An overstuffed collection of work from early UK rocker Billy Fury – 22 tracks in all, including some of his excellent b-sides from the early days! LP, Vinyl record album

The funkiest version we've ever heard of this great Bruce Lee soundtrack – one that brings together all the sweet instrumental moments by Peter Thomas, with sound that's much better than any other reissue! While previous versions have taken the music along with the dialogue, this gem of a set does a great job of isolating all the instrumental grooves – finally showcasing Thomas' excellent funky backings for Lee's onscreen antics, and also throwing in some sweet mellower moments that haven't appeared on other soundtrack releases too! The package is great, too – with English and German notes on the film and music, plus cool images too – finally telling the whole story behind one of the grooviest martial arts soundtracks ever. 20 tracks in all – including "The Amulet", "Hard Drugs", "Girl Loves Cheng Li", "Mukuri", "Big Boss Theme", "Big Boss & His Gang", "Blood & Dead Friends", and "EKG". CD

The funkiest version we've ever heard of this great Bruce Lee soundtrack – one that brings together all the sweet instrumental moments by Peter Thomas, with sound that's much better than any other reissue! While previous versions have taken the music along with the dialogue, this gem of a set does a great job of isolating all the instrumental grooves – finally showcasing Thomas' excellent funky backings for Lee's onscreen antics, and also throwing in some sweet mellower moments that haven't appeared on other soundtrack releases too! The package is great, too – with English and German notes on the film and music, plus cool images too – finally telling the whole story behind one of the grooviest martial arts soundtracks ever. 20 tracks in all – including "The Amulet", "Hard Drugs", "Girl Loves Cheng Li", "Mukuri", "Big Boss Theme", "Big Boss & His Gang", "Blood & Dead Friends", and "EKG". LP, Vinyl record album

The long-gestated follow up to the breakout Lord Willin' record by Clipse! Hell Hath No Fury may have been on ice for years, but it appeared as an instant classic, WAY up at the top of the list of greatest hip hop LPs of the mid 00s. The Neptunes beats are very spare and chilly, despite the fiery title – while the Pusha T & Malice style of precise storytelling and detached deliveries probably make them one of the most natural duos in the game. A gritty rap masterpiece. Tracks include "We Got It For Cheap", "Momma I'm So Sorry", the masterful "Mr Me Too" feat Pharrell, "Wamp Wamp (What It Do)" feat Slim Thug, "Dirty Money", "Ride Around Shining" feat the Re-Up Gang, "Key's Open Doors", "Chinese New Year" feat Rosco P Coldchain, "Nightmares" feat Pharrell & Bilal and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Totally cool! This nifty little album features not only the musical score to Bruce Lee's classic Fist Of Fury, but also a good portion of English-language dialogue and sound effects – which sound just as cool on the album as they do on the movie! The quality's so good you can practically see the bad dubbing in English on the film! Includes the hilarious "Fists Of Fury" vocal theme – with some wonderful lyrics! Also features the tracks "We Are Not Sick Men", "The Death of Teacher", and "Why Did You Kill My Teacher". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A slightly overlooked film score by the great John Williams – but a true classic that's every bit as great as his wildly famous work of the late 70s for bigger films! Williams is at the height of his powers here – really transforming modern film orchestrations in ways that strongly shake off any lingering modes from the 50s and 60s – very serious from a compositional perspective, and able to embrace a rich range of new ideas for orchestra – yet also able to come across with a lean, focused sort of energy that never has the soundtrack overwhelming the image on the screen – just rising to meet its needs in all the best ways. This huge 2CD version features 32 tracks from the original film score, and 10 more from the soundtrack recording sessions – with tracks that include "For Gillian", "Vision On The Stars", "Hester's Theme & The House", "Gillian's Escape", and "The Search For Robin". CD

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... 12-inch, Vinyl record

William Hooker on drums, Claude Lawerence on alto saxophone, Charles Compo on tenor and soprano saxophone, Masahiko Kono on trombone, and Donald Miller on guitar. CD

