Heavy fuzzed out psychedelia from the late 60s Twin Cities scene – the wild and hard charging Emerge from The Litter – with a heft that would be just as right at home in Detroit at the time as it was in Minneapolis! A lot of that has to due to with the heft – the drums pound heavily and the vocalists wail more than sing – this is a nasty piece of business, this Litter! Still, lumbering as chose to, there's still a nice groove that comes out, particularly on the less frezious moments, and the titles include "Journeys", "Feeling", "Silly People", "Blue Ice", "For What It's Worth", "Little Red Book", "Breakfeast At Gardenson's", and "Futures Of The Past". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Early work from The Litter – the Minneapolis psych quintet who first broke big on their Emerge album for ABC/Probe – but who are heard here a year earlier, with a sound that's maybe even more trippy and powerful overall! The back of the album carries the message "play at the loudest volume your equipment, ears, and neighbors will permit" – and that tip's definitely a good one – as the louder the record, the more the fuzzy guitars and freaky vocals will blow you away, although these guys are already pretty darn persuasive even at a lower volume too! Titles include "Apologies To 2069", "Here I Go Again", "Under The Screaming Double Eagle", "Kaleidiscope", "Mindbreaker", and "She's Not There". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Seminal work from one of the greatest groups of British pop in the 80s – the incredible Felt, a band whose talents ran from the jangly to the lyrical and poetic! The album's a perfect illustration of these two sides of the group – as tunes shift effortlessly between light, melodic tracks with a 60s-inspired approach, to deeper, longer ones that involve complicated guitar and keyboard explorations. There's a sunny sadness to the whole album – the emergence of that indescribable sound that can only be summed up by "Felt" – and which has made the group a favorite of ours for years. Titles include "Sunlight Bathed The Golden Glow", "Roman Litter", "Sempiternal Darkness", "Spanish House", "Crystal Ball", "Vasco Da Gama", "Whirlpool Vision Of Shame", and "Imprint". LP, Vinyl record album

In the early 70s, The Spinners did something that was really wonderful for their music, and instantly made them one of the greatest groups of their generation – they stopped recording for Motown in Detroit, and made the move to Philly to work with the great Thom Bell – the arranger/producer/songwriter who gave the group some of the biggest success of their career! That shift also coincided with a label move to Atlantic, who saw the rising power of Philly soul for the new generation – and the tremendous harmonies of The Spinners really found a way to soar with the help of Thom Bell – in a success of albums here that continue to have the group sounding fantastic as the 70s move onward. This massive box set features 8 full albums – Spinners, Mighty Love, New & Improved, Pick Of The Litter, Happiness Is Being With The Spinners, Yesterday Today & Tomorrow, Spinners 8, and From Here To Eternally – and every single album features bonus material too – including b-sides, single mixes and more – which makes for a massive 92 tracks in all, in a sweet box set with original cover art and great notes too. CD

The second heady dip into the under-discovered underground of the late 60s – and a package that's every bit as ear-opening as the first Nuggets volume! As with that classic, there's material here that really shows the full spectrum of the American scene in the mid 60s – music that's bristling with new energy and excitement in the years before Woodstock, and done with a vibe that's heady, but never too heady – with a surprising amount packed into a very small space on plenty of these tunes! The set features a whopping 28 titles in all – and tracks include "Run Run Run" by The Gestures, "It's Cold Outside" by The Choir, "Free As The Wind" by The Myddle Class, "You Must Be A Witch" by The Lollipop Shoppe, "Blackout Of Gretely" by Gonn, "Spider & The Fly" by The Monocles, "Action Woman" by The Litter, "Talk Talk" by Music Machine, "Open Up Your Door" by Richard & The Young Lions, "I See The Light" by The Five Americans, and "Whatcha Gonna Do About It" by The Evil. LP, Vinyl record album

