Timeless work by Georgia bluesman Cecil Barfield – material recorded in the mid 70s, issued in the 21st Century – but done with a quality that could go back to the 78rpm generation! Barfield has this amazing vocal style – strongly inflected at times, with this warble that makes for a strong musical element next to his acoustic guitar – almost Malian at times, and very different than any other blues singer we can think of. The recording quality is excellent – clear, clean, and very unadorned – and titles include "Love Blues", "Tell Me Rider", "Captain Had A Bulldog", "Big Legged Woman", "Five Long Years", "Root Blues", and "Talk To Your Daughter". CD

Astoundingly strong early recordings by Mississippi blues hero RL Burnside – with violence-tinged songs performed with a clearer, though no less tough voice than we heard on the songs that made him a bit more famous in 1990s! Includes RL's takes on traditionals played on acoustic guitar and accompanied by little more than foot stomps and handclaps! Really vital stuff, whether you're hearing RL Burnside for the first time, and finding this after more famous later recordings. Includes "Just Like A Bird Without A Feather", "Goin' Down South", "Come On In", "Rollin' And Tumblin'", "Jumper On The Line", "Hobo Blues", "Sat Down On My Bnd And Cried" and more, LP, Vinyl record album

An album recorded in the Netherlands, but a set that hits right to the heart of RL Burnside's Mississippi roots – thanks to a beautifully spare, careful presentation of the music! Most numbers feature just Burnside on vocals and guitar – with a vibe that's similar to the field recordings that first introduced the world to his talents – those delta-raised styles that have an immediate tie back to the early years of blues on 78rpm discs, especially in this session – where RL seems to almost be reaching back further than the style of some of his other recordings of the same period. Titles include "Skinny Woman", "See What My Buddy Done", "Shake Em On Down", "Don't Care How Long You're Gone", "Jumper On The Line", "Long Haired Doney", and "Greyhound Bus Station". LP, Vinyl record album

Late work from RL Burnside – done in that raw, raspy style that really helped set fire to the second half of his career! The production and instrumentation show a bit of the attention that Burnside was getting from the indie rock world – but at the core of the record, the vocals and songwriting are rock-solid – and stand as a nicely earthy, almost timeless counterpart to some of the fuzzier guitar in the mix. There's a few great moments where RL speaks a bit at the start of tunes, which really grounds the proceedings – and titles include "RL's Story", "Hard Time Killing Floor", "Got Messed Up", "Nothin Man", "Too Many Ups", and "See What My Buddy Done". LP, Vinyl record album

A totally great album from the early years of the New York punk scene – and a set that will be remembered as the moment of musical glory for the legendary Jim Carroll! As with Tom Verlaine, Richard Hell, and Patti Smith – Carroll has roots in writing, but energy that needs music to really set it on fire – sounds that explode here with the intensity of the generation who lived through the city on fire, the garbage strike, and all the other tumult of NYC in the late 70s – an experience that's also added to Jim's young struggles with addiction. The music is every bit as sharp as Carroll's lyrics – and in addition to the seminal "People Who Died", the record sparkles with tunes that include "Three Sisters", "Nothing Is True", "Wicket Gravity", "City Drops Into Night"< "Crow", "I Want The Angel", and "Catholic Boy". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare work from the legendary Honeyboy Edwards – a blues guitarist who was a key force in helping the music make the transition to an electric mode in the 40s – but an artist whose talents were eclipsed by so many others he worked with at the time! This set's got a real back-to-basics vibe – Edwards captured in a spare setting, in a series of revival recordings done by Adelphi – with a focus on his vocals and guitar that take us right back to his early years working street corners and juke joints. Titles include "Bull Cow Blues 2", "Little Boy Blue", "Love Honeyboy Slow", "Don't Mistreat A Fool", "Howlin Wind", "Meet The Mornin Train", and "Hot Springs Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Al Green, 1973 – what could be better? The king of Memphis soul is at the height of his powers here – working in a setting that yielded less chart hits than some of his other albums for Hi Records, but which is still as sublime as the rest – thanks to an undeniable studio magic guided by Willie Mitchell! The sound is full, but never slick or smooth – and Al's vocals are tremendous throughout (but honestly, did you expect anything less?) Titles include "Call Me (Come Back Home)", "Here I Am (Come & Take Me)", "Funny How Time Slips Away", and the beautiful "Have You Been Making Out OK?" CD

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The debut EP from Human Switchboard – and a legendary slice of late 70s punk from Cleveland! Includes "Fly-In", "Distemper", "Shake It Boys" and "San Francisco Nights" in comes in zine-like booklet with old show flyers, club listings an more! 7-inch, Vinyl record

