With 20 tracks. 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

A landmark album – not only for Bob James, but for CTI and the Fender Rhodes as well! This is the album where all the magic starts – the first of many extremely successful albums that Bob recorded during the 70s under his own name, and almost the birthplace of the modern hip hop keyboard sample line! The album's stuffed with great numbers – including a sublime reading of "Feel Like Making Love", and the classic "Nautilus" – a slow, dark, funky tune that's worth the price of the album alone! Other tracks include "Valley Of The Shadows", "Night On Bald Mountain", and "Soulero". LP, Vinyl record album

Jerri Winters gets some hip backings here – thanks to help from the Al Belletto Sextet, who almost share the star spotlight on the record as much as Jerri! The combo are perhaps best known for their 50s work on Capitol, but they sound equally great here – stepping out with a tight sound that must have made them a great act to catch live in a club! And in addition to the combo's instrumentation – which includes alto sax, piano, trombone, and trumpet – the group also harmonize a bit behind Jerri's vocals – supporting her with a sound that's sort of a groovy 50s update on the older 40s mode of matching a female lead with a male harmony group. Don't let all this praise of the Belletto group take away from Winters, though – because she steps out strongly too – and really makes the album sparkle with a personal take on some lesser-remembered standards. Titles include "In Other Words", "Crazy In The Night", "Kind Of Moody", "Ridin On The Moon", "Dark Shadows", "Sometimes I'm Happy", and "It's Always You". CD

Includes the songs "Someday Sweetheart", "Sister Kate", "The River's Takin Care Of Me", "Aint'cha Got Music", "Stringin' Along On A Shoe String", "Shadows On The Swanee", "The Day You Came Along", "Jamaica Shout", "Heartbreak Blues", "Hush My Mouth (If I Ain't Goin' South)", "You're Gonna Lose Your Gal", "Dark Clouds", "My Galveston Gal", "Happy Feet", "I'm Rhythm Crazy Now", "Ol' Man River", "Minnie The Moocher's Wedding Day", "Ain't Cha Glad", and "I've Got To Sing A Torch Song". CD

A fantastic comeback moment for the great Andy Bey – a singer who did incredible work in the 60s and 70s – then disappeared from the recording scene for awhile! The set's a compelling batch of jazz vocal tracks that show Andy reinventing himself for a whole new generation of jazz listeners. The backing's by a nice small group that includes Gary Bartz on alto, with whom Andy recorded extensively in the 70s – and other players include Geri Allen on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Victor Lewis on drums. The album includes a haunting reworking of Nick Drake's amazing song "River Man", plus a version of Dori Caymmi's "Like A Lover", Monk's "Straight No Chaser", and the moody "Dark Shadows", which was a page from Earl Coleman's songbook. CD

Swinging organ tracks from Shirley, with large band backing by Oliver Nelson, very much in the mode of Jimmy Smith's albums with Nelson on Verve! Includes a nice reading of the theme from "Shot In The Dark", plus "Hoe Down", "Shadows Of Paris", and "Great Scott". Also includes a side of trio material, including one track that features Shirley on vocals. Titles on that stuff include "Make Someone Happy", "5 O'Clock Whistle", and "The Blues Ain't Nothin But Pain". LP, Vinyl record album

Late 60s compilation of highlights from the first couple (and best) albums by Them – the British (by way of Belfast) psych soul powerhouses that managed to snap down on West Coast psychedelia, hard soul, and adventurous guitar driven pop in a single bound! The original 11 LP tracks are here, including "Time Out For Time In", "She Put A Hex On You", "Bent Over You", "Waltz Of The Flies", "Black Widow Spider", "Market Place", "Young Woman", "But It's Alright" and more. The real highlight, though is the wealth of bonus tracks and rare single versions of the tunes: "Square Room", "Dirty Old Man", "Corinna", "Dark In The Shadows", and others. 19 tracks in all, with nice fold out notes and photos, too! LP, Vinyl record album

