A nice little set from Henry Threadgill – one of the albums that gave him greatest exposure to a bigger audience, and a set that pushes the sound of his work nicely! The record's got some of those touches from a time when the AACM was reaching out with its sound from earlier years – a mode that's not exactly more inside, but certainly more overtly expressive about its intentions, and sometimes a bit more melodically focused than freely improvisatory. There's echoes here of work the Art Ensemble and Amina Claudine Myers were doing during the same stretch – and the lack of commercial success of the record shouldn't indicate any aesthetic failure at all. Asha Puthli makes a surprising vocal appearance on the track "My Rock", and other players include Frank Lacy, Diedre Murray, Fred Hopkins, Pheeroan Aklaff, and Reggie Nicholson. Titles include "Award The Squadtett", "Hall", "Spotted Duck Is Pudding", and "I Can't Wait Till I Get Home". CD

Fantastic mellow soul from Tyrone Davis – a great reminder that his vocals were still some of the burningest in 70s soul – sounding especially great in a record like this! Side one of the album's especially great – an all-mellow side that almost acts like some mini-suite of love songs, with a slinky, sexy, late nite sound! Side two picks up the groove a bit, but never too much – and Davis' warmly crackling vocals come through with a tremendous amount of feeling, even amidst clubby rhythms. Leo Graham produced, and arrangements are by Tom Tom, Gil Askey, and James Mack – on tracks that include "Can't You Tell It's Me", "Be With Me", "Heart Failure", "Burnin Up", "Love You Forever", and "Really Gonna Miss You". LP, Vinyl record album

Lou Reed at his mid 70s live peak! Volumes have already been and will continue to be written about Lou's output in the 70s, and rightly so. This set is particularly amazing in that it follows the artful highpoint/financial failure that is Berlin – so Lou is doing the rock & roll star thing here, kinda given the people what they want in a way. What's so amazing here is that it doesn't feel like a cash-in, it's crazy good and geniunely passionate stuff! The blazing guitars don't hurt, nor does the fact the the set is heavy with Velvets-era faves. Includes "Intro/Sweet Jane", "Heroin", "White Light/White Heat", "Lady Day" and "Rock N' Roll". LP, Vinyl record album

The debut album from Stargard – a set that turned the trio into strong soul stars, after a brief and mistaken role in the film Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band! Given the failure of that cinematic endeavor, it's amazing that MCA signed the girls up – but it's also clear that the group have a vibe that's really waiting to shine in the spotlight – partly the disco female mode that others had been working already, but also maybe more of a sense of identity too – one that makes them way more than just a trio of vocalists in the hands of a club producer – especially given the way they really hit some surprising deep soul moments on the set. Production is by Mark Davis, with some help from Gene Page – and titles include "Three Girls", "Don't Change", "Theme From Which Way Is Up", "The Force", and "Disco Rufus". CD

A fantastic fifth album from Procol Harum – one that really demonstrates the ever-changing energy of the group, and the way they seemed to find a fresh new focus with each of their early albums! The vocals of Gary Brooker are even more wonderful than ever – rejoined here with the talents of organist Keith Reid, who is back in the group – cementing a musical partnership that pushes forward with stronger, more rockish modes throughout – a lean quality that really seems to bring out the best in everyone! The set begins with the fantastic "Simple Sister" – the moves on through other great numbers that include "Luskus Delph", "Power Failure", "Memorial Drive", "Song For A Dreamer", "Broken Barricades", and "Playmate Of The Mouth". LP, Vinyl record album