One of the crowning moments of Bill Nelson and Be Bop Deluxe – a set in which it seemed that everything the group was trying for really came together – in a mode that's both tuneful and timeless, and which – a bit like Sparks or 10CC – was slightly out of time with the rest of the rock scene in the 70s! There's a few surprisingly catchy numbers – of the sort that should have made the group even bigger on the international scene – but Nelson also manages to work in lots of keyboard magic, too – in that compressed approach to his prog inclinations, which was always the appeal of the group. The set's neither glam nor punk, nor prog or classic rock – very much its own sort of thing – with titles include "Fair Exchange", "Life In The Air Age", "Ships In The Night", "Crystal Gazing", "Blazing Apostles", and "Beauty Secrets". LP, Vinyl record album

Three later albums from the Brain label, and with a smoother, tighter feel than earlier records – but still with some nice 70's electronics, and a proggish tip that's a bit jazzy. CD

Funky fusion doesn't get any funkier than this – and the album's one of the greatest 70s recordings by jazz funk trumpeter Eddie Henderson! The album's got a harder edge than a lot of Eddie's other records of the decade – razor sharp rhythms crackling away underneath a sublime space-heavy mix of keyboards, bass, saxes, and Eddie's funky trumpet. The group includes work by Bennie Maupin on reeds, George Duke on keyboards, Julian Priester on trombone, and Harvey Mason on drums – and the great Skip Drinkwater is at the production chair, cutting the grooves here with a lot more fire than in some of his later work! The whole thing's great – and titles include "Involuntary Bliss", "Galaxy", "Kumquat Kids", and "Explodition". CD

Seminal sounds from Be Bop Deluxe – a massive package that features all five of their albums for Harvest in the mid 70s – plus loads of bonus tracks too! The Be Bop Deluxe sound is a bit hard to peg, especially over the evolution enclosed here – but they've definitely got a cool compressed approach to music that's a bit like ELO – or at least like some of the best Brit work of the period that was using that studio style of mixing the vocals and guitars all up in the same sonic space, then fusing the whole thing to a tight level of production, yet all without ever sounding too slick at all. Be Bop Deluxe never had many hits on this side of the Atlantic – which may well be a testament to the inventiveness going on here – especially as things stretch out towards the end of the group, and seem to echo the imminent solo career of Bill Nelson. 5CD set features the full albums Axe Victim, Futurama, Sunburst Finish, Modern Music, and Drastic Plastic – plus loads more bonus tracks, singles, and demos – a massive 82 tracks in all! CD

There's an island on the cover, but the music is all-soul, all the way through – a great collection of classic mellow moments from years back, plus a few excellent choices from more recent years as well! Still, the island's a great image for the sound of the set – as the music has this kicked-back vibe that provides a nice sort of escape from the everyday world – heavenly soul sounds that come both from rare classics, and some of the best of the current underground – brought together with the kind of care and class we've come to expect from the folks at Expansion Records. A wonderful mix of tunes – with titles that include "Remember To Remember" by Rick Holmes, "Under The Moon & Over The Sky" by Angela Bofil, "Living So Fast" by Novocento with Danni Gottlieb & Dave Liebman, "I Choose You" by Paris, "You Are My Starship" by Norman Connors, "It Should Be you" by Ashanti Munir & Neil Letendre, "He Mandu (mother mix)" by Mouth Music, "Far Beyond" by Joey Negro & The Sunburst Band, "It's Like Air" by Sunny Hawkins, "Blending Colors" by Debra Debs, "Unconditional Love" by Greg Dean with Chantae Cann & Jarrod Lawson, "Mississippi Delta Blues" by Lamar Thomas with Carrie K Thomas, and "Peace In The Middle East" by Miri Ben-Ari & Kerri Chandler. CD

