The lone album from the Bubble Puppy – a monumental effort of late 60s hard grooving psychedelia – and one of very best albums to come out of the original Texas psych scene! A couple of the Pup's labelmates at United Artists get a lot of revelry all these years later, and rightfully so – who would argue the importance of The Red Krayola and 13th Floor Elevators – but Bubbly Puppy deserve to be on that top shelf, too. The sound is tight and hard hitting, with trippy lyricism and groovy group harmonies, while the guitars range from cathartic fuzz to some surprisingly pretty melodicism. Not as far out as some of their peers, but the groove is absolutely killer. Titles include the benchmark single "Hot Smoke And Sasafrass", plus "Todd's Tune", "I've Got To Reach You", "Lonely", "Hurry Sundown", "Elizabeth", "It's Safe To Say", "Beginning" and much more. 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

A brilliant set on the legendary International Artists label – a very Love-like record that's filled with colorful tunes – from Houston's Lost & Find, who fit in beautifully with other Texas psyche pioneers of the mid-to-late 60s! Both the vocals and the overall timing of the tunes clearly draw strong inspiration from Love's first few Elektra albums – but that's not a problem for us, because we love that stuff, and really appreciate Lost & Found's take on Arthur Lee's inspiration – one that pushes it a bit into the trippier Texas style psyche and others from the International Artists Roster. Titles include "Everybody's Here", "Forever Lasting Plastic Words","Zig Zag Blues", "I'm So Hip To Pain", "I Realize", "2 Stroke Blues", "Let Me Be" and "Living Eye". 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

Incredible work from the legendary Lee Hazlewood – music and images that blow away his previous generation of creation for MGM, Mercury, and Warner Brothers – served up here in a package that really captures all the genius of Hazlewood during these amazing years! The package features this incredible material on 8LPs and 4CDs, 107 tracks of music on each format – with every single album track, 45 cut, and unreleased masters that Lee Hazlewood recorded for his own LHI imprint (including the full albums Cowboy In Sweden, Cowboy & The Lady, and Requiem For An Almost Lady) – plus all the key tracks from LHI artists like International Submarine Band, Sanford Clark, Honey LTD, Lynn Castle, Hamilton Streetcar, and many others – including 14 unreleased tracks. Then, you also get this incredible 172 page hardcover book – as big as a giant LP box, with rare photos, liner notes, history, Lee Hazelwood timeline, and lots lots more. Then, you get the totally great film Cowboy In Sweden on a DVD – a rare 1970, hour-long film done by Lee in Sweden. The looooong awaited vinyl includes 8LPs AND 4CDs – 107 tracks in each format, and as an additional bonus, a 24" X 36" poster. Amazing! LP, Vinyl record album

A really majestic live set from Billy Paul – recorded in the UK at the height of his greatest fame – but in a way that features plenty of longer tracks that really let Billy stretch out and do his thing! Given this expanded setting, there's a surprisingly righteous feel to most numbers – a sound that continues the groove of Going East and War Of The Gods, and also features a bit more of Paul's presence as an entertainer on the stage. The album's a beautiful illustration of the fact that Billy was easily one of the hippest artists working for Philadelphia during the early days – and it offers up some tremendous transformations of the tunes "Thanks For Saving My Life", "Your Song", "Me & Mrs. Jones", "War Of The Gods", and "Brown Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

Lost soul from a massively overlooked source – the mighty LA indie Double Shot Records, best known for their fuzzy rock classics, but also a hotbed of tripped-out soul! Given that Double Shot's 2 biggest artists of the late 60s were Count Five ("Psychotic Reaction") and Brenton Wood ("Oogum Boogum Song"), you can imagine that the label would be equally well suited to handle mod 60s guitars and sweet soul vocals – and on most of the tracks on this set, you'll be hearing them at the same time! The set's a really massive batch of tunes – a wonderful discovery to our ears, as we'd only ever heard the odd rare single on the label, and had no idea that there was so much great work – nor that it would sound so great! The CD features a total of 26 tracks in all, pulled from the Double Shot singles of the late 60s – with tracks that include "Push Me Baby" and "Jelly" by The Bagdads, "What Is Soul" and "The International Love Song" by The Real Thing, "Four Piece Funky Nitty Gritty Junky Band" and "Everybody's Got A Hang Up" by Bobby Freeman, "Gotta Keep Talkin" and "Coming In Out Of The Rain" by Maurice Rodgers, "The Neck" and "Trouble" by Kent & The Candidates, "Sugar Sugar" by Shirley, and "Trouble" by Foxy. CD

