... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Organist Don Patterson was one of the greatest things to happen to alto giant Sonny Stitt in the 60s – and this set features 2 of the pair's greatest albums together! Both Night Crawler and The Boss Men are spare affairs – with Patterson on alto, Stitt on sax, and drummer Billy James providing the only other accompaniment, as the players stretch out in lean long solos that show the best of their playing. There's a total of 14 tracks in all on the set – a mix of hard groovers and mellower cuts – and titles include "Night Crawler", "Star Eyes", "Diane", "What's New?", "Easy To Love", "Big C's Rock", "42639", and "Answering Service". CD

A killer set from Sonny – recorded in a very stripped down setting that has him blowing over organ lines by Don Patterson and drums by Billy James, with no other accompaniment! Tunes aren't that long, but they do have a freer feel than usual – and titles include "Answering Service", "Night Crawler", "Star Eyes", and "Who Can I Turn To?". LP, Vinyl record album

Heads or tails, it's a winner every time – as the record's one of the last clear moments of genius from keyboardist Bob James in the 70s! The sound here is stepping out a bit more from Bob's earlier sides on CTI, but there's still plenty of great keyboard work to make the album worth seeking out – as well as that unusual James approach to rhythm, which often makes tunes come across with lots of angular moments and darker corners, no matter how smooth the overall production might sound. Other players here include Richard Tee, Ralph MacDonald, Randy Brecker, Alphonso Johnson, and Steve Gadd – and titles include the seminal break track "Night Crawler", plus "Heads", "We're All Alone", "I'm In You", and "One Loving Night". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning album of spiritual majesty from American pianist Rafael – a player who'd worked in New York during the bop years, but who ended up overseas, and cut this completely unique album in the early 70s! Tracks are all long, and have a quality that owes a bit to the spiritual modes of the post-Coltrane years – but the progression of sounds is very unfamiliar, in part because many of the cuts have these long wordless passages from singer Rose Thompson – who's almost as much of an "instrument" in the music as Rafael's piano! The leader also plays a bit of flute, and the rest of the group features bass, drums, and a mix of vibes and bongos from Johnny Peret – on these beautiful long tunes that include "Night Crawler", "Dead Sea Scrolls", "Archangelo", and "Hommage A Kabylie". LP, Vinyl record album

The Crusaders are really going strong at this point – in near-hit status, almost acting as the Steely Dan of LA jazz. The sound is certainly slicker than before, but in a way that's actually pretty darn nice – as Joe Sample, Wilton Felder, Stix Hooper, and Larry Carlton come together with effortless ease – dipping, turning, twisting, and still hitting a nice groove on the best tunes. Tracks include "Nite Crawler", "Feel It", "River Rat", "Free As The Wind", and "Sweet N Sour". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Uncle Dog, Free, The Rumbledown Band, Jim Capaldi, Paul Kossoff, Back Street Crawler, and Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu & Rabbit. CD

Classic hard-grooving Alvin Cash – with that early Mar V Lus sound that feels like it was recorded at the bottom of a well! Not that that's a problem, though, as the approach makes the single bump and groove right off your turntable! "Barracuda" is a funky funky fishy dance – and the "It" in "One More Time" is "The Twine", which gets grooved over again here! 7-inch, Vinyl record

The new sound of the European scene at the end of the 70s – music that carries plenty of inspiration from post-punk modes, but which also carries forth some key elements of prog as well – all at a level that's quite a surprise if you only know more iconic material of the time! The artists here aren't all British or European, but the sound within definitely showcases the way that later electronic experiments of the 70s were thinning down in the work of underground UK and German labels – and also showing the way that the instrumental excesses of the earlier part of the decade were being packed down into more economical packages, but all without losing any sense of freshness or experimentation! The set takes its title from a song on the last Bowie Berlin album – a great reference for the music – and titles include "Tight As A Drum" by Thomas Leer, "Silent Command" by Cabaret Voltaire, "Theme For Great Cities" by Simple Minds, "White Car In Germany" by The Associates, "Nite Flights" by The Walker Brothers, "3,000,000 Synths" by Chaz Jankel, "Nightcrawler" by Patrick Cowley, "Riot In Lagos" by Ryuichi Sakamoto, "Silicon Chip" by Basil Kirchin, "Ode To Perfume" by Holger Czukay, "Do Weit So Gut" by Harald Grosskopft, "The Farther Away I Am" by Daryl Hall (with Robert Fripp), and "Patriarcat" by Areski & Brigitte Fontaine. LP, Vinyl record album

