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Lux and Ivy serve up a whole host of records from death row – not the famous hip hop label, but the end of the line for those that pay the ultimate price for their crimes – served up here in a weird and wild blend of rare 45s from the postwar years! The music here is almost in Bear Family territory, but a bit wider – rock, blues, rockabilly, country, and other styles all mixed together – with a really wonderful blend of offbeat singles that we might never have heard otherwise! The set's one of the best Lux & Ivy collections in awhile – and features 28 tracks that include "Death Row" by Jimmy Minor, "Big Mouth Bill" by Phil McLean, "The Legend Of The Birds & Bees" by Hank Hornsby, "So Tuff" by The Furys, "Down In The Basement" by King Coleman, "Devil Is A Busy Man" by Sunnyland Slim, "Stack A Records" by Tom Tall, "The Last Drag" by The Voxpoppers, "Rompin" by Jerry Warren, "Ragged & Hungry" by Lightning Junior & The Empires, "The Plea" by The Chantels, and "Crash Out" by Jaycee Hill. CD

The title's a bit confusing, but that's the way we like it – as the package brings together all sorts of weird and wonderful tunes – work that maybe even pushes past the boundaries of the other wild work we've loved on previous volumes in this series! The set list is huge – 50 tracks in all – and the package runs the gamut of unusual rare singles, with certainly some that might reference the odd jumble of words in the title – but others that all take off in the wonderful melange of modes. We'd not heard most of the work here before – and once again our hat's off to Lux & Ivy for hipping us to so many underground gems – in a huge set list that includes "Rat A Ma Cue" by Pat Patterson, "You're Gone I'm Left" by Tyrone Schmidling, "Red Tiger Shoes" by The Century Five, "Busy Line" by Billy Williams, "Chilli Dippin Baby" by Joyce Poynter, "Big Bowl Of Soul" by The Huntsmen, "I've Been Wrong" by Sweetie Jones, "Hot Shot" by Ronnie Pearson, "Lover Boy" by Chris Christian & The Chordaires, "Ford & Shaker" by James Gallagher, "Leather Jacket Cowboy" by Pepper Pots, "Oh Death" by John Reedy & His Stone Mountain Trio, and "Bongosera" by Grupo Afro Cubano. CD

A classic compilation of "oldies", put together back in the day when most of the tunes were only a few years old! The compilation was done by Chess in conjunction with Chicago pop powerhouse station WLS – and it's got a great goofy photo on the front that features all of the young rock DJs at LS in front of a large silver dollar! Titles include "But I Do" by Clarence Henry, "So Fine" by The Fiestas, "A Thousand Stars" by Kathy Young, "Money" by Barrett Strong, "Tonight I Fell In Love" by The Tokens, and "Oh Julie" by The Crescendos. LP, Vinyl record album

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One from the vault, but a set that's also seminal work by the Grateful Dead as well – a classic performance done in their home turf – well-recorded, and captured live at the Great American Music Hall in the mid 70s! The best moments here are those long, openly jamming tracks that made each Dead performance a whole new experience – and these are mixed with some shorter numbers that really help retain a focus to the whole record too. Titles include a side-long jam of "Blues For Allah/Sand Castles & Glass Camels/Unusual Occurrences In the Desert" – plus "The Other One", "Goin Down The Road Feelin Bad", "Sugaree", "Big River", "Crazy Fingers/Drums", "King Solomon's Marbles Stronger Than Dirt", "Eyes Of The World/Drums", and "Help On The Way/Slipknot". CD

One of the first great official releases of an earlier live performance by the Grateful Dead – an early 80s set that features an expanded version of a show that was originally recorded in 1968, and really captures an early version of the band at their best! The presentation really hints at the huge Dead live industry to come – and the more modern presentation allows for very extended performances to be presented in their full – long takes on "Turn On Your Lovelight", "New Potato Caboose", "That's It For The Other One", "Dark Star", and "The Eleven" – plus slightly shorter tunes "Morning Dew", "Saint Stephen", and "Death Don't Have No Mercy". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first great official releases of an earlier live performance by the Grateful Dead – an early 80s set that features an expanded version of a show that was originally recorded in 1968, and really captures an early version of the band at their best! The presentation really hints at the huge Dead live industry to come – and the more modern presentation allows for very extended performances to be presented in their full – long takes on "Turn On Your Lovelight", "New Potato Caboose", "That's It For The Other One", "Dark Star", and "The Eleven" – plus slightly shorter tunes "Morning Dew", "Saint Stephen", and "Death Don't Have No Mercy". LP, Vinyl record album

The complete document of the amazing Syrinx – a very trippy Canadian group whose use of electronics was years ahead of its time! These guys are neither proggy nor noisy – and instead use a range of keyboards and analogue sythesizers in these wonderfully varied styles – sometimes almost sonic poetry, sometimes a bit more in the spatial modes of the Pierre Henry generation – but never with as much darkness or obtuse qualities to their work. Instead, these guys are more "everyman" in their sound – yet without some of the more self-indulgent or overdone sounds of some of their contemporaries on their instruments – almost hinting at the more reflective space of new age electronics to come, but never with the same sort of sleepy or meditative elements. And while these guys labored alone in Canada in the early 70s, hardly ever getting any recognition on this side of the border, this lavish package should finally have many waking up to their genius – as it presents both of their full albums, Syrinx and Long Lost Relatives, plus detailed notes, and a full disc of rare unreleased material too. Titles include "Better Deaf & Dumb From The First", "December Angel", "Tumblers To The Vault", "Field Hymn", "Chant For Your Dragon King", "Appaloosa Pegasus", "Father Of Light", "Hollywood Dream Trip", "Stringspace Live", and "Melina's Torch (solo)". LP, Vinyl record album

