Funky soul from one of the less-discovered scenes in the south – the hotbed of small labels that were making some mighty great grooves in Atlanta during the 70s! The Peachtree city isn't nearly as well-cited as a soul music source in comparison to places like Memphis, Muscle Shoals, and even Miami – but back in the mid 70s, there was something really special going on – and for a strong moment, a few different labels really gave the city some great music! Much of the work here represents the changing character of Atlanta itself – deep soul vocals that were forged in a longer southern tradition, mixed with well-crafted grooves that show all the modern elements coming into play as the city grew and matured. Most of this work has a pre-disco vibe – with rhythms that are similar to the early work of Fatback or Kool & The Gang – with the difference that the singers in the lead are all pretty darn great on their own. BGP did an excellent job of choosing the tracks for the set, and the notes, as always, are great – and the package features 22 titles that include "Let's Dance" by Family Plann, "Seeds Of Life" by East LA Car Pool, "Down At The Disco" by Maggabrain, "Ain't It Funky" by Johnny Jacobs, "The Bump" by Floyd Smith, "Help Me (parts 1 & 2)" by Archie Russell, "I Don't Know What It Is But It Sure Is Funky" by Ripple, "Funk Pump" by The Counts, "Claim Jumpin" by Bill Brandon, "Checkmate" by The Ebony Godfather, "Shouldn't I Be Given The Right To Be Wrong" by Joe Hinton, "Husband In Law" by CL Blast, "Only A Fool" by Loleatta Holloway, "When I Build My World" by Jimmy Lewis, and "Complain To The Clouds" by Deep Velvet. CD

One of the best post-Paris live dates by the Art Ensemble Of Chicago – recorded right on their southside home turf in Chicago, as something of a homecoming after their years abroad! The performance is really one continuous piece, divided up into chapters – and it starts off with an intensity that's bolder than much of the group's previous recordings – an almost-free sort of sound that's quite raw, and which must have been a great way to announce their presence back on the Chicago scene. As the piece moves on, it slows a bit in pace, and opens up more in mood – but always has an edge that's quite distinct – almost free of some of the wit that marked the Ensemble's work from a few years before. The core lineup features Lester Bowie on trumpet and flugelhorn, Roscoe Mitchell and Joseph Jarman on saxes, Malachi Favors on bass, and Don Moye on drums and percussion – but as always, all players get their hands on plenty of other instruments during the performance – an array of horns, gongs, bells, whistles, bike horns, and more – all used to great effect! Sections of the work are titled "Duffvipels", "Checkmate", "Dautalty", and "Mata Kimasu". CD

The second volume in Rhino's groovy set of TV cop show theme songs – put together with the Nick At Nite TV Land crew, and featuring a track selection that's hipper than you might think! There's a few on here that we could have done without, but there's more than enough great numbers to make the set worthwhile – especially because they haven't been reissued elsewhere. Titles include "Mannix" by Lalo Schifrin, "Charlie's Angels" by Jack Elliott, "77 Sunset Strip" by Warren Barker, "Vega$" by Dominic Frontiere, "Cannon" by John Parker, "Hart to Hart" by Mark Snow, "Hawaiian Eye" by Warren Barker, "Tenspeed & Brownshoe" by Mike Post, "Theme From Checkmate" by John Williams, and "Harry O" by The John Gregory Orchestra. 16 tracks in all! CD

The classic box set featuring so many of the biggest, best, and brightest pop, rock & soul singles of the late 50s and on through the 60s – those ubiquitous, but no less incredible productions from that crazy genius Phil Spector! Back To Mono features many of the best known numbers by the Ronettes, the Righteous Brothers, Darlene Love, the Checkmates, the Crystals and many more – all of it with the appropriately dubbed Wall Of Sound that made Phil Spector the most famous producer of all time! We'd love to see an addendum someday featuring a set of Spector's productions for those idiosyncratic superstars of the 70s (the Ramones, Leonard Cohen, the post-Beatles) – but as a snapshot of an era, this box can hardly be beaten! 60 tracks on the the main 3CDs in the set – plus a 4th CD featuring the classic Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector album from 1963! Titles include "To Know Him Is To Love Him" by the Teddy Bears, "Spanish Harlem" by Ben E King, "I Love How You Love Me" by Paris Sisters, "He's A Rebel" by the Crystals, "(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Going To Marry" by Darlene Love, "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes, "Hold Me Tight" by the Treasures, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" by the Righteous Brothers, "River Deep Mountain High" by Ike & Tina, "Love Is All I Have To Give" by Checkmates and tons more – plus the immortal holiday disc featuring the Ronettes, Bob B Soxx & The Blue Jeans, Crystals, Darlene Love and more! All that, and a thick, nearly 100 page booklet! CD