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One of our favorite Red Garland albums of the late 50s – thanks to a slightly different rhythm section that features Sam Jones on bass and Art Taylor on drums – both of whom work beautifully with Red in a gutbuckety set of tunes! The style isn't exactly soul jazz, but it's clear that Garland's feeling a bit of pressure from some of the up and comers on the scene – and he digs a bit deeper into bluesy roots here, in a setting that makes especially nice use of Jones' work on bass. Titles include "He's A Real Gone Guy", "See See Rider", "Trouble In Mind", "St. Louis Blues", and "Theme From M Squad". CD

Remember Beach music? Once upon a time we might have argued that was a more contemporary term for an older genre, like northern soul, but this mighty fine collection from the late 60s on Atlantic shows you the sound's been around for quite some time! A great soundtrack for the beach from the Carolina scene – sweetly loping grooves that got heavy play at summer resorts on the southern shores of the Atlantic! While not all the groups originated in the south, the music's gained a special place in the hearts of folks in the Carolinas, who've come to consider the music their own because of it's slightly stepping beat and gentle kind of groove! A dozen numbers in all, including "One Mint Julep" by the Clovers, "Searchin" and "Zing Went The tings Of My Heart" by the Coasters, "Think A Little Sugar" by Barbara Lewis, "CC Rider" by Chuck Willis, "Money Honey" and "Honey Love" by Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters, "Walking Up A One way Street" and "Thank You John" by Willie Tee,"There Goes My Baby" by the Drifters, "Just One Look" by Doris Troy and "Drinkin' Wine Spo Dee O Dee" by Stick McGhee. LP, Vinyl record album

Psychedelia meets British pop – in a really special musical moment that's forever come to be known as shoegaze! The work here comes from a time when the UK scene was really moving past punk rock, and starting to let its guitarists open up in the kind of longer, fuzzy solos that were big in the late 60s – along with all the sort of heady production modes that made such music sound even better, but always with the kind of leaner, more focused lessons learned from the post-punk years! The result is a special sort of sound that can trip out as needed, but never get too overindulgent to lose the tune – the balance that first came to play on the early singles of Creation or 4AD, then found flower in so many other UK groups as the years went on. These glorious years are presented here in a big 5CD set – one that comes in a book-styled package with loads of notes on the music – alongside 87 tracks by artists who include Blow Up, The Honey Buzzards, Submarine, Bailter Space, The Curtain Society, Mercury Rev, An April March, Spacemen 3, The Hinnies, Spiritualized, Moose, Spitfire, Moonshake, Bark Psychosis, AR Kane, Jesus & Mary Chain, Lush, Ride, The Darkside, Velocity Girl, Bleach, Catehrine Wheel, See See Rider, Cranes, Chapterhouse, Telescopes, Sun Dial, Medicine, Sweet Jesus, Luna, Astrobrite, and many more! CD

Frankie, Frankie – OW! Take a broken-down synth, some crazy vocals, and a rich sense of imagination – and you've got one of the seminal groups of the New York scene of the early punk years. Suicide were a key bridge between earlier prog underground sounds and the art-rock punk styles that were coming out of New York in the late 70s – and one that was in a space that was completely their own – and still is, after all the decades since the release of this record! With this one landmark album, the band completely dismantled the cold German prog synth of groups like Kraftwerk, La Dusseldorf, and Tangerine Dream – and created a wild sound of spare anguish that brought a whole new dimension to punk rock. The album has got to be one of the top 50 "must have" rock records of all time – and titles include the cuts "Ghost Rider", "Rocket USA", "Johnny", "Frankie Teardrop", "Che", and "Cheree". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary set of live performances from Jimi Hendrix – both sets recorded in Maui in July of 1970, presented here officially for the first time ever – along with a bonus documentary on the performances too! The set is kind of the true counterpart to the botched Rainbow Bridge project – and features Jimi with Billy Cox on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums – really stepping out on some extended tracks that are filled with searing solos, and that undeniable charisma of Hendrix on stage – still wonderful, even near the end. Titles include "Hear My Train A Comin", "Fire", "Dolly Dagger", "Ezy Rider", "Message To Love", "Lover Man", "Spanish Castle Magic", "Purple Haze", "Red House", "Hey Baby/Midnight Lightning", "Straight Ahead", "Stone Free", "Jam Back At The House", and "Freedom". Also features a great DVD – with the documentary Music Money Madness – about the group's trip to Maui and the ill-fated Rainbow Bridge project – plus all of the existing 16mm footage of the two performances that day! Comes with a 32 page booklet, too – lots of never-published photos. CD