One of the coolest projects we've ever heard from the mighty Dave Lee – and that's saying a lot, given all the excellent records he's given us under the name of Joey Negro, Sunburst Orchestra, and other related projects! Here, Dave mixes his keen ear for funky club with some of the great cop/crime grooves of the mid 70s – particularly the kind of work that might have backed police programs on the small screen, almost as if Lee is channeling the classic work of Rhythm Heritage for SWAT, then taking things in a whole new direction! The "symphony" in the group's name is very well put, as there's soaring strings on many numbers – an even fuller feel than on some of Dave's other projects, but with equally tight grooves at the core. Part 2 includes "The Philly Avengers", "AC Express", "The Mystery, The Moment", "It's Got To Be Love", "Music For Your Pleasure" and "Losing My Mind At The Disco". LP, Vinyl record album

Soaring grooves from Sean McCabe – the artists' debut on the mostly-reissue Z Records, but a set that also puts him in the same sort of classic territory as his labelmates, the Sunburst Band! Sean's groove is filled with classic club touches, but is also a bit more contemporary – the warmest, most soulful side of the London scene – and at a level that we've not heard anyone do this well in a long long time – a set that takes us back to that magical time a decade or so ago, when London was really burning up our collection with wonderful records like this! There's plenty of echoes of The Rurals or Nathan Haines in the mix – and vocals are by a shifting array of singers, who glide across the keyboard-heavy grooves. Titles include "All Of The Above", "Everything's Alright", "Something About You", "Who's Foolin Who", "Love For Life", "Reach Out", "Back To Front", "Embrace You", "Somethin For Nothin", and "Tomorrow's Another Day". CD

A fantastic explosion of funk, soul, and club – put together at a level that may well even top the first Supafunkanova collection! As before, the cuts here are all super-rare and obscure – but all kick heavy ass when it comes to tight rhythms and catchy clubby grooves – never straight disco or mainstream boogie – but borrowing plenty from the mainstream to turn out cuts with a really raw, underground vibe! There's a slight touch of hip hop in the mix – more that old school skating mode – and the whole thing definitely shows Joey's decades in cutting great cuts for the dancefloor – and his big love of the best groups from the hinterlands. 2LP set features the titles "Drive Me Insane" by Airplay, "Betcha Got A Dude On The Side" by Star Quality & Class, "Cool Out" by Magnum Force, "Spunk In The Funk" by Blue Denim Band, "Walk" by Sam Culley Band, "Sound Reason (Joey Negro edit)" by Splash, "Making Love Will Keep You Fit" by Brenda Harris, "Let's Get High" by Nice & Tight Band, "Easton Assassin" by Sunburst Band, and "Super Stimulus" by Stimulus. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest projects we've ever heard from the mighty Dave Lee – and that's saying a lot, given all the excellent records he's given us under the name of Joey Negro, Sunburst Orchestra, and other related projects! Here, Dave mixes his keen ear for funky club with some of the great cop/crime grooves of the mid 70s – particularly the kind of work that might have backed police programs on the small screen, almost as if Lee is channeling the classic work of Rhythm Heritage for SWAT, then taking things in a whole new direction! The "symphony" in the group's name is very well put, as there's soaring strings on many numbers – an even fuller feel than on some of Dave's other projects, but with equally tight grooves at the core. Titles include "Six Billion Dollar Man", "Philly Avengers", "Windy City Theme", "The Mystery The Moment", "Tradewinds", "Losing My Mind At The Disco", "K-Jee", "The Talented Mr Adams", and "It's Got To Be Love". CD

One of the coolest projects we've ever heard from the mighty Dave Lee – and that's saying a lot, given all the excellent records he's given us under the name of Joey Negro, Sunburst Orchestra, and other related projects! Here, Dave mixes his keen ear for funky club with some of the great cop/crime grooves of the mid 70s – particularly the kind of work that might have backed police programs on the small screen, almost as if Lee is channeling the classic work of Rhythm Heritage for SWAT, then taking things in a whole new direction! The "symphony" in the group's name is very well put, as there's soaring strings on many numbers – an even fuller feel than on some of Dave's other projects, but with equally tight grooves at the core. Part 1 includes "Windy City Theme", "Tradewinds", "Six Billion Dollar Man", "Seneca Village" and "Metamorphosis". LP, Vinyl record album