Classic work from a band with a name that hardly fits their sound at all – not the streamlined music you'd expect from a Bauhaus tag – and instead a fantastically fuzzy, muddy, dark-edged style that set the tone for countless other groups to come! Yet the approach here is all the group's own – still some of the intensity of the punk years, especially in the speed and execution of the songs – and maybe in the production, too – which has all the shadows of Martin Hannett at his best. And despite the way that these guys were taken up so much by goths in later years, they've got a straightforward style that maybe more appealing to fans of Bowie from the decade before – or maybe Bowie filtered through the UK post-punk years, with touches of Siouxsie & The Banshees. Titles include "Kick In The Eye", "The Passion Of Lovers", "Hair Of The Dog", "Muscle In Plastic", "In Fear Of Fear", "Hollow Hills", and "Of Lilies & Remains". LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible work from Human Expression – a group with this moody, dark quality that's completely mindblowing, especially given their young years at the time of these recordings! The music certainly falls into the garagey sounds of the Sunset Strip scene at the time – but there's also a quality here that really sets these guys apart – this stark, bracing vibe that's hinted at in some of the really bleak song titles of their tunes, and which comes through strongly in the mix of offbeat vocalizations, unusual guitar tunings, and really raw production throughout! Tracks include "Reading Your Will", "Love At Psychedelic Velocity", "Every Night", "Cam Me Down", "Sweet Child Of Nothingness", "I Told Her", "Return Nevermore", "Judgement Of Rejection", "I Don't Need Nobody", "Room Of Shadows", "Who Is Burning", and "Outside Of It All". LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible work from Human Expression – a group with this moody, dark quality that's completely mindblowing, especially given their young years at the time of these recordings! The music certainly falls into the garagey sounds of the Sunset Strip scene at the time – but there's also a quality here that really sets these guys apart – this stark, bracing vibe that's hinted at in some of the really bleak song titles of their tunes, and which comes through strongly in the mix of offbeat vocalizations, unusual guitar tunings, and really raw production throughout! Tracks include "Reading Your Will", "Love At Psychedelic Velocity", "Every Night", "Cam Me Down", "Sweet Child Of Nothingness", "I Told Her", "Return Nevermore", "Judgement Of Rejection", "I Don't Need Nobody", "Room Of Shadows", "Who Is Burning", and "Outside Of It All". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark record – not only for Bob James, but a seminal release for CTI and the Fender Rhodes as well! This is the album where all the magic starts – the first of many extremely successful albums that Bob recorded during the 70s under his own name, and almost the birthplace of the modern hip hop keyboard sample line! The album's stuffed with great numbers – including a sublime reading of "Feel Like Making Love", and the classic "Nautilus" – a slow, dark, funky tune that's worth the price of the album alone! Other tracks include "Valley Of The Shadows", "Night On Bald Mountain", and "Soulero". LP, Vinyl record album

The end of the road for the Velvet Underground – but a set that's also one of the group's best-remembered albums too! The record marked a big shift for the group – a move to Atco from Verve, continuing to work without John Cale – and the sound is possibly more rockish and straight ahead than some of their previous efforts (certainly compared to White Light/White Heat) – but always with that dark edge that Lou Reed could bring to the music! In a way, the whole thing's almost a recasting of all the advances made in 60s rock, but seen through a lens that shows the darker corners and shadows that have crept up alongside – that kind of subtle, yet extremely powerful quality that Reed would bring to his long run of solo albums in the 70s – but served up here with more of an edge, in the definite VU fashion. Titles include the seminal classics – "Sweet Jane" and "Rock & Roll", plus "Cool It Down", "New Age", "Head Held High", "Lonesome Cowboy Bill", "Oh Sweet Nuthin", and "I Found A Reason". CD

The end of the road for the Velvet Underground – but a set that's also one of the group's best-remembered albums too! The record marked a big shift for the group – a move to Atco from Verve, continuing to work without John Cale – and the sound is possibly more rockish and straight ahead than some of their previous efforts (certainly compared to White Light/White Heat) – but always with that dark edge that Lou Reed could bring to the music! In a way, the whole thing's almost a recasting of all the advances made in 60s rock, but seen through a lens that shows the darker corners and shadows that have crept up alongside – that kind of subtle, yet extremely powerful quality that Reed would bring to his long run of solo albums in the 70s – but served up here with more of an edge, in the definite VU fashion. Titles include the seminal classics – "Sweet Jane" and "Rock & Roll", plus "Cool It Down", "New Age", "Head Held High", "Lonesome Cowboy Bill", "Oh Sweet Nuthin", and "I Found A Reason". LP, Vinyl record album

