A trio of tremendous albums from the legendary Tony Joe White – packaged here with bonus singles too! First up is Tony Joe White's terrific self-titled set for Warner in '71 – his swamp rock mastery in full swing by this point, and all the cooler on a record that finds hip working with some occasional horns and lush bits of strings! There was really no finessing the grit out of the Tony Joe show, so the occasional sweeter touches to the production really does make the groove tastier and more soulful. Titles include "They Caught The Devil And Put Him In Jail In Eudora, Arkansas", "My Kind Of Woman", "Black Panther Swamps", "I Just Walked Away", "Voodoo Village" and more. Train I'm On has Tony Joe White working at Muscle Shoals – a great southern combination, and one that makes for one of White's most unique albums! There's a bit grit in the rhythms, and a bit more of that well-rounded Muscle Shoals soul – as Tony works primarily on acoustic guitar, on tunes that get some slight sweetening from Arif Mardin a times, but in a way that never dims his soul at all. White's great vocals still drive the whole show along – with that strong current of soul that made him a surprisingly big crossover act at the time – and titles include "Sidewalk Hobo", "The Migrant", "As The Crow Flies", "300 Pounds Of Hongry", "Beouf River Road", and "If I Ever Saw A Good Thing". Homemade Ice Cream is the last Warner Brother album by Tony Joe White, and a set that mixes the raw feel of his Monument Records years with these great laidback numbers that have a surprising amount of soul, and a nice undercurrent of funk! White's a powerhouse here – completely confident, but also able to relax into a groove even more than before – and the album's got some surprisingly sensitive acoustic guitar work that seems to show a whole new side of his charms. Titles include "Saturday Night In Oak Grove Louisiana", "California On My Mind", "Backwoods Preacher Man", "No News Is Good News", and "Did Somebody Make A Fool Out Of You". Package also features six non-LP singles – "Delta Love", "Lustful Earl & The Married Woman", "That On The Road Look", "Sign Of The Lion", "Don't Let The Door Hit You In The Butt", and "Wishful Thinking". CD

Excellent r&b & soul from the Nashville scene of the 60s – lesser known and smaller label singles issued at the time that deserve to be heard – and with a pretty tight and consistent focus with numbers by just a handful of great singers and combos! Includes rollicking, bluesy and soulful numbers by Cornell Blakely, JJ Barnes, Stone Martin, Larry Birdsong, Clentt Gant, Robert Garrett and others. 24 tracks in all: "Don't Do It", "I Want My Share", "Who Knows" and more by Cornell Blekely, "Try Your Luck On Me" and "You Win Again" by Stonie Martin, "Night Train" and "Stagger Lee" by John R, "Big Oak Tree", "I Gotta Sit Down" and more by Herbert Hunter, ""Somebody Help Me" by Larry Birdsong, "Mean Man" and "I Don't Want To Be Sober" by Robert Garrett and more. CD

Heavy soul, but not just from soul artists – and instead a really great range of tracks that includes work from rootsy rockers and country musicians as well! The package traces the strong influence of soul music on so many different styles at the start of the 70s – bits of funk borrowed in the rhythms, slices of politics used in the lyrics, and modes of singing that were a lot more expressive and unbridled than before – especially for some of the key artists in the set! A few crossover soul cuts mix nicely with material from a whole host of different scenes – all surprisingly united in style, thanks to a good emphasis on funky rock elements at the core. The package is another wonderful entry from this excellent Warner Australia series – and titles include "They Caught The Devil" by Tony Joe White, "They Call It Rock & Roll Music" by Delaney & Bonnie with King Curtis, "Lord Have Mercy On My Soul" by Black Oak Arkansas, "We Had It All" by Donnie Fritts, "Born To Be Wild" by Wilson Pickett, "Right Place Wrong Time" by Dr John, "On Your Way Down" by Allen Toussaint, "Sure As Sin" by Jeanie Greene, "Cry Like A Baby" by Cher, "Anna Karina" by Jackie Deshannon, "Shotgun Willie" by Willie Nelson, "Dixie Fried" by James Luther Dickinson, "I Found A Love" by Lonnie Mack, "15 Degrees" by Sam Samudio, and "Going Back To Luka" by Don Nix. 2CD set features 37 tracks in all. CD

