A legendary funk set from late 70s Chicago – served up by our own Captain Sky, aka Daryl Cameron – an imposing figure who often worked in the same space-themed territory as the P-Funk empire in the mid 70s! The difference here, though, is that Cameron wrote, produced, and put the whole thing together himself – with help from a few friends in the studio – making the album a great homegrown attempt to rival the strength of the bigger funk ensembles of the period – something The Captain and crew do pretty darn well throughout! There's lots of heavy bass on the set – a strong precursor of modes to come – mixed with riffing guitar, sweet keyboards, and plenty of tight rhythms – on cuts that include the famous sample cut "Super Sporm" – a killer extended track with a great conga break, and a tight old school sample sound – plus "Now That I Have You", "Saturday Night Move-Ease", "Wonder Worm" and "Can't Stop Now". CD

A legendary funk set from late 70s Chicago – served up by our own Captain Sky, aka Daryl Cameron – an imposing figure who often worked in the same space-themed territory as the P-Funk empire in the mid 70s! The difference here, though, is that Cameron wrote, produced, and put the whole thing together himself – with help from a few friends in the studio – making the album a great homegrown attempt to rival the strength of the bigger funk ensembles of the period – something The Captain and crew do pretty darn well throughout! There's lots of heavy bass on the set – a strong precursor of modes to come – mixed with riffing guitar, sweet keyboards, and plenty of tight rhythms – on cuts that include the famous sample cut "Super Sporm" – a killer extended track with a great conga break, and a tight old school sample sound – plus "Now That I Have You", "Saturday Night Move-Ease", "Wonder Worm" and "Can't Stop Now". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums by this super-stylized funkster from Chicago! Captain Sky followed very firmly in the P-Funk footsteps – using lots of bass and rocking rhythms to carve out a space-themed groove that had plenty of cool touches! And more than that, the Captain's style was equally well suited to the emerging 80s groove era – and worked well with a nice dose of slight electric touches – not totally wikki-wikki, but certainly setting the stage for that sound! Titles include "Elementary School Of Funk", "Sir Jam A Lot", "Trace Of Love", "Bubble Gum (I Chewz You)", "Tootsie Rock", and "Let Me Come Inside". LP, Vinyl record album

Grand Funk live – stepping out here with all the raw power of the group at the start – the kind of sound that made them a long-running favorite for fans in the know! There's an intensity here right from the start – a blend of bass, drums, and guitar that rivals some of the headiest work coming out of Detroit at the end of the 60s – maybe no surprise, as much of the set was recorded there, where the kickass sound of the group are clearly appreciated by the crowd! If you only thought of these guys as pop rockers, there's plenty here that will blow your mind – a wealth of freak and fuzz on titles that include "Paranoid", "I'm Your Captain/Closer To Home", "Hooked On Love", "Get It Together", "TNUC", and "Inside Looking Out". CD

A double-length collection of work from the first chapter of Grand Funk Railroad – that moment when the group was just a power trio, and really helping to move their early blues inspirations into some fierce hard rock territory! The title's a reference to the lineup – Mark Farner on guitar and vocals, Don Brewer on drums and vocals, and Mel Schacher on bass – all working together in a mode that's really transformative over the short space of the material included in the set! At some level, GFR are almost an American equivalent of Free from the UK – a group who clearly have all the chops of the blues heroes they admire, but who are willing to let their hair down and hit more of a rock and roll starpower mode – unafraid to get a bit soulful on the vocals, and really letting their electric strings sing at an equally strong level. Titles include "Into The Sun", "Heartbreaker", "Time Machine", "Loneliness", "Are You Ready", "TNUC", "Inside Looking Out", "Closer To Home/I'm Your Captain", and "Paranoid". LP, Vinyl record album

If our jukebox was like this, we'd be rich! The compilation's a much-needed overview of the limited edition 45s issued by the Stones Throw label – a genre-busting blend of hip hop, deep funk, and turntable work – always exciting, and with a style that's unlike anything else we can think of! The package really offers a great sampling of the work on these hard-to-find singles – 22 ultra-hip titles that are as appealing to any fan of classic funk as they are a fan of underground hip hop. Titles include "Getcho Soul Togetha (part 2)" by Breakestra, "Rocket Ship" by Stark Reality, "Harlem River Drive Interlude" and "I Am Singing" by Yesterday's New Quintet, "My 2600" by Captain Funkaho, "Breaks Of Meditate" and "Chops & Thangs" by Beat Conductor, "Things Could Be Better" by Ernie & The Top Notes, "On Point" by Lootpack, "Poppin Popcorn" by The Highlighters, "Devotion 92" by Charizma & Peanut Butter Wolf, "Take Me" by Fabulous Souls, "Color" by LA Carnival, "Enter Ralph Wiggum" by A Trak, and "Place Your Bet" by Medaphor. CD

