Includes performances by Bill Monroe & The Blue Grass Boys, Jim & Jesse & The Virginia Boys, James Monroe & The Midnight Ramblers, Jimmy Martin & The Sunny Mountain Boys, Lester Flatt & The Nashville Grass, Carl Jackson, Gordon Terry, Howdy Forrester, Tex Logan, Buck Ryan, Curly Ray Cline, Lonnie Pierce, Joe Meadows, Clarence "Tater" Tate, Kenny Baker, Paul Warren, Randall Collins, and Jim Brock. LP, Vinyl record album

The first of six "comeback" albums that this great Chicago soul singer cut during his second wave of recording during the late 70s! Walter had originally done some amazing work with the great Carl Davis at the Okeh label during the mid 60s – and this album marks a return to their collaboration – this time at Davis' own Chi-Sound subsidiary of 20th Century Records. Jackson here takes all the smooth sophistication of his early days, and transforms himself into an adult singer of soul songs – taking a route similar to that travelled by singers like Jerry Butler or Lou Rawls at the same time. Like Rawls, the style doesn't always work – but when it does, it's great. Titles include "Love Is Lovelier", "Words", "Too Shy To Say", "Please Pardon Me (You Remind Me Of A Friend)", "Love Woke Me Up This Morning", and a remake of "Welcome Home". LP, Vinyl record album

Later work by Gene Chandler – but a surprisingly great little set overall, and proof that Carl Davis was really stretching for greatness in the glory years of his Chi Sound label! Rather than rehash the styles he'd hit with on Vee Jay, Constellation, Mercury, or Brunswick – Chandler steps out here almost as a whole new singer overall – one with surprising sensitivity for ballads, and a maturing approach that almost reminds us of Walter Jackson's same stretch on the Chi Sound label. And like Jackson, Chandler also manages to move a bit into clubby territory too – with arrangements from Tom Tom and Sonny Sanders that are quite solid overall – and almost a Chicago take on Philly. Titles include "Do What Comes So Natural", "That Funky Disco Rhythm", "When You're #1", "Dance Fever", "Stay Here In My Heart", and "I'll Remember You". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes tracks by Carl Perkins, Wanda Jackson, Jimmy Patton, Roy Orbison, Ricky Nelson, Gene Vincent, and more. 64 tracks total! CD

Deep southern soul from the Sounds Of Memphis label – with some incredible stuff that for the most part never has seen official light of day before now – compiled by Dean Rudland for Kent UK! Kent has mined the vaults of Sounds Of Memphis for a series of solid compilations, and it's surprising how much more continues to be discovered considering the continual high quality! A solid majority of the tracks are prime 60s & 70s southern soul – with some early 80s records later on on the set that with a contemporary sound, though still committed to a true soul style! Includes "Pity A Fool" by Carl Sims, "I Don't Want No One Way Love" by Dan Greer, "Stop Boy" by Fran Farley, "So Cruel" by Barbara And The Browns, "Teardrops" by William Bollinger, "Play The Game (Pt 2)" by Version, "Make It Easy On Yourself" by Demetrius, "When I Look Inside" by Takelia Kelly, "It's Hard To Say No" by George Jackson & Linda Lucchesi, "Save My Love" by Billy Cee & The Freedom Express and more. CD

A deep deep look at a side of the British 60s scene that didn't always make big waves here in the US – but one that had a huge influence on UK sounds for years to come! The mighty book-like package documents the rich stream of sounds that exploded during the beat group years – a moment that was partly graced by some of the names that we'd know here as the Brit Invasion, but which soon moved off into much more expansive sounds that include mod moments, freakbeat grooves, and a fair bit of tunes influenced by American jazz and soul! The 6CD set features a whopping 165 tracks in all, plus a huge booklet of notes – and a number of the tracks are pulled from the Pye Records catalog – one of the most important Brit labels of the period – but the set also includes lot of bits from elsewhere too. Includes work by The Rogers, Marmalade, The Baskervilles, The Web, The Mighty Atoms, Glenda Collins, The Mike Stuart Span, Bobbi Rio & The Revelles, Carl Wayne & The Vikings, The Mike Cotton Sound, Ray Singer, Marilyn Powell, Just Four Men, Twinkle, Tony Jackson, The Cops N Robbers, Major Rowley, Paddy Klaus & Gibson, David Bowie & The Lower Third, The Lancastrians, New Faces, The Limeys, Mick & Malcolm, Kind, Episode Six, and many others! CD

