Excellent compilation of old school tracks originally issued on the Tuff City label, with loads of party rockin' numbers like the 45 King's "900 Number" and Jimmy Spicer's "Super Rhymes". 14 tracks in all, including Priority One "I Can't Go For That", Cold Crush Brothers "Fresh, Wild, Fly & Bold", MC La Kim 'We got The Funk", Captain G Whiz "All The Way Live", 45 King 'Catchin A 'Tude" and Freddy B King and The Mighty Mike Master "Coolin On The Avenue". CD

Second volume of fat old school joints originally issued on Tuff City. 14 tracks in all, including Spoonie G 'You's An Old Fool", Grandmaster Caz "Count Basey", the Fearless Four "Dedication", Davey DMX 'The DMX Will Rock", Grand Wizard Theodore & the Fantastic Five "Can I Get Asoul Clap Fresh Out The Pack", Grandmaster Caz with Prince Whipper Whip "To All The Party People", YZ "Tower With The Power" and AJ Scratch "That's The Joint". CD

An assortment of rare female hip hop tracks from the old school – including a few by MCs we're not sure we've ever heard before! Tuff City must have dug deep in the vaults for this one – as we're not sure these all were issued on the label at the time – and titles include "The Goddess" by Wanda Dee, "Round One" by Roxanne Shante with Sark D, "Sparky's Turn" by Sparky D, "Roxanne's Revenge" by Roxanne Shante, "Greetings From The Queen" by Queen Latifah, "We Are The Champs" by Nasty Girls, "The DMX Will Rock (rap mix)" by Davy DMX with Sweet Tee, and "Sixteen" and "The Boogaloo" by Traedonya. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

The 45 King changes up the groove on this mellow set, trading his jazz funk based tracks for a nice batch of laid back soulful grooves, with a nice smooth vibe, but keeping his knack for tight breaks in place, so there's a nice energy keeping the groove moving under the late night feel of the samples and loops! 20 tracks on the CD version: "Magic Beans", "No Problem", "Side Dish", "Kaboom", "Medium Rare", "Short Fuse", "Triple X", "Street Fun", "Funky Piano", "100 Watts", "Dope Sound", "Large Dose", "Bachelor Party" and more! CD

Heavy heavy funk from this hard-rocking group! The Midnight Movers were a tripped out combo who used a heck of a lot of guitar work in their grooves – and who also had a 4-part sax section that riffed heavily over the beats, creating a mad wailing approach that was as hard and full-on as any of their contemporaries on the end of the 60s funk scene. This set's the first-ever collection to look at their work – and it features tunes from their rare album on the Elephant label, plus a few obscure singles that include 2 sides cut with the singers Skip & Ernest. The sound is great – better than we remember – and titles include "Funk Ain't Nothing But A Scent", "Crabs", "Pickin & Chippin", "Sweet Darlin", "Try Our Thing", "Truckin", "Long Train Runnin", "Masai", and "Put Your Mind In The Pocket". LP, Vinyl record album

A heady collection of funky soul from one of the labels we'd trust the most with music like this – the mighty Tuff City, a hip hop label from the old school years, but one that also had a great ear to the ground for vintage funky 45s! Given that Mark The 45 King recorded for Tuff City, and that the label actually bought some of the key cuts sampled by its artists, you know the label's got a devotion to music like this that goes way past the casual listener – which you can definitely hear in this superb collection of 20 cuts that all come from the glory days of the funky 45 underground! Tracks include "Sweet Thing" by Willie Tee, "Get Your Point Over" by Sebastian Williams, "Please Heart Don't Break" by TSU Toronados, "Ho Happy Day" by Flame N King & The Bold Ones, "You've Blown My Mind" by The Versatile Gents, "Make The Most Of It" by Starfire, "Crazy" by Carl Marshall & The SDs, "Many Moods Of A Man" by Cynthia & The Imaginary Three, "This Old Shack" by Frankie Freeman, "Running Back To You" by Las Vegas Connection, "Today's Man" by Mark Putney, "Walking In The Park" by Herman Hitson & Eruption, and "Plaid Stamps" by The Monticellos. LP, Vinyl record album

Funky New Orleans soul re-released on this new compilation by the folks at Tuff City. We're not sure if this stuff was ever anthologized before (and leave it to Tuff City to give us only sketchy liner notes), but it's got a nice deep groove, a heavy New Orleans sound, and a sort of Temptations-ish deep soul vocal sound. This CD version has 20 tracks in all, with the cuts "Clap Your Hands", "Making It Better", "Love Power", "Society Don't Let Us Down", "Got You Under My Skin", and "No More Tears". CD

