Great stuff – recorded in Mingus' classic period! Mingus leads a sharp small group here – a wonderful quintet that features Booker Ervin on tenor, John Handy on alto, and Richard Wyands on piano – with longtime musical partner Dannie Richmond on drums! The session was recorded live at the Nonagon Gallery in New York, and has that sort of arch-modernist groove that was Mingus' hallmark in these key late 50's years. Ervin, as always, is amazing, and John Handy, who makes his recording debut here, demonstrates the genius that Mingus had for spotting brilliant young players as he plays with the sort of imagination and intensity that he only ever managed to hit again on one or two of his own records as a leader. The record's got four long tracks, including long takes of "Nostalgia In Times Square", "Alice's Wonderland", and "No Private Income Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Great stuff – recorded in Mingus' classic period! Mingus leads a sharp small group here – a wonderful quintet that features Booker Ervin on tenor, John Handy on alto, and Richard Wyands on piano – with longtime musical partner Dannie Richmond on drums! The session was recorded live at the Nonagon Gallery in New York, and has that sort of arch-modernist groove that was Mingus' hallmark in these key late 50's years. Ervin, as always, is amazing, and John Handy, who makes his recording debut here, demonstrates the genius that Mingus had for spotting brilliant young players as he plays with the sort of imagination and intensity that he only ever managed to hit again on one or two of his own records as a leader. The record's got four long tracks, including long takes of "Nostalgia In Times Square", "Alice's Wonderland", and "No Private Income Blues". CD

Great stuff – recorded in Mingus' classic period! Mingus leads a sharp small group here – a wonderful quintet that features Booker Ervin on tenor, John Handy on alto, and Richard Wyands on piano – with longtime musical partner Dannie Richmond on drums! The session was recorded live at the Nonagon Gallery in New York, and has that sort of arch-modernist groove that was Mingus' hallmark in these key late 50's years. Ervin, as always, is amazing, and John Handy, who makes his recording debut here, demonstrates the genius that Mingus had for spotting brilliant young players as he plays with the sort of imagination and intensity that he only ever managed to hit again on one or two of his own records as a leader. The record's got four long tracks, including long takes of "Nostalgia In Times Square", "Alice's Wonderland", and "No Private Income Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Great stuff – recorded in Mingus' classic period! Mingus leads a sharp small group here – a wonderful quintet that features Booker Ervin on tenor, John Handy on alto, and Richard Wyands on piano – with longtime musical partner Dannie Richmond on drums! The session was recorded live at the Nonagon Gallery in New York, and has that sort of arch-modernist groove that was Mingus' hallmark in these key late 50's years. Ervin, as always, is amazing, and John Handy, who makes his recording debut here, demonstrates the genius that Mingus had for spotting brilliant young players as he plays with the sort of imagination and intensity that he only ever managed to hit again on one or two of his own records as a leader. The record's got four long tracks, including long takes of "Nostalgia In Times Square", "Alice's Wonderland", and "No Private Income Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Great stuff – recorded in Mingus' classic period! Mingus leads a sharp small group here – a wonderful quintet that features Booker Ervin on tenor, John Handy on alto, and Richard Wyands on piano – with longtime musical partner Dannie Richmond on drums! The session was recorded live at the Nonagon Gallery in New York, and has that sort of arch-modernist groove that was Mingus' hallmark in these key late 50's years. Ervin, as always, is amazing, and John Handy, who makes his recording debut here, demonstrates the genius that Mingus had for spotting brilliant young players as he plays with the sort of imagination and intensity that he only ever managed to hit again on one or two of his own records as a leader. The record's got four long tracks, including long takes of "Nostalgia In Times Square", "Alice's Wonderland", and "No Private Income Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

The mindblowing full length debut of Joni Mitchell – and a record that instantly set a whole new tone for singer/songwriter material in the late 60s! Joni had years of folk experience before this set, but the record is something else entirely – dark at times, deeply personal, and inflected with an understanding of jazz phrasing that haunts some of the guitar work, and maybe a bit of the vocals – yet all in a way that's very different than much of Mitchell's later work too. The record is definitely one of those landmarks in this moment of an artist who emerges fully formed, with a sound that's all their own – resonating with a strength that's as powerful now as it was way back then! Titles include "I Had A King", "Sistowbell Lane", "The Dawntreader", "Cactus Tree", "Song To A Seagull", "The Pirate Of Penance", "Nathan La Franeer", and "Night In The City". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first bold statements to come from Chicago's AACM underground of the 60s – a tremendous debut effort from the young Roscoe Mitchell! The album's got a "sense of the new" feel that's as gripping as anything recorded by ESP or Impulse around the same time – a rule-breaking, freely-creative approach to jazz that builds strongly off the changes already wrought by Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, and Archie Shepp! The format is somewhat like the Art Ensemble Of Chicago at times – with measured horn work from Mitchell on alto, clarinet, and recorder, Maurice McIntyre on tenor, Lester Bowie on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Lester Lashley on trombone (as well as a bit of cello). Some tracks – like the brilliant "Sound" – offer a slow-building exploration of tones and textures – while others, like the blues-joke "Little Suite", or the harmelodic "Ornette", show a wry sense of humor that would become a Chicago avant hallmark as the years went on! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first bold statements to come from Chicago's AACM underground of the 60s – a tremendous debut effort from the young Roscoe Mitchell! The album's got a "sense of the new" feel that's as gripping as anything recorded by ESP or Impulse around the same time – a rule-breaking, freely-creative approach to jazz that builds strongly off the changes already wrought by Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, and Archie Shepp! The format is somewhat like the Art Ensemble Of Chicago at times – with measured horn work from Mitchell on alto, clarinet, and recorder, Maurice McIntyre on tenor, Lester Bowie on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Lester Lashley on trombone (as well as a bit of cello). Some tracks – like the brilliant "Sound" – offer a slow-building exploration of tones and textures – while others, like the blues-joke "Little Suite", or the harmelodic "Ornette", show a wry sense of humor that would become a Chicago avant hallmark as the years went on! CD also features bonus alternate takes of "Sound" and "Ornette". CD

A fantastic lost legacy in European free improvisation – the complete works of a group who were first known as Modern Jazz Quintet Karlsruhe, then later as Fourmenonly – presented here in a beautiful 3CD set! First up is the album Trees – issued on a small label in 1968, but a set that matches the groundbreaking energy of the early work on FMP – played by a group that features Helmuth Zimmer on piano, Wilfreid Eichorn on tenor and soprano sax, Claus Buhler on bass, Rudi Thielmann on drums, and Herbert Joos on flugelhorn, Mellophon, piston, and percussion! The group have a melodic vibe at the core – often feeling out the initial space as a unit, then exploding with sound and color – and really making especially great work of the talents of Joos and Eichorn – players who work together with great power, driven on by the others. Titles include "Lonely Time", "Trees", "Schnee Verbrennt", "Change Of Beauty", and "The Devil Is Green Blue Yellow". CD also features a bonus unreleased improvisation too! Next is Position 2000 – a record of even longer improvisations, and one that shows the quintet really developing their sound – strongly aware of the farther reaches, but always beginning in some more colorful passages that almost have a melody, before exploding out with very vibrant energy! The lineup is the same as on the debut – with Herbert Joos on flugelhorn, mellophone, Indian flute, and percussion – and Wilfried Eichorn on tenor, soprano sax, bass clarinet, flute, and percussion – alongside Helmuth Zimmer on piano, Klaus Buhler on bass, and Rudi Thielmann on drums. Titles include "The Sun Is Coming Over", "Position 2000", and "Where Love Forever Shines". CD also features an unreleased improvisation. For the next album, bassist Buhler has departed the group – who are renamed Fourmenonly! Their first record is a brilliant set of free jazz from the German scene of the 70s – very different than other work of the time, in that there's maybe more of a future-thinking balance between sounds and silence, frenzy and fragility – all served up by a quartet that features Herbert Joos on trumpet and flugelhorn, Wilfried Eichhorn on tenor and soprano sax, Helmuth Zimmer on piano and percussion, and Rudi Theilmann on drums and percussion. Titles include "Viridiana/Ich Und Meine Bruder/Compulsion" and "Count Down/Excess". On the album Eight Science Fiction Stories, the Fourmenonly lineup is expanded by trombonist Wolfgang Czelusta – and perform some fantastic work billed as "science fiction stories", all composed by Herbert Joos. The sound is as revolutionary as on the group's earliest material, but also maybe more compact as well – nicely focused, with especially strong emphasis on the interplay between Czelusta on trombone, Wilifried Eichorn on bass clarinet, flute, and oboe, and Herbert Joos on flugelhorn, trumpet, and mellophone. The piano of Helmuth Zimmer is amazing – almost Cecil Taylor-like in intensity at times – and drummer Rudi Theilmann does a great job of moving from passages of full-on power to more spacious percussion. Titles include "Lucifer Is Marching On", "Dead Season", "The Beauty Without A Face", "Departure", "Plastic Happiness", and "Space Wall". CD

