One of the boldest albums ever from this legendary spiritual jazz ensemble – and a set that has them reaching even further heights in their music! There's a bit more focus here than before – tunes that are somewhat shorter, and really hone in on the best elements in the group's sound – the amazing reed lines of Idris Ackamoor, and the building percussion in the grooves – often touched with odd sounds and unusual elements that give the record a similar feel to some of the more percussive Sun Ra albums on Saturn. There's a bit of vocals at points, but really just used to augment the instrumentation – and the album's got the sharply righteous tones you might expect to hear in some of the hippest Strata East work of the period! Titles include "Aomawa", "Black Man & Woman Of The Nile", "Jamaican Carnival", "Birth Speed Merging", and "Reaffirmation". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet, hip hop-leaning side project of the mighty Q-Continuum crew – adding a propulsive party rap groove to their eclectic stew of funk and modern soul groove! Features mysterious vocalists rocking it under the names Father Metro and MC Paleface, plus Axl Smith, Puppa J, and others – with a nice backdrop of turntables, live horns, bubbling bass and percussion! Tracks include "Nothing But A Q-Thing" feat Organ Kane and others, ", "Travelling Phrase" feat Axl Smith, "Girls (Ladies)" feat Father Metro, "Fire It Up (Bossa)" feat Father Metro & MC Paleface, "Cheeky Monkey" feat Smulton, "The Mogul" feat Tuomo, "Destination Unclear" feat Father Metro, "They Dream To Be Free" feat Axl Smith and more. CD

Contemporary work from Brazil, but a set that recalls some of our favorite soulful sounds from that scene in the 80s – particularly that moment when influences from American R&B and Cali styles were brought back to Brazil, and served up with all sorts of sweet homegrown touches! Quinhones has a nice rasp in his vocals – a quality that furthers the charm of the vocals, and helps them transcend the boundaries of language – as do the well-crafted keyboards on the set, which always seem to find the right sort of vibe to support the lyrics. Titles include "Sweet Narciso", "Seus Olhos Vidrados", "Cidade Narciso", "O Rio Continua Rindo", "Agua Salgada", and "Mentira Anestesia". Japanese CD features four bonus tracks – "Gota", "Garota Manga", "Parafuso", and "Toda Manha". CD

"I Enjoy" is the title track to Sydney's first LP – and is a great number with a compressed southern soul style that's a bit like work on Hi Records, but which is handled with more of a Chi-town flair, thanks to some good work by Carl Davis. "How Can You Say Goodbye" has a bit more punch – strings sliding on the beat while Sid does a great Al Green-type vocal! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Key Sun Ra albums for ESP records – the Heliocentrics World trifecta – in a 3CD set! The work here is a bit more intense than usual – almost cerebral at times, with very contemplative passages on percussion and reeds, offset by strong piano lines from Ra – all in a mode that marks a sharp break from earlier Saturn albums. Volume One finds the group working in an interstellar formation that holds up strongly with the Saturn sides – John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on alto, Teddy Nance on trombone, Chris Capers on trumpet, Danny Davis on flute and alto, and Ra on piano, bass marimba, and some especially nice electronic celeste! Things get quite out at points – freer almost than other Arkestra sides of the time – and titles include "Outer Nothingness", "Other Worlds", "Nebulae", "Dancing In the Sun", "The Cosmos", and "Of Heavenly Things". Volume Two has a freer feel than the first volume, and a bit more avant-oriented work overall. Ra and the group play a lot of percussion – and Ra himself is on tuned bongos, piano, and clavioline, which has a very nice spooky sound! The reed work on the album is by Robert Cummings, John Gilmore, Pat Patrick, and Marshall Allen – with bass by Ronnie Boykin and percussion by Roger Blank. Tracks include "Cosmic Chaos", "House of Beauty", and "The Sun Myth". Volume Three features tracks recorded during the sessions for Volume Two, but it was lost to the sands of time for nearly 40 years! Like that previous album, this one features a smaller version of the Arkestra than usual – an octet that has Ra working with core hornmen Pat Patrick, John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, Walter Miller, and Robert Cummings – supported by a rhythm section that includes Ronnie Boykins on bass and Roger Blank on percussion. Apart from a lot of added percussion by various members of the group, the instrumentation overall is relatively straightforward – even if Ra's compositions are not. The set kicks off with the 17 minute "Intercosmosis" – a relatively free, stretched-out tune – then is followed by shorter numbers that travel along darker, more introspective pathways. These titles include "World Worlds", "Interplanetary Travelers", "Mythology Metamorphosis", and "Heliocentric Worlds". CD

