This early import 12" single presents the tune in all its 4 part glory – complete with lots of production twists and turns from Trevor Horn, as well as impeccable string arrangements from Anne Dudley! 12-inch, Vinyl record

You might normally associate the Four Tops with Motown – and the famous quartet certainly rose to fame in Detroit – yet during the 70s, the group also moved to ABC Records, where they cut some completely sublime material too! At some level, the move might have been warranted – as the Tops never got the same sort of special handling in later years that the Temptations were getting – and it's almost as if the move to ABC really helped the group open up and sound a lot more righteous for the 70s! Production on many numbers is by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter – usually working with Steve Barri – and the sound is full and rich, but still a marvelous showcase for the lead vocals of Levi Stubbs, and the backing from the rest of the group. CD features 35 tracks in all – a fantastic introduction to these years – with titles that include "Keeper Of The Castle", "Are You Man Enough", "Am I My Brother's Keeper", "Inside A Brokenhearted Man", "Peace Of Mind", "Sweet Understanding Love", "Main Street People", "Ain't No Woman Like The One I've Got", "One Chain Don't Make No Prison", "Drive Me Out Of My Mind", "We All Gotta Stick Together", "This House", "Strung Out For Your Love", and "The Show Must Go On". CD

A lavish examination of the work of William Klein – an important postwar photographer who moved into the worlds of film and graphics in the 60s – and left an indelible imprint on both the scenes in New York and Paris! The book offers up Klein's work in a few different slices – some relatively straight early black and white photographs, which are exceptional – then some shots in Tokyo, and a lot more in Paris – which get increasingly wilder as the 60s move on, and which lead up to a section on his films – including the classic Qui Est Vous Polly Magoo, and Mister Freedom, which also featured Serge Gainsbourg! There's other later work too – and the book is a mixture of black and white and color photos, printed on heavy paper – 182 pages, hardcover, and oversized. Book

One of the first albums ever by this legendary jazz vocal group! LHR do the incredible – and create a set of vocal renditions of standards by the Basie band, putting jazzy lyrics in to replace the instrumental solos, but keeping the same vibe as the original tracks. The sound and approach is amazing – and it's no wonder this record made them instant legends. Titles include "Down For The Count", "Fiesta In Blue", "Blues Backstage", and "It's Sand, Man!" LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure vocal group that we know little about – but who have a strong harmony sound that reminds us of the best of the second wave of east coast groups from the mid 70s. HB Barnum produced the album, but it's got more of Philly sound than Barnum's older Detroit soul – with a mix of funky midtempo numbers and sweet ballads, the latter of which are the group's strongest suit. Pretty solid all the way through, with some well written sleepers hiding out. Titles include "Country Girl", "Love Knocked You Down", "Let There Be Love", "Hangin Tough", "Give It To The Needy, Not The Greedy", and "Lovers Can Never Be Friends". LP, Vinyl record album

A crucially important record in Sonny Rollins' career – one that had him breaking out of the straight bop sound, and emerging as a major power on the tenor sax – one with limitless creative power! The set features Rollins working with only drum and bass accompaniment – played by Max Roach and Oscar Pettiford, respectively – and the lack of piano or other horns gives Rollins a free space in which to work his magic, doing so incredibly on the album's "Freedom Suite", an extended piece that runs for nearly 20 minutes, and which pushes all conceptions of the tenor's ability to solo freely on record. The other side of the record features shorter tracks – "Shadow Waltz", "Someday I'll Find You", and "Will You Still Be Mine?" – blown with no less creativity. LP, Vinyl record album

A cool collection of work from the mid 50s jazz years at ABC – one put together as an introduction to the label, and which features some of the best tunes from the time! There's some mighty hip work on here – including "Night In Tunisia" by Vinnie Burke's String Jazz Quartet, "Reminiscent Blues" by Urbie Green, "Walkin" by Jackie & Roy, "Last Night When We Were Young" by Jimmy Raney, "I'm Beginning To See The Light" by Don Elliott, "Speculation" from Oscar Pettiford, "Stockholm Sweetnin" by Quincy Jones, "Quicker Blues" by Zoot Sims, and "The Peanut Vendor" by Candido. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A great showcase for the instrumental talents of Jamaican saxophonist Roland Alphonso – one of the key players who helped transform the sound of the scene in the 60s! But despite Roland's name on the front, the album's more of a group affair overall – directed by Boris Gardinier, and also featuring wicked rocksteady work from Lyn Taitt on guitar and Aubrey Adams on Hammond – both musicians who get almost as much time in the spotlight as Alphonso himself! Titles include a nice noisy take on the Booker T & The MGs tune "Hip Hug Her" – plus "Narata", "Pure Soul", "Wild & Free", "Little Nut Tree", "That's Life", "Sad Song", and "ABC Rocksteady". PLUS, this 2CD version has a huge number of related bonus tracks – 43 more titles, all produced by Sonia Pottinger, many of which are on CD for the first time – tracks by The Gaylads, Melodians, Ken Boothe, Patsy, Glen & Dave, The Tennors, Junior Soul, The Conquerors, Al & The Vibrators, Roland Downer & Count Ossie, The Soul Lads, Johnny & The Attractions, Dermott Lynch, and many others. CD

