A rare Japanese-only album from American reedman Steve Marcus – best known for his fuzzy freaky sets on the Vortex label – but heard here in the company of Tokyo reedman Jiro Inagaki – who also made some pretty freaky albums of his own! The tracks here are nice and long – longer than usual from Jiro – with extended snakey saxophone solo from both players, and some sweet electric touches from the Social Media group – who are more laidback here than on some of their more funk-based outings. The change is a nice one, and makes for a real standout from both players – the kind of overlooked early 70s moment that makes digging for Japanese records so great! Titles include "Something", "Fairly Rings", and "Serenity". LP, Vinyl record album

A Japanese take on the sound of late 60s Woodstock – one that kind of takes all the best songs from the famous festival, then distills them into a batch of short, tight, funky jazz instrumentals! The approach is very cool – more funky than hippie, especially since the album begins with a massive drum break – although the instrumentation does have some nice fuzzy touches around the edges, particularly on some of the guitars and maybe a bit of the keyboards. There's brassy horns on the top, and lots of great rhythms on the bottom – and titles include "The Ground For Peace", "Spoonful", "Summertime Blues", "Mama Told Me", "I Want To Take You Higher", "Woodstock", "Knick Knack", and "Head Rock". LP, Vinyl record album

Funky fusion from 70s Japan – a really great set that's heavy both on Fender Rhodes, and on a range of choppy reed lines on tenor, soprano sax, and flute! The set's got a warm glow that's perfect for the CTI generation – with an equally apt sense of space, one that keeps the record from veering into any overdone fusion cliches, and which instead helps the group stay in just the right territory to bring out all the best soul in their music. There's a funky feel on most cuts, but even the mellow numbers have a hell of a lot of soul too – thanks partly to the keyboards, and even more to a brilliant execution of the whole set. Titles include "Funky Stuff", "Scratch", "Breeze", "Painted Paradise", "Funky Motion", "Gentle Wave", and "Four Up". LP, Vinyl record album

A definite head rocker here – a brilliant bit of funky jazz from Japan, and a record that beautifully balances acoustic and electric elements! Jiro Inagaki plays some heavy tenor and soprano sax on the record – working with a combo that includes electric guitar, electric bass, and organ – plus a trumpet joining Jiro in the frontline! The rhythms are tight, hard, and very funky at times – drenched in soul, but also filtered through a bit of a psychedelic influence, as you might guess from the cover on the record – and Jiro's choppy tenor and soprano come off with some of the same sharp notes and changes you might expect from the best European funky fusion of the time. Tracks include "Spoonful", "The Ground For Peace", "Head Rock", "The Vamp", "Back To Back", "High Jack", and "Twenty One". LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy funk from Japan's Soul Media combo – and one of the group's great 70s outings with the engimatic Sammy on vocals! Sammy's got this raw, raspy style that might owe a bit to Janis Joplin at times – but also nods strongly to the work of the American underground at others – more than able to stretch out with the fierce sounds of the group on the record, especially when they take on some trippy or more freaked-out styles! The drums are often nice and bold, and the electric instrumentation is very well integrated with a tight horn section that gives the tunes plenty of punch – and titles include "After Noon", "On The Grass", "Wandering Birds", "Parajika", and "Hyakunen Tattara". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic set, and one that only tells part of its story with the title – as the set features female composers and artists throughout – including some who would go on to become giants in their field! The album is maybe most noteworthy for presenting some of the first recordings ever of Laurie Anderson – delivering early versions of "Time To Go" and "New York Social Life" – both with help from the great Scott Johnson, who plays guitar, organ, and tambura! But that's just the tip of the iceberg, as there's all sorts of amazing things going on – including electronics from Donald Buchla on "Music Of The Spheres" by Johanna Beyer – plus "Bye Bye Butterfly" by Pauline Oliveros, "World Rhythms" by Annea Lockwood, "Points" by Ruth Anderson, "Appalachian Grove 1" by Laurie Spiegel, and "I Could Sit Here All Day" by Megan Roberts. LP, Vinyl record album

Keyboards by Merl Saunders! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Tracks include "Wild Cat Blues," "Blind Man Blues," "Old Fashioned Love," and more. 24 total! CD

A seminal album from the great reedman David Boykin – a set recorded right at the end of the 90s, with an excellent group full of members who'd all go on to do wonderful things in years to come – Nicole Mitchell on flute, Chad Taylor on drums, and Josh Abrams on bass – plus a bit of vocals from Glenda Zarah Baker as well! The tracks are a great mixture of long and short, quiet and powerful – really marking Boykin as one of the key talents to inherit the mantle of the AACM legacy, and find a way for it to move forward strongly, and proudly, well into the 21st Century. Titles include "Hypnotic", "Portal 7", "Blue Corn Bop", "Affections Of Alienation", "Abductions & Experimentations", and "Astro Lilly". CD

