... LP, Vinyl record album

Their massive crossover hit – a record that helped set a whole new standard for the AOR sound in the 80s! Includes the singles "Rosanna" and "Africa", plus "Lovers Of The Night", "We Made It", "Make Believe", "Good For You", "I Won't Hold You Back", "It's A Feeling", and "Waiting For Your Love". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the stranger pairings of artists to ever appear on record during the 80s – but maybe that's no surprise, as Dune was also one of the stranger films of the decade! Toto seems like an odd choice for a movie directed by David Lynch – but in their own sort of way, they do a pretty decent job on their own tracks here – catchy numbers that were probably used by the studio to try to make a bit more sense of the narrative – and things are balanced out a bit by one contribution from Brian Eno, the nice "Prophecy Theme" in the film. Other tracks include "The Floating Fat Man", "Robot Fight", "Leo's Theme", "Main Title", "Paul Meets Chani", and "Dune". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

Musical selections from Toto's most famous films – tracks by Carlo Rustichelli, Gianni Ferrio, Armando Trovaioli, Piero Piccioni, Carlo Savina, and others. CD

An incredibly cool collection – one that offers up all sorts of weird and wonderful soul music covers of mainstream mellow 70s hits – new versions of the famous tunes that pull them strongly over to the world of R&B, often with results that are better than the original versions! The set is both a great demonstration of how much soul there was lurking in the original AOR productions of the mid 70s, and how strongly those currents could be unlocked even more in the right hands – as you'll hear in these sublime takes on tunes by Hall & Oates, Toto, Seals & Crofts, The Doobie Brothers, and other 70s pop giants. Titles include "Dirty Work" by Pointer Sisters, "Minute By Minute" by Peabo Bryson, "Georgie Porgy" by Side Effect, "He's Gone" by Dee Dee Bridgewater, "Summer Breeze" by Main Ingredient, "Lazy Nina" by Greg Phillinganes, "In The Way" by Brothers Johnson, "This Is It" by Millie Jackson, "Takin It To The Streets" by Quincy Jones, "I Hope You'll Be Very Unhappy Without Me" by Tavares, "God Only Knows" by Betty Lavette, "Let Em In" by Billy Paul, and "A Love Of Your Own" by The Ebonys. CD

Howard, who went on to score many big name soundtracks, is joined here by members of Toto to make this synthesizer/percussion based album. CD

Plenty real soul here – a killer collection of Columbia grooves by Cheryl Lynn – a set that runs right from the clubby start to the more commercial finish of her time at the label! The package is a great illustration of Cheryl's ability to rise to the occasion in just about any setting – and although work is handled by a variety of producers – including Marty Paic, Ray Parker Jr, Barry Blue, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, and even Luther Vandross – Cheryl always comes out on top in the end! Titles include her great vocals on "Georgy Porgy" by Toto, presented here in its disco version – plus Lynn classics "Got To be Real", "Star Love (disco version)", "All My Lovin", "I've Got Just What You Need", "I've Got Faith In You", "Encore (single)", "If This World Were Mine", "It's Gonna Be Right", "Shake It Up Tonight", and "Day After Day". CD

Killer club cuts from the 70s and 80s, chosen by the Compost crew – all in support of their long-running Maiden Voyage club night! The Maiden Voyage vibe is quite different than the usual Compost groove – much more soul-based, and often in a mellow or midtempo mode – just the right balance of jazz and funk in the rhythms, with plenty of space for a soulful singer to take over the lead – and with a style that's much more sophisticated than mainstream disco! There's plenty of cuts on here from the best late 70s modern soul years – and even when the names are familiar, the tracks are often a bit more obscure – lesser-known gems brought together with a beautiful flare, in a package that's easily one of the best groovers we've heard in a long time! Titles include "Love Is On The One" by Xavier, "Love You Anyway" by Cameo, "Lihue" by Nohelani Cypriano, "Believe In Yourself" by Roy Ayers, "Georgy Porgy (disco)" by Toto, "Lovin Fever" by High Inergy, "She's Gone" by Norman Conners, "Very Special" by Debra Laws, "I Want Your Love" by James Mason, "I Want To Thank You" by Alicia Myers, and "Tenderness" by Diana Ross. LP, Vinyl record album

