Aquarius Records closed in 2016. This site is an archive — a place to rediscover their extraordinary music recommendations. Nothing here is for sale.
Showing results 601 through 650 of 794.
V/AFunkrock(BBE)cd$ 16.98
Mixmaster of the moment DJ Spinna shows his impeccable taste in "rock breaks and guitars for funky people" with this compilation (put together by Spinna and Monty Burns). The '70s ride again with the choice cuts found here: tracks by Sly Stone ("Trip To Your Heart", which you'll recognize from its sampled use by LL Cool J on "Mama Said Knock You Out"), Santana, Herbie Hancock's Head
V/AFunky Frauleins(Bureau B)cd$ 17.98
For all the stereotypes about how serious and rigid German culture is, we love how so many compilations in recent years have revealed just the opposite, revealing how damn fun and playful so much of the music bursting out of Germany during the '60s and '70s really was. We're talking full on go-go kaleidoscopic cocktail party galore! Much in the spirit of like minded compilations like The In-Kraut series and Disco Deutchland, Funky Frauleins puts its fun focus on the colorful groovy, funky, and disco sounds of the beat queens of Germany from 1968-1978. Just as fun, sassy and spirited as their French go-go counterparts but very much in the '70s with instrumentation that would sound right at home on a game show, in a porno, or even especially at a full on dance party. We only knew a few of these ladies: Su Kramer, Hildegard Knef and Caterina Valente, so we were introduced to a bunch of other super fun vixens. The booklet offers up great photos and bios of all the artists. This is one of those turn off your brain and step into a sweet and delicious cocktail haze kind of records. And we love it.
V/AFunky Funky Chicago(Funky Delicacies)cd$ 15.98
V/AHorse Meat Disco(Strut)2cd$ 14.98
With the amazing resurgence and appreciation of the Disco era in the last several years this collection really serves as a kind of holy grail of the true sounds and soul of disco's heydey, as curated and mixed by one of the best disco minded DJ Collectives around, Horse Meat Disco out of the UK. They host legendary parties that channel that original free spirit of old school queer disco parties while manning the decks with some of the best and often most obscure disco gems from the golden era. Luckily Horse Meat Disco has made its way into the states and even to San Francisco, playing at parties with local kindred spirits Honey Sound System. This two disc set is pretty much essential disco listening, having true disco diggers do the hard work for you and then you just get to sit back (or better yet shake your thang!) to the great jams they have unearthed. The first disc is a continuous mix which gives you a pretty good idea of what going to a Horse Meat Disco party would feel like, then the second disc gives you the songs in their original incarnation. There are some folks we know and love on here as well as many that are totally new to us. And even of the folks we DID know , most of the tracks aren't the total obvious ones we had heard before. Karen Young, Larry Levan, Tamiko Jones, Gino Soccio, Fern Kinney, etc. The impassioned liner notes (including a great piece written by Daniel Wang), give further proof to the lasting legacy and inspiration in these soulful disco sounds.
V/AHorse Meat Disco 2(Strut)cd$ 14.98
Horse Meat Disco have proven to be not only some of the best dance / disco DJ's on the planet but also such awesome ambassadors of preserving and celebrating the spirit and soul of classic disco for a whole new generation. Their compilation and mix from last year was one of our favorite collections of dance jams we'd heard in ages and with this second volume they continue to show that there is an endless vault of rare disco gems to be excavated and revisited, and we're so stoked they are putting their love and appreciation of that time, and sound, and making these awesome compilations. This time out it's a collection of tracks by so many folks that have slipped under even the most disco loving of the AQ staff's radar as well as a few people we know and love (Stephanie Mills, Madleen Kane, Scherrie Payne). But damn what a rad schooling in so many unsung heroes of disco past as we've been moving with big wide smiles on our face to tracks by folks like First Love, Bravo, Electra, Nightfall, etc. If luck had been a little different for some of those artist's their names and songs would be as well known as folks like Gloria Gaynor, Thelma Houston, Gwen Guthrie, Donna Summer, Evelyn "Champagne" King, Labelle, Anita Ward, etc. Horse Meat Disco understands that true disco spirit is so much about the pure emotional energy that was bringing people together on dance floors in total bliss and unity, and it translates in the awesome parties they throw in the UK and with these compilations they have put together. Everytime we play this in the store it's awesome to see how everyone shopping immediately starts tapping their feet and getting in such a good mood. This is impossible music to feel dour while listening to, and as much as we love bleak and brooding sounds around here, we also know that it's important to also have the good stuff to go to when you want to get in a fun, physical dance state of mind, and when you do, it don't get much better then this. So awesome!
V/AHorse Meat Disco II(Strut)2lp$ 23.00
Now available on vinyl! Horse Meat Disco have proven to be not only some of the best dance / disco DJ's on the planet but also such awesome ambassadors of preserving and celebrating the spirit and soul of classic disco for a whole new generation. Their compilation and mix from last year was one of our favorite collections of dance jams we'd heard in ages and with this second volume they continue to show that there is an endless vault of rare disco gems to be excavated and revisited, and we're so stoked they are putting their love and appreciation of that time, and sound, and making these awesome compilations. This time out it's a collection of tracks by so many folks that have slipped under even the most disco loving of the AQ staff's radar as well as a few people we know and love (Stephanie Mills, Madleen Kane, Scherrie Payne). But damn what a rad schooling in so many unsung heroes of disco past as we've been moving with big wide smiles on our face to tracks by folks like First Love, Bravo, Electra, Nightfall, etc. If luck had been a little different for some of those artist's their names and songs would be as well known as folks like Gloria Gaynor, Thelma Houston, Gwen Guthrie, Donna Summer, Evelyn "Champagne" King, Labelle, Anita Ward, etc. Horse Meat Disco understands that true disco spirit is so much about the pure emotional energy that was bringing people together on dance floors in total bliss and unity, and it translates in the awesome parties they throw in the UK and with these compilations they have put together. Everytime we play this in the store it's awesome to see how everyone shopping immediately starts tapping their feet and getting in such a good mood. This is impossible music to feel dour while listening to, and as much as we love bleak and brooding sounds around here, we also know that it's important to also have the good stuff to go to when you want to get in a fun, physical dance state of mind, and when you do, it don't get much better then this. So awesome!
