Includes the songs "Rhythm Is Our Business", "Sophisticated lady", "Mood Indigo", "Black & Tan Fantasy", "Stratosphere", "Organ Grinder's Swing", "Runnin' A Temperature", "Coquette", "For Dancers Only", "Posin'", "Annie Laurie", "Margie", "Blue Prelude", "Twenty Four Robbers", "Siesta At The Fiesta", "Yard Dog Mazurka", "Blues In The Night", "I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town", "Strictly Instrumental", and "Knock Me A Kiss". CD

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A classic set of grooves from the Minneapolis scene – work that comes from the early days of Prince, when he was an up and coming talent on the scene – and which also continues a bit into early 80s years as well, even after he'd been signed to Warner Brothers! The exact nature of these cuts is always a bit obscured – they definitely feature some contributions from Prince and Andre Cymone, and sound very Prince-like too – but are usually presented under the aegis of Pepe Willie, who founded the group 94 East. The tracks are mostly instrumental, although there are a bit of female vocals – and titles include "If You Feel Like Dancin", "Lovin Cup", "Games", "Just Another Sucker", "Dance To The Music Of The World", "You Can Be My Teacher", "Better Than You Think", "If You See Me", "I'll Always Love You", and "One Man Jam". CD

A classic set of grooves from the Minneapolis scene – work that comes from the early days of Prince, when he was an up and coming talent on the scene – and which also continues a bit into early 80s years as well, even after he'd been signed to Warner Brothers! The exact nature of these cuts is always a bit obscured – they definitely feature some contributions from Prince and Andre Cymone, and sound very Prince-like too – but are usually presented under the aegis of Pepe Willie, who founded the group 94 East. The tracks are mostly instrumental, although there are a bit of female vocals – and titles include "If You Feel Like Dancin", "Lovin Cup", "Games", "Just Another Sucker", "Dance To The Music Of The World", and "One Man Jam". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic set of grooves from the Minneapolis scene – work that comes from the early days of Prince, when he was an up and coming talent on the scene – and which also continues a bit into early 80s years as well, even after he'd been signed to Warner Brothers! The exact nature of these cuts is always a bit obscured – they definitely feature some contributions from Prince and Andre Cymone, and sound very Prince-like too – but are usually presented under the aegis of Pepe Willie, who founded the group 94 East. The tracks are mostly instrumental, although there are a bit of female vocals – and titles include "If You Feel Like Dancin", "Lovin Cup", "Games", "Just Another Sucker", "Dance To The Music Of The World", and "One Man Jam". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes 61 tracks – all recorded at the famed NYC club! CD

A really rare slice of work from the great Bobby Pauneto – easily one of our favorite artists on the New York Latin scene of the 60s! Bobby's best known for a rare album on the Mardi Gras label in the late 60s, and two groundbreaking 70s albums of Latin jazz – and the material here predates both of those, as it features early sessions done in relative obscurity for the Seeco label – but already showing Pauneto as one of the most unique talents of his time! Bobby uses vibes on most tracks, and has this way with downturning grooves that creates a balance of melancholy and joy – mixing with plenty of percussion and piano ringing out next to the vocals – maybe carrying the torch forward a bit from the earlier work of Bobby Montez! The set features eight tracks that Paunetto recorded for Seeco in 1965 – including "Mi Paso", "Guajira Dulce", "Algo Para OM", "Aguantando", and "Olvidado" – plus related tracks from the time, including "Pauneto's Point" by Cal Tjader, "Mambo Of The Times" by Joe Cuba, and "La Culpa La Tiene El Gallo" by Joe Cotto. LP, Vinyl record album

Really unique material from Sun Ra – a pair of recordings that were initially circulated much more strongly than some of his Saturn Records material, thanks to the power of the BYG/Actuel label in the early 70s – but tracks that actually come from a variety of different sessions that Ra himself did with the Arkestra in the late 60s! Tracks are shortish, but very inventive – a well-chosen snapshot of all the new ideas that the group were cooking up during the end of the 60s in New York, with an increased mission to explore the outer reaches of space, and use more electronics than ever before! Ra plays some killer keyboards – moog, spacemaster, and acoustic piano – often with these really eerie tones – and other players include Kwame Hadi on trumpet, Akh Tal Ebah on space dimension mellophone, Ali Hassan on trombone, Marshal Allen and Danny Davis on alto and flute, John Gilmore on tenor, and Pat Patrick on baritone – and the whole group vocalizes at points, joined by other singers who include June Tyson and Art Jenkins. There's also some great use of "strange strings" on the sessions, not to mention a bit of reverb – and tracks titles include "Spectrum", "The Satellites Are Spinning", "Seen III Took 4", "Adventures Of Bugs Hunter", "Legend", "The Realm Of Lightning", "The Utter Nots", "Outer Spaceways Inc", "Scene 1 Take 1", "Strange Worlds", "Ancient Ethiopia", "Pyramids", and "Interpretation". CD

