A sweet bit of disco, with a wonderful hook! We've never been sure if this Caress is the same group that went onto record later for P&P Records fame, but the tune's got these sweeping strings, falsetto vocals, and a nicely rhythmic pulse that all share real P&P touches – even if Peter Brown or Patrick Adam's names aren't on the credits! Written by Gregg Diamond, and a really nice little tune! 7-inch, Vinyl record

We've never been sure if this group is the same one who recorded a few years earlier with Patrick Adams – but whatever the case, the album's a pretty great one – and equally in a top-shelf clubby mode! Keyboards, horns, arrangements, and production are all by Boris Midney – who'd be working here almost as a one-man show, were it not for the added strings and vocals by Kevin Owens and Chequita Jackson. Both sides are extended tracks that almost work like long 12" single tracks – each sort of a medley that folds two songs into one another – with "Catch The Rhythm/Charmed By You" on side one, and "You Got It Too Uptight/Love Spell" on side two. LP, Vinyl record album

Fly By Night album includes a DVD with 5.1 surround and stereo mixes. CD

A cool little album from Joe Beck – very different than most of his other work! Although Beck's best known for his guitar work on funky 70s jazz records, this early album has him working in a mixture of rock, jazz, and folk styles – all cast in the hipster mode of Verve's Forecast imprint. There's a few funk tunes on here, but the best numbers are stretched out trippy ones that bring together jazz and folk, in a floating "folk funk experience" sound that we totally love, perfect for the generation of Tim Hardin and Nick Drake. Beck sings on some cuts, and others are instrumental. Titles include "Ain't No Use Talkin", "Goodbye LA", "Please Believe Me", "Let Me Go", "Come Back: Visions Without You", and "Spoon's Caress". CD

Sweet, smooth, and soulfully beautiful work from John Klemmer – not as all-out cosmic or trippy as some of his earlier albums for ABC, but with some really nice moments! Klemmer's really got the power of his horn in firm control here – playing with that Eddie Harris-schooled use of economy and tone – coming across with an approach that's subtle, but effective, and more deeply soulful than you might expect. Backings are by a small group on most tracks – and include keyboards from Milcho Leviev and drums by Harvey Mason. Klemmer plays a bit of echoplex and phaser alongside his usual tenor, and a few numbers are slightly sweetened by strings – but that's never a problem where Klemmer's concerned! Titles include "Caress", "Quiet Afternoon", "Tough & Tender", "Lifestyle", "Pure Love", "Purity", "Forever", and "Lovin Feelings". LP, Vinyl record album

We have to admit, even if this record wasn't a fierce salvo loaded down with tough dancehall tracks, we'd still love it for the great photos of Levy in a red, green and gold Robin hood getup on the cover! Junjo Lawes and Roots Radics may well have robbed from the rich for the mighty blasts of rhythm under Levy's outstanding vocals on this set that keeps up the pressure from start to finish! 10 tracks in all, including "Robin Hood", "Rock And Come In", "Love Sister Carol", "Gonna Tell Your Girlfriend", "You Come To Ask What Is Love", "Why Did You Leave Me", "Na Broke No Fight Over No Woman", "When Friday Comes", "Like How You Kiss & Caress Me" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A stone cooker from the Blues Project – a fantastic mix of blues, folk, and pretty darn hard rocking guitar – all recorded with a sense of freedom that really lets the group open up and do their thing! The album's overflowing with great original Al Kooper tunes – and the set's recorded with a great edge to the guitars, making for some wonderfully psychedelic moments – and a sheer raw power that's really let this one stand up over the years, without the kind of cliches you might expect from the group's name! Titles include "Fly Away", "Caress Me Baby", "Two Trains Running", "Steve's Song", "You Can't Catch Me", and "I Can't Keep From Crying". CD

