Only the second album from Gypsy, but one that really has the group opening up their wings to soar – especially on the longer tunes that really feature some nicely freewheeling interplay between organ and guitar! Yet even on the shorter cuts, the sound between the two is great too – driven on by some rhythms that feature very tasty use of congas, in a way that might draw some slight comparison to Santana, although these guys maybe have some more mid-American elements in the mix too, almost a dash of light Allman Brothers at times! Whatever the comparisons, though, the whole thing is great – a really under-discovered gem that deserves to be in the bigger pantheon of the time – with cuts that include "Here In The Garden", "Blind Man", "Reach Out Your Hand", "Around You", and "As Far As You Can See". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Only the second album from Gypsy, but one that really has the group opening up their wings to soar – especially on the longer tunes that really feature some nicely freewheeling interplay between organ and guitar! Yet even on the shorter cuts, the sound between the two is great too – driven on by some rhythms that feature very tasty use of congas, in a way that might draw some slight comparison to Santana, although these guys maybe have some more mid-American elements in the mix too, almost a dash of light Allman Brothers at times! Whatever the comparisons, though, the whole thing is great – a really under-discovered gem that deserves to be in the bigger pantheon of the time – with cuts that include "Here In The Garden", "Blind Man", "Reach Out Your Hand", "Around You", and "As Far As You Can See". LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool set from the Italian scene of the 70s – one that features very hip vocals from the great Shirley Bunnie Foy, set to lean instrumentation that makes the whole thing nicely different than just a standard jazz vocal session! Shirley plays percussion next to her vocals, and the set features some mighty nice organ and piano from Sonnie Taylor – plus added percussion by a third player too, all with a vibe that makes for some really unusual tracks that have the piano and percussion dancing around with a loose, open vibe – which Shirley is only happy to explore with these vocals that unravel in a completely wonderful way – all sorts of personal inflections that groove with the rhythms, in a unique style that goes way past jazz – maybe with some of the righteous energy of Nina Simone at her hippest! Titles include "Go Down Moses", "Way O Comin Home", "Ulele Angolian Blood", "Gershwin/Summertime", "When Sunny Gets Blue", and "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child". LP, Vinyl record album

Stunning soul from the great Joe Bataan – a really groundbreaking mix of modes that's right up there with the best of the Spanish Harlem scene of the late 60s! The album is Joe Bataan's debut for the Fania Records label – and the start of an incendiary run of Latin classics that forever changed the face of the New York scene – a mindblowing mix of Latin rhythms and soul-based inspiration, served up in a mix of English and Spanish language lyrics! The title track is a sublime cover of Curtis Mayfield's "Gypsy Woman" – one that's even more heartbreaking than the original – and other titles include "Ordinary Guy", Sugar Guaguanco", "So Fine", "Fuego", and the groovy "Chickie's Trombone" – a tight little jammer that shows that Joe's group also drew plenty of inspiration from the descarga scene too. LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A set that features Al DiMeola moving into some very dynamic territory – jamming out heavy on a mix of electric and acoustic guitars, with additional help from Paco DeLucia on acoustic at points. The instrumentation also features heavy electric piano from Jan Hammer, other keyboards from Barry Miles, bass from Anthony Jackson, and drums from Steve Gadd and Lenny White – all fusion powerhouse players who really take over the groove at times, but still leave enough room on the record for some gentler sounds from Paco and Al. Titles include "Elegant Gypsy Suite", "Flight Over Rio", "Midnight Tango", and "Race With Devil On Spanish Highway". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

An amazing reissue of this now-legendary album – once a lost psych oddity, but a set that's gone onto make plenty of waves over the years! Song Of A Gypsy may well be one of the best self-issued psych sets from the American underground – a really well-written, well-recorded record that has a very dark personal vision – an approach to the music that's instantly unique, and which shows that digging for rare psych albums can really yield the occasional gem that stands head and shoulders with the bigger names of the time! Damon's voice is darkly spooky, and couched with these cool flanged-out guitar lines on the sides – creating a space that's very personal, and which seems to let the lyrics hit these qualities that go much deeper than usual. The core album's been treasured for years by the few fans who had an original copy, and by a few more who had a previous reissue – but this double-length set is the first to ever tell the true tale of the enigmatic Damon – with a huge 64 page booklet of notes, and a massive amount of rare bonus tracks too. The core album includes "Song Of A Gypsy", "Funky Funky Blues", "Don't You Feel Me", "The Night", "Feel Your Love", "Oh What A Good Boy Am I", and "Birds Fly So High". Bonus tracks include some demo and 45 versions of "Song Of A Gypsy", plus "Don't Cry", "Lonely Surfer", "Bowlin Alley Jane", "Everything Is Alright", "The Little White Cloud That Cried", "I Wonder Why", and "I've Got My Pride". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A great little solo set from Priscilla Coolidge – a singer most folks know from her duo records with Stax legend Booker T (of MGs fame) – who's on hand this time around to handled arrangements, production, and play some sweet Hammond too! The set's got this surprisingly funky feel at some moments – these slinky, groovy currents that really bring out the best in Priscilla's vocals – a nice edge that she maybe didn't even have on her records with Booker – and even some of the gentler, mellower moments have a tightness in the instrumentation that makes the whole thing surprisingly nice – although we definitely like the funkiest numbers the best. Titles include "On The Road", "Hummingbird", "Spring Rain", "T My T", "Salty Haze", and "Come On Sweet". LP, Vinyl record album

