A massive package of funky music – and maybe one that no home should be without – as the set includes all the classic Josie Records and Warner Brothers albums by legendary New Orleans funk group The Meters – plus a fair bit of bonus tracks too! The Josie albums are incredible – a lean, powerful blend of funky drums, bass, guitar, and organ – almost the New Orleans answer to Booker T & The MGs, but with a sound that's far funkier overall – and which continues to bring new ears to the magic of The Meters as the years go by! Their Warner work is a bit fuller – as the group were part of a big wave of Nola talent to get the nod from LA – which means that The Meters were able to add in vocals, experiment with arrangements, use additional instrumentation – yet all without ever losing that core groove that made them so great! This package is the first time all the records have been brought together, and many are presented here in the "expanded edition" versions with bonus tracks – which makes for a whopping 116 titles on 6CDs – bonus tracks, plus the full albums The Meters, Look Ka Py Py, Struttin, Cabbage Alley, Rejuvenation, Fire On The Bayou, Trick Bag, and New Directions – plus some singles too! CD

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A dream of a record from Chad & Jeremy – a fantastic bit of psychedelic pop produced by Gary Usher! The album's got quite a different feel than the rest of the duo's work – as their standard Brit pop style is augmented by lots of extra strings and woodwinds, super-baroque in a beautiful post-Pet Sounds sort of way. The songs are wonderful, too – with themes on the rise and fall of modern life, very much in a Kinks sort of style – with titles like "Busman's Holiday", "Rest In Peace", "Family Way", "Can I See You", and the extended "Progress Suite". LP, Vinyl record album

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Huge, dark, and heavy – an album of mythical proportions, and that's a lot to say for a mainstream album – especially one that crossed over as big as this one! It would be hard to imagine the modern rock landscape without this album or group, who provided the template for so much music to follow – and the soundtrack to many bong-fueled excursions to the dark side – a huge legacy in sound, but one that may well still be best begun on this landmark self-titled album! Titles include "Black Sabbath", "The Wizard", "Behind The Wall Of Sleep", "NIB", "Wicked World", and "Warning". CD

Huge, dark, and heavy – an album of mythical proportions, and that's a lot to say for a mainstream album – especially one that crossed over as big as this one! It would be hard to imagine the modern rock landscape without this album or group, who provided the template for so much music to follow – and the soundtrack to many bong-fueled excursions to the dark side – a huge legacy in sound, but one that may well still be best begun on this landmark self-titled album! Titles include "Black Sabbath", "The Wizard", "Behind The Wall Of Sleep", "NIB", "Wicked World", and "Warning" – plus a second disc with studio outtakes, instrumental tracks, and alternate versions. CD

The fourth nearly flawless album of heavy genius from Black Sabbath – featuring some of the mightiest rock riffs ever! Vol 4 is just the tiniest of notches below Master Of Reality and Paranoid in overall greatness – which is the tiniest of possible complaints given that those previous two albums are among the few truly perfect rock and roll albums ever recorded! But this one has "Supernaut". Enough said. Other titles include "Wheels Of Confusion", "Tomorrows Dreams", "Changes", "FX", "Snowblind", "Cornucopia", "Under The Sun" and more. CD

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Timeless metal from Black Sabbath and their first album with Ronnie James Dio out front – and we'd honestly put it up there with the best work of all their careers! No disrespect to Ozzy or the early, definitive era of Black Sabbath – those first few album are among the most influential rock & roll albums of all time and Heaven & Hell doesn't reinvent the wheel – but this new phase with another veteran front man is a masterclass heavy riffs, soaring vocals and hasn't aged a day. Includes the classic title track and "Neon Knights", "Children Of The Sea", "Wishing Well", "Die Young", "Walk Away" and "Lonely Is The Word". This loaded deluxe edition includes a full LP of bonus tracks – rarities, live versions and more! LP, Vinyl record album

The third album by Black Sabbath – the album that put the heavy in metal – one of the most influential rock albums of all time and a record that finds Sabbath at absolute peak perfection! This is the one that set the Sabbath style in stone, honing in the the heavy riffs, thundering drums and eerie mood perfectly. Includes the ultra classics "Sweet Leaf" and "Children Of The Grave", plus "After Forever", "Lord Of This World", "Solitude", "Into The Void" and the instrumentals "Embryo" and "Orchid". CD

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Quite possibly the greatest moment of genius ever from Black Sabbath – and a genre-changing record that influenced generations! The group are at their lean, raw best here – free from any cliches at all, and working in an incredibly heady brew of fuzzy guitar, romping bass, and dark drums – all topped by the instantly recognizable screech of the young Ozzy Osborne! Guitarist Tony Iommi virtually redefines rock use of the guitar with this record alone – and the Oz follows suit with some of the creepiest vocals set to record ever. Titles include the classics "Paranoid" and "Iron Man", plus "War Pigs", "Planet Caravan", "Electric Funeral", "Hand Of Doom", and "Rat Salad". Features 3 CDs – lots of extra material, plus a version of the French cover too! CD

