A pretty sweet little album from Ike & Tina Turner – recording during a period when it seemed like they had contracts with just about every soul label on the market! This one's definitely got that hip "play it for the Fillmore crowd" sound that you'd expect from Blue Thumb – with less of the raw soul of earlier albums, and more of that "studio rootsy" feel that was sure to be big with the kids. There is a great little funk number, though – the incredible "Bold Soul Sister", which has great funky drumbeats, chicken scratch guitar, dipping basslines, and screaming vocals by Tina Turner that make the number sound like a lost little funky 45! Other tracks are more bluesy, and include "The Hunter", "Early In The Morning", "You're Still My Baby", "You Got Me Running", and "The Things I Used To Do". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary pairing of two key 60s pop talents – the soulful sounds of Ike & Tina Turner, and the soaring production styles of Phil Spector! The album's quite different than some of the grittier Turner projects of the time – lots of full orchestrations and strings, mixed with the rougher rhythms you'd usually hear from Ike – a blend that's surprisingly great, and helps push Tina's vocals into wonderfully mature territory – a bit like the mix of deep soul and class that you'd get from Etta James on mid-60s Chess Records! The album's a feather in the cap of both Spector and Turner – and titles include "River Deep Mountain High", "I Idolize You", "A Love Like Yours", "Such A Fool For You", "I'll Never Need More Than This", "A Fool In Love", and "Hold On Baby". Weird cover, too – with photography by Dennis Hopper! LP, Vinyl record album

Hard-hitting early work from Ike & Tina Turner – raw, unbridled, and surprisingly tight – yet without any of the cliches or overdone righteousness that marred their later years! Tina's still singing here often as part of the backing group, stepping out for a soulful lead at times, but also very much in touch with her supporting sisters – and there's a number of tunes that have a really nice focus on Ike's raw and raspy guitar work, which we always like a lot! All tunes are Ike Turner originals – freshly voiced tracks, and none of the crossover covers that the pair later included in their work – and titles include "Hard Times", "I Don't Need", "Chicken Shack", "Gonna Have Fun", "It's Crazy Baby", "Am I A Fool In Love", "Don't You Blame It On Me", and "Hurt Is All You Gave Me". LP, Vinyl record album

The Ike & Tina Turner Revue shakes the foundation at Carnegie Hall on April Fools Day, 1971! There's a good reason for there being so many live albums by Ike & Tina – it's because they're damn great on stage – and this NYC set is a strong showcase for The Ikettes and The Kings Of Rhythm, too! The group was riding a peak wave of popularity around this time, and they cover a wide variety of songs in a set that's masterfully-paced – starting out slow and building up intensity as it goes! Titles include the Ikettes-led "Piece Of My Heart" and "Everyday People", the thunderous Tina intro "Doin' The Tina Turner", "Sweet Soul Music", "Proud Mary", "I Smell Trouble", "Ike's Tune", "I Want To Take You Higher", "I've Been Loving You Too Long", "Respect" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A nicely pivotal album by Ike & Tina Turner – one that has them still retaining some of the earthiness of earlier years, yet also honing their groove for the crossover audience that was digging them big at the end of the 60s! The best results of this shift is the increasing funk component in their music – a move away from R&B into a tighter 60s groove, one that often featured very strong guitar parts in its best incarnation. The set includes the classic "Funkier Than A Mosquito's Tweeter", plus "Ooh Poo Pah Doo", "Let It Be", "Goodbye So Long", "You Can Have It", "The Way You Love Me", "Get Back", and "Workin Together". LP, Vinyl record album

