Near-perfect work from Ashford & Simpson – really grooving in full powerhouse mode here, and never missing a beat! By all rights, the team should have run out of steam by this point, but the album's another winner from their sublime Warner years – caught in a unique space between chart soul, ensemble funk, and disco – taking all the best elements of each, and really sending the whole thing home with some incredible vocals and impeccable production and arrangements! Titles include "Rushing To", "Love Don't Make It Right", "We'll Meet Again", "Get Out Your Handkerchief", and "I Ain't Asking For Your Love". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Muscle Beach Party – and a whole lot more – a host of rockin 60s numbers from the young Frankie Avalon! Frankie may have started out as a kiddie star, but by the time of these sides he was a much more mature rocker – one who brought a nice sort of sweetness to the vocals he laid down on screen in a host of well-screened 60s beach party films – with more than enough depth to match some of the bigger surf-styled singers of his generation! And sure, Avalon wasn't ever going to challenge the Wilson brothers, but he did know how to swing a twisting groove with the best of them – as you'll hear on this sweet collection of numbers recorded for United Artists – most of which have a twangy approach that's right up there with Capitol efforts of this type at the time. LP, Vinyl record album

Roy Ayers in a tight mid 80s funk mode – commanding a modern vibe really well, especially with his vibes so prominent in the sound! Although the sound's a step or two more modern than the Polydor years, Roy still sounds great – and he grooves nicely on this batch of tracks that mix his older jazz funk style with an 80s groove sound that has slight touches of electro. This mix of modes is really unique for the time, with Roy embracing the new school without completely letting go of his trailblazing personal approach. Jean Carn sings lead vocals on the cut "Can I See You", and the album also includes the nice stepper "Programmed For Love", plus "Virgo", "Night Flyte", and "For You", a smooth mellow cut that's got great vocals by Roy! LP, Vinyl record album

A great thriller soundtrack – by one of the Italian masters of the 60s! Bacalov's score for the film mixes jazzy numbers with more suspenseful orchestral ones – but the best cuts have a jaunty groovy quality, of the sort you dig these old Italian soundtracks for! Bruno Nicolai conducted the orchestra, and the nicest cuts have choppy percussion and some good instrumental elements, like sax or organ. Includes the bossa groover "We Still Kill The Old Way", plus "Is It Wrong", "Jazz Club", "Laurana's Suspicion", and "The Arrest". LP, Vinyl record album

Recorded in Dallas – with Chet Baker on trumpet and vocals, Fred Raulston on vibes, and Floyd Darling on piano. Martha Burks sings a bit too. LP, Vinyl record album

One of John Barry's earliest scores for Bond – when his style was nice and raw, and when the Bond theme couldn't be heard enough throughout the course of the movie! Matt Munro sings the lyrics to the forgotten title hit – and other tracks include "James Bond Theme", "Tania Meets Klebb", "Guitar Lament", "Spectre Island", "Stalking", "Death Of Kerin", and "007 Takes The Lektor". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest soundtracks ever from the great John Barry – a set of tracks that echoes some of his famous modes from James Bond films, yet also has a unique quality all its own! Barry's got a strongly jazzy sensibility here – and spaces out some great instrumentation with the same sensibilities used in the equally great music for The Knack! Staff aren't listed, but there's clearly some great Brit jazz players in the lineup – given the record's key use of vibes and tenor solos – as well as this very cool slow-plucked guitar with a noisy, echoey quality. The sound is brilliant – everything you'd hope for in the best 60s soundtracks – and titles include "The Ipcress File", "Alone In Three Quarter Time", "A Man Alone", "If You're Not Clean I'll Kill You", "Goodbye Harry", and "Alone Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent gimmick – and yet another way that United Artists was trying to push its "Bond" catalog in the 60s! Count Basie brings a soulful swing to the work of John Barry – hitting hard on the tracks with his own smoking piano, and an orchestra filled with some of his best players, like Al Grey, Eric Dixon, and Freddie Green – as well as Eddie Lockjaw Davis, an artist who wasn't credited on the session at he time. Arrangements are by Chico O'Farrill and George Williams – and titles include "Thunderball", "From Russia With Love", "007", "Girl Trouble", and "Goldfinger". LP, Vinyl record album

