... 12-inch, Vinyl record

There's nothing orthodox about this 70s dub gem from Erroll Brown – as the album's an unusual set from start to finish – even in an era when so many dub records were being produced! There's an extra-raw sound to the whole thing – which might be hinted at by its cover image – and the sounds are very far from any sort of referent in vocal work in Jamaican music – with tracks that seem to exist entirely on their own, in a wave of echo, bubbling basslines, and slow-riffing guitars! Titles include "Gold Toot Style", "Black Forest Rock", "Roots Rockas", "Macka Dub", "First World Dub", "African Roots Style", and "Cold Sweat". LP, Vinyl record album

Nice! There's been a couple of different versions of the seminal Blackboard Jungle dub LP floating around, now the fine folks at Auralux have unearthed and reissued the original version, with the wild stereo mix and original track order! This is one mighty set of Perryisms, wrought in the pre-Black Ark era, and though he's uncredited on the sleeve, we've read that King Tubby was responsible for the wonderful reverb and mixing console action taking these tracks to the next level. Essential! 18 tracks: "Black Panta", "V/S Black Panta", "Khasha Macka", "Elephant Rock", "African Skank", "Dreamland Skank", "Jungle Jim", "Drum Rock", "Dub Organizer", "Lover's Skank", "Moving Skank", "Apeman Skank", "Jungle Skank", "Kaya Skank", "Upsetting Rhythm 1", "Upsetting Rhythm 2", "Upsetting Rhythm 3" and "Happy Roots" CD

Three dub classics, two of them impossible to get for years, except for the occasional "unofficial" LP repressing. On the first LP of the set, Scratch teams up with the great Tommy McCook for one of his hardest to find gems, recorded in the late 70s, when his wigged out follies at the Black Ark had reached their peak, and though there's a bit of debate over whether these tracks were actually recorded at the Black Ark, this was originally one of the first LPs issued after the studio burned to the ground. In any case, you can't argue with the tracks on this one: spare instrumentals with jaunty guitar, loping syncopated drums and bouncing bass, a baker's dozen tracks, including "Cloak & Dagger", "Musical Transplant", "Liquid Serenade", "Iron Claw", "Rude Walking", "Caveman Skank" and "Pee-Wee Special". Blackboard Jungle Dub, the second album of the triptych, is widely cited as the first full length dub LP, though we'd rather not get too academic about it. Besides, this is one mighty set of Perryisms, wrought in the pre-Black Ark era, with a dozen of the Upsetter's finest rhythms rendered in dub versions here, and with King Tubby reportedly responsible for the wonderful reverb and mixing console action taking these tracks to the next level. An essential dub masterpiece, with 14 tracks on this version of the LP, including "Black Panta", "Khasha Macka", "African Skank", "Dreamland Skank", "Jungle Jim", "Dub Organizer", "Apeman Skank" and "Jungle Fever". The third album included is another tough one to get, originally issued in a tiny, tiny batch, though it's been bootlegged more than a few times over the years. 10 tracks in all, a tasty stew with that Black Ark groove running through it pretty heavily, with some nice guitar and a really spare approach to the often murky Perry tone poetry. Includes "Dub Revelations", "Womans Dub", "Kojak", "Doctor On The Go", "Bush Weed", "Dreadlock Talking", "Own Man", "Dub The Rhythm", "Black Hand" and "Rain Drops". CD

