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Tangerine Dream delivered a number of famous soundtracks in the late 70s and early 80s – but this set is one of the most obscure, and maybe one of the wildest too! The music was done for an Australian horror film, and has a very dark, moody vibe – still plenty of the Tangerine Dream touches you'd know, but also a bit more noise and murky moments too – and less of the fast-running keyboard lines and electronics that usually grace most of their moments in film! Much of the instrumentation is electronic, but abstracted in all these cool ways – and certainly handled with a lot more depth than some of the younger film composers who were often turning out music like this on a limited budget, with limited instrumentation. Titles include "Murder In The Classroom", "Horror In The Bathroom", "Experiments In Tension", "Tension In The Graveyard", "Kill The Professor/Cleaning Up", and "Pete Goes In For The Kill". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare English language recordings from the sublime Francoise Hardy – music that's every bit as wonderful as her famous French recordings – and even more compelling to our Anglo-styled ears! The vocals are wonderful – sung with this sense of darkness that's almost got an echo of Nico at points, given the accent – set to backings that balance this darkness with a bit more light, but never in ways that are overly poppy – and which definitely continue that more sophisticated style that Hardy always brought to her music! There's less "yeh yeh" to the tracks than a few years before – and Francoise is definitely digging deeper music at this point in her career – sometimes with a breathy brilliance that's a bit like Jane Birkin too. Titles include "Bown Bown Bown", "Till The Morning Comes", "Loving You", "In The Sky", "Midnight Blues", "Magic Horse", "Song Of Winter", "Strange Shadows", "Ocean", "The Garden Of Jane Delawney", "Sometimes", "Let My Name Be Sorrow", "Times Passing By", "I Just Want To Be Alone", and "Suzanne". CD

Possibly one of the most essential Billie Holiday albums for Verve – a set that carries the same title as her famous autobiography, and which also features many key numbers from her songbook at the time! The feel here is quite easygoing and relaxed – with small group backing behind Billie's vocals, which themselves are recorded cleanly and clearly throughout. One side features backing by a combo that includes Wynton Kelly on piano, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Charlie Shavers on trumpet, and Paul Quinichette on tenor – and the other features a group that includes Bobby Tucker on piano, Charlie Shavers on trumpet, Barney Kessel on guitar, and the great Willie Smith on alto sax. Titles include plenty of classics – including "God Bless The Child", "Strange Fruit", "Lady Sings The Blues", "No Good Man", "Good Morning Heartache", "I Must Have That Man", and "Trav'lin' Light". LP, Vinyl record album

Essential funk in a single set – three killer albums from James Brown's legendary backing group! First up is Food For Thought – the classic first album by The JBs – James Brown's Fred Wesley-led backing band, and the force behind most of his greatest records of the early 70s! The band are incredible at this point – sharper, harder, and funkier than just about any other combo around – and that includes all the thousands of groups in the funky 45 underground who were always trying to copy their sound, but never got things this right! Not only are the rhythms the stuff of legend – but the use of the instruments is far far above the norm – as can be heard on the mindblowing "The Grunt", which was sampled heavily by Public Enemy to great fame – and which features a saxophone solo that sounds more like a whistling tea kettle! The set collects some of the group's best early singles, and includes all of the short little funky cuts that made them a legend right out of the box – "Pass the Peas", "The Grunt", "These Are The JBs", "Hot Pants Road", "Wine Spot", "To My Brother", "Blessed Blackness", "Theme From King Heroin", "Escapism (parts 1 & 2), and "Gimme Some More" – all together here in one tight little album of massive funky hard beats and breaks! Doing It To Death is an incredible album – a landmark piece of funk that nobody should be without, funk fan or not! The album is the second to feature James Brown's famous backing combo of the early 70s – and unlike their first one, which was really more of a collection of singles, this album has the group playing hard, long, and loud, in the free funk improvisational mode that was James' real contribution to the music at the time. The tracks are all incredibly long, with James at the forefront, egging the band on with shouts and comments – but also letting them open up large instrumentally, playing in a mode that's as much jazz as it is funky soul. The whole thing's peppered with some nice shorter segues between tracks – but the long cuts are the winners, and are some of the best funk ever recorded! Titles include "Mo Peas", "Doing It To Death", "La Di Da La Di Day", "You Can Have Watergate, Just Gimme Some Bucks & I'll Be Straight", and "Sucker". Last up is Damn Right I Am Somebody – quite possibly our favorite record by the JBs, ever! The set starts with a wonderful conversational bit – rapping and musing on the idea of "Damn Right, I Am Somebody" – showing the group in a political and righteous mode for the first time ever. The grooves then kick in – with the same heavy funk as on earlier records, but also a nice nod towards experimental production – from strange fade ups and fade downs, to stark time and rhythm changes, and even bits of electronics used to create some very cool moments in the grooves! The whole thing's as dead funky as can be, and is stuffed with insane classics like "Blow Your Head", "Same Beat", "Damn Right I am Somebody", "I'm Payin' Taxes, What am I Buyin'", and a great cover of Marvin Gaye's "You Sure Love to Ball"! CD