V/AHorse Meat Disco III(Strut)2cd$ 16.98
Third thrilling blast of disco/house greatness curated and mixed by the Horse Meat Disco crew out of the UK. These boys know their vintage disco and house, so we always look forward to their compilations to get turned on to so much obscure vintage gay discotheque glory, as well as getting to hear some of our favorites in a mix of dance floor bliss. This time out the the Horse Meat crew tag team a mix on each of discs / records here. What makes this edition of this series unique is how they really span many generations of dance music with seamless ease. From Sylvester to Dimitri From Paris, Two Tons O' Fun to Todd Terje edits. And it's on this collection that the Horse Meat crew really show the transition from disco into the beginnings of house. These are the sounds blasting at the best San Francisco steamy, sketchy and sassy gay discos. Claudja Barry blasting at Tubesteak Connection at Aunt Charlies in the Tenderloin, Tambi moving all kinds of hot messes at a Honey Soundsystem party. As fun as those parties are, we still wish we could get to the UK sometime to experience one of the Horse Meat Disco parties in the flesh. We know their taste and brilliant mixing makes for an epic night of dancefloor bliss. It really is the kind of dance music that makes you throw out any negative or stale energy you might have, and allow yourself to get moved into a sweaty blissed out euphoria.
V/AI'm A Good Woman 2(Harmless)cd$ 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
V/AI'm Just Like You: Sly's Stone Flower 1969-70(Light In The Attic)cd$ 16.98
Electronic soul music pretty much begins with Sly Stone. In a year-long period of introspective but intensely prolific productivity that would ultimately transform his main band, The Family Stone, from upbeat soul poppers to deep socially-conscious funk groovers, Stone took a break from his main squeeze and had his hands in many pockets. Holed up in the studio with a a newly required Maestro Rhythm King drum machine and his trademarked wah'wah'd electronic organ in low key tempos, Stone not only recorded solo demos for what would become the most influential Family Stone record, There's A Riot Going On, but he also started a label, Stone Flower as well as a production team and released 4 singles. Two of them from Little Sister, which was a vocal group led by Stone's little sister Vaetta Stewart, one from soul singer Joe Hicks, and one from a funk group called 6IX, all of which featured Stone' organ and drum machine combo as well as production. On the surface, 4 singles doesn't sound like very much for a label, but their sound transformed soul and funk music into something more deeper and minimal, influencing not only more well known performers such as Timmy Thomas and Shuggie Otis, all the way up to Prince, but also lots of private press artists as well, who did not have the resources to hire full bands and recording studios to create their music. One of our very favorite compilations from the past few years, Personal Space, documents this trend in private press electronic soul from the seventies, and fans of that comp will find tons to love here. There have been previous comps of the Stone Flower output, but Light In The Attic dug a lot deeper (as they always do!) and included not only some of Sly Stone's demos, but plenty of unreleased material and alternative versions of the singles as well. The low key gospel spook of Little Sister's "Somebody's Watching You" has been a favorite song of ours for a long time, but it's also cool to hear the full band version where we can decipher the lyrics a lot more clearly: "Shady as a lady with a mustache", or "The nicer the nice/ the higher the price". I'm Just Like You is a fantastic intermediary look into the world of Sly Stone during a transformative period which also includes lots of photos and liner notes as well as a recent interview with the reclusive genius himself. Highly recommended!
V/AI'm a Good Woman(Harmless)cd$ 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY. You know how everyone thinks they can be a DJ now, right? Maybe one of the unlooked-for benefits of this trend is that there are that many more people sifting through dusty ole record bins in dusty ole record stores worldwide, searching for the good breaks to sample and scratch. And perhaps that explains the sudden number of recent, very tasteful, well-done compilations that have graced the shelves here at Aquarius, comps filled with original source material utilized during or created for the breakbeat era's heyday (mid to late '70s). And hey, now that these amazing tracks are collected in one place on cd or vinyl, we can listen to them in the safety of our own living rooms -- instead of having to brave yuppies and cigarette smoke and $6 drinks to hear perfectly good tunes mangled by DJs of mediocre skills. Raw funk compilation with all the tracks done by women, including Betty Davis (Miles' wife), James Brown protege Lyn Collins, Gladys Knight, Cold Blood (the Pointer Sisters were the backup singers in this band!), etc. Extensive liner notes put each song into context and provide gossipy mini-biographies of each artist. Example: the initials in Vera Hamilton's "But I Ain't No More (G.S.T.S.K.D.T.S.)" refer to the lyric "I used to be a Genuine, Stomped on, Twenty Karat, Sure 'nough, Knocked down, Dragged out, Turned down, Strung out Fool for you... but I ain't no more!" Cool! On UK label Harmless.
V/AIn Prison: Afroamerican Prison Music From Blues To Hip Hop(Trikont)cd$ 16.98
There is such a rich history of prison music in this country, with the roots of blues easily traced to the incarceration and slavery of African American, and with so much hurt, pain and suffering comes some of the most gripping, raw, and honest music ever made. This compilation collects all sorts of sounds created behind bars from old blues, R+B, soul and modern sounding hip-hop. From the direct and hard hitting blues of Fred McDowell to the righteous empowerment of Nina Simone, the thoughtful anger of 2 Pac to a surprisingly political and subversive soul number from The Temptations. Brand Nubian, James Russell, Dead Prez, Curtis Mayfield and The Last Poets are just a few others featured on this amazing compilation. As is the case with all Trikont releases there is an extensive and informative booklet with great essays including one on how the U.S. continues to be a prison state to this day. We can imagine this being in heavy rotation on the stereos of Spike Lee, Angela Davis and Noam Chomsky, and we can't stop listening to this ourselves. So smart, relevant and powerful!
V/AIn The Christmas Groove(Strut)2lp$ 29.00
V/AIn The Storm So Long(Mississippi)lp$ 14.98
**MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT** **MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT** **MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT** One of two new fantastic compilations released on Portland's seemingly infallible Mississippi records, one is a collection of pre-war country blues and gospel called The Rain Don't Fall On Me, reviewed elsewhere on this week's list, and there's this one, In The Storm So Long, a selection of raw gospel music from Georgia in the sixties and the seventies, all originally released on Savannah Georgia's Pitch / Gusman label, which began life as a record store, before expanding into a recording studio and a full fledged label, documenting the various gospel quartets and singers in the area. The sound and songs are incredible, rough and raw, soulful and passionate, alternately rocking and reverby, joyous and exultant, the guitars fuzzy, the pianos pounding, but it's gospel after all so it's the vocals that steal the show, heartfelt and emotional, from solo crooning to full congregation sing alongs, fervent testifyin' to sweet sweet serenades. So good. Includes lengthy liner notes, discussing the life of Jones and the history of the label and the store, here presented as a faux issue of the Gospel Observer, a free bi-monthly newsletter Jones self published in the seventies. Housed in a heavy old style tip-on jacket.
