The title here is the name under which Dr John was later known during his Atlantic Records years – but the tracks here were recorded immediately before – nicely gritty work done for the Crazy Cajun label – way up in the Louisiana swampland, which must have provided plenty of inspiration for the sounds within! All the later charms of the Doctor are here – but the tunes are maybe a bit shorter, with an excellent vibe that's never overdone – yet which still has that blend of trippiness and voodoo soul that nobody else can do this well. Huey P Meaux produced, and titles include "Go Ahead On", "Don't Want No Monkey In My Business", "Loser For You Baby", "The Ear Is On Strike", "I Pulled The Cover Off You Two Lovers", "Chicky Wow Wow", and "I Got Lonesomeitis". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that really has Busta Rhymes coming into his own – taking all those charms that had been bubbling in the underground through years of guest appearances, and finding a way to really shine in the light of the mainstream! The album's not Busta's first solo effort, but has a sense of identity and confidence that really steps forward – with all those brash, in-your-face sort of rhymes you'd expect from the man himself – set to production by DJ Scratch, The Ummah, and Rockwilder – all at a level that's held up very well over the years! The set features guest work from Flipmode Squad, Rampage, Mase, Anthony Hamilton, and Erykah Badu – Tracks include the singles "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See", "Dangerous", and "Turn It Up" – plus the cuts "The Whole World Lookin' At Me", "One", "We Could Take It Outside", "The Body Rock", "Things We Be Doin' For Money", "When Disaster Strikes", "Get Off My Block", and "There's Not A Problem My Squad Can't Fix". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible fantasy of California pop – recorded too late in the 60s to really strike big, but with a perfect approach to mid-decade Beach Boys at their best! Mark Eric's clearly borrowing plenty of pages from Brian Wilson's bag for this set (and maybe Brian Hyland too) – and the original tunes have the beautiful quality of Wilson's best writing in the pre-Pet Sounds years – dealing with deeper themes, but in a very careful and sometimes guarded way that makes the tunes that much more heartfelt. The arrangements are Wilson-inspired too – but have a more mature style than the lyrics – handled by Vic Briggs with a quality that's similar to the brilliant Surf Symphony album of the same year – almost a dreamy remembrance of the sweeter side of California earlier in the decade, but undercut with some of the bluer, more adult modes of the time. Backings feature swirling strings, ringing vibes, and some groovy guitar – and Mark's vocals are often recorded in a way that harmonizes them against the lead – a one-man vocal group, with echoes of The Four Freshmen at times. Titles include "California Home", "Move With The Dawn", "Laura's Changing", "Lynn's Baby", "Just Passing By", "Sad Is The Way That I Feel", and "Take Me With You". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet early 80s tracks from the legendary Bunny Striker Lee – work that shows him stepping effortlessly into the dancehall modes of the time – still a master of rhythm, and of finding the right sort of talents to add to his sound! The package features a nice mix of bigger names and up-and-coming talents – and also includes a number of unissued tracks from Bunny's archives, which fit perfectly alongside the singles in the set – music that's mostly in a late roots-into-dancehall mode, instead of some of the bigger, more commercial work that would circulate under the dancehall name a few years later. As always with Pressure Sounds, the presentation, sound quality, and notes are great – and titles include "Gun Fever" by Frankie Jones, "People Cruel (12" mix)" by Cornell Campbell & Errol Scorcher, "Lay Down Flat" by Devon Edwards, "Revolution Fighters" by Simple Simon, "Too Popular" by Trevor Castell, "Babylon No Badda Haul & Pull Me" by Devon Edwards, "A Place Called Zion" by The Paragons, "The Right Time (12" mix)" by Neville Brown & John Wayne, "Bandulo (12" mix)" by Cornell Campbell & Scientist, "Know Yourself Mankind" by The Paragons, "Lazer Beam (12" mix)" by Don Carlos & Papa Tullo, and "I Man Come Again" by Johnny Clarke. LP, Vinyl record album

The great lost Darondo album – amazing Bay Area funky soul from a singular talent – and material that we did not even know existed! It was cut for Ray Dobard's Music City label – purportedly in just a couple of marathon sessions – most of which we've never heard before now, which is mindblowing in and of itself, as we had thought Ubiquity Records mined what little was available of Darondo for their killer Let My People Go compilation. Lo and behold – here's some more, and it's just as incredible! Slinky, stripped down funk and some sweeter soul that's as much influenced by Memphis recordings as it is the Bay Area – but all with Darondo's distinctive, freewheeling gritty baritone and when the mood strikes, piercing falsetto vocals. A total treasure! It has 10 tracks and approximates the album as it should have been issued in 1974 – with "I Don't Understand It", "I'm Gonna Love You", "Didn't I", "Luscious Lady", "Saving My Love", "Gimme Some", "Do You Really Love Me", "Listen To My Song" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Beautifully slow-building work from Ennio Morricone – caught right at that near-perfect start of the 70s point when he was a master of understatement and spare musical elements! Many numbers begin with a sound that's often very spare – sliding out of the darkness sometimes with just a whisper, sometimes with a bit more force – woodwinds hidden in the shadows, piano murmuring softly, or strings that slide slowly once, then strike with more force the next time around. There's also a cool whistling bit that snakes through a few of the best tunes – a haunting theme with Alessandroni-type appeal – and the orchestrations for the album were conducted by Bruno Nicolai. The sound isn't as sweetly gliding as you might expect, but it's also not as atonal as other Morricone moments too. Titles include "In Pieno Petto", "Il Movente", "Senza Motivo Apparente", "Ricera", and "Sospensione Folle". LP, Vinyl record album