(Note: This item is not for sale online until 7:00am on Sunday, April 21. It is in limited supply – and by nature of the Record Store Day rules it will be offered for sale first to customers who visit the Dusty Groove retail outlet in Chicago the morning of Saturday, April 20. It will not be pre-sold or reserved in any way. However, after 7:00am on April 21 we will offer up whatever we have left for sale online.) LP, Vinyl record album

A great little collection that's maybe the opposite of the long-running tradition of "desert island discs" – in that the music here is hardly essential, but would be plenty of fun to hear if you were trapped alone with nowhere else to go! Think of the set as the darker side of exotica at the end of the 50s – a spot where tropical sounds mix with Latin rhythms and some rockish touches too – material from the years before surf guitars were really hitting the mainstream, but older modes were being infused with a bit of electricity and new modes of production – all in ways that make for some very cool cuts collected in the set! The package brings together rare singles from a variety of sources – and titles include "Jivaro" by Harvey Anderson, "Babalu" by Phyllis Branch, "The Lonely Sea" by Rick & Trisha, "Strictly Polynesian" by Davy Jones & The Dolphins, "Midnight" by Hank Levine, "Bongo Heat" by Coral & The South Seas, "Martinique" by Ty & Ed, "Atlantis" by Blue Bells, "Rumba Rhapsody" by Hector Cari & The Dancing Strings, "Ho Ba La La" by Dariel Kay, and "Miserlou" by Vitin Aviles Y Su Orquesta. LP, Vinyl record album

An incredibly evocative record – one of the strangest of its kind, and an audio treasure that we've loved for years! Eden Ahbez first came into public prominence as the man who wrote "Nature Boy" for Nat King Cole – a dark, moody tune that was as mysterious and earthy as the man who wrote it! This album was recorded nearly a decade after Cole's original hit, and features Ahbez almost in Moondog-like territory – working in an amazing setting of odd instruments and exotic percussion – but also singing in this almost spiritualist kind of way! The record's got plenty of ties to the exotica scene of the late 50s – but also stand out from the pack with a mad vision that's all its own – a strange intersection of lines that one might draw between Moondog, Martin Denny, and Anton La Vey! Tracks include "The Wanderer", "Eden's Island", "Tradewind", "Full Moon", "Mongoose", "Market Place", "The Old Boat", "Island Girl" and "La Mar". Great expanded package – with bonus tracks that include the unreleased "Surf Rider", plus "The Wanderer (alt)", "Tobago (45 rpm mix)", "Jam Session 78", "India (demo)", "Big Square From Nowhere", and "The Planet Song". Also includes related tracks "Sahara" by Bob Romeo, "Song Of The Fool" by The Crew Cuts, "End Of Desire" by Jack Powers, "The Shepherd" by Herb Jeffries, "Hey Jacque" by The Mt Holyoke V8s, "Monterey (alt version)" by John Harris, "Big Rock Steam Roller" by Biggie McFadden, "Green Flamingo" by Robbie Lester, and "Lonely Island" by Gene Chandler. LP, Vinyl record album

An incredibly evocative record – one of the strangest of its kind, and an audio treasure that we've loved for years! Eden Ahbez first came into public prominence as the man who wrote "Nature Boy" for Nat King Cole – a dark, moody tune that was as mysterious and earthy as the man who wrote it! This album was recorded nearly a decade after Cole's original hit, and features Ahbez almost in Moondog-like territory – working in an amazing setting of odd instruments and exotic percussion – but also singing in this almost spiritualist kind of way! The record's got plenty of ties to the exotica scene of the late 50s – but also stand out from the pack with a mad vision that's all its own – a strange intersection of lines that one might draw between Moondog, Martin Denny, and Anton La Vey! Tracks include "The Wanderer", "Eden's Island", "Tradewind", "Full Moon", "Mongoose", "Market Place", "The Old Boat", "Island Girl" and "La Mar". Great expanded package – with bonus tracks that include the unreleased "Surf Rider", plus "The Wanderer (alt)", "Tobago (45 rpm mix)", "Jam Session 78", "India (demo)", "Big Square From Nowhere", and "The Planet Song". Also includes related tracks "Sahara" by Bob Romeo, "Song Of The Fool" by The Crew Cuts, "End Of Desire" by Jack Powers, "The Shepherd" by Herb Jeffries, "Hey Jacque" by The Mt Holyoke V8s, "Monterey (alt version)" by John Harris, "Big Rock Steam Roller" by Biggie McFadden, "Green Flamingo" by Robbie Lester, and "Lonely Island" by Gene Chandler. LP, Vinyl record album