Funky Shirley Bassey! This is a great set of Shirley's groove-happy work cut in the late 60s – hip tunes arranged by UK easy maestro Johnny Harris, best known for his fantastic work on the Stepping Stones record under his own name, forever a beathead classic! Features the great, funky big band version of "Light My Fire" – one of Shirley's best tunes ever, and a cut that's been sampled and remixed often in recent years! Also includes the breakbeat version of "Spinning Wheel", and the cuts "My Way", "Sea & Sand", "What About Today?", "You & I", "Easy To Be Hard", "Life Goes On" and "Yesterday I Heard The Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing crossover moment of the 70s Latin scene! During the 60s Joe Bataan had been experimenting with the many different mode of Latin Soul – crossing over styles in a way that not only reflected his complicated roots, but which also tried to break Latin music out of the small uptown market it was getting locked into. On the album before this one, Joe coined the term Salsoul, which he used to describe his unique mix of salsa and soul – which on this record also gets a bit of an infusion of disco, which was a brilliant move by Joe, and broke the album out of the ghetto, onto dancefloors around the world. The centerpiece of the record is Joe's funky cover of Gil Scott-Heron's classic "The Bottle" – but just about every track is great, and there's loads of excellent titles like "Chico & The Man", "Women Don't Want To Love Me", "X-Rated Symphony", "When You're Down (Funky Mambo)", and remakes of older Latin Soul tunes "What Good Is A Castle" and "Ordinary Guy". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique session of world music from the late 60s – recorded by the enigmatic Bauls Of Bengal, a group who were kind of playful tricksters in their Bengali home! "Baul" means "afflicted with the wind disease" – and the group have kind of a "crazyman" approach to their work, blending both Hindu and Muslim culture, and supposedly wandering with the wind, in a hippie-esque tramping lifestyle, surviving on what handouts they could collect. This obscure session was a surprise hit in the late 60s, thanks to a global audience eager for Eastern-styled sounds – and the recording features instrumentation that includes tabla, dotara, and harmonium – as well as vocals from singer Purna Das. Tracks include "Ki Die Pujibo Hari Charana Tomar", "Manush Bhaja Manush Puja", "Ebar Jeney Shune Namio Saabdhaney", and "O're Mone Jele". LP, Vinyl record album

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One of the most electronic albums that Beaver & Krause ever recorded – a set that was issued as a Guide To Electronic Music, but which has a way more to offer than just a simple demonstration record! Unlike most other B&K albums, which can feature a bit of rock mixing in with the moog, this one is almost entirely analogue electronics – often played in a stark, spare way that has plenty of spooky tones – but also works beautifully together in a mode that's similar to other experimental electronic sets from the time, such as Morton Subotnick's contemporaneous records for Nonesuch. The tracks are very short, with concentrated bursts of sound, and have titles like "White Sound", "Ribbon Controller", and "Sawtooth". Comes in a box with a very cool book that explains a lot of different properties of electronic music. Great for sample-heads or for junior knob twiddlers. 2 LPs strong! LP, Vinyl record album

Jesse was one of the greats – and he would have been as huge as Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole, or Ray Charles, had he not died a tragic early death in the late 50s. This album collects some of his great polished R&B tracks from the early and mid 50s, recorded in LA, and a perfect progression from the postwar styles laid down by Nat Cole and Charles Brown. Titles include "Girl of My Dreams", "My Desire", "I'm In Love", "I'll Mess You Up", and "Once Upon A Time". LP, Vinyl record album

