The Reel People collective is back in action, and maybe sounding even better than on their first Love album – thanks to a sublime array of guest vocalists – including Eric Roberson, Raheem DeVaughn, Chante Cann, Paula, Michael Champion, and others! The vibe is great – uplifting and positive, with a style that's a nice change from both mainstream soul and club – that special sort of vibe we've always loved from the sort of underground work like this – which seems to be harder and harder to find as the years go on! In a world of stray digital cuts, we're even more grateful than ever for a full length set like this – as Reel People definitely deliver the goods, on titles that include "I Never Knew", "Save A Lil Love", "Everything's So Crazy", "If I Was Your Man", "Fly", "Deja Vu", "Dance In Her Eyes", and "Vibe". CD

A great little album from Jeannie Reynolds – and her lasting contribution to underground soul! Jeannie's vocals are nice and deep – with hints of southern diva phrasing, filtered through some of the tighter soul styles coming out of Chicago and other points north at the time! Detroit talents LJ Reynolds, Tony Hester, and Don Davis produce – save for one song by Michael Henderson – and the big highlight is the slow groover "The Fruit Song", a sly seductive stepper of a track, with rolling congas, sweeping strings, and a very catchy hook from Jeannie. That number runs for about 7 minutes long – and the album also includes a number of nice shorter cuts, like "I've Still Got My Pride", "The Feelin' Ain't There", and "You Want To Get Your Hands On A Woman" – all wonderful numbers that will have you loving Jeannie as one of your favorite new discoveries in 70s soul! LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful debut from Pedro Ricardo – an artist with a name that sounds like a contemporary of the MPB scene in 70s Brazil – and one who works here with a rock-solid sound that might easily place him in that legacy! Pedro's music is definitely contemporary, and he's Portuguese, not Brazilian – but shares the same language, and the same sort of temporal spanning of some of our current favorites from the Brazilian underground – effortlessly blending elements of jazz and more rootsy expressions, sometimes with modern inflections, sometimes a lot more earthy overall! There's plenty of wonderfulness happening here – a truly individual statement from an artist we'll be keeping our ears on for years to come – on titles that include "Soprem Bons Ventos", "Entre O Vale E O Eco", "Tema 2", "Deheba", "Ode Ao Gato", "A Marcha Que O Monte Parou", and "Cantar Das Kandakinhas". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great look at the later years of Louis Armstrong's life – that time when he'd moved from being an underground jazz musician to a surprising star of both radio and screen – using his undeniable charisma in ways that really cemented his legend! And sure, there's some folks out there who might deem these Armstrong's "pop" years as a bit of a critique – but the author really gets at the subtle power of Louis during these years, and the way this period of his life was actually something of an artistic triumph, rather than a sellout – maybe no surprise, given that some of the music from these years has been Armstrong's most enduring. Softcover edition is 369 pages, with some black and white images. Book

Minnie Riperton's first album for Epic – and the record that broke her from a hip Chicago underground artist into one of the seventies' biggest female soul stars! The record moves past the baroque soul of Minnie's early years with Rotary Connection and Charles Stepney – and hits a mix of mellow compressed LA styles and slicker funkier numbers that do the same thing for her Chicago-trained vocals that Rufus' backing did for that of Chaka Khan. Of course, it helps that she's got some superbly sensitive writing and arranging help by husband Richard Rudolph – and Stevie Wonder's definitely lurking in the background, too – not credited with production, due to contractual reasons, although he helped put most of the album together. Includes Minnie's huge crossover hit "Loving You", a perfect showcase for her beautiful 5 octave voice, plus the tracks "Our Lives", "Every Time He Comes Around", "Perfect Angel", and "Reasons". LP, Vinyl record album

Smooth jazzy fusion from Lee Ritenour – a classic set that was originally only released in Japan, part of the underground Japanese Fusion movement of the late 70s, famous for groove hounds for that added level of soul that often wasn't showing up in American releases at the time! The album was recorded in both Rio and LA – with work by a mixture of Brazilian and American fusion players, including Chico Batera, Oscar Castro Neves, Alex Acuna, Don Grusin, Dave Grusin, Steve Forman, and Marcus Miller. Includes the smooth funk classic "A Little Bit Of This & A Little Bit Of That", plus the cuts "Simplicidad", "Rainbow", "Rio Funk", "San Juan Sunset", and "Ipanema Sol". LP, Vinyl record album

A lean and spooky little set from the Rockers All Stars – put together with killer production from Augustus Pablo and Everton Da Silva! The vibe here is in the moodiest territory that Pablo might explore on albums under his own name – and although the father is providing help, it's clear that the group can make plenty of fantastic magic on their own! The set was mixed at King Tubby's and Harry J's – and although we're guessing the proceedings were laidback and casual, the record's gone on to become an underground dub classic over the years. Titles include "Hammer Dub", "Fire Dub", "Jah Dub", "Money Dub", "Static Dub", "Equal Rights Dub", and "Clean Sweep". LP, Vinyl record album

Never-heard work from the legendary Rodion GA – an artist who barely issued any material during the 20th century, but who's become a real electronic music legend in more recent years! Rodion hails from Hugary, where he worked underground recording all these cool cuts from the 80s onward – material that's a blend between cold wave grooves and more synth-based sound library material – usually instrumental, and with some dark currents on most tracks that really make for some striking sounds throughout! All the cuts here are from Rodion's archive, and even the later ones have an analog vibe that feels like lost cassette culture electronic nuggets from the early 80s – brought forth here with great treatment and detailed notes from Ace Records! The package features 21 tracks in all – and titles include "Vine Iarna", "Tu Rea Ce Esti", "Halou Cosmic", "Aminitiri", "The Final Farewell", "Catacombe", "Acolo Unde E Mister", "Punct", "Balkan", "Stele Si Lumini", and "Intervale". CD

