, the package is as great as the track list – and titles include "Trouble" by General Lee & Lost Weekend, "Sweet Jo-Ann" by El Anthony, "Main Squeeze" by Nate Evans, "So I Can Make This Change" by The Krash Band, "Bridge Of Love" by Lost Weekend, "Give Your Love To Me" by Wilton Crump, "Don't Be Afraid" by Sky's The Limit, "Let's Ride" by Junei, "You Just Be You" by Into New Dimensions, "I Need Your Love" by Billy Foster, "Pleasure" by General Lee, "Night Music" by Billy Foster, "The Look On Your Face" by Nate Evans & Mean Green, and "We've Been In Love Too Long" by El Anthony. LP, Vinyl record album

Gary, Indiana is maybe best known as the hometown of the Jackson 5 – but the city also had plenty of other soul singers back in the day – as you'll discover on this really well-done collection of tracks! The set's titled after the Chicago Skyway, a huge industrial structure that links the south side of the Windy City with Gary – and that link is a key one, as many of the artists here have a resonance with Chicago soul too – working with qualities that are often a bit more sophisticated than usual, and not as directly aimed at the charts or the dancefloor – a really special breed of soul music that makes for a wonderfully rich collection! As usual with Numero, the package is as great as the track list – and titles include "Trouble" by General Lee & Lost Weekend, "Sweet Jo-Ann" by El Anthony, "Main Squeeze" by Nate Evans, "So I Can Make This Change" by The Krash Band, "Bridge Of Love" by Lost Weekend, "Give Your Love To Me" by Wilton Crump, "Don't Be Afraid" by Sky's The Limit, "Let's Ride" by Junei, "You Just Be You" by Into New Dimensions, "I Need Your Love" by Billy Foster, "Pleasure" by General Lee, "Night Music" by Billy Foster, "The Look On Your Face" by Nate Evans & Mean Green, and "We've Been In Love Too Long" by El Anthony. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic funky follow-up to the first Mr Thing compilation from BBE – and a set that's equally filled with rare and soulful grooves! If we didn't know better, we'd swear he went into our crates and pilfered our own record collections – because the package contains plenty of overlooked cuts that we've loved for years, but which have never gotten their due – and not even all of them are from totally obscure pressings or small indie labels – just the kind of records that people pass over sometimes, because they don't know how great they sound! There's lots and lots and lots of deeply funky numbers on the collection – and the package really takes us back to the glory days when BBE compilations were always turning us onto something new – especially during the Keb Darge glory days. Titles include "Back Ground Music" by Kalyanji Anandji, "Searching For Soul" by Jake Wade & The Soul Searchers, "ABC" by Hot Butter & Soul, "Spooky Do" by Dick Walter, "The Horse" by Val Merral's Orchestra, "It's Just Begun" by Hot City Bump Band, "Sally" by Frank Pleyer Big Band, "Love Is Just A Word" by Johnny Griffith Inc, "Can't Stop Talkin" by Art & Ron, "Family Affair" by The Generation Gap, "Gacek" by Jerzy Milian, "Rockin Chair" by John L Watson with White Mouse, "Pink Panther" by Alan Tew, "Twinkle Stars Boo Galoo (live)" by Oscar Harris & The Twinkle Stars, "The Message" by Tinga Stewart, and "Pru Urebu" by The Rias Orchestra. LP, Vinyl record album

The legendary Studio One label recorded some of the hippest singers on the Kingston scene from the late 60s onward – and one of the ways they made them sound especially great was to use some of the city's coolest musicians on the sessions, and also give them some space to cut some key instrumentals of their own! The cuts here represent a time when Jamaican music was really hitting its stride with a really unique vibe – and these groups have really shifted from the sort of jazz, mento, or calypso that instrumental groups were cutting in the early part of the 60s – to work in ska, rocksteady, and early reggae modes that offer up a perfect blend of heavy rhythms and standout solo instrumentation! The package brings together 19 tracks from these glory days at Studio One – and titles include "Heavenless" by Don Drummond, "Bugaloo" by Soul Bros, "Black Up" by Karl Bryan & Count Ossie, "Still Calling" by Soul Defenders, "Namibia" by Liberation Group, "Sidewalk Doctor" by Jackie Mittoo & Brentford Rockers, "Heavy Rock" by Sound Dimension, "Money Generator" by Karl Bryan & The Afrokats, "Jericho Skank" by Jackie Mittoo & Ernest Ranglin, and "Ringo Rock" by The Soul Vendors. LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique selection of Japanese reggae tracks from back in the day – and work that's very different than sounds from both the underground scene in Kingston, and the big wave of reggae hits on the major labels! The pace of many of these cuts has them moving in almost a lovers rock sort of mode – easygoing, warm, and with lots of soulful touches – often served up with instrumentation that echoes some of the city pop generation as well, although maybe a bit more down to earth, given the genre! You might almost think of these tunes as city pop reggae variants – mostly with female singers in the lead – and titles include "Hittin Me Where It Hurts" by Marlene, "Johannesburg" by Junko Yagami, "Coffee Break" by Miharu Koshi, "Tsukikage No Nagisa" by Miki Hirayama, "Music" by Chu Kosaka, "Lazy Love" by Izumi Kobayashi, and "Tenkini Naare" by Lily. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic document of the lost funk legacy of 70s Japan – music that's often different than the jazz and pop work of the decade that sees greater reissue, and which shows a very strong influence from the American scene! The rhythms here are wonderful – sometimes in the best funky soundtrack mode, other times with maybe even a bit of psych added in – and some of the cuts feature lyrics, either in English or Japanese, also with a very soulful vibe – but much more of an edge than the polished sound of the city pop generation! Titles include "Yumura No Obaba" by Akira Yasuda & Beat Folk, "Jikokeno No Samba" by Kan Mikami, "Singer Lady" by Hatsumi Shibata, "Devil Woman" by Bread & Butter, "I Hope It's Fine" by School Band, "Watashi No Beatles" by Fujio Tokita, "Bad Junky Blues" by Hiroshi Sato, "Theme Of Doberman Cop" by Mieko Hirota, and "The In & Outer Stomp & Shouter" by Sammy with Jiro Inagaki & Soul Media. LP, Vinyl record album

