5CDs, and a set that's overflowing with classic tracks from the legendary Stax Records – with an especially heavy emphasis on the label's genius moments from 1968 to the mid 70s! There's way too much here to list, but some of the more unusual tracks include "What A Man" by Linda Lyndell, "Gettin Funky Round Here" by Black Nasty, "Funky Robot (part 1)" by Rufus Thomas, "Circuit's Overloaded" by Inez Foxx, "Gettin Funky Round Here" by Black Nasty, "Sweetback's Theme" by Melvin Van Peebles, "Help" by David Porter, "Starting All Over Again" by Mel & Tim, "I Could Never Be President" by Johnnie Taylor, "How Can I Be A Witness" by RB Hudmon, "What Goes Around Must Come Around" by Sons Of Slum, "Harlem Heaven" by Rance Allen, "Mother's Day" by 24 Carat Black, "Bump & Boogie (part 1)" by The Wrecking Crew, "Chains Of Love" by Jimmy Hughes, "Itch & Scratch (part 1)" by Rufus Thomas, "What's Usual Ain't Natural" by Eric Mercury, "Lovin You Lovin Me" by Sandra Wright, "What Do You See In Her" by Hot Sauce, "The Creeper Returns" by Little Sonny, and "It's Worth A Whippin" by Shirley Brown. (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

A funky little collection, and one that's got way more going on than just the blues 45s mentioned in the title – as the cuts here include some great instrumentals and soulful work as well! We loved the previous volumes in this series, and this one is every bit as smoking – a mix of cuts we never would have put together ourselves, and which sound stunningly great together – pulled from a time when the worlds of blues, funk, and soul weren't as separate as they became in later years – when fans of a funky 45 would just reach out for anything that was good, greasy, and gritty. Titles include "Harmonica Boogie" by The Confiners, "Hotel Blues" by Eddie Boyd, "For Liz" by Andrew Brown, "All Nite (part 2)" by Big Eddie C Campbell, "You Better Cut That Out" by Eddie Burns, "Sting Ray" by Mack Johnson, "Sunny Side Of Love" by Raful Neal, "Down In The Chile" by The Wild Child, "Rock" by Chuck Higgins, "67 Blues" by Little Willie Pollard, and "You Don't Believe A Word I Say" by Big Daddy Simpson. (Blues, Funky Compilations) CD

An incredible peek into a near-lost chapter of Chicago soul – the tiny Bandit label, home to The Majestic Arrows, one of the greatest indie harmony groups of the midwest in the 70s – plus a few other excellent soul artists! As with the other Eccentric Soul volume from Numero, this one offers far more than just an assortment of rare singles – and instead really digs deep to tell the true story of this tiny indie soul label. The music alone is totally great – as the set features a wealth of harmony soul tracks by The Majestic Arrows, plus other funk and soul tracks by Johnny Davis, Altyrone Deno Brown, and Linda Balintine – but the package is equally noteworthy – filled with the storied details of the unusual and exotic practices and lifestyles of the Bandit Records posse. The set features 17 full tracks – including "One More Time Around", "Another Day", "Doing It For Us", "Love Is All I Need", "Going To Make A Time Machine", "We Love Together", "The Magic Of Your Love", and "I'll Never Cry For Another Boy" by The Majestic Arrows; "We Have Love" and "Bring Back The One I Love" by The Arrows; "If You Love Me" and "Sweet Pea" by Altyrone Deno Brown; "You're A Habit Hard To Break" and "Glad About That" by Linda Balintine; and "You've Got To Crawl To Me" and "Boogedy Boogedy" by Johnny Davis. Plus, the set also features 3 rehearsal takes of tunes by the Majestic Arrows! CD

An incredible peek into a near-lost chapter of Chicago soul – the tiny Bandit label, home to The Majestic Arrows, one of the greatest indie harmony groups of the midwest in the 70s – plus a few other excellent soul artists! As with the other Eccentric Soul volume from Numero, this one offers far more than just an assortment of rare singles – and instead really digs deep to tell the true story of this tiny indie soul label. The music alone is totally great – as the set features a wealth of harmony soul tracks by The Majestic Arrows, plus other funk and soul tracks by Johnny Davis, Altyrone Deno Brown, and Linda Balintine – but the package is equally noteworthy – filled with the storied details of the unusual and exotic practices and lifestyles of the Bandit Records posse. The set features 17 full tracks – including "One More Time Around", "Another Day", "Doing It For Us", "Love Is All I Need", "Going To Make A Time Machine", "We Love Together", "The Magic Of Your Love", and "I'll Never Cry For Another Boy" by The Majestic Arrows; "We Have Love" and "Bring Back The One I Love" by The Arrows; "If You Love Me" and "Sweet Pea" by Altyrone Deno Brown; "You're A Habit Hard To Break" and "Glad About That" by Linda Balintine; and "You've Got To Crawl To Me" and "Boogedy Boogedy" by Johnny Davis. Plus, the set also features 3 rehearsal takes of tunes by the Majestic Arrows! CD