V/AIn the Beginning There Was Rhythm(Soul Jazz)cd$ 17.98
Wow. The London based Soul Jazz label does it again. They've already documented the global history of funk and soul in several astonishingly well-executed collections including the universally loved "100-500% Dynamite" series of Jamaican soul, rocksteady, and reggae; the Philadelphia Roots collection; the Nu Yorica albums; that ESG reissue, and even an Art Ensemble of Chicago album. Yet none of these albums has been as highly anticipated or so spot-on timely as this new one from Soul Jazz, "In The Beginning There Was Rhythm." This compilation succeeds in encapsulating that heady time between the years 1978 and 1982, when the "second wave" of British punk bands found inspiration in both the musical and political power of reggae. As the situationist propaganda of Malcolm McLaren and the Sex Pistols spawned a global theater of anarchist shock tactics, even such right-wing idiots as the skinhead, white power, and neo-Nazi parties dared to embrace punk's celebration of chaos. Thus, those (mostly white) musicians within the punk movement who were *opposed* to such unsavory politics stood in solidarity both politically and aesthetically with their black brothers in Jamaica. Incited by the offbeat attack of The Clash and the huge dub bass production from Public Image Limited, the late '70s punk movement began a vast exploration into possibilities of bridging dance music with the revolutionary anthems of punk. While neither The Clash nor PIL are included in this compilation, "In The Beginning There Was Rhythm" does collect some of the best tracks from the huge vaults of post-punk, many of which might have gone forgotten had it not been for this album! Even 20 years after their initial releases, the bands here -- including Gang of Four, Cabaret Voltaire, 23 Skidoo, The Pop Group, A Certain Ratio, The Slits, This Heat, Human League and Throbbing Gristle -- still sound fresh, often melding choppy rhythms with angular slash-and-burn guitar, spit out vocals, rubbery bass, and nascent forms of electronica. We'll say it again -- the music here is simply perfect -- the punk holds back dance music's tendency to get too mechanical 'n boring, while the dance elements impart melody and groove to the punk. Highlighting the compilation are A Certain Ratio's urgent amphetamine funk on "Shack Up" and "Knife Slits Water", melding the unlikely combination of Joy Division's grim urgency with a George Clinton funk arrrangement. Gang Of Four's "To Hell With Poverty" marks their transition from the agitated punk grooves found on their classic (but impossible to find) debut "Entertainment" into a smooth dancefloor-friendly attack punctuated by Marxist rhetoric. The Human League -- who are unfortunately best known for their chart topping new wave singles -- had incredibly adventurous beginnings on the often forgotten punk label Fast (also early home for The Mekons and Gang of Four). Their early offering "Being Boiled" is a primitive piece of spartan electronics loaded with theatrical tension and dark arpeggiations more expected from people like Coil and Throbbing Gristle (who contribute their perverse fascination with ABBA in the subversive aesthetics of "20 Jazz Funk Greats"). But, why is this compilation so short? Judging from how few people today remember or even have heard Section 25, Tunnelvision, DAF, or Fad Gadget, there's plenty more work for Soul Jazz to do in compiling more compilations of this sort! Not just recommended, this is *required* listening. Strongly recommended to any and all!
V/AInside Deep Note Vol. 2: Music Of 1970s Adult Cinema(Grammofonpladen)cd + dvd$ 16.98
Funny that there's such a renewed interest in cheesy seventies porn music. Especially considering that music in pornos always seemed to be some mediocre funk or soul, or sometimes super cheesy soundtracky fluff, and existed solely to fill out the sounds of a scene that would otherwise be nothing but grunts and groans and slapping skin. Not sure who decided that people looked (and sounded) better screwing to some totally innocuous R&B, but at some point it stuck, and thus porno music became a genre unto itself, immediately recognizable by its cloying melodies, boppy walking basslines, simple shuffling rhythms, silly synths and very un-funky funk. That said, these Deep Note collections have done a pretty great job of collecting the weirdest, and funniest, and thus the best the genre has to offer. None of these songs immediately evoke images of wild orgies or group sex or intimate lovefests, instead they mostly seem to evoke chase scenes, the credits of a sitcom, or background music for instructional videos. Which I suppose is what makes these so darn cool. Timeless in that totally dated way only porno music can be. But the real attraction here is the inclusion of a DVD, containing loads of the silliest scenes, weirdest dialogue, biggest... moustaches, Afros, and boobs, hairiest bods, unlikely locations and bad acting you will ever see! And prudes fear not! The editing has deftly left plenty up to the imagination, so the original X-rated clips have become a bit more R-rated!
V/AJamaica Funk: Original Jamaican Funk & Soul 45's(Soul Jazz)cd$ 21.00
Unless you are one lucky cool cat there is a pretty good chance you don't have any of the great Jamaican 45's from 1972-1978 on this amazing comp. All here on cd for the very first time. As the title suggests, this comp focuses on the awesome infusions of soul and funk into the Jamaican sound. This movement was of course heavily influenced by the trend in the US at the time, a glorious funk and soul explosion, but make no mistake, these tracks still retain the classic reggae/dub feel that Jamaica was beginning to export to the rest of the world on great labels like Capo, Jaywax and our long lost Jamaican twin Aquarius (who also had a rad looking record store in Jamaica at the time). Covers of folks like Earth Wind & Fire, Betty Wright and The JB's as well as original soul cookers from folks like The Heptones, Lee Pery and Cedric Brooks. As always the impeccable packaging by Soul Jazz makes this comp a total treat, with photos of the original 7" covers and super informative liner notes. Really nice!
V/AJamaica To Toronto: Soul Funk & Reggae 1967-1974(Light In The Attic)cd$ 15.98
Wow! When we think of great soul funk and reggae we have to say that Canada isn't usually the first place that comes to mind -- but we also weren't so aware of the huge migration of Jamaican musicians to Toronto that took place in the late '60s/early '70s. Which explains a lot. How lucky Toronto was to have these infectious sounds to call their own during this special era. This ranks as one of the best soul/funk/reggae collections we've had in a long while. And it really is equal parts reggae, funk and soul with that original reggae sound that many of these artists adopted after leaning way more towards a more soul sound for many years. Recent comps we've been loving like Studio One Women showed how much of the vintage reggae sounds were so influenced by doo-wop and the heyday of American soul music. Jamaica to Toronto is filled with that same kind of raw catchy soul we just can't get enough of. If you've fallen for the Eccentric Soul series that we've also been digging, then this is for you. Killer songs and elaborate 36-page booklet included. Highly recommended!
V/AJames Brown's Original Funky Divas(Polydor)2cd$ 29.00
Do the names Vicki Anderson, Marva Whitney, and Lyn Collins mean anything to you?