One of the coolest collections we've heard from Keb Darge in years – not the funk and soul he first gave us when he started putting compilations together, nor the rockabilly and R&B from more recent years – and instead a fantastic array of rare late 60s garage rock and freaky fuzz singles! The set's tone in collaboration with Cut Chemist – another DJ we'd never expect to know this music so well – and together, the pair turn their talent for rare record digging to an arena that never seems to get old – the under-underground of the pre-hippy years, with a stunning selection of tracks by artists who worked in the deep shadows beneath bigger acts like Count Five, The Seeds, or Standells. Half the record is collected by Cut Chemist, the other by Keb – and the package features a whopping 30 tracks in all, most of which we'd never heard before! Titles include "Cry" by The Malibus, "Cuttin Grass" by Caretakers Of Deception, "Project Blue" by The Banshees, "Slander" by Ty Wagner, "Suzy Creamcheese" by Teddy & His Patches, "Nowadays People" by Captain Crunch & The Crew, "Go On Leave" by Red Beard & The Pirates, "In & Out" by Larry & The Blue Notes, "Why Am I Alone"by The Choab, "Can It Be" by The Savoys, "Modman" by The Spacemen, "Baby Go" by The Avantes, "Just Let Me Be" by The Outsiders, and "Come On Baby & Stick Around" by Al's Untouchables. CD

Chief Xcel and Gift Of Gab move it over to Anti- for the long-awaited follow up to Blazing Arrow! The Craft is a much more streamlined effort – so if the stylistic sprawl and sidesteps into the pop realm that characterized the major label album rubbed you the wrong way, this may be the focused effort you were waiting for – plus the crew brings in some live funk elements to build into the solid sound! Of course a solid sound for Blackalicious is still more adventurous than just about any other crew. Elements of live strings, flute, guitar, bass and keys really flesh the tracks out! Soul chanteuse Ledisi contributes hook vocals to several tunes, and additional vocal guests include mothership captain George Clinton, Larry Saunders, PEACE, Lifesavas, Lateef & Pigeon John and others. Tracks include "World Of Vibrations" feat Ledisi, "Supreme People", "Rhythm Sticks", "Powers", "Your Move", "Lotus Flower", "My Pen And Pad", "Automatique" feat Floetry, "Black Diamonds And Pearls" feat Larry Saunders and Ledisi, "Give It To You" and "The Craft". CD

Killer early work from Renee Geyer – her first album as a solo act, and the kind of set that really made her one of the best artists on the Australian scene at the time! There's a blend of mellow funk and soul here that's totally wonderful – very much in the territory of the hippest American acts of the time, and served up by the Mother Earth group – who were kind of the Rufus to Renee's Chaka Khan! Titles include "Just Like A Woman", "Moon Dance", "Space Captain", "Mascara Blues", "Them Changes", "If Only You Believe", "Lean On Me", and "There's No Such Thing As Love". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the funkiest albums on the legendary TK Records label – and that's saying a lot, given the strength of the imprint back in the 70s! This sole album by Trama is a stone cooker all the way through – done up in a heavy ensemble funk mode of the time, with some extra sharp bits around the edges – and a slight spiritual undercurrent too – almost a Soul Cal vibe at times! The guitars snake nicely around the keyboards, and Donna Allen's lead vocals really sparkle on some of the best numbers – widening the soulful appeal of the grooves, while the rest of the group still do their thing on instrumentation and backup vocals. Production is by Sax Kari, who's clearly going for a club vibe, but leaves nice rough bits around the edges – which gives the record a less polished feel than other TK disco records, and much more of an indie 12" sort of groove! Titles include "Gimme Some Lovin", "Captain Of The Ship", "If I Ever Do Wrong", "Come With Me", "Straight Groove", and "It's Amazing". CD

A surprisingly great batch of kick ass rock and roll tunes – southern fried, but done with a cosmic undercurrent that makes for a mighty weird approach! The drums are amazing – fierce right from the get-go, in a way that has made the record a favorite with break collectors for years – and the fuzzy guitars really step out strongly too – with just a slight southern twang, and a great edge that keeps things pretty funky at parts! Bobby Caldwell is in the group on percussion, piano, vibes, and bells – and he also co-wrote most of the songs on the album – and titles include the classic "Dancing Madly Backwards", plus "Myopic Void", "Frozen Over", "Thousand Days Of Yesterdays", "As The Moon Speaks", and "Astral Lady". CD

