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Mad electronic sounds from a trio of older French studio talents – Nino Nardini, Eddie Warner, and Roger Roger – all sound library giants from a previous generation, working here in some sweet electric modes for the 70s! If there's one thing that seemed to mark the best sound library artists working in the European scene, it was a really forward-thinking style of work – an ambitious drive to always find new sounds, and new ways of expressing themselves – which led cats like Nardini, Warner, and Roger to move beyond previous jazz or string-based modes, and step into the world of the Moog, Arp, and other electronic sources of the 70s! This sweet collection brings together some of their best experiments from Studio Ganaro – tunes that are often every bit as charming and melodic as their 60s material, but also occasionally funky, too – with a groove that's totally great, and use of the new keyboard sounds at a level that's very tuneful, and way more than just knob-twiddling. Titles include "Pop Electronique No 2", "Devil's Anvil", "Tomorrow", "Minor Mind", "Pathetic Motion", "Expectation", "Frantique", "Poppy Chimes", "Beyond The Clouds", "Sound Industrial No 15", "Brutus Drums", "Tickling Shuffle", and "KO". LP, Vinyl record album

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Three great albums from Alice Coltrane – all late 70s albums for Warner Brothers that really show her taking off as both a solo performer and a spiritual force! First up is Eternity – seminal 70s work from one of the most righteous jazz musicians ever! On this set, Alice Coltrane moves past the rawer spiritual sound of her Impulse albums – working with a more focused vision and an approach to jazz that takes her way past the identity of just being "Mrs Coltrane", into territory that's a more perfect expression of her spiritual vision. The approach calls for more ambitious orchestrations, yet never in a way that overwhelms the jazz basis of the music – and Alice herself is on Fender Rhodes, organ, and harp – working with players who include Fred Jackson and Hubert Laws on reeds, Oscar Brashear on trumpet, George Bohannon on trombone, Charlie Haden on bass, Ben Riley on drums, and Armando Peraza on congas. Titles include "Spiritual Eternal", "Om Supreme", "Morning Workshop", "Wisdom Eye", and "Los Caballos". Radha Krsna Nama Saknirtana is pure spiritual loveliness from Alice, and a record that features a lot of additional playing by Indian musicians! Clearly, the Hari Krishnas have gotten to the lady here – as you can tell by the orange robe she's wearing on the cover, and the blank stare in her eyes – but that doesn't stop the album from being a nice one, filled with the soaring spiritualism of her best 70s work, and infused with a cross-cultural approach to jazz that makes for a wonderfully expansive sound. Tracks include "Om Namah Sivaya", "Hare Krishna", and "Govinda Jai Jai". Transcendence is a beautiful record from Alice Coltrane – a swirling mix of spiritual jazz and themes from Indian music! Alice plays organ, Fender Rhodes, and harp – building the sound as the album progresses, from simple airy strings to an earthier groove that features vocal refrains in unison with the keyboards, chanting away, over and over, stretching to the heavens in a cosmic groove! The record features a lot of variations on traditional Indian themes – including "Sivaya", "Ghana Nila", and "Bhaja Govindam" – plus the original tracks "Transcendence" and "Vrindavana Sanchara". CD

