Seminal sounds from the Kansas City scene of the late 70s – a wealth of power pop work from the tiny Titan label – all brought together in one of the most brilliant packages we've ever seen from the Numero Group! Like most Numero releases, there's a great story behind this set – a tale of bounced checks, interstate culture, and a cadre of great groups who would have been huge – had they recorded this music out on the coast! Titan's way more than just a tiny label that managed to put out some killer singles back in the day – it's a pop powerhouse that shows just how much under-discovered genius the American scene can hold – music that really helps break down simple understandings of late 70s rock, especially when presented this well. The 2CD set features 42 tracks and a 40 page booklet – a great counterpart to Numero's Yellow Pills set – filled with notes on Titan, a complete discography, and a wealth of wonderful photos that really make this unique scene come alive. Titles include "Shark" and "Real Life Saver" by Gary Charlson, "No Way Baby" and "I Wanna Be" by Arlis, "It's Your Heart Tonight" and "Radio Heart" by Secrets, "Please Change Your Mind" and "Baby It's You" by Boys, "Rock N Roll Song" and "Radio City" by Bobby Sky, "The Last Song" by JP McClain & The Intruders, "Cry" and "Didn't Like It Anyway" by Gems, "Coit Tower" and "Drink A Toast" by Millionaire At Midnight, and "I Think About You" by Scott McCarl. CD

One of John Barry's first true moments of genius – recorded back when he was the leader of a fab little instrumental combo called the John Barry 7, and was tagged to do some soundtrack work that would forever change the rest of his career! The album's got some incredible instrumental tunes that mix electric guitar and beatnik jazz in a mode that's keeping with the juvenile delinquent theme of the film – with some strings sneaking in to cheese things up a bit, but in a great way that only makes the tunes sound even better! Adam Faith sings vocals on "The Beat Girl Song", "Made You", and "I Did What You Told Me" – and other tunes include "Blues For Beatnicks", "Blondie's Strip", "Beat Girl", "Time Out", "The Sharks", and "The City 2000 AD". This El UK edition includes bonus tracks by Gillian Hills, The John Barry Sound and Adam Faith. CD

Sweet 70s electric work from Jimmy McGriff – material that's different than his grittier grooves of the 60s, but still plenty darn great! The style's clearly influenced by CTI – as Jimmy's using electric piano as much as organ – and is getting some fuller support in the backings from Brad Baker and a host of great studio players. The sound is still plenty darn funky though – a soundtrack-styled approach that has Jimmy's keyboards soaring over the lush backdrops – still with plenty of rhythm, and elements that include choppy guitar and some nice work from a horn section. Joe Thomas solos a fair bit on tenor and flute – and the whole thing sounds like some nice lost cop show soundtrack! Titles include "It Feels So Nice (Do It Again)", "Please Don't Take Me Out", "Mean Machine", "Pogo's Stick", and "Overweight Shark Bait". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet 70s electric work from Jimmy McGriff – material that's different than his grittier grooves of the 60s, but still plenty darn great! The style's clearly influenced by CTI – as Jimmy's using electric piano as much as organ – and is getting some fuller support in the backings from Brad Baker and a host of great studio players. The sound is still plenty darn funky though – a soundtrack-styled approach that has Jimmy's keyboards soaring over the lush backdrops – still with plenty of rhythm, and elements that include choppy guitar and some nice work from a horn section. Joe Thomas solos a fair bit on tenor and flute – and the whole thing sounds like some nice lost cop show soundtrack! Titles include "It Feels So Nice (Do It Again)", "Please Don't Take Me Out", "Mean Machine", "Pogo's Stick", and "Overweight Shark Bait". CD

Includes "I Got You", Shark Attack", "Double Happy", "Missing Person", "Poor Boy", and more! LP, Vinyl record album

Frank Zappa & The Mothers, live at the Fillmore East – showing the world they've got plenty of greatness to offer away from the studio! The band here is super-tight – with the ferocity of Chunga's Revenge, but still enough room between the jamming for some mad bits of dialog and vocals – which are then offset by great keyboards and saxes from Ian Underwood, electronics from Don Preston, and heavy drums from Aynsley Dunbar! There's a focus to the sound of the group here that really draws together all the strands from the previous few years – and titles include "The Mud Shark", "What Kind Of Girl Do You Think We Are", "Willie The Pimp", "Happy Together", "Lonesome Electric Turkey", and "Tears Began To Fall". LP, Vinyl record album

One of John Barry's earliest scores for Bond – when his style was nice and raw, and when the Bond theme couldn't be heard enough throughout the course of the movie! Matt Munro sings the lyrics to the forgotten title hit – and other tracks include "James Bond Theme", "Tania Meets Klebb", "Guitar Lament", "Spectre Island", "Stalking", "Death Of Kerin", and "007 Takes The Lektor". Plus, the CD contains bonus cuts – for a total of 25 tracks in all! CD

