There's plenty of electric colors here – a great blend of the many elements from this large European funk ensemble, all filtered down into a mighty nice groove from Misha Panfilov! Penza Penza are one of Misha's most lively projects – and the group have this energy that draws on classic American instrumental soul from the 60s and 70s, but trips things out nicely in that style that Panfilov does so well with other acts – a slight dose of psychedelic colorings around the edges, but never in a way that obscures the sharp instrumentation at the core! Titles include "The World Of High Voltage Badgers", "Der Himmel Uber Kakumae", "Color My Coffee", "Deep Dive", and "Electricolor". (Deep Funk, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A masterpiece in fuzzy funk from this large Estonian collective – a group who work here with sharp production from Misha Panfilov, with a sound that's every bit as weird and wonderful as all the other projects he's given us over the years! The group do a wonderful job of blending psychedelic guitar with heavy drums and heady basslines – music that's freaky in all the right parts, but never forgets to be funky either – and which sounds much more like the tight energy of a small combo than you'd guess from the large number of musicians on the cover! As with some of Misha's other recordings, there's some great electric moments here that really create a spacey sort of vibe next to the funkier energy at the core – on titles that include "Bullet Fast", "How Do You Swim At Night", "Stompin & Mortorikn", "5000 Hailstones", "Matti Pellonpaa", "Merman", and "Neanderthal Rock". (Deep Funk, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A heady set from mid 70s South Korea – the debut album from a mighty edgey little trio! The album's not nearly as psych as some of the other Korean efforts from the period – as the group's got a tight groove on most numbers, with a definite funk influence on the drums and bass – mixed nicely with heavy use of fuzz guitar, and Shin's weirdly soulful vocals! The set's not really a funk album, but it's not really funky rock either – kind of a unique hybrid, and a very original little set – especially when you throw the oddness of the Korean vocals into the mix. Titles include "Lady", "I Do Not Know", "Rising Sun", "I Love You", "Long Long Night", and "I Think There Was Someone Else". (Global Grooves, Rock) CD

A heady set from mid 70s South Korea – the debut album from a mighty edgey little trio! The album's not nearly as psych as some of the other Korean efforts from the period – as the group's got a tight groove on most numbers, with a definite funk influence on the drums and bass – mixed nicely with heavy use of fuzz guitar, and Shin's weirdly soulful vocals! The set's not really a funk album, but it's not really funky rock either – kind of a unique hybrid, and a very original little set – especially when you throw the oddness of the Korean vocals into the mix. Titles include "Lady", "I Do Not Know", "Rising Sun", "I Love You", "Long Long Night", and "I Think There Was Someone Else". (Global Grooves, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A mighty pairing of talents – indie legends Men I Trust and funk monsters Khruangbin – united here on one record, recorded on a very strong tour date from 2022! All material was recorded at RBC Echo Beach – with Men I Trust on side one, Khruangbin on side two – sadly not playing together on the same stage, but maybe something you could create if you played two copies of the record at the same time, one side each! Titles include "Sugar", "All Night", "Seven", "Show Me How", "Dern Kala", "Lady & Man", and "White Gloves". (Deep Funk, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

The wonderful first solo album from Nils Lofgren – done with this lean, tight sound that's nicely different than his previous work with Grin – and which really lets Nils show off all the best sides of his vocals and guitar! The group is just a core trio with Wornell Jones on bass (later of solo funk fame) and the great Aynsley Dunbar on drums – a player whose compact energy really brings a nice kick to the tunes, without ever overdoing things at all! Nils himself is stunningly charming on vocals – and also handles guitar, piano, and organ – as well as backup vocals, through the magic of overdub. In an era of rock overindulgence, the intimacy of the record is a really welcome change – although Lofrgren manages to come across with a real fullness too – almost like Todd Rundgren's self-created projects. Titles include "Keith Don't Go", "Back It Up", "One More Saturday Night", "Be Good Tonight", "Can't Buy A Break", "Duty", and "The Sun Hasn't Set On This Boy Yet". LP, Vinyl record album

