Brilliant work from this well-matched trio of improvisers – a group who definitely smash and grab in a highly sonic way – thanks to cello and electronics from Fred Lonberg-Holm, drums and percussion from Paal Nilssen Love, and alto, tenor, and baritone saxes from the great Dave Rempis! If you know the players in other formats, you'll know what they're capable of – and if you've heard them as Ballister before, you'll know that they really seem to set each other on fire – often working with an intensity that's breathtaking, very much at the level that Paal serves up on some of his own work as a leader. Fred uses the cello in a very different way than most other classical and jazz – and Dave, as always, is incredible with his freeform sense of creativity throughout. Titles include "Smash", "Grab", and "Even More Smashing". LP, Vinyl record album

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One of those "greatest hits" of Greatest Hits collections – as Smash Hits has come to be regarded by many as a key entry in the cannon of classic rock – thanks to tremendous work from Jimi, bassist Noel Redding, and drummer Mitch Mitchell! Every track here is a gem – definitely the "smash" promised in the title, as the record's filled with Hendrix treasures that include "Purple Haze", "Fire", "The Wind Cries Mary", "Stone Free", "Crosstown Traffic", "All Along The Watchtower", "Red House", "Foxy Lady", and "Hey Joe". LP, Vinyl record album

James Brown plays organ on this one – an early effort to showcase various other artists that he was producing at the time, and who traveled with him on the road – all those great singers that The Godfather would give time to on his stage – the sorts of artists who would later get more exposure on record once James launched the People Records label! Arrangementsd are by James Brown and Nat Jones – and titles include "Strung Out" and "Stop And Think It Over" by James Crawford, "This Is My Story" by the Jewels, "Satisfaction" and "The Dog" by Baby Lloyd, and "Nowhere To Run" and "Don't Mess With Bill" by Vicki Anderson. LP, Vinyl record album

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A record with a psychedelic cover, and definitely some psychedelic moments – but also served up with some fuller arrangements that really send things over the top – likely put together by Mike Hugg, who wrote the notes on the back. LP, Vinyl record album

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With selections by Georgia Brown, Chas & Dave, Hilka Cornelius, Steve Alaimo, Eddie Blazonczyk, Bonnie Gallie, Frankie Station, and The DJ Fontana Band. LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful single from this incredible harmony group! The Festivals should have been as big as the Impressions, Artistics, or other Chicago groups of the time – as their sound was perfect – hitting on all burners, running high and low without ever missing a beat. Both cuts here are the group at their best – "Music" a tightly dancing groover, and "Always Love You" a sad, sweet mellow one that feels like a lost early Curtis Mayfield cut! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Sublime soul from Anna King – a James Brown-produced sock-soul diva who predated Marva Whitney and Lyn Collins! "Get These Memories" is done in a wonderful way – tight snapping drums underneath, and some really hard-wailing raw vocals from Anna over the top – making the tune sound like you've never heard it before! "If Somebody Told You" is a slower blusier number – one that has Anna really going over the top on vocals – blowing away Etta James, Fontella Bass, and all other comers! 7-inch, Vinyl record

