Cool cuts from around the globe – all brought together in one wonderfully funky set! The music here all draws heavily from American funk and psych styles – and often uses some slightly different instrumentation, or more regional inflection – to make the usual psych funk styles sound even more groovy and exotic – in a mindblowing way that makes the entire set a real musical delight! Most tracks are instrumental – heavy on drums and fuzzy guitar – but there's a few vocal moments, too – and the funk current is super-strong, way more so than on other collections that promise a heavy bottom, but usually just present offbeat psych. Titles include "Jet Pop" by Bana Pop Band, "Foxy Lady" by 49th Blue Streak, "Karate Chop" by The Tijuana Brats, "Stari Dvorac" by Pro Arte, "Nie Przejziemy Do Historii" by Krzysztof Klenczon, "Louis Louis" by Friar Tuck, "Time Of Machines" by Sergio Ferraresi, and "The Shaman's Dance" by Alexandr Sergeyevich. CD

Cool cuts from around the globe – all brought together in one wonderfully funky set! The music here all draws heavily from American funk and psych styles – and often uses some slightly different instrumentation, or more regional inflection – to make the usual psych funk styles sound even more groovy and exotic – in a mindblowing way that makes the entire set a real musical delight! Most tracks are instrumental – heavy on drums and fuzzy guitar – but there's a few vocal moments, too – and the funk current is super-strong, way more so than on other collections that promise a heavy bottom, but usually just present offbeat psych. Titles include "Jet Pop" by Bana Pop Band, "Foxy Lady" by 49th Blue Streak, "Karate Chop" by The Tijuana Brats, "Stari Dvorac" by Pro Arte, "Nie Przejziemy Do Historii" by Krzysztof Klenczon, "Louis Louis" by Friar Tuck, "Time Of Machines" by Sergio Ferraresi, and "The Shaman's Dance" by Alexandr Sergeyevich. LP, Vinyl record album

A great take on the girl group sound of the 60s – served up here in a collection that's a lot more soulful than some of the more pop-oriented packages on the market – but that's no surprise, given that the whole thing was put together perfectly by Ace Records! Ace and their related Kent label have given us so much great soul records over the years, and it's clear they really know where to dig deep for a set like this – getting past the overplayed hits and overdone cliches – and really exploring this explosive moment of female expression in pop music! The package features detailed notes on all the tracks that are included – and the set features 14 numbers in all – with titles that include "Boy Trouble" by The Rev-Lons, "Street Dance" by Bonnie Jean, "Lonely Girl" by The Lovettes, "You Really Never Know Till It's Over" by The Vel-Vetts, "Heart For Sale" by The Fran-Cettes, "I Can Tell I'm Losing Your Love" by Lena Calhoun & The Emotions, "Boy You Move Me" by Joan Moody, "To Know Him Is To Love Him" by The Darlings, "Surfers Memories" by The Fashions, and "My Heart Tells Me So" by The Del-Phis. (Soul, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

Stirring sounds from the start of the 60s – all pulled from that magical moment when soul was first coming into place – brought together out of different strands of grooves that were rumbling around in the 50s! The set mixes R&B, vocal group, and even a bit of pop – but all with a sound that's plenty soulful throughout – and really uncovers some lesser-known gems in the process! These Outta Sight collections are always great for Northern Soul – and this one shows the roots of the genre – and really illustrates the way that so many 21st Century collectors are turning back to the generation before Motown. Titles include "I Say Hello" by Jimmy Breedlove, "Darling I Know Now" by The Mystics, "Because Of You" by The Dreamers, "Boss Bossa Nova" by Bellino, "Summertime" by Barbara D'Orleans, "Hi Fi Baby" by Teddy McRae, "Humdinger" by Little Marie Allen, "Please Don't Go" by Johnny Acey, "Baby Oh Baby" by The Shells, "Oh What A Fool" by Big Jay McNeeley, and "I Walk On" by Little Tommy & The Elgins. (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

