A long-overdue second volume of the Soul From Jamdown series – issued 15 years after the first one, and maybe even more incredible overall! As before, the focus here is on Jamaican music that draws very direct inspiration from American soul – sometimes as cover versions of famous tracks, sometimes as answer songs to work from the US – but all set to very groovy reggae, rocksteady, and early dancehall rhythms! The vocals are wonderful – many of the singers really take inspiration from the best years of American deep soul and sweet soul – and bring a heartbreaking vibe to the lyrics – and while the earliest years of Jamaican soul has been well-documented, these later years are more unusual territory – and beautifully covered here. The package comes with a huge amount of notes, and also includes lots of images of the original records – and titles include "Too Late" by Augustus Pablo, "Cornbread Earl & Me" by Dillinger, "Supernatural Thing" by Richard Ace, "Breezin" by Willie Lindo, "Ain't That Loving You" by Hortense Ellis, "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" by John Holt, "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" by Junior Byles, "Special Request To The Manhattans" by Phillip Frazer, "Thin Line Between Love & Hate" by BB Seaton, "Do Your Thing" by Glen Adams, and "Johnny Dollar" by Dave Barker. CD

A long-overdue second volume of the Soul From Jamdown series – issued 15 years after the first one, and maybe even more incredible overall! As before, the focus here is on Jamaican music that draws very direct inspiration from American soul – sometimes as cover versions of famous tracks, sometimes as answer songs to work from the US – but all set to very groovy reggae, rocksteady, and early dancehall rhythms! The vocals are wonderful – many of the singers really take inspiration from the best years of American deep soul and sweet soul – and bring a heartbreaking vibe to the lyrics – and while the earliest years of Jamaican soul has been well-documented, these later years are more unusual territory – and beautifully covered here. The package comes with a huge amount of notes, and also includes lots of images of the original records – and titles include "Too Late" by Augustus Pablo, "Cornbread Earl & Me" by Dillinger, "Supernatural Thing" by Richard Ace, "Breezin" by Willie Lindo, "Ain't That Loving You" by Hortense Ellis, "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" by John Holt, "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" by Junior Byles, "Special Request To The Manhattans" by Phillip Frazer, "Thin Line Between Love & Hate" by BB Seaton, "Do Your Thing" by Glen Adams, and "Johnny Dollar" by Dave Barker. CD

A very cool side of the Sly & Robbie legend – a series of recordings the duo made with a range of different singers – all as Jamaican-styled remakes of American soul and club tracks from the 70s! The vibe here is definitely more reggae than disco – with a groove slowed down a lot more than the speed of Studio 54 – and the pair are really coming into their own as creative talents, working on the experience they gained for years on other folks' records – which really helps create the right sort of rhythms for these grooves. As you'd guess from the dates in the title, the set stretches into the digital reggae years – which turned out to be one of the most productive periods for Sly & Robbie – and titles include "Sexual Healing" by Jimmy Riley, "Show & Tell" by Ken Boothe, "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love" by Home T-4, "Inner City Blues" by Delroy Wilson, "Break Your Promise" by Barry Biggs, "You Must Believe In Me" by Junior Tamlins Moore, "Fever" by Marcia Griffiths, and "Rainy Night In Georgia" by Tinga Stewart. (Reggae, Funky Compilations) CD

A very cool side of the Sly & Robbie legend – a series of recordings the duo made with a range of different singers – all as Jamaican-styled remakes of American soul and club tracks from the 70s! The vibe here is definitely more reggae than disco – with a groove slowed down a lot more than the speed of Studio 54 – and the pair are really coming into their own as creative talents, working on the experience they gained for years on other folks' records – which really helps create the right sort of rhythms for these grooves. As you'd guess from the dates in the title, the set stretches into the digital reggae years – which turned out to be one of the most productive periods for Sly & Robbie – and titles include "Sexual Healing" by Jimmy Riley, "Show & Tell" by Ken Boothe, "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love" by Home T-4, "Inner City Blues" by Delroy Wilson, "Break Your Promise" by Barry Biggs, "You Must Believe In Me" by Junior Tamlins Moore, "Fever" by Marcia Griffiths, and "Rainy Night In Georgia" by Tinga Stewart. (Reggae, Funky Compilations) CD