Never-heard work from the legendary Rodion GA – an artist who barely issued any material during the 20th century, but who's become a real electronic music legend in more recent years! Rodion hails from Hugary, where he worked underground recording all these cool cuts from the 80s onward – material that's a blend between cold wave grooves and more synth-based sound library material – usually instrumental, and with some dark currents on most tracks that really make for some striking sounds throughout! All the cuts here are from Rodion's archive, and even the later ones have an analog vibe that feels like lost cassette culture electronic nuggets from the early 80s – brought forth here with great treatment and detailed notes from Ace Records! The package features 21 tracks in all – and titles include "Vine Iarna", "Tu Rea Ce Esti", "Halou Cosmic", "Aminitiri", "The Final Farewell", "Catacombe", "Acolo Unde E Mister", "Punct", "Balkan", "Stele Si Lumini", and "Intervale". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare funky gem from the Chicago scene in the pre-house years – but a set that also might be a crucial bridge between the city's 70s soul and the underground clubs that would soon give the world a new groove! The group have plenty of funk elements in the mix – kind of a tightened-up version of P-Funk at times, with lots of bass in the mix – and all these cool moogy keyboard touches – topped by vocals from the group – who often have a call to action sort of vibe, really urging on the groove! The record's definitely too hardcore to have gotten much national radio play – sharper and more wicked than the major label funk of the time – and the use of female vocals in the mix also have a very different vibe than in disco, too – a quality that's hard to describe, but which really stands out. The set features some arrangements by Floyd Morris and Tom Tom 84 – two mighty legends in the Chicago soul scene – and titles include "Doin' It To Def", which has sort of a "We Will Rock You" intro, plus "Hot Spot", "Grab Your Sexy Baby", and "Funk Power". LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous little album from Jimmy Ruffin – as "ruff" as the title implies, with a much deeper groove than you might find from other Motown releases at the time! The style here is really wonderful – rich, heartfelt vocals from Jimmy that easily match the best of the Detroit underground of the time – a style that's a bit like Darrell Banks or JJ Barnes, with echoes of the southern sound of the 60s – but produced to perfection with all the best that Motown could muster! Jimmy gets lots of heavy help from Norman Whitfield – who produced about half the tracks on the set, and gives Ruffin a sound that's somewhere between his righteous soul with the Temptations, and the best Motown grooves of his earlier work for the label. Other production is by Brian Holland & Lamont Dozier, William Weatherspoon & James Dean, and Richard Morris – all of whom follow Whitfield's lead nicely – and although the album's got few runaway hits, it's a rock-solid effort throughout – just the kind of album that makes us love the Motown full-length scene even more than the label's singles! Titles include "Lonely Lonely Man Am I", "It's Wonderful (To Be Loved By You)", "Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me", "Everybody Needs Love", "Sad & Lonesome Feeling", "Love Gives Love Takes Away", and "Farewell Is A Lonely Sound". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal set of underground blues from 60s Chicago – with separate sections of work by Otis Rush, Jimmy Cotton, and Homesick James & His Dusters! LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark pairing of two Chicago avant players at the start of the 80s – and one that shows that the city had plenty going on, even away from the AACM! The set brings together the older Hal Russell – still an underground secret in the city – and the younger Mars Williams, who was just starting out here, but would soon rise to fame in the NRG Ensemble, and on decades of other recordings and alliances in the Windy City. There's a mix of instrumentation that really shows the open-minded sense of improvisation that Russell helped encourage in the younger Generations – and Hal plays drums, C melody sax, cornet, vibes, toy horns, and "lots of other stuff" – with Mars Williams playing tenor sax, slide whistles, bells, newspapers, and "lots of other stuff" too! Titles include "Carnal Concupiscence", "Is This Virginia", "Odoriferous Flambeaus Of The Paranymphs", "Eftsoons", and "Noise Command Blast 1". LP, Vinyl record album

Dynamic jazz rock from the French scene of the 70s – combo with a strong penchant for stretching out strongly on organ and guitar – but one that also has a few more sensitive, folksy moments as well! The tracks shift nicely between longer numbers and shorter ones – the shorter tracks usually a bit more up-close and personal, with gentle vocals from Rose Podwojny – and the longer numbers usually hit more of a progressive feel, with some especially nice mellotron work at a few points. Titles include "Vision", "Never Good At Sayin Goodbye", "Underground Session", "Old Dom Is Dead", "To Take Him Away", and "Metakara". CD

Led by Kevin Beacham aka AMC, long-time pillar of underground hip hop in Chicago, finally in physical form after decades in the vaults! With production by Jel, Maker, and Overflo; with guest spot by Costume. LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning underground set from back in the day – a record that was originally released on the label run by Schoolly D himself, then was picked up by Jive Records – because Schoolly had a runaway hit on his own! The whole thing is great – one of the first really hardcore records, told from the streets – in a way that's lean, stripped-down, and a very powerful answer to some of the pop hip hop that was coming up the charts in the mid 80s. The centerpiece of the album is the legendary track "Saturday Night" – a tale of a wild night that still blows us away, despite its slightly dated politics – and other cuts include "B-Boy Rhyme and Riddle", "Housing The Joint", "We Get Ill", "Parkside 5-2", "We Get Ill", "It's Krack", "Dis Groove Is Bad", "Get N' Paid", and "Do It Do It". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful soul duet work from Peggy Scott & Jo Jo Benson – a pair who were maybe to the southern scene of the 60s what Marvin Gaye and his ladies were to the Motor City – able to trade lines in a wonderful way, and make their songs always come together with a vibe that was way more than just two singers working together in the studio! Peggy later went onto fame in the blues underground a few decades later – but here, her style is a sweet contrast to the bolder vocals of Jo Jo – as the pair move through modes that are groove at times, warmer at others – and all really well-done in the best SSS International mode of the Tennessee scene. This first album by the duo includes their lovely hit "Lover's Holiday", plus "Soul Shake", "We Got Our Bag", "We Were Made For Each Other", "Pickin Wild Mountain Berries", "Fine As Frog Hair", "Doin Our Thing", and "Blow Your Mind". 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". CD

An album from the 80s, but one that echoes a much older tradition of folk and blues – with a vibe that hardly fits the dated spelling of the duo's name! Serious Bizness is the team of Jaribu and Ngoma Hill – who harmonize together on some very message-oriented music, in a way that was often a bit overlooked in the generation of beatboxes and keyboards, but which has all the pride and power of acoustic sessions from the Civil Rights generation! Instrumentation is just acoustic guitar on most numbers, but Jaribu and Ngoma have a way of really making the songs ring out with a great deal of power – on titles that include "High Tech", "Southern Shame", "Down Underground In A Company Town", "Stolen Dreams", "Stop The Bosses", and "Malcolm Lives". CD

Fantastic sounds from Jackie Shane – a Canadian soul singer who's achieved a bit of recent fame, due to her legacy as an underground trans figure – but an artist who'd already be a winner, even without such a fascinating back story! Fortunately, both sides of Jackie's life are included here – a stunning array of rare soul singles from the late 60s, alongside a heavy package of notes, photos, and other bits of Shane's unusual story – all given the wonderful Numero Group treatment! These guys have a way of digging out stories even where you might not expect them – so in the case of Jackie, their efforts are extra-important – and the heavy weight of the record really seems to emphasize that fact – as the whole thing's really a double-whammy of Numero genius. But again, even without all of that, the whole thing's more than essential for any fan of underground soul – especially female soul – half the set features her rare singles, the other lost live work – with titles that include "Sticks & Stones", "Cruel Cruel World", "Comin Down", "In My Tenement", "Send Me Some Lovin", "I've Really Got The Blues", "Stand Up Straight & Tall", "Cruel Cruel World", "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag", "Any Other Way", "Shotgun", "I Don't Want To Cry", and "Money". CD

One of the deepest explorations of the disco era we've come across from author Peter Shapiro – not at all a nostalgic look back, really more of a cultural study that looks into the music and the world around it. Shapiro does a great job of putting it all into perspective, from the social factors leading to the growth of the music, to the technological and artistry behind it, from the dawn of the sounds, to full blown pop culture fad that exploded it and sunk it back underground later in the decade, and how it survives in the new millennium. Softcover edition is 346 pages, and features a new epilogue, a timeline, and helpful appendix details! Book