A treasure trove of southern soul – rare tracks salvaged from lost master tapes recorded at the legendary Playground Studios! Playground was located down in Florida – a bit far afield from more common recording sites like Memphis or Muscle Shoals – but the studio had a really unified sound, and one that easily matched the level of more famous companies up north! There's an approach here that's wonderfully sensitive, and free from cliche – a way of adapting to each new talent with a level of sophistication that was still a bit rare for southern soul at the time. Some of the best known Playground work was issued on the Minaret and SSS International labels – some of which has been compiled recently by Sundazed – but this collection here is all unreissued work, with no crossover with other compilations – a wonderfully fresh look at this under-recognized force in southern soul, presented with some really great liner notes and photos! Titles include "Chasin A Rainbow" and "No Way To Stop It" by Jimmy Gresham, "Bad Habit Baby" and "No Need To Worry" by Reuben Howell, "Watch You Step" by Jimmie Nelson, "The Funky Muscle" and "Disco Nights" by Count Willie, "Heavy In My Mind" by Doris Allen, "Love Comes & Goes" by Len Wade, "Leroy's Blues" by Leroy Lloyd & The Dukes, "Missin Piece Of Me" by Johnny Lee Hamilton, and "I'll Keep On Lovin You" by Big John Hamilton. CD

One from the vault, but a set that's also seminal work by the Grateful Dead as well – a classic performance done in their home turf – well-recorded, and captured live at the Great American Music Hall in the mid 70s! The best moments here are those long, openly jamming tracks that made each Dead performance a whole new experience – and these are mixed with some shorter numbers that really help retain a focus to the whole record too. Titles include a side-long jam of "Blues For Allah/Sand Castles & Glass Camels/Unusual Occurrences In the Desert" – plus "The Other One", "Goin Down The Road Feelin Bad", "Sugaree", "Big River", "Crazy Fingers/Drums", "King Solomon's Marbles Stronger Than Dirt", "Eyes Of The World/Drums", and "Help On The Way/Slipknot". LP, Vinyl record album

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A never-heard album from this excellent Detroit vocal group – recorded for Motown at the end of the 60s, but appearing here for the first time ever – and compiled with lots of bonus tracks from the vaults! The Fantastic Four never hit the bigger heights of some of the big Motown male groups of the 60s – but in some way, especially at this time in the label's history, they were a much more cohesive, organic ensemble – one that's a bit like The Originals in their strong commitment to great harmonies, and ability to always hold onto their own sort of personality, even amidst the larger Motown production machine. As with most great "lost" projects, we're not sure why this record never saw the light of day – because every aspect is great, from the vocals down through the arrangements and instrumentation – and although a few shorter singles came out over the years the rest of the set is wonderful – and matched here by another 13 rare bonus tracks, including many other unreleased singles! Titles include "A Little Too Much", "We Can Work It Out", "Take Him Back If It Makes You Happy", "You Turn Me Around", "I Feel Like I'm Falling In Love Again", "How Big Is Your Heart", "It Keeps Raining Down Tears", "In A Bad Way", "Fan The Flame", "I Shall Not Be Moved", "Double Cross", and "Loving You Is Hurting Me". CD

Features "Let's Hang On", "Ragdoll", "Silence Is Golden", "Dawn (Go Away)", and more! LP, Vinyl record album

Chess compilation of some popular dance tunes of the time. The Vibrations are featured the most with such songs as "The Watusi", "The New Hully Gully", "Let's Pony Again", and "Continental With Me Baby". Other tracks include "The Madison" by Al Brown's Tunetoppers featuring Cookie Brown, "Mashed Potatoes" by Ned Kendricks & The Swans, "The Walk" by Jimmy McCracklin and "Popeye" by Lamont Anthony. LP, Vinyl record album

A righteous treasure from the end of the 60s – an album of vocal tracks recorded by the Minister Of Information for the Black Panther Party, set to backings from the legendary jazz visionary Horace Tapscott! Elaine Brown's less of a soul singer than a powerful speaker who delivers the lyrics with an almost folksy quality – singing boldly and with a sense of power that matches Tapscott's great orchestrations for the record – done in a style that's a fair bit like his Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra work for Nimbus Records, but a bit more inside – given the vocal setting of the record. Titles include "The Meeting", "The Panther", "Assassination", and "Very Black Man". LP, Vinyl record album

One of two rare albums recorded by organist Jimmy Caravan in the 60s – a really great talent on the Hammond, and a player with a really clean, lean, and groovy sound! Jimmy's style here borrows a lot from the Capitol jazz scene of players like Howard Roberts or Henry Cain – an approach to organ jazz that's a bit more stripped down and less gritty than that of labels like Blue Note or Prestige – and one that uses the cleaner sound to bring even more rhythm into the mix, letting the organ leap around the tunes in a groovily playful way! Caravan's got a great sound throughout, and although the other players aren't listed, the album's got a nice small combo sound all the way through. Titles include "Off A Brass Monkey", "Equinox", "UFO", "Cyclops", and a groovy version of "Hey Jude". LP, Vinyl record album