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A great little record – of the type you could hardly make this well today! The Tea Company are an obscure psychedelic act, clearly concerned with all things "tea" (wink wink!) – and working in a free and open style that's a bit trippier than that of the usual psyche-pop styled group. Songs are longish at times, and there's lots of really cool production touches that make the weird lyrics and fuzzy instrumentation sound even better! Titles include "Make Love Not War", "Flowers", "Love Could Make The World Go Round", "Come & Have Some Tea With Me", and a very strange take on "You Keep Me Hanging On". Also includes the song "Don't Make Waves", which is really just water (bong?) sounds – recorded with lots of strange effects! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest of the James Brown instrumental albums recorded for Smash. Unlike some of the other weaker albums on Smash, this one's got a great batch of material, most of which are originals, and not weak covers of pop tunes. Plus, the tracks are longer than usual, which gives the band a lot of time to stretch out and get really groovy. Tracks include "Grits", "There", "Wee Wee", and "Mister Hip". Very groovy! LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant baroque rock! "Walk Away Renee" is a pop masterpiece – one that you may already know – and "I Haven't Got The Nerve" is equally wonderful – with a haunting electric harpsichord hook on the intro, then a great rock harmony vocal that we really love, plus lots more electric harpsichord! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Incredible work by one of our favorite 60s groups! If you don't know The Left Banke, their unique style of "baroque rock" is a wonderful mix of groovy organ, electric harpsichord, and swirling strings – all set as instrumentation for some of the tightest, grooviest little songs you'll ever hear. Nearly every track on here is a toe-tapping hummer, and even if you know their big hits like "Walk Away Renee" and "Pretty Ballerina", you'll still find lots of other goodies like "Barterers & Their Wives", "Evening Gown", "Lazy Day", and "What Do You Know". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the very best rock albums of the late 60s from overlooked genius Doug Sahm and his Sir Douglas Quartet – a brilliant hybrid of the laconic country and rural rock ragged glory that was piping through so many under appreciated groups at the time (and went on to be bastardized by crap factories like The Eagles) and classical Spanish and Mexican folk guitar playing. Sahm plays fiddle, guitar, pedal steel and just about anything with strings, along with the amazing Augie Meyers (who you may remember from the beautiful organ work he contributed to Bob Dylan's late masterpieces Time Out Of Mind and Love And Theft) and others. Beautiful stuff! Includes "Mendocino", "I Don't Want", "I Wanna Be Your Mama Again", "At The Crossroads", "Lawd, I'm Just A Country Boy In This Great Big Freaky City", "She's About A Mover" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing! Although Scott Walker had issued one solo album before this one, Scott 2 is the record that really has his true genius beginning to shine through! The record still features Scott singing dark moody takes on 60s pop tunes – like "Best Of Both Worlds" and "Black Sheep Boy" – plus the usual round of Brel tunes – including "Jackie" and "The Girls & The Dogs", but it's also got some of his best songwriting ever, etched out in incredible original compositions like "The Amorous Humphrey Plugg", "The Girls From The Streets", and "Plastic Palace People". Those three songs alone might have been enough if Scott had stopped there in his career – as they're perfectly realized visions that match the world of Brecht, Bergman, and Sartre he'd been steeping himself in. Orchestrations are sublime on all tracks, and the record's one we'll treasure forever! LP, Vinyl record album

The debut set from Scott Walker and the Walker Brothers – and a record that still has some surprisingly deep moments at times! Much of the work echoes a "wall of sound" style of production – but Scott's vocals are already amazing, and bring this eerie feel to some of the best numbers. Titles include the Scott originals "You're All Around Me" and "Doin' The Jerk", plus "Make It Easy On Yourself", "Here Comes The Night", "Love Her", "I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore", "My Ship Is Comin' In", "Love Minus Zero", and "There Goes My Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

Here's where things really started getting interesting for James Brown! The album was issued right around the same time as James' single "Out Of Sight" on Smash – and like that track, "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" was one of the first to use that "instruments on the beat" style of funk that would dominate all of James' work in years to come – that amazing groove that completely turned soul music on its ear – and paved the way for generations to come! The result is a startling sound that forever changed the face of groove – and you'll hear it nicely placed on this album, along with great cuts like "Cross Firing", "Mashed Potatoes USA", "Doin The Limbo", and "Love Don't Love Nobody". LP, Vinyl record album

Metallica's breakout smash, the album that catapulted the band and the thrash metal genre to the top of the charts. While the production shines just a little brighter then the first few albums, the band is far from extinguishing their torch as metal trailblazers – to this point, there's very few songs as heavy as "Enter Sandman" got into regular airplay rotation and the most of the album hits even harder, even as they fully embraced the more melodic capabilities they barely touched on in the past. Includes "Enter Sandman", "Sad But True", "Nothing Else Matters", "Don't' Tread On Me", "Holier Than Thou" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Anthemic early 90s rock from Pearl Jam – one of the biggest debuts of all time and for good reason! Ten has a big, classic rock-reared sound, but done with such forthright sincerity and for the time, completely refreshing lack of macho posturing, it really was the perfect formula for a breakout smash in its era and it's worthy of its legacy – especially in retrospect! One classic song after another including "Once", "Alive", "Jeremy", "Why Go", "Black", Release", "Porch", "Oceans", "Garden", "Deep" and "Release". LP, Vinyl record album

