Ten tracks from Silent Poets, Electric Soul, Lisa Shaw, Benny Blanko, Black Science Orchestra, Tony Free, DJ Spinna, Guiro Rhythm, Porn Theatre Ushers, and Pablo. CD

A massive batch of music – and almost as worth it for the overall package as it is for the great tunes inside! Like other volumes in this series, this set is beautifully put together – not only stuffed with an amazing array of classic soul from a key year in the 60s – but also done with a full color booklet that's over 60 pages long – filled with track-by-track notes on the tunes, and filled with great photos, images, and historical data! The whole thing's a perfect soul music time capsule – with the depth of production that we've always loved in Bear Family releases for other genres. Titles include "Neighbor Neighbor" by Jimmy Hughes, "Baby" by Carla Thomas, "Tell It Like It Is" by Aaron Neville, "Hold On I'm Coming" by Sam & Dave, "Cool Jerk" by The Capitols, "Barefootin" by Robert Parker, "Stop Her On Sight" by Edwin Starr, "Darling Baby" by The Elgins, "She Blew A Good Thing" by The Poets, "You've Got My Mind Messed Up" by James Carr, "A Sweet Woman Like You" by Joe Tex, "I'm Gonna Miss You" by The Artistics, "Stay With Me" by Lorraine Ellison, and "Ain't Nobody Home" by Howard Tate. CD

Bring on the sun if it burns this strongly – as we're more than happy to get extra toasty in the light of such wonderful tracks as these! The set's a stunning look at the massive musical shift on the UK scene in the year of 1967 – a time when psych was certainly making its influence felt, but groups were also opening up in all these other sorts of ways too – really getting past the jaunty rhythms and catchy lyrics of a few years before – and instead somehow managing to make all these amazing things happen in just the space of a short 7" single! Some of the artists here are artists who were making more mainstream music a few years earlier, others are new acts that would soon become superstars, and a few more are genius groups who burst out strongly, then disappeared from view – all brought together in a great 3CD package, with 79 tracks in all, and very detailed notes. Artists include The Herd, Idle Race, Dave Davies, John Williams, Svensk, Universals, Australian Playboys, Tony Rivers, Great Uncle Fred, Artwoods, 23rd Turnoff, Vocal Point, Zombies, Nirvana UK, Lisa & Francesca, The Mirage, Virgin Sleep, Accent, Our Plastic Dream, David Bowie, Living Daylights, John's Children, Episode Six, Orange Bicycle, The Poets, Genesis, Crocheted Doughnut Ring, Piccadilly Line, Scott Henderson, Made In Sheffield, Caleb, and many others! CD

The first-ever CD issue of a range of material from this ultra-hip group – all tracks that originally appeared on vinyl-only releases, now making their CD debut in an overstuffed collection that features 24 tracks in all! The vibe here is great – that Karl Hector & The Malcouns mix of deep funk instrumentation and various global elements – almost an imagined version of 70s sounds from Africa and the Mid East, but served up with the sensibilities of a deep funk combo – which is what they are, given that the group is just the Whitefield Brothers and Poets Of Rhythm, working here under another one of their many names! Yet the instrumentation is quite different than those other acts, too – much more rootsy and filled with a lot of organic percussion and other global elements – as you'll hear on titles that include "Shangold", "Leealah", "Roads Of Otumpa", "Tamanrasset", "JB Rip", "Irtijal", "The Cave", "Orange", "Transition X", "Medium Rare (part 1)", "Beyond Squares", and "Coomassi". CD

A work of incredible brilliance – a lost treasure from the late 80s that's been one of our favorite records for years! The album's quite different than most other work by David Sylvian – not nearly as open-ended and loose as his more experimental, soundscape-like projects – nor as sweet and romantic as some of his earlier solo work, or his albums with Japan. Instead, there's an acoustic, organic quality to the record – really focusing on Sylvian's amazing vocals, set amidst light instrumentation that swells and dips like the sun on rises in the land on a late afternoon hike in the autumn. There's a subtle poetry to the whole album, delivered in a style that is somehow free from pretension, or any of the cloying qualities a work like this should have. Tremendous stuff – one of those rare records that's never been duplicated again! Titles include "September", "The Boy With The Gun", "Maria", "Orpheus", "When Poets Dreamed Of Angels", and "Let The Happiness In" – and this version is packaged with the original 10 track lineup, including the tune "Promise". CD