A great set of duets between Gene Clark and Carla Olson – with titles that include "Fair & Tender Ladies", "The Drifter", "Gypsy Rider", "De Gato", "Every Angel In Heaven", "Don't It Make You Want To Go Home", and "I'm Your Toy". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from Marcia Griffiths – the Jamaican singer who first rose to fame in the duo of Bob & Marcia – but who already sounds very much her own woman on this classic set from the 70s! The groove is as much funky soul as it is reggae – in fact maybe more the former than the latter – and Marcia's got this proud, righteous approach that's very different than her style of just a few years before – set to great grooves that have sharp core instrumentation with Lloyd Charmers on piano and organ, and Willie Lindo on guitar. Almost more of a female funky soul record on most cuts – with tracks that include "Here I Am Baby", "Children At Play", "I'd Rather Be Lonely", "Sweet Bitter Love", "There's No Me Without You", "Everything I Own", "Green Grasshopper", and "Gypsy Man". Also features a full album of rare bonus tracks – including "Play Me", "The First Cut Is The Deepest", "Melody Life", "Don't Let Me Down", "Band Of Gold", "I See You My Love", "It's Too Late", "Baby If You Don't Love Me", "Love Walked In", and "Working To The Top". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal work from Freddie Hubbard – an early hardbop session that features some great work by Tina Brooks on tenor, piano by McCoy Tyner, and rhythm from the team of Sam Jones on bass Clifford Jarvis on drums! And although Freddie's great at this early point in his career – playing with a brash, urgent tone that's totally compelling – we're even bigger fans of the Tina Brooks work on this record! Brooks' tone is amazing – right up there with the style he used on his own rare few Blue Note sides, full of fresh fire and a really edgey approach to the tenor – and together with Hubbard, he helps craft a tight little set that's one of Hubbard's best-ever straight sides from the 60s. Titles include "But Beautiful", "One Mint Julep", "Hub's Nub", "Open Sesame", and "Gypsy Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

Nifty 2LP set that brings together a motherlode of the Impressions' best material from their ABC years – plus some of Jerry Butler's nice solo material for Mercury from the same time, and a few Curtis cuts from the early 70s. Too much to mention here, but titles include "Keep On Pushin", "Gypsy Woman", "Need To Belong To Someone", "Woman's Got Soul", "Amen", "You've Been Cheatin", "Mr. Dream Merchant", "We're A Winner", "Moody Woman", and "Only The Strong Survive". LP, Vinyl record album

The sound of Gerry Mulligan in the early 60s – and one of the best records by his larger than usual Concert Jazz Band! Given Gerry's piano-less experiments of the 50s, it's surprising to actually have him as the pianist on this session – hitting the keys with a nice light touch, so that the larger horn section can take over most of the tunes – a beautifully-arranged ensemble who have a feel that's lighter than some of the groups of the 50s – such as the Kenton ensemble – yet one that's equally modern at times! The lineup is wonderful – with Clark Terry and Nick Travis on trumpets, Willie Dennis and Bob Brookmeyer on trombones, and Gene Quill, Gene Allen, and Eddie Caine on saxes – plus guitar from Jim Hall, bass from Bill Crow, and drums from Gus Johnson. Titles include "Big City Life", "Bridgehampton South", "My Kind Of Love", "Pretty Gypsy", "Bridgehampton Strut", and "Big City Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Two great bassists, working here together in a really fantastic setting – not as a spare duo, but also not lost in a too-large group as well – as the lineup features guitar from Philip Catherine and drums from Billy Higgins – both very sensitive players who let Sam Jones and Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen take the lead! The basses move nicely between rhythm and melody – almost with a gypsy swing guitar inspiration – which is maybe echoed just a bit by Catherine, who is at his best here – a great straight jazz player without some of the gimmicks of other albums of the period. Higgins is, as always, a delight – and he gets help from Tootie Heath on percussion on two tracks too. Titles include "A Notion", "Giant Steps", "Au Privave", "Yesterdays", "Little Train", and "Miss Morgan". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful group soul vocals effort from the Persuasions in the early 70s – working in a throwback acapella mode, but still with a fresh feel – thanks to a hip dawn of the 70s sound, and a stripped-down feel that you'd probably have never gotten back in the day! It's amazing how fresh it sounds, even today – each individual voice captured with crystal clarity, and strong genuine emotion – with an honest and real sound that's not overly polished. Wonderful! Titles include "Chain Gang", "Walk On The Wild Side", "Gypsy Woman", "Another Night With The Boys", "Let It Be", "Don't It Make You Want To Go Home", and "The Sun". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal bit of crossover disco from the mid 70s – and a record that broke big on its title reworking of The Animals' earlier hit! Leroy Gomez heads the group on vocals and alto sax – and brings a slight Latin flourish to the album – mixing strings with some brassier "Spanish" horns and acoustic guitars – used here in a way that predates the Gypsy Kings' move onto the dancefloor many years later. Side one is taken up completely by an extended reading of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" – which runs into the "Esmeralda Suite", really just an extension of the first number. Side two continues the "oldies" mode of the first with a cover of "Gloria" – then rolls into the original tunes "You're My Everything" and "Black Pot". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal bit of crossover disco from the mid 70s – and a record that broke big on its title reworking of The Animals' earlier hit! Leroy Gomez heads the group on vocals and alto sax – and brings a slight Latin flourish to the album – mixing strings with some brassier "Spanish" horns and acoustic guitars – used here in a way that predates the Gypsy Kings' move onto the dancefloor many years later. Side one is taken up completely by an extended reading of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" – which runs into the "Esmeralda Suite", really just an extension of the first number. Side two continues the "oldies" mode of the first with a cover of "Gloria" – then rolls into the original tunes "You're My Everything" and "Black Pot". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's way more than the classic rock outing of some of the group's Bay Area contemporaries – as the young Carlos Santana finds a way to mix inspirations from blues and Latin music into this fierce fusion of so many different elements at once – stretching out, jamming, and touching decades of listeners in the process! The whole thing's a perfect sonic blend – guitar, keyboards, and plenty of percussion – on the group's stunning remake of "Oye Como Va", their fusion of "Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen", and the cuts "Se A Cabo", "Samba Pa Ti", "El Nicoya", and "Singing Winds Crying Beasts". LP, Vinyl record album

Looks like Gary Osborne and Paul Vigrass lost a few buttons off their shirts on the front cover – but they keep things tight on this great album of duet material from the 70s – one of their excellent and overlooked sets from the time! Part of the real strength of the album comes from the production and arrangements by Jeff Wayne – wise enough to use some studio greats like Alan Hawkshaw on keyboards and Herbie Flowers on bass – who create these really cool grooves that snake soulfully through the set, and really make the best of the harmonized lyrics by Vigrass and Osborne! There's a few occasional moments that echo the compression used in UK pop work of the time, mixed with other warmer more intimate elements too – on titles that include "Engine Driver", "Daily Depress", "Gypsy Woman", "Summer Passed You By", "Sunshine Cake", "Sit Yourself Down", "Wild & Windy Sea", and "Hey Brother/Heyla". LP, Vinyl record album

A real breakout album for The Village People – thanks largely to the hit "YMCA", which had surprising play at the time – and has gone onto become one of those ballpark hits that everyone seems to sing completely un-self-consciously! The group are still working here in a New York Sigma disco mode – with backings by the Gypsy Lane group – and apart from the "YMCA" hit, other long tracks include "Hot Cop", "My Roomate", "The Women/The Cruiser", and "Ups & Downs". LP, Vinyl record album

War delivers the word, and a whole lot more as well – that amazing blend of styles that always made the group way more than just the sum of its parts! The classic groove is very firmly in place here – a great style that mixes jazz funk with a freer jamming style borrowed from Latin music – served up on a batch of long tracks that really let the band open up and groove! Vocals are part of the plan, but the instrumentation often gets as much time in the spotlight as well – and the set includes the classic jammer "Me & Baby Brother", plus "H2 Overture", "Blisters", "Southern Part Of Texas", "In Your Eyes", and "Gypsy Man". LP, Vinyl record album

Boy, does the heavy slab psychedelic sludge grooves of Blue Cheer ever sound wonderful, even more than 40 years since it originally walked the earth! Outsideinside hit not too long after the classic Vincebus Eruptem, and damned if we can determine why it's not as celebrated as the debut. That fuzzed out stomp of a sound is back in full effect, as are the titanic drums and an overall sound that uses an electric blues influence as a springboard into heavy cosmic space. Includes their ferocious cover of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" plus "Feathers From Your Tree", "Just A Little Bit", "Gypsy Ball", "Come And Get It", "The Hunter", "Babylon" and "Magnolia Caboose Babyfinger". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the great fake live albums of the 60s – a set that promises to be a concert performance from the title and cover, but which actually just features The Seeds playing live together in the studio! Yet that little trick is hardly a problem – because the album's the last-ever from this seminal group, and captures them in a format that really lets them take off! Their studio sessions were always great, but this one's got a special edge from letting all the instruments work together in the same space at once, with no edits or dubs. The core combo sounds wonderful – searing guitar, trippy keyboard lines, and all the sneering vocals the young Sky Saxon can muster – served up over tracks that include "Mr. Farmer", "No Escape", "Satisfy You", "Night Time Girl", "Up In Her Room", "Gypsy Plays His Drums", "Mumble And Bumble", "Forest Outside Your Door", "900 Million People Daily All Making Love", and "Pushin' Too Hard". LP, Vinyl record album

After influencing countless groups of the 70s with their righteous funky soul of the late 60s, the Temps end up sounding kind of silly trying to hit a funk groove like the rest of the other 70s bands. This is the case on side one, where the group's getting some keyboards and funky horn arrangements from Truman Thomas – on tracks that include "Up The Creek (Without A Paddle)", "China Doll", and "Sweet Gypsy Jane". Side two is completely different, and has them doing some sort of "china and lace" fragile soul work, set to arrangements by Donald Baldwin that are more appropriate for adult contemporary radio than Motown soul. LP, Vinyl record album

A heck of a discovery – early recordings Townes Van Zandt cut in mid 60s Nashville – a couple of years before his official solo debut, and a soul shakingly beautiful mix of his country folk blues storytelling and some more rollicking numbers that work exceptionally well! One of the things that's most striking about it is how wise and knowing his songs and his voice are this early in his game, with the more intimate voice and guitar numbers sounding great. The few songs with busier instumentation work, too, and that's even more surprising give the Townes loner folk ouvre. We didn't think there could be much Townes left unreleased, especially of this quality! Titles include "Black Widow Blues", "Maryetta's Song", "Hunger Child Blues", "Black Jack Mama", "When Your Dream Never Dies", "Big Country Blues", "Gypsy Friday", "Colorado Blues", "Black Crow Blues" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked gem from the glory days of Virgin's Frontline series – a homegrown effort from UK singer Vivian Weathers – a really unique talent with a style that's very much his own! At some level, Vivian's got the warmth of the lover's rock generation, but mixes it with some of the deeper currents of contemporaries on the hipper side of the UK reggae spectrum – creating a record here that's stunningly soulful and deep, and very much at the highest level of British reggae for the period! This isn't crossover pop, but instead the kind of special, deeper current that only a rare few were crafting on the London scene – as you'll hear on cuts that include "Move Ghetto Children", "Hip Hug", "Gypsy Love", "Song Of Sufferation", "A Fool & His Baby", "The Way You Walk", and "Street Talk". Features a bonus track – "Hip Hug (12" mix)". LP, Vinyl record album

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

A weird set of sitar and bongos backed sing-speak about gurus, devil gods, leprechauns, elves, opium, the wind, hippie boys and other oddball psychedelia enhanced storytelling from Kali,The Gypsy Star Child! We don't know a thing about Kali – she has a cute, girly-girl, Anytown, USA voice, but the hippie fantasy, pseudo spiritual storytelling is weird, yet genuinely committed – with droning, Eastern-tinged psych backdrops. Includes "A Game Called Who Am I", "Cosmic Remembrance", "A Cosmic Telephone Call", "From The Angel Liesle & The Buddha" and "How Can I Tell My Guru?" LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing album of raw power from Jimi Hendrix – recorded on New Years Eve 1969, right as the 60s became the 70s – with a stunning sound that certainly presages the hard rock decade to come! Jimi's working with his trio that features Buddy Miles on drums and Billy Cox on bass – and the tracks are long, searing, and filled with the kind of heavy-duty guitar work that made Hendrix a legend right from the start – but which here shows just how much he'd grown as a player over the space of a few short years! Titles include "Who Knows", "Machine Gun", "We Gotta Live Together", "Power To Love", "Message To Love", and "Changes". LP, Vinyl record album

A really fantastic album from drummer Buddy Miles – an artist that many folks know for his key rock work in the Band Of Gypsys group of Jimi Hendrix, but a musician with an equally great ear for soul and funk as well! Miles began in Electric Flag, and certainly has ties to the world of psych – and here, he mixes funkier currents with lots of strong trippy guitar from Marlo Henderson – a player we don't know that well, but who adds some great lines that are a lot like some of the Phil Upchurch contributions over at Chess/Cadet at the same time. Miles sings on most numbers, with that nicely honest vocal approach we love so much – but there's a few instrumental moments too, and the set's got some great use of horns throughout, which brings in some southern funky currents too. Titles include "Joe Tex", "Place Over There", "The Segment", "Don't Keep Me Wondering", "Sudden Stop", and "That's The Way Life Is". LP, Vinyl record album