You could go 'round and 'round with music historians arguing whether or not this album, or Java Java Java or Aquarius Dub was the first full length dub LP, but it makes no difference to us, this is one mighty set of Perryisms, wrought in the pre-Black Ark era. There's a dozen of the Upsetter's finest rhythms rendered in dub versions here, and though he's uncredited on the sleeve, we've read that King Tubby was responsible for the wonderful reverb and mixing console action taking these tracks to the next level. Essential! Includes "Blackboard Jungle Dub (version 1)", "Rubba, Rubba Words", "Cloak A Dagger (version 3)", "Dreamland Dub", "Fever Grass Dub", "Sinsemilla Kaya Dub", "Moving Forward", "Kasha Macka Dub" and "Setta Iration Dub". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic slice of Jamaican roots – and an essential record from the godlike hands of Lee Perry! The set was produced by Perry at Black Ark – and instantly became the stuff of legend, even though the initial version of the album got very limited exposure – which has led to years of differing reissues and versions of the record! Yet the core sound is always very much in place, no matter what the setting – very spiritual lyrics from the group themselves, set to nicely stripped-down rhythms and instrumentation that are a great contrast to the wave of more polished international reggae releases that were garnering mainstream attention at the time. The lasting power of the set is proof that maybe when it comes to roots, you've got to really go to the roots to get it right – as you'll hear on classic tracks that include "La La Bam Bam", "Fisherman", "Congoman", "Children Crying", "Open Up The Gate", and "The Wrong Thing". 2CDs worth of material are gathered here, including extended mixes and hard-to-find B-sides, with a fat booklet filled with notes and photos. Includes the essential "Fisherman", "Sodom & Gomorrow", "Can't Come In", "Open the Gate" & "Congoman" (which is also served up in a 12" & Chant version), plus "Bring the Macka Back". 17 cuts in all! CD

Pure wonderfulness from Dave Mackay & Vicky Hamilton – one of the hippest duos ever to record a jazz record! The duo are a bit like Jackie & Roy at their best – in that Dave plays piano (including a bit of Fender Rhodes) and sings duet vocals with Vicky Hamilton in a sweetly swinging way that sounds very very groovy. Yet the overall sound is even groovier than Jackie & Roy – touched with influences from Sunshine Pop and the hipper side of the jazz spectrum – in a style that's extremely inventive, and unlike anything else we can think of! Tunes are mostly originals penned by the pair, and instrumentation on the record includes flute and saxes from Ira Schulman and guitar from Joe Pass – alongside keyboards from Dave, plus bass and drums. There's a beautifully breezy feel to the whole record – really the blueprint for countless 70s jazz vocal efforts to come from others – and titles include "Happying", "If I Ask You", "4 Ira", "See My Rainbow", "Peek A Boo", "Free", "Silent", and "Reach Out". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic start to the second chapter of Roxy Music – a time when the group was stripped down to a trio, and almost seemed to arise as a way to answer the newer music that was coming up from all the younger groups that Bryan Ferry had influenced with his work in the 70s! Things aren't as weird and wild as at their start, but the instrumentation is impeccable – thanks to guitars from Phil Manzanera and saxes from Andy MacKay – and an approach that has the group bringing in some key other players from track to track, expanding the sound but never going too far. The vibe is a bit like the feel of some of Bryan Ferry's best solo work from the years before – but more Roxy-like too – and still head and shoulders above anything the new romantics had to offer. Titles include "Same Old Scene", "Flesh & Blood", "My Only Love", "Oh Yeah", "No Strange Delight", and "Running Wild". LP, Vinyl record album

