The small wonder here is Henry Small – lead singer for this great overlooked group, who are a quirky major label band that really give things their all! Small's got some inflections that sound a bit like Todd Rundgren, and the record's got that great post-Beatles approach to production that uses all elements in a nicely harmonic, very tuneful way – never too polished, but plenty darn catchy – and certainly the sort of material that might have gotten these guys some big radio play, had someone been going around with the right sort of payola handouts! Yet it's also the obscurity that really gives the set its charms – that almost-familiar, but not really vibe that can make overlooked records like this so great – on titles that include "You & I", "Midnite Plane Ride", "It Was Meant To Be", "Time Is Passing Me By", "I'm A One Way Train", and "Atlantis". CD

Sonic Youth's last album from Geffen – capping off one of the most successful runs an art rock band could ever have hoped to make on a major label! Back to the Moore-Gordon-Renaldo-Shelley line-up after a stellar couple of albums with Jim O'Rourke in the band, you could be forgiven for thinking you'll sense his loss going in – but the truth is this is just as strong as Murray Street and Sonic Nurse, right on par with those late carreer classics and a fitting finally to an exceptial period for the band. Essential! Includes "Reena", "Incinerate", "Do You Believe In Rapture?", "What A Waste", "Free", "Rats", "Steam", "Or'" and more. CD

You won't find Joyce Street in the Country Music Hall Of Fame, but she's the kind of singer who definitely could have been huge, had she ever hit the big time – yet maybe one who's even more fascinating on this series of singles recorded for a variety of small labels in the 70s – all the kind of heartfelt, honest work that's very different than the arena-filling music of the outlaw generation! Joyce has a voice that recalls some of our favorite female country singers to emerge in the 60s, and hearing this work is like catching one of them before they were picked up by a major label – recording with a real since of sincerity that definitely does justice to her music. Titles include "Life Ain't Worth Livin", "Back Streets Of The City", "Love In My Heart", "California You're Slippin", "Mississippi Moonshine", "Woman Do Something Nice", and "That Man Of Mine". LP, Vinyl record album

A British group with a surprisingly no-nonsense approach for the time – neither prog, nor hard rock, glam, or anything else that might have been big during the early 70s underground – which may well be why this set never got the fame it deserved! There's some great guitar work on the set that almost gets funky at points, but which often just holds to rockish riffing instead – really well-fit to the offbeat vocals which are perfect for the lyrical delivery of the set – all at a level that makes the whole thing one of those great under-circulated major label efforts that's wonderfully hard to peg, and which is ripe for rediscovery all these many years later. Titles include "Me & Virginia", "It Ain't Me", "Coast Of Panama", "Finger On The Trigger", "Mare Luna", "It's All For You", "Dark Eye", and "Turn Round". CD

Few folks get a classic groove as right as T-Groove – and here, he's working with the George Kano Experience for an even more classic vibe – this wonderful blend of soul, jazz, funk, and boogie – all put together with the best sort of 80s groove production! The album's got a wonderfully understated vibe – so much so, the whole thing almost feels like the kind of lost major label production from back in the day – the sort of the set that was cut with top-shelf talents in the studio, then under-promoted by the record company – only to be discovered years later by rare groove hounds like us! Yet it's contemporary, and hopefully will get the attention it deserves – overflowing with great tracks that include a clubby remake of Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island", topped with the lyrics penned by Mark Murphy in the 70s – plus tracks that include "Shallow Naked Love", "Timeless Groove", "Haven", "Do It Baby", and "Secret Lover". CD

Few folks get a classic groove as right as T-Groove – and here, he's working with the George Kano Experience for an even more classic vibe – this wonderful blend of soul, jazz, funk, and boogie – all put together with the best sort of 80s groove production! The album's got a wonderfully understated vibe – so much so, the whole thing almost feels like the kind of lost major label production from back in the day – the sort of the set that was cut with top-shelf talents in the studio, then under-promoted by the record company – only to be discovered years later by rare groove hounds like us! Yet it's contemporary, and hopefully will get the attention it deserves – overflowing with great tracks that include a clubby remake of Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island", topped with the lyrics penned by Mark Murphy in the 70s – plus tracks that include "Shallow Naked Love", "Timeless Groove", "Haven", "Do It Baby", and "Secret Lover". CD

The massive full length flowering of Television – a record issued on a major label, but which represents all the underground genius that the group had been bringing to the New York scene for a few years in the mid 70s! The guitar might be worth the price of admission alone – a standard-setting approach that influenced a generation – and, when matched with the vocals of Tom Verlaine, really knocks the whole thing out of the park! There's a blend of raw edge and understated poetry that instantly demonstrates why the American underground of the time was so different than the world of British punk – and although the set came out in 1977, it still has a massive power all these many years later. Every track's a gem – and titles include "See No Evil", "Venus", "Friction", "Marquee Moon", "Elevation", "Guiding Light", "Prove It" and "Torn Curtain". LP, Vinyl record album

A hard rock trio with a hell of a sound – heard here on their one and only album from the 70s – a surprising major label debut on Epic Records, with top-shelf production from Rick Derringer! The album's got a searing burn right from the start – quite a heady brew for this young trio, who come on with the guitar complexities of Johnny Winter at times, and kind of the brooding, bassy bottom you might hear from the James Gang ag their best – although Tin House also have this more youthful, more sneering vibe too – one that's completely their own, and which has made this obscure debut a lost treasure for hard rock collectors over the decades! Titles include "I Want Your Body", "Be Good & Be Kind", "Personal Gain", "Jezebel Give Me Your Lovin", "Lady Of The Silent Opera", "Tomorrow", and "You've Gone Too Far". Beautiful reissue – with bonus tracks that include "Be Good & Be Kind (mono)", "I Want Your Body (mono)", and unreleased tunes "Understand" and "Thanks To My Friends". CD

A modern country rock masterpiece. Wilco's second album, an unlikely (for its time) major label double album does an incredible job of showing stylistic breadth and sprawl behind lyrical and emotional consistency, arrangements-wise recalling the best of the band's more adventurously rootsy forbears enough to not unfairly call it "alt-country" at the time, but it's ultimately timeless. Here we are decades later and it doesn't sound like it's aged a day. Includes "Misunderstood", "Far, Far Away", "Red-Eyed And Blue", "Forget the Flowers", "Outta Mind (Outta Sight)", "Kingpin", "Whole Would You Wanna Live", "Dreamer In My Dreams" and more. CD

A heady, hairy solo album from the great Roy Wood – very different than his material with Wizzard, and definitely a solo set, given that Roy handled everything about the album himself – from all the vocals and instruments, to all the production and arrangements, to all the artwork on the cover! The record's also got this very unusual pastiche of styles, too – each song is very different, almost as if the album's an experiment by Wood, trying out different facets of his musical ability – and combining them into a set that's way more experimental than you'd guess for the time, or for a record on a major label. Some tracks are very tuneful and catchy, but sit next to looser, more openly-shaped work – and the balance is fantastic, a bit like a classic Todd Rundgren record – where you'd have a brilliant radio-ready track right next to a looser bit of sonic creativity. Titles include the Brian Wilson-like "Why Does Such A Pretty Girl Song Those Sad Songs" – plus "Look Thru The Eyes Of A Fool", "Interlude/Get On Down Home", "Mustard", "Any Old Time Will Do", and "The Rain Came Down On Everything". LP, Vinyl record album

A groundbreaking collaboration between Brian Eno & David Byrne – recorded with a spare, stripped down love of electronics and found sound samples – in a mode that would have a huge influence on countless records to come! Part of the set resonates with the quirky grooves found in Byrne's early Talking Heads records – but the overall sound is much more stark than that work, and is characterized by key found vocals and odd ethnic bits that really set the tone for each new tune. Eno's influence is felt strongly in the simplicity of the tracks, and in the darkly resonant production modes – that classic Eno touch used here before it became a bit too trademark, in a way that could still make a record like this sound great, even when coming from major label sources! A key force in shaping countless genres to come in the next 25 years – with great tracks that include "America Is Waiting", 'Regiment", "The Jezebel Spirit", "Qu'ran", "Moonlight In Glory", "A Secret Life", "Come With Us", and "Mountain Of Needles". LP, Vinyl record album