The love here is in the music – a really warm, wonderful blend of tracks in a variety of styles – all coming together in the sunny spirit hinted at by the cover! It's a bit hard to sum up the genius of the set in words – as Miche takes vintage soul, Latin, Brazilian, and other modes – but makes a record that's very different than the usual funky compilation – one with a much deeper sense of spirit! Most tracks are pretty darn obscure, which really helps them work together wonderfully – in a lineup that includes "Summer Love" by Mandisa, "Skying High" by South Funk Blvd, "Hung Up About You" by Atlantis, "Don't Need No Fortune Teller" by Ad Libs, "Now You've Gone Away" by City Lites, "Serrado" by Quintaessencia, and "It Was September" by Superior Elevation. LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful album from this very hip trio – and like the first, a set that's got a vibe that's very different than most other work of its nature! Sure, it's a guitar trio album – Oren Ambarchi on guitar, Johan Berthling on bass, and Andreas Werliin on drums – but the way the instruments relate is often very different – especially the use of guitar from Ambarchi, which often has this sort of subtle sonic energy rather than tautly plucked notes – qualities that get a lot of resonance next to the always-fantastic basswork of Berthling, a player we've really come to love for fresh ideas in music! Titles include "Tre", "TVA","Fyra", and "En". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary improvising jazz group from the Mexico City scene – one who really thrived at the end of the 70s in a live setting, but hardly ever recorded any music at all! This set brings together tracks from a rare cassette-only release, and has a power that's undeniable right from the very first note – music that's got the bold richness of some of the best material from the BYG/Actuel series of recordings on the Parisian scene in 1969, and with a frenzied energy that really knocks out most of what was happening in American free jazz at the end of the 70s! The lineup features Henry West on saxes, Ana Ruiz on piano, Claudio Enriquez on bass, and Evry Mann on drums and percussion – and titles include "Hot Dreams", "Clapping Hand 2", "Cold Drinks", "MD", "Hanne IV", and "What Reason". LP, Vinyl record album

The classic sound of Funkadelic, reworked by a key selection of contemporary talents from the Detroit scene – but never in a way that wrecks the originals at all! Unlike other remix projects, which might break up the music to a point that you can hardly recognize the original grooves – this set does a wonderful job of maintaining all the integrity of the famous funky recordings by the group, while also letting some artists from the group's hometown also include a few of their own contributions too – all in ways that really expand the original vision of the music, while keeping things in a funky soul vein all the way through! Given all the greateness of Detroit grooves in recent years – from that city's very fertile underground of producers and musicians – the sound here is still even more amazing than we expected, and the album's a very fitting one to be issued on the Westbound label. The set's double-length, and for good reason too – and titles include "Music 4 My Mother (Underground Resistance mix)", "Sexy Ways (Recloose disco flip)", "Get Your Ass Off & Jam (Marcellus Pittman rmx)", "You Can't Miss What You Can't Measure (Alton Miller mix)", "Super Stupid (Dirtbombs version)", "Music For My Mother (Andres Wo Ahh Ay voc mix)", "Cosmic Slop (Moodymann mix)", "Be My Beach (Mophono & Tom Thump)", "Let's Make It Last (Kenny Dixon Jr edit)", "Let's Take It To The Stage (Amp Fiddler @Ya mix)", "Undisco Kidd (Gay Marvine edit)", "Looking Back At You (Ectomorph stripped & dubbed)", and "Standing On The Verge (Anthony Shake Shakir & T Dancer rmx)". LP, Vinyl record album

A notorious EP from Japanese actress Kaoru Kuroki – who both bares herself on the cover, and on the songs within! The approach is a bit like city pop from the time, but with a style that's a bit more fluid – as the leadoff track is an electric take on a famous folk melody, followed by an erotic poem written by Kaoru and set to music! There's also a bit more of an erotic current through the other tunes too – and titles include "The Age Of Innocence", "A Love Note For You", "Chinatown Love", and "Birth From Time". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprising jazz funk stunner from drummer Idris Muhammad – part of his great second chapter of work for CTI in the 70s! Idris is working here in a style that's very different than his heavy-footed funky work on Prestige and Blue Note – and while it's easy to criticize him for not keeping the same old breakbeat funk style, it's also important to give him a lot of credit for pushing his vision way past the simple stock style of the earlier days! The record's a very nice set of complicated jazzy grooves – some a bit clubby, but many very nice, and with the kind of sophisticated funk arrangements that were on the best Kudu records. No surprise that Dave Matthews is putting together most of the cuts, save for one excellent groove that's arranged by Tom Harrell. Players include Fred Wesley, Ronnie Cuber, Eric Gale, and Wilbur Bascomb – and titles include "Baia", "Sudan", "Hey Pocky A Way", "Theme For New York City", which is based on the same Chopin haunting tune as Serge Gainsbourg's "Jane B"! LP, Vinyl record album

