... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Ray Brown on bass – accompanied by Gene Harris on piano, and Jeff Hamilton on drums. CD

... CD

A swinging sex comedy score from the legendary Neal Hefti – not as well-known as some of his big 60s hits, but a wonderfully groovy record throughout! The film itself is a pretty silly farce – and Hefti definitely matches that action in his music – by mixing up jazzy, upbeat numbers with some sweeter tunes that have that lush, laidback style we always love in his orchestrations! Things are never too heavy, and the whole thing's got a lightness that really stands out from other work of this nature by Hefti's contemporaries – especially on a few of the tracks that make some great use of groovy wordless vocals. Titles include "Prologue (Main Theme)", "Suspicion", "Virna", "Here's To My Lover", "Stag Party Blast", "Bash Brannigan", "How To Murder Your Wife", "Scene Of The Crime", "Cartoon Capers", and "Requiem For A Bachelor". LP, Vinyl record album

A mighty heavy group – paying tribute to the late drummer Alvin Fiedler – working with the kind of fierce improvisation that Fiedler would have really loved! Tenorist Kidd Jordan was a frequent musical partner of Alvin on record – and the group here really recreates some of the intensity they could deliver together – with Hamid Drake on drums and percussion, Joel Futterman on piano, and William Parker on bass – soaring out beautifully on one extended improvisation that takes up the entire record! Futterman is ferocious on piano, really matching the searing sounds that come from Jordan's horn – as he blows with a legacy of bold, spontaneous creation that almost takes us back to the years of ESP Records or BYG/Actuel. CD

One of the grooviest spaghetti western scores we've ever heard – penned for an early collaboration between Terence Hill and Bud Spencer! The main theme "Trinity" starts off with some cool vocal backing by Alessandro Alessandroni's I Cantori Moderni, singing underneath the English-language lead vocal – and the group also make an appearance on the film's reprise of this song at the end of the movie. Other tracks mix together guitar, organ, whistling, and some other cool sonic elements that give the soundtrack a cool late 60s feel that reminds us more of some lost French gem than an Italian thriller! Titles include "Lazy Cowboy", "Un Cowboy e Due Ragazze", "Di Fronte Ai Killers", "Trinity Con La Stella Di Viceseriffo", and "C'e Un Tempo Per Vincere". This huge 2CD version offers up the most overwhelming batch of music we've ever seen from the movie and the recording sessions – 16 tracks from the film, 11 more alternate tracks, and then 25 more bonus cuts in all! CD

One of the grooviest spaghetti western scores we've ever heard – penned for an early collaboration between Terence Hill and Bud Spencer! The main theme "Trinity" starts off with some cool vocal backing by Alessandro Alessandroni's I Cantori Moderni, singing underneath the English-language lead vocal – and the group also make an appearance on the film's reprise of this song at the end of the movie. Other tracks mix together guitar, organ, whistling, and some other cool sonic elements that give the soundtrack a cool late 60s feel that reminds us more of some lost French gem than an Italian thriller! Titles include "Lazy Cowboy", "Un Cowboy e Due Ragazze", "Di Fronte Ai Killers", "Trinity: Con La Stella Di Viceseriffo", and "C'e Un Tempo Per Vincere". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

