Some of the last great recordings by Django Reinhardt – a series of 78 rpm recordings for the Blue Star label in Paris, done in a variety of settings, both large and small! About half the tracks on the CD feature Django with the Hot Club lineup that included Hubert Rostaing on clarinet and Joseph Reinhardt on rhythm guitar – and other titles include 2 recorded with the quintet of trumpeter Rex Stewart, 1 with the Orchestre Du Boeuf Sur Le Toit, and 1 with a quintet that includes Michel De Villers on alto sax. The CD features 12 titles in all, all remastered from the original 78s – and titles include "Vette", "Swing 48", "Minor Blues", "Peche A La Mouche", "Danse Norvegienne", and "Blues For Barclay", done in 2 takes. CD

A much-needed look at a key force in Italian disco – the legendary Baia Degli Angeli, a club that was as important to Europe as the Paradise Garage was to New York! The CD features a great selection of numbers that played strongly on Angeli's dancefloor in the late 70s, most of which have a spacey electronic quality that links them strongly to some of the best underground club of New York at the time. The CD's mixed together in a way that recreates the feel of the legendary floor – and titles include "Midnight Madness" by Don Ray, "Zone" by Rhythm Makers, "Don't You Know Who Did It" by John Forde, "Pazuzu" by Tony Silvester & The New Ingredient, "Surprise" by Andre Gagnon, "Sweet Lady" by Chain Reaction, "Timing Forget The Timing" by Black Devil, "Magnifico Mambo" by Five Letters, "Come On & Rock" by Needa, "Point Zero" by Voyage, "Un Habit En La Bemol" by Flashback Roger Gravel, and "Monkey Star" by Arpadys. CD

Way more than just "hits" – given that this hip box set features tracks from every single 12" released by the legendary P&P family of labels – a massive amount of underground dancefloor work from the late 70s and early 80s, and a set that gives new meaning to the word discography! If you know even just a bit of the P&P sound, you'll know you've got a revolutionary listening experience in store – music that goes way beyond conventional club and disco, with lots of weird little twists and turns – in both the instrumentation and production, which often use these cool little homemade spacey touches! Vocals are often right in synch with the offbeat grooves – and just about every cut on here is massively funky, too. Package features work by Cloud One, Milton Floyd, Sons Of Darkness, Jesse Gee, Scoopy, Rudy Stuart, Little Scotty, Henry Brooks, Fly Guy, Ahzz, Super Jay, Otis Turner, Sherod, The Destiny Orchestra, Bobby Mann, and many others – from singles that originally appeared on labels like Queen Constance, La Shawn, Land Of Hits, Golden Flamingo, Heavenly Star, Clarence, Destiny, Mr Brown, P&P, Sound Of New York, and others. 185 songs, on 15 CDs, packaged in cool slim sleeves in a tight box set – over 18 hours of music, and all of it great! CD

A landmark double-live album that was easily one of the most important soul record moments of the 70s! The concert was an all-star event held in LA to celebrate the anniversary of the Watts riots – but it features a killer lineup of talent from the roster of Stax Records – by then a proud independent with more than enough power to spread a nationwide message from Memphis to Los Angeles without any trouble! The record is nicely segmented – so that it offers up mini "sets" by each artist – really recreating the feel of the event, at a level that lived on in countless living rooms long after the concert was over. Titles include "Son Of Shaft/Feel It" and "I Can't Turn You Loose" by The Bar-Kays; "Ain't No Sunshine" by Isaac Hayes, "I Don't Know What This World Is Coming To" and "Hearsay" by The Soul Children, "I Like What You're Doing To Me" and "Gee Whiz" by Carla Thomas; "The Breakdown" and "Do The Funky Penguin" by Rufus Thomas, "Killing Floor" and "Angel Of Mercy" by Albert King"; "Respect Yourself" and "I'll Take You There" by The Staple Singers; and "Knock On Wood" by Eddie Floyd. Also includes 2 studio tracks recorded after the show – "Oh La De Da" by The Staple Singers, and "Lay Your Loving On Me" by Eddie Floyd. LP, Vinyl record album

The classic debut of Air – one of the fresher avant pop albums of the late 90s to say the least, and one of the best since then, too! Perhaps the greatest achievement here is how they deftly layer such broad influences of the preceding few decades – from soaring string film schools, to nascent electronic pop, to fusiony jazz keyboards and much in between and beyond – into a wholly original vibe all Air's own that's as breezy today as it was at the end of the 90s. Includes "La Femme D'Argent", the standout classic "Sexy Boy", "All I Need", "Kelly Watch The Stars", "Talisman". "Remember", "You Make It Easy", "Ce Matin La", "New Star In The Sky" and "Le Voyage De Penelope". CD

Juan Garcia's at his best here on Exploring New Sounds In Stereo – gazing into a telescope on the cover, looking at the stars and contemplating his next musical direction. For that, the session leaps into a swinging hi-fi mode that brings the hi-ghest fi-delity to the band's nutty approach to arrangements. Esquivel's definitely swinging on a star here – especially on the cuts "My Blue Heaven", "Spellbound", "Whatchamacalit", "La Ronde", and "Bella Mora". Despite the "strings" in the title on Strings Aflame, this one actually swings quite well, and has a bit of an exotic gypsy flavor to it, augmented by cool spacey production that makes the strings hum with a strange other-worldly tonality. The set's filled with the usual crazy Esquivel arrangements, and includes the cuts "Turkish March", "Andalusian Sky", "Misirlou", and "Gypsy Lament". CD

