... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Ashley Henry's really taking off here – rising even higher than the promise we've always seen in his music, to a point where a set like this could easily make him a global superstar in both soul and jazz! If you don't know him, Henry's a keyboardist who's contributed plenty to the London scene in the past decade or more – but here, he's evolved with a sense of majesty that has him effortlessly blending jazz and soul, almost with the kind of forward-thinking energy that we might associate with the glory days of Cadet/Concept Records! Ashley sings on a number of tunes, with a voice that's very captivating – and other vocalists on the record include Aja Monet and Judi Jackson – guests alongside other work from Myele Manzana on percussion, James Massiah on flute, Binker Golding on trumpet, and Theo Croker on trumpet. An instant classic – a record that embraces the London scene, but elevates beyond it into territory that's very universal – and which, we hope, will have us hearing a lot more genius from Ashley in years to come! Titles include "Take It Higher", "Who We Are", "Fly Away", "Mississippi Goddamn", "Tin Girl", "Love At The Vienna Biennale", and "Autumn". CD

Ashley Henry's really taking off here – rising even higher than the promise we've always seen in his music, to a point where a set like this could easily make him a global superstar in both soul and jazz! If you don't know him, Henry's a keyboardist who's contributed plenty to the London scene in the past decade or more – but here, he's evolved with a sense of majesty that has him effortlessly blending jazz and soul, almost with the kind of forward-thinking energy that we might associate with the glory days of Cadet/Concept Records! Ashley sings on a number of tunes, with a voice that's very captivating – and other vocalists on the record include Aja Monet and Judi Jackson – guests alongside other work from Myele Manzana on percussion, James Massiah on flute, Binker Golding on trumpet, and Theo Croker on trumpet. An instant classic – a record that embraces the London scene, but elevates beyond it into territory that's very universal – and which, we hope, will have us hearing a lot more genius from Ashley in years to come! Titles include "Take It Higher", "Who We Are", "Fly Away", "Mississippi Goddamn", "Tin Girl", "Love At The Vienna Biennale", and "Autumn". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... CD

A 46 minute piece of 8 channel electroacoustic music using both recorded and processed sound. A classic. CD

A boundary skirting set of catchy soul from Asa – a Nigerian-born, Paris-based singer with a sound that's timelessly crafted and easy to love – ranging from rave up pop soul to more delicately layered and stripped down! Asa has just a bit of gravel in her voice, which works great and as a counterpoint to some crossover ready production and hook-filled songs. Nice stuff! Most songs are sung in English, and titles include "Why Can't We Be", "Maybe", "Be My Man", "Bimpe", "OK OK", "Dreamer Girl", "Baby Gone", "Questions", "Preacher Man" and more. CD

Maybe one of the most legendary sets of work from the duo of trumpeter Don Cherry and percussionist Okay Temiz – as the music was done for a stage presentation of a work by James Baldwin, and was then promptly banned by the Turkish government! The music here is a bit different than work from either player at the time – sometimes served up in shorter stretches, and with maybe a bit more structure to fit the needs of the action on stage – but still with all the fantastic blend of jazz and global currents that you'd expect from both musicians at this very fruitful time in their careers! There's definitely no need to have the play at hand to enjoy the music – although the set does have notes on the notorious production – and titles include "1969", "Near East", "Naive", "Istanbul", "Calculating Empires", and "Okay's 5/8". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first albums ever made by Bruce Haack – the mad musician who's best known for his electronic work, but who also left behind a huge legacy of self-produced work for children! This album was done in collaboration with Miss Nelson – Esther Nelson, a dance instructor who worked heavily with kids – and it's got a naive, post-beat sort of feel that predates Haack's later hippie work, but which is equally charming. There's some very primitive electronic work on the record, next to odd instrumentation, and some very weird vocals from both Nelson and Haack – aimed at the kids who were the supposed audience for this one, but which make the whole thing sound more like an Ernie Kovacs episode gone mad! Definitely songs in the key of z – with tracks that include "Clap Your Hands", "Sunflowers", "Sailing", "A Stuffy Story", "Pussycats", "Trains", and "My Bones". CD

