... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Ambitious work from Jaco – a set of larger group recordings that have a really expansive feel! There's a jagged electric undercurrent to the set, but the album's also got some redemptive work from the larger group – bright, optimistic, and filled with a globe-spanning array of influences that comes together surprisingly well. The album was oddly released with no personnel, but it's our guess that lots of Jaco's famous friends are helping him out, and we're certain we hear the harmonica of Toots in there on a number of tracks. Titles include "Chromatic Fantasy", "Word Of Mouth", "John & Mary", "3 Views Of A Secret", and "Liberty City". CD

A two-record superjam from blues rocker Neil Merryweather – one that features contributions from a rich array of guest stars that include Howard Roberts, Steve Miller, Barry Goldberg, and Charlie Musselwhite. The overall groove is blues rock, as you'd expect – but there's also some nice soulful undercurrents to the album, as you might guess with Miller in the picture. Our favorite track is the long instrumental "Mrs Roberts' Son", which features lead fuzz guitar from Howard, and which gets a bit funky at times. Other tracks include "Teach You How To Fly", "Sun Down Lady", "News", "The Hard Times", and "Licked The Spoon". LP, Vinyl record album

With that heavy-beats mid-80's production style by Duke Bootee. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Tracks include "Walk This Way" and "Together Forever" by Run DMC, "It's My Beat" by Sweet Tee and Jazzy Joyce, "Coast To Coast" by Word Of Mouth, "Eric B Is President" by Eric B and Rakim, "Delancey Street" by Dana Dane, "I Can't Wait" by Spyder D, "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble" by DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince, "Triple M Bass" by Worse 'Em, "Inspector Gadget" by Kartoon Krew, "Get Off My Tip" by Masterdon Committee, and "Drag Rap" by Show Boys. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time – a pioneering blast of mid 80s thrash from Metallica at an early peak! Say what you will about Metallica's later career triumphs and failures, there's no overstating how huge their impact was on metal and hard rock early on, and their best few records are incredible to this day. This may well be they're very best album – the culmination of a couple years of slow-building word-of-mouth reputation-building for genre work that can't be praised highly enough. One metal classic after another: "Fight Fire With Fire", "Ride The Lightning", "For Whom The Bell Tolls", "Fade To Black", "Trapped Under Ice", "Escape", "Creeping Death" and "The Call Of Ktulu". CD

One of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time – a pioneering blast of mid 80s thrash from Metallica at an early peak! Say what you will about Metallica's later career triumphs and failures, there's no overstating how huge their impact was on metal and hard rock early on, and their best few records are incredible to this day. This may well be they're very best album – the culmination of a couple years of slow-building word-of-mouth reputation-building for genre work that can't be praised highly enough. One metal classic after another: "Fight Fire With Fire", "Ride The Lightning", "For Whom The Bell Tolls", "Fade To Black", "Trapped Under Ice", "Escape", "Creeping Death" and "The Call Of Ktulu". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time – a pioneering blast of mid 80s thrash from Metallica at an early peak! Say what you will about Metallica's later career triumphs and failures, there's no overstating how huge their impact was on metal and hard rock early on, and their best few records are incredible to this day. This may well be they're very best album – the culmination of a couple years of slow-building word-of-mouth reputation-building for genre work that can't be praised highly enough. One metal classic after another: "Fight Fire With Fire", "Ride The Lightning", "For Whom The Bell Tolls", "Fade To Black", "Trapped Under Ice", "Escape", "Creeping Death" and "The Call Of Ktulu". LP, Vinyl record album

A loving portrait of key figures in Jamaican music – a book done during the 21st Century, but filled with classic artists from back in the day – dozens of giants pictured in full color images, alongside some words on their art and music, plus standout tracks and details of their best qualities! The book is on an academic press, but it's a great read for anyone – and features a brief introduction by the author, before diving into the dozens of entries – of subjects who include Derrick Harriott, Ras Michael, Mr Fix It, Bobby Aitkin, Deadly Headley, Bob Andy, Cedric Im Brooks, Max Romeo, Ken Parker, Lee Scratch Perry, Boris Gardinier, Gladdy Anderson, Steely & Clive, Sly Dunbar, and many others. The softcover edition is 230 pages, with full color photos throughout, and features helpful indexes on key recordings and the locations and timing of the interviews within. Book

A mighty tribute to the genius of one of the greatest producers of all time – a figure who helped not only shape the sound of Jamaican music from the late 60s onwards, but also influence a fair bit of the rest of the world as well! The set's a well-chosen collection of material from a range of different segments of Perry's career – impossible to sum up perfectly in a short space, but very well-conveyed here! Titles include "Tighten Up" by The Inspiration, "Return Of Django" by The Upsetters, "Words Of My Mouth" by The Gatherers, "Beat Down Babylon" by Junior Byles, "Do It Baby (7" mix)" by Susan Cadogan, "Three Blind Mice" by Max Romeo, "Bushweek Corntrash" by Bunny & Ricky, "Sufferer's Time" by The Heptones, and "Natty Pass Through Rome" by Prince Jazzbo – plus Perry tracks that include "Roast Fish & Corn Bread (Jamaican mix)", "Bucky Skank", "Stay Dread", "People Funny Boy", and "Jungle Lion (7" mix)". LP, Vinyl record album