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A great lost chapter in the career of German reedman Rolf Kuhn – an artist we mostly know for his jazz recordings, but who also did some really great soundtrack material at the start of the 70s! The package here features tracks from the film Perrak, plus key instrumentals from other Kuhn projects of the same time – almost all of which have this wonderfully soaring, wonderfully grooving feel that matches some of the best Brit or Italian soundtrack material of the time – but with the kind of added jazzy twist you'd expect from Kuhn's background! Even the mellow numbers are great – with this spacious sense of sound that's really transformative, like some lost sound library melodies – and the pacing of the whole album is wonderful – so that the right moods are balanced out perfectly throughout. Titles include "Desperate/Bleakly", "Bossa Barbarella (parts 1 & 2)", "Foggy Morning", "Hunting II", "Yellow Water", "Chase & Fear", "Hippy Dibby", "Sun Of India", and "Street Bounce/Striptease Background". LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "Miss Otis Regrets," "Stardust," "Dream Of You," "Jealous," "Rhythm is Our Buisness," and more. CD

A cool soundtrack for an imaginary movie – one that's about the female jewel thief pictured on the cover, and which is scored by Mondo Sangue with a retro groove that really matches that image! There's some great use of organ, keyboards, and even a bit of vibes on the set – and tunes are a mixture of instrumental tracks and vocal numbers that echo some of the sorts of styles you might find in a similar film back in the 60s – with lyrics that mostly seem to be in Italian as well! The album's awash in mod, jazzy moments – and titles include "Ticket To Rio", "Diamond Love", "Diamantik's Awakening", "Frisco Fling", "Hey Mister Commissario", and "Revolving Room". LP, Vinyl record album

Not a vintage Italian horror soundtrack, but one that's very much inspired by the best of the giallo generation – served up here with instrumentation that's really wonderful, and which is very faithful to the spirit of the 70s! Unlike some other contemporary groups taking on vintage horror material, Mondo Sangue have a richness to their sound that really sets them apart – not just keyboards and some sinister guitar lines – but instead a full palette of sonic colors that really makes the whole thing sound great – and really could put the record right at the same level as some of our favorite giallo classics. There's a few nice cuts with female vocals – and titles include "Something's Wrong With Barbara", "Black Leather Fever Dream", "Sorella Gemella", "Dietro Lo Specchio", "The Butcher's Museum", and "To Hell". LP, Vinyl record album

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A rare look at the German cop show sound of the 70s – served up here by the great Peter Thomas, who did so much wonderful spy and sci fi material in the 60s! The tunes have all those charms of Thomas' earlier work, especially his strong commitment to using the best jazz musicians to serve up the best sort of sound – mixing their contributions with some sharp funky rhythms and a bit of soaring strings – all at a level that maybe tops all the cool American cop show sounds of the time! Thomas makes great use of wordless vocals at times, with lyrics on a few tunes too – and the set also features some never-used gems that were originally done for the show. Titles include "Milky Way", "Isar Disco", "Stephan Und Harry Ermitteln", "Eine Million", "Go", "Tod Im Olympiadorf", "Bordkapelle", and "Opium". LP, Vinyl record album

Legendary soundtrack work from the mighty Peter Thomas – one of the hippest German cats working on the scene in the 60s – presented here with key classics from the Edgar Wallace spy/crime series, plus a number of unreleased tracks as well! If you know Thomas, you'll know that he's got a great way with a jazzy groove – and also that he's a legend for making familiar instruments sound very weird and unusual – which he definitely does here, in ways that almost put the Italian soundtrack scene to shame! Thomas turned out work in a number of different settings, but these Edgar Wallace tunes are some of his most famous – and they feature key work from jazz players who include Jan Hammer and Ingfried Hoffmann on organ, Klaus Doldinger and Emil Mangelsdorff on reeds, and Sigi Schwab on guitar. There's some cool wordless vocals in the music at times – and titles include "Requiem For Crooks", "Theme For Lucy", "Zimmer 13", "Der Zinker", "Sitar Cha Cha", "Space Of Today", "Sgt Pepper's Final Fight", and "Twisting Monk". LP, Vinyl record album

Early material recorded in Tennessee with the Chickasaw Syncopators and in New York fronting a large orchestra. Titles include "Chickasaw Stomp", "Memphis Rag", "In Dat Mornin", "White Heat", "Here Goes (A Fool)", "Jazznocracy", "Mood Indigo", and "Black And Tan Fantasy". CD

21 songs from Jelly Roll Morton & his orchestra, Jelly Roll Morton & his Red Hot Peppers, Wilton Crawley & his orchestra, and Lizzie Miles & Jelly Roll Morton. CD

26 songs from Noble Sissle's Swingsters, Sidney "Pops" Bechet With Noble Sissle's Swingsters, Trixie Smith, Grant And Wilson, Jam Session For BBC, and Sidney Bechet And His Orchestra. CD

A quartet – with Byard Lancaster on flutes and saxes! CD

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Bud Shank on alto saxophone, Bill Mays on piano, Bob Magnusson on bass, and Joe LaBarbera on drums. CD