The last album recorded by Charles Wright with the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band – and a set that's even more stretched out and trippy than their other albums! Gone are the tight short cuts of earlier days, and in their place are longer messed-up funky numbers that have more of a jamming party feel – tunes that let the whole group open up in a relaxed and soulful mode that must have been plenty great to see happening live in the studio! Charles sings in a style that mixes straighter soul with "crazy man" kind of lyrics – of the sort that he later sang on his own LPs – and the album features the wicked tune "Express Yourself II", a great follow-up to the first one, done in a more open-styled way, but still with the same hook and rhythm! Other tracks include "Just To Settle My Nerves", "Let's Make Love Not War", "What Can You Bring Me?", "Your Love", and "You're So Beautiful". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the biggest singles by Charles Wright – and backed with a nice b-side! "Love Land" is a great loping vocal soul cut – a lot sweeter than your average cut by the Watts Rhythm Band, but very catchy and very nice, too! "Sorry Charlie" is an instrumental – with horns on top, and lots of echoey piano playing on the melody, some of it off-key! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A great little James Bond soundtrack – written for one of the lesser-remembered Bond films, but filled with nice moments! There's a darker, moodier feel here than on some of Barry's other Bond scores – lots of stretched out tracks that have a bit more space than usual, and odd instruments punctuating the themes with an eerie, other-worldly edge that almost reminds us of some of the best Italian thriller work from the time. Nancy Sinatra sings a very moody title track – and other tunes include "Takana's World", "The Wedding", "Mountains & Sunsets", "A Drop In The Ocean", "Bond Averts World War Three", and "The Death Of Aki". LP, Vinyl record album

Flora Purim and Airto open up nicely in this live setting – getting help from a Fourth World ensemble that also features Jose Neto on guitar, Gary Meek on saxes and flute, and Diana Moreira on a bit of backing vocals! There's a bit less polish here than some of the studio sets by the Fourth World group from the 90s – a nice change that almost gets Airto back to his roots, and which makes Flora's vocals sound even more personal and lovely than ever. Titles include "Sao Felipe", "Time One", "Lua Flora", "Sea Horse", "Africa", and "Step Seven". CD

Tenorist James Brandon Lewis has really been on fire in recent years – always opening up new doors in his music, and surprising us with each new record, which seems to have a slightly different flavor that further expands his palette of sound! Here, Lewis presents some beautiful original compositions with a group that has amazingly fluid drum work from the great Chad Taylor, lovely colors on piano from Aruan Ortiz, and these rollingly soulful basslines from Brad Jones – all players who are seamlessly tied to Lewis tenor, as the four paint these really wonderful pictures in sound. The approach is more structured than some of Lewis' other recordings, but at a level that's still filled with bursts of personal expression throughout – on titles that include "Every Atom Glows", "Archimedean", "Resonance", "Per 5", "Tessera", and "Code Of Being". CD

Beautiful grooves from the legendary Piero Piccioni – a set that's a great follow-up to some of his famous 60s work – touched with a few more sexy 70s touches than before, but in a way that's still extremely groovy! There's lots of electric piano lines on the set – almost a Stelvio Cipriani vibe at times – but these are mixed with fuller arrangements from Piero, with slinky woodwinds and some great rhythms that extrapolate styles from bossa nova, then go off in all these cool jazzy directions! The music was scored for a documentary of the "mondo" variety, but has a feel that's much more like the best love/sex soundtracks of the time – with titles that include "Katmandu", "Starless Sky", "Inventions", "It's Possible", "Nights To Come", "New Ways To Live", and "Love Will Find A Way". 2CD version features a whopping 49 tracks in all – over two hours of music, and a delight throughout! CD

Killer funky stoner soul from LA! This album is one of the best by Charles Wright and his legendary funky group – and it features some straighter soul material, like the big hit "Loveland", or their mellow take on "Light My Fire" – plus some great heavy funk numbers, like "Till You Get Enough", "Everyday People", and "Must Be Your Thing". The record's a huge testament to the strength of the group – as they handle the soul material just as well as they do the funky stuff that they're more famous for – and we really dig this one for its tightness and straight ahead positive soul! CD

Fantastic funk from the 60s LA scene – and the first-ever album by a group who would dominate the west coast groove of the time! This first outing by the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band takes off nicely from the group's funky 45 years – using larger arrangements to expand upon their hard and heavy groove, in a style that almost has some funky soundtrack touches at times! Fred Smith produced and is directing the group – and tracks are short, sweet, and filled with groovy touches! Titles include "Spreadin Honey", "Fried Okra", "Soul Concerto", "Watts Happening", "103rd Street Theme", "Whole Hog Or Nothing At All", "Brown Sugar", and "A Little Class & A Little Trash". Great trippy cover too – and an endorsement from Bill Cosby on the back! LP, Vinyl record album

