Apes, fight like apes! This great CD pairs the soundtracks for the last two Planet Of The Apes films – Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes and Battle For The Planet Of The Apes both of which were much more low-budget and a bit more unbridled than the original movies. Conquest features 14 tracks written by funky jazzer Tom Scott – done in a mix of orchestral suspense and military themes, often handled with some nice touches of 70s electric instrumentation that's similar to that used by Scott in his TV show work. Battle features 17 tracks written by Leonard Rosenmann, who'd scored the earlier Beneath The Planet Of The Apes film, and who here returns to the moody feel of that score. A great package, with a wonderful booklet and nice images – limited to 3000 copies, with titles that include "Ape Servitude", "1991 Restaurant", "Teacher Teacher", "Caesar Departs", "Ricky's Theme", "Electrocution", "The King Is Dead", and "Subjugation Soul". CD

Music for solo saxophone and small ensembles. CD

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The album's one of Jackie Gleason's finest – and a perfect demonstration of the lush, romantic backings that he did so well for Capitol during the decade – an approach that was very much in direct contrast to Gleason's pyrotechnic personality in TV comedies, but which was a surprisingly good fit for the late nite, booze-heavy antics of Jackie in real life. There's a sense of loss and longing here that few other arrangers at the time could duplicate – and while the album's clearly poised to be a tool in the act of seduction, it's got an emotional depth that might actually have your potential conquest running home with memories of sadness past flooding her mind – not actually coming across with the goods! Titles include "You're My Greatest Love", "It's The Talk Of The Town", "She's Funny That Way", "Coquette", "Did I Remember", "Dancing In The Dark", and "You & The Night & The Music". LP, Vinyl record album

The last album in The White Stripes incredible late 90s to mid 00s run – and they really went out on an epic high note – one of their very best records! As kicked off by the classic title tune, this one goes on to be fully connected to their raw roots, but committed with a bigger, more full-bodied sound, carrying over the depth of instrumentation they'd been building in over the years but still really honing in on the raging, fuzzy guitars. Classic! Includes "Icky Thump", "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do What You're Told)", "300 MPH Torrential Downpour Blues", "Conquest", "Bone Broke", "Little Cream Soda", "I'm Slowly Turning In To You", "Catch Hell Blues", "Effect And Cause" and more. CD

The last album in The White Stripes incredible late 90s to mid 00s run – and they really went out on an epic high note – one of their very best records! As kicked off by the classic title tune, this one goes on to be fully connected to their raw roots, but committed with a bigger, more full-bodied sound, carrying over the depth of instrumentation they'd been building in over the years but still really honing in on the raging, fuzzy guitars. Classic! Includes "Icky Thump", "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do What You're Told)", "300 MPH Torrential Downpour Blues", "Conquest", "Bone Broke", "Little Cream Soda", "I'm Slowly Turning In To You", "Catch Hell Blues", "Effect And Cause" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A killer killer compilation – the sort we've been dying to own for years! It's a well known fact that there's plenty of funky nuggets hidden amidst 70s gospel recordings – massive grooves and break-heavy tracks that rank right up there with the best indie funk from the same time. Yet tracking down these tunes has always been plenty tough – given that most gospel records sold in different circles, had different distribution, and often are less easy to decipher for the crate digger than more conventional funk and soul. Enter the folks at Numero – who have really gone all out this time around, and dug through piles and piles of rare gospel records to come up with a whopping batch of great tracks! This set is definitely ground zero for getting into funky gospel – and it's filled with far more obscure work than the Soul Gospel set on Soul Jazz – all indie numbers from small labels that only got minor distribution at the time. As usual with Numero, the notes and package match the soulful depth and righteousness of the music – and the set is one of the most perfectly wrapped-up genre compilations we've ever seen! 18 tracks in all – with titles that include "I Thank The Lord" by Mighty Voices Of Wonder, "This Old World Is Going Down" by The Modulations, "Look Where He Brought Us" by The Apostles Of Music, "Thoughs (sic) Were The Days" by LaVice & Company, "Bad Situation" by 5 Spiritual Tones, "God Been Good To Me" by Mighty Walker Brothers, "O Yes My Lord" by Voices Of Conquest, "We Don't Love Enough" by Triumphs, "Heaven On Their Minds" by Sam Taylor, "God Will Dry My Weeping Eyes" by Horace Family, and "I Call Him" by Masonic Wonders. CD

A love letter to the legendary Fame Records – filled with unissued tracks and rare gems from the vaults! Fame was one of the great ones back in the day – the driving force behind Muscle Shoals soul music, and a company that helped really redefine the sound of the music in the 60s – thanks to incredible production, and a tight cast of studio musicians who knocked it out of the park on nearly every session! 21 of the set's 24 tracks have never been issued before – and, even more compelling, none were featured on the similar 7" box set from Ace – making the package a treasure trove of music, even for the serious soul collector. Titles include "Tell It Like It Is" by Big Ben Atkins, "Almost Persuaded" by Jackie, "You're So Fine" by James Barnett, "I Do" by June Conquest, "Your Helping Hand" by Otis Clay, "In The Heat Of Love" by Marjorie Ingram, "Steal Away 67" by Jimmy Hughes, "You Really Know How To Hurt A Guy" by Ralph Soul Jackson, "Let's Do It Over" by Travis Wammack, "For You" by George Jackson, "Baby Come Back" by Bobby Moore & The Rhythm Aces, "Keep On Talking" by Prince Phillip, "It Ain't No Harm" by George Byrd & The Dominoes, "Blind Can't See" by Richard Earl & The Corvettes, and "I Need Someone" by The Entertainers. CD