V/AJeff Recordings(Crippled)cd$ 17.98
Alright, you might be wondering who the heck is Jeff? Jeff Mangum? No. AQ's own Jeff Yarbrough? Nope. The man in question is German sound engineer Gerhard Nieckau. Yes, that's right his proper name isn't even Jeff. It's his nickname. Ah, such confusion! Anyways, Nieckau is noted as being the resolutely no-frills engineer behind Bossa 70 - capturing their jazz and bossanova sounds all raw and vibrant - but his musical pursuits extended far beyond that. He travelled extensively throughout Africa, Peru and Trinidad exploring and recording the regions' music. This compilation, subtitled 'Rough Beats From Peru & Trinidad 1972 - 1976', features superb eclectic recordings drawn from his personal collection from those excursions. Funk, jazz, calypso, afrobeat? It's all here and then some! Immensely powerful, inspiring music, and highly danceable too. Kudos once again to Crippled Disc for continuing their crusade to unearth the wondrously diverse sounds from around the globe.
V/AJump Back : A Tribute To James Brown(Le Smoke Disques)cd$ 14.98
V/AKing Funk(Ace)cd$ 16.98
V/ALagos Disco Inferno(Academy)cd$ 13.98
There's been a deluge of reissues and compilations of groovy '70s music from West Africa coming out lately, on this list in fact you'll also find Soundway's Nigeria Special Vol. 2 reviewed, with another one, their Nigeria Afrobeat Special comp, waiting in the wings. Well we just say, bring it on! If it's as good as THIS, we want to hear it!! Lagos Disco Inferno (the title says it all) is brought to us via the Academy label, who were responsible for that amazing Ofege reissue, among other great releases. Compiled by vintage vinyl fiend Frank Gossner (who does a blog called Voodoofunk), this is packed with a dozen tracks of burning, sweat-soaked funk/disco grooves, total dancefloor fuel, recordings circa 1976-'82 from Nigerian artists including Blo, Pogo Ltd., Doris Ebong, Grotto, Nana Love, Tirogo, MFB, Paradise Stars, Christy Essien, Geraldo Pino, Asiko Rock Group, and Emma Dorgu. Track one, Doris Ebong's "Boogie Trip", with her persuasive vocals and some psychedelic electronic FX, is an insanely funky, and freaky, number that gets the party started right, in fact, it features the sounds of a wild dance party going on in the background (as there should be!). And track after track, the Lagos Disco Inferno party doesn't stop... right though to Nana Love's almost 15 minute tour-de-force "Hang On", which ends the album leaving you wanting more, more, more. Damn. This is simply amazing from start to finish, a f*cking awesome comp, if you don't dig it then we doubt you've even got a funky bone in your body. The acts here could certainly compete with American contemporaries like the JB's, Kool & The Gang, and the BT Express, these exuberant tracks bursting with chicken scratch guitar, fat bass, ecstatic vocal squeals, and tight horn sections being put through their paces (ferinstance, on the aforementioned "Hang On"). James Brown is clearly a big influence, and Christy Essien on "Take Life Easy" sounds like she could have been one of his funky divas. To mention a few others, though we can't begin to pick favorites, we like how Geraldo Pino's "African Hustle" mixes in "Blow Your Head" style JB synth wiggle and vocal exclamations worthy of Jimmy Castor. "Everybody Get Down" by Asiko Rock Group is over 8 minutes of sheer get down grunt indeed. Pogo Ltd.'s insistent "Don't Put Me Down" also delivers the JB's vibe we enjoy (sounding a bit Ethiopiques too), while MFB's "Boredom Pain" has got more of a laidback groove, with soulful vocals and an eruption of fuzzed out acid rock guitar soloing that kicks in part way through - this could easily be something from those recently reviewed records by Amanaz or Witch from down in Zambia... Hey, but rather than talk about all twelve tracks, let's just say two words: get this! And again, two more: get down!! Includes knowledgeable liner notes, the cd in a digipack, the vinyl in a nice gatefold sleeve.
V/ALast Time Around(Mississippi)lp$ 14.98
**MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT** **MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT** **MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT** Yep, Mississippi Records strikes again with another perfectly assembled compilation. Or more appropriately, they strike with a perfect cherry picked compilation of yet ANOTHER perfectly assembled compilation, as the eleven songs here represent highlights taken from Tompkins Square's massive 3cd set Fire In My Bones released back in 2007. So, in the event that you own that album already, you might not need this too, unless the vinyl format compells... But everyone else is advised to jump on board and embrace the gospel. Particularily if you'd rather have the 4 hours of that Fire In My Bones comp distilled down to two essential sides of vinyl. The tracks here are of the variety that will make non-believers feel like they are missing out. It is important to note that Fire In My Bones was subtitled "Raw + Rare + Other-Worldly African-American Gospel". Raw and other-worldly being perhaps the best descriptions for the sounds within. Naturally, the enormity of Fire In My Bones might be too much for some folks to handle, so Last Time Around gets a warm welcome here at aQuarius. These songs cover pretty wide sonic ground. You have tracks like opener "Get Back Satan" by Rev. Roger L. Worthy & His Sister Bonnie, where the siblings accompany each other vocally with a beautiful tremeloed electric guitar, reminding us of some of the material on Sonic Boom's recent Spacelines compilation. Isaiah Owens' "You Without Sin Cast The First Stone" offers up a nice contrast with slashing electric guitar that sounds slightly (not too much) and awesomely out of tune, while the vocals go from Son House styled growls to a wailing falsetto. Elsewhere we have Bishop McDaniel, whose "Rock Daniels" is a stomping rocker with a sound that manages to outsleaze many of today's garage rock hopefuls. The gang gospel vocals, of course, take things to levels of heavenly bliss that you just can't reach unless you BELIEVE. Awesome. Kicking off side B, Isaac Haney & The Ebenezer Baptist Church Choir's "At A Time Like This (Part One) is a slow organ led number that serves a beautiful comedown to Bishop Daniel's fire and brimstone. The legendary Precious Bryant makes an appearance here with "The Saints", her amazing clear vocals and cool country strummed guitar making this a standout among the standouts. The album closes with Theotis Taylor's rendition of "Swing Low", where plinky pianos and awesome crooned vocals appear to overpower and distort the microphones for that in-the-red sound that we all LOVE. Mississippi-heads have no doubt already hit the "add to cart" button, and while this pristine collection is great for anyone even slightly interested in gospel music, the performances here are so passionate, energetic, and cool that they will likely win over people who had no idea what real gospel music sounds like. As always, this one gets our highest recommendation.
