Sure, Esther Phillips and a few other 60s soul singers were recording Beatles tracks – but Mary Wells was the real deal, as she even had the support of the group itself, who made it known that she was one of their favorite American soul artists. This nice album on 20th Century features an all-Beatles set of tracks – with titles like "I Should Have Known Better", "Do You Want To Know A Secret", "Yesterday", "And I Love Him", and "Ticket To Ride". The arrangements are all uptown soul, and give the songs a more sophisticated sound than the original recordings. A record we don't see that often, and a nice lost gem! LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of incredible early Motown albums from Mary Wells – one of the label's first truly great singers – in a great single set from Kent UK! Mary Wells never sounded better than in her Motown years – and 1962's The One Who Really Loves You is key proof of her talents, as it's overflowing with laidback and mellow soul tunes – done in Mary's great blend of bluesy and classy styles! Titles include classics like "Drifting Love", "Strange Love", "The Day Will Come", "I've Got A Notion", "The One Who Really Loves You", "You Beat Me To The Punch", "Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right", "I'll Still Be Around" and more. The follow-up Two Lovers features the subtitle And Other Greatest Hits, but it's actually a great batch of songs that were most newly-recorded by Mary at the time – and not at all a simple round-up of singles! The approach here has just a little more rawness than some of the girl groups Berry Gordy was scoring hits with at the time, but also a sense of urban classiness. As is their wonderful way, Kent goes above and beyond here – with a great booklet of notes and photos – which shines a light on the making of these great records. Wonderful stuff! Titles include "Two Lovers", "Guess Who", "My 2 Arms - You = Tears", "Goody, Goody", "Stop Right Here", "Laughing Boy", "Looking Back", "(I Guess There's) No Love", "Was It Worth It" and "Operator". CD

A rare Atlantic LP from the 60s – one that showcases two different sides of singer Mary Wells, in a mode that's different than her work for other labels! The "two sides" in the title are Mary's soul side and her more sophisticated one – the former served up in a batch of great 60s soul covers that echo with an Atlantic sound that's even harder than Mary's earlier work – the latter by a host of groovy 60s pop numbers, done with fuller arrangements, and a vocal range that really surprised us! Sonny Sanders handles the soul sides, Joe Mazzu handles the sophisticated ones – and titles include "Love Make The World Go Round", "My World Is Empty Without You Babe", "Good Lovin", "Dear Lover", "In The Midnight Hour", "Where Am I Going", "The Boy From Ipanema", and "The Shadow of Your Smile". LP, Vinyl record album

Really beautiful later work from the great Mary Lou Williams – and one of the key records that shows just how much she'd evolved as a player since the early days! Part of the strength of the record is the rhythm work from Buster Williams on bass and Mickey Roker on drums – slightly more contemporary players who open up with a sense of warmth that Williams can't help but address – still work on the keyboard of the piano that's very much her own, and touched with the modern elements of her early days – but wonderfully sensitive in all the right ways, a richness that's perfect for the spiritual jazz generation of the 70s. Titles include the completely amazing "Baby Man", plus "Dat Dere", "Temptation", "Pale Blue", "Blues For Timme", "All Blues", and "Free Spirits". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent album by Mary Lou Williams – a set recorded during the 70s period when she was mixing in a bit of funk with her jazz! The sound here is wonderful – quite different than other work you might know from Williams, and much more in the sort of groove you'd expect from Junior Mance, Ray Bryant, Ramsey Lewis, or other soul jazz-oriented pianists! Williams plays acoustic piano in a very hip trio with Mickey Roker on drums and Bob Cranshaw on electric bass – the latter of whom brings in this well-rounded, soul-drenched tone that's a lot like the bass work on some of Monty Alexander's own best albums from the 70s. And Williams herself is totally great too – playing with some slightly exotic tones at points, and with a really in-the-pocket groove at others. Funky tracks include "Intermission" and "Rosa Mae" – and other titles include "Ghost Of Love", "Medi II", "Zoning Fungus", and a great version of Dizzy Gillespie's "Olinga". CD also features 2 previously unreleased tracks – "Syl-O-Gism" and an alternate of "Gloria". CD

