Revelatory work from the great Art Pepper – presented here in a complete package for the first time ever. In Pepper's later years, his live dates were often more mindblowing than his studio sessions – especially when the tape was rolling over a long stretch, as was the case over the three nights of recordings presented here! Art's on alto, in a tight group with George Cables on piano – arguably one of his most sensitive accompanists in these years – plus David Williams on bass and Carl Burnett on drums – a lineup that remains firm through the seven sets of music captured in this collection. The package features 42 performances, including 23 performances that appear here for the first time ever, plus bits of banter and other between-song conversation – all wrapped up in a box with a 44 page booklet of notes. Titles include "For Freddie", "Without A Song", "Road Waltz", "Mambo Koyama", "Allen's Alley", "Begin The Beguine", "Landscape", "Valse Triste", "But Beautiful", "Roadgame", "For Freddie", "Donna Lee", "Samba Mom Mom", "Yours Is My Heart Alone", and "Arthur's Blues". CD

Interviews with songwriter Paul Williams (focussing on his soundtracks to Phantom of the Paradise and The Muppet Movie), Chicago R&B radio legend La Donna Tittle, Chuck Dukowski (Black Flag, CD6), blues guitarist Walter Trout (Canned Heat), pop vocalist April March, Franco-genius Bertrand Burgalat, Mecca Normal, and Nardwuar versus Afrika Bambaataa. Plus Jobriath, Def Leppard, a lushly illustrated history of Studio One, archival Pedro Bell cartoons, Johnny Cash, Fats Domino, Voivod, Syd Barrett, Arthur Lee, Johnny Thunders, and over 1000 poorly written record reviews! Magazine

Robot Rock n Roll issue featuring a lavishly illustrated encyclopedia of hundreds of robot records/bands/etc. Interviews with Captured! By Robots, Gilbert and George (The Singing Sculpture), Arthur Lee Maye (1950s R&B/Baseball star), Blowfly, The Troggs, Snoop Dogg, The Syndicate of Sound, Richard and the Young Lions, Rocket From The Crypt, Archer Prewitt, Andy Starr and Junior Brown. Plus Bubblegum, Martin & Lewis, Shrimpenstein (written by Dominic Priore), Crispy Ambulance, Sammy Davis, Jr., Art Fein's 1950s Chicago memories, Bryan Gregory obituary, lots of comics, reviews and more. Magazine

This issue's cover feature takes a loving look at the once unsung, but increasingly (and rightly!) revered 70s years of Arthur Lee and Love! It's takes a nice look at the soulful hard rock and funk years that might've been met with more acclaim at the time if the trailblazing psych-era masterpieces weren't still finding an audience – and it's full of great photos we've never seen! There's lots of other nice stuff in this issue – including pieces on Tulsa power pop genius Dwight Twilley, the garage, surf and other seedy rock delights of Estrus Records, Barbara Moore, Will Malone and more – plus lots of reviews, the crossword and more. Magazine

Includes Elvis Presley, Brenda Lee, Connie Francis, Arthur Lyman, Percy Faith, Henry Mancini, Dinah Washington & Brook Benton, Patsy Cline, and many more. CD

Music from Amos Milburn, Dinah Washington, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, John Lee Hooker, Big Joe Turner, Pee Wee Crayton, Johnny Moore's Three Blazers, Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five, Nellie Lutcher And Her Rhythm, and more. CD

Later work from Love, and more of an Arthur Lee record than a true group effort – but still pretty nice! There's a hard rocking sound on most of the cuts – very fierce guitars, but also done with a nicely rhythmic approach that has less noodly bits than other groups of the time, and which even comes across as fairly soulful on a few tracks, too! A lot of the soul comes through in Arthur's vocals, which are wonderful, and the album is well worth a discovery. Very underappreciated, which is understandable given the grandure of Arthur Lee's earlier ouvre – but very a worthwhile record the bests most psyche era rock records! Jimi Hendrix played on one number, "The Everlasting First" and other titles include "Feel Daddy Feel Good", "Ride That Vibration", "Love Is Coming", "Slick Dick", "Stand Out", "Keep On Shining", and "Gimi A Little Break". CD

