A landmark album in a landmark package – a set that takes this gem from Sly & The Family Stone, presses it up on a special hi-fidelity gold CD, then cradles the whole thing in special box with a heavy hardcover book with lots of new notes – and a fabric American flag sewn right onto the cover! The album's a wonderful moment Sly and crew – moving way past the straight funk approach of earlier records, into a complicated crossover soul style that's filled with warmth and righteousness! Despite the political tone implied by the "riot" in the title and the co-option of the American flag on the cover, the album's strongest suit is its warmth and personal soul message – sometimes filled with politics, sure, but always sounding like a sexy love song, no matter how hard it tries to get righteous! The flow is wonderful throughout – a very well-thought out album that shows that Sly was singing way past the singles scene – and the record's filled with great cuts like "Family Affair", "Luv N Haight", "Brave & Strong", "You Caught Me Smilin", and "Thank You For Talkin To Me Africa". Also features "There's A Riot Going On" – which runs for "0:00" minutes! The whole thing's completely sublime already – but in this special box, it's really something else. CD

A wonderful album from Sly and crew – moving way past the straight funk approach of earlier records, into a complicated crossover soul style that's filled with warmth and righteousness! Despite the political tone implied by the "riot" in the title and the co-option of the American flag on the cover, the album's strongest suit is its warmth and personal soul message – sometimes filled with politics, sure, but always sounding like a sexy love song, no matter how hard it tries to get righteous! The flow is wonderful throughout – a very well-thought out album that shows that Sly was singing way past the singles scene – and the record's filled with great cuts like "Family Affair", "Luv N Haight", "Brave & Strong", "You Caught Me Smilin", and "Thank You For Talkin To Me Africa". Also features "There's A Riot Going On" – which runs for "0:00" minutes! CD features 4 bonus tracks – including "My Gorilla Is My Butler (inst)", "Do You Know What (inst)", "That's Pretty Clean (inst)", and "Runnin Away (single)". CD

An incredible snapshot of the funky soul genius of Sly Stone in an early transitional period – featuring all the known recordings of his short-lived Stone Flower label and production house from 1969-1970! Sly was a rising star at this point, and while the Stone Flower Productions name had been established already for Sly & The Family Stone's work-to-date, there was a brief period when he and manager David Kapralik set out make Stone Flower an official management and production house – and recorded some great tunes with female vocal trio Little Sister, funky soul singer and harmonica player Joe Hicks and funk rock sextet 6ix – as well as some gems sung by Sly himself. Sly & The Family Stone were soon to take off in a really huge way, his business relationship with Kapalik was becoming strained, and other factors behind-the-scenes made it impossible for Stone Flower Productions to really take root, but this brief period is fantastic. We're so glad it's been dug up and collected here! The cuts are primarily written and produced by Sly Stone – with Sly out front on "Just Like A Baby", "Africa", "Spirit" and "Scared" – and other great tracks include "You're The One" and "Somebody's Watching You" by Little Sister, "Home Sweet Home (Part 2)" and "I'm Going Home (Part 1)" by Joe Hicks, "Trying To Make You Feel Good", "You Can, We Can" by 6ix and more. 18 tracks in all – with a nice booklet of notes by Alec Palao, and an interview with the elusive Sly Stone himself! CD

Chicago players, recording in London with a great quartet lineup – vocals from Big Walter Shakey Horton, who also plays harmonica – plus guitar from Martin Stone, bass from Jerome Arnold, and drums from Jessie C Lewis. LP, Vinyl record album

Sly's leaping into the air on the cover of this one – and for good reason too, given the overall groove of the set! The album's a bit more stripped-down and upbeat than the previous few – almost more of a return to the simple funky style of the first albums, but with a slightly more electric sound than before – especially in the keyboards, which almost slide into the mix here with a Stevie Wonder-like quality. The electricity bubbles and brews wonderfully at the bottom of the rhythms – charging things up a bit, but still hanging back with a super-cool, laidback quality that few other groups could muster! There's a great sense of balance here that's brilliant – and which makes the album one of Sly's undisputed masterpieces from the Columbia years. Titles include the incredible "If You Want Me To Stay" – one of our favorite Sly Stone cuts ever – plus "Keep on Dancin", "Babies Making Babies", "Que Sera Sera", "If It Were Left Up To Me", "In Time", and "Let Me Have It All". CD's got 5 bonus tracks too – including alternate mixes of "Frisky", "Skin I'm In", "Keep On Dancin", "Babies Makin Babies", and "Let Me Have It All". CD