Seun Anikulapo Kuti returns with another strorming set of neo classic Afro Funk in the great tradition of his father – once again fronting the incredible Egypt 80 group! It's remarkable stuff that finds Seun – the youngest son of Fela – standing up as a visionary talent. He's not only living up to an immense legacy, but moving forward with it in ways that will absolutely stand the test of time. The insistent rhythms and intense energy of the Egypt 80 group – led by Lekan Animashaun – are Afrobeat perfection, with Seun's forthright vocals out front of it. But their approach here is anything but a retread of family glories. The songs are urgent and fierce, and there are subtle modern florishes in the production – thanks in part, no doubt, to co-producer Brian Eno. Titles include "African Soldier", "You Can R Un", "Rise", "Slave Masters", "For Dem E Ye", "The Good Leaf" and "Giant Of Africa". CD

Rare lost work from one of the grooviest groups to work with UK production genius Joe Meek – instrumental combo The Tornados, a guitar-heavy group who were to England what The Ventures were to the US! Meek's production talents really opened up the sound of the group – taking their guitars and giving them all sorts of weird, space age sort of touches – but also keeping things rocking and catchy throughout, a blend that's always made The Tornados so great! Yet the group never issued that much music back in the day – which makes this 5CD package a real treasure trove of material to add to their catalog – lost session tapes that not only showcase their instrumental skills, but also Meek's different approaches to some tunes – as a number of cuts here are done in different variations, with different effects! The package features material from the sessions for the albums Telstar and Away From It All – plus two more CDs' worth of sessions for singles – and a full final CD of unreleased material and curiosities. CD

A slightly overlooked film score by the great John Williams – but a true classic that's every bit as great as his wildly famous work of the late 70s for bigger films! Williams is at the height of his powers here – really transforming modern film orchestrations in ways that strongly shake off any lingering modes from the 50s and 60s – very serious from a compositional perspective, and able to embrace a rich range of new ideas for orchestra – yet also able to come across with a lean, focused sort of energy that never has the soundtrack overwhelming the image on the screen – just rising to meet its needs in all the best ways. Titles include "For Gillian", "Vision On The Stars", "Hester's Theme & The House", "Gillian's Escape", and "The Search For Robin". CD

A record that states its power right from the stark image on the cover – the genius talents of Lightnin Hopkins, handled by the soulful production of Harlem's great Bobby Robinson! The mix of modes is great – and rather than go for an uptown version of Hopkins' music, Bobby seems to understand it even more than most producers – and really allow the strings of the guitar to resonate with this chromatic, almost sparkling sort of quality – sounding fantastic next to the raw growl of the man himself! The record is still as classic as can be for Lightnin – no added instrumentation or arrangements – and titles include "Coffee For Mama", "Black Mare Trot", "Glory Bee", "Shine On Moon", "Santa", and "Have You Ever Loved A Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Amazing early work from Gladys Knight & The Pips – proof that they already had a great thing going long before their later fame on Motown and Buddah! The tracks here were recorded in the early 60s for the Fury record label – and they show the group coming on strong with a very sharp edge – a style that's still got some traces of R&B at points, but which really sets a new standard for mixed male/female soul groups for the 60s! Gladys' lead vocals are nice and bold – and a lot less cliched than later – and The Pips do their thing with a wonderfully harmonic flair in the background. Titles include their big early single "Letter Full Of Tears" – plus "Operator", "Every Beat Of My Heart", "Room In Your Heart", "Stop Running Around", "What Shall I Do", "Morning Noon & Night", and "I Can't Stand By". LP, Vinyl record album

