Surprisingly great post-Philly International work from Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – recorded at a time when the group had actually let a female singer into their ranks! Sharon Paige is the lady here – and she creates a nice sense of interplay with the male singers in the group – that sort of back and forth that you might find in some of Al Hudson's work with One Way, or in a variety of other funky club acts who were rising in the mainstream at the time. Harold Melvin produced, and there's some definite late Philly moments in the tracks "Prayin" and "Baby I'm Back" – but the greatest charm of the album possibly comes from tracks that change things up a bit, including "I Should Be Your Lover", "Tonight's The Night", and "Your Love Is Taking Me On A Journey". LP, Vinyl record album

A trilogy of albums from this unique group – presented here with all their original artwork, and a bit bonus booklet of notes and images too! First up is Love & Poetry – the killer debut of this heady power trio from the British Isles – one who've got some of the same harder rock leanings as some of the other lean groups of their time, but who also seem to manage to hang onto some psychedelic fuzziness too – a fantastic approach that's always made Andwella such a unique group! The bass is nicely brooding, drums are plenty hard, and the great UK reedman Bob Downes adds a bit of sax and flute to the record. There's a wonderfully unique vibe throughout – and titles include "Clockwork Man", "Man Without A Name", "Sunday", "Andwella", "High On A Mountain", "Shades Of Gray", and "Take My Road". World's End is a set that begins with one of the greatest funky rock tracks ever – then leaps into the fray with a whole host of wonderful tunes! That track is the mighty "Hold On To Your Mind" – well worth the price of the album alone, and a tune that takes all the funky energy of the freakbeat scene, and moves it into more sophisticated rock territory! The rest of the record continues the shift to sophistication that makes this second album from Andwella so great – really well-penned songs that manage to do a lot with a little, use familiar instrumentation in unusual ways, and there's some nice use of flute, piano, and organ along the way – deepening their sound in all the best ways. Titles include "Hold On To Your Mind", "Just How Long", "Michael Fitzhenry", "Lady Love", "I'm Just Happy To See You Get Her", and "World's End (parts 1 & 2)". On the cover of People's People, Andwella are looking a bit shaggier and more mature, and they're sounding that way too – really pushing their vocals with more soulful qualities than before, which are a perfect fit for the searching qualities of the music! There's almost a US roots current to the record at times – the sort of vibe that should have made an already-great band even better – and which really takes Andwella on a surprisingly long musical journey in just a very short span! Titles include "She Taught Me To Love", "World Of Angelique", "Saint Bartholomew", "Are You Ready", "Lazy Days", "Behind The Painted Screen", and "Four Days In September". LP, Vinyl record album

A whole new side of the talents of Sun Ra – especially if you only know the longer-style jams on some of his albums from the 60s and 70s! From the very start of his career, Ra was every bit as interested in issuing music on 45s as he was on albums – and in fact, at some of the more desperate times, the 7" single turned out to be a very affordable format to try out new ideas – including some great projects with other artists! The array of work presented here is stunning – as the set includes some very up-close and personal moments with Ra on record, plus some tight jazzy tracks from the Arkestra, surprising vocal group material designed to crack the R&B market, and some especially cool projects with other singers too. The package is put together with very detailed notes on all the singles – and while the bulk of this material comes from the key Arkestra years of the late 50s through the early 80s, there's also a few tracks from other dates too – including a handful of songs that were only issued as 45s in later years. This limited part 2 of the vinyl set features wonderful tracks from later years – including "The Blue Set", "Space Loneliness", "State Street", "Love In Outer Space", "Mayan Temple", "Quest", "Rough House Blues", "Journey To Saturn", "Blues On Planet Mars", "The Bridge", "Rocket #9", "The Perfect Man", "Outer Space Plateau", "Extensions", "Orbitration In Blue", "A Blue One", "Big City Blue", "I'm Gonna Unmask The Batman", "Saturn Moon", "Disco 2021", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "I Am The Instrument", "Cosmic Drama", "Nuclear War", "Hell #1", and "Cosmo-Extensions" – plus the tracks "Tell Her To Come On Home" and "I'm Making Believe" by Little Mack. LP, Vinyl record album