V/ALight: On The South Side(Numero Group)2lp + Book$ 57.00
As much as we love Mississippi Records, and we DO love them, we're beginning to wonder why the Numero Group doesn't engender the same slavish devotion. If anything, they're like Mississippi with more money, fancier releases, maybe that's the problem, they're not punk enough, whatever it is, plenty of folks DO understand, and do worship at the altar of Numero Group, cuz it's no mystery as to what just might be the best reissue label going. And if the last 50+ releases didn't convince you, and this one STILL doesn't, we give up. Light is a gorgeous and massive hardcover book / double lp combo, the book features photos by photographer Michael L. Abramson, who between the years 1975 to 1977 visited a handful of legendary blues bars on Chicago's South Side, not to capture the groups performing, but instead the folks in the crowd, and at the bar, and in the parking lot, and the results are amazing, 100+ photos available for the first time, of folks all dolled up and out on the town, drinking, dancing, socializing, the clothes are amazing, the hair is amazing, a fascinating snapshot of another side of Chicago's blues music scene, the side NOT on stage. The book is massive 12" x 12", with essays and a section of ephemera, and if that weren't enough, the book comes with a double lp featuring funky Chicago blues, just the sort of music the folks in these photos were grooving to live or playing on the jukebox. House in a super striking gatefold sleeve, also included is a little snapshot / catalog, a jukebox 7", printed inner sleeves, liner notes, photos of the 7" labels, ALL that housed in a super thick, boxlike slipcover/ Incredible. Visually, sonically, meticulously researched, perfectly assembled and presented, not sure where Numero Group can go next, but we're dying to find out.
V/AListen, Whitey!: The Sounds Of Black Power 1967 - 1974(Light In The Attic)2lp$ 26.00
V/ALocal Customs: Burned At Boddie(Numero Group)cd$ 16.98
We knew we could count on Numero Group for an especially cool Record Store Day release. This year, it's another volume in Numero's Local Customs series. They delved into the vaults of Cleveland, Ohio pressing plant Boddie, a place where local acts took their tunes for private pressings from the late '60s through the mid '80s, and turned up some amazing gems indeed. And the even better news is, that while it's a limited release, we still have a few! The rare tracks here, by such unknown artists as Jus' Us, Los Nombres, Slippery When Wet (not a Bon Jovi cover band!), Bill Spoon, The Defaulters, The Harmonics, The Donations, Love For Dollars And Cents, Hot Chocolate, The Basement, Wicked Lester (not, we're pretty sure, the KISS-related Wicked Lester), and more, tend mostly towards steamy soul, raw funk and smooth disco, yet there's lots of surprises. Wicked Lester's fuzzed out, uptempo garage grunt is one of those highlights for us, along with Russell Potter's solo steel string guitar stylings, in a Fahey/Takoma mode. The indie pop plod of Donald Eckert's druggily dismal "Play It Slow" would be another one. Oh, and the dour electronic new wave beats of Berlin West. But never fear, there's plenty of sunshiney soul to pep things up throughout. In fact, even a song called "Soul and Sunshine" by the wonderfully named Harvey & The Phenomenals. Rather extravagantly, Numero released this on not only cd and lp, but also cassette tape! Each differently, and appropriately titled (Burned, Pressed, and Dubbed, respectively). You get 17 tracks on the cd and cassette, 18 on the double vinyl, which also comes with a 18"x24" poster. We have only a tiny handful of the cassettes left, and not really that many more of the other two formats, either... "All formats have the same liner notes and discography (font sizes vary)." Those liner notes are quite interesting, all about Boddie though, not the artists. And the discography (everything Boddie ever pressed/burned/dubbed, pretty much) is very, very long.
V/ALocal Customs: Downriver Revival(Numero Group)cd+dvd$ 21.00
This new Numero Group comp and we assume new series of comps, is like the inversion of the Eccentric Soul series in that instead of a small regional record label head honing in on a key stable of talent, this is about a custom studio that invited its local community to record their own songs and music. Felton Williams started his Double U Studio in Ecorse, Michigan, a small suburb downriver from Detroit in 1967 (it lasted until 1981). With a knack for home built electronics and instruments, his studio was open to anyone who wanted to cut a record, and with Motown changing the course of soul music just upriver, he had a lot of takers. But unlike other custom record presses, Williams would own the publishing rights and release the records on a series of labels, Revival, Compose, Cass and Solid Rock, acting as a kind of Alan Lomax figure in hopes of recording vital regional talent for cultural prosperity. Luckily, Williams had a nearby pool of talent in his local church and the bulk and the best parts of this comp focuses on the amazing gospel soul sounds that came out of this studio. Though there's also soul, funk, jazz and even some garage rock cuts too, it's the gospel cuts that are worth the price of admission and anyone who's been digging the Mississippi Record gospel comps, should look here too, because there are some monster jams from Shirley Ann Lee, Bobby Cook and The Explosions and the beautifully named Deliverance Echoes. Can I get an Amen!
V/ALocal Customs: Dubbed At Boddie(Numero Group)cassette$ 10.98
We knew we could count on Numero Group for an especially cool Record Store Day release. This year, it's another volume in Numero's Local Customs series. They delved into the vaults of Cleveland, Ohio pressing plant Boddie, a place where local acts took their tunes for private pressings from the late '60s through the mid '80s, and turned up some amazing gems indeed. And the even better news is, that while it's a limited release, we still have a few! The rare tracks here, by such unknown artists as Jus' Us, Los Nombres, Slippery When Wet (not a Bon Jovi cover band!), Bill Spoon, The Defaulters, The Harmonics, The Donations, Love For Dollars And Cents, Hot Chocolate, The Basement, Wicked Lester (not, we're pretty sure, the KISS-related Wicked Lester), and more, tend mostly towards steamy soul, raw funk and smooth disco, yet there's lots of surprises. Wicked Lester's fuzzed out, uptempo garage grunt is one of those highlights for us, along with Russell Potter's solo steel string guitar stylings, in a Fahey/Takoma mode. The indie pop plod of Donald Eckert's druggily dismal "Play It Slow" would be another one. Oh, and the dour electronic new wave beats of Berlin West. But never fear, there's plenty of sunshiney soul to pep things up throughout. In fact, even a song called "Soul and Sunshine" by the wonderfully named Harvey & The Phenomenals. Rather extravagantly, Numero released this on not only cd and lp, but also cassette tape! Each differently, and appropriately titled (Burned, Pressed, and Dubbed, respectively). You get 17 tracks on the cd and cassette, 18 on the double vinyl, which also comes with a 18"x24" poster. We have only a tiny handful of the cassettes left, and not really that many more of the other two formats, either... "All formats have the same liner notes and discography (font sizes vary)." Those liner notes are quite interesting, all about Boddie though, not the artists. And the discography (everything Boddie ever pressed/burned/dubbed, pretty much) is very, very long.
