One of the most comprehensive sets we've ever seen to look at the legacy of the legendary Lee Hazlewood – and one of the few to focus on the impact he's had on the 21st Century! Lee's songs have become the stuff of legend over the years – not just his own recordings, but classic tracks sung by the Sinatra family members, Dean Martin, and countless others – who are usually features on similar sets under the Hazlewood banner. But this package goes those one better – and looks mostly at material from the past 20 years – plus a few older songs – showing that, if anything, the present century has given Lee's music even more power than ever in the hands of diverse talents like these. As with more "vintage" sets from Ace Records, the presentation is great – a lot of tracks, and very detailed notes that really like the Hazelwood heritage to all this recent music. Titles include "A Cheat" by Jarvis Cocker & Richard Hawley, "Some Velvet Morning" by Primal Scream & Kate Moss, "First Street Blues" by Mick Harvey, "I'm Glad I Never" by Jesus & Mary Chain, "Sand" by Holly Golightly, "Look At That Woman" by Gallon Drunk, "You Turned My Head Around" by Dean & Britta, "I'd Rather Be Your Enemy" by Boyd Rice, "Summer Wine" by Ville Valo & Natalia Avelon, "Paris Summer" by Frances Ruffelle, "My Autumn's Done Come" by Mark Morriss, "No Train To Stockholm" by Dan Michaelson & The Coastguards, and "Long Black Train" by Thriftstore Masterpiece with Frank Black. Also includes vintage songs – "She Comes Running" by Waylon Jennings, "The Man Who Made An Angel Cry" by Loy Clingman, "Lady Bird" by Virgil Warner & Suzi Jane Hokom, and "Friday's Child" by Billie Dearborn. CD

Nothing weird here, just wonderful – a fantastic assortment of music from a time when the British scene was really changing things up – served up in a book-styled package with notes that are as dynamic as its music! The tracks here move way past the obvious – that's an image of John Lennon on the cover, but these aren't the tracks by The Beatles and bigger acts of the time – and instead, the collection really does a great job of digging around all the really wonderful groups that were recording for the bigger British labels of the period, but who were given a lot of freedom to really try out new ideas – both in their music, and in the way the music was recorded. The package is the best we've ever seen to present this slice of English rock – and the set features 122 titles on 5CDs – with work from Ron Geesin, Atlanta Roots, Simon Dupree, The Smoke, John's Children, Ivor Cutler, Tinsel Arcade, The Soft Machine, Canto, New Generation, Medium Rare, 117 Venusian Moonshine, Friday's Chyld, New Generation, Third Ear Band, Wimple Winch, The Deviants, Sorrows, Rupert's People, Orange Bicycle, Shuster, Felius Andromeda, Tomorrow, Crystal Ship, The Moles, and many others – and the set also features 9 never-issued tracks! CD

One of the coolest records ever issued on Galt MacDermot's legendary Kilmarnock label – a selection of songs and poems by Harlem school children, set to music by Galt, and sung by vocalist Angela Ortega! Given that Galt's handling the music, you can bet that there's plenty of nicely funky touches at the bottom – supported by rolling bass, snapping drums, and nice use of organ. But the real charm of the tunes comes from the lyrics, which have a simple and to the point way of dealing with issues of racism, poverty, drugs, and other issues of the time. There's a very groovy feel here that almost reminds us of the best of Schoolhouse Rock at times – except that the lyrics are perhaps even more pointed, and surprisingly gripping after all these years. Titles include "Black Is Beautiful", "Drugs", "Slums", "Evil Hands", "Cry Sound", and "Set Us Free". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the crowning achievements of The Turtles – a set that features all original material by members of the group, and stellar production by Ray Davies of The Kinks! The set's the only full length that Davies ever handled – and it's obvious the group really rose to the occasion for the honor – hitting territory that's nicely sophisticated, yet which still has the sharpness of their earlier material too – a bit like the territory that Ray was hitting at the time with his own music. The songs are both a lot more personal, and have some deeper currents too – as The Turtles, like so many other west coast pop acts, were really maturing at the end of the 60s. Titles include "She Always Leaves Me Laughing", "Somewhere Friday Night", "Dance This Dance", "You Don't Have To Walk In The Rain", "Bachelor Mother", "Love In The City", and "House On The Hill". LP, Vinyl record album

