A lost legacy of work from Black Jazz Records – the important 70s imprint that's best known for its groundbreaking albums of spiritual and funky jazz – and a company who also issued some rare 45s back in the day! The cuts here represent some of the coolest, funkiest tracks these artists recorded for Black Jazz – all originally issued as 7" singles, some with a two-part approach that has both parts of a longer track spread out over both sides of the wax. The presentation here is as top-shelf as the other Black Jazz reissues handled by Real Gone – complete with notes by Pat Thomas – and titles include "Little B's Poem" and "Peace" by Doug & Jean Carn, "Chi Town Theme" by Cleveland Eaton, "Soul Daddy" and "Be All Your Own" by Kellee Patterson, "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" and "Me & Mrs Jones" by Gene Russell, "Coral Keys (parts 1 & 2)" by Walter Bishop, "Moon Child (parts 1 & 2)" by Doug Carn, "Mr TJ (single edit)" and "Devon Jean" by Rudolph Johnson, "Gee Gee (parts 1 & 2)" by Calvin Keys, and "Powerhouse (parts 1 & 2)" by Chester Thompson. LP, Vinyl record album

A massive look at the huge legacy of North American punk in the late 70s – culled together from scenes in New York, Ohio, Boston, and LA – plus other surprising spots around the country – as artists were working separately, but together, to completely reinvent both the sound of the nation, and the way that records were made! Because of the geographic range of the scenes, US and Canadian acts had a great sense of variety – the sometime wit of LA, the noisier experimentation of Ohio, oddball creations of San Francisco, and searing artistic side of New York – all brought together here with a range of other styles too. The package is great, and includes so many artists we'd forgotten about, next to giants of the field who are still completely crucial today – brought together in a book-style package with 130 tracks and very detailed notes – in support of work from groups who include X, Adolescents, Flesh Eaters, Lyres, The Jetsons, Slickee Boys, Feelies, Bush Tetras, Suburban Lawns, Mission Of Burma, The Bizarros, Nervous Rex, The Dickies, Pagans, The Last, Mars, Devo, Destroy All Monsters, Avengers, Residents, Pere Ubu, Suicide, and dozens of others! CD

An overlooked gem from Blue Note – a special live performance that brings together some of the label's funkiest and most soulful artists of the 70s! The set's somewhat unusual for Blue Note at the time – especially given the label's increasingly studio-driven approach to jazz, with projects by the Mizell Brothers and others – yet given that bent, the whole thing's a great illustration of the vibrancy of all these artists always from the studio – playing live and extremely funky! As the title implies, the set was recorded live at the Roxy in LA – with players who include Donald Byrd, Ronnie Laws, Gene Harris, Bobby Hutcherson, and Alphonse Mouzon – all coming together in warm unity to show that the spacious sounds of Blue Note could also be crafted in a live setting, and not just under closely-watched studio help arrangers and producers. Carmen McRae sings on a number of tracks, and the album overall does a good job of presenting the material in concert-like setting – and some of the longer tracks feature some mighty nice jamming solos. Titles include "New York City", "Without A Reason", and "Just Like The Sun" by Alphonse Mouzon; "Them There Eyes", "Music" and "Paint Your Pretty Picture" by Carmen McRae; "Always There", "Captain Midnight", and "Night Breeze" by Ronnie Laws; "Blue Note 76" by Blue Note All-Stars; and "Places & Spaces" and "Dominoes" by Donald Byrd – both oddly recorded at Central Park! LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection – mostly 60s work by artists who include Big Mama Thornton, Lowell Fulson, Fred McDowell, Jesse Fuller, Earl Hooker, Mercy Dee, Big Walter, Mance Lipscomb, George Coleman, Bukka White, Black Ace, and others – with lots of Arhoolie tracks! LP, Vinyl record album

A killer selection of Spanish female pop – music that echoes British and French female work of the time, but which often has a different vibe as well! Part of that difference is the Spanish language of the lyrics, which seems to encourage some differences in the rhythms – but there's also some nice shifts in production, arrangements, and overall presentation – as the music moves from 60s soul-inspired mod modes, through 70s perfect pop gems, to some later numbers that show a bit of an influence from the dancefloor! Actually, most of these tracks are pretty upbeat and grooving, and would be right at home in a set for dancers – in a heady lineup of 24 tracks from artists who include Los Antifaces, Marion, Soledad Miranda, Teresa Maria, Franciska, Marian Conde, Elvira, Dolly, Eros, Nena Catherine, Doris Y Rossie, and others you're not likely to find in your local record racks! Titles include "Mas" by Enterprise, "Si Un Chico Fuera Yo" by Marion, ""Mairandote" by Suzie, "Mucho Mas" by Teresa Maria", "No, No, No" by Elvira, "Listen Here" by Dolly, "Casa Forte" by Doris Rossie and lots more. LP, Vinyl record album

Reggae takes on Beatles tunes – both from the early and later years of the Fab Four – served up with vocals from a variety of different singers! There's a soulful vibe to the record right from the start – and the rhythms move between roots and lovers rock-styled pacing – but definitely change up nicely to fit the needs of the singers, which is a nod to the production and arranging styles of Clive Hunt, who put the whole thing together! Titles include "Taxman" by Nai-Jay, "Here Comes The Sun" by Barry Biggs, "Norwegian Wood" by Little Roy, "Revolution" by Yaniss Odua, "Michell" by Pierpoljak, "Help" by Gentleman, "You Won't See Me" by The Pioneers, and "With A Little Help From My Friends" by Tarrus Riley. LP, Vinyl record album

Southern soul galore – a wonderful range of tracks that are done in that best deep soul mode that borrowed heavily from country music – but also really transformed things to fit their own righteous needs! Make no mistake, the collection is all soul music all the way through – but the songs also echo some of the more heartbreaking themes and local needs you'd find in country music – and also use some isolated elements in the instrumentation and production too! The best way to think of the package is as a collection of southern soul, but one that shows a surprising lack of color barrier when it comes to musical styles – and as always with Ace/Kent, the notes and overall conception of the whole thing is really wonderful. 24 tracks in all – including "Easy Loving" by Bo Kirkland & Ruth Davis, "Big Blue Diamonds" by Little Johnny Taylor, "I Hang My Head & Cry" by Arthur Alexander, "True Love Travels On A Gravel Road" by Percy Sledge, "Touch Your Woman" by Margie Joseph, "Who Will The Next Fool Be" by Bobby Bland, "Stand By Your Man" by The Mirettes, "Till I Get It Right" by Bettye Swann, "Another Man's Woman Another Woman's Man" by Laura Lee, and "Jambalaya" by Ralph Soul Jackson. CD

An incredible document of a key genre in 50s jazz on record – the jam session tradition, recorded beautifully for Verve records by the legendary Norman Granz! The idea of a jam session was nothing new at the time, of course, but it was mostly a live phenomenon – known to players from concerts and club dates, or presented on vinyl by Granz, in his celebrated Jazz At The Philharmonic sessions. These dates mark a move into the studio by Granz – one that captures the same sort of energy and unique pairings of musicians that went down in the live sessions, with the added benefit of studio technology to make the work sound even clearer, and more intimate. The 5CD set brings together all 9 Jam Session albums – packaged beautifully in a slipcase with original album cover art, and a full 72 page booklet on the musicians, sessions, and titles included. Players include nearly everyone who might have worked for Verve in the 50s – Benny Carter, Charlie Parker, Johnny Hodges, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Buddy DeFranco, and countless others – and titles include "Jam Blues", "Funky Blues", "Apple Jam", "Blues For The Count", "Jamming For Clef", "Rose Room", "Blue Lou", and "Lullaby In Rhythm" – all in very long versions! CD

A really incredible compilation, and one that's a great reminder of why we love the Analog Africa record label so much! Sure, there's been collections of Congolese music before – but this one's got that special something extra that Analog Africa can bring to play – an ear for just the right tracks that have enough funk and soul to open the ears of listeners who might not normally be digging deep into African music – yet will also pack plenty of punch to listeners who do! You can dive right into the collection and listen – the music will take you on a mighty great journey, even if you know nothing about the scene. But, in the best tradition of the label, there's also plenty of notes inside, should you want to learn more – as you're digging fantastic tunes that include "Mfuur Ma" by Groupe Minzolo Ya Zaire, "Tembe Na Tembe Ya Nini" by Orchestre Celi Bitshou, "Nganga" by Les Freres Soki, "Ngantsie Soul" by Les Bantous De La Capitale, "Fiancee Laya" by GO Malebo, "Sungu Lubuka" by Petelo Vicka Et Son Nzazi, and "MBT's Sound" by MBTs. CD

Righteous roots reggae from the digital generation – a whole host of tracks produced by the legendary King Jammy – a force who was really able to keep the spiritual fires of the 70s burning well into the following decade! The selection of cuts here is great – and if anything, the crispness of the production seems to bring out the message in the music even more – really emphasizing the power of the lyrics, in a mix of work by 70s artists still working at a very relevant level, alongside some of the up-and-comers that Jammy was so good at searching out! Titles include "Storm Is Coming" by Junior Delgado, "Why Should I" by Admiral Tibet, "Got To Be Strong" by Pad Anthony, "Up Full One" by Dennis Brown, "Only The Poor Man Feel It" by Kentucky, "World Inflation" by Junior Murvin, "Victim Of Babylon" by Admiral Tibet, "Cry For The Youths" by Wackad, "Stop The Violence" by Junior Delgado, and "Chain Grabber" by Johnny Osbourne. LP, Vinyl record album

A massive batch of mixes from dancefloor maestro John Luongo – a set that's heavy on cuts from the 80s in many styles, and which has some other surprises in the mix as well! Luongo was one of those talents who did a great job of bringing underground dancefloor modes to a more mainstream audience – and he finds grooves in cuts that might not normally have gotten such strong club treatment on their own, or in the hands of another remix talent! This 2LP set features some of the best work that Luongo did back in the day – titles that include "The Best (ext mighty mix)" by Tina Turner, "Suspicious Minds (suspicious mix)" by Fine Young Cannibals, "The Chinese Way (New York rmx)" by Level 42, "Out In The Night (12" version)" by Serge Ponsar, "Give It Up (12" version)" by KC & The Sunshine Band, "Missing You (ext version)" by John Waite, "Eyes Without A Face (full length version)" by Billy Idol, "Look Of Love (part 3 – dance version)" by ABC, "Fade To Grey (US 12" version)" by Visage, "Blind Vision (ext version)" by Blancmange, "Shy Boy (US ext version)" by Bananarama, "Tarzan Boy (ext dance version)" by Baltimora, "Relight My Fire (historical 1979 rmx)" by Dan Hartman with Loleatta Holloway, "You Stepped Into My Life (John Luongo rmx)" by Melba Moore, and "Music Is My Way Of Life (John Luongo rmx)" by Patti Labelle. 2LP set features 16 tracks – and includes rare photos and an essay on Luongo's music! LP, Vinyl record album

