Brilliant live work from trumpeter Freddie Hubbard – a set of well-recorded, long and open tracks that really lets him stretch out on his solos – and direct a majestic group of musicians as a leader! We already love Freddie Hubbard in the studio, but on a live record like this he always seems to find deeper, more powerful currents in his music – soaring out with a lineup that includes George Cables on Fender Rhodes, Junior Cook on tenor and flute, Kent Brinkley on bass, and Michael Carvin on drums – mostly playing tunes from the CTI years, but with a very different, more spontaneous vibe. Each track runs the length of the side of a record – and titles include long takes on "Sky Dive", "The Intrepid Fox", "Povo", and "First Light". CD

The debut album from Meiko Kaji – an artist most folks knew first as an actress, but whose voice finds a wonderful setting in this record! There's a gentle current of funk to most tracks – stepping electric bass next to soaring strings, a bit of horns, and great use of koto from time to time – all to create this mellow groove that's totally great, and instantly appealing – which then opens the door to the subtle drama that Meiko brings to her vocals – beautifully sung, but with a presence that's very gripping, even if you don't understand the lyrics – and really served up in the best way possible, given the arrangements! Lyrics and titles are in Japanese – and tunes include "Shitto", "Aieno Kitai", "Ginchou Wataridori", "Jingi Komoriuta", "Ginchou Buruusu", "Hamabeno Meruhen", and "Yogiro Sukina Anata". CD

Japanese pianist Yuji Ohno started out in jazz, but soon had a role in so many different styles on his scene during the 70s – arranging for singers, doing soundtrack material, and serving up work in a whole host of different contexts – many of which are included in this mighty nice set! The vibe is funky and electric on most numbers, but Ohno plays acoustic here and there – and the set mixes vocal numbers and instrumentals in a really great way, both English and Japanese, with more than enough diversity to show you Yuji's skills in a range of different modes. Ohno is involved with every cut in the set – and titles include "Silhouette" by You & The Explosion Band, "Subterranean Futari Botchi" by Nanako Sato, "I Wish You Love" by Hatsumi Shibata, "Lilac Gai No Aki" by Ken Tanaka, "I Want To Be Happy" by Mieko Hirota, "Soaring Seagull" by Electric Keyboard Orchestra, "Mouichido Kikasete" by Hatsumi Shibata, and "Kiarameku Inner Space" by Yuji Ohno & Galaxy. CD

The Japanese scene of the 70s had plenty of experiments that blended contemporary and traditional instrumentation – but this album-length jam from percussionist Stomu Yamashta may well be one of the most striking from the time! You'll no doubt know Stomu from some of his later records that got more global circulation – but this set was originally only issued in Japan, and mixes some of his progressive leaning with a very free jazz sensibility – served up by a quartet that also features Masahiko Satoh on organ, Takehisa Kosugi on electric violin, and Hideakira Sakurai on electric koto, shamisen, and more percussion! Stomu himself is unbound, and plays with a frenzy we've not heard before – and the mix of the other instrumentation, especially koto and shamisen, creates all these really unusual sounds and tones throughout. The album features one long track, recorded live at Yamaha Hall in Tokyo! CD

An early album from Japanese genius Akiko Yano, and one that features some key contributions from American jazz and fusion players – in a lineup that brings some surprisingly funky touches to the record too! Akiko's vocals and unique song structures still have all the charms you'll know from other records, but there's also a groove at points that's totally great – a vibe that's picking up from that moment when Japanese singers and musicians were traveling over the Pacific to work with American players for a really cool blend! The album features keyboards from Roger Powell, Hammond from Will Boulware, drums from Steve Jordan, and guitar from David Spinozza – plus plenty of moog and other keyboards from Akiko and Hideki Matsutake. Titles include "Yo Ro Ko Bi", "Uo Sao", "Katarun Kararan", "Kodomo Tachi", "Okina Ishi", "Two On The Stage", and "Andante Cantabile". CD

One of our favorite record labels of all time finally gets its due – in a wonderful package that not only brings together some of the coolest cuts from the legendary French imprint Saravah Records, but also tells the story behind the company and it's groundbreaking approach to music! Saravah was born from the fame of Francis Lai's soundtrack for A Man & A Woman (Un Homme Et Une Femme), and from the lyrical contributions of Pierre Barouh – but immediately after, the company began pursuing a musical path like no other – taking on strands of jazz, world music, and the hippest styles in France – and creating new music that was unlike anything that had ever been recorded! Some of the best moments from the legendary label are here – including tracks that have the Art Ensemble of Chicago working with singers – Marva Broome on "Mystifying Mama", Alfred Panou on "Je Suis Un Sauvage", and Brigitte Fontaine on "Comme A La Radio" – plus more titles that include "Monsieur Chimpanze" by Michel Roques, "Sicilienne" by Maurice Vander, "Delhi Daily" by Baroque Jazz Trio, "Le Bruit Et Le Bruit" by Beatrice Arnac, "EDF Power" by EDF, "Trane's Call" by Georges Arvanitas, "Saudade" by Pierre Barouh & Baden Powell, "Je Jouais Le Piano" by Jacques Higelin, "Desert Angel" by Cohelmec Ensemble, and "80 AB" by Areski. CD

