Maybe the most comprehensive package of Memphis blues music we've ever seen – a set that goes back all the way to early pre-WWI recordings in the city, the moves all the way through the 60s – and has a very strong focus on music that was originally issued only on 78rpm and 45rpm singles! There's a massive 534 tracks on a total of 20 CDs – and the music is presented chronologically, showing a huge evolution – from rural styles that moved up to the city from the delta, jug bands of the 20s, combos of the 40s and 50s, and some of the more urban-styled blues that reigned in the 60s! The progression really shows the city's important role in shaping the music – and the 360 page, LP-sized hardcover book that accompanies the package carries a huge amount of information, mixed with hundreds of rare photos and illustrations. Artists include Allen Shaw, Fleming & Townsend, Furry Lewis, Rufus Thomas, Bill Harvey, Willie Nix, Harmonica Frank, Tuff Green, Cliff Jackson, and even Ike & Tina Turner – plus hundreds of others, all presented in a mindblowing array of music. CD

Music from Les Disciples, 13 NRV, Yaya, Don Baba, Foxaphonk, the Big Cheese All Stars, Malka Family, King Kooba, Zona 45, Swaat & more. CD

Killer modern mixes of tracks from Azymuth's great Woodland Warrior album! Like the other titles in this series, this one takes a core of basic Brazilian jazz tracks – then gives them a modern production twist, with help from remixers like Jazzanova, 4 Hero, Roc Hunter, Yellow Productions, Flytronix, and others! The original album's a killer, and the remixes open it up even more by giving the tracks a cool abstract junglist quality that emphasizes their darker sides. Azymuth's always been a forward-thinking combo, and it's great to hear their work taken to the next level on tracks like "Amazon Adventure", "Ah Voce Nao Sabe", "Chameleon", and "The Quest"! CD

A low price, but a really great package – one that's overflowing with some of the best recent work from the mighty Schema Records! If you read these pages at all, you'll know we think that Schema's one of the greatest things going these days – a modern label, but one that's committed to the real jazz grooves of earlier years – the bossa, modal, and soul jazz styles of the 60s and 70s – played in a mixture of real instrumentation and just a bit of dancefloor production, with a sound that's instant classic on nearly every release! This package is a great introduction to the Schema label's genius, and even if you've got some of the tracks here on other releases, the set is a really great way to hear all this music in one place – kind of a "best of the best" that's totally great! Titles include "Bluesanova" by Gerardo Frisina, "Moon Vision" by Soulstance, "I knew The Way" by Invisible Session, "On A Clear Day" by Was A Bee, "Emotional Dancing" by S-Tone, "Stay (In Mood)" by Paolo Fedreghini & Marco Bianchi, "Afrolicious" by Dining Rooms, "Esquema Da Bossa" by Quintetto X, "Today's Sound" by Intensive Jazz Sextet, and "Dreaming Of The Past" by Rosario Giuliani Quartetto. CD

A wonderfully groovy set – every bit as great as you might guess from the title and the cover – and the very first installment in the now-legendary Mood Mosaic series! The set's one of the few to bring together tunes from the groovier side of the spectrum at the end of the 60s – work from British, French, American, and German sources – all awash in a great blend of funky, easy, and pop-oriented modes! There's a nicely trippy feel throughout – and titles include "Hascisch Party" by George Garvarenz, "Kiss This" by Claude Denjean, "Acka Raga" by Shocking Blue, "Mas Que Nada" by Luiz Enriquez, "En Melody" by Serge Gainsbourg, "Love For Sale" by Marian McPartland, "Batucada" by Phil Crewe, "Marins Armins Amant Ou Maris" by Michel Legrand, and "Sitar Beat" by Klaus Doldinger. CD

A beautiful set of cool Now Sound grooves, and a compilation that resembles the now-legendary first volume in this cool series! 21 groovy 60's cuts, including "Bloop Bleep" by Gary McFarland, "Soul Lady" by Don Sebesky, "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by Peter Thomas, "Sorry Bout That" by Harold Johnson, "The Look of Love" by Bill Plummer, "Groovy Spirit" by Jackie Mitoo, "Cat Walk" by Peter Moore, and loads more cool tracks with a stripped down vibe, a jazzy twist, and kind of a campy edge. Sexy stuff, and expertly compiled by the Partners in Crime! CD

Strange twist for this series (which has been mostly lounge and funk), but a great batch of danceable uptempo fusion tracks and lost disco cuts from the euro club heyday of the 70s. Tracks include "Ma Mo Ah" by Tony Valor, "Follow Me" by Black Devil, "Dance Freak" by Chain Reaction, "Get On Up" by Roundtree, "Do Me" by Mona Rae, and "Ease Your Mind" by Touchdown. Nudie cover, sexy groove, and a nice 11 track comp of lost clubby grooves. Also with the great groover "Dance Dance Dance" by Marta Acuna! CD

6th volume in the great Mood Mosaic series, with a theme that focuses on swingin' female jazz singers – mostly of the light breezy Euro variety. There's loads of rare cuts on here by Sheila Jordan, France Gall, Alice Babs, Monika Linges, Flora Purim, Annete Peacock, and April Aloisio – plus tracks by other artists that have jazzy vocals, like stuff by Cal Tjader, Barney Wilen, and Sinatra. As usual, this Mood Mosaic comp's slightly different than the last one, but (also as usual) it's compiled with a lot of care, and features loads of hard to find tracks with a groovy clubby sound! CD

We're huge fans of monster-oriented rockers, and this cool little collection is filled with plenty of gems from the glory days of American schlock horror cinema and novelty 45s! The cuts here are from the farther reaches of the indie scene past "Monster Mash" – and although the CD features a few sound effects and film trailers, the main focus is on digging up the kind of cool and obscure singles that really open up a genre that too often is mostly confined to perennial hits! Titles include "Seance" by The Ebb Tides, "Witch Girl" by The Mysterys, "The Vooodoo" by Terry Cale", "Ghost Guitars" by Baron Daemon & The Vampires, "Zoola Zooky" by Johnny Anderson, "The Guillotine" by The Executioners, "Werewolf" by Guy Warren, "Haunted" by The Madmen, and "Count Macabre" by The Connoisseurs. CD

Includes tracks from Candlesnuffer, Brendan Walls, Sue Harding, Oren Ambarchi, Chris Smith, Scott Horscroft, Alan Lamb, Julian Knowles and more. CD