JJ Whitefield's had a hand in countless funky records over the past 20+ years – a huge range of work that includes projects from Poets Of Rhythm, Karl Hector, The Whitefield Brothers – and here, he's equally funky stepping out on his own! The set's not a strict solo set – although JJ plays guitars, keyboards, flute, bass, percussion, and lots of other instrumentation – including electric sitar! Yet there's also other members throughout the proceedings too players who bring in Fender Rhodes, flute, shamisen, and plenty of funky additional drums – while still keeping things nice and lean, with an even more stripped-down approach to funk than any of JJ's other projects! Titles include "Mukogawa", "No Mo Woa", "Bin Dippers", "Raised With Fire", "Flute Punch", "Hyperion", "Dawn Of Delphi", and "Comin At Ya". LP, Vinyl record album

CD to benefit the Prison Moratorium Project, dedicated to working against the 'prison-industrial complex'. We're normally suspicious of 'benefit' records but this one works – dope underground production and nice verses, 23 tracks in all, including DJ Shame "Infomercial (Meet The Press)", BKNY "Where Ya At", Sister Asia/Steele/Top Dog "Dedicated", Danny Hoch "Criminal", Vinia Mojica & Last Emperor "Evolution", Apani B-Fly Emcee & LIFE "Outa Site", Hurricane G "No More Prisons", Hedrush/Dead Prez/People's Army "Murda Box", Daddy-O "Voices", Rubberoom "M.O.V.E.", The Coup "Drug Warz", Helixx C Armageddon & Pri The Honey Dark "Lunchbreak", Prof. Cornel West "Inspiration", The Reepz "The Plan", Dead Prez "Behind Enemy Lines", Kool DJ EQ & The Last Poets "More Prisons", Akbar "Battle Cry", El Battalion "Siege", Scientifik El-D/God Wize/L The Head Toucha/K Slaughta "Hold The Key", Chubb Rock/Lil Dap/Edo G/Paw Dukes "The Rich Get Rich", Grandmaster Caz "Too Much", Lyric & Mike Ladd "Let Us Go", Yazeed "Underground Railroad" and Rocker T "The Petition" (bonus track). CD

Jazz-meets-hip hop-meets-new grooves compilation put together by the folks at the Red Hot organization in the mid 90s. Titles include "Time Is Moving On" by Donald Byrd, Guru, and Ronny Jordan; "Stolen Moments" by United Future Organization; "This Is Madness" by The Last Poets & Pharoah Sanders; "The Scream" by US3 & Joshua Redman; "Trouble Don't Last Always" by Incognito, Carleen Anderson, & Ramsey Lewis; "Nocturnal Sunrise" by Me'Shell NdegeOcello & Herbie Hancock; "Proceed II" by The Roots & Roy Ayers, "Un Ange En Danger" by MC Solaar & Ron Carter, and "The Rubbers Song" by Pharcyde – plus a bonus disc with two versions of "A Love Supreme" and remix of Creator Has A Master Plan". CD

A chilling statement from the west coast scene of the 70s – the first album from The Watts Prophets, the ultra-powerful group who emerged from the LA turmoil of the 60s. Like the Last Poets, the group blends together righteous spoken word passages and some spare rhythms and a touch of jazz – all stepping forth in the kind of message-driven recording that was too powerful for radio at the time, but which had an undeniable influence as it circulated amongst underground circles. The whole thing's summed up perfectly by the cover, which shows a fist held high in rebellion over the flag on the front, and an open hand freeing a black dove on the inside! Titles include "I'll Stop Calling You N*ggers", "Kill", "Black Pussy", and "The Meek Ain't Gonna". LP, Vinyl record album

