... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

Never-heard music from the enigmatic Jim Sullivan – the singer/songwriter who disappeared in the New Mexico desert after giving the world his fantastic album UFO! The style here is a bit different than that one, and maybe even more to the heart of Jim's spirit – as the work was all recorded in 1969, with just vocals and guitar – in a way that lets the brilliance of Jim's songcraft come across even more strongly than before – but all without ever feeling like scratchy demo tapes, or half-finished ideas! Instead, the album stands as a much-needed addition to the tiny Sullivan catalog – and really has us wondering what else Jim would have given us, if the shadows of mystery hadn't taken him away. Titles include "Roll Back The Time", "Walls", "Sandman", "Jerome", "Close My Eyes", "What Is My Name", and "So Natural". CD

A second fantastic tribute to the genius of Sunny Ozuna – the Texas singer who cut some amazing soul records back in the 60s, but often with a vibe that reflected his unique Tex-Mex origins too! Those qualities really come through here in this well-done assortment of tunes – tracks that have all the mellow, slow-stepping energy of sweet soul group material from the east coast scene of the late 60s – but which also have some unusual Texas elements too, even on familiar instruments like trumpet or organ, which often are tuned in slightly weird ways that really set these tunes apart from more conventional soul! Sunny's always in the lead, but often gets some great harmony support – and titles include a killer remake of "Sitting In The Park" – plus "If I Could See You Now", "Give Me Time", "Viva Mi Triestesa", "I Can Remember", "Runaway", "I've Never Found A Girl", "I'm No Stranger", and "Baby I Apologize". CD

Late work by Thin Lizzy – but one of our favorite albums by the group! Somehow, this set manages to capture all the great magic that made us love Jailbreak so much – still hard rocking, but with a deft sense of time and chord change that also reminds us a lot of Steely Dan at their best. Phil Lynott's vocals are as great and smoky as ever, and tracks include "Renegade", "Mexican Blood", "Fats", "Leave This Town", "It's Getting Dangerous", and "The Pressure Will Blow". CD

Late work by Thin Lizzy – but one of our favorite albums by the group! Somehow, this set manages to capture all the great magic that made us love Jailbreak so much – still hard rocking, but with a deft sense of time and chord change that also reminds us a lot of Steely Dan at their best. Phil Lynott's vocals are as great and smoky as ever, and tracks include "Renegade", "Mexican Blood", "Fats", "Leave This Town", "It's Getting Dangerous", and "The Pressure Will Blow". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

A groovy 60s session from vibist Cal Tjader – and an excellent little Latin set, with a mixture of bossa nova and Latin jazz that goes way beyond the promise of the title! The great Clare Fischer arranged the set – and if you know his work with Cal, you know that he's got a wonderful approach to jazz that works perfectly with Tjader's unique phrasing – a spacious sensibility, and a great sense of timing – one that always ensures the tunes sparkle with a sweetly stepping groove. Fischer plays piano on the record – and other players include Laurindo Almeida on guitar, Paul Horn on reeds, Johnny Rae on timbales, and Milt Holland on percussion. Titles include "Choro E Batuque", "Nao Diga Nada", "Elizete", "Imagen", "Vai Querer", and "Que Tristeza". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A legendary album from the Brit psych scene at the end of the 60s – and one of the few records from that time that's still completely mindblowing all these many years later! Twink is John Alden, who'd had already had years of work behind him before putting together this set – including stints with Tomorrow and Pretty Things – and the direction here is very different than most of what was taking place at the time – much looser and more experimental, as the album seems to leap into very heady territory right from the start! There's no effort at putting out an easy single or crossover hit – and instead, some of these tunes have a sonic complexity that almost prefaces later more experimental work from the British scene, including the 80s industrial years – with one number that's just kind of a weird melange of voices, and another that's a lot of noise on drums, sitar, tablas, and effects – as well as a "pixie horn"! A few of the more vocal numbers – like the standout "Suicide" or "Three Little Piggies" – almost feel like work from Wicker Man – and other titles include "The Coming Of The One", "Ten Thousand Words In A Cardboard Box", "Fluid", "Dawn Of The Magic", "The Sparrow Is A Sign", and "Mexican Grass War". 2CD version features the full album in mono, then stereo – plus bonus tracks that include alternate versions of "Fluid", "Suicide", "10,000 Words In A Cardboard Box", "Dawn Of Magic", and "Rock An Roll The Joint". CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