Mighty sounds from a legendary Detroit soul producer – the great Dave Hamilton, a talent who issued a number of key singles back in the day, but who's left behind an even larger legacy of excellent unreleased work! This collection draws from both sides of that spectrum – and features upbeat Northern Soul gems that were issued on small labels like Topper and Demo-Ristic – mixed with other tracks that lay in Dave's vaults until their discovery at some point in the 90s! Together, the tracks are a wonderful illustration of the deep deep trove of material that lurked in the Detroit scene far in the shadows of Motown – artists who were eclipsed by the big names at the time, but who sound mighty darn fresh all these many years later. Titles include "What Should I Do", and "Who Are You Trying To Fool" by Little Ann, "Sweep It Out The Shed" and "Challenge My Love" by Tobi Lark, "Love Friends & Money" by James Lately, "You Won't Miss The Water" by Chico & Buddy, "Talkin About My Baby" by Dottie & Millie, "You Got Me Turned Around" by OC Tolbert, "Shoop Doop" by Dave Hamilton, and "You Did" by Priscilla Page & Rony Darrell. LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool little set – maybe not the deepest dive into the decade of the 70s, in that the package isn't full of unissued tracks or super-rare singles – but it does represent a great look at the decade that goes way past the hits, and much farther than the charts – including the sort of material that was slightly ignored at the time, but has gone on to be really appreciated in more recent years! The book-style set is filled with great choices and unusual tunes – work from both the US and UK scenes, some of it by bigger names represented here by more unusual cuts – some by others who barely cracked the mainstream, but did some great work at the time. There's one full CD of female artists, and a pretty unusual mix of titles – 71 titles in all, by artists who include Murray Head, The Records, Ronnie Lane, Terry Reid, Sandy Denny, Wendy Waldman, Freddie King, Montrose, Tim Buckley, Don Nix, Jerry Williams, Big Star, Tony Joe White, Delaney & Bonnie, John Prine, Michael Franks, Bobby Charles, Andy Pratt, Hirth Martinez, Robert Palmer, Jess Roden, Roy Harper, Patto, Sharks, The Roches, Linda Lewis Valerie Carter, and many others! CD

A great presentation of work from the legendary Tribe Records of Detroit – all handled by DJ Muro, who's posed on the front in a way that recalls one of the label's rarest albums! The style here is different than other collections of Tribe Records material – as Muro goes for cuts that showcase some of the more soulful, funky sides of the label – still very righteous overall, but with less of the longer or more avant-oriented tracks that came from the Detroit underground at the time. Muro's been giving us amazing collections for many years, and this one is no exception – a fantastic demonstration of his magical ear, as he makes his way through cuts that include "The Wok" by Wendell Harrison, "Ode To Africa" by Harold McKinney, "Why Don't Love Make Everything Right" by Cosmic Force, "Ginseng Love" by Wendell Harrison, "Freedom Jazz Dance" by Harold McKinney, "For Real" by Doug Hammond, "Glue Fingers (part 2)" by Marcus Belgrave, "Vibes From The Tribe (prelude)" by Phil Ranelin, "What We Need" by Wendell Harrison & Phil Ranelin, "In The Moog" by Harold McKinney, "Farewell To The Welfare" by Wendell Harrison & The Tribe, "Wake Up Brothers" by Doug Hammond, "Sounds From The Village" by Phil Ranelin, and "Belle Isle" by Wendell Harrison. CD

The reach of Miles Davis is plenty wide – as right from the start, the trumpeter was associating himself with some of the hippest young talent on the scene! Yet the apex of those associations may have come in the late 60s and early 70s, when the newly-electric Miles was experimenting in all sorts of new rhythms and instrumental combinations – and inviting a whole host of soon-to-be-legends to help him with his projects! This set is a great overview of some of those key contemporaries – and the way that they took new directions of their own, when away from Miles – some very much in the spirit of the Bitches Brew generation, others opening up in whole new frontiers of soul and spirit. The set features some really well-chosen tracks – a key who's who to this generation – and titles include "Sweet Pea" by Wayne Shorter, "In A Silent Way" by Joe Zawinul, "Common Mama" by Keith Jarrett, "Song Of The Wind (alt)" by Chick Corea, "In Search Of Truth" by Lonnie Liston Smith, "Arjen's Bag" by John McLaughlin, "Politician Man" by Betty Davis, "Uhuru Sasa" by Gary Bartz, "You'll Know When You Get There" by Herbie Hancock, and "Directions (16 December 1970 – first set)" by Miles Davis himself. CD

The cover looks a bit punk rock, but the music here is all jazz – pulled from the great catalog of DIW Records – the groundbreaking imprint of Japan's Disk Union record stores! Back at the end of the 80s, the company really started to put its money where its heart was – and launched a series of recordings of artists who weren't getting their fair shake in the studio, or the sort of freedoms that DIW was allowing them! The label's approach often allowed for unique combinations, or different expressions than some of the more familiar work of some of their artists – which made for a stretch when we were joyously awaiting each new DIW release, and the sorts of surprises they would bring. This package is a well-selected batch of classics, with a strong focus on the label's commitment to the New York avant scene – all newly remastered – with titles that include "Tahah" by John Zorn Masada, "Burning Like Love" by James Blood Ulmer, "Kush" by Art Ensemble Of Chicago, "Autumn Leaves" by David S Ware, "Anaba Aozo" by Ayibobo featuring Jean-Paul Bourelly, "Deep River" by David Murray, "Spiritual" by Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra, and "In Time" by Music Revelation Ensemble. CD

The soulful sound of Trojan Records, mixed superbly here by Japanese DJ Holiday – who comes across with a killer blend of cuts from the rocksteady and early reggae years! A number of tracks here are Jamaican remakes of American soul tunes, and they're mixed with originals that really echo the spirit of mellow grooves that were especially strong in the early part of the 70s – served up here on a set of 20 tracks that are all pulled from the farther reaches of the Trojan catalog, including a fair bit of under-discovered nuggets! Titles include "Let's Get It On" by Lloyd Charmers, "Lean On Me" by BB Seaton, "Tears On My Pillow" by Derrick Morgan, "It's You I Love" by Merlene Webster, "Somebody's Baby" by Pat Kelly, "Pain In My Heart" by Derrick & Naomi, "Target" by The Gaytones, "Love Letters" by Phyllis Dillon & Alton Ellis, "Sitting In The Park" by Slim Smith, "Keep It Like It Is" by Louisa Marks, "Emergency Call" by Judy Mowatt, and "Our Day Will Come" by The Heptones. CD

Life! Liberty! Vengeance! A wild and very cool soundtrack for Tarantino's dual Blacksploitation/Spaghetti Western homage Django Unchained – featuring bits from some of our favorite Italian western composers mixed up with classic and contemporary funky soul and hip hop! It's the kind of soundtrack that could only happen for Quentin Tarantino – with rare and hard-to-find compositions by Luis Bacalov, Ennio Morricone, Riz Ortolani and Jerry Goldsmith on one hand – along with a few seemingly antithetical new compositions on the other – including a track penned by star Jamie Foxx for Rick Ross, a James Brown "Payback" remix with a vocal from the 2Pac archive, plus ones by Anthony Hamilton, John Legend and others! Last but not least, it's got some great bits of film dialogue by Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson and Leonardo DiCaprio. Titles include "Django" by Luis Bacalov, "The Braying Mule" by Ennio Morricone, "Nicaragua" by Jerry Goldsmith with Pat Metheny, "Day Of Anger" by Riz Ortolani, "Unchained (The Payback/Untouchable)" by James Brown with 2Pac, "Who Did That To You?" by John Legend, "100 Black Coffins" by Rick Ross, "Trinity (Titoli)" by Annibale E I Cantori Moderni and many more. CD

An instant party in a single package – a set that brings together a whole host of rare singles from back in the day – all work that's almost an equal blend of old school funk and early hip hop! The work here comes from the Spring label and related Posse imprint – a company who were around on the New York scene to issue plenty of soul and funk during the 70s – then made the move into hip hop at the end of the decade, yet in a way that also brought some of their funky currents forward! Where other labels were maybe using a lean approach and more records as the basis for cuts, Spring already had access to some great groups to back up the MCs – and the result is a batch of funky cuts that are already primed for a party crowd in the South Bronx! As the 80s move in, the cuts use more beats and electro elements – yet that older ear for funk is still nicely in place, and really keeps things moving throughout. Titles include "Money (Dollar Bill Y'All) (long version)" by Jimmy Spicer, "Charley Says (Roller Boogie Baby)" by King Tim III, "The Beach (long vocal)" by Afrika & The Zulu Kings, "Go For What You Know" by The Bally Boys, "Tearin It Up" by D4, "Rockin It" by MC Flex & The Crew, "I'm Hot" by The Rangers, "Magic's Message" by Mr Magic, "To Whoever It May Concern" by DJ Hollywood, "Cars (Zulu club mix)" by Afrika & The Zulu Kings, and "King Tim III (Personality Jock)" by Fatback – a cut that some folks call the first-ever hip hop single! LP, Vinyl record album

A heady serving of work from the Drums label – a small and short-lived imprint on the Italian scene in the late 70s, but one that served up some mighty nice club singles at the time! The records definitely bristle with the kind of drums you might expect from the record's name – not heavy breakbeat, but nice work on the kit that provides a live groove for these sweet electric club tracks – most nice and lean, sometimes instrumental with a focus on a keyboard line – sometimes vocal, with a chorus soaring along in the lead! The set was put together by I-Robots, who've given us some great club comps over the years – and the set even features some unreleased material too – titles that include "Mr Sam" by TNT, "I Am Here" by Dublefas, "Me Ne Frego" by Balthazar, "Disco Magic" by Analisi 91, "Music On My Mind" by Gianfrasso Ensemble, "Manila Sound" by Fango, "Samedi Soir" by Drums Music Show, "You & Me" by I Mappet, "La Fioraia Di Via Po" by Gialma 3, "Mare & Amore" by Olga Melchionda, and "Quattro Lune" by Antonella Forte. LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet grooves from the Duomo Sounds label – a short-lived Nigerian imprint who cut some mighty funky sounds at the start of the 80s! The title here uses the word "disco", but these cuts have none of the strings and polish of the sounds you'd hear at Studio 54 – as most numbers here are stripped-down and raw, really more in a clubbier take on the more famous Nigerian funk of a few years before! However, there's also a quality here that could easily cross over to the hipper clubs on the New York underground – as most of these guys are also using the same sort of small combo funk instrumentation of the best of the indie post-disco scene – which means that some tracks resonate with the work of labels like P&P, and others echo some of the more global currents that were showing up in New York funk during the period! Most lyrics are in English, which further gives these tracks a universal appeal – and titles include "Perfect Disco Machine" and "Disco Connection" by Bindinga, "Aimiuugwia" and "Advice" by Christy Ogbah, "Xmas Eve" by Johnny O Bazz, "Look At Me" and "Shake You Body" by Mike Umoh, "You Do Good You Do For Yourself" by Godfrey Odili, "On My Mind" by Bassey Black & The Natty Messiah, and "Ariro" by Eunice Mokus Arimoku. CD

