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

Hard-wailing soul from Wilbert Harrison – 16 tracks in all, most cut for the Fury Records label! LP, Vinyl record album

The complete work from a short but wonderful stretch of recording – a series of sides done for the Fire/Fury record label – which match the genius talents of Lightnin Hopkins and 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". CD features 18 tracks in all – the full Mojo Hand album, plus material from singles too! CD

A great presentation of this classic work from Elmore James – a set that brings together all of his 7" singles for the Fire & Fury labels in a special box – with each single done as an exact replica of the original! Fire & Fury were as much a powerhouse of soul and R&B as they were of blues, and these singles from James were some of his key crossover cuts – work that still retained the gritty sound of his roots, but also had a more modern crackle at times – especially on the later sides recorded in New York! Players on the sessions include Johnny Walker on piano, Paul Williams on Baritone Sax, JT Brown on tenor, and Sammy Myers on harmonica – and titles include "Make My Dreams Come True", "Bobby's Rock", "Anna Lee", "Stranger Blues", "Look On Yonder Wall", "It Hurts Me Too", "Pickin The Blues", "Dust My Broom", "Bleeding Heart", "The Sky Is Crying", and "Rollin & Tumblin". Limited edition – in box set with booklet of notes and photo! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Easily one of the biggest selling jazz albums of the 60s – a crowning achievement for Ramsey Lewis and his popular trio with Eldee Young on bass and Redd Holt on drums! The set was recorded live at the Bohemian Caverns in DC, and the trio are perfect in the setting – going at the numbers with pyrotechnic fury, but always staying in the soul jazz idiom – keeping things nice, tight, and in the pocket! Titles include the group's hit version of "The In Crowd", plus "You Been Talkin Bout Me Baby", "Spartacus", "Felicidade", and "Come Sunday". CD

Easily one of the biggest selling jazz albums of the 60s – a crowning achievement for Ramsey Lewis and his popular trio with Eldee Young on bass and Redd Holt on drums! The set was recorded live at the Bohemian Caverns in DC, and the trio are perfect in the setting – going at the numbers with pyrotechnic fury, but always staying in the soul jazz idiom – keeping things nice, tight, and in the pocket! Titles include the group's hit version of "The In Crowd", plus "You Been Talkin Bout Me Baby", "Spartacus", "Felicidade", and "Come Sunday". LP, Vinyl record album

A soaring session of spiritual jazz piano – and one of the only albums as a leader cut by Donald Smith – best known to most folks as the brother of Lonnie Liston Smith, and a member of the Cosmic Echoes! The sound here is much more hard-edged than you might guess – starting somewhere in the McCoy Tyner realm of post-Coltrane piano lines, but also taking off at times with a fury that reminds us of Cecil Taylor – extremely deft and inventive, and spurred on by some great rhythm work from the team of Cecil McBee on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums! A few moments get a bit more introspective, balancing things out nicely – and McBee's bass is a wonderful addition to the set, as he plays with the power and soulfulness he brought to the best Strata East sessions of the early 70s. Titles include "Mystic Man", "Stillness", "To Yaisa & Wanda With Luv", and "The Magnetic A". CD

A sharper, darker album than Tricky's debut – and a set that clearly has the artist moving past the standard range of laidback beats and dubby production that dominated things at the time! There's definitely plenty of the tension promised in the title – as Tricky moves past the London modes from which he emerged, and goes for a larger sound that would help him stay ahead of the pack for years. The vocals of Martina Topley Bird are a big part of the album's strength here – and titles include "Lyrics Of Fury", "Piano", "My Evil Is Strong", "Makes Me Wanna Die", "Sex Drive", and "Bad Things" – plus a surprising remake of the Eric B & Rakim cut "Lyrics Of Fury". LP, Vinyl record album

A dynamic album from Tyner – recorded with a core group that includes Sonny Fortune on reeds, Calvin Hill on bass, and Alphonze Mouzon on drums – plus additional work on some tracks by Charles Tolliver, Michael White, and Mtume! With a lineup like that, it's hard to miss – but even so, Tyner's still the real focus of the session – pounding up and down the keyboard with fury, really driving on the other players with his core inspiration here! Titles are long and searching, and titles include "Native Song", "Song For My Lady", "Essence", and "A Silent Tear". CD

Truly tremendous work from saxophonist Kamasi Washington – a set that may well even blow away his groundbreaking Epic album – given the scope of soul and spirit in the music! As with the previous project, this one's double-length, but maybe feels even more fitted to the mode – as Washington leads this incredible ensemble that unifies a jazz group, orchestra, and choir – all at a level that might even top some of Alice Coltrane's early 70s albums for Impulse! There's a richness in vision here right from the start – music that knows what it is, where it's going, and what it can accomplish – very personal, but also very welcoming too – just the right sort of spirit to help get the nation back on track! Washington blows tenor throughout – and gets great help from Cameron Graves on piano, Brandon Coleman on organ and keyboards, and Miles Mosley on bass – whose work alone really seems to drive the proceedings! Titles include "Can You Hear Him", "Fists Of Fury", "Will You Sing", "Journey", "Street Fighter Mas", "The Space Travelers Lullaby", "The Psalmnist", "One Of One", and "The Invincible Youth". Comes with a bonus LP called The Choice – with the Kamasi-composed "The Secret Of Jinsonson", "Agents Of Multiverse" and "My Family", plus covers of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and "Ooh Child" – it's another 38 minutes of music hidden in the center of the cover! LP, Vinyl record album