Some of the most unusual Sun Ra material of the 80s – a series of performances done with the Outer Space Visual Communicator – a unique instrument that mixed light and music together, and created a very trippy experience for both the Arkestra and the audience! Most of these tracks have never been heard before – only two have appeared on a video – and together, they showcase a really unique experiment for Ra – which is really saying something, given how experimental Sun Ra could be with his music! The package was put together in collaboration with the inventor of the OVC, and titles include "Calling Planet Earth", "Sunset On The Nile", "Love In Outer Space", "Theme Of The Stargazers", "East Of The Sun", "Saturn Rings", and "El Is A Sound Of Joy" – plus a very long take of "Discipline 27-II". CD

A pretty darn incredible record from Sun Ra – with a soulful, spiritual approach that's missing from most of his other albums of the time! The album features Ra playing a good deal of organ (dubbed "intergalactic organ" in this case!) – grooving soulfully on some short tracks that almost hit a soul jazz mode, and which recall the late 60s experiments of organist Freddie Roach. One track, "Pleasant Twilight", is actually a pretty catchy groover with some great ensemble vocals – and other nice ones in this mode include "Somewhere Else", "Otherness Blue", and "Somebody Else's World". After those tunes, the album actually gets a bit "out" – with Ra switching to moog, which he uses in a very tripped-out sci-fi sort of way! The moog tracks are spare and spooky – with a real outer space approach, and lots of chunky analogue bits that still manage to be quite tuneful. Titles include "Sun Thoughts", "The Wind Speaks", "World Of The Myth I", and "The Design – Cosmos II". CD

Really unique material from Sun Ra – a pair of recordings that were initially circulated much more strongly than some of his Saturn Records material, thanks to the power of the BYG/Actuel label in the early 70s – but tracks that actually come from a variety of different sessions that Ra himself did with the Arkestra in the late 60s! Tracks are shortish, but very inventive – a well-chosen snapshot of all the new ideas that the group were cooking up during the end of the 60s in New York, with an increased mission to explore the outer reaches of space, and use more electronics than ever before! Ra plays some killer keyboards – moog, spacemaster, and acoustic piano – often with these really eerie tones – and other players include Kwame Hadi on trumpet, Akh Tal Ebah on space dimension mellophone, Ali Hassan on trombone, Marshal Allen and Danny Davis on alto and flute, John Gilmore on tenor, and Pat Patrick on baritone – and the whole group vocalizes at points, joined by other singers who include June Tyson and Art Jenkins. There's also some great use of "strange strings" on the sessions, not to mention a bit of reverb – and tracks on this first volume include "Spectrum", "The Satellites Are Spinning", "Seen III Took 4", "Adventures Of Bugs Hunter", "Legend", and "The Realm Of Lightning". LP, Vinyl record album

