Volume 4 in Columbia's LP series that collected classic sides that Louis cut for Columbia back in the early days. Titles include "Body & Soul", "Knockin A Jug", "Shine", "I'm Confessin", and "I'm A Ding Dong Daddy". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best solo albums ever recorded by the great Kenny Barron – a set with so much life, so much cover, you really don't need any other instruments at all! Kenny's at a key point in his career here – really stretching out as an individual talent, and getting plenty of room to work on this beautifully-recorded grand piano – whose tones ring out with this soulful, majestic quality that seems to only amplify the genius that Barron brings to the keys! And while there's certainly been other Kenny Barron solo albums over the years – including some great dates from overseas – there's a power and confidence here that's somewhat missing from the rest – this righteous, commanding style that's almost like Stanley Cowell in a similar setting, but more lyrical too. Titles include "Bud-Like", "Calypso", "Body & Soul", "Enchanted Flower", "Star Crossed Lovers", and "Misterioso". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet CTI grooving from George Benson – one of his hardest-hitting albums of the time! In a way, the record returns George to his early years at CTI – particularly the album Beyond The Blue Horizon – as the set's got a stripped down smaller group, working in a tight blend of electric jazzy bits that's very nice! Ronnie Foster lays down some great keyboards on the set, Hubert Laws is on flute, and George himself plays a hollow body with a nice soulful tone – stretching out on some straight jazz on most cuts, but also hitting a few of his smoother notes from the mid 70s. Titles include "Take Five", "Octane", "Summertime", and "Gone". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer set that's extremely well-titled – as BT Express were one of the hottest ensemble funk acts of their time! The groove here is definitely aimed at a more disco-oriented dancefloor than before – but the overall sound is plenty funky enough for our ears – thanks to some amazing horn passages arranged by Carlos Ward, whose own work on sax and flute really add an edgey quality to the set. Ward's horns are really fantastic – cutting and turning with a sharply-honed tone that keeps things fresh throughout – even when the rhythms are hitting more of a mainstream dancefloor sound. Titles include the group's mellow soul version of "Now That We've Found Love", plus "Herbs", "Time Tunnel", "Energy To Burn", "Can't Stop Groovin Now Wanna Do It Some More", and "Make Your Body Move". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that really has Busta Rhymes coming into his own – taking all those charms that had been bubbling in the underground through years of guest appearances, and finding a way to really shine in the light of the mainstream! The album's not Busta's first solo effort, but has a sense of identity and confidence that really steps forward – with all those brash, in-your-face sort of rhymes you'd expect from the man himself – set to production by DJ Scratch, The Ummah, and Rockwilder – all at a level that's held up very well over the years! The set features guest work from Flipmode Squad, Rampage, Mase, Anthony Hamilton, and Erykah Badu – Tracks include the singles "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See", "Dangerous", and "Turn It Up" – plus the cuts "The Whole World Lookin' At Me", "One", "We Could Take It Outside", "The Body Rock", "Things We Be Doin' For Money", "When Disaster Strikes", "Get Off My Block", and "There's Not A Problem My Squad Can't Fix". LP, Vinyl record album

It's no secret that Don Byas made some of his best recordings in Europe, not America – and this tasty little set is great support of that fact! The set features numbers that Byas cut in Paris at the end of the 40s – working with a mixture of American and Parisian players that includes Billy Taylor, Bernard Peiffer, Bill Coleman, Peanuts Holland, Tyree Glenn, and Hubert Rostaing. Tracks are short, and Byas' sound on the tenor is sublime – right up there with the best Ben Webster work of the time! Titles include "The Mohawk Special", "Body & Soul", "Ain't Misbehavin", "Rosetta", "I'm Beginning To See The Light", and "Working Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great group – one that we've never seen under this name before, but which features familiar names Dwight Dickerson on piano and Donald Bailey on drums, plus bass from Harvey Newmark! The album's got all the lyrical charm and sparkle of Dickerson's best from the time – a really soulful, fluid record that certainly shows the growing changes in west coast modes – maybe hence the group's name – with that subtle spirit that really marked some of Dwight's key contributions during the 70s. Titles include "Windows", "Solar", "Yesterdays", "Body & Soul", "Blue Monk", and "Freedom Jazz Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the tracks "Man I Love", "Body & Soul", "It's Only A Paper Moon", "Sweet Georgia Brown", "Easy Listenin Blues", "It Is Beter To Be By Yourself", "Sweet Lorraine", and "Embraceable You". 78 RPM, Vinyl record