Pete Larson learned how to play the classic Kenyan nyatiti instrument in the early days of this century – and years later, he recorded this fantastic blend of regional sounds and psychedelic modes – very different than classic nyatiti recordings from the 20th Century! There's a fuzzy, freaky approach to the music that often sets the nyatiti up in Tuareg-like territory – mixing its spare lute-like strings with fuzzier guitar, bass, percussion, and just a bit of keyboards – all spun out in modal jams that really take off once they get going – all with an approach that's almost as if Spacemen 3 had discovered Kenyan music! Titles include "Damballah", "Saba Saba", "Korona", "Nyagweno", and "Cool Breeze". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent bit of spacey funk from Julian Priester – the Chicago hardbop trombonist who grooved mightily in the late 50s and early 60s with the likes of Sun Ra and Max Roach, but who here is reemerging as a 70s electric funk maestro, in the lineage of Herbie Hancock. Here, he's working with the Pepo Mtoto band – which includes west coast soul jazz luminaries like Henry Franklin, Hadley Caliman, Bayete, Ndugu Chancler, and Pat Gleeson, who adds some wonderful moog and Arp to the set. Tracks are long and spacey, with a building funky groove that's inspired countless acts over the past decade – not the least of which has been Chicago's own Isotope! Titles include "Love, Love", "Images", "Eternal Worlds", and "Epilogue". CD

A nicely expanded version of the great Ghibli Jazz concept – delivered here in a live setting that's maybe got even more brilliance than the studio albums! There's a dynamic sense of presentation right from the start, partly the sense of the concert space in the mix, partly the energy from the crowd – and if anything, these tunes are more groovers than the previous studio albums – and topped with really great vocals from Yuriko Kuwahara. Titles include "Tonari No Totoro", "Kaze No Toorimichi", "Mononokehime", "Itsumo Nandodemo", "Jinsei No Merry Go Round", and "Umi No Mieru Machi". LP, Vinyl record album

All That Jazz expand their sound here, as you might guess from the winds and wood hinted in the title – using saxes and a bit of strings in a great way over their surprisingly dynamic grooves – almost at a level that seeks to link the club jazz modes of the Tokyo scene with some of the thematic elements of the world of Studio Ghibli! The melodies are as spare and compelling as before, but the presentation is nicely full – light strings and other orchestrations in the background – while the core energy comes from the piano, heavy bass, and dancing drums – on titles that include "Kazeno Toorimichi", "Kazeno Tanino Maushika, "Umino Miero Machi", "Kimio Nosete", "Monokoke Hime", "Ano Natuse", "Tonarino Totoro", and "Ashitakasekki". LP, Vinyl record album

Almost everything you could ask for from composer Joe Hisaishi and Studio Ghibli together in one sweet box set! The package includes 10 original soundtracks, each one presented in a cool replica LP-style sleeve, and includes the scores from Nausicaa Of Valley Of The Wind, Castle In The Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo, The Wind Rises, and the short film Mr. Dough And The Egg Princess – plus an additional image album for Castle In The Sky and a bonus track from Kiki's Delivery Service! CD

Ehran Elisha on bells, temple blocks, gong, rototoms, and percussion and Roy Campbell on trumpet, flugelhorn, pocket trumpet, flute, and percussion. CD

The legendary Italian drummer Tullio De Piscopo is at his most dynamic here – effortlessly blending funky jazz, soul, and bits of prog – all at that level that soon made him a legend in the clubs! Tullio's a hell of a drummer at the core – you'll know that if you've ever heard his solo work – and here, he uses his masterful style on the kit alongside bits of vocals, guitar, and bass – plus some great work on saxes and flute from Larry Nocella and Giorgio Baiocco! There's some added percussion at many points too – and Tullio handles rototom, congas, and timpani next to his work on drums – stretching out with some help on arrangements from jazz talents Sante Palumbo and Mario Rusca too. Titles include the longer "Concerto Per Napoli", plus "Afelio", "Fiesta", "Sipario", "Funiculi Funicula", "Periello", "Guainella", "O Stadio", and "Il Mondo Gira". CD

