A 60s rock and roll soundtrack, but one that's also a cut above the usual mixed-bag bunch – thanks to a nicely cohesive set of charts from arranger Frank Perkins! About half the tracks here are by Frank – and they're nicely groovy instrumentals that have a jot of jerk and twist rhythms beneath the bigger horns – which are then offset by some surprisingly decent vocal numbers that balance out the record and give it a nice depth. Instrumental tunes include "Palm Springs Scramble", "Go Go Devil", "Palm Canyon Bossa Nova", and "Prescription For Recovery" – and vocal tracks include "What Will I Tell Him" by Connie Stevens, "Live Young" by Troy Donahue, "Ox Driver" by Modern Folk Quartet, and "A Little Bit Of Give" by Robert Conrad. LP, Vinyl record album

Jazzy folk soul survivor Terry Callier returns to Mr Bongo with Hidden Conversations – with Terry's soul searching lyricism, warm vocals, and mood setting acoustic guitar paired with laidback production by trip hop pioneer Robert Del Naha of Massive Attack! The styles work pretty well together – Terry's way with a song and his performances are built ready to soar, even at their most stripped down and spare, and his voice and guitar are leading lights of the production, over spacey keys and trippy beats. Terry sings, speaks, scats, and tells stories wonderfully, and we're as proud as ever to have him as our Chicago-to-the-cosmos soul sage! Titles include "Wings", "Sunset Boulevard", "Hidden Conversations", "The Hood I Left Behind", "Once I Dreamed Of Heaven", "Fool Em I Fool R U", "Rice And Beans – Grace", "Jessie And Alice", "John Lee Hooker" and "Live With Me". CD

One in a series of double LP compilations Chess put out in the 70s collecting some of the classic blues sides in their catalog. As near as we can tell, these raw folk blues numbers were mostly issued as 45s, featuring Sonny Boy on vocals and harp, with sidemen that include Muddy Waters, Robert Jr Lockwood, Willie Dixon, Otis Spann and others. 28 tracks in all, including "One Way Out", "Don't Lose Your Eye", "Keep It To Yourself", "Sad To Be Alone", "Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide", "I Never Do Wrong", "I Don't Know", "Don't Start Me Talkin'", "Bring It On Home", "Key To Your Door", "All My Love In Vain", "Nine Below Zero", "Got To Move", "She Got Next To Me", "Keep Your Hand Out Of My Pocket", "Too Close Together", "Like Wolf" and "Santa Claus". LP, Vinyl record album

Dion does folk rock – bits of blues, tender balladry, and some sweeping arrangements, too – although folk purists would take a torch to it, of course, the mix of grandly arranged pop with songs from the folk and blues canon is a actually quite his a lot of unselfconscious fun! It's a heck of a fascinating left turn in Dion's career, a decade after his late 50s stardom. The material was recorded in the mid 60s – which makes more sense, given that the 1969 release date was a good few years after the folk rock crossover boom. The folkier numbers were indeed produced by early Dylan producer Tom Wilson, but the grander numbers were arranged by Robert Mersey. Titles include "I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound", "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue", "Southern Train", "The Seventh Son", "Farewell', "Baby, Please Don't Go" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Robert Christgau is one of the coolest music writers of all time – a hugely important force for decades, through his work in the Village Voice – where he helped shape acceptance and understanding of generations of new sounds – and a contributor to other publications and broadcast outlets, where his voice is always one of the smartest in the room! And while we've always dug what Christgau has to say about other folks, it's also pretty great to read his own story, too – a life spent living in New York, where his path crossed countless other cultural figures and moments, apart from the music and musicians you might expect. This volume focuses mostly on his youth, his growth on the New York scene of the 60s, and his role in the 70s – and the book is softcover, 366 pages. Book

