Later work from Brian Auger's Oblivion Express group – really pushing the envelope from previous work with a soaring blend of fusion and soul! The keyboards are still very firmly at the front of the sound – stretching out a lot from Brian's original work on organ – and the group features Lenny White on drums, kicking things up a bit nicely, with that outerspace groove he was laying down on some of his own records at the time. Alex Lingenwood sings vocals on a few cuts, and titles include "Spice Island", "Gimme A Funky Break", "Back Street Bible Class", "Got To Be Born Again", and "Never Gonna Come Down". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Scott Hamilton on tenor and Warren Vache on cornet and flugelhorn – plus Harold Ashby on tenor, Joe Temperley on baritone, George Masson on trombone, and Norman Simmons on piano. LP, Vinyl record album

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The Albany touch is a great one here – at once angular and modern, yet also somewhat fragile and certainly human – that great blend of modes that Joe always brought to his rare dates in the studio! Even at the start, Albany had sort of an earthy undercurrent – one that was quite different than the way that might be used in a soulful setting, more kind of a backroom sort of view of the world – slightly detached, but often all-knowing – wrapped up in experience, but tentatively stepping forth to share its own ideas. And while that may sound like a lot to tie up in just one record, it's honestly a quality we feel from a set like this – an amazing Albany approach to the piano, and a good reminder of why we're so lucky that labels like this sought him out for recording sessions like this. Titles include "AB Blues II", "Joe's Blues", "Autumn Leaves", "Time On My Hands", and "Born To Be Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album from The Allman Brothers – and a set that forever set the standard for double live albums in the 70s! The expanded format really let the group open up and show the strengths they had already developed as a live act, long before they walked into the studio for their initial album – as the tracks are often quite long, and let you hear the way they approached the process of creation – using lots of jamming energy that's really let loose here on the longer tunes, which are awash in amazing guitar and organ solos! Dickey Betts and Duane Allman are fantastic together – and titles include the side-long "Whipping Post" and "You Don't Love Me" – plus "Hotlanta", "In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed", "Statesboro Blues", "Stormy Monday", and "Done Somebody Wrong". LP, Vinyl record album

The film soundtrack version of this famous 60s musical, which was based around the sounds of Belgian singer Jacques Brel. The film version shares many similarities to the broadway one – translations by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman, vocals by Shuman and Elly Stone – but the overall sound is quite different, as the versions presented here are more subtle, less campy, possibly due to the freer range of expression allowed to the actors on a film soundstage. Plus, this version also includes a few of Brel's best songs that were left out of the original show – making for a total of 26 titles that include "The Bulls", "Sons Of", "The Desperate Ones", "Amsterdam", "The Statue", "Brussels", "Funeral Tango", "Bachelors Dance", "Carousel", and "Next". If you want Brel in English, this may well be the best way to get it – as nearly all other English language versions of his work (by Scott Walker, Marc Almond, and others) came from these translations. LP, Vinyl record album

Heavenly soul by one of the best voices to come out of the New York Uptown Soul scene of the 60s! Maxine's got an amazing style that never stops being soulful, yet which also reaches new levels of sophistication, not often heard from other 60s soul divas. This original Wand LP is a treasure, and is filled with loads of original cuts – like "Forget Him", "Now That You've Gone", "Wanting You", "Think Of Me", and the classic "Funny". Great stuff, and a tough one to find! LP, Vinyl record album

A record that's a lot more jazz than you'd guess from the title – a seminal set from the mighty Mel Brown! The "blues" here are hardly the familiar kind – and instead, the album really stresses the more soul-based sound of Mel Brown's work – thanks to some very groovy arrangements from Artie Butler! Tracks have a vamping, stomping sort of sound that's all-soul all the way through – using both Mel's guitar and some of his vocals to top some wonderful grooves from Artie – all done up in the best mix of soul jazz and more conventional vibes that was going down at Verve and Impulse in the late 60s. The tunes are all plenty hip too – with titles that include a great version of Tom Scott's "Freaky Zeke", plus Mel's own takes on "Son Of A Preacher Man", "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", "Indian Giver", and "Set Me Free". LP, Vinyl record album

An early gem from trumpeter Tom Browne – a set that not only firmly established Browne as one of the best young players of his generation, but which also paved the way for a whole new direction for jazz funk in the 80s! The record is a perfect example of how great the mix of R&B rhythms and jazz fusion instrumentation could be – groovy enough to capture a whole new audience from the soul market, but still more than respectful of the solo talents of the leader – but all without any attempt at smooth jazz commercialism at all! There's some great hard funk moments on the set – and Browne approaches the music in a way that's nicely different than Donald Byrd or Freddie Hubbard, two older players who first helped forge this sound in the 70s – and whose path Tom's clearly taking, but with new directions of his own. There's almost more of a street-worthy vibe to the set – quite a surprise if you only know later records on the GRP label – and the arrangements are by Tom, Weldon Irvine, Lesette Wilson, and Dave Grusin. Titles include the funky classic "Funkin' For Jamaica", plus "Her Silent Smile", "Moon Rise", "Nocturne", "Forever More", and "Weak In The Knees". LP, Vinyl record album