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A fiercely funky live set from Ike & Tina Turner – one that almost feels like some of the James Brown albums at The Apollo – given the expanded structure of the presentation, which also includes the whole Ike Turner universe! The show gets announced with this bold sense of pride – ala some of James' "showtime" announcements – and it begins with funky backings from The Family Vibe, who continue the groove throughout – then opens to the Ikettes singing on their own, before Tina takes the stage and makes the whole thing really come together! There's a great variety of material here – all of which gets a really sharp sound, thanks to the setting – and Ike and the crew really transform the tunes, and set them up perfectly for Tina's vocals to knock them out of the park. Tracks include "Let Me Touch Your Mind", "Shaft", "I Gotcha", "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window", "Dust My Broom", "I Wish It Would Rain", "Get Back", "Games People Play", "Annie Had A Baby", "Chopper", "River Deep Mountain High", and "Just One More Day". LP, Vinyl record album

2 of the last albums that Ike & Tina cut together – both of them very hard, raw, and soulful, with a good rootsy feel that makes them stand out against Ike & Tina's other albums from the time! The Hunter and Outta Season are laid back to back on this one CD, for a total of 22 tracks in all that include "Reconsider Baby", "You Don't Love Me", "You Got Me Running", "The Hunter", and "Rock Me Baby". The best cut, though, is "Bold Soul Sister" – which has great funky drumbeats, chicken scratch guitar, dipping basslines, and screaming vocals by Tina Turner that make the number sound like a lost little funky 45! CD

Hard-hitting early work from Ike & Tina Turner – raw, unbridled, and surprisingly tight – yet without any of the cliches or overdone righteousness that marred their later years! Tina's still singing here often as part of the backing group, stepping out for a soulful lead at times, but also very much in touch with her supporting sisters – and there's a number of tunes that have a really nice focus on Ike's raw and raspy guitar work, which we always like a lot! Most tunes are Ike Turner originals – freshly voiced tracks, and none of the crossover covers that the pair later included in their work – and titles include "Hard Times", "I Don't Need", "Chicken Shack", "Gonna Have Fun", "It's Crazy Baby", "Don't You Blame It On Me", "Hurt Is All You Gave Me", "Flee Flee Fla", "My Baby Now", "You Can't Miss Nothing", "All I Could Do Was Cry", "Over You", "Baby Don't Do It", "I Need A Man", "Five Long Years", "Shake It Baby", "He's The One", "You Can't Have Your Cake & Eat It Too", and "Makin Plans Together". CD

A record with maybe the most famous album cover ever used by Ike and Tina Turner – and a set that's maybe one of the rawest they ever cut as well! The material was done at a time when the couple were really riding high – but instead of going for a commercial or polished sound, they instead go deeply into the blues – maybe even more so than their earliest work from the days when Tina was just a singer in Ike's revue! The approach is one that's great for Tina's voice, and which has maybe a bit more of the electric blues of the Chicago scene than the usual sound that Ike might give a record – all put together in the studio with help from Bob Krasnow too. Titles include "I've Been Loving You Too Long", "Mean Old World", "3 O'Clock In The Morning Blues", "Five Long Years", "Dust My Broom", "I Am A Motherless Child", "Crazy 'Bout You Baby", "Reconsider Baby", "Honest I Do", "Please Love Me", "My Babe", and "Rock Me Babe". LP, Vinyl record album

With 23 tracks! CD

Some of the hippest work ever recorded by Ike & Tina Turner – 4 albums worth of material, packaged together in one 2CD set! The collection features the full albums So Fine and Cussin Cryin & Carryin On from the Pompeii label, and the records The Hunter and Outta Season, both recorded for Blue Thumb – all records that have the duo taking their sound even further than on previous records – hitting a new level of sophistication and self-awareness, but not yet falling into the cliches that marked the later Turner sound! The balance here is perfect – deep soul meeting a larger, more righteous audience – often carried off with impeccable help in the studio, both on the backings and production – making the records some of the finest mainstream soul of the time. 44 tracks in all, including "Funky Mule", "Black Beauty", "Betcha Can't Kiss Me", "Ain't Nobody's Business", "You're So Fine", "So Blue Over You", "I'm Fed Up", "Thinking Black", "I've Been Loving You Too Long", "Mean Old World", "Grumbling", "The Hunter", "Rock Me Baby", "The Hunter", "I Know", "Early In The Morning", "Reconsider Baby", and "Dust My Broom". CD also features the bonus track "River Deep Mountain High". CD