A great set of Latin-tinged jazz – and the first recording that Paquito D'Rivera and Arturo Sandoval had made together in many years! The set's got the angular groove of Paquito's best work of the early 80s – tight Latin jazz, with plenty of percussion at the bottom – played out over longer tracks that allow plenty of space for him and Sandoval to solo, and which also feature piano by Danilo Perez and guitar by Fareed Haque. Titles include "Tanga", "Latin American Suite", "Claudia", "Body & Soul", "Reunion", and "Friday Morning". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful later album from Miles Davis – and a tremendous collaboration with composer Michel Legrand, in a set that returns Miles to the French soundtrack tradition he first started back in the late 50s! Some of the tracks here are quite spare – the kind of moody, ethereal solo moments that Miles still does better than most folks at this point in time – and other numbers feature fuller musical backings that echo some of the older Legrand soundtrack flair, but which come off with a slightly more contemporary approach too. Chuck Findley also handles some of the trumpet solos on the album – so all the musings here are not Miles' alone – and titles include "The Departure", "The Arrival", "The Dream", "Paris Walking I", "Going Home", "The Jam Session", and "Club Entrance". LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

It's hardly just another Christmas song – at least with Sharon Jones singing the lead, and the Dap-Kings providing some great funky backup! And instead, this cut may well rise to the top of your Holiday listening pile – as Sharon blends her usual mode with a warmer, more festive vibe that's mighty mighty nice! "Big Bulbs" has guest vocals from Saun & Starr – who have this great sing-song, criss-cross way of adding in their lyrics – which makes for one of the most playful Christmas cuts we've heard in years! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Early 80s spiritual disco from Charlie Clemons And The Mighty Power Band – which purportedly included members of Watts 103rd St Rhythm Band – recordings Clemons made in 1980 at Warner Brothers Studios – remixed by Tom Noble! Noble adds no new instrumentation, but ratchets up the spacey disco elements of the drums heavy A-side and the more bass driven B-side. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Groovy girl pop from late 60s France – a treasure trove of under-discovered numbers from the lovely Clothilde! Clothilde's from the same vintage as France Gall and Francoise Hardy – but she's got a style that's a bit sweeter vocally, yet still set to the mod-styled backings that really make 60s French pop so great! Tunes are plenty groovy, with a few trippy touches from time to time – and most numbers have a bouncy groove that really keeps things interesting – especially when odd instrumentation creeps into the mix – like bits of musical saw, oddball percussion, and bells and whistles! Titles include "Fallait Pas Ecraser Lau Queue Du Chat", "La Chanson Bete Et Mechante", "Le Boa", " "Saperlipopette", "102-103", "La Ballade Du Bossu", "A Ora Sos'e", and "Qualcosa Che Non Va". LP, Vinyl record album

Arrangements by Quincy Jones – with titles that include "I Feel Pretty", "Sassy's Blues", "I Cried For You", "Lover Man", and "What Is This Thing Called Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty nice mix of tunes that falls under the retro lounge/bossa and acid jazz side of things – put together by the folks in 45 Dip, and featuring 2CDs worth of material groovy enough to make any party chill out with a solid soul vibe. The overall presentation is in that trendy Hed Kandi mode – but that also means that you're getting a good portion of semi-hit tunes at a nice low price, all in one sexy package. Titles include "What Do People Do All Day" by Aim, "Epoca" by Gotan Project, "Twilight Reservation" by Tim Love Lee, "Sweet Revenge" by Bobby Trafalgar, "Coming Out Of The Sky" by Space Hoppa, "Crazy Lounge" by Yasmine Tamara, "Beach Boy" by Disjam, "Tippy Tippy Toe" by Crackpot, "Green Tomatoes (wild turkey mix)" by 45 Dip, "East Side Story" by Soul Drummers, "Zambumba" by Zuco 103, "Carnaval Do Sao Vincente (LP mix)" by Cesaria Evora, and "Saturday Morning TV" by Sam Paglia. 29 tracks on 2CDs! CD