A whole host of rare cuts from the original Kent Records label in LA – the 60s follow-up to the famous Crown/Modern/RPM imprint of the postwar years – a set of labels that gave the world plenty of amazing R&B tracks in the 50s! Here, Kent is going more for a 60s groove overall, but with qualities that still echo the nice edge of their older material – all in a package that pays tribute to a famous collection of Kent songs done by Ace Records forty years before – the start of a long love affair that's had Ace issuing plenty of tracks that never saw the light of day back in the 50s and 60s! That's definitely the case here – as rare cuts stand next to others making their vinyl debut – and NOTE that this CD version features a different track list than the vinyl – only 3 of the 24 tracks within are included on the LP version. Titles include "You'd Be Good For Me" by Jeanette Jones, "Gonna Put It On Your Mind" by Arthur Adams, "Jealous Woman" by T Bone Walker, "You Changed Me" by Teddy Reynolds, "Wanting You" by Jimmy Bee, "Satisfied Feeling" by Mary Love, "Tramp" by Foxfire with Johnny Adams, "Freedom & Justice" by The Pace Setters, "Remove My Doubts" by Stacy Johnson, "Here Comes the Judge" by Larry & Tommy, "Push Me" by Lowell Fulson, "On My Way Back Home" by Flash Terry, "No More Tears" by The Sweethearts, "Help Me" by Beatrice Lee, and "Mr Bad Luck" by King Solomon. CD

Includes tracks by Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Freddie King, Love With Arthur Lee, Macko Palmer, Blue, and more! LP, Vinyl record album

Jazzman take on the Cali scene – and the results are every bit as amazing as you might imagine! Like previous Texas, Florida, and Midwest Funk comps on the label, this volume is essential listening all the way through – a massive dig into rare west coast grooves of the late 60s and 1970s – presented with excellent notes on every single track, and more than enough historical detail to put the music in perspective! The whole thing's fully legit, with great mastering on most cuts – and the track list is filled with rare gems we've never seen on any other collections before – a massive funky treasure trove that includes "Turn It Over" by Chucky Thurmon, "Farm Song" by Leon Gardner, "What Goes Around Comes Around (part 1)" by Arthur Monday, "Get It Right" by Rhon Silva, "Funky Fire" by Billy Larkin, "WB" by California Gold Notes, "Curse Upon The World" by Apple & The Three Oranges, "Cold Heat" by Lil Lavair & The Fabulous Jades, "Bones" by Winter, "Smokin Tidbits" by Edwards Generation, "Al's Place" by Enrique Olivarez Y Los Vampiros, "Talking About My Baby" by John Heartsman & Circles, "What's Going On" by Mr Clean & The Soul Inc, and "All Bundled Into One" by Water Color. LP, Vinyl record album

The first album from the great Special Edition group of drummer Jack DeJohnette – a wickedly sharp record that's as equally tight on the reeds as it is on the drums! The album features brilliant work on tenor and bass clarinet from David Murray, and equally nice alto from Arthur Blythe – both criss-crossing and soaring out effortlessly in each others' company – amidst complex rhythmic impulses from DeJohnette on drums, and both bass and cello from Peter Warren. Jack also plays a bit of piano and melodica as well – and titles include "One For Eric", "Zoot Suite", "Central Park West", "India", and "Journey To The Twin Planet". CD

The birth of a sound and the birth of a legend – Martin Denny's first album in the Exotica series, and a record so great it named an entire genre! Denny certainly didn't invent the tropical style of easy listening that came to be known as "exotica" in the 50s – but with a record like this, he delivered the goods better than anyone else – by taking away all the too-sweet styles of Hawaiian music, and serving up a stripped-down, jazzy kind of sound! The album features Denny's classic original quartet – with Arthur Lyman on vibes and Augie Colon on bongos – and titles include "Stone God", "Jungle Flower", "Busy Port", "Lotus Land", and his hit recording of "Quiet Village". Japanese CD features full mono and stereo mixes of all tracks on the set! CD