A nice one from Badu – one with a depth of feeling and genuine soulful vibes that live up to its title, despite the fact that she records for one of the world's biggest media conglomerates! It's all about the vibe here. Erykah rolls her syllables, scats and emotes feelings more than an actual narrative in the strongest of these cuts. It's not that she's forgone lyrics, but it's all about the ambience, not radio sing-a-longs. She also dives head first into her organic soul and hip hop hybrid sound a little more sparingly, but still better than most who that followed her lead post-Baduizm. She channels Donald Byrd on the great "Think Twice", which is pretty indicative of the vibe as a whole. The groove is sorta mellow, but in a very tripped-out way, with deep organ washes and synth tones, scratchy soul guitar, and crisp organic beats. There's an appearance by Dead Prez on "Steady On The Grind", and a really sweet old school flavored remake of the great "Love Of My Life" track from the Brown Sugar soundtrack with Queen Latifah and Bahamadia, but for the most part Erykah is sweating soul on her own spiritual plane here. It's gonna take a little while to sink in, but this may be her best album (despite whatever naysaying BS you may read in mainstream reviews.) Tracks include "Bump It", the great single "Danger", "Woo", "Back In The Day" and "I Want You". LP, Vinyl record album

A book about a single song, but one that goes much farther than that as well – as author Joshua Clover uses the classic "Roadrunner" by Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers as a springboard for musings on much larger cultural picture! It's clear that Clover knows and loves the song to death – but as with most people who really get inspired by a key piece of music, "Roadrunner" has a quality that transcends both its roots and contents – taking the author on a journey that spans years and other media too, but always with one ear firmly tuned back to the original song for inspiration. The first entry in a very cool series to come – softcover, 132 pages. Book

Overlooked gems from the early days of music video – the unreleased legacy of T-Venus, a group who began as a multi-media act, and whose leader Julia Heyward also did a fair bit of work for MTV! The sound here is more arty than that reference might make you expect – sounds that resonate strongly with the New York downtown vibe of the early 80s, especially that place where art meets punk – almost performance art in sonic presence, with instrumentation that includes lots of keyboards and electronics next to more familiar guitar and basslines – the latter of which bring in some nice post-punk vibes! Musical partners on the tracks include Pat Irwin, Don Christensen, Bob Fitzsimons, and Jody Harris – and a young Syd Straw even sings on one track too. Titles include "Born Hypnotized", "Genius", "Birdie", "Keep Moving Buddy", "Gimme Gasm", "Intimate Parade", and "I Just Work Here". CD

Overlooked gems from the early days of music video – the unreleased legacy of T-Venus, a group who began as a multi-media act, and whose leader Julia Heyward also did a fair bit of work for MTV! The sound here is more arty than that reference might make you expect – sounds that resonate strongly with the New York downtown vibe of the early 80s, especially that place where art meets punk – almost performance art in sonic presence, with instrumentation that includes lots of keyboards and electronics next to more familiar guitar and basslines – the latter of which bring in some nice post-punk vibes! Musical partners on the tracks include Pat Irwin, Don Christensen, Bob Fitzsimons, and Jody Harris – and a young Syd Straw even sings on one track too. Titles include "Born Hypnotized", "Genius", "Birdie", "Keep Moving Buddy", "Gimme Gasm", "Intimate Parade", and "I Just Work Here". LP, Vinyl record album

Fast and funky fusion from David Matthews – building off the sound of his later Kudu recordings with a sweet electric groove! The album's got a pretty full approach overall – with Matthews on electric piano, and directing a large group of players that includes Mike Maineri, Michael Brecker, Jon Faddis, Shunzo Ohno, and Ronnie Cuber – and a number of tracks feature a vocal chorus that includes Ullanda McCullough and Yvonne Lewis. The overall style is slick, but not in a bad way – and Matthews more than meets the Japanese fusion sound head to head for this non-US release from the time! Titles include "Electric Flight", "Some Trunk Funk", "Funky Apple", "I Don't Care Much For Love", "Song Of The Setting Sun", and "Media". CD

One of the most unusual albums ever issued on the Brunswick label – and maybe one of the most unusual ones to come from the Chicago scene as well – a really cool, complicated album that almost comes across like an audio play at times – but one that's overflowing with all sorts of cool musical touches! McLuhan work with lots of great horns that maybe echo some of the experiments of the group Chicago at the time – but that's where any similarities end, as they work in offbeat organ lines, unusual arrangements, and all sorts of little twists and turns along the way – even "screaming", which is credited to one of the band members in the liner notes! Tracks are all long, and have all the playful aspects you'd guess from their titles – which include "Spiders In Neal's Basement", "The Monster Bride", "Witches Theme & Dance", and "A Brief Message From Your Local Media". LP, Vinyl record album