The first album by Marisa Monte, and the start of a fantastic run of records – really strong work that had Monte emerging as maybe one of the strongest new acts in Brazil at the time! The set is live, which is unusual for a debut – and that also makes for energy that's a bit more raw and spontaneous than you might guess from some of Monte's later, more sophisticated production – especially when the singer hits some sharper edges that almost feel punkish at points. The small group features Roberto Alves on piano – and the set list includes a version of Os Mutantes' "Ando Meio Desligado", plus "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", "Speak Low", "Comida", "Negro Gato", and a nice remake of "Chocolate", an old Brazilian soul song by Tim Maia. LP, Vinyl record album

The first album by Marisa Monte, and the start of a fantastic run of records – really strong work that had Monte emerging as maybe one of the strongest new acts in Brazil at the time! The set is live, which is unusual for a debut – and that also makes for energy that's a bit more raw and spontaneous than you might guess from some of Monte's later, more sophisticated production – especially when the singer hits some sharper edges that almost feel punkish at points. The small group features Roberto Alves on piano – and the set list includes a version of Os Mutantes' "Ando Meio Desligado", plus "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", "Speak Low", "Comida", "Negro Gato", and a nice remake of "Chocolate", an old Brazilian soul song by Tim Maia. LP, Vinyl record album

Van's debut album for Warner Brothers and a pretty radical departure from anything he'd done before – breaking all kinds of new ground for his own most creative work and helping pave the way for all kinds of hauntingly poetic rock, folk rock, and singer-songwriter records to come! It doesn't take more than a few seconds of opening title track, with Morrison's rawly passionate voice and spiritually yearning lyrics, to know this is a pretty remarkable creative leap from pop leaning sound of "Brown Eyed Girl" and other preceding efforts – , and it gets even more far out from there both lyrically and instrumentally! It's almost folk jazz, arrangements wise, with flute and largely acoustic instrumentation, a really spontaneous feel to the sessions, and always hypnotic, seemingly stream of consciousness vocals by Van. As loose and spacious as the sound is, the emotional resonance is pretty heavy, and sequenced as a cycle: part one In The Beginning on side 1 and part two Afterwards on side 2. A stunner! Titles include "Astral Weeks", "Beside You", "Cyprus Avenue", "Sweet Thing", "Slim Slow Slider", and "Madame George". CD

Van's debut album for Warner Brothers and a pretty radical departure from anything he'd done before – breaking all kinds of new ground for his own most creative work and helping pave the way for all kinds of hauntingly poetic rock, folk rock, and singer-songwriter records to come! It doesn't take hearing more than a few seconds of the opening title track, with Morrison's rawly passionate voice and spiritually yearning lyrics, to know this is a pretty remarkable creative leap from pop leaning sound of "Brown Eyed Girl" and other preceding efforts! It's almost folk jazz, arrangements wise, with flute and largely acoustic instrumentation, a really spontaneous feel to the sessions, and always hypnotic, seemingly stream of consciousness vocals by Van. As loose and spacious as the sound is, the emotional resonance is pretty heavy, and it's sequenced as a cycle: part one (In The Beginning) on side 1 and part two (Afterwards) on side 2. A stunner! Titles include "Astral Weeks", "Beside You", "Cyprus Avenue", "Sweet Thing", "Slim Slow Slider", and "Madame George". LP, Vinyl record album

Van's debut album for Warner Brothers and a pretty radical departure from anything he'd done before – breaking all kinds of new ground for his own most creative work and helping pave the way for all kinds of hauntingly poetic rock, folk rock, and singer-songwriter records to come! It doesn't take more than a few seconds of opening title track, with Morrison's rawly passionate voice and spiritually yearning lyrics, to know this is a pretty remarkable creative leap from pop leaning sound of "Brown Eyed Girl" and other preceding efforts – , and it gets even more far out from there both lyrically and instrumentally! It's almost folk jazz, arrangements wise, with flute and largely acoustic instrumentation, a really spontaneous feel to the sessions, and always hypnotic, seemingly stream of consciousness vocals by Van. As loose and spacious as the sound is, the emotional resonance is pretty heavy, and sequenced as a cycle: part one In The Beginning on side 1 and part two Afterwards on side 2. A stunner! Titles include "Astral Weeks", "Beside You", "Cyprus Avenue", "Sweet Thing", "Slim Slow Slider", and "Madame George". LP, Vinyl record album

Mos Def's landmark late 90s solo debut – a rock solid classic that stands up today as one of the best hip hop albums of its decade – and for all the dizzying creative highs and lows of his career to follow, it stands strongly among his best work ever. His preceding duo work with Talib Kweli as Black Star set a pretty high bar creatively, and stunningly, Mos manages to clear it. It's all the more impressive given the stylistic diversity, ranging from bed rock boom bap, to leftfield funk, to Bad Brains-inspired punk. Incredible stuff. Tracks include "Ms Fat Booty", "Hip Hop", "Know That" featuring Talib Kweli, "Mr Ni**a" featuring Q-Tip, "Mathematics", "Brooklyn", "Umi Says", "Do It Now" featuring Busta Rhymes, "Fear Not Of Man", "Habitat", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A trio of classics from this groundbreaking group! First up is Living With The Animals – fantastic early work from Mother Earth – one of those special late 60s groups who emerged out of the rock, folk, and blues scenes – but who somehow managed to make a very special sound of their own! Part of the group's strength is the lovely Tracey Nelson – a singer who could have been a soul artist if she wanted – but who works here with a looser approach to generic conventions as she moves through a number of different modes – sometimes stepping aside for the group's lead singer, R Powell St John Jr, who also plays a bit of harmonica. Instrumentation is given some stronger currents from a combo that features Mike Bloomfield on guitar, Barry Goldberg on organ, and Luis Gasca on trumpet – and titles include "Marvel Group", "Mother Earth", "It Won't Be Long", "Down So Low", "The Kingdom Of Heaven", and "My Love Will Never Die". Make A Joyful Noise is an album that has slightly fuller backings than their debut, but in a way that only seems to bring out more of the soulful currents of their sound! The mix of rural inspiration and tighter presentation is a great illustration of the changing North Cali style of the period – and no surprise, a young Boz Scaggs is in the group, providing rhythm guitar next to the vocals of Tracy Nelson and R Powell St John. A few country legends provide extra support on fiddle, dobro, and steel – balanced nicely by a strong horn section too – on titles that include "Stop The Train", "Soul Of The Man", "Blues For The Road", "Come On & See", "I The Fly", "Wait Wait Wait", "I Wanna Be Your Mama Again", and "Then I'll Be Moving On". Last up is Satisfied – countrified rock from Tracy Nelson and Mother Earth – done in a warm and sincere style that goes way beyond any of the cliches of the genre! There's something about the way the group put together the tunes that really makes us like this one – an honesty that's not bogged down in any hippy dippy expectations, and which never tries to be anything other that what it is. And yes, that's not much of a good description of the set – but it's also our way of identifying the uniqueness that set Mother Earth apart from a lot of their contemporaries. Titles include "Satisfied", "Groovy Way", "Andy's Song", "Ruler Of My Heart", "This Feeling", and "You Won't Be Passing Here No More". CD

Motherlode tapped out of the recording came after this excellent second album – and they're every bit as wonderful here as on their debut – working with a really unique blend of rock and soul – and getting a groove that few other groups of the time could touch! The harmonies are superb – much more early 70s soul than the look of the group on the cover – and while they bring in some rockish touches in the instrumentation, they also blend it with more soulful currents too – including some nice funky moments in the rhythms, and great southern style use of organ and saxophone. The whole album's great – filled with under-discovered gems – and titles include "Quality Of Leadership", "Righteous Land", "Been So Long", "Robert E Lee", "Black Cat", "Hiro Smothek", and "Lilac Wine". LP, Vinyl record album

