An early Madonna single, with a nice Niles Rodgers remix on the a-side. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

An early Madonna single – featuring some sweet Niles Rodgers production and some clubby Jellybean touches on "Like A Virgin"! 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Early pre-album work from Madonna – produced with a souful touch by Reggie Lucas! 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A strange and ultimately very fun set from Nina Hagen circa '83 – with production by Giorgio Morodor that's clearly geared towards an 80s mainstream club soul sound – and the record turns out to be all the weirder because of it! Nina's vocals are as anti-pop as they come, and Morodor's synthy grooves makes for a strange mix. She trys to vamp it up Blondie style on some tunes, but her punk operatic tendancies and that scary Berlin accented growl are never far behind the attempts at sweetness – and Morodor's shiny, shiny gloss and drum machines are really charming in the context! In hindsight, it was probably pretty naive to think Nina Hagen could pull off a Madonna style hit record – and that makes this one of the more fascinating miscalculations of the early 80s – and worth a listen! Titles include "New York New York", "My Sensation", "Flying Saucers", "I Love Paul", "The Change", "Silent Love", "What It Is" (featuring backing by wee little group of youngsters who call themselves The Red Hot Chili Peppers), "TV Snooze", "Springtime And Paris", "Zarah". LP, Vinyl record album

Solo work from Mark Morriss – formerly a member of The Bluetones, but maybe even more striking here as an artist on his own! The album features a compelling mix of covers – songs originally recorded by Jess Conrad, Scott Walker, OMD, Buffalo Springfield, Jesus & Mary Chain, Weezer, and even Madonna – but all given a very personal spin by Morriss! Mark's got this way of weaving together different 60s influences – a bit of blue-eyed pop, touches of mod or psych instrumentation, even some slightly folksy currents – all to suit the modes of the individual songs – with a mode that maybe even gets past the idea of any sort of single style for the record. Titles include "Duchess", "Self Control", "Angel", "Almost Gold", "Don't Let Go", "Love Comes Quickly", "Rock & Roll Woman", "Souvenir", "This Pullover", and "Lucretia (My Reflection)". CD

Solo work from Mark Morriss – formerly a member of The Bluetones, but maybe even more striking here as an artist on his own! The album features a compelling mix of covers – songs originally recorded by Jess Conrad, Scott Walker, OMD, Buffalo Springfield, Jesus & Mary Chain, Weezer, and even Madonna – but all given a very personal spin by Morriss! Mark's got this way of weaving together different 60s influences – a bit of blue-eyed pop, touches of mod or psych instrumentation, even some slightly folksy currents – all to suit the modes of the individual songs – with a mode that maybe even gets past the idea of any sort of single style for the record. Titles include "Duchess", "Self Control", "Angel", "Almost Gold", "Don't Let Go", "Love Comes Quickly", "Rock & Roll Woman", "Souvenir", "This Pullover", and "Lucretia (My Reflection)". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the funkiest albums ever from Junior Parker – a great little set that shows he had a lot more to offer than just the average bluesman! The album's got a nice little soul sound in the backings – tight rhythms from Horace Ott, who nicely avoids a lot of the cliches that the blues business was hitting at the time – in order to keep Junior in hip territory that's filled with breaking drums and heavy basslines! There's a few key crossover tracks here, plus some surprisingly sweeter numbers – and the album's a gem through and through – well-appreciated by new generations over the years, thanks to its diversity of tracks! Titles include a great break version of "Taxman" – plus two more Beatles numbers, "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "Lady Madonna" – and the tracks "Outside Man", "Darling Depend On Me", "You Know I Love You", "River's Invitation", and "Just To Hold My Hand". CD

Ramsey Lewis move over – because this cooking Japanese trio from the 60s has a mightily soulful groove – one that's more than enough to give Ramsey's classic combo a run for their money! Pianist Kazuo Yashiro hits the keys harder than ever here – working with a wickedly soulful punch, and getting sublime backing from Masanaga Harada on electric bass and Jimmy Takeuchi on drums – both rhythm players with more than a bit of funk in their bag – as you'll hear on some of the most explosive cuts on the record! The use of electric bass, and overall range of styles, is a bit like the second Lewis trio – with Cleveland Eaton and Maurice White – yet there's also some really unique elements to the record that make it way more than a copycat of American modes. Titles include "Black Nag", "Favela", "Love For Sale", "Marionette Blues", and "Lady Madonna". CD

You know, these guys were so big that we sometimes forget how great they really were. This compilation's a great reminder, and it's filled with some killer 70's soul tracks like the totally sublime original version of "Love Don't Live Here Any More", a cut that still sends shivers down our spines, even if Madonna totally ruined it a few years ago. Other nice ones include "Ooh Boy", "Wishing On A Star", "You're On My Mind", "I Wonder Where You Are Tonight", "First Come First Serve", "Is It Love You're After", and the obligatory "Car Wash". LP, Vinyl record album

A really overlooked album from Caetano Veloso – one that's quite different than the more experimental modes of records like his Tropicalia sets, or his Araca Azul record – but with a unique charm that makes it every bit as special as those! The set's quite stripped-down and personal – and really has Veloso getting back to basics – in ways that are a bit like his UK album from 1971, but more upbeat and positive too. The tunes are really thoughtfully presented, with spare backing that puts Veloso's amazing vocals right out front – heard to especially wonderful effect on the album's English-language readings of three late Beatles tracks – "Eleanor Rigby", "For No One", and "Lady Madonna". All titles are great, though – and tunes include "Nicinha", "La Flor De La Canela", "Drume Negrinha", and "Samba E Amor". CD