A huge amount of material from Tommy James & The Shondells – a group that most people know for a string of jingle-jangle gems in the 60s, but who kept on making some really wonderful music over the course of the 11 albums included in this set! The group at the start were already pretty darn amazing – able to create the kind of catchy, groovy tunes that really exploded out of AM radio in the mid 60s – but as the years went on, Tommy moved into headier territory, and started to stretch out from the pop psych sound of "Crimson & Clover" – one of his last great hits, but also the gateway to all the wonderful music heard here in the second half of the set! The collection is a real ear-opener – and includes lots of music that hasn't been on CD in any form for years (or vinyl for that matter too!) – plus bonus tracks on most of the records, and other rare material – all bundled up with a heavy booklet of notes. 140 tracks in all – and the albums Hanky Panky, It's Only Love, I Think We're Alone Now, Gettin Together, Mony Mony, Crimson & Clover, Cellophane Symphony, Travelin, Tommy James, Christian Of The World, My Head My Bed & My Red Guitar – and bonus tracks and singles too! CD

Mad music from the Dutch scene of the 70s – music recorded either in The Netherlands, or the Dutch part of Belgium – pulled together here in a collection that's filled with ear-opening funky gems! The music here isn't straight soul, funk, or jazz – but rather criss-crossing musical styles that often have a little bit of each – often with these qualities that remind us of better-known soundtrack or folk-funk songs from the time – but which take on very different qualities, given the difference in language! There's plenty of great drums throughout, loads of killer keyboards, and basslines that can make just about any sort of song a funky nugget – and as with other titles on the Sdban label, the whole thing's a real revelation – a gateway to music that we never would have discovered otherwise – but now find that we can't live without. Titles include "Eva's Pakje" by Jimmy Frey, "Zomerliefde" by Laurentius, "Onheil" by Lamp & Lazerus, "Gemendg Gevoel" by Herman De Bruycker, "Wie Weet" by Spectrum, "Het Oink Beest" by Elly & Rikkert, "Maan Dag" by Daan Broos & Dapokaster, "Nooit Meer" by Josine Van Dalsum, "Handicap 2000" by Daan Broos, "Het Huis Van Wilde Tederheid" by Luk Bral, and "Hollandse Taal" by Moeder En Haar Jongens. (Funky Compilations, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album