The George Coleman Octet featured Coleman on tenor sax, Frank Strozier on alto sax, Junior Cook on tenor sax, Mario Rivera on baritone sax, Danny Moore on trumpet & flugelhorn, Harold Maburn on piano, Lisle Atkinson on bass and Idris Muhammad on drums. There are a total of six track which include two Coleman originals "Joggin" and "Revival" plus Strozier's "Frank's Tune", "Green Dolphin Street", Shirley Scott's "Big George", and "Body & Soul". LP, Vinyl record album

A great set of unreleased recordings that was issued after John Coltrane's death, but which stands as an essential chapter in his groundbreaking body of work for Impulse! The album features 2 tracks recorded at the Newport Jazz fest in 1963 – both with Roy Haynes on drums, plus the usual McCoy Tyner/Jimmy Garrison lineup. One of these cuts is a very long reading of "My Favorite Things" – with a sweet loping modal groove, but soloing that is quite a bit more "out" than the famous studio version. The 3rd track on the album – "Selflessness" – was recorded in LA in 1965, and it features Raphael Don Garrett on bass clarinet, adding some nice Dolphy-esque touches. LP, Vinyl record album

An overstuffed collection of greatness from Con Funk Shun – key tracks from the group's mighty run on Mercury Records – where they took a homegrown funk style, and sharpened it to a razor-sharp point! The tunes here are a mix of bassy bottom groovers and some of the group's mellower steppers – a really nice balance that spins out over the course of 17 tracks, with a good range of work from the late 70s and early 80s. Tracks include "Ffun", "Love's Train", "Chase Me", "Too Tight", "Ms Got The Body", "Baby I'm Hooked (Right Into Your Love)", "Straight From The Heart", "Love On Your Mind", "Got To Be Enough", "Ms Got The Body", "By Your Side", "Juicy", "So Easy", and "Shake Me & Dance With Me". CD

A second pressing of the first Bo Diddley album – and a set that's fantastically twangy! We never tire of Bo Diddley's incredible guitar work – and you'll get plenty of it in this early album he cut for Chess, a tasty batch of 12 tracks, all original tunes with a stripped-down gutbuckety sound – rough, raw rhythms that feature plenty of Bo's gritty guitar over the top! The cover's got a picture of Bo holding a conventional hollow-body – nice and echoey, and a bit different than his later trademark square guitar – but the sound is still loud and proud throughout. Titles include "Bo Diddley", "I'm A Man", "Hey Bo Diddley", "Bring It To Jerome", "Say Bossman", "Diddley Daddy", "Hush Your Mouth", and "Who Do You Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Two of the biggest singers who ever worked for Verve Records – captured perfectly at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957! Ella Fitzgerald steps out with a strong, lively groove on the first half of the set – swinging things with a looser, more upbeat quality than on some of her mellower Verve studio sets of the late 50s – really grooving it up with small combo backing from the trio of pianist Don Abney! Billie Holiday also gets some small combo backing too – a hip trio with Mal Waldron on piano, Joe Benjamin on bass, and Jo Jones on drums – often a bit more laidback than the group on Ella's sides, but in a great way that helps Holiday hit a very intimate sound, even before this large audience. Ella sings "This Can't Be Love", "Body & Soul", "April In Paris", "I Got A Crush On You", and "Airmail Special" – and Billie sings "Nice Work If You Can Get It", "What A Little Moonlight Can Do", "My Man", "Willow Weep For Me", and "Lady Sings The Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the tracks "Laura", "Indiana", "I'm In The Mood For Love", "Body And Soul", "Easy To Love", "Penthouse Serenade" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the earliest work we've ever seen from Steven Halpern, and some of the best – a mid 70s set that predates some of his better-known new age records of later years – and which has a sound that's maybe a bit more compressed and focused overall! Steven's still playing plenty of Fender Rhodes throughout – using the keys in those enigmatic ways that always make his records so great – mixed with light touches on bass, trumpet, electric flute, and guitar – but only at a few points, so that most of the record is just Halpern opening up with these beautiful lines on the Rhodes! Side one features the long "Sound Spectrum Suite" – and side two features "Be Muse Ment", "Trans Pan Dance", and "Subtle Body Suite" – the last of which is actually a funky Rhodes tune! LP, Vinyl record album

