Stunning funk from the great Dizzy Gillespie – light years away from his early bop recordings! The album's a slammin batch of 70s instrumentals – Dizzy's trumpet firmly in the lead over electric backings that have more than a bit of funk in them. The bass is the main driving factor of the tunes – played either by Phil Upchurch or Chuck Rainey – and the tracks bounce along with a fierce and righteous groove that also includes hard riffing on guitar and some sweet piano lines. Players include Mike Longo, James Moody, and Bernard Purdie – and tracks include "N'Bani", "Matrix", "Soul Kiss", "Ding A Ling", and "Alligator". Great stuff, and a crucial album in Dizzy's lost career! Damn funky, too. LP, Vinyl record album

The title's a reference to the double-length nature of the set – but it might also be taken as a reference to the group's sound, too – as Heron's got a slightly fuller approach than on their debut album! There's more electric instrumentation in the mix, and arrangements that have the band stepping out more strongly with some rockish inflections, even though the overall approach is still pretty darn folksy – and handled with that really unique, really personal style that makes the group one of the best of the Brit folk scene from the period. Titles include "Madman", "John Brown", "Miss Kiss", "Love 13", "Winter Harlequin", and "Big A". CD

A velvet mood, but one with a bit of an edge – as you might expect from Billie Holiday in the 50s, hardly the stuff of a too-soft vocal date! The album's got Holiday working in wonderful small combo mode – getting some key Verve backup from players who include Sweets Edison on trumept, Benny Carter on alto sax, Barney Kessel on guitar, and Jimmy Rowles on piano – a warmly intimate group who really fit the sad-tinged vocals from Billie. Tracks are longish – maybe a bit more so than usual for a Holiday Verve session – and the set list includes beautiful renditions of "What's New", "I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues", "Prelude To A Kiss", and "When Your Lover Has Gone". LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of Billie Holiday recordings with the great Lester Young on tenor sax – their complete joint recordings! Most of the tracks represented here were recorded between 1938 and 1941, the height of the swing era! This is great, important music and a must for fans of swing era vocals! 21 tracks in all: "If Dreams Come True", "You're Just A No Account", "You Can't Be Mine & Someone Else's Too", "When A Woman Loves A Man", "Here It Is Tomorrow Again" "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me", "Now They Call It Swing" "Say It With A Kiss", "You're Just A No Account", "Time On My Hands", "I Can't Get Started" and many more! CD

We love the genius of Homer & Jethro more and more as the years go on – not just for their razor shar wit, which made them the top country song parodists of their generation – but also for the fantastic mandolin work by Jethro Burns – which is top-shelf, and completely serious! Titles include "Kiss Of Fire", "Let Me Go Blubber", "Gone", "Does The Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor On The Bedpost Overnight", "Unhappy Day", "Too Young", and "Mister Sandman". LP, Vinyl record album

Warm and wonderful work from Phyllis Hyman – a set that's a lot more mainstream soul than her music of a few years before, but one that still shows a strong commitment to the more complicated styles of her roots! The sound here is full and proud – a nice extension of the work that Hyman did with Norman Connors, and not nearly as much in a disco mode as it might be, given the time of the release. And although many of the tracks are somewhat upbeat, they've got a bit more complication in the rhythms than conventional club – thanks to the presence of jazz players who include Herbie Hancock, Monty Alexander, Azar Lawrence, and others. The best production on the record is by T Life, and the team of Skip Scarborough and Larry Alexander – and titles include "Kiss You All Over", "Living Inside Your Love", "Soon Come Again", "Here's That Rainy Day", "Lookin For A Lovin", and "Be Careful (How You Treat My Love)". LP, Vinyl record album

Jackie & Roy at the height of their ABC powers – really stepping out strongly here with a bold jazz vocal approach that nobody else can touch! Both Roy Kral and Jackie Cain get a few moments of their own in the spotlight, especially Jackie, who steps out on a number of the tracks – but as usual, the duo's at their best when singing together – which they do beautifully here, trading lyrical lines with tremendous charm! Most instrumentation is small combo – with Roy on piano, Monty Budwig on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums – and titles include "From This Moment On", "Kiss & Run", "Cake Walk", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "Who Cares", and "How Are You Fixed For Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Most of the tracks on this 2 LP set are not from Jones' solo records but rather songs under the direction of others, mainly John Coltrane but also Frank Foster and Sonny Rollins. Some of the Coltrane titles are the drum solo from "Pursuance", "Impressions", "Your Lady", and "Vigil". Other titles are Foster's "Shiny Stockings" and "We Kiss In A Shadow" with Rollins. There are of course several other all star players who turn up on these songs such as McCoy Tyner, Richard Davis, Jimmy Garrison and Rashied Ali. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic step forward for singer Morgana King – just the kind of record that really let the vocalist unlock all the sort of special power that would set her apart from the rest for decades to come! Morgana's got this completely distinct approach to jazz singing – a mode that's short on attack, robust on decay, and which flows in a way that really illustrates the lessons the lady learned from instrumentation – a sense of flow and phrasing that makes her instantly recognizable, no matter what the setting. Arrangements by Torrie Zito – with the same hip, dark mode he used with Tony Bennett – and titles include "A Taste Of Honey", "Easy To Love", "Prelude To A Kiss", "Corcovado", "When The World Was Young/Young & Foolish", and "Lazy Afternoon". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from tenorist Ralph Lalama – a set that follows strongly from his previous gem of an album for the Mighty Quinn label! As on that set, Lalama plays here with an edge that takes us back to a time when tenorists would gladly skirt the space between modern and mainstream – cutting a sharp edge on a straight tune, and always hinting that they could go farther outside, even while they still kept things inside and swinging! The album's got a classic feel that goes way beyond its cover and contemporary date – and the group features guitar from John Hart, bass from Rick Petrone, and drums from Joe Corsello. Titles include "Love Thy Neighbor", "Marie Antoinette", "Jome", "Kiss & Run", "Ricme", "Minor League", and "Portrait Of Jennie". CD