Seminal soul from one of Chicago's greatest labels in the 60s – the One-Der-Ful/Mar-V-Lus imprints, plus tracks from related Toddlin Town too – home to some of the best indie work at the time! The quality here is right up there with the best you'd hear from Chess, Okeh, or Brunswick in the 60s – no surprise, since the pair of labels shared lots of similar talents with the bigger companies – as well as session men, songwriters, and producers too! The full scope of Chicago soul is really covered here – upbeat groovers for the dancefloor, heartfelt ballads with great harmonies, and some of the harder-edged bluesy numbers that really helped put One-Der-Ful on the map! There's also some key early examples of funk – proof that in the 60s, Chicago was one of the hippest scenes in the world – and the set comes with 2 CDs, nestled in a hardback booklet of notes and photos – with a whopping 50 tracks in all. Titles include "Tired Of Being Lonely" by The Sharpees, "Without You" by The Ulti-Mations, "That's How It Is" by Otis Clay, "Keep On Dancin" by Alvin Cash, "The Funky Judge" by Bull & The Matadors, "I Get A Groove" by Thomas East & The Fabulous Playboys, "Damper Down" by Bobby Davis, "The Town I Live In" by McKinley Mitchell, "Come Back Home" by Beny Turner, "Master Key" by Harold Burrage, "If I Could Live My Life All Over" by Dorothy Prince, "You Told A Lie" by Johnny Sayles, "New Girl" by The Accents, and "Don't You Worry" by Joe & Mack. CD

Music from Miklos Rosza, Max Steiner, Adolph Deutsch, David Raksin, Roy Webb, George Bassman, Andre Previn, Paul Sawtell, Anthony Collins, and more – plus loads of great dialogue from the films! CD

London DJ Nik Weston put together this hip set of modern tracks – a 2CD selection of groovers that includes lots of singles we've stocked in the past few years, and a number of hard to find (and expensive!) Japanese titles! There's a total of 20 cuts in all – and titles include "Earth Is The Place" by Nathan Haines, "Spiritual War (Kaidi Tathham rmx)" by Fertile Ground, "Outside From The Inside" by Modaji, "Trash Da Junk" by Da One Away, "Buttamilk (Domu's Soya spread rmx)" by Oba Funke, "Spaces & Places" by Mitchell & Dewbury, "Going Down" by Joi, "Ladies" by Agent K, "Tempest (Atjazz rmx)" by Kabuki, "Meu Samba (Nicola Conte's Bossa Ahead rmx)" by Eli Goulart e Banda Do Mato, "It's You (Versione Tokyo Bossa)" by Sunaga't Experience, "Play Back" by Yukihiro Fukutomi, and "Bamboozled" by Watusi. CD

... CD

Soundtrack to the TV series by Carl Sagan, with selections by Vangelis, Toru Takemitsu, Tomita, and Synergy, and classical pieces by Pachelbel, Vivaldi, Bach, Shostakovich, Hovhaness, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Stravinsky. LP, Vinyl record album

Features Judy Garland with Victor Young and The Ken Darby Singers on Wizard Of Oz; and Cliff Edwards, Ken Darby Singers, The King's Men, and Julietta Nobis with the Victor Young Orchestra on Pinocchio. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A selection of rare tracks that appeared on the Bongo Man label from Studio One – the company's very hip imprint in the roots reggae generation – and a package that also includes a number have never been released on LP! Titles include "Ring A Ting" by Prince Jazzbo, "Stepping Into Zion" by El Tibby & The Stingers, "Nanny Version Skank" by Big Joe, "Burn Collie" by Cliff Stewart, "Jah Jah Rock" by Emperor DP, "Jah Jah Way" by Jackie Bernard, "Little Joe" by Prince Jazzbo, "Burn Collie (version)" by The New Establishment, "Got To Be Cool" by The Classics, "Money Worries" by Ernest Wilson, "Soul People" by The Beltones, and the extended "Skylarking (disco mix)" by Sleepy & Jazzbo. CD

Features work by Donald Kinsey & The Kinsey Report, Valerie Wellington, Dion Payton & The 43rd Street Blues Band, The Sons Of Blues/Chi-Town Hustlers, The Professor's Blues Review featuring Gloria Hardiman, John Watkins, Michael Coleman, Maurice John Vaughn, Melvin Taylor & The Slack Band, and Lil Ed & The Blues Imperials. LP, Vinyl record album

With music from Zoot Sims, Gil Evans, Milt Jackson, Joe Pass, Cal Tjader, Bill Evans, Art Tatum, Gene Ammons, and more. CD

Boogie, electro, and 80s groove – all sorted out nicely in this killer collection of ultra-rare cuts! As with previous volumes, this edition of Nighttime Lovers shows a side of the 80s that hardly got any play at the time – the more underground work by lesser-known artists, much of which was issued on the bigger labels, but failed to crack the charts! You'll recognize a few familiar names here, but even those are represented by under-discovered corners of their work – and in true early 80s spirit, most tracks here are heavy on beats and keyboards – yet still leave plenty of room for real soul vocals. Titles include "So Delicious" by Point 3 FM, "What Am I Gonna Do" by Streetlife, "Never Gonna Give You Up (12" version)" by Gwendolyn Lassic, "Make It Easy" by Cross-Phyre with Demetrius, "You're My Doll Baby" by Norfolk, "Special Part Of Me (12" version)" by Charles Blackman, "The Same For Me" by California Executives with Ronald Dudley, "Magic Touch" by Gang's Back, "Love I Thought I Never Would Find Love" by James Govan, "Seconds Of Your Love" by Johnny Taylor, and "I Got My Game Plan Working Baby" by Arlene Bailey. CD

Includes tracks by Jackie Lee, JJ Barnes, The Mirettes, Edwin Starr, Darrell Banks, The Dynamics, San Remo Strings, LJ Reynolds, Lee Garrett, Carl Carlton, The Tripps, O'Jays, and more! CD

The not so Guilty Secrets Of Northern Soul on Ace – uptempo, dancefloor ready singles compiled by Ace – leftfield stormers from pop, rock and blue-eyed soul and otherwise uncommon resources that meet the exciting, floor-shaking criteria! It's cool stuff all the way, with recognizable names and lesser knowns – singles by Judy Harris, The Rumblers, The Seeds with Sky Saxon, The Spyders, Garland Green, Jay & The Americans and many more! 24 tracks in all: "Don't Stop Lookin'", "You Touched Me" by Judy Harris, "Ten Miles High' by David & The Giants, "Keeps On Burning" by The Burning Bush, "You Sexy Sugar Plum (But I Like It)" by Rodger Collins, "Bumpin' And Stompin'" by Garland Green, "Elusive" by Babe Ruth, "I Can Take Care Of Myself" by The Spyders, "Walk Tall (Like A Man)" by by 2 Of Clubs, "Livin' Above Your Head" by Jay & The Americans and more. CD

