One of the greatest Art Blakey Blue Note sessions of all time – and perhaps one of the greatest to realize the genius of the Jazz Messengers lineup that included Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor, and Bobby Timmons on piano! The trio of young talents are at the height of their early soulful powers here – working with Blakey and bassist Jymie Merritt in a set of tunes that are overflowing with expressive solos, unusual timings, and the Blakey genius for mixing bold statements with personally introspective moments. Nearly every track on the record's a classic – and titles include an early version of Bobby Timmons' "Dat Dere", plus Wayne Shorter's beautiful tunes "Lester Left Town", "Chess Players", and "Sakeena's Vision". CD

One of the greatest Art Blakey Blue Note sessions of all time – and perhaps one of the greatest to realize the genius of the Jazz Messengers lineup that included Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor, and Bobby Timmons on piano! The trio of young talents are at the height of their early soulful powers here – working with Blakey and bassist Jymie Merritt in a set of tunes that are overflowing with expressive solos, unusual timings, and the Blakey genius for mixing bold statements with personally introspective moments. Nearly every track on the record's a classic – and titles include an early version of Bobby Timmons' "Dat Dere", plus Wayne Shorter's beautiful tunes "Lester Left Town", "Chess Players", and "Sakeena's Vision". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest Art Blakey Blue Note sessions of all time – and perhaps one of the greatest to realize the genius of the Jazz Messengers lineup that included Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor, and Bobby Timmons on piano! The trio of young talents are at the height of their early soulful powers here – working with Blakey and bassist Jymie Merritt in a set of tunes that are overflowing with expressive solos, unusual timings, and the Blakey genius for mixing bold statements with personally introspective moments. Nearly every track on the record's a classic – and titles include an early version of Bobby Timmons' "Dat Dere", plus Wayne Shorter's beautiful tunes "Lester Left Town", "Chess Players", and "Sakeena's Vision". CD features a bonus take on "It's Only A Paper Moon". CD

One of those wonderfully mysterious sound library albums from the Italian scene of the 70s – music penned by Rigol, performed by the Blue Sharks combo, and a set that could well be the product of some much bigger, better-known names! But regardless the origin, the music is great all the way through – very heavy on organ lines, in a way that starts with 60s mod, but also opens up into some of the cooler soundtrack styles of the 70s – so that you've got a great mix of groovers throughout, all served up with a mighty fresh vibe! At some level, we're tempted to call this one an organ-based take on the same piano territory of The Duke Of Burlington – and titles include "Sembrava Sincera", "Il Mago", "Quartiere Residenziale", "Strane Vacanze", "L'Ascensore", and "Il Campione". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Latin funk & jazz from Cesar's Salad – bringing the Latin Beat and lots of it – killing it on a percussion heavy set of numbers from the Latin, jazz, and Brazilian canons with their own hard grooving style! The sound is fully steeped in the classic influences, but those influences are quite diverse, and Cesar & co do a fantastic job of blending them into a tight package. It's small combo with a big sound, featuring Cesar Granados on congas, Hajo Von Hadeln on drums, Jerker Kluge on bass and Jo Junghanss on piano. Half the group is percussion & drums, giving it an inherent hip shaking groove, but the tunes with piano out front have a great sound, too – with titles including "Jamilah", "Afrolypso", "Liberated Brother", "Manteca", "Bolivia", "Nana", "Afrodisia" and "Batucada Surgiu". CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Bill's got his groove on right for this set – quite possibly one of the greatest of his early King years, thanks to killer work from Billy Butler on guitar, Shep Shepherd on drums, and the great Clifford Scott on alto and tenor sax! Scott's raspy tone really makes these tunes groove – setting up a nice counterpoint with Doggett's fuller sound on organ, and cutting through the overall sound of the set with a gutsiness that we totally love. Titles include "Soft", "Ding Dong", "Chloe", "Hot Ginger", "King Bee", "Shindig", and "Hammer Head". LP, Vinyl record album

"I Ain't No Joke" is a classic from the first Eric B & Rakim LP that still holds up today – and "Extended Beat" is the instrumental version. "Eric B is on the Cut" is nearly four minutes of Eric B cutting up parts of "My Melody". 12-inch, Vinyl record