Incredible work from one of the greatest female southern soul singers ever – a sublime record that mixes together some of Ann Sexton's best Sound Stage Seven singles, plus a few more that we've only ever seen on this set! Given Ann's greatness, and the strong memory of her work that's been kept by the reissue market over the years, it's amazing that she rarely had so few albums under her own name – and we'd dare say that this one's even rarer than her classic Beginning album from a few years later. Titles include "Loving You Loving Me", "Keep On Holding On", "You're Losing Me", "You're Gonna Miss Me", "You're Letting Me Down", "I Still Love You", "You've Been Gone Too Long", and "It's All Over But The Shouting". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful work from Archie Shepp – a record that's filled with meaning and power, and which really stands out as a freer expression of his ideals while working on the European scene! The players here are an array of other BYG/Actuel luminaries – including Burton Green on piano, Grachan Moncur on trombone, Malachi Favors and Alan Silva on bass, and Philly Joe Jones and Claude Delcloo on drums. Hank Mobley makes a surprising appearance on a version of "Oleo" – joining Shepp's tenor after the first half of the track, which is titled "Rain Forrest". That side-long track is complemented by another long number on the flip – "Mamarose/Poem For Malcolm" – a very spiritual track with some nice vocalizations too. LP, Vinyl record album

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... CD

Tracks include "Indiana," "Tea For Two," "I Never Knew," and more. CD

A massive amount of rare funk – all pulled from the glory days of the funky 45, at a level that really takes us back to the sort of groundbreaking funk collections that Charly Records gave us many years back! The set's heavy on cuts from the deep and southern soul side of the spectrum – and there's a lot of gems here that we haven't seen reissued in quite a long time – including a few Chicago tracks that are very near and dear to our hearts! Titles include "Itch & Scratch" by Toby King, "Funky Belly" by Warren Lee, "What Do You See In Her" by Inell Young, "I Don't Dig No Phoney" by Moody Scott, "You Move Me (part 2)" by Roy Roberts Experience, "Hunk O Funk" by The Scott Brothers Orchestra, "Searchin (part 1)" by The Ambassadors, "Stick It In Your Ear Hole" by Eddie Mobley, "Let The Groove Move You" by Gus Lewis, "Never Gonna Let You Go" by Dynamic Desires, "My Heart Would Never Lie To Me" by Sandy Cleveland, "SGB" by Eddie Bo, "Bad Thing" by Thomas East & The Fabulous Playboys, "Get Up" by McKinley Sandifer, "Double Determination" by Liz McCall, "Hot Funky & Sweaty" by The Soul Lifters, "Pop Popcorn Children" by Eldridge Holmes, "Son Of A Son Of A Slave" by Larry Darnell, and "Gossip Gossip" by Diamond Joe. LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Sonny Burgess, Billy Lee Riley, Carl Mann, Bill Pinkney, and Warren Smith. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic dip into one of the coolest Latin labels of the 70s – the short-lived but incredible Coco Records – an imprint that was arguably even hipper than Fania, Alegre, or some of the other bigger indies of the time! The label was the brainchild of Harvey Averne – who you'll probably know from great work of his own on Fania and Atlantic – and by the time of the mid 70s run of records from Coco, he'd already soaked up plenty of experience on the uptown Latin scene in New York, and was really open to creating the kind of place where the best artists were free to experiment. The result was that Coco had a way of handling styles like the growing Latin funk movement of the time, while also letting older artists really open up with newly visionary music that might have gotten shut away on more commercial imprints. And while the tracks on this set are just the tip of the iceberg, they definitely offer up some of the real highlights of Coco Records – titles that include "Heavy Duty" by Barrio Band, "Cimarron" by Orquesta Cimarron, "Nunca Contigo" by Eddie Palmieri, "Girl From The Mountain (Tom Moulton disco mix)" by Ralfi Pagan, "C'Mon Baby Do the Latin Hustle" by Fajardo 76, "Mi Ritmo Llego" by Machito with Lalo Rodriguez, "La Verdad" by Cortijo, "Small Folk Reservation" by Toro, and "Azuquita Mami" by Joe Quijano. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic package that explores the full range of genius on the legendary avant label BYG/Actuel – one of the most important European imprints at the end of the 60s! Actuel was home to some of the best avant garde jazz coming out of Paris in the late 60s and early 70s – an especially important document of the post-68 revolution in European music – at a time when so many American players where showing up in France, and finding great opportunities in the new freedoms of the scene! The package features seminal sides from US avant musicians – like Steve Lacy, Anthony Braxton, Clifford Thornton, Don Cherry, Jimmy Lyons, Archie Shepp, Sonny Sharrock, Sunny Murray, Grachan Moncur III, and The Art Ensemble Of Chicago – and it also features work by European musicians like Claude Delcloo and Jacques Coursil, plus genre-busting work by MEV and Gong as well. The 3CD box features a 48 page book – with lots of great illustrations, and notes from Thurston Moore and Byron Coley – and the set features 26 long tracks in all! CD