One of those few classic cases where a compilation of tracks was maybe even more influential than the original music itself – as this early 70s collection of 60s material turned out to shape and influence generations for decades to come! Guitar genius Lenny Kaye put the set together famously for Elektra Records in 1972 – as a reminder that, just a few years before, there were some amazing sounds that were not only brewing up in local indie scenes around the country, but also on the radio as well – even though most of those groups had been pushed into relative obscurity by the rise of soft rock, hard rock, and classic rock of the early 70s! The package is a return to the pre-prog years, with an especially strong ear for garage-tuned tracks that would go on to shape later punk, 80s indie, and lots more underground sounds in the future. Titles include "I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)" by Electric Prunes, "Dirty Water" by the Standells, "Respect" by Vagrants, "No Time Like The Right Time" by Blues Project, "Invitation To Cry" by Magicians, "You're Gonna Miss Me" by Thirteenth Floor Elevators, "Psychotic Reaction" by Count Five, "Baby Please Don't Go" by Amboy Dukes, "My World Fell Down" by Sagittarius, "Open My Eyes" by Nazz, "It's A Happening" by The Magic Mushrooms, "Lies" by The Knickerbockers, "Oh Yeah" by Shadows Of Knight, "Sit Down I Think I Love You" by The Mojo Men, "Just Like Romeo & Juliet" by Michael & The Messengers, "Hey Joe" by The Leaves, and "Farmer John" by The Premiers. LP, Vinyl record album

The second heady dip into the under-discovered underground of the late 60s – and a package that's every bit as ear-opening as the first Nuggets volume! As with that classic, there's material here that really shows the full spectrum of the American scene in the mid 60s – music that's bristling with new energy and excitement in the years before Woodstock, and done with a vibe that's heady, but never too heady – with a surprising amount packed into a very small space on plenty of these tunes! The set features a whopping 28 titles in all – and tracks include "Run Run Run" by The Gestures, "It's Cold Outside" by The Choir, "Free As The Wind" by The Myddle Class, "You Must Be A Witch" by The Lollipop Shoppe, "Blackout Of Gretely" by Gonn, "Spider & The Fly" by The Monocles, "Action Woman" by The Litter, "Talk Talk" by Music Machine, "Open Up Your Door" by Richard & The Young Lions, "I See The Light" by The Five Americans, and "Whatcha Gonna Do About It" by The Evil. LP, Vinyl record album

A classic compilation gets upgraded in a mighty nice way – as a huge tribute to the many years of soul and funk we've gotten from the Ace/Kent label in London! Back at the start of the 80s, the company was one of the first to properly repress rare American soul, and do it the right way – not only with top-shelf sound quality, but also a strong sense of history that has had us learning as much about 60s and 70s soul from their compilations as we've found ourselves loving the music! The original On The Soul Side album was one of the first Kent titles from the early years – but here, it's expanded to a whopping 26 titles, with great sound and detailed notes – all to present over two dozen tracks that really show the farther reaches of 60s soul beyond Motown and the big chart hits. Titles include "Boy Watcher" by Ginger Thompson, "Baby I Love You" by Jimmy Holiday, "Dr Love" by Bobby Sheen, "Love & Desire" by Patrice Holloway, "A Lot Of Love" by Homer Banks, "It's What's Underneath That Counts" by June Jackson, "Point Of No Return" by Gene McDaniels, "Fortune Teller" by Benny Spellman, "It Was Easier To Hurt Her" by Garnet Mimms, "The Record" by HB Barnum, "Love Is A Hurtin Thing" by Lou Rawls, "Nothing Left To Do But Cry" by Merry Clayton, "The Man Who Don't Believe In Love" by Marv Johnson, "What You Gonna Do" by Bobby Womack, "Nobody Treats You The Way I Do" by The Magnificent Men, "Gonna Fix You Good" by Little Anthony & The Imperials, "It Will Stand" by The Showmen, "What's A Matter Baby" by Timi Yuro, "Ready Willing & Able" by Jimmy Holiday & Clydie King, and "Trick Bag" by Earl King. CD

16 tracks that supposedly define what the hipsters have been listening to in NYC for the past 40 years. Titles include "What If?" by Bongwater, "Slum Goddess" by The Fugs, "Dreams" by Suicide, "Cavern" by Liquid Liquid, "Run Run Run" by The Velvet Underground, "Don't Let Me Stop You" by Glen Branca, "In The Temple Of Hadjarim" by John Zorn, "File Under Futurism" by DJ Spooky, "Prefeelings" by Arto Lindsay, "Venus De Milo" by Television, and "Bob The Bob" by The Lounge Lizards. CD

A dozen tracks from Talvin Singh, Something Wonderful, Parviz R. Panah, Solferino & Ibis Babe, Jesse Cook, Tosca, Atman, Badmarsh, Gotan Project, Atman, Francisco Sotomayor & Nacho Sotomayor, and Oliver Shanti & Friends. CD

A killer entry in this excellent series – and a set that feels like you've stacked up a whole batch of deep funk 45s, but all packed together in one great album – with a price that's a lot lower than buying some of those too-expensive limited 7" singles! There's plenty of heavy drums, raw breaks, and soulful vocals throughout – and titles include "Wind Up" by Cookin On 3 Burners, "The Scoop" by the Oscillators, "Saved" by Glenn Fallows, "On The Hook" by Misha Panfilov, "Something Wonderful" by Mike Bandoni, "Auras" by Gentle Nature, "Enough" by Ray James, "A Better Woman" by Cole James, "Seek & Destroy" by Great Revivers, "It's Gonna Be Alright" by Carlton Jumel Smith, and "Fleet Streak" by Kerbside Collection. LP, Vinyl record album

A great batch of 60s and 70s jazz dance slammers – featuring a mixture of soul jazz, Latin jazz, and hardbop that all fits pretty darn nicely together! Titles include "Jeannine" by Oscar Brown Jr, "Senor Blues" by Mark Murphy, "Mishugana Mambo" by Slim Gaillard, "Buh's Bossa" by Art Blakey, "Selim" by Johnny Lytle, "Swing 39" by Barney Wilen, "Russian Lullaby" by Jimmy Rushing, "Let's Get It On" by The Sonny Knight Quartette, "Where's My Kids" by Dominic Frontiere, and "Chega De Saudade" by Dizzy Gillespie. CD

A cool Capitol collection – with work by The Stone Poneys, The Standells, Peter & Gordon, Davie Allan & The Arrows, The Sounds Of Our Times, and The Human Beinz! LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from a pivotal year in modern music – a time when some of the experiments of the early prog generation were working their way into shorter, catchier work – not entirely the kind of pop that American audiences were digging on the radio in 1974, but instead some forward-thinking music that would set the tone for years to come! There's a smartness and sophistication to most of these tracks, but also a down to earth quality that makes them easy go get into too – music that came out right before the punk and disco years, but which has gone on to provide endless appeal to listeners in much later generations too. As with Grapefruit sets, the track list is superb – with a great blend of familiar and lesser-known acts, all supported with detailed notes that really help you get into the music. 67 tracks in all – a few unreleased – with music from Ron Wood, Georgie Fame, Hello, Fancy, Unicorn, Bryan Ferry, Sparks, Status Quo, John Cale, Tramp, Snafu, Bebop Deluxe, Roxy Music, Man, Fox, Holy Mackerel, Carmen, Stackridge, Farm, Dave Cousins, Slade, Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Billy Kinsley, and many others! CD