A long-overdue package – one that finally brings together all the many strands of music from underground Cali rock legend Merrell Fankhauser! CD1 features some of Merrell's earliest music – a host of early singles by Merrell & The Exiles, some of which were issued on the Glenn and Golden Crown labels – mixed here with rare unissued titles too – for a whopping 19 tracks that offer up a rare look at Fankhauser's earliest years! CD2 features the classic Fapardokly record – a lost bit of legend from the west coast scene of the 60s – and a record that's maybe best-known as a showcase for the early genius of Merrell Fankhauser – who wrote most of the songs on the set, a good number of which were actually recorded for the record by his previous group, The Exiles! Yet despite that little bit of trivia, there's a great vibe going on here – a seminal shift in the Cali scene from garagey work to trippier modes – served up beautifully on titles that include "Glass Chandelier", "Suzie Cryin", "Tomorrow's Girl", "Lila", "Mr Clock", "No Retreat", "Gone To Pot", "When I Get Home", "Supermarket", and "The Music Scene". CD3 features the album Things, recorded by Merrell Fankhauser & HMS Bounty – a perfect blend of Fankhauser's earlier garage rock modes and latter trippier styles! The tunes are short and wonderfully tuneful – produced at Gold Star studios, with a simple, straightforward style that makes all the deftness of the songwriting come through even more – an approach that, although supposedly steeped in Pacific Ocean inspiration, almost feels more like that great moment when some UK groups of the mid 60s were tripping out, but not too much. Titles include "Lost In The City", "Your Painted Lives", "In A Minute Not Too Soon", "A Visit With Ashiya", "The Big Gray Sky", and "Rich Man's Fable". CD4 features MU – an incredible record, and one that really lives up to all its well-deserved legend over the years – one of those sets that's not just rare, but which has all the chops to really deliver the goods! A few short years before, Merrell Fankhauser was recording garage and psych on the LA scene – but here, he steps off the latter with a bit of post-60s hangover – working with a current of darkness that really changes things up, while still providing a great outlet for his legendary work on guitar – and his mindblowing sense of a lyric! Titles include "Ballad Of Brother Lew", "Eternal Thirst", "Too Naked For Demetrius", "Mumbella Baye Tu La", "The Clouds Went That Way", and "Nobody Wants To Shine". CD5 features MU's The Last Album – 20 more tracks recorded in 1974, but unissued for many years – and CD6 features the legendary Maui album from the enigmatic Merrell Fankhauser – a self-released set that drew inspiration from his time in Hawaii – even though the set was mostly recorded in LA and San Francisco! The tunes are beautiful – nicely evolved from Merrell's psych of earlier years, with a much more personal vibe – yet all without some of those west coast cliches that were creeping into more mainstream music of the period. You might get the vibe partly right if you could maybe imagine a more personal singer/songwriter take on the AOR vibe of the period – with leaner, better instrumentation and unslick production – but that's also only part of the picture too! Titles include "On Our Way To Hana", "Make A Joyful Noise", "Garden In The Rain", "Waterfall", "The Source", "Sail It Over The Ocean", and "We Were All Free". Box set features a very detailed book of notes – bonus tracks added to most of the albums, and a massive 95 tracks in all! CD

Fabulous stuff – one of the legendary albums that funky flute player Bobbi Humphrey cut with producer Larry Mizell! The record's a prime example of the Mizell genius at work – as Larry's arranged these fantastic backdrops for Bobbi's flute – soaring keyboard lines, layers and layers of rhythm, and just enough space for Bobbi to come in and send the record to the heavens with her spiritually grooving sound. Harvey Mason plays drums, Jerry Peters is on keyboards, and the rest of the group's an all-star LA studio jazz assemblage – perfectly fit together by Larry's arrangements and production in that classic cosmic mid 70s Mizell wall of sound! Tracks include "Fun House", "Satin Doll", "San Francisco Lights", and "New York Times". CD

A fantastic Art Pepper album – from his best period! The album's one of those smaller-label, mid 50s gems that Art cut in LA during some of his "troubled years" – all sessions that are great musically, but which are often overshadowed by some of Pepper's more famous work for bigger, more enduring labels. If you're at all a fan of Pepper, though, don't pass this one up – because the album's got a razor-sharp edge that's really wonderful – a keen exploration of tone that we'd rank right up there with a rare few Pepper albums of the time – and which is carried off here with an approach that's disarmingly easy-going, but very carefully placed on every note. Marty Paich's the real leader of the group on piano – even though we think Art's the star of the set – and bass is by Buddy Clark, and drums by Frank Capp. Titles include "Abstract Art", "All The Things You Are", "Marty's Blues", and "Pitfall". CD

Frankie, Frankie – OW! Take a broken-down synth, some crazy vocals, and a rich sense of imagination – and you've got one of the seminal groups of the New York scene of the early punk years. Suicide were a key bridge between earlier prog underground sounds and the art-rock punk styles that were coming out of New York in the late 70s – and one that was in a space that was completely their own – and still is, after all the decades since the release of this record! With this one landmark album, the band completely dismantled the cold German prog synth of groups like Kraftwerk, La Dusseldorf, and Tangerine Dream – and created a wild sound of spare anguish that brought a whole new dimension to punk rock. The album has got to be one of the top 50 "must have" rock records of all time – and titles include the cuts "Ghost Rider", "Rocket USA", "Johnny", "Frankie Teardrop", "Che", and "Cheree". LP, Vinyl record album

