An early gem on the German Selected Sound library series – one that features work by a number of different artists, and is all the groovier because of that! Hardy's Jet Band dominate the first part of the album – and turn in these killer cuts that mix together fuzzy guitar and funky grooves, with a very cool psychedelic style! That approach continues a bit on the other tracks – equally cool and trippy electric work by Klaus Wuestoff, Jan Troysen, and Gary Pacific – who each get a few tracks on the record! The whole thing's great – even better than later Selected Sound albums – and titles include "Lady In Space", "Big Beat", "Sorry Doc", "Blue Butterfly", "What You Call To Be Free", "Pop Happening", "Ghetto Gap", "Soft Wind", and "A Blue Message". LP, Vinyl record album

Early work from the great Willie Hutch – a set that's different than his more famous Motown music of the 70s, but which already shows a nicely ambitious approach! Willie's a warmer, sweeter-voiced singer here – working through some great original tunes of his own, plus a few well-chosen classics – all in a mix of soul and strings that definitely grooves, but which could also have gotten Hutch some bigger exposure in the larger music world as well. A few numbers are almost more in a jazz vocal territory – or at least in territory of artists like Lou Rawls or Arthur Prysock – while others have the righteous energy of Willie's later sound too. The arrangements are by Rene Hall and Perry Botkin Jr – and titles include "Season for Love", "The Shortest Distance", and "Trying To Understand A Woman", plus covers like "Hurt So Bad" and "Twelfth of Never". LP, Vinyl record album

A club classic on Salsoul – with a soaring sound that's still grooving dancefloors today! The record was arranged and conducted by Leroy Burgess – who also sang lead vocals and wrote all the material – and it's got a sound that's similar to some of the later uptempo grooves that Burgess was forging with Black Ivory. Greg Carmichael produced the set with Burgess, and there's some nice elements of his earlier underground disco work – like cool keyboards, and small touches of electronics used in just the right doses. Tracks include "You've Got That Something", "I Know You Will", "Sweet To Me", "Lay It On The Line", and "Something Else". LP, Vinyl record album

A bass-heavy sound library set from the wonderful French composer Sauveur Mallia – a set that's really different than some of the thinner, more keyboard-heavy work of the period – although there's plenty of keyboards in the mix too! Some tracks definitely have that coming cosmic style that made the French space disco scene of the time so great – but those elements are also nicely complicated by Mallia's approach, not just when the bass gets funky, but also when it gets all low and moody too! The whole thing's totally great – a real standout from the legendary Tele Music label – with titles that include "Bass For Love", "Cosmic News", "Meteor One", "Star Odyssey", "OVNI Telex", "All The Bass", "Space Alert", and "Animals Bass". LP, Vinyl record album

French space disco legend Sauveur Mallia is right in the same territory here as his work in the group Arpadys – mixing funky rhythms with cosmic touches, and serving things up with a groove that was years ahead of its time! The basslines and keyboards are great – very warm overall, with a liveness that's a nice change from the more processed modes the sound library scene would use more in the coming generation – and the rhythms move from funky to more laidback, but always with a groove that makes the record sparkle – not straight disco or club, but with a great array of more sophisticated styles! Titles include "Exotic Guide", "Loving Discovery", "Space People", "Bass Power", "Electric Maneges", and "Holidays Morning". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer album from the Philly funky studio combo MFSB – a set from the start of the 80s, and one that really has the group going for a new direction forward – even though they were such an inspirational act for many back in the previous decade! Gone are the string-heavy disco arrangements of earlier years, and in their place are some excellent jazz funk grooves – mostly penned by Dexter Wansel, who produced a good bit of the album with a similar style to his best space funk records of the late 70s! A few cuts feature vocals, but the best bits are instrumental – and have some excellent keyboards, great guitar, and plenty of fresh jazzy playing – on tracks that include "Fortune Teller", "Manhattan Skyline", "Mysteries Of The World", "Metamorphosis", and "In The Shadow". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal early album from Ian Carr's legendary Nucleus group – playing here in a version that includes Karl Jenkins and Brian Smith on reeds, and Chris Spedding on guitar! The band has a landmark sound that mixes progressive jazz and tight full-on rock fusion into a style that's sometimes funky, sometimes avant, and often pretty darn exciting! This album has lots of nice electric piano lines, and plenty of choppy sax parts that hit a nice groove in the manner that would later be taken up by a lot of European reed players. Tracks include "Torrid Zone", "Stonescape", "Striation", "1916 – The Battle Of Boogaloo", "Persephones Jive", and "Earth Mother". LP, Vinyl record album

