A great illustration of the upbeat, positive vibe that Peggy Lee could serve up when she was at her best – a cool Capitol Records mode that really helped Lee set a whole new tone for singers in the 60s! The great Jack Marshall is at the helm on arrangements – putting things together with a vibe that's bright, but also pretty modern as well – thanks to work from a west coast jazz lineup that includes Shelly Manne on drums, Joe Harnell on piano, Pete Candoli on trumpet, and Barney Kessel on guitar! The set includes Lee's famous version of "Fever" – plus "It's A Wonderful World", "Things Are Swingin'", Alright, Okay, You Win", "Ridin' High", "Alone Together", "Life For Livin'", and"You Don't Know". A classic collaboration between Peggy Lee and Nelson Riddle – and a record that really set the tone for Lee's famous Capitol sides of the 60s! The groove here is very upbeat – as you might guess from the title – with a bouncing, almost syncopated approach that's definitely Riddle's, but which also hints at some of Lee's more soul-based backings of the 60s from Jack Marshall – those slinky-stepping groovers that would really put her back in front of American ears. Many tunes are older numbers, but they're updated nicely by Riddle's playful backings – and cuts include "Jump For Joy", "Back In Your Own Back Yard", "Old Devil Moon", "What A Little Moonlight Can Do", "Just In Time", "Music Music Music", "Four Or Five Times", and "Ain't We Got Fun". CD

Remixes and extended tracks galore – and a wonderful package that really opens up the world of the gay club scene in the post-disco years! The tracks are a great array of dance, import, and high energy tracks – some of which carry forward disco energy into the 80s, others of which open up with modes that echo some of the changes in soul via house, electro, and other new styles of the decade – including the big role of the remixer, as many of these numbers are special remixes for the dancefloors! The package is a 7" square book-styled set, with pages of notes, images, and track details by Paul Burston – and the set features 54 long numbers in all – with titles that include "Love Reaction (12" version)" by Divine, "High Energy (ext)" by Evelyn Thomas, "I Like You (ext)" by Phyllis Nelson, "Another Night (dance mix)" by Aretha Franklin, "They Say It's Gonna Rain (Zulu mix)" by Hazel Dean, "Jump (12" long version)" by The Pointer Sisters, "Give Me Your Love (Ultimix)" by Sisley Ferre, "So Many Men So Little Time (ext)" by Miguel Brown, "Male Stripper (ext US rmx)" by Man 2 Man Meet Man Parrish, "No GDM (12" version)" by Gina X Performance, "Memorabilia (non stop ecstatic dancing version)" by Soft Cell, "Why (12" version)" by Bronski Beat, "Relax (New York mix)" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, "Don't Drop Bombs (ext)" by Liza Minelli, "Love In The First Degree (jailers mix)" by Bananarama, "In Private (12" version)" by Dusty Springfield, "Someday (club)" by Cece Rogers, "Break 4 Love (drop the panties)" by Raze, "Touch Me (sexual version)" by The 49-ers, "It's Over Now (Basement Boys mix)" by Ultra Nate, "Promised Land (club mix)" by Joe Smooth, "Wait (long version)" by Robert Howard & Kym Mazelle, and lots lots more! CD

Features Steve Coleman and Greg Osby on alto, Robin Eubanks on trombone, and Graham Haynes on trumpet. CD

A great discovery in the lost catalog of Arthur Russell – material from the same mid 80s stretch as his excellent World Of Echo album, and done with a very similar sound! Most of the instrumentation here is spare drum programs, keyboards, and processed cello – all handled by Russell, who also vocalizes slightly, often in a processed way as well – so that there's a particularly electric feel to the tunes, which goes along with the skittishly funky rhythms! Most tracks here are in an upbeat mode – partly post-disco dancefloor funk, but also a bit more experimental at times – and in a way, this record may be the strongest one to link together the two sides of Russell's career in both the galleries and the clubs. Titles include "Springfield", "See My Brother He's Jumping Out (Let's Go Swimming #1)", "Corn #3", "Hiding Your Present From You", "You Have Did The Right Thing When You Put That Skylight In", and "Springfield (DFA rmx)". CD

Great material from both the 78rpm and LP generation! Woody Herman is amazing – bridging earlier swing with the worlds of bop and jump blues – way hipper than you might expect, as is his band! CD

A set of varied moods and settings – yet one that really does a wonderful job of fleshing out the Sun Ra aesthetic during these crucial years when Ra dubbed himself the "King Of The Sub Underground"! That humorous title is a reference to the fact that Ra and the Arkestra were still working with largely little mainstream exposure – despite the big growth of avant jazz at the time – and were instead working on beautiful recordings like these, often made without any thought of a larger market at all! The CD brings together material from albums originally issued with Sub-Underground in the title – also under other names as well, including Temple U – and the tracks represent the Arkestra really hitting some of their creative heights in a mix of live, studio, and rehearsal recordings. Titles include the brilliant "World Of Africa", recorded in 1968, but with a chunky groove and weird piano that almost feel like a precursor to Fela Kuti; the sublime "Love Is Always" and "Song Of Drums", recorded live with a spare group in a beautifully echoey setting; surprisingly great takes on "What's New" and "Autumn In New York", played by a small group with Ra on a slightly off-tune upright piano; the long "Cosmo Earth Fantasy" suite, with some very fierce sounds; and a nice live take on "Space Is The Place/We Roam The Cosmos", which jumps right into the groove at the start – with a pretty offbeat feel, and lots of cool vocal interplay! CD