A trilogy of albums from this unique group – presented here with all their original artwork, and a bit bonus booklet of notes and images too! First up is Love & Poetry – the killer debut of this heady power trio from the British Isles – one who've got some of the same harder rock leanings as some of the other lean groups of their time, but who also seem to manage to hang onto some psychedelic fuzziness too – a fantastic approach that's always made Andwella such a unique group! The bass is nicely brooding, drums are plenty hard, and the great UK reedman Bob Downes adds a bit of sax and flute to the record. There's a wonderfully unique vibe throughout – and titles include "Clockwork Man", "Man Without A Name", "Sunday", "Andwella", "High On A Mountain", "Shades Of Gray", and "Take My Road". World's End is a set that begins with one of the greatest funky rock tracks ever – then leaps into the fray with a whole host of wonderful tunes! That track is the mighty "Hold On To Your Mind" – well worth the price of the album alone, and a tune that takes all the funky energy of the freakbeat scene, and moves it into more sophisticated rock territory! The rest of the record continues the shift to sophistication that makes this second album from Andwella so great – really well-penned songs that manage to do a lot with a little, use familiar instrumentation in unusual ways, and there's some nice use of flute, piano, and organ along the way – deepening their sound in all the best ways. Titles include "Hold On To Your Mind", "Just How Long", "Michael Fitzhenry", "Lady Love", "I'm Just Happy To See You Get Her", and "World's End (parts 1 & 2)". On the cover of People's People, Andwella are looking a bit shaggier and more mature, and they're sounding that way too – really pushing their vocals with more soulful qualities than before, which are a perfect fit for the searching qualities of the music! There's almost a US roots current to the record at times – the sort of vibe that should have made an already-great band even better – and which really takes Andwella on a surprisingly long musical journey in just a very short span! Titles include "She Taught Me To Love", "World Of Angelique", "Saint Bartholomew", "Are You Ready", "Lazy Days", "Behind The Painted Screen", and "Four Days In September". LP, Vinyl record album

The title gets it perfectly right on this sweet little set – as the grooves are raw and stripped down – often just to the core elements of Afro Funk! The music may be the most hard-hitting we've ever heard from this legendary combo – and it's served up beautifully in this well-selected compilation, right down to the detailed notes on the group and their long journey in sound! There's a core groove here that goes way beyond the boundaries of nation or culture – and which is plenty appealing to ears that have only ever been trained on American funk – and even more so on those who dig the great African sounds of the 70s. Plenty of heavy drums and ultra-cool guitar – and titles include "Adjro Mi", "A O O Ida", "Pourquoi Pas", "Ecoute Ma Melodie", "Min We Tun So", "Ai Gabani", and "Aku We Non Houme". CD

One of the greatest Stanley Turrentine albums ever – a hard-blown session that's been one of our favorite Blue Notes for years! Turrentine's tone here is amazing – really raspy and earthy, with a quality that never shows up much in later recordings – a mode that's incredibly focused, yet deeply personal – stepping out with equal parts of gritty groove and creative imagination. The group's a perfect one too – with Horace Parlan really setting fire to the keys of the piano, and the team of George Tucker on bass and Al Harewood on drums giving Stan some super-tight rhythmic backing. The record is incredible, and the kind that keeps us hanging for every moment that it's on – and titles include "Journey Into Melody", "Return Engagement", "Little Sheri", "Tiny Capers", "Minor Chant", and "Look Out". CD features 3 bonus tracks – "Tin Tin Deo", "Yesterdays", and a 45 take of "Little Sheri". CD