A whole new side of the talents of Sun Ra – especially if you only know the longer-style jams on some of his albums from the 60s and 70s! From the very start of his career, Ra was every bit as interested in issuing music on 45s as he was on albums – and in fact, at some of the more desperate times, the 7" single turned out to be a very affordable format to try out new ideas – including some great projects with other artists! The array of work presented here is stunning – as the set includes some very up-close and personal moments with Ra on record, plus some tight jazzy tracks from the Arkestra, surprising vocal group material designed to crack the R&B market, and some especially cool projects with other singers too. The package is put together with very detailed notes on all the singles – and while the bulk of this material comes from the key Arkestra years of the late 50s through the early 80s, there's also a few tracks from other dates too – including a handful of songs that were only issued as 45s in later years. This limited part 2 of the vinyl set features wonderful tracks from later years – including "The Blue Set", "Space Loneliness", "State Street", "Love In Outer Space", "Mayan Temple", "Quest", "Rough House Blues", "Journey To Saturn", "Blues On Planet Mars", "The Bridge", "Rocket #9", "The Perfect Man", "Outer Space Plateau", "Extensions", "Orbitration In Blue", "A Blue One", "Big City Blue", "I'm Gonna Unmask The Batman", "Saturn Moon", "Disco 2021", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "I Am The Instrument", "Cosmic Drama", "Nuclear War", "Hell #1", and "Cosmo-Extensions" – plus the tracks "Tell Her To Come On Home" and "I'm Making Believe" by Little Mack. LP, Vinyl record album

The incredible solo start of the great Dwight Yoakam – presented here as three classic albums, along with a full record of bonus demo material and rarities too! Dwight burst on the scene with a freshness that was what country music really needed in the mid 80s – a style that both hearkened back to honky tonk greats of the past, but had also learned some of the leaner lessons of rock – yet all while not sounding anything like country rock of the previous decade either! Yoakam found a way to shake off all the nonsense that had been holding music back for years – and you'll hear the results beautifully on the classic albums inside – Guitars Cadillacs Etc, Hillbilly Deluxe, and Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room. Then, the set also features a great fourth record – So Forth & So On – with 1981 demos of tunes that include "Miner's Prayer", "I'll Be Gone", "You're The One", "This Drinkin Will Kill Me", "It Won't Hurt", and "Floyd County" – plus a duet with KD Lang on "Sin City", and the tracks "Christmas Eve With The Babylonian Cowboys" and "Long White Cadillac". LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of funky New Orleans genius from the legendary Eddie Bo – an artist who made music in many different modes over the years in Nola, but who comes across here with a sound that's definitely in the funkiest side of his spectrum! There's lots of cuts on the collection that were only issued as funky 45s – the kind of deeply funky numbers with heavy drums that made Bo such an early favorite for the sampling scene, and which continue to give his work such a sense of urgency over the years! This isn't the slow-rolling, head-nodding side of Crescent City soul, and instead is its much funkier cousin – as you'll hear on tracks that include "Hook & Sling (parts 1 & 2)", "Check Your Bucket (parts 1 & 2)", "Funky Yeah", "The Thang (parts 1 & 2)", "If It's Good To You It's Good For You (parts 1 & 2)", "Sissy Walk", "Eddie's Rubber Band", and "Hey Mama Here Comes the Preacher". LP, Vinyl record album

A pre-punk bit of charged, hard grooving Motor City rock from Death – a lost record that takes a tightly coiled, blazing approach to their influences of garage rock and psychedelia – and a record that's all the better in that it was recorded way back in 1975! To put it bluntly, music didn't really sound like this in '75 – and it would be as easy to label the sound as something like, "mid 70s Detroit African American precursor to Husker Du", etc, but this is a honestly a pretty remarkable album for its time that we don't want to trivialize it with a lazy nutshell description. The group does distill their influences in a way that's reminiscent of some midwestern post punk, but Death is pre-punk, making it a really fascinating record, and a blast to crank up in your headphones! Titles include "Keep On Knocking", "Rock-N-Roll Victim", the longer, seemingly Arthur Lee influenced "Let The World Turn" (eventually nailing a fiercer sound the likes of which Love never messed with), "You're A Prisoner", "Freakin Out", "Where Do We Go From Here???" and "Politicians In My Eyes". 7 songs, 27 minutes, and pretty awesome. LP, Vinyl record album

Very dark sounds from John Fahey's later years – music that was likely recorded in the boardinghouse where he was spending his time, and done with a much moodier vibe than most of his earlier music! The set begins with a layered vocal number that's extremely foreboding – layered vocals that are almost a looser take on some sort of early Steve Reich territory – balanced by acoustic guitar instrumentals that are in that looser, more open later Fahey mode as well. There's a bit of electronics on the set at points, plenty of those 90s Fahey surprises along the way – and the whole thing was edited and mastered by Jim O'Rourke. Titles include "All The Rains", "F For Fake", "Untitled", "Evening Not Night", and "For LMC 2". LP, Vinyl record album

Underground work from the Manchester scene at the start of the 80s – and work that's even more deeply underground than some of the city's post-punk classics at the time! Spider King only ever issued a track or two back in the day, but the music on this first full LP is worthy of the best from the North England indie world at the time – sometimes as dark as the early cold wave material, sometimes more witty and catchy, with almost a new wave vibe – all done with a homemade brew of electronics, keyboards, and basslines – plus maybe a slight bit of punkish sneer in the vocals. Only two of the album's ten tracks was released before, and titles include "Shot To Pieces", "City Girls", "Mad Dog", "Chinese Takeaway", "Back On The Pills", and "Would You Wanna Die For England". LP, Vinyl record album