From its booze-soaked title cut, to its haunting selection of lonely ballads like "Midnight Sun" and "Stranger Called The Blues", this is one of the most fantastic vocal jazz albums of all time – and a record that we'd recommend instantly to anyone! June Christy has an incredibly icy tone on the record, filled with sorrow, regret, and loneliness – all of which are amplified even more deeply by Pete Rugolo's eerie, off-kilter arrangements. Titles include "Something Cool", "It Could Happen To You", "Lonely House", "I'm Thrilled", and "The Night We Called It A Day". Plus, this special CD reissue features the mono and stereo recordings of the album – completely different ones, as the album was originally recorded in mono in 1954, and completely re-recorded again with the same arrangements in 1960! CD

A real killer from Marvin Holmes and his hip Oaktown combo Justice – a group who effortlessly blend together jazz, soul, and funk into a wonderfully soaring style – yet one that's also more than heavy enough to live up to the message-oriented lyrics of the tracks! The album's one of those rare soul sides that really blows away most of the mainstream from the time – a wonderfully heady album that could only have been cut in the underground – where folks like Marvin were keeping things real, and pushing a social agenda that was way stronger than anything you'd find in the charts! Horns are great, as are the rhythms – and the vocals blend together perfectly on cuts that include "Motherless Child", "You Better Keep Her", "Take The Time Out", "Neighbor Neighbor", "Kwame", "Gimme Some Tonight", and "Find Yourself". CD features a bonus part 3 of "Gimme Some Tonight" too! CD

Faux film, furious funk – the further adventures of Jimmy Ruckus via Big Pimp Jones – gritty drums, killer bass lines, slammin' sax and thematic bits of dialogue – bridging the 70s funky exploitation soundtrack oeuvre and hip hop era breakbeat funk just as deadly for this sequel! Most of the numbers bring it hard and heavy, actioned packed for most of the running time – with some spaced out elements, including some fuzzed out guitars and stripped down percussive parts. Titles include "Theme To The Five Fingers Of Death", "17 Thoroughly Whipped A**es", "Return To Sandakan No 8", "Hanging With Roscoe", "Jr Richard", "Ruckus Vs Flying Guillotine", "Ninja Brotherhood", "Under Cloak Of Night" and more. CD

Jazz and soul inspired club grooves from Lay Far – with compelling beats, rhythms and all these great jazzy touches that lifty it to a loftier level! The album intro starts out a nice bit of piano leading the way, before the housey club groove kicks into full gear – kind of letting you know off the bat that this going to a have some depth to it, and that it does! On top of some similar instrumental touches, it's got some great guests on vocal and instrumentation throughout – including Dragon, Souled, Peter Oakden, Yannah Valdevit, Sarah Winton and others. Includes "Let Me Fly Away" with Dragon, ""Stand Up" with Pete Simpson, "A Little Faith" with Peter Oakden, "Can't Deny" wuth Souled and Yannah Valdvit, "Yes You Can", "We Are The Drum", "That Drum", "A Piece Of Devotion", "So Many Years" with Sarah Winton and more. CD

An incredibly beautiful album – one that's far deeper and more soulful than you'd guess from the title and the cover! The CD brings together a series of recordings made by Oakland jazz legend Dawan Muhammad in the late 70s – tracks recorded mostly in Santa Cruz, but done in the rich spirit of the Bay Area soul jazz scene, of which Dawan has been a key part over the years. The tracks are all original compositions by Muhammad – done in a wonderful style that's often tightly arranged at the front, but which offers plenty of fluid space for the soloists to express themselves freely. A few tracks are larger ensemble numbers that come off beautifully – and titles include "Universal Signs", "Tropicalia", "Is That You", "Front Street", "Taumbu", and "East Wind". CD

The mad music of William Onyeabor has gained many admirers over the years – a diverse array of artists from a diverse array of scenes – some of whom have come together in this mighty hip tribute to the master! The tunes here are either remixes, reworks, or complete covers of Onyeabor's incredible electric grooves from the late 70s and early 80s – and the project's so special, Luaka Bop even called in the help of Moog to put it together – no surprise, given how moogy some of William's music could be! The remixes are all very faithful, as are the reworks – and even the covers aren't the sort of cloyingly selfish sort you usually get on tribute albums – but instead feel like some great later iteration of Onyeabor's genius. Titles include Hot Chip's cover of "Atomic Bomb", Joakim & Akwetey's cover of "Good Name", David Terranova's remix of "Body & Soul", The Vaccines' remix of "Do You Want A Man", JD Twitch's (Optimo) cover of "Why Go To War?", Javelin's remix of "Heaven & Hell", Scientist's remix of "Body & Soul", and the track "Ye Ye", which is Daphni's rework of "When The Going Is Smooth & Good". CD