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A trio of wonderful records – plus rare bonus tracks too! First up is the classic Oh Good Grief – one of the coolest, grooviest albums that pianist Vince Guaraldi ever recorded – a set that's got the same Peanuts theme as his earlier dates for Fantasy Records, but which also features some sweet electric touches that only make things even better than before! In addition to his warmly vamping piano, with all those lyrical touches we love so much, Vince is playing an electric harpsichord too – which makes for some very groovy moments – in a cool quartet that features guitar from Eddie Duran, bass from Stanley Gilbert, and drums from the great Carl Burnett! All tunes are Peanut-themed – the music that Guaraldi wrote for the TV specials – but they're sometimes taken at a looser style that's even jazzier overall – as you'll hear on the classic "Linus & Lucy", plus "Red Baron", "Peppermint Patty", "Great Pumpkin Waltz", and "Rain Rain Go Away". The Eclectic Vince Guaraldi nicely expands Vince's sound of earlier years – by taking his lyrical piano groove and adding in a bit of electric harpsichord – plus slightly larger arrangements that feature a bit of electric bass, guitar, and just the right light touches of strings. The resulting sound is wonderful – as deeply reflective as some of Vince's better-known work, but with some cool late 60s touches that really give the album a fresh kind of feel. And heck, Vince even sings on 2 Tim Hardin tracks – "Black Sheep Boy" and "Reason To Believe" – using a great raspy style of vocals that we didn't even know he had! Other titles include a great electric version of "The Beat Goes On", plus cool originals "Nobody Else", "Coffee and Doe-Nuts", and "Lucifer's Lady". Alma-Ville was cut during Vince's late 60s hipster phase – and it combines work on piano with a bit of electric playing, plus hip LA arrangements that include drums by Dom Um Romao, guitar by Herb Ellis, and added percussion by Rubens Bassini. Tracks are mostly originals – short groovers and sing-song numbers, a lot cooler than some of Vince's earlier work – all dancing along in a sweetly breezy groove that makes for a heck of a delightful little album! Titles include "Rio From The Air", "Cristo Redentor", "Uno Y Uno", "Detained In San Ysidro", "Jambos", "Alma Ville", and "The Masked Marvel". 2CD set features 4 bonus tracks – "Oh Happy Day", "The Sharecropper's Daughter", "Do You Know The Way To San Jose (take 15)", and 'The BEat Goes On (alt take 14)". CD

A big overview collection of work from the key years of reedman David Sanborn – a player who certainly knew how to hit the heights with the sales of his records, but also had a surprisingly strong, rich career over the years! If you only think of Sanborn as a smooth jazz pioneer, then you'll find plenty to open up your mind here – as David first recorded as a solo act for Warner Brothers at a time when he was making key contributions to sessions for other artists, then found ways to consistently stay ahead of the fusion and electric jazz mainstream – to the point where in the later recordings here, he's almost back to basics in a really surprising way! As with other great anthology collections on this label, there's a really strong track selection – one that not only features key album tracks, but singles and even a few live cuts too – a really well-chosen batch of 46 tunes that include "Believer (12" mix)", "Love & Happiness (live)", "High Roller", "Flight", "Heba", "Short Visit", "This Masquerade", "Lesly Ann (radio)", "Smile (live)", "Infant Eyes", "Naked Moon", "Brother Ray", "Imogene", "Come To Me Nina", "Lotus Blossom (live)", "Daydreaming", "Same Girl", "Bang Bang (single)", "Summer", "I Do It For Your Love", "The Water Is Wide", "Got To Give It Up (rmx edit)", "Slam (7" version)", and "Duck Ankles". CD

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Brazilian grooves all over the place – and a wonderful assortment of tunes from the Warner, Atlantic, and Elektra vaults of the 60s and 70s! The set list goes way past the pop-bossa numbers that you might think from the cover, which is a cop from an old Atlantic compilation of the 60s – and includes some lesser-known tracks cooked up in Brazil during the 70s, as well as some of their American counterparts. Titles include "Celebration Suite" by Airto, "Jive Samba" by Jon Hendricks, "Eu Bebo Sim" by Osmar Milito, "Mr Funky Samba" by Banda Black Rio, "From The Lonely Afternoon" by Flora Purim, "Upa Neguinho (live)" by Elis Regina,"Manha De Carnival" by Louie Ramirez, "Barsanova Brown" by Eddie Cano, and more. CD

