18 tracks. CD

The title's a bit of a joke, but it points the way towards the nature of this very special project – as the "S" is the San Francisco Symphony, working with the "M" of Metallica – all in a very special blend of their own sounds with some larger orchestrations conducted by Michael Kamen! Unlike older classic rock albums of this nature, which were usually done when the core group had really run out of steam – Metallica are still very much in their prime here, and working to serve up strong versions of tunes that include "Enter Sandman", "No Leaf Clover", "Nothing Else Matters", "One", and other Metallica classics! LP, Vinyl record album

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John Morales has a wonderful talent for taking a funky track and making it sound even funkier – which he does beautifully here in this killer collection of old school tunes! Many of the numbers are vintage clubby soul from the late 70s and early 80s – and Morales has this great way of crystalizing all the best elements in the songs, and pulling them to the forefront – but all without ever ruining the integrity of the tracks that sounded so great in the first place! In other words, the work here isn't the imprint of some young DJ trying to overstate his presence – but a true music maestro who really knows what makes a club track great – a vibe that takes us back to the brilliant edits of the early NYC scene. All titles here are previously unreleased – and the massive 4CD set features titles that include Morales mixes of "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby" by Barry White, "You Got Me Running" by Lenny Williams, "Mind On You" by Level 42, "Vertigo/Relight My Fire" by Dan Hartman, "Lovergirl" by Teen Marie, "Standing Right Here" by Mannix, "Love Is The Message" by MFSB, "Let The Music Play" by Barry White, "Don't Leave Me This Way" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, "Funkin For Jamaica" by Tom Browne, "All Night" by Katzuma, "Hi Tension" by Hi Tension, "Girl You Need A Change Of Mind" by Eddie Kendricks, "Before I Let Go" by Frankie Beverly, "Got To Be Real" by Cheryl Lynn, "Star Love" by Three Ounces Of Love", "You Stepped Into My Life" by Melba Moore, "Life Is A Song Worth Singing" by Teddy Pendergrass, "Walk Away From Love" by David Ruffin, "Life Goes On" by The Jones Girls, "This Time Baby" by Jackie Moore, "Turn Me Up" by Keith Barrow, "Circles" by Atlantic Starr, "Joy & Pain" by Maze, "Stay" by The Controllers, "Take Me Home" by Cher, and "Can't Live Without Your Love" by Tamiko Jones. CD

John Morales has a wonderful talent for taking a funky track and making it sound even funkier – which he does beautifully here in this killer collection of old school tunes! Many of the numbers are vintage clubby soul from the late 70s and early 80s – and Morales has this great way of crystalizing all the best elements in the songs, and pulling them to the forefront – but all without ever ruining the integrity of the tracks that sounded so great in the first place! In other words, the work here isn't the imprint of some young DJ trying to overstate his presence – but a true music maestro who really knows what makes a club track great – a vibe that takes us back to the brilliant edits of the early NYC scene. All titles here are previously unreleased – and this 2LP set features four titles that include Morales mixes of "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby" by Barry White, "You Got Me Running" by Lenny Williams, "Mind On You" by Level 42, and "Vertigo/Relight My Fire" by Dan Hartman. LP, Vinyl record album

A second volume of underground disco and unstoppable dancefloor soul from NYC in the late 70s and early 80s – M&M Mixes Vol 2, highlighting rare and previously unreleased mixes by John Morales! It features a roster of legendary names, particularly to diggers of deeper disco tracks, but also some soul stars who worked well in that groove – a batch of tunes mixed & engineered by Morales back in the day at M&M Studios and elsewhere. Great numbers by Teddy Pendergrass, Inner Life feat Jocelyn Brown, Candi Staton and Loleatta Holloway! The vinyl version comes in 2 separate parts –both 2LPs and featuring all exclusive extended vinyl versions – each each of which fills a whole side! Part B includes "The More I Get (John's M+M Get It All Mix)" by Teddy Pendergrass, "Young Hearts Run Free (John's M+M Run Run Run Free Mix)" by Candi Staton, "Dreamin (John's M+M Not My Man Extended Mix)" by Loleatta Holloway and "Make It Last Forever (John's M+M Original Forever 12" Mix)" by Inner Life feat Jocelyn Brown. LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet 80s groover throughout – the only album we've ever seen by this keyboard-heavy quintet, served up in a flurry of catchy catchy tunes! Keys on the set are handled by producer/arranger Michael Stokes – who's very clearly in charge of the voices of the group – giving them real focus on the album's mix of uptempo groovers and a few mellower cuts, sometimes even underscoring things with a groove that's verging on electro! Stokes also handles the keyboards, but Patrice Rushen is on the set on piano – warming things up nicely – and titles include the great midtempo stepper "Give Me Your Love", plus "Bottom Line", "Rise Up", "Keep On Rockin", "My Sunshine", "Coo Coo Kachu", and "I Never Thought I'd Love Again". CD also features a bonus extended mix of "Give Me Your Love". CD

