Sweet modern soul with a sound that would get picked up on years later by the LA G-Funk scene. The album's produced by War's Far Out production team – and it's got a smooth sound that's mixed with moogy keyboards and compressed instrumentation on the best cuts. Some tracks are a bit too funky, but the mellow ones are very tasty. Includes the excellent track "Summer Love", plus "Cream City", "Magic Night", "Lonely Princess", and "Jungle Desire". LP, Vinyl record album

Trumpety magic from Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass – a record that's known not only for its classic cover of a model dipped in whipped cream, but also for it's tremendously groovy groove! The Tijuana sound is very firmly in place by the time of this set – Mexican-inspired, but compressed down into a sweet little LA groove in that magical A&M way – never too over the top, done in a way that takes a previously-hokey brassy sound, and smoothes it out for the Now Sound generation! Titles include the hit single "Whipped Cream", plus "Taste Of Honey", "Green Peppers", "Bittersweet Samba", "Lemon Tree", "Ladyfingers", and "Butterball". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

The final recording from the good Captain and his last crew, and one of our favorites. Sideways rhythms collide with arthritic guitar parts in a remarkable gumbo topped off by Don Van Vliet's unique lyrical vision. A modern classic! Includes "Ice Cream For Crow", "Semi Multi Coloured Caucasian", "Hey Garland, I Dig Your Tweed Coat", "The Past Sure Is Tense", "The Witch Doctor Life" and "81 Poop Hatch". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes tracks with Cream, Blind Faith, and Derek and the Dominos. CD

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

The classic – with "Strange Brew", "Sunshine Of Your Love", "Tales Of Brave Ulysses", and "Take It Back". CD

The classic – with "Strange Brew", "Sunshine Of Your Love", "Tales Of Brave Ulysses", and "Take It Back". CD

Titles include "I Feel Free", "NSU", "Dreaming", "Cat's Squirrel", "Toad", and "I'm So Glad". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Features very long takes on "Sweet Wine" and "NSU" – plus "Sleepy Time Time", "Lawdy Mama", and "Rollin & Tumblin". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... Cassette

Studio outtakes and live recordings from the BBC. CD

... Cassette

Titles include "I Feel Free", "Politician", "Badge", "Sunshine Of Your Love", "Crossroads", "White Room", "Strange Brew", and "Swlabr". CD

... CD

Titles include "Pressed Rat & Warthog", ""Politician", "Deserted Cities Of The Heart", "Sitting On Top Of The World", and "White Room". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from Aaliyah, and a huge step forward from the first – shifting both away from production by R Kelly, and towards a more adult approach that really has the singer coming across as a mature solo artist on her own! This time around, Timbaland handles much of the key production, and Missy Elliott plays a key role too – and both appear on the record as well, although it's always clear that the leading lady is the very strong main attraction. Slick Rick guests on a great remake of the Marvin Gaye classic "Got To Give It Up", big singles include "One In A Million" and "If Your Girl Only Knew" – and other tracks include "Hot Like Fire", "The One I Gave My Heart To", "Giving You More", "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" and "Choosey Lover (Old School/New School)". LP, Vinyl record album

The second full length by Capital D and Tone B Nimble as All Natural. Second Nature is jammed packed, and features the cream of the Chicago underground and other guests including JUICE, Slug, Lone Catalysts, Mr. Greenweedz and others. The no-nonsense, sturdy beats and production is the most unifying factor here – lyrically uncompromising and has an outlook as fresh as any new hip hop we've heard in a while. Tracks include "The Stick Up", "Think Again", "Chatam", "Vegetarian", "Ill Advisory", "Stellar", "Queens Get The Money", "Mr. Sexy", "Renaissance", "Godspeed", and "Future Is Now". LP, Vinyl record album

From Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass ; "The Lonely Bull", "Mexican Shuffle", "Whipped Cream", "Lollipops And Roses", "A Taste Of Honey", "Spanish Flea", "Tijuana Taxi", "Zorba The Greek", "What Now My Love", "So What's New?", "The Work Song", "This Guy's In Love With You", "Casino Royale", and from Herb Alpert ":Route 101", "Fandango", "Rise", "Rotation", "Diamonds", "Keep Your Eye On Me", and "Making Love In The Rain". CD

