Active in the 1970s, Allspice was a funk/soul band from Hartford, Connecticut composed of nine members, including five vocalists and a horn section. Their self-titled debut album was […]
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French pianist, guitarist, composer Henri Roger’s first album Images… is a beautiful collection of left-field electronics comparable to Heldon, Conrad Schnitzler, early Tangerine Dream, Mort Garson, Roedelius, and […]
Beyond the Willow Tree traces the early recordings of singer, songwriter, and cardiologist Cleveland Francis. During a time when the music industry was very much segregated (“If you […]
Bargain bin spiritual jazz isn’t something that pops up very often and rarely is it actually good… Illuminations features probably one of the strangest musical pairings we’ve come […]
O’Donel Levy was a blues/funk/jazz guitarist and the brother of session drummer Stafford Levy. Born and raised in Baltimore, Levy studied music at the Peabody Institute at John […]
Ronnie Laws is the fifth of eight children in the deeply talented Laws family and the brother of flutist Hubert Laws and vocalist sisters Debra Laws & Eloise […]
Featured in the “Psychedelic section” of Chee Shimizu’s Obscure Sound disc guide, Dr. Aftershave And The Mixed Pickles is technically the third studio album by Missus Beastly, a […]
Sunshine Man is a classic jazz-funk album from saxophonist and flutist Harold Alexander. Released on Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman imprint, the album “exists somewhere in the space between […]
Black Talk!, recorded in 1970 by one of the most renowned jazz recording engineers Rudy Van Gelder, is the killer debut album from organist/reed player Charles Earland. Earland grew […]
Part two of the Mwandishi trilogy, Crossings further expands on the free jazz group’s sound with the introduction of Patrick Gleeson’s psychedelic electronics. As the only non-black member, […]
With a four-octave vocal range and multiple Grammy’s to her name, Deniece Williams is one of the greatest soul singers of her time. Williams started out as a […]
Breezy Hawaiian jazz from local alto sax legend Gabe Baltazar, who played with the Stan Kenton Orchestra backing singers such as Nat King Cole, Jean Turner, and Ann […]
Nino And Radiah is the 1974 cult classic album from Italian-born French singer-songwriter Nino Ferrer and American model, singer, actress Radiah Frye. The duo are a perfect musical […]
The lost Ernest Hood album recorded between 1972 and 1982 in Western Oregon (the same era as his proto-ambient cult classic Neighborhoods), Back To The Woodlands is more zither, […]
International disco-funk group Heatwave was founded by Johnnie Wilder, an American serviceman who was stationed in West Germany and sang in nightclubs and taverns. After being discharged from […]
Luis Gasca’s For Those Who Chant is a spaced out Latin jazz classic! Some call this the forgotten Santana album because it features more than half of Santana […]
Jeannie Reynolds was the sister of L.J. Reynolds, a member of The Dramatics. Though her career wasn’t as significant in comparison to her brother’s, Jeannie made some truly […]
Tropical Dandy is the first album from the great Haruomi Hosono’s “Crown Years” where he explored tropical jazz fusion, soft rock, exotica, and lounge music with his band […]
Building on the trippy, psychedelics inspired prog rock of his previous album, the wizard Todd Rundgren delivers another impossibly creative and structurally daring double LP filled with pop […]
Linda Lewis is a UK singer/songwriter who didn’t get much recognition in the US, but had success in Japan. While not a household name, Lewis was very much involved […]
Hard bop meets soul-jazz, calypso, and bossa on Blue Mitchell’s underrated self-titled album (alternatively titled “Soul Village”) on Mainstream Records. While not quite a household name, Richard Allen […]
Another masterpiece from David Axelrod, Seriously Deep is one of the rarer records from the multi-talented musician, producer, composer, arranger’s heavily sampled catalog. As usual with Axelrod albums, […]
Played by our good friend Victor Rodriguez at last summer’s listening sessions… Electric Byrd is the great Howard University educator/trumpeter’s most psychedelic outing obviously influenced by Miles Davis’ […]
Drummer/Keyboardist Jack DeJohnette delivers his trippiest solo outing to date on cult classic Sorcery with an all-star cast including Headhunters / Mwandishi legend Bennie Maupin, Bitches Brew bass […]
Our friends from Forager Records continue their streak of impeccably curated compilations with Sky Dust Drifter “a cosmic medley of sun-soaked AOR, psychedelic folk, and soft rock.” Collected […]
The Late Great Townes Van Zandt is the last album the legendary country singer would release on independent label Poppy Records. The album includes Townes Van Zandt’s signature […]
An essential album from the great Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson, Bridges is the first from the duo to feature production assistance and synthesizer programming from Malcolm Cecil […]
Much like the Georgio Moroder / Donna Summer connection, legendary “Queen of Disco” Sylvester meets hi-NRG pioneer Patrick Cowley on proto-techno classic “I Need Somebody to Love Tonight.” […]
A glam rock classic, Sparks’ third album Kimono My House broke the band through to the mainstream, peaking at No. 4 in the UK. The two Japanese women […]
An outlet for emerging local acts in Hawaii, KKUA’s four volume Home Grown series launched and propelled the careers of acts like Nohelani Cypriano, Cecilio & Kapono, Olomana, […]