The trio of pianist Yasuhiro Kohno work here with a really wonderful "+ One" – the vibes of Mashiro Kanno, who really adds a heck of a lot to the long-flowing grace of the tunes in the set! The album's a live one, but it's got all the warmth and creative intimacy of the best Japanese piano dates of the 70s – a quality that has Kohno's group pushing the edges, but never going too far out – very different than a more conventional piano trio session, with a mixture of boldness and lyricism that keeps things wonderful throughout the set! Tracks are all nice and long, the group features work from Tsutomu Numakami on bass and Hironobu Fujisawa on drums – and titles include "Village Festival", "Mr Nilson", "Time For Peace", "Song Of Island", and a very groovy take on "Love For Sale". LP, Vinyl record album

A strong debut effort from one of the finer British roots acts – the mighty Aswad, a group who were big on the UK shores, but never got the same sort of international circulation as their peers Steel Pulse! Like many UK groups of the time, Aswad are nicely self-contained, different than the producer-driven aesthetic of Jamaican music – playing and writing their own material, and really coming across with a unified vibe as a result! Vocals and instrumentation are excellent throughout – and titles include "Can't Stand The Pressure", "Ethiopian Rhapsody", "I A Rebel Soul", "Natural Progression", "Red Up" "Ire Woman", and "Back To Africa". Features two bonus tracks – "Three Babylon", and "Three Babylon (dub mix)". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that really helped push guitarist Ronny Jordan over the top – a set that took that sharp, clean sound that made him the 90s heir to the funky Grant Green sound – and updated it nicely with some help from DJ Krush! The record is one of the most successful blends of jazz and hip hop from the time – one of the few that really gets things right, and which knows when to lean into soul as well – and is maybe a key part of an early legacy that would later flourish in Blue Note projects from artists like Madlib and Robert Glasper! Titles include the killer "The Jackal (the illest mix)", which has Dana Bryant delivering a very hip spoken part – plus "S**t Goes Down (but I phunked up mix)", "Love I Never Had It So Good", "Season For Change (dawn of the season mix)", "Bad Brother (how ya like my wheel mix)", and a great remake of "So What (tuff n smooth mix)". LP, Vinyl record album

A really funky set from the UK scene of the 70s – an album that mixes West African roots with some of the hipper elements going on in London at the time – a city where Remi Kabaka had been lending his talents to a variety of different records over the years! The set was issued by Island Records, and has the kind of cross-cultural groove the label did so well – and at some level, the record's sort of a second chapter in some of the African-influenced funk that was bubbling over on the London scene in the early 70s – maybe a bit sharper and tighter overall, but no less funky! The basslines are especially nice – nice and deep, with maybe an influence from Jamaican music, even though there's no reggae at all on the set. Titles include "Future Of 1000 Years", "All Black Festival", "African Hustle", "Blue Lagos", "Meteorite", "Sure Thing", and "Kabaka". LP, Vinyl record album

An Australian duo from the end of the 70s, and one who work here in a smooth blend of AOR and blue-eyed soul modes! The set's an obscure one, but it's got a sound to rival the best of the Cali scene of the time – and the pair also have a way of harmonizing and trading vocals that might also match Hall & Oates at their best – although with a stripped-down style that's more personal, and maybe even more compelling, given the indie vibe of the album! Instrumentation is lean, never too commercial, and there's some great keyboard lines too – all of which makes the whole thing a lost yacht rock treasure, with cuts that include "Cristobel", "Love Me Little Love Me Long", "Last Taste", "It's Alright", "Something New", and "Too Much Too Little Too Late". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from Kid Creole & The Coconuts – a mad mix of grooves with a very unique style! The album follows August Darnell's pattern of blending 20s retro styles with early 80s dancefloor trends, touched with elements of the exotic – in keeping with the record's title – but the set's also filled with tunes that show that Kid Creole had a more soulful side, with a lot more to offer than just a novelty act. Titles include "With A Girl Like Mimi", "Table Manners", "Dear Addy", "In The Jungle", "Going Places", "I Stand Accused", "Latin Music", and "Musica Americana". LP, Vinyl record album