A pair of late Ike & Tina albums in a single package! Workin' Together is a pivotal album – one that has them still retaining some of the earthiness of earlier years, yet also honing their groove for the crossover audience that was digging them big at the end of the 60s! The best results of this shift is the increasing funk component in their music – a move away from R&B into a tighter 60s groove, one that often featured very strong guitar parts in its best incarnation. The set includes the classic "Funkier Than A Mosquito's Tweeter", plus "Ooh Poo Pah Doo", "Let It Be", "Goodbye So Long", "You Can Have It", "The Way You Love Me", "Get Back", and "Workin Together". Let Me Touch Your Mind is a fairly loose set of diverse material from the tumultuous duo, from the tender, lovely chorus backed and string accented grit of the title track to more stripped down, kinda country funk accented number. Includes "Annie Had A Baby", "Don't Believe Her", "Early One Morning", "Up On The Roof", "Heaven Help Us All" and more. CD

Ike and Tina Turner crossed over big by this point in their career – grabbing a lot of ears that were mostly listening to rock music, but who finally got that many of their heroes were influenced by the pair – who were then throwing things back towards all their copycats with a record like this! Case in point is the album's famous cover of "Come Together" – which has Tina hitting some of her slinkiest, sexiest modes on record – while also mixing things up with plenty of deep soul elements on other tunes too! There's a great blend of rock and soul – Fillmore vs Muscle Shoals – and in addition to "Come Together", other titles include "Contact High", "I Want To Take You Higher", "Honky Tonk Woman", "Evil Man", "Doin It", and "Young & Dumb". LP, Vinyl record album

Nice early work from Ike & Tina – done in a raw and rootsy style, without any of the cliches of later recordings! The sound here is incredible – the best of Ike's dark R&B years instrumentally grooving at the bottom, while Tina belts the tunes out in an approach that's even more unfettered than any of her later singles. 12 tracks in all, including "You Should'A Treated Me Right", "Mamma Tell Him", "Wake Up", "It's Gonna Work Out Fine", "Pretend", "Poor Fool", "Tra La La", "I Dig You", "Those Ways", "Desire", and "Won't You Forgive Me". CD

Titles include "A Fool In Love", "Tra La La", "It's Gonna Work Out Fine", "Mind In A Whirl", "I Idolize You", "Letter From Tina", "Good Good Lovin", and "Mojo Queen". LP, Vinyl record album

A record with maybe the most famous album cover ever used by Ike and Tina Turner – and a set that's maybe one of the rawest they ever cut as well! The material was done at a time when the couple were really riding high – but instead of going for a commercial or polished sound, they instead go deeply into the blues – maybe even more so than their earliest work from the days when Tina was just a singer in Ike's revue! The approach is one that's great for Tina's voice, and which has maybe a bit more of the electric blues of the Chicago scene than the usual sound that Ike might give a record – all put together in the studio with help from Bob Krasnow too. Titles include "I've Been Loving You Too Long", "Mean Old World", "3 O'Clock In The Morning Blues", "Five Long Years", "Dust My Broom", "I Am A Motherless Child", "Crazy 'Bout You Baby", "Reconsider Baby", "Honest I Do", "Please Love Me", "My Babe", and "Rock Me Babe". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary pairing of two key 60s pop talents – the soulful sounds of Ike & Tina Turner, and the soaring production styles of Phil Spector! The album's quite different than some of the grittier Turner projects of the time – lots of full orchestrations and strings, mixed with the rougher rhythms you'd usually hear from Ike – a blend that's surprisingly great, and helps push Tina's vocals into wonderfully mature territory – a bit like the mix of deep soul and class that you'd get from Etta James on mid-60s Chess Records! The album's a feather in the cap of both Spector and Turner – and titles include "River Deep Mountain High", "I Idolize You", "A Love Like Yours", "Such A Fool For You", "I'll Never Need More Than This", "A Fool In Love", and "Hold On Baby". Weird cover, too – with photography by Dennis Hopper! CD