Mindblowing music from The Association – a heady double-length package that features every single the group ever cut for the Valiant and Warner Brothers label – which together make for an amazing evolution in sound! Although best remembered for their few soft rock hits, The Association were a hell of a group who never stopped growing back in the 60s – from sublime folksy harmonies at the start, to more complicated baroque pop as years went on, to some psych elements, and even a return to rootsier sounds they never had in the first place – always delivered with qualities that were head and shoulders above most of their contemporaries – and perfectly put together in the best LA studio styles, with help from giants like Curt Boettcher, Gary Paxton, Bones Howe, and others. The group also became quite skilled in the studio themselves – as you'll hear in the book's copious notes and comments from members themselves – all a perfect package for a set that features 37 mighty tunes that include "Six Man Band", "Goodbye Columbus", "Like Always", "No Fair At All", "Standing Still", "Pandora's Golden Heebie Jeebies", "Looking Glass", "Birthday Morning", "Makes Me Cry", "PF Sloan", "Just About The Same", "Traveler's Guide", "I Am Up For Europe", "Hear In Here",a nd "Forty Times" – not to mention some bigger hits! CD

An amazing set – all four of the legendary Warner Brothers albums by harmony giants Harpers Bizarre – plus bonus tracks too! First up is Feelin Groovy – the fab first LP by Harpers Bizarre! The group were one of the strangest pop ensembles operating in the seminal LA scene of the mid 60s – ostensibly a sweet harmony vocal group, but with a strangely childish approach that also had an ear open for the mind-blowing production styles of the Brian Wilson era. Van Dyke Parks was a big supporter of the group – and they perform a sublime version of his tune "Come To The Sunshine" as the leadoff track on the album – and even though Van Dyke didn't handle the arrangements of the record, the style of the music is very similar to his own, with guitar, bass, and drums coming into play with strings, woodwinds, and baroque orchestral touches. The record is as dark as it is sublime – one of those pop gems that hit big, but which has a brooding depth bubbling underneath the sugary coating – ala Pet Sounds. Tracks include "Happy Talk", "The Debutantes Ball", "I Can Hear The Darkness", "Raspberry Rug", and their huge hit version of "59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin Groovy)". Next is Anything Goes – the group's second album – and while it has a lot of similarities with the first, it's also a lot deeper of an expression of their strange blend of harmony vocals, sweet 60s pop, and the nostalgia for the early 20th century that was running through the Burbank Warner scene that included a young Van Dyke Parks, Randy Newman, Lenny Waronker, and other LA underground of the mid 60s. The whole record fits together beautifully – beginning with an old-timey radio kind of announcer, then sliding into sublimely crafted harmony tunes that include originals from the LA luminaries and the group, plus a few other surprising covers. Titles include the hit version of "Anything Goes", plus "The Biggest Night Of Her Life", "Milord", "Virginia City", "High Coin", "Jessie", "This Is Only The Beginning", and "You Need A Change". The Secret Life Of Harpers Bizarre is the third album by Harpers Bizarre – and one that shows them growing in leaps and bounds with each new release! The record is a sublime fusion of sweet pop California 60s harmonies (ala The Sandpipers or The Lettermen), baroque arrangements with a fake dreamy nostalgia (ala Van Dyke Parks or Randy Newman), and drug-addled underground takes on the eazy sound of the generation (ala Brian Wilson or Love). This album is one of their most perfectly-realized visions, and it features a great blend of older songs, all hipped-up to modern LA arrangements by the likes of Nick De Caro, Perry Botkin, and others. The record has an approach that's simply mindblowing when you consider the amount of funds and effort that must have been put into a record that would only be truly appreciated 40 years later – and it's filled with great titles that include "Me, Japanese Boy", "Look To The Rainbow", "Funny How Love Can Be", "Mad", "Green Apple Tree", and "Las Mananitas". Last up is the group's fourth album, unfortunately, the last Warner album by Harpers Bizarre – one of the few testaments of genius left to us by this incredible group! The record shows the group moving past the sweet pop and dreamy nostalgia of earlier albums – tentatively stepping into the haze of the late 60s LA scene with a blend of songs that share a lot musically with earlier work, but which also seem to have a more adult approach to some of their themes. Arrangements are by the group mostly – with help from pop geniuses like Jack Nitzsche, Nick De Caro, Lenny Waronker, Harry Nilsson, and Perry Botkin Jr. The harmonies are sublime – and the group effortlessly blends original tunes like "Soft Soundin Music", "All Through The Night", "When The Band Begins To Play", and "There's No Time Like Today, along with bizarre covers like "Hard To Handle", "Something Better", "I Love You Alice B Toklas", and Jim Pepper's "Witchi Tai To", which is worth the price of the record alone! Bonus tracks include "Both Sides Now", "Small Talk", "Poly High", "If We Ever Needed The Lord Before", "Malibu U", "Cotton Candy Sandman", "Lost My Love Today", and "Bye Bye Bye". CD