American avant-garde artist, filmmaker, composer Tony Conrad’s first and only musical release for many years, Outside the Dream Syndicate is one of the great recordings of American minimalism […]
By some strange circumstance, Kate Bush has made it back to the top of the charts, and we’re here for it! Hounds of Love is an absolute classic, […]
Dutch guitar master Jan Akkerman meets blues singer Kaz Lux on their 1976 collaborative album entitled Eli. An unusual mixture of styles come together on this concept album […]
The debut album by sisters Maggie, Terre and Suzzy Roche from Park Ridge, New Jersey is a cult classic folk rock album produced by King Crimson’s Robert Fripp. […]
“There is joy laced with confidence in his music, and sadness, or pathos, that is as much connected to the Blues as it to the huge yearning of […]
Can’s first album following the departure of vocalist Damo Suzuki is an experimental trip featuring looping hypnotic grooves that, at times, sound like proto-electronic-dance music. Guitarist Michael Karoli […]
The followup to Ryo Fukui’s widely popular and now thoroughly revived classic Scenery, Mellow Dream pushes forward with even more of that rich modal, bop, and cool jazz […]
The very first album to fully replace drummers with a drum machine, Timmy Thomas’ Why Can’t We Live Together stands as one of the most remarkable soul albums […]
Short-lived but influential to the 1970’s punk/new wave movement, The Modern Lovers were signed to Warner Bros. but broke up before any album was recorded. Their “debut” was […]
The best-selling album in the storied ECM catalog, The Köln Concert is one of the all-time great solo piano performances captured live. Fully improvised without any prior planning, […]
One of the all-time jazz classics and an essential listen, Journey In Satchidananda continues Alice Coltrane’s spiritual connection with Pharoah Sanders. From Alice herself in the liner notes: […]
Released in the same year and in a similar echelon of visionary, conscious soul music as Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, Roots is the somewhat underrated second solo […]
Featured in the “Cosmic” section of Chee Shimizu’s Obscure Sound disc guide, Between the Universes by Tritonus is a progressive, psychedelic krautrock gem featuring warm, analog synthesizers and […]
After two successful albums with Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Joe Farrell, and her husband Airto Moreira as Return to Forever, Flora Purim launched her solo career on New […]
Featured in the “Mellow” section of Chee Shimizu’s Obscure Sound disc guide, Harbor is a surprisingly dark album from the George Martin-produced British soft rock band. While the […]
American jazz saxophonist Robin Kenyatta meets German experimental pianist Wolfgang Dauner (who released the very first ECM record) on this underrated and somewhat out of place ECM classic. […]
The first release on Just Us, a shop and label from Detroit’s Bill Spencer and San Francisco’s Izaak Schlossman (Loveshadow), is an absolute belter of a psych-jazz album, […]
“A fairly essential recording from the Canterbury axis of early ’70s British progressive rock…” Avant-garde saxophonist Lol Coxhill meets blues pianist Steve Miller (not that one) for a […]
Featured in the “ethnic” section of Chee Shimizu’s Obscure Sound disc guide, Nyanser is the balearic masterpiece by Swedish guitar maestro Thomas Almqvist. A diverse mixture of mellow […]
You can’t go wrong with an album cover featuring a fluffy cute dog pasted onto Superman’s body… A legend in the Japanese rock scene, Katoh launched his career […]
The first part of German electronic music pioneer Hans-Joachim Roedelius’ Selbsportrait (“Self Portrait”) series, Sanfte Musik (“Soft Music”) is a collection of raw and free-spirited pre-ambient works of […]
Much like their debut Electronique Guerilla, Heldon’s sophomore album is still very much inspired by Robert Fripp’s “Frippertronics.” However, along with the usual No Pussyfooting tape guitar loops […]
One of the all-time great Brazilian Tropicalia albums, Estudando do Samba (or Studying The Samba) sits in that magical zone of wildly creative music with experimental qualities that […]
Recorded just a few hours outside of Los Angeles in the small town of Idyllwild, Linger Lane captures the spirit of the California mountains with organic marimbas, echo […]
Free jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman returns to his original (and arguably best) lineup with Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Billy Higgins on 1972’s Science Fiction. The music is […]
One of the great Brazilian classics from Milton Nascimiento composed as a tribute to all sacred music traditions in the Minas Gerais state. The album featuring a children’s […]
Recorded, produced, and finished in just two weeks, The Modern Dance by Cleveland-based band Pere Ubu is a pioneering post-punk classic that “pushed music into the 80’s” alongside […]
RAMP aka Roy Ayers Music Productions was a soul/jazz group led by the great vibes player widely known for his composition “Everybody Loves the Sunshine.” The group’s lone […]
The first of three Talking Heads albums produced by Brian Eno, More Songs About Buildings And Food expanded on the group’s rhythmic sensibilities with more danceable grooves. The […]
A favorite from the listening bar, Deaf Dumb Blind (Summun Bukmun Umyun)‘s title is taken from verse 18 of Surat al-Baqarah in the Qur’an. “Deaf, dumb and blind […]
