Wonderful work from the ladies who helped redirect R&B during the 90s! Sure, En Vogue were chart toppers for many years – but they also were some of the first female singers to really use the changes in hip hop production to work out a more solid approach to soul music – heavy beats at the bottom that make their music a perfect fit for a younger soul audience who were raised on equal parts hip hop – but more than enough of the class and care to still appeal to an older audience as well. The vocals are wonderful – strong and proud – and titles include the huge hits "Hold On" and "Lies" – plus "Time Goes On", "Strange", "You Don't Have To Worry", "Don't Go", "Luv Lines", "Part Of Me", and "Party". 2 CD version is overflowing with bonus tracks – including "Waitin On You", "Silent Nite (Holiday edit)", "Mover", "National Anthem", "You Don't Have To Worry (radio)", "Lies (avant garde edit)", "You Don't Have To Worry (UK edit)", "Hold On (ext version)", "Lies (extended avant garde)", "Strange (house rmx)", "Silent Nite (long holiday mix)", "Hold On (hip hop rmx)", "Time Goes On (dance rmx)", "Lies (Kwame's bone age rmx)", "Hold On (dub)", "Lies (new jack rmx)", and "You Don't Have To Worry (lo cal mix)". CD

Funky Divas is right – as this classic album by En Vogue is one that had the group really redefining the sound of girl group soul for a whole new generation! The girls do a wonderful job of blending together hip hop beats and warmer mainstream soul – at a level that marked one of the key bridges between R&B and hip hop in the 90s – almost making the group kind of a trans-generational healing force in African American music. After all these years the beats are still pretty great, and the vocals even better – and titles include "My Lovin (You're Never Gonna Get It)", "Free Your Mind", "Giving Him Something He Can Feel", "Give It UpTurn It Loose", "Hooked On Your Love", "Love Don't Love You", "This Is Your Life", "Desire", "Hip Hop Lover", and "It Ain't Over Till The Fat Lady Sings". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from the ladies who helped redirect R&B during the 90s! Sure, En Vogue were chart toppers for many years – but they also were some of the first female singers to really use the changes in hip hop production to work out a more solid approach to soul music, and the crossover strength of early classics like "Hold On" and "Lies" are more than proof of that! The 16 track set features both regular and hip hop mixes of "Hold On", plus the cuts "Let It Flow", "Don't Let Go", "Whatta Man", "Lies", "Waitin On You", "Love Don't Love You", "Giving Him Something He Can Feel", "Runaway Love", and "My Lovin". CD

Great Sidney Bechet material, recorded in Paris with a quintet that includes Jonah Jones on trumpet and Andre Persiany on piano! LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal lost work by Monk! This great 4LP set brings together 11 rare French solo recordings from 1954, and a whopping batch of trio material from 1971, recordings that were some of the last great ones that Monk did in his all-too-short life. Record one of the set features material that was originally issued on Vogue records in Paris, and titles include "Jackie-ing", "Well, You Needn't", "Round Midnight", "Off Minor", "Eronel", "Manganese", and the previously unissued "Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland". The other three albums feature late Black Lion recordings from 1971 – seminal stuff, as Monk was hardly being taken seriously by other labels at the time, and had walked away from his relationship with Columbia after they were pushing him to do more pop material. The sessions feature Monk solo on about half the tracks, then in a trio with Art Blakey on drums and Al McKibbon on bass (basically the core group of the legendary Giants Of Jazz recording on Atlantic, also done in London around the same time.) Way too many cuts to mention, but we can say that those sessions also include a number of unissued tracks. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderfully groovy work from Antoine – one of the hipper French singers of the mid 60s, and an artist who mixed headier sounds with some of the upbeat French pop modes of the time! The rhythms and instrumentation are often in the best jaunty mode we love from Parisian record of the period – lots of jerky mod grooves, mixed with fuzzy guitars and sweet organ lines – all to support Antoine's upfront, to-the-point presentation of the lyrics. A few tunes throw in a bit more acoustic guitar – ala Francoise Hardy – and a bit of Dylan-esque harmonica too – and the collection brings together all the tracks from Antoine's highly collectible EP release of the time, plus a rare British single in English too. Titles include "Votez Pour Moi", "La Guerre", "Un Jour C'Est Longtemps Pour Nous Deux", "N T'En Fais Pas", "Pourquoi Ces Canons", "Nadine", "An Elephant's Looking At Me", and "Before The Good Thing". CD