"Lunatic Danza", "Theme For The Eulipions", "Sweet Georgia Brown", "I'll Be Seeing You", "Los Angeles Negro Chorus", "Serenade To A Cuckoo", "Bagpipe Medley", "J. Griff's Blues", "Mary Mcleod Bethune", "I Loves You Porgy", "Hey Babebips", "In A Mellow Tone", "Dorthaan's Walk", "Watergate Blues", "Summertime", and "Thunder And Lighting Goodbye". CD

Peter Ivers's entire output for Warner Brothers in the mid 70s – including the original LPs Terminal Love & Peter Ivers, plus the Nirvana Peter compilation, which didn't appear until the mid 80s and STILL sounded ahead of its time – in a complete 2CD set! Peter has a distinctive voice and offbeat lyrical sensibility that feels a lot more akin to the arty fringe of the major labels in the early 80s than it does to 1974 or 1976, he's really a pioneer. It's no surprise at all that he'd end up being the host of LA television's legendary music program New Wave Theatre in the early 80s, but it's surprising he doesn't get more credit these days for influencing the kind thing that'd come to be called "new wave" years after his contributing work! Disc 1 includes the Terminal Love and Peter Ivers LPs, with "Alpha Centauri", "OO Girl", "Modern Times", "Holding The Cobra", "Even Stephen Foster", 'Audience Of One", "I'm Sorry Alice", "Eighteen And Dreaming", "Peter", "Rock And Roll Embarrassment", "Child In A Chair" and more. Disc 2 (the Nirvana Peter comp) features a few tracks from his 2 proper LPs and rarities. The 2CDs have 33 tracks in all. CD

A massive package of funky music – and maybe one that no home should be without – as the set includes all the classic Josie Records and Warner Brothers albums by legendary New Orleans funk group The Meters – plus a fair bit of bonus tracks too! The Josie albums are incredible – a lean, powerful blend of funky drums, bass, guitar, and organ – almost the New Orleans answer to Booker T & The MGs, but with a sound that's far funkier overall – and which continues to bring new ears to the magic of The Meters as the years go by! Their Warner work is a bit fuller – as the group were part of a big wave of Nola talent to get the nod from LA – which means that The Meters were able to add in vocals, experiment with arrangements, use additional instrumentation – yet all without ever losing that core groove that made them so great! This package is the first time all the records have been brought together, and many are presented here in the "expanded edition" versions with bonus tracks – which makes for a whopping 116 titles on 6CDs – bonus tracks, plus the full albums The Meters, Look Ka Py Py, Struttin, Cabbage Alley, Rejuvenation, Fire On The Bayou, Trick Bag, and New Directions – plus some singles too! CD

