Numero Records parodies both the Las Vegas Grind series of compilations, and the 50s sci-fi artwork of EC Comics – and turns out a surprisingly great set of tracks in the process! The material here is from the more garagey side of the Numero spectrum – tracks that are heavy on twang and guitars – sometimes instrumental, sometimes with raw early rock vocals – all laid out in a rock-solid collection that maybe beats some of the more long-running compilation series of this nature. In keeping with those, Numero has been completely restrained on including any real information on the tracks – just a groovy little comic insert that follows in the style of the cover – alongside titles that include "Classie's Whip" by Classie Ballou, "The Grasshopper Twist" by The Blazers, "Jump Back" by Eugene Blacknell, "Rock & Roll Guitar" by Johnny Knight, "The Boogie Twist (part 1)" by Cal Valentine, "Slap Stick" by Dino & The Deltones, "Bui Bui" by L Hollis & The Mackadoos, "Hot Links" by Soul Heirs, and "Aw Shucks" by JJ Jones. CD

A great small club performance from Nat King Cole – of the sort he never really recorded for Capitol Records, even though this set is right in the middle of his glory days on the label! In some ways, the set hearkens back to Nat's roots – maybe no surprise, as he's back in Chicago – and the combo here features John Collins on guitar, Charlie Harris on bass, and Lee Young on drums – working with Cole to offer up some nicely lean versions of tunes you might know from his fuller, more polished studio versions. The set's a great reminder that at the core, even during the big years, Nat was still a jazzman at heart – as you'll hear on tunes that include "Funny", "Straighten Up & Fly Right", "Nature Boy", "Route 66", "This Can't Be Love", "Somewhere Along The Way", "Mona Lisa/Too Young", "Exactly Like You", "Sweet Lorraine", and "Calypso Blues". CD

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A tremendous record from one of the hippest soul singers ever – and an album that has Gil Scott-Heron really pushing forward after his initial classics for the Flying Dutchman label! There's less spoken material here and more sung passages – as Gil's really discovering his confidence as a singer, moving effortlessly between jazz and soul – and getting superb accompaniment from Brian Jackson, who plays both acoustic and electric piano next to Gil's electric. Backings are spare – just bass and drums – and it's no surprise that the album was released on the legendary Strata East label, as it rivals the rest on that imprint for righteous spiritual power! Titles include Gil's classic "The Bottle" – which went on to become a huge hit in many versions – plus the beautiful "Your Daddy Loves You", heard here in the original version – and the tunes "Peace Go With You Brother", "Back Home", "Rivers Of My Fathers", and "A Very Precious Time". CD

The incredible solo start of the great Dwight Yoakam – presented here as three classic albums, along with a full record of bonus demo material and rarities too! Dwight burst on the scene with a freshness that was what country music really needed in the mid 80s – a style that both hearkened back to honky tonk greats of the past, but had also learned some of the leaner lessons of rock – yet all while not sounding anything like country rock of the previous decade either! Yoakam found a way to shake off all the nonsense that had been holding music back for years – and you'll hear the results beautifully on the classic albums inside – Guitars Cadillacs Etc, Hillbilly Deluxe, and Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room. Then, the set also features a great fourth record – So Forth & So On – with 1981 demos of tunes that include "Miner's Prayer", "I'll Be Gone", "You're The One", "This Drinkin Will Kill Me", "It Won't Hurt", and "Floyd County" – plus a duet with KD Lang on "Sin City", and the tracks "Christmas Eve With The Babylonian Cowboys" and "Long White Cadillac". CD

Numero Records parodies both the Las Vegas Grind series of compilations, and the 50s sci-fi artwork of EC Comics – and turns out a surprisingly great set of tracks in the process! The material here is from the more garagey side of the Numero spectrum – tracks that are heavy on twang and guitars – sometimes instrumental, sometimes with raw early rock vocals – all laid out in a rock-solid collection that maybe beats some of the more long-running compilation series of this nature. In keeping with those, Numero has been completely restrained on including any real information on the tracks – just a groovy little comic insert that follows in the style of the cover – alongside titles that include "Classie's Whip" by Classie Ballou, "The Grasshopper Twist" by The Blazers, "Jump Back" by Eugene Blacknell, "Rock & Roll Guitar" by Johnny Knight, "The Boogie Twist (part 1)" by Cal Valentine, "Slap Stick" by Dino & The Deltones, "Bui Bui" by L Hollis & The Mackadoos, "Hot Links" by Soul Heirs, and "Aw Shucks" by JJ Jones. CD

One of the best American psyche albums we've heard from the late 60s – a near-perfect record that's head and shoulders above the rough experimentation of most other groups from the period! Colours spell their name with a definite British twist, and there's clearly a Beatles influence going on here – a sound that's almost pre-Sgt Peppers, but which has wonderfully complicated time changes, vocal parts, and production techniques that must have cost a pretty penny to such a little-known group! Horns and strings are arranged by Dave Roberts, and handled with a sensitivity that almost matches The Zombies' best at times – and the tunes themselves are a fresh variety of odd themes, including one number about robbing a liquor store. Titles include "Brother Lou's Love Colony", "Bad Day At Black Rock Baby", "Love Heals", "Rather Be Me", "I'm Leaving", "Cataleptic", "Don't You Realize", and "Lovin". CD