A huge document of work from LA's Consolidated Productions – a company you might not know by name, but one who issued work on a number of tiny indie labels – including City Lights, Simco, Space, Velvet, Angel Town, and many other labels! The set is heavy on 60s soul in a variety of styles – and features group harmonies, deep soul singers, and even some instrumental work too – all with qualities that are very much in the best modes that the Chicago scene was recording at the time – sophisticated, but gritty too – and with a vibe that's way past the 60s soul hits you'll find on mainstream compilations! You'll recognize a few names here – including Gene Russell, later of Black Jazz fame – and there's a fair bit of obscure artists too – in a set list of 28 tracks that include "Misery" by The DeVelles, "Cool It Baby" by BB Carter, "I'm Mad" by Spider Walker, "Money Man" by LA Untouchables, "I Got To See My Baby" by Lee Jones, "Jet Set" and "Doin The Snake Hips" by Gene Russell's Trio, "Don't You Fool Me" by Ann Stacy, "My Lover" by Marilyn Calloway & The 4 Silvertones, "Lighten Up Baby" by Ty Karim, "Turkey Trot" by Dynamic Duo & The Penguiness, "False Pride" and "Prove It" by Lee Harvey, and "So Called Friend" by Billy Williams. LP, Vinyl record album

Funky soul from Witchita, Kansas – an unlikely locale, but home to some really great music – courtesy of the Smart brothers, and their ultra-hip club! This wonderful entry in the Eccentric Soul series from Numero really brings that lost scene to life – telling the tale of the brothers, their club, and some of the wickedly funky artists that graced their stage – a host of obscure groups, singers, and instrumentalists who really made Kansas cook, back in the day! The groove here is plenty darn hard – as raw as some of the best funky 45s you might find from points north, warmed up with occasional southern soul elements – and always produced with rough-and-ready vibe that gets to the heart of the grit right away. The set comes with a beautiful 28 page booklet – filled with vintage photos, in support of the Smart story, told by Dante Carfagna and Rob Sevier – but even without this added feature, the CD itself would be wonderful – essential listening for fans of all things funky! Titles include "Herbie's Bag" by John Smart's Band, "Mercy Baby" by Tim Jacob, "Dedicated To You" by Hard Road, "Let Me Be Your Christmas Toy" by Chocolate Snow, "Smart" by Smart Brothers, "I Was Made To Love Her" by Theron & Darrell, "I'm Not Ashamed" by Baby Neal & The Smart Brothers, "Everybody Needs Somebody" by LT & The Soulful Dynamics, "Don't Hate Let's Communicate" by Kenneth Carr with John Smart's Band, "It's Your Love" by Theron & Darrell, and "Let It Be" by Chocolate Snow. CD

A treasure trove of funk and soul from one heck of a great little label – Columbus, Ohio's short-lived Capsoul imprint – only around for 5 years in the 70s, but home to a great flurry of indie singles! We first caught onto the label's brilliance with their funky classics "Hot Grits" by Elijah & The Ebonies and "Sock It To Em Soul Brother" by Bill Moss – but as this set wonderfully demonstrates, the label's got a heck of a lot more to offer – and all of it great! The label's brilliance has been masterfully unearthed by the crate-digging team at Numero Records – who've brought together 19 of the best Capsoul singles in a beautiful package that really tells the story of the tiny imprint, getting at the details and struggles that faced independent soul in the marketplace of the 70s. Way more than just a set of old singles, the set's a rich document of indie soul in one of the near-forgotten corners of the Midwest – filled with great tunes that may well have you booking the next flight you can find to Columbus! Titles include "Sock It To Em Soul Brother" by Bill Moss, "Pure Soul" by Elijah & The Ebonies, "Without Love" by Ronnie Taylor, "You're All I Need To Make It" by Johnson, Hawkins, Tatum, & Durr, "Hot Grits" by Elijah & The Ebonies, "Too Far Gone" by Four Mints, "I Want To Be Ready" by Kook Blues, "Go On Fool" by Marion Black, and "Number One" by Bill Moss. Updated version features new mastering and additional notes – plus the bonus track "All I Need To Make It" by The Capsoul Group. CD

The birth of Miami soul, and a beautifully done document of the rare Deep City label – home to Willie Clarke, Clarence Reid, and Betty Wright in the years before Alston and TK Records! Way before Miami soul started cracking the charts at the start of the 70s, Deep City was already putting the best parts in place – working with a tight roster of artists and an equally tight in-house band that rose from the ranks of Florida A&M's Marching 100 band – razor-sharp instrumentalists who helped forge a groove worthy to rival the sounds of Memphis, Muscle Shoals, and even the best of Detroit at the time – given that some of the work here has a much sweeter soul sound than other 60s southern soul. As usual, the Numero team have done an incredible job with the package – pulling out rare photos, personal stories, and just the right amount of information to breathe new life into the Deep City label and help it live anew. CD features 17 tracks in all – including "Paralyzed" and "Good Lovin" by Betty Wright, "Am I A Good Man" by Them Two, "Someone To Fulfill My Needs" and "I Love You Baby" by The Moovers, "I Am Controlled By Your Love" and "Willing & Able" by Helene Smith, "Good Thing (part 1)" by Frank Williams & The Rocketeers, "It's My Baby" and "The Upset" by Paul Kelly, and "Stay Away From My Johnny" by Freda Gray & The Rocketeers. CD

A great look at an obscure indie soul label from the Cleveland scene at the end of the 60s – and a company that's definitely a cut above, given that it released some early O'Jays singles in the years before their crossover fame in the 70s – and members of that group also wrote a fair bit of singles for the label too! Besides a tie to the O'Jays, the Saru label also had a tight, well-chosen roster – one that really helped make Cleveland a hotbed for sweet soul at the time – easily competing with the hippest singers and groups from Philly, New York, and New Jersey – thanks to a string of excellent 45s on both the Saru imprint, and related Horoscope Records! As usual with Numero, the whole package is filled with fantastic details and photos that are as compelling as the music itself – and as for the music, this time around the Numero folks really get to the heart of the matter with a non-stop array of excellent material – not unreleased tapes, but killer 45s that really show Saru as a hell of a great soul label during its short run of records. Titles include "For The Rest Of My Life" and "Tears Don't Care Who Cry" by The Out Of Sights, "I Believe" and "Are You Man Enough" by Sir Stanely, "Stand In For Love" and "Love's Needed" by Pandella Kelly, "Come Back Boy" and "The Last Time" by The Ba-Roz, "Bound" and "I Remember You" by Ponderosa Twins, "Just To Be With You" and "Got To Make It Right" by Elements, "Can't Make It Without You" by Michael Bell, "Got To Get My Broom Out" by David Peoples, "Just To Be With You" by Bobby Dukes, and "Now He's Home" and "Shattered Man" by The O'Jays. CD

Numero's Eccentric Soul series focuses on a well-named label – the tiny Shoestring company, who must have operated on a shoestring budget – given that most of its work hardly made it out of the Southern Illinois scene in which they worked! Yet the label's home of Alton, Illinois was also not far from St Louis – and these tracks have a tighter, urban vibe than you might expect – some surprising boogie groovers in the mix, and sharp arrangements and a well put-together groove on most of these cuts that's very different than the usual sort of soul music you might expect from a tiny label. Part of that's the date – a number of these tracks come together from the post-disco years, and have a well-crafted 80s vibe – in a set list that includes the tracks "Let Yourself Go" and "I Need You So" by Jimmie Green, "You're All The Woman I Need" and "Disco Fever" by Howard Neal, "We've Got It Made" by The James Family, "You & Me" by Pete & Cheez, "You Keep Holding Back On Love" by Carletta Sue, and "Dance" by Jimmie Green. LP, Vinyl record album

Numero's Eccentric Soul series focuses on a well-named label – the tiny Shoestring company, who must have operated on a shoestring budget – given that most of its work hardly made it out of the Southern Illinois scene in which they worked! Yet the label's home of Alton, Illinois was also not far from St Louis – and these tracks have a tighter, urban vibe than you might expect – some surprising boogie groovers in the mix, and sharp arrangements and a well put-together groove on most of these cuts that's very different than the usual sort of soul music you might expect from a tiny label. Part of that's the date – a number of these tracks come together from the post-disco years, and have a well-crafted 80s vibe – in a set list that includes the tracks "Let Yourself Go" and "I Need You So" by Jimmie Green, "You're All The Woman I Need" and "Disco Fever" by Howard Neal, "We've Got It Made" by The James Family, "You & Me" by Pete & Cheez, "You Keep Holding Back On Love" by Carletta Sue, and "Dance" by Jimmie Green. LP, Vinyl record album

A killer collection of early work from producer Joe Gibbs – the kind of all-burning material that made Joe such a fresh new voice on the rocksteady scene in Kingston, and a studio whiz who helped set the tone for countless others to come! There's a quality to this work that's wonderful – groups that are tight, but never uptight – and singers that are very much part of the groove, almost urged on by the instrumentation by the well-chosen studio players that Gibbs chose for these early gems on his Amalgamated record label. Titles include "Long Shot" by The Pioneers, "I'm Moving On" by Keith Blake, "Miss Tourist" by Errol Dunkley, "Hold Them" by Roy Shirley, "Train To Soulville" by Cool Sticky, "Push It In" by The Versatiles, and "Come Brothers" by Hugh Malcolm. LP, Vinyl record album