An early full length album from the great Arthur Crudup – and one that wasn't cut until after he'd had years on the scene, including some work that was a key inspiration for Elvis Presley and others of his generation! The set's done in a nice raw style – that grittier side of the Fire/Fury label, with a vibe that's much more southern than you'd expect from the legendary New York imprint – really just Crudup on vocals and lean electric guitar, but with a nicely skittish drummer urging things on in a great way too! Titles include "Look On Yonder Wall", "Ethel Mae", "Greyhound Bus", "Coal Black Mare", "Dig Myself A Hole", and a great version of "That's Alright". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums we've heard from Ernest Dawkins in years – and one of the straightest, too! The set's got a hardbop fury we've not always heard from Dawkins – a tight, soulful energy that's spun out beautifully by the local group in the set – a lineup that includes Ernest on alto and tenor, Corey Wilkes on trumpet, Willerm Delisfort on piano, Junius Paul on bass, and Isaiah Spender on drums. Other tracks add in bits of percussion, and Hammond on one tune – and while the music still has all the sharp edges you'd know from Dawkins' time in the AACM, the overall execution feels more like a killer Blue Note or Prestige date from the 60s – particularly in the interplay between trumpet and sax. Titles include "Afro Straight", "United", "Central Park West", "Footprints", "Old Man Blues", and "Juju". CD

A cool cooker from the great Lou Donaldson – and a record that's ever bit as tasty as its cover! Lou's really hitting his soul jazz stride here – stepping off his 50s bop years, and moving into a more gutbuckety groove that's delivered with wonderful accompaniment from a quartet that features Grant Green on guitar, John Patton on Hammond, and Ben Dixon on drums! The style is loose and open – and tracks are long, with tight solos, especially from Patton and Green, always a winning combination – really stepping out here with an early raw fury! Titles include "Caracas", "Bad John", "Holy Ghost", and "Good Gracious!". Nice cover, too, with a photo of Lou checking out a sexy model, while speaking the title! CD

A cool cooker from the great Lou Donaldson – and a record that's ever bit as tasty as its cover! Lou's really hitting his soul jazz stride here – stepping off his 50s bop years, and moving into a more gutbuckety groove that's delivered with wonderful accompaniment from a quartet that features Grant Green on guitar, John Patton on Hammond, and Ben Dixon on drums! The style is loose and open – and tracks are long, with tight solos, especially from Patton and Green, always a winning combination – really stepping out here with an early raw fury! Titles include "Caracas", "Bad John", "Holy Ghost", and "Good Gracious!". Nice cover, too, with a photo of Lou checking out a sexy model, while speaking the title! CD

No sophomore slump for the second Eric B & Rakim album – benchmark hip hop of the first order and up there with the best of all time! Following up Paid In Pull was no easy task, and the appropriately titled Follow The Leader makes it look easy, completing one of the great one-two punches in hip hop history by bring in a richer, fuller, more skillfully creative sound, without sacrificing the dense, hard hitting, sparely funk greatness of the debut. Includes the awesome title track, plus "Lyrics Of Fury", "Microphone Fiend", "The R", "Musical Massacre", "No Competition", "Just A Beat", "Eric B Never Scared", "Put Your Hands Together", "To The Listeners" and "Beats For The Listeners". LP, Vinyl record album

Fanny have a slightly more ambitious vibe here than on some of their previous albums – in part because the set was recorded at the Apple Studios in London, with production by Richard Perry – who really does a great job of elevating all the elements the group had on their previous records! The vocal interplay is even more complex and compelling than before, and there's some larger arrangements that almost seem to echo the best use of such modes by the late Beatles – as does the group's great reworking of their "Hey Bulldog". Other titles include "Blind Alley", "You've Got A Home", "Borrowed Time", "Think About The Children", "Rock Bottom Blues", "Sound & The Fury", and "The First Time". LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible solo GZA effort – and the killer follow up to Liquid Swords! Beneath The Surface really does bubble underneath the surface, legacy-wise (for no earlyish Wu-Tang completists, anyway) – simply because Liquid Swords broke so much ground and casts such a long shadow. Not being Liquid Swords is no flaw, friends – this is another masterpiece and an essential late 90s hip hop classic! Includes "Hip Hop Fury", "Breaker, Breaker", "Mic Trippin", "Publicity", "Feel Like An Enemy", "Victim", "Crash Your Crew" and more. CD