Easily the crowning moment of genius for the legendary Dave Brubeck Quartet – the moment when all things came together magically, and the group somehow elevated themselves to a whole new level in jazz! At the time of the set, Brubeck, Paul Desmond, and the rest had already been making plenty of waves with their creative yet swinging approaches to modern jazz – heard on a number of successful albums for Fantasy and Columbia in the 50s. But with this record, they really knocked one out of the park – blending Desmond's cool alto, Brubeck's unusual piano phrasing, Joe Morello's melodic drum work, and Eugene Wright's pulsating bass into a waltzing, almost modal groove that crossed over to many camps at the time! The classics "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo Ala Turk" were both hits on their own – but all titles are great, and include "Kathy's Waltz", "Strange Medow Lark", "Everybody's Jumpin", and "Pick Up Sticks". LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool work from percussionist Bobby Christian – a set that's a bit of jazz, and a bit of bachelor pad – the latter of which you might have guessed from the cover! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most stunning debut albums of the 70s – and a set that burst on the scene with a sound that summed up a generation, but which had never been heard this clearly before! This self-titled Clash album was different from other landmarks of the time – work by the Sex Pistols, Ramones, and others – as the group had a sense of raw power, but also a tunefulness too – a way of pushing their message into territory that others wouldn't have reached – with tunes that were as surprisingly hummable as they were politically correct! There's a bit less Jamaican influence here than in later Clash years, but that quality is still present somewhat – and over the years, this is definitely a set we can return to again and again – with no sense of apology or outdated ideals at all. Nearly every cut's a classic – and titles include "Janie Jones", "Career Opportunities", "Police & Thieves", "Garageland", "Clash City Rockers", "I Fought The Law", "White Riot", "London's Burning", "White Man In Hammersmith Palais", and "I'm So Bored With The USA". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet bit of electric funk, and one of Hank Crawford's greatest records from the 70s – thanks in large part to the great Bob James – who arranged and produced the record with a mighty soulful vibe – leaving Hank lots of room to solo on his own over the top! The groove is really great – and the record gets surprisingly chunky in parts – with heavier rhythms than you might expect from a Crawford album from the time – not exactly the heavier funk of other CTI records, but with a definite taste of that style too. Arrangements are fairly large, and feature keyboards from Richard Tee – plus backing vocals at a few spots – and titles include great versions of "You've Got It Bad Girl" and "Corazon", plus the tracks "Good Morning Heartache" and "Wildflower". LP, Vinyl record album

The last album ever cut by the group Cymande – done years after their classic first 3 records, and with a groove that's quite different – but also extremely nice! The sound here is much more in an ensemble funk mode than the group's earlier dubby work – with an approach that borrows a lot from Earth Wind & Fire, as well as British funk groups of the time – like Real Thing and Light Of The World. There's some nice jazzy playing in the mix that bubbles around between the vocals – in a style that's almost got some of the approaches of Oneness Of Juju as they entered their dancefloor years at the end of the 70s. Lots of catchy numbers, and titles include "It's Magic", "Sweet Talk", "What's The Word – Good Times", "Living For Your Love", and "You Won't Feel So Proud". LP, Vinyl record album

Two classic Eric Dolphy albums – back to back in a single set! First up us Outward Bound – Eric Dolphy's first album ever as a leader – recorded almost immediately after his arrival on the New York scene! The sound here is already bolder and stronger than the Dolphy experiments on the west coast – sharp-edged and freely exploratory, in a way that pushes the playful lyricism of the Chico Hamilton years aside, and reaches out into the new territory hinted at by the title! The group is a quintet that features Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Jaki Byard on piano, George Tucker on bass, and Roy Haynes on drums – and the overall sound is a beautiful mix of modernist hard bop and some of Dolphy's later freer styles. Dolphy plays his usual mix of alto, flute, and bass clarinet – and the tracks include "245", "Miss Toni", "Les", and "GW". Out There is Eric Dolphy's second album as a leader – and already a bold step forward from the first! The format here changes from the more standard lineup of before – as Dolphy drops out other horn players, loses the piano, and brings the cello of Ron Carter into the frontline! Backing is by the bass of George Duvivier and the drums of Roy Haynes – and the mix of cello and bass creates the freely spirited sound that allows Dolphy to take off on even freer solo flights. The session has a very moody, very dark feel – especially on the tracks where Dolphy is playing B flat and bass clarinet – and titles include "The Baron", "Eclipse", "Sketch Of Melba", "Feathers", and "17 West". LP, Vinyl record album

James Brown's old funky reed player hits wax in this groovy solo set of his own – playing here with a sound that's a bit more produced than usual, and with more of a 70's groove than you're used to hearing him in. His tone is perfect, as always, and the record is arranged and conducted by him in a way that brings his sax solos right up front. Tracks include a funky version of "Nature Boy", plus "Big Daddy", "Gotcha!", "For Apache", and "Pistachio". LP, Vinyl record album

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Cool 60s work from guitarist Snuff Garrett! Maria Elena takes a host of older Latin themes and tunes them towards a hip 60s style – using the overdubbed guitar approach of the 50 guitars group, and really stretching the sound out wide towards the farthest reaches of both speakers! Snuff Garrett's guitar is in the lead, but it's also cast here in a pretty full sound – one that makes for a spacious quality that still sounds pretty darn great all these many years later. Titles include "Jungle Drums", "Anna", "Without You", "The Breeze & I", "Brazil", and "Poinciana". LP, Vinyl record album

An album with as much power as you'd expect from the title – and a set that's billed as featuring "Music To The Limits Of Audibility"! The limits explored are the farther ones in sound – not the lower tones at the end of hearing – and Marty Gold does a very good job of hitting the heights with his bold orchestrations, captured here in dramatic RCA sound of the time! Orchestrations are often a bit more complicated than the usual bachelor pad record – with lots of complex horn patterns especially, instead of driving rhythms – and titles include "Stella By Starlight", "The Moon Was Yellow", "I'll Remember April", "A String Of Pearls", "Without A Song", and "Misty". Very dramatic – and bound to make your speakers pop! LP, Vinyl record album