An incredible snapshot of the funky soul genius of Sly Stone in an early transitional period – featuring all the known recordings of his short-lived Stone Flower label and production house from 1969-1970! Sly was a rising star at this point, and while the Stone Flower Productions name had been established already for Sly & The Family Stone's work-to-date, there was a brief period when he and manager David Kapralik set out make Stone Flower an official management and production house – and recorded some great tunes with female vocal trio Little Sister, funky soul singer and harmonica player Joe Hicks and funk rock sextet 6ix – as well as some gems sung by Sly himself. Sly & The Family Stone were soon to take off in a really huge way, his business relationship with Kapalik was becoming strained, and other factors behind-the-scenes made it impossible for Stone Flower Productions to really take root, but this brief period is fantastic. We're so glad it's been dug up and collected here! The cuts are primarily written and produced by Sly Stone – with Sly out front on "Just Like A Baby", "Africa", "Spirit" and "Scared" – and other great tracks include "You're The One" and "Somebody's Watching You" by Little Sister, "Home Sweet Home (Part 2)" and "I'm Going Home (Part 1)" by Joe Hicks, "Trying To Make You Feel Good", "You Can, We Can" by 6ix and more. 18 tracks in all – with a nice booklet of notes by Alec Palao, and an interview with the elusive Sly Stone himself! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the crown jewels of the Rick James empire – back when he had an empire! Stone City Band were a slap-bass modern soul combo, with a definite 80s groove sound that had strong ties to James' own funky style. Their best moments on here, though, are actually the mellower ones – as the band lays down a good harmony soul sound, with some nice spacey keyboards. Titles include "Spend The Night", "Telephone", "Shake", "Dance So Fine",a nd "Lover & Only Man". LP, Vinyl record album

A real classic – with a sound that never gets old! "Family Affair" is one of those landmark tracks that forever changed the sound of soul, and which opened a door that everyone had to pass through, and could never return! Great stuff, great sound, and a really great hook! The flip's nice, too! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Sly's leaping into the air on the cover of this one – and for good reason too, given the overall groove of the set! The album's a bit more stripped-down and upbeat than the previous few – almost more of a return to the simple funky style of the first albums, but with a slightly more electric sound than before – especially in the keyboards, which almost slide into the mix here with a Stevie Wonder-like quality. The electricity bubbles and brews wonderfully at the bottom of the rhythms – charging things up a bit, but still hanging back with a super-cool, laidback quality that few other groups could muster! There's a great sense of balance here that's brilliant – and which makes the album one of Sly's undisputed masterpieces from the Columbia years. Titles include the incredible "If You Want Me To Stay" – one of our favorite Sly Stone cuts ever – plus "Keep on Dancin", "Babies Making Babies", "Que Sera Sera", "If It Were Left Up To Me", "In Time", and "Let Me Have It All". CD

Sly's leaping into the air on the cover of this one – and for good reason too, given the overall groove of the set! The album's a bit more stripped-down and upbeat than the previous few – almost more of a return to the simple funky style of the first albums, but with a slightly more electric sound than before – especially in the keyboards, which almost slide into the mix here with a Stevie Wonder-like quality. The electricity bubbles and brews wonderfully at the bottom of the rhythms – charging things up a bit, but still hanging back with a super-cool, laidback quality that few other groups could muster! There's a great sense of balance here that's brilliant – and which makes the album one of Sly's undisputed masterpieces from the Columbia years. Titles include the incredible "If You Want Me To Stay" – one of our favorite Sly Stone cuts ever – plus "Keep on Dancin", "Babies Making Babies", "Que Sera Sera", "If It Were Left Up To Me", "In Time", and "Let Me Have It All". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer work from Sly & The Family Stone – hard-grooving, fast-funking, and really setting the scene for countless groups to come! The album's a messed-up funky party, with plenty of short little tracks that have a mix of funk, soul, and rock – perfect for the crossover crowd from whence Sly sprang, and who would become his biggest supporters into the 70s. And almost best of all, there's hardly any hits here – just tight little numbers that are as fresh today as they were back at the end of the 60s – all the kind of righteous funk the group could do better than anybody else! Titles include "Fun", "Plastic Jim", "Dynamite!", "Chicken", "Into My Own Thing", "Life", "Love City", "I'm An Animal", and the seminal "Jane Is A Groupee". LP, Vinyl record album

Hard to find a stronger early album by Sly Stone – as this one has him still funking hard, but also getting his soul bag together a bit more – hitting some really righteous vibes that mix together politics and partying in an incredibly seductive way! The album's filled with anthemic numbers like "Sing A Simple Song", "Stand", "Don't Call Me N*gger Whitey", and "Everyday People" – classic crossover material for the heady crowd of the late 60s – and it also includes a very cool 13 minute track called "Sex Machine", which is a messed-up stoner funk number that shows Sly's ties to the Fillmore freakout scene! CD

Hard to find a stronger early album by Sly – as this one has him still funking hard, but also getting his soul bag together a bit more, hitting some really righteous vibes that mix together politics and partying in an incredibly seductive way. The album's filled with anthemic numbers like "Sing A Simple Song", "Stand", "Don't Call Me N_gger Whitey", and "Everyday People" – classic crossover material for the heady crowd of the late 60s – and it also includes a very cool 13 minute track called "Sex Machine", which is a messed-up stoner funk number that shows Sly's ties to the Fillmore freakout scene! LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful album from Sly and crew – moving way past the straight funk approach of earlier records, into a complicated crossover soul style that's filled with warmth and righteousness! Despite the political tone implied by the "riot" in the title and the co-option of the American flag on the cover, the album's strongest suit is its warmth and personal soul message – sometimes filled with politics, sure, but always sounding like a sexy love song, no matter how hard it tries to get righteous! The flow is wonderful throughout – a very well-thought out album that shows that Sly was singing way past the singles scene – and the record's filled with great cuts like "Family Affair", "Luv N Haight", "Brave & Strong", "You Caught Me Smilin", and "Thank You For Talkin To Me Africa". Also features "There's A Riot Going On" – which runs for "0:00" minutes! CD