Really wonderful sounds from Meiko Kaji – an actress as well as a singer, one who was famous for her Nikkatsu work at the start of the 70s – and who delivers the songs here with a similar sense of darkly moody drama! The music often mixes rock touches with larger arrangements – and the recording quality is completely sublime – so that Meiko's voice is right out front in the mix, really commanding the proceedings with a vibe that's expressive, but in ways that are very different than Japanese female vocals from the decade before. You might recognize her voice from use of her music by Quentin Tarantino – but you hardly need that reference to enjoy this set – a wonderful album full of gems that include "Wara No Ue", "Onna Somuki Uta", "Onna Hagure Uta", "Nigori Onna", "Urami Bushi", "Betuni Doutte Koto Demo Nishi", "Hitora Kaze", and "Onna Kawaki Uta". CD

A pivotal album in the career of Ryuichi Sakamoto – a set that got wide global circulation right at a time when he was a rising star on the screen as much as a surprising international music star as well – of the sort who became a key global representative for all the changes that had been taking place in Japanese music at the start of the 80s! Sakamoto's got an elegant look on the cover, and the music shares that approach too – jazzier than before, but still with that key knowledge of electronic elements that Ryuichi had in YMO – almost a blend of late 70s Japanese fusion with keyboards, samples, and other technology that Sakamoto helped bring into the mainstream at the time – but also with a quality that points the way to soundtrack shifts in the Ghibli generation! This package presents the original Japanese album – not the Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia set that was circulated globally – with tracks that include "May In The Backyard", "Paradise Lost", "Self Portrait", "Etude", "Tibetan Dance", "Tribute To NJP", and other titles in Japanese. Also includes bonus material from the 12" EP – "Replica", "Tibetan Dance (version)", and "Ma Mere L'Oye". CD

A bold new frontier for use of the harp in experimental music – and that's saying a lot, given that Ayako Shinozaki recorded this album during the generation of Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby! Shinokazi takes the instrument a bit back towards its use in more serious music, but with definite avant leanings, and certainly a sound that's inspired by the bold frontiers of free improvisation – as she opens up the harp in ways that are very different than some of the sweeter, softer styles that were often used in the 20th century – and instead uses it with a really keen ear for experimental tones and sharper-edged sounds! Two pieces are solo – readings of Toru Takemitsu's "Stanza II" and Katsuhiro Tsubono's "Poem Of Rim" – and the second half features a duet with violinist Takehisa Kosugi on "Heterodyne". CD

Sweet funky fusion from the Japanese scene at the end of the 70s – work that's all from the mighty Electric Bird label, an imprint who were as important to Japan as CTI/Kudu were in the US! As with that famous pairing of labels, Electric Bird helped artists find a new groove with a sweet electric mode – still very jazz-based, but with just the right influences from soul and funk as well – which helped some players hit a very cool vibe – including a few of American artists too, as Electric Bird were always one for cross-pollination between the scenes! There's an especially strong emphasis on keyboard lines – and titles include "Summer Time" by Yasuaki Shimizu, "Night Life" by Ronnie Foster, "Living In A City" by Toshiyuki Honda, "In The Sky" by Shunzo Ohno, "Let's Get Together" by Mikio Masuda, "Night Breeze" by Bobby Lyle, and "Space Traveler" by Katsutoshi Morizono. CD

One of the greatest records ever from Japanese drummer Masahiko Togashi – a rare European session that features the talents of Don Cherry on trumpet and Charlie Haden on bass! The session's one of Cherry's most compelling performances from the time – a really loose and free date that could have easily been recorded a decade before – yet which also seems to have that new sense of warmth and spiritualism that Don brought to his best experiments in the 70s. And Togashi really brings this spiritual, soulful quality to the proceedings – using percussion in earthy and subtle ways that really let Haden's basslines come forward too! Titles include "Rain", "Song Of Soil", "June", "Oasis", and "Words Of Wind (parts 1 & 2)". CD

Beautiful grooves from the Japanese scene – most of them from a time when its singers and musicians were leaning heavily on influences from American funk and soul, and turning out some wonderful music of their own! Lyrics on most tracks are in Japanese, but there's a really universal vibe to the grooves – great basslines, warm keyboards, and lots of jazzy touches in the instrumentation – a soulful, often funky approach that gives the collection an appeal that goes way beyond the boundaries of language! These aren't the mellow, electronic, or offbeat Japanese tracks of the 80s – and instead, the work here is overflowing with soul - on titles that include "Simple Another Love" by Jadoes, "Kimagure" by Kumi Nakamura, "Natsu No Hikari Ni" by Sumiko Yamagata, "Party Is Over" by Hatsumi Shibata, "Moonlight Flight" by Makoto Iwabuchi, "Paradise's Dream" by Arakawa Band, "I Wander All Alone (part 3)" by New Genration Company, "Sofa Bed Blues" by Haruo Chikada & Vibratones, "Tuxedo Connection" by Hitomi Penny Tohyama, and "Chigasaki Memory" by Mitsuko Horie. CD

