A really fantastic career-spanning collection of work from Aretha Franklin – the first we've ever seen to start with her earliest years, then follow the greatness of her voice and spirit as it blossomed strongly over the decades! Sure, most folks know Franklin's classic work on Atlantic – but this package features earlier sides for Chess and Columbia, later work from Arista – and a whole host of rare and unreleased material – plus special tracks from side projects that worked together to form a crucial part of Aretha's legacy over the years! In addition to the rare tracks, there's some other great surprises here – and titles include "Until You Come Back To Me (work tape)", "Chain Of Fools (alt version)", "Rock Steady (alternate mix)", "Call Me (alt version)", "How I Got Over (live single edit)", "Someday We'll All Be Free", "A Rose Is Still A Rose", "Master Of Eyes", "A Change Is Gonna Come (mono)", "One Step Ahead", "Never Grow Old", "Today I Sing The Blues", "You Light Up My Life (unissued)", "Think", "I Knew You Were Waiting (with George Michael)", "Respect", and her version of "Natural Woman" from the 2015 Kennedy Honors ceremony. CD

Brilliant soul from the Columbia Records years of Aretha Franklin – exactly the kind of collection you need to hear if you only think she sounded great on Atlantic! The styles here are somewhat more varied than in the late 60s, but that's only proof that Aretha could handle just about anything that came her way – and with a hell of a lot more soul than just about any of her contemporaries! The package does a wonderful job of sorting through the Columbia sides to come up with key singles, album tracks, and even two previously unissued titles – all well-chosen by Franklin friend and fan David Nathan, who also co-wrote the notes. The booklet's got lots of history from these overlooked years, plus cover images and label scans too – and titles include "Hands Off", "One Step Ahead", "When They Ask About You", "One Room Paradise", "It's So Heartbreakin", "Rough Lover", "Here's Where I Came In", "Tighten Up Your Tie Button Up Your Jacket", "Remember Me","Deeper", "I Told You So", "When They Ask About You", "The Shoop Shoop Song", "Follow Your Heart", and "I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face". CD

If you don't think Hal Galper's a hell of a pianist, this may be the record to change your mind – as Hal's in top form throughout – really focused and full of power in his approach to the piano, but never in a way that's flashy or overdone! Instead, there's this organic sensibility to the record that makes everything feel just right – very personal, and with very fresh arrangements on familiar tunes – but in a way that makes us feel like we can follow Galper every step of the way, and smile with warm approval at each new twist and turn. There's few pianists that can make us say "oh yeah" with that kind of regularity – and titles include "Dreamsville", "Don't Blame Me", "High Fly", "Lament", and "Sweet Pumpkin" – played with a trio that includes Steve Gilmore on bass and Bill Goodwin on drums. CD

Maybe the most haunting project to date from Ruth Goller – an important collaborator on the contemporary London scene, but one who's got a style that's much more than jazz – one that's definitely pushed to the limits here! The set features Goller on electric and acoustic bass, with overdubbed vocals that are often layered in very cool ways – and augmented track to track by guest work on drums, electronics, vibes, and sanza – instruments that are often used in ways that bring a slight touch of organic acoustic energy to the more layered proceedings. The textures of the vocals are very evocative – almost a blend of an older 4AD aesthetic with improvised music – and titles include "Next Time I Keep My Hands Down", "Below My Skin", "How To Be Free From It", "Don't Follow Me", "She Was My Own She Was Myself", and "All The Light I Have I Hand To You". CD

A classic James Brown sample starts the groove on this early 90s set – and really stakes the pace for the rest of the funky soul to follow! The Good Girls do a great job of moving between new jack rhythms and some even more expansive modes on the set – including some of those great warmer styles that were coming into mainstream R&B as the 90s moved on – not retro at all, but a new embrace of some of the fuller, richer modes of the 70s – really balanced out here in a great way with the more contemporary elements. Vocals are especially nice on those tracks – and titles include "Just Call Me", "Can You Keep Him", "Let Me Love You", "Love In Love's Hands", "Future", "I'm Coming Back", "Runnin From Love", "Since I Fell For You", and "Nothing" – plus "Just Call Me (John's backdoor boogie remix edit)". CD

Perhaps Donny Hathaway's greatest album from the 70s, and certainly the one with the most amazing arrangements! The record was Donny's last studio session, and it's got him working at a level that's far advanced from even his groundbreaking earlier work – using complicated rhythms and sophisticated string passages – but also throwing in some killer jazzy bits that make for some of his funkiest work ever! The liner notes have Donny showing off his musical training in evaluations of the song structures, but the music alone should be enough to convince you this one is great! Includes "The Slums", a funky rollicking tune that is sort of a follow-up to "The Ghetto"; "Valdez In The Country", a totally catchy instrumental with loads of electric piano, and a very Bob James-esque sound; the jaunty "Flying Easy"; and the spiritual soul cuts "Someday We'll All be Free" and "I Love The Lord, He Heard My Cry (parts 1 & 2)". CD includes the bonus track "Lord Help Me". CD

Really mindblowing music from Lonnie Holley – not the first album from this important visual artist, but maybe the one where he'll be firmly established as an equally important recording force too! There's a genre-less quality going on here – as Holley provides this mystic blend of roots from jazz, gospel, blues, and even serious compositional music – yet refined into a sense that's all his own, with that deeply personal force that we love in his paintings. At times, there's almost a dreamlike quality to the way the elements progress – such that even the presence of contributors like Moor Mother or Michael Stipe seem to float into the mix of the music presented by Lonnie – woven into this complex tapestry that seems to join past and present with a view towards a more promising future. Titles include "Kindness Will Follow Your Tears", "Earth Will Be There", "I Am Part Of The Wonder", "Future Children", "None Of Us Have But A Little While", "If We Get Lost They Will Find Us", and "Better Get The Crop In Soon". CD

Jefferson Airplane's weirder follow-up to Surrealistic Pillow – and a pretty incredible record – concentrating their sprawling psychedelic impulses into fairly succinct 3 to 4 minute songs, for the most part! It's a creative approach,and it's a brave record. If Surrealistic Pillow lured the mainstream into the rabbit hole, this one is the tripped out tea party inside! Only a couple of tunes roll past the 5 minute mark, so it never gets too far out, and it's got plenty of chugging, bluesy rock to keep it neat. Includes "The Ballad Of You & Me & Pooneil", "Young Girl Sunday Blues", "Martha", "Wild Tyme", "Two Heads", "Watch Her Ride", "Won't You Try/Sunday Afternoon"and more. CD