With CL Smooth on the bad boy remix. 12-inch, Vinyl record

With Greg Nice on the Daddy Hip Hop mix. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

DualDisc audio is advanced resolution 96khz/24 bit stereo sound and Dolby stereo sound. DVD side features the videos for "Darklands", "Happy When It Rains" & "April Skies". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

With CL Smooth on the Bad Boy remix. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

DualDisc audio is advanced resolution 96khz/24 bit stereo sound and Dolby stereo sound. DVD side of the disc has three videos "Blues From A Gun", "Her Way Of Praying" & "Head On". CD

... CD

A huge record in its day and it hasn't aged a minute since! On Psychocandy the Reid brothers took all the underground Brit indie psych revival modes and filtered them through the Velvet Underground at their noisiest, then paired melodies learned from sources as sweet as 60s Wall Of Sound pop and the Beach Boys to ferociously fuzzy guitars – and stunning found a way to spring this onto to fringes of the mainstream on both sides of the Atlantic! Hugely influential – a record that points the way towards sounds so many would soon follow. Titles include "In A Hole", "The Hardest Walk", "Taste The Floor", "Just Like Honey", "Never Understand", and "You Trip Me Up". DualDisc audio is advanced resolution 96khz/24 bit stereo sound and Dolby stereo sound. CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

The great first album from The Mary Jane Girls – easily their best, and an 80s pop soul delight all the way through! Rick James is firmly at the helm of the quartet for this release – and although the sound has elements of James' own crossover funk of the time, there's also an approach that's sweeter and more female – balanced in a surprisingly nice way, and not nearly as cloying as other efforts of its type! Backings are lean and stripped down – often in a nice clubby 80s groove mode – and titles include "All Night Long", "Candy Man", "Boys", "Jealousy", "On The Inside", "Musical Love", "Prove It", and "You Are My Heaven". LP, Vinyl record album

A tasty 80s pop soul number from the Mary Jane Girls, produced by Rick James, and showcasing his ever-growing command of the mainstream soul market at the time! This longer single version offers a fair bit more than the chart version of the cut – not only a much more extended take on the tune, but also a slightly heavier groove as well! 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Includes the 1983 album of re-recorded hits I'm a Lady – The Old, New & Best Of Mary Wells along with several bonus tracks. An early 80s comeback set from Mary Wells – put together with a mix of newer tracks and remade older classics – as you might guess from the title! Production is by Wayne Henderson, with a relatively contemporary feel – a style that has plenty of 80s mainstream soul touches at times, particularly on the catchier numbers – but with more than enough room for Wells to still hang in there vocally, although with a somewhat more mature vocal style than in earlier years. Titles include "My Guy", "Two Lovers", "You Beat Me To The Punch", "Oh Little Boy What Did You Do To Me", "Bye Bye Baby", "You Lost The Sweetest Boy", "Old Love Let's Try It Again", and "What Love Has Joined Together". CD

A landmark album – and one of the best records you'll ever find by Mary Lou Williams! The record's a mixture of jazz and spiritual themes, and it features Mary Lou's piano set in some super-hip jazz arrangements that include players like Grant Green, Budd Johnson, Larry Gales, Melba Liston, Ben Tucker, and Percy Heath. The bass and piano work is amazing, and many tracks have a dark groove that's very subtle, but very compelling. About half the tunes feature hip choral vocalizing – in the mode of some of the Donald Byrd or Max Roach albums from the same time – mostly handled by the group of Howard Roberts. Includes the classic groover "A Grand Nite For Swinging", plus "A Fungus Amongus", "Anima Christi", "Miss DD", "The Devil", "It Ain't Necessarily So", and "My Blue Heaven". Great stuff all around – and even better than we're describing it! This CD issue features the original Mary Records cover art – different than the Saba/MPS or later Smithsonian CD versions. CD

