A massive Fender Rhodes set from early 70s Belgium – the kind of set that never shows up on this side of the Atlantic, and which is pretty darn rare in its home territory too! Keyboardist Jack Van Poll has a wonderful sense of space on this set – a way of letting the tunes build simply and gracefully – often with a slow-growing groove that lets the Rhodes roll along wonderfully – never too slow, though, and always with a sweet funky undercurrent! And while we'd never heard of Jack before this set, he's got a great sense of style and imagination on his solos – very open, but always with a soulful undercurrent. The rest of the trio includes Mary Hehuat on Fender bass and Ruud Pronk on drums – and titles include "Marriedyet", "Blue Tait", "A Box For Leslie", "Sweet Georgie Fame", "Passage To Pferov", and "Objizdka". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic bit of space age funk – and maybe one of the greatest moments ever from Philly Soul maestro Dexter Wansel! The album goes way beyond any of Wansel's other work – and blends his warm soulful styles with some of the more keyboard-oriented funk that was coming out of the Herbie Hancock camp during the mid 70s – a vibe that's every bit as electric and spacey as you'd guess from the cover! Some cuts have a bit more of a soul focus, but others have loads of jazzy keyboards from Dexter – driven on by some great drums at points too. Titles include Wansel's legendary version of "Theme From the Planets" with the much sampled breakbeat at the beginning – plus the funky "Life On Mars", and the tracks "One Million Miles From The Ground", "You Can Be What You Wanna Be", "Prophet Named KG", "Rings Of Saturn", and "Stargazer". LP, Vinyl record album

A masterpiece of messed-up LA funk – and one of the crowning moments in the career of Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band! Charles and crew do an excellent job with all the tracks – most of which are more open ended than some of their earlier ones, and run on for longer than usual with some good trippy instrumental moments that really stretch out the groove from their funky 45 days. The album includes the stoner funk classic "High As Apple Pie", done here in two "slices", plus the classic "Express Yourself", a monster number that still sounds great every time we hear it – even though it's been used on commercials and sampled plenty of times over the years! Other tracks include "I'm Aware", "Love Land", and "I Got Love" LP, Vinyl record album

The classic first album by this legendary funky combo – a group who not only went onto change the sound of funk in the 80s, but also went onto have a huge impact on generations of hip hop as well! The album burns from the very first note – the wicked snapping funk of "More Bounce To The Ounce" – a tune that became the blueprint for a generation, and still sounds way better than the millions of copycat attempts that came out over the years! The record follows with some equally wicked bass/keyboard cuts – often with plenty of electro production touches too – thanks to sweeeet work in the studio from Bootsy Collins and Roger Troutman. Bootsy's presence is key, too – as the set kind of strips down the ensemble P-Funk vibe of the generation before – going for a lean, clean groove that's held up beautifully over the years! In addition to "More Bounce To The Ounce", the record also features the mellow steppers cut "Be Alright", which has a wonderful hook, and a great compressed modern soul sound – and other tracks include "Funky Bounce", "Freedom", and "Brand New Pplayer". LP, Vinyl record album

Another bold new direction for the legendary Miles Davis Quintet of the 60s – a set that has some of the angular styles of earlier albums, but also a bit more of the flowing grace to come in the electric years! A key illustration of this is the leadoff track "Prince Of Darkness" – which has a fluid sensibility that still never fails to floor us, even all these many decades later! The rest of the tracks are equally great – even when subtle – and by this point, the group of Davis, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams were well earning their acclaim as one of the most groundbreaking groups in jazz. Titles include "Prince Of Darkness", "Masqualero", "The Sorcerer", "Pee Wee", and "Vonetta" – plus the odd inclusion of a vocal version of "Nothing Like You" – recorded 5 years before with singer Bob Dorough and arranger Gil Evans! The tune's an odd cap to this otherwise cohesive set – but we love it plenty too, and it somehow oddly fits! LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible 70s work from the lovely Astrud Gilberto – a rare effort for the CTI label that has her teaming up with arranger Eumir Deodato and saxophonist Stanley Turrentine – all in a groove that's totally different than most of her earlier work! Astrud's breathy vocals are still wonderfully intact – but they're given a more spacious approach in the arrangements – strings mixes with rolling basslines, soaring keyboards, and stone cold tenor from Stanley – in a groove that's simply wonderful, and which takes off in a whole new direction than before! Other players include Airto, Sivuca, Hubert Laws, and Dom Um Romao – and tracks include classic versions of "Ponteio", "Vera Cruz", and "Zazueira" that are all some of the most grooving takes on the tunes ever – plus "Historia De Amor", "Where There's A Heartache", "Brazilian Tapestry", and "Wanting Things". LP, Vinyl record album

There's a bunch of young British skinheads pictured on the cover – but the legendary Symarip are a group of West Indian descent, and created the kind of rocksteady grooves that really drove the London scene wild at the end of the 60s! The group were one of the first to fully rise up from British recording origins with a level to top some of the imports coming from Jamaica – and while they'll forever be known for the classic title cut of the album, they've also got a huge amount of extra greatness to offer – a raw, echoey vibe that not only sets the group apart from some of their Kingston contemporaries, but which also echoes the Two Tone generation to come! Titles include the classic "Skinhead Moonstomp" – plus "Phoenix Reggae", "These Boots Are Made For Walking", "Chicken Merry", "Skinhead Jamboree", "Try Me Best", "You're Mine", "Fung Shu", and "Stay With Him". LP, Vinyl record album

A well-titled late album from Bill Evans – live material, recorded at the Keystone Korner, with wonderfully sensitive accompaniment from Marc Johnson on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums! There's a slightly different vibe to the record than some of Evans' other material from the period – a quality that seems to come from the piano, which is more resonant and "woody" than usual – clearly a different instrument, recorded differently – and in a way that actually seems to have Bill's left hand doing maybe slightly more than usual too. As always with a live Bill Evans recording, the whole thing is revelatory – and titles include "Morning Glory", "Laurie", "Letter To Evan", "Gary's Theme", "Up With The Lark", "Bill's Hit Tune", and "Knit For Mary F". LP, Vinyl record album