A madly grooving late 60s French soundtrack by Jean-Pierre Mirouze – and a masterful one at that – with sounds that range from a moody, dramatic vocal tune to some killer instrumental funk! The haunting "Together" opens the record in a great way – with a mystical mellow vibe and English language vocals by Barry Green. Subsequent instrumental tunes have a similarly evocative or sultrier vibe – while others such as "Sexopolis" have heavy Hammond, massive rhythms, and a totally freaked-out groove! Includes "Tivoli Garden", "Ulla Et Georgie", "Karin On The Ryke", "Lovers Party", "Tivoly By Night", "Scene Du Port" and "Tandoori Dance". (Soundtracks, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A stone smoker from Rare Earth – recorded at a time when they were able to easily handle a groove made up of equal parts funk, rock, and soul! The vibe here is almost like War at times – not for the LA touches in the mix, but for the heady and heavy way these guys roll forward – pulling together all the best elements of the underground at the time, and bringing them into their own smoky groove. Instrumentation is wonderful – and some of the cuts have a really great jamming sort of feel – especially the 11 minute reading of "(I Know) I'm Losing You" – originally done by the Temptations, and produced by Norman Whitfield for the album! Other titles include "Long Time Leavin", "Satisfaction Guaranteed", "Nice Place To Visit", "No 1 Man", and a sweet version of "Eleanor Rigby". Also included are nine bonus tracks – "When Joanie Smiles", "One World", "The Feeling", "Here Comes The Night" – plus alternate versions of "Eleanor Rigby", "Nice Place To Visit", and "Satisfaction Guaranteed"! CD

Features "Turn To Stone", "Mother Says", "Help Me Through The Night", "Rocky Mountain Way", "Meadows", "County Fair", "Funk #49", "Time Out" and "Walk Away". CD

Features "Turn To Stone", "Mother Says", "Help Me Through The Night", "Rocky Mountain Way", "Meadows", "County Fair", "Funk #49", "Time Out" and "Walk Away". LP, Vinyl record album

A pivotal album for post-punk legends A Certain Ratio – done at a time when the group was really putting a lot of funk and soul into their style – learning to play their instruments a bit more like the soul artists who inspired them, and acting less like the punk musicians they first appeared to be. The change actually makes for a pretty darn nice album – a record of smoother than usual instrumental sides that have some more straight ahead rhythms than before, but still enough darkly-tinged moments to keep things interesting. Titles include "Touch", "Saturn", "Hot Knights", "Sesamo Apriti Corco Vada", "Axis", "Guess Who" and "Show Case". LP, Vinyl record album

The longest album ever from The Clash – a stunning triple LP set that really shows the group bristling with new ideas and energy throughout! There's a hell of a lot going on here – some cuts that are every bit as strong as the previous records, others that offer a few mis-steps but in a wonderfully playful way – and a few more that really hit this sort of unique mix of genres and politics that could only be summed up as Clash-like at its best! Bits of hip hop, reggae, new wave, funk, and more mix together beautifully – and the album's got a hell of a lot of charm and character, even if you're skipping past a few of the cuts you don't like as much as the others. 36 tracks in all – and titles include "The Magnificent Seven", "Hitsville UK", "Junco Partner", "The Leader", "Police On My Back", "Midnight Log", "The Call Up", "Washington Bullets", "Broadway", "Rebel Waltz", "Look Here", "The Crooked Beat", "Somebody Got Murdered", "Lose This Skin", "Charlie Don't Surf", "Kingston Advice", "Corner Soul", "Let's Go Crazy", "The Sound Of Sinners", "Living In Fame", "Silicone On Sapphire", and "Career Opportunities". CD