There's a host of cool keyboards on the cover, and that's what you'll hear on the record as well – used in all these really groovy space age styles over more conventional Latin rhythms – all of which made for a really incredible subgenre of sounds on the scene in Ecuador during the 70s! Most of the music here has the touch of Polibio Mayorga on the keys – sometimes as the lead artist, sometimes as a contributor to another's' work – and the cuts mix rootsier percussion and sometimes use Andean melodies, but all have these really weird and unusual electric parts too – an outer space organ line, or a moogy electronic flourish – all of which makes for some wonderfully trippy sounds throughout! As always with Analog Africa, the presentation is fantastic – and titles include "America India" by Junior Y Su Equipo, "Mi Paisa" by Olmedo Torres Y Poblibio Mayorga, "Haciendo Bomba" by Alcibiades Y Su Banda, "Llorona" by Los Locos Del Ritmo, "Muevase Vecina" by Eduardo Morales, "Bomba De Pobres" by Alcibiades Y Su Banda, "La Perra Vida" by Conjunto La Lorga, "Munequita Blanca" by Orti Mayorga Y Chiriboga, and "Cumbia Totorana", "Ferrocarril", and "Culebrita Dormida" by Polibio Mayorga. LP, Vinyl record album

The legendary Italian drummer Tullio De Piscopo is at his most dynamic here – effortlessly blending funky jazz, soul, and bits of prog – all at that level that soon made him a legend in the clubs! Tullio's a hell of a drummer at the core – you'll know that if you've ever heard his solo work – and here, he uses his masterful style on the kit alongside bits of vocals, guitar, and bass – plus some great work on saxes and flute from Larry Nocella and Giorgio Baiocco! There's some added percussion at many points too – and Tullio handles rototom, congas, and timpani next to his work on drums – stretching out with some help on arrangements from jazz talents Sante Palumbo and Mario Rusca too. Titles include the longer "Concerto Per Napoli", plus "Afelio", "Fiesta", "Sipario", "Funiculi Funicula", "Periello", "Guainella", "O Stadio", and "Il Mondo Gira". LP, Vinyl record album

There's a host of cool keyboards on the cover, and that's what you'll hear on the record as well – used in all these really groovy space age styles over more conventional Latin rhythms – all of which made for a really incredible subgenre of sounds on the scene in Ecuador during the 70s! Most of the music here has the touch of Polibio Mayorga on the keys – sometimes as the lead artist, sometimes as a contributor to another's' work – and the cuts mix rootsier percussion and sometimes use Andean melodies, but all have these really weird and unusual electric parts too – an outer space organ line, or a moogy electronic flourish – all of which makes for some wonderfully trippy sounds throughout! As always with Analog Africa, the presentation is fantastic – and titles include "America India" by Junior Y Su Equipo, "Mi Paisa" by Olmedo Torres Y Poblibio Mayorga, "Haciendo Bomba" by Alcibiades Y Su Banda, "Llorona" by Los Locos Del Ritmo, "Muevase Vecina" by Eduardo Morales, "Bomba De Pobres" by Alcibiades Y Su Banda, "La Perra Vida" by Conjunto La Lorga, "Munequita Blanca" by Orti Mayorga Y Chiriboga, and "Cumbia Totorana", "Ferrocarril", and "Culebrita Dormida" by Polibio Mayorga. CD

Music from Monica Salmaso, Jair Oliveira, Eliana Printes, Orlando Morais, Vander Lee, Luciana Mello, Isabella Taviani, Marcela Biasi, Fernanda Porta, Reverse, Karyme Haas, Zanna, and Totonho Villeroy. CD