There's nothing secret about the way that the East LA scene of the 60s really dug harmony soul – and continued that tradition for years to come – so that any album with "lowrider" in the title often meant a killer collection of rare sweet soul treasures! That's definitely the case here – as the set brings together work on small labels that include Lock Zodiac, Sound Stage 7, and Aware – music that's not from LA at all, but which found a great audience amongst collectors and compilers on that scene! In truth, there's actually a fair bit of Chicago work here – mixed with gems from the east coast scene – all in a batch of 14 gems that include "Let's Start Over" by The Ringleaders, "I Guess That Don't Make Me A Loser" by Ruby Andrews, "Try To Understand" by Little Hank, "No No No" by The Appreciations, "I Need Your Love" by The Chandlers, "Confessin A Feeling" by Tony Owens, "I Want To Get Married" by The Delicates, "How Can I Tell My Mom & Dad" by The Lovelites, "Wise Up & Be Smart" by The Devons, "You're Twenty One Today" by Choice Of Color, and "Somebody Really Loves You" by The Victones. CD

Seminal soul from one of Chicago's greatest labels in the 60s – the One-Der-Ful/Mar-V-Lus imprints, plus tracks from related Toddlin Town too – home to some of the best indie work at the time! The quality here is right up there with the best you'd hear from Chess, Okeh, or Brunswick in the 60s – no surprise, since the pair of labels shared lots of similar talents with the bigger companies – as well as session men, songwriters, and producers too! The full scope of Chicago soul is really covered here – upbeat groovers for the dancefloor, heartfelt ballads with great harmonies, and some of the harder-edged bluesy numbers that really helped put One-Der-Ful on the map! There's also some key early examples of funk – proof that in the 60s, Chicago was one of the hippest scenes in the world – and the set comes with 2 CDs, nestled in a hardback booklet of notes and photos – with a whopping 50 tracks in all. Titles include "Tired Of Being Lonely" by The Sharpees, "Without You" by The Ulti-Mations, "That's How It Is" by Otis Clay, "Keep On Dancin" by Alvin Cash, "The Funky Judge" by Bull & The Matadors, "I Get A Groove" by Thomas East & The Fabulous Playboys, "Damper Down" by Bobby Davis, "The Town I Live In" by McKinley Mitchell, "Come Back Home" by Beny Turner, "Master Key" by Harold Burrage, "If I Could Live My Life All Over" by Dorothy Prince, "You Told A Lie" by Johnny Sayles, "New Girl" by The Accents, and "Don't You Worry" by Joe & Mack. CD

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... LP, Vinyl record album

Other cities have earned the name of Soulville over the years – but that's New York on the cover, home of the legendary Harlem labels headed by Bobby Robinson – a key force in uptown sounds from the late 50s onward! Bobby cut some killer blues and R&B, and later even dabbled in hip hop – but the tracks here are from his prime soul years, when he was able to record and release music that was arguably a lot more hard-edged than most of the material coming out on other New York labels – often with a vibe that's more southern deep soul overall! The set features 16 killers from Bobby's legacy – titles that include "Being In Love" by Three Shades Of Soul, "Lost Without Your Love" by The Carlettes, "Let Go Baby" by Jim & Lee, "Don't Say" by Tiny Tim Harris, "Let Me Take You Out" by Tommy Duncan, "I Cross My Heart" by Joe Haywood, "Soultrain" by The Ramrods, "Love Me Baby So" by Ernie & Jean Terrell, and "Flaming Mamie" by Billy Hambric. LP, Vinyl record album