Well, they definitely got the "heavy funk and classic breaks" in the title right – as the set is overflowing with both – served up by the Tuff City label, whose mix of early hip hop releases gave them a keen ear for the best break records back in the day! There's plenty of funky drums in the mix – and many of these tracks were sampled by New York hip hop groups back in the 80s, but still remain killer funk tracks on their own – kind of the best of both worlds, served up on on a set of 20 funky 45 gems that include "There's A Storm In The Gulf" by James Black, "My Momma Didn't Lie" by Johnny Mae Mathews, "Impeach The President" by The Honeydrippers, "Gatur Bait" by The Gaturs, "Don't Change Nothin" by Mary Jane Hooper, "Funky Mule" by Ike Turner, "Communication Is Where It's At" by Billy The Baron & His Smokin Challengers, "When You Git Through Wit It Put It Back" by City Council Ltd, "HLIC" by Bob Mr Soul, "We Are The Chosen Few" by The Chosen Few, "I've Got To Space" by Georgianna McCoy & The Classetts, "It's Gotta Be Something Else" by Glenda Dove, and "Sissy Walk" by Sonny Jones. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the songs "Vine Street Breakdown", "The Things You've Done For Me Baby", "Ballin' From Day To Day", "Tate's A Jumpin'", "Fairweather Friend Blues", "Kansas City Local", "Rain In My Eyes", "Six Foot Two Blues", "Early Morning Blues", "Blowin' For Snake", "Frogomore Blues", "Blue And Sentimental", "Swingin' Away With Willie And Ray", "Vine St. Breakdown", "Irene's Blues", "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is", "Leave It Alone","Rebecca", and "For You My Beloved". CD

Finally! Andre Williams has been getting loads of press over the past few years as the true "Funky Godfather" that he is – but up until now, nobody's ever done a good compilation of his work! This long-overdue set from Tuff City digs through the vaults of Avin, Sport, & Wingate – smaller labels that Williams recorded with around the same period that he was working with Chess – and the result is a funky funky batch of great little tracks, the sort that we always sell for a bundle on our funky 45 pages! Williams hard funky talent rings loud and true here (a hell of a lot more than on those recent recordings) – and the album's filled with great gems like "Black Bull", "Loose Juice", "Soul Groove", "Bassology", "Hard Hustling", "Jivin Around", "Rip Tips (parts 1 & 2)", "Pearl Time", "Chickent Thights", and the great "Sweet Little Pussy Cat". 16 cuts in all – and nice and funky! LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of rare and unreleased New Orleans funk – from the golden days of the genre – and with work by some of the best producers in the Crescent City! Very hard and heavy funk, with choppy riffs and hard drums – plus, there's even a few cuts with nice electronics. Legendary cuts by Eddie Bo, The Gaturs, Louisiana Homegrown, Chuck Cornish, Sonny James and more. Includes the tracks "Chiller" by Louisiana Homegrown, "Soul Power" by Walter Washington and the Soul Powers, "Ali, Funky Thing" by Chuck Cornish, "Lighten Up" by Sonny Jones, and "I'm Mr. Big Stuff" by Jimmy Hicks. Plus, the LP also features two different mixes of Eddie Bo classics "Hook & Sling" (a much longer version) and "If It's Good To Ya, It's Good For Ya" (done here in a 5 minute version.) LP, Vinyl record album

The funky side of New Orleans soul – from a series that has been giving us some of the best underground nuggets for many years, and at a level that goes farther than most of the 60s-centric collections of Crescent City funk! This time around, there's a great rare unissued track from Robert Parker – the excellent instrumental take of "The Hiccup", paired with his vocal version of the tune too – next to titles that include "What's His Name Black Samson" by Willie West, "Stink Bomb" by Eddie Bo, "Tweedie Pie" by Raymond Winnfield, "Da Boys From Across The Tracks" by George Porter's Joy Ride, "Accept What You Expect" by Louisiana Purchase, "Water Hole" by Sam & The Soul Machine, "Things Could Be Better" by Raymond Winnfield, and "Sweet Thing" by Willie Tee. LP, Vinyl record album

A long-overdue return to form for this legendary compilation series – and one that presents a huge number of rare cuts, with a very cool approach! Side one is vocal, and side two is instrumental – and together, both sides serve up the kind of hard-edged material that make the New Orleans scene of the late 60s/early 70s such a treasure trove for lovers of funky 45s – maybe even more fantastic in this generation than in the better-known Crescent City scene of the early 60s. There's loads of killers here – vocal tracks that include "Get On Up (part 1)" by Chuck Conway & The Amars, "Sooky Feeling (part 2)" by Brotherhood, "Fly In My Pie" by Tommy Ridgley, "You Got To Do Better" by Lonnie Jones, "Little Boy Blue" by Buck Sinegal, and "You Don't Know How To Turn Me On" by Deacon John – and instrumental tracks that include "Funky Jaws" by Larry Jones, "Bumping" by Tyrone Chestnut, "Accept What You Expect" by Louisiana Purchase, "Don't Change Nothin" by The Scram Band, "Getting To The Middle (part 2)" by Eddie Bo, and "Hard To Handle" by Anthony Butler & The Invaders. LP, Vinyl record album