A mad bit of psychedelic soul from Prince – a record that sounds better and better over the years, and which stands out from most of his 80s work thanks to some really unique production and songwriting! After Purple Rain, Prince did anything but freeze up in the face of living up to such a massive crossover smash – and instead stepped sideways nicely with a fresh approach to his sound – on a record that puts the "Paisley" in Paisley Park! The album mixes core Prince funk with some nicely playful touches – hardly classic psych, but that refined version that was floating around in the mid 80s – maybe mis-named, but used to great effect here. The album's a gem through and through – and titles include"Raspberry Beret", "Paisley Park","Around The World In A Day", "America", "Temptation", "Pop Life", and "Condition Of The Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked gem by the great Charlie Rich – an album recorded for Hi Records in the years before he broke big on Columbia in the late 60s – but at a level that certainly points the way towards his country fame to come! And yet, as with most of the best music by Rich – like his stunning Smash Records sides – there's a quality here that's quite far from both the mainstream, and conventional modes of expression – as Charlie almost seems to be drawing as much on soul music for inspiration as he is the sounds of Nashville – which might almost put this album in the territory of classic country soul material by singers like Ray Charles or Brook Benton. The whole thing's a perfect setting for that unique combination of talents that makes Rich so wonderful – and most tracks are Hank Williams hits, but redone completely. Titles include "I Can't Help It", "My Heart Would Know", "Take These Chains From My Heart", "Your Cheatin Heart", "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", "Cold Cold Heart", and "Nobody's Lonesome For Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A smash hit from Silver Convention – thanks to the dark pop disco hit "Get Up & Boogie", the leadoff tune on this surprisingly strong set! The strength of the album really comes from the masterful blend of strings, beats, and piano from arranger/producer/keyboardist Silvester Levay – who manages to keep a lot of space in the grooves, and create a sense of darkness in places you wouldn't expect – almost a coldness that predates the European dancefloor sound of the 80s, and warmed up nicely by the trio of ladies singing lead vocals. Titles include "Get Up & Boogie", "Play Me Like A Yo Yo", "No No Joe", "Old Wine In New Bottles", "Thank You Mr DJ", and "You Turned Me On By You Can't Turn Me Off". LP, Vinyl record album

A super huge hit for Donna Summer – a disco classic as well as a pop crossover smash! The album was produced by disco powerhouse Giorgio Moroder, and featured the hits "Hot Stuff", "Bad Girls", and "Dim All The Lights". Plus the songs "On My Honor", "Our Love", "Lucky", "There Will Always Be A You", "Sunset People", and lots more! LP, Vinyl record album

A killer set from the legendary De Wolfe sound library of the 70s – a record that's got all the badass cop/crime vibe you'd expect from its shooting gallery target on the cover! The tracks are nice and lean – cop show funk, but without fuller orchestrations – so that you can really concentrate on the funky drums, basslines, guitar riffs, and keyboard parts – plus some occasional moogy moments that spice things up in a mighty nice way! The whole thing's great – maybe as strong as any of the classic crime soundtracks of the 70s – and the set features 20 titles that include "Flying Squad", "Bank Job", "Slow Fuse", "Moving Target", "Dragster", "Night Moves", "Mind's Eye", "Smash & Grab", "Fast Mover", "Prowler", "Route 67", and "Easy Drive". LP, Vinyl record album

Public Enemy gave us plenty of knowledge and power back in the day – and we maybe need their message more than ever in 2020 – a year that marks their return to their original home at Def Jam! The group have help from plenty of guests here – maybe more so than they would have had back in the day, but very much in keeping with the legacy they inspired – in a lineup that includes Questlove, DJ Premier, Cypress Hill, Impossebulls, Black Thought, Nas, YG, Run DMC, Mike D, Ad Rock, and even George Clinton! The tunes have plenty of old school PE vibes – and titles include "Go At It", "Rest In Beats", "RIP Blackat", "Grid", "State Of The Union", "Toxic", "Yesterday Man", "Fight The Power Remix 2020", "Beat Them All", and "Smash The Crowd". LP, Vinyl record album

A great album of grooves from Taste Of Honey – arguably their best record, thanks to some super production by The Mizell Brothers! The elements that worked so well on the self-titled smash from the previous year are in just as fine a form here – if not better. There's an overall groove that works wonderfully well, and creates a signature Taste Of Honey sound – soulfully soaring female vocals and spacey disco soul backdrops that's works on deeper level as a whole than they got credit for after the huge crossover hit in the months and year earlier. On the production tip, Larry and Fonce really know how to make the girls' vocals glide beautifully in the instrumention – using all the talents they honed in the jazz funk years, and working up a groove that's catchy, yet still pretty darn soulful. Titles include "Dance", "I Love You", "Do It Good", "Race", "Let's Begin", "Your Love", and "The Rainbow's End". LP, Vinyl record album