A wonderful look at the later years of Chicago soul – a collection that brings together work from Chi-Sound Records, the imprint formed by producer Carl Davis after years of working with Windy City artists on labels like Okeh and Brunswick! Both Davis and the Chicago scene were reaching a new level of sophistication by the time Chi-Sound got its start – and the label took a keen cue from the Philly scene, and had its artists move into a broader range of work than just chart-bound singles – much more adult-oriented material that reflected the maturity of the artists, and the growth of an older middle class market for contemporary soul. As you'll hear on this set, Davis had a great way with a smooth tune – taking many older artists and allowing them to either re-record classic hits, or move towards material they wouldn't have been allowed to touch in earlier years. And as before, Davis also had a good ear for up-and-comers too – and exposed a few key acts on Chi-Sound during the short time the imprint was around. Titles on Volume 2 include "Maybe I'm Mistaken" and "Come To My Party" by The Impressions, "Hot On A Thing" and "Oh Girl" by The Chi-Lites, "Does She Have A Friend" and "Tomorrow I May Not Feel The Same" by Gene Chandler, "Passionate Breezes" and "I Touched A Dream" by The Dells, "It's All Over" and "And If I Had" by Walter Jackson, "Especially For You" by Manchild, and "I Still Love You" by Windy City. CD

A great collection of work from an under-documented side of the Chicago soul scene! At the end of the 70s, most of the older talent of the Chicago scene had regrouped around producer Carl Davis after the demise (thanks to tax bungling!) of the Brunswick label – under the umbrella of Davis' new Chi-Sound imprint. Great stars from years past like Gene Chandler, Walter jackson, The Chi-Lites, and The Impressions – plus a few new ones – returned to carve out some of their last great recordings – with Davis at the helm, developing a more sophisticated sound that worked great for the maturing soul artists. This set brings together 15 cuts from the glory days of Davis' Chi-Sound imprint – including "Windy City Theme" by The Windy City Orchestra, "I Don't Do This To Every Girl I Meet" by Sydney Joe Qualls, "Tomorrow I May Not Feel The Same" by Gene Chandler, "Especially For You" by Manchild, "It's All Over" by Walter Jackson, "Heavenly Body" by The Chi-Lites, and "Get Down" by Gene Chandler. CD

A set with "modernity" as the title, but a batch of tracks that sound plenty old all the way through – mostly the kind of upbeat soul tracks that played big with the 60s mod scene in London! Yet this isn't the usual collection of mod classics – as the work here is very obscure, and served up in the mix of rare singles and unreleased material that we totally love on other Ace/Kent Records collections – presented with great sound, and very detailed notes that are as fun to read as the songs are to hear! All the artists are American, and look very different than the dapper British gents on the cover – soaring out in a set list that includes "Deuces Wild" by Gary & Gary, "Just Can't Help Myself" by Birdlegs & Pauline, "Oh Lady Be Good" by Charles Hodges, "The Hawg (part 2)" by Eddie Kirk, "See See Rider" by Byrdie Green, "Walk Home With Me" by Ike & Tina Turner, "Sundown" by The Merced Blue Notes, "Go Away With Me" by Hollis Dixon & The Keynotes, "I Found A Little Girl" by Eddie Bo, "The Bounce" by Jackie Lee, "Earthquake" by The Fashionettes, "Air Travel" by Ray & Bob, "That's All I Want" by King Carl, "The Warm Up (part 1)" by Clifton White & His Royal Knights, "Soul Grabber" by Willis Jackson, and "Who Knows" by Willie Tee. CD