Not really blues, but not really soul either – a wonderful mix of modes that's come to be known as the popcorn sound of the early 60s! The style's hardly "pop" at all – and instead, these tunes are plenty gritty throughout – more like numbers you'd hear blasting out of a backroom jukebox, or on the decks of some deep soul DJ dedicated to serving up a rough-edged groove! Lots of these numbers might be called post-R&B – as they still have some of the styles of the 50s, mixed with the tighter punch of the newborn soul sound – and the set's a wonderful illustration of this magical moment in music, finally getting some credit after all these years. CD features loads of tracks we'd never heard before – and titles include "Don't Knock It" by Sinner Strong, "You Lied" by Marva Josie, "Mr Lonely" by Freddie North, "When You See Me Hurt" by Carl Lester & The Show Stoppers, "Well I Done Got Over It" by Bobby Mitchell, "I'm Comin Home" by Bobby John, "I Ain't Talkin" by Pat Hunt, "This Little Lester" by James Wayne, "Why Oh Why" by Austin Taylor, "Rockin Bed" by Valerie Carr, and "I'm Hurted" by Mamie Perry. (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

A record that picks up on a very particular strand of Japanese music in the 70s – and one that's maybe not even fully described with all the evocative words in the title! The sounds here are leaner and more open than work you'd know from the city pop years – but also not like Japanese rock of the late 60s, and maybe not even like some of the bigger names of the 70s who crossed over to American audiences. Instead, the whole package is very creative and inventive – certainly with currents of psych and soul, but often moving into territories that really defy easy categorization – as if these Japanese artists feel free to pick and choose whatever they want to put in the mix! The sound is great, and the album is a treasure trove of discoveries – with sounds that include "Aoi Galasu Dama Blue Glass Ball" by Yoshiko Sai, "Have You Smoked Gauloise" by Hiroshi Kamayatsu, "Jikan Wo Koero Go Beyond Time" by Tadashi Goino Group, "Omae You" by Jun Fukamachi, and "Hachigatsu No Inshow Augusts Impression" by Momotaro Pink. (Japanese, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

Warm, soulful sounds from a crucial time in the Japanese music scene – a 70s moment when the nation was finding a special groove of its own – but one that also drew heavily from American soul and jazz as well! It's no secret that the Japanese have always had a great love of American sounds – but by the mid 70s, that longtime love had also turned into some great homegrown sounds of their own – as Japan developed a number of its own strong soul singers, who were often backed by the ever-growing array of great jazz musicians, particularly those of the fusion side of the spectrum. Plus, there also seemed to be a lot more criss-crossing between Tokyo and US studios at the time – particularly those on the west coast – which resulted in a special blend of sounds that had all the class and cool of the Japanese urban scene, but also some of the sunniness of the west coast too. That special mix of music is perfectly summed up here – in a collection that offers up plenty of cuts that were never issued outside of Japan back in the day – with vocals both in English and Japanese, and plenty of grooves that are perfect for any fan of fusion-styled R&B. Titles include the classic "LA Nights" by Yasuko Agawa – plus "Say Goodbye" by Hiroshi Sato, "I Say Who" by Tomoko Soryo, "Sports Men" by Haruomi Hosoni, "Midnight Driver" by Minako Yoshida, "Machibouke" by Tazumi Toyoshima, "Exotic Yokogao" by Hitomi Tohyama, "Lady Pink Panther" by Shigeru Suzuki, "Drip Dry Eyes" by Yukihiro Takahashi, and "Bamboo Vendor" by Masayoshi Takanaka. (Japanese, Funky Compilations) CD

