Beats, Rhymes & Life – crucial aspects of Tribe Called Quest and hip hop in general – and the fourth album by the inimitable Tribe! After a couple or three years of down time following Midnight Marauders, the Tribe returned with this extra stripped down sound, collaborating with Jay Dee and the Ummah. Titles include "Jam", the r&b crossover ready "Stressed Out" feat Faith Evans, "Motivators", the great "Phony Rappers", and "Keeping It Moving", "Word Play", "The Pressure", "Word Play" and much more. CD

Includes their classic "I'm Def (Jump Back & Kiss Myself)". 11 tracks in all. Also includes "Cash Money", "Rock You Again (Again & Again)", "Hooked On You" and "Remember Where You Came From". LP, Vinyl record album

Radio sampler for The Corruptor soundtrack, with clean mixes of "More Money, More Cash, More H**s (Remix)" by Jay-Z, "5 Boroughs" by KRS One, "Take It Off" by UGK, "Allustrious" by Mobb Deep, "Be My Dirty Love" by Too Short, and more. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Classic Boogie Down Productions circa '89 – with prime street poetry from KRS, perfectly raw beats and overall peak end of the 80s production! Blueprint is an apt title for a couple reasons – the beats aren't what we'd call spare, but they're raw and unvarnished – a perfect framework for KRS's clear, concise and tough rhymes. It's also the blueprint for some of the best, toughest, street conscious hip hop to come. It's a unique snapshot of the time, too, coming at the crossroads of hip hop's rise from the 80s streets to the mainstream, with KRS One standing for realness right there at the brink. Includes "Jack Of Spades", "The Blueprint", "You Must Learn", "Who Protects Us From You?", "Why Is That?", "Breath Control", and "Bo! Bo! Bo!". CD

A bit of a rarity for hip hop albums – how many live sets can you name? With 19 live versions of classic KRS tracks, including "Lick A Shot", "Jack Of Spades", "My Philosophy", "Still #1 (freestyle)", "Poetry", "Criminal Minded", "Jimmy", "The Bridge Is Over", "South Bronx", 'Reggae Medley (including 9mm)", "Super Hoe", "Why Is That?", 'Stop The Violence", "Breath Control", "Self Destruction" and more. CD

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One of those rare moments where a mainstream hit goes onto preface years of creative talent to come – even though the whole thing might have seemed like a bit of a one-off at the time! The young Will Smith is fantastic as the Fresh Prince – full of charm, at a level that really upped the game for so many other MCs at the time – especially because both his lyrics and his subject matter weren't maybe the most cutting-edge, but could really come over strong, thanks to the inherent stardom in his presentation! We could well argue that Will on the album introduced the whole idea of a crossover hip hop star – one able to do just about anything – but the whole record would be nothing without the creative skills of Jazzy Jeff – who went the complete opposite way after his pairing with Will – more expressive, more experimental – and even more firmly committed to the underground. Yet it was also that easy bridge between underground and fame that made early hip hop albums like this so great – as Jeff brings forward so many great musical moments on titles that include "Live At Union Square", "DJ On The Wheels", "My Buddy", "Rhythm Trax House Party Style", "He's The DJ I'm The Rapper", "Hip Hop Dancers Theme", "Jazzy's In The House", and "Human Video Game". LP, Vinyl record album

Keith Murray's finest moment, introducing the word to his mic skills, the most complex of the Def Squad MC's. Erick Sermon provides the bottom heavy east coast funk style on the beat side. Includes the single that got everyone open on Keith "The Most Beautifullest Thing In This World", plus "Get Lifted", "Dip Dip Di", "Take It To the Streetz", "Herb Is Pumpin'", "Sychosymatic", "How's That", "Escapism", "Bom Bom Zee", "Danger", "Straight Loonie" and more. CD

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Production by The Neptunes and Medicine Men. 12-inch, Vinyl record

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With Nelly on the Neptunes remix. 12-inch, Vinyl record

The album that made Billy Ocean a superstar for a little while, one that had a HUGE couple of years on the charts, even longer service as a snapshot of its era, and is now one that we can look at freshly and appreciate for all of the unstoppably catchy pop soul craft that made it so massive in the first place! Billy's earlier Caribbean inflected pop and R&B was good stuff that deserved a bigger audience and boy did it ever find him with the mid 80s hits "Caribbean Queen", the killer ballad "Suddenly" and the crazy fun "Loverboy". Other tracks include "Mystery Lady", "Lucky Man", "Dancefloor" and "If I Should Lose You". LP, Vinyl record album