Rare work by The Showmen – a great harmony vocal group from the early 60s, and the first famous group to feature General Johnson – the unique singer who later went onto front Chairmen Of The Board! The tracks here have a rough doo-woppy quality – dripping with soul, and handled in a spare production style that really brings out the best in the vocals – especially the General's strong lead. Tracks include a number of rare singles by the group, obscure takes, plus a few previously unissued titles – and although this one's a bit slim on notes, it is just about the only way you'll find any of this material. Titles include "It Will Stand", "The Owl Sees You", 'Swish Fish", "Strange Girl", "This Misery", "The Wrong Girl", and "Fate Planned It This Way". CD

A beautiful album by Mal Waldron – recorded in 1960, after the passing of Billie Holiday, and a very loving tribute by Waldron, who was her accompanist for a number of years. The set moves way past the usual "Holiday songbook" mode, and features instead a dark batch of tracks, two written by Waldron – "Minor Pulsation" and "Cat Walk" – a third written by him and Holiday, the famous tune "Left Alone". Jackie McLean plays some fantastic alto sax on the version of "Left Alone", and the rest of the tracks are trio tracks played by Waldron, Julian Euell, and Al Dreares. The set also features one very strange track – "Mal Waldron: The Way He Remembers Billie Holiday" – which is an interview with Waldron about Billie! And sure, there were many cash-in records after Billie Holiday died, but this is one of the best, and it comes from a very legitimate source! LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful album by Mal Waldron – recorded in 1960, after the passing of Billie Holiday, and a very loving tribute by Waldron, who was her accompanist for a number of years. The set moves way past the usual "Holiday songbook" mode, and features instead a dark batch of tracks, two written by Waldron – "Minor Pulsation" and "Cat Walk" – a third written by him and Holiday, the famous tune "Left Alone". Jackie McLean plays some fantastic alto sax on the album's version of "Left Alone", and the rest of the tracks are trio tracks played by Waldron, Julian Euell, and Al Dreares. The set also features one very strange track – "Mal Waldron: The Way He Remembers Billie Holiday" – which is an interview with Waldron about Billie! And sure, there were many cash-in records after Billie Holiday died, but this is one of the best, and it comes from a very legitimate source! CD features 6 bonus tracks – the full stereo mix of the album! CD

A great collection that compiles Billie's famous sides for the Commodore label in New York – recorded in 1939 and 1944, with accompaniment by the Eddy Heywood group and/or orchestra, plus additional sides led by pianist Sonny White. Titles include "Strange Fruit" (the original 1939 version), "How Am I To Know", "Fine & Mellow", "I'll Get By", "My Old Flame", "Lover Come Back To Me", "As Time Goes By", and "Billie's Blues" – with lots of alternate takes. You can't get any more classic than this! CD

A later performance from blues harmonica great Lazy Lester, but one that's got all the same great energy as his famous early work for the Excello label! There's plenty of grit in the grooves here – a set that's nicely under-produced, with a great backroom vibe – Lester blowing harp and singing, and playing some guitar – in a combo that also features piano, more guitar, bass, and drums! By this point in his career, Lester's vocals have gotten a nice edge – and titles include "I Need Money", "My Home Is A Prison", "The Sun Is Shining", "Irene", "Strange Things Happen", "I'm A Lover Not A Fighter", and "Nothing But The Devil". LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy little soundtrack for this original film version of Lolita – directed by Stanley Kubrick with a screenplay by Nabokov himself. The album sports the famous "Lolita Theme", with a weird vocal part that goes "nya nya", and which became something of a minor instrumental hit at the time. About a third of the album is variations on that theme, and the rest of the album features darker tunes that get at the inherent sadness of the movie – standing in stark contrast next to the sillier theme numbers. This CD version includes a number of previously unreleased selections and versions. Tracks include "Love Theme From Lolita", "Two Beat Society", "Thoughts Of Lolita", "School Dance", "Quilty's Theme", and "Lolita Ya Ya", "Music To Eat By", "Diary Entry", "The Strange Call", "Twenty Five Paces" and many more. 23 tracks in all! CD

