One of the best-remembered moments of music from the enigmatic Vangelis – a set that's maybe a bit darker and more moody than some of his other records of the time – thanks to the Blade Runner setting provided by director Ridley Scott! Vangelis works plenty of familiar early 80s soundtrack elements here – lots of keyboards and electronic wash, plus even a bit of almost-cheesy sax at times – but he makes the whole thing sound nicely off-kilter at most moments, with just the sort of awkward replication that fits perfectly with the narrative theme of the film. There's some beautiful exotic currents that are maybe even more captivating here on record than you might remember from their use onscreen – and titles include "Memories Of Green", "Tales Of The Future", "Rachel's Song", "Blush Response", "Lone More Kiss Dear", and "Tears In Rain". Cassette

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A great little record – produced and engineered by Todd Rundgren! LP, Vinyl record album

A tight, old school set of jazz from the Dutch American All Stars – a group that features trumpeter John Marshall, pianist Hod O'Brien, bassist Jacques Schols, and drummer Peter Ypma – all playing here in very relaxed, familiar company! There's nothing too fancy or overdone with these tunes – and they spin out with that easygoing feel we love in any album that has O'Brien on piano – a mature mode of jazz that never tries too hard to overstate its case, but gets plenty of greatness done along the way. Marshall's horn has all the sparkling tones we love in other Blue Jack Jazz recordings, and the basswork from Schols really adds a nice undercurrent of soul to the set. Titles include "Joop's Lope", "Forecast", "Quasimodo", "Frisky", "Milestones", and "Zanzibar". CD

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Includes "Statesboro Blues", "Trouble No More", "Don't Keep Me Wonderin'", "Leave My Blues At Home", "Stormy Monday", "You Don't Love Me", and "Whippin' Post". CD

Beautiful recent work from Andy Bey – a singer who seems to get better and better as the years go on! As the title might indicate, the set's a collection of classic American songs – 20th century standards and evergreens, done by Bey in his wonderfully dusky style of singing – and supported by small group backing that includes piano from Geri Allen, tenor and flute from Frank Wess, trombone from Steve Davis, and trumpet from Vernell Garrett. The backings have some nice lush tones at some moments, and fall off into sparer moods at others – allowing a lot of space for Andy's wonderful voice to roll in! Titles include "Never Let Me Go", "Lonely Town", "Midnight Sun", "Angel Eyes", "Speak Low", and "Lush Life". CD

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... LP, Vinyl record album

Also includes theme songs from St Elsewhere, Taxi, Cheers, Hill Street Blues, Cagney and Lacey. CD

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A lesser-known Ellington set from the 60s – tracks from the lesser-remembered musical, with alto from Johnny Hodges, trumpet from Ray Nance, and tenor from Paul Gonsalves! Titles include "Our Children", "Nightlife", "I've Just Seen Her", "Back To School", and "If I Were You". LP, Vinyl record album

Works include "New World A Comin", "Harlem", "Black Brown & Beige", and "Three Black Kings" – with solos by Jimmy Heath on tenor and Roland Hanna on piano. Ensemble led by Maurice Peress. CD

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Early recordings from Diz – including tracks from rare Vocalion, Masterseal, Manor, Guild, and Dial 78s! Features a great booklet inside the gatefold too. LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual later set from the great Dexter Gordon – and a record that features the surprising addition of Hammond organ! Shirley Scott's on the record with Dex, and plays organ on half the cuts (Kirk Lightsey handles piano on the others) – bringing a soulful depth to the record which then seems to inspire Gordon to move into the sort of territory we might have expected from Stanley Turrentine back in the 60s! Grover Washington's on the record, blowing soprano sax on a few cuts with Scott – and reminding us of his deeper soul jazz roots – and other players include David Eubanks on bass and Eddie Gladden on drums. Titles include "Besame Mucho", "Skylark", "Sticky Wicket", and "For Soul Sister" – plus an interview with Dex! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the crowning early moments from the young Grateful Dead – a key Warner studio album that really has the group moving from psychedelic to more roots-oriented modes – maybe a Marin vibe versus a Haight sort of happening – with loads of great guitar and pedal from Jerry Garcia, plus lots more from the rest of the crew too. Robert Hunter wrote the tunes, Mickey Hart added in lots of percussion next to the drums - and titles include the very groovy "Truckin", plus "Box Of Rain", "Candyman", "Operator", "Sugar Magnolia", "Friend Of The Devil", "Ripple", "Brokedown Palace", "Attics Of My Life", and "Till The Morning Comes". LP, Vinyl record album