Anthony and crew were one of the few groups who actually got better when they moved from the raw indie scene to the slicker major label one – as you'll hear perfectly on this set of some of their best work for the Veep/DCP/United Artists label. Teddy Randazzo handled all the arrangements and production, and his breathy uptown style works perfectly with the band's soulful harmonies. 12 numbers in all, including "I'm Hypnotized", "Beautiful People", "Georgy Girl", "A Thousand Miles Away", "You Only Live Twice", "Goin' Out Of My Head", "Two People In The World", "A Prayer & A Jukebox", 'When You Wish Upon A Star", "You Better Take It Easy Baby" and "If I Remember To Forget". LP, Vinyl record album

Tight funky grooves from the jamband underground – one of the strongest albums of this type to come out in years! Stanton Moore's at the head of a small all-star combo that includes Skerik and Karl Denson on sax, Brian Seeger on guitar, and Chris Wood on bass – and Stanton's work on drums is excellent, dancing around the kit with a fantastic flourish, jamming the groove in just the right way to bring out the freest funkiest work in the two-sax frontline. The rhythms are a mix of Bay Area funk, New Orleans soul, and a bit of classic soul jazz – and the production of the set is excellent, nicely stripped down and spare, despite the major label status of the record, which often means a bit too much muddling around in the mix! Titles include "Let's Go", "Tang The Hump", "Launcho Diablo", "Prairie Sunset", "Things Fall Apart", and "Hunch". CD

Iggy's third album for Arista – one of his more straight-forward sets of rockers, for the most part – but Iggy being Iggy, it's still pretty edgy stuff for a rock album on major label in the early 80s! Includes "Pleasure", "Rock And Roll Party", the wacko "Eggs On A Plate", "Sincerity", "Houston is Hot Tonight", "Bang Bang", and surprisingly subdued cover of "Sea Of Love", "Happy Man", "Pumpin' For Jill" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The second major label set from The Roots, and what many consider their first and definitely not their last) irrefutable classic! We could make the case for the debut Do You Want More? as a bonafide classic, too, but this is certainly the tone certainly the one that cemented their status and one of the greatest live-tested hip hop bands. Given how strong and far reaching The Roots pedigree would become over the years, this one's all the more amazing to revisit – and it's fresh and distinctive to this day. 20 tracks including intro & outro, with "Respond/React", "Clones", "No Alibi", "No Great Pretender" "Universe At War" (featuring Common while he was still Common Sense), "What They Do", "Ital (The Universal Side)", Concerto Of The Desparado", "The Adventures In Wonderland" and more. CD

A brilliant set from Santigold – blending a world of sounds and styles into one of the more exciting and unique major label pop album's '12 – build to last! African, Caribbean and urban American sounds blend very well here – in both the the electronic and organic instrumentation and in Santi White's voice – and the songs are make deep impact, too. Pretty exciting stuff! Includes "Go", "Disparate Youth", "God From The Machine", "Fame", "Freak Like Me", "This Isn't Our Parade", "Riot's Gone", "Pirate In Water", "The Keepers", "Look At These Hoes", "Big Mouth" and more. CD

The killer here is "Soul Control" – a tight funky number with a heavy hand-clapping beat, lots of clavinet, and some great rhyme-time lyrics from Tenison! We really dig the cut, and it's got a hip hard-walking early 70s feel – the kind of tune that would have been a classic if Tenison could have gotten it out on a major label! "Robinhood" is pretty nice – but mellower, and with strings. 7-inch, Vinyl record

A different slice of music from Steve Young than you might know from his classic Seven Bridges Road – but a set that's equally great in its own sort of way! The album's from a time when Young was really stepping out of the shadows a bit – maybe feeling himself more as a singer, but also still a hell of a songwriter too – and while the album's got some country touches around the edges, there's also a more straightforward approach to the presentation of the music. Yet, since the whole thing was produced by Rounder Records, there's nothing slick or commercial at all – none of the too-polished modes that might have happened had Steve cut these songs with a major label – which means that the record really gets to the heart and clarity of the man's genius. Titles include "No Expectations", "The Contender", "To Satisfy You", "Top Of The World", "River & The Swan", "They Call It Love", and "Wild World". CD

That's Seafaring Strangers, not to be confused with the rootsy vibe of the Wayfaring Strangers on a similarly-named Numero Group series – as these guys are playing tightly-crafted sounds that soar to the mainstream – with a vibe that's obviously classy enough to get them admission to somebody's private yacht! And yet, in keeping with the Numero spirit, all of the music here is pretty darn obscure – pulled from obscure 70s records that were created in the shadow of major label AOR – all music that aimed for the smooth, jazzy vibe of bigger records by artists like Steely Dan or Boz Scaggs – but never got any sort of wide-label release! The quality of the work here is wonderful – homegrown and personal, but put together in a way that's really sharp – showing that even if you love AOR, you don't have to stick to the big labels to find your treasures. In true Numero fashion, the whole thing comes with detailed notes, which show a lot of research into the music – and the fact that the whole thing was hardly an accident in the way that it came together. Titles include "Aquaintances", "Your Burning Love" by Steps, "Give Me Your Love" by Paul Skyland, "Dance Of Love" by Calvin Johnson, "One More Time" by Salty Miller, "Wrap Myself Up In Your Love" by Jim Spencer, "Never Gonna Let You Go" by Michael Miglio, "Please Analyze" by AJ Loria, "Sailing" by Gary Marks, "To Be Lonely" by Country Comfort, and "Back To The Streets" by Rudy Norman. CD

One of the greatest albums to come from the New York underground of the early 80s – even if it was a relatively big "hit" on a major label! Laurie Anderson is in perfect form here – drawing on a strong tradition of avant garde performance, but without any of the indulgences that would mire down performance art in years to come. Instead, she's got a clean, clear style that's simply amazing – spoken passages that are poetic and pointed, but which also have a slight undercurrent of wit – a charming quality that never takes itself too seriously, even when the sounds and styles are somewhat dark. Instrumentation includes some great rhythm passages from David Van Tieghem, plus surprising performances from Rufus Harley on bagpipes and George Lewis on trombone. Titles include "From The Air", "Big Science", "O Superman", "Born Never Asked", "Walking & Falling", "Example #22", "Let X = X", and "It Tango". LP, Vinyl record album

A huge moment for Blackalicious – a group who'd been gaining plenty of cred on the underground, and who reached out to a much bigger set of ears with this major label debut! The whole thing's top-shelf through and through – superb production from Chief Xcel next to the words from Gift of Gab and Chief Excel – alongside a host of guests including Quannum mainmasts Lyrics Born, Lateef, and Joyo – as well as Dilated People's Raka and Babu, Jurassic 5's Cut Chemist and Chali 2na – and even work from Gil Scott-Heron and Ben Harper too! Clearly, someone had enough faith in the group to give them the money to realize their dream – and that faith definitely pays off here – on titles that include the classic single "Make You Feel That Way" – plus "Blazing Arrow", "4000 Miles", "Paragraph President", "First In Flight", "Purest Love", "Sky Is Falling", "It's Going Down", "Release (parts 1, 2, & 3)", and "Chemical Calisthenics". LP, Vinyl record album

Glen returns to work with Jimmy Webb – the brilliant songwriter who gave Glen big hits with "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" and "Witchita Lineman" back in the 60s. By the time of this 1974 recording, Jimmy had been through a lot of life – and was actually writing songs that were even more honest and gripping than in earlier years. He'd also become a heck of an arranger – and even though that work was often lost on Jimmy's own albums, mostly because Jimmy wasn't much of a singer, it sounds great here, as Glen's vocals really open up Jimmy's songs like few other singers could manage at the time! Titles include "Just This One Time", "Ocean In His Eyes", "The Moon's A Harsh Mistress", "Adoration", "It's A Sin", "I Keep It Hid", and "You Might As Well Smile". A brilliant record – the kind of underground major label gem that makes you realize that the 70s wasn't such a bad time! LP, Vinyl record album