The complete Warner Brothers recordings of Sly Stone – and a much-needed look at an oft-ignored side of his career! The set features the full tracks from the albums Back On The Right Track and Ain't But The One Way – as well as 5 previously unissued demos, which have a rough and ready feel that almost makes them the best of the bunch! The work on the albums is surprisingly great – not classic early Sly, but with this warmly compressed groove that extends his sound nicely – and which has a really great mainstream funk appeal. Sly's using the studio as an instrument more than ever before – getting some great sounds out of the way he brings the vocals, drums, and guitars all together in the mix – and reinventing himself a bit, without losing his groove. Titles include "The Same Thing (Makes You Laugh, Makes You Cry)", "Shine It On", "It Takes All Kinds", "Who's To Say", "Sheer Energy", "LOVINU", "One Way", "High, Y'All", "Ha Ha Hee Hee", "You Really Got Me", "Sylvester", "You're The One (inst demo)", "In Other Words (demo)", "Hand Of Love (demo)", and "Get Back (backing track takes 2 & 3)". CD

A pair of early 70s albums from the mighty Alexis Korner – back to back in a single set! First up is Bootleg Him – a record with a strange mix of elements on the outside – a confusing title, a proggy-cover image – but one that's got a sound that's a perfect maturation of the fantastic sound of Alexis Korner in the 60s! Korner's one of the overlooked heroes in British music – a strong devotee of American blues, and maybe so much so that sounds more like his inspirations than most – but never in a slavish way, as Alexis is always able to full absorb the sound, and make you feel like it's coming from his own deep soul – and over the years, he really shifted things in these slight, but powerful ways – making his music a huge influence on a big generation of UK rock acts to come. Here, the double-length set is almost a "thanks back" affair – as Korner records with a huge all-star array that includes folks like Robert Plant, Jack Bruce, Charlie Watts, Ginger Baker, Graham Bond, Lol Coxhill, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Ray Warleigh, Harry Beckett, and many more – a fantastic crossroads of all that's hip in British rock, blues, and jazz at the start of the 70s. Titles include "I Got A Woman", "Rockin", "She Foold Me", "I Wonder Who", "Dee", "Love Is Gonna Go", "Clay House Inn", "Evil Hearted Woman", "Mighty Mighty", "Sunrise", and "Hellhound On My Tail". Accidentally Borne In New Orleans (title correct, by the way!) is a record that really has Alexis Korner stretching out from the straighter blues of his 60s material – using his fantastic style on a set of tunes that show as much New Orleans influence as you might guess from the title – but also an evolved British roots rock quality too! The group is very interesting – relatively lean, and with loads of saxophone solos from Mel Collins – the reedman who made some early 70s King Crimson albums so great – plus second guitar from Peter Thorup, who also adds a bit of slide, and makes for a strongly guitar-based groove amidst some of the slightly funky rhythms. Titles include "Gospel Ship", "Lo & Behold", "County Shoes", "Don't Change On Me", "Rock Me", and "Sweet Sympathy". CD

A pair of amazing albums – and a huge amount of bonus material too – all from one of the coolest groups on Warner Brothers at the end of the 60s! First up is the record The Moth Confesses – one of our favorite albums ever from the genius moment of late 60s Warner Brothers – a set we'd rank right up there next to our favorites by Van Dyke Parks and Harper's Bizarre! The set's billed as a "phonograph opera", written by Tupper Saussy – and it's served up with these fantastic arrangements that are ambitious, but nicely handled, too – with lots of groovy currents that keep the whole thing far from soppier territory of cats like Rod McKuen, and always done with that great sense of wit that makes this Warner era so great! There's definitely a few tuneful tracks that could spin as Sunshine Pop hits – but the whole thing's really better taken as a whole, as the way everything comes together with a sense of mood and tone is completely sublime – really a lost aesthetic, and one that deserves new discovery all these many years later. Titles include "Morning Girl", "Brilliant Colors", "Little Sparrow", "The Last Time I Saw Jacqueline", "Cowboy", and "The New Life Out There". Next Is Neon Philharmonic – the second sublime album from Neon Philharmonic – and one that seems to go even deeper than the first in its blend of ambitious musical themes and mature lyrical ideas! The presentation here is even more symphonic than on the first record – but at a level that's never soppy or sleepy – as there's a gentle groove on most tracks, loping around in these really lovely modes that make the tunes sparkle and glisten with the best sort of late 60s Warner Brothers wit! There's this wonderful mix of longing, nostalgia, and a kind of new vision for post-60s adulthood to the record – very hard to describe, but completely wonderful – at once completely heartfelt, but also with a great sense of distance on itself. Titles include "Long John The Pirate", "Do You Remember Dresden", "You Lied", "Forever Hold Your Peace", "Harry", and the wonderful "F Scott Fitzgerald & William Shakespeare". The 22 bonus tracks are especially amazing – rare singles, b-sides, and even some radio spots too – a huge amount of added genius from this incredible group. Bonus titles include "Letters Crossing", "Jody", "Better Times", "A Little Love", "Flowers For Your Pillow", "Snow", "Clouds", "To Be Continued", and "Keep The Faith In Me". CD