Art Blakey, without any Jazz Messengers – but still coming through loud and clear, thanks to help from a unique group that features Sonny Stitt on tenor, McCoy Tyner on piano, and Art Davis on bass! The album's still got all the hardbop charm of Blakey's best Blue Note dates, but also feels a bit more spontaneous too – and the basslines of Davis are a wonderful change from the usual – beautiful sounds that drive the record quite strongly up from the bottom! Titles include the killer "Cafe", plus "Blues Back", "Just Knock On My Door", "Summertime", and "The Song Is You" – and the album features fantastic blowing from Stitt! LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderfully hard-storming set – and a record that not only firmly put the Jazz Messengers on the map, but also set a whole new standard for live jazz recording! The group here is the early version of the Messengers – almost co-led by drummer Art Blakey with pianist Horace Silver – and featuring Clifford Brown on trumpet, just a few months before his early death – plus Lou Donaldson on alto and Curley Russell on bass. The presence of alto instead of tenor makes the sound slightly different than later incarnations of the group – and the overall approach is one that virtually defines the shift from straight bop to hardbop in the 50s – a mode that both Blakey and Silver were key in creating. Tracks include "Split Kick", "Quicksilver", "Mayreh", and "A Night In Tunisia". LP, Vinyl record album

londie had a lot to live up to after Parallel Lines, but they pulled it off here – Eat To The Beat is another classic! Downtown cool, a strong sense of pop history and tight production by Mike Chapman make for a really distinct sound on this one. Standouts include the excellent opener "Dreaming" (one of the finest Harry/Stein songs ever, if you ask us), the punky title track, "Union City Blue" and "Accidents Never Happen", and while Blondie albums are by nature hit-and-miss given the fearless mish-mash of styles they always brought in, the whole thing is pretty great! Other tracks include "Shayla", "Die Young Stay Pretty" and "Living In The Real World". LP, Vinyl record album

Easy to dance your ass off with music this great – a fast, firey form of funk that's very much in the best Bohannon mode – that unique groove that was unlike anything else to hit the American scene for years to come! The record's a locomotive right from the start – a completely tight union of guitar, bass, drums, and just about anything else that gets into the mix – served up at a fast chugging groove that's very different than either typical funk or 70s disco! A few tracks add in a bit of extra strings, but these are always subsumed by the strong strong rhythms – and titles include the cut "Zulu", which has always been a favorite here in Chitown – plus "Party People", "Dance Your Ass Off", and "Bohannon's Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the stranger soundtrack projects from French jazzman Claude Bolling – his music for the animated feature of the comic character Lucky Luke! Mostly instrumental, but features one vocal track by Nicole Croisille, and two more by Pat Woods. Nice gatefold cover – filled with inside images from the film. LP, Vinyl record album

Classic Boogie Down Productions circa '89 – with prime street poetry from KRS, perfectly raw beats and overall peak end of the 80s production! Blueprint is an apt title for a couple reasons – the beats aren't what we'd call spare, but they're raw and unvarnished – a perfect framework for KRS's clear, concise and tough rhymes. It's also the blueprint for some of the best, toughest, street conscious hip hop to come. It's a unique snapshot of the time, too, coming at the crossroads of hip hop's rise from the 80s streets to the mainstream, with KRS One standing for realness right there at the brink. Includes "Jack Of Spades", "The Blueprint", "You Must Learn", "Who Protects Us From You?", "Why Is That?", "Breath Control", and "Bo! Bo! Bo!". LP, Vinyl record album

The brilliant consummation of Bowie's late 70s years in Berlin – a record that showed he could take the experiments in sound he was crafting with Brian Eno, and turn them back into the kind of creepily catchy rock tunes that first made him a legend! Eno's help on the record is still quite strong – heard very well in the record's use of odd electronics and exotic themes – of a sort that Eno would later explore on his own with David Byrne. But the real charm here is pure Bowie – with an unabashed flair for a dramatic lyric, a well-chosen use of a heavier guitar, and a sense of personality and poise that makes the record one of his most unified ever! Titles include "Red Sails", "Look Back In Anger", "Repetition", "Boys Keep Swinging", "Red Money", "Yassassin", and "DJ". LP, Vinyl record album

The Brand Nubian reunion LP. Some nice ones here, and still delivering some 5%er knowledge. Production from Diamond D, Lord Finesse, Premier, Puba, and Alamo. Best cuts include "Don't Let It Go To Your Head", "Maybe One Day" featuring Common, "Love Vs. Hate", "Probable Cause", and "The Reunion". 16 full-length tracks and 4 interludes. LP, Vinyl record album

