One of the few straight rock records ever issued on the mostly-folk Monitor Records label – a great 60s outing from Freeborne, a group with a sound that's as tripped-out as you might expect from the cover! Instrumentation is heavy on organ and guitars, both acoustic and electric, but there's also some cool percussion too – and interesting use of recorders, in a way that comes across with an ocarina-like charm! Vocals are somewhat soft, but have a dark undercurrent – and there's a really great folk-into-psyche sort of feel to the whole thing. Titles include "Images", "Land Of Diana", "But I Must Return To Frenzy", "Inside People", "Yellow Sky", "Peak Impressions & Thoughts", and "Visions Of My Own". CD

Beautiful beautiful early work from Dave Pike – a cascading array of vibes and piano – stretched out over some longer tracks that skip with a lyrical and modal groove throughout! Dave's working here with a group that includes Bill Evans on piano, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Walter Perkins on drums – and although his style is a bit more restrained than on his later funk albums, it also proves to be a wonderful match for the fluid colors of Evans' work on piano – as well as Perkins' light and playful work on the drum kit. There's a simplicity here that's really great – not as "over your head" as the Dave Pike Set of later years, and with a gentle grace that shows what a keenly mature player Pike was, even at this early age. Titles include "Why Not", "Vierd Blues", "Besame Mucho", and "Wild Is The Wind". LP, Vinyl record album

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Beautiful beautiful early work from Dave Pike – a cascading array of vibes and piano – stretched out over some longer tracks that skip with a lyrical and modal groove throughout! Dave's working here with a group that includes Bill Evans on piano, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Walter Perkins on drums – and although his style is a bit more restrained than on his later funk albums, it also proves to be a wonderful match for the fluid colors of Evans' work on piano – as well as Perkins' light and playful work on the drum kit. There's a simplicity here that's really great – not as "over your head" as the Dave Pike Set of later years, and with a gentle grace that shows what a keenly mature player Pike was, even at this early age. Titles include "Why Not", "Vierd Blues", "Besame Mucho", and "Wild Is The Wind". CD

An absolute treasure trove of rare soul singles from Pied Piper Productions – a mid 60s Detroit soul operation that features Funk Brothers Jack Ashford, Joe Hunter, and Mike Terry – laying down sounds that rival the best Motown groovers of the period! The work is amazing throughout – soul cuts heavily focused on the groove and amazing lead vocals – recorded in ways that are similar to the best of Detroit at the time, but with some rawer aspects too – which makes for a massive package of Northern Soul gems! The package features both solo singers and great groups too – artists who include Lorraine Chandler, The Hesitations, September Jones, The Cavaliers, Willie Kendrick, Nancy Wilcox, and – heard here on rare singles and LP tracks that were originally released on labels like Karate, Kapp, Ruby and Giant – plus a number of recently unearthed titles that are seeing release for the first time ever! The set features 24 tracks in all, and the usual superb Kent notes and packaging – with titles that include "I Can't Hold On" by Lorraine Chandler, "Stuttering Sam" by September Jones, "Gambler's Blues" by Nancy Wilcox, "This Heart Is Lonely" by Rose Batiste, "Just Can't Leave You" by Tony Hesher, "Could It Be" by Micki Farrow, "I Fell In Love (Can't Help It)" by Freddy Butler, "He'll Be Leaving You" by The Pied Piper Players, "If Only You Knew" by Mike & Ray, "Time Changes Things" by Willie Kendrick, and "Lonely Too Long" by The Sandpipers. CD

Beautiful beautiful early work from Dave Pike – a cascading array of vibes and piano – stretched out over some longer tracks that skip with a lyrical and modal groove throughout! Dave's working here with a group that includes Bill Evans on piano, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Walter Perkins on drums – and although his style is a bit more restrained than on his later funk albums, it also proves to be a wonderful match for the fluid colors of Evans' work on piano – as well as Perkins' light and playful work on the drum kit. There's a simplicity here that's really great – not as "over your head" as the Dave Pike Set of later years, and with a gentle grace that shows what a keenly mature player Pike was, even at this early age. Titles include "Why Not", "Vierd Blues", "Besame Mucho", and "Wild Is The Wind". LP, Vinyl record album