In recent years, Behn Gillece has risen to become one of the most consistent musicians on the vibes in jazz – both in terms of his own music, and the ever-growing legacy of records he's been giving us! This set finds Behn at the top of his form – effortlessly ringing out these bold, beautiful notes on the vibes – as he runs through a set of his own compelling compositions, in the company of a sextet who definitely matches his groove! Gillece is a master of color and rhythm throughout – and he's joined here by Stacy Dillard on tenor, Bruce Harris on trumpet, Art Hirahara on piano and Rhodes, David Wong on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums – a combo who really keep things lively throughout. Titles include "Break The Ice", "Bossa For RM", "Ready For Tomorrow", "Smoke Screen", "Evening Glow", "Alice's Journey", and "Shadow Of The Flame". CD

One of the greatest Stanley Turrentine albums ever – a hard-blown session that's been one of our favorite Blue Notes for years! Turrentine's tone here is amazing – really raspy and earthy, with a quality that never shows up much in later recordings – a mode that's incredibly focused, yet deeply personal – stepping out with equal parts of gritty groove and creative imagination. The group's a perfect one too – with Horace Parlan really setting fire to the keys of the piano, and the team of George Tucker on bass and Al Harewood on drums giving Stan some super-tight rhythmic backing. The record is incredible, and the kind that keeps us hanging for every moment that it's on – and titles include "Journey Into Melody", "Return Engagement", "Little Sheri", "Tiny Capers", "Minor Chant", and "Look Out". CD features 3 bonus tracks – "Tin Tin Deo", "Yesterdays", and a 45 take of "Little Sheri". CD

One of the greatest Stanley Turrentine albums ever – a hard-blown session that's been one of our favorite Blue Notes for years! Turrentine's tone here is amazing – really raspy and earthy, with a quality that never shows up much in later recordings – a mode that's incredibly focused, yet deeply personal – stepping out with equal parts of gritty groove and creative imagination. The group's a perfect one too – with Horace Parlan really setting fire to the keys of the piano, and the team of George Tucker on bass and Al Harewood on drums giving Stan some super-tight rhythmic backing. The record is incredible, and the kind that keeps us hanging for every moment that it's on – and titles include "Journey Into Melody", "Return Engagement", "Little Sheri", "Tiny Capers", "Minor Chant", and "Look Out". Features a bonus 45rpm take of "Little Sheri". CD

A really heady set of tracks from the American scene – music that effortlessly bridges the 60s sounds of garage, blues rock, and psych – and prefaces some of the metal and more guitar-heavy modes to emerge later on in the 70s! The work here definitely shares more with the sounds of the 60s, but also really captures the music at a moment when things were really transforming – groups were getting past a slavish presentation of their influences, finding bold new modes of expression, and really letting their freak flag fly with fuzzy brilliance throughout – all at levels that were also different than some of the longer-spun modes of the European progressive world. As with other Grapefruit packages, the distillation of a sound and scene here is wonderful – and supported with very detailed notes too – in a package that includes 62 tracks in all - with work from Bang, Sudden Death, Dust, Arthur Lee, Boomerang, Cactus, Grand Funk, The Flow, Head Over Heels, Sir Lord Baltimore, ZZ Top, Brigade, Fuse, Conception, Morgen, Coven, Alice Cooper, Nazz, Stack, Spirit, Kim Fowley, SRC, Mass Confusion Rock Band, Society's Children, Omnibus, Wildwood, Human Beinz, The Sound Barrier, Fever Tree, and many others! CD