BE isn't exactly a back-to-basics LP in the vein of his classic work for Relativity – but it is indeed a return to a focused, genuinely soulful, no BS approach – and it's a very welcome one at that! It seems like Com was a bit affected by some of the criticism folks had for the spacious, astral Electric Circus LP – if you ask us Common had no reason to apologize, but we'd be lyin' if we said we weren't hoping for another batch of tracks that sound like they could have been written on a front porch on the southside of Chicago. This is indeed that record – 12 tracks, few guest appearances, and a warm, consistent sound all the way through. There's a 3 track span on this album, from "Chi-City" through "Real People", that's seriously close to perfection. Welcome home, Common! Ruggedly produced by Kanye West, with a couple of stellar production contributions from Jay Dee! Other tracks include "The Corner" feat Last Poets, "Go!", "Faithful", "Testify", "Love Is. . .", "The Food (live)" (this great track has been circulating for a while since it was performed on Chappelle's Show, and we're thrilled Common and Kanye had the good sense to include it on the album), "They Say" featuring John Legend and "It's Your World (Part 1 &2)". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal 70s work from Sarah Webster Fabio – an amazing blend of poetry and music, and incredibly hip all the way through! Fabio's got a depth that goes beyond other commercial poets of the time – a righteousness that's right at home in the spiritual jazz scene of the 70s, and which is supported here by some great backings on guitar, bass, and percussion – plus some especially evocative saxophone, played by Denianke (Leon Williams) on some of the best tracks. The voice of Thomas Fabio joins Sarah on some of the numbers – with a brooding, echoey feel that's really great – and titles include "Eclipse", "Interrogation", "Together To The Tune Of Coltrane's Equinox", and "A Black Girl's Mean Ol Low Down Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic stuff – incredibly hard and incredibly funky, and a masterpiece all the way through! Long before there was any talk of gangster rap, Jalal of the Last Poets recorded this album of gamblin', pimpin', and hard double dealin'. It's a fantastic album-long ride through the dark side of the black underworld, and is the aural equivalent of a blacksploitation flick. Kool & The Gang provided the music – and Jalal tells the whole story throughout, in the same hard rappin' style he used with the Last Poets! The record's an undisputed classic, and includes the sample classic "Sport", plus loads of other righteous funky cuts like "Spoon", "Grit's Den", and "Sentenced To The Chair"! LP, Vinyl record album

A damn funky little album – and one of the best Stones Throw albums of the past 20 years! Connie Price & The Keystones are a modern group – but one who's steeped in all the older messed-up funky styles of their Stones Throw labelmates – even some of the offbeat psych and rock that the label has reissued from around the globe! There's a wonderfully tripped-out sound to their work – taking the core instrumentation of funky drums, choppy guitars, smoking keyboards, and soulful sax – and pushing it out with a Stark Reality-ish vibe that really makes the group stand out from the rest of the deep funk underground! The album's a brilliant debut that we'll be digging for years – and it also feature appearances by Malcolm Catto, and members of Funk Inc, Poets Of Rhythm, and The LA Carnival! Titles include "Sticks & Stones", "Sucker Punch", "The Buzzard", "Double Dutch", "Wild Flowers", "Tall Dry Grass", "Fuzz & Them", and "The Shadows Of Leaves". Expanded version features 9 more bonus tracks – including "Raga Doll", "Afro Som", "Hurricane Malcolm", "Hello I'm Inside Out", "Sticks Dub", and "Attack Of The Killer Penguins". LP, Vinyl record album

Very righteous work from this obscure 70s poet – a contemporary to Nikki Giovanni, Camille Yarbrough, and others – but not nearly as widely recorded! The album features no instrumentation, just Sonia reading her poems – and the work itself is pretty progressive, very much in the spirit of other hip female poets of the time, although perhaps a bit more personal in some of the subject matter – especially given that the album is introduced by Sanchez as "talking about love – a black woman's love for her man, children, nation." Titles include "A Black Woman Speaks", "Listen To Big Black", "Liberation Poem", "A Needed Poem For My Salvation", "When We Come", "It's A New Day", and "To Anita". 24 tracks in all. LP, Vinyl record album

The first-ever album from Gil Scott-Heron – and a perfect bridge between the world of his writing and the years to come of musical transformations that would forever change the American scene! The set's not the warm, jazzy soul of some of Gil's later records – and instead, there's a really raw vibe, mostly with Gil speaking instead of singing – often with just heavy percussion at the core, and these really righteous words served out over the top! All the work is his own, and the album's a showcase for his brilliant protest poetry – the most famous example of which is included in "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", which leads off the album with an especially righteous groove! The set's a key link in the African American musical tradition of the 20th century – and proof that the underground, while not always afforded a good place in the broadcast markets of the US, could always burst forth in the "narrowcast" medium of recorded music. A landmark album – one we like even better than the early work by the Last Poets – and great all the way through! Tracks include "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", "Whitey On The Moon", "Who'll Pay Reparations On My Soul?", "The Subject Was Faggots", and "Brother". LP, Vinyl record album

JJ Whitefield has given us plenty of funky records over the years – most in vintage styles, including work as Poets Of Rhythm and Karl Hector & The Malcouns! This time around, there's a sound library approach, but with the slight Ethio vibe you'd guess from the title on one side – then an Italian cinematic inspiration on the other! The Ethiopian-flavored tunes are maybe more laidback, and have some elements that resonate with the 70s golden age, but with a lean funk sound and a bit sharper production – as befits the sound library approach. The flipside echoes lots of great Italian crime/cop modes from the 70s – but again, with a slightly leaner style that really lets the best funky elements come through strongly! Titles include "Hulet", "Sost", "Arat", "Sebat", "Sidist", "Asir", "Orecchiete", "Parmagiano", "Strozzapreti", and "Buttoni". LP, Vinyl record album