Featuring selections by The Litter, The Preachers, Floyd Dakil Combo, Outcasts, Squires, Grains Of Sand, Ju-Ju's, The Haunted, The Soupgreens, The Wig, Positively 13 O'Clock, Kim Fowley, Elastik Band, Split Ends, Shadows Of Knight, and Wild Knights. LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Killer soul from a tiny label on a tiny scene – the small Tammy Records imprint, not to be confused with Motown partner Tamla – a really great indie from the Youngstown scene in east Ohio, and a company who cut some killer soul in the 60s and 70s! The label seem to have an especially great ear for group soul – both the 60s variety and the 70s mellow soul approach – and the album's filled with cresting harmonies that really blow us away, and which are definitely a new discovery to our ears – as we'd never heard any of this material before! If you dig east coast soul of the New Jersey/Philly style from the 60s and 70s, you'll find plenty to love here – on a nicely unified set, as much of the work comes from a small band of artists. Titles include "I Finally Found True Love" and "Hesitate One Time For Me" by Lynn Minor & His Band, "Shakin It Down (part 1)" by Steel City Band, "Oh Love" and "Give Me A Little Taste Of Your Love (part 2)" by Iron Knowledge, "Wonderful To Be Loved" by Ice Cold Love, "Should I Believe You" by The Snapshots, and the cuts "True Love Is Hard To Find", "Angel's Theme", "Nightmare Strut", "He's Got To Go", and "Dance Party (part 1)" by JC & The Soul Angels. LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the darkest sounds in years from the great Rob Mazurek – a musician who's matched perfectly on every front by Gabriele Mitelli – who does everything that Rob does on the record, and also throws in a bit of soprano sax as well! The music is all improvised, and in that very deep blend of electronic and acoustic elements that Mazurek has explored over the years – with textures so intense, it's often difficult to figure out what's coming from where – as Rob blows piccolo trumpet, Mitelli blows cornet, and both artists served up a wealth of sounds on electronics, voice, and other objects too. Titles include "Venus", "Mercury", "Mars", and "Uranus". CD

This second chapter of work from Battaglia is in similar territory to the first, but it's almost more redemptive too – as if the "second season" has the group finding some ways through and solutions to their problems, after the dark despair of the first! As before, the music is all electronic, with great interplay of analog and digital elements – but things get a bit more upbeat at times, and have some more hopeful melodies at others – which is also reflected in some of the titles of the tunes! Tracks include "Rescue", "Like An Island", "New Romantic", "Glitter", "Cure", "A New Home", "No Fear", and "Contact". LP, Vinyl record album

A glittering collection of groovy soulful gems – 31 tracks by the legendary Fatback – featuring work from the group's first few years as a funk band through their 70s transformation into one of the tightest club acts around! The package features work from the group's earliest years on Perception Records, a few from their brief stint on Event, and lots more from the Spring label – and the set goes for all the group's tastiest cuts, and includes a massive amount of dancefloor grooves – making for an instant party the moment you get it out of the box! Funky all around – with tracks that include "Spanish Hustle", "I Found Loving", "Backstrokin", "I Like Girls", "King Tim III (Personality Jock)", "Double Dutch", "Keep On Steppin", "The Girl Is Fine (So Fine)", "Take It Any Way You Want It", "Wicki Wacky", "Soul March", "Is This The Future", "Feed Me Your Love", "Nija Walk", "Dance Girl", and "Let's Do It Again". CD

Beautiful work from Rob Mazurek – a player we respect more and more with each new release! The title here is especially well chosen – as "Sound Is" definitely what the record is about – a set that follows in the same legacy of sonic exploration first begun on seminal Delmark Records sides cut by the AACM in the 60s – recast here by a new Chicago generation that features Mazurek on cornet and piano, John Herndon on drums and percussion, Matt Lux on electric bass, Josh Abrams on acoustic bass and piano, and Jason Adasiewicz on some especially nice vibes! The vibes often have this chromatic quality that's starkly metallic – ringing out strongly next to Abrams' warmer bass, and Mazurek's palette of colors on his horn – driven by a brooding sense of rhythm from Herndon, playing here away from his more familiar Tortoise setting, and reminding us that he's always had a great ear for jazz. Titles include "The Earthquake Tree", "The Star Splitter", "The Dream Rocker", "Microrapagonafly", "Aphrodite Rising", "The Field", "Nora Grace", "Le Baiser", and "Dragon Kites". CD