There's no denying that Hunky Dory is one of the most significant albums ever in the catalog of David Bowie – a real turning point that pushed both his songwriting and performance to a whole new level! Here, that album is presented in a stunning amount of context – 4CDs worth of material that sets up the record, plus blu-ray audio of more content too – all included with a 100 page book of liner notes, memorabilia, and rare photos too – plus a replica of the young Bowie's notebook for the project – all making for an insane tribute to the record! CD1 features songwriting demos that include many rare cuts – including "Shadow Man", "Looking For A Friend", "Tired Of My Life", "Right On Mother", "How Lucky You Are", and "King Of The City". CD2 features John Peel performances from June of 1971 – mono and stereo takes on "Almost Grown", "Kooks", "Supermen", "Looking For A Friend", "Song For Bob Dylan", and "It Ain't Easy". CD3 features more BBC material – a 1971 Bob Harris Sounds Of The 70s show, and then a 1971 Live Friars performance – with cuts that include "Amsterdam", "Eight Line Poem", "Looing For A Friend", "Oh You Pretty Things", "Buzz The Fuzz", and "Waiting For The Man". CD4 features alternate mixes and singles – Bowpromo mixes of album tracks, then early mixes and mono mixes, and alternate mixes discovered in 2021. Blu-ray disc features a full 2015 remaster of the core album – plus alternate mixes found in 2021, and the 1971 Sounds Of The 70s show too! CD

The first really in-depth look at the life of the great Al Green – a book that traces the fascinating journey that led a young man from Memphis to the top of the soul charts in the 70s – only to leave the world of secular music for the church in the following decade, then go on to a surprisingly rich career in decades that followed! The book is especially great at the roots of Al's sound and style – and if you dig southern soul as much as us, you'll really appreciate the author's account of the long journey before Green rose to fame at Hi Records – the kind of journeyman work that's often eclipsed when an artist becomes a star. The book also includes an appendix with a discography and legal notes too – and is over 400 pages, hardcover, with some black and white images. Book

A really mighty collection, and really the first to give NRBQ their full due – as the set not only brings together an amazing scope of sounds recorded over the space of decades, but also includes some new material never issued elsewhere! The package is kind of a history book that starts at the present, then leaps into the past – as some of the new material is on CD1, then CDs 2 through 5 take a very long journey from the group's mid 60s roots as underground southern rockers, through a variety of changes over the 70s, 80s, and 90s. CD2 might well be the coolest – as it features 23 tracks that are just from the years 1966 through 1970 – really demonstrating that New Rhythm & Blues Quartet element that gave the group their name – a fresh take on older R&B modes, but given a bit of a southern rock spin – almost making the group an equivalent to that music that Nitty Gritty Dirt Band were to roots and bluegrass. The package features an insane amount of music – 106 tracks in all, some of them live, some of them rare, and even early home recordings – and the whole thing comes with a huge booklet of notes as well! CD

A really heady set of tracks from the American scene – music that effortlessly bridges the 60s sounds of garage, blues rock, and psych – and prefaces some of the metal and more guitar-heavy modes to emerge later on in the 70s! The work here definitely shares more with the sounds of the 60s, but also really captures the music at a moment when things were really transforming – groups were getting past a slavish presentation of their influences, finding bold new modes of expression, and really letting their freak flag fly with fuzzy brilliance throughout – all at levels that were also different than some of the longer-spun modes of the European progressive world. As with other Grapefruit packages, the distillation of a sound and scene here is wonderful – and supported with very detailed notes too – in a package that includes 62 tracks in all - with work from Bang, Sudden Death, Dust, Arthur Lee, Boomerang, Cactus, Grand Funk, The Flow, Head Over Heels, Sir Lord Baltimore, ZZ Top, Brigade, Fuse, Conception, Morgen, Coven, Alice Cooper, Nazz, Stack, Spirit, Kim Fowley, SRC, Mass Confusion Rock Band, Society's Children, Omnibus, Wildwood, Human Beinz, The Sound Barrier, Fever Tree, and many others! CD

