CD

CD

A great quartet date – nice and laidback, with plenty of room for Pepper Adams to open up on his deep-toned baritone sax! The group features Walter Norris on piano – and titles include "Ad Astra", "Jirge", "Spacemaker", and "Three & One". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic lost album by the great Gene Chandler – and one of his most sophisticated soul documents! The record was Gene's last album for Brunswick – issued shortly before Gene scored big once again on Mercury, which is why it's probably often lost in the shuffle of time. The record's got some incredibly dark material that shows a different side of Gene than you'd expect from earlier hits – including the incredible track "Suicide", which is a magnificent "Iceman" track in the Chicago tradition, that features the main character contemplating suicide as a means of dealing with his sorrow. Other titles include "If You Would Love Me", "The Sun Died", "This Bitter Earth", "Eleanor Rigby", and a remake of "Can I Change My Mind". CD

A fantastic lost album by the great Gene Chandler – and one of his most sophisticated soul documents! The record was Gene's last album for Brunswick – issued shortly before Gene scored big once again on Mercury, which is why it's probably often lost in the shuffle of time. The record's got some incredibly dark material that shows a different side of Gene than you'd expect from earlier hits – including the incredible track "Suicide", which is a magnificent "Iceman" track in the Chicago tradition, that features the main character contemplating suicide as a means of dealing with his sorrow. Other titles include "If You Would Love Me", "The Sun Died", "This Bitter Earth", "Eleanor Rigby", and a remake of "Can I Change My Mind". LP, Vinyl record album

Although Roy's probably better known as a very qualified soul arranger/composer, this album features him in the lead as a vocalist – singing over his own backing, in a style that's part mellow iceman soul, and part 60s pop soul. Roy's vocals aren't the best we've ever heard on a soul album, but his feel for the material is very strong – and since he's handling all the arrangements, he's got a good sense of how to make things work best. Titles include "Back To My Old Home Town", "I Feel Fine", "The Feeling's Mu-tu-oo-al", "Baby, I Could Be So Good At Loving You", and "Love, That's In My Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

Tougher to find than his classic on UNI, believe it or not. Leon Haywood produced this, and it's got a much smoother feel than Garland Green's UNI hits, which is a great way to hear the smooth soul of Chicago's second (or third) Iceman. Lots of nice ones here, like "I've Quit Running the Streets", "Moody Woman", and the great title cut, plus "I Found Myself When I Lost You", "Lovin You Baby" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A windy city hero – the amazing Garland Green, a singer who makes us mighty proud we hail from Chicago! Garland's got an incredible style that few others can touch – partly schooled in the 60s iceman modes of Jerry Butler and Walter Jackson, with all the sophistication that might imply – but also often given a raspier twist, with slightly southern echoes that make Garland's music feel even more deeply personal! And while most folks know Green's big hits for the Uni label, this package shows a rich legacy that goes much father than that – work recorded for labels that include Cotillion, Spring, RCA, Ocean Front, and Revue – in addition to some key Uni tracks. This trans-label set really does a wonderful job of showing the full range of Garland's mighty talents – a sublime set of soul cuts that run from the start of the 70s right up to the early 80s modern years – packaged with detailed notes too. Titles include "Since You've Been Gone", "These Arms", "Just Loving You", "Just My Way Of Loving You", "He Didn't Know", "Don't Think That I'm A Violent Guy", "Love's Calling", "Just What The Doctor Ordered", "Sweet Loving Woman", "Ask Me What You Want", "You Played On A Player", "Don't Let Love Walk Out On Us", and "Sending My Best Wishes". CD

12-inch, Vinyl record

Incredible mid 60s soul from Chuck Jackson – tearing it up live at The Apollo Theater! It's great set that has Jackson opening up with a range of more grooves than usual – picking up some jazzy touches on a few songs, moving into Motown on a few others, and returning to his original Iceman groove on the rest. The crowd noise is very up in the mix – bristling with more electricity than we might expect from Chuck – and he delivers a real knockout set! Titles include "Billie Baby", "Please Please Please", "Any Day Now", "Any Other Way", "Stubborn Kind Of Fellow", "Beg Me", and "Chuck's Soul Brothers Twist". LP, Vinyl record album