Three of Lea's albums on two CDs! First, A Woman In Love, a beautiful early album from vocalist Barbara Lea – her only session for Riverside, and a date that's a bit leaner lighter than some of her albums for Prestige! The group on here is totally great – the Billy Taylor Trio with bassist Earl May and drummer Percy Brice – augmented by guitarist Jimmy Shirley and trumpeter Johnny Windhurst, the latter of whom slides in some well-placed lines that really keep things fresh, and help push the album away from the usual territory of a vocal-plus-trio album. Lea's approach to the tunes is a bit like that of another Lee – Lee Wiley – but in a way that strips things down a bit more, and gives the traditional numbers a slightly more modern inflection. Titles include "Love Me", "As Long As I Live", "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "A Woman Alone With The Blues", "I Didn't Know About You", and "Thinking Of You". CD features 2 bonus tracks – "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home" and "I'll Bet You A Kiss". Second, Barbara Lea, a session with a slightly unusual feel – in that it's not really torchy, but also not as outrightly swinging either – and part of that feel might have to do with the backings, which are by 2 different small groups led by trumpeter Johnny Windhurst, who swings things along on the record, but never in a way that's too over the top. Barbara herself has a style that's expressive, but not overly emotive – a bit like Lee Wiley or some of her contemporaries, but slightly "cooler" at points. Titles include "I've Got A Pocket Full Of Dreams", "I Had Myself A True Love", "Baltimore Oriole", "Blue Skies", "My Honey's Loving Arms", and "Nobody Else But Me". Last is Lea/In Love, a really dark little album of vocal jazz – recorded here with small combo backing, and a strange sound that's a fair bit different than most other efforts of this type from the time! At one level, there's definitely a leaner 50s vocal jazz approach going on – similar to work on Bethlehem – but Barbara also serves things up with some odd notes of nostalgia and sentimentality, echoing earlier eras not in the style of the music, but almost in a sense of sadness and wistfulness that comes through in her vocals. The style's quite a change from the iciness of other postwar chanteuses – but it's also not as overly emotional as those from other eras either. Players in the groups include Dick Cary on piano, Jimmy Raney on guitar, Johnny Windhurst on trumpet, and Jimmy Lyons on piano. Titles include "Will I Find My Love Today?", "Sleep Peaceful Mr Used To Be", "Am I In Love", "Autumn Leaves", "We Could Make Such Beautiful Music Together", and "More Than You Know". CD

A classic bit of Chicago house goes mainstream – and a suprisingly big hit from the late 80s. The main reason most folks bought this album was for Louis' "French Kiss", a sex-sound infused house cut with a "fast-then-slow-then-fast" groove that was endlessly dropped into mixes on radio and in clubs at the time. However, like late 80s house contemporaries Blaze, Louis actually turned out to be a pretty interesting soul talent when given a whole album to work with – and although "French Kiss" is on the beat-heavy "dance" side of the album, there's also a pretty interesting "romance" side that has some nice home-made late 80s soul tunes with great warm keyboard-heavy production. Titles include "Lil Tanya", "The Luv U Wanted", "6 AM", and "Brittany". LP, Vinyl record album

The third album from Little Feat – and one that brings a bit of Crescent City rock and soul into the mix – but it's still Little Feat, so it's got a restless creative energy that's beautifully tough to classify! There's quite a bit of soul influences in the mix – especially the tunes with the female chorus backing vocals. Not a Dixie rock cliche to be found anywhere on it, either! Includes "Dixie Chicken", "Two Trains", "Roll Um Easy", "Kiss It Off", "Fat Man In The Bathtub", "Fool Yourself" and more. CD

A Philly soul classic from The Manhattans – one of their best 70s albums, and a record that showed that they were firmly out of the indie ghetto, and totally on top of their game! The record features arrangements and production by Bobby Martin and Bert DeCoteaux – bubbling along in that soaring style that you'd recognize best from Philly International albums of the time, but which also has some nice traces of the mellower ballad work that first put the group on the map. Every tune is perfect – the kind of sublime soul that easily explains why a record like this could be found in every single record collection of every single soul listener of the time – and titles include "La La La Wish Upon A Star", "We'll Have Forever To Love", "Take It Or Leave It", "Reasons", "Wonderful World Of Love", "Searching For Love", and the incredible "Kiss & Say Goodbye". LP, Vinyl record album

Johnny Mathis' self-titled debut from 1956 – an all-jazz album that's quite different than most of his other work! Mathis here is working in a decidedly modern style – none of the smooth, mellow pop of his hits – and instead awash in sharp edges, rich colors, and modern sounds served up by the charts of arrangers Gil Evans, Teo Macero, and John Lewis! Johnny's vocals have that familiar warm and smooth quality, but also a subtle sense of tension and drama too – one that really makes the tunes, even the familiar ones, come alive as miniature little portraits in sound – painted with a brush that's confident, but youthful enough to be fresh! Players include Phil Woods, Art Farmer, JJ Johnson, Tony Scott, Hal McKusick, and John Lewis – and titles include "Street Of Dreams", "Caravan", "Prelude To A Kiss", "Star Eyes", "Autumn In Rome", "Babalu", "Fly Me To The Moon", and "Angel Eyes". CD

"I need a fix – and a kiiiiiiiiiissssssss!" What can we say? Johnny Thunders, David Johansen and the boys reinvented the wheel with the of wildly hedonist glam skronk spun on this still incredible debut record. Both records they made for Mercury are incredible, but this is the bonafide masterpiece. It's a classic purely on a primal rock 'n' roll level, but it's also one of rock's greatest examples of style equaling substance! The Dolls brought glammer to the gutter and vice versa, and this is no doubt their greatest moment! Includes "Personality Crisis", "Looking For A Kiss", "Trash", "Frankenstein", "Pills", "Bad Girl", "Private World" and "Jet Boy". Produced by Todd Rundgren and engineered by Jack Douglas – the former a legend in his own right, the latter whose name appears on so many great records that range from other proto-punk and punk-era classics (Patti Smith Group, The Runaways) to the trashier side of the mainstream (prime early Cheap Trick, Aerosmith and Alice Cooper). CD