An obscure bit of boogie from Brief Encounter – a southern soul group known best for their mid 70s sides for the Sound Stage Seven label, stepping out here in a completely different 80s groove! Most tracks are upbeat and dancefloor funky – plenty of bass on the bottom and some sweet electric keys – but often used in a way that's more in a 70s ensemble funk mode than the keyboards you'd hear on other early 80s indie soul. There's a warmth here that's quite nice, and most tracks feature the larger group harmonizing on vocals – in a way that sounds especially sweet on the mellower tracks. And while the recording quality of the original record is sometimes a bit muted, the group themselves sound plenty great – really bouncing along wonderfully with a soaring groove and a sense of tightness that goes beyond their indie roots! Titles include "Sweet Tender Loving", "We Want To Play For You", "Now I Know I Love You", "Rocking", "Since I Met You Girl", "Just For Love", "Open Up Your Heart", and "If You Want My Love". CD

2 of Johnny Guitar Watson's best albums ever – back to back on a single CD! First up is Listen – quite possibly the rarest of all Johnny Guitar Watson albums – and his first from the 70s – a mindblowing batch of trippy soul tunes that sounds far different than much of his later work! Johnny's not yet in the funky mode here – and he's working in a very cool flanged-out approach that has his vocals tripping lightly with his guitar – in a spacious soul mode that captures some of the energy of Shuggie Otis at the time. The overall sound is incredibly righteous – and the album's a delight throughout! Titles include "Lovin You", "If I Had The Power", "You Bring Love", "I Get A Feeling", and "You're The Sweetest Thing I've Ever Had". I Don't Want To Be Alone Stranger is sublime mid 70s work from Johnny Guitar Watson – a Bay Area blend of soulful production, jazzy playing, and bits of bluesy phrasing, with a hard-to-match quality that we'd put in the same camp as work by Shuggie Otis from the time. Johnny's vocals and guitar are amazing – very laidback and trippy, without all the silly stuff that you sometimes get on later records. "I Don't Want To Be A Lone Ranger" is a great stepper with a jazzy finish and a really catchy hook – and other good cuts include "Lonely Man's Prayer", "You Make My Heart Want To Sing", "Tripping", "Strong Vibrations", and "It's Way Too Late", a reworking (and real steal) of a song from Jon Lucien's great "Rashieda" album! CD

Incredible work by Willie Bobo – a slamming record of hard funky instrumentals, one that sounds different than any of his other albums! The record's a killer all the way through – a mixture of Latin and deep 70s funk, one of the few perfect fusions of the styles, held up beautifully all the way through the set. We've always liked Willie a lot, but honestly, we don't know how he managed to make a record this funky – but we're also not arguing, just enjoying the grooves with tremendous delight and surprise. Great all the way through, and includes the break cuts "Do What You Want to Do", "Broasted or Fried", and "Soul Foo Young" – plus a version of "Dindi", which, for some reason, Willie seemed to record every chance he got! Other titles include "Shut Up & Pay Attention", "Come Together", and "Never You Mind". CD

An incredible record from Bobby Blue Bland – and quite possibly the greatest one he ever made! The set's got an amazing something special that's unlike most other material of the time – a bit blues, but a lot of soul too – still with some echoes of R&B in the jazzier charts used for the backdrop, but presented with a rock-solid style that definitely points the way towards many sounds and styles to come in the 60s. And although Bland recorded many of these tracks as separate singles, there's a way they're put together here that makes the whole thing sound completely marvelous together – a really well-conceived track list that shows that Bobby's an even greater artist in the space of a full record. The arrangements are perfect, and Bobby's rough soulful voice is blended in this amazing way with killer horn arrangements that are far more sophisticated than most stuff that ever came after this, and which never get in the way, but only back up his deep emotion. The album's a motherlode of classics by the man, with gems that include "Two Steps From The Blues", "Cry Cry Cry", "I Don't Want No Woman", "I'm Not Ashamed", "Don't Cry No More", "Lead Me On", and "I Pity The Fool". And hell, even his version of "St James Infirmary" is pretty wonderful – something we never thought we'd say about that song. CD