A hip little set that's as groovy as its cover – a whole batch of cat-themed tunes from the 50s and 60s, most of them in a hip jazzy sort of style! Things are never too kitty-creepy – as they are with that lady down the street who owns way too many cats – and instead, most of the numbers here have a clean, lean sort of sound that's more in the mode of a 50s jazz "cat" than that of the four-legged, furry type. About half the numbers here are instrumentals with a really mod feel, and the rest are vocal numbers, of a variety of different genres – all put together in a way that's surprisingly fresh, and plenty darn groovy throughout. Titles include "The Cat" by Eddie & Ernie, "Three Cool Cats" by The Coasters, "Cleo" by Rene Hall, "Kitty Kat" by Paul Ott, "El Pussy Cat" by Mongo Santamaria, "Sneakin Up On You" by Peggy Lee, "Cat Nip" by Dave Baby Cortez, "Cat Hop" by The Dodgers, "Walkin My Cat Named Dog" by Norma Tanega, "The Cat" by Jimmy Smith, "The Cat Came Back" by Sonny James, "That Darned Cat" by Buddy Greco, "The Kitty Kat Song" by Lee Dorsey, "If You Play With Cats" by Charles Brown, "Tom Cat" by The Rooftop Singers, and "Top Cat Theme Song" by Top Cat Orchestra. CD

Foxy R&B, and a fair bit of soul as well – wonderful work from the previously-untapped Paso and Foxy record labels – headed up by legendary Chicago DJ Richard Stamz! Stamz was a key early force in African-American broadcasting in the Windy City – an important DJ not just in blues and soul, but also a TV figure as well – one who really helped get a heck of a lot of great music started in the early days of soul! This package features some real killers by artists who do a great job of skirting the rough line between blues and soul in Chicago in the 60s – some of whom would record more famously on other labels, like One-Der-Ful, but who really sound great here. The package was put together by the folks who've researched and recounted Stamz colorful life in print – and has a great array of rare music, plus stories of the DJ as well. Titles include "Say You Love Me" by Harold Burrage, "The Buzzard" by Freddie Robinson, "What's The Matter With You Sam" by The Ideals, "Just One More Time" by Loretta Branch, "You Gonna Cry" by Flora D, "I'm Trying" by Lee Shot Williams, "Gittin Along" by Willie Williams with the Howlin Wolf Band, "Goin Home" by Mary Johnson, "Please Love Me" by Harold Burrage, "Romeo Joe (part 1)" by Robert & The Rockin Ravens, and "Garlen's Mambo" by Ze Majestics. CD

A wild set of work from the Swedish scene of the 70s – work that's all inspired by a spiritual current in the artists, but which comes across with a vibe that you really wouldn't expect! It might be the shift in language – the Swedish lyrics mean that most of us can't understand the religious message of the vocals – but there's also a freewheeling sense of style going on too – including plenty of the funky currents that you'd find in Godspell or Jesus Christ Superstar – upbeat, lively, and stepping out with a really positive vibe! The instrumentation is great – a blend rock, soul, funk, and jazz – often in the same cut at once – and the whole thing is wonderfully groovy – filled with work we never would have heard otherwise, by artists who include Tomas Ernvik, Sabandet, Tillsammans, Mobilen, The Vergers, Mission Possible, Sanggruppen Liv, Obadja, Ingegerd, Humlans Funkykappe, and many others! LP, Vinyl record album

A great groovy take on the sound of the legendary Hi Records – the Memphis soul powerhouse that gave us so many wonderful records in the 70s! The sound of Hi here is a bit different than you may know from the hits – as the label is seen through the great filter of the Free Soul series – which focuses on mellow groovers and midtempo tracks that have a bright, bubbly approach to soul – all work that still has all the deep soul roots of Hi at its best, but which also features rhythms and grooves that are less familiar in the label's catalog! There's some very choice singles here, next to overlooked album cuts by artists who got to issue full length sets for Hi – and as always with Free Soul, you get plenty of music for your money. Titles include "Little Things" by Phillip Mitchell, "Got To Find My Baby" by James Gadson, "Roots Of Love" by Quiet Elegance, "Too Much Mystery" by Otis Clay, "Look At The Boy" by Jean Plum, "I Don't Do Windows" by OV Wright, "Everything Is Gonna Be Alright" by Willie Mitchell & Don Bryant, "Somebody's On Your Case" by Ann Peebles, "Save The Last Dance For Me" by Henry She, "Let Them Know You Care" by George Jackson, and "I'm So Thankful" by Al Perkins. CD

The deepest of the deep from the American scene at the start of the 70s – groups so hip they weren't quite soul, weren't quite rock – and instead kind of a funky hybrid of both! After opening our ears to countless underground sounds from around the globe, the Now Again label turn back to some of the territory of its roots – the hinterland of groups who labored mostly in obscurity, but left behind a few funky 45s that have become the stuff of legend – and which show us that there was a much bigger psychedelic funk underground out there besides groups like Funkadelic or the early Ohio Players! As always with the label, the history is really given its due, thanks to very detailed notes – alongside titles that include "Down By The River" by Purple Snow, "There's A Wrinkle In Our Time" by 1984, "Function Underground" by We The People, "Corruption Is The Thing" by Creations Unlimited, "Jimi's Guitar Raps With The Bass" by Jimi Macon, "I'm A Man" by Cisneros & Garza Group, "Just Got To Be Free" by Black Conspirators, "BL Movement" by Blaclites, and "The Siesta Is Over" by The Revolution. CD

Sweet jazzy grooves from a variety of global points in the late 70s/early 80s scene – music that's often much cooler and more interesting than mainstream fusion or jazz funk of the time! The set features work by artists who've dug the 70s experiments on CTI Records, but soon move into territory that's all their own – sometimes bringing in more regional instrumentation, or inflections from an earlier non-fusion world of expression – which includes some great Latin, Brazilian, and Eastern European elements throughout the set! The collection is maybe even more compelling than the first volume in the series – and titles include "Pendulum" by Bobby Martinez, "Oto Przyczyna" by Krystyna Pronko, "Cactus" by Nivaldo Ornelas, "Mystified" by Tom Grant, "Brownstones" by Dana Kaproff, "Oamoreomar" by Carlos Mendes, and "Free" by Lerma De La Cruz. LP, Vinyl record album

The sound of tomorrow, today – served up here with the genius of Brownswood Records – a company who've been one of the most forward-thinking in modern music for quite a few years! Brownswood is run by longtime DJ Gilles Peterson – whose ears are always amazing for picking out sounds that blow our mind – especially when it comes to up-and-coming artists, of the sort who are getting some great exposure here! As with previous volumes, there's a genre-blending mix of soul, jazz, and other styles going on – on cuts that include "Catastrophe" by Tadi The Great, "To Be A Woman" by Plumm, "Voyager One Lost" by Seigfried Komidiashi, "Twice" by Ceeow, "Rough Of The Felt" by Nowsm, "Good & Low Key" by Victoria Jane, "Keeping On" by Jericho Noguera with Buddy Analogue, "Crinje" by Zenel x Plumm, and "Like Summer" by Shirkers x Ceeow. LP, Vinyl record album

A massive collection of work from these important years in music – and even if you don't know or care about Gary Crowley, who's pictured on the cover, you'll find plenty to love here if you dig UK sounds from the late 70s and early 80s! As indicated by the title, the set focuses on new wave and punk tracks – which also means that there's plenty of post-punk too – and the package does a really great job of offering up music that stands the test of time, even though much of it never got much play on American airwaves back in the day – music that really helped set the tone for a generation, and whose effects are still resonating all these many years later. As with volume one, the presentation is great – a very nice package, with detailed notes – and the 2LP version features 28 titles – with work by The Times, Shake, The Limps, Newtown Neurotics, The Slits, Gary Valentine, Basement 5, Dolly Mixture, Liquid Stone, The Subterraneans, Stiff Little Fingers, The Jam, Zounds, The Cure, The City Limits, Moving England, The Barracudas, Penetration, X-Ray Spex, The Limit, Magazine, Golinski Brothers, The Clash, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool set, and one that goes way past the usual 60s soul and pop modes that usually define a girl group compilation – as this one goes way way back, and traces female harmony modes from the early swing years onwards – served up in a massive 82 track package that's overflowing with surprises! The material really shows the evolution of the mode in a great way – mixing early 78rpm tracks with postwar 45s and LP titles – in modes that include jazz, soul, R&B, and pop – all supported by the usual great French and English notes that we love from this label! CD3 features all early 60s material, with a few decades spanned on the previous 2CDs – work by artists who include Daindridge Sisters, Angels, Blossoms, Cookies, Poni-Tails, Bonnie Sisters, Beverly Sisters, Clark Sisters, Shirley Gunter & The Queens, Paulette Sisters, Chordettes, Raelettes, Quin-Tones, Paris Sisters, Royalettes, Starletts, Charmaines, Dinning Siters, Fontaine Sisters, Boswell Sisters, The Enchanters, and others. CD

A huge dip into the world of all-girl bands from the 60s – not sweet-voiced, teeny-bopping pop acts – and instead a host of raw, garagey groups that come across with a heck of a lot of power! There's some folks out there who might tag a famous 70s group or two as the first female rock band – but as the compilers of this long-running series know, the phenomenon goes way way back – so much so that there's no need to fuss and fight about any "first", and instead just dive in and enjoy all the wonderful music on the set! Production is nice and lean on most of these cuts – no added strings or orchestral sweetening – and these groups work in territory that's got all the raw power of any of the male groups to be tagged with the "garage" label over the years. Three tracks on the set are previously unreleased, the package has superb notes on the material, and titles include "Pink Dominos" by Chiyo & the Crescents, "I Don't Know Why" by The Wrong Black Bag, "Ask Me" by Debbie Williams & The Unwritten Law, "Dimples" by The Misfits, "Melvin" by The Belles, "Stardust Come Back" by Girls Take Over, "Really Gonna Shake" by Sandra Barry & The Boys, "Skinny Minnie" by The Beat Chics, and "Never Till Now" by The Bootles. CD

A killer killer compilation – the sort we've been dying to own for years! It's a well known fact that there's plenty of funky nuggets hidden amidst 70s gospel recordings – massive grooves and break-heavy tracks that rank right up there with the best indie funk from the same time. Yet tracking down these tunes has always been plenty tough – given that most gospel records sold in different circles, had different distribution, and often are less easy to decipher for the crate digger than more conventional funk and soul. Enter the folks at Numero – who have really gone all out this time around, and dug through piles and piles of rare gospel records to come up with a whopping batch of great tracks! This set is definitely ground zero for getting into funky gospel – and it's filled with far more obscure work than the Soul Gospel set on Soul Jazz – all indie numbers from small labels that only got minor distribution at the time. As usual with Numero, the notes and package match the soulful depth and righteousness of the music – and the set is one of the most perfectly wrapped-up genre compilations we've ever seen! 18 tracks in all – with titles that include "I Thank The Lord" by Mighty Voices Of Wonder, "This Old World Is Going Down" by The Modulations, "Look Where He Brought Us" by The Apostles Of Music, "Thoughs (sic) Were The Days" by LaVice & Company, "Bad Situation" by 5 Spiritual Tones, "God Been Good To Me" by Mighty Walker Brothers, "O Yes My Lord" by Voices Of Conquest, "We Don't Love Enough" by Triumphs, "Heaven On Their Minds" by Sam Taylor, "God Will Dry My Weeping Eyes" by Horace Family, and "I Call Him" by Masonic Wonders. CD