It's an unfortunate fact that within a few years of stating the reincarnation-oriented title of this record, Walter would sadly have passed away, making the issue of "coming back as a song" even more pertinent. This record's one of his best of the Chisound years – and features a modern soul updating of Walter's Iceman style – done here with help from Riley Hampton, who worked on most of Walter's best work at Okeh. The record's got a nice Teddy Pendergrass sort of sound, with a good sophisticated male vocal approach – and includes the cuts "If You Walked Away", "Stay A While With me", "I've Never Been To Me", "What Would You Do", and a remake of "It's All Over". LP, Vinyl record album

A masterpiece of Turkish psychedelia – and quite possibly the greatest album ever from Turkish psychedelic maestro Erkin Koray – a mad blend of sounds that definitely lives up to its "elektronik" title! Most numbers feature a weird blend of electric guitar and baglama – used in a style that's similar to Koray's earlier Arabesk recordings, but in ways that are often more tripped out and free-thinking – almost in a groove that's similar to late 60s blends of Eastern influences and progressive rock in the US and Europe – but even wilder and weirder throughout! There's a bit of vocals on the set, but the instrumentation dominates – and titles include "Sir", "Karli Daglar", "Cemalim", "Inat", "Hele Yar", "Turku", and "Korkulu Ruya". LP, Vinyl record album

Very dark stuff from Sun Ra – one of his records that received wider circulation than most of the Saturn releases of the 70s, and a set that maintains a pretty sharp edge overall! Ra plays some killer keyboards – moog, spacemaster, and acoustic piano – often with these really eerie tones – and other players include Kwame Hadi on trumpet, Akh Tal Ebah on space dimension mellophone, Ali Hassan on trombone, Marshal Allen and Danny Davis on alto and flute, John Gilmore on tenor, and Pat Patrick on baritone – and the whole group vocalizes at points, joined by other singers who include June Tyson and Art Jenkins. Recorded at the Sun studios in New York in 1970, the album features a number of shorter tracks like "Spectrum", "The Satellites Are Spinning", "Seen III, Took 4", "Adventures Of Bugs Hunter", and the longer tracks "Legend" and "The Realm Of Lightning". LP, Vinyl record album

An early standout set from soul singer Freddie Scott – put together with sublime arrangements from pop maestro Gary Sherman! The record's got a quality that's quite unique – a bit Iceman soul, ala Jerry Butler or Chuck Jackson – a bit of the polish of crossover acts like Ray Charles or Gene McDaniels – yet always done at a level that has Scott's deep, rich voice right upfront in the mix – full of power but never overdone! The tunes are from a variety of sources, but really get remade by Freddie – and titles include his hit versions of "Hey Girl" and "I Got A Woman", plus "What Do I See In The Girl", "Where Is The Girl", and "Where Does Love Go". CD

An incredible album, and one of Strozier's best! The record is an excellent example of the maturity and modernism that was coming out of the Chicago jazz scene as it hit the early 60s – and it features Strozier's soulful alto in the company of some of the city's best players, like pianist Chris Anderson, drummer Walter Perkins, bassist Bill Lee, and baritonist Pat Patrick, playing here away from Sun Ra's group! The title track alone is an incredibly fantastic composition, full of moodiness and incredible reed work – but the rest of the record's great, too, and features excellent originals like "The Need For Love", "The Crystal Ball", and "Pacemaker". LP, Vinyl record album

We love Frank Strozier – and think he's one of the greatest talents in jazz – period! This long-overdue CD brings together two of Frank's early 60s sessions for the Jazzland label – both of them gems that have lain under-discovered for years. Long Night is an excellent example of the maturity and modernism that was coming out of the Chicago jazz scene as it hit the early 60s – and it features Strozier's soulful alto in the company of some of the city's best players, like pianist Chris Anderson, drummer Walter Perkins, bassist Bill Lee, and baritonist Pat Patrick, playing here away from Sun Ra's group! The title track alone is an incredibly fantastic composition, full of moodiness and incredible reed work – but the rest of the record's great, too, and features excellent originals like "The Need For Love", "The Crystal Ball", and "Pacemaker". March Of The Siamese Children continues the trend – with a sound that goes far beyond the hardbop and soul jazz in which Strozier first cut his teeth – into a mode that's angular and exploratory, yet also still warmly expressive – filled with a richness of sound that holds up fantastically year after year. Titles include "March Of The Siamese Children", "Our Waltz", "Hey Lee", "Lap", "Extension", and "Something I Dreamed Last Night". CD