A seminal step forward for this legendary group – easily one of the greatest albums they ever cut! With ABC, the Jacksons are expanding their sound with the club-oriented grooves of the time – using Holland, Dozier, and Holland on many cuts, trying for a similar soaring groove as some of the trio's work on their own Invictus label. The move's actually a great one – as the maturing group has a strong adult harmony sound, the one that they would lean on more heavily during their years as The Jacksons, and which calls for much smoother arrangements than before. The record's got a surprisingly righteous, joyous sort of sound – and titles include "The Love You Save", "ABC", "One More Chance", "Never Had A Dream Come True", "I'll Bet You", "I Found That Girl", "La-La Means I Love You", "2-4-6-8", and "The You Folks". CD

Mod 60s all the way – as the film stars Michael York, Rita Tushingham, and Lynn Redgrave! The score is by John Addison, and actually more than half of the numbers are vocal ones – featuring the girls singing in series of whimsical tunes that are sort of a 60s take on the Merry Old England style. There's a few nice mod numbers, though – including the really great "Day Out", which kind of tipples and soars in a nice way, sounding almost like a lost tune from El Records! Other tracks include "Carnaby Street", "While I'm Still Young", "New Clothes", "Jabberwock March", "Baby Don't Go", "Can't Help Laughing", and "Pie Fight". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 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

A nice little record from Bobby – quite different from his 60s sides for Duke/Peacock, and recorded in California (as you might guess from the title!) with a smoother more soulful approach. The style works well for Bobby – and kind of gave him a new lease on life during the 70s, as he mixed his rougher bluesy vocals with some hipper arrangements – still quite deep in soul, but with a compressed sound that creates a new mode of expression. Titles include "Goin Down Slow", "Up & Down World", "Help Me Through The Day", "Where Baby Went", "Friday The 13th Child", "This Time I'm Gone For Good", and "I've Got To Use My Imagination". LP, Vinyl record album

We've got to admit, we don't know much about Angelo Bond, but we've always had kind of a soft spot for this nice overlooked album of 70s soul tracks recorded for ABC. The arrangements are by McKinley Jackson and Paul Riser, and the tracks are a nice mix of 70s soul themes – with some political material and some soulful love tracks. Best cuts include "Reach For The Moon (Poor People)", "I Love You", "He Gained The World (But He Lost His Soul)", and "Man Can't Serve Two Masters". LP, Vinyl record album

Albert Brooks' famous takeoff on the Music Minus One series – and a cracker of a comedy record, too! In addition to the title gag – which even includes a script and mirror so you can be the co-star – the record also features Brooks' excellent "Another Kooky Krazy Kall", plus "Other Things", "Special Stereo Demonstration", and "Rewriting The National Anthem". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the jazziest Candido albums ever – a tight little 50s set that features the master congolero working with a small combo that includes Al Cohn on tenor, Dick Katz on piano, and Joe Puma on guitar! The sound is nice and stripped-down – bristling with a percussive approach to the grooves that really seems to inspire the soloists – especially Cohn, who's playing here with a tone that we didn't expect! The session jams along nicely throughout – and tracks include "Perdido", "Candi Bar", "Mambo Inn", "Candido's Camera", and "Indian Summer". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning standout from Ray Charles' years on ABC Records – and a set that brings in a bit of hard-swinging jazz to the country-styled groove Ray was hitting at the time! Backings are by Ralph Burns, who keeps things pretty hip – not as modern as some of his 50s charts for other singers, but with some great horns that cascade beautifully alongside Ray's raspy vocals in the lead. The "road" title leads to a bunch of travel-themed tunes – but that approach also yields one of Charles' biggest classics – his version of "Georgia On My Mind" – heard here amidst other tracks that include "New York's My Home", "Moonlight In Vermont", "Deep In The Heart Of Texas", "Blue Hawaii", "Carry Me Back To Old Virginny", "Alabamy Bound", and "Mississippi Mud". LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant work throughout – both of Ray Charles' classic country albums on a single CD package! Volume one is the stuff of legends – and what seemed a silly idea at the time was true proof of Ray's genius – the most successful album of his career and a bona-fide number one hit that rode the charts for years and years! Ray's voice works perfectly with the material, and thanks to soulful arrangements by Gil Fuller, Marty Paich, and Gerald Wilson, the whole thing comes off to perfection. Titles include "You Don't Know Me", "I Can't Stop Lovin You", "Careless Love", "You Win Again", and "Worried Mind". Volume 2 is the second installment of one of Ray's greatest albums – and a landmark in the genre of country soul! As the title implies, Ray's singing a host of tunes best known from the country side of the spectrum – but he's working here with arrangements by LA jazzers Marty Paich and Gerald Wilson, to completely re-cast the tunes into the "modern sounds" mode promised in the title. The result is wonderful – a style that gave Ray's career a whole new boost, and a genre that was a perfect foil for his rich bluesy mode of singing. Titles include "No Letter Today", "Take These Chains From My Heart", "Teardrops In My Heart", "Making Believe", and "Hang Your Head In Shame". CD