A really legendary group from the underground 70s scene in Chicago – one who've got all the chops and capabilities of the bigger groups of the time, but who never fully got their due – maybe in part because of the racy image on the album's cover! The group are a sharp funky ensemble –and work with a hard jamming sound that's clearly influenced by the city's Earth Wind & Fire, but not nearly as slick or as broadly spiritual in scope – more like the grit of the funky 45 generation has been littered into the grooves of a full length record! The standout cut on the album is the 20 minute "Open Soul" – an album-side jammer that has lots of vamping and hard grooving, and just a little bit of singing – but the other side's equally great, with shorter soul tracks that have a nice harmony vocal approach. Titles include "Hurt Perversion", "It Ain't Fair", "Lovers To Friends", and "Hurry On Up Tomorrow". LP, Vinyl record album

A cool little package that goes way beyond the obvious glam rock numbers you might know from the 70s – and which instead shows just how much that musical moment penetrated the UK scene in the early part of the decade – served up here on a huge variety of tracks that we might not have heard otherwise! The categories in the title certainly get the vibe right – as there's a mix of groundbreaking shockers mixed with hard rockers, alongside some more pop-oriented productions that share the similar love of fuzzy guitars, romping rhythms, and nicely compressed vocals that marked the production modes of the glam generation. As with volume 1, the package features a hefty booklet of notes that really digs deeply into all the many acts within – a batch of 80 artists who include Harley Quinne, Lieuntenant Pigeon, Spiv, The James Boys, Boston Boppers, Billy Shake, Starbuck, Fancy, Mud, Hush, Ted Muldry Gang, Patches, Barry Blue, Bilbo Baggins, Hello, Bo Flyers, Snap, Rosetta Stone, Kenny & The Car Parks, Suzi Quatro, The News, Shabby Tiger, Gene Latter, Brotherhood Of Man, Glitter Band, Hector, and many others. CD

A glittering constellation of groundbreaking jazz from the contemporary UK scene – a world of jazz that's changed dramatically over the past decade or so, with huge new advances in sound and styles in a range of different directions! The changes going on are a bit like some of those that have taken place in our city too – musicians who embrace jazz ideals at the core, but who are also open to so many musical modes that have developed in recent decades – so that the core performance is often blended with production elements, editing, and other touches – all in a way that has the music strongly reborn for a whole new generation! If you're worried about tricks or gimmicks that might get in the way of the music, don't be – because the depth of soul and sense of spirit on these tracks is wonderful – as you might know if you've been digging releases from some of these artists in our racks of late. And as usual, Soul Jazz have done a superb job – both with song selection and overall presentation – making the whole thing a complete delight! Titles include "Candace Of Meroe" by Theon Cross, "Pokus One" by Pokus, "Walrus" by Emma-Jean Thackray, "90 Degrees" by Yazmin Lacey, "Communication Control" by Hector Plimmer, "Long Way Home (live at the Crypt)" by Ill Considered, "Ancient World" by Nat Birchall, "Moonlight Woman" by Ruby Rushton, "Thunder Perfect" by Cromagnon Band, "Tanner's Tango" by Joe Armon Jones & Maxwell Owin, "Odyssey" by Levitation Orchestra, "Mosaic" by The Expansions, "When The World Was One" by Matthew Halsall, "Dimmsdale" by Ebi Soda, "Red Planet" by Chip Wickham, "Kito's Theme" by Ishmael Ensemble, "Yellow Ochre (part 1)" by Vels Trio, and "Mirrors" by Seed Ensemble. LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Billy Preston, Van McCoy & The Soul City Symphony, Brass Construction, Ramsey Lewis & Earth, Wind & Fire, Electric Light Orchestra, Deodato, Gary Glitter, Chakachas, and more – 18 tracks total. CD

A wild solo project from Rita Lee – done after the breakup of Os Mutantes, and offered up almost as some sort of commentary on mainstream rock in the 70s! There's a much more straightforward approach to the music here – a sometimes-glammy sound that's echoed by the band's space-style costumes and makeup – but there's also some weirdly old-style rock instrumentation too, almost like the way that an artist like Gary Glitter could fold the 50s and 70s together in his music, and come across making something very weird and new. Here, the keyboards are almost stronger than the guitars – and Rita herself plays moog, melotron, organ, and piano – on titles that include "Tem Uma Cidade", "Menino Bonito", "Mame Natureza", and "Eclipse Do Cometa". LP, Vinyl record album