Killer cop/crime music from the Italian scene of the 70s – a famous genre soundtrack from composer Armando Trovajoli, who's usually known for his work in warmer, sexier styles! The grooves here are right up there with the best that Italy has to offer from the time – full, jazzy backings that often have a bit of keyboards or guitars amidst the larger horns – and rhythms that manage to sound tightly compressed, despite the larger arrangements – in ways that help keep things sounding nice and lean. Trovajoli adds in isolated instruments at the best moments – particularly some woodwind bits that snake along with warmly melodic touches, or keyboards used in spare and subtle ways – and each track seems to offer up a fresh approach to the sound, making for a well-balanced batch of tracks that's far from cliche! Titles include "The Puzzle Is Completed", "A Very Strange Party", "Theme For A Murderer", "Louise", "Tony's Magnum", "Who Killed Louise", and "Black Pearl Necklace". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful album by Mal Waldron – recorded in 1960, after the passing of Billie Holiday, and a very loving tribute by Waldron, who was her accompanist for a number of years. The set moves way past the usual "Holiday songbook" mode, and features instead a dark batch of tracks, two written by Waldron – "Minor Pulsation" and "Cat Walk" – a third written by him and Holiday, the famous tune "Left Alone". Jackie McLean plays some fantastic alto sax on the CD's version of "Left Alone", and the rest of the tracks are trio tracks played by Waldron, Julian Euell, and Al Dreares. The set also features one very strange track – "Mal Waldron: The Way He Remembers Billie Holiday" – which is an interview with Waldron about Billie! And sure, there were many cash-in records after Billie Holiday died, but this is one of the best, and it comes from a very legitimate source! CD

A beautiful album by Mal Waldron – recorded in 1960, after the passing of Billie Holiday, and a very loving tribute by Waldron, who was her accompanist for a number of years. The set moves way past the usual "Holiday songbook" mode, and features instead a dark batch of tracks, two written by Waldron – "Minor Pulsation" and "Cat Walk" – a third written by him and Holiday, the famous tune "Left Alone". Jackie McLean plays some fantastic alto sax on the CD's version of "Left Alone", and the rest of the tracks are trio tracks played by Waldron, Julian Euell, and Al Dreares. The set also features one very strange track – "Mal Waldron: The Way He Remembers Billie Holiday" – which is an interview with Waldron about Billie! And sure, there were many cash-in records after Billie Holiday died, but this is one of the best, and it comes from a very legitimate source! CD

A killer collection of reggae remakes of famous soul and funk tunes – all served up from a later generation of the scene, which makes a nice change from some of the more ska and rocksteady collections of this nature! It's no secret that Jamaican music was initially given a strong inspiration from American soul – and even in this generation, when the Kingston scene had really found its own groove, other influences would still come into the music in a really great way – as you'll hear on these really cool reworkings of themes from Ohio Players, McFadden & Whitehead, Barry White, and others! The production of most of these cuts is great – different than some of the more disco-oriented material that would copy American work – more laidback, with some currents of lovers rock as well – and funky, but in a laidback way. Titles include "Midnight" by Willie Lindo, "Skin Tight" by Lloyd Charmers, "Strange Compulsion" by Sheila Hylton, "Moving On" by Leslie Butler, "Funky Rasta" by Ronnie Butler, "Crowded City" by The Messengers, "Chemistry Of Love" by Susan Cadogan, "Can't Stop Rasta Now" by Ras Midas, and "Deeper & Deeper" by Lloyd Charmers. LP, Vinyl record album