The final album issued by Impulse Records in their short-lived, ill-fated partnership with Sun Ra – and maybe the most far-reaching of the bunch! The album features three long tracks – all of them relatively open and unbridled – put together with less of a song structure than some of the group's other Impulse albums, at a level that's also quite far from some of their more spiritual modes of the early 70s too! Percussion figures strongly, but in a loose way – with less of the rhythmic pulse or exotic modes of the group's roots – and the real strength of the set lies in the reeds at many moments – handled by Eloe Omoe, Danny Ray Thompson, Marshal Allen, and John Gilmore – all given this strong focus by the incredible bass of Ronnie Boykins. Ra himself creates these fantastic sounds on an other-worldly keyboard – most likely some offbeat 70s electric organ with effects – and titles include "Pathways to Unknown Worlds", "Extension Out", and "Cosmo-Media". This version features the original "Extension Out" – with five minutes that were not on the original release! CD also features bonus tracks from the same sessions – "View From A Mountain Top", "Intrinsic Energies", and "Of Mythic Worlds" – the last two of which appeared on the late 70s Philly Jazz album Of Mythic Worlds – but which are from these sessions. CD

The Roots return with their first album on Def Jam – a rich batch of soulful, heavier moods, cultural reflection, and some incredible modern Philly funk playing behind the thoughtful rhymes – probably the deepest album to appear on Def Jam in the past decade or so! Game Theory shares a tendency with their earlier masterwork Things Fall Apart in its way of applying an uplifting, riveting groove to tracks with some genuine hurt and despair. Sonically, Game Theory is its own animal. We NEVER would have pegged this record for the Def Jam debut – it's way too good! Tracks include the PE-referencing "False Media", "Game Theory" feat Malik B, the single "Don't Feel Right" feat Maimounta Youssef, "In The Music" feat Malik B & Porn, "Take It There" feat Wadud Ahmad, "Baby" feat John-John of Nouveau Riche, "Here I Come" feat Dice Raw of Nouveau Riche & Malik B, "Long Time" featuring Peedi Peedi & Bunny Sigler, "Clock With No Hands" feat Mercedes Martinez of Jazzyfatnastees, "Can't Stop This" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the rarest albums by this great Texas tenor player – and the kind of album we're very happy to see reissued! This heavy little gem was one of the few sides that Wilkerson cut under his own name – and it was the only one recorded away from Blue Note, as part of Cannonball Adderley's short-lived "Cannonball Presents" series. The core group features Wilkerson's Texas tenor right out front (a lot louder than on the Blue Note sides), set against the piano of Barry Harris, the bass of Leroy Vinnegar, and the drums of Billy Higgins. Nat Adderley plays cornet on a few tracks – and titles include "Jelly Roll", "The Twister", "Morning Coffee", "Idiom", and "Media". CD

A soaring collection of rare jazz from the Tokyo scene – all music originally recorded by the Japanese branch of Columbia Records – the same imprint that put out some exclusive and very hip Japanese-only albums from Miles Davis, Roy Ayers, and Herbie Hancock! The musicians here are all Japanese, and play with a vibe that definitely lives up to the label's legacy with American artists – mixing spiritual jazz, funky styles, and other soulful modes in a really great way – with a sense of variety that not only makes the collection a stellar listen throughout, but also really opens up your ears to the wealth of excellent Japanese jazz recordings that were never issued in the US! Titles include "Trial Road" by Tomoki Takahashi, "A Muddy Muffin" by Masahiko Sato, "Toppu" by Shigeharu Mukai, "Scramble" by Hiromasa Suzuki, "Samba De Negrito" by Takashi Mizuhashi & Herbie Hancock, "Ogi Denju Shiki" by Toshiyuki Miyama & His New Herd, "The Ground For Peace" by Jiro Inagaki & Soul Media, "Chakkiri Bushi" by Nobuo Hara with Hozan Yamamoto, "Mickey's Samba" by Mikio Masuda, and "Jones Street" by Kiyoshi Sugimoto. CD

A soaring collection of rare jazz from the Tokyo scene – all music originally recorded by the Japanese branch of Columbia Records – the same imprint that put out some exclusive and very hip Japanese-only albums from Miles Davis, Roy Ayers, and Herbie Hancock! The musicians here are all Japanese, and play with a vibe that definitely lives up to the label's legacy with American artists – mixing spiritual jazz, funky styles, and other soulful modes in a really great way – with a sense of variety that not only makes the collection a stellar listen throughout, but also really opens up your ears to the wealth of excellent Japanese jazz recordings that were never issued in the US! Titles include "Trial Road" by Tomoki Takahashi, "A Muddy Muffin" by Masahiko Sato, "Toppu" by Shigeharu Mukai, "Scramble" by Hiromasa Suzuki, "Samba De Negrito" by Takashi Mizuhashi & Herbie Hancock, "Ogi Denju Shiki" by Toshiyuki Miyama & His New Herd, "The Ground For Peace" by Jiro Inagaki & Soul Media, "Chakkiri Bushi" by Nobuo Hara with Hozan Yamamoto, "Mickey's Samba" by Mikio Masuda, and "Jones Street" by Kiyoshi Sugimoto. LP, Vinyl record album

