... CD

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Fantastic material from Sun Ra – a never-heard 1972 performance at Slugs, and one that captures the group at their most spiritual point! The core of the set is the track "I Roam The Cosmos" – one of the more obscure Ra compositions, and a title that appears here for the first time on any record – folded together with bits of "Astro Black" and "Discipline 27 II" – in a wonderfully extended single musical performance – stretching for 51 minutes long, and filled with righteous vocal moments alongside some great solos too! The groove is great – kind of a slow dipping and turning rhythm – showcasing recitations by June Tyson and Sun Ra – with lots of room for soulful work from Marshall Allen on flute and alto, Danny Davis on alto, John Gilmore on tenor, Kwame Hadi and Akh Tal Ebah on trumpets, and Danny Ray Thompson on baritone – plus lots of drums and percussion. Really beautiful stuff – as deeply spiritual as the best of the Impulse Records artists, circa 1972 – and appearing here for the first time ever! CD

Really unique material from Sun Ra – a pair of recordings that were initially circulated much more strongly than some of his Saturn Records material, thanks to the power of the BYG/Actuel label in the early 70s – but tracks that actually come from a variety of different sessions that Ra himself did with the Arkestra in the late 60s! Tracks are shortish, but very inventive – a well-chosen snapshot of all the new ideas that the group were cooking up during the end of the 60s in New York, with an increased mission to explore the outer reaches of space, and use more electronics than ever before! Ra plays some killer keyboards – moog, spacemaster, and acoustic piano – often with these really eerie tones – and other players include Kwame Hadi on trumpet, Akh Tal Ebah on space dimension mellophone, Ali Hassan on trombone, Marshal Allen and Danny Davis on alto and flute, John Gilmore on tenor, and Pat Patrick on baritone – and the whole group vocalizes at points, joined by other singers who include June Tyson and Art Jenkins. There's also some great use of "strange strings" on the sessions, not to mention a bit of reverb – and tracks titles include "Spectrum", "The Satellites Are Spinning", "Seen III Took 4", "Adventures Of Bugs Hunter", "Legend", "The Realm Of Lightning", "The Utter Nots", "Outer Spaceways Inc", "Scene 1 Take 1", "Strange Worlds", "Ancient Ethiopia", "Pyramids", and "Interpretation". CD

Very cool electric funk album with a nice, spacey, jazzy vibe from composer/arranger/multi-instrumentalist Travis Biggs! Travis really crafts an intricately-layered, though easygoing mood here – recalling the crat of heroes like Norman Connors, Roy Ayers and others at the time, though with his own unique style. Biggs plays electric harp (and we don't mean harmonica!), similarly spacey electrified violin, keys, clavinet and violin– and the sound is as summer breeze cool as it as funky. The whole thing's got an amazing sound, especially on the standout "Tibetan Serenity" – and other tracks include "Solar Funk", "Autumn Jewel", and "After The Storm". LP, Vinyl record album

Butcher Brown move past their roots as a core funk combo here – opening the door to contributions from a whole host of guests, and moving even more strongly into the world of soul music than on their album with Triple Trey! There's an expansive sound here that seems to have the hardworking outfit finally getting their chance at more mainstream fame – not in a commercial way, but at a level that just opens up with the energies they've always had, given focus through contributions from Braxton Cook, Keyon Harrold, Jay Prince, Vanisha Gold, Julia Shuren, Nappy Nina, Pink Siifu, and others – on titles that include "This Side Of Sunshine", "Happy Hourrr", "Around For Awhile", "Pink Fur", "Run It Up", "Espionage", "I can Say To You", "Move (Ride)", "Turismo"- "Eye Never Knew", "Half Of It", "No Way Around It", and "DYKWYD". CD