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Quite an unusual album from guitarist Fareed Haque – very different than some of his more jazz-based work over the years, as the set features Haque working with a string quartet, on a host of more compositional pieces! The style's maybe in the best Spanish guitar mode – with Haque playing acoustic throughout – stepping out in front of the two violins, viola, and cello at a level that reminds us of compositions by Villa-Lobos or De Falla – although with a bit more improvisation from Fareed. The set includes performances of "El Alevin" by Eduardo Angulo, "Five Tango Sensations" by Astor Piazzolla, and "Quintet For Guitar & Strings" by Leo Brouwer. CD

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One of a few albums cut in America by French 50s modernist Andre Hodeir – a set of compositions arranged and conducted by Hodeir himself, featuring American players that include Idrees Sulieman and Donald Byrd on trumpets, Hal McKusick on alto and bass clarinet, Bobby Jaspar on tenor and flute, Jay Cameron on baritone and clarinet, Eddie Costa on vibes, and Frank Rehak on trombone. Annie Ross does a very nice vocal obligatto on the track "The Alphabet", and other tunes include "On A Standard", "On A Riff", "On A Blues", "Criss Cross", and "Paradoxe II". LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool – a Japanese-only collection of unissued material from the 40s! LP, Vinyl record album

Just the kind of cool high-concept work we love from A&M Records – an all-star project with performances by Jessi Colter, Eric Clapton, Bernie Leadon, Waylon Jennings, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

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A great contrast to some of the more straight-ahead James Brown biographies on the market – as writer James McBride takes a circuitous path to look at the genius of The Godfather – not the shining stars of the bigger highlights in his career, but the lost corners and more distant pathways that shaped not just the man and his music, but Brown's role in our culture as well. The book is beautifully written – no surprise, given McBride's literary talents – and amidst all the hype and overblown myths about James Brown, the author really seems to unlock something new, and very personal as well. 232 pages, softcover. Book

Includes "Hurts So Good", "Jack & Diane", "Thundering Hearts", "Close Enough", and more! LP, Vinyl record album

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A deep look at the firmly-rooted, if often obscured presence of African American music in some of the most legendary country music ever made, onward up to contemporary, post-millenium country's flirtation with hip hop. Edited by Diane Pecknold and featuring work by herself, and Michael Awkward, Erika Brady, Barbara Ching, Adam Gussow, Patrick Huber, Charles Hughes, Jeffrey A. Keith, Kip Lornell, David Sanjek, Tony Thomas, Jerry Wever. It goes way back to the beginning – with the story of Tee Tot Payne, the street musician who taught young Hank Williams Sr., black fiddler and guitarist Arnold Shultz's influence on bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe, and other interesting country origins stories – plus contemporary country's homogenization of hip hop influences. Paperback, 392 pages. Book

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With Rex Stewart, Benny Carter, Eddie South, and Bill Coleman. LP, Vinyl record album

With Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter, Bill Coleman, Garnet Clarke, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

