... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A very unique book on the Japanese crate-digging scene – one that has a strong focus on DJ Muro, the man who's given us countless great mixes and compilations over the years! The book is in Japanese, and begins with an initial interview with Muro, complete with lots of photos – but it then goes into a long section of "Diggin" chapters, with images and lists of key records by funk and soul artists, both American and Japanese. The format is different than Japanese disc guides, but still provides plenty of small images of cover art, and information on very cool records you might want to track down. Given how much greatness Muro has given us over the years, we can certainly trust his picks here – and there's enough visual information here to direct your digging, even if you can't read Japanese! (But special hint: you can always use Google translate on your phone to decode things.) Softcover book is almost 200 pages long, with a mix of black and white and color images. Book

All hits and almost no misses – starting with "Oooh", easily the best single of the '00, featuring some nice quotes from classic hip hop tracks ranging from the Funky 4 + 1 to Mos Def, and some of Redman's best verses in a while. De La Soul basically started the whole skits-between-songs concept, or at least they perfected it, and (unlike too many other artists) here they get it right again – even the three hilarious "Ghostweed" skits featuring cameo appearances from Pharoahe Monch, Q-Tip, and Black Thought hold up to repeated listenings. Also includes "My Writes", "Thru Ya City", "All Good?", 'Words FromThe Chief Rocker" and the "Art Of Getting Jumped" – 17 tracks in all. CD

A live MTV performance from Paul McCartney – with help from AWB's Hamish Stuart on guitar and vocals! CD

A rock-solid effort from De La Soul at the start of the 21st Century – a record that really has the group coming back into their own! On previous records, it had been a little difficult to tell if De La Soul has been trying harder to please their critics, or simply finally being true to themselves by expelling all traces of the perceived hippy-isms of their earlier work – and the answer is probably somewhere in between, but leaning towards their autonomy. They've been a new group all together since Stakes Is High, and Bionix is certainly their best work since – with the Wu Tang-like piano driven beat of the title track, the catchy soul of "Baby Phat" and "Simply", both of which should be nice club hits, and more than a few subtle nods to the Prince Paul years, especially on the "Simply Havin" interlude. "What We Do (For Love)" makes great use of a Slick Rick guest spot – complete with the horny fanfare. Cee-Lo shows up on "Held Down", and B-Real appears on "Peer Pressure" – both of which suggest that De La spent a little time in Stankonia last year. Other tracks include "Watch Out", "Special", "The Sauce", "Pawn Star", "It's American", and "Trying People". LP, Vinyl record album

Diamond, Finesse, Show & AG, Big L, OC, Buckwild & Fat Joe step up with 13 tracks: "Thick (rmx)", "Way of Life", "Where You At (rmx)", "We Known for That", "Champagne Thoughts", "All Luv", "Tribute", "Ebonics", "Foundation", "Weekend Nights", "Hey Love" "Drop It Heavy" & "Get Yours (rmx)". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

The most beautiful collection of work we've ever seen from this legendary French Rocker – a package that brings together his first 24 albums in a huge book-like set – filled with pages of notes and very groovy vintage images! The scope of work here is wonderful – as the set really shows Hallyday moving from just a French singer picking up American rock styles, to an artist who was able to pen tunes in his own voice – then really experiment nicely as the 60s come to an end! The set features a rare set of early 60s sessions in Nashville – plus albums that include Reve Et Amour, Riviere Ouvre Ton Lit, Vie, Flagrant Delit, Palais Des Sports 71, Le Terre Promise, Rock N Slow, Je T'Aime, Insolitudes, Les Rocks Les Plus Terribles, Olympia 64, Johnny Chante Hallyday, and La Generation Perdue – and there's a fair bit of bonus tracks in the set as well. CD

... CD

... CD

A rock-solid effort from De La Soul at the start of the 21st Century – a record that really has the group coming back into their own! On previous records, it had been a little difficult to tell if De La Soul has been trying harder to please their critics, or simply finally being true to themselves by expelling all traces of the perceived hippy-isms of their earlier work – and the answer is probably somewhere in between, but leaning towards their autonomy. They've been a new group all together since Stakes Is High, and Bionix is certainly their best work since – with the Wu Tang-like piano driven beat of the title track, the catchy soul of "Baby Phat" and "Simply", both of which should be nice club hits, and more than a few subtle nods to the Prince Paul years, especially on the "Simply Havin" interlude. "What We Do (For Love)" makes great use of a Slick Rick guest spot – complete with the horny fanfare. Cee-Lo shows up on "Held Down", and B-Real appears on "Peer Pressure" – both of which suggest that De La spent a little time in Stankonia last year. Other tracks include "Watch Out", "Special", "The Sauce", "Pawn Star", "It's American", and "Trying People". LP, Vinyl record album