Butcher Brown move past their roots as a core funk combo here – opening the door to contributions from a whole host of guests, and moving even more strongly into the world of soul music than on their album with Triple Trey! There's an expansive sound here that seems to have the hardworking outfit finally getting their chance at more mainstream fame – not in a commercial way, but at a level that just opens up with the energies they've always had, given focus through contributions from Braxton Cook, Keyon Harrold, Jay Prince, Vanisha Gold, Julia Shuren, Nappy Nina, Pink Siifu, and others – on titles that include "This Side Of Sunshine", "Happy Hourrr", "Around For Awhile", "Pink Fur", "Run It Up", "Espionage", "I can Say To You", "Move (Ride)", "Turismo"- "Eye Never Knew", "Half Of It", "No Way Around It", and "DYKWYD". LP, Vinyl record album

The group's listed here as the Double Quintet of trumpeter Ian Carr, but the sound is right next to the best work of his Nucleus group for Vertigo Records – a groundbreaking blend of jazz and electric elements, served up in a style that's very different from American work of the time! At one level, Carr and his group mates have this sophisticated style that's awash in complicated colors and very rich tones – but at another, they're able to open up and really let things fly – not really in prog directions, or avant improvisation either – but with a very freewheeling spirit that has Ian and the group exploding with new ideas all the way through! Other players include Harry Beckett on trumpet, Brian Smith on tenor and soprano, Tony Roberts on tenor and bass clarinet, and the electric core of Chris Spedding on guitar, Ron Matthewson on electric bass, and Karl Jenkins on electric piano – on long takes of tracks that include "Element 1", "Bedrock Deadlock", "Torso", "Snakehips Dream", and "Spirit Level". First-ever release – pulled from a well-recorded radio session in 1970! LP, Vinyl record album

A trio of classic albums from this legendary prog group – all brought together in a single set! First up is the self-titled Jade Warrior – the fantastic debut of a group who were one of the most unique prog acts to record for the Vertigo label in the 70s! Jade Warrior is just a trio – and unlike some of the harder-rocking power trios of the time, the group have a way of balancing softness and intensity, acoustic modes and electric ones – all with a unique style that also offers up some of the exoticism promised by their name! Yet don't worry about that last aspect – as things here are never too heavy-handed, as the group are Brit to their core – maybe balancing some of the lighter Mel Collins moments of King Crimson and the more personal Ian Anderson songs of Jethro Tull – in a line up that features percussion and flute from Jon Field, guitar from Tony Duhig, and bass and these great raspy vocals from Glyn Havard. Titles include "Masami Morning", "Windweaver", "Petunia", "Telephone Girl", "Psychiatric Sergeant", "Slow Ride", and "A Prenormal Day At Brighton". Next up is Released – the searing second album from Jade Warrior – and a record that shows the world what a mighty guitar powerhouse lurked behind their faux-Japanese aesthetics! The group's a quintet for this record – upped from the debut – and in addition to razor-sharp guitar work from Tony Duhig, there's also some great use of tenor, alto, and flute by newcomer Dave Connors – who works alongside the flute and percussion of group founder Jon Field. Allan Price adds in plenty of drums next to Field's percussion – and the vocals of Glyn Havard are even more powerful here than before – definitely matching the ferocity of his work on the bass! The whole thing's great – a hard rock masterpiece with just the right lighter touches at times, thanks to the reeds – a masterpiece by a group who never got the attention they deserved at the time – apart from hip listeners who really knew where it was at. Titles include "Water Curtain Cave", "We Have Reason To Believe", "Eyes On You", "Barazinbar", "Yellow Eyes", and "Three Horned Dragon King". On Last Autumn's Dream, Jade Warrior have a sound that's unlike anyone else of their generation – a mix of percussion, flute, bass, and guitar – all with the kind of electric/acoustic interplay such a lineup with imply! The cover image of this second album maybe looks a bit dramatic, but the group actually have a sound that's nicely understated at times – they can certainly jam with the best of their Vertigo label prog contemporaries, but they can also get a bit more personal too – and it's the balance of those modes that make a record like this such a unique treasure from the time! Titles include "A Winter's Tale", "Snake", "Morning Hymn", "May Queen", "Lady Of The Lake", "Borne On The Solar Wind", and "Dark River". All albums with original artwork – in a box with a great booklet of notes! 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