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Tight work from this famous disco trio – a set recorded at Sigma Sound in NYC with lots of soaring strings, thanks to the disco perfection of producer Jacques Morali – who really found a great outlet for his talents with the group! And the album's also got some surprisingly soulful currents in the mix too – with added arrangements from Horace Ott, and vocal arrangements from Philly soul genius Phil Hurtt – both of whom really help the set hit a cut above the usual girls-with-disco sort of set! Titles include "Music Man", "Good In Love", "American Generation", "I Feel Disco Good", and a surprisingly strong cover of "Big Spender". CD features bonus tracks – 7" and 12" mixes of "American Generation" – plus 7" mixes of "Music Man", "Good In Love", and "I Feel Disco Good". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Tenorist Ronnie Scott playing in his home turf – tucked up nicely in the Ronnie Scott's club in Soho, circa 1964 – but working here with a few different hip American guests! One long track – a 25 minute version of "Secret Love" – features both Scott and Sonny Stitt on tenor sax, with backing from Stan Tracey on piano, Malcolm Cecil on bass, and Jackie Dougan on drums – all grooving in a very open, jamming, Stitt-inspired way! Next are long takes on "Blues By Five" and "Well You Needn't", recorded with Donald Byrd – and a version of "Bye Bye Blackbird" with JJ Johnson. The CD finishes with a short interview with Scott! CD

Marc Seales on keys, Fred Hamilton on guitar, Jeff Johnson on bass, Dave Capten on electric bass, and Gary Hobbs on drums. CD

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We're not normally ones to stock urban fire books here at Dusty Groove – but as you probably know, our hometown is Chicago, a city with a pretty incredible history – part of which is a fantastic fire that burned the whole place to the ground back in the 19th century! This huge book dives into great detail about the fire – its origins, its too-long burnout, initial failed efforts to stop it, and the surprisingly quick rise from the ashes that Chicago experienced as a result – as the city turned the tragedy into a way of rethinking and modernizing itself, which made it very well-poised to become a global powerhouse in years to come! Carl Smith tells the tale with a nicely narrative voice, while also showcasing the long research that went into the project – and this hardcover edition is 374 pages, with some black and white images. Book

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... 12-inch, Vinyl record

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Music from Jimmie Rodgers, the Carter Family, Uncle Dave Macon, Roy Acuff, Gene Autry, Bob Willis, Bill Monroe, Merle Travis, Bessie Smith, Mamie Smith, Lonnie Johnson, Son House and more. CD

Music from Umbrella Bed, Deals Gone Bad, The Goofs, Tango Wedding Band and more. CD

Songs by Frank Sinatra, Kay Starr, Judy Garland, Billie Holiday, Chet Baker, Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, Dean Martin, Louis Prima, and more –18 tracks total. CD

That's "Motel" California in the title, not Hotel California – and that should give you a good idea of the territory you're hitting here – the lower-rent underground of 70s country-styled rock – not the polished sound of the big groups on the major labels, but instead a hipper set of artists who really do a great job of blending acoustic and electric elements, country and rock modes, and just the right sort of warm-tinged vocals to send the whole thing across perfectly! Numero last gave us a collection in this territory nearly a decade a go – and it's clear they've taken all that time to really work at putting together a wonderful batch of material – expertly chosen, and augmented with the kind of detailed notes that make their collections so great. We're guessing that most of the work here is as new to your ears as it is ours – as the 20 track set is overflowing with obscure artists who include Jim Spencer, David Liska, Suzy Siquenza, Cathy Hamer, Lodestar, Charles Brown & Sleepy Creek, Country Spice, McKay, Bob Bakert, Richard Goldman, Rocky Top Band, and Sally Colahan. LP, Vinyl record album

The deepest of the deep from the American scene at the start of the 70s – groups so hip they weren't quite soul, weren't quite rock – and instead kind of a funky hybrid of both! After opening our ears to countless underground sounds from around the globe, the Now Again label turn back to some of the territory of its roots – the hinterland of groups who labored mostly in obscurity, but left behind a few funky 45s that have become the stuff of legend – and which show us that there was a much bigger psychedelic funk underground out there besides groups like Funkadelic or the early Ohio Players! As always with the label, the history is really given its due, thanks to very detailed notes – alongside titles that include "Down By The River" by Purple Snow, "There's A Wrinkle In Our Time" by 1984, "Function Underground" by We The People, "Corruption Is The Thng" by Creations Unlimited, "Jimi's Guitar Raps With The Bass" by Jimi Macon, "I'm A Man" by Cisneros & Garza Group, "Just Got To Be Free" by Black Conspirators, "BL Movement" by Blaclites, and "The Siesta Is Over" by The Revolution. LP, Vinyl record album