Maybe our favorite volume so far in this excellent series – a set that focuses on early 60s work from South Africa, with a vibe that really showcases that great sound that would soon explode globally – as artists like Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba got wider exposure! Yet the music here is hardly as commercial as sounds from those two – as the overall production and presentation is nice and rootsy – lively rhythms topped with jazzy instrumentation and these especially wonderful vocals that dip, turn, soar, and fly – all at a level that would become cliche in the world music boom decades later, but which still sounds beautiful here at the roots. All tracks were hand-picked from the archives of the International Library Of African Music – and titles include "Nylon" and "Intogeymy" by The Lower Buttons, "Seven Stiches" and "Rock Phata 1001" by Kid Ma Wrong Wrong, "Lulu Part 4" by Bra Sello, "Mangothobane" and "Wamuhle Lomfana" by Flying Jazz Queens, "Kudala Ngizula" by Cowboy Superman & His Cowboy Sisters, and "Nice Time" by Que Sisters. LP, Vinyl record album

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

One of the greatest soundtracks of the 60s – and a crowning moment of international fame for French composer Michel Legrand! Legrand already had plenty of records under his belt by the time he scored this great film – a heist movie with Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway – and he brings all that experience to bear in his music here – with sounds that run from jazzy groovers to bossa instrumentals to a few vocal numbers that are completely sublime, and which show his music works equally well in English as it does in French! Noel Harrison sings the landmark "Windmills Of Your Mind", and Legrand himself sings on the killer "His Eyes Her Eyes" – both of which get instrumental versions as well – and other instrumental tracks include "The Chess Game", "Playing The Field", "The Boston Wrangler", "Doubting Thomas", "The Crowning Touch", and "Room Service". Plus, this CD features loads of unheard bonus tracks – and includes not just the 13 track album, but also 19 more titles from the original film score! CD

A nice EP from French producer and beatmaker Onra! Onra is one of finer producer/artists on the international scene combining a love for 80s electro, synth funk and boogie soul with an overall vibe that's right at home here in the post-millennium. This material here is among his best, too –bringing in some noirish 80s soundtrack influences – and again, making it sound timeless. Includes "After Hours" with T3, "LOVE", "Somewhere Deep In The Night", "VBB" fet Jaykin & Amalia, "Hold Tight" and "After Hours (Instrumental)". LP, Vinyl record album

The Wicked Pickett takes his groove up to Philly – and comes up with a whole new sound in the process – a raw new style for the 70s, and one that's almost even more compelling than his Muscle Shoals groove! The album was recorded at the early Sigma Sound studios in Philly – and features arrangements from Bobby Martin, Lenny Pakula, and Roland Chambers – all artists who really help bring in a northern vibe to Pickett's music, yet still let those amazingly raw vocals do their thing! In a way, it's this mix of raw and smooth that almost sets the scene for Philly International gems to come a few years later – especially since a lot of the tunes are penned by Gamble & Huff – and instrumentation is provided by Thom Bell on organ, Norman Harris and Bobby Eli on guitars, Ronnie Baker on bass, Earl Young on drums, and Vince Montana on vibes and percussion. Titles include "Days Go By", "Run Joey Run", "Help The Needy", "Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You", "Ain't No Doubt About It", "Come Right Here", and the classic 2-part track "Get Me Back On Time, Engine Number 9". LP, Vinyl record album

Wicked work from Dexter Wansel – a funky classic for Philly International, put together with just the sort of care he brought to his albums for other artists! The album's a bit more straight Philly than some of Dexter's earlier records – a bit less of the cosmic funk from before, but in its place are some amazing jazzy backings – modern soul galore, with key adult touches – completely sublime throughout, and wrapped up with more great keyboards than you're likely to find on other Philly albums! The album features a killer cut – "The Sweetest Pain", a smooth stepper with some subtle keyboard grooving behind warm female vocals by Terri Wells – and other great tracks include "Funk Attack", "New Beginning", "One For the Road", "It's Been Cool", and "I'll Never Forget My Favorite Disco". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive overview of one of the longest-running house labels from Chicago – the crucial Dance Mania imprint, second only to Trax and DJ International for its huge run of talent! Dance Mania came into being a few years into the first wave of Chicago house, but also kept its dedication to the underground for a lot longer, too – and really helped a tremendous amount of young artists to hit the studio and get their chance at turning out a groove! The label was housed in the upstairs of Barney's Records – an important west side record store and one-stop – and it dedicated itself to tracks that were maybe a bit faster, simpler, and more direct than some of the other house in Chicago at the time – often with a great style of stripping things down to all their best elements, yet still keeping things warm and soulful overall. The package features great notes on the label – and on the great Ray Barney himself (we miss your store, Ray!) – and titles include "7 Ways (club)" by Hercules, "Crazy Wild" by Club Style, "Love Will Find A Way (club)" by Victor Romeo, "Toxic Waste (club)" by Tim Harper, "I'm So Deep" by Vincent Floyd, "Falling (Armando's house mix)" by 326, "Da Bomb" by DJ Deeon, "Ghetto Shout Out" by Parris Mitchell, "Hit It From The Back" by Traxmen & Eric Martin, "The Original Video Clash – Video Class 2 (street mix)" by DJ Funk, "Feel My MF Bass" by Paul Johnson, and "Work Out" by Top Cat. 2CD set features 24 tracks in all! CD