A quadruple-header from Ramsey Lewis – four albums from his great 70s electric period on Columbia Records! First up is Funky Serenity – sweet electric funk from Ramsey Lewis! The album's one of his best from the 70s – and it's got Ramsey on Fender Rhodes, electric harpsichord, and other keyboards, grooving away in an open-ended 70s mode that still retains all the heavy soul of his classic work for Chess. Morris Jennings adds in some very nice percussion with his drum work, and Cleveland Eaton's on funky bass, giving the set a strong bottom groove. Features the sublime sample cut "My Love For You", a great version of "Knights In White Satin" that's done with a weird spacey groove, plus the tracks "Kufany Mapenzi (Making Love)", "Serene Funk", "What It Is!", and "Dreams". Golden Hits isn't a "best of", but instead has Ramsey and his funky mid 70s trio with Morris Jennings and Cleveland Eaton revisiting some of his best loved material from the Cadet years, but with the groovy Rhodes and wah wah sound that we dig so much about his CBS recordings. Unlike some of the other records from this period, the group's nice and stripped down, just the electric piano, bass and drums, so the groove's nice and wide open, Ramsey and company popping along with the sanctified soulful vibe of his 60s work, but updating their sound with some nice electric touches. 9 numbers in all: "Hang On Sloopy", "Blues For The Night Owl", "Hi-Heel Sneakers", "Carmen", "Delilah", "Wade In The Water", "Slippin' Into Darkness", "Somethin' You Got", and "The In Crowd". Solar Wind was cut smack dab in the middle of Ramsey's glory days at Columbia Records – with great production help and work on bass from the mighty Cleveland Eaton! The style is nice and lean, with just some occasional fuller touches – and Ramsey plays plenty of Fender Rhodes, in addition to bits of Arp and moog too – in a setting that's mostly trio, with a few guest players stepping into the mix from track to track! There's a nice degree of fuzz at points, thanks to added help from Steve Cropper – and titles include a great funky version of "Summer Breeze", plus "Solar Wind", "Come Down In Time", "Love for A Day", "Hummingbird", "Jamaican Marketplace", and "Sweet & Tender You". Sun Goddess is one of our favorite Ramsey Lewis albums ever – and a perfect summation of the genius that was brewing on the Chicago scene in the late 60s and early 70s! The album has Ramsey working strongly with Earth Wind & Fire – no surprise, given his close ties to Maurice White, who was the drummer in Ramsey's trio before starting his own group – and the shared relationship both artists had with producer Charles Stepney! The three were all key parts of the late 60s sound at Chess Records – but here, they've brought the same soulful energy to Columbia – working in a wider, more mature groove for the 70s – one that has Lewis' wicked Fender Rhodes lines stretching out strongly over tight, compressed, funky lines from EWF! The centerpiece of the set is the massive 7 minute "Sun Goddess", but there's lots of other nice ones like "Living For The City", "Gemini Rising", and "Jungle Strut". Funky, electric, and sublimely wonderful all the way through! CD