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A killer collection of the early greatness of prime era Sabbath – great tracks from the first handful of albums of the Ozzy years! If there's a problem with We Sold Our Souls For Rock & Roll, it's that there was too much greatness on the early albums for them to put compilation out that could make everyone happy – but you get "Paranoid", "War Pigs", "Iron Man", "Fairies Wear Boots", "Sweet Leaf", "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", "Snow Blind", "NIB". "The Wizard" and more. 17 tracks on 2LPs. LP, Vinyl record album

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The second entry in this much-loved, much-lauded project – a set of jazz reworks of tunes made famous by Black Sabbath back in the day – transformed here to a completely different idiom by the work of the trio! The first time round, these guys tried to pass off their debut as a lost vintage record – here, they're playing things a bit more upfront – and as a result, the album's actually more interesting too – taking more chances with the arrangements, and going for a presentation that really brings all these interesting sounds and colors to the tunes – instead of just trying to sound like a Black Sabbath record without guitar or vocals. Tracks are a bit longer, with a nice sense of presence in the way they build things up – and titles include versions of "Paranoid", "Snowblind", "Black Sabbath", "NIB", "Sabbra Cadabra", "Behind The Wall Of Sleep", and "Symptom Of The Universe". LP, Vinyl record album

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A really cool cooker from The Meters – recorded during their post-Josie run for Warner Brothers, but with this tight vibe that still holds all their funky New Orleans roots intact! The sound is a bit more expanded here – not in a commercial way, but just in a style that has the group trying out more things – some interesting rhythms, offbeat guitar passages, and maybe even more of a vocal presence – although it's clearly the drums and basslines that are still driving the whole thing along! Production is by Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn – again in that great style they were hitting at Warner – and titles include "Soul Island", "Flower Song", "Gettin Funkier All the Time", "Do the Dirt", "Cabbage Alley", and "Stay Away" – plus a version of Neil Young's "Birds"! LP, Vinyl record album

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A big slack hit for Shabba, massive in the clubs, dancehalls and on the radio. 12-inch, Vinyl record

12 tracks in all, including "Housecall", "Telephone Love Deh Pon Mi Mind", "The Jam", "Girls Whine", "Get Up Stand Up & Rock", "Pay Down Pon It", "Ting-A-Ling" and "Roots & Culture". Less slackness on this volume and more crossover material, some more hip hop oriented. CD

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A host of great guitarists, all coming together to pay tribute to one of their own – the mighty Pat Martino, an artist on the strings from his early years in the 60s in organ combos, through his very creative 70s material, into a great run of albums in later years too! Pat's memory is in great company here – on tunes that have a nicely lean vibe, and really allow for plenty of space for guitar solos – sometimes with two artists in the lineup, shifting their sound nicely – sometimes just a single player on the cut, depending on the tune! Most tracks feature the same group on rhythm – Kevin Kozol on keyboards, Dezron Douglas on bass, and Allan Mednard on drums – and titles include "Inside Out" with Adam Rogers and Peter Bernstein, "Black Glass" with Kurt Rosenwinkel, "Line Games" with Fareed Haque, "Joyous Lake" with Nir Felder and Oz Noy, "Noshufuru" with Rez Abbasi and Jeff Miles, "Willow" with Ed Cherry and Sheryl Bailey, "Lament" with Russell Malone, "Country Road" with Jeff Harrison, and "On The Stairs" with Dave Stryker and Paul Bollenback. CD

Two players we don't really know at all, but coming together here in a sublime set of reed-based creations – Alaeddin Adlernest on bassoon and Haru Ghulam Barrabas on alto sax – four long tunes that each have some sort of structure, but also balance things nicely with a sense of freedom – a bit like some of the looser that Jimmy Giuffre or Lee Konitz were making during the 60s and 70s! Given the use of bassoon, there's almost some echoes of the Arkestra here – or the sparer moments that the Arkestra might feature on a solo – and Barabbas has some very unusual phrasing on alto sax, too – which comes across wonderfully here next to the less-conventional horn. Really beautiful throughout – with titles that include "Einstein", "Smile", "Al Bab", and "Music Navigation". CD