A mighty cool take on the music of Thelonious Monk – one that's overflowing with all these great tones and colors that we've never heard in Monk's songs before – all of which come from the creative talents of arranger/conductor Miho Hazama! Miho's working here with the Metropole Orkest Big Band – an ensemble whose sense of sound has graced a number of excellent contemporary releases, and who really seem to be at ease with the music of Monk on this set – with Hans Vroomans handling the piano, but much of the energy also flowing from the magnificent array of trumpets, trombones, and reeds in the group. Titles include "Ruby My Dear", "Thelonious", "Hackensack", "Round Midnight", "Crepuscule With Nellie", "Friday The 13th", and "Epistrophy" – all done in nice long takes. CD

A very cool take on the music of Thelonious Monk – a set that's far more abstract and offbeat than any of Monk's original recordings – but in a way that the composer might have appreciated, had he lived until the 21st Century! Mast clearly really loves these tunes, and knows them inside and out – and he splits them down the middle and feels free to take them in any way he wants – sometimes angular jazz, sometimes, much more freewheeling and electronic – but almost always with some acoustic instrumentation at play. Musicians include Gavin Templeton on alto and baritone, Jonah Levine on trombone, and Dan Rosenboom on trumpet – and Tim Conley handles guitar, bass, keyboards, and rhythms. Titles include "Evidence", "Epistrophy", "Well You Needn't", "Blue Monk", "Oska T", "Nutty", "Straight No Chaser", and "Friday The 13th". CD

A pair of classic live albums! First up is Thelonious Monk Orchestra At Town Hall – a unique large group effort from Thelonious Monk – but one that bristles with all the angular energy of his other great work for Riverside! The group here is a tentet – filled with excellent players who include Donald Byrd, Phil Woods, Pepper Adams, Eddie Bert, Robert Northern, and Charlie Rouse – all supported by rhythm from the team of Sam Jones on bass and Art Taylor on drums, possibly one of the key factors for the success of the record! The album's comprised of Monk classics like "Little Rootie Tootie", "Thelonious", "Friday The 13th", "Off Minor", "Crepuscule with Nellie" and "Monk's Mood" – all arranged by Hall Overton, a little-remembered modernist from the 50s, but one with a keen dedication towards pushing new sounds from old formats! Overton really keeps the spirit of Monk's music intact here – penning charts that allow for plenty of solo space and the kind of cross-trading lines you'd hear in some of Monk's best multi-horn small group sides for Riverside! Next is Thelonious Monk Quartet Plus Two At The Blackhawk – a stunning pre-Columbia session from Thelonious Monk – a really great live date that has Monk's familiar quartet augmented by west coast players Joe Gordon on trumpet and Harold Land on tenor! Given that Charlie Rouse is already in the group on tenor, the addition of Land's horn makes for a very soulful set – and Gordon's one of those players we love whenever we get a chance to hear him on record, which isn't that often, given how few sessions he cut! Other players include John Ore on bass and Billy Higgins on drums – and titles include "Four In One", "Let's Call This", and "Worry Later". LP, Vinyl record album

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Steely Dan really hitting the heights – moving into hipper, more sophisticated territory than before – pushing the envelope with both their music and lyrics, which are completely sublime! It's hard to put our finger on the magic of this one, but it's the perfect summation of everything that's come before, with a bit of a nod towards the future – yet all with a simple, song-based charm that we really love. The Becker and Fagan team get some key studio help here – showing a move away from previous group-based recordings – and Phil Woods turns in some especially nice work on his sublime solo for "Doctor Wu". Other tracks include "Black Friday", "Bad Sneakers", "Any World That I'm Welcome To", "Your Gold Teeth II", "Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More", "Throw Back The Little Ones", and "Everyone's Gone To The Movies". CD

