... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A great little album cut by Nina Simone during the time she was working with Weldon Irvine – a live album that really has the lady stretching out, and showing off all the cool, complicated grooves she brought to a concert setting! Weldon did the arrangements, and they've got a very righteous feel overall – which really seems to inspire Simone in her interpretations of the tunes, as she improvises a lot and really takes off with the lyrics! The album includes a really haunting version of "My Sweet Lord", the classic "Poppies", and a great poem/song called "Today Is A Killer" that goes on for over 15 minutes! LP, Vinyl record album

What can we say? "Ring My Bell" was one of the biggest crossover disco tracks of the late 70s – with a cool electronic groove on the beat, and lyrics and production by Frederick Knight, making the southern soul singer one of the more unlikely disco forces of the time. This 12" single features the full 8 minute version – with the "Midnight Mix" by Richie Rivera. 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of THE disco hits of the 70s – a set that spawned not only a huge hit single for Anita Ward, but which also firmly pushed the Miami scene over the top! The record's a wonderful mix of modes – served up with stone southern soul production from Frederick Knight, but also given plenty of disco touches from arranger Mike Lewis – who famously works in strings and keyboards in ways that really help the vocals soar! The mellower numbers are a great reminder that Anita's way more than just the usual club diva – a singer able to make things work strongly on a ballad front as well – and some of the best tracks here are penned by Sam Dees, who brings a level of songwriting that you normally wouldn't find on a disco record. Titles include the hit "Ring My Bell" – plus "If I Could Feel That Old Feeling Again", "Sweet Splendor", "You Lied", "Make Believe Lovers", and "I Won't Stop Loving You". LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

One of the key gospel greats of the postwar years – caught live here in a show in New York, with some great small combo backing and a quartet of supporting female singers! LP, Vinyl record album

Clara Ward's looking very young on the cover here – no surprise, as the set's an early one – and features a version of The Ward Singers that includes Marian Williams and Kitty Parham! LP, Vinyl record album

Ward performs with a stellar ensemble led by Bucky Pizzarelli, including Steve Jordan, Bernie Privin, Pee Wee Erwin, Ruby Braff, George Masso, Vic Dickenson, Phil Bodner, Al Cohn, Mickey Crane, Tony Monte, Warren Chiasson, Milt Hinton, Slam Stewart, Butch Miles, and Bobby Rosengarden. Titles include "I've Got The World On A String", "Pennies From Heaven", "Goody Goody", "Jeepers Creepers", "S Wonderful", "Sweet Georgia Brown" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Carla Bley's got a great lineup here – one that includes Michael Mantler on trumpet, Carlos Ward on alto and soprano sax, and Steve Swallow on bass! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most comprehensive collections of work we've ever seen on Eddie Bo – a really well-done set that finally gets at the full range of his massive funky talents – including a host of rare singles done for a variety of other artists as well! Despite the dates in the title, most of the music here is from the 60s and 70s – music from those glorious years of New Orleans soul and funk – when it seemed like the Crescent City groove could never stop, thanks to the efforts of Eddie and some of his contemporaries! There's a massively heavy groove to most of the numbers here – an emphasis on the funkiest side of Eddie Bo's sound, especially when he's working in the studio with other singers in the lead – and even if you've got some other Eddie Bo reissues in your collection, there's plenty fresh stuff here that makes this one well worth owning. LP notes are great too – a full history of Eddie's long career and all its different chapters. 30 tracks in all – including "Funky Yeah" and "Shelly's Rubber Band" by Curley Moore & The Cool Ones, "What's Good To You (part 1)" and "The La La Man (part 1)" by Oliver Morgan, "Horse With A Freeze (part 1)" by Roy Ward, "Timber (parts 1 & 2)" by Candy Phillips, "Can I Be Your Main Squeeze" by Chuck Carbo, "I'm A Carpenter (part 1)" by David Robinson, "Garden Of Our Trees" by The Explosions, "Reborn" by Marilyn Barbarin, "Live It Up" by James K-Nine, "Mama Here Comes The Preacher" by Doug Anderson, ""Something You Got" by Barbara George" – and the tracks "Chained", "When The Fingers On The Funk", "Rubber Band", "Getting To The Middle", "Check Your Bucket", "Lover & Friend", "Can You Handle It", "Fallin In Love Again", "Gotta Have More", and "We Like Mambo" all by Eddie Bo. LP, Vinyl record album