Some choice soundtrack work from Jack Nitzsche's prime 70s period, with a handful other tracks by Howlin' Wolf, Captain Beefhaeart and Ike & Tina Turner. For the most part the soundtrack is bluesy rootsy stuff, to go along with the slant of the film, but there is a great funky break on the intro to "Zeke, Jerry & Smokie". Also includes "Coke Machine", "FBI", "Party", and "Easy Listening". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly great batch of kick ass rock and roll tunes – southern fried, but done with a cosmic undercurrent that makes for a mighty weird approach! The drums are amazing – fierce right from the get-go, in a way that has made the record a favorite with break collectors for years – and the fuzzy guitars really step out strongly too – with just a slight southern twang, and a great edge that keeps things pretty funky at parts! Bobby Caldwell is in the group on percussion, piano, vibes, and bells – and he also co-wrote most of the songs on the album – and titles include the classic "Dancing Madly Backwards", plus "Myopic Void", "Frozen Over", "Thousand Days Of Yesterdays", "As The Moon Speaks", and "Astral Lady". LP, Vinyl record album

Smooth and funky fusion from Lee Ritenour – top-shelf all the way, and handled with a really soulful groove, thanks to production from the legendary Skip Drinkwater! Lee's all over the top of the guitar in true "Captain Fingers" style, and Skip makes sure he's got plenty going on underneath, too – with an all-star assemblage of players that includes Harvey Mason on drums, Patrice Rushen on keyboards, Dennis Budimir on guitar, Alphonso Johnson on bass, and Ernie Watts on saxes. The keyboards groove as nicely as the guitars (thanks Patrice!), and titles include "Margarita", "Fly By Night", "Dolphin Dreams", "Captain Fingers", and "Sun Song". LP, Vinyl record album

To tell the truth, we didn't know he'd ever been lost – but who cares anyway, as the album captures Dave in his best 70s fusion mode! The album's got some great mellow tunes that bubble along with a sweet electric feel – gliding in that Grusin way that was never that funky, but which always had a warm soulful undercurrent nonetheless. Recording is direct to disc, giving the set a high-end production touch – but Dave keeps the playing and the group spontaneous – and he's working here with a small lineup that features Ron Carter, Lee Ritenour, Harvey Mason, and Larry Bunker. Includes a great reading of Jobim's "Captain Bacardi", a good take on the "Theme From Barretta", plus "Sun Song", "Adeus A Papai", and "A Child Is Born". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Dave's funkier albums of the time – with cuts that include "Captain Caribe", "Rondo", "City Lights", "Rag Bag", and "Mountain Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked gem from Blue Note – a special live performance that brings together some of the label's funkiest and most soulful artists of the 70s! The set's somewhat unusual for Blue Note at the time – especially given the label's increasingly studio-driven approach to jazz, with projects by the Mizell Brothers and others – yet given that bent, the whole thing's a great illustration of the vibrancy of all these artists always from the studio – playing live and extremely funky! As the title implies, the set was recorded live at the Roxy in LA – with players who include Donald Byrd, Ronnie Laws, Gene Harris, Bobby Hutcherson, and Alphonse Mouzon – all coming together in warm unity to show that the spacious sounds of Blue Note could also be crafted in a live setting, and not just under closely-watched studio help arrangers and producers. Carmen McRae sings on a number of tracks, and the album overall does a good job of presenting the material in concert-like setting – and some of the longer tracks feature some mighty nice jamming solos. Titles include "New York City", "Without A Reason", and "Just Like The Sun" by Alphonse Mouzon; "Them There Eyes", "Music" and "Paint Your Pretty Picture" by Carmen McRae; "Always There", "Captain Midnight", and "Night Breeze" by Ronnie Laws; "Blue Note 76" by Blue Note All-Stars; and "Places & Spaces" and "Dominoes" by Donald Byrd – both oddly recorded at Central Park! LP, Vinyl record album

One of Dave's funkier albums of the time – with cuts that include "Captain Caribe", "Rondo", "City Lights", "Rag Bag", and "Mountain Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

Chicago's long-living, always great zine Roctober takes a look at the 80s – through the wholy unique Roctober lens that shows this oft-maligned and/or nostalgia prone decade in a totally great way! The Livin' In The 80s Issue has interviews with lost 70s/80s funkster Captain Sky Glenn, Danzig, Boyd Rice, Curtom Records' Eddie Thomas, PiL, Stax Record historian Rob Bowman, TSOL, The Zero Boys, French diva Helena Noguerra, Japanese group sound legends The Golden Cup, The Knots, Plus Daniel Lanois, The Cheepskats, Clara & Chris Ware on Tiny Tim, Ernie Kovacs, Electric Prunes, Joe Strummer, The Romantics, comics, obits, reviews, and unpublished photos of Black Flag, Bad Brains, Misfits and more! Magazine