A mad mix of Latin and funky rhythms – a 70s classic from the Belgian group Chakachas! The album's best known for its title hit "Jungle Fever" – an insane cut that features heavy drums, choppy guitar, and a stop/start action that's peppered with sounds of female pleasure! The track was a worldwide hit, and continues to be a funky classic today – thanks to a heavy sample history, and a life in playlists worldwide – but the rest of the album's pretty darn great too, and even weirder. Some tracks mix easy Euro grooving with heavy conga, others have kind of an LA Chicano funk approach, and still others throw in some mad horns to complicate matters with nice jazzy riffing. Really great throughout – and maybe one of the best funky albums to ever come out on a major label! Titles include "Jungle Fever", "El Canyon Rojo", "Chica Chica Bau Bau", "Eso Es El Amor", "Ay Mulata", "Cha Ka Cha", "Latin Can Can", and "Yo Soy Cubano". CD

Sweet modern soul from this great group – one of the brightest points in major label soul during the early 80s! Change, ironically, is a group that went through a number of line-up changes, even in their prime – with the tight, clubby, yet genuinely soulful production a constant. This record is made all the better for the beautifully soulful dual lead vocals of James Robinson and Deborah Cooper. The tracks have deeply layered live instrumentation – keyboards, guitar, percussion, horns and strings – blended seamlessly with early 80s production touches. Includes the hits "The Very Best In You" and "Hard Times (It's Gonna Be Alright)", and others that are just as sweet: "Take You To Heaven", "Oh What A Night", "Promise Your Love","Keep On It", "You're My Number One" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The dawn of millennium classic by Dead Prez – and angry, revolution-minded effort from a period on major label hip hop that sorely lacked such strident players – and if it didn't make any huge waves commercially, that only strengthens its legacy! Sticman & M1 are at the top of their game lyrically, the beats are are exciting to this day, and it all adds up to one of the strongest politically minded hip hop records of its time. Titles include "Wolves", "Hip Hop", "They Schools", "The Pistol", "Discipline", "Enemy Lines", "Mind Sex", "Propaganda", "You'll Find A Way", "Police State", and many more. LP, Vinyl record album

There really wasn't anything exactly like Jane's Addiction on a major label in their late 80s, very early 90s prime – and this first of 2 classic Warner albums from that early peak stand the test of time. Nothing's Shocking, then and now, is a strange mix of psychedelia and hard rock, weird enough to earn fans from the artier indie and college radio underbelly, and reach more mainstream hard rock fan – which really paved the way for 90s rock in ways they might not get enough credit for these days. The sound doesn't really get old, either. Includes the classic "Jane Says", plus "Idiots Rule", "Mountain Song", "Summertime Rolls", "Ted Just Admit It", and "Had A Dad". CD

A stone classic from the glory days of 90s hip hop – a set that's worth it not just for Jeru's mad lyrics, but also for the sublime production of DJ Premier – from a time when he had so much studio genius, he seemed to be reinventing the sound of hip hop with each new release! The set's a double-length gem, billed on the back as "created to save hip hop" – which Jeru and a rare few were able to do at the major label level, at a time when artists rarely got the chance to explode with such freedom and power like this. Tracks include "One Day", "Me Or The Papes", "Tha Frustrated Nigga", "Scientifical Madness", "Revenge Of The Prophet (Part 5)", "One Day", "Too Perverted", "Invasion", "Ya Playin Yaself", "Black Cowboys", "Whatever", "Physical Stamina", and "How I'm Livin". CD

The record that really put Jurassic 5 on the map – a set that came out after some key indie fame, but with a platform that helped the group become one of the more important mainstream hip hop forces of the century! All the creative lyrical interplay of the underground is firmly in place here – as the record's a major label effort, but one that's not sacrificing quality for success – thanks in part to the wonderful production from Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist – well-schooled in the more sophisticated styles of the 90s, yet also able to keep things lean and sharp – without some of the headier bedroom hip hop modes. Rhymes are by Zaakir, Chali 2na, Akil, and Marc 7 – every bit as sharp as the production – and tracks include "How We Get Along", "Contact", "Quality Control", "World Of Entertainment", "The Influence", "Monkey Bars", "Quality Control", "Twelve", "Contribution", "The Game", "Improvise", "Swing Set", and "Jurass Finish First". CD

Anthony and crew were one of the few groups who actually got better when they moved from the raw indie scene to the slicker major label one – as you'll hear perfectly on this set of some of their best work for the Veep/DCP/United Artists label. Teddy Randazzo handled all the arrangments and production, and his breathy uptown style works perfectly with the band's soulful harmonies. Titles include "Hurt So Bad", "I'm On The Outside (Looking In)", "Our Song", "Get Out Of My Life", and "Going Out Of My Head". LP, Vinyl record album

The official full length debut from Lupe Fiasco – another wholly unique Chicago MC who's gotten the runaround from seemingly every major label in the biz – and a record that lives up to the long-building hype! Frankly, we were scared almost immediately when we heard the description "skate rap" applied to "Kick, Push" – only to find our fears unfounded. Lupe's only going to be himself – which is what makes him such a strong MC (other than the masterful breath control) – and that individualistic approach is proving to be Chicago's gift to mainstream hip hip. The Neptunes provide one of their best productions of the past couple years for "I Gotcha" – but the soundtracky productions by Soundtrakk (natch) are even better. Other tracks include "Real" feat Sara Green, "Just Might Be OK" feat Gemini, "Kick, Push", "The Instrumental" feat Jonah Matranga, "He Say She Say" feat Gemini & Sarah Green, "Sunshine", "Daydreamin'" feat Jill Scott, "The Cool" (produced by Kanye) , "Hurt Me Soul", "Pressure" feat Jay-Z, "American Terrorist" feat Matthew Santos, "The Cool", "The Emperor's Soundtrack" and more! LP, Vinyl record album

The official full length debut from Lupe Fiasco – another wholly unique Chicago MC who's gotten the runaround from seemingly every major label in the biz – and a record that lives up to the long-building hype! Frankly, we were scared almost immediately when we heard the description "skate rap" applied to "Kick, Push" – only to find our fears unfounded. Lupe's only going to be himself – which is what makes him such a strong MC (other than the masterful breath control) – and that individualistic approach is proving to be Chicago's gift to mainstream hip hip. The Neptunes provide one of their best productions of the past couple years for "I Gotcha" – but the soundtracky productions by Soundtrakk (natch) are even better. Other tracks include "Real" feat Sara Green, "Just Might Be OK" feat Gemini, "Kick, Push", "The Instrumental" feat Jonah Matranga, "He Say She Say" feat Gemini & Sarah Green, "Sunshine", "Daydreamin'" feat Jill Scott, "The Cool" (produced by Kanye) , "Hurt Me Soul", "Pressure" feat Jay-Z, "American Terrorist" feat Matthew Santos, "The Cool", "The Emperor's Soundtrack" and more! LP, Vinyl record album

A killer bit of soulful fusion – recorded by the legendary drummer Alponse Mouzon after his harder-jamming 70s years, in a mode that brings in some nice currents of jazz funk and soul! The group's an all-star lineup – Herbie Hancock on Fender Rhodes and piano, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Lee Ritenour on guitar, and Paul Jackson on bass – working together strongly under the guidance of Mouzon, who's really finding a new side of his talents here. The tunes groove wonderfully – never too over the top, and always in the smooth soulful mode that was the best part of major label fusion in the late 70s. Mouzon plays a fair bit of keyboards next to Herbie's acoustic and electric piano, and tracks are long, with some really nicely jazzy grooves. Titles include "The Jogger", "Do I Have To", "Space Invaders", and "The Next Time We Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that forever changed the face of mainstream music in the 90s – a set that showed that a group could come from the underground indie scene and manage to take over the rest of the world with a record that went on to become an instant classic for a generation! Think what you want about the overwrought legacy of Kurt Cobain's place in pop stardom, the record itself still bristles over with power and energy that get way past all the cliches that you'll find on posters and t-shirts – one of the few cases in history where stepping to a major label allowed a group like this to really hit their heights. Titles include "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Drain You", "On A Plain", "Lithium", "Polly", "In Bloom", "Come As You Are", and "Lounge Act". Deluxe edition adds b-sides, studio sessions, rehearsals, and two tracks recorded for the BBC. LP, Vinyl record album

A record that forever changed the face of mainstream music in the 90s – a set that showed that a group could come from the underground indie scene and manage to take over the rest of the world with a record that went on to become an instant classic for a generation! Think what you want about the overwrought legacy of Kurt Cobain's place in pop stardom, the record itself still bristles over with power and energy that get way past all the cliches that you'll find on posters and t-shirts – one of the few cases in history where stepping to a major label allowed a group like this to really hit their heights. Titles include "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Drain You", "On A Plain", "Lithium", "Polly", "In Bloom", "Come As You Are", and "Lounge Act". 2CD deluxe edition features 16 more bonus tracks, recorded live in Tokyo, Melbourne, and Amsterdam in 1991 and 1992! CD