A cooker of an album from The Challengers – one of the lesser-known surf combos on the LA scene of the 60s, but one of the best as well! These guys have a confidence that comes through right in the very first note – a perfectly-placed approach to electric guitar that features the bold work of Glenn Grey in the lead, with very strong second guitar support – alongside bass, piano, and drums! The sound is occasionally expanded with an extra tenor, or some vocal chants from the group – but overall the core focus is guitar instrumental rock all the way through – recorded with just the right sort of echo to make the whole thing come off right. Titles include "Bulldog", "Kami Kaze", "Mr Moto", "Ramrod", "Latin'Ia", "Red River Rock", and "Vampire". LP, Vinyl record album

The Chambers Brothers live – working in the same unfettered mode as their debut for Vault Records – and like that album, a set of tracks that was also recorded at The Unicorn in Boston and at The Ash Grove in Los Angeles! Things are pretty rootsy overall here – with strong influences from Chicago electric blues, plus some of the rougher side of the soul spectrum in the 60s – almost a "more real" presentation of Atlantic or Chess Records ideals than you might get from its original artists! Titles include "Bony Maronie", "CC Rider", "What'd I Say", and "High Heel Sneakers". LP, Vinyl record album

A record with a sound that's as wonderfully swirling as its cover – material from a short-lived Cali group of the early 70s, and one who deliver this set with all the best elements of the big groups of the time – but with a much more laidback vibe! Their harmonies can really be wonderful, and hardly even need any studio augmentation – as you'd get with a more commercial group – and the songs are easygoing, but well put-together – tight, but nicely far from the charts too – and served up with some impeccable instrumentation that really gives the group their own flair! The whole set's got all the warmth of the best soft or country rock material of the time, but is more personal and less major label – on titles that include "Angelena", "Early Morning", "Tell Me A Story", "Roll Em Down", "Sleep Eyes", "New Day", "Time", and "Dirt Roads". LP, Vinyl record album

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A beautiful set of modal jazz tracks – recorded by the great LA pianist Jack Wilson with a young Roy Ayers! The set is amazing, and features haunting piano and vibes interplay between Ayers and Wilson – in a style that could best be summed up as LA modern modal, but which is also embellished by lots warm, lyrical twists by both of the soloists. The title cut is a totally groovy workout on Ornette Coleman's "Ramblin", and the rest of the set includes Coltrane's "Impressions", Oliver Nelson's "Stolen Moments", Lee Morgan's "The Sidewinder", and a great 3-part reading of "The Sandpiper". One of our favorite albums from the 60's, and a beautiful document of one of the lesser-known streams of jazz that was coming out of the west coast during the time – and it's key proof that Ayers was an incredible jazz player in his years before moving to soul music! LP, Vinyl record album

A massive set of freak and fuzz from the Seattle scene at the end of the 60s – almost the kind of record that makes you wonder what a band from the city might have sounded like, had Jimi stayed behind to teach them all guitar! The fuzzy work here is superb – and guitars are handled by three different members of the group, with vocals topping the proceedings from Pat Gossan – a singer who's got a trippily soulful approach that slides in nicely with the music – which occasionally includes a bit of trumpet, tenor, and electric cello too! But overall, this is mostly a guitar-heavy album – and titles include the long "Gonna Lay Down & Die", plus "Three Minute & Ten Second Blues", "Watch Your Step", "Brought Up Wrong", "Hey Jude", "Crackshot", and a nice medley of "Eight Miles High/Paint It Black". LP, Vinyl record album

With Charlie Rouse on tenor sax, Sam Jones on bass, and Arthur Taylor on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

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A righteous treasure from the end of the 60s – an album of vocal tracks recorded by the Minister Of Information for the Black Panther Party, set to backings from the legendary jazz visionary Horace Tapscott! Elaine Brown's less of a soul singer than a powerful speaker who delivers the lyrics with an almost folksy quality – singing boldly and with a sense of power that matches Tapscott's great orchestrations for the record – done in a style that's a fair bit like his Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra work for Nimbus Records, but a bit more inside – given the vocal setting of the record. Titles include "The Meeting", "The Panther", "Assassination", and "Very Black Man". LP, Vinyl record album

One of two rare albums recorded by organist Jimmy Caravan in the 60s – a really great talent on the Hammond, and a player with a really clean, lean, and groovy sound! Jimmy's style here borrows a lot from the Capitol jazz scene of players like Howard Roberts or Henry Cain – an approach to organ jazz that's a bit more stripped down and less gritty than that of labels like Blue Note or Prestige – and one that uses the cleaner sound to bring even more rhythm into the mix, letting the organ leap around the tunes in a groovily playful way! Caravan's got a great sound throughout, and although the other players aren't listed, the album's got a nice small combo sound all the way through. Titles include "Off A Brass Monkey", "Equinox", "UFO", "Cyclops", and a groovy version of "Hey Jude". CD

The Challengers cook it strongly here – adding in a bit more sax than before to their sweet guitar instrumental groove – almost using the instrument as a second sort of engine to give themselves even more power than before! There's a slightly deeper tone than on the group's previous records – all the sharp guitar lines that made The Challengers one of the best of the bunch, but with a range that stretches out nicely overall – and keeps even the familiar tunes from sounding like the usual bag! Titles include "Mr Rebel", "K-39", "Out Of Limits", "One Mint Julep", "Bedlam", "Chiflado", "Just Drums", and "Mark Of Zorro". CD

The title's no lie – as the album's got a fairly bluesy sound, and has the Chambers Brothers staying in the rootsier mode of their earliest recordings – not what you might expect from the 1970 date of the album! The album was actually recorded much earlier than the date – and features material that predates the Brothers Columbia Records sides – now in full force on the market by the time of this release. The style here is similar to other Vault albums – definitely feelin the blues, plus a bit of folk and gospel too – recorded mostly live, but with some studio tracks too – all in the righteous, stripped-down style of the group's earliest years. Titles include "Girls We Love You", "I Got A Woman", "Don't Lose Your Cool", "Travel On My Way", and "Undecided". CD