A legendary album of instrumental music inspired by the Lord Of The Rings – maybe not the all-out Frodo Fest you might expect, but a set that's been pretty important to fans of JRR Tokien over the years – especially in the years before DVDs and other mass-market versions of his masterpiece! Bo Hansson works here heavy on keyboards, but also uses some nicely spacey guitars – all spun out over tunes that could each work as mini-soundtracks for separate sections of the three volume book – with titles that include "Fog On The Barrow Downs", "Leaving The Shire", "Lothlorien", "Shadowfax", "The Black Riders & Flight To The Ford", and "Dreams In The House Of Healing". LP, Vinyl record album

A bold statement of power from one of the most legendary versions of the Jazz Messengers – that incredible quintet that featured Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor, and Bobby Timmons on piano! The title's an indication of the righteous territory in which the group is working – a nod to the civil rights era, and the sense of empowerment that all the musicians are feeling in both their solos, and their writing – which you'll hear in the album's two compositions each by Morgan and Shorter. Tracks are nice and long, and have the players stretching out beautifully – on titles that include "The Freedom Rider", "El Toro", "Petty Larceny", "Blue Lace", and "Tell It Like It Is". CD reissue has the added bonus of including 3 extra tracks that were previously only issued on a rare Japanese album – including "Pisces" and "Blue Ching". CD

Recorded live in Germany during the famous 1972 European tour – tracks include "Me And My Uncle", "China Cat Sunflower", "I Know You Rider", "Going Down The Road Feelin' Bad", "Sugar Magnolia", and "Cryptical Envelopment". CD

A legendary album of instrumental music inspired by the Lord Of The Rings – maybe not the all-out Frodo Fest you might expect, but a set that's been pretty important to fans of JRR Tokien over the years – especially in the years before DVDs and other mass-market versions of his masterpiece! Bo Hansson works here heavy on keyboards, but also uses some nicely spacey guitars – all spun out over tunes that could each work as mini-soundtracks for separate sections of the three volume book – with titles that include "Fog On The Barrow Downs", "Leaving The Shire", "Lothlorien", "Shadowfax", "The Black Riders & Flight To The Ford", and "Dreams In The House Of Healing". CD

A classic – the JB's answer to BT Express' theme song! A biiiiig track here in Chicago, and one that still booms out of roller rinks, record stores, and the back seats of all the low riders. Stand in a record store on the south or west side, and within 15 minutes, you're bound to hear a customer say "You all got Monaurail?". And for good reason, too – as it's one of the JB's funkiest tracks! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Contemporary grooves with a cosmic undercurrent – some wonderful tracks from the Kindred Spirits label – a real 21st Century heir to spiritual modes of expression from the 60s and 70s! As with the first volume in this series, the styles here are heavy on influences from jazz – especially in the keyboards – but also bring in a fair bit of current sounds as well – broken beats, choppy rhythms, and spun-out instrumental bits that are often in the spirit of the post-4 Hero generation. The few warmer, mellower moments flesh out the record with a fair bit of spirit – and although some of the tracks have been out on other Kindred Spirits releases, there appear to be others here exclusive to the set. Titles include "Raw War" by Mweslee, "Dirtdegree" by Tom Grago, "Holdin Up" by Rich Medina, "Wonderlove (Jazzanova rmx)" by Heavy, "Till Tomorrow" by Rednose Distrikt, "Moving In Circles" by Nomo, "Door Of The Cosmos (12" mix)" by Build An Ark, "Spread" by Meikbar, "Roll On" by Flowriders, "Dickriders" by INT, and "Say What" by Chico Mann. CD