Here's a set that takes the "More" in its title very seriously – as the package is overflowing with way more rare work than we might have expected – six tracks from the Motown vaults that appear here for the first time ever, and many other that were unreleased at the time – showing just how much the Detroit soul powerhouse was able to capture some of the best female singers coming through its studios! If you're worried about these tracks being clunkers, put aside those fears – as even the lesser cuts at Motown are usually better than some of the hits at other labels – given the production strengths and studio talents, who do a great job here of making both the big names and the lesser-knowns sound wonderful. As always with Ace, there's a huge amount of detailed notes that really make the package great – alongside 25 tracks that include "Good Good Feeling" by Brenda Holloway, "Hold Me Oh My Darling" by Ann Bogan, "I Don't Want Your Promises" by LaBrenda Ben, "Don't Be Too Long" by Anita Knorl, "A Love So Deep Inside" by the Velvelettes, "Can't Figure It Out" by The Lewis Sisters, "I'm So Helpless" by Debbie Dean, "Nothing But A Fool" by Gladys Knight & The Pips, "My Daddy Knows Best" by Little Lisa, "Suck Up" by Oma Heard, "This Love I've Got" by Martha & The Vandellas, "Never Trust A Man" by Chris Clark, "When I Was In School" by Hattie Littles, and "All I Could Do Was Cry" by Yvonne Fair. CD

A really great return to form for the Free Soul series – one that mixed together key tracks from a variety of hip 70s soul and jazz labels – including Flying Dutchman, Brunswick, and TK – all with an assortment of grooves that really work well together! As with the classic Free Soul sets, all the titles here were chosen by Toru Hashimoto – a man who's taught us plenty about music over the decades – and the long package runs for over 80 minutes, with a sublime assortment of cuts that include "Girl Overboard" by Dorothy Moore, "Misdemeanor" by Foster Sylvers, "Am I The Same Girl" by Barbara Acklin, "What Am I Going To Do" by Reid Inc, "My Baby's Got ESP" by Four Below Zero, "You Light Up My Life" by Judy Roberts, "You Got To Be The One" by Marilyn Farra & Satin Soul, "My Baby Just Cares For Me" by Nina Simone, "Love Land" by The Lost Generation, "Jolie" by Latimore, "I Think I'll Call It Morning" by Gil Scott Heron, "We've Only Just Begun" by Lynn Marion with Frank Cunimundo Trio, "Don't You Care" by Alice Clarke, "Let Your Love Rain Down On Me" by Jewel Bass, "Changin" by Sharon Ridley, and "Love Each Other" by Leon Thomas. CD

A love letter to the legendary Fame Records – filled with unissued tracks and rare gems from the vaults! Fame was one of the great ones back in the day – the driving force behind Muscle Shoals soul music, and a company that helped really redefine the sound of the music in the 60s – thanks to incredible production, and a tight cast of studio musicians who knocked it out of the park on nearly every session! 21 of the set's 24 tracks have never been issued before – and, even more compelling, none were featured on the similar 7" box set from Ace – making the package a treasure trove of music, even for the serious soul collector. Titles include "Tell It Like It Is" by Big Ben Atkins, "Almost Persuaded" by Jackie, "You're So Fine" by James Barnett, "I Do" by June Conquest, "Your Helping Hand" by Otis Clay, "In The Heat Of Love" by Marjorie Ingram, "Steal Away 67" by Jimmy Hughes, "You Really Know How To Hurt A Guy" by Ralph Soul Jackson, "Let's Do It Over" by Travis Wammack, "For You" by George Jackson, "Baby Come Back" by Bobby Moore & The Rhythm Aces, "Keep On Talking" by Prince Phillip, "It Ain't No Harm" by George Byrd & The Dominoes, "Blind Can't See" by Richard Earl & The Corvettes, and "I Need Someone" by The Entertainers. CD

A massive batch of boogaloo gems – all wrapped up in one mighty package! Tico Records was one of the first great New York indie labels to focus on Latin music in the postwar years – and by the time of the huge late 60s boom in the world of Latin Soul, the label were definitely in a great position to turn out some killer work from a variety of artists! Some of the label's artists were aging, but reinvigorated by the energy of the younger generation – who also got access to the top shelf Tico presentation, as they brought in some of the best soul styles from East Harlem to trim things down from the larger Latin ensembles of the previous generation, and really send things home with a funky sort of groove. This set's a great overview of these key years at Tico – and titles include "Sock It To Me" and "Psychedelic Baby" by Joe Cuba, "Tighten Up" and "The Horse" by Al Escobar, "Fever" by La Lupe, "Be's That Way" and "Bobo Do That Thing" by Willie Bobo, "El Watusi" and "Babalu" by Ray Barretto, "Hit The Bongo" and "Coye Como Va" by Tito Puente, "My People" by Joe Panama, "Come An Get It" and "The African Twist" by Eddie Palmieri, "Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In" by Celia Cruz & Tito Puente, "Madrid" by Candido, "Times They Are A Changin" by Jimmy Sabater, "El Pito" and "Bang Bang" by Joe Cuba, "Fat Mama" and "TP's Shing A Ling" by Tito Puente, and "Yes I Will (part 1)" by Gilberto Sextet. LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool collection – one that's maybe best summed up by the word "ecstatic" in the title – as the package presents a blend of work from artists who easily skirt both the spiritual and secular side of soulful music, united together with a very joyous, uplifting vibe in their sound! This isn't classic gospel from the years when you might hear a guitar or organ behind a small group of harmonizing vocals – and instead, much of this work was created at a time when soul music had already been going strong for years – and while gospel might have initially helped in the formation of soul, it's clear that things are also moving the other direction in these tracks – as many of these artists borrow from the power of righteous soul styles, and use it to inflect their joyous message with a great new energy! Titles include "Everything Is Gonna Be Alright" by Keith Barrow, "Is There Anybody Here" by The Alvin Darling Ensemble, "Trouble's Brewin" by The Meditation Singers, "Satisfied" by Andre Crouch & The Disciples, "Let Your Feet Down Easy" by Dorothy Norwood, "If You Believe Your God Is Dead" by Swan Silvertones, "The Upper Way" by The Violinaires, "Elijah" by Roscoe Robinson, "Till I've Got This Feelin Of Love" by Dyson's Faces, and "Nothing Can Stop Me Now" by Destiny. CD

A really cool collection – one that's maybe best summed up by the word "ecstatic" in the title – as the package presents a blend of work from artists who easily skirt both the spiritual and secular side of soulful music, united together with a very joyous, uplifting vibe in their sound! This isn't classic gospel from the years when you might hear a guitar or organ behind a small group of harmonizing vocals – and instead, much of this work was created at a time when soul music had already been going strong for years – and while gospel might have initially helped in the formation of soul, it's clear that things are also moving the other direction in these tracks – as many of these artists borrow from the power of righteous soul styles, and use it to inflect their joyous message with a great new energy! Titles include "Everything Is Gonna Be Alright" by Keith Barrow, "Is There Anybody Here" by The Alvin Darling Ensemble, "Trouble's Brewin" by The Meditation Singers, "Satisfied" by Andre Crouch & The Disciples, "Let Your Feet Down Easy" by Dorothy Norwood, "If You Believe Your God Is Dead" by Swan Silvertones, "The Upper Way" by The Violinaires, "Elijah" by Roscoe Robinson, "Till I've Got This Feelin Of Love" by Dyson's Faces, and "Nothing Can Stop Me Now" by Destiny. LP, Vinyl record album

The Houseplant series really takes off with this killer triple-LP set – a massive batch of funk and soul, both old and new – presented here in a really great assortment of modes! There's some great deep tracks from the 70s here, alongside some well-chosen contemporary cuts from the international funk underground – plus a few other assorted surprises along the way – keeping the label's strong reputation for serving up a record that's way different than the standard funk compilation! Titles include "Short Stopping" by Veda Brown, "What's Good For You" by Harvey Scales, "Little Saddy" by Andre Ethier, "The Devastator" by Stormy, "I'm Not Ready For Love" by Promise, "Slide" by Adesse Versions, "Gettin Funky Round Here" by Black Nasty, "Love Theme From Spartacus" by Yusef Lateef, "Town Called Nowhere" by Skip Mahoney & The Casuals, "Blind Alley" by The Emotions, "Blah Blah Blah" by Saun & Starr, "Gotta Let Me Know" by Breakestra, "Jamaica Ska" by Byron Lee & The Dragonaires, "Legend In My Own Mind" by The Stepkids, "Lament 1" by Dustin Laurenzi, "Trouble" by Frederick Knight, "The Echo" by Epsilons, "A Little Bit More Won't Hurt" by Bettye Crutcher, "The Who Who Song" by Jackie Wilson, and "Don't Stop" by The Bar Kays. LP, Vinyl record album

From the end of the 70s onward, the Italian Black Saint record label offered up some of the most high quality spiritual and avant jazz of the time – really taking over where American record companies had dropped the ball, and allowing a huge wave of new energy from both older musicians and a younger generation who might never have gotten the right level of exposure, had Black Saint (and related Soul Note imprint) stepped into the scene! This package offers up some of the coolest cuts from Black Saint – and has an especially strong focus on the work that the label did to carry forward older spiritual sounds, especially those first unlocked on Impulse Records – a legacy that really comes through strongly here. Titles include "Love On A Far Away Planet" and "Mayan Temples" by Sun Ra, "Song For Mozambique/Sea Of Faces" by Archie Shepp, "Guitar Vibes" by Karl Berger, "Tap Dancer" by Oliver Lake, "Ode To The Flower Maiden" by John Carter, "Mama Marimba" by Joseph Jarman and Donh Moye, "Sixth Sense" by Don Pullen, "Hattie Wall" by World Saxophone Quartet, "Laja" by Muhal Richard Abrams, and "Metamusician's Stomp" by Andrew Cyrille & Maono. LP, Vinyl record album