The longest album ever from The Clash – a stunning triple LP set that really shows the group bristling with new ideas and energy throughout! There's a hell of a lot going on here – some cuts that are every bit as strong as the previous records, others that offer a few mis-steps but in a wonderfully playful way – and a few more that really hit this sort of unique mix of genres and politics that could only be summed up as Clash-like at its best! Bits of hip hop, reggae, new wave, funk, and more mix together beautifully – and the album's got a hell of a lot of charm and character, even if you're skipping past a few of the cuts you don't like as much as the others. 36 tracks in all – and titles include "The Magnificent Seven", "Hitsville UK", "Junco Partner", "The Leader", "Police On My Back", "Midnight Log", "The Call Up", "Washington Bullets", "Broadway", "Rebel Waltz", "Look Here", "The Crooked Beat", "Somebody Got Murdered", "Lose This Skin", "Charlie Don't Surf", "Kingston Advice", "Corner Soul", "Let's Go Crazy", "The Sound Of Sinners", "Living In Fame", "Silicone On Sapphire", and "Career Opportunities". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing reissue of this now-legendary album – once a lost psych oddity, but a set that's gone onto make plenty of waves over the years! Song Of A Gypsy may well be one of the best self-issued psych sets from the American underground – a really well-written, well-recorded record that has a very dark personal vision – an approach to the music that's instantly unique, and which shows that digging for rare psych albums can really yield the occasional gem that stands head and shoulders with the bigger names of the time! Damon's voice is darkly spooky, and couched with these cool flanged-out guitar lines on the sides – creating a space that's very personal, and which seems to let the lyrics hit these qualities that go much deeper than usual. The core album's been treasured for years by the few fans who had an original copy, and by a few more who had a previous reissue – but this double-length set is the first to ever tell the true tale of the enigmatic Damon – with a huge 64 page booklet of notes, and a massive amount of rare bonus tracks too. The core album includes "Song Of A Gypsy", "Funky Funky Blues", "Don't You Feel Me", "The Night", "Feel Your Love", "Oh What A Good Boy Am I", and "Birds Fly So High". Bonus tracks include some demo and 45 versions of "Song Of A Gypsy", plus "Don't Cry", "Lonely Surfer", "Bowlin Alley Jane", "Everything Is Alright", "The Little White Cloud That Cried", "I Wonder Why", and "I've Got My Pride". LP, Vinyl record album

Features "Free Fall", "Refried Funky Chicken", "Cosmopolitan Traveler", "Take It Off The Top", "What If", "Ice Cakes", "Night Meets Light", "Punk Sandwich", "Long Slow Distance", "Night Of The Living Dregs", and "Patchwork". CD

Four incredible albums from the young Georgie Fame – plus a bonus CD of rare material, bonus tracks on all CDs, and 18 previously unreleased tracks – all in a box set with a 48 page book, 5 postcards, and a poster too! First up is Rhythm & Blues At The Flamingo – blistering early work from a young Georgie Fame – a set that definitely lives up to the Rhythm & Blues in the title! The set was recorded live at London's hip Flamingo club – and Georgie and The Blue Flames are very much in command of the crowd – burning with the intensity of a American small organ combo, especially the early 60s variety that often played equal parts soul jazz and R&B! Georgie's on the Hammond, and also sings with a rough-edged style that's plenty soulful, and incredibly appealing – a mode that oozes charisma, but never sounds fake or forced. Titles include "Do The Dog", "Eso Beso", "Work Song", "Baby Please Don't Go", "Shop Around", "Humpty Dumpty", and "You Can't Sit Down". Fame At Last is a brilliant mix of jazz, soul, and R&B – all filtered through a mod sort of London freshness, as early proof that the city could always take some great things from our own musical roots, and feed it back to us with a whole new flavor! Georgie's no copycat here, though – and the sound is instantly Fame-like – a style that's really not the sort that any Americans were doing at the time, and certainly never this well. Hard-burning Hammond colors most of the tunes here – played with a tightly vamping quality – but it's Georgie's charmingly crackling vocals that really win us over! Titles include "Gimme That Wine", "Pink Champagne", "Monkeying Around", "Green Onions", "Let The Sunshine In", "Get On The Right Track Baby", "I'm In The Mood For Love", and "I Love The Life I Live". Sweet Things is a definite sweet thing from Georgie Fame – a record that has him filling in his sound even more than before, with tremendously soulful results! The backings here are bigger than before – a bit tooled in an American soul mode, but still with that beautifully raspy Georgie Fame touch – lots of jazzy inflections on the vocals, and a way of handling a tune, even a familiar one, and really working it on his own level. Hammond still fills in most of the tunes, but other instrumentation includes some nice African percussion from Speedy Acquaye, saxes from Pete Coe, and some nice bold drums from John Mitchell. These come out to the forefront on the classic funky tune "Music Talk" – and still sound great on other numbers that include "The World Is Round", "Last Night", "Dr Kitch", "My Girl", "Ride Your Pony", and "Sweet Thing". Sound Venture is one of the jazziest early albums from Georgie Fame – a set that has him singing with the big band of Harry South, at a level that's a lot more complicated than some of his other work with The Blue Flames! The style here still has that mod 60s London feel, but it also has some deeper inflections as well – modes borrowed a bit from Jon Hendricks or Mose Allison, yet served up with even greater complexity – at a level that really points towards the tremendous growth Fame would unleash over the next few years. Members of the group include Tubby Hayes, Ronnie Scott, Tony Coe, Dick Morrisey, Kenny Wheeler, and many other key Brit jazz figures of the time – and titles include "Three Blind Mice", "Dawn Yawn", "Feed Me", "Lovey Dovey", "Lil Darlin", "Lil Pony", "I Am Missing You", and "Many Happy Returns". CD5 is Bend A Little – a package with 20 unusual titles – demos, rare tracks, and outtakes – including unreleased tracks, IBC recordings, and even two German tracks too! Plus, each individual CD comes with bonus tracks – 40 bonus tracks, in addition to the 20 more titles on the Bend A Little set – a huge amount of material! (Vocalists, Rock) CD