Powerful live document of Janis with Big Brother live at Winterland in the spring of '68 – with recordings of their biggest and best-remembered numbers, and ones that didn't get nearly as much play over the years! Truly awesome work, with Janis and the band working their inimitable magic – all the more incredible given the potent period in late 60s San Francisco. "Down On Me", "Flower In The Sun", "I Need A Man To Love", "Easy Rider", "Combination Of The Two", "Farewell Song", "Piece Of My Heart", "Catch Me Daddy", "Magic Of Love", "Summertime", "Light Is Faster Than Sound", "Ball And Chain" and "Down On Me". CD

Peggy Lee's best known as a jazz singer, but this very cool collection emphasizes her work in more pop-based fields of the postwar years – great grooving tracks when Lee was touching on R&B, early rock, and other more upbeat styles! The match of Bear Family presentation and these well-chosen cuts from Peggy's years is really great – and the whole thing really opens up an understanding of the Peggy Lee sound if you only know the singer from more jazz-based albums and recordings of standards. Lee's voice is incredible, and the package does a great job of laying out the strengths and diversity of these recordings – in a set of 30 tracks that include "Jump For Joy", "The Glory Of Love", "Heart", "Johnny Guitar", "Goody Good", "Ghost Riders In The Sky", "My Man", "Uninvited Dream", "I Love Being Here With You", "Sweetheart", "You Deserve", "Fever (live)", "I Got A Man (live)", "Every Night", and "Hallelujah I Love Him So". CD

The second full album from Nazz – a set that has Todd Rundgren extending even more dominance over the group through his original songs and arrangements – and, we're willing to guess, a fair bit of production work too – even though that's credited here to the entire band! Rundgren's still not singing lead vocals on most of the tunes, so they've got that slighty more psychedelic feel the group put forth on their debut – but the guitars here have also stepped back a bit, and many of the best tracks have that more fragile, more personal feel that we've always loved in Todd's solo work – even if some of the themes are still a bit varied. Titles include "Hang On Paul", "Rain Rider", "Gonna Cry Today", "Featherbedding Lover", "Kiddie Boy", "Forget All About It", "Not Wrong Long", and "Meridian Leeward". CD

Vocalist Jimmy Rushing first came to fame working with Count Basie in the 30s, but it wasn't until the 50s that he really got the chance to step out on his own and cut a number of great sessions in the studio! This set features one of Jimmy's finest moments of the 50s – material recorded for Vanguard Records in 1954 and 1955, respectively, and featuring Rushing in the company of great small group trad players like Buddy Tate, Pat Jenkins, Emmett Berry, Lawrence Brown, and Freddie Green. The format is laidback and simple on both records – a style that clearly hearkens back to the Kansas City swing of the 30s, but which is delivered here with a more stripped-down approach that lets us focus even more on Rushing's earthy vocal presentation. Titles include the original tracks "Good Morning Blues", "Take Me Back Baby", "Sent For You Yesterday", and "Goin To Chicago" – plus versions of "How Long", "See See Rider", "Evenin". CD

A host of raw rockers that were originally served up as 7" singles – all blasting out together with a tremendous amount of power – as if you're enjoying a night with choice cuts all stacked up in the jukebox pictured on the cover! The set's way more than any sort of oldies collection – as the music here is heavy on guitars, and effortlessly moves between blasts of fuzz and cleaner lines – sometimes instrumental, sometimes vocal – all with a sense of urgency that's delivered in the short space of the few minutes that would fit on a vintage 45! Richard Hawley curated the set, but even if you're not hip to his name, you'll find plenty here to dig if you love rare cuts of this sort – and as usual, Ace did a superb job with the presentation, sound quality, and notes! Titles include "Neb's Tune" by Ahab & The Wailers, "Cuttin Out" by The Pirages, "Feels Like A Woman" by The Troggs, "Buzzzzz" by Jimmy Cordon, "Bawana Jinde" by Al Duncan, "Dead End (part 1)" by The Executioners, "Where You Gonna Go" by Art Guy, "Long Line Rider" by Bobby Darin, "It's Nothing To Me" by Sanford Clark, "Jungle Walk" by The Dyna Sores, "Nasty" by The Timekeepers, "Quasimoto" by The Road Runners, "Swinging Drums" by Ronny Kae, and "Honky" by The Ho-Dads. CD