Tropical club in many flavors – all pulled from the usually-expensive set of reissues done by the Cree Records label – presented here in a very nicely-priced package! Given that most Cree reissues are on 12" singles that push the $20 mark, the 16 tracks within come at a very big bargain – and the whole thing's a great introduction to the special world that's often documented by the label's tropical reissues – rare cuts from a time when the sounds of the New York dancefloors were filtering down to the West Indies – and when things were also changing a bit up north, due to a new wave of immigration to the US. Titles include "Umbaway" by Lancelot Layne, Lena" by The Andre Tanker Five, "Trinidad" by Papa Music, "Wajang Woman (Frankie Francis sofrito edit)" by Embryo, "Can't Stop Dancing" by Michael Boothman, & Kysofusion Band, "Remember Mama" by Sugar Minott, "Tabu" by Michael Boothman & Family Tree, "South African Reggae" by Cedric Brooks, "Rub A Dub Soka" by Merchant & The Network Riddum Band, and "Party Time" by Cinnamon Suns. (Global Grooves, Funky Compilations) CD

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

The cover's a bit creepy, but the set's a great one – way more soulful than the image of a dummy might make you expect! The collection follows strongly in the same territory as the funk titles on the Tramp Records label – and like those, digs deep in the American underground to find a host of under-exposed gems from back in the day – tunes that start out in the fast funk years of disco, but also move into some great 80s grooves as well! There's a huge number of cuts here we've never heard before – but that's no surprise, given the way that Tramp puts a set like this together – and titles include "The Freeze" by Steven Toll, "SOS" by Tyree Glenn Jr, "Missing You" by Silky Vincent Group, "Sights & Sounds" by Jeffords Brothers, "Medicine Man" by Grayson Street, "Puss (part 1)" by Oakland Express, "A Fool No Longer" by Afrodisia, "Don't It Make You Feel Good" by Deep South Dance Band, "Touchdown Cleveland Browns" by Ray Jay Band, "Future" by Keither Florence & The Associates, "Anytime" by Empulse, "Beautiful Day" by Mel O Madnezz, and "Dig This Piece" by Progressive Sounds Band. CD

The cover's a bit creepy, but the set's a great one – way more soulful than the image of a dummy might make you expect! The collection follows strongly in the same territory as the funk titles on the Tramp Records label – and like those, digs deep in the American underground to find a host of under-exposed gems from back in the day – tunes that start out in the fast funk years of disco, but also move into some great 80s grooves as well! There's a huge number of cuts here we've never heard before – but that's no surprise, given the way that Tramp puts a set like this together – and titles include "The Freeze" by Steven Toll, "SOS" by Tyree Glenn Jr, "Missing You" by Silky Vincent Group, "Sights & Sounds" by Jeffords Brothers, "Medicine Man" by Grayson Street, "Puss (part 1)" by Oakland Express, "A Fool No Longer" by Afrodisia, "Don't It Make You Feel Good" by Deep South Dance Band, "Touchdown Cleveland Browns" by Ray Jay Band, "Future" by Keither Florence & The Associates, "Anytime" by Empulse, "Beautiful Day" by Mel O Madnezz, and "Dig This Piece" by Progressive Sounds Band. CD