In case you think you stumbled upon the wrong record, these guys are the legendary Motorhead – and on this groundbreaking debut, they play straightforward rock and roll! This is pre-Ace Of Spades Motorhead – groundwork-paving, gnarly, primitive and incendiary Motorhead – too loud and fast for mainstream rockers, too menacing for fancy lads of all stripes – too gutteral and nasty even for most early metal fans – the world just didn't know what to make of Lemmy & Co – but they'd catch up, eventually! Titles include "Motorhead", "Vibrator", "Lost Johnny", "Iron Horse/Born To Lose", "White Line Fever", "Keepers On The Road", our second favorite version of "Train Kept A Rollin'" (sorry, Aerosmith), and "The Watcher". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic-styled soul from Musiq Soulchild – his debut set for Def Soul, and the start of a great run of mellow grooves! As you might guess from the compressed wording of the title, the tunes here have a great set of flow – a laidback, kicked-back sort of sound that's not nearly as full-on or swaggering as other male soul of the time. Musiq's even more relaxed than D'Angelo here – and the tunes are awash in warm keyboard lines and mellow bubbling beats – all with plenty of room for Musiq to stretch out in some sweeeeeet vocal lines. Titles include "Speechless", "You & Me", "Just Friends (Sunny)", "Girl Next Door", "Mary Go Round", "Love", "Poparatzi", and "You Be Alright". LP, Vinyl record album

Leave it to career iconoclast Nas to declare Hip Hop Is Dead on his Def Jam debut – a defiantly straight up hip hop record that's one of the leanest full lengths he's delivered since his abbreviated debut masterpiece! Hip Hop Is Dead, not surprisingly, is actually a very lively LP – and it's tried-and-true hip hop – another in Nas's strong series of subsequent LPs of the 00s. Nas once released a perfect piece of work – something very few artists in any idiom ever do – setting up a nearly impossible standard to live up to, but, Hip Hop Is Dead is well worth your time. Production by Salaam Remi (natch), LES, Kanye West, Scott Storch (who delivers a Kanye-like sound on one cut) and others. Titles include "Money Over Bullsh*t", "You Can't Kill Me", "Carry On Tradition", "Hip Hop Is Dead" feat Will I Am, "Black Republican?" feat Jay Z, "Not Going Back" feat Kelis, "Still Dreamin" feat Kanye West & Chrisette Michelle, "Hold Down The Block", "Blunt Ashes", "Play On Playa", "Where Are They Now?", "Let There Be Light" feat Tre Williams, "Hustlers" feat The Game & Marsha Ambrosious and more. CD

Leave it to career iconoclast Nas to declare Hip Hop Is Dead on his Def Jam debut – a defiantly straight up hip hop record that's one of the leanest full lengths he's delivered since his abbreviated debut masterpiece! Hip Hop Is Dead, not surprisingly, is actually a very lively LP – and it's tried-and-true hip hop – another in Nas's strong series of subsequent LPs of the 00s. Nas once released a perfect piece of work – something very few artists in any idiom ever do – setting up a nearly impossible standard to live up to, but, Hip Hop Is Dead is well worth your time. Production by Salaam Remi (natch), LES, Kanye West, Scott Storch (who delivers a Kanye-like sound on one cut) and others. Titles include "Money Over Bullsh*t", "You Can't Kill Me", "Carry On Tradition", "Hip Hop Is Dead" feat Will I Am, "Black Republican?" feat Jay Z, "Not Going Back" feat Kelis, "Still Dreamin" feat Kanye West & Chrisette Michelle, "Hold Down The Block", "Blunt Ashes", "Play On Playa", "Where Are They Now?", "Let There Be Light" feat Tre Williams, "Hustlers" feat The Game & Marsha Ambrosious and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Nas' debut LP masterpiece Illmatic – a record that will probably stand forever as one of the greatest hip hop full lengths of its time! Nas has had some creative ups-and-downs over the years, but nothing can take away the impact of this damn near perfect slice of east coast street hop – truly one of the great, filler free, beginning-to-end classics with not a wasted second! Part of the strength of the record is the top-shelf choice of production – work from DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock and Q-Tip – all of whom help the young Nas really find his voice with the right sort of vibe – on titles that include "NY State Of Mind", "Life's A B***h", "Half Time", "One Love", "Memory Lane", "Represent", "The World Is Yours", and "It Ain't Hard To Tell". CD

Nas' debut LP masterpiece Illmatic – a record that will probably stand forever as one of the greatest hip hop full lengths of its time! Nas has had some creative ups-and-downs over the years, but nothing can take away the impact of this damn near perfect slice of east coast street hop – truly one of the great, filler free, beginning-to-end classics with not a wasted second! Part of the strength of the record is the top-shelf choice of production – work from DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock and Q-Tip – all of whom help the young Nas really find his voice with the right sort of vibe – on titles that include "NY State Of Mind", "Life's A B***h", "Half Time", "One Love", "Memory Lane", "Represent", "The World Is Yours", and "It Ain't Hard To Tell". Columbia has gone all out with the reverence on this double LP reissue, with remastered sound polish and a bonus LP with remixes of "World Is Yours", "Life's A B***h", "One Love" and "It Ain't Hard To Tell", plus bonus tracks "On The Real" and "Star Wars". LP, Vinyl record album

The second full album from Nazz – a set that has Todd Rundgren extending even more dominance over the group through his original songs and arrangements – and, we're willing to guess, a fair bit of production work too – even though that's credited here to the entire band! Rundgren's still not singing lead vocals on most of the tunes, so they've got that slighty more psychedelic feel the group put forth on their debut – but the guitars here have also stepped back a bit, and many of the best tracks have that more fragile, more personal feel that we've always loved in Todd's solo work – even if some of the themes are still a bit varied. Titles include "Hang On Paul", "Rain Rider", "Gonna Cry Today", "Featherbedding Lover", "Kiddie Boy", "Forget All About It", "Not Wrong Long", and "Meridian Leeward". CD

"I need a fix – and a kiiiiiiiiiissssssss!" What can we say? Johnny Thunders, David Johansen and the boys reinvented the wheel with the of wildly hedonist glam skronk spun on this still incredible debut record. Both records they made for Mercury are incredible, but this is the bonafide masterpiece. It's a classic purely on a primal rock 'n' roll level, but it's also one of rock's greatest examples of style equaling substance! The Dolls brought glammer to the gutter and vice versa, and this is no doubt their greatest moment! Includes "Personality Crisis", "Looking For A Kiss", "Trash", "Frankenstein", "Pills", "Bad Girl", "Private World" and "Jet Boy". Produced by Todd Rundgren and engineered by Jack Douglas – the former a legend in his own right, the latter whose name appears on so many great records that range from other proto-punk and punk-era classics (Patti Smith Group, The Runaways) to the trashier side of the mainstream (prime early Cheap Trick, Aerosmith and Alice Cooper). LP, Vinyl record album

A trio of early 70s LPs from Klaus Weiss & Niagara – in a massive 3LP wood box set! First up is the 1971 self-titled debut – a pretty astonishing set of heavy, hypnotic drums and percussion. It features just 2 long jams, "Sangandongo" and "Malanga" and it's pretty much an all percussion affair! Sub is a legendary bit of heavy funk. The lineup here includes fuzzy guitar, electric piano, and of course, lots of heavy percussion – all served up in a way that's jamming, but a lot more straightforwardly funky than some of the group's contemporaries on the European scene! Ack Van Rooyen plays trumpet, Ferdinand Povel plays tenor and flute, and the production is often very tripped-out – abstracting the jazz roots a bit with some really cool touches. A great bridge between the MPS scene and the more progressive German groups – with titles that include "SUB", "Bones", "Niagara", "Terra Incognita", "Gibili", and "Kikiriti". Afire is another seminal percussion effort – and an album with a very strong focus on the rhythms – but the groove is still somewhat melodic too, thanks to inventive use of some of the smaller, more tuned percussion instruments by other members of the group. There's almost a funky batucada groove going on here – a rich, round sound that comes from a very tight small combo! Titles include "City Walk", "What For", "Terpischore", "Carnival", "Rhythm Go", "Dance In Seven", "Rolling", "Malanga Two", and "The Third One". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest records of the 60s – and a sublime debut from Nico, sounding fresher and less dreary here than on many of her later sides – although still pretty chilling overall! The record features larger orchestral backings on most tracks – never too heavy, but with light strings that really help Nico depart from the sound of her work with The Velvet Underground. This style adds a new level of sophistication to her vocals, and really helps in her interpretation of the unusual material culled for the set – tunes that include a few key numbers by old partners in The Velvets, as well as some especially great tracks by a young Jackson Browne – a romantic interest of Nico at the time! The whole thing's incredible – on a par with the best from Scott Walker during the same stretch, although very different overall – and a key entry in the darker side of the non-hippie end of the 60s spectrum. Titles include "These Days", "It Was A Pleasure Then", "Eulogy To Lenny Bruce", and the incredible title cut, "Chelsea Girls". Fantastic! CD