"I need a fix – and a kiiiiiiiiiissssssss!" What can we say? Johnny Thunders, David Johansen and the boys reinvented the wheel with the of wildly hedonist glam skronk spun on this still incredible debut record. Both records they made for Mercury are incredible, but this is the bonafide masterpiece. It's a classic purely on a primal rock 'n' roll level, but it's also one of rock's greatest examples of style equaling substance! The Dolls brought glammer to the gutter and vice versa, and this is no doubt their greatest moment! Includes "Personality Crisis", "Looking For A Kiss", "Trash", "Frankenstein", "Pills", "Bad Girl", "Private World" and "Jet Boy". Produced by Todd Rundgren and engineered by Jack Douglas – the former a legend in his own right, the latter whose name appears on so many great records that range from other proto-punk and punk-era classics (Patti Smith Group, The Runaways) to the trashier side of the mainstream (prime early Cheap Trick, Aerosmith and Alice Cooper). LP, Vinyl record album

Norvo may have cut some sleepy recordings in his day, but his early sides are usually all pretty great – especially this material, recorded with Tal Farlow on guitar and Charles Mingus on bass! The drum-less combination of vibes, guitar, and bass makes for an almost-exotic approach – one that rings out with some new moods and tones on tracks that are old standards – in a manner that really helps us understand why folks from the old days think Norvo's so great! Titles include "Night & Day", "Godchild", "September Song", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "Swedish Pastry", "Time & Tide", "Little White Lies", and "Prelude To A Kiss". CD

A great little jazz version of the score to the musical Bye Bye Birdie – one that we love for its original tunes, and which really lends itself to jazzy interpretation! Arranger Bill Potts really gets at the spirit of the original score, but also opens things up nicely as a jazz solo vehicle – using top shelf players who include Phil Woods on tenor, Billy Costa on piano, Willie Dennis on trombone, Gene Quill on clarinet, and Clark Terry on trumpet – all of whom get some nice space to step out and solo amidst the larger arrangements! Titles include "Kids", "The Closer", "I've Got A Lot Of Livin To Do", "Baby Talk To Me", and "One Last Kiss". CD

A great little jazz version of the score to the musical Bye Bye Birdie – one that we love for its original tunes, and which really lends itself to jazzy interpretation! Arranger Bill Potts really gets at the spirit of the original score, but also opens things up nicely as a jazz solo vehicle – using top shelf players who include Phil Woods on tenor, Billy Costa on piano, Willie Dennis on trombone, Gene Quill on clarinet, and Clark Terry on trumpet – all of whom get some nice space to step out and solo amidst the larger arrangements! Titles include "Kids", "The Closer", "I've Got A Lot Of Livin To Do", "Baby Talk To Me", and "One Last Kiss". LP, Vinyl record album

The music of Prince lives on – in this beautiful collection that features a number of mixes that appear here on CD for the first time ever, and an unreleased track as well! The unreleased "Moonbeam Levels" may well be the prize here for longtime Prince completitsts – but the set also includes a number of never-seen photos from Herb Ritz, and marks the CD debut of "Let's Go Crazy (single edit)", "Take Me With U (single edit)", "Let's Work (single edit)", "Alphabet Street (single edit)", "Girls & Boys (single edit)", "Glam Slam (single edit)", and "Little Red Corvette (single edit)". The 2CD set features a whopping 40 tracks in all – and other titles include "Kiss", "Sign O The Times", "Cream", "Mountains", "Batdance", "Thieves In The Temple", "I Would Die 4 U", "Paisley Park", "Pop Life", "Purple Rain", "When Doves Cry", "Raspberry Beret", "7 (album edit)", "My Name Is Prince", "Sexy MF", "Gett Off", and "Nothing Compares 2 U". CD

The music of Prince lives on – in this beautiful collection that features a number of mixes that appear here on CD for the first time ever, and an unreleased track as well! The unreleased "Moonbeam Levels" may well be the prize here for longtime Prince completitsts – but the set also includes a number of never-seen photos from Herb Ritz, and marks the CD debut of "Let's Go Crazy (single edit)", "Take Me With U (single edit)", "Let's Work (single edit)", "Alphabet Street (single edit)", "Girls & Boys (single edit)", "Glam Slam (single edit)", and "Little Red Corvette (single edit)". The 2CD set features a whopping 40 tracks in all – and other titles include "Kiss", "Sign O The Times", "Cream", "Mountains", "Batdance", "Thieves In The Temple", "I Would Die 4 U", "Paisley Park", "Pop Life", "Purple Rain", "When Doves Cry", "Raspberry Beret", "7 (album edit)", "My Name Is Prince", "Sexy MF", "Gett Off", and "Nothing Compares 2 U". CD

The music of Prince lives on – in this beautiful collection that features a number of mixes that appear here on LP for the first time ever, and an unreleased track as well! The unreleased "Moonbeam Levels" may well be the prize here for longtime Prince completitsts – but the set also includes a number of never-seen photos from Herb Ritz, and marks the CD debut of "Let's Go Crazy (single edit)", "Take Me With U (single edit)", "Let's Work (single edit)", "Alphabet Street (single edit)", "Girls & Boys (single edit)", "Glam Slam (single edit)", and "Little Red Corvette (single edit)". The 4LP set features a whopping 40 tracks in all – and other titles include "Kiss", "Sign O The Times", "Cream", "Mountains", "Batdance", "Thieves In The Temple", "I Would Die 4 U", "Paisley Park", "Pop Life", "Purple Rain", "When Doves Cry", "Raspberry Beret", "7 (album edit)", "My Name Is Prince", "Sexy MF", "Gett Off", and "Nothing Compares 2 U". LP, Vinyl record album