A genius meeting of talents on late 60s MPS – as George Gruntz leads a group of drummers and percussionists that includes Charly Antolini, Daniel Humair, Pierre Favre, Mani Neumeier, and Alfred Sacher – alongside tenor and soprano from the great Nathan Davis, plus trumpet from Franco Ambrosetti and bass from Jimmy Woode! The set also features some musicians from Basel – as the set was part of the "jazz meets world" series on Saba. LP, Vinyl record album

As you like it – and we like it plenty! The album's a stunner from pianist Friedrich Gulda – one that still shows plenty of his high-powered, high-technique roots – but one that also really has him opening up a bit, too – almost bringing in a dose of soul jazz from the American scene, mixed up in really nice ways with the MPS ethos of the time! The group's a trio, with killer drums from Klaus Weiss and bass from JA Rettenbacher – but Gulda really dominates most tracks, playing with this fluid, open vibe that's mighty nice – extremely creative and compelling, and light years more compelling than some of the Oscar Peterson records cut for MPS during the same period. Titles include "Light My Fire", "Blues For HG", "All Blues", "East Of The Sun", and "I Only Have Eyes For You". LP, Vinyl record album

Buddy Guy reached much bigger fame on later labels, but he sounds pretty darn great here in a set of early recordings done for Chess – all sides recorded in the first half of the 60s, when Buddy represented one of the best talents in a new generation of bluesmen rising up in Chicago! The style here is tighter and a bit more urban than some of the Chess work of the 50s – less rootsy overall, with saxophone often sliding next to the guitar – in a wickedly soulful mode that's got elements of R&B in the mix. Titles include "My Time After A While", "Ten Years Ago", "Watch Yourself", "Stone Crazy", "I Found A True Love", "First Time I Met The Blues", and "No Lie". LP, Vinyl record album

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A searing set of southern rock from Ronnie Hawkins – already working here in a revivalist mode of sorts, with backing from the Dixie Flyers and a real blend of Atlantic and Capricorn-styled approaches to rock. Duane Allman and Donald Duck Dunn both sit in on the sessions, and the whole thing's got a relaxed, rootsy rock feel overall – Ronnie singing along with the Flyers on tunes that include "Red Rooster", "Ooby Dooby", "Don't Tell Me Your Troubles", "Drinkin Wine Spo-dee-o-dee", "Lonely Weekends", "Treasure Of Love", and "The Lady Came From Baltimore". LP, Vinyl record album

A swinging sex comedy score from the legendary Neal Hefti – not as well-known as some of his big 60s hits, but a wonderfully groovy record throughout! The film itself is a pretty silly farce – and Hefti definitely matches that action in his music – by mixing up jazzy, upbeat numbers with some sweeter tunes that have that lush, laidback style we always love in his orchestrations! Things are never too heavy, and the whole thing's got a lightness that really stands out from other work of this nature by Hefti's contemporaries – especially on a few of the tracks that make some great use of groovy wordless vocals. Titles include "Prologue (Main Theme)", "Suspicion", "Virna", "Here's To My Lover", "Stag Party Blast", "Bash Brannigan", "How To Murder Your Wife", "Scene Of The Crime", "Cartoon Capers", and "Requiem For A Bachelor". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent album that features loads of material from Benny Hills' early days – when he was tighter and fresher, and before he worked too many years for ITV! You may recognize a number of these titles from later recordings, but these early ones are just great, and feature a much more lively reading of the material than other ones – full of sharp-witted lines, and a good sense of timing – all of the sort that have made Hill one of our favorites for wordplay over the years. Songs include "Ernie", "Broken-Hearted Lover's Stew", "Fad Eyed Fal", "The Beach At San Tropez", "Ting A Ling A Loo", "The Dustbins Of Your Mind", and "Rachel" – and spoken comedy includes "Ted", "Tour Guide", "Interview", and "The Birds & The Bees". LP, Vinyl record album

Possibly one of the most essential Billie Holiday albums for Verve – a set that carries the same title as her famous autobiography, and which also features many key numbers from her songbook at the time! The feel here is quite easygoing and relaxed – with small group backing behind Billie's vocals, which themselves are recorded cleanly and clearly throughout. One side features backing by a combo that includes Wynton Kelly on piano, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Charlie Shavers on trumpet, and Paul Quinichette on tenor – and the other features a group that includes Bobby Tucker on piano, Charlie Shavers on trumpet, Barney Kessel on guitar, and the great Willie Smith on alto sax. Titles include plenty of classics – including "God Bless The Child", "Strange Fruit", "Lady Sings The Blues", "No Good Man", "Good Morning Heartache", "I Must Have That Man", and "Trav'lin' Light". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from The Hollies – from a time when the group was moving way past simple Brit Invasion pop – as you 'can probably guess from the cover and title! The Hollies hit a really special sort of sound here – slightly trippy, but still razor-sharp – making great use of the voice of Graham Nash, and also getting some perfect assistance on arrangements from Mike Vickers – who knows how to be ambitious with arrangements, but still keep things very focused! The tunes are overflowing with new ideas, but are still super-catchy too – and titles include "Water On The Brain", "Then The Heartaches Begin", "Rain On The Window", "Games We Play", "Lullaby To Tim", and "When Your Light Turned On". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful album of heartfelt vocal tracks by a young Etta Jones – featuring arrangements by Oliver Nelson that rank among the best sort that he was penning for vocalists of this sort during the 60s. Etta's got a nice mix of material here, and although some of the tracks are a bit well-known, the arrangements and performance keep them fresh enough throughout. Titles include "By The Bend In The River", "There Goes My Heart", "Look For The Silver Lining", "Good Morning Heartache", and "I'll Never Be Free". LP, Vinyl record album