A historic meeting between pianist Art Tatum and tenor sax giant Ben Webster – recorded in 1956, but only first issued by Pablo Records in the 70s! At some level, it's clear that Tatum's the star of the sessions – as most tracks start out with that introspective and often complicated approach to the keys that marks his trio and solo work – but Webster always slides in just in time to keep the record from being a standard Tatum outing – blowing with a crisp tone that's beautifully recorded here, and hardly concerned at all with the presence of Red Callender on bass and Bill Douglass on drums – who are much lower in the mix. Titles include "Night & Day", "Where Or When", "My Ideal", "Gone With The Wind", and "All The Things You Are". CD features 5 bonus tracks – all solo piano numbers by Tatum, recorded in LA in December of 1953. Titles include "Night & Day", "Where Or When", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "Gone With The Wind", and "All The Things You Are". CD

The last album ever recorded by LA vocalist Jesse Belvin – a stupendous session that showed where he might have headed, if not for the tragic auto accident that took his voice from us far too soon! The album has Jesse moving from the smooth R&B of earlier albums into a more sophisticated style that's a bit like that of Nat King Cole, but which is done here with traces of Sam Cooke as well. Orchestrations are by Marty Paich, who's great at both the swinging and mellow tunes – and titles include "Imagination", "I'll Buy You A Star", "Let There Be Love", "Blues In The Night", "It's All Right With Me", and "The Best Is Yet To Come". CD

A set recorded very early in the career of drummer Terri Lyne Carrington – an album that's tight, and full of fantastic work from both the leader and the all-star quartet on the date! Terri's already amazing on drums – shining through here in a more soaring, familiar jazz mode than on some of her later dates – unadorned, and with a great ear for both arrangements and work as a leader – guiding a group that features superb work from Kenny Barron on piano, George Coleman on tenor, and Buster Williams on bass. Sonny Carrington plays guest tenor on "Sonnymoon For Two" – and other cuts include "La Bonita", "St Thomas", "Seven Steps To Heaven", and "What Is This Thing Called Love". CD

A wonderfully moody album from Carole Creveling – a lesser-known vocalist from LA, heard here on an obscure west coast session from the 50s! The album's quite a rare one – even more so than sessions from the time on labels like Mode and Jazz West – and it's got a somewhat similar feel to the best work on those labels, in that it presents Carole in a spare, jazzy style that's quite different than the fuller pop of the time! Backing is by the Bill Baker Quartet, which includes some great guitar from the legendary Jimmy Wyble – and Carole herself has a way of singing thinly and sadly on the ballads – a beautifully dark-tinged approach that fits nicely with the sea-swept image on the cover. Titles include "Long Ago", "Star Eyes", "This Heart Of Mine", "One Morning In May", "Now We Know", "Nobody Else But Me", "There's No You", and "Better Luck Next Time". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "Willow Weep For Me" and "Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea". CD

Great work by one of the most unusual girl groups of the 60s! The Dixie Cups hailed from New Orleans – and as such, had a sound that was rougher and choppier than some of the other female trios from the north, especially the sweeter ones in LA. The group were discovered and produced by Joe Jones, a Crescent City soul star in his own right – and under Joe's guidance, they created a style that was steeped in the bubbling soul of the New Orleans scene, yet also had the kind of girl group sensibilities that would help them reach wider audiences across the US. This 18 track set is the best reissue we've ever seen of their material from the time – and features all of their recordings for the Red Bird label, produced by Lieber & Stoller, with arrangements by Joe Jones, Wardell Quezerque, and Mike Stoller. Titles include "Iko Iko", "People Say", "Little Bell", "Gee Baby Gee", "Another Boy Like Mine", "Chapel Of Love", "Girls Can Tell", "All Grown Up", and "Thank You Mama Thank You Papa". CD

Juan Garcia's at his best here – gazing into a telescope on the cover, looking at the stars and contemplating his next musical direction. For that, the session leaps into a swinging hi-fi mode that brings the hi-ghest fi-delity to the band's nutty approach to arrangements. Esquivel's definitely swinging on a star here – especially on the cuts "My Blue Heaven", "Spellbound", "Whatchamacalit", "La Ronde", and "Bella Mora". Stereo version, too! LP, Vinyl record album

Quite a groovy soundtrack – a mixture of vocal and instrumental numbers written by Billy for this groovy film about the liberated woman of the late 60s! The album sports a few vocal numbers by bigger stars – "Look Again" by the Brooklyn Bridge, "Used To Be" by Vicki Lawrence, and "As Far As I'm Concerned" by Bobby Russell – but the best tunes are the shorter instrumental ones by Goldenberg. These have a sparkling quality that mixes easy instrumentation, some slight grooves, and a few mode touches of instrumentation – like electric sitar, guitar, and more. What this means is that about half the album is very nice groovy music – with titles that include "La De Da", "Tommy Doesn't Like Rosie At All", "Traveling With A Star", "Christine In Las Vegas", "Bonanza Paree", and "Soft Music For Rosie". LP, Vinyl record album