The title says it all – because the CD's overflowing with classic organ jazz numbers – tunes that are heavy on the Hammond, all from some of the heaviest hitters in the Blue Note catalog of the 60s! The set's a bit short, but it's got grooves a-plenty – the kind of sharp-edged organ numbers that Blue Note did better than anyone else, often with a bit more sophistication than Hammond hits on other labels. Titles include "Hot Rod" by Reuben Wilson, "Brown Sugar" by Freddie Roach, "Face to Face" by Baby Face Willette, "All About My Girl" by Jimmy McGriff, "The Silver Meter" by John Patton, and "Ya'll Remember Boogie" by Jack McDuff. CD

That's the great Grant Green on the cover – a hint that you're in for an all-masters set of funky guitar here – in a selection that's put together by the folks at Japan's Guitar Magazine! The package features 2CDs, and Grant gets one whole disc to himself – as the collection mixes together a fair bit of gems from the early 70s years when jazz guitar was finding much funkier currents, thanks to shifts that were taking place in the world of soul music – inspirations from the world of funky 45s, but taken to jazz territory with much longer grooves and extended solos! Tracks include "Brown Bag" and "No Way" by Ivan Boogaloo Joe Jones, "Bowlegs" and "Sister Janie" by Funk Inc, "Giblet Gravy" by George Benson, "Bambu" by Reuben Wilson, "Thank You" by Melvin Sparks, "Chunk A Funk" by Mel Brown, and "The Soul Roll" by Billy Butler – plus Grant Green cuts that include "Jan Jan", "Ain't It Funky Now", "Windjammer", "Sookie Sookie", "The Final Come Down", and "Hurt So Bad". CD

One of the coolest Christmas compilations you could ever hope to own – but you probably guessed that already, from the cover image that pays tribute to a classic set from James Brown! The JB image is certainly well placed – as most of the tracks here are deeply funky Holiday tunes – the kind of gritty seasonal ditties that were only ever issued as funky 45s back in the day – and most really only on a local level, too! Strut's really outdone themselves with this excellent collection – as it features a fair bit of Christmas rarities we've never heard before, but which are totally wonderful – all-new tunes, not common Christmas cover versions – played and performed with a hell of a soulful feel throughout. Knock that ol' Bing Crosby record off the turntable, and give this one plenty of spins this December – and dammit, the music's so great, you may well find yourself playing the collection well into the New Year too! Titles include "Boogaloo Santa Claus" by JD McDonald, "Angel's Christmas" by Wild Honey, "Black Christmas" by Harlem Children's Chorus, "Getting Down For Xmas" by Milly & Silly, "Soul Santa" by Funk Machine, "Funky Funky Christmas" by Electric Jungle, "Christmas Present Blues" by Jimmy Reed, "Santa's Got A Bag Of Soul" by Soul Saints Orchestra, "Christmas Morning (Sean Bonniwell edit)" by Zebra, "Let's Get It Together This Christmas" by Harvey Averne, "Auld Lang Syne" by Black On White Affair, and "The New Year" by Jimmy Jules & The Nuclear Soul System. (Holiday Music, Funky Compilations) CD

A set that really gets at the full spectrum of the boogaloo groove – not just the Spanish Harlem sounds of the Latin Soul generation – but also the deeper roots of the style from across the USA! "Boogaloo" is a term that most folks use to refer to that New York uptown fusion of Latin rhythms and soulful vocals – and while the NYC styles were key to its fame, the music also burst forth from lots of points west, too – and came together in a flurry of fast rhythms, jazzy instrumentation, and hard-driving vocals that made for a completely infectious blend! This package is a fantastic testament to that mad musical moment – and is overflowing with a selection of gems that goes way past the obvious – not the Fania Records catalog that usually shows up on other boogaloo releases, but a huge batch of tracks from small labels and indie singles too. Titles include "Skate Boogaloo & Karate Too" by Lee Harris, "Block Party" by Jimmy Castor, "Boogaloo #3" by Roy Lee Johnson, "Do The Boo-Ga-Loo (part 1)" by Tom & Jerroo, "Playing It Cool" by Hector Rivera, "Ready Steady Go" by Prince & Princess, "Bar Kays Boogaloo" by The Bar-Kays, "What I Feel" by Richie & The PS 54 School Yard, "Have Some Boogaloo" by Timmy Thomas, "Bugalu" by Charlie Palmieri, "Boogaloo (part 1)" by The Bob & Earl Band, "Me & You Doing The Boogaloo" by Lou Courtney, "Boogaloo Zoo" by Shirley Butler, "Bugaloo Party" by Harold & Connie, "Boogaloo Investigator" by The Exotics, "Funky Funky Boogalo" by Jimmy Brown, and "Let's Do The Funky Boogaloo (part 1)" by Barry Jones. CD