Japanese jazz in the 70s was certainly a sensational thing – as you'll hear on this incredible double-length package! The album's a wonderful document of the way that the Tokyo jazz scene really exploded at the start of the decade – and offers up a range of special live performances, exclusive to the set, which really get at the depth and complexity that was going on at the time! Some cuts have a brilliantly free sound – that moment when Japanese avant jazz was finally finding its own voice – while others focus a bit more on funk, in ways that are clearly picked up from the US, but then set free on their own paths here. The lineup includes "Twilight In Nemu" by Miyami Toshiuki, "Toko" by Terumasa Hino, "Blue Soul" by Akira Ishikawa & Count Buffalo, "Mira" by Hiroshi Suzuki, "Score" by Jiro Inagaki & Soul Media, and "Mustache" by Takeshi Inomata & Sound Ltd. LP, Vinyl record album

An all new recording of the lost Beach Boys masterpiece! Brian notoriously sabotaged the original album by refusing to complete some sessions, and literally destroying the masters for others. Needless to say, an official release of the unearthed Beach Boys/Van Dyke Parks epic Smile – the most famous "lost" album in the history of recorded media – is sadly impossible. Of course many of the original Smile tracks filtered out onto subsequent underrated Beach Boys albums, mostly in unfinished (but still mindblowingly great) versions, due to Brian's meltdown. Nonesuch Records, Brian Wilson and his great 10 piece band have taken their best shot at a completed vision – and it works quite well! The old Smile tracks have the unassailable beauty brought about by Brian's painstaking, tortured efforts, and they were unquestionably influenced by his heavy intake of psychedelic chemicals. Now they have ProTools. Still, the cleared psyches and enhanced technical capabilities cannot hamper the bruised beauty these tunes had from conception, and it's been adapted very, very well even it doesn't quite carry the doomed genius of Brian's late 60s work. Comes in a great deluxe package with a thick booklet. Tracks include "Our Prayer/Gee", "Heroes & Villains", "Good Vibrations", "Roll Plymouth Rock", "Barnyard", "Old Cabin Essence", "Wonderful", "Surf's Up" and more. CD

Japanese club music from the disco years onward – but a set that's got a very universal appeal in the rhythms! The vocals are mostly in Japanese, but the arrangements, production, and instrumentation here resonate strongly with the best that New York or Philly had to offer during the disco generation – a well-done blend of funky grooves with some slightly larger instrumentation, all of which sends home the soulful vocals in a way that hardly makes you notice they're not singing in English! All of the tracks here are from rare albums – similar to the Wamono Jazz compilations – and titles include "Birth Of The Odyssey" by Godiego, "This Is Hot" by Ikue Sakakibsara, "I Will Give You Samba" by Soul Media, "Woman In A Man's World" by Hatsumi Shibata, "Disco Great Tokyo" by Pink Parachute, "Krishna" by Yumi Murata, "Ame Wa Knife No Ya Sa" by Yoshito Machida & Godiego, and "Purple Shadow" by Hatsumi Shibata. LP, Vinyl record album

Bob's fourth record, and close runner up to Freewheelin' as the masterpiece of this early stage of his career. While the overly arch Times They Are A Changin' pretty much stood as the cornerstone of classifiable folk rock at the time, Another Side is just that. Dense, elliptical, and downright surreal at times, with some of the protesty stuff that made the media so happy & hungry, but much more layered and poetic. Another side is also much more reverent of and indebted to the Harry Smith field recordings that Bob studied so hard, the stuff that finally caught on with the general public in the early 90s. Titles include "Spanish Harlem Incident", "It Ain't Me Babe", "Ballad In Plain D", "Black Crow Blues", "I Don't Believe You", "Motorpsycho Nitemare", "To Ramona", "Chimes Of Freedom", "My Back Pages", and "I Shall Be Free No 10". CD

A really amazing look at the secret art and language of gang culture in Chicago – the most detailed book we've ever seen to examine the words on the street during the 60s, 70s, and 80s! Chicago had a very special sort of language to communicate gang activity and culture during the heyday of the city's big gangs – graffiti that was filled with codes and symbols, and which really predated major street art in New York – plus a network of patches, business cards, and other objects that conveyed a special sort of numerology and message – sometimes harmless words about parties and events, sometimes essential details about the criminal underworld. This book is fascinating on so many different levels – not just a prurient true crime story, but instead a very detailed examination of gang culture in terms of linguistics, visual media, and representation. Yet all that detail doesn't make things too dry, either – as the book is overflowing with photos and images – examples of street graffiti, countless business cards, patches, portraits, and more – even some maps at the back. The whole thing is a massive 375 pages, full color throughout, and very beautifully done! Book

Two rare albums recorded in 1973 – one previously issued, one appearing here for the first time! Pathways To Unknown Worlds has the group playing a host of odd instruments – including space dimension mellophone, ancient Egyptian Infinity Drum, vibes, and moog – as well as the usual array of horns and percussion – and the sound of the album is quite spare and spacey, as screeching horn solos intersect with tones and colors from the other instruments, in one of the more space-agey Ra sessions from the 70s. Friendly Love was conceived as a four-part suite – and features Ra on organ and mini-moog, dominating the horns and percussion of the session with some very spooky keyboards. Titles include "Pathways To Unknown Worlds", "Extension Out", "Cosmo-Media", and "Friendly Love (parts 1 to 4)". CD