Maybe our favorite volume so far in this excellent series – a set that focuses on early 60s work from South Africa, with a vibe that really showcases that great sound that would soon explode globally – as artists like Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba got wider exposure! Yet the music here is hardly as commercial as sounds from those two – as the overall production and presentation is nice and rootsy – lively rhythms topped with jazzy instrumentation and these especially wonderful vocals that dip, turn, soar, and fly – all at a level that would become cliche in the world music boom decades later, but which still sounds beautiful here at the roots. All tracks were hand-picked from the archives of the International Library Of African Music – and titles include "Nylon" and "Intogeymy" by The Lower Buttons, "Seven Stiches" and "Rock Phata 1001" by Kid Ma Wrong Wrong, "Lulu Part 4" by Bra Sello, "Mangothobane" and "Wamuhle Lomfana" by Flying Jazz Queens, "Kudala Ngizula" by Cowboy Superman & His Cowboy Sisters, and "Nice Time" by Que Sisters. CD

The Wicked Pickett takes his groove up to Philly – and comes up with a whole new sound in the process – a raw new style for the 70s, and one that's almost even more compelling than his Muscle Shoals groove! The album was recorded at the early Sigma Sound studios in Philly – and features arrangements from Bobby Martin, Lenny Pakula, and Roland Chambers – all artists who really help bring in a northern vibe to Pickett's music, yet still let those amazingly raw vocals do their thing! In a way, it's this mix of raw and smooth that almost sets the scene for Philly International gems to come a few years later – especially since a lot of the tunes are penned by Gamble & Huff – and instrumentation is provided by Thom Bell on organ, Norman Harris and Bobby Eli on guitars, Ronnie Baker on bass, Earl Young on drums, and Vince Montana on vibes and percussion. Titles include "Days Go By", "Run Joey Run", "Help The Needy", "Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You", "Ain't No Doubt About It", "Come Right Here", and the classic 2-part track "Get Me Back On Time, Engine Number 9". CD

A massive overview of one of the longest-running house labels from Chicago – the crucial Dance Mania imprint, second only to Trax and DJ International for its huge run of talent! Dance Mania came into being a few years into the first wave of Chicago house, but also kept its dedication to the underground for a lot longer, too – and really helped a tremendous amount of young artists to hit the studio and get their chance at turning out a groove! The label was housed in the upstairs of Barney's Records – an important west side record store and one-stop – and it dedicated itself to tracks that were maybe a bit faster, simpler, and more direct than some of the other house in Chicago at the time – often with a great style of stripping things down to all their best elements, yet still keeping things warm and soulful overall. The package features great notes on the label – and on the great Ray Barney himself (we miss your store, Ray!) – and titles include "7 Ways (club)" by Hercules, "Crazy Wild" by Club Style, "Love Will Find A Way (club)" by Victor Romeo, "Toxic Waste (club)" by Tim Harper, "I'm So Deep" by Vincent Floyd, "Falling (Armando's house mix)" by 326, "Da Bomb" by DJ Deeon, "Ghetto Shout Out" by Parris Mitchell, "Hit It From The Back" by Traxmen & Eric Martin, "The Original Video Clash – Video Class 2 (street mix)" by DJ Funk, "Feel My MF Bass" by Paul Johnson, and "Work Out" by Top Cat. 2LP set features the full CD – plus 12 tracks on vinyl. LP, Vinyl record album

