One of the coolest labels on the Chicago soul scene of the 60s – part of the larger One-Der-Ful family of imprints, and equally important as the flagship company! Mar-V-Lus cut some of the hippest work in the Windy City at the time – deeply soulful singles that were really at the cusp of the scene, and which also had a fair bit of funk in the mix as well – the grittier side of Chicago soul that really represented the true sound of the underground! And although some of the Mar-V-Lus label material has been reissued over the years, this package uncovers 10 never-issued tracks, and mixes them with 15 more gems that only ever came out as rare indie singles – making for over two dozen Chicago soul treasures, packaged here with a very detailed set of notes. The package is another great step in this six-volume series – and completely essential listening, even to long-trained Chicago soul ears like ours! Unreleased tracks include "For You My Love" by Josephine Taylor, "Sad Souvenirs" by The Ulti-mations, "I Feel Good All Over" by Baby Miracles, "I Want A Man" by Josephine Taylor, "If You Need Me" by The Du-Ettes, "Sweatin" by Alvin Cash, "Stop Call The Cop" by The Du-Ettes, and "Your Love Picks Me Up" by Josephine Taylor – and other titles include "Love Is A Good Thing Goin" by The Blenders, "Don't Turn Your Back On Me" by Johnny Sayles, "I Still Can't Get You" by Joseph Moore, "Joey" by The Young Folk, "Philly Freeze" by Alvin Cash, "You're Gonna Be Sorry" by Cicero Blake, "Would I Do It Over" by The Ulti-mations, "Lonely Girl" by Miss Madeline, and "Whole Lot Of Lovin" by Johnny Sayles. LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique side of the legendary One-Derful family of Chicago soul music labels – the tiny Halo imprint, where the company issued all of their incredible gospel music! The Halo sound is like a deep soul take on the other One-Derful/Mar-V-Lus material – cut at the same time, in a similar scene, often with the same studio talent too – but tuned towards styles that are more righteous and more mellow than some of the more upbeat soul on the bigger labels – a heady brew of Chicago roots and heavenly inspiration, served up here in one mighty nice set! As with the others in the series, there's a number of cuts here that were never issued at the time – which makes this collection way more than just a "best of" the label – and instead more of an archival package, especially given the huge booklet of notes that comes along with the whole thing. A beautiful look at this under-exposed side of the Chicago 60s scene – with titles that include "Why Can't We Love Our Fellowman" by The Golden Tones, "Send Your Cleansing Power" by The Gospel Ambassadors, "Lord Deliver Me" by The Original Ensemble, "Why Do Men Treat The Lord As They Do" by The Redemption Harmonizers, "Man In The City (parts 1 & 2)" by The Lucy Rogers Singers, "Lord I Will Never Forget" by Rev Lofton & The Holy Travelers, "Keep Movin Along" by The Daytonians, and "I Have Made A Change" by The Flying Clouds Of Joy. LP, Vinyl record album

A wicked album of Latin Soul tunes – recorded by Harvey Averne, one of the heaviest hitting producers of the New York scene of the late 60s! The album's one of the few that Harvey issued under his own name, and it features him on piano and vibes, working with arrangements by Marty Sheller, and a tight batch of studio players who cook up the grooves in a classic Fania/Tico style! The album's got some very groovy originals – like "The Micro Mini", "You're No Good", "My Dream", and "You Mess My Mind Up" – plus some sweet little covers, like "The Think Drink Theme", "The Word", and "Wishing & Hoping" – all of which come off like some of Willie Bobo's best work of the time! LP, Vinyl record album

One of Roy Ayers' biggest albums ever – and also one of his deepest, too! The whole thing's an incredible album of mellow jazzy soul – and it shows Roy at the crossroads, perfecting his earlier funk style with a sweet mellow R&B edge, getting a bit slicker, but still staying on the righteous path, and opening up a whole new bag in soul music. There's a wonderful electric vibe running through the record – not just from Roy's vibes, but from the Fender Rhodes and Arp work by Phillip Woo – and the amazing energy of the rest of the group too. Features the landmark title cut – "Everybody Loves The Sunshine", one of those tunes that becomes more and more of a classic each year – plus spiritual numbers like "Third Eye" , "Keep on Walking", and "The Golden Rod". Very righteous, and with a cool dope jazzy groove! LP, Vinyl record album