A funky sound library gem from Nick Ingman – not to be confused with the other Big Beat records from the KPM label – as this set's got an even sharper, hipper vibe overall! Keyboards are in the lead on most numbers – although they get lots of support from the beats promised in the title – as Fender Rhodes, clavinet, and other keyboards soar out in a range of modes that even includes a few moogy moments that are especially nice! Instrumentation is lean overall, although still with all that strong sense of arrangement that can make even larger groups from these golden British years so great. Lots of funky instrumentals throughout – with titles that include "Strike", "Down Home", "Thrust", "Snatch", "Trip Wire", "Overtone", "Smooth", "Long Line", "Throng", and "Orgy". CD

A beautifully vivid set from Jack Kerouac – one that has him reading his own music set to spare piano accompaniment by Steve Allen – most of which was improvised for the set! The pairing of Kerouac and Allen seems an unlikely one, but it really works well here – as Jack's quite relaxed in the studio, and really reads with a bit more feeling than usual – really put at ease by Allen's surprisingly great piano lines, which never try to dominate, and mostly just tinkle lightly behind Kerouac's recitations. Most numbers are short, and titles include "October In The Railroad Earth", "Deadbelly", "McDougal Street Blues", "I'd Rather Be Thin Than Famous", "Charlie Parker", "Dave Brubeck", and "The Sounds of the Universe Coming in My Window". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little single on TEC – and a unique record that seems to cross east coast hip hop with GoGo percussion! Lady B's not the greatest MC in the world, but the record's got some excellent backing that features funky guitar over hard-riffing percussion – hitting in that flat, repetitive mode that marked the best DC GoGo at the time. A nice party track, with plenty of calls and beats! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Early bossa jazz from Sergio Mendes – recorded with his famous Bossa Rio combo, in the years before he moved to America! The album's a classic in Brazilian jazz – a tight album of bossa-inflected jazz tunes played with razor-sharp precision, handled with a style that went on to influence countless other Brazilian groups at the time. Mendes is in the lead on piano, and other players include Edison Machado on drums, Raul De Souza on trombone, and Hector Costita on tenor sax. The whole thing's great – a masterpiece of both jazz and bossa – and it's filled with classic tunes arranged by Jobim, Moacir Santos, and Sergio himself. Titles include "Nana", "Primitivo", "Desafinado", "Ela E Carioca", "Amor Em Paz", "Noa Noa", and "Neurotico". LP, Vinyl record album

Early bossa jazz from Sergio Mendes – recorded with his famous Bossa Rio combo, in the years before he moved to America! The album's a classic in Brazilian jazz – a tight album of bossa-inflected jazz tunes played with razor-sharp precision, handled with a style that went on to influence countless other Brazilian groups at the time. Mendes is in the lead on piano, and other players include Edison Machado on drums, Raul De Souza on trombone, and Hector Costita on tenor sax. The whole thing's great – a masterpiece of both jazz and bossa – and it's filled with classic tunes arranged by Jobim, Moacir Santos, and Sergio himself. Titles include "Nana", "Primitivo", "Desafinado", "Ela E Carioca", "Amor Em Paz", "Noa Noa", and "Neurotico". LP, Vinyl record album

An album that really takes the "beat" in its title seriously – as the set's got plenty of heavy drums, right from the start – and at a level that's very different than the usual Italian sound library set of the time! The vibe is more rock than jazz or easy – and the heavy drums are topped by guitar turned up with plenty of fuzz – almost a psych take on the "shake" or "jerk" modes of the European instrumental scene of the late 60s – but with some funky currents in the rhythms that would be right at home in Memphis soul too! Titles include "Love For Phone", "Lamento Beat", "Mangusta", "Avocadro", "Cortante", "Giantollo", "Kiss For Flavia", and "Povero Capellone". LP, Vinyl record album

Yipes! What a bitter title – especially when you consider that Gerry actually added a piano to the group for this session, and that he's playing versions of 60s pop hits like "King Of The Road", "Downtown", "Mr Tambourine Man", "Hard Day's Night", and "Can't Buy Me Love". However, the pianist is Pete Jolly, and he's backed by Jimmy Bond on bass and Hal Blaine on drums, both of whom give the album a groovy LA pop instrumental feel – one that has Gerry soloing over the top in some of the fastest, tightest baritone work he put on wax at the time. A bit odd – but worth it alone for the photo on the inside of the cover, which has Gerry shrugging his shoulders in defeat! LP, Vinyl record album