A much more rock-based album than some of Baker's other post-Cream work – but still with some nice grooves that appeal plenty to our ears! The weaker tracks on the album are sort of in a quirky rock mode – but the better ones feature some snapping percussion from Baker and the group, and some nice Afro-styled touches that recall the best Air Force sounds. Titles include "Pampero", "N'Kon Kini N'Kon N'Kon", "Don Dorango", "High Life", and "Don't Stop The Carnival". LP, Vinyl record album

Out of the wreckage of Cream came some very hip grooves! Ginger Baker was the hippest of the group's 3 members – and although he's often credited by soul fans for his work with Fela, he should also get hats off for his work with the group Air Force. At its base, the group's in the jazz rock mode – with players that include Brit jazz luminaires Phil Seamen, Harold McNair, and Graham Bond, plus rockers like Baker, Steve Winwood, Denny Laine, and Rick Grech. The tracks are all long groovers in a post-beat group mode – and the best tracks have a jamming sound that's pretty over the top. Titles include "Da Da Man", "Aiko Biaye", "Do What You Like", "Doin It", and "Don't Care". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic solo work from Ginger Baker – a musician who only seemed to get better and better the farther he moved away from Cream and Blind Faith! A set like this really gives Ginger a chance to open up and explore all the many musical currents that were grabbing his interests – served up here in a mix of jazz, funk, rock, and soul delivered by a lineup who are every bit as stunning as the music on the album! In addition to plenty of work from Baker on drums, the set features jazz contributions from the excellent Harold McNair and Chris Wood, who both play saxes and flute – plus drums from the legendary Phil Seamen – as well as a heck of a lot more sax and organ from Graham Bond, plus bass from Ric Grech, guitar and vocals from Denny Laine, organ and vocals from Steve Winwood, percussion from Neemoi Acquaye, and lots more contributions from a lineup that's almost too big to mention. The results are wonderful – and titles include "Toady", "Let Me Ride", "We Free Kings", "12 Gates Of The City", "Do U No Hu Yor Phrenz R", and "Sweet Wine". CD

If this is the army, sign us up – because these guys make the Kiss Army look like a bunch of wussies! Ginger Baker's at it again in post-Cream years – rocking harder than on some of his own funky albums, but also keeping a jazzy edge that makes for some pretty nice tracks on the set. One of the best of these is the moodily grooving "Inside Of Me", which steps along with a slinky style that we really dig. Other tracks have a more full on feel, and vocals, of course, but there's still some nice mellow moments in the set. Titles include "Mad Jack", "4 Phil", "Since Beginning", and "Memory Lane". LP, Vinyl record album

The last album in the legendary run of records from Ginger Baker and the brothers Adrian and Paul Gurvitz – a heck of a power trio, but one that comes across in a very different way than Baker's famous work in Cream! If anything, Ginger's drums have more of a funk current than before – a really powerful driving force at the bottom, while Adrian riffs around all over the top and edges of the tunes with these well-crafted guitar lines that don't even need a solo to find their voice – wickedly emphasizing the vocals on tunes that include "Flying In & Out Of Stardom", "Neon Lights", "Mystery", "Thirsty For The Blues", "My Mind Is Healing", and "Smiling". LP, Vinyl record album

The first-ever Beastie Boys hip hop effort – a really great single done after their early punk material, and already a great showcase for their strong sense of humor! The gimmick here is great – the trio call up a number of Carvel Ice Cream stores, and ask to speak to various ice cream cakes – and the responses of the store staffers on the phone becomes most of the text of the song – over raw early hip hop breaks and beats! 4 tracks "Cooky Puss", "Bonus Batter", "Beastie Revolution" and "Cooky Puss (censored version)". 12-inch, Vinyl record

Think the Beastie Boys went straight into hip hop? No – back at the start, they were three guys with plenty of energy who dabbled in a number of modes that were brewing big in the New York scene of their youth – including punk rock and reggae, both of which are featured here along with early hip hop experiments! The set begins with their searing "Egg Raid On Mojo" – the moves through "Beastie Boys", "Transit Cop", "Jimi", "Holy Snappers, "Riot Fight", "Beastie Rvolution", and "Michelle's Farm". But maybe best of all, the album includes the incredible Cooky Puss EP – which features the original "Cooky Puss" song that has the group calling up Carvel Ice Cream, and harassing the staff by asking to talk to an ice cream cake! LP, Vinyl record album

