An amazing avant session from the Czech scene of the 70s – and a record that may well be one of the most important to come out of the Eastern Bloc during the decade! Plastic People Of The Universe are a group who managed a legend that went way past their very tight national boundaries – kind of a secret global sense of attention that was spread through the intellectual underground, and forever cemented with this masterpiece of music! The album effortlessly shifts between free jazz, avant experimentation, art rock, and other mode used in these dark and powerful ways – a strong-burning torch that let the world know that Czech innovation was alive and well, even during years of strong Soviet oppression. Instrumentation mixes alto sax, theremin, claviphone, guitar, violin, and double drums – and titles include "The Wondrous Mandarin", "Look At You, All Sound Asleep", "Past My Window", "Constipation", and "Toxica". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing avant session from the Czech scene of the 70s – and a record that may well be one of the most important to come out of the Eastern Bloc during the decade! Plastic People Of The Universe are a group who managed a legend that went way past their very tight national boundaries – kind of a secret global sense of attention that was spread through the intellectual underground, and forever cemented with this masterpiece of music! The album effortlessly shifts between free jazz, avant experimentation, art rock, and other mode used in these dark and powerful ways – a strong-burning torch that let the world know that Czech innovation was alive and well, even during years of strong Soviet oppression. Instrumentation mixes alto sax, theremin, claviphone, guitar, violin, and double drums – and titles include "The Wondrous Mandarin", "Look At You, All Sound Asleep", "Past My Window", "Constipation", and "Toxica". LP, Vinyl record album

A gem of a record from the Cali scene of the late 60s – even though it was recorded in LA by a band from Canada! 49th Parallel are one of the great lost groups from the time – a combo who've got a sound that's very fresh, very much their own, yet who also resonate with all the best elements of the period – as they weave their own unique blend of psych and sunshine pop styles through the music! There's occasional horns on the record at times, but never in a jazz rock way – just a touch of brass to give things a bit more punch, used lightly and rightly, and in a very groovy way. Sometimes the guitars get a bit freaky and fuzzy, but never in any style that's overblown to threaten the sweetness of the vocals – and titles include "Now That I'm A Man", "Get Away", "Eye To Eye", "Missouri", "Lazerander Flitchy", "Twilight Woman", "Close The Barn Door", and "The People". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning spinoff from the first incarnation of King Crimson – a brilliant record from the team of Ian MacDonald and Michael Giles – both of whom move into territory that's quite different than their work with the more famous Fripp-led group! There's definitely elements here of the music the pair brought to King Crimson – but the songs are looser, more personal, and often have more jazz-rock elements in the mix – which can even result in some cool funky passages at times that are a quite soulful surprise! The album also features strong lyrical contributions from Peter Sinfield, who also sounds a bit hipper here – and work from Steve Winwood, who may well be one of the forces for the more soulful side of the spectrum. Lots of nice flute lines – almost Harold McNair-ish at times – and titles include "Suite In C", "Flight Of The Ibis", "Is She Waiting", "Tomorrow's People The Children Of Today", and "Birdman". LP, Vinyl record album