Seminal sounds from trumpeter Ian Carr and his Nucleus group of the early 70s – maybe one of the few jazz rock groups that was ever able to work with a fair bit of jazz in their sound! Unlike his contemporaries, who often started in rock first, then added some horns – Carr was already coming off an important 60s legacy, co-leading a group with tenorist Don Rendell – so the vibe here is like an extension of that very rhythmic, very tonal modern work – but with the addition of electrified instrumentation – thanks to the guitar work of Chris Spedding and keyboards of Karl Jenkins – who plays some fantastic electric lines throughout! The vibe is maybe a bit in the territory of early 70s electric work by Miles Davis and Donald Byrd (pre-Mizell for the latter) – but there's maybe a farther-reaching concept at play on many of the records, at a level that always helped the group cross over to the prog crowd, and move beyond just a straight jazz audience. Other key players include Brian Smith on tenor and soprano saxes – a really fantastic part of the lineup – plus Jeff Clyne on bass and John Marshall on drums – and as the albums move along a bit, the lineup shifts slightly, and also opens up to guests who include Kenny Wheeler and Harry Beckett on trumpets, Tony Levin on drums, and Norma Winstone on voice. And although some of the albums have been reissued before, this is the first set to really dive in completely – and bring together material from the Vertigo Records releases that include Elastic Rock, We'll Talk About It Later, Solar Plexus, Belladonna, Labyrinth, Roots, Under The Sun, Snakehips Etcetera, and Alley Cat. CD

John Abercrombie and John Scofield on guitar – accompanied by George Mraz on bass and Peter Donald on drums. CD

Stunning work from Lucas Arruda – a record we love even more than his first – and we totally loved that one to death! The sound here is prime Brazilian 70s at its best – that magical moment when jazz, fusion, and older bossa-schooled styles all came together in a really unique blend – and also helped Brazil find its own unique sense of soul, too – a quality that really came forth in the best work from Azymuth and Marcos Valle at the end of the decade! No surprise, Lucas has Azymuth bassist Alex Malheiros and Valle collaborator Leon Ware both on board to help out with the record – but the strength of the set is clearly all Arruda's own – as his vocals are wonderful, with a soulful expression that's vaguely in the Ed Motta side of the spectrum – mixed with his own warm lines on Fender Rhodes, which totally warm things up! Production is perfect, and equally vintage – and the album's a treasure we'll be loving for years. Titles include "Uma Onda", "Melt The Night", "Vento Sul", "Kalunga", "Solar", "O Mar O Samba E O Sol", "Beyond The Sea", and "Agua". CD

Seminal sides in the career of Robert Wyatt – recordings made after the breakup of Matching Mole, and before his solo work really took shape – many of them done after the tragic accident in 1973 that meant that Wyatt would never be able to play the drums again. The music here marks a shift towards some of the gentler, more introspective modes that Wyatt has come to be known for over the years – a focus on piano or keyboards, with spacey vocals from Robert drifting alongside beautifully – often in a slightly poetic, slightly airy sort of way. Other instrumentation includes a bit of cornet, bass and loops from Hugh Hopper, and some darker keyboards from Francis Monkman – but most of the sounds here are from Wyatt himself, working in a spare, simple, and very personal setting! CD features music from Wyatt's Top Gear shows, and his soundtrack for Solarflares Burn For You – a total of 13 tracks that include "Alifib", "Soup Song", "I'm A Believer", "Blimey O'Riley", "Solar Flares Burn For You", "Fol De Rol", "Little Child", "We Got An Arts Council Grant", and "Righteous Rhumba". CD also features a Quicktime version of the film "Solarflares Burn For You". CD

An obscure little quartet session from Red Garland – recorded with Les Spann on both guitar and flute, caught at a time when he was just starting to make waves on the New York scene! The presence of Spann gives the record a decidedly different feel than most of Garland's work on Prestige – as the hollow-body guitar tones bring some much bluesier inflections to some of the tunes, offset by more chromatic runs that really illuminate others. Red's own piano is still wonderfully soulful, and presented here with a pointed sense of economy on some numbers – and rhythm is by Sam Jones on bass and Frank Gant on drums. Titles include "Marie's Delight", "This Can't Be Love", "Blues For News", "I Just Can't See For Looking", and "Solar". CD

