The third soundtrack that Vince Guaraldi did for The Peanuts TV specials – and maybe the best so far! There's a depth to the music that's wonderful – as Vince's combo works alongside some occasional larger orchestrations by John Scott Trotter, which are still arranged by Guaraldi – and the core combo adds in the guitar of John Gray, trumpet of Emanuel Klein, and sax and flute of Ronald Lang – the last of which is a particularly expressive sound on the record! The whole thing's worth it alone for "The Great Pumpkin Waltz" – which captures that perfect mix of melancholy and groove that was Guaraldi at his best – and the set also features maybe the best version ever of "Linus & Lucy", thanks to some flute – plus "Trick Or Treat", "Breathless", "Graveyard Theme", "Snoopy & The Leaf/Freida", and "The Charlie Brown Theme". CD features a whopping 24 tracks in all, with some great alternates and other material – much more than the previous CD! CD

About as classic as you can get for the legendary John Lee Hooker – a set of recordings from his early postwar years that perfectly define the special touch and electric genius of his music! The sound here is often as spare as rural acoustic blues from years back – but Hooker's using an electric instrument with a nice current of fuzz, which almost acts like a louder, fuller chorus behind his vocals – often hinting at feedback possibilities, which creates this hypnotic quality to the music – whether or not John's grooving high, or stepping low! And the vocals are something equally wonderful, too – sung and hum at the same time, in that classic Hooker way – again a huge influence on so many others to come. Japanese CD features 24 tracks in all! CD

The title sounds a bit ambitious, but the album's actually a great intimate date from Carmen McRae – a beautifully-recorded small combo performance – caught live at Donte's in LA, with a sound that hearkens back to some of Carmen's best work of the 50s! The format is spare and simple – backing by a quartet that features Joe Pass on guitar, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Chuck Domanico on bass, and Chuck Flores on drums – all grooving with a light and lively touch behind Carmen's wonderful vocals – served up here with a lot more freedom than she was getting on most of her studio dates from the time. The "great American songbook" is really just a catch-all for a very wide variety of work included on the record – and the album's hardly the staid "songbook" sort of album you'd guess from the title. Instead, Carmen really opens herself up to a lot of great tunes, from classic to contemporary – with titles that include "Three Little Words", "Glad To Be Unhappy", "The Ballad Of Thelonious Monk", "Behind The Face", "Sunday", "Day By Day", "If The Moon Turns Green", "At Long Last Love", and "A Song For You". CD features a few bonus tracks too! CD

Francois Cahen on electric piano and Yochk'o Seffer on tenor and sporanino saxophone, piano, flute and vocals. CD

A really wonderful later project from the legendary poet Allen Ginsberg – a set put together by Hal Willner, and one that may well be better than any of his previous efforts to blend together words and music! The tunes often still have that hypnotic quality of Ginsberg's earlier recordings, but maybe with less of a hippie sense of self-consciousness – more understated, and handled by a very hip lineup of downtown New York players who include Steve Swallow on bass, Gary Window on tenor, Beaver Harris on drums, and Marc Ribot, Arto Lindsay, and Bill Frisell on guitars! Titles include "Scribble", "Complaint Of The Skeleton To Time", "The Shrouded Stranger", "Cleveland The Flats", "The End", "Sunset", and "The Lion For Real". This expanded 2LP version has been completely remixed and remastered – and includes eight songs not on the original album! LP, Vinyl record album

A groundbreaking fusion of Indian styles and 80s pop modes – served up here with the young Sheila Chandra on vocals, and a wonderful blend of sitars, tablas, percussion, and catchy UK electro modes! The album's a great calling card for the post-colonial generation – and maybe has more to recommend it to the mainstream radio play crowd than just the world music underground – as Chandra and crew really knock things out of the park for a new generation – unafraid of their roots, but also in love with some of the fresher UK modes of the time! Titles include "Wings Of The Dawn", "Kashmir", "Ever So Lonely", "Tomorrow Never Knows", "Eyes", "Shakti", "And I You", and "Watchers Of The Night". Great 2CD version – with a full bonus CD that includes 14 mixes from various singles, including some 1990 Ben Chapman remixes – plus other bonus tracks that includes the unreleased "With Your Love", the cuts "Sunset Over The Ganges", "Mirror Of Your Mind", "Shout Til You're Heard", and "Ever So Lonely (EP version)" – and four never-released Capitol Radio tracks from 1982! CD