Sure, Rickie Lee Jones went onto become a bit of a cliche in later years, but this early album's still got an undeniable power – and was a great breath of fresh air, at a time when it seemed like most of modern music was forgetting its roots! What is it with the LA scene from the 60s onward that they always seemed to find their best inspiration in the past? Artists like Harpers Bizarre, Randy Newman, Tom Waits and others set the stage for a record like this – by reaching back into older styles and bringing them forward with a more contemporary spin. (And why was it that LA seemed to be the center of this mode – and New York, Chicago, and other cities never worked that way?) Rickie serves up a nice assortment of older-styled vocal cuts – performed with a mixture of traditional and 70s jazz backings, supported by some extra-classy Warner production from Lenny Waronker. Titles are all originals, but done with an older hipser sort of feel – and titles include "Easy Money", "Chuck E's In Love", "Young Blood", "The Last Chance Texaco", "Danny's All Star Joint", "Weasel & The White Boys Cool", "Company", "Coolsville", and "On Saturday Afternoons In 1963". CD

Philly soul classics from The Manhattans – the mid 70s self-titled gem and After Midnight from the dawn of the 80s! The Manhattans album is one of their best of the 70s, and a record that showed that they were firmly out of the indie ghetto, and totally on top of their game! The record features arrangements and production by Bobby Martin and Bert DeCoteaux – bubbling along in that soaring style that you'd recognize best from Philly International albums of the time, but which also has some nice traces of the mellower ballad work that first put the group on the map. Every tune is perfect – the kind of sublime soul that easily explains why a record like this could be found in every single record collection of every single soul listener of the time – and titles include "La La La Wish Upon A Star", "We'll Have Forever To Love", "Take It Or Leave It", "Reasons", "Wonderful World Of Love", "Searching For Love", and the incredible "Kiss & Say Goodbye". Several bonus tracks, too! After Midnight is stellar Manhattans from the start of the 80s – and proof that the group could still hold strong, even at a point when soul music was really changing up around them! The sound is somewhat smoother than before, but never in a throwaway style – and as you might guess from the title, the record's a mostly-mellow affair that really hones in on the great ballad style that the group had perfected during their time at Columbia! The vocals are superb – not nearly as fragile as in the early days, but really still filled with a great sense of warmth and humanity – the group really maturing into a special space of their own. Arrangements are by James Mack, Benjamin Wright, Bert DeCoteux, and others – and titles include the hit "Shining Star", plus "It's Not The Same", "Just As Long As I Have You", "If My Heart Could Speak", "One Life To Life", "The Closer You Are", and "Girl Of My Dream". CD

The Monkees in their groovy, giddy prime – and a nice little album that leaves the silliness of the TV show aside for a catchy and credible batch of late 60s group pop – with a nice mix LA studiocraft and touches of psych tinged country rock for which they still don't get enough credit! The main album is perhaps best known for the big hit "Pleasant Valley Sunday" – but the rest of the tracks have the boys continuing to take on the style of post Rubber Soul acoustic Beatles, plus some much more adventurous bits of early psychedelic pop! Album tracks include "Salesman", "She Hangs Out", "The Door Into Summer", "Love Is Only Sleeping", Nilsson's "Cuddly Toy", "Hard To Believe", "What Am I Doing Hanging 'Round", "Daily Nightly", "Don't Call On Me" and "Star Collector". With seven bonus tracks. CD

An all-star posse track in support of Mumia Abu-Jamal, featuring verses from Afu-Ra, Jean Gray, Pharoah Monche, Dead Prez, Chuck D, Black Thought, Last Emperor, Slimkid Tre, Goldii Lokks, Aceyalone, Wise Intelligent, Tragedy, Sayeed, Zack de la Roche, Channel Live, and Divine Styler. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A lost session of spiritual jazz – recorded in LA in the latter half of the 80s, but with a soaring, righteous vibe that's right up there with the 70s scene! The group here is incredible – an all-star array of the best talents working for Nimbus Records – Nate Morgan on piano, Rickey Kelly on vibes, Jesse Sharps on reeds, Danny Cortez on trumpet, Joel Ector on bass, and Derek Roberts on drums – all moving with the cohesiveness of a well-honed small combo, in territory that's right in line with some of Morgan's most glorious recordings for the label! The use of Kelly on vibes is especially nice – as he's a player we've always loved, but hardly ever get to hear in a setting this ambitious – and his presence on the record makes the whole thing sound even more magical and majestic. Tracks are quite long, with a soaring, searching feel – driven on strongly by Morgan's piano, and topped by some great explorations by Sharps. Titles include "Retribution Reparation", "Big Spliff", "A Bientot", "The Goat & The Ram Jam", "Mfaconi", "Mrafu", "Distant Vibes", and "Journey Into Nigritia". LP, Vinyl record album

The fantastic debut of Queen Latifah – a record that was done way before she was a star on the screen, and a set that also set a whole new standard for the female voice in hip hop as well! As you can tell by the cover, Latifah's got a proud, righteous vibe on the set – working with the Flavor Unit, and some especially great production from Mark The 45 King – who keeps things crisp and funky while the Queen serves up some fantastic lines! Other production work is by KRS One, Louis Vega, and Prince Paul – the last of whom handles the fantastic "Mama Gave Birth To The Soul Children", which features guest work from De La Soul. Other cuts include "Princess Of The Posse", "Ladies First", "Wrath Of My Madness", "Come Into My House", "Evil That Men Do", "A King & Queen Creation", "Latifah's Law", and "Dance For Me". CD