Orient, a beauty from Don Cherry – is one of his rarest records! This set was originally only ever issued by the Japanese branch of BYG Records in the early 70s, and it features 2 live performances from France, both of them great! Don's in a spare trance-like mode here – working with one trio comprised of bassist Johnny Dyani and percussionist Okay Temiz; and another trio with Han Bennink on percussion and Moqui on tambura. Tracks from both sets are very long and stretched-out – a mixture percussion, trumpet, flute, piano, and occasional vocals, often done in a globally expansive style. Titles include "Si Ta Ra Ma", "Orient", "Eagle Eye", and "Togetherness". Blue Lake another rare set from Don Cherry, issued in the early 70s in Japan only, in a trio also with Johnny Dyani and Okay Temiz. The set opens with Cherry on wood flute, in one of his contemplative modes, while the latter half is two longer pieces, "Dollar And Okay's Tune" and "East". "Dollar And Okay's Tune" starts with Cherry on piano, playing a rolling South African tinged groove, and then he moves back and forth between his pocket trumpet and piano. "East" is a Cherry piece, and though Temiz bubbles along nicely underneath, there's a lot of space and freedom. The playing is free and spirited throughout with Cherry's globally informed lines weaving in and out of more textural passages. CD

With Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Fletcher Henderson, Jerry Jerome, Frankie Hines, Nick Fatool, Count Basie, Georgie Auld & others. CD

2 seminal sessions from avant soul trombonist Grachan Moncur III – back to back on 1 CD! New Africa features Moncur hitting an Archie Shepp-ish, spiritual vein in his playing – recorded in Paris with a group that includes Shepp, Roscoe Mitchell, Dave Burrell, and Andrew Cyrille. Side one's mostly the long suite "New Africa", but it also includes the great composition "Space Spy" – and side two features the tracks "When" and "Exploration". The whole album's incredible – much more soulful than some of Moncur's "new thing" recordings, and equally compelling! One Morning I Woke Up Very Early is every bit as great – almost better, in fact – with a warm, flowing style that has traces of the spiritualism of Shepp and Pharoah Sanders, and more of an Africanist influence than you'd expect to hear in Moncur's work from his earlier recordings. The title track is wonderful – with a soulful vocal on the introduction, and a majestic building modal approach – and other tracks follow that groove with a spiritual sound that's more rhythmic, and more inside than some of Moncur's other work of the period! Titles include "Ponteio", "Osmosis", "Tiny Temper", and "One Morning I Woke Up Very Early". CD

Obscure Holiday work from James Brown – not the oft-compiled tracks from his late 60s years at King Records, but some later numbers that show that Brown could still turn out one heck of a Christmas tune! James' vocals are at their older best – still surprisingly powerful, and able to serve up a seasonal message with a lot more soul than just about anyone else we can think of – and even when the backings are a bit contemporary, the tunes take on a more classic soul feel once the Godfather comes into the mix! Titles include "God Gave Me This", "Reindeer On The Rooftop", "Funky Christmas", "Clean For Christmas", "Mom & Dad", "Not Just Another Holiday", and "Christmas Is For Everyone". CD

Loads of Fania Records classics – 16 tracks that include "Quimbara", "Soy Antillana", "A Santa Barbara", "Bemba Colora", "Cuando Tu Me Quieras", "Sabroso Son Cubano", and "Berimbau". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the crowning moments of genius from the great George Clinton – a record that has Funkadelic really finding their groove, in the same way that Parliament were helping push underground funk into both the clubs and the mainstream – while also showing that the P-Funk empire can jam better than just about anyone else! The whole thing is hitting on all burners throughout – with an impeccable sense of instrumentation, balanced with an easygoing attitude that makes the whole thing seem effortless – especially compared to other funk ensembles who were picking up the speed a bit too much in the disco generation. The centerpiece of the album is the classic "One Nation Under A Groove" – a monster cut with a hook that won't quit, spun out here in a great extended version – followed by other classics that include "Into You", "Grooveallegiance", and "Cholly". Also comes with a bonus 12" single that features the tracks "One Nation Under A Groove (disco mix)", "Maggot Brain/Chant", "Lunchmeataphobia", and "PE Squad/Doo Doo Chasers". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the albums One Nation Under A Groove, Hardcore Jollies, Uncle Jam Wants You, and The Electric Spanking Of War Babies. CD

A fantastic funky gem from the start of the 70s – an album recorded during a period when Maceo Parker left James Brown's band for a few years – and struck out on his own with a fiery little combo that was every bit as funky as the Fred Wesley & The JBs! The record captures the group at the height of their powers, and it's a must, must, must-have for any fan of the the James Brown sound – as it's got lots of hard drums, rumbling basslines, and some killer work on funky horns – some of it by other members of James' band who had left with Maceo! Funny, funky, and a little bit jazzy too – like a pile of funky 45s stacked on top of each other – with the cuts "Funky Women", "Got to Getcha", "Southwick", "Mag-Poo", "I Remember Mr Banks", "Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself", "Shake It Baby", and "Better Half". LP, Vinyl record album