An excellent album by Mary Lou Williams – a set recorded during the 70s period when she was mixing in a bit of funk with her jazz! The sound here is wonderful – quite different than other work you might know from Williams, and much more in the sort of groove you'd expect from Junior Mance, Ray Bryant, Ramsey Lewis, or other soul jazz-oriented pianists! Williams plays acoustic piano in a very hip trio with Mickey Roker on drums and Bob Cranshaw on electric bass – the latter of whom brings in this well-rounded, soul-drenched tone that's a lot like the bass work on some of Monty Alexander's own best albums from the 70s. And Williams herself is totally great too – playing with some slightly exotic tones at points, and with a really in-the-pocket groove at others. Funky tracks include "Intermission" and "Rosa Mae" – and other titles include "Ghost Of Love", "Medi II", "Zoning Fungus", and a great version of Dizzy Gillespie's "Olinga". CD also features 2 previously unreleased tracks – "Syl-O-Gism" and an alternate of "Gloria". CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... CD

A sparkling Christmas set from Mary J Blige – one that takes full advantage of those wonderful vocals, and lets them loose on a whole host of Holiday tunes! The album's on Verve, and has a feel that's a lot more classic than some of Mary's other work – a vibe that's somewhere between contemporary R&B and the older vocal jazz you'd hear on Christmas favorites from years past – an approach that comes through strongly in Mary's choice of tunes. Most of the numbers are favorite standards from the Holiday season, given a special Blige twist – arranged by David Foster, and titles include "Little Drummer Boy", "My Favorite Things", "This Christmas", "The Christmas Song", "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer", "Do You Hear What I Hear", "The First Noel", and "Petit Papa Noel". CD

A sparkling Christmas set from Mary J Blige – one that takes full advantage of those wonderful vocals, and lets them loose on a whole host of Holiday tunes! The album's on Verve, and has a feel that's a lot more classic than some of Mary's other work – a vibe that's somewhere between contemporary R&B and the older vocal jazz you'd hear on Christmas favorites from years past – an approach that comes through strongly in Mary's choice of tunes. Most of the numbers are favorite standards from the Holiday season, given a special Blige twist – arranged by David Foster, and titles include "Little Drummer Boy", "My Favorite Things", "This Christmas", "The Christmas Song", "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer", "Do You Hear What I Hear", "The First Noel", and "Petit Papa Noel". LP, Vinyl record album

17 tracks in all, including "Family Affair", "Love", "Steal Away", "No More Drama", "Testimony", "Dance For Me", "Flying Away", and "In The Meantime". CD

Produced by Dave "Jam" Hall and Sean "Puffy" Combs, Reminisce was a single from her record What's The 411. C.L. Smooth makes a guest appearance. CD

The landmark debut of Mary J Blige – a record that not only did a great job of blending underground hip hop and mainstream soul sensibilities – but maybe also opened the door for the Neo Soul revolution to come! Mary comes on here with a fresh new vision in female soul – one that's informed by the youth and upfront energy of the hip hop female MCs that preceded her – but with a depth that also makes Blige sort of the new Aretha Franklin for the end of the century – a deep soul singer, but one who's equally at home in the streets and the studio. Important production is by a young Sean Combs – some of his first great work on record – and the set also features guest appearances from Busta Rhymes, Little Shawn, Grand Puba, Erick Sermon, and CL Smooth. Titles include "Real Love", "Sweet Thing", "Love No Limit", "You Remind Me", "Reminisce", "What's The 411", "I Don't Want To Do Anything", "Changes I've Been Going Through", "Slow Down", and "My Love". CD

Mary Ehrlich on reeds, Michael Formanek on bass, and Peter Erskine on drums. CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Mary Halvorson on guitar. CD

Mary Halvorson on guitar, Jon Irabagon on alto saxophone, John Hebert on bass, Ches Smith on drums, Susan Alcorn on pedal steel guitar, Ingrid Laubrock on tenor saxophone, Jacob Garchik on trombone, and Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet. CD