An amazing record from the team of Flack & Hathaway – one of the hippest duos in soul! Individually, each had taken the music to new heights and new audiences, through the use of jazzy phrasing and sophisticated lyrics, while never selling out in the way that earlier pop soul acts had been reduced to. Flack's somber folksy style is a perfect match for the warm spirituality of Hathaway – and the pair work beautifully in counterpoint on hits like "You've Got A Friend" and "Where Is The Love", as well as on more obscure numbers like "Be Real Black For Me", "When Love Has Grown", and "For All We Know". The album also features a 7 minute spare acoustic/electric piano instrumental called "Mood". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album from the mighty Bob Dylan – a 2LP set of studio work, which was quite rare at the time – and a set that has Dylan stretching out all his creative powers in newly different directions! The album had a long genesis in the studio – some early work with The Band, then Dylan breaking off with Al Kooper and Robbie Robertson to head down to Nashville – where they interacted with key country session musicians to make this masterful blend of music – work that's not country at all, but which is also moving past Dylan's folk roots too – with a blend of music that still as mindblowing today as it was back in the mid 60s! This is definitely one of those double-length sets that makes fantastic use of all the extra space – overflowing with gems that include "Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35", "Visions Of Johanna", "Pledging My Time", "Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again", "Leopard-Skin Pill Box Hat", and "Just Like A Woman". CD

A landmark album from the mighty Bob Dylan – a 2LP set of studio work, which was quite rare at the time – and a set that has Dylan stretching out all his creative powers in newly different directions! The album had a long genesis in the studio – some early work with The Band, then Dylan breaking off with Al Kooper and Robbie Robertson to head down to Nashville – where they interacted with key country session musicians to make this masterful blend of music – work that's not country at all, but which is also moving past Dylan's folk roots too – with a blend of music that still as mindblowing today as it was back in the mid 60s! This is definitely one of those double-length sets that makes fantastic use of all the extra space – overflowing with gems that include "Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35", "Visions Of Johanna", "Pledging My Time", "Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again", "Leopard-Skin Pill Box Hat", and "Just Like A Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty amazing survey of the Cali art scene of the late 70s – served up here in a book that's half essay, half images – with work from dozens of important artists who include Edward Ruscha, Jim Melchert, Charles Gaines, Joe Goode, Patrick Hogan, The Kipper Kids, Hal Fischer, Judy Chicago, Robert Arneson, Peter D'Agostino, Karen Carson, Robert E Brown, Tony Berland, Terry Fox, Gary Panter, Raymond Pettibon, and even the folks at Survival Research Laboratories! The book offers up large, full-color images of dozens of important art works – and the writing does a great job of contextualizing the material – as part of an exhibition put together by the Museum Of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. 312 pages, hardcover, and super-heavy! Book

A trio of overlooked albums from UK group Vinegar Joe – packaged here with bonus tracks as well! First up is the group's debut, Vinegar Joe – a record with a UK blend of roots rock and deeper blues currents – but served up in that 70s style that takes all the best elements way past their familiar incarnations! The group sports two singers – a young Robert Palmer and female vocalist Elkie Brooks – and although Palmer would soon emerge as a more pop-oriented artist, he's got plenty of soulful chops here – but maybe still only second to Elkie, who soars out with the sort of inspiration that must have touched Janis Joplin as well. Titles include "Circles", "Leg Up", "See The World", "Never Met A Dog", "Live A Little Get Somewhere", and "Avinu Malkenu". Next up is Rock & Roll Gypsies – a record with a really wonderful sound – tight, but never too polished – maybe that UK love of American soul inspirations that folks know more famously in work by artists like Joe Cocker or Traffic, but which is served up here with a really unique feel by the overlooked Vinegar Joe! The group sports a fantastic lead female vocalist in Elkie Brooks, who'd later go on to make some great records on her own – and a young Robert Palmer rounds out the lyrics with a quality that's so different than his later work, and maybe even more soulful overall. Titles include "Falling", "It's Gettin To The Point", "Buddy Can You Spare Me A Line", "Angel", "No One Ever Do", "Forgive Us", and "Charley's Horse". Last up is Six Star General – the third album from Vinegar Joe, and a set that we're not sure got the same global circulation as the earlier albums – which is a real shame, as the group here are maybe even more focused on their sound than before! By this point, Robert Palmer has left the group, but the wonderful Elkie Brooks is still in the lead on guitar – and the group have impeccable instrumentation from Jim Mullen on guitar, Keef Harley on drums, and Mike Deacon on keyboards. Titles include "Proud To Be", "Black Smoke Rising From The Calumet", "Let Me Down Easy", "Fine Thing", "Lady Of The Rain", and "Dream My Own Dreams". Also features bonus tracks "Speed Queen Of Ventura", "Long Way Round", and single versions of "Black Smoke Rising From The Calument" and "Rock & Roll Gypsies". CD