Great mature work from Junko Ohashi – a set that's done well into her long run as one of the best Japanese singers of her generation – working here in modes that really show just how much she's grown as an artist! Most of the tracks are written by Ken Sato and Machiko Ryu – who give Ohashi some really wonderful material to work with, in grooves that often echo some of the changes that were coming into the Japanese scene at the time – especially some influences from UK soul that are maybe a few years before the generation of Monday Michiru and other younger singers. There's some interesting use of English language on the choruses for some tunes – and titles include "Tokyo Calling", "Snow Fall", "The Power of The City", "April Morning", and "You Can Love Someone". LP, Vinyl record album

It's definitely 1988 on this album from Junko Ohashi – as the singer's making use of a lot of the best currents that had been showing up in American soul of the time – especially the early years of the new jack generation who mixed in heavier beats with R&B-styled production! Junko's got a voice that's more than up to the challenge of these bolder arrangements – which really gives the record a vibe that stands out from the pack, especially next to some of the lighter pop of the Japanese scene in the 80s. Some of the best cuts almost show a Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis inspiration – and titles include "Reaction", "Panorama", and "Sleepless Heart" – plus other titles in Japanese. LP, Vinyl record album

An album with a dreamy cover image, but one that comes across with a nicely down to earth vibe – really well-crafted arrangements from Hiroshi Satoh, who does a great job of shaping the music for the vocals of Yoichi Takizawa! There's a number of fusion players in the lineup – including the great saxophonists Jake Conception and Takeru Muraoka – and Satoh himself plays keyboards throughout, and really gives the record this warmly jazzy vibe – tight, but never too commercial – which really fits the warmth of Yoichi's vocals and original lyrics. Titles include "New Caledonia", "Last Story", "Marina Highway", "Saishu Bus", "Memorandum", "Leonids No Katana Ni", and "High Up To The Sky". LP, Vinyl record album

A deep dive into the Japanese scene of the 90s – featuring music at a point when things were really moving past some of the more familiar city pop styles of the decade before! The cuts here have all sorts of great elements coming in – a bit of an influence from R&B sounds from both the US and UK, but and also some of the cooler, clubbier elements that would soon open up a whole generation of more underground J-Groove artists to come! All the work within is from the Sony family of labels, and given the time the tracks were released, many didn't ever get pressed up on vinyl – something that makes this 2LP set an even greater treasure. Features work from Sing Like Talking, Cindy, Toko Furuuchi, Caoli Cano, Moomin, The Chang, Gospellers, Magokoro Bros, Mutsumi Inoue, Eiko Hiraiwa, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderfully folksy rock from this obscure Japanese group – an early 70s combo that included Harumi Hosono, years before his more electronic work! The sound of the album borrows a lot from the best of America's late 60s underground folk rock scene – and the production's an amazing blend of compressed guitars, slightly funky bass, and a nice spacious sense of arrangement that creates a surprising amount of soul. Vocals are mostly in Japanese, but sung in a mode that's so compelling, it hardly matters what they're saying – and the tunes themselves are catchy as heck! LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal bit of Japanese rock from the early 70s – performed by a group that included Haruomi Hosono, and who has a style that borrows from the best of the LA scene of the late 60s! The tunes are extremely catchy – done in a folksy style that has compressed guitars and spacious production that evoke bits of The Byrds, Graham Parsons, Beau Brummels, late Association, and some of our other favorite work from those magical years. Lyrics are all in Japanese, but sung in a simple and compelling style that somehow makes you forget that fact! LP, Vinyl record album

A late 70s charmer from Taeko Onuki – and a set that mixes in some warmly jazzy elements that really make her vocals shine! The album's partly arranged by Ryuichi Sakamoto, but we almost prefer the other arrangements, handled by Seo Ichizo – which bring up those jazzy currents, and really help set the record apart from more mainstream Japanese work of the period – using bits of fusion to give Taeko some of the sparkle you might hear on a record by Kimiko Kasai! Lyrics are in Japanese, and titles include "Tasogare", "Jajauma Musume", "Totsuzen No Okurimono", "Umi To Shounen", and "Akogare". LP, Vinyl record album

Ryuchi Sakamoto opens up a new world here with his music – on a set that was not only a big international hit, but which also features a fair bit of overseas artists as well! There's some really surprising appearances here – including Bootsy Collins and Bill Laswell on basses, Sly Dunbar and Tony Williams on drums, and even Iggy Pop on vocals on one track too! The tunes are a mix of more upbeat, catchy numbers with some of the mellower, more ambient currents in Sakamoto's palette – and the set really opened the door to interest in music from the Japanese scene for global listeners who'd somehow been missing all the earlier great work in the 80s. Titles include "Risky", which has Iggy on vocals – plus "Parata", "Okinawa Song", "After All", "Free Trading", "Neo Geo", and "Before Long". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's got a vibe that's very much like the 80s-styled image on the cover – sweet Japanese fusion from the time, served up with plenty of keyboard work from Katsumi Horii – next to guitar from Hirokuni Korekata, who seems to get just as much space in the mix as the keyboards! There's other jazz players on the set too – including the great saxophonist Hidefumi Toki – yet the record also uses very contemporary rhythms borrowed from R&B, with drum patterns that bump things up from the bottom, while the electric instrumentation soars over the top! Titles include "Hot Is Cool", "Can't Go Back Tonight", "And My Party Began", "Non-Stop Paradise", "Alone At Last", and "Holy Sunset". LP, Vinyl record album