Their second single, and the one where everything really started to fall in place! 12-inch, Vinyl record

The last Tribe Called Quest LP – one of those "end of an era" type experiences for sure – and record that was fairly slept on it the time given the dizzying heights of their earlier record – and holds up today as an essential! The tracks are all produced by The Ummah featuring J Dilla, and just a solid bed of production that's a reminder of how this excellent style of hip hop production excels so sweetly at both looking forward and making 70s soul jazz beats sound forever fresh – with tracks including "Pen & Pad", "Find A Way", "Like It Like That", "Steppin' It Up" (featuring Busta Rhymes & Redman), "Rock Rock Y'all" (featuring Mos Def, Jane Doe, Punchline & Wordsworth.) As an added bonus, the CD includes six rare classic Tribe Called Quest alternate tracks and remixes that this point only ever appeared on 12-inches – including the classic "Scenario" remix, "Oh My God" remix, "Hot Sex", "One, Two Sh*t", and "Jazz (We Got)" re-recorded version. CD

One of the greatest posse cuts ever recorded, with Leaders Of The New School and Kid Hood, featuring the breakthrough verse from Busta Rhymes! 12-inch, Vinyl record

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2nd single off the Love Movement LP. Production by Ummah. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Classic Texas rap from the Menace II Society soundtrack. 12-inch, Vinyl record

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Tracks include "Record Haters". "Rapper's Ball", "Growing Up", "I Wanna Thank You", "The Story", "Million Dollar Spot", "My Drinking Club", "Ring It", "Things' Never Change", "I Like What You Do To Me", and "It Is What It Is". LP, Vinyl record album

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A nice funky number from Syleena Johnson's second album – remixed by R Kelly, and featuring guest appearances by Busta Rhymes, Rampage, Sham & Spliff Star of the Flipmode Squad! 12-inch, Vinyl record

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... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Heavy hitting jazz rock from the UK underground of the early 70s! Elastic Rock is seminal early album from Ian Carr's legendary Nucleus group – playing here in a version that includes Karl Jenkins and Brian Smith on reeds, and Chris Spedding on guitar. The band had a landmark sound that mixed progressive jazz and tight full-on rock fusion into a style that was sometimes funky, sometimes avant, and often pretty darn exciting! This album has lots of nice electric piano lines, and plenty of choppy sax parts that hit a nice groove in the manner that would later be taken up by a lot of European reed players. Tracks include "Torrid Zone", "Stonescape", "Striation", "1916 – The Battle Of Boogaloo", "Persephones Jive", and "Earth Mother". We'll Talk About It Later follows in a similar vein, with slightly longer songs that offer a bit more room for improvisation – and grooves that are still nice and jazzy. Titles include "Song for The Bearded Lady", "Oasis", "Ballad of Joe Pimp", "Easter 1916", and "Lullaby For A Lonely Child". CD

Great work from the Ohio Players – and proof that moving to a big label could be a good thing for a funky group! This was the band's first album for Mercury – and although one might have the temptation to say that the label cut down the radical funk sound of the trippy Westbound years, the move also taught the band to sharpen up their act, and get out of the repetitive sloppy groove into which they'd been lapsing during the past few years. The record's a lot smoother than earlier work – with a polished funky sound that would soon push the band right up there with Earth Wind & Fire at the top of the soul charts. And although there's familiar funky numbers like "Skin Tight", "Jive Turkey", and "Streakin Cheek To Cheek" – the best moment on the entire album is the wonderful spacey soul number "Heaven Must be Like This", a seven minute mellow groover that's got a sophisticated jazzy soul style, with voices and piano soaring into the heavens, in a way that always still sends chills down our spine! That cut shows the band's tremendous growth – and it's one of their best-ever! LP, Vinyl record album