A great entry in this wonderful series – a tight set of batucada and percussion tracks, played by one of Brazil's more popular bandleaders, in a tight format that adds in some groovy touches! And also like the rest of these, this one's also got a few tasty orchestral tracks that push past the bossa groove, into a groovy post-bossa orchestral sound that's really nice and jazzy! The cuts on here with that feeling include great versions of "Upa Neguinho" and "Chove Chuva" – and the batucada tracks include "Ritmo", "Linda Mascarada", "Segura Este Samba", and "Sassaricando". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Think you know hip hop records? Think again – because if you only know the commercially released and vocal versions of the material, then you only know half the story – because among true collectors, the instrumental wax can be even more in-demand! This book opens up that secret world of hip hop – by detailing rare instrumental versions of hip hop albums – some issued only as promotional items, some only as record club or online releases, and some as dodgy bootlegs from the underground! The book has page after page of these releases – with label scans of the original records, alongside other release information, and a very well-done review for each item – a brilliant book that will really open you up to a greater range of hip hop vinyl to collect. There's listings for about 200 different instrumental records, plus more images and other details in the book – and the whole thing even features a bonus CD of instrumental mixes! Book

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of Tito Puente's best sides for RCA – a really jazzy effort that was cut with a top-shelf list of players! The groove's a bit different than some of Tito's other work – but in a good way, and one that has him stretching past straight Latin to mix in a heavy dose of jazz – really getting the most of players who include Eddie Bert on trombone, Gene Quill on saxes, Bernie Glow on trumpet, and Barry Galbraith on guitar. The rhythms are key – and in addition to drums from Jimmy Cobb, the album also features Mongo Santamaria on congas and Willy Correa on bongos – not to mention more percussion from Tito himself! Titles include a number of nice compositions by the great AK Salim, plus a few by Tito – tracks that include "Mambo Beat", "Malibu Beat", "Carioca", "The Late, Late Scene", "Emerald Beach", "Sea Breeze", and "Night Hawk". CD

Nice instrumental/scratch tracks from Pumpkin, who provided beats for early Run-DMC and other early/mid-80's Profile artists. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A drum-heavy spectacular that returns Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich to their big band roots – thanks to some hard-swinging arrangements from George Williams! The tracks are a bit shorter and done with a larger group than on some of the other Rich or Krupa sides for Verve – but there actually seems to be even more drum pyrotechnics here, possibly because the players' efforts are compressed into such a tight space! Production is a bit odd – with the drums so high in the mix that they sometimes come across with more treble than bass – but that really highlights some of the most inventive moments on the top of the kit as well. Titles include "Duet", "Perdido", "Evolution", "Night Train", and "Hawaiian War Chant". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A blend of traditional modes and 70s Afro Funk – the debut album from this hip combo from Ghana! Tracks are long, open, and jamming – and almost build with a groove that makes you feel like the group's working live in the studio to come up with their jams, yet with a tightness that's different than the longer modes of Fela Kuti! Riffing guitars really drive most of these cuts along – and although the set starts with some echoes of the sweetness of high life, that quickly drops out to make room for heavier 70s modes, especially on the percussion and organ bits. Titles include "Sasa Abonsam", "Oburumankoma", "Kyekye Pe Aware", "Akampanye", "Eyi Su Ngaangaa", and "Mampam Sukuruwe". LP, Vinyl record album

Cool cuts from 60s Spain – all pulled from a musical moment when the Spanish scene was exploding with the same sort of new female pop energy that was taking place in France and England! Like those more familiar modes of 60s girl pop, the style here is upbeat, groovy, and undeniably powerful – quite a change from some of the bluer, weepier modes of the decade before – and a way of infusing the female voice with new energy through lively arrangements, and great use of jaunty rock styles! Lyrics are in Spanish throughout, but there's a universal appeal to the music that really bridges boundaries – excellent small combo instrumentation, often romping along with a pretty great groove – on titles that include "Creo En Ti" by Rico Durcal, "Corazon Contento" by Marisol, "Si Llegara El Amor" by Rosalia, "Aqui En Mi Nube" by Sonia, "Molino Al Viento" by Los Stop, "Prima O Poi" by Silvana Velsasco, "No Se Por Que" by Massiel, "La Verdad" by Soledad Miranda, "Pon Un Anillo En Mi Dedo" by Las Chic, and "Voy A Pintar Los Paredes Con Tu Nombre" by Los Mismos. CD