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Funky New Orleans soul re-released on this new compilation by the folks at Tuff City. We're not sure if this stuff was ever anthologized before (and leave it to Tuff City to give us only sketchy liner notes), but it's got a nice deep groove, a heavy New Orleans sound, and a sort of Temptations-ish deep soul vocal sound. This CD version has 20 tracks in all, with the cuts "Clap Your Hands", "Making It Better", "Love Power", "Society Don't Let Us Down", "Got You Under My Skin", and "No More Tears". CD

A great collection of funky New Orleans genius from the legendary Eddie Bo – an artist who made music in many different modes over the years in Nola, but who comes across here with a sound that's definitely in the funkiest side of his spectrum! There's lots of cuts on the collection that were only issued as funky 45s – the kind of deeply funky numbers with heavy drums that made Bo such an early favorite for the sampling scene, and which continue to give his work such a sense of urgency over the years! This isn't the slow-rolling, head-nodding side of Crescent City soul, and instead is its much funkier cousin – as you'll hear on tracks that include "Hook & Sling", "Check Your Bucket", "Funky Yeah", "The Thang (parts 1 & 2)", "If It's Good To You It's Good For You", "Sissy Walk", "Eddie's Rubber Band", and "Hey Mama Here Comes the Preacher". CD

A great collection of funky New Orleans genius from the legendary Eddie Bo – an artist who made music in many different modes over the years in Nola, but who comes across here with a sound that's definitely in the funkiest side of his spectrum! There's lots of cuts on the collection that were only issued as funky 45s – the kind of deeply funky numbers with heavy drums that made Bo such an early favorite for the sampling scene, and which continue to give his work such a sense of urgency over the years! This isn't the slow-rolling, head-nodding side of Crescent City soul, and instead is its much funkier cousin – as you'll hear on tracks that include "Hook & Sling", "Check Your Bucket", "Funky Yeah", "The Thang (parts 1 & 2)", "If It's Good To You It's Good For You", "Sissy Walk", "Eddie's Rubber Band", and "Hey Mama Here Comes the Preacher". CD

Davy DMX's biggest hit "One For the Treble", an early DJ record, mostly instrumental where he cuts in lots sound bits including RUN-DMC, car noises and a British woman saying the title phrase over, of course, a DMX drum machine beat! 12-inch, Vinyl record

The notes claim that this one has a "Big Easy bounce" – and they're definitely not kidding! The set's a great batch of New Orleans funk – one of the many releases in the always-getting-better series from Funky Delicacies, and a long overdue look at this obscure heavy funk combo. The tracks were all recorded in New Orleans during the early 70s – and they've got a bouncing bass-y groove that reminds us a lot of work by heavy funk combos like SOUL or The Counts. Bass, guitar, and organ are the main stars here – with occasional clavinet grooving, and also a bit of funky flute. Vocals on most cuts – and titles include "Get A Little Bit", "Junk", "Take Me There", "Who Cares", "Rip Off (parts 1 & 2)", "Just Having A Party (parts 1 & 2)", "Boogie Woogie", and "I Want You Girl". CD has bonus tracks, too! CD

The notes claim that this one has a "Big Easy bounce" – and they're definitely not kidding! The set's a great batch of New Orleans funk – one of the many releases in the always-getting-better series from Funky Delicacies, and a long overdue look at this obscure heavy funk combo. The tracks were all recorded in New Orleans during the early 70s – and they've got a bouncing bass-y groove that reminds us a lot of work by heavy funk combos like SOUL or The Counts. Bass, guitar, and organ are the main stars here – with occasional clavinet grooving, and also a bit of funky flute. Vocals on most cuts – and titles include "Get A Little Bit", "Junk", "Take Me There", "Who Cares", "Rip Off (parts 1 & 2)", "Just Having A Party (parts 1 & 2)", "Boogie Woogie", and "I Want You Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

Long overlooked early 80s soul by the Fantastic Aleems – fronted by the great lead vocals of the legendary Leroy Burgess! The Aleems are so named for the songwriter brothers Tahar Qa & Tund-Ra Aleem, who briefly issued these early 80s soul groovers on their own NIA label. This one features three rare jams from the group: "Confusion", "Fine Young Tender", and "Two Faces" – with alternate versions of each cut. "Confusion", which at five and a half minutes is a bit shorter for the Aleems, who liked to jam themselves into a nice groove, has the vocal and instrumental tracks. The longer, funkier "Fine Young Tender" is also provided with the vocal and instrumental, and "Two Faces" includes the unedited beat-box vocal and the instrumental. Three great lost 80s groovers – in a DJ friendly format! LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Fuzzed out funk from the legendary Fugi! The groove is incredibly sinister – a blend of Detroit funk (ala The Counts, Funkadelic, and others in the Westbound crew), and some of the more guitar-based influence from the Hendrix soul generation (especially the styles that were beginning to show up on the Bar-Kays albums at the time!) Fugi have a groove that's gotta be heard to be believed – hard, heavy, and filled with soul – dipping down down down into the dirt on the bass, and riffing up to the top again on a wave of heavy guitars! 6 tracks in all – the complete Chess recordings by Fugi – and titles include "Mary Don't Take Me On No Bad Trip", "Revelations", "Jo Jo", "Save A Little", and "I'd Rather Be A Blind Man". LP, Vinyl record album

