Early work from the Godzilla films – done by legendary Japanese film composer Akira Ifukube! LP, Vinyl record album

Searing grooves from 70s Ghana – a set of tracks from the glory days of the Essiebons record label, mixed with a number of killers that weren't issued at the time! The music burns with a fire right from the start – and the package includes a fair number of really funky nuggets that not only stand side by side next to American 70s soul, but which also show the world that with cuts like these, the best of Ghana could easily rival their better-known contemporaries on the Lagos scene! The collection is wonderful – the Analog Africa label at its best, brimming over with gems that include "Dee Mmaa Pe" by Joe Meah, "Africa" by Seaboy, "Yeaba" by CK Mann & His Carousel 7, "Shakabula" by Santrofi Ansa", "Say The Truth" by Ernest Honny, "Wonnim A Bisa" by Black Masters Band, "Egye Tu Gbe" by Sawaaba Band, and "Medley" by Nyame Bekyere. LP, Vinyl record album

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An early moment of genius from post-Beatles Paul McCartney – a solo set that's wonderfully diverse throughout – filled with the kinds of cool little twists and turns we loved in his late Beatles records, and in his 70s killers with Wings! There's a newly-emerging sweetness going on here – that great sound that started to emerge with the McCartney album – where Paul was a proud, put-together family guy – easily one of the most confident of his fab foursome, and able to bring an incredible amount of charm to just about any style he wanted to try! Some of the best cuts here are the mellower, more personal moments – still delivered with an amazing rock-solid sense of musicianship and production, too – and even the rockers, which might sound clunky in the hands of anyone else, manage to come off with a great deal of charm as well. Titles include the wonderfully playful "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" – plus "Too Many People", "Heart Of The Country", "Dear Boy", "Ram On", "The Back Seat Of My Car", and "Smile Away". 2CD version features some rare tracks and b-sides – including "Another Day", "Oh Woman Oh Why", "Little Woman Love", "Love For You", "Hey Diddle (Dixon Van Winkle mix)", "Great Cock & Seagull Race (Dixon Van Winkle mix)", "Rode All Night", and "Sunshine Sometime (earliest mix)". CD

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Includes "I Ain't Got Nothin' But Times", "Cold Cold Heart", "Jambalay", "I'm So lonesome I Could Cry", "Long Gone Lonesome Blues" and more – 12 tracks in all. CD

The Art Ensemble at the height of their powers – really letting loose on the Parisian scene of the late 60s, where they found a great audience for all the new ideas they'd been brewing up back home! The album's definitely one that has the group's unique ethos coming into focus – that sense of spontaneous collective creativity spawned by their AACM contemporaries, but delivered with the special sort of playful energy of the group – as they effortlessly shift instruments, switch modes, and find a way to resonate wonderfully as a group without sacrificing their individual voices! Everyone plays percussion and other instruments – with Joseph Jarman and Roscoe Mitchell on reeds, Lester Bowie on trumpet, and Malachi Favors on bass – on titles that include "Song For Charles", "Ericka", "A Jackson In Your House", and "Get In Line". CD

The Art Ensemble at the height of their powers – really letting loose on the Parisian scene of the late 60s, where they found a great audience for all the new ideas they'd been brewing up back home! The album's definitely one that has the group's unique ethos coming into focus – that sense of spontaneous collective creativity spawned by their AACM contemporaries, but delivered with the special sort of playful energy of the group – as they effortlessly shift instruments, switch modes, and find a way to resonate wonderfully as a group without sacrificing their individual voices! Everyone plays percussion and other instruments – with Joseph Jarman and Roscoe Mitchell on reeds, Lester Bowie on trumpet, and Malachi Favors on bass – on titles that include "Song For Charles", "Ericka", "A Jackson In Your House", and "Get In Line". LP, Vinyl record album