A mighty nice little package – one that's overflowing with the special sort of Latin and soul music hybrids that rose up from the Spanish Harlem scene in the late 60s – the kind of cuts that helped establish Fania Records as one of the most important Latin labels around – and one of the grooviest too! These aren't the 70s salsa tracks that Fania spread across the globe – but the more New York-styled numbers that often had English language lyrics in the lead, sung by a soulful vocalist – and set to small combo rhythms that were overflowing with energy, and plenty of touches of jazz, soul, and funk! These are all the mixes from the rare 45rpm singles issued by Fania back in the day – and although the songs are wonderful, the collection together is even cooler as a whole – dozens of tracks, including some really rare ones – all bound up in a 7" book-styled cover, with 60 pages of notes, and a bonus funky 45! Titles include "Silent Heart" by 125th Street Candy Store, "Micro Mini" and "Make Out" by Harvey Averne, "Too Much Lovin" and "So Fine" by Joe Bataan, "Willie Baby" by Willie Colon, "Soul Drummers" and "Mercy Mercy Baby" by Ray Barretto, "Geronimo" and "Funky Big Feet" by Bobby Valentin, "Mercie" by Ralph Robles, "Camel Walk" by The Latinaires, "Batola Boogaloo" by Bobby Quesada, "Grazin In The Grass" by Orchestra Harlow, "Spinning Wheel" by El Apollo Sound, "Hey Sister" by Monguito Santamaria, "Who Is The Girl For Me" and "Look At Her" by Ralfi Pagan, "New York Soul" by Ray Barretto, "Some Lonely Heart" by ronnie Marks, "Let's Get It Together This Christmas" by Harvey Averne, "Shaft" and "If I Were A King" by Joe Bataan, "Johnny's No Good" and "Blonde Latin Blues" by WRLC, and "Today" and "Try Just a Little Harder" by Butter Scotch. Lots more too – and the bonus 7" single features two promo tracks recorded for DJ Symphony Sid – one by Joe Bataan, the other by Bobby Valentin! CD

One of the most comprehensive sets we've ever seen to look at the legacy of the legendary Lee Hazlewood – and one of the few to focus on the impact he's had on the 21st Century! Lee's songs have become the stuff of legend over the years – not just his own recordings, but classic tracks sung by the Sinatra family members, Dean Martin, and countless others – who are usually features on similar sets under the Hazlewood banner. But this package goes those one better – and looks mostly at material from the past 20 years – plus a few older songs – showing that, if anything, the present century has given Lee's music even more power than ever in the hands of diverse talents like these. As with more "vintage" sets from Ace Records, the presentation is great – a lot of tracks, and very detailed notes that really like the Hazelwood heritage to all this recent music. Titles include "A Cheat" by Jarvis Cocker & Richard Hawley, "Some Velvet Morning" by Primal Scream & Kate Moss, "First Street Blues" by Mick Harvey, "I'm Glad I Never" by Jesus & Mary Chain, "Sand" by Holly Golightly, "Look At That Woman" by Gallon Drunk, "You Turned My Head Around" by Dean & Britta, "I'd Rather Be Your Enemy" by Boyd Rice, "Summer Wine" by Ville Valo & Natalia Avelon, "Paris Summer" by Frances Ruffelle, "My Autumn's Done Come" by Mark Morriss, "No Train To Stockholm" by Dan Michaelson & The Coastguards, and "Long Black Train" by Thriftstore Masterpiece with Frank Black. Also includes vintage songs – "She Comes Running" by Waylon Jennings, "The Man Who Made An Angel Cry" by Loy Clingman, "Lady Bird" by Virgil Warner & Suzi Jane Hokom, and "Friday's Child" by Billie Dearborn. CD

Not girl pop, not chart hits, and instead a whole host of hard-burning tracks from the underground – a well-done collection that showcases a huge range of positive, powerful female musical expressions from the mid 70s onward! The set begins during the heyday of the early punk years, and focuses on a few key acts who were offering a great antidote to some of the more testosterone-fueled work of the time – then picks up some especially great pos-punk tracks, before making a brief stop in the early 90s, and ending up with a few key grrrl power cuts from the current century! As always with Ace records, the presentation is as great as the music – very detailed notes that tell as much of a store as the songs themselves – in support of a set list that includes "Survive" by The Bags, "Iama Poseur" by X-Ray Spex, "Kray Twins" by Mo-Dettes, "Popcorn Boy" by Essential Logic, "It's About Time" by The Pandoras, "Shakedown" by Au Pairs, "Das Ah Riot" by Bush Tetras, "Earthbeat" by The Slits, "Come On Now" by The Pussywillows, "Rules & Regulations" by We've Got A Fuzzbox, "What's Wrong With You" by Bratmobile, "Rebel Girl" by Bikini Kill, "I Gave My Punk Jacket To Rickie" by Mary Monday & The Bitches, "You're A Million" by The Raincoats, and "Expert" by Pragvec. CD