Weezer's second album – nearly ignored by fickle alternative rock radio programmers and Mtv after their debut was such a surprise smash – and now rightly remembered as a classic! Much has been made over the years about the sadder, angrier songs on Pinkerton, as well as the occasional keyboards and fuzzier, less glossy sound. Still, it's Weezer, therefore catchy as hell, and not without a sense of humor, even if it's outwordly sad and a little cynical. Tracks include "Tired Of Sex", "No Other One", "Getchoo", "The Good Life", "El Scorcho", "Falling For You", "Butterfly" and "Why Bother". (PS: If there's a better 90s rock loser anthem than "Why Bother", we haven't heard it.) LP, Vinyl record album

The breakthrough album by Blondie! Parallel Lines is their third album overall, and having been released only 7 months after their second, you know they were hungry to break big – and they do it here with unbeatable cool. For as tight and bright as as the sound is, a trademark of producer Mike Chapman, there's still something of the raucous downtown energy here – and also some pretty great stylistic strides, such as the disco-aware smash "Heart Of Glass". Includes the equally classic "One Way Or Another" plus "Hanging On The Telephone", "Just Go Away", "I Know But I Don't Know" "Will Anything Happen", "Picture This", "11:59 and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A killer James Brown instrumental album – one that's very heavy on keyboards, supplied by the good folks at Vox – and which features much longer tracks than on some of the Smash Records instrumental albums from the mid 60s! The focus here is really on James' work on the keys, instead of the overall James Brown Band vibe of the time – although they're certainly helping out too – and the groove is actually jazzy, but really swings with a small club soul jazz sound that's totally groovy! James checks in with some monster organ solos that will have your bass cone whopping away off the speaker – almost Jimmy McGriff territory! Includes eight minutes of "Gittin a Little Hipper'", "Fat Soul", and "Go On Now". LP, Vinyl record album

The Damned were one of the first great punk acts on the UK scene, and maybe one who quickly showed the world they had plenty of different modes to offer – not just the short, sharp, shock of a two minute 45 – but slightly more varied modes that really reflected the different inclinations of the members of the group! This set brings together a surprising range of music in a short amount of time – even one side project from Captain Sensible too – and together, the cuts serve as a great illustration of what made The Damned so unique – and maybe gave the group a bit more crossover power and stamina than some of their contemporaries. Titles include "New Rose", "Love Song", "I Just Can't Be Happy Today", "Plan 9 Channel 7", "The History Of The World Part 1", "Wait For The Blackout", "Rabid Over You", "Smash It Up", "Hit Or Miss", "There Ain't No Sanity Claus", "Neat Neat Neat", and "Jet Boy Jet Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

Life is good, and so is Nas – and that's an understatement – as he's one of the most vital MCs of the early 90s onward! Life Is Good finds Nas in a somewhat liberated mode, though still rocking an Empire State Building-sized chip on his shoulder – and spitting charismatic vitriol at any target deemed worthy – but he's too smooth and too sharp of a lyricist for it come off as too ill-mannered. Good stuff from a legend. Includes "No Introduction", the standout "Loco-Motive" with Large Professor, "Daughters", "Reach Out" with Mary J Blige, "Back When", "The Don", "Stay", "Bye Baby", "World's An Addiction" with Anthony Hamilton, "Summer On Smash" with Miguel & Swizz Beatz, "A Queen's Story" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Nice, nice, nice New York hip hop from Keith Murray – his one and only full length on Def Jam! The album features production by Clark Kent, Rockwilder, Pete Rock and others and it's just the kind of no nonsense street hop we love around here. Keith rocks it like Nas in a way – he's all about soulful introspection with rhymes that go way beyond call-and-response hoopty rockers and party blasters. His style on the best cuts are definitely of the hard street mentality, but Keith has a genuine thoughtfulness that makes him a lot more complicated than the typical street rhymer – and bely his reputation as a violent hothead. The beats are tight and carefully crafted, and catchy enough to get play with the commercial jams. It's the kind of album that will still sound nice years from now – hardly a trendy concession to be found. Cuts include the great single "Candi Bar", "Carnage", "Oh My Goodness", "Christina", "Say Whaatt" featuring Redman, "Child Of The Streets" (Man Child)", "On Smash" with Busta Rhymes and more, plus some sharp skits with Jamie Foxx. LP, Vinyl record album