A perfect illustration of the rich new directions Wayne Shorter was taking at the start of the 70s – an amazing flurry of sounds and styles that's light years ahead of where he began in the 60s! Shorter's one of those players who was already great at the start – an amazing tenorist, both on his own and with the groups of Art Blakey and Miles Davis – yet by the time of this record, he'd absorbed a huge amount of influences from Brazilian music, modal jazz, the spiritual underground, and even the free European scene – all of which come to play on the long, complex tunes on the set! The record has Shorter working with some other key contemporaries of this new moment in jazz – John McLaughlin on 12 string guitar, Chick Corea on marimba and percussion, Dave Holland and Miroslav Vitous on bass, and Ron Carter on cello – all players who have the same open, exploratory vibe as Wayne's own lines on tenor and soprano sax. Titles include an excellent cover of Milton Nascimento's "Vera Cruz", plus the tracks "Antiqua", "Iska", and "Montezuma". CD

A legendary record from Show & AG – and one of the strongest full lengths of the early 90s from the DITC camp! Runaway Slave came about during the end of an era when major labels still seemed to be hungry for for dope underground MCs, so there's a gritty realness here, and on other great hip hop LPs of the early 90s that's still pretty incredible. This full length debut delivers very strongly on the Soul Clap EP – and titles include that classic track "Bounce Ta This", "Represent", "Catchin Wreck", "Fat Pockets", "40 Acres And My Props", "Hold Ya Head", "He Say, She Say", "Hard To Kill" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A groundbreaking set from The Silver Apples – one of those records that almost didn't get fully appreciated until many decades later! The sound here is quite unique, even for the late 60s psych rock underground – and The Apples work in a blend of spacey electronics, driving percussion, and simple, stark guitar parts – a sound that's almost to their generation what the music of Suicide was to the underground of a decade later. Most tunes pulsate with an almost organic sort of quality, and the lyrics of the songs are often quite tuneful at times – a nice contrast to some of the colder styles of the instrumentation. The album's had a huge influence on countless groups in the past decade or so – for good reasons – and titles include "Oscillations", "Lovefingers", "Velvet Cave", "Whirly-Bird", "Dust", "Misty Mountain", "Program", and "Dancing Gods". LP, Vinyl record album

Nice little underground session from the burgeoning young Chicago scene – oddly released on a UK label! Drummer Ted Sirota leads a lively little quintet that includes Jeff Parker on guitar, Kevin Kizer on tenor, and Rob Mazurek on cornet – and the band has a warm lyrical feel, and a surprisingly mature approach to playing. The whole album features original compositions by the members of the group – many with the kind of creativity that we've come to expect from Mazurek's Chicago Underground groups. Titles include "Geronimo's Free", "Carolynn's Blues", "Lonely People", "La Danse De Janvier", and "Little Spots". CD

Classic funkiness from Sly & The Family Stone – an album that really pushed them to the top of their game, and exploded on the late 60s scene like a righteous funky bomb! The title cut's a mega-hit that you'll recognize right away – but the whole album's great, and is filled with the simple, joyous energy that made Sly's groove one of the freshest of his generation – and which helped foist all the great work going on in the 60s underground firmly into the light of a much wider mainstream audience. The messages are subtle here, but the group are already doing their part to change the world bit by bit – and the funky rhythms at the bottom assure that they'll be doing it ass by ass on the dancefloor! Titles include "Dance to The Music", "Ride The Rhythm", "Higher", "Don't Burn Baby", and the 12 minute "Dance To The Medley", with the groovy "Music Lover" passage! LP, Vinyl record album

Classic funkiness from Sly & The Family Stone – an album that really pushed them to the top of their game, and exploded on the late 60s scene like a righteous funky bomb! The title cut's a mega-hit that you'll recognize right away – but the whole album's great, and is filled with the simple, joyous energy that made Sly's groove one of the freshest of his generation – and which helped foist all the great work going on in the 60s underground firmly into the light of a much wider mainstream audience. The messages are subtle here, but the group are already doing their part to change the world bit by bit – and the funky rhythms at the bottom assure that they'll be doing it ass by ass on the dancefloor! Titles include "Dance to The Music", "Ride The Rhythm", "Higher", "Don't Burn Baby", and the 12 minute "Dance To The Medley", with the groovy "Music Lover" passage! CD also features 6 bonus tracks, 4 previously unreleased – titles that include "Soul Clappin", "We Love All", "I Can't Turn You Loose", "Never Do Your Woman Wrong (inst)", and "Higher (unissued single version)". CD

An overlooked female singer/songwriter from the start of the 70s – one with a sound that's decidedly more underground than some of her contemporaries! Kathy Smith has a sound that's sometimes as sweet as some of the pop folk females of the time, yet she's backed with music that's usually a bit more personal, and almost boozy at times – kind of an intimate, late night small combo approach that's almost to her style of music what a piano trio might be to vocal jazz. That's not saying that Kathy's jazzy at all – as there's a decidedly rock feel here – but there's a mature, sophisticated vibe that's totally great – warmly expressive without sounding cliched. Titles include "End Of The World", "A Vision Of Two Saints", "Topanga", "What Nancy Knows", "Blackbird & The Pearl", "Circles Of Love", and "If I Could Touch You". CD

Two amazing tracks from underground Chicago jazz legend Paris Smith – back to back on a limited 45! "Thought Seeds" is this amazing blend of vibes, alto sax, and haunting female vocals – a very righteous tune, and one with a spirit that's unlike anything else we can think of – dark, but vibrantly positive too – with a nice solo from Jimmy Ellis near the end! "Lilith Came" has never been on vinyl before – an overlooked gem from Paris CD-only release from the 90s – with more beautiful vibes, and a lyric that's as haunting as the title! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A killer batch of modern spiritual soul jazz – with a classic sound that reminds us a lot of the 70s work on labels like Tribe or Strata East! The New Composers Ensemble is led by vibist Paris Smith, an underground Chicago jazz artist who cut a few very enigmatic albums on his own – and he's working here with a group that includes guitar, piano, percussion, and bass. All the tracks on the album are originals written by the players on the record – and most of them are strong modal grooves, with a spiraling, soaring sound that's filled with joy and life, but also a hint of darkness. The interplay of the instruments is unlike anything we've heard elsewhere, and it's the kind of underground treasure that you'd die to find on a rare 70s album – somehow even cooler that it's cut by an obscure group who are working in our generation! A few tracks have a vocalist that's a bit off-beat – and she also reminds us of some of the more spiritual contraltos that would show up on the Strata sets from the 70s – but her contribution to the record also kind of grows on you nicely after a while. Titles include "Tommy Tones", "Sonny's Song", "Lilith Came", "Introspection", "Psalm 37", and "53rd Street Ghost", dedicated to the street in Chicago where Dusty Groove was born! CD