Really unique material from Sun Ra – a pair of recordings that were initially circulated much more strongly than some of his Saturn Records material, thanks to the power of the BYG/Actuel label in the early 70s – but tracks that actually come from a variety of different sessions that Ra himself did with the Arkestra in the late 60s! Tracks are shortish, but very inventive – a well-chosen snapshot of all the new ideas that the group were cooking up during the end of the 60s in New York, with an increased mission to explore the outer reaches of space, and use more electronics than ever before! Ra plays some killer keyboards – moog, spacemaster, and acoustic piano – often with these really eerie tones – and other players include Kwame Hadi on trumpet, Akh Tal Ebah on space dimension mellophone, Ali Hassan on trombone, Marshal Allen and Danny Davis on alto and flute, John Gilmore on tenor, and Pat Patrick on baritone – and the whole group vocalizes at points, joined by other singers who include June Tyson and Art Jenkins. There's also some great use of "strange strings" on the sessions, not to mention a bit of reverb – and tracks titles include "Spectrum", "The Satellites Are Spinning", "Seen III Took 4", "Adventures Of Bugs Hunter", "Legend", "The Realm Of Lightning", "The Utter Nots", "Outer Spaceways Inc", "Scene 1 Take 1", "Strange Worlds", "Ancient Ethiopia", "Pyramids", and "Interpretation". CD

A great package of work that features material from some of the famous 40s films directed by Otto Preminger for 20th Century Fox – served up on two CDs' worth of hard-to-find soundtrack recordings! Fallen Angel is from 1945, and features a lovely main theme by David Raksin with a few jazzier and mellower variations – plus the vocal number "Slowly", sung in two versions – one by Alice Faye and one by Dick Haymes! Where The Sidewalk Ends is a gem from 1950 – and has a city-styled score by Cyril Mockridge that's mighty nice – complete with Alfred Newman's theme "Street Scene", and mixed with dramatic numbers that paint a nicely gritty urban scene! Laura is represented by the longer "Laura Suite" by David Raksin – featuring the main theme with some great orchestra variations. Daisy Kenyon is from 1947, and is represented by two longer Raksin numbers – "Daisy Kenyon" and "Love On The Cape". Last is the thrilling Whirlpool from 1949 – done with a heady Raksin score that has lots of differing mood and instrumental changes – a total of 17 tracks that almost work like a sonic movie themselves! CD

A bold step forward for the Rascals – and a record that really has them taking some great chances with their music! There's a definite psychedelic influence in the mix, but the sound is also more ambitious too – not just a scattering of elements borrowed from their contemporaries, but a real effort to find a new place for their music – with some wonderful results! The great Arif Mardin is firmly teamed with the group here on arrangements – filling in the rough ideas of the tunes with some near-perfect backings – and the vocals themselves have a quality that's much more deeply personal than before – moving past the simple soul themes of earlier years. Titles include "Silly Girl", "My World", "Easy Rollin", "Please Love Me", "My Hawaii", "I'm Gonna Love You", "Singin The Blues Too Long", and "Sattva". LP, Vinyl record album

A stone classic from Jimmy Reed – and one of the first few albums on the Vee Jay label! The sound is spare, rootsy, and bluesy – the kind of tunes that made Jimmy an instant favorite, and which were a key force in the Chicago blues sound of the 50s. The set features material recorded for Vee Jay in 1958 and 1957, with Jimmy on vocals, acoustic guitar, and harmonica. Benchmark late 50s Chicago blues! Titles include "Honest, I Do", "You Got Me Dizzy", "Can't Stand To See You Go", "Boogie In The Dark", "You Got Me Crying", "Little Rain", "Roll & Rhumba", his classic "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" and more – plus 4 bonus tracks! CD

Lou Reed's maybe a bit more subtle here than during his years with the Velvet Underground, and his earliest solo records – but he also has this new sort of maturity that really points the way forward to the years to come! Coney Island Baby further marks the continuing legacy of Lou Reed as a hell of a songwriter – able to portray human strivings and failings with a surprisingly sensitive ear – all in the kind of modes that might not hit you over the head the first time around, but which are completely compelling over the next few spins. There's always that wry little quality to Reed's vocals here – that bite that almost comes as a weary attempt to snap back at the world – and while the album's maybe not the most transgressive release of 1976, it's got a subtle power that's made it a lot more long-lasting than some of its contemporaries. Titles include "Crazy Feeling", "Charly's Girl", "A Gift", "Ooohhh Baby", "Coney Island Baby", and "She's My Best Friend". CD