Stunning work from one of England's greatest jazz artists ever! West Indian sax player Joe Harriott was one of the brightest spots on the UK's jazz scene of the late 50s and 1960s – and although a few of his more famous albums have been issued on CD, there's a wealth of great work by Joe that's never seen the light of day since the 60s. This long-overdue set features some excellent rare work by Joe – most recorded live, either with his own group, or that of Michael Garrick, who produced the set. The first four tracks feature Harriott Quintet tunes from 1961 – two straight numbers, versions of "Moanin" and "Round Midnight", plus two examples of Joe's "abstract" style of jazz, "Coda" and "Tempo". Next up are some wonderful angular solo recordings of standards like "Confirmation", "Love For Sale", and "Body & Soul" – all of which show Joe's deep roots in soulful jazz tradition, embellished slightly by some added piano by Coleridge Goode. Lastly, Joe blows incredibly with Garrick's groundbreaking groups of the 60s – wailing hard on the hardbop groover "Shiva", and his own modal jammer "Calypso Sketches". Wonderful work all around – and an essential bit of Harriott to fill your all-too-empty collection! CD

Maybe the title's a bit overly-optimistic – but with a record like this, you can certainly imagine a world in which everybody does like Hampton Hawes! The record's the third in a legendary early run for the Contemporary label – trio material that broke Hawes out of the box and firmly put his rich talents on the keys at the top of the list of the best players in jazz. The sound's an amazing blend of jazz idioms at the time – with some of the flourishes of the Peterson or Jamal crowd, but often a tighter, almost rootsier bottom in the rhythms – a touch of the LA soul jazz sound, showing up here quite early! The trio features Red Mitchell on bass and Chuck Thompson on drums – and tracks are short, but showcase the open sound that Hawes was developing at the time. Titles include "Night In Tunisia", "Body & Soul", "Lover Come Back To Me", and the Hawes originals "The Sermon" and "Coolin The Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A very unusual concert from Billie Holiday – one that features narration by Gilbert Millstein, telling the story of Billie's life! The format is quite unusual – almost a live documentary, with the subject of the documentary there in person herself! Millstein narrates from the start, and Billie emerges with songs throughout – using Millstein's narration to bracket portions of her career, then delivering the tunes associated with that portion. Backing is by an all-hip group that includes Coleman Hawkins, Kenny Burrell, Chico Hamilton, Roy Eldridge, and Buck Clayton – and titles include "I Cried For You", "My Man", "Don't Explain", "Lady Sings The Blues", "Body & Soul", "I Love My Man", and "Yesterdays". LP, Vinyl record album