Prince in a grand groove – really hitting a new level of funk with a razor-sharp edge – and even blowing away some of his work on previous records! The record's a soundtrack for a film – Under The Cherry Moon – and although that movie never had the success of Purple Rain, we actually think it left behind an even stronger musical legacy – one that has Prince finding even more of a funky voice than before, with so many wonderfully freaky twists and turns! The music never got the showcase it might have deserved, because of the failure of the film – but it's one of our favorite Prince albums ever, and includes the massively funky "Kiss", the closest Prince ever got to James Brown, The whole album's got some great sweeping, pop psyche orchestral arrangements by Clare Fischer – and titles include "Christopher Tracey's Parade", "I Wonder U", "Under The Cherry Moon", "Girls & Boys", and "Anotherloverholenyohead". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic late live material by Sun Ra and the Arkestra – presented here properly for the first time ever – with fantastic sound, and the full contents of two different sets – which really lets you get to hear the Arkestra at their best! Each concert is a wonderful progression of material – and really show the way that, near the end of Ra's life, the group was able to embrace so many different generations of jazz at once – sounding straight one minute, out the next, leaning trad at others, and snapping back with a sense of modernity that's still years ahead of its time! June Tyson and Michael Ray sing on a few tracks – and John Gilmore even sings once, too – and the group features Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on flute and alto, James Jacson on flute and bassoon, Tyrone Hill on trombone, Knoel Scott on alto, Jothan Callins on bass, Charles Davis on baritone, and Ahmed Abdullah and Michael Ray on trumpets. As with most Arkestra concerts, the transition between moods and songs is what really makes this set great – with lots of unique moments that further our faith in the live Sun Ra experience. Titles include "Yeah Man", "Mayan Temples", "Advice To Medics/Friendly Galaxy", "Opus In Springtime", "Carefree", "Cocktails For Two", "Planet Earth Day", "Space Loneliness", "Retrospect/East Of The Sun", "Early Autumn", "Hocus Pocus", "Prelude To A Kiss", and "Space Is The Place/We Travel The Spaceways". LP, Vinyl record album

Mostly dramatic material, written by Riddle to accompany this mid 60s film based on the John O'Hara novel of the same name. Ferrante & Teicher perform the main theme – which is jaunty enough – but the other tracks are pretty dark and orchestral, with a fairly gloomy feel overall. Titles include "Roger Bannon", "Table Talk", "Why Don't You Tell Her", "Kiss Me Pumpkin", "A Rage To Live", "I've Got A Husband", and "A Two Hour Drive". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most free-wheeling Sonny Rollins albums of the 60s – an album that features some very long, extended tracks that really break out from some of the straighter moments of Sonny's mid-60s recordings! The title track is an incredible 20 minute workout – one that almost feels improvised, but which is never too free – always pulsating with a killer groove from the drums of Elvin Jones and bass of Jimmy Garrison – and featuring the trumpet of Freddie Hubbard in the frontline with Rollins' tenor – blowing with quite an edge throughout! Side two features "Blessing In Disguise" – which is equally adventurous – plus a surprisingly moody take on "We Kiss in a Shadow". CD

Late Sonny Rollins on Milestone, and a record with some really wonderful horn interplay – thanks to a group that includes an added brass lineup on a few cuts! The core combo, a quintet, features wonderful trombone from Clifton Anderson – a player who really made some of Rollins' records from this stretch light up nicely – bringing in a deeper sound on an instrument that Sonny didn't always work with in the past. The titles, as you might expect from the album's name, are "old flames" – standards worked nicely by Sonny, Anderson, and a group that also features Tommy Flanagan on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. Tracks include "Prelude To A Kiss", "Darn That Dream", "Where Or When", "My Old Flame", and "Times Slimes". CD

Nice album that contains a mid-50s session recorded by Rollins for Prestige – with a quintet that includes the Clifford Brown-Max Roach ensemble, with Rollins filling in the tenor spot. Richie Powell's on piano, and the whole group has a very tight "roots of hardbop" sort of sound. Includes a classic reading of "Pent-up House", plus "Valse Hot", "Kiss & Run", and "Count Your Blessings". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that will blow your mind – way different than you might expect from the cover! Sure, Pee Wee was a bit of a traditionalist on his instrument – the clarinet – but he's working here in a starkly modern way that almost recalls some of the best 50s work of Jimmy Guiffre, or some of the earlier sides by Steve Lacy. There's still a swing-based approach to the tunes, but they're handled in a spare style that features equal interplay between Russell, trombonist Marshall Brown, bassist Russell George, and drummer Ronnie Bedford – a great player who really makes the album sparkle! The tracks include a couple of Thelonious Monk titles – "Ask Me Now!" and "Hackensack" as well as a couple of Marshall Brown originals – "Licorice Stick" and "Calypso Walk". Other titles are Ornette Coleman's "Turnaround", Coltrane's "Some Other Blues" and Ellington's "Prelude To A Kiss". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet little live set by Sade – done with the subdued warmth of her later work, but also featuring a few key songs from earlier years! There's a nicely understated quality to the record, in keeping with Sade's own presence – and we're quite pleased to hear how these songs hold up away from the studio. Titles include "Smooth Operator", "Jezebel", "Cherish The Day", "No Ordinary Love", "Flow", "Is It A Crime", "Kiss Of Life", "Slave Song", and "The Sweetest Taboo". CD

A very cool small combo set from Johnny Scott – the British jazzman who'd also be known for his larger arrangements and soundtrack work! This set features a quintet with a very cool vibe – flute from Johnny, tenor from Duncan Lamont, and harp from David Snell – which gives the whole thing a nice sort of Dorothy Ashby vibe! Titles include "Mode Moderne", "Morning Theories", "Communication", "Girls Were Made To Love & Kiss", "MV4", and "Eleanor". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from one of the darkest groups of the girl group generation – the mighty Shangri-Las! The girls are best known for the album's title hit, but there's plenty more here to love, too – a range of really cool little tunes that all capture the same tense territory of "The Pack" – that weird world of sensual longing and teenage heartbreak – all produced by Shadow Morton with some nicely offbeat touches! Titles include "Bull Dog", "Give Him A Great Big Kiss", "It's Easier To Cry", "Leader Of The Pack", "What Is Love", "Dressed In Black", "He Cried", and "I Can Never Go Home Anymore". LP, Vinyl record album