Leave it to De La to actually package their clean promo album in a cool way, with tracks spread out on 3 DJ friendly 12"s of this excellent later LP. All hits and almost no misses – starting with "Oooh", easily the best single of the '00, featuring some nice quotes from classic hip hop tracks ranging from the Funky 4 + 1 to Mos Def, and some of Redman's best verses in a while. De La Soul basically started the whole skits-between-songs concept, or at least they perfected it, and (unlike too many other artists) here they get it right again – even the three hilarious "Ghostweed" skits featuring cameo appearances from Pharoahe Monch, Q-Tip, and Black Thought hold up to repeated listenings. Also includes "My Writes", "Thru Ya City", "All Good?", "Words FromThe Chief Rocker" and the "Art Of Getting Jumped" – 16 tracks in all. LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "U Can Do (Life)", "My Writes", "Oooh", "Thru Ya City", "IC Y'all", "View", "Set The Mood", "All Good?", "Declaration", "Squat!", "Words From The Chief Rocker", "With Me", "Copa (Cabanga)", "Foolin", "The Art Of Getting Jumped", and "U Don't Wanna BDS"! LP, Vinyl record album

Alex Machacek on guitar, Jeff Sipe on drums and Neal Fountain on bass. CD

Great postwar work from Detroit – tracks that nicely mix jump blues with some classier, jazzier instrumentation – featuring work from John Lawton on trumpet, Lee Gross on alto, and Walter Cox on tenor – on titles originally issued by the Savoy, States, National, and Sensation labels! LP, Vinyl record album

32 tracks recordings from 1937 to 1957. CD

Great material from Art Tatum – featuring Tiny Grimes on guitar and Slam Stewart on bass! No drums at all – which means that Art handles plenty of rhythm, too. CD

Great material from Art Tatum – featuring Tiny Grimes on guitar and Slam Stewart on bass! No drums at all – which means that Art handles plenty of rhythm, too. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Narrated by Jack Brickhouse, Bert Wilson, Charlie Grimm, Hal Totten, Lew Fonseca and others. LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

The first-ever official release of this rare live material, a set that collects two different dates – a quartet performance with Carson Smith on bass and Larry Bunker on drums, and quintet date that adds Russ Freeman on piano and swaps in Shelly Manne behind the drum set. CD

The first-ever official release of this rare live material, a set that collects two different dates – a quartet performance with Carson Smith on bass and Larry Bunker on drums, and quintet date that adds Russ Freeman on piano and swaps in Shelly Manne behind the drum set. CD

The stunning debut of The Bronski Beat – a record that was one of a number of key releases in a bit wave of UK electro pop in the early 80s – but one that also really stood apart from the rest in the way it managed to mix its personal politics with its grooves! The fantastic Jimmy Somerville is in the group here on vocals – a much soulful singer than some of his contemporaries, with a vibe that links the queer politics of the record back to an earlier disco generation – while also using all the right elements to make for an 80s electo vibe that helped get these tunes in front of many ears that never would have expected such content! The backings are great too – with almost a ZZT love of warmer samples next to contemporary electronics – further enhancing some of the soulful aspects of the set. Titles include the classic "Smalltown Boy", plus "Screaming", "No More War", "Love & Money", "I Feel Love", "Heatwave", "Junk", "Need A Man Blues", "Why", and "It Ain't Necessarily So". This version also features a huge amount of material! CD2 features an expanded version of the classic Hundreds & Thousands EP – with mixes that include "Hard Rain (Harvey Goldberg rmx)", "Smalltown Boy (Harvey Goldberg rmx)", "Run From Love (Dominic Maita rmx)", "Heatwave (Harvey Goldberg rmx)", "Why (Harvey Goldberg rmx)", and "Why (Harvey Goldberg rmx)" – plus "Infatuation/Memories", "Close To The Edge", "Love & Money (hundreds & thousands rmx)", "Cadillac Car (ext)", and "I Feel Love (cake mix)", which features Marc Almond. CD3 features added 12" mixes and other tracks – including "The Potato Fields", "I Feel Love (fruit mix)", "Puit D'Amour", "Signs & Wonders", "Smalltown Boy (US club rmx 84)", "Smalltown Boy (US club rmx 85)", "Smalltown Boy (12" version)", "I Feel Love (12" version with Marc Almond)', and "Red Dance". CD4 features a whole set of rare recordings – Capital Radio performances, early demos, and studio outtakes too! DVD features all the official early music videos – plus appearances on Top Of The Pops, and even TV advertisements too CD

