... LP, Vinyl record album

A record that has guitarist Steve Khan almost returning to straight small combo work – although still with some of the wider colors of the fusion modes he first unleashed in the 70s! The album's got a tight core group here – Khan on guitar, Anthony Jackson on bass, Dennis Chambers on drums, and Manolo Badrena on percussion – and Chambers' drum performance is maybe more direct and swinging than some of Khan's previous drummers, which works especially well on the album's versions of songs by Joe Henderson and Ornette Coleman! Titles include "Caribbean Fire Dance", "All Or Nothing At All", and "Turnaround". CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

Cool moody work from Chet Baker – a very unusual set that has him blowing with a larger group than usual! The set's real star is Jack Montrose – the great west coast arranger who had a perfect talent for taking horns and locking them up tight to create a sound full of gloss and surprise! Montrose plays tenor sax on the set – in a three sax section that also features Herb Geller and Bob Gordon – and the rest of the group includes Russ Freeman on piano, Shelly Manne on drums, and Joe Mondragon on bass. Chet's work is great too – but the real appeal of the set is the Montrose-styled groove – very nice all the way through! Tracks include "Ergo", "A Dandy Line", "Pro Defunctus", "Goodbye", "Headline", and "Little Old Lady". LP, Vinyl record album

Carol's at the top of her game in this set of full-sounding disco numbers arranged and conducted by John Davis – singing with that heartfelt tone that still has plenty of great traces of AM radio soul, but which also slides nicely into the smoother, sophisti-club arrangements of the set. There's no real standout singles on the set, but a few of the tracks have some nice hooks – and titles include "Lie To Me", "Life Time Guarantee", "Crime Don't Pay", "Headline News", and "Midnight Love Affair". LP, Vinyl record album

A mod soul classic from the great Edwin Starr – a set that bridges his years in the Detroit underground and his sudden rise to fame at Motown! The tracks here have a really deep basement grooving sort of vibe – catchy, but less poppy than the usual Motown – and more with the kind of grit you'd find on some of the smaller indies of the time – not just in Edwin's vocals, but in the overall rhythms as well! There's loads of dancefloor soul cuts here, mixed with some overlooked gems – and the whole thing's wonderful, especially if you only know Edwin's later hits. Titles include "Agent Double O Soul", "I Am The Man For You Baby", "Stop Her On Sight", "I Want My Baby Back", "Soul Master", "Headline News", and "My Weakness Is You". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet beats and plenty of grooves – an 80s funk classic from Midnight Star, and one that seems to have the group picking up a bit of energy from the hip hop scene as well! The album's still got the electro soul vibe of previous records, but maybe is even beat-heavier overall – almost showcasing a style that would later emerge as new jack in the hands of some younger artists within the next few years – but still perfect for the kind of playful interplay that made the Midnight groove so great! Titles include "Midas Touch", "Stay Here By My Side", "Close To Midnight", "Searching For Love", "Close Encounter", "Dead End", "Get Dressed", "Engine No 9", and "Headlines". CD

... CD

With Gloria Lynne and Fats Domino. LP, Vinyl record album

Another dynamite effort from The Ex! By 1985 the Dutch collective had their jackhammer guitar and sharp, intelligent lyrical roar honed to a precise, tense science – and it's at this point that they really started allowing the tribal, earthy percussion that would later help define the groove pound its way to the surface. Truly amazing stuff – a pivotal moment in the Ex's career and an easy choice as one of their finest. Tracks include "Nurse!", "Soviet Threat", "MMM Crisis", "Rock", "White Liberals", "Everything We Never Wanted", "Hit The Headlines", "Friendly Neighbours" and more! LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant mid 70s set headlined by pianist Al Haig & guitarist Jimmy Raney – essentially a reunion of bandmates from the early 50s Stan Getz Quintet – beautifully done and in a timelessly appealing mode! What's great about this is that doesn't feel in the least a hokey revisit the old days kinda thing, as if we should have expected something so crass from such wonderful players. They play some evergreen jazz standards some numbers that made waves in the 60s and later, the group includes Jamil Nasser on bass, Frank Gand on drums, plus guitar by Doug Raney on "You Came To Me From Out Of Nowhere". Other numbers including the Eddie Harris penned title track, Herbie Hancock's "Dolphin Dance", "Round Midnight", "Invitation", and "Enigma". LP, Vinyl record album