One of Dollar Brand's more ambitious albums – featuring a larger group of players than usual, working through some compositions that have as much life and spirit as might be implied by the title! The group includes Brand on keyboards, conga, and soprano sax – plus work by Carlos Ward on sax, Gary Chandler on trumpet, Craig Harris on trombone, Cecil McBee on bass, and Dwayne Armstrong on tenor. Titles include "Whoza Mtwana", "The Homecoming Song", "Anthem For The New Nation", "African Marketplace", and "Moniebah". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer set that's extremely well-titled – as BT Express were one of the hottest ensemble funk acts of their time! The groove here is definitely aimed at a more disco-oriented dancefloor than before – but the overall sound is plenty funky enough for our ears – thanks to some amazing horn passages arranged by Carlos Ward, whose own work on sax and flute really add an edgey quality to the set. Ward's horns are really fantastic – cutting and turning with a sharply-honed tone that keeps things fresh throughout – even when the rhythms are hitting more of a mainstream dancefloor sound. Titles include the group's mellow soul version of "Now That We've Found Love", plus "Herbs", "Time Tunnel", "Energy To Burn", "Can't Stop Groovin Now Wanna Do It Some More", and "Make Your Body Move". LP, Vinyl record album

We don't know about you, but we never get tired of Cheech & Chong's jokes about reefer and East LA. Loads of classic material on this first LP: "Blind Melon Chillin", "Wink Dickerson", "Acapulco Gold Filters", "Vietnam", "Trippin In Court", "Dave", "Emergency Ward", "Dave", "Emergency Ward", 'Welcome To Mexico", "The Pope Live At The Vatican", "Cruisin With Pedro De Pacas" and "Waiting For Dave". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the great records made by the cool French jazzy vocal group that included Ward Swingle and Christine LeGrand, and which did stuff that was much more straightforwardly jazzy than the semi-classical work of the Swingle Singers. This LP's got them backed by Jerome Richardson and his quartet, and has them running through a set of tracks associated with Ray Charles' Atlantic work. Cuts include "Stompin' Room Only, "Hit The Road, Jack", "Yes, Indeed", and "One Mint Julep", and all have a swingin' jazz vocalese sound. Cool stuff by one of the great lost groups of the 60's. LP, Vinyl record album

Rare US issue of this amazing album by the legendary French vocal group Les Double Six. The group included a core of the early Swingle Singers, and featured members Ward Swingle and Christine Legrand, two of France's best jazz vocalists at the time. On this LP, the group runs through a tightly swinging set of vocalese versions of Quincy Jones compositions and arrangements – including classics like "Doodlin", "Meet Benny Bailey", "French Rat Race", and "Boo's Bloos". The whole thing never stops swinging, and the harmony vocals are amazing! LP, Vinyl record album

Great early stuff by this swingin' French vocal group! These guys swung as hard as American groups, like Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross – but they stuck to hipper, jazzier material, and had a driving sound that never let up! The group is led by singer Mimi Perrin, who also handed the arrangements – and it features French jazz greats Ward Swingle and Eddy Louiss. Includes some great jazzy versions of "Naima", "Boplicity", "Westwood Walk", and "Early Autumn". LP, Vinyl record album