Dylan & The Band's legendary Basement Tapes – those amazing late 60s Woodstock recordings – and an album that was a classic long before it was officially released in the mid 70s! Bootleg after bootleg of some these recordings might have sold enough copies on the grey market in the early 70s to go platinum back in the day, so there's little wonder that Columbia would finally get some kind of official release out there – and it lives up to the legend! Dylan's conversational, seemingly spontaneous lyricism stretches over a good portion of it, with some much more soulful numbers, too – and those are all the more effective with The Band's incredible instrumentation, backing and occasional lead vocals. Includes "Odds And Ends", "Million Dollar Bash", "Tears Of Rage", "Tiny Montgomery", "Nothing Was Delivered", "Too Much Of Nothing", "Clothes Line Saga", "You Ain't Goin Nowhere", "Open The Door, Homer", "This Wheel's On Fire, "Crash On the Levee (Down In The Flood)", "Long Distance Operator". LP, Vinyl record album

Dylan & The Band's legendary Basement Tapes – those amazing late 60s Woodstock recordings – and an album that was a classic long before it was officially released in the mid 70s! Bootleg after bootleg of some these recordings might have sold enough copies on the grey market in the early 70s to go platinum back in the day, so there's little wonder that Columbia would finally get some kind of official release out there – and it lives up to the legend! Dylan's conversational, seemingly spontaneous lyricism stretches over a good portion of it, with some much more soulful numbers, too – and those are all the more effective with The Band's incredible instrumentation, backing and occasional lead vocals. Includes "Odds And Ends", "Million Dollar Bash", "Tears Of Rage", "Tiny Montgomery", "Nothing Was Delivered", "Too Much Of Nothing", "Clothes Line Saga", "You Ain't Goin Nowhere", "Open The Door, Homer", "This Wheel's On Fire, "Crash On the Levee (Down In The Flood)", "Long Distance Operator". CD

Recorded live at the Palais de Congress, Cannes, France. January 1983. CD

The first official release of this debut solo album from Tiombe Lockheart – originally distributed via shows when she was a member of the Platinum Pied Pipers, and still a completely winning bit of spacey soul – with a vibe that really prefaces so much energy on the west coast in more recent years! Tiombe gets help on beats from Bilal, drums from Otis Brown Jr, and piano from Robert Glasper – but it's also very clear that the music is all very much her own – this spacey melange of influences from hip hop and soul, woven together in very deep textures, and topped with her beautifully crispy vocal approach! Titles include "California Dreaming", "Tip Of My Tongue", "You Need Me", "Mr Johnnie Walker", "Working Girls Suicide", "Sexy Suzy On A Sunday 1.5", and "GP". LP, Vinyl record album

The first ever ever official release of live concert recordings of Moby Grape in their late 60s peak – from performances at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco and the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, Amsterdam in 1969 and more – collected beautifully by Sundazed! Pretty much a holy grail of late 60s San Francisco rock, the recordings find Moby Grape in an incredibly dynamic triple guitar based groove, groovy harmony vocals, and ultimately, a fiery Skip Spence acid guitar freakout to close! Includes "Ain't No Use", "Rounder", "Looper", "Bitter Wind", "Changes", "Indifference" and "Someday" from Avalon '67, "Indifference", "Mr Blues", "Omaha" and more from Monterey, "Sweet Little Angel" from San Francisco also in '67, "Murder In My Heart For The Judge", "I Am Not Willing", "Tracking Man" and more from Amsterdam 1969, plus the epic, 17 minute "Dark Magic" recorded at the Avalon on New Years Eve '66! CD

Additional material and unreleased from one of the greatest 60s recordings from the Wynton Kelly Trio – thanks to some wonderful guest work from guitarist Wes Montgomery! Montgomery's working here in a gusty, rootsy style that recalls his best soul jazz sides from the earlier years – and which have a feel that's quite different than his later, more largely-arranged work for Verve. The Kelly Trio is in perfect form – with Wynton's heavy left hand leading the group on the piano, and superb rhythm backing from the team of Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb. This massive set marks the first official release of all these tracks that were recorded at the time, but not on the original Verve album Smokin At The Half Note – with work from Larry Ridley on bass on a number of tracks, and titles that include very long versions of "The Song Is You", "Star Eyes", "Four On Six", and "Cherokee" – plus takes on "Cariba", "Blues", "Laura", "Impressions", "Mi Cosa", "No Blues", and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

An incredible snapshot of the funky soul genius of Sly Stone in an early transitional period – featuring all the known recordings of his short-lived Stone Flower label and production house from 1969-1970! Sly was a rising star at this point, and while the Stone Flower Productions name had been established already for Sly & The Family Stone's work-to-date, there was a brief period when he and manager David Kapralik set out make Stone Flower an official management and production house – and recorded some great tunes with female vocal trio Little Sister, funky soul singer and harmonica player Joe Hicks and funk rock sextet 6ix – as well as some gems sung by Sly himself. Sly & The Family Stone were soon to take off in a really huge way, his business relationship with Kapalik was becoming strained, and other factors behind-the-scenes made it impossible for Stone Flower Productions to really take root, but this brief period is fantastic. We're so glad it's been dug up and collected here! The cuts are primarily written and produced by Sly Stone – with Sly out front on "Just Like A Baby", "Africa", "Spirit" and "Scared" – and other great tracks include "You're The One" and "Somebody's Watching You" by Little Sister, "Home Sweet Home (Part 2)" and "I'm Going Home (Part 1)" by Joe Hicks, "Trying To Make You Feel Good", "You Can, We Can" by 6ix and more. 18 tracks in all – with a nice booklet of notes by Alec Palao, and an interview with the elusive Sly Stone himself! LP, Vinyl record album