Mad sounds from Cambodia – rock and roll at the core, but with a delivery that's unlike anything you'd hear in the Anglo world! There's plenty of Eastern elements going down in the music – not just the local lyrics, but other ways of putting together a rhythm, tuning a guitar, and hypnotically delivering a melody. Yet all the sounds are focused with an ear towards crossover pop as well – not really the stuff of chart hits, but tuneful, catchy modes that really make us dig the whole thing – even though we can't understand a word of the lyrics! The package features very detailed notes – plenty to help you figure out the music as you're digging the tunes – and the double-length set features 18 tracks that include "Kchol Kdot Tirk John" and "Prous Teh Oun" by Sinn Sisamouth, "Pros Reang Yeh Yeh" and "Chnam Oun 31" by Pan Ron, "Sora" by Yos Alarong, "Kom Nirk Oun Euy" by Ros Sereysothea, "Berk Tvea Auy Bong" by Im Sonserm, and "Jah Joh Aem" by Ros Sereysothea. CD

Just in time for the release of Prince Paul's great third satire/concept album Politics Of The Business, Wordsound re-releases his first great satire/concept album Psychoanalysis (What Is It?). It has the same dope production style and sense of satire that have made all of the other projects he's overseen, from the Cactus Album, to 3 Feet High, to Handsome Boy Modelling School. This is the original version of the album – pre-Tommy Boy, with 15 tracks designed as chapters in the state of a messed-up hip hop mind state. We've been dying for this one to be re-released, but we weren't sure if it would actually happen. Thanks Wordsound! "Introduction To Psychoanalysis (Schitzophrenia), "Beautiful Night (Manic Psychopath), "Open Your Mouth (Hypothalamus)", "Vexual Healing (Vacillation)", "In Your Mind (Altered States)", "Drinks (Escapism)" and more. CD

A killer Fela Kuti album from the mid 70s – one of the more obscure releases from the glory days, but a set that's overflowing with all the greatness the man and his Africa 70 group could bring to the proceedings! Side one features the wonderful "Noise For Vendor Mouth" – a long tune that begins slowly, but funkily – building to a tremendous crescendo as the lyrics deliver some words of wisdom about Fela's Kalakuta Republic, and its reputation in Nigeria – all while saxophone solos and keyboard parts really egg the proceedings on! Also great is the flipside "Mattress" – a rare stab at feminism, as Fela explains the relation between sexuality and gender in African society. The cut's got a great tripped-out break on the intro, with these mad riffing horns that sound equally cool! LP, Vinyl record album

The first album by The Tom Tom Club – a group that started out as a side project by Talking Heads members Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz – but which went onto have a surprising life of its own! Like the Talking Heads at the start of the 80s, Tom Tom Club were very open to pulling together rhythms from the soulful underground – bits of Caribbean influence and certainly some sounds from hip hop too – but used in these cool sing-songy tunes that also had ties to the same New York underground scene that gave the world ESG and Liquid Liquid! Yet there's also a nicely complex set of textures, too – thanks to work on the record by Adrian Belew and Steve Stanley – both of whom can balance out funky elements and more interesting textures. The record took off immediately with the track "Genius Of Love" – inspired by hip hop, and respected by that scene too – as was the album's classic "Wordy Rappinghood". The whole thing's great – an excellent document of the moment, but more timeless too – and other titles include "L'Elephant", "As Above So Below", "On On On On", "Lorelei", and "Booming & Zooming". LP, Vinyl record album

Cee-Lo Green gits up and gets out on his own – without the heavy burden of too many guest appearances – and the result may be the best album to come out of the Dirty South in quite a while! Cee-Lo's raspy, cotton-mouthed speak & sing style has always been one of the strongest attributes of the Goodie crew, and it's great to hear it stretched out over a fully-realized LP that is worthy of his unique talents. Sweaty, deeply funky, and a bit similar to the kind of material we used to expect from the Native Tongues at their strongest, but with Cee-Lo's unmistakable Cameo inspired croon out front. Includes "Bad Mutha", "Big Ole Words (Damn), "Closet Freak", "Live (Right Now)", "El Dorado Sunrise", "A Thug's Concern", "One For The Road", "Let Him Sing If He Wants To (Break)", "Suga Baby" featuring Big Gipp and Backbone, "Gettin' Grown", "Bass Head Jazz", "Microhard" featuring Jahalla and Kirland Underwater, "Under The Influence", "(Follow Me)", "Medieval Times (Great Pretender)", "Country Love", "Awful Thing", "Maintenance Man (Break)" "Young Man (Sierra's Song)", and "Well Damn, Lo (Break)". LP, Vinyl record album