A heady second chapter of a legendary funk group that were only around for a few short years, but gave us some great music in the process – presented here with 16 unissued tracks from their years in Los Angeles, including work from members of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band too! With so much unreleased music, the set's like a fresh discovery of Dyke & The Blazers – adding new takes and versions to the material they recorded in LA before Dyke passed all too quickly – making for a long-overdue addition to their small body of recorded work. Titles unissued stereo mixes of "We Got More Soul (full length)", "Funky Walk (full length)", "The Wobble (full length)", "Let A Woman Be A Woman Let A Man Be A Man", "Funky Bull (full length)", "Booga Jivin", "Stuff (full length)", "Runaway People (full length)", and "Moon" – plus the never-issued "The Walk (part 1 east)", "Do It Together (orig mix)", "WUFO Radio Spot", "Day Is Comin (demo)", and "I'm So All Alone (alt)". Also includes the cuts "Black Boy", "It's Your Thing", "You Are My Sunshine", and "Shot Gun Slim" – all very funky! LP, Vinyl record album

A Shaolin hip hop essential! Heavy numerological rhymes, and the best production on any Wu project (still to this day, even). One of our absolute favorite albums in the classic Wu pantheon, and indisputably one of the very best – one of the very few that plays with hard solidity from start to finish. The way GZA's lowkey, unfazable flow delivers this sharp, gritty storytelling over prime RZA production – seriously, it is real Genius! Includes "Labels", "Cold World", "Shadowboxin", "Liquid Swords", "Living In The World Today", "Killah Hills 10304", "Investigative Reports", "Gold", "Duel Of The Iron Mic", "4th Chamber", "Hell's Wind Staff", "Unexplained", "Swordsman" and "I Gotcha Back". CD

A killer debut from Rasputin Stash – a funky group who work with all the long-haired inspiration you'd expect from their name! The groove is a mix of guitars and tight horns – undercut by the kind of heavy basslines that later made the group a good fit for Curtom Records, and lots of cool percussion touches that pepper the bottom of the rhythms nicely – with a pretty spontaneous feel! At times, there's almost a Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band vibe to the record, but mixed with some of the trippier influences of the Westbound crew – especially on the guitar – and like those artists, these guys have no trouble at all dipping into a touch of rock here and there to trip out their groove. Titles include "Mr Cool", "You Are My Flower", "Dookey Shoe", "I Want To Say You're Welcome", "Take Me On Back", and "Freaks Prayer". CD

A great little small group session for Dinah Washington – more jazz-based than some of her earlier or later work, sung with a small combo that includes Wynton Kelly on piano, Georgie Auld on tenor, and Herb Geller on alto. Tracks include "Look To The Rainbow", "Goodbye", "Ill Wind", "A Cottage For Sale", "Accent On Youth", and "Make Me A Present Of You". LP, Vinyl record album

