... LP, Vinyl record album

Brassy LA studio arrangements of 60's pop tracks like "Spanish Flea", "Yeh Yeh", "It's Not Unusual", "Hang On Sloopy", and more. Not really Herb Albert, but still pretty groovy. LP, Vinyl record album

A lot greater than you'd expect – like most of The Four Tops' excellent work on ABC. The classic Motown sound is no longer, but in its place is the same sort of positive 70s soul grooving that Lamont Dozier picked up on the label – a style that makes a perfect platform for the vocals of Levi Stubbs. Backing is by Earl Van Dyke & The Soul Brothers – and titles include "Catfish", "Feel Free", "Strung Out For Your Love", "Love Don't Come Easy", and "You Can't Hold Back On Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Really nice work from The Four Tops – proof that they were still going quite quite strong after Motown! The album's got a hip sound that shows the group moving through a wider range of emotions than we ever remember – crafting rich deep harmonies that still stand apart from the big wave of sweet soul quartets of the early 70s, and which sparkle with all the emotion that Levi Stubbs' voice had to offer. Includes their great theme to Shaft In Africa, the track "Are You Man Enough" – plus loads of other great ones like "I Just Can't Get You Out Of My Mind", "It Won't Be The First Time", "Sweet Understanding Love", "Too Little, Too Late", "Peace Of Mind", and "Main Street People". LP, Vinyl record album

Despite the political overtones of the title, this funky rock band sticks mostly in conventional pop territory. The themes of the songs don't really belie any sort of fresh start for the USA, but the drummer's pretty tight, and he grooves it well with the guitarist on the best tracks. There's not really any standout drumbreaks, but the best cuts groove in the same way as good tracks on "rock break" albums from the same time – and some of the sweeter numbers have a good Free Soul sound. Titles include "Fresh Start", "Right Away", "Goin Down To Get Ya", "Takin Care Of Business", and "La La". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A richly dramatic score by Jerry Goldsmith – originally penned for an early TV mini-series in the 70s, but re-recorded here in a bold new version! The music has a bit more grandeur at times than some of Goldsmith's other soundtracks – still a hint of the action themes that we love in his best records, but also some more stately elements that correspond with the legal drama behind the story. LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly great album from Eydie Gorme – quite different than you might expect from the cover! Normally, we'd cringe at the idea of a "roaring 20s" set of tunes – but Eydie really does a great job with the material – taking tunes from a few decades before, and reworking them with a more modern, jazz-based approach – done with plenty of help on backings from Don Costa! Gorme's young vocals are great with the material – and the set features some surprisingly nice versions of "I Wanna Be Loved By You", "When The Red Red Robin Comes Bob Bob Bobbin Along", "Button Up Your Overcoat", "Chicago", and "Singin In The Rain" – plus "Let's Do It", "My Buddy", and "My Man". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Don Costa arranged, and the set features a few trumpet solos from Charlie Walp – on titles that include "I'm Shooting High", "I'm In Luck", "All Right Okay You Win", "Taking A Chance On Love", and "Better Luck Next Time". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest records ever by Johnny Hartman! Unlike his other mellow jazz vocal albums, this one's got a swinging batch of large group backings – handled by Oliver Nelson and Jack Pleis – and one in a way that really brings out a whole new side of Johnny, a very entertaining side that you never get to hear on his more sleepy standard albums. Proof of this is the excellent version of "Girl Talk" on the record, which starts with a cool little monologue about how much ladies like to talk on the phone! Other tracks include "Go Away", "If I Had You", "Old Black Magic", "Today I Love Everybody", and "T'Aint No Need". LP, Vinyl record album

Slightly later than some of Isaac Hayes' biggest Stax albums – but a great little record that's filled with some excellent smooth soul material! The record shows Hayes really trying to push his style to new levels, and it's got a sophistication that you don't hear on earlier albums – a sound that hints at the Polydor years, but without as much of a disco influence. Ike's also dropped his thing of doing a lot of soul covers of pop tracks – which means that the record's got a lot more original material, served up with a new sort of focus on songwriting! Titles include "Chocolate Chip", a perennial fave on the dancefloor, in both vocal and instrumental versions – plus "I Can't Turn Around", "Come Live With Me", and "Body Language". LP, Vinyl record album