A set that's better titled "soul time" – as the set features lots of 60s killers from both Stax/Volt and Atlantic records – titles that include "Papa Was Too" by Joe Tex, "Don't Knock It" by Sam & Dave, "Lovely Dovey" by Otis & Karla, "Crosscut Saw" by Albert King, "Love Have Mercy" by Otis Redding, "Looking For A Fox" by Clarence Carter, "You're Losing Me" by Barbara Lynn, "Everybody Loves A Winner" by William Bell, "Somebody's Been Sleepin In My Bed" by Johnnie Taylor, and "I Got A Sure Thing" by Ollie & The Nightingales. LP, Vinyl record album

Fuzzed-out groovy 60s tunes – very mod, hip, and out of this world! These tasty little gems are pulled from obscure Italian soundtracks – very nicely collected in this fab package, with an ear-popping sound that includes great work on organ, guitars, electric harpsichord, and other instrumentation just right for coming up with a Blow Up party mood! Titles include "Discoteque Party" by Piero Umiliani, "Franco Nero Shake (new edit)" by Fred Bongusto, "Catherine Spaak Shake (new edit)" by Armando Trovajoli, "Easy Dreamer" by Piero Piccioni, "I Baronetti" by Alessandro Alessandroni, "Gaby Shake" by Nico Fidenco, and "Black Sheep Shake" by Luis Bacalov. CD

A smoking third volume in this mighty look at the Peruvian cumbia scene of the 70s – music that often shares the same blend of guitar, percussion, and keyboards that makes some of the chica grooves from that time so great! The music here maybe owes a bit more to Latin sounds from up north, but the overall execution is very strongly in the modes put forth by Peruvian labels and producers at the time – often with great use of echo, especially in the guitar lines and keyboards – which make things sound very different than anything coming from Colombia or New York at the time! Yet there's also plenty of salsa elements at play here, too – the kind of percussive interplay that might be driving a Cuban or Puerto Rican combo – but nicely different in this setting too. Titles include "Chola Ingrata" by Los Ecos, "Manzana Verde" by Los Tantos, "El Saltamontes" by Silvestre Montez Y Sus Guantanameros, "La Manzanita" by Los Gitanos, "Descarga Oriental" by Los Orientales De Paramonga, "Larga Espera" by Los Sanders De Nana, "Lamento Moyobambino" by Sonido Verde De Moyobamba, and "La Narajadita" by Grupo Siglo XX. CD

24 songs from The Strangers , The Travel Five, The Mad Classix, The Pipelines, The Silhouettes, The Blue Rhythms, Cliff Cenneth & The Lights, The Mersey 5, Burt & The Gentlemen, and The Black & Whites. CD

A motherlode of Indian-styled funk – grooves that are heavy on the sitar, but which also feature a fair bit of American funk influences as well! The tracks are all pretty darn obscure, and most are actually from India – not copycat tracks from Europe and the US – and alongside the sitars, instrumentation also includes some great trumpet, moog, and keyboard bits too – sliding along the rhythms with a darkly groovy edge! Most numbers are from soundtracks – and have a definite soundtrack sort of feel – and although there's some vocals on the album, the main focus is clearly on the great instrumentation and super-heavy rhythms. Titles include "The Witness" by Babla & His Orchestra, "Everybody Dance With Me" by SD Narang, "Wade Karle Sanja" by Kalyanji Anandji, "Freak Out Music" by RD Burman, "Nigahon Ka Adaon Ka" by Kalyanji Anandji, "Tera Jasia Pyara Koi Nahin" by Usha Khanna, "Phir Teri Yaad" by Hemant Bhosle, "Butterfly (version two)" by Keith Kanga, "Dard E Dil" by Laxmikant Pyarelal, "Aaj Mera Dil" by RD Burman, and "Main Akeli Raat Jawan" by Ajit Singh. LP, Vinyl record album

Another sweet batch of tunes from funky, groovy Thailand – the 3rd volume in the wonderful series from Subliminal Sounds! Once again, the set focuses on a sunny variety of grooves from the 60s & 70s Bankok scene – featuring the Thai take on funk, female harmony groove, late 60s/early 70s rock and roll, Moogy jams and all around offbeat nuggets! 18 tracks in all: "Thai Boxing" by Jiraphand Ong-Ard, "Cham Chai" by Supaphorn, "Sunshine Day" by Don, "Jong Wai Korn" by Suda Chuenbarn, Noom Rai Por" by Royal Sprites, "Where Is The Love?" by Flash, "Let's Go!" by Panatda, "Paradise In Bangkok" by The Law & Sandy and more! CD