David Byrne brings his love of funk and soul to the forefront – tightening things up a bit from before, but still staying strongly in a classic Talking Heads groove! The record's possibly the last of the group's initial classic run, and has a surprisingly soulful feel at times – a hybrid of early 80s funk and club modes, played by guests who include Wally Badarou on synth, Bernie Worrell on keyboards, and Steve Scales and David Van Tieghem on percussion. Nona Hendryx sings a bit of backing vocals too – and Byrne really steps up to the grooves without ever going too far over the top. Titles include "Burning Down The House", "Making Flippy Floppy", "Girlfriend Is Better", "Slippery People", "I Get Wild/Wild Gravity", "Swamp", "Moon Rocks", "Pull Up The Roots", and "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful follow up to one of our favorite compilations in recent years! London Is The Place For Me compiles the stylistically varied music coming from the emergent West Indian and African communities of 50s and 60s London – far more than just the topical, and often quite whimsical calypso tunes of the era! Calypso is well represented, but the set includes strains of jazz, percussive instrumentals that veer towards native Trinidad and Nigeria, and loads of Caribbean grooves! It's all exceptionally bright – with some lovingly, and knowingly, naive vocals that are as sweet as they are wise. A truly wonderful compilation. Essential! 20 tracks in all: "Calypso Be" by Young Tiger, "Yolanda" by Ambrose Campbell, "Calypso Blues" by Mona Baptiste, "My Wife's Nightie" by Lord Kitchener, "Ominara" by West African Rhythm Brothers, "Gerrard Street" by King Timothy, "ET Mensah's Rolling Ball" by West African Swing Stars, "West Indian Drums" by Russ Henderson, "Gbonimawo" by Rans Boi's Ghana Highlife Band and more! LP, Vinyl record album

A well-done set that really goes past the obvious choices of cuts from the early years of the UK punk scene – much more indie and obscure than some of the other collections of this nature – with a very deep dig into the world of the 7" single! The gems within are partially pictured on the front cover – and as you can see, these aren't the big hits of the punk generation – but a whole host of obscure tracks issued on small labels – collected together here in a full length set that really opens up this side of the scene! Titles include "So Many Ways" by the Electric Chairs, "I'm A Mess" by Stormtrooper, "Venus Eccentric" by Neon Hearts, "Speed Freak" by V2, "Fascist DJ" by The Exile, "Feel So Good" by Lucy, "NME" by Dansette Damage, "Naive" by The Killjoys, "Cybernetic Surgery" by The Cybermen, "Bottles" by Neon, "Help I'm Trapped" by The Carpettes, "Priorities" by Trash, "Saints & Sinners" by Johnny & The Self Abusers, and "Jerkin" by The Drive. CD

Bristling sounds from a killer lineup – a 4Hero-related project done by the quartet of Kaidi Tatham, Akwasi Mensah, Matt Lord, and Dego Ranks – music that definitely explores the next level of expression for the 2000 Black generation! All the best London touches are firmly in place here, but the groove's also fresher than before, too – wonderfully cosmic, yet nicely abstract in a few places too – showing the kind of complication that Tatham's brought to his rhythms in recent years – yet still maintaining all the soulful, righteous focus we could have hoped for! The album features guest work by Eric Lau, Sarina Leah, Bembe Segue, and Nadine Charles – and titles include "THB", "Kenny", "Naive", "Seven4", "Mind Skies", "Badly Persuaded", "Stars Shine For You", "Quantum Shift", "You Know It's Like That", and "Mr Pickles". CD

A real oddity from George Harrison – a record of abstract electronics, cut right around the same time as his bigger mainstream solo hits! The record is a highly experimental one – a session that has Harrison working with Bernie Krause, and exploring territory that's much more in the late 60s Limelight Records mode than it is that of Apple – which is quite possibly why the label is listed as "Zapple", not "Apple"! Each tune takes up a full side of the album – and builds slowly out of soundshapes and textures, very much in the manner of some of the best work from the academic electronic music centers in the US at the time. And while the album may be a bit loose and unfocused overall, it's actually got a really appealing quality that we love a lot – a sense of free and naive exploration that's pretty great. Titles include "Under The Mersey Wall" and "No Time Or Space". CD

Dreamy vocals, catchy tunes, bossa rhythms – it's gotta be Claudine Longet! During the late 60s, Claudine first warmed ears in America with a lovely take on the gentle sounds of the Astrud Gilberto era – a French-accented approach to mellow vocal pop, often touched with a bit of jazz or Brazilian rhythms in the arrangements, and often delivered on a pillow of sensuous sound by master arranger Nick DeCaro! Claudine got her fair share of bad press in later years, but on this set she's at the height of her early brilliance – working with a lighter-than-air approach to vocals, and a simple, almost naive style that makes even the lyrics of familiar tunes resonate with youthful freshness. CD features 25 tracks from Claudine's years at A&M Records, including some great non-LP tracks – titles that include "Hurry On Down", "Hello Hello", "White Horses", "The Look Of Love", "Small Talk", "Snow", "I Don't Intend To Spend Christmas Without You", "Creators Of Rain", "A Man & A Woman", "Meditation", "Both Sides Now", and "Walk In The Park". CD

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

A real oddity from George Harrison – a record of abstract electronics, cut right around the same time as his bigger mainstream solo hits! The record is a highly experimental one – a session that has Harrison working with Bernie Krause, and exploring territory that's much more in the late 60s Limelight Records mode than it is that of Apple – which is quite possibly why the label is listed as "Zapple", not "Apple"! Each tune takes up a full side of the album – and builds slowly out of soundshapes and textures, very much in the manner of some of the best work from the academic electronic music centers in the US at the time. And while the album may be a bit loose and unfocused overall, it's actually got a really appealing quality that we love a lot – a sense of free and naive exploration that's pretty great. Titles include "Under The Mersey Wall" and "No Time Or Space". LP, Vinyl record album

Sharp hooks, huge melodies, and 70s guitar pop greatness from Pilot – a genius pop group who only gave the world a handful of records, all of them pretty darn great! From The Album Of The Same Name includes their signature tune, "Magic" – and it's one of those songs everyone knows, whether or not they no who made it – but Pilot soars all around on these tunes. The guitars have punch, but the falsetto vocals are the main cabin of this vessel – and it's grand 70s soft rock of the first order! Other tracks include "Just A Smile", Lucky For Some", "Girl Next Door", "Sooner Or Later", "Never Give Up", "Sky Blue", "Never Give Up", and "Over The Moon". Second Flight is the excellent second album from Pilot, really perfecting the guitars, keyboards and vocals and hooks formula that shot them into the pop consciousness a year or so earlier – probably their best album ever! The opener "You're My No 1" is so catchy, we can hardly believe it's not a throwback pop radio staple, and the record has a few of tracks nearly as grand. The vocals & harmonies are better arranged, and the guitars and keyboards are in that great comfort zone between the glam pop of the previous couple years and the new wave pop to come. Somewhat silly bubble gum lyricism, sure, but it's tasty stuff! Other tracks include "January", "Love Is", "Call Me Round", "To You Alone", "Passion Piece", "Dear Artist" and more, plus the bonus demos "You're Devotion", "Love Is", "January" and "Lady Luck". Morin Heights is later work from 70s soft rock tunesmiths Pilot – a couple years on from their biggest hit, but still making gloriously catchy tunes! The hallmarks of their earlier stuff is here, with some twists & turns. The lyrics are the kind of lovestruck or lovelorn naivete that's cloying to some, and hopelessly endearing to others – relying more this time out and an overall catchiness than huge choruses and hummable singles. We'd fly with these guys anytime! Titles include "Hold On", "Canada", "First After Me", "Steps", "The Mover", "Penny In My Pocket", and "Maniac". Two's A Crowd is the last full 70s album from Pilot – just a duo by this point, but working with all the punch and panache of their early records! As before, their ability for hook-heavy tunes is amazing – as there's so many numbers here that could have been huge AM radio hits, but which also have some surprisingly thoughtful lyrical touches, and arrangements that are simple, but which really pack a hell of a punch. Titles include "Monday Tuesday", "Big Screen Kill", "Creeping Round At Midnight", "Library Door", and "Mr Do Or Die". CD features lots of related bonus tracks – including "Pamela", "Ra Ta Ta", "Just Let Me Be", "Maniac", "Us", "Lady Luck", "No Ties No Strings", "Are You In Love", "Just A Smile", and "Stop & Let Go". CD

A really unique record from Norma Tanega – a singer with roots in folk, but who works here in a mode that's very much her own! Norma sings and plays acoustic guitar as pictured on the cover – but the song styles and production are often very different than you might expect – slightly psychedelic at times, especially on the more love-oriented lyrics – and given some unusual arrangements by Herb Bernstein, working here under Bob Crew – who uses subtle elements to expand things around the edges, without getting in Tanega's way – so that there's a trippy quality to the songs that really fits the naivete of the lyrics. Titles include "You're Dead", "Walkin My Cat Named Dog", "A Street That Rhymes At 6am", "I'm Dreamin A Dream", "What Are We Craving", "No Stranger Am I", and "Hey Girl". LP, Vinyl record album