The start of rock and roll was a bit different in the UK than it was over here – still with the requisite inspiration from R&B and other American styles, but also inflected with some elements from the colonial scene, the world of music hall, jazz, and other instrumental styles – in ways that made for a slightly different genesis than you might expect! This well-done 3CD package traces the roots in a really great way – especially on the first CD, which features initial postwar moments of musical inspiration, from artists who include Ray Ellington, Ken Colyer, Alma Cogan, Art Baxter, Marty Wilde & The Wildcats, Tommy Steele, Terry Wayne, Lonnie Donegan, Lita Roza, and even a young Alexis Korner! CD2 has things coming together a bit more with a pop-styled polish – work from Cliff Richard, Vince Taylor, Johnny Kidd, Sally Kelly, and Billy Fury – plus later tracks from a few of the artists on CD1. And CD3 sends it home from the early 60s years right before the British Invasion – lots more from Billy Fury, and other cuts from Screaming Lord Sutch, The Shadows, Outlaws, Tornadoes, Blues Incorporated, and even The Beatles. 72 tracks in all – with notes in English and French! CD

A simply amazing session by pianist Joe Bonner – arguably his best ever! The album is one of a rare few that were cut for the Japanese Why Not label during the mid 70s, and like the others in the series, it features an American spiritual jazz player working far far past his usual mode. Bonner's in amazing form in a trio with Clint Houston and Billy Hart, and the tracks are filled with a fire and energy that you won't find on most of his American recordings from the time – as Bonner runs up and down the keys in a fury of passion, blending perfectly with Houston's deep soulful basslines, and Hart's dancing lyrical drums. Titles include "Triangle", "The Wind & The Rain", "Vega", "Mr PC" and "Invitation". CD

A study in brown, and a study in hardbop too – a seminal album of 50s jazz that forever went on to set the tone for the music! The album was one of a few that trumpeter Clifford Brown cut as his star was strongly rising, before a tragic early accident took his life – and it's a masterpiece of bop modernism, done with the co-leadership of drummer Max Roach – with an equally well-matched group that includes Harold Land on tenor, George Morrow on bass, and Bud Powell's brother Richie on piano. Tracks are short, and played with great boppish fire and fury – virtually the blueprint for the hardbop sound of the 50s, and one of the strongest expressions from this important, but short-lived group. Titles include "Gerkin For Perkin", "Sandu", "Jacqui", "Swingin", and the great "Land's End". LP, Vinyl record album

A cool cooker from the great Lou Donaldson – and a record that's ever bit as tasty as its cover! Lou's really hitting his soul jazz stride here – stepping off his 50s bop years, and moving into a more gutbuckety groove that's delivered with wonderful accompaniment from a quartet that features Grant Green on guitar, John Patton on Hammond, and Ben Dixon on drums! The style is loose and open – and tracks are long, with tight solos, especially from Patton and Green, always a winning combination – really stepping out here with an early raw fury! Titles include "Caracas", "Bad John", "Holy Ghost", and "Good Gracious!". Nice cover, too, with a photo of Lou checking out a sexy model, while speaking the title! LP, Vinyl record album

