A great return to form for the legendary Sidney Barnes – known best as a onetime member of both Rotary Connection and the P-Funk universe – but working here with great small combo backing from the Speedometer combo! "Best Thing" is an original by Barnes – sung in this sweet raspy style that gets great support from the funky group – who even thrown in a sweet Hammond solo in the middle! The flipside is a remake of Nolan Porter's "If I Could Only Be Sure" – a midtempo burner that has Sidney sounding even better on vocals! 7-inch, Vinyl record

The amazing debut of Be Bop Deluxe – a record that's made up of all sorts of familiar parts, yet somehow really manages to set itself apart as a whole! The young Bill Nelson is at the top of his game here – a hell of a guitarist, which we sometimes forget in his later work – and a vocalist with a sinister edge that gives the record a sense of darkness that matches the compressed production and overall moody vibe – a child of the Bowie/Bolan generation, but one that's a real black sheep of the family too! The strength of the record is impossible to sum up in easy words – but it's there for the hearing, right from the very first note – on titles that include "Jet Silver & The Dolls Of Venus", "Axe Victim", "Love Is Swift Arrows", "No Trains To Heaven", "Jets At Dawn", "Rocket Cathedrals", and "Third Floor Heaven". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal sounds from Be Bop Deluxe – a massive package that features all five of their albums for Harvest in the mid 70s – plus loads of bonus tracks too! The Be Bop Deluxe sound is a bit hard to peg, especially over the evolution enclosed here – but they've definitely got a cool compressed approach to music that's a bit like ELO – or at least like some of the best Brit work of the period that was using that studio style of mixing the vocals and guitars all up in the same sonic space, then fusing the whole thing to a tight level of production, yet all without ever sounding too slick at all. Be Bop Deluxe never had many hits on this side of the Atlantic – which may well be a testament to the inventiveness going on here – especially as things stretch out towards the end of the group, and seem to echo the imminent solo career of Bill Nelson. 5CD set features the full albums Axe Victim, Futurama, Sunburst Finish, Modern Music, and Drastic Plastic – plus loads more bonus tracks, singles, and demos – a massive 82 tracks in all! CD

The "air" here might well refer to the charged atmosphere in the arena during the live show that makes up this set from Be Bop Deluxe – a nice summation of everything that Bill Nelson and the group had done on their studio classics from the mid 70s, maybe stripped-down here a bit away from the studio! Yet somehow, the music also has that wonderful sense of compression that the group always got – a way of layering the sound at a level that's maybe post-glam, pre-punk, and without some of the fuller trappings of ELO, with more of a focus on the guitar. The whole approach holds up surprisingly well on stage – and titles include "Shine", "Fair Exchange", "Sister Seagull", "Blazing Apostles", "Life In The Air Age", and "Ships In The Night". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

One of the crowning moments of Bill Nelson and Be Bop Deluxe – a set in which it seemed that everything the group was trying for really came together – in a mode that's both tuneful and timeless, and which – a bit like Sparks or 10CC – was slightly out of time with the rest of the rock scene in the 70s! There's a few surprisingly catchy numbers – of the sort that should have made the group even bigger on the international scene – but Nelson also manages to work in lots of keyboard magic, too – in that compressed approach to his prog inclinations, which was always the appeal of the group. The set's neither glam nor punk, nor prog or classic rock – very much its own sort of thing – with titles include "Fair Exchange", "Life In The Air Age", "Ships In The Night", "Crystal Gazing", "Blazing Apostles", and "Beauty Secrets". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A bittersweet farewell from The Beatles – a record that definitely shows the fracturing unity of the group, with lots of near-solo moments – but a set that also makes us really wonder what they'd have done with all this genius, had they managed to hold it together! There's great hints here of the solo work to come – especially from George Harrison and John Lennon – and the Phil Spector production really helps open up a new sound for the group. Includes the genius cuts "I Dig A Pony", "Two Of Us", "Across The Universe", "I Me Mine", "One After 909", "For You Blue", and "Let It Be". Cassette

A bittersweet farewell from The Beatles – a record that definitely shows the fracturing unity of the group, with lots of near-solo moments – but a set that also makes us really wonder what they'd have done with all this genius, had they managed to hold it together! There's great hints here of the solo work to come – especially from George Harrison and John Lennon – and the Phil Spector production really helps open up a new sound for the group. Includes the genius cuts "I Dig A Pony", "Two Of Us", "Across The Universe", "I Me Mine", "One After 909", "For You Blue", and "Let It Be". CD

A bittersweet farewell from The Beatles – a record that definitely shows the fracturing unity of the group, with lots of near-solo moments – but a set that also makes us really wonder what they'd have done with all this genius, had they managed to hold it together! There's great hints here of the solo work to come – especially from George Harrison and John Lennon – and the Phil Spector production really helps open up a new sound for the group. Includes the genius cuts "I Dig A Pony", "Two Of Us", "Across The Universe", "I Me Mine", "One After 909", "For You Blue", and "Let It Be". LP, Vinyl record album