Features Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet, Ingrid Laubrock on tenor sax, Jacob Garchik on trombone, and others! CD

Mary Halvorson on guitar, Reuben Radding on double bass, and Nate Wooley on trumpet. CD

Cuts from a 1933 session featuring Coleman Hawkins with Red Allen, JC Higginbotham, Hilton Jefferson, Horace Henderson, Bernard Addison, John Kirby, and Walter Johnson; plus a 1936 session featuring Mary Lou Williams with Booker Collins, Ted Robinson, and Ben Thigpen. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

The sweet, lovely and lush full length debut of Mary Hopkin for Apple Records! Mary's vocals are fragile and sweet, and Paul McCartney's production frames it like a pillow on the softer tunes – with light bits of acoustic guitar – and makes are sound like the queen of all natural on the more grandly orchestrated tracks. 15 tracks on the original album, including "Those Were The Days", "Lord Of The Reedy River", "Love Is The Sweetest Thing", "The Puppy Song", "Inchworm", "Young Love", "The Game", "Someone To Watch Over Me" and more. Has 3 bonus tracks: "Turn Turn Turn" & two versions of "Those Were The Days". CD

... Cassette

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A huge record in its day and it hasn't aged a minute since! On Psychocandy the Reid brothers took all the underground Brit indie psych revival modes and filtered them through the Velvet Underground at their noisiest, then paired melodies learned from sources as sweet as 60s Wall Of Sound pop and the Beach Boys to ferociously fuzzy guitars – and stunning found a way to spring this onto to fringes of the mainstream on both sides of the Atlantic! Hugely influential – a record that points the way towards sounds so many would soon follow. Titles include "In A Hole", "The Hardest Walk", "Taste The Floor", "Just Like Honey", "Never Understand", and "You Trip Me Up". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes 20 tracks by Andy Kirk and his Twelve Clouds of Joy, with arrangements and piano by Mary Lou Williams. CD

Maybe the largest book we've ever seen to focus on the artwork of Robert Rauschenberg – a huge volume that's overflowing with full color images – and which traces a lineage of creative activity that's much longer than we would have guessed! The book's divided up into chapters on so many different eras in the career of this groundbreaking visual artist – and also contains a good deal of history and writings on his artwork along with the images – served up in a super-heavy, hardcover book that's over 350 pages in all – stuffed with paintings, collages, photographs, and plenty more! Book

A classic yet unusual take on the sound of post-folk vocals in the world of 70s pop – a set done by gentle-voiced Mary MacGregor, a singer who would have had much more acoustic support a decade before – yet who here has an unusual blend of AOR elements and more laidback modes, all surprisingly produced at Muscle Shoals! This isn't the usual Muscle Shoals set – no southern soul currents, just plenty of warm keyboard lines from Barry Beckett, who co-produced with Peter Yarrow – another talent here who is in different territory than usual. Beckett even plays a bit of moog, which sounds nice next to Mary's voice as she delivers tunes that include the classic "Torn Between Two Lovers", plus "Good Together", "This Girl", "Mama", "It's Too Soon", "The Lady I Am", "For A While", and "I Just Want To Love You". CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... CD

Selections from "The Legend And The Legacy" box set – titles include "Nola", "Tennessee Waltz", "I'm A Fool To Care", "Tiger Rag", "My Baby's Comin Home", and "Bye Bye Blues". 20 tracks total. CD

With Gerry Wiggins on piano, Ron Eschete on guitar, Andy Simpkins on bass, Paul Humphrey on drums, Harry Sweets Edison on trumpet, and Rickey Woodard on saxophone. CD

An incredible record from Mary Wells – one that really captures the rawness of her vocal range, in a setting that's about as "live" as you could get for a soul recording of the time! Berry Gordy put this one together with a brilliant sense of space and place – allowing for a fair bit of crowd noise and cheering alongside Mary's vocals – in a mode that shows that the singer was every bit as great working a crowd as she was in the Motown studios. Tracks are a bit longish, and feature some nice spare backings on the best numbers – and titles include "Old Love", "Operator", "The One Who Really Loves You", "You Beat Me To The Punch", and "Two Lovers". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... CD