A true revolution in Cuban music – not the familiar cha cha and pachanga modes of the pre-Castro years, but instead the huge wave of fresh styles and combinations that sprung up in the years to come! The tracks here aren't the kind of Cuban sounds that are locked in time by the all-star representations of the scene that circle widely – and instead, this music represents the younger, more experimental side of the scene – continually creating new styles and hybrids during the 70s and 80s, even at a time when most of the records weren't making it out to the world at large! Make no mistake, there's certainly elements of older Afro Latin rhythms, and Latin jazz instrumentation – but those are blended with new approaches to rhythm, instrumentation, and the overall role of the musicians and singers – on tracks that will really open up your ears. Gilles Peterson helped put the package together for Soul Jazz – and the whole thing's got the same hybrid hallmarks as his more recent recording forays in Havana – with cuts that include "Cancion Con Todos" by Grupo De Experimentacion Sonora Del Icaic, "Hast Las Cuantas" by Grupo Monumental, "Luna Wanestain" by Emiliano Salvador, "Te Quiero Porque Te Quiero" by Pablo Milanes, "Un Lamento Heco Cancion" by Los Reyes 73, "Dacapo" by Raul Gomez, "La Patica" by Paquito D'Rivera, "Rompe Cocorioco" by Juan Pablo Torres, "Mi Ritmo Caliente" by Juan Formell & Los Van Van, "Chequere Son" by Grupo Irakere, "El Son Del Campeon" by Conjunto Rubavana, and "Con Cadencia Y Con Dulzura" by Las D'Aida. CD

A set recorded very early in the career of drummer Terri Lyne Carrington – an album that's tight, and full of fantastic work from both the leader and the all-star quartet on the date! Terri's already amazing on drums – shining through here in a more soaring, familiar jazz mode than on some of her later dates – unadorned, and with a great ear for both arrangements and work as a leader – guiding a group that features superb work from Kenny Barron on piano, George Coleman on tenor, and Buster Williams on bass. Sonny Carrington plays guest tenor on "Sonnymoon For Two" – and other cuts include "La Bonita", "St Thomas", "Seven Steps To Heaven", and "What Is This Thing Called Love". CD

Some of the rarest work ever by Sonny Criss – and a key link between his LA bop sides of the mid 50s, and his Prestige comeback sides of the late 60s! The CD features tracks from a rare album that Criss cut in Paris during the early 60s, while he was living in the city and working with the cream of its jazz players. This all-star set has Criss blowing some wonderfully soulful alto in a combo that includes Georges Arvanitas on organ and piano, Rene Thomas on guitar, Pierre Michelot on bass, and Philippe Combelle on drums. The original album is one of the rarest sides we've ever found ourselves looking for over the years – and it's wonderful to have the material back out again with such great fidelity! It's wonderful to hear Criss blowing with an organ/guitar group – but even the piano tracks are pretty darn great. Titles include "Early & Later (parts 1 & 2)", "St Louis Blues", "Once In a While", "Green Dolphin Street", and "Day Dream". CD

A record that's virtually impossible to describe in words – partly because it's got a trans-historical, trans-spatial sort of vibe – effortlessly filtering together the best roots of older French pop music, and combining them with a range of underground pop elements that reach out to the farther reaches of the globe! Jean Emmanuel Deluxe sings lead – often with a raspy style that's partly sung, partly spoken – but never in a Serge Gainsbourg mode. Instead, he gets lots of spacey support on keyboards, echoey drums, and other instrumentation that feels like reworked 60s modes – ala Stereolab, High Llamas, or Pearlfishers. Yet the record is nothing like any of those references at all – even though Sean O'Hagan provides some guest work – as does Bertrand Burgalat, Misawa Masanori, and drummer Werner "Zappi" Diermaier of Faust. Titles include "Lushy Life", "The Girl Who Was Talking In Reverse", "Claire", "La Gourveneur De California", "Hollywood Parties", and "Comme Une Video Star". LP, Vinyl record album

Sure, Rickie Lee Jones went onto become a bit of a cliche in later years, but this early album's still got an undeniable power – and was a great breath of fresh air, at a time when it seemed like most of modern music was forgetting its roots! What is it with the LA scene from the 60s onward that they always seemed to find their best inspiration in the past? Artists like Harpers Bizarre, Randy Newman, Tom Waits and others set the stage for a record like this – by reaching back into older styles and bringing them forward with a more contemporary spin. (And why was it that LA seemed to be the center of this mode – and New York, Chicago, and other cities never worked that way?) Rickie serves up a nice assortment of older-styled vocal cuts – performed with a mixture of traditional and 70s jazz backings, supported by some extra-classy Warner production from Lenny Waronker. Titles are all originals, but done with an older hipser sort of feel – and titles include "Easy Money", "Chuck E's In Love", "Young Blood", "The Last Chance Texaco", "Danny's All Star Joint", "Weasel & The White Boys Cool", "Company", "Coolsville", and "On Saturday Afternoons In 1963". LP, Vinyl record album