Very early work from the Jamaican scene – a set that includes cuts by artists who'd later record classic tracks in the rocksteady years, but who here are working in a much different mode! The title is plenty apt, but only gets at part of the sound – as this isn't straight doo wop as you'd know from the American scene, but instead some early group harmony – of the sort that would flourish even more strongly on famous Jamaican trio recordings of the late 60s – handled here with much more stripped-down instrumentation, and a shifting set of rhythms that mixes US influences with other more Caribbean modes. Titles include "Muriel" by Alton & Eddie, "Dearest Darling" by Jiving Juniors, "Til The End Of Time" by Chuck & Dobby, "Dearest Beverly" by Jimmy Cliff, "Heavenly Angel" by Laurel Aitken, "Do You Know" by Owen & Millie, "I'm Going Back" by The Charmers, "Diamonds & Pearls" by Dobby Dobson, and "Album Of Memory" by The Mellowlarks. LP, Vinyl record album

A third healthy dose of music from the early years of the Jamaican scene – work that's a direct precursor to the trio group soul mode of the rocksteady years, and which provides a great bridge into the way that American soul music went on to have such a strong influence on reggae! The "doo wop" in the title is key here – as these tracks are definitely heavy on harmonies and lighter on instrumentation – very much tied to American expressions of the genre, and delivered by artists who'd both go on to later fame, and disappear in the shifting sands of time. Titles include "My Heaven" by Alton & Eddie, "Sweet As An Angel" by Jiving Juniors, "First Time We Met" by Annette & Shenley, "Dream Girl" by Ricketts & Rowe, "Don't You Know" by The Moonlighters, "I'll Always Call Your Name" by Belltones, "Never Go Away" by Wilfred Jackie Edwards, "Change Of Mind" by Higgs & Wilson, and "I've Done You Wrong" by The Blues Busters. LP, Vinyl record album

A set that steps out with a Curtis Mayfield reference in the title, but which goes into much heavier territory all – black rock, often mixed with a bit of funk, in the best tradition of some of the Hendrix-inspired groups who rose up at the start of the 70s! If you know the trippy psychedelic style of Merda, you'll get part of the vibe here – but as usual with Numero, the span is much wider-ranging overall – and the label's done a great job of uncovering a range of obscure African-American acts from the 70s who were firmly committed to the headier, heavier, fuzzier, freakier side of the spectrum! Titles include "I Can't Believe" by Flying Wedge, "Sweet Poison" by Iron Force, "Message To Planet Earth" by Solid Gold, "Ringing Bells (part 2)" by The Young Senators, "Rolling Love (part 2)" by Three Days Ahead, "It's A Dream" by Little Ed & The Soundmasters Band, "Funky Music" by The Basement, and "Chrystal Illusion" by Creative Unlimited. LP, Vinyl record album

A set that really digs deep into the British scene of the early 70s – a package pitched around the idea of opening acts for supergroups at a rock festival, and one that serves up a whole host of groups who never fully got their due on our side of the Atlantic at the time! These aren't underground or experimental groups – and most recorded for major labels – but they also weren't chart-topping acts, or those that have gone into the classic rock pantheon – which makes for a really great discovery to most ears not fully acquainted with this moment in UK rock! The set was put together by Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs – who've given us other seminal sets of UK music from the 70s, and groovy 60s compilations too – and they really do a great job here of setting the scene, and picking the best cuts from groups who are top-shelf in their effort and execution. As always with the pair, the notes with the set are as illuminating as the music – and titles include "Taken All The Good Things" by Stray, "Out Demons Out" by Edgar Broughton Band, "One Way Glass" by Manfred Mann Chapter Three, "Hold On To Your Mind" by Andwella, "Big Boobs Boogie" by Slowload, "Third World" by Paladin, "For Mad Men Only" by May Blitz, "Met Pies Ave Come" by Stack Waddy, "Ricochet" by Jonesy, and the surprising inclusion of some rocking KPM sound library tracks – including "Hot Pants" by Alan Parker & Alan Hawkshaw, "Led Balloon" by Steve Gray, and "Confunction" by Dave Richmond. CD

A set that really digs deep into the British scene of the early 70s – a package pitched around the idea of opening acts for supergroups at a rock festival, and one that serves up a whole host of groups who never fully got their due on our side of the Atlantic at the time! These aren't underground or experimental groups – and most recorded for major labels – but they also weren't chart-topping acts, or those that have gone into the classic rock pantheon – which makes for a really great discovery to most ears not fully acquainted with this moment in UK rock! The set was put together by Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs – who've given us other seminal sets of UK music from the 70s, and groovy 60s compilations too – and they really do a great job here of setting the scene, and picking the best cuts from groups who are top-shelf in their effort and execution. As always with the pair, the notes with the set are as illuminating as the music – and titles include "Taken All The Good Things" by Stray, "Out Demons Out" by Edgar Broughton Band, "One Way Glass" by Manfred Mann Chapter Three, "Hold On To Your Mind" by Andwella, "Big Boobs Boogie" by Slowload, "Third World" by Paladin, "For Mad Men Only" by May Blitz, "Met Pies Ave Come" by Stack Waddy, "Ricochet" by Jonesy, and the surprising inclusion of some rocking KPM sound library tracks – including "Hot Pants" by Alan Parker & Alan Hawkshaw, "Led Balloon" by Steve Gray, and "Confunction" by Dave Richmond. LP, Vinyl record album

A set that definitely lives up to the intrigue promised in the title – an alternative look at British music in the 80s, served up with some more experimental, unusual tracks that go way past the pop hits of the time! There's still some names here you might know, but there's also work from plenty of the hipper indie labels who kept things interesting – especially in the territory of companies like Factory, Rough Trade, and 4AD – who each get some space within! As with other sets done by Steven Wilson, there's some detailed notes that make the overall package a delight throughout – with 19 tracks on this vinyl version, work by Dif Juz, Cardiacs, A Certain Ratio, Perennial Divide, Cocteau Twins, Twelfth Night, This Heat, Ultravox, Durutti Column, Punishment Of Luxury, The Stranglers, Magazine, Bill Nelson's Red Noise, No Man, Slab, Robert Fripp & The League Of Gentlemen, and Dead Can Dance. LP, Vinyl record album

A mighty nice little package – one that's overflowing with the special sort of Latin and soul music hybrids that rose up from the Spanish Harlem scene in the late 60s – the kind of cuts that helped establish Fania Records as one of the most important Latin labels around – and one of the grooviest too! These aren't the 70s salsa tracks that Fania spread across the globe – but the more New York-styled numbers that often had English language lyrics in the lead, sung by a soulful vocalist – and set to small combo rhythms that were overflowing with energy, and plenty of touches of jazz, soul, and funk! These are all the mixes from the rare 45rpm singles issued by Fania back in the day – and although the songs are wonderful, the collection together is even cooler as a whole – dozens of tracks, including some really rare ones – all bound up in a 7" book-styled cover, with 60 pages of notes, and a bonus funky 45! Titles include "Silent Heart" by 125th Street Candy Store, "Micro Mini" and "Make Out" by Harvey Averne, "Too Much Lovin" and "So Fine" by Joe Bataan, "Willie Baby" by Willie Colon, "Soul Drummers" and "Mercy Mercy Baby" by Ray Barretto, "Geronimo" and "Funky Big Feet" by Bobby Valentin, "Mercie" by Ralph Robles, "Camel Walk" by The Latinaires, "Batola Boogaloo" by Bobby Quesada, "Grazin In The Grass" by Orchestra Harlow, "Spinning Wheel" by El Apollo Sound, "Hey Sister" by Monguito Santamaria, "Who Is The Girl For Me" and "Look At Her" by Ralfi Pagan, "New York Soul" by Ray Barretto, "Some Lonely Heart" by ronnie Marks, "Let's Get It Together This Christmas" by Harvey Averne, "Shaft" and "If I Were A King" by Joe Bataan, "Johnny's No Good" and "Blonde Latin Blues" by WRLC, and "Today" and "Try Just a Little Harder" by Butter Scotch. Lots more too – and the bonus 7" single features two promo tracks recorded for DJ Symphony Sid – one by Joe Bataan, the other by Bobby Valentin! CD

An incredible trip through the 70s Japanese jazz scene – a second volume of J Jazz that's even bigger and better than the first – with unknown gems from private presses, indie labels, and rarities from the Japanese branches of the major labels, too! Compilers Tony Higgins & Mike Peden (who are both also responsible for the nicely done notes) follow through on all of the things we loved about the first J Jazz compilation, but improve on it by going bigger and digging deeper. The majority of the tracks were recorded from 1969 through the late 70s – with a few recorded in later years – and all have a wonderful way of being open to the stylistic inventions of the time without getting hung up on trends. So while there's some fusiony funk and electric piano, there's plenty of acoustic instrumentation and timelessly inventive material. BBE has outdone themselves on this excellent collection – and the titles include "Dragon Dance" by Makoto Terashita & Harold Land, "Daguri" by Kohsuke Mine Quintet, "Distant Thunder" by Mabumi Yamguchi Quartet, "Animal Garden" by Miyasaka + 5, "Mother Of The Future" by Electro Keyboard Orchestra, "Serenade To A Dimly Lit Street" by Hiroshi Matsumoto/Hideo Ichikawa Quartet, "Teru-Teru Bozu" (Black Keys) by Teru Sakamoto Trio, "Little Giant" by Nobuo & Sharps & Flats, "Brown Trout" by Akira Miyazawa and more. 14 tracks on 3LPs. LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible trip through the 70s Japanese jazz scene – a second volume of J Jazz that's even bigger and better than the first – with unknown gems from private presses, indie labels, and rarities from the Japanese branches of the major labels, too! Compilers Tony Higgins & Mike Peden (who are both also responsible for the nicely done notes) follow through on all of the things we loved about the first J Jazz compilation, but improve on it by going bigger and digging deeper. The majority of the tracks were recorded from 1969 through the late 70s – with a few recorded in later years – and all have a wonderful way of being open to the stylistic inventions of the time without getting hung up on trends. So while there's some fusiony funk and electric piano, there's plenty of acoustic instrumentation and timelessly inventive material. BBE has outdone themselves on this excellent collection – and titles include "Dragon Dance" by Makoto Terashita & Harold Land, "Daguri" by Kohsuke Mine Quintet, "Distant Thunder" by Mabumi Yamguchi Quartet, "Animal Garden" by Miyasaka + 5, "Mother Of The Future" by Electro Keyboard Orchestra, "Serenade To A Dimly Lit Street" by Hiroshi Matsumoto/Hideo Ichikawa Quartet, "Teru-Teru Bozu" (Black Keys) by Teru Sakamoto Trio, "Little Giant" by Nobuo & Sharps & Flats, "Brown Trout" by Akira Miyazawa and more – plus the CD bonus track "Original Bill" by Koichi Matsukaze Trio. 15 tracks on 2CDs. CD

