... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best instrumental records to come out of Memphis, and a real kicker by the funky band that went down with Otis Redding in the tragic plane crash in 1968. The leadoff track is the group's amazing hit "Soul Finger", a stormin' instrumental with a wailing brassy sound that influenced a generation with its "charge" kind of groove. Lots of other nice ones, too – like "Bar-Kays Boogaloo", "Knucklehead", "Theme From Hell's Angels", and "Pearl High". The best of the best of Stax helped out, too! LP, Vinyl record album

A lasting tribute to Brownie! The album was released some years after Brown died, and is comprised of songs from his 1955 album Clifford Brown With Strings, plus a few tracks from other recording sessions from that year before his death. The players include Richie Powell (Bud Powell's brother who also died in the crash with Brown),piano; Max Roach on drums and Harold Land and Sonny Rollins on tenor sax. Brown's original composition "Sandu" and Richie Powell's own "Time" are included as well as "Yesterdays," "Cherokee (Indian Love Song)," "Willow Weep for Me" and an unusual version of "Take the A Train." LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the most tripped-out music ever from The Holy Modal Rounders – and that's saying a lot, given the nature of the group! This unique early album on ESP features two side-long tracks – both of which are mini-suites of sort, and filled with odd sounds, weird themes, and a strange mixture of hippie instrumentation and sci-fi experimentation! The group for the record is a quartet – with the core combo of Peter Stampfel on violin and vocals and Steve Weber on guitar, augmented by playwright Sam Shephard on drums and Lee Crabtree on piano and organ – plus extra vocals from the trio of Antonia, Barbara, & Wendy. The music is in the best free-thinking style of other rock on the ESP label in the 60s – and titles include "Jimmy & Crash Survey The Universe" and "The Second-Hand Watch". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic work from one of the more sophisticated songwriters of the early 70s – with titles that include "Doppelganger", "The Talkative Woman & The Two Star General", "The New Enzyme Detergent Demise Of Ali McGraw", "The Earthquake In Los Angeles", and "The Air Crash In New Jersey". LP, Vinyl record album

The amazing first album from Big Star – a set that came out of nowhere, made hardly a ripple on the charts, yet went onto crash in big waves of sound for generations to come! The style here is unlike thing else before – hardly what you'd expect from the group's Memphis roots or Alex Chilton's previous performances – yet the group's music has become a generation-defining sound in the way it blends southern inflections with harder rock influences, and a lean, gritty quality that's arguably in a late 70s space between punk and power pop. Every element is wonderful – guitars that are powerful, but never indulgent – vocals that are moving, but never overly emotive – and a balance between sensitive and searing moments that even The Replacements could never hope to match. A landmark all the way through – with tracks that include "Feel", "Ballad Of El Goodo", "In The Street", "The India Song", "When My Baby's Beside Me", "Give Me Another Chance", "Don't Lie To Me", "Thirteen", "Watch The Sunrise", and "Try Again". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from one of the most under-rated tenor players of the 60s! Jimmy Forrest was an excellent player who made only a handful of recordings at the time – but he blows with a deep confidence that should have made him one of the biggest new stars on the scene. This set's one of Jimmy's best, and features his laidback tenor in a quartet with Joe Zawinul on piano, shortly before Zawinul hooked up with Cannonball Adderley. The tracks are short, but the interplay between Forrest and Zawinul is tasty – a bit like the album made by Joe and Coleman Hawkins – and the rest of the group features Tommy Potter on bass and Clarence Johnston on drums. Titles include "Bolo Blues", "Crash Program", "By The River Saint Marie", and "I Cried For You". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Let Them Say"," Hello Carol", "Skokian", "Put Yourself In My Place", "Everythng Crash", "No More Heartaches", and "Bangarang". LP, Vinyl record album

Bubblegum glam badassery from Suzi Quatro – her namesake and possibly best album – leading off with the killer "48 Crash" and barely letting up from there! Punchy, arse kicking and catchy rock & roll from a real 70s pioneer! It's a ridiculous shame that on our shores, Suzi is better remembered for Happy Days than this damned record! Other tracks include "Glycerine Queen", "Shine My Machine", "I Wanna Be Your Superman", "All Shook Up", "Skin Tight Skin", "Get Back Mama", "Shakin All Over" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A fab bunch of ska and rocksteady numbers, one of those compilations that Trojan has oddly let go out of print. 18 great tracks, including "Big Bamboo" by Lord Creator, "Latin Goes Ska", "Beardman Ska", "Street Corner" and "Ball O Fire" by the Skatalites, "hallelujah" by the Maytals, "Garden Of Love" and "Let George Do It" by Don Drummond, "Rough & Tough" by Stranger Cole, "Shame & Scandal" by Peter Tosh & The Wailers, "Bonanza Ska" by Carlos Malcolm, "Dance Crasher" by Alton Ellis, "Rudie Bam Bam" by the Clarnedonians, "Ska Jam" by Tommy McCook & The Supersonics, "Doctor Dick" by Lee Perry & The Soulettes, "Owe Me No Pay Me" by the Ethiopians, "Independence Ska" by Baba Brooks and "Don't Be A Rude Boy" by the Rulers. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A great Tony Bennett LP – very different than others from the time (or any time!) in that the format pairs the master vocalist with the "who's who" of drummers and percussionists of the late 50s – including Art Blakey, Jo Jones, Candido, and Sabu. The sound is as majestic and crashing as you'd imagine, and cuts include "Let's Begin", "Love For Sale", "Crazy Rhythm", and "Let's Face the Music and Dance". A great LP, and one of his best. If you've ever doubted Tony's committment to jazz, check this one out, and be pleasantly surprised! LP, Vinyl record album