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

Ralph J Gleason might just be one of the coolest cats to ever write about music – a key part of the San Francisco scene during the postwar years – where his talents helped illuminate both the worlds of art and music during the beat generation – then really helped shine a spotlight on all the cultural changes in the city during the 60s – which even led to Gleason's role in the founding of Rolling Stone magazine! Gleason always had a great eye (and ear) for things that were new and special, but never in a way that was slavish to the moment – or to its creator – and the book features an initial section on his writings on jazz and blues – with essays on John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Carmen McRae, BB King, John Handy, Vince Guaraldi & Bola Sete, Cal Tjader, Ben Webster, the San Francisco Jazz scene, and other diverse topics. The second section features Gleason on folk and rock – with bits on Jefferson Airplane, Hank Williams, Lenny Bruce, Odetta, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and others – and the final section features articles on politics and culture – covering topics that include Richard Nixon, radio payola, Law & Order, flower children, and other slices of society, seen from the Gleason viewpoint. Book is hardcover, and 309 pages. Book

A great look back at a small but wonderful slice of 60s jazz – the very groovy compositions of pianist Clare Fischer – a player who could easily absorb influences from bossa nova and Latin music, and really give them a special sort of California vibe! Clare worked often with Cal Tjader back in the day – and to showcase that side of his sound, Morten Gronvad handles vibes in the lead here, next to the alto of Jens Sondergaard – an instrument that's not as often associated with Fischer compositions, and which makes them sparkle here with a warm sense of energy that's totally great! The rest of the combo features Thomas Borno on piano, Niels Knudsen on bass, and Niclas Campagnol on drums – and titles include versions of Fischer tunes that include "Morning", "Carnaval", "Pensativa", "Elizete", "Gososo", "Gaviota", and "Wistful Samba". CD

Maybe some of the most spiritual work we've ever heard from French pianist Francois Tusques – working here on two long tracks that really show some strong development in his Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra concept since the 70s! The tracks are partly modal and rhythmic in structure, but have wilder twists and turns along the way – not ear-bracing avant blasts, but instead some of the more long-haired expressions that had been showing up in French avant jazz from the mid 70s onward – a very special brew that makes this album wonderfully unique, even amidst other unique recordings on the scene! The title track, "Le Musichien" is a long track with Tusques on piano, Sylvain Kassap on tenor, Yebga Likoba on soprano sax, Ramadolf on trombone, Jean-Jacques Avenel on bass, and Carlos Andreau on voice – really spinning out some beautiful sounds. The flipside features "Les Amis D'Afrique", another fantastic number with many of the same players – but also with Daniele Dumas on soprano sax, and twin congas from Sam Ateba and Kilikus, who really add a lot to the track. LP, Vinyl record album

The classic soundtrack to the original Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer "videocraft" animated TV special from 1964 – with timeless, cheerful music and lyrics by Johnny Marks – beautifully voiced by folksy balladeer Burl Ives! Includes the holiday pop standards "Silver And Gold", "A Holly Jolly Christmas", "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" and of course the title track – plus a bunch of numbers that are pretty wonderful, too, and nowhere near as overplayed – including "There's Always Tomorrow", "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Days", "We're A Couple Of Misfits", "We Are Santa's Elves" and more. Played by the Decca Concert Orchestra, the music is straight-up beautiful, and the CD includes the orginal soundtrack with vocal numbers and instrumentals cuts – just like the original LP! CD

A well-done guide to the legendary years of city pop music in Japan – and one that's got way more than the hundred albums hinted at by the title! The book follows the format of other Japanese disc guides – with images of key records in the genre, mostly presented in full color – alongside other text in Japanese, which you can easily read using Google Translate or a similar app on your phone, via the camera. Even without that text, though, there's plenty here to steer you towards important records in this under-discovered genre that's only know beginning to get appreciation by English-speaking listeners. The book presents an initial top 100 of the most important records – but then continues into sections with listings for hundreds more records, divided by key artists – almost all with color reproductions of the covers, next to a few black and white. Book is 265 pages in all, with listings for hundreds of city pop records! Book