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Warm, mellow, and completely sublime – the mighty America at the height of their powers – working with a quality that nobody else can match! The trio wrap together all the best ideas that were bubbling under in the LA scene of the late 60s – vocal harmonies, studio perfection, and even touches of rootsy instrumentation – yet find a space to work all these elements together in a rich sound that's completely unique – amazingly understated at times, despite a near-perfect level of production! The whole album's great – even their original version of "Muskrat Love" – nestled in here next to "Rainbow Song", "Submarine Ladies", "Molten Love", "Green Monkey", and "Goodbye". CD

A mix of moods, colors, and feelings – handled with the full range of talents of David Amram, who's one of the few composers who could pull this one off! A number of the tracks have weird instrumentation that gives them a sound that's almost "eastern", and certainly exotic – and they're mixed here with some lightly jazzy touches, and a few mellower, more tender tunes that offset the rest of the album nicely. Titles include "Other Dreams", "Definitely Blue", "Anatolia", "Old Country Soul", "Sunny Days", "Blue Tomorrow", and "Love Is Never Out Of Style". LP, Vinyl record album

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Fantastic dreamy pop from one of the greatest harmony groups of the 60s – a set that really has The Association hitting their stride, and finding a way to really let their vocals soar! The sound here really sets the group apart from some of the more old-school harmony acts of the decade – and the shift is almost like that in the Beach Boys at mid 60s, the way that things got more complicated and sophisticated, but more powerful too – even when the tunes have some really sing-song charms that made them hits! Production is by Bones Howe, who really gets the sound right – and the album features the giant hits "Windy" and "Never My Love" – plus "Happiness Is", "On A Quiet Night", "We Love Us", "Reputation", and "Requiem For The Masses". This great expanded mono edition has 11 bonus tracks – including "Autumn Afternoon", "Windy (Mono 45)", "Requiem For The Masses (Mono 45)", "Sometime (Instrumental)", "We Love Us (Instrumental)" and more. CD

A hell of a debut from The B-52s – and a record that's become surprisingly timeless over the years, despite a retro-styled approach by the group! These guys aren't the silly group of later years here – and instead, they've got this moody darkness that's wonderful – a re-envisioned postwar America, one in which the neuroses are all on the outside – served up with instrumentation that's stark, but incredibly tight – snapping drums, riffing guitar, and these great organ lines that sound beautiful next to the vocals of Fred and the girls. The set gave the group their perennial hit "Rock Lobster" – but taken as a whole, it's an incredibly different landscape – as you'll discover on tracks that include "Planet Claire", "52 Girls", "Dance This Mess Around", "Lava", "There's A Moon In The Sky (Called The Moon)", "Hero Worship", "6060-842" and "Downtown". LP, Vinyl record album

The album that really broke the B52s out of the box – the one that took them from being an underground favorite in the clubs and the party scene, to being the kind of group that finally got the exposure they deserved! Of course, some of the help here comes from superproducers Nile Rodgers and Don Was – who really help the group focus on their hooks and crossover groove – all summed up perfectly on the album's hit "Love Shack" – a tune that still gets heavy play around the globe all these many years later. Other tracks include "Roam", "Channel Z", "Cosmic Thing", "Dry Country", "Topaz", "Follow Your Bliss", and "Bushfire". CD