Four classic albums from Jackie DeShannon – all in a single set! First up is Me About You – sophisticated Jackie at her best – working with great arrangements from Jack Nitzsche and Nick DeCaro – both cats from the California scene we can really trust for "cut-above" pop work like this – music that goes way past the simple sounds of DeShannon's start – into cool adult territory that really makes the album great. Jackie's vocals are surprisingly soulful in the setting – even more so than before – and the tunes include lots of gems, including versions of Van Dyke Parks' "High Coin", John Sebastian's "Didn't Want To Have To Do It", and Tim Hardin's "Baby Close Its Eyes". Also includes "I Keep Wanting You", "Me About You", and "Nicole". Next is Laurel Canyon – heady work from Jackie DeShannon's later years in 60s pop – an album with themes and styles that go way beyond her earlier recordings – as you might guess from the hip Laurel Canyon reference in the title! Jackie's working here in a mode that's much more strongly in a singer-songwriter style than before – with arrangements and backings that are a lot more organic, and less pop-tuned than ever – almost in a Laura Nyro approach on some numbers. As usual, a good portion of the tracks were written by Jackie herself – including "Holly Would", "Come & Stay With Me", "LA", "Too Close", and "Laurel Canyon" – and the album also features a few well chosen tracks by other writers too, like "Bitter Honey" by Paul Williams & Roger Nichols, "I Got My Reason" by Barry White, and "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" by Smokey Robinson. Put A Little Love In Your Heart is quite possibly the last great hit from singer Jackie DeShannon – an album built around the righteous spirit of the title track – filled with really wonderful original tunes penned by Jackie and soul singer Jimmy Holiday! The album may well be the best to explore the space between pop and soul that often characterized Jackie's work – and the overall sound is somewhat similar to some of Dusty Springfield's best pop/soul work from the same stretch. 10 of the album's 12 tracks are originals by Holiday and DeShannon – all set to soaring orchestrations by James Langeford, which often have a pronounced influence from the sound of Atlantic Records in the late 60s! Titles include "Put A Little Love In Your Heart", "You Are The Real Thing", "River Of Love", "Movin", "You Can Come To Me", "You Have A Way With Me", and "I Let Go Completely". To Be Free is an interesting little record – with kind of a crossover California soul feel overall – recorded with Rene Hall arrangements that echo a few rootsy modes at times, mixed in with fuller orchestrations that step a bit back towards Jackie's earlier years on Imperial – a surprisingly nice blend, with a fresh sound for the 70s. The album features a number of great tracks co-written with Jimmy Holiday – a fellow Imperial talent – and titles include "Mediterranean Sky", "Sooner Or Later", "What Was Your Day Like", "Livin On The Easy Side", "Brighton Hill", and "When Morning Comes Again". CD

The long-overdue return of Bettye Lavette to Muscle Shoals – the scene of her ill-fated album for Atlantic Records from the early 70s – hence the title of this album! The style here is certainly classic, and very old school – with backings provided by The Drive-By Truckers, whose member Patterson Hood has family ties back to the older Muscle Shoals scene of the 60s and 70s – and classic southern soul keyboardist Spooner Oldham joins the group wonderfully on electric piano for most of the record, bringing a sweetly warm style to the backings that sounds great next to the time-sharpened edges of Bettye's vocals. As with other Anti label efforts of this type, the sound is respectfully classic – no attempt made to update Lavette's style at all, and none of the cheesier bluesy material that Bettye might have been forced to sing, were she working with a lesser label. Titles include "Choices", "Jealousy", "You Don't Know Me At All", "I Still Want To Be your Baby", "Somebody Pick Up My Pieces", "Talking Old Soldiers", "Before The Money Came", and "I Guess We Shouldn't Talk About That Now". CD

A very cool combo from the LA scene of the 70s – a tight funky group, topped with two female soul singers – all working together in a style that's got a wonderful mixture of warmer edges and grittier sounds at the core! The two female singers really give the set a unique vibe – as they help bring focus to the instrumentation of the group, with a lot more presence than the usual throw-in female vocals of the time – hardly the backing chorus mode of a disco record, and instead a great balance to the sharp guitar lines and keyboards from the musicians! We've not heard of any of the players in any other setting, but they're very good – clearly able to handle jazz if they want, but aimed here towards a sophisticated funk style that's equally great on the mellow steppers as it is on the more upbeat tracks. Titles include "Heavenly Feeling", "World Full Of People", "Do You Hear Me Talking To You", "Dreaming Our Lives Away", "A Thank You Song", "Fantasies & Dreams", and "I'd Like To Stay". CD features a bonus 7" mix of "I'd Like To Stay". CD

An amazing musical discovery – the lost second album from 24 Carat Black – recorded right after the band's legendary debut for Stax Records, but unissued for over 30 years! All the righteous styles of the group's famous Ghetto Misfortune's Wealth classic are fully in place here – and if anything, the record has an even headier feel overall – really complicated sounds that are often deeply spiritual, but still have that snaking, bassline-driven, slow funk quality that we love in the group! The tunes each feel like mini-symphonies in soul – and although the themes center more around love than politics, they're done in a way that goes way past any sexy soul cliches of the time. The group is amazingly laidback – slow-stepping into each tune with a care and confidence that's amazing – and letting the cuts come into their own organically, but always with a mystical sense of order. Numero have done a wonderful job excavating this work – remastering the tapes for great sound, and telling the full story of the group and their too-short career. Titles include "The Best Of Good Love Gone", "I'll Never Let You Go", "Gone The Promises Of Yesterday", "I Begin To Weep", "I Want To Make Up", and "I Don't Love You". CD

Merle Haggard's criminally underrated second album for Anti- – finding him looking back to the songbook of Lefty Frizzell and other classic honky tonk laments with a master's touch – essential for Hag fans or anyone ready to be schooled in true, real deal, hokum free country music. The production is barely a production at all – Hag set his band up in a cabin on his property and basically lets it all play out live and direct, a God given gift to those of us who loved the songs he recorded in the 80s and early 90s, but couldn't deal with the glossy over-production – and his voice sounds better than it has in years. Includes the excellent originals "More Than My Old Guitar" and "Honky Tonk Mama", Lefty's classics "Always Late (With Your Kisses)", "If You've Got The Money (I've Got The Time)", "My Baby's Just Like Money" and "I Want To Be With You Always", plus Hank Sr's "Honky Tonkin". If only this thing sold well enough for Anti- to bankroll Vol 2, we coulda died happy. CD

