Juju/Oneness Of Juju/Experience Unlimited : Black Fire Set (Live At The East/Chapter Two/African Rhythms/Space Jungle Luv/Free Yourself) (5LP set) (LP, Vinyl record album) -- Dusty Groove is Chicago's Online Record Store
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Black Fire Set (Live At The East/Chapter Two/African Rhythms/Space Jungle Luv/Free Yourself) (5LP set)

LP (Item 954638) Black Fire/Now Again, 1974–1976 
Five full albums from the legendary Black Fire label -- a DC-based imprint that was home to a heck of a lot of knowledge and power back in the 70s! First up is Live At The East -- a never-issued performance by the legendary spiritual jazz group Juju -- the genre-crossing combo who'd later expand to the full Oneness Of Juju ensemble! This set captures the group in more avant formation than their later funky records -- more clearly tied to a late Coltrane inspiration, but with some of the energy of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago and other creative improvisational groups -- especially in the way the members of the lineup seem to effortlessly shift instruments over the course of the long tunes on the set! The vibe is very similar to the Juju albums on Strata East -- and this set might be thought of as a chapter three to those two records -- with a lineup that features the mighty Plunky Nakabinde on tenor, soprano, flute, and percussion -- plus Al Hammel Rasul on piano, Lon Moshe on vibes and percussion, Ken Shabala on bass, and Babatunde and Jalango on percussion and vocals too. Titles include "Black Experience", "Struggle Home", "At Least We Have A Horizon Now", and "Soledad Brothers". Next is Chapter Two -- the rare second album from Juju -- the avant jazz collective who'd later morph into funk band Oneness Of Juju, but who still sound pretty revolutionary here! There's a bit more focus than before -- still energy that's a lot like the best righteous jazz groups coming out of Chicago or St Louis at the same time, but maybe a bit more direct, too -- and really showing some of the stronger spiritual tones that would only blossom more strongly in later years! Reedman Plunky Nakabinde is firmly at the helm of the group -- on tenor, flute, and soprano sax -- but the set also features great work from Lon Moshe on vibes and percussion, Babatunde on congas and drums, Phil Branch on bass, and Al-Hammond Raul on piano and percussion. The sounds are a bit less Afro-styled than on the Oneness records, but still have all the great spiritual currents -- and titles include an excellent version of Pharoah Sanders' "Black Unity", plus the original tunes "Contradiction","Nia", "Black Experience", and "The End Of The Butterfly King". On the next record, the group shifts into the new name Oneness Of Juju, and delivers African Rhythms -- a landmark of 70s Afro-styled jazz -- and the first album by this famous underground collective! Oneness of Juju were a Washington DC-based group that grew out of the ashes of the Juju avant jazz ensemble -- formed in the culturally rich African-American community of DC in the 70s, with spiritual and political aspirations that stretched far beyond the average funky combo. This first album is a masterful blend of percussion, jazz, and a slight bit of funk -- alternating vocal tracks with harder-hitting jazz instrumentals, all held together under the leadership of sax player Plunky Nakabinde -- a reedman whose work here alone is worth the price of admission -- laid out nicely alongside some great percussion, Fender Rhodes, and wonderfully worm vocals on a few tracks. The album's one of the greatest independent soul jazz albums of the 70s -- and it's filled with great tracks, such as the breakbeat classic "African Rhythms" and "Liberation Dues" -- plus "Kazi", "Funky Wood", "Don't Give Up", "Poo Too", and "Incognito". The group returns on Space Jungle Luv -- a fantastic record from one of the greatest underground jazz groups of the 70s! Oneness of Juju are perhaps best known for the heavy funk of their first album, African Rhythms -- but we're actually partial to this second album -- a warmly spiritual batch of soul jazz tracks, and a set that's filled with life, emotion, and wonderful instrumentation throughout! The group are a bit more relaxed overall -- easing into things, but in a way that really builds up as the album moves on -- as they layer together heavy percussion, sweet keyboards, and lots of great sax solos from Plunky Nakabinde -- plus wonderfully warm vocals that add a soulful edge the group never had before, but which still is very jazzy -- and not like the funky club of later years. The whole thing's wonderfully cohesive, and a treasure throughout -- and titles include the warm vocal number "River Luvrite", to the harder hitting "Space Jungle Funk", and other gems like "Soul Love Now", "Follow Me", "The Connection", and "Love's Messenger". Lastly, Experience Unlimited serve up a wonderfully spiritual album -- and one that's maybe a bit of a surprise, given the later fame of the group! The group here is billed by their full name -- Experience Unlimited -- but where later known to most of the world as EU, the DC funk outfit that went onto become pretty big in the GoGo scene, and who scored big with the 80s party cut "Da Butt". Yet as a classic album on the Black Fire label, this record is nothing like their 80s material at all -- and instead catches the group when they were part of a more spiritual scene, the same DC one that gave the world Oneness Of Juju and the larger family of Black Fire artists! This album has the group very much in a mid 70s Earth Wind & Fire mode -- jamming hard and free, with plenty of electric guitar riffing, funky keyboards, horns, and lots of percussion. Some tracks have vocals, and some are instrumentals -- but the whole thing's an extremely unified album with a great overall vibe -- and a message to match the title and the cover. Titles include "Functus", "Free Yourself", "Hey You", "It's All Imagination", and "Funk Consciousness".  © 1996-2024, Dusty Groove, Inc.

There may be different interpretations or standards used to grade pre-owned vinyl record albums & CDs. These are the grades that we use and what they mean for items that are not new copies.