The first Bob Marley album on Island Records – and the start of a really legendary run that would not only transform reggae in the 70s, but the rest of popular music as well! Chris Blackwell's partially at the helm on production, but the album was mostly recorded in classic Kingston studios – Randy's, Dynamic, and Harry J's – and retains the same vibe as some of Marley's earlier work, but with more of the forward-thinking vision he brought to his time at Island. Bunny Livingston lays down some excellent percussion on the set – and rhythm is from the team of Aston and Carlton Barrett on bass and drums. Titles include the classic "Stir It Up" – plus "Slave Driver", "Kinky Reggae", "High Tide Or Low Tide", and "Concrete Jungle". Very cool 3LP/12" edition – comes in a box, with new notes and rare photos! LP2 features a rare live set recorded in London at the Paris Theater in 1973. LP3 features more unreleased tracks – eight from the sessions, including Jamaican alternative and extended versions of "Slave Driver", "Stop That Train", "No More Trouble", "Stir It Up", "400 Years", and "High Tide Or Low Tide" – and the bonus 12" single features three more unreleased live tracks from 1973! LP, Vinyl record album

The incredible first album from Traffic – a record that was already way ahead of the pack, and would set the tone for so many other sounds and modes from others in years to come! At some level, the group were just coming off the big beat group years in the UK – that time of strong inspiration from American soul, jazz, and R&B – but they're already pushing all these elements in very different ways – certainly psychedelic, as you'd guess from the image on the cover – but also still holding onto a lot of the soul and jazz that first inspired them! To our ears, the reed work of Chris Woods is as important to the record as the Hammond from Steve Winwood, guitar from Dave Mason, and drums from Jim Capaldi – plus the vocals from all three – and in addition to the classic title cut "Mr Fantasy", other tunes include "Dealer", "House For Everyone", "Berkshire Poppies", "No Face No Name No Number", and "Coloured Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

A creative left turn for Waits – written for an ambitious theatrical project, which to a certain degree takes him into surprising new territory and is all the more exciting for it – but still comes through as great late Island-era Tom Waits album in its own light! The Black Rider stage work was written in collaboration with Waits, director Robert Wilson and William Burroughs, and while the songs have the overtures and shaggy orchestral flourishes inherent to and geared to theater, the songs are still so distinctively Waits-ian in all its woozy glory. Includes "November", "Just The Right Bullets", "Black Box Theme", "Russian Dance", "I'll Shoot The Moon", "Crossroads", "Ain't No Sin", "Lucky Day", " The Briar And The Rose" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the last couple of great records Waits made for Island, and a defining moment in his career! Leave it to Waits to cut a bunch of songs that wrestle with mortality and the fleeting nature of life head on, but have as much fun with it as he does worry or mourn. It's got some rumbling raw material as gritty as anything he'd recorded before or since, beautifully sung ballads and cool, creaky speak-singing tunes. Truly a signature effort and one for both the casual fans and Waits diehards. Includes the classic "I Don't Wanna Grow Up", "Earth Died Screaming" "Dirt In The Ground", "Such A Scream", "All Stripped Down", "Let Me Get Up On It", "Whistle Down The The Wind", "That Feel" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Tom Waits's follow-up to Rain Dogs – and a batch of songs that do double duty as a straight-up, stand alone record from his wild years at Island Records – and also as the musical accompaniment to a play he co-wrote with wife Kathleen Brennan! (As Chicagoans, we have a special fondness for that side of the project, since the play premiered here with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company.) It's a prime batch of Waits songcraft from this most amazing creative peak period – with the trademark gritty, howled vocals, primal drums, pre-rock horns. Titles include "More Than Rain", "Way Down In The Hole", "Straight To The Top", "Telephone Call From Istanbul", "Train Song", "Cold Cold Ground", "I'll Be Gone", "Yesterday Is Here", "Blow Wind Blow", and "Hang On St Christopher". LP, Vinyl record album

The biggest-label release ever cut by 70s funk legend Betty Davis – but a set that's every bit as hard and heavy as the indie dates that preceded it! Davis is at the top of her form here – bad-stepping amidst the heavy drums and freaked-out guitars that easily made her one of the funkiest folks working in the 70s – an artist who was definitely very much into her own bag, and who's only finally getting her due all these many years later! In a way, the groove is even leaner than before – especially the drums, which are turbocharged with energy, and set a badass vibe for the record throughout – mixing up equal parts of rock, funk, and soul – almost with the genre-busting modes that wouldn't really show up on the New York scene until a number of years later. The whole thing kicks ass – and titles include "Nasty Gal", "Talkin' Trash", "Dedicated To The Press", "FUNK", "Getting Kicked Off Havin Fun", "Shut Off The Light", "This Is It", "The Lone Ranger", and "Feelins". Great limited pressing of the classic – with liner notes, lyrics, and lots of cool photos! LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet UK compilation of some of Nick's best work – and covering the stylistic breadth of it – from the somewhat underappreciated studio band backed gems, to the stripped down and rawly intimate songcraft that cemented his incredible legacy. With the exception of a couple tracks from the posthumous Made To Love Magic collection, Treasury draws pretty equally from each of this iconic Island LPs – so nearly every track is purely classic – so the biggest and only flaw here is that it has 15 incredible tracks, rather than all of them! "River Man", "Cello Song", "Poor Boy", "Hazey Jane II", "Magic", "Place To Be", "From The Morning", "Fruit Tree", "Road", and "Way To Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

