A treasure trove of late 70s French disco funk – actually sound library material from the Tele Music archives – featuring positively killer bass lines, keys and drums, with a warmth and a groove that just slays so much of the better known dancefloor material of the era! Includes great stuff by Spatial & Co, Disco & Co, Voyage and Arpadys – should be classic cosmic disco all the way! The vinyl version features 7 tracks: "Bass Power", "Electric Maneges", "Exotic Guide", "Future Vision" and "All The Bass" by Spatial & Co, ""Phantom Rock" by Disco & Co, and "I Love You Dancer" (instrumental version) by Voyage. LP, Vinyl record album

Mostly mellow numbers, but not without some charm – featuring tracks written by Rod McKuen for a variety of films and TV shows, including The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, A Boy Named Charlie Brown, and Joanna. Greenslade was McKuen's prime interpreter at the time –and he's recording here on Rod's own label. Titles in clude "Lonesome Cities", "Listen To The Warm", "Mr Kelly/Kelly & Me", "Jean", "Pastures Green", and "The Loner". LP, Vinyl record album

A weird little record from John Barry – the soundtrack to a 1963 television special recorded by Elizabeth Taylor at the height of her early popularity, and featuring Taylor reciting a variety of poems and speeches over music by Barry! There's a relatively high concept feel to the album – as Barry's backings are fairly string-laden and serious, penned to match the mood of Taylor's presentation of material written by William Wordsworth, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, William Pitt, Winston Churchill, and Queen Victoria. And although Taylor speaks on about half the record, the best tracks here are actually the instrumental ones – which have more of the depth of Barry's serious soundtrack work from the time, and manage to have their own sense of presence apart from the star quality of Liz on the set. Arrangements are by Johnnie Spence, and titles include "Elizabeth", "London Theme Jazz Waltz", "Queen Elizabeth At Tilbury", "Queen Victoria", "English Garden", "The Fire Of London", "Lovers & Browning", and "London At Dawn". LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful album from Quarteto Em Cy – the Brazilian vocal quartet who first rose to prominence during the bossa nova years, but soon moved into even more sophisticated material during the 70s! The approach of this set is telegraphed in the title – as the group take on songs penned by Caetano Veloso, Milton Nascimento, Ivan Lins, and Gonzaguinha – the new MPB generation of the 70s, whose music turns out to be perfect for the growing talents of the girls – topped off with some beautiful arrangements from Octavio Burnier, whose work really rises to the level of the vocals! The whole thing's great – a magnificent journey in sound – and titles include "Idolatrada", "Barco Fantasma", "Antes De Seja Tarde", "O Ultimo Trem", "Um Dia", "Ponta De Areia", "Gira Girou", "Ciranda Menina", and "Abandonado". LP, Vinyl record album

Jimi's legendary live recordings for BBC radio and television – live studio sessions from 1967 to 1969 – remastered from BBC tapes and sounding incredible! Most of the tracks feature the trio of Hendrix, Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell at their fiery best, on classics like "Foxey Lady", "Fire", "Love Or Confusion", "Purple Haze", "Hey Joe" and more, plus some great, loosier, bluesier performances, such as"Drivin South", "Hear My Train A Coming" and more. The few guest musician appearances are incredibly notable – Alexis Korner plays some slide guitar on "(I'm Your) Hoochie Choochie Man" – and Stevie Wonder plays drums (!!!) on "Jammin" and "I Was Made To Love Her". Also includes the never before released bonus track "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp", a cover of "Day Tripper" and more. 38 tracks on 3LPs. LP, Vinyl record album

The first-ever album from Gil Scott-Heron – and a perfect bridge between the world of his writing and the years to come of musical transformations that would forever change the American scene! The set's not the warm, jazzy soul of some of Gil's later records – and instead, there's a really raw vibe, mostly with Gil speaking instead of singing – often with just heavy percussion at the core, and these really righteous words served out over the top! All the work is his own, and the album's a showcase for his brilliant protest poetry – the most famous example of which is included in "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", which leads off the album with an especially righteous groove! The set's a key link in the African American musical tradition of the 20th century – and proof that the underground, while not always afforded a good place in the broadcast markets of the US, could always burst forth in the "narrowcast" medium of recorded music. A landmark album – one we like even better than the early work by the Last Poets – and great all the way through! Tracks include "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", "Whitey On The Moon", "Who'll Pay Reparations On My Soul?", "The Subject Was Faggots", and "Brother". LP, Vinyl record album