Easily one of the best of the Bond-alike albums of "spy" grooves from the 60s – handled by Brit easy maestro Roland Shaw, with a sound that's in keeping with the best soundtrack work of the time! Shaw's got a jazzy mode here that really opens up some of these tunes – letting the horns and piano come into play a bit more on a few numbers, and differing the songs a lot from their more famous versions used in the films. The package has a great kitschy cover, plus a cool montage of film scenes on the back – and titles include "The Saint", "The Ipcress File", "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold", "Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang", "Man From Uncle", "Our Man Flint", and "I Spy". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredibly groovy LP! Joe Sherman cut some mellower sides in years past, but this bouncy little record is filled with wonderful grooves – organ on top of percussion on top of some nice brassy arrangements – all making for a sound and style that's like the best 60s soundtrack albums from the time. Includes great and groovy versions of "Fever", "Kiss Of Fire", "Paradise", "More", and "Band Of Gold". Some great drums, too! LP, Vinyl record album

Great early work from the first Gene Simmons – not the guy who sang for Kiss in the 70s, but an earlier rocking singer from the south! Gene's probably best known for the classic Halloween hit "Haunted House" – which kicks off this record – but he's a great rocker from that 60s southern scene that didn't really care where they drew their inspiration from – a bit of R&B, a bit of country, maybe even a bit of soul – all wrapped together in a tightly snapping groove that might have been more rockabilly were it recorded five years before – but which here comes on with a sweet small combo, almost small club vibe – ala Bill Black's work for Hi. Titles include "Hotel Happiness", "Haunted House", "You Can Have Her", "The Green Door", "Comin Down With Love", "Don't Let Go", and "Slippin & Slidin". CD

A nice live set by Sonny Simmons – recent work, but with a sound that's very much in keeping with his classic recordings from the 60s and 70s! Sonny's on alto sax and English horn, doing most of the work in a trio that features Jacques Avenel on bass and George Brown on drums. The tracks are long and stretched out, and Simmons' snake-like style on the alto is simply incredible – jagged and soulful at the same time, with no mellowing from age, and a deeply soulful level of expression that's almost more compelling than in earlier years. Titles include "Cosmic Ship", "Purple Kiss", "New Bird Blues", "Ancient Egypt", "Hot House", "Lady L", and "Ghosts From The Golden Era". 2CDs for the price of 1! CD

An absolute stormer from Soul Scratch – a contemporary combo from the SoCal scene doing the legacy of the late 60s/early 70s raw funky soul style proud! Both the band name and album titles are appropriate – we wouldn't call it "truth in advertising", just straight up truth – with a genuine depth of soul in both the songs and performance, played with incredible energy in the more fiery number, but with a sure hand on the more tender numbers, too. Singer Dale Spollett can wail with the best of them, and the band has real firepower in their arsenal. The horns and rhythm section are stunningly tight, or have a loose swagger when the song calls, and there some tasty guitar, too. Includes the righteous opener "Pacified", "Look How Far We've Come", "Odessa Heat", the sweet little centerpiece ballad "Kiss Me In The Morning", "Be Kind", "Fireside Lounge", "Empty Cup", "It's Not Over", "Thank You" and more. CD

An absolute stormer from Soul Scratch – a contemporary combo from the SoCal scene doing the legacy of the late 60s/early 70s raw funky soul style proud! Both the band name and album titles are appropriate – we wouldn't call it "truth in advertising", just straight up truth – with a genuine depth of soul in both the songs and performance, played with incredible energy in the more fiery number, but with a sure hand on the more tender numbers, too. Singer Dale Spollett can wail with the best of them, and the band has real firepower in their arsenal. The horns and rhythm section are stunningly tight, or have a loose swagger when the song calls, and there some tasty guitar, too. Includes the righteous opener "Pacified", "Look How Far We've Come", "Odessa Heat", the sweet little centerpiece ballad "Kiss Me In The Morning", "Be Kind", "Fireside Lounge", "Empty Cup", "It's Not Over", "Thank You" and more. CD

An absolute stormer from Soul Scratch – a contemporary combo from the SoCal scene doing the legacy of the late 60s/early 70s raw funky soul style proud! Both the band name and album titles are appropriate – we wouldn't call it "truth in advertising", just straight up truth – with a genuine depth of soul in both the songs and performance, played with incredible energy in the more fiery number, but with a sure hand on the more tender numbers, too. Singer Dale Spollett can wail with the best of them, and the band has real firepower in their arsenal. The horns and rhythm section are stunningly tight, or have a loose swagger when the song calls, and there some tasty guitar, too. Includes the righteous opener "Pacified", "Look How Far We've Come", "Odessa Heat", the sweet little centerpiece ballad "Kiss Me In The Morning", "Be Kind", "Fireside Lounge", "Empty Cup", "It's Not Over", "Thank You" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few albums ever cut by jazz singer Betty St Clair – a vocalist who got her start working in the Dizzy Gillespie band at the end of the 40s – but who's clearly a different sort of artist off here on her own! Betty's not really bop or big band-oriented – and instead, she's got a great way with a gentle, mellow tune – able to sing in a style that's never slavishly torch, but which has a fragile sort of late nite vibe – one that makes her phrasing here pretty distinct. St Clair can be soulful, but in ways that are more easygoing than Billie Holiday or Sarah Vaughan – moving gently through the music with help from Eddie Swanson on piano and Barry Galbraith on guitar. Titles include "Skylark", "That Old Black Magic", "Prelude To A Kiss", "Out Of Nowhere", and "East Of The Sun". CD

Just the kind of record that reminds us why Avery Sunshine is one of the best female soul singers to come up in recent years – an artist who was instantly a pro, yet also very much her own person too – able to write the kind of fresh lyrics that really keep us interested, and put herself on the line without ever selling out! Avery's got some great guest work on the record – including song contributions from Eric Roberson, and appearances by Frank McComb and Keyon Harrold – all artists we respect tremendously, and are glad to have endorse Avery as strongly as we do! But right from the start, the lady's the main attraction – as you'll hear on the sublime lineup of tunes that include "Come Do Nothing", "Used Car", "Jump", "The Ice Cream Song", "Everything I've Got", "Twenty Sixty Four", "Heaven Is Right Here", "Kiss & Make It Better", and "I Just Don't Know". CD