Warm, soulful sounds from a crucial time in the Japanese music scene – a 70s moment when the nation was finding a special groove of its own – but one that also drew heavily from American soul and jazz as well! It's no secret that the Japanese have always had a great love of American sounds – but by the mid 70s, that longtime love had also turned into some great homegrown sounds of their own – as Japan developed a number of its own strong soul singers, who were often backed by the ever-growing array of great jazz musicians, particularly those of the fusion side of the spectrum. Plus, there also seemed to be a lot more criss-crossing between Tokyo and US studios at the time – particularly those on the west coast – which resulted in a special blend of sounds that had all the class and cool of the Japanese urban scene, but also some of the sunniness of the west coast too. That special mix of music is perfectly summed up here – in a collection that offers up plenty of cuts that were never issued outside of Japan back in the day – with vocals both in English and Japanese, and plenty of grooves that are perfect for any fan of fusion-styled R&B. Titles include the classic "LA Nights" by Yasuko Agawa – plus "Say Goodbye" by Hiroshi Sato, "I Say Who" by Tomoko Soryo, "Sports Men" by Haruomi Hosoni, "Midnight Driver" by Minako Yoshida, "Machibouke" by Tazumi Toyoshima, "Exotic Yokogao" by Hitomi Tohyama, "Lady Pink Panther" by Shigeru Suzuki, "Drip Dry Eyes" by Yukihiro Takahashi, and "Bamboo Vendor" by Masayoshi Takanaka. CD

Warm, soulful sounds from a crucial time in the Japanese music scene – a 70s moment when the nation was finding a special groove of its own – but one that also drew heavily from American soul and jazz as well! It's no secret that the Japanese have always had a great love of American sounds – but by the mid 70s, that longtime love had also turned into some great homegrown sounds of their own – as Japan developed a number of its own strong soul singers, who were often backed by the ever-growing array of great jazz musicians, particularly those of the fusion side of the spectrum. Plus, there also seemed to be a lot more criss-crossing between Tokyo and US studios at the time – particularly those on the west coast – which resulted in a special blend of sounds that had all the class and cool of the Japanese urban scene, but also some of the sunniness of the west coast too. That special mix of music is perfectly summed up here – in a collection that offers up plenty of cuts that were never issued outside of Japan back in the day – with vocals both in English and Japanese, and plenty of grooves that are perfect for any fan of fusion-styled R&B. Titles include the classic "LA Nights" by Yasuko Agawa – plus "Say Goodbye" by Hiroshi Sato, "I Say Who" by Tomoko Soryo, "Sports Men" by Haruomi Hosoni, "Midnight Driver" by Minako Yoshida, "Machibouke" by Tazumi Toyoshima, "Exotic Yokogao" by Hitomi Tohyama, "Lady Pink Panther" by Shigeru Suzuki, "Drip Dry Eyes" by Yukihiro Takahashi, and "Bamboo Vendor" by Masayoshi Takanaka. (Japanese, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet sounds from a real golden age in Japanese music – a time when the scene had picked up plenty of influences from the US scene, but was carefully crafting some great styles of their own! The music here has touches of jazz, fusion, soul, and AOR – but there's a special balance that's a bit different than American chartbound material of the time – tight, but never too slick – and with a great ear for allowing the more interesting sides of the music to come forth in all the best ways – so that although catchy, the tunes aren't just going slavishly for a hook or a hit! There's a lot of resonance in the instrumentation with some of the scene that had Japanese jazz musicians working with American fusion players – but the overall approach is maybe more soul-based overall. An even deeper set than the first volume – with titles that include "Kanpoo" by Yumi Murata, "Hidari Mune No Seiza" by Tetsuji Hayashi, "Yubikiri" by Eiichi Ohtaki, "Vibration" by Kimiko Kasai, "Pink Shadow" by Bread & Butter, "The Tokyo Taste" by The Sadistics, "Blind Curve" by Momoko Kikuchi, "Skyfire" by Eri Ohno, and "Rainy Saturday & Coffee Break" by Junko Ohashi & Minoya Central Station. (Japanese, Funky Compilations) CD