The second album White Stripes and the first where they really start to show a ton of range, not that they were really as pigeonholed as garage rock and punk blues earlier on as some thought, but really doing a ton more here in both mood and instrumentation, without ever obscuring the rawer roots. If the hype got a little unbearable back in the day as the mainstream latched out with such a fury, in hindsight, they really were pretty incredible and worth getting excited about! Includes "You're Pretty Good Looking (For A Girl)", "Little Bird", "Apple Blossom", "I'm Bound To Pack It In", "Truth Doesn't Make A Noise", "Sister Do You Know My Name?", "Let's Build A Home", "Jumble Jumble", "Why Can't You Be Nicer To Me", "Your Southern Can Is Mine" and more. CD

A dub collection, done the Trojan way – not throwaway tracks from unused studio sessions, or dusty dub plates – but the kind of cuts that made Trojan such a great label back in the day – and a continuing influence on later styles from punk, to indie rock, to dubstep! The bottom drops out right from the start – with these brilliantly bassy bits that are sure to set your speakers a-rattling – and the vocals still have a strong role in many of these numbers, even if they're nicely abstracted by the dub version production. The massive package features 40 tracks on 2CDs – and titles include "Concentration Version 3" by The Crystalites, I'm Alright Version" by Keith Hudson & King Tubby's, "Rockers Dub" by Joe Gibbs & The Professionals, "Shine Eye Dub" by Barrington Levy & Roots Radics, "Pit Of Snakes" by Burning Spear & Taxi Gang, "Foundation Stepper" by Prince Far I & The Arabs, "Fist Of Fury" by Prince Jammy, "Leggo Beast" by Gregory Isaacs' All Stars and many more.. CD

A great little record from The Damned – even if the set does have them very far away from their punkish roots! Yet like some of the best of their contemporaries, the group grew up fast – shed a bit of anger, learned how to play their instruments, and really developed a way with a tune – an asset that you'll hear here right from the very first note! The songwriting is smart, but sensitive too – and with a slight edge at times, there's almost an evolution to the group's sound that's similar to XTC over the same stretch of time – save for the fact that the guitars are sometimes a bit more ferocious! Captain Sensible's definitely making himself felt more here than earlier – even singing on a few of the best songs too – in a set that includes "Ignite", "Generals", "Stranger On The Town", "The Dog", "Gun Fury", "Life Goes On", "Don't Bother Me", and "Under The Floor Again". 2CD edition includes loads of great bonus tracks – including the cut "Fun Factory", done with Robert Fripp – plus "Lovely Money", "I Think I'm Wonderful", "Take That", "Lovely Money (disco mix)", "Dozen Girls (7" mix)", "Mine's A Large One", "Torture Me", "Disguse", "Citadel Zombies", and even some live versions of tracks on the album too! 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

Girl soul heaven – two 1962 albums from The Shirelles, back to back on CD with bonus tracks too! First up is Baby It's You, a great one from The Shirelles – the album that carries their big hit "Soldier Boy", and which features a fair bit of other great tunes too! Many of the numbers here aren't well-known hits – either by the group or other artists – and they make for a nicely fresh sound that shows that the girls have a lot more to offer than just a few familiar oldies singles. Production has a nice sad-tinged, late nite quality – and titles include "Baby It's You", "Irresistible You", "Voice Of Experience", "Big John", "Twenty One", "A Thing Of The Past", "Putty In Your Hands", and "Make The Night A Little Longer". On Shirelles & King Curtis Give A Twist Party, Curtis and the girls trade tracks back and forth on this sweet LP that's probably one of the rawest efforts we ever heard on Scepter! Forget the "twist" in the title, because this is mostly R&B stuff with a nice nice groove. The Shirelles do their usual girl group thing, but with an uptempo sound, and less of a pop feel. Curtis plays tenor and sings a bit, and turns in some nice tracks that rank with his work for the Fire/Fury label. Titles include "Mister Twister", "Potato Chips", "Mama, Here Comes The Bride", "Take The Last Train Home", and "Love Is A Swinging Thing". CD also features 3 bonus tracks too – "I Saw A Tear (single version)", "Baby IT's You", and "Hurry Home To Me (Soldier Boy)" by Valli. CD

A heavily funky and far reaching collection of tunes written by the Godfather – eclectic 60s & 70s material from all over the globe – each with a unique approach, but perfectly connected in their displays of JB's boundless funky spirit! The set includes a few tracks familiar to global deep funk diggers – but the majority of the tunes are quite fresh to our ears, and all of it's excellent, anyway. A tight Italian take on the sound from the Showman, brassy fury from the University Of Illinois Jazz Band, Latin funk from Rabbits & Carrots, a group harmonies approach from The Impalas, and much more! Includes "I Feel Good" by Os Incriveis, "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" by Jr & The Preludes, "Lickin' Stick" by Soul Sounds, "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose" and "Sex Machine" by Rabbits & Carrots, "Super Bad" by Kashmere Stage Band, "Think About It" by Esquires Now, "There Was A Time/Cold Sweat (Medley)" by Victor Olaiya & International All Stars, "Soul" by Impalas, "Get On The Good Foot" Harrison High School, "Mother Popcorn" by Les Watson & The Panthers and more! 19 tracks in all. CD