A mighty nice album from Japanese keyboardist Hiroshi Sato – and a set that's full of surprises throughout! The record begins in territory that's almost like some of the ambient Japanese work to come, but then moves into more fusion-based modes that warm things up very nicely – especially when Hiroshi provides a bit of vocals of his own! And the record also has vocals from Wendy Matthews on a number of tracks too – a soulful singer who really opens up the tunes she's on with some lyrics that make the record come across with plenty of AOR charms. Other cuts occasionally step into more 80s-based modes, especially when Sato uses some Linn drums for the rhythms – and titles include "Blue & Moody Music", "I Can't Wait", "Love & Peace", "Only A Love Affair", "Awakening", "It Isn't Easy", and "You're My Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most personal albums we've ever heard from Akiko Yano – a really lovely set that has her working mostly with just piano alongside her vocals – which creates a sense of intimacy that really sets the record apart from some of Yano's other projects! If you've ever thought that Yano was all charm and quirk on some of her records, you'll be really surprised at the approach here – as she's very open and honest, delivering these tunes with a quality that's really stunning – especially given the large hall that was used to record both the piano and the vocals. Titles include a great English language reading of The Rascals' classic "How Can I Be Sure" – and all other tunes are in Japanese, with titles that include "Super Folk Song", "Someday", and "More & More Amor". LP, Vinyl record album

A 70s classic from Izumi Yukimura – a key Japanese cultural figure who was known as much for her work on the screen as for her recordings as a singer! Here, Izumi sings the music of Ryoichi Hattori, but with some help from younger talents who really open up the groove – including Haruomi Hosono, Shigeru Suzuki, and Masataka Matsutoya! The vibe is quite unique – almost a merging of generations, but with a slight cinematic mode as well – which makes for a very inventive style on titles that include "Hey Hey Boogie", "Ginza Kankan Musume", "Ippai No Coffee Kara", "Tokyo No Yane No Shita", and "Bara No Lumba". LP, Vinyl record album

An album that definitely lives up to its title – given the great change and evolution in the style of Cannonball Adderley's music – definitely pointed towards the soul jazz fame to come in the 60s! The group here has Adderley's alto in the company of some all-stars who may not be his regular group, but who definitely help keep the whole thing at a top-shelf level throughout – a quintet that features Milt Jackson on vibes, Wynton Kelly on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Art Blakey on drums. There's still a few echoes of Cannon's earlier bop recordings, but the sound is also moving towards the new modes to come – especially on the classic title cut "Things Are Getting Better". Other cuts include "Just One Of Those Things", "Sounds For Sid", "Groovin High", "Serves Me Right", and "Blues Oriental". CD includes two alternate takes. CD

Really wonderful work from a perfectly-matched trio – an all-star lineup, even though pianist Geri Allen was just at the start of her career – and a group who'd already given the world a few different studio albums on other labels! The set follows up with more material from the group's sessions for DIW at the Village Vanguard – and trust us, the material here is every bit as great as the work that was first issued decades back – a perfect balance between the lyrical flights of Geri Allen on the piano, the warmly round basslines of Charlie Haden, and the measured drum work of Paul Motian – a set that's free of ego, and which really has all three players working in wonderfully sympathetic company. Titles include "Fiasco", "In Walked Bud", "Obtuse Angles", "Two Women From Padua", "Mambo Jumbo", "Song For The Whales", "Dance Of Infidels", "Dancing In The Dark", and "I Didn't Know What Time It Was". CD

A classic compilation – and we can't get enough of Horace Andy's sweet falsetto keening over these chugging, fat rhythms! A tremendous set of sides Andy cut in the mid-70s, packaged together with a few of the cuts in dub versions – all from a period when Horace was really hitting new heights in his music. While Andy cut many seminal sides for Coxsonne Dodd's Studio One – this work, some of it in collaboration with the great Bunny Striker Lee, stands among his best – and also often features Horace with firm creative control. Titles include "Serious Thing (a serious version)", "Skylarking (a better version)", "Reggae Rhythm (it's gone internationally)", "Youths Of Today (Jah Youths)", "Don't Let Problems Get You Down (No Problem)", "Mr Bassie (discomix)", "Pure Ranking (discomix)", "Good Vibes (dub vibes)", "Ital Vital (Ital Ites dubwise)", and "Control Yourself (version under control)". LP, Vinyl record album