An essential collection of work from the Japanese scene of the 70s – as set that really gets at the "something special" that made jazz from this generation so unique! Japanese musicians were early adopters of American modes – and the scene had great bop recordings from the 50s onward – but as the 70s approached, old and young musicians really started experimenting with a whole new range of styles – some mixed older Japanese instrumental modes with contemporary jazz, others tried a poetic approach to modal jazz, some were spiritual, and a few even got downright funky – but in ways that were very different than American jazz funk! This set brings together key examples of all those great styles – in a package that features detailed notes from Yusuke Ogawa, the man who's taught us plenty over the years – with titles that include "Mustache (live)" by Takeshi Inomata & Sound Ltd, "Fourth Expression" by Masahiko Togashi, "Do It" by Jiro Inagaki & Soul Media, "Romance" by Hiroshi Suzuki, "Tochi Mo Kurumi Mo Fukiotose" by Masahiko Sato, "Breeze" by Soul Media, "Adult's Day" by Toshiyuki Miyama & The New Herd, "Sakura Sakura" by Tadaki Misago & Tokyo Cuban Boys, "Muraiki" by Minoru Muraoka, "Mago Uta" by Count Buffalo & The Jazz Rock Band, "D51" by Kiyoshi Sugimoto, and "Breath Prologue" by Hozan Yamamoto, Masahiko Togashi, and Yosuke Yamashita. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic document of the lost funk legacy of 70s Japan – music that's often different than the jazz and pop work of the decade that sees greater reissue, and which shows a very strong influence from the American scene! The rhythms here are wonderful – sometimes in the best funky soundtrack mode, other times with maybe even a bit of psych added in – and some of the cuts feature lyrics, either in English or Japanese, also with a very soulful vibe – but much more of an edge than the polished sound of the city pop generation! Titles include "Yumura No Obaba" by Akira Yasuda & Beat Folk, "Jikokeno No Samba" by Kan Mikami, "Singer Lady" by Hatsumi Shibata, "Devil Woman" by Bread & Butter, "I Hope It's Fine" by School Band, "Watashi No Beatles" by Fujio Tokita, "Bad Junky Blues" by Hiroshi Sato, "Theme Of Doberman Cop" by Mieko Hirota, and "The In & Outer Stomp & Shouter" by Sammy with Jiro Inagaki & Soul Media. LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible package – and one that features three of the most important records ever cut by the Art Ensemble Of Chicago! All three albums were recorded at the Saravah Studios in the summer of 1969 – during a time when the Art Ensemble of Chicago were making big waves on the Parisian scene (including their work in the film Les Stances A Sophie) – and finding a way to refine their new Chicago sound in the world away from the Windy City! These were the albums that really put the Art Ensemble on the map – letting them find new freedoms, and reach new heights in expression – in a mode that even surpassed previous recordings by individual members back home. The lineup is very heavy on reeds – with a variety played by Roscoe Mitchell and Joseph Jarman – and features bold trumpet from Lester Bowie, warm basslines from Malachi Favors, and a range of percussion and other instruments by all members of the group! The set comes in a nice book-like cover, with a booklet inside – and titles include "Reese & The Smooth Ones (parts 1 & 2)", "Rock Out", "Brain For The Seine", "Dexterity", "Jackson In Your House", "The Waltz", and "Song For Charles". CD

With "Singers", "Ice Cream Man/Shoe Throwin' Mothers", "Modern Women", "The Barbecue", "The Fart Game", "Politics/Racism", "Languages" and "TV". LP, Vinyl record album

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The title's maybe a bit misleading – as most folks think of day-glo as a color associated with some of the most throwaway culture of the 80s – but the brightness of the hue definitely marks the big explosion in styles during the key British year of 1978 – a time when the punk revolution of 1977 opened the door for a big range of modes to follow! It might be said that the post-punk years came immediately after the initial days of punk – and they definitely begin here, as hard and fast modes are mixed with more unusual styles that include mod revival moments, electronic experiments, and even some offbeat pop – expressions of humor, anger, and a shifting political landscape – served up as an amazing document of the creative intensity of the time! As with other Cherry Red boxes, the overall package is great – a huge amount of notes to support the 79 tracks within – a diverse array of music from Blue Steam, The Others, UK Subs, The Jam, Monochrome Set, Wreckless Eric, Spizzoil, Public Image Ltd, 999, The Stranglers, Japan, The Only Ones, Magazine, Alternative TV, Slush, Time Machine, Eater, The Bozos, Tyla Gang, Ed Banger, No Sweat, The VIPs, John Cooper Clarke, Scritti Politti, Penetration, Stiff Little Fingers, Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias, Teardrops, Coventry Automatics, Menace, Bleach Boys, Jilted John, Zones, Electric Chairs, and many more! CD