Recorded at the Antibes Jazz Festival July 13 1960. Charles Mingus on bass, Eric Dolphy on alto saxophone, Dannie Richmond on drums, Charles Mingus on piano, and Ted Curson on trumpet. CD

Really unique material from Sun Ra – a pair of recordings that were initially circulated much more strongly than some of his Saturn Records material, thanks to the power of the BYG/Actuel label in the early 70s – but tracks that actually come from a variety of different sessions that Ra himself did with the Arkestra in the late 60s! Tracks are shortish, but very inventive – a well-chosen snapshot of all the new ideas that the group were cooking up during the end of the 60s in New York, with an increased mission to explore the outer reaches of space, and use more electronics than ever before! Ra plays some killer keyboards – moog, spacemaster, and acoustic piano – often with these really eerie tones – and other players include Kwame Hadi on trumpet, Akh Tal Ebah on space dimension mellophone, Ali Hassan on trombone, Marshal Allen and Danny Davis on alto and flute, John Gilmore on tenor, and Pat Patrick on baritone – and the whole group vocalizes at points, joined by other singers who include June Tyson and Art Jenkins. There's also some great use of "strange strings" on the sessions, not to mention a bit of reverb – and tracks titles include "Spectrum", "The Satellites Are Spinning", "Seen III Took 4", "Adventures Of Bugs Hunter", "Legend", "The Realm Of Lightning", "The Utter Nots", "Outer Spaceways Inc", "Scene 1 Take 1", "Strange Worlds", "Ancient Ethiopia", "Pyramids", and "Interpretation". CD

The final album from Spooky Tooth – at least during their initial run – and a surprisingly strong set that really points to a huge amount of new directions and ideas! Mike Patto is in the group this time around – and the presence of his vocals and deft instrumental work really give Spooky Tooth a renewed focus and sense of energy – which seems to push the guitars of Mick Jones into territory that's even bolder than before – with more than a few hints of the Foreigner to come! Gary Wright's vocals are still at center stage, but the whole album almost feels like the whole group coming together to really stretch their wings and soar. Titles include "Fantasy Satisfier", "Two Time Love", "Higher Circles", "Hell Or High Water", "The Hoofer", "I'm Alive", and "The Mirror". CD

22 tracks with Kings Of Rhythm, Billy Gayles, Jackie Brenston, and The Gardenias. CD

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... 7-inch, Vinyl record

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Music from Amos Milburn, Louis Jordan, Martha Davis, Slim Gaillard, Roy Milton, and more. 48 tracks total! CD

There's nothing secret about the way that the East LA scene of the 60s really dug harmony soul – and continued that tradition for years to come – so that any album with "lowrider" in the title often meant a killer collection of rare sweet soul treasures! That's definitely the case here – as the set brings together work on small labels that include Lock Zodiac, Sound Stage 7, and Aware – music that's not from LA at all, but which found a great audience amongst collectors and compilers on that scene! In truth, there's actually a fair bit of Chicago work here – mixed with gems from the east coast scene – all in a batch of 14 gems that include "Let's Start Over" by The Ringleaders, "I Guess That Don't Make Me A Loser" by Ruby Andrews, "Try To Understand" by Little Hank, "No No No" by The Appreciations, "I Need Your Love" by The Chandlers, "Confessin A Feeling" by Tony Owens, "I Want To Get Married" by The Delicates, "How Can I Tell My Mom & Dad" by The Lovelites, "Wise Up & Be Smart" by The Devons, "You're Twenty One Today" by Choice Of Color, and "Somebody Really Loves You" by The Victones. LP, Vinyl record album

Don Cherry really breaks out here on his classic Mu sessions from France – using the new freedoms of post-68 Paris to explore themes at a level that would set the tone for generations to come! The album's very spare, and very improvised – with Cherry on pocket trumpet, piano, and wooden flute – plus a bit of percussion too – alongside drummer Ed Blackwell, who's equally unbridled – showing a huge evolution since the time both he and Don spent in the group of Ornette Coleman! There's a few echoes of the global elements that Cherry would later embrace more strongly in the 70s – but the core energy here is mostly improvised jazz, handled at a level that really makes a lot better use of the freedom than some of Don's contemporaries. Titles include "Total Vibration", "Sun Of The East", "Brilliant Action", "Terrestrial Beings", "Bamboo Night", "The Mysticism Of My Sound", "Psycho Drama", "Smiling Faces Going Places", "Teo Teo Can", and "Dollar Brand/Spontaneous Composing/Exert Man On The Moon". CD

