A pair of great albums from the overlooked Ars Nova – back to back in a single set! First up is the 1968 self-titled Ars Nova – a wonderful little set of post-folk rock – with lots of lovely baroque touches! Ars Nova were really short-lived group – known for only two rare records – but they've got a sound that perfectly sums up a generation! There's a wonderful LA late 60s sound here – somewhere between Love and The Byrds, with the baroque touches of the former and the best country influences of the latter – all wrapped up in earnest, honest songwriting that makes even the ambitious moments come across with surprising charm. A true lost relic, and the kind of record that should be in any late 60s cannon! Titles include "Album In Your Mind", "Pavan For My Lady", "General Clover Ends A War", "And How Am I To Know", "Fields Of People", "Automatic Love", and "Song To The City". Sunshine & Shadows is the second tripped-out set from Ars Nova – an under-remembered late 60s group who had a great talent for blending together a range of different styles! At some level, Ars Nova share qualities with some of the harder-jamming groups of their time – but they've also got a sound that expands to bring in folk, blues, jazz, and more baroque elements – played by the group with a lineup that includes some nice work on trumpet by Jimmy Owens, who at this point was a core member of the combo. Brooks Arthur handled the overall music direction, with a quality that recalls some of his work on Verve – and the album features the wonderful bossa-styled groover "Walk On The Sand", a romping soul jazz take on Jimmy Owens' "You Had Better Listen", and the cuts "Rubbish", "Please Don't Go Now", "Temporary Serenade", "She Promises Everything", and "Round Once Again". CD

A very cool quartet from the British jazz/rock years – but one who were a lot more jazz-based than some of their contemporaries! These guys are all instrumental, and although a number of their tunes are familiar rock standards from the late 60s, they don't play them like rock tunes at all – and instead used them as freewheeling vehicles for solo exploration –r eally stretching out in a mix of acoustic and electric modes that's mighty nice! Leader Mike McNaught plays both Fender Rhodes and acoustic piano – and the group also features Daryl Runswick on bass, Mike Travis on drums and percussion, and Jim Philip on some especially great flute, tenor, and soprano sax – the last of which really soars up beautifully next to the Rhodes! The set is maybe a bit in the mode of some of John Klemmer's electrified work from the same time, but also more British too – although not without a fair degree of soul on the keyboards. Titles include "Dreams", "Rosecrans Boulevard", "Something", "Dear Prudence", and "Childhood Room". (Jazz, Rock) CD

Sweet and salty psych-soul-rock-funk from Adrian Quesada and Shawn Lee, working together as The Electric Peanut Butter Company! They're a company of just 2, handling every aspect themselves, but if you if ever heard anything by either party, you know this is going to have a huge sound. Lots of fuzzed out psych funk touches on this one – a mix of heady instrumentals and some fun vocal numbers. Shawn handles the singing, and the duo are both multi-instrumentalists and leftfield funk geniuses – managing to work with myriad influences without sounding exactly like anyone but themselves. The drums, guitars and keyboards are masterful here, but there's a lot of cool instrumental and production touches throughout. Vol 1 is actually the duo's second album – the first was Vol 2 (naturally!) – and it delivers on the diverse debut, and then some! Includes "Flexi Funk", "Beer Good", "Spread The Jam", "Stealio", "Tennis Elbow", "Mister Pink", "Austin City Limiter", "Go Go Go", "Damn Skippy", "Jenn Wu", "Fat Budda" and more. (Deep Funk, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorites by King Crimson – and a record with a lot more jazz than some of their others! Players include Mel Collins on lots of flutes and saxes – plus guests Keith Tippett on piano, Mark Charig on cornet, and Harry Miller on bass! LP, Vinyl record album

(Note: This item is not for sale online until after the opening of business on Sunday, June 21. It is in limited supply – and by nature of the Record Store Day rules it will be offered for sale first to customers who visit the Dusty Groove retail outlet in Chicago on Record Store Day. It will not be pre-sold or reserved in any way. However, the day after Record Store Day we will offer up whatever we have left for sale online.) (Folk/Country, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the classic "Waterloo" – plus "Hasta Manana", "King Kogn Song", "Dance", "My Mama Said", "Ring Ring", "Watch Out", "Wat About Livingstone", and "Suzy Hang Around". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Titles include the classic "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" – plus "Big Balls", "Problem Child", "Ride On", "Squealer", "There's Gonna Be Some Rockin", "Love At First Feel", "Rocker", and "Ain't No Fun Waiting Round To Be A Millionaire". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Deep In The Hole", "Bedlam In Belgium", "Badlands", "Brain Shake", "Rising Power", "This House Is On Fire", and "Guns For Hire". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Back In Business", "Hell Or High Water", "Send For The Man", "Playing With Girls", "Stand Up", "Danger", "Sink The Pink", and "First Blood". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Heavy drums and a good dose of soul – both of which make Black Pearl stand out a bit from many of their late 60s contemporaries! There's a definite bluesy undercurrent to the group's music, but the riffs are also pretty hard and fast too – almost a bit funky at times, and delivered with a starker sort of groove than the usual blues rock combo. The musicianship is super tight throughout – really at a superstar level, but without sounding slick or commercial – and the album alone is worth it for the sharp drums and guitar leads, but also sports some pretty great vocals too – with almost a garagey soul sort of feel. Titles include "White Devil", "Mr Soul Satisfaction", "Thinkin Bout The Good Times", "Crazy Chicken", "Forget It", "Climbing Up The Walls", "Reach Up", "Bent Over", and "Endless Journey". LP, Vinyl record album