The Allman Brothers at their best – and a key 70s set that may well have the group working at their peak! All their best southern roots are firmly tied together here – not just the country-touched approach to rock that was the group's calling card, but also their ties to some of the Georgia soul scene as well – an element that really surfaces in some of the album's piano lines and rhythms, which really help underscore the depth of the tunes – and give the group a solid footing that's stronger than some of their more cliched contemporaries. These tunes hold up wonderfully over the years – and have a visionary approach that almost sparkles even more strongly here in the 21st Century than when we first started digging their sounds on radio back in the 70s. Titles include "Southbound", "Jessica", "Pony Boy", "Wasted Words", "Ramblin Man", "Come & Go Blues", and "Jelly Jelly". LP, Vinyl record album

The raw, mesmerizing debut of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds! On From Her To Eternity, Cave stalks and staggers right along the line between the aggro caterwaul of The Birthday Party and the haunting moodiness of later records with the Bad Seeds – and it's as distinct and exciting as ever after all these years! The looseness of the Bad Seeds sound is big part of what makes it so amazing, with spare backdrops that always carry the promise of noisy menace to come, and it's all the more exciting with it does – and Cave's mournful, angry testifying is in near peak form here. Includes "Avalanche", "Cabin Fever!", "Well Of Misery", "From Here To Eternity", "Saint Huck", "Wings Off Flies" and "A Box For Black Paul". DVD features 5.1 DVD-audio surround mix and bonus videos! CD

The second album from The Clash – ferocious, melodic and masterful bits of barbed greatness from the group – the greatest flaw of which is that it's not the first album. They're still completely great, playing in peak form even with the less shambling, slightly more polished production of Sandy Pearlman. This one stands out beautifully to us nowadays, since most of the songs aren't as overplayed as the more zeitgeiest-y earlier ones or the Mtv hits that came later on. Essential!! Titles include "Julie's In The Drug Squad", "All The Young Punks", "Last Gang In Town", "Guns On The Roof", "Cheap-Skate", "Drug-Stabbing Time", and "Safe European Home". LP, Vinyl record album

Hey, don't hold Wayne Cochran's hair against him – because he's one massively soulful dude, despite a high white pompadour – and really knew how to rock the clubs back in the 60s! Cochran's a really unique figure – working with a look that was whiter-than-white, but coming across with a groove that was right up there in the best funky soul mode of the time! Wayne played for the same sort of crowds that went to see Baby Huey & The Babysitters – blending together soul and R&B influences with a really party-oriented groove laid down by his legendary CC Riders backup group – and crossing countless borders along the way, all in pursuit of a socking soul sound! This wonderful set is the best we've ever seen on his music – and features tracks pulled from his sessions for King, Chess, and Mercury – plus a full never-issued live album for King, titled The Wayne Cochran Show. There's more than a few covers here of other 60s soul tunes, but Wayne somehow manages to make most of them sound even better than the originals – bringing in funky arrangements that weren't even used on the hits, and making us wish we'd had a chance to catch his cooking show back in the day. 38 tracks in all – with titles that include "Dance To The Music", "Hold On I'm Coming", "Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa (Sad Song)", "I Can't Turn You Loose", "Hard To Handle", "Chopper 70", "Everybody", "Let Me Come With You", "My Machine", "Get Ready", "Which One Should I Choose", "I'm In Trouble", "The Peak Of Love", "Somebody Please", "I'm Leaving It Up To You", and "Big City Woman". CD