Almost a return to basics for Airto and Flora – singing here in more of a jazzy fusion style than on some of her late 70s R&B sessions. The Concord production almost gives the album the feel of a Tania Maria set for the label – using core jazzy backings, plus some expanded instrumentation – at one minute sounding stripped down and jazzy, but at others going for some more contemporary soul styles. There's enough good tunes on here to make the album worthwhile, and help you get past the few clunkers that sort of get in the way – and titles include "Nvula Leza Kia/Humbiumbi", "Jogral", "Bad Jive", "20 Years Blue", "Shoulder", and "New Flora". LP, Vinyl record album

One of their biggest LPs, this one hardly needs any introduction from us, with the massive hit "Another One Bites The Dust", that appeals to beat diggers and mullet-headed rockers alike! Also includes "Dragon Attack", "Play The Game", "Need Your Loving Tonight", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", "Rock It (prime jive)", "Don't Try Suicide" and "Sail Away Sweet Sister". LP, Vinyl record album

The title tells the tale on this one – as the session's a studio meeting of players all associated with Count Basie over the years – captured here in a style that's much more laidback and relaxed than the usual Basie set! Originally issued as 2 separate LPs a year apart, and both have the feel of Prestige's best work in the Swingville series. The set has an approach more in the blowing session mode, with long tracks on the album that really let each player step out in their own voice. Players include Paul Quinichette, Shad Collins, Buck Clayton, Jack Washington, Nat Pierce, Freddie Greene, Walter Page, Eddie Jones and Jo Jones. 10 numbers in all including "Rock-A-Bye Basie", "Texas Shuffle", "Out The Window", "Jive At Five", "Diggin' For Dex", "Blues I Love To Hear", "Love Jumped Out", "John's Idea", "Roseland Shuffle" and "Baby Don't Tell On Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly great one from Buddy – full of live, liveliness, and energy – but also coming across with a depth that goes beyond simple Rich big band sounds. The album was handled by producer Norman Schwartz, and looks like it was originally recorded for his Gryphon label, but probably moved to RCA at the last minute – and it's got a solid feel that's mostly got Buddy working in a straight big band mode – searing on solos with players that include Steve Marcus, Bob Mintzer, and Don Menza. The players contribute some really great tracks to the set that push a bit of a funky agenda – but never too much – just enough kick in the rhythm to make things soulful, and inspire the soloists accordingly! Titles include "Time Out", "Tales Of Rhonda Rat", "Ya Gotta Try", "Party Time", "Kong", and "No Jive". LP, Vinyl record album

Trumpeter Bobby Shew blues with a host of "west coast friends" in this Japanese-only date – part of the great Atlas/Yupiteru series from the start of the 80s! The quintet features Bud Shank on alto and flute, Mike Wofford on piano, Bob Magnusson on bass, and Roy McCurdy on drums – and titles include "Jinna's Jive", "Samba De Nina", "Can't Stop The Cryin", and "You & The Night & The Music". LP, Vinyl record album

The greatest album to date from Sugarman 3 – one of the funkiest combos of the past 50 years! The group's organ/sax sound has never sounded so great – and it's pumped up even further here from some added guest instrumentation, including drums from Bernard Purdie, plus vocals on a number of cuts from deep funk legends Lee Fields, Charles Bradley, and Naomi Davis. The whole thing's as funky as funky can be – the kind of a record that would be selling for $300 if it came out in the 70s, and which is even nicer to have at a low everyday price! Titles include "Shot Down", "Modern Jive", "Funky So & So", "Take It As It Come", "Pure Cane", "Promised Land", "Country Girl", "La Culebra", "Down To It", "Honey Wagon", and "Bosco's Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool set that looks at the rise of late 50s beatnik culture from a variety of different styles – not just the jazz and poetry that marked that scene's biggest contribution to music – but also the wealth of modes that inspired those years too! The 3CD package features a stunning 57 titles in all – and begins in the late 30s with hard-edged small combo work and jive-heavy vocal tracks – then runs past WWII to include some bebop, R&B, and very cool vocal numbers – before moving into Greenwich Village classic sounds in a mix of spoken word, jazz poetry, and even a bit of folk! The booklet is filled with notes and history in both English and French – and titles include "The Beat Generation" by Bob McFadden, "High School Drag" by Phillipa Fallon, "The Nazz" by Lord Buckley, "American Haikus" by Jack Kerouac & Al Cohn, "Route 66" by Bobby Troup, "Gator Tail (part 2)" by Cootie Williams, "Rock & Roll" by Wild Bill Moore, "Killin Jive" by Cats & The Fiddle, "You'se A Viper" by Stuff Smith, "Scrapple From The Apple" by Les Double Six, "Kookie's Mad Pad" by Ed Byrnes, "So What" by Eddie Jefferson, "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg, "I Sing Of Olaf" by Roger Steffans, "Say Man" by Bo Diddley, "Shulie A Bop" by Sarah Vaughan, and "The Rocket Ship Show" by Jocko Henderson. CD