Featured on NPR Classical 50, a weekly series from NPR recommending “50 essential recordings for everyone from first-timers to fanatics,” Paul Jacobs’ performance of Preludes For Piano sounds […]
Produced by Lee “Scratch” Perry at King Tubby’s studio, Silver Bullets by The Silvertones is considered “an atypical Black Ark classic” blending soul, pop, and covers with rasta […]
Gil Scott-Heron was barely twenty-one years old when he signed a record deal with legendary Impulse! producer Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman imprint. Thiele had gotten a hold of […]
The full explanation of how this seminal interactive record was made is printed on the original LP cover, but to shorten it: Behrman paired live instruments and players […]
Kraftwerk’s first attempt at radio-friendly music was a 22-minute long track meant to capture the feeling of a car journey along Germany’s first autobahn, the A 555 from […]
Originally released with a waving red, white, and blue flag on the cover, Sly & the Family Stone’s essential classic There’s a Riot Goin’ On speaks to a […]
It’s hard to pick a favorite between Fripp & Eno’s pair of mid-70’s proto-ambient albums on Island Records. Both prominently showcase the duo’s early experiments in their trademark […]
Featuring a classic breakbeat that’s been used by Madlib, Big Daddy Kane, Rodney P, The D.O.C, Pete Rock, and countless others, Foster Sylvers is the self-titled debut LP […]
One of the co-founders of internationally known Dutch band Focus, guitarist Jan Akkerman would head into a more jazz-rock / fusion direction after leaving the baroque inspired prog […]
Born into New Orleans blues and raised on Cambridge folk, Chris “Smither is an American original – a product of the musical melting pot and one of the […]
The 3 Pieces are Andre Richardson, Jerry Wilder, and Lincoln Ross, three Howard University students discovered by Donald Byrd while they attended one of Byrd’s classes. They released […]
William Howard “Monk” Montgomery is widely known as the man who “de-bastardized the Fender bass.” Monk worked with Lionel Hampton’s orchestra in the early 50’s and legitimized the […]
Yukihiro Takahashi may not have had as prolific a solo career as the other two members of Yellow Magic Orchestra, but that’s a hard comparison to make as […]
One of the great Black Jazz albums in “the key of the black power movement,” Spirit of the New Land showcases pianist Doug Carn’s innovative songwriting along with the […]
An early pioneer of “world music,” Henri Texier takes his double bass to uncharted territory on Varech, blending avant-garde jazz with Celtic, African, Indian, and Middle Eastern elements […]
Minneapolis Genius is one of the earliest Prince recordings. Released in 1985 but actually recorded in 1977 when Prince was just a teenager, the album showcases the raw […]
Featured in the “Psychedelic” section of Chee Shimizu’s Obscure Sound disc guide, For You is the private pressed solo debut of Angelo Noce Santoro. A founding member of […]
“Jaco is a phenomenon. He is able to make sounds on the bass that are a total surprise to the sensibilities. Not only single notes, but chords, harmonics, […]
One of the great underrated Miles albums, Get Up With It pushes forward with the full force, sophistication, groove, and beautiful chaos of Miles’ electrified wah-wah trumpet and […]
How many great Eberhard Weber albums are there on ECM? A good amount… The Colours Of Chloë once again showcases upright bassist Eberhard Weber’s mastery of composition, space, […]
A reggae holiday classic from Inner Circle’s Jacob Miller and deejay Ray I, Natty Christmas is the perfect soundtrack to ringing in an “irie Christmas and dancehall new […]
Psych folk cult hero Linda Perhacs has had an interesting career, to say the least. After releasing her debut Parallelograms in 1970, Perhacs would become a full-time dental […]
Part of New York’s underground punk scene in the late 70’s alongside Blondie, Velvet Underground, The Ramones, etc. Tom Verlaine and Television managed to both fit within and […]
Master of the “wah wah” pedal, Melvin Ragin aka guitarist Wah Wah Watson served in the Motown house band throughout the 70’s and has played on albums by […]
From the liner notes: “When Paul Beaver and Bernie Krause began to record for Warner Brothers in the late 1960s, they were already electronic music pioneers. They’d been […]
While not a household name, you’ve likely heard Michael White’s avant-garde violin playing on spiritual jazz classics like Pharoah Sanders’ Thembi, John Coltrane’s Infinity, and Joe Henderson & Alice […]
A holy grail from the 70’s Zamrock scene reissued by Egon and Now-Again, Introduction sets the stage for the pioneering garage-psych rock band that dubbed itself W.I.T.C.H. (We Intend […]
Thirsty Moon… we first heard “Südwind” on Chee Shimizu’s excellent “Follow My Dream” mix on the Lovefingers blog. Released on seminal kraut label Brain, Blitz features some seriously infectious […]
Led by English producer/composer David Cunningham, The Flying Lizards were an experimental new wave band that featured a loose group of collaborators including avant-garde musicians David Toop and […]
Brazilian songwriter Walter Franco moves away from his early freak folk to present a more psychedelic and rock-oriented MPB album. On Revolver, Franco explores a sort of avant-garde […]
This album needs little introduction… Life on Mars is a space-funk classic from the oft-sampled synthesizer guru Dexter Wansel. Inspired by David Bowie’s “Is There Life on Mars?”, […]
