A rare soul treasure – previously unissued work from Little Willie John, cut for Capitol Records by the mighty David Axelrod! The pairing is quite unique, but it's a great one – and if anything, Little Willie John sparkles here even more than on his later King sides – finding a hipper 60s groove that moves way past older R&B modes! Willie's vocals are still wonderful, and they're set up here with arrangements from HB Barnum – who brings in plenty of bounce, snap, and vamp to the grooves – similar to his more famous Axelrod productions for Lou Rawls, but rougher and grittier here in the company of John. A few cuts bring in more ambitious backings – taking Little Willie into the same space as his longtime fan and supporter James Brown – at least in the way Brown hit ballads during the 60s – and given Axelrod's hand in the studio, there's a clarity here that the singer hardly would have found at King Records, who blocked the initial release of this material back in the 60s. CD features 20 tracks in all – a number of alternates, and the master takes – with tunes that include "Crying Over You", "Country Girl", "Suffering With The Blues", "Never Let Me Go", "I Had A Dream", "In The Dark", "Welcome To The Club", "I Need Someone", and "Early In The Morning". (Soul, Blues) CD

The birth of a genius – and an amazing batch of early material from the legendary Bo Diddley! Even at his start, Bo was unlike anyone else – a completely unique, completely self-contained bluesman who not only brought a wealth of new songs and styles to Chess Records, but who also did so with a good deal of humor as well! This beautifully-done package perfectly traces Diddley's early roots at Chess – by going in session-by-session order, starting with key early singles, and moving into some of his weirder, wilder grooves. Given the shortness of the tunes, there's a huge amount of material in the package – offered up in master takes, alternates, and other odd versions – complete with information on all sessions and players. Titles include "Heart O Matic Love", "She's Fine She's Mine", "Pretty Thing", "Diddley Daddy", "Bo Diddley", "I'm A Man", "Who Do You Love", "Love Is Strange", "Down Home Special", "Bo Meets The Monster", "Say Man", "Say Boss Man", 'Mona", "Our Love Will Never Go", and "Crackin Up". LP, Vinyl record album

Not the Bay Area effort you might guess from the title – and instead a sweet Chicago session that's easily one of the funkiest records that Buddy Guy ever cut! There's a great mix of funk and soul mixed in with the blues – thanks to arrangements from Charles Stepney and Gene Barge, who groove Buddy up in the same new funky mode that Howlin Wolf and Muddy Waters got from Chess Records at the same time. A few cuts are more stripped-down and classic – but most have this great tight groove, with instrumentation by Stepney on some surprisingly funky drums, plus Matt Murphy on guitar, Phil Upchurch on bass, and Gene Barge on tenor sax. Titles include "Goin Home", "Buddy's Groove", "She Suits Me To A Tee", "Every Girl I See", "Too Many Ways", "Crazy Love", "Keep It To Myself", and "When My Left Eye Jumps". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the last albums ever from the mighty Slim Harpo – but also one of the best, as the bluesman is giving plenty of nods to the funk and soul artists who were influenced by his music – and returning the favor with a wonderfully raw set of grooves! Slim's a master on all fronts – from funky guitar, to soulful vocals, to some sweet harmonica lines – and at some points, the rhythms seem strongly influenced by the best 60s elements in New Orleans soul – which creates lots of rolling bottom grooves that make the album come off great – not just for fans of blues, but for soul and funk fans as well. The whole thing's wonderful – and titles include "Te Ni Nee Ni Nu", "Mailbox Blues", "Hey Little Lee", "Tip On In", and "My Baby She's Got It". LP, Vinyl record album

Raw soul from the second Piano Slim – Willard Burton of Houston, who's heard here on some killer tracks from the start of the 60s! Slim's definitely got some blues in the way he approaches the piano, but the productions here are more soul-based and R&B-styled overall – often in ways that make use of his piano and vocals with the kind of hard-edged, socking soul modes you'd be more likely to hear from the New Orleans scene of the time – although Slim's also got plenty of Texas grit in his grooves! Some numbers are instrumentals, many have vocals – and the collection brings together early singles and a number of unreleased tracks – with titles that include "Spinning Top (parts 1 & 2)", "Sadie Hawkins Day", "Do It Now", "Look At Grandma Watusi", "Lot Of Shakin Lot Of Jivin", "Key Jammer", "Ennis Lee", and "Mister Twister". (Soul, Blues) CD

Probably THE album you truly need to own from Koko Taylor – and a completely great one, recorded way before she'd become a cliched fixture paying the bills on the frat boy tourist blues scene! The tracks here were recorded over a few years in mid-to-late 60s Chicago – mostly with production from Willie Dixon, who also co-wrote most of the tunes on the set! The groove is nice and gritty – electric Chess Chicago blues at it's finest, but also with a good sense of soul in the mix – and tracks include the fiery hit "Wang Dang Doodle", plus "Fire", "29 Ways", "I Don't Care Who Knows", "Nitty Gritty", and "Love You Like A Woman". Amazing stuff! LP, Vinyl record album