Four full albums from this legendary all-female rock group – plus lots of bonus tracks too! First up is the debut album from Fanny – a group who were noteworthy in being one of the first all-female lineups to challenge the male-dominated world of major label rock at the start of the 70s – but who also have a quality that more than helps them stand on their own, even without that designation! There's definitely a bit of a Bay Area vibe to the group – as they seem very comfortable moving between rocking territory and warmer moments – including some lighter, folksy touches that have the very personal vibe of some of the scene up in Marin. Richard Perry produced, but the sound is nicely stripped-down – just a focus on the very strong songwriting skills of the group, on titles that include "I Just Realized", "Conversation With A Cop", "Changing Horses", "Seven Roads", "Shade Me", and "Take A Message To The Captain". Next is Charity Ball – a hard-rocking classic from Fanny – the group's second album, and the one that put the all-female quartet on the map! At some level, there's not that much going on here that's different than some of their contemporaries – but the record's got a lean, playful energy that really comes through when the vocals unite – which they do often in most of the best parts! Titles include the mini-hit "Charity Ball", plus "Cat Fever", "Soul Child", "Place In The Country", "What's Wrong With Me", "Special Care", "Person Like You", and "You're The One". On Fanny Hill, Fanny have a slightly more ambitious vibe than on some of their previous albums – in part because the set was recorded at the Apple Studios in London, with production by Richard Perry – who really does a great job of elevating all the elements the group had on their previous records! The vocal interplay is even more complex and compelling than before, and there's some larger arrangements that almost seem to echo the best use of such modes by the late Beatles – as does the group's great reworking of their "Hey Bulldog". Other titles include "Blind Alley", "You've Got A Home", "Borrowed Time", "Think About The Children", "Rock Bottom Blues", "Sound & The Fury", and "The First Time". Mother's Pride is the last album in the original Reprise Records run of records from Fanny, and a set that features superb production work from Todd Rundgren – a studio force who really seems to help the combo focus their energy in mighty nice ways! The set's got a quality that goes head to head with so many other classics from the time – able to serve up some gentler tunes that are a great surprise, and some more heavy numbers of the sort that were always the group's calling card. Titles include "Old Hat", "Long Road Home", "All Mine", "Summer Song", "Solid Gold", and "Last Night I Had A Dream". 4CD set features 82 tracks in all, 8 of which are on CD for the first time – material all sourced from the Warner archives, with titles that include "New Day", "Lady's Choice", "One Step At A Time", "Candlighter Man", "Back In My Arms Again", "A Little While Later", "Tomorrow", "Young & Dumb", "No Deposit No Return", and lots lots more. CD

Fanny have a slightly more ambitious vibe here than on some of their previous albums – in part because the set was recorded at the Apple Studios in London, with production by Richard Perry – who really does a great job of elevating all the elements the group had on their previous records! The vocal interplay is even more complex and compelling than before, and there's some larger arrangements that almost seem to echo the best use of such modes by the late Beatles – as does the group's great reworking of their "Hey Bulldog". Other titles include "Blind Alley", "You've Got A Home", "Borrowed Time", "Think About The Children", "Rock Bottom Blues", "Sound & The Fury", and "The First Time" – plus 6 bonus tracks. CD

Includes the songs "Love Is A Dangerous Necessity", "Noon Night", "Tonight At Noon", "Eclipse", "Invisible Lady", "Passions Of A Woman Loved", "Sweet Sucker", "Dance", "Devil Woman","Love's Fury", and "The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady". CD

A strong effort from the mid 00s revitalized Prince – one that doesn't approach the greatness of the best material, but a graceful and consistent gem nonetheless! As it was done on his big ol' comeback album, Musicology, Prince takes strides to revisit his classic styles on the different tunes, but it doesn't come off as a simple rehash. Each song pretty much finds Prince in a different mode that can be found on a previous LP, but it works because it's so engaged and warm. Latter day Prince really only turns us off when he strains too hard to do something new, and succeeds in our eyes when he simply makes with his trademark pop funk signature sounds we know and love. Notice that no one really succeeds at ripping Prince off? It's because it can't be done. Tracks include "3121", "Lolita", "Te Amo Corazon", "Black Sweat", "Incense And Candles", "Satisfied", "Fury", "The Word", "Beautiful, Loved And Blessed", "The Dance" and "Get On The Boat". CD