Jefferson Airplane's weirder follow-up to Surrealistic Pillow – and a pretty incredible record – concentrating their sprawling psychedelic impulses into fairly succinct 3 to 4 minute songs, for the most part! It's a creative approach,and it's a brave record. If Surrealistic Pillow lured the mainstream into the rabbit hole, this one is the tripped out tea party inside! Only a couple of tunes roll past the 5 minute mark, so it never gets too far out, and it's got plenty of chugging, bluesy rock to keep it neat. Includes "The Ballad Of You & Me & Pooneil", "Young Girl Sunday Blues", "Martha", "Wild Tyme", "Two Heads", "Watch Her Ride", "Won't You Try/Sunday Afternoon"and more. CD

A huge record in its day and it hasn't aged a minute since! On Psychocandy the Reid brothers took all the underground Brit indie psych revival modes and filtered them through the Velvet Underground at their noisiest, then paired melodies learned from sources as sweet as 60s Wall Of Sound pop and the Beach Boys to ferociously fuzzy guitars – and stunning found a way to spring this onto to fringes of the mainstream on both sides of the Atlantic! Hugely influential – a record that points the way towards sounds so many would soon follow. Titles include "In A Hole", "The Hardest Walk", "Taste The Floor", "Just Like Honey", "Never Understand", and "You Trip Me Up". DualDisc audio is advanced resolution 96khz/24 bit stereo sound and Dolby stereo sound. CD

An excellent Jon Lucien compilation that's way way better than the one that came out on Razor & Tie! This one features only work from Jon's RCA years – which were easily his best-ever. Plus, it's also got 4 previously unissued tracks that were recorded during the early 70s – but never issued until now. These are titled "Time For Me To Fly", "Child Of Love", "Black Flower", and "Follow Your Heart" – and they're all great! Of course, the other stuff's fantastic, too – and is some of the most godlike jazzy soul ever recorded on this planet. Titles include "Lady Love", "Who Will Buy?", "Adoration", "So Little Time", "Listen Love", "The Pleasure Of Your Garden", and the wonderful groover "Would You Believe In Me". 20 cuts in all! CD

Excellent harmony soul – and a nicely priced reissue of some of The Manhattans' early work for the Carnival label! This is about as good as it gets for 60s harmony soul – as the group manages to blend rough vocals into an airtight harmony sound that's impeccable on just about every cut. Includes the group's sublime "Follow Your Heart", plus "Baby I Need You", "That New Girl", "Can I", "Manhattan Stomp", "I'm The One That Love Forget", "Searchin For My Baby", and "Teach Me The Philly Dog". CD

A pair of overlooked female soul gems – back to back on a single CD! The first album is It Must Be Love – sweet late 70s modern soul from Alton McClain & Destiny – a great little female vocal trio with a sound that ranges from lightly funky with jazzy flourishes, to soaringly soulful! The group kind of follow in a tradition started by Honeycone and First Choice, and improved upon by The Emotions – and like that latter group, the girls move from the easier disco tracks that you'd normally expect, into a range of soulful styles that all come off equally well with their vocal technique. Webster Lewis handled some of the nice string arrangements – and players include Wah Wah Watson on guitar and Lee Ritenour on keys. titles include "Crazy Love", "Sweet Temptation", "Taking My Love For Granted", "My Empty Room", "Push & Pull", and "The Power Of Love". More Of You is one of the best records by this great little modern soul trio who should have gone onto bigger and better things. The session's got a strong mellow groove, typical of some of the non-hit soul coming out of labels like Polydor and Capitol at the end of the 70s – and tracks include "Stares & Whispers", "Love Waves", "More Of You", "99 1/2", "You Bring Me To My Morning Light", and "Thank Heaven For You". CD

Beautiful female soul from The Minits – a three piece group that recorded just a few singles for the the Sounds Of Memphis label – with a dozen great songs pulled together for this excellent compilation from Kent UK, many of which were never issued before now! Ultimately, there were far too few female soul stars coming out of Memphis with popularity anywhere near the levels of the male stars, and fewer still on labels other than Stax or Hi – and the dozen tracks here make a very strong case for The Minits, who should have busted out hugely. The set is light on ballads and skews towards dancefloor ready rhythms and pop soul of the best kind, with genuine soul! It includes their great Sounds Of Memphis singles and several tracks that were left in the vaults and only recently discovered. Titles include "Lover Boy", "Still A Part Of Me", "Last Mile Of The Way", "Pullin'", "Natural Reaction", "If You Don't Like My Apples (Don't Shake The Tree)", "Follow Your Heart" and more. CD

4 full length sets of mid 80s Sugar Minott dancehall – Buy Off The Bar, Rydim, Time Longer Than Rope and the joint Sugar Minott & Leroy Smart effort Rockers Award Winners – all from '84 and '85 and together in a single box set! A wealth of mid 80s dancehall from a pivotal source! First up is Buy Off The Bar, featuring main tracks and dubs including "Buy Off The Bar", "Can't Cross The Border", "Frontline". "Two Timer", "Strictly Sensei" and more. Rydim includes "Feel The Rydim", "Mass Ni Mass", "Old King Cole", "Nah Go To South Africa" and more. "Time Longer Than Rope" includes "Can't Get MeOut", "Jah You Make Me Sing", "Rockers Master" and more. Rockers Award Winners includes "Nah Follow No Fashion",, "A True", "Cell Block One" and more by Minott, plus the Smart rockers "Girls Are Skanking", "Give Love A Try", "Reggae Music" and more. CD

A wonderful album of southern soul – and the only full-length LP cut by Bobby Moore and his long-lived Rhythm Aces combo! The group's the sort that slaved away endlessly in live shows all over the south – playing on their own, or providing extra backup for countless big stars touring through the area. Bobby's on tenor, and the group has some incredibly rich vocal talents – unnamed, but with a group harmony style that's equally at home with sweet ballads or hard stompin party numbers. The latter style is the band's strongest suit, though – with an approach that's somewhere between the hard soul of Sam & Dave and the party grooves of Doug Clark & The Hot Nuts – and like that group, Moore's style was probably forged out of years of playing at beach dances, frat parties, and bar gigs, the real proving ground for a tight combo like this! A great little LP, with a fresh sound throughout – and tracks include "The Hamburger Song", "Follow Me", "Hey, Mr. DJ", "Searching For My Love", "Jenny, Jenny", "Come Back Baby", and "We've Got That". Recorded at Fame in 1966 with Rick Hall, too! CD

Joanna Newsom as richly lyrical, lushly arranged and weirdly beautiful as ever! Divers is the 5 years in the making follow up to her triple album Have One On Me, and if you found that one too thick a forest to take root in, this one's much easier to dive into – with 11 songs in 51 minutes – but it might be even greater in lyrical scope! As always, her distinctive voice is a very compelling instrument, and no other could convey the wordy brilliance of her songs. Recorded by Steve Albini and Noah Georgeson with clarity and immediacy, all the better for the diverse arrangements that range from light orchestal, to wispy folk, to anthemic, if largely acoustic art pop. At this point, if you've heard Joanna Newsom, you either "get it" or not. Our admiration grows with each effort, and we're pretty excited that an artist with a sound this far out of the ordinary can be as popular as she is. Includes "Anecdotes", "Sapokanikan", "Leaving The City", "Goose Eggs", "Waltz of The 101st Lightborne", "The Things I Say", "Divers", "Same Old Man", "You Will Not Take Heart Alive", "A Pin-Light Bent" and "Time, As A Symptom". CD

One of the best recordings we've heard in years from saxophonist Plunky Branch – and one of the few to really capture the glory of his 70s classics with Oneness Of Juju! Given the billing of this set, it's clear that the older soul jazz spirit of Oneness is very strong in the conception of the set – and the live performance features many classics from the group's 70s albums on Black Fire, played here with a good live energy and a strong sense of soul that's way way better than the smoother jazz Plunky has been putting down in recent studio sets. The lineup here is a small combo one – with Tanya Lazenby-Jackson on keyboards and vocals – working alongside Plunky's saxes, plus additional keyboards, bass, and lots of percussion. We'd even go so far as to say that the material here easily stands with the classic and all-too-small Oneness Of Juju catalog from the 70s – and the double-length 2CD set features 22 tracks that include "Up & Down", "Be About The Future", "Follow Me", "River Luvrite", "Space Jungle Luv", "Nia", "Sex Machine", "Kool/One World Music", "World Wide Party", and "Plastic (Is Easy To See Through)". CD

Never-heard early sounds from the young Lou Reed – early recordings of material that helped cement his fame in the Velvet Underground – uncovered after being lost for almost 50 years! The tracks here are early demos of both songs that the Velvets would famously soon record, and other material that they didn't – done by Lou with help from John Cale on a number of the tracks, and already in a surprisingly dark sort of style – despite the fact that the instrumentation is mostly just a single guitar alongside the vocals! With that approach, there's maybe a slight nod to the Greenwich Village scene in terms of the presentation – and served up that way, you can hear just how strongly the young Reed is already shaking up the scene in New York – almost as if he's using the modes of the folkies as ammunition to mow them all down. The package features never-heard takes of "Heroin", "I'm Waiting For The Man", and "Pale Blue Eyes" – plus "Too Late", "Buttercup Song", "Buzz Buzz Buzz", "Stockpile", "Men Of Good Fortune", and even "Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams". CD features bonus tracks – an alternate of "I'm Waiting For The Man", and versions of "Don't Think Twice It's All Right", "Gee Whiz", "Baby Let Me Follow You Down", "W&XYZ Blues", "Lou's 12 Bar Instrumental", and the creepiest version of "Michael Row The Boat Ashore" you'll ever hear! CD

The incredible debut of the mighty Jill Scott – a record that asks and answers a question with the title – then goes on to not only establish Jill as one of the freshest soul music talents of her generation, but also an artist who set the tone for so many others to follow! The record explodes out of the Philly scene with a mixture of underground soul and hip hop production elements – echoing classic modes, yet instantly present too – in a way that still sounds fresher than most of the copycat records that came in its wake – and a good deal of records that preceded it too. Jill scores big with a totally seductive blend of warm instrumentation, subdued funky beats, and immensely captivating soul vocals – and the whole record is awash in Fender Rhodes, giving it a spacey soul sound that will make the record a classic for years to come! Titles include "The Way", "Do You Remember", "Long Rain", "Love Rain", "Honey Molasses", "Slowly Surely", "Watching Me", "One Is The Magic #", and "He Loves Me" – but it's allllll good! The LP includes a remix of "Love Rain" featuring Mos Def! CD

Groovy 60s pop from the sunny brother & sister duo of Nino Tempo & April Stevens – wonderful stuff that's crafted as sweetly as can be, encapsulating influences from a wide range of pop styles of the time – and it still sounds great! This anthology features a bunch of the their best duo numbers, as well as some earlier and later separate projects we'd never heard before. 24 tracks in all: "Deep Purple", "All Strung Out", "Sweet And Lovely", "Follow Me", "Hey Baby", "Out Of Nowhere", "Wings Of Love", "Lovin' Valentine" (April Stevens), "Sister James" (Nino Tempo & 5th Ave Sax), "Hey Baby", "Honeysuckle Rose", "Whispering", "Amazon River" and many more. CD

An album that's gone on to be the stuff of legend over the years – even though the original pressing of the record likely never made it out of the factory! Tinkerbell's Fairydust have this great way of blending harmony pop of the mid 60s with some of the trippier touches of the end of the decade – maybe not as weird and wild as the image on the cover might make you expect, but with a special sort of charm that's definitely all the group's own! There's a few familiar tracks on the record from the Cali scene of the late 60s – but the presentation here is very different, and makes the whole thing sound a lot more like some of the lost Decca UK gems of the time than any records that American labels were issuing. Titles include "Twenty Ten", "Marjorine", "The Worst That Could Happen", "In My Magic Garden", "Never My Love", "Lazy Day", "Every Minute Every Day", "Whole World", and "Happy". CD features 9 more bonus tracks, most of which are a nice prequel to the record – as they were recorded by earlier groups The Rush and Tommy Bishop's Ricochets – tracks that include "I Should Have Known", "Walking My Baby", "Follow Me Follow", "Enjoy It", "Make Mine Music", and "On The Other Hand". CD

The stunning second album from We All Together – a relatively obscure group from Peru, but one with a brilliance that matches our favorite UK and California pop of the late 60s! These guys clearly love the Beatles, but also have open ears for some of the hipper strands that were floating out of the A&M Studios at the end of the 60s – and singing in English throughout, they've got an amazing way with an original tune, and mix acoustic piano and light guitar with completely transcendent production – simple, but marvelously effective in the way it lifts the whole proceedings into the heavens! Titles include "Ozzy", "Cloudy Night", "Silly Roadman", "Who Knows", "Little Boy", "Persons & Faces", "Follow Me If You Can", and "Beautiful People". CD

A pair of incredible early Motown albums from Mary Wells – one of the label's first truly great singers – in a great single set from Kent UK! Mary Wells never sounded better than in her Motown years – and 1962's The One Who Really Loves You is key proof of her talents, as it's overflowing with laidback and mellow soul tunes – done in Mary's great blend of bluesy and classy styles! Titles include classics like "Drifting Love", "Strange Love", "The Day Will Come", "I've Got A Notion", "The One Who Really Loves You", "You Beat Me To The Punch", "Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right", "I'll Still Be Around" and more. The follow-up Two Lovers features the subtitle And Other Greatest Hits, but it's actually a great batch of songs that were most newly-recorded by Mary at the time – and not at all a simple round-up of singles! The approach here has just a little more rawness than some of the girl groups Berry Gordy was scoring hits with at the time, but also a sense of urban classiness. As is their wonderful way, Kent goes above and beyond here – with a great booklet of notes and photos – which shines a light on the making of these great records. Wonderful stuff! Titles include "Two Lovers", "Guess Who", "My 2 Arms - You = Tears", "Goody, Goody", "Stop Right Here", "Laughing Boy", "Looking Back", "(I Guess There's) No Love", "Was It Worth It" and "Operator". CD

A sweet neo soul set from Brazil – one that uses the raspy qualities of the vocals in ways that make the whole record completely sublime! Even if you can't understand the lyrics, you'll be captivated immediately – as the record has this warm swirl of keyboards that's fantastic – wrapped up warmly in this magical musical swirl, and set off by the way the vocals crackle crisply alongside – all in a mode that echoes plenty of underground American soul modes, but with a vibe that's really fresh! Titles include "Jazz", "Follow Me", "Meu Grande Amor", "Inebrio", "Nova York", "Cores E Peles", "Welcome", and "Se Foi". CD

A hell of a singer, working here with some wonderful grooves from Timo Lassy – an artist we've really loved for his own jazzy projects in the past! Joyce Elaine Yuille has this style that's very classic, and very groovy – jazz-based, with a nice rasp in her voice that really brings out some of the more soulful qualities in the music – and able to write her own lyrics, too – which makes for a wonderful record that's full of fresh sounds at every turn! Lassy's music is wonderful too – tightly snapping on the rhythms, but never forced – and with a jazz current that's a nice change from other contemporary soul production, which might have been added to the record with a bigger label. But clearly, the real star of the show is Joyce – a talent that will definitely be huge in years to come – a rock-solid singer and songwriter who may well turn out to be the female equivalent of Gregory Porter. Titles include "Come With Me", "Tryin Times", "Chaos", "It's Madness", "Make Right", "Welcome To My World", "Follow The Sun", and "Late I Rise". CD

A fantastic follow-up to the legendary Home Schooled collection from Numero Group – and, like that one, a set that focuses on the surprisingly great genre of kid soul that flourished in the 70s – in the wake of bigger groups like the Jackson Five, Sylvers, and 5 Stairsteps! These groups are all from similar territory – mostly comprised of younger members, but who work with an undeniably great sound overall – grooves as sharp as most of their adult counterparts in the indie soul field – and maybe a lot more energy and enthusiasm in their music – which makes for tracks that are wonderfully upbeat, positive, and overflowing with goodness! Most of the work here is from the early 70s – and, as always with Numero, the set is presented in a very thoughtful manner – with some great notes and wonderful sound quality overall. There's a few of our favorite Chicago groups on here, mixed with loads of other artists we've never heard before – and titles include "Runnin Wild" by Scott Three, "You Got Me Believing" by Leonard Kaigler, "Guessing Games" by Jimi Hill, "I Want A Little Girl" by The Bennetts, "Everywhere You Go" by The Next Movement, "Because I Love You" by Brighter Side Of Darkness, "It's Time For Love" by Soul Emotions & Co, "The Other Guy" by Mighty Mustangs, "Love Got A Piece Of Your Mind" by Five Ounces Of Soul, "Funky Breakdown" by Little Man & The Inquires, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" by The Brothers Rap, "I'm Free No Dope For Me" by The Dynamics, and "Girl Why Do You Want To Take My Heart" by Magical Connection. CD

A whole host of rare cuts from the original Kent Records label in LA – the 60s follow-up to the famous Crown/Modern/RPM imprint of the postwar years – a set of labels that gave the world plenty of amazing R&B tracks in the 50s! Here, Kent is going more for a 60s groove overall, but with qualities that still echo the nice edge of their older material – all in a package that pays tribute to a famous collection of Kent songs done by Ace Records forty years before – the start of a long love affair that's had Ace issuing plenty of tracks that never saw the light of day back in the 50s and 60s! That's definitely the case here – as rare cuts stand next to others making their vinyl debut – and NOTE that this CD version features a different track list than the vinyl – only 3 of the 24 tracks within are included on the LP version. Titles include "You'd Be Good For Me" by Jeanette Jones, "Gonna Put It On Your Mind" by Arthur Adams, "Jealous Woman" by T Bone Walker, "You Changed Me" by Teddy Reynolds, "Wanting You" by Jimmy Bee, "Satisfied Feeling" by Mary Love, "Tramp" by Foxfire with Johnny Adams, "Freedom & Justice" by The Pace Setters, "Remove My Doubts" by Stacy Johnson, "Here Comes the Judge" by Larry & Tommy, "Push Me" by Lowell Fulson, "On My Way Back Home" by Flash Terry, "No More Tears" by The Sweethearts, "Help Me" by Beatrice Lee, and "Mr Bad Luck" by King Solomon. CD

Fantastic sounds from 1967 – a year in which mainstream music saw plenty of heady changes – as you might guess from the title! The set's a wonderful follow-up to the 1966 set by Jon Savage – and like that one, it features a superb selection of tracks from this important year – served up in all the different strands and styles that were popping into place – soul, early funk, psych, hard rock, and lots more – in a blistering array of songs that steps beautifully between well-known classics and underground gems! The feel of the set is way different than the usual oldies package with a date on the front – as Jon Savage dedicated the whole thing to the groundbreaking mix of music he enjoyed from pirate radio at the time – and included his own fantastic writing in the notes to help explain what makes the music so great. Titles include "You Keep Running Away" by The Four Tops, "Lazy Life" by William E, "At The Third Stroke" by The Picadilly Line, "Try It" by The Attack, "I'm A Man" by Spencer Davis Group, "Western Union" by The Searchers, "So You Say You Lost Your Baby" by Gene Clark, "Feelin Reelin Squeelin" by Soft Machine, "So Sharp" by Dyke & The Blazers, "Mr Soul" by Buffalo Springfield, "Vacuum Cleaner" by Tintern Abbey, "Garden Of My Mind" by The Mickey Finn, "Love Power" by The Sandpebbles, "Look At Me I'm You" by The Blossom Toes, and "Psyche Rock" by Les Yper Sound. 48 tracks in all! CD

A long-awaited follow-up to one of our favorite compilations of King Records soul music – a set that does a perfect job of showing the label's strong roots in R&B, and it's important force in 60s soul! The package offers up tracks with a really great sound – definitely the grittier edge than you'd expect from the R&B in the title, yet lots of "new breed" styles as well – a more mature, more soul-based approach to the grooves that offers up a great way to harness the raw energy at the core! The set's filled with rare gems from old King, Federal, and DeLuxe label singles – including some overlooked work by bigger name singers – and titles include "Two Hearts" by The King Pins, "I'm Tore Down" by Freddie King, "Send Me A Picture Baby" by Mel Williams, "Love Man" by Hal Hardy, "Geneva" by Eugene Church, "Wild Child" by Donnie Elbert, "Your Letter" by Willie Wright & His Sparklers, "Say Hey Pretty Baby" by Lula Reed, "Let Me Walk With You" by Eddie Kirk, "Stop Talking To Your Child" by James Duncan, "It Hurts Inside" by The 5 Royales, "Let's Have A Good Time" by The Hi Tones, and "When You Move You Lose" by Lee Shot Williams. CD

Rare gospel gems that go way past the usual – tracks recorded for the small JCR label in Memphis during the 70s, but done with a stripped-down vibe that's much more like postwar gospel overall! Most of the acts here are pretty darn obscure – groups that were inspired by the spirit and burning with a message – driven to take their amazing vocal skills to the JCR/D-Vine studios, where they got a chance to immortalize their music on wax – even if bigger national sales didn't necessarily follow! The rootsiness of this music is wonderful – usually just vocals, a lead and harmony associations, backed by an instrument or two – but also handled with much more modern soul-based phrasing than work of this sort might have had a few decades before. As with the first volume, the quality level is amazing – the kind of killer gems that make digging for more obscure gospel music so rewarding – served up in a set list of 17 tracks that include "Man On The Moon" by The Breckenridge Singers, "I Thank You Lord" by The Stars Of Faith, "Be So Glad" by The Chosen Wonders, "Until My Days Are Done" by The Masonic Travelers, "Leaning On The Lord" by The Canton Spirituals, "Save Me Jesus" by The Sons Of Harmony, "Stand By Me" by The Dixie Wonders, "Little Wooden Church" by The Silver Trumpets, and "Never Grow Old" by The Bible Tones. CD

A time-spanning compilation that mixes old and new disco tunes alike! The set begins with the more cosmic sound of 70s club – longer tracks with a strong keyboard groove and really expanded rhythms – and it links those cuts up with more modern ones that still hold onto the soul of the classics, while also stretching forth towards newer sounds. All this makes for a really great set – a timeless blend of tunes that really fit well together, presented in unmixed format for a super-long package of tracks! Titles include "Over & Over" by Sylvester, "Everybody Get Dancin" by The Bombers, "Reckless Girl" by The Beginerz, "Bad Habit (demo)" by ATFC presents Onephatdeeva, "I Feel Love (1977 original)" by Donna Summer, "Do What You Wanna Do" by T Connection, "I Will Follow You (full intention club)" by Una Mas, "There But For The Grace Of God Go I" by Machine, "Keep On Jumpin" by Musique, "You Can't Hide From Your Bud" by DJ Sneak, "Music Makes Me Happy (ATFC vocal)" by Tomy or Zox, "Dangerous Vibes (Spen & Kamizra deepah dub)" by Ferry Ultra with Roy Ayers, "Let's Get Horny" by Hi Voltage, "Too Much Love (Axwell voc)" by Michelle Wilson, and "Love Is Freedom" by Joey Negro vs Secret Sounds. 26 tracks in all. CD

Strange twist for this series (which has been mostly lounge and funk), but a great batch of danceable uptempo fusion tracks and lost disco cuts from the euro club heyday of the 70s. Tracks include "Ma Mo Ah" by Tony Valor, "Follow Me" by Black Devil, "Dance Freak" by Chain Reaction, "Get On Up" by Roundtree, "Do Me" by Mona Rae, and "Ease Your Mind" by Touchdown. Nudie cover, sexy groove, and a nice 11 track comp of lost clubby grooves. Also with the great groover "Dance Dance Dance" by Marta Acuna! CD

A great follow-up to the first set in this series – a dozen classic dancefloor tunes, running the gamut from funky fusion to jazzy soul to 80s groove! The vibe here is definitely somewhere in the Larry Mizell/Capitol Rare mode – with a real focus on the kind of smooth groovers that really helped set the pace as the disco era drew to a close. Titles include "Always There" by Ronnie Laws, "Dominoes" by Donald Byrd, "Promise Me" by Dayton, "Music Is My Sanctuary" by Gary Bartz, "Parisienne Girl" by Incognito, "Mr Magician" by Mystic Merlin, "Groove On" by Willie Beaver Hale, "Do Me Baby" by Mel'isa Morgan, "Doin Alright" by O'Bryan, "Too Many Games" by Maze, and "Prance On" by Eddie Henderson. CD

Music as lively and colorful as the image on the cover – upbeat work from the second half of the 80s scene in South Africa – music that has a very positive vibe overall, and a sound that's perfect for the mix of keyboards and beats used in the rhythms! The styles here are those which were borrowed – or plundered – by artists in the mainstream up north – but these are the tracks that really made the SA scene back in the day, and have a wonderful blend of synth, basslines, and vocals that often trade back and forth nicely – warming up the music a lot more than you'd expect! Titles include "Crocodile's Rock" by Black Moses, "I Was Born In Africa" by Richie S, "Blackout" by Tools & Figs, "Dayshift" by Dieketseng, "Ximamane" by Joy White, "Chomesa" by Chicco, "Nwananga Washanesera" by Joe Masunga, "Pusa Twala" by Sky Jinx, "Khombora Mina" by Paul Ndlovu, "Johnny Boy" by The Angels, "Don't Follow Me" by Mafika, and "Special Angel" by Babsy Mlangeni. CD

A 10th Anniversary performance by the Chicago Tentet – a wonderful group that's become the fruitful union of saxophonist Peter Brotzmann with a younger generation of players who were working heavily on the Chicago scene at the time! Back when the group first started, it was something of an experiment – but over the following decade, the ensemble won great attention for their playing, and for good reason too – considering the solo contributions of players like Ken Vandermark and Mats Gustafsson on reeds, Joe McPhee on trumpet and tenor, Johannes Bauer on trombone, Kent Kessler on bass, and Paal Nilssen Love on drums – all working under the visionary leadership of Peter Brotzmann! The tracks are all somewhat long and open-ended – almost more spacious than on other Chicago Tentet records, with a freely improvised feel. Titles include "Ten By Ten", "Little By Little", and "Step By Step". CD

A fantastic testament to the genius of the transatlantic meeting that is the Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet – a group that manages to bridge the sometimes-unwieldy modes of the improvising orchestra, and the energy of a smaller free jazz combo! All the players seem tied together perfectly – both at an emotional level, and a musical one – so that the combination of energy is way more than the sum of its mighty parts – a real accomplishment, given that the "parts" include Ken Vandermark, Peter Brotzmann, Marts Gustafsson, and Mars Williams on reeds – plus Joe McPhee on trumpet, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello, Kent Kessler on bass, and both Michael Zerang and Hamid Drake on drums. The set begins with a searing 37 minute piece dedicated to Robert Rauschenberg – Vandermark's "All Things Being Equal", which almost has a Mingus-like combination of structure and solo. "Images" follows, and is a more freewheeling piece – but completely wonderful too! CD

A great follow up to the legendary Study In Brown album – featuring work recorded by Clifford Brown in the 50s, but not issued until nearly 30 years later, in this Japanese-collected batch of rare material! As with the original album, the core group on the record features Clifford Brown on trumpet, Max Roach on drums, Richie Powell on piano, and George Morrow on bass – plus Harold Land on most of the tenor tracks, replaced by Sonny Rollins on a few more – showing a shift that would occur in the group shortly after Brown's death. The focus is a bit more strongly on Clifford Brown's trumpet work than some of the other Brown/Roach albums – but is still a great group effort overall – and tracks are shortish and very tight, with titles that include "The Blues Walk", "Jordu", "Mildama", "Land's End", and "Junior's Arrival". CD

One of James Brown's earliest full albums for King Records – and a set that kicks off with his monstrous reworkin of the tune "Think" – originally recorded by the Five Royales, but recast here by James as the blueprint for all the funky goodness in years to come! That track really sets the scene for the record – and James follows up with some other harder, sharp-edged tunes – offset by a few more deep-burning mellower soul tracks. Other titles include "You've Got The Power", "If You Want Me", "So Long", "Baby, You're Right", "I'll Go Crazy", "Good Good Lovin", and "I Know It's True". Reissued with the great original cover, too! CD

Two classic early albums from San Francisco pianist Dave Brubeck! Jazz at Oberlin was famously recorded at the mid-Ohio college and haven of bohemiana, and a growing hotbed of jazz activity centered around students in the college's conservatory of music at the time of the recording! Dave and crew made the trip at the request of the kids – breaking from their mostly San Francisco-based recording career to cut what would end up becoming a very successful album in Dave's catalog, and begin a whole "at" or "goes to" series in his career – followed up at many other locations. The group's the early quartet with Paul Desmond on alto, Ron Crotty on bass, and Lloyd Davis on drums – and tunes include long and jamming versions of "The Way You Look Tonight", "How High The Moon", and "Stardust". College Of The Pacific is another great live set from the Dave Brubeck Quartet – already humming along nicely with some great alto sax from Paul Desmond! The group's in fine form here – a bit more relaxed and open than on their Columbia recordings – with plenty of creative piano lines from Dave, showing just a slight dose of modernism, and lots more of that cool, icy alto sax work that made Desmond a standout right from the start. Rhythm is by Ron Crotty on bass and Joe Dodge on drums – and titles include "Laura", "Lullaby In Rhythm", "For All We Know", "All The Things You Are", and "I'll Never Smile Again". CD

Some of Dave Brubeck's best-remembered work – packaged here together in a cool box set of LP-styled sleeves! The set begins with the seminal Time Out album – a huge hit for Brubeck, and his first to experiment with moving around in different time changes – an approach that's followed strongly on the other four albums – Countdown Time In Outer Space, Time Further Out, Time Changes, and Time In – all packaged wonderfully together in a set that might well be called the "time box"! The odd signatures make for plenty of creative rhythms – including some sweet modal moments – and the set also features loads of sublime alto sax work from Paul Desmond too. 48 tracks in all – including some bonus tracks! CD

A record that's way more than just "again" – that is, a recap of the first Buffalo Springfield classic – as the set not only has the group really exploding forward, but also the individual members taking these strong steps on their own that really point towards their big legacies to follow! Neil Young grabs us with darkness on the first tune, Richie Furay warms us with some country strains on the next, and Stephen Stills moves into a space that's very much his own on the next – yet throughout it all, the record has this sense of unity that really holds up over the years – giving us depth that makes the whole thing an amazing listen time and time again. There's some key help along the way – a bit of piano from Don Randi, electric piano from Jack Nitzsche, and even some recording help from Jim Messina – all furthering the warmth of the group's approach. Titles include "Mr Soul", "Sad Memory", "Hung Upside Down", "Good Time Boy", "Rock & Roll Woman", "Broken Arrow", "A Child's Claim To Fame", and "Expecting To Fly". CD

A live set that follows the great format first set out by the trio of guitarists Charlie Byrd, Barney Kessel, and Herb Ellis – a pretty airy approach to jazz guitar swinging that also features a bit of bass from Joe Byrd and some drums from Chuck Redd! As before, the approach seems to work best on older swing-styled numbers – letting one guitar play rhythm while another solos strongly – on titles that include "Where Or When", "New Orleans", "Change Partners", "Opus One", "Get Happy", and "Danielle". CD

A jazz guitar double-header – two older albums from the classic Great Guitars series packaged in a single set! First up is Great Guitars At The Winery – a date that has a sweet trio of guitarists – Charlie Byrd, Barney Kessel, and Herb Ellis – swinging in easygoing, open-ended formation that allows for plenty of fast string interplay! Rhythm is from Joe Byrd on bass and Jimmie Smith on drums, and at times, the guitar-driven approach is almost in the mode of gypsy swing – but with a lot more of a contemporary feel overall. Titles include "So Danco Samba", "Sheik Of Araby", "Broadway", "Air Mail Special", and "Talk Of The Town". Great Guitars At Charlies Georgetown follows the great format first set out by the trio of guitarists Charlie Byrd, Barney Kessel, and Herb Ellis – a pretty airy approach to jazz guitar swinging that also features a bit of bass from Joe Byrd and some drums from Chuck Redd! As before, the approach seems to work best on older swing-styled numbers – letting one guitar play rhythm while another solos strongly – on titles that include "Where Or When", "New Orleans", "Change Partners", "Opus One", "Get Happy", and "Danielle". CD

The first release of a groundbreaking performance – David Tudor's 1956 recording of "Music Of Changes" – one of John Cage's first experiments of writing based around the I Ching! The work is based heavily on chance – following charts of possibilities put together by Cage, and extrapolated dramatically by Tudor – who was, at the time, one of the few pianists who really understood Cage's impulses – and could bring them to fruition with a performance like this! CD

Some of the most striking work we've heard from Neneh Cherry in years – and a great follow-up to her previous project with The Thing! This set has Neneh working with producer Kieran Hebden – who returns Cherry to the offbeat, arty sound of her early years on the British scene – particularly her excellent work with Rip Rig & Panic! As with that period, the rhythms here are key – but are also rhythms that really veer from the usual – odd basslines and beats that provide a jagged bottom underneath Cherry's soulfully flowing vocals – a sense of counterpoint that really gives the album a lot of power. Titles include "Naked", "Spit Three Times", "Blank Project", "Cynical", "422", "Out Of The Black", "Dossier", and "Everything". CD

Some of the most striking work we've heard from Neneh Cherry in years – and a great follow-up to her previous project with The Thing! This set has Neneh working with producer Kieran Hebden – who returns Cherry to the offbeat, arty sound of her early years on the British scene – particularly her excellent work with Rip Rig & Panic! As with that period, the rhythms here are key – but are also rhythms that really veer from the usual – odd basslines and beats that provide a jagged bottom underneath Cherry's soulfully flowing vocals – a sense of counterpoint that really gives the album a lot of power. Titles include "Naked", "Spit Three Times", "Blank Project", "Cynical", "422", "Out Of The Black", "Dossier", and "Everything". CD

Chicago on their third LP – still humming strong! The group are following the double-length format of their first two here – cutting out some sub-suites of tracks that mix together jazzy riffing, harder guitars, and some of those sweet vocal arrangements that always sounded better on these early records than on later, weaker ones. Tracks include "Sing A Mean Tune Kid", "What Else Can I Say", "Mother", "Free Country", "Motorboat To Mars", "Flight 602", "I Don't Want Your Money", "Fallin Out", "Dreamin Home", "When All The Laughter Dies In Sorrow", and "The Approaching Storm". CD

That's a sexy-looking lady on the cover – sliding on her cutoffs after a rendezvous in the dark – and the sound of the album definitely fits the image, at least at the start! Stelvio Cipriani begins the music like the story – a bit light and romantic at first, then sliding into tension as the album goes on – marking a point in the narrative where sex turns to suspense, which Stelvio follows by picking up the action on some of the tunes, and dropping into darker moments at others! Edda Dell'Orso delivers a fair bit of wordless vocals on the album, next to keyboard lines from Cipriani – and the whole thing almost feels like a late 70s update of the modes she might have crafted with Ennio Morricone a decade before. CD features 17 tracks in all – and wonderful sound! CD

A trio of funky electric albums from Stanley Clarke's mid 80s R&B years – 1984's Time Exposure, ''85's Find Out and '86's Hideaway – in a 2CD set! Time Exposure has a lot of 80s electro funk in the mix, particularly Clarke's impeccable bass lines, which are heavy throughout. Titles include "Play The Bass '10", "Heaven Sent You", "Speedball", "Future Shock" and the great title track. Find Out follows somewhat similar territory, an 80s synth funky set with a few surprising twists – including an electro/funk/old school rap cover of "Born In The USA"! Other tracks include "Find Out", "The Sky's The Limit", "Stereotypica" and "Psychedelic". Hideaway makes a move towards more delicate synth soul for Clarke – who assembles an impressive guest list that includes Stanley Jordan, Herbie Hancock and Stewart Copeland. Titles include a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed", plus "My Love, Her Inspiration", "Where Do We Go", "Old Friends" and "When It's Cold Outside". CD

A wonderful session of 60s Hammond jazz – a record that was somewhat overlooked at the time, but which has really gotten the attention it deserves over the years! The album's one of a rare few cut by organist Gloria Coleman – an obscure east coast player who was also the wife of tenorist George Coleman, and who follows wonderfully in a strong tradition of female organists that includes Trudy Pitts and Shirley Scott. Even hipper is the fact that Gloria's quartet has a female drummer – the fiery Pola Roberts, who's got a light touch on the kit that makes the cuts dance nicely. And even still hipper is the fact that that group is completed by Grant Green on guitar and Leo Wright on alto – both of whom groove in a totally tight soul jazz mode that resembles their best work from the early 60s. The session's a wonderful burner, of the sort that you'd proudly display in a collection of 60s soul jazz – and it's filled with excellent original cuts like "Que Baby", "Hey Sonny Red", "Melba's Minor", and "Funky Bob". CD