One of the greatest records of the 60s – and a sublime debut from Nico, sounding fresher and less dreary here than on many of her later sides – although still pretty chilling overall! The record features larger orchestral backings on most tracks – never too heavy, but with light strings that really help Nico depart from the sound of her work with The Velvet Underground. This style adds a new level of sophistication to her vocals, and really helps in her interpretation of the unusual material culled for the set – tunes that include a few key numbers by old partners in The Velvets, as well as some especially great tracks by a young Jackson Browne – a romantic interest of Nico at the time! The whole thing's incredible – on a par with the best from Scott Walker during the same stretch, although very different overall – and a key entry in the darker side of the non-hippie end of the 60s spectrum. Titles include "These Days", "It Was A Pleasure Then", "Eulogy To Lenny Bruce", and the incredible title cut, "Chelsea Girls". Fantastic! LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing work from one of the greatest new groups we've heard in years – Michigan's mighty Nomo, easily one of the greatest Afro Funk combos going! Nomo's got a tightness that surpasses most other heirs to Fela's throne – an intensely focused energy that's really tremendous – and which soars out with some jazzy touches on the horns that move the group into deeply soulful territory! There's way more going on here than just guitar riffing, percussion, and blasting horns – as Nomo's musical vision is really expansive, and often echoes with cosmic touches you never would have heard back in 70s Ethiopia! Electric instruments are used subtly, but really effectively – so that keyboards are matched with weird guitar parts and some especially great electrified gamelan and kalimba lines, the last of which are almost worth the price of the record alone. The whole thing's great – classic in its roots, but creative enough to have a boldly strong voice of its own – and our hats are off to Nomo for blowing us away even more here than with their already-great debut! Titles include "We Do We Go", "Nutones", "Hand & Mouth", "Fourth Ward", "Reasons", "New Song", "Divisions", "Sarvodaya", and "Book Of Right On". CD

The amazing debut of NRBQ – a set that might come as quite a surprise if you only know some of this group's later work! The New Rhythm & Blues Quintet were maybe one of the first great groups to hail from Louisville – an early part of the legacy that would later include Squirrel Bait, Palace Brothers, Slint, and many others – and the group already show a unique placement at the crossroads – working sometimes in rootsy modes with a bit of twang, sometimes in rawer styles with a bit of garage, and even taking stops along the way for bits of influence from Sun Ra and Carla Bley! The mix of modes here is maybe a lot more along the lines of what was happening in the Bay Area scene of the late 60s – but is even more revolutionary as a lone sound from the heartland – and titles include "Ids", "C'Mon Everybody", "Stomp", "Hymn Number 5", "Stay With Me", "Hey Baby", "You Can't Hide", and a surprising version of Sun Ra's "Rocket Number 9". CD

The incredible debut of Phil Ochs – easily one of the most powerful folk albums of the 60s, and a set that wears its politics on its sleeve like few other records! In an era when many folkies worked a social agenda with sly jokes and twee metaphors, Ochs went straight for the jugular and took his topics head on – singing directly about the topics with a voice nearly shaking in anger, and working here with jagged guitar accompaniment that only further underscores the mood of the tunes. There's a rawness here that beats even Dylan's most political moments from the early albums, and the simple brilliance of the set makes it as powerful today as it was upon its release over 40 years ago. Titles include "Talking Vietnam", "One More Parade", "Automation Song", "Talking Cuban Crisis", "What's That I Hear", "Bound For Glory", "The Bells", and "Ballad Of William Worthy". CD

Debut recordings by Anita O'Day! LP, Vinyl record album

It's hard to sum up the genius of the Ohio Players at Westbound Records in words – but this set does a pretty good job of doing the whole thing with music! The group are at their trippy, early best here – much more funk and soul than on their initial psych debut, yet still not as smooth or clubby as in their later years – coming across with a badass righteous vibe that takes full advantage of the unique Detroit spirit of Westbound Records – best known as the initial home of Funkdelic. The Ohio Players are maybe not as tripped-out as that group, but maybe not that far away either – and come across beautifully here on a stunning back of 15 tracks that includes "Funky Worm", "Varee Is Love", "Walt's First Trip", "Food Stamps", "Laid It", "Singing In The Morning", "Ecstasy", "Climax", "Pain", "Sleep Talk", and "Player's Balling". CD

Mindblowing funk from The Ohio Players – the group's debut album for Westbound Records, and a landmark batch of tracks that never gets old! The sound here really has the group stretching out a lot – working on tunes that are extended, but never as overindulgent as their labelmates Funkadelic – always keeping to a groove that's focused, yet also free to explore its bad self in the new freedoms of the 70s. There's a strong undercurrent of funky jazz running through the set – mixing great riffing alongside the tight rhythms and tripped-out vocals – all brought together with that deep deep deep production sound that Westbound gave the world as its own legacy in the wake of Norman Whitfield's experiments at Motown. Titles include the wonderfully jamming "Players Balling", and the funky numbers "Reds" and "Singing In The Morning" – plus more soulful tracks "I Wanna Hear From You" and "Never Had A Dream". LP, Vinyl record album

The debut of Orleans – and a set that's got all the charms of the group's later work, but a more down to earth vibe as well! The instrumentation and presentation is great – as impeccable as you'd expect, but not nearly as polished – with maybe some of the more personal warmth that a group like America were displaying at the time – although with some slightly rootsier touches in the instrumentation at times. The balance is as good as the harmonies – and the whole thing's a great way of showing how later AOR evolved out of unique combinations like this. Titles include "Two Faced World", "Please Be There", "Turn Out The Light", "Mountain", "Wanderlust", "It All Comes Back Again", "Stoned", and "Ticonderoga Moon". CD

A hell of a trumpeter – making his debut here on one of the grooviest albums on the legendary Latin Percussion label! The session's a bit fuller than some of the other LP albums – a crackling blend of jazz, funk, and Latin rhythms – warm, but with some pretty complicated moments, very much in the best spirit of the second wave of NuYorica grooves! There's still lots of the tight percussion that makes Latin Percussion sessions so great – but the record also features fuller instrumentation too – in ways that really make things soar. Players include Eddie Martinez on Fender Rhodes, Jon Faddis and Randy Brecker on additional trumpets, Steve Khan on guitar, and Carlos Patato Valdez on congas – and Ruben Blades even plays a bit of acoustic guitar on the record. The overall feel's a bit like some of the great Fania/Columbia co-productions – but a bit rawer at points – and titles include "Diana", "Genesis", "Nice & Warm", "Viva Martinez", "I Know", "Hot Blood", and "Perico" – most of which are separated by short percussion interludes! LP, Vinyl record album

The mid 90s instant classic! Outkast's debut set them up as one of the most distinctive hip hop duos ever, right out of the gate, but it also helped to established the freewheeling, funky dirty south sound, thanks to genius Organized Noize production! The Outkast sound would get bigger and more wildly eclectic on the records to follow Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, but the consistent, funky southern swagger on this one holds up incredibly well. It sounds fresh to this day! Includes breakout hit "Player's Ball", "Crumblin Erb", "Git Up, Git Out", "Claimin' True", "Funky Ride", "Soouthernplayalisticadillacmuzik", "Ain't No Thang", "CallOf Da Wild", "Hootie Hoo" and a couple of interludes. CD

The mid 90s instant classic! Outkast's debut set hem up as one of the most distinctive hip hop duos ever, right out of the gate, but it also helped to established the freewheeling, funky dirty south sound, thanks to genius Organized Noize production! The Outkast sound would get bigger and more wildly eclectic on the records to follow Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, but the consistent, funky southern swagger on this one holds up incredibly well. It sounds fresh to this day! Includes breakout hit "Player's Ball", "Crumblin Erb", "Git Up, Git Out", "Claimin' True", "Funky Ride", "Soouthernplayalisticadillacmuzik", "Ain't No Thang", "CallOf Da Wild", "Hootie Hoo" and a couple of interludes. LP, Vinyl record album