Produced by Betty Carter with Javon Jackson on tenor, Jacky Terrasson on piano and a rotating rhythm section that includes Carl Allen, Peter Washington, Chris Thomas, and Clarence Penn – plus guest vocals from Dianne Reeves and two tracks with Kenny Garrett on alto. CD

Forget the million times you've heard the schmaltzy title tune of this one – and check out Walter's version! Like most of his work from the time, the album's an incredibly mature batch of soul tracks – recorded in a very adult style that was similar to Teddy Pendergrass' work from the same period. The arrangements are great, and the mix of tunes that includes "Send In The Clowns", "The Meeting", "Golden Rays", "Magic Man", and "Girl You're A Woman" is handled with a perfect modern style by Carl Davis. LP, Vinyl record album

A killer from the 60s years of tenorist Willis Jackson – a time when the older R&B player was really rising to the top – thanks to the sort of smoking soul jazz setting that a record like this could provide! The whole thing's great – very much in the Groove Holmes or Jack McDuff vibe of the time – familiar tunes taken in all sorts of new, groovy directions – with help from the young Pat Azzarra on guitar and Carl Wilson on Hammond – plus trumpet from the lesser-known Joseph Hadrick! Titles include "One Mint Julep", "Tangerine", "Ebb Tide", "Blue Gator", and "Secret Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant concert date from Willis Jackson – the second half of material recorded during the Jackson's Action performance! Like his Prestige labelmate Jack McDuff, Willis Jackson could really cook in a live format – opening up his style a lot from studio albums, yet also not getting too sloppy, too overindulgent, or too solo-focused to lose the general groove of the tracks. This set's one of Jackson's finest in the live setting, and features his group with Frank Robinson on trumpet, Carl Wilson on organ, and Pat Azzarra on guitar. Tracks have a good jaunty soul jazz sound – and titles include "Blowin Like Hell", "Blue Gator", "Gator Tail", and "Annie Laurie". LP, Vinyl record album

Soulful tenor giant Willis Jackson is anything but loose on this classic set – as the album's a smoker, and one with a very tight sound! The group has Carl Wilson playing Hammond with a nicely heavy groove – alongside Frank Robinson on trumpet and Bill Jones on guitar – all held down by the drums of Joe Hadrick, in a combo that's a nice change from some of the more familiar Prestige Records combos! Titles include a very lively reading of "After Hours", plus the tracks "Y'all", "What Will I Tell My Heart", and "Secret Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Johnny first LP collaboration with his soon to be wife June Carter, and it's a nice one! Carryin' On has it's share of sweet, lovely moments shared by the two, but also has a lot more cool 60s oddball touches than one would expect. The couple cover Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" and two Ray Charles tunes, "I Got A Woman" and "What I Say". All three sound pretty strange coming out of hard-nosed Johnny, and prove to be quite fun and endearing, and very indicative of the freedom he had at Columbia to do whatever the heck he wanted. Other tracks include "Shantytown", "Pack Up Your Sorrows", "Jackson", "What A Good Thing We Had", and "No, No, No". Includes two bonus tracks from the sessions, and new liner notes by old pal Carl Perkins. CD

An early gem from Warren Zevon – his first for Asylum and a creative peak – with some of his best remembered songs, and deeper album cuts that are just as great! Zevon's dark sense of humor comes through here, especially on the all time classic "Poor Poor Pitiful Me", but there's some sweeter and more tender material, too. Produced by Jackson Browne and featuring a hell of a great group on the sessions, from Phil Everly, to Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, Carl Wilson, Bobby Keyes and others. "Frank & Jesse James", "Mohammed's Radio", "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead", "Carmelita", and "Backs Turned Looking Down The Path". LP, Vinyl record album

A heavy dose of rare TV performances – pulled from a Cali program that focused strongly on hillbilly sounds of the 50s, but also took time to feature some up-and-coming rockabilly acts too! The quality's about what you'd expect from 1950s TV, but the performances are great – and there's not much footage out there from some of these giant acts at the time! The DVD features 42 performances in all – great work from The Collins Kids, who were on the show all the time – plus more from Skeets McDonald, Jim Reeves, Merle Travis, Joe Maphis, Wanda Jackson, Johnny Bond, Mac Wiseman, Tex Carman, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Patsy Cline, and others! DVD

