[ aquarius records — Soul Funk ]

SWAMP DOGGGag A Maggot(Alive)lp$ 17.98

Oh how we love Sylvester! Nobody really represented the true San Francisco spirit better. After moving to SF from Los Angeles in the late '60s he found true liberation in the gender bending thriving queer arts community here in the city, becoming a member of the legendary Cockettes, singing backup for an early and awesome incarnation of the Pointer Sisters as well as putting out two records with his Hot Band several years before he would become the disco diva most of us remember. Blue Thumb Collection compiles Sylvester's earliest two releases. His self titled album with his Hot Band (also known as Scratch & Sniff, as the original lp had a scratch and sniff sticker on it) and then Bazaar, both of which came out on Blue Thumb, a '70s imprint that put out records by Captain Beefheart, T Rex, Robbie Basho, Jimmy Smith, Dave Mason, etc. Sylvester's Hot Band were complete opposites to Sylvester, all straight white rocker dudes with long hair, which must have made the spectacle of Sylvester fronting that band even more amazing and confusing. During this era they were often put on really bizarre bills including an opening slot for Lynyrd Skynrd whose fans had no idea what to make of Sylvester (we would have paid to see their confused faces!). The music Sylvester & The Hot Band made was very much based in rock and roll and classic rhythm and blues. The albums were packed with covers of songs by everyone from Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, James Taylor, Otis Redding, Grahm Parsons, Neil Young, etc. It's the cover of Neil Young's "Southern Man" that truly steals the show, sounding as poignant and impassioned as ever, yet taking on even greater meaning with a queer black man making the song his own. The two bonus tracks include one of our favorite Sylvester songs ever, a track he wrote called "Why Was I Born" which had been quite impossible to track down unless you were able to find a copy of the obscure compilation called Lights Out San Francisco that Blue Thumb put out in the early '70s. It's a song that really showcases the depth and range of emotion that Sylvester could reach in his music, and it's hard not to think of it as the blueprint for Antony & The Johnsons. These records were very much of their time, and it's not all great and with Sylvester consistency was never his strong suit, but it was all about those moments when he shined so bright that made the not so hot moments totally ok and worth it. Essential for Sylvester fans, we're really happy these records have been reissued, now it's time for someone to reissue our favorite Sylvester album, Stars!

MPEG stream: Southern Man
MPEG stream: Friendship
MPEG stream: On Your Way Down

Reissue of an LP that Atlantic originally put out back in 1972. Howard Tate ("one of the top ten R&B singers of all time" sez Jerry Ragovoy, who incidentally produced this album and Tate's lone other LP for Verve) quit the music biz in '74 for a career in This LP features 12 tracks of relaxed funk and soul, always groovin and showcasing Tate's undeniably star-quality vox, with material by Ragovoy and Tate (and covers of Dylan and The Band!). Tate's other album is supposed to be even better, but this is pretty fine for what it is. Despite his talent, Tate never really "made it" but it's nice to know he's not forgotten.

RealAudio clip: Keep Cool (Don't Be A Fool)

Is this a soundtrack for a porno film? Jimi Tenor and his funk lounge rhythm section Kabu Kabu are certainly laying it on hot and heavy on this new outing on nu-soul label Ubiquity. We've been entertained in the past by Tenor's eccentricies whether they be working with a drunk Polish orchestra or channeling Prince via his own Finnish techno-cabaret style musings. Not sure what people will think with this one. While the rhythm section is tight, with some full on seventies blaxsploitation "schwing", Tenor's creepy lothario persona can either make folks swoon or cringe. You decide.

MPEG stream: Hot Baby
MPEG stream: Smoking
MPEG stream: Horror Water

It was pretty amazing to watch Aretha Franklin perform at Obama's inauguration and that moment had us thinking about the things that actually make America great. Democracy, sure, but also all the fantastic soul singers this country has produced over the last half century. Something to be proud of indeed! While she has never enjoyed the same kind of fame or celebrity as folks like Aretha, Dionne Warwick, Otis Redding, Al Green or Etta James, there is no doubt that Irma Thomas is the cream of the crop when it comes to amazing soulful voices and should most definitely be considered a national treasure. Still alive and well, she just played a few shows in San Francisco that we are so sad we missed, as she apparently sounded amazing and played many of her hits , a bunch of which can be found on this great collection. With spot on arrangements, broken hearted laments, catchy melodies and such warm and full hearted delivery, these songs are true gems not to be missed by anyone with a love of classic soul. Mixing the best of girl group sass, the melody of doo-wop and the deep emotive core of classic Southern soul, Irma Thomas sings songs that make it feel good to feel bad. While so many of the songs are about suffering a broken heart, and the era in which these songs were created in which she is always singing how much she needs a man to survive could have fit in perfectly as the soundtrack to those subversive Kenneth Anger films that were made near this time period and before. One of the golden treasures of New Orleans soul (we say it's a tie for Soul Queen of New Orleans between Irma and the great Betty Harris). Anyone who has love of the great soul that has come out of New Orleans knows that all the great stuff has Allen Toussaint's musical hands on them, and much of Irma's best work was indeed produced and arranged by Toussaint. But clearly it's Irma's voice that has made her so incredibly special and moving as these are songs that could melt even the coldest of hearts!