An incredible album – and a landmark session that showed that the bossa nova was still alive and well in the 1970s! The album pairs the breathy jazz vocals of Elis Regina with the booze-soaked warmth of Antonio Carlos Jobim – in a set of spare arrangements that feature a lot of touches from Cesar Carmargo Mariano, whose work on Elis Regina's 70s sessions is still the stuff of legend! Elis' vocals dominate, but when Tom comes in, the result is even more spectacular – especially given the generally light instrumentation used on most tracks – which means that the vocals carry the bulk of the sound on the set! Includes the pair's sublime duet on "Aguas de Marco", plus the tracks "Fotografia", "Brigas, Nunca Mais", "Retrato Em Branco E Preto", "Chovendo No Roseira", "Modinha", and "Triste". This special package features both a CD and DVD – with DVD audio on the DVD, playing in the background of menu sections for the album. DVD audio also features the bonus tracks "Bonita" and an alternate version of "Fotografia". CD

The second great album by Kim Fowley's pet Runaways – the album with Lita Ford, Joan Jett and the rest of the gals cloaked in fog and straddling polls on the cover – making them look like a cross between Mott The Hoople and the headliners at that seedy club by the airport! Like the debut, the Queens Of Noise album is total ear candy – and this one is actually probably even a little bit more consistent – and might rock a little harder, too. It's not quite as notorious without the illicit wallop of the group's debut single "Cherry Bomb" – but that's probably the only reason it's not as well remembered. They were still underage at this point, too, so the front-to-back innuendo still resonates! Buy this and the debut album, then take your Donna's CDs back to the mall! Tracks include "Queens Of Noise", "Take It Or Leave It", "Midnight Music", "Born To Be Bad", "Neon Angels On The Road To Ruin", "I Love Playing With Fire", "California Paradise", "Hollywood", "Heartbeat", and "Johnny Guitar". This new Cherry Red reissue has new liner notes, plus the original art and notes. CD

An absolute funky monster! This set lays out an incredible batch of funk era singles from the vaults of Galaxy Records – and it shakes and burns all the way through, with lost funk bombs Bobby Rush, Rodger Collins, Bill Coday, Bobby Eaton, the Debonairs and others! It's comprised of mostly obscure 45s representing the stone funkiest records ever released by the Oakland-based Galaxy label – which was at this point sort of serving as the farm club for big brother label Fantasy Records. This one's essential, kids – just as worthy of your funk-loving dollar as the legendary rare funk compilations on Jazzman, Soul Fire or Stones Throw! 22 tracks in all: "Foxy Girls In Oakland", "Get Your Lie Straight", "Chicken Heads" by Bobby Rush, "Bring It On Up" by Loleatta Holloway, "I Love Her Too" by Lenny Williams, "People Say" by JJ Malone, "Try The Life" by Everyday People, "Man Power" (previously unreleased) by Ben & Larry, "My Money Is Funny" by the Right Kind, "The Iron Horse" by Merl Saunders & Heavy Turbulence, "I Get What I Want" by the Sequins and lots more! CD

A classic album of jazzed-up funk – the one lasting legacy by this oft-sampled group! 9th Creation originally hailed from west of the Bay Area scene of the 70s – and this album was recorded in Oakland with the same sweet jazzy finish as work by some of the other big Northern California funk acts of the time – especially Pleasure, who with their sharp sense of a groove are probably the closest comparison to the group's sound. The album is best known for the cut "Bubble Gum" – a great number with lots of jazzy changes, and a modern funky groove that still sounds pretty darn fresh – but the whole album is totally great, and filled with plenty of other songs that have the same feel as the title cut! Tracks include "Sexy Girl", "Quit It", "Falling In Love", "We Need Love", and "Rule Of Mind". CD

The King Kong of dub albums, and we're not just saying that because of the freaky deaky cover image of a super ape with a belly full of roast fish, cornbread and makka stepping on a croaking lizard with a tree in one hand and a "tree" in the other! Classic Lee Perry and an essential dub album, rendering Scratch's dense, multi-layered Black Ark rhythms in all their raw glory, with toasts and vocal snippets darting in and out of the dubs courtesy Prince Jazzbo, the Heptones, Dillinger and Scratch himself. With 10 essential tracks from the original release: "Zion's Blood", "Croaking Lizard", "Dread Lion", "Patience", "Dub Along", "Black Vest", "Underground", "Curly Dub" "Three In One" and "Super Ape". CD