Not as great as some of Keating's other work – which can be wonderfully goofy, or arranged in a hip swinging manner that pushes it way past the usual big band groove. Still, the record's not bad, and has some pretty tight playing by a well-selected group of Brit Easy players. Titles include "The Preacher", "Ticket To Ride", "Chihuahua", "My Kind Of Girl", and "Bee Bom". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most successful of the later Kinks albums – thanks to the hit single "Come Dancing", which kind of tied together the group's later leanings with some of their sweeter, nostagic approaches from the 60s. In fact, there's a quality to the set that really has Ray Davies going back to his "little pictures" sort of approach – wrapping up individuals and individual subjects nicely in the space of 3 to 4 minutes. Titles include "Labour Of Love", "Definite Maybe", "State Of Confusion", "Heart Of Gold", "Young Conservatives", "Cliches Of The World", and "Come Dancing". LP, Vinyl record album

Hard rock perfected! It's around Led Zeppelin IV that you can easily say that the group moved up from being incredibly great to flat-out legendary – really in a class by themselves, although maybe they'd already reached that point with the sublime sounds of the previous three records! There's a darkness here – and a sense of magick too – an eerie new energy that still has all the balls-out rock power of before, but which has the group moving into this heady territory that's really all their own. Every song is a classic – and tracks include "Black Dog", "Stairway To Heaven", "Rock And Roll", "Misty Mountain Hop", "When The Levee Breaks", "Going To California", "Four Sticks", and "Battle Of Evermore". LP, Vinyl record album

In case you think the folks at Chess were putting too fine a point on the earthy origins of Ramsey's jazz, the title's actually one that follows from an earlier album Ramsey cut for Mercury – and features a similar cover of a shovel digging in the dirt! The tracks are a great blend of the rich approaches to piano jazz performed by the Lewis trio with Eldee Young and Red Holt – with some tracks bluesy, some tracks upbeat, some whimsey, and a few that groove in very surprising places. Titles include "Volga Boatman", "Around The World In 80 Days", "Hello Cello", "Blues For The Nighty Owl", and "Gonna Set Your Soul On Fire". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet grooves from the great Bob Marley – a set cut at a time when Marley was really riding his international fame – and able to create the kind of music that reached out way more than conventional reggae! The Kingston roots of the sound are still very firmly in place – but there's also a more globally-expansive vision here too – partly the tight production on the music, partly the warm feelings that ebb and flow throughout the entire set – a vibe that's very different than American soul, and which has turned out to be surprisingly encompassing over the years. Titles include "Is This Love", "Running Away", "Kaya", "Satisfy My Soul", "Easy Skanking", "Sun Is Shining", "She's Gone", "Misty Morning", "Crisis", and "Time Will Tell". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "My Bottle Is My Companion", "I Reached For A Tear", "Ha Ha In The Day Time", "Fading Love", and "Long As You're Mine. LP, Vinyl record album

Easily Barbara's most soulful set for Motown – recorded at the end of the 60s with a joyous, bouncy groove that's really sweet! Barbara's still got some of the more serious vocal approaches of other albums, but also loosens up here in a well-crafted Motown mode – almost setting the stage for the solo recordings of Diana Ross on a few of the album's numbers. Titles include "Who Invented Heartache", "Where Would I Be Without You", "When I'm Gone", "If You Can Want", "Just One Teardrop", and "It Happens Every Time". LP, Vinyl record album

A great album of mellower ballads that showcase Clyde McPhatter's richly emotional style of singing, one that's on a par with his lead vocal work in The Drifters, and recorded here in a very similar mode! And sure, they're ballads – but they've got a great deep soul edge – as you'll hear on titles that include "Heartaches", "Come What May", Love Has Joined Us Together", and "Let Me Know". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes a whopping thirty-two selections over 2 LPs, with "Love Is A Simple Thing", "Yesterdays", "Good Morning Heartache", "Lush Life", "Summertime", "Perdido", "Baltimore Oriole", "All The Things You Are", and more! LP, Vinyl record album

A magnificent little album – one of James Moody's first collaborations with arranger Tom McIntosh – one of the most sensitive jazz voices of his time. McIntosh works in a world of many tones and colors – and he really pushes Moody past straighter solo approaches, into a mode where he's shaping sound into complex emotion – hitting a level of soulfulness that might never been expected in earlier years! Moody plays both tenor and flute on the session, and rhythm is by a piano-less trio that features John Gray on guitar, Eldee Young on bass, and Clarence Johnston on drums. And if that's not enough, Eddie Jefferson joins in on vocals on 2 tracks – lending his own lyrics to Moody's great original "Last Train From Overbrook", and doing a great reading of "Summertime". Other tracks include "Stella By Starlight", "Indian Summer", "Please Say Yes", and "Blue Jubilee". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic Savoy Records 78s from Johnny Otis – with work from his whole large group of performers – including Little Esther, The Robins, Jimmy Rushing, Mel Walker, Preacher Lee Graves, and Redd Lyte! LP, Vinyl record album

A gritty little gem in the Gram Parsons/Burritos catalog – mostly covers of classic honky tonk tunes! Many of the tracks were recorded for what would have been an honest, earnest, hard country album that was never fully realized – eventually paired with a few other tracks of similar vintage and some outtakes with Emmylou, then released as a posthumous Gram Parsons/Flying Burrito Bros LP. Gram is hardly acknowledged by the country music establishment to this day, but this set shows that he loved and respected the songs of Merle Haggard (Gram's supposed cultural opposite at the time, so little did the world actually know), Buck Owens, The Louvin Brothers and the endless lost highway of roadhouse jukebox classics – played here with a boozy after hours swagger! Tracks include "Brand New Heartache", "Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down", "Sing Me Back Home", "Crazy Arms", "Close Up The Honky Tonks", "Honky Tonk Women", "Dim Lights" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The Pointer Sisters show plenty of rockish influences here – drawing tunes from folks like Ian Hunter, Bruce Springsteen, Graham Parker, Jagger & Richards, and Robbie Robertson – and fusing their compositions with the trio's own soulful energy! Richard Perry produced, and the album's one of his ultimate efforts for the group – filled with plenty of guitar leads from Waddy Wachtel and Dan Dugmore, which fuzz things up nicely underneath the girls' vocals. Titles include their hit reading of "She's Got The Fever" – plus "Who Do You Love", "Turned Up To Late", "Don't Let A Thief Steal Into Your Heart", "The Shape I'm In", "Dreaming As One", and "All Your Love". Also includes the bonus track "Nothin But A Heartache". LP, Vinyl record album