After leaving Stax, Ike seemed to be trying to turn himself into more of a Barry White-style artist – with more emphasis on original tracks about love and loving, instead of his older method of transforming pop hits into little baroque symphonies. On a record like this, the approach meant that Ike was sometimes hitting a disco mode, but at the best points, he's also in more of a sweet mellow soul style. Tracks include "Rock Me Easy Baby", "Your Loving Is Much Too Strong", "We've Got A Whole Lot Of Love", and "Make A Little Love To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Eddie's masterpiece LP of late sixties soul, with the classic "Hey There Lonely Girl", the title cut, and a lot of other great original compositions. The sound on here is perfect, and nearly every cut shines. There's almost no filler, and Eddie's voice is strong, beautiful, and has a raspy edge that sounds great! We love this one to death, and it's a surprisingly great album all the way through by a star that you might mistake for a one-hit wonder. Titles include "I Cried", "Let Me Into Your Life", "Am I A Loser", and "Four Walls". LP, Vinyl record album

Two fantastic early albums by Al Hudson – working here with his initial group, The Soul Partners! First up is Especially For You – a record that's kind of a first chapter to all the excellent work by One Way to come – even though Al's not using that group name at this time! The record's got this cool, classy vibe – an update of an earlier Detroit soul mode, and one that maybe followed that city's shift a few years later than 70s soul changes in Philly during the decade – and handled with a similar blend of groovers and mellow cuts! The vibe is similar to the great shift The Dramatics were making on ABC Records at the time – and Al and the group work here with production by Al Perkins and arrangements by Jimmy Roach. Titles include "Baby Let Me Love You", "I Got A Notion You Got The Motion", "Real Love", "You're So Wonderful", and "Trying To Prove My Love". Cherish is a funky soul classic from Al Hudson and the Soul Partners – a second full length set, and one that really has Hudson finding his groove! The rhythms are funkier than before – thanks to strong work on bass from Kevin McCord, who also joins Al a bit on vocals – in a mode that still continues the group's strong work on midtempo numbers, but also maybe answers a 70s disco wave with more of a Detroit funk overall! Great work from the group that would later turn into One Way – with titles that include "Tripped, Slipped, Stumbled, & Fell", "If You Get Caught", "If You Feel Like Dancing", and "I Like Everything About You". CD also features bonus tracks – "Feelings (7" version)" and "If You Feel Like Dancin (12" version)". CD

Joyous, bouncy sounds from the legendary Al Hudson – a sweet little set with his Soul Partners group, done in a mode that's right up there with the best music of his One Way combo! The grooves are uptempo, yet are much more rooted in ensemble funk than some of the disco of Al's contemporaries – and if anything, the album really shows a great evolution from the funk bands of the previous generation to a newer, more sophisticated style overall. Hudson's work at the helm is wonderful – and helps steer the group towards some nice mellow moments too – with arrangements from Kevin McCord, Rudy Robinson, and Dave Roberson. Alicia Myers serves up some great early vocals with the group – and titles include "I Don't Want You To Leave Me", "Another Love Song", "You Can Do It", "In The Basement", "Call Me", and "Rock". CD features a bonus track – "You Can Do It (disco mix)". CD