The only major label session cut by Chicago 80s groove trio Omni – done with a tighter feel than some of their indie work, but still pretty nice! The set's pretty heavy on electric drums, bass, and keys – but the strongest suit of the group is still their vocals – which come to the forefront strongly on the album's mellower numbers. Includes the Herbie Hancock-styled "Roctron", plus the cuts "Let Me Run It", "All For The One", "Only The Beginning", and "On & Off". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite possibly the funkiest record ever made by guitarist Joe Pass – a real surprise from an artist we mostly know for his mellower and straight ahead work! The style here is tight electric funk, almost in a Groove Merchant sort of way – and given Joe's heavy use of hollow-body guitar on the record, and the warm chromatic hues in his tone, the style's a fair bit like O'Donel Levy on his 70s classics from the same era. Bassist Carol Kaye had a hand in putting together the record, and there's a similar feel here to her own best grooves – tight, studio-oriented work – but never slick or too commercial! Other players include Joe Sample on keyboards, Paul Humphrey on drums, Tom Scott on sax and flute, and JJ Johnson on trombone – and despite the presence of these heavyweights, the record has a nicely soulful sound that's more indie grit than major label funk! CD adds some bonus tracks to the original record – and features 18 titles that include "Free Sample", "Better Days", "Head Start", "It's Too Late", "Gotcha", "Alison", "The Preacher", "Bass Blues", "Burning Spear", "Slick Cat", "Flying Down To Baja", and "Love Is". LP, Vinyl record album

Damn wonderful work from Woody Shaw – a sublime set for Columbia Records, and one that's head and shoulders above most major label jazz of its generation! Woody's still in his most soulful modes here – the soaring, spiritual, joyous tones we always love in his Muse Records work from a few years before – delivered here with a tightness and vision that even goes beyond those records – thanks to help from Mulgrew Miller on piano, Gary Bartz on alto sax, Steve Turre on trombone, Stafford James on bass, and Tony Reedus on drums. As with most of Shaw's best records, this is truly a great group effort – from the bold tones of Turre, to the soul-drenched pulsations of James, to the highly rhythmic modes from Miller's piano – all fused together perfectly under Woody's magical vision as a leader, and set fire on tunes that include "United", "Katrina Ballerina", "Pressing The Issue", and "The Greene Street Caper", and "Blues For Wood". LP, Vinyl record album

A great one from the mid 90s – in the heart of Sonic Youth's middle major label period – and still on a hell of a creative win streak! This is genuinely exploratory, noisy 90s rock at it's finest – played by bonafide noise rock pioneers that really found something of a comfort zone between their underground early years and almost rock star immediate past. Longer songs that build in atmosphere and never out stay their welcome, but restrained enough and tightly packed enough to flirt with accessibility. We appreciate this period in SY history more and more as time goes by. A modern classic! Includes "Becuz", "Junkie's Promise", "Saucer-Like", "Washing Machine", "Unwind", "Little Trouble Girl", "No QUeen Blues", "Skip Tracer", the side-long masterpiece "The Diamond Sea" and more. CD

A fantastic CD collection – one that brings together all five volumes of Stereolab's Switched On albums in one set – a huge collection of unusual material and rare singles! On the original Switched On record, moog, fuzz, and farfisa have never sounded so great together – and although these guys drank deep of the well of 60s pop magic before making this modern-day classic – they also come off sounding pretty darn original on their own! When this gem of a record first hit the world, it was as if all of us were hearing music from the cosmos for years, but could never find a way to make it part of our everyday lives. Then along come Tim Gane, Laetitia Sadier, and crew – and completely change the world for the better! An album that no home should be without – with titles that include "Contact", "Super-Electric", "Doubt", "Brittle", "Au Grand Jour", "The Way Will Be Opening", and "Changer". Refried Ectoplasm is the second in the holy trinity of "switched on" albums from Stereolab – a set that collects together all the unusual recordings and other side bits the group were doing in the early years of their career – standing strong as a testament to their non-stop efforts to forever push the boundaries of electric fuzzy pop! The vocals Laetitia Sadier are completely sublime – almost a bridge between the darker modes of the previous pop generation and all the new ideas of the world to come – when the rest of rock music would finally catch up to these guys, and realize that the best path to the future is through the past! Titles include "Farfisa", "John Cage Bubblegum", "Tempter", "Exploding Head Movie", "French Disko", "Harmonium", "Revox", "Mountain", and "Sadistic". By the time of Aluminum Tunes (Switched On Vol 3) – it had only been a few years since the previous Switched On set, but Stereolab had already created so much musical magic, they needed a double-length record to keep the whole thing intact! The sound here is somehow getting even more dreamy and wonderful – definitely showing their work with the mighty Sean O'Hagan, and also really opening up into all the many musical ideas that Tim Gane was picking up from his never-ending search for unusual records! The 60s swirl through time and space, and make the future sound even better than we could have imagined it – while the Channel is drained, and England and France become one in a genius marriage of pure pop modes. Titles include "The Extension Trip", "How To Play Your Internal Organs Overnight", "Space Moment", "Iron Man", "The Long Hair Of Death", "One Note Samba/Surfboard", "Percolations", "1000 Miles An Hour", "Klang Tone", and a great take on the theme to "Get Carter". Switched On 4 is full of fantastic sounds from Stereolab – an assortment of rare singles and other unusual recordings that were mostly issued on their own Duophonic label, and which are far more obscure than their bigger label albums during the same period! Even though Stereolab gave the world some undeniable classics in the late 90s and early 00s, they were also working endlessly, and seemed to record more than they could ever fit on a full length set – which resulted in all the cool singles, limited releases, and other material included here – not dusty tapes pulled from the archives, but beautiful work that often returns the group to all the space age charms of their first few records! The package is huge – 25 tracks in all, of varying length – and titles include "Barok Plastik", "Calimero", "Fried Monkey Eggs (voc)", "Solar Throw Away", "Variation One", "Monkey Jelly", "Explosante Fixe", "Jump Drive Shut Out", "The Super-It", "L'Exotisme Interieur", "Pandora's Box Of Worms", "Retrograde Mirror Form", "Nomus E Phusis", "I Feel The Air Of Another Planet", "Outer Bongolia", and "Intervals". Includes tracks from Duophonic 45s, Underground Is Coming EP, Moog, First Of The Microbe Hunters, and work from compilations, unreleased tracks, and even a collaboration with Brigitte Fontaine! Switched On 5 is maybe the coolest entry so far in this really wonderful series – a set that's overflowing with rare and unusual work from Stereolab – most of it done at a time when the group were riding high on a major label, but still managed to issued a huge amount of music on their own, and work in a variety of collaborative settings too! One of our favorite is their work with Nurse With Wound, and tracks from that partnership begin this set – which then moves into rare singles, work with artists, compilation contributions, and plenty more – all with the usual Stereolab charm, but often with a nicely different vibe too! Titles include "Simple Headphone Mind", "Symbolic Logic Of Now", "Magne Music", "Forensic Itch", "Spool Of Collusion", "Robot Riot", "Trippin With The Birds", "Cybele's Reverie (live)", "Nth Degrees, "Refractions In The Plastic Pulse (Autechre Feebate mix)", and "Plastic Mile (original version)". CD

An unusual appearance on a major label for Cecil Taylor – recorded during a brief bit of optimism in A&M's jazz department! Despite the setting, though, the record's a great one – played with all the fire and dynamism of some of Taylor's indie work from the same stretch – and carved out in a way that has some shorter tracks on the showcase, which makes for a nice change from the album-length performances of some of Cecil's other sets. The trio features Gregg Bendian on percussion and William Parker on bass – and both players vocalize a bit with Cecil at moments on the record. Titles include "Anast In Crisis", "For Steve McCall", "Pethro Visiting The Abyss", "Saita", "Feng Shui", and "Entitiy". CD