One of the hippest records we've heard in years from Gilles Peterson – a wonderful project that brings together classic and contemporary Brazilian talents, and some key London artists as well! The lineup features giants from the sorts of older Brazilian records that Gilles hipped us to many years ago – like percussionist Nana Vasconcelos, and singers Marcos Valle, Elza Soares, and Wilson Das Neves – plus contemporary artists like Kassin on bass (he also co-produced too), and Seu Jorge, Lucas Santtana, or Mart'nalia on vocals – and great British artists like Ski Oakenfull on keyboards, Sean O'Hagan on guitar, and Bembe Segue, Valerie Etienne, and Rob Gallagher on vocals! The list of participants is even bigger than this – and the album was recorded in London, Brighton, and Rio – with arrangements by many of the participants too – all to create this complex criss-crossing of the classic and contemporary, British and Brazilian, all with the kind of 21st Century crackle that only Gilles Peterson could carry off this well. Titles include "Where Nana Hides", "Brasil Pandeiro", "Sambaio", "The Mystery Of Man", "Aquarela Do Brasil", "Estrelar", "Bam Bam Bam", "Um Toque", and "City Of Saints". CD

A pair of very different albums from John Tchicai – both hard to find, and brought together here on a nicely priced package! Strange Brothers is overlooked brilliance from reedman John Tchicai – a late 70s session recorded for the FMP label, and easily one of the most soulful sets on the imprint at the time! The album's a tremendous showcase not only for Tchicai's work on soprano, alto, and bamboo flute – but also for the hard-edged tenor of Simon Spang-Hanssen – a player we don't know well, but who really unfurls with a nice sense of force on the set – pushing John even more than usual! Rhythms are great too – very bold, but focused enough to provide a strong pulse on the record – almost a modal groove at times – thanks to work from Peter Danstrup on bass and Ole Romer on drums. Titles include "KW", "I En Kaelder", "Darktown Highlights", "Mao", "Increasing Cosmopo", and "Cloak N Dagger". Put Up The Fight is one of the most electric records we've ever heard from reedman John Tchicai – not on his own instrument, but in the use of guitar and keyboards in the set – sometimes in modes that are nicely rhythmic, other times quite abstract! Tchicai's tenor, soprano sax, and bass clarinet are definitely the main focus of the record – but the settings change nicely throughout, thanks to work from Bent Clausen on vibes, guitar, and keyboards; Peter Danstrup on electric bass and keyboards; and Ole Romer on drums, percussion, and more guitar! At some moments, there's almost a New York 80s avant vibe to the record – but at other times, things have the more soulful feel of Tchicai's older work. Titles include "Put Up The Fight", "Adieu Tristesse", "Mai Mai", "Yoke Them Johnny", "Colomentality", and "Barbe Better". CD

Spiritual sounds and a heck of a lot more – served up by Ndiko Xaba, an expatriate South African musician who was working in Oakland at the time of this record – fusing together the roots of his homeland with some wonderfully free and open American jazz styles! At times, there's a bit of a Dollar Brand vibe in Xaba's piano – long lines, with a really compelling pulse – but other times, the music opens up with the kind of searching freedoms you'd hear on the AACM scene of the time – mixing together righteous styles with inventive musical expression! The great Plunky – of Oneness Of Juju fame – is in the group on tenor, soprano sax, and flute – and the record also features Black Fire labelmate Lon Moshe on vibes and percussion, plus additional percussion, bass, and drums. Titles include "Freedom", "Flight", "Nomusa", "Makohsi", and "Shwabada". CD features two great bonus tracks – both very soulful – "Zulu Lunchbag" and "Big Time". CD

An absolute funky monster! This set lays out an incredible batch of funk era singles from the vaults of Galaxy Records – and it shakes and burns all the way through, with lost funk bombs Bobby Rush, Rodger Collins, Bill Coday, Bobby Eaton, the Debonairs and others! It's comprised of mostly obscure 45s representing the stone funkiest records ever released by the Oakland-based Galaxy label – which was at this point sort of serving as the farm club for big brother label Fantasy Records. This one's essential, kids – just as worthy of your funk-loving dollar as the legendary rare funk compilations on Jazzman, Soul Fire or Stones Throw! 22 tracks in all: "Foxy Girls In Oakland", "Get Your Lie Straight", "Chicken Heads" by Bobby Rush, "Bring It On Up" by Loleatta Holloway, "I Love Her Too" by Lenny Williams, "People Say" by JJ Malone, "Try The Life" by Everyday People, "Man Power" (previously unreleased) by Ben & Larry, "My Money Is Funny" by the Right Kind, "The Iron Horse" by Merl Saunders & Heavy Turbulence, "I Get What I Want" by the Sequins and lots more! CD

