... LP, Vinyl record album

A totally killer sound library set – every bit as funky as others that have been issued under the Afro Rock title – but a lot more obscure! The group here has wicked bass and plenty of percussion next to the drums – and the top of the sound also has some horn work that underscores more contemporary soul touches – as the whole thing holds together like some of the best Afro-inspired work on the London scene at the time, with maybe some keyboard touches that feel like they're lifted out of the Bay Area or East LA! The whole thing is a wonderfully rhythmic, totally funky party – and titles include "Facade", "Renegade", "Megaton", "Boss", "Nsambei", "Cult", "Green Hell", and "Waboco". LP, Vinyl record album

Big deal, indeed – as this excellent set looks at a really under-tapped source of sound library funk from the 70s – a small British company who was turning out glorious grooves in the same classic years as KPM or DeWolfe! The players here are mostly British, and many are more obscure than the other UK sound library musicians who worked for the bigger labels – and often had soundtrack and jazz studio recordings as well. These guys are fresh names, with fresh sounds, and some heavy grooves that have hardly seen the light of day after their limited 70s circulation on non-commercial albums. You've got a taste of a few Weinberger tracks on the Bosworth Library Sessions from Strut many years back – but these are all different grooves, chosen with the great ear for jazzy funk we expect from the Sonorama label. Titles include "Integration" by Trevor Bastow, "Rhythm Rhythm Rhythm" by Reginald Wale, "Over & Out" by Toni Campo, "Big Deal" by Midals Touch, "Santaren" by Vick Flick, "Focus On The Middle East" by Ishfahan Farid, "Knock On Wood" by Sid Dale, "Make No Bones" by Midals Touch, "Centrefold" by Toni Campo, "Soul Punch" by Piet Van Meren, and "Gone Gone Gone" by Reginale Wale. CD

Way more than just the usual collection of famous British TV themes from the 60s – as this set offers up some great rare nuggets, unusual versions, and some obscure tracks that are all pretty darn fresh to our American years! As you well know if you're a fan of anything pop culture from this generation, British TV was way hipper than most of the American small screen in the 60s – from the stories, to the settings, to the wonderfully cool themes and backing music that supported the show – often a cool hybrid of postwar Soho jazz modes and lots of the best soundtrack/sound library styles that were evolving in the hands of an elite few on the London scene. Some of the best and grooviest of that generation are presented here – in an overstuffed collection that includes "Gurney Slade" by Max Harris, "Danger Man" by Red Price Combo, "The Avenger" by Johnny Dankworth, "Tuesday Rendezvous" by Bert Weedon, "Face To Face" by Frank Chacksfield, "Comedy Playhouse" by Ron Grainer, "What The Papers Say" by London Philharmonic, "Monty Python's Flying Circus" by Eastman Wind Ensemble, "The Saint" by Les Reed, "Fireball" by Don Spencer, "Z Cars" by Johnny Keating, and a number of tracks from The Prisoner too! (Soundtracks, Sound Library) CD