Don't know "toytown"? We didn't know the reference either, until we heard this totally wonderful set – and it turns out that the word is a great way to describe a unique moment in British music – one that mixes together whimsical psych, playful pop, and a whole host of groovy moments from artists familiar and obscure – woven together here in a massive collection that's filled with stunning surprises all the way through! The initial impulse is to collect cuts that have a slight nostalgia for childhood and innocence – but as with so much British music of the time, that also means that there's plenty of dark currents and spooky surprises along the way – a not-so-innocent quality in many tracks that really keeps things interesting and on edge all the way through! Yet rather than describe the music to death, we just invite you to dive in and swim through the 87 wonderful tracks in the package – work by a variety of artists that includes David Bowie, Timon, Astronaut Alan & the Planets, Idle Race, Wimple Winch, World Of Oz, The Herd, Fire, Jason Quest, Mark Wirtz, The Tots, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Good Time Losers, The Syn, Majority One, Clifford T Ward, Fire, Jigsaw, Kenny Everett, Simon Dupree, Tomorrow, David Matthews, The Riot Squad, Keith West, and a huge amount of other great acts too – all presented in full detail with the great booklet of notes that comes with the package. CD

A fantastic collection of work from the UK scene at the start of the 70s – a treasure trove of pop cuts from the time, most of which never made it across the Atlantic to our neck of the woods – and which represent a whole different world of music than you'd know from the classic rock and prog albums that usually represent the period! Instead, these are cuts that were cooked up in the studio in search of a hit – some by names that worked strongly in the 60s, others by new groups – some of whom only existed as a name on a label – but all in search of fresh sounds, groovy lyrics, and a way of putting over a tune that spoke volumes about the studio changes and advances taking place around the UK scene at the time! A number of cuts here have production that might be vaguely in glam territory, while others change up the way that vocals and guitars work together, and others evolve past Brit pop modes of the 60s – embracing psych or hard rock elements, but in a subtle way. As with other Cherry Red/Grapefruit collections of this nature, the whole thing is a stunning journey through music that we'd never have heard otherwise, and never in this much detail – presented with a big booklet of notes on all the crazy cats within – to support 85 tracks by artists who include Paintbox, Simon Turner, Mr Bloe, The Weathermen, Fumble, Posse, Gingerbread, Majority One, Jonathan King, Marmalade, Clifford T Ward, Stud Leather, Paul Gabriel, Autumn, St Cecelia, Rick Price, The Piglets, Kincade, Sweet, The Sad, Gumm, The Angelette, Grumble, Jungle Jim, Shag, Bubblerock, Harmony Grass, Terry Dactyl & The Dinosaurs, Stardust, Bill Fay, Pete Dello, Buggy, David Essex, Peter Kellern, Fickle Pickle, Touchwood, and many others! CD

Don't know "toytown"? We didn't know the reference either, until we heard this totally wonderful set – and it turns out that the word is a great way to describe a unique moment in British music – one that mixes together whimsical psych, playful pop, and a whole host of groovy moments from artists familiar and obscure – woven together here in a massive collection that's filled with stunning surprises all the way through! The initial impulse is to collect cuts that have a slight nostalgia for childhood and innocence – but as with so much British music of the time, that also means that there's plenty of dark currents and spooky surprises along the way – a not-so-innocent quality in many tracks that really keeps things interesting and on edge all the way through! Yet rather than describe the music to death, we just invite you to dive in and swim through the 87 wonderful tracks in the package – work by a variety of artists that includes David Bowie, Timon, Astronaut Alan & the Planets, Idle Race, Wimple Winch, World Of Oz, The Herd, Fire, Jason Quest, Mark Wirtz, The Tots, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Good Time Losers, The Syn, Majority One, Clifford T Ward, Fire, Jigsaw, Kenny Everett, Simon Dupree, Tomorrow, David Matthews, The Riot Squad, Keith West, and a huge amount of other great acts too – all presented in full detail with the great booklet of notes that comes with the package. CD