A legendary pairing of two key 60s pop talents – the soulful sounds of Ike & Tina Turner, and the soaring production styles of Phil Spector! The album's quite different than some of the grittier Turner projects of the time – lots of full orchestrations and strings, mixed with the rougher rhythms you'd usually hear from Ike – a blend that's surprisingly great, and helps push Tina's vocals into wonderfully mature territory – a bit like the mix of deep soul and class that you'd get from Etta James on mid-60s Chess Records! The album's a feather in the cap of both Spector and Turner – and titles include "River Deep Mountain High", "I Idolize You", "A Love Like Yours", "Such A Fool For You", "I'll Never Need More Than This", "A Fool In Love", and "Hold On Baby". Weird cover, too – with photography by Dennis Hopper! LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Hey Miss Tina", "Stringin Along", "I Miss You So", "Nobody Wants Me", "All The Blues All The Time", and "The Wild One". LP, Vinyl record album

Great stuff – and one of the funkiest albums that Ike Turner ever recorded – done during a late 60s moment when his fame with Tina Turner was really on the rise – but much more like some funky 45 take on the pre-Tina work he'd been doing in the 50s! This set's a batch of obscure funky instrumentals – and sounds like a strong compilation of rare 45s, filled with hard funky drums, nice breaks, and plenty of super-tight grooves. Nearly every cut's a winner – and titles include "Black Angel", "Black Beauty", "Freedom Sound", "Ghetto Funk", "Funky Mule", "Nuttin' Up", "Scotty Souling", and "Thinking Black". With titles like that, you know the cuts have got to be good – and for one of the few times in his career, Ike actually delivers the funky goods! CD

An essential collection of early work from Ike Turner – done before Tina was in the mix, and with a host of great singers – in lineups that include material recorded under the names of Icky Renrut, Bobby Foster, Timothy Cooper, Sammy Grimes, Chuck Wheeler, and Johnny Wright! Lots of rare singles – and great notes too! CD

Fantastic early work from the great Ike Turner – most of it with his sharp 50s group, during the years they were recording for King/Federal Records! These are the years before Tina joined Ike – and the group have a raw, romping vibe that's at the top of the R&B spectrum from the time – definitely with echoes of the soul and funk that Turner would help pioneer in the 60s, but with a much grittier postwar vibe overall! A fair bit of cuts feature vocals from Billy Gayles, and other titles include work from Clayton Love, Tommy Hodge, Jackie Brenston, and The Sly Fox – on titles that include "I'm Tore Up", "I'm Sad As A Man Can Be", "Take Your Fine Frame Home", "Just One More Time", "The Big Question", "She Made My Blood Run Cold", "Do You Mean It", "Hoo Doo Say", and "Rock A Bucket". CD

Great stuff – and one of the funkiest albums that Ike Turner ever recorded – done during a late 60s moment when his fame with Tina Turner was really on the rise – but much more like some funky 45 take on the pre-Tina work he'd been doing in the 50s! This set's a batch of obscure funky instrumentals – and sounds like a strong compilation of rare 45s, filled with hard funky drums, nice breaks, and plenty of super-tight grooves. Nearly every cut's a winner – and titles include "Black Angel", "Black Beauty", "Freedom Sound", "Ghetto Funk", "Funky Mule", "Nuttin' Up", "Scotty Souling", and "Thinking Black". With titles like that, you know the cuts have got to be good – and for one of the few times in his career, Ike actually delivers the funky goods! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the last Ike Turner albums to contain lead vocals by Tina – a set from the start of the 80s, issued right before Tina hit that huge solo career on her own! Tina's vocals come in early and are in very much in fine form – more in the mode she'd use on records to come than her sound back in the day, but lacking nothing at all in terms of her phrasing – even when Ike and the group take on tunes by some of the pair's contemporaries like Bill Withers, Shirley Caesar, and Elton John! Side two has Ike stepping into the vocal spotlight – a shift that may well have come from the rift between the two at the time – but his appearance is actually a great thing, and maybe creates a bit of freshness as he works here to front the Home Grown Funk band. Those tunes have more of an 80s funk approach – often with heavy basslines – and Ike tunes include "Lum Dum", "Party Vibes", "No Other Woman", and "I Can't Believe" – while Tina titles include "Lean On Me", "Use Me", "Shame Shame Shame", "Philadelphia Freedom", and "Only Women Bleed". LP, Vinyl record album