The first solo album by Charles Wright – and a really mindblowing set that shows that he was the key psychedelic force in the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band! The set's got a much more stoner funk approach than ever before – one that's clearly fascinated with the bassy "rhythm" of the title, but which also has Wright really leaning into some soulful lyrics that represent the "poetry" of the set. A few of the cuts on the album go for quite a long stretch – especially the messed-up jam "Soul Train", which is almost a Funkadelic number, and the really crazy "Run Jody Run", a 13 minute jam filled with heavy guitars, soulful horns, and some mad shouted lyrics by Charles! Other tracks are mixture of soul and funk, and titles include "Girl Don't Let Me Down", "Just Free Your Mind", "Good Things", and a trippy cover of "Here Comes The Sun". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent 2nd volume to this killer set of tracks pulled from the Warner and Atlantic catalogs during the glory days of their soul and funk years! This volume's even more interesting than the first one – and features a huge bunch of cuts that have never been reissued, either on proper or improper reissues (if you know what we mean, wink wink!) As with the first volume, this one focuses on funky material that can or should be sampled – and there's plenty of nice breaks to go around for everyone! Tracks include "Wanaoh" by Black Heat, "Rien Ne Va Plus" by Funk Factory, "Right On" by Clarence Wheeler & the Enforcers, "Giggin Down 103rd" by Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, "Sandy's Love" by Harold Alexander, "Funky" by Freddie King, "South Street Soul" by Freddie Hubbard, "It's Your Thing" by Shirley Scott, "Magnificent Sanctuary Band" by Donny Hathaway, "Teasin" by King Curtis, "Almendra" by Macondo, "Soul Flow" by Paul Kelly, "Gang Bang" by Oscar Brown Jr, and "Get Ready" by Ella Fitzgerald. CD

103 tracks over four CDs. CD

An unmitigated blast of punk, worthy of setting the stage for the American hard core movement! While punk rock had been firmly established by the time this album came out, no one was prepared for the next level that Black Flag would take things to with this brutal, nihilistic, stripped down assault on the status quo! A classic that will stand up for ages, wit fist in the air anthems like "Rise Above", "Six Pack", "What I See", "TV Party", "Police Story", "Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie", "Thirsty & Miserable", "Depression", "Padded Cell", "Damaged I", "Damaged II", "Life Of Pain", "Room 103" and "No More". LP, Vinyl record album

A Shaolin hip hop essential! Heavy numerological rhymes, and the best production on any Wu project (still to this day, even). One of our absolute favorite albums in the classic Wu pantheon, and indisputably one of the very best – one of the very few that plays with hard solidity from start to finish. The way GZA's lowkey, unfazable flow delivers this sharp, gritty storytelling over prime RZA production – seriously, it is real Genius! Includes "Labels", "Cold World", "Shadowboxin", "Liquid Swords", "Living In The World Today", "Killah Hills 10304", "Investigative Reports", "Gold", "Duel Of The Iron Mic", "4th Chamber", "Hell's Wind Staff", "Unexplained", "Swordsman" and "I Gotcha Back". LP, Vinyl record album

A Shaolin hip hop essential! Heavy numerological rhymes, and the some of the best production on any Wu project ever. One of our absolute favorite albums in the classic Wu pantheon – indisputably one of the very best – one of the very few that plays with hard solidity from start to finish. The way GZA's lowkey, unfazable flow delivers this sharp, gritty storytelling over prime RZA production – seriously, it is real Genius! Includes "Labels", "Cold World", "Shadowboxin", "Liquid Swords", "Living In The World Today", "Killah Hills 10304", "Investigative Reports", "Gold", "Duel Of The Iron Mic", "4th Chamber", "Hell's Wind Staff", "Unexplained", "Swordsman" and "I Gotcha Back". LP, Vinyl record album

103 tracks over 4 CDs – titles include "Dinah", "I Saw Stars", "Djangology", "Georgia On My Mind", "Tea For Two", "Hungaria", "Daphne", "Big Boy Blues", "Belleville", and "Peche A La Mouche". CD

Features: Lonnie Johnson, Blind Willie McTell, Charley Patton, Mississippi John Hurt, Bumble Bee Slim and many others! 103 tracks across 4 discs. CD