Brazilian fusion from Denmark – a really wonderful set from this cool Scandinavian combo! The record feels a fair bit like some of the Brazilian jazz coming out of the west coast of the US during the 70s – soaring, soulful, and put together with a breezy brilliance that almost takes off into hipper new directions than work coming out from Brazil at the time. And like most of that other work, this album's a hip mix of acoustic and electric jazz elements – great keyboards folded in alongside tenor sax, bass, and percussion – and topped with vocals on a few cuts too! There's a nicely free sense to the rhythms – but one that's never too open-ended – and for comparison's sake, the material also feels a bit like some of the best grooves on the early volumes of the Glucklich series on Compost. Titles include "Black Wing", "The Girl With Three Faces", "Would You", "When I Close My Eyes", "7:47 To Rio",a nd "From Dusk Towards Dawn". As a huge bonus, the CD also features 7 more tracks – the girl's previously unreleased album Children Of The Sun – with titles that include "Loneliness", "Jacuma Blue", "Nonsense", "Treasures", and "When You Walked Out On Me". CD

A third great chapter in the career of the mighty Steve Arrington – a solo debut, after work in the groups Slave and Hall Of Fame – and a set that has Arrington maybe shining even more than ever in the spotlight! Rhythms are a bit more mid 80s than his previous work – but Steve's way of handling beats, basslines, and keyboards is every bit as funky as before – and his enthusiasm on the vocals brings a sort of warmth to the record that really knock away so much of the thinner soul on the charts! Arrington keeps things nice and lean – in a good way, which lets you know he's in charge – and titles include the anthemic title track "Dancin In The Key Of Life" – plus "Gasoline", "Stand With Me", "Turn Up The Love", "Brown Baby Boy", "Feel So Real", and "She Just Don't Know". CD features five bonus tracks – "Feel So Real (voc ext)", "Feel So Real (inst ext)", "Dancin In The Key Of Life (special rmx)", "Dancin In The Key Of Life (megamix)", and "Dancin In The Key Of Life (Timmy Regisford & Boyd Jarvis rmx)". CD

A great solo classic from Steve Arrington – who continued to make excellent music long after leaving Slave, thanks to records like this! The Hall Of Fame sound is almost a refinement of the earlier Slave groove – a bit more focused and stripped down for the 80s, with a definite emphasis on the basslines – and an approach to funk that's equally well-suited to pick up some ears from early hip hop listeners too! The whole thing comes off perfectly – tight, but never too commercial – and lean, but never with a fake "street" sort of sound to get in the way. Titles include "Nobody Can Beat You", "You Meet My Approval", "Speak With Your Body", "Weak At The Knees", "Beddie Biey", and "Way Out". CD

One of the key records that helped establish the genius of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago at the end of the 60s – a session that was recorded on the Paris scene, where the early quartet were really starting to rub shoulders with, and influence a range of different European players – maybe no surprise, when you hear the brilliance of an album like this! There's a bit more bite here than on some of the more spacious AEC performances overseas – really bold energy that comes across on the first few minutes of the record, which have this wonderfully righteous quality – augmented by shouts and calls – on tunes that maybe also have a bit more structure than some other material from the period too. The session was recorded at the Saravah studios, and seems to echo some of the criss-crossing experiments of that famous spot – heard on the Ensemble's classic album with Brigitte Fontaine – and the set features a magnificent mish-mash of sounds from Lester Bowie on trumpet, Malachi Favors on bass, both Joseph Jarman and Roscoe Mitchell on a variety of saxes and reeds, and the whole group on percussion! The set features the tracks "Old Time Religion", "Dexterity", "Rock Out", and the side-long "A Brain For The Seine" – which covers the whole second half of the record, and really sets the tone for the group's experiments to come. CD