A pair of ABC Records gems from Al Hudson & The Soul Partners – back to back on a single CD! Spreading Love is excellent early work from Al Hudson – a soulful talent who stood his own in the late 70s, forging an up-tempo funk sound that lived long past disco, and which was sort of a platform for groups of the 80s to build a new dancefloor sound. Hudson relied heavily on bass-y funk to hit his groove, but he also gave strong focus to the good singers who worked with his groups – adding in good ballads that act as a showcase to members like bassist Kevin McCord, who sings some great vocals on this set. The album kicks off with the up-tempo groover "Spread Love", an anthemic dancefloor tune that almost points the way towards soulful house, and it's got some other nice cuts, like the ballads "Lost Inside Of You" and "Love Me Forever", plus the funky numbers "How Do You Do", and "Dance, Get Down". Happy Feet is joyous, bouncy sounds from the legendary Al Hudson – a sweet little set with his Soul Partners group, done in a mode that's right up there with the best music of his One Way combo! The grooves are uptempo, yet are much more rooted in ensemble funk than some of the disco of Al's contemporaries – and if anything, the album really shows a great evolution from the funk bands of the previous generation to a newer, more sophisticated style overall. Hudson's work at the helm is wonderful – and helps steer the group towards some nice mellow moments too – with arrangements from Kevin McCord, Rudy Robinson, and Dave Roberson. Alicia Myers serves up some great early vocals with the group – and titles include "I Don't Want You To Leave Me", "Another Love Song", "You Can Do It", "In The Basement", "Call Me", and "Rock". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Classic 60s Impressions material, with the legendary lineup firmly in place, and the great Johnny Pate handling all arrangements – really giving them that sense of righteous power that pushed their music past a lot of the previous group soul sounds of the Chicago scene – with a sophistication in both the instrumentation and harmonies that's completely sublime! The album mixes Curtis Mayfield compositions – like "Lonely Man", "Just One Kiss From You", "Falling In Love With You" – with special Impressions' takes on tunes that include "My Prayer", "Without A Song", "Answer Me, My Love", "I Want To Be With You", and "Nature Boy", which the group does incredibly well. Proof that the Impressions could shine, whatever the setting! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest records ever by the wonderful vocal team of Jackie & Roy – a sweetly swinging 50s session, with great LA jazz backings from the orchestra of Bill Holman! There's a breezy vibe to the whole thing that's years ahead of its time – not pop harmony vocals, but an approach that's strongly rooted in jazz, but also loosened up from the strict vocalese of the bop singers too. The cover's got Jackie & Roy playing on a slide at the sea – and that free and easy image certainly sums up the feel of the music – a lightly playful blend of jazz vocalese, ballads, and strong duet numbers, all sung with the usual Jackie & Roy charm. The set includes some great tunes, too – including "Pent Up House", "Free & Easy", "So It's Spring", and "Aren't You Glad You're You". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite albums by the team of Jackie & Roy – a really special little set that features small combo backing, great tunes, and some of the best vocals of their early career! The album features Roy playing piano in a quartet with Barry Galbraith on guitar, Milt Hinton on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums – and there's a lightly jazzy feel to the whole set, one that really works well with the vocals from the pair. Jackie takes the lead on some numbers, but most have her and Roy singing duets – in that cool mix of scatting and lyrical interplay they do so well. Pretty groovy stuff – especially for the 50s – and titles include "Let's Get Away From It All", "You Inspire Me", "Where Did The Gentleman Go", "The Glory Of Love", "I Love You Real", and "Miz Margret". LP, Vinyl record album

Jackie & Roy at the height of their ABC powers – really stepping out strongly here with a bold jazz vocal approach that nobody else can touch! Both Roy Kral and Jackie Cain get a few moments of their own in the spotlight, especially Jackie, who steps out on a number of the tracks – but as usual, the duo's at their best when singing together – which they do beautifully here, trading lyrical lines with tremendous charm! Most instrumentation is small combo – with Roy on piano, Monty Budwig on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums – and titles include "From This Moment On", "Kiss & Run", "Cake Walk", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "Who Cares", and "How Are You Fixed For Love". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Lost bit of soul by Chuck Jackson, recorded in LA in the early 70s, between his Wand hit years, and his later stuff on All Platinum. The sound is sort of a rootsy studio soul sound, if that makes any sense – but some of the tracks are also a bit funky. There's a great sample on the cut "Talk A Little Less", which is also a killer soul number itself – and other titles include "Maybe This Will Be The Morning", "Put A Little Love Away", "If That's The Way That You Want It", "Just a Little Tear", and "I Only Get This Feeling". Surprisingly great work from Chuck – and a record that should have been bigger, but which got buried when it came out. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A lost gem from Keith's "with horns" period – a quintet session from the mid 70s, recorded with a group that features Dewey Redman on tenor, plus Charlie Haden on bass, Paul Motian on drums and percussion, and Guilherme Franco on additional percussion. The feel is a bit straighter than Jarrett's excellent Death & The Flower set – as the tunes have a highly rhythmic component, and make good use of the extra percussion to create a flowing, organic groove. There's still a nice loose feel overall, though – almost a take on the loft jazz sound, especially at the moments when Jarrett goes a bit outside on piano. Titles include "Shades Of Jazz", "Southern Smiles", "Rose Petals", and "Diatribe". LP, Vinyl record album