A mellow soul killer from Dira J Sugandi – working here with production from Bluey, and help from the rest of the Incognito crew! In a way, the album's almost an Incognito record at heart – yet Dira's vocals and overall approach really help give it a fresh feel too – a mode that stays away from some of the upbeat groovers you might normally get from Incognito, with a stronger focus on mellow tracks and laidback numbers that really show off her vocals! Other guests on the record include Omar, Ski Oakenful, and Matt Cooper – and titles include "Get Through To You", "Let's Go Back", "Inside Love", "Time Out Of Time", "Bring It On", "Essentially Yours", "Won't You Come With Me", "No More Tears", and "Daydream". CD

A nice little wake up call from Yoshiyaki Masuo – a set that has his guitar working in close collaboration with extra guitar from Motoaki Masuo – for a two-stringed approach that's a bit different than some of Yoshiyaki's other records! The music is laidback, but never sleepy – always done with a bright approach that lives up to the spirit of the title – with help from American musicians Victor Bruce Godsey on keyboards and TM Stevens on bass. All titles are originals, and tracks include "Because Of You", "Inside Love", "Little Bit", "Dealing With Life", and "I'm Still Believing In Dreams". CD

T of P head back to Oakland, after recording in Memphis for a previous album. Chester Thompson's in the group, playing monster organ and Fender Rhodes, and Lenny Williams sings lead vocals on a number of tracks. Titles include "Oakland Stroke", "I Got The Chop", "Time Will Tell", "Squib Cakes", and "Man From the Past". CD

A killer! As revolutionary as the music and political climate was in the Bay Area in the late 60s and early 70s, it's damn near criminal that there haven't been more representative collections of the music – enter Luv N Haight Records, who are here with the first ever comprehensive compilation of Bay Area funk and hard soul! The kind of funky music that came out of the Bay in the period differs a bit from a lot of mirror sounds from the other coast, the midwest and the south –artists and groups like Sugar Pie Desanto, P-I-R Square, Marvin Holmes and the Uptights, San Francisco T.K.O and others work with short, tight, hard-clapping blasts of 45 funk. Where the funk of other scenes was designed to bounce you along an elastic groove, the Cali school for the most part specialized in short, sweaty, scratchy numbers that were designed to get you on your feet, than knock you straight on your arse! Truly amazing stuff – all funky 45 numbers, many of which are available for the first time on CD! 16 treasures: "Git Back" by Sugar Pie Desanto, "Foxy Girls In Oakland" by Rodger Collins, "Pickin' Cotton" by Johnny Talbot, "Find Yourself" by Marvin Holmes, "Check Me Out" by Kittie Denise, "Trippin' On The Sound" by Jeannie Tracie, "The Trip" by Eugene Blacknell, "Fantasy" by P-I-R Square, "Oomph" by Marvin Holmes, "Herm" by San Francisco T.K.O.'s and lots more – plus great foldout notes with details on each track. A great sounding, long overdue document of a great scene! CD

A way way deeper set than the first volume of Bay Area Funk – and a collection that shows that things got pretty heavy on the San Francisco and Oakland scenes of the 70s! A good number of the tracks here are instrumental, and show some wonderful interplay between the trippier sides of funky jazz and the harder sides of soul going on in the Bay Area back in the day – killer music from the fringes that often got lost in the shuffle of all the better-known music coming out on the bigger labels! The work here is all from very tiny labels – expertly selected and all officially cleared by the Luv N Haight team with keen respect for the artists involved – and in a way, the package has set a new high standard for the label! A tremendous discovery, and filled with tracks we'd never heard before – titles that include "Stop Look Listen" by Primevil, "Poor Sad Child (part 1)" by The Windjammers, "Born To Live With Heartache" by Mary Love, "Move In The Room" by Dawn & Sunset, "Ebony" by Project Soul, "Acid Lady" by San Francisco TKOs, "Hip Breakin" by Little Denise Stevenson, "Devil's On The Run" by Uptights Band, "Brute Strength" by Mile Selesia, and "Lenient With My Love" by The Relatives. CD