Brilliant work throughout – both of Ray Charles' classic country albums in a single package! Volume one is the stuff of legends – and what seemed a silly idea at the time was true proof of Ray's genius – the most successful album of his career and a bona-fide number one hit that rode the charts for years and years! Ray's voice works perfectly with the material, and thanks to soulful arrangements by Gil Fuller, Marty Paich, and Gerald Wilson, the whole thing comes off to perfection. Titles include "You Don't Know Me", "I Can't Stop Lovin You", "Careless Love", "You Win Again", and "Worried Mind". Volume 2 is the second installment of one of Ray's greatest albums – and a landmark in the genre of country soul! As the title implies, Ray's singing a host of tunes best known from the country side of the spectrum – but he's working here with arrangements by LA jazzers Marty Paich and Gerald Wilson, to completely re-cast the tunes into the "modern sounds" mode promised in the title. The result is wonderful – a style that gave Ray's career a whole new boost, and a genre that was a perfect foil for his rich bluesy mode of singing. Titles include "No Letter Today", "Take These Chains From My Heart", "Teardrops In My Heart", "Making Believe", and "Hang Your Head In Shame". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A jazz rock masterpiece from Colosseum – the kind of record that the British scene could do far far better than any American group at the time! The set is a sweet blend of late beat group grooving – using the heavy R&B-influenced guitar and organ styles of earlier years, and working them into a more open-ended, more improvisational approach that had a surprising amount of soul! Most cuts have vocals, but the instrumentation is what really dominates the set – especially on the sweet organ work from Dave Greenslade, and the always-great sax work by Dick Heckstall-Smith. Titles include the funky "Debut", and the cuts "Walking In The Park", "Plenty Hard Lick", "The Road She Walked Before", "Mandarin" and "Those About To Die". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Apart from the title's terrible pun on the Glenn Campbell hit of the mid 70s, this album's a real treat – a very soulful batch of smooth funky jazz tunes by The Crusaders, who by this point have fully emerged to claim the throne of the pop soul jazz genre they virtually invented. The record's got razor-sharp production, which you'll hear perfectly in the album's jazz stepping hit "Keep That Same Old Feeling", one of the best tunes ever to come from the pen of Wayne Henderson, and a track that he recorded endlessly with other groups. Other tracks include "Feeling Funky", "Spiral", and "Til The Sun Shines". LP, Vinyl record album

This Dells LP was cut around the time ABC was having some great luck with the Detroit soul of The Dramatics – so they brought the Dells over to Detroit to record, with production work by the likes of Al Perkins, George Clinton, and Eli Fontaine. The tunes have a smoother approach than the group's work at Chess/Cadet – but their vocals are still top notch, with that raspy soul quality that has made them sound consistently strong over the years, no matter what the setting. Includes versions of Clinton's "I Just Wanna Testify" and "All Your Goodies Are Gone" – plus the tracks "Cherish", "Tripped, Slipped, Stumbled & Fell". Lots of nice ballads! LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty sweet mid 60s disaster movie – filmed in Cinerama, and featuring an all-star cast that includes a great later Sal Mineo role! The music is lush and slightly sentimental – almost in a Rogers & Hammerstein mode, with South Pacific-y touches on the album's few vocal numbers. Barbara Werle sings the tunes "A Nice Old Fashioned Girl" and "Just Before Sunrise" – but the best number is the wonderful "East Of Java" title theme, sung by a male harmony group who's unfortunately unnamed on the cover! Other instrumental tunes are lush and mainstream soundtrack-ish – and titles are mostly variations on the 3 above-named songs. LP, Vinyl record album