Used Vinyl Grades

Below are stated conditions for a used vinyl records at Dusty Groove. Grading for the cover should be assumed to be near (within a "+" or "-") the grading for the vinyl. If there is significant divergence from the condition of the vinyl, or specific flaws, these will be noted in the comments section of the item. However, please be aware that since the emphasis of this site is towards the music listener, our main concern is with the vinyl of any used item we sell. Additionally, all of our records are graded visually; considering the volume of used vinyl we handle, it is impossible for us to listen to each record. If we spot any significant flaws, we make every attempt to listen through them and note how they play.

The following grading conditions apply to the vinyl component of an album or single:

Sealed

This is what it says, that the record is still held fast in shrink-wrap. We tend to be pretty suspicious about these things, so if the shrink-wrap doesn't look original, or if the record seems to have undergone some damage over time, we'll probably take it out of the wrapper to ensure that it's in good shape — which is why we don't have more of these. In some cases the shrink-wrap may be torn in spots, but if it's not possible the record has been taken out and played, the record will still qualify as "Sealed".

Near Mint

Dusty Groove does not use the grades of Near Mint (or Mint, for that matter) because in our experience, we find that no records ever qualify for such a high grade. Even sealed records tend to have one or two slight faults, enough to usually qualify them for a grade of NM- or lower. We've often found that records which are clearly unplayed will have a slight amount of surface noise, especially in quieter recordings.

Near Mint - (minus)

  • Black vinyl that may show a slight amount of dust or dirt.
  • Should still be very shiny under a light, even with slight amount of dust on surface.
  • One or two small marks that would make an otherwise near perfect record slightly less so. These marks cannot be too deep, and should only be surface marks that won't affect play, but might detract from the looks.
  • May have some flaws and discoloration in the vinyl, but only those that would be intrinsic to the pressing. These should disappear when the record is tilted under the light, and will only show up when looking straight at the record. (Buddah and ABC pressings from the 70's are a good example of this.)
  • May have some slight marks from aging of the paper sleeve on the vinyl.
  • Possible minor surface noise when played.

Very Good + (plus)

  • Vinyl should be very clean, but can have less luster than near mint.
  • Should still shine under a light, but one or two marks may show up when tilted.
  • Can have a few small marks that may show up easily, but which do not affect play at all. Most marks of this quality will disappear when the record is tilted, and will not be felt with the back of a fingernail.
  • This is the kind of record that will play "near mint", but which will have some signs of use (although not major ones).
  • May have slight surface noise when played.

Very Good

  • Vinyl can have some dirt, but nothing major.
  • May not shine under light, but should still be pretty clean, and not too dirty.
  • May have a number of marks (5 to 10 at most), and obvious signs of play, but never a big cluster of them, or any major mark that would be very deep. Most marks should still not click under a fingernail.
  • May not look near perfect, but should play fairly well, with slight surface noise, and the occasional click in part of a song, but never throughout a whole song or more.
  • This is clearly a copy that was played by someone a number of times, but which could also be a good "play copy" for someone new.

Very Good - (minus)

  • Vinyl may be dirty, and can lack a fair amount of luster.
  • Vinyl can have a number of marks, either in clusters or smaller amounts, but deeper.
  • This is the kind of record that you'd buy to play, but not because it looked that great. Still, the flaws should be mostly cosmetic, with nothing too deep that would ruin the overall record.
  • Examples include a record that has been kept for a while in a cover without the paper sleeve, or heavily played by a previous owner and has some marks across the surface. The record should play okay, though probably with surface noise.

Good + (plus)

  • Vinyl may be dirty, or have one outstanding flaw, such as a light residue, which could be difficult to clean.
  • May have marks on all parts, too many to qualify as Very Good-, or several deeper marks, but the record should still be ok for play without skips.
  • In general, this is a record that was played a fair amount, and handled without care. A typical example may be a record which has been heavily played by a DJ, and carries marks from slip cueing. Depending on the quality of the vinyl, may play with surface noise throughout.

Good

  • A record that you'd buy to play, cheap, but which you wouldn't buy for collecting.
  • Will have marks across all parts of the playing surface, and will most likely play with surface noise throughout. May have some other significant flaws, such as residue, or a track that skips.
  • In most cases, a poor quality copy of a very difficult to find record.

Fair

This is a grade we rarely use, as we try not to sell records in very bad condition, though in some rare cases we will list a record in such bad shape that it does not conform to the standards above. A "Fair" record will have enough marks or significant flaws that it does not even qualify as "Good", but is a copy you might consider for playing, if you're willing to put up with noise and/or flaws. An example might be a recording with surface noise so heavy that it is equal to the volume of the music. For records listed as "Fair", we will describe the extent of the condition in the comments.

Poor

Like "Fair", we rarely list records in this condition, as they represent the extreme low end of spectrum. These records typically have multiple serious problems, and we offer them as "relics" or "objects" only — for those who want to at least have a copy of a record, even if it is not really worthy of play, perhaps for the cover alone. For these records, we will describe the extent of the condition in the comments.

Additional Marks & Notes

If something is noteworthy, we try to note it in the comments — especially if it is an oddity that is the only wrong thing about the record. This might include, but isn't limited to, warped records, tracks that skip, cover damage or wear as noted above, or strictly cosmetic flaws.


Used CD Grade

We only use the grade "Used CD" for non-new CDs. This all-encompassing grade was chosen it because we only buy and offer used CDs in the best possible condition.

When you purchase a used CD you can expect the disc to be free of all but the lightest of surface marks, the case to be clean (we often change the cases ourselves), and the booklet to be in good shape. Used CDs may show some signs of use, but if there are significant details or defects we will describe the item's condition (just like we do with LPs), so look for notes on cutout marks, stickers, promo stamps or other details before ordering.

All of our used CDs are guaranteed to play without skipping or flaws. After you receive a used CD from Dusty Groove, you have 1 week to play it to determine that it plays correctly. If it does not, you can request a return for a full refund.


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