Really cool cuts from the contemporary scene in northeast Ghana – music that effortlessly mixes classic sounds and styles with more modern innovations – but all with a raw, crisp energy that's very far from commercial! This isn't the world music of public radio – and instead, the tracks here are the sorts you might hear blasting out of car radios or bluetooth speakers late into the night – lean, percussion heavy, and done with a mix of electric and acoustic instrumentation, live vocals and samples – borrowing some key elements from hip hop production at times, yet serving up a sound that's uniquely homegrown! The collection is great – one of those ear-opening gems that comes along once in awhile – and titles include "Tu Daana" by Sammy, "Zoom Koom" by FCL, "Mam Dola Yine" by Joseph, "Guys Boys" by Designer, "Agana Sela Tufu Malla" by Ramond, "Life Is A Mission" by Prince Buju, "Guru Anowuu" by Fadester, and "9090" by Awudu. CD

Really cool cuts from the contemporary scene in northeast Ghana – music that effortlessly mixes classic sounds and styles with more modern innovations – but all with a raw, crisp energy that's very far from commercial! This isn't the world music of public radio – and instead, the tracks here are the sorts you might hear blasting out of car radios or bluetooth speakers late into the night – lean, percussion heavy, and done with a mix of electric and acoustic instrumentation, live vocals and samples – borrowing some key elements from hip hop production at times, yet serving up a sound that's uniquely homegrown! The collection is great – one of those ear-opening gems that comes along once in awhile – and titles include "Tu Daana" by Sammy, "Zoom Koom" by FCL, "Mam Dola Yine" by Joseph, "Guys Boys" by Designer, "Agana Sela Tufu Malla" by Ramond, "Life Is A Mission" by Prince Buju, "Guru Anowuu" by Fadester, and "9090" by Awudu. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest Art Blakey Blue Note sessions of all time – and perhaps one of the greatest to realize the genius of the Jazz Messengers lineup that included Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor, and Bobby Timmons on piano! The trio of young talents are at the height of their early soulful powers here – working with Blakey and bassist Jymie Merritt in a set of tunes that are overflowing with expressive solos, unusual timings, and the Blakey genius for mixing bold statements with personally introspective moments. Nearly every track on the record's a classic – and titles include an early version of Bobby Timmons' "Dat Dere", plus Wayne Shorter's beautiful tunes "Lester Left Town", "Chess Players", and "Sakeena's Vision". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Off the Boyz N The Hood soundtrack. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Wonderful mellow work from Sam Cooke – and a set that's recorded with a sound that's very much in keeping with the "night beat" that you might expect from the title! In fact, there's not so much a "beat" as a simple easy groove – a gentle sort of "night" feeling, with some piano in the lead on many tracks, and backing by a larger group conducted by Rene Hall – a great setting that lets Cooke hit some of his most soulful moments on record from the time! The album includes many lesser-known Cooke performances – including "Trouble Blues", "You Gotta Move", "Fool's Paradise", "Lost & Lookin", and "Mean Old World". CD

A mod mix of drums and groovy rhythms – served up by Motohiko Hino on the kit, with help from Jiro Inagaki on reeds, Hiromasa Suzuki on trombone, and Masahiko Sato on keyboards! LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Beautiful beautiful work from Jose James – a tune that's fragile, soulful, and completely wonderful! There's a classic quality to the cut that may have you running back to your hipper jazz vocal albums of the 70s – but the tune is Jose's own, and delivered with a beautifully laidback vocal approach. And in case you doubt the contemporary pedigree, the IG Culture mix has a crackling London sort of feel – one that really energizes the tune! 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Raw crackling hip hop funk beatcraft at its deepest from mighty Madlib – working in his Beat Konducta style for this third entry in the epic Madlib's Medicine Show Series! Beat Konducta In Africa is a hazy hip hop instrumental set from 'Lib (lest you thought it might be a funky compilation of rare African material) with some additional mixing from J Rocc – based on rare African vinyl. The sound is pure Madlib/Beat Konducta heady hip hop funk – recognizable as being spun from and inspired by African material, and impeccably so, with that instantly identifiable, exploratory Madlib sonic stamp. He looks far beyond Afrobeat and funk sources, with some raw funk rock beats, psych, garage and more with some trippy vocal samples – and he's building up from blueprints records originally pressed all over Africa – Zambia, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Botswana and Ivory Coast. But too much mention of the source material risks making this sound like a compilation or a mix set, when it's Madlib all the way! Titles include "Motherland", "Raw Introduction To Afreaka", "Warrior's Theme", "Street Hustler", "Afritonic" (Pts 1 & 2), "Tradition", "Blackfire", "Obtaive", "Mtima", "African Bounce", "Freedom Play", "Natural Sound Waves", "Unika (Outro)" and many more. 37 tracks on the vinyl version. LP, Vinyl record album

