Rare rock from the Golden Triangle scene of Southeast TX in the late 60s and early 70s – a well-curated overview of the stylistically sprawling material being cut at Mickey Rouse's Lowland Recording Studio in Beaumont! Texas rock of the late 60s and early 70s justifiably brings to mind acts like The 13th Floor Elevators and The Bubble Puppy – tripped out psychedelia in other words, but Texas is huge, and there was a heck of a lot more going on than just the best remembered cult favorites. The music coming out of just the Beaumont, Port Arthur, Orange, Texas "triangle" chronicled here was incredibly diverse. It includes proto TX boogie rock that's a clear precursor to early ZZ Top, harmony flavored numbers that sound closer to Cali than they do The Lone Star State, one track that somehow fuses CS&N with The Beatles and does so with prominent cowbell in the mix (and it's good!!!), punchy psych grit, and swaggering country rock with some twang in the strings that feels a bit more profoundly Texan. You don't need our word that The Numero Group has devoted some serious attention to detail – with a 35-page booklet of notes, photos and histories, plus the impressive Lost In The Golden Triangle "family tree" of the regional musicians involved – as if discovering these long buried regional relics wasn't impressive enough already. Beautiful! 22 tracks in all: "Trash One" by the Lowland Studio Band, "Live My Life Today" by Insight Out, "Simple House" by Mother Lion, "Love Of The Morning" by Circus, "Take A Look At Your Friends" by Next Exit, "You Know I Love You" by Roy Briggs & Alton Tew, "Calling Me Home (Demo)" by Donald Thomas and more. CD

A massive overview of work from the legendary Front Line label – an imprint started by Virgin Records in the mid 70s, and one that quickly became as important as Island or Trojan in the growing world of reggae! Front Line was heavy on roots, but also released some great dub material as well – all of which is brought together in this huge box of 92 tracks – which includes 11 previously unreleased selections, and 30 that had never been issued on CD! The package is divided up into sections – with a three chapter evolution of the label, plus additional 12" mixes on one CD, and another devoted entirely to material from the vaults – which makes the collection an essential set for collectors, and not just an introduction to the label. Artists include The Mighty Diamonds, U Roy, Twinkle Brothers, Gladiators, Gregory Issacs, Sly Dunbar, Jah Lloyd The Black Lion, Big Youth, Delroy Washington, I Roy, Tapper Zukie, Althea & Donna, Prince Far I, Poet & The Roots, Johnny Clarke, The Revolutionaries, Keith Hudson, and many many more! (Reggae, Funky Compilations) CD

The Crate Diggers definitely know their way around an Italian club track – and this set's a really well-done collection of the kind of imports that bubbled around in the early 80s, and formed a nice bridge between some of the colder sounds of UK post-punk dance, and the new grooves that were coming up on the scenes in Chicago and New York! There's no denying that these tracks had an influence on house music, but they're also maybe a bit more tuneful, focused, and catchy too – often with spare but strong vocal hooks that really send the tunes over the top! Titles include "Spacer Woman" by Charlie, "Hypnotic Tango" by My Mine, "Take A Chance" by Mr Flagio, "Remember" by Vivian Vee, "Feel The Drive" by Doctor's Cat, "I Need Love" by Capricorn, "That's The Game" by Wet, and "Happy Children" by P Lion. CD

The first two volumes in this legendary series – back to back in one set! Volume 1 is an amazing collection – and one that really helped completely revise our understanding of Caribbean music! The collection features a fair bit of artists with roots in the West Indies, but who made a huge impact on London's postwar immigrant population – the new rise of non-native residents who were swelling the ranks of the city in the years after the way – bringing with them new cultures, new sounds, and new traditions – with all the requisite ideas and politics that might imply! The work here often has a subtle social agenda – working through themes important to these new Londoners, yet still echoing modes of the homeland as well – often with great musical backings that's heavy on percussion, jazzy instrumentation, and very upbeat rhythms. Titles include "London Is The Place For Me" by Lord Kitchener, "I Was There" by Young Tiger, "Some Girl Something" by The Lion, "No Carnival In Britain" by Mighty Terror, "Jamaica Hurricane" by Lord Beginner, "Birth Of Ghana" by Lord Kitchener, "Victory Test Match" by Lord Beginner, "Spanish Calypso" by The Lion, "Bulldog Don't Bite Me" by Timothy, "My Landlady" by Lord Kitchener, "If You're Not White You're Black" by Lord Kitchener, and "Aguiti" by Lord Invader. Volume 2 compiles the stylistically varied music coming from the emergent West Indian and African communities of 50s and 60s London – far more than just the topical, and often quite whimsical calypso tunes of the era! Calypso is well represented, but the set includes strains of jazz, percussive instrumentals that veer towards native Trinidad and Nigeria, and loads of Caribbean grooves! It's all exceptionally bright – with some lovingly, and knowingly, naive vocals that are as sweet as they are wise. A truly wonderful compilation. Essential! 20 tracks in all: "Calypso Be" by Young Tiger, "Yolanda" by Ambrose Campbell, "Calypso Blues" by Mona Baptiste, "My Wife's Nightie" by Lord Kitchener, "Ominara" by West African Rhythm Brothers, "Gerrard Street" by King Timothy, "ET Mensah's Rolling Ball" by West African Swing Stars, "West Indian Drums" by Russ Henderson, "Gbonimawo" by Rans Boi's Ghana Highlife Band and more! (Global Grooves, Funky Compilations) CD