It's been quite awhile since the last High Llamas album – and in that time, the genius of Sean O'Hagan seems to have distilled even more – to a point where all those great elements he was able to layer together on previous records come out with a spare focus that maybe makes the whole thing even more wonderful! The album's as completely charming as its title and title track – and maybe seems to even borrow a bit from the coolest currents of the Japanese indie scene in the 90s, while also letting Sean's wonderful vocals warm things up – every bit as great as when we first fell in love with his music in Microdisney, but maybe even better with age. The record features guest appearances from Bonnie Prince Billy, Rae Morris, and Fryars – and titles include "Hey Panda", "Sisters Friends", "Hungriest Man", "The Water Moves", "Yoga Goat", "Stone Cold Slow", "The Grade", and "Fall Off The Mountain". LP, Vinyl record album

The debut of a legendary British jazz group – one who not only gave that nation's scene a fresh voice in music, but who also really set the tone for many other acts to come! After a stretch when the London scene was doing a great job of matching American efforts in bop and swing, players like Don Rendell and Ian Carr found a way to really carve out some bold space of their own – here, by matching their own strong sense of writing and arranging, always filled with beautiful tone and color, with some of the more modern phrasing and styles that were just creeping up around town. The set's not nearly as experimental as the work of Joe Harriott, but has all the hallmarks of that generation's openness to new ways of expression – often given a surprisingly soulful swing, and captured perfectly as one of the early entries in the famous Lansdowne Series recordings. The rest of the group is equally great – and in addition to Rendell on tenor and soprano sax, and Carr on trumpet and flugelhorn – the combo includes Colin Purbrook on piano, Dave Green on bass, and Trevor Tompkin on drums. Titles include "Garrison 64", "Blue Mosque", "Just Blue", "Latin Blue", "Sailin", and "Big City Strut". LP, Vinyl record album

It's easy for Yumi Seino to be a natural woman with backings this great – really jazzy instrumentation that helps set a style that keeps things moving throughout – and which definitely has the record on the more soulful R&B side of the city pop spectrum! Yumi's voice is great – rich and strong, yet never too overly dramatic – just able to convey the right spirit of the lyric, even when the language is Japanese – helping bring a really sort of universal appeal to the record along with the music. Titles include "Caledonia Love Day", "December", "Les Memories D'Un Con", "Tokyo City Nights", "Airport 4:30pm", and "You & I". LP, Vinyl record album

Funk from Belgium? Believe it or not, stranger things have happened – and we can promise that if you played these tracks back to back with more familiar grooves from other 70s sources, you'd quickly find that these Belgian grooves are right up there with the best of the bunch! The set's maybe a more sophisticated follow-up to the excellent Funky Chicken collection, which documented some grittier Belgian 70s material a few years back – and this one shows off a wickedly sharp batch of tunes that include funky fusion, sweet sound library numbers, and lots of really inventive cuts that are plenty funk, but often take some great chances too – in ways that almost make us think that the nation's scene was so small that musicians from different genres were often hanging out together, and breaking down lots of musical boundaries in the process! As with the other set, the presentation here is wonderful – not just fantastic music we'd never have discovered otherwise, but also very detailed notes and an overall punch that few other funky compilations can match. Titles on this second vinyl volume include "Guess We'd Better Break Up Now" by Etta Cameron, "Give It Up Or Turn It A Loose" by Philip Catherine, "Riff For Peggy" by Roland Thyssen, "We Love The Policemen" by Hearts Of Soul & Shampoo, "Smoke Signal" by Indian Sound Of Blackfoot, "Inner City Blues" by Leslie Kent, "Chewing Gum Delirium" by Free Pop Electronic Concept, "Akkerwinde" by Lieven, "Concerto For Right Foot & Orchestra" by George Hayes & His Philarpopic Orchestra, "Punktowiec" by Skleroptak, and "Soul Melody" by R Dero. LP, Vinyl record album

A killer collection of reggae remakes of famous soul and funk tunes – all served up from a later generation of the scene, which makes a nice change from some of the more ska and rocksteady collections of this nature! It's no secret that Jamaican music was initially given a strong inspiration from American soul – and even in this generation, when the Kingston scene had really found its own groove, other influences would still come into the music in a really great way – as you'll hear on these really cool reworkings of themes from Ohio Players, McFadden & Whitehead, Barry White, and others! The production of most of these cuts is great – different than some of the more disco-oriented material that would copy American work – more laidback, with some currents of lovers rock as well – and funky, but in a laidback way. Titles include "Midnight" by Willie Lindo, "Skin Tight" by Lloyd Charmers, "Strange Compulsion" by Sheila Hylton, "Moving On" by Leslie Butler, "Funky Rasta" by Ronnie Butler, "Crowded City" by The Messengers, "Chemistry Of Love" by Susan Cadogan, "Can't Stop Rasta Now" by Ras Midas, and "Deeper & Deeper" by Lloyd Charmers. LP, Vinyl record album

That's a rainy image of our Chicago hometown on the cover – and it really suits the spirit of this set of work from fellow Chicagoan Philmore Greene – as the set's got a moody, almost melancholy approach that's given just the right sort of spin by Apollo Brown's production! The whole thing almost feels like a mini movie – but not the sort with those outdated skits or narrative bits – just this wider cinematic scope that has Brown empowering Greene in the best way possible – subtle majesty that's just right for the Windy City, on cuts that include "Hittin Blocks", "This Is Me", "Free", "Day On The Ave", "Nice To Meet You", "Just Imagine", "It's Different", "Promises", "Where's The Love", "Paradise", and "Keep Goin". LP, Vinyl record album

