... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Revolutionary jazz from the era of the Civil Rights Movement and beyond – soulful and spiritual jazz as important as any of the era – an impeccably well chosen compilation of Freedom, Rhythm & Sound from Soul Jazz Records! The set is a tie-in with Soul Jazz's essential Freedom, Rhythm & Sound book – documenting the sounds and providing an aural portrait of a fertile creative period in African American music and cultural history – when the societal struggles were a counterpart to the heretofore unseen depth of creativity and empowerment in jazz music. Includes a nice booklet of notes, and songs from both the independent underground, and some that made it onto established labels like Verve and others, and material by Joe Henderson, Archie Shepp, Errol Parker, Mary Lou Williams, Art Ensemble Of Chicago, Horace Tapscott, Sun Ra and many more. 23 pivotal tracks on 2CDs, many running on the longer side, for a straight up incredible set of spiritual soul jazz: includes "Africa" by Oliver Lake/NTU, "Space A Nova" by Stanton Davis' Ghetto/Mysticism, "Miss DD" by Mary Lou Williams, "Old Time Religion" by Art Ensemble Of Chicago, "Drinking Song" by Gary Bartz NTU Troop, "Attica Blues" by Archie Shepp, "Peyote Song No III" by Horace Tapscott & Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, "Freedom Time" by Pharoahs, "Black Survival" by Roy Brooks & Artistic Truth and more. CD

Beautifully heavy sounds from Black Market Brass – a group who started out with more of a global funk approach, but who emerge here with the intensity of some lost funky soundtrack – all with the sort of edge you might expect from the cover! The style here is really revolutionary – unlike anything else we've ever heard from a group with "brass" in their name – in part because the group has some very cool distortion on the keyboards and guitar, which gives those electric elements a very sinister sound next to the straight ahead fire of the horns – served up with really hard-driving rhythms throughout, in a way that seems to pull together older traditions of Afro Funk, Nola Brass, and even some of the southern college bands – but all with a very 21st Century vision. Titles include "So Who (parts 1 & 2)", "Into The Thick", "War Room", "Cheat & Start A Fight", "Undying Thirst", and "NBT". LP, Vinyl record album

A treasure trove of rare mid 60s garage rock from the state of Michigan – the complete anthology of local legends The Bossmen! MI was soon to become a breeding ground for some of the most revolutionary rock of the 60s – and while The Bossmen aren't best remembered rockers of the region all these decades later – they really helped lay the groundwork! There's a raw edge, but a melodic style here that's quintessential 60s rock, if you ask us. Guitarist Dick Wagner would go on to play with fellow Michigan rock trailblazer Alice Cooper and other legends, but this earlier work with The Bossmen is really solid, and sounds great all these years later. Comes with thick booklet of notes and photos, too! 18 tracks in all: "Take A Look", "It's A Shame", "Thanks To You'", "Help Me Baby", "Bad Girl", "Wait And See", "On The Road", "Rainy Day", "Sunshine", "Little Girl", "Easy Way Out", "I Cannot Stop You", "Listen My Girl" and more. CD

Great experimental work from Holger Hiller – a set that was issued on the important German new wave label Ata Tak, but which was maybe even more revolutionary than most other records on the imprint at the time! Hiller bridges so many different worlds here – earlier German electronic experimentation at an academic level, some of the spacier sounds of the prog generation, and the really creative exploration of earlier ideas in a more personal level that marked the new wave of the post-punk years – using some elements here that would be right at home on a cold wave recording, but with modes that are sometimes more playful, and almost in territory that Holger Czukay would explore on some of his solo work of the decade. The mix of keyboards, vocals, and analog elements is great – and titles include "Jonny", "Hosen Die Nicht Aneinander Passen", "Mutter Der Frohlichkeit", "Das Feuer", "Ein Hoch Auf Das Bugeln", and "Budapest Bukarest". CD