An extremely well-done collection of underground house from the Chicago, Detroit, and New York scenes of the past 20 years – not a "greatest hits" at all, but an even-better assortment of hard to find gems and oft-overlooked singles! DJ Deep put the whole thing together, and he's really given the matter some careful consideration – a fact that's apparent when you read his notes on each tune in the set. Disc 1 features a mixed assortment of Chicago and Detroit work from years back, and disc 2 is an unmixed collection that brings the groove into later years. There's a heck of a lot here that you'll have a hard time finding anywhere else – and the 2CD package features 25 tracks in all, with titles that include "The Groove" by Da Posse, "Kaos (Juice Bar mix)" by Rhythm Is Rhythm, "Expanded" by Jeff Mills, "Acid Tracks" by DJ Pierre, "Phylyps Track Vol 1" by Basic Channel, "Elements" by Psyche, "Jupiter Jazz" by World 2 World, "Don't Lead Me (Nexus 21 mix)" by Terry Baldwin featuring Paris Grey, "I Feel It" by Kerri Chandler, "House Flashback" by Ron Hardy, "I Like To Move" by LB Bad, "String Ensemble" by Byron Burke, "12 Inches Of Pleasure" by Ron Trent & Braxton Holmes, "Dream State" by Cajmere with Derrick Carter, "Fallin In Love" by Burrell, "Keep Movin" by Mike Perras, "You're Someone Special" by Mr Fingers, and "How I Feel" by Lil Louis. CD

A completely obscure batch of tunes – so much so that only two of the cuts here have been reissued – and a set that's every bit as wonderful as previous entries in this long-running series! Overall, there's probably a bit more soul than jazz – but every track within is on the hipper side of the spectrum – the sort of work that easily blends genres, and which comes from 70s acts working far from the mainstream, in a wonderful groove that's very much their own! Most numbers have a midtempo groove – perfect for the jazzier elements in the soul cuts – and as with previous editions in the series, there's a righteous current that gives most of these tracks a very positive, uplifting vibe. Titles include "It's A Long Road" by Babe, "Bend A Little" by Mirage, "Slip Back Into The Magic" by Leaves Of Autumn, "I Got The Hots For You"b y Ronnie Miller, "Hey Flicka" by Mikael Neumann, "Future Shock" by Synot, "Oh Senor" by Jan Lewis Group, "Mister Jones" by Charles Vickers, and "The Ring" by Dianne Elliott. LP, Vinyl record album

BB King is a blues musician with a much richer story than most – one that's captured here in very vivid detail by the author, as he mixes together a wealth of historical research with quotations from interviews and other materials too – all of which really makes the long journey of BB King come alive, as he shifts from roots in the south to the Memphis scene, then California, then superstardom that made him one of the biggest blues figures of the 20th Century! There's a great flow to the book – down to earth details that really make you feel like you're following King on his rise to fame – yet the big section at notes also indicates that the author wasn't just throwing stories out there without any support, and did plenty to weave the whole thing together with an eye for the facts. Softcover edition is 481 pages, with some black and white images. Book

An incredibly ambitious record – despite the fact that it was recorded in a tiny home studio! Ithaca are basically the same group who recorded the Agincourt album a few years before – and like that one, this set is awash in some of the best elements from bigger progressive groups of the time – filtered down into much leaner, more personal levels of presentation. The tunes are all longish, and build with a gently layered blend of guitars, piano, organ, mandolin, flute, and recorder – plus some especially cool tape effects, which are used to electrify a few moments, and create some subtle sonic intensity. There's also a beautiful female voice on the record – floating through the tunes with an eerie feel – and the overall sound is almost a folksy take on Pink Floyd – with great acoustic and electric elements slowly simmering together. Titles include "Journey", "Feelings", "Dreams", "Times", and "Questions". CD also features 3 bonus tracks – and a well-done set of notes! CD

A monster – and quite possibly one of the greatest Fender Rhodes albums of all time! Bob James is really at the height of his powers here – stepping out with a sound that's a lot smoother than some of his earlier work, yet in a groove that's never too slick or too overproduced – as happened with some of his later records on the Tappan Zee imprint. Here, James is still a master of space and sound – using the Fender Rhodes with bell-like tones to craft some key grooves that are still having an amazing impact today, more than 30 years after the album was initially recorded! There's a darkness here that we totally love – and tracks include the legendary "Take Me To The Mardi Gras", which has been sampled by Run DMC and loads of others – plus"The Golden Apple", "I Feel A Song", "You're As Right As Rain", "Farandole", and "Dream Journey". Also features the bonus track "Here Let My Life" – and presented here with new liner notes! CD