A mid-70s classic from Ian Carr's Nucleus – a set that has the group still going strong, and still turning out one of the most amazing blends of jazz and progressive elements of their scene at the time! Carr's at the helm on both trumpet and flugelhorn, but also plays piano and moog as well – and Bob Bertles serves up killer reed lines on alto, soprano, baritone, and flute – while Ken Shaw rips through the whole proceedings with work on both electric and 12 string guitar. Geoff Castle adds in lots more keyboards, and Moog – and the rhythm's driven by the bass of Roger Sutton and drums of Roger Sellers. Tracks are longish, and just about every group member adds in percussion too – on titles that include "Rat's Bag", "Rachel's Tune", "Snakehips Etcetera", "Pussyfoot", and "Heyday". LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy hitting jazz rock from the UK underground of the early 70s! We'll Talk About It Later is a great early album from Ian Carr's legendary Nucleus group – playing here in a version that includes Karl Jenkins and Brian Smith on reeds, and Chris Spedding on guitar. The band had a landmark sound that mixed progressive jazz and tight full-on rock fusion into a style that was sometimes funky, sometimes avant, and often pretty darn exciting! This album has lots of nice electric piano lines, and plenty of choppy sax parts that hit a nice groove in the manner that would later be taken up by a lot of European reed players, with nice long songs with plenty of room for improvisation – and grooves that are still nice and jazzy. Titles include "Song for The Bearded Lady", "Oasis", "Ballad of Joe Pimp", "Easter 1916", and "Lullaby For A Lonely Child". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unusual later entry in the KPM sound library series – a set that's mellower and a lot more meditative than some of the label's usual work – not action or funky soundtrack material, but instead an electronic set that resonates nicely with some of the Japanese minimal work of the time! The tunes here are of varying lengths, and really mix together a nice range of elements – some bright moments, some more obtuse sonic passages – sometimes with a bit of rhythm, oftentimes just flowing along on air! Titles include "New Infinity", "White Mirror", "Peace Bells", "Sleep Golden", "The Long Path", "Forest Motion", "Mountain Dreaming", and "Lost Oceans". LP, Vinyl record album

A synth-heavy sound library set, and one that really lives up to the cover image of a spaceman on the front – a record that soars through the skies on waves of pulsating sonic energy – lean enough to achieve liftoff, but with enough force to keep on soaring through the cosmos! The keyboards used aren't listed in the notes, but there's definitely an 80s vibe throughout – plenty of elements from those early days of digital keys – when things were very sharp around the edges, yet still had some of the warmth of hand-programmed keyboards too! Titles include "Regulators 2", "Data Load", "Modem", "Digiheart 1", "Fusion Point 3", "Nuclear Radiation 2", and "Atomic Plant 1". LP, Vinyl record album

There's plenty of the bass promised in the title – but that's what we'd expect, given that the great Guy Pedersen's bass appeared on countless wonderful French records over the years! Yet this set's also something really special, too – a chance for Guy to come out of the background, into the spotlight, and use his instrument in all these excellent ways that go way beyond simple timekeeping! The bass is the solo instrument on most numbers – both acoustic, and electrified acoustic – amidst other sweet sound library elements, including plenty of funky drums that make the album way tighter, way groovier than you might expect! Titles include "Bass Session", "Les Copains De La Basse", "Obsession Diabolique", "Percussion Bass", "Cosmic Bass", "Indian Pop Bass", and "Tension Nerveuse". LP, Vinyl record album

