... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Funky genius galore – a massive package that brings together both the complete studio and live recordings by the Average White Band – plus some great surprises as well! The group are the stuff of legend – an overseas combo, but one with a groove so tight they were able to get plenty of play on American soul radio stations back in the 70s – and continued to live on long and strong for decades afterwards, thanks to heavy samples of their music by other generations, and a longtime love of their groove by fans of classic funk and soul! And even into the 80s, the group continued to sound great – shifting to a cool, compressed groove that made for some excellent steppers – while still sticking to the funk at their core. The box set contains all of that work, and more – all studio albums, and their double-length live set – plus a full bonus CD of mixes and rarities too. Titles include the CD debut of On The Strip – plus the albums Show Your Hand, Average White Band, Put It Where You Want It, Cut The Cake, Soul Searching, Person To Person, Benny & Us, Warmer Communications, Feel No Fret, Shine, Volume 8, Cupid's In Fashion, and Selected 12" Mixes & Rarities. 133 tracks in all – with a bonus book of images and text, including reflections on the music from the group's Hamish Stuart and Alan Gorrie. CD

Some of the greatest moments from David Bowie, mixed with some rare tracks, collaborations, 45 mixes, and more – as well as the single "Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)" – which is one of Bowie's best singles in years! The package is available in a number of varieties, with a number of covers – and each different iteration offers a special sort of focus on Bowie's varied creative career – reminding us in more different ways how much we've continued to love his music over the years! This 3CD version features the track "Sue" – plus 58 more tracks that include"All The Young Dudes", "Dancing In The Streets" with Mick Jagger, "Silly Boy Blue", "Can't Help Thinking About Me", "Liza Jane", "You've Got A Habit Of Leaving", "Wild Is The Wind (2010 Harry Maslin mix)", "Buddha Of Subburbia", "Your Turn To Drive", "The Stars Are Out Tonight", "Blue Jean", "This Is Not America" with Pat Metheny, "Oh You Pretty Things", "Moonage Daydream", "Drive In Saturday", "Sorrow", "Fame", "Boys Keep Swinging", "Fashion (single)", "Ashes To Ashes (single)", "Love Is Lost (DFA hello Steve Reich mix)", "New Iller Star (radio)", "I'm Afraid Of Americans (V1 radio edit)", "Jump They Say (radio)", "Let's Dance", "Life On Mars", "Hello Spaceboy (PSB rmx)" with Pet Shop Boys, "Under Pressure" with Queen, "Sound & Vision", "Golden Years (single)", "Absolute Beginners (single)", "Starman (single)", "Rebel Rebel", "Jean Genie (orig single version)", "Changes", "Where Are We Now", "China Girl (single)", and "Heroes (single)". CD

Shindig magazine usually looks at the past, but this time around the past is closer than usual – as they've got a special feature on the best releases of 2023 – although many of them also have to deal with older music! And in true Shindig fashion, Big Star is on the cover – with an exclusive interview that also discusses the tensions that were rising during the creation of their legendary album Radio City! The issue's also got other features – articles on Donovan, Paul Williams, PP Arnold, Plasticland, The Fairies, Chris Farlowe, and others – plus a look at the changing scenes during the 20 key musical years of 1964 to 1984. Magazine

An amazing, largely unheard collection of recordings by Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys! If you're not down with the lore, what's now known as The Tiffany Transcriptions is a series of recordings that the western swing pioneers cut for Tiffany Music, Inc. in the mid-to-late 40s, which were intended only for syndicated radio play at the time – but Tiffany went bust shortly thereafter, and a lot of went unheard for years and years. Wills and his Playboys are really at a peak level here – bridging rural dancehall music with swing jazz in landmark fashion and folksy charm. We've always been huge fans of Playboys singer Tommy Duncan, and he's in top form here, - and the set includes some excellent instrumentals, too. It features 50 tracks on 2CDs – 30 of which have never been reissued, or included on earlier Tiffany Transcriptions anthologies – and 20 of the 50 have never been released before now! Includes "Put Another Chair At The Table", "Travelin' Blues", "Bubbles In My Beer", "Detour", "Sliver Dew On The Blue Grass Tonight", "On The Alamo (Instrumental)", "Ragtime Annie (Instrumental)", "Goodnight Little Sweetheart", "I Wonder If You Feel The Way I Do", "She's Gone", "Still Water Runs The Deepest" and many more. Deluxe package, too! CD

Later work from Chet Baker – served up here in a 3CD package! The first 2CDs feature the Sesjun Radio Shows albums – rare radio material from Chet Baker – all recorded in the Netherlands, with wonderful sound – and brought together here in a two volume series that offers up some excellent unreleased material from his later years! The tunes and performances are maybe a bit different than some of the looser live dates that Baker recorded for other labels – although many of the performances are quite long, and showcase that advance solo approach that makes Chet's later work so different than the shorter tracks on his early albums. Titles include "Chet's Theme", "Lady Bird", "Just Friends", "Blue N Boogie", "Ray's Idea", "This Is Always", and "I'm Old Fashioned". Straight From The Heart is material from the last concert Chet Baker ever recorded – a surprisingly tight session that has the trumpeter blowing solos in front of the NDR Big Band. The setting is relatively relaxed – not a blasting big band session, but one that colors in the space between Baker's notes with gentle shades of sound – really respecting his role as a soloist, and providing just the right amount of gentle accompaniment to flesh out the sound of the set. Chet sings on 2 numbers – "My Funny Valentine" and "I Get Along Without You Very Well" – and other tracks include "Sippin At Bells", "Conception", "Look For The Silver Lining", and "Tenderly". Herb Geller also solos on 2 numbers too! CD

An incredibly lovely record from Kraftwerk – fashioned along the same suite-like style as Radio Activity, and served up with some haunting and charming tunes throughout! The electronics are quite spare, yet very thoughtful – never a note out of place, as the quartet build their careful efforts together to create a tapestry of surprisingly warm sounds – using just a bit of vocals in really great ways, and almost prefacing a whole generation of UK and Euro pop to come – yet without any of their schmaltz! Titles include "Europe Endless", "Hall of Mirrors", "Abzung", "Franz Schubert", and "Showroom Dummies" – not to mention the awesome title track and electro break number "Metal On Metal". CD