A well done survey of the career of Thievery Corporation to date – selected by Rob Garza and Eric Hilton – wonderful stuff from the reigning kings of downtempo jazzy grooves! It's made up of the duo's best known tracks as well as their own personal favorites. You couldn't really ask for a better or more careful curated set! Includes "Amerimacka", "Lebanese Blonde", "Facing East", "Holographic Universe", "Until The Morning", "All That We Perceive", "The Richest Man In Babylon", "The Passing Stars", "Satyam Shivam Sundaram", "Vampires", "Warning Shots", "Shadows Of Ourselves" and more. CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A split LP that offers some key tracks from the classic Dave Mackay & Vicky Hamilton album on Impulse from 1968, plus later piano trio recordings by Dave from 1982! Dave & Vicky are represented here by the first 4 tracks on the record – "Blues For Hari", "Here", Now", and "3 For 5" – and on these tunes, the pair are sort of like a hip version of Jackie & Roy – usually singing together on their tracks, with a mixed male/female vocal approach that sounds totally great – and which really fits the breezy mood of the tunes on the set! Dave himself plays Fender Rhodes and piano – along with an odd little combo that includes flute and tenor played by Ira Schulman, percussion by Francisco Aguabella, and guest sitar by by Ray Neapolitan. Other tracks on the album are all from 1982, and feature Dave in warmer trio context with Andy Simpkins on bass and Joey Baron on drums. Titles include "Hands", "The Andyman Suite", and "Triste". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic start to the second chapter of Roxy Music – a time when the group was stripped down to a trio, and almost seemed to arise as a way to answer the newer music that was coming up from all the younger groups that Bryan Ferry had influenced with his work in the 70s! Things aren't as weird and wild as at their start, but the instrumentation is impeccable – thanks to guitars from Phil Manzanera and saxes from Andy MacKay – and an approach that has the group bringing in some key other players from track to track, expanding the sound but never going too far. The vibe is a bit like the feel of some of Bryan Ferry's best solo work from the years before – but more Roxy-like too – and still head and shoulders above anything the new romantics had to offer. Titles include "Same Old Scene", "Flesh & Blood", "My Only Love", "Oh Yeah", "No Strange Delight", and "Running Wild". CD

A rare solo project from reedman Andy Mackay – the great musician whose saxophone work was such a key part of the early Roxy Music sound! The album features work from Eddie Jobson, Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera, Roger Glover, and a larger array of unusual guests – and is an odd reworking of older rock themes, but with an odd Roxy-like twist! LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

An incredible look at an obscure Detroit soul label – a tiny little company, but home to some really great funk and soul! The Big Mack label ran somewhat sporadically through the 60s and into the early 70s – but during that time, it managed to cut some incredible tunes with a really unique feel – work that had a rougher edge than most of the Detroit soul on the bigger labels and indies – often with an earthy quality that's miles and miles from Motown! Label owner Ed McCoy had a great ear for male singers, instrumental combos, and vocal groups – but as the 60s rolled on, he also picked up a few hip female acts as well – and throughout the whole stretch, he had a way of producing a tune that we can only describe best as slightly messed up – a sound that's often slightly tripped up, oddly spacious, and which makes the elements of the music fall into each other with a crashingly intense kind of sound! Far from being a mess, this approach only seems to cook things up more – giving an edge to tracks that might have sounded more lackluster with conventional production – and further electrifying these obscure utterings from the Detroit underground. As with other Numero collections, the work here is wonderfully worth discovering – and presented with full notes, photos, and a history of the label. CD features 19 tracks that include "Bui Bui" by L Hollis & The Mackadoos, "Get It Right" by Soul President, "Crooked Woman" by Edd Henry, "Fever" by Essence, "If You Feel It" by Ms Tyree Sugar Jones, "The Feeling Is Mutual" by Manhattens, "I See Her Pretty Face" by The Grand Prix's, "Let's Give Our Love A Try" by Mae Young, "I'll Be On My Way" by Bob & Fred, "Mini Skirt" by The Sleepwalkers, "Monkey Time Shine" by L Hollis & The Mackadoos, "The Man Puts Sugar In My Soul" by Mae Young, "You Drive Me Crazy" by The Grand Prix's, "Got To Have It" by Soul President, and "Your Replacement Is Here" by Edd Henry. CD