The full scope of genius from the legendary Alvin Cash – not just his 60s gritty groovers, but a host of later funk tracks as well – all packaged into a beautiful book-styled package! Cash is one of our favorite Chicago artists ever – a dancer by trade, but a flamboyant personality who always managed to make his way center stage – whether live or in the recording studio! The set begins with early "twine" numbers from Alvin – some romping heavy soul tracks that have a very deep bottom, and a raw sound that's equal part R&B and Chicago soul – definitely tuned towards the dancefloor crowd that was a natural fit for Cash's energy. As the set moves on, it then picks up some wicked late 60s singles for the Toddlin Town label, and also includes some excellent early 70s groovers for Sound Stage Seven – some of Alvin's hardest, heaviest numbers ever. The set features work by Alvin Cash with The Registers, Hundred Dollar Bills, The Crawlers, and Scott Brothers Orchestra – and titles include "Keep On Dancing (parts 1 & 2)", "Funky 69", "Moanin & Groanin", "Doin The Creep", "It's Party Time", "Funky Washing Machine", "Alvin's Doin His Thing", "Funky Street", "Doin The Ali Shuffle", "Whip It On Me", "The Charge", "Boston Monkey", "The Philly Freeze", "Alvin's Boogaloo", "Let's Do Some Good Timing", "The Bump", "Twine Time", "Twine Awhile", "The Barracuda", and "You Shot Me Through The Grease". CD

The new sound of the European scene at the end of the 70s – music that carries plenty of inspiration from post-punk modes, but which also carries forth some key elements of prog as well – all at a level that's quite a surprise if you only know more iconic material of the time! The artists here aren't all British or European, but the sound within definitely showcases the way that later electronic experiments of the 70s were thinning down in the work of underground UK and German labels – and also showing the way that the instrumental excesses of the earlier part of the decade were being packed down into more economical packages, but all without losing any sense of freshness or experimentation! The set takes its title from a song on the last Bowie Berlin album – a great reference for the music – and titles include "Tight As A Drum" by Thomas Leer, "Silent Command" by Cabaret Voltaire, "Theme For Great Cities" by Simple Minds, "White Car In Germany" by The Associates, "Nite Flights" by The Walker Brothers, "3,000,000 Synths" by Chaz Jankel, "Nightcrawler" by Patrick Cowley, "Riot In Lagos" by Ryuichi Sakamoto, "Silicon Chip" by Basil Kirchin, "Ode To Perfume" by Holger Czukay, "Do Weit So Gut" by Harald Grosskopft, "The Farther Away I Am" by Daryl Hall (with Robert Fripp), and "Patriarcat" by Areski & Brigitte Fontaine. CD

A very cool, surprisingly righteous album from trumpeter Bobby Bryant – maybe the hippest set he ever cut, and a record that features some great larger arrangements that are overflowing with soul! The set features work from Charles Owens and Herman Riley on tenors, Dennis Budimir on guitar, Joe Sample on piano, and Henry Cain on organ – and the whole thing has a wonderfully groovy vibe! Tracks include "Swahili Strut", "Prayer For Peace", "Kriss Kross", and "Nite Crawlers". LP, Vinyl record album

Probably Bill Summers' best LP for Prestige, and certainly the one in which he got his groove straightened out, and more in the pocket than on some of his other ones. The title cut's a massive groover, and the LP version ends in a cool acappella sweep on the chorus that sounds (in our opinion) much better than the 12" version. Lots of jazzy funky stuff, and the tracks "Woo Me Baby", "Your Love", "Creepy Crawlers", and "El Barrio". LP, Vinyl record album

An explosion of groundbreaking sounds from the 60s – all records issued in the magical year of 1965 – with a fresh vibe that would influence years of soul, psych, and garage styles to come! Jon Savage has already given us two other great year-based collections on Ace, but this one might be one of his most impressive – given that most folks tend to overlook the musical power of 1965, in favor of bigger explosions later in the 60s – but all of which were inspired by these earlier moments of fire! You'll definitely recognize some of the tunes here, but with his usual genius, Jon Savage has a way of mixing the familiar with the obscure – coming up with new ways to put everything together, and really opening up our ears in the process. As with previous volumes, the notes are huge – with plenty of details on the sounds within – and the 2CD package features a whopping 48 tracks in all – with titles that include "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" by The Silkie, "Concrete & Clay" by Unit Four Plus Two, "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" by The Byrds, "Buttermilk (part 1)" by Sly, "Boot Leg" by Booker T & The MGs, "Fortune Teller" by Tony Jackson with The Vibrations, "That's The Way It's Got To Be" by The Poets, "Come & Stay With Me" by Marianne Faithful, "See My Friends" by The Kinks, "Too Many People" by The Leaves, "I've Got Mine" by The Small Faces, "The Duck" by Jackie Lee, "The Story Of John Hardy" by Sir Douglas Quintet, "We Sell Soul" by The Spades, "Blow Your Mind" by The Gas Co, "You Just Gotta Know My Mind" by Karen Verros, "Can You Hear Me" by Lee Dorsey, "London Town" by Pretty Things, "Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl" by The Barbarians, "I'm Alive" by The Hollies, "Leaving Here" by The Birds, and "Twine Time" by Alvin Cash & The Crawlers. CD

