A second great dip into the world of "flop" albums from the past – records that maybe didn't dent the charts or make anyone a fortune at the time – but which have gone on to become the stuff of legend over the years! These aren't crappy records or total dreck – and instead, many are musical masterpieces that weren't appreciated when they were released, but which have grown to gain huge respect as the decades have moved on – albums by The Kinks, Lee Dorsey, Fred Neil, Dead Boys, Gang Of Four, Roxy Music, Willie Nelson, and dozens of others – each summed up here in an essay that runs a few pages for each record – along with images of the covers in black and white, and other pertinent details as well! The book is arranged chronologically – records from 1963 through 1989 – and this edition is 392 pages, with mostly black and white images, and a few color ones as well. Book

A really great idea for a book on records – and one that's completely different than most that we've seen before! Unlike other books of this nature, which are filled with "essential" or "classic" records – this book is full of flops, or records that never really hit the heights, but which are pretty darn great overall! In the eyes of the authors – and our eyes too – all of these records are under-acknowledged gems – some by big names, others by more obscure artists – lots of which never got their full due at the time. The book is filled with some of our favorite records of all time – which is a big hats off to the long list of contributors, who include Miriam Linna, Steve Shelly, Peter Holsapple, Russ Titelman, Marshall Crenshaw, Bob Irwin, Lenny Kaye, and many others – who've come up with a set of essays on titles that include The Living Legend by Baby Huey, Gene Clark & The Gosdin Brothers, Continued by Tony Joe White, Delta Sweete by Bobby Gentry, Entertainment by Family, Desertshore by Nico, Young Mod's Forgotten Story by The Impressions, Roots by The Everly Brothers, Rock Bottom by Robert Wyatt, and lots lots more! The book is filled with records that we love, and that we'd now call classic – served up in a hefty softcover edition that's almost 400 pages in length, with black and white images throughout. Book

... CD

With Nas and Joe. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

With Tony Sunshine on "Talkin Gangsta" and CL Smooth on "Magic Hour". 12-inch, Vinyl record

Clean edited freestyles over "Looking At The Front Door", "Who Got Da Props", "Warm It Up Kane", and "Children's Story" – essentially remakes of the original tracks from Black Rob's perspective! 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

With Don Black on "Bounce Squad Entertainment". 12-inch, Vinyl record

Featuring Nas & Rakim. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A nice collection of KRS-One and BDP essentials – with "Return Of The Boom Bap", "Step Into A World" (radio edit), "Sound Of Da Police", "Jack Of Spades" (single edit), "My Philosophy", "I'm Still #1" (single edit), and "Love's Gonna Getcha" (7" radio edit). LP, Vinyl record album

With Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek, and Beanie Sigel. 12-inch, Vinyl record

With Ol Dirty Bastard on "Black Widow Part 2" and Bigg Gipp from Goodie Mob on "Domestic Violence Part 2". 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

Includes tracks by Marv Blihovde, Jack Roubik, Sonny Hodges & The Bop Beats, Harvey Hurt, Tommy Faile, Johnny Ramistella, and Ronnie Hanson & The Superphonics. LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Limited edition pressing of "Tekzilla", a previously unreleased track by Common produced by Hi Tek, plus a remix of "1999" featuring Sadat X. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Average White Band are most clearly associated with Atlantic Records during the 70s – and that label's genius move to record white soul acts for the crossover market – but this first album was recorded for MCA, and very much in the same vein as their later work. The record's not as over the top funky as some of their best work – and perhaps shows kind of a rock style that was always lurking in the group's sound – but the roots of the later greatness are still there, and the album's got more than a few nice cuts. The best track is "Reach Out", but there's some other nice groovers like "TLC" and "Twilight Zone". This is the 2nd pressing – with an extra cut called "How Can You Go Home", which wasn't on the first one. LP, Vinyl record album

In case you don't get the joke, the title's a play on the fact that Atlantic Records had just been acquired by Warner Communications – now fully a major label at the end of the 70s! That fact doesn't stop the album from being a good one, though – and AWB work here with Arif Mardin on a set of tunes that still have a fair bit of the funky touches of earlier records, but which also go for a few mellower tunes too – of the sort that were becoming the group's strongest suit at the time. "She's A Dream" is a great example of this style – a nicely gliding number that still has a nice groove at the bottom – and while the set doesn't include any standout hits, it's still a great example of why AWB could pull off this sort of record a lot better than most of their contemporaries! Titles include "She's A Dream", "Warmer Communications", "Price Of The Dream", "Sweet & Sour", "One Look Over My Shoulder", "Your Love Is A Miracle", and "Same Feeling Different Song". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure soul set on the legendary Sun Records label – raw vocals from Frank Ballard, done in a style that still has a few older R&B currents in the mix, but which is definitely pointed strongly towards a 60s groove! Backings are by the band of tenorist Phillip Reynolds, and the sound here is a lot more in the King Records mode than you'd expect from Sun – plenty of grit in the grooves, and with some great work on piano, guitar, and tenor next to the vocals! Frank earlier sung with tenor man Curtis Amy, but he's really at the top of his game here – and titles include "Trouble Down The Road", "Rollin In", "After Hours", "Do Wa Diddi", "Is Anybody There", and "Just Leave It With Me Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Sharp-edged wit from a young Dick Gregory – and the kind of record that easily set the standard for countless comics to come! The tracks here are mostly free-form – still structured into a few routines, but also pretty easygoing and open – with more of the openly rapping sort of approach also used by Lenny Bruce and Mort Sahl at the time. Gregory's certainly got all the politics of the latter, focused into his own unique perspective – one that was a key force of change in the Civil Rights era. Titles include "The Congo Daily Tribune", "Comedians Of The 60s", "Thoughts On Outer Space", and "Not Poor Just Busted". LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool look at a label that was maybe one of the hippest things the Beatles ever did – the short-lived Zapple imprint – which was part of their main Apple label, but dedicated to more experimental work from a variety of musicians and writers! The imprint is perhaps best remembered as the home of more avant recordings by John & Yoko, and by George Harrison – but it also presented material by Allen Ginsberg, Charles Bukowski, Charles Olson, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and other key underground figures – a legacy that would have been enormous, had it continued. The book is put together by Zapple label manager Barry Miles – and includes loads of photos and images too – studio shots, ads, and a lot more elements that help bring this lost label to life once again! 272 pages, hardcover, with some black and white images. Book