That's a rainy image of our Chicago hometown on the cover – and it really suits the spirit of this set of work from fellow Chicagoan Philmore Greene – as the set's got a moody, almost melancholy approach that's given just the right sort of spin by Apollo Brown's production! The whole thing almost feels like a mini movie – but not the sort with those outdated skits or narrative bits – just this wider cinematic scope that has Brown empowering Greene in the best way possible – subtle majesty that's just right for the Windy City, on cuts that include "Hittin Blocks", "This Is Me", "Free", "Day On The Ave", "Nice To Meet You", "Just Imagine", "It's Different", "Promises", "Where's The Love", "Paradise", and "Keep Goin". LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous achievement in jazz from Daniel Bingert – the kind of record that would be in everyone's collection, had it been issued back in 1959 – but a set that's every bit as essential all these decades later! Binger's the composer, and has kind of a postwar modern sensibility about his music – that mix of core elements and individual voices that made Mingus so great when he was at his best – except Daniel's also got more of an ear for modal rhythms, of the sort that remind us a bit of the inspirations on the European scene during the Saba/MPS generation, taken forward with some of the fresher, completely visionary ideas that we've always loved from the Moserobie label! The group's a sextet with some key Moserobie members in the line up – Jonas Kullhammar on alto, Karl Olandersson on trumpet, Per Texas Johansson on tenor, Charlie Malmberg on piano, Moussa Fadera on drums, and the mighty Torbjorn Zetterberg on bass – whose energy alone is enough to guide the album. Titles include "City Sirens", "Cinco De Mayo", "Henry & Bernard", "Notredame", "Lost Keys", "Gil Bill", and "Kaya Boca". LP, Vinyl record album

Arguably one of the greatest rock and roll albums of all time – and the key flowering of the partnership between David Bowie and Mick Ronson! The guitars here are heavy – so much so that the record's always crossed over big with crowds who are always suspicious of Bowie's artier work of the 70s – and represented a crucial moment when his groundbreaking music also found a large mainstream audience as well. And despite the fact that Ziggy's an androgynous space rocker with a spurious pedigree, the manufactured posturing of the album's come to be taken quite literally over the years – a vivid text of alienation, expression, and redemption – served up beautifully over a host of classic tracks that include "Five Years", "Soul Love", "Moonage Daydream", "Suffragette City", and "Ziggy Stardust" – all further proof of Bowie's 70s ability to slide in wherever he wanted with ease! LP, Vinyl record album

A long-overdue return for Khari and Jiva – the kind of pairing that first won us over to neo soul many years back – and sounding equally wonderful here! The album begins with a reworking of the James Mason classic "Good Thing" – and it only gets better and better from there – moving through the positive, sophisticated sort of music that Jiva gave us right from the start – that farther side of the contemporary soul spectrum where people are still making thoughtful, well-crafted sounds! The set includes vocals from Brenda Nicole Moorer, Cleveland Jones, Linsdey Webster, and Lizz Wright – and titles include James Mason tunes "Good Thing" and "Sweet Power Your Embrace" – plus "Show Me The Way", "Heaven's Design", "North Node", "Hard Times", "Capricorn City", and "Warm Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

McKinley Dixon has an amazing way of mixing depth with crisp, catchy production – at a level that delivers a record that's instantly personal, and pretty darn powerful – yet which also has a quality that could well make McKinley a superstar, if the world had any justice! The music bursts out with a tremendous amount of pride and righteous energy – graced with key guest appearances, but always circling back to the vision of Dixon at the core – hip hop blended with soul in all the right ways, and put together with a style that cares less for generic tags than it does for the rock-solid quality of the album as a whole. Features work from Teller Bank$, Angelica Garcia, Hanif, Anjimile, Ms Jaylin Brown, and Chais Guevara – on titles that include "Tyler Forever", "Dedicated To Gar Feather", "Run Run Run", "Sun I Rise", "Live From The Kitchen Table", and "The Story So Far". LP, Vinyl record album

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

Landmark stuff, and a beautiful album that mixes soulful tracks with Donny's nascent jazz sensibility! The set's a key chapter in the history of soul music – a record that has Donny emerging from shadows of the Chicago studio scene to become one of the most promising soul artists of the 70s. The album was recorded in Chicago, with a host of great players that had been gigging for years in the Chess studios – and the record is the rich culmination of talents that had been brewing in the Windy City for years. Includes the monster hit "The Ghetto" – one of Donny's best-known tracks and a rollicking funky number – in a full extended version with a good instrumental breakdown. Also features a remake of "Voices Inside (Everything Is Everything)", which shows Donny's strong ties to the Earth, Wind, & Fire organization – plus moody spiritual numbers like "I Believe To My Soul", "Thank You Master", and "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black". LP, Vinyl record album

Really lovely work from Yuki Okazaki, a singer with a sound that's nicely upbeat, in ways that kick in beautifully next to the 80s production of the music! The lyrics are in Japanese, but there's almost more of a European style of production to some of the tracks – maybe because Yuki can bring in a slight touch of sentiment that really opens up the tunes. Music is by the First Bland and Sentimental City Romance combos – and titles include "Soon", "Sweet Joke", "Cafe BH", "Say Say Good Bye", "5 Minutes Wait", and "Evening Glow". LP, Vinyl record album