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... LP, Vinyl record album

Masterful live set by Herb Alpert and Hugh Masekela – recorded at The Roxy in LA in 1978! Both their studio record from the same year and this massive live recording work incredibly well – as they're both geniuses and blending distinctive global influences – but they really cook in this live session in a way that's smoothed over a bit in the studio! Herb is on trumpet and Hugh is on flugelhorn – and the group features Mosa Jonas Gwangwa on trombone, with Larry Willis on keys, Arthur Adams and Jeff Sigman on guitars, Manola Badrena on percussion, Buddy WIlliams on drums and David Williams on bass,. Includes "Foreign Natives", "People Make The World Go Round", "Besame Mucho", "Mama Way", "Kalahari Nights", "Shame The Devil", "Mama Way" and "I'm Comin' Home". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautifully compressed pop from Herb Alpert – a session that's still got the traditional Tijuana Brass style, but which also displays a more restrained, more adult approach to instrumental pop! The rhythms are nicely changed out more than before here – stretching out with interwoven exotic touches and sweeter A&M pop – all coming together at a level that's far more sophisticated than you might guess if you've only got a version of Herb that's reduced to simple cliche! Herb also makes a key vocal appearance on the song "This Guy's In Love With You" – the group's first #1 single, and the beginning of a great run of Alpert vocalizations. Other tracks include "The Robin", "Slick", "Panama", "A Beautiful Friend", "She Touched Me", and "Thanks For The Memory". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderfully jaunty and jagged work from trumpeter Herb Alpert – and a session that has him opening up the Tijuana Brass groove a bit more than usual! There's clearly an influence here of the Brazilian sound that was showing up strongly at A&M Records at the time – heard to greatest effect on the album's version of Chico Buarque's "A Banda", but also in gentler, more subtle ways that seem to emerge in other tunes that trade the group's older sound for one that has more of a bossa sense of subtlety. Also, there's some great A&M pop that's beginning to emerge here too – as in the album's great takes on "The Happening" and "Love So Fine" – both of which really sound beautiful here! Other tracks include "Cowboys & Indians", "Flea Bag", "Love Nest", and "Bud". LP, Vinyl record album

Sounds like Herb Alpert, but it grooves in ways that we hardly expected – playful, creative, and filled with so many more rhythms than just the Tijuana groove we might have thought! There's a real deepening sense of instrumental pop going on here – as Herb explores some of the darker strains brought into the market by younger groups and artists on the scene, and through some of the cross-cultural recordings that were opening up as the global music market expanded in the mid 60s. The Brass still get in plenty of their jaunty licks in the set, but there's also more of a sense of Herb as a standout man of his own – a mature, all-adult sound that's got some great brooding emotion from time to time. Titles include the great sample cut "Treasure Of San Miguel", "Casino Royale", "Wade In The Water", "Shades Of Blue", "Bo Bo", "Lady Godiva", "Town Without Pity", "Gotta Lot Of Livin To Do", and "The Charmer". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic record from the late 60s years of Herb Alpert – a time when the trumpeter was really opening up his sound, and starting to hit some of the same cool styles of his other great acts on the A&M label! Gone are the trademark Cali-Mex arrangements of the early Tijuana Brass records – and in their place are these soaring, soulful styles that draw heavily from the late 60s changes in Brazilian music, American soundtracks, and jazz! Shorty Rogers helped a bit with the charts, and you can definitely hear his cool touches in the mix – and the trumpet solos are nicely changed up from previous records too. Herb does a great job with Nilsson's excellent cut "Without Her", and the band grooves nicely on Brazil cuts "The Sea Is My Soil" and "Zazueira", plus "Pretty World", "To Wait For Love", "Sandbox", "Marjorine", and "The Continental". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Freak A Ristic", "Cool Calm Collected", "Silver Shadow", "Let's Start It Over", "Thank You", and "If Your Heart Isn't In It". LP, Vinyl record album

The first album by Atlantic Starr – a tight set of modern soul tunes with a very different feel than their later work! Part of the credit goes to Bobby Eli – who arranged and produced the set, giving it a feel that's almost late Philly – tight, sophisticated, and right on the money at all the best points! There's a number of sweet mellow ballads with lead vocals by Sharon Bryant, and other tracks that groove in an uptempo way that points towards more of the group's 80s work – a great mix of modes that makes for a really well-developed album right out of the gate. Titles include "Gimme Your Lovin", "The Love I Never Had", "Visions", "Keep It Comin", "Stand Up", "Where There's Smoke There's Fire", "We Got It Together", and "Being In Love With You Is So Much Fun". CD features a bonus track – "Stand Up (single version)". CD