A 60s set from Memphis bluesman BB King – but one put together with a very distinct Chicago touch as well! The set's produced by Johnny Pate, and recorded live with a vibe that's similar to King's classic recording at The Regal – but it's almost got even more of a soulful punch, thanks to backing from a cool small combo that includes Bobby Forte on tenor, Kenneth Sands on trumpet, Duke Jethro on Hammond, and Louis Satterfield on bass! BB's vocals are great – in his best early form – and the tunes are bluesy, but also smoke with a nice degree of soul – and almost some jazzy touches at times from the tenor and organ. Titles include "Don't Answer The Door", "Blind Love", "Tired Of Your Jive", "Night Life", "Buzz Me", and "Waitin On You". LP, Vinyl record album

BB King hips up his groove a bit here – picking up some of the crossover soul and rock touches used by contemporaries over at Chess/Cadet, and expanding his sound with a range of guests that include Leon Russell, Joe Walsh, and Carole King! Despite the presence of these bigger names, the set's very much in BB's own spirit – mostly focused on his vocals and guitar work, and still mostly including original compositions. A few tunes get nice and funky on the rhythms, although still very much in a blues-based way – and Jimmie Haskell contributes a few larger arrangements from time to time. Titles include "King's Special", "Until I'm Dead & Cold", "You're Still My Woman", "Hummingbird", "Go Underground", and "Chains & Things". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first records to feature BB King's famous guitar, Lucille, in the spotlight – an instrument he'd played for years, but which took on legendary status over the decades! The guitar's handled perfectly here by King – with a tone that still holds on to all the gritty edges of his early years, but which is also captured beautifully in the studio with top-shelf production – loud and clear, but never as commercial as on later records. The whole thing's wonderfully free of hoke – the material that made King a much-deserved star in the 60s – and the record features backing from Maxwell Davis on Hammond and Lloyd Glenn on piano. Titles include "Watch Yourself", "Lucille", "I Need Your Love", "Country Girl", and "You Move Me So". CD

A very unique chapter of the career of Steve Lacy – and a key bridge between his early work in trad jazz groups, and his more famous late 50s modern sides! Both of the albums on the set were recorded for ABC in 1956 – under the leadership of bassist Whitey Mitchell and tenor horn player Tom Stewart, respectively – and they're done in a style that has lots of the "chamber jazz" modes that were cropping up on 50s sessions for labels like RCA, Dawn, and Bethlehem. Lacy plays soprano sax throughout, in an angular mode that sits nicely to Stewart's unique tenor horn, Mitchell's bass, and other instrumentation that includes Don Stratton's trombone, Herbie Mann's flute, and Joe Puma's guitar. The first 10 tracks, from the Mitchell session, feature swinging arrangements by Neal Hefti – but the second set of 10 tracks is a bit looser overall. Titles include "Young Lesley", "Lover Man", "Once In A While", "Spain", "Potatoes", "Fidgety Feet", "Out Of Nowhere", and "Some Of These Days". CD