An underrated dollar bin soul-jazz find, Formerly Of The Harlettes is the lone album by former Bette Midler backup singers Sharon Redd, Ula Hedwig, and Charlotte Crossley. The […]
A wild fusion of genres (classical, blues, rock, jazz, comedy) in classic Zappa style, One Size Fits All opens with the wonderfully complex “Inca Roads” which features George […]
Included in our “Beyond the World of Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi” feature, Pinnacle by Mwandishi bassist Buster Williams is a continuation of Mwandishi, but perhaps in spirit only. Mwandishi […]
Here’s an interesting one… Two young musical brothers meet the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and create, possibly the first of its kind, Hare Krishna soul / soft […]
Psychedelic rock pioneer Kevin Ayers was the first member of legendary Canterbury group Soft Machine to launch a solo career. His four albums on Harvest remain unheralded prog-rock […]
Revolutionary spiritual afro jazz from exile… Ndikho Xaba and the Natives self-titled debut is an African jazz holy grail recorded “as a tribute to the struggles of Africans […]
New Age flute and saxophone player Paul Horn goes soul/fusion jazz-funk with a collection of choice covers of some of the best Stevie Wonder, David Crosby, Joni Mitchell, […]
One of the unsung heroes of the Laurel Canyon scene, Laura Allan has appeared on albums by Bette Midler, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Carmen, Crosby-Nash, as well as Crosby’s […]
Jazz legend Ramsey Lewis plays Fender Rhodes and Arp synthesizer on his 1974 jazz-funk hit Sun Goddess. The pianist is joined by his former drummer Maurice White, members […]
One of the great Black Ark Studios recordings, Heart of the Congos is widely considered one of the best roots reggae albums of all time. Heart… was originally […]
J.J. Cale might best be known for his tune “Cocaine,” which Eric Clapton famously covered on his Slowhand album, but there’s much more to the singer-songwriter than a […]
One of the giants of Japanese pop music, Taeko Ohnuki began her career as a founding member of Japanese pop band Sugar Babe alongside Tatsuro Yamashita. Though the […]
Moondog 2 is the sixth album by the avant-garde composer Louis Thomas Hardin, AKA the Viking of Sixth avenue, or simply known as – Moondog. Largely self-taught by […]
Included on the excellent Aloha Got Soul (Soul, AOR & Disco in Hawai’i 1979-1985) compilation, Lemuria was a jazz-funk and soul group formed by Kirk Thompson, an influential […]
Drummer and band leader Salah Ragab is considered by many as the father of Egyptian Jazz. In the late 60’s, Egyptian music was typically bound to a strict […]
A roller disco classic from one of the founding members of the great SoCal jam band War, Lee Oskar’s Before the Rain is a pleasant harmonica funk album with […]
A daytime favorite at the In Sheep’s Clothing listening bar, violinist Giusto Pio’s Motore Immobile is a sonic masterpiece from the late 70’s Italian avant-garde scene made in […]
A landmark album that inspired an entire musical programming format and genre, Smokey Robinson’s A Quiet Storm was a return to form for the influential Motown songwriter and […]
HQ (aka When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease) is legendary English singer songwriter Roy Harper’s progressive folk rock album featuring Trigger – a one time super group […]
Les McCann’s drum break classic Layers was conceived in his mind long before the tapes were rolling at Joel Dorn’s Regent Sound Studios in New York. With just […]
This recently reissued cult classic from Mexico’s ’70s psych movement is an effortless gem. Manuel Alejandro concocts one intoxicating arrangement after another putting this record squarely between sounds […]
The debut solo album from Asha Bhosle, the legendary Bollywood playback singer whose work spans film, pop, traditional Indian classical music, and folk songs. “Playback” singers worked behind-the-scenes […]
A classic from two legendary Brazilian composers, Antonio Carlos E Jocafi’s self-titled album is perfect psychedelic MPB. The duo were heavily active in the commercial music scene throughout […]
A story gone wrong… Mythical funk goddess Betty Davis’ Nasty Gal was meant to catapult her into superstardom. Instead, it practically ended her career. Davis had just signed […]
Studio One’s musical director Jackie Mittoo is one of our all-time favorite Jamaican musicians. A founding member of the legendary Skatalites, Mittoo’s keyboards, compositions, and production appear on […]
Featured in John Peel’s Top Ten Albums of 1973, Scottish pop rock band Blue’s debut is a confident showing of twelve original songs each with a distinctive sound. […]
This once unobtainable Italian library music classic was recently repressed by Sonor Music Editions and represents some of the best work of the great jazz pianist & library […]
The last EWF release before the group broke into superstardom with That’s The Way Of The World, Open Our Eyes is a stripped back, jazz, funk and R&B classic […]
One of the most iconic reggae albums of all time, The Harder They Come is a rocksteady soundtrack classic featuring tracks from the film’s star Jimmy Cliff alongside […]
A classic obscurity from the legendary Lovefingers blog, What a Night is carefree, disco-rock from Austrian keyboardist Richard Schoenherz’s of the iconic Supermax. The Moog synthesizers, Rhodes, and […]
Caetano Veloso is the philosophical lyricist and composer behind many classics of the psych movement in Brazil, but there was an abrupt shift in his story in 1969. […]