With Vincent Herring on alto sax, Javon Jackson on tenor sax, Gary Smulyan on baritone sax, Robin Eubanks on trombone, Stephen Scott on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Carl Allen on drums. CD

Freddie Hubbard on trumpet – with Vincent Herring on alto sax, Javon Jackson on tenor sax, Gary Smulyan on baritone sax, Robin Eubanks on trombone, Stephen Scott on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Carl Allen on drums. CD

A really great little collection – one titled from a legendary studio jam that originally appeared on film, not record – a cut that begins this great array of cuts from the famous Black Ark studio of Lee Scratch Perry! Perry's on the cover, and has a strong hand on most of these tracks – but there's also a very nice mix of material going on here – some righteous roots vocals, other dubby cuts that are leaner overall – with a mix of groups and solo singers, all showing the keenly creative 70s Perry style at its best. Titles include "Play On Mr Music" by Upsetter Revue, "One More River To Cross" by Mystic I, "One More Dub To Cross" by the Upsetters, "People Get Ready" by Junior Mervin, "Give Me A Love" by Jimmy Riley, "Feel All Right" by The Silvertones, "Milte Hi Ahkhen" by Sam Carty, "History (dub plate mix)" by Carlton Jackson, "Rejoice Jah Children (dub plate mix)" by The Silvertones, and "Sugar & Spice" by Keith Rowe. CD

An overlooked 60s soul killer on Atlantic Records! We love Deon Jackson – we love his sweetly honest vocal style, we love his songs, and we love the great production he gets from the legendary Ollie McLaughlin! This album is the only one he ever cut – and it's a masterpiece all the way through! Ollie's production mixes some wonderful lilting qualities with rollicking hard soul – it's a far-reaching approach that works incredibly well with Deon's unique approach to the vocals! Includes the super-hit "Love Makes The World Go Round" and a charming uptown soul take on "King Of The Road", plus "Come Back Home", "1-2-3", "You Said You Love Me", "SOS", "Love Is What You Make It" and "Hush Little Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

Great stuff! We love Deon Jackson – we love his voice, we love his songs, and we love the great production he gets from the legendary Ollie McLaughlin! 7-inch, Vinyl record

The first album as a leader for bassist Carlos Henriquez – and a set that's long overdue, given Carlos' many years working as a key sideman in so many other groups! The set's a very personal project – titled after Carlos' Bronx home turf, and performed in a style that mixes Latin jazz roots with more complex tonal arrangements that show a real sophistication in the writing and arranging talents of Henriquez – so much so, we wonder why we haven't heard more from him before! The work is wonderful – a very hip New York blend of modes and patterns – very modern, but still quite warm – with strong performances from players who include Michael Rodriguez on trumpet, Robert Rodriguez on piano, Felipe Lamoglia on tenor, and Ali Jackson on drums. Rich in soul and spirit throughout – with titles that include "Chucifrito", "The Bronx Pyramid", "Joshua's Dream", "Guarajazz", "Promesas", "9 O'Clock Bomba", and "Brook Ave". CD

With Carlos Henriquez on bass, Ali Jackson on drums, and Eric Lewis on piano. CD

A special 50th Anniversary set of the legendary Wattstax Concert in 1972 – a magical music moment that had the Memphis soul powerhouse Stax Records filling the Los Angeles Coliseum with some of its best artists – all to celebrate the pride and power of the community in Watts! This set features a distillation of the much longer concert, along with one never-issued track – titles that include "Baby" by Carla Thomas, "Old Time Religion" by The Golden 13, "I've Been Lonely For So Long" by Frederick Knight, "Them Hot Pants" by Lee Sain, "Better Get A Move On" by Louise McCord, "I'll Take You There" by Staple Singers, "I Can't Turn You Loose" by The Bar-Kays, "Hearsay" by Soul Children, "The Breakdown" by Rufus Thomas, "Ain't That Loving You" by David Porter, "I Forgot To Be Your Lover" by William Bell, "Explain It To Her Mama" by The Temprees, "Precious Lord Take My Hand" by Deborah Manning, "I Am Somebody" by Jesse Jackson, and "Shaft" by Isaac Hayes – plus the never-issued "I Shall Not Be Moved" by Eric Mercury. CD

