One of the real standouts in the late 70s run of records from The Tubes – a set that's not only got the tunes united by a concept, but which also features some impeccable production from Todd Rundgren! The group's fuzz on the guitars is turned up nice – almost like they're trying to give a nod to the new wave generation, while Rundgren ups the catchiness of their tunes, and finds a way to make the whole thing not get bogged down in the larger concept of the record – which is a commentary about television in the modern age. Titles include "TV Is King", "Prime Time", "Getoverture", "I Want It All Now", "No Way Out", "Only The Strong Survive", and "Telecide". LP, Vinyl record album

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One of the real standouts in the late 70s run of records from The Tubes – a set that's not only got the tunes united by a concept, but which also features some impeccable production from Todd Rundgren! The group's fuzz on the guitars is turned up nice – almost like they're trying to give a nod to the new wave generation, while Rundgren ups the catchiness of their tunes, and finds a way to make the whole thing not get bogged down in the larger concept of the record – which is a commentary about television in the modern age. Titles include "TV Is King", "Prime Time", "Getoverture", "I Want It All Now", "No Way Out", "Only The Strong Survive", and "Telecide". CD

Some of our favorite themes from the 70's and early 80's (the days when we were spending the most time in front of the tube), with 65 classics in all! Titles include What's Happening, Alice, Mork & Mindy, Moonlighting, Soap, Benny Hill, Chips, MacGyver, Incredible Hulk, Dukes Of Hazzard, Fantasy Island, The Young Ones, Too Close For Comfort, Who's The Boss, and lots lots more! CD

A sprawling extended album that had a bit of a legendary status before it was ever released – in part because Kanye West recorded part of the record in the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta while it was closed down during the pandemic! The set brings forward some of the spiritual themes of the album's predecessor, but also has some sharper hip hop edges overall – and some of the anger that reflects the changes that were taking place in Kanye's personal life at the time – reflected in a few of the album's more intense tracks, which are usually some of the best. Titles include "Jail", "God Breathed", "Hurricane", "Off The Grid", "Jonah", "Ok Ok", "Praise God", "Believe What I Say", "24", "Remote Control", "Moon", "Heaven & Hell", "Keep My Spirit Alive", "Donda", and "New Again". LP, Vinyl record album

Nicely gritty work from London's Rarelyalways – an artist who's certainly got a touch of grime in his music, but one who also manages to come across with a more widely soulful style as well! Rhythms are nicely sharp around the edges, and have a bassy bottom that we really love – qualities that are partly due to the great production work from Ricco Komolafe on most of the record – yet the set also features plenty of other musicians in the mix too, which is definitely part of the depth that gets nicely past what you might expect! Titles include "Urgent", "Remote", "Fire", "Work", "City Boy", "MSG", "Voice Note 0142", "Help Desk", and "AOB". LP, Vinyl record album

A very wild record – maybe more free jazz than you'd guess from the image on the cover, and the Guatemala in the title! These guys are a brass band, but the way they mix their horns together often feels more like some Lester Bowie experiment, or some other AACM-related project – as folkloric modes really get changed up in a blend of cornet, baritone horn, and c melody sax – all combined with spare percussion, and an occasional touch of violin! Given the cultural currents, we might also link this one slightly to some of Charlie Haden's Liberation Music records – even though the group themselves are the authentic real deal, a funeral band from a remote mountain village. Titles include "Las Tres Botellas", "Marcha Numero Cuatro", "Chufa", "El Son De Los Altos", "Noches Eternas", and "Marcha Numero Seis". LP, Vinyl record album

The Beastie Boys are looking plenty playful on the cover, and they definitely follow up in spirit on the record – all with that great mix of really rich production that they seemed to discover on the west coast – while still able to serve up all the youthful energy when they burst into the world frm the New York scene! The album has a space of a few years between its predecessor Ill Communication – and it almost feels as if the Beasties spent that time to go record shopping and crate digging – to bring in all these really cool musical twists and turns that remind us that some of their best expressions often come from the direct inspirations of others! Lee Scratch Perry and Money Mark help out on the set – but as always, it's the energy of the core trio that really ignites the fire – on titles that include "Super Disco Breakin", "The Move", "Song For The Man", "Just A Test", "Body Movin'", "Intergalactic", "Flowin Prose", "Remote Control", "Three MCs & One DJ", "Song For Junior", and "Dr Lee PhD". LP, Vinyl record album

A late 90s classic from the Beastie Boys, done with that great mix of really rich production that they seemed to discover on the west coast – while still able to serve up all the youthful energy when they burst into the world frm the New York scene! The album has a space of a few years between its predecessor Ill Communication – and it almost feels as if the Beasties spent that time to go record shopping and crate digging – to bring in all these really cool musical twists and turns that remind us that some of their best expressions often come from the direct inspirations of others! Lee Scratch Perry and Money Mark help out on the set – but as always, it's the energy of the core trio that really ignites the fire – on titles that include "Super Disco Breakin", "The Move", "Song For The Man", "Just A Test", "Body Movin'", "Intergalactic", "Flowin Prose", "Remote Control", "Three MCs & One DJ", "Song For Junior", and "Dr Lee PhD". Features two bonus LPs of material – including remixes, live tracks, and b-sides! LP, Vinyl record album