A dancing soul party, but one that's got a nice sort of focus too – not a completely random collection of cuts, but one that features a fair bit of very early work from Van McCoy, and some great group soul too! Unlike a DJ set in the clubs, the collection's got no problem with mixing together a few tracks in a row by certain artists – which does a great job of compartmentalizing the big run of 25 tracks that make up the set – almost all unusual numbers that really keep things interesting! Titles include "Help Is On The Way", "The Woman Who Made Me A Man", "Ain't Got No Love", "Generation Gap", "Back Tracking", "Just Another Dress Rehearsal", and "If I Could Make You Mine" by Van McCoy; "Appreciation", "Giving Up", and "If She Wants Him" by The Ad-Libs – plus "Funky Drop" by The Soul Suspects, "I'm Stuck On You" and "Merry Christmas Baby" by The Poets, "Hold On Baby" and "It Hurts So Bad" by Sam Hawkins, "I'm Your Love Man" and "If Change Don't Come Soon" by The Lost Souls, "When I Fall In Love" by The Imperial Wonders, and "Ain't It Funny What Love Can Do" by Kenny Young. CD

A brilliant batch of James Brown funky covers! This is one of the best compilations we've ever seen on the Harmless label – a collection of obscure version of tracks by James Brown or dedicated to James Brown, all with a funky sound that would make The Godfather himself pretty darn proud! Titles include "Hot Pants" by St Vincent Latinaires, "Mother Popcorn" by Dillard Crume & The Soul Rockers, "Cold Sweat" by Bernard Purdie, "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose" by The Daktaris, "James Brown" by The Last Poets, "Money Won't Change You" by Aretha Franklin, "There Was A Time" by Jerry O, "Ain't It Funky Now" by Grant Green, "Lickin Stick" by Larry Willis, "I Got The Feeling" by Chollo Rivera & The Latin Soul Drives, and "Calm & Cool" by James Brown himself! CD

An explosion of groundbreaking sounds from the 60s – all records issued in the magical year of 1965 – with a fresh vibe that would influence years of soul, psych, and garage styles to come! Jon Savage has already given us two other great year-based collections on Ace, but this one might be one of his most impressive – given that most folks tend to overlook the musical power of 1965, in favor of bigger explosions later in the 60s – but all of which were inspired by these earlier moments of fire! You'll definitely recognize some of the tunes here, but with his usual genius, Jon Savage has a way of mixing the familiar with the obscure – coming up with new ways to put everything together, and really opening up our ears in the process. As with previous volumes, the notes are huge – with plenty of details on the sounds within – and the 2CD package features a whopping 48 tracks in all – with titles that include "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" by The Silkie, "Concrete & Clay" by Unit Four Plus Two, "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" by The Byrds, "Buttermilk (part 1)" by Sly, "Boot Leg" by Booker T & The MGs, "Fortune Teller" by Tony Jackson with The Vibrations, "That's The Way It's Got To Be" by The Poets, "Come & Stay With Me" by Marianne Faithful, "See My Friends" by The Kinks, "Too Many People" by The Leaves, "I've Got Mine" by The Small Faces, "The Duck" by Jackie Lee, "The Story Of John Hardy" by Sir Douglas Quintet, "We Sell Soul" by The Spades, "Blow Your Mind" by The Gas Co, "You Just Gotta Know My Mind" by Karen Verros, "Can You Hear Me" by Lee Dorsey, "London Town" by Pretty Things, "Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl" by The Barbarians, "I'm Alive" by The Hollies, "Leaving Here" by The Birds, and "Twine Time" by Alvin Cash & The Crawlers. CD

Tracks from Soul Swingers, Wayne McGhie, Stereolab & High Llamas, Bernard Purdie, Madlib, Danger Mouse & Murs, Clarence Mack Express, Free Design, Last Poets, Sharpshooters, Manitoba, Black On White Affair. CD

12 tracks in all: Quannum MCs & Jurassic 5 "Concentration", Latyrx "Storm Warning" and "Lookin' Over A City" with El-P, Divine Styler & DJ Shadow "Divine Intervention", Maroons "Golden Rule", Quannum MCs & Souls Of Mischief "The Extravaganza", Lyrics Born "Hott People", Blackalicious "One Of A Kind" and "Jada's Revenge", Joyo Velarde "People Like Me", Lyrics Born & the Poets Of Rhythm "I Changed My Mind", and Quannum MCs "Bombonyall". LP, Vinyl record album