The only full album from Human Switchboard – one of the leading lights of the Cleveland scene during that city's heady late 70s years – and a group whose mix of quirk and tunefulness would have made them huge, had they been working on the coasts! There's a great sound going on here – the tightness of the power pop generation, which you might guess from the trio lineup – mixed with some of the weirder strains that were coming out of the Midwest underground – sometimes coming through in the Farfisa organ work of Myrna Marcarian, sometimes in the Feelies-like guitar jams of Robert Pfeifer, which are only urged on more by the complex mix of drums and percussion by Ron Metz! Song structures really open up, too – the record revels in the unexpected – and although some folks might make comparisons between the group and The Velvet Underground, they're much more their own sort of thing – with the individuality and earnestness of the early CBGB scene at its best. Titles include "Refrigerator Door", "In This Town", "Who's Landing In My Hangar", "Say No To Saturday's Girl", "Don't Follow Me Home", "Book On Looks", "Where The Light Breaks", and "I Can Walk Alone". LP, Vinyl record album

Wicked early work from Junior Kimbrough – sides that are quite different than some of his better-known recordings over the years! The material was cut in Memphis in 1966 by producer Quinton Claunch – and it's got a spare, rootsy quality that's totally great – slow moving drums underneath some echoey guitar – and great flat-nosed vocals from Junior that really send the tunes home – almost with a quality that makes you feel like he's humming the lyrics instead of singing them! Titles include two versions of "Feels So Good", plus "Meet Me In The City", "Lonesome In My Home", "Done Got Old", and "Feels So Bad". Very cool 10" LP package too! LP, Vinyl record album

Raw Memphis style soul instrumentals from trumpeter/arranger Willie Mitchell and the Hi Records crew – a pretty fascinating chapter in the prime Hi Records story! Ooh Baby, You Turn Me On was also released under the title Soul Serenede at one point, and it's really a showcase for some tight, short instrumental tracks, with a groove that's a lot rawer than the Hi material that Willie would produce later in the 70s. In fact, the album overall is a righteous batch of Memphis funk – with a sound that would make Stax pretty darn proud! Titles include "Ooh Baby, You Turn Me On", "Soul Finger", "Slippin & Sliddin", "Willie's Mood", "Sunny", "Pearl Time", "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag", "Pearl Time", "Toddlin" and more. CD

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Easily our favorite album ever by Ann Peebles – not just for the beathead title track, but also because it seems to be the one record where she brings a bit something extra to the studio! The sound is certainly in the classic Hi Records mode here – thanks to production by Willie Mitchell – but there's also a deeper groove overall, a stronger burning bottom, and an all-soul sound to most tracks that goes way beyond simple cliches of southern soul. Ann's vocals are tremendous throughout – sometimes sweet, sometimes mean – and titles include the sublime "I Can't Stand The Rain", plus "Run Run Run", "One Way Street", "You Keep Me Hangin On", and "If We Can't Trust Each Other". CD

Classic Hi material from Ann Peebles! If This Is Heaven is a few years later than the much loved early 70s material, but she's still working in a killer groove – and with sweet. warm arrangements from Willie Mitchell. Ann's voice is teeming with emotion and strength, and track here highlight that vibe, but she and producer/arranger Mitchell bring in a few more dancefloor ready soul numbers, too. Titles include "You Gonna Make Me Cry", "When I'm In Your Arms", "If This Is Heaven", "I'm So Thankful","Games" and "Boy I Gotta Have You". CD

It's the mid 70s, but Ann's still very much in classic form – with thanks to arrangements and production by Willie Mitchell and backing by Andrew Love, Wayne Jackson, and James Mitchell – and sultry, soulful vocals from Ann! There's a bit more of a groove-oriented production style here than before – but it comes off very nicely, and works wonders with Ann's deeply burning vocal approach. This album stands up stronger next to it's predecessor, the great I Can't Stand The Rain album, better than we remembered – we're glad to tell that! Titles include "Come To Mama", "I Don't Lend My Man", "Love Played A Game", "Beware", "It Was Jealosy", "Doctor Love Power", and "Put Yourself In My Place" and more. CD

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A fantastic love letter to the great Townes Van Zandt – a set that features unreleased material from his genius stretch in the early 70s! The songs here include two new songs, variations on five others by Townes, and some surprising remakes – all done in a very stripped-down mode, with a vibe that's in keeping with his first few classic albums. And despite the fact that these are lost recordings, the sound quality is excellent – beautifully resonant presentation of the amazing vocals and subtle guitar – on tracks that include "Rex's Blues", "All I Need", "The Hills Of Roane County", "Sky Blue", "Blue Ridge Mountains (smoky version)", "Pancho & Lefty", "Silver Ship Of Andilar", "Last Thing On My Mind", and "Dream Spider". LP, Vinyl record album

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