A contemporary collection, but one that really hearkens back to the brown-eyed soul of the Texas scene in the late 60s and early 70s – a moment when local groups were picking up on some of the vibes of East LA – reveling in the rich history of Texas soul and blues, but mixing it with funkier currents as well! After the recent interest in Sunny & The Sunliners, there has been a great wave of contemporary acts echoing the Texas sound of years back – and here, producer Adrian Quesada serves up core instrumentation that's a great blend of mellow-yet-funky soul – while different vocalists come in to the mix and really send things over the top! The set features contributions from a nice variety of artists – and titles include "Ain't No Big Thing" with Johnny Hernandez, "I've Got Soul" with David Marez, "Just Me & You" with Amalia Mondragon, "Boogaloo En Monterey" with Ruben Ramos, "One Woman Man" with David Hidalgo, "Love Reverberation" with Johnny Benavidez, "Funky Chick" with Brownout and Tomar Williams, and "Look At My Soul" with Black Pumas and Kam Franklin. LP, Vinyl record album

Disco funk and plenty more – all from this long-running series that only seems to dig deeper and deeper as time goes on! This time around, nearly all the cuts are ones you won't find elsewhere, especially on CD – with that special sort of 80s bent that the series always has, which means that you'll find as much boogie on the set as you will later disco rarities – served up in a batch of tracks that includes "Your Love Keeps Taking Me Higher" by E'Lan, "Let Me Be The One (dance mix)" by Mint, "Sure Ain't News" by Systematic, "Real Love" by The Prajekt, "Are You Lonely" by Randy Brown, "Tomorrow Night" by Angel, "24 Hour Love Affair" by David St George, "Right Or Wrong" by First Light, "Get Into Love Groove" by Bridget Cooper, "Caught In The Middle" by James Cobbin & Prime Cut, "Playtoy (long mix)" by Carmin, "Get Away" by FLOS, and "Cyanide Love" by Carol Shinnete with The Concrete Band. CD

One of the best-ever compilations of GoGo music we've ever seen – all hand-selected by legendary funk DJ Snowboy! Snowboy's been digging for GoGo for years, and he's managed to put together a compilation that avoids all the cliches and mistakes of others like it – going for an all-winning lineup that really gets at the funky funky power of GoGo at its best! Heavy percussion abounds – as congas, cowbells, and drums snap out long and acoustic rhythms – while the band vamps, calls, and even throws in a bit of electro and DJ trickery! The set's got 11 tracks in all, with some nice notes – and a list of titles that include "Scratchin To The Funk" by Doctor Funkenstein, "All We Want Is Go Go" by AM FM, "Give It Here" by Rare Essence, "Take It To The Top" by Ski Bone, "All Wrapped Up In One" by TTED All Stars, "We Need Some Money" by Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers, "It's In The Mix" by Slim, "Meet Me At The Go Go" by Hot Cold Sweat, "Arkade Funk" by Tilt, "E Flat Boogie" by Trouble, and "Let's Get Small" by Trouble Funk. CD

The second volume in one of our favorite compilation series of the past few years! Natural High explores the smoother side of soul – digging around the Warner vaults of the late 70s and early 80s to come up with some really great tracks! The sound here is a mixture of mellow and uptempo grooves – Brazilian beats coming into play with jazzy funk, soulful vocals on most numbers, and a warm finish that will have you coming back to this one again and again and again. 16 tracks in all – most pulled from long out of print LPs, many of which haven't been reissued. Titles include "Call On Me" by Anglo Saxon Brown, "You Can't Hide Love" by Art Webb, "Sideway Shuffle" by Linda Lewis, "Game Of Life" by Chameleon, "Simple & Sweet" by Roy Ayers Presents Ubiquity, "Forget Me Nots" by Patrice Rushen, "You're A Star" by Aquarian Dream, "Keep The Fire Burning" by Gwen McCrae, "Very Special" by Debra Laws, "Mysterious Maiden" by Chico Hamilton, "Feeling Something" by Ronn Matlock, and "Toque De Cuica" by Airto. LP, Vinyl record album

A really heady collection of cuts – one that starts with jazz, and moves into a whole host of other righteous styles too – all to sum up a 70s mode that's as much about empowerment as it is peace! Think of the cuts here as being in the much farther reaches past the styles initiated by Impulse Records and the Coltrane generation – to a point where the artists here aren't just copying modal and spiritual jazz styles, but infusing them with all sorts of new inflections of their own – at a level that makes the whole collection a really wonderful discovery! As with previous volumes, there's titles here we never would have heard otherwise – and this CD features tracks from both Vols 5 and 6 of the vinyl version – titles that inlcude "Algunas" by Jimmy McGary, "Bless Your Soul" by Lucky Brown & The SGs, "Night In Tunisia" by A La Ala, "Cataracts" by Musica Orbis, "Januschka" by Frederic Rabold, "Little Boogum" by Federico Cervantes, "No Outlet" by Beaver College Modern Jazz Orchestra, "Night Eagle" by Cleveland Jazz All Stars, "Zimbabwe" by Ron Wilson Trio, "Shanti" by Jazz Yatra Sextett, and "One More For The Road" by Dahle Scott CD