One of many unoffical Prince recordings that started to become unearthed in the 80s, and though the sleeve says these recordings are from 1977, we'd argue that they were likely a bit later than that, as there's definitely a distinctly 80s feel to the tracks, which were recorded with lineup including Andre Cymone and Pepe Willie. 6 tracks in all, mostly instrumental though a couple have some spots of female vocals: "If You Feel Like Dancin", "Lovin Cup", "Games", "Just Another Sucker", "Dance To The Music Of The World" and "One Man Jam". CD

One of many unoffical Prince recordings that started to become unearthed in the 80s, and though the sleeve says these recordings are from 1977, we'd argue that they were likely a bit later than that, as there's definitely a distinctly 80s feel to the tracks, which were recorded with lineup including Andre Cymone and Pepe Willie. 6 tracks in all, mostly instrumental though a couple have some spots of female vocals: "If You Feel Like Dancin", "Lovin Cup", "Games", "Just Another Sucker", "Dance To The Music Of The World" and "One Man Jam". LP, Vinyl record album

A wealth of rare funky 45 and album cuts – served up here in a selection that really lives up to the "rare soul" promise of the title! Some of these cuts are rare groove classics from back in the day – the big years when UK DJs first started playing older 70s cuts – and some of them are numbers that have been discovered in more recent years, showing that the field for rare soul collectors is always wide open, if you know where to dig! Titles include "Smooth Sailing" by Three Shades Of Soul, "Look What You've Done For Me" by Al Jarreau, "Every Day's A New Day" by Teresa Graves, "Take My Best Shot" by Liberation, "Be Your Man" by The Harmonics, "If We Don't" by 94 East with Prince, "You Put A Hurtin On Me" by Mary Mundy, "I'm Walking Away" by Gene Townsel, "I'm Crazy About You" by Brief Encounter, and "I Love You Pretty Baby" by Touch Of Class. LP, Vinyl record album

Nat King Cole as a leader and a sideman – incredible material from 1936-1946 – featuring the King Cole Trio, side work with Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers, Dexter Gordon, The Keynoters and The Lester Young Trio! There's a number of great tunes here with Nat singing, but also a whole bunch of recordings that shine a light on his impeccable work as a group piano player of the finest caliber, working as Nat King Cole and under some funny pseudonyms while he was recording hits for Capitol! Packaged stunningly, even by Hip-O Select Standards – essentially housing the CDs in a hardcover book of 31-pages with an essay by David Ritz, 7 3/8" square package with detailed session notes, and beautifully reproduced art work from original 78s and 10-inch LPs! Disc one features 17 tracks by the King Cole Trio with Nat singing and at the piano, with Oscar Moore on guitar and and Wesley Prince on bass: "Sweet Lorraine", "This Side Up", "Babs", "Scotchin' With The Soda", "Slow Down", "Hit That Jive, Jack" and more. Disc one also includes 5 tracks with Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers, with Nat on piano, Eddie Cole on bass, Kenneth Roane on trumpet, Tommy Thompson on saxes and Jimmy Adams on drums:" Honey Hush" (with Eddie on vocals) plus an alternate take, "Thunder", "Stompin' At The Panama" and "(Bedtime) Sleep, Baby Sleep". Last up on disc one, four tracks by the Keynoters with Willie Smith on alto, Nat as Lord Calvert on piano, Red Callender on bass and Jackie Mills on drums: "The Way You Look Tonight", "My Old Flame" and more. Disc 2 is comprised of Jazz At The Philharmonic: Los Angeles, July 1944, with collective personal including Nat as Shorty Nadine on piano and singing on "Sweet Lorraine", Shorty Sherlock on trumpet, JJ Johnson on trombone, Illinois Jacquet and Jack McVea on tenor, Red Callender on bass, Lee Young on drums, and Carolyn Richards singing on "The Man I Love". Other titles include "Blues", "Tea For Two", "Rosetta", "Bugle Call Rag", "Oh, Lady, Be Good!" and more. Disc 3 starts with 1943/44 material by Dexter Gordon's group featuring Nat on piano, Sweets Edison on trumpet, Gordon on tenor, Red Callender or Johnny Miller on bass and Clifford Owens on drums: "I've Found A New Baby", "I Blowed And Gone" and more. That's followed by Lester Young Trio material of similar vintage with Nat as Aye Guy on piano, Young on Tenor and Buddy Rich on drums: "I Cover The Water Front", "The Man I Love", "Peg Of My Heart" and more. Last, but not least, Keynoters alternate takes including "The You You Look Tonight", "Airiness A La Nat" and "I can't Believe That You're In Love With Me". CD