An incredibly soulful set of jazz from the Danish scene at the start of the 70s – and a record that's much more in keeping with the spiritual sounds of the American underground at the time! The set boasts some tremendous tenor work from Jesper Nehammar – a player we don't know at all, but who's clearly drawn a lot of energy from both John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders, especially the modal structures to the way he builds a solo, then soars out on his own! Ole Matthiessen plays piano in the group, and also wrote most of the tunes – and he's got this McCoy Tyner-like ability to block out wonderful phrases that really set the rhythms on fire, driven on by some more subtle efforts from Henrik Hove on bass and Jon Finsen on drums. The whole thing's wonderful – a record you'd file somewhere between your favorite albums on Impulse and Strata East – and titles include "Message For Mike", "Peace", "Brother Yusef", "More Peace", "Voodoo Dance", and "Pharoah". LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful little record – by a group who should have been much bigger than they were! Despite the fact that these guys are an obscure rock band with a silly name, the record's a perfect example of the subtly soulful work that was coming out of various west coast sources during the 70s – the kind of album-oriented work that yielded gems for play on underground FM radio, but which has been mostly lost to the shifting sands of time, save for some well-placed rescue in the reissue scene. The gem on this one is the smooth stepper "Fazon", but the album's got a few other nice ones too, with a jazzy tinge that's almost in debt to Mose Allison or Ben Sidran – that kind of cool blend of many elements with younger ideas that was bubbling up on the Bay Area scene. Titles include "Dancin Wizard", "Monkeys On the Moon", "Sneaky Smith", and "Astronaut Food". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite possibly the best album ever from this fantastic funky combo! The band grooves hard and funky – with incredible drum work from Paul Stubblefield, tasty guitar from Walter Winston, and some famous funky flute and sax work from Gus Hawkins. Tracks on the album are rough and raw – with plenty of breakbeats, and some very tasty funky basslines that work perfectly with their choppy instrumental groove. A few tracks have vocals, but even those boast a real strength in the instrumental department – and very nicely keep up with the rest of the material. Titles include "Down In The Ghetto", "Burning Spear", "Express Yourself", "Soul", "Memphis Underground", and "Message From A Black Man". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's gotta be one of the most righteous school band records ever – way more than just a bunch of students doing big band numbers, and instead a killer batch of spiritual jazz numbers, directed by the legendary Alvin Batiste! The record's one of a rare few 70s sets of this nature – one that shows a group of younger musicians really reaching out for bold new sounds – every bit as complex and soulful as work on labels like Strata East or Black Jazz, with a fiery power that signals a new generation of the jazz underground! And while Batiste is at the head of the group, there's plenty of other great younger players too – including Henry Butler on piano, Henry Scott on flute, Kirk Ford on tenor, Reginald Houston on baritone, Raymond Deggs on trumpet, Julius Farmer on bass, and Herman Jackson on drums! Side one features burning ensemble numbers that include "Music Came", "Tunjii", "Straight Life", and "North American Idiosyncrasy" – and side two features early material by the Henry Butler Trio, on titles that include "So What", "In My Solitude", and "Milestones". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's gotta be one of the most righteous school band records ever – way more than just a bunch of students doing big band numbers, and instead a killer batch of spiritual jazz numbers, directed by the legendary Alvin Batiste! The record's one of a rare few 70s sets of this nature – one that shows a group of younger musicians really reaching out for bold new sounds – every bit as complex and soulful as work on labels like Strata East or Black Jazz, with a fiery power that signals a new generation of the jazz underground! And while Batiste is at the head of the group, there's plenty of other great younger players too – including Henry Butler on piano, Henry Scott on flute, Kirk Ford on tenor, Reginald Houston on baritone, Raymond Deggs on trumpet, Julius Farmer on bass, and Herman Jackson on drums! Side one features burning ensemble numbers that include "Music Came", "Tunjii", "Straight Life", and "North American Idiosyncrasy" – and side two features early material by the Henry Butler Trio, on titles that include "So What", "In My Solitude", and "Milestones". LP, Vinyl record album

A hell of a record from the Italian scene of the 70s – a heavy set of electric jazz with a soaring, righteous sort of vibe – served up by a quintet who somehow manage to work as if they've got the spirit of a much larger ensemble! We don't know any of the players at all from other records, but they come together wonderfully here – a lineup that includes trumpet and trombone from Gaetano Delfini, saxes and flute from Giancarlo Maurino, Fender Rhodes and piano from Corrado Nofri, bass from Peppe Caporello, and drums from Giampaolo Ascolese – all players who draw a lot more from the spiritual jazz underground of the time than some of the more prog-based acts on the Italian scene. Most tracks are nice and long, with a really soaring sort of vibe – and titles include "Peperoncino", "Rising", "Cabral Anno 1", and the shorter ballad "Una Ballata Per Yanez". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great South African group from the early 80s – and one with a sound that's a lot funkier and clubbier than most of the music from their scene that was being sent out through the world music market! Instead, the vibe here is like some of the coolest club tracks of the time – both underground New York work from the electro scene, and some of the more keyboard-heavy tracks that were showing up in the more Cosmic Euro dancefloors – served up with an approach that often has vocals just egging on the instrumentation, instead of the other way around – as keyboards and basslines take the lead on titles that include "Keep On Moving", "Picnic", "Let's Go Dancing Boogie Boogie", "Starlight", "Jah Jay Love", and "Picnicing". LP, Vinyl record album

A great session by this excellent Chicago quartet – originally recorded in 1996, but unissued until 2000. The record is one of the most lyrical sets to come out of the Chicago underground in the past few years – and it offers a excellent chance to see a straighter side of the group's players, like Kent Kessler, Jim Baker, and Ken Vandermark. Vandermark is especially compelling here – and plays in a mode that should prove to any doubters that he's just as great on the inside as he is on the out. Titles include "No Go", "Tableau Shot", "Telleferro", "Chump Change", and "Non-Confirmation". CD

The second album from the young Iggy Pop and The Stooges – and the record where the whole thing really comes together – a set that was an instant legend, even though it hardly sold many copies at the time! Instead, the album's like work by the Velvet Underground – probably every copy that was sold went into the hands of someone who took the music as a key influence, then went on to create something amazing of their own – drawing key inspiration from Iggy's vocals, the guitar work of Ron Asheton, and the overall frenzy of the album's approach. Titles include the paranoid genius of "TV Eye", the romping "Down On The Street", the insane "Fun House", and the cuts "Loose", "Dirt", "1970", and "LA Blues". CD