A great selection of laidback and electric grooves, done here with plenty of great work on hollow-body electric guitar, which adds a nice raspiness to the instrumentation, and creates the same sort of vibe you'd hear on Willie's best soundtrack work. The record's got a great cover of "I Wanna Be Where You Are", plus Willie's originals "If You Ain't Got No Money, You Can't Get No Honey", "California My Way", the sampled classic "Tell Me Why Has Our Love Tuned Cold", "Ain't Nothing Like Togetherness", "Sunshine Lady" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet session of laidback trio material – recorded by Dutch pianist Pim Jacobs in the early 80s, with a much more expansive sound than his more famous recordings from the 50s! In the postwar years, Pim was one of the bigger new talents on the European scene – famous for his backing work with a number of singers – but this set from later years shows that he hasn't lost an ounce of his talent, and has really developed a way of stretching out, even in a small space – to make the most of whatever tune he takes on! The album has Pim on acoustic piano – working across the keys with a nice light touch that almost shows the influence of the electric generation – and tracks include "Come Fly With Me", "I've Got The World On A String", "I Love You", "Body & Soul", and "Sultry Serenade". CD

Sweet electric soul from Jimmy Abney – one of the best Osunlade discoveries we've heard in recent years, and an artist who's bound to make plenty of waves on his own – even without Osunlade's support! Abney sings and plays keyboards in the style of some lost 70s soul great – but also comes across with a sound that's a bit more contemporary – somewhat more stripped down, and nicely lean – in ways that make most of the tunes here fluid and sparkling, but in ways that are light years from commercial soul. Jimmy chooses to cover Marvin Gaye's "Come Go With Me" and Heatwave's "Star Of The Story" – and both tunes are a key hint at his sound, which often has some nicely moogy undercurrents and spacey grooves. Other titles include "More Of You", "Darlin", "Is There Anybody Here", "Crazy Love", "Hello", "Guardian Angel", and "What's On Your Mind". CD

Genius work from Pepper Adams – one of those players we sometimes forget about, then drop the needle on a record like this and fall in love with his music all over again! Adams blows baritone sax like nobody else – with a sensitivity that you'd normally hear on tenor, and a mix of modes that should have made him one of the most respected saxophonists of his generation – something that maybe didn't happen because of his unusual horn! Yet although big, there's nothing heavy about the way Pepper handles his horn – as you'll hear especially on the few ballads – and as usual for Adams, his choice of a group is great too – a sharp lineup with Walter Norris on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Makaya Ntshoko on drums. Titles include "Julian", "Ad Astra", "Jirge", "Spacemaker", and "Three & One". LP, Vinyl record album

The swaggering, hard grooving and hard rocking debut of Aerosmith! While "Dream On" gets as much or more rock radio play than any song should ever need, it's actually pretty easy to overlook just how good the rest of the record is. They may borrow the bluesy swagger of the Stones and heavy riffing of Led Zeppelin, but it's ultimately a heavy, but accessible rock sound that's distinctively all their own. Includes "Dream On", "Make It", "Somebody", "Walkin The Dog", "Write Me", and "Mama Kin". LP, Vinyl record album

The swaggering, hard grooving and hard rocking debut of Aerosmith! While "Dream On" gets as much or more rock radio play than any song should ever need, it's actually pretty easy to overlook just how good the rest of the record is. They may borrow the bluesy swagger of the Stones and heavy riffing of Led Zeppelin, but it's ultimately a heavy, but accessible rock sound that's distinctively all their own. Includes "Dream On", "Make It", "Somebody", "Walkin The Dog", "Write Me A Letter", and "Mama Kin". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Warm, mellow, and completely sublime – the mighty America at the height of their powers – working with a quality that nobody else can match! The trio wrap together all the best ideas that were bubbling under in the LA scene of the late 60s – vocal harmonies, studio perfection, and even touches of rootsy instrumentation – yet find a space to work all these elements together in a rich sound that's completely unique – amazingly understated at times, despite a near-perfect level of production! The whole album's great – even their original version of "Muskrat Love" – nestled in here next to "Rainbow Song", "Submarine Ladies", "Molten Love", "Green Monkey", and "Goodbye". LP, Vinyl record album