One of the best books we've ever read on any sort of creative scene and cultural moment – a superbly-penned account of the rise of underground comix in the 60s, and the growth and changes of the movement in the decades that followed! Author Brian Doherty makes the scene come alive in ways that are even more powerful than most music books that try to do the same – tracing the disparate roots of key figures like Robert Crumb, Gilbert Shelton, Trina Robbins, and others – as they end up converging in San Francisco in the late 60s, finding a way to express themselves through new styles and new means of production and distribution – then spread out as the 70s move in, and underground comix provide the building blocks for the graphic novel generation to come. The book is insanely well-researched, but also written with a lively style that really gets at both the creative talents and individual personalities of each of the folks involved – all at a level that makes for a hell of a read that goes way past the usual book on comics, music, or any other sort of cultural creative scene! Hardcover edition is 439 pages. Book

A lost treasure from pianist Horace Tapscott – material recorded live at the legendary Lighthouse club, done with a very hip group of players from the Nimbus Records scene! The tracks are quite long throughout – and often start with Tapscott musing into the groove with solo piano, soon joined by group members who include Reggie Bullen on trumpet, Gary Bias on alto sax, Roberto Miranda and David Bryant on bass, and George Goldsmith on drums. Tapscott's piano has plenty of sharp edges throughout, but these introductory moments also show his more contemplative side as well – making the long tracks a wonderfully rich portrait of his musical talents. Titles include "Acirfa", "Dem Folks", "I Remember Clifford", "Leland's Song", and a shorter take on "Acirfa". CD

A landmark album from the mighty Bob Dylan – a 2LP set of studio work, which was quite rare at the time – and a set that has Dylan stretching out all his creative powers in newly different directions! The album had a long genesis in the studio – some early work with The Band, then Dylan breaking off with Al Kooper and Robbie Robertson to head down to Nashville – where they interacted with key country session musicians to make this masterful blend of music – work that's not country at all, but which is also moving past Dylan's folk roots too – with a blend of music that still as mindblowing today as it was back in the mid 60s! This is definitely one of those double-length sets that makes fantastic use of all the extra space – overflowing with gems that include "Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35", "Visions Of Johanna", "Pledging My Time", "Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again", "Leopard-Skin Pill Box Hat", and "Just Like A Woman". CD

A great group recording from pianist Horace Tapscott – recorded in LA in the early 80s, but done with all the righteousness and spirituality of his earlier albums! Tracks are long and exploratory, but also relatively lyrical too – stretching out with a style that's never too "outside", and which has Horace and the group really soaring to the heavens on the best moments! The group here is a sextet – with the great Gary Bias on alto and soprano saxophone, plus Sabir Matteen on tenor, Reggie Bullen on trumpet, Roberto Miguel Miranda on bass, and Everett Brown on drums and percussion – all working with a cohesiveness that reminds us of some of Tapscott's larger group recordings, but with a cleaner, leaner kind of feel. Titles include "Lately's Solo", "Dial B For Barbara", and "Dem Folks". CD