The Beau Brummels' debut for Warner Brothers – surprisingly, a record of all cover versions – but one that's still plenty darn great! Although the tunes here are all quite familiar, they're also give some pretty unique treatment – often Brummel-ized with a mix of rootsier rock influences, and topped with tremendous lead vocals from Ron Elliott – easily one of the most distinct voices of his generation! Elliott's inflections and the group's instrumentation really turn these tunes into something new – and the album's a great illustration of the old adage that "it's not the song, but the singer!" Titles include "Bang Bang", "Play With Fire", "Woman", "Yesterday", "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away", "Homeward Bound", "Mrs Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter", and "Monday Monday". LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous album from The Beau Brummels – one of the lesser-remembered groups from the late 60s Warner hipster heyday! At some level, the group's a folk-rock outfit – with the left-of-center feel of some of Fred Neil's best work for Capitol, and a similar blend of east coast honesty and west coast mind expansion. The format here is remarkably simple, but handled with some nice touches by producer Lenny Waronker, who really brings a lot more out of the band than on their earlier indie recordings. Titles include "Are You Happy", "The Wolf Of Velvet Fortune", "The Keeper Of Time", "Only Dreaming Now", "Magic Hollow", "Painter Of Women", and "Triangle". LP, Vinyl record album

George Benson more than earns the title on this one – given that most of the tracks feature backings from the Count Basie Orchestra under the direction of Frank Foster – a great ensemble who really help keep things soulful throughout! Despite the date of the set, the feel here is a bit more classic than most of Benson's work from the time – as the group bring a full acoustic soul to the record – a swelling, swaying brace of horns that seems to push George's vocals a bit more than usual – past that simply sweet style that was the usual Benson bag. There's a range and depth here that's really surprising – a quality that goes past the hokey title, which might make you expect less from the record – and although there's a few brief moments that get slightly contemporary, these pass quickly in favor of a classic groove. Titles include "On Green Dolphin Street", "Without A Song", "Ready Now That You Are", "Basie's Bag", "Skylark", and "How Do You Keep The Music Playing". CD

A super huge hit for George Benson – and the record that took him from being a funky jazz guitarist into an R&B superstar – opening up sides of his talent that first emerged on his 50s R&B recordings as Little George Benson, but taken here into some very hip 70s territory! The album features George both playing and singing over arrangements by Claus Ogerman – some of Ogerman's best of the 70s, work that mixes together his trademark pillow of sound with a slightly funky bounce that's perfect for Benson's groove. The result is incredible – and the album is filled with loads of great songs – including George's excellent version of Bobby Womack's "Breezin", the hit version of "This Masquerade", and the cuts "So This Is Love", "Six To Four", and "Affirmation". LP, Vinyl record album

Benson plays his guitar and also sings on some of these tracks. He is joined by Phil Upchurch on rhythm guitar, Ronnie Foster on electric piano & mini-moog, Jorge Dalto on clavinet & acoustic piano, Stanley Banks on bass, Harvey Mason on drums and Ralph MacDonald. Claus Ogerman arranged and conducted the orchestra. Tracks include "Nature Boy", Foster's "The Wind & I", "The World Is A Ghetto", "Gonna Love You More", Donny Hathaway's "Valdez In The Country", and "Everything Must Change". CD