Deep southern soul from the Sounds Of Memphis label – with some incredible stuff that for the most part never has seen official light of day before now – compiled by Dean Rudland for Kent UK! Kent has mined the vaults of Sounds Of Memphis for a series of solid compilations, and it's surprising how much more continues to be discovered considering the continual high quality! A solid majority of the tracks are prime 60s & 70s southern soul – with some early 80s records later on on the set that with a contemporary sound, though still committed to a true soul style! Includes "Pity A Fool" by Carl Sims, "I Don't Want No One Way Love" by Dan Greer, "Stop Boy" by Fran Farley, "So Cruel" by Barbara And The Browns, "Teardrops" by William Bollinger, "Play The Game (Pt 2)" by Version, "Make It Easy On Yourself" by Demetrius, "When I Look Inside" by Takelia Kelly, "It's Hard To Say No" by George Jackson & Linda Lucchesi, "Save My Love" by Billy Cee & The Freedom Express and more. CD

A less tense and caustic Roots than the crew that hit us on the majority of Rising Down a couple years earlier – and this one's as strong of an album as they've delivered since moving over to Def Jam. In truth, we were a little scared when we saw some of the guests credited – Monsters Of Folk, John Legend, Joanna Newsom and other headscratchers on top of more likely collaborators such as Phonte, Blu, Peedi Peedi and Dice Raw – it gets over very, very well here! How I Got Over is a Roots effort through and through, with contemplative and soulful tracks that simmer and stew in tried and true fashion. The tracks with those indie rock guests turn out to be among the Roots-iest tracks on the record. Believe that! So you can rest easy, the Roots are The Roots here, just what we wanted and just what we get! Includes "A Peace Of Light" feat Amber Coffman, Angel Deradoorian & Haley Dekle, "Walk Alone" feat Truck North, PORN & Dice Raw, "Now Or Never" with Phonte & Dice Raw, "Dear God 2.0" with Monsters Of Folk, "The Day" feat Blu, Phonte & Patty Crash, "Doin It Again", "Tunnel Vision" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Rare Detroit soul from the archives of Dave Hamilton – the vast majority from the fertile late 60s period, plus a couple of later cuts – soulful Hamilton productions and featuring wonderful numbers by Bobby Dee, Priscilla Page, The Moderations, Frenchy & The Chessmen, Harry Reid, Charmaine, Sue Ann Jones, Emanuel Taylor, Billy Soul and more! Hamilton may not be one of the best known names in the soul music canon, but his imprint is massive – both as a producer and performer. This great Ace comp of rare singles is a fine document and it's filled with excellent tracks. A treasure trove! 25 tracks in all: "Take Care Of Your Own Business" by Dave Hamilton, "Sweet Thing Part 1" by Bobby Dee, "I'm Pretending" by Priscilla Page, "I'm Begging You" by Chicago Pete, "All Because Of You" by The Moderations, "You Gotta Show Me" by Billy Soul, "Won't You Come On Home by Harry Reid, "Don't You Listen" by Charmain, "Missing You" by Sue Ann Jones and more. CD

Neko Case at her best, which is pretty much where she's been for the majority of her solo career – so it's saying something to mention that this might be her finest record! There's an artful, but still introspective poetic edge to her songwriting that really came out in fullest form for the first time on this one. Each record she made after The Virginian took a pretty remarkable creative steps away from that album's (still great) alt country into something deeper, and this was the biggest step of all. A modern classic. Includes "Margaret Vs Pauline", "Star Witness", "Hold On, Hold On", "A Widow's Toast", "That Teenage Feeling", "John Saw That Number", "Dirty Knife", "Maybe Sparrow", "At Last The Needle Has Landed" and more. CD