A great late 70s set from BB King – a record that really echoes that mix of jazz and blues that he first had when coming out of the Memphis scene – but in a style that's very different than his initial recordings! Here, King plays with some great production help from The Crusaders, who also play on the record too – and add a hip current of LA groove to BB's vocals and guitar – never too slick or tight, but really opening up the record in ways that show the sophistication of his playing – that subtle current of jazz influences that made him so different than the rest! Titles include "Second Hand Woman", "Take It Home", "The Beginning Of The End", "Tonight I'm Gonna Make You A Star", "Happy Birthday Blues", and "Same Old Story". LP, Vinyl record album

Two classic albums from the great Sonny Rollins – both made during some time on the LA scene of the late 50s, and matched here with a more obscure third album that issued alternate sides from the sessions! First up is the classic Way Out West – a set that brings the east coast tenor of Sonny Rollins into contact with a west coast rhythm section of Ray Brown and Shelly Manne! Despite Rollins' silly look on the cover, and the album's overall "western" theme, the session's a brilliant one – right up there with Sonny's strongest trio sides of the late 50s, and a key link in a string of excellent recordings for Blue Note, Prestige, and Riverside! The lack of a piano really opens up the style of the set – letting Sonny explore freely on his solos, while Brown's bass and Manne's drums do more than enough to keep the rhythms going on their own. Solos aren't as "out" as on the Village Vanguard sessions, but certainly every bit as inspired – and titles include "I'm An Old Cowhand", "Solitude", "Come, Gone", "Way Out West", and "Wagon Wheels". Next is Sonny Rollins & The Contemporary Leaders – one of Sonny's brilliant west coast sessions for Contemporary – records that shouldn't sparkle as much as they do, but which actually stand with his best work of the 50s! Sonny's blowing in front of a session of "leaders" that includes Hampton Hawes, Barney Kessel, Leroy Vinnegar, Shelly Manne, and Victor Feldman, who plays vibes on one track. Sonny's the real leader here, though – as his bold, proud tenor tone really takes front seat, carving lines that never get tired, bringing a sparkle into tunes like "You", "How High The Moon", "I've Found A New Baby", "The Song Is You", and "I've Told Ev'ry Little Star". Heck, even with songs like those, the album should be weak – but there's an undeniable magic that really makes it great! Last is Contemporary Alternate Takes – a great collection of alternate takes from Sonny's landmark recordings for Contemporary Records in the late 50s – material recorded in LA with an easier-swinging groove than some of his New York work, in a style that let Sonny blow in round, warm, and really open tones – almost foreseeing his work for RCA in the mid 60s. Players include Ray Brown, Shelly Manne, Victor Feldman, and Barney Kessel – and the set features alternate takes of "I'm An Old Cowhand", "Come Gone", "Way Out West", "The Song Is You", and "You". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that features 15 tracks from Wayne Shorter's early years recording for Vee Jay Records! Some of the work is from the Introducing Wayne Shorter album – the birth of a genius! From the vantage point of the 21st century,Wayne Shorter hardly needs any introduction – but when he recorded this debut album in the late 50s, Shorter was just the new kid on the block – making a few important waves as the tenor star in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. The album wisely works off that fame, and pairs Shorter with co-Messenger Lee Morgan – in front line on the trumpet – but it's also got a slightly different groove too, thanks to a rhythm team that includes Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums. The Kelly trio approach makes for a nice change from the Blakey mode – and Shorter more than follows suit by blowing some wonderfully well-crafted solos, and working in a more introspective soul mode – really pointing the way towards his later genius as a leader on Blue Note. Shorter also emerges as a heck of a great writer too – contributing 5 great original tracks to the set, titles that include "Blues A La Carte", "Harry's Last Stand", "Black Diamond", "Pug Nose", and "Down in The Depths". The set also features material from the album Wayning Moments – a great early set which features playing by Freddie Hubbard, Eddie Higgins, and Jymie Merritt – is filled with haunting original compositions ("Devil's Island", "Dead End", "Powder Keg") and the kind of mature playing that you'd hardly expect from a little tike like Shorter (who, with Lee Morgan, was just a kid when the two of them were playing with Art Blakey). CD

This is the Slums' biggest outing so far without the full participation of Jay Dee – but never fear, Jay shows up here on a few tracks, and you also get beats by Hi Tek and others. The tracks are mostly on the short side, moving the flow along at a consistent clip – and the beats are the nice kind of tight, minimal synth bumps. There's also some sweet, soulful touches not unlike the ones we love so much on the best Blackalicious tracks. Pure hip hop that sounds comfortably new, but without any concessions to current trends! Tracks include "Tainted" and "Star" with Dwele, "Insane", "Slumber", "Let's", "S.O.U.L.", "Love U Hate", "Unisex", "La La", "All-Ta-Ment", "Get Live", "What Is This", "Hoes", "Disco", "Fall In Love", and more. 23 in all, including skits and interludes. LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark double-live album that was easily one of the most important soul record moments of the 70s! The concert was an all-star event held in LA to celebrate the anniversary of the Watts riots – but it features a killer lineup of talent from the roster of Stax Records – by then a proud independent with more than enough power to spread a nationwide message from Memphis to Los Angeles without any trouble! The record is nicely segmented – so that it offers up mini "sets" by each artist – really recreating the feel of the event, at a level that lived on in countless living rooms long after the concert was over. Titles include "Son Of Shaft/Feel It" and "I Can't Turn You Loose" by The Bar-Kays; "Ain't No Sunshine" by Isaac Hayes, "I Don't Know What This World Is Coming To" and "Hearsay" by The Soul Children, "I Like What You're Doing To Me" and "Gee Whiz" by Carla Thomas; "The Breakdown" and "Do The Funky Penguin" by Rufus Thomas, "Killing Floor" and "Angel Of Mercy" by Albert King"; "Respect Yourself" and "I'll Take You There" by The Staple Singers; and "Knock On Wood" by Eddie Floyd. Also includes 2 studio tracks recorded after the show – "Oh La De Da" by The Staple Singers, and "Lay Your Loving On Me" by Eddie Floyd. LP, Vinyl record album