A wonderful album from Sly and crew – moving way past the straight funk approach of earlier records, into a complicated crossover soul style that's filled with warmth and righteousness! Despite the political tone implied by the "riot" in the title and the co-option of the American flag on the cover, the album's strongest suit is its warmth and personal soul message – sometimes filled with politics, sure, but always sounding like a sexy love song, no matter how hard it tries to get righteous! The flow is wonderful throughout – a very well-thought out album that shows that Sly was singing way past the singles scene – and the record's filled with great cuts like "Family Affair", "Luv N Haight", "Brave & Strong", "You Caught Me Smilin", and "Thank You For Talkin To Me Africa". Also features "There's A Riot Going On" – which runs for "0:00" minutes! LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful album from Sly and crew – moving way past the straight funk approach of earlier records, into a complicated crossover soul style that's filled with warmth and righteousness. Despite the political tone implied by the "riot" in the title and the co-option of the American flag on the cover, the album's strongest suit is its warmth and personal soul message – sometimes filled with politics, sure, but always sounding like a sexy love song, no matter how hard it tries to get righteous. Who cares, though – just get with the flow on great cuts like "Family Affair", "Luv N Haight", "Brave & Strong", "You Caught Me Smilin", and "Thank You For Talkin To Me Africa". Also features "There's A Riot Goin' On" – which runs for "0:00" minutes! LP, Vinyl record album

The Stax debut of Angie Stone – a new setting for the singer, and one that really helps her freshen up her groove! Although a contemporary soul diva, Angie's definitely in classic territory here – maybe not the space of Stax from the 60s and 70s, but a rock-solid sound overall, and more than enough to help us renew our faith in her work! The backings are simple, but never too commercial – tightly stepping beats on the bottom that bounce Angie up over the top, but never push her vocals too far. And as before, some of the best moments have an almost-spoken sort of quality – a way of unfolding out a tune that's very real and natural. Guests include Betty Wright and James Ingram, and titles include "Take Everything In", "Sometimes", "Make It Last", "Here We Go Again", "Baby", "My People", "Half A Chance", "Go Back To Your Life", "Wait For Me", "Pop Pop", and "Happy Being Me". CD

A strong second set by Angie Stone – with production work by Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Raphael Saadiq, Rufus Blaq, and others – warmly wrapped up in a NuSoul orgy of beats, smooth instrumentation, and gutsy soul vocals. Titles include "The Ingredients Of Love" with Musiq Soulchild, "Snowflakes", "Soul Insurance", "Brotha", "Pissed Off", "More Than A Woman" with Calvin, "Brotha Part 2", "Time Of The Month", and "Wish I Didn't Miss You". CD

Featuring Loon. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Angie's out to prove that she's one of the best young soul singers around – kicking off the record with a straight acapella track, then rolling into some of the most classically soulful tracks she's ever recorded! The set's a stunner from the word go – grabbing us like a classic mellow soul album from the mid 70s, featuring production and instrumentation that seem to give Angie a deeper sound than we ever remember. The songwriting is simple, sensual, and damn effective – and even the presence of famous guests like Snoop, Floetry, and Anthony Hamilton come across as organic and necessary elements to the tunes – and not just gimmicky one-offs. Angie, we love ya more than ever! Titles include "I Wanna Thank Ya", "My Man", "U-Haul", "Stay For A While", "Lover's Ghetto", "You're Gonna Get It", and "Come Home". CD

A surprisingly deep batch of pop soul from Joss Stone – one that manages to live up to the title! Joss goes way out with her strong, deeply 70s influenced vocal histrionics on a batch of tunes that stretch all over the songwriting landscape. She tackles tunes by as far-reaching a group of writers as Harlan Howard on the opening "The Chokin' Kind" to the Isley Brothers' "For The Love Of You" and many points in between, with the same extroverted approach. She kind of comes off as a female equivalent of Remy Shand – and she's enlisted an all star cast of support players and producers including ?uestlove, Angie Stone, Little Beaver and others. Other tracks include "Super Duper Love", "Dirty Man", "I've Fallen In Love With You", "Victim Of A Foolish Heart", "I Had A Dream", "Some Kind Of Wonderful" and others. CD

A brilliant pairing of talents – Brazilian trumpeter Marcio Montarroyos and the soulful Stone Alliance group of the 70s – coming together here in Rio with extra help from Hermeto Pascoal on reeds, and added work from Brazilian musicians David Slon, Dom Bira, and Erasto De Holanda Vasconcelos! The style is tighter and harder than the usual Brazilian jazz of the time – a bit fusiony at points, but always with a richer vibe that's almost more in a 70s Latin jazz mode – maybe because of the strong bottom end from the trio of Gene Perla on bass, Don Alias on drums, and the mighty Steve Grossman on reeds! It's an especially nice treat to hear Grossman in this setting – a nice change from usual, but one that he really illuminates with his soulful lines – and titles include "Hey Bicho Vamos Nessa", "Risa", "The Greeting", "On The Foot Peg", "A Child Is Born" and "Libra Rising". LP, Vinyl record album