The Ventures were furiously productive in the early 60s – delivering gem after gem – and this is among the best! Telstar is somewhere near the ninth record by the group, offering a dizzying mix of covers of some of the most popular songs of the day. The guitar still leads as the main sound on these tracks but they do expand the instrumentation to include organ, trumpet, mandolins and harpsichord as well. They sing a little on some of the tracks but they mainly stay in the instrumental realm. Greatness! Tracks include "Telstar", "The Lonely Bull", "Mexico", "Calcutta", "Apache", "Never On A Sunday", "Tequila", "Green Onions", "Let There Be Drums", and "Red River Rock". LP, Vinyl record album

With "Mexican Radio"! LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A surprisingly sweet solo effort from Beach Boy Dennis Wilson – a record of surprising depth and darkness, and arguably stronger than most of the albums at the time from the larger group! Dennis produced the album himself, with some executive help from James William Guerico – whose guidance here seems key, given the overall quality of the set. There's some echoes of Beach Boys' styles in the music, but the sound is much more personal as well – Wilson's ragged vocals in the lead on all numbers, sometimes upfront and fragile, sometimes given a bit more umph through the use of processing – at that level that the whole group would often experience in the studio during the 70s. The album's as much of a showcase for Dennis' writing skills as it is for his vocals – and songs are co-written with co-producer Gregg Jakobson, as well as Carl Wilson, Mike Love, and Karen Lamm-Wilson. Titles include "River Song", "Friday Night", "Thoughts Of You", "Dreamer", "Time", "You And I", and "What's Wrong". This limited version of the expanded Legacy edition is really amazing – with a huge booklet of notes and photos, as well as essays on Dennis' music – plus session bonus tracks that include "Mexico", "Holy Man", "Only With You", and "Tug Of Love". Also features a full bonus CD with the sessions for the unreleased Bambu album – with tracks that include "School Girl", "It's Not Too Late", "Under The Moonlight", "Are You Real", "He's A Bum", "Cocktails", "I Love You", "Constant Companion", and "Time For Bed". CD

A surprisingly sweet solo effort from Beach Boy Dennis Wilson – a record of surprising depth and darkness, and arguably stronger than most of the albums at the time from the larger group! Dennis produced the album himself, with some executive help from James William Guerico – whose guidance here seems key, given the overall quality of the set. There's some echoes of Beach Boys' styles in the music, but the sound is much more personal as well – Wilson's ragged vocals in the lead on all numbers, sometimes upfront and fragile, sometimes given a bit more umph through the use of processing – at that level that the whole group would often experience in the studio during the 70s. The album's as much of a showcase for Dennis' writing skills as it is for his vocals – and songs are co-written with co-producer Gregg Jakobson, as well as Carl Wilson, Mike Love, and Karen Lamm-Wilson. Titles include "River Song", "Friday Night", "Thoughts Of You", "Dreamer", "Time", "You And I", and "What's Wrong". This expanded Legacy edition is really amazing – with a 24-page booklet with notes and photos – plus session bonus tracks that include "Mexico", "Holy Man", "Only With You", and "Tug Of Love". Also features a full bonus CD with the sessions for the unreleased Bambu album – with tracks that include "School Girl", "It's Not Too Late", "Under The Moonlight", "Are You Real", "He's A Bum", "Cocktails", "I Love You", "Constant Companion", and "Time For Bed". CD

A never-issued album from Neil Young – recorded during a key 70s stretch, and finally out of the can after decades of being locked away in the vaults! At the time, Neil didn't think the record was as strong as some of his other work – but to us, fans of the man's music, the whole thing is an essential treasure – a nice bridge between a few different modes of his shifting 70s palette, especially since there's some up-close, acoustic numbers that really reveal a personal side of Young, and some of the difficulties he was going through at the time. Titles include "Florida", "Little Wing", "We Don't Smoke It No More", "Separate Ways", "Try", "Mexico", "Star Of Bethlehem", "Vacancy", and "Kansas". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Featuring The Children of Cuenca, The Children of Uruapan, and The Children of Loiza Aldea. LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Includes the pieces "Mikhail Zoetrope (1974)", "Conquest Of Mexico (1973)", "Wind Ko/La (1973)", "Automata Of Al-Jazari (1974)", and "Variations On A Theme By Albert Ayler (1973)". CD

