Sampler tracks from Funkmaster Flex Mixtape Vol 3. 12-inch, Vinyl record

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A great collection – 42 tracks in all, with a really great range of material! Includes work with Woody herman, George Shearing, and Sarah Vaughan. CD

One of Billie's last sessions – recorded with beautiful large backings by Ray Ellis, and a heartbreaking tone that may not show Billie as strong technically as on some of her earlier albums, but which is pretty darn compelling nonetheless. Titles include "All The Way", "Don't Worry 'Bout Me", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Deed I Do", and "All Of You". LP, Vinyl record album

Five track sampler off Wu-Tang Forever, with "For Heavens Sake" and "Heaterz" featuring Cappadonna, plus "As High As Wu-Tang Get", "The MGM", and "Dog Sh*t". 12-inch, Vinyl record

Includes tracks by Booker T & The MGs, Us3, Medeski Martin & Wood, Morphine, Greyboy and John Lurie. CD

Genius, pure genius! (Have we said that about Lee too many times before?) The work of Lee Hazlewood is beyond description – a bit of vocals, a bit of country, a bit of lounge, and a bit of rock – all wrapped up with a sinister edge that has you believing that this was the man who used to refer to his frequent musical partner as "Nasty" Sinatra over the headphones during recording sessions! The set features 35 tracks from Lee's obscure years at MGM records – wonderful vocal tunes that rank with some of his best ever, plus a few weird instrumentals, recorded by Lee Hazlewood's Woodchucks. Insanely wonderful stuff – records that we come back to again and again and again over the years – finally presented in their entirety, with a great set of notes on the music! Tracks include "Hands", "Mannford Oklahoma", "This Town", "Sand", "Child", "Little War", "Fort Worth", "Summer Wine", "I Move Around", "After Six", "Batman", "Summer Nights", "Suzi Jane Is Back In Town", "In Our Time", "When A Fool Loves A Fool", and "So Long Babe". CD

All of the hits! Titles include "House Of The Rising Sun", "I'm Crying", "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place", "It's My Life", "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", "Gonna Send You Back To Walker", and more! LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Lina Romay With Xavier Cugat And His Orchestra, Carlos Ramirez And Company, Carmen Miranda With Xavier Cugat And His Orchestra, Betty Riley With Xavier Cugat And His Orchestra, Carlos Ramirez And Company, Ethel Smith With The MGM Studio Orchestra, Carlos Ramirez With Xavier Cugat And His Orchestra, Lina Romay With Xavier Cugat And His Orchestra, Carmen Miranda And Frank Fontaine, Xavier Cugat And His Orchestra, and more. CD

Funky soundtrack tunes from the early 70s – a great mix of lesser known album cuts and a few other rare gems pulled from Universal's Soul Cinema series! The groove is wah-wah funk, fast riffing drums, tight "chase" theme grooves, and even a bit of soul – and tracks include "Monkey Hustle" by Jack Conrad, "It's Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday" by GC Cameron, "Fat Poppadaddy" by Quincy Jones, "I'm Gonna Catch You" by The Hues Corporation, "The Boss" by James Brown, "Bus Stop" by Harry Betts, "King George" by Roy Ayers, "Give It To Me" by Isaac Hayes, "She Did It" by Barbara Mason & Monk Higgins, and "It Sure Is Groovy" by Gil Bernal. 13 cuts in all! CD

It's hard to put the genius of Woody Herman in words – but that's something we don't have to do, thankfully, as this massive box set provides a wonderful illustration of everything that made Woody such a standout in his generation! Sure, Herman was a bandleader with a clarinet – but that's where any similarity to other large groups stops – as Woody was always open to new ideas, including influences from bebop, modern jazz, R&B, jump blues, and other styles – and was always changing up the way he approached his music and arrangements, not just changing the lineup of his famous bands, but also breaking out into new recording possibilities too! This package captures Herman at three important parts of his career – early Decca Records 78rpm singles, which show all those modern edges that Herman created on the large ensemble jazz scene, thanks to key modern players; his huge amount of music for MGM, where Herman also really opened up as an overall entertainer, and was able to take on just about any jazz style with effortless ease, and become quite a singer as well; and his rare 50s material for his own self-run Mars label, an imprint for 78rpm singles that linked Woody much more with the growing R&B indies of the time. And as much as we love Mosaic for LP-related box sets, we often feel they do an even more crucial job with sides from this 78rpm era – proving great sound, missing notes, and a sense of completeness that you don't even get if you're a collector of the original format. 7CD box has the usual great Mosaic presentation and copious notes – and a total of 141 tracks in all. CD