You might know Dave Lee under his other name of Joey Negro, which has long been associated with some of the best clubby cuts on both sides of the Atlantic – but whatever the case, whoever the name, the man himself has always given us nothing but top-shelf work – a tradition that's definitely continued with this wonderful set! Dave/Joey has always had a really great ear for the classic – carrying forward the best sorts of 70s and 80s elements from the world of funk, club, and soul – all with a sense of perfection that rivals the work of bigger names like Incognito or Brand New Heavies, and always served up with a killer ear for the dancefloor! Here, Dave steps forth with a dozen new tracks under an array of various group names and projects – all produced with the love promised in the title, and a heavy dose of soul as well. Titles include "Do It Again" by Rare Essence with Lifford, "Starlight" by Dave & Omar, "Love Walked In The Room" by Jayenne with Gina Carey, "Raise A Blaze" by Foreal People with Xan Blacq, "Want Me Back" by Mistura with Jemini, "Power Of The Mind (power trip mix)" by Dave Lee with Billy Valentine, "Let's Do It In Style" by The Sunburst Band, "Taste My Love" by Dave Lee with Billy Valentine, "Face The Love" by The Sunburst Band with Angela Johnson, and "If You Ever Need Someone" by Mistura With Tiffany T'Zelle. 2CD version features a full bonus CD of remixes – 10 more tracks that include "After The Rain (Dave Lee destination boogie mix)" by Str4ta, "Don't Leave Me This Way (Dave Lee Philly World mix)" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, "Mountains (Dave Lee live & direct ext mix)" by The Vision with Adreya Triana, "Prospect Park (Dave Lee disco reshake)" by Prospect Park, "Use Your Imagination (Dave Lee reimagined mix)" by Kokomo, and "One Plus One (Dave Lee ext mix)" by Leroy Burgess. CD

An unusual Australian session from reedman Dave Liebman – one that features some wonderful contributions from the great Mike Nock on piano! Nock's bold, rich sense of sound is a great pairing with Liebman's work on tenor and soprano sax – and a number of the cuts have a vibe that's very different than some of Dave's recordings with Richie Beirach – his most frequent partner on the keys – even though the group features more familiar rhythm players Ron McClure on bass and Ed Soph on drums. We really love Mike's sense of tone and timing, and here his contributions are wonderful – on titles that include "Sunburst", "I Concentrate On You", "The Opal Hearted Aborigine", "Port Ligat", and "Down Under". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent batch of tracks from the old school – material that's heavy on stark beats and boogie basslines – of the sort that was being recorded in NYC in the shadow of Sugarhill! There's plenty of cuts here that would be right at home at a South Bronx street party – equally forged from funk and club as from samples and scratching – but definitely topped with early hip hop lyrics all the way through! The set's got lots of great cuts we haven't seen reissued – and titles include "Paranoia Rap" by Appliances, "New Fresh & Ill" by Chipsy, "Love's Calling (inst)" by Opus Ten, "The Pop" by Gary Davis, "Super Jake" by Gee Dee, "The Easton Assassin" by Sunburst Band, and "We Can't Be Held Back (radio mix)" by Brothers Supreme. LP, Vinyl record album

A really great moment in the career of the Finnish saxophonist Eero Koivistoinen – a player who'd been making huge waves on his local scene in the 70s, and finally got the chance to record this date in New York during the following decade! Eero is wonderful throughout – a masterful leader who really brings out a special spirit in the group – a stellar lineup of all-star American players, with Tom Harrell on trumpet, John Scofield on guitar, Jim McNeely on piano, Ron McClure on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums! Even if you know work from these other players, the sound here is quite different – much more the boldness that we know from Koivistoinen's 70s material, given new expression by these musicians. All tunes are originals by Eero – and titles include "Second Thought", "Kindergarten", "Patana", and "Linewriting". Features bonus tracks – "Sunburst", "Artic Blues", "Algo Fresco", "Second Thought (alt)", and "Patana (alt)". LP, Vinyl record album