The record where it all really came together for Fairport Convention – the point at which the already-great group really stepped forward to become something totally unique! By this point all the key elements are firmly in place – sublime vocals from the great Sandy Denny, amazing guitar and songwriting from the young Richard Thompson, and an overall approach to the music that was way more than folk – in the way the elements are layered together carefully, and build in these hypnotic lines that are completely amazing – almost modal in conception, but much more subtle – and the quality that really makes their work so unique. Titles include "Genesis Hall", "Autopsy", "Cajun Woman", "Percy's Song", "Million Dollar Bash", and "Who Knows Where The Time Goes". LP, Vinyl record album

Bob Marley dubs from the Island vaults – most of which were never released in the album format before this set! It's very well done, with a tight collection of numbers that feature spaced out, tripped up and otherwise echoey, dubby versions of the iconic Marley songbook! The original versions are as classic as can be, so it's actually a pretty sweet, fresh surprise the have them compiled as top notch dubs all these years later. Includes "Roots, Rock, Dub", "Is This Love Dub", "Lively Up Your Dub", "Three Little Birds Dub", "Crazy Baldhead Dub", "Waiting In Vain Dub", "One Love/People Get Ready Dub", "She's Gone Dub", "Smile Jamaica Version" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best-selling albums ever from Bob Marley – a classic collection of work from his all-too-short career – and one that's gone onto become as famous as Marley's individual records themselves! The collection really allows all the classics to resonate strongly, in a track order that opens them up even more – and the package also features a live track, and a production with Lee Perry too. Titles include "Get Up Stand Up", "Exodus", "Stir It Up", "Easy Skanking", "No Woman No Cry (live)", "Punky Reggae Party", "Satisfy My Soul", and "Redemption Song". LP, Vinyl record album

A stone 70s classic in the Island Records catalog – proof that although the label was scoring big with some of their superstar acts, they still had a great ear out for groundbreaking reggae material! The mighty Max Romeo works here with Lee Scratch Perry in the studio – who gives him fantastic support, at a level that opens up really righteous currents in his music – a fantastic blend of the roots reggae spirit of Romeo and the studio genius of Perry! Romeo's soulful inflections matched perfectly to the dark, swampy Black Ark grooves – on titles that include "War Ina Babylon", "Chase The Devil", "Stealin'", "One Step Forward", "Smile Out Of Style", "Uptown Babies", "Tan And See", "Smokey Room", and "Norman". LP, Vinyl record album

The great Michael Smith departed this planet all too soon, yet managed to leave behind this righteous gem from the early 80s – a set that's got superb production from Dennis Bovell and Linton Kwesi Johnson, and a vibe that's very much like the best work of the latter! Smith's as much a poet as Johnson, but also works a lot more slang into his words – giving the record a very down to earth, on the streets sort of vibe – one that's certainly hinted at by the title. The production is great – clear and clean, yet never commercial – hardly the stuff of big reggae hits on Island at the time, with a selection of message-oriented tunes that include "Picture Or Picture", "Roots", "Mi Feel It", "Black N White", "It A Come", "Long Time", "Trainer"- and "Give Me A Little Dub Music". LP, Vinyl record album

It's been four years since Lewis Taylor's stunning debut album – but it's been worth the wait! Few recent singers have grabbed our attention so much – and we'd put Lewis into an "instant classic" soul category that would include the elite group of Omar, Monday Michiru, Jamiroquai, and Laurnea. The production on this album's a bit heavier than on his first one – with more beats creeping into the mix, and a bit more bass pumping up his voice – but this doesn't make Lewis falter a bit, as he holds it firm all the way through, with a vocal intensity that we wish was showing up in most of the chart soul these days! Titles include "Never Be My Woman", "You Make Me Wanna", "Lewis II", "Into You", "Blue Eyes", and "The Way You Done Me". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums from Tom Waits's peak years at Island – carrying on with the clattering, defiantly vintage-sounding instrumentation – especially given the obsessively modern production aesthetic on most major label albums in the mid 80s. This album also just so happens to feature at least a few of the best songs Waits ever wrote! Rain Dogs follows Swordfishtrombones, his first really drastic step into eccentrically gritty songs – and this one carries on that vibe, while also delivering some gritty ballads and a less out-there songs, too. Includes the much-loved (and deservedly so) "Downtown Train", "Singapore", "Clap Hands", "Tango Till They're Sore", "Hang Down Your Head", "Time", "Rain Dogs", "Gun Street Girl", "Walking Spanish" LP, Vinyl record album