John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. CD

A really unusual album from the mighty Chick Corea – a set recorded at the end of the 60s, at a time when Chick's star was just beginning to rise – but in a style that's both very different than his famous material of the 70s, and his avant fame as part of the group Circle! Chick's definitely got some of the harder, freer tones that he brought to Circle – but overall, there's more of a sense of spiritual jazz to the record – as Chick plays acoustic throughout, in a wonderful lineup that features Woody Shaw on trumpet, Hubert Laws on flute, Dave Holland on bass, and both Jack DeJohnette and Horacee Arnold on drums! The whole thing's got a vibe that's a lot more like Strata East than most other records that Sonny Lester ever produced – and titles include "The Brain", "Song Of Wind", "Converge", and "Sundance". CD

With Jay Jay Johnson, Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, and Art Blakey. Includes the songs "Conception", "Ray's Idea", "That Old Black Magic", "Max Is Making Wax", "Woody'N You", "Move", "Half Nelson", "Down", "Move", "The Squirrel", "Lady Bird", "Confirmation", and "Out Of The Blue". CD

... CD

A seminal set from Eric Dolphy – one of his most perfectly realized moments at the head of a larger ensemble – and a record that definitely set the tone for countless spiritual jazz sessions of the 70s! Dolphy recorded this session for Alan Douglas in 1962, and it features a larger array of players than you'll find on most of his records for other labels – the cream of the "new thing" players that were around New York at the time, including Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Woody Shaw on trumpet, Prince Lasha on flute, Sonny Simmons on alto, and even Clifford Jordan on soprano sax – making a rare appearance on record on that instrument! Together, the players create a set of soundscapes that lies somewhere between Dolphy's Out To Lunch album, and some of the more modernist work by Mingus – a stunning batch of tracks that go out, but never too far. Titles include "Ode to CP", "Burning Spear", "Iron Man", and "Mandrake". CD

One of the greatest R&B vocal groups of the 50s, featuring singer Lowman Pauling, who was a huge influence on James Brown! The tracks all have a great hard-edged sound, with little of the schmaltz that can sometimes date these songs a bit too much. The material is very rootsy soul stuff – tracks include "Right Around The Corner", "You Didn't Learn It At Home", "Devil With The Rest", "Come On & Save Me", "The Slummer The Slum", and "I Could Love You If You Let Me". Original King Records material – 16 tracks in all! CD

One of the crowning moments of genius from the great George Clinton – a record that has Funkadelic really finding their groove, in the same way that Parliament were helping push underground funk into both the clubs and the mainstream – while also showing that the P-Funk empire can jam better than just about anyone else! The whole thing is hitting on all burners throughout – with an impeccable sense of instrumentation, balanced with an easygoing attitude that makes the whole thing seem effortless – especially compared to other funk ensembles who were picking up the speed a bit too much in the disco generation. The centerpiece of the album is the classic "One Nation Under A Groove" – a monster cut with a hook that won't quit, spun out here in a great extended version – followed by other classics that include "Into You", "Grooveallegiance", and "Cholly". Features bonus tracks – "Maggot Brain/Chant", "Lunchmeataphobia", and "PE Squad/Doo Doo Chasers". CD

... CD

Includes the songs "Undecided", "Indian Summer", "Stuffy", "Loverman/Stella By Starlight", "Willow Weep For Me", "Caravan", and "Pleyel Blues". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Nice compilation of hard honkin' R&B sax sides by two giants of the genre. Originally recorded for King, and nicely repackaged and remastered by Charly, this stuff was (mostly) recorded as singles for the Bar-Walkin' generation. Great stuff, with lots of cool twists and turns and bleeps and other neat sounds from the tenor, and a nice list of tracks that includes "Hang Out", "Little Landslide", "Shockin'", and "Frost-Tee Nite". There's also some nice slow deep late night cuts, and the whole thing has a soulful feel to it. 20 tracks in all. CD

Beautiful heartbreaking soul in the "iceman" style that was pioneered by Jerry Butler, and taken up by Chuck in his early years at Wand Records! This set features 16 tracks from those glory days, when Chuck was one of the most compelling singers on the charts – and when his deep rich voice just couldn't miss! Titles include "I Don't Want To Cry", "I Wake Up Crying" (we wonder if Chuck wasn't just a big cry baby!), "Any Day Now", "Tell Him I'm Not Home", I'm Your Man", "Forget About Me", "I Keep Forgettin", and "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself". CD