Unreleased material by Ike & Tina Turner – hard, funky, and very fierce! The sound here is similar to some of the pair's more famous albums of the time – but it's also rawer and rootsier, as befits the demo status of these recordings. If you've ever gotten turned off by the production of some of Ike's studio records, you might well dig this one a lot – as it's got the raw funky promise that's often missing from other sets. CD features 17 cuts in all – and titles include "He Makes Me Holler", "Baby Makes Me Feel Good", "Ya Ya", "Sit & Hold Your Hand", "Money", "Brain Game", "It's Groovier Across The Line", "Proud Mary (funky version)", and "Woke Up This Morning". CD

The heaviest side of the great Ike Turner – early instrumental singles cut for Sue Records – all of them super-searing, super-heavy, and usually featuring some great guitar from Ike himself! Ike's best known as a soulful partner with Tina Turner – but before he hooked up with her as a singer, he was already leading a tight combo of his own – the super-sharp Kings Of Rhythm, who are really hitting their stride here – and work to support Ike in this wonderful pre-funk blend of soul, blues, and R&B – all with a razor-sharp edge. The titles alone should give you an idea of the nature of the tracks – with names like "Prancin", "The New Breed (parts 1 & 2)", "Katanga", "The Groove", "The Gully", "Trackdown Twist", "Cubano Jump", "Go To It", and "The Wild One" – and the package features 22 tracks in all – including a long "All The Blues All The Time" medley from a Crown Records album, two recorded under the name Icky Renrut, and a few more singles for the Flair label. CD

Good UK comp of Ike's work for the Modern label in the 50's, including stuff he did under his name, and work he did with Billy Gayles, Lonnie The Cat, Lover Boy, and Jackie Brenston. Hear Ike's hardcore R&B edge, which is sharp as a tack here in the years before he hooked up with Tina. Tracks include "Rocket 88", "I Ain't Drunk", "Love is Scarce", "Night Howler", "Walk My Way Home", and "Early Times". CD

The heaviest side of the great Ike Turner – early instrumental singles cut for Sue Records – all of them super-searing, super-heavy, and usually featuring some great guitar from Ike himself! Ike's best known as a soulful partner with Tina Turner – but before he hooked up with her as a singer, he was already leading a tight combo of his own – the super-sharp Kings Of Rhythm, who are really hitting their stride here – and work to support Ike in this wonderful pre-funk blend of soul, blues, and R&B – all with a razor-sharp edge. The titles alone should give you an idea of the nature of the tracks – with names like "Prancin", "The New Breed (parts 1 & 2)", "Katanga", "The Groove", "The Gully", "Trackdown Twist", "Cubano Jump", "Go To It", and "The Wild One" – and the package features 22 tracks in all – including a long "All The Blues All The Time" medley from a Crown Records album, two recorded under the name Icky Renrut, and a few more singles for the Flair label. CD