One of the funkiest box sets we've ever seen – and amazingly issued by an American major label! The 4CD package is a treasure trove of funky work from a decade of Warner Brothers, Atlantic Records, and related labels – tunes pulled both from mainstream album releases and much more obscure 45s – all expertly collected here into a whopping batch of 91 tracks, all packaged in a cool little box with an 80 page booklet! This one goes way past some of the silly "decade" sets from Rhino, and really displays a new level of cool and connoisseurship – one that finally appreciates the rich depths of funky work at their fingertips, most of which has not been properly reissued in the US! Titles include "Almendra" by Macondo, "Goin Down" by Allen Toussaint, "Wah Wah Man" by Young Holt Unlimited, "Spinning Wheel" by Wade Marcus, "Hard Times" by Baby Huey & The Baby Sitters, "What's So Never The Dance (parts 1 & 2)" by Houseguests, "8 Days On The Road" by Howard Tate, "Getting Uptown" by United 8, "Wanoah" by Black Heat, "Let It Crawl" by Society's Bag, "Flute Thing" by Seatrain, "Try It Again" by Bobby Byrd, "Funky To The Bone" by Freddi Henchi & The Soul Setters, "Improve" by Darrow Fletcher, "Rien Ne Va Plus" by Funk Factory, "Gossip" by Cyril Neville, "Spreadin Honey" by Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, "Stoned Soul" by Artie Christopher, "Sexy Coffee Pot" by Tony Alvon & The Belaires, "Tampin" by The Rhine Oaks, "Jan Jan" by The Fabulous Counts, "Sing A Simple Song" by The Noble Knights, "It's All In Your Mind" by Soul Angels, "Funky John" by Johnny Cameron, "Don't Come Around Here Any More" by Mark Putney, "Keep On Dancing" by The Commodores, "Right On Brother (part 1)" by South Shore Commission, "Pop Popcorn Children" by Eldridge Holmes, and "The Deacon" by Brute Force. CD

Erroll Garner at the start of the 60s – but still sounding wonderfully unique, and coming across with a timeless vibe that makes the record every bit as great as his classics from the 50s! The format is simple – just Garner on piano, with Eddie Calhoun on bass and Kelly Martin on drums – but the sound is sublime, and in that special Garner-like approach that nobody else could match – very rhythmic, with a gritty pulse at the core – yet topped with these explosive lines on the keys that all make complete sense – not showoffy pyrotechnics, but sublime lyrical lines that never fail to blow us away. Titles include "All Of Me", "No More Shadows", "You Do Something To Me", "The Best Things In Life Are Free", and "El Papa Grande" – a nice number with a bit of a Latin pulse! CD features the bonus track "Octave 103". CD

Includes "Liberian Suite", "A Tone Parallel To Harlem", and "Controversial Suite". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual later set from the great Dexter Gordon – and a record that features the surprising addition of Hammond organ! Shirley Scott's on the record with Dex, and plays organ on half the cuts (Kirk Lightsey handles piano on the others) – bringing a soulful depth to the record which then seems to inspire Gordon to move into the sort of territory we might have expected from Stanley Turrentine back in the 60s! Grover Washington's on the record, blowing soprano sax on a few cuts with Scott – and reminding us of his deeper soul jazz roots – and other players include David Eubanks on bass and Eddie Gladden on drums. Titles include "Besame Mucho", "Skylark", "Sticky Wicket", and "For Soul Sister" – plus an interview with Dex! LP, Vinyl record album