Moody brilliance from pianist Mike Nock – a solid quartet date that features plenty of edgey tenor from Michael Brecker, who's in really great form throughout! The rhythm section has a nicely snakey vibe too – with George Mraz on bass and Al Foster on drums – and both players can come on strong when Mike needs them to, then lay back into some warmer, lyrical modes that really show Nock's melodic development at this point in his career. The piano is acoustic throughout – and titles include "Break Time", "Dark Light", "Shadows Of Forgotten Love", "Hadrian's Wall", and "The Gift". CD

That's quite an image on the cover, and Curly Castro follows through strongly with all the Afro-Futurist expectations it might trigger – not just in his words, but in the way the album comes together – as some sort of a moody, unified document – powerful words in the frontline, but all this sort of darkly shimmering static at the back! The intensity of the record never lets up, and contributions from Billy Woods, Mr Lif, Margel The Sophant, and Breeze Brewin only seem to add fuel to the fire – on tracks that include "Kill Her Priest", "Freehuey Fitteds", "Killmonger Was Right", "Khujo Taught Me", "Bleek Shadows", "F Stands For Hampton", "Black August", "Weapon 13X", and "Raynathan & Romello". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare English language recordings from the sublime Francoise Hardy – music that's every bit as wonderful as her famous French recordings – and even more compelling to our Anglo-styled ears! The vocals are wonderful – sung with this sense of darkness that's almost got an echo of Nico at points, given the accent – set to backings that balance this darkness with a bit more light, but never in ways that are overly poppy – and which definitely continue that more sophisticated style that Hardy always brought to her music! There's less "yeh yeh" to the tracks than a few years before – and Francoise is definitely digging deeper music at this point in her career – sometimes with a breathy brilliance that's a bit like Jane Birkin too. Titles include "Bown Bown Bown", "Till The Morning Comes", "Loving You", "In The Sky", "Midnight Blues", "Magic Horse", "Song Of Winter", "Strange Shadows", "Ocean", "The Garden Of Jane Delawney", "Sometimes", "Let My Name Be Sorrow", "Times Passing By", "I Just Want To Be Alone", and "Suzanne". CD

Prime classic Springsteen double album, circa 1980! The River finds Bruce a few years removed from the massive breakthrough that was Born To Run, and seemingly starting to let go of the darker tone of Darkness On The Edge Of Town, though still with some shadows of it. Definitely a creative high point, and a record we're always happy to revisit. Includes "The Ties That Bind", "Hungry Heart", "Out In The Street", "Fade Away", "Ramrod", "Drive All Night", "Wreck On The Highway", "Independence Day" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Sparkling piano from Bruce Barth – set up nicely in a group that also features Steve Nelson on vibes and Terell Stafford on trumpet and flugelhorn! Both players bring in some darker edges that round out the sound nicely – mixing with Barth's lyrical lines on keys, which dance magically to rhythmic accompaniment from Vincente Archer on bass and Montez Coleman on drums. Nelson's especially expressive here – and although he drops out for three of the album's ten tracks, he still really helps shape the overall vibe of the record. Titles include "Vamonos", "Moon Shadows", "Brasilia", "Daybreak", "Triste", "Tuesday's Blues", and "In The Still Of The Night". CD

Groundbreaking 70s work from Lee Scratch Perry – served up here with both work from The Upsetters, and a long list of "friends" – different singers who take the lead on some of the productions, which are then presented back to back with dub versions of the tracks that overflow with great contributions from a top-shelf lineup of musicians! Players on the cuts include Willie Lindo and Ernest Ranglin on guitars, Winston Wright on organ, Vin Gordon on trombone, and Richard Dirty Harry Hall on tenor – but the real talent here is clearly that of Perry, who's able to move between soulful vocal leads and some deeper, darker Black Ark sounds on the rhythms. Titles include "Mr Money Man" by Danny Hensworth, "Brother Noah" by The Shadows, "Traveling" by Debra Keese, "Ethiopian Land" by Peter & Paul Lewis, "Land Of Love" by Sons Of Light, "Peace & Love" by Shaumark & Robinson, "Freedom Street" by Eric Donaldson, "My Little Sandra" by Leo Graham, "Long Long Time" by Winston Heywood, "White Belly Rat" by Lee Perry, "A Wah Dat" by Junior Dread, and "Feelings" by Sharon Isaacs – and the set features dub versions of every cut by The Upsetters too! LP, Vinyl record album