Sweet sounds from a real golden age in Japanese music – a time when the scene had picked up plenty of influences from the US scene, but was carefully crafting some great styles of their own! The music here has touches of jazz, fusion, soul, and AOR – but there's a special balance that's a bit different than American chartbound material of the time – tight, but never too slick – and with a great ear for allowing the more interesting sides of the music to come forth in all the best ways – so that although catchy, the tunes aren't just going slavishly for a hook or a hit! There's a lot of resonance in the instrumentation with some of the scene that had Japanese jazz musicians working with American fusion players – but the overall approach is maybe more soul-based overall. An even deeper set than the first volume – with titles that include "Kanpoo" by Yumi Murata, "Hidari Mune No Seiza" by Tetsuji Hayashi, "Yubikiri" by Eiichi Ohtaki, "Vibration" by Kimiko Kasai, "Pink Shadow" by Bread & Butter, "The Tokyo Taste" by The Sadistics, "Blind Curve" by Momoko Kikuchi, "Skyfire" by Eri Ohno, and "Rainy Saturday & Coffee Break" by Junko Ohashi & Minoya Central Station. (Japanese, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet sounds from a real golden age in Japanese music – a time when the scene had picked up plenty of influences from the US scene, but was carefully crafting some great styles of their own! The music here has touches of jazz, fusion, soul, and AOR – but there's a special balance that's a bit different than American chartbound material of the time – tight, but never too slick – and with a great ear for allowing the more interesting sides of the music to come forth in all the best ways – so that although catchy, the tunes aren't just going slavishly for a hook or a hit! There's a lot of resonance in the instrumentation with some of the scene that had Japanese jazz musicians working with American fusion players – but the overall approach is maybe more soul-based overall. An even deeper set than the first volume – with titles that include "Kanpoo" by Yumi Murata, "Hidari Mune No Seiza" by Tetsuji Hayashi, "Yubikiri" by Eiichi Ohtaki, "Vibration" by Kimiko Kasai, "Pink Shadow" by Bread & Butter, "The Tokyo Taste" by The Sadistics, "Blind Curve" by Momoko Kikuchi, "Skyfire" by Eri Ohno, and "Rainy Saturday & Coffee Break" by Junko Ohashi & Minoya Central Station. (Japanese, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

A totally wonderful compilation – and a fantastic way to dip into the world of Japanese city pop – a genre that most of us missed back in the day, in large part because most of these records never made it to the record racks in the US! As fans know, the movement was a huge crest of creative activity in Japanese music – a way of refining some of the best modes begun in the 70s by artists like Haruomi Hosono and Ryuichi Sakamoto (both of whom have a hand in some of the tracks here) – and mixing in some of the long love of American soul, funk, and jazz that had been brewing up for years. There's definitely a lot of soul inspiration on these cuts, even though lyrics are in Japanese – and the music also has some nice electric fusion moments too – although more of the sounds are from beats, keyboards, and basslines. Titles include an early cut by Pizzicato Five, "Boy Meets Girl" – plus "Love Sick" by Mari Iijima, "Pub Casablanca" by Osamu Shoji, "Tropical Love" by Teresa Noda, "Scandal Night" by Miharu Koshi, "Heartbeat" by Miho Fujiwara, "Tonkachi" by Atsuko Nina, "Bewitched" by Naomi Akimoto, "A Soka" by Susan, "Suiyoubi Madeni Shinitaino" by Yukako Hayase, and "Business Man (part 1)" by Makoto Matsushia. (Japanese, Funky Compilations) CD