A host of raw rockers that were originally served up as 7" singles – all blasting out together with a tremendous amount of power – as if you're enjoying a night with choice cuts all stacked up in the jukebox pictured on the cover! The set's way more than any sort of oldies collection – as the music here is heavy on guitars, and effortlessly moves between blasts of fuzz and cleaner lines – sometimes instrumental, sometimes vocal – all with a sense of urgency that's delivered in the short space of the few minutes that would fit on a vintage 45! Richard Hawley curated the set, but even if you're not hip to his name, you'll find plenty here to dig if you love rare cuts of this sort – and as usual, Ace did a superb job with the presentation, sound quality, and notes! Titles include "Neb's Tune" by Ahab & The Wailers, "Cuttin Out" by The Pirages, "Feels Like A Woman" by The Troggs, "Buzzzzz" by Jimmy Cordon, "Bawana Jinde" by Al Duncan, "Dead End (part 1)" by The Executioners, "Where You Gonna Go" by Art Guy, "Long Line Rider" by Bobby Darin, "It's Nothing To Me" by Sanford Clark, "Jungle Walk" by The Dyna Sores, "Nasty" by The Timekeepers, "Quasimoto" by The Road Runners, "Swinging Drums" by Ronny Kae, and "Honky" by The Ho-Dads. LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe one of our favorite Doors records of all time – if only for the long Fender Rhodes solo by Ray Manzarek on the album's final track, "Riders On The Storm"! Yet the whole album is pretty darn great, too – the last to feature Jim Morrison, who would leave the planet shortly after the album was released! There's a looser, more mature feel to the whole record – still lots of the territory the group had explored on previous albums, but also maybe more relaxed in the studio – knowing when to go for a hook when needed, but also letting some of the tunes really find themselves too. Titles include the hits "Riders On The Storm", "LA Woman", and "Love Her Madly" – plus "The Changeling", "Been Down So Long", "Cars Hiss By My Window", "The WASP", "L'America", and "Hyacinth House". LP, Vinyl record album

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 massive collection of work from Lakeside – one of the leading lights of the Solar Records label in the early 80s, and one of the label's key groups in helping to redefine funk in the decade! Lakeside take the large ensemble funk format of the late 70s, and give it a leaner, cleaner groove – really winnowing things down so that everything's right on the money, and the grooves come out great – while still also holding on to enough soul music energy in the vocals, songwriting, and presentation to set themselves apart from some of the more facile groove groups of the time. This 3CD set features 42 killers from Lakeside's glory days, pulled from their full range of recordings for Solar – titles that include "Rough Rider", "One Minute After Midnight", "Fantastic Voyage", "From 9:00 Until", "I Need You", "Strung Out", "Your Wish Is My Command", "The Urban Man", "Back Together Again", "We Want You", "Raid", "Turn The Music Up", "Real Love", "Untouchable", "Show You The Way", "Tinse Town Theory", "Money", "Party Patrol", "Still Feeling Good", "Bullseye", "U Got It Goin On", "All For You", "I Want To Hold Your Hand", "If You Like Our Music", "I Can't Get You Out Of My Head", "Shot Of Love", and "Your Love Is On The One". CD