Rare bit of lost rocky funk, recorded by Alan Douglas for his short-lived 70s label. The record includes a lot of nice keyboards by Neil Larson, funky drums by Phillip Wilson, and some heavy guitars by Buzz Feiten. There are also some guest playing by Airto, Ray Barretto, and Randy Brecker – but the core sound's by the funky Full Moon. Some tracks have vocals that are a bit weak, but there are some nice fuzzy funky moments to make up for them. Titles include "The Heavy Scuffle's On", "To Know", "Midnight Pass", "Selfish People", and "Need Your Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A great bit of funky rock, with slight bluesy touches – and a hard overall sound that has bits of the San Francisco sound to it, though they were actually from the east coast, and featured a young Billy Joel rocking in an entirely different vein than his later piano-man years . There's a great break on the cut "4 O'Clock In The Morning" – and other tunes include "Country Boy", "Night After Day", "Cat", "Land Of Despair", and "Hotel St George". LP, Vinyl record album

Not the original Quatermass EP from The Heliocentrics – but material that takes off in an even fuller, heavier direction – and which may well be the funkiest sounds we've heard from these guys so far! The music is stunning right from the very first heavy bassline and sharp drum crackle – more focused, more full-on, and more funky than before – with this mindblowing mix of super-tight rhythms and nicely trippy work on keyboards and guitar – all freaky and fuzzy, but always with a sense of purpose, too – and never just crazy for the sake of crazy! These guys really hit a new high with this set – simply wonderful, and at a level that has us falling in love with them all over again. Titles include "The Pit", "Gas Bottle", "Discovery", "Phenomenon Of Man", "Telekinesis", "Night & Day", "Looking Back", "Mass Psychosis", and "The Final Conclusion". (Deep Funk, Rock) CD

Tracks include "Tiny Dancer", "Someone Saved My Life Tonight", "Philadelphia Freedom", "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", and "Grow Some Funk Of Your Own". CD

One of the many chapters of Jimi's career before his famous Experience recordings – a set of hard rocking soul tracks with singer Curtis Knight, recorded in a really lively sort of party feel! The quality of the set almost makes us think this one was a live session – especially on the really great 10 minute track "Get That Feeling" – a stone jamming number that features some mean funky guitar from Jimi, and some screaming vocals from Curtis! Other titles include "How Would You Feel", "Simon Says", "Hush Now", "Welcome Home", and "Strange Things". (Soul, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked groover by this 60s rock act – recorded in Memphis by Chips Moman, with a hard sock-soul approach that's almost a blue eyed soul take on the sound of Stax! There were probably more than a few famous Memphis session players on the set, and you can certainly imagine who might have been there from the strength of the backings – deeply soulful, and even a bit funky at times. Titles include "One Night Stand", "Soul Man", "Boogaloo Down Broadway", "Peace Of Mind", "Goin To Memphis", and "I'm A Loser Too". LP, Vinyl record album

Iggy's first proper solo record, and a strange morass of junkie desperation and guttural punk funk! The Idiot is the ultimately the culmination of a very smart decision to move away from the guitar roar of the Stooges and closer to the sounds his longtime champion David Bowie was experimenting with at the time, with a little bit of Lou Reed for good measure – but make no mistakes, this is Iggy's show. It's as fascinating overall as it is impressive on a more visceral level, with heavy bass rhythms and keys intergral to the sound, and weary latenight storytelling that trips you out on contact. All tunes co-written by Bowie, who would go on to make a lot of money off "China Girl" a few years into the 80s when the world was more ready for it, plus the classic "Nightclubbing", "Sister Midnight", "Baby", "Dum, Dum Boys", "Tiny Girls" and "Mass Production". CD