A major label set, but one that stays very true to the new ideals that James Blood Ulmer was trying to bring to jazz guitar at the time – a really revolutionary style that moves beyond simple genre conventions, and embraces a whole world of new ideas that would inspire others in the decade to come! Ulmer plays with a real frenzy at points – deep currents that reflect the bluesy touches of his early work in jazz organ combos, but given a skittish energy that reflects his association with the downtown crowd – and which was very fitting for his record with Rough Trade! The core group here features James, bassist Amin Ali, and drummer G Calvin Weston – and some tracks feature work from David Murray on tenor, Oliver Lake on alto, and Olu Dara on trumpet. Titles include "Timeless", "Pleasure Control", "Night Lover", "Happy Time", "Rush Hour", "Stand Up To Yourself", and "High Time". LP, Vinyl record album

You can never get too much Luther Vandross! Never Too Much is his debut album for Epic, and even here in the early 80s, a time when things were getting a little too glossy in a lot of the major label soul sessions, Luther skips it nice and truly soulful here, and managed to ride that realness to huge mainstream popularity. Luther produced, and his style's changed nicely from uptempo clubby to sophisticated soulful, with plenty of warm touches that still sound good today. Titles include "She's A Super Lady", "Never Too Much", "Don't You Know That?", and "A House Is Not A Home", "You Stopped Loving Me" and title title track. LP, Vinyl record album

A big package of work – all the albums recorded by The Weather Girls, plus solo material and bonus tracks too! First up is Success – maybe the greatest moment ever from The Weather Girls – a long-running duo who started out as backing singers for Sylvester in the 70s, then recorded as Two Tons O Fun, and finally got the chance to cut this classic for a major label in the early 80s! Both Martha Wash and Izora Armstead are great singers – and work here with previous disco maestro Paul Jabara, who has a great way of shifting the groove to 80s club, while still allowing all the playful elements of the decade before! In a way, this was definitely one of those records that showed the world that in the right corners, disco wasn't dead – heard to best effect on the classic "It's Raining Men" – alongside other cuts that include "Success", "Hungry For Love", "Dear Santa", "Hope", and "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair". Next is Big Girls Don't Cry – soaring vocals from The Weather Girls, set to bouncy grooves that are equal parts soul and pop! Martha Wash and Izora Armstead have mighty vocal chops throughout – that bold duo approach they first crafted as Two Tons O Fun, and pushed even more strongly as The Weather Girls – set here to keyboard-heavy backings from Leon Pendarvis, who knows just where to put the best hooks in the grooves! Titles include "Well A Wiggy", "Lock Me Up", "No One Can Love You More Than Me", "Big Girls Don't Cry", "You Can Do It", "Laughter In The Rain", and "March". Next is the self-titled Weather Girls album – the last album in the original run of The Weather Girls – and a set that's full of well-produced tracks from Reggie Lucas and Full Force, balanced out nicely as a way of pushing the duo's sound strongly past the disco years from which they emerged! Sylvester makes a guest appearance on the cut "Love's On The Way" – and other titles include "Why Can't We Show Our Love", "Burn Me", "Love You Like A Train", "Opposite Directions", "Something For Nothing", and "Land Of The Believer". Last up is a super-huge solo set from Martha Wash – made a number of years after her fame in The Weather Girls, and at a time when she had really emerged as an important voice in dance music after a big cut with C&C! By this point, Wash had plenty of recording experience under her belt – and she knocks it out of the park with vocals that are disco-trained, but much richer in soul content overall – certainly more so than some of her other contemporaries on the early 90s club scene. The album features help from a huge amount of studio talent, but it's clear that Wash is the shining star in the lead – really blowing away so much of the work from the "sound system with singer" generation of club – on cuts that include "Leave A Light On", "Give it To You", "Runaround", "Things We Do For Love", "So Whatcha Gonna Do", "Someone Who Believes In You", "Just Us", "Hold On", "When It's My Heart", and "Carry On". 4CD set features bonus tracks on every CD – 22 more bonus mixes and more! CD

Paul Weller returns to a major label (a return in the US, anyway) with a set of covers – featuring the husky-voiced Weller in fine form on a far-reaching set of tracks! We're consistently impressed with Paul's solo albums, particularly 2003's sadly under appreciated (in the US, anyway) gem Illumination, so it was a bit of a downer to hear that his return to the big leagues on this side of the pond is a covers album – but it's actually a worthy endeavor! It's mostly done in Paul's stripped-down soul revival mode, reigning in some pretty disparate source material to the style. Tracks include "If I Could Only Be Sure", "Wishing On A Star", "Don't Make Promises", "Close To You", "Early Morning Rain", "Hercules", "All Along The Watchtower" and more. CD

Soundtrack to the much-hyped full length animated feature film – based on the popular sci-fi magazine of the time! The music here has little to do with the story, but there are plenty of great late 70s major label rockers in the lineup – on a set of tracks that includes "I Must Be Dreamin" and "Reach Out" by Cheap Trick, "Heavy Metal" by Sammy Hagar, "Veteran Of The Psychic Wars" by Blue Oyster Cult, "Mob Rules" by Black Sabbath, "True Companion" by Donald Fagen, "Prefabricated" by Trust, "Blue Lamp" by Stevie Nicks, "Crazy" by Nazareth, "Open Arms" by Journey, "Queen Bee" by Grand Funk Railroad, "All Of You" and "Heavy Metal" by Don Felder, "Radar Rider" by Riggs, and "Working In The Coal Mine" by Devo. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the funkiest box sets we've ever seen – and amazingly issued by an American major label! The package is a treasure trove of funky work from a decade of Warner Brothers, Atlantic Records, and related labels – tunes pulled both from mainstream releases and much more obscure 45s! This one goes way past some of the silly "decade" sets from Rhino, and really displays a new level of cool and connoisseurship – one that finally appreciates the rich depths of funky work at their fingertips, most of which has not been properly reissued in the US! Tracks include "Gangster Of Love (part 1)/Gangster Of Love (part 2)" by "Get In The Groove/Somebody's In The World For You" by Mighty Hannibal, "Tampin/Oleancler" by Rhine Oaks, "It's Your Thing/Bring It Home To Me" by Cold Grits, "Stanga/Somebody's Watching You" by Little Sister, "Gossip/Tell Me What's On Your Mind" by Cyril Neville, "Engine #9/International Playboy" by Wilson Pickett, "Funky Nassau (part 1)/Funky Nassau (part 2)" by Beginning Of The End, "Mockingbird Sally/Nuki Suki" by Little Richard, "Funky To The Bone/I Want To Dance, Dance Dance" by Freddi Henchi & The Soul Setters", "California Dreamin' (vocal)/California Dreamin' (instrumental)" by Eddie Hazel and more! CD

King Sunny Ade's first major label LP, that helped him bring his juju music to the world. The blueprint of juju's laid down hear, with loads of intertwining guitar lines and tallking drums chattering away in a driving but never-too-busy fashion underneath. Includes "Sunny Ti De Arya", "Ja Funmi" and "365 Is My Number/The Message". CD

One of the greatest albums to come from the New York underground of the early 80s – even if it was a relatively big "hit" on a major label! Laurie Anderson is in perfect form here – drawing on a strong tradition of avant garde performance, but without any of the indulgences that would mire down performance art in years to come. Instead, she's got a clean, clear style that's simply amazing – spoken passages that are poetic and pointed, but which also have a slight undercurrent of wit – a charming quality that never takes itself too seriously, even when the sounds and styles are somewhat dark. Instrumentation includes some great rhythm passages from David Van Tieghem, plus surprising performances from Rufus Harley on bagpipes and George Lewis on trombone. Titles include "From The Air", "Big Science", "O Superman", "Born Never Asked", "Walking & Falling", "Example #22", "Let X = X", and "It Tango". CD

A huge moment for Blackalicious – a group who'd been gaining plenty of cred on the underground, and who reached out to a much bigger set of ears with this major label debut! The whole thing's top-shelf through and through – superb production from Chief Xcel next to the words from Gift of Gab and Chief Excel – alongside a host of guests including Quannum mainmasts Lyrics Born, Lateef, and Joyo – as well as Dilated People's Raka and Babu, Jurassic 5's Cut Chemist and Chali 2na – and even work from Gil Scott-Heron and Ben Harper too! Clearly, someone had enough faith in the group to give them the money to realize their dream – and that faith definitely pays off here – on titles that include the classic single "Make You Feel That Way" – plus "Blazing Arrow", "4000 Miles", "Paragraph President", "First In Flight", "Purest Love", "Sky Is Falling", "It's Going Down", "Release (parts 1, 2, & 3)", and "Chemical Calisthenics". CD