An incredible run of music from this legendary group that was the first musical step for singer Van Morrison – a group so great, Van would still have had one hell of a career, even if he didn't do anything else! Right from the start, Them were a very special group – as steeped in American soul and R&B influences as many of their British contemporaries, but gifted with a rare ear to match the deepness of the originals with a flavor of their own – yet one that was also very individual as well! Morrison's singing is a big part of that approach – much more raw than in later years – but the overall conception is very important too – as Them never tries to rock too hard, or push things too far – and instead finds the way to lay back in the groove, and really let their tunes open up with a lot of soul. This excellent 3CD set features everything the group recorded in their short span – all the material from their two full albums, lots of singles as well, and even a full disc of mostly-unreleased rare tracks – including demos, alternates, and BBC performances. 69 tracks in all, with a big booklet of notes – and titles that include "I Gave My Love A Diamond", "Gloria", "My Lonely Sad Eyes", "I Got A Woman", "Could You Would You", "Something You Got", "Baby What You Want Me To Do", "The Story Of Them (parts 1 & 2)", "Half As Much", "Don't Start Crying Now", "One Two Brown Eyes", "Richard Cory", "Friday's Child", "Bring Em On In", "Hey Girl", "Out Of Sight", "It's All Over Now Baby Blue", and "I'm Gonna Dress In Black". CD

One of the coolest collections of music we've ever heard from the legendary TK Records in Miami – a company that was a powerhouse of 70s hits and disco classics – but which also cut some wonderful underground soul at the time! This sublime set looks at that great lesser-known legacy of TK – the hipper, more sophisticated music they cut in between the chart numbers and boogie singles – often by soul artists who had some involvement with bigger acts, but who really got a chance here to shine on their own! There's a surprising amount of funk in the mix – that deeper current that made Miami a key heir to 60s funky styles from Memphis and New Orleans – and there's some equally great modern soul, but served up with a complexity that goes way past the usual – both in the songwriting and arrangements. If you've only heard TK hit collections, you'll find plenty to love here – and even for deeper diggers like us, there's still plenty of new bits to be discovered! Titles include "Confusion" by Leno Phillips, "You Knock Me Out" by Wildflower, "Hey There Jim" by Jimmy Bo Horne, "Tears Of The World" by Robert Moore, "I Got Bills To Pay" by Johnny K, "I Want To Be Loved" by Stevens & Foster, "Sleep On Dream On" by Raphael Munnings, "Life Is A Beautiful Feeling" by Formula 1, "Bahama Soul Stew" by Funky Nassau, "Lay It On Me" by Willie Johnson, "The Silence That You Keep (version 1)" by Milton Wright, and "There Must Be Something" by Friday Saturday & Sunday. LP, Vinyl record album

A trio of albums from this great modern piano giant! Progressive is excellent work from pianist Don Friedman – a set that's definitely progressive, but which also has a heck of a lot of warmth too – that fantastic balance of new ideas and lyricism that made Friedman one of the freshest pianists to emerge in the 60s, and which continued strongly through the course of later records like this! The trio features Frank Luther on bass and Billy Hart on drums – both players who can move openly with Friedman, yet keep things swinging too – a balance that's maybe not instantly heard on record – in ways that are better than we could ever hope to put in words. Titles include "Billie's Bounce", "Stella By Starlight", "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life", "Moment's Notice", "I Remember You", and "All The Things You Are". Invitation is a set that's filled with standards, but really opened up in that amazing way we've come to expect from the great pianist Don Friedman! The record's maybe a bit down to earth in its overall setting than some of Don's other dates from the 70s, but right from the start, Friedman finds a way to leave his mark on the tunes – working with excellent bass from George Mraz, and drums from Ronnie Bedford – the latter of whom is a great drummer who brings a surprising crackle to the record at times! Titles include great versions of "Invitation" and "Little Boat" – plus "You Go To My Head", "It Could Happen To You", "Gone With The Wind", and "I Can't Get Started". On The Composer, Don Friedman's acting as a composer as well, and is set up in a nicely different setting! The album features a core group with Martin Wind on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums, augmented by a string quartet who bring a wonderful sense of flavor to the music – opening up all the fantastic colors and tones in Don's tunes – almost amplifying his wonderful work on the piano, and never getting in the way of the jazz aspect of the record at all! The feel is very different than a "with strings" session – almost as if there's an extra paintbrush in Friedman's toolbox – and on a few tracks, the group is also joined by the baritone sax of Gary Smulyan, who further deepens the colors of the record. Titles include "Summer's End", "Friday Morning", "Waltz For Marilyn", "Red Sky Waltz", "Delayed Gratification", and "Memory Of Scotty". CD