One of the great records that Rare Earth did in collaboration with producer Norman Whitfield – a set that continues the deeply soulful vibe of their earliest records, but also offers a nice update to the sound! The style's in the kind of well-crafted funk that Norman would soon issue on his Whitfield label – all the bass-heavy bottom of his late 60s Motown righteous recordings, but with some deeper 70s currents too – really pushing even the more rockish moments on the set into surprisingly soulful territory! As usual with Whitfield, all the arrangements are his own – and titles include "Midnight Lady", "Finger Lickin Good", "It's A Natural", "Do It Right", "He Who Picks A Rose", and "Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone". CD

One of the great records that Rare Earth did in collaboration with producer Norman Whitfield – a set that continues the deeply soulful vibe of their earliest records, but also offers a nice update to the sound! The style's in the kind of well-crafted funk that Norman would soon issue on his Whitfield label – all the bass-heavy bottom of his late 60s Motown righteous recordings, but with some deeper 70s currents too – really pushing even the more rockish moments on the set into surprisingly soulful territory! As usual with Whitfield, all the arrangements are his own – and titles include "Midnight Lady", "Finger Lickin Good", "It's A Natural", "Do It Right", "He Who Picks A Rose", and "Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone". CD

Pretty heavy rock from this early 70s British group – following very heavily in a Cream mode, with lots of deep bass, fuzzy guitars, and some kicking drums that almost sound like they might give out the odd break or two! Vocals are a bit tortured and a bit bluesy – but not bad overall, and very much in the best funky rock mode of the time. Titles include a version of "Now They've Found Me (Ballad Of A Well Known Gun)", plus "Naughty Lady", "Gangbang", "Superstar", "Sixty Years On", "Nightflight", and "Dog End". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from Simon & Garfunkel – right at a time when they were starting to get interesting! The album's a very well-conceived whole, with sublime that mixes hits and more obscure tunes – titles that include "Homeward Bound", "59th Street Bridge Song", and "Scarborough Fair/Canticle", with "Dangling Conversation", "For Emily Whenever I May Find Her", "A Simple Desultory Philippic", and "Flowers Never Bend With The Rainfall" – plus the cool "7 O'Clock News/Silent Night". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from Simon & Garfunkel – right at a time when they were starting to get interesting! The album's a very well-conceived whole, with sublime that mixes hits and more obscure tunes – titles that include "Homeward Bound", "59th Street Bridge Song", and "Scarborough Fair/Canticle", with "Dangling Conversation", "For Emily Whenever I May Find Her", "A Simple Desultory Philippic", and "Flowers Never Bend With The Rainfall" – plus the cool "7 O'Clock News/Silent Night". CD features bonus tracks – two unusual versions of "Patterns" and "Poem On The Underground Wall". CD

A really cool bit of 70s AOR – a set that feels like it's got some southern rock currents at the core, but which features very cool northern production and arrangements – including some cool funky moments that really make the record great! The vocals often have a bit of processing – kind of a cool flangey, watery sort of style that makes the lead of Bruce Blackman sound cool and compelling – and Blackman himself produced the set, and clearly found the right setting for his talents! Titles include "Lash LaRue", "Drop A Little Rock", "I Got To Know", "Lucky Man", "So The Night Goes", "Moonlight Feels Right", and "The Slower You Go". CD

The excellent solo debut from lumbering rock guitar virtuoso Joe Walsh – buzzing, melodic and extremely tuneful early 70s rock that's refreshingly free of the processed cheese that characterized much of his later material, both solo and as an Eagle – and possibly the best work he's ever done! Barnstorm has some of the whispery rural rock sounds, fat and nearly funk keyboard grooves, and crunching chords that make Joe (in)famous – but what really stretches this record out and pushes it to a lofty pillar are the post psychedelic touches. Bits of flute, echoey guitar and keys, and trippy lyricism elevate the tracks on the first half of the album into terrain we forgot Joe ever treaded. It really makes the heavier, funky rock & roll bits that much more rewarding. It's almost like a blue collar Astral Weeks in spots! Tracks include "Here We Go", "Midnight Mover", "One And One", "Giant Bohemoth", "Mother Says", "Home", "I'll Tell The World", "Turn To Stone" and more. LP, Vinyl record album