Music from The Shells, The Charts, The Willows, The Del Knights, The Jesters, Lewis Lymon & The Teenchords, The Crescents, The Visions, The Jive Five, The Charmers, The Sheppards, The Fabulons, The Channels, The Baltineers, The Five Satins, The Legends, The Keynotes, The Rocketones, Jackie & The Starlites, The Personalities, The Videos, The Dell Vikings, and The Moonglows – 25 tracks in all! CD

Incredible sounds from the German Jazz Festival of 1964 – a wonderful meeting of modern talents from all over the European continent at the time – including some great work from behind the Iron Curtain too! The album features a few tracks each by a number of different groups – all of them excellent, and the sorts of players who are really under-represented in terms of available recordings – which makes this selection of tracks completely essential! The set begins with "Sopranitis" and "Birmingham Post" – played by a very cool combo with Heinz Sauer on tenor and soprano sax, Joki Freund on the same two instruments, Emil Mangelsdorff on alto, and Gunther Kornberg on alto and baritone – a four-sax group that works with just bass and drums to give them a groove, with strong solos from all players. Next up is the fantastic Zagreb Jazz Quartet – with Bosko Petrovic on vibes – playing "In Walked Bud" and "Degressia" – plus a version of "Bluesette" with a guest appearance by Sven Asmussen. Tenor player Karl Drevo (Drewo) leads a quintet with trumpeter Maffy Falay and pianist Bora Rokovic – on a long reading of "Save Your Love For Me". The legendary quartet of saxophonist Klaus Doldinger is next – his great group with Ingfried Hoffmann on Hammond, Peter Trunk on bass, and Klaus Weiss on drums – with guest work by Rolf Kuhn on tenor and Inge Brandenberg on vocals – on the titles "Waltz Of The Jive Cats", "What's The Matter Daddy", and "Groovin In Berlin". Last up is one of our favorite groups of the time – the quintet of pianist Michael Naura, which also features Wolfgang Schluter on vibes and Peter Reinke on alto – on "Rainy Clouds" and "Rhythm A Ning". CD

A great live classic from the Cannonball Adderley Sextet of the early 60s – that famous group that included Nat Adderley on cornet, Yusef Lateef on tenor and flute, Joe Zawinul on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums! Tracks are long, and these guys are really on fire in a live setting – and titles include a stellar 11 minute version of "The Jive Samba", one of Cannonball's greatest tracks – plus "Primitivo", "Lillie", and "Mellow Buno". LP, Vinyl record album

Dark genius from the always-amazing Miles Davis Quintet of the 60s – a set that's a bit more subtle than some of the group's other efforts, but no less powerful – and virtually a blueprint for countless changes to come in jazz during the next few decades! The interplay of Davis' trumpet, Wayne Shorter's tenor, and Herbie Hancock's piano is worth the price of admission alone – a force that seems to flow of its own direction, pulled three ways equally, but always emerging as a sound greater than its parts. And adding in the subtle pulse of Ron Carter on bass and nearly melodic drums of Tony Williams, the sound is even more incredible – a well-crafted and evocative sound that's far more than jazz! Titles include versions of Herbie's "Riot" and "Madness", Shorter's "Nefertiti" and "Pinocchio", and Williams' "Hand Jive". Plus, the CD reissue features 4 bonus alternate takes from the original session! CD

Great work from the Ohio Players – and proof that moving to a big label could be a good thing for a funky group! This was the band's first album for Mercury – and although one might have the temptation to say that the label cut down the radical funk sound of the trippy Westbound years, the move also taught the band to sharpen up their act, and get out of the repetitive sloppy groove into which they'd been lapsing during the past few years. The record's a lot smoother than earlier work – with a polished funky sound that would soon push the band right up there with Earth Wind & Fire at the top of the soul charts. And although there's familiar funky numbers like "Skin Tight", "Jive Turkey", and "Streakin Cheek To Cheek" – the best moment on the entire album is the wonderful spacey soul number "Heaven Must be Like This", a seven minute mellow groover that's got a sophisticated jazzy soul style, with voices and piano soaring into the heavens, in a way that always still sends chills down our spine! That cut shows the band's tremendous growth – and it's one of their best-ever! LP, Vinyl record album