A wonderful collection of New Orleans soul legend Allen Toussaint's recordings for Reprise in the 70s! The Reprise years were really magical period for Allen, recording some of the greatest music of his career – mixing funk with heavy soul early in the decade and with a bit more sweetness and polish as the years progress – but even at his most mainstream ready, the groove is very much traceable to the gritty, funkier Crescent City sounds of his younger years. Amazing stuff that we grow more and more fond of with each passing year! Includes "From A Whisper To A Scream", "What Is Success", "Am I Expecting To Much?", "On Your Way Down"., "Soul Sister", "Country John", "Last Train", "What Do You Want The Girl To Do?", "Lover Of Love", "Motion", "Viva La Money", "With You In Mind", Night People", "Happiness" and more. 16 tracks in all. CD

Oliver Cheatham sounds wonderful here – in that best bouncy style that made him a big favorite on the dancefloors in the early 80s – a groove that's still pretty darn great all these years later! The set features key songwriting help from Al Hudson and Kevin McCord, both of whom help enforce the One Way style of grooving here – nicely punched-up club tracks filled with plenty of hooks, mixed with the odd mellower number to show that the album's a solid soul effort all the way through – and not just some dance tracks cooked up in the studio! Cheatham's vocals are great – better than we remember – and titles include "Everybody Wants To Be The Boss", "I Want Your Love I Need Your Love", "Boogie Stomp", "Don't Take Your Love Away", and "I Gave Myself To You". CD

Some of the trippiest soul music ever recorded – an amazing collection of work by the legendary Rotary Connection – early home to vocalist Minnie Riperton and arranger Charles Stepney! Rotary Connection was a unique late 60s combination of soul, jazz, and rock-based modes – all inflected by more baroque production styles coming down in the Chicago scene of the time – balanced perfectly by the genius of Stepney – who often drew inspiration from avant classical work to round out his sound! Stepney gave the group a heady heady sound that went far beyond the airy vocal sound of Minnie Riperton or the rougher edge of Sidney Barnes – and the mix of unusual instrumentation, odd recording techniques, and strange timings made the group's music years ahead of its time – at a level that's really only fully appreciated these many years later. This 2CD set goes way beyond previous collections of Rotary Connection work, because it shows a real appreciation for the more adventurous sounds of Stepney in the studio – and brings together the trippiest, most freewheeling cuts from the group's 4 albums for Chess/Cadet – as well as a number of key tunes that have been heavily sampled over the years. 33 tracks in all – including "The Salt Of The Earth", "Rapid Transit", "Magical World", "I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun", "A-Muse", "Sursum Mentes", "Memory Band", "Hey Love", "The Sea & She", "Song For Everyman", "Love Is", "We're Going Wrong", "Life Could", "Teach Me How To Fly", "VIP", "Let Them Talk", "Love Has Fallen On Me", "Respect", "Pink Noise", "Want You To Know", and "This Town". CD

Candi Staton returns to a great secular soul sound for Who's Hurting Now – her second album of new material for the Honest Jons label in the late 00s – and a solid, assured and irresistible one than we love even more than the previously winning His Hands LP! Candi's voice has a rawness to it and a grit that's paired masterfully with kind of loose, country soul tinged arrangements – timeless sounds that are relevant to Candi's earlier triumphs for Fame Records without attempting to replicate them, and very much of the here and now. Producer Mark Nevers continues to be a key figure behind the boards on excellent modern sets by pivotal figures in classic and cult classic country and soul, but this is Candi's show all the way! Titles include "Breaking Down Slow", "Who's Hurting Now?", "I Feel The Same", "Cry Baby Cry", "Dust On My Pillow", "Mercy Now", "Get Your Hands Dirty", "Lonely Don't", "I Don't Know" and "I Don't Want For Anything". CD

The complete Monument recordings of southern soul-tinged swamp rock trailblazer Tony Joe White – in a wonderful box set from the deep catalog explorers at Rhino Handmade! Swamp Rock contains everything from the Black & White, Continued and Tony Joe LPs – with dozens of previously unreleased work from the era. Unlike the most famous dude we can think of who wears the swamp rock genre tag, Tony Joe White really was reared in the swamp country of Louisiana – and genuineness shows on these fine recordings! His vocals here have a bit of that laconic storyteller vibe of a Bobby Bare type character – but the production and arrangements have a real feel for the Stax and Muscle Shoals sounds. It's a blend of styles that's quite unique – and well worth rediscovery! Includes all the tracks from Tony Joe's 3 LPs for Monument plus a swampful of great bonus numbers from those sessions and more – a whopping 81 tracks on four CDs! Disc one includes the Black & White LP and much more: "Willie And Laura Mae Jones", "Soul Francisco", "Whompt Out On You", "Wichita Lineman" and more. Disc 2 features the Continued LP and more: "Elements And Things", "Woodpecker", "Old Man Willis", "Woman With Soul" and much more. Disc 3 includes the Tony Joe LP tracks and more: "Stud-Spider", "Widow Wimberly", "Save Your Sugar For Me", "Hard To Handle" and more. Disc 4 includes a slew of previously unreleased material cut at Barclay Studios in Paris, plus live work from Tony Joe at the Isle Of Wight: titles include "Mississippi Delta", "Chain Of Blues", "Ballad Of Hollis Brown" and more from the Barclay sessions, plus "Boom Boom", "I Want You", "Groupy Girl" and more from Isle Of Wight. CD