Sweetly jazzy soul from George Benson – a key classic from his great run at Warner Brothers Records, and the kind of record that George did better than anyone else at the time! Back in the 60s, we'd never have guessed that Benson's sweetly crackling vocals would dominate popular jazz more than his great guitar work – but hearing George here, it's clear that his soul work could easily outshine his guitar, especially when set up in a package like this! Atlantic soul maestro Arif Mardin produced, and as with his Chaka Khan productions for Warner at the time, he gives Benson a clean, clear modern style that's certainly pop, but also a lot less cluttered and clunky than modes used with other artists at the time. George is mostly on the vocal tip for the set, and Kashif helps out on one track – no surprise, given that Kashif was soon to walk down the path that Benson had started with his first few vocal albums in the 70s. Titles include "Love Will Come Again", "Use Me", "Late At Night", "In Search Of A Dream", "Lady Love Me", "In Your Eyes", and "Never Too Far To Fall". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes "Hey Girl", "Nassau Day", "Livin Inside Your Love", "Welcome Into My World", "Before You Go", "Unchained Melody", "Love Ballad", "Prelude To Fall", and "Soulful Strut". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet stepping soul from George Benson – a batch of tracks that wraps up his wonderful vocals and guitar with some great contemporary rhythms! The vibe here is nicely laidback – never too smooth, nor some of the more commercial territory that Benson was trying for a decade before – and in a way, it's almost as if George has been digging some of the less mainstream soul sounds of the time, as he's hitting a sound that would certainly appeal to steppers in Chicago, or the indie soul and smooth jazz scene of the early 90s. Benson's got a great way of scatting lightly with his guitar, and there's a leanness to most of the tracks, despite a relatively full lineup of players. Titles include "I'll Be Good To You", "Got To Be There", "My Heart Is Dancing", "Love Remembers", "Come Into My World", "Somewhere Island", "Calling You", "Lovin On Borrowed Time", and "Love Of My Life". CD

Titles include "Ode To A Kudu", "We As Love", "Lady Blue", "Windsong", "Weekend In LA", "It's All In The Game", and his classic take on "On Broadway". LP, Vinyl record album

Bootsy's still keeping the P-Funk flag flying high at the end of the 70s – arguably stepping out here with a sound that's got more of the Parliafunkadelicment elements intact than some of George Clinton's other spinoff groups! The tracks are long, and plenty jamming – still with plenty of star power from Bootsy upfront – but also some wonderfully tight rhythms from the rest of the players too, all in that mix of hard-rolling, and light-tripping funk modes that still set the P-Funk groups apart from the pack of imitators who'd cropped up in their wake! Titles include "Jam Fan (Hot)", "Bootsy Get Live", "Under The Influence Of A Groove", "Chug-A-Lug", "Oh Boy", and "Shejam". LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy record from Italian trumpet legend Fabrizo Bosso – one that features a group referred to as his Spiritual Trio, but a combo that's maybe got more of a soul jazz vibe overall – as the lineup features Alberto Marsico on organ and Alessandro Mnetto on drums! The spare format is great – open in ways that always seem to bring out the best phrasing in Bosso's horn, but with just the right moments of groove that have the trumpet and organ dancing together nicely – almost a newly-conceived variation on the the older 60s pairing of tenor and Hammond! Mario Biondi provides guest vocals on a remake of the Donny Hathaway tune "Someday We'll All Be Free" – and other instrumental tunes include "Sermonette", "Cold Duck Time", "Bernie's Toon", "I Shall Wear A Crown", "Forward", "A Lullaby", and "Say It Loud". CD

A classic groover from Jocelyn Brown – presented here in a 2CD set that's overflowing with remixes! One From The Heart was a big mainstream moment for Jocelyn Brown – the crowning realization of all the great work she'd done in the club underground in the early part of the 80s – presented here with a slightly more crossover vibe, but a sound that's still pretty darn great in the end, thanks to Brown's tremendous vocals. Jocelyn's really keeping an older style of female soul alive here – amidst some beats and more programmed rhythms – belting things out with the pipes that first rose her to fame in the disco years, pretty proud and unabashed here. Rhythms are better than usual for a major label record like this – thanks to help from Hubert Eaves and Jellybean – and titles include "Love's Gonna Get You", "Ego Maniac", "True Love", "Caught In The Act", "I Cry Real Tears", and "Living Without Your Love". Bonus CD features 10 more remixes – of "Ego Maniac", "Caught In The Act", and "Love's Gonna Get You". CD