Landmark work from Eddie Palmieri – a stunning performance by his Harlem River Drive band, recorded live before a very wild crowd at Sing Sing Prison! The feel here is a blend of the sound heard on the legendary Harlem River Drive album – a unique fusion of Latin, soul, and political consciousness – and some of the styles of Eddie's own groundbreaking albums of the early 70s – and it's made all the much deeper by its performance in front of an audience who was very receptive to the message of the tracks. All tracks are long and very hip, and titles include the protest poetry cut "Jibaro/My Pretty N*****", plus the groovers "Azucar (parts 2 & 3)", "Muneca", "VP Blues", and "Pa La Ocha Tambo". (Latin, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal funk by one of Brazil's greatest groups! Earth Wind & Fire had nothing on Banda Black Rio – as the Brazilian combo mixed together smooth jazz funk, soulful vocals, and great production, into a sound that rivaled any of America's best mainstream funk acts of the 70s! This album's easily their best – and is filled with tight jazzy groovers that we come back to again and again over the years, digging them for their great rhythms and tight instrumentation, never noticing the fact that the lyrics aren't in English! Includes the cuts "Chega Mais", "Tico Tico No Fuba", "Danca Do Dia", "Vidigal", "Gafiera Universal", and the totally great "Cravo e Canela", one of the sneakiest guitar groovers you'll ever hear! (Brazil, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

After a disasterous attempt at recording a live show, the Fania All-Stars went in the studio with guests like Billy Cobham and Manu Dibango and created their funkiest album of the seventies. Although a few cuts are more Latin sounding, some of these tracks have a nice hard funky jazz feel, and sound like they could have been recorded for Prestige. There's great versions of "Soul Makossa" and "Viva Tirado", plus a very nice track called "Smoke". (Latin, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Raw New Orleans soul from Overton "Smiley" Lewis – one of the city's big stars in the 50s R&B years, and a singer who arguably set the stage for later deep soul to come! A few years before, and Lewis might have been more of a blues singer – but here, he's working with some strong Nola piano lines and lightly loping rhythms – in a mode that's vaguely in the Fats Domino side of the universe, but a lot more raw and stripped-down too – from the performance to the production! Tracks include Smiley's classic "I Hear You Knocking", plus loads of other nice ones – including "Bumpity Bump", "Bells Are Ringing", "Blue Monday", "Lost Weekend", "Real Gone Lover", and "One Night". LP, Vinyl record album

An Afro-Funk classic! The track "Bananaticoco" by Max B has been compiled a number of times over the years, but few have gotten a chance to hear Max's super-heavy album of funk from 1973. The record's quite different than the fast Fela-like "Bananaticoco" groove, with a melange of slower funky styles – a bit like Chakachas, a bit like Lafayette Afro Rock Band, and with traces of some of the post-colonial Afro Funk groups working around London during the late 60s and early 70s. This one's got plenty of fuzzed-out guitars, rolling blown-out basslines, and heavy acoustic percussion to give the album a kick from underneath. Lots of party grooves on this one – and titles include "Free", "Samba", "Bameloo", "Nessa", "1er Movimiento", and "Poker". (Global Grooves, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Rudy Ray Moore takes the White House – or at least tries to – in this cool 1972 album that must have been a great antidote to the campaigns of Richard Nixon and George McGovern! The set starts with Rudy running his way through a whole bunch of campaign issues – including "Free Love" and "Mary Wanna" – all delivered in faux politico mode, with a crowd cheering him on, and an introduction that features music from "Exodus"! The rest of the set is a bit more typical Dolemite material – almost even more raunchy than the presidential mode – and other titles include "Dance Of The Freaks", "Bulldaggers", "Good Pussy Lil", and "Sit In Your Mama's Lap". Language is raw – so be warned! LP, Vinyl record album