A smoking batch of funky grooves that has a lot more edge than most of the other work going on at the label at the time! There's echoes of Rick James funk in the mix, but the overall style is looser and freer too – almost with an ear towards some of the indie club styles of the time, yet tuned towards the tightness that you'd expect from Motown at its best. The arrangements are superb, and the band have a way of keeping the ensemble upfront throughout – yet also avoiding any of the cliches that other groups would hit so often. Occasional sweet moments really help balance the sound – and titles include "Shake It Down", "You'll Never Know How Much", "Ain't Got Far To Go", "I'm Not Easy", and "Let The Ozone Take Your Mind". LP, Vinyl record album

Straight, strong, and soulful sounds from guitarist Kenny Burrell – quite possibly one of his best albums of the 60s, thanks to a really well-focused sound throughout! The groove here is nice and tight – a cooking little rhythm section that features Richard Wyands on piano, Martin Rivera on bass, and Oliver Jackson on drums – snapping away on the kit on some of the best tracks, and really helping Burrell to hit this groove that's mighty nice! Kenny seems to have a bit more bite than usual too – and even the laidback tunes have plenty going on to keep our ears happy. Titles include "La Petite Mambo", "Suzy", "The Tender Gender", "Girl Talk", "Isabella", "If Someone Had Told Me", and "Hot Bossa". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the most tripped-out music ever from The Holy Modal Rounders – and that's saying a lot, given the nature of the group! This unique early album on ESP features two side-long tracks – both of which are mini-suites of sort, and filled with odd sounds, weird themes, and a strange mixture of hippie instrumentation and sci-fi experimentation! The group for the record is a quartet – with the core combo of Peter Stampfel on violin and vocals and Steve Weber on guitar, augmented by playwright Sam Shephard on drums and Lee Crabtree on piano and organ – plus extra vocals from the trio of Antonia, Barbara, & Wendy. The music is in the best free-thinking style of other rock on the ESP label in the 60s – and titles include "Jimmy & Crash Survey The Universe" and "The Second-Hand Watch". LP2 features Live In 1965 – Some of the earliest music ever from The Holy Modal Rounders – a rare live performance from 1965, recorded at the Chess Mate nightclub in Detroit, and featuring only the duo of Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber! The music here is a bit more folksy and a bit less trippy than some of the Rounders' later recordings, but it still shows a decidedly left-field approach – not just in the subjects of the tunes, but also in the way the guitar, banjo, and fiddle are used – almost as additional voices at times, instead of conventional folk instrumentation. Titles include "Crowley Waltz", "Black Eyed Suzy", "My Mind Capsized", "Fishin Blues", "Rum Mountain", "Random Canyon", "Skin Game", "Indian War Whoop", and "Flop Eared Mule". LP, Vinyl record album

The Ramones really caught their classic recorded sound for the first time on Leave Home – the second of their three perfect late 70s milestones. As amazing as the debut is, its two-channel shrieking buzzsaw sound bowed nicely to the slightly more digestible, but just as cathartic roar of the follow ups. Totally essential! Titles include "California Sun", "Glad To See You Go", "Suzy Is A Headbanger", "Pinhead", "What's Your Game", "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment", and "I Remember You". LP, Vinyl record album

Despite the Native American theme of the title, the group, and the cover image, the set is mostly a pretty straight mix of soul and rock, mid 70s crossover material with a flanged-out LA kind of appeal. Titles include "Interstate Highway 101", "Blood Sweat & Tears", "Cookin With D'Redbone", "One More Time", "Suzy Girl", "Only You & Rock & Roll", "Moon When Four Eclipse", and "Beautiful Illusions". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic collection of work from the legendary Posh Boy label – a short-lived, but crucial imprint on the LA punk scene at the start of the 80s – and a company that was always a lot more hardcore than SST! Posh Boy really had a knack for capturing the short, sharp tunes that marked the LA scene at its best – work with blistering intensity, but also a slight dose of humor – maybe a bit of Ramones influence on the west, but always taken to more insane territory in the long run! Posh Boy gems are hard to come by, but this famous compilation offers up a nice full length document of label artists who didn't get much exposure past 45s – with tracks that include "I Have A Date", "Don't Bother Me", "California", and "Tiger Beat Twist" by The Simpletones; "I Got Power", "Atomic Lawn", "Meat House", and "Black & Red" by Rik L Rik; "Modern Machine", "Suzy Is A Surf Rocker", "Living In Madrid", and "Trix Are For Kids" by The Crowd. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most mindblowing pop culture pastiches of the 60s – a record that's as absolutely mad as it is absolutely free – and proof that a whole new generation of musicians like Zappa were using the studio like an instrument itself! This is work that could have never existed away from record – as the mix of sounds, moods, and music comes together with a maddening frenzy – hardly the languid speed you'd expect from the early years of hippiedom – and instead, an inspirational stream of styles and ideas delivered with trademark Zappa dexterity and wit! The album's divided into two long passages – "Absolutely Free" and "The MOI American Pageant" – with tracks that include "Plastic People", "Amnesia Vivace", "The Duke Regains His Chops", "America Drinks & Goes Home", "Son Of Suzy Creamcheese", "Status Back Baby", and "The Duke Of Prunes". LP, Vinyl record album