Intimate piano work from Geri Allen – a set of solo performances, inspired by the music of Cecil Taylor, McCoy Tyner, and Herbie Hancock! There's definitely strong traces of Tyner and Hancock – given Allen's usually soulful undercurrent – but there's also a heavy dose of Taylor, too, as Geri really uses the freer space of the recording to stretch out in some pretty unbridled ways – really surprising us with her inventiveness, and still usually holding onto a rhythmic pulse somewhere deep in the mix. Titles include "Red Velvet In Winter", "Dancing Mystic Poets At Midnight", "Your Pure Self", "Flying Toward The Sound", and "Faith Carriers Of Life". CD

A lost classic in the funky poetry mode of the 70s – and right up there with the best work from the time by the Last Poets, Jim Ingram, or Gil Scott Heron! Bama's got a rough-edged voice that works very well with the funkier backings of the set – handled by a team that includes Bernard Purdie on drums, Richard Tee on keyboards, and Cornell Dupree on guitar – and this rough vocal style also fits the themes of the tunes, which are still as political and righteous as other work in the genre, but a bit more down to earth as well. The music itself was arranged and composed by Jimmy Wizner and Billy Jackson – and titles include "Ghettos Of The Mind", "The Right To Be Wrong", "Nothingness", "Drunken Sister", "I Got Soul", "Welfare Slave", "Social Narcotics", and "Blackman, My Brother". LP, Vinyl record album

A hip batch of underground poetry tracks – collected together by the Before Columbus Foundation, a group dedicated to promoting the works of African-American and Native American artists! Despite the 1980 date, the collection has a feel that's similar to earlier righteous poetry albums on the Folkways label – proof that the flames were still burning strong in the underground, even though artists such as these weren't getting as much mainstream attention at the end of the 70s! Most readings are recorded live, with a relatively spare, stark sound – and performances include "Dope" by Amiri Baraka, "St Louis Woman" by Ishmael Reed, "For The Poets" by Jayne Cortez, "Bark Is What Us Dogs Do" by David Meltzer, "Flipochinos, Being Your Woman, & Pacific Lover" by Cyn Zarco, and "Artist/Art This" by Victor Hernandez Cruz. CD

An amazing setting for the righteous words and message of Nikki Giovanni – as the set has the poet working with backing vocals by the New York Community Choir, who also recorded a great soul album on RCA around the same time – and an overall approach that elevates Nikki's poetry into a very spiritual realm! There's definitely some gospel currents to the music, but Givoanni's words and spoken passages have much more down to earth concerns – the mix of political and personal themes that made her one of the most important young black poets of her generation. The whole thing is fantastic – very powerful throughout, with titles that include "My Tower", "Poem For A Lady Of Leisure Now Retired", "Second Rapp Poem", "Great Pax Whitey", "Poem For Aretha", and "Ego Tripping". CD

A hip Philly group moving in the tradition of the The Last Poets and Gil Scott-Heron – features Byard Lancaster, Jamaldeen Tacuma, and David Murray! CD

A damn funky little album – and one of the best new records on Stones Throw in years! Connie Price & The Keystones are a modern group – but one who's steeped in all the older messed-up funky styles of their Stones Throw labelmates. There's a wonderfully tripped-out sound to their work – taking the core instrumentation of funky drums, choppy guitars, smoking keyboards, and soulful sax – and pushing it out with a Stark Reality-ish vibe that really makes the group stand out from the rest of the deep funk underground! The album's a brilliant debut that we'll be digging for years – and it also feature appearances by Malcolm Catto, and members of Funk Inc, Poets Of Rhythm, and The LA Carnival! Titles include "Sticks & Stones", "Sucker Punch", "The Buzzard", "Double Dutch", "Wild Flowers", "Tall Dry Grass", "Fuzz & Them", and "The Shadows Of Leaves". CD