One of the great fake live albums of the 60s – a set that promises to be a concert performance from the title and cover, but which actually just features The Seeds playing live together in the studio! Yet that little trick is hardly a problem – because the album's the last-ever from this seminal group, and captures them in a format that really lets them take off! Their studio sessions were always great, but this one's got a special edge from letting all the instruments work together in the same space at once, with no edits or dubs. The core combo sounds wonderful – searing guitar, trippy keyboard lines, and all the sneering vocals the young Sky Saxon can muster – served up over tracks that include "Mr. Farmer", "No Escape", "Satisfy You", "Night Time Girl", "Up In Her Room", "Gypsy Plays His Drums", "Mumble And Bumble", "Forest Outside Your Door", "900 Million People Daily All Making Love", and "Pushin' Too Hard". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare work from the early years of soul music – and a special set that focuses on sounds created in and around Los Angeles – a city that's not nearly as well known for 60s soul as Chicago, Detroit, or New Orleans! Yet during the postwar years, LA had just as much going on as those eastern cities – a huge new population influx, who'd move over from the south during the wartime years – and new labels that had cropped up to capture their sounds and serve their audience! 50s LA was already humming with R&B material, which gave the rising styles of soul plenty of places to get recorded – so much so, that there's even some work on this set that was never issued at the time! The vibe is great – similar to other Birth Of Soul sets from Ace/Kent – in that the music carries a bit of R&B and blues bite from earlier years, mixed with more romping and tighter soul styles – in a smoking set list of 24 tracks that include "But What About My Broken Heart" by Don Wyatt, "Everybody's Got A Lover But Me" by Richard Berry, "Have You Heard" by The Vows, "With These Hands" by The Wonders, "You Better Watch Out Girl" by The Imperialites, "Lose My Cool" by Ike & Tina Turner, "Let Him Walk Away" by Darlene Love, "My Pillow" by The Numbers, "Help Me With My Broken Heart" by Sylvester Stewart, "That Other Guy" by The Mandarins, "Don't Drop It" by The Question Marks, and "Young Lover" by Wilks & Wilkerson. CD

A sweet little collection that goes way past the disco in the title – but maybe that's what you'd expect, give that most of the music is from the post-disco generation of the 80s! There's still plenty of clubby elements in the music, but the artists here have really taken off from late 70s American and Euro modes – adding in some bits of electro pop, or using some of the new technologies to create more programmed rhythms that point the way towards future dance styles to come. In a way, the special shift of the scene is similar to what happened with Italo Disco of the 80s – although with a different sound overall – and as with other compilations of this nature on Svart, the whole thing's a great look at a far off scene we never would have heard otherwise. Some cuts are so rare, they don't even have titles – and tunes include "In An Other Time" by Free Feeling Band, "Black Hole" by Syntax, "Mabellene" by Groove Night, "Israel Is Real" by We, "Guilty Of The Crime" by Pixies, "SMO" by Kim Kuusi, "Tunnen" by Jarkko Valja, and "Fantasia" by Anssi Timo. LP, Vinyl record album

Music by Lord Invader, Duke Of Iron, MacBeth the Great, Gerald Clark & Band – from a live concert series hosted by Alan Lomax. CD

A long-overdue follow up to the legendary first Ghana Special collection – and one that presents a second chapter of work – not just from the regional scene, but from a time when some of its best artists were also recording in other nations too! The result is a more powerful, soulful style than before – not in a too-commercial "world music" way, but instead blended with elements of soul, funk, and newer club styles to really kick up the groove a bit more – while still keeping all the best elements of the 70s groove intact! There's definitely some drum machine rhythms along the way, but the overall vibe is still nice and warm – and very different than more electro-styled work from the South African scene of the time – and as always with Soundway, the notes and track selection are superb. Titles include "Ebe Ye Yie Ni" by The Godfathers, "Obiara Bewu" by Rex Gyamfi, "Kaakyire Nua" by George Darko, "Adjoa Amisa" by Andy Vans, "Barima Nsu" by Kwasi Afari Minta, "Mumude" by Nan Mayen, "Sii Nana" by Bessa Simons, "New Dance" by Ernest Honny, "Fre Me" by Charles Amoah, "Jigi Jigi" by Dadadi, "Apple" by Gyedu Blay Ambolley, "Alaiye" by Abdul Raheem, "Gye Wani" by Pat Thomas, and "MC Mambo" by Pepper Onion Ginger & Salt. CD