A great package – one that features some wildly experimental work from French electronics whiz Philippe Besombes! First up is the album Libra – tripped out electronics meet progressive rock jamming – all in a weird and wonderful film score from the early 70s! The record's one of the best by French experimentalist Philippe Besombes from the time – and it's got a style that sort of starts in the territory of Francois De Roubaix similar electronic work for film – but gets a lot darker and noisier right away! There's a textural depth here that's really great – almost a pre-industrial music exploration of sounds – but the work's also not that over-indulgent, either – and Besombes always has a great way of getting back to a tune, especially on the shorter tracks. Titles include "La Plage", "Rugby", "Ceremonie", "Hache 06", "La Ville", "Les Cosmonautes", "Tis A Song", "Boogimmick", and "PJF 261". Next is the record Esombeso – also release as Ceci Est Cela – a strange mix of sound library electronics and much more experimental work from Philippe Besombes – a set that carries echoes of some of the best Italian soundtrack electronics of the 70s, but which also features much darker, more turgid moments as well! The album collects some of Besombes' performances for ballet and other settings – and stands as an even starker document of his talents than some of the other albums issued under his name in the 70s. Titles include "Pawa"," Geant", "Seul", and "Ceci Est Cela". Next are two more albums done under the name Hydravion – both of which show Besombes turning his electronics into tighter, more song-based territory – although not without some noise from time to time – shorter tracks that sometimes get a bit tuneful, but which are still light years from mainstream music of the period. CD set also features bonus tracks for the first two albums – 8 more numbers that include "L'Or Des Fous", "Traversee", "Trio", "Piano Prepare", "Orgue Hache", and "Chocolate Cream". CD

A motherlode of Big Star – a fantastic box set featuring nearly 100 songs on 4CDs, more than half of which are previously unreleased – including hard grooving demos, killer live versions, and alternate takes of many classic numbers – as well as the cream of the crop of their uber-essential 70s LP tracks! Big Star get the most props these days as progenitors of powerpop, an accolade they more than earned, but there's an irreplaceable soulful Memphis vibe in their music that's as sweet as can be. Masterful material from one of our favorite rock groups of all time, produced impeccably by the band the great Jim Dickenson. The first 3 discs features a mix of unreleased material and classic album tracks from all 3 of the original studio albums and those more: "Psychedelic Stuff" (original mix), "Try Again" (early version), "Don't Lie To Me", "Country Morn", "Way Out West". "O My Soul", "What's Goin Ahn", "I'm In Love With A Girl", "In The Street", "Dream Lover", "Big Black Car", "Jesus Christ", "Femme Fatale" and many more! The 4th disc features a live set at Lafayette's Music Room, in Memphis TN with 20 tracks, plus this disc is enhanced with "Thirteen" (alternate mix video), featuring what's labeled as the only existing film footage of the band. CD

A dancefloor classic! The album's the second by Gregg Diamond's Bionic Boogie, and head and shoulders above the rest – a sublime blend of soul and club that's hardly been matched again! Diamond manages to make things groove, but never loses sight of the soulful styles that make the record so great – and works here with key contributions from a young Luther Vandross, who gives the album some of the same strong vocal arrangements he brought to his own first two albums on Atlantic! Luther sings lead on the album's legendary track "Hot Butterfly", and works in a group with Cissy Houston on other tracks – sweetly soaring with vocals that go far beyond most disco efforts of the time. Simply sublime, and with classics that include "Hot Butterfly", "Paradise", "Cream (Always Rises To The Top)", "Chains", and "When The Sh*t Hits The Fan (Rocket Pocket)". LP, Vinyl record album

The Black Pumas went from underground status to much bigger fame in just a short span of time – and this smoking second album will definitely continue that nonstop rise to stardom! As before, the group are heavy on older references to funk and soul, but given a lean, contemporary spin in the production – handled by Adrian Quesada, with all the richness he's forged on countless other projects over the years – so that the grooves and instrumentation are right on the money, and augmented by these slight sonic surprises that really keep things interesting! The vocals seem even better than before – raw, raspy, and very powerful – on titles that include "Mrs Postman", "Gemini Sun", "Sauvignon", "Angel", "Hello", "Chronicles Of A Diamond", "Ice Cream", and "More Than A Love Song". CD