A bold statement by one of the best underground jazz players of the 70s! Carter Jefferson cut his chops with Art Blakey in the years after Blakey had Billy Harper in the group – and seemed to follow Harper into some of the same highly spiritual, soulful territory at the time! Jefferson's a bit more inside, but equally searching in his style – and this key album as a leader is quite possibly one of the best-ever demonstrations of his talents. Carter's recorded here on tenor and soprano sax, in two different groups – one with Terumasa Hino on trumpet, and one with Shunzo Ono on trumpet – with a great lineup that includes Harry Whitaker on piano, Clint Houston on bass, and Victor Lewis on drums! Lani Groves sings on one track – and titles include "Why", "Rise Of Atlantis", "Blues For Wood", and "Changing Trains". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprising jazz funk stunner from drummer Idris Muhammad – part of his great second chapter of work for CTI in the 70s! Idris is working here in a style that's very different than his heavy-footed funky work on Prestige and Blue Note – and while it's easy to criticize him for not keeping the same old breakbeat funk style, it's also important to give him a lot of credit for pushing his vision way past the simple stock style of the earlier days! The record's a very nice set of complicated jazzy grooves – some a bit clubby, but many very nice, and with the kind of sophisticated funk arrangements that were on the best Kudu records. No surprise that Dave Matthews is putting together most of the cuts, save for one excellent groove that's arranged by Tom Harrell. Players include Fred Wesley, Ronnie Cuber, Eric Gale, and Wilbur Bascomb – and titles include "Baia", "Sudan", "Hey Pocky A Way", "Theme For New York City", which is based on the same Chopin haunting tune as Serge Gainsbourg's "Jane B"! LP, Vinyl record album

An early gem from The Pioneers, and one of the first records on the Trojan label too – the kind of head-nodding, late rocksteady sounds that made the imprint a key bridge between the scenes in Kingston and London at the end of the 60s! The Pioneers have a bit more complex vocal interplay than other Jamaican vocal groups of the time – an ability to harmonize together, but break out a bit too – trading lines with increasing complexity that reflects the growing expressiveness that would flower more strongly in roots music during the 70s – turned here towards themes that are a bit less global, but even more charming in that respect. There's a wonderfully unified feel to the whole album – and titles include "Caranapo", "Long Shot Kick De Bucket", "Black Bud", "Lucky Side", "Samfie Man", "Mother Ritty", "Bring Him Come", and "Boss Festival". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest records ever cut by Brit easy maestro Harry Roche – and a set that's got plenty of sweet 70s touches in the mix, at a level that really opens things up in a great way! The set's got some key Fender Rhodes from Alaln Branscombe, who has a very unique touch on the instrument – and in addition to Harry's own work on valve trombone, the record also features Ray Swinfield on flute, Chris Pyne on trombone, and Roy Wilcox on soprano and alto sax. There's plenty of other jazz players in the mix too, grooving to sweet arrangements from David Lindup, Derek Cox, Pete Moore, and others – on titles that include "Superwoman", "Pinball Wizard", "Good Morning Heartache", "Lay Lady Lay", "Ludmilla's Theme", "That's Living", and the 10 minute title track, "Spiral" – a mighty nice number! LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful late 80s work from Pharoah – a wonderfully uncomplicated session that still has a great degree of soul! The album was recorded in Paris, with a quintet that includes William Henderson on acoustic piano, Stafford James on bass, Eddie Moore on drums, and Cheikh Tidiane Fale on percussion – and the overall approach is a bit more straight ahead than on some of Sanders' other albums – but in a really great way! The tunes are long and introspective – all done with spiritual rhythmic approaches, letting Pharoah open up on tenor and soprano sax – but never in a way that's overblown or overdone. The solos are perfectly placed – with wonderful phrasing and tone, rich in the colors that we've always loved on Sanders' work, but which can sometimes get lost in the confusion of an over-ambitious session. Titles include "Moon Child", "Moon Rays", "Soon", "Moniebah", and "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite Woody Shaw albums from his later years – and an album that's got the same joyous spirit and free soaring feel of his best 70s work on Muse – really soaring with a sense of life and freedom in a really great way! The core group on the album is the Tone Jansa Quartet – led by European reedman Jansa, and working in a space that's quite similar to that of Shaw's backing groups on previous sessions – strong modal currents in the rhythms, and with Tone's work on soprano, tenor, and flute turning out to be a great partner for Woody's trumpet! Jansa wrote all the tunes on the set, and gave them a soaring feel that we really love – just the right mix of introspection and exploration found on classic Shaw sessions like Little Red's Fantasy or Lovedance. Titles include "Midi", "Boland", "Call Mobility", "River", and "May". LP, Vinyl record album

Archie Shepp is one of the most unique players in jazz – an artist who started out completely avant at the beginning of his career, then moved to spiritual jazz explorations, then to straighter jazz material in later decades – but always with all that knowledge of the edges and farther realms of jazz he explored in his other music! That's definitely the case here – as Shepp takes on a host of ballads, but with all these edges and dark passages that are completely different than you'd hear from any other player – cast beautifully with help from Horace Parlan on piano, Wayne Dockery on bass, and Steve McRaven on drums. Shepp blows alto and tenor, and in addition to the titles "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "Lush Life", "Angel Eyes", "All Too Soon", and "Embraceable You" – the set also features Shepp originals "Deja Vu" and "I Know About The Life". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked trio date from McCoy Tyner – and a record that's just the sort of musical journey you might guess from the title! Tyner's piano is as full of fire and flight as always – and the group has some especially great work from bassist Avery Sharpe, who changes his approach from track to track, along with McCoy – and really helps bring a wide-ranging sort of sound to the record – the sort you might normally expect from some of Tyner's records with a fuller ensemble! Drummer Louis Hayes completes the trio – and titles include "Jazz Walk", "Summertime", "Bon Voyage", "Yesterdays", "Don't Blame Me", and "Blues For Max". Great 2LP edition – with a bonus disc that features four alternate takes! LP, Vinyl record album

Late, laidback ballad material from the great Chet Baker – and a set that, like so many of his other 80s recordings, has a subtle brilliance that really sets it apart from his better-known material of the 50s! Baker's horn is open, airy, and does more with less than ever before – really feeling the placement of the notes as he works alongside superb piano work from Harold Danko, in a group that also features John Burr on bass and Ben Riley on drums. Titles include "Sea Breeze", "Angel Eyes", "Round Midnight", "You & The Night & The Music", "I'm A Fool To Want You", and "You Have Been Here All Along". LP, Vinyl record album