Two hard to find albums featuring Oliver Nelson and Lem Winchester – back to back on one CD! Oliver Nelson, and he's definitely taking care of business on the first session – thanks to some key help from the great Lem Winchester on vibes, and a young Johnny Hammond Smith on organ! The pair bring a mighty deep groove to the record – which gives Nelson a chance to show off some of the deeper tones on his tenor and alto sax – a sound that gets a lot more space for personal expression than on some of his albums with larger arrangements! The raw sound of the record is a great change from the more composed modes you might know from Oliver's other dates – and the set's further illustration that Nelson was one of the most complete, most versatile talents in jazz at the time. Titles include "Trane Whistle", "In Time", "Groove", and "Lou's Good Dues". The second album is led Detroit vibist Lem Winchester, who cut too few albums in his brief career before his untimely death in the early 60s – but all of them are plenty darn great, and rank right up there with the best work of the period by Johnny Lytle or Freddie McCoy! Although not as all-out funky as fellow Detroiter Lytle, Winchester did play in a style that was down and dirty, with a tight groove that still appeals to soul jazz fanatics and jazzy steppers here in Chicago. This album's one of his best, and features some very rootsy tenor work by Oliver Nelson, plus some excellent alto solos by Curtis Peagler, who at the time was working with the obscure group The Modern Jazz Disciples. Art Taylor's on drums, and the whole set snaps right in the pocket with a deep soul jazz groove! The best tracks are nice and long, and titles include "Eddy's Dilemma", "Lem & Aide", "Lady Day", and "Your Last Chance". CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Detroit vibist Lem Winchester cut too few albums in his brief career before his untimely death in the early 60s – but all of them are plenty darn great, and rank right up there with the best work of the period by Johnny Lytle or Freddie McCoy! Although not as all-out funky as fellow Detroiter Lytle, Winchester did play in a style that was down and dirty, with a tight groove that still appeals to soul jazz fanatics and jazzy steppers here in Chicago. This album's one of his best, and features some very rootsy tenor work by Oliver Nelson, plus some excellent alto solos by Curtis Peagler, who at the time was working with the obscure group The Modern Jazz Disciples. Art Taylor's on drums, and the whole set snaps right in the pocket with a deep soul jazz groove! The best tracks are nice and long, and titles include "Eddy's Dilemma", "Lem & Aide", "Lady Day", and "Your Last Chance". CD

16 tracks by Lulu Masilela, Thomas Phale, the Soul Brothers, West Nkosi, Mahlathini & the Mahotella Queens, and Abafana Baseqhudeni. CD

Groovy, moddish, magnificent and sunny girl pop from The Land Of The Rising Sun – pummeling drums, jumping arrangements and groovy vocals from the mid-to-late 60s Japanese scene! This is fantastic stuff, any kitch or novelty appeal you might be expecting is kind of muted by the exceptional quality and excellent performances – but it is flat out fun! As the title states, strains of pop, beat & bossa – plus mod & psychedelic fuzz – and the vocals girl group vocals are bright, rocking, playful or sultry or innocent depending on the groove! 25 tracks in all: "Black Room by Jun Mayuzumi, Sharock No 1" by Mie Nakao, "Nagisa No Tenshi" by Mieko Hirota, "Hatsu Koi No Letter" by Miki Obata, "Bazazz Tengoku" by The Cupids, "Aeba Suki Suki" by Margaret With Bunnys, "Nukui Aitsu" by Mika Nohira, "Kiiro No Sekai" by J Girls and more. CD

Mad sounds from the late 60s world of Japanese pop – a mindblowing, ear-opening batch of singles we never would have gotten our hands on otherwise! The music here feels like sounds coming out of some backroom jukebox in a Nikkatsu "new action" film – or maybe the kind of offbeat pop that Quentin Tarantino might throw into a soundtrack – but there's also a much deeper range of sounds going on than you might expect, with wonderfully clever instrumentation, and lots of surprisingly heartfelt passages in the vocals! And sure, the language might be a barrier – but there's a really universal sense of appeal to this music – a variant of 60s soul and pop, focused through a different sort of lense – and the instrumentation alone is great – with wicked guitars, Hammond, and other garagey touches! As usual with Ace, the whole thing's supported with nicely detailed notes that tell the whole story behind these wonderful lost gems (we like this one even better than the fab first volume) – and titles include "Namida No Go Go" by Emy Jackson & Blue Comets, "Koi Gurui" by Chiyo Okumura, "Tokyo No Hito" by The Peanuts, "Warui Kuse" by Kazumi Yasui, "Boy & Girl" by Akiko Wada, "Namida No Mori No Monogatari" by Akiko Nakamura, "Saike Na Machi" by Reiko Mari, "Bazazz No 1" by Kayoko Ishuu, and "Furi Furi 5" by Linda Yamamoto. CD