The last album before becoming the Artist Formerly Known As Prince. Much better than you might expect from an album that appeared, at least at the time, to have been pulled mostly from his huge archive of tapes, with a sound that seems to date it from the surrounding New Power Generation years. Includes "Pheromone", "Papa", "Race", "Come", "Space", "Loose!", "Dark", "Solo", "Letitgo" and "Orgasm". CD

A stunning collection of rare productions from the legendary Prince Buster – and a set that features a fair bit of previously unreleased material! If you know Prince Buster at all, you'll know that he's a very special sort of talent – one who worked heavily during the ska years, but whose sounds and styles were always of a unique variety – sometimes with rough soul elements that almost pave the way for funk, sometimes with jazzier inflections that go back to earlier generations of Jamaican music – and always with this full-on studio style that's perfect on both vocal and instrumental tracks! This CD brings together 20 tracks in all, at least half of which are unreleased – and titles include "Pink Night" and "Hey Train" by Buster All Stars, "Roll On Charles Street" and "Almost Like Being In Love" by Roland Alphonso, "Raindrops Falling" by Derrick & Patsy, "Only Soul Can Tell" by Dakota Jim, "Prince Of Peace" by Buster All Stars, "Stop That Train" by Spanish Town Skabeats, "Raining Outside" by Raymond Harper, "Vietnam" and "Sudden Attack" by Don Drummond, and the tracks "Sunshine With My Girl", "I Won't Let You Cry", "I'm Sorry", "High Blood Pressure", "Rude Rude Rudie", and "Islam" by Prince Buster himself – plus "Stir The Pot" by Prince Buster with Derrick Morgan, Eric Morris, and Patsy. CD

A really amazing record from Dawan Muhammad – a west coast musician who never got the same sort of spiritual jazz credit as some of the giants of the 70s – but who kept on making really wonderful music as the years went on! Muhammad's recently known as the force behind the Life Force Jazz label – but here, he's stepping out in a mode that's much earlier, but already shows his sense of musical vision – a set that's almost like some of the more ambitious Strata East recordings of the 70s – with beautiful original compositions by Dawan, served up by a shifting set of musicians who really capture his spirit! Muhammad plays saxes and flutes – plus electric and acoustic piano, drums, and lots of percussion – and other players include Oscar Williams on trumpet, Paul Nagle on piano, and Daniel Sabanovich and Prince Lawsha on drums and percussion. Delores Pierce sings a bit on the record, but most tracks are instrumental – and titles include "Deep Stream", "East Wind", "Taumbu", "Is That You", "Cocoon", and "Anxiety". LP, Vinyl record album

The deepest jazz funk material Madlib has ever laid down – possibly the best album yet from Yesterday's New Quintet – featuring turns at freewheeling avant funk, electro jazz groove, furious sound library styles, a few chill moments, and a boundless sound overall! Yesterday's Universe features 15 unique tracks – purportedly played by 10 acts (The Last Electro, The Jahari Massamba Unit, The Eddie Prince Fusion Band, Young Jazz Rebels, etc), but in truth it's all from the feverishly talented mind of Madlib – with special guests including drummer Karriem Riggins and Azymuth precussionist Mamao! It's heavily steeped in fusion funk, but we're equally impressed by the cooler, slightly straighter moments – which display just how wide of a grasp Madlib has on the deepest, darkest corners of the spectrum. The wide range of influences flows naturally – amazing work from one of the most talented wizards in the game! Titles include a heady adaptation of "Bitches Brew", "Umoja (Unity)", "Slave Riot", "One For The Monica Lingas Band", "Street Talkin'", "Marcus, Martin & Malcolm", "Two For Strata East", "Cold Nights And Rainy Days", "Mtume's Song", "Vibes From The Tribes Suite (For Phil)", "Upa Neguinho" and more. CD

A rare non-Impulse Records album from the early days of Pharoah Sanders – but a set that ranks right up there with his classics for that legendary label! The album's one of the classics in Strata East's Dolphy Series – and it's a uniquely collaborative session from 1969, one that has Sanders working with a largeish group that includes Sonny Fortune on alto sax, Sonny Sharrock on guitar, Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, Leon Thomas on vocals, and Cecil McBee on bass – all coming together with a freely exploratory sort of energy, one that's a bit like some of Archie Shepp's most righteous sides from the same time. Sanders' tenor still dominates most numbers, but not as much as on some of the Impulse sides – and there's a nicely relaxed and personal feel to the whole album. The album features 3 long tracks – "Prince Of Peace", which has Leon Thomas doing his "Creator Has A Master Plan" thing, and the cuts "Balance" and "Izipho Zam", the latter of which jams for a full 28 minutes! LP, Vinyl record album