The last-ever Chet Baker recording with a quartet – and a set that shows just how completely magical the legendary trumpeter was even up to the end! Chet at this time is completely different than Chet in the 50s or 60s – as he'd really found a way to make all these amazing new sounds on his horn, partly as a way of getting around some of his physical limitations, but also as a way of opening up some of those mid 60s ideas that he barely explored on record at the time. He's working here with a very important musical partner from the last decade – getting great help on guitar and flute from Nicola Stilo – plus Marc Abrams on bass and Luca Flores on piano – on titles that include "Portrait In Black & White", "Funk In Deep Freeze", "Arborway", "In A Sentimental Way", and "If I Should Lose You". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite albums of all time from the legendary saxophonist Ornette Coleman – an essential showcase for his early harmelodic concepts, but with a vibe that's maybe more pulsatingly rhythmic than on other albums from the time! Ornette plays his incredible plastic alto sax, which has a bracing sound that really gives the record a sense of urgency – and the rest of the quartet features Don Cherry on pocket trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – working here with a lively dancing sound on the kit, one that works perfectly for Ornette's jaunty compositions. The chopped-up modal groove is in full effect here – making the record a treasure trove of angular, highly rhythmic numbers that are easily some of Coleman's best-remembered tunes! Titles include the surprisingly modal classics "Ramblin" and "Una Muy Bonita" – performed in original early versions – plus "Free", "The Face Of The Bass", "Bird Food", and "Change Of The Century". LP, Vinyl record album

A jazz rock masterpiece from Colosseum – the kind of record that the British scene could do far far better than any American group at the time! The set is a sweet blend of late beat group grooving – using the heavy R&B-influenced guitar and organ styles of earlier years, and working them into a more open-ended, more improvisational approach that had a surprising amount of soul! Most cuts have vocals, but the instrumentation is what really dominates the set – especially on the sweet organ work from Dave Greenslade, and the always-great sax work by Dick Heckstall-Smith. Titles include the funky "Debut", and the cuts "Walking In The Park", "Plenty Hard Lick", "The Road She Walked Before", "Mandarin" and "Those About To Die". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from Colosseum – a record that really stands out as one of those completely unique hybrids from the British jazz rock years! Although Colosseum are probably best known as a progressive band, they certainly had plenty of jazz touches – and this album spawned the great groover "Elegy", which has become something of a jazzy dancefloor classic over the years. Overall, the record's got some very tight drumming, plenty of wailing organ work, and a basic groove that takes off where the beat groups of the 60s left off. Chris Farlowe's vocals can be good or bad, depending on the moment – but on the funkier cuts, like "Elegy" and "The Machine Demands a Sacrifice", they have a sort of madness that makes sense! The album also includes the freer jazzy "Valentyne Suite", which is pretty nice. LP, Vinyl record album

There's a really fresh vibe to this record from trumpeter Theo Croker – a sensibility that recalls older jazz and funk traditions, but which also reaches for something new as well – at a level that really lives up to the experimental promise of the title! The rhythms are deep, but the instrumental lines are often quite free – never outside, but soaring and searching as they're driven on by a mix of acoustic percussion and electric bass – plus sweet Hammond and Fender Rhodes as well! Croker's conception is not unlike the best Blue Note work of late – particularly material from the Robert Glasper side of the universe – and the set features guest work that includes Dee Dee Bridgewater on vocals, Stefon Harris on vibes, and Roy Hargrove on trumpet. Titles include "Save Your Love For Me", "Alapa", "Realize", "It's Not You It's Me", "Bo Masekela", "I Can't Help It", "Roy Allan", and "The Fundamentals". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderfully righteous work from trumpeter Theo Croker – and a set that's really got the sort of majesty you might expect from the cover! Theo's never been a straight jazz artist on other records – but here, he really ups his game on the cosmic soul front – mixing in guest vocals and instrumental elements with some soul-drenched arrangements that often have a nicely crisp crackle on the rhythms! Croker's trumpet is only part of the album's strength here – as the set also features work from Gary Bartz on alto, plus vocals from Kassa Overall, Iman Omari, Wyclef Jean, and others – on titles that include "Every Part Of Me", "Soul Call Vibrate", "No More Maybe", "Happy Feet", "Where Will You Go", "Anthem", and "Imperishable Star". LP, Vinyl record album

A batch of instrumental dubs of songs from Culture – who were then riding high after their Two Sevens Clash album – taken here by Erroll Brown into very moody, very abstract territory – a stretched-out, spacey sound that has all sorts of cool guitar and keyboard elements bubbling amidst the murky basslines and drums. Brown really works magic in the mixing of material originally recorded by the group, at a level that completely transforms things – and titles include "Everyday Love Dub", "Skillful Dub", "Iron Sharp Dub", "Freedom Jam", "Deep Root Dub", and "Harder Than The Rest Dub". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the most sonically dense album to date from Curren$y, even if the music comes across as laidback and relaxed at times – a set that features production from a host of different talents (including Pharrell, Justice League, and Monsta Beatz), but which has a very unified vibe, thanks to the maturing flow of the rapper in the lead! The set has plenty of features – Wiz Khalifa on two tracks, plus work from Pharrell, Daz, 2Dhainz, Corner Boy P, and others – but the denseness of the sound really holds the whole thing together as a whole, on titles that include "Sunroof", "Chasin Papers", "That's The Thing", "Fast Cars Faster Women", "Jet Life", "Capitol", "No Squares", "Take You There", "What It Look Like", "Privacy Glass", "Armoire", and "Showroom". LP, Vinyl record album

Das Efx are dead serious, and dead on the money with this tremendous debut album – really announcing themselves as one of the powerhouse hip hop forces of the early 90s – able to blend some of the bite of the west coast scene with the sharper rhymes and amazing production of the east! Almost every song on the set is a bonafide classic from back in the day – and the fantastic set list includes "Mic Checka", "Jussumen", "Looseys", "Dum Sums", "They Want EFX", "Straight Out The Sewer", "East Coast", and "Klap Ya Handz". Production by EMPD – which is kind of like icing on the cake! LP, Vinyl record album

The legendary debut LP from Desmond Dekker & The Aces – trailblazing recordings that are masterfully laid the groundwork for the international ska scene, popularizing the rude boy style and paving the way for coming reggae phenomenon that was still years down the road! Desmond Dekker's impeccable voice was always so strongly rooted on earlier soul, both Jamaican and global, and the tight rhythms under it laid down by the appropriately-named Aces is aces indeed. Includes the classic title track, "Rude Boy Train" and "Rudy Got Soul", "You've Got Your Troubles", "Keep A Cool Head", "Mother Long Tongue", "Personal Possession", "Unity" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Messed-up funky jazz from an obscure early 70s UK group – and an album that really lives up to its trippy cover! The tracks are all long and stretched out – with lots of organ, sax, and spaced out drums – and the overall style is a mix of dub-heavy funk, Afro jazz, and a bit of jazz rock jamming! There's a bit of vocals on the album, but overall most of the set is instrumental – in a really right on and progressive style that we totally love. This is the kind of record that always got passed by in the 80s when everyone was looking for hard James Brown grooves, but which is very much in fashion now with the blunted funky crowd. Cuts include "Hymn To Mother Earth", "Another Country", "Disillusioned Man", and "Mercy (Variation No. 1)". LP, Vinyl record album