MPEG stream: Ruler Of My Heart
MPEG stream: Break-A-Way
MPEG stream: It's Raining

You should see all of us at the store when a box arrives from Mississippi Records. It's like a house full of little kids on Christmas. All of us running towards the box and practically tearing it apart to see what amazing treats await us. Mississippi's track record speaks for itself, a seemingly endless stream of amazing vinyl reissues, so kick ass, that at this point, many of us will buy anything they put out. And we haven't been disappointed yet. When we discovered that our treat this time around was a slab of early era cuts from New Orleans soul queen Irma Thomas, those of us who were already in love with her voice and style jumped for joy and those who had yet to discover the magic of Irma Thomas, her sounds and songs quickly convinced them why she is truly one of the great soul singers of all time. Thomas has been singing her heart out for over four decades now, she even has a brand new studio record coming out. But it's those years in the early '60s where her voice shines and sparkles with a special kind of magic. It's that era that this LP spotlights. Such amazing songs fill this record, with spot on arrangements, broken hearted laments, catchy melodies and such warm and full hearted delivery. Mixing the best of girl group sass, the melody of doo-wop and the deep emotive core of classic Southern soul. While the lp notes that the songs were written by N. Neville, it's known that the so called Naomi Neville was really a pseudonym used by legendary producer Allan Toussaint. If you love folks like Betty Harris, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Helene Smith or Sam Cooke we can guarantee you are going to fall in love with Irma Thomas if you haven't already. It's a total crime that Irma has never experienced a larger kind of fame or commercial success. She's only had one top 40 single in all her years, but we dare you to listen to this record and not wish you could hear any of these songs played on the radio over and over as her voice on these songs is something no one could ever get tired of hearing!

Got just a few of these, the limited edition Mississippi double lp release collecting vintage material by one of Portland's most soulful artists, a living legend 'round those parts, who has been singing since the '50s, opened for Otis Redding and James Brown back in the day, and is still kicking nowadays, his current band Ural Thomas & The Pain being, we're reliably told, a hot live attraction not to be missed. If this collection is anything to go by, we're sure that's gotta be true - the first lp here showcase Ural's most recent recorded material with The Pain, delivering the real deal R&B action, while the second lp in the set digs deep into his back catalog of recordings from the '60s and '70s (including some singles previously reissued on Mississippi). Great voice, great grooves. Nicely packaged in a tip-on gatefold cover, includes booklet w/ photos and an interview with the man himself. Limited to 950 copies, already sold out at the source, and so when we sell the handful we have, they're gone.

MPEG stream: Pain Is The Name Of The Game

MPEG stream: Bounce (Feat. Dr. Dre, Missy Elliott & Justin Timberlake)
MPEG stream: One And Only (feat. Fallout Boy)
MPEG stream: Throw It On Me (Feat. The Hives)

We all kinda secretly like Justin Timberlake, don't we? Some of us not so secretly.

MPEG stream: Damn Girl
MPEG stream: SexyBack

It never ceases to amaze us how we continue to get turned on to all kinds of lost musical gems. Records we can't believe we'd gone our whole lives without hearing before. Kim Tolliver should have been one of soul's diva superstars in the 1970's but as it sometimes happens, many of the great ones are often overlooked the first time around. This 1973 album which originally came out on Chess and flopped commercially is such a forceful set of soulful songs with Kim's commanding and sweeping vocals on top of a rich, lush and full orchestration, a sound that was ubiquitous in the great soul sounds of the day. Come And Get Me, I'm Ready feels very ahead of its time in that there are many moments that demonstrate an insight into the more uptempo, dancefloor disco vibe that much of the soul world would be heading toward in the years to follow. But it also stays grounded in a truly deep soul sound that's reminiscent of some of the amazing stuff that came out of the Philly scene of that era, as well as being a perfect in between blend of Candi Staton's early '70s sad and stunning sounds and her later '70s more full on disco moments. We're so happy Reel Music is digging into the vaults to find some total gems, as Kim Tolliver is now a name to add to our favorite soul singers list. So great!

MPEG stream: I Need You (Come As You Are) / Drop Whatever You're Doing
MPEG stream: The Way He Used To Be
MPEG stream: Come And Get Me, I'm Ready

This tireless veteran DJ is certainly no stranger to SF party-goers or regulars to his weekly Red Wine Social. The omnipresent DJ TophOne (psst, not to be confused with the other Bay Area Toph aka Gold Chains!) has released a mix cd-r so that you can take the good times home with you! How 'bout a peek at what he's spinning? It really runs the good time gamut from current locals such as Lyrics Born and Paradise Boys to classic rock Steely Dan, John Cougar Stevie Winwood, Eddie Money and Queen to a multitude of other tracks by other DJs such as DJ Zeph, DJ Shadow, DJ Marz, DJ Smash and Z-Trip. 33 tracks total.