A set titled after a Beatles hit of the 60s, but one that's got a lot more depth than that – as the record is a landmark moment in the development of organ/guitar jazz at the time – a set that features the key pairing of guitarist Grant Green and Hammond modernist Larry Young! As with other records from the duo, there's a sense of rhythmic progression and tonal inflection here that's quite different than more standard soul jazz of the time – a complexity that also comes from the drum work of Elvin Jones, and which is topped by the soulful expressions of Hank Mobley on tenor – the last member of this all-star quartet! The whole thing's great – based around loose, free rhythms – and featuring searching solos that also still remain nicely swinging and in the pocket! Titles include "Corcovado", "Stella By Starlight", "I Want To Hold Your Hand", and "At Long Last Love". CD

A rare early trio set from Jim Hall – especially noteworthy because Jim rarely worked in the format as a leader! The album's got Hall working with Carl Perkins on piano and Red Mitchell on bass – in a mode that slightly recalls some of Barney Kessel's mid 50s recordings over at Contemporary Records, but which also has that airier style that was Hall's first great calling card on his instrument. Some of the best cuts really have the notes hanging in air with incredible grace and a very subtle sense of swing – and titles include "This Is Always", "Look For The Silver Lining", "Stella By Starlight", "Deep In A Dream", "Seven Come Eleven", and "Thanks For The Memory". CD

Radiant grooves indeed from Atlantic Starr – a group who really make things sparkle throughout this magnificent set! The group are at the height of their powers here – skirting a perfect line between mainstream soul and upbeat club – never falling too much into one style or the other, and never sounding as commercial as some of their contemporaries! There's a relaxed, easygoing feel to most of the grooves on the set – never too much fake bass, nor too many electric touches – and the vocals shift a bit from track to track, taking good advantage of singers Wayne Lewis, David Lewis, and Sharon Bryant. Titles include "When Love Calls", "Think About That", "Mystery Girl", "Under Pressure", "My Turn Now", "Does It Matter", and "Send For Me". CD

The bands of Bobby Byrne and Kai Winding playing four tunes each in their own style – "Perdido", "That's A Plenty", "Get Happy", and "Hot & Cool Blues" – with Byrne playing with Yank Lawson, Arrtie Baker, Jack Lesberg, and more, and Winding with Howard McGhee, John Lewis, Percy Heath, and Kenny Clarke! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Buck Clayton's trumpet joins the Ellington band – on titles that include "Take The A Train", "In A Mellotone", "Newport Jump", "I Got It Bad", and "Skin Deep". LP, Vinyl record album

That's right, The Flaming Lips, plus Stardeath And White Dwarfs, with guests Henry Rollins and Peaches – all celebrating, deflating, inflating, messing with and making love to Pink Floyd's epic rock masterpiece Dark Side Of The Moon! Titles include "Speak To Me", "Breathe", "On The Run", "Tiome", The Great Gig In The Sky", "Money", "Us And Them", "Any Colour You Like", "Brain Damage" and "Eclipse". LP, Vinyl record album

Brigitte Bardot's best known on these shores as an actress, but during the 60s she cut some really fantastic work on the scene in Paris – including a fair bit of groovers that were done with help from the legendary Serge Gainsbourg! Bardot provided a fantastic new voice in the world of pop music – a singer who was unabashedly open about her desires, and very different than the more melancholy stars of a few years before – a quality that's further emphasized by the wonderfully groovy instrumentation used on most of these tracks! Production and arrangements are superb – and put this music in the best territory of the grooviest 60s French pop by artists like Serge Gainsbourg, France Gall, Jacques Dutronc, and a rare few others. This is the first-ever English-annotated collection of work from the period – and features a whopping 25 tracks from her recordings for Philips and Disc AZ – titles that include "Harley Davidson", "Contact", "Neu Au Soleil", "Je Danse Donc Je Suis", "La Madrague", "Les Hommes Endormis", "Je Voudrais Perdre La Memoire", "Mr Sun", "Le Diable Est Anglais", "Tu Es Venu Mon Amour", "John Et Michel", "Gang Gang", and duets with Serge Gainsbourg on "Bonnie & Clyde" and "Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus". CD