A great set in the short run of classics that Carl Anderson cut for Columbia Records in the 1980s – albums that never cracked the charts that strongly at the time, but which have gone on to be remembered well over the years! On this record, Anderson nicely balances a tight groove with some looser, more personal vocals – in the process avoiding some of the stiffer cliches of the Columbia hitmaking crowd of the time – and reminding us that the label could still come up with classy, well-rounded soul efforts like this! Titles include "Let's Talk", "Can't Stop This Feeling", "Love On Ice", "Girl I Won't Take No", "Saving My Love For You", "Somebody Up There Likes Me", and "What Will Happen Now". Bonus cuts include "Let's Talk (UK rmx)", "Light Me", and "Can't Stop This Feeling (12" ext version)". CD

Jackie Mittoo may be basking in the spotlight these days, but Gladdy Anderson was no joke on the keys either, and if your hip to Jackie's slick vibe, you need to get open on Gladdy! He plays piano on these Harry Mudie produced grooves, with a mellow, laidback vibe that leans nicely towards a Jamaican take on some of our favorite Young Holt sides, with a smooth but still nicely bouncing soulful vibe rippling over the syncopated island rhythms. 10 tracks in all, including "Sound In Symphony", "It's Not That Easy", "Rocking The Drifter", "Yours To Remember", "Everybody Knows" and "Gone Is Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Roy Ayers in a very Afro-styled mode – working here on his own after a famous collaboration with Fela Kuti – in a set that's filled with the same sort of hard-driving Afro-Funk grooves that you'd find in Fela's classic recordings! The songs are shorter than Fela's, and with more of Roy's usual smooth jazzy production style – but the overall influence is very much in the Afro-Funk vein, and the album's sort of a "part 2" to the Music Of Many Colors set that was cut a few years before. William Allen worked on the record with Roy – playing choppy Afro-Funk bass, and arranging and producing a lot of the material with Roy and Jaymz Bedford – and the record also features a host of extra percussion players, as well as some vocals by the lovely Sylvia Striplin. Includes the great groover "Africa, Center Of The World", plus "The River Niger", and a great remake of "Third Eye", which was on Everybody Loves The Sunshine, but is redone here with a heavier sound! Other tracks include "There's A Masterplan", "I'll Just Keep Trying", and "Destination Motherland". LP, Vinyl record album

It's like a dream come true – 13 previously unissued recordings by Roy Ayers, all from the height of his glory years on Polydor! Roy's work from this time is some of our favorite ever – a burning blend of jazz, soul, and funk – handled with impeccable charm, and a level of soul that few other artists of the time ever matched. Roy's genius was strongly documented at the time by a series of excellent Polydor albums – but there was also a heck of a lot of great material that never saw the light of day, and which is every bit as great as the classics that we've come to know and love over the years. Hearing this set is incredible – like upping our already-massive appreciation of Roy's talents, and like finding a lost corner of soul music history that nobody's ever heard before. The tunes are all amazing – a great blend of jazzy soul, mellow soul, and dancefloor groovers – and the package is only the tip of the iceberg, from what we've been told! The full album does a great job to not cross over too much with the 12" singles previously issued in this "Virgin" series – and titles include "What's The T", "I Really Love You", "Sugar", "Mystery Of Love", "Green & Gold", "Brand New Feeling", "I Did It In Seattle", "I Just Wanna Give It Up", "Together Forever", "Boogie Down", "I Am Your Mind", and a great alternate version of "Mystic Voyage"! CD