A bit of a change for Allen Toussaint – the kind of an album that makes good use of all the connections he was making during the early 70s, when he was becoming the darling of the Warner Brothers scene in LA. Overall, Allen's getting pretty smooth by this point – so smooth that even some rootsy production by Jerry Wexler still makes it hard to remember that he got his start in the raw New Orleans soul scene – but at its heart, the album's still got a good talent for the kind of rolling groove that Toussaint brought to his own work, and that of so many other artists, in earlier years. This album features lots of LA studio backing, with players like Richard Tee, Victor Feldman, Paulinho Da Costa, Larry Carlton, and others of that ilk. Titles include "Motion", "Night People", "Just A Kiss Away", "Declaration Of Love", and "Viva La Money". LP, Vinyl record album

Fierce funky instrumentals from Motown keyboardist Earl Van Dyke – a set that's overflowing with great original tracks, plus some sweet funky covers too! The style here is quite different than Earl's previous work – and quite different from most of Motown too – with a hard-edged approach to the grooves that's much more like the work going on in the funky 45 underground on other labels – especially on the drums, which often snap nicely and give the album a great breaking sort of sound! The set was recorded live at the Hi Chapparal club in Detroit, with audience noise dubbed in later – and titles include "The Flick", "Cissy Strut", "Thank You Falletinme Be Mice Elf Again", "Fuschia Moods", "The Stingray", "The Whip a Rang", "Someday We'll Be Together", and "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye". LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous rare work from Johnny Guitar Watson – almost a "lost era" in his career, beautifully brought back to life by this set! Johnny's first few R&B recordings of the 50s are well known – as are his 60s Northern Soul tracks for Okeh, and his 70s funk classics – but this collection looks at the time right after Watson's initial rise to fame in the 50s – an early 60s stretch when he was recording great work for a variety of different labels – all in styles that are as varied as the companies he worked with! The Johnny Watson here is really expanding his bag past the initial rough-edged blues of his roots – picking up elements of jazz and soul in his sound, and starting to move into the more sophisticated modes that would fully blossom on Fantasy Records in the 70s. The work here has a surprising amount of depth – wonderful vocal phrasing that shows a jazz singer side of Watson's career, straight Northern Soul grooving that's undeniably infectious, and a great ear for unusual time changes that really show the earliest roots of his funk. CD features 27 tracks originally recorded for the King, Class, Arvee, Escort, Highland, Jowat, and Magnum labels – with titles that include "I Just Wants Me Some Love", "The Eagle Is Back", "Untouchable", "One More Kiss", "Johnny Guitar", "Posin", "Broke & Lonely", "Sweet Lovin Mama", "Cuttin In", "That's The Chance You've Got To Take", "In The Evenin", "Those Lonely Lonely Nights", "Baby Don't Leave", "Ain't Gonna Move", "Wait A Minute Baby", and "Oh So Fine". CD

A wonderful little record from Frances Wayne – thanks to some great arrangements from Neal Hefti! Hefti's approach here is just perfect – not as over the top as his work with Count Basie, but with the right blend of sophistication and soulfulness to make Wayne sound great – really coming across with a lot more depth than we remember from other albums. Frances' vocals are slightly breathy at times, but never too much so – and she's got a slightly snakey quality that slides out nicely amidst small combo instrumentation from Al Cohn on tenor, Hank Jones on piano, Billy Mure on guitar, and Jerome Richardson on flute. Titles include "In Other Words", "Early Autumn", "Round Midnight", "Prelude To A Kiss", "Blue & Sentimental", "Soft Winds", and "Oh What A Night For Love". CD

One of the greatest Nancy Wilson albums of the 60s – a small combo jazz date, done with a style that's different than some of Wilson's larger sessions of the time! The group has a relaxed, easygoing feel – and Wilson slides in with a style that's a lot more laidback and subtle than on other Capitol dates – almost the mellow feel of a late 50s Dakota Staton date, but still song with all the careful class that Nancy brings to her vocals! The group's a quartet, led by pianist Hank Jones – and featuring Gene Bertoncini on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, and Grady Tate on drums – on titles that include "Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe", "Do it Again", "Glad To Be Unhappy", "Prelude To A Kiss", "Supper Time", and "I Thought About You". CD

A pair of seminal albums from this 60s country giant – back to back on a single CD! First up is a record that proudly states one of the key songs that put Tammy Wynette on the map – her famous tune "DIVORCE", which was a cut that broke big during the years of "whispered secrets" themes in country music hits! Most of the rest of the album features tracks cut first by other artists, but Wynette does a really great job with the tunes – as her honest vocal warble really makes the lyrics her own, and captivates us with her balance between heartbreak and pride! Titles include "Honey", "Come On Home", "Kiss Away", "All Night Long", "Sweet Dreams", "Legend Of Bonnie & Clyde", and "When There's A Fire In Your Heart". Stand By Your Man may well be Tammy's finest solo album, and one of the greatest country vocal tunes! Her previous D-I-V-O-R-C-E LP pretty much paved the way for the proud, sympathetic figure she would play throughout the rest of her career. But on that album, as with most of the ladies of 60s country, she was largely relegated to giving a pretty presentation to tunes that were already hits for others. Stand By Your Man on the other hand was Tammy's album all the way, with most of the songs written specifically for her enormous strengths as a vocalist. It will sound as great 100 years from now as it did 30 years ago. And in addition to the title track "Stand By Your Man", other tracks include "It's My Way", "Forever Yours", "I Stayed Long Enough", "I've Learned", "Cry, Cry Again", "If I Were A Little Girl", and more. CD

Two great labels, teamed up in one mighty compilation – a massive batch of rare club tracks unearthed by Chicago's Past Due label, packaged together wonderfully by the folks at BBE! So far, Past Due's efforts have only surfaced as expensive 12" singles – so this collection is the first full length set to showcase the label's music – a treasure trove of under-discovered gems from the indie soul underground of the late 70s and early 80s! The music is to the far left of some of the better-known club work from the east coast of the time – including that of P&P Records – and most cuts here almost fall more in the upbeat funk mode than conventional disco grooves you'd find on bigger labels. Most numbers groove along in a wave of bumping bass, sweet keyboards, and other hip instrumental touches – and vocals are usually deep and soulful, much more so than in ordinary club. 2CD set features one CD of unmixed tracks, and one CD fully mixed with additional work from Paul Randolph – both with titles that include "Galaxy" by Visions Of Tomorrow, "Midnight Rhythm" by The Right Direction, "The Heat Is On" by Lonnie Givens, "Get Up Get Down & Let Your Body Pop" by Greyship Daviz, "Dance" by Destiny In Time Band, "Party" by Monofide, "Kiss You Everywhere" and "You Are Number One" by Devarne, "You Bring Out The Best In Me" by DIT, and "If You Like What We're Doing" by The Fabulous Kings. CD