V/ALocal Customs: Pressed At Boddie(Numero Group)2lp$ 21.00
We knew we could count on Numero Group for an especially cool Record Store Day release. This year, it's another volume in Numero's Local Customs series. They delved into the vaults of Cleveland, Ohio pressing plant Boddie, a place where local acts took their tunes for private pressings from the late '60s through the mid '80s, and turned up some amazing gems indeed. And the even better news is, that while it's a limited release, we still have a few! The rare tracks here, by such unknown artists as Jus' Us, Los Nombres, Slippery When Wet (not a Bon Jovi cover band!), Bill Spoon, The Defaulters, The Harmonics, The Donations, Love For Dollars And Cents, Hot Chocolate, The Basement, Wicked Lester (not, we're pretty sure, the KISS-related Wicked Lester), and more, tend mostly towards steamy soul, raw funk and smooth disco, yet there's lots of surprises. Wicked Lester's fuzzed out, uptempo garage grunt is one of those highlights for us, along with Russell Potter's solo steel string guitar stylings, in a Fahey/Takoma mode. The indie pop plod of Donald Eckert's druggily dismal "Play It Slow" would be another one. Oh, and the dour electronic new wave beats of Berlin West. But never fear, there's plenty of sunshiney soul to pep things up throughout. In fact, even a song called "Soul and Sunshine" by the wonderfully named Harvey & The Phenomenals. Rather extravagantly, Numero released this on not only cd and lp, but also cassette tape! Each differently, and appropriately titled (Burned, Pressed, and Dubbed, respectively). You get 17 tracks on the cd and cassette, 18 on the double vinyl, which also comes with a 18"x24" poster. We have only a tiny handful of the cassettes left, and not really that many more of the other two formats, either... "All formats have the same liner notes and discography (font sizes vary)." Those liner notes are quite interesting, all about Boddie though, not the artists. And the discography (everything Boddie ever pressed/burned/dubbed, pretty much) is very, very long.
V/ALukk Opp Kirkens Dorer: A Selection Of Norwegian Christian Jazz, Psych, Funk & Folk 1970-1980(Plastic Strip Press)cd$ 17.98
Maybe this will make up for all the Satanic Norwegian church-burning music we sell! A compilation of, as the subtitle puts it, "A Selection Of Norwegian Christian Jazz, Psych, Funk & Folk 1970-1980". And it's quite fantastic. Quasi-kitschy Xtian funky and folky fun, with an acid-rock edge, really good stuff indeed, and 'cause the lyrics are all in Norwegian, those of us with an aversion to God-talk can comfortably listen to this without feeling like we're being preached to! Well you can tell when they sing "Hallelujah" and "Jesus" but the accent makes it cool. Apparently, there was quite a burgeoning youth-oriented Christian music scene and attendant recording industry in Norway in the '70s, kickstarted in the late '60s by something called the Ten-Sing or Teenage Singing movement, a kind of Norwegian version of Up With People!, further powered by the whole Jesus Freak thing that came along when hippies everywhere started to find God. So, this music, while Christian, isn't exactly square. It's full of fuzz guitars and fuzzy analog synth, gorgeous female vocals and bombastic brass, and is moving not just in spiritual way, but also movin' in more of a GROOVY kind of way. And is very delightfully very seventies sounding, from jazzy disco fusion to rock opera to delicate singer-songwriter stuff. There's 20 tracks in all on this import cd (13 on the vinyl version), sunshiney testifyin' from the following artists: Joyful Singers, Good News, That's Why, Arnold Borud, Keryx, The Crossing, Angelos, Sky Sing, The Heralds, Jan Simonsens, Kari Hansa & Gregers Hes, Grete Salomensen, Soli Deo, Reflex, and Presens. The digipak cd comes with a 36 page booklet, and the lp too has a printed insert, featuring extensive liner notes and vintage photos. Hip '70s Norwegian groovy gospel music, who knew? Hallelujah! Highly recommended.
V/AMellow Mellow: Original 1970s Smooth Grooves & Chilled Breaks(Harmless)cd$ 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
V/AMessage From The Tribe: An Anthology of Tribe Records: 1972-1976(Universal Sound)cd$ 21.00
Similar in spirit to the AACM (the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) collective out of Chicago, The Tribe was a collective of free-spirited musicians in Detroit, some of them former Motown session players, who produced and distributed independent recordings by local musicians to foster their own community and have their own creative control of marketing and artistic freedom. Founded by Phil Ranelin and Wendell Harrison, the collective also included Marcus Belgrave, Harold McKinney and Doug Hammond. Musically, The Tribe leaned more to the soul and funk side of jazz, often sounding similar in vibe to Roy Ayers and Donald Byrd rather than the freer sounds of the AACM which included the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Philip Cohran. The Tribe were similarly community minded, but displayed a more activist bent politically, trying to arouse a sense of communal pride and self-reliance in a city beseiged by economic woes, first in the relocation of Motown from Detroit to Los Angeles, and then in the long decline of the auto industry. They did this not only by making and releasing music, but also through the monthly publishing of the Tribe magazine, "Detroit's first black awareness magazine" which featured articles on history, politics, business and culture. While the collective only lasted five years, their output has continued to inspire. In fact, Carl Craig recently brought Tribe members back together to record for the first time in thirty years. Universal Sound has done an amazing job of anthologizing their collective output and this release features a 60 page booklet of history, photos and articles form the Tribe magazine, complete with vintage advertisements from local businesses. Fans of the Sounds of Liberation release or that Spiritual Jazz compilation on Now Again should definitely check this out. So freaking cool!
V/AMiami Sound: Rare Funk & Soul From Miami, Florida 1967-1974(Soul Jazz)cd$ 16.98
This release seeks to recognize the Florida studio T.K. Records/ Tone Distributors and their roster of artists as a regional force in the funk & soul world, with its grouping of talented in-house musicians, songwriters and producers paralleling the succesful recipes of labels like Motown in Detroit, Stax in Memphis and Philidelphia International. "Miami Sound" collects big hits and regional rarities by artists like Gwen McCrae, Timmy Thomas, Little Beaver, and Clarence Reid-- who many people might know better as nasty comic Blowfly (the funky backing music on the Blowfly records being played by the same T.K. in-house musicians as appear on "Miami Sound"). Highlights include both Frank Williams & The Rocketeers and Helene Smith's versions of "You Got To Be A Man," a total funky gem of a hit that never was; the smooth n' sexy vibe of George McCrae's "I Get Lifted;" mellow grooviness laced with string arrangements infusing Gwen McCrae's "90% Of Me Is You;" and the sweet sadness and motown heartbreak of "A Woman Will Do Wrong," another cut from Helene Smith. This collection sticks to 1967-1974, before many of these same artists went on to have disco hits. Some sweetly soulful tunes and seriously funky shit is unearthed in another winning compilation from Soul Jazz! MPEG Download: FRANK WILLIAMS & THE ROCKETEERS "You Got To Be A Man" [/audio/FrankWilliamsBeAMan.mp3] MPEG Stream: FRANK WILLIAMS & THE ROCKETEERS "You Got To Be A Man" [/audio/FrankWilliamsBeAMan.m3u]
V/AMidnight Soul 3(Kinkysweet)2cd$ 17.98
Now, we admittedly don't carry a whole lotta house and soul tracks here at AQ. It's simply not our area of expertise. When it does cross our paths though we defer to the expert dancefloor packers such as Bay Area veteran DJ Tom Thump -- definitely a name you can trust in that department. He delivers the uninhibited goods once again on this the third installment of the Midnight Soul compilation series. He's filled the two discs with the likes of Choklate, Rich Medina, The Rebirth, Break Reform, Kid Sublime, Liquid Spirits, Black Gold Massive, Maya Azucena, 3D, Kim Hill, Deborah Bond, and Platinum Pied Pipers. Sure to have you gettin' down and gettin' busy way into the wee hours.