Great experimental work from Holger Hiller – a set that was issued on the important German new wave label Ata Tak, but which was maybe even more revolutionary than most other records on the imprint at the time! Hiller bridges so many different worlds here – earlier German electronic experimentation at an academic level, some of the spacier sounds of the prog generation, and the really creative exploration of earlier ideas in a more personal level that marked the new wave of the post-punk years – using some elements here that would be right at home on a cold wave recording, but with modes that are sometimes more playful, and almost in territory that Holger Czukay would explore on some of his solo work of the decade. The mix of keyboards, vocals, and analog elements is great – and titles include "Jonny", "Hosen Die Nicht Aneinander Passen", "Mutter Der Frohlichkeit", "Das Feuer", "Ein Hoch Auf Das Bugeln", and "Budapest Bukarest". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic lost legacy in European free improvisation – the complete works of a group who were first known as Modern Jazz Quintet Karlsruhe, then later as Fourmenonly – presented here in a beautiful 3CD set! First up is the album Trees – issued on a small label in 1968, but a set that matches the groundbreaking energy of the early work on FMP – played by a group that features Helmuth Zimmer on piano, Wilfreid Eichorn on tenor and soprano sax, Claus Buhler on bass, Rudi Thielmann on drums, and Herbert Joos on flugelhorn, Mellophon, piston, and percussion! The group have a melodic vibe at the core – often feeling out the initial space as a unit, then exploding with sound and color – and really making especially great work of the talents of Joos and Eichorn – players who work together with great power, driven on by the others. Titles include "Lonely Time", "Trees", "Schnee Verbrennt", "Change Of Beauty", and "The Devil Is Green Blue Yellow". CD also features a bonus unreleased improvisation too! Next is Position 2000 – a record of even longer improvisations, and one that shows the quintet really developing their sound – strongly aware of the farther reaches, but always beginning in some more colorful passages that almost have a melody, before exploding out with very vibrant energy! The lineup is the same as on the debut – with Herbert Joos on flugelhorn, mellophone, Indian flute, and percussion – and Wilfried Eichorn on tenor, soprano sax, bass clarinet, flute, and percussion – alongside Helmuth Zimmer on piano, Klaus Buhler on bass, and Rudi Thielmann on drums. Titles include "The Sun Is Coming Over", "Position 2000", and "Where Love Forever Shines". CD also features an unreleased improvisation. For the next album, bassist Buhler has departed the group – who are renamed Fourmenonly! Their first record is a brilliant set of free jazz from the German scene of the 70s – very different than other work of the time, in that there's maybe more of a future-thinking balance between sounds and silence, frenzy and fragility – all served up by a quartet that features Herbert Joos on trumpet and flugelhorn, Wilfried Eichhorn on tenor and soprano sax, Helmuth Zimmer on piano and percussion, and Rudi Theilmann on drums and percussion. Titles include "Viridiana/Ich Und Meine Bruder/Compulsion" and "Count Down/Excess". On the album Eight Science Fiction Stories, the Fourmenonly lineup is expanded by trombonist Wolfgang Czelusta – and perform some fantastic work billed as "science fiction stories", all composed by Herbert Joos. The sound is as revolutionary as on the group's earliest material, but also maybe more compact as well – nicely focused, with especially strong emphasis on the interplay between Czelusta on trombone, Wilifried Eichorn on bass clarinet, flute, and oboe, and Herbert Joos on flugelhorn, trumpet, and mellophone. The piano of Helmuth Zimmer is amazing – almost Cecil Taylor-like in intensity at times – and drummer Rudi Theilmann does a great job of moving from passages of full-on power to more spacious percussion. Titles include "Lucifer Is Marching On", "Dead Season", "The Beauty Without A Face", "Departure", "Plastic Happiness", and "Space Wall". CD

A sprawling 5CD box set of benchmark 80s indie pop from the UK – chronologically sequenced (for the most part) from the beginning to the end of the decade – with so many brilliant songs both straight-up classic and others that are relatively forgotten! Incredible stuff from the post punk guitar years, to dreamier and more psych steeped sounds, to the dancier grooves late in the decade that laid the groundwork for the 90s. Classics and early singles by Prefab Sprout, TV Personalities, Everything But The Girl, Pulp, Biff Bang Pow!, Primal Scream, The Wedding Present, The Soup Dragons, House Of Love, The Shamen, The Rosehips, Pop Will Eat Itself, The Wonder Stuff, The Stone Roses, Inspiral Carpets, James, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Lloyd Cole & The Commotion, The Darling Buds, The Boo Radleys and many, many more! More than 130 tracks in all – with a thick booklet of notes! Kind of like a Nuggets for the indie 80s British scenes! SO many great songs, but to name a few: "Revolutionary Spirit" by Wild Swans, "The Missionary" by Josef K, "Lions In The Garden" by Prefab Sprout, "A Picture Of Dorian Gray (Live)" by TV Personalities, "Just Like Honey (demo October '84)" by Jesus & Mary Chain, "Oblivious" by Aztec Camera, "Velocity Girl" by Primal Scream, "Go Out And Get 'Em, Boy" by The Wedding Present, "If I Said" by The Darling Buds, "Son Of A Gun (demo)" by The LAs, "The Hardest Thing In The World" by Stone Roses, "Catweazle" by The Boo Radleys and many, many more! CD