Action Bronson's first proper full length in a while, and his most high profile to date, released by Atlantic and Vice! Mr Wonderful sports allstar production credits for Mark Ronson, Alchemist and others – plys some strong guest appearances by Chance The Rapper and more – but make no mistake, it's AB's show! Action Bronson spits venom when duty calls, but he's also got a playful style that keeps it easygoing and entertaining. Good stuff. Includes "Brand New Car", The Rising" feat Big Body Bes, "Actin Crazy", "Baby The Blue" feat Chance The Rapper, "Galactic Love", "Easy Rider", "Only In America" feat Party Supplies and more. LP, Vinyl record album

An incredibly evocative record – one of the strangest of its kind, and an audio treasure that we've loved for years! Eden Ahbez first came into public prominence as the man who wrote "Nature Boy" for Nat King Cole – a dark, moody tune that was as mysterious and earthy as the man who wrote it! This album was recorded nearly a decade after Cole's original hit, and features Ahbez almost in Moondog-like territory – working in an amazing setting of odd instruments and exotic percussion – but also singing in this almost spiritualist kind of way! The record's got plenty of ties to the exotica scene of the late 50s – but also stand out from the pack with a mad vision that's all its own – a strange intersection of lines that one might draw between Moondog, Martin Denny, and Anton La Vey! Tracks include "The Wanderer", "Eden's Island", "Tradewind", "Full Moon", "Mongoose", "Market Place", "The Old Boat", "Island Girl" and "La Mar". Great expanded package – with bonus tracks that include the unreleased "Surf Rider", plus "The Wanderer (alt)", "Tobago (45 rpm mix)", "Jam Session 78", "India (demo)", "Big Square From Nowhere", and "The Planet Song". Also includes related tracks "Sahara" by Bob Romeo, "Song Of The Fool" by The Crew Cuts, "End Of Desire" by Jack Powers, "The Shepherd" by Herb Jeffries, "Hey Jacque" by The Mt Holyoke V8s, "Monterey (alt version)" by John Harris, "Big Rock Steam Roller" by Biggie McFadden, "Green Flamingo" by Robbie Lester, and "Lonely Island" by Gene Chandler. CD

The first full album featuring the incredible voice of Janis Joplin, as the singer of Big Brother & The Holding Company! Even at this early point, it's clear that there's some really incredible things happening with this band. Originally released on Mainstream, the production is a bit thin compared to the bigger sounding records to come, which actually works incredibly well – as Janis's voice just tears right through in a really exciting way. The rawer Big Brother backdrop is great, too! Titles include "Easy Rider", "Bye, Bye Baby", "Intruder", "Women Is Losers", Moondog's "All Is Lonliness", and "Down On Me". LP, Vinyl record album

The first-ever release of some incredible funky folk tunes from vocalist Susan Christie – originally recorded as demos in the years before her work at Columbia Records, and arguably even better than those classic singles! Backings here are by John Hill, who inflects Susan's folksy style with a heavier undercurrent – one that's subtly funky at the best moments, and which also pushes fuller strings and more baroque instrumentation into the mix – all in a way that almost sounds like David Axlerod might, had he started making folk records! Titles include the amazing 9 minute "Yesterday, Where's My Mind" – a funky mini-suite that's worth the price of the record alone – plus "Paint A Lady", "Rainy Day", "Ghost Riders In The Sky", "Echo In Your Mind", "When Love Comes", and "For The Love Of A Soldier". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe one of our favorite Doors records of all time – if only for the long Fender Rhodes solo by Ray Manzarek on the album's final track, "Riders On The Storm"! Yet the whole album is pretty darn great, too – the last to feature Jim Morrison, who would leave the planet shortly after the album was released! There's a looser, more mature feel to the whole record – still lots of the territory the group had explored on previous albums, but also maybe more relaxed in the studio – knowing when to go for a hook when needed, but also letting some of the tunes really find themselves too. Titles include the hits "Riders On The Storm", "LA Woman", and "Love Her Madly" – plus "The Changeling", "Been Down So Long", "Cars Hiss By My Window", "The WASP", "L'America", and "Hyacinth House". LP, Vinyl record album