One of best ever albums by Tom Waits – the beginning of his gutbuckety, Americana Carnivalesque era of dreamlike sinister romance and lovelorn surrealism! The tin pan piano ballads and get pushed a bit to the wayside for Tom's more mysterious and poetic side, and this begins one of the great second acts in pop/rock history. Includes the tracks "Underground", Shore Leave", "Dave The Butcher", "16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought-Six", "Franks Wild Years", "Down, Down, Down", "Rainbirds", "Just Another Sucker On The Vine", "Town With No Cheer, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

The final album from Betty Davis – and a killer cap to her stunning run of female funk classics in the 70s! The album was recorded at the end of the decade, but has a sharpness that's every bit as great as her earlier work for the Island and Just Sunshine labels – grooves that are more than sharp enough to match that raspy edge in Betty's vocals – given support with instrumentation that's a lot more mid 70s funk than some of the more disco-oriented productions in mainstream soul at the time! There's a fullness to the record that sometimes recalls Labelle at their best, or maybe even solo work from Nona Hendryx – but as always, Betty is very much her own woman, and opens up some new doors on a few mellow cuts or jazzier moments that come as a nice surprise, and which balance out the album in a great way. The set features work from Herbie Hancock on keyboards and Alphonse Mouzon on drums – and titles include "Quintessence Of Hip", "She's A Woman", "I've Danced Before", "I Need A Whole Lot Of Love", "Hangin Out In Hollywood", "Crashin From Passion", "You Take Me For Granted", and "No Good At Falling In Love". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the great, lost, under-discovered albums on Atlantic from the late 60s – the little-circulated debut of singer Scott Fagan – a very unusual talent who mixes soulful currents with a very personal singer-songwriter approach! Scott's sound is never too polished – he's certainly not trying to be a blue-eyed soul act here – but the music has these currents of organ, electric bass, and occasional groovy rhythms that make for a very compelling counterpoint to his raspy, island-bred vocals. All tunes are originals by Scott – and arrangements are by Horace Ott on most numbers, which might account for the soulful vibe. The album is completely unique – one of those sets that, if you dig it, you'll never find anything to match it – and titles include "In My Head", "South Atlantic Blues", "Crying", "Nothing But Love", "Tenement Hall", "Crystal Ball", and "In Your Hands". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the weirder soundtracks from Fabio Frizzi – a record that's spooky one minute, cheery the next – but in a way that really makes the schizophrenia appealing! The sunnier tunes have a bit of an island vibe – but are served up on relatively thin instrumentation, which then shifts quickly into some of the moodier, murkier sounds you'd expect from a zombie film like this – sometimes with some great early 80s-styled electronics! This version of the score is served up in a really lovely package – with a total of 13 different numbered tunes from the soundtrack – most around the three minute range. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the rarest albums ever from the legendary Mort Garson – an all-electronic film score, one that was originally only available on record in the lobby of a Seattle theater that was showing the film! The tracks are shorter than on some of Garson's more commercial projects of the time, and there's a lot more of them too – all with a vibe that resonates nicely with some of Mort's more private recordings, including some of his advertising work – showing that even though the project was a small one, Garson was still bringing his all to the music. Titles include "Sail Sail", "Kevin's Theme", "No Smoking", "Bamboo City", "Walk To Grange Hall", "Jeep Ride", "Dead Tree", "Walk To The Other Side Of The Island"- and "Virgil's Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal set from Linton Kwesi Johnson – the record that maybe pushed him over the top, and really marked him as one of the strongest new voices in reggae at the end of the 70s! Linton's a poet, not a singer – but his style is also more focused and clear in comparison to some of the dee jay material of the generation, which not only helped to get his messages across very strongly, but also open ears to his music that might not have otherwise been listening to material of this nature. Of course, it also helped that the set was issued by Island Records at a time when it seemed they could do no wrong – but the record is definitely Johnson's own, as he wrote both the words and music, and produced with some great help from Dennis Bovell on mixing. Titles include "It Noh Funny", "Sonny's Lettah", "Independent Intavenshan", "Fite Dem Back", "Reality Poem" and "Forces of Vicktry", plus "Want Fi Goh Rave", and "Time Come". This set features a bonus LP of dubs and mixes, and added artwork too! LP, Vinyl record album