LP, Vinyl record album

One of Ray Barretto's hardest-hitting salsa albums of the 70s – a raw set of grooves that's got Ray moving away from the playfulness of the Latin Soul years, into a more righteous mode that's easily guessed at from the title of the set! The vibe here is very straightforward – with Ray coming down hard on conga, and working with a group that features Adalberto Santiago on lead vocals, plus Orestes Vilato on timbales, Andy Gonzalez on bass, and Luis Cruz on piano. The sound is spare and raw – and titles include the wonderfully echoey tune "O Elefante", with some great elephant-like work on trumpet – plus "Con El Cimarron", "Se Traba", "Arrepientete", and "Te Traigo Mi Son". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album from Joe Bataan – so great, that it made the entire record company change its name! The record has Joe really bursting out after his seminal Latin Soul work of the late 60s – blending Latin rhythms and American soul into a whole new style of music – one that Joe called "Salsoul", because of it's mixture of salsa and soul! The blend is fantastic, a real milestone in the NuYorican scene – and handled perfectly by Joe on every cut! There's some massive Latin funk on here, including the tracks "Latin Strut" and "Aftershower Funk", plus some straighter Latin jazz, like "Sunny Gets Blue Mambo", and a great Latin Soul cut with English vocals called "Johnny". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the groovier examples of late 60s psychedelia on the MGM label – one of a pair from the Boston area's Beacon Street Union! The Clown Died In Marvin Gardens has more orchestrated arrangements than the group's other album from the period, but it's no less adventurous, strange or diversely influenced! Titles include the title track, plus "The Clown's Overture", "Angus Of Aberdeen", "A Not Very August Afternoon", "Now I Taste The Tears" and groovy covers of "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Baby Please Don't Go". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark recording that is one of Jorge Ben's best albums ever! The album is a perfect realization of the way that Jorge mixes Brazilian rhythms with choppy Afro grooves – and the result is a masterpiece that yeilded some of his biggest tracks ever. Included here is the great choppy funk track "Ponta De Lanca", plus loads of other goodies like "O Filosofo", "Xica Da Silva", "A Historia De Jorge", and a great remake of "Taj Mahal" – probably his greatest cut ever. Great all the way through – and is a perfect introduction to Jorge Ben if you don't know his work, and an essential addition to your collection if you do! LP, Vinyl record album

A funky jazz treasure – and the band's landmark first album! The Blackbyrds were a legendary 70s combo that were discovered by Donald Byrd while he was teaching at Howard University – and they had a tight style that mixed raw funk influences with smoother jazz playing, creating a sound that was different from many of their contemporaries, and which pushed funk and soul into a whole new level. Byrd's work with the band was as groundbreaking as Larry Mizell's work on his own Blue Note albums – and coincidentally, Larry Mizzell's Sky High Productions handles the studio chores for the set – but in a way that's much more sharply funky than his albums with Byrd! Titles include the tight choppy funk tracks "Do It, Fluid" and "Funky Junkie", plus other nice groovers like "Summer Love", "Gut Level", and "The Runaway". LP, Vinyl record album

The instrumental/dub versions of all the tracks from the Criminal Minded LP – one of the most important albums in the history of hip hop – the first full LP from KRS One, and a landmark batch of tracks recorded with the late Scott La Rock! The track list alone is a full chapter in the hip hop book of legends – with tunes like "Poetry", "Elementary", "South Bronx", "Super-Hoe", "Bridge is Over", and the "P is Free" remix – plus "Criminal Minded", "Dope Beat", and "9mm Goes Bang" LP, Vinyl record album

A great package that includes the "final" concert by David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars persona – recorded at London's Hammersmith Odeon in 1973, and pulled from the soundtrack to the DA Pennebaker film of the same name! The original film featured Bowie, Mick Ronson, and the rest of the Spiders jamming their way through the guitar-heavy tunes of the Ziggy era, plus a few choice bits from earlier years. Titles include "Ziggy Stardust", "Watch That Man", "Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud", "All The Young Dudes", "Oh You Pretty Things", "Moonage Daydream", "Changes", "My Death", and "Hang Onto Yourself". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite free material from Anthony Braxton – the legendary Coventry concert, recorded with a quartet that features the excellent Marilyn Crispell on piano – plus Mark Helias on bass and Gerry Hemingway on drums! The sound here is a lot more open and exploratory than some of Braxton's material of the 70s – that's saying a lot, given his reputation – and given the chronological placement of this one, the performance almost announces a new era in Braxton's career. Titles include "Composition 124", "Composition 88", "Piano Solo & Composition 239", "Composition 69 F", and "Composition 40 N". LP, Vinyl record album

Anthony Braxton plays a host of horns on this powerful mid 80s set – a batch of numbers all based around his unique imagistic compositions! Braxton's reeds include alto, tenor, sopranino, and C melody sax – plus clarinet and flute as well – and other quartet members include David Rosenboom on piano, Mark Dresser on bass, and Gerry Hemingway on drums. The music is quite angular at most points – with sharp tones that are kind of a further extension of a Monk/Lacy vibe, stretched into occasional free moments as well. Titles include "Composition No 131", "Composition No 88 (+ 108C)", "Composition No 124 (+ 108D +96)", "Composition No 122 (+ 108 +96)", and "Composition No 101 (+ 31 + 86 + 30)" – with accompanying graphics for each! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first great sessions from FMP Records in the 80s – and an album that really shows the creative growth at the label since its start! The music is played by a very hip trio – with Peter Brotzmann on e flat clarinet, tarogato, tenor, alto, and baritone – plus Harry Miller on bass and Louis Moholo on drums – both players from the British scene who really seem to help Brotzmann find this new sort of space in his music – an ear for more subtle sound textures and tones that's spun out beautifully over the course of the double-length record. We might well say that this record is as important to the later generation of FMP as Machine Gun was to the first – and regardless, it's still an essential treasure for any fan of Brotzmann, or free jazz in general. Titles include "Open But Hardly Touched", "Double Meaning", "Special Request For Malibu", and "Eine Kleine Nachmarie". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing record from Marion Brown – one of his greatest ever! The record has an unusually introspective quality, and features Muhal Richard Abrams playing piano, Fender Rhodes, and Ring Modulated Hammon Organ, plus Paul Bley playing some of the same on a few tracks. The two-keyboard sound is very cool, and the record's dominated by it in a way that we find really surprising, given the fierceness of Brown's sax playing on earlier sessions. Each side of the album features a long suite – side one has "Sweet Earth Flying" and side two has "Eleven Light City" – and each have the tracks drifting in and out, with piano lines swirling about in a soulful spiritual way, as Brown's alto and soprano snake through the elegant arrangements. Really fantastic stuff – and a record that's unlike any we've heard from him! LP, Vinyl record album