The second album from the young Iggy Pop and The Stooges – and the record where the whole thing really comes together – a set that was an instant legend, even though it hardly sold many copies at the time! Instead, the album's like work by the Velvet Underground – probably every copy that was sold went into the hands of someone who took the music as a key influence, then went on to create something amazing of their own – drawing key inspiration from Iggy's vocals, the guitar work of Ron Asheton, and the overall frenzy of the album's approach. Titles include the paranoid genius of "TV Eye", the romping "Down On The Street", the insane "Fun House", and the cuts "Loose", "Dirt", "1970", and "LA Blues". Disc 2 features over an hour of rare outtakes, alternate versions and mixes – some of the best moments from the notoriously rare Rhino Handmade Fun House box set from a few years back! Includes alternate takes of "TV Eye", "Loose", "Lost In The Future", "Down On The Street", "Slide (Slidin' The Blues)", "Fun House", "1970" and more! CD

The world of Dexter Story just keeps getting bigger and bigger – not just because he's a richly collaborative player, but also because he's got this musical style that really opens up to so many different elements – but without ever sounding like he's trying to crash them together in any sort of inorganic way! Instead, Dexter draws evenly from spiritual jazz, Ethiopian rhythms, underground soul, and some of the best strands of 21st Century grooves – opening up the door for his own wonderful lead lyrics, while creating and exploring a planet of his own. Guests on the record include Carlos Nino on percussion, Te'Amir Sweeney on drums, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson on strings, and Randal Fischer on tenor – and the set features guest vocals from Haile Supreme, Marie Daulne, Endeguena Mulu, Sudan Archives, Jimetta Rose, and Kibrom Birhane – although Dexter gets plenty of time in the lead too. Titles include "Mamdooh", "Buna Be Chow", "Gold", "Techawit", "Shuruba Song", "Bahir", "Abebaye", and "Jijiga Jijiya". CD features the Japanese only bonus track "Wejene Aolo" – which features work from Kamasi Washington! CD

Way more than just a bop-heavy set – a landmark record that shows a side of the Chicago scene that hardly ever made it on record! In the years after Charlie Parker passed away, tributes to his greatness were a very common thing in local jazz scenes across the US. This is a prime example of that tradition, but way more than that, it's also a killer Chicago jazz session from the old days – featuring trumpeter Ira Sullivan at his best, along with some great local players that include tenorist Nicky Hill, pianist Jodie Christian, and bassist (Raphael) Don Garrett. The music is what you'd expect – loving renditions of Bird standards like "Klacktoveedesesteene" and "Love Letters" – but there's also a lot more going on underneath, and the album's as much a Charlie Parker tribute as it is a batch of bop and soul jazz numbers with a good underground feel. Titles include "Si Si", "Inchworm", "Milestones", "Sketches", "Fly Me To The Moon", and "Shaw Nuff" – and this 2CD reissue adds a heck of a lot more material to the original album – for a total of 15 tracks in all! CD

In the years after Charlie Parker passed away, tributes to his greatness were a very common thing in local jazz scenes across the US. This is a prime example of that tradition, but way more than that, it's also a killer Chicago jazz session from the old days – featuring trumpeter Ira Sullivan at his best, along with some great local players that include tenorist Nicky Hill, pianist Jodie Christian, and bassist (Raphael) Don Garrett. The music is what you'd expect – loving renditions of Bird standards like "Klacktoveedesesteene" and "Love Letters" – but there's also a lot more going on underneath, and the album's as much a Charlie Parker tribute as it is a batch of bop and soul jazz numbers with a good underground feel. LP, Vinyl record album

A British group with a surprisingly no-nonsense approach for the time – neither prog, nor hard rock, glam, or anything else that might have been big during the early 70s underground – which may well be why this set never got the fame it deserved! There's some great guitar work on the set that almost gets funky at points, but which often just holds to rockish riffing instead – really well-fit to the offbeat vocals which are perfect for the lyrical delivery of the set – all at a level that makes the whole thing one of those great under-circulated major label efforts that's wonderfully hard to peg, and which is ripe for rediscovery all these many years later. Titles include "Me & Virginia", "It Ain't Me", "Coast Of Panama", "Finger On The Trigger", "Mare Luna", "It's All For You", "Dark Eye", and "Turn Round". CD

A great and unusual album from pianist Horace Tapscott – a bit straighter than some of his 70s classics for Nimbus Records, but a real delight throughout! Tapscott's normally associated with the LA underground of the post-cool jazz years, but this unique set has him working in New York with a trio that includes Art Davis on bass and Roy Haynes on drums – both accompanying Horace in a set of four long tracks that spin out with a beautifully fluid sense of grace and soul! Some of the bright spots of the solo Tapscott sessions are tied to more progressively rhythmic moments here from the team of Davis and Haynes – letting Horace really soar on the keys, but still explore with the bolder touch of his solo sets. Titles include "If You Could See Me Now", "Lino's Pad", "Akirfa", and "Sketches Of Drunken Mary". CD

A great and unusual album from pianist Horace Tapscott – a bit straighter than some of his 70s classics for Nimbus Records, but a real delight throughout! Tapscott's normally associated with the LA underground of the post-cool jazz years, but this unique set has him working in New York with a trio that includes Art Davis on bass and Roy Haynes on drums – both accompanying Horace in a set of four long tracks that spin out with a beautifully fluid sense of grace and soul! Some of the bright spots of the solo Tapscott sessions are tied to more progressively rhythmic moments here from the team of Davis and Haynes – letting Horace really soar on the keys, but still explore with the bolder touch of his solo sets. Titles include "If You Could See Me Now", "Lino's Pad", "Akirfa", and "Sketches Of Drunken Mary". CD

One of the most ambitious albums ever from pianist Horace Tapscott – a double-length set that has him working with a large lineup of underground musicians from the 70s Los Angeles scene – all united in spirit and power as the Pan-African Peoples Arkestra! Tapscott's piano directs the group strongly – as an extension of the vision that he brought to the late 60s Sonny's Dream album by Sonny Criss – but the music is freer, more spiritual, and often graced with bursts of ensemble energy, balanced by some really tremendous solos from other musicians too! The lineup includes some other key members of the Nimbus Records collective – including Jesse Sharps on saxes and flute, Linda Hill on piano, Adele Sebastian on flute, and Roberto Miranda on bass – and other players include James Andrews and Sabia Matteen on tenor, Archie Johnson and Lester Robertson on trombone, Billy Harris on soprano, Herbert Callies on alto clarinet, and Michael Session on alto. Titles include "Flight 17", "Breeze", "Horacio", "Clarice", and "Maui". CD

One of the most ambitious albums ever from pianist Horace Tapscott – a double-length set that has him working with a large lineup of underground musicians from the 70s Los Angeles scene – all united in spirit and power as the Pan-African Peoples Arkestra! Tapscott's piano directs the group strongly – as an extension of the vision that he brought to the late 60s Sonny's Dream album by Sonny Criss – but the music is freer, more spiritual, and often graced with bursts of ensemble energy, balanced by some really tremendous solos from other musicians too! The lineup includes some other key members of the Nimbus Records collective – including Jesse Sharps on saxes and flute, Linda Hill on piano, Adele Sebastian on flute, and Roberto Miranda on bass – and other players include James Andrews and Sabia Matteen on tenor, Archie Johnson and Lester Robertson on trombone, Billy Harris on soprano, Herbert Callies on alto clarinet, and Michael Session on alto. Titles include "Flight 17", "Breeze", "Horacio", "Clarice", and "Maui". CD

