The Electric Prunes are maybe best-remembered in terms of their collaboration with David Axelrod – but here, you'll hear the young group already sounding pretty dam great on their own – working with a set of their own arrangements, to create that moody, eerie vibe that instantly made the group one of the standout acts on the American scene of the psych generation! Few acts were able to capture this sort of energy on our side of the Atlantic – and the Prunes veer between madness and magic at a level that's more typical of some of the trippiest UK groups of the period – mixing freak and fuzz, fear and awe, on titles that include "The Great Banana Hoax", "Wind Up Toys", "Dr. Do-Good", "Hideaway", and "Capt Glory". LP, Vinyl record album

A real breakout album for Earl Klugh – the kind of record that got him on the a-list of fusion players for the rest of the 70s! The title here is especially well-chosen – as the tunes have a gently colorful feel that's never too slick, despite the tighter setting of the album – with light arrangements by Dave Grusin that still leave Earl plenty of space to work his subtle magic on the strings of the guitar. Titles include "Keep Your Eye On The Sparrow", "Summer Song", "Dance With Me", "Dr Macumba", "Long Ago & Far Away", and "Cabo Frio". CD

Classic guitar highlife music from Ghana! Guitarist Eric Agyeman helped revive the moribund style, reinventing with the electric guitar and injecting some of the liquid magic of Congolese rumba. Beginning in the early 60s he worked with a bevy of great bands, including Dr. K. Gyasi & His Noble Kings and the mighty A.B. Crentsil & the Sweet Talks. Crentsil and Agyaaku – another of the great vocalists of the modern highlife era – sit in on lead vocals for one track each, leaving the lion's share of the vocals to Thomas Frempong – who contributes one of the most killing tracks to the great Ghana Soundz collection – who handles them with soul and grace. Agyeman's fluid guitar here contributes some sublime solos, but the real treat is the stellar rhythm work. Tracks include "Matutu Mirika", "Abenaa Na Aden?", "I Don't Care", "Nea Abe Beto", and "Odo Bra". CD

Pure vocal magic – featuring the lovely Flora Purim at the height of her California powers – working in a sublime mix of jazz, fusion, and Brazilian rhythms – a sound that she virtually invented! The group on the set is one of her greatest of the time – with players that include Joe Henderson, George Duke, and Stanley Clarke – coming together with some great Brazilian percussion from husband Airto. The tracks are tight and jazzy – and include "Light As A Feather", "Dr. Jive (parts 1 & 2)", "Butterfly Dreams", "Moon Dreams", and "Dindi". This is the stuff that virtually defined the Brazilian/American groove of the 70s – and it's still light years ahead of any of Flora's many imitators! CD

Pure vocal magic – featuring the lovely Flora Purim at the height of her California powers – working in a sublime mix of jazz, fusion, and Brazilian rhythms – a sound that she virtually invented! The group on the set is one of her greatest of the time – with players that include Joe Henderson, George Duke, and Stanley Clarke – coming together with some great Brazilian percussion from husband Airto. The tracks are tight and jazzy – and include "Light As A Feather", "Dr. Jive (parts 1 & 2)", "Butterfly Dreams", "Moon Dreams", and "Dindi". This is the stuff that virtually defined the Brazilian/American groove of the 70s – and it's still light years ahead of any of Flora's many imitators! LP, Vinyl record album

The Electric Prunes are maybe best-remembered in terms of their collaboration with David Axelrod – but here, you'll hear the young group already sounding pretty dam great on their own – working with a set of their own arrangements, to create that moody, eerie vibe that instantly made the group one of the standout acts on the American scene of the psych generation! Few acts were able to capture this sort of energy on our side of the Atlantic – and the Prunes veer between madness and magic at a level that's more typical of some of the trippiest UK groups of the period – mixing freak and fuzz, fear and awe, on titles that include "The Great Banana Hoax", "Wind Up Toys", "Dr. Do-Good", "Hideaway", and "Capt Glory". LP, Vinyl record album

A real breakout album for Earl Klugh – the kind of record that got him on the a-list of fusion players for the rest of the 70s! The title here is especially well-chosen – as the tunes have a gently colorful feel that's never too slick, despite the tighter setting of the album – with light arrangements by Dave Grusin that still leave Earl plenty of space to work his subtle magic on the strings of the guitar. Titles include "Keep Your Eye On The Sparrow", "Summer Song", "Dance With Me", "Dr Macumba", "Long Ago & Far Away", and "Cabo Frio". LP, Vinyl record album