Maybe the boldest of Arthur Blythe's albums for Columbia Records – as the set bristles with newly creative energy right from the start, and provides a great showcase for some of the criss-crossings of styles and rhythms that were taking place on the New York scene at the time! The lineup alone announces something special – a cool combination of James Blood Ulmer on guitar, John Hicks on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, Abdul Wadud on cello, Bob Stewart on tuba, and Steve McCall on drums – working together in some slight variations at times, often with these angular edges that are perfectly sharpened by Arthur's amazing work on alto sax. The music's never too free, but quite outside for a major label at the time – balanced out so that it's never overindulgent at all. Titles include "Bush Baby", "Miss Nancy", "My Son Ra", and "Carespin With Mamie". LP, Vinyl record album

Four great albums from reedman Arthur Blythe – all together in one collection! First up is Lenox Avenue Breakdown – a stunning Columbia Records debut from Blythe! At the time of the date, Blythe had already spent years working in the jazz undergrounds on both coasts – developing a searing sound on alto sax that's perfect for the focused structure of this album – almost a tone poem of sorts, offering up a portrait of the Harlem scene that was a key part of Arthur's life at the time. The sounds are sharp, but also have a sense of energy that really holds them together – guiding the players through long readings of well-penned tunes by Blythe that are filled with loads of energy and life! Players include James Newton on flute, James Blood Ulmer on guitar, Bob Stewart on tuba, Cecil McBee on bass, Jack DeJohnette on drums, and Guillermo Franco on percussion – and titles include "Odessa", "Slidin Through", "Down San Diego Way", and "Lenox Avenue Breakdown". In The Tradition is a gem – as the set represents the modern musician taking on a host of older jazz currents, while carving things out with his own special sort of soul! Half the tunes are familiar favorites, the other half originals – and Blythe moves far past his avant roots, to showcase his deep understanding of so many different shades of jazz – blowing alto beautifully throughout, in a very hip quartet that features Stanley Cowell on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Steve McCall on drums! Titles include great takes on "Naima", "Jitterbug Waltz", "Caravan", and "In A Sentimental Mood" – plus the originals "Break Tune" and "Hip Dipper". Illusions is maybe the boldest of Arthur Blythe's albums for Columbia Records – as the set bristles with newly creative energy right from the start, and provides a great showcase for some of the criss-crossings of styles and rhythms that were taking place on the New York scene at the time! The lineup alone announces something special – a cool combination of James Blood Ulmer on guitar, John Hicks on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, Abdul Wadud on cello, Bob Stewart on tuba, and Steve McCall on drums – working together in some slight variations at times, often with these angular edges that are perfectly sharpened by Arthur's amazing work on alto sax. The music's never too free, but quite outside for a major label at the time – balanced out so that it's never overindulgent at all. Titles include "Bush Baby", "Miss Nancy", "My Son Ra", and "Carespin With Mamie". Blythe Spirit is a set that showcases the never-ending growth and imagination of reedman Arthur Blythe during this fruitful period of his career – and his ability to effortlessly blend together different elements in his music – especially sides of the New York loft jazz scene, and the Chicago-based AACM! The tunes are beautiful – mostly originals, and showing a richer spirituality than even a year before – while still working in that compellingly rhythmic mode that Arthur was hitting during these years – in a lineup that features Blythe on alto, Abdul Wadud on cello, Kelvyn Bell on guitar, Steve McCall and Bobby Battle on drums, John Hicks on piano, Amina Claudine Myers on organ, and Fred Hopkins on bass. The mix of electric and acoustic elements is fantastic – very fresh, even all these many years later – and titles include "Misty", "Spirits In The Field", "Just A Closer Walk With Thee", "Reverence", and "Contemplation". CD

A surprising organ/tenor gem from the 90s – and a really standout set in the career of Don Braden! The set's on a major label, but it's got a soulfully produced groove that makes it feel like some of the best soul jazz on the Muse imprint – really open and flowing, with a sound that shows that the New Jersey sound was alive and well into the 90s! Braden's on tenor, working alongside some guest tenor by David Newman – and the rest of the group features organ by either Jack McDuff or Larry Goldings – plus trumpet by Tom Harrell, guitar by Russell Malone, and some super-solid drum work by either Cecil Brooks or Winard Harper. Titles include "Walkin The Dog", "Brighter Days", "Cousin Esau", "Twister", "Belief", "Organic", and "Saving All My Love For You". CD

A set issued at a time when the great Bobby Caldwell had fallen a bit from his superstardom at the start – but was still able to craft the kind of blue-eyed soul that first made him a giant! The set's arranged and produced by Bobby, with a lean vibe that shows that he wasn't getting any sort of major label budget – but with a quality that doesn't let that stop him at all, and if anything maybe makes the whole thing even more intimate than before! Titles include "Real Thing", "Next Time I Fall", "Even Now", "First Time", "China", "Stay With Me", "Heart Of Mine", and "In The Name Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare moment in the major label spotlight for George Coleman – an early 90s session for Verve, and one that should have gotten him the same sort of ongoing recognition as contemporary sessions at the label by JJ Johnson, Randy Weston, and Joe Henderson! The format here is spare, but nicely varied – with Coleman on a tenor, soprano, and alto saxes alongside a trio of Harold Mabern on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. With a rhythm section that strong, you could almost throw just about any player up against them and get something great – but Coleman's also really pushing to the forefront of the tunes on most numbers, blowing with a deep voice and strong sound that almost recalls some of the work that Eric Alexander did in later years with Mabern. Titles include "Old Folks", "Lush Life", "Conrad", "My Romance", "You Mean So Much To Me", and "The Sheik Of Araby". CD

James D-Train Williams' first album for a major label – and a really great follow-up to the indie success of his initial recordings for Prelude Records! The style here is very similar to the clubby grooves of D-Train's earlier sides – thanks to strong keyboards, production, and songwriting help from Hubert Eaves – the jazzy talent who helped give Williams' his trademark sound! Instrumentation veers slightly more towards mainstream 80s soul at times, but the Eaves' sound is still very firmly in place here – and titles include the groovers "Oh How I Love You (Girl)", "Misunderstanding", and "Let Me Love You" – plus "You Are Everything", "I Got Your Number", "Stand Up & Fight", and "Miracle Of The Heart". CD features some great bonus tracks – "Oh How I Love You (12" mix)", "You Are Everything (acapella)", "Misunderstanding (12" mix)", "Misunderstanding (acapella & house dub)", "Let Me Love You (12" mix)", and "Let Me Love You (dub)". CD

A brilliant debut for singer Andra Day! Ms. Day, as you're surely aware if you've read any of her press, is profoundly influenced by classic soul, but believe us, she's got style, confidence and a voice – wow, that voice – that truly transcends retro revivalism. This is truly one of the finer major label soul/ R&B records we've heard in a while! Andra has a way of owning the material without over-singing, and paying homage to divas past without carbon copying soul history – working with producers and studio players – from Raphael Saadiq to members of the Daptone crew – all of whom are well-suited to accompany her. We snoozed on Andra Day for months...our bad! She's the real deal. Titles include "Forever Mine", "Only Love", "Gold", "Not Today", "Mistakes", "Rearview", "Red Flags", "Honey Or Fire", "Gin & Juice (Let Go My Hand)", "Rise Up", "City Burns" and "Cheers To The Fall". CD

Excellent album recorded by vibist Walt Dickerson during the mid 60's. Ostensibly a "soundtrack session", Dickerson freely improvises on themes from the movie A Patch Of Blue, and turns the score into a great platform for moody jazz playing on vibes and piano. Even more surprising is the fact that Sun Ra is the pianist in the quartet, making a rare non-Arkestra appearance – and on a major label, too! Titles include "Bacon & Eggs", "Alone In The Park", "Selina's Fantasy", and "Thataway". CD