A bittersweet farewell from The Beatles – a record that definitely shows the fracturing unity of the group, with lots of near-solo moments – but a set that also makes us really wonder what they'd have done with all this genius, had they managed to hold it together! There's great hints here of the solo work to come – especially from George Harrison and John Lennon. Includes the genius cuts "I Dig A Pony", "Two Of Us", "Across The Universe", "I Me Mine", "One After 909", "For You Blue", and "Let It Be". Naked version includes an alternate mix of the original album and the bonus disc "Fly On The Wall". CD

A bittersweet farewell from The Beatles – a record that definitely shows the fracturing unity of the group, with lots of near-solo moments – but a set that also makes us really wonder what they'd have done with all this genius, had they managed to hold it together! There's great hints here of the solo work to come – especially from George Harrison and John Lennon – and the Phil Spector production really helps open up a new sound for the group. Includes the genius cuts "I Dig A Pony", "Two Of Us", "Across The Universe", "I Me Mine", "One After 909", "For You Blue", and "Let It Be". CD

A bittersweet farewell from The Beatles – a record that definitely shows the fracturing unity of the group, with lots of near-solo moments – but a set that also makes us really wonder what they'd have done with all this genius, had they managed to hold it together! There's great hints here of the solo work to come – especially from George Harrison and John Lennon – and the Phil Spector production really helps open up a new sound for the group. Includes the genius cuts "I Dig A Pony", "Two Of Us", "Across The Universe", "I Me Mine", "One After 909", "For You Blue", and "Let It Be". LP, Vinyl record album

A bittersweet farewell from The Beatles – a record that definitely shows the fracturing unity of the group, with lots of near-solo moments – but a set that also makes us really wonder what they'd have done with all this genius, had they managed to hold it together! There's great hints here of the solo work to come – especially from George Harrison and John Lennon – and the Phil Spector production really helps open up a new sound for the group. Includes the genius cuts "I Dig A Pony", "Two Of Us", "Across The Universe", "I Me Mine", "One After 909", "For You Blue", and "Let It Be" – plus lots of great bonus material including outtakes, rehearsals, chatter, the "Get Back" album and Let It Be Ep, stereo and surround sound Blu-ray mixes, and and awesome 100-page book – all in a cool heavy slipcase. CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of the first big Philly moments for Archie Bell & The Drells! "Showdown" is an undisputed classic – with an incredible hook, and a strident soul groove that replaces the band's earlier Texas funk style. Gamble & Huff wrote and produced, and the cut's got some tight arrangements by Bobby Martin. The flip's tasty too! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Warm backings from Marty Manning – and a set that really has Tony Bennett coming into his own for the 60s! Titles include the classics "I Wanna Be Around" and 'The Good Life" – plus "Once Upon A Summertime", "If You Were Mine", "Someone To Love", and "Quiet Nights". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the last recordings made by Ed Blackwell before his early passing in 1992 – an Oakland live date recorded with an excellent lineup that includes Graham Haynes on cornet, Carlos Ward on alto and flute, Mark Helias on bass, and a bit of guest trumpet from Don Cherry! The style here is earthy and organic – never overly modern, and building in a way that echoes Blackwell's angular roots, but transforms that sound into more spiritually exploratory lines. Ward's work is especially great, and the absence of a piano means that the interplay between cornet and sax is the main driving force of most tunes. Titles include "Nebula", "Grandma's Shoes", "Pentahouse", "First Love", and the extended "Lito" suite in 3 parts. CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Laidback and lovely trumpet work from the legendary Ruby Braff – heard here in the company of pianist Hank Jones, and recorded in a very intimate small group setting! The bulk of the CD features material from Ruby's excellent Ruby Braff Goes Girl Crazy album for Warner Brothers – a recasting of the Gershwin score as an instrumental vehicle for Braff, Jones, Al Cohn, and Jim Hall – all played in a mellow and open-handed style that brings a new sense of swing to the tunes! Rhythm is by George Duvivier or Bob Haggart on bass, and Buzzy Drootin on drums – and titles include "Embraceable You", "Treat Me Rough", "But Not For Me", "I Got Rhythm", and "Bidin My Time". 4 more tracks on the CD are pulled from the album You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me – again with Jones on piano, plus Mundell Lowe on guitar – on titles that include "When Your Lover Has Gone", "Let's Do It", and "Taking A Chance On Love". Last up are 5 more tunes from the album Easy Now – with Roy Eldridge also on trumpet, plus Jones and Lowe again – on the tracks "Yesterdays", "Someday You'll Be Sorry", "Give My Regards To Broadway", "Willow Weep For Me", and "This Is My Lucky Day". CD