David Crosby’s solo debut If Only I Could Remember My Name is psychedelic folk-rock perfection from The Byrds / CSNY legend backed by other Laurel Canyon heroes including […]
Compiled by Egon (Now Again) for Stones Throw Records, The Complete Works by Bay Area soul-jazz singer/songwriter Matthew Larkin Cassell comes with a bit of a story. Hip-hop […]
The debut solo LP by The Velvet Underground’s electric viola player John Cale, Vintage Violence is a deeply personal singer-songwriter album by an artist reflecting on his life, […]
Antônio Carlos Jobim was a primary force behind the evolution of bossa nova and his 6th studio release Stone Flower is an absolute classic. The album is emblematic […]
Before Mort Garson’s soothing ode to houseplants (the 1976 LP and now cult phenomenon, Plantasia), Garson spent a decade building one of the most varied and bizarre resumés […]
Fans of Vangelis’ epic soundtrack compositions may be surprised to learn that the Greek synth god’s first true solo effort actually sits in a more folk, psych, progressive […]
This oft sampled record by drummer Idris Muhammed is a cinematic jazz funk classic. Opener “Could Heaven Ever Be Like this” is as joyous as its name sounds […]
A perfect record for sunny days, this classic record under Roy Ayers’ Ubiquity umbrella is full of funky anthems. The inaugural track “ Hey, Uh, What You Say […]
Numero Group has spent the last seventeen years reanimating rare music from all around the globe. One of our all-time favorites is their 2012 ode to the FM […]
The Slits were favorites in London’s punk scene for years before they recorded their first album. When they did finally step into the studio in 1979 for Cut, […]
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson’s Winter In America was the duo’s first and only release on legendary independent jazz label Strata-East. Praised for its influence on hip-hop and neo […]
A name like Philamore Lincoln would seem enough to intrigue a potential record buyer into a blind buy. Yet Philamore’s lone album, The North Wind Blew South, released […]
Often credited as the “Mother of Hip-hop”, Sylvia Robinson was a seminal blues-turned-soul singer, producer, and writer who released a slew of sultry and sensually charged records in […]
From the extended world of Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi… Buddy Terry’s Pure Dynamite seems to be a bit slept-on but we think it ranks with the best of the fusion-leaning […]
An undisputed masterpiece from Lovely Music’s “Blue” Gene Tyranny, here are some words by NY label Unseen Worlds, which recently reissued it for the first time ever last […]
One of the more underrated singer-songwriters from the 70’s, Colin Blunstone began his career as the lead singer of the English rock band The Zombies. After releasing a […]
Japanese traditional music meets jazz, prog, and psych rock on this masterpiece by Osamu Kitajima on Island Records sub-label Antilles. Released during a time when a majority of […]
One of the great holy grails of the 70s, Body, Mind, And Spirit by Harry Whitaker’s Black Renaissance is a soul-jazz masterpiece with plenty of myth and magic […]
Lucio Battisti released a slew of successful rock and pop albums in the late 60’s and early 70’s, but it would take him a few years before the […]
French Composer and piano virtuoso Benoit Widemann began his obsession with harmony as a child and quickly found his place in the 70s prog rock scene in Paris. […]
Hailing from Brazil, Azymuth pushed the boundaries of music with a new electric jazz sound that was unmistakably their own. Known for their innovative synth sounds and smooth […]
Not to be confused with the French electronic duo, Long Island’s Air is a jazz-rock band from the 70’s consisting of four core members – Tom Coppola, John […]
Cymande’s sound is equally exploratory as much as it is soulful. Formed in London in 1971, the band had their roots in a handful of former colonies of […]
Featured in the psychedelic section of Chee Shimizu’s Obscure Sound disc guide, Photo Musik is an underrated gem from French guitarist Christian Boulé. Boulé was a peripheral member […]
After helping to establish the new wave scene in Paris with her partner and ZE records founder Michel Esteban and creating France’s first real noise zine, Lizzy Mercier […]
Included in the “cosmic” section of Chee Shimizu’s Obscure Sound disc guide, Paradise Space Shuttle is tenor saxophonist George Adam’s first U.S. release as a bandleader. Adams was […]
You probably know Patrice Rushen from her 1982 hit “Forget Me Nots” and the countless other R&B and disco classics she put out on Elektra in the late […]
J.O.B Orquestra’s Open the Doors to Your Heart is a highly underrated album from the 1970’s New York afro-spiritualist movement that would later become a favorite amongst hip-hop […]
Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother’s Neu! were one of the central groups of the 70’s krautrock movement. Their first record, simply entitled NEU!, created its own paradigm, and […]
If you frequented the listening bar during the daytime you might’ve caught us playing the early compositions of Roberto Cacciapaglia including the 1975 classically fashioned Sonanze (see “3rd […]
Akiko Yano’s wild vocal style, adventurous compositions on the synthesizer, and integration of global music traditions set her apart from her contemporaries. Her third album, Iroha Ni Nonperitou, […]
Although not a household name, Austrian pianist Joe Zawinul is known by many jazz fans to have been one of Miles Davis’ secret weapons during his Bitches Brew/ […]