A sweetly funky little set from Sonny Stitt – one of his hippest albums ever, and a rare date cut for Ahmad Jamal's short-lived record label! The sound here is a great combination of the late 60s tone that Sonny forged on other east coast indies – and some of the hipper, more open rhythms he'd later hit on the Jazz Masters label in Detroit on his work with Eddie Russ – a sound that's quite unique, and which is a fair bit different than the funk-based Stitt dates for Prestige around the same time. Players here are quite unusual too – Herbie Hancock on piano, organ, and Fender Rhodes – plus Ted Sommer on vibes, and guitar by either Gene Bertoncini, Howard Collins, or John Pizzarelli – depending on the track. Rhythm is by Ron Carter on bass and Grady Tate on drums – and the arrangements by Dave Ward have a nicely fresh approach to soul jazz – one that really keeps things interesting throughout! Titles include "Sunny", "My Idea", "Jason's Blues", "Out Of This World", "Opus 1", "When Sonny Blows Blue", and "Mac Arthur Park". CD

A sublime pop psych classic from Tommy James & The Shondells – a record that's quite different than some of the janglier work the group was issuing a few years before – and a perfect example of the way that just a few slight studio tricks can really transform a record! The tunes are all short and focused, but produced with lots of cool reverb, echo, and fuzzy touches on the sides – never overindulgent, and still plenty tuneful – but with so many weird little edges that they come through with a sound that's still pretty darn fresh after all these years – even if you think you know these guys from their hits. Titles include "Kathleen McArthur", "Do Something To Me", "I Am A Tangerine", "Smokey Roads", and "Breakaway" – plus the classic hits "Sugar On Sunday", "Crystal Blue Persuasion", and "Crimson & Clover". LP, Vinyl record album

Think you know the sound of Atlantic Records in the 60s? Think again – because this stunning series opens the vault to a huge amount of rare treasures from the legendary label! The package is amazing – and offers up rare tracks that were mostly only issued by Atlantic on singles – including some on the other imprints associated with the company – some by names we never even knew recorded for the label, others by bigger names, but represented here by obscure material that goes way past their hits – and which is ultra cool because of that. There's also a fair bit more deep soul than you might expect from the usual Atlantic mix – tremendous vocals, and often in less hit-heavy modes – which makes the whole thing a great revelation – and just one more reason to bow down and give even more expect to one of the key companies who helped soul music find a home in the 60s. Plus – as if that's not enough – the whole thing comes in a very cool 7" gatefold package – which emphasizes the from-singles nature of the collection. Volume 4 is filled with 50 rare tracks – loads of uncommon Atlantic singles, including some from their 50s partners – with cuts that include "Bye Bye Baby" by Ella Washington, "Sleep Good Tonight" by Sam & Dave, "What Am I Gonna Do" by Dee Dee Sharp, "Book Of Memories" by Percy Wiggins, "I've Got That Feelin" by Darrell Banks, "Let's Go Steady" by Arthur Conley, "Let Me Down Slow" by Bobby Wilson, "These Simple Reasons" by The Mad Lads, "Cool Pearl" by The Capitols, "Happiness" by The Ambassadors, "That Man Of Mine" by Jean & The Darlings, "One Plus One" by William Bell, "Left Over Love" by Mable John, "Get Down" by Harvey Scales & The Seven Sounds, "All On A Sunny Day" by Deon Jackson, "Sentimental Reasons" by Percy Wiggins, "Feels Good" by Bobby Wilson, "Bigger & Better" by Mable John, "I'll Be Loving You" by Soul Brothers Six, "Greasy Spoon" by Rufus Thomas, "Don't Say Maybe Baby" by The Capitols, "I'm So Proud Of My Baby" by The Ambassadors, "She Knows What To Do For Me" by Ben E King, "I Gotta Have My Baby's Love" by Sir Mack Rice, "Loveitis" by Harvey Scales, "Love Comes & Goes" by Arthur Conley, "The Grass Always Seems Greener" by Ella Washington, and "Behind Every Great Man There's A Woman" by Percy Sledge. CD