Fantastic sounds from the rocksteady years in Jamaica – tracks that are a fair bit more rare and obscure than some of the bigger singles that circulated at the time – even though they feature a fair bit of the same artists and musicians! The work here all came from the studios of Federal Records – one of the first indies in Kingston, headed by the visionary Ken Khouri – who put things together and learned the process as he went – which often made for a very organic approach to the music! Khouri handled a lot of other Jamaican styles in the years before these sides – but he really seems to have hit his stride with rocksteady – coming up with a perfect balance between the new rhythms, the sharp instrumentation, and the soulful styles of the singers. Titles on this second volume include "Real Gone Sweet" by The Tartans, "Walk On By" by The Zodiacs, "We Gonna Make It" by The Termites, "Fountain Bliss" by The Dynamites, "This Music Got Soul" by Hopeton Lewis, "Batman (early take rehearsal)" by Lynn Taitt & The Jets, "I Don't Want Trouble" by Hopeton Lewis, "Rolling Rolling" by The Tartans, "Lester Sterling Special" by Lester Sterling, "Take Me Back" by Henry Buckley, and "Sounds Of Silence" by Roland Alphonso. LP, Vinyl record album

A set with an even wider musical range than the previous volumes of Nigeria Special – taking things up from the late 70s through the early 90s, and showing a lot of musical change in the progress! The album's got some of the familiar Afro Funk modes you might expect – but also traces a time when the music gets stripped-down a bit more with as much emphasis on keyboards as guitar, and a groove that mixes in some boogie elements with the rhythms! There's a nice difference between all the cuts, and taken as a whole they offer up a really great portrait of this second chapter of soulful sounds on the Nigerian scene – very heavy on all the sort of 80s elements you'd know from American soul, but still served up in ways that are very unique to the West African scene. As always with Soundway, the choice of cuts and overall presentation is great – and the set features 18 tracks that include "Igbo Nwe Egwu" by ISCAC Band, "Esan" by Pal Sagie, "Wumaya Awuma" by Soki Ohale, "Farofa Dancer" by Eppi Fanio, "Ndi Oma" by Ozzobia, "Experience" by Feladey, "Do Good" by Ayo Manuel, "Eyo" by Wura Fadaka Band, "Ka Nyi Gbaa Egwu" by Mannix Okonkwo, "Oya E" by Blackman Akeeb Kareem, and "Omoge" by Dizzy K. LP, Vinyl record album

A really great entry in the excellent Super Funk series – one that offers up cuts that are every bit as strong on their soulful vocals as they are their funky grooves! The track selection is wonderful – rare cuts from 45s, of the sort that funk diggers have been trading for years – plus some of those extra-special unreleased tracks, which the folks at Ace/BGP always seem able to dig up through their access to the vaults! The notes are filled with rare photos, label scans, and loads of information on the cuts – showing that their selection here wasn't just a random process – and despite the title, most tracks here are 70s numbers from the heavy funk years. Titles include "Dark Skin Woman" by Billy Cee, "Love Highjacker" by George Jackson, "You Bring The Tears" by Sampson & Delilah, "Born To Live With Heartache" by Mary Lvoe, "Sweet Thang" by William Bostic, "Foolish Man (part 2)" by The Huck Daniels Co, "Work It Out" by Marcene Harris, "Jodine" by Earl Harris, "Funky Kingston" by Tribe, "Brother Jack" by The Funky Kids, "Forgotten" by Lamont Johnson, "Daddy Please Stay Home" by Obrey Wilson, and "So Fine" by Chet Ivey & His Fabulous Avengers. CD