Billie Holiday's last recording – and a really beautiful little set that's a perfect cap to her all-too-short career! The album's got a style that's similar to the better-known Lady In Satin album – with backings from Ray Ellis that are a bit more lush than those used during the Verve years, but which also provide some much-needed focus to the music too – a quality that's still strongly jazz-based, but almost seem to refresh Holiday's singing a bit. Make no mistake, Billie's definitely in her later years here – but that also makes for an instantly heartbreaking quality too – a mode that's distinctly Holiday all the way through, with echoes of her hardship throughout most of the tunes. Soloists include Gene Quill on alto, Sweets Edison on trumpet, and Jimmy Cleveland on trombone – and titles include "All The Way", "Don't Worry 'Bout Me", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Deed I Do", and "All Of You". CD

A diverse collection of scores by Bronislaw Kaper at MGM – featuring work for 6 films from the mid 50s to early 60s – Power And The Prize, Her Twelve Men, Somebody Up There Likes Me, Ada, Two Lives and Butterfield 8 – in a great 3CD set! Disc 1 features material from Power And The Prize and Her Twelve Men, both with orchestrations by John Green, plus Somebody Up There, orchestrated by Miklos Rozsa and John Green. Disc 2 features score work for Ada and Two Loves, both with orchestrations by Robert Armbruster. Disc 3 features the Armbruster conducted Butterfield 8, and as a bonus track, an alternated record version of the finale for Mutiny On The Bounty. CD

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A surprisingly sensitive score – especially for a film that was issued as part of a big 70s wave of supernatural thrillers! True, there's some creepy moments in the movie – but Michael Small's music here has a richness that goes beyond the usual demonic and horror styles of the time – lots of warm melodies that unfold slowly, often with a bit of tension underneath, but often giving way to a redemptive quality we wouldn't expect. The approach is a bit like Morricone in some of his horror scores that don't always stay that spooky – a sense of humanity that seems to return, even after the most tense musical passages. Titles include "A Nightmare", "Ivy In Mirror", "Fire", "Hoover In Rain", "Runs To School", "Top Of Stairs/Hoover Calls Audrey", and "Life After Life/End Credits". Also features some bonus source music too! CD

One of the smartest moves Phil Woods ever made was to move to Paris in 1968 and pick up a European rhythm section that featured George Gruntz, Henri Texier, and Daniel Humair. At the time, the idea of a European rhythm section might have been considered suicide by some folks – but for Woods, it was a liberating move that allowed him to expand his sound tremendously. With the help of these three players – all loose modernists who still knew how to swing – Woods was able to craft some incredible tunes, long flowing numbers that featured his amazing tone stretching out in kind of a post-Coltrane sort of mode. This live set is one of the group's best recordings, and features extended versions of tracks that include "Capricci Cavaleschi", "I Remember Bird", "Ad Infinitum", and "Riot". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Benny Goodman, Lena Horne, Count Basie, Artie Shaw, Mel Torme, Dunk Ellington, Gerry Mulligan, Dorothy Dandridge, Louis Armstrong, Pearl Bailey, and more. CD