A bluesy classic from Roy Buchanan – and a record that states his mighty guitar powers right from the very first note! In fact, although Roy sings on the record, it's the guitar that's probably the main attraction here – and the instrument often comes off first on most tunes, setting a rich current that's complemented by the vocals in ways that sometimes remind us of swamp rock modes from the late 60s – and at others which have the changes that were shifting in blues rock during the mid 70s. titles include "If Six Was Nine", "Running Out", "Man On The Floor", "Keep What You Got", "Caruso", "Okay", and "Guitar Cadenza". CD

An astounding collection of great numebers by the legendary Clovers – a group whose sound was a key force in transforming Atlantic Records during the 50s! The Clovers were an incredibly tight, incredibly consistent quintet – possessed of a rich talent for both sweet ballads and raspier groovers, in a way that helped push vocal harmonies much more strongly into an R&B mode than some of the efforts of groups who came before. This 16 track set features many of the group's best numbers from their Atlantic years – not just the few familiar hits, but a great batch of lesser-known tracks that show just how strong The Clovers sound was overall. Titles include "Devil Or Angel", "One Mint Julep", "Lovey Dovey", "Your Cash Ain't Nothin But Cash", "Nip Sip", "Good Lovin'", "I Got My Eyes On You", "Down In The Alley", "Don't You Know I Love You", "Love Bug" and "If I Could Be Loved By You". (Soul, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Dark Star", "Just A Song Before I Go", "I Give You Give Blind", "In My Dreams", and "Carried Away". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Dark Star", "Just A Song Before I Go", "I Give You Give Blind", "In My Dreams", and "Carried Away". CD

A live classic from CSNY – with long versions of "Southern Man", "Long Time Gone", "Ohio", "Carry On", "Triad", "Chicago", and "Love The One You're With". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Carry On", "Teach Your Children", "Helpless", "Almost Cut My Hair", and "Country Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

A great document of all this famous harmony trio/quartet were able to achieve during their first few years – a masterful reworking of vocal group modes from earlier rock and soul styles, taken forward towards the 70s with a spirit that's still as powerful today as it was back at the time! These tracks saw so much circulation over the years, it's easy to forget how revolutionary they were – especially when coming from artists who had roots in more familiar rock modes, but who somehow really seemed to rise together in the company of each other. Titles include "Deja Vu", "Suite Judy Blue Eyes", "Ohio", "Teach Your Children", "Our House", "Helplessly Hoping", "Wooden Ships", "Woodstock", "Helpless", "Guinnevere", and "Find The Cost Of Freedom". CD

Two 1968 albums by Cher – back to back on a single CD! First up is Backstage – a great little solo album from Cher – recorded during her overlooked run of non-Sonny Bono material for Imperial Records in the late 60s – a sublime stretch that really opens up her vocals with a surprisingly soulful vibe! That's definitely the case here, as Harold Battiste is helping Sonny out on production – adding some nicely deep currents to the music, as Cher takes on tunes by Bob Dylan, Miriam Makeba, Tim Hardin, and a surprisingly diverse array of artists – transforming every song in the process, and really making the music her own! Titles include a great sitar-laden version of "Masters Of War", plus "The Click Song", "Reason To Believe", "Do You Believe In Magic", "Take Me For A Little While", "A House Is Not A Home", and "Song Called Children". Golden Greats features loads of solo material that Cher recorded for Imperial Records without Sonny Bono on vocals – working alone, because the duo were contracted as a pair to Atlantic at the time! Sonny's still got a great hand in the music, though – producing most of it, and contributing a fair bit of original songs, next to material that Cher takes on from others, and really makes her own. Titles include "Hey Joe", "Alfie", "Sunny", "All I Really Want To Do", "I Feel Something In The Air", "You Better Sit Down Kids", "Come & Stay With Me", and the mega-hit "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)". CD