A little bit funk, a little bit soul – Mickey Murray was one of the underrated talents working in the SSS label during the company's glory years, and had a sock-hard southern soul style that was really outta site! Mickey first hit big with the tune "Shout Bamalama" – originally recorded by Otis Redding in his earliest years in the studio, but pushed to much bigger fame by Mickey with his classic late 60s recording. This tasty little set is done in a great mix of upbeat sockin-soul and mellower southern burners – all carried off with a depth and level of quality that should have made Mickey a bigger star at the time! Titles include the massively funky "Hit Record", plus "How many Breaks Can One Heart Take", "Got You On My Mind", and the eerie "Lonely Room". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the last truly outside albums recorded by Archie Shepp in the 70s – a French performance that's very similar to the open-ended, freely-blown recordings he did for the BYG/Actuel label a few years before! The record captures Shepp in territory that's different than some of the more structured recordings and sets of standard material he'd soon be giving the world – and he blows tenor with unbridled energy on long live tracks – working with a very cool group that includes the great Charles Greenlee on trombone, plus Dave Burrell on piano, Cameron Brown on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums! The band plays with a perfect style that matches freer soloing with soulful modal rhythms – and as a French-only release, it's one of the more obscure Archie Shepp sessions from the period. Titles include "Hipnosis", "U-Jaama", "African Drum Suite", and the amazing "Blues For Don L Duck". LP, Vinyl record album

Anthony White's one LP for Philly International – an a smooth soul set that shows an early turn by the Gamble & Huff team towards some of the modern soul material that would keep the label strong into the 80s! Anthony's got a great voice – deep and rich, like that of Teddy Pendergrass – and he shines on ballads like "There Will Never Be Another", "Never Repay Your Love", and a suprisingly nice cover of "Could It Be Magic". Also includes the groover "Stop & Think It Over", plus "Where Would I Be Without You", "Never Let You Get Away From Me", "Yes You Need Love", "Only Child's Play", and "I'm So Much In Love With You". LP, Vinyl record album

With Skeets McDonald. 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A really great collection of work from the legendary BYG/Actuel label – home not just to the famous avant jazz recordings that have made the company a legend, but also a host of other unusual sounds that don't often get the exposure they deserve! This collection finally gives that full range of BYG sounds their due – as it mixes some of the avant classics from Paris at the end of the 60s with other freely creative work from the French scene – including some great contributions from British artists who were as unbridled at BYG as the American musicians were with their jazz material! The set features tracks from the key years of the catalog – titles that include "Le Nouveau Monde" by Alice, "Terrestrial Beings" by Don Cherry, "Ancient Ethiopia" by Sun Ra, "Ragalia" by Areski & Brigitte Fontaine, "Le Cocotier (part 2)" by Coeur Magique, "Dexterity" by Art Ensemble Of Chicago, "Time Of Your Life" by Daevid Allen, "Change The World" by Gong, and "Willing To Fight" by Aynsley Dunbar. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the rarest records to ever feature the work of groundbreaking writer and language experimentalist William S Burroughs – an album that originally came out on the Industrial Music label, home to the early work of Throbbing Gristle! Peter Cristopherson and Genesis P-Orridge worked with Burroughs associate James Grauerholz, and dug through countless ours of tapes, to bring together some of his most experimental recordings – work that really shows just how much the writer's fascination with the properties of magnetic tape had an influence on his writing, and his legendary cutup technique! Some tracks are straight readings – of the more familiar sort that feature Burroughs' incredible voice – but many others have sound experiments on tape, transforming language in a really great way – with contributions from Brion Gysin and Ian Sommerville too. Wonderful all the way through – and one of the few recordings to really plumb the depths of the sonic genius of William S Burroughs! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

About as classic as you can get from these Rockford rockers – with cuts that include "Hello There", "Southern Girls", "Downed", "Big Eyes", "You're All Talk", "Oh Caroline", and "I Want You To Want Me" LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderfully mellow set of ballads recorded by Cannonball, with orchestral backings by Richard Hayman. The album's typical of the kind of "all over the map" approach that Mercury used during Cannon's early years – before he'd settled down into the one-man soul jazz factory he later became – but it's also a great chance to hear Adderley working his horn in a style that doesn't show up much in later years. Hayman's orchestrations are less challenging than some of the Verve "with strings" sessions – but the overall work is solid, and the album's a dreamy mix of tracks like "I Cover The Waterfront", "Street Of Dreams", "You Are Too Beautiful", "Lonely Dreams", and "Two Sleepy People". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing document of the New York club scene in the 70s – a book that traces the week by week evolution of disco from the ground up – with details of important releases, club changes, and more – all the stuff of history by now, but shown here in its original building blocks! The book is based around the weekly columns of Vince Aletti – essentially reviews of the big records for each week, but also filled with key historical bits too – showing the birth of now-common concepts like the 12" single, record pool, and other factors that helped shape the way we've circulated music for the past few decades. Each weekly entry features cover and label scans, and charts from the clubs as well – a fascinating look at disco from a perspective that's hardly ever represented this well! 484 pages, softcover, with black and white images throughout! Book

... 7-inch, Vinyl record