V/AMidwest Funk(Jazzman)cd$ 16.98
Back in the late sixties, early seventies, young blacks (and a few whites too) were sweatin' it out in basements and bars all over the US of A, making the funk happen. North, South, East...and Midwest, in this case. Yep, following up their Texas Funk comp, the DJ/detectives at Jazzman now present this collection of super rare (and even unreleased) funk singles from the US midwest. They've unearthed a slew of one-shot gems, 23 of 'em on this here cd. All the tracks are pretty cool, it was hard to pick which ones to make into sound samples! Most of this is serious JB-styled funk, with a few cuts revealing some psych-rock influences more in the George Clinton/P-Funk mode. A bunch are instrumentals, but there's quite a few with male vocalists who've got the James Brown down, and you'll hear from some soul sisters as well. A killer comp for funk fans for sure. And the compilers must be praised for their *extremely* thorough liner notes: almost ridiculously, pedantically so, as when they inform us that "The state of Ohio is nicknamed the Buckeye State, in reference to a native tree" and suchlike travel-brochure detail. But it gets interesting when they get to the stories behind the bands and labels, the nitty-gritty of trying to make it big in Dayton, St. Louis, Detroit, Wichita...
V/AMore Dirty Laundry: The Soul Of Black Country(Trikont)cd$ 19.98
V/AMore Favela Booty Beats(Essay Recordings)12"$ 9.98
V/AMurder: Songs From The Dark Side Of The Soul(Trikont)cd$ 17.98
V/AMusic De Wolfe Vol. 1(Megaphone)cd$ 14.98
Like a Molotov cocktail for the spy-chase set, this compilation of sixties and seventies instrumental funk and soul from the De Wolfe Library and selected by Baltimore DJ and Library music geek, Jason Willet has all the stuff you need to get your feet and ass moving. Tense chase themes are intermixed with sexy bachelor-pad space grooves from one of the best library music houses in Britain, much of it on cd for the first time. So whether you are living out your Blaxploitation Spy fantasies or facing a daunting labor-intensive task (like we are creating this list for you), this set makes it all OK! Recommended!
V/AMusic For Dancefloors: The KPM Music Library(Strut)2cd$ 17.98
Crate-diggers have long looked to Library music (anonymously created music cues made available for use in film) for obscure hip-hop and funk breaks. Back in 2000, Strut Records released this survey on the KPM library originally intending to create a series dedicated to mining the archives of UK's foremost music libraries. It has now been reissued in a deluxe format that includes a bonus cd of a live reunion concert at London's Jazz Cafe with KPM's top performers, Alan Hawkshaw (The Mohawks), Keith Mansfield, and Alan Parker, dubbed The KPM All Stars. The album proper also includes tracks by John Cameron, Les Baxter and a host of others focusing on funk, soul, Latin, jazz, and disco with a gritty seventies urban vibe. Break beats are plentiful, but what is most stunning is the solid session player chops being presented especially on the live disc, not to mention the stunning vocals by Madeline Bell on "That's What Friends Are For" (not the Dionne Warwick song of the same name, thankfully!). Fans of Gilles Peterson, or rare soul and jazz groove. take note! There's also a gatefold double lp version that includes both cds with it as well.
V/AMusic Inspired By BaadAsssss Cinema(TVT)cd$ 14.98
Subtitled: "The Sounds Of Blaxploitation". A compilation of thirteen funky tracks from (or, perhaps just "inspired by") classic '70s Blaxploitation flicks, a sure-fire seller if we've ever seen one. Actually, this disc is apparently a soundtrack itself, 'cause 'BaadAssssss Cinema' is in fact a new documentary about the genre -- we'll be interested to see it. Here's the line-up: James Brown "People Get Up And Drive Your Funky Soul", Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes "Expansions", Roy Ayers "Coffy Is The Color", Curtis Mayfield "Pusherman", Graham Central Station "We Be's Gettin' Down", Isaac Hayes "Main Title 'Truck Turner'", Edwin Starr "Big Papa", WAR "Nappy Head (Theme From 'Ghetto Man')", William De Vaughn "Be Thankful For What You Got", B.T. Express "Express", The Blackbyrds "Cornbread", Gil Scott-Heron "The Bottle", and of course Earth Wind & Fire "Sweetback's Theme" ('cause they get documentary's title, and spelling, from Melvin Van Peeble's pioneering Blaxploitation film 'Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song' -- one that's not really an exploitation film at all, but rather something much more radical than what the genre it spawned later became). Not a weak cut in the bunch. "Pusherman" (from Superfly) and some others will doubtless already be familiar, but others are a tad more obscure, making for a decent car-driving or party comp indeed.
V/AMutant Disco(Ze Records)2cd$ 19.98
In the wake of The Rapture's exquisite piece of revisionism in their single "House Of Jealous Lovers," Peter Shapiro wrote a piece in The Wire about something called Mutant Disco, a variation on the standards of early '80s disco injected with a smattering of punk, funk, New Yorican, and / or reggae. It should go without saying that The Rapture was on to something intense, entralling, and ecstatic with that single, and perhaps an archeological survey underneath the rubble of Studio 54 may reveal some true gems. The Mutant Disco term was in fact not a Simon Reynolsian pop aphorism to describe a new strain of music; it originated with a compilation that originally came out in 1981. While this compilation hasn't nearly the legendary status as the No New York compilation, the reissue of Mutant Disco is a timely one. However, we have the same problem with this compilation as with the Arthur Russell compilations released during the past few months: this is not nearly as interesting as any of the hype and fanfare which have led us to believe. To be fair to the compilation's intentions, Mutant Disco merely proclaims to be "A Subtle Dislocation Of The Norm," and never presents itself as anything as oblique as A Certain Ratio, and is a thousand miles away from the subversive grooves of 23 Skidoo or The Pop Group. Instead, Mutant Disco is pretty much just another disco compilation, with a bunch of tracks that very few people have heard since the early '80s. The highlights include Kid Creole's Latin party numbers, Lizzy Mercier Descloux's whimsical reconstitution of Blondie, and the always incredible song "Contort Yourself" slicked up by James White and the Blacks (his second incarnation after James Chance and the Contortions). Hedonistic? Yes! Artful? Perhaps not.