A killer debut from Angelo Outlaw – an vibist who may well become one of the first great soulful talents on his instrument in many years – an artist who can easily become the Roy Ayers of his generation – thanks to an expansive sound that effortlessly blends together jazz, soul, and funk! Angelo plays vibes with a nicely tight combo – and there's vocals on a number of tracks, but a number of others are instrumental – and often use the vibes and a bit of flute as the main "voice", which hardly makes you miss the vocals at all! Production is great – handled by Eraserhood Sound with a very contemporary vibe – on titles that include "Speed Of Light", "Loose Reality", "Diamonds", "Free My Mind", "Silent Horizon", "Memories", "Time Traveler", and "Cosmic Storm". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer debut from Angelo Outlaw – an vibist who may well become one of the first great soulful talents on his instrument in many years – an artist who can easily become the Roy Ayers of his generation – thanks to an expansive sound that effortlessly blends together jazz, soul, and funk! Angelo plays vibes with a nicely tight combo – and there's vocals on a number of tracks, but a number of others are instrumental – and often use the vibes and a bit of flute as the main "voice", which hardly makes you miss the vocals at all! Production is great – handled by Eraserhood Sound with a very contemporary vibe – on titles that include "Speed Of Light", "Loose Reality", "Diamonds", "Free My Mind", "Silent Horizon", "Memories", "Time Traveler", and "Cosmic Storm". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal album from Parliament – one that's very very different than the freaky fuzz of their Osmium debut – and which has the tight ensemble really coming down on the money, in the best funky 70s George Clinton mode! The record features a much more stripped down sound – nice and funky, with a blueprint of the bass-driven groove that would dominate the P-Funk sound of the 70s. Bootsy's on bass, and the group features Eddie Hazel, Bernie Worrell, and other likely suspects – all working with a news sort of sharpness compared to earlier P-Funk material – virtually the blueprint for everything else to come. Clinton, Hazel, and Worrell produced – and titles include the monster jammer "Up For The Down Stroke", plus other goodies like "The Goose", "Testify", "Presence Of A Brain", and "All Your Goodies Are Gone", as well as bonus tracks "Up For The Down Stroke" (alternate mix), "Testify" (alternate mix), and previously unreleased track "Singing Another Song". CD

Both albums complete on one CD! First up GP – a mindblowing solo debut from Gram Parsons – music that's nicely different than his work with both the Flying Burrito Brothers and The Byrds, and which shows Gram really stepping out into the role of a 70s superstar – to which he would have ascended, were he not taken from us all too soon! There's a fragility to the record that's wonderful, even when things are tight – a quality echoed by vocals from Emmylou Harris, and which comes through especially strongly on Parsons' on tunes. Backing features all sorts of country studio greats – including James Burton on guitar and dobro, and Buddy Emmons on steel guitar – and titles include the completely sublime "She" – a cut that should have been a 70s classic – plus "Still Feeling Blue", "We'll Sweep Out The Ashes In The Morning", "Streets Of Baltimore", "That's All It Took", and "Cry One More Time". Next is Grievous Angel, one of the most beloved country rock albums of all time! This album is likely to have cemented Gram's legacy even if he didn't pass away before it's release – it's really that good – mixing mournful honk tonk laments, bleary-eyed barroom rockers and soul searching lyricism in a way that was pretty damn distinctive in the 70s. It's bookended by the (arguably) 2 greatest songs he ever wrote, "Return Of The Grievous Angel" and "In My Hour Of Darkness", plus "Love Hurts", "Brass Buttons", "$1000 Wedding", a rockin' cover of Tom T Hall's "I Can't Dance" and "Hickory Wind". And for all the praise we just heaped on Gram Parsons in the preceding sentences, there's no discounting the importance of co-singer and ""In My Hour Of Darkness" co-writer Emmylou Harris, who's like the beautifully voiced angel on Gram's shoulder. CD

This is the one that really nailed it for Jaco Pastorious – a brilliant showcase for all his many talents on the bass, and a key illustration of the way that he influenced an entire generation! Sure, Jaco in Weather Report was already pretty darn great – but here, on his own, he really gets to sparkle – jamming hard with heavyweights on some funky numbers, sliding out in spacey territory on mellow cuts, and even trying out a few more experimental moments that are far beyond what most other bassists might imagine for a debut of this nature. Players on the date include Herbie Hancock on keyboards, Don Alias on percussion, Lenny White on drums, Hubert Laws on flute, and Randy Brecker on trumpet – and titles include "Portrait Of Tracy", "Donna Lee", "Continuum", "Okonkole Y Trompa", "Kuru/Speak Like a Child", "Opus Pocus", and "Come On Come Over". LP, Vinyl record album

This is the one that really nailed it for Jaco Pastorious – a brilliant showcase for all his many talents on the bass, and a key illustration of the way that he influenced an entire generation! Sure, Jaco in Weather Report was already pretty darn great – but here, on his own, he really gets to sparkle – jamming hard with heavyweights on some funky numbers, sliding out in spacey territory on mellow cuts, and even trying out a few more experimental moments that are far beyond what most other bassists might imagine for a debut of this nature. Players on the date include Herbie Hancock on keyboards, Don Alias on percussion, Lenny White on drums, Hubert Laws on flute, and Randy Brecker on trumpet – and titles include "Portrait Of Tracy", "Donna Lee", "Continuum", "Okonkole Y Trompa", "Kuru/Speak Like a Child", "Opus Pocus", and "Come On Come Over". CD

This is the one that really nailed it for Jaco Pastorious – a brilliant showcase for all his many talents on the bass, and a key illustration of the way that he influenced an entire generation! Sure, Jaco in Weather Report was already pretty darn great – but here, on his own, he really gets to sparkle – jamming hard with heavyweights on some funky numbers, sliding out in spacey territory on mellow cuts, and even trying out a few more experimental moments that are far beyond what most other bassists might imagine for a debut of this nature. Players on the date include Herbie Hancock on keyboards, Don Alias on percussion, Lenny White on drums, Hubert Laws on flute, and Randy Brecker on trumpet – and titles include "Portrait Of Tracy", "Donna Lee", "Continuum", "Okonkole Y Trompa", "Kuru/Speak Like a Child", "Opus Pocus", and "Come On Come Over". CD features 2 bonus tracks – "Used To Be A Cha Cha" and "6/4 Jam". CD

This is the one that really nailed it for Jaco Pastorious – a brilliant showcase for all his many talents on the bass, and a key illustration of the way that he influenced an entire generation! Sure, Jaco in Weather Report was already pretty darn great – but here, on his own, he really gets to sparkle – jamming hard with heavyweights on some funky numbers, sliding out in spacey territory on mellow cuts, and even trying out a few more experimental moments that are far beyond what most other bassists might imagine for a debut of this nature. Players on the date include Herbie Hancock on keyboards, Don Alias on percussion, Lenny White on drums, Hubert Laws on flute, and Randy Brecker on trumpet – and titles include "Portrait Of Tracy", "Donna Lee", "Continuum", "Okonkole Y Trompa", "Kuru/Speak Like a Child", "Opus Pocus", and "Come On Come Over". CD features 2 bonus tracks – "Used To Be A Cha Cha" and "6/4 Jam". CD

The incredible debut from Pearls Before Swine – a group who were a bit late to the New York folk party of the 60s – but at a level that really helped them evolve past the rest of their scene! The album's sometimes a bit overlooked – as it came out on the mostly-jazz ESP label – but it's a mindblowing treasure from the year of 1967, and one of the most forward-thinking albums of the time! The group begin with folk constructions, but really take off quickly with some trippier elements too – especially when they mix organ, vibes, or electronics with more familiar guitar and mandolin. Singer Tom Rapp maybe has a slight touch of Dylan in his approach, but he's already up there as his own man – and we love Rapp so much, we'd place him in the same heady territory as Tim Buckley, Tim Hardin, or Leonard Cohen – all of whose work is a good match for the energy here. There's a wonderfully dark quality to this album that gives it a timeless feel – strains of avant instrumentation underneath the gentler sound of Rapp's voice, and an undying sadness that's matched by the feel of songs like "Another Time", "Playmate", "Drop Out", "Ballad To An Amber Lady", "Miss Morse", "I Shall Not Care", and "Morning Song". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare Japanese-only vinyl set of Art Pepper's legendary 1977 recordings at the Village Vanguard – really open, freewheeling material that has the mature altoist at his best! A record that marks the live recording debut of the alto giant Art Pepper – quite a surprise, given that he'd already had many years of playing under his belt – but also a date that captures Art at a time of real revival in his career – stretching out with new inspirations, and a sound that's very different from the Art Pepper of the 50s and 60s! The group features George Cables on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – and Pepper also plays some great tenor, too. All tracks are very long – and titles include "The Trip", "You Go To My Head", "Cherokee", "My Friend John", "Blues For Les", "Valse Triste", "Goodbye", "But Beautiful", "Caravan", "Labyrinth", and "Las Cuevas De Mario". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal album from the American underground of the late 70s – the debut of Pere Ubu, bursting forth from the Cleveland scene with a sound to challenge the greatness of anything coming from New York or LA at the time! The album's not exactly punk, not exactly art rock, but has strong elements of both – all wrapped around the unique conception of singer Dave Thomas, whose vocals are some of the oddest ever recorded! The tunes here are a lot more straightforward and upfront than some of Pere Ubu's later work – in a way that definitely makes the album their biggest favorite with new generations of indie rockers. But there's also still a fair number of more experimental touches too – odd sonic tricks and almost-abstract moments that were quite revolutionary for the time – especially from Cleveland! Titles include "Non Alignment Pact", "The Modern Dance", "Chinese Radiation", "Real World", "Life Stinks", "Over My Head", and "Humor Me". LP, Vinyl record album