Culled from the rich history of the Atlantic records label, and lovingly put together with great notes and everything! 28 tracks in all, including "Ruby Baby" and "Fools Fall In Love" by the Drifters,"In paradise" by the Cookies, "The Chicken & The Hawk" by Joe Turner, "Devil Or Angel" by the Clovers, "Drown In My Own Tears" and "Lonely Avenue" by Ray Charles, "Jim Dandy" by LaVern Baker, 'Down In Mexico", "Searchin'" and "Yakety Yak" by the Coasters, "Treasure Of Love" by Clyde McPhatter, "Since I Met You Baby" by Ivory Joe Hunter, "Lucky Lips" by Ruth Brown, "Midnight Special Train" by Joe Turner, "Cc Rider" and "Hang Up My Rock & Roll Shoes" by Chuck Willis and "Mr Lee" by the Bobbettes. CD

Includes field recordings from Ghana, Turkey Bali, Peru, Bulgaria, Uganda, Spain, Himalayas, Japan, Paraguay, Yugoslavia, Niger, Mexico, Java, and Dalarna. LP, Vinyl record album

A groovy little collection of funk rock tracks from Mexico – one that features a number of surprising grooves we'd never heard before! There's not much to go on from the cover, but most of these numbers appear to be from the late 60s or early 70s – and the overall vibe is heavy rock, but with a touch of soul – so that most of the rhythms end up coming out nice and funky! Titles include "The Funky Chicken", "Pais Tropical", and "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose (edit)" by Rabbits & Carrots; "Buscando La Felicidad" by Las Moskas, "Soul Sintonia" by Jae's Soul, and "Push & Pull" by Los Litos Barrientos. LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe one of the most mindblowing sets ever put together by the Dust To Digital label – a set that follows on their long-running exploration of 78rpm music from around the globe, and one that presents all these rare tracks in a really incredible format! The set's got a box for the package, which contains a huge 184 page book that's filled with notes, images, and illustrations – a beautiful object in and of itself, which is then matched with 4CDs worth of recordings you'll never hear otherwise – sounds from the start of the 20th century all the way through the late 60s, working together to provide an alternate history of global sounds – all with a sensitivity for track selection that may well match the famous Harry Smith look at American recordings. There's a total of 100 tracks in all – music from Russia, Cuba, Mexico, Macedonia, Surniname, Romania, Morocco, Nigeria, and many other points from around the globe – mindblowing sounds in a really lavish package! And yes, the whole thing is crazy expensive – but if you tally the cost of tracking down the scratchy original 78s, you're getting a heck of a deal – especially with the box and book. CD

Strings of many shapes and sizes – not just violins, but guitars as well – all coming together in a host of instrumental pop classics! The package is a lot cooler than you might expect – and features about a decade of chart-topping instrumentals – the kind of clever little tunes that made radio so great back in the day, and which often took familiar instrumentation and played around with it a bit in the studio – so that the end result was a heck of a lot more than just the sum of its parts! Styles are great – and run from folksy to rocking to exotic, and more – really creative stuff spun out over a set list of 28 tracks that include "The Dis-Advantages Of You" by The Brass Ring, "Love Is Blue" by Paul Mauriat, "Fly Me To The Moon" by Joe Harnell, "Flying Circle" by Frankie Slay, "Image" by Hank Levine, "Mexico" by Bob Moore, "Beautiful Obsession" by Sir Chauncey & His Exciting Strings, "Summer Set" by Monty Kelly, "Baby Elephant Walk" by The Minature Men, "Java" by Al Hirt, "The Enchanted Sea" by The Islanders, "More" by Kai Winding, "Cast Your Fate To The Wind" by Sounds Orchestral, "Swingin Safari" by Billy Vaughan, "Calcutta" by Lawrence Welk, and "Lost Love" by HB Barnum. CD

Includes music by Coro Santo Nino, Coro de San Jose, Gregorio Ruiz, Charles Aguilar, Los Reyes de Albuquerque, Mercedes Lopez, and Johnny Florez – 26 tracks total. CD

30 tracks across 3 LPs – Features tracks by Los Teen Tops, Los Hooligans, High Hats, Los Crazy Boys, Los Beatniks, Los Belmonts, and many more. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Steve Hackett, Giles, Giles & Fripp, Anthony Phillips, Atomic Rooster, Rick Wakeman, GTR, Dave Greenslade, Stackridge, Robert Wyatt, Gong, Van Der Graaf Generator, Fission Trip, Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come, Audience, David Bedford, Third Ear Band, Ginger Baker, Slapp Happy, Hawkwind, Birth Control, Atlantis, Embryo, Cosmic Jockers, Mogul Thrash, Anima, Blonde On Blonde, and more! CD

Field recordings by David Lewiston that feature regional folk and festival tunes from Southern Mexico. Tracks include "Son Alegre", "Son Sventa Cajvaltic", "El Chinito", "La Jota", and "Valse Chiapenecas". CD