Music from Soul Survivors, The Intruders, Archie Bell & The Drells, Jerry Butler, The O'Jays, The Intruders, Dusty Springfield, Wilson Pickett, Billy Paul, Bunny Sigler, Laura Nyro & LaBelle, Joe Simon, Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes, The Ebonys, and more. CD

A long-overdue second volume to the original Pirate's Choice collection from Studio One – which itself was a bit of a stab at Duke Reid and his Treasure Isle label! Legendary Jamaican producer Clement Dodd serves up a host of lost gems from the Studio One catalog – not hits, but some rare mixes and under-heard tracks – all presented in the kind of format that shows just how deep Dodd's reach was back in the day, and how deep the Studio One vaults are to be turning up greatness like this! Titles include "All The Way (alt mix)" by Willie Williams, "You Hold The Handle" by The Conquerors, "Chinese Beauty" by Lennie Hibbert, "Plead My Cause (take 3)" by The Main Roots, "Bongo Skank" by The Soul Rebels, "Heart Breaker" by Cool Operator & The New Establishment, "Jah Light" by Reuben Alexander & The Brentford Disco Set, "Pirate's Choice" by Brentford Rockers, "Sweet Child" by Freddy McGregor, "Dirty People" by Roy Richards, "Father Free Us" by Carlos Malcolm, and both the "original" and "single mix" of "Black Is Black" by Freedom Singers. LP, Vinyl record album

A completely obscure batch of tunes – so much so that only two of the cuts here have been reissued – and a set that's every bit as wonderful as previous entries in this long-running series! Overall, there's probably a bit more soul than jazz – but every track within is on the hipper side of the spectrum – the sort of work that easily blends genres, and which comes from 70s acts working far from the mainstream, in a wonderful groove that's very much their own! Most numbers have a midtempo groove – perfect for the jazzier elements in the soul cuts – and as with previous editions in the series, there's a righteous current that gives most of these tracks a very positive, uplifting vibe. Titles include "It's A Long Road" by Babe, "Bend A Little" by Mirage, "Slip Back Into The Magic" by Leaves Of Autumn, "I Got The Hots For You"b y Ronnie Miller, "Hey Flicka" by Mikael Neumann, "Future Shock" by Synot, "Oh Senor" by Jan Lewis Group, "Mister Jones" by Charles Vickers, and "The Ring" by Dianne Elliott. LP, Vinyl record album

Music by kids, but with a much darker sound than you might imagine – as the work is very avant garde, and blends tape tricks, experimental instrumentation, and all sorts of unusual recording techniques – all with a sound that must have terrified the kids when they heard the results on playback! The music is maybe in the tradition of some of Carl Orff's work with children – but there's sometimes and eerie, pagan, almost Wicker Man quality going on – acoustic instruments mixed with the children's voices, spoken and sung – with different moods, different sounds, and different feelings expressed over the many years of the tracks in the package! Most numbers are relatively short, and the whole thing features 23 completely striking titles – music that's unlike anything else we've ever heard. CD

Fantastic sounds from one of our all-time favorite producers in soul music – the legendary Norman Whitfield, the man who helped some of Motown's artists pick up a new sort of righteous sound at the end of the 60s, before moving on to start his own Whitfield label in the 70s! If you don't know Norman, you definitely know his work – as he's the cat responsible for adding heavy basslines and fuzzy guitars to Detroit soul – picking up on some of the wider musical changes in the Motor City, and using them to push more message-oriented tracks into the scene! Yet Norman wasn't just a 60s powerhouse – as when the 70s approached, he found a way to expand and refine that sound, keeping it fresh in so many different ways – as you'll hear here in this really well-done collection of his best recordings, supported by very detailed notes as well. Tracks include "I Saw You When You Met Her" by The Undisputed Truth, "Ooh Boy" by Rose Royce, "And All Hell Broke Loose" by Willie Hutch, "I've Been Waitin (single version)" by Spyder Turner, "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye, "Come With Me (single version)" by Rare Earth, "Just One Love" by Stargard, "Wishing On A Star" by Jr Walker, "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" by Rose Roce, "Love Is What You Make It" by Masterpiece, "Good Lovin" by Mammatapee, "Papa Was A Rolling Stone (single version)" by The Temptations, "War" by Edwin Starr, "It Should Have Been Me" by Yvonne Fair, "Me & Rock & Roll Are Here To Stay" by David Ruffin, and "Psychedelic Shack (single version with intro)" by The Temptations. CD

Nice 50 track compilation with music from the Byrds, the Turtles, Vanilla Fudge, the Electric Prunes, Spirit, the Leaves, Love, the Beach Boys, Moby Grape, Donovan, Cream, July, the Move, and much more. CD

One of the best compilation soundtracks of the 90s – and a key early example of the genius of Quentin Tarantino when it came to using music in movies – especially given that the record was almost as big of a hit as the film! There's a wonderful mix of sounds here, plus a few key dialogue bits from the film – alongside cuts that include "Jungle Boogie" by Kool & The Gang, "Misirlou" by Dick Dale, "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green, "You Never Can Tell" by Chuck Berry, "Girl You'll Be A Woman Soon" by Urge Overkill, "Surf Rider" by The Lively Ones, "Flowers On The Wall" by The Statler Brothers, "Bullwinkle (part 2)" by The Centurions, "Son Of A Preacher Man" by Dusty Springfield, "Lonesome Town" by Ricky Nelson, and "Bustin Surfboards" by The Tornadoes. Cassette

Music from Chet Baker, Miles Davis, Nat King Cole, Dexter Gordon, June Christy, Julie London, Sarah Vaughan, John Coltrane, Earl Klugh, Cassandra Wilson, and more. CD

Iranian garage rock – kind of hard to believe at first, but a surprising musical discovery overall! The package documents a very overlooked scene – rock bands from late 60s Iran who were clearly inspired by the American underground of the time – working in a heady brew of guitar, organ, bass, and drums – usually with vocals in the local dialect, but a rockish groove that owes plenty to the US. There's less Eastern elements in the music than you'd find in Arabesk rock from Turkey – although some tunes here do have an exotic flavor at points, and really stand out from the rest. Yet even on the straighter numbers, the difference in language really gives these tunes an odd sort of feel – almost unsettling as you try to reach for familiar elements, then find them different in the end. Titles include "Mehtaab" by The Littles, "Shekar Dar Kohestan" by The Golden Ring, "Hadjime Khali" by Kourosh, "Raks Raks Raks" by Moha Jamin, "Meekshi Manoo" by The Flowers, "Dance Music" by Penahi, and "4 x 8 Jadeed" by The Littles. Comes with full note in English, too! LP, Vinyl record album