A long-overdue look at the short but rich career of Sandy Posey on MGM Records – presented here in a set of four full albums, plus bonus non-LP singles too! Posey has a very unique approach, music that's a little bit country and a little bit pop – and which carries a distinct sound that really sets Sandy apart from so many other of her 60s contemporaries! Posey's approach is always a bit hard to peg, and that's what makes it great – a southern singer, working in Tennessee – but with soulful production from Chips Moman that pushes things both past the poppier side of Nashville, and some of the lighter girl singer modes of the east coast too – really on the cusp of something wonderful, and cresting nicely in all sorts of really wonderful ways – as distinct for Sandy maybe as Roy Orbison's special blend was for him. Chips Moman produced almost all the work here, although he gets a bit of help from Joe South near the end – and the 2CD set features 55 tracks in all, including "Born A Woman", "What A Woman In Love Won't Do", "All Hung Up In Your Green Eyes", "Deep In Kentucky", "Handy", "The Big Hurt", "Sunglasses", "Miss Lonely", "Single Girl", "Shattered", "Ways Of The World", "Take Me With You Baby", "I Take It Back", and "Bread & Butter". CD

A unique early large group session from pianist Toshiko Akioshi – recorded with a hip group of international players! The record's almost a precursor of some of Akioshi's better-known big band work of later years – but it's got more of a small combo feel overall, thanks to a tight septet lineup that includes Toshiko on piano, Nat Adderley on cornet, Rolf Kuhn on alto and clarinet, Bobby Jaspar on tenor and flute, Rene Thomas on guitar, John Drew on bass, and Bert Dahlander (aka Bart Dahl) on drums. Doc Severinson stands in on trumpet for Adderley on a few numbers – but the real stars of the show are the reedmen, who get plenty of space to do their thing, and seem to show Toshiko's early preference for sharp-edged solos with a lot of feeling. Titles include "Sukiyaki", "Swinging Till The Girls Come Home", "United Notions", and "Civilized Folk". LP, Vinyl record album

Pure burning soul from The Animals – a nicely stripped-down set that revels in older R&B styles – cooked up with a version of the group that features Dave Rowberry on Hammond and lots of screaming vocals from Eric B! The original Animals vibe is opened up a bit more with some heavier sounds that reflect the change of moves at the time – but overall, the tracks are mostly shortish and respectful to the roots that inspired the group – in a way that helps bring together music from a range of different sources. Titles include versions of Fred Neil's "Other Side Of Life", Zappa's "All Night Long", Sam Cooke's "Shake", Donovan's "Hey Gyp", and Ray Charles' "Hit The Road Jack" – plus "Smoke Stack Lightning", "Rock Me Baby", "Outcast", "Louisiana Blues", and "Going Down Slow". LP, Vinyl record album

The seminal first album from The Animals – a set that came out at a time when the whole UK scene was smitten with blues and soul influences from the US – yet a record that still managed to really stand out from the pack! Part of that's because of the fantastic lead vocals from Eric Burdon – still just a kid at the time of recording, but able to work with this searing intensity that seems to put most of his contemporaries to shame – belting out lyrics with a quality that really transforms the tunes, and has them finding a way into the rock canon without sounding like shameless ripoffs at all. Titles include their classic "House Of The Rising Sun" – plus "I'm Mad Again", "Baby Let Me Take You Home", "Right Time", "Gonna Send You Back To Walker", "The Girl Can't Help It", "Blue Feeling", and "Talkin Bout You". LP, Vinyl record album

Not a live recording from the mighty Animals, but a set that was issued during a year when the group were taking the American stages by storm – put together from extra material that was only issued on their UK debut album, plus UK Animal Tracks material, and a few singles too! The set's hardly a hodge podge, though – as it was a crucial second full length for the US, and a collection of cuts that really cemented the group's reputation at the time – thanks to the strength of cuts that include "Mess Around", "I Believe To My Soul", "Ain't Got You", "Dimples", "She Said Yeah", "I'm Crying", "Boom Boom", "How You've Changed", and "Let The Good Times Roll". LP, Vinyl record album

