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

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

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". CD

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

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". CD

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". CD

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

A double-stuffed collection of work from the legendary War – one of the hippest soul groups on the Cali scene of the 70s, and one who just kept on making great music as the years went on! This expanded collection is a great testament to the group's genius – and the way they started out mixing together jazz, Latin, and funk elements with a special Los Angeles spin – then successfully brought in some clubbier elements in the late 70s, but all without ever falling into the disco cliches of so many of their contemporaries! Throughout the years, War remained a group with impeccable musicianship and a deep sense of soul – as you'll hear here on a set of gems that includes "Me & Baby Brother", "The World Is A Ghetto", "Get Down", "Spill The Wine", "Slippin Into Darkness", "All Day Music", "Gypsy Man", "Why Can't We Be Friends", "Cisco Kid", "LA Sunshine", "Low Rider", "Galaxy", "Outlaw", "You Got The Power", "Cinco De Mayo", "Smile Happy", "So", "Summer", "Don't Let No One Get You Down", and "Tobacco Road". 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

This series keeps on getting better and better – and this fourth installment may well be the best illustration to date of the birth of soul music! As hinted by the title, the collection features tracks from the late 50s and early 60s that marked a key transition from earlier R&B and blues into soul music – work that pulled a bit more strongly from the church than some of its predecessors, and which also put over a groove that was a bit more sophisticated, sometimes a bit more polished – all to set the stage for the huge soul music explosion to come later in the 60s! A number of the artists here are familiar from R&B years, but they're represented by tracks that show a real change in their styles – and others are known from later successes, but stand out here with early work that's a lot more formative – making them a perfect choice for the collection. CD features 24 tracks in all – including "Come On & Stomp" by Marv Johnson, "Lil Valley" by The MMs & The Peanuts, "Bossa Nova Baby" by Tippie & The Clovers, "Irresistible You" by Bobby Peterson, "Take Your Heart" by Betty Willis, "Puff" by Kenny Lynch, "Jack Be Nimble" by The Intruders, "A Clock That's Got No Hands" by Della Reese, "I Came Running" by Wade Flemons, "You'd Be Crying Too" by The Matadors, "The Gypsy Said" by The Fiestas, "Please Don't Cry Anymore" by Ketty Lester, "Pretty Little Girl Next Door" by Bobby Day, and "Trouble I've Had" by Clarence Ashe. CD

Incredible sounds from the Chess Records catalog – not the blues that you might know the label for, but a huge range of funk, soul, and jazz tracks from the headiest years of the 60s and 70s – a time when the Chicago scene was really turning out some incredible musical hybrids! As you'd guess from the title, all the cuts here have had a new life in recent years – thanks to samples by hip hop artists or other producers – but the original grooves are even better than the tracks that used them, and come together here to make one of the most mindblowing collections of Chess material we've ever heard! The package is nicely heavy on sounds from the Cadet/Concept years of the label – with more than a few contributions from producers Charles Stepney and Richard Evans – and the package features 42 wonderful tracks – including "Fonky Thang Diamon Ring" by The Dells, "Windmills Of Your Mind" by Dorothy Ashby, "I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun" by Rotary Connection, "Jelly Jam" by Jack McDuff, "The Getaway" by Alvin Cash, "In My Body's House" by Gene Chandler, "Cross Country" by Archie Whitewater, "Memory Band" by Rotary Connection, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by Jimmy Ponder, "Inside Out" by American Gypsy, "Go Go Power" by Sugar Pie DeSanto, "Shake It Up" by The Vibrations, "Up Above The Rock" by Ray Bryant, "Bad Moon Rising" by Bo Diddley, "Shoo Be Doo Be Doo Be Do Da Day" by Eddie Fisher, "Humpin Bumpin & Thumpin" by Andre Williams, "Who Got The Number" by Pigmeat Markham, "Walk On By" by Jo Ann Garrett, "Chocolate Candy" by Soulful Strings, "Got To Get Your Own (7" version)" by Reuben Wilson, "Hanky's Panky (7" version)" by Shirley Scott, "Liberation Conversation" by Marlena Shaw, "Look Of Love" by Monk Higgins, and "Think About It" by Odell Brown & The Organizers. CD

A huge discovery in music – most of which we've never heard before, and which shows that the Boston scene was getting pretty busy during the classic club years – even if the city's grooves never reached the same fame as cuts from New York, Philly, and other points south! The package is definitely a labor of love – put together by DJ/collector Serge Gamesbourg – who's clearly done a hell of a lot of work to unearth these rare singles and small label releases – records that maybe didn't even make it down to New York City back in the day, and which were probably crowed out of the record racks, even if they did! Most of these cuts are nicely rough around the edges – sometimes in more of a fast funk mode, other times with all the cool offbeat touches of indie label club cuts – and almost all numbers get a special Serge Gamesbourg edit, in order to bring out the grooviest elements of the tracks. Titles include "No More Games" by Larry Wedgeworth & Clique, "All In Good Time" by Wildlife featuring Vi Taylor, "Play It By Ear" by Cojo, "Get Up & Dance Don't Want No Party Poo Pershere" by Carrie Mims & Herbe Lee River Junction, "Feel The Music" by Dreamflight, "I Want Your Body" by Royale, "Free For All" by Second Wind, "I'm Gonna Get You (Meeow)" by Carrie Mims & Herb Lee River Junction, "You Make Me Happy" by Christopher Michael Band, "Keep It Comin On" by Gypsy, and "Fire Funk" by Hypnotics. 2CD set features one disc of the music in a continuous mix by Serge – the other with unmixed versions. CD

A great blend of old and new Brazilian grooves – kind of the ultimate expression of this great series! Like the first 2 volumes, this 5th one features some great lost older tracks; and like the 3rd and 4th volumes, it's also got some new tunes that are really wonderful. There's a lot of percussion in the grooves throughout – sweet keyboards and tight riffing mixes with rootsy drums, soulful vocals, and other great touches – soaring forward towards a jazzy global future that knows no boundaries! 2LP set features 10 tracks in all – including "Torn (Blissom rmx)" by Rise Ashen, "Comanche" by Jorge Ben, "Agua De Beber" by Aquarius Y Luiz Antonio, "La La Li" by Rachael Calladine, "Fica Mal Com Deus" by Rosalia De Souza, "Scott Air (traveling light mix)" by Ben Human, "Bohemian (Bah Samba main mix)" by Muro, "Icarai" by Os Ipanemas, "Eh Luande (Mimosa avantgarde mix)" by Racoon, and "Gypsy Woman" by Montefiori Cocktail. LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy entry in this all-great series – a set of compilations that have been giving us really wonderful funk for many years, and which just seems to get better and better with each new entry! The tracks here are a hip mix of styles – not just familiar funk and soul sources, but some funky tracks from other surprising records too – presented together in a way that makes for a nice sense of variety, even while the cuts are all still staying in the groove! Titles include "Who Is She & What Is She To You" by Madelaine, "Golden Ring" by American Gypsy, "Just One Time" by Juicy Lucy, "Condor" by Geoff Love, "Steal Away" by Photoglo, "The One You Love" by Joey Newman, "Metropolis" by Walter Hawkins, "Happiness Is Just Around The Bend" by Main Ingredient, "Seacoast" by Archie Whitewater, and "Strange Games & Things" by Love Unlimited Orchestra. CD

A very groovy entry in this all-great series – a set of compilations that have been giving us really wonderful funk for many years, and which just seems to get better and better with each new entry! The tracks here are a hip mix of styles – not just familiar funk and soul sources, but some funky tracks from other surprising records too – presented together in a way that makes for a nice sense of variety, even while the cuts are all still staying in the groove! Titles include "Who Is She & What Is She To You" by Madelaine, "Golden Ring" by American Gypsy, "Just One Time" by Juicy Lucy, "Condor" by Geoff Love, "Steal Away" by Photoglo, "The One You Love" by Joey Newman, "Metropolis" by Walter Hawkins, "Happiness Is Just Around The Bend" by Main Ingredient, "Seacoast" by Archie Whitewater, and "Strange Games & Things" by Love Unlimited Orchestra. LP, Vinyl record album

Wicked tunes hand-picked by the Japanese maestro of the groove – a heady batch of tracks collected by Yukihiro Fukutomi, with a brilliant melding of jazz, soul, and Latin influences! The set compiles 10 tracks from American and European sources – and features many hard-to-find remixes that surfaced briefly on expensive singles, but which have long gone by the wayside – making this collection even more essential to fans of the groove. Fukutomi presents the tracks in their entirety, unmixed – and titles include "Don't Mean A Thing (Incognito mix)" by Space Jazz Dub Men, "I Got Somebody New (original)" by Georg Levin with Clara Hill, "Everything (Yam Who rmx)" by Dwayne Morgan, "Life Rhythms (Raw Deal rmx)" by E Smoove, "Dreams Come True (Afronaught mix for Bugz In The Attic)" by Alison David, "Listen (Just Listen Louie's Master mix)" by Urban Species, "Cosmic Gypsy (Fila Brazilia rmx)" by United Future Organization, "I Just Wanna Say (Domu's Number One Mix)" by Michelle Lawson, and "Cloud 9 (Quenti Harris Shelter mix)" by Donnie. CD

The brilliant return of one of our favorite funky series ever – filled with top-shelf rarities that represent the best of 70s rare groove and break tracks! It's been a long time since we last saw a volume of Strange Games, but this set shows that it's been more than worth the wait – as BBE have come up with a batch of tunes so great, they must have been working on this one for years! As with other volumes, the names are familiar, but the cuts are all surprisingly hard to find – and they're all hand-picked for their resonance with modern use of the material in hip hop and remix culture – an aspect that makes even obscure tunes echo with a strong familiarity because of a bassline or drum break! And as an added treat, the CD and vinyl both have the same number of tracks – an increasingly rare phenomenon these days – with titles that include "Love & Happiness" by Monty Alexander, "She's My Summer Breeze" by The Reflections, "Come Into My Life" by The Supremes, "LA Night" by Yasuko Agawa, "Looking Up To You" by Michael Wycoff, "Give Me Your Love" by Barbara Mason, "Inside Out" by American Gypsy, "You Are What I'm All About" by The New Birth, "Loving You" by Donald Byrd, "Porcupine" by Nature Zone, "Strange Funky Games & Things" by Jay Dee, "Do It Baby" by The Miracles, "California Dreaming" by Eddie Hazel, and "Reflections" by Bill Conti. LP, Vinyl record album

An all-star tribute to the great Curtis Mayfield – served up by a generation of artists who were influenced by his classic work! The set mixes soul singers and pop stars – in a really surprising lineup of tracks that includes "The Makings Of You" by Aretha Franklin, "Choice Of Colors" by Gladys Knight, "Gypsy Woman" by Bruce Springsteen, "I'm The One Who Loves You" by Stevie Wonder, "Woman's Got Soul" by BB King, "Keep On Pushin" by Tevin Campbell, "Fool For You" by The Impressions & Bradford Marsalis, "I'm So Proud" by The Isley Brothers, "Look Into Your Heart" by Whitney Houston, "Billy Jack" by Lenny Kravitz, "Amen" by Elton John & The Sounds Of Blackness, "If There's A Hell Below" by Narada Michael Walden, and "Let's Do It Again" by The Repercussions and Curtis Mayfield himself! Cassette

The Brazilia here is very "virtual" – in that it drops in for a visit to touch each track with a slight Brazilian influence, but mostly leaves things to stay in a relatively modern and electronic groove. The set's similar to titles like Break N Bossa or Gluchlich III – and it features work from some of the same artists. Titles include "La Jardin Secret" by Jazzanova, "Luna Di Miele (VM is mix)" by Piero Umiliani, "Chips & Samba" by Miguel Migs, "Rain 4 Rent" by Rain 4 Rent, "Prince Charles' Latest Affair" by Mo Horizons, "Sao Paolo" by J Davis, "Noite Sossegada De Varaeo" by Caspian, "Bengele" by Friends From Rio, "Cosmic Gypsy" by United Future Organization, "Cosinha II" by Dom Um Romao, and "Nota Bossa" by Funky Low Lives. 18 tracks in all. CD