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A very "current events" oriented set – one that sums up a variety of bigger news stories of the time, spinning them all out with a hip, underground take on the events. Richard and Willie (mostly Willie) dominate, but Richard Pryor gets in a bit too – and the language on the album is very very off-color. With "LA N!ggers", 'Sex Organs", "Getting Some", "Nixon","Douche Powder", "Toilet Tissue – Brand X-Brand B", "Line Up", "Black Preachers", "Ugly Suckers", "White Chicks", "Crap Game", "The Nut", "Passing Gas" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest moments ever from Psychic TV – and a really stunning surprise after the breakup of Throbbing Gristle! Genesis P Orridge and Peter Cristopherson go in a completely different direction here – a mode that still holds onto some of the noise lessons learned in TG, but which also shows this incredible love of both more complicated pop modes from the 60s, and some of the farther reaches of minimalism as well! The album sports these tremendous ballads with eerie vocals by Genesis – including "The Orchids" and "White Nights" – which are both eerie recastings of an older mode of UK pop love songs – and there's other tracks that maybe echo a bit of Meredith Monk, or some of the underground experimentalists on the Lovely Records scene – including bits that have weird phone rings, dog barks, and other great touches. A spare and subtle use of noise and darker sounds wends its way throughout – but never with the heavier handed touches of later years – and titles include "Hymn 23", "The Orchids", "Botanica", "Iron", "Glove", "Always Is Always", "White Nights", "Finale", "Eleusis", "Medmenham", "Ancient Lights", "Proof On", "Eden 1 Eden 2 Eden 3", "Clouds Without Water", "Black Moon", "Silver And Gold", "In The Nursery", and "Circle". LP, Vinyl record album

In the years after his death, when Otis Redding had approached near-deity status, Atlantic was digging through their vaults (recently swiped from Stax!) to find whatever they could to put together a record. Fortunately, most of the material they came up with was great – as you'll hear on this release of older stuff, put out by Atco in 1970. Otis is backed by Booker T & the MGs, with the Memphis Horn trio, plus a bit of extra keyboard work by Ike Hayes. Titles include "A Little Time", "Swingin On A String", "Demonstration", "Tell The Truth", "Out Of Sight", and "Wholesale Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Hot and wild – two of the best words you could use to describe the late 60s Latin Soul material of Pete Rodriguez – especially on an album like this! This album has Pete and his combo at their best – stepping effortlessly between English-language, soul-based tracks – and other material that has them showing their Latin chops in a straighter Pacheco-inspired style – really tight small combo grooving, with that Spanish Harlem sound that cats like Pete could do so well. The whole thing's a winner, and titles include "Here Comes the Judge" and "People Want to Know", plus "Tears on My Pillow", "Carmela", "Pa'Lla Va", "Arranca En Fa", and "Cata Con Tata". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Shorty's best albums for RCA, and an album of hard-driving jazz by The Giants that's comparable to some of the great work they did in the soundtrack to Man With The Golden Arm. The group includes Shorty, Bil Holman, Richie Kamuca, Paul Horn, Bud Shank, and the Candoli Brothers – and titles (all written by Robert Allen) includes "Lilac Chiffon", "Who Needs You", "No Such Luck", "Chances Are", "Very Special Love", and "Teacher, Teacher". Very swinging, as the title says! LP, Vinyl record album

A nice collection of some Diana's great early 70s work for Motown, when she really stepped out and established herself as one of the finest soul singers of the decade. 10 tracks in all: "Touch Me In The Morning", "Love Hangover", "Last Time I Saw Him", "I Thought It Took A Little Time", "Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)", "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "Remember Me", "One Love In My Lifetime", "Reach Out And Touch (Somebody's Hand)" and "Good Morning Heartache". LP, Vinyl record album

A full-blown, very righteous offering from Chess to the political cause of Operation Breadbasket! Tenorist Ben Branch leads the large gospel-tinged group – and sax player Gene Barge produces and plays, with a style that's very much in the Chess/Checker bag of the late 60s soul era. Most cuts have chorus vocals, but there are are a few instrumentals on the record. Titles include "Country Preacher", "We Shall Overcome", "I Wish I Knew", and "Nobody Knows". LP, Vinyl record album

Nancy Sinatra recording in London, but still getting some heavy help from Lee Hazlewood – who wrote about half the tracks on the record, and also guest stars on one number too! The backings are fuller than some of Nancy's other Reprise albums – clearly going for some of the jaunty modes of UK girl pop of the time – but most numbers still have that undeniable Nancy charm, sung in breathy vocals that still seem to have their own space away from the larger orchestrations. Titles include "Friday's Child", "Hutchinson Jail", "Shades", "This Littler Bird", "I Can't Grow Peaches On A Cherry Tree", "The End", and "Step Aside" – plus "Summer Wine", which features Lee. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few full albums issued under the name of alto saxophonist Willie Smith – easily one of our favorite players on the alto of his generation! Willie's got a warmly raspy tone that rarely gets presented this well – in an easygoing, laidback setting with plenty of space – surrounded by musical "friends" who include Arnold Ross on piano, Les Paul on guitar, Murray McEachern on trombone, and Nick Fatool on drums. The tunes are all from mid 40s recordings, but nicely brought together in this LP package for the 50s – and they're a great example of the unique space that Smith carved out for himself back in the day. Titles include "Airiness A La Nat", "My Old Flame", "September In The Rain", "You Ought To Be In Pictures", and "Willow Weep For Me". LP, Vinyl record album