A less tense and caustic Roots than the crew that hit us on the majority of Rising Down a couple years earlier – and this one's as strong of an album as they've delivered since moving over to Def Jam. In truth, we were a little scared when we saw some of the guests credited – Monsters Of Folk, John Legend, Joanna Newsom and other headscratchers on top of more likely collaborators such as Phonte, Blu, Peedi Peedi and Dice Raw – unfounded worry, it turns out, as this set gets over very, very well! How I Got Over is a Roots effort through and through, with contemplative and soulful tracks that simmer and stew in tried and true fashion. The songs with those indie rock guests turn out to be among the Roots-iest tracks on the record. Believe that! So you can rest easy, the Roots are The Roots here, just what we wanted and just what we get! Includes "A Peace Of Light" feat Amber Coffman, Angel Deradoorian & Haley Dekle, "Walk Alone" feat Truck North, PORN & Dice Raw, "Now Or Never" with Phonte & Dice Raw, "Dear God 2.0" with Monsters Of Folk, "The Day" feat Blu, Phonte & Patty Crash, "Doin It Again", "Tunnel Vision" and more. CD

Nas's sorta comeback record from the dawn of the millennium– a strong one at the time that still stands strong today! Stillmatic was a welcome change of pace after some not so great work in the later 90 – with the return-to-form rally cry "One Mic" setting the pace – and the best cuts on this set (which make up the majority of the run time) still sound great! 15 tracks including "Stillmatic", "Got Ur Self A...", "2nd Childhood", "You're Da Man", "The Flyest" featuring AZ, "Rule" featuring Amerie, "Ether", "What Goes Around", "Every Ghetto", "Braveheart Party" featuring Mary J Blige and more – included here is the bonus track "Every Ghetto! LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure group from the Oakland side of the Cali soul scene in the 70s – and one who get some superb backing here on the best cuts – thanks to work from the funk combo Perfect Circle, who bring some great jazz funk elements to the mix! The group features one female vocalist, Samaki – but the majority of the tracks have the three male singers working in a harmony style that's in kind of an east coast mode, but perhaps a bit looser. Uptempo funky cuts include "I Remember You" and "Sayin It & Doin It", which both sound like tracks from Perfect Circle's own album – plus the titles "Let's Take A Disco Ride" and "Put The Music On Funk". CD

An excellent album by Dexter Gordon – his first after a number of years spent without recording in the late 50s, and one that marked a real return to serious growth as a player during the 60s! The album takes the same approach as Dexter's soon to be recorded Blue Note classics – putting the tenorman in the company of some excellent sidemen – but the group's a bit larger too, with added horns from Richard Boon on trombone and Martin Banks on trumpet – in addition to rhythm from the trio of Dolo Coker on piano, Charles Green on bass, and Lawrence Marable on drums. There's some nice head arrangements that open up to some well-crafted tenor lines from Dex – and the set's got an extra-special feature in that it was produced by Cannonball Adderly as part of his "overlooked talents" series for Jazzland. Hard to believe that Gordon would qualify for that distinction at the time – especially given his rise a few years later! Titles include "Affair In Havana", "Field Day", "Jodi", "Home Run", and "Dolo". LP, Vinyl record album

A whole new genre of disco – served up by one of the biggest club collectors in the world! Dimitri's the man who's guided us through so many other great sets of rare disco tracks over the years – and this time around, he's launching new look at the form! Cocktail Disco is a unique variation that's often heavy on orchestrations, and which sometimes has echoes of older jazz, vocal, or Latin recordings – classic influences that simmer nicely through the mix – and help deepen the sound of the already-soulful late 70s style! And although "cocktail" normally means laidback or sleepy, these tunes definitely aren't – because all tracks here are in a soaring midtempo mode or better – cuts you'd be happy to play with some of the funkier numbers on the dancefloor, and which should stand out nicely, given their unique twist. 2CD set features 21 titles that include "Summertime" by Blue Velvets, "What You Need Is My Love" by Cindy Rodriguez, "It's Got To Be Love" by Darcus, "Ocean's Apart" by Vast Majority, "Show You The Way To Go" by Charlie's Roots, "Again" by Night People, "Lady Of The Night" by Ray Martinez, "Disco Village" by J Elliot Group, "Something About You" by Moses, "Baby I Just Wanna Love You" by Jonell Allen", "Canteen" by Serenade, "Starflight" by The Band Who Fell To Earth, "Take Me With You" by Ralfi Pagan, "Never Too Late" by Ms Victoria Barnes, and "Girl From Ipanema (disco version)" by Astrud Gilberto. CD