A huge run of music that comes together as a secret history of sounds within pop music in the UK and US scenes in the 50s, 60s, and 70s – all hand-picked by writer Jon Savage to accompany his book of the same name! There's some work here that might be what you'd expect – tracks that had a big and immediate influence on LGBTQ culture, from the dancefloors to the underground – but those are mixed with others that come as a nice surprise – in part because at the time of initial release, they didn't seem to have such an influence, and were more part of a mainstream audience – or in other parts because they were almost completely secret, except to those in the know! As you'd imagine with Savage, the notes are detailed and very helpful – really illuminating this great batch of tracks – running from late 50s rock through late 70s disco, with titles that include "I'm A Man" by Jobraith, "You Don't Own Me" by Lesley Gore, "No Stranger Am I" by Norma Tenaga, "Woman Is Losers" by Big Brother & The Holding Company, "Coochi Coo" by Polly Perkins, "Life & Death In G&A" by Abaco Dream, "Esquerita & The Voola" by Esquerita, "Wondrous Place" by Billy Fury, "Strawberry Blonde" by Frank D'Rone, "Johnny Remember Me" by John Leyton, "Needle In A Haystack" by The Velvelettes, "Orgasm Addict" by The Buzzcocks, "Prison" by Space, "I Was Born This Way" by Carl Bean, "Nobody's Gonna Change Me" by Dynamic Superiors, "I Feel Love" by Patrick Cowley, "Disco Dance" by Michele, and "Glad To Be Gay" by Tom Robinson Band. CD

A really beautiful debut from PP Arnold – the American soul singer who first really made her mark in England, thanks to some key support from The Rolling Stones and other 60s rockers! Despite the British nature of this record – and despite the fact that production is by Mick Jagger, Andrew Loog Oldham, and others – the sound here is almost in the best US soul mode of the 60s, with full arrangements and sweeping strings that remind us of some of the strongest New York uptown soul of the mid 60s! Titles include "If You Think You're Groovy", "Born To Be Together", "The First Cut Is The Deepest", "Something Beautiful Happened", "Life Is But Nothing", "Speak To Me", and "Would You Believe". CD also features 3 bonus tracks – including a version of "Come Home Baby" sung as a duet with Rod Stewart! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

2 killers by the JBs! "Doing It To Death" is one of their best tracks from the early days – with a funky riffing sound you'll know immediately. "Everybody Got Soul" is an excellent party track with a great Maceo solo – lots of grooves, and the band is tight tight tight! Original People single, and you'll never find a louder version! 7-inch, Vinyl record

The title's maybe a bit misleading – as most folks think of day-glo as a color associated with some of the most throwaway culture of the 80s – but the brightness of the hue definitely marks the big explosion in styles during the key British year of 1978 – a time when the punk revolution of 1977 opened the door for a big range of modes to follow! It might be said that the post-punk years came immediately after the initial days of punk – and they definitely begin here, as hard and fast modes are mixed with more unusual styles that include mod revival moments, electronic experiments, and even some offbeat pop – expressions of humor, anger, and a shifting political landscape – served up as an amazing document of the creative intensity of the time! As with other Cherry Red boxes, the overall package is great – a huge amount of notes to support the 79 tracks within – a diverse array of music from Blue Steam, The Others, UK Subs, The Jam, Monochrome Set, Wreckless Eric, Spizzoil, Public Image Ltd, 999, The Stranglers, Japan, The Only Ones, Magazine, Alternative TV, Slush, Time Machine, Eater, The Bozos, Tyla Gang, Ed Banger, No Sweat, The VIPs, John Cooper Clarke, Scritti Politti, Penetration, Stiff Little Fingers, Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias, Teardrops, Coventry Automatics, Menace, Bleach Boys, Jilted John, Zones, Electric Chairs, and many more! CD

Tracks from Vic Doiree, Manhead, Bis, Matti Oiling, Kiki, Demolished Man, Chicken Lips, Dennis Jr, Phrenic, Dexter, Markus Nikolai, and Chromeo. CD

... CD

The 10th in Columbia's essential Bootleg Series of archival unreleased Dylan – and for us, this one gets immediate placement among the best in the series – for finding the diamonds in the rough from the turbulent 1969-1971 period! It features a bunch of previously unreleased versions of songs from Self Portrait and New Morning – along with a handful of live recordings and otherwise unreleased gems. It's fascinating stuff, especially the songs from Self Portrait! That album is such a weird hodgepodge of styles, it was rejected by even the most ardent Dylan worshippers at the time. Here in blueprint versions, the songs have a ragged charm that really comes through in a big way! The set also has a bunch of alternate versions of songs from New Morning, a couple from Nashville Skyline and other odds and ends. It's bookended by incredible demos – opening with an acoustic guitar backed "I Went To See The Gypsy" and closing with a piano version of the eternally great "When I Paint My Masterpiece" – and it's filled with underappreciated Self Portrait songs like "Little Sadie", "All The Tired Horses", "Wigwam" and more in sparer settings, sans the overdubs of the LP version. Also includes alternate versions of New Morning material, including "Time Passes Slowly #1", "Working On A Guru", "If Dogs Run Free" and "New Morning" – some WITH orchestral or horn overdubs, as opposed to the stripped down Self Portrait versions. Other rarities from '69-'71 include a different version of "Country Pie", plus "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" and "Highway 61 Revisited" with The Band at Isle Of Wight. 35 tracks in all – including a thick, beautifully illustrated booklet – with notes by one-time Self Portrait hater Greil Marcus! LP, Vinyl record album