The great self-titled set from Tuff Darts – one of the less-remembered groups to play the CBGB scene of the late 70s, and one who effortlessly blend punkish energy with tighter power pop sounds! The group are maybe a strong precursor of new wave styles to come in the following year or two after the record's release – but they've also got a rawer sound overall, and a snottier vibe on some of their tunes – not exactly Dead Boys territory, but with the vibe that you might guess from their look on the cover! Yet they're also not afraid to get tuneful when they want, which happens on a few key tunes here – part of a great lineup that includes "My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms", "Phone Booth Man", "Your Love Is Like Nuclear Waste", "Rats", "Slash", "Fun City", and "Love & Trouble". CD

The Cold Crush Brothers were a seminal force in New York hip hop in the mid 80s – thanks to singles on Tuff City, Profile, and B Boy – but this is the first full album the group ever issued, and really the only one until later collections of their work! The vibe here follows from the B Boy years – the lineup that has Tony Crush on the turntables, post-Caz – still rocking it hard with great use of samples from that time when the early groups were really starting to change things up! At a time when hip hop was starting to creep into the major labels, these guys still keep it nice and raw – on tracks that include "Feel The Horns", "She's No Good", "My Guitar", "We Can Do This", "Cold Crush", "The Bronx", "Troopers", and "Pump It Up". LP, Vinyl record album

Nice double-length CD that brings together tuff soul jazz tenor tracks culled from some mid 60s sessions that Red Holloway cut with Brother Jack McDuff. Some of the tracks appeared on the albums Cookin' Together and The Dynamic Jack McDuff, and the material is a mix of quartet sides and larger group ones, with Benny Golson directing the band. Red's in the pocket all the way through, and it's a real treat to hear him trading lines with Brother Jack's firey organ. Titles include "Wives & Lovers", "Bossa Nova West", "Redwood City", "Shout Brother", and "Rail Head". Very groovy! CD

Maybe the most comprehensive package of Memphis blues music we've ever seen – a set that goes back all the way to early pre-WWI recordings in the city, the moves all the way through the 60s – and has a very strong focus on music that was originally issued only on 78rpm and 45rpm singles! There's a massive 534 tracks on a total of 20 CDs – and the music is presented chronologically, showing a huge evolution – from rural styles that moved up to the city from the delta, jug bands of the 20s, combos of the 40s and 50s, and some of the more urban-styled blues that reigned in the 60s! The progression really shows the city's important role in shaping the music – and the 360 page, LP-sized hardcover book that accompanies the package carries a huge amount of information, mixed with hundreds of rare photos and illustrations. Artists include Allen Shaw, Fleming & Townsend, Furry Lewis, Rufus Thomas, Bill Harvey, Willie Nix, Harmonica Frank, Tuff Green, Cliff Jackson, and even Ike & Tina Turner – plus hundreds of others, all presented in a mindblowing array of music. CD

A beautifully done look at the music of Harvey Scales – a damn funky cat from the Milwaukee scene, finally getting his due! The package is overflowing with groovers – hard funky 45 cuts that Scales recorded for the Magic Touch label – mostly in the late 60s and start of the 70s – wrapped up here in a lavish booklet that's filled with well-researched notes, and vintage photos – a set that really sets a whole new standard for the Tuff City label! Scales' groove is one that we've always loved on 45 – a dancefloor-directed version of soul that falls somewhere in a space between Archie Bell & The Drells and Dyke & The Blazers – but with a heavier sound overall. Yet having all these cuts together in one place seems to give them even more intensity than before – a powerhouse package of 20 rare tracks that run the gamut from upbeat soul to heavy funk to a few early disco numbers as well. Titles include "Love-It is", "Broadway Freeze", "Get Down", "The Yolk", "The Funky Yolk", "Get Down 1970", "Funky Football", "Trying To Survive", "Bump Your Thang", "Groove On Sexy Lady", "Rock The World", "Welcome Home", "The Sound Of Soul", "Too Good To Be True", and "Love Is A Gas". Beautifully done package – with an almost Numero-like feel inside the booklet! CD