Features music from Dion, Bibby Pedrick Jr, Bobby Lewis, Conway Twitty, the Drifters, Nervous Norvus, Sammy Turner, Ronnie Love, Carl Mann, the Quarter Notes, and more. 30 tracks total. CD

That slightly creepy photo on the cover makes the kids look a bit more like cult members than the kind of sunny, happy flower children you might normally expect – and that's actually part of the quality of the package, too – as the set really gets at all the wonderful tensions taking place in American music in 1967 – a time of great freedom and optimism, but one with an undercurrent of darkness as well! The set really dives deeply into the crucial year of 1967, and goes way past the oldies and radio hits that most people associate with the musical moment – to bring together all sorts of cool cuts that often were only trading hands with the deeper chapters of the underground, mixed with a few other tracks from artists who got more play at the time, but were also changing the system from within! As with other Grapefruit collections, the notes and presentation are as great as the song choices – and the set features 85 titles in all, with work from The Balloon Farm, Gates Of Eden, Zodiac, Vanilla Fudge, Red Crayola, Lemon Drops, Cyrkle, Peppermint Trolley Company, Tim Rose, Spike Drivers, Blues Magoos, Sound Barrier, Grateful Dead, Thursdays Children, The ID, Zakary Thaks, Velvet Underground, Clear Light, Critters, Sagittarius, Jim & Jean, Sonny, Blue Things, Morning Dew, and many others! CD

An amazing look at the world of New York music in the late 50s and early 60s – and a set that's got a much more urban vibe than you might guess from the cover! The vibe here is partly hinted at by the Broadway address in the title – as most of these tracks come from a time and stretch when the indie pop machine was going full steam in the US – strongly urged on by the success of 50s R&B and early rock hits – served up here in a stunning mix of really unusual, really groovy singles – most of which go way way beyond the too-reissued Brill Building music of the time! Instead, the bulk of this work comes from the President label – and other imprints like Joy, Seville, and others – all brought together with a huge booklet of notes that follows the 107 titles in the box on a track-by-track basis – all with the completeness of an Ace/Kent compilation. There's way too many titles here to list – but we can say that the set features work from Mort Garson, Floyd Morris, Judy & Joyce, Scott Carol, Joey & The Twisters, Bill Roxy, Curtis Knight, The Four Coins, Larry Banks, Millie Foster, Terry & The Tunisians, Laura Lynn, Scott Bedford Four, Ernie Maresca, Billy Duke, Billy Butterfield, Susan Lynne, Sleepy King, The Hideaways, Earl Wade, The Imaginations, Wallie Hawkins, Ronnie Mitchell, and lots lots more! CD

A really great entry in the excellent Super Funk series – one that offers up cuts that are every bit as strong on their soulful vocals as they are their funky grooves! The track selection is wonderful – rare cuts from 45s, of the sort that funk diggers have been trading for years – plus some of those extra-special unreleased tracks, which the folks at Ace/BGP always seem able to dig up through their access to the vaults! The notes are filled with rare photos, label scans, and loads of information on the cuts – showing that their selection here wasn't just a random process – and despite the title, most tracks here are 70s numbers from the heavy funk years. Titles include "Dark Skin Woman" by Billy Cee, "Love Highjacker" by George Jackson, "You Bring The Tears" by Sampson & Delilah, "Born To Live With Heartache" by Mary Lvoe, "Sweet Thang" by William Bostic, "Foolish Man (part 2)" by The Huck Daniels Co, "Work It Out" by Marcene Harris, "Jodine" by Earl Harris, "Funky Kingston" by Tribe, "Brother Jack" by The Funky Kids, "Forgotten" by Lamont Johnson, "Daddy Please Stay Home" by Obrey Wilson, and "So Fine" by Chet Ivey & His Fabulous Avengers. CD