Neil Young in largely acoustic mode after the louder, noisier Ragged Glory and subsequent tours in the preceding couple of years – and whether or not you'd considerate this an official sequel to the classic Harvest album, it's really a welcome return to a timeless folk rock sound and filled with some of his best songs in decades! Studio legends and Harvest veterans Jack Nitzsche, Kenney Buttrey, Tim Drummond, and even superstars like James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt return to chip in, but there's nothing showy or "all star" about it, it's all warmth and subtle beauty. Includes "Unknown Legend", "From Hank To Hendrix", "You And Me", "Harvest Moon", "War Of Man", "One Of These Days", "Dreamin' Man", "Natural Beauty" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A huge dip into the history of hip hop – in a set that's something of a groundbreaking effort from the folks at the Smithsonian! If we're honest, we'll tell you that we're old enough to remember a time when folks thought that hip hop was just a fad – when it was a musical style that would disappear in just a few short years. But now, all these many decades later, the form has had such an impact on American culture that the Smithsonian Institute is giving it some official sort of due – something we never would have believed back in the 80s! The package is huge – 9CDs with a whopping 129 tracks in all, and a 300 page book that supports the recordings with an insane amount of notes, photos, and all sorts of other information – alongside a track list that was put together by folks who include Questlove, 9th Wonder, Chuck D, Jeff Chang, and MC Lyte! The set is especially great on old school tracks up through the golden era hip hop years – but also moves into the 21st century too – and artists include Treacherous Three, Afrika Bambaataa, Fearless Four, Cold Crush Brothers, Herbie Hancock, Run DMC, Fatback, Sugarhill Gang, Kurtis Blow, Funky Four +1, T La Rock, Schoolly D, Beastie Boys, Kool Moe Dee, LL Cool J, Eric B & Rakim, Mantronix, Stetsasonic, Audio Two, Big Daddy Kane, MC Lyte, Marley Marl, Tone Loc, Jungle Brothers, NWA, Public Enemy, Slick Rick, 3rd Bass, De La Soul, Queen Latifa, DOC, 2 Live Crew, Dr Dre, Sir Mix A Lot, Digable Planets, Positive K, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Naughty By Nature, Black Sheep, Tribe Called Quest, Geto Boys, Pharcyde, 2Pac, Warren G, Gang Starr, Notorious BIG, and many many more! CD

A pulsing, bouncy set of electro funk and dancefloor future soul from Bugz In The Attic – the first-ever official LP from the sprawling DJs/producers/mix master collective! The Bugz have been tearing up the remix scene for years with their unique blend of soul, funk and electro-learned beats, and Doghouse is a really strong outlet for a less experimental, more party oriented vibe. It's packed with thumping computer funk, ceaselessly riveting grooves, and a truly coherent overall sound! We're having a tough time pinning it down with words, but a much easier time leaving it on the turntable all day long! It's a great headphones listen, too – much, much more than a string of club tracks. A wonderful surprise! 16 tracks on the CD including intro & interlude: "Move Aside", "I'm Gonna Letcha", "No More", "Once Twice", "Redhanded", "Knocks Me Off My Feet", "Consequences", "It Don't Work Like That", "Sounds Like", "Happy Days", "Don't Stop The Music", "Inna Row", "Booty La La" and more! CD

The first entry in the Bob Dylan series from Columbia – and maybe still one of the most important – as it really focused on the kind of special material that had been changing hands in the underground for decades – part of that secret knowledge that would always make diehard Dylan fans sneer at anyone who only knew the official albums! There's some really amazing stuff here – especially great album outtakes, especially from classics like Freewheelin Bob Dylan and The Times They Are A Changin – plus some unusual 70s moments, weird early demo and live tracks, and lots more. Despite the large date rate, the set skews pretty heavily towards the mid 60s – which represents probably 50% of the material, alongside a good chunk of 70s tracks, and a few scattered 80s and 90s moments. Titles include "House Carpenter", "Hard Times In New York Town", "Mama You Been On My Mind", "Sitting On A Barbed Wire Fence", "Wallflower", "Santa Fe", "Who Killed Davey Moore (Live)", "Paths Of Victory", "Talkin Hava Negeilah Blues", "Let Me Die In My Footsteps", "Man On The Street", "Suze (The Cough Song)", "Seven Curses", "every Grain Of Salnd", "Catfish", "Tell Me", "Series Of Dreams", and lots lots more. CD