A classic set that goes "slam" from the very first note – and which helped to set the pace for countless ensemble funk acts to come! Brass Construction had a wonderful sound that was the best-realized version of the east coast indie club combos of the mid 70s – funky at the bottom, but polished at the top, in a style that was equally appreciated by fans of disco and more classic funky soul! The "brass" in their title was certainly strongly supported – as the group used a brace of horns on the top of the mix, smoothly gliding over the choppier rhythms at the bottom. And while there's certainly some vocals on the set, they often take second stage to the tight instrumentation of the group! The set includes the classic "Movin" – virtually a blueprint for mainstream funk at the time – plus the tracks "Changin", "Love", "Talkin", "Dance", and "Peekin". LP, Vinyl record album

Great early work from Oscar Brown Jr – a hip mix of jazz and soul, working in Brown's unique sense of showmanship, and his almost beat-like flair with a lyric! Ralph Burns and Quincy Jones handled the arrangements – and the album's filled with great original tracks by Brown, including "Mr. Kicks", "Opportunity, Please Knock", Love is Like a New Born Child", "Elegy (Plain Black Boy)", "Hazel's Hips", and many more! Nice jazzy groove, and very much in the best style of Oscar's 60s work! LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked Dave Brubeck from the 60s – and one of his most striking sessions at the time! The album steps a bit into the Blues Roots promised in the title – but overall, it's more of a unique meeting between Brubeck's piano and the baritone sax of Gerry Mulligan – coming together here in warm, open quartet company – with a sound that's quite different than some of the Brubeck/Paul Desmond sessions of the time! Dave really sets the tone on piano – and is maybe a bit less concerned with overall jazz concepts than just laying down some expressive solo passages – and the group also features Jack Six on both acoustic and electric bass, and Alan Dawson on drums. Mulligan is as fluid as ever – and has that great sound he was bringing to his own small group sessions of the time – a mode that burns a gentle fire on titles that include "Broke Blues", "Journey", "Cross Ties", "Blues Roots", and "Moving Out". LP, Vinyl record album

A stripped down version of a record that was also issued in 3LP format, and which features some real gems from Lenny's 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall. The material is perfect, and the record captures Bruce at the best point in his career – when he was really breaking past schtick and just rapping freely (and funnily) off the top of his head, but before he'd gotten a bit too obsessed with his own persecution. Titles include "The Flag", "Christ & Moses", "The Kidnap", and "Homosexuality" – all excerpted from the longer stream-of-consciousness performance. LP, Vinyl record album

Vernon was one of the better smooth soul arrangers of the 70s, and this album from 1975 is one of his better efforts as a solo artist after stints with such groups as The Delfonics, The Bar-Kays and The Stairsteps. The record features a tight batch of self-penned tunes that move between mellow groove and up tempo funk – the latter of which are a bit weak, but the mellow cuts are all pretty nice. Titles include "Give Love A Try", "Changes", "And You Call That Love", "Loving You Gets Better With Time", and "Ain't Gonna Tell Nobody". LP, Vinyl record album

Although the great Lenny Bruce never appeared in the Bob Fosse film based on his tragic story, Dustin Hoffman did a pretty great job of recreating his style, and of bringing together good performances of some of the most important monologues by Lenny, which are often missing from his other recorded work. This nicely done LP version of the soundtrack strings together lots of classic Lenny Bruce material, recreated by Hoffman – including bits like "To Come", "Dykes", "We're All The Same Schmucks", and the legendary "Blah Blah". Interspersed with these are nice jazzy bits by the great Ralph Burns, one of the 50s' most talented arrangers, and a great choice by Fosse to score the film. LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal work by one of our favorite soul singers of all time! Jerry first came to fame with The Impressions and on his own in the early 60s – singing dark moody easy tunes that well earned him the nickname of "Iceman". In the late 60s, though, he moved onto Mercury where he broke through even bigger with some excellent early production by Gamble & Huff, which took Jerry to a whole new level, and which gave his work a swinging soul groove that worked great with his vocals. This set compiles some of the best moments of the Mercury years – including "Never Give You Up", "Lost", "Moody Woman", "Mr Dream Merchant", "Hey Western Union Man", and "Only The Strong Survive". LP, Vinyl record album