Insanely great sounds from the legendary Tim Maia – easily the most soulful singer in 70s Brazil, and an artist with a heck of a strong ear for funk, too! The music here is an incredible hybrid of American soul and Brazilian elements – especially since some lyrics are in English – and the grooves are often mixed together in a sound that's nice and fuzzy around the edges, with some slight psychedelic elements that makes the cuts a perfect fit for this Luaka Bop series! Yet Tim Maia's hardly a guy who can easily fit into any easy slot or series – because as you'll hear on this set, he's got a vibe that's all his own – a really wonderful approach that's different even from some of his hippest contemporaries in Brazil – and which has gone onto have influence on countless other generations of singers and musicians – including his nephew Ed Motta. The package is great – a real visual tribute to the sounds within – and titles include "Que Beleza", "Ela Partiu", "Do Leme Ao Pontal", "Brother Father Mother Sister", "Quer Queira Quer Nao Queira", "Let's Have A Ball Tonight", "I Don't Care", "The Dance Is Over", "Rational Culture", "You Don't Know What I Know", and "Nobody Can Live Forever". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic early 60s session for Candid Records – put together by a group that includes Charles Mingus, Max Roach, and a host of other musicians who were working here as "Newport Rebels" – by setting up the Jazz Artists Guild Festival as a protest against the increasingly commercialized Newport date! And for the record, the group definitely live up to their name – really shaking off the easier modes popularized at the Newport festival, and coming across with a style that's much more modern, firey, and righteous! Other artists include Abbey Lincoln on vocals, Booker Little on trumpet, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Eric Dolphy on saxophone, and Jimmy Knepper on trombone – and titles include a great rendition of "Tain't Nobody's Business If I Do" – plus 2 other great originals, "Cliff Walk" by Booker Little and "Mysterious Blues" by Mingus. LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty great little live set – recorded in Central Park in the late 60s, before a very large crowd! Lou sounds great, as always – and the Ramsey Lewis material is very much in the spirit of the live mid 60s Cadet recordings. Maxine Brown is the real treat, though, as the live setting is quite a contrast to her more staid sides for Wand. Maxine sings "In The Midnight Hour" and "Soul Serenade", Lou Sings "They Don't Give Medals", "Tobacco Road", and "On Broadway", and Ramsey plays "Salute To Ray Charles", "Hang On Sloopy", and "Goin Out Of My Head". LP, Vinyl record album

Very very cool! If you've never seen this baby before – either as the Soundwagon from the 70s, or as the Vinyl Killer from the 90s – here's the scoop: It's a cool little Hot Wheels-type van that actually drives around your record and plays music out of a self-contained speaker! It's got big rubber wheels, an internal motor, and a stylus on the bottom that holds the van in the groove and which tracks the music. Watch the van drive to the middle of the record in slowly descending curves, and hear it play the record while it makes the trip! Honestly the coolest thing we've ever seen, and it comes in a few different colors. (And just so you know, this isn't a hi-tech item that's going to replace your stereo. It's got a tiny little toy speaker on the top – and it sounds like a toy speaker – but it's plenty cool!) Turntable

Collects 45 songs from Albert Ammons, Meade Lux Lewis, and Pete Johnson. CD

A wonderful album from the eternally underrated Hoyt Axton – whose rich, folksy lead vocals are given some fairly soaring arrangements on tunes that range from topical but not quite protest folk material to some trippier, chemically enhanced narratives! Hoyt's got the kind of easygoing, laconic drawl to keep a rustic vibe in the overall sound, but on these tunes he really stretches out into some some lyrically ambitious numbers that bring Tim Buckley to mind, and he also employs mean growl to some seedier numbers that surprised us even more. He dabbles in these eclectic sounds without ever betraying his Hoyt-ness (look at that, we made up a new word). Titles include "Way Before The Time Of Towns", "Beelzebub's Laughter", "Sunshine Fields Of Love", "Sunrise", "Kingswood Manor" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Features Strawberry Alarmclock, Count Five, 13th Floor Elevators, Spencer Davis Group, Frijid Pink and more – 21 tracks in all! CD