Ghostface brings some real hip hop to latter day Def Jam – his best album since Supreme Clientele – and possibly '06 hip hop album of the year! Fishscale features appearances by the Wu Tang Clan & Theodore Unit, Ne-Yo, Megan Ward and others on the mic – but it's the stable of producers that helps make this one of the best above ground hip hop albums we've heard in a long time. MF Doom puts his Metal Fingerz behind the boards for a bunch of tracks, and the legendary Pete Rock handles a few – with additional work by J Dilla, Just Blaze, Lewis Parker and others. Ghost brings a literal lyrical focus to a number of the tracks – but he's still spraying words all over the damn place – and the best tracks are just as thrilling as his surreal word bombs of yore. Tracks include "Shakey Dog", "Kilo" feat Raekwon, the excellent Just Blaze-produced anthem "The Champ", "9 Milli Bros" feat Wu Tang Clan, "Beauty Jackson", "RAGU" feat Raekwon, "Be Easy" feat Trife, "Dogs of War" feat Raekwon & Theodore Unit, "Barbershop" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A standout classic from Fern Kinney – and a set that not only marked a big moment of evolution for southern soul, but also for the Mississippi scene as well! The set was recorded at the Malaco studios in Jackson, but has a vibe that's much closer to some of the TK Records material from Miami – that maturation of southern soul during the disco era – as warmer, more modern touches came into play with rootsier styles of vocals! Mike Lewis handled the string arrangements – giving the record the same disco vibe as some of his other work of the time, including Anita Ward's big debut – and Fern's vocals have this higher range than usual for a southern singer – almost more innately tuned towards clubby rhythms. Titles include a big hit remake of King Floyd's "Groove Me" – really marking the change from the original version – plus "Baby Let Me Kiss You", "Pillow Talk", "Sun Moon Rain", "Angel On The Ground", and "Under Fire". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing music from the greatest chapter of the legendary Louvin Brothers – the kind of work that's made them a legend for generations! Handpicked Songs features Louvin classics chosen by a reverent group of singers and songwriters that really run the gamut – Dolly Parton, Beck, Kris Kristofferson, Chris Hilman, Emmylou Harris, Will Oldham, Zooey Deschanel, The Black Angels, Mark Lanegan, M Ward, and Jim James – but all artists who have been undeniably influenced by Ira and Charlie Louvin, and their way of melding melancholy harmonies into something that goes way beyond everyday country music! The packaging is great – very much up to the Light In The Attic standard – and titles include "Almost Persuaded", "My Baby's Gone", "I See A Bridge", "Knoxville Girl", "Great Atomic Power", and "Alabama". LP, Vinyl record album

A great statement as a leader from drummer Paul Motian – a player that none would have expected to be hitting this territory in the decade before – the start of a great run of records that continued his break from more familiar rhythmic territory! The record's got a very strong ECM vibe, but also maybe a bit more bite, too – as the bass work of Charlie Haden is balanced by sharper sounds from Carlos Ward on alto sax – who really gets plenty of space to dominate the proceedings, with this open soulfulness that really adds a lot to the record. The set's also got twin guitars from Paul Metzke and Sam Brown, which makes for a great approach – especially as Brown moves between acoustic and electric. Titles include a beautiful reading of Haden's "Song For Che" – plus "Victoria", "Tuesday Ends Saturday", "War Orphans", and "Sod House". LP, Vinyl record album

A monstrous bit of jazz funk from drummer Alphonse Mouzon – spacey tracks in a choppy style that reminds us a bit of some of the best European fusion albums from the period, but with a harder groove overall! Mini Moog and ARP trip out the sound throughout, but the underlying rhythms are nice and heavy. Lee Ritenour's on guitar, and he gets a lot of play on the record – but the main groove is Alphonse's heavy funky snakefoot! Al's drums and percussion are furiously frenetic, and he also plays a lot of keyboards – and other players include Tom Scott on tenor, Dave Grusin on clavinet, Victor Feldman on bongos and congas, and Charles Meeks on bass. A few tracks have vocals – by Marty McCall, Jackie Ward, and Caroline Willis – as well as Alphonse himself and the album's also got two very nice break-oriented tracks – "Snake Walk" and "New York City" – both with nice hard drums! Titles include a number of other good fusion groovers, like "Without A Reason", "Just Like the Sun", "Before You Leave", "Just Like The Sun", and "Mouzon Moves On". LP, Vinyl record album