... CD

Really unique material from Sun Ra – a pair of recordings that were initially circulated much more strongly than some of his Saturn Records material, thanks to the power of the BYG/Actuel label in the early 70s – but tracks that actually come from a variety of different sessions that Ra himself did with the Arkestra in the late 60s! Tracks are shortish, but very inventive – a well-chosen snapshot of all the new ideas that the group were cooking up during the end of the 60s in New York, with an increased mission to explore the outer reaches of space, and use more electronics than ever before! Ra plays some killer keyboards – moog, spacemaster, and acoustic piano – often with these really eerie tones – and other players include Kwame Hadi on trumpet, Akh Tal Ebah on space dimension mellophone, Ali Hassan on trombone, Marshal Allen and Danny Davis on alto and flute, John Gilmore on tenor, and Pat Patrick on baritone – and the whole group vocalizes at points, joined by other singers who include June Tyson and Art Jenkins. There's also some great use of "strange strings" on the sessions, not to mention a bit of reverb – and tracks on this second volume include "The Utter Nots", "Outer Spaceways Inc", "Scene 1 Take 1", "Strange Worlds", "Ancient Ethiopia", "Pyramids", and "Interpretation". CD

A nice little addition to Brubeck's run of "jazz on campus" albums – a mid 50s set that briefly appeared as a private press, now getting a much wider circulation on CD! The group features the great Paul Desmond on alto, plus Bob Bates on bass and Joe Dodge on drums, performing titles that include "Jeepers Creepers", "These Foolish Things", "Give A Little Whistle", "For All We Know", and "Here Lies Love". CD

A nice little freaky track from "Dynasty" –one that begins with some really great rhythms, and which has a slightly electric vibe bubbling up underneath! "Piece Of The Rock" is a bit warmer overall – very much in the Solar funky soul mode! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Four classic albums from Dynasty – served up here with bonus material too! First up is Your Piece Of The Rock – a set that has Dynasty working with snapping grooves with a nice sort of electro undercurrent –- all the handiwork of Leon Sylvers, who also plays bass and drums on the record – and really helps Dynasty find their groove! The tracks here are all quite long, and offer up plenty of space for the players to jam nicely – a group that includes Fred Jackson on saxophone, Gene Dozier on keyboards, and Oscar Brashear on trumpet. Dynasty are pretty good too – a bit more than just a club trio filling in vocals from time to time – and titles include "Satisfied", "Your Piece Of The Rock", "I Don't Want To Be A Freak", "When You Feel Like Giving Love", and "It's Still A Thrill". Next is Adventures In Music – almost a fusion of older sweet group soul with some of the more bottom-driven modes forged by the Solar label! The keyboards are upfront, the basslines strong, and the group is completely tight on the money – at a level that made them one of the strongest 80s proponents of the Solar Records groove. The title cut here is our favorite – a sweet stepper that bursts out with this blast of sound that's totally great – completely captivating, and filled with cascading sounds that really grab us. Other tracks include "Ice Breaker", "Something To Remember", "Day & Night", "Do Me Right", and "I've Just Begun To Love You". Next is Second Adventure – the kind of set that shows why the group went on to become one of the strongest things going in the second chapter of the Solar Records soul empire from LA! The album begins with a rock-solid punch, then continues strongly throughout – basslines, guitar riffs, and funky drums all right on the money – used in a way that's somehow fresher than most of the larger funk groups of the time – and with a nice balance between mellower moments that still seem to have a gentle kind of groove. The energy is wonderful throughout – and titles include "Give It Up For Love", "Love In The Fast Lane", "Revenge", "Here I Am", "A Man In Love", and "You're My Angel". Last up is Right Back At Cha – a set that's super tight and right on the money – that wonderfully catchy approach to 80s R&B that was the hallmark of Dynasty at their height! The tunes are a hook-heavy blend of funk and upbeat modes – all brightly glowing with that style that made Solar Records one of the leading lights of the Cali soul scene in the decade – and which gets some extra special treatment here from one of their most consistent groups! Titles include "That's The Way I Feel About You", "Check It Out, "The Only One", "Questions", "Straight Out", and "Does That Ring A Bell". 3CD set also features 9 bonus tracks – all 7" single mixes of hits from the albums! CD