A real breakout album for Earl Klugh – the kind of record that got him on the a-list of fusion players for the rest of the 70s! The title here is especially well-chosen – as the tunes have a gently colorful feel that's never too slick, despite the tighter setting of the album – with light arrangements by Dave Grusin that still leave Earl plenty of space to work his subtle magic on the strings of the guitar. Titles include "Keep Your Eye On The Sparrow", "Summer Song", "Dance With Me", "Dr Macumba", "Long Ago & Far Away", and "Cabo Frio". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Alto saxophonist Rob Brown really shines in a setting like this – a record with a very open-ended vibe, as Brown improvises freely in tandem with Juan Pablo Carletti on the drums – spinning things out over two very long tracks that are full of delightful surprises at every twist and turn! Brown has a really great way of handling his horn – blowing freely, but almost with an inherent sense of structure – not playing changes, or hitting a rhythm, but creating these patterns that really hold the whole thing together – still the farther side of tuneful, but almost there at times. Titles include "6BC" and "Children's Magical Garden" – both nice and long! CD

Pure genius from Ray Bryant – the kind of a record that few other players could ever hope to cut, and a fantastic demonstration of Ray's extremely soulful approach to the trio format! Bryant's working here with Bill Lee on bass and Mickey Roker on drums – in a triple-burning setting that has all players contributing equally to the groove – and often working strongly to create a great sense of counterpoint in the rhythms. Roker's drums are magically playful throughout – snapping and skipping along the top of the snare in a way that only furthers the rhythmic agenda of Bryant's piano. And Lee's bass has a laidback and mellow delight – one that rings out alongside the keys of the piano, and fleshes them out with some additional depth and color. The title track is a brilliant reading of "Con Alma", and the set also features Bryant's famous tune "Cubano Chant" – as well as the titles "Autumn Leaves", "Milestones", "Ill Wind", and "C Jam Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Dreamy 70s magic from singer Claudette Soares – recorded with arrangements that have a sweeter, sometimes more electric feel than before – and which step out with some grooving touches on the best numbers! The style's almost a bit like some of the best European female work of the time – particularly the kind of numbers you'd find standing out at the start of French or Italian soundtracks. The standout tunes expand the arrangements with some slight Blue Brazil undercurrents that pick up the pace nicely – that cool blend of older Brazilian modes and sweet 70s touches going on at the EMI label at the time. Titles include "Proposta", "Tarde", "Preciso Aprender A So Ser", "Adeus Maria Fulo", "Voce", "Suas Maos", and "Chove Outra Vez". LP, Vinyl record album

Pure genius from Ray Bryant – the kind of a record that few other players could ever hope to cut, and a fantastic demonstration of Ray's extremely soulful approach to the trio format! Bryant's working here with Bill Lee on bass and Mickey Roker on drums – in a triple-burning setting that has all players contributing equally to the groove – and often working strongly to create a great sense of counterpoint in the rhythms. Roker's drums are magically playful throughout – snapping and skipping along the top of the snare in a way that only furthers the rhythmic agenda of Bryant's piano. And Lee's bass has a laidback and mellow delight – one that rings out alongside the keys of the piano, and fleshes them out with some additional depth and color. The title track is a brilliant reading of "Con Alma", and the set also features Bryant's famous tune "Cubano Chant" – as well as the titles "Autumn Leaves", "Milestones", "Ill Wind", and "C Jam Blues". CD

Includes the songs "Just What I Needed", "My Best Friend's Girl", "Good Times Roll", "You're All I've Got Tonight", "Don't Cha Stop", "Moving In Stereo", "Take Me Now", "Cool Fool", "Let's Go", "Candy-O", "Dangerous Type", "Double Life", "Got A Lot On My Head", "It's All I Can Do", "Nightspots (Early Version)", "Slipaway", "That's It", "Panorama", "Gimme Some Slack", "Don't Go To Pieces", "Touch And Go", "Don't Tell Me No", "Shake It Up", "Since You're Gone", "I'm Not The One", "Cruiser", "The Little Black Egg", "Funtime", "You Might Think", "Drive", "Magic", "Hello Again", "Why Can't I Have You", "Breakaway", "Tonight She Comes", "You Are The Girl", "Strap Me In", "Door To Door", "Leave Or Stay (1977 Demo Version)", and "Ta Ta Wayo Wayo (1977 Demo Version)". CD