Featuring Vybz Kartel, Kid Kurrupt, Predator, Kenny & Busy Signal, Ward 21, and Daville. 12-inch, Vinyl record

With Howard Alden on guitar, Dan Barrett on trombone, Frank Tate on bass, Jackie Williams on drums, and Chuck Wilson on alto and clarinet. LP, Vinyl record album

Like some of the other issues on Trip, this set brings together some great sides that sort of fell between the cracks in an artist's career. These nice rarer sides by Gene Ammons seem to be recorded by Jug during the early 60's, when he was jumping around his contractual agreements with a number of labels, and recording sessions for just about everybody. The first LP features Jug in the studio with Howard McGhee (the set was briefly issued under his name, on Argo) and a guitarist we're pretty certain is Jake Fisher (from other issues of this material), for a cool laidback soul jazz session that's probably one of Jug's most open-ended from the time. The tracks are all long, with a lot of room for solo space, and a round mellow tone. Titles include "Housewarmin", "Nothin' But Soul", "Jivin Around" and "Jug & McGhee". The second set's a hard-hitting blowing session, cut very much in the mode of Gene's late 50s sides for Prestige – and with a very accomplished group of soul jazzers that includes Nat Adderley, Frank Foster, Bennie Green, and Frank Wess. The groove has a nice raw late night sound – and tracks are pretty long and open-ended. Titles include "Litty Ditty", "Sermonette", "Juggin Around", and "Jim Dog". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice collection of Gene Ammons' work that doesn't always get as well remembered as his sides for Prestige or Chess – a 1947 bop session for Savoy with Howard McGhee on trumpet, Leo Parker on baritone, Junior Mance on piano, Gene Wright on bass, and Chuck Williams on drums; and early 50s sesssions with Johnny Coles on trumpet, Lino Murray on trombone, Mack Easton on tenor and baritone, John Houston on piano, Ben Stuberville on bass, and George Brown on drums; done in a wonderfully full-voiced tone! The set features Gene's classic "Red Top", plus the great two part "Big Slam", and the titles "Chips", "Goodtime Blues", "Fuzzy", "Jim Dawgs", and "Street Of Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

A striking title – and a strong set of grooves, even if the tracks were pulled from a variety of different sessions, and not recorded as a unified album. Jug plays tenor on all cuts – working in formats that range from a Mal Waldron led trio to larger honking groups with horn players like Henderson Chambers, Cecil Payne, Nate Woodward, and Gene Easton. Tracks are short, and most are pretty rocking – with titles that include "Blue Coolade", "Short Stop", "Scam", "Sock", "What I Say", and "Rock Roll". LP, Vinyl record album

A really striking album in the career of Atomic Rooster – one that's a little bit groovier than most, and maybe a bit funky as well! The drums are great, and have plenty of soulful currents – and the Hammond, piano, and electric piano work of Vincent Crane almost seem to echo earlier UK beat group currents, but turned towards a much hipper 70s vibe – one that's followed by an equally extended range from vocalist Chris Farlowe, who seems to fold together both his mod and prog experience in the vocals! Steve Bolton brings in some tight, riffing guitar – and titles include "Time Take My Life", "Never To Lose", "Breathless", "People You Can't Trust", "All In Satan's Name", "Close Your Eyes", "Little Bit Of Inner Air", and "Stand By Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A British art rock jam session, more or less, pulled together by Soft Machine bassist Kevin Ayers, who recruited Eno, John Cale and Nico, former bandmate Robert Wyatt, the enigmatic Rabbit (John Bundrick) on keyboards – more well known for his work with the Who – plus Mike Oldfield on guitar and a number of other guests and co-conspirators. A nice document of the scene a the time, with concise performances and a much tighter feel than you might imagine given the circumstances of the recording. 9 numbers in all, including "Driving Me Backwards", "Baby's On Fire", "Heartbreak Hotel", "The End", "May I?", "Shouting IN A Bucket Blues", "Stranger In Blue Suede Shoes", "Everybody's Sometime And Some People's All The Time Blues" and "Two Goes Into Four". LP, Vinyl record album