25 songs. CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

With Avin Banks on bass and Gerard Dave Pochonet on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Mary Lou Williams is dipping far back into her roots here – working in a very bluesy batch of styles, with only accompaniment from Buster Williams on bass to back her up! The tracks are all relatively shortish, and done in styles that stretch back to older modes of 20s and 30s jazz piano – but as usual, Williams has a hip edge in her playing, and brings modernist undercurrents into play where you might least expect. Cynthia Tyson sings on 2 tracks in the set – and titles include "JBs Waltz", "The Blues", "NG Blues", "Prism", "No Title Blues", "My Mama Pinned A Rose On Me", "Baby Bear Boogie", and "Dirge Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Mary J Blige broke through well over a decade ago, but Breakthrough is an apt title for her eighth album – as it not only busts up the morass of mid 00s urban radio fodder – it also breaks through MJB's own creative doldrums – adding up her best work in years! It's certainly not a flawless listen (we could have lived without the U2 appearance) but the production is crisp and sparkling, leaning towards the seamless hip hop soul feel that Mary built her name upon – and remarkably consistent given the long list of contributors – including 9th Wonder, Will I Am, Raphael Saadiq, JUSTICE League, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and others. Tracks include "No One Will Do", Enough Cryin'" feat Brook, "About You" feat Will I Am, "Be Without You", "Can't Hide From Luv" feat Jay-Z, "MJB Da MVP", "I Found My Everything" feat Raphael Saadiq, "Father In You", "Alone" and more. CD

A classic batch of Motown duets from Marvin Gaye and some of his best female co-stars – with a few contributions a piece from Mary Wells, Kim Weston, and Tammi Terrell! Although other artists explored the male/female duet mode back in the 60s, few did it as well as Marvin – thanks in part to a warmly sensitive vocal approach that made his duets come across as personal, loving conversations – and not the too-gimmicky modes used to push the big stars over at other labels. Marvin & Mary Wells sing "Once Upon A Time", "What's The Matter With You Baby", "Together", and "Deed I Do". Marvin & Kim Weston sing "I Want You 'Round", "What Good Am I Without You", and "It Takes Two". And Marvin and Tammi Terrell sing "Your Precious Love", "Little Ole Girl, Little Ole Boy", "I Can't Help But Love You", and "Good Lovin Ain't Easy To Come By". LP, Vinyl record album

A double-length set from guitarist Mary Halvorson – with two different albums in the package! First up is Amaryllis – a record that has the fantastic guitar of Mary Halvorson amidst so many other sounds and shapes – delivered by a lineup that features Patricia Brennan on vibes, Jacob Garchik on trombone, and Adam O'Farrill on trumpets – all players who already shape the sound in these fantastically colorful way, then get some extra help from the Mivos string quartet! The rhythm duo at the core do a lot too – keeping things moving in these blocks of sound that often fit Mary's approach to guitar – with work from Nick Dunston on bass and Tomas Fujiwara on drums, both players who seem to find the right balance with the overall sound of the group, yet really make the contribution known. Titles include "Side Effect", "Amaryllis", "Hoodwink", "Night Shift", and "892 Teeth". On Belladona, Mary Halvorson has a very unique guest – the Mivos Quartet, who bring a sublime blend of violin, viola, and cello into play with the fantastic tones from Mary's guitar! The set's not like when you add a string group to conventional jazz – as the sound here is much more about the interplay between the acoustic strings – partly the rasp of Halvorson's tones next to the warmer currents of the other instruments – partly the mix of plucked, strummed, and bowed passages that create a multiplicity of sounds and feelings! Halvorson has always given us something amazing with each new record – yet still, this one's a real standout – with titles that include "Haunted Head", "Belladonna", "Flying Song", "Moonburn", and "Nodding Yellow". LP, Vinyl record album