Great stuff – and one of the funkiest albums that Ike Turner ever recorded – done during a late 60s moment when his fame with Tina Turner was really on the rise – but much more like some funky 45 take on the pre-Tina work he'd been doing in the 50s! This set's a batch of obscure funky instrumentals – and sounds like a strong compilation of rare 45s, filled with hard funky drums, nice breaks, and plenty of super-tight grooves. Nearly every cut's a winner – and titles include "Black Angel", "Black Beauty", "Freedom Sound", "Ghetto Funk", "Funky Mule", "Nuttin' Up", "Scotty Souling", and "Thinking Black". With titles like that, you know the cuts have got to be good – and for one of the few times in his career, Ike actually delivers the funky goods! LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark live set from the Rolling Stones – featuring material from their smoking tour of 1969! The set really captures the Stones at their most nasty – that great turning point when their edge was maybe sharpest of ever, right in the best Let It Bleed mode – but with even more raw energy from the live setting. Titles include "Carol", "Live With Me", "Street Fighting Man", "Sympathy For The Devil", "Little Queenie", and "Stray Cat Blues". Massively expanded package features a huge amount of music – the unreleased Stones tracks "Prodigal Son", "You Gotta Move", "I'm Free", and "Satisfaction" – plus material from sets by BB King and Ike & Tina Turner on a full separate disc – both pulled from the same tour! Also features a DVD with backstage footage by the Maysles Brothers, and song performances of all the extra Stones tracks! CD

Music from Big T Tyler, the Five Keys, Illinois Jacquet, Louis Jordan, Pigmeat Markham, Ike & Tina Turner, Amos Milburn, Cleo Brown, T Bone Walker, Floyd Dixon & more. CD

Santa Claus gets plenty of lovin here – in a sweet set of tracks that spans the worlds of soul, gospel, and blues – bringing together some key classics from the season, plus some more unusual material too! There's a total of 26 tracks on the set – and titles include "The Sound Of Christmas" by The Violinaires, "Christmas In Viet Nam" by Johnny & Jon, "Santa's On His Way" by Ad Libs, "It's That Time Of Year" by The Manhattans, "Doing The Santa Claus" by Huey Smith & The Clowns, "You Better Be Good World" by Shirley Ellis, "White Xmas" by Los Angeles Angels, "Merry Christmas Baby" by Vernon Garrett, "Silent Night" by Liz Lands, "Marshmallow World" by Darlene Love, "I'll Stay Home" by The Creators, "White Christmas" by Rance Allen, "Everyday Will Be Like A Holiday" by Leon Haywood, "Merry Christmas Baby" by Ike & Tina Turner, and "It's Been A Long Bad Year" by Lonnie Hewitt. CD

Featuring Chuck Berry, Ike & Tina Turner, Drifters, James Brown, Booker T, and more! LP, Vinyl record album

An early Kent Records collection – with a surprising mix of tracks from artists who include Gene Chandler, Barbara Acklin, Joe Arnold, Timmy Shaw & The Sternphones, Earl Harrison, Ike & Tina Turner, The Snowmen, Moving Sidewalks, Knickerbockers, Nella Dodds, Erma Franklin, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

Think The Beatles only had an impact on rock and pop fans in the America of the 60s? Think again – because their music had an undeniable impact on soul as well – as you'll here from this wonderful range of remakes of classic cuts from the Fab Four! The work here is a real surprise if you don't know the legacy – but it also really makes sense once you're reminded of the mind-expanding, ear-opening territory the group hit in the latter half of the 60s – and working with themes of social change, alienation, and personal longing – of the sort that turn out to be perfect for new interpretations in soul! Most of these cuts are way more than standard cover versions, too – as the arrangements are really inventive, and take off in bold new directions that make the songs very much new properties overall. Most of the work here is from the late 60s and early 70s – and as always with Ace Records, the notes and presentation really put the music in context! Titles include "The Fool On The Hill" by The Four Tops, "Dear Prudence" by The Five Stairsteps, "For No One" by Maceo & The King's Men, "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" by Ike & Tina Turner, "Tomorrow Never Knows" by Junior Parker, "Got To Get You Into My Life" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Do You Want To Know A Secret" by Mary Wells, "Lovely Rita" by Fats Domino, "With A Little Help From My Friends" by The Undisputed Truth, "Savoy Truffle" by Ella Fitzgerald, and "Let It Be" by Bill Withers. CD