A glittering constellation of groundbreaking jazz from the contemporary UK scene – a world of jazz that's changed dramatically over the past decade or so, with huge new advances in sound and styles in a range of different directions! The changes going on are a bit like some of those that have taken place in our city too – musicians who embrace jazz ideals at the core, but who are also open to so many musical modes that have developed in recent decades – so that the core performance is often blended with production elements, editing, and other touches – all in a way that has the music strongly reborn for a whole new generation! If you're worried about tricks or gimmicks that might get in the way of the music, don't be – because the depth of soul and sense of spirit on these tracks is wonderful – as you might know if you've been digging releases from some of these artists in our racks of late. And as usual, Soul Jazz have done a superb job – both with song selection and overall presentation – making the whole thing a complete delight! Titles include "Candace Of Meroe" by Theon Cross, "Pokus One" by Pokus, "Walrus" by Emma-Jean Thackray, "90 Degrees" by Yazmin Lacey, "Communication Control" by Hector Plimmer, "Long Way Home (live at the Crypt)" by Ill Considered, "Ancient World" by Nat Birchall, "Moonlight Woman" by Ruby Rushton, "Thunder Perfect" by Cromagnon Band, "Tanner's Tango" by Joe Armon Jones & Maxwell Owin, "Odyssey" by Levitation Orchestra, "Mosaic" by The Expansions, "When The World Was One" by Matthew Halsall, "Dimmsdale" by Ebi Soda, "Red Planet" by Chip Wickham, "Kito's Theme" by Ishmael Ensemble, "Yellow Ochre (part 1)" by Vels Trio, and "Mirrors" by Seed Ensemble. CD

Josh Abrams just keeps on getting better and better as the years go on – to the point where he's a leader who's emerging with one of the proudest, most righteous visions in jazz! Abrams has played for years in the company of others – and his contributions have always impressed us – but once he started to step into the spotlight as a leader, his voice has just continued to grow – where an album like this has Josh bringing together a really surprising array of talents from the Chicago scene, and creating a spiritual masterpiece that may well rival older classics on Impulse Records! Many of the tracks have a modal approach, which Josh drives along beautifully with his bass – and Abrams also plays guimbri and a small harp too – in a group that features Ari Brown on tenor, Emmett Kelly on guitar, Frank Rosaly on drums and percussion, Mikel Avery on drums, Lisa Alvarado on harmonium and percussion, and Ben Boye on the wonderfully cool chromatic electric autoharp! Titles include "Sideways Fall", "St Cloud", "Maroon Dune", "Ophiuchs", and "2128 1/2". CD

Two different slices of work from Bill Evans – both recorded on separate visits to The Netherlands in 1969 – a crucial year of performance for the pianist! Both sets feature the amazing Eddie Gomez on bass, and Marty Morell on drums – and the first 2/3 of the package is studio material, but with a live audience present – very well-recorded, with a sense of subtlety that really gets at that new level of sensitivity that Bill was bringing to the piano – those softer, even more delicate shades that were a perfect balance with the richer tones from Gomez on bass. The last third features a live set from later in the year – with, if anything, an even more sensitive approach from Evans on the keys! The package wraps up with two more surprise tracks – tunes recorded with the Metropole Orkest, following the style of Evans' "with orchestra" sessions done recently on Verve. As with other Elemental packages, the presentation is wonderful – a nice cure for all the Bill Evans bootlegs that have littered the market for years – with great sound and a superb set of notes. Titles include "Emily", "Beautiful Love", "One For Helen", "Quiet Now", "Pavane", "You're Gonna Hear From Me", "Granadas", "Nardis", "Love Theme From Spartacus", "Waltz For Debby", "Very Early", and "Someday My Prince Will Come". LP, Vinyl record album

Hunter's getting a lot more sophisticated in his style, and is moving past the heavy funky sound of early days – to a mix of soulful styles that opens him up a lot more. This sextet session features drummer Leon Parker, who always works well with Hunter – plus tenorist Peter Apfelbaum, and percussionists Stephen Chopek and Robert Perkins. Titles include "Two For Bleu", "Al Green", "Rendezvous Avec La Verite", "Flau Flau", and "Cloud Splitter". Also features a nice solo version of Donny Hathaway's "Someday We'll All Be Free". CD