Incredible rare jazz from the Japanese scene of the 70s – all hand-picked by DJ Muro, one of the coolest talents on the contemporary scene in Tokyo! The set's a bit of a shift from other collections of this nature – as it focuses a bit more on tracks that are funky than those that are spiritual – yet also includes those that have some very cool, hip Japanese touches – at a level that's hugely different from American jazz work of the time! The selection of cuts is great – and rather than offer a completely diverse dozen, Muro does a great job of focusing in on a few key acts – most of whom have not hit the reissue market strongly in recent years. Titles include "Hanagasa Odori", "Sakura Sakura", "Soran Bushi", and "Yagi Bushi" by Tadaaki Misago & Tokyo Cuban Boys; "Nanbu Ushioi Uta", "Saitara Bushi", "Souma Nagareyama", and "Asadoya Yunta" by Kifu Mitsuhashi & Kiyoshi Yamaya; "Seijinshiki (Adult Day)" by Toshiyuji Miyama & His New Herd; "Tabaruzaka" by Katsuya Yokoyama & The Million Pops; and "Fuku Jobutso Part 1 (Muro edit)" and "Osorezan (Muro edit)" by Kiyoshi Yamaya & Contemporary Sound Orchestra. 2CD set also features a full continuous mix of the music by Muro on the second CD! CD

A searing entry into the Mojo Club series – and one that really shows the way the compilations have evolved over the years! The album's heavier on soul music than ever before – but also features some tremendous jazz, Brazilian, and European gems as well – a wonderful set list that really keeps things fresh! Titles include "Give Me Your Love" by The Sisters Love, "Wouri" by Manu Dibango, "Maracaibo" by Michel Legrand, "Take Us Down To The River" by Michael Naura, "Sambao" by Walter Wanderley, "Roots" by Willie Bobo, "Soul Soul Soul" by Wild Magnolias, "Strange Games & Things" by Love Unlimited Orchestra, "Praise The Lord" by Mary Lou Williams, "In Memory Of" by Randy Weston, "Nao Bate O Coracao" by Astrud Gilberto, "Mundo Deserto" by Elis Regina, and the great "El Soul Condor" by Certain Lions & Tigers (a very rare German release from 1970!) CD

Seminal sounds from the Kansas City scene of the late 70s – a wealth of power pop work from the tiny Titan label – all brought together in one of the most brilliant packages we've ever seen from the Numero Group! Like most Numero releases, there's a great story behind this set – a tale of bounced checks, interstate culture, and a cadre of great groups who would have been huge – had they recorded this music out on the coast! Titan's way more than just a tiny label that managed to put out some killer singles back in the day – it's a pop powerhouse that shows just how much under-discovered genius the American scene can hold – music that really helps break down simple understandings of late 70s rock, especially when presented this well. The 2CD set features 42 tracks and a 40 page booklet – a great counterpart to Numero's Yellow Pills set – filled with notes on Titan, a complete discography, and a wealth of wonderful photos that really make this unique scene come alive. Titles include "Shark" and "Real Life Saver" by Gary Charlson, "No Way Baby" and "I Wanna Be" by Arlis, "It's Your Heart Tonight" and "Radio Heart" by Secrets, "Please Change Your Mind" and "Baby It's You" by Boys, "Rock N Roll Song" and "Radio City" by Bobby Sky, "The Last Song" by JP McClain & The Intruders, "Cry" and "Didn't Like It Anyway" by Gems, "Coit Tower" and "Drink A Toast" by Millionaire At Midnight, and "I Think About You" by Scott McCarl. (Rock, Funky Compilations) CD

One of the cookingest funky compilations we've ever carried – a monster batch of 10 funky Hammond organ tracks, all pretty darn obscure! The set was done under the supervision of New York Funk 45 DJ Mr Fine Wine – and features a stunning batch of tunes that are all plenty darn hard to find – and filled with heavy drums, roaring basslines, and super-smoking work on keyboards! Plus, unlike lots of other dodgy sets on the market, the whole thing's totally legit – and very well researched and thought out. Titles include "Cool Dad" by Ross Carnegie, "The Hatch" by The TMGs, "Every Time part 2" by Buddy McKnight, "Soul Power" by Jimmy Willis, "Foot Stumping" by The Organics, "Put Your Weight On It part 1" by The Filmore St Soul Rebellions, "Shimmy" by Toussaint McCall, and "Don't Give A Damn" by King Cain/Silvertone Band. Great! CD

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

Sam Dees is a hell of a singer, and he's a hell of a songwriter too – one who's worked not just with the southern soul stars of his roots, but also a much wider range of soul talents too! This wonderful collection really gets at the strength of Dees' amazing ability to pen a special soul tune – as it features work from a surprisingly huge array of talents from all sides of the soul spectrum – including a fair bit of vocalists we never knew worked with Sam's material. We love Dees' own records to death – and have enjoyed many of his demo recordings over the years, too – but a set like this really shows the important influence he had on soul music in the 70s – the way he touched so many folks, and helped them out with his meaningful lyrics. The set features great notes on Sam and his contribution – and 22 tracks that include "Where Did We Go Wrong" by LTD, "Vanishing Love (UK rmx)" by The Chi-Lites, "Girl Overboard" by Dorothy Moore, "So Your Love Finally Ran Out" by Les McCann, "Run To Me" by Sidney Joe Qualls, "Save The Overtime" by Gladys Knight & The Pips, "Seconds Of Your Love" by Johnnie Taylor, "One In A Million You" by Larry Graham, "Spoiled By Your Love" by Anita Ward, "What A Way To Put It" by The Temptations, "Good Guys Don't Always Win" by Ray Crumley, and "My World" by Sam Dees himself! (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD