Loads of Fania classics from the 60s boogaloo years – including "Bang Bang" by Joe Cuba, "The Meditation" by TNT Band, "Riki Chi" by Joey Pastrana, "My Dream" by Harvey Averne, "Gypsy Woman" by Joe Bataan, "Make It With You" by Ralfi Pagan, "Fortuna" by King Nando", and "I Like It Like That" by Pete Rodriguez. LP, Vinyl record album

Great 60s work from Italian soundtrack maestro Piero Piccioni – featuring 2 different soundtracks for doctor comedies that starred the great Alberto Soldi! The music is a wonderful blend of the lighter side of styles that Piccioni worked in – with a bit of jazz, a bit of bossa, and often some nice wordless vocals that drift across the mix with a really lovely feel! Titles include the tremendous groovers "Fortuna", "Samba Fortuna", and "Fortune Blues" – and other tracks include "Lady Love", "Slow Lady", "Final", "Sirenette", and "Esculapio", a nice horn-heavy theme tune! LP, Vinyl record album

Fierce work from Flashmen – an Italian group who started out in the beat group generation of the 60s, but who turned out to have plenty to offer once the prog years rolled in – including an especially strong use of organ work that really gives this album a surprisingly lofty vibe! The basslines are wonderful too – never overstated, and usually spare but strong enough to really emphasize some darker currents in the music – as lyrics sometimes have a raspy quality that sounds a lot more urgent than the usual lyrics in a prog rock set! Titles include "Ingresso", "Maria", "Amo Mia Madre", "Un Pugno Di Mosche", "Sortita", "Nella Tua Mente", "Fortuna E Ragione", and "Qualcosa Per Sognare". LP, Vinyl record album

Muhammad Ali's in for the biggest fight of the decade – as he tries to knock out tooth decay! Fortunately, he's got some help from famous friends like Frank Sinatra, Richie Havens, Ossie Davis, and Jayne Kennedy – so the going isn't too tough. Supposedly, this is volume 1 of the series – as if the world could have stood for any more volumes! Howard Cosell sits in for some special announcing, too! LP, Vinyl record album

A great little album by Jerry – recorded during a period where he was using his fame (and cash!) to showcase younger talents in soul music. In this case, the younger talents include Terry Callier – who contributed two songs to this album, including his semi-hit "Ordinary Joe", which Jerry does in a nice groovy style. Other tracks include "You & Me", "Real Good Man", "Life's Unfortunate Sons", "No Money Down", and "Winter Of A Loving Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

A mindblowing classic from Can – a set that has the group just getting better with each new record – to a point where it's the early 70s, and they're already in territory that's completely their own! The set features long tracks that spin out beautifully – driven that that rhythmic drive that the group always had at their best – so different than some of their contemporaries who might have gotten stuck in a sonic corner and never found their way out – while Can was bursting forth with energy and imagination that has kept them still sounding amazing as the decades move on! The set's the last one with the mighty Damo Suzuki, but fortunately not the last with the incredible drums of Jaki Leibezeit – and titles include the 19 minute jam of "Bel Air" – plus "Future Days", "Spray", and "Moonshake". LP, Vinyl record album

Linda's first effort for Curtom, and a record that's got a bit more soul than some of her later more disco-oriented albums. Unfortunately, it's also got a bit more schmaltz – but if you stay away from the sillier cuts, you'll get some tasty mellow soul that's a good bridge between Linda's earlier singles and her later hits. Leroy Hutson produced the sophisticated stepper "Only Fooling Myself", and the rest of the material was handled by Gil Askey, including a good cover of Al Green's "Still In Love With You", Bunny Sigler's "From Now On", and the track "You Can Do It". LP, Vinyl record album

Sam Dees was one of the greatest unsung talents in 70s soul music – an important writer, arranger, and general background talent who helped so many other singers hit the heights – but who hardly ever issued much work under his own name! Apart from key singles and an important album on Atlantic, the recorded legacy of Dees isn't what it should be – given his impact on music, especially deep soul – but fortunately, sets like this have come along to correct that lack! As part of Sam's creative process, he would often record songs first on his own – not as rough demo tracks, but as surprisingly well done studio versions to illustrate the material – tracks that were often better than later versions of his tunes, and most of the other commercial soul on the market. This sweet set brings together 12 of those tracks – private recordings from Sam, of songs he'd later give to singers like Loletta Holloway, Ben E King, and others – an essential record from the great Dees, pressed up on super-heavy vinyl! Titles include the previously unissued "Married But Not To Each Other" – plus "Good Guys Don't Always Win", "Who Are You Gonna Love", "Con Me", "Only Lonely People", "False Alarms", "Standing In The Wings Of A Heartache", "The World Don't Owe You Nothing", and "Black Tattler". LP, Vinyl record album