A huge collection of work handled by producer Alvin GG Ranglin – initially a member of The Maytones, but an artist who gave a much stronger contribution to Jamaican music through his work in the studio! GG may not be as legendary a name as some of the other producers from the time, but as this set shows, his top-shelf work was a key part of the sound of early reggae – served up here in a massive amount of cuts issued by Trojan at the start of the 70s, 16 of which appear here on CD for the first time ever! As usual with Doctor Bird, not only is the track selection great, the whole thing is supported with really detailed notes that offer up the full story behind the music and the man who created it – in a package of 48 tracks in all, with work from The Slickers, Maytones, Ethiopians, Invaders, Cynthia & Irving, Maxie & Glen, Jah Huntley, Dennis Alcapone, Trevor Brown, Charlie Ace, Cynthia Richards, and others. CD

Beautifully compressed pop from Herb Alpert – a session that's still got the traditional Tijuana Brass style, but which also displays a more restrained, more adult approach to instrumental pop! The rhythms are nicely changed out more than before here – stretching out with interwoven exotic touches and sweeter A&M pop – all coming together at a level that's far more sophisticated than you might guess if you've only got a version of Herb that's reduced to simple cliche! Herb also makes a key vocal appearance on the song "This Guy's In Love With You" – the group's first #1 single, and the beginning of a great run of Alpert vocalizations. Other tracks include "The Robin", "Slick", "Panama", "A Beautiful Friend", "She Touched Me", and "Thanks For The Memory". LP, Vinyl record album

It's hard to imagine a more exciting single from the early 80s – as both sides of this one completely changed our way of listening to music, and set the tone for a generation of sounds to come. "Moments In Love" is that breathy slow stepper, presented here in long and short versions – and "Beat Box" is the hip hop inspired groover that helped these guys win Best New Black Artist from Rolling Stone in 1984, in spite of their non-blackness. CD

Blondie had a lot to live up to after Parallel Lines, but they pulled it off here – Eat To The Beat is another classic! Downtown cool, a strong sense of pop history and tight production by Mike Chapman make for a really distinct sound on this one. Standouts include the excellent opener "Dreaming" (one of the finest Harry/Stein songs ever, if you ask us), the punky title track, "Union City Blue" and "Accidents Never Happen", and while Blondie albums are by nature hit-and-miss given the fearless mish-mash of styles they always brought in, the whole thing is pretty great! Other tracks include "Shayla", "Die Young Stay Pretty" and "Living In The Real World". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Rhymes by Evidence & production by Joey Chavez, so it's got that So Cal-Dilated type sound. 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of our favorite tunes from the old school – a beautiful blend of vocoder vocals, sinister keyboards, and some cool splashy beats! This one ties it all together – the sound of the streets, the experiments of the import scene, and the changing energy in the clubs – all with a perfect blend of moods, and that wicked "D-d-d-d-d-d-ominatrix" chant! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Includes "We Got The Beat", "Our Lips Are Sealed", "Skidmarks On My Heart", "Lust To Love", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

"Victory" features Mos Def and Sizzla. "Fallen Soldierz" features Dead Prez. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... CD

This is a pretty jazzy record compared to the usual Mancini soundtrack-type stuff. It's mostly mellow the whole way through and has some very nice moments due to the quality of the playing. His orchestra includes such folks as Pete Condoli on trumpet, Dick Nash on trombone, Johnny Williams on piano, Victor Feldman on vibes & marimba and Larry Bunker on vibes. There is only one Mancini original – "The Beat" – and the others are jazz standards such as "Misty", "After Hours", "Mood Indigo", "Tippin In", "Sing, Sing, Sing", and "Big Noise From Winnetka". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