A seminal album from Hans Reichel – a musician who might be to free jazz what John Fahey was to acoustic music – a player who can at once be immediately modern and completely timeless in his approach – working here in a way that opens up the instrument beyond any conventional expectations! Many of these tracks have an inherent cyclical pulse – a bit like the way that Fahey could mix Eastern elements with blues inspiration – but there's also a more chromatic approach to the instrument, and ways of playing that go beyond simple notes – so that each touch of a string is almost like a little explosion of color – explosions that work together to make some amazing sounds throughout! Titles include "Bonobo I", "Peter Zweifel", "Lurch", "Toeni", "Moor", "Nicht Sand Sondern Popel Im Getriebe", and "Mariahhilf". CD

A nice later noise pop moment in REM's canon, bringing some electric fuzz to the forefront after the soaring, anthemic alt folk of Automatic For The People! Monster might've been a bit divisive at the time, and maybe it still is after all these years, but it holds up better than a lot of their later work, with catchy vocals sailing over reverb-y guitars. REM changed courses a lot over the years, but this might be one of the their latest daring twists, especially coming out at right after the most popular peak. Includes "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?", "Crush With Eyeliner", "Star 69", "I Don't Sleep, I Dream", "Strange Currencies" and more. CD

The brilliant solo debut of Martin Rev – a set that feels like it's peeled away all his best contributions from the first Suicide album, then found a way to serve them up with a slightly different vibe that really sets the album apart! There's lots of analog fuzz and echo – that same spacey style that made Suicide so great – but the keyboards dominate even more than before, as only one tune features vocals – which lets Rev do all these really cool things with the electronics – continuing his way of taking earlier prog, avant, and Krautrock experiments and fusing them into a leaner, meaner style for the punk generation! The album's got a very seminal sound – a key text in the cold wave generation – and titles include "Jomo", "Mari", "Baby O Baby", "Nineteen 86", and "Asia". CD

The brilliant solo debut of Martin Rev – a set that feels like it's peeled away all his best contributions from the first Suicide album, then found a way to serve them up with a slightly different vibe that really sets the album apart! There's lots of analog fuzz and echo – that same spacey style that made Suicide so great – but the keyboards dominate even more than before, as only one tune features vocals – which lets Rev do all these really cool things with the electronics – continuing his way of taking earlier prog, avant, and Krautrock experiments and fusing them into a leaner, meaner style for the punk generation! The album's got a very seminal sound – a key text in the cold wave generation – and titles include "Jomo", "Mari", "Baby O Baby", "Nineteen 86", and "Asia". LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "What Is This Thing Called Love," "Dear John," as well as original compostions. CD

The important first album by singer Judy Roberts – an excellent jazz talent with a sound that's up there with the best jazz fusion vocalists of the 70s! Judy comes at the end of a decade that scored big recordings for singers like Flora Purim and Urzula Dudziak – and she's easily as great as any of those three, and often sadly lost to time because of the later years in which she recorded, and the Chicago scene in which she made her home! This first self-produced album is a rare groovehound's gem – filled with soaring numbers that feature Roberts on both vocals and keyboards – including electric piano, Arp, clavinet, and other keyboards. Titles include "Fantasy", "Thumbs", "Never Was Love", "Dandelion", "Yes Indeed", and "Watercolors". CD

A sweet set of vocal tracks from Judy Roberts – a mix of original tunes and a few covers, all done with a warm fusiony style, and plenty of Brazilian touches! Judy's at the height of her powers here – partly jazzy, partly in a songstress mode that's inspired by the advances that female singers made during the 70s – stretching out in the new freedoms, but never forgetting the lyric, or a need to swing. Includes a great remake of Ivan Lins' "Common Ground", plus the tracks "Two & A Half", "Country Samba", "Save That Time", "Nights In Brazil", "I Can't Help It", and "Starlight Haunted Ballroom". CD