2 Ohio Players classics – back to back on one CD! Skin Tight is the band's first album for Mercury – and although one might have the temptation to say that the label cut down the radical funk sound of the trippy Westbound years, the move also taught the band to sharpen up their act, and get out of the repetitive sloppy groove into which they'd been lapsing during the past few years. The record's a lot smoother than earlier work – with a polished funky sound that would soon push the band right up there with Earth Wind & Fire at the top of the soul charts. And although there's familiar funky numbers like "Skin Tight", "Jive Turkey", and "Streakin Cheek To Cheek" – the best moment on the entire album is the wonderful spacey soul number "Heaven Must be Like This", a seven minute mellow groover that's got a sophisticated jazzy soul style, with voices and piano soaring into the heavens, in a way that always still sends chills down our spine! That cut shows the band's tremendous growth – and it's one of their best-ever! Fire is one of the biggest albums ever for Ohio Players – a set that took their earlier funk sound and targeted firmly at the mainstream with a lean, mean groove that a million other groups copied at the time! There's still plenty of the soul of the early years in the group's approach here – and sometimes, the mellower tracks show a wonderful talent for harmonies coming even more fully to the top. But the real appeal of the record has always been the bold, bassy grooves that hit strongly just as ensemble funk was exploding in the mainstream during the early years of disco – making plenty of space for the Players and their contemporaries to grab up new audiences who never would have touched a record like this five years before! There's plenty of grit in the grooves on the best numbers – a style that's maybe not as dirty as on Westbound, but still more than enough to make any real funk fan proud. Titles include "Fire", "Together", "Together/Feelings", "It's All Over", "Runnin' From the Devil", "Smoke", "What The Hell", and "I Want To Be Free". CD

Massive work from one of the funkiest drummers of all time – the legendary Bernard Pretty Purdie, stepping out here in a batch of instrumentals that may well be his greatest album ever! Bernard's drums are right up front in the mix – leading off all tunes with a full, funky, echoey sort of approach that's unlike anything else we can think of – and certainly different from any other late 60s albums of this type! The production is totally great – and has a way of pulling out some of the weirdest aspects of the music – which itself features guitar from Billy Butler and Eric Gale, bass from Bob Bushnell, tenor and flute from Seldon Powell, and organ and piano from Richard Tee – who also handled all the arrangements on the set! The centerpiece is the hit single "Funky Donkey", but just about every track's a groover in its own way – and titles include "Soul Drums", "Bill's Groove", "Jimmy's Back", "Testifyin", "Modern Jive", "Blow Your Lid", "Bee N Tee", and "Soul Bossa Nova". This new edition includes 8 bonus tracks, with a couple rare 45 tracks and more that have never been released – all soulful & funky – well paired with the Soul Drums album! Bonus tracks are in stereo, and include "Alexander's Rag Time Band", "Genuine John", "Soul Clappin", "If You Never Cried", "Stop" and "Time Is Tight". Also comes with a nice booklet with new liner notes, and choice quotes from Purdie's peers and those he influenced, from Galt MacDermot to Large Professor. LP, Vinyl record album

Hard-jamming jazz rock from Back Door – 3 prime era Warner albums in a 2CD set! Graced with lots of free solo work on alto and soprano sax by Ron Aspery, and a pretty strong power-trio instrumental format from Tony Hicks on drums and Colin Hodgkinson on bass, the group's early-to-mid 70s triumphs are mighty to this day. The self-titled debut is a jamming affair with genuine strains of funk and pretty great playing – and overall, it almost sounds like a rock take on the ESP sound at times! Titles include "Back Door", "Jive Grind", "Askin The Way", "Vienna Breakdown", "Plantagenet", and the classic Beastie Boys' sample track "Slivadiv". 8th Street Nites more than lives up to its predecessor, with a lots of bass-driven grooves and a couple charged takes on classic Robert Johnson and Leadbelly. Titles include "Linin' Track", "Forget Me Daisy, "Roberta", "Dancin' In The Van", "The Bed Creaks Louder", "Adolphus Beal" and more. Another Fine Mess arrived a couple years later and brings some Fender Rhodes to the mix, with titles including "I'm Gonna Stay A Long, Long Time", another fine jammy jazz rock take on the blues in "TB Blues", plus "Manager's Shirt", "Streamline Guitar", "The Dashing White Sergeant" and more. CD