Original 10" issue of the third part of Sidney Bechet's concert at the Salle Pleyel in 1953 – recorded in Paris, with tracks that include "Dippermouth Blues" "I've Found A New Baby", "Society Blues", and "I Got Rhythm". LP, Vinyl record album

Vogue overseas issue of material that this famous soprano saxophonist recorded for Blue Note – with titles that include "Old Stack O Lee Blues", "Bechet's Fantasy", "Runnin Wild"< "Jelly Roll", "Mandy", and "Tailgate Ramble". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the earliest small group sessions from tenor giant Frank Foster – recorded in Paris with a quartet that includes Henri Renaud on piano! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Vintage 1953 material from Lars Gullin – on tracks that include "The Front", "The Boy Next Door", "Hershey Bar", "Ablution", and "Lady Fingers". Lars plays alto and baritone sax – and other players include Putte Lindblom on piano, Weine Renliden on trumpet, Georg Riedel on bass, and Jack Noren on drums! LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet and lovely pop from Francoise Hardy – one of the best early albums she recorded in France, and a sparkling batch of all-original tracks that show that Hardy was as much of a songwriter as she was a singer – something that most of her contemporaries couldn't claim! Francoise has some groovy pop backing on all cuts – but the real strength of the material is from her vocals and guitar work, both of which come off as fragile and confident at the same time – that balance that always made Hardy way more than just the hit singer of the week, and which makes an album like this stand out strongly. The set's got loads of nice tracks – and titles include "Ce Petit Coeur", "L'Amite", "Je T'aime", "Ce N'Est Pas Un Reve", "Les Temps Des Souvenirs", "Dis-Lui Non", and "Tout Ce Qu'on Dit". CD

Really lovely sounds from the young Francoise Hardy – easily one of the coolest, most confident female singers in France at the time! Hardy is neither the emotive style of postwar passionate singers, nor the too-cool style of the left bank – and instead, she's got this way of mixing her own acoustic guitar with lightly lyrical arrangements that never overshadow her role in the lead – far less of the "yeh yeh" style that other singers were using, and which Hardy is too-often considered with. There's a beautifully gentle feel to the record – even though the set features some larger arrangements from Marcel Hendrix – and titles include "J'Aurais Voulu", "Nous Tous", "On Dit De Lui", "Comme Tant D'Autres", "Saurai Je", "Va Pas Prendre Un Tambour", and "Le Premier Bonheur Du Jour". CD

A real step forward for the amazing Francoise Hardy – a singer who was already great at the start, but who reaches out a bit more globally here – as she works with Brit arranger Charles Blackwell, in a mode that's got a bit of groovy 60s London in the mix! The tracks include many originals by Hardy, and a few by Blackwell as well – and the music has less of the acoustic guitar you'd hear on some of Francoise's other albums, and some fuller, bouncier backings that mix French chanson with some groovier 60s pop elements – all in a blend that's completely sublime for the lovely vocals of the lady. Titles include "Je Veux Qu'll Revienne", "Tu N'As Qu'Un Mot A Dire", "Et Meme", "Pars", "Pourtant Tu M'Aimes", "La Nuit Est Sur A Ville", "Pas Gentille", and "Mon Amie La Rose". CD

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Great small combo work by one of the most important figures on the French jazz scene in the postwar years – pianist Henry Renaud, working with Jimmy Gourley on guitar and Pierre Michelot on bass! LP, Vinyl record album

An early killer by Congolese combo Ry-Co Jazz – a set that's got as much Latin in the mix as the jazz in their name – and which serves up both with a lean style that's even groovier than some of the later work by the group! The album captures the combo at the height of their early fame – in the midst of recording lots of short EP releases that burned like a fire across the West African scene – where the group's reinterpretation of Latin American styles was part of a huge musical trend that would have impact for years to come! The work here is great – lots of jazzy charanga, mambo, cha cha, and rumba tunes – with tracks that include "Bina Charanga", "Zaina", "Maria De Mi Amor", "El Casel De Ry-Co", "Mawa", "Habiba Moussa", and "Mambo Ryco". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare early European jazz moment – and a very cool combo! The group is led by the mighty Fats Sadi on vibes – later of Clarke/Boland fame – and the group features Maurice Vander on piano, Roger Guerin on trumpet, and Bobby Jaspar on tenor! LP, Vinyl record album