The debut full length from Pete Rock & CL Smooth – a standard-setting record from the 90s that's still among one of the greatest of the decade! The set bristles with new energy and excitement right from the start – as Pete Rock's trademark mix of heavy soul, jazz, and funk production sets the bar to a level that really takes hip hop past some of the tinnier, clunkier modes of a few years before – delivering on the promise of Q-Tip's experiments in the studio, but with a very different vibe. CL Smooth handles the lyrics with effortless ease – again setting a new standard, with a balance between street and sophistication that was, and is, such a refreshing change from so many others. Titles include the classic "They Reminisce Over You (TROY)" – plus "Return Of The Mecca", "Straighten It Out", "Soul Brother #1", "Lots Of Lovin", "Skinz, "The Basement", "Anger In The Nation", "If It Ain't Rough It Ain't Right", "Can't Front On Me", "It's Like That", "On And On", "Wig Out", "Ghettos Of The Mind", and "Act Like You Know". CD

Great early work from Oscar Peterson – recorded during his first few years with Norman Granz, and in an extremely spare style that only features added bass accompaniment on most tracks! The record's virtually a solo session – cut with a style that's got the energy of Bud Powell, mixed with the soul of Art Tatum – but in a fresh mode that would soon have Peterson dominating the way his instrument was handled at the time. Notes ring out with wonderful tones throughout, and titles include "Tenderly", "Oscar's Blues", "Debut", "Where Or When", "Little White Lies", "Two Sleepy People", and "Nameless". CD

The fantastic debut of the Pink Fairies – easily one of the shaggiest, headiest bands on the UK scene at the start of the 70s – and a group who rose from the ashes of the equally important Deviants! The record's an unusual mishmash of modes – a set that confidently swaggers between psych, hard rock, and maybe even a bit of proto-punk – very confident in its approach, and coolly compressed in the production, but never in the slick style that would dominate British rock more strongly in the mid 70s. The Fairies aren't afraid to let their freak flag fly, but they're also clearly moving past hippiedom too – on titles that include "War Girl", "Do It", "Say You Love Me", "Tack One Side Two", "Thor", "Uncle Harry's Last Freakout", and "The Dream Is Just Beginning". CD

A trio of key albums from the Pink Fairies – served up with lots of bonus tracks too! First up is Never Never Land – the fantastic debut of the Pink Fairies – easily one of the shaggiest, headiest bands on the UK scene at the start of the 70s – and a group who rose from the ashes of the equally important Deviants! The record's an unusual mishmash of modes – a set that confidently swaggers between psych, hard rock, and maybe even a bit of proto-punk – very confident in its approach, and coolly compressed in the production, but never in the slick style that would dominate British rock more strongly in the mid 70s. The Fairies aren't afraid to let their freak flag fly, but they're also clearly moving past hippiedom too – on titles that include "War Girl", "Do It", "Say You Love Me", "Tack One Side Two", "Thor", "Uncle Harry's Last Freakout", and "The Dream Is Just Beginning". What A Bunch Of Sweeties is filled with freaky fuzz from the Pink Fairies – a seminal UK group who were maybe trapped in a space between late psych and early glam – and somehow equally important to both! There's lots going on in the set – modes that are as offbeat as styles put forth by The Fugs in the late 60s, but a lot sharper overall from a musical perspective – especially in the way the group uses great guitar work and a few catchy numbers to sew the whole thing together – on titles that include "Portobello Shuffle", "Marilyn", "Pigs Of Uranus", "Walk Don't Run", "X-Ray", "I Went Up I Went Down", and "I Saw Her Standing There". Kings Of Oblivion is maybe the most fully-formed album from the legendary Pink Fairies – and a set that's got some really searing guitar from Larry Wallis – a melodic genius whose sound really holds things together, and gives the group a stronger focus than ever before! The guitar lines seem to bring out and amplify all the ideas the group were going for before – and maybe give the group a sense of darkness that they never fully reached – not hard rock cliche, but this tightness that's also completely individual – maybe like early Thin Lizzy at their best, yet in a completely different way. Titles include "I Wish I Was A Girl", "City Kids", "When's The Fun Begin", "Chromium Plating", "Street Urchin", and "Chamber Maid". Bonus tracks include "Going Down", "Walk Don't Run (first version)", "War Girl (alt mix)", "The Snake", "Do It (single mix)", "Uncle Harry's Last Freakout (alt mix)", "Well Well Well (alt mix)", "City Kids (alt)", and "Hold On (single)". CD

A trio of key albums from the Pink Fairies – served up with lots of bonus tracks too! First up is Never Never Land – the fantastic debut of the Pink Fairies – easily one of the shaggiest, headiest bands on the UK scene at the start of the 70s – and a group who rose from the ashes of the equally important Deviants! The record's an unusual mishmash of modes – a set that confidently swaggers between psych, hard rock, and maybe even a bit of proto-punk – very confident in its approach, and coolly compressed in the production, but never in the slick style that would dominate British rock more strongly in the mid 70s. The Fairies aren't afraid to let their freak flag fly, but they're also clearly moving past hippiedom too – on titles that include "War Girl", "Do It", "Say You Love Me", "Tack One Side Two", "Thor", "Uncle Harry's Last Freakout", and "The Dream Is Just Beginning". What A Bunch Of Sweeties is filled with freaky fuzz from the Pink Fairies – a seminal UK group who were maybe trapped in a space between late psych and early glam – and somehow equally important to both! There's lots going on in the set – modes that are as offbeat as styles put forth by The Fugs in the late 60s, but a lot sharper overall from a musical perspective – especially in the way the group uses great guitar work and a few catchy numbers to sew the whole thing together – on titles that include "Portobello Shuffle", "Marilyn", "Pigs Of Uranus", "Walk Don't Run", "X-Ray", "I Went Up I Went Down", and "I Saw Her Standing There". Kings Of Oblivion is maybe the most fully-formed album from the legendary Pink Fairies – and a set that's got some really searing guitar from Larry Wallis – a melodic genius whose sound really holds things together, and gives the group a stronger focus than ever before! The guitar lines seem to bring out and amplify all the ideas the group were going for before – and maybe give the group a sense of darkness that they never fully reached – not hard rock cliche, but this tightness that's also completely individual – maybe like early Thin Lizzy at their best, yet in a completely different way. Titles include "I Wish I Was A Girl", "City Kids", "When's The Fun Begin", "Chromium Plating", "Street Urchin", and "Chamber Maid". Bonus tracks include "Going Down", "Walk Don't Run (first version)", "War Girl (alt mix)", "The Snake", "Do It (single mix)", "Uncle Harry's Last Freakout (alt mix)", "Well Well Well (alt mix)", "City Kids (alt)", and "Hold On (single)". CD

The completely smoking second album from this legendary Nicaraguan group of the 70s – an album that's even more fully-formed and Latin-styled than their first – served up with long tracks delivered in a stunning blend of percussion, jazzy instrumentation, and just the right touch of rock influences on guitar and keyboards! Where the group's debut maybe echoed the San Francisco style of mixing rock and Latin, this one shows more of the LA funky version of the music – as the group seem to have doubled their chops on their instruments since the previous record – and hardly even need vocals to provide any of the context for the music. Titles include "Chicharron", "Fruta Podrida", "Bacanal 76", "Amanecer Entre Las Hojas", and "Mimo". LP, Vinyl record album

The fantastic debut of The Pointer Sisters – an album that's a lot deeper than most of their crossover pop from years to come! At the time of the album's release, the trio were a badass group of female singers on the Bay Area scene – out to redefine the role of the girl group in soul – working not only with righteous power that was a real change from modes of the 60s – but also this trans-temporal quality that had them reaching back with ease for references from decades past, which also includes a surprising amount of jazz! The highlight here is the group's classic funky break version of Allen Toussaint's "Yes We Can Can" – and other titles include "Naked Food", "Wang Dang Doodle", "Sugar", "Pains & Tears", "Jada", "River Boulevard", and "Cloudburst". CD