We're not normally the biggest fans of Ruby Braff – but this is a great little album, thanks to some strong instrumentation! The group on the set's a sextet – with Ruby leading on trumpet, plus Mundell Lowe on guitar, Don Elliott on vibes, Milt Hinton on bass, Don Lamond on drums, and either Hank Jones or Nat Pierce on piano. The use of vibes and guitar creates a sound that gets past the hoke of other Braff sessions – shading in the tunes with moody colors and tones that provide a good contrast to the sweetness of Braff's horn, creating a juxtaposition that gives the set more edge than you might expect. Titles include "Cabin In The Pines", "Lazy", "Someday Sweetheart", "If Dreams Come True", and "Let's Do It". LP, Vinyl record album

Composed and directed by Anthony Branker, Walter Smith III on tenor saxophone, Remy Le Boeuf on alto and soprano saxophones, Philip Dizack on trumpet, Pete McCann on guitar, Fabian Almazan on piano, Linda May Han Oh on double and electric bass, Donald Edwards on drums, and Alison Crockett on vocals and spoken word. CD

No heavy metal here – just tight and funky jamming from the mighty Brecker Brothers! There's a bit more guitar here than on some of their other records – hence, possibly, the title – but the whole thing's still very much in that mix of soulful fusion and jazzy soloing that the pair forged strongly in the mid 70s. Keyboards and guitar jam strongly, but Randy and Michael still get in plenty of space for their solos – pushing their jazz licks with the jamming intensity that might normally be relegated to guitar heroes in the rock world. Tracks include "Inside Out", "Some Skunk Funk", "Sponge", "East River", "Funky Sea Funky Dew", and "Squids". LP, Vinyl record album

With Dick Berk on drums. CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A sweet funky set from the New Jersey 70s soul empire of the Stang/Turbo/All-Platinum family of labels – the kind of record that came out with little fanfare at the time, but which has a razor sharp groove all the way through! The set features plenty of wonderful work on keyboards – clavinet, organ, moog, and Arp – mixed with really sharp basslines that snap along nicely, and really tuck the tunes into the groove – as vocals from various group members trade places in the best funk ensemble mode! There's plenty of nice nuggets on this set – like the super-catchy "Chance With You", the moogy "Phattenin", and the warmly mellow "Visions" – next to other tracks that include "Groovy Day", "Take My Love", "Leavin Me", and "Let Your Mind Be Free". CD

A great full length collection of work by Memphis singer Barbara Brown – a vocalist who appeared both as a solo act, and with her sisters – on a variety of singles for labels like Cadet, Atlantic, Tower, and MGM in the late 60s and early 70s! Barbara's got a deep, rich voice that's clearly schooled in gospel, but pointed towards more secular ends – an approach that's very much in keeping with the best late 60s wave of soul from Atlantic Records, and which is carried off here with a sharpness and precision that's simply mindblowing! Why Brown never scored bigger is a real mystery to us, because these tunes come off like the cream of the crop of southern soul at the end of the 60s – not just obscurities for obscurity sake, but some of the highest level of soul a female soul singer could hope for at the time! Titles include "Can't Find No Happiness", "Plenty Of Room", "A Great Big Thing", "Things Have Gone To Pieces", "Man Around The House", "Play Thing", "I'm Gonna Start A War", "I Don't Want To Have To Wait", "It Hurts Me So Much", "Got To Be Somebody", "There's A Look On Your Face", and "If I Can't Run To You I'll Crawl". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A great little soul number from James! "Don't Be A Drop Out" begins with these riffing horns, going high then dropping low, almost in a "Monkey Time" mode. James comes in with a great little vocal, a bit moralistic, perhaps, but also an admission of his own loss of a good chance earlier in life! "Tell Me" is a frenetic screamer – one that begins with a strange spoken introduction, crowd noise, then a rising volume on the band's instrumentation before they rip loose with James like they're the Dead Kennedys or something! The cut's totally insane – sounds as if it was dropped from space to drive the youth of America crazy – and really wild, even for James! 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