First New Orleans, then Houston, now Baton Rouge – leave it to the folks at Tuff City to make any southern city funky funky funky! The album actually only features work by 4 artists – but all of them are pretty darn great, the kind of obscure funky acts that first put us in business years back! The groove is hard and heavy – quite a different slice of LA than the New Orleans groove – with lots more hard drums and rumbling bass, and an overall sound that's very much in the east coast indie funk sound of the early 70s. And honestly, this is one of the freshest and strongest compilations that Tuff City ever put out – filled with great tracks that include "Joy & Affection", "Funky Black Man", and "Hogwash" by Earnest Jackson; "I Never Found A Girl" by Underground Express; "That's Henry", "Mississippi Mud", and "Angela" by Black Blood & The Chocolate Pickles; and "Ooh Wee Baby I Love You", "What The Deal Is", and "Groove Making" by George Perkins. LP, Vinyl record album

The most polarizing of John Lennon's post Beatles ouvre – the strident, Spector-produced, sprawling mess that is Some Time In New York City – a record that has too much of every idea John & Yoko had at the time, which makes it all the more fascinating after all these years! Angry, self-righteous and quite often brilliant – feminist anthems backed by Wall Of Sound pop, an ode to John Sinclair in the mold of a country rock tune – wild stuff from a superstar! Include "Woman Is The Ni**er Of The World", "Sister, Oh Sister", "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "Attica State", "New York City" and more. CD

The most polarizing of John Lennon's post Beatles ouvre – the strident, Spector-produced, sprawling mess that is Some Time In New York City – a record that has too much of every idea John & Yoko had at the time, which makes it all the more fascinating after all these years! Angry, self-righteous and quite often brilliant – feminist anthems backed by Wall Of Sound pop, an ode to John Sinclair in the mold of a country rock tune – wild stuff from a superstar! Frank Zappa and the Mothers on side four! Include "Woman Is The Ni**** Of The World", "Sister, Oh Sister", "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "Attica State", "New York City" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

An essential chapter of Miami soul – even if most of the work is appearing here for the first time ever! The set is a magnificent companion to Numero's Deep City collection of pre-TK Miami soul – but it's put together in such a way that it's almost a beautiful introduction to the south Florida sound on its own – served up in a batch of rare, unreleased tracks! The music is every bit as wonderful as you'd expect – Miami soul recorded at a time before cliches had started to hit that scene – and when the best artists down south were strongly resonating ideas from Memphis and Muscle Shoals with other elements borrowed from northern groups both funky and mellow. But even above the 20 great tracks on the CD, the package is amazing too – filled with notes on each group, a special appendix on Miami soul, a rare indie label discography, and a wealth of great images and photos – all layered lovingly into a full-color, 32 page booklet! Numero have really outdone themselves with this one – and the collection is way more than a part 2 to their previous package – more of a brilliant set of soul tunes on its own, complete with a booklet that's as beautiful as the music. Titles include "One Little Piece" by The Rollers, "Don't Be Surprised" by Lynn Williams, "No Way Out" by Clarence Reid, "What's In The Lovin" by Helene Smith, "Mr Lucky" by Betty Wright, "There Goes My Baby" by James Knight & The Butlers, "Do What You're Doin" by The Rising Sun, "Do Your Stuff" by Perk Badger, "Masterpiece" by Deep City Band, "Nasty Dog (part 2)" by The Nasty Dog Catchers, "Thank You Baby" by Betty Wright, "Your Love Won't Let Me Leave You" by Snoopy Dean, "The Pot Can't Talk About The Kettle" by Helene Smith, "Show Me What You Got" by Frank Williams & The Rocketeers, "Don't Be A Fool" by Clarence Reid, and "Knockin At The Wrong Door" by The Rollers. CD

An essential chapter of Miami soul – even if most of the work is appearing here for the first time ever! The set is a magnificent companion to Numero's Deep City collection of pre-TK Miami soul – but it's put together in such a way that it's almost a beautiful introduction to the south Florida sound on its own – served up in a batch of rare, unreleased tracks! The music is every bit as wonderful as you'd expect – Miami soul recorded at a time before cliches had started to hit that scene – and when the best artists down south were strongly resonating ideas from Memphis and Muscle Shoals with other elements borrowed from northern groups both funky and mellow. But even above the 20 great tracks on the CD, the package is amazing too – filled with notes on each group, a special appendix on Miami soul, a rare indie label discography, and a wealth of great images and photos – all layered lovingly into a full-color, 32 page booklet! Numero have really outdone themselves with this one – and the collection is way more than a part 2 to their previous package – more of a brilliant set of soul tunes on its own, complete with a booklet that's as beautiful as the music. Titles include "One Little Piece" by The Rollers, "Don't Be Surprised" by Lynn Williams, "No Way Out" by Clarence Reid, "What's In The Lovin" by Helene Smith, "Mr Lucky" by Betty Wright, "There Goes My Baby" by James Knight & The Butlers, "Do What You're Doin" by The Rising Sun, "Do Your Stuff" by Perk Badger, "Masterpiece" by Deep City Band, "Nasty Dog (part 2)" by The Nasty Dog Catchers, "Thank You Baby" by Betty Wright, "Your Love Won't Let Me Leave You" by Snoopy Dean, "The Pot Can't Talk About The Kettle" by Helene Smith, "Show Me What You Got" by Frank Williams & The Rocketeers, "Don't Be A Fool" by Clarence Reid, and "Knockin At The Wrong Door" by The Rollers. CD