The fantastic debut of The Pointer Sisters – an album that's a lot deeper than most of their crossover pop from years to come! At the time of the album's release, the trio were a badass group of female singers on the Bay Area scene – out to redefine the role of the girl group in soul – working not only with righteous power that was a real change from modes of the 60s – but also this trans-temporal quality that had them reaching back with ease for references from decades past, which also includes a surprising amount of jazz! The highlight here is the group's classic funky break version of Allen Toussaint's "Yes We Can Can" – and other titles include "Naked Food", "Wang Dang Doodle", "Sugar", "Pains & Tears", "Jada", "River Boulevard", and "Cloudburst". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from Gregory Porter – easily one of the best new jazz singers to emerge in the past decade or so, and one whose approach is soulful enough to rival the greats of the 70s! There's echoes here of Bill Withers, Gil Scott-Heron, and Al Jarreau – and like all those artists, Gregory's a singer who really moves past simple styles and generic conventions – into a mode that's vivid and rich right from the start, and defiitely his own territory – a world of sound that's a delight to experience! Most backings are straight jazzy, but inflected with some soul modes – and the album's even better and more incredible than Porter's debut for Motema. Titles include "On My Way To Harlem", "When Did You Learn", "Mother's Song", "Imitation Of Life", "Our Love", "Be Good", and "Painted On Canvas". CD

The greatness of Gregory Porter continues to grow and grow – as the vocalist keeps moving past the straighter jazz of his roots, into a role as one of the greatest soul singers of the 21st Century! Porter's got a depth and maturity that few folks have had in recent years – especially in the realm of male vocals – very much that manner of important 70s singers like Bill Withers, Billy Paul, or Al Jarreau – who were schooled in jazz, but worked more in soulful styles that gave them a wider reach, and helped them to find a very personal voice in the process! We'd easily place Gregory in that legacy – one that he's definitely earned by this point – and he sounds arguably even better here than on his debut for Blue Note – working with arrangements from co-producer Kamau Kenyatta, who mixes in just the right current of jazz to keep things on track with the energy we first loved in Porter's first records – while still really letting his new energy open up and soar. Titles include "Holding On", "Insanity", "Don't Lose Your Steam", "Daydream", "Don't Be A Fool", "More Than A Woman", and "French African Queen". Also features different versions of two songs, with guest appearances – "Holding On" with Kem, and "Insanity" with Lalah Hathaway. CD

The smooth debut of Portrait – a soul harmony group with an approach that's just right for the early 90s years – often set to the kind of beat-heavy rhythms of the new jack generation, but with a way of coming together that goes back to the old school too! This approach seems to work best on the midtempo tracks, when the rhythms are turned down just slightly, and the vocals rise up in the mix – letting the group really show their vocal skills on cuts that include "On & On", "Precious Moments", "Here We Go Again", "Honey Dip", "Commitment", "Day By Day", "Feelings", "Down Wit Dat", "You", and "Feelings". CD

A soaring debut from Audrey Powne – both a jazz musician and a soulful singer, and an artist who manages to wrap both those talents here together in a very righteous way! The album uses larger arrangements to set a very bold sonic scene – clearly informed by spiritual jazz, but taken to more cosmic currents at times – and topped with these airy vocals from Audrey that have a way of gliding effortlessly amidst the charts! Powne also plays a bit of trumpet – soloing with a nice sense of boldness – and overdubbing allows her to create her own choral vibe amidst the gentle strings and other elements – almost like a 21st Century update of the older Cadet/Concept sound from the end of the 60s. Titles include "Feed The Fire", "Souled Out", "Survive", "Indigo", "Overture", "From The Fire", and "Sleep". LP, Vinyl record album

A great sophomore set from The Pretenders – one that almost lives up to the dark intensity of their debut – and which certainly continues the group's initial legacy in all the right ways! The album's got a few sweeter moments, but also balances things out with more of Chrissie Hynde's balls-out brashness – and the rest of the group provide sharp musical support to keep all the right raw edges in place. Titles include "Bad Boys Get Spanked", "The Adultress", "Waste Not Want Not", "The English Roses", "Jealous Dogs", "Day After Day", "Talk Of The Town", "Message Of Love", "I Go To Sleep", and "Birds Of Paradise". LP, Vinyl record album

A damn funky little album – and one of the best Stones Throw albums of the past 20 years! Connie Price & The Keystones are a modern group – but one who's steeped in all the older messed-up funky styles of their Stones Throw labelmates – even some of the offbeat psych and rock that the label has reissued from around the globe! There's a wonderfully tripped-out sound to their work – taking the core instrumentation of funky drums, choppy guitars, smoking keyboards, and soulful sax – and pushing it out with a Stark Reality-ish vibe that really makes the group stand out from the rest of the deep funk underground! The album's a brilliant debut that we'll be digging for years – and it also feature appearances by Malcolm Catto, and members of Funk Inc, Poets Of Rhythm, and The LA Carnival! Titles include "Sticks & Stones", "Sucker Punch", "The Buzzard", "Double Dutch", "Wild Flowers", "Tall Dry Grass", "Fuzz & Them", and "The Shadows Of Leaves". Expanded version features 9 more bonus tracks – including "Raga Doll", "Afro Som", "Hurricane Malcolm", "Hello I'm Inside Out", "Sticks Dub", and "Attack Of The Killer Penguins". LP, Vinyl record album

The amazing debut of Prince – a record that virtually snuck onto the market at the time of its release, but which has gone on to become the launching pad for one of the greatest recorded legacies in soul music! The whole thing has a really lean, stripped-down sort of sound – one that testifies to the fact that the man himself produced and performed the whole thing – almost as if Prince were up there in Minneapolis, looking at all the overblown funk ensemble and disco records of the time, and decided to throw his own hat in the ring with a great variation of the funk sound of the 70s! The lean quality puts the record in a legacy that also includes 70s work by Shuggie Otis and Timmy Thomas – but that star quality that was about to make Prince huge is already firmly in place – on titles that include "For You", "Soft & Wet", "Crazy You", "Just As Long As We're Together", "My Love Is Forever", "I'm Yours", "So Blue", "In Love", and "Baby". CD

The amazing debut of Prince – a record that virtually snuck onto the market at the time of its release, but which has gone on to become the launching pad for one of the greatest recorded legacies in soul music! The whole thing has a really lean, stripped-down sort of sound – one that testifies to the fact that the man himself produced and performed the whole thing – almost as if Prince were up there in Minneapolis, looking at all the overblown funk ensemble and disco records of the time, and decided to throw his own hat in the ring with a great variation of the funk sound of the 70s! The lean quality puts the record in a legacy that also includes 70s work by Shuggie Otis and Timmy Thomas – but that star quality that was about to make Prince huge is already firmly in place – on titles that include "For You", "Soft & Wet", "Crazy You", "Just As Long As We're Together", "My Love Is Forever", "I'm Yours", "So Blue", "In Love", and "Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from Principal Edwards Magic Theatre – and arguably even better than the first, thanks to some really focused production from Nick Mason! The sound here has more of the building elements of psychedelia you'd expect from Mason's history with Pink Floyd – and a bit less of the flowery looseness of Principal Edwards' debut – and the new focus is a really welcome addition, as it helps the group find a new level of power in their music they might never have attained! There's still plenty of folksy instrumentation and trippy themes in the tunes – but the guitars are more electric, the studio tricks more dynamic, and the overall record is a much more pleasing bit of ear candy that stands up well to the test of time. Titles include "Freef", "Total Glycerol Esther", "Mc Alpine's Dream", and "Asmoto Running Band". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album from John Prine – his Atlantic debut, done at a time when he was emerging from the second generation of the Chicago folk scene – with a style that set the tone for countless singer/songwriters in years to come! The record has immediate appeal to ears tuned towards hip country, folk, and the more personal side of rock at the time – as Prine sings his material with a wry wit that's simultaneously heartbreaking, with support from the great Reggie Young on guitar and Bobby Emmons on organ – plus work on two tracks from scenemate and soon-to-be-star Steve Goodman on guitar. Titles include the seminal "Hello In There" – a tune that's hard to believe was written by a 24 year old – plus "Six O'Clock News", "Sam Stone", "Donald & Lydia", "Illegal Smile", "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore", and "Far From Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album from John Prine – his Atlantic debut, done at a time when he was emerging from the second generation of the Chicago folk scene – with a style that set the tone for countless singer/songwriters in years to come! The record has immediate appeal to ears tuned towards hip country, folk, and the more personal side of rock at the time – as Prine sings his material with a wry wit that's simultaneously heartbreaking, with support from the great Reggie Young on guitar and Bobby Emmons on organ – plus work on two tracks from scenemate and soon-to-be-star Steve Goodman on guitar. Titles include the seminal "Hello In There" – a tune that's hard to believe was written by a 24 year old – plus "Six O'Clock News", "Sam Stone", "Donald & Lydia", "Illegal Smile", "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore", and "Far From Me". LP, Vinyl record album