The first album ever from The Chambers Brother – a much rootsier set than the psychedelic soul that later earned them fame in the 60s! The set's heavy on influences from folk, blues, and gospel – and pitches the group more towards the crossover college scene than the mainstream soul crowd – thanks to an appreciatively rootsy style of production that really has the vocals and acoustic instrumentation presented without any other augmentation. Tracks were recorded live at The Unicorn in Boston and the Ash Grove in LA – and most numbers are covers, with versions of "Summertime", "Your Old Land", "It's All Over Now", "Reconsider Baby", "People Get Ready", "Tore Up", and "Money". CD

Plenty of echoes of Chess, King, and Atlantic Records here – a late 60s live performance by the Chambers Brothers – but one that's already retro-styled towards modes from earlier in the decade, and styles from the R&B years of the 50s! As with all the group's Vault LPs, the sound here is much rougher than the more psychedelic soul of their Columbia albums – a mode that's plenty darn righteous, and which is presented on live tracks for side one, but which also features more studio material and a few original compositions on side two. Titles include "Blues Get Off My Shoulder", "I Got It", "Shout", "There She Goes", "Seventeen", "Rained The Day You Left", and "So Fine". CD

Plenty of echoes of Chess, King, and Atlantic Records here – a late 60s live performance by the Chambers Brothers – but one that's already retro-styled towards modes from earlier in the decade, and styles from the R&B years of the 50s! As with all the group's Vault LPs, the sound here is much rougher than the more psychedelic soul of their Columbia albums – a mode that's plenty darn righteous, and which is presented on live tracks for side one, but which also features more studio material and a few original compositions on side two. Titles include "Blues Get Off My Shoulder", "I Got It", "Shout", "There She Goes", "Seventeen", "Rained The Day You Left", and "So Fine". LP, Vinyl record album

The rare fourth album from We Five – still in the folk-based mode of the group's earlier work, but done with a much looser, hipper style overall! The poppier A&M touches of their hits are way behind them here, and We Five are almost moving into a mode that's more studio-spontaneous – a bit like some of the groovier groups of the Bay Area scene who got a chance to record albums for Columbia or Capitol during the period. Tracks are still mostly short, and sweetened by larger arrangements from Al Capps – but the vocals have a bit more soul and righteousness overall – a quality that's never forced, but which fits the group comfortably and well. Titles include "One Last Time", "Belong Beside You", "Here Comes The Sun", "Early Mornin Rain", "Tomorrow Is A Long Time", "Come & Sit Down Beside Me", and "For Lovin Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Wicked work from Kaidi Tatham and Dego – bristling beats, jazzy keyboards, and complicated basslines that really make the music a cut above all the way through – definitely living up to the long legacy of groundbreaking sounds we've come to expect from both artists! We'd love a full length album from the duo, but are more than happy enough to have these four tracks to dig – because the EP's got almost more going on than most other full records – as you'll hear on cuts that include "Black Is Key", "The Vault Descends", "Orbiting Uhura", and "Man Made". LP, Vinyl record album

Wildness from J Dilla – a couple of gritty gems from the expanded Ruff Draft set! "Wild" is a flat out stunner – a previously unreleased cut that has us wondering how deep Dilla's vault goes – cause this s**t shoulda been ruling the underground for years now! It has these stuttering, thundering beats, and rolling rhymes augmented by a kid with a Brit accent riffing on "Cum On Feel The Noise" – sounds strange, but this a killer cut! "Make Em NV" is another classic – again with the thunderous beats, with some vibes sweetening it up over the top. Dilla at his dirtiest! 12-inch, Vinyl record

60s soul treasures from a trio of New York labels reverered for so many great singles – Sceptor, Wand and Musicor – in a great collection from Kent UK! It's filled with group acts and solo stars, soaringly emotional cuts and rawer rumbling R&B, even some early strains of funk – and includes a number of previously unissued songs from the vault that are just as sweet as the regional hits of the time. The genuine love of the material that goes into these Kent and Ace compilations continues to impress! 24 tracks in all: "That's No Way To Treat A Girl" by Marie Night, "I Want A Guarantee" by Maxine Brown, "Stick By Me" by Ed Townsend, "Sweeping Your Dirt Under My Rag" by Ann Bailey, "Diamond Ring" by The Fabulous Dinos, "So Help Me Woman" by George Tindley, "Speed Up" by Betty Moore, "You Got It Baby" by The Toys, "Walking With Pride" by Dan & The Clean Cuts, "Ain't No Love Lost" by Patti Jo and more. CD