A great example of the Muse Records charm of altoist Richie Cole – bop-fired creativity at its peak, mixed with some added contemporary elements to keep things fresh! In this case, Richie's horn takes on some key bop classics, but also opens up a bit with vocalsits too – Eddie Jefferson on versions of "Hi Fly", "Relaxin At Camarillo", and "Waiting For Waits" – the latter of which also features Tom Waits as well! The Manhattan Transfer make some subtle guest appearances too – but in ways that are much more restrained than their own albums, really leaving most room for Richie's horn. Bruce Forman plays guitar and Dick Hindman piano – and titles include "Hi Fly", "Relaxin At Camarillo", "Hooray For Hollywood", "I Love Lucy", "Malibu Breeze", "Waiting For Waits", and "Tokyo Rose Sings The Hollywood Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best full lengths by The Cramps! By the time A Date With Elvis came out in the mid 80s, The Cramps had pretty much perfected their wild mix of ghoulish innuendo and truly devoted roots rock/garage revivalism. The sex club and monster movie imagery was for show, but their love of rootsy rumbles was no joke! The record is dedicated to the memory of Ricky Nelson and the dedication is not ironic. Great, ghoulish Cramps at their mid-decade peak. Oh, and by the way. . .Elvis couldn't have handled a date with Ivy. She'd have wrecked that boy. Includes "How Far Can I Go?", "The Hot Pearl Snatch", "People Ain't No Good", "What's Inside A Girl?", "Can Your Pussy Do The Dog?", "Kizmiaz", "Aloha From Hell", "Cornfed Dames" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Deep and bluesy work from the all-star Ellington group of the late 50s – a beautifully recorded album that moves way past the simple cliche of its title! The set features a host of original tunes from Duke Ellington and other members of the group – and players include Jimmy Hamilton on tenor, Ray Nance on trumpet, Matthew Gee on trombone, and the wonderful Johnny Hodges on alto – playing here at the peak of his later powers. Titles include "Three J's Blues", "Smada", "C Jam Blues", "Sweet & Pungent", "Blues In Blueprint", "The Swinger's Jump", and "Blues In Orbit". LP, Vinyl record album

Everybody Digs Bill Evans – or at least it certainly seems that way from the cover endorsements by Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, and Ahmad Jamal – but the real proof is in the record, and the set is a great one from Bill's classic years on Riverside! Evans is at the peak of his early powers here – working with a straightforward rhythm combo that features Sam Jones on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums – but still hitting those beautifully fluid, beautifully spacious lines that set his playing apart from most who'd come before him. Tracks include 3 solo numbers – "Lucky To Be Me", "Peace Piece", and the very short "Epilogue" – plus trio tracks "Night & Day", "Minority", "Tenderly", and "Oleo". CD features 1 bonus track – "Some Other Time". CD

Dutch revolutionaries The Ex at a high point of an incredible early run – rolling into the mid 80s with a fiery double album! By this point they had a strong blueprint for their sound and style – steady propulsive rhythms that roll to hypnotic effect, sing-speak vocals that work as well as poetic marching mantras as song lyrics, off kilter bits of instrumentation that fit in with noise jazz as much as post-punk rock – and they're right on cusp of a peak here. Includes "Jack Frost Is Innocent", "A Good Buy To You", "Boohoo", "Requiem For A Rip-Off", "Pleased To Meat You", A Plague To Survive", "Kidnap Connection", "Fire And Ice", "Food On 45", "Scrub That Scum", "The Rise Of The Dutch Republic", "Love You Till Eh", "Rabble With A Cause" and the title track. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the great End LPs by The Flamingos, who at this point were at their peak, and were recording with these amazing studio arrangements by Sammy Lowe. Lots of cool stuff in the same vein as "I Only Have Eyes For You", like "Besame Mucho", "You Belong To My Heart", "Tell Me How Long", and the stellar "Mio Amore". LP, Vinyl record album