Guitarist Jeff Parker left our fair city of Chicago a number of years ago, headed out to the sunny climes of LA – where he's not only really opened up his music, but also helped contribute a heck of a lot to the local scene as well! Both of those aspects of Parker's development are showcased here – on material from a regular gig at the Enfield Tennis Academy, presented here on four different selections that have Parker's guitar alongside the alto of Josh Johnson, drums and percussion of Jay Bellerose, and bass of Anna Butteress – all nicely unfamiliar players compared to Parker's Chicago and global regulars – working with Jeff on these open tunes that build with a style that's open and organic, yet surprisingly melodic too! Both Parker and Johnson use some pedals alongside their instruments, but never in a way that's overfly forced – and the difference in sound and feeling on the four long tracks from three different dates is really wonderful to hear. LP, Vinyl record album

Think what you want about the lady and her music, this album's one of the most crucial indie sets of the 90s – a record that not only elevated a whole new level of songwriting, but also helped find a new role for the female artist in the changing scene of the time! Plus, for us, it's also a set that's as important to the Chicago scene as most of the big Seattle records were to that city – a showcase of the city's new energy towards music making, and the way it could take risks but touch a larger audience, too – thanks to the instrumental efforts of Phair's great band, and the production of Brad Wood (the set germinated just blocks from Dusty Groove – so maybe we're a bit biased, too!) Titles include "Dance Of The Seven Veils", "Never Said", "Soap Star Joe", "Canary", "Mesmerizing", "F*ck & Run", "Girls Girls Girls", "Shatter", "Divorce Song", "Flower", "Gunshy", "Strange Loop", "Stratford On Guy", and "Explain It To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A real breakout album for Edwin Starr – and the kind of full-on set that really helped give his music a bold new focus! Starr had already scored nicely on some playful tracks from the Motor City scene of the late 60s – but here, he emerges as a singer with a lot more depth than before – not only on the righteous tunes, like the classic title track – but also on some of the warmer ones too, which showcase a new adult style of singing we might not have expected a few years before! Unlike other Motown efforts of this level, there doesn't seem to be any core arranger and producer – which means that Edwin himself did an even greater job of pulling the whole thing together – a great run of tracks that includes the classic "War (What Is It Good For)", a killer version of "California Soul", one of the best Motown-penned tracks from the time – and the tracks "Time", "I Just Wanted To Cry", "All Around The World", "At Last I Found A Love", "I Can't Replace My Old Love", and "She Should Have Been Home". LP, Vinyl record album

A monster from start to finish – not only the greatest album from War, but maybe one of the greatest mainstream funk albums of all time! The set's got a really unique groove – one that so many others tried to copy, but which was forged here first – in a wicked LA blend of Chicano funk, heavy organ lines, and soulful singing that sews the whole thing together perfectly. Just about every cut is upbeat and funky – rolling along at that low-rider pace that was War's lasting contribution to funk music – and the album features the huge hits "World Is A Ghetto" and "Cisco Kid", two of the brightest spots on radio funk from the 70s – plus classics like "Four Cornered Room", "City Country City", "Where Was You At", and "Beetles In The Bog". Plus, this box set features an insane amount of extra material – bonus tracks that include "This Is My Song Milton James", "Lee's Latin Jam", "LA Sunshine (original jam)", "War Is Coming (original jam)", and "Lonnie's Wednesday Night Jam" – plus 6 more "making of" sides of wax that feature all sorts of session performances of key tunes! LP, Vinyl record album