A landmark album – and one of the best records you'll ever find by Mary Lou Williams! The record's a mixture of jazz and spiritual themes, and it features Mary Lou's piano set in some super-hip jazz arrangements that include players like Grant Green, Budd Johnson, Larry Gales, Melba Liston, Ben Tucker, and Percy Heath. The bass and piano work is amazing, and many tracks have a dark groove that's very subtle, but very compelling. About half the tunes feature hip choral vocalizing – in the mode of some of the Donald Byrd or Max Roach albums from the same time – mostly handled by the group of Howard Roberts. Includes the classic groover "A Grand Nite For Swinging", plus "A Fungus Amongus", "Anima Christi", "Miss DD", "The Devil", "It Ain't Necessarily So", and "My Blue Heaven". Great stuff all around – and even better than we're describing it! This CD issue features the original Mary Records cover art – different than the Saba/MPS or later Smithsonian CD versions. CD

Amazing early work from Amanda Ambrose – recorded in a style that's easily as hip as the best live sides from Nina Simone or Roberta Flack – but years before either singer sounded this great! The style is an ultra-hip version of jazz inflected with plenty of soul – reaching back into folk and gospel roots, but fusing the sound into a leaner, cleaner groove that often has a fair bit of rhythm – kind of in the manner of Oscar Brown Jr at his best from this time. Amanda plays piano, and the rest of her group features guitar, bass, drums, and some especially great percussion that drives the best numbers along nicely! Titles include "This Can't Be Love", "Besame Mucho", "A Foggy Day", "Lullaby For Toys", "Someone To Love", and "This Little Light Of Mine". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost treasure from pianist Horace Tapscott – material recorded live at the legendary Lighthouse club, done with a very hip group of players from the Nimbus Records scene! The tracks are quite long throughout – and often start with Tapscott musing into the groove with solo piano, soon joined by group members who include Reggie Bullen on trumpet, Gary Bias on alto sax, Roberto Miranda and David Bryant on bass, and George Goldsmith on drums. Tapscott's piano has plenty of sharp edges throughout, but these introductory moments also show his more contemplative side as well – making the long tracks a wonderfully rich portrait of his musical talents. Titles include "Acirfa", "Dem Folks", "I Remember Clifford", "Leland's Song", and a shorter take on "Acirfa". CD

A landmark album from the mighty Bob Dylan – a 2LP set of studio work, which was quite rare at the time – and a set that has Dylan stretching out all his creative powers in newly different directions! The album had a long genesis in the studio – some early work with The Band, then Dylan breaking off with Al Kooper and Robbie Robertson to head down to Nashville – where they interacted with key country session musicians to make this masterful blend of music – work that's not country at all, but which is also moving past Dylan's folk roots too – with a blend of music that still as mindblowing today as it was back in the mid 60s! This is definitely one of those double-length sets that makes fantastic use of all the extra space – overflowing with gems that include "Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35", "Visions Of Johanna", "Pledging My Time", "Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again", "Leopard-Skin Pill Box Hat", and "Just Like A Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album from the mighty Bob Dylan – a 2LP set of studio work, which was quite rare at the time – and a set that has Dylan stretching out all his creative powers in newly different directions! The album had a long genesis in the studio – some early work with The Band, then Dylan breaking off with Al Kooper and Robbie Robertson to head down to Nashville – where they interacted with key country session musicians to make this masterful blend of music – work that's not country at all, but which is also moving past Dylan's folk roots too – with a blend of music that still as mindblowing today as it was back in the mid 60s! This is definitely one of those double-length sets that makes fantastic use of all the extra space – overflowing with gems that include "Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35", "Visions Of Johanna", "Pledging My Time", "Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again", "Leopard-Skin Pill Box Hat", and "Just Like A Woman". CD

The heady second album from Bill Fay – much more introspective and moodier than his first outing for Deram, and a session done in tight collaboration with British guitar legend Ray Russell! Russell's got Fay working here with a much smaller group than on the first album – a collection of jazz-influenced players that includes Nick Evans on trombone, Tony Roberts on reeds, and Alan Rushton on drums – all working with Russell's guitar in an intimate, slightly folksy setting. Fay's songwriting and vocals are darker than before – as can easily be told from the titles of tunes like "Don't Let My Marigolds Die", "Dust Filled Room", "Pictures Of Adolf Again", and "Til The Christ Come Back". But somehow, Fay manages to pull the whole thing off beautifully – with none of the cliches or heavy-handed styles you might expect, really working in a transcendent mode that reminds us of the best of early Leonard Cohen. CD