A wealth of rare work from Jamaican studio genius Bunny Striker Lee – unusual cuts and unreleased material – all of it a further testament to his legendary ear for a mindblowing sound! These aren't half-baked cuts, or material that deserved to fall to the cutting room floor – because the style is years ahead of its time, and put together with techniques and styles that are still pretty darn revolutionary after all these many years! Some tracks have a strong vocal presence, others are more instrumental – and in addition to Lee's famous flying cymbals technique, there's lots more going on here too – including some totally cool space age sounds. Unreleased tracks include "Bell Road Rock" by The Aggrovators, "Joe Frazier" by Tommy McCook, "Go Jah Jah Pickney" by Linval Thompson, "No Man Is An Island" by Johnny Clarke & Horace Andy, "Bunny Lee & King Tubby's Dubplate Special" by Cornell Campbell, "Life Of My Own" by The Raver, "Look How Long Nyabinghi Calling You" by Linval Thompson, "King Tubby's Vs Arrows Dubplate" by Cornell Campbell, "Jamaican Fruit Of African Roots" by Lennox Brown & Sheila Richards, "No Babylon Shall Escape In This Time" by Johnny Clarke, and "Every Knee Shall Bow" by Ronnie Davis. LP, Vinyl record album

The first three albums of Japanese noise legends Ruins, all presented in a single set – sounds that are as powerful and mindblowing as when they were first unleashed to the world back in the 80s! The style here is still completely revolutionary – even though so many others have tried to copy it over the years – sounds that were born in punk, but inflected by noise and free jazz – often moving at a blistering pace that's as breathtaking as it is bold! We might make some slight comparison between these guys and the Pussy Galore/Royal Trux generation of American noise guitar – but Ruins are also completely different, and made waves from halfway around the globe that are still being felt today. 51 tracks in all – with titles that include "Crisis", "Human Being", "Entropy", "Makarom Iyaike", "Government", "Grudge", "Divide", "Octopus", "Amalgam", "Infect", "Dadaism", and "Flagment". CD

One of our favorite albums ever from Weather Report – an album that has them picking up a bit more soul than before, and shaking off some of the experimental sounds of their roots – yet all in a way that still makes them one of the most revolutionary fusion combos of the time! There's an incredible sense of tightness between the reeds of Wayne Shorter, the keyboards of Joe Zawinul, and the bass of Miroslav Vitous – and even when things go a bit outside, there's always a sense of focus and groove that brings them back together – a style that's never entirely funky, but which has plenty of funky elements to please our ears! Dom Um Romao's percussion is always a treat, and Zawinul's electric keys come through beautifully in the mix – on tracks that include "125th Street Congress", "Boogie Woogie Waltz", "Adios", "Manolete", "Will", and "Non-Stop Home". CD

Time will tell whether the sophomore LP Late Registration will prove to be as revolutionary of a commercial force as College Dropout turned out to be – but it's a better album! We loved the debut as much as the rest of the world did, but this one's an easier listen from beginning to end. The production is tight, the guests earn their spots, and the whole thing's furiously soulful. Much is being made of LA hipster/orch pop troubadour Jon Brion's co-production, but this is Kanye's show. On one level Kanye can rock a subject as cliched as "Gold Digger", and still come out with a fresh perspective that runs deeper than it sounds on the surface, then deliver a serious track about the evils of the diamond trade that still rocks the ice. And those are just the first singles. Another great one! Tracks include "Wake Up Mr West", "Heard 'Em Say", "Touch The Sky" feat Lupe Fiasco, "Gold Digger" feat Jamie Foxx, "Drive Slow" feat Paul Wall & GLC, "My Way Home" feat Common, "Crack Music" feat Game, "Roses", "Bring Me Down" feat Brandy, "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" (rmx) feat Jay-Z, "We Major" feat Nas & Really Doe, "Gone" feat Consequence & Cam'Ron and more! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most mindblowing sonic experiments of the 70s – Lou Reed's legendary Metal Machine Music opus! The double-length set is a really revolutionary batch of music – hardly what you'd expect from Lou's previous records, and a noisy, metallic album that really lives up to its title. The album's been argued about for years – hailed by some as a key precursor to industrial sounds to come in later years – written off by others who just say that Reed was delivering a "screw you!" message to RCA. But whatever the case, the album's a completely compelling one – and features the extended composition "The Amine B Ring" – served up in four parts that are spread over the 2LP length of the set! LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite albums ever from Weather Report – an album that has them picking up a bit more soul than before, and shaking off some of the experimental sounds of their roots – yet all in a way that still makes them one of the most revolutionary fusion combos of the time! There's an incredible sense of tightness between the reeds of Wayne Shorter, the keyboards of Joe Zawinul, and the bass of Miroslav Vitous – and even when things go a bit outside, there's always a sense of focus and groove that brings them back together – a style that's never entirely funky, but which has plenty of funky elements to please our ears! Dom Um Romao's percussion is always a treat, and Zawinul's electric keys come through beautifully in the mix – on tracks that include "125th Street Congress", "Boogie Woogie Waltz", "Adios", "Manolete", "Will", and "Non-Stop Home". CD