Double-length brilliance from the mighty Sahib Shihab – a set that collects a number of killer 60s sessions with members of the Clarke Boland Big Band – all of them great! The small combo work here is amazing – hard-hitting modal jazz that matches, if not tops the best MPS/Saba sounds of the time – all produced to perfection with a really sharp edge, and a cutting approach to jazz that's gone onto inspired countless others in the current scene – including artists on Schema and Ricky-Tick Records, as well as most Japanese club jazz combos! But long before any of those cats started copping his groove, Sahib Shihab had it all totally together – a great ear for his own amazing solos on baritone and flute, and a way of hooking up with players like Francy Boland on piano, Fats Sadi on vibes, Benny Bailey on trumpet, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums. All players here were Shihab's partners in the Clarke Boland Big Band, and they use these small combo sessions to explore some great new ideas – stripped-down groovers that are heavy on rhythm, and really allow full expression from all the players involved. Titles include "Companionship", "Om Mani Padme Hum", "Bohemia After Dark", "Serenata", "Yah Yah Blues", "Balafon", "Talk Some Yak-ee Dak", "The Turk's Bolero", "CT + CB", "Jay Jay", "Stoned Ghosts", "Just Give Me Time", and "Dijdar". LP, Vinyl record album

A perfect example of why the Charlie Ventura group was one of the most popular live acts on the west coast scene of it's day! Producer Gene Norman really manages to capture the charm of the group in all its glory – recorded live in a lineup that features Conte Candoli on trumpet, Bennie Green on trombone, and Boots Mussulli on alto – plus some great scatted vocals from the team of Jackie & Roy! The recording's got a natural, flowing quality that really gets at the liveness of the set – and the horns come together beautifully throughout – in that wonderful mix of bop and swing that was the Ventura trademark! Titles include "Boptura", "Flamingo", "Birdland", "Dark Eyes", "High On An Open Mike", and "Body & Soul". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy record from the legendary Francoise Hardy – a set that's not only got the lovely lady out front on vocals and acoustic guitar, but one that also features totally great arrangements from Brit maestro Johnny Harris – who gives most of the record a slightly different vibe than some of Hardy's previous sets! Harris has a great ear for the spacious – opening up the sound at the sides, in ways that only seem to enforce Francoise's majesty in the center – with these subtle, but powerful touches that are also carried on by Charles Blackwell on a few cuts too. The whole thing's wonderful – jingle-jangle pop grooves, sweet guitar lines, and really great French vocals over the top – on titles that include "Si C'est Ca", "Je Changerais D'Avis", "Comme", "Tu Es Un Peu A Moi", "Qu'Ils Sont Heureux", and "Il Est Des Choses". CD

... CD

Hard to get work by Clifford Brown – 1953 recordings originally done in Europe for the Vogue label! On the first record, Brown's working in front of a Parisian trio that features Henri Renaud, Pierre Michelot, and Benny Bennett. There's 11 tracks in all, including "I Can Dream, Can't I?", "The Song Is You", "You're A Lucky Guy" and "Come Rain Or Come Shine" plus "It Might As Well Be Spring" and "Blue & Brown". On record 2, Brown's working here with Gigi Gryce in a sextet that features Henri Renaud, Pierre Michelot, and Benny Bennett – plus some big band material too. LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastically twangy! We never tire of Bo Diddley's incredible guitar work – and you'll get plenty of it in this early album he cut for Chess, a tasty batch of 12 tracks, all original tunes with a stripped-down gutbuckety sound – rough, raw rhythms that feature plenty of Bo's gritty guitar over the top! The cover's got a picture of Bo holding a conventional hollow-body – nice and echoey, and a bit different than his later trademark square guitar – but the sound is still loud and proud throughout. Titles include "Bo Diddley", "I'm A Man", "Hey Bo Diddley", "Bring It To Jerome", "Say Bossman", "Diddley Daddy", "Hush Your Mouth", and "Who Do You Love". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest French rockers of all time – the amazing Jacques Dutronc, a cat who sounds as cool as he looks on the cover! Dutronc's groove is an unabashedly hip one – a style that borrows a bit from the Brit mod scene of the 60s, but also layers in plenty of French styles too – all with a brash, masculine sensibility that's often a bit funky too! To us, Dutronc's music is right up there with the best 60s work by Serge Gainsbourg or France Gall – and this killer collection really offers a great look at his best recordings for Vogue Records. Titles include "Proverbes", "Et Moi Et Moi Et Moi", "Mini Mini Mini", "Les Cactus", "L'Idole", "J'Ai Tout Lu Tout Vu Tout Bu", "Les Rois De Reforme", "Les Play Boys", "Les Gents Son Fous Les Temps Sont Flous", "Sur Une Nappe De Restaurant", "L'Augmentation", "La Metaphore", and "On Nouse Cache Tout On Nous Dit Rien". CD

