Sublime duets – just Haden's bass and the piano of Anderson – on titles that include "The Night We Called It A Day", "CC Blues", "Alone Together", and "I Hear A Rhapsody". LP, Vinyl record album

A really beautiful solo album from Jon Anderson – best known as the lead singer of Yes, stepping out here with a set that matches the solo projects of Chris Squire and Steve Howe from the same time! Yet unlike those efforts, this one is truly a solo recording – as Anderson not only sings, but handles all the instruments himself – keyboards, guitars, and everything else – folded together in a sound that's very faithful, thanks to work from Mike Dunne, who'd handled a lot of the sound for recordings by Yes! Given that Anderson's not an instrumental virtuoso, like some of his bandmates, the record is a nice change from some of the side-long power jams of mid 70s Yes – tunes that together tell a story, but which have a lyrical, personal vibe that also really suits the charms of Jon's vocals. The set feels nicely like a mid 70s side-chapter of Yes – in ways that are different than the solo records by Howe and Squire – and titles include "Ocean Song", "To The Runner", "Flight Of The Moorglade", "Solid Space", "Dance Of Rampart/Olias", and "Meeting/Sound Out The Galleon". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest Yes albums of the 70s – even if it isn't a Yes album at all! Instead, the set's a stunning solo project from bassist Chris Squire – and a record that shows just how much his talents were to the sound of Yes as a whole! The album's got a vibe that's very much like the best Yes records of the early days – including Fragile, Close To The Edge, and Yes – and the changes and sharpness of the tunes are mindblowing – driven strongly by Squire's bass, and filled with fantastic touches from Bill Bruford on drums, Patrick Moraz on keyboards, and some especially great work on saxes from Mel Collins – who you might know from work with King Crimson. Chris also sings, and sounds pretty darn wonderful – with a bit of processing that expands his voice a bit, almost in Jon Anderson modes. Titles include "Hold Out Your Hand", "You By My Side", "Silently Falling", "Safe", and "Lucky Seven". LP, Vinyl record album

The monumental first album from Yes – a group who were already onto something amazing with this set, and would only get better and better in years to come! The members had backgrounds in straighter, more conventional rock acts – but here, together, they unleash work with a wonderfully fresh sense of timing and structure – tunes that are still a bit shorter in comparison to later albums, but already full of the kind of complicated shifts and changes that instantly set Yes apart from the rest! And yet there's also a simple, honest approach too – not complexity for its own sake, as the group never find themselves in blind alleys or dead ends – and maintain this magical mix of elements that soars from track to track. The early lineup here features trademark vocals from Jon Anderson, alongside the bass of Chris Squire, guitars of Peter Banks, organ and piano of Tony Kaye, and drums of Bill Bruford – on titles that include "Harold Land", "Beyond & Before", "I See You", "Looking Around", "Sweetness", "Survival", and "Every Little Thing". LP, Vinyl record album

The monumental first album from Yes – a group who were already onto something amazing with this set, and would only get better and better in years to come! The members had backgrounds in straighter, more conventional rock acts – but here, together, they unleash work with a wonderfully fresh sense of timing and structure – tunes that are still a bit shorter in comparison to later albums, but already full of the kind of complicated shifts and changes that instantly set Yes apart from the rest! And yet there's also a simple, honest approach too – not complexity for its own sake, as the group never find themselves in blind alleys or dead ends – and maintain this magical mix of elements that soars from track to track. The early lineup here features trademark vocals from Jon Anderson, alongside the bass of Chris Squire, guitars of Peter Banks, organ and piano of Tony Kaye, and drums of Bill Bruford – on titles that include "Harold Land", "Beyond & Before", "I See You", "Looking Around", "Sweetness", "Survival", and "Every Little Thing". LP, Vinyl record album

Don't like getting your fingers dusty? No problem, the folks at Strictly Breaks work hard so you don't have to! The next installment in their now famous "as sampled by . . ." series, this compilation of 31 tracks and 3 drum breaks covers a gang of material used by Nas (well, his producers actually). Loads of classic soul, jazz and funk, and each track is notated as to which song it was used in. Includes Gong "Babooji", Chris Barber "Petit Fleur", Vicki Anderson "Land Of Milk & Honey", Ahmad Jamal "I Love Music", Joe Chambers "Mind Rain", Heath Brothers "Smilin Billy Suite Pt 2", Eddie Floyd "Check Me Out", 24 Carat Black "Mommas Coming", Japanese Hair "Dead End", Love Unlimited "I'll Move You No Mountain", Blue Jays "What Do You Want", Bob James "The Sponge" and The Soul Children "Move Over". LP, Vinyl record album

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

Sweet cuts for the Christmas season – a great batch of jazz, vocal, and R&B numbers pulled from the postwar years – excellent songs and singles from a time when the best sort of Holiday music was coming out on record, year after year! The set's a great addition to the ever-growing Bear Family Christmas collections – and like the rest, it really shows a strong understanding of what makes a great Christmas tune so great – not just a hit, or a familiar chart number from the past – but new takes on old tunes, or fresh songs that really show just how much Holiday music was flooding the record business back in the day! The package is great, with notes on each track – and titles include "Ole Santa" by Dinah Washington, "Mambo Santa Mambo" by The Enchanters, "I've Had A Very Merry Christmas" by Jerry Lewis, "Happy New Year Baby" by Johnny Otis, "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" by Ramsey Lewis, "Christmas Ball" by Georgie Auld with Bill Darnel, "Jingle Bells" by Knuckles O'Toole, "Jing A Ling Jing A Ling" by The Andrews Sisters, "Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson, "Come On Santa Let's Have A Ball" by Kay Martin & Her Body Guards, and "Mister Santa" by Dorothy Collins. LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing little record from Joe Byrd – an artist with roots in serious music, but who's serving things up here with a wild hippie aesthetic that makes the whole thing come across more like a "happening" than the usual sort of studio album – but in ways that also echo an earlier generation of Americanist composition too. The process of the record mimics some of Byrd's famous work in New York – and has a very collaborative feel overall, with elements of electronics, acoustics, and vocals coming together beautifully! There's some great tabla, harpsichord, moog, and organ on the record – plus more serious woodwinds and brass – and vocals from Victoria Bond, Susan De Lange, Christie Thompson, and Ernie Anderson – plus Joe himself. Titles include "Kalyani", "Moonsong Pelog", "You Can't Ever Come Down", "Gospel Music", "Nightmare Train", "Leisure World", and "The Elephant At The Door". LP, Vinyl record album