One of THE electric blues records of the 60s – a seminal set by Albert King that was probably blasted out of more college dorm rooms than southside juke joints, but which still more than deserves its due! The set was recorded by Stax with a nice raw sound – guitar very much upfront, but also set amidst arrangements that have a bit more soul than the average Chicago blues session from the same time. The set features a number of originals by Stax regulars like Booker T and David Porter – and titles include "The Hunter", "Born Under A Bad Sign", "Crosscut Saw", "Down Don't Bother Me", "Laundromat Blues", and "Personal Manager". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Much mellower than the previous duet effort from Booker T & Priscilla Jones – a set that almost echoes Book's Memphis roots, but in ways that are different than the familiar soul of Stax! There's lots of sweet organ lines in the instrumentation – but they're played with a style that's often a bit rougher, almost more gospel-influenced than we're used to hearing from Booker – a beautiful mix for the spare vocal approach used on most of the record – a definite "home grown" sound that has Book and Priscilla singing in an intimate way that's really great. If you've ever doubted Booker's departure from The MGs, this record's well worth checking out – as he's definitely moved into a hip new space of his own – one that has some extremely haunting qualities at times. Titles include "Color Your Mama", "Save Us From Ourselves", "Maggies Farm", "Muddy Road", "The Sequence", and "Born Under a Bad Sign". LP, Vinyl record album

Albert King teams up with Allen Toussaint for a sweet set of soul-drenched blues! The record's a bit warmer than some of King's earlier work, but Toussaint's presence makes for a nice edge at times – as does work by a host of New Orleans musicians who include Wardell Quezergue on electric piano, George Porter on bass, Leo Nocentelli on guitar, and even Toussaint on additional keys. Some tracks are straighter King-styled blues – but others carry nice Crescent City echoes in their chunkier rhythms. Titles include a funky cover of "Get Out Of My Life Woman" – plus "Flat Tire", "This Feeling", "I Got The Blues", "We All Wanna Boogie", "Born Under A Bad Sign", and "I Get Evil". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A nice selection of classic 60s soul and blues numbers, focusing on heavy blues and R&B from the cities, and while we had remembered this set hewed close to the mainstream, there's a few nice little nuggets on here that they dug a little deeper for. 13 tracks in all, including "Driving Wheel" by Little Junior Parker, "Stormy Monday Blues" and "I Pity The Fool" by Bobby Bland, "Born Under A Bad Sign" by Albert King, "Hi Heel Sneakers" by Tommy Tucker, "Sweet Sixteen" and "The Thrill Is Gone" by BB King, "Messin' With The Kid" by Junior Wells, "Tramp" by Lowell Fulsom, "Homework" by Otis Rush, "The First Time I Met The Blues" byBuddy Guy, "Part Time Love" by Little Johnny Taylor and "Grits Ain't Groveries (All Around The World)" by Little Milton. LP, Vinyl record album

Kind of an ultimate Marvin Gaye hits compilation – issued in 1970, with one of the most badass Motown covers of the time! The album's got a famous image of Gaye as a black Superman – flying high on the cover of a set that's filled with some of his best 60s work for Motown – and for some reason, there seems to be a few more cuts in the package than you might get in the usual hits collection of the time. Every title's a classic – and tunes include "Pride & Joy", "That's The Way Love Is", "Ain't That Peculiar", "Stubborn Kind Of Fellow", "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby", and "Hitch Hike". LP, Vinyl record album