Two jazz giants of the 70s come together on this rare Italian recording from the late 60s – South African pianist Dollar Brand (Abdulla Ibrahim) and Argentine tenorist Gato Barbieri – both working here in spare duo formation, with edges that are a fair bit sharper than most of their later work! The format is incredibly spare – just tenor and piano, plus some occasional cello work by Brand – dark and angular, but also filled with small flowers of hope, flowering in the spontaneous presence of these two great minds – a tremendous spirit that makes the record very different than freer jazz outings, and which maybe points the way towards some of the classic European tenor/piano recordings to come. Tracks are long, with a free flowing quality that's infused with soul and spirit – and titles include "Hamba Khale", "The Aloe & The Wildrose", and "To Elsa". LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of early material from Dave Bartholomew – a key figure in the early days of New Orleans soul! Dave blows trumpet, arrangements are by Wardell Quezerque, and the group features Bobby James on organ and Smokey Johnson on drums! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most hard-hitting Count Basie albums from the Roulette Records years – and that's saying a lot, given the power of Basie at the time! The set was recorded in Sweden, with a kind of triple-time energy that really has the whole thing burning right from the start – as the group's driven onward by some bold work on drums from Louis Bellson – who's working here with a lineup that includes Frank Wess and Frank Foster on tenor, Marshall Royal on alto, and Thad Jones on trumpet. There's a slight rawness to the recording – still as clear as other Roulette sessions, but with a bit more "liveness" too – a sense of place that really helps the performances sparkle. The whole thing's great – and titles include "Little Pony", "Plymouth Rock", "Backwater Blues", "Who Me", and "April In Paris". LP, Vinyl record album

Soaring disco work from Celi Bee – one of the flashiest divas of the late 70s club years! The style here is a bit more straightforward and soulful than some of Celi's other work – especially her campy "Superman" hit – and the tracks often mix a strong bassy undercurrent with soaring, stepping strings – creating a style that's got a good deal of bounce on the bottom, but a fair bit of class alongside Celi's vocals! Titles include the extended "Fly Me On The Wings Of Love" suite, plus "You're The Best Thing", "For The Love Of My Man", "Can't Let You Go", and "Boomerang". CD also features a bonus 12" mix of "Fly Me On The Wings Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A record with a title that certainly fits the bill – as the amazing voice of Bobby Bland is as real here as it ever was, and blended with superbly soulful backings that take the singer's sound forward for a whole new generation! Some of Bobby's contemporaries were content to just stick in a straight blues mode – but Bland really grew and developed a lot as an artist, thanks in part to Monk Higgins and Al Bell – who are both at the production helm of the record, and balance the bluesy roots of Bobby with some richer soul backings that really knock the whole thing out of the park! We love Bobby Blue Bland during his early Duke Records years – but we love him equally as much for music like this, on titles that include "But I Do", "What A Difference A Day Makes", "Givin Up The Streets For Love", "A Song For You My Son", "Just You Just Me", and "Love Is Where It's At". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

