Sensational Texan guitar blues. Gatemouth comes out of T-Bone Walker. Don Robey started the Peacock label, just to put his records out. Without Clarence there is no Johnny Guitar Watson. Killer, killer, killer.
Loco, lo-fi garage and psych, 1966-7, put together by the people behind the excellent Six Feet Under compilation.
Blissful boogie-down soul by the Fatback Band alumnus, produced by Greg Carmichael and Patrick Adams; originally released in 1978. With the almighty It Ain’t No Big Thing.
Too experimental for their label International Artists, back in 1967.
A recording at the Maison de la Radio in May 1973; broadcast on France Culture later that year, but never released till now. Songs from their various early-seventies albums, but stripped right back, highlighting Fontaine’s inventive and provocative poetry, with only their own accompaniment of guitar, percussion, and accordion.
The former Flair and Leiber and Stoller go-to is a rock ‘n’ roll hero. A charged, witty, extrovert guide to its glory days — from doo wop through blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll… into soul. Terrific stuff.
Hard bop from 1961: a quintet including Marcus ‘Gemini’ Belgrave, Ronnie ‘Doin The Thang’ Mathews, and Gene Hunt, from Horace Silver’s band.
Charged garage-rock from Vancouver, BC, Canada, 1970. Championed by the innumerate Enjoy The Experience: ‘Amongst my favorites, the sincerity and verve in the performances remain fresh to the ear and heart thirty years later.’
With Joe Henderson, Elvin Jones and Ron Carter in 1967. Arguably his greatest record as leader; a classic.