A very cool criss-crossing of classic and contemporary jazz cuts – all put together by the same folks who've given us the excellent Jazz Room reissue label in recent years! The vibe here is expanded past the 70s and 80s material reissued by that label – and the right use of more recent cuts really does a lot to open up the music – expanding the palette in really wonderful ways, while still holding onto plenty of the classic jazz dance modes that first started taking over the UK clubs in the early years of Gilles Peterson and some of his contemporaries! Titles include "Niger Mambo" by Chieck Tidiane Seck, "African Flutes" by Clare Fischer, "Water No Get Enemy" by Daniel Crawford, "Sounds" by Eternal Buzz Brass Band, "Don't You Want Me" by Fast 3, "Golden Brown" by Take Vibe, "The Hipster" by Florian Pellissier, "Black & Decker" by Raul Monsalve Y Los Forajidos, "Jazz Carnival" by Cruisic, and "Rebel No 27 (7" edit)" by Chip Wickham. LP, Vinyl record album

A second volume of underground disco and unstoppable dancefloor soul from NYC in the late 70s and early 80s – M&M Mixes Vol 2, highlighting rare and previously unreleased mixes by John Morales! It features a roster of legendary names, particularly to diggers of deeper disco tracks, but also some soul stars who worked well in that groove – a batch of tunes mixed & engineered by Morales back in the day at M&M Studios and elsewhere. Great numbers by Brass Construction, Inner Life feat Jocelyn Brown, War and First Choice! The vinyl version comes in 2 separate parts –both 2LPs and featuring all exclusive extended vinyl versions – each each of which fills a whole side! Part A includes "Caught Up (John's Missing M+M Extended 12" Mix)" by Inner Life feat Jocelyn Brown, "Now Is Tomorrow (John's M+M Today Groove Mix)" by Brass Construction, "The Player (John's North Philly M+M Groove Mix)" by First Choice and "Slipping Into Darkness (John's M+M Out Of The Light Mix)" by War. LP, Vinyl record album

32 nuggets from the farther reaches of the British scene in the early years of punk rock – music that goes past some of the bigger names of the time, and which presents an especially English take on the raw sounds that were shaking things up on both sides of the Atlantic as an antidote to the disco and AOR generations! The Cherry Red label was born during these times, and always had a great ear for some of the more unusual, offbeat work – including cuts by artists who were important, but who quickly disappeared from the scene – presented here in both classic 45rpm singles, and some even much more obscure and rare tracks too! The whole thing's got a short, sharp punch throughout – and titles include "Mucky Pup" by Puncture, "Hungry" by The Zeros, "Outside View" by Eater, "Peudo Punk" by O Level, "Chelsea 77" by Maniacs, "Speed Freak" by V2, "Safety Pin Stuck In My Heart" by Patrik Fitzgerald, "Teenage Treats" by The Wasps, "I Don't Want My Heart To Rule My Head" by Social Security, "Murder Of Liddle Towers" by Angelic Upstarts, "Just Another Teenage Rebel" by The Outcasts, "ACAB" by The Rowdies, "19 & Mad" by Leyton Buzzards, "King Of Kings" by The Pack, "Where's Captain Kirk" by Spizzenergi, "These Boots Are Made For Walking" by Pure Hell, and "Jilly" by The Pranhas. LP, Vinyl record album

All-star jazz from the Japanese scene of the early 60s – a record that's almost in the Verve Records jam session or JATP style – as it features some of the greatest players on the Japanese scene of the time, coming together on some really long tracks that take off in a beautiful way! The set features two cuts, each taking up a side of the record – and that leaves plenty of room for long solo contributions from musicians who include Sadao Watanabe on alto, Akira Miyazawa on tenor, Norio Maeda on piano, Takeshi Inomata on drums, Shungo Sawada on guitar, and Akira Nakano on trumpet. Players are different on each side of the record – changing things up nicely, to present the range of new Japanese jazz voices that were making the start of the 60s such a key part of the scene – and the titles include extended takes on "Moanin" and "Walkin". LP, Vinyl record album

A key showcase of some of the fantastic groups who were starting to shape the sound of jazz on the Japanese jazz scene at the start of the 60s –a set that's a nice contrast to the first volume in this series, which featured all of the different musicians jamming together! Here, leadership is the focus – as each number has the musicians showing of the way that they were moving Japanese instrumental music past some of the more mood-based styles that were still pretty dominant in the mainstream, and instead taking very strong lessons from the 50s American wave of players who revolutionized the sound of jazz with hardbop! Nearly every player here is at the start of their career, but about to unfurl music that would shape Japanese jazz for decades to come – and titles include "Late At Night" played by the combo of pianist Masao Yagi, "With A Feeling Of Love" played by tenorist Akira Miyazawa, "Four On Six" by guitarist Shungo Sawada, "For Singers Only" by pianist Norio Maeda, "What's Now" by pianist Keitaro Miho, and "Alone Together" by altoist Sadao Watanabe. LP, Vinyl record album

An overstuffed package of classic work from the Caribbean – most of it from midcentury, at a time before reggae and other styles would bring even more exposure to the scene! The music here is in a nice mix of modes – separate by island identity, but drawn together in a good way by the package, and given more detail in the large booklet of notes – which features details in both English and French. Styles run the gamut from mambo to voodoo, biguine to goombay, calypso to cha cha, and lots more in between – with a total of 48 cuts by artists who include Compay Segundo, Facundo Rivera, Dioris Vallardes, Luis Quintero, Joe Harriott, Ruben McCoy, Theophilus Beckford, Sidney Bean, Josephine Premice, The Mighty Terror, Blind Blake, Cout Ossie, Cecil Lloyd, Mongo Santamaria, Henri Salvador, and many others! CD

One of our favorite volumes in the London Is The Place For Me collection – and a brilliant batch of work that criss-crosses West African, West Indian, and postwar jazz styles! Most of the recordings here were done under the leadership of Ambrose Adekoya Campbell – a transplant to London from Lagos in the postwar year, and an artist who had a huge influence on the changing rhythms of his scene. Campbell mixed styles of his roots with those of the larger London community around him – in a way that let in more Latin and Caribbean influences to more traditional African styles – often using guitar in a high-life styled way, but also bringing in some key jazz phrasings as well. As usual with Honest Jons' reissues, the notes are quite detailed, but ultimately a bit unspecific about the actual recordings in the set – although we can say that Campbell's on nearly all of these, and they were all done as 50s 78rpm singles for the Melodisc label. Titles include "We Have It In Africa", "Iku Koni Payin", "I Am A Stranger", "Lagos Mambo", "Ela Da Awa", "and "Calabar-O" by West African Rhythm Brothers; "The Wind In A Frolic" and "Unity" by Nigerian Union Rhythm Group; "Ibikunle Alakija" by Ayinde Bakare & His Meranda Orchestra; and "Late Ojo Davies" and "Geneva Conference" by West African Rhythm Stars. LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked Hal Willner project – similar to his tributes to Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus! The set's based around the songs of Kurt Weil – with interesting performances by folks who include Van Dyke Parks, Todd Rundgren, Lou Reed, Tom Waits, Carla Bley, and John Zorn. CD

A huge array of soul tracks from the Mainstream label – an imprint that was probably best known for its jazz work of the early 70s, and as the launching pad for a few key rock groups – but one who also cut some killer soul tracks in the best New York and Philly styles of the period! Mainstream only ever issued most of its soul material as singles – 45s issued on their own label, and under the IX Chains, Brown Dog, and New Moon imprints too – spread out in an array of under-circulated, poorly-distributed releases that never fully got their due at the time – partly because much of the music was years ahead of its time! There's a groove here that reminds us of the hippest sounds from bigger labels – including Philly International or All-Platinum – with a similar blend of sweetness, honest vocal performances, and some top-shelf studio work that gives the lyrics a hell of an instrumental push, but all without ever sounding slick or commercial. The package is a much-needed look at this scattered legacy – and brings together 24 rare cuts that include "These Memories" by Almeta Lattimore, "I'm The One Who Loves You" by JG Lewis, "Come Back (part 1)" by The Fantastic Puzzles, "I Can't Give You Up" by Linda Perry, "It Ain't Like It Used To Be" by Randolph Brown & Company, "No Rebate On Love" by The Dramatics, "You're A Friend Of Mine" by Words Of Wisdom, "Satisfy My Woman" by Calvin Arnold, "Plain Out Of Luck" by Nia Johnson, "We're Not Too Young To Fall In Love" by Jackey Beavers Show, "Let The People Talk" by The Steptones, "To Whom It May Concern" by Ellerine Harding, "It's So Real" by McArthur, "Stop & Think A Minute" by Charles Beverly, and "That's The Way She Is" by Bobby Earl Williams. CD

A heavenly set of southern soul – a package that pulls together a wealth of rare and unreleased singles from the Malaco label – that important Jackson, Mississippi imprint that took on the deeper sounds of the 70s – after the Memphis and Muscle Shoals scenes were losing steam! Some of the artists here are ones who would have ended up on Stax or Volt, had the labels still been going at the time – and instead found a great home on Malaco, a company who also had a great legacy of work in southern blues, and really knew how to bring out the best in a strong-voiced singer! Yet despite that side of the label, the music here is all-soul all the way through – not some of the soul/blues hybrids that Malaco could do well, and instead amazing deep soul, handled with a new sort of sophistication for the 70s! The sound is wonderful throughout – and the set features loads of cuts we'd never heard before – 18 titles that include "Overflowing" by Jewel Bass, "Ain't No Love For Sale" by Tommy Tate, "Sour Love Bitter Sweet" by Joe Wilson, "Lovin On Borrowed Time" by Anita Mitchell, "Got To Find The Nerve" by Hank Sample, "Two Of A Kind" by Dorothy Moore, "Once Upon A Love Affair" by Chuck Brooks, "That's How Much I Love You" by Eddie Houston, and "Talkin About Love" by George Soule. CD