This is the third movement in the fantastic pop symphony that is Spanky & Our Gang! The record's perhaps their oddest to date – and mixes groovy vocal stylings with some fairly advanced production approaches that work perfectly with the incredible songs written by Stuart Scharf and Bob Dorough. The voices swirl about in a mad rush – interweaving lines of melody and poetry, punctuated by strange sounds, spacey airy instrumentation, and wonderful little rhythms. Titles include "Anything You Choose", "1-3-5-8", "Without Rhyme Or Reason", "Give A Damn", and "Nowhere To Go". LP, Vinyl record album

Standout solo work from Mavis Staples – a set that really expands the Stax sound nicely with a bit of strings to sweeten up the groove! Steve Cropper's at the production helm, and there's still enough grit in the grooves to remind us we're down in Memphis – but the choice of tunes and range of Staples' vocals show a growing sense of power that's really great – a mode that pulls itself up past simple southern soul cliches, and aims nicely at the mainstream! Yet even in that mode, the album's never too commercial, and certainly not pop-oriented at all – just proof that Stax was growing wonderfully at the time, and had plenty to offer a great talent like Mavis. Titles include a funky version of "Son Of A Preacher Man", plus "Pick Up The Pieces", "You're Driving Me", "Security", "Until I Met You", "Sweet Things You Do", "Good To Me", and "Chained". LP, Vinyl record album

Legendary vocal work from the postwar years – some of the earliest recordings from the enigmatic Yma Sumac – an artist whose records really laid the groundwork for an entire generation of exotica records to come! Sumac's authenticity has been debated over the years – but there's no denying that she's got this incredible vocal range – a many-octave approach that almost makes her sound like a human theremin – as she works with exotic backings from Les Baxter to offer up a take on Peruvian roots, styled towards a 50s bachelor pad listener! Titles include "Xtaby", "Wayra", "Taita Inty", "Monos", and "Tumpa". LP, Vinyl record album

Rhythms by Wild Apache, Steely & Clevie and Mafia & Fluxy. 10 tracks in all, including "Them No Worry We", "Ghetto Red Hot", "Them No Care", "Don't Test", "Don Dada", "Big & Ready", "Must Be Right", "Nuff Man A Dead", "Think Me Come Fi Play" and "Coke Don". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer from the early days of The Supremes – and way more than you'd guess from the "hits" in the title! The record's not really a roundup of the hit singles already out on 45 – and is actually just an apt title for what the album was destined to be – a stone hit that really put these Motown legends on the map! Production is by the Holland/Dozier/Holland team – with a marvelous wall of sound-style groove that really pushes the vocals forward tremendously – that brilliant all-in Motown mode of the best early years, where the Detroit studio was working overtime to make things sound amazing. Titles include the massive hit "Stop! In The Name Of Love" – but the whole thing's a solid effort with no filler, and other cuts include "I'm In Love Again", "He Holds His Own", "Whisper You Love Me Boy", "The Only Time I'm Happy", "Nothing But Heartaches", "Honey Boy", and "Back In My Arms Again". LP, Vinyl record album

The Ventures were furiously productive in the early 60s – delivering gem after gem – and this is among the best! Telstar is somewhere near the ninth record by the group, offering a dizzying mix of covers of some of the most popular songs of the day. The guitar still leads as the main sound on these tracks but they do expand the instrumentation to include organ, trumpet, mandolins and harpsichord as well. They sing a little on some of the tracks but they mainly stay in the instrumental realm. Greatness! Tracks include "Telstar", "The Lonely Bull", "Mexico", "Calcutta", "Apache", "Never On A Sunday", "Tequila", "Green Onions", "Let There Be Drums", and "Red River Rock". LP, Vinyl record album

A great late date from Ben Webster – one that has the tenorist working with a Dutch rhythm section that features Cees Slinger on piano, Jacques Schols on bass, and John Engels on drums – stretching out nicely on long tracks that include "Work Song", "The Preacher", "Straight No Chaser", and "John Brown's Body". LP, Vinyl record album

A standout solo moment for Yazz – the singer who first rose to fame as part of the Coldcut soundsystem, then really broke big at a point when UK soul was cracking the American mainstream! Yazz may have a bleached-out look on the cover, but her sound is deeply soulful – and fits in perfectly with the house-styled grooves on the record – backings that have an unabashed love of disco, at a time when listening audiences were maybe forgiving that music for all of its previous excesses, and strongly embracing its best qualities again – in a groove that's maybe a bit similar to Lisa Stansfield at the time, although with more beats and less strings. Production and backings are by Coldcut, FON, Youth, and other hip talents – and titles include her great remake of "The Only Way Is Up" – plus "Systematic People", "Wanted On The Floor", "Stand Up For Your Love Rights", "Fine Time", "Where Has All The Love Gone", "Got To Share", and "Turn It Up". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those records that should be an insane dark mess, given the look of the cover – but which turns out to be a surprisingly well put-together effort all the way through! Zappa does a great job of hiding behind his hair here – never acting with the pomp that a pop genius like him could easily have enacted – and instead passing off the record as if it's just another freakout – despite the fact that the arrangements are some of his tightest, most focused, and downright groovy so far! There's plenty of key musical help to make the whole thing come out right – including bass from Shuggie Otis, the inimitable voice Captain Beefheart, on the cassic "Willie The Pimp", violin from Jean-Luc Ponty, drums from Paul Humphrey, and bass from Max Bennett – all players who really live up to the musical complexity of Zappa's compositions – often with a pre-fusion vibe that's almost unexpected. Other titles include "Son Of Mr Green Grass", "The Gumbo Variations", "It Must Be A Camel", "Peaches In Regalia", and "Little Umbrellas". LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by The Rolling Stones, Them, Tom Jones, The Zombies, Kathy Kirby, Mike Leander Orchestra, Unit 4 + 2, Bern Elliott, The Bachelors, Lulu & The Luvers, Johnny Howard Band, Billy Fury, The Applejacks, and Dave Berry. LP, Vinyl record album