What we've got here might just be the first-ever rock n' roll band. The Treniers, a black R&B combo led by twins Claude and Clifford, got their start in the 1940s with their music soon evolving from jump blues to an equally jumpin' new fangled sound they liked to call rock n' roll. By the early '50s when the tracks on this cd anthology were recorded for the OKeh label, they could certainly say (and sing) "Rockin' Is Our Business". And check out their other subject matter: drugs and sex! Sure, they couldn't indulge in the explict language of today's rock and rap acts. But you could get away with a lot nonetheless, as their classic side "Poon-tang!" suggests. With such risque lyrics and a hard-rockin' stage act, they inspired more than the bland Bill Haley that's for sure. Any history-minded rock fan oughta have room in their collection for the real old school. This is actually a reissue of a cd issued on Epic/Legacy in '95. Sadly this Collectables version has got crappier, colorized cover graphics, and inexplicably does away with the original disc's liner notes, but it does tack nine bonus tracks onto the twenty found on the earlier disc. Wild stuff from over fifty years ago!

MPEG stream: It Rocks! It Rolls! It Swings!
MPEG stream: Hadacole (That's All)

The ORIGINAL rock n' roll band.

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SORRY.UK import.

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Yay, back in print (and now as a two-fer) are these two AWESOME documents of the legendary Washington DC band Trouble Funk's outtasite funkatology. Previously they were reissued as two individual cds on Hank Rollins' Infinite Zero imprint, but have been out of print for some time, so if you don't already have those versions, you'll want this. That is, if you have a rhythmic bone in yer body. Trouble Funk were prime proponents of what's known as Go-Go, a strain of funk that flourished in the DC area exclusively. Go-Go is all about the rhythm, with lots of rolling percussion being the basis for long jams that couldn't be much funkier. Indeed after parts A-B-C-and-D of the non-stop Live album (disc one) you'll be so funked out, especially if you've been behaving like the crowd on the recording, that you might have to take a nap or something before you put on disc two, Early Singles, and have to deal with the likes of "Super Grit" and "Get Down With Your Get Down". Early '80s DC Go-Go at its finest, and that's pretty fine!

MPEG stream: Live part A
MPEG stream: Super Grit

Shadoks somehow does it yet again, digging up an obscure, fuzzed out psychedelic gem from one of the far corners of the globe. This one must have really required some digging, as the disc is not even an actual full album reissue, but a collection of mostly unreleased tracks by three different but related groups from the jungles of Venezuela - late '60s / early '70s underground acts pretty much unknown outside of their home turf. Obscure indeed, but pretty dang cool, makes you wonder about all the even more obscure bands never documented at all. Shadoks has already brought us one classic Venezuelan psych record by Ladies W.C. and this stuff is in much the same vein of freaky high energy hard psych and fuzzy popsike. These recordings, taken from 7" singles as well as unreleased tapes, date from roughly 1967 to 1972, and are all by these three bands that featured many of the same members, always including guitarist Josetio Romero. First came LSD, an acid rock act obviously, then they morphed into the Led Zeppelin influenced Tsee Mud (the name a reference to the bloodsucking, disease-bearing tsetse fly), and then finally the all-instrumental and super groovy Bacro. Romera was involved with some other bands too during this period, like one called Heavy Load, but none of the others left any recordings. He apparently even toured the USA (playing Madison Square Garden!) with the American R&B band The Del-Vikings, during the break between Tsee Mud and Bacro. As you might suppose, Romero was a pretty wild guitarist, starting off as a devoted Jimi Hendrix acolyte and going from there. None of these bands (who played live a lot and must have been great on stage) ever made a full-length lp which is a shame but at least this collection brings together what they did record, and it really works as a cohesive set, basically a 'best of' one band with three names. Our favorite tracks might be the instrumentals by Bacro, those are just killer grooves, no vocals needed. But ALL the tracks are pretty great, the ones with wailing vocals to go with the wailing guitar too. There's no duds, all the tracks are packed with hairy funk, primal prog moves and lumbering, heavy, Hendrix-y riffs out the wazoo. There's a few moody moments but things usually start swinging seconds later. Some of the time, Tsee Mud et. al. come across sorta like a South American James Gang, cool! Also for fans of Los Dug Dugs for sure, and even African psych stuff like Witch. Further proof that awesome, unknown bands lurked in garages the world over, back then! The cd booklet includes lengthy liner notes in both English and Spanish, along with lyrics, vintage photos and graphics. Although, despite all the detailed information provided, the cd booklet doesn't do a very good job of identifying which of the eleven tracks on this disc were by which bands, though you can probably figure it out if you read carefully, if it even matters, which it doesn't really. FYI, also available on vinyl, but it's hella expensive ($45), that's how Shadoks do, we can special order it though, just ask.

MPEG stream: Amandote Esta Dios
MPEG stream: If You Want To Be Alive
MPEG stream: This Natural Place