It's like a dream come true – 13 previously unissued recordings by Roy Ayers, all from the height of his glory years on Polydor! Roy's work from this time is some of our favorite ever – a burning blend of jazz, soul, and funk – handled with impeccable charm, and a level of soul that few other artists of the time ever matched. Roy's genius was strongly documented at the time by a series of excellent Polydor albums – but there was also a heck of a lot of great material that never saw the light of day, and which is every bit as great as the classics that we've come to know and love over the years. Hearing this set is incredible – like upping our already-massive appreciation of Roy's talents, and like finding a lost corner of soul music history that nobody's ever heard before. The tunes are all amazing – a great blend of jazzy soul, mellow soul, and dancefloor groovers – and the package is only the tip of the iceberg, from what we've been told! The full album does a great job to not cross over too much with the 12" singles previously issued in this "Virgin" series – and titles include "What's The T", "I Really Love You", "Sugar", "Mystery Of Love", "Green & Gold", "Brand New Feeling", "I Did It In Seattle", "I Just Wanna Give It Up", "Together Forever", "Boogie Down", "I Am Your Mind", and a great alternate version of "Mystic Voyage"! CD

It's like a dream come true – 13 previously unissued recordings by Roy Ayers, all from the height of his glory years on Polydor! Roy's work from this time is some of our favorite ever – a burning blend of jazz, soul, and funk – handled with impeccable charm, and a level of soul that few other artists of the time ever matched. Roy's genius was strongly documented at the time by a series of excellent Polydor albums – but there was also a heck of a lot of great material that never saw the light of day, and which is every bit as great as the classics that we've come to know and love over the years. Hearing this set is incredible – like upping our already-massive appreciation of Roy's talents, and like finding a lost corner of soul music history that nobody's ever heard before. The tunes are all amazing – a great blend of jazzy soul, mellow soul, and dancefloor groovers – and the package is only the tip of the iceberg, from what we've been told! The full album does a great job to not cross over too much with the 12" singles previously issued in this "Virgin" series – and titles include "What's The T", "I Really Love You", "Sugar", "Mystery Of Love", "Green & Gold", "Brand New Feeling", "I Did It In Seattle", "I Just Wanna Give It Up", "Together Forever", "Boogie Down", "I Am Your Mind", and a great alternate version of "Mystic Voyage"! LP, Vinyl record album

Not as "adult" as you might think – at least given the way the word is used today – but pretty great work by Pearl nonetheless! The tunes themselves are a bit "blue" in terms of subject matter – tales of girls with hot pants, loose love, and the kind of backroom hijinks that weren't always talked about so freely in the torch singer era. But given the time, and the setting, the tunes are still pretty soft on the subjects – and get the themes across through clever turns of phrase, slight innuendo, and just the right intonation at the right time – a style that makes Pearl Bailey perfect for the work! The set features 21 tracks in all, and titles include "I Want A Man", "She Had To Go & Lose It At The Astor", "The Physician", "Westport", "One Man Ain't Quite Enough", "Aggravatin Papa", and "Nobody's Chasing Me". CD

An "after theater" version of the Richard Rogers musical No Strings – done in a cool way that really changes the feel of the music! The "cast" for the set is an assortment of Atlantic Records artists from the early 60s – Herbie Mann, Chris Connor, Lavern Baker, and Bobby Short – all brought together to perform the tunes, which are recast nicely in arrangements by Mann, Al Cohn, and Bobby Scott. Chris Connor sings "The Sweetest Sounds", "No Strings", "Look No Further", and "Nobody Told Me"; Bobby Short sings "Be My Host", "An Orthodox Fool", and "The Man Who Has Everything"; Lavern Baker sings "Eager Beaver" and "Loads Of Love"; and Herbie Mann plays a cool Latinized version of "La La La". LP, Vinyl record album

