Beautiful, heart-wrenching, anti-war roots.
Sublime singing, led by Tony Tuff, over the kind of rhythm you could run for hours.

Sometimes considered the greatest soul recording ever made, this was in the news a few years ago because a copy of the UK release on London Records went for £14,543.
Sensationally, the flip delivers the previously unreleased instrumental version by the Funk Brothers — the Solid Hitbound in-house band including Rudy Robinson, Uriel Jones, Eddie Willis, Bob Babbit and Dennis Coffey.

Crucial eighties soul, this is crushingly killer. Pedigree hangdog.

A stunning complement to Theme De Yoyo!
Panou was an activist and actor, in Paris from Benin; he plays a refuse collector in Jean-Luc Godard’s Weekend. His texts here cross existentialism and Black Power like a knockabout Richard Wright, with an extra shot of anti-colonialism. Recorded by Pierre Barouh for Saravah, in the same months as its classic Comme A La Radio LP with Brigitte Fontaine, furthering the AEC’s rowdily brilliant elaborations of Leroy Jones’ Black Dada Nihilismus.
It’s a scorcher; hotly recommended.

Hip hop trooper Davy D’s vinyl debut, in late 1983. Still buzzing and fresh.

Upsetters magic from the Black Ark, circa 1976. The story goes that only thirty copies were pressed, back in the day.

Irresistible mix of sublime, Impressions-style harmony singing, punchy horns supervised by Tommy McCook, soulful existentialism and rocking steady rhythm; beautifully presented by Far East Records.

Hard on the heels of Alfred Panou, here is another totally knockout Saravah 7”, beautifully reissued by Souffle Continu.
Second from top in Jazzman’s list of the best-ever European 45s, this starts out as an ultra-moody head-nodder, way east of the river Nile, before switching gears into a squalling, sawing, hard groove.
It’s a must.

Fiery, head-banging deep funk by this Louisiana guitarist; originally out on Eddie ‘Goldband’ Shuler’s ANLA label, in 1967.