A stone classic from Chip Taylor – a very hip cat who was raised in New York, wrote a number of big pop hits in the 60s, but was always much more comfortable with country music in the end! The album's not straight country – but instead that perfect blend of rock roots and Nashville inspiration that was bubbling up in the American underground in the wake of the Byrds and Burrito Brothers – tried by many, but delivered by only a rare few like Chip at a level this good! The tunes are great – very thoughtful songwriting that puts Taylor on a par with Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson – and the backup group features some great steel guitar from Pete Drake, who really helps set the mood. Titles include "I Read It In Rolling Stone", "Son Of A Rotten Gambler", "The Real Thing", "101 In Cashbox", "Last Chance", and "I Wasn't Born In Tennessee". LP, Vinyl record album

Marshall Jefferson and crew lay down a nice batch of tracks with a surprisingly soulful groove, despite an all-out attack on the dancefloor. Includes the tracks "Devotion", "That's The Way Love Is (Underground Mix)", "Satisfaction", "You Must Be The One", and "Suspicious". CD

Tremendous work from This Mortal Coil – only the second album by the 4AD Records collective, but one that doubles the length of the first – and explores some even deeper territory in the process! The group take songs that had been forgotten from previous generations – beautiful nuggets of 60s and 70s rock, folk, and underground music – and weave them together in a moody soundscape that's full of echoey piano, rich cello, edgey oboe, and all these other elements that were never used in the original songs. Add to that some original material, and the spacious 4AD production style, and you've got an instant classic – full of gems that include "Tarantula", "The Jeweler", "My Father", "Morning Glory", "Inch Blue", "Drugs", "Red Rain", "I Want To Live", "Come Here My Love", and "Fire Brothers". LP, Vinyl record album

An insanely detailed book on the role of drugs in American music – written by a guy who's already written a fair bit about drugs and culture! This time around, Martin Torgoff turns his eye towards the postwar years – looking at the interwoven landscapes of jazz, underground culture, and drugs from the late 40s through the 60s – with chapters that look at both famous figures and lesser-known personas – in a list that includes Billie Holiday, Lester Young, William S Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Charlie Parker, and many more. The book's filled with short chapters that almost each read like a story themselves – never too exploitative, and often never with any sort of judgement at all – just surprising detail about the relation between drugs and performance, writing, or other artistic creation. These short chapters work well to weave together a world behind the scenes – subtle forces that later shaped more famous creations – and the book is a hefty 412 pages, with some black and white images. Book

Wow, this is SO not the Tortoise that first set the underground aflame in the early 90s – the group has evolved and opened up in ways we never would have expected. With It's All Around You it's emerged with an airy, open, stargazing set of tracks that resemble the languid atmosphere of Tangerine Dream as much as they do early post rock! Gone, for the most part from early Tortoise is that strong, rubbery electric bass groove and tightly thudding live drum sound. It's All Around You retains the bright vibes and sputtering electronics of the TNT album, and the out front, almost rock & roll guitar lines of the Standards album – and adds an ever present, ambient synthesizer bubble of sound to surround the thing. It's all so catchy, too, and almost sunny. If Tortoise hasn't really broken any new ground this time, it's only because they're the ones who broke it in the first place. Tracks include "It's All Around You", The Lithium Shifts", "Crest", "Stretch", "Dot/Eyes", "By Dawn", "Five Too Many" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet second set from Touch Of Class – a group who broke big in the indie underground of the 70s with their debut – and who still continue here in a great blend of upbeat rhythms and richer soul styles! Some numbers are clearly aimed at the dancefloor – as on their debut – but these guys can also slide into a mellower number with a laidback harmony vibe – a blend that's rooted in some of the younger east coast group modes of the early 70s, but which is taken here to some slightly more mature territory by the trio. Gerald and Pete Jackson of the group handled the arrangements – in a way that's nice and fresh – and a good change from some of the more "packaged" approaches on other albums of this nature. Titles include "Let Yourself Go", "You Took The Sunshine", "I Need Action", "I Found My Rainbow", and "You've Got My Soul". LP, Vinyl record album

The cover looks gothic, but the sound is plenty darn groovy – a sweet set of sound library instrumentals from the 70s scene in Paris – most of them served up with an upbeat, clubby sort of vibe! Yan Tregger may not be one of those names that immediately comes to the lips of underground club collectors – but there's plenty of great clubby moments here, with grooves that bubble on tight basslines, swing with sweet keyboards, and often get lots of riffing guitar in the mix! Yet there's also some nicely weird touches too – as you might expect from a record that was cut far from the mainstream, as part of a studio library set – the kind of weird funky elements you might find on some of the more obscure 12" singles from the late 70s underground. Titles include "Carry On", "Gimmicky", "Sunny Wing", "Light Heart (parts 1 & 2)", "Riff On", "Lyric Soul", "Slow Zoom", and "This Time". LP, Vinyl record album

An underground funky gem – one that never made it past the collections of the elite sound library audience in the 70s – but which is well deserving of global acclaim! Yan Tregger works here in this style that's every bit as funky as his contemporaries on bigger library labels, but which also shows a strong love of club music too – not straight disco, at least not in any sort of "easy" way – but a real ear for just the right sort of basslines, keyboard parts, and uptempo rhythms to keep things moving throughout! Given the all-instrumental approach, think of this set as a jazzy take on clubby grooves – or maybe an instrumental funk record for the clubs – with great cuts that include "The Girl In The Gold", "Dawn & Darkness", "Friend Island", "The Last Girl", "Haunting Refrain", "Girls Will Be Girls", and "The Way Of All Flesh". CD

Soul jazz vocalist Dwight Trible gathers the forces for this magnificent effort – an album pairing his emotionally rich vocals and singular spirit with a group of largely west coast allstars – and it's pure genius! The Life Force Trio, from what we can tell, is simply the moniker for a small army of free thinking guests from the deep funk, hip hop and turntablist underground assembled by Carlos Nino of Ammon Contact. The guest list includes SA-RA, J Dilla, Madlib, Daedelus, Scienze Of Life, Nate Morgan, Dwight's Build An Ark fellows and many others. It features some vocals Dwight has laid down for other albums, and some unreleased recordings – how they pair up so intricately well, with such fresh and varied production is a beautiful mystery. This record could have merely served as an interesting exercise in combined talents, but instead it absolutely soars, and could be remembered as Dwight's masterpiece! It may also be one of the best Ninja Tune albums ever! Tracks include "Equipoise" feat SA-RA, "Freedom Dance", "The Rhythm", "Waves Of Infinite Harmony", a fresh take on Coltrane's "A Love Supreme", "Love Is The Answer", "I Was Born On Planet Rock", "Constellations" feat Super Nova, "Celestial Blues" and more. The CD also includes a bonus disc on instrumentals! CD