Legendary Motown songwriter Leon Ware’s sensual masterpiece Musical Massage is a soul classic that should honestly be a lot more popular than it is. Some say its failure […]
Between was an instrumental krautrock group in the 70’s formed by composers Peter Michael Hamel and Ulrich Stranz with the purpose of creating “music between the worlds.” While […]
Richard Schneider Jr.’s Dreamlike Land is a German rarity that has a distinct sound within the web of krautrock and Can offshoots during the 70’s. It may be […]
Quarteto em Cy’s story is as wholesome as their sound. Four singing sisters Cybele, Cylene, Cynara, and Cyva grew up in a verdant tropical inland town in Bahia, […]
Stanley Cowell was a highly influential figure within the jazz community who somehow never broke through to the mainstream despite his long and storied career. Cowell started out […]
Anatolian rock was deeply influenced by the psychedelic cultural movements of the 1970s, and Barış Manço played an important role in developing the style that defined the genre. […]
Batsumi’s self-titled debut is a powerful statement against the apartheid state of South Africa. The album was recorded in the segregated township of Soweto just outside Johannesburg, the […]
Recorded shortly after Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band broke up, Love, Love continues right where the group left off with two long tracks of deep, avant-garde fusion. The Mwandishi […]
Kathy Smith began as a fixture around the Los Angeles hippie and folk scene of the 60’s and 70’s, playing regularly at venues such as Paradox, the Troubador, […]
If Djavan was even a bit more talented of a soccer player, it’s possible he may have never become the iconic Brazilian singer-songwriter that we know today. He […]
It’s hard to pick a favorite out of the many classic albums by the “king of city pop” Tatsuro Yamashita, but if we absolutely had to, we’d probably […]
There’s something endlessly fascinating about music created on cultural borders. Taarab music was popular on the Swahili Coast in Tanzania and reflected the North African, East African, Indian, […]
Lee “Scratch” Perry earned his almost mythical status as a producer by shaping the genesis of some of the most important modern musical movements, from reggae to dub […]
Few records in our collection could instantly silence the room at In Sheep’s Clothing quite like Emmanuelle Parrenin’s Maison Rose. Recorded in 1977 with the golden era of folk […]
Eno’s 1975 precursor-to-ambient albums Another Green World and Discreet Music entered Bowie’s ears and infiltrated his psyche at a very interesting point in the rock star’s career: when the damaging repercussions of […]
On Sweetnighter, jazz fusion supergroup Weather Report take a decidedly different approach from their first two outings. While still adventurous and free form, the music here is funkier […]
The Pleasure Principle is the third studio album by English musician and electronic music pioneer Gary Numan, and the first to be released under his own name. Numan […]
An all-time jazz classic, Joe Henderson’s The Elements is a beautiful meeting of five singular talents propelled to cosmic dimensions by the one and only Alice ‘Swami Turiyasangitananda’ Coltrane. […]
Heard about this one on Japanese record collector Yozo Kumitake’s excellent Originals Volume 9 compilation CD. Savanna Silver Band were a mostly unknown latin jazz rock group that […]
On The Corner remains to this day, one of Miles Davis’ most polarizing efforts. Scorned by critics and fans alike upon its release, the free form jazz funk […]
One of the all time greatest 70’s jazz-funk albums, Gears features organist Johnny “Hammond” Smith in collaboration with the legendary Mizell brothers. The album was released in 1975 […]
Famously deleted from the catalogue of Asylum Records, with David Geffen pointedly trying to erase it from history, No Other is the lost and recently found masterpiece by […]
Known for their hypnotic kraut sound, Ashra’s third record Correlations pushes them further into rock territory. Having made the first two records as solo efforts, band leader and […]
Chrome were an experimental rock band formed in San Francisco in 1975. After their first album, the group’s mastermind, Damon Edge, met guitar player Helios Creed and the […]
The Road to Ruin marks a pivotal stepping stone in the multi-faceted career of our patron saint John Martyn. Not only was it the last collaboration with his […]
One of our favorite ECM records, The Jewel In The Lotus is the debut solo album from master bass clarinetist Bennie Maupin. Though not a household name, Maupin […]
Perhaps the most significant thing about Seasons for Pete Jolly was that this album broke away from the more traditional approach that Jolly had been familiar with in […]
Batteaux is a long treasured and notoriously under appreciated 70’s underground folk-funk classic. The only release by the Batteau brother duo is a perfect mix of balearic blue […]
One of the finest Brazilian jazz funk fusion albums ever recorded, the exquisite music found on São Paulo • Brasil is well deserving of its cult status. Cesar […]
An obscure jazz-rock holy grail from Sweden that touches on elements of pastoral folk as well as progressive rock, but ultimately sounds quite unlike any of the aforementioned […]
If spacey electronics are your thing, this is your record! Released in 1976, Patrick Vian’s Bruit et Temps Analogues, was way ahead of its time in terms of […]
When Prince entered the studio to lay down the tracks on For You, the stakes were high. He would be the youngest artist in Warner Bros. history to […]