Weird mix of Philly soul production with vocals that have more of a southern soul kind of feel to them. Charles' voice is nice and rich, and the tracks are arranged by Vince Montana & Norman Harris. Includes some nice ballads, and a few uptempo tracks, including a Philly version of Steely Dan's "Do It Again". Other titles include "Say You Love Me Too", "It's All Over", "Stop", "Be Real Black For Me", and "You Came Out Of Nowhere". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent early album form Johnny Nash – one that's quite different than his later hits, and which has Johnny singing in a jazzy sort of mode that reminds us a lot of Jesse Belvin! Like Belvin, Johnny's got a warmly sweet voice that's lighter than Billy Eckstine, Joe Williams, or other contemporaries crossing the bounds between jazz and R&B – and this album showcases that style especially well, by setting Nash up with some strong arrangements from Don Costa – all nicely bright, and with plenty of breakout jazz moments. Titles include "I'm Beginning To See The Light", "I Got Rhythm", "S Wonderful", "Baby Won't You Please Come Home", "Baby Baby Baby", and "It's All Right With Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic funky orchestral stuff from this great Chicago soul arranger! Johnny was working with The Impressions during these years, but ABC gave him a chance to cut some instrumental sides on his own – and the record's a wonderful groover with some complicated numbers that remind us a bit of the Soulful Strings action going down at Cadet with Richard Evans. The album's got an excellent sound all the way through, with a motherlode of Johnny Pate originals like "Sea Tea", "Still Water", "Squalls a Plenty" (he must have been sailing a lot), and "Goodness Gracious" – and the album's another key chapter in the rich crossover soul scene of Chicago in the 60s! LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing work from west coast saxophonist Bill Perkins – playing here in a mode that's quite different than his more famous 50s recordings! The style here is almost one you'd hear on late 60s A&M Records – definitely "quietly there", with a blend of Perkins' reeds and light organ, piano, guitar, and percussion. The style is very subtle, and often very spare – mixed differently on each number, and shaded nicely with an equal focus on sound shapes as on jazz. There's a bit of a late 60s Paul Desmond feel here, but even more restrained – and other players include Victor Feldman on piano and organ, John Pisano on guitars, and Larry Bunker on drums. Titles include "Emily", "Quietly There", "Time For Love", "Just A Child", and "Shining Sea". LP, Vinyl record album

Pettiford's second album of big band tracks for ABC during the 50s – a more open-ended set than the previous one, with modernist touches that really make the set sparkle nicely. Part of these are due to Gigi Gryce, who plays alto on the record, and probably had a bit of a hand in arrangements. Other players include Art Farmer, Jerome Richardson, and Al Grey – and tracks include "I Remember Clifford", "Little Niles", "Now See How You Are", and "Seabreeze". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure one – with some very catchy LA soul grooves, and some strange Carribbean soul elements running through the mix. Nolan's got a voice that's hard to describe – a bit fey, a bit dramatic, but also rootsy at the same time – and the overall presentation of the album's pretty hard to describe without playing it. There's elements of southern soul, West Indian rhythms, and sweet LA production, touched with slight bits of rock. Titles include "Groovin Out On Life", "Oh Baby", "Crazy Love", "If I Could Only Be Sure", "Work It Out In The Morning", and "I Like What You Give". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A late 60s issue of material from some of Russell's earlier albums on Riverside – great sides from the early 60s featuring Russell at the head of a group of some of the better young modernists of the age, like Ellis, Dolphy, Pete La Roca, and Steve Swallow. The record features Russell-conceived versions of "Round Midnight", "Au Prive", and "Nardis" – as well as the originals "Thoughts" and "Blues In Orbit". LP, Vinyl record album

A great album of tightly produced R&B-tinged fusion, headed up by keyboardist Joe Sample, riding high here on the fame of The Crusaders. The other members of the group drop in on the album, and the whole thing's very similar to their best work from the late 70s – but with more of a focus on keyboards. Titles include "Rainbow Seeker", "Fly With The Wings Of Love", "In All My Wildest Dreams", and the classic "There Are Many Stops Along The Way". LP, Vinyl record album

A great 50s vocal session – for a number of reasons! One of the strongest is Patricia herself – a fresh-voice singer who's without hoke – backed by some moody arrangements from the Creed Taylor Orchestra. Even better is the selection of tunes – which includes a number of really unusual songs that push past the obvious standards – many of them in a dark mood that really fits the theme of the album nicely. Titles include "Do It Again", "Wandering Swallow", "Why Baby Why", "Nothing At All", "Speed Of Light", "Just Once Around The Clock", and Patricia's own composition "Let's Sit Down & Talk It Over". LP, Vinyl record album

The first album by Shotgun – one of the many major label funk groups who flourished briefly at the end of the 70s. The group have a harder sound than most of this nature – with plenty of guitars in the mix, and an overall heavier sound than you'd expect from an effort of this type. In fact, there's almost a rock/funk kind of groove going on – one that would be more typical of early 70s crossover efforts on Epic, in the wake of Sly Stone and other artists like that. Tracks include "Concrete Jungle", "Get Down with the Get Down", "Mutha Funk", "Hot Line", "Dynamite (The Bomb)", and "Good Thing". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