The final recording from the good Captian and his last crew, and one of our favorites. Sideways rhythms collide with arthritic guitar parts in a remarkable gumbo topped off by Don Van Vliet's unique lyrical vision. A modern classic! Includes "Ice Cream For Crow", "Semi Multi Coloured Caucasian", "Hey Garland, I Dig Your Tweed Coat", "The Past Sure Is Tense", "The Witch Doctor Life" and "81 Poop Hatch". LP, Vinyl record album

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A sultry set of vocals – Diahann backed by the Andre Previn Trio, running through mellow versions of tracks from Gershwin's Porgy & Bess. Although this was one of countless albums to come out in the late 50s, designed to coincide with the release of the film, the feeling here is quite intimate and laidback – not nearly the "cash in" effort of other records at the time. Titles include "Oh I Can't Sit Down", "Porgy I Is Your Woman", "Summertime", "There's A Boat That's Leavin Soon For New York", and "I Loves You Porgy". LP, Vinyl record album

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A very weird little Disney album – a set that features narration and a bit of singing by the unusual team of Maurice Chevalier and Hayley Mills – as they introduce you to songs by Annette Funicello, Gary Shortall, and Billy Storm! LP, Vinyl record album

Nothing half about The Chi-Lites at all – as the group were always tremendous during their famous run at Brunswick Records – able to come across perfectly on mellow ballads and more upbeat numbers! This set is a wonderful illustration of the really unique Chicago-based approach that the group and the label brought forth at the time – a complexity without showing off too much, a sense of humanity without too much weakness, and a way of sending home lyrics in group form that have a sense of individuality that's often greater than any single singer! Arrangements are wonderful – often headed by group member Eugene Record – and the set's full of classic cuts that include "Half A Love", "Here I Am", "Living In The Foosteps Of Another Man", "When Temptation Comes", "Go Away Dream", and "Ain't Too Much Of Nothin". LP, Vinyl record album

Haunting stuff – and one of June Christy's darkest albums! June's singing here with her old boss, Stan Kenton, at the piano – no other real backing, just the pair of them working together in a session that's uniquely stripped down for the time. June's vocals are frail and tender – with even more sadness than in some of her more fully arranged sessions, all of which we love to death. Titles include "Come To The Party", "Angel Eyes", "Lonely Woman", "Every Time We Say Goodbye", "How Long Has This Been Going On", "We Kiss In A Shadow", and "You're Mine You". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer work from Stanley Clarke – a set to start off the 80s, but still very much in that unique blend of jazz, rock, and soul he forged so well in the 70s! The set begins with really heavy drums and bass – nicely propelled, but never too strong or too jamming – a great balance that really sets the pace well for the record as Clarke and the combo pulsate through a range of nice little numbers – often linked with a cool motorcycle sound effect! There's a few 80s touches, mostly in the keyboards, but these are never too modern – and all used very nicely. Titles include the extended "Story Of A Man & A Woman" suite – plus "Danger Street", "All Hell Broke Loose", "Rocks Pebbles & Sand", and "Underestimation". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most stunning debut albums of the 70s – and a set that burst on the scene with a sound that summed up a generation, but which had never been heard this clearly before! This self-titled Clash album was different from other landmarks of the time – work by the Sex Pistols, Ramones, and others – as the group had a sense of raw power, but also a tunefulness too – a way of pushing their message into territory that others wouldn't have reached – with tunes that were as surprisingly hummable as they were politically correct! There's a bit less Jamaican influence here than in later Clash years, but that quality is still present somewhat – and over the years, this is definitely a set we can return to again and again – with no sense of apology or outdated ideals at all. Nearly every cut's a classic – and titles include "Janie Jones", "Career Opportunities", "Police & Thieves", "Garageland", "Clash City Rockers", "I Fought The Law", "White Riot", "London's Burning", "White Man In Hammersmith Palais", and "I'm So Bored With The USA" – plus a bonus 3 inch single containing "Gates Of The West" and "Groovy Times" which were on the bonus 45 that was included in the Japanese LP pressing! LP, Vinyl record album