A nice little single – despite the name! The a-side is a sleepy blues number, but the flip – "Disco Blues" – is a great groover. The cut begins with a bouncy bass and choppy guitar, all rolling together in a nice funky way while Willie sings and plays harmonica in a bluesy style. The gimmick shouldn't work, but the cut's pretty compelling overall – and that bass is monster dirty! 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Three vocal gems in a single set! First up is It Might As Well Be Love – a record that's a perfect example of the way that Ann Burton really stands out among the field of female jazz vocalists – as an artist who's both able to continue a classic legacy, yet also bring all sorts of special inflections and expressions of her own to really transform the music! At first glance, the record's in familiar territory – with combo backing from Mike Renzi on piano, Jay Berliner on guitar, Buster Williams on bass, and Grady Tate on drums – but the choice of material and Ann's execution really take the album into something fresh, different, and really unique – that little something extra that always makes Burton's more obscure albums always worth seeking out! Titles include "Sooner Or Later", "After You", "I Like You You're Nice", "Humpty Dumpty Heart", and "What'll I Do". That's All is an easygoing live set from vocalist Ann Burton – one that has her working with the trio of pianist Rob Agerbeek, and which features a few guest appearances from Mark Murphy! The whole thing's got an approach that makes you feel like you're right in the club with Ann – as Rob's trio handle a few titles instrumentally, then Ann steps in for vocals, and Mark Murphy makes a surprise appearance at the end. Recording quality is great – clean and clear, but never too much so to lose the spontaneity of the performance – and Ann herself is especially wonderful in the way she slides easily into the tunes, and sings them with a lively punch that really gives them a bit of new life. Titles include "Dreamer", "Blue Bossa", "Time Was", "My Gentleman Friend", "My Buddy", "I Wish I Were In Love Again", and "That's All". New York State Of Mind is wonderfully laidback vocal work from Ann Burton – a richly talented singer who really sounds best in a setting like this! The album's got Burton working with a trio – Grady Tate on drums, Buster Williams on bass, and sweet acoustic and electric piano from Michael Renzi. Burton interprets the tunes here with a classic care that's rare for a vocalist of her generation. The set was produced by Helen Merrill, which might well account for an approach that works so sympathetically with warm vocals. Titles include "You Started Something", "All Too Soon", "Never Never Land", "Come In From The Rain", and "I Can Dream, Can't I?" CD

A solo piano set from the great Jaki Byard – and, like his best in this mode, a record that explodes with imagination at a level that's very different than most standard solo outings! Titles include "Besame Mucho", "Lonely Town", "Blues Au Gratin", "Tribute To Jimmy Slide", and "Spanish Tinge #3". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Bunny Sigler produced this one by Carl, and it's definitely got a lot of Bunny's Philly disco influences running through it. You won't find any "Bad Mamma Jamma" tracks on here – but you will find a lot of up-tempo cuts with a dancefloor sound. Titles include "Live For Today", "Let's Groove", "Willing & Able", "Spend The Night", and "Universal Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Jean's classic Philly albums, recorded after she left Doug Carn, and started to make records as a solo artist. The record's got stellar production by Gamble & Huff and Dexter Wansel, and features a nice mix of up-tempo cuts and mellow ones. With the monster "Don't Let it Go to Your Head", and the mix of "Revelation" and "Infant Eyes" that she recorded earlier with Doug Carn. Other cuts include "(No, No) You Can't Come Back Now", "Together Once Again", and "I Bet She Won't Love You Like I Do". LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant modern soul from Jean Carn – 2 of her greatest albums for Philly International, back to back on one CD! Jean first got her start singing righteous jazz with husband Doug Carn for the Black Jazz label – but by the time of these albums, she was out on her own and working with the Gamble & Huff team in a whole new groove! Jean's jazz experience served her well at Philly – giving her a sense of maturity and vocal depth that made her one of the best female singers on label – as you'll hear from these 2 excellent albums. The CD features 17 tracks in all, including classics like "Don't Let It Go To Your Head", "Free Love", "I'm In Love Once Again", "Happy To Be With You", and her remake of "Revelation/Infant Eyes". CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of the most compelling albums ever recorded by guitarist Eugene Chadbourne – a set billed as "free improvised country and western bebop" – and which features Chadbourne serving up these wild variations on tunes by Carl Perkins, Roger Miller, David Allen Coe, Bobby Bare, Merle Haggard, and other country music legends! The album's much more Eugene than Nashville – although Chadbourne does sing lyrics on all of the tunes, but in a way that's very offbeat and hardly unlike the originals at all – as is his guitar work, which is acoustic and all twisted and turned up in all the offbeat phrasings you might expect! Much of the record is Chadbourne on vocals and electric dobro – but the set also features some drums by David Licht, saxes from John Zorn, and cello from Tom Cora. Titles include "The Last Word In Lonesome Is Me", "I'm The Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised", "Georgia In A Jug", "Motel Time Again", "Dang Me", "Window Shopping", "Jealous Loving Heart", "Mr Record Man", and "Swingin Doors". CD