The stunning second album from Procol Harum – a record that takes everything that's wonderful about their debut, and pushes it even farther – to a very unique space that's completely the group's own! The songcraft here is magical – with great work from the team of vocalist Gary Brooker and Keith Reid – and the production continues the group's unusual blend of bluesy elements with these dramatic, ambitious arrangements – never pop orchestrations, but just these ways of putting together a tune that make familiar fuzz guitar, piano, and organ explode in really new sort of ways. The whole thing's wonderful – hardly any hits, but all wonderful songs throughout – and titles include "Quite Rightly So", "Shine On Brightly", "Skip Softly", "Magdalene", "Glimpses Of Nirvana", "Grand Finale", and "In The Autumn Of My Madness". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible debut from Public Image Limited – one of the most striking records of its generation, and a huge surprise – given that the Sex Pistols had broken up just a few months before! The record is the key transition of Johnny Rotten into John Lydon – and the whole thing is light years ahead of the Pistols in terms of boundless creativity and originality – different from Lydon's own earlier revolutionary punk act and different from pretty much everything else on the late 70s landscape – even darker than punk, if you can imagine that! The dissonant, driving post punk guitars and sneering vocals are recognizable, sure – but the dubby textures and more angular touches are so far outside the box and so hugely influential that it's hard to fathom myriad underground rock acts existing without it. Of course, part of the credit also goes to the amazing band that John Lydon assembled to put the whole thing together – a quartet that includes incredible guitar from Keith Levene, and heady bass from Jah Wobble – both key parts of the sound. Titles include "Theme", "Religion", "Religion II", "Annalisa", "Public Image", "Low Life", "Attack" and "Fodderstompf". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible debut from Public Image Limited – one of the most striking records of its generation, and a huge surprise – given that the Sex Pistols had broken up just a few months before! The record is the key transition of Johnny Rotten into John Lydon – and the whole thing is light years ahead of the Pistols in terms of boundless creativity and originality – different from Lydon's own earlier revolutionary punk act and different from pretty much everything else on the late 70s landscape – even darker than punk, if you can imagine that! The dissonant, driving post punk guitars and sneering vocals are recognizable, sure – but the dubby textures and more angular touches are so far outside the box and so hugely influential that it's hard to fathom myriad underground rock acts existing without it. Of course, part of the credit also goes to the amazing band that John Lydon assembled to put the whole thing together – a quartet that includes incredible guitar from Keith Levene, and heady bass from Jah Wobble – both key parts of the sound. Titles include "Theme", "Religion", "Religion II", "Annalisa", "Public Image", "Low Life", "Attack" and "Fodderstompf". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from Question Mark & The Mysterians – even more obscure than the first, and harder and heavier too! There's an energy and brashness here that's undeniable – like the group have really gotten their isht together – and found a way to push past the simple melodic groove of their debut! All the best elements from that set are still in place – the cool organ, Question Mark's almost-conversational vocals – and the garagey production that makes the guitars sound great. But there's also a focus that comes through strongly – like the combo were really finding the right way to interact – no doubt after a string of club performances on the strength of their singles! Titles include a long take on "Shout", plus "Do You Feel It", "Smokes", "Hangin On A String", "Got To", "I'll Be Back", and "Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

The soulful second set from Quintessence – even better than their debut, and the kind of record that's sure to take the world by storm! The Finnish combo seem to have refined their sound even more – working in a cool, laidback groove that's got lots of sweet jazzy bits in the instrumentation – but which also comes across with an unabashedly strong crossover groove! Vocalist Emma Salokoski sounds especially lovely – singing in English with a really universal appeal – hardly what you'd expect from the icy north of Finland, and much more what we'd expect to hear from the London scene. Titles include "Delirious", "You Don't Care", "Burn On With A Bitter Flame", "Speciality", "Broken", "Dig Deeper", and "Friday". CD

The classic agit-rap-rock debut of Rage Against The Machine – with the most fiery political lyricism and imagery of any massively popular record of its time – and as great of a pairing of revolutionary rap and heavy guitars as there ever was! It's hard to imagine now, but there were very few straight up rap rock bands before Rage Against The Machine. Hard rock breaks were ample, of course, but straight up rap rock bands were pretty scarce, pre-Rage. Rage Against The Machine's pop culture revolution was as massive as the social and political revolution that their songs called for! Includes "Bombtrack", "Killing In The Name", "Take The Power Back", "Settle For Nothing", "Bullet In The Head", "Know Your Enemy", "Wake Up", "Fistful Of Steel", "Township Rebellion" and "Freedom". CD

The legendary debut of this equally legendary group from Mali – a completely compelling ensemble who made music that's continuing to trans fix generations all these many years later! The album's got this very hypnotic vibe right from the start – all sorts of funky drums, guitar lines, and horns woven together in snakey styles that echo West African roots, but also showcase some of the new prosperity and independence of the 70s – really grabbing up a bold, soulful sort of energy, while still keeping things raw in both the vocals and production. Titles include "Nantan", "Moko Jolo", "Sunan", "Jurukan", "Marabayasa", "Tidiani Kone", and "Bajala Male". LP, Vinyl record album

The legendary debut of this equally legendary group from Mali – a completely compelling ensemble who made music that's continuing to trans fix generations all these many years later! The album's got this very hypnotic vibe right from the start – all sorts of funky drums, guitar lines, and horns woven together in snakey styles that echo West African roots, but also showcase some of the new prosperity and independence of the 70s – really grabbing up a bold, soulful sort of energy, while still keeping things raw in both the vocals and production. Titles include "Nantan", "Moko Jolo", "Sunan", "Jurukan", "Marabayasa", "Tidiani Kone", and "Bajala Male". LP, Vinyl record album

The Ramones really caught their classic recorded sound for the first time on Leave Home – the second of their three perfect late 70s milestones. As amazing as the debut is, its two-channel shrieking buzzsaw sound bowed nicely to the slightly more digestible, but just as cathartic roar of the follow ups. Totally essential! Titles include "California Sun", "Glad To See You Go", "Suzy Is A Headbanger", "Pinhead", "What's Your Game", "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment", and "I Remember You". LP, Vinyl record album

The Ramones really caught their classic recorded sound for the first time on Leave Home – the second of their three perfect late 70s milestones. As amazing as the debut is, its two-channel shrieking buzz saw sound bowed nicely to the slightly more digestible but just as cathartic roar of the follow ups. Titles include "California Sun", "Glad To See You Go", "Suzy Is A Headbanger", "Pinhead", "What's Your Game", "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment", and "I Remember You". Also included on the CD are "Babysitter" and the great "Carbona Not Glue" – previously left off all but the first vinyl pressing to accommodate the minor hit they had in "Rock 'N' Roll High School". The bonus material on this Rhino edition consists of a 16 track, 1976 live recording from the Hollywood Roxy – not bad for a record that only had 15 tracks to begin with! The live set is heavy on tracks from the debut, and includes "Loudmouth", "Beat On The Brat", "Chain Saw", "53rd & 3rd", "Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World", "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue", and "Havana Affair". CD

The third Ramones album, one that a sizeable chuck of the most zealous fans believes to be their very best – and they might be right! As rightfully heralded as the self-titled debut is for being the trailblazing blast and unimpeachable punk rock epiphany that it is, The Ramones really their found and perfected their signature studio sound on the follow up Leave Home and perhaps perfect it here Rocket To Russia. Song by song, they somehow concentrate 30 years of the best, rawest, most exciting rock & roll of their forbears into two and a half minutes of beautiful primal energy that still manages to qualify as ear candy. As amazing as ever! Tracks include "Rockaway Beach", "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker", "Why Is It Always This Way", "Surfin Bird", "Do You Wanna Dance", and "Cretin Hop". LP, Vinyl record album

A contemporary record, but one that hearkens back to the glory days of the Latin diva albums of the 50s and 60s – wonderfully expressive vocals from Maria Raquel, a singer who makes her debut here, yet somehow feels as if she's been making music for many many years! The arrangements are a nicely updated version of past modes – percussion, strings, and reeds mixed with these beautifully dark-turning strings – arranged by Michael Eckroth of Orquesta Akokan, and with a modern depth that's really wonderful, and not just some sort of retro-styled approach. There's a subtle brilliance going on here that really holds us rapt – as Maria mixes boleros and cumbia numbers, on titles that include "Celos", "Juego De Dolor", "Mirame", "La Reina Del Baile", "Cumbia De La Gaita", "Ya No", "Convesion", and "Cumbia Del Presente". LP, Vinyl record album