One of the key records that helped establish the genius of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago at the end of the 60s – a session that was recorded on the Paris scene, where the early quartet were really starting to rub shoulders with, and influence a range of different European players – maybe no surprise, when you hear the brilliance of an album like this! There's a bit more bite here than on some of the more spacious AEC performances overseas – really bold energy that comes across on the first few minutes of the record, which have this wonderfully righteous quality – augmented by shouts and calls – on tunes that maybe also have a bit more structure than some other material from the period too. The session was recorded at the Saravah studios, and seems to echo some of the criss-crossing experiments of that famous spot – heard on the Ensemble's classic album with Brigitte Fontaine – and the set features a magnificent mish-mash of sounds from Lester Bowie on trumpet, Malachi Favors on bass, both Joseph Jarman and Roscoe Mitchell on a variety of saxes and reeds, and the whole group on percussion! The set features the tracks "Old Time Religion", "Dexterity", "Rock Out", and the side-long "A Brain For The Seine" – which covers the whole second half of the record, and really sets the tone for the group's experiments to come. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest records ever – a sublime blend of African percussion, soulful orchestrations, and Dorothy Ashby's amazing electric harp! By the time of this landmark album, Dorothy had been knocking around the jazz world for a number of years, but it wasn't until she hooked up with Richard Evans at Cadet Records that her sound really began to cook – breaking down genres and expectations in the trademark style of the best late 60s sides from the Chicago underground. The record's got a bit of funk, a bit of jazz, and a heck of a lot of soul – and the setting works perfectly for Dorothy's harp, giving it a lot more room to work around than some of her smaller jazz combo albums. The album includes two great originals – "Soul Vibrations" and "Afro-Harping" – both of which have a nice funky edge, and a groovy soulful bounce – and other tunes include "Lonely Girl", "Life Has Its Trials", "Look Of Love", "Come Live With Me", and a great version of Freddie Hubbard's "Little Sunflower". Great new version – completely remastered from the original tapes – with 8 never-issued bonus tracks, all alternate takes of album tunes – plus a new booklet of notes! CD

Three full albums from Atlantic Starr – with lots of bonus tracks too! All In The Name Of Love has Atlantic Star at the height of their catchy commercial fame – bouncing along with rhythms that crossover nicely to the mainstream, yet still keep a bit of their previous funky edge intact! The groove here is almost in the style that Atlantic Starr inspired in so many other younger groups in the earlier part of the 80s – although it's also a bit more polished too. Most instrumentation is electric, and tunes are mostly written by the team of David and Wayne Lewis – both of whom sing on the record. Barbara Weathers also handles female vocals, and titles include "Once Lover At A Time", "Let The Sun In", "My Mistake", "I'm In Love", "Always", "Don't Take Me For Granted", and a version of Sam Dees' "All In The Name Of Love". We're Moving Up is one of the last in a long run of 80s hits from Atlantic Starr – a group who were already moving up the soul charts before the release of the album! The set continues their move into commercial territory started a few records before, but it also shakes loose of some of the colder sounds of 80s soul – and picks up a somewhat warmer vibe on the keyboards and rhythms. Porscha Martin sings female vocals with the group, and titles include "Under Your Spell", "Love Ain't Fair", "Woman's Touch", "We're Movin Up", "My Sugar", "You Deserve The Best", and "Don't Start The Fire". Love Crazy is a set that's got a nice change in groove from Atlantic Starr – a sound that's still got a lot of their best elements intact, but which also seems to bring on some of the best elements that were being introduced by the British scene too! Rhythms at points are maybe more in the Soul II Soul or Lisa Stansfield modes – which makes for some great tunes that really reinvigorate the group and update them for a new jack generation, while still holding onto the charms of the past. A few moments get more in a mellow quiet storm sound – all with the balance that made earlier Atlantic Starr albums classics – on titles that include "Love Crazy", "Hold On", "Masterpiece", "Girl Your Love's So Fine", "I Can't Wait", "If You Knew What's Good For You", and "Come Lover". 3CD package features all albums in tiny LP-styled jackets – with bonus tracks that include "One Lover At A Time (ext)", "Always (edit)", "Let The Sun Shine IN (ext rmx)", "All In The Name Of Love (single)", "My First Love (ext)", "Bring It Back Home Again (Joe Smooth ext mix)", "My First Love (7" edit)", and "Bring It Back Home Again (Joe Smooth underground mix)". CD

Don't let the pot reference on the cover put you off, or give you the wrong sort of idea about the record – as the whole thing's tight, sharp, and pretty darn groovy – a wicked batch of blue-eyed soul from the Bay Area scene of the mid 70s, served up at a level that's not too far from some of the best work on Fantasy Records at the time! These guys are clearly a rock band, but have drunk up a heady brew of funk and soul – augmented in both the rhythm elements and the nice use of horns, as well as some of the great lead vocals from singer Paulette Collins! The record's a lost one, but definitely continues that great late 60s Bay Area mode of mixing soul and rock together in a very joyous way – on titles that include the funky sample cut "Mess Up Your Mind", plus "You Got Something", "Clap Your Hands", "First Taste Of Love", "Gonna Make It", "Sativa", "Don't You Worry", "Trying To Hold It Down", and "Skyrocket". This CD includes 3 bonus tracks: "Catch A Falling Star", "Evil That Brings You Down" and "It's A Feeling". CD