Dazzling work from John Cale – exactly the kind of record that shows why his solo years were so great! The record's got this unusual vibe – on one hand, it's put together like a more conventional rock set of the time – but on the other, it's got strange dark currents that run through the whole thing in very weird ways – a bit like some of the Roxy Music edges from the early years. No surprise, both Brian Eno and Phil Manzanera contribute strongly to the set – but the energy of the record definitely comes from Cale's great songwriting and offbeat vocals – and his great ear for a weird-sounding tune. Titles include "Mr Wilson", "Rollaroll", "Ski Patrol", "Guts", "The Jeweller", and Cale's famous version of "Heartbreak Hotel". CD

A full CD that compiles Billie's famous sides for the Commodore label in New York – recorded between 1939 and 1944, with accompaniment by the Eddy Heywood group and/or orchestra. Titles include "Strange Fruit" (the original 1939 version), "How Am I To Know", "Fine & Mellow", "I'll Get By", "My Old Flame", "Lover Come Back To Me", "As Time Goes By", and "I Cover The Waterfront". You can't get any more classic than this! CD

Possibly one of the most essential Billie Holiday albums for Verve – a set that carries the same title as her famous autobiography, and which also features many key numbers from her songbook at the time! The feel here is quite easygoing and relaxed – with small group backing behind Billie's vocals, which themselves are recorded cleanly and clearly throughout. One side features backing by a combo that includes Wynton Kelly on piano, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Charlie Shavers on trumpet, and Paul Quinichette on tenor – and the other features a group that includes Bobby Tucker on piano, Charlie Shavers on trumpet, Barney Kessel on guitar, and the great Willie Smith on alto sax. Titles include plenty of classics – including "God Bless The Child", "Strange Fruit", "Lady Sings The Blues", "No Good Man", "Good Morning Heartache", "I Must Have That Man", and "Trav'lin' Light". CD

Possibly one of the most essential Billie Holiday albums for Verve – a set that carries the same title as her famous autobiography, and which also features many key numbers from her songbook at the time! The feel here is quite easygoing and relaxed – with small group backing behind Billie's vocals, which themselves are recorded cleanly and clearly throughout. One side features backing by a combo that includes Wynton Kelly on piano, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Charlie Shavers on trumpet, and Paul Quinichette on tenor – and the other features a group that includes Bobby Tucker on piano, Charlie Shavers on trumpet, Barney Kessel on guitar, and the great Willie Smith on alto sax. Titles include plenty of classics – including "God Bless The Child", "Strange Fruit", "Lady Sings The Blues", "No Good Man", "Good Morning Heartache", "I Must Have That Man", and "Trav'lin' Light". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the many chapters of Jimi's career before his famous Experience recordings – a set of hard rocking soul tracks with singer Curtis Knight, recorded in a really lively sort of party feel! The quality of the set almost makes us think this one was a live session – especially on the really great 10 minute track "Get That Feeling" – a stone jamming number that features some mean funky guitar from Jimi, and some screaming vocals from Curtis! Other titles include "How Would You Feel", "Simon Says", "Hush Now", "Welcome Home", and "Strange Things". LP, Vinyl record album

Four albums from this wonderful group – all brought together in a single set! First up is the self-titled Spanky & Our Gang – the first, and perhaps the most conventional album by the group, but still pretty darn insane! Spanky & Our Gang are a strange mix of 60s styles – with bits of We Five, bits of Harpers Bizarre, bits of The Association – but a totally strange and totally fun approach to pop that's very much their own. Cuts on the album are a mix of originals and covers – and highlights include the incredible "5 Definitions Of Love" by Bob Dorough, "Distance" by Joe Renzetti, "Commercial" by the band, and the track "It Ain't Necessarily Bird Avenue". Great groovy stuff – and with arrangements by Renzetti, Dorough, and Stuart Scharf. Like To Get To Know You is a tiny little pop masterpiece was produced and arranged by Stuart Scharf and the great Bob Dorough, and is filled with one of the grooviest approaches to pop we've heard in ages. The album includes the sublime hit "Like To Get To Know You", set in a very different LP setting – plus great versions of "Suzanne" and "Everybody's Talkin", and the cuts "Stardust", "The Swingin Gate", and "My Bill". Anything You Choose is the third movement in the fantastic pop symphony that is Spanky & Our Gang! The record's perhaps their oddest to date – and mixes groovy vocal stylings with some fairly advanced production approaches that work perfectly with the incredible songs written by Stuart Scharf and Bob Dorough. The voices swirl about in a mad rush – interweaving lines of melody and poetry, punctuated by strange sounds, spacey airy instrumentation, and wonderful little rhythms. Titles include "Anything You Choose", "1-3-5-8", "Without Rhyme Or Reason", "Give A Damn", and "Nowhere To Go". Live is an unusual album from this groovy group – especially given that most of their famous work was in the studio – and done with really inventive arrangements and production! Yet those qualities still come through here, even in a live setting – as the record's got this stripped-down approach that shows just how much of the group's own inventive vocal interplay and harmonies were part of their fantastically groovy style! Titles include "Wasn't It You", "Dirty Old Man", "The Klan", "Nagasaki", "Amelia Earhart's Last Flight", and "That's What You Get For Lovin Me". CD