Massively funky sound library work from Guy Pedersen – a bassist who already had a long legacy in French jazz by the time of this early 70s set, yet somehow manages to knock things out of the park in a completely different way! The bass is definitely at the core of most numbers – yet the basslines aren't always the familiar funky kind – as Guy opens up unusual tones and textures, and also brings in all sorts of interesting percussion – in ways that are never done, but which spice things up nicely, and almost create a sort of acoustic psychedelic vibe! Titles include "Purgatoire Mood 1", "Petit Moujik De Nuit", "Sing Song Bass", "Bass In Love", "Kermesse Non Heroique", and "Pretexte Pour Indicatifs". LP, Vinyl record album

Funky madness from the legendary Rhythm Makers – a dancefloor combo with a really incredible groove! The group has an approach that's a lot like Kool & The Gang at their best, or like some of the best mid 70s albums by the Kay Gees or Fatback – lots of bass at the bottom, very tight vamping by the band, and a wikki-wikki funky sound that's totally great! Many of the tracks on the set make good use of moog or keyboards – never too much, but just the right dose to spook things up a bit – and although many of the cuts have vocals, the overall focus is still in the instrumentation – which always comes across pretty darn great, and which is played with incredible precision throughout! The combo later morphed into GQ, but they've got a much rawer sound here – and titles include "Can You Feel It (parts 1 & 2)", "You Better Believe It", "Soul On Your Side", "Zone", "Funk N You", and "Street Dreamin". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that really lives up to the promise of its title – and one that delivers not just in the world of funky rhythms, but Latin modes as well! There's some great percussion on the cuts at the bottom – so that even if there's some wah wah guitar or sweet electric keyboards, there might be touches of Latin funk at times – all with a sound that's a lot heavier and hard-hitting than some other soundtrack work on the Telemusic label! Plus, there's some longer tracks too – not just short sound cues, but well-spun instrumentals that stretch out nicely – on cuts that include "Bass In Action", "Royal Shuffle", "Pepper Rock", "Rock 73", and "Latin Leitmotiv". LP, Vinyl record album

A full on funky set from French maestro Sauveur Mallia – a record that mixes his own work on bass, keyboards, electronics, and samples with some slight touches over the top on trumpet, trombone, and saxophone too! The style is definitely a lot more 80s than some of Mallia's 70s work – plenty of the more compressed elements you'd know from film scores of the time, and electric drum rhythms and basslines – all popping and percolating in different ways from track to track! The set's credited to the group Swing Family, but it's clear that the whole thing is mostly Mallia's own work – on titles that include "Gentleman & Musician", "Film Action", "Episode Double", "Musical Stars", "Music Force", "Mission Africa", and "Greewich Boulevard". LP, Vinyl record album

An album that never existed back in the day, but which features all the rare singles and b-sides from the early years of Lewis Taylor – recordings from around the time of his classic album Damn, hence the title – plus some other great surprises as well! If anything, the music here is even moodier and darker than the album tracks – there's some really incredible work that shows just why Taylor was one of the most unique soul singers of his generation – especially on tracks when he might use a bit of noise or other dark effects to blend with his incredible vocals – a really groundbreaking approach, served up here on titles that include "Trip So Heavy", "Waves", "Lewis III", "A Little Bit Tasty", "You Got Me Thinking", "I Dream The Better Dream", "Asleep When You Come", and "Pie In Electric Sky/If I Lay Down With You". LP, Vinyl record album

A pop masterpiece from UK soul singer Lewis Taylor – easily his tightest album to date! The set's got a magical feel that reminds us strongly of our favorites from 70s radio on both sides of the Atlantic – warmly compressed instrumentation that slides in nicely alongside the vocals, sunnily grooving in a sound that's incredibly well-crafted, yet also extremely personal. The production is light years ahead of that on Lewis' other self-released albums – at a level that rivals the best studio work from LA or London in the early 70s, and which firmly pushes Lewis out of the indie Neo Soul ghetto, into a style that's much more in the vein of classic AOR pop. The whole thing's a real departure from Lewis' other work – which may turn off a few folks, but which has us appreciating his talents more than ever! Titles include "Send Me An Angel", "Listen Here", "Lost", "New Morning", "Yeah", "Please Help Me If You Can", "One More Mystery", and "Say I Love You". LP, Vinyl record album