If you're a fan of Funkadelic, you've for sure had some hardcore jollies of late. First, a few weeks ago, there was that collection of unreleased Funkadelic jams entitled Toys, and now, Westbound has gone back for another dig through the vaults, unearthing this 1972 recording by a group from New Jersey called United Soul, aka US Music with Funkadelic, so called 'cause they were produced by P-Funk ringleader George Clinton (he was their homie, hailing from the same town in NJ), and featured various Funkadelics like Bernie Worrell and Fuzzy Haskins backing 'em up on these sessions recorded in Detroit and Toronto. Funkadelic also drafted some of the members of United Soul into their ranks, including vocalist Gary Shider. So basically this IS Funkadelic, make no mistake. This material was originally meant for a United Soul album that was never released, though some of it found its way to the ears of Funkadelic fans in different forms. Two of the tracks, the mellow R&B number "I Miss My Baby" and the more uptempo, gospel-tinged "Baby I Owe You Something Good" were issued on a 7" single (and appeared on the Funkadelic 45's collection Music For My Mother). The latter was also reworked and rerecorded for inclusion on Let's Take It To The Stage three years later. And "This Broken Heart", a doo-wop tearjerker, preceded the version found on Cosmic Slop in '73. But then there's a couple more rocked-out, psychedelic cuts here too, that any self-respecting Funkadelic fan is gonna freak over, both full of wild guitar: "Be What You Is", and (especially) "Rat Kiss The Cat On The Naval" [sic]. That one's a truly killer slab of funkariffic badassitude nearly 8 minutes long. It's got yr typical P-Funk drugged out nursery rhyme lyrics, over a fuzzed-out groove and the manic, looped cry of "Haa!!" which is soon overrun by some serious, searing, acid-drenched electric guitar soloing. And it just gets more and more intense as it goes along. Damn. Sometimes I (Allan) get to DJ sets of obscure early '70s heaviness, and you know that this is gonna get played next time I have the chance... It would fit right in with Doc Dail's "Aere Perennius", ferinstance. Or even the recently discovered Death's "Politicians In My Eyes". Not sure if this disc really qualifies as an unreleased album, it's only five songs after all (seven tracks on the cd, but the extra two are merely the mono single versions of the two "Baby" numbers from the aforementioned 7"). But it sure does qualify as a way cool Funkadelic artifact indeed, and those don't appear every day even though right now it might seem like they do.

MPEG stream: Baby I Owe You Something Good
MPEG stream: Be What You Is
MPEG stream: Rat Kiss The Cat On The Naval

Here's the second album from SF's Unagi. For this follow-up to his well-received 2003 self-titled first album, he's set aside his vocals and overall DJ Shadow-ish stylings in favor of smoooth soul jams and diva samples. This makes for a rather unexpected shift in focus. Folks who dug Unagi's debut and who were eagerly expecting more might be in for a bit of a jolt. Whereas his previous full length was a totally funky hiphop album, Keepin' It Eel is pretty much a luv-yer-lady-down type of soundtrack! You almost expect Barry White to slip in for a nightcap.

MPEG stream: Condorman's Revenge
MPEG stream: Relocation Blues

We've been listening to this nearly non-stop since we got our hands on a promo late last year. We didn't really know much about the backstory, just were totally floored by the consistently infectious hybrid grooves of funk, new wave, rare groove and jazz fusion recorded between 1979-1982 that it seemed impossible that this group was virtually undiscovered all this time by anyone outside of Chicago. Their sound fits somewhere between the edgy rhythm of Funkadelic, the rare groove of Roy Ayers, and the direct lyrical realness of Heatwave, but at the same time carries an unexpectedly sharp radio-ready pop sense, boosted by a laser-like focus on studio production and topnotch less-is-more musicianship. Learning their backstory after listening to this so much makes the whole thing that much more impressive and explains somewhat how a little known party band who amassed such an amazing back-log of never before released recordings. Taken from tapes recorded in Columbia College's audio department recorded by college audio students at the time, The Universal Togetherness Band, somehow artfully finagled to get FIVE semesters of recording time to put to tape the band's entire repertoire, likely on the school's dime. For some reason a planned album release fell through and the tapes were shelved. Numero has done a great service with the help of mixing by Sean Marquand of Phenomenal Handclap Band to cull down eight solid tracks from the archive that spread themselves out genre-wise yet still stay tethered to the whole. Seriously, not a dud song in the bunch. Highly Recommended!

MPEG stream: Ain't Gonna Cry
MPEG stream: Real Thrill
MPEG stream: Try Try Try

We've been listening to this nearly non-stop since we got our hands on a promo late last year. We didn't really know much about the backstory, just were totally floored by the consistently infectious hybrid grooves of funk, new wave, rare groove and jazz fusion recorded between 1979-1982 that it seemed impossible that this group was virtually undiscovered all this time by anyone outside of Chicago. Their sound fits somewhere between the edgy rhythm of Funkadelic, the rare groove of Roy Ayers, and the direct lyrical realness of Heatwave, but at the same time carries an unexpectedly sharp radio-ready pop sense, boosted by a laser-like focus on studio production and topnotch less-is-more musicianship. Learning their backstory after listening to this so much makes the whole thing that much more impressive and explains somewhat how a little known party band who amassed such an amazing back-log of never before released recordings. Taken from tapes recorded in Columbia College's audio department recorded by college audio students at the time, The Universal Togetherness Band, somehow artfully finagled to get FIVE semesters of recording time to put to tape the band's entire repertoire, likely on the school's dime. For some reason a planned album release fell through and the tapes were shelved. Numero has done a great service with the help of mixing by Sean Marquand of Phenomenal Handclap Band to cull down eight solid tracks from the archive that spread themselves out genre-wise yet still stay tethered to the whole. Seriously, not a dud song in the bunch. Highly Recommended!