Way more than just classic disco – hardly the hits package you might expect, and a really well-chosen batch of grooves that gets right down to the music that really mattered on the dancefloor back in the day! As you'd hear in the best clubs of the late 70s, the grooves here come from a range of different sources – funky jazz, clubby soul, crossover club, and more – tracks from both big labels and small, laid out back to back at a level that really recreates the excitement of a hip disco back in the day – not in a live mix, so you can enjoy each song on its own, but still in a way that makes you feel like there's a legendary DJ guiding the grooves. Titles include "Love Magic" by John Davis & Monster Orchestra, "Thanks For Loving Me" by Double Discovery, "Do Your Dance" by Rose Royce, "Keep On Dancin" by Gary's Gang, "Counting On Love" by Peter Jacques Band, "Gone Gone Gone" by Johnny Mathis, "What A Difference A Day Makes" by Esther Phillips, "Makes You Blind (re-edit)" by Glitter Band, "Just A Groove" by Glen Adams Affair, "Livin Up To Love" by Companion, "Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone" by Manhattan Transfer, "Turn The Music Up" by Players Association, "It Burns Me Up" by Change, "Could Heaven Ever Be Like This" by Idris Muhammad, "Lady Bug (disco mix)" by Bumblebee Unlimited, "Bama Boogie Woogie" by Cleveland Eaton, "Can't Live Without Your Love" by Tamiko Jones, "Dancin" by Grey & Hanks, and "Cherchez La Femme/Se Si Bon" by Dr Buzzard's Original Savannah Band. 2CD set comes in a cool 7" package – with 24 tracks in all! CD

A set recorded in Haiti, but one that features lots of heavy drums from the legendary Tony Allen – whose work here does a great job of bridging the sounds of two different cultures! The group here seems to be spearheaded by guitarist Mark Mulholland and keyboardist Olaf Hund – who also produced the record – but Allen's drums are a key part of the sound, and maybe get even more showcase here than on many of his other projects in recent years – which sometimes have Tony abstracted a bit more down in the mix! Instead, that classic crackle from his years with Fela still drives many of the tunes – while elements of Haitian and other African styles filter through the music in great ways that really take off with the rhythms at the core. Far less experimental than you'd guess from the title – and we mean that in a good way – as the set's very in the pocket, and hard-grooving throughout – on titles that include "Bade Zile", "Wongolo", "Mon Ami Tezin", "Salilento", "Yanvalou", and "Poze". CD

A fantastic collection of work by The Arrows – a glam-era UK power pop trio with a really great sound! The Arrow sound is sort of a leaner version of grooves laid down by Gary Glitter or Sweet – a fuzzy, hook-heavy approach to rock – one that uses lots of heavy drums on straightforward rhythms, full guitar lines that are clean and straightforward, and compressed production that pushes the guitars and vocals together nicely! There's a real power to these tunes that's simply amazing – an unabashed love of catchy pop mixed with heady guitars – best summed up in the group's original version of "I Love Rock & Roll", issued years before Joan Jett scored with her cover version. This 2CD package features everything the short-lived group recorded – their full First Hit album, 7" singles, and bonus Mickie Most and Arrowsvision tracks – 29 titles in all, including "I Love Rock & Roll", "We Can Make It Together", "Diesel Locomotive Dancer", "Love Child", "Boogiest Band In Town", "First Hit", "Once Upon A Time", "My World Is Turning On To Love", "Movin Next Door To You", "Broken Down Heart", "My Last Night With You", "Dreamin", "Bam Bam Battering Ram", "Wake Up", "Love Is Easy", "Gotta Be Next To You", "Love Rider", and "Dare You Not To Dance". CD

The record that really pushed The Cult into the big time – and a set that helped merge mainstream UK styles with some of the darker currents of the underground – all at a level that forever paved the way for goth generations to come! And yes, the group maybe had their excesses in later years – but in this early moment, there are elements that aren't too far from the fuzzier side of the UK indie scene in hipper currents, even Creation Records – freer from cliche than later years, and nicely free of beats as well – on titles that include the classic "She Sells Sanctuary", plus "Rain", "Revolution", "Nirvana", "Big Neon Glitter", "Brother Wolf Sister Moon", "Love", and "Hollow Man". LP, Vinyl record album