A really cool collection – one that first traces the range of R&B and early soul music that influenced the sound of Jamaica in the 60s, then follows up with early ska material that traces a really great line back to the American inspirations in the sounds! The set breaks up the early numbers to focus on older US records that played on Kingston sound systems, which makes for a great bridge forward to the original sounds created on that scene – in a set list that features 26 titles in all, with tracks that include "Ten Virgins" by Angelic Brothers, "The Joker" by Roland Alphonso, "Bess' Boogie" by Bobby Smith, "San Diego Bounce" by Harold Land, "Blow Lynn Blow" by Lynn Hope, "Goin Home" by Rosco Gordon, "Boogie In My Bones" by Laurel Aitken, "Pine Juice" by Clue J & His Blues Blasters, "Boogie Woogie Blue Plate" by Louis Jordan, "I Feel Good" by Ernest Ranglin, "Buster's Idea" by Prince Buster, "Rosabelle" by Cornell Campbell, "Me & My Forty Five" by Eric Marty Morris, and "Stew Peas & Cornflakes" by Audrey Adams & Rico Rodriguez. CD

Music from Earl Johnson & His Dixie Entertainers, Allen Shaw, Ernest Stoneman & Kahle Brewer, Bobby Leecan & His Need More Band, Henry Thomas, Fiddling John Carson & His Virginia Reelers, Richard 'Rabbit' Brown, Uncle Dave MacOn & His Fruit Jar Drinkers, Cannon's Jug Stompers, Shelor Family, and more. CD

A really heady set of tracks from the American scene – music that effortlessly bridges the 60s sounds of garage, blues rock, and psych – and prefaces some of the metal and more guitar-heavy modes to emerge later on in the 70s! The work here definitely shares more with the sounds of the 60s, but also really captures the music at a moment when things were really transforming – groups were getting past a slavish presentation of their influences, finding bold new modes of expression, and really letting their freak flag fly with fuzzy brilliance throughout – all at levels that were also different than some of the longer-spun modes of the European progressive world. As with other Grapefruit packages, the distillation of a sound and scene here is wonderful – and supported with very detailed notes too – in a package that includes 62 tracks in all - with work from Bang, Sudden Death, Dust, Arthur Lee, Boomerang, Cactus, Grand Funk, The Flow, Head Over Heels, Sir Lord Baltimore, ZZ Top, Brigade, Fuse, Conception, Morgen, Coven, Alice Cooper, Nazz, Stack, Spirit, Kim Fowley, SRC, Mass Confusion Rock Band, Society's Children, Omnibus, Wildwood, Human Beinz, The Sound Barrier, Fever Tree, and many others! CD

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An intimate trio date from the late, great Mose Allison – recorded in 2006 but not released until 2015. Tracks include "City Home", "Lucky So & So", "Numbers On Paper", "My Backyard", "One Of These Days", and "You Can Count On Me". CD

Johnny's third record for American Recordings – and one of the best of his late career – again backed by members Tom Petty and members of his Heartbreakers and other smart players, with a mix of hard scrabble country and folk cuts, and Cash's authoritative, soulful covers of great songs by Will Oldham, Nick Cave, Neil Diamond and others. It's brilliant stuff, and a mix of darkness and more tender material, coming at a time when Johnny's health was going, but his spiritual integrity was a strong as ever. It's dark, but never bleak – which is hard trick pull off! Johnny was the man to do it. Includes "I Won't Back Down", "Solitary Man", "That Lucky Old Sun", "Field Of Diamonds", what we'd consider the definitive version of Johnny's own "Country Trash", "I'm Leaving Now" with the great Merle Haggard, "Wayfaring Stranger", "(Would You Lay With Me) In A Field Of Stone", "One", his amazing version Oldham's "I See A Darkness", "The Mercy Seat" and more. CD