MPEG stream: Ain't Gonna Cry
MPEG stream: Real Thrill
MPEG stream: Try Try Try

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In addition to reissuing their Ghana Soundz collection, Sound Way has put together an additional 12 rare tracks of afro-beat from Nigeria. Included along with mainstays Fela Kuti and Orlando Julius are several lesser known (this side of the pond anyhoo) groups like The Mebusas, The Don Issac Ezekiel Combination, The Martins Brothers Dance Band and more. Like Ghana Soundz, this CD comes with a thick booklet of info, including artist bios, and album art repros.

MPEG stream: Son of Mr. Bull Dog
MPEG stream: Omelebele

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SORRY. Yet another collection of classic 70's afro-funk. Subtitled "Motherload From the Motherland", the 13 tracks here are certainly a goldmine of afro-funk. Some are in the vein of Fela Kuti, some are bizarre interpretations of the James Brown sound, and some are akin to the instrumental tracks you might find in a seventies film score. Featuring cuts by the likes of Manu Dibango, Matata, Dick Khoza, Assagai, and much more. All the tracks were mastered directly from vinyl sources, so along with the usual surface noise anomalies you get a couple songs where the lp's hole was punched off center and the track is a bit warbled. Rather charming, I think. The bad or, to be sure, truly sucky thing about this compilation is its complete lack of liner notes whatsoever -- you get a track listing and that's it. I'm not opposed to quasi-bootleg re-issues, but if someone's going to go through the trouble of archiving the tracks they should at least give a little background info as to their origin, maybe even some bios on the more obscure artists.

RealAudio clip: Afro Funk
RealAudio clip: Cocoa
RealAudio clip: Maku Penda

Subtitled "Rare Music from the Early 80ies New York Underground", this is a really good collection of no wave / stark electro funk material from a variety of notable sources. There's an early Jim Jarmusch (the filmmaker) track, and one from Gray, the band Contributing selected remixes are Psychonauts, Funkstorung, and Syrup (people from Poets of Rhythm and Beanfield) etc, but they're forgettable for the most part (the Funkstorung is good); the original tracks are the prime attraction here.

RealAudio clip: If I Gave You a Party
RealAudio clip: Love Attack

For those who devoured the first delightful volume of Barry 7's Connectors: Rare Italian Library Tracks, here's an entire second volume! A cornucopia of sonic frolics very much in the same spirit as Luke Vibert's Nuggets and many of the Crippled Dick Hot Wax compilations. Unfamiliar with any of those? Well then, strap on your seatbelt 'cause you're in for a treat! Over the top Euro kitsch, melodrama and campiness! So perfect if you're on the lookout for a diverse array of rather flamboyant theatrical music 'cause these tracks - originally catalogued for '60s and '70s television and radio production backing use - are overflowing with bontempi-esque organs, analog synthesizers, choral singers, and flutes! And four of them come from a gent named Ennio Morricone (very much of the delirously wonderful Danger Diabolik period). Curious who this Mr. Barry 7 is who wants you to hear the unheard music? Why, he's one third of that analog synth jammin' UK group Add N To (X) who clearly have drawn much inspiration from these works. Splendid!

Oh yeah! With so many great collections of golden-era soul/funk coming out in the last couple years chronicling the wonderful sounds that came out of scenes in different parts of the country and abroad it makes perfect sense that there should be some collections detailing the amazing soul & funk that came out of our very own backyard, right here in San Francisco and throughout the bay-area during the '60s and '70s. Like their great collection of soul & funk from Michigan on the Searching For Soul comp, Luv N' Haight have once again hit solid gold with a totally stellar collection of should have been big time hits that mostly slipped under the radar on a more national scale. From the heartbroken soul of Mary Love, the always reliable Sugar Pie DeSanto, the tripped out funk of San Francisco T.K.O.'s, the charismatic hip shaking sounds of Little Denise Stevenson and the gut wrenchingly gritty funk of Primevil, this collection is pretty much super solid from start to finish. We can't get enough of the raw good stuff, from a time when Soul & Funk was done so totally right. Fans of the Eccentric Soul series and of all vintage soul & funk, this is a definite must have!

MPEG stream: Born To Live With Heartache
MPEG stream: Hip Breakin'
MPEG stream: Stop Look Listen

16 tracks from the soundtracks to the various Shaft movies, some material otherwise not easily available on cd. Isaac Hayes (with his classic theme of course), The Four Tops, Bernard Purdie & Johnny Pate all contribute.

From the masters of dredging up obscure euro-pop and jazz, Crippled Dick Hot Wax takes you on a time warp behind the iron curtain to listen to late 60's & mid 70's jazz grooves -- mostly tracks from Poland and Czechoslovakia are represented here, though there

RealAudio clip: A Dance
RealAudio clip: A Day In The City
RealAudio clip: Funky Dla Franki

Oh boy, can the stellar reissue label Strut do no wrong? Doubtful, cos they just keep coming out with amazing compilations and reissues, unearthing the most forgotten genres and movements mostly taken from the seventies. There's the Disco Not Disco comp, Now they've compiled the first ever look back at the best of Black Rio, that movement in the seventies that saw young black Brazilians getting political and turning away from the far-too-commercial samba in favor of James Brown. This is funky soul music, and the tracks here are so fun. There's everything from hard gritty funk to smooth soul to an unlikely instrumental cover of "Rapper's Delight" (the last sample below)! And as with all the Strut releases, there are voluminous liner notes placing the entire musical movement in a clear context, as well as lots of photos. Highly recommended.