Common newcomers who buy Electric Circus for the single with Mary J Blige are going to be left with some head scratching – but if you like the spiritual/psychedelic Com that was hinted at on Like Water For Chocolate, this may be the follow up you were waiting for! This is still hip hop – with production by the Neptunes, Jay Dee, ?uestlove and others, but it's definitely a boundary stretcher. The mood runs from Roots style soul bumpers to Hendrix and Eugene McDaniels style feedback heavy freakouts. There's a guest on nearly every track, mostly from the Okayplayer camp and NuSoul titans, including Bilal, Omar, Pharrell Williams, Cee-Lo, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab and others. We won't lie to you, we miss the Chicago hip hop Common that kicked insight over raw and soulful productions, but you can't fault the guy for being an artist, and he really has crafted something original here. A great cover – a kind of rainbow drenched cut and paste photo collage of the contributors and inspirations with Com out front, sort of reminding us of Tribe's Midnight Maurauders, and even Sgt. Pepper. Tracks include "Ferris Wheel", "Soul Power", "The Hustle", the first single "Come Close", "New Wave", "Star *69", "Jimi Was A Rock Star" and more. CD

An amazing legacy in music from Mike Cooper – a British musician who started out in the world of folk blues, but never ended up moving towards some of the rockish modes of his contemporaries – instead finding his very own sort of special space in the freedom allowed by the Dawn Records label! The set begins with the very spare Oh Really – a set that has Mike Cooper mostly on guitar and vocals, in a style that's part Piedmont, part Delta blues – but also given a more folksy spin, and graced with Cooper's unusual vocals – almost making the whole thing feel like a spare acoustic version of Canned Heat territory – with titles that include "Maggie Campbell", "Saturday Blues", "Electric Chair", "Crow Jane", and "You're Gonna Be Sorry". Do I Know you is a record that follows up with a sound that's maybe a bit fuller than Mike Cooper's debut, but still relatively spare – with Mike on acoustic guitar and slide guitar, Harry Miller on bass (really great bass, by the way!), and Poor Little Anne on a bit of vocals. Miller brings these deep tones to the record that really transform things – and titles include "Do I Know You", "Start Of A Journey", "First Song", "Theme In C", and "The Link". Trout Steel is a beautiful set from the British scene at the start of the 70s – a record that's got a fairly folksy tone, but lots of jazzy currents as well! The set was issued on the seminal Dawn Records label – and really shows that imprint's commitment to the left side of the spectrum – as Mike Cooper's vocals and acoustic guitar come into play with more guitar from Stefan Grossman – plus alto sax from Mike Osborne, tenor and soprano from Alan Skidmore, piano from John Taylor, and bass from the late Harry Miller – all key players on the UK avant jazz scene of the time! The mix of these players with Cooper's core inspiration is not unlike some of the most progressive material coming from Island Records – or, even better, the special jazzy moments on records by Tim Buckley or Tim Hardin – company that Cooper could very easily keep, given the strength of his songwriting. Titles include "Don't Talk Too Fast", "On My Way", "Hope You See", "Weeping Rose", "Trout Steel", "I've Got Mine", "That's How", and "Pharoah's March". Places I Know blends Cooper's acoustic guitar and rootsy vocals with some very compelling arrangements from Mike Gibbs – the British jazz talent who was already known for his larger ensemble creations at the time, but who works here in these really subtle ways – to inflect Cooper's core inspirations with just some slight instrumental colors, tones, and phrases on most numbers – while Cooper brings in the core Machine Gun Co group on a few more. The result is a record that's way more than familiar folk – and arguably a lot hipper than most of the British acid folk of the time, too – on titles that include "Night Journey", "Paper & Smoke", "Country Water", "Time To Time", "Goodbye Blues Goodbye", and "Places I Know". The Machine Gun Co album is a partner record to Places I Know – recorded in the same sessions, but with tracks that are longer, and even more openly expressive – all with backings from the sweet Machine Gun Co quartet, a group with some especially nice electric piano from Alan Cook! Heavy use of that instrument really works against some of the folksier elements in Cooper's music – with these blocks of warm sound and color that really illuminate the tunes, and almost unlock a new level in the vocals. Cooper plays a bit of electric guitar at times – and titles include "So Glad That I Found You", "Lady Anne", "Midnight Words", and "Song For Abigail". CD also features songs from singles – "Your Lovely Ways (parts 1 & 2)", "Time In Hand", and "Schaabisch Hall". CD

Really wonderful sounds from an overlooked sound library genius – and an artist who's also a great one to turn to if you want to hear the groovier side of the spectrum too! Rene Costy recorded these tracks on the 70s scene in Belgium – which is why he's probably not as well-exposed as sound library creators from the UK, France, and Italy – but that obscurity is also what makes some of these tracks so great – as the groovier numbers come across with a freshly bubbling feel that's very positive, and has the warmth of some of our favorite French soundtrack tunes from the 70s – and the darker tracks have an unusually sharp approach, but somehow while still sounding tuneful! Keyboards are the dominant instrument – and CD one features "grooves", which make up the biggest part of the collection – followed by a shorter array of darker tracks on the "scapes" of CD two. Titles include "Danger", "Ever Faithfull", "Cue Joe", "Automatisme", "Scrabble", "Longuest Night", "Country Dance", "From Time To Time", "Barbara's Dream", "Machinery", "Anxiety", and "Phantasmes". CD

Solo work from the great pianist Stanley Cowell, and a set that may well offer up some of his most focused performance in the format! The album's one long suite dedicated to the African-American fight for freedom – named after the "Juneteenth" date that's used to celebrate the Emancipation Proclamation, and following the struggle through different modes up through the Civil Rights era. The music is some of Cowell's most expressive in years – served up in a variety of colors and styles, but always with a focused, unified approach that's completely compelling – especially given the very strong recording quality of the album. The music is supported by a 40 page booklet featuring vintage images as an archival documentary – with photos from 1865 through the early 20th Century – and titles include "Proclamation", "Nostalgia For Homelands", "Commentary On Strange Fruit", "Reality Dreams Echoes", and "Anticipation Of The Coming Of Freedom". CD