Groovy rock from Moby Grape – a sweet set from the end of the 60s that's as tight and consistent as just about anything else in their early canon – despite the absence of recently departed Skip Spence! The rest of the group really bring out some magic here – on tunes that touch on Byrds-y folk psychedelia and far grittier tunes, too! Underrated and totally worthy work from Moby Grape! Titles include "Ooh Mama Ooh", "Ain't That A Shame", "I Am Not Willing", "Hoochie", "Trucking Man", "Captain Nemo", "Seeing" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Think you've heard everything on Motown? Think again – because this sweet little set is filled with unissued 60s recordings by some of the best male singers on the label! The collection is a soul fan's dream come true – as the music here represents some real lost corners of Motown, with sounds that span almost the full stretch of the 60s – and really show the label's greatness at work – because if most of these tracks were recorded by other labels, they would have been pushed as potential hits! There's great work from artists who were just starting out, surprising moments from big names at the time, and a few entries we wouldn't have guessed without looking at the notes – and titles include "Headin North" by Shorty Long, "Only On The Weekend" by The Headliners, "Satisfaction Is Guaranteed" by Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers, "Safety Zone" by Marv Johnson, "Hold On To Me" by The Spinners, "Show Me You Can Dance" by The Hit Pack, "Tell Me How To Forget A True Love" by Johnny Bristol, "Mojo Hannah (studio)" by Marvin Gaye, "I Wanted To Cry" by Bruce Channel, "I'm Gonna Make It To The Top" by Freddie Gorman, "This Ole Heart" by The Quails, "The Night We Called It A Day" by The Four Tops, and "Just Your Love" by Ivy Jo. CD

A wonderful jazzy vocals set from Nancy Harrow – her first, and one of the rare few albums she cut as a headliner early on – a should be classic from 1960! Wild Women Don't Have The Blues, production wise, as a pretty deep stylistic range, from the very jazzy numbers like the opening "Take Me Back Baby", and the New Orleans jazz & blues touched title track and the closer "Blues For Yesterday", to more material that's more energetic, or more slowly grooving. Here voice is lovely, and she has a masterful control of it, and handles the material with grace and what sounds like plenty of experience, despite this being a debut album. Players include members of the Buck Clayton band, and titles include "On The Sunny Side Of The Street", "All Too Soon", "I've Got The World On A String" and more. CD

Rollicking country-tinged blues from Jimmy Reed and an incredible group of backing musicians – actually not captured in the opulent grandeur of Carnegie Hall – and probably all the better for it! Prior to the original double LP release of Jimmy Reed At Carnegie Hall, Reed headlined a Blues At Carnegie Hall event, and though the performance was not recorded for a live album release he went on the cut a similar set list with varying players that included Lonnie Brooks, Phil Upchurch and Eddie Tayor on guitar, Willie Dixon on bass, Earl Phillips and Albert King on tracks. It's really wonderful stuff, obvious epiphany material for loads of rockers and young players on both the US and British blues scenes to come! 23 tracks in all: "Bright Lights Big City", "I'm Mr Luck", "Found Joy", "Kind Of Lonesome", "Tell Me You Love Me", "Hold Me Close", "Baby What You Want Me To Do", "Blue Blue Water", "Hush Hush", "Found Love", "Honest I Do", "You Got Me Dizzy", "Boogie In The Dark", "Take Out Some Insurance", "The Sun Is Shining" and lots more! CD