Soundtrack to the TV series by Carl Sagan, with selections by Vangelis, Toru Takemitsu, Tomita, and Synergy, and classical pieces by Pachelbel, Vivaldi, Bach, Shostakovich, Hovhaness, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Stravinsky. LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark double LP collection of work from Stax Records – issued at the end of the 60s, after their split with Atlantic – and a real celebration of the new life that was coming to the label at the time! The range of work is really great, and the 28 track set moves easily from hits to more obscure numbers – in a mode that really shows the growing sound of Stax as the 70s approached. Classic! Titles include "Hot Hips" by The Bar-Kays, "Where Do I Go" by Carla Thomas, "I Like Everything About You" by Jimmy Hughes, "It's Me" by Judy Clay, "Booker's Theme" by Booker T & The MGs, "Heartaches Mountain" by Ollie & The Nightingales, "Soul Clap 69" by Booker T & The MGs, "These Old Memories" by The Mad Lads, "Private Number" by William Bell & Judy Clay, "Long Walk To DC" by Staple Singers, and "Copy Kat" by Bar-Kays. 28 tracks in all! LP, Vinyl record album

From the vaults of Liberty and United Artists, with selections by Jay & The Americans, Bertell Dache, Johnny Maestro, The Belmonts, Patty Duke, Mike Clifford, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, Bobby Vee & The Johnny Mann Singers, The Fleetwoods, Patience & Prudence, Johnny Burnette & The Johnny Mann Singers, and Jan & Dean. LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet funky 70s work from Cannonball Adderley – a record that has him revisiting older tunes from his early soul jazz years – but in ways that give them a whole new electric vibe overall! The album's actually Cannonball's last full studio set, but it's also one of his greatest too – a very hip little record that features arrangements that are slightly bigger than before – almost a CTI sort of mode, with a similar CTI sense of space, sound, and timing! There's some great keyboards on the set – courtesy of George Duke and Mike Wolff – and other players include Nat Adderley on cornet, Airto on percussion, Sam Jones and Walter Booker on bass, and Louis Hayes and Roy McCurdy on drums. The keyboards lead off most numbers, but they're followed strongly by Cannon and Nat – both of whom open up wonderfully in the magical setting of the record! Titles include great new takes on "Sack O Woe", "Work Song", "Jive Samba", "74 Miles Away", "Walk Tall/Mercy Mercy Mercy", "Country Preacher", "Domination", and "This Here" – plus "Hi Fly" and "Hamba Nami". LP, Vinyl record album

Easily the crowning moment of genius for the legendary Dave Brubeck Quartet – the moment when all things came together magically, and the group somehow elevated themselves to a whole new level in jazz! At the time of the set, Brubeck, Paul Desmond, and the rest had already been making plenty of waves with their creative yet swinging approaches to modern jazz – heard on a number of successful albums for Fantasy and Columbia in the 50s. But with this record, they really knocked one out of the park – blending Desmond's cool alto, Brubeck's unusual piano phrasing, Joe Morello's melodic drum work, and Eugene Wright's pulsating bass into a waltzing, almost modal groove that crossed over to many camps at the time! The classics "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo Ala Turk" were both hits on their own – but all titles are great, and include "Kathy's Waltz", "Strange Medow Lark", "Everybody's Jumpin", and "Pick Up Sticks". LP, Vinyl record album

Easily the crowning moment of genius for the legendary Dave Brubeck Quartet – the moment when all things came together magically, and the group somehow elevated themselves to a whole new level in jazz! At the time of the set, Brubeck, Paul Desmond, and the rest had already been making plenty of waves with their creative yet swinging approaches to modern jazz – heard on a number of successful albums for Fantasy and Columbia in the 50s. But with this record, they really knocked one out of the park – blending Desmond's cool alto, Brubeck's unusual piano phrasing, Joe Morello's melodic drum work, and Eugene Wright's pulsating bass into a waltzing, almost modal groove that crossed over to many camps at the time! The classics "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo Ala Turk" were both hits on their own – but all titles are great, and include "Kathy's Waltz", "Strange Medow Lark", "Everybody's Jumpin", and "Pick Up Sticks". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal set from Cheap Trick – a group who had already cut some excellent studio albums before this one, but who somehow finally reached huge fame in the mainstream with this classic concert release! The album is one of the greatest, most iconic live rock records of its era – in which the to that point under-appreciated Cheap Trick (in the US at least – as you can hear the wild screams, they had the love elsewhere) midwestern powerpop progenitors FINALLY broke through and cemented their legend! LP, Vinyl record album