The first album by Atlantic Starr – a tight set of modern soul tunes with a very different feel than their later work! Part of the credit goes to Bobby Eli – who arranged and produced the set, giving it a feel that's almost late Philly – tight, sophisticated, and right on the money at all the best points! There's a number of sweet mellow ballads with lead vocals by Sharon Bryant, and other tracks that groove in an uptempo way that points towards more of the group's 80s work – a great mix of modes that makes for a really well-developed album right out of the gate. Titles include "Gimme Your Lovin", "The Love I Never Had", "Visions", "Keep It Comin", "Stand Up", "Where There's Smoke There's Fire", "We Got It Together", and "Being In Love With You Is So Much Fun". CD features a bonus track – "Stand Up (single version)". CD

Radiant grooves indeed from Atlantic Starr – a group who really make things sparkle throughout this magnificent set! The group are at the height of their powers here – skirting a perfect line between mainstream soul and upbeat club – never falling too much into one style or the other, and never sounding as commercial as some of their contemporaries! There's a relaxed, easygoing feel to most of the grooves on the set – never too much fake bass, nor too many electric touches – and the vocals shift a bit from track to track, taking good advantage of singers Wayne Lewis, David Lewis, and Sharon Bryant. Titles include "When Love Calls", "Think About That", "Mystery Girl", "Under Pressure", "My Turn Now", "Does It Matter", and "Send For Me". CD

A groovy little classic from Atlantic Starr – and a great example of the group's wonderfully catchy way of hitting a groove! The music's never pop, but has some captivating hooks all the way through – sweet little bits mixed in with the funky soul approach of the ensemble – made even better by the great way the vocals get traded back and forth! There's a careful approach to the whole set – a way of putting things together with a good degree of class – and definitely avoiding most of the cliches that would make a similar project sound a lot more clunky. Great stuff throughout – and titles include "Who Could Love You Better", "Second To None", "Touch A Four Leaf Clover", "Tryin", and "Island Dream". CD

Forget everything you know about "Raindrops Are Falling On My Head", and give Burt kudos for this gem of an album! Sure, "Raindrops" shows up here a few times – instrumentally, and in 2 BJ Thomas vocal versions – and it's not a bad tune at all. But the real gems are some of the instrumentals – which have Burt almost doing a Tijuana take on his classic A&M sound – in a style that's really wonderful! Our favorite cut is the amazing "South American Getaway" – a breezy vocal scatting number that seems to take the best of the Swingle Singers and I Cantori Modern and roll them into one groovy tune that soars, dips, turns, twists, and holds our dear heart close for 5 minutes and 13 seconds! It's a real gem, and worth the price of the album alone – but you'll also get a few other nice ones, like "The Old Fun City", "The Sundance Kid", "Come Touch The Sun", and "Not Goin Home Anymore". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work by maestro Burt Bacharach – subtle genius, and an album that offers more to us every time we listen to it! Burt's work has been recorded by many – but few ever gave it the kind of treatment that he did – as you'll hear in this brilliant array of sweeping strings, sly syncopation, and well-placed instrumental solos! The sound is breathtaking throughout – a new level of maturity and majesty for 60s instrumental pop – and the record's an enduring classic that deserves a place in every sensitive record collection. Includes the amazing cut "Pacific Coast Highway", plus great versions of other classics, like "Wanting Things", "She's Gone Away", "Knowing When To Leave", and "This Guy's In Love With You". CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of Gato Barbieri's later recordings – but don't hold that against it! The set's a smoother effort than most of Gato's earlier work, but it's also still pretty darn soulful – done in a way that allows plenty of space for his raspy reed work on tenor to flow over the top of larger arrangements that have a nice electric touch. Players include Eric Gale and Joe Beck on guitars, Don Grolnick on keyboards, and Mtume and Ralph MacDonald on percussion – both of whom give the tunes a nice earthy undercurrent when needed. And while we might be put off by the larger, more heavily-arranged sound – Gato himself is still in charge of the charts, and keeps things nicely focused in a soulfully expressive way! Titles include "Firelies", "Fiesta", "Europa", "Don't Cry Rochelle", "Behind The Rain", "Los Desperados", and "I Want You". LP, Vinyl record album

A very unusual relic in the early days of gay pride – with titles that include "Buy Gay", "Do You Take This Man", "The Plot", and "It Happened One Night". 7-inch, Vinyl record

Rootsy rock – but of a sort that we like a lot more than most! Marc Benno's working here in a style that others explored often at the time, but he's got a way of doing so that's pretty compelling to our ears – a mode that mixes some of the countrified undercurrents with a hipper, almost jazzier singer/songwriter mode – so that the bottleneck guitar of Ry Cooder is undercut with organ and piano from Booker T Jones – and the sound's a nice sort of LA hybrid that's neither too down home, nor too slick on the top. All tracks are well-penned originals from Benno – and titles include "Good Year", "Try It Just Once", "Two Day Love Affair", "Second Story Window", "Teach It To The Children", "Family Full Of Soul",a nd "Hard Road". LP, Vinyl record album