An incredible trip through the 70s Japanese jazz scene – a second volume of J Jazz that's even bigger and better than the first – with unknown gems from private presses, indie labels, and rarities from the Japanese branches of the major labels, too! Compilers Tony Higgins & Mike Peden (who are both also responsible for the nicely done notes) follow through on all of the things we loved about the first J Jazz compilation, but improve on it by going bigger and digging deeper. The majority of the tracks were recorded from 1969 through the late 70s – with a few recorded in later years – and all have a wonderful way of being open to the stylistic inventions of the time without getting hung up on trends. So while there's some fusiony funk and electric piano, there's plenty of acoustic instrumentation and timelessly inventive material. BBE has outdone themselves on this excellent collection – and the titles include "Dragon Dance" by Makoto Terashita & Harold Land, "Daguri" by Kohsuke Mine Quintet, "Distant Thunder" by Mabumi Yamguchi Quartet, "Animal Garden" by Miyasaka + 5, "Mother Of The Future" by Electro Keyboard Orchestra, "Serenade To A Dimly Lit Street" by Hiroshi Matsumoto/Hideo Ichikawa Quartet, "Teru-Teru Bozu" (Black Keys) by Teru Sakamoto Trio, "Little Giant" by Nobuo & Sharps & Flats, "Brown Trout" by Akira Miyazawa and more. 14 tracks on 3LPs. LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible trip through the 70s Japanese jazz scene – a second volume of J Jazz that's even bigger and better than the first – with unknown gems from private presses, indie labels, and rarities from the Japanese branches of the major labels, too! Compilers Tony Higgins & Mike Peden (who are both also responsible for the nicely done notes) follow through on all of the things we loved about the first J Jazz compilation, but improve on it by going bigger and digging deeper. The majority of the tracks were recorded from 1969 through the late 70s – with a few recorded in later years – and all have a wonderful way of being open to the stylistic inventions of the time without getting hung up on trends. So while there's some fusiony funk and electric piano, there's plenty of acoustic instrumentation and timelessly inventive material. BBE has outdone themselves on this excellent collection – and titles include "Dragon Dance" by Makoto Terashita & Harold Land, "Daguri" by Kohsuke Mine Quintet, "Distant Thunder" by Mabumi Yamguchi Quartet, "Animal Garden" by Miyasaka + 5, "Mother Of The Future" by Electro Keyboard Orchestra, "Serenade To A Dimly Lit Street" by Hiroshi Matsumoto/Hideo Ichikawa Quartet, "Teru-Teru Bozu" (Black Keys) by Teru Sakamoto Trio, "Little Giant" by Nobuo & Sharps & Flats, "Brown Trout" by Akira Miyazawa and more – plus the CD bonus track "Original Bill" by Koichi Matsukaze Trio. 15 tracks on 2CDs. CD

An incredible trip through the 70s Japanese jazz scene – a second volume of J Jazz that's even bigger and better than the first – with unknown gems from private presses, indie labels, and rarities from the Japanese branches of the major labels, too! Compilers Tony Higgins & Mike Peden (who are both also responsible for the nicely done notes) follow through on all of the things we loved about the first J Jazz compilation, but improve on it by going bigger and digging deeper. The majority of the tracks were recorded from 1969 through the late 70s – with a few recorded in later years – and all have a wonderful way of being open to the stylistic inventions of the time without getting hung up on trends. So while there's some fusiony funk and electric piano, there's plenty of acoustic instrumentation and timelessly inventive material. BBE has outdone themselves on this excellent collection – and titles include "Dragon Dance" by Makoto Terashita & Harold Land, "Daguri" by Kohsuke Mine Quintet, "Distant Thunder" by Mabumi Yamguchi Quartet, "Animal Garden" by Miyasaka + 5, "Mother Of The Future" by Electro Keyboard Orchestra, "Serenade To A Dimly Lit Street" by Hiroshi Matsumoto/Hideo Ichikawa Quartet, "Teru-Teru Bozu" (Black Keys) by Teru Sakamoto Trio, "Little Giant" by Nobuo & Sharps & Flats, "Brown Trout" by Akira Miyazawa and more – plus the CD bonus track "Original Bill" by Koichi Matsukaze Trio. 15 tracks on 2CDs. CD