Great early soul from Philly! The set takes a look at the rare Merlon Records label – home to many strong groups who mixed doo wop and an early harmony group soul sound. There's a total of 25 cuts in all – most of which have an excellent raw harmony soul feel that really sends us! Titles include "Big Butters (parts 1 & 2)" by Bobby Eli & The Del Rios, "May I Have The Next Dance" by Colly Williams, "One Kiss" by The Pheasants, "All Because Of Us" by Essau, "Den Of Love" by Emerson Brown & The Del Rios, "Coming Home To You" by The Philadelphians, "Earthquake" by Lori Ann, "Bells Should Be Ringing" by Hoard Churchill & The Radars, and "Too Young" by The Sweethearts. Nice raw early 60s group soul! CD

Titles include "I'm a Carpenter" by David Robinson, "Down the Line" by Chocolate Fudge Express, "I've Got Reasons" by Mary Jane Hooper, "Live It Up" by James K. Nine, "In One Peace" by In One Peace, "Funk Time" by Funk Proof, "Can I Be Your Squeeze" by Chuck Carbo, "Spread the News" by Perfect Circle, "Beaver Shot" by The Atlantics, "Inside America" by Juggy Murray, "Kickin' the Habit" by Jesse Johnson, and "Kiss by Kiss" by Syl Johnson. LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet and well done club groove tribute to the great Arthur Russell – not only one of the most important figures in progressive dance music of the past few decades, but one of the best art pop composers, period, if you care what we think – featuring tracks by Yam Who?, Pocketknife, Ilija Rudman, Faze Action and others! These artists, as well as vocal collaborators and remixers do an excellent job of covering some of Russells best and best known tracks with a cosmic disco and all around spacey groove with an emotional undercurrent that does Russell proud! Titles include "Arm Around You" (extended mix) by My Tiger My Timing, ""Make 1 2" by Yam Who? feat Mary Moore, "Tiger Stripes" by Max Essa, "Wax The Van" by Yam Who?, "Get Around To It" by Pocketknife feat Joe Worricker, "Kiss Me Again" by Yam Who? Faet Natasha Watts and more. CD

Those slow grinders are at it again – giving us a heady helping of their "popcorn noir" genre – a style they seem to have coined themselves! The groove here is every bit as great as previous volumes – bits of jazz, R&B, and more – all served up from a host of cool, catchy singles you'd never hope to find in the original – and which work here perfectly to create a great late nite sort of vibe! Make no mistake, most of these numbers are groovers – just the kind that are a bit more kicked back, for post-midnight listening! CD features material from vinyl volumes 5 and 6 – 28 titles that include "Senor Blues" by Rose Hardaway, "Strange Is Love" by The Marquis, "Haunted Sax" by The Night Caps, "Tremblin" by Birdie Green, "Nature Boy" by The Shields, "My Baby" by Nappy Brown, "I Want A Lip" by April Stevens, "Comprende" by Hillard Street with Jack Marshall, "Satan Is Her Name" by Steve King & The Echelons, "Hard Head (part 1)" by Jon Thomas, "Voodoo Drums" by Aki, "Wild Child" by Donnie Elbert, "Medicine Man" by Jeanette B Washington, "Backwoods" by Bill Doggett, "Voodoo Kiss" by Don Sargent & The Buddies, "Tie Me Tight" by Bob Kayli, "Laugh My Heart" by Malcolm Dodds, "Comin Home" by Eddie Jacobs, and "Sinners" by Freddie & The Hitchhikers. CD

A key album in the career of Louis Armstrong – one that helped him forge the fourth or fifth great comeback in his career! As you'd guess by the title, the album's built around Louis' hit version of "Hello Dolly" – sung in a mode that at one level stretches back to his roots in trad jazz, but at another kind of peps the whole thing up with a mod 60s/20s retro sort of swing – more syncopated than before, with a choppy little groove that pushed Louis right back onto the charts. Backing is by a small group that includes Billy Kyle on piano, Arvell Shaw on bass, and Joe Darensbourg on clarinet – and the album's filled with other great numbers that include "A Kiss To Build A Dream On", "Moon River", "You Are Woman I Am Man", "Blueberry Hill", and "Be My Life's Companion". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic disco from Pattie Brooks – a soaring 70s set that was right up there with the best Casablanca Records grooves of the time! The rhythms here are upbeat and lively – strings mixed in with quick-stepping rhythms, all set to the vocals of Pattie, which have just the right sort of flow to take off nicely in the setting! Titles include "Love Shook", "Let's Make Love To The Music", "Girl Don't Make Me Wait", and a totally cool "Pop Collage Medley", which features bits of "Popcorn" and "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye". LP, Vinyl record album

A second volume of Duke Ellington material from Kenny Burrell – and like the first, an extremely fresh look at the tunes – given the way things change up throughout the sessions! The presentation here is nicely varied – not just a big band take on the Duke, nor some small combo musings – but instead a mixture of both, all with Burrell's guitar at the center, but also moving the spotlight to a host of other players along the way – including trombonist Quentin Jackson, trumpeters Snooky Young and Thad Jones, organist Jimmy Smith, and tenorists Joe Henderson and Jerome Richardson – all of whom add some surprisingly soulful currents to the set. Titles include "Jeep Is Jumpin", "Solitude", "In A Sentimental Mood", "Azure", "Just Squeeze Me", "Come Sunday", "Prelude To A Kiss", "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart", and "Orson". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful bit of late 60s pop – featuring a harmony group who can really sing – a group who really hit big with the famous cover tune of the set, but who really sound wonderful throughout! The album was masterminded by the team of Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss – who wrote most of the tunes, and also arranged and produced – and the whole thing's got a no-filler feel that's really great, with loads of original tunes that really pull out the best of the group's great vocal sound. There's a definite Sunshine Pop quality to the record, but the vocals also hearken back to an even better-crafted era of pop – and the whole thing kicks off with the hit single "Tracy", then rolls into gems like "Where Did You Go", "All The Young Women", "When Julie Comes Around", "Lay A Little Love On Me", and "Early In The Morning". CD also features 6 bonus tracks that include "Run Sally Run", "Wake Up Judy", "The Kiss", "Thank You Pretty Baby", and "Robin's World". CD