Never-issued work from this legendary fusion group – a 1971 live performance recorded in Rotterdam, and a set of tracks that's a perfect complement to the legendary Nucleus albums issued by Vertigo at the time! Leader Ian Carr is upfront on trumpet – but as with the best Nucleus recordings, this is definitely an all-out group affair – driven by very strong work from John Marshall on drums and Roy Babbington on bass – and filled with work from two different simultaneous electric pianos, handled by both Hywel Thomas and Karl Jenkins, the latter of whom also blows a bit of oboe. Other reeds are from Brian Smith on tenor, soprano sax, and flute – and all tracks are nice and long, and often quite funky – with titles that include "Snakehips Dream", "We'll Talk About It Later", "Song For The Bearded Lady", "Exit Interlude 1", "Persephone's Jive", "Exit Interlude 2", and "Oasis". LP, Vinyl record album

A great second volume of pivotal episodes of The Johnny Otis Show from Ace Records and a compilation that represents two eras of Johnny Otis! On With The Show starts out by continuing the story of his late 50s and early 60s R&B years – then segues hard into his grittier funk-honed style of the late 60s and early 70s. The first half starts out right where Vol 1 left off – tracing his good-natured, rollicking R&B. Fittingly, this half of the set effectively ends with '61's "Hand Jive One More Time" and the next track, '67's "Keep The Faith", shows a remarkable transition in style to groove heavy soul and funk. It's all great – be it his charismatic riffs on the Bo Diddley beat that so characterized the "Hand Jive" era, to the ribald funk of "Signifying Monkey" and beyond. 24 tracks in all and featuring a great set of notes. Titles include "Good Golly", "The Jelly Roll", "The New Bo Diddley", "Let's Love It Up", "Banana Peels", "The Watts Breakaway", "Cold Shot", "Country Girl", "I Got The Walkin' Blues", "Cuttin' Up", "Jaws", "Bye Bye Baby (Until We Meet Again)" and more. CD

The Jazzman label hits a whole new level of brilliance – as they turn their funk-trained crate digging skills to the world of spiritual jazz! The collection's an amazing batch of ultra-rare tunes – tracks that take inspiration from the John Coltrane/Archie Shepp work on Impulse Records in the 60s, then run with those roots in bold new directions – soaring, spiritual aims in jazz that reach for new freedoms, but never lapse into the totally-outside modes of free jazz! Instead, there's a really great balance here between structure and struggle – as many tunes often have a good rhythmic pulse, usually modal and soulful, then let the horn solos stretch out more in their own sounds and directions. The mix is amazing, as is the selection of tunes – rare numbers pulled mostly from American independent jazz releases of the 60s and 70s – most of which are as obscure as the funky 45s we normally get from Jazzman. As with the label's US funk compilations, there's full notes on all the music – a heck of a lot of detail on these artists – and tracks on the set include "Paul's Ark" by Morris Wilson Beau Bailey Quintet, "Ayo Ayo Nene" by Mor Thiam, "Nomusa" by Ndikho Xaba & The Natives, "The Afrikan In Winter" by The Positive Force, "Neveen" by Salah Ragab, "Ja Mil" by Hastings Street Jazz Experience, "Be There" by Leon Gardner, "Psych City" by Ohio Penitentiary 511 Jazz Ensemble, "Introduction" by James Tatum Trio Plus, and "No Jive" by Frank Derrick Total Experience. US pressing has 2 bonus tracks – "All Prasies To Allah (parts 1 & 2 edit)" by Lightmen Plus One, and "Bada Que Bash" by PE Hewitt Jazz Ensemble. CD