A reissue single, featuring 2 of the best mellow groovers from Jeffree! Worth it for the classic "Love's Gonna Last" alone! 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of their greatest, and one of the early ones with Jalal – who gave the group a much more lyrical sound, with more of an emphais on song construction and music, instead of just vocalizing ideas. Includes the great "Birds Word", an early jazz-rap cut that's a precursor to Gang Starr's "Jazz Thing", plus "Before the White Man Came", "Black Soldier", "Hands Off", and "Jazzoetry". CD

Nice collection of sides by the lost bebop pianist Dodo Marmarosa – an obscure "comeback" LP recorded for Argo in the early 60s – in Chicago, with Richard Evans on bass and Marshall Thompson on drums, and a full LP of unissued material. The record's nothing fancy, but it is a lively batch of tracks played by one of the more unique piano talents on the planet – and the rhythm backing is more than capable of fleshing the set out nicely so that Marmosa can groove on the keys in a way that he'd hardly used since his early bop days in the late 40s. Titles include "Tracy's Blues", "Mellow Mood", "On Green Dolphin Street", and "Cottage For Sale", plus "Gone With the Wind", "Dodo's Tune" and "Analysis". CD

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A great collection of lesser-known work from Moon Mullican – late 50s sides for Coral, Kapp, and Decca – material that's not nearly as widely circulated as his King Records sides! Also includes two unissued tracks. LP, Vinyl record album

Hey, they're not kidding with this title – as Tito really goes to town with a set of mambo tunes, grooving it up with a hard heavy percussive edge! The title's one of the first on the Tico label (as an LP), and it really sets the pace for some of the label's excellent work to come – as Tito and crew play with a tightness and energy that's missing from a lot of their earlier work. If you like Latin vibes, you'll find plenty of them on this set – and tracks include "Mambo Inn", "Mambo Tipico", "Mambo Rumbon", "Mambo Lenko", "Mambolino", "Ran Kan Kan", and "Titoro". CD

Beautiful work from Archie Shepp – a record that's filled with meaning and power, and which really stands out as a freer expression of his ideals while working on the European scene! The players here are an array of other BYG/Actuel luminaries – including Burton Green on piano, Grachan Moncur on trombone, Malachi Favors and Alan Silva on bass, and Philly Joe Jones and Claude Delcloo on drums. Hank Mobley makes a surprising appearance on a version of "Oleo" – joining Shepp's tenor after the first half of the track, which is titled "Rain Forrest". That side-long track is complemented by another long number on the flip – "Mamarose/Poem For Malcolm" – a very spiritual track with some nice vocalizations too. CD

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Lost treasures from Frank, Dean, & Sammy! This 2CD set features some essential live recordings – one disc recorded in 1963 at the Sands in Las Vegas, the other recorded in 1965 with the Basie Band in St Louis. The format is the same on both – in that each singer works a few songs on his own, with occasional visits from the others, then come together at the end for some extra-ratpacky material. The Las Vegas show is similar to the 1962 Chicago one that's floated around on a number of labels – and the St Louis one is even more different, reflecting the newer directions taken by Sammy and Dean during the mid 60s. And as always, the ways the songs are sung in these settings are fantastic – filled with humor, twists, turns, puns, and vocalizing that's almost more sublime than the original versions on the studio sides. Titles include "Fly Me To The Moon", "My Shining Hour", "King Of The Road", "Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On", "Please Be Kind", "Guys & Dolls", "Oldest Established Crap Game In New York", "Luck Be A Lady", "June In January", and "Who Can I Turn To". CD

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A great collection of some very early work by T Bone Walker – his early singles from the Black & White label, originally just issued on 78rpm discs! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best blacksploitation soundtracks of the early 70's – not only for the great title cut by Bobby Womack, "Across 110th Street", but for the excellent hard-hitting instrumentals by J.J. Johnson, which are perfectly in the groove of the blacksploitation generation! Lots of wah-wah guitar, funky keys, and tight riffing by the band – especially on the cuts "Harlem Clavinette", "Hang On in There", and "Harlem Love Theme". Also features "Do It Right" and another vocal version of "Hang On In There", both by Bobby. CD