Includes music by The Blue Magoos, Seeds, Standells, Captain Beefheart, The Music Machine, Five Americans, Nightcrawlers, Merry-Go-Round, and more – 18 tracks in all! CD

A Batman knock-off record – but a really great one! This set was originally issued in the mid 60s on the cheapo Crown label on the west coast – and it's a surprisingly smoking set of instrumental tracks that are heavy on the Hammond and horns, and which romp along with a mod sort of go-go groove! Only the leadoff track is actually a Batman one – and the rest are instrumentals penned by Maxwell Davies, titled in ways that really get at the grooviness of the set – "Harry Danger", "Super Chase", "Creepy Crawlers", "Lotta Trouble", "Irving Evil", and "Mean & Nasty". CD also features 3 bonus tracks from Davies' Harlem Brass project for Crown – including "Green Hornet Theme", "Tijuana Harlem", and "The Good The Bad & The Ugly". CD

An excellent groover from the legendary Vince Montana! Vince arranged, produced, conducted, and wrote just about all of this second album by hard-grooving Salsoul Orchestra – and the album's a no-nonsense batch of disco instrumentals that's way better than many of the fake albums of the type that sprung up in the group's wake. The players include the cream of the Sigma Studios team – including the Baker/Harris/Young triad – and the tracks have a wonderfully soulful sound, with loads of great instrumentation on guitar, bass, percussion, and Montana's jazzy vibes! Titles include "It's Good For The Soul", "Nightcrawler", "Nice N Naasty", "Salsoul 3001", "Ritzy Mambo", and "It Don't Have To Be Funky (To Be A Groove)". LP, Vinyl record album

An explosion of groundbreaking sounds from the 60s – all records issued in the magical year of 1965 – with a fresh vibe that would influence years of soul, psych, and garage styles to come! Jon Savage has already given us two other great year-based collections on Ace, but this one might be one of his most impressive – given that most folks tend to overlook the musical power of 1965, in favor of bigger explosions later in the 60s – but all of which were inspired by these earlier moments of fire! You'll definitely recognize some of the tunes here, but with his usual genius, Jon Savage has a way of mixing the familiar with the obscure – coming up with new ways to put everything together, and really opening up our ears in the process. As with previous volumes, the notes are huge – with plenty of details on the sounds within – and the 2CD package features a whopping 48 tracks in all – with titles that include "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" by The Silkie, "Concrete & Clay" by Unit Four Plus Two, "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" by The Byrds, "Buttermilk (part 1)" by Sly, "Boot Leg" by Booker T & The MGs, "Fortune Teller" by Tony Jackson with The Vibrations, "That's The Way It's Got To Be" by The Poets, "Come & Stay With Me" by Marianne Faithful, "See My Friends" by The Kinks, "Too Many People" by The Leaves, "I've Got Mine" by The Small Faces, "The Duck" by Jackie Lee, "The Story Of John Hardy" by Sir Douglas Quintet, "We Sell Soul" by The Spades, "Blow Your Mind" by The Gas Co, "You Just Gotta Know My Mind" by Karen Verros, "Can You Hear Me" by Lee Dorsey, "London Town" by Pretty Things, "Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl" by The Barbarians, "I'm Alive" by The Hollies, "Leaving Here" by The Birds, and "Twine Time" by Alvin Cash & The Crawlers. CD

One of those few classic cases where a compilation of tracks was maybe even more influential than the original music itself – as this early 70s collection of 60s material turned out to shape and influence generations for decades to come! Guitar genius Lenny Kaye put the set together famously for Elektra Records in 1972 – as a reminder that, just a few years before, there were some amazing sounds that were not only brewing up in local indie scenes around the country, but also on the radio as well – even though most of those groups had been pushed into relative obscurity by the rise of soft rock, hard rock, and classic rock of the early 70s! The package is a return to the pre-prog years, with an especially strong ear for garage-tuned tracks that would go on to shape later punk, 80s indie, and lots more underground sounds in the future. Volume 2 includes tracks by Kim Fowley, the Elastik Band, Chocolate Watch Band, Kenny and the Kasuals, Human Beinz, Del-Vetts, Squires, Night Crawlers, and the Beau Brummels – 31 tracks total. CD