The amazing debut of Soft Machine! It's hard to find a more seminal moment of jazz rock from the British scene – and there's certainly few albums from its generation that stand up as well over the years as this one! The trio of Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, and Michael Ratledge carve out the future of progressive playing on this excellent set of shorter tunes that still offer up all the hard jamming of later years. Beat group morphs into prog jazz before your very eyes – on tracks like "Hope For Happiness", "Why Am I So Short", "Save Yourself", "Priscilla", "So Boot If At All", "A Certain Kind", "Lullabye Letter", and "Why Are We Sleeping?". CD

An undisputed masterpiece, and a record we never tire of hearing – unabashedly the inspiration for our years of jazzy exploration as adults, even though it was probably the closest thing we ever got to the genre as wee lads! Walter Becker & Donald Fagan raise their already-high bar to new heights here – creating one of those rare records that flows together so beautifully, it's hard to remember where some songs begin and others end. There's a sense of perfection in everything about the record – the sound, the songs, the instrumentation – all woven together beautifully without any sense of self-consciousness. One majestic flow that starts with "Black Cow", and runs through classics that include "Aja", "Deacon Blue", "Peg", "Home At Last", "I Got The News", and "Josie". LP, Vinyl record album

My god, what a record! This one's genius through and through – a set that sometimes gets eclipsed in the brilliance to come, but which is easily one of our favorites ever by Steely Dan! There's a beautifully focused feel here – thanks to Donald Fagan's incredible lead vocals, and a sense of songwriting that never takes any left turns – no odd forays into different styles or previous genres, just all steeped in Steely, as the group should be by this point! John Klemmer turns in some wonderful sax work that really helps shape the sound, and titles include the wonderful "Caves Of Altimira", "Kid Charlemagne", "Don't Take Me Alive", "Green Earrings", and "The Royal Scam". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Ball Crusher", "Forty Days & Forty Nights", "Snow Bliend Friend", "Who Needs Ya", and "Earschplittenloudenboomer". CD

Very cool work from Creed Taylor – material cut when he was still a bandleader, and hadn't yet evolved into the role of super-producer! The session's a long way from the CTI sound of the 70s – and instead has Creed playing some very spooky stuff – compositions by Kenyon Hopkins that have a horror sort of theme – dark little tunes that would be a perfect soundtrack for a haunted house! The core instrumentation is jazz-based, but augmented with some great other touches as well – and there's two female voices that scream, groan, and make other odd noises on the record from time to time. Titles include "The Long Walk", "Jungle Fever", "Heartbeat", "Haunted House", "In Bedlam", "Time Runs Out", and "The Secret". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

Not as all-out funky as some of the funky blues albums on Chess at the time – but still nicely funky, and a very different album than usual for T Bone! The record has Walker's vocals and guitar backed by some larger arrangements that have a nice little bounce – lots of electric bass rolling around to kick the tunes into gear, and get T Bone to play a bit faster than usual. A few cuts are more laidback and bluesy, but over the course of the record things get plenty groovy for our tastes! Titles include "Goin To Funky Town", "Party Girl", "Long Skirt Baby Blues", "I'm In An Awful Mood", and "Jealous Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

With Alfred Apaka, Roy Smeck, Terorotua & His Tahitians, and The Islanders. LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of ABC Records classics from Bobby Blue Bland – back to back on a single CD! First up is Get On Down – brilliant later work by Bobby Blue Bland – done with backings that are much fuller than on his earlier albums – a mixture of strings and horns that really expand the sound! That doesn't keep things from being soulful, though – as Bobby's in incredible form vocally, really rising to the occasion of the session with some of his best vocal performances of the decade. Great throughout – and one of his few true classic sessions after the early Duke years. Titles include "Today I Started Loving You Again", "I Take It On Home", "I Hate You", "If Fingerprints Showed Up On Skin", and "Too Far Gone". Reflections In Blue is a bit of a shift for Bobby Blue Bland – a record that picks up some slight touches of the disco generation, thanks to arrangements by Michael Omartin – but a record that, thanks to Bobby's fantastic vocals, still really stands out from the pack! The shift is a bit like the one that Johnnie Taylor was taking at the time – music that's still rooted in southern soul and blues, but which has some slight updates at a few points – but never in a way that's trying to put Bobby on the dancefloor at Studio 54! Instead, warmer keyboards, strings, and some well-crafted guitar lines are used in a few spots – while other tracks retain more of the horn-heavy arrangements that made his Duke Records material so great. Throughout it all, Bland is vocally fantastic – on titles that include "It Ain't The Real Thing", "The Soul Of A Man", "I Got The Same Old Blues", "Five Long Years", "It's All Over", and "If I Weren't A Gambler". CD