Think you know the sound of Atlantic Records in the 60s? Think again – because this stunning series opens the vault to a huge amount of rare treasures from the legendary label! The package is amazing – and offers up rare tracks that were mostly only issued by Atlantic on singles – including some on the other imprints associated with the company – some by names we never even knew recorded for the label, others by bigger names, but represented here by obscure material that goes way past their hits – and which is ultra cool because of that. There's also a fair bit more deep soul than you might expect from the usual Atlantic mix – tremendous vocals, and often in less hit-heavy modes – which makes the whole thing a great revelation – and just one more reason to bow down and give even more expect to one of the key companies who helped soul music find a home in the 60s. Plus – as if that's not enough – the whole thing comes in a very cool 7" gatefold package – which emphasizes the from-singles nature of the collection. Volume 5 is overflowing with goodies – titles that include "Soul Power" and "Sly Girl" by Derek Martin, "Tryin To Reach My Goal" and "Sufferin City" by Johnny Copeland, "What's Going To Happen To Me" by Jeanne & The Darlings, "Thank You Baby For Loving Me" and "I Can't Live Without You" by Soul Brothers Six, "That Kind Of Lovin" and "She's About A Mover" by Otis Clay, "The One You Can't Have All By Yourself" by Shirley Walton, "Can't Find No Happiness" and "A Great Big Thing" by Barbara Brown, "Somebody Needs You" and "Baby What You Got" by Darrell Banks, "Please Operator" by Tony & Tyrone, "Ain't Got No Girl" by William Bell, "Let Me Down Easy" by Alvin Robinson, "Whatcha Gonna Do About It" by Ben E King & Dee Dee Sharp. "Don't Get Caught" by Mable John, "Here I Am" by Linda Lyndell, "It's You For Me" by The Amazers, and "Need Your Love So Bad" by Solomon Burke. CD

Q-Tip's legendary unreleased jazz funk-flavored Kamaal The Abstract album – a wonderful record that should have come out in 2002, but was held back for years – and yet, in another tribute to Q-Tip's prescience, a set that's got lasting power that's made it well worth the wait! We remember well, hearing snippets of Kamaal The Abstract on a promo-only sampler, and telling anyone who would listen to us what a wholly credible modern hip hop-learned take on 70s keyboard funk this record was going to be, and how it would catapult Q-Tip into the forefront of new school practitioners of the style. Then it got bumped, and bumped, and bumped, and finally sealed in the vault – until the gods at Arista finally decided to let it go! Fender Rhodes, Moog, organs, piano, synth, bass, soulful guitars, live, and programmed drums carry the headnodding jazz funk vibe – with Q-Tip/Kamaal's buttery vocals as a piece of the overall groove, as opposed to party rocking MC mode. The Abstract Rapper does stand out a couple times, but for the most part it's all about setting up a vibe, and what a vibe it is! The set features guest work from jazz musicians like Kenny Garrett and Kurt Rosenwinkel – and titles include "Feelin", "Do You Dig U", "A Million Times", "Blue Girl", "Barely In Love", "Heels", "Abstractionisms", "Caring", "Even If It Isn't So", "Make It Work" and "Damn You're Cool". CD

Q-Tip's legendary unreleased jazz funk-flavored Kamaal The Abstract album – a wonderful record that should have come out in 2002, but was held back for years – and yet, in another tribute to Q-Tip's prescience, a set that's got lasting power that's made it well worth the wait! We remember well, hearing snippets of Kamaal The Abstract on a promo-only sampler, and telling anyone who would listen to us what a wholly credible modern hip hop-learned take on 70s keyboard funk this record was going to be, and how it would catapult Q-Tip into the forefront of new school practitioners of the style. Then it got bumped, and bumped, and bumped, and finally sealed in the vault – until the gods at Arista finally decided to let it go! Fender Rhodes, Moog, organs, piano, synth, bass, soulful guitars, live, and programmed drums carry the headnodding jazz funk vibe – with Q-Tip/Kamaal's buttery vocals as a piece of the overall groove, as opposed to party rocking MC mode. The Abstract Rapper does stand out a couple times, but for the most part it's all about setting up a vibe, and what a vibe it is! The set features guest work from jazz musicians like Kenny Garrett and Kurt Rosenwinkel – and titles include "Feelin", "Do You Dig U", "A Million Times", "Blue Girl", "Barely In Love", "Heels", "Abstractionisms", "Caring", "Even If It Isn't So", "Make It Work" and "Damn You're Cool". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that really has Fairport Convention knocking it out of the park – making a bold turn towards British traditional music, but in a way that imbues these relics with a whole new life of their own! The album came at a key turning point – after an accident that took one of their members, and which almost saw the group disband – but instead turn towards the past for even deeper inspiration than some of their contemporaries, whom they'd covered on other records – at a level that seems to set Sandy Denny free into this sublime territory of her own! Denny's vocals are incredible – like a thing unlocked from some ancient vault – and they're given this wonderful focus through the growing complexity of Richard Thompson's guitar work, and the understated brilliance of Ashley Hutchings' bass – both of which bring in these modal inflections that are very 60s, and hardly conceived of as accompaniment with the original tunes. The result is tremendous – tunes that are completely transformed, as a touchstone for generations. Titles include "Matty Groves", "Reynardine", "Come All Ye", "The Deserter", "Tam Lin", and "Crazy Man Michael". LP, Vinyl record album

The glory days of Marvel Comics – presented here in a stunning set of full color images from the vault! The book follows the Taschen treatment of DC Comics – and features page after page of legendary covers, pages, and panels – plus lots of other unusual images too – including ads, promotional materials, and original art – all accompanied by very detailed text by Roy Thomas – who wrote and edited a tremendous amount for Marvel during these years! Roy was Stan Lee's second in command – and has a lot of information to bring to the book – not just in the longer historical passages, but even in comments for the images, which often show some insight as to the way the company's creative process took place. The book is over 500 pages, full color, and filled with hundreds of images that should please any fan of vintage comics! Book