RealAudio clip: Cinco Anos
RealAudio clip: Comanche
RealAudio clip: Melo da Tagarela (Rapper's Delight)

Indeed. '70s funk/jazz/proto-rap comp, with some not-so-big names as well as famous folks (but tending towards their more obscure output of the latter). Curtis Mayfield, Sly Stone, The Last Poets, The Meters, Lightnin' Rod, JB-refugees Pee Wee Ellis and Maceo

Bob Blank is one of the most unsung heroes in the history of the vibrant New York music scene of the '70s and '80s. He had such a wide ranging, amazing and colorful sound, and a massive (if under appreciated) influence like so many of the best musical minds of that era (Larry Levan, Arthur Russell, August Darnell). While his roots were for sure deep in the disco scene he had the kind of left of center disposition that allowed him to work on so many different kind of projects and with so many different, and often unexpected artists. Strut has put together a really loving collection of many of the great songs Blank helped bring to life by everyone from Lydia Lunch to Sun Ra, Lola (Arthur Russell) to Gladys Knight and more. While there is an undeniable level of funk and freespirit running through all these songs, they do all demonstrate the breadth of sound Blank was able to bring to records recorded in his legendary Blank Tapes studio located in the heart of Chelsea. Surely essential for folks who loved the recent Ze: 30 collection or the Mutant Disco and Disco Not Disco comps from the past few years. We're beyond stoked that Strut has put this collection together, not only to bring light to the amazing work that Blank created but simply as compilation, this record is just jam packed with so many super pleasing songs.

MPEG stream: Once You Got Me Going
MPEG stream: Where Pathways Meet (Unreleased Acetate Mix)
MPEG stream: Emile (Night Rate)

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Not sure what it was, but for whatever reason, some of us had never gotten that into Bossa Nova. Sure there were the standards, the popular tunes that everyone heard, but it never struck a chord, or maybe just at the time, and maybe it was precisely because it was the popular tunes, the accessible jams that made it into the ears of someone who at the time, was more of a jazz dabbler. But Soul Jazz has been killing it lately, with THREE different Bossa Nova comps, which have totally swayed the non believers, converted the haters, and even impressed the folks who were already big fans. First there was Bossa Nova And The Rise Of Brazilian Music In The 1960's, which was reviewed on a past list and you can check out elsewhere on the aQ list, then there was Bossa Nova And The Story Of Elenco Records, Brazil (which we haven't reviewed yet, but hopefully will soon!), and now there's Bossa Jazz: The Birth Of Hard Bossa, Samba Jazz And The Evolution Of Brazilian Fusion 1962-73, which might just be the best of the bunch. We've been listening to this like crazy non stop since we first got it in, and it continues to blow us away. It's still bossa nova, but it's darker, and more intense, mostly instrumental, hard to explain exactly what it is, but the sound, the soul, the vibe, it's just totally doing it for us. Apparently instrumental music, played by the more popular bands of the bossa nova movement, became known as hard bossa or samba jazz, and as the sixties wound down, there was a huge exodus of Brazilian musicians heading to the US, and many Brazilian based musicians who began to collaborate with US groups, and thus was born Brazilian fusion, and this compilation basically follows that shift, and traces its development musically. But it's the sound, the music, the feel, this comp in some ways feels like a Brazilian version of Ethiopiques 4, our favorite volume in that stellar series, but that one is all instrumental, and in many ways that lets the music do the talking, the emotion oozes from the instruments, and the same is true here, there are some vocal performances, which are incredible, but mostly it's these jazz masters let loose, the drums are wild, there are multiple drum solos, the bass, the piano, the bands are just incredible, and the sounds they conjure up are stunning. And even some more well known names, Sergio Mendes, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Airto Moreira, Baden Powell, all offer up darker more progressive fusion-y sounds, and it's just fantastic, much of this collection sounds very cinematic, and like the other Soul Jazz bossa nova comps, not a single track we had ever heard before, but pretty much every single one we LOVE. So much so that this comp has sent us on a serious bossa nova kick that shows no sign of letting up. Which is always the sign of a good comp. Like all Soul Jazz compilations, there's a big booklet with extensive liner notes with lots of photos, the cd version housed in a cool miniature hardcover book.

MPEG stream: Canto Do Ubirantan
MPEG stream: Birimbau
MPEG stream: Anoiteceu
MPEG stream: Batucada
MPEG stream: Das Tardes Mas Sos
MPEG stream: Consolacao