One of the coolest records ever cut by Ze Rodrix, as you might guess from the image on the cover – very different than some of his more staid recordings on the Brazilian scene, and instead a very dynamic soundtrack that's full of funky moments! Ze's clearly got the bug of the American and European scenes of the period, but he's not aping Italian cop/crime or US blacksploitation – as his use of funky elements comes across in all these different ways, with plenty of mad rhythms, unusual arrangements, offbeat production, and even a strange sense of pacing that makes the whole record a treasure trove of surprise delights! There's some especially great use of keyboards, but that's just the tip of the iceberg – and titles include "Motoqueiros", "Esconderijo", "Rhumba", "Tema De Amor", "Esquadrao Da Morte", and "Chorinho Pro Tio". CD

One of the coolest records ever cut by Ze Rodrix, as you might guess from the image on the cover – very different than some of his more staid recordings on the Brazilian scene, and instead a very dynamic soundtrack that's full of funky moments! Ze's clearly got the bug of the American and European scenes of the period, but he's not aping Italian cop/crime or US blacksploitation – as his use of funky elements comes across in all these different ways, with plenty of mad rhythms, unusual arrangements, offbeat production, and even a strange sense of pacing that makes the whole record a treasure trove of surprise delights! There's some especially great use of keyboards, but that's just the tip of the iceberg – and titles include "Motoqueiros", "Esconderijo", "Rhumba", "Tema De Amor", "Esquadrao Da Morte", and "Chorinho Pro Tio". LP, Vinyl record album

With Thurl Ravenscroft. LP, Vinyl record album

How this burningly bad set has remained under wraps for so long is beyond us, but thanks to the folks at Honest Jon's, it's been brought to the much needed light of day! An excellent set collecting work from throughout the career of Cedric Im Brooks, spanning a wide assortment of styles, but all with a deep spiritual approach that Brooks gathered from time spent in his youth in Philadelphia, where he fell under the influence of Sun Ra, almost joining the Arkestra before returning home to Jamaica. The set jumps from heavy, dark roots and Nyabhingi influenced reggae, including some nice dubbed out versions, to Jamaican jazz sides like his take on Horace Silver's classic "Song For My Father", to some tightly snapping disco influenced grooves and bouncing afrobeat rhythms that would make Fela proud! 19 tracks in all, including "Free Up Black Man", "Satta Massa Gana", "Jah Light It Right", "Lambs Bread Collie", "Salt Lane rock", "Rasta Lead On Version", "Sly Mongoose", "Africa", "Collie Version", "Rebirth" and "Sabebe". LP, Vinyl record album

Blue Magic getting a bit bolder than before – adding in some heavier funk that takes them past the mellow moments of their earliest years – yet still serving up some great harmonies in the process! The change is a subtle one – heard on some of the album's more hard-grooving tracks, which also bring in some full arrangements that echo the trippy feel of the cover – yet which still always respect that slight heartbreaking undercurrent of the group's great vocals, thanks to arrangements from Bobby Eli! Just about every moment from Blue Magic is totally great, and this album is no exception – with titles that include "Freak N Stein", "Mother Funk", "To Get Love", "See The Bedroom", "Summer Snow", "Making Love To A Memory", and "Spark Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A trio of spacey classics from Tim Blake – all brought together in a single set! First up Crystal Machine – fantastic sounds from Tim Blake, an artist who previously worked with Gong, and sometimes worked with Hawkwind – but who really came into his own on this legendary album of electronics! Tim works here on a self-constructed "crystal machine" – a bank of electronics that was often played in performance to front some trippy film installations (as shown on the cover) – which perfectly suited the stretched-out spacey style of his music! The vibe is maybe a bit like early Tangerine Dream, but with some of the warmer modes of the French electronic scene of the time – and titles include "Midnight", "Last Ride Of The Boogie Child", "Synthese Intemporel", and "Crystal Presence". On the cover of Blake's New Jerusalem, Tim looks like he's sitting at the helm of a spaceship on the cover – and in a way, that's what his music was at the time – a way of taking off to the skies on waves of electronics, in the kinds of sounds that Blake first created in his Crystal Machine project, but which have an even sharper focus here! The album's got more vocals than Tim's previous effort, and in a way that's what really sets it apart from the rest – as Blake's got this warmly positive approach that would be at home in progressive folk, but which here comes across with a very unique style – given the mostly electronic setting of the album! All the banks of knobs, slides, and keys pictured on the cover are used to strongly skillful effect – on titles that include "Generator", "Passage Sur La Cite", "New Jerusalem", "Song For A New Age", and "Lighthouse". Magick is a really great later set from electronic genius Tim Blake – an album recorded 15 years after his early classics, and done in his windmill home in France – but all played live, in a way that makes the electronics and keyboards here maybe more amazing! Blake has certainly picked up some of the elements from the 80s generation who were influenced by his earlier work – but also keeps the more open sense of song structure from his classics at points – with a sound that still knows when to revel in the best analog moments, next to the digital ones. Titles include "Tonight", "Strange Secret Of Ohm Gliding", "A Dream", "More Magick", and "Waiting For Nati". Also features the bonus b-side "The Woodland Voice". CD