A set issued relatively early in the history of rap music – yet one that's still maybe one of the greatest-ever Christmas collection of hip hop tracks for the season! The album's from the glory days of Profile Records – from a time when the label was repping the New York scene strongly in the mainstream – thanks to the success of Run DMC, which let the label bring together some other top shelf-talent from the time! The set list here features some less-remembered acts, but all in top-shelf Holiday work – and titles include the classic "Christmas In Hollis" by Run DMC, which uses that perfect Clarence Carter "Back Door Santa" sample behind slice-of-life yet knowingly funny Run-DMC rhymes in their prime – plus other cuts that include Let The Jingle Bells Rock" by Sweet Tee, "Christmas In The City" by King Sun-D Moet, "Chillin With Santa" by Derek B, "He's Santa Claus" by Disco 4, That's What I Want For Christmas" by The Showboys, "Ghetto Santa" by Spyder-D, and "Dana Dan Is Coming To Town" by Dana Dane. The only clunker here might by "A Surf MC New Year" by Surf MCs – but that cut's the last, so you can easily pick up the needle before it starts! LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning overview of work from the small D-Vine Spirituals label in Memphis – a really homegrown imprint who were as important to the sound of the city's spiritual music as Stax Records was to soul in the 60s! In fact, the vibe here is often more 60s than 70s – maybe a testament to the finances of D-Vine when it came to recording this music – but also an indication of the way the company was able to go to the roots of what makes these tracks great – which is usually just a great lead voice or tight harmonies, and an important message in the music! This wonderful collection brings together rare 45rpm tracks issued by the label – and titles on this first volume include "God's Going To Blow Out The Sun" by Elder Ward & The Gospel Four, "I Feel Like Flying Away" by The Joy Of Memphis, "When I Looked" by The Traveling Stars, "The Reason I Love Him" by The Kingdom Airs, "Where You Gonna Run" by The D-Vine Spiritualettes, "One River To Cross" by The Seven Brothers, "Look At Your Life" by Evelyn Taylor, and "I'm A Soldier In God's Army" by The Southern Sons. LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning overview of work from the small D-Vine Spirituals label in Memphis – a really homegrown imprint who were as important to the sound of the city's spiritual music as Stax Records was to soul in the 60s! In fact, the vibe here is often more 60s than 70s – maybe a testament to the finances of D-Vine when it came to recording this music – but also an indication of the way the company was able to go to the roots of what makes these tracks great – which is usually just a great lead voice or tight harmonies, and an important message in the music! This wonderful collection brings together rare 45rpm tracks issued by the label – and titles on this second volume include "The Lord's Prayer" by The Dynamic Hughes Singers, "I've Got To Tell It" by The Southern Bells, "My Time Ain't Long" by The Shaw Singers, "It's A Shame How This World Has Changed" by The Gospel Wymics, "Stand By Me" by The M&M Singers, "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Elder Ward & The Gospel Four, "Jesus He's A Miracle Worker" by The Gospel Six, "I Know I've Been Changed" by Sister Jessie M Sherley, and "I Got Jesus" by The Angelic Five. LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing collection – and one that really helped completely revise our understanding of Caribbean music! The collection features a fair bit of artists with roots in the West Indies, but who made a huge impact on London's postwar immigrant population – the new rise of non-native residents who were swelling the ranks of the city in the years after the way – bringing with them new cultures, new sounds, and new traditions – with all the requisite ideas and politics that might imply! The work here often has a subtle social agenda – working through themes important to these new Londoners, yet still echoing modes of the homeland as well – often with great musical backings that's heavy on percussion, jazzy instrumentation, and very upbeat rhythms. Titles include "London Is The Place For Me" by Lord Kitchener, "I Was There" by Young Tiger, "Some Girl Something" by The Lion, "No Carnival In Britain" by Mighty Terror, "Jamaica Hurricane" by Lord Beginner, "Birth Of Ghana" by Lord Kitchener, "Victory Test Match" by Lord Beginner, "Spanish Calypso" by The Lion, "Bulldog Don't Bite Me" by Timothy, "My Landlady" by Lord Kitchener, "If You're Not White You're Black" by Lord Kitchener, and "Aguiti" by Lord Invader. LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy heavy funk from the Louisiana scene of the late 60s and 1970s – and a great collection that really gets past the dominance of the New Orleans sound! The set moves way past the Crescent City to uncover a wealth of great bits recorded in smaller studios located in Shreveport, Lake Charles, and a variety of tiny scenes in the southwest side of Louisiana – and the result is a great batch of tunes with a really gritty, down-n-dirty sound! There's a wealth of great funky styles in the set – including James Brown-inspired jammers, southern soul burners, and some other great modes that show that Louisiana's got a heck of a lot more to offer than just New Orleans funk. Titles include work from the Anla, Murco, Soul International, Goldband, and Tic Toc labels – a total of 22 cuts that include "Soul Time" by Ernest Thomas, "Soul Feeling (parts 1 & 2)" by Eddy G Giles, "Soul Brothers Testify (part 1)" by Chester Randles Soul Senders, "Soul Power" by Abraham & The Casanovas, "Put It On" by Count Rockin Sidney with The Dukes, "Fix It" by Clifton White & His Royal Knights, "Miss Hard To Get" by Dennis Landry, "No Sad Times" by Johnny Truit, "Black Water Gold" by African Music Machine, and "I Got A Groove" by JJ Callier. LP, Vinyl record album

Sun Ra, Parliament, and other soul and jazz acts famously took us into space back in the day – and in the wake of their journeys, countless other artists elected to take the trip too – soaring to the cosmos on a blend of beats, basslines, keyboards, and vocals – all elements that are given an especially electro-tuned vibe in this great second volume of the series! The space age journeys are maybe more akin to the world of Newcleus than Earth Wind & Fire – lots of processing on the vocals, sweet riffing on the keyboards, and basslines that are tightly tied to the rhythms of the grooves – served up here in a way that references sounds of the street, west coast funk, and even earlier hip hop – all brought together in a very well-chosen array of tracks! As always with Soul Jazz, the presentation is as great as the music within – a set list that includes "More Ounce Rap" by Bobby Deemo, "Master Groove (inst)" by Chance, "Shine Your Light" by The Grainers, "Get Right" by Mid City Crew, "Summer Times" by Frank James & Shadow, "Year 2001 Boogie" by Rich Cason & The Galactic Orchestra, "Smurf Trek" by Chapter Three, "Let's Ride" by Junei, "Breakdance" by Command Performance, and "Computer Pop" by Maggotron. LP, Vinyl record album

Cinematic hip hop soul from Anderson.Paak named after a seaside city west of Los Angeles, CA – but it's not Malibu, it's the stunning follow up Oxnard – a little looser, more diverse, and ultimately just as impressive set from this still rising talent! The uber-impressive guest list including Kadhja Bonet, Norelle, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop, Dre, Pusha T, J Cole, Q-Tip and more but this is the sprawling Anderson.Paak show all the way, his distinctive blend of Cali sunshine and nighttime music and mood, his gritty-smooth voice so masterfully going back & forth from singing to rhyming, the production breathtaking from the stripped down beats, bass and vocals focused tracks to grander and more densely layered material. Includes "The Chase" with Kadja Bonet, "Headlow" feat Lowrell, "Tints" feat Kendrick Lamar, "Who R U", "6 Summers", "Saviers Road", "Smile/Petty", "Mansa Musa", "Brothers Keeper" feat Pusha T, "Anywhere" feat Snoop Dogg & Last Artful Dodgr, "Trippy" feat J Cole and "Cheers" feat Q-Tip – plus the bonus tracks "Sweet Chick" feat BJ The Chicago Kid and "Left To Right". LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of rare records by Sidiku Buari – issued back to back on a single CD! Feelings is a record that was issued on the tiny Precious label – home to only two Buari albums in its tiny catalog – and the set follows strongly on the work that Sidiku recorded in New York during the 70s, records that were initially issued just under his last name! The groove on some tracks is full of early 80s NYC touches – sweet electro keyboards that provide some great middle-ground shocks to the tunes – while beats crackle crispy at the bottom, and Buari sings these slinky soul vocals that are a lot more American than you'd guess from the Ghanaian recording of the album. But other numbers have more of a West Africa vibe – that updating of older modes that was taking place in Nigeria too. Titles include "Music", "Feelings", "Anowar", and "Yayo Papa". Sidiku Buari & His Jam Busters has a groove that definitely lives up to its name – a sweet 80s crackle with lots of tunes that jam in an old school funk style – keyboards, basslines, and rhythms right on the money – in a great Transatlantic bridge between Ghana and New York City! The set begins with the super-funky "Let's Go To Funky Town" – a tune with a break on the intro to rival some of the best funky club work of the time – and the vibe continues strongly through the rest of the set, on titles that include "Sophisticated Jammer", "Power To My People", "Rhythm Of Africa", "Minsumobo", and "Karambani". LP, Vinyl record album