A much-needed look at a scene that's hardly ever gotten its due – and a wealth of beautiful jazz tracks from our brothers to the north! Canada's always done a better job of supporting its artists with national assistance than the US – so it's no surprise that some of the best jazz recordings of the Canadian scene come from the archives of it's state-owned broadcasting company – a key force in supporting great music of all types, but especially important here when it comes to jazz! The work on the set is all hand-picked by John Kong – of both the Do Right label, and the international groove underground – and it's all chosen with an ear towards the kind of older jazz tracks that are playing big on the international scene these days. Think of the inspiration for Schema, or the jazz tracks selected by Gilles Peterson, and you'll have a great idea of the grooves on this set! Titles include "Star Of India" by Electric Ninja Group, "Saphir" by Nick Ayoub, "Ready Or Not" by Kathryn Moses, "Lawrence Of Arabia" by Fred Stone, "Voices" by Al Michalek Quartet, "Consuelo" by Pierre Nadeau Trio, "The Family" by Billy Robinson, and "Soya" by Pierre Leduc. CD

Incredible work from the legendary Lee Hazlewood – music and images that blow away his previous generation of creation for MGM, Mercury, and Warner Brothers – served up here in a package that really captures all the genius of Hazlewood during these amazing years! The package features 4CDs, 107 tracks of music – 2CDs that include every single album, 45, and unreleased masters that Lee Hazlewood recorded for his own LHI imprint (including the full albums Cowboy In Sweden, Cowboy & The Lady, and Requiem For An Almost Lady) – 2 more CDs that feature all the key tracks from LHI artists like International Submarine Band, Sanford Clark, Honey LTD, Lynn Castle, Hamilton Streetcar, and many others – including 14 unreleased tracks. Then, you also get this incredible 172 page hardcover book – as bit as a giant LP box, with rare photos, liner notes, history, Lee Hazelwood timeline, and lots lots more. Then, you get the totally great film Cowboy In Sweden on a DVD – a rare 1970, hour-long film done by Lee in Sweden. And this special box also features a flexi-disc of rare studio chatter from Lee – and even a reproduction of his business card as well! CD

A nice mid 80s groover from Paul Laurence for Capitol – whose biggest successes, arguably, were in his services as a songwriter and producer for other artists – making a pretty great case for his own work as a headline act on Haven't You Heard! May may not have heard it, actually, but it's well worth checking out. The sound is blueprint 80s synth soul on one level, but the melodies really soar here, and the songs are strong and hit-worthy. Paul's a solid singer, too. You should hear this! Tiles include "Strung Out", "She's Not A Sleaze" (with Freddie Jackson & Lillo Thomas), "You Hooked Me", "I'm Sensitive", "Haven't You Heard" and more. This FTG edition has 4 bonus tracks: "Strung Out (International Version)", "She's Not A Sleaze (Extended Version)", "Strung Out (Extended Dance Mix) and "You Hooked Me (Single Version)". CD

The one and only album from Linda Martell – one of the first African-American women to dip into the genre of country music! The album's got a pretty straight country feel overall – none of the country soul you might hear from deep soul singers of the time – or those later modes that artists like Millie Jackson picked up in the 70s. But the set was also recorded as part of the SSS International family of labels headed by Shelby Singleton – who also cut a fair bit of soul music at the time – often blending modes, musicians, and songs on the Nashville scene of the time. The best example of that approach here is Linda's excellent remake of "Color Him Father" – first made famous by The Winstons – done as a sweet-stepping number with a very different feel than the original. Other tracks include "The Wedding Cake", "Before The Next Teardrop Falls", "Old Letter Song", and "Tender Leaves Of Love". CD

An essential look at the mid-to-late 60s soul and R&B music coming from the family of labels headed by Bob Robin – wonderful New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Muscle Shoals recordings released on the International City, River City and Rai imprints by George & Lee, Carolyn Porter, Senator Jones, Gerri Hall, Chick Carbo, Tommy Ridgley, Robert Parker, Wayman Dixon, Bobby Marchan, Lee Tillman and George Perkins! The set's remarkable for a few reasons. For one, it pulls together stellar period southern R&B that could have gotten over big anywhere in the country if the word got out of area – wonderful stuff with a homebase of New Orleans, but not so much in a precise Crescent City mold. It also features artists we don't see compiled very often, if at all, which is also exciting. Lastly, it's simply great stuff that deserves an audience, then and now! 40 tracks on 2CDs, a number of which were previously unreleased: "Nobody But You", by George & Lee, "Country Soul" by Senator Jones, "My Love Gets Stronger" by Tommy Ridgely, "I Cried A Tear" by Gerri Hall",, "When The Wind Blows In Chicago" by Chick Carbo, "The Man I'm Looking For" by Carolyn Porter, "My Broken Heart" by Wayman Dixon, "Better World" by Lee Tillman, "Wash Mama Wash" by Robert Parker, "Any Way You Want It" by Bobby Marchan and more. CD