The tenth edition in this really fantastic series – a collection of tunes that's moved way past the traditional funk compilations from years back – really showing the evolving taste for a groove in the global underground! The tunes here effortlessly mix together rare soul, groovy jazz, and plenty more – pulled from impossibly rare 45s and albums that remind us that, even though we've spend decades digging in the crates, we still have a heck of a lot to learn about music! We're especially in love with some of the more obscure soul jazz vocalists here – artists we never would have discovered otherwise – and the package features tracks that include "Spooky" by Frankie Greer Quartette, "Kitchen Cookin" by Eddie Buster Band, "The Mustang (parts 1 & 2)" by The New Philadelphians, "Under The Covers" by The Kats, "Coming Home Baby" by Ronny Pellers Satin Sound, "Evil Ways" by The Lido, "El Mexicano" by Brazada, "Title Town" by Herb Crawford Jazz Ensemble, "Little Sister (parts 1 & 2)" by The Headliners, "Radiation Funk" by Maxell, and "String Around My Heart" by Eunice Haze. LP, Vinyl record album

A really beautiful collection of music – and work from a scene that we've hardly heard from before – given that all these tracks were taken from the 60s catalog of the Caife Records label in Ecuador! The music is often an unusual hybrid of modes – older folkloric styles mixes with more contemporary expressions – often driven by an urban interest in the nation's traditions, which involve many different cultural strains spread out over its diverse terrain. Caife was an imprint that sought to capture music that might have fallen through the cracks otherwise – and in terms of sound and style, most of this work feels much older than what you might have heard coming from Colombia, Mexico, or Cuba in the 60s – with a fair bit of acoustic instrumentation, and often a strong current of sentiment, as is hinted at in the title. The package is a very well-done resurrection of this near-lost legacy – with a beautiful booklet of notes and rare images – including a shot of the hoarder's office in a high rise, where most of the tapes had been sitting for decades. Titles include "Sendero Del Dolor" by Segundo Bautista, "Ingratitud" by Hermanas Mendoza Suasti, "Cotopaxi" by Biluka Y Los Canibales, "Desesperacion" by Bentiez Y Valencia, "Lejos De Ti" by Los Tres Ases, "Vaca Lechera" by Conjunto Caife, "Pasional" by Lucho Munoz, "El Anacu De Mi Guambra" by Biluka Y Los Canibales, and "Ensonacion" by Los Inaquingas. LP, Vinyl record album

A great set of groovers from the Cameo/Parkway label – a company that gave the world the biggest twist record of the 60s, but which also was perfectly poised to deliver all sorts of other upbeat tracks as well! The label was in Philly – a huge dance town in the early days of soul and rock – and the set list here is filled with the kind of cuts that were Philadelphia's answer to the rising sound of Motown – the roots of the Northern Soul sound that would be followed by soul collectors for decades! These aren't novelty hits, but upbeat cuts that groove plenty – most by soul artists, a few by pop singers – but all given the kind of tight instrumentation and strong studio handling that made the Philly scene such a standout. 22 tracks in all – including "Shimmy Shimmy" and "The Wah Watusi" by The Orlons, "Bristol Stomp" and "You Can't Sit Down" by the Dovells, "Mashed Potato Time" and "Do The Bird" by Dee Dee Sharp, "The 81" by Candy & The Kisses, "The Mash" by Tony Young & The Hippies, "Mexican Hat Rock" by The Applejacks, "Baby Do The Frog" by The Dardenelles, "The Swim (part 1)" by The Marlins, "Slow Twistin" by Chubby Checker & Dee Dee Sharp, "The Third House" by Bobby Rydell, "When You Dance" by The Turbans, "Everybody South Street" by The Taffys, "The Popeye Waddle" by Don Covay, and yes, "The Twist" by Chubby Checker. LP, Vinyl record album

The fantastic first album from ZZ Top – already a heady mix of Texas blues and psych roots, served up into a style that's completely the group's own – but which hasn't yet been watered down by commercial cliches and MTV! The sound here really puts these guys much more in the company of the fantastic Texas garage psych scene of the late 60s – with a really strong focus on the amazing guitar of Billy Gibbons, and the way he can compact down so many elements into one very unique tone – but without ever having to show off as a blues rocker either. The blend is perfect, the edge is razor sharp, and even if these guys never had any later hits, the record would have been an underground gem! Titles include "Neighbor Neighbor", "Shaking Your Tree", "Brown Sugar", "Squank", "Going Down To Mexico", "Backdoor Love Affair", and "Just Got Back From Baby's". LP, Vinyl record album