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Music from Albinia Jones with Don Byas' Swing Seven, Joe Liggins & His Honeydrippers, Roy Milton & His Solid Senders, Lucky Millinder & His Orchestra, Buddy Johnson & His Orchestra, Memphis Slim, Julia Lee & Tommy Douglas' Orchestra, Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five, Albert Ammons & Mildred Anderson, Wynonie "Mr. Blues" Harris & Johnny Otis' All Stars, Dinah Washington, Bill Samuels & His Cats 'N' Jammers Three, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Johnny Moore's Three Blazers, Myra Taylor, Gatemouth Moore with Dallas Bartley & His Small Town Boys, and more. CD

A great collection of tracks from some Jamaican transplants in the UK – a set that's especially noteworthy for early work from later jazz legend Shake Keane – plus more from Lord Beginner, Calypso Rhythm Kings, Grant Lyttelton Paseo Jazz Band, George Brown, Lord Kitchener, Lord Beginner, Trinidad All Stars, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest collections of tracks we've ever heard from this legendary Chicago label – a massive 10CD package that goes way past what other Vee Jay collections have to offer! Yes, the set does feature some of the bigger names on the label – Dee Clark, Jerry Butler, Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, Betty Everett, and others – but amidst the huge number of tracks on the set – 269 in all (!) – there's loads of Vee Jay soul, doo wop, and blues rarities – with work by lesser-known artists like The Hi-Liters, Goldenrods, Senators, Orville Couch, Marilyn Britton, Tracey Dey, Wade Flemons, Ray Smith, The Honey Bees, The Monsters Four, The Rubies, Nancy Love, Marie Gladness, Gil Hamilton, Browley Guy, The Pyramids, The Dontells, Lee Diamond, Morris Pejoe, LC McKinley, Floyd Jones, The El Cincos, and many others! There's also a full CD of Vee Jay Gospel gems – and another CD of jazz recorded by the label too – and the whole thing comes in a longbox, with a beautiful booklet of notes and photos. And again – that's a whopping 269 tracks in all! CD

A stunning collection of rare funk and soul – and a set that, back in the 80s, was our doorway to a lost 70s world that we missed the first time around! The track selection is great – all sorts of gems that were playing big on the London rare groove scene of the late 80s – with tracks that include "Got to Get Your Own" by Reuben Wilson, "You're Losing Me" by Ann Sexton, "The Message" by Cymande, "Moon Walk" by Pee Wee Ellis, "I Don't Dog No Phony (part 2)" by Moody Scott, "So Much Trouble In My Mind" by Joe Quaterman, "Mama's Got The Wagon" by Mickey Murray, "Keep On Dancing" by Alvin Cash, "Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself Again" by Maceo & The King's Men, and "Check Your Bucket" by Eddie Bo. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic package that explores the full range of genius on the legendary avant label BYG/Actuel – one of the most important European imprints at the end of the 60s! Actuel was home to some of the best avant garde jazz coming out of Paris in the late 60s and early 70s – an especially important document of the post-68 revolution in European music – at a time when so many American players where showing up in France, and finding great opportunities in the new freedoms of the scene! The package features seminal sides from US avant musicians – like Steve Lacy, Anthony Braxton, Clifford Thornton, Don Cherry, Jimmy Lyons, Archie Shepp, Sonny Sharrock, Sunny Murray, Grachan Moncur III, and The Art Ensemble Of Chicago – and it also features work by European musicians like Claude Delcloo and Jacques Coursil, plus genre-busting work by MEV and Gong as well. The 3CD box features a 48 page book – with lots of great illustrations, and notes from Thurston Moore and Byron Coley – and the set features 26 long tracks in all! CD

A great collection of tracks from some Jamaican transplants in the UK – a set that's especially noteworthy for great work from the Grant Lyttleton Paseo Jazz Band – plus more from The Lion, Calypso Rhythm Kings, Lord Beginner, Tony Johnson, Bill Rogers, and Lord Kitchener. LP, Vinyl record album

Great collection of female deep soul – with work by Barbara West, Betty Lavette, Shay Holiday, Doris Allen, Tommie Young, The Ad Libs, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

A classic set of British soul by PP Arnold – LA native, and a onetime member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue who ended up staying behind in the UK after a mid 60s tour! The album's got a very interesting approach that's quite a bit more sophisticated than the sound of the Ike Turner group – with production by Andrew Loog Oldham, and rich arrangements by Tony Meehan that float in bits of Brit easy, and full-styled 60s pop orchestrations, alongside more righteous straighter soul backings – all for a mix that's great, and which makes this mod treasure a very different album than American soul of the period! Titles include "Letter To Bill", "Dreamin", "Eleanor Rigby", "As Tears Go By", "To Love Somebody", and a great version of "God Only Knows". LP, Vinyl record album