Now on vinyl, split into two volumes... Not sure what it was, but for whatever reason, some of us had never gotten that into Bossa Nova. Sure there were the standards, the popular tunes that everyone heard, but it never struck a chord, or maybe just at the time, and maybe it was precisely because it was the popular tunes, the accessible jams that made it into the ears of someone who at the time, was more of a jazz dabbler. But Soul Jazz has been killing it lately, with THREE different Bossa Nova comps, which have totally swayed the non believers, converted the haters, and even impressed the folks who were already big fans. First there was Bossa Nova And The Rise Of Brazilian Music In The 1960's, which was reviewed on a past list and you can check out elsewhere on the aQ list, then there was Bossa Nova And The Story Of Elenco Records, Brazil (which we haven't reviewed yet, but hopefully will soon!), and now there's Bossa Jazz: The Birth Of Hard Bossa, Samba Jazz And The Evolution Of Brazilian Fusion 1962-73, which might just be the best of the bunch. We've been listening to this like crazy non stop since we first got it in, and it continues to blow us away. It's still bossa nova, but it's darker, and more intense, mostly instrumental, hard to explain exactly what it is, but the sound, the soul, the vibe, it's just totally doing it for us. Apparently instrumental music, played by the more popular bands of the bossa nova movement, became known as hard bossa or samba jazz, and as the sixties wound down, there was a huge exodus of Brazilian musicians heading to the US, and many Brazilian based musicians who began to collaborate with US groups, and thus was born Brazilian fusion, and this compilation basically follows that shift, and traces its development musically. But it's the sound, the music, the feel, this comp in some ways feels like a Brazilian version of Ethiopiques 4, our favorite volume in that stellar series, but that one is all instrumental, and in many ways that lets the music do the talking, the emotion oozes from the instruments, and the same is true here, there are some vocal performances, which are incredible, but mostly it's these jazz masters let loose, the drums are wild, there are multiple drum solos, the bass, the piano, the bands are just incredible, and the sounds they conjure up are stunning. And even some more well known names, Sergio Mendes, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Airto Moreira, Baden Powell, all offer up darker more progressive fuison-y sounds, and it's just fantastic, much of this collection sounds very cinematic, and like the other Soul Jazz bossa nova comps, not a single track we had ever heard before, but pretty much every single one we LOVE. So much so that this comp has sent us on a serious bossa nova kick that shows no sign of letting up. Which is always the sign of a good comp. Like all Soul Jazz compilations, there's a big booklet with extensive liner notes with lots of photos, the cd version housed in a cool miniature hardcover book.

MPEG stream: Canto Do Ubirantan
MPEG stream: Birimbau
MPEG stream: Anoiteceu

Now on vinyl, split into two volumes... Not sure what it was, but for whatever reason, some of us had never gotten that into Bossa Nova. Sure there were the standards, the popular tunes that everyone heard, but it never struck a chord, or maybe just at the time, and maybe it was precisely because it was the popular tunes, the accessible jams that made it into the ears of someone who at the time, was more of a jazz dabbler. But Soul Jazz has been killing it lately, with THREE different Bossa Nova comps, which have totally swayed the non believers, converted the haters, and even impressed the folks who were already big fans. First there was Bossa Nova And The Rise Of Brazilian Music In The 1960's, which was reviewed on a past list and you can check out elsewhere on the aQ list, then there was Bossa Nova And The Story Of Elenco Records, Brazil (which we haven't reviewed yet, but hopefully will soon!), and now there's Bossa Jazz: The Birth Of Hard Bossa, Samba Jazz And The Evolution Of Brazilian Fusion 1962-73, which might just be the best of the bunch. We've been listening to this like crazy non stop since we first got it in, and it continues to blow us away. It's still bossa nova, but it's darker, and more intense, mostly instrumental, hard to explain exactly what it is, but the sound, the soul, the vibe, it's just totally doing it for us. Apparently instrumental music, played by the more popular bands of the bossa nova movement, became known as hard bossa or samba jazz, and as the sixties wound down, there was a huge exodus of Brazilian musicians heading to the US, and many Brazilian based musicians who began to collaborate with US groups, and thus was born Brazilian fusion, and this compilation basically follows that shift, and traces its development musically. But it's the sound, the music, the feel, this comp in some ways feels like a Brazilian version of Ethiopiques 4, our favorite volume in that stellar series, but that one is all instrumental, and in many ways that lets the music do the talking, the emotion oozes from the instruments, and the same is true here, there are some vocal performances, which are incredible, but mostly it's these jazz masters let loose, the drums are wild, there are multiple drum solos, the bass, the piano, the bands are just incredible, and the sounds they conjure up are stunning. And even some more well known names, Sergio Mendes, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Airto Moreira, Baden Powell, all offer up darker more progressive fuison-y sounds, and it's just fantastic, much of this collection sounds very cinematic, and like the other Soul Jazz bossa nova comps, not a single track we had ever heard before, but pretty much every single one we LOVE. So much so that this comp has sent us on a serious bossa nova kick that shows no sign of letting up. Which is always the sign of a good comp. Like all Soul Jazz compilations, there's a big booklet with extensive liner notes with lots of photos, the cd version housed in a cool miniature hardcover book.