Brazilian drummer & percussionist Airto Moreira’s second solo LP Seeds On The Ground – The Natural Sounds Of Airto is a “world music” masterpiece that blends a variety […]
Peter Ivers was somewhat of a behind-the-scenes L.A. figure of the ’70s and ’80s best known for writing “In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)” for David Lynch’s […]
Most listeners seem to discover the highly regarded avant-garde trumpeter Jon Hassell via his Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics collaboration with Brian Eno which was not just […]
Guru Guru’s Hey Du is a classic kraut record on Brain that we first heard on the legendary Lovefingers daily mp3 blog. A1 Starway was featured as a […]
Motown’s Syreeta Wright is a bit of an unsung hero. Although her voice was not as outright powerful as the other soul divas of her day (Aretha, Diana, […]
By 1970, composer Harold Budd’s work had become increasingly minimalist and after releasing a long-form solo gong piece, Budd decided to minimalize even further and stopped composing completely. […]
Sextant, the first record Hancock cut for his new label Columbia Records, was considered a commercial flop upon its release in 1973. The record showcased Hancock’s early adoption […]
A split release between two titans of the Italian avant-garde movement with production coming from electronic pioneer Franco Battiato, Prati Bagnati Del Monte Analogo is one of the […]
I’m the One is the debut LP from avant-garde singer and composer Anette Peacock. Peacock was a mostly self-taught musician who grew up in California and moved to […]
A collection must-have, this is the debut album by English folk singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan. Like so many albums in our collection and amazing albums in general, this once […]
Pharoah Sanders’ final album for Impulse! is a joyous message of love for all times. “Love is Everywhere” begins with a gorgeous bass vamp followed by steadily cascading […]
Sensations’ Fix is the brainchild of Italian musician Franco Falsini. In the sixties, Falsini developed his musical chops playing in a beat style band in Florence before moving […]
This surreal and transcendental work by the American avant-garde giant was the first iteration of what would be Robert Ashley’s televised 1983 opera Private Lives. A theatrical work […]
What started as a “just for fun” side project from a little known guitarist has since become a rare and quite sought after 70’s private press, breezy psychedelic […]
It’s no accident that Paranoid is considered one of the greatest and most influential heavy metal albums of all time. “Paranoid is important because it is the blueprint […]
He may be a household name in Brazil, but Erasmo Carlos never quite made it to the level of international stardom like contemporaries Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal […]
Joni Mitchell’s 8th studio album Hejira has the imagery of highways, small towns and snow, in large part because it was written on a cross country road trip […]
One of our many favorites from the legendary Oakland-based label Black Jazz, double bassist Henry Franklin’s The Skipper At Home takes off right where his solo debut The […]
Steve Kuhn’s 1971 self-titled melancholic free jazz opus was written and recorded after he returned from living in Sweden for several years in the wake of his break […]
A truly transcendent crossover gospel album by Chicagoan pastor and activist T.L. Barrett and his beloved youth choir. Barrett was the pastor at the Mount Zion church, whose […]
Much more than just a rare groove classic, Eugene McDaniels’ Headless Heroes Of The Apocalypse is a psychedelic-soul jazz album with a powerful message. McDaniels, who is also […]
Harmonia were a Krautrock supergroup formed in 1973 by Michael Rother of NEU! and Dieter Moebius and Joachim Roedelius of Cluster. In 1971 an antiquarian, hoping to start […]
Another archeological music discovery by Numero Group, Edge of Daybreak’s Eyes of Love was a long lost prison letter and portrait of incarcerated soul. It was recorded entirely […]
Arthur Verocai’s eponymous 1972 debut album is considered one of the greatest Brazilian albums of all time. Copies of the original are known to go for more than […]
Echos Hypnotiques is one of those transportive, uplifting records you want to keep handy for days when you need something enjoyable and easy to digest from start to […]
It’s hard to pin down where to start with an artist that suffered such an incredibly turbulent life and at the same time, composed – on par with […]
A highly eclectic and pleasant mix of samba, flamenco, European folk, chanson and dreamy space pop that plays like the soundtrack to an obscure 70’s movie. Paradia is […]
A highly underrated gem, and one of my first five Discogs purchases when I first began collecting vinyl, mainly for the funky, hypnotic, head-turner “Marabayasa” – a fun […]
A free form jazz guitar record by a pioneer of the genre. Metheny plays with a carefree breezy dexterity here, yet manages to keep things tight with his […]
A cult classic originally released as a private pressing in 1975 that became a costly collector’s item over the years, and is now available to the masses thanks […]
Nudge your Serge Gainsbourg record over a smidge to make room for another fabulous, eccentric Frenchman in your collection: Michel Polnareff. Polnareff’s is well worth a full listen, […]
L.A. Turnaround was recorded a year after the dissolution of Bert Jansch’s group Pentangle, and saw the artist at a shifting point in his life and sound. The […]