Features some arrangements by Oliver Nelson! Titles include "Spring Is Here", "Strike Up The Band", "The Man I Love", and "Summertime". LP, Vinyl record album

Featuring Herman Autrey on trumpet, Gene Sedric on clarinet and sax, Al Casey on guitar, Charles Turner on bass, and Slick Jones on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful music from Chicago, set to another Chicago-themed project – a film based around the Roy stories of writer Barry Gifford! Yet that literary reference aside, the music here has fantastic merits of its own, even if you've never read Gifford at all – a very different, more compositional side of the spectrum from vibist Jason Adasiewicz, yet still music that has a loose small combo vibe as well – serve dup by a cool quintet that features Jonathan Doyle on saxes, Josh Berman on cornet, Joshua Abrams on bass, and Hamid Drake on drums! There's a mix of new tones and modern ideas that take us back to that late 50s time on the Chicago scene when Sun Ra's Arkestra was still in town – and the tunes penned by Adasiewicz are not only superb, but a perfect showcase for his incredible tones on vibes. Doyle is a real revelation too – a player we don't know well at all at this point, but whose sense of timing and presence really makes the whole record sparkle – as does the work of the rest of the better-known players in the group. Titles include "Ballad For Kitty", "River Blindness", "Walkin To Clinton", "Rudy's Basement", "Sand", and "Blue People". LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy-duty funky fusion – an all-star group that featured Alphonse Mouzon on drums, Randy Brecker on trumpet, Mike Mandel on keyboards, and Larry Coryell on guitar. The tracks all have that heavy electric full-on fusion sound that you'd find in a rock-inspired hard-jamming group like this – which means that there's more than a bit of funk on the record, compressed into lots of guitar and keyboard riffs. Titles include "Joy Ride", "Adam Smasher", "Low Lee Tah", "Yin", "Right On Y'All", and "Ism-Ejercico". LP, Vinyl record album

Leon Russell at the height of his powers – really firmly on his own in the lead, after so many years in the background – and working with a confidence that makes the whole thing completely charming right from the get-go! Like a rare few – a short list that might include Mose Allison, Dr John, or Georgie Fame – Russell is able to reference roots without any sort of hoke, and easily make them into a sound and style that's all his own – in this case with some mod touches of the jazz promised in the title, but also touches of Texas, New Orleans, and maybe a bit of his Tusla home turf too. Titles include versions of "If I Were A Carpenter", "Smashed", "Wild Horses", and "The Ballad Of Hollis Brown" – plus the originals "Stop All That Jazz", "Mona Lisa Please", "Working Girl", and "Time For Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Smashing early work from Jimmy Smith – a killer set from 1957 that has him going head to head with some of Blue Note's finest players! The album marks one of the first time Jimmy played with such greats – and one of the first time they played with an organist – and the lineup includes work by Donald Byrd, Lou Donaldson, Hank Mobley, and Art Blakey. Tracks are long, with plenty of room for solos – and titles on this second volume include "Groovy Date", "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You", and "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Mose's mid 60s albums for Atlantic – recorded live, with a bit more of a hip flair than some of his earlier work for Prestige and Columbia, but still with those great vocals that went onto influence a generation of beatnik jazz singers. Mose has more than a bit of New Orleans in his tone – but he's also got some northern distance from his material, bringing a nice bit of wit into the recordings. There's a total of 11 tracks including "Parchman Farm", "Smashed", "Seventh Son", "Fool's Paradise", "Baby Please Don't Go", and "The Chaser". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare slice of the career of this famous and short-lived jazz duo – tapes that were recorded in 1955 at the legendary Bee Hive niteclub in Chicago, but not issued until the end of the 70s, in this smashing set that was produced by Max himself! The material offers a strong contrast to the sometimes more staid work the pair recorded for Mercury before Brown's untimely death – as it features unbridled playing in a rougher environment than usual – and a break from the original format of the famous group, with only Roach, Brown, and bassist George Morrow intact – plus appearances from Chicagoans Nicky Hill on tenor, Billy Wallace on piano, and Leo Blevins on guitar. Sonny Rollins makes an early appearance on tenor – and titles on this first volume include long versions of "Walkin" and "Cherokee". If you've ever wondered what hard bop sounded like to the average crowd at the time of its popularity, this is the record to dig! LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal bit of pre-electro crossover – featuring the cold hard vocals of Alison Moyet, and some very tasty keyboard work! Includes the post-disco club smashes "Don't Go" and "Situation", plus "Goodbye Seventies", "Winter Kills", "Midnight", "In My Room", and "Bad Connection". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare slice of the career of this famous and short-lived jazz duo – tapes that were recorded in 1955 at the legendary Bee Hive niteclub in Chicago, but not issued until the end of the 70s, in this smashing 2LP set that was produced by Max himself! The material offers a strong contrast to the sometimes more staid work the pair recorded for Mercury before Brown's untimely death – as it features unbridled playing in a rougher environment than usual – and a break from the original format of the famous group, with only Roach, Brown, and bassist George Morrow intact – plus appearances from Chicagoans Nicky Hill on tenor, Billy Wallace on piano, and Leo Blevins on guitar. Sonny Rollins makes an early appearance on tenor – and titles include long versions of "Walkin", "Cherokee", "I'll Remember April", and "Woody N You". If you've ever wondered what hard bop sounded like to the average crowd at the time of its popularity, this is the record to dig! LP, Vinyl record album