A key record in the second chapter of Joni Mitchell on record – a set that has both her vocals and her overall music style flowing with all these amazing touches you might not have heard a few years before – jazzier currents in her music that really set the album apart from earlier work in Joni's career! Mitchell responds to the music with soaring vocals that are completely wonderful, and nicely changed up in character from tune to tune – given backing by a host of great jazz and studio players who include Tom Scott on reeds and Joe Sample on keyboards! Titles include her classic version of "Twisted" – a redone version of the old Annie Ross track – plus the classic hit "Help Me", and "Just Like This Train", "Car On A Hill", "Court & Spark", "Down To You", "Free Man In Paris", and "People's Parties". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderfully weird combination of sounds – one that might almost be called psychedelic jazz at times, yet which also has a more freewheeling quality as well! Brent Cordero plays a very cool combo organ next to piano and synth on the record – in a core trio that features Ryan Sawyer on drums and Peter Kerlin on a variety of basses – which are then augmented by differing contributions from track to track, shaping the color palette of the record in a wonderful way! Players include Daniel Carter on alto and flute, James Brandon Lewis on tenor, Jessica Pavone on viola, Aaron Siegel on vibes, and Adam Amram on congas – each making great contributions to the record – on ttles that include "Movement To Protect The People", "Decolonize This Place", "White Supremacy In Black Face", "Pyrrhic", "Between The Carrot & The Stick", and "Affordable For Who". (Jazz, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Really cool material from the sessions for one of our favorite Joni Mitchell albums ever – a set that marked a new embrace of jazz in her music, and created some very groovy tunes! The music here is different than the final cuts that appeared on Court & Spark – more stripped-down and personal, in a way that links this new material back to the sparer sound of Joni at the end of the 60s. The format's a great one, and makes us love the songs even more – and the package features a very cool "Piano Suite", with snippets of other songs – plus demo takes on "People's Parties", "Help Me", "Trouble Child", "Raised On Robbery", and "Just Like This Train". LP, Vinyl record album

The title's certainly got it right – as the set's overflowing with killer UK tracks from a time when the scene was heavily influenced by American soul, jazz, blues, and R&B – served up here on a host of singles that go way past the bigger names of that generation, and which really show the diversity and complexity of the underground groups who were making London hum in the mid 60s! And despite a strong influence from America, most of these acts aren't just aping music from our shores, and instead are already taking it to new and exciting places – using core elements in very different ways, at a level that would end up being a path forward for prog, psych, and other styles to come! The limited 2LP set features 34 tracks in all – and titles include "Oh Yeah" by The Others, "Unchain My Heart" by Trendbender Band, "Work Song" by James Royal, "I Still Want You" by Mickey Finn & The Blue Men, "Things She Says" by The In Crowd, "Crawdaddy Simone" by The Syndicats, "That Driving Beat" by The Favourite Sons, "I Take What I Want" by The Artwoods, "Number One" by Stormsville Shakers, "See Saw" by The Union, "Ain't Love Good" by Lucas & The Mike Cotton Sound, "Gotta Brand New Man" by Barry St Loun, "Last Night" by Laurel Aitken & The Soul Men, "Turn On Your Lovelight" by Wynder K Frog, "Something For Nothing" by Carl Douglas & The Big Stampede, "Good Lovin Never Hurt" by The Soul Brothers, "Hold On" by Ruperts People, and "She's A Girl" by The Attraction. LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful little record from this longtime stalwart of the Chicago scene. Sam started out in Shrimpboat, gained great fame in Sea & Cake, and here delivers his most wonderful performance to date – a beautiful set of jazzy pop tracks, with backing by Josh Abrams, Archer Prewitt, Jim O'Rourke, and the great drummer Chad Taylor. The tracks bristle with a lovely sense of energy, and they have a sophistication that's wonderful – matched with a lyricism that keeps them always sounding fresh. Sam's turned into a wonderful vocalist, too – and we're betting you won't be able to take this one off the turntable once you get started. Titles include "The Shadow", "Don't Bother", "The Company", and "Faces & People". LP, Vinyl record album

A German group, but one who've got a sweet, sunny sound that would have been right at home in the Cali scene of the 70s! The harmonies on the record alone are great – right up there with America or CSN – and the instrumentation has slight jazzy currents, with a blend of acoustic guitar, flute, percussion, and other electric instrumentation – delivered in a style that's tight, but never commercial or overproduced – which is really the charm of the album! If these guys were working in LA, no doubt a bigger label would have mucked things up with too much polish for the charts – but instead, the record has this down to earth quality that makes the tightness seem even more appealing. Tracks include "Natures Melody", "Tears Take It Away", "Expression Of Feeling", "Upside Down", "Like A Ship On The Water", and "Out On the Road". LP, Vinyl record album