The only compilation of 60s female soul trio The Apollas we've ever seen – beautiful tunes with sweet and soulful vocals, big emotions and excellent arrangements – fantastic stuff from the trio, earlier material recorded as The Lovejoys and solo numbers by singer Leola Jiles! We'd love to say we've been fortunate enough to have heard more than a handful of the great Loma and Warner 45s, but that isn't the case – so this compilation from Kent as rewarding for us as just about anything they've put together in recent years – which is really saying something! A number of the tracks are should-be anthems that really allow the girls to sing big – backed by brass and tight arrangements to suit. That said, they're diverse talents, and there's some sweeter girl group styled tunes here that come across just as strongly. Glorious! Titles include "You're Absolutely Right", "Who Would Want Me Now", "Jive Cat", "See The Silver Moon", "Pretty Red Balloons", "I'm Under The Influence Of Love", "Baby I'll Come", "My Soul Concerto" and more from The Apollas proper, plus "He Ain't No Angel" and "Wait 'Round The Corner" by The Lovejoys, "I've Got So Used To Loving You" and "Why I Was Born" by Leola Jiles and more. 25 tracks in all. CD

The one and only album by Exit 9 – an obscure funk combo who recorded this rare set for Brunswick in 1975! The group is extremely tight instrumentally – working at a very fast funky clip that's kind of similar to work by Bohannon or Sound Experience – both of whom shared Exit 9's pre-disco approach to dancefloor grooves – more fast-funk than the tighter club sound of later years, and proof that a funky combo could hit the dancefloor if it had the right groove! Most numbers have vocals, and instrumentation includes lots of nice guitar work that keeps a rawer edge on the tracks – choppy and gritty in a really great way. Tracks include "MFB", "Miss Funky Fox", "Fly", "Julie I Love You", "Jive Man", and "Rhapsody in Funk". CD

A very cool live performance by this legendary freaky group – not done in concert, but for WLIR radio in New York – at a time when the Rounders were really perfecting their mix of hippie ideas and surprisingly great musicianship! Some of the tunes here are nice and jamming, and build up in a way that reminds us that these guys could rock a bit more than we sometimes give them credit for – while others are more in that Fugs-like territory that maybe made them the key inheritors of that legacy for a number of years – as was singer Peter Stampfel when he went off on his own. Titles include "Pink Underwear", "Boobs A Lot/Willie & The Hand Jive", "Bird Song", "Give Me Your Money", "Catch Me", and "Smokey Joe's Cafe". CD

Two early albums from this hip late 60s ensemble! Monday Night is genius work from the Jones & Lewis group – easily one of their best albums! If you've ever wondered why these guys got the chance to make so many records, check out this excellent early set and hear them at their finest. The group's a kick-ass one – with a host of all-star players like Jerome Richardson, Jerry Dodgion, Eddy Daniels, Seldon Powell, Roland Hanna, Richard Davis, and of course Jones and Lewis themselves – and the overall groove is similar to the Clarke-Boland Big Band at their best. Lots of rolling riffing rhythms, and breakout solos that really respect the members of the group – and which light a fuse under nearly every track. Features the funky groover "Mornin Reverend", plus "The Waltz You Swang For Me", "Say It Softly", "The Second Race", and "Kids Are Pretty People". Central Park North is excellent work from the team of Thad Jones and Mel Lewis – arguably one of their best albums from the late 60s, and a set that's got some really great funky big band numbers! There's a nice bouncing groove to the group that they normally don't have – possibly because Richard Davis is playing some Fender bass on the set, which brings in a nice focus on the bottom end – and the best numbers have a sock-soul feel that's in the best late 60s large group soul jazz mode! Titles include "Tow Away Zone", "Jive Samba", "The Groove Merchant", and "Central Park North". CD

One of the hippest bits of funk we've heard from the South African scene of the 70s – a record that mixes in plenty of currents from spiritual jazz, with a vibe that's very similar to the albums by Oneness Of Juju from the same time! The set's got this very universal appeal – earlier South African jazz modes blended with changes in 70s funk and soul – almost like a looser take on the music of Earth Wind & Fire, but with more focus on the instrumental elements overall! And those elements are great all the way through – with work from Dick Khoza on percussion, alongside lots of tenor, trumpet, trombone, and electric piano by a very jazzy lineup – plus vocals from Edger Dirgole too. Most tracks are nice and long, and really find their groove right from the start – on titles that include "Chapita", "Zumbwe", "African Jive", "Lilongwe", and "WD 46 Mendi Road". LP, Vinyl record album