Features cover art by Al Hirschfield. LP, Vinyl record album

Melodic psychedelic rock from Boston's Beacon Street Union – one of a pair of great records the group cut for MGM in the late 60s! Eyes Of The Beacon Street Union finds the group stretching out stylistically – from fairly straight forward groove rock with psyche tinged guitars, to stranger piano rock rave ups and weird rhythms. Titles include "Recitation/My Love Is", "Beautiful Delilah", "Four Hundred And Five", "Sadie Said No", "Blue Avenue", "Speed Kills", "Green Destroys The Gold", "The Prophet" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic double-length set from The Animals – recorded in LA in the late 60s, and with plenty of great Sunset Strip influences in the mix! The band here is different than before – with Zoot Money handling both organ and piano, plus a bit of vocals, and Andy Summers joining in on guitar – and production is by the group itself, who shake off some of the trippier styles of previous records, and almost go for a "live in studio" sort of sound! There's a confluence of styles here that's really great – some of the blues of the group's roots, bits of Eric Burdon's growing love of soul, and some fuzzier touches as well. Some tracks are quite long jams, and titles include "Gemini", "Madman", "As The Years Go Passing By", "To Love Somebody", and "I'm An Animal". LP, Vinyl record album

The Winds Of Change are definitely afoot in the sound of The Animals – as the album's one of their most psychedelic outings ever – and also a bit funky at times too! Production by Tom Wilson is really great – echoey at most moments, with a kind of "flash" and shimmer around the drums that really spaces things out, and almost gives a Velvets sort of feel to the proceedings. The group's bluesier roots are still in place at times – but these have also been tripped-out and abstracted too, in modes that are a few years ahead of other blues rock combos on the rise. Titles include "It's All Meat", "Winds Of Change", "Poem By The Sea", "Yes I Am Experienced", "Hotel Hell", "San Franciscan Nights", and "Man Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest albums from The Cowsills – that tremendous family pop act from the 60s, hitting some headier territory here than on earlier albums! There's a sense of darkness to some of the tracks that you might not have heard from the group before – kind of an eerie quality lurking in the background of the poppy numbers, with the same kind of unsettling feel you'd get from the album's cover – as if they'd been hanging around hippies, but weren't entirely sure how to handle the influence – the same weird world that Jack Wild must have been living in while working with Sid & Marty Croft. This offbeat edge really makes the record great – way more than simple pop, but still with all the Cowsills charm we know from before – and most of the best tunes here are original Cowsills compositions too. Titles include "Ask The Children", "Indian Lake", "Captain Sad & His Ship Of Fools", "Can't Measure The Cost Of A Woman Lost", "Painting The Day", and "Meet Me At The Wishing Well". LP, Vinyl record album

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Goofy folk songs about the advertising biznezz, with a sort of postwar irony that you'd find in How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying or Skyscraper. The cuts include "Shaving Cream", "Thirty Second Message", "Brand X", and "Expense Account". This is the kind of stuff that the writers of Mad used to listen to when they came home from work. LP, Vinyl record album

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An excellent one from Getz – recorded here as the lead soloist over backings composed by Eddie Sauter, designed to accompany the film Mickey One, an early directorial effort from Arthur Penn (and starring Warren Beatty as well!) The score has a very edgey quality to it, and Getz's playing is superb – a clear contrast to his breathier bossa work of the same vintage, and proof that he was growing tremendously as a player at the time. Titles include "Where I Live", "The Creature Machine", "Morning Ecstasy", "As Long As I Live", "Mickey's Theme", and "On Stage". CD

An excellent one from Getz – recorded here as the lead soloist over backings composed by Eddie Sauter, designed to accompany the film Mickey One, an early directorial effort from Arthur Penn (and starring Warren Beatty as well!) The score has a very edgey quality to it, and Getz's playing is superb – a clear contrast to his breathier bossa work of the same vintage, and proof that he was growing tremendously as a player at the time. Titles include "Where I Live", "The Creature Machine", "Morning Ecstasy", "As Long As I Live", "Mickey's Theme", and "On Stage". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little soundtrack from Herman's Hermits! The album's notable not only for the great pop vocal numbers – like "Mrs Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter", "Ooo She's Done It Again", and "There's A Kind Of Hush" – but even more so for 2 great instrumentals: "Daisy Chain I" and "Daisy Chain II". Track 1 features guitar and tabla, rolling together in a wild psychedelic instrumental groove – and track 2 is kind of a variation, also with a groovy mod instrumental groove! LP, Vinyl record album