... CD

Spiritual sounds galore – an amazing 2-fer from Alice Coltrane! Huntington Ashram Monastery is powerful work from Alice Coltrane – an incredible trio album that features her heavily on harp, plus a bit of piano – in a trio with Ron Carter on bass and Rashied Ali on drums! The sound is wonderful – lush, yet contemplative – in a personal style that really shows Alice beginning to express herself in new modes after the death of The Great One. The us of harp is especially incredible – handled here with a sense of majesty that really leaves us breathless, and which goes far beyond other use of that instrument in jazz. And even Alice's piano is surprisingly nice – with these mellow, earthy undertones that bubble at the bottom and ground the whole effort on earthly territory. Titles include "Turiya", "HIS", "Jaya Jaya Rama", and "Via Sivanadagar". World Galaxy is one of Alice Coltrane's most ambitious albums of the early years – recorded with a full set of heavenly orchestrations! The core group features Alice on piano, organ, and harp – alongside Frank Lowe on saxes, Reggie Workman on bass, Leroy Jenkins on violin, and Ben Riley on drums. Added to this combo is a much larger set of strings – swirling around in a rich musical backdrop that gives Alice's work a sense of majesty and power we could have never imagined. This is the album that really showed the world that she was far far more than just the wife of the late great one – a true mystical visionary with a sound that demanded to be heard! Side 2 features a recitation by Alice's spiritual mentor, Swami Satchdiananda – and the album features a wonderful version of "My Favorite Things", done with both organ and harp, plus the tracks "Love Supreme", "Galaxy In Turiya", and "Galaxy In Satchidandana". CD

All nine CCR Fantasy albums in newly remastered form and an entire CD of pre-CCR recordingsby Tommy Fogerty & The Blue Velvets, followed by 21 Golliwogs tracks, nine unreleased. Classic albums included are Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bayou Country, Willy and The Poor Boys, Cosmo's Factory, Pendulum, Mardi Gras, The Concert and Live In Europe. CD

The Hawk Relaxes, but never lets himself go – and a set like this is a great illustration of the gentle genius that made so many later Coleman Hawkins records so great! The relaxed setting for this record is a perfect setting for Hawkins to open up and stretch out – working his tenor with a sound that has surprising modern edges, and unusual twists and turns, yet still all the careful economy of his better-known classic sides. There's a command of the instrument here that few other aging players ever seemed to muster – always a sense of new discovery and invention that marks the work strongly, even at a time when Hawkins could have been sitting on his laurels, playing the same old tune! Titles are all standards, but don't let that fool you – because there's plenty of magic in Coleman's versions of "Moonglow", "Just A Gigolo", "Speak Low", "When Day Is Done", and "I'll Never Be The Same". Oh, and we almost forgot – just because we're so focused on Hawkins – the other players include Ronnell Bright on piano, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, and Andrew Cyrille on drums – making a surprising early appearance here! CD

... CD

With John Scofield on guitar, Geri Allen on keys, Michael Formanek on bass, Daniel Humair on drums, and Jerry Gonzalez on percussion. LP, Vinyl record album

Kenny Barron on piano and Regina Carter on violin. CD

Richie Beirach on piano and George Coleman on tenor and soprano saxophone. CD

Duets with Natalie Cole, Elton John, Norah Jones, BB King, Gladys Knight, Diana Krall, Michael McDonald, Johnny Mathis, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, and James Taylor. CD

Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Kid Koala, and Dan The Automator pool their skills for this dawn of the 2000s sci-fi hip hop classic – the masterful Deltron 3030! The guest list is almost too long to get into, but Money Mark, Prince Paul, PB Wolf and Mr. Lif are all here, along with many others. One of the benchmark albums in the leftfield underground hip hop canon – and a hugely influential set that burst the doors wide open for the more creative spirits in the hip hop and even experimental pop. Tracks include "State Of The Nation", "3030", "The Fantabulous Rap Extravaganza", "Things You Can Do", "Positive Contact", "St Catherine St.", "Virus", "Mastermind", "National Movie Review", "Time Keeps On Slipping", "Turbulence (remix)", "Battlesong", "Memory Loss" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty amazing 70s moment from Bob Dylan – a legendary tour that was a bit of a rock and roll circus on wheels – hence, perhaps, the unique name of the tour! Bob's in a very collaborative spirit here – working with famous guests who include Mick Ronson, Joan Baez, Roger McGuinn, Joni Mitchell, Ronee Blakely and Ramblin' Jack Elliott – all in an upbeat mode that surfaced most strongly on some of Dylan's tracks on the Desire album, which was issued during the two legs of the tour. CD