Includes "Born To Lose", "Hit The Road Jack", "You Are My Sunshine", "I Can't Stop Lovin' You", "Georgia On My Mind". 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... CD

A classic album of soul duets – and one of the deeper records cut by Betty during the 60s! The arrangements are by the great Marty Paich, and although there's some singers in the background, the overall sound is still pretty nice and soulful. Betty's high voice works well with Ray's raspy low one – especially on their classic duet version of "Baby, It's Cold Outside". Other tracks include "For All We Know", "Every Time We Say Goodbye", "Side By Side", and "You & I". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Very unusual later work from Fats Domino – recorded with a bit of a deep soul vibe by producer Felton Jarvis, who makes for some interesting twists on the usual Domino sound! Titles include "When My Dreamboat Comes Home", "Wigs", "Kansas City", "Heartbreak", "The Girl I'm Gonna Marry", and "Ballin' The Jack". 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of the few totally brilliant early Ferrante & Teicher albums – especially for their non-Westminster label releases! The album's a lot like the great Westminster titles – in that it features the pair working in very strange arrangements – often tuning the pianos strangely, and putting things inside the strings, in the manner of John Cage's prepared piano experiments from earlier years. The sound is incredible – highly pyrotechnic, with loads of weird bits, noises, and more odd stuff! Titles include "In The Rain", "Chopstick Cha Cha", "Merry Widow", "Love", "Hurdy Gurdy", and "Busman's Holiday". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent trippy soundtrack – to a film we'd love to see, and which starred Charles Aznavour, Ringo Starr, John Astin, James Coburn, John Huston, Richard Burton, and Marlon Brando! The crazy outing is accompanied by a great Dave Grusin score that includes lots and lots of heavy guitars – quite different from his usual bag, and a nice fit with the few vocal numbers in the film – some standout rock titles that go along nicely with Dave's sweet instrumental grooves! Includes "Rock Me" and "Magic Carpet Ride" by Steppenwolf, "Child Of The Universe" by The Byrds, and the excellent Grusin instrumentals "Marlon & His Sacred Bird", "Constant Journey", "Spec Ra Tac Para Comm", and "Opening Night By Surgery". LP, Vinyl record album

A wicked little album that has John Lee Hooker recording in San Francisco with a bunch of the other funky talents gracing the ABC/Impulse label at the time! Like other Bay Area work of the time, there's a nicely messed-up feel to the whole session – and plenty of funky moments bubble up from the bottom, thanks to a lineup that features Clifford Coulter on keyboards, Mel Brown on guitar, and Michael White on violin! More standard bluesmen on the date include Charlie Musselwhite on harmonica, Robert Hooker on electric piano, and Elvin Biship on slide guitar – and titles include "Hit The Road", "Boogie With The Hook", "Letter To My Baby", and "TB Sheets". Van Morrison also duets with Hooker on the title track – "Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive". CD

A major winner from The Impressions! Virtually all of their material for ABC was excellent – and this LP is no exception, as it's got loads of original Curtis Mayfield compositions, and plenty of great arrangements by Chicago soul legend Johnny Pate. The group is extremely soulful at this point – and they sound great on just about every cut. Titles include "Ten To One", "I'm So Proud", "Sister Love", "Little Boy Blue", "Girl You Don't Know Me", "I Gotta Keep Movin", and "A Woman Who Loves Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Surprisingly funky at times – and beautifully produced, too! Titles include "Funk #49", "Woman", "The Bomber", "Closet Queen", "Thanks", "Ashes In The Rain & I", and "Tend My Garden". LP, Vinyl record album

Joe Walsh and the James Gang at Carnegie Hall – with titles that include "Stop', "You're Gonna Need Me", "Ashes The Rain & I", "Tend My Garden", "Walk Away", and "Lost Woman". LP, Vinyl record album