Wanda Robinson was one of the first hip, black, female poets to set righteous words to funky music – and this album is one of her two classic sides for the Perception label from the early 70s. The format is spoken word over funky instrumentals – and backing is by Patrick Adams, James Moody, and others, mixing jazz, soul, and funk conceptions to fit the mood of each of Wanda's tracks on the set. The titles should give you a good flavor of the material – as the set includes "The First Time I Saw Loneliness", "The Great American Passtime", "Parting Is Such", "Tragedy No 456", "A Black Oriented Love Poem", "Instant Replay", "The Trouble With Dreams", and "Grooving". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare bit of hardcore poetry by the Watts Prophets – the legendary LA group who were kind of a west coast answer to the Last Poets! The group have a sound that's as striking as the best early work by The Last Poets – a hard-hitting blend of poetry, rhythms, and righteous energy – all recorded in a style that's stripped down, proud, angry, and in stark contrast to the rest of the work coming out in the soul music industry at the time. Their work was not only some of the most radical and striking of the early 70s, but it's also gone onto become a key blueprint for hip hop of later years – especially the rough-edged style of the west coast that began to emerge at the end of the 80s. CD brings together all the tracks from the group's 2 albums – a total of 41 short tunes that pack the punch of a hand grenade! Titles include "Pain", "A Pimp", "Take It", "Amerikkka", "The Prostitute", "F*cked", "Black In A White World", "Funny How Things Can Change", "Pimping Leaning & Feaning", "Keep You Doing Things", "The Meek Ain't Gonna", "Saint America", "They Shot Him", and "Response To A Bourgeois Nigger". CD

Includes songs by the Starlarks, Bob & the Delcades, Jerry Ford, Danny Denver, Linda Hamilton, the Gliders, Poets, Donna Dee, and more – 24 tracks total. CD

Music from the Dikes, the Poets, Lenny Young & the Jay Birds, the Uptones, the Viscounts, the Magics, the Gardenias, Hal Davis & group, the Marvells, the Regents, and more 28 songs in all. CD

An explosion of groundbreaking sounds from the 60s – all records issued in the magical year of 1965 – with a fresh vibe that would influence years of soul, psych, and garage styles to come! Jon Savage has already given us two other great year-based collections on Ace, but this one might be one of his most impressive – given that most folks tend to overlook the musical power of 1965, in favor of bigger explosions later in the 60s – but all of which were inspired by these earlier moments of fire! You'll definitely recognize some of the tunes here, but with his usual genius, Jon Savage has a way of mixing the familiar with the obscure – coming up with new ways to put everything together, and really opening up our ears in the process. As with previous volumes, the notes are huge – with plenty of details on the sounds within – and the 2CD package features a whopping 48 tracks in all – with titles that include "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" by The Silkie, "Concrete & Clay" by Unit Four Plus Two, "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" by The Byrds, "Buttermilk (part 1)" by Sly, "Boot Leg" by Booker T & The MGs, "Fortune Teller" by Tony Jackson with The Vibrations, "That's The Way It's Got To Be" by The Poets, "Come & Stay With Me" by Marianne Faithful, "See My Friends" by The Kinks, "Too Many People" by The Leaves, "I've Got Mine" by The Small Faces, "The Duck" by Jackie Lee, "The Story Of John Hardy" by Sir Douglas Quintet, "We Sell Soul" by The Spades, "Blow Your Mind" by The Gas Co, "You Just Gotta Know My Mind" by Karen Verros, "Can You Hear Me" by Lee Dorsey, "London Town" by Pretty Things, "Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl" by The Barbarians, "I'm Alive" by The Hollies, "Leaving Here" by The Birds, and "Twine Time" by Alvin Cash & The Crawlers. CD

Christmas is funky here, and in more ways than you might expect – as the package covers a great range of sources and styles, and even includes a few funky gospel numbers from the season! There's plenty here that we haven't seen on other Holiday sets – and the 25 track collection features tunes that include "Sleigh Ride" by Lord Invincible & The Tropical Spades, "Merry Christmas Baby" by The C-Quents, "Black Christmas" by Rose Graham, "Every Year We Say Merry Christmas" by Salem Travelers, "The Christmas Song" by John Edwards, "Christmas Time Again" by Tiny Powell, "Back Door Santa" by Clarence Carter, "I'll Be Home For Christmas" by Willis Jackson, "Blue Christmas" by The Meditation Singers, "Silent Night (live)" by Solomon Burke, "Christmas Is Gone" by Al King, "Merry Christmas Baby" by The Poets, "Old Fashioned Christmas" by Kenny Williams, "Xmas Done Got Funky" by Jimmy Jules & The Nuclear Soul System, "Christmas Greeting" by The Velvelettes, and "Silent Night" by Brother Joe May. CD