A great post-Atlantic set from The Clovers – a record based around their famous title hit, but one that also features a lot of other lesser-known material too! The group's vocals are still wonderful here, and the backings are pretty nice too – slightly more rocking, but with that pronounced use of guitar that always set The Clovers apart. Titles include "You Said", "The Sheik", "Easy Lovin", "Noni Cosi", "That's What's Worrying Me", "Stay Awhile", and "So Good So Good". LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing – and a landmark recording that crosses all boundaries in the Chicago music scene of the late 60s! Philip Cohran was a visionary musician who'd played with Sun Ra during the 60s, but who left Ra to forge his own musical vision by the middle part of the decade. The Artistic Heritage ensemble was a crucially important group in Chicago – one that drew players from both the soul and jazz scenes, with a wealth of talents that later went onto work with groups like Earth Wind & Fire, The Pharoahs, Ra's Arkestra, and other ensembles. Talents on this set alone include players like Charles Handy, Don Myrick, Aaron Dodd, Henry Gibson, and Louis Satterfield – not to mention Cohran, who plays cornet (as he did with Sun Ra), plus two groovy instruments of his own invention: the violin uke and the great Frankiphone, a sort of electric thumb piano whose use on these recordings pre-dated the very famous Kalimba sound that Earth Wind & Fire would use to great success during the 70s. The album includes the driving conga funk track "Unity", the singing soulful track "The Minstrel", the incredibly haunting "On The Beach", and the track "Motherhood", which has a strong Abbey Lincoln type of feel. The whole thing's a beautiful batch of spiritual jazzy tracks with a good groove – and a perfect blend of soul and spirit, jazz and righteousness! Beautifully packaged, too – a special 2LP set with fidelity that goes way beyond the original pressing! LP, Vinyl record album

This is a repackaged version of an album that was originally issued under Cecil Taylor's name, under the title Hard Drive (and later Stereo Drive, or something like that). The record brings together two of the late 50's most promising modernists – Cecil Taylor and John Coltrane – in a group that includes Kenny Dorham, Chuck Israels, and Louis Hayes. The music is a startling mix of styles – as Taylor's heavy piano clashes noisily with Trane's free flowing lines on the tenor. It doesn't always work, but it's well worth a listen, and stands as a critical meeting of two important talents that were both best known on their own. Tracks include "Shifting Down", "Double Clutching", and "Just Friends". LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant work – John Coltrane really opening up in his new spiritual mode of the 60s, hinting at the changes to come, while still keeping the modal groove of previous recordings! The record features tracks from a few different sessions from the years 1961 to 1963, but it holds together beautifully – thanks to a unified creative spirit in the music! The centerpiece of the album is the stunning track "Impressions" – performed by the quartet with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones – but all tracks are great, and titles include "After the Rain", and "Up 'Gainst The Wall" – plus the brilliant cut "India", which features guest work by Eric Dolphy on bass clarinet! LP, Vinyl record album

A warmly romantic journey from the stellar Norman Connors – but a set that's also got a fair bit of spiritual jazz undercurrents too! Norman's at that perfect Starship point in his career – giving equal space to the vocals and instrumental passages on the record – at a level that perfectly sums up his unique, sophisticated blend of jazz and soul! The sublime Eleanor Mills sings on some key cuts – a singer we love from her earlier New Jersey soul sides – and Prince Phillip Mitchell handles the male leads, with a level of class that even goes beyond his own records. Reeds are handled by Gary Bartz and Pharoah Sanders – both players who bring in a nice sort of depth to the record – and Sanders really sparkles on a remake of his classic "Thembi", taken in a mellow stepping tone, as well as a reading of Gato Barbieri's "Last Tango In Paris". The whole album's wonderful – and other titles include "Once I've Been There", "Romantic Journey", "Destination Moon", "For You Everything", and "You Are Everything". LP, Vinyl record album