Here comes that big beat Profile sound, and some nice scratching, from the man who produced most of the early Run-DMC tracks. With rhymes by Profile's old-school MC's: Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde, Greg G and Mr Troy of the Disco Four, Fresh 3 MC's, also Galaxxy and Fly Ty-rone. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

The quintessential rock break on a nice & loud 12"! 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A nice early groover from Todd Terry – a bit more gimmicky than some of his other work of the time (released during the summer of the first Batman movie), but with some great splashy beats and that wall of sound Terry approach! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Beautiful bossa from the vaults of Brazil's Elenco Records – warm, breezy treasures from the heart of the 60s with numbers by legendary singers and groups such as Edo Lobo, Quarteto Me Cy, Nara Leao, Baden Powell, MPB-4 and more! The independent Elenco label was founded in Rio in 1963 and aimed to bring the biggest names in bossa together under one roof. The label not only succeeded in that effort, but the artists brought out some of their best performances! Soul Jazz not only puts together essential material – compiled by Stuart Baker, who also contributes the exceptional sleeve notes – they manage to outdo themselves, which is honestly an incredible thing, considering that every compilation they put out is filled with treasures. The booklet features Baker's notes, some photos of the artists, and some original Elenco album cover art – the latter of which is nicely paid tribute to with Soul Jazz's own packaging for the set. 23 tracks in all: "Resolucao" by Edu Lobo w/Tamba Trio, "Consolocao" by Baden Powell, "O Canto De Ossanha" by Quarteto Em Cy, "Zanzibar" by Edu Lobo, "Maria Moita" by Nara Leo, "Enquanto A Tristesse Nao Vem" by Sergio Ricardo, "Negro" by Lucio Alves, "Sentinela" by MPB-4 and more. CD

Massive Afro Funk! This slammin' batch of funky African (and African-sounding) tunes was put together by the same team who did the Africa Funk set on Harmless – and it's even better than that one was! Like Africa Funk, this set compiles a whopping batch of rare tracks from the 70s, plus a few from other eras that have a 70s feel – and the mix of tracks is filled with heavy drums, pounding percussion, funky keyboards, and choppy guitar riffs. You might have a few of the cuts on here, but most of them are quite rare, and the set's well worth having for newcomers and trainspotters alike! Titles include "Silver Black Summer Day" by Living Funk, "Rhythm On Rhythm" by Sookie, "Jungle Funk" by Nkengas, "Samba" by Miriam Makeba, "Everybody's Groove" by Ashantis, "Karam Bani" by Buari, and a nice remake of "Soul Makossa" by The Gaytones! LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Van McCoy & The Soul City Symphony, Shirley & Company, Gloria Gaynor, KC & the Sunshine Band, the Trammps, Diana Ross, Thelma Houston, Vicki Sue Robinson, a Taste Of Honey, and more. CD

Includes music from the soundtracks to the Wild One, Crime In The Streets, I Want To Live!, Les Tricheurs, Paris Blues, the Subterraneans, Shadows, and the Connection. CD

Music from Miklos Rosza, Max Steiner, Adolph Deutsch, David Raksin, Roy Webb, George Bassman, Andre Previn, Paul Sawtell, Anthony Collins, and more – plus loads of great dialogue from the films! CD

An early Ace/Kent collection – heavy on Northern Soul gems, with 16 tracks from artists who include Billy Butler, The Artistics, Johnny Jones & King Casuals, Herb Johnson & The Impacts, Era Franklin, Marvin Smith, The Demures, The Cooperettes, and Leroy Taylor! LP, Vinyl record album

Groovy rock from Iran – 60s & 70s material that's got the raw and rumbling grittiness of some of best garage rock of the time and others that flirt with psychedelia – most with the Middle Eastern flourishes blended beautiful with western rock and beat sounds! Wonderful stuff all around, regional garage psych beat grooves ripe for discovery! aIncludes "Uncle Chainmaker" by Zangoleah, "Avenue Of Love", "Way To Life" by Kambiz, "Take Leila Away" by Tigers, "Bartender" by Big Boys, "Rain And Rain" a great cover of the Rolling Stones hit "Play With Fire" by Takkhalha, "Shirley" by Ojubeha and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Mahlathini And The Mahotella Queens, West Nkosi, Soul Brothers, Ihashi Elimhlophe, Mahlathini And The Mahotella Queens, J.J. Chauke And The Tiyimeli Young Sisters, Steve Kekana, Amaswazi Emvelo, Johnson Mkhalali, Mahlathini, Abafana Baseqhudeni, and Abafana Baseqhudeni. CD