With Bob Burridge and Bryan Lynch on trumpet, Ralph Lalama on saxophone, clarinet and flute, Michael Rabinowitz on basoon and bass clarinet, Douglas Purviance on trombone, Carlton Holmes on keyboards, Chip Jackson on bass, and Ron Vincent on drums. CD

A well-titled little set – as the collection is as cool as the sound of CTI Records back in the 70s! The unique package features an LP-sized cover – just like one of the CTI gatefold albums from back in the day – which contains 4 different CDs, each with a slightly different take on the sound of the legendary label! CD 1 is titled Straight Up – and features amazing 70s jazz from Hubert Laws, Ron Carter, George Benson, Randy Weston, Freddie Hubbard, and others. CD 2 is titled Deep Grooves/Big Hits – and features some killer numbers by Esther Phillips, Johnny Hammond, Freddie Hubbard, Deodato, Joe Farrell, and Hank Crawford. Next is CD 3, The Brazilian Connection – a beautiful demonstration of Creed Taylor's love of sounds from Rio and beyond – filled with great work from Airto, Paul Desmond, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Stanley Turrentine, Milt Jackson, and Deodato. Last up is Cool & Classic – the 4th CD, with CTI-remade work by older players such as Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Kenny Burrell, and Jim Hall – all a perfect fit for the label's new sound of the 70s! The package also features an LP-sized booklet – filled with notes and rare images! CD

With his sextet from 1947 with Conte Candoli on trumpet, Emmett Carls on tenor, Tony Aless on piano, Billy Bauer on guitar, and Mel Zelnick on drums; and with big band in 1950 with Howard McGhee, Al Porcino, and Don Ferrara on trumpet; JJ Johnson and Kai Winding on tronbone; Zoot Sims and Georgie Auld on tenor; Charlie Kennedy on alto; Gerry Mulligan on baritone; Tony Aless on piano; and Don Lamond on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Here it is, the mother of them all! The set's got 8CDs worth of killer soul, funk, and Rhythm & Blues – all culled from the rich history of the Atlantic records label, and lovingly put together with great notes and everything! Although this sort of set usually tends to be a bit simplistic, this box actually features a beautiful mix of tracks, lots of which are hard to get in any format. It's a lot to go through, but it's worth the trip! We can't even begin to list the tracks here, there's 203(!) of them in all, but some of the artists include the Bar Kays, the Beginning of the End, Archie Bell & The Drells, Ruth Brown, Solomon Burke, the Capitols, Clarence Carter, the Chords, the Cookies, Don Covay, King Curtis, Tyrone Davis, the Drifters, Roberta Flack, King Floyd, Aretha Franklin, Major Harris, Donny Hathaway, the Ikettes, Willis Jackson, Nat Kendricks & The Swans, Barabra Lewis,the Mar-keys, Les McCann & Eddie Harris, Stick McGhee, Otis & Carla, the Persuaders, Percy Sledge, The Spinners, Willie Tee, Joe Tex, Chuck Willis, Betty Wright and loads more! CD

With Abraham Laboriel on bass, Paul Jackson Jr on guitar, Hubert Laws on flute, Carlos Vega on drums, Paulinho Da Costa on percussion, and George Duke on synthesizer. CD