A rare slice of the career of this famous and short-lived jazz duo – tapes that were recorded in 1955 at the legendary Bee Hive niteclub in Chicago, but not issued until the end of the 70s, in this smashing set that was produced by Max himself! The material offers a strong contrast to the sometimes more staid work the pair recorded for Mercury before Brown's untimely death – as it features unbridled playing in a rougher environment than usual – and a break from the original format of the famous group, with only Roach, Brown, and bassist George Morrow intact – plus appearances from Chicagoans Nicky Hill on tenor, Billy Wallace on piano, and Leo Blevins on guitar. Sonny Rollins makes an early appearance on tenor – and titles on this first volume include "Hot House", "Woody N You", and "I'll Remember April". If you've ever wondered what hard bop sounded like to the average crowd at the time of its popularity, this is the record to dig! LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe one of the first truly tuneful moments from Yoko Ono – working here with backing from the Elephants Memory group – on a double-length set that shows a really great range from the singer! Yoko's vocals are fragile and sometimes a bit strained in the traditionally structured song mode –but so were Nico's and Marianne Faithful's – both artists we'd almost reference for the nature of this work! The set's a surprisingly pleasant effort from a misunderstood artist who just 2 years earlier was shrieking like a feral beast – and titles include "Yang Yang", "Death Of Samantha", "I Want My Love To Rest Tonight", "What Did I Do", "What A Bastard The World Is", "I Felt Like Smashing My Face In A Clear Glass Window", and "Is Winter Here To Stay". LP, Vinyl record album

A key American live set from The Who – a guitar-smashing performance that really established the group on our side of the Atlantic! This set marks the first time the live material has ever appeared on vinyl – at least legally – and the whole thing is searing genius from the group in their early days, with titles that include "Substitute", "A Quick One", "Happy Jack", "My Generation", "Pictures Of Lily", and "Summertime Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

The smashing debut of Van Hunt – a smoky-voiced singer with a really great sound! The album's one of those "instant classics" that grabs us right away – put together with a sweet and seductive feel that's got roots that stretch back past D'Angelo into the 70s work of Al Green – and which has some really great touches on the instrumentation and production, giving the set a nicely trippy feel! Think of this one as neo-psychedelic soul – and get ready to be hearing a lot more from Van Hunt in years to come – because with a sound like this, the guy's gonna break out big! There's loads of compelling little tunes on the set, and titles include "Highlights", "Dust", "Seconds Of Pleasure", "Hello Goodbye", "Down Here In Hell (With You)", "Out Of The Sky", "Hold My Hand", and "Her December". Features bonus material exclusive to this vinyl version! LP, Vinyl record album

Smashing early work from Jimmy Smith – a killer set from 1957 that has him going head to head with some of Blue Note's finest players! The album marks one of the first time Jimmy played with such greats – and one of the first time they played with an organist – and the lineup includes work by Donald Byrd, Lou Donaldson, Hank Mobley, and Art Blakey. Tracks are long, with plenty of room for solos – and titles on this first volume include "Funk's Oats", "How Hight The Moon", and "Falling In Love With Love". LP, Vinyl record album