A real lost chapter in the career of the great Don Covay – material done after his original funky soul on 60s Atlantic Records, and before his return to fame in the early 70s on Mercury – done in a raw vibe that has a lot more grit than you might expect! There's touches of psychedelic blues in the instrumentation, which was recorded both in Memphis and Muscle Shoals – even though the record comes across with a vibe that's unlike any of the big hits recorded in those scenes at the time! Definitely a standout in the world of soul in the early 70s – with titles that include "Standing In the Grits Line", "Sweet Thang", "Stop By", "Bad Luck", "Hitching a Ride", and "What's In the Headlines". LP, Vinyl record album

Bob Dylan and his incomparable band take on old school pop standards for the second album in a row – and it's a real charmer! Fallen Angels has a lot in common with the preceding Strangers In The Night, as they're again taking on songs recorded by, and in some cases popularized by Sinatra, but this one goes a bit deeper into the classic American songbook – and it's all the better for it. Dylan's reputation as a songwriter is borderline biblical, while his reputation as a conventionally gifted singer is, well...something else – so there's a sly allurement here that's not lost on the headliner. He's paying earnest tribute to the songs themselves – which in the course of pop history have been overshadowed by the voices singing them – and on that front, it's masterful! Still, Dylan's raspy croon is pretty darn charismatic itself on this material, making it another late career gem. Longtime Dylan players Charlie Sexton, Stu Kimball, Tony Garnier, George Recile and Donnie Herron make the instrumental magic happen, along with newer Dylan player (though longtime session guitar ace) Dean Parks – but extra credit to Herron, whose steel guitar sound makes it extra special. Includes "Young At Heart", "Maybe You'll Be There", "Polka Dots & Moonbeams", "All The Way", "Skylark", "Nevertheless", "All Or Nothing At All", "It Had To Be You", "Melancholy Mood", "That Old Black Magic" and "Come Rain Or Come Shine". CD

A mixture of serious and sensuous themes written for this later film starring Lana Turner. Some of the music is adapted from the "Swedish Rhapsody" by Charles Wildman, and a few other tracks are variations on themes by Liszt. Titles include "Depths Of Despair", "Future Plans", "Christmas Holly", "The End Of A Dream", "Madame X On Trial", and "Headlines & Holly". LP, Vinyl record album

No blues at all – just some great funky soul from the mighty Willie Hutch – served up here on one of his classic full length sets for Motown in the 70s! The vibe's kind of an extension of Willie's great blacksploitation soundtrack material from a few years before – lots of bad-strutting rhythms, peppered with some larger horn arrangements – but a bit more vocals from Willie himself, and lots of sweet guitar too! There's a few great mellow moments that remind us that Hutch can be as super-dope in a laidback mode as in a funky one – and the whole thing was arranged and produced by Willie himself. Includes the single "Party Down", plus "Baby Come Home", "I Finally Made The Headlines", "Stormy Weather", "Precious Pearl", and "Don't Let A Little Money Keep You acting Funny". LP, Vinyl record album

A gem from the great Lloyd Miller – backed by modern Brit jazz funk maestros The Heliocentrics – and a credit to the legacies of all involved! Miller has worked timeless, hypnotic magic on an array of Middle Eastern and Asian instrumentation throughout his career, here playing piano, Indian santur, clarinet, Chinese sona, sitar, wood flute, oud and more – and this effort stands strongly with his best. He's accompanied by the masterful Malcolm Catto & The Heliocentrics – showing as much depth and versatility as ever in largely acoustic and improvisational setting – and the bottom line is that it's just as wonderful as their work with Mulatu. As much as we've flipped out over the Heliocentrics efforts as headliners to date, it's quite stunning how well they work backing such influential and legendary figures. Essential! Includes "Electricone", "Nava", "Mandala", "Spiritual Jazz", "Bali Bronze", "Modality", "Salendro", "Pari Ru", "Lloyd's Diatribe", "Fantasia" (Pts 1 & 2), "Chahargah", "Sunda Sunset" and more. CD