The first entry in the Bob Dylan series from Columbia – and maybe still one of the most important – as it really focused on the kind of special material that had been changing hands in the underground for decades – part of that secret knowledge that would always make diehard Dylan fans sneer at anyone who only knew the official albums! There's some really amazing stuff here – especially great album outtakes, especially from classics like Freewheelin Bob Dylan and The Times They Are A Changin – plus some unusual 70s moments, weird early demo and live tracks, and lots more. Despite the large date rate, the set skews pretty heavily towards the mid 60s – which represents probably 50% of the material, alongside a good chunk of 70s tracks, and a few scattered 80s and 90s moments. Titles include "House Carpenter", "Hard Times In New York Town", "Mama You Been On My Mind", "Sitting On A Barbed Wire Fence", "Wallflower", "Santa Fe", "Who Killed Davey Moore (Live)", "Paths Of Victory", "Talkin Hava Negeilah Blues", "Let Me Die In My Footsteps", "Man On The Street", "Suze (The Cough Song)", "Seven Curses", "every Grain Of Salnd", "Catfish", "Tell Me", "Series Of Dreams", and lots lots more. CD

Dylan & The Band's legendary Basement Tapes – those amazing late 60s Woodstock recordings – and an album that was a classic long before it was officially released in the mid 70s! Bootleg after bootleg of some these recordings might have sold enough copies on the grey market in the early 70s to go platinum back in the day, so there's little wonder that Columbia would finally get some kind of official release out there – and it lives up to the legend! Dylan's conversational, seemingly spontaneous lyricism stretches over a good portion of it, with some much more soulful numbers, too – and those are all the more effective with The Band's incredible instrumentation, backing and occasional lead vocals. Includes "Odds And Ends", "Million Dollar Bash", "Tears Of Rage", "Tiny Montgomery", "Nothing Was Delivered", "Too Much Of Nothing", "Clothes Line Saga", "You Ain't Goin Nowhere", "Open The Door, Homer", "This Wheel's On Fire, "Crash On the Levee (Down In The Flood)", "Long Distance Operator". CD

Prime mid 70s live Dead from a monumental series of shows at Winterland in late October, 1974! Steal Your Face is something of a benchmark in the official Dead archives, as it not only captures the band during their "farewell" run before going on hiatus, it was also the final album on their own Grateful Dead Records label in it's original incarnation when it first came out in 1976. Historical significance aside, it's just a great 2LP snapshot of the band at a peak level, with "The Promised Land", "Cold Rain & Snow", "Around And Around", "Stella Blue", "Ship Of Fools", "Big River", "El Paso", "Sugaree", "I Must Have Been The Roses", "Casey Jones" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Kendrick Lamar takes wider creative left turns than ever before on To Pimp A Butterfly – with a funk steeped production style that filters tried-and-true P Funk influences through leftfield modern beatcraft styles, inspired by cats like Madlib to Thundercat, the latter of whom is an official contributor. Fresh material from an increasingly pivotal figure – who may not be revolutionizing the game on the level of the heavy critical praise he's heaped with, but he's certainly marching to his own beat, rather than chasing hits! Includes "Wesley's Theory" with George Clinton & Thundercat, "King Kunta", "These Walls" with Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat, "Aright", "For Sale?", "Institutionalized" with a Slick Rick-homage of a guest verse by Snoop Dogg (sign us up for any record that gives props to The Ruler...and extra points for transplanting that style of flow to Compton), "Momma", "Hood Politics", "The Blacker The Berry", "How Much A Dollar Cost" feat James Fauntleroy & Ronald Isley, "Mortal Man" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The official full length debut from Lupe Fiasco – another wholly unique Chicago MC who's gotten the runaround from seemingly every major label in the biz – and a record that lives up to the long-building hype! Frankly, we were scared almost immediately when we heard the description "skate rap" applied to "Kick, Push" – only to find our fears unfounded. Lupe's only going to be himself – which is what makes him such a strong MC (other than the masterful breath control) – and that individualistic approach is proving to be Chicago's gift to mainstream hip hip. The Neptunes provide one of their best productions of the past couple years for "I Gotcha" – but the soundtracky productions by Soundtrakk (natch) are even better. Other tracks include "Real" feat Sara Green, "Just Might Be OK" feat Gemini, "Kick, Push", "The Instrumental" feat Jonah Matranga, "He Say She Say" feat Gemini & Sarah Green, "Sunshine", "Daydreamin'" feat Jill Scott, "The Cool" (produced by Kanye) , "Hurt Me Soul", "Pressure" feat Jay-Z, "American Terrorist" feat Matthew Santos, "The Cool", "The Emperor's Soundtrack" and more! LP, Vinyl record album