Mr Soul is right – as Alton Ellis was one of the greatest Jamaican singers of his generation, and an artist who was able to bring a deeper sense of soul than most! The music's got this laidback rocksteady vibe that really lets Ellis soar – with backings by Tommy McCook & The Supersonics, and some harmonies behind his lead that really knock things out of the park! The album brings together cuts that were recorded over the space of a number of years in the late 60s, showing a nice evolution of both Ellis and the scene – and titles include "Breaking Up", "I Can't Stop Now", "Baby I Love You", "If I Could Rule The World", and "What Does It Take". LP, Vinyl record album

A great set of early work from The Ethiopians, and a strong testament to the production efforts of Karl JJ Johnson – maybe not the biggest name in Jamaican studio talent, but a producer with a great ear for the most soulful sounds bubbling up at the time! Johnson was known as Sir JJ – and worked most famously with The Ethiopians, but also handled a fair bit of other rocksteady and early reggae groups – a few of whom are included here. The set's dominated by The Ethiopians – on tracks that include "Everything Crash", "What A Fire", "Losing You", "Feel The Spirit", "Hong Kong Flu", and "Gun Man" – and other cuts include "Dollar Of Soul" and "Robert F Kennedy" by Kingston Tops, and "Life", "Dancing Reggae", and "Your Smile" by Roy Shirley. LP, Vinyl record album

Nothing mystifying here – as the album grabs us right from the get-go – with wonderful Fender Rhodes lines from leader Tom Grant, and plenty of soulful tenor from the great Joe Henderson! The album's an overlooked gem from Joe's late 70s years – and the the player is right at home next to Grant's keys – which are sometimes acoustic, and sometimes accompanied by a wordless, humming sort of vocal – which really gives the album some strongly soulful currents! The rest of the quartet features Rick Laird on bass and Ron Steen on drums – and the electric tunes are especially wonderful, and are almost an extension of the vibe of some of Joe's late Milestone albums. Titles include "Caribbean Firedance", "Gazelle", "No Me Esqueca", and "Peddie Has A Point". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer album of crossover soul from the mid 70s – one that dropped like a bomb when it hit, and gave this UK group a number of big hits in America! Keyboardist Rod Temperton wrote all the tracks on the album – and he's got keen talent for both funky numbers and ballads. If soul stations played album side specials the way that classic rock stations do, side one would be in heavy rotation – as it kicks off with the funky title cut, rolls into the hit "Boogie Nights", cuts to the sample classic "Ain't No Half Steppin" (forever made famous by Big Daddy Kane), and steps into the moody ballad "Always & Forever". It's hard to beat that lineup, but side two does a pretty good job – and includes a similar mix of titles like "Super Soul Sister", "All You Do Is Dial", and "Sho'nuff Must Be Love". This great version includes a full LP of bonus tracks – including "Turn Out The Lamplight", "Special Offer", "Slip Your Disc To This", "Boogie Nights (12" disco version)", "Ain't No Half Steppin (single version)", and "Always & Forever (single version)". LP, Vinyl record album

The debut album from Juicy Lucy – an American act who made a trip to the London scene in the late 60s, where they found a way to forge a whole bunch of influences into a very unique groove! Had they stayed back home in Cali, Juicy Lucy might have gravitated towards the Bay Area scene, and ended up sounding a bit freakier and hippieish – but in London, they sharpened their sound, unleashed some deeper bluesy currents, and put the whole thing together with a mix of wit and flair that really set them apart! The group boasts great lead vocals from Ray Owen, a cool mix of electric and acoustic sax parts from Chris Mercer, strong lead guitar from Neil Hubbard, and a range of great sounds from Glenn Ross Campbell – who uses steel guitar and mandolin in ways that are very different than American groups of the time. Forgive the album its quickly-dated, exploitative cover – because it's got a lot more to offer than that – and titles include "Chicago Northwestern", "Train", "Nadine", "Mississippi Woman", "She's Mine She's Yours", and "Just One Time". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautifully warm record from the great Letta Mbulu – maybe the closest she ever came to cutting a straight soul album, although a set that still has plenty of nice nods to her South African roots as well! The music's got a smooth, sweet groove – and at some of the best moments, Letta steps in with a quality that feels like some of the best UK soul of the mid 80s – not exactly Sade, but not far off either. Other tunes have a bit more of a Afro pop feel, but very slightly – and titles include "The Village", "Nomalizo", "Nkedama", "Sweet Juju", and "Down By The River". LP, Vinyl record album

Not the trashy kind of passion you might expect from the cover – but instead, one of the most trademark sides of legendary film composer Ennio Morricone – his talent for building a tune up slowly, almost out of nowhere, then letting it flow gently with a wonderful sense of space and sound! These cuts move between the bossa and jazz-inspired modes of his late 60s soundtracks, and that richer style that he would use to great international fame in the 80s – making the music here a great 70s bridge, with some wonderful tracks from a variety of Italian films of the time. The set features work from the films Il Giro Del Mondo, Cosa Avete Fatto A Solange, Le Due Sagioni Della Vita, Amanti D'Oltretomba, Cuore Di Mamma, I Figli Chiedono Perche, Per Le Antiche Scale, Maddalena, Mi Vedrai Tornare, and other lost classics – 21 tracks in all. LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy group from the Dutch scene of the 60s – an one who've got a sound that's very much in keeping with their colorful outfits on the cover! There's a great blend of sunshine pop and trippier psych going on here – lyrics that can have warm harmonies, but which are often balanced with some headier guitar work – and very cool production and effects that keep things offbeat and interesting throughout! Lyrics are in English, and there's definitely a link here to the elite of the UK psych/freakbeat scene of the time – as you'll hear on titles that include "Green Chewing Gum Machine", "Love Is Good Love Is Real", "Did I Tell You Babe", "Make It Legal", "Slow Down Cool Down", "If You & Me", "Red Balloons", and "Hey Conductor Man". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary set of work from Lee Scratch Perry – a triple-length collection of some of his most mindblowing recordings done in the famous Black Ark Studio in Kingston! Perry is at his headiest here – using plenty of reverb and echo over some mad funky rhythms – spacing things out in wonderful ways, with vocals on the top from singers who include Eric Donaldson, Junior Delgado, The Diamonds, Dr Alimantado, and Junior Murvin – plus The Heptones, who are featured here on a few unreleased tracks! Many of the titles here have vocal versions followed by an instrumental dub – and cuts include "Sons Of Slaves", "Vampire", "Babylon Falling", "Words", "Ruffer Ruff", "Neckodeemus", "Know Love", "Bionic Rats", and "Bad Weed". LP, Vinyl record album