The first album in a long long time from Lewis Taylor – and a set that shows that his soulful talents are still very much at the top of their game! Taylor first grabbed our ears back in the 90s with a revolutionary new approach to soul – partly on the cusp of the Neo Soul generation, but also given a leaner, sometimes darker approach – and a vibe that was much better than so many of the attempts to merge soul vocals with the newer styles of the downtempo era. All these many years later, Lewis just keeps on sounding better – and the songwriting seems to have matured a lot with his own personal journey – maybe even more heartfelt and expressive than on previous records. Titles include "Apathy", "Worried Mind", "Numb", "Is It Cool", "Brave Heart", "Being Broken", "Feels So Good", "Please", and "Nearer". LP, Vinyl record album

A groundbreaking album by soul singer Lewis Taylor – his first self-released album, issued on his own after parting company from Island Records! The album's incredible – every bit as great as the albums Lewis Taylor 1 & 2 – and in fact even better, as Lewis has a lot more freedom here to explore his own ideas. The sound is a blend of compressed rhythm and keys, filtered with Lewis' excellent vocals – deeply soulful, and instantly captivating, steeped in a tradition that stretches back to Marvin Gaye, and which makes him one of the best underground soul singers alive today. Songs are sweet, slow, slinky, and seductive – coming off amazingly well, with a deeply soulful production style that's handled a heck of a lot better than the cover! In fact, if the silly cover art's making you worry that the album won't be great, even if you're a fan of Lewis' other work – don't worry, because the music is the thing that really matters, and the whole album here is top-shelf! Titles include "Send Me An Angel", "Stoned", "Shame", "Til The Morning Light", "Positively Beautiful", "Lovelight", and "Sheneverdid". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from one of our favorite soul singers of recent years – the amazing Lewis Taylor, one of the freshest voices in R&B of the past decade! The album's Lewis' second on his own label – and it's even better than the first, with a tightness and sweetness that are instantly infectious. Lewis has dropped some of the experimental moments of earlier albums, and gone for a song structure that's more straightforward and direct – but never commercial or slick – just honest, open and fresh! His vocals have a lightly floating feel that's a bit of a change – set up perfectly next to skipping drums, sweet keyboards, and nice touches on guitar that really pull out some of his jazzier tendencies, and almost create a Shuggie Otis feel at times! Another instant classic from Lewis, filled with great tunes that include "Out Of My Head Is The Way I Feel", "Carried Away", "Keep Right On", "When Will I Ever Learn 2", "Throw Me A Line", "Won't Fade Away", "Keep On Keeping On", and "Positively Beautiful 2". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal jazz rock statement from drummer Tony Williams – one that has him stepping out quite far from his original "new thing" recordings of the mid 60s! The album's got a genre-forming sound that's incredibly fierce – a power trio churning of Williams drums, John McLaughlin's guitar, and Larry Young's free-thinking work on organ. The tunes are long and jamming, but also have a tight rhythmic focus that never gets too sloppy – and which virtually set the stage for a whole generation of 70s fusion players in years to come! Young and McLaughlin are especially great – working here with Williams to pound out sheets of sound in a cosmic trippy maze of riffs and grooves, certainly enough to inspire the most addled rocker to head over to the jazz section! Though this set was released as two separate volumes, this double LP version has both albums, and features 8 tracks in all "Emergency", "Beyond Games", "Where", "Vashkar", "Sangria For Three", "Something Spiritual", "Spectrum", and "Via The Spectrum Road". LP, Vinyl record album

A record from the more electronic years of the sound library scene – yet one that's also got a nicely sensitive side too, in a way that really lives up to its title! Both artists get plenty of space to serve up their songs – mostly shorter numbers in variations for most tracks – heavy on keyboards, but with flute, cello, and acoustic guitar as well – so that there's almost a pastoral approach to the album – very different than other Colorsound library releases of the time, and most mid 80s sound library work in general. Titles include "Emotional Tension", "Moonset", "Sentimental View", "Personal Mood", "Soft Thoughts", "In The Garden", "Pastoral Walk", and "Sundown". LP, Vinyl record album