A real cooker in the Atlantic Records' 60s series from Preservation Hall – a record that definitely keeps up the groove throughout! Side one features work by the combo of drummer Paul Barbarin – a lively player with a romping approach to rhythm – one that perfectly suits the trad sounds from Ernie Cagnolatti on trumpet, Waldren "Frog" Joseph on trombone, and Louis Cottrell on clarinet. Titles include "Too Late", "The Second Line", and "Give It Up". Side two features a great group led by legendary trumpeter Ernie "Punch" Miller – with sweet horn work from a lineup that includes Louis Nelson on trombone and George Lewis on clarinet – the latter of whom is in perfect late formation on his well-crafted solos. Titles include "Nobody Knows The Way I Feel This Morning", "Preservation Blues", and "Hindustan". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice lean set from Barclay James Harvest – a record that gets more to the core of their sound after the larger arrangements of some of their albums for Harvest Records – in a way that also seems to bring out more of an edge in their songwriting, too! The shift is somewhat subtle, but effective – as the quartet manage to find ways to make simple guitar and keyboard lines come across with this flowing vibe that often makes the sum sound way more than its parts – especially when set to the inventive themes covered by some of the album's lyrical topics! The drums are great, too – seemingly stronger than before – and titles include "Negative Earth", "Paper Wings", "The Great 1974 Mining Disaster", "Mill Boys", "Poor Boy Blues", and "Child Of The Universe". LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy musical – one done quite far from the bright lights of Broadway, in early 60s LA – with lyrics and presentation that offer up a wry postwar commentary on the city! The whole thing has the feel of some of the hipper off-Broadway material of the time – very witty little tunes, penned by Billy Barnes in a Tommy Wolf/Fran Landesman mode – handled by the cast with a nicely intimate feel that really makes the lyrical subtleties come through nicely. Instrumentation is relatively spare, and cast members include Ken Berry, Joyce Jameson, Tom Hatten, Sylvia Lewis, and Steve Franken – singing songs that include "The Pink Pussycat School", "Covina", "Keep Away", "LA Is", "Weather Report", "Does Anybody Here Love Me", and "I'm Glad I Call It Home". LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime soundtrack from John Barry – common, to be sure, but also a wonderfully-crafted set that goes way beyond the stereotypes of his work for the James Bond films! The record is probably best known for Nilsson's famous version of the Fred Neil tune "Everybody's Talkin" – which is great in itself – but it's Barry's own work on the title theme that we totally love. "Midnight Cowboy" is a darkly turning slowly pondering tune that will haunt us until the day we die – performed here on the original number with a sad-tinged harmonica that unites both the country of Joe Buck's roots and the sleaze of the love generation. The tune's great – and is matched here by the whimsy of "Florida Fantasy", and the Barry tracks "Fun City" and "Science Fiction". But also, Barry acted as the overall music director for the film – and used some tracks from the hip group Elephant's Memory, plus others by The Groop – but offbeat acts who really fit the spirit of the film. The record's almost worth it just for the cut "Old Man Willow", a really tripped-out longer track from Elephant's Memory – swirling around in organ and hippie vocals, and oddly echoing the main Barry theme of the set at times! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest of Barry's scores for the James Bond films – early enough to be raw, but confident enough to change up the mood nicely! The theme song features vocals by Tom Jones – and the rest of the tunes almost reads as a who's who of hipster influences, as so many of them have been taken up by other artists as band or album names. Titles include "Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang", "Thunderball", "The Bomb", "Chateau Flight", "Bond Below Disco Volante", "Death Of Fiona", and "Switching The Body". LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy soundtrack to this cool British film – starring a young Jack Wild in his pre-HR Puffenstuff days! The film's kind of a mod kids film – with a number of bright and peppy tunes mixed with others that are either more serious or more jazzy – a blend of rock and more familiar soundtrack instrumentation that really keeps things interesting! The Bee Gees contribute a number of great tracks – like "Melody Fair", "In The Morning", "First Of May", and "To Love Somebody". Even better, though, are the instrumental bits by the Richard Hewson Orchestra – which include "Teacher's Chase", a killer groover with some sweet electric harpsichord and strings, plus the cuts "Working On It Night & Day", "Spicks & Spacks", and "Melody Fair". Peter Knight put the whole thing together, too! LP, Vinyl record album