A stunning presentation of the legendary Wattstax concert – that huge moment of pride and power when the folks at Stax Records filled up the Los Angeles Coliseum with one of the most memorable shows of the 70s! The meeting of talents here is the stuff of legend – and this great package brings together the complete show in running order – really building up excitement as the concert progresses – with different acts each bringing their own sort of fire to the stage, culminating in a fantastic long finale by Isaac Hayes! The presentation is different than the two double albums that Stax issued back in the 70s – and this expanded package features a number of unreleased tracks in place of material the label later added – such as work from Richard Pryor and The Emotions. There's a whole instrumental section at the start, and more spoken links between some parts – and new material includes unissued work from Kim Weston, Freddie Robinson, Ernie Hines, Eric Mercury, Tommy Tate, Billy Eckstine, and Isaac Hayes – in addition to famous performances by The Soul Children, Jesse Jackson, Rufus Thomas, Albert King, Carla Thomas, William Bell, The Bar Kays, David Porter, The Temprees, Eddie Floyd, and David Porter – plus plenty more from Isaac Hayes too! Great package – with a full color book with new notes and essays, and plenty more too. CD

An insane package – one that features the material from the 6CD Complete Concert Wattstax set, plus 5 more CDs from Summit Club Recordings in 1972, plus one more CD of additional material too! First up are 6 CDs that feature a stunning presentation of the legendary Wattstax concert – that huge moment of pride and power when the folks at Stax Records filled up the Los Angeles Coliseum with one of the most memorable shows of the 70s! The meeting of talents here is the stuff of legend – and this great package brings together the complete show in running order – really building up excitement as the concert progresses – with different acts each bringing their own sort of fire to the stage, culminating in a fantastic long finale by Isaac Hayes! The presentation is different than the two double albums that Stax issued back in the 70s – and this expanded package features a number of unreleased tracks in place of material the label later added – such as work from Richard Pryor and The Emotions. There's a whole instrumental section at the start, and more spoken links between some parts – and new material includes unissued work from Kim Weston, Freddie Robinson, Ernie Hines, Eric Mercury, Tommy Tate, Billy Eckstine, and Isaac Hayes – in addition to famous performances by The Soul Children, Jesse Jackson, Rufus Thomas, Albert King, Carla Thomas, William Bell, The Bar Kays, David Porter, The Temprees, Eddie Floyd, and David Porter – plus plenty more from Isaac Hayes too! Great package – with a full color book with new notes and essays, and plenty more too. The Summit Club material follows on five more CDs – material that was partly issued on some other reissues by individual artists, but augmented here with a wealth of unreleased material too! There's a a full show of work from Johnnie Taylor and Rufus Thomas – the latter of whom even does some comedy bits – plus some extra funky performances from The Sons Of Slum, heavy blues from Little Milton, great soul from The Emotions, and a huge amount of never-issued work from the great duo Mel & Tim – arguably better here than on their Stax studio sessions. CD12 features additional recordings that were layered into some of the LP releases issued under the Wattstax name – 15 more tracks that include titles by The Emotions, Isaac Hayes, The Dramatics, Staple Singers, and Eddie Floyd – plus some comedy routines by Richard Pryor. CD

A stunning presentation of the legendary Wattstax concert – that huge moment of pride and power when the folks at Stax Records filled up the Los Angeles Coliseum with one of the most memorable shows of the 70s! The meeting of talents here is the stuff of legend – and this great package brings together the complete show in running order – really building up excitement as the concert progresses – with different acts each bringing their own sort of fire to the stage, culminating in a fantastic long finale by Isaac Hayes! The presentation is different than the two double albums that Stax issued back in the 70s – and this expanded package features a number of unreleased tracks in place of material the label later added – such as work from Richard Pryor and The Emotions. There's a whole instrumental section at the start, and more spoken links between some parts – and new material includes unissued work from Kim Weston, Freddie Robinson, Ernie Hines, Eric Mercury, Tommy Tate, Billy Eckstine, and Isaac Hayes – in addition to famous performances by The Soul Children, Jesse Jackson, Rufus Thomas, Albert King, Carla Thomas, William Bell, The Bar Kays, David Porter, The Temprees, Eddie Floyd, and David Porter – plus plenty more from Isaac Hayes too! Great package – with a full color book with new notes and essays, and plenty more too. LP, Vinyl record album