Five incredible albums from the legendary Roy Ayers – all presented in a single set! First up is Tear To A Smile – one of the best early soul albums by Roy Ayers! Roy's working here with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Edwin Birdsong, William Allen, Harry Whitaker, and other hip players – a perfect crew to forge Roy's unique blend of jazz and soul. This is perhaps the first record to really have Roy stretching out in this mode – moving more fully away from funky jazz, into a ream of vocal tracks that would make him one of the most unique artists of the 70s. This mid 70s period of Roy's career was remarkably fertile, creatively as well as for sheer productivity – and Tears To A Smile is one of them that shows some the most artistic growth, and also a deeper sense of soul! Features righteous cuts like "2000 Black", "Ebony Blaze", "Time & Space", and "A Tear To A Smile" – plus the mellow "Magic Lady", and a great remake of Earth Wind & Fire's "That's The Way Of The World". Next is Mystic Voyage – an archetypal album by Roy – and one that really shows him at the turning point! Gone are the trippier jazz funk moments of earlier albums – and in their place are some tight grooves and wonderfully spacey soul. Roy hits the dancefloor with one of his first uptempo funk numbers "Brother Green", a catchy groover with lots of clavinet, and the massive "Life Is Just A Moment", a storming 2-part number that rolls along with a pounding almost house-like groove. "Mystic Voyage" shows the sweet jazzy side of Roy – as it's a vibes-heavy instrumental with a light stepping groove, perfect for the mellow direction he'd take on other records. The album also features some great off-beat funk numbers that recall earlier albums – including the break-heavy "Spirit Of Doo Doo", plus "Funky Motion" and "The Black Five". Everybody Loves The Sunshine is one of Roy Ayers' biggest albums ever – and also one of his deepest, too! The whole thing's an incredible album of mellow jazzy soul – and it shows Roy at the crossroads, perfecting his earlier funk style with a sweet mellow R&B edge, getting a bit slicker, but still staying on the righteous path, and opening up a whole new bag in soul music. There's a wonderful electric vibe running through the record – not just from Roy's vibes, but from the Fender Rhodes and Arp work by Phillip Woo – and the amazing energy of the rest of the group too. Features the landmark title cut – "Everybody Loves The Sunshine", one of those tunes that becomes more and more of a classic each year – plus spiritual numbers like "Third Eye" , "Keep on Walking", and "The Golden Rod". Vibrations is fantastic – a set that tightens up the groove from previous Polydor productions, yet still keeps all the soul intact! The record picks up the style begun with the Mystic Voyage album, and pushes it to some slightly tighter territory – a more focused Roy Ayers sound that's totally great, and which makes the album sparkle wonderfully throughout! All aspects of Roy's talents are perfectly balanced here – his warm vocals and jazzy vibes, his uptempo grooves and mellower rhythms – played to perfection by a hip lineup of players that includes Philip Woo on electric piano, Justo Almario on tenor sax, and Steve Cobb on drums. Edwin Birdsong guests a bit on the record – bringing in a nice edge to a few tunes – the album's got a really unique dark undercurrent, even in smoother moments – that subtle Roy Ayers' approach that's always made him one of our all-time favorite artists. Titles include the wonderful jazz-tinged "Searching", a great midtempo stepper that we really love; the funky break track "The Memory", a righteous number that feels like work from earlier records; the clubby classic "One Sweet Love to Remember"; and the sweet instrumental "Vibrations", which has a mellow kickback feel! Other tunes include "Higher", "Domelo (Give It To Me)", "Baby I Need Your Love", and "Better Days". Last up is Lifeline – a sublime blend of mellow numbers and some of his more club-oriented grooves of the time – all wrapped together with a genius that we can only describe as Ayers-like! The album's a beautiful example of the balance that Roy was striking in his work at the time – because alongside some of the more upbeat, catchy numbers, there's other tracks that are a fair bit more laidback, and almost abstract at times – a wonderful extrapolation of that sensitive Ayers blend of jazz and soul, with key emphasis on the vibes and keyboards. Titles include the massive groover "Running Away" – which you'll recognize from a key sample history over the years – and club cuts "Cincinnati Growl", "Fruit", "Sanctified Feeling", and "Stranded In The Jungle" – plus the more laidback cuts "Gotta Find A Lover", "I Still Love You", "Lifeline", and "This Side Of Sunshine". Also features bonus tracks – "Evolution (7" mix)", "Domelo (7" mix)", and "Running Away (12" long version)". CD