The near-complete Salsoul recordings of Skyy – the funky club combo headed by Randy Muller after his work with BT Express and Brass Construction! With Skyy, Muller honed his groove even more than before – creating a really tight focus on bass-heavy bottoms, and focusing all instruments in the group into a solidly soaring sound that showed that funk was alive and well on the dancefloor – even well into the disco years! This massively overstuffed 4CD package features all the titles from Skyy's 7 albums from Salsoul – plus bonus tracks from 12" singles too! Set features great notes, and the full albums Skyy, Skyyway, Skyyport, Skylline, Skyyjammer, Skyllight, and Inner City – and bonus cuts include "First Time Around (12" version)", "Skyyzoo (12" version)", "Let's Celebrate (12" version)", "Call Me (7" version)", "Bad Boy (12" version)", and "Because Of You (JM after session M&M mix)". CD

A great set that brings together some great lost material that was originally recorded for Chess (or Aristocrat as it was called back then), and which was only ever released on 78s. Gene Ammons plays here with the lost Chicago tenor talent Tom Archia (who never made it out of the city as much as the other big Chitown tenor names), and the two fo them groove nicely on tracks like "Swingin For Xmas", "Stuffy", "Minor Blues", and "The Battle". Johnny Griffin also checks in with tracks like "Riff Raff" and "Bees Ees" – and the record also includes performances by the city's great Claude McLin on "Swivel Hips" and "Bennie's Bounce". Nice notes on the sides and the scene, too, by the city's great promoter, Joe Segal. LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent stuff – and one of the funkiest albums ever cut by Blow Fly! This is his second LP – and it's a funky recounting of a successful tour around the US, with Blow telling the story of the trip, as the mood and groove changes from track to track, as the story moves from city to city. Blow's closest to his roots as Clarence Reid, soul singer, on this one – and the vocal style is great all the way through, with a hip mix of monologues and singing that's really great. Even better, though, is the band – which grooves with a mix of funky bass, hard drums, and tight riffing that makes us wish we'd been around to catch the tour! And not only that, the goofy cover is super-sexy-silly, just right for the LP! LP, Vinyl record album

Smoking stuff – and one of Bill Doggett's best albums away from the King record label! The style here is even tighter than on King – somewhere in a space between 60s soul jazz and soul instrumental modes – with Doggett's organ right out front in the mix, stepping along some great short little numbers! The record's nice and playful – and at times feels like an Atlantic instrumental set – on cuts that include "Hot Fudge", "Soul City", "Monkey", "One Fine Day", "The Worm", "Fingertips", and "Soul Zone". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little album from Masta Ace – part of his early-millennium comeback moment! Ace caught us off guard with his damn strong Disposable Arts LP – which immediately went on our short list of all time best hip hop comeback LPs, along with Slick Rick's Art Of Storytelling – and he mines some of the same lyrical territory on this album – with some straight up, no BS storytelling in which he contemplates his status as one of hip hop's true pioneers, a near legend in his own medium who nevertheless has to deal with day jobs and bills! There's also some more common street hop stuff, but Ace that pretty deftly – on titles that include "Big City", "Good Ol' Love", "Da Grind", "Beautiful", "Soda & Soap", "The Ways", "Wutuwankno", "Oh My God", and "Revelations". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful early album by one of the great oddball songwriters of the last forty years! The Harry album is certainly the bridge between Nilsson's two previous wildly bombastic LPs, and the slightly more subdued material that popped up on the Schmilsson and later records. Harry runs the gamut from the cute and gentle "The Puppy Song" and "Mournin' Glory Song", to the more gonzo stuff. Other tracks include "Mother Nature's Son", "Fairfax Rag", the excellent break track "Rainmaker" and "I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City". LP, Vinyl record album

Don't let the title fool you, because "relaxation" doesn't mean "sleepy" – and Marty Paich's at his early swinging best on the set! The album's a trio with Paich in the lead on piano, Joe Mondragon on bass, and Larry Bunker on either vibes or drums – really stepping out strongly in a mode that's rhythmic and swinging on most of the numbers, hardly the stuff of "relaxation" – and already showing that great capacity for syncopated arrangements that made Paich's later work as an arranger of larger groups so great. There's a pulsating flow to the whole thing – and Paich contributes 2 great originals, "Theme From Lighthouse" and "Dool's Blues" – and cuts it up nicely on more familiar numbers that include "What's New", "The Lamp Is Low", "Jump For Me", and "I'll Remember April". CD