MPEG stream: Batucada
MPEG stream: Das Tardes Mas Sos
MPEG stream: Consolacao

Blame it on the Bossa Nova! What Americans experienced of Brazil's biggest cultural export in the sixties (think Astrud Gilberto's "Girl From Ipanema" and Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66) was actually a watered down version of a vital cultural renaissance of luxury and prosperity in a country transforming itself from its agrarian roots to a new industrial power on the world's stage. Soul Jazz has released this terrific new compilation to highlight the origins of this tremendous and far-reaching cultural shift, with many of the genre's original innovators: Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto, Elis Regina, Jorge Ben, Gilberto Gil, Nara Leao, Wanda Sa, Maria Bethannia, Milton Nascimento as well as plenty of others we had never heard before. With its cool vocals, complex but economic melodic structures and sophisticated jazz motifs, Bossa Nova represented a huge shift away from traditional music to a new modern jet-setting sound. What's neat about this compilation is that even though the names may be familiar, many of the tracks are not the typical hits you may have heard before, reflecting the urgent embrace and hopeful optimism of a country stretching into its new identity. Sadly it wouldn't last. By the time, American's were fully seduced by Bossa Nova's warm wave of tropical sophistication in the mid-sixties, Brazil experienced a military takeover and many of the musicians (namely Jobim and Mendes) were forced to flee to the US. They were able to have successful careers (perhaps even more successful than when they were in Brazil) but Bossa Nova in America became something symbolically different, an almost Imperial embrace of laid-back Latin coolness while completely overlooking the political unrest that displaced it. Thankfully another musical and cultural revolution, Tropicalia, was gearing up to take its place. Still, whatever association you might have with Bossa Nova, this compilation is full of surprises and well worth the listen. So freaking good! And as with all Soul Jazz record, the packaging is deluxe and elaborate, a slipcover housing a jewel case and a massive booklet, with tons of photos, and a super extensive history of Bossa Nova, detailing the musicians, and the politics of the era.

MPEG stream: Inverno
MPEG stream: Yemenja
MPEG stream: Lalari-Olala
MPEG stream: Zimbo-Samba
MPEG stream: Jangal
MPEG stream: Ponteio
MPEG stream: Samba Blim
MPEG stream: Hora De Lutar

NOW ON VINYL, spread out over two separate double lps... Blame it on the Bossa Nova! What Americans experienced of Brazil's biggest cultural export in the sixties (think Astrud Gilberto's "Girl From Ipanema" and Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66) was actually a watered down version of a vital cultural renaissance of luxury and prosperity in a country transforming itself from its agrarian roots to a new industrial power on the world's stage. Soul Jazz has released this terrific new compilation to highlight the origins of this tremendous and far-reaching cultural shift, with many of the genre's original innovators: Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto, Elis Regina, Jorge Ben, Gilberto Gil, Nara Leao, Wanda Sa, Maria Bethannia, Milton Nascimento as well as plenty of others we had never heard before. With its cool vocals, complex but economic melodic structures and sophisticated jazz motifs, Bossa Nova represented a huge shift away from traditional music to a new modern jet-setting sound. What's neat about this compilation is that even though the names may be familiar, many of the tracks are not the typical hits you may have heard before, reflecting the urgent embrace and hopeful optimism of a country stretching into its new identity. Sadly it wouldn't last. By the time, American's were fully seduced by Bossa Nova's warm wave of tropical sophistication in the mid-sixties, Brazil experienced a military takeover and many of the musicians (namely Jobim and Mendes) were forced to flee to the US. They were able to have successful careers (perhaps even more successful than when they were in Brazil) but Bossa Nova in America became something symbolically different, an almost Imperial embrace of laid-back Latin coolness while completely overlooking the political unrest that displaced it. Thankfully another musical and cultural revolution, Tropicalia, was gearing up to take its place. Still, whatever association you might have with Bossa Nova, this compilation is full of surprises and well worth the listen. So freaking good!

MPEG stream: Ponteio
MPEG stream: Samba Blim
MPEG stream: Hora De Lutar

NOW ON VINYL, spread out over two separate double lps... Blame it on the Bossa Nova! What Americans experienced of Brazil's biggest cultural export in the sixties (think Astrud Gilberto's "Girl From Ipanema" and Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66) was actually a watered down version of a vital cultural renaissance of luxury and prosperity in a country transforming itself from its agrarian roots to a new industrial power on the world's stage. Soul Jazz has released this terrific new compilation to highlight the origins of this tremendous and far-reaching cultural shift, with many of the genre's original innovators: Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto, Elis Regina, Jorge Ben, Gilberto Gil, Nara Leao, Wanda Sa, Maria Bethannia, Milton Nascimento as well as plenty of others we had never heard before. With its cool vocals, complex but economic melodic structures and sophisticated jazz motifs, Bossa Nova represented a huge shift away from traditional music to a new modern jet-setting sound. What's neat about this compilation is that even though the names may be familiar, many of the tracks are not the typical hits you may have heard before, reflecting the urgent embrace and hopeful optimism of a country stretching into its new identity. Sadly it wouldn't last. By the time, American's were fully seduced by Bossa Nova's warm wave of tropical sophistication in the mid-sixties, Brazil experienced a military takeover and many of the musicians (namely Jobim and Mendes) were forced to flee to the US. They were able to have successful careers (perhaps even more successful than when they were in Brazil) but Bossa Nova in America became something symbolically different, an almost Imperial embrace of laid-back Latin coolness while completely overlooking the political unrest that displaced it. Thankfully another musical and cultural revolution, Tropicalia, was gearing up to take its place. Still, whatever association you might have with Bossa Nova, this compilation is full of surprises and well worth the listen. So freaking good!

MPEG stream: Inverno
MPEG stream: Yemenja
MPEG stream: Lalari-Olala
MPEG stream: Zimbo-Samba
MPEG stream: Jangal