The cover's a bit creepy, but the set's a great one – way more soulful than the image of a dummy might make you expect! The collection follows strongly in the same territory as the funk titles on the Tramp Records label – and like those, digs deep in the American underground to find a host of under-exposed gems from back in the day – tunes that start out in the fast funk years of disco, but also move into some great 80s grooves as well! There's a huge number of cuts here we've never heard before – but that's no surprise, given the way that Tramp puts a set like this together – and titles include "The Freeze" by Steven Toll, "SOS" by Tyree Glenn Jr, "Missing You" by Silky Vincent Group, "Sights & Sounds" by Jeffords Brothers, "Medicine Man" by Grayson Street, "Puss (part 1)" by Oakland Express, "A Fool No Longer" by Afrodisia, "Don't It Make You Feel Good" by Deep South Dance Band, "Touchdown Cleveland Browns" by Ray Jay Band, "Future" by Keither Florence & The Associates, "Anytime" by Empulse, "Beautiful Day" by Mel O Madnezz, and "Dig This Piece" by Progressive Sounds Band. LP, Vinyl record album

Funky country, twangy soul, and lots more strangeness – a set that definitely lives up to everything it promises on the cover – and maybe even gives you a bit more too! The collection's from the same folks who gave us the excellent Funky Country series – and there's a very similar vibe going on here – music that's maybe got the sharp punch of late 60s swamp rock, but more funky elements at the core – and often some of the weirdness in production and instrumental styles that you might have found over at the Shelby Singleton studios. Titles on this second volume include "I Feel Good" by The Corrupters, "Girl Of Mine" by Soul Trippers, "I'm Movin On" by LA Jones, "Movin" by Bitter Creek, "The Hunter" by Lucky Evans, "Pull Me Up" by BC Worman, "Narrow Road" by Goober Myers, "I See A Picture" by Larry Van Barringer, and "The One Thing That Mama Can't Give You" by Judy Hunt. LP, Vinyl record album

Rare singles from the glory days of the American club music scene – most of which were only issued as promo release – hence the "for discos only" in the title! The package looks at the wealth of material issued by the Fantasy and Vanguard family of labels in the late 70s – imprints that have never fully gotten their due, in comparison to companies like Salsoul or Philadelphia International – even though they made an equally huge contribution to the world of funky grooves! In fact, given that Fantasy owned Prestige and other jazz labels at the time, they also had a longer heritage in soulful music – which often made some of their singles these real mini-masterpieces in sound. Vanguard was equally unusual, but in a different way – as disco and club were relatively new to their catalog – which almost seemed to give them a freedom to be a bit more experimental than some of the bigger companies working the dancefloors. The result is a great collection of really creative, really upbeat material – almost all of which is nice and extended, and presented here on the rare 12" single versions. Titles include "Til You Surrender (special rmx)" by Rainbow Brown, "Rock Creek Park (rmx)" by The Blackbyrds, "No One Can Do It Like You (12" special Shep Pettibone rmx)", "Chill Out (12" version)" by Free Expression, "I Don't Know What's On Your Mind (special 12" mix)" by Spiders Webb, "Over & Over (special 12" disco)" by Sylvester, "Turn The Music Up (12" disco)" by Players Association, "Beat Of The Night (special 12" disco)" by Fever, "Party Vibes (special 12" disco)" by Ike Turner & Home Grown Funk, "You've Got Me Dancing In My Sleep (special remaster)" by Frisky, "Boogie City (special 12" disco mix)" by Phil Hurtt, "Space Bass (special 12" disco)" by Slick, "Mondo Man (12" version)" by Roni Griffith, "It's Music (special 12" disco)" by Damon Harris, "Always There (special 12" disco)" by Side Effect, "For Your Love (special 12" disco)" by Idris Muhammad, "Straight To The Bank (special 12" disco)" by Bill Summers, "Boogie With Me (12" disco)" by Poussez, "Don't Know What To Say" by The Blackbyrds, "I'm The One" by Rainbow Brown, "I Got The Feeling (Patrick Cowley megamix)" by Two Tons O Fun, "Dance (special 12" disco)" by Paradise Express, and "Savage Lover (12" disco long vocal)" by The Ring. CD