Great stuff by Art Pepper – originally issued only on tape, and kind of lost in his catalog – and like many albums of his 50s work released after the fact, this one almost blows away some of his best known records! The material was recorded in 1957, and was only ever issued on pre-recorded tape by the Omega Tape Company, so it's one of the rarest 50s sessions by Pepper. The set's got a harder groove than most of his record on Contemporary – which is great with us, because we can finally hear the emotion and tone that Pepper is always credited with, but which doesn't always show up on record. The group's a small one, with Ben Tucker on bass, Chuck Flores on drums, and the late LA bopper Carl Perkins on piano. Titles include "Surf Ride", "Begin The Beguine", "Holiday Flight", "Webb City", and "Too Close For Comfort". CD

A long-overdue look at a very early, secretly legendary chapter in the career of Lou Reed – a time when he was slaving away in the studios of the budget-line Pickwick Records label, writing and recording all sorts of music that was released under the names of fake groups who didn't exist! These rare gems have always been the stuff of collectors – tracked down on obscure compilations next to more conventional material – and finally brought together here with the proper notes and documentation needed to enjoy all these weird and wild tunes together! And oddly, the sounds here are often not that different than those that Lou would create soon in the Velvet Underground – certainly not in "Sister Ray" territory, but definitely Lou Reed material, even when he's not singing – very offbeat takes on rock styles from the time, with a hell of a lot of edge overall! A few cuts might be a bit more pop – such as the few surf-styled numbers – but overall, the whole thing is a fantastic first chapter in Reed's career, finally getting its due as a whole with this collection. Titles include "Why Don't You Smile" by The All Night Workers, "Maybe Tomorrow" by Robertha Williams, "Flowers For The Lady" by Terry Philips, "Sneaky Pete" by The Primitives, "You're Driving Me Insane" by The Roughnecks, "Soul City" by The Foxes, "Ya Running But I'll Getcha" by The J Brothers, "Really Really Really Really Really Love" by Spongy & The Dolls, "I'm Gonna Fight" by The Hi Lifes, "Teardrop In The Sand" by The Hollywoods, and "Cycle Annie" by The Beachnuts. LP, Vinyl record album

A long-overdue look at a very early, secretly legendary chapter in the career of Lou Reed – a time when he was slaving away in the studios of the budget-line Pickwick Records label, writing and recording all sorts of music that was released under the names of fake groups who didn't exist! These rare gems have always been the stuff of collectors – tracked down on obscure compilations next to more conventional material – and finally brought together here with the proper notes and documentation needed to enjoy all these weird and wild tunes together! And oddly, the sounds here are often not that different than those that Lou would create soon in the Velvet Underground – certainly not in "Sister Ray" territory, but definitely Lou Reed material, even when he's not singing – very offbeat takes on rock styles from the time, with a hell of a lot of edge overall! A few cuts might be a bit more pop – such as the few surf-styled numbers – but overall, the whole thing is a fantastic first chapter in Reed's career, finally getting its due as a whole with this collection. Titles include "Why Don't You Smile" by The All Night Workers, "Maybe Tomorrow" by Robertha Williams, "Flowers For The Lady" by Terry Philips, "Sneaky Pete" by The Primitives, "You're Driving Me Insane" by The Roughnecks, "Soul City" by The Foxes, "Ya Running But I'll Getcha" by The J Brothers, "Really Really Really Really Really Love" by Spongy & The Dolls, "I'm Gonna Fight" by The Hi Lifes, "Teardrop In The Sand" by The Hollywoods, and "Cycle Annie" by The Beachnuts. LP, Vinyl record album

Really beautiful work from the team of Red Rodney and Ira Sullivan – hardly the sort of stuff we might have heard from the players a decade or two before – and a sophisticated batch of tunes that has them stretching out in rich musical directions! There's little of the boppish roots of either player here – and instead, the album mostly features inspiring jazz compositions from Garry Dial – the pianist in the group, and a real genius with color, tone, and timing. Dial's tunes dominate most of the record, and they really set the group on a great footing – horn trading between Rodney's trumpet and Sullivan's soprano, flute, and flugelhorn – supported with complicated changes from the core rhythm trio. Titles include "Spirit Within", "King Of France", "Sophisticated Yenta", "Crescent City", and "Monday's Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

