... 12-inch, Vinyl record

The third Ramones album, one that a sizeable chuck of the most zealous fans believes to be their very best – and they might be right! As rightfully heralded as the self-titled debut is for being the trailblazing blast and unimpeachable punk rock epiphany that it is, The Ramones really their found and perfected their signature studio sound on the follow up Leave Home and perhaps perfect it here Rocket To Russia. Song by song, they somehow concentrate 30 years of the best, rawest, most exciting rock & roll of their forbears into two and a half minutes of beautiful primal energy that still manages to qualify as ear candy. As amazing as ever! Tracks include "Rockaway Beach", "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker", "Why Is It Always This Way", "Surfin Bird", "Do You Wanna Dance", and "Cretin Hop". LP, Vinyl record album

Late 70s solo effort from this founding member of the Wailers, self-produced on his own Solomonic label and then licensed to Island for worldwide distribution. A solid roots effort from one of the most significant moments in Jamaican music history, this album maintains Livingston's nicely crafted take on the heavily political roots rock that was both his and the Wailers' signature sound, and features backing from much of the Wailers band, though Robbie Shakespeare takes Family Man's bass spot. Includes a nice version of the Wailers' classic "Get Up, Stand Up", plus "Johnny Too Bad", "Follow Fashion Monkey", "Who Feels It", "Scheme Of Things", "Quite Trying", "Wanted Children" and "Moses Children". LP, Vinyl record album

Very open-ended work from Sonny Rollins – a set of live tracks recorded for use in the film Saxophone Colossus, with some nicely long tunes that really show Rollins' inventive solo approach in such a setting! The group here is a quintet – with the excellent Clifton Anderson on trombone, plus Mark Soskin on piano, Marvin Smitty Smith on drums, and Bob Cranshaw on electric bass – providing that unique bubbling pulse that Rollins used frequently in the 70s and 80s – something you might not have expected from years past, but which gave records like this a really signature sound, and showed that Sonny was still growing in the ways he experimented with styles. Titles include the 15 minute title track "G Man", plus "Kim" and "Don't Stop The Carnival". LP, Vinyl record album

There's a nicely cinematic image on the cover of this second album from Portishead – and the sound is very cinematic too – a real genre-setting standard for the kinds of new territory the group and some of their key contemporaries began to explore in the 90s! The overall style is a bit hard to define – far better than the simple moniker of downtempo might warrant – with a richer quality that shows that these guys weren't just making beats in their bedrooms! In fact, there's some key talent on board, in addition to the group – including a great contribution from Nick Ingman, who handles a lot of larger orchestrations, in a manner that comes from his many years in the British sound library scene. Strings, brass, percussion, and cinematic guitar all coalesce under the vocals of Beth Gibbons for the signature Portishead sound – on titles that include "Cowboys", "All Mine", "Mourning Air", "Only You", "Seven Months", "Western Eyes", "Udenied", and "Elysium". CD

Very open-ended work from Sonny Rollins – a set of live tracks recorded for use in the film Saxophone Colossus, with some nicely long tunes that really show Rollins' inventive solo approach in such a setting! The group here is a quintet – with the excellent Clifton Anderson on trombone, plus Mark Soskin on piano, Marvin Smitty Smith on drums, and Bob Cranshaw on electric bass – providing that unique bubbling pulse that Rollins used frequently in the 70s and 80s – something you might not have expected from years past, but which gave records like this a really signature sound, and showed that Sonny was still growing in the ways he experimented with styles. Titles include the 15 minute title track "G Man", plus "Kim" and "Don't Stop The Carnival". CD features a bonus 12 minute version of "Tenor Madness". CD

The sound is never too loud here – and John Scofield's right out in the lead on most numbers, carving out those soulfully-inflected, modern-styled licks that really characterized his sound back in the day! Scofield's emerged as more of a traditionalist in recent years, but on 80s dates like these he was really embracing the bigger sounds of the time – and has a way of mixing his guitar roots with kind of a fuzzier, more electric vibe – of the sort that the Gramavision label could do wonderfully at the time. The group is mostly a quintet, with Don Alias on percussion – and keyboards are by Robert Aries on all tracks, but George Duke steps in with some solos as well. Titles include "Signature Of Venus", "Dirty Rice", "Did It", "Loud Jazz", "Otay", "True Love", and "Igetthepicture". CD

A great album of grooves from Taste Of Honey – arguably their best record, thanks to some super production by The Mizell Brothers! The elements that worked so well on the self-titled smash from the previous year are in just as fine a form here – if not better. There's an overall groove that works wonderfully well, and creates a signature Taste Of Honey sound – soulfully soaring female vocals and spacey disco soul backdrops that's works on deeper level as a whole than they got credit for after the huge crossover hit in the months and year earlier. On the production tip, Larry and Fonce really know how to make the girls' vocals glide beautifully in the instrumention – using all the talents they honed in the jazz funk years, and working up a groove that's catchy, yet still pretty darn soulful. Titles include "Dance", "I Love You", "Do It Good", "Race", "Let's Begin", "Your Love", and "The Rainbow's End". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent overview of the second half of the short run of the Ric & Ron labels – tiny imprints from New Orleans in the early years of soul music, but a crucial force in the development of the Crescent City sound! The work here is mostly from the early 60s, and really shows New Orleans soul coming into its own – finding a way to fuse together all the rich array of sounds, styles, and cultural influences that made the sound of the city so unique – with lots of romping rhythms, deeply soulful vocals, and some mad piano lines that really add that signature New Orleans touch! Nearly every cut here is a winner, and this Ace Records presentation of the label's legacy is easily the best treatment of Ric & Ron we've ever seen. The set features 24 tracks – including some rare and unissued numbers – and titles include "Send Me Your Picture" by Bobby Mitchell, "A Losing Battle" by Johnny Adams, "Unemployed" by Warren Lee, "Check Mr Popeye" by Eddie Bo, "Honest I Do" by Tommy Ridgley, "I Guess I Always Will" by Jimmy Easterling, "I Don't Talk Too Much" by Martha Carter, "The Git Back (part 1)" by Guitar Joe Morris, "Question Of Love (demo)" by Barbara Lynn, and "Carnival Time (demo)" by Al Johnson. CD