With edits of cuts by Czeslaw Niemen, Fleetwood Mac, GB Experience, Bob & Pauline Wilson, Blue Magic, Impossible Dreamers, Toto Guillaume, and Kintone. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Rare live material from Chet Baker – recorded at 1954 performances at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium and the Tiffany Club in LA. The material was never officially issued at the time, although it did make an appearance in a now out of print box set on Mosaic – and it features Chet grooving easily in quartet formation, with Russ Freeman on piano, Carson Smith on bass, and Bob Neel on drums. Titles include "Stella By Starlight", "Line For Lyons", "Carson City Stage", "All The Things You Are", "Lady Bird", and "Out Of Nowhere". CD

A very unusual early moment for The Beatles – a record issued in the US not on Capitol, but on the Chicago soul imprint Vee Jay Records – a company who reportedly took the group on as a favor to EMI, because they wanted to release a set by Frank Ifeld! LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe our favorite Beatles album ever – a key set that bridges the catchiness of the early years and the sharper ideas of later albums – with a slightly sinister undercurrent that really keeps things fresh! The album's got some great early psych in spots, offset with wonderfully mature and sweet lyrics on the love songs – cross-cut with a bit of witty social commentary too! The blend is amazing – a pre-Sgt Peppers moment of the group that maybe captures them at their most honest and open – all the depth of records to come, but some of the more direct modes of previous sets too. Tracks include "Taxman", "Eleanor Rigby", "Love You To", "Here There & Everywhere", "She Said She Said", "And Your Bird Can Sing", "Tomorrow Never Knows", and "For No One". CD

A lost Blue Note Records session by tenor genius Hank Mobley – originally recorded in 1966, but not officially issued until 1979 – and then only briefly until another short issue in the mid 90s! The record has Mobley really reaching out into a new bag – hitting a more soulfully arranged sound than on some of his other straighter Blue Notes – a full, rich groove that's totally wonderful! Duke Pearson arranged the group, and it's slightly larger than usual – with James Spaulding on alto, Lee Morgan on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, Billy Higgins on drums, and Kiane Zawadi and Howard Johnson providing a very unique tuba/euphonium bass part – hardly the clunky horns you might expect, and instead sort of a rumbling bottom-end sound that's really great. Titles include "Hank's Other Bag", "Touch Of Blue", and "A Slice Of The Top". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost Blue Note Records session by tenor genius Hank Mobley – originally recorded in 1966, but not officially issued until 1979 – and then only briefly until another short issue in the mid 90s! The record has Mobley really reaching out into a new bag – hitting a more soulfully arranged sound than on some of his other straighter Blue Notes – a full, rich groove that's totally wonderful! Duke Pearson arranged the group, and it's slightly larger than usual – with James Spaulding on alto, Lee Morgan on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, Billy Higgins on drums, and Kiane Zawadi and Howard Johnson providing a very unique tuba/euphonium bass part – hardly the clunky horns you might expect, and instead sort of a rumbling bottom-end sound that's really great. Titles include "Hank's Other Bag", "Touch Of Blue", and "A Slice Of The Top". LP, Vinyl record album

Sun Ra and the Arkestra first sprang forth on the Chicago scene in the postwar years – and here, they return to the Windy City in two different concerts – both issued here officially for the first time ever! Both sets feature a seminal 70s lineup of the group – with the great John Gilmore on tenor, plus Marshall Allen and Danny Davis on flute and alto, Michael Ray and Ahmed Abdullah on trumpet, Vincent Chancey on French Horn, Eloe Omoe on alto and bass clarinet, Danny Thompson on baritone and flute, June Tyson and Cheryl Banks Smith on vocals, James Jacson on Ancient Ihnfinity drum, and Ra himself on acoustic piano and electric keyboards. Titles include "Ebah Speaks In Cosmic Tongue", "Space Is The Place", "New Beginning", "Velvet", "Moonship Journey", "Ankhnaton", and a very long take of "Calling Planet Earth/The Shadow World". CD

Unofficial compilation with misleading title of cover songs performed live through the 70s. LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Norton Records, the reigning deep garage rock relic hunters, have done it again – a straight up incredible batch of rugged, shambling r&b fueled, punk rock prefiguring singles from 1964-1968 – stuff that's never even been officially released! The stuff runs the gamut, from raw, but capable blue eyed interpretations of r&b, to wild instrument bashing in the most hard charging and stumbling tradition. Some of it's ultra low fi, others raw, but with a clarity that could have pushed it closer to the mainstream – totally great stuff that's gotta be fresh news to even the most devoting 60s garage enthusiasts! Titles include "Life Of My Own" by Loved Ones, "It's Your Choice" by Briks, "I Love You So" by Others, "The Laugh's On You" by Other Ones, "And You Believe Me" by Fabulous Courdels, "I've Paid My Dues" by Creations, "Thinkin Bout It" by Sheep and more. 14 tracks in all. LP, Vinyl record album