A well-rounded set from Rick James' Stone City Band – a set that's got some mellower moments than most of Rick's own work from the time – but in a nice way that really offsets the group's tendency towards bassier funk! Lead vocalist Levi Ruffin stretches out nicely on a few more laidback cuts – not the most classic soul of his time, but with sensitivity that's greater than his handling of the simpler lyrics on the groovers here. Ruffin composed two of these ballads – "Feel Good Bout Yourself" and "Lovin You Is Easy" – and other tracks include "Tin Soldier", "Keep Love Happy", "Ganja", "Freaky", and a cover of The Kinks' "All Day & All Of The Night". LP, Vinyl record album

The fuzzy side of the Brit pop underground hits the mainstream of the late 80s – with results that resonated strongly around the world! John Leckie's production is perfect here – just right for pushing the Roses into a bigger audience, but still hanging onto the longer-haired elements that made them great in the first place. This one was pretty much an instant classic and it sounds great to this day. Titles include the anthemic "I Wanna Be Adored" – plus "She Bangs The Drums", "Bye Bye Badman", "This Is The One", "Made Of Stone", "Shoot You Down", and "Waterfall". CD

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Stunning sounds from Sly & The Family Stone – a searing live performance from 1968, and one that appears here for the first time ever! The music is wonderful – harder, heavier, and even funkier than some of the group's famous records from the period – and that's saying a heck of a lot, if you know the strength of those albums! Given that the group were turning out a non-stop array of great studio records at the time, we can guess that Epic records didn't have any room in their release schedule to get this one out in the 60s – but given the quality of the music, we're also surprised it took so long for the concert to get released – because it offers up a rich document of that other side of Sly and the group – that way of setting fire to a live crowd that made them such a hugely important crossover act at the time, and a key force for uniting audiences from both sides of the scene. Some tracks are nice and long, and really open up – and others are shorter and tighter, but still pack a hell of a punch – and tracks include "M'Lady", "Life", "Are You Ready", "Won't Be Long", "We Love All Freedom", "Music Lover", "Dance To The Music", "Love City", and "Turn Me Loose/I Can't Turn You Loose". LP, Vinyl record album

Angie Stone's first solo LP, after her years with the Sequence and Vertical Hold. With a sound that nods towards the classic soul of the 70s, but firmly rooted in a more contemporary post-Hip Hop/NuSoul vibe, this set's a strong effort with the sort of self assured songcraft and tight production you'd expect from an artists who's paid her dues like Stone. 16 tracksi nall on this hard to get import vinyl pressing, including "No More Rain (In This Cloud)", "Everyday", "Life Story", "Coulda Been You", "Love Junkie" and "Heaven Help". CD

A really great return to form from Angie Stone – a singer that we maybe have taken for granted a bit over the years, but who can still really knock it out of the park with a record like this! The set's a great example of mainstream R&B at its best – tunes that are heartfelt and captivating, and wonderfully well put-together – music that's a key part of the rich legacy served up on Angie's other records, but which has a freshness that makes it more than worth the wait since her last album too! Musiq Soulchild makes a great guest appearance on "The Gym" – and other cuts include "Kiss You", "Love Is Real", "Good Man", "All I Need", "High", "Love The Feeling", and "Old Thang Back". CD

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Stone Alliance move down to a duo here – the mighty team of Don Alias on drums and Gene Perla on bass – and the pair bring in a whole host of great guest stars to take the place of recently-departed reedman Steve Grossman! To us, the record would be more than great enough on its own with just the grooves of Perla and Alias – but the set really warms up from contributions by artists who include Michael Brecker on tenor, Dave Liebeman on reeds, Randy Brecker on trumpet, Alex Acuna on percussion, and Jan Hammer on keyboards – keeping things as tight and focused as on his best 70s funky fusion outings. Perla and Alias keep things tight and choppy in the rhythms – a nice undercurrent of funk on most tracks – and titles include "Pedra Da Lua", "Trampoline", "Aunt Remus", "Tribute To Afreeka", and "Uncle Jemima". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic live material from a very unique group – the instantly-legendary meeting of reedman Peter Brotzmann with the leading lights of the Chicago avant jazz scene in the 90s – brought together into a tremendous tentet that's maybe even better than the sum of its parts! The group features Brotzmann on tenor and clarinet, Ken Vandermark on tenor and bass clarinet, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Fred Lomberg-Holm on cello and violin, Michael Zerang and Hamid Drake on drums, Kent Kessler on bass – and "honorary Chicagoan" Mats Gustafsson on tenor and flutophone, plus Toshinori Kondo on trumpet and electronics, and William Parker on bass. Phew, that's one heck of a lineup – the kind that rivals some of the European or British improvising ensembles of decades past – but one that has its own very specific flavor, and a sound that's brimming over with youth – so much so that the non-Chicago guests really seem to gain inspiration from the core. This Okka disc set captures the band live at the 16th Victoriaville Festival in 1999. CD