A fantastic start to the second chapter of Roxy Music – a time when the group was stripped down to a trio, and almost seemed to arise as a way to answer the newer music that was coming up from all the younger groups that Bryan Ferry had influenced with his work in the 70s! Things aren't as weird and wild as at their start, but the instrumentation is impeccable – thanks to guitars from Phil Manzanera and saxes from Andy MacKay – and an approach that has the group bringing in some key other players from track to track, expanding the sound but never going too far. The vibe is a bit like the feel of some of Bryan Ferry's best solo work from the years before – but more Roxy-like too – and still head and shoulders above anything the new romantics had to offer. Titles include "Same Old Scene", "Flesh & Blood", "My Only Love", "Oh Yeah", "No Strange Delight", and "Running Wild". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent pre-Columbia work from trumpeter Don Ellis – a live date recorded with Tom Scott on saxes and Dave Mackay on piano – presented here in its entirety for the first time ever! The groove here is every bit as hard as on Ellis' funky classics for Columbia – but more acoustic overall, and bottomed with some great Latin percussion from Alan Estes on timbales and Chino Valdes on congas. Many tracks have a slightly exotic feel – a mode that uses conventional jazz instrumentation with slightly Eastern phrasing, in a way that sounds really great alongside the modal rhythms of the tunes. Titles include Scott's "With Respect To Coltrane" and "Blues For Hari" – plus "Slippin N Slidin", "Bali Dancer", "Sadness Shouldn't Go To Sleep", "It's A Snap", "The Squeeze", and "Turk's Works". CD

A brilliant little comeback album for Roxy Music – their first album in 4 years after Siren, and a well-done departure that takes off from older records without losing any of their greatness! In a way, the set's almost the group's Lodger – a similar effort to Bowie's record from the same time that reflects a move away from heavier styles of earlier years, but never loses the edge of the group's best work. Manifesto also reflects some of the lessons learned by Bryan Ferry on his solo records – a bit leaner and cleaner presentation of the songs – but the album itself is also strongly a group production effort, and certainly feels that way in its use of Phil Manzenera's great guitars and Andy Mackay's horn arrangements. Titles include "Ain't That So", "Stronger Through The Years", "Trash", "Manifesto", "Angel Eyes", "Spin Me Round", "Cry Cry Cry", and "My Little Girl". CD

A brilliant little comeback album for Roxy Music – their first album in 4 years after Siren, and a well-done departure that takes off from older records without losing any of their greatness! In a way, the set's almost the group's Lodger – a similar effort to Bowie's record from the same time that reflects a move away from heavier styles of earlier years, but never loses the edge of the group's best work. Manifesto also reflects some of the lessons learned by Bryan Ferry on his solo records – a bit leaner and cleaner presentation of the songs – but the album itself is also strongly a group production effort, and certainly feels that way in its use of Phil Manzenera's great guitars and Andy Mackay's horn arrangements. Titles include "Ain't That So", "Stranger Through The Years", "Trash", "Manifesto", "Angel Eyes", "Spin Me Round", "Cry Cry Cry", and "My Little Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant little comeback album for Roxy Music – their first album in 4 years after Siren, and a well-done departure that takes off from older records without losing any of their greatness! In a way, the set's almost the group's Lodger – a similar effort to Bowie's record from the same time that reflects a move away from heavier styles of earlier years, but never loses the edge of the group's best work. Manifesto also reflects some of the lessons learned by Bryan Ferry on his solo records – a bit leaner and cleaner presentation of the songs – but the album itself is also strongly a group production effort, and certainly feels that way in its use of Phil Manzenera's great guitars and Andy Mackay's horn arrangements. Titles include "Ain't That So", "Stranger Through The Years", "Trash", "Manifesto", "Angel Eyes", "Spin Me Round", "Cry Cry Cry", and "My Little Girl". CD

Numero Records parodies both the Las Vegas Grind series of compilations, and the 50s sci-fi artwork of EC Comics – and turns out a surprisingly great set of tracks in the process! The material here is from the more garagey side of the Numero spectrum – tracks that are heavy on twang and guitars – sometimes instrumental, sometimes with raw early rock vocals – all laid out in a rock-solid collection that maybe beats some of the more long-running compilation series of this nature. In keeping with those, Numero has been completely restrained on including any real information on the tracks – just a groovy little comic insert that follows in the style of the cover – alongside titles that include "Classie's Whip" by Classie Ballou, "The Grasshopper Twist" by The Blazers, "Jump Back" by Eugene Blacknell, "Rock & Roll Guitar" by Johnny Knight, "The Boogie Twist (part 1)" by Cal Valentine, "Slap Stick" by Dino & The Deltones, "Bui Bui" by L Hollis & The Mackadoos, "Hot Links" by Soul Heirs, and "Aw Shucks" by JJ Jones. CD