Rollicking country-tinged blues from Jimmy Reed and an incredible group of backing musicians – actually not captured in the opulent grandeur of Carnegie Hall – and probably all the better for it! Prior to the original double LP release of Jimmy Reed At Carnegie Hall, Reed headlined a Blues At Carnegie Hall event, and though the performance was not recorded for a live album release he went on the cut a similar set list with varying players that included Lonnie Brooks, Phil Upchurch and Eddie Tayor on guitar, Willie Dixon on bass, Earl Phillips and Albert King on tracks. It's really wonderful stuff, obvious epiphany material for loads of rockers and young players on both the US and British blues scenes to come! 23 tracks in all: "Bright Lights Big City", "I'm Mr Luck", "Found Joy", "Kind Of Lonesome", "Tell Me You Love Me", "Hold Me Close", "Baby What You Want Me To Do", "Blue Blue Water", "Hush Hush", "Found Love", "Honest I Do", "You Got Me Dizzy", "Boogie In The Dark", "Take Out Some Insurance", "The Sun Is Shining" and lots more! CD

The first album from Stevie Woods, and one of just a few records ever by the early 80s soul groover as a headliner! It's made up of sweet mid tempo cuts, slightly spacier keys & percussion flavored numbers, slow jams with string accents and more – really nice stuff all around! Stevie's a charismatic singer, and this is well tailored, nicely produced and easygoing work. We're surprised Stevie didn't have more years in the limelight! Includes "Fly Away", "Just Can't Win 'Em All", "Take Me To Your Heaven", "Steal The Night", "Through The Years", "Wanna Be Close To You", "Read Between The Lines", "Throw A Little Bit Of Love My Way" and "Gotcha". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest sets the Numero Group has ever released – and that's saying a heck of a lot, given their already-mighty catalog! Although the label issued a previous dip into the enigmatic Boddie Recording company of Cleveland, this massive package brings together a whopping 57 tracks from the Boddie studios and related labels – many of which have never been reissued before, even by Numero – and all of which offer up a mindblowing microcosm of the American scene in the 60s and 70s – a wealth of rare funk, soul, psych, gospel, and more – all of it the kind of gritty material that 45 collectors die for! But just as cool as the music is the box itself – a slipcover that fits around a hardcover book, which contains individual pockets with CDs that focus on the core labels from Boddie – then other pull outs that include a big booklet on the studios, another on the artists, and a third set of bonus inserts! Musically, the whole thing's right on par with other Numero releases – maybe even above them, given the wide range and depth of the collection – and artists include Bo & The Metros, Inter Circle, King James Version, Ricky Hodges, Jackie Russell, Angela Alexander, Frankie Pighee, Chantells, AC Jones, Harvey Hall, Headlines, Modern Detergents, Penny North, JC Akins, Little Anthony Mitchell, Gospel Fabulators, Royal Kings, Corinthian Singers, Brother Bill, Victory 5, and many more. This version includes a fourth "Boddie Bonus Disc" with 22 additional tracks! CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Legendary drummer Harvey Mason in sweet jazz funk groove at Arista – a way stronger record than we remembered! Harvey played on some of our favorite jazz funk records of all time – including the massive Gears LP by Johnny Hammond among so many other great albums – and on his on 70s work for Arista, he explored jazz funk and soul instrumentals, with an expansive approach. He was an integral piece of the pie on so many completely essential records by other artists, that it's far too easy to overlook the considerable strengths of the records he headlined, and this is surely of on one of those! Players include Lee Ritenour & Ray Parker on guitars, the Sea Wind Horns of Bruce Fowler, Sally and Kenny Mason, Greg Pillinganes and Paul Smith on pianos and organs, Jan Hammer on Mini Moog and others. Cuts include "Sweet Mercy", "Bertha Baptist", "First Summer" (with Harvey Mason on vibes, bells and chimes), "No Lands Man", "Sho Nuff Groove", "The Mase", "When I'm With You (Live Version)" and "KY And The Curb". LP, Vinyl record album