A masterclass in early rap from Sugar Hill Records – touchstone classics that thumped dancefloors from the early days to today, inspired the scene's kings and queens to follow, and helped pave the way for the sounds and styles to come! Bookended by the long versions of the good-natured party rocking namesake Sugar Hill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" and Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel equally iconic "White Lines (Don't Do It)", the rest of the tracks really find the sweet spot between always welcome familiarity and underappreciated gems – and it's great to have them all in a top notch package! Includes The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" (single version), "That's the Joint" by Funky 4 Plus One, " Break Dance-Electric Boogie" (single) by West Street Mob, "Funk You Up (Long Version)" by The Sequence and more, LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Johnny Cash, Kelly Willis, Richard Buckner, R. B. Morris, Freedy Johnston, Jonny Polonsky, Ron Sexsmith, Iris DeMent, Calexico, Syd Straw & The Skeletons, Joel R. L. Phelps, Joe Henry, and more. CD

10 tracks that sum up the hopes for modern funk and underground soul – circa 1995! The set was a big one back in its day, and it still provides a good picture of what the kids were digging during those difficult years for modern groove. Titles include "Hell Is Round The Corner" by Tricky, "Friendly Pressure" by Jhelisa, "Eine Kleine Hed Musick" by Coldcut, "Boundaries" by Leena Conquest & Hip Hop Finger, "Get It Together" by The Beastie Boys, "Nouveau Western" by MC Solaar, "Revenge Of The Number" by Portishead, and "Deep S**t (parts 1 & 2)" by Kruder & Dorfmeister. CD

A great overview of work on the legendary Three Blind Mice label from 70s Japan – a crucial imprint that gave exposure to the new generation of Japanese jazz musicians who were forging a fresh sort of ideas apart from their counterparts in the US! Three Blind Mice was always a label that was dedicated to the best quality of sound – not just in the top-shelf recording techniques they employed, but also in the way they let their artists approach the material – often without any sort of concern for commercial potential or crossover appeal – a quality that's really kept the TBM material very fresh over the years! Most tracks are nice and long – far from short crossover fusion or pop jazz of the period – and titles include "Derrick's Dance" by Teruo Nakamura, "Tones For Joan's Bones" by Fumio Karashima, "New Shade Of Blue" by Naosuke Miyamoto, "Sunset On The Street" by Sunao Wada with Minoru Ikeno, "Feel Like Makin Love" by Isao Suzuki, "Lady T" by Isoo Fukui, "Sunday Thing" by Toshiyuji Miyama & The New Herd, "Maiden Voyage" by Tatsuya Takahashi & The Tokyo Union, "Ain't Nothin New Under The Sun" by Ayako Hosokawa, and "Nardis" by the trio of Masabumi Kikuchi, Hideo Kanai, and Masahiko Togashi. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A really great compilation put out by the folks at Red Hot – an organization dedicated to "Fighting Aids Through Popular Culture". Previous sets by the group have focussed on jazz, bossa, and other music – and this time around, the focus is Africa, currently suffering from a rampant AIDS epidemic. As a response to the problem, Red Hot have brought together a host of different artists in a set of new Afro Funk tracks that would do Fela proud! In fact, over and above the politics, the set's actually one of the best new Afro Funk projects we've ever heard – with a list of artists that includes Archie Shepp, Lateef, Gift Of Gab, Talib Kweli, Jorge Ben, D'Angelo, Femi Kuti, Macy Gray, Meshell Ndegeocello, Cheikh Lo, Tony Allen, Positive Black Soul, Kelis, and others – all coming together in a really wonderful set of tracks that crackle with excitement! Unfortunately, one of Aids most famous African victims includes Afro Funk pioneer Fela. As a loving tribute, the set's made up of new versions of Fela tunes – with titles that include "No Agreement", "So Be It", "Gentleman", "Shakara/Lady", "Water No Get Enemy", "Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake", "Colonial Mentality", and "Shuffering & Smiling". CD

Two rare compilations from Trojan Records – back to back in a single set, with an insane number of bonus tracks too! Both records capture that time when the groove was moving from rocksteady to early reggae – still yet to hit global fame, which makes for a really nice mix of music from an array of lesser-knowns who were getting circulation outside of Jamaica by Trojan. The set really digs deep, way past the bigger tracks and hits – and there's a fair bit of artists here who might be new to anyone but the more serious reggae collectors. Plenty of work here resonated strongly with the growing UK reggae market for reggae at the end of the 60s – and alongside soulful vocals, there's a nicely laidback groove on most numbers – never too overproduced, and filled with plenty of surprises along the way! The set features the full tracks from both records in the title, plus 31 bonus tracks – and most cuts are new to CD – a massive lineup of work from The Slickers, GG All Stars, Maytones, Keeling Backford, Lloyd & Robin, Gladstone & The Followers, Charlie Ace, Trevor & Keith, Vernon Buckley & Alvin Ranglin, and Eric Monty Morris. CD

A great collection of soulful rocksteady gems – and one that really hints at its approach with the use of "cover" in the title! Many of the tunes here are reworkings of American soul tracks – most not major hits, which makes them even cooler cover versions – and shows just how deep a love of soul music influenced the Jamaican scene in the 60s! Tracks are from a variety of classic labels – Trojan, Doctor Bird, Treasure Isle, and others – and titles include "Just A Mirage" by The Uniques, "If I Didn't Love You" by Eric Monty Morris, "Whatcha Gonna Do" by The Techniques, "Something You've Got" by Lee Perry, "Trying To Reach My Goal" by Alton Ellis, "Charade" by Roland Alphonso, and even a surprising take on "Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus" by Harry J All Stars! LP, Vinyl record album

Features the Cowboy Junkies, Beck, Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello, Wilco, Gillian Welch, and others. CD

Includes 17 tracks by Whiskeytown, Trailer Bride, Chrome Daddy Disco, Glory Fountain, The Hootowls, G String Drag, The Vidalias, Pinetops, and others. CD

Includes 17 tracks by Whiskeytown, Trailer Bride, Contential Drifters, Noah, Star Room Boys and others. CD

Includes music by Albert Ammons, T-Bone Walker, Sol Hoopii, Chet Atkins, Lowell Fulson, Johnny Guitar Watson, Bill Doggett, BB King, Link Wray, Duane Eddy, Bo Diddley, Eddie Cochran, Dr. John, Santo and Johnny, the Ventures, Shadows, Dick Dale, King Curtis, and others – 66 tracks total. CD