We love Sonny Fortune – because he always plays so great! Sonny started as more of an acoustic soul jazz player – but by the time of this session, he's working with a lot of electric backing, in a fusiony mode that should dampen his enthusiasm, but which only seems to spur him onto new heights! The group's got some killer keyboards from Larry Willis, tight guitar from Ray Gomez, and lots of Latin percussion touches that really make the grooves dance – but the real highlight is Sonny, whose tone and placement are impeccable, almost in the vein of Gary Bartz during his years with Larry Mizell, but perhaps a bit more soaring and searching. Titles include "Afortunado", "Georgiana", "Igbob's Shuffle", and "Come In Out Of The Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

A strange little film with a western motif – starring Bill Cosby, Leif Erikson, and Yaphet Kotto! Fortunately, Quincy Jones was the musical supervisor – so the tracks are hip enough in the best parts – a bit rootsy at times, but with a 70s soul approach that keeps things real. The best cuts include the vocal number "Better Days" by Bill Withers – but even better are the instrumental numbers by JJ Johnson, including the oft-sampled groover "Pull, Jubal, Pull". LP, Vinyl record album

After hitting big success with Paul Simon's Graceland album in the mid 80s, Warners kind of had a little burst of renewed activity in recording the sorts of artists they paid attention to more in the glory days of the late 60s/early 70s record industry boom. Fortunately, Miriam Makeba benefitted from that surge of activity, and was able to cut this excellent album in a style that was far rootsier than any she'd used in years! The record has a pretty spare feel overall, and most tracks only feature vocals and percussion – with some occasional extra instrumentation, and production that's very much in the Ladysmith Black Mambazo mode from the time. titles include "Sabumoya", "Congo", "Icala", "Ihoyiya", and "Embahaceni". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastically dark Morricone score! Morricone originally wrote this material for the film Quattro Mosche Di Velluto Grigio, the third part of Dario Argento's cult terror trilogy – and until the release of this reissue, only 2 of the tracks ever made it to the public, on a rare single issued by Cinevox in 1971. The leadoff track – "4 Mosche Di Vellutto Grigio (titoli)" – is actually a bit funky, with some very heavy drums and cascading fuzzy guitar riffs that sound very nice. Then, the record moves into spookier material – like the cut "Come Un Madrigale", and a number of self-titled themes – all of which feature strange harpsichord work, dark orchestral passages, and some very spooky production work! Fortunately, the score ends on an upbeat note – a hard driving, beat group sounding version of the main theme that's a nice cap to the whole package! LP, Vinyl record album

Given what a freewheeling, open-minded, and lyrical jazz singer Mark Murphy is, it's hard to imagine him really loving "the blues" – and fortunately, most of that love is extended in the title, because the album itself is less of the blues effort that you might think. True, the tracks are numbers that often have "blues" in the title – but the arrangements are by Al Cohn, and have a swinging approach that's in keeping with Murphy's other early 50s work. Titles include "Blues You're The Mother Of Sin", "Blues In My Heart", "Fiesta In Blue", "That's How I Love The Blues", "Blues In The Night", and a reading of "Senor Blues" that's worth the price of the record alone! LP, Vinyl record album

Although bassist Oscar Pettiford left a huge influence on jazz before his untimely death, there's not actually that many fantastic records in which he's featured as a leader. Fortunately, this is one of the few, and it's a sparkling set of modernist inflected bop tunes played by a group that includes Mingus on bass, Phil Urso on tenor, Walter Bishop on piano, and Percy Heath on drums. Pettiford plays cello, and his lead on the instrument gives the record a dark tone that is extremely haunting. Titles include "Low & Behold", "Pendulum", and "Tamalpais". LP, Vinyl record album

In the years after his death, when Otis Redding had approached near-deity status, Atlantic was digging through their vaults (recently swiped from Stax!) to find whatever they could to put together a record. Fortunately, most of the material they came up with was great – as you'll hear on this release of older stuff, put out by Atco in 1970. Otis is backed by Booker T & the MGs, with the Memphis Horn trio, plus a bit of extra keyboard work by Ike Hayes. Titles include "A Little Time", "Swingin On A String", "Demonstration", "Tell The Truth", "Out Of Sight", and "Wholesale Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Shoes continue the brilliance of their first album for Elektra – serving up the kind of music that was so well-done, so subtle, it was maybe missed by most of the world at the time – even though it's gone onto the status of classic, thanks to legions of fans and critics! Shoes have a way with a tune that's unlike anyone else – maybe that compressed charm of Big Star, but fused into the sharper modes of the power pop years – but without any of the too commercial modes of some of the bigger groups of the time. Instead, the whole thing feels like you've just stumbled upon a brilliant band, playing in a backroom bar – which, unfortunately, is how Shoes spent too much of their career. Titles include "Only In My Sleep", "She Satisfies", "Found A Girl", "Hate To Run", "When It Hits", "Yes Or No", "Your Imagination", and "Girls Of Today". LP, Vinyl record album