A sweet collection with music from 5 LPs plus a couple of bonus tracks from the Newport Jazz Festival! CD

A trio of classic albums from Lakeside – representing the second slice of their work for the Solar Records label! First up is Your Wish Is My Command – great stuff from the glory days of the LA bass-pedal funk era! The tracks manage to mix an 80s groove and soul without sounding cloying, and the band's vocals are always better than we remember them – with a strong harmony sound in the best moments that keeps things real. Tracks include "Your Wish Is My Command", "The Urban Man", "I'll Be Standing By", "Special", and "Magic Moments". Keep On Moving Straight Ahead is a really well-titled album from the mighty Lakeside – as the record makes you think that the group were going to keep on going for many years – working in their own unique version of earlier funk modes – almost a tightening up of the Funkadelic style of the late 70s! The basslines are very much in charge, but like the George Clinton groups, they also have a great way of really bringing everything together at once – sly vocals, riffing guitar, sweet keyboards, and everything else that comes to groove – all hitting right on the money on titles that include "It's You", "Be My Lady", "All For You", "Anything For You", and "We Want You (On The Floor)". For Untouchables, the gangster image on the cover might be a tipoff to the sound – as Lakeside help forge the roots of g-funk with their classic bass-heavy sound on the album! The record's great – every bit as funky as previous Lakeside work in all the right parts, but also showing a greater development of the group past their funk roots – able to mix mellower moments with groovers, at that sublime level that Fatback hit when the 80s began! There's plenty of greatness here for everyone – and titles include "Real Love", "Untouchable", "So Let's Love", "Turn The Music Up", and "Raid". Bonus tracks include "Keep On Moving Straight Ahead (12" version)", "Raid (7" version)", "We Want You On The Floor (7" version)", "Turn The Music Up (inst dub)", and "Turn The Music Up (7" version)". CD

A trio of classic albums from Lakeside – representing the second slice of their work for the Solar Records label! First up is Your Wish Is My Command – great stuff from the glory days of the LA bass-pedal funk era! The tracks manage to mix an 80s groove and soul without sounding cloying, and the band's vocals are always better than we remember them – with a strong harmony sound in the best moments that keeps things real. Tracks include "Your Wish Is My Command", "The Urban Man", "I'll Be Standing By", "Special", and "Magic Moments". Keep On Moving Straight Ahead is a really well-titled album from the mighty Lakeside – as the record makes you think that the group were going to keep on going for many years – working in their own unique version of earlier funk modes – almost a tightening up of the Funkadelic style of the late 70s! The basslines are very much in charge, but like the George Clinton groups, they also have a great way of really bringing everything together at once – sly vocals, riffing guitar, sweet keyboards, and everything else that comes to groove – all hitting right on the money on titles that include "It's You", "Be My Lady", "All For You", "Anything For You", and "We Want You (On The Floor)". For Untouchables, the gangster image on the cover might be a tipoff to the sound – as Lakeside help forge the roots of g-funk with their classic bass-heavy sound on the album! The record's great – every bit as funky as previous Lakeside work in all the right parts, but also showing a greater development of the group past their funk roots – able to mix mellower moments with groovers, at that sublime level that Fatback hit when the 80s began! There's plenty of greatness here for everyone – and titles include "Real Love", "Untouchable", "So Let's Love", "Turn The Music Up", and "Raid". Bonus tracks include "Keep On Moving Straight Ahead (12" version)", "Raid (7" version)", "We Want You On The Floor (7" version)", "Turn The Music Up (inst dub)", and "Turn The Music Up (7" version)". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet beats and plenty of grooves – an 80s funk classic from Midnight Star, and one that seems to have the group picking up a bit of energy from the hip hop scene as well! The album's still got the electro soul vibe of previous records, but maybe is even beat-heavier overall – almost showcasing a style that would later emerge as new jack in the hands of some younger artists within the next few years – but still perfect for the kind of playful interplay that made the Midnight groove so great! Titles include "Midas Touch", "Stay Here By My Side", "Close To Midnight", "Searching For Love", "Close Encounter", "Dead End", "Get Dressed", "Engine No 9", and "Headlines". LP, Vinyl record album