Pastor Wiley Champion is a gospel singer with a hell of a voice – the sort that could have instantly made him a huge soul singer, if he ever chose to leave his faith – but which is maybe even more powerful here directed towards a spiritual sort of setting! The album's a very lean effort, especially for a contemporary album – recorded to two track analog tape in a church in Oakland, but with crisp fidelity that lets the vocals really come to life once the songs begin – as Champion sings with light backings from his own guitar, plus a bit of keyboard, bass, drums, and tenor. The whole thing is wonderfully without any sense of cliche – and has none of the slavish attempt to sound "authentic" that you might fear from a contemporary record like this – just the pure, unadulterated power of a singer who's worked in obscurity for decades, finally getting his due. Titles include "To Be Used By You", "Storm Of Life", "I Know That You've Been Wounded", "He'll Make A Way", "I Just Want To Be A Good Man", and "Who Do Men Say I Am". CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic posthumous collection of work from this raw early rocker – with cuts that include "Nervous Breakdown", "Lonely", "Twenty Flight Rock", "Weekend", "Boll Weevil", "Love Again", "Milk Cow Blues", and "Little Angel". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best sessions that Al Cohn ever cut – done with a small group setting, a rare privilege for Al, who was so often lost in a larger group! Cohn's tenor is right out front, and the rest of the players include Frank Rehak, Hank Jones, Milt Hinton, and Osie Johnson. Cohn contributes the original tunes "Be Loose", "Good Ol Blues", and "Abstract Of You" – and the rest of the tracks include "We Three", "Idaho", "When Day Is Done", and "Blue Lou". LP, Vinyl record album

A label-spanning collection of work from Ann Cole – a singer who rose briefly on the charts in the mid 50s, and managed to cut a great range of excellent sides for a variety of different imprints! Ann's got a style that fits her image on the cover – a bit classier than most, with a mix of jazz and blues inspirations, turned towards some of the hipper R&B currents of the postwar years – which includes some occasional mambo rhythms, and currents of styles that aren't too far from New Orleans – even though this material was mostly recorded in New York. CD features 25 tracks, recorded for labels that include Baton, Timely, Mor Play, Apollo, and Sir – with titles that include "No Star Is Lost", "I've Got A Little Boy", "Summer Nights", "That's Enough", "Have Fun", "Brand New House", "Smiling Through", "This Could Be The Last Time", "Darling Don't Hurt Me", and "Each Day". CD

Damn great work from Albert Collins – one of those hard-edged gems from the early days that's a lot more funk than his later blues! Sure, there's still plenty of blues here – but the rhythms are pretty funky too, and the album's got some great raw production from Bill Hall – free from any of the blues cliches that were creeping into other artists work from mainstream attention – and still cooked up with a really gritty edge overall! Titles include the funky monsters "Doin My Thing" and "Do The Sissy" – plus "Collins Mix", "Trunin On", "Stump Poker", "Let's Get It Together Again", and "Left Overs". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

"I rap with the Passion of Christ, Ni**a, cross me!" BE isn't exactly a back-to-basics LP in the vein of his classic work for Relativity – but it is indeed a return to a focused, genuinely soulful, no BS approach – and it's a very welcome one at that! It seems like Com was a bit affected by some of the criticism folks had for the spacious, astral Electric Circus LP – if you ask us Common had no reason to apologize, but we'd be lyin' if we said we weren't hoping for another batch of tracks that sound like they could have been written on a front porch on the southside of Chicago. This is indeed that record – 12 tracks, few guest appearances, and a warm, consistent sound all the way through. There's a 3 track span on this album, from "Chi-City" through "Real People", that's seriously close to perfection. Welcome home, Common! Ruggedly produced by Kanye West, with a couple of stellar production contributions from Jay Dee! Other tracks include "The Corner" feat Last Poets, "Go!", "Faithful", "Testify", "Love Is. . .", "The Food (live)" (this great track has been circulating for a while since it was performed on Chappelle's Show, and we're thrilled Common and Kanye had the good sense to include it on the album), "They Say" featuring John Legend and "It's Your World (Part 1 &2)". LP, Vinyl record album

BE isn't exactly a back-to-basics LP in the vein of his classic work for Relativity – but it is indeed a return to a focused, genuinely soulful, no BS approach – and it's a very welcome one at that! It seems like Com was a bit affected by some of the criticism folks had for the spacious, astral Electric Circus LP – if you ask us Common had no reason to apologize, but we'd be lyin' if we said we weren't hoping for another batch of tracks that sound like they could have been written on a front porch on the southside of Chicago. This is indeed that record – 12 tracks, few guest appearances, and a warm, consistent sound all the way through. There's a 3 track span on this album, from "Chi-City" through "Real People", that's seriously close to perfection. Welcome home, Common! Ruggedly produced by Kanye West, with a couple of stellar production contributions from Jay Dee! Other tracks include "The Corner" feat Last Poets, "Go!", "Faithful", "Testify", "Love Is. . .", "The Food (live)" (this great track has been circulating for a while since it was performed on Chappelle's Show, and we're thrilled Common and Kanye had the good sense to include it on the album), "They Say" featuring John Legend and "It's Your World (Part 1 &2)". LP, Vinyl record album