One of the more song-based sets from Phil Manzanera – a really wonderful record that definitely foregrounds all the magic he was bringing to early records by Roxy Music, but put out here in a nicely different way as well! Things are never too prog-indulgent – and Manzanera's got some wonderful help to make the record really come out great – including key vocal moments from Brian Eno, John Wetton, and Robert Wyatt – and a hip lineup of instrumentalists who include Andy MacKay on saxes, Eddie Jobson on keyboards, and Charles Hayward on percussion! Phil's got a wonderfully strong sense of rhythm on most numbers – almost at the level of his Listen Now album – and titles include Eno's wonderful performance on "Big Day", plus "Miss Shapiro", "East Of Echo", "Lagrima", "Alma", "Carhumba", "Same Time Next Week", "Frontera", and "The Flex". LP, Vinyl record album

The kind of Roxy Music album that nobody would have expected back when Brian Eno was in the group – but a set that really helped expose the group to a whole new generation, and find a way to develop that special style that Bryan Ferry had brought to the group in the previous decade! There's a leaner vibe going on here – with the core trio of Ferry, Andy Mackay, and Phil Manzanera finding a way to be a bit more subtle than before, both instrumentally and lyrically – while still having Bryan do that oddly sinister thing with his vocals, almost in a way that undercuts all the new young stars that were emerging in the younger generation. The recording quality is superb – especially on the vocals and Manzanera's work – and titles include "More Than This", "Take A Chance With Me", "India", "The Space Between", and "To Turn You On". LP, Vinyl record album

The kind of Roxy Music album that nobody would have expected back when Brian Eno was in the group – but a set that really helped expose the group to a whole new generation, and find a way to develop that special style that Bryan Ferry had brought to the group in the previous decade! There's a leaner vibe going on here – with the core trio of Ferry, Andy Mackay, and Phil Manzanera finding a way to be a bit more subtle than before, both instrumentally and lyrically – while still having Bryan do that oddly sinister thing with his vocals, almost in a way that undercuts all the new young stars that were emerging in the younger generation. The recording quality is superb – especially on the vocals and Manzanera's work – and titles include "More Than This", "Take A Chance With Me", "India", "The Space Between", and "To Turn You On". CD

The kind of Roxy Music album that nobody would have expected back when Brian Eno was in the group – but a set that really helped expose the group to a whole new generation, and find a way to develop that special style that Bryan Ferry had brought to the group in the previous decade! There's a leaner vibe going on here – with the core trio of Ferry, Andy Mackay, and Phil Manzanera finding a way to be a bit more subtle than before, both instrumentally and lyrically – while still having Bryan do that oddly sinister thing with his vocals, almost in a way that undercuts all the new young stars that were emerging in the younger generation. The recording quality is superb – especially on the vocals and Manzanera's work – and titles include "More Than This", "Take A Chance With Me", "India", "The Space Between", and "To Turn You On". CD

One of the more song-based sets from Phil Manzanera – a really wonderful record that definitely foregrounds all the magic he was bringing to early records by Roxy Music, but put out here in a nicely different way as well! Things are never too prog-indulgent – and Manzanera's got some wonderful help to make the record really come out great – including key vocal moments from Brian Eno, John Wetton, and Robert Wyatt – and a hip lineup of instrumentalists who include Andy MacKay on saxes, Eddie Jobson on keyboards, and Charles Hayward on percussion! Phil's got a wonderfully strong sense of rhythm on most numbers – almost at the level of his Listen Now album – and titles include Eno's wonderful performance on "Big Day", plus "Miss Shapiro", "East Of Echo", "Lagrima", "Alma", "Carhumba", "Same Time Next Week", "Frontera", and "The Flex". CD