Early 80s dub at its best – recorded at a time when Sly & Robbie were really making some huge waves in the mainstream, but were still also able to provide plenty of heady rhythms when working in the Roots Radics combo! Of course, the pair aren't the only stars here – as Mikey Dread and Scientist both helped with mixing, which really sends the core instrumentation over the top – and which definitely creates plenty of special sonic magic with the relatively lean style of the original rhythms! Titles include "Two Track Dub", "Control Tower Dub", "Raving Style", "Dub Addict", "Brain Wave", "Dreadlocks Dub", and "Queen Dub". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant 80s set from Pharoah Sanders – a record that has him a much more understated setting than some of his other albums from the time – but one that's maybe even more soulful and searching overall! The great one plays blistering tenor right from the start – in a quartet with John Hicks on piano, Curtis Lundy on bass, and Idris Muhammad on drums – all players who have this way of doing a lot with a little, especially in the rhythm department – where they seem to give Sanders some of his strongest sense of groove since the key albums for Theresa. Muhammad's got this tight sense of timekeeping, but with a looseness that we love – and Lundy's warm soulful bass does more than enough to give the set a sound bottom – and Hicks' free lyrical piano works nicely with Sanders' spiritual horn. Titles include a remake of "You've Got To Have Freedom", plus "Naima", "Origin", "Speak Low", "After The Morning", and "Africa". Also features the tracks "Duo" and "Heart To Heart" – not on the original vinyl release! LP, Vinyl record album

Laidback, soulful work from Pharoah Sanders – a record that showcases a very different side of his talents than you might know from his classic albums on Impulse Records – but a side that's an equally great revelation overall! The album features mostly older jazz standards, blown by Pharoah in a mellow, late nite sort of mode – working with help from William Henderson on piano, Stafford James on bass, and Ecclesion Wainwright on drums. The format is surprisingly captivating, largely because Pharoah's tone is always such a treat – and he sparkles with a majesty on the set that captures our ear a lot more than we expected! The whole thing's almost got the feel of some of Coltrane's earlier ballad work – and titles include "The Nearness Of You", "Nancy", "I Want To Talk About You", "Say It Over And Over Again", "Polkadots & Moonbeams", and "You Don't Know What Love Is". LP, Vinyl record album

A real standout 70s set from Nina Simone – a one-off date for CTI Records, done with a sound that's different than her earlier work for RCA, Philips, and Colpix! The groove here is often as soul-based as it is vocal jazz – thanks to arrangements from David Matthews, who brings a similar sound here to his other work with Esther Phillips in the decade – another older singer who'd hit some very hip territory at the time. The groove here is very much like Phillips' best for Kudu – smooth and soulful, but in ways that still retain all the rasp and character of the lead vocals. Titles include a sublime reading of Randy Newman's excellent "Baltimore", plus "The Family", "My Father", "Music For Lovers", "Rich Girl", and "Balm In Gilead". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that features crucial dub work from Errol Brown, but one that's a bit different than some of his other 70s productions – as the session reworks older recordings from Sonia Pottinger's catalog of the late 60s and early 70s – rocksteady modes taken into dub territory, with really amazing results! You'll hear momentary echoes of the old amidst the soundclash of the new – and titles include "Revelation Of Dub", "Trinity Of Dub", "Tip Top Affair", "Engineer's Special", "Natty Dutty Dub", and "Swing & Dub". LP, Vinyl record album

A set with a cover that almost looks like some 80s indie rock record – which is maybe a good indication of just how far Jerry Jeff Walker has stretched out his sound since his debut! The style here is free of the folksier elements of the past – fuller arrangements that have piano and organ doing as much as guitar – mixed with bits of dobro and vibes that shade things with more subtle country colors – even though Jerry Jeff here is a lot less of a country singer than he'd soon become! Instead, there's a very open, honest presentation – on material that is very post-folk, and in a singer/songwriter mode that should have made Walker huge at this point. Titles include "Tracks Run Through The City", "Dead Men Got No Dreams", "Janet Says", "About Her Eyes", "Seasons Change", "Help Me Now", and "Happiness Is A Good Place To Visit But It Was So Sad In Fayetteville". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare Atlantic LP from the 60s – one that showcases two different sides of singer Mary Wells, in a mode that's different than her work for other labels! The "two sides" in the title are Mary's soul side and her more sophisticated one – the former served up in a batch of great 60s soul covers that echo with an Atlantic sound that's even harder than Mary's earlier work – the latter by a host of groovy 60s pop numbers, done with fuller arrangements, and a vocal range that really surprised us! Sonny Sanders handles the soul sides, Joe Mazzu handles the sophisticated ones – and titles include "Love Make The World Go Round", "My World Is Empty Without You Babe", "Good Lovin", "Dear Lover", "In The Midnight Hour", "Where Am I Going", "The Boy From Ipanema", and "The Shadow of Your Smile". LP, Vinyl record album

Easily one of our favorite albums by Tim Buckley – and a record that really opens up with some key jazzy touches! Buckley's still got his roots in folk here, and his vocals are yet to hit the extremes of Starsailor or Lorca – but there's also a new sense of inflection to the way he puts over the lyrics, shaded in by use of vibes, kalimba, harmonium, and harpsichord – the latter two of which are played on the session by Don Randi! Tracks are relatively short, but high in concept – and include the protest song "No Man Can Find The War", plus "Hallucinations", "Phantasmagoria In Two", "Carnival Song", "Pleasant Street", "Morning Glory", and "Goodbye & Hello". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the moodiest record we've ever heard from trumpeter Theo Croker – a set that blends together his earthy Afrofuturist experiments with other electric horn-based modes – maybe currents of 70s Miles or Jon Hassell, but served up in much more soul-based territory overall! Many cuts have vocals – from singers who include Jamila Woods, Jill Scott, and Teedra Moses – which are often muted, and folded into the electric mix – so that the lyrics are just one more shimmering texture of sound, amidst the blend of keyboards, organ, alto, and other instrumentation on the set. There's also plenty of guests along the way – including Gary Bartz and Kassa Overall – on titles that include "Jazz Is Dead", "Royal Conversation", "To Be We", "She's Bad", "Humanity", "Divinity", and "Cosmic Intercourse (part 2)". LP, Vinyl record album

A key part of the too-short legacy of this wonderful duo – part of the top shelf of hip hop up-and-comers in the early 90s – and one of the few who were able to balance a new level of toughness with the smart rhymes and subtle wit that came into the game at the start of the decade! Dray and Skoob keep up the loco syllabic tempo and tongue-tripping rhymes on this one – all set to great production and beats from Solid Scheme – yet things are nicely never too over the top, too – which gives the record a subtle power that's only made it sound better and better as the years move on. Titles include "Baknaffek", "Wontu", "Check It Out", "Undaground Rappa", "Gimme Dat Micraphone", "It'z Lik Dat", "Host Wit Da Most", "Rappaz", and "Freakit". LP, Vinyl record album

An early moment of vocal strength from Aretha Franklin – a set in which she takes on the music of the recently-departed Dinah Washington, and really transforms it into her own! If you know other Aretha records on Columbia, you'll know that the label did a great job of opening up the jazzier side of her style – served up here with arrangements by Robert Mersey that are definitely different than Franklin's later music for Atlantic, but which also does a great job of bridging the worlds of postwar jazz and 60s soul! Titles include "Evil Gal Blues", "Soulville", "Unforgettable", "Cold Cold Heart", "Drinking Again", and "This Bitter Earth". LP, Vinyl record album

A heck of a great little album from drummer Billy Higgins – one of his few standout efforts as a leader, after years and years of impeccable work as a player on some of our favorite records! The set's got a simple, almost innocuous approach – with Higgins leading a quartet that features Cedar Walton on piano, Walter Booker on bass, and Monty Waters on alto sax. But from the very first note, the album bristles with energy and excitement – in a mode that recalls the Clifford Jordan recordings that also featured Higgins from the mid 70s – sharing a similar sense of soulful and joyous expression. Waters is really great, with a really biting, honest tone – and singer Roberta Davis joins the group on an excellent reading of Waters' composition "Sugar & Spice". Other tracks include Walton's nice "Midnite Waltz", and great versions of Horace Silver's "Peace" and Sonny Rollins' "Sonnymoon For Two". LP, Vinyl record album

A set of extended tracks from French powerhouse Magma, but one that burns with intensity throughout – thanks not just to the killer drum work of group members Christian Vander on drums and Jannink Top on bass (with both on keyboards as well) – but also to the presence of legendary guitarist Brian Godding, whose sounds on the album really set the whole thing on fire! Magma already had a great keyboard and drum groove going on with previous records – but the presence of Godding here really sends things over the top – as, again, the group show that their instrumentation can deliver far more than their vocals – on extended titles that include "Kohntarkosz", "Ork Alarm", and "Coltrane Sundia". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic showcase for the tenor talents of Tommy McCook – the saxophonist who was as important to the Kingston scene as Jr Walker was to Motown and Detroit – equally able to stand on his own as an instrumental lead, and really keep a strong soul instrumental spirit! Tommy blows with the Supersonics group – and titles include "Tribute To Don", "Live Injection", "Doctor No Go", "The Saint", "Bongo Nyah", and a version of "The Liquidator" – and the album also features a few non McCook cuts, "Joy Ride" by Karl Bryan and "Zylon" by Winston Wright. LP, Vinyl record album

Tight funky 80s fusion from the team of Jaco Pastorius on bass and Brian Melvin drums and drum programs – both working in a very electric mode that fits the spirit of the time! Pastorius gets in plenty of great lines – both lead and solo – and his work here is kind of an update of the fusion modes he famously explored with Weather Report in the 70s, tuned towards technologies of the next decade, and mixed with contributions from Rick Smith on saxes, Jon Davis on keyboards, and Paul Mousavi on guitar! Titles include "Jazz Street", "No Slack", "Miles Mode", "May Day", "Drums Of The Yadzarah", and "Wedding Waltz". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best later albums by French tenor genius Barney Wilen – a true gem that's far better than the title might indicate! The tunes, as you might guess, are all themes from French films – stretching back to the late 50s jazz/new wave days, when Wilen recorded on a few brilliant soundtracks with Miles Davis and Art Blakey – and moving forward into later years to include a few great tunes from the 60s French scene. The group on the set is Mal Waldron's excellent trio with Stafford James on bass and Eddie Moore on drums – the three of them rounding out the tunes with a strong degree of soul, and lots of open notes and space, which lets Wilen do some incredible work on both tenor and soprano saxes. Tunes are all quite long, and really depart from the original structures – and titles include "Un Homme Et Une Femme", "Les Parapluies De Cherbourg", "Manha De Carnaval", "No Problem", and "Julien Dans L'Ascenseur". LP, Vinyl record album

That's a vintage British slot machine on the cover – ready to deliver a jackpot of hits from the early years of the legendary Trojan Records label! The work is all from that moment when rocksteady was crossing into early reggae – a time that Trojan covered beautifully as it introduced key Jamaican acts to the UK scene – including some of the great harmony groups who were turning out some of the best work at the time. As part of that, the set features four gems by The Pioneers – "Jackpot", "Give Me A Little Loving", "No Dope Me Pony", and "Catch The Beat" – plus more cuts that include "Feel Good" by The Mellotones, "Secret Weapon" by The Conquerors, "Hurry Come Up" by The Crashers, "Train To Soulville" by Sticky, "Good Time Rock" by Hugh Malcolm, and "Just Like A River" by Stranger Cole. LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from the team of Dave Baker and Ansel Collins – one a soulful singer from the Jamaican rocksteady scene, the other a hip keyboardist whose organ lines really make the album shimmer! The pair scored a huge international hit with this album – and the whole thing was a key crossover record in the years before Island Records and some of the bigger reggae artists to come! There's a raw, earthy vibe to the whole thing – and a heck of a groove too – and titles include "Double Barrel", "Wild Bunch", "Monkey Spanner Version", "Secret Weapon", "Impossible Mission", and "Ten To One". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning set – and one of our favorite modern soul albums ever! The set was recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in 1980, and it's one of the best-ever records to come out of that hallowed hall of grooves – a one-off debut from the team of Tonee & Bill Collins, set to impeccable arrangements from the mighty John Davis! The set's not really disco – more a blend of mellow soul and midtempo club – with a sound that evokes artists like Barry White, Leon Ware, and Leroy Hutson – but which also grooves with a feel that's all its own. Nearly every cut's fantastic, and although you may know the duo's classic "Top Of The Stairs" from other collections, there's loads of other nice tracks here too – like "You Know How To Make Me Feel So Good", "Can't Turn Down Love", and "You Made Me Believe". LP, Vinyl record album