The US release of 3 soundtracks to films produced by Dino De Laurentis – the best of which is Roy Budd's Stone Killer. The soundtrack is one of the darkest Budd scores ever, designed to accompany a brutal police film starring Charles Bronson. The main theme has a nice electronic sound that's kind of like the "Mystery Movie" theme from the 70s, then the score moves into some nicely turgid regions that feature spare Fender Rhodes riffs underpinned by dark orchestral scoring. Occasional beats and jazzy rhythms move into the picture from time to time, and the overall sound is excellent! The other two soundtracks aren't as great, but they're both combined on one side of the record, and don't take up as much space as Stone Killers, which gest all of side two! LP, Vinyl record album

A blues album, but one with a difference – thanks to some tremendous help from the legendary Johnny Otis and his young son Shuggie! Despite the fact that the leader is billed as Guitar Slim Green, Shuggie actually plays some lead guitar on the record too – adding in some cool, complicated solos that point towards his genius to come as a solo act – and which also get some nicely romping rhythms from Johnny on drums! The Otis family was definitely bringing a lot of funk into their sound at the time, which they share plenty with Slim here – helping to make the record way more than just another late 60s rootsy blues session, and instead a great west coast criss-crossing of modes. Titles include "Shake Em Up", "My Little Angel Child", "5th Street Alley Boogie", "Old Folks Blues", "This War Ain't Right", and "Big Fine Thing". Also features two bonus tracks, both unissued – "My Marie" and "Rock The Nation". CD

A searing live performance from this brilliant Japanese trumpeter – working here at the height of his stretched-out, open-ended powers – but with a style that's a bit more inside than some of his work from the start of the 70s! Hino really shows himself to be a great leader here – working with a group that includes Hideo Miyata on tenor, Kiyoshi Sugimoto on guitar, and Fumio Itabashi on some especially great Fender Rhodes and piano – a wonderful player who really gives the album a solid grounding, which then allows the horn players to really soar! Hino's really finding his voice here – growing into one of the best trumpet talents of his generation – and this first volume features two long tracks – "Mocco" and "In The Darkness", both of which spin out for over 15 minutes! CD

A searing live performance from this brilliant Japanese trumpeter – working here at the height of his stretched-out, open-ended powers – but with a style that's a bit more inside than some of his work from the start of the 70s! Hino really shows himself to be a great leader here – working with a group that includes Hideo Miyata on tenor, Kiyoshi Sugimoto on guitar, and Fumio Itabashi on some especially great Fender Rhodes and piano – a wonderful player who really gives the album a solid grounding, which then allows the horn players to really soar! Hino's really finding his voice here – growing into one of the best trumpet talents of his generation – and this second volume features two long tracks, "Speak To Loneliness" and "Round Midnight". CD

A really obscure session for the Japo label – with Ken Hyder on drums, Marcio Mattos and John Lawrence on bass, Davie Webster on alto, John Rangecroft on tenor, Ricardo Mattos on soprano, tenor, and flute – and some occasional vocals from Phil Monton and Maggie Nichols! LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet SoCal groover from Cecil Lyde – recorded in LA in the early 80s, with a great mix of funky club and mellow soul modes! Cecil's got a great ear for the grittier side of California funk at the time – tunes that still use the heavy bass and keyboards of mainstream work from the period, but which manages to make the grooves come out with a lot more punch, and a heck of a lot of feeling – a bit like some of the best indie club that was still coming out of the New York underground. The ballads are great too – with a spacier, more laidback feel that shows a warmer, more seductive side of Cecil's vocals – one that balances nicely with the bolder sound of the funk numbers, in a way that almost reminds us of Bootsy in the late 70s, but a lot less polished overall! Titles include "Stone Free (Freak With Me)", "I'm So Glad I Found Your Love", "More Love", "Is That The Way To Your Heart", "Money's Funny", "Keep Dancin", and "Million Dollar Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet SoCal groover from Cecil Lyde – recorded in LA in the early 80s, with a great mix of funky club and mellow soul modes! Cecil's got a great ear for the grittier side of California funk at the time – tunes that still use the heavy bass and keyboards of mainstream work from the period, but which manages to make the grooves come out with a lot more punch, and a heck of a lot of feeling – a bit like some of the best indie club that was still coming out of the New York underground. The ballads are great too – with a spacier, more laidback feel that shows a warmer, more seductive side of Cecil's vocals – one that balances nicely with the bolder sound of the funk numbers, in a way that almost reminds us of Bootsy in the late 70s, but a lot less polished overall! Titles include "Stone Free (Freak With Me)", "I'm So Glad I Found Your Love", "More Love", "Is That The Way To Your Heart", "Money's Funny", "Keep Dancin", and "Million Dollar Love". CD

A sweet SoCal groover from Cecil Lyde – recorded in LA in the early 80s, with a great mix of funky club and mellow soul modes! Cecil's got a great ear for the grittier side of California funk at the time – tunes that still use the heavy bass and keyboards of mainstream work from the period, but which manages to make the grooves come out with a lot more punch, and a heck of a lot of feeling – a bit like some of the best indie club that was still coming out of the New York underground. The ballads are great too – with a spacier, more laidback feel that shows a warmer, more seductive side of Cecil's vocals – one that balances nicely with the bolder sound of the funk numbers, in a way that almost reminds us of Bootsy in the late 70s, but a lot less polished overall! Titles include "Stone Free (Freak With Me)", "I'm So Glad I Found Your Love", "More Love", "Is That The Way To Your Heart", "Money's Funny", "Keep Dancin", and "Million Dollar Love". CD