The third solo album by Colin Blunstone – the magic-voiced singer who was lead vocalist of the Zombies, and went on to cut some god-like solo work in the early 70s! This album's a bit less sublime than Colin's first two – with tracks that veer a bit more towards the soft rock sound of the 70s, with some compressed AOR touches in place of the floating instrumentation of earlier albums – but it still sounds mighty nice to our ears, as Colin's voice is always a treat, and the record has a irrepressible charm in its optimistic presentation of some of the material. Essentially, if you dig Colin lots, you'll still want this one – as it's got more than a few nice moments – and is more of an evolution of his solo work than a divergence from it. Titles include "Setting Yourself Up", "Brother Lover", "Shadow Of A Doubt", "It's Magical", "You Who Are Lonely", "Beginning", and "Keep The Curtains Closed Today". LP, Vinyl record album

The second great entry in the Changes series from David Bowie – and, like the first, a well-chosen array of tracks that really get at his creative genius as a pop star – which includes a few great titles from his post-Berlin years! The set does a great job of spanning the 70s – and includes the single-only "John I'm Only Dancing (Again)" – which is a clubbier take on the earlier song that was showcased on Changes One. Other tracks run from the Ziggy years onward – and include another great single, Bowie's take on "Oh You Pretty Things" – which was more famously recorded by Mott The Hoople, although written by Bowie – plus "Aladdin Sane", "Starman", "1984", "Ashes To Ashes", "Sound & Vision", "Fashion", "Wild Is The Wind", and "DJ". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the cuts that veered a bit more towards the mainstream than some of the earliest work by the Heavies, off their breakthrough Shelter album, with a post P-Funk/80s groove hook, that gets a tougher remix courtesy Ski, the man behind many of Jay Z's big hits. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Remixes by Frankie Knuckles and Hex Hector. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A live trio date from guitarist Lenny Breau – and a set that's maybe got a bit more of an edge than some of his studio albums of the time! Lenny introduces the set, which helps enforce the concert feel of the proceedings – then works through a set of nicely varied material that really opens up with his solos – sometimes very careful single-note lines, sometimes more complicated flurries that show references towards other styles, as a reminder that Breau was never just a straight jazz guitarist. Titles include the beautiful "Indian Reflections For Ravi" – plus "Bluesette", "Spanjazz", "Mercy Mercy Mercy", "That's All", "Blues Theme #2", and "The Claw". LP, Vinyl record album

A really hip record from the team of bassist Ray Brown and vibist Milt Jackson – a swinging large group record that has them fronting arrangements from Oliver Nelson and Jimmy Heath! Nelson and Heath are both mighty hip cats at this point in their career – and bring a soulful swing to the record that really takes off – a groove that's lively, but tuned with lots of cool colors and tones too – shifting effortlessly while things move forward – but always with the right soulful appeal for older fans of both leaders. Milt's especially great in this setting – even more on fire than some of his other collaborations with Brown – and titles include "Dew & Mud", "Lined With A Groove", "Lazy Theme", "In A Crowd", and "Now Hear My Meaning". LP, Vinyl record album

The bands of Bobby Byrne and Kai Winding playing four tunes each in their own style – "Perdido", "That's A Plenty", "Get Happy", and "Hot & Cool Blues" – with Byrne playing with Yank Lawson, Arrtie Baker, Jack Lesberg, and more, and Winding with Howard McGhee, John Lewis, Percy Heath, and Kenny Clarke! LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark set of grooves by this excellent Detroit group – a trio who recorded for the local indie Karen, but got a much bigger boost towards fame when their record was picked up by Atlantic! The set's one of the killer 60s Motor Town sets produced by Ollie McLaughlin – and like the rest, it's got a really special edge – music that goes way past any simple 60s soul cliches, and which will make the set one of the real standouts in your collection. Arrangements are by Dale Warren, Riley Hampton, and Mike Terry – and titles include The Capitols' big hit "Cool Jerk", and also includes loads of other great tracks written by Donald Storball of the group – like "Dog & Cat", "Zig Zaggin", "The Kick", and others – plus versions of "Hello Stranger", "Love Makes The World Go Round", and "Good Lovin". LP, Vinyl record album