There's never been anyone like Brian Eno in his early years – and despite countless copycats over the years, nobody comes close to the brilliance of a record like this! There's so much going on here – darkness and wit, guitars and quiet, fantasy and sentimentality – all amazingly blended into tunes that shouldn't be catchy, but are – and which come across much more with the oddly rocking vibe of Eno's years in Roxy Music, than any of his later, better-known ambient projects. Make no mistake, that sense of sound that would grace the ambient works is definitely brewing here – as there's very interesting production, unusual sonic elements, and other surprises taking place throughout – in ways that continue to mesmerize and delight as the years go on. Titles include "Burning Airlines Give You So Much More", "Back In Judy's Jungle", "The Fat Lady Of Limbourg", "Mother Whale Eyeless", "The Great Pretender", "Third Uncle", "Put A Straw Under Baby", "The True Wheel", "China My China", and "Taking Tiger Mountain". LP, Vinyl record album

The deepest work yet from Foreign Exchange – and as hard as it is for us to believe, a record that unofficially kicks off the second decade of the one-time transatlantic partnership of Nicolay and Phonte – which has evolved into a bonafide indie soul supergroup with Zo!, Tamisha Waden and Carmen Rodgers! Tales From The Land Of Milk And Honey is as full of life as anything we've heard from them, and honestly, a record we'll be able to keep coming back to for years. On the production front, Nicolay has found a way to pay homage to the past half century of breezy soul and R&B, club grooves, bossa and more, and distill it all into a fairly tight sound that belongs to FE+. Phonte is as vocally charismatic on his cuts as ever, whether he's playing it straight, or just having a little bit of fun – like when he's affecting a British accent on "Asking For A Friend" – and the women's voices are never less than beautiful, on both the lead vocal turns and the hooks. Includes "Milk And Honey", "Work It To The Top", "Truce", "Disappear", "Sevenths And Ninths", "Asking ForA Friend", "Body", "As Fast As You Can", "Face In The Reflection" and "Until The Dawn (Milk And Honey Pt II)". CD

Recorded in 1987, but never officially released until 1994, when Prince was trying to get out of his Warners contract. Prince's attempt to return to his more funky side after flirting with more straight pop songs was a Holy Grail amongst collectors for a time, and though we don't like it as much as his first couple of albums, there are more than a few good moments on here, and it certainly stands up better than most of what came after. 8 songs: "Le Grind", "Cindy C", "Dead On It", "When 2 R In Love", "Bob George", "Superfunkycalifragisexy", "2 Nigs United 4 West Compton" and "Rockhard In A Funky Place". CD

As great of a rock & roll album as there's ever been! It's impossible to describe this record without sounding like a blow hard, but you really can't overstate what these four goony guys from Queens accomplished. 30-odd years of the most visceral pop music concentrated into 2 minute, 3 chord blasts of beautiful sonic catharsis – and they could barely even play. Thanks boys. Tracks include "Blitzkreig Bop", "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", "Beat On The Brat", "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue", "I Don't Wanna Around With You", "Loudmouth", and "Today Your Love", Tomorrow The World". 8 bonus tracks include original demo versions of many of the album tracks – plus never officially released outtakes from the sessions including "I Can't Be" and "I Don't Wanna Be Learned/I Don't Wanna Be Tamed". CD

A beautiful 3LP set of long buried Townes Van Zandt recordings from the early 70s – a period that you can easily argue was his peak – even though few people were buying his records at the time! You get a pretty solid representation of 2 sides of the Townes sound on this great compilation from Omnivore. Disc One features alternate studio versions of some of our favorite songs – a good deal of which were produced by Cowboy Jack Clement at his Nashville studio in 1972 – plus a handful that Townes recorded in LA a year earlier. These have a sound that are fleshed out enough instrumentally, but without the horns, strings and some of the other grander aspects of the officially released album versions in hopes of breaking Townes through to a larger audience at the time. Ironically, it's the rawness and intimacy that Townes fans are drawn to – and that's what you get here! The second disc features demos that mostly feature just Townes's voice and acoustic guitar – and it's achingly beautiful! Despite the familiar track list, every song on this 2CD set is previously unreleased – and essential for longtime Townes fans and newbies alike! Includes "T For Texas", "Who Do You Love", "Sunshine Boy", "Pancho & Lefty" (an alternate 1972 mix without strings and horns), "Sad Cinderella", "Lungs", "Mr. Mudd & Mr. Gold", "White Freight Liner Blues", "Two Hands" and more on the studio sessions disc – and the titles on the disc of demos includes "Heavenly Houseboat Blues", "Diamond Heel Blues", "Tower Song", "Hightway Kind", "Old Paint", "Standin'" and more. 28 tracks in all – and it features some excellent notes by Colin Escott. LP, Vinyl record album