17 tracks from Rod Stewart, Nico, Earl Vince & The Valiants, Fleetwood Mac, Chris Farlowe, Twice As Much, John Mayall, Small Faces, the McCoys, Humble Pie, P.P. Arnold, The Nice, and Amen Corner. CD

Includes tracks by Fleetwood Mac, Rod Stewart, Nico, Small Faces, Nice, Amen Corner, Chris Farlowe, Glyn Johns, Apostolic Intervention, and more! LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful early work from British singer Vashti Bunyan – an important figure in the acid folk scene at the end of the 60s, heard here on some really wonderful work from a few years before! Some of the tracks have a really trippy style, and others are a bit more like conventional Brit girl pop of the time – but given a very weird twist overall, with a sound that's quite hard to describe! Vashti's vocals have these really dark qualities overall – and even when the backings are fuller (which often they are not), there's a sad, earthy feel to her singing. But equally great is her guitar work – heard with more prominence on most of the album's previously-unissued tracks from mid 60s tapes. Bunyan plays with these warm harmonics that kind of nestle and bristle underneath her vocals – pushing the tunes up with a sense of brightness in contrast to the voice – almost in a Nick Drake sort of way (and trust us, we don't throw around comparisons to his music easily!) The package is a wonderful look at these almost-lost years of Vashti's career – and it features both sides of her Decca and Columbia singles, an unreleased Immediate single, and a lot more tracks pulled from rare tapes from 1964, 1966, and 1967! Set features 25 tracks that include "Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind", "Train Song", "Love Song", "Winter Is Blue", "Leave Me", "How Do I Know", "Go Before Dawn", "Girl's Song In Winter", "Don't Believe", "17 Pink Sugar Elephants", "Someday", and "I Know". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

With Miusael Silvestre on keys, Daniel Castro on bass, and Pedro Almedia on drums. CD

A sweet little double-length set from British jazz rock genius Neil Ardley – one that has him working off the vibe explored on the Greek Variations album, but hitting a sound that's a fair bit funkier overall! As with other efforts, Ardley draws here on some really top-shelf talents for his ideas – soloists who include Ian Carr on trumpet, Ken Shaw on guitar, and Tony Coe, Barbara Thompson, and Brian Smith on saxes! The tracks are all quite longish, and unfold in a really organic way – building over an immediate rhythm at some points, or letting the soloists set the main vibe at others. There's nothing overly-obtuse about the record at all, and Ardley never lets anyone dominate too much – making the album a strong group effort with a really unified vision – but one with plenty of space for the feeling of the individual players. Titles include "Rainbow One", "Rainbow Two", "Rainbow Three", and so on. LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark debut from the mighty Erykah Badu – a record that really set the world on fire when it first appeared – and which continues to blow our minds all these many years later! There's a simple, straightforward grace to the album that comes through immediately – as Erykah tries to forge new ground for soul music, but does it by taking a few steps backwards – not into retro modes, but more in a way that focuses on the core vocal, songcraft, and right instrumentation that can make a special soul record such a standout. She does a great job of both avoiding easy commercial paths, or some of the temptations to embrace other then-contemporary genres – which has made the work of some of her colleagues seem a bit dated. The record defines a whole new style of expression – "Baduizm", if you will – one in which Erykah sings with a depth that stretches back through a century's worth of jazz, soul, and gospel influences – but works a groove in a stripped-down and forward-thinking mode that sets the pace for countless Neo Soul singers to come! Titles include "Certainly (Flipped It)", "Next Lifetime (radio)", "On & On", "Appletree", "No Love", "4 Leaf Clover", and "Sometimes (mix #9)". LP, Vinyl record album

A samba soul masterpiece from Jorge Ben – one of the most brilliant records to come out the fertile late 60s Brazilian scene – and an incredible album that works with the psychedelic flourishes of Ben's contemporaries and a deeper undercurrent of soul & funk! This is one of the most amazing early Jorge Ben LPs, recorded at the end of the 60s, when Jorge was singing with a stone-cold soul sound. The sharp, tight arrangements by Rogerio Duprat & Jose Briamonte made tracks like "Pais Tropical", "Take It Easy My Brother Charles", and "Que Pena" immediate classics – while the percussion and rhythms of Trio Mocoto provide a good part of the unique backdrop. The album is a mix of funky samba, soaring Brazilian soul, and sweeping orchestrations that give the whole thing a jazzy finish – and it's some of the best work that Jorge Ben ever recorded! Other tracks include "Criola", Cade Tereza", "Domingas", "Barbarella", "Quem Foi Que Roubou A Sopeira" and more. LP, Vinyl record album