A beautiful collection of work from one of the greatest soul labels ever – a tiny Alabama imprint that helped bring the Muscle Shoals sound to the masses – thanks to the work of producer Rick Hall, and his crack band of session players! The music here set a whole new standard for soul in the south – and really helped bridge older 50s modes and the new wave of more expressive, more sophisticated singers – served up here in a special vinyl-only package that mixes big Fame classics with some real gems that never got their due back in the day – and even come cuts that appear here on vinyl for the first time ever! Titles include "She Ain't Gonna Do Right" by Clarence Carter, "Fortune Teller" by The Del-Rays, "That Kind Of Lovin" by Otis Clay, "Back In Your Arms" by George Jackson, "Feed The Flame" by Billy Young, "Almost Persuaded" by June Conquest, "A Piece of My Heart" by Art Freeman, "I Worship The Ground You Walk On" by Jimmy Hughes, "Blind Can't See" by Richard Earl & The Corvettes, "Come On Home" by Hrman Moore, "I'm Gonna Forget About You" by Arthur Conley, "Long Ago" by Ben & Spence, "Take Me Just As I Am" by Dan Penn, and "Don't Make Me Hate Loving You" by Jeanie Greene. LP, Vinyl record album

A really unusual album from bassist William Parker – an artist whose musical world is usually quite far from the 70s soul of Curtis Mayfield – even though both Mayfield and Parker are pretty darn righteous individuals! Yet here, Curtis and William come together in a stunning way – as Parker reworks classic Mayfield songs, and transforms them into fantastic vehicles for spiritual jazz expression! The group has a warmly collaborative vibe, and energy that feels like some lost indie jazz project from the 70s – all held together by Parker's bold acoustic bass and masterful leadership – in a lineup that includes vocals from Leena Conquest, piano from Dave Burrell, saxes and flute from Sabir Mateen, tenor and soprano from Darryl Foster, trumpet from Lewis Barnes, drums from Hamid Drake, and poetry and voice from Amari Baraka. With a lineup like that, you can already guess the vibe – and we can promise that the whole is even better than you might have hoped! Titles include "I Plan To Stay A Believer", "If There's A Hell Below", "This Is My Country", "People Get Ready/The Inside Song", "It's Alright", "Freddie's Dead", "New World Order", and a great 17 minute take on "We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue". CD

Includes the pieces "Mikhail Zoetrope (1974)", "Conquest Of Mexico (1973)", "Wind Ko/La (1973)", "Automata Of Al-Jazari (1974)", and "Variations On A Theme By Albert Ayler (1973)". CD

One of the most unusual albums issued by Impulse Records in the early 70s – one that's partly funky jazz, partly Chicano soul – and very much in that nice mixing of modes that the label was cooking up in the years after John Coltrane's passing! Gary Saracho leads the group on acoustic and electric piano – and the rest of the ensemble includes soprano sax, electric guitar, timbales, bass, and an assortment of other odd instrumentation, including some woodwinds – all served up in a style that's very hard to label easily – one of the reasons why the record was a bit ignored in the 70s, and is now seen as one that was years ahead of its time! Titles include "Happy, Sad", "Sunday's Church", "Senor Baker", and "Conquest De Mejico". LP, Vinyl record album

Spacey Frenchy disco stuff, recorded in French Canada, where they do that sort of thing pretty well. 4 long tracks with a space theme to them, including "Conquest Of The Stars", "Beyond Orion", and "Mission To Lyra". LP, Vinyl record album

Female soul galore – and a set that mixes together work from the 60s, 70s, and 80s – mostly pulled from the older catalog of Charly Records, and featuring styles that include funk, deep soul, and modern club! The stylistic mix is a bit all over the map, but there's plenty of great cuts on here that haven't been reissued in awhile – and as long as you're prepared for a genre shift as the set moves on, you'll find plenty to enjoy. 30 tracks on 3CDs – with titles that include "You're Losing Me" by Ann Sexton, "If My Friends Could See Me Now" by Linda Clifford, "There's A Break In The Road" by Betty Harris, "Funky Love" by The Staple Singers, "Girls Are Out To Get You" by The Fascinations, "Jessie Joe" by Jean Knight, "Take Care" by June Conquest, "All I Want Is You" by Zilla Mayes, "One Man's Poison" by Liz Lands, "Baby Don't You Know" by Bobbi Humphrey, "You Gotta Push" by Jodi Gales, "It's You I Need" by Deniece Chandler, "I Know You Care" by Ethel Beatty, "If You Don't Start" by The Jones Girls, and "Love & A Friend" by Eddie Bo & Inez Cheatham. 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

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