A masterpiece of messed-up LA funk – and one of the crowning moments in the career of Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band! Charles and crew do an excellent job with all the tracks – most of which are more open ended than some of their earlier ones, and run on for longer than usual with some good trippy instrumental moments that really stretch out the groove from their funky 45 days. The album includes the stoner funk classic "High As Apple Pie", done here in two "slices", plus the classic "Express Yourself", a monster number that still sounds great every time we hear it – even though it's been used on commercials and sampled plenty of times over the years! Other tracks include "I'm Aware", "Road Without An End", and "Tell Me What You Want Me To Do". CD features 10 bonus tracks too – including 2 radio spots, single versions of "Express Yourself" and "High As Apple Pie", an alternate version of "Road Without An End", unreleased tracks "Jam #4" and "Everything's Gonna Be Alright", and the cuts "Living On Borrowed Time" and "Solution For Pollution". CD

The landmark album from Hampton Grease Band – a group who were every bit as weird and wonderful as contemporaries like Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa – and who work here with a similar sense of wit and freeplay in their instrumentation! Given that the group originally had some blues elements in their music, there's a definite link to Beefheart – and there's a dynamism here that almost feels as if they felt like they conquered blues rock at an early age, when they were working the southern scene – then felt free to play with its elements in whatever way they wanted! Bruce Hampton's vocals are wonderful – almost as weird and skittish as sounds that would later come from the art/punk underground at the end of the decade – and titles include "Halifax", "Maria", "Evans", "Hey Old Lady & Bert's Song", and "Hendon". CD

A stunning celebration of one of the greatest pairings in Brazilian music – and in American music as well, given that both Airto Moreira and Flora Purim recorded plenty of these cuts up in our neck of the woods! Airto's percussion is the stuff of legend – a key force in Brazilian recordings in the late 60s, and then equally important in American jazz – in famous recordings with Miles Davis and other artists, and plenty of great records on his own! Flora's vocals are equally crucial – a soaring, fluid approach that forever changed the way that female singers approached jazz – bred in 60s bossa, but instantly something new by the time the 70s came along – especially when Airto was supporting her with great grooves! This huge package brings together material that both artists recorded – often under the name of one or the other, but often with the other artist present on the recording – with a heavy batch of work from the 70s and 80s, but also crucial cuts from other years too! 3CD set features 37 tracks and a really great package – with titles that include "Love Lock", "The Happy People", "Hungry On Arriva", "The Road Is Hard", "Samba De Flora", "O Canto Da Sereia", "Jeito Bom De Sofrer", "Papo Furado", "Xibaba", "Back Streets Of Havana", "Vera Cruz", "Flora's Song", "When Angels Crie", "Celebration Suite", "Casa Forte", "Black Narcissus", "A Secret From The Sea", "O Cantador/I Just Want To Be Here", "Jump", and "Hot Sand". CD

A classic yet unusual take on the sound of post-folk vocals in the world of 70s pop – a set done by gentle-voiced Mary MacGregor, a singer who would have had much more acoustic support a decade before – yet who here has an unusual blend of AOR elements and more laidback modes, all surprisingly produced at Muscle Shoals! This isn't the usual Muscle Shoals set – no southern soul currents, just plenty of warm keyboard lines from Barry Beckett, who co-produced with Peter Yarrow – another talent here who is in different territory than usual. Beckett even plays a bit of moog, which sounds nice next to Mary's voice as she delivers tunes that include the classic "Torn Between Two Lovers", plus "Good Together", "This Girl", "Mama", "It's Too Soon", "The Lady I Am", "For A While", and "I Just Want To Love You". CD

During the early 60s, Blue Note wisely cut a number of sessions that took advantage of their soulful in-house rhythm trio The Three Sounds. The group recorded more than a few successful albums under their own name – but they also did a few great records that feature them backing up a more famous soloist. Such is the case with this one, in which Gene Harris and crew back up Stanley Turrentine for a beautifully mellow set of late nite tracks, played with an easy rolling groove missing from some of Turrentine's other, more full-on sessions at the time. Titles include "Blue Riff", "I Want A Little Girl", and "Willow Weep For Me". CD

A bit later than some of Lowell Fulsom's funk work for Kent Records – but a set that's almost more vintage overall! The album's recorded for the short-lived Big Town imprint – a late 70s venue that took older R&B artists back to the sounds of a few decades before – never too rootsy, thanks to the style of production – but with less attempt to crossover to a contemporary audience than the artists might have used on another label. There is a fair bit of heavy guitar in the 70s – a kind of post-blues revival feel that comes on loud and clear, and which sounds especially great on the title track "Lovemaker", which almost has a funky "Tramp" groove at the bottom! Other cuts include "Bending Like A Willow Tree", "Get The Cash & Let The Credit Go", "My Mind Is Trying To Leave Me Too", "When Things Go Wrong", and "I Am Not Worried". CD features 2 bonus tracks – "Price For Love" and "All I Want Is For You To Love Me". CD