Juan Garcia's at his best here – gazing into a telescope on the cover, looking at the stars and contemplating his next musical direction. For that, the session leaps into a swinging hi-fi mode that brings the hi-ghest fi-delity to the band's nutty approach to arrangements. Esquivel's definitely swinging on a star here – especially on the cuts "My Blue Heaven", "Spellbound", "Whatchamacalit", "La Ronde", and "Bella Mora". Stereo version, too! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest spy soundtracks of the 60s – a very groovy batch of tracks written for Stefanie Powers' brief TV show, The Girl From UNCLE! The music here is better than the male version of the UNCLE franchise – hip 60s spy themes, done in a groovy style for the television audience – often a cool blend of swirling strings, jazzy orchestrations, and some very hip rhythms! Dave Grusin penned the music, and Teddy Randazzo arranged – bringing his 60s soul background into the work in a really great way – emphasizing the grooves even more than on other records of this nature, in a way that's made the set very sought after in the crate-digging scene. There's plenty of nice 60s elements – keyboards, wordless vocals, funky flute, and other hip effects – and titles include "Movin On", "Out Of The Frying Pan", "The Girl From UNCLE", "Sneaky Search", "The Countess", and "Bomb Scare". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful package of rare bossa work! The set is a great tribute to the composers mentioned above – and it features some of their best songs in classic renditions, packaged in a cover with an 8 page booklet that's filled with great photos and writings in Portuguese. Titles include "O Barquinho" by Pery Ribero, "Fim De Noite" by Coral De Ouro Preto, "Marcha Da Quarta-Feira De Cinzas" by Elis Regina, "Maria Moita" by Nara Leao, "A Morte De Um Deus De Sal" by Roberto Menescal, "Pau De Arara" by Ary Toledo, "Telefone" by Os Cariocas, and "Invluencia Do Jazz" by Carlos Lyra. LP, Vinyl record album

A cool cocktail of Latin grooves from this legendary group – on titles that include "Un Besito Por Telefono", "Caumbia", "Alma Con Alma", "Mocambo", Penthouse Mambo", "Sax Cantabile", and "Cachita". LP, Vinyl record album

Not everyone digs the later Captain and crew, but the early 80s efforts have finally gotten their just props after all these years – and we'll we'll come right out and say that this second to last album before Don Van Vliet hung up the music for painting has always sounded great to us! The Magic Band is incredible as always – with Jeff Morris Tepper, Drumbo French and Eric Drew Feldman's antics under the Captain's idiosyncratic vocalese. With "Hot Head", "Ashtray Heart", "A Carrot Is As Close As A Rabbit Gets To A Diamond", "Run Paint Run Run", "Sue Egypt", "Brickbats", "Dirty Blue Gene", "Best Batch Yet", "Telephone", "Flavor Bud Living", "Sherriff Of Hong Kong" and "Making Love To A Vampire With A Monkey On My Knee". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from Dorothy Shay – a very unusual singer for her time, and in a backwards way, almost a force in mainstreaming country music in later years! As the title implies, Dorothy's a bit of a "Park Avenue Hillbilly" – in that she sings country themes, but in a style that's less hillbilly and more in the mode of some of the straighter female vocalists of the time. She's working here with backings from Russ Black, and the sound's almost in the mode of some of the country sides cut by Bing Crosby – but perhaps a bit more whimsical overall. Titles include "A Little Western Town Called Beverly Hills", "Why Shore", "Television's Tough On Love", "Sugar Plum Kisses & Vinegar Tears", and "Don't You Think You Should've Mentioned It Before". LP, Vinyl record album

Tom Waits's follow-up to Rain Dogs – and a batch of songs that do double duty as a straight-up, stand alone record from his wild years at Island Records – and also as the musical accompaniment to a play he co-wrote with wife Kathleen Brennan! (As Chicagoans, we have a special fondness for that side of the project, since the play premiered here with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company.) It's a prime batch of Waits songcraft from this most amazing creative peak period – with the trademark gritty, howled vocals, primal drums, pre-rock horns. Titles include "More Than Rain", "Way Down In The Hole", "Straight To The Top", "Telephone Call From Istanbul", "Train Song", "Cold Cold Ground", "I'll Be Gone", "Yesterday Is Here", "Blow Wind Blow", and "Hang On St Christopher". LP, Vinyl record album