A nice little shark-themed soundtrack, but one that comes across with a vibe that's quite different than any of the music used for Jaws – partly because there's a number of vocal tunes in the mix! The set features three standout songs – "Hollywood Big Time" and "You've Changed The World For Me", sung by Yvonne Wilkins – and "Ballad", which is sung by composer Maurizio De Angelis himself – which are then mixed with instrumental numbers that are electric and keyboard-heavy, maybe more in line with Italian slasher/horror work of the period than you might expect! The colder electronics must have given the watery scenes a really great vibe on the screen – and the package features great sound throughout, and a mighty nice graphic appeal. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most unusual fusions of styles you're ever likely to hear – as the set has Indian musician Magid Khan playing sitar over a set of Egyptian tunes composed by Baligh Hamdi – all in this amazing criss-crossing of cultural modes! The record features some larger arrangements from Abdel Halim Hafez – but the individual instruments really take the lead – not just Khan's sitar, but also work on tambura and tabla – balanced with Arabic instruments that include the ney, arghoul, darbuka, and qanun – all of which get these solo moments amidst the earthy rhythms that really drive the set! The album was issued by a French label at the start of the 80s, but the sound is all acoustic, and far more ancient in approach – almost as if the record takes us back to a secret meeting between musicians on the spice trail, on titles that include "Lahore", "Ennai", "Magnouna", "Achark", and "Sahara". LP, Vinyl record album

David Rose is in fine form here – turning out a blend of western themes and more conventional orchestrations for the hit TV show Bonanza! The set begins with the famous "Bonanza" theme – one number not actually penned by Rose – then moves into a number of more "place setting" tunes that often have a gentler, more whimsical feel. Rose makes good use of woodwinds to carve out some of the more playful moments in the set – and the album's a good reminder of what passed for western scoring in the years before Italian composers started making some changes. Titles include "Bonanza", "Hoss", "Ponderosa", "Fury In Old Mexico", "Silent Thunder", "Legend Of Sam Hill", "The Balloon Riders", and "Hoedown At Virginia City". CD

Frank Zappa & The Mothers, live at the Fillmore East – showing the world they've got plenty of greatness to offer away from the studio! The band here is super-tight – with the ferocity of Chunga's Revenge, but still enough room between the jamming for some mad bits of dialog and vocals – which are then offset by great keyboards and saxes from Ian Underwood, electronics from Don Preston, and heavy drums from Aynsley Dunbar! There's a focus to the sound of the group here that really draws together all the strands from the previous few years – and titles include "The Mud Shark", "What Kind Of Girl Do You Think We Are", "Willie The Pimp", "Happy Together", "Lonesome Electric Turkey", and "Tears Began To Fall". CD

A massive amount of rare Northern Soul cuts – almost all of them from the Heritage Records empire of producer Jerry Ross! There's plenty of Philly elements in the mix, but the set also shows Jerry's good ear for crossing over into other camps too – and some of these tunes also have a sound that would have been right at home in the Detroit scene of the late 60s. A few numbers are even rock/pop cuts, but still work very well in the context of the soul material – and the CD features 20 titles that include "Green Grow the Lilacs" by The Festivals, "Ain't Nothin' But A House Party" by The Showstoppers, "I Dig Everything About You" by The Mob, "You Gave Me Somebody To Love" by The Dreamlovers, "Loan Shark" by Chapter One, "I Get By Without You" by Kenny Gamble & Tommy Bell, "Baby Show It" by The Festivals, "Bok To Bach" by Father's Angels, "Eeny Meeny" by The Showstoppers, "Pick Up My Toys" by The Devonnes, "I've Been Hurt" by Bill Deal & The Rhondels, and "You Aint' Sayin' Nothin' New" by Virgil Henry. CD

A light and sweet little score by George Duning – penned for this early 60s comedy that starred Sophia Loren and Cary Grant! The album's got a great vocal number – "Bing Bang Bong" – sung by Loren with DeVol orchestrations – and just the right sort of catchy 60s film number that often gets lost in the shuffle of time, due to studio contractual issues. The rest of the music moves from sweet themes to jazzier numbers – the latter of which are pretty great and upbeat, although played by an uncredited group. Titles include "Bing Bang Bong", "Houseboat Jump", "Houseboat Haven", "Cinzia Charleston", "Country Club Dance", "Country Club Swing", and "Cinzia Flips". CD

Frank Zappa & The Mothers, live at the Fillmore East – showing the world they've got plenty of greatness to offer away from the studio! The band here is super-tight – with the ferocity of Chunga's Revenge, but still enough room between the jamming for some mad bits of dialog and vocals – which are then offset by great keyboards and saxes from Ian Underwood, electronics from Don Preston, and heavy drums from Aynsley Dunbar! There's a focus to the sound of the group here that really draws together all the strands from the previous few years – and titles include "The Mud Shark", "What Kind Of Girl Do You Think We Are", "Willie The Pimp", "Happy Together", "Lonesome Electric Turkey", and "Tears Began To Fall". CD

Funky nuggets from one of the greatest reggae labels of all time – a really wonderful collection that gets at some of the more hard-hitting material from Kingston powerhouse Studio One Records! Given the way that Studio One helped bridge the worlds of soul during the years of Jamaican ska and rocksteady, the funk is no surprise – and the package features both remakes of American funky numbers and plenty of homegrown cuts, all served up by some of the giants from the scene at the time. Titles include "Sidewalk Doctor" by Pablove Black, "007" by Soul Brothers, "Love Jah" by Sound Dimension, "Do Your Thing" by Leroy Sibbles, "Idleberg" by Cedric Im Brooks, "African Descendants" by Alton Ellis, "Reggae Feet" by Lloyd Williams, "Hang Em High" by Jackie Mittoo, "Beat Down Babylon" by Prince Frances, "Funky Broadway" by Delroy Wilson, "It's A Shame" by Alton Ellis, "Melting Pot" by Underground Vegetables, "Music Answer" by The Sharks, and a surprising remake of "Shaft" by the unlikely Cedric Im Brooks. LP, Vinyl record album