... Cassette

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Later work from this Canadian soul singer – with titles that include "Hang Up Your Coat", "Love For A Laugh", "Love's Desire", "Jimmy Lee", "Lazy Old Soul", "Take A Chance", "I'm A Woman", and "I Want You". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure set from Mary Wells – easily her rarest album, and one of her best too! The set was produced by Cecil and Mary Womack, who also wrote a lot of songs for the record – and they've got Mary working in a deeper soul mode than before, hitting a style that's got that Womack sparkle and southern soul depth. Arrangements are by Horace Ott – and titles include "Woman In Love", "The Doctor", "Soul Train", "Make Me Yours", "Can't Get Away From Your Love", and "Don't Look Back". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes performances with Andy Kirk & His Twelve Clouds Of Joy, Booker Collins, Ben Thigpen, Coleman Hawkins, Don Byas, Benny Goodman, Wardell Gray, Mary Osborne, George Duvivier, Denzil Best, Tony Kinsey, and Allan Ganley. CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

The musical legacy of saxophonist Marion Brown knows no bounds – and although he gave the world some key studio records that helped define his role in the late 60s and early 70s, his live performances on this planet were an equally important demonstration of the righteous power he brought to his music! This rare 1969 concert from Germany is a key addition to that legacy of important Brown performances – and features the alto saxophonist in a very cool group with Ed Kroeger on trombone, blowing all these soulful lines next to Brown's alto – very spiritual throughout, at a level that really makes us which we knew more about his work. There's no piano in the group at all – just excellent bass from Sigi Busch, and drums from a young AACM hero Steve McCall – on titles that include "Ode To Coltrane", "Mary Ann", "Juba Lee", "Study For Four Instruments", "Modus Rhythmicus", and "Exhibition". CD

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Fuzzed out funk from the legendary Fugi! The groove is incredibly sinister – a blend of Detroit funk (ala The Counts, Funkadelic, and others in the Westbound crew), and some of the more guitar-based influence from the Hendrix soul generation (especially the styles that were beginning to show up on the Bar-Kays albums at the time!) Fugi have a groove that's gotta be heard to be believed – hard, heavy, and filled with soul – dipping down down down into the dirt on the bass, and riffing up to the top again on a wave of heavy guitars! 6 tracks in all – the complete Chess recordings by Fugi – and titles include "Mary Don't Take Me On No Bad Trip", "Revelations", "Jo Jo", "Save A Little", and "I'd Rather Be A Blind Man". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A groovy soundtrack, written for this film that starred Dustin Hoffman and Mia Farrow as two young lovers on a one night stand. The film sports a great vocal theme – "Maybe Tomorrow", sung by Evie Sands in a haunting airy way, and also performed at another point by the Morgan Ames Singers, and instrumentally by Quincy. Other tracks include Quincy's own number "Silent Moovies", the vocal cuts "Bump In The Night" by The Strange Things and "Lost In Space" by Jeff Bridges, and a number of classical themes played by a brass group led by Quincy. LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Early 80s Chicago new wave. Two songs from this release also appear on very early Sub Pop cassette 'zine compilations. LP, Vinyl record album

In Bizarroland, low fi pioneer and semi-unhinged cult icon Gary Wilson will put a record out on Stones Throw, and said comeback album will be reviewed in hip hop and DJ-centered publications and receive favorable notices. By Bizarroland, we mean the real world in 2004. The detached, minimalist low fi electro soul frappe of his You Think You Really Know Me, recorded way back in the late 70s, is taken to the next obvious step here, with the childlike melancholy just a little bit more blue. The vocal distortion has the appropriately disquieting effect, as it did back in the day. Tracks include "A Very Small Town", "Linda Wants To Be Alone", "Shauna Made Me Cry", "Gary's In The Park", "Sodus Point", "Gary Saw Linda Last Night", "Electric Depression", "She Makes Me Think Of Endicott", "Hold Back The Daylight" and more – plus the bonus tracks "6.4=Makeout" and "Chromium Bitch" – recorded in 1976! CD