An album with a very mod-looking cover – and a set that's also overflowing with lots of mod-styled tracks to match – a cool current of soul from the 60s, but still handled with the sharper 70s vibe of young Attractions! Production is by Nick Lowe – and although The Jam were also turning towards more soul-styled sounds at the time, Elvis and Lowe may well have done them one better with this set. Titles include "Love For Tender", "Opportunity", "The Imposter", "Secondary Modern", "King Horse", "Possession", "High Fidelity", "Riot Act", "Human Touch", "Beaten To The Punch", and "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest albums ever cut by Papa John Creach – a set that mixes his bluesy roots with some stoner funk and rock elements from the early 70s! Creach is on vocals and violin, and working here with a host of famous luminaries – including Grace Slick, Carlos Santana, Paul Kantner, and Jerry Garcia – each of whom definitely leave their mark on the record! Yet despite all these famous names, the record's got a pretty unified feel – and the best cuts have a nicely messed-up funk sound that we really like a lot – kind of in a Blue Thumb sort of blend, with a mix of rootsy elements and wilder electric ones and plenty of funky rhythms at the bottom. Titles include "Soul Fever", "String Jet Rock", "The Janitor Drives A Cadillac", "Plunk A Little Funk", and "Papa John's Down Home Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

The stunning debut of CCR – a record that still burns with an undeniable fire after all these years! Sure, all the elements here have been copped by many – the fuzzy guitar, lean bluesy groove, and raw soul-inspired vocals of John Fogerty – but the way the group puts them together is tremendous – and there's a lean, raw vibe to the whole record that instantly communicates the urgency the group's music had back in the second half of the 60s! Even the group's take on other artists' songs never sound dated at all – and taken together, the mix of material on the record is even greater than the sum of its parts – with a power that punches more than any of these songs on their own. The whole thing's also a great testament to Fogerty's guitar skills too – with some raw solos that blow away most of the blues rock pretenders of the period – on titles that include "Get Down Woman", "The Working Man", "Gloomy", "Walking On The Water", "Ninety Nine & A Half", "Porterville", and "Susie Q". LP, Vinyl record album

Lockjaw and Griff were a mighty team together – and their records from the 60s cook with incredible intensity. This great set brings together 2 albums – The Tenor Scene and The Midnight Show – both recorded at Minton's Playhouse in Harlem, on January 6, 1961. The group's incredible – a mixture of hardbop and moderism that's unstoppable – and all tracks are long, all with incredible two-tenor solo sections, plus some nice soulful piano from Junior Mance. Titles include "Bingo Domingo", "Land Of Dreams", "Bean O", "Robbins Nest", "Our Delight", and "Light & Lovely". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful little record by Miles Davis – oft overlooked next to some of the better-titled Prestige sessions of the 50s, but a great one nonetheless! The session features Miles working with trio backing from Red Garland on piano, Oscar Pettford on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – often in a mellow mode that fits the "musings" in the title, but which also provides a wonderful showcase for Davis to further intensify his vision on a set of longer tracks. Most tunes are familiar, but they're really transformed here – and titles include "I Did", 'Will You Still Be Mine?", "Green Haze", "I See You Face Before Me", "A Night In Tunisia" and "A Gal In Calico". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful collaboration between Miles Davis and the great Gil Evans – and perhaps the most perfectly realized of all their projects! The album's got a wonderfully unified feel – as it begins with long compositions that have a distinct Spanish-tinge (and not a Latin-tinge, which is an important distinction to the way the album progresses.) Evans' arrangements have a majesty that takes the songs to the next level – working them as lush, lively backings for Davis' equally majestic trumpet solos, some of the finest he ever recorded with large group backing. Wonderful all the way through – and with the tracks "Concierto De Aranjuez", "Saeta", "The Pan Piper", and "Solea". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album in harmony soul – one of those records that pushed the genre to a whole new level! The Delfonics emerge fully formed here as one of the most compelling groups of their time – a tremendous trio with a really unique approach to soul music – one that's heartfelt and heartbreaking, but never too sweet to be cloying or poppy – definitely just the right groove to keep things hip while also cracking the charts! The album's their first full collaboration with legendary producer Thom Bell – and it's got a sound that's summed up perfectly in the quintessential cut "La La Means I Love You" – and which is followed through beautifully on a batch of tracks that includes "Losing You", "Can You Remember", "You're Gone", "I'm Sorry", and "Break Your Promise". LP, Vinyl record album