Classic sounds from Patsy Cline – and an album that will definitely open up your understanding of her music! Sentimentally Yours features Patsy Cline in all her glory – a set that's heavy on those heartbreaking numbers that really define Cline's wonderful approach to country music – titles that include "She's Got You", "Heartaches", "That's My Desire", "Anytime", "You Made Me Love You", "Half As Much", and "Lonely Street". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary album from a legendary moment in jazz – and one that's got a very unique lineup, given that the young tenor genius John Coltrane meets up here with the brilliant piano of Cecil Taylor! The pair were both very influential in the farther reaches of jazz, yet in very different ways – so working here together on this unique session really creates a special moment in jazz – as both musicians are an incredible force on record, and create a really strong sense of tension throughout. The rest of the group is great – Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Chuck Israels on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – an equally unique blend of talents brought together for the session – stretching out on long tracks that include "Shifting Down", "Double Clutching", and "Just Friends". LP, Vinyl record album

Miles Smiles, but his grin is a wry one – given the angular energy of the set! The album's a landmark effort from the mid 60s quintet that includes Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams – all of whom work without fail to capture Davis' newly emerging approach to jazz – a style that's touched with some of the light lyricism of the late 50s, but which has much sharper edges overall – and really approaches some of the best "new thing" modes that were going down at labels like Blue Note or Impulse! Many tunes have a subtly spare quality, but nonetheless work with a tremendous amount of power – and titles include a classic version of "Freedom Jazz Dance", a haunting take on Shorter's "Footprints", and the titles "Orbits", "Circle", "Dolores", and "Gingerbread Boy". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best albums of downtempo grooves we've heard in a long time! Fug mix together dubby beats, pinched instrumentation, and an isolated sense of spareness that's sort of an update of an older funky soundtrack style! The result is one of the freshest batches of tracks you'll spin this year – a no-nonsense affair that's steeped in real jazz traditions, yet which reaches boldly forward towards new limits. A few tracks feature female vocals, and the record's got some great keyboard work too. Titles include "RFO", "Thin Air", "Blue Movie", "Chunk", "Shrewd Movements", "The Prophet", and "Fairweather Friend". LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy batch of guitar instrumentals – played, using overdubs, in multi-guitar format, all by Danish player Jorgen Ingmann! The album was issued to cash in on Ingmann's fame in the US with his recording of "Apache" (not on this album), and it features a number of similar tracks that include "Wheels", "Milord", "Bonanza", "High Noon", "Cherokee", and "Sweet Talk". LP, Vinyl record album

A great album that mixes funky music and comedy routines by Pigmeat! The set features 2 great funky 45 tracks – the hilarious "My Wife I Ain't Seen Her", plus a remake of "Open The Door Richard", done with some heavy Gene Barge backings. The album also features longer routines without music – "How To Make Love" and "The Bachelor Apartment" – recorded live at the Regal Theater. LP, Vinyl record album

Curtis Mayfield, and a heck of a lot of greatness from the Chicago scene of the early 70s – music that comes from a rare TV special that also features guest appearances from Leroy Hutson, Jerry Butler, and Gene Chandler! Don't confuse this one with the 2LP Curtis Live set issued around the same time – as this record's got a tighter, fuller sound overall – a great illustration of Mayfield's growing fame as a solo act – although a set that's also generous enough to also feature appearances from both the new version of The Impressions, plus the original trio lineup too! Titles include "Superfly", "Love Oh Love", "Preacher Man", "For Once In My Life", and "I'm So Proud". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most ambitious albums ever from Rob Mazurek – and a set that really continues the legacy of community building and world healing that's become such an important part of his music! Rob's a player who was great at the start – a hell of a trumpeter, and a great experimentalist with electronics – but in recent years, he's matured to become a real messenger for the farther, future reaches of jazz – with an energy that makes a collaborative project like this come off in a way that might never have occurred in the hands of any other musician! Mazurek is at the head – director, composer, arranger, and instrumentalist too – and the large lineup is filled with heavyweights from the Chicago scene that Rob helped shape over the past few decades – plus others as well – players who include Damon Locks on voice and electronics, Nicole Mitchell on flutes, Tomeka Reid on cello, Joel Ross on vibes, Jaimi Branch on trumpet, Jeff Parker on guitar, Ingebrigit Haker Flate on bass, and Chad Taylor, John Herndon, and Mikel Patrick Avery on a variety of drums and percussion. There's a richness here that tops other Exploding Star Orchestra performances – and more of a focus, too – so that the whole thing comes together as even more than the sum of its mighty parts, as one of the best International Anthem releases to date. Titles include "Galaxy 1000", "Parable Of Inclusion", "Autumn Pleiades", "Minerals Bionic Stereo", "Dimensional Stardust", "Abstract Dark Energy", and "The Careening Prism Within". LP, Vinyl record album

The greatest and grooviest hits from Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 – that completely charming little group that really warmed up pop at the end of the 60s! The tunes here are awash in bossa rhythms, and topped with the group's trademark two-gal harmony style – a sound that reaches out from both sides of the speakers and wraps you up with a wonderfully sweet feeling – while the grooves at the bottom really keep things moving. The set's filled with classics – titles that include "Fool On the Hill", "With A Little Help From My Friends", "Look Around", "Scarborough Fair", "Pretty World", "Look Of Love", "Day Tripper", and "Mas Que Nada". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful bit of sunshine pop from the very obscure Peppermint Rainbow – a male/female harmony group with a sound that was a lot like the Mamas & Papas – blending folk rock and sweet pop into a really sunny groove! The album's worth it alone for the massive title track – "Will You Be Staying After Sunday", a tune that's got a sad undercurrent that seems to single-handedly dismantle all of the sexual freedom offered by the late 60s with a one sentence confession of the emotionality that was also attached. Other tracks are also nice – and include "Don't Wake Me Up In The Morning Michael", "Run Like The Devil", "I Found Out I Was A Woman", and "Walking In Different Circles" – most of which were written by arranger/producer Paul Leka. LP, Vinyl record album