Funky Divas is right – as this classic album by En Vogue is one that had the group really redefining the sound of girl group soul for a whole new generation! The girls do a wonderful job of blending together hip hop beats and warmer mainstream soul – at a level that marked one of the key bridges between R&B and hip hop in the 90s – almost making the group kind of a trans-generational healing force in African American music. After all these years the beats are still pretty great, and the vocals even better – and titles include "My Lovin (You're Never Gonna Get It)", "Free Your Mind", "Giving Him Something He Can Feel", "Give It Up Turn It Loose", "Hooked On Your Love", "Love Don't Love You", "This Is Your Life", "Desire", "Hip Hop Lover", and "It Ain't Over Till The Fat Lady Sings". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant 80s set from Pharoah Sanders – a record that has him a much more understated setting than some of his other albums from the time – but one that's maybe even more soulful and searching overall! The great one plays blistering tenor right from the start – in a quartet with John Hicks on piano, Curtis Lundy on bass, and Idris Muhammad on drums – all players who have this way of doing a lot with a little, especially in the rhythm department – where they seem to give Sanders some of his strongest sense of groove since the key albums for Theresa. Muhammad's got this tight sense of timekeeping, but with a looseness that we love – and Lundy's warm soulful bass does more than enough to give the set a sound bottom – and Hicks' free lyrical piano works nicely with Sanders' spiritual horn. Titles include a remake of "You've Got To Have Freedom", plus "Naima", "Origin", "Speak Low", "After The Morning", and "Africa". Also features the tracks "Duo" and "Heart To Heart" – not on the vinyl release! CD

A record that definitely funked our head up at the time of its release – a rock-solid follow up to the UMCs Critical Beatdown – and another record that has us just wishing they'd given us more music in this incarnation! A very young Kool Keith is key to the album – giving it an early dose of that special charm that would later make him a star, as a very fresh approach in hip hop at the time – working next to killer production from Ced Gee and Moe Love! The album's brimming over with gems – including the classics "Poppa Large", "Chorus Line Pt. 2", and "Make It Happen" – plus "Funk Radio", "Stop Jockin Me", "Bust The Facts", "I Like Your Style", "MC Champion", "Go For Yourz", "Message From The Boss", "Pluckin Cards", "You Ain't Real", "Moe Love On The 1 & 2", and "Porno Star". LP, Vinyl record album

Terry Callier's first album in nearly 2 decades – and a return to the folksy glory of his roots! The set was put together by the British Talking Loud label – no surprise, given that although back home, Callier had fallen into obscurity – but his star was still riding very high on the London scene! And given the London touch, the sound here is very respectful – a mode that lets Terry's vocals and warm acoustic guitar lines take center stage, supported by only a bit of additional instrumentation, mostly from longtime associates. Titles include "Lazarus Man", "Love Theme From Spartacus", "Timepeace", "Following Your Footprints", "Java Sparrow", "No More Blues", and "Traitor To The Race". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet 80s groover throughout – the only album we've ever seen by this keyboard-heavy quintet, served up in a flurry of catchy catchy tunes! Keys on the set are handled by producer/arranger Michael Stokes – who's very clearly in charge of the voices of the group – giving them real focus on the album's mix of uptempo groovers and a few mellower cuts, sometimes even underscoring things with a groove that's verging on electro! Stokes also handles the keyboards, but Patrice Rushen is on the set on piano – warming things up nicely – and titles include the great midtempo stepper "Give Me Your Love", plus "Bottom Line", "Rise Up", "Keep On Rockin", "My Sunshine", "Coo Coo Kachu", and "I Never Thought I'd Love Again". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest Dorothy Ashby albums of the 60s – a set that has her already-great jazz work on harp backed by Chicago soul arrangements from Richard Evans – all in a blend that's somewhere in the territory of the Soulful Strings, but even groovier! And as an added bonus, Odell Brown even plays a bit of Fender Rhodes on the record – which sounds especially great! Both Ashby and Evans are at the height of their powers here – mixing together bits of jazz, soul, and trippier elements in a sublime late 60s Cadet Records blend – one that's carried off perfectly on the original tunes "Truth Spoken Here", "Tornado", "Cause I Need It", and "Just Had To Tell Somebody" – but which also sounds great on some of the album's cool covers too! Other titles include Brazilian numbers "Reza" and "Canto De Ossanha" – both of which are transformed in Dorothy's hands – plus "This Girl's In Love", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", and "Windmills of Your Mind"! LP, Vinyl record album

The debut of Bilal, and a key album in that second generation merging of hip hop and R&B – very different than the early 90s moment, where the genres might combine in more of a surface level – and a set that marks a key merging of minds with the styles, as Bilal croons vocals, but with the fierceness of some of the rappers he'd collaborated with in years before the record! Part of that identity comes through on the album's release on Interscope, echoed by presence of guests who include Dr Dre, Mos Def, and Common – yet the album's very much Bilal's own, and maybe even pushes past territory explored by D'Angelo a few years before. Production includes work by Bilal himself, plus contributions from Dr Dre and J Dilla – on titles that include "Soul Sista", "You Are", "Slyde", "Second Child", "Sally", "Fast Lane", "All That I Am", "Love It", "Sometimes", "Reminisce", and "Home". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the spookiest soundtracks ever crafted by one of our favorite film composers of all time! Francois DeRoubaix always had this amazing style to his music – unlike anyone else, especially in the way he could blend together spare acoustic elements and unusual sonic and electronic touches! There's a very intimate feel to the record – almost as if Francois is performing most of the sounds in the studio himself – balancing a guitar line with a keyboard fill, a bowed bass bit with drums, soaring strings with trumpet, and so on – occasionally hitting some funky touches that really keep things interesting – and which makes some of DeRoubaix best work on a par with the genius of Serge Gainsbourg and Jean-Claude Vannier! Titles include "The Countess Kiss", "Phantom Organ & Piano", "Pursuit On The Dunes Of Ostend", "Accident & Cymbalum", "Love On The Rails", "Red Lips", "Ballad In Bruges", and "The Dunes Of Ostend Flagellation". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal jazz funk session of the 70s – Herbie Hancock's legendary meeting with The Headhunters, and a killer batch of tunes that really gave the combo their name! Herbie's playing a wide range of keys here – including Fender Rhodes, clavinet, and Arp – but almost even better is the work from the rest of the group – including Bennie Maupin on soprano and tenor sax, Paul Jackson on bass, Harvey Mason on drums, and Bill Summers on percussion! The earthier elements of the rhythm players really keep Herbie on track – bringing him back to the planet from previous trips into space, and helping him hit an all-solid, all-righteous funky groove! Titles include a great remake of "Watermelon Man", the classic original recording of "Chameleon", and the cuts "Vein Melter" and "Sly" – all nice and long! LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent solo material from Jermaine Jackson – maybe the second greatest solo star from the Jackson 5 next to his brother Michael! Jermaine's got a mature confidence here that really makes his solo presence stand out from his group material – set up wonderfully in some of the best evolving modes that Motown was going through at the time – a few echoes of earlier material, but also the newer styles that worked so well for Marvin Gaye. Arrangements are by The Corporation, James Carmichael, and others – and titles include "Come Into My Life", "Does Your Mama Know About Me", "Sitting On The Edge Of My Mind", "You're In Good Hands", and "A Million To One". CD