Shoes were formed in the early 70s by longtime friends John Murphy and Gary Klebe in Zion, Illinois before the two even owned their first instruments. The duo […]
If you have a road trip playlist, this album is a perfect addition. There are some songs that just make you want to hit the road and embrace […]
These Trails were the Hawaii based couple Margaret Morgan and Patrick Cockett. They never played a show and recorded their sole album in 1973. They were joined in […]
Featured in Chee Shimizu’s Obscure Sound guidebook for record collectors, Bazar De Los Milagros is a masterpiece album from one of the true legends of Argentinian rock. Nebbia […]
In 1969, four young, ambitious musicians—Haruomi Hosono (bass, vocals), Eiichi Ohtaki (guitars, vocals), Shigeru Suzuki (guitars) and Takashi Matsumoto (drums, lyrics)—found each other in Tokyo. They bonded over […]
Maria Monti, a talented Italian folk singer and actor who appeared in films by Bernardo Bertolucci and Sergio Leone, was backed by some incredible talent on her fifth […]
John Abercrombie’s first musical output as a band leader was in his own words originally conceived as an “organ record”. The product of persistent nagging from Manfred Eicher, […]
From RVNG Intl. comes a 2017 anthology of self-released trans-temporal new age music by Bay Area composer/synthesist Pauline Anna Strom, assembled from seven albums composed and recorded between […]
A true summertime album, whether you’re melding the sunshine of the Lijadu Sisters’ sound with real life Vitamin D, or need to dial in the feeling of sunshine […]
The long-awaited reissue of Ernest Hood’s private press masterpiece is a must-have for any ambient music fan. Released in 1974 before the term “ambient music” was even coined, […]
When you think of classic digger records, Lonnie’s albums are sure to come up. Endlessly sampled (the most famous being Digable Planets’ “Pacifics”) and sought after for his […]
Hard Candy, Ned Doheny’s blue eyed soul opus, offers a lesson in everything going right for a record, yet still failing commercially. After his debut album failed to […]
Jon Lucien is known as one of the most focused and emotional balladeers to ever step in front of a microphone, but it’s his soothing baritone voice that […]
Another Green World is Brian Eno’s transitional record from glam rock to the ambient minimalism that he would later be more recognized for, and essential listening for any […]
Stepping Into Tomorrow is a classic jazz-funk bomb from the great Donald Byrd featuring an all star cast including Gary Bartz on saxophone, Chuck Rainey on bass, and […]
Archie Shepp’s Attica Blues is a multi-faceted jazz masterpiece. Musically, it represents a departure in Shepp’s music from the free jazz leanings of his previous output to cohesively […]
An often overlooked classic, Kraftwerk’s third album is a bridge between the experimental krautrock of the first two albums and the proto-synthpop and electro that would define them […]
Italian multi-instrumentalist and composer Pepe Maina describes his music as “ambient & prog rock music for dreams and illusion.” His debut album Il Canto Dell’Arpa e Del Flauto […]
Bobby Brown’s debut is a difficult to classify outsider opus that has become a sort of grail for rare psych collectors (it’s featured in the highly renowned Acid […]
American composer and multi-instrumentalist Alvin Curran’s fantastic debut Canti E Vedute Del giardino Magnetico, which translates to Songs and Views from the Magnetic Garden, consists of two sidelong […]
Linda Cohen was a mostly self taught musician from Philadelphia who along with being a fixture in the local avant-garde music scene, worked diligently as a classical guitar […]
San Francisco is the perfect introductory album to American jazz vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson. Featuring his right-hand man Harold Land on reeds, the duo’s style takes a step forward […]
Blacks and Blues was recorded in 1973 when American jazz flutist Bobbi Humphrey was just 23 years old, two years after becoming the first African-American female instrumentalist signed […]
If you’re new to Alice Coltrane, this is an exciting first album to catapult you straight to her planet, whereas other albums might fly you there more slowly. […]
It comes as little surprise that Miles Davis was a great admirer of Ahmad Jamal. The critically acclaimed jazz innovator, known for his understated playing and elegant arrangements […]
Steve Reich’s organic minimalist tour de force is a ground breaking record that would become an influence for much of the electronic records we hear today. Reich creates […]
Charlie Haden’s Closeness is comprised of 4 duet collaboration based melodies crafted by Haden. On each number, Haden (the bassist) pushes the musical envelope playing opposite an artist […]
This record finds Neil at a crossroads musically somewhere between country, rock and blues. While the title suggests summer breezy, On The Beach finds Neil in a more […]
Cited as being an entry point to genres such as trip hop and ambient, Solid Air is undoubtedly John Martyn’s magnum opus. A true balance of dark and […]
When Pharoah Sanders’ Love in Us All was released in 1974, it was already becoming clear that the artist was shifting away from the wilder experimentations of his earlier […]
One of the most sensual records of all time. Janis Gaye, whom the album is dedicated to, recalls “I’m pretty sure if you took a poll of how […]
Fluid Rustle is a subtle, beautiful piece of storytelling music – the themes and titles reflect on a passage from Richard Adams’ 1972 classic Watership Down. Through the […]