A unique large group effort from Thelonious Monk – but one that bristles with all the angular energy of his other great work for Riverside! The group here is a tentet – filled with excellent players who include Donald Byrd, Phil Woods, Pepper Adams, Eddie Bert, Robert Northern, and Charlie Rouse – all supported by rhythm from the team of Sam Jones on bass and Art Taylor on drums, possibly one of the key factors for the success of the record! The album's comprised of Monk classics like "Little Rootie Tootie", "Thelonious", "Friday The 13th", "Off Minor", "Crepuscule with Nellie" and "Monk's Mood" – all arranged by Hall Overton, a little-remembered modernist from the 50s, but one with a keen dedication towards pushing new sounds from old formats! Overton really keeps the spirit of Monk's music intact here – penning charts that allow for plenty of solo space and the kind of cross-trading lines you'd hear in some of Monk's best multi-horn small group sides for Riverside! CD

A unique large group effort from Thelonious Monk – but one that bristles with all the angular energy of his other great work for Riverside! The group here is a tentet – filled with excellent players who include Donald Byrd, Phil Woods, Pepper Adams, Eddie Bert, Robert Northern, and Charlie Rouse – all supported by rhythm from the team of Sam Jones on bass and Art Taylor on drums, possibly one of the key factors for the success of the record! The album's comprised of Monk classics like "Little Rootie Tootie", "Thelonious", "Friday The 13th", "Off Minor", "Crepuscule with Nellie" and "Monk's Mood" – all arranged by Hall Overton, a little-remembered modernist from the 50s, but one with a keen dedication towards pushing new sounds from old formats! Overton really keeps the spirit of Monk's music intact here – penning charts that allow for plenty of solo space and the kind of cross-trading lines you'd hear in some of Monk's best multi-horn small group sides for Riverside! LP, Vinyl record album

A unique large group effort from Thelonious Monk – but one that bristles with all the angular energy of his other great work for Riverside! The group here is a tentet – filled with excellent players who include Donald Byrd, Phil Woods, Pepper Adams, Eddie Bert, Robert Northern, and Charlie Rouse – all supported by rhythm from the team of Sam Jones on bass and Art Taylor on drums, possibly one of the key factors for the success of the record! The album's comprised of Monk classics like "Little Rootie Tootie", "Thelonious", "Friday The 13th", "Off Minor", "Crepuscule with Nellie" and "Monk's Mood" – all arranged by Hall Overton, a little-remembered modernist from the 50s, but one with a keen dedication towards pushing new sounds from old formats! Overton really keeps the spirit of Monk's music intact here – penning charts that allow for plenty of solo space and the kind of cross-trading lines you'd hear in some of Monk's best multi-horn small group sides for Riverside! CD features 4 bonus tracks! CD

Steely Dan really hitting the heights – moving into hipper, more sophisticated territory than before – pushing the envelope with both their music and lyrics, which are completely sublime! It's hard to put our finger on the magic of this one, but it's the perfect summation of everything that's come before, with a bit of a nod towards the future – yet all with a simple, song-based charm that we really love. The Becker and Fagan team get some key studio help here – showing a move away from previous group-based recordings – and Phil Woods turns in some especially nice work on his sublime solo for "Doctor Wu". Other tracks include "Black Friday", "Bad Sneakers", "Any World That I'm Welcome To", "Your Gold Teeth II", "Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More", "Throw Back The Little Ones", and "Everyone's Gone To The Movies". CD