A huge amount of work from the mighty Midnight Star – a group who really helped find a new way forward for funk in the 80s, thanks to music like this! The group were one of the key acts on Solar Records, the west coast imprint who really changed things up at the time – and they have a quality that seems to take the older energy of a P-Funk ensemble, and compress it down in ways that make all the best use of the new technologies in the music – plenty of keyboards, basslines, and beats that get a bit more electric as the decade moves on – but always with a strong commitment to soulful lyrics, and a tight way of putting over a groove! The group were popular, but the cuts here are may more than commercial hits – as the lavish package features plenty of overlooked gems and rarities – in a collection of 41 tracks that include "90 Days Same As Cash", "Engine No 9", "Don't Rock The Boat", "Snake In The Grass", "If Walls Could Talk", "I Don't Wanna Be Lonely", "Planetary Invasion", "Headlines", "Curious", "Freak A Zoid", "Electricity", "No Parking On The Dancefloor", "Body Snatchers", "Make It Last,", "I've Been Watching You", "Tuff", "I Got What You Need", "Victory", "Hot Spot", and "Wet My Whistle". CD

Titles include "Work It Out", "Do It", "All I Want", "Money Can't Buy You Love", and "If Walls Could Talk". CD

An overlooked gem from the Solar Records label – a real powerhouse of 80s soul, but one who's talents weren't able to put Cat Miller on the top of the charts! That lack is hardly reflected in the sound of the album, though – as the whole thing is as tight and filled with crossover energy as the label's biggest from the decade – with Cat shining both the the ballads and the groovers – the latter of which might even be somewhere in early Janet Jackson territory. Production is as varied as the material – work by Bernadette Cooper, Greg Perry, and the team of LA & Babyface – plus the great Leon Ware on the album's remake of his classic "I Want You". Other titles include "Beat My Face", "Computer Love", "Be For Real", "Fool In Love", "Move A Little Closer", and "Rescue Me". CD features bonus tracks – "Be For Real (single)", "Beat My Face (12" club dub)", and "Beat My Face (12" bonus beats)". CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A motherlode of classic soul by The Whispers – one of the greatest soul acts to ever emerge from the west coast, and an incredible group with a sound that really held up over the years! The 2CD set is really nicely divided into "slow jams" and "fast jams" – so that one disc features the group's uptempo dancefloor tunes, like "Bingo", "Mother For My Children", "One Of The Money", "Let's Go All The Way", "Emergency", "In The Raw", "Tonight", "Contagious", and "And The Beat Goes On" – and the other disc features their great harmony ballads, like "Your Love Is So Doggone Good", "Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong", "Lady", "I Want To Know Your Name", "(Olivia) Lost & Turned Out", "Hello Stranger", "Say Yes", "Just Gets Better With Time", "My Heart Your Heart", "Living Together In Sin", and "Make Sweet Love To Me". 32 tracks in all! CD