An oft-overlooked funky soul gem from the incredible Roy Ayers – taking turns with both uptempo material and more smoothed out soul sounds – all done with Roy's trademark jazzy approach to the dancefloor! No Stranger To Love is a sly, and often funky set that deserves to be mentioned with his more famous dancefloor ready work of the late 70s – and if it gets an extra point two for the incredibly cool cover photo, the slow burning grooves more than deliver on the promise! The album does a really nice job of rolling out both the sultry jazzy soul and the funkier Ayers modes, with sweet strings in spots, Roy's incomparable vibes, bass and keyboard grooving, and vocals that set the mood for both the slow jams and the funky stuff! Includes the extended mellow number "Don't Let Our Love Slip Away", one of Roy's better downtempo moments, plus great stuff like "Don't Stop The Feeling", plus "What You Won't Do For Love", "No Stranger To Love/Want You", "Shack Up, Pack Up, It's Up (When I'm Gone)", "Don't Hide Your Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Both full Warner Brothers albums by this excellent group – plus bonus tracks too! First up is Vehicle – the debut album from Ides Of March – a group who will forever be known for the jazzy grooving title hit – "Vehicle", a brassy driving number that seems as if it's always being used in some sort of car commercial (which must net these guys a lot of royalties!) – but which is usually mistaken by others for being the work of Blood Sweat & Tears! Like BST, Ides Of March have a really driving sound here – pushing forward with heavy drums, sharp bits of brass, and a great early jazz rock sound that's way better than most work by the competition in years to come! Tracks include "Vehicle", "Wooden Ships", "Home", "Bald Medusa", "One Woman Man", and "Symphony For Eleanor".. Next is Common Bond – a great second set from Ides Of March – proof that the jazz rock combo had a lot more going on than just their famous single! The sextet hailed from the same scene as early Chicago (Chicago, of course!) – and have here a sound that shares plenty of the jazzy flourishes of that better-known group – blasting trumpet lines that soar, dip, and turn alongside the more uptempo tunes, and shade in the mellower ones. But there's also a more personal approach to this set overall, one that comes from the rough vocals of James Michael Peterik and some of the surprisingly heartfelt lyrics to a few of the album's best tunes – not entirely the height of early 70s singer/songwriter material, but also not that far either. Titles include the funky "Superman", plus "LA Goodbye", "Mrs Grayson's Farm", "Friends Of Feeling", "We Are Pillows", "Freedom Sweet", and "Tie Dye Princess", an extended number that runs for over 11 minutes. CD

The amazing first album from Brazilian modern musical genius Hermeto Pascoal – a set that would change the world of jazz and Brazilian music for years to come! By the time of the set, Hermeto was no stranger to the scene – he'd recorded famously in Quarteto Novo with Airto, and in some other key groups – yet this set also marks a real transformation, the rise of Pascoal as a new visionary, with endless fresh ideas for sounds, rhythms, and instrumental possibilities! And yet, the album's still very groovy – it follows nicely off the spirit of Quarteto Novo, and mixes tight rhythmic changes with all sorts of incredible instrumental inflections – work by Pascoal on keyboards and flute – augmented with drums and percussion from Airto, and a range of reeds from American jazz musicians Jerome Richardson, Maurico Smith, Joe Farrell, Jerry Dodgion, and Hubert Laws – as well as trombone from the great Garnett Brown, and trumpets from Thad Jones and Joe Newman. The mix of American players and Brazilian inspiration is wonderful – and Airto and Flora Purim produced the set – and the latter sings a bit on the record. Titles include "As Marianas", "Alicate", "Hermeto", "Coalhada", "Fabiola", "Guizos", and "Flor Do Amor". CD