A trio of great albums from Babe Ruth – plus bonus tracks too! First up is First Base – the debut of a group so great and so groovy, they ended up having a huge influence on the early sound of hip hop – thanks to a wonderfully funky sound at the core of their progressive rock groove! Babe Ruth have this rhythmic impulse that's really amazing – a way of working bass, drums, and percussion together with qualities that go way past just prog rock noodling – and have this focus that really fits the lead vocals and guitar of Alan Shacklock, who also handled all the arrangements for this mighty debut too! Titles include their classic cut "The Mexican" – a famous sample cut from way back, with nice use of acoustic guitar and a Morricone riff too – plus versions of Zappa's "King Kong" and Jesse Winchester's "Black Dog" – and the originals "Wells Fargo", "The Runaways", and "Joker". Next is Amar Caballero, an album with a horse on the cover, and a sound that's maybe even more soulful than the first mighty outing by Babe Ruth – quite a lot, given the strength of that debut! Female singer Jenny Haan seems to have an even greater presence here – working some nice currents of color through the group's great ability to riff, groove, and sometimes step into more acoustic modes – all while holding onto one of the hippest currents going in the Harvest Records scene – and one of the most unique as well! There's plenty of surprises throughout – and in addition to great cuts like "Broken Cloud", "Gimme Some Leg", "We Are Holding On", "Amar Caballo", and "Doctor Love" – the group also turn in a nicely offbeat remake of "Cool Jerk" too! Last up is the self-titled Babe Ruth, a set that really stands as a testament to their many musical influences! There's few groups who could ever hope to wrap together influences from Stax Records, Ennio Morricone, and Curtis Mayfield – and whole the whole thing could ever turn out well – but the mighty Babe Ruth do exactly that, and still find time for some of their own unique grooves as well! The group are every bit as groovy here as on their previous records – mixing fuzzy guitars, well-crafted rhythms, and a nicely compressed version of prog into an amazingly fresh sound that still delights all these many years later – thanks to well-crafted vocals from Jenny Haan, and sharp arrangements from Alan Shacklock, whose guitars and sense of wit really keeps the whole thing moving nicely. Shacklock penned most of the original tunes here – like "Dancer", "Somebody's Nobody", "Jack O'Lantern", and "The Dutchess Of Orleans" – and the group also turn in nice remakes of "Fistful Of Dollars", "We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue", and "Private Number". 3CD set features bonus tracks – "Wells Fargo (single)", "Theme From A Few Dollars More", "Ain't That Livin", "If Heaven's On Beauty's Side", and "Private Number (single)" – plus a big booklet of notes. CD

Badfinger's early 70s win streak continues on Straight Up – a straight up classic set of tuneful 70s rock with big emotions and catchy songs – one that keeps just enough grit underneath those killer melodies! Titles include "Take It All", "Bably Blue", "Name Of The Game", "Perfection", "It's Over", "Sometimes" and more. This might be the group's most consistent batch of songs to date, and it's essential early 70s rock for sure. This Apple Records remastered edition has 6 bonus tracks: "Money", "Baby Blue", "Name Of The Game", "Suitcase" and 2 more. CD

Rare material from Dave Bailey – a set that's filled with fire, soul, and imagination – recorded as part of the drummer's amazing (and amazingly short) early 60s run as a leader! The date smokes with the same sort of energy as Dave's great "Gutter" albums for Epic – a groove that's part Blue Note, part Prestige, and carried off with so much precision, we wonder why Bailey never recorded more as a leader. Players are all wonderful – Kenny Dorham's on trumpet, Curtis Fuller's on trombone, Frank Haynes is on tenor, and Tommy Flanagan's on piano. Ben Tucker provides excellent basswork, and proves that him and Bailey were one of the best hardbop rhythm teams ever! Cuts include "Grand Street", "Osmosis", "Soul Support", and "An Oscar For Oscar". CD features 5 bonus tracks – alternates of "Grand Street", "Osmosis", "Like Someone In Love", "BMT Express", and "Soul Support". CD