101 tracks from artists including Gene Vincent, Ricky Nelson, Larry Dowd, Barbara Pittman, Freddie & the Hitch-Hikers, The Rockin R's, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, and many others! Comes in a very cool book-styled cover, with a great set of notes. CD

Funky sounds from the Harlem scene – an incredibly rich collection of work from the Rojac and Tayster labels – a set so massive, it's like finding a box of rare funky 45s and deep soul singles in the back of some old record store! The package offers up way more work than we might have expected from our knowledge of a few key funk classics from the labels – a treasure trove of under-discovered gems from the grittiest years of the New York scene – most of them cut in the pre-disco years, with raw edges that almost feel more like southern soul and funk than other work from the Big Apple! This overstuffed set also comes with a sweet booklet of notes – really telling the tale of the labels and related enterprises – plus 44 tracks that include "Where Were You" by Kim Tolliver, "Meet Me Halfway" by Lillie Bryant, "Old Love Never Dies" by Big Maybelle, "Something Special About My Baby" by Clarence Reid, "I Love My Baby" by International GTOs, "No Better For Ya" by Jo Armstead, Love Love Love" by Chuck Flamingo, "Christmas In Vietnam" by Private Charles Bowens & The Gentlemen From Tigerland, "Everybody's Going Wild" by Curtis Lee & The KCPs, "Lovin Lies" by Third Guitar, "This & That" by Jo Armstead, "Don't Lose Your Groove" by Lavell Hardy, "Nwanne Nwanne Nwanne" by Aleke Kanonu & Tolbert The Miracle Man, "Lucky Man" by Damn Sam The Miracle Man, "Baby Don't Cry" by Third Guitar, and "Whip Ya" by Chuck A Luck & The Lovemen Ltd. CD

50 tracks from Kip Tyler And The Flips, Freddie & The Hitch Hikers, The Riptides, Jett Powers, Sheriff & The Ravels, Bill Allen & The Backbeats, Dale Hawkins, The Frantics, Johnny Burnette, The Kingsmen, Keith Courvale, and more. CD

Music from Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five, Joe Liggins & His Honeydrippers, Roy Milton & His Solid Senders, Nat "King" Cole Trio, Cecil Gant, Charles Brown with Johnny Moore's Three Blazers, Ivory Hunter* with Johnny Moore's 3 Blazers, T-Bone Walker with Marl Young & His Orchestra, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, Julia Lee with Tommy Douglas' Orchestra, Helen Humes with Bill Doggett's Octet, Dinah Washington with Lucky Thompson's All Stars, and more - 36 songs in all. CD

Fremeaux's nice Roots of Rock 'n' Roll series – includes 36 tracks from artists including Tiny Bradshaw, Ramblin' Jimmie Dolan, Goree Carter, Annie Laurie, Red Foley with Cecil Gant, Hank Snow, Lester Williams, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Billy Jack Wills, Roy Hogsed, Joe Hill Louis, Wesley Holly, Johnnie Lee Wills, Calvin Boze, Wynonie Harris, and more. CD

A vivid portrait of a rich legacy in jazz – the wonderful sounds that have come from the South African scene from the early 60s onwards – served up nicely in this well-chosen set! The collection mixes underground work with well-known artists, older tracks with more contemporary ones – yet the whole thing comes together with a relatively unified feel – and a strong focus on the kinds of unusual rhythmic impulses that have always made South African jazz so unique. Titles include "Ntyilo Ntyilo" by Thandiswa, "Clarinet Kwela" by Kippie Moeketsi, "Dembese" by Brian Thusi, "Emampondweni" by Batsumi, "Vuvuzela" by Bokani Dyer, "Seven Days Ago" by Allen Kwela, "Dindela" by Errol Dyers, "Kwabulawayo" by African Echoes, and "Tlhapi Ke Noga" by Dolly Rathebe. CD

Music from Cheikh Lo, Assane Ndiaye & Le Raam Daan, Baaba Maal & Mansour Seck, Orchestra Baobab, Tata Dinding Jobarteh, Ifang Bondi, Youssou N'Dour, Baaba Maal, Dembo Konte & Kausu Kuyateh, Malang Mane, Ismael Lo, Mass Lowe, and Mansour Seck. CD

Your Christmas just got a whole lot funkier – thanks to a wonderful entry in this legendary series – maybe one of the coolest collections ever of hard-to-find Holiday grooves! As with previous volumes, almost all the tracks here are pulled from rare funky 45s – obscure original Christmas songs issued on 7" singles, most on very obscure labels – and together, the tracks offer up a really great way to re-think the sound of your house around the holidays – music that goes way past the overplayed tracks you always hear at the shops during December! These cuts are overflowing with new ideas, and offer a mighty fresh take on familiar spirits for the season – as you'll hear on titles that include "The Year Around Christmas" by Sam Applebaum, "Christmas Is" by Ruth Harley, "Santa Claus" by Ray Williams & The Space Men, "Christmas Strutt" by Hot & Sassy, "It's Xmas Time" by Wayne Champion, "Everybody Is A Santa Claus" by Fred Sebastian, "I Won't Be Home For Christmas" by Major Handy, "Christmas Presents" by Bobby Peterson, "It Feels Like Christmas" by Bill Deal & Pure Pleasure, and "Xmas Party" by Eddie & The De-Havelons. CD

Rare rockers, early soul, and cool classic country – all the sorts of cuts you'd expect to hear from the mighty Bear Family Records label – but brought together here with school and the classrooms as the theme! A few of the cuts are familiar, but most are nice and obscure – in keeping with the well-chosen tracks we always discover on Bear Family – all presented with very detailed notes and vintage images too! Titles include "School Bus" by The Shades, "High School USA" by Tommy Facenda, "I Wanna Dance With The Teacher" by The Olympics, "Letter To A School Girl" by The Delcados, "The Teacher" by The Falcons, "High School Love" by Ronnie Allen, "School Girl" by The Winstons, "School House Rock" by Billy Harlan, "Talk Of The School" by Sonny James, "School Bus Love Affair" by Wynn Stewart, and "School Girl" by the 5 Royales. 34 tracks in all! CD

New music by Wendell Whalum, Eugene Hancock, Adolphus Hailstork, Leslie Adams, and Valerie Capers. CD

31 songs from Chuck Womack & The Sweet Souls, Little Worley & The Drops, The Tads, The Dots, Butch McGhee, The Hornets, The Four Dimensions, The Vice-Roys, The Versatiles, Brother Zee And The Decades, Danny & The Velaires, and Lon Rogers & The Soul Blenders. CD