Forget the title, as (thankfully) this isn't one of those records that ties itself to the dark days of 2020 – and instead, rejoice at the combination of sounds that come from the reed work of Aaron Leaney and the drums and percussion of Guy Thouin – who, we think, may well be making his studio recorded debut here, even though he's 83 years old! The tracks are short, and have a very earthy, organic quality – one that makes full use of the range of instruments on the set, which include Thouin's work on a variety of drums, gongs, and percussion instruments – and Leaney's bolder solos on tenor and alto, mixed with flutes, bells, and mbira. With that instrumental lineup, there's a nicely spiritual vibe to the record at times – on titles that include "Zumba", "Curfew", "Thembi Thouin", "Pontential", "Inward", "Bhariav", and "Turtle Island". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible lost slice of music from the young Bob Marley – an unissued set of recordings done at the Capitol Studios in LA, at a time when the Wailers were just beginning to rise in global power! The session came at an unusual moment for the group – they had come to the US to tour with Sly & The Family Stone, and were fired because the audiences were not yet ready for their groove – leaving the group a bit astray in California. But an opportunity arose to record at Capitol, a performance that was also filmed – and the result is this amazing set of tracks that captures Bob and the group at a level that's even different than their massive Island Records sets to come. There's a current of funk running through a number of these tracks, and a lean groove that's wonderfully soul-drenched throughout – not just in Marley's vocals, but in the overall performance of the rest – a tight sextet that includes Peter Tosh, Joe Higgs, Aston Barrett, Carlton Barrett, and Earl Lindo. Titles include "Rastaman Chant", "Midnight Ravers", "Put It On", "Stop That Train", "Get Up Stand Up", "You Can't Blame The Youth", "Slave Driver", "Duppy Conqueror", and "Burnin & Lootin". LP, Vinyl record album

A great introduction to the music of Shuggie Otis – the tripped-out guitarist who's best known for his early 70s classics for Columbia Records! This set comes from those three amazing albums – and showcase Shuggie's shift from bluesy funk guitar to the more laidback, tripped-out work of his classic Inspiration Information album! Cuts from that classic take up all of side two – including "Aht Uh Mi Hed", "Sparkle City", "Inspiration Information", and "Island Letter" – and side one features other gems that include his original recording of "Strawberry Letter 23", plus "Me & My Woman", "Hurricane", "Baby I Need You", "Sweet Thang", and "Ice Cold Daydream". LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderfully-done collection of work from the legendary Sun Ra – put together by longtime musical partner Marshall Allen, and way way different than the typical mish-mash of tracks you'd find on some of the budget or public domain titles on the market! First off, the track selection is really thoughtful – music that definitely defines the Arkestra in the 60s and 70s, but which also highlights some of its overlooked corners too – pulled together from recordings that appeared on the Saturn, Impulse, and other labels – all curated and remastered by Art Yard, who've done their share of great Ra reissues over the years. Plus, the package features a few unreleased performances as well – and although it would serve as a great introduction to the music of Sun Ra, it's also really perfectly put together for longtime Ra fans as well – given the focus, track selection, and overall quality of the whole thing. The sounds are sublime – maybe one of the best summations of the righteous, cosmic genius of the Arkestra at its best – and titles include "Reflects Motion", "Island In The Sun (extended)", "Somewhere In Space", "The Lady With The Golden Stockings", "Somebody Else's World", "Ancient Aethiopia", "Astro Black", "Have You Heard The Latest News From Neptune", "We Travel The Spaceways", and "Plutonian Nights". LP, Vinyl record album

A set recorded in both Jamaica and Trinidad, and one that shows a great combination of both locations – with straighter reggae cuts at some points, and some more Caribbean flavored club at others! The music has some of the message that you'd guess from the cover and title, but the overall vibe is lighter and more aimed at the dancefloor – with some especially great cuts that almost lean more towards a jazz/funk sort of vibe than some of the other island disco records of the time! One of these gems is the wicked "Let's Party", which has a massive bassline and some cool keyboard bubbles – and other cuts include "Foreign Journalists", "Burning Eyes & Hungry Bellies", "Dancing", "Music Is Music", "Song Of Love", and "Power Struggle". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautifully spiritual sounds from the contemporary LA scene – served up in a record that mixes generations old and new, and with a really wonderful sound throughout! There's a timeless quality to the record right from the start – maybe because the great Phil Ranelin begins the set with a vocal performance over mellow electronics – in a laidback spirit that's followed by the rest of the set too – as a shifting array of artists under the direction of Jesse Peterson turn out a record with a subtle righteous power! Peterson previously worked with Carlos Nino – and there's definitely a bit of Nino spirit here, but with a different vibe – in a lineup that includes Sam Gendel on reeds, Randal Fisher on flute, Fabiano Do Nascimento on guitar, Josh Johnson on alto and keyboards, Aaron Shaw on tenor, Carlos Nino on percussion, and Photay and Diego Gaeta on electronics – plus vocal work from Phil Ranelin, Laraaji, Mia Doi Todd, and Dwight Trible. Titles include "Alive To Feel", "Island Bells", "Pandanus Grove", "Tune Up", "Ocean Garden", "Floating Sunset", and "Arukitai". LP, Vinyl record album