Joe Turner rides again – but in a style that's a bit more like his Kansas City roots than some of the R&B he was cutting for Atlantic Records in the 50s! There's a nice jazz vibe to the record – thanks to sharp arrangements from Ernie Wilkins, who's really coming into his own here – and knows how to serve up just the right blend of modern jazz and swinging soul to make the tunes work! The ensemble is filled with jazz heavyweights too – including Seldon Powell, Coleman Hawkins, Pete Brown, and Jerome Richardson on reeds – plus Ernie Royal on trumpet. But Joe's vocals definitely take center stage – infused with all the heavy power he'd assumed during this seminal comeback decade – still bluesy, but with a lot more punch than before. Titles include "Switchin In The Kitchen", "I Get The Blues When It Rains", "Nobody In Mind", "Don't You Make Me High", and "Here Comes Your Iceman". CD

The first album from Bedhead – a 1994 record that helped usher in something of a quiet revolution in 90s indie rock – paving the way for lusher, moodier and slower soundscapes, soon be dubbed slowcore! Bedhead is as much a breath of fresh air a couple decades later, delivering a timeless, moody sound that takes some cues from the vibe of the Velvet Underground at their mellowest, and more recent trailblazers like Spaceman 3 – but ultimately deliver their own distinctive, and now oft-imitated sound. Includes "Liferaft", "Haywire", "Bedside Table", "The Unpredictable", "Landlord", "Crushing", "Unfinished", "Powder", "Foaming Love", "To The Ground", "Living Well" and "Wind Down". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal work by one of our favorite soul singers of all time! Jerry first came to fame with The Impressions and on his own in the early 60s – singing dark moody easy tunes that well earned him the nickname of "Iceman". In the late 60s, though, he moved onto Mercury where he broke through even bigger with some excellent early production by Gamble & Huff, which took Jerry to a whole new level, and which gave his work a swinging soul groove that worked great with his vocals. This set compiles some of the best moments of the Mercury years – including "Never Give You Up", "Lost", "Moody Woman", "Mr Dream Merchant", "Hey Western Union Man", and "Only The Strong Survive". LP, Vinyl record album

12-inch, Vinyl record

Quite an obscure little live set from Sun Ra – and that's saying a heck of a lot, given the amount of live material he's got out there! The performance was found on a reel simply titled "Spacemaster Concert", and recorded at an undetermined date in the early 70s – and it's easily one of the starkest, most challenging recordings so far in the Lost Reel series! There's a fair bit of electric keyboards on the set – often played with some noisier tones, and offset with vocals by June Tyson, and instrumentation by John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, and Kwami Hadi. Many numbers are less orchestral than sparer small combo performances – and titles include "Outer Space/Untitled Improvisation", "Exotic Forest", "Shadow World", "Strange Worlds/Untitled Improvisation", "Stardust From Tomorrow", and "Friendly Galaxy/Watusi". CD

Amazing 70s work from Moacir Santos – the first album the Brazilian arranger recorded for Blue Note, and a set that sparkles with warmth and soul from the very first note! The approach is a brilliant updating of the famous sound that Santos crafted in Brazil the decade before – recast here with some warmer elements that includes great organ from Clare Fischer, electric piano from Bill Henderson, trombone from Frank Rosolino, and flute and tenor from Don Menza! Santos sings on a number of tracks, but in this cool angular way that's often right in line with the instrumentation – almost submerged a bit in the mix, as an element that gives the record a strong degree of warmth. The album's unlike any other we can think of – even a bit different than Santos' two other albums for Blue Note – and has a wonderful fusion of influences that never fails to delight our ears over the years! Titles include his version of "Nana", which was performed often by others – plus "Luanne", "Bluishmen", "Kermis", "Mother Iracema", and "Astral Whine". CD