Gary Crowley was a young Capitol Radio DJ at the start of the 80s – which gave him a bird's eye view of all the musical changes that were taking place on the London scene of the time! This 4CD package is a great tribute to those years – and features some of Crowley's favorite tracks from the time – some very rare, some less-so – but all put together in a great package that really reminds us how much vibrant energy was running through music during the period! The tunes are a mix of minor hits and indie classics, post-punk gems and tuneful electro numbers – with a few surprises thrown in along the way – all wrapped up in a cool book-style package, with pages of notes on the music, and lots of images too. Titles include "Stop That Girl" by Vic Godard, "Abandon Ship" by April Showers, "Stop The Rain" by Suede Crocodiles, "Jive Baby On A Saturday Night" by The Jellies, "The Big Bean" by Pigbag, "Klacto Vee Sedstein" by Blue Rondo A La Turk, "Go Deh Yaka" by Monyaka, "Coup" by 23 Skidoo, "If Only" by Funkapolitan, "Slippery People (club)" by The Staple Singers, "Tuesday Sunshine (jock mix)" by The Questions, "Brother Brother" by The Kane Gang, "Be Thankful For What You've Got" by Sunset Gun, "Keep On Keepin On" by The Redskins, "Too Many Creeps" by Bush Tetras, "Is This Really The First Time You've Been In Love" by Jo Boxers, "Get Out Of London (intacontinentalballisticmix)" by Intaferon, "The Alibi (ext mix)" by Fun Boy Three, "It's A Man's Man's Man's World (ext mix)" by Brilliant, and "Looking Good Diving With The Wild Bunch" by Morgan McVey. (Rock, Funky Compilations) CD

Whether you remember these joints from the glory days of the Paradise or Bam's parties at the Bronx River Projects or are discovering them for the first time, these classic electro/hip hop/breakin'/dance tracks are a must-have for any DJ's crates. On this, the last volume in the series, they also include some jazz/soul tracks that formed the basis of early hip hop. Includes: Jonzun Crew "Pack Jam", Cybotron "Clear", Newcleus "Automan", C-Bank "One More Shot", Quadrant Six "Body Mechanic", Area Code 615 "Stone Fox Chase", James Brown "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose", Blackbyrds "Rock Creek Park", Lonnie Liston Smith "Expansions", Jimmy Castor Bunch "It's Just Begun", Candido "Jingo", Barrabas "Woman", Eddie Kendricks "Date With The Rain", Herman Kelly + Life "Dance To The Drummers Beat", and Afrika Bambaataa "Looking For The Perfect Beat". (Hip Hop, Funky Compilations) CD

Here's a picnic we'd love to partake of – a wonderfully trippy set of jazz grooves from the heyday of the Atlantic and Warner funk years! The set pulls together a wealth of obscure numbers from older albums and singles – going for tunes that have a slightly psychedelic approach to the music, building on groovy soul jazz by adding in some of the weirder, wilder instrumentation that started to creep up in the late 60s. The result is really great stuff – tunes that start to groove towards 70s funk, but which also have an expansive consciousness of their own – taking earlier riffs by Cannonball and Herbie, and blowing them up a lot more with some really freewheeling performances! Titles include "The Ringer" and "Stoned Soul Picnic" by Roy Ayers, "Las Vegas Tango" by Gary Burton, "Stuff" by Chris Towns & The Townsmen, "Pharoah's Gold" by David Newman, "Universal Mother" by Don Cherry, "Stoned Soul" by Artie Christopher, "That Mellow Feeling" by Junior Mance, "Doin What I Wanna" by Clarence Wheeler & The Enforcers, "Cantaloupe Island" by Nat Adderley, "Us" by Les McCann, and "Shop Talk" by Cold Blood. CD