The Vaqueros created music hundreds of miles from the ocean – working in the Twin Cities in the 60s – but that didn't stop them from creating some mighty nice surf numbers at the time, which were then mixed with more rocking numbers that sported a very cool female singer in the lead! That singer is Linda Anderson, who's almost got a rockabilly inspiration, but a few years too late – a style that makes for a really unique combination with the excellent surf-styled guitar work of the group – who shine equally well on their own when Linda's not in the lead! The tracks here were all unearthed from the Kay Bank archives – and titles include "Growing Pains", "69", "Don't You Dare", "80 Foot Wave", "Space Journey Ranger 7", "Birds & The Bees", "Island In Paradise", and "Soft Summer Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

A real revelation from pianist Cedar Walton – an unusual electric album from the 70s – quite a surprise, given the mostly-acoustic sound of most of Cedar's other records! The album's a killer, though – and has this fresh, full take on funky jazz for the time – not the usual CTI copycat mode, and instead this compelling hybrid of elements that includes lots of Fender Rhodes from Walton, sweet guitar likes from Ryo Kawasaki, and lots of rootsy percussion from Ray Mantilla and Omar Clay – two players who really make the album nice and earthy at the bottom. The rest of the group is wonderful, too – and includes tenor from Frank Foster, alto and baritone from Charles Davis, and trumpet from Roy Burrowes – all fresh players who open up a big can of soul for the set – on titles that include a classic break version of "Off Minor", plus "Blue Trane", "Soho", and "Road Island Red". LP, Vinyl record album

An album with a really beautiful sound – not just from the core work of the piano trio, but also from the guy who recorded the whole thing too – the legendary engineer for the Three Blind Mice label in Japan, Yoshihiko Kaminari! It's not often that the engineer gets billed on the back cover alongside the members of a jazz combo – but that credit is very well due here, as the album does a beautiful job of capturing all the subtle brilliance of Tsuyoshi Yamamoto on the keys of the piano – stepping gently next to the bass of Hiroshi Kagawa and drums of Toshio Ohsumi – both very subtle players who let the pianist dominate the proceedings! The set features a fair bit of Erroll Garner numbers, which creates a nicely different setting for Yamamoto – and his pairing here with Kaminari reunites the same forces that gave the world Tsuyoshi's classic TBM albums Midnight Sugar and Misty. Titles include "Dreamy", "Mood Island", "Solitaire", "Night Wind", "Paris Bounce", "Garner Talk", "Sweet For K", and "When Paris Cries". LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of work from this soulful Japanese singer - all of his best for RCA and Ariola, collected here in one sweet set! There were few cats on the Japanese scene of the time who could match the approach of US soul singers as well as Yamashita – and you'll definitely hear proof of that on Tatsuro's work on cuts that include "Windy Lady", "Bomber", "Loveland Island", "Ride On Time (single version)", "Door Into Summer", "Let's Dance Baby", "Your Eyes", "Solid Slider", and "Funky Flushin". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic sounds from the years before reggae became the international sound of Jamaica – music from the island nation's jazz scene, which was at the crossroads of so many different styles of music – jazz from the north, Latin rhythms from Cuba and Puerto Rico, and a fair bit of other Caribbean sounds too – all of which filter through the wonderful collection of music on the set! The title breaks down the different genres featured – but there's often a surprisingly unified feel to the whole record too – one that stands partly as a testament to the musical strengths of all the performers involved! In the days before Trojan and Studio One, Federal Records was an important Jamaican label – and did an especially great job of capturing some of the sounds that were part of that nation's club culture and resorts in the 60s. Titles include "Angelima" and "Like Falling In Love" by Ernest Ranglin, "Profile Cha Cha" and "Rhumbina" by Cecil Lloyd & The Starline Troubadors, "Estrellita" and "I Love Paris" by The Lennie Hibbert Combo, "Tis Wonderful" by Eric Grant, "Linstead Market" by Baba Motta & Ernest Ranglin, "Wheel & Turn Me" by Bertie King, "Go Fife Go" by Count Owen, "Mango Walk" by Bertie King & Ernest Ranglin, "String Of Pearls" by Auldey Williams & His Orchestra, "Solas Market" by Baba Motta, and "Monday Monday" by Winston Turner Quintet. LP, Vinyl record album