The one-time obscure, now straight-up classic funky soul record by 24-Carat Black! This beautiful LP was released by Stax in the early 70s, but somehow got lost in the shuffle. Fortunately, it was rediscovered by the international groove community in the years to come, and it's been at the top of everyone's playlist (and want list) ever since! This is sort of a politically conscious mini-opera, or suite, with 8 tracks of spiritual funk and soul, all strung together in a righteous package that's as perfectly-conceived as you could imagine for an independent soul release from the 70s. You've probably heard at least one sample from this album – maybe from the cuts "Brown-Baggin", "Food Stamps", or the title cut "Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth", a great sample cut – but the whole album's great, and it totally deserves its massive reputation! LP, Vinyl record album

The lovely Aaliyah left our planet all too soon, and left behind a number of unissued tracks as well – material intended for a future album, and which was combined here with a few other tracks to make for a posthumous tribute to her too-short legacy in R&B! The practice is, unfortunately, a common one in the worlds of R&B and hip hop – and although the set's maybe not a standard album by Aaliyah, it's certainly a great addition to the lineup. Titles include "Miss You", "Come Over", "Rock The Boat", "Erica Kane", "We Need A Resolution", "Got To Give It Up (rmx)", "Back & Forth", "Are You That Somebody", "I Care 4 U", "One In A Million", "At Your Best", "Don't Know What To Tell Ya", "Try Again", and "All I Need". LP, Vinyl record album

An unbelievable recording! As Archie Shepp made his first album for Impulse a tribute to Coltrane, Marion Brown made his a tribute to Shepp – a wonderful lineage of avant talent in the 60s, stated boldly here, given Brown's amazing talent on the record! The album's filled with hard, soulful playing that goes out, but never too far – like Shepp in his best sixties moments – and Brown's working with a great lineup of players that includes Grachan Moncur on trombone, Beaver Harris on drums, and Stanley Cowell on piano! The tunes include three Marion Brown originals on side one, plus three tracks by Shepp on side two. "Spooks" alone will leave you loving this album for years to come – and other tracks include "West India", "Delicado", "New Blue", and "Fortunato". A brilliant blend of 60s "new thing" playing and 70s underground jazz! LP, Vinyl record album

It's hard to get any more classic than this for Creedence Clearwater Revival – as this legendary late 60s album is definitely the place where it all comes together! The pairing of John Fogerty's lead guitar and the scratching rhythm guitar of brother Tom really sounds wonderful here – driven on by tight bass and drums, but always with this rootsy edge that stretches from the Bay Area scene way down to the bayou! Titles include the classic "Down On The Corner" and a great version of "The Midnight Special" – plus "It Came Out Of The Sky", "Side Of The Road", "Effigy", "Don't Look Now", and "Fortunate Son". LP, Vinyl record album

Great stuff! This fantastic lost John Handy album for Roulette, like his others, stands as some of the finest unknown jazz of the 60's. These records are always (unfortunately) passed by in the racks, but don't make the same mistake! Handy's alto is honed to a razor sharp point, fresh from his work with Mingus, and the writing and playing is at a level that he (and few other alto players) ever reached again. A young Walter Bishop plays piano, and the cuts include "No Coast", "Boo's Ups & Downs", and "Quote, Unquote". LP, Vinyl record album

Kind of a gimmicky session, but a great one nonetheless! It was Leonard Feather who first thought of rounding up all the "Jones" in jazz he could find, bringing them together for this unique date for the Period label – but fortunately, the quality of the work and strength of the players goes way past the goofy strategy of the date! The record's an especially great chance to hear Thad Jones in small group mode – blowing with that sweet, warm tone that we love in his Blue Note work, captured here in a slightly more informal setting. Also noteworthy is the piano of Jimmy Jones, the drums of Jo Jones, and the flugelhorn playing of Quincy Jones, who appears on 3 of the album's 9 tracks. Titles include "No Other Love", "The Jones Bash", "Jones Beach", "You've Changed", "Montego Bay", and "Salute To The Blue Bird". LP, Vinyl record album

It's the mid 70s, and The Miracles have been deserted by Smokey – but fortunately the group was extremely well trained in the harmony department, and this album's just about as good as anything they did with him on Motown! The record's got an excellent smooth harmony soul style – and reminds us a lot of some of the Philly albums coming out at the same time. Arrangements are handled by James Carmichael, Freddie Perren, and Willie Hutch – and the record's filled with slinky smooth soul grooves like "Do It Baby", "You Are Love", "What Is A Heart Good For", and "Give Me Just Another Day", one of a few great cuts on the record written by Leon Ware! LP, Vinyl record album