A really well done collection of work recorded by Howlin Wolf for Chess – put together in the early 70s, but featuring sides from the 50s and 60s. The album's got a good set of notes by Pete Welding, and tracks that include "Down In The Bottom", "Forty Four', "My Country Sugar Mama", "Spoonful", "Red Rooster", "Moanin For My Baby", "I Asked For Water", "Wang Dang Doodle", "Who's Been Talkin", "Built For Comfort", "Ooh Baby Hold Me", "Baby How Long", "Three Hundred Pounds Of Joy", and "Killing Floor". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty nice little 2LP set – put together in the early 70s, and featuring material that Walter recorded for Chess during the 60s. As the title would imply, there's a lot of harmonica on the album – but Walter's vocals should also be given their due, as they're a bit more in the soul mode than some of his Chicago blues contemporaries. Titles include "Last Night", "My Babe", "Sad Hours", "Blues With Feeling", "Off The Wall", "Juke", "Mean Old World", "I Got To Go", "Shake Dancer", "Thunderbird", "Ah'W Baby", "Too Late", "Boom Boom Out Go The Lights", "You Better Watch Yourself", and "Blue Lights". LP, Vinyl record album

Pretty incredible work from Lennie Niehaus – one of his seminal albums for Contemporary – nearly all of which were as poorly titled as this one, but equally worth checking out! This side has Lennie grooving on alto – blowing in a tighter, harder style than most west coasters – more in the realm of Herb Geller or Art Pepper than some of his other contemporaries on the instrument – really shining in a larger group that includes Jack Montrose, Lou Levy, Stu Williamson, Bob Enevoldsen and Shelley Manne. Arrangements are beautiful, and there's a lot more soul on the set than you might first expect! Titles include "How About You", "Figure 8", "Patti Cake", "The Way You Look Tonight", 'Have You Met Miss Jones?", "Night Life", "The Night We Called It A Day" and "Seaside". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary set of concerts – put together by this famous producer who discovered Billie Holiday and so many other great jazz talents! Features work by Joe Turner, Albert Ammons, Meade Lux Lewis, Sonny Terry, Pete Johnson, and Count Basie! LP, Vinyl record album

A great little companion to the excellent film about the famous Wax Trax record store and record label – a set that brings together rare and unreleased material from some of the artists who made the company legendary back in the day! The album's the first in many years to bear the Wax Trax name – and it's like a great leap way backwards, past the darker later days of the label – to a time when the Chicago imprint was a wellspring of creative activity in the darker side of the spectrum – and a key link between our city and underground scenes around the globe. Titles include "Animal Nation" by Revolting Cocks, "Envoye" by Young Gods, "Me & My Ding Dong" by Pankow, "A Daisy Chain 4 Satan (acid & flowers mix)" and "Acid Xians" by My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, "Leben Tod" by Laibach, "I Want More" by Fini Tribe, "Vogue (apart version)" by KMFDM, "Shipwreck" by Chris Connelly, and "Tonight We Murder (orig version)", "Cause We're In Love Again", and "Everyday Is Halloween (live)" by Ministry. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes "En Vogue" by Planet Asia, "F*ck A Hook" by Royce 5'9", "Key Master" by High & Mighty, "Like This" by Hangar 18, "This Is Dedicated" by Wale Oyejide and MF Doom, plus a freestyle from Cyrus The Great and Little Brother. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A classic packaging of Muddy Waters' famous early work for Chess Records – brought together with a cover and title that pitch him strongly towards the growing folk movement of the time! And, although most of these tracks were recorded in Chicago, with some electric guitar in the mix, there's a definitely folksy quality to most of the numbers – a down-home feel that's nice and gritty, stepping along with spare instrumentation alongside the vocals. Titles include "Mannish Boy", "Screamin & Cryin", "Just To Be With You", "Walkin Blues", "Walkin Through The Park", "Same Thing", and "Canary Bird". LP, Vinyl record album

Hard to get work by Clifford Brown – 1953 recordings originally done in Europe for the Vogue label! Brown's working here with Gigi Gryce in front of a Parisian quartet that features Henri Renaud, Pierre Michelot, and Benny Bennett. There's 12 tracks in all, including 2 takes each of "All The Things You Are", "Salute To The Bandbox", "Blue Concept" and "Minority", plus "Goofin With Me", "Strictly Romantic", "Baby" and "I Cover The Waterfront". CD