Classic! Following the fairly radical change in style from the sample-crafted Paul's Boutique to the rawer hip hop and live band vibe of Check Your Head, Ill Communication feels more like a step forward than a reinvention – and it's a great one! The manic trio vocals are at peak precision without losing the playfulness, especially on tracks that lean on gritty NY hip hop beats. The live band-rooted tracks – ranging from jazz and funk to fuzzy punk – is more diverse and all the better thanks to heartier contributions from Money Mark on keyboards. Classic singles and deep cut favorites all the way – including "Sure Shot", "Sabotage", "Futterman's Rule", "Shambala", "The Scoop", "Do It", "Heart Attack Man", "Bodhisattva Wow", the killer Jimmy Smith tribute "Root Down", "Get It Together" featuring a very sharp Q-Tip guest spot, and lots more. This deluxe 30th Anniversary box set edition includes a bonus LP of remixes and rarities – and comes on triple 180 gram vinyl! LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of later gems from Brook Benton – back to back on a single CD – and with a bonus track too! First up is Home Style – wonderful work from Brook Benton – and the kind of record that always gets overlooked in discussions of southern soul, but which is proof that Benton's always been a key force in the genre! Brook virtually invented the style with his earlier country soul recordings – and by the time of this 1970 set, he's in perfect form vocally – and working under some wonderfully sophisticated arrangements by Arif Mardin. The result is the kind of cross-genre record that Brook could do effortlessly – and which should have made him huge, but instead kind of got him left behind by all the other folks who were copping his style. Yet with the strength of a record like this, we'll take that overlooked fame as still OK – because the set's a gem just waiting to be discovered by later generations like us! Rhythm's by the Dixie Flyers – augmented by jazz players that include King Curtis, Pepper Adams, and Joe Newman. Titles include "Aspen Colorado", "For Lee Ann", "Whoever Finds This, I Love You", "Don't It Make You Wanta Go Home", and "Let Me Fix It". Next Is Story Teller – Ccol Cotillion work from Brook Benton – southern soul mixed with smoother, sophisticated moments – and a perfect realization of the sound that Benton was going for in the 60s! There's a bit less country here than before – although Brook also still has one foot in his roots, too – and the overall approach has mellower soul touches that are great – keyboards, guitar, and electric bass that roll along gently next to Benton's wonderful vocals. The album was recorded at Criteria Studios, and up north in New York – and titles include "Movin Day", "Sidewalks Of Chicago", "She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye", "Poor Make Believer", and "Shoes". CD also features the bonus track "A Black Child Can't Smile". CD

A great package – one that features some wildly experimental work from French electronics whiz Philippe Besombes! First up is the album Libra – tripped out electronics meet progressive rock jamming – all in a weird and wonderful film score from the early 70s! The record's one of the best by French experimentalist Philippe Besombes from the time – and it's got a style that sort of starts in the territory of Francois De Roubaix similar electronic work for film – but gets a lot darker and noisier right away! There's a textural depth here that's really great – almost a pre-industrial music exploration of sounds – but the work's also not that over-indulgent, either – and Besombes always has a great way of getting back to a tune, especially on the shorter tracks. Titles include "La Plage", "Rugby", "Ceremonie", "Hache 06", "La Ville", "Les Cosmonautes", "Tis A Song", "Boogimmick", and "PJF 261". Next is the record Esombeso – also release as Ceci Est Cela – a strange mix of sound library electronics and much more experimental work from Philippe Besombes – a set that carries echoes of some of the best Italian soundtrack electronics of the 70s, but which also features much darker, more turgid moments as well! The album collects some of Besombes' performances for ballet and other settings – and stands as an even starker document of his talents than some of the other albums issued under his name in the 70s. Titles include "Pawa"," Geant", "Seul", and "Ceci Est Cela". Next are two more albums done under the name Hydravion – both of which show Besombes turning his electronics into tighter, more song-based territory – although not without some noise from time to time – shorter tracks that sometimes get a bit tuneful, but which are still light years from mainstream music of the period. CD set also features bonus tracks for the first two albums – 8 more numbers that include "L'Or Des Fous", "Traversee", "Trio", "Piano Prepare", "Orgue Hache", and "Chocolate Cream". CD

A crucial live set from Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – recorded in Paris during that formative year of 1958, when Art was starting to put together the lineup that would make the Messengers a legend! Both the young Lee Morgan and Bobby Timmons are in the group, on trumpet and piano respectively – and Benny Golson handles tenor, and brings a sharp modern sense of arrangement to the music that would forever open up Art's sound! Jymie Merritt's on bass next to Blakey's drums – and the tracks are long, and have that live performance bite that makes Messengers concert recordings from this time so great. Titles include "Moanin", "Justice", "Whisper Not", "Blues March", and "I Remember Clifford". LP, Vinyl record album

A great Art Blakey lineup here, as usual – filled with fire from younger musicians who are really finding their voice in the Jazz Messengers – a group that includes Terence Blanchard on trumpet, Donald Harrison on alto, Jean Toussaint on tenor, and Mulgrew Miller on piano! Miller's work is a great match for Blakey's vibe – a bit like that time when Cedar Walton brought both lyricism and swing to the Messengers – and we love Toussaint at this point in his career, as he plays with this raspy tone that always gets us, and holds onto us long after his solos are done! Blanchard and Harrison are as great as you'd expect – and titles include "Blue Night", "Two Of A Kind", "Blue Minor", and "Mr Combinated". CD features three bonus alternate takes, too. CD