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The legendary debut of Bobby Caldwell – a blue-eyed soul singer who borrowed just the right amounts from AOR and R&B! Bobby's got a voice that's really great, and wrapped up warmly amidst keyboards and larger arrangements that all come across with a very cool compressed style – almost as if Caldwell discovered that midtempo and mellow style on some of the Earth Wind & Fire albums from a few years before, and used it as inspiration to craft a classic groove that's very much his own! The set features Bobby's huge classic "What You Won't Do For Love" – but the whole album's great, and other titles include "Special To Me", "Can't Say Goodbye", "My Flame", "Love Won't Wait", "Come To Me", "Down For The Third Time", "Take Me Back To Then" and "Kalimba Song", another nod to Maurice White and crew, to be sure! LP, Vinyl record album

A full and funky sound library gem from mid 70s France – a set that really takes advantage of the strong drum work of Pierre Alain Dahan, whose work on the kit is at the core of every one of the instrumental gems on the set! The mood changes up nicely from cut to cut – sometimes there's some heavy guitar, or soulful tenor, sweet keyboards, and more – and the record mixes funky rhythms with darker currents in a way that's really stunning – and which makes for a set that's all killer, no-filler all the way through! Titles include "Africa Semper", "Merci Boa", "Kuzi Kuza", "Soul Car", "Super Airship", "Electric Mutation", and "Happy Penalty". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet work from Michel Gonet – one of the unsung geniuses of the French 70s sound library scene! The album's a mixed bag of styles – in that about half the tracks feature lots of synthesizer and percussion, moogily stating themes that range from fast and groovy to mellower and spacey. The other half of the set is straight soundtrack funk – and includes some really great numbers with tight drums, funky bass, and cool wah-wah and keyboard bits! Titles include "Devil Dance", "Flower Dance", "Happy Smith", "Phasing Cymbals", "Phasing Percussions", and "Phasing Suspense". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderfully freaky sound library set from the start of the 80s – one that definitely echoes the drugs promised in the title, but with a vibe that's very different than late 60s psychedelia! The record is heavy on 80s keyboards and electronics – and there's some cuts that have a mellow, pillow-like vibe – mixed others that take you on a bad trip, but in the best way possible – echoing some 80s horror keyboard modes, but with a nicely thematic vibe! Some tracks here have been famously sampled – and titles include "Soft Hallucinations", "Floating Illusions", "Destroyed Dreams", "The Morning After", "Lost Chance", "Euphoria", and "Horror Trip". LP, Vinyl record album

African rhythms, jazzy instrumentation, rock inspiration, and a motherlode of funky sound library grooves from two of the best British maestros working in the business! The album's an early 70s gem from the KPM catalog – one of the most sought-after records ever issued by the label – and like the rest, never really made for public sale back at the time! Despite that humble origin, though, the grooves here are right up there with the funkiest work coming out from that side of the Atlantic at the time – a brilliant post-colonial blend of acoustic percussion, electric keyboards, and a fair bit of fuzzy guitar – all presented with a stripped-down, no-nonsense approach to the rhythms that's often funkier than work by some of the bigger names in the genre. Titles include "Heavy Water", "Ice Breaker", "Solid Satin", "Punch Bowl", "Frozen Steam", and "Black Light" by Alan Parker – and "Swamp Fever", "Range Rover", "Survival", "Afro Waltz", "Heat Haze", "Rocking Rhino", and "Afro Metropolis" by John Cameron. LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary sound library set from the 70s Italian scene – exactly the kind of record that got so many folks digging for sound library funk so many years ago! The record's a masterpiece of funky rhythms, jazzy instrumentation, and warmer touches – served up with plenty of Fender Rhodes in the mix, plus sweet flute lines, wah wah guitar, and just the right use of strings to give the whole thing almost a blacksploitation vibe at times! The set was billed to the team of Jay Richford and Gary Stevan – but it's actually the product of better-known sound library maestros Sandro Brugnolini and Stefano Torossi, who work here at a level that's at the top of their powers. There's almost a cop/crime vibe to the record at times – and although some instruments solo at points, the real groove lies in the tight vamping of the orchestra – which hits all the right notes to really send the whole thing soaring – often with a nice use of tone and color too! Titles include "Flying High", "Fearing Much", "Going Home", "Running Fast", "Walking In The Dark", and "Feeling Tense". LP, Vinyl record album