A beautifully subtle electronic score for this mid 70s Australian horror film – one done with a lot more care, class, and grace than some of its contemporaries – but with an equally spooky vibe overall! The music comes a bit in the waves hinted at in the title – slow moving shapes of electronic sound that have a brooding intensity – almost with the spacious style of the German scene in the post-prog shift of the late 70s, but clearly directed more towards darker corners than any of that music! Imagine a Sky Records soundtrack for a horror film, and you'll get part of the vibe here – on titles that include "Driving Home", "David's Dream", "The Vault", "Angels", "Man In The Street", "Black Rain", "Charlie Charlie", and "Drowned World". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that makes us go "wow" all over again at the mighty talents of Bob James – because even this late in life, he's clearly open to new ideas and pushing the boundaries – which he really does here in collaboration with younger musician Sam Franz! In the way that Bob's CTI albums were a landmark electric jazz effort for the 70s – this set's maybe one for the 21st Century, with a vibe that's shows the passage of time in so many different ways! This isn't fusion, smooth jazz, or traditional jazz at all – yet Bob's got some great moments on keyboards throughout, in different sonic settings from Franz, merging together in ways that make it difficult to figure out who's doing what. Titles include "Brew This Again & Again", "This Theme Needs A Movie", "Polar Tangents", "Starless Vault Of Heaven", "See Ya", and "Atsuko's Arcade". LP, Vinyl record album

Think you know the sound of Atlantic Records in the 60s? Think again – because this stunning series opens the vault to a huge amount of rare treasures from the legendary label! The package is amazing – and offers up rare tracks that were mostly only issued by Atlantic on singles – including some on the other imprints associated with the company – some by names we never even knew recorded for the label, others by bigger names, but represented here by obscure material that goes way past their hits – and which is ultra cool because of that. There's also a fair bit more deep soul than you might expect from the usual Atlantic mix – tremendous vocals, and often in less hit-heavy modes – which makes the whole thing a great revelation – and just one more reason to bow down and give even more expect to one of the key companies who helped soul music find a home in the 60s. Plus – as if that's not enough – the whole thing comes in a very cool 7" gatefold package – which emphasizes the from-singles nature of the collection. Volume 3 is overflowing with amazing sounds from the heart of the 60s – rare 45rpm tracks by Atlantic stars, Stax artists, and a few lesser-knowns too. Titles include "Hello Stranger" by The Capitols, "Help Me (parts 1 & 2)" by Ray Sharpe, "Long Distance Love" by Ted Taylor, "Lonely Soldier" by Mike Williams, "How Can You Babysit A Man" by Ned Towns, "Keep Looking" by Solomon Bourke, "I'm Sorry" by Fred Lowrey, "Please Uncle Sam" by The Charmels, "Share What You Got" by William Bell, "Reputation" by The Four Shells, "Me & My Baby" by Mary Wells, "Got No One" by The Delcardos, "Weak Spot" by Ruby Johnson, "Good Love Bad Love" by Eddie Floyd, "Bingo" by Ned Towns, "I Had A Dream" by Johnny Taylor, "I Can't Take It" by Ray Sharpe, "You Can't Love Them All" by The Drifters, "Believe It Or Not" by Rex Garvin & The Mighty Cravers, "Patch My Heart" by The Mad Lads, "She's The One I Love" by The Delcardos, "Find Me Somebody" by Bobby Womack, "Hello Stranger" by The Capitols, "So Much Love" by Ben E King, "Help The Bear" by Ted Taylor, and "I Feel A Sin Coming On" by Solomon Burke. CD

Nice batch of rare soul tracks from the Polygram vault from the late 60's – including stuff from the Blue Rock, Mercury, Smash, Philips, and Fontana labels. The CD includes 25 hard to find singles, including "Lost and Found" by Kenny Carlton, "Hey Girl" by The Festivals, "I Won't Share" by The Paramounts, "Nobody But You" by Otis Leavil, "It's Gonna Be All Right" by Theola Kilgore, "Magic Saxophone" by Jimmy Castor, "She Don't Deserve You" by The Honey Bees, "Keep On Talking" by Prince Phillip Mitchell, and lots lots more! CD

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A wicked collection of grooves from the Italian sound library label Canopo – a company related to the better-known Flippermusic, but one whose music hasn't gotten nearly as much exposure over the years! There's loads of mod, jazzy touches here – nice organ lines, wordless vocals, funky drumbeats, trumpet lines, piano grooves, soaring strings, and plenty more – all served up in a very well-selected batch of tracks from Canopo – and one that's sure to have us digging for their records a lot more in years to come! Titles include "Kukumbe" by Romolo Grano, "Shot Undercover" by Alessandro Alessandroni, "Costa Smeralda" and "Onda Verde" by Gerardo Iacoucci, "Likewise" by Piero Montanari and Roberto Conrado, "Pacific 2000" by Pasquale Castiglione, "Carosello" by Edoardo Vianello, "Madcap" by Paolo Ferrara, and "Monsoni" by Leopoldo Perez Bonsignore and Nino Rapicavoli. LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant funky instrumentals from the UK Cavendish Sound Library – a company who could sometimes recorded more staid music, although that certainly wasn't the case with the gems on this collection! The music is by a handful of British studio talents of the time – most of whom come from the jazz scene in earlier years – and provide a great update of their earlier talents with some very sweet electric touches! Many of these tunes have some really great keyboards – Fender Rhodes or even moogier elements – and many also have wicked basslines next to the funky drums, which really make things kick throughout. These tunes are vastly undiscovered – at least in comparison to better-known sound library funk from companies like KPM or DeWolfe – but we'd put these grooves right up there with the best of that bunch too. This second volume is full of wonderful tracks that go even farther past the first volume – funky, but jazzy too – with a lot of work by Dennis Farnon, including the cuts "Night Walk", "Soul Type Blues", "Shanghai Caper", "Cocoanut Cocktail", "Bass Bits", "Chameleon", "Crazy Legs", "Blues For Boo", "Baltic Caper", "Test Drive", and "Nuremberg Ring" – plus "Funk" and "Rock" by Chris Barron, "Equation" and "Mad Mendoza" by Trevor Duncan, "Leagueliner" by Ray Davies, "Diraffe" by Bob Adams, and "Self Deception" by Tany Turens. LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the most home-grown, hard-hitting work of the rockabilly generation – which is maybe no surprise, as the legendary Starday Records had a very unique approach to their music! Starday was both a commercial record label, and a place where obscure talents could go to get their records pressed up – which meant that the Texas company had their ears very close to the ground, and was able to snatch up some of the best work that was bubbling up on the scene! And while the Starday name may be more associated with country over the years, they were a key force in the Texas and Louisiana scenes during the early years of rock and roll – and definitely had plenty of artists who mixed in lots of hillbilly touches too. This killer 33 track set is overflowing with obscure Starday gems – work from Rudy Grazell, Sonny Fisher, Glen Barber, Larry Nolen & His Bandits, Link Davis, Truitt Forse, Lou Walker, Lucky Wray, Bill Browning, Al Runyon, Tommy Castle, and many others! CD