Four fantastic records from the great Emitt Rhodes – a near-overlooked genius from the end of the 60s! First up is The American Dream – a real classic from Emitt Rhodes, easily one of the most unusual voices in music of his time! Rhodes has this really dreamy approach to the vocals – a mode that feels much more tuned towards late 60s pop/psych, but which comes across here in a very different setting – some echoes of more open 70s singer-songwriter modes, and some slight touches of Americana, too – a really unique setting that makes the record one of his most compelling ever! All tunes are originals, and titles include "Your A Very Lovely Woman", "In days Of Old", "Til The Day After", "Holly Park", "Mother Earth", "Pardon Me", and "Textile Factory". Next is the self-titled Emitt Rhodes, a great set from the compelling California singer who hardly ever gets his due! The music's a wonderful mix of California late 60s singer/songwriter modes and bits of Beatles-esque production – a blend that makes for a fuller feel than usual for a record like this – a bit more confidence, and some really great punch in the overall sound, but never in a way that's slick or commercial. Emitt handled all instruments and arrangements himself – and Curt Boettcher helped a bit on the mix down, so we're happy to credit him for part of the "punch". Titles include "With My Face On The Floor", "She's Such A Beauty", "Promises I've Made", "Long Time No See", and "You Take The Dark Out Of The Night". Next is Mirror, one of the best records that Emitt Rhodes cut on his own after leaving The Merry Go Round – a slightly rough blend of rock, folk, and dimmed sunny pop influences – and a perfect document of the waning light of the west coast scene at the turn of the 70s. There's almost a boozy feel to the work – Rhodes' vocals a little scratchy, and the songs honestly plucked out like some of Nilsson's more intimate work – touched with occasionally more expansive instrumentation. Titles include "Side We Seldom Show", "Mirror", "Really Wanted You", "My Love Is Strong", "Better Side Of Life", "Love Will Stone You", and "Golden Child Of God". Last up is Farewell To Paradise – Rhodes' last solo LP – a strangely fragile record that's at once intimate and frantic. The songs are extremely well-written and very honest – so much so that you almost get the feeling that Rhodes intentionally got them on tape before he had a chance to think closely about them – a detail that's sometimes reflected in the instrumentation, which is a bit more expanded than before, but in a way that creates a nice tension from song to song. Titles include "Shoot The Moon", "Only Lovers Decide", "Warm Self Sacrifice", "Trust Once More", "Bad Man", "Those That Die", "Farewell To Paradise", and "Bad Man". CD set also features the bonus track "Tame The Lion" – a non-LP single. CD

Toots Thielemans has done countless studio sessions over the years – both under his name, and working with a variety of groups and arrangers – but for some reason, we find his live material to maybe be some of his most powerful – a clear, careful presentation of the honest heart that lies in Thielemans' solos, which seem to shine even more in a spontaneous setting! This set was done relatively late in Toots' career, but has the harmonica legend sounding fantastic – easily hitting those brilliant ballad modes he does so well, but also surprising our ears with a few more powerful numbers too – in the company of Karel Boehlee on piano, Hein Van De Geyn on bass, and Hans Van Oosterhout on drums. Titles include "Circle Of Smile", "Comecar De Novo", "Summertime", "For My Lady", "Ne Me Quitte Pas", "Bluesette", and "Theme From Midnight Cowboy" – which sounds especially nice in Toots' hands! LP, Vinyl record album

They're not lying with the title – as this heavy set collects plenty of gems from Motown Records – some of the earliest Berry Gordy productions that set the tone for the label, through later tracks that still have the Motown flag flying strongly into the 80s! There's 33 tracks on the double-length set – and titles include "Money" by Barrett Strong, "Come To Me" by Marv Johnson, "The Way You Do The Things You Do" by The Temptations, "How Sweet It Is" by Marvin Gaye, "Please Mr Postman" by The Marvelettes, "Do You Love Me" by The Contours, "I Want You Back" by The Jackson 5, "War" by Edwin Starr, "Same Old Song" by The Four Tops, "Uptight" by Stevie Wonder, "Get Ready" by Rare Earth, "It's A Shame" by The Spinners, "Don't Leave Me This Way" by Thelma Houston, "Tears Of A Clown" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, "Super Freak" by Rick James, "It Will Come In Time" by Billy Preston & Syreeta, "Let's Get Serious" by Jermaine Jackson, "Don't Look Any Further" by Dennis Edwards with Siedah Garrett, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, "Where Did Our Love Go" by The Supremes, "Shotgun" by Jr Walker & The All Stars, "My Guy" by Mary Wells, and "This Old Heart Of Mine" by The Isley Brothers. LP, Vinyl record album

A killer double-length set of work from Desmond Dekker – one that's put together by Trojan Records to feature all the lesser-known and unreleased tracks that Desmond recorded during the years of his initial hits! As such, the album's a treasure trove of work that goes way past the oft-issued singles that Desmond cut in the late 60s and early 70s – tracks that are wonderful, and some of our favorites – but which are greatly expanded here! Dekker's voice is fantastic – as always – one of the sweetest soul sounds in Jamaican music – and the grooves are a mix of rocksteady and new reggae modes that were bubbling forth at the time. Titles include "Look What They're Doing To Me", "Life Of Opportunity", "Little Darling", "Warlock", "Licking Stick", "Hippopotamus", "Go & Tell My People", "Trample", "What Will You Gain", "My Reward", "Mother Nature", and "Life Hope & Faith". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary pairing of two key 60s pop talents – the soulful sounds of Ike & Tina Turner, and the soaring production styles of Phil Spector! The album's quite different than some of the grittier Turner projects of the time – lots of full orchestrations and strings, mixed with the rougher rhythms you'd usually hear from Ike – a blend that's surprisingly great, and helps push Tina's vocals into wonderfully mature territory – a bit like the mix of deep soul and class that you'd get from Etta James on mid-60s Chess Records! The album's a feather in the cap of both Spector and Turner – and titles include "River Deep Mountain High", "I Idolize You", "A Love Like Yours", "Such A Fool For You", "I'll Never Need More Than This", "A Fool In Love", and "Hold On Baby". Weird cover, too – with photography by Dennis Hopper! LP, Vinyl record album