Stone flute, or stoned flute, the album's got a really laidback feel – a sound that's very open-ended, and quite different from some of the crossover classics Herbie Mann was cutting a few short years before! The record's got the darkly brooding feel of some of his other work on the Vortex label – and features a subtle blend of softly-blown flute with guitar from Sonny Sharrock, vibes from Roy Ayers, and bass from either Miroslav Vitous or Ron Carter. There's some light added strings on most tracks, but they're arranged by William S Fischer – in ways that make them more sly sense of darkness in the background than standard sleepy accompaniment. Herbie and Fischer are a perfect combination here, one that makes for a surprising degree of depth – on titles that include "Waltz For My Son", "Miss Free Spirit", "Flying", "In Tangier", and "Pendulum". LP, Vinyl record album

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Music by Foghat, Deep Purple, Foreigner, Faces, Alice Cooper, Boston, Grand Funk Railroad, Jefferson Starship, Kiss, Blue Oyster Cult, Mott The Hoople, and more – 40 tracks total. CD

Rare and previously unreleased magic from the Memphis soul scene of the late 60s & early 70s – the third release in Kent's compilation series of gems from the Sounds Of Memphis and XL labels – possibly the rarest collection to date! The numbers here have a proudly southern soul groove at the core, but there's a breadth of styles and deep well of talent at play and this set really gets at the heart of it. Many of the tracks here are on par with the best known southern soul of the era and are as effective as the biggest hits – and we're hearing most of it for the first time! Soulful numbers from singers and groups alike – great stuff by The Minits, George Jackson, The Ovations, Erma Shaw, Willie Walker and many more. We keep thinking that the vaults will empty out, but Kent keeps digging more Sounds Of Memphis treasures – here's hoping it continues! 22 tracks in all: "If You Never See Me" and "Run Around" by Willie Walker, "Hook Line & Sinker" and "Lover Boy" by The Minits, "How Can I Get Next To You" (alternate vocal) and "Love Trying To Come" by George Jackson, "You're Slipping Away" and "Take A Look At Yourself" by Dan Greer, "Guessing Game" by Jimi Hall, "The Plumber" by The Ovations and more. CD

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The stellar Immediate Records anthology of some of best early era Small Faces work – assembled hastily after Steve Marriott ditched the group following Ogden's Nut Gone Flake – and really a strong document of the great Brit r&b-reared rockers gone psychedelic! This era of Small Faces work has always had a spotty record of availability in the CD era – and it's great to see this one that's completely true to the original 2LP version! Tracks include "Here Come The Nice", "The Autumn Stone", "All Or Nothing", "Call It Something Nice", "Sha La La La Lee", "Rollin' Over" (live), "Every Little Bit Hurts" (live), "Tin Soldier", "Itchypoo Park", "Wham Bam Thank You Mam" and more. CD

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Med Flory and Lanny Morgan on alto saxophone, Jack Nimitz on baritone saxophone, Ray Reed and Jay Migliori on tenor saxophone, Conte Candoli on trumpet, Lou Levy on piano, Monty Budwig on bass, and John (Jake) Hanna and Larance Marable on drums. CD

Covers from the Cure, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Body Count, Seal and Jeff Beck, Nigel Kennedy, the Pretenders, PM Dawn, Belly, Living Colour, Pat Metheny, and more. CD

With Art Davis on trumpet. CD

A mysterious bit of group soul from the 70s scene – a record that's full of original material, and delivered in a style that's very much like the best New Jersey and Philly indie sides from the start of the decade! By that, we mean that the group's a little rough around the edges – and we mean that in the best way possible, because the set eschews some of the more commercial styles that were coming up in the big disco year of 1976 – and instead goes for a stripped-down sort of vibe that really lets all the charm of the vocals come through! And although you might guess that the title track is a remake of a tune by the Chi-Lites – it's not, and that cut and most of the others are originals done for the album – titles that include "Like I Do", "Rich Man Alone", "I'm Gonna Be A Star", "When I Met You At The Circus", "Patience", "The Outsider", and "Stone Out Of Your Mind". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

One of the coolest albums ever issued from this all-star group – a 50th anniversary tribute to two classic albums from 1969 – In A Silent Way by Miles Davis, and Stand by Sly & The Family Stone! The pairing is a great one – as Miles was listening to a lot of Sly in the late 60s, and the Family Stone were a key part of the SF scene at the time – but the group here makes the whole thing come across as way more than just a recasting of classics – because, like other tributes to their inspirations, the Collective have a really strong way of making things completely their own! Sly tracks alternate with Miles numbers – and vocals are handled by Martin Luther McCoy, who's worked with The Roots – in a group that also includes Warren Wolf on vibes, David Sanchez on tenor, Etienne Charles on trumpet, Adam Rogers on guitar, and Edward Simon on piano. The vocal tracks are nice and long – with a lot more jazz instrumentation than vocals – and titles include "I Want To Take You Higher", "Sex Machine", "In A Silent Way/It's About That Time", "Everyday People", 'You Can Make It If You Try", "Shh/Peaceful", and "Sing A Simple Song". CD