Chicago soul legends! The Lovelites were one of the city's best girl soul groups back in the day – but their best stuff has never been properly reissued until now! The group had a great sound that mixed raw vocals with a sweet harmony – in a manner that would later have a profound influence on many other groups in the city. The girls struck big with their first early hit "How Can I Tell My Mom And Dad?, an incredibly haunting tale of teen pregnancy and indecision. That cut is included on here, along with other excellent singles – like "My Conscience", "Bumpy Road Ahead", "I'm The One That You Need", "Get It Off My Conscience", "Love So Strong", "My Baby Loves Me", and more! The whole set was put together by producer Clarence Johnson, who handled the group back in the day. And Clarence also recorded a young Denice "Niecy" Williams (known then as Denice Chandler) – who was briefly a member of the Lovelites, and also recorded a few singles on her own. A few of those nice ones are included here – like the landmark "Love Is Tears" – making for a great set of Chicago vocals, with a total of 20 cuts in all. Nice price, too – and we got them straight from the source! CD

Excellent CD set that brings together a whole bunch of great Machito sides from the late 40's. This is classic stuff that defined the Latin jazz idiom, and stood as an inspiration to players for years. The group includes Mario Bauza on trumpet, Jose Madera on tenor, Frank Davila on trumpet, Jose Mangual on bongos, and Machito and Graciela on vocals. The set includes 24 tracks, with the titles "Asia Minor", "Jungle Drums", "Donkey Serenade", "Mambo Jambo", "Babalu", and "Gone City". Great stuff, and very hard to find otherwise. CD

Very tasty stuff indeed – one of the few rare sessions cut for Prestige by Chicago pianist John Wright – a very soulful player who emerged from the Windy City at the end of the 60s! Wright's got a really fluid style here – one that nicely links some of the uptown class of Ahmad Jamal and Ramsey Lewis with some of the grittier, bluesier modes that had been coming from the south side for many years before! There's a sense of grace and poise here that goes way beyond simple soul jazz cliches – a sense of depth that's really great, even on the more blues-based numbers. The rest of the trio features Wendell Marshall on bass and JC Heard on drums – and titles include the Wright originals "Pie Face", "Yes I Know", "You Do It", and "The Wright Way" – plus versions of "Things Are Getting Better" and "Witchcraft". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best compilations of New Orleans funk we've ever seen! Sure, the reissue market is always filled with stuff from the Crescent City – but so many New Orleans compilations are cheapo knock-offs, designed to cash in on the drunk Jazz & Heritage crowd, or they're simplistic sets with the same 10 tracks over and over again. This wonderful batch of tunes was put together by the folks at Soul Jazz – legendary for their work in putting together serious compilations to please the novice and expert alike – and it's got some of the best overall work we've ever seen in trying to pin down New Orleans funk. Sure, there may be a few cuts on here that you've got on other sets – but there's also a lot that you won't have, and the quality of the production makes even the familiar material sparkle again. Titles include "Hercules" by Aaron Neville, "Big Chief (part 1)" by Professor Longhair, "Tell Me What's On Your Mind" by Cyril Neville, "Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further" by Lee Dorsey, "Hand Clapping Song" by The Meters, "Here Come The Girls" by Ernie K Doe, "Free, Single, & Disengaged" by Huey Piano Smith, "Dap Walk" by Ernie & The High Notes, "Mama Roux" by Dr John, "Love Lots Of Lovin" by Lee Dorsey & Betty Harris, "I've Got Reasons" by Mary Jane Hooper, "Gatur Bait" by The Gaturs, "Hip Huggin" by Robert Parker, and "Can I Be Your Squeeze" by Chuck Carbo. 24 tracks in all! CD

The cover image looks old-timey, but the grooves on the set are totally modern – a wealth of wonderful funky numbers from the New Orleans scene of the 60s and 70s – just the kind of gems that made us love the previous two volumes in this series! We might well argue that this third collection is the coolest of the bunch – as it features some more obscure, overlooked gems from the Crescent City – filled with the kind of raw rhythms and driving grooves that always make Nola soul tracks so great! There's no hoke here at all – no Mardi Gras cliches nor pandering for the tourists – and instead, this stuff is at the cusp of the best bursting moment of pride and power for New Orleans – the kind of cuts cut at a time when the city was really discovering how great it could be. As with all Soul Jazz sets, the notes and package really live up to the quality of the music – and the set's overflowing with greatness, in a batch of 18 tracks that includes "What You Want" by Lee Dorsey & The Meters, "Got A Get My Baby Back Home" by Tony Owens, "Fairchild" by Willie West, "Go To The Mardi Gras" by Professor Longhair, "Trouble With My Lover" by Betty Harris, "Omar Khayyam" by The Rubaiyats, "Gossip Gossip" by Diamond Joe, "Fagged Out" by The Deacons, "The Book" by Eldridge Holmes, "We The People" by Allen Toussaint, "Jockey Ride (parts 1 & 2)" by The Explosions, and "Do It Fluid" by The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. CD