A huge run of music that comes together as a secret history of sounds within pop music in the UK and US scenes in the 50s, 60s, and 70s – all hand-picked by writer Jon Savage to accompany his book of the same name! There's some work here that might be what you'd expect – tracks that had a big and immediate influence on LGBTQ culture, from the dancefloors to the underground – but those are mixed with others that come as a nice surprise – in part because at the time of initial release, they didn't seem to have such an influence, and were more part of a mainstream audience – or in other parts because they were almost completely secret, except to those in the know! As you'd imagine with Savage, the notes are detailed and very helpful – really illuminating this great batch of tracks – running from late 50s rock through late 70s disco, with titles that include "I'm A Man" by Jobraith, "You Don't Own Me" by Lesley Gore, "No Stranger Am I" by Norma Tenaga, "Woman Is Losers" by Big Brother & The Holding Company, "Coochi Coo" by Polly Perkins, "Life & Death In G&A" by Abaco Dream, "Esquerita & The Voola" by Esquerita, "Wondrous Place" by Billy Fury, "Strawberry Blonde" by Frank D'Rone, "Johnny Remember Me" by John Leyton, "Needle In A Haystack" by The Velvelettes, "Orgasm Addict" by The Buzzcocks, "Prison" by Space, "I Was Born This Way" by Carl Bean, "Nobody's Gonna Change Me" by Dynamic Superiors, "I Feel Love" by Patrick Cowley, "Disco Dance" by Michele, and "Glad To Be Gay" by Tom Robinson Band. CD

Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt go head to head in this classic album of tracks that perfectly captures the joy and fury of their live performances from years before! The record was cut in Chicago with a very hard rhythm section that includes John Houston on piano, Charles Williams on bass, and George Brown on drums – and it's way heavier than the usual Verve "meeting of the masters" session, and feels more like a record that should have been issued on Prestige or Argo. Both players are impeccable, and the solos stretch out for a long long very live time. Titles include "Blues Up & Down", "The One Before This", and "Counter Clockwise" – but these guys even groove amazingly on standards like "Autumn Leaves" and "No Greater Love". CD

Two early 60s albums from the team of Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt – both recorded in Chicago! Boss Tenors is a head to head classic from Jug & Stitt that perfectly captures the joy and fury of their live performances from years before! The record was cut here in our hometown with a very hard rhythm section that includes John Houston on piano, Charles Williams on bass, and George Brown on drums – and it's way heavier than the usual Verve "meeting of the masters" session, and feels more like a record that should have been issued on Prestige or Argo. Both players are impeccable, and the solos stretch out for a long long very live time. Titles include "Blues Up & Down", "The One Before This", and "Counter Clockwise" – but these guys even groove amazingly on standards like "Autumn Leaves" and "No Greater Love". The second album, Dig Him, is one of those overlooked Argo sessions and features great straight-ahead blowing from Stitt and Jug! The album's a quintet session, with John Houston piano, Buster Williams bass, and George Brown drums providing all the rhythm. But the real focus is on the twin-sax frontline – with Sitt taking up the alto on a few numbers, but mostly blowing tenor head to head with Jug. Recorded in 1961 during Jug's great year of contract-breaking – and issued later in the 60s by Prestige under a different title. Titles include "A Mess", "Water Jug", "New Blues Up & Down", "Red Sails In The Sunset", and "A Pair Of Red Pants". CD

A study in brown, and a study in hardbop too – a seminal album of 50s jazz that forever went on to set the tone for the music! The album was one of a few that trumpeter Clifford Brown cut as his star was strongly rising, before a tragic early accident took his life – and it's a masterpiece of bop modernism, done with the co-leadership of drummer Max Roach – with an equally well-matched group that includes Harold Land on tenor, George Morrow on bass, and Bud Powell's brother Richie on piano. Tracks are short, and played with great boppish fire and fury – virtually the blueprint for the hardbop sound of the 50s, and one of the strongest expressions from this important, but short-lived group. Titles include "Gerkin For Perkin", "Sandu", "Jacqui", "Swingin", and the great "Land's End". CD