The major label debut of one of the teens most distinctive voices in hip hop – and certainly one of it's most surprising creative AND sales success stories! It's impossible to consider his rhymes without factoring in the "troubled youth" lore, "Free Earl" merch, etc. that certainly helped solidify his reputation, but reputation aside, it's honest (if often ugly) lyricism, slowly spit delivery, and wild mix of contemporary rap slang and machismo with jarring personal narratives is seriously mesmerizing. Includes "Pre", "Burgundy", "20 Wave Caps", "Sunday", "Hive", "Chum", "Sasquatch", "Hoarse", "Molasses" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime set of soul instrumentals – very funky work, and sort of a 70s follow-up to the Soulful Strings albums on Cadet Records from the 60s! Maestro Richard Evans is at the top of his game here – stepping out with that hip Chisoul mode he first forged at Chess, tuned here towards some even more sophisticated modes for Atlantic Records! Many of Evan's previous players are on board to make the record great – including Lennie Druss on flute, Paul Serrano on trumpet, Odell Brown on organ, and Phil Upchurch on guitar. Evans himself plays bass for the record – using a very funky bottom sound – and the set also features some wicked vibes from the legendary Billy Wooten, working away from his Nineteenth Hole group on a rare major label date! The sound is blacksploitation soundtrack, part Curtom funk – and titles include the great originals "Pie Daddy's Dream", "Wado City", "Angela My Sister", and the great "Patutu" – which was done by the Soulful Strings – plus a few nice covers like "Mercy Mercy Me" and "Ellie's Love Theme", by Isaac Hayes. CD

A really wonderful album by Sonny Fortune – recorded for a major label, sure, but with the soulful depth of some of his earlier work for the indies! Sonny's on alto, flute, and soprano sax – and also plays a bit of percussion and some slight mini moog – not too much, as the session only has slight electric touches, but mixed with additional Fender Rhodes from Michael Cochrane, which gives the record a shimmering finish that helps take Fortune's reed solos up to the heavens! Other players include Charles Sullivan on trumpet, Buster Williams on bass, and Chip Lyle on drums – and tracks include "In Waves Of Dreams", "A Space In Time", "Thoughts", "Revelation", and "Seeing Beyond The Obvious". LP, Vinyl record album

Husker Du's debut for Warner – just barely "bigger" and "more polished" soundwise than their pivotal SST canon – and all these years later stands as tall as one of the more timeless and influential rock albums to appear on a major label in the mid 80s! A couple of heart-on-sleeve, get-get-it-all-out emotional numbers point the way towards some of Bob Mould's work to come, but more of them recall the Husker Du at near peak greatness. Includes "Crystal", "Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely", "I Don't Know For Sure", "Sorry Somehow", "Too Far Down", "Hardly Getting Over It", "Eiffel Tower High", "Al This I've Done For You" and more. CD

There really wasn't anything exactly like Jane's Addiction on a major label in their late 80s, very early 90s prime – and this first of 2 classic Warner albums from that early peak stand the test of time. Nothing's Shocking, then and now, is a strange mix of psychedelia and hard rock, weird enough to earn fans from the artier indie and college radio underbelly, and reach more mainstream hard rock fan – which really paved the way for 90s rock in ways they might not get enough credit for these days. The sound doesn't really get old, either. Includes the classic "Jane Says", plus "Idiots Rule", "Mountain Song", "Summertime Rolls", "Ted Just Admit It", and "Had A Dad". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic set from the late 80s – one of the first records to really herald the new generation to come with De La Soul and Tribe Called Quest – served up by Native Tongues partners The Jungle Brothers! While this set never got the major label push that debuts by the other groups would have, the set was an instant sensation in the world of hip hop – the start of a new level of wit and wisdom – urban sensibility able to look back at itself, almost a postmodern commentary on the then-short history of hip hop! Production is great – and the JBs not only reworked use of classic samples, but also added a newly jazzy sensibility – on titles that include "On the Run", "Straight Out the Jungle", "Black Is Black", "Braggin & Boastin", "Behind The Bush", "Because I Got It Like That", and the classic "Jimbrownski". LP, Vinyl record album

A mid 70s meeting of two seminal blues talents from the Memphis scene – singer Bobby Blue Bland, and legendary guitarist BB King! The pair were both working for ABC at the time – major label fame after years woodshedding in the indies – and hitting well-deserved fame for their huge talents – still as fresh here as they were a decade before, and unmarred by any studio sanitization in this great live set! The record does an especially good job of bringing together the artists verbally – letting Bobby and BB open up and rap a bit during the songs – yet still having plenty of space to go into their own thing musically, too. Titles include "It's My Own Fault", "I'll Take Care Of You", "I'm Sorry", "3 O'Clock Blues", "Goin Down Slow", and a great long Medley track. CD

LTD without Jeffrey Osborne, and sounding pretty darn great – moving here in a boogie-centrist groove that's heavy with bass on the bottom! In a way, the group's almost freer to work here as a funky ensemble without their former spotlight star – and the record's got a really wicked groove that's right up there with the best major label funk of the time – upbeat, romping, and very groovy throughout – never as clunky as work that was hitting the charts, and with some great horn and guitar work to keep things in warmer territory of the decade before. Rhythms are surprisingly hard at times – much harder than you'd expect, and with more of a 70s feel than the 80s groove you'd expect from the date – and titles include "Love Magic", "Kickin Back", "Burnin Hot", "April Love", "It Must End", and "Stay On The One". LP, Vinyl record album

The official full length debut from Lupe Fiasco – another wholly unique Chicago MC who's gotten the runaround from seemingly every major label in the biz – and a record that lives up to the long-building hype! Frankly, we were scared almost immediately when we heard the description "skate rap" applied to "Kick, Push" – only to find our fears unfounded. Lupe's only going to be himself – which is what makes him such a strong MC (other than the masterful breath control) – and that individualistic approach is proving to be Chicago's gift to mainstream hip hip. The Neptunes provide one of their best productions of the past couple years for "I Gotcha" – but the soundtracky productions by Soundtrakk (natch) are even better. Other tracks include "Real" feat Sara Green, "Just Might Be OK" feat Gemini, "Kick, Push", "The Instrumental" feat Jonah Matranga, "He Say She Say" feat Gemini & Sarah Green, "Sunshine", "Daydreamin'" feat Jill Scott, "The Cool" (produced by Kanye), "Hurt Me Soul", "Pressure" feat Jay-Z, "American Terrorist" feat Matthew Santos, "The Cool", "The Emperor's Soundtrack" and more! CD

Mazzy Star's second album and first for Capitol, one of those rare, wonderful moments in the early 90s when a band that had been bubbling just under the popular radar hooked up with a major label and managed to hit both a popular and creative peak! This one really hasn't aged a day since it came out. The songwriting pair of guitarist David Roback and Hope Sandoval – the former transcending pop psych influences as far back as the early 80s in The Rain Parade, the latter with one of the most hauntingly beautiful voices in rock at the time – put together their best, moodiest effort. Includes the breakout hit "Fade Into You", a cool cover of Arthur Lee & Love's then recent "Five String Serenade", "Blue Light", "She's My Baby", "Wasted", "Into Dust", "So Tonight That I Might See", "Mary Of Silence", "Unreflected" and "Bells Ring". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that forever changed the face of mainstream music in the 90s – a set that showed that a group could come from the underground indie scene and manage to take over the rest of the world with a record that went on to become an instant classic for a generation! Think what you want about the overwrought legacy of Kurt Cobain's place in pop stardom, the record itself still bristles over with power and energy that get way past all the cliches that you'll find on posters and t-shirts – one of the few cases in history where stepping to a major label allowed a group like this to really hit their heights. Titles include "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Drain You", "On A Plain", "Lithium", "Polly", "In Bloom", "Come As You Are", and "Lounge Act". Super Deluxe Edition comes in a cool LP-sized packaged filled with large glossy photos, remastered version of the original album, four separate live shows, plus a Blu-ray of the Amsterdam performance! CD

A record that forever changed the face of mainstream music in the 90s – a set that showed that a group could come from the underground indie scene and manage to take over the rest of the world with a record that went on to become an instant classic for a generation! Think what you want about the overwrought legacy of Kurt Cobain's place in pop stardom, the record itself still bristles over with power and energy that get way past all the cliches that you'll find on posters and t-shirts – one of the few cases in history where stepping to a major label allowed a group like this to really hit their heights. Titles include "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Drain You", "On A Plain", "Lithium", "Polly", "In Bloom", "Come As You Are", and "Lounge Act". CD