A totally wonderful compilation – and a fantastic way to dip into the world of Japanese city pop – a genre that most of us missed back in the day, in large part because most of these records never made it to the record racks in the US! As fans know, the movement was a huge crest of creative activity in Japanese music – a way of refining some of the best modes begun in the 70s by artists like Haruomi Hosono and Ryuichi Sakamoto (both of whom have a hand in some of the tracks here) – and mixing in some of the long love of American soul, funk, and jazz that had been brewing up for years. There's definitely a lot of soul inspiration on these cuts, even though lyrics are in Japanese – and the music also has some nice electric fusion moments too – although more of the sounds are from beats, keyboards, and basslines. Titles include an early cut by Pizzicato Five, "Boy Meets Girl" – plus "Love Sick" by Mari Iijima, "Pub Casablanca" by Osamu Shoji, "Tropical Love" by Teresa Noda, "Scandal Night" by Miharu Koshi, "Heartbeat" by Miho Fujiwara, "Tonkachi" by Atsuko Nina, "Bewitched" by Naomi Akimoto, "A Soka" by Susan, "Suiyoubi Madeni Shinitaino" by Yukako Hayase, and "Business Man (part 1)" by Makoto Matsushia. (Japanese, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

A totally wonderful compilation – and a fantastic way to dip into the world of Japanese city pop – a genre that most of us missed back in the day, in large part because most of these records never made it to the record racks in the US! As fans know, the movement was a huge crest of creative activity in Japanese music – a way of refining some of the best modes begun in the 70s by artists like Haruomi Hosono and Ryuichi Sakamoto (both of whom have a hand in some of the tracks here) – and mixing in some of the long love of American soul, funk, and jazz that had been brewing up for years. There's definitely a lot of soul inspiration on these cuts, even though lyrics are in Japanese – and the music also has some nice electric fusion moments too – although more of the sounds are from beats, keyboards, and basslines. Titles include an early cut by Pizzicato Five, "Boy Meets Girl" – plus "Love Sick" by Mari Iijima, "Pub Casablanca" by Osamu Shoji, "Tropical Love" by Teresa Noda, "Scandal Night" by Miharu Koshi, "Heartbeat" by Miho Fujiwara, "Tonkachi" by Atsuko Nina, "Bewitched" by Naomi Akimoto, "A Soka" by Susan, "Suiyoubi Madeni Shinitaino" by Yukako Hayase, and "Business Man (part 1)" by Makoto Matsushia. (Japanese, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

Groovy stuff – and even better than the earlier volumes! This one's got some great tracks by European jazz artists, lots of whom you'll recognize from labels like MPS, but who are represented here by rare sound library-only recordings! There's a total of 14 tracks in all, with lots of nice keyboards, groovy reed solos, 70's electric basslines, and other groovy soundtrack-y jazz moments. Includes "Count Down" by Roland Kovac Trio, "Safari Track" by Hardy's Jet Band, "Hot Track" by Rex Brown Company, "Goukai" by Atilla Zoller, "Soft Wind" by Gary Pacific Orchestra, "Straussmania" by Daniel Salinas, "Super Baby" by Dusko Goykovich, "Casting Office" by Rolf Kuhn, and lots lots more! LP, Vinyl record album

Saint Etienne have brought us a number of wonderful compilations over the years – both in this format for Ace Records, and their work on their own great Croydon Municipal label – yet as much as we've loved all those others, we may well love this one the best – as it's a sublime blend of 60s soul, tear-stained pop, and cool numbers with a New York sort of sound! The focus is mostly on tracks from the mid 60s – and the work here often feels like the special sort of tracks the Brill Building talents might have been working on into the night, before stepping down to the Carnegie Deli for a snack – the kind of special songs that were often too sophisticated to make the charts, but which stand out all these many years later as true moments of genius from the 60s. As usual with a Saint Etienne set, there's a huge amount here we've never heard before – all given proper presentation by Ace Records, along with a full booklet of notes. Titles include "Night Hawk" by The Valli Boys, "Deep Dark Secret" by Dee Sharp, "Up On The Bridge" by The Chiffons, "Don't" by Marva Josie, "I'm Your Man" by Chuck Jackson, "Boy You Love Me" by Joan Moody, "Catch Me In The Meadow" by The Tradewinds, "He's A Lover" by Tutti Hill, "Let's Stop Fooling Ourselves" by Eddie Jones, "Is This The Way To Treat A Girl" by The Hesitations, "Summer's Comin In" by Little Anthony & The Imperials, and "Park Avenue" by Lou Johnson. CD