A deep dive into the work of a wonderful record label – the Strata imprint from Detroit at the start of the 70s – a company who served up some very spiritual sounds in the short time they were issuing records! Don't confuse Strata with Strata East – although the labels do have some similarity – as Strata also brought in a bit more electricity on some of its cuts, and some slight touches of funk as well – a very special brew in which the Detroit jazz underground of the time were mixing things up in so many different ways – really given a lot of freedom to explore styles that are still ahead of their time all these many years later! Key albums on Strata have been reissued in recent years, but the set also features some overlooked gems by more obscure artists too – titles that include "Maiden Voyage" by Ursula Walker, "Salsa (part 1)" by Fito Foster, "Time Is Wasting" by TJ, "Joy Road" by Lyman Woodard Organization, "All But Blind" by Mixed Bag, "Island Song" by Kenny Cox, "Face At My Window" by Sam Sanders, "People We Got To Do Better" by The Soulmates, "You're The One" by TJ, "Noh Word" by Contemporary Jazz Quintet, "Tune For LN" by Larry Nozero, "Where Is The Place" by Maulawi, "Saturday Night Special" by Lyman Woodard, and "Beyond The Dream" by Kenny Cox. LP, Vinyl record album

Another round of Studio One butter from the folks at Soul Jazz! By this point you're well informed about the status of Coxsone Dodd's Studio One operation as the cornerstone of so much Jamaican music, and Soul Jazz has approached the catalog from just about every angle, covering nearly all the bases before landing here on this dub set. The sly Island grooves are stripped down to their bare essentials, then given a tasteful bit of dubby gloss at the hands of Sylvan Morris, for a massive collection that'll rule your stereo like Studio One rocked the sound systems back in the day. 17 tracks in all, wrapped in a nice package that includes interviews with Morris and Dodd, and fully annotated as to which numbers the rhythms were originally cut as the backing for. Includes "Bionic Dub", "Sky Rhythm", 'Taurus Dub 2", "Hooligan", "Dub Rock", "Hi Fashion Dub", In Cold Blood Version" and "Feel The Dub". LP, Vinyl record album

Aahh, sweet lover's rock, and all from Studio One no less! Whether you're looking to set the mood for a late night rub up, or just want to cool out to some mellow island vibes, this batch of easy rockin' lover's numbers cut under the supervision of Coxsone Dodd is just the ticket. You get sweet soulful numbers from Studio One stalwarts, plus a number of nice tracks by some lesser known stars in the Studio One galaxy, and as you'd expect from a Soul Jazz set, it's wrapped up quite nicely. 18 tracks in all, including "I Don't Know Why" by Delroy Wilson, "Touch Me Baby" by Myrna Hague, "Darling I Need Your Loving" by John Holt & The Paragons, "Ten To One" by The Mad Lads, "Reggae Magic" by Jackie Mittoo, "Too Long Will Be Too Late" by Freddy & Jenny, "Let Him Try" by Alton Ellis, "Don't Wait For Me" by Albert Tomlinson, "Got To Be Sure" by Horace Andy, "Ready To Learn" by the Heptones, 'We're All Alone" by Doreen Schaefer and more! LP, Vinyl record album

A wealth of rare work from Jamaican studio genius Bunny Striker Lee – unusual cuts and unreleased material – all of it a further testament to his legendary ear for a mindblowing sound! These aren't half-baked cuts, or material that deserved to fall to the cutting room floor – because the style is years ahead of its time, and put together with techniques and styles that are still pretty darn revolutionary after all these many years! Some tracks have a strong vocal presence, others are more instrumental – and in addition to Lee's famous flying cymbals technique, there's lots more going on here too – including some totally cool space age sounds. Unreleased tracks include "Bell Road Rock" by The Aggrovators, "Joe Frazier" by Tommy McCook, "Go Jah Jah Pickney" by Linval Thompson, "No Man Is An Island" by Johnny Clarke & Horace Andy, "Bunny Lee & King Tubby's Dubplate Special" by Cornell Campbell, "Life Of My Own" by The Raver, "Look How Long Nyabinghi Calling You" by Linval Thompson, "King Tubby's Vs Arrows Dubplate" by Cornell Campbell, "Jamaican Fruit Of African Roots" by Lennox Brown & Sheila Richards, "No Babylon Shall Escape In This Time" by Johnny Clarke, and "Every Knee Shall Bow" by Ronnie Davis. LP, Vinyl record album