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All tracks are unreleased studio outtakes and live soundboard recordings. CD

Blue belles with attitude, and plenty of soul as well – a sweet collection of west coast female R&B from the postwar years – put together with the usual top-shelf standard we expect from Ace Records! And although R&B, the tunes here almost have an early soul sound at points – deep, heartfelt vocals that definitely lay the groundwork for southern soul and other styles to come in the 60s. All the work here comes from the vaults of Modern/RPM Records – and in addition to some key sides from the late 40s and 1950s, the package also features some unreleased treasures that easily stand head-to-head with the commercially released tracks on the set. The CD features 28 tracks in all – 23 on this format for the first time ever – and as usual with Ace, the booklet's a wealth of information, label scans, and vintage photos. Titles include "Mr T 99" by Del Graham, "Two Years Of Torture" by Edna Broughton, "I Ain't In The Mood" by Helen Humes, "I'm Tellin You Baby" by The Nic Nacs, "That's Fat Jack" by Jimmy Lee & Artis, "Nightmare Blues"by Mari Jones, "Be Bop Boogie" by Effie Smith, "Lonely Girl" by Cordella De Milo, "Mean Ole Gal" by Esther Jones with Johnny Otis, and "Vivianne's Boogie" by Vivianne Green. CD

A tight half dozen cumbia cookers from the Colombian scene – all pulled from the archives of the Codiscos label, and brought together here in a limited 7" package! The set follows strongly on the other two volumes – a really well-selected batch of titles, picked by Dj Bongohead – with a focus on very lively rhythmic numbers that groove beautifully, and explode with all these very cool instrumental touches! Titles include "Cumbia Y Tambo" by La Pesada, "Cumbia Montanera" by Catalino Y Su Combo Negro, "El Guepe Jefe" by Los Trotamundos, "La Margarita" by Los Ases Del Ritmo, "Cumbia Candela" by Aniceto Molina, and "Por Las Buenas" by Los Hermanos Martelo. 7-inch, Vinyl record

Music from Huey "Piano" Smith & His Clowns, The Blue Dots, Frankie Lee Sims, Sammy Meyers, Huey "Piano" Smith & His Clowns, H-Bomb Ferguson, The Supremes, Joe Tex, Earl King, Floyd Dixon, Frankie Ford, and more. CD

A buzzing collections of rare and previously unreleased garage rock singles – cut by the legendary Norman Petty at his Clovis Studios! Petty is being best remembered as a key figure in Buddy Holly busting the hillbilly/rock/r&b distinctions wide open in the late 50s, but Petty was was behind a ton of wonderful and comparably unheralded pulpy rockers throughout the 60s. This is a particularly searing and hard charging set – including the heavy Brits-influenced title track by the Holly-less Crickets, plus cuts by The Trolls, The Cinders, The Perils and many more! he 25 tracks in all: "Now Hear This" by The Crickets, "Three Minutes Time" and "Barbara White" by The Cinders, "I Don't Recall" by The Trolls, "Get Out Of My Life" and "It's Only Time" by The Chances, "Hate" by The Perils, "Sweet Sweet Sadie" by The Teardrops, "Say I Am (What I Am)" by Stu Mitchell & Doug Roberts, "Hey Little School Girl" by The Famous Last Words, "Love Me Again" by Barry Allen with Wes Dakus' Rebels and more! CD

Overlooked work from the UK scene at the start of the 70s – not exactly folk, not really psych, sometimes a bit pop – but usually a great blend of a few different styles at once! There's plenty of familiar echoes in the songs, but the tunes are all pretty obscure – mostly material that didn't ever get issued on this side of the Atlantic – and which most likely didn't get much play in the UK, either! The package features full notes on each track, usually with images of an original record – and titles include "September" by 9:30 Fly, "Castles In The Sky" by Blonde On Blonde, "Means & Ways" by The Dorians, "Not Even A Letter" by Knocker Jungle, "God Save The World" by Blue Beard, "Lay Me Down" by Paddy Maguire, and "Daybreak" by Back Street Band. CD

Music from G.L. Crockett, Rusty York, The Jet Tones, Bobby Sisco, Lou Josie, Mel Robbins, Del Saint & The Devils, Johnny Fuller, Eddie Fontaine, Jimmy Lee & Wayne Walker, Bobby Sisco, and more - 31 songs in all. CD