An overlooked gem from the initial run of Black Sabbath – the last album to feature Ozzy Osborne on vocals, and a set that really hones the group's power of the previous years! You might expect a more commercial outing from the cover – or maybe think that these guys were trying on some newer waves at the end of the 70s – but honestly, the guitars are as sharp as ever, Ozzy's vocals are nice and fierce, and there's a cool, compressed vibe that really shows these guys influencing a new generation with their music. The bass is maybe not as heavy as before, but that seems to be the only point of power missing from the pentagram – on titles that include "Never Say Die", "Junior's Eyes", "Johnny Blade", "Shock Wave", "Air Dance", "Swinging The Chain", and "Breakout". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite possibly the greatest moment of genius ever from Black Sabbath – and a genre-changing record that influenced generations! The group are at their lean, raw best here – free from any cliches at all, and working in an incredibly heady brew of fuzzy guitar, romping bass, and dark drums – all topped by the instantly recognizable screech of the young Ozzy Osborne! Guitarist Tony Iommi virtually redefines rock use of the guitar with this record alone – and the Oz follows suit with some of the creepiest vocals set to record ever. Titles include the classics "Paranoid" and "Iron Man", plus "War Pigs", "Planet Caravan", "Electric Funeral", "Hand Of Doom", and "Rat Salad". CD

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Grooves unlike anything else you've ever heard in your life – an assortment of mid 70s tunes from Mahmoud Ahmed, the second grooviest Ethiopian artist, next to Mulatu! Ahmed's sound is a lot more out there than Mulatu's – less funky and jazz-based, and more in the mode of snakey rhythms, complicated guitar parts, and vocals that have a melancholy quality that's simply amazing. This set features tunes that recently appeared on volume 7 of the Ethiopiques CD series – but which are presented here in the format of the original 1975 LP! Titles include "Ere Mela Mela", "Ohoho Gedama", "Tezeta", "Abbay Mado", "Atawurulegn Lela", and "Endenesh Gedawo". LP, Vinyl record album

A very heady second album from Blossom Toes – much darker than their debut a few years before, and done with a fuzzy-headed sound that almost echoes the generation of Black Sabbath and Deep Purple – but which still has some of their best psych elements in place too! It's clear that guitarist Brian Godding has upped his kills even more than before – and they were pretty darn fantastic on the first record too – as he trades lines with Jim Cregan, over all these fantastic heavy bass bits from Big Brian Belshaw and drums from Barry Reeves – a tight quartet using all familiar instrumentation, yet really making their own unique mark in music. The whole thing's a fantastic underground classic – and titles include "Love Bomb", "Kiss Of Confusion", "Peace Loving Man", "Listen To The Silence", "Wait A Minute", and "Indian Summer". 3CD set is full of incredible bonus material – the cuts "Postcard", "Everyone Is Leaving Me Now", "Listen To The Silence (live)", and "New Day" – plus a full CD2 that features live material from 1969 – and CD3 which features rarities and demo tracks. CD

Jaw-dropping work from Charles Bradley – a stunning album that's maybe his best so far – and that's saying a hell of a lot, given the quality of his previous work! There's a focus and power here that really puts Charles on top – from the bold statement at the start of the record, to the range of expressive, emotive lyrics all the way through – given superb support in a range of deep soul and funky currents from the likes of Budos Band, Menehan Street Band, Gospel Queens, Saun & Starr, and Sha La Das! Yet none of these guests ever feel like they're sharing the spotlight with Charles – because, like the James Brown Show of the late 60s, all these super-strong talents are working in constellation around Bradley's majesty – a bold soul vision that's never burned this brightly before. Titles include "Ain't It A Sin", "Nobody But You", "Good To Be Back Home", "Things We Do For Love", "Crazy Love", and "Slow Love" – plus a cover of Black Sabbath's "Changes". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful session by Andrew Hill – recorded in 1968, but issued only briefly in 1981 – and out of print for years! The session is a key one in understanding Hill's work – as it's a bridge between the arch modernism of his early Blue Note sides, and the more soul-oriented playing of the Grass Roots album. The set features wonderful frontline work in the trumpet of Charles Tolliver, and tenor and soprano of Joe Farrell – both players who open up the sound at the same time they're giving it a nice bottom – egged on by the rest of the combo, which includes Victor Sproles on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. The album's an enchanting one – not as dark as early years, but still with a compelling vision that's all Hill's own. Titles include "Dance With Death", "Love Nocturne", "Black Sabbath", "Partitions", and "Fish N Rice". LP, Vinyl record album

Jon Irabagon on tenor and soprano saxophone, Tom Harrell on trumpet and flugelhorn, Luis Perdomo on piano, Yasushi Nakamura on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums. CD

Jon Irabagon on sopranino saxophone. CD

With Matt Mitchell on piano and Mivos Quartet on strings. CD

A great little album from talented tenorist Jon Irabagon – served up with a cover that's sort of a parody of a hip hop record – but delivered with a bold musical sound that's right up there with Jon's work in Mostly Other People Do The Killing! The tenor's really out front in most numbers – carving out a fresh space that changes throughout the set – sometimes spare and improvised, yet other times boldly swinging with lots of angular changes – setting fire to the group's lineup of trumpet, keyboards, bass, and drums. One track features a larger ensemble, and a few others feature guest players too – all integrated wonderfully into Irabagon's bold musical vision. Titles include "Lola Pastillas", "Camp Douglas", "Mourning In America", "Charles Barkley", "Parker Posey", and a nicely offbeat version of "Take Five". CD