Ruggedly produced by Kanye West, with a couple of stellar production contributions from Jay Dee! Tracks include "The Corner", "Go!", "Faithful", "Testify", "Love Is. . .", "The Food", "They Say" and "It's Your World (Part 1 &2)". LP, Vinyl record album

Junior Cook on tenor sax, Mickey Tucker on piano Wayne Dockery on bass, and Leroy Williams on drums. Tracks include "Cedar's Blues", "I Should Have Known", "This Is The Place To Be", "Cup Bearer", and "Over The Rainbow". CD

Patrick Cornelius steps out here both as a strong leader, and as a great songwriter too – on a set that's filled with almost all original material from the pen of the alto saxophonist – tunes that have a strong sense of color and verve, which makes the record one of the most illuminating to date from Cornelius! The group's also got a real strength in the piano of John Escreet – who has some sharper edges that really enrich the vibe of the record – and Patrick's alto lines are also balanced with a nice sense of depth from trombonist Nick Vayenas, a player we don't know at all – but who seems to be finding his own with the set. The rest of the group features Ben Allison on bass and Mark Ferber on drums – and titles include "Precious Souls", "Telescope", "Big Pictures", "This Should Be Fun", "For Morgan", and "Restless Willow". CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

The group were certainly doing something right – as this album has Joe Cuba's sextet at the top of their game, easily showing why they were one of the best groups on the New York scene of the 60s! The album's a pivotal one in the development of Latin Soul – as it sports the incredible track "El Pito" – one of those Latin jammers that grabbed everyone right away, and which has barely ever been matched since! The album's also got some great use of English language lyrics – crucial to the unique crossover sound that Joe was forging, and a real bridge between Spanish and African American Harlem in the 60s. Titles include "My Wonderful You", "El Pito (I'll Never Go Back To Georgia)", "Pruebalo, OK?", "Bochinchosa", "Incomparable", and "Clave Mambo". LP, Vinyl record album

Although the Dapps were best known for their funky "Bring Up the Guitar", they're represented here on two slower soul cuts that feature their bluesy harmonies. Jame Brown still produced the whole thing, though, and it's from the period of his best work on King. 7-inch, Vinyl record

... CD

One of Sammy D's best albums of the late 60s – and a beautiful mix of modes that he explored on the Reprise label! The title track is Sammy's big hit "I've Gotta Be Me", but that tune's followed up with some nice groovers – like Sammy's versions of "My Personal Property" and "I'm a Brass Band" – both pulled from Sweet Charity, a film in which he had a part. Arrangements are by HB Barnum, JJ Johnson, and Richard Wess – and get very nicely jazzy in parts, an aspect that's further emphasized by Jimmy Bowen's great production. Other tracks include "She Believes In Me", "Sweet November", "Here I'll Stay", "I'm Glad There Is You", and "I've Got You Under My Skin". LP, Vinyl record album

The cover has Tyrone Davis in a very diverse crowd, but the record is pure Davis all the way through – that great blend of bluesy roots and classier soul that made most of his 70s records so wonderful! The approach here is even more careful and well put-together than some of Tyrone's last records at the indie label Dakar – a new step forward on Columbia, where songwriter/producer Leo Graham gave Davis some great material to work with – helping him to find a strong new voice, just as most of his audience was doing the same. Titles include "In The Sand", "This I Swear", "I Got Carried Away", "Let's Be Closer Together", "You Need Love", "All You Got", and "If That's What It Takes". LP, Vinyl record album