Two great albums from Ray "funky trumpet" Davies – not the lead singer of The Kinks, but a heck of a groovy British bandleader from the 70s! First up is an album of Themes From The Exorcist and other films – all familiar movie themes from the early 70s, penned by artists like Michel Legrand and Lalo Schifrin – but served up here by Ray's Button Down Brass in a very cool style – compressed funk, ala the best crime/cop modes of the time – but with lots of individual touches that make the songs very different than the original versions! Titles include "Point Blank", "Enter The Dragon", "Klute", "French Connection", "Tubular Bells", "Cops & Robbers", and "Beyond Tomorrow". Flashpoint continues with some great film themes again served up in the magic Ray Davies mode – a funky big band approach that makes the record every bit as compelling as the American Cop Shows album from Henry Mancini – but maybe groovier, too. Titles include "Kojak", "Big Boss", "Man With The Golden Gun", "Mr Majestyk", "Magnum Force", "Fist Of Fury", and "Airport 1975". CD

Includes tracks by Orbits, Teen's Men, Furys, Zakons, Night Hawks, Steve Sperry, Jimmy Sun & The Radiants, Bob Mattice & The Phaetons, and more! LP, Vinyl record album

Lux and Ivy serve up a whole host of records from death row – not the famous hip hop label, but the end of the line for those that pay the ultimate price for their crimes – served up here in a weird and wild blend of rare 45s from the postwar years! The music here is almost in Bear Family territory, but a bit wider – rock, blues, rockabilly, country, and other styles all mixed together – with a really wonderful blend of offbeat singles that we might never have heard otherwise! The set's one of the best Lux & Ivy collections in awhile – and features 28 tracks that include "Death Row" by Jimmy Minor, "Big Mouth Bill" by Phil McLean, "The Legend Of The Birds & Bees" by Hank Hornsby, "So Tuff" by The Furys, "Down In The Basement" by King Coleman, "Devil Is A Busy Man" by Sunnyland Slim, "Stack A Records" by Tom Tall, "The Last Drag" by The Voxpoppers, "Rompin" by Jerry Warren, "Ragged & Hungry" by Lightning Junior & The Empires, "The Plea" by The Chantels, and "Crash Out" by Jaycee Hill. CD

25 tracks from the Servicemen, the Soul Gents, the New Yorkers, the Paramounts, the Four Tempos, the Trips, the Emotions, Shades of Jade, the Furys, the Mystics, the Phonetics, the Versatiles, the Angelenos, Sun Lovers, the Tempos, the Inspirations, the Majestics, the Vines, the Remarkables, Soul Patrol, the Sinceres, the Prominents, the Four Sights, the Sunlovers, and the Younghearts. CD

Music from the Dell Vikings, Robert & Johnny, thew Impalas, the Fiestas, the Crows, Nappy Brown, the Cyclones, Larry Bright, the Furys, and more – 30 tracks total. CD

The Kay Bank studios were located in the Twin Cities during the 60s – quite far from the oceans on both coasts, and even from the Great Lakes mentioned in the title – yet that didn't stop them from turning out a surprisingly great array of surf rock singles at the time! The music here resonates strongly with both the warmer surf instrumentals down in Cali, and some of the guitar instrumentals from the Pacific Northwest – recorded with just the right amount of echo to bring out the best in the driving guitar lines and bass – and often urged on strongly by some mighty nice drums! As you can guess, the tracks within are plenty rare – and although a few were issued as small indie label singles, most of the material here never came out at the time – served up in a set of tracks that includes "Disintegration" by The Readymen, "Caliente" by The Marauders, "Heaven's Devil" by The Boss Tweeds, "Girl Don't Tell Me" by The Satisfactions, "Za Boo" by The Valients, "Bird Gasp 65" by The Trashmen, "Little Queenie (inst)" by The Furys, "Surf Beat" by The Chancellors, and "80 Foot Wave" by The Vaqueros. CD features 6 more bonus tracks too! CD