An obscure UK group, and one who blend together hard rock modes with some slightly more sensitive moments – all with production and arrangements from John Weathers, in his years before more progressive sounds with Gentle Giant! The music here is a lot more down to earth, and plenty earthy too – and showcases that post-psych, post-blues rock use of guitar turned up to 11 – a quality that also comes through in the vocals of Gareth Mortimer, who sometimes sounds as if he's processed a bit to blow out the speakers with the guitars! Titles include "Eagle Song", "Where The Snow Lies Forever", "Odd Song", "Don't Want", "Mystic Mountain", and "Prelude To A Blind Man". Features the bonus track "Freedom Train (alternate)". CD

A stunning surprise from Andre 3000 – at least if you only know him as part of Outkast – and a record that finally gives us an audio document of the sounds that Andre has really been involved with in recent years – a beautiful blend of spiritual jazz with mellower currents, aided here by some members of the contemporary LA scene! There's a resonance here with some of the more laidback projects on the International Anthem label, and with the work of Carlos Nino – and no surprise, Nino is on board to deliver great production work throughout, and co-produced the album with Andre too. Andre delivers a lot of work on flute, as hinted at by the cover – and also serves up beautiful sounds on wind controller too – as the set moves between contributions from other artists who include Nate Mercereau on guitars, and Diego Gaeta and Surya Botofasina on keyboards – as well as guest vocals from Mia Doi Todd on two tracks, and shakuhachi from Shabaka Hutchings on one more. Titles include "That Night In Hawaii When I Turned Into A Panther & Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn't Control", "Ninety Three Til Infinity & Beyonce", "Dreams Once Buried Beneath The Dungeon Floor Slowly Sprout Into Undying Gardens", "Ants To You Gods To Who", and "I Swear I Really Wanted To Make A Rap Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me". CD

Stripped-down Count Basie from the start of the 60s – a great little set that has the Count working with some of the best players from his larger group, in a session of even more intimate small combo material! The sounds here echo the Basie groove of the earlier years, but the overall presentation is a fair bit more modern – nicely syncopated with that sense of space discovered by Basie in the 50s – and perfectly interpreted by players who include Thad Jones on trumpet, Frank Wess on flute, Frank Foster on tenor, Freddie Green on guitar, Eric Dixon on flute, and Basie himself on both piano and organ – the latter of which is quite a treat! Titles include "Secrets", "Count's Place", "I Want A Little Girl", "Tally Ho Mr Basie", "Senator Whitehead", "Whatcha Talkin", and "Shoe Shine Boy". CD

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

One of the most unique soul records you'll ever own – a tremendous little set from the mighty Milton Wright! Milton's probably best known for his first album, Friends & Buddies, but this set is arguably even greater – an even more personal, unusual session that blends wonderfully written songs, heartfelt vocals, and some really offbeat production techniques! There's a bit of an acoustic vibe to the set at times – guitar gently grooving alongside Milton's vocals – but the set also has a jazzy tinge too, with hip inflections amidst the arrangements that created a really sophisticated pattern of sounds for the record. Things start somewhat mellow, but quickly get grooving – bringing in bits of keyboards and more electric guitar to warm things up, and hitting a sublime style that's unlike anything else we can think of. Wright's vocals often have a spaced out feel that's in keeping with the album, but the album's hardly laidback – and has a great sense of focus throughout. Titles include "Be With Me", "She Can Have Anything She Wants", "Dance Have Fun", "Magic Music", "You Like To Dance", "Let's Take A Break", "All I Know Is That I Have You", and "Leave Me Alone". CD

Think you've heard everything on Motown? Think again – because this sweet little set is filled with unissued 60s recordings by some of the best male singers on the label! The collection is a soul fan's dream come true – as the music here represents some real lost corners of Motown, with sounds that span almost the full stretch of the 60s – and really show the label's greatness at work – because if most of these tracks were recorded by other labels, they would have been pushed as potential hits! There's great work from artists who were just starting out, surprising moments from big names at the time, and a few entries we wouldn't have guessed without looking at the notes – and titles include "Headin North" by Shorty Long, "Only On The Weekend" by The Headliners, "Satisfaction Is Guaranteed" by Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers, "Safety Zone" by Marv Johnson, "Hold On To Me" by The Spinners, "Show Me You Can Dance" by The Hit Pack, "Tell Me How To Forget A True Love" by Johnny Bristol, "Mojo Hannah (studio)" by Marvin Gaye, "I Wanted To Cry" by Bruce Channel, "I'm Gonna Make It To The Top" by Freddie Gorman, "This Ole Heart" by The Quails, "The Night We Called It A Day" by The Four Tops, and "Just Your Love" by Ivy Jo. CD