The amazing first album from Brazilian modern musical genius Hermeto Pascoal – a set that would change the world of jazz and Brazilian music for years to come! By the time of the set, Hermeto was no stranger to the scene – he'd recorded famously in Quarteto Novo with Airto, and in some other key groups – yet this set also marks a real transformation, the rise of Pascoal as a new visionary, with endless fresh ideas for sounds, rhythms, and instrumental possibilities! And yet, the album's still very groovy – it follows nicely off the spirit of Quarteto Novo, and mixes tight rhythmic changes with all sorts of incredible instrumental inflections – work by Pascoal on keyboards and flute – augmented with drums and percussion from Airto, and a range of reeds from American jazz musicians Jerome Richardson, Maurico Smith, Joe Farrell, Jerry Dodgion, and Hubert Laws – as well as trombone from the great Garnett Brown, and trumpets from Thad Jones and Joe Newman. The mix of American players and Brazilian inspiration is wonderful – and Airto and Flora Purim produced the set – and the latter sings a bit on the record. Titles include "As Marianas", "Alicate", "Hermeto", "Coalhada", "Fabiola", "Guizos", and "Flor Do Amor". LP, Vinyl record album

A well-done little collection – one that's maybe a second look at the Prix Label, covered by Numero Group in a previous collection – but which revisits the tapes and brings back a number of alternate recordings from the vaults of the label! The title's a reference to the cut "You & Me" by Penny & The Quarters – a heartbreaking soul track that was initially lost to time, until Numero manages to place it on a Ryan Gosling film – which gave that cut some very long legs, and opened the door here to some equally wonderful and obscure soul tracks – a lineup that includes "You Are Giving Me Some Other Love" and "I Cried A Tear" by Penny & The Quarters, "Don't Take Your Love From Me" by Eddie Ray & Joe King, "Since I Fell For You" by Brenda Walker, "All In The Past" by Eddie Ray, "You Are Mine" by Jay Robinson, "Will I Ever" by Jay Robinson with Penny & The Quarters, "I'm A Stranger" by Joe King, and "Untitled Studio Moves" by Harmonic Sounds Band – plus the famous "You & Me" by Penny & The Quarters. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most unique albums on the Strata East label – and that's saying a heck of a lot, given the creative energies flowing through that legendary jazz outlet! Descendants Of Mike & Phoebe is a righteous little project put together by Spike Lee's father, Bill Lee, and his brothers and sisters (Cliff Lee, Grace Lee Mims, and Consuela Lee Moorhead) – working here in a group named after their slave ancestors, who are paid tribute in a beautifully flowing batch of tunes! Lee's round, warm bass tones are firmly at the head of the group on most numbers – recorded at a similar level to his excellent work with Clifford Jordan on Strata East during the same time – and other instrumentation includes piano from Consuela, flugelhorn from Cliff, and percussion from Sonny Brown and Billy Higgins – all used in a wonderfully evocative style that's even better than some of Lee's later soundtrack work. A few numbers feature vocals from Grace – singing wordlessly and with a really heavenly sort of quality – and together, the whole group have a undeniable sense of power and majesty, yet also one that's touched by a really personal sense of poetry too. Titles include a great version of Lee's "Coltrane", which was more famously recorded with Clifford Jordan – plus "Chick Chick", "Attica", "Too Little, Too Late", "Boll Weevil", "Don't Be A Stranger", and "Well Done, Weldon". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary psych set from the Chicago scene of the late 60s – served up by a group who take their name from the famous horror author HP Lovecraft, and who get some sublime production from Dunwich – also another Lovecraft reference! The group have a really unique vibe – in that they've got some of the eeriness of late folk, mixed with fuzzier psychedelic instrumentation – vocals that have that quality from that moment in the summer of love when the sunshine children were starting to realize that the world was a darker place – with lots of spooky spaces to explore! The instrumentation is great – with all sorts of elements that really open up the sound, like harpsichord, clavichord, flute, tympani, 12 string guitar, and guitaroon – and the harmony vocals of the group really have an unsetting vibe. Jazzman Eddie Higgins plays a bit of vibes, and handles some larger arrangements – and titles include "I've Been Wrong Before", "The Time Machine", "That's How Much I Love You", "Wayfaring Stranger", "Let's Get Together", and "That's The Bag I'm In". CD