A very cool set from those late 60s underground rock years on Mercury Records – recorded in Chicago by a rootsy trio, but with very cool use of flute and tablas too! LP, Vinyl record album

The landmark debut of 2Pac – hard rhymes and gritty production laying the bedrock for an iconic legacy! 2Pac's voice is front and center throughout, nothing tentative about the rhymes or delivery, and true to legend, every word feels honest and real, whether you're comfortable with it or not. Classic! Tracks include "Young Black Male", "Trapped", "Soulja's Story", "I Don't Give a F**k", "Violent", "Words Of Wisdom", "Something Wicked...", "Crooked A** N**a", "If My Homie Calls", "Brenda's Got A Baby", "Tha Lunatic", "Rebel Of The Underground", and "Part Time Mutha". LP, Vinyl record album

14 new and classic recordings including the heavily bootlegged underground hit "Realist Killaz" with 50 Cent, plus "Ghost", "One Day At A Time" featuring/produced by Eminem, "Death Around The Corner", "Secretz Of War", "Holla If Ya Hear Me", "Running (Dying To Live)" with Notorious BIG, "Starin' Through My Rearview", "Same Song", "Panther Power", "Str8 Ballin'" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Early punk rock work from Ultravox – a record that's a lot sharper-edged than some of the group's later, more electronic pop! The guitars are very much upfront in the mix here – and although some tracks show a nascent love of synth, it's often mixed in with noisier, more driving sounds that are very much the best spirit of the British underground, circa 1977! And while it might be a stretch to call this a strictly punk rock record, it does stand very nicely next to some of the best mainstream punk releases from the same generation – and in a way, the stylistic complications of the set almost make it more appealing over the years – a bit of a label-less effort that still sounds plenty unique! Titles include "Rockwork", "The Frozen Ones", "Fear In The Western World", "The Man Who Dies Every Day", "Distant Smile", and "Hiroshima Mon Amour". CD features 6 bonus tracks too – including "Young Savage", "Hiroshima Mon Amour (alt version)", "Quirks", "The Man Who Dies Every Day (live)", and "Young Savage (live)". CD

A pretty cool, seemingly unlikely duo effort on Rhymesayers – pairing up underground hip hop mainstay Aesop Rock and avant indie vocalist Kimya Dawson of Moldy Peaches! It actually works well! Aesop's no nonsense sounding voice can deliver even the most abstract lyrics with strength and authority and it pairs well with Dawson's oddball nursery rhyme style. Includes "Kryptonite", "Delicate Cycle", "TV On IO", "Earthquake", "Organs", "Superheroes", "Jambi Cafe", "Scissorhands", "Eyeball Soup", "Teleprompters", "WYHUOM", "Boomerang" and more. CD

A Chicago group who never hit the big time during their short run at the start of the 80s – but one who definitely know how to groove! There's a vibe here that really lives up to the "togetherness" in the group's name – a way of coming together with a tight, sharp sound throughout – but one that's never too slick, just surprisingly strong for such an underground funk group from the Windy City! And although the music is upbeat, the style is less disco than it is the kind of faster funk that percolated strongly in the underground scene in the pre-house years – almost more akin to some of the best indie club work coming out of the east coast, but with a very unique vibe too. As usual with Numero, the set does way more than just bring this lost music to light – it also tells the tale of the Universal Togetherness Band, and their never-flagging sense of energy and inspiration during their short but important run. Titles include "Ain't Gonna Cry", "Try Try Try", "My Sentiment", "Real Thrill", "Once In A Lifetime", "Call For Love", "I Want You", and "Taken By Love". CD

One of the greatest things about Ken Vandermark – and one of the reasons why we think he's one of our favorite players in the Chicago underground – is the way that he's completely open about his roots and influences, never failing to give credit where credit is due, and let folks know about the music that's inspired him over the years. And although Ken's recorded more than a few tracks by these influences on his own albums in years past, this set goes that one better – by acting as a 2CD set that's almost a "primer" in avant jazz of the late 20th century. There's a great batch of material on the set – works by Ornette Coleman, Anthony Braxton, Lester Bowie, Joe McPhee, Sun Ra, Don Cherry, Frank Wright, Archie Shepp, and others – all recorded live at Chicago's Empty Bottle, by a very well-honed Vandermark 5. Titles include "Saturn", "Goodbye Tom B", "Happy House", "69L", "Wherever Junebugs Go", "King Korn", "The Earth", and "Scootin About". CD

A fantastic 500th release by the BBE label – one that looks back at the past, and soars to the future! This special extended single package is a fantastic return to form for everyone involved – as underground club legends Patrick Adams and Leroy Burgess get a whole new groove from Louie Vega – but with a warmly soaring vibe that's a great update of their classic approach! "Barely Breaking Even" is a classic from the Universal Robot Band – but this new take has both vocals and production that are a lot warmer than the original P&P Records version – and a groove that's even catchier too! All four mixes are over eight minutes long – served up here beautifully on a double 12" package! 12-inch, Vinyl record

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

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". Bonus tracks include "Your Finest Hour" and "Five Miles Of You (ext version)". CD

A Tom Verlaine double header – two albums back to back on a single CD! First up is the fantastic first solo album from Tom Verlaine – a set recorded shortly after the breakup of Television, but with a vibe that almost makes it feel like the group's third album! The songs are maybe a bit tighter, but no less creative – both from a lyrical and sonic perspective – and Verlaine's got that fantastic sense of edge in his vocals, which can even make some of the nicer lyrics feel a bit nasty – but all at a level that's never overstated, and which should be a blueprint for later generations of singers who always try too hard. Titles include "The Grip Of Love", "Kingdom Come", "Mr Bingo", "Yonki Time", "Red Leaves", and "Last Night". On Dreamtime, Tom Verlaine has lost none of his edge – and instead has almost emerged as one of the most mature singer/songwriters on the New York scene – an underground-to-mainstream poet to match the skills of Lou Reed and Patti Smith! The album's got a vibe that's almost like Reed's work of the time – in that Tom's an artist who clearly knows the path to the dark side, and ways to overindulge – but always instead finds a way to keep things well-crafted and economical, but without sacrificing his sound or his intellect. Titles include "Penetration", "The Blue Robe", "Mr Blur", "A Future In Noise", "Down On The Farm", "Without A Word", and "Fragile". CD

A surprising classic from the early 80s underground – a record that came to the world from the scene in Milwaukee, where neither the group nor the rest of the world would have expected the album to have such staying power over the decades! And yet, from the very first needle drop, it's hard to imagine otherwise – as the record's got this raw intensity that's not really punk, certainly not new wave – almost an American primitivist energy that really gets to the heart of the matter from the very first note – and goes on to deliver a non-stop testament of angst and longing, set to scratchy guitar and fast-riffing drums! Gordon Gano's vocals perfectly fit the spirit of the songs – and the set's full of classics that include "Blister In The Sun", "Kiss Off", "Add It Up", "Gone Daddy Gone", and "Prove My Love". 3LP version features a huge amount of bonus material on the second disc – demos of most tracks for the album, and live recordings from the same time – plus UK single tracks "Ugly" and "Gimme The Car" on the bonus 7" single! LP, Vinyl record album

