An astounding collection that brings together work from a roots reggae legend! Niney's productions stand as some of the strongest benchmarks for golden era roots reggae, with his ability to fuse heavy rhythms with righteous messages and some of the better vocal performances that these singers would turn in for any producer. This great double LP set pulls together some of his biggest numbers as well as great versions, dubs, discomixes and a few hard to get alternate versions for a hefty showcase of one of the elite in Kingston's roster of master producers. Backing is by the Soul Syndicate, the Aggrovators, the Revolutionaries, the Cimarons and Steely & Clevie, with 28 tracks in all, including "Blood & Fire" by Niney, "Whole Lot Of Fire" by Big Youth, "Rascal Man" by Delroy Wilson, "Rasta No Born Yah (ext)" by Sang Hugh & The Lionaires, "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner/Clap The Barber" by Michael Rose, "I Need Your Loving" by Slim Smith, "Rock On" by Gregory Isaacs, "Silver Words" by Ken Boothe, "Warrior" by Johnny Clarke, "Chant It Down" by Freddie McGregor, "No More Will I Roam (ext)" by Dennis Brown, "Materialist" by Horace Andy, "Moses" by Jacob Miller, "Temptation, Botheration & Tribulation" by the Heptones, "Lover's Race" by Sugar Minott and "Thank You Mama" by Barry Brown. LP, Vinyl record album

A now-legendary compilation – an early effort to reissue funk on the Stones Throw label – and a set that virtually gave birth to all the fantastic projects they've done under the Now Again banner over the years! Compiler Egon has gone through a range of rare singles, masters, and demos – and has come up with tunes that burn with a brightness that's undeniable. The grooves are all on the harder end of the James Brown Funky People side of the spectrum – and the whole thing is a massive dig into the funky 45 underground – featuring a few groups who rose to new fame over the years, thanks to the legendary status of this project! Titles include "Don't Go" by Aristocrats Organization, "Loaded To The Gills (edit)" by Michael Liggins & The Supersouls, "Mr Chicken (alternate)" by The Soul Seven, "Slipping Into Darkness" by Dayton Sidewinders, "James Brown Medley" by The Apollo Commanders, "Scorpio" by Kashmere Stage Band, "Sad Chicken" by Leroy & The Drivers, "Street Scene" by Leon Mitchinson, "Free Your Mind" by Amnesty, "The Thing" by Carleen & The Groovers, "Go For Yourself (edit)" by Kenny Smith & The Loveliters, and "The Stretch (edit)" by Detroit Sex Machines. LP, Vinyl record album

That's a country-looking Mike Nesmith on the cover – which is no surprise, as these cuts were all recorded during Nesmith's great early 70s country rock years on RCA – although none of them were issued at the time! Those in the know love Mike's fantastic records with The First National Band – done after his time in The Monkees, at a time when he was really letting his hair down and his songwriting skills flow – to a point where he was joining the hipper country-inspired world of The Flying Burrito Brothers and The Byrds! Those modes are in full flourish here – in a set that features 14 vocal numbers from the RCA years, including many rare alternates – and 8 more instrumentals, which show the wonderful use of pedal steel from Red Rhodes, and some of the other hip players on the sessions. Titles include "American Airman", "Six Days On The Road", and "Circle Sky" – plus rare alternates of "Some Of Shelly's Blues", "Marie's Theme", "Roll With The Flow", "Different Drum", "Tengo Amore", "Dedicated Friend", "Texas Morning", "Rene", "Listen To The Band", and other vocal tunes – some in very different arrangements. Instrumental tunes include "Hollywood", "Tan My Hide", "You Are My One", "Born To Love You", and "Magnolia Simms" – and the set also features a bonus "Loose Salute" radio spot too! LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet little double-length set from British jazz rock genius Neil Ardley – one that has him working off the vibe explored on the Greek Variations album, but hitting a sound that's a fair bit funkier overall! As with other efforts, Ardley draws here on some really top-shelf talents for his ideas – soloists who include Ian Carr on trumpet, Ken Shaw on guitar, and Tony Coe, Barbara Thompson, and Brian Smith on saxes! The tracks are all quite longish, and unfold in a really organic way – building over an immediate rhythm at some points, or letting the soloists set the main vibe at others. There's nothing overly-obtuse about the record at all, and Ardley never lets anyone dominate too much – making the album a strong group effort with a really unified vision – but one with plenty of space for the feeling of the individual players. Titles include "Rainbow One", "Rainbow Two", "Rainbow Three", and so on. LP, Vinyl record album

A rare non-Impulse Records album from the early days of Pharoah Sanders – but a set that ranks right up there with his classics for that legendary label! The album's one of the classics in Strata East's Dolphy Series – and it's a uniquely collaborative session from 1969, one that has Sanders working with a largeish group that includes Sonny Fortune on alto sax, Sonny Sharrock on guitar, Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, Leon Thomas on vocals, and Cecil McBee on bass – all coming together with a freely exploratory sort of energy, one that's a bit like some of Archie Shepp's most righteous sides from the same time. Sanders' tenor still dominates most numbers, but not as much as on some of the Impulse sides – and there's a nicely relaxed and personal feel to the whole album. The album features 3 long tracks – "Prince Of Peace", which has Leon Thomas doing his "Creator Has A Master Plan" thing, and the cuts "Balance" and "Izipho Zam", the latter of which jams for a full 28 minutes! LP, Vinyl record album