That slightly creepy photo on the cover makes the kids look a bit more like cult members than the kind of sunny, happy flower children you might normally expect – and that's actually part of the quality of the package, too – as the set really gets at all the wonderful tensions taking place in American music in 1967 – a time of great freedom and optimism, but one with an undercurrent of darkness as well! The set really dives deeply into the crucial year of 1967, and goes way past the oldies and radio hits that most people associate with the musical moment – to bring together all sorts of cool cuts that often were only trading hands with the deeper chapters of the underground, mixed with a few other tracks from artists who got more play at the time, but were also changing the system from within! As with other Grapefruit collections, the notes and presentation are as great as the song choices – and the set features 85 titles in all, with work from The Balloon Farm, Gates Of Eden, Zodiac, Vanilla Fudge, Red Crayola, Lemon Drops, Cyrkle, Peppermint Trolley Company, Tim Rose, Spike Drivers, Blues Magoos, Sound Barrier, Grateful Dead, Thursdays Children, The ID, Zakary Thaks, Velvet Underground, Clear Light, Critters, Sagittarius, Jim & Jean, Sonny, Blue Things, Morning Dew, and many others! CD

An incredible collection – and one that fills in a crucially under-documented side of the New York dancefloor generation – the wealth of special mixes and edits that were made for that city's important DJs for their own use in clubs! The package sorts through a mountain of never-issued acetates, and goes way past conventional disco or rare club collections – to showcase the special mixing talents these DJs brought to their re-presentation of the material – which was usually done on tape, then pressed onto acetate discs for their own private use! Those rare treasures are brought forth here – in a beautiful package that's also overflowing with fantastic notes that finally give this lost history its due – all handled by Al Kent – who's a hell of a mixer himself, as well as an underground club historian. Vinyl part 1 features five different records, all with lots of space for the tunes to stretch out – and titles include "I Just Wanna Say I Love You (John Luongo rmx)" by Leon Collins, "What About Love (Tony Gioe rmx)" by Marboo, "Ten Percent (Walter Gibbons Sunshine Sound acetate edit)" by Double Exposure, "Inside America (Rick Gianatos disco queen acetate edit)" by Juggy Murray Jones, "Dancing Free (John Luongo rmx)" by Hot Ice, "Black Water Gold (Sunshine Sound acetate edit)" by The Sunshine Band, "Magic Bird Of Fire (Francois Kevorkian Sunshine Sound acetate edit)" by Salsoul Orchestra, "It's Good For The Soul (Jay Negron Sunshine Sound acetate edit)" by Salsoul Orchestra, "My Love Is Free (Walter Gibbons disco madness rmx)" by Double Exposure, "Reaching Out For Happiness (Jonathan Fearing rmx)" by Fay Hauser, "Let Me Be Your Fantasy (Tom Savarese rmx)" by Love Symphony Orchestra, "The Beat Goes On & On (Jim Burgess rmx)" by Ripple, "I Wanna Be Near You (John Morales Sunshine Sound acetate edit)" by Ruby Andrews, "I've Been Looking For Somebody (Walter Gibbons rmx)" by TC James & The Fist O Funk Orchestra, "The Disco Scene (Rick Gianatos rmx)" by Lake Shore Drive, "Bumpsie's Whipping Cream (Tom Savarese rmx)" by TC James & The Fist O Funk Orchestra, and "Janice (Bobby DJ Guttadoro rmx)" by Skip Mahoney. LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible collection – and one that fills in a crucially under-documented side of the New York dancefloor generation – the wealth of special mixes and edits that were made for that city's important DJs for their own use in clubs! The package sorts through a mountain of never-issued acetates, and goes way past conventional disco or rare club collections – to showcase the special mixing talents these DJs brought to their re-presentation of the material – which was usually done on tape, then pressed onto acetate discs for their own private use! Those rare treasures are brought forth here – in a beautiful package that's also overflowing with fantastic notes that finally give this lost history its due – all handled by Al Kent – who's a hell of a mixer himself, as well as an underground club historian. Vinyl part 2 features five full records – all with lots of space for the tracks to stretch out – and titles include "My Number's Up (Tee Scott rmx)" by The Salsoul Orchestra, "The Love Bug Done Bit Me Again (David Todd rmx)" by Skyliners, "LA Sunshine (Robert Ouimet rmx)" by Aura, "Love Has Come My Way (Jim Burgess rmx)" by Tony Valor Sound Orchestra, "Handsome Ma (Bobby DJ Guttadoro rmx)" by Sparkle Tuhran & Friends, "Love Thang (Tee Scott rmx)" by First Choice, "Burn Me Up (Jellybean Benitez edit)" by Kay Gees, "Love Is The Message (Tee Scott rmx)" by Brooklyn Express, "Changes (Jellybean Benitez rmx)" by Chain Reaction, "J'Ouvert (Frank Sestito rmx)" by John Gibbs & The Jam Band, "By The Way You Dance (Bobby DJ Guttadaro rmx)" by Bunny Sigler, "It's Good For The Soul (Walter Gibbons disco madness version)" by Salsoul Orchestra, and "It's A Better Than Good Time (Walter Gibbons rmx)" by Gladys Knight & The Pips. LP, Vinyl record album

Deep deep work from an under-tapped reservoir of soul – the legendary Sounds Of Memphis label – a key contemporary of Stax Records, but one with a huge amount of material that never got issued at the time! This excellent set corrects that fact, by bringing forth a batch of material that's almost all fresh here for the first time ever – and mixed with just a few rare SOM singles that were issued in the early 70s – all cuts that really show the righteous power of this tiny little label! There's a fair bit of artists here who touched the scene with work in other ways, and others we're really hearing for the first time ever in their company – an amazing picture into the mighty Memphis scene at the time, in a treasure trove of southern soul, deep ballads, and even a few funky numbers too. 22 tracks in all – and titles include "You're Using Me" by Rudolph Taylor, "You Don't Love Me" by Tommy Raye, "A Great Big Thing" by Carroll Lloyd, "Tempted" by Marjorie Ingram, "Hold On Hold Out" by George Jackson, "That's Why I Keep Her" by William Bollinger, "Since My Baby Left Me" by Dan Greer, and "Lost In A Dream" by Vision. CD

An excellent box set that brings together all of the material recorded at the unique Newport Festival in 1972 – the historic shift to New York City after the previous year's effort in Rhode Island was shut down by demonstrators! The package features a whopping 6 albums in all – 4 of which are Jam session volumes, with material from players who include Charles Mingus, Jimmy Owens, Charles McPherson, Buddy Tate, Big Black, Milt Jackson, Max Roach, Jaki Byard, Nat Adderley, Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon, and many others – all playing long, open, live tracks. LP 5 features "The Jimmy Smith Jam" – a very jamming set of work by Smith, with help from Kenny Burrell on guitar and Zoot Sims on tenor. LP 6 is "The Soul Sessions" – featuring soul material from Roberta Flack, Curtis Mayfield, Les McCann, and Herbie Mann. LP, Vinyl record album

A record that picks up on a very particular strand of Japanese music in the 70s – and one that's maybe not even fully described with all the evocative words in the title! The sounds here are leaner and more open than work you'd know from the city pop years – but also not like Japanese rock of the late 60s, and maybe not even like some of the bigger names of the 70s who crossed over to American audiences. Instead, the whole package is very creative and inventive – certainly with currents of psych and soul, but often moving into territories that really defy easy categorization – as if these Japanese artists feel free to pick and choose whatever they want to put in the mix! The sound is great, and the album is a treasure trove of discoveries – with sounds that include "Aoi Galasu Dama Blue Glass Ball" by Yoshiko Sai, "Have You Smoked Gauloise" by Hiroshi Kamayatsu, "Jikan Wo Koero Go Beyond Time" by Tadashi Goino Group, "Omae You" by Jun Fukamachi, and "Hachigatsu No Inshow Augusts Impression" by Momotaro Pink. LP, Vinyl record album

A classic compilation gets upgraded in a mighty nice way – as a huge tribute to the many years of soul and funk we've gotten from the Ace/Kent label in London! Back at the start of the 80s, the company was one of the first to properly repress rare American soul, and do it the right way – not only with top-shelf sound quality, but also a strong sense of history that has had us learning as much about 60s and 70s soul from their compilations as we've found ourselves loving the music! The original On The Soul Side album was one of the first Kent titles from the early years – but here, it's expanded to a whopping 26 titles, with great sound and detailed notes – all to present over two dozen tracks that really show the farther reaches of 60s soul beyond Motown and the big chart hits. Titles include "Boy Watcher" by Ginger Thompson, "Baby I Love You" by Jimmy Holiday, "Dr Love" by Bobby Sheen, "Love & Desire" by Patrice Holloway, "A Lot Of Love" by Homer Banks, "It's What's Underneath That Counts" by June Jackson, "Point Of No Return" by Gene McDaniels, "Fortune Teller" by Benny Spellman, "It Was Easier To Hurt Her" by Garnet Mimms, "The Record" by HB Barnum, "Love Is A Hurtin Thing" by Lou Rawls, "Nothing Left To Do But Cry" by Merry Clayton, "The Man Who Don't Believe In Love" by Marv Johnson, "What You Gonna Do" by Bobby Womack, "Nobody Treats You The Way I Do" by The Magnificent Men, "Gonna Fix You Good" by Little Anthony & The Imperials, "It Will Stand" by The Showmen, "What's A Matter Baby" by Timi Yuro, "Ready Willing & Able" by Jimmy Holiday & Clydie King, and "Trick Bag" by Earl King. CD

A great look at the post-Tropicalia scene in Brazil – as the set features artists who struck big at the 1972 Festival International Da Cancao – titles that include "Let Me Sing Let Me Sing" by Raul Seixas, "Mande Um abraco Pra Velha" by Os Mutantes, "Pente" by O Peso, "Viva Zapatria" by MPB4, "Fio Maravilha" by Jorge Ben, and "E Quero E Botar Meu Bloco Na Rua" by Sergio Sampaio. LP, Vinyl record album

A mindblowing look at a really stunning musical moment in Indonesia – a postwar period when older sounds from the nation were updated with more western-styled instrumentation – yet often at a level that still retained all of the charm of their roots! If you dig Indonesian gamelan or vocal performances, you'll find plenty to love here – as rhythmic and melodic elements from those worlds are mixed with jazz instrumentation, electric guitar, and plenty of percussion that often seems to draw a bit from Latin inspirations as much as it does from larger local ensembles and their musical legacy. The style is maybe a bit like musical shifts that were taking place in other Southeast Asian nations at the time – but the results are far less slavish to western pop, and still really retain all the cultural care of earlier years – sometimes in ways that are a lot more lean and personal, with extremely beautiful sounds throughout. Maybe one of the best collections the Soundway label has ever given us – with the usual detailed notes, and tracks by artists who include Orkes Kelana Ria, Mus DS, Zaenal Combo, Yanti Bersuadara, Band Nada Kentjana, Orkes Tropicana, Nada Kantjana, and Chris Byantoro. LP, Vinyl record album