Mookish bombast from The Dictactors – heavy rock, fist clenching anthems, poker-faced parodies of love songs and keyboard peppered songs about a body covered in scabs. No sir, there will never be another Dictators! These guys should have been on kid's lunchboxes and Kiss should been dropped by their labels and consigned to cult infamy, that's what we think. Includes the world's first heavy metal cover of Iggy & The Stooges "Search & Destroy" that we know of, plus "Exposed", "Heartache", "Science Gone Too Far!", "Sleepin With The TV On", "Hey Boys" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked early 80s gem from Thomas Dolby – a beautifully mellow album that comes across with less of the quirky pop touches of his earlier work! The Dolby heard here is almost in an Eno/Green World mode – mixing electronics with evocative lyrics – at a level that's a few notches up from soundscape mode, but which is also as concerned with the overall colors and shapes of the music as it is with the lyrics. But the lyrics themselves are the biggest surprise – often quite personal and intimate, with a Prefab Sprout-esque pop quality from time to time, but stronger soul qualities overall. And to our groove-tuned ears, Dolby's electronics here are really a cut above – echoing with some electro styles, but also in a more sophisticated mode that transforms Kraftwerk into more effective pop. Titles include "Dissidents", "The Flat Earth", "Screen Kiss", "White City", "Mulu The Rain Forest", "I Scare Myself", and "Hyperactive". LP, Vinyl record album

Redd Foxx unfiltered, uncensored and in his live prime! You know, we can never get enough of just about any kind of party record, and the early 70s blue records from Redd Foxx have always been some of our favorites. While he was pretty darn funny doing "straight" comedy on network TV as Fred Sanford, even the most outlandish skits on the show never measured up against this raw material. Redd keeps it raw and dirty for the very live crowd with bits like "Black Brains", "Makin' Sandwiches", "Sniffing Pepper", "Raffle Ticket", "Rat Trap", "Door Knob", "Get Tight", "Say Hamburger" and "Kiss Urass Goodbye". LP, Vinyl record album

Stunning funk from the great Dizzy Gillespie – light years away from his early bop recordings! The album's a slammin batch of 70s instrumentals – Dizzy's trumpet firmly in the lead over electric backings that have more than a bit of funk in them. The bass is the main driving factor of the tunes – played either by Phil Upchurch or Chuck Rainey – and the tracks bounce along with a fierce and righteous groove that also includes hard riffing on guitar and some sweet piano lines. Players include Mike Longo, James Moody, and Bernard Purdie – and tracks include "N'Bani", "Matrix", "Soul Kiss", "Ding A Ling", and "Alligator". Great stuff, and a crucial album in Dizzy's lost career! Damn funky, too. LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Kiss On My List", "Gotta Lotta Nerve", "Hard To Be In Love With You", "Everytime You Go Away", "You've Lost That Lovin Feelin", "Diddy Doo Wop", and "You Make My Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic step forward for singer Morgana King – just the kind of record that really let the vocalist unlock all the sort of special power that would set her apart from the rest for decades to come! Morgana's got this completely distinct approach to jazz singing – a mode that's short on attack, robust on decay, and which flows in a way that really illustrates the lessons the lady learned from instrumentation – a sense of flow and phrasing that makes her instantly recognizable, no matter what the setting. Arrangements by Torrie Zito – with the same hip, dark mode he used with Tony Bennett – and titles include "A Taste Of Honey", "Easy To Love", "Prelude To A Kiss", "Corcovado", "When The World Was Young/Young & Foolish", and "Lazy Afternoon". CD

Jimi Hendrix is on the cover for a feature that looks back at Jimi's legacy in a really cool way, by looking hard at 27 songs, one for each year of Hendrix's life. Other big features include 2 Tone legend The Selecter, Roger Waters, Father John Misty, Dan Auerbach, and The Clash. Also includes pieces on Scott Walker, The National, Oumou Sangare, the John Sinclair Freedom Concert, plus loads of reviews (on new albums, reissues, books, films, and more). Last, but not least, the free 67+ minute CD – Kiss The Sky – with tracks by Sun Ra, Goat, 13th Floor Elevators, Endless Boogie & more! Magazine

James Mtume is an artist with deep roots in jazz – including some excellent spiritual jazz material in the early 70s – but here, he's hitting superstardom in the soul music world – by pairing up with Reggie Lucas for a great run of music from the Mtume group! Lucas also hails from jazz – Mtume met him when they were both working with Miles Davis – and both artists bring something really special to their sound that moves it away from simple commercial soul – a bit like the depth that lays behind Earth Wind & Fire, who have similar righteous roots, but are able to fuse a wonderfully smooth, groovy sound – and there's also a similarity to the late 70s material of Norman Connors, another artist who followed a similar path. This set spans the full run of excellent recordings Mtume did for the Epic label – almost a decade's worth of music, including some other mixes, and a few side projects with singer Tawatha. Titles include "Just Funnin", "Anticipatin", "Mrs Sippi", "Love Lock", "Closer To The End", "Funky Constellation", "The After 6 Mix (Juicy Fruit part 2)", "You Me & He (polygamy mix)", "COD", "Prime Time", "We're Gonna Make It This Time", "The Closer I Get To You", "Kiss This World Goodbye", "It's Non-Functional", "Body & Soul", "Breathless (A&G mix)", "Did I Dream You", and "Would You Like To Fool Around". CD