A really well-done collection of the many DJ talents who recorded for Studio One over the years – one that gets past the obvious hits to include a stunning array of really varied voices! As you might know, in Jamaican music, the term "DJ" refers not just to someone spinning records, but also to a vocalist rapping over a tune – a practice that began live, as DJs were talking along with their records on soundsystems – then moved into the studio, and onto records, thanks to the pioneering work of labels like Studio One! The label always had a great ear to the street, which keeps the quality level of these tracks really high, even as the 80s move in – and as always with Soul Jazz, the whole package is great – with very detailed notes that support the music even more strongly than the original records. Titles include "We A Don" by Screechie Dan, "Riddle I This" by Dennis Alcapone, "Universal Love" by Mad Roy, "Fountain On The Mountain" by Dillinger, "My Number" by Lone Ranger, "It A Fi Bun" by Kentrus, "DJ Special" by King Sporty, "Rhyming Time" by King Stitt, "Ragga Muffin" by Jim Brown, "Raindrops" by Prince Garthie, "Nanny Version Skank" by Big Joe, and "Automatic Clapping" by Jah Buzz. (Reggae, Funky Compilations) CD

A really well-done collection of the many DJ talents who recorded for Studio One over the years – one that gets past the obvious hits to include a stunning array of really varied voices! As you might know, in Jamaican music, the term "DJ" refers not just to someone spinning records, but also to a vocalist rapping over a tune – a practice that began live, as DJs were talking along with their records on soundsystems – then moved into the studio, and onto records, thanks to the pioneering work of labels like Studio One! The label always had a great ear to the street, which keeps the quality level of these tracks really high, even as the 80s move in – and as always with Soul Jazz, the whole package is great – with very detailed notes that support the music even more strongly than the original records. Titles include "We A Don" by Screechie Dan, "Riddle I This" by Dennis Alcapone, "Universal Love" by Mad Roy, "Fountain On The Mountain" by Dillinger, "My Number" by Lone Ranger, "It A Fi Bun" by Kentrus, "DJ Special" by King Sporty, "Rhyming Time" by King Stitt, "Ragga Muffin" by Jim Brown, "Raindrops" by Prince Garthie, "Nanny Version Skank" by Big Joe, and "Automatic Clapping" by Jah Buzz. (Reggae, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

A wicked dip into the catalog of 70s powerhouse Mainstream Records – a set that brings together the funkiest tracks from the label – not just from their electric jazz albums, but also their more obscure funky 45s from the same time too! The package is a strong blend of jazz, funk, and soul – and alongside familiar breaks sampled from the Mainstream label, you'll also hear some funky nuggets that are long overdue for greater exposure – all laid out in a way that really gets at the diversity of the company's great ear for heavy grooves! Long tracks mix with shorter ones, in a way that really keeps things fresh – and titles include "TB's Delight" by Dave Hubbard, "Miss Fatback" by Saundra Phillips, "Kissing My Love" by Afrique, "These Memories" by Almeta Lattimore, "Mother McCree" by Reggie Moore, "Make It With You" by Maxine Weldon, "Blue's Blue" by Blue Mitchell, "Livin Way Too Fast" by December's Children, "This Moment" by Hal Galper, "Bird & The Ouija Board" by Pete Yellin, "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" by Jay Berliner, and "Just A Little Lovin" by Sarah Vaughan. CD

A wicked dip into the catalog of 70s powerhouse Mainstream Records – a set that brings together the funkiest tracks from the label – not just from their electric jazz albums, but also their more obscure funky 45s from the same time too! The package is a strong blend of jazz, funk, and soul – and alongside familiar breaks sampled from the Mainstream label, you'll also hear some funky nuggets that are long overdue for greater exposure – all laid out in a way that really gets at the diversity of the company's great ear for heavy grooves! Long tracks mix with shorter ones, in a way that really keeps things fresh – and titles include "TB's Delight" by Dave Hubbard, "Miss Fatback" by Saundra Phillips, "Kissing My Love" by Afrique, "These Memories" by Almeta Lattimore, "Mother McCree" by Reggie Moore, "Make It With You" by Maxine Weldon, "Blue's Blue" by Blue Mitchell, "Livin Way Too Fast" by December's Children, "This Moment" by Hal Galper, "Bird & The Ouija Board" by Pete Yellin, "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" by Jay Berliner, and "Just A Little Lovin" by Sarah Vaughan. LP, Vinyl record album