One of our favorite albums ever from Weather Report – an album that has them picking up a bit more soul than before, and shaking off some of the experimental sounds of their roots – yet all in a way that still makes them one of the most revolutionary fusion combos of the time! There's an incredible sense of tightness between the reeds of Wayne Shorter, the keyboards of Joe Zawinul, and the bass of Miroslav Vitous – and even when things go a bit outside, there's always a sense of focus and groove that brings them back together – a style that's never entirely funky, but which has plenty of funky elements to please our ears! Dom Um Romao's percussion is always a treat, and Zawinul's electric keys come through beautifully in the mix – on tracks that include "125th Street Congress", "Boogie Woogie Waltz", "Adios", "Manolete", "Will", and "Non-Stop Home". CD

One of our favorite albums ever from Weather Report – an album that has them picking up a bit more soul than before, and shaking off some of the experimental sounds of their roots – yet all in a way that still makes them one of the most revolutionary fusion combos of the time! There's an incredible sense of tightness between the reeds of Wayne Shorter, the keyboards of Joe Zawinul, and the bass of Miroslav Vitous – and even when things go a bit outside, there's always a sense of focus and groove that brings them back together – a style that's never entirely funky, but which has plenty of funky elements to please our ears! Dom Um Romao's percussion is always a treat, and Zawinul's electric keys come through beautifully in the mix – on tracks that include "125th Street Congress", "Boogie Woogie Waltz", "Adios", "Manolete", "Will", and "Non-Stop Home". LP, Vinyl record album

A deep dip into the sound of the late 70s – served up by writer Jon Savage, an author who's first claim to fame was his work on UK punk – which makes him a perfect guide for the sounds of this generation! Yet the music here is way more than just punk, too – as Savage really gets at the spirit of the time by mixing together revolutionary late 70s classics with more down to earth cuts – show just how much was going on at the time, and how the late 70s was still a moment of great experimentation and new ideas, even past the world of mohawks and safety pins! As with the other great entries in this "year" series from Savage, the overall presentation is wonderful – richly detailed notes that show his keen sense of musical observation and understanding – and a blend of 46 fantastic cuts on 2CDs, with titles that include "No Bones For The Dogs" by Joe Gibbs, "Magic Fly" by Space, "Prophecy Revel" by Bo Jangles, "Soda Passing" by The Boys, "Neat Neat Neat" by The Damned, "Utopia Me Giorgio" by Giorgio, "Day By Day" by Generation X, "The Modern Dance" by Pere Ubu, "Warm Leatherette" by The Normal, "Heavy Manners" by Prince Far I, "Kings Lead Hat" by Brian Eno, "Being Boiled" by The Human League, "28/8/78" by Scritti Politti, "Tired Of Walking Tired" by The Diodes, "I Remember" by Suicide, "Never" by Penetration, "White Night" by The Lines, "Come Back Jonee" by Devo, "The Set Up" by Cabaret Voltaire, "Human Fly" by The Cramps, "Situation" by The Middle Class, "Hippie" by Suzannes, "Warrior In Woolworths" by X Ray Spex, "Hindu God Of Love" by Lipstick Killers, "All Night Party" by A Certain Ratio, "Spacer" by Sheila B & Devotion, and "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by The Slits. CD