Norton Records, the reigning deep garage rock relic hunters, have done it again – a straight up incredible batch of rugged, shambling r&b fueled, punk rock prefiguring singles from 1964-1968 – stuff that's never even been officially released! The stuff runs the gamut, from raw, but capable blue eyed interpretations of r&b, to wild instrument bashing in the most hard charging and stumbling tradition. Some of it's ultra low fi, others raw, but with a clarity that could have pushed it closer to the mainstream – totally great stuff that's gotta be fresh news to even the most devoting 60s garage enthusiasts! Titles include "Yesterday We Laughed" by Cirkit, "Too Many Reasons" by Coachmen, "I Want You" by Thorns, "The Hill" by Hidden Charms, "Want Me" by Night Crawlers, "Get Off My Back" by Henchmen, "Hey Baby" by Khuns and more. 14 tracks in all. LP, Vinyl record album

A long overdue testament to the live genius of the mighty John Coltrane Quartet – captured at the legendary Half Note club in NYC – disc 1 recorded on a date in March 1965 and disc 2 on a date in early May of the same year! The set finds Coltrane plus McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on the kit working in a far more adventurous guise than many of the 60s studio sessions – stretching out incredibly on the half hour epic workout "One Up, One Down" and a beautifully loose run of "Afro Blue". The stylistic themes are carried through similarly on the second disc's long grooving "Song Of Praise" and an amazing "My Favorite Things", but stretching near or past the 20 minute mark. These long bootlegged recordings are now available on CD officially for the first time ever – complete with the original radio introductions and announcements! CD

Some of the greatest Miles Davis material ever recorded – and not really ever officially issued as an album until this collection! The recordings are from the magical year of 1958, a time when Miles was working in the Kind Of Blue mode – on the album of the same name, one of his all-time standout classics. The work on this set is in a very similar spirit – recorded by a sextet that includes the rhythm section of Jimmy Cobb, Paul Chambers, and a young Bill Evans, who brings a magically modal feel to the album that really gives it an edge. Added to that are the saxophones of John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley, blowing together in two ends of the soul spectrum, really stretching the color palette from Miles' usual work. Miles himself seems very inspired by the company, and works with plenty of space to allow the saxophonists to stretch out in wonderful solos – and Evans himself is simply amazing, working wonderfully in the setting, making us wish he'd recorded more group dates like this one! The first 3 tracks on the set were briefly issued on the flipside of the Jazz Track album (an obscure Columbia LP that also included 10 songs from the soundtrack to Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud), and a few others on later live LPs – but this is the first time the material from that group has appeared together as a full album. Includes stellar versions of "Stella By Starlight", "Green Dolphin Street", "Fran Dance", "Little Melonae", and "Love For Sale". CD

Some of the greatest Miles Davis material ever recorded – and not really ever officially issued as an album until this collection! The recordings are from the magical year of 1958, a time when Miles was working in the Kind Of Blue mode – on the album of the same name, one of his all-time standout classics. The work on this set is in a very similar spirit – recorded by a sextet that includes the rhythm section of Jimmy Cobb, Paul Chambers, and a young Bill Evans, who brings a magically modal feel to the album that really gives it an edge. Added to that are the saxophones of John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley, blowing together in two ends of the soul spectrum, really stretching the color palette from Miles' usual work. Miles himself seems very inspired by the company, and works with plenty of space to allow the saxophonists to stretch out in wonderful solos – and Evans himself is simply amazing, working wonderfully in the setting, making us wish he'd recorded more group dates like this one! The first 3 tracks on the set were briefly issued on the flipside of the Jazz Track album (an obscure Columbia LP that also included 10 songs from the soundtrack to Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud), and a few others on later live LPs – but this is the first time the material from that group has appeared together as a full album. Includes stellar versions of "Stella By Starlight", "Green Dolphin Street", "Fran Dance", "Little Melonae", and "Love For Sale". CD

Some of the greatest Miles Davis material ever recorded – and not really ever officially issued as an album until this collection! The recordings are from the magical year of 1958, a time when Miles was working in the Kind Of Blue mode – on the album of the same name, one of his all-time standout classics. The work on this set is in a very similar spirit – recorded by a sextet that includes the rhythm section of Jimmy Cobb, Paul Chambers, and a young Bill Evans, who brings a magically modal feel to the album that really gives it an edge. Added to that are the saxophones of John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley, blowing together in two ends of the soul spectrum, really stretching the color palette from Miles' usual work. Miles himself seems very inspired by the company, and works with plenty of space to allow the saxophonists to stretch out in wonderful solos – and Evans himself is simply amazing, working wonderfully in the setting, making us wish he'd recorded more group dates like this one! The first 3 tracks on the set were briefly issued on the flipside of the Jazz Track album (an obscure Columbia LP that also included 10 songs from the soundtrack to Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud), and a few others on later live LPs – but this is the first time the material from that group has appeared together as a full album. Includes stellar versions of "Stella By Starlight", "Green Dolphin Street", "Fran Dance", "My Funny Valentine", "Oleo", and "Love For Sale". CD