The title's certainly got it right – as the set's overflowing with killer UK tracks from a time when the scene was heavily influenced by American soul, jazz, blues, and R&B – served up here on a host of singles that go way past the bigger names of that generation, and which really show the diversity and complexity of the underground groups who were making London hum in the mid 60s! And despite a strong influence from America, most of these acts aren't just aping music from our shores, and instead are already taking it to new and exciting places – using core elements in very different ways, at a level that would end up being a path forward for prog, psych, and other styles to come! The limited 2LP set features 34 tracks in all – and titles include "Oh Yeah" by The Others, "Unchain My Heart" by Trendbender Band, "Work Song" by James Royal, "I Still Want You" by Mickey Finn & The Blue Men, "Things She Says" by The In Crowd, "Crawdaddy Simone" by The Syndicats, "That Driving Beat" by The Favourite Sons, "I Take What I Want" by The Artwoods, "Number One" by Stormsville Shakers, "See Saw" by The Union, "Ain't Love Good" by Lucas & The Mike Cotton Sound, "Gotta Brand New Man" by Barry St Loun, "Last Night" by Laurel Aitken & The Soul Men, "Turn On Your Lovelight" by Wynder K Frog, "Something For Nothing" by Carl Douglas & The Big Stampede, "Good Lovin Never Hurt" by The Soul Brothers, "Hold On" by Ruperts People, and "She's A Girl" by The Attraction. LP, Vinyl record album

A second entry in this very cool series, but one that's very different than the first – as the "driving" in the title means that most of these tracks have a very cool groove – kind of the darker side of new club music styles of the time, with maybe just a hint of the cold wave generation to come! Given how far back this material goes, the set shows just how much German experiments influenced the rise of UK electronic work in the post-punk generation of early Human League and Cabaret Voltaire – as there's a link here with some of the darker sounds on Rough Trade during that period, and much of the material serves as a great bridge between Krautrock of earlier days and the German new wave of the 80s. Electronics are in full effect, with plenty of keyboards and electric rhythms – and titles include "Fur Dich (bureau b edit)" by Thomas Singer, "Time Machine" by Adelbert Von Deyen, "Puls (bureau b edit)" by Gunter Schickert, "Juggernaut" by Faust, "Phonique" by Serge Blenner, "Subito" by Moebius & Beerbohm, "180" by Pyrolator, "Auf Engelsfugeln (bureau b edit)" by Deutsch Wertarbeit, "Eve On The Hill (bureau b edit)" by Harald Grosskopf, and "Bockwurst A La Maitresse" by Asmus Tietchens. LP, Vinyl record album

If you never went to Skippy White's record store in Boston, you really missed a hell of a shop – a surprisingly great outlet for rare and underground soul, located way up in New England – and a place that was giving the world wonderful music over the course of many decades! Back in the early days of the store, Skippy really had his ear to the scene – and managed to capture all sorts of great artists who were working very underground on the Boston scene – mostly soul acts, but a bit of blues and gospel too – all featured here in the first-ever collection to look at White's work at this level. The package was put together by Eli Paperboy Reed, and has notes from Boston contemporaries Peter Guaralnick and Peter Wolf – yet it's far hipper than any of those references might imply – as you'll hear on cuts that include "Do The Thing" by Earl Lett, "I Love What I Found In You" by The Precisions, "I've Been Lifted Out Of Sin" by Sons Of David, "Evil Woman Blues" by Guitar Nubbit, "Treason" by The Precisions, "Holy Ghost & Fire" by The Lord's Messengers, "Skippy White (parts 1 & 2)" by Junior Washington, "I Was Standing" by Lynn Harmonizers, and "Now Is The Time" by Earl Lett. LP, Vinyl record album

Music from iiO, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Nilo, Depeche Mode, Mike Macaluso, Peter Bailey, Trisco, Max Linen, Deborah Cox, DJ Skribble & Anthony Acid, Kim English, Rollercoaster, Sound De-Zign, Sandra Flyn, Barthezz, and Dance Nation. CD

Includes music by Monna Bell, Cheo Feliciano, Los Panchos, Luz, Mina, Lucho Gatica, Bola De Nieve, and Maysa Maiaraso. CD

Older grooves, given a great remix treatment – in a style that's somewhat in the territory of the Verve Remixed series, but a lot hipper overall! Part of that quality comes from the original tracks – very obscure work from the European jazz scene of the 60s and 70s – the kind of gems that we've loved on the Sonorama label series of reissues, re-presented here by an equally well-chosen array of remix talents – DJs and producers who go way beyond the more familiar names on the global scene! Original cuts are a mix of jazz, soul, funk, Latin, and bossa – served up here in a set list of 18 titles that includes "Hang Em High (Chadeo re-edit)" by Memphis Black, "Massai (Dr Rubberfunk re-spice)" by Mombasa, "Exotic Drums (Devil McDoom rmx)" by Berry Lipman, "Sax On The Rocks (Minimatic rmx)" by Berry Lipman, "Happy Little Sunbeam (Ben Human rmx)" by The Elsie Bianchi Trio, "You And I (Rob Smith rmx)" by Gretje Kauffeld, and "Dreaming (Ben Human rmx)" by Edgar Schlepper. CD

The movie "Soul In The Hole" may have come and gone without anyone paying too much attention, but the soundtrack is dooope, with a lot of tracks that are unavailable anywhere but on this LP. We're not sure how Loud did it, but instead of MC's supplying throwaway tracks, they gave up some of their best material. Includes Common "High Expectations", Organized Konfusion "Late Night Action", OC "Your Life", Mobb Deep "Rare Species", Dead Prez "The Game of Life", MOP "Ride", Brand Nubian "A Child is Born", Wu All Stars "Soul In The Hole" Xzibit "Los Angeles Times", Wu-Tang Clan "Diesel", Sauce Money "Against The Grain", Cocoa Bros "Won On Won", Darc Mind "Visions of Blur" and Dwellas "Main Aim". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic look at the righteous current of energy that swept through American music at the end of the 60s – that huge wave of knowledge and political inspiration that still stands as one of our favorite moments in jazz and soul! The Civil Rights generation had gotten some things accomplished, but not everything – and a new wave of action arose in various scenes of the underground – not just pushing the musical formats past anything that had happened before, but also doing so with a strong message of pride and empowerment! This collection surveys some of the best tracks of that moment – and also provides a great batch of historical notes to put the whole thing in context – done in collaboration with the book of the same name, but equally great as a soundtrack and document on its own. The package is overflowing with Dusty Groove classics – and titles include "Sweet Songs" by Sarah Webster Fabio, "Surtal Ihklas" by Doug Carn, "Vibes From The Tribe" by Phil Ranelin, "Desert Fairy Princess" by Horace Tapscott & The Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, "Sounds From The Bush" by The Mandingo Griot Society with Don Cherry, "Is It Too Late" by Duke Edwards & The Young Ones, "Strong Men" by David McKnight, "Black Narcissus" by Joe Henderson, "Malcolm X" by Phil Cohran & The Artistic Heritage Ensemble, "Mother Of The Future" by Carlos Garnett, "Red Black & Green" by Roy Ayers, "African Rhythms" by Oneness Of Juju, and "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" by Gil Scott-Heron. CD