It's been four years since Lewis Taylor's stunning debut album – but it's been worth the wait! Few recent singers have grabbed our attention so much – and we'd put Lewis into an "instant classic" soul category that would include the elite group of Omar, Monday Michiru, Jamiroquai, and Laurnea. The production on this album's a bit heavier than on his first one – with more beats creeping into the mix, and a bit more bass pumping up his voice – but this doesn't make Lewis falter a bit, as he holds it firm all the way through, with a vocal intensity that we wish was showing up in most of the chart soul these days! Titles include "Never Be My Woman", "You Make Me Wanna", "Lewis II", "Into You", "Blue Eyes", and "The Way You Done Me". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite 70s soul records ever – and a totally unique set as well! To our ears, Samuel Jonathan Johnson belongs in the company of Roy Ayers, Norman Connors, and other spiritual soul heavyweights – even though he only ever cut this one album for Columbia Records back in 1978! The set's got a really visionary feel – keyboards that compare with the best mellow soul lines of Donny Hathaway, and a vocal style that's got some of the range of Ronnie McNeir, mixed with a more human approach to the lyrics that makes the whole thing wonderfully personal, too. There's lots of jazzy elements on the Fender Rhodes lines – which bubble beautifully on the mellow moments, and step out boldly on the album's few groovers – making for a richness that goes way beyond the vocals, and which puts Johnson in the company of DJ Rogers or Webster Lewis. Forgive us if we keep name-dropping like that – but the set's a stunning treasure from an artist who should have gotten the same sort of recognition as all the best soul talents of the 70s. The title track – "My Music" – has an amazing bit of bubbling synth intro (and outro), cool spacey vocals by Sam, and a mellow, but tight groove that sounds a bit like something that Roy Ayers might have cooked up – and it leads off an incredible album of other titles that include "Sweet Love", "Just Us", "You", "Reason For The Reason", "Because I Love You", "What The World Needs Now Is Love", "Yesterdays & Tomorrow", and "Thank You Mother Dear". LP, Vinyl record album

A new set on the legendary KPM sound library label, but one that's very much in the best spirit of the company's vintage work – as maestro Frank Maston acts here like a hip soundtrack composer from the Italian scene of the 70s! The mix of instrumentation is mighty nice – funky, but in a laidback way – with cool compressed horns and flute lines, mixed with some wordless vocalizations from Molly Lewis – who seems to be evoking the style of the great Barbara Moore at times – while vibes sneak in and out of the mix, and give the whole thing a wonderfully chromatic vibe! A great set all the way through, with no filler at all – tracks that include "Jet Lag", "Hydra", "Medusa", "Morning Paper", "Fool Moon", "First Class", "You Shouldn't Have", "Storm", and "Easy Money". LP, Vinyl record album

Drummer Klaus Weiss gave the world some great funk and jazz in the 70s, but on this early 80s set, he's in a nicely different mode – using a fair bit of (then) contemporary keyboards along with his rhythms – at a level that ties this sound library work into some of the same shift in styles that was taking place in the soundtrack scene at the time! There's still plenty of acoustic elements – both in Weiss' percussion, and the bits of piano, flute, and other instruments that drift through the mix from track to track – in a tight lineup that includes "Relaxed Mood", "Pink Sails", "Outset", "Bows", "Neutral Position", "Departure For Universe", "Southern Mentality", "Transiency", "Wide Open Space Motion", and "Action & Suspense". LP, Vinyl record album

Think what you want about DJ Quik, the west coast hip hopper is a key part of the sound of his scene in the 90s – and also maybe one of the most dedicated to the legacy of old school funk as well! This album's overflowing with wonderful samples – work by Cameo, Parliament, One Way, Rick James, The Blackbyrds, and others – all wonderful choices from Quik in the studio, and a way to ground his sometimes-dated rhymes with a really classic vibe – so much so, the album's maybe even more enjoyable now from the perspective of time – as a filter of the 70s through a 90s west coast style! Titles include "Get At Me", "Diggin U Out", "Somethin 4 Tha Mood", "Tha Ho In You", "Summer Breeze", "Quik's Groove III", "Sucka Free" and "Keep Tha P In It". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet 80s take on the sound library style – one that has both artists in the lead handling plenty of keyboards over basslines – all with the lean instrumental style that was really coming into vogue at the time! As with most sound library records, the approach here is very well-suited to broadcast or cinematic themes – and there's a really nice variety of work throughout, often with the kind of vivid, melodic style that always made the Coloursound library so great! Titles include "Riding On A Sunbeam", "Fly Me To The Sun", "Solar Heating", "Birth Of A Butterfly", and "Osmosis" by Andre Mikola – and "Dhamma" and "Magic Scenery" by Andrzej Marko. LP, Vinyl record album