Maybe the last great album in the Ohio Players run for Mercury in the mid 70s – a set that's every bit as smooth, sexy, and funky as their other major label efforts from the time – and one that continued to refine the grittier funk of their roots! While the Players might be remembered for their over the top jams, the cuts here we love the best are the mellower steppers – tracks that still have plenty of funk in the mix, but hit a gentler groove, too – following the spacey soul legacy of "Sweet Sticky Thing". Titles on the album include "Glad To Know You're Mine", "Angel", "Merry-Go-Round", "Don't Fight My Love", "Body Vibes" and "Ohio". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Eddie Palmieri's greatest albums of the 70s – even though it was recorded for a major label! Like a number of his old counterparts in the New York indie world at the time, Eddie made a move to Columbia Records in the late 70s – a shift that should have dampened his soul, but which only served to set him free in a broad wash of new styles! The sound here is fuller than before, but in a really great way – a style that takes the inventive rhythms and piano work of Eddie's earlier albums, and infuses it with that breakout groove of the late Nuyorican generation – a style that was both keenly aware of tradition, yet also able to communicate the local flavor of the New York scene to an increasingly global audience! Most of the album's in a Latin jazz mode, but there's also some great soul touches on the set from time to time – and tracks range from spare, raw percussive numbers to others that have a swirling set of arrangements that really take off. Soloists include Ronnie Cuber and Afredo "Chocolate" Armenteros, plus a great lineup that includes Franceso Aquabella, Dom Um Romao, and the other Palmieri, Charlie, on piano and organ – and most of the vocals are in choro format. Titles include "Spirit Of Love", "Lucumi Macumba Voodoo", "Colombia Te Canto", "Mi Congo Te Llama", and "Highest Good". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique album from trumpeter Nicholas Payton – a musician who's given us plenty of major label records over the years, but who really sounds different here in a stripped-down set for the Smoke Sessions label! The album's just a trio date – with the sublime rhythm duo of Peter Washington on bass and Kenny Washington on drums – two players who can make anything sound wonderful, and who provide a perfect foil for the openly expressive sound of Payton – as he moves between trumpet, piano, and Fender Rhodes on the set – and even throws in a few effects and samples too! Don't worry about those last elements, though – because there's nothing gimmicky about the record, which maybe opens up Nicholas at one of his most clearly personal levels in years – on long titles that include "Eight", "Othello", "Stablemates", "Jazz Is A Four Letter Word", "1983", "A", "F", "Five", "I Hear A Rhapsody", and "Relaxin With Nick". CD

Some of the hippest jazz recorded for a major label in the 70s – sublime spiritual jazz sides from the great Woody Shaw! Features the full albums Rosewood, Woody III, For Sure, and United. CD

A perfect summation of the Woody Shaw genius in the 70s – bold, righteous jazz – delivered with a soaring, joyous message that's impossible to deny! By the time of this release, Shaw had matured to a point where he was easily one of the most important voices on the trumpet in his generation – a 70s player who pulled together strands of the previous generation – from Coltrane to Lee Morgan to Larry Young – all wrapped up in amazing music like this! The set's a major label date, but it's got a righteous power to rival the best indie label sessions from companies like Strata East or Muse – and the lineup features other key spiritual players of Shaw's generation – including Carter Jefferson on tenor, James Spaulding on alto and flute, Rene McLean on alto, Onaje Allen Gumbs on piano, Steve Turre on trumpet, Buster Williams on bass, and Victor Lewis on drums. Titles include the sublime "Woody III" suite, plus "Escape Velocity", "Organ Grinder", and "To Kill A Brick". LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of country gems from the great Gary Stewart – back to back in a single set! First up is Out Of Hand, a seminal album from Gary Stewart – one of those key 70s records that helped establish him as a rising star on the bandstand and the barrooms – thanks in part to some very booze-oriented tracks on the set! The record's got two classics that really define Gary's sound – the seminal "Drinkin Thing" and "She's Actin Single (I'm Drinkin Doubles)" – which are a great update of older drinking themed country cuts, but with a much more vibrant 70s approach, one that shows the way that rock music was sliding in to influence crossover stars like Gary! The whole thing's great, though – and the record's filled with other great tracks that include "Sweet Country Red", "Back Slider's Wine", "Draggin Shackles", and "Out Of Hand". Brand New is a set that Gary Stewart cut away from some of his major label fame, and a record that maybe has him burning even more strongly in the setting – working with a leaner sort of production that puts him in the territory of some of the younger up-and-comers of the generation, and which also shows just how much his 70s material might have been an influence to them! Stewart's still got that incredible voice that few others can match – inflections that really send the tunes home – on titles that include "Son Of A Honky Tonk Woman", "Brand New Whiskey", "An Empty Glass", "Murdered By Love", "Romona", and "I Get Drunk". CD

The massive full length flowering of Television – a record issued on a major label, but which represents all the underground genius that the group had been bringing to the New York scene for a few years in the mid 70s! The guitar might be worth the price of admission alone – a standard-setting approach that influenced a generation – and, when matched with the vocals of Tom Verlaine, really knocks the whole thing out of the park! There's a blend of raw edge and understated poetry that instantly demonstrates why the American underground of the time was so different than the world of British punk – and although the set came out in 1977, it still has a massive power all these many years later. Every track's a gem – and titles include "See No Evil", "Venus", "Friction", "Marquee Moon", "Elevation", "Guiding Light", "Prove It", and "Torn Curtain". LP, Vinyl record album

A hard rock trio with a hell of a sound – heard here on their one and only album from the 70s – a surprising major label debut on Epic Records, with top-shelf production from Rick Derringer! The album's got a searing burn right from the start – quite a heady brew for this young trio, who come on with the guitar complexities of Johnny Winter at times, and kind of the brooding, bassy bottom you might hear from the James Gang ag their best – although Tin House also have this more youthful, more sneering vibe too – one that's completely their own, and which has made this obscure debut a lost treasure for hard rock collectors over the decades! Titles include "I Want Your Body", "Be Good & Be Kind", "Personal Gain", "Jezebel Give Me Your Lovin", "Lady Of The Silent Opera", "Tomorrow", and "You've Gone Too Far". Beautiful reissue – with bonus tracks that include "Be Good & Be Kind (mono)", "I Want Your Body (mono)", and unreleased tunes "Understand" and "Thanks To My Friends". CD

The cover's a bit nondescript, but the music is anything but – instrumental funk with a great jazzy vibe – served up here by an obscure Portland group from the end of the 70s! These guys are clearly schooled on some of the best jazz funk of the time, but also have a more personal vibe of their own – a nice change from the slickness of major label fusion, as they serve up a great mix of two keyboards, guitar, bass, drums and percussion – all recorded in a home studio, but with instrumentation that really goes beyond any sort of homegrown affair! The mixture of tight instrumentation and a down-to-earth vibe reminds us of some of our favorite Fantasy Records work of the time – on titles that include "Latin Summer", "Tut's Strut", "Song For Valerie", "Chrome Dome", and "Time Of My Life". LP, Vinyl record album

You can never get too much Luther Vandross! Never Too Much is his debut album for Epic, and even here in the early 80s, a time when things were getting a little too glossy in a lot of the major label soul sessions, Luther skips it nice and truly soulful here, and managed to ride that realness to huge mainstream popularity. Luther produced, and his style's changed nicely from uptempo clubby to sophisticated soulful, with plenty of warm touches that still sound good today. Titles include "She's A Super Lady", "Never Too Much", "Don't You Know That?", and "A House Is Not A Home", "You Stopped Loving Me" and title title track. CD

One of the greatest albums from Tom Waits's peak years at Island – carrying on with the clattering, defiantly vintage-sounding instrumentation – especially given the obsessively modern production aesthetic on most major label albums in the mid 80s. This album also just so happens to feature at least a few of the best songs Waits ever wrote! Rain Dogs follows Swordfishtrombones, his first really drastic step into eccentrically gritty songs – and this one carries on that vibe, while also delivering some gritty ballads and a less out-there songs, too. Includes the much-loved (and deservedly so) "Downtown Train", "Singapore", "Clap Hands", "Tango Till They're Sore", "Hang Down Your Head", "Time", "Rain Dogs", "Gun Street Girl", "Walking Spanish" LP, Vinyl record album