... 12-inch, Vinyl record

The a-side features Royce Da 5'9, Concise & DJ Revolution. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of the strangest albums to come out of the late 60s spoken word record boom – a collection of Bob Dylan tunes, read with a heavy English accent by actor Sebastian Cabot! Cabot's probably best known for his roles in the shows Checkmate and Family Affair – and he uses that familiar growly voice to great effect here on Dylan's tunes – spitting them out with a slightly bitter quality that's a fair bit different than Bob's original versions, but still very much in the same spirit! The backings are relatively spare – bits of strings, guitar, and other instrumentation – all handled by Irving Spice – and tunes include "It Ain't Me Babe", "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right", "Like A Rolling Stone", and "Blowin In The Wind". One of the best examples of "establishment hip" we can think of – and it's records like this that took more steam out of the left than Barry Goldwater ever did! LP, Vinyl record album

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

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

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

One of the few records ever cut by this fantastic alto player from the mid 50s! Henry most famously worked with Monk, but his albums as a leader are great – and this one features Kenny Dorham, Kenny Drew, Wilbur Ware, and Art Taylor, all components of a totally solid Riverside lineup. Titles include "Orient", "Active Ingredients", "Checkmate", and "Free Flight". LP, Vinyl record album

A real rarity from Jerry Goldsmith – groovy tunes penned for a late 60s film about an Oxford professor who's also a spy for the British Secret Service! Goldmith's music is a bit less serious than usual at points – still scored with the deep care and sensitivity we've come to love in Jerry's soundtracks, but peppered with a few of the more upbeat, mod-styled cuts you'd expect in a 60s spy comedy! Instrumentation varies from full orchestral to smaller combo – romping rhythms and a bit of guitar on some of the groovy numbers, mixed with softer strings on the more serious tunes. There's a great vocal number called "You Gotta Let Me Go" – and other tracks include "The Decoders", "Checkmate", "Sebastian", "First Day At Work", "Night Scene", "The Trip", and "Sputnik Code". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Produced by Phil Spector! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A classic bit of baroque soul by the Checkmates Ltd – and one of the most unusual Phil Spector productions of all time! Sonny Charles and The Checkmates were a soul group that had been knocking around for a few years before the set – singing in a strong blend of rocking styles that made them a crowd-pleaser on the live circuit of the 60s. But for this set, the group really took things to a whole new level – working with Spector in the studio to craft a complicated set of tunes that really takes them way way past their roots. Side one features some shorter, straighter soul tunes – including "Love Is All I Have To Give", "Spanish Harlem, "I Keep Forgettin", and "Black Pearl" – but side two is really wonderful – and has the group performing the "Hair Anthology Suite" – based around tracks from the Galt MacDermot score to the musical Hair – all filtered through the genius talents of Spector. Thanks should also be given to arrangers Dee Barton and Perry Botkin Jr, whose baroque arrangements further help to make the album a gem! LP, Vinyl record album

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