Other-worldly sounds from a leaf-playing musician from the South American scene – an artist who takes the leaf of a ficus tree, holds it in his mouth, and creates all these unusual sounds that are very much in the territory of some sort of exotic reed instrument! The leaf solos are mixed here with work on acoustic guitar, percussion, and often a bit of organ – all at a level that's completely hypnotic, and which almost feels more like music from the East African scene than the sorts of sounds you'd expect from the city of Quito in Ecuador! And while you might think of these recordings as some sort of sonic novelty, they've got a great amount of feeling and power – a really unexpected depth that comes across right away – maybe even more so if you don't stop to think about the source of the sounds. These vintage recordings are presented here in the best tradition of the Honest Jons label – and titles include "Tondero", "Arbol Frondoso", "Pujili", "Marcu Pungo", "La Naranja", "Negra Piedad", "Simiatu", and "Huashca De Corales". LP, Vinyl record album

A warmly wonderful blend of hip hop and contemporary soul from the LA scene – not the first record we've heard from Duckwrth, but one that definitely marks him as being at the best level the city's been giving us in recent years! There's a genre-breaking quality that's effortless here – part of that contemporary scene that no longer needs to draw the lines between hip hop and R&B that were so important in decades past – and are instead free to swim in the best elements of both, charting the way forward for urban music in the farther reaches of the 21st Century. The set features guest appearances from Jordan Ward, Destin Conrad, and Phabo – on titles that include "We Outside", "Make U Go", "4K", "Mask Off", "Link Up Time", and "Clueless". LP, Vinyl record album

Really wonderful work from the Boston scene of the 90s – material that was issued on rare 12" singles and cassette-only releases by this Roxbury duo – brought together here on a much-needed full length set! The material's got the same no-nonsense quality of the best Boston work of the period – straightforward, and completely unapologetic to the bigger cities turning out hit hop hop at the time – almost the same back to basics approach that made some of the city's interest in soul music so great in previous decades. Themes aim towards the darker side of the spectrum, but do a great job of avoiding thuggish cliches – on titles that include "Other Side Of Town", "Rendezvous", "No Doubt", "Heavily Armed", "ROX Land", "Big Ssan & Tann", "My Whole Team", and "Ask 4". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderfully obscure set of jazzy soul from keyboardist Billy Foster – a musician who's been making waves on the scene in Gary, Indiana for many decades – but has never fully gotten his due! This project captures a younger Billy – working in a soul-based mode that blends vocals with his own work on a variety of keyboards and acoustic piano – maybe an indie take on modes that artists like Rodney Foster or Bobby Lyle were exploring on the bigger labels at the time, but with a lot more charm. Vocals are by Glenda Eskew and Brenda Marshall McClure – and titles include the instrumental "City Lights", which has a nicely pronounced guitar solo by Henry Johnson – plus the tracks "As A Matter Of Fact", "Night Music", "I Need Your Love", and "It All Depends On You". LP, Vinyl record album

Lovely sounds from Masumi Hara – an album that was originally issued in 1984, and which ties together a few different strands running through Japanese music at the time – some of the more electronic pop-styled elements in the post-city pop generation, and some of the mellower, more atmospheric styles of the ambient scene! The result is an album that's got a surprising amount of depth, and a good deal of charm – an album that's playful one minute, and dreamy the next. Titles include "To live in the Sea", "Living With Sound", "Twist", "Doncha Of The Moon & The Stars", "Futon Making", "The Deepest Of Nights", and "Orion". LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing music for the Alejandro Jodorowsky film The Holy Mountain – even more compelling and complex than his sounds for El Topo! The score is a wonderful mix of earthy, organic elements and a few more composed and equally groovy parts – handled by Jodorowsky in collaboration with trumpeter Don Cherry and pop producer/arranger Ron Frangipane! Some of the work has the hypnotic blend of global elements you'll find in Cherry's recordings of the time – particularly his groundbreaking early 70s work in Sweden – and although Frangipane brings in some bigger, fuller charts, he always does so with a sense of irony, and this undercurrent of darkness that continues to link his sounds with those of Cherry. The double-length score is a wonder throughout – maybe Jodorowsky's highest musical moment – and titles include "Psychedelic Weapons", "Rainbow Room", "Alchemical Room", "Mattresses Masks & Pearls", "City Of Freedom", "Starfish", and "Violence Of The Lambs". LP, Vinyl record album