One of Farmer's best sessions of the 70s – recorded in a mode that's a bit freer than usual, with a group that includes Hampton Hawes, Ray Brown, and either Steve Ellington or Shelly Manne on drums. Art Pepper sits in on 4 of the album's 6 tracks – and it's his tone and edgieness that really opens things up, casting Farmer's work on flugelhorn in a light that's darker than usual, filled with shadows that haven't crept into his playing for years, creating a depth to the record that really keeps us listening. Titles include "Downwind", "Namely You", "What Am I Here For?", and "Will You Still Be Mine?" CD

Brilliant soul from the Detroit underground of the late 60s – a full set of work by vocalist Little Ann, issued here for the first time ever! You might recognize Ann's name from her appearance on a few of the Ace/Kent Records issues of material by Detroit producer Dave Hamilton over the years – and the work here all comes from those classic collaborations with Hamilton – trapped on tape for many years, always contemplated as a possible Little Ann album – but only issued in full all these many years later! The groove here is as offbeat as some of Dave's other great work – not nearly as tight, or uptight, as Motown music – and instead, done with a sly undercurrent of darkness on most numbers, even the mellower ones – almost that earliest mix of Detroit styles that you get on pre-fame singles from Westbound Records artists. Ann's vocals are nice and lean, and slide right into the mix with ease – heartfelt enough to grab us right away, yet without any obvious cliches as well. Titles include "What Should I Do", "Who Are You Trying To Fool", "The Smile On Your Face", "Stand Together", "I'm Doin All Right", "Lost A Lover", "That's All I want From You", and "I Got To Have You" – plus the unissued versions "Possession (master edit)", "Deep Shadows (multi mix)", and "Sweet It Out In The Shed (master tape)". PLUS – this CD features 9 more instrumental versions of the tunes by the Dave Hamilton Band – most issued here for the first time ever – plus three more alternates of album tracks! CD

One of Farmer's best sessions of the 70s – recorded in a mode that's a bit freer than usual, with a group that includes Hampton Hawes, Ray Brown, and either Steve Ellington or Shelly Manne on drums. Art Pepper sits in on 4 of the album's 6 tracks – and it's his tone and edgieness that really opens things up, casting Farmer's work on flugelhorn in a light that's darker than usual, filled with shadows that haven't crept into his playing for years, creating a depth to the record that really keeps us listening. Titles include "Downwind", "Namely You", "What Am I Here For?", and "Will You Still Be Mine?" LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderfully rich sounds from composer/arranger David Sanford – a tribute to the late Lester Bowie, of Art Ensemble fame – presented here with some trumpet contributions from Hugh Ragin, who does a might good job of stepping into Lester's mighty large shadow! Yet Ragin is only one of a number of strong soloists here – in a lineup that also includes work from Ted Levine on alto, Jim Messbauer and Mike Christianson on trombone, Ana Webber and Geoff Vidal on tenor, and Dave Fabris on guitar – just a handful of the musicians who step out and provide their own voices amidst the darkly-shaded pieces in the set, which work together to provide a sonic tapestry that seems to take us from Bowie's early years, to his time in the AACM, to some of his better-known projects of later years too. Titles include "Soldier & The CEO", "V Reel", "Popit", "Woman In Shadows", "Subtraf", and "Full Immersion". CD

Beautifully slow-building work from Ennio Morricone – caught right at that near-perfect start of the 70s point when he was a master of understatement and spare musical elements! Many numbers begin with a sound that's often very spare – sliding out of the darkness sometimes with just a whisper, sometimes with a bit more force – woodwinds hidden in the shadows, piano murmuring softly, or strings that slide slowly once, then strike with more force the next time around. There's also a cool whistling bit that snakes through a few of the best tunes – a haunting theme with Alessandroni-type appeal – and the orchestrations for the album were conducted by Bruno Nicolai. The sound isn't as sweetly gliding as you might expect, but it's also not as atonal as other Morricone moments too. Titles include "In Pieno Petto", "Il Movente", "Senza Motivo Apparente", "Ricera", and "Sospensione Folle". LP, Vinyl record album