A real treasure from reedman Maulawi Nurudin – originally recorded as part of the Strata Records scene in Detroit, but done in Chicago in 1973 – and issued here for the first time ever! The vibe here is almost more Tribe Records than some of the other Strata sides – as Maulawi blows tenor and other reeds over these modal grooves with drums from Tani Tabbal, plus bass and keyboards from other unknown musicians – all in a laidback style that's rich and soulful – almost a spiritual jazz take on territory that would later be explored by Grover Washington Jr, especially given Maulawi's use of soprano sax! Titles include great takes on "Maiden Voyage", "People Make The World Go Round", and "I Say A Little Prayer" – plus the originals "Orotunds", "Where Is The Place", and an "Unknown Track". CD

The nine to get ready here are the members of Roscoe's Note Factory nonet – an ensemble that includes George Lewis on trombone, Hugh Ragin on trumpet, Matthew Shipp on piano, William Parker on bass, and Tani Tabbal on drums and percussion. The sound here is spare and textural – very much in the ECM mode, and often surprisingly spare, despite the largeness of the group. Mitchell's on soprano, alto, tenor, and flute – stepping slowly alongside more tightly arranged horn passages for most of the set. Titles include "Leola", "Dream & Response", "Nine To Get Ready", "Move Toward The Light", "Big Red Peaches", and "Bessie Harris". CD

A record with a very plain cover, but one that contains some of the most searing guitar work of the early 70s – the one and only album by a short-lived group from Brazil – one who mix Sabbath-style hard rock with some more experimental modes – all at a level that's completely unlike anything we can think of from the time! There's some really offbeat production twists that almost seem to be learned from the Tropicalia generation – although the music here is much more straightforward, and delivered with familiar guitar, organ, bass, and drums – familiar instruments that, as in the hands of some of the giants of the time, take on raw power and sounds of their own when pushed to their limits! Lyrics are all in Portuguese, but that hardly matters, given the instrumental intensity of the set – which includes the titles "Turpe Est Sine Crine Caput", "Nao Fale Com Paredes", "Metro Mental", "Animaia", and "Espelho". LP, Vinyl record album

Features James Spaulding on alto and flute, Craig Harris on trombone, and Hugh Ragin and Rasul Siddik on trumpet, Dave Burrell on piano, Wilber Morris on bass, and Tani Tabbal on drums. CD

A pair of rare soundtracks from Philippe Sarde – both of them done for Italian director Marco Ferreri! First up is Liza – a sensual score that does a really great job of using older modes of instrumentation to convey some of the slinky 70s eroticism of the movie! Unlike other scores of this type from the time, which might lean more strongly on keyboards and guitar – Philippe Sarde instead makes great use of a lineup of key jazz musicians – served up here with strong solo work by Hubert Rostaing on clarinet, Stephane Grappelli on violin, Raymond Senechal on piano, Francois Rabbath on bass, and Didier Dupraz on guitar. The approach is wonderful, and the album has plenty of appeal to jazz fans too – on titles that include "Le Bunker", "Souvenirs", "La Nage", "Le Gramophone", "Liza", "Retour Dans L'Ile", and "L'Avion". La Derniere Femme has some nicely jazzy modes too – larger orchestrations from Hubert Rostaing, who also solos on clarinet in a few spots, next to solo flute from Michel Sanvoisin. Although the whole sore isn't entirely jazzy – there's some nice use of those larger Philippe Sarde charts, and two vocal numbers too – served up here on tunes that include "Theme De Valerie", "Si Me Quieres Aun", "Generique", "Tahiti Drink", and "Like A Bird In The Wind", with vocals from Bob Martin. CD features a bonus "outtakes medley" from Liza. CD

One of the greatest in Scientist's early 80s run of essential dub records! In The Kingdom Of Dub find's Scientist working his dub alchemy on a dozen Roy Cousins productions laid down by Sly & Robbie, Santa & Flabba, Ranchie McLean,Pablo Black and Skully. It's an excellent set of deep space dubs – and all the more exciting, given the too rarely heard source rhythms! Includes "18 Drumalie Avenue Dub", "14 Grass Quit Glade Dub", "Chariot Dub", "Thunder & Lightning Dub", "Disciple Dub", "Burning Sun Dub", "Next Door Dub", "11 Guava Road Dub", "Jurusalem Dub" and more. LP, Vinyl record album