An amazing record that's as powerful as the political message of the title – the hippest record ever cut by Amiri Baraka, and that's saying a heck of a lot! Baraka delivers a long and complex set of poetic reflections on the state of Black America, spiritual awakening, and political redemption – set to musical backings that shift from funky, to jazz, to avant, and back again. Players on the set include Gary Bartz, Lonnie Liston Smith, Idris Muhammad, and Reggie Workman – and there's a host of additional players, percussionists, and vocalists that join Amiri in the delivery of his message. Titles include "Answers In Progress", "Peace In Place", "Bad News For Your Highness", "Was Gon Happen", "All In The Street", "Pamoja Tutashinda", and "Pull The Covers Off". One to listen to when you get past your Last Poets records! LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing setting for the righteous words and message of Nikki Giovanni – as the set has the poet working with backing vocals by the New York Community Choir, who also recorded a great soul album on RCA around the same time – and an overall approach that elevates Nikki's poetry into a very spiritual realm! There's definitely some gospel currents to the music, but Givoanni's words and spoken passages have much more down to earth concerns – the mix of political and personal themes that made her one of the most important young black poets of her generation. The whole thing is fantastic – very powerful throughout, with titles that include "My Tower", "Poem For A Lady Of Leisure Now Retired", "Second Rapp Poem", "Great Pax Whitey", "Poem For Aretha", and "Ego Tripping". CD

A warmly glowing set from Lazarus – a group here who maybe have a bit more punch than on their debut, thanks to the addition of drums on a few cuts – but who still mostly take their cue from the laidback interplay of their vocals! The approach is nicely understated – not the polished pop of some of their contemporaries, but almost a singer/songwriter evolution of harmony work past the 60s – yet before the polish of AOR. The balance is great – maybe like a more understated America – and titles include "Poets & Lovers", "Thoughts Of You", "Take Me High", "Ladyfriends 1", and "When Will The Home Of Me Begin". LP, Vinyl record album

The jury is sometimes out on the Mick Jagger on-screen performance in the Nicolas Roeg film Performance – but the soundtrack is something pretty separate entirely, and really says a lot more about the spirit of late 60s Warner Brothers Records in LA than it does the arthouse cinema scene in England! The great Jack Nitzsche composed a number of instrumental tracks for the score – maybe his first time in this mode, and prefacing some later 70s successes to come – with titles that include "Rolls Royce & Acid", "Harry Flowers", and "Natural Magic". Other Warner talents get a hand in the music too – as Randy Newman conducted all of Nitzsche's charts, and also sings "Gone Dead Train" – while Ry Cooder delivers bottleneck solos on "Get Away" and "Powis Square". There's also some nice soul-based moments – the cut "Wake Up N*ggers" by The Last Poets, and "Poor White Hound Dog" and "Performance" by Merry Clayton. And yes, Mick does get to sing on one tune – the album's "Memo From Turner" – and the set is completed by Buffy St Marie work on "The Hashishin" and "Dead Dead Red". CD

Fantastic work from Abiodun Oyewole – best known as one of the founding members of the legendary Last Poets – but a singer who works here with a contemporary crispness that goes way beyond his roots! The message in Abiodun's older recordings is still alive and well here – in part because the challenges continue, making his themes more important now than ever – updated with elements taken from 21st century soul, jazz, and even a bit of hip hop on the production tip – with contributions from other artists who include Ada De Poet, J Ivy, Jessica Care Moore, and Taylor Pace. Yet it's clear that Abiodun is the star at the center of the constellation – really sounding as important here as ever, at a level that maybe makes this record so much more crucial than some of the Last Poets revival projects of years past. Titles include "Brooklyn", "Harlem", "My Life", "Spirit", "Right Here Waiting", "What I Want To See", and "To Begin". CD

Fantastic work from Abiodun Oyewole – best known as one of the founding members of the legendary Last Poets – but a singer who works here with a contemporary crispness that goes way beyond his roots! The message in Abiodun's older recordings is still alive and well here – in part because the challenges continue, making his themes more important now than ever – updated with elements taken from 21st century soul, jazz, and even a bit of hip hop on the production tip – with contributions from other artists who include Ada De Poet, J Ivy, Jessica Care Moore, and Taylor Pace. Yet it's clear that Abiodun is the star at the center of the constellation – really sounding as important here as ever, at a level that maybe makes this record so much more crucial than some of the Last Poets revival projects of years past. Titles include "Brooklyn", "Harlem", "My Life", "Spirit", "Right Here Waiting", "What I Want To See", and "To Begin". LP, Vinyl record album