Legendary Paramount recordings from Charlie Patton – mostly recorded in Richmond, Indiana in 1929 – but easily some of the most important Mississippi blues of the time! The package features a wealth of seminal songs from the June, 1929 session that really helped launch the Patton legacy – tracks that are arguably as important to the development of blues as the work of Robert Johnson, and which quite possibly circulated even more at the time. Patton's got a slightly folksy approach, and a sense of darkness that really makes most of these numbers very riveting, even all these many decades later – an acoustic brilliance that's had folks coming back to his music time and time again over the years.. CD features 20 titles in all – and tracks include "Screamin & Hollerin The Blues", "Pea Vine Blues", "Hammer Blues", "Dry Well Blues", "Poor Me", "Hang It On The Wall", "Down The Dirt Road Blues", "Mississippi Boweavil Blues", and "Tom Rushen Blues". CD

A tremendous overview of some really important years in British music – a period that sometimes gets overlooked, due to the huge explosion of psych, prog, and other styles – but one that's equally creative in its own sort of way! First off, forget the term "folk rock" – because although that's what this music might be, it's also very different than the pop folk modes that were big on the US scene in the mid 60s – as this folk rock scene instead represented a host of British musicians really retrenching, and finding their own sort of styles – sometimes borrowing bits from the ancient past of England, other times bringing forth a contemporary way of putting over a tune – at a level that might have gotten commercial and overproduced if these guys were working on the American west coast, but which instead has a nicely unadorned quality here. At a time when most American labels (and listeners) were really leaving folk music behind, these artists were able to often work free from the needs of a big commercial hit – and make genius music that's gone on to transform many minds over the decades. The set moves way past the obvious – and features a whopping 60 tracks in all, with lots of notes in the package – and even includes a few never-issued tracks as well. Includes work by Harvey Andrews, Jade, Michael Chapman, Andy Roberts, Mr Fox, Pentangle, Shirley Collins, Prelude, Heron, Mike Cooper, Paul Brett's Sage, Lifeblood, Dando Shaft, Canticle, Jeremy Harmer, Bridget St John, Al Jones, Bill Fay, Fairport Convention, The Woods Band, Matthew's Southern Comfort, The Johnstons, Beau, Richmond, Chimera, Spirogyra, and many others! CD

A wonderful departure for Kevin Ayers – an album that's a lot lighter and more whimsical than his original fame with Soft Machine! The tunes are extremely playful, and often quite catchy – almost a Donovan-esque blend of folksy roots and jazz inflections – but tuned a bit more towards trippier ends, thanks to instrumentation that includes celeste, electronics, flute, oboe, kazoo, cello, organ, and a wide range of different guitars! David Bedford handled arrangements, and other players on the session include some ex-Soft Machine comrades – like Hugh Hopper and Robert Wyatt! Ayers' vocals are produced with a nicely compressed quality that squeezes them in alongside the instrumentation – and titles include "Joy Of A Toy Continued", "The Lady Rachel", "All This Crazy Gift Of Time", "Eleanor's Cake", and "Girl On A Swing". LP, Vinyl record album

Completely sublime work from Beverly Glenn Copeland – a really unique artist who's almost a genre unto herself – and who sings here in a mix of folk, jazz, and soul – maybe resonant with work at the time by Terry Callier or Nina Simone, but every bit as individual as the best from those two giants too! The performance was recorded by CBC at a key moment in Beverly's career – after a time she'd spent on the scene in Montreal, really soaking up different influences and exploring musical pathways away from her American roots – to a point where she emerges here as a very righteous, yet very personal singer – clearly not immediately interested in chart success, even though she's got the power of a young Roberta Flack. Titles include "Northwind", "Swords Of Gold", "Don't Despair", "Nothing Beautiful", "Song From Beads", "Untitled", "Interval", "Reflections", and "Durocher". LP, Vinyl record album