Totally wonderful live work from Sarah Vaughan – a Berlin performance that takes off strongly from the grooviest styles of her mid 60s work on Mercury – but with an approach that's maybe even more unfettered overall, given the live setting of the material! Sarah's voice is incredible – working with an amazing demonstration of that famous range that made her such a key force in transforming jazz vocals during the postwar years – always swinging, but with all these inflections that really show just how much she'd developed her voice as an instrument during the 60s. Backing is from an unusual trio – Johnny Veith on piano, Gus Mancuso on bass, and Eddy Pucci on drums – players who really fit the groovy nature of the material – titles that include "On A Clear Day", "Passing Strangers", "I Cried For You", "A Lot Of Livin To Do", "And I Love Him", "Fly Me To The Moon", "The Sweetest Sounds", "What Now My Love", "Time After Time", and "I Had A Ball". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most unique albums on the Strata East label – and that's saying a heck of a lot, given the creative energies flowing through that legendary jazz outlet! Descendants Of Mike & Phoebe is a righteous little project put together by Spike Lee's father, Bill Lee, and his brothers and sisters (Cliff Lee, Grace Lee Mims, and Consuela Lee Moorhead) – working here in a group named after their slave ancestors, who are paid tribute in a beautifully flowing batch of tunes! Lee's round, warm bass tones are firmly at the head of the group on most numbers – recorded at a similar level to his excellent work with Clifford Jordan on Strata East during the same time – and other instrumentation includes piano from Consuela, flugelhorn from Cliff, and percussion from Sonny Brown and Billy Higgins – all used in a wonderfully evocative style that's even better than some of Lee's later soundtrack work. A few numbers feature vocals from Grace – singing wordlessly and with a really heavenly sort of quality – and together, the whole group have a undeniable sense of power and majesty, yet also one that's touched by a really personal sense of poetry too. Titles include a great version of Lee's "Coltrane", which was more famously recorded with Clifford Jordan – plus "Chick Chick", "Attica", "Too Little, Too Late", "Boll Weevil", "Don't Be A Stranger", and "Well Done, Weldon". CD

Totally wonderful live work from Sarah Vaughan – a Berlin performance that takes off strongly from the grooviest styles of her mid 60s work on Mercury – but with an approach that's maybe even more unfettered overall, given the live setting of the material! Sarah's voice is incredible – working with an amazing demonstration of that famous range that made her such a key force in transforming jazz vocals during the postwar years – always swinging, but with all these inflections that really show just how much she'd developed her voice as an instrument during the 60s. Backing is from an unusual trio – Johnny Veith on piano, Gus Mancuso on bass, and Eddy Pucci on drums – players who really fit the groovy nature of the material – titles that include "On A Clear Day", "Passing Strangers", "I Cried For You", "A Lot Of Livin To Do", "And I Love Him", "Fly Me To The Moon", "The Sweetest Sounds", "What Now My Love", "Time After Time", and "I Had A Ball". CD

Totally wonderful live work from Sarah Vaughan – a Berlin performance that takes off strongly from the grooviest styles of her mid 60s work on Mercury – but with an approach that's maybe even more unfettered overall, given the live setting of the material! Sarah's voice is incredible – working with an amazing demonstration of that famous range that made her such a key force in transforming jazz vocals during the postwar years – always swinging, but with all these inflections that really show just how much she'd developed her voice as an instrument during the 60s. Backing is from an unusual trio – Johnny Veith on piano, Gus Mancuso on bass, and Eddy Pucci on drums – players who really fit the groovy nature of the material – titles that include "On A Clear Day", "Passing Strangers", "I Cried For You", "A Lot Of Livin To Do", "And I Love Him", "Fly Me To The Moon", "The Sweetest Sounds", "What Now My Love", "Time After Time", and "I Had A Ball". CD

Klaus Nomi's standing here on the cover with the oversized cabaret costume he used famously backing David Bowie – but this early solo album definitely has the singer very much in his own territory overall! Some of the songs are a weird reworking of older European cabaret mode, or Brechtian song ideas – given this strange post-punk twist, and set to rockish backings that are a very unusual contrast to the more operatic leanings in Klaus' vocal style – almost this Liquid Sky moment where an amnesiac opera singer wanders into a downtown New York club and happens to take the stage. Other tracks are moodier and more spacious – and work together with the straighter rock songs to make the whole thing feel like a larger conceptual album, even though that sort of thing wasn't really what Klaus, or the rest of the scene were going for at the time. Titles include "Nomi Song", "You Don't Own Me", "Nomi Chant", "Total Eclipse", "The Cold Song", and "Keys of Life". CD