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

Solo piano from Dollar Brand – and more proof that he's one of the few players who can handle such a format with the same sort of fullness you might normally expect from a trio! Brand's work has a wonderfully rhythmic quality here, and a righteous element too – one that fits the "new nations" spirit of the title – the rising sense of power and identity in independent Africa, paid tribute to beautifully in a host of original compositions! There's less of the light, loping sounds that you might find on other Brand albums of the 70s – and at points, the music gets quite complex, emotionally – which makes the record a great one to turn to if you want to get past some of Brand's more familiar modes. Titles include "Thaba Nchu", "The Trial", "Liberation Dance", "Biral", "Anthem For New Nations", and "The Wedding Suite". CD

Take a trip through hell with the CA Quintet – an obscure late 60s combo from the Twin Cities – and one who've got more than enough psychedelic power to live up to the Cali promise of their name! The album's got a pretty amazing cover – nude models dancing in a satanic landscape – and the sounds within are even more incredible – way more eerie and offbeat than other records of this nature, with a true undercurrent of evil that really comes through in both the darkness of the instrumentation, and the creepy way the vocals are put across. Titles include "Trip Thru Hell" – in two parts – plus "Sleepy Hollow Lane", "Smooth As Silk", "Cold Spider", and "Colorado Mourning". CD features lots of bonus tracks – including "Fortune Teller's Lie", "Bury Me In A Marijuana Field", "I Want You To Love Me Girl", "Bring All Your Love", "Dr Of Philosophy", and "Ain't No Doubt About It". CD

Really wonderful sounds from an overlooked sound library genius – and an artist who's also a great one to turn to if you want to hear the groovier side of the spectrum too! Rene Costy recorded these tracks on the 70s scene in Belgium – which is why he's probably not as well-exposed as sound library creators from the UK, France, and Italy – but that obscurity is also what makes some of these tracks so great – as the groovier numbers come across with a freshly bubbling feel that's very positive, and has the warmth of some of our favorite French soundtrack tunes from the 70s – and the darker tracks have an unusually sharp approach, but somehow while still sounding tuneful! Keyboards are the dominant instrument – and CD one features "grooves", which make up the biggest part of the collection – followed by a shorter array of darker tracks on the "scapes" of CD two. Titles include "Danger", "Ever Faithfull", "Cue Joe", "Automatisme", "Scrabble", "Longuest Night", "Country Dance", "From Time To Time", "Barbara's Dream", "Machinery", "Anxiety", and "Phantasmes". CD

Titles include "My Radio Sure Sounds Good To Me", "Hair", "We've Been Waiting", "Can You Handle It", "Sooner or Later", "The Jam", "It's Alright", and "Now D U Wanta Dance". CD

One of those amazing obscure records that seems to come out of nowhere – sounding nothing like most of the mainstream work of the time, with a power that might have shaped the world of music for years to come – if the album hadn't been issued in a tiny pressing of only 60 copies! There's a darkness here that's mindblowing – not just in the vocals, and the weird echoey way they've been recorded – but also in the overall instrumentation and pacing of the record – kind of a melancholy, slow progression that almost prefaces 80s styles on 4AD, but with a much rougher feel overall! Any psyche impulses are broken down into much sparer, earthier sounds – and there seems to be a bit of electronics in the mix – or is it just noise from the guitar? Yet lyrical themes are up-close and personal too – almost chance-taking in their earnestness, without the somberness of the instrumentation. All of this makes for a sublime mix – and a record that's as captivating as it is rare. Titles include "Lonely Again", "I Want To Love You", "Goodbye Sunshine", "Candleman", and "Seagulls" – and 2CD set features a whopping 23 bonus tracks – a huge amount of unreleased material, and a few other singles by the group. CD

Arthur Lee left his group Love behind for this early 70s debut as a solo act – but the record also seems to have Lee returning to some of the heavier blues-inspired sounds of that group's early years too! Lee is a monster here in the spotlight – fantastic guitar lines effortlessly flying from his fingers, vocal power that's more varied and dynamic than some of his later Love performances, and a sense of occasional wit that's echoed by the cover. Arthur also wrote, produced, and arranged the whole thing – which was recorded in Hollywood with help from some of his friends – on titles that include "Hamburger Breath Stinkfinger", "He Knows A Lot of Good Women", "You Can Save Up To 50% But You're Still A Long Ways From Home", "He Said She Said", "Love Jumped Through My Window", "Everybody's Gotta Live", and "You Want Change For Your Rerun". CD features lots of bonus tracks – "Pencil In Hand", "Looking Glass Looking At Me", and unreleased versions of "Everybody's Gotta Live", "He Knows A Lot Of Good Women", and "EZ Rider". CD

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

The great first album from Ten Years After – recorded at a time when the group were maybe more strongly linked to the bluesy sounds of the beat group generation than in later years – although still with a hint of some of the trippy touches to come! There's a surprisingly strong dedication to American blues roots at many moments – not just on some of the songs by Sonny Boy Williamson or Willie Dixon – but, maybe thanks to producer Mike Vernon, or more likely the genius of Alvin Lee, the guitars are already getting a bit fuzzy at times, and the keyboards have some unusual tones that you never would have heard on the south side of Chicago. Titles include "I Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes", "Spoonful", "Feel It For Me", "Help Me", "Adventures Of A Young Organ", "I Want To Know", and "Losing The Dogs". CD