Great 3-sided single that features two regular sides, plus a third side "hidden" amidst the grooves of the second side. Loads of great stuff, including "Brain Washed Follower" and "Ain't Hip to Be Labeled a Hippy". The kind of 12 inch single that makes collecting them worth while! 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Four classic albums from Jackie DeShannon – all in a single set! First up is Me About You – sophisticated Jackie at her best – working with great arrangements from Jack Nitzsche and Nick DeCaro – both cats from the California scene we can really trust for "cut-above" pop work like this – music that goes way past the simple sounds of DeShannon's start – into cool adult territory that really makes the album great. Jackie's vocals are surprisingly soulful in the setting – even more so than before – and the tunes include lots of gems, including versions of Van Dyke Parks' "High Coin", John Sebastian's "Didn't Want To Have To Do It", and Tim Hardin's "Baby Close Its Eyes". Also includes "I Keep Wanting You", "Me About You", and "Nicole". Next is Laurel Canyon – heady work from Jackie DeShannon's later years in 60s pop – an album with themes and styles that go way beyond her earlier recordings – as you might guess from the hip Laurel Canyon reference in the title! Jackie's working here in a mode that's much more strongly in a singer-songwriter style than before – with arrangements and backings that are a lot more organic, and less pop-tuned than ever – almost in a Laura Nyro approach on some numbers. As usual, a good portion of the tracks were written by Jackie herself – including "Holly Would", "Come & Stay With Me", "LA", "Too Close", and "Laurel Canyon" – and the album also features a few well chosen tracks by other writers too, like "Bitter Honey" by Paul Williams & Roger Nichols, "I Got My Reason" by Barry White, and "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" by Smokey Robinson. Put A Little Love In Your Heart is quite possibly the last great hit from singer Jackie DeShannon – an album built around the righteous spirit of the title track – filled with really wonderful original tunes penned by Jackie and soul singer Jimmy Holiday! The album may well be the best to explore the space between pop and soul that often characterized Jackie's work – and the overall sound is somewhat similar to some of Dusty Springfield's best pop/soul work from the same stretch. 10 of the album's 12 tracks are originals by Holiday and DeShannon – all set to soaring orchestrations by James Langeford, which often have a pronounced influence from the sound of Atlantic Records in the late 60s! Titles include "Put A Little Love In Your Heart", "You Are The Real Thing", "River Of Love", "Movin", "You Can Come To Me", "You Have A Way With Me", and "I Let Go Completely". To Be Free is an interesting little record – with kind of a crossover California soul feel overall – recorded with Rene Hall arrangements that echo a few rootsy modes at times, mixed in with fuller orchestrations that step a bit back towards Jackie's earlier years on Imperial – a surprisingly nice blend, with a fresh sound for the 70s. The album features a number of great tracks co-written with Jimmy Holiday – a fellow Imperial talent – and titles include "Mediterranean Sky", "Sooner Or Later", "What Was Your Day Like", "Livin On The Easy Side", "Brighton Hill", and "When Morning Comes Again". CD

Maybe the most striking work we've heard from all the players in the group – and that's really saying a lot, given how many stunning records they gave us back in the 70s! The music here is wonderfully free and improvised, but also has a way of focusing on a specific element too – sometimes the piano pulsations of Keith Tippett, sometimes the very organic bass work of Chris Laurence, or the soulful alto sax work of Elton Dean, or intuitive percussion of Louis Moholo! The qualities are a bit hard to describe in words, but there's a vibe to the set that really shows why key players of the British 70s scene were often so different than their European counterparts – this mix of humanism and instrumental progressivism, sometimes a bit warmer than at other points – but balanced with freer flights of creativity. Titles include "Naima", "Dede Bup Bup", "Overdoing It", "Not Too Much", and "Nancy". CD features in four unissued bonus tracks, the most striking of the bunch – "Edeeupub", "Here's That Rainy Day", "Attic", and "Echoes". CD

A stunning look at one of our favorite singers of all time – captured here in the grooviest period of her career, and presented with a huge amount of rare and unreleased material too! In the late 60s, after her famous recordings for Verve, Blossom Dearie moved to the London scene, worked with hip arrangers, songwriters, and producers – and came up with a sound and style that was even more sublime than her earlier work – sometimes with touches of mod rhythms, sometimes bits of jazz, bossa, or soundtrack elements – and delivered in a mode that's unlike anything else she recorded before, or afterwards! This massive package brings together four albums from that time – That's Just The Way I Want To Be, Soon It's Gonna Rain, Sweet Blossom Dearie, and Blossom Time At Ronnie Scott's – plus two full CDs with 27 more London sessions that appear here for the first time ever! Those tracks include mono versions of some album tracks, but also some unusual tracks too – like "You Have Lived In Autumn", "The Joker", "Rings & Things", "Now That We're Here", "Wave", "What Is", "Feeling Good Being Me", "Windows Of The World", "Inside A Silent Tear", "Until It's Time For You To Go", "Didn't We", "Inside Out", "Let It Be Me", "While We're Lovin Me", "My Favorite Things", "What The World Needs Now", and "I'm Hip" – and the package then also has some bonus singles added to the albums – including "The Music Played", "Discover Who I Am", "Moonlight Saving Time", "Wallflower Lonely Cornflower Blue", and "Feelin Groovy". Plus, the whole thing comes in a cool 10" slipcover, with a huge booklet of notes and images in the middle! CD

An amazing record – one that we'd never part with! The session is one of Blossom Dearie's greatest records ever – a sublime set of tunes recorded in London, at the end of the 60s, with larger arrangements than usual, and a feel that's almost psychedelic. Backings were arranged and conducted by Brian Gascoigne – with a host of Brit underground jazz players that include Harold McNair, Ian Carr, Kenny Wheeler, and Ray Warleigh. More incredibly than that, though, is the set of tunes that Blossom wrote and chose for the record – tunes that have really dark edges, playful turns, and which go past the simplicity of some of her other work. The whole thing's truly amazing – really – and is a record that we've been coming back to again and again and again over the years! Titles include "I Know The Moon", "Long Daddy Green", "Hey John", "That's Just The Way I Want To Be", "Dusty Springfield", "Will There Really Be A Morning", and "I Like London In The Rain". CD