Classic San Francisco recordings, captured at the Winterland Ballroom in October of 1968 – with titles that include "Fire", "Foxy Lady", "Hey Joe", "Tax Free", "Wild Thing", "Purple Haze", "Red House", "Killing Floor", "Spanish Castle Magic", "Manic Depression", and "Sunshine Of Your Love". CD

One of those great 60s tunes – with more power than you'd guess from the surface! "Impossible Dream" was a familiar hit from a show, but in the hands of the group, it's transformed into a magical anthem of power and pride – stepping out with a righteous style that's almost like a secret message. "Nobody Knows" is another familiar number, but done in a really great snapping mode – with a cool intro that has some nice jazz stepping, and an almost conversational spoken part! 7-inch, Vinyl record

At the time of this set, Magic Slim called Chicago his home – but the title may well be apt, as the set was recorded overseas in the Barclay Studios in Paris, at a time when Slim was hitting the highway to reach a wide global audience with his music! Despite that displacement, though, there's a very rooted vibe to the whole set – a searingly tight quartet performance that features Slim on guitar and vocals, Alabama Junior on second guitar, Nick Holt on bass, and Fred Below on drums – a rock-solid group who are captured here without any trappings at all – just a core focus on the sorts of sounds that Magic Slim would deliver to an intimate crowd back home. Titles include "I Love You Baby", "Living In My Neighborhood", "Highway Is My Home", "I'm Mad", "Tell Me Baby", "Man Or Mouse", and "Country Girl". CD

A rare space funk treasure from the legendary Mandre – the man who'd given the world three great clubby albums on Motown, then retreated to the indie label scene for this much more obscure fourth record! All the great Mandre elements are in place here, but presented with a more stripped-down vibe – one that also echoes the way that funk was getting leaner and more electric in the 80s – which Mandre echoes with his use of beats, basslines, and all sorts of cool keyboards! The low-fi approach maybe makes the record even more enduring than his earlier efforts – with strong links to the contemporary scene – and cuts include "Rain", "Isle De Joie", "Magic Woman", "I'm On Your Frequency", "You're A Freaky Girl" and "Freaky Feeling". CD

McPhee plays tenor and soprano in a quintet with piano, bass, drums, and percussion. The album includes 3 long tracks – "Hymn Of The Dragon Kings", "Black Magic Man", and "Song For Laureen" – and all titles are originals. LP, Vinyl record album

A long overdue return to duet formation for Joe McPhee and Hamid Drake – the duo who played together so beautifully on the Emancipation Proclamation album! This set is maybe even more personal, and more open – with Drake working some incredible magic on the drum kit, creating sounds that so many others would only get from a huge variety of percussion instruments – while McPhee blows both alto sax and pocket trumpet – sometimes with an intensity that makes it hard to believe the record's not some lost session of his from the 70s! If you think that you missed out on all the famous improv records the first time around, then think again – because this one's an instant classic. Titles include "Endangered Species", "Medgar/Malcolm/Martin", "Keep Going", "Lord Don't Let Them Drop Them Goddamn Nukes On Us Lord", "Sojourner's Truth", "Morning Star", and "Time Was". CD

Spiritual work from the great Charles Moffett and his talented family – all of whom have matured nicely by the time of this recording! Gone is the sloppiness of some of the earlier Moffett Family albums, and in its place is a tight soulful groove – with a progressive soul jazz sound that reminds us of the best moments on the Strata East label during the 70s! Charnett Moffett's on bass, Charles plays alto and tenor, Mondre plays trumpet, Codaryl's on drums, Charisse sings on two tracks, and Charles Sr. plays some nice vibes along with his usual drums. Tracks include "Mandingo Warrior", "Magic Of Love", "Short Stuff", and "The Gift Is Love". CD

A brilliant setting for the spiritual reed talents of the legendary Idris Ackamoor – set here amidst more meditative sounds from Carlos Nino, who uses percussion and other instrumentation to create a magical landscape of sounds – while guitarist Nate Mercereau also joins in the mix, and also directs the overall sound of the set from the recording studio too! The sharper reed lines of Idris are a wonderful contrast to the more organic elements in the music at times – and really gives the feel of a jazz performance to the record, which might be more of a soundscape effort without his mighty presence. Titles include "Lightning Progression"," Time On Earth", "Group Effervescence", "We Love You So Much", and "Heaven Cruise Heaven Humming 2". LP, Vinyl record album