Atmosphere returns wielding their signature sound full force! What they've come out with this round is by far their most experimental – definitely fresher and more distinct than the "safety" of God Loves Ugly. Slug bounces along melodically, tortured and true to his nature, yet he comes off a little (just a little) more optimistic this time and he recites more than just tales of love lost. He STILL is at his tightest when weaving wonderful heart-wrenching stories instead of bragging, yet I don't think you hear the name Lucy once on this album. Sean Daley, the philosopher? – maybe we'll see more and more of that in the future. ANT's production is sounding much much better since God Loves Ugly – these beats pound just a little harder, seemingly influenced by punk rock, seventies rock, and folk rock (any rock). There still is a whole lotta soul in there, which is very nice, yet he still ain't afraid to pitch the formula, say sample some off kilter scatting or a ripping metal guitar. Tracks include "Bird Sings Why The Caged I Know", "Cats Van Bags", "National Disgrace", "Liquor Lyles Cool July". "Good Times", "Keys To Life Vs 15 Minutes Of Fame", "Reflections" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A hefty journal that's almost bigger than a book – 300+ pages, all delivered with the kind of well-penned text and really compelling subjects that always makes Blank Forms such a winner! This time around, there's a very long interview with Detroit underground legend Theo Parrish – referenced in the title, and served up with a huge amount of full color images as well – of posters, records, fliers, and more – so that the Theo Parrish section alone is over 175 pages in length! The rest of the book also features a combination of interviews and writings from creative forces – also illustrated – the first a long section that interviews dhrupad singer Amelia Cuni, followed by two pieces penned by her – the second a discussion of the music of Takehisa Kosugi by Akio Suzuki and Aki Onda, followed by writings by Kosugi on the sound objects of Suzuki! 324 pages, softcover, with illustrations throughout. Book

Theo Parrish takes on the music of Black Jazz Records – yet somehow manages to make the whole thing come across with a cosmic groove that's all his own! By that, we don't mean that Theo's messing with the cuts – just that his mix here really highlights the more expansively electric and rhythmically angular elements of the label's classic catalog – sounds that are clearly an inspiration for a huge number of 21st Century musicians and producer – not just Parrish himself! There's a richly spiritual vibe to the whole set – and the collection is easily one of the best presentations of the Black Jazz label we've ever heard – stunning from start to finish. Cuts include "My Favorite Things" by Gene Russell, "Those Who Chant" by Walter Bishop, "Jupiter" and "Convulsions" by The Awakening, "Trance Dance" by Doug Carn, "Time & Space" by Rudolph Johnson, "Criss Cross" and "BE" by Calvin Keys, and "Blue Bossa" by Walter Bishop Jr. CD

... CD

A strong effort from the mid 00s revitalized Prince – one that doesn't approach the greatness of the best material, but a graceful and consistent gem nonetheless! As it was done on his big ol' comeback album, Musicology, Prince takes strides to revisit his classic styles on the different tunes, but it doesn't come off as a simple rehash. Each song pretty much finds Prince in a different mode that can be found on a previous LP, but it works because it's so engaged and warm. Latter day Prince really only turns us off when he strains too hard to do something new, and succeeds in our eyes when he simply makes with his trademark pop funk signature sounds we know and love. Notice that no one really succeeds at ripping Prince off? It's because it can't be done. Tracks include "3121", "Lolita", "Te Amo Corazon", "Black Sweat", "Incense And Candles", "Satisfied", "Fury", "The Word", "Beautiful, Loved And Blessed", "The Dance" and "Get On The Boat". CD

... CD

The last-ever live performance of the legendary Dave Brubeck Quartet with Paul Desmond – recorded in 1967, but issued here for the first time ever! The group was the stuff of legend in the 50s and 60s – Dave's incredible approach to piano and time signatures, supported by amazing rhythm progressions from bassist Eugene Wright and drummer Joe Morello – topped by some completely sublime work on alto sax by the mighty Paul Desmond! Throughout the 60s, the group really expanded their sound wonderfully – through a set of richly exploratory albums for Columbia Records, taking their core approach into a wide range of new styles and formats that really made for some beautiful music. Here, they deliver a stellar swan song – working in a live performance that brings back a few classics, and also shows some of the new territory they'd taken too – all recorded beautifully, at a level that makes the record a perfect pairing with their studio albums for Columbia – almost as if the label had been holding back a gem after all these years. Titles include "For Drummers Only", "La Paloma Azul", "Three To Get Ready", "Someday My Prince Will Come", "I'm In A Dancing Mood", "Set My People Free", "Take Five", and "You Go To My Head". CD

... CD

Like Dave Brubeck's legendary Time Out set? Try this one – a great record that takes off from the concept of the first, but which goes in some very fresh new directions – using the same great group with Paul Desmond on alto, Eugene Wright on bass, and Joe Morello on drums! Dave's still working out some nutty time signatures here – but apart from the science, the thing that really makes the record cook is Desmond's alto – icy, edgey, floating, and always a treat – almost even more amazing in the space of some of these offbeat numbers. Titles include "Maori Blues", "Far More Drums", "Bluetee", "Far More Blue", and "It's A Raggy Waltz". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD