One of the grooviest albums on the legendary International Artists label – a set that's as psychedelic and experimental as most of the others in the imprint, but also pretty darn tuneful as well! Golden Dawn have a nicely stretched-out approach to their music – one that lets the songs build up slowly, then really pack a punch as their catchier hooks come into play. There's a bit of a late 60s SF rock quality to the record – especially when the vocals get a bit wild – and the guitars ring out nicely with a great rough-edged sound. Titles include "Starvation", "This Way Please", "Evolution", "My Time", "A Nice Surprise", "Tell Me Why", "Reaching Out To You", and "Seeing Is Believing". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic first album of avant noise and psych from the Texas underground, featuring seminal early work by Mayo Thompson, and a mind-blasting set of tracks that mixes straight songs with the group's trademark "free form freak outs". Essential to anyone with even the slightest affinity for the true psychedelic 60s – and especially so for true lovers of the influential psych forbears! Titles of the songs include "Hurricane Fighter Plane", "Transparent Radition" (an all-time classic), "War Sucks", "Former Reflections Enduring Doubt", and "Pink Stainless Tail" – and each track is separated by a freakout! LP, Vinyl record album

Raw early genius from the 13th Floor Elevators – cut back at a time when the Texas combo were one of the hippest things going in the late 60s American underground! There's lots of sounds here that other cats would copy over the decades – but the record has a gritty brilliance that's way better than any of its many imitators – that kind of unique burst of new ideas and young energy that made psych so wonderful when it first emerged in remarkable moments like this! Roky Erickson is wonderful – and the record will definitely illustrate his genius way better than any later efforts to bear his own name in the lead – and the production is just the right blend of studio tricks and homegrown oddness to make the whole thing electrified throughout. Tracks include "Slip Inside This House", "Slide Machine", "Dust", "Earthquake", "Levitation", "Postures", "Baby Blue", and "Nobody To Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare early side of Miles Davis – recorded in postwar Paris in the company of Tadd Dameron! The group's a quintet – with Miles on trumpet and Tadd on piano – and although the overall vibe certainly shows a lot of bop generation spirit, there's also a strong indication of the deeper ideas that were already becoming a part of both artists' music. The group features some excellent work on tenor from James Moody – plus bass from Barney Spieler and drums from Kenny Clarke. Tunes include a fair bit of familiar numbers from the Charlie Parker camp – and titles include "Rifftide", "Good Bait", "Don't Blame Me", "Lady Bird", "Wah Hoo", "Allen's Alley", "Embraceable You", "Ornithology" and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

A breakout solo moment from the great Edwin Birdsong – an artist who participated in some of Roy Ayers great albums of the 70s, and who cut some great underground records of his own – but who finally got the chance to step into the limelight on this set for Philadelphia International! Birdsong's always been his own man – one of the quirkiest funk artists you'll ever find – and the set's got a very different vibe than anything else from the Gamble & Huff house of hits – mostly because Edwin produced and arranged the whole thing on his own. There's a few slight Roy Ayers touches at times – we sometimes think of Edwin as the Bootsy to Roy's George Clinton – and the rhythms have a nicely romping groove that's more Bohannon than the usual disco tracks. There's also some mellower numbers – like the great "Autumn Eyes" and "Lollipop (Slow)", both of which have a mellow Ayers steppin' groove – and other more upbeat titles include"Cola Bottle Baby", "Phiss Phizz", "Kunta Dance", "Goldmine", and "Freaky Deaky Sities". CD features lots of 12" single bonus tracks – "Phiss Phizz (12" disco)", "Lollipop (12" disco)", "Goldmine (12" disco)", "Freaky Deaky Sities (12" disco)", and "Kunta Dance (part 1)". CD

A fantastic mix of jazz and spoken word performance – delivered in a very righteous style that takes us back to the best vintage sides by artists like Wanda Robinson or Jayne Cortez! The words here are by Camae Ayewa – whose lyrics are as politically powerful as her presentation style – and the backing is by a superb quartet that features Keir Neuringer on alto, Aquiles Navarro on trumpet, Luke Stewart on bass, and Tcheser Holmes on drums – all musicians who really do a lot to contribute to the power of the spoken passages, but in a way that never overwhelms them! The instrumental sounds are as powerful as the lyrics – and together, they make for a record that would have been a shining jewel of the loft jazz generation, had it been recorded back in the day – but at a level that's even more incredible for a contemporary set. Titles include "Chicago To Texas", "Fireworks", "Projects", and "Enough". CD

A fantastic mix of jazz and spoken word performance – delivered in a very righteous style that takes us back to the best vintage sides by artists like Wanda Robinson or Jayne Cortez! The words here are by Camae Ayewa – whose lyrics are as politically powerful as her presentation style – and the backing is by a superb quartet that features Keir Neuringer on alto, Aquiles Navarro on trumpet, Luke Stewart on bass, and Tcheser Holmes on drums – all musicians who really do a lot to contribute to the power of the spoken passages, but in a way that never overwhelms them! The instrumental sounds are as powerful as the lyrics – and together, they make for a record that would have been a shining jewel of the loft jazz generation, had it been recorded back in the day – but at a level that's even more incredible for a contemporary set. Titles include "Chicago To Texas", "Fireworks", "Projects", and "Enough". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the crowning achievements of People's Choice – a very hip group on the Philly scene, but one who spent most of their early years just releasing excellent (but under-circulated) 7" singles! By the time they arrived at the Philadelphia International label, the group was razor-sharp, and right at the top of their game – schooled in funk and soul, and almost more self-contained than some of the other artists who worked with Gamble & Huff! The set was recorded at Sigma Sound, but has a leaner sound than some of the disco productions of the time – more funky soul, turned towards a 70s club mode – with excellent vocals from Valerie Brown, who shares lead spotlight with longtime group member Frankie Brunson. Titles include the nice mellow stepper "Soft & Tender", plus "Rough Ride", "Stay With Me", "A Greater Truth", "Your Love Stays On My Mind", and "Turn Me Loose". CD features bonus tracks – "Turn Me Loose (12" disco version)", "Rough Ride (single)", and "Turn Me Loose (single)". CD

Killer sounds from a legendary label – a famous east coast imprint that was equally great at disco and funk – and who could do an especially great job of fusing both of them together! De-Lite is best known as the initial home of Kool & The Gang, but the label also had an array of fantastic funk acts who were every bit as great – and every bit as well-skilled on funky instrumentation! De-Lite artists always had a way of being razor sharp, but never sounding too slick or smooth – as you'll hear in this excellent collection of cuts that includes "Funky Granny" by Everyday People, "Can You Feel It (part 1)" by Rhythm Makers, "Never Gonna Let You Go" by Made In The USA, "Maybe If I Leave You" by Richmond International, "Far Out" by Crown Heights Affair, "Casanova" by Coffee, "I Believe In Music" by Kay-Gees, "Can You Do It On Skates" by Citi, "Give The Gift Of Music" by Motivation, "Mighty Body" by Leon Bryant, "Never Get Enough Of Your Love" by Street People, "Woe Is Me" by The Dynamics, and "I Wanna Give You Tomorrow" by Benny Troy. CD

A whoppingly huge survey of the role of female talents in jazz – not just the usual singers who are so often put at the foreground of the female jazz canon, but also a range of instrumentalists and female jazz groups – all pulled together here in material from the earliest days of jazz on up to the start of the 60s! The package features one full disc on piano players – 23 tracks by artists as diverse as Joyce Collins, Jutta Hipp, Terry Pollard, Toshiko Akioshi, Lil Armstrong, Mary Lou Williams, Dorothy Donegan, and Patti Brown – a very well-selected batch that includes some great surprises! The next disc features musicians on a range of instruments – from trumpeter Clora Bryant, to organist Shirley Scott, alto saxophonist Vi Redd, harpist Dorothy Ashby, and trombonist Melba Liston – plus some more obscure names as well! The last CD is a great overview of all-girl bands, with an especially strong focus on the swing years – with work by The Hip Chicks, Ina Ray Hutton, Ivy Benton, Mary Lou Williams, Beryl Booker, and The International Sweethearts Of Rhythm. As usual with Disques Fremeaux, the package is huge – 70 titles in all, plus detailed notes in French and English! CD

Not the usual Nigerian funk collection you might expect – as the music here is from the years before Fela Kuti and other artists exploded onto international 70s fame – and instead, come from a time where the Nigerian scene was busy drinking up influences from a range of other cultures too! As a result, there's a fair bit of Latin and Caribbean elements at play – a bit of that Cuban influence that touched West African music so strongly in the 60s, and other post-colonial elements too – all mixed with regional styles that provide a very particular flavor – on tracks that are heavy on rhythms, jazzy inflections, and lots of great work on electric guitar and horns! The package is the first we've really seen to give this period its due – and the set is presented with the usual stunning Soul Jazz Approach – very detailed notes, and a superb track list that includes "Ariwo" by Chris Ajilo & His Cubanos, "Lumumba Calypso" by EC Arinze, "Save For A Rainy Day" by Sammy Akpabot & His All Stars, "You Cheat Me" by Godwin Omobuwa & His Soundmakers, "Omo Alara" by IK Dairo & His Blue Spots, "Owo Ni Fari" by Heavy Haruna Ishola & His Group, "Cool Cats Invitation" by Victor Ola-Lya & His Cool Cats, and "Baby I Tire" by Charles Iwegbue & His Archibogs. LP, Vinyl record album

Some folks might associate Philadelphia soul with the famous Gamble & Huff productions of the 70s disco years – but the city was already overflowing with great music in the years before Philadelphia International – as you'll hear in this totally groovy set! Philly was making as much great soul music in the 60s as Detroit, Chicago, and New York – thanks to an earlier musical framework that was set up by the city's big pop hits of the late 50s – which provided plenty of labels, studios, and other facilities for Philly's ever-growing array of soul talents, too – so much so that by the end of the 60s, the city was turning into a destination for singers outside of town – almost as much of a musical magnet as studios in Memphis or Muscle Shoals! This set does a great job of bringing together both aspects of that scene – wonderful homegrown talent, mixed with outsiders to really took off in the new Philly sound of the 60s – a joyous, positive, upbeat approach that worked wonderfully well for a variety of artists. Titles include "Your Fool Still Loves You" by Oscar Weathers, "It's All Over But The Shouting" by George Tindley, "You've Been Untrue" by The Delfonics, "Ain't Nothing But A House Party" by The Show Stoppers, "Peace To You Brother" by Lou Johnson, "Christine" by Executive Suite, "Help Me" by Honey & The Bees, "You Got What I Need" by Freddie Scott, "Rainmaker" by The Moods, "Keep On Striving" by Moses Smith, "That's The Price You Have To Pay" by Brenda & The Tabulations, "What You Gave Up" by The Continental 4, "Every Day Is A Holiday" by The Intruders, "Standing In The Darkness" by The Ethics, and "Girl You're Too Young" by Len Barry. CD

One of the best collections of music from Mali that we've ever heard – and a set that nicely gets past some of the overdone cliches of that scene, to really focus on the kind of overlooked 70s gems that showcase sides of the music that are funky, jazzy, and plenty soulful throughout! There's a fast-flowing vibe here that's linked a lot more closely to Nigerian sounds of the 70s than you might expect – music that's different than some of the bluer tones of bigger Malian artists that get more global exposure – and which showcase a huge explosion of sounds during one of the nation's most fervent cultural moments! The focuses on music that's upbeat, righteous, and plenty positive – work from some of the best groups on the scene of the time, who were urging each other on to find newly joyous means of expression. Titles include "Fama Allah" by Idrissa Soumaoro Et L'Eclipse De L'Ija, "Fadinga Kouma" by Zani Diabate Et Let Super Djata Band, "Komangi Bela" by Alou Vane & Daouda Sangare, "Mandjou" by Salif Keita & Ambassadeurs International, "Moudilo" by Rail BAnd, "Mangan" by Super Tentemba Jazz, "Yayoroba" by Sory Bamba, "Worodara" by Super Djata BAnd, "M'Bouram Mousso" by Les Ambassadeurs Du Motel De Bamako, and "Nissodia" by Idrissa Soumaoro Et L'Eclipse De L'Ija. LP, Vinyl record album

The 12" single is a format that only makes a good thing better – as it often allows for a bit more space to let a track open up, especially when in the hands of the right producer! The 31 tracks on this set are a perfect illustration of that fact – as they represent a huge wave of 12" single releases from the early years of the format – mostly tracks by bigger artists of the time, but served up here in versions that really top the album versions and the smaller 7" single takes. Almost all the selections here are mixes done for the 12" vinyl format at the time – and they work together wonderfully in a selection of grooves from labels that include Columbia, Epic, and Philadelphia International. Tracks include "Bourgie Bourgie (12" version)" by Gladys Knight & The Pips, "Blame It On The Boogie (12" single version)" by The Jacksons, "Vertigo/Relight My Fire (12" version)" by Dan Hartman with Loleatta Holloway, "Boogie Wonderland (12" version)" by Earth Wind & Fire, "I Love Music (12" version)" by The O'Jays, "Boogie Nights (12" single)" by Heatwave, "Native New Yorker (12" disco)" by Odyssey, "Love Magic (12" version)" by John Davis & The Monster Orchestra, "Disco Nights (12" disco version)" by GQ, "Lovin Is Really My Game (12" version)" by Brainstorm, "Gotta Go Home (ext version)" by Boney M, "No One Home (12" version)" by Lalo Schifrin, "Shame (12" version)" by Evelyn Champagne King, "Let's Love Tonight (12" version)" by Gary's Gang, "Dance Little Lady Dance (12" version)" by Tina Charles, "TSOP (special 12" version)" by MFSB with Three Degrees, "That Lady (parts 1 & 2)" by The Isley Brothers, "Was That All It Was (12" version)" by Jean Carn, "How's Your Love Life Baby (special 12" version)" by Jackie Moore, "I've Got The Next Dance (12" disco)" by Deniece Williams, and "Star Love (disco version)" by Cheryl Lynn. CD

Sparkling modern soul from the lovely Phyllis Hyman – and an album that has the singer picking up the wonderfully smooth groove that had become the Philly International sound of the mid 80s. This format works surprisingly well for Phyllis – quite possibly more so than it did even for longer-running artists on the label – as it gives her a great showcase for the more sophisticated and adult sort of themes that were really emerging in her music, the kind of classy soul that Hyman helped forge strongly at the time. Titles include the great numbers "Old Friend", "Ain't You Had Enough Love", "If You Want Me", "Living All Alone", and a nice version of "What You Won't Do For Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal album from the great Patti Labelle – a set that allowed the singer to mature strongly and find her own voice away from the funky, rockish style of Labelle – this sophisticated style that marked a whole new level of the singer's career! The Philly International label turned out to be a perfect setting for Patti – as they too were also growing past some of their earlier styles – moving past the chart soul of the 70s, and some of their bigger disco hits – and finding just the right place to allow their artists to keep on growing strongly over the years. The album's an all-adult affair – no clunky commercial moments at all, and instead this great blend of jazzy currents and sophisticated soul – all handled with the excellent second generation Philly International approach! Titles include "I'm In Love Again", "Love Lives", "Love Need & Want You", "I'll Never Never Give You Up", "If Only You Knew", "Body Language", and "When Am I Gonna Find True Love". CD

One of the best collections of music from Mali that we've ever heard – and a set that nicely gets past some of the overdone cliches of that scene, to really focus on the kind of overlooked 70s gems that showcase sides of the music that are funky, jazzy, and plenty soulful throughout! There's a fast-flowing vibe here that's linked a lot more closely to Nigerian sounds of the 70s than you might expect – music that's different than some of the bluer tones of bigger Malian artists that get more global exposure – and which showcase a huge explosion of sounds during one of the nation's most fervent cultural moments! The focuses on music that's upbeat, righteous, and plenty positive – work from some of the best groups on the scene of the time, who were urging each other on to find newly joyous means of expression. Titles include "Fama Allah" by Idrissa Soumaoro Et L'Eclipse De L'Ija, "Fadinga Kouma" by Zani Diabate Et Let Super Djata Band, "Komangi Bela" by Alou Vane & Daouda Sangare, "Mandjou" by Salif Keita & Ambassadeurs International, "Moudilo" by Rail BAnd, "Mangan" by Super Tentemba Jazz, "Yayoroba" by Sory Bamba, "Worodara" by Super Djata BAnd, "M'Bouram Mousso" by Les Ambassadeurs Du Motel De Bamako, and "Nissodia" by Idrissa Soumaoro Et L'Eclipse De L'Ija. CD