The debut of one of the most forward-thinking, longest living, unique pop music phenomenons of the 80s onward! Although Depeche Mode diehards might bristle at being lumped in with pop music giants, you really can't deny that they're often emotionally raw, even morose songs, married with a range of synth friendly production got over with a huge audience with pretty astounding success. Here where it all started, with Vince Clarke writing all the songs on this one. Titles include "New Life", "I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead", "Puppets", "No Disco", "Photographic", "Dreaming Of Me" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

By 1981, the gentlemen Devo had been up to their collective arse in irony since the early 70s, and having made a sizable fortune for the Brothers' Warner with the ultra-ironic "Whip It" the previous year, they took a sharp right turn into cranky sincerity. They did so on a wave of new wave synth funk, of course, resulting in the all-time great singles "Beautiful World", "Through Being Cool", and a few more gems. Mtv and a lot of the fans couldn't understand how four guys with plastic hair and outerspace uniforms could be so pissed off, and thus killed the prospect of Devo as hitmakers forever. New Traditionalists is a hit-and-miss affair, but a worthy effort from one of the most innovative pop groups ever! Other tracks include "Pity You", "Soft Things","Going Under", "Race Of Doom", "Love Without Anger" and "Enough Said". LP, Vinyl record album

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While Dobby Dobson is most well known as one of the top singers from Treasure Isle, he did attempt comebacks from time to time, including this self produced LP of Lover's grooves. Mellow and soulful, with a sweet approach that reminds us a bit of Jamaican Smokey Robinson. 9 tracks, including "Oh So Lonely", "Loving Pauper", "It Seems To Me I'm Losing You", 'Halfway To Paradise", "Endlessly" and "Your New Love". LP, Vinyl record album

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Easily one of the headiest Donovan albums of the 60s – a record that moves past the simple psychedelic pop of earlier hits, and into a range of mind-expanding themes and styles! There's a cerebral quality here that seems to take hold even on the simpler, catchier tunes – a deeply introspective approach that has Donovan working in a world that's really all his own – less concerned with hit singles, and more focused on a personal journey in music, one that ties together many strands of music borrowed from Celtic, West Indian, jazz, and folk sources. Arrangers are John Cameron and John Paul Jones – and titles include "Get Thy Bearings", "Peregrine", "The Entertaining Of A Shy Girl", "West Indian Lady", "Jennifer Juniper", "Tangier", "The River Song", "The Sun Is A Very Magic Fellow", and "Hi It's Been A Long Time". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent album by George Duke – one that features part of his first LP for Liberty, Save The Country, plus 3 tracks that were recorded at the same time, but never issued before! The groove is excellent – kind of a tighter take on the sublime electric mode that George hit on his early MPS sides – with plenty of LA funky soul jazz in the mix, giving the record a strong kick in the right direction! The added tracks are really the best here – as they include Duke's own "Foosh" and "Adonis", plus an excellent cover of "Evil Ways", done with electric piano. Other tracks include "Shades Of Jay", "Since You've Asked", "Soul Watcher", and "The Woman Who Sends Me Home". LP, Vinyl record album

A pivotal album in the development of the use of the Hammond organ in jazz – and Charles Earland's first exposure to a large audience! Durign the 60s, Charles was bumping around the Philly scene quite a bit – and recorded some small group indie sides that first gave a glimpse of his unique sound on the organ. But with this record, Earland really broke out wide – and hit a huge audience that made him one of the most in-demand players of the early 70s! The Earland touch is summed up perfectly here – a really fluid approach to the keys that shakes loose the clunkier styles of older Hammond players, and goes for a tightened-up groove that puts equal emphasis on rhythm and melodic improvisation – in a way that's always made Charles' records some of the best jazz dancers to come out of Prestige. Earland has an amazing way of completely transforming a tune – taking a familiar melody, but riffing on it extensively – slowly expanding it through almost modal progressions – until the tune opens up into a long extended jazzy groove! Proof of this is the album's sublime 11 minute version of "More Today Than Yesterday" – a solid stepper that never gets old – and other tunes include "Black Talk", "The Mighty Burner", "Here Comes Charlie", and "Aquarius". Oh, and players include Virgil Jones, Houston Person, Melvin Sparks, and Idris Muhammed – an all-star lineup, but tightly guided by Charles as if they were his own working group! LP, Vinyl record album