Joe Maphis was definitely the king of the strings back in the day – a guitarist who was so tight, he had to play a double-necked electric just to give his fingers enough to do – something that wouldn't come into vogue much later, until the 70s arena rock guitarists started to showcase the instrument! Yet Joe was never as overstated as those guys – because while deft, he's also strongly focused on melody and timing – never needing to show off too much, but still really blowing us away with his playing on a record like this – an amazing showcase to his straight-ahead skills on the guitar, as he works here on an early Mosrite model, designed by Joe himself. Titles include "Hot Rod Guitar", "Double Neck Boogie", "Coffee Break", "Scalping The Indians", "Fiddlin On The Guitar", and "A Little Bit Of Travis". CD

A great little companion to the excellent film about the famous Wax Trax record store and record label – a set that brings together rare and unreleased material from some of the artists who made the company legendary back in the day! The album's the first in many years to bear the Wax Trax name – and it's like a great leap way backwards, past the darker later days of the label – to a time when the Chicago imprint was a wellspring of creative activity in the darker side of the spectrum – and a key link between our city and underground scenes around the globe. Titles include "Animal Nation" by Revolting Cocks, "Envoye" by Young Gods, "Me & My Ding Dong" by Pankow, "A Daisy Chain 4 Satan (acid & flowers mix)" and "Acid Xians" by My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, "Leben Tod" by Laibach, "I Want More" by Fini Tribe, "Vogue (apart version)" by KMFDM, "Shipwreck" by Chris Connelly, and "Tonight We Murder (orig version)", "Cause We're In Love Again", and "Everyday Is Halloween (live)" by Ministry. CD

A great little companion to the excellent film about the famous Wax Trax record store and record label – a set that brings together rare and unreleased material from some of the artists who made the company legendary back in the day! The album's the first in many years to bear the Wax Trax name – and it's like a great leap way backwards, past the darker later days of the label – to a time when the Chicago imprint was a wellspring of creative activity in the darker side of the spectrum – and a key link between our city and underground scenes around the globe. Titles include "Animal Nation" by Revolting Cocks, "Envoye" by Young Gods, "Me & My Ding Dong" by Pankow, "A Daisy Chain 4 Satan (acid & flowers mix)" and "Acid Xians" by My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, "Leben Tod" by Laibach, "I Want More" by Fini Tribe, "Vogue (apart version)" by KMFDM, "Shipwreck" by Chris Connelly, and "Tonight We Murder (orig version)", "Cause We're In Love Again", and "Everyday Is Halloween (live)" by Ministry. Deluxe edition comes with deluxe gatefold packaging and a bonus 7-inch with exclusive, previously unreleased mystery tracks. LP, Vinyl record album

Guitar legend George Benson pays tribute to the music of New Orleans – and also hearkens back to his earliest years in R&B, before he rose to jazz fame in the 60s! George sings as much as he plays guitar here – working in a tight combo that's heavy on soul styles – and most tunes are remakes of Nola classics, mixed with some other Chuck Berry songs, done in a more contemporary mode. The set's a fair bit grittier than most of Benson's recent recordings, and also has a tight horn section too – on titles that include "You Can't Catch Me", "Ain't That A Shame", "Blue Monday", "How You've Changed", "Walking To New Orleans", "I Hear You Knocking", and "Havana Moon". CD

Guitar legend George Benson pays tribute to the music of New Orleans – and also hearkens back to his earliest years in R&B, before he rose to jazz fame in the 60s! George sings as much as he plays guitar here – working in a tight combo that's heavy on soul styles – and most tunes are remakes of Nola classics, mixed with some other Chuck Berry songs, done in a more contemporary mode. The set's a fair bit grittier than most of Benson's recent recordings, and also has a tight horn section too – on titles that include "You Can't Catch Me", "Ain't That A Shame", "Blue Monday", "How You've Changed", "Walking To New Orleans", "I Hear You Knocking", and "Havana Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Guitar legend George Benson pays tribute to the music of New Orleans – and also hearkens back to his earliest years in R&B, before he rose to jazz fame in the 60s! George sings as much as he plays guitar here – working in a tight combo that's heavy on soul styles – and most tunes are remakes of Nola classics, mixed with some other Chuck Berry songs, done in a more contemporary mode. The set's a fair bit grittier than most of Benson's recent recordings, and also has a tight horn section too – on titles that include "You Can't Catch Me", "Ain't That A Shame", "Blue Monday", "How You've Changed", "Walking To New Orleans", "I Hear You Knocking", and "Havana Moon". CD