Live funky performances, but with plenty of inspiration from the world of hip hop production and samples – served up by Grimez with a rotating cast of players who really keep things fresh! The grooves are nice and lean at most points – plenty of live drums and tight basslines, used in ways that are certainly informed with a love of a classic hip hop sample – and other instrumentation includes keyboards, guitars, and even a bit of vibes! There's a laidback, no-attitude vibe that keeps things great throughout – and titles include "The Madness Of Crowds", "Beyond Time & Space", "Remote Frontiers", "Astral Paradise", "Plastic Art", and "Do You Remember". LP, Vinyl record album

A great dawn of the 80s set from The Reddings! It's steeped in bouncing bass, snapping rhythms, and plenty of full on groovers from the Reddings trio – a set that has their vocals tightly wrapped around rhythms that are heavy on the boogie and mainstream funk modes of the time! Bass is handled by Dexter Redding, and is pretty upfront in the mix on most numbers – guiding the groove, and cutting things up strongly – except on a few of the mellower ballads. Titles include "Come In Out The Rain", "It's Friday Night", "Remote Control", "Doin It", "I Want It", "The Awakening", and "Lady Be My Lovesong". CD

Bouncing bass, snapping rhythms, and plenty of full on groovers from the Reddings trio – a set that has their vocals tightly wrapped around rhythms that are heavy on the boogie and mainstream funk modes of the time! Bass is handled by Dexter Redding, and is pretty upfront in the mix on most numbers – guiding the groove, and cutting things up strongly – except on a few of the mellower ballads. Titles include "Come In Out The Rain", "It's Friday Night", "Remote Control", "Doin It", "I Want It", "The Awakening", and "Lady Be My Lovesong". LP, Vinyl record album

Two beautifully righteous albums from an obscure Bay Area group – presented here together in a single set! The first record is their debut album Truly Free – a set that has spiritual voices served up in a more secular style – still very message-oriented, and righteous enough to live up to their Sunni Muslim identity, but with a warmth that's also very soulful too – although presented without much instrumentation on some of the tracks, which only seems to enhance the warmth of their music. There's definitely currents here that resonate strongly with more progressive underground soul work of the period – and titles include "Deadly Deceiver", "Wake Up", "Rise Of A Mighty People", "Faith & Deeds", and "We Are Rising". Next is the unreleased album Time – a set from a few years later, and one that still has great vocals from the group, but backed with sounds that are a bit more borrowed from mainstream soul – still nicely far from commercial music, and imbued with a very righteous message – but carried forward with a bit more bassline and groove. Titles include "Choices", "I Don't Want To Die", "Remote Control", "At The Top", "Time", and "Possibilities". LP, Vinyl record album

By this point in his career, Sonny hardly needed a tune up in his style – but the album's a great one from his post-Prestige years, and a real back-to-basics effort that recalls the genius of his work on Roost! The format is straight and simple – Stitt's tenor and alto fronting a quartet that includes Barry Harris, Sam Jones, and Alan Dawson – all playing in a way that puts Sonny in command on all tracks, blowing with an amazing tone that makes us want to throw away all his funk, organ, and electric outings, and just concentrate on these straight acoustic sides. Stitt has a way of blowing the reed like he's got his whole mouth moving into the sax – an earthy, human, and personal feel that first came out strongly in his work during the late 50s, but which has grown even more by this point – even if you couldn't hear the development on other sets. And given our love of funk and electric sides, we're honestly surprised we find ourselves championing a record like this from the early 70s – but it's a great one, and not to be missed if you remotely dig Stitt! Titles include "Tune Up", "Idaho", "Just Friends", "Groovin High", and "Blues For Prez & Bird". LP, Vinyl record album

Early 70s magic from Sonny Stitt – two albums recorded in 1972 for the Cobblestone label! First up is Tune Up – a great one from Stitt's post-Prestige years, and a real back-to-basics effort that recalls the genius of his work on Roost! The format is straight and simple – Stitt's tenor and alto fronting a quartet that includes Barry Harris, Sam Jones, and Alan Dawson – all playing in a way that puts Sonny in command on all tracks, blowing with an amazing tone that makes us want to throw away all his funk, organ, and electric outings, and just concentrate on these straight acoustic sides. Stitt has a way of blowing the reed like he's got his whole mouth moving into the sax – an earthy, human, and personal feel that first came out strongly in his work during the late 50s, but which has grown even more by this point – even if you couldn't hear the development on other sets. And given our love of funk and electric sides, we're honestly surprised we find ourselves championing a record like this from the early 70s – but it's a great one, and not to be missed if you remotely dig Stitt! Titles include "Tune Up", "Idaho", "Just Friends", "Groovin High", and "Blues For Prez & Bird". Constellation is all bop and all soul all the way through, and recorded with a tight quartet that features Barry Harris on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Roy Brooks on drums! The style's a bit like Sonny's work of the late 50s, but there's also a fluidity to the rhythm section that makes it a bit different too – a sound that's warm, open, and soulful – creating a space into which Stitt settles nicely and blows like mad. There's no gimmicks at all, just solid classic jazz skills – and titles include "Casbah", "Constellation", "By Accident", "Webb City", and "Topsy". CD