A well-done look at a genre that kind of snuck in under the wire – music that carries some late traces of electro, touched with underground club styles, but also delivered in a way that's plenty darn catchy, with a great ear for a hook and a groovy sort of sing-song lyric! The music is heavy on beats, basslines, and keyboards – all bursting out with plenty of energy – maybe a brightened up take on street soul from the early 80s, but usually with a younger female singer, which helps the music bubble along in a really great way! The package is new territory for Ace Records, but they've done a great job of bringing together both key cuts and overlooked gems – all hand-picked by Bob Stanley, with a set list that includes "Two Of Hearts (12" version)" by Stacey Q, "Don't Be Shy (radio voc)" by Janelle, "Lover Girl" by Meg, "Let's Go (radio)" by Nocera, "Funky Little Beat" by Connie, "When I Hear Music" by Debbie Deb, "I Wonder If I Take You Home" by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force, "Together Forever (radio)" by Lisette Melendez, "Dreamin" by Will To Power, "Take Me In Your Arms" by Lil Suzy, "Thief Of Hearts" by Cynthia, "Fascinated (12" version)" by Company B, and "Baby Talk" by Alisha. LP, Vinyl record album

The first official release of this debut solo album from Tiombe Lockheart – originally distributed via shows when she was a member of the Platinum Pied Pipers, and still a completely winning bit of spacey soul – with a vibe that really prefaces so much energy on the west coast in more recent years! Tiombe gets help on beats from Bilal, drums from Otis Brown Jr, and piano from Robert Glasper – but it's also very clear that the music is all very much her own – this spacey melange of influences from hip hop and soul, woven together in very deep textures, and topped with her beautifully crispy vocal approach! Titles include "California Dreaming", "Tip Of My Tongue", "You Need Me", "Mr Johnnie Walker", "Working Girls Suicide", "Sexy Suzy On A Sunday 1.5", and "GP". LP, Vinyl record album

A great batch of roots from one of the best singers of the mid 70s golden age of reggae, Jacob Miller, all tracks cut with Inner Circle. 12 tracks in all, inclduing "Shaky Girl", "Tenement Yard", 'Suzy Wong", "Sinners", "Healing Of The Nation", "80,000 Careless Ethiopians", "I've Got The Handle", "Tired Fe Lick Weed In A Bush", "Roman Soldiers Of Babylon", 'Standing Firm", "All Night Till Daylight" and "Forward Jah Jah Children". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic record from Dudley Moore – an artist that most folks know as an actor, but a hell of a jazz pianist too! Dud only cut a handful of records in his earlier years, and they're all pretty great – but this one may well be our favorite of the bunch, as it really picks up the groovy style he used in the 60s, and gives it an even more soulful spin! The format is simple – really just a standard trio, with Peter Morgan on bass and Chris Karan on drums – but Moore's got a sense of timing that makes the whole group groove in a way that's like some of the hippest piano material on Saba/MPS – quite soulful, but very different than a US trio might sound! Titles include the sublime "Song For Suzy" – which has these soaring, scatting vocals that are almost like Earth Wind & Fire – but before the group ever hit that vibe – and other tracks include the cool bossa number "Waterloo", a great take on "Two For The Road", and the cuts "Robyn's Blues", "The Staircase", "The More I See You", and "Look Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the best Art Pepper work you'll ever find! This 2LP set is filled with tracks that were originally cut for Savoy Records during the time of Art's Surf Ride album for that label, but which were lost on the cutting room floor for years. Pepper's tone is fantastic – with more of an edge than usual, kind of a raspy soulful quality that you don't find in some of his other work, especially those slicker overrated sessions that most consider "classic". We love this material, and this LP is the first time this material has seen the light of day. There's a number of alternate takes, but don't worry, because they're worth hearing, and often have very different solos. Titles include "Everything Happens To Me", "Art's Oregano", "What's New", "Thyme Time", "Nutmeg", "Suzy The Poodle", and "Straight Life". LP, Vinyl record album