More classic blues than you could hope to shake a stick at – a 2CD set that features 50 tunes from Muddy's famous years at Chess Records! The set's brimming over with good stuff – classic and obscure numbers alike, going way past a simple "greatest hits" set. Titles include "Long Distance Call", "Evan's Shuffle", "Appealing Blues", "Rollin Stone", "Sad Letter Blues", "Kind Hearted Woman", "I Can't Be Satisfied", "Mean Disposition", "Good Lookin Woman", "Little Geneva", "Canary Bird", "Rollin & Tumblin (parts 1 & 2)", "Lonesome Day", "Stuff You Gotta Watch", and "All Night Long". 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

Includes music by Parliament, Chakachas, Curtis Mayfield, Funkadelic, Sound Experience, Cameo, Salsoul Orchestra, Marva Whitney, Leon Huff, the Jones Girls, and more – 30 tracks total. CD

Fantastic live material from a very unique group – the instantly-legendary meeting of reedman Peter Brotzmann with the leading lights of the Chicago avant jazz scene in the 90s – brought together into a tremendous tentet that's maybe even better than the sum of its parts! The group features Brotzmann on tenor and clarinet, Ken Vandermark on tenor and bass clarinet, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Fred Lomberg-Holm on cello and violin, Michael Zerang and Hamid Drake on drums, Kent Kessler on bass – and "honorary Chicagoan" Mats Gustafsson on tenor and flutophone, plus Toshinori Kondo on trumpet and electronics, and William Parker on bass. Phew, that's one heck of a lineup – the kind that rivals some of the European or British improvising ensembles of decades past – but one that has its own very specific flavor, and a sound that's brimming over with youth – so much so that the non-Chicago guests really seem to gain inspiration from the core. This Okka disc set captures the band live at the 16th Victoriaville Festival in 1999. LP, Vinyl record album

One of James' best, and a killer funky track with a great riff by the JBs! Both parts are excellent, and the track never stops grooving! The 45 mix is different than the LP, too! 7-inch, Vinyl record

... Cassette

One of Antonio Carlos Jobim's greatest records – and a perfect blend of his subtle bossa genius with the moody electric sound of CTI! Jobim plays electric and acoustic piano, guitar, and sings a bit – and Deodato handled the arrangements with a breezy brilliance that matches all the magic of Jobim's wonderful compositions, but gives them a slightly more fluid feel too – in a way that's somewhat more sophisticated than the sound of Jobim's previous CTI outings – Tide and Wave. Other players on the album include Joe Farrell on soprano sax, Hubert Laws on flute, and Airto on percussion – and there's a great mix of Brazilian and American styles on the set – electric, sinister, breezy, and always wonderful! Includes the titles "Sabia", "God & The Devil In The Land Of The Sun", "Children's Games", "Stone Flower", "Brazil", "Tereza My Love", and "Choro". Plus, this CD reissue features an alternate take of the song "Brazil". CD

One of Antonio Carlos Jobim's greatest records – and a perfect blend of his subtle bossa genius with the moody electric sound of CTI! Jobim plays electric and acoustic piano, guitar, and sings a bit – and Deodato handled the arrangements with a breezy brilliance that matches all the magic of Jobim's wonderful compositions, but gives them a slightly more fluid feel too – in a way that's somewhat more sophisticated than the sound of Jobim's previous CTI outings – Tide and Wave. Other players on the album include Joe Farrell on soprano sax, Hubert Laws on flute, and Airto on percussion – and there's a great mix of Brazilian and American styles on the set – electric, sinister, breezy, and always wonderful! Includes the titles "Sabia", "God & The Devil In The Land Of The Sun", "Children's Games", "Stone Flower", "Brazil", "Tereza My Love", and "Choro". Plus, this CD reissue features an alternate take of the song "Brazil". CD

One of Antonio Carlos Jobim's greatest records – and a perfect blend of his subtle bossa genius with the moody electric sound of CTI! Jobim plays electric and acoustic piano, guitar, and sings a bit – and Deodato handled the arrangements with a breezy brilliance that matches all the magic of Jobim's wonderful compositions, but gives them a slightly more fluid feel too – in a way that's somewhat more sophisticated than the sound of Jobim's previous CTI outings – Tide and Wave. Other players on the album include Joe Farrell on soprano sax, Hubert Laws on flute, and Airto on percussion – and there's a great mix of Brazilian and American styles on the set – electric, sinister, breezy, and always wonderful! Includes the titles "Sabia", "God & The Devil In The Land Of The Sun", "Children's Games", "Stone Flower", "Brazil", "Tereza My Love", and "Choro". Plus, this CD reissue features an alternate take of the song "Brazil". CD

A really compelling mix of folk roots and deeper soul – served up here by one of the most unique artists we've heard in years! Valerie June is really carving out some unique territory here – singing and playing guitar at a level that feels rooted in Appalachia, but also sometimes stepping into some headier sounds that are more soul or funk-based as well – a really surprising brew that comes off surprisingly well throughout! Valerie's getting production help from Kevin Augunas and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys – both of whom play and sing on the record too – along with some guest organ work from Booker T. Titles include "Wanna Be On Your Mind", "Pushin Against A Stone", "Trials Troubles Tribulations", "Twined & Twisted", "The Hour", "Somebody To Love", and "Workin Woman Blues". CD