The first-ever album from Gil Scott-Heron – and a perfect bridge between the world of his writing and the years to come of musical transformations that would forever change the American scene! The set's not the warm, jazzy soul of some of Gil's later records – and instead, there's a really raw vibe, mostly with Gil speaking instead of singing – often with just heavy percussion at the core, and these really righteous words served out over the top! All the work is his own, and the album's a showcase for his brilliant protest poetry – the most famous example of which is included in "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", which leads off the album with an especially righteous groove! The set's a key link in the African American musical tradition of the 20th century – and proof that the underground, while not always afforded a good place in the broadcast markets of the US, could always burst forth in the "narrowcast" medium of recorded music. A landmark album – one we like even better than the early work by the Last Poets – and great all the way through! Tracks include "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", "Whitey On The Moon", "Who'll Pay Reparations On My Soul?", "The Subject Was Faggots", and "Brother". LP, Vinyl record album

Whomp! These guys bring it all down on the beat – hitting harder than Cassius Clay at the Rome Olympics in '60, packing bass, guitar, drums & percussion into one funky punch – pounding out a hard heavy groove all the way through their entire debut LP! Of course, these guys have the talent to do it right – sporting a connection to the fellow early oughties funk standard bearers Poets Of Rhythm that you can certainly hear in some of the album's more stoned-out grooves – and like that hip combo, the Whitefield Brothers maintain a strong mix of classic funky modes, with just the right touches of professional trippiness to push the whole thing over the top. An instant classic from El Michels, Bosco Mann, Neal Sugarman, Jay Whitefield and others who fly the flag for classic style underground funk – with tracks that include "Rampage", "Prowlin", "In The Raw", "Sol Walk", "Eji", "Thunderbird", "Weiya", and "Yakuba". LP, Vinyl record album

The great second chapter of the UK mode scene in the 60s – and a batch of work that's even headier than the first – not really mod at all, but instead a lot more psych-styled, and taking off into the farther reaches of British styles of the time! Eddie Piller put the whole thing together with as much care as the initial volume – right down to the notes in the cool book-styled package, and the very well-chosen array of 31 rare cuts within. Things get nice and weird and wiggy at points – as the groups here may have started with more R&B-styled inspiration, but are starting to trip out a bit more as the psych years move in – making for some really cool combinations of sounds that keep things interesting throughout! The whole thing's overflowing with greatness – work from artists who include The Fire, Billy Nicholls, Aquarian Age, Vamp, Timebox, The Koobas, Graham Bond, Colosseum, Terry Reid, Tintern Abbey, Dantalian's Chariot, Wimple Winch, The Poets, Birds, Flies, and even a young David Bowie! LP, Vinyl record album

The great second chapter of the UK mode scene in the 60s – and a batch of work that's even headier than the first – not really mod at all, but instead a lot more psych-styled, and taking off into the farther reaches of British styles of the time! Eddie Piller put the whole thing together with as much care as the initial volume – right down to the notes in the cool book-styled package, and the very well-chosen array of 98 rare cuts within. Things get nice and weird and wiggy at points – as the groups here may have started with more R&B-styled inspiration, but are starting to trip out a bit more as the psych years move in – making for some really cool combinations of sounds that keep things interesting throughout! The whole thing's overflowing with greatness – work from artists who include The Fire, July, The Montanas, Californians, Ossie Layne Show, Locomotive, Timebox, Jason Crest, Terry Reid, Scott Walker, Blonde On Blonde, Collosseum, Satisfaction, Nucleus, Nirvana, Mark Wirtz, The Attack, Gods, Alex Harvey, The Creation, Ice, Rupert's People, Idle Race, Plastic Penny, Wimple Witch, Poets, Sorrows, and dozens of others. CD

With selections by Aretha Franklin, Lee Dorsey, The Impressions, The Poets, Gene Chandler, The Olympics, Five Stairsteps, Barbara Mason, Aaron Neville, The Volcanos, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, The Capitols, Intruders, Bar Kays, Mad Lads, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Esquires, and Freddie Scott. LP, Vinyl record album

Second volume of nice, nice radio soul from the 60s put together by Bay Area radio station KSOL. As you'd imagine, there's some bigger hits, but there's some nice nuggets of almost forgotten R&B and soul too. 21 numbers in all, including "I Really Love You" by Dee Dee Sharp, "Baby Scratch My Back" by Slim Harpo, "She Blew A Good Thing" by The Poets, "Sad Girl" by Jay Wiggins, "Turn On The Love Light" by Bobby Bland, "Am I Grooving You" by Freddie Scott, "Why Do I Do These Foolish Things" by the Magicians, "Something I Want To Tell You" by Johnny & The Impressions, "The Richest Girl" by Little Helen, and "Send My Baby Back" by Freddie Hughes. LP, Vinyl record album