Rare work from Jimmy Riley – a 70s singer who never fully got his due, but who rubbed shoulders with all the best on the Kingston scene, and made some mighty great music in the process! Jimmy's the father of Taurus Riley – the contemporary vocalist – but may well be a more expressive talent in his own right, as you'll hear in these powerful tracks from the late 70s, which include a number of great protest and political numbers, set to slow-stepping, head-nodding rhythms. A few cuts here are offered up in both original takes and versions, and most are pretty darn obscure, but pulled together with the always-great Pressure Sounds level of care and class. Titles include "Gunman Of JA", "From The Ghetto", "Westcoast", "Five Thanks & Praise", "Tell The Youths The Truth", "Majority Rule", "Bridge The Gap", "Poor Immigrant", and "Everyone Needs Money". CD

A massive set of work from trumpeter Charles Tolliver – a 3CD package that contains seminal live work from Tolliver's Strata East years, plus bonus previously unreleased titles from the concerts! The first half of the collection features work from Tolliver's seminal Live At Slug's albums – both recorded on the same night in 1970, and done with a free-thinking, spiritually soaring energy that set a whole new tone for live jazz in the 70s! For the records, Tolliver fronts the classic Music Inc lineup – a group that includes Stanley Cowell on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Jimmy Hopps on drums. Tolliver is stunning on trumpet – and he and Cowell handle the majority of the solos with the kind of imagination that characterized this strong point in both of their careers. Slugs titles include the previously unissued "On The Nile", "Ruthie's Heart", and "Repetition" – plus "Drought", "Felicite", "Orientale", and "Spanning". Next up is the equally great Live In Tokyo album – recorded 3 years later with a similar group that includes Cowell on piano, Clint Houston on bass, and Clifford Barbaro on drums – and although Tolliver's trumpet solos are always a treat, the interplay between Houston's bass and Cowell's piano is enough reason to buy the record! The highlight of the album is a great take of Cowell's modal groover "Effi", but the set also contains some masterful compositions by Tolliver – long versions of "Truth", "Stretch", and "Drought". Previously unissued titles include "Our Second Father", "Impact", and "Earl's World". Complicated, spiritual work – even more so than some of Tolliver's studio sessions! CD

A nice later set from the mighty burner, after he returned to the more bluesy organ based format from the more R&B and fusion inflected sets he'd released throughout the late 70s and early 80s. Though the rough edges are a bit more smoothed out on some of the numbers than we'd care for, the group's composed of really solid players including Grover Washington, David Newman and Bobby Broom, and the majority of the set cooks nicely, on numbers like the title track, "Cosmic Phriends", "Don't Be So Mean Arlene" and "The Way You Make Me Feel". CD

A great collection of some of the best numbers from the Hot Wax label of the early 70s – second generation Detroit soul that really set the standard for the 70s! The tunes here were massive back in the day – blasting out of juke boxes, car radios, and a fair bit of home stereos too – all for good reason, given the care and balance the Holland-Dozier-Holland team brought to their work in the studio, and their ears for selecting singers to handle the work. Titles include "Want Ads" and "Stick Up" by Honey Cone, "Somebody's Been Sleepin" and "Too Many Cooks" by 100 Proof Aged In Soul, "Westbound #9" and "Mind Body & Soul" by Flaming Ember, "Woman's Love Rights" by Laura Lee "Women's Love Rights", and "Frightened Girl" by Silent Majority. LP, Vinyl record album