The monumental debut of BT Express – and an excellent funk album that often gets overlooked by fans of the music because of the band's bigger fame as a disco group! This first record has the combo grooving hard and instrumentally – in the mode of a tight blacksploitation soundtrack, with plenty of tight wah wah guitar riffing, conga beats, and funky flute and sax – topped off by just the right amount of strings to make the set soar even more! The album's best known for the title track "Do It (Til You're Satisfied)" – which was a big hit, but is still an excellent groover – and the set also includes loads of other great cuts too – like "Express", which was the original song that the created the JBs' response track "Monorail"; "This House is Smokin'", which has lots of funky descending horn bits; and other great tunes that include "Mental Telepathy", "If It Don't Turn You On", and "Do You Like It". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastically soulful album from Jorge Ben – one of his greatest records ever, and a key part of Brazilian music in the 70s! The album marks an earthier shift for Jorge – a sound that's still rooted in the samba influences of the 60s, but which also takes on a bit more soul at the bottom – thanks to rhythmic contributions from Trio Mocoto, who work here famously to help Ben shape the overall feel of the set! There's still a bit of larger orchestrations at moments, but these are used sparingly just to sweeten the sound – leaving the main force of the music to come from Jorge's guitar, and the cuica, percussion, and tamborim of the trio. The vocals are wonderful too – slightly raspy, and with a bit more feeling than we ever remember Jorge having on record – sometimes a bit intimate, yet always with an undeniable presence throughout. One of those records that still sends chills up our spines, year after year – with tracks that include "Oba La Vem Ela", "Ze Canjica", "Pulo Pulo", "Apareceu Aparecida", "Terezinha", "Mulher Brasileira", "Forca Bruta", "O Telefone Tocou Novamente", and "Charles Junior". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprising hit for Diana Ross – a record that really helped the singer shine brightly in the 80s, but with a vibe that's quite different than her years at Motown! The album's got plenty of star power on board – production work from Arthur Baker, Richard Perry, Daryl Hall, Lionel Richie, and Bernard Edwards – and a musical lineup that features half those artistes, plus work from Jeff Beck, Nile Rodgers, and the Brecker Brothers too! Diana's vocals aren't as over the top as during the disco years – and find a nice place to percolate within the warmer 80s grooves – mostly rhythms that have a nice sort of crossover potential, but not in a way that's as clunky or commercial as some of her contemporaries. Titles include "Missing You", "It's Your Move", "Swept Away", "Telephone", "All Of You", "Touch By Touch", "Nobody Makes Me Crazy", and "Rescue Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Recorded live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City, February 7-10, 1983. A HUGE amount of material! Includes the tracks "Say Hello", "Walk The Dog", "Violin Solo", "Closed Circuits", "For A Large And Changing Room", "Pictures Of It", "Language Of The Future", "Reverb", "If You Can't Talk About It, Point To It", "City Song", "Finnish Farmers", "Democratic Way", "Private Property", "Neon Duet", "Difficult Listening Hour", "So Happy Birthday", "Dance Of Electricity", "Sax Duet", "Born, Never Asked", "From The Air", "Beginning French", "Talkshow", "Cello Solo", "Blue Lagoon", "Stiff Neck", "Hothead", "Telephone Song", "Sweaters", "We've Got Four Big Clocks", "I Dreamed I Had To Take A Test", "Big Top", "It Was Up In The Mountains", "Big Science", "Red Map", "Strike", "False Documents", and many, many more! LP, Vinyl record album

A great setting for guitarist Calvin Keys – one that has the famous Black Jazz funk artist of the 70s working with the younger energy of the Wide Hive Ensemble! The set's got a similar vibe to the recent Wide Hive album that featured Keys in the group – but this time around, Calvin's solos are much more prominent, and carved up with that hard-edged tone we've always loved so much in his music! The tunes are all pretty fresh – and include originals by Keys and others from Wide Hive members Gregory Howe and Matt Montgomery – really perfect settings for Calvin's wonderful work on his instrument, heard here at a level that's tighter than on most recent recordings. Tracks include "Telegraph Blues", "Shaw-Neeq", "The Hernia", "Touch", "You Know The Game", "Electric Keys", and "Backyard". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that's as striking as the image on the cover – a wonderful set that mixes the soulful vocals of the great Elza Soares with some larger samba backings from Oswaldo Borba – a leader we don't know at all, but who really knocks it out of the park on the set! Elza always seems to do best in settings that have a more unique sort of hybrid – the less-traditional modes that EMI/Odeon was using to really transform Brazilian music during this generation! The record's subtitle refers to "a bossa negra de Elza Soares", and the groove's definitely the main force that makes the record so strong – as you'll hear on titles that include "Era Bom", "Teleco-Teco No 2", "Cartao De Visita", "Sal E Pimenta", "Dedo Duro", and "Samba Em Copa". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little album that's still very much in the best mode of Tom Verlaine's early solo years – just the kind of set that will come as a discovery to folks who maybe didn't realize how much Verlaine's music had an influence on underground sounds for years to come! The production, guitar work, and even vocal presentation here really feel years ahead of their time – muted and muddled nicely, but still with a clarity that reflects Verlaine's earlier power in Television – especially at moments when the sound is even more open and spacious. The lyrics are often a bit poetic, but dark – in Verlaine's sort of way – and titles include "Five Miles Of You", "Travelling", "Foolish Heart", "Dissolve/Reveal", "Let Go The Mansion", "Miss Emily", and "Rotation". LP, Vinyl record album

Really wonderful work from the great Elmer Bernstein – from a relatively unlikely source as well! The music here was all composed for the General Electric Theater TV show – a regular anthology program hosted by Ronald Reagan, with a shifting dramatic cast – but one that's scored by Bernstein with all the richness of his best film work of the time – orchestrations that are even more amazing when you consider they were only meant to be heard from the small speaker of a television, and usually just for one time only! The album brings together some of the best Bernstein compositions from a variety of different programs – but there's a surprisingly unified feel throughout, and titles include "Enchante", "Passionelle", "Lavender Waltz", "The Highland Lovers", "David's Love Song", "Progress", "Mariachi", and "L'Amour Tristesse". LP, Vinyl record album