V/ANever To Be Forgotten: The Flip Side Of Stax(Light In The Attic)10x7" Box Set$ 72.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
V/ANew Orleans Funk(Soul Jazz)cd$ 21.00
Another kick-ass Soul Jazz label compilation, this one spotlighting the funky N.O. sounds circa 1960-75. Features the names you'd expect, and more: The Meters, Professor Longhair, Aaron & Cyril Neville, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, the Wild Magnolias, as well as many others that we weren't so familiar with (The Gaturs, Ernie & The Top Notes, The Explosions, etc.), all ready to party with you. 24 tracks, in a cardboard slipcover with a fat 40-page booklet tucked in next to the jewelbox. The booklet tells makes the case for New Orleans being the place where Funk began, and provides plenty of info about and photos of the various funky folks on the comp.
V/ANew Orleans Funk Vol. 2(Soul Jazz)cd$ 21.00
Soul Jazz takes their second dip into the deep vaults of funk gems drawn from New Orleans in the late 60's to early 70's. It's a non stop funkified throwdown filled with songs by so many of the city's brightest stars of that era: Eddie Bo, Jimmy Hicks, Allen Toussaint, Lee Dorsey, The Meters, Betty Harris, etc. The collection does a good job of mixing in some of the more well known songs from this era in New Orleans (you will probably recognize a handful of these cuts) with a big chunk of tunes new to our ears (and probably yours) but just as smokin' if not even more so. If you like your soul and funk uptempo and full of punch and fire then this collection is for you. Another reminder of the powerful spirit that helped establish New Orleans as such an important place for music with true soul to flourish.
V/ANew York Latin Hustle(Soul Jazz)2cd$ 23.00
The streets of New York in the '60s and '70s were brimming with a melting-pot of musicians. Puerto-Rican, Latino and African-Americans, all bringing together their musical histories and legacies to create all new sounds like booglaoo, latin jazz, salsa, and a brand of disco that just can't be denied. This Soul Jazz collection brings together some of the biggest names in Latin music (Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Candido, Ray Baretto) along with some more obscure folks (Ismael Quinones Nature Zone, Johnny Zamot) all of whom know lots about creating songs that splash with color and vivacious energy. As always the Soul Jazz packaging is top-notch with informative and well written liner notes and some pretty amazing photos. Every time we need a lift in our spirits we've been blasting this really loud and the next thing we know we're moving just a little bit faster and cracking big ol' smiles! New York Latin Hustle does the trick every single time. Forget about St. Johns Wart this is our sure way to get in a better mood. So great!
V/ANew York Latin Hustle Vol 1(Soul Jazz)2lp$ 24.00
The streets of New York in the '60s and '70s were brimming with a melting-pot of musicians. Puerto-Rican, Latino and African-Americans, all bringing together their musical histories and legacies to create all new sounds like booglaoo, latin jazz, salsa, and a brand of disco that just can't be denied. This Soul Jazz collection brings together some of the biggest names in Latin music (Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Candido, Ray Baretto) along with some more obscure folks (Ismael Quinones Nature Zone, Johnny Zamot) all of whom know lots about creating songs that splash with color and vivacious energy. As always the Soul Jazz packaging is top-notch with informative and well written liner notes and some pretty amazing photos. Every time we need a lift in our spirits we've been blasting this really loud and the next thing we know we're moving just a little bit faster and cracking big ol' smiles! New York Latin Hustle does the trick every single time. Forget about St. Johns Wart this is our sure way to get in a better mood. So great!
V/ANew York Latin Hustle Vol 2(Soul Jazz)2lp$ 24.00
The streets of New York in the '60s and '70s were brimming with a melting-pot of musicians. Puerto-Rican, Latino and African-Americans, all bringing together their musical histories and legacies to create all new sounds like booglaoo, latin jazz, salsa, and a brand of disco that just can't be denied. This Soul Jazz collection brings together some of the biggest names in Latin music (Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Candido, Ray Baretto) along with some more obscure folks (Ismael Quinones Nature Zone, Johnny Zamot) all of whom know lots about creating songs that splash with color and vivacious energy. As always the Soul Jazz packaging is top-notch with informative and well written liner notes and some pretty amazing photos. Every time we need a lift in our spirits we've been blasting this really loud and the next thing we know we're moving just a little bit faster and cracking big ol' smiles! New York Latin Hustle does the trick every single time. Forget about St. Johns Wart this is our sure way to get in a better mood. So great!
V/ANew York Noise(Soul Jazz)cd$ 16.98
The Soul Jazz label just keeps the cool comps comin', this one being another archival '80s collection that just happens to be perfectly in tune with today's trends. The dance music meets punk/new wave genre that all those currently hip NYC (and SF) scenesters are mining. This is the original scene for that kind of stuff, downtown NYC circa 1978-1983. It was a world where slap bass could coexist with machine-gun drumming, angular grooves and angsty vocals. Some are more on the No Wave side of things (Mars, DNA) and others more funk (ESG, Liquid Liquid, Defunkt, Material). This disc's lineup also includes: Konk, The Dance, Lizzy Mercier Descloux, Rahmelzee vs K. Rob (produced by Jean Michel Basquiat!), Bush Tetras, Glenn Branca, The Bloods, Arthur Russell's Dinosaur l, Theoretical Girls, and The Contortions. It's a good mix of total obscurities and can't-miss essentials, packaged with a 30 page booklet full of liner notes and photos. Before you buy another "Electroclash" record, why not spin back 20 years with this? Like those (now missing in action, unfortunately) "Disco Not Disco" comps, this will get you diggin' dancefloor stuff that you might not have otherwise, simply because of how these tracks have been contextualized here, with total boogie-down cuts abutting experiments in academic punk minimalism or deconstructed funk.
V/ANigeria 70: Sweet Times(Strut)cd$ 14.98
Yes! Just in time for the bright sunshine and actual summer vibes we've been basking in this last week comes the latest offering from Strut's awesome Nigeria 70 series. A collection of smoking Afro-funk, highlife, and juju from Lagos, Nigeria. Such spirited and body moving tracks drenched in so much soul and infectious energy. It's so awesome to discover lots of new-to us artists, we love when great comps get us searching for more from groups we can't believe we haven't heard from before. Who knows how likely it is to actually find more recordings from some of these folks, which makes thick comp invaluable, as Strut always digs so deep and complete in their curatorial excellence. We're going to be blasting this all summer long and beyond!