Wicked early 80s punk from The Flesh Eaters – with some fun nods to trash culture and B-movies in the cover art, song titles and lyrical imagery – but it's also some of most slyly ambitious sounds from the west coast scene of the time! It's clear from the first track they're going for something more instrumentally adventurous than others at the time, with sax and off kilter hand percussion all over it – but Chris D's vision and caterwauling presence as front man keeps it nice and raucous. X's John Doe and DJ Bonebrake are both Flesh Eaters in this peak period, along with sax player Steve Berlin, later to join Los Lobos – and even roots rock hero Dave Alvin – that's a hell of a punk band, right?! Titles include "Digging My Grave", "Satan's Stomp", "So Long", "Cryan De Berger's Back", "Divine Horseman", "See You In The Boneyard" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The best yet from Flying Lotus – who we keep allowing ourselves to believe has hit an insurmountable peak with each new record – but he just keeps getting better! Where the preceding Cosmogramma upped the stranger, spacier and more abstract textures, Until The Quiet Comes is a bit more inviting – and to his credit, Flying Lotus keeps things as innovative as ever, while still giving this one just a bit more immediately appealing atmosphere. There's nearly always a compelling beat, whether it's abstract boom bap or bubbly and synthy, with heavy bass and thick waves of sound floating over. An incredible roster of guests contribute, too – including string-arranger Miguel Atwood Ferguson, vocalists Erykah Badu, Laura Darlington and Radiohead's Thom Yorke, keyboardist Dorian Concept, and others – but there's little doubt that this is purely the Flying Lotus show. Greatness! Titles include "All In", "Sultan's Request", "See Thru To U" with Erykah Badu, "DMT Song" with Thundercat, "The Nightcaller", "Only If You Wanna", "Electric Candyman" with Thom Yorke, "Hunger" with Niki Randa, "Phantasm" with Laura Darlington, "Dream To Me" and more. CD

Gang Starr at pretty close to peak level here on 1994's Hard To Earn – and rather than continue to ride the waves they made on the previous couple classic albums, Guru sharpens the lyrical tone just a bit – spitting some more incisive rhymes over apporpriately gritty soul jazz beats from Primo. Tracks include the classic "DWYCK" featuring Nice & Smooth – which is just about our favorite Gang Starr track ever, to be honest – plus "Speak Ya Clout" featuring Jeru and Lil Dap, "Mass Appeal", "Code Of The Streets", "Brainstorm", "Tonz O Gunz", "Suckas Need Bodyguards", "Blowin Up The Spot", "Mostly Tha Voice", "F.A.L.A.", "Now You're Mine", "Comin For Datazz", "Aiight Chill...", "The Planet", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

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 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. CD

Janet's massive follow up to Rhythm Nation 1814 and it's a triumph, too – delivering on all the strengths of other peak era efforts and slyly working in some stylistic detours along the way – asserting herself here as strongly as ever! Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis once again show why they're among the most heralded pop soul producers of the era, from beats driven dancefloor jams to sexy club soul to tender ballads, but make no mistakes, this is Janet's show – this one's official title is Janet, period after all – with badass spoken interludes, vocals that soar in range of styles and an all around assertive vibe that's strong to this day. Includes "That's The Way Love Goes", "You Want This", "If", "This Time", "Throb", "What'll I Do", "Funky Big Band", "Where Are You Now", "Any Time, Any Place", "Because Of Love", "Again" and more. 2CD version features lots of bonus material – including "One More Chance", "70s Love Groove", "And On & On", "You Want This", "Where Are You Now", "Because Of Love", and "That's The Way Love Goes (CJ R&B 7" mix)". CD