A really groovy little record, and one that's got all sorts of very cool things going on – sweet female vocals from Sola that almost feel like they're lifted from a French record, and not a Spanish language set – mixed with orchestrations that have a nice undercurrent of funk – a bit sound library/soundtrack, with all these very cool flavors and elements, almost like some very cool Italian record from around the same time! Manuel Alejandro is the maestro of the set – writer, arranger, and director – and Sola really fits his groove – on titles that include "Soy Rebelde", "Un Muneco De Madera", "Oye Mama Oye Papa", "En Ellos Creo", "Tabu Tabu", "Unete A Mi", "Bada Bada Ba", and "La Ultima Palabra". LP, Vinyl record album

Johnny Benavidez hits it right on the money here – serving up a set of laidback soul that feels like the classic material that would play big on the scene in East LA – music that's heartbreaking, but deep at the same time – graced with these very personal vocals from Johnny, and given just the right sort of backing from Cold Diamond & Mink! The whole thing is nice and easygoing – sweet soul, of the variety that you'd be more likely to hear from a harmony group, but with Benavidez giving a lead presence that's a bit like Joe Bataan in a similar mode – which makes for the kind of record that's perfect to put on late into the night, windows open, breeze blowing in, when you just want to kick back and turn down. Titles include "Playing The Fool", "Dedicated To You", "Somebody Cares", "Your Last Song", "Let's Get Together", "Do What You Wanna Do", "My Echo Shadow & Me", and "Tell Me That You Love Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Cheap Thrills, maybe – but they cut deeply and last forever! This is one of greatest albums by Big Brother & The The Holding Company – and it's also one of the most important in cementing the legacy of singer Janis Joplin. The raw manic energy of the group at their live best is somehow bottled and presented on record as perfectly as ever could be – and even better are the delicate moments that show such an incredible depth! Titles include "Turtle Blues", "Oh Sweet Mary", "Ball & Chain", "Summertime", "Piece Of My Heart", and "I Need A Man To Love". CD

A seminal Dee Jay LP from Jah Youth. Mad, bad riddims – courtesy Gussie Clarke, Big Youth's prowess on the microphone and a smattering of nice dub like effects blend to create a landmark early 70s reggae LP, forever raising the bar for DeeJays. Includes the original LP with 10 tracks: "The Killer", "Screaming Target", "Tipper Tone Rock", "Pride & Joy Rock", "Lee A Low", "Honesty", "I Am Alright", "These Fine Days", "Be Careful" and "Solomon A Gundy", plus 14 bonus tracks on this CD edition, with a number of the original versions of the tracks, including "Origan Style" by Augustus Pablo, "Pride & Ambition" by Leroy Smart, "Their Own Way" by Dennis Brown, "Rhythm Style" by Simplicity People, "Skylarking Version" by the Society Squad, "Slaving (Every Day)" by Lloyd Parks,"No More Slavery" by Glen Brown, and "I Am Alright (aka Loving Pauper)" by Gregory Isaacs. CD

Fantastic ballad soul from one of the greatest groups from the east coast 70s scene! Black Ivory may not have scored as big as some of their contemporaries on the charts – but to fans of harmony soul, they'll always be kings, and this record is the sort that forever gave them keys to the kingdom! They're working here with writer/arranger/producer Patrick Adams – back when his main talents were for ballads, not disco – and Adams perfectly crafted a set of songs to bring out the best side of the group's heavenly vocal talents. Includes loads of wonderful ballads, like "Wishful Thinking", "No Ifs, Ands, Or Buts", "It's Time to Say Goodbye", "Time is Love", and "Baby, Won't You Change Your Mind". Features the bonus track "We Made It". CD