The second album from Spirit – and a standout powerhouse of late 60s rock! The combo have a great way of hitting a groove without losing their cool – as heard on the classic "I Got A Line On You", which leads off the set – and unlike most of their contemporaries, who could be too bluesy for their own good, or too indulgent to keep a good hook going, Spirit here really know how to dip around all the best bits of the late 60s underground, and bring them into tighter focus for deeper penetration into the mainstream. The sound is driven strongly by drums from Ed Cassidy and guitar from Randy California – but the record's also got some nicely sweeter moments too, bits of jazz that slide into a few of the best tracks to complicate the vibe. Titles include "I Got A Line On You", "It Shall Be", "Poor Richard", "Drunkard", "Silky Sam", "Jewish", "Dream Within A Dream", and "She Smiles". LP, Vinyl record album

The fingersnap here is the key – as all the cuts here have a nicely romping kind of groove – a sweet sense of rhythm that's bound to get your toes tapping as much as your fingers are snapping – thanks to a nice sense of space between the notes! The music is from a variety of different genres – late 50s/early 60s country, pop, jazz, and R&B – all brought together here with the usual great Bear Family sense of an inventive tracklist, and definite panache for putting together a collection! The set features 31 tracks in all – and titles include "Tremblin" by Byrdie Green, "Love Charms" by Sanford Clark, "Lookout Mountain" by Chuck Miller, "Walk With Me Lord" by Ruth Brown, "King Of The Road" by Roger Miller, "My Nerves" by Little Willie John, "Coal Miner" by Nappy Brown, "Fever" by Peggy Lee, "Tale Of Woe" by Wynonie Harris, "Hawk" by Bill Haley & The Comets, "Jack That Cat Was Clean" by Dr Horse, "Chills & Fever" by Ronnie Love, "Sixteen Tons" by Jimmy Dean, "Tiny Tim" by LaVern Baker, "Satan Is Her Name' by Steve King & The Echelons, and "Heartbeat" by The Collins Kids. CD

A whole host of genre-breaking tracks from Texas impresario Augie Meyers – both an artist in the underground country rock scene, and the creative force behind the TRC label, which is showcased here in a variety of different recordings! If you know some of the important criss-crossing styles that were taking place in Austin during the mid 70s, you'll get some of the vibe here – but Augie hails from San Antonio, where the groove has maybe even more border-styled influences – served up here in a variety of tracks that really work together with a unified vibe. As always with Bear Family, the package and notes are great, and really help get at the special side of the music – presented here on 26 tracks that include "Country Groove" and "Henrietta" by Doug Sahm, "Domingo" by Denny Ezba, "Mezcal Road" by El Molino, "Meet Me In Seguin" and "Where I Belong" by Carol Meyer & The Western Head Band, "Boogie Woogie Country Girl" by Wild Man Ray Liberto, "Dynamite Woman" by Sir Douglas Quintet, "Faded Love" by Brother Al Stricklin, and the tunes "Deed To Texas", "High Texas Rider", "Sun Shines Down On Me In Texas", "Just Because", "Wedding Bells", and "Why Don't We Make Love Like We Used To" by Augie Meyers. (Folk/Country, Rock) CD

A set that definitely takes the title seriously – as it brings together lots and lots of upbeat groovers from Dion – a few early cuts with The Belmonts, and a lot more from his excellent solo years of the 60s! That stretch of Dion's career is often given focus as a time when DiMucci moved into more serious singer-songwriter modes – but at the same time, he was also still able to deliver the kind of catchy groovers that he first pioneered with The Belmonts – as you'll hear on this overstuffed collection that also features copious notes on this point in his career. CD features 29 tracks in all – with titles that include "The Majestic", "Unloved Unwanted Me", "I Got The Blues", "Lonely Teenager", "Little Diane", "Sweet Sweet Baby", "Shout", "Lovers Who Wander", "North End Of The Corner", "Flim Flam", "The Wanderer", and "Come Go With Me". CD