One of the hippest sets we've ever seen on Spanish Harlem – a collection that goes way past the Latin Soul hits, to dig deep in the uptown underground at the end of the 60s! The package is compiled with gems from the Fania catalog, but rally moves past the obvious – going for some of the more obscure artists who recorded singles for some of the smaller Fania-held labels – and often focusing on tunes that drew more from late 60s soul and funk than they did from any Latin rhythms of the time. The singers are especially wonderful – and often hit a vibe that's right up there with some of Joe Bataan's best of the period – richly soulful, but often deeply personal too – never as polished as chart soul, and often showing a grittier, more realistic style that's totally great – especially when mixed with instrumentation as tight as this! Titles include "Reflections Of My Life" by 125th Street Candy Store, "On Old Broadway" by 107th Street Stickball Team, "Don't Be Afraid" by Lebron Brothers, "Central Park" by Harvey Averne Dozen, "Heaven" by Tito Ramos, "Your Smile" by Parris, "Some Lonely Heart" by Ronnie Marks, "There's No Girl" by Olivieri, "Maria Maria" by King Nando, "Already Satisfied" by Tony Middleton & Bobby Matos, "Nitty Boo Boo" by The Nitty Sextette, "Lonely Has Been My Day" by Ralphie & The Latin Lovers, "I'm Gonna Leave You" by Russell Cohen & The New Yorkers, and "Ain't No Big Thing" by Ralfi Pagan. CD

A fantastic package that finally gives these recordings their proper due – one that takes the cuts that were issued on the albums Iron Man and Conversations (plus a million cheapo packages over the years) – and restores them to their original mono, right from the tapes – then adds in 85 more minutes of never issued material! The tracks here are a perfect balance of Dolphy in his final year – with some spiritual jazz currents, but still a strong sense of swing – with a fantastic lineup that includes Prince Lasha on flute, Sonny Simmons on alto, Clifford Jordan on soprano, Woody Shaw on trumpet, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Richard Davis on bass, and both JC Moses and Charles Moffett on drums – almost a who's-who of people who would go onto shape the face of jazz in years to come. Titles include "A Personal Statement", "Ode To Charlie Parker", "Iron Man", "Come Sunday", "Burning Spear", "Muses For Richard Davis", "Alone Together", "Love Me", and "Jitterbug Waltz" – plus a number of other different versions of tunes. 3CD set comes with a 100 page booklet – featuring photos, essays, and interviews with Sonny Simmons, Sonny Rollins, Nicole Mitchell, Henry Threadgill, and David Murray. CD

Astounding work from pianist Andrew Hill – a rare session that was recorded for Blue Note in 1969, and issued here for the first time! The work has an extremely ambitious approach – with Hill leading a 9 piece group that includes Woody Shaw, Dizzy Reece, Julian Priester on trombone, Joe Farrell, Lenny White, and Ron Carter. The tracks are all originals – written with a style that retains some of the modern edges of Hill's earlier Blue Note work, but which also shows him opening up and blossoming into more of a spiritualist jazz style. The larger group have an incredibly unified approach, and Farrell's solos in particular really break out with some wonderful moments – helping Hill to realize the soulful modern sound that he was reaching for in his writing, a style that easily makes this one of his most compelling albums! Really really great stuff – finally restored from tapes that had languished for years because of inferior quality. And the material's never been issued before – not even by Mosaic – with titles that include "The Brown Queen", "Cascade", "Yesterday's Tomorrow", "Sideways", "Passing Ships", and "Noon Tide". CD

Essential! When this one came out at the end of the 80's, it not only restored our faith in modern soul music, but it also drew the world's attention to the rich, rich talents that had been bubbling under in London's mid 80's rare groove scene. The record's a classic, and most of the tracks still sound as fresh today as when they were first minted – probably because Jazzie B drew heavily upon a classic soul sound in his production style, which assured the album an instant place in the upper lineage of R&B! Cuts include "Jazzie's Groove", "Keep On Movin", "Back To Life" "Fairplay", and "African Dance". Great stuff, and surprisingly fresh! CD

Essential! When this one came out at the end of the 80's, it not only restored our faith in modern soul music, but it also drew the world's attention to the rich rich talents that had been bubbling under in London's mid 80's rare groove scene. The record's a classic, and most of the tracks still sound as fresh today as when they were first minted – probably because Jazzie B drew heavily upon a classic soul sound in his production style, which assured the album an instant place in the upper lineage of R&B! This very nicely repackaged "10th Anniversary" edition includes 6 bonus mixes that weren't on the original CD – for a total of 16 killer soul tracks, including "Jazzie's Groove", "Keep On Movin", "Back To Life" (in both the LP acapella and the 12" vocal versions), "Fairplay", and "Holdin' On". Great stuff, and surprisingly fresh! CD