Wonderful work from Ty Karim – a singer who definitely lives up to the "soul goddess" promised in the title! Ty might not be the biggest name in California soul, but she's a hell of a great talent here – starting out in the 60s with upbeat Northern Soul groovers – then moving into the 70s with material that's even deeper, and a bit more sophisticated – laidback numbers that really show a maturation in style, and which are filled with wonderful twists and turns! Ty's vocals have a burning quality that's quite surprising, given her kittenish look on the cover – and as the themes get hotter, her singing gets even more righteous – making the whole package a really wonderful journey in soul. And although most of these numbers were issued (or recorded, but unissued) by tiny indie labels, they often have a very full, spacious approach to production – one that's really trying to hit the heights of Detroit or New York at the time. A good number of these cuts weren't issued at the time, and together with the rare singles, they really go a long way towards filling in the gaps in Ty's too-short career on record – further illuminated in the detailed notes from Ady Croasdell. Titles include "Lighten Up Baby", "Help Me Get That Feeling Back Again", "Only A Fool", "All At Once", "Lightin Up", "I Ain't Lying", "You Just Don't Know", "Natural Do", "I'm Leavin You", "All In Vain", "After Your Love Has Gone", "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight", and "Don't Make Me Do Wrong". CD

An amazing compilation – and a really groundbreaking attempt to get to the true heart of new age music – that initial moment of meditative sound on records from the American underground – very pure in both spirit and execution before the whole thing got watered down and commercial! The massive set digs way deeper than we might have expected – way past the Bay Area indies who rose the genre to prominence, to a whole host of tiny US labels from the postwar years onward – home to individual players with a very personal sound – on instruments that range from conventional piano to global sources, electronics, and even some items of their own invention. The choice of tracks is perfect – really getting back to the basics of the genre in a great way – and the music is very laidback and meditative, with ethereal qualities that are completely sublime – especially in the context of the great packaging and notes of the whole collection. Many tracks here were never issued on CD – and many were only from rare tapes, too – and the double-length batch of work is one of the most unique musical journeys we've ever taken! Titles include "Lifting Off" by Joanna Brouk, "Arabian Fantasy" by Daniel Emmanuel, "Formentera Sunset Clouds" by Iasos, "Seventh Chakra Keynote B" by Steven Halpern, "Om Mani Padme Hum" by Constance Derby, "Unicorns In Paradise" by Laraaji, "Blue Spirals" by Daniel Kobialka, "As The Earth Kissed The Moon" by Michael Stearns, and "Waterfall Winds" by Alice Damon. CD

Things really heat up in this second volume of Robert Darden's look at the rise of gospel in America – as he traces the music's journey from the pulpit to the public, from praise to protest – and really illuminates the power that gospel and its inspiration brought to black identity from the 60s onward! This volume is even bigger than the first, and really overflows with research and information – a hugely documented project that features pages of notes at the end, and black and white images throughout the larger first section – as Darden does a fantastic job of mixing music, politics, and cultural progression. Hardcover edition is 334 pages. Book

A beautiful use of Hawaiian guitar in early Greek 78rpm recordings – an amazing musical journey that's even more fascinating than the use of the instrument in American country music! The instrument here is the acoustic version of steel guitar, and is often played alongside other more traditional Greek instrumentation in small groups that also feature acoustic guitar – usually with a singer in the lead, whose use of language really accents the different setting of the instrument! The package is wonderful – and comes with a 28 page booklet of notes that looks into this very unusual cultural moment – and the music is all remastered from 78s, with beautiful clarity throughout. LP, Vinyl record album