A pair of late 50s gems from Jackie Gleason – back to back on a single CD! Opiate D'Amour definitely has the drug promised in the title – thanks to some lush arrangements from the legendary Jackie Gleason! But the set's also got some other charms, too – thanks to solo instrumental passages by some surprisingly great guests – including Al Caiola on guitar, Lawrence Brown on trombone, Bernie Leighton on piano, and Romeo Penque – who plays the "oboe d'amore"! The album's definitely got Gleason at the top of his game – working well within the specific concepts Capitol allowed him for the record – on titles that include "The Girl", "It's All Right With Me", "Pink Lace", "Casa D'Amor", "Caress", and "Pale Blues". Rebound features beautiful music for the blue at heart – and the kind of record that really helps get us through a late night after a big breakup! Jackie Gleason is at his moody best here – with orchestrations that are full, but nicely restrained – and some great solo inflections from Bernie Leighton on piano, and reedman Romeo Penque – who plays a special instrument here named the "oboe d'amour"! Titles include "Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me", "Satin Doll", "Ain't Misbehavin'", "Nevertheless", "Long Before I Knew You", "I'm Making Believe", "Without Love", "Close Your Eyes", "You Stepped Out Of A Dream", "More Than You Know", and "I Just Couldn't Take It Baby". CD

Metallica takes a break from cementing the legacy of thrash metal, after their Master Of Puppets tour, with this fun covers EP paying homage to few of their own heroes – from UK metal heroes Diamond Head and Holocaust, to hard rock forbears Budgie, to postpunk iconoclasts Killing Joke, to horror punk icons The Misfits! Includes "Helpless", "The Small Hours", "The Wait", "Crash Course In Brain Surgery" and "Last Caress/Green Hell". CD

A rare and sublime set from Lucky Thompson – recorded at a real turning point in his career! The title refers to the fact that Lucky's working back on American shores after some extended time in Europe – and that fact is nicely hammered home by the cover image, which has Lucky standing on the docks in New York, next to a ship marked "France"! And it's funny, because somewhere in that journey home, Lucky picked up a whole new set of influences – trading the tighter swing-based sound of his classic recordings for a freer, more exploratory style – one that clearly has a bit of inspiration from Coltrane, but which is handled by Lucky in his own unique phrasing and tone. Thompson's playing a fair bit of soprano sax on the record, as well as some of his more traditional tenor – and the group's a beautifully understated quartet, with Tommy Flanagan on piano, Willie Ruff on bass, and Walter Perkins on drums. Titles include "Evil Eva", "Slow Dough", "On Tippy Top", "Passionately Yours", and "Love". Added to the album is the equally great Kinfolks Corner – a record also done for the Rivoli label, and featuring a fair bit of soprano sax work from Thompson! The soprano gives Lucky a lighter, freer, more exploratory soul-based sound that's really unique – a bit Dolphy-inspired at times, but with a more inside approach, as in the work of Nathan Davis – so that even on numbers that might seem staid at the outset, the sax work has an edgey quality that's really wonderful. The session features Tommy Flanagan on piano, Frank Anderson on organ, Wally Richardson on guitar, and either Oliver Jackson and Walter Perkins on drums – and titles include "I'll Be Around", "Star Eyes", "Poor Butterfly", "Kinfolks Corner", "Who Can I Turn To", and "Caressable". CD

Incredible work from Lucky Thompson – very different than any of his more famous 50s work, and caught at a really great time in his career! The set was recorded at a time when Lucky had just returned from Europe, and had picked up the soprano sax in addition to his regular tenor. The soprano gave Lucky a lighter, freer, more exploratory soul-based sound that was really unique – a bit Dolphy-inspired at times, but with a more inside approach, as in the work of Nathan Davis – so that even on numbers that might seem staid at the outset, the sax work has an edgey quality that's really wonderful. The session features Tommy Flanagan on piano, Frank Anderson on organ, Wally Richardson on guitar, and either Oliver Jackson and Walter Perkins on drums – and titles include "I'll Be Around", "Star Eyes", "Poor Butterfly", "Kinfolks Corner", "Who Can I Turn To", and "Caressable". LP, Vinyl record album