The groovier side of the Trio Records label from Japan – an imprint best known for its work in the jazz field at the time – but one that also turned out some great funky numbers as well! Trio's got a great reputation for straight and avant jazz classics from the time – but the label also picked up plenty of currents from American and European jazz funk of the period, and issued some great homegrown numbers with a sweet electric vibe – eight of which are compiled on this tasty set! As with all the other releases in this series, most of these tracks are very hard to find in the originals – so the set's every bit as essential for collectors as it is for listeners discovering the music for the first time – a great batch of cuts that includes "Heartbreak Highway" by Jun Miyauchi, "Baby It's Trivial" by Hiroshi Murakami & Dancing Sphinx, "Kimagure Party" by Chu Kosaka & Ultra, "Tonpei No Hey You Blues" by Tonpei Hidari, "Go Yojin" by Kazukshi Inamura, "American Tango" by Fumio Karashima, and "Mysterious Jump" by Takao Uematsu. LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful document of underground soul – not just the original California scene in which most of these keys were cut – but also the work of the Now Again label and their smaller Soul Cal imprint – which originally circulated most of these tracks as limited 12" singles at the start of this current century! Now Again have roots deep in funk – not just with their reissues, but also the original Stones Throw hip hop world that gave them a start – and the choice of cuts here is all very directed by a contemporary ear for the right sort of funk, soul, and clubby grooves that were overlooked upon release, but sound fantastic now. The title track is the great "You Can Be A Star" by Luther Davis – and other cuts include "Ecology" by Anubis, "I'm Gonna Miss You Girl" by Ellis & Cephas, "Sha La La" by Mixed Feelings, "The Stranger (edit)" by Henry Woods, "Get Down" by Freedom Express, "Love Is (full version)" by Leon Mitchison & The Eastex Freeway Band, "Wake Up" by Pure Essence, "Keep Running Away" by Clifford Nyren, and "Don't Get Discouraged" by UPC All Stars. LP, Vinyl record album

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Never-issued material from the early years of Larry Williams – pulled from the vaults of Specialty Records! LP, Vinyl record album

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An incredible set of Sunshine Pop gems – all pulled from the glory days of the Warner Brothers hipster years! The set does an amazing job of offering up obscure numbers by bigger names, and great work from obscure names – all pulled together with a real thought of the criss-crossing of songwriters, arrangers, and producers that made the scene so great! There's lots of wonderful post-folk, post-harmony pop on the collection – pulled together with incredible notes that really document the under-discovered genius of the period – a situation that's certainly due to be corrected by the 24 sparkling tunes in the set! Titles include "Candy Apple Cotton Candy" by Pat Shannon, "A Whole Lot Of Rainbows" by The Salt, "Love-In" by The Morning Glories, "Our Dream" by The Munx, "Take My Hand" by Lee Mallory, "No One Was There" by Gates Of Eden, "Someday Man" by The Monkees, "Tell Someone That You Love Them" by Dino Desi & Billy, "Summer Days Summer Nights" by Street Corner Society, "Discrepency" by Bonniwell Music Machine, "Scorpio Red" by Holy Mackerel, "Beverly Hills" by Uncle Sound, "Time To Love" by The Addrisi Brothers, "Silver & Sunshine" by The Looking Glass, "Happiness" by Anita Kerr Singers, and "For All That I Am" by The Tokens. LP, Vinyl record album

Funky soul from Detroit – the second foray into the uber-rare and unreleased funk treasures recorded at Dave Hamilton's Motor City studio – and an even deeper look at what's turning out to be one of the greatest long-buried funk catalogs to come to light in recent years! The collection includes some singles released on Hamilton's own TCB and other imprints, some that were licensed to other labels, plus a wealth of unreleased material. There's straight ahead funk vocals and instrumentals, and numbers that have more of a freewheeling, adventurous vibe – albeit with a raw funk backdrop! Includes numbers by The Deacons, Prophet & His Disciples, Chico & Buddy, Billy Garner, OC Tolbert, Little Ann, Dave Hamilton himself, The Webb People, The Pepper and more. 22 tracks in all: "A Drop In The Bucket" by The Deacons, "You Fool, You Fool Pt 1" by Prophet & His Disciples, "A Thing Called The Jones" by Chico & Buddy, "The Bad Things (You Said To Me)" by The Barrino Brothers, "Ghetto Stride" by Dave Hamilton, "Who" by Jackie Dee, "Love Bandit" by OC Tolbert, "Simon Says' by The Future Kind, "Clap Your Hands" by The Tokays, "I'm Sending Vibrations" by The Webb People and more. CD

A deep dive down in the dub vaults at Greensleeves records – tracks all hand picked by the Channel One Sound System – and served up with original versions on LP1, and dub takes on LP2! The originals here were produced by Henry Junjo Lawes, Gussie Clark, Linval Thompson, Hugh Mundell, and Keith Hudson – all of whom handle the dubs with those fresh styles they were bringing to the scene as almost a second chapter in the evolution of reggae at the end of the 70s. Titles include "Kingdom Rise Kingdom Fall" by Wailing Souls, "Trappers" by Tetrack, "Joker Smoker" by Triston Palma, "Just Talking" by Michael Prophet, "One More Chance" by Linval Thompson, "Bloody Eyes" by Keith Hudson, "Let Go This One" by Anthony Johnson, "Can't Pop No Style Dubwise" by Rockers All-Stars, "Just Dubbing" by Hi Times Band, "Ghetto Dubbing" by Reggae Regular, "One More Dub" by The Revolutionaries, and "My Eyes Are Red" by Keith Hudson. LP, Vinyl record album