Here's a guy with a great gimmick – whistling! Jack Smith was a youngster, but he could blow with the best of them – whistling his way through the massive international pop hit "I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman" – a tune that's as groovy as it sounds, with a crashing goofy approach that's really really great! Smith wets his whistle on 11 other tracks on this one and only album – mixing in a bunch of cool arrangements from Ivor Raymonde that have a nice 60s Brit feel. Titles include "I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman", "Song Of The Steppes", "Happy Wanderer", "Union Jack", and "Early One Morning". LP, Vinyl record album

The crashing waves of the Pacific coast hardly seem like the serene setting you might want for the vibes of Cal Tjader – but this album works surprisingly well, and offers up Cal's combo in a Monterey live date, before the jazz festival really got going strong! The group's one that matches his best early albums for Fantasy – piano from Lonnie Hewitt, soulful bass from Al McKibbon, and some great Latin percussion from Mongo Santamaria and Willie Bobo! Paul Horn also joins the group on flute – blowing with lyrical lines that fit the sound wonderfully, adding a whole new dimension to the music. Many tracks are longer than usual for the Fantasy years – and titles include "Walkin With Wally", "Doxie", and "Afro Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

The first album that Momus recorded for Creation Records – a label that provided him with a much stronger springboard than before – which was perfect for the way the singer blended very offbeat lyrics with compelling mainstream songcraft! Momus was always very different than most of the Brit 80s scene in which he worked – influenced strongly by the French work of singer/songwriters like George Brassens, Jacques Brel, and Serge Gainsbourg – but graced with a very British wit, which made for an especially biting style that worked well with the themes of his songs. Momus has a vocal style that's maybe somewhere in Donovan territory, but sharper – and he draws from a variety of European song modes, fitted to the situation of each individual songs – as you'll hear on classics like "Situation Comedy Blues", "Three Wars", "The Gatecrasher", "Flame Into Being", and the Serge Gainsbourg-like "Closer To You". LP, Vinyl record album

A unique concert album from Dionne Warwick – proof that her talents weren't always restricted to Burt Bacharach arrangements in the studio! The setting is the classy Olympia Theater in Paris, and the style is a bit more open than on Dionne's studio albums – with less material by Bacharach & David than before, and a wider range of tunes that not only includes a few songs sung in French, but also a duet with Parisian popper Sacha Distel! The audience is oddly mic'ed up very high in the mix at times – crashing into the start of most tunes with the ferocity of radio static or a swarm of bees – but Warwick quickly takes over with her own vocals once the songs get going. Titles include "I Love Paris", "C'Est Si Bon", "Walk On By", "You'll Never Get To Heaven", "O Yeah Yeah Yeah", "The Good Life", "La Vie En Rose", and "What'd I Say". LP, Vinyl record album

Early work from Yma Sumac – with that moody mix of other worldly vocals and semi-Latin instrumentation that made her a popular one with the early exotic crowd. Yma runs up and down the vocal scale, while Moises Vivanco leads the band in a set of crashing dramatic orchestrations with a Peruvian feel. Tracks include "Sunray Surita", "Mamallayi", "No Es Vida", "Ccori Canastitay", and "Kon Tiki". LP, Vinyl record album

Beat Happening's brilliant second album – raw, beautiful and timeless indie pop at its late 80s best! It's stunning how many underground rock bands still try their damnedest to sound like Beat Happening – but Calvin, Heather and Bret make it sound easy! It's certainly more full sounding than their debut, but it's still got a perfect less is more. Raw drums, barely chiming guitars and plaintive voices elevate naive little gems to the the avant pop heavens. Includes "Indian Summer", "Bewitched", "Hangman", "Crashing Through", "Cat Walk", "Midnight A Go-Go", and "The This Many Boyfriends Club". LP, Vinyl record album