A trio of classic albums from The Whispers – with bonus tracks too! On the first set, the mighty group does way more here than just Whisper in your ear – as they're completely on top of their game, ending the 70s with a wickedly sharp sound that would help them stand strong for years to come! The group started in fragile harmony soul modes, grew with confidence in the 70s, hit a bit of a dancefloor mode – and here step off with this mature style that's totally wonderful – the best of all worlds together as one – shaped by arrangements from Tom Tom 84, Gene Page, and Keni Burke! Titles include "Whisper In Your Ear", "Homemade Lovin'", "If I Don't Get Your Love", "Love At Its Best", "Can't Do Without Love", and "Pretty Lady". The 1979 Whispers album was one of a few to bear the group's name as its title – and it's also one of our favorite albums by The Whispers – a later gem with some really great songs, and a sound that shows the group strongly moving into hit territory! In some way, the album's almost a return to the mellow harmony soul of the group's roots – slowing down the pace from the disco years to craft some extremely great ballads and midtempo numbers. There's still a bunch of great club tracks too – like the classic "And The Beat Goes On" – but in a way, our favorite tracks are the mellower ones, like "Lady", "I Love You", and the sublime, "A Song For Donny", a tribute to the late Donny Hathaway, written around the music of his classic "This Christmas". On Imagination, the group takes off from the Philly groove style of their late 70s work, moving into a style that picks up all the best touches of the early 80s LA sound – electro keyboards, but not too much; quiet storm production, but not so much so that the album's smothered in it; and a professional approach to harmonies and songwriting that showed that the group was still an unstoppable force in soul music! Includes "Imagination", "It's A Love Thing", "Say You", "I Can Make It Better" and "Up On Soul Train". Bonus tracks include an instrumental of "Song For Donny" – plus 7" mixes of "Can't Do Without Love", "Can You Do The Boogie", "And The Beat Goes On", "It's A Love Thing", and "I Can Make It Better". CD

Lester Young on tenor saxophone, Jesse Drakes on trumpet, Kenny Drew on piano, Joe Shulman on bass, and Jo Jones on drums. CD

... CD

Great early grooves from Shalamar – recorded at a time when the trio was really grooving at their best! The a-side here – "Take That To The Bank" – an amazingly warm little groove, complete with keyboards that flow nicely next to the rhythms, and these great vocal parts that trade back and forth with a wonderfully soulful feel! There's a nice jazzy undercurrent too – and the tune is one that never gets old! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Soaring uptempo soul from The Whispers – still going strong with the Solar sound well into the 80s – and stepping out here in a real hit-making style! The vocals are great, the grooves are solid – and there's a snapping, rhythmic feel to the first side – which is billed as the "Dancin" side, and done in a very 80s groove mode! Side two is named the "Romancin" side – and as such, has a slightly mellower feel – still some beats on the bottom, but mostly in a gentler way that really lets the harmonies take over. Titles include "On Impact", "Contagious", "Suddenly", "Don't Keep Me Waiting", "Sweet Sensation", "Never Too Late", "Are You Going My Way", and "Some Kinda Lover". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

There's lots of fast funky rhythms going on here – a mix of beats and basslines that almost echoes some of the Prince styles of the time, but which also offers up maybe more of a west coast take on the street soul modes of New York! Production is by the young team of LA and Babyface – who bring to Deele what Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis would bring to their own best work of the time – a nice balance between pop and soul, catchy groovers and mellow moments – all with a sound that was trying to sound plenty darn fresh for the time. Titles include "Let's Work Tonight", "Stimulate", "Sweet November", "Material Thangz", "Suspicious", and "You're All I've Ever Known". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the songs "My Funny Valentine", "Moonlight In Vermont", "The More I See You", "Old Devil Moon", "Do It The Hard Way", "Fair Weather", "Solar", "Soft Winds", "If You Could See Me Now", "How High The Moon", "It Never Entered My Mind", "September Song", "Thank Heaven For Little Girls", "I Talk To The Trees", and "On The Street Where You Live". CD

Quite a great session for Chet Baker – one that has him recording in New York, with a hip lineup that includes some incredibly soulful players! The tunes on the set feature Chet in either quartet or quintet formation – working with Johnny Griffin on tenor, Al Haig on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Tracks are longish, and the sound is much more in the mode of Riverside at the time, than the sound of Chet's earlier Pacific Jazz records – and Chet holds his own nicely in this company, giving a hint of the style to come in a few more years. Titles include "Fair Weather", "Hotel 49", "When Lights Are Low", "Solar", and "Blue Thoughts". LP, Vinyl record album

Chet Baker on trumpet, Duke Jordan on piano and Jesper Lundgaard on bass. Includes the tracks "Walkin", "Solar", and "Star Eyes". CD