Blue Effect are down to a trio for this early 80s album, but that smaller lineup seems to allow even more space for instrumental interplay and well-crafted solos – served up by Radim Hladik on guitars, Vladimir Cech on drums and percussion, and Lesek Semelka on Moog and Korg keyboards, plus vocals as well! The production is clean, but never commercial – just really letting the longform tunes spin out with plenty of well-played lines – on titles that include "Triatricet", "Obcasna Panska Jizda", "Kohoutek Kamaradstvi Dokapava", and "Avignonske Slecny Z Prahy". CD features 6 bonus tracks – including "Nezna", "Zahada Jmeli", and "Doktor". CD

Excellent funky jazz from Czechoslovakia – served up in a blistering mix of big band arrangements and electric rock elements! The group's a jazz-rock orchestra – with a hard wailing instrumental sound that's sort of like the Clarke Boland Big Band, mixed with fuzzed-out guitars – a really great blend that's in the territory of some of the best MPS work of this type from the time! There's a bit of a progressive vibe to the record, but never in a way that has the solos getting too overindulgent – and throughout, the group keeps things going with very strong jazz elements in the music. Titles include the 14 minute groover "Nova Synteza", which has a tasty drum breakdown – plus "Popinavy Brectan", "Ma Hra", and "Smer Jihovychod". CD features 6 bonus tracks – including "Blue Taxi", "Living Things", and "I Got My Mojo Working". CD

A decade's worth of grooves from keyboardist Emil Viklicky – one of the funkiest cats working behind the Iron Curtain during the 70s! Viklicky plays a variety of keyboards, and even a bit of vibes too – working with fusion combos Energit and SHQ – but also jamming strongly as a leader on his own – all in the best mix of western groovy styles that was filtering into the Eastern European scene at the time! Emil's sound may be a few years behind his American counterparts – but that only means that a sweet cut from the early 80s sounds just as great as a prime CTI cut from the mid 70s. This cool collection does a great job of digging through Viklicky's albums recorded for Czech labels like Panton and Supraphon – most of which we've never seen on this side of the Atlantic – and the set also features a cut recorded with vocalist Eva Svobodova too. Titles include "Siesta", "Jumbo Jet", "Trochu Funky", "Tyden", "Jeste Jednou Slunce", "Boston", "70 Vychodni", "Rano (part 1 Kash edit)", and "Zase Zapomneli Zavrit Okno". CD

There's plenty of rocksteady people here – served up in a killer selection of work from the small JDI label in Kingston – an imprint named after the Johnson's Drive-In club where most of the acts worked! The cuts here have a lean, gritty vibe – that really special quality that comes from the early 45s of this generation, when the Jamaican scene was really experimenting with new sounds of its own – all set to production styles that really let the best elements in the tunes pop strongly, especially the jazzy horns and organ lines! The Diamonds Band or Los Caballeros Orchestra back up all the singers – and titles include "Beware Rudie" and "Control Your Temper" by Roy Panton, "Rock Steady People" by Lloyd Williams, "Rude Boy's Prayer", "Danger Man", and "Press On" by Desmond Tucker – plus instrumental cuts "Expo 67" and "Look Away" by The Diamonds – and "Rigmarole" "Hot Nosh", and "Make Yourself Comfortable" by Los Caballeros. CD