One of our favorite David Bowie albums ever! Aladdin Sane was a real turning point for Bowie – recorded on the heels of the tremendously popular Ziggy Stardust album, but really pushing the boundaries past the more straight-ahead rock and glam of that record. Instead of just sitting on his laurels, Bowie tripped out into a wilder, weirder world with this one – mixing together elements of some of the baroque arrangements of early records, with the meaner leaner sound of the 70s – populating the songs with freaks, weirdos, and odd characters that gave the whole thing a really creepy edge. The whole thing's an oft-overlooked gem that, to us, is truly one of Bowie's most magical moments – and titles include "Drive In Saturday", "Panic In Detroit", "Aladdin Sane", "Watch That Man", "The Jean Genie", "The Prettiest Star", "Time", and "Lady Grinning Soul". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite David Bowie albums ever! Aladdin Sane was a real turning point for Bowie – recorded on the heels of the tremendously popular Ziggy Stardust album, but really pushing the boundaries past the more straight-ahead rock and glam of that record. Instead of just sitting on his laurels, Bowie tripped out into a wilder, weirder world with this one – mixing together elements of some of the baroque arrangements of early records, with the meaner leaner sound of the 70s – populating the songs with freaks, weirdos, and odd characters that gave the whole thing a really creepy edge. The whole thing's an oft-overlooked gem that, to us, is truly one of Bowie's most magical moments – and titles include "Drive In Saturday", "Panic In Detroit", "Aladdin Sane", "Watch That Man", "The Jean Genie", "The Prettiest Star", "Time", and "Lady Grinning Soul". LP, Vinyl record album

A Krautrock classic from start to finish – and very much the sort of music from the early 70s German scene that had a huge impact on music well into the 21st Century! The songs here are maybe a bit shorter than on some of the contemporary albums from the scene, but no less experimental overall – mixing conventional instrumentation with wild production and effects – so that sounds from players like Harald Grosskopf on drums, Manuel Gottsching on guitars, and Klaus Schulze on keyboards all end up sounding much wilder than you might expect! Dieter Dierks serves a key role as the "magier em mischpult" – helping weave the amazing sounds throughout in his legendary studio – on titles that include "Elektronenzirkus", "Intergalactic Radio Guri Broadcasting", "Der Planet Des Sternemadchens", "Planet of Communication", "Der Narr Im All", and "Intergalactic Nightclub". CD

Great stuff! From Motown songwriters to world-class superstars, the trip was a well-deserved one for Valerie Simpson and Nick Ashford – and this album's perhaps their crowning achievement in sophisticated club soul! The record's got a great groove that offers a more soulful version of disco than most of the competing albums on major labels at the time – a perfect summation of the care and craft that Ashford & Simpson had always put into their music right from the start! The pair handle all production on the record, and also contributed all the songs too – and the whole thing's so wonderfully tight, right, and on the money, the album soars to the top even before the vocals come into the mix. Titles include more than a few club classics, like "Found A Cure", "Stay Free", and "Nobody Knows" – plus the cuts "Dance Forever", "Crazy", "Follow Your Heart", and "Finally Got To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Ben E King joins the Average White Band for this sweet 70s set – a killer record that not only stands as one of King's best efforts of the decade, but one that also gives the group a great new frontman! Ben's not the only singer on the record, but his presence here can definitely be felt – deepening up the grooves nicely, and giving the already-great AWB sound an even more badass feel! Titles include the classic "Star In The Ghetto", a funky remake of "What Is Soul", an earlier hit for King – plus "Keepin It To Myself", "Imagine", "Someday We'll All Be Free", "Get It Up For Love", and "The Message". CD features bonus tracks – original single versions of "Star In The Ghetto" and "Get It Up For Love". CD

A very cool Japanese set – with new readings of music from films that include Enter The Dragon, 2001, The Godfather, Morning After, Jaws, Superman, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, Black Hole, and Star Wars! LP, Vinyl record album

With McKinley Mitchell on "That Last Home Run". 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Includes the songs "Bill's Hit Tune", "My Foolish Heart", "Turn Out The Stars", "Like Someone In Love", "The Two Lonely People", "Laurie", "Yet Ne'er Broken", "I Do It For Your Love", and "Nardis (Excerpt)". CD

After a disastrous attempt at recording a live show, the Fania All-Stars went in the studio with guests like Billy Cobham and Manu Dibango and created their funkiest and one of their finest albums of the seventies! A few cuts are more straight Latin sounding, some of these tracks have a nice hard funky jazz feel, and sound like they could have been recorded for Prestige. There's great versions of "Soul Makossa" and "Viva Tirado", plus a very nice track called "Smoke". Other titles include ""El Raton", "Congo Bongo", "Chanchullo", "There You Go" and "Mama Guela". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Features Glass on Hammond organ and Fender Rhodes – with Dickie Landy on soprano and tenor sax, and Joan LaBarbara and Gene Rickard on voices. Titles include "River Run", "Victor's Lament", "Etoile Polaire", "Are Years What", and "Ave". LP, Vinyl record album

The start of a whole new chapter – with "Shoot To Thrill", "Rock & Roll Ain't Noise Pollution", "Hells Bells", "Back In Black", and "Given The Dog A Bone". LP, Vinyl record album

An album that definitely lives up to its title – as congolero Francisco Aguabella comes on hard, hitting strong throughout – and serving up a wicked blend of Latin, funk, and soul! The mid 70s set is a standout recording from Aguabella – done after he left the group Malo, and one of the best west coast takes on the modes that scene was changing up from New York at the time – really transforming the sound of contemporary Latin with a trans-genre vibe that was easily some of the most revolutionary music of the period. Rhythms are acoustic, but there's a nice dose of electric energy too, thanks to some sweet keyboards. Some cuts have English vocals, others are instrumental – and titles include "Hitting Hard", "I Wanna Know", "Cisco", "Image of a Star" and a nice version of Edu Lobo's "Casa Forte". LP, Vinyl record album