A deep dip into the sound of the late 70s – served up by writer Jon Savage, an author who's first claim to fame was his work on UK punk – which makes him a perfect guide for the sounds of this generation! Yet the music here is way more than just punk, too – as Savage really gets at the spirit of the time by mixing together revolutionary late 70s classics with more down to earth cuts – show just how much was going on at the time, and how the late 70s was still a moment of great experimentation and new ideas, even past the world of mohawks and safety pins! As with the other great entries in this "year" series from Savage, the overall presentation is wonderful – richly detailed notes that show his keen sense of musical observation and understanding – and a blend of 46 fantastic cuts on 2CDs, with titles that include "No Bones For The Dogs" by Joe Gibbs, "Magic Fly" by Space, "Prophecy Revel" by Bo Jangles, "Soda Passing" by The Boys, "Neat Neat Neat" by The Damned, "Utopia Me Giorgio" by Giorgio, "Day By Day" by Generation X, "The Modern Dance" by Pere Ubu, "Warm Leatherette" by The Normal, "Heavy Manners" by Prince Far I, "Kings Lead Hat" by Brian Eno, "Being Boiled" by The Human League, "28/8/78" by Scritti Politti, "Tired Of Walking Tired" by The Diodes, "I Remember" by Suicide, "Never" by Penetration, "White Night" by The Lines, "Come Back Jonee" by Devo, "The Set Up" by Cabaret Voltaire, "Human Fly" by The Cramps, "Situation" by The Middle Class, "Hippie" by Suzannes, "Warrior In Woolworths" by X Ray Spex, "Hindu God Of Love" by Lipstick Killers, "All Night Party" by A Certain Ratio, "Spacer" by Sheila B & Devotion, and "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by The Slits. CD

A totally fresh take on French sounds of the late 60s – served up here with a sound that's as revolutionary as the image on the cover! This isn't the dreamy strings of familiar Paris in the Spring – but instead, the sound of change that happened in and around 1968 – as a whole new generation of younger French musicians, singers, artists, and intellectuals were really making themselves known in bold new ways! You'll recognize a few names here – like Serge Gainsbourg or Brigitte Fontaine – but the collection goes way beyond those bigger names, and features loads of obscure artists from the scene that will be a real revelation. The collection was done by the same Saint Etienne team that gave us the excellent English Weather and Songs For The Carnegie Deli compilations on Ace – and titles include "L'Elu" by Ilous & Decuyper, "La Metaphore" by Jacques Dutronc, "Looking For You" by Nin Ferrer, "Chanson D'Un Jour D'Hiver" by Cortex, "Couleurs" by Leonie, "Leslie Simone" by William Sheller, "Litanies" by Triangle, "Baleines" by Francois De Roubaix, "Lileth" by Leonie, "Ystor" by Ys, "Chanson Pour Que Tu M'Aimes U Peu" by France Gall, "Le Victime" by Karl Heinz Schafer, "Les Adventures Extraordinaires D'Un Ballet De Banque" by Bernard Lavilliers, "Helicoptere" by Mireille Darc, "Les Garde Violent Au Secours Du Roi (alt version)" by Jean Claude Vannier, and "La Chanson D'Helene" by Romy Schneider & Michel Piccoli. LP, Vinyl record album

A wealth of rare work from Jamaican studio genius Bunny Striker Lee – unusual cuts and unreleased material – all of it a further testament to his legendary ear for a mindblowing sound! These aren't half-baked cuts, or material that deserved to fall to the cutting room floor – because the style is years ahead of its time, and put together with techniques and styles that are still pretty darn revolutionary after all these many years! Some tracks have a strong vocal presence, others are more instrumental – and in addition to Lee's famous flying cymbals technique, there's lots more going on here too – including some totally cool space age sounds. Unreleased tracks include "Bell Road Rock" by The Aggrovators, "Joe Frazier" by Tommy McCook, "Go Jah Jah Pickney" by Linval Thompson, "No Man Is An Island" by Johnny Clarke & Horace Andy, "Bunny Lee & King Tubby's Dubplate Special" by Cornell Campbell, "Life Of My Own" by The Raver, "Look How Long Nyabinghi Calling You" by Linval Thompson, "King Tubby's Vs Arrows Dubplate" by Cornell Campbell, "Jamaican Fruit Of African Roots" by Lennox Brown & Sheila Richards, "No Babylon Shall Escape In This Time" by Johnny Clarke, and "Every Knee Shall Bow" by Ronnie Davis. LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal bit of modern jazz from the Finnish scene of the 60s – a record that still sounds as revolutionary now as when it was recorded, and a set that really set the tone to come for so many Finnish experiments in the 70s! Leader Esa Pethman plays flute and tenor – and is clearly inspired by the modern jazz experiments of the American west coast scene of the early 50s – but takes those modes even further, maybe inflected with a bit of European modernism – and set free on a shifting lineup that's full of future Finnish heavyweights – including Heikki Sarmanto on piano, Pekka Poyry on alto, and Juhani Aaltonen on flute – all musicians who would later rise to fame for their Love Records recordings of the 70s. The whole thing's wonderful – sophisticated, but spontaneously swinging – and titles include "Shepherd Song", "Etude No 1", "Mr Peter", "Blues Fantasie", "The Flame", and "Disillusion". LP, Vinyl record album