An unbelievable recording! As Archie Shepp made his first album for Impulse a tribute to Coltrane, Marion Brown made his a tribute to Shepp – a wonderful lineage of avant talent in the 60s, stated boldly here, given Brown's amazing talent on the record! The album's filled with hard, soulful playing that goes out, but never too far – like Shepp in his best sixties moments – and Brown's working with a great lineup of players that includes Grachan Moncur on trombone, Beaver Harris on drums, and Stanley Cowell on piano! The tunes include three Marion Brown originals on side one, plus three tracks by Shepp on side two. "Spooks" alone will leave you loving this album for years to come – and other tracks include "West India", "Delicado", "New Blue", and "Fortunato". A brilliant blend of 60s "new thing" playing and 70s underground jazz! LP, Vinyl record album

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

Amazing sounds from a rare Swedish film – noteworthy not just for the end result, but for the lineup of people who were part of the process! The movie itself starred rising soul star Johnny Nash – in the lead in a tale about interracial romance – and although Johnny sings on the score, his style is also quite different than his own music of the time – as his voice is set to really cool, complicated backdrops from John "Rabbit" Bundrick – who was part of a floating scene that included Nash and Bob Marley, with a better-known later stop in London. The film and music came together out of an almost communal vibe – with Bundrick's music at the core, plus some lyrics from Nash, and instrumentation from a lineup that includes Bob Marley on guitar, alongside local talents Janne Schaffer and Bjorn Linder – plus percussion from the great Reebop Kwaku Bah, who'd worked with Can and Traffic – as well as lots of Fender Rhodes and organ from Bundrick. Some tunes have a loose, percussive feel – others are more song structured with a lot of guitar – and the whole package comes with a great set of notes to tell the tale of the music and the movie. Titles on this second volume include "Mine All Mine", "Fire Sequence", "Live In The Country (inst)", "Song In Ferry Boat Sequence", "Church Tune", "Love Scene", and "Harp II". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the best recordings that Donald Byrd and Pepper Adams ever did together! The material here was recorded for the short-lived Warwick label in the early 60s – with a tight tight rhythm section that includes Jimmy Cobb on drums, Laymon Jackson on bass, and a very young Herbie Hancock on piano. Herbie kicks ass on his solos – and Byrd and Adams are very tight, with none of the clunkiness that sometimes mars their other work. The set includes a killer version of "Mr Lucky", plus the tracks "Out Of This World", "Byrd House", "I'm An Old Cowhand", and "Curros". This is the 2nd volume, with different versions of tracks from the first one! LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing little record from Joe Byrd – an artist with roots in serious music, but who's serving things up here with a wild hippie aesthetic that makes the whole thing come across more like a "happening" than the usual sort of studio album – but in ways that also echo an earlier generation of Americanist composition too. The process of the record mimics some of Byrd's famous work in New York – and has a very collaborative feel overall, with elements of electronics, acoustics, and vocals coming together beautifully! There's some great tabla, harpsichord, moog, and organ on the record – plus more serious woodwinds and brass – and vocals from Victoria Bond, Susan De Lange, Christie Thompson, and Ernie Anderson – plus Joe himself. Titles include "Kalyani", "Moonsong Pelog", "You Can't Ever Come Down", "Gospel Music", "Nightmare Train", "Leisure World", and "The Elephant At The Door". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing little record from Joe Byrd – an artist with roots in serious music, but who's serving things up here with a wild hippie aesthetic that makes the whole thing come across more like a "happening" than the usual sort of studio album – but in ways that also echo an earlier generation of Americanist composition too. The process of the record mimics some of Byrd's famous work in New York – and has a very collaborative feel overall, with elements of electronics, acoustics, and vocals coming together beautifully! There's some great tabla, harpsichord, moog, and organ on the record – plus more serious woodwinds and brass – and vocals from Victoria Bond, Susan De Lange, Christie Thompson, and Ernie Anderson – plus Joe himself. Titles include "Kalyani", "Moonsong Pelog", "You Can't Ever Come Down", "Gospel Music", "Nightmare Train", "Leisure World", and "The Elephant At The Door". LP, Vinyl record album