A surprisingly sweet solo effort from Beach Boy Dennis Wilson – a record of surprising depth and darkness, and arguably stronger than most of the albums at the time from the larger group! Dennis produced the album himself, with some executive help from James William Guerico – whose guidance here seems key, given the overall quality of the set. There's some echoes of Beach Boys' styles in the music, but the sound is much more personal as well – Wilson's ragged vocals in the lead on all numbers, sometimes upfront and fragile, sometimes given a bit more umph through the use of processing – at that level that the whole group would often experience in the studio during the 70s. The album's as much of a showcase for Dennis' writing skills as it is for his vocals – and songs are co-written with co-producer Gregg Jakobson, as well as Carl Wilson, Mike Love, and Karen Lamm-Wilson. Titles include "River Song", "Friday Night", "Thoughts Of You", "Dreamer", "Time", "You And I", and "What's Wrong". This limited version of the expanded Legacy edition is really amazing – with a huge booklet of notes and photos, as well as essays on Dennis' music – plus session bonus tracks that include "Mexico", "Holy Man", "Only With You", and "Tug Of Love". Also features a full bonus CD with the sessions for the unreleased Bambu album – with tracks that include "School Girl", "It's Not Too Late", "Under The Moonlight", "Are You Real", "He's A Bum", "Cocktails", "I Love You", "Constant Companion", and "Time For Bed". CD

A surprisingly sweet solo effort from Beach Boy Dennis Wilson – a record of surprising depth and darkness, and arguably stronger than most of the albums at the time from the larger group! Dennis produced the album himself, with some executive help from James William Guerico – whose guidance here seems key, given the overall quality of the set. There's some echoes of Beach Boys' styles in the music, but the sound is much more personal as well – Wilson's ragged vocals in the lead on all numbers, sometimes upfront and fragile, sometimes given a bit more umph through the use of processing – at that level that the whole group would often experience in the studio during the 70s. The album's as much of a showcase for Dennis' writing skills as it is for his vocals – and songs are co-written with co-producer Gregg Jakobson, as well as Carl Wilson, Mike Love, and Karen Lamm-Wilson. Titles include "River Song", "Friday Night", "Thoughts Of You", "Dreamer", "Time", "You And I", and "What's Wrong". This expanded Legacy edition is really amazing – with a 24-page booklet with notes and photos – plus session bonus tracks that include "Mexico", "Holy Man", "Only With You", and "Tug Of Love". Also features a full bonus CD with the sessions for the unreleased Bambu album – with tracks that include "School Girl", "It's Not Too Late", "Under The Moonlight", "Are You Real", "He's A Bum", "Cocktails", "I Love You", "Constant Companion", and "Time For Bed". CD

A sweet set of vintage American blue eyed soul from the 70s & early 80s – a diverse and deep set of it, too – featuring sunny and soulful numbers by Breakaway, 1619 Bad Ass Band, Society Of Seven, Lil' Albert, Jay P Morgan, Life Force and more! There's a pretty broad range styles, but the set flows consistently – with numbers that for the most part share a penchant for laidback, simmering grooves and excellently layered productions. But from there, the styles roll from soft rock arrangements with soul-based vocals, to some sly bits of funk, groovy strings and other sweeter touches. We're hoping to see a Vol 2 after this one! 16 tracks in all: "I Love Music" by Babadu, "Lving Off The Love" by Eric Tagg, "Just For You" by 1619 Bad Ass Band, "SLow Dancer" by Life Force, "Never Gonna Leave You" by Evans Pyramid, "Who Was It This Time", "Coast To Coast" by Tender Leaf, "My Girl Friday" by Lil'Albert, "Thought You Ought To Know" by Jesse McFall & The Funk Elegant Orchestra and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A really fantastic entry in this really great series – one that shows just how strongly the spirit of invention continued in the world of Japanese music as it moved into the 80s! As with previous volumes, the work here is a unique hybrid of influences from American and Japanese sources – partly based in jazz, but also with a fair bit of funk and soul too – modes that are used more directly here than on some of the more polished city pop work of the time – which means that if you like the sweet sound of American electric jazz funk of the late 70s, you'll find plenty to love here too! All cuts are from very rare albums issued by Columbia and Victor back in the day – and titles include "Kare Niwa Kanawanai" by Mizuki Kyama, "Sweet Soul Music" by Hitomi Tohyama, "Ame" by Yumi Sato, "Ojosan Ote Yawaraka Ni" by Kiyohiko Ozaki, "Kimono" by Tetsuo Sakurai, "Friday Night (ext dance mix)" by Jadoes, "Rainy Driver" by Hitomi Tohyama, and "Hello Suisei" by Sentimental City Romance. LP, Vinyl record album