An insane package – one that features the material from the 6CD Complete Concert Wattstax set, plus 5 more CDs from Summit Club Recordings in 1972, plus one more CD of additional material too! First up are 6 CDs that feature a stunning presentation of the legendary Wattstax concert – that huge moment of pride and power when the folks at Stax Records filled up the Los Angeles Coliseum with one of the most memorable shows of the 70s! The meeting of talents here is the stuff of legend – and this great package brings together the complete show in running order – really building up excitement as the concert progresses – with different acts each bringing their own sort of fire to the stage, culminating in a fantastic long finale by Isaac Hayes! The presentation is different than the two double albums that Stax issued back in the 70s – and this expanded package features a number of unreleased tracks in place of material the label later added – such as work from Richard Pryor and The Emotions. There's a whole instrumental section at the start, and more spoken links between some parts – and new material includes unissued work from Kim Weston, Freddie Robinson, Ernie Hines, Eric Mercury, Tommy Tate, Billy Eckstine, and Isaac Hayes – in addition to famous performances by The Soul Children, Jesse Jackson, Rufus Thomas, Albert King, Carla Thomas, William Bell, The Bar Kays, David Porter, The Temprees, Eddie Floyd, and David Porter – plus plenty more from Isaac Hayes too! Great package – with a full color book with new notes and essays, and plenty more too. The Summit Club material follows on five more CDs – material that was partly issued on some other reissues by individual artists, but augmented here with a wealth of unreleased material too! There's a a full show of work from Johnnie Taylor and Rufus Thomas – the latter of whom even does some comedy bits – plus some extra funky performances from The Sons Of Slum, heavy blues from Little Milton, great soul from The Emotions, and a huge amount of never-issued work from the great duo Mel & Tim – arguably better here than on their Stax studio sessions. CD12 features additional recordings that were layered into some of the LP releases issued under the Wattstax name – 15 more tracks that include titles by The Emotions, Isaac Hayes, The Dramatics, Staple Singers, and Eddie Floyd – plus some comedy routines by Richard Pryor. CD

A classic album featuring music from The Sound Of Jazz – the legendary 1957 TV show that brought together some of the greatest talents then working in jazz! Unusual for TV, the show really seemed to capture the players at their best – and recorded some tremendous live performances that were among the most moving ever filmed by the artists involved. Highlights include "The Train & The River" played by the Jimmy Giuffre Trio, "Fine & Mellow" sung by Billie Holiday, "Rosetta" and "Wild Man Blues" by the Red Allen All-Stars, "Blues" by Jimmy Giuffre & Pee Wee Russell, "I Left My Baby" by Count Basie with Jimmy Rushing, "Dickie's Dream" by Count Basie, and "Nervous", a solo piano number by Mal Waldron. CD

After blowing our minds with the first volume of The Sound Gallery, the same folks wen't on to put this one together – and they drove us crazy with the massive amount of Brit easy grooves that they managed to dig up and string together! There's 5 tracks by the genius of the Brit easy genre, Roy Budd, including a number from the soundtrack to Get Carter, an obscure Michael Caine film from around 1970. Other goodies include "Stiletto" by Chico Rey, "Heavy Water" by Ray Davies and His Funky Trumpet, "Grow Your Own" by John Schroeder, "Super Shine No. 9" by Sister Goose and The Ducklings, and "Pegasus" by Mike Vickers. Still one of our fave easy comps ever – and it's been out for nearly 3 years! CD

Includes tracks by the Mint Juleps, Persuasions, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and Take 6. Cassette

A much-needed look at the really magical world of music in France – a scene that's always seemed to exist in its own sort of space, especially during the late 70s/early 80s years when most of these tracks were recorded! The French scene had some famous free jazz at the start of the 70s, but there was also another strain of unique sounds that were beyond categorization or comparison – music that took some of the creative inspiration of jazz and turned it towards global sources, acoustic instruments, analogue electronics, and even French vocal styles – creating work that was not only years ahead of its time, but which also was often missed on the global market, because it was so hard to label and categorize! This set brings together some of the best of those moments – music that's maybe a great second step if you've already dug sounds on labels like Saravah or Futura/Marge – and the whole package is wonderful throughout – filled with titles that even we might have missed otherwise. Tracks include "Gaal" by Noco Music, "Les Crocodiles" by Catherine Derain, "Reve De Voyage" by Remy Couvez, "Sokoto" by Structures Sonores Lasry Baschet, "Loreley" by Pan Ra, "Mahabaratha Kali" by Adjenar Sidhar Khan, "Bujumbura Lyon" by Workshop De Lyon, "Arabia" by Dynamo, "Love Always" by Jef Gilson, and "Moving Waves" by Andre Fertier & Clivage. CD

A beautiful little compilation – one of those gems that comes along, and really reminds us that there's a real art to putting some tracks together! In a package that's kind of a follow-up to their excellent Songs For Mario's Cafe, St Etienne pay tribute to the sound of Soho pubs in years past – blending together obscure mod grooves, soul tunes, and unusual British bits – a good deal of which we've never heard before, but which all seem to make some sort of wonderful sense in the company of each other! Think of this one as the experience you might have on a rainy night in London – taking shelter in the warmth of some back alley bar in the west end, then staying way past lockup because the music the jukebox has been surprisingly great – the kind of tunes you've never really heard before, especially in this sort of combination – always a surprise as each new number comes into play. Genius, pure genius – with 25 cuts that include "Lay This Burden Down" by Mary Love, "I Can't Get Through" by Bill Oddie, "Rock N Bones" by Elroy Dietzel & The Rhythm Bandits, "Walkin Through A Cemetery" by Claudine Clark, "Hi Flutin Boogie" by John Scott, "Davy O'Brien" by Duffy Power, "Flight 2" by Angelo & Eighteen, "Good Time Coming" by Mustard, "Varee Is Love" by The Ohio Players, "Driver's Seat" by Sniff N The Tears, "Hand Clapping Time" by Gino with Johnny Greek, "Pinball" by Brian Protheroe, "Smoke Rings" by Les Paul & Mary Fod, "Lost" by The Darlettes, "I Was Born To Love You" by Herbert Hunter, "The EMI Song" by Alex Chilton, and "Sweep It Out In The Shed" by Little Ann. CD

Tracks from Stanton Warriors, Basement Jaxx, Jammin', The Streets, Mr. Reds, Plump DJs, Sole Fusion, Biological, Renegade Soundwave, Azzido Da Bass, Jeremy Sylvester, and more. CD

Includes such classics as "Photon Torpedo (3 Blasts)", "Communicator Beeps", "Red Alert Klaxon #2", "Tribble Coos", "Warp Drive", and "Enterprise Doors". CD