Damn funky work from the west coast scene of the late 60s and early 70s – just the kind of tracks to dispel the idea that too much sun or cannabis might have left the Cali scene a bit weak! Instead, these cuts are right on the money, stone funky throughout, and light years from any sort of California connotations you may have – no west coast jazz, smooth AOR, or breezy Bay Area – and much more of the grit and groove that was brewing up on funky 45s from all points east! Drums are heavy, guitars are sharp, and vocals are super-righteous – filled with the kind of messages that you could only get across on the sort of small label releases that make up most of this set – and which also include a few unreleased tracks appearing here for the first time ever. As usual with BGP, the package is as superb as the music – great sound, detailed notes, and a wonderful track selection that includes "Earthquake" by Rulie Garcia, "Hang Up (part 1)" by Warm Excursion, "Pickin Cotton" by Johnny Talbot & De-Thangs, "If She Wants To Go" by Choice Of Colors, "Just Ain't My Day" by The Entertainers IV, "The Git Down (parts 1 & 2)" by Little Johnny Hamilton & The Soul Pack, "Strike" by Union, "I'm Gonna Speak Out" by Eddie Horan, "The Man" by Jesse & Anita, "Check Me Out" by Little Denise, "The Sneak" by The Douzer, "You Don't Know The Damage You've Done" by Vernon Green & The Medallions, and "Tuned In Turned On" by Alvin Robinson. CD

Don't let the title or the bunny on the cover put you off, because there's nothing toy-like about these tunes – and the package is an excellent batch of rare German grooves put together with the same high level as other collections on the Perfect Toy label! Ex-Spinning Wheel mainman Marcus Hacker put together this one – and the grooves remind us a lot of some of the older SW sound library compilations – all awash in flavors borrowed from Brazilian bossa, American funk, Brit easy, and other genres – remodeled into a German economic miracle mode by a variety of jazz and studio players! The sound here is really really fresh – funky, but with lots of odd little touches and unusual instrumentation – a bit in the In Kraut mode, but more direct overall, and slightly less kitschy (although the set does have a few charming moments in that respect.) A number of tracks have vocals – some sung, some scatted – and titles include "Photographs" by Swegas, "Cameleon" by Kaate Frits Quartet, "Drift" by Orchester Heinz Kiessling, "Soul Samba" by The Earthquakers, "Guarana Guaranar" by Grupo Veneno, "Sara" by The Voices, "I Mimi" by Idili Tsaliki, "Memories Of Yesterday" by Othella Dallas, and "Salsamba" by Chet Baker & The Boto Brasilian Quartet. LP, Vinyl record album

A set with "modernity" as the title, but a batch of tracks that sound plenty old all the way through – mostly the kind of upbeat soul tracks that played big with the 60s mod scene in London! Yet this isn't the usual collection of mod classics – as the work here is very obscure, and served up in the mix of rare singles and unreleased material that we totally love on other Ace/Kent Records collections – presented with great sound, and very detailed notes that are as fun to read as the songs are to hear! All the artists are American, and look very different than the dapper British gents on the cover – soaring out in a set list that includes "Deuces Wild" by Gary & Gary, "Just Can't Help Myself" by Birdlegs & Pauline, "Oh Lady Be Good" by Charles Hodges, "The Hawg (part 2)" by Eddie Kirk, "See See Rider" by Byrdie Green, "Walk Home With Me" by Ike & Tina Turner, "Sundown" by The Merced Blue Notes, "Go Away With Me" by Hollis Dixon & The Keynotes, "I Found A Little Girl" by Eddie Bo, "The Bounce" by Jackie Lee, "Earthquake" by The Fashionettes, "Air Travel" by Ray & Bob, "That's All I Want" by King Carl, "The Warm Up (part 1)" by Clifton White & His Royal Knights, "Soul Grabber" by Willis Jackson, and "Who Knows" by Willie Tee. CD