Magical music from the team of Donald Fagan and Walter Becker – one of those records that seems to state its existence in simple, straightforward terms – but which is also filled with undeniably complex moments! There's a definite echo of older jazz here – heard famously in the Horace Silver riff stolen for "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", or the Duke Ellington cover of "East St Louis Toodle-oo" – as well as in the group's own "Parker's Band" – one of the strangest songs you'll ever hear about Bird! Yet there's also a lot more going on too – complicated changes and timings, oblique lyrics, and a warmly produced sound that really sparkles on tracks like "Any Major Dude Will Tell You", "Monkey In Your Soul", "With A Gun", "Pretzel Logic", "Night By Night", and "Charlie Freak". LP, Vinyl record album

Magical music from the team of Donald Fagan and Walter Becker – one of those records that seems to state its existence in simple, straightforward terms – but which is also filled with undeniably complex moments! There's a definite echo of older jazz here – heard famously in the Horace Silver riff stolen for "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", or the Duke Ellington cover of "East St Louis Toodle-oo" – as well as in the group's own "Parker's Band" – one of the strangest songs you'll ever hear about Bird! Yet there's also a lot more going on too – complicated changes and timings, oblique lyrics, and a warmly produced sound that really sparkles on tracks like "Any Major Dude Will Tell You", "Monkey In Your Soul", "With A Gun", "Pretzel Logic", "Night By Night", and "Charlie Freak". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those few classic cases where a compilation of tracks was maybe even more influential than the original music itself – as this early 70s collection of 60s material turned out to shape and influence generations for decades to come! Guitar genius Lenny Kaye put the set together famously for Elektra Records in 1972 – as a reminder that, just a few years before, there were some amazing sounds that were not only brewing up in local indie scenes around the country, but also on the radio as well – even though most of those groups had been pushed into relative obscurity by the rise of soft rock, hard rock, and classic rock of the early 70s! The package is a return to the pre-prog years, with an especially strong ear for garage-tuned tracks that would go on to shape later punk, 80s indie, and lots more underground sounds in the future. The Chocolate Watchband, The Leaves, The Brigands, The Barbarians, Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs, The Strangeloves, The Kingsmen, The Knickerbockers, Wailers, Harbinger Complex, and more - 30 songs in all. CD

One of the most compelling larger projects put together by Merle Haggard during his "concepts" years at Capitol Records – a double-length set that has the country legend dipping into the spiritual side of the spectrum, with key recordings at a number of different locations! The album features work recorded at the chapel at San Quentin Prison, at the Big Creek Baptist Church in Tennessee, a Rescue Mission in Nashville, and at the Assembly Of God Tabernacle back in California – all of which make for a nicely varied expression of the way that country music comes into play with spiritual themes, along with help from famous guests The Carter Family, and some vocals from Bonnie Owens too! The Strangers provide the backings, and although there's some spoken bits from time to time, the clear appeal of the record is Merle's great vocals as he takes on tunes that include "The Family Bible", "Guide Me Lord", "Life's Railway To Heaven", "Steal Away", "On The Jericho Road", "Precious Memories", "Turn Your Radio On", "Where Could I Go", "If We Never Meet Again", and "I Saw The Light". CD

Brilliant work from a Long Island group who are really known for just one famous single, but who also managed to cut a few other tracks at the time – all brought together here to make a long-overdue album for the group! "Valley Of Death" is the group's sole single – a great garage reworking of the poem "The Charge Of The Light Brigade", taken into really sinister territory – issued under the name of The Whatever, although the group also existed as The Raincoats and The Lookouts, both of who are featured here – alongside two very cool car dealership songs the group cut for Wolfinger Dodge! Titles include "The Valley Of Death", "More Than Fair", "Conscience", "Stranger", "No More Do I Dream", "You're Mine", "Away From You", and "Talking Out Of Turn" – plus two cool "Wolfinger Dodge" jingles, with surprisingly profane announcements! LP, Vinyl record album