An amazing record – one that we'd never part with! The session is one of Blossom Dearie's greatest records ever – a sublime set of tunes recorded in London, at the end of the 60s, with larger arrangements than usual, and a feel that's almost psychedelic. Backings were arranged and conducted by Brian Gascoigne – with a host of Brit underground jazz players that include Harold McNair, Ian Carr, Kenny Wheeler, and Ray Warleigh. More incredibly than that, though, is the set of tunes that Blossom wrote and chose for the record – tunes that have really dark edges, playful turns, and which go past the simplicity of some of her other work. The whole thing's truly amazing – really – and is a record that we've been coming back to again and again and again over the years! Titles include "I Know The Moon", "Long Daddy Green", "Hey John", "That's Just The Way I Want To Be", "Dusty Springfield", "Will There Really Be A Morning", and "I Like London In The Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing record – one that we'd never part with! The session is one of Blossom Dearie's greatest records ever – a sublime set of tunes recorded in London, at the end of the 60s, with larger arrangements than usual, and a feel that's almost psychedelic. Backings were arranged and conducted by Brian Gascoigne – with a host of Brit underground jazz players that include Harold McNair, Ian Carr, Kenny Wheeler, and Ray Warleigh. More incredibly than that, though, is the set of tunes that Blossom wrote and chose for the record – tunes that have really dark edges, playful turns, and which go past the simplicity of some of her other work. The whole thing's truly amazing – really – and is a record that we've been coming back to again and again and again over the years! Titles include "I Know The Moon", "Long Daddy Green", "Hey John", "That's Just The Way I Want To Be", "Dusty Springfield", "Will There Really Be A Morning", and "I Like London In The Rain". CD features the bonus tracks "Feelin Groovy" and "Hey John (mono)". CD

Very cool! This CD is a compilation of 2 albums by the groovy Blossom Dearie – one rare, and one not so rare. The rare one's Blossom's 1970 record cut for Fontana UK, entitled That's Just The Way I Want To Be, and featuring some amazing Brit easy arrangements that are right out of the Sound Gallery/Sound Spectrum scene! The style of the record is very different than others by Blossom, and the swinging groovy orchestrations are a perfect accompaniment for her lively sing-song voice. Titles on that one include "Long Daddy Green", "Inside A Silent Tear", "That's Just The Way I Want To Be", and the great "I Like London In The Rain". Plus, the CD also includes the record Give Him The Ooh-La-La, which was issued over here by Verve, and which also adds 9 extra cuts to the CD, for a total of 21 tracks in all. Buy it for the rare Fontana LP – and savor the extra 9 cuts as a bonus! CD

Deja have a sound here that's different than their debut – production from Teddy Riley, and a bit more beats at the bottom – yet still topped with the wonderful vocals that first made the duo so great! In a way, the blend is a great testament to the new jack style when it worked the best – fresh rhythms infusing stronger energy into more of an older school soul approach – resulting in a sound that's especially great when the singers are this good! Titles include "Time Is Running Out", "Waiting Downtown", "Patience & Time", "Going Crazy", "You Don't Appreciate My Love", "Dreamer", "Sexy Dancer", and "Made To Be Together". Features the bonus track "Made To Be Together (12" mix)". CD

With Sen Dog on "Tres Delinquentes". 12-inch, Vinyl record

Genius in one of its purest forms! Paul Desmond's alto sax was honed to perfection by the time of these recordings – worked out through fame in the Dave Brubeck Quartet years of the late 50s and early 60s, but also relaxed in a confidence that makes these sides completely majestic, and utterly fantastic! Desmond's tone and approach are languid – but in a way that's incredibly compelling: notes just floating out of the horn, almost effortlessly, seeming not to come from Desmond himself, but to him, gathered together by his warmth and good wit, honed in further by the spare and gentle guitar work of the great Jim Hall – and heard in the company of Gerry Mulligan on one album too! The package is great – with mini LP-styled cover reproductions of 60s RCA classics that include Desmond Blue, Take Ten, Bossa Antigua, Glad To Be Unhappy, Easy Living, and Two Of A Mind – with a booklet of notes, too. CD

Hard to be unhappy in a setting like this – a classic RCA session from the 60s, and one that matches the sublime icy alto sax of Paul Desmond with the perfectly airy guitar of the great Jim Hall! The pair work simple wonders with familiar tunes on the set – bringing together a love of the understated, mixed with a desire to delight and surprise – a quality that plays out wonderfully throughout the course of the record, and keeps us hanging with a sense of joy and delight. The group's completed by bass and drums – with no piano for rhythm, leaving the guitar and alto suspended in mid-air – and titles include "Any Other time", "Glad To Be Unhappy", "Poor Butterfly", "Stranger In Town", and "Taste Of Honey". CD features 3 bonus tracks! CD