Stone flute, or stoned flute, the album's got a really laidback feel – a sound that's very open-ended, and quite different from some of the crossover classics Herbie Mann was cutting a few short years before! The record's got the darkly brooding feel of some of his other work on the Vortex label – and features a subtle blend of softly-blown flute with guitar from Sonny Sharrock, vibes from Roy Ayers, and bass from either Miroslav Vitous or Ron Carter. There's some light added strings on most tracks, but they're arranged by William S Fischer – in ways that make them more sly sense of darkness in the background than standard sleepy accompaniment. Herbie and Fischer are a perfect combination here, one that makes for a surprising degree of depth – on titles that include "Waltz For My Son", "Miss Free Spirit", "Flying", "In Tangier", and "Pendulum". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of The Maestro's true materpieces! Fragile, sexy, sinful soul, held together by interwoven strings and keyboard lines, with Barry's voice over the top like rich cream on a sweet piece of cake. Includes the long versions of "Honey Please, Can't Ya See" and "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up", plus "Hard To Believe That I Found You". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing look at the early years of Sly Stone – a hip array of rare projects Sly recorded with other artists, plus a few pre-Columbia gems of his own! The package is beautifully put together, and the vibe here is definitely a great precursor to the famous sound of Sly with the Family Stone in the late 60s – a perfect illustration of his early ear for funky rhythms and some of the most righteous soul of his generation! And oddly, even artists who usually sound far from Stone come out definitely sounding a bit Sly-like here – and the package features the usual Ace great notes, to help you understand where all this great music's coming from. Titles include "Danse A La Musique" by The French Fries, "I'm Going Home (part 1)" and "Home Sweet Home (part 2)" by Joe Hicks, "You're The One (parts 1 & 2)" by Little Sister, "Life & Death In G & A" by Abaco Dream, "I'm Just Like You" by 61X, "Underdog" by The Beau Brummels, "Can't She Tell" by Billy Preston, "LSD" by Freddie & The Stone Souls, "Stanga" by Little Sister, "I Remember" by Sly & Billy Preston, "Superfunk" by Freddie & The Stone Souls, and the cuts "For Real (demo)", "I Can't Turn You Loose", "Life Of Fortune & Fame", "You Really Got Me (demo)", and "I Ain't Got Nobody" by Sly Stone himself! CD

... CD

Features Eric Alexander on tenor! CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

We couldn't think of a better way to describe the sound of Slave than "stone jam"! The band's got a bass-heavy groove, mixed with a lot of soul, in a style that was often copied by many groups in the 80s, but never equalled. The real strength in the band was their songwriting – always fresh, and never too overindulgent in the funky elements. The vocals are tight and soulful, and the restriction of the funky bits makes for some nicely compressed grooves. Steve Arrington's on lead vocals – and tracks include "Watching You", "Never Get Away", "Stone Jam", "Feel My Love", and "Let's Spend Some Time". LP, Vinyl record album

Joe Tex is definitely not without funk on this sweet little set – a smoking TK Records session that carries strongly from the vibe of his "I Gotcha" years! Longtime producer Buddy Killen is still on deck to keep everything tight and right – a mix of Joe's southern soul roots with some sharper elements of the 70s – served up here at a level that may well be one of the most perfect blends of all the great Joe Tex styles – even though the record itself has kind of a hokey title and cover (which seems to have a bunch of white folks, obviously "without funk", ready to throw stones at Tex!) Joe wrote all the lyrics himself, and the few mellow moments have a wonderfully heartbreaking quality. Titles include "Loose Caboose", "Finger Popped Myself Into The Poor House", "How Do You Spell Relief", and "Who Gave Birth To The Funk". CD

A heady batch of work from the Miami scene of the 70s – all of it from the legendary TK Records family of labels, headed up by superproducer Henry Stone! Over the years, some folks have taken Henry to task for his operational strategies – but there's no denying that he's a key figure in helping the sound of the south move from the 60s into the 70s – picking up plenty of funk and sophistication along the way! The set's overflowing with classics from Stone's empire at the time – including many cuts that have been sampled or reworked heavily in recent decades – titles that include "I'm Too Tough For Mr Big Stuff" by Vicki Anderson, "Miami Funk" by The Funky Bunch, "Cramp Your Style" by All The People, "Keep It Up" by Milton Wright, "Sleep On Dream On" by Raphael Munnings, "Smokin & Drinkin" by James Brown, "Miss Hot Stuff" by Clarence Reid, "The Rub" by George & Gwen McCrae, "Funkadelic Sound" by Little Beaver, "Future Place" by Jimmy Castor, "I Like My Birdie" by Leon Phillips, "Throwdown" by The King Tutt Band, "Back From The Dead" by Bobby Byrd, "Shake N Bump (part 1)" by Snoopy Dean, and "You're The Song I've Always Wanted To Sing" by Timmy Thomas. LP, Vinyl record album