A great look at the changing tone on the American scene at the end of the 60s – that moment when Vietnam, social unrest, and many other problems weighed heavily on the country's consciousness – and made their presence manifest in all sorts of pop music as well! We're not talking about the familiar sounds of the Woodstock generation – but instead more mainstream artists who had never touched on politics or social issues before – but suddenly found themselves singing alongside the underground about the bigger problems of the day. This package is a superb look at that moment – put together by the team who've given us the great English Weather and Paris In The Spring collections for Ace – with the same care for choice of tracks, and a wealth of wonderful notes that really get at the nature of these unusual tunes. Titles include "Clean Up Your Own Back Yard" by Elvis Presley, "Wine In The Wind" by Anita Kerr Singers, "Paint Me Black Angels" by Eartha Kitt, "This Crazy World" by Paul Anka, "Questions" by Bobby Darin, "Do You Believe This Town" by Dean Martin, "Cardboard California" by Buddy Greco, "Cherrystones" by Eugene McDaniels, "Save The Children" by Teresa Brewer, "Welfare Hero" by Johnny Tillotson, "What Do We Do With The World" by Bing Crosby, "4th Of July" by The Beach Boys, "Mr Businessman" by Ray Stevens, "Paint America Love" by Lou Christie, "Hitchhiker" by The Four Preps, "Brand New Day" by Della Reese, "Saturday's Father" by The 4 Seasons, and "Southbound Jericho Parkway" by Roy Orbison. (Rock, Funky Compilations) CD

A great look at the bright world of female soul in Japan during the 80s – a time when the nation was hitting some of its greatest heights of the postwar years – and was coming up with a magical musical groove to follow! While disco reigned in American clubs in the late 70s, the style really took off in Tokyo during the following decade – maybe mixed a bit with European and 80s club styles, but still unabashedly as upbeat and bubbling as American work of previous years – all to showcase a range of female singers whose style really matches the groove! The music takes off a bit from that shift into soul by Japanese jazz singers in the 70s – but is much farther than that mode overall, especially once the beats and keyboards get going. The package does a great job of being faithful to this legacy – and includes notes on each song and artist, along with album covers too. Titles include "Wanna Kiss" by Hitomi Tohyama, "Dancin" by Junko Ohashi, "Dress Down" by Kaoru Akimoto, "I'm In Love" by Aru Takamura, "Broken Eyes" by Mariko Tone, "TNT" by Rie Murakami, "Love Is A Work Of Mind" by Ra Mu, "Mystical Composer" by Kikuchi Momoko, and "Sky Restaurant" by Yumi Seino. (Japanese, Funky Compilations) CD

A brilliant encapsulation of the modern psych, freak folk, tripped out indie pop, and all around uncategorizable grooves of the Twisted Nerve label – a 10th anniversary celebration – doubling as both a label retrospective and a fantastic, riveting mix set by DJ Andy Votel! This approach works incredibly well, with Votel crafting a heady, exciting interconnective groove out of some fairly diverse material, and also includes some rare remixes Includes bits that sound like they were plucked from some spacey late 60s/early 70s style pharmaceutical fever dream, to more blissed out and dreamy avant pop moments, to some acoustic centered freak folk and electronics peppered experimentalism – in an excellent continuous mix by Votel. The CD has 13 tracks that each blend a couple or more Twisted Nerve tracks from over the years, a blend of more than 30 tracks in all, including "Say Your Prayers" and more by DOT, "Riding With Gabriel Greenburgh" by Badly Drawn Boy, "Sad Tail" by The Liftmen, "Fire In My Head" by Voice In The Seven Woods", "Pretty Pretty" by Mum & Dad, "Hag Door Mountain" by Samandtheplants, "Gone" by Sirconical, "Rusty Human" by Jukes, "CPU Song" by Little Miss Trinitron and much more! CD