The Black Pumas went from underground status to much bigger fame in just a short span of time – and this smoking second album will definitely continue that nonstop rise to stardom! As before, the group are heavy on older references to funk and soul, but given a lean, contemporary spin in the production – handled by Adrian Quesada, with all the richness he's forged on countless other projects over the years – so that the grooves and instrumentation are right on the money, and augmented by these slight sonic surprises that really keep things interesting! The vocals seem even better than before – raw, raspy, and very powerful – on titles that include "Mrs Postman", "Gemini Sun", "Sauvignon", "Angel", "Hello", "Chronicles Of A Diamond", "Ice Cream", and "More Than A Love Song". LP, Vinyl record album

The Black Pumas went from underground status to much bigger fame in just a short span of time – and this smoking second album will definitely continue that nonstop rise to stardom! As before, the group are heavy on older references to funk and soul, but given a lean, contemporary spin in the production – handled by Adrian Quesada, with all the richness he's forged on countless other projects over the years – so that the grooves and instrumentation are right on the money, and augmented by these slight sonic surprises that really keep things interesting! The vocals seem even better than before – raw, raspy, and very powerful – on titles that include "Mrs Postman", "Gemini Sun", "Sauvignon", "Angel", "Hello", "Chronicles Of A Diamond", "Ice Cream", and "More Than A Love Song". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic and ambitious project that's in the best tradition of the Jazz Composers Orchestra – a set that features music by Carla Bley and words by Paul Haines – in an extended set that mixes avant jazz instrumentation with spoken passages by a surprising lineup of voices – including Bley, Jack Bruce, Don Cherry, Jeanne Lee, and even Linda Ronstadt! Musicians are the cream of the crop of the international avant scene at the time – and include Roswell Rudd on trombone, Gato Barbieri on tenor, Perry Robinson on clarinet, Carla Bley on organ, Don Preston on moog, Michael Mantler on ring modulated piano, Paul Motian on drums, Charlie Haden on bass, John McLaughlin on guitar, and many others – too numerous to mention here! CD

A fantastic and ambitious project that's in the best tradition of the Jazz Composers Orchestra – a set that features music by Carla Bley and words by Paul Haines – in an extended set that mixes avant jazz instrumentation with spoken passages by a surprising lineup of voices – including Bley, Jack Bruce, Don Cherry, Jeanne Lee, and even Linda Ronstadt! Musicians are the cream of the crop of the international avant scene at the time – and include Roswell Rudd on trombone, Gato Barbieri on tenor, Perry Robinson on clarinet, Carla Bley on organ, Don Preston on moog, Michael Mantler on ring modulated piano, Paul Motian on drums, Charlie Haden on bass, John McLaughlin on guitar, and many others – too numerous to mention here! CD

These guys may be obscure, but they've got a super-sharp sound – one that's filled with lots of acid-drenched guitar, played with a tightness that rivals most of their bigger contemporaries at the time! Group members all had a history working with other acts – including Buffalo Springfield, The Bobby Fuller Four, and Don & The Goodtimers – so that might expect the well-done, professional approach to the record – as it does its evolving sense of heavier guitar work at the end of the 60s. Whatever the case, though, the set's plenty great to stand on its own – even without that pedigree – filled with Cream-styled fuzzy guitar lines that are totally great, focused vocals sung by group members at once, and a batch of well-penned tunes that almost deserve to be classics. Titles include "Sweet Mama", "Love Is Here", "Yellow's Dream", "Feel Like A Bandit", "Loveless Lives", "No Regrets", and "Winding Your String". 2 bonus tracks on this CD version – mono versions of "Marianne" and "Yellow's Dream". CD

A great full length collection of work by Memphis singer Barbara Brown – a vocalist who appeared both as a solo act, and with her sisters – on a variety of singles for labels like Cadet, Atlantic, Tower, and MGM in the late 60s and early 70s! Barbara's got a deep, rich voice that's clearly schooled in gospel, but pointed towards more secular ends – an approach that's very much in keeping with the best late 60s wave of soul from Atlantic Records, and which is carried off here with a sharpness and precision that's simply mindblowing! Why Brown never scored bigger is a real mystery to us, because these tunes come off like the cream of the crop of southern soul at the end of the 60s – not just obscurities for obscurity sake, but some of the highest level of soul a female soul singer could hope for at the time! Titles include "Can't Find No Happiness", "Plenty Of Room", "A Great Big Thing", "Things Have Gone To Pieces", "Man Around The House", "Play Thing", "I'm Gonna Start A War", "I Don't Want To Have To Wait", "It Hurts Me So Much", "Got To Be Somebody", "There's A Look On Your Face", and "If I Can't Run To You I'll Crawl". LP, Vinyl record album