A classic run of records from Waylon Jennings – brought together in a single package! First up is Lonesome Onry & Mean – a pivotal album for Waylon Jennings – the record where he really found the new direction that would finally get him the fame he deserved – delivered in a way that's free from all the later cliches, and which also ties Waylon pretty strongly to the hipper currents of the underground – especially that point where singer/songwriter genius intersected with country! The production is his own, and vastly different than the late 60s records – even though we love those to death too – and that magical Jennings vocal approach does fantastic things to tunes by Steve Young, Mickey Newbury, Kris Kristofferson, and others! Titles include the fantastic "Lonesome Onry & Mean", plus "Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues", "Freedom To Stay", "Lay It Down", "You Can Have Her", "Pretend I Never Happened", "San Francisco Mabel Joy", "Sandy Sends Her Best", and a great take on "Me &Bobby McGee". Honky Tonk Heroes is genius material from Waylon Jennings – one of those career-defining records from the early 70s that completely put him on top, and heralded a whole new generation in country music! The set's maybe equally noteworthy as a showcase for the up-and-coming Billy Joe Shaver, who wrote much of the songs on the record – and it's also a great showcase for the important production talents of Tompall Glaser, who really gets the spirit of the music right! Titles include great versions of "Honky Tonk Heroes", "Old Five & Dimers Like Me", "Ride Me Down Easy", "Black Rose", "Willy The Wandering Gypsy & Me", "Omaha", and "Ain't No God In Mexico". This Time is one of those Waylon Jennings records from a time when he could do no wrong – fighting the stronger powers at RCA to really find his voice – recording at the studio of Tompall Glaser, with great production help from Willie Nelson – who was enjoying his own transformation at the time too! As with the previous two gems from this period, the choice of material and presentation is great – songs by Willie, JJ Cale, and Billy Joe Shavers – in a set of titles that include "Heaven Or Hell", "It's Not Supposed To Be That Way", "This Time", "Pick Up The Tempo", "If You Could Touch Her At All", "Walkin", "Slow Rollin Low", "Louisiana Woman", and "Slow Movin Outlaw". Ramblin Man is Waylon Jennings at peak mid 70s perfection! Ramblin' Man fits in stylistically with the gruff honky tonk hero mode he first fully realized a couple albums earlier, but he's still fiercely blazing trails here, pairing his gruff lead vocals with sweeter female harmonies on some tracks, changing the groove from laidback swagger to fast-paced honky tonk, working in some tender ballads with the gruffer numbers...Waylon at his best. Starts up with the eternal title track and equally classic "Rainy Day Woman" and hardly lets up in greatness from there, with "Cloudy Days", "The Hunger", "It'll Be Her", a great cover of the Allman Brothers' "Midnight Rider", "Memories Of You And Me", "Amanda" and more. Features bonus tracks too – "Laid Back Country Picker", "The Last One To Leave Seattle", "Big Big Love", "Got A Lot Going For Me", "The Last Letter", and "The One I Sing My Love Songs To". CD

A soulful dance album from the legendary King Britt – released on the house groove heavy Nervous label! Britt's always been one of the most diversely adaptable artists/producers and also one of the most reverently soulful dance music trailblazers out there and Intricate Beauty is as it's titled – with sultry, sweetly soulful club grooves and more globally influenced beats alike. It's dancefloor geared from front to back, with a soulful beat and lilting keys and atmospherics bringing the beauty along with some lovely guest singers – including Rucyl Mills, Astrid Suryanto, Kim English, Lady Alma and others. The the numbers flow one to the next in a continuous groove, demonstrating King Britt's skills as a DJ as well as material demonstrates his club groove production prowess. Include "Love What You Have " (main mix) feat Rucyl Mills, "Now" (main mix) feat Astrid Suryanto, "Nightlife" (King Britt mix) by with Kim English, "Try Love" (main mix) feat Lady Alma, "Blackhand Side", "Peak Inside", "Inner Self", "The Intricate Beauty" (main mix) feat Ryat and more. CD

Led Zeppelin at peak power – mixing hard rock bombast with deep, genuine love for blues and folk guitars! Houses Of The Holy is the essential the blueprint for countless imitators to come – but it's also got smarts, subtleties and creative ambitious that's just plain lost on the watered wannabes that floated up in Zeppelin's wake. Titles include "The Crunge", "Over The Hills & Far Away", "The Song Remains The Same", "The Rain Song", "Dancing Days", "Dyer Maker", "No Quarter", and "The Ocean". LP, Vinyl record album

Led Zeppelin at peak power – mixing hard rock bombast with deep, genuine love for blues and folk guitars! Houses Of The Holy is the essential the blueprint for countless imitators to come – but it's also got smarts, subtleties and creative ambitious that's just plain lost on the watered wannabes that floated up in Zeppelin's wake. Titles include "The Crunge", "Over The Hills & Far Away", "The Song Remains The Same", "The Rain Song", "Dancing Days", "Dyer Maker", "No Quarter", and "The Ocean". LP, Vinyl record album

Led Zeppelin at peak power – mixing hard rock bombast with deep, genuine love for blues and folk guitars! Houses Of The Holy is the essential the blueprint for countless imitators to come – but it's also got smarts, subtleties and creative ambitious that's just plain lost on the watered wannabes that floated up in Zeppelin's wake. Titles include "The Crunge", "Over The Hills & Far Away", "The Song Remains The Same", "The Rain Song", "Dancing Days", "Dyer Maker", "No Quarter", and "The Ocean". CD