A rare look at a very obscure sound library from the European scene – the Belgian Selection label, home to some very groovy sounds from the late 70s! The music here resonates with Belgian soundtrack and jazz work of the period – and shares some musicians from those genres too – and the titles within mix funky jazz with larger arrangements – all instrumental, and handled in a strong array of styles – some upbeat, some midtempo, and some cool and laidback! Titles include "Black World" by Stern Selection, "Space Shuttle Jazz" by Jacques Siroul, "Crystal Waltz" by Rene Costy, "Chief Of Freen Bean" by Bob Porter, "No Thoroughfare" by Jordan Stevy, and "Osmoses" by Leonard D Messina. LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe some of the most spiritual work we've ever heard from French pianist Francois Tusques – working here on two long tracks that really show some strong development in his Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra concept since the 70s! The tracks are partly modal and rhythmic in structure, but have wilder twists and turns along the way – not ear-bracing avant blasts, but instead some of the more long-haired expressions that had been showing up in French avant jazz from the mid 70s onward – a very special brew that makes this album wonderfully unique, even amidst other unique recordings on the scene! The title track, "Le Musichien" is a long track with Tusques on piano, Sylvain Kassap on tenor, Yebga Likoba on soprano sax, Ramadolf on trombone, Jean-Jacques Avenel on bass, and Carlos Andreau on voice – really spinning out some beautiful sounds. The flipside features "Les Amis D'Afrique", another fantastic number with many of the same players – but also with Daniele Dumas on soprano sax, and twin congas from Sam Ateba and Kilikus, who really add a lot to the track. CD

One of the most meditative albums ever recorded for the Folkways label – two side-long tracks from composer Craig Kupka, each of which has a dream-like, very hypnotic quality! It's a bit hard to say what exactly is going on here in the instrumentation – we definitely hear vibes, or maybe celeste, plus light guitar, percussion, and a touch of piano – but everything has almost a pillowy sort of blend – so that the instrumentation is abstracted from its roots into something completely different – a really thoughtful sonic experience, and one that definitely evokes the "Clouds" in both of its two numbered titles! CD

A quartet of albums from Johnny Mathis – served up here in a special 2CD set! Up Up & Away is Mathis' first set back at Columbia after a brief hiatus – a record that shows a newly mature style that's wonderfully suited for Johnny's amazing voice! Mathis tones are every bit as perfect as before – but he's also got a maturing approach to the lyrics that's really nice – maybe a bit more pause, or thoughtfulness, which only increases the sense of feeling in the tunes. Of course, the great charts by Glenn Osser also help too – lush, but never sleepy, and showing their own sort of maturation too. Titles include "Misty Roses", "Drifting", "When I Look In Your Eyes", "I Thought Of You Last Night", "Far Above Cayuga's Waters", and "Where Are The Words". Love Is Blue is a late 60s set that furthers the maturing Mathis modes of his return to Columbia Records – a set that's filled with great adult pop numbers from the time, recast by Johnny Mathis in his trademark vocal mode! There's a fair bit of Bacharach in the mix – which makes for a meeting of two pop vocal generations in one sweet album – and the rest of the tunes are pretty hip too, with work by Henry Mancini, Jimmy Webb, and others. Strings figure into most of the arrangements – but never in a sleepy way – and titles include "Walk On By", "Venus", "Love Is Blue", "Never My Love", "Moon River", "I Say A Little Prayer", "The Look Of Love", and "Don't Go Breakin My Heart". Those Were The Days is a title tune sung famously by Mathis as a single – but even better are the rest of the tracks on the set – a cool batch of 60s numbers that really show Johnny stretching out comfortably with some new material, but never in ways that mess with his amazing vocal approach at all! Backings often have a gentle dip underneath the strings – letting Mathis pick up some slight groovy rhythms at points, on titles that include "Light My Fire", "59th Street Bridge Song", "This Guy's In Love With You", "You Make Me Think About You", "The World I Used To Know", and "Turn Around Look At Me". Last up is Sings The Music Of Bert Kaempfert – a special record devoted to the songs of German maestro Bert, best known as an instrumental star on record, but also a key songwriter for many classics of the 60s. Johnny's vocals are a great fit for the gentle flow and slow-stepping rhythms of the Kaempfert tunes – and titles include "Strangers In The Night", "Danke Schon", "Wonderland By Night", "Spanish Eyes", "Lady", "LOVE", and "Remember When". CD