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... LP, Vinyl record album

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A great illustration of the genius of Carmen McRae in the 70s – a record that easily shows why Carmen was hipper than most of her contemporaries from two decades before! The set has the vocalist somehow managing to still stick in a straight jazz style, without going for cheaper soul routines – yet also opening up with more of a sense of mature presence that showed the sophistication of the times – a killer blend that really makes the album a gem from these 70s years! The live setting features Carmen working through a mixture of new and old material in some really unique variations – working with a small group that includes Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet and Marshall Otwell on keyboards, carving out some space with a really wonderfully confident feel. Numbers include "No More Blues", "Only Women Bleed", "A Beautiful Friendship", "Star Eyes", "Dindi", "Never Let Me Go", "On A Clear Day", "On Green Dolphin Street", and "I'm Always Drunk In San Francisco". LP, Vinyl record album

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A tight collection of uptempo funk and disco-driven soul tunes – with a selection that goes way past the usual dancefloor favorites! We're not sure how to read the title (which seems to have some sort of "inside take" on black culture in America) so we'll write that off to the overzealous imagination of the British compilers of the set – but we will say that the package includes some great numbers that we wouldn't have thought of otherwise, including a few previously unissued tunes by artists on the Westbound label! The groove is upbeat on most tracks, with plenty of jazzy flourishes and a soulful approach to disco. Titles include "Disco Booty" by Melvin Sparks, "Love Don't Come Easy" by New Jersey Connection, "I Need Somebody To Love Tonight" by Sylvester, "Free Man" by South Shore Commission, "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" by The Clark Sisters, "Latin Disco" by The Counts, "Alvin Stone (The Birth & Death Of A Gangster)" by Fantastic Four, "Moon Trek" by Mike Theodore, "Sadie" by Joe Bataan, "Sure Can't Go To The Moon" by CJ & Co, and "The Magic Man" by King Errison. CD

Eleven songs from John Parr, Mr. Mister, INXS, Stevie Nicks, Graham Nash, Andy Taylor, Chris Thompson, and Alan Silvestri. CD

A great little set of rare soul music – served up by the Cairo imprint of Mississippi Records – and done with a very similar approach to their other reissues of folk, blues, and world music! The set focuses in on rootsier sounds, especially from the 60s – with lots of deep soul gems from both big names and some more obscure artists – all packaged with a detailed booklet of notes, in the best Mississippi style! The style is almost as if Folkway Records put together their own soul collection, but with work from other labels – and titles include "In My Heart" by Barbara & The Browns, "Tired Of Being Your Fool" by Nelson Sanders, "It's Not That Easy" by Reuben Bell & The Casanovas, "Since You've Been Gone" by The Falcons, "Can't Stay Away (parts 1 & 2)" by Slim & Ann, "Don't Ever Leave Me" by Bob & Earl, "Go Now" by Bessie Banks, "I Keep Forgetting You Don't Love Me No More" by The Thornton Sisters, "Don't Mistreat Me" by The Queenettes, "Let Me Down Easy" by Betta LaVette, "Life Is Too Short" by Benny Spellman, "Lament" by Mamie Perry, "I'm Missing You" by Loretta Williams, and "Everybody Knows" by OV Wright. LP, Vinyl record album

A great little set of rare soul music – served up by the Cairo imprint of Mississippi Records – and done with a very similar approach to their other reissues of folk, blues, and world music! The set focuses in on rootsier sounds, especially from the 60s – with lots of deep soul gems from both big names and some more obscure artists – all packaged with a detailed booklet of notes, in the best Mississippi style! The style is almost as if Folkway Records put together their own soul collection, but with work from other labels – and titles include "In My Heart" by Barbara & The Browns, "Tired Of Being Your Fool" by Nelson Sanders, "It's Not That Easy" by Reuben Bell & The Casanovas, "Since You've Been Gone" by The Falcons, "Can't Stay Away (parts 1 & 2)" by Slim & Ann, "Don't Ever Leave Me" by Bob & Earl, "Go Now" by Bessie Banks, "I Keep Forgetting You Don't Love Me No More" by The Thornton Sisters, "Don't Mistreat Me" by The Queenettes, "Let Me Down Easy" by Betta LaVette, "Life Is Too Short" by Benny Spellman, "Lament" by Mamie Perry, "I'm Missing You" by Loretta Williams, and "Everybody Knows" by OV Wright. LP, Vinyl record album