A surprising classic from the early 80s underground – a record that came to the world from the scene in Milwaukee, where neither the group nor the rest of the world would have expected the album to have such staying power over the decades! And yet, from the very first needle drop, it's hard to imagine otherwise – as the record's got this raw intensity that's not really punk, certainly not new wave – almost an American primitivist energy that really gets to the heart of the matter from the very first note – and goes on to deliver a non-stop testament of angst and longing, set to scratchy guitar and fast-riffing drums! Gordon Gano's vocals perfectly fit the spirit of the songs – and the set's full of classics that include "Blister In The Sun", "Kiss Off", "Add It Up", "Gone Daddy Gone", and "Prove My Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprising classic from the early 80s underground – a record that came to the world from the scene in Milwaukee, where neither the group nor the rest of the world would have expected the album to have such staying power over the decades! And yet, from the very first needle drop, it's hard to imagine otherwise – as the record's got this raw intensity that's not really punk, certainly not new wave – almost an American primitivist energy that really gets to the heart of the matter from the very first note – and goes on to deliver a non-stop testament of angst and longing, set to scratchy guitar and fast-riffing drums! Gordon Gano's vocals perfectly fit the spirit of the songs – and the set's full of classics that include "Blister In The Sun", "Kiss Off", "Add It Up", "Gone Daddy Gone", and "Prove My Love". 2CD version features a huge amount of bonus material on the second disc – demos of most tracks for the album, and live recordings from the same time – plus UK single tracks "Ugly" and "Gimme The Car". CD

One of the greatest moments ever from bassist Miroslav Vitous – a very cool album recorded for the trippy Vortex label! The lineup here has Miroslav working with key help from the American underground – piano from Herbie Hancock, tenor from Joe Henderson, and drums from Jack DeJohnette – plus added guitar from John McLaughlin, who seems to have the same spacey sensibilities as Vitous! Henderson really opens up too – in that fluid style of his post-Blue Note work on Milestone – and obviously Herbie's a great one for a set like this too – hitting some of the spiritual modes of his Warner work. Some tracks are nice and long – and titles include "Freedom Jazz Dance", "Infinite Search", "I Will Tell Him On You", "Mountain In the Cloudes", and "Epilogue". This Japanese CD edition includes the bonus track "Cerecka". CD

A fantastic underground gem from Bunny Wailer – one of the rare albums issued on his heady Solomonic label – an imprint that featured some of his most righteous material on record! As you'd guess from the title and the somewhat unprepossessing cover, the style here is heavily dubby – and includes material from the Black Heart Man album, plus other singles, all mixed up nicely by Bunny to some completely head-nodding rhythms! There's almost a sense of magik flowing through the mix – as Bunny crafts sonic spells on titles that include "Roots Raddics", "Battering Down", "Armadedon", "Fig Tree", "Dream Land", "Love Fire", and "Rasta Man". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual moment in the career of Tom Waits – a set that features some tracks done for a stage production, and which almost seem to unlock a Brechtian side in the singer's approach – especially given the jagged rhythms and dark currents that seem to inflect to many of the tunes! At a number of points, Waits sings in a style that's even more gruff than some of his standard albums – and mixed with the instrumentation on the set, there's almost a between the wars sort of vibe to the whole thing – a very nice change from the vibe of so many previous albums. At some level, the set might also mark an elevation to some of the more "serious" modes that Nick Cave was also hitting around the same time – a onetime underground hero realizing the power of himself in the larger world of art and culture. Titles include "Everything Goes To Hell", "Another Man's Vine", "Knife Cause", "The Part You Throw Away", "A Good Man Is Hard To Find", "Starving In The Belly Of A Whale", and "Misery Is The River Of The World". CD

Includes the tracks "Underground", Shore Leave", "Dave The Butcher", "16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought-Six", "Franks Wild Years", "Down, Down, Down", "Rainbirds", "Just Another Sucker On The Vine", "Town With No Cheer, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

A lost modern soul jazz classic! Altoist Bobby Watson is one of the most soulful players on his instrument in the past 20 years – and he never sounds better than when recording with bassist Curtis Lundy, a richly talented player who's best known to folks for his work with Betty Carter. This sublime session features Watson and Lundy playing in a quartet with Mulgrew Miller on piano and the great Kenny Washington on drums – grooving in a mode that's slightly modal, slightly spiritual – driven by an underground fire that makes the session a timeless one that we find ourselves returning to again and again. The spirit of the best 70s indie soul jazz sessions is alive and well on this one – and the album's filled with wonderful original compositions, including "Jewel", "ETA", "To See Her Face", "Minority", and "Orange Blossom". Plus, the CD also features 3 bonus tracks – "On The One", "Karita", and an alternate of "To See Her Face". CD

In the tradition of the Molemen and All Natural, another nice one from the Chicago underground. "Think U Jammin'?" uses a killer organ bassline and DJ Diamond Kut cutting up a line from Steady Serv's classic "You Know The Time" for the chorus, and of course straight up dope hip hop verses. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A massive batch of underground club from Richie Weeks – an artist who managed to get a few key records issued back in the day, but who also kept on working strongly in the studio to create a wealth of wonderful work that's only seeing the light of day well into the 21st Century! Every track here is a gem – lean, stripped-down club that's such a nice change from the bigger excesses of the disco generation – often with a very strong focus on the basslines and rhythms, with vocals from Weeks, plus guest work from Leroy Burgess and Tanyayette Whilloughby. Patrick Adams helps out a bit here, but the sound is tighter and funkier than most of Adams' P&P label material – and titles include "Do It Do It Again (voc)", "Fire Down Below (version 3)", "Lover Lover You Found The Groove", "Can't Fight The Feeling", "At The Disco (version 3)", "My Baby Loves To Freak", "Loose Joints (version 6)", "Who Cares (version 3)", and "So Much Funkin Fun". LP, Vinyl record album

A South African soul set from Gloria Weems, but one that feels like some of the best of the New York scene at the time – especially the underground indie work that was letting a lot of electro soul elements come into the mix! The bass pedal elements are great, and the drum machine rhythms are right on the money – making for a set that's all-catchy, all-groovy all the way through – with a half dozen rock-solid boogie numbers that would have easily broke big on our side of the Atlantic, had Gloria gotten signed to a label like Jive! Titles include "Push It Up", "Wanna Dance With You", "Don't Let Me Drop", "Lovelight", "Never Give It Up", and "Wanna (version)". LP, Vinyl record album

Debut of the underground garage rock duo who pretty much conquered modern rock altogether at the the end of the 90s! Includes "Jimmy The Exploder", "Stop Breaking Down", "The Big Three Killed My Baby", "Cannon", "Astro", "Little People", "One More Cup Of Coffee', "Slicker Drips" and more. CD