A great French-only collection of rare 60s soul from these two Liberty sub-labels – one side of music from Veep, one from Minit – with tracks from Bobby Womack, Homer Banks, Ike & Tina Turner, Jimmy Holiday & Clydie King, Jimmy Lewis, Barbara Banks, Truman Thomas, The Soul Sisters, Cindy Scott, Smokey Brooks, Tina Britt, Timmy Willis, and Johnny Noble! And worth it alone for the cut "Hunk Of Funk" by Gene Dozier & The Brotherhood! LP, Vinyl record album

Includes segments with Bette Midler, Geroge Carlin, Lenny Bruce, Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Ike and Tina Turner, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, and many more. LP, Vinyl record album

Forget Tina Turner – we'll take Ike's backup singers, who sound great all the way through this collection! The Ikettes may never have had the fame of Tina, but back in the early and mid 60s, they were actually scoring a few more hits – and these recordings for the Modern label represent the group at their height – stepping firmly into righteous soul territory, shaking off any girl group cliches, and avoiding any of the stereotypes that could sometimes mar Ike Turner's projects. There's a really special sound here – one that's got bits of Motown, bits of R&B, and bits of Northern Soul – all wrapped together perfectly and delivered with sock-solid vocals from singers Robbie Montgomery, Jessie Smith, and Venetta Fields. The CD features all the material from the girls' full album for Modern – Soul The Hits – plus loads of other singles and even some unissued tracks! Titles include "Fine Fine Fine", "Camel Walk", "Sally Go Round The Roses", "Cheater", "You're Trying To Make Me Lose My Mind", "I'm So Thankful", "Don't Feel Sorry For Me", "Can't Sit Down Cos I Feel So Good", "Lonely For You", "Sha La La", "It's Been So Long", and "Nobody Loves Me". CD

A hell of a tribute to the songwriting genius of Dolly Parton – a side of her talents that's sometimes obscured by her incredible voice and overwhelming personality! Yet right from the start, long before she was a superstar, Dolly was as much a writer in country music as she was a singer of songs – and her early records are filled with gems that opened up a whole new space for the female voice not just in country music, but in other styles too – as testified by the mix of soul, rock, and other modes that appear on this set! Dolly kicks off the collection with one of her hits – but the package then spans decades to bring together a range of really wonderful readings of songs from the pen of Parton – all accompanied by detailed notes on every selection in the set. Titles include "I Will Always Love You" by Linda Ronstadt, "Two Doors Down" by Zella Lahr, "In The Good Old Days" by The Everly Brothers, "Here I Am" by Percy Sledge, "Nickels & Dimes" by Buck Owens, "I Loved So Fast & Hard" by Porter Wagoner, "There'll Always Be Music" by Tina Turner, "My Tennessee Mountain Home" by Maria Muldaur, "Little Sparrow" by Bettye Lavette, "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" by Bill Phillips, "Most Of All Why" by Holly Dunn, "I'm In No Condition" by Hank Williams Jr, "Touch Your Woman" by Margie Joseph, "Kentucky Gambler" by Merle Haggard, "Coat Of Many Colors" by Emmylou Harris, "Don't Let It Trouble Your Mind" by Rhiannon Giddens, and "Love Is Like A Butterfly" by Nana Mouskouri. CD

The second Gorillaz album, and if there was ever an inclination the first would be a one-and-done side project or its huge success would be a tough act to follow, this one pretty much slays both theories – it's ultimately one of the better leftfield pop albums of the 00s! The guest roster on Gorillaz albums is always pretty stunning, and this one especially so – with Damon Albarn bringing in a then white hot Danger Mouse as a producer, and welcoming Roots Manuva, De La Soul, MF Doom, Shaun Ryder, Martina Topley-Bird, Bootie Brown, Ike Turner, The London Gospel Choir, Dennis Hopper and more. Includes "Dirty Harry", "Feel Good Inc", "All Alone", "Demon Days", "Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey's Head", "Don't Get Lost In Heaven", "White Light", "El Manana" and more. CD