... LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool EP from Felt – three great cuts, produced with pure sonic brilliance by John Rivers! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful collection – an important re-investigation of the unusual mix of sounds and styles on the New York scene in the years after disco – a time when funk, punk, hip hop, and art were all colliding at once – providing a really fresh antidote to the staid sounds of Studio 54! The "disco" in the title should be taken lightly – as these cuts didn't play at the slick uptown dance spots – but were instead the soundtrack for the cool spots happening downtown, as the previous loft culture morphed into clubs, in this very special blend of the energy of CBGB and the underground soulful dancefloors. The set list is filled with classics from this time – and titles include "Cavern" by Liquid Liquid, "Tell You Today (voc)" by Loose Joints, "Walking On Thin Ice (re-edit)" by Yoko Ono, "Over & Over" by Material, "Spasticus Autisticus (version)" by Ian Dury & The Seven Seas Players, "Kiss Me Again (original edit)" by Dinosaur, "Move" by Nicky Siano, "School Bell/Tree House" by Indian Ocean, "I Walk" by Don Cherry, "Voices Inside My Head" by Common Sense, and "Wheel Me Out" by Was Not Was. LP, Vinyl record album

A tribute to Ed Blackwell, and one that features the legendary drummer himself – as part of the excellent Old & New Dreams from the 80s! The work was recorded during a Blackwell tribute festival in 1987 – and the group features Don Cherry on trumpet, Dewey Redman on tenor, and Charlie Haden on bass – all players who, like Blackwell, worked with Ornette Coleman – coming across here with a sharp-edged sound that has lots of Coleman-like touches! There's no piano in the group, and the rhythms are very forceful – almost a bolder presence than usual from Blackwell, which really drives the horns along nicely. Titles include versions of Coleman's "Happy House", "Law Years", and "Street Woman" – plus "Togo" and "Dewey's Tune". LP, Vinyl record album

A really obscure little session from tenorist Johnny Griffin – and one of his few dates from the time cut with an organist – in this case the up-and-coming LA player Paul Bryant! Bryant's probably best known for his cookers with Curtis Amy, and he hits a similar mode here – by bringing a strong R&B inflection to the album, and offering Griffin a setting that's a bit less hardbop than some of his other Riverside albums of the time! The rest of the group features Joe Pass on guitar, Jimmy Bond on bass, and Doug Sides on drums – and titles include "Cherry Float", "These Foolish Things", "63rd Street Theme", "Grab This", and "Offering Time". LP, Vinyl record album

Unissued material from the great Glenda Collins – a stunning female singer who worked with UK production genius Joe Meek back in the 60s! Glenda recorded a few key tracks that were issued as singles – soaring numbers that take her magnificent vocal approach and give it all the cool, crisp, electric touches that made Meek's production so great – touches that are given plenty of space here to roam around, on a set of alternate takes that are issued here for the first time ever! The package is very cool, and the material is definitely like finding a lost tape box of tracks from Meek's archive – with alternate takes on "Dancing In The Street", "Mockingbird", "Lover Come Back To Me", "Can I Get A Witness", "I Who Have Nothing", and "You're Nobody Until Somebody Loves You". LP, Vinyl record album

Continuous disco mix compilation, with tracks by Wild Cherry, Andrea True Connection, Tavares, Eddie Kendricks, Norman Connors, Addrisi Brothers, Rose Royce, Melba Moore, Supremes, Timmy Thomas, Salsoul Orchestra, Brick, KC & The Sunshine Band, Wilton Place Street Band, T-Connection, Miracles, Celi Bee & The Buzzy Bunch, Sylvers, George McCrae, Bebu Silvetti, Diana Ross, Kebekelektrik, and The Originals. LP, Vinyl record album

Fuzzy guitars, analog electronics, moody production, and slightly sinister vocals – all elements you'll find in abundance here, in this well done look at UK work from a generation when the US scene was dipping into modes that were later dubbed "post-rock" – and helped to define the style of a generation! The British take on this territory is nicely different from American work of the time – and there's maybe a larger, wider palette of approaches going on – elements borrowed from other styles and generations, but woven into these wonderful waves of sound that made for a great farewell to the 20th century! The collection is in a slightly newer range than we're used to hearing from Ace Records, but they do an equally great job with the material – as the choice of cuts is superb, and the detailed notes provide plenty of direction throughout the musical journey. Titles include "City Poison" by Moonshake, "Second Language" by Disco Inferno, "Darling Effect" by Insides, "Starry Night" by Laika, "Every Day Shines (D mix)" by Earwig, "Play Away" by Electric Sound Of Joy, "Through You" by Seefeel, "Loose Threads" by Pram, "In The Light Of Time" by Flying Saucer Attack, "The Weight" by Hood, "A Street Scene" by Bark Psychosis, "Naturally Occurring Anchors" by Spoonfed Hybrid, In The Event Of Just Looking" by Appliance, "Sun Drawing" by Movietone, and "A Cherry Wave From Stranded Youngsters" by Mogwai. LP, Vinyl record album

Athur Baker was a producer with a slightly bumpy path in the 80s, but there's no denying his impact on music at the time – particularly the way he had of funneling sounds from the streets to the dancefloors in the mainstream! Baker was one of the first to really have an ear for both hip hop and other styles of grooves – super-sharp on the right electro elements, yet with a richer understanding of soul, R&B, and club – all of which he brings to work here, on versions of tracks that have all the excitement of a special take on the tune from the clubs back in the day! This 2LP package features 14 classic mixes by Baker, with titles that include "Big Love (ext rmx)" by Fleetwood Mac, "Sun City (last rmx)" by Artists United Against Apartheid, "Running Away (Arthur Baker rmx)' by The Colourfield, "C'Est La Vie (ext rmx)" by Robbie Nevil, "Out Of Touch (club version)" by Daryl Hall & John Oates, "Living In A Box (dance mix)" by Living In A Box, "IOU (mega mix)" by Freeez, "Walking On Sunshine (12" version)" by Rockers Revenge, "Soweto (rmx)" by Jeffrey Osborne, "A Love Supreme (jazz in the house rmx)" by Will Downing, "Message Is Love (cupid mix)" by Arthur Baker & The Backbeat Disciples with Al Green, "Ever Fallen In Love (club senseless)" by Fine Young Cannibals, "Buffalo Stance (1/2 way 2 house mix)" by Neneh Cherry, and "Planet Rock (12" voc version)" by Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force. LP, Vinyl record album