1971’s Here Comes The Sun follows the success of her previous studio album, To Love Somebody, with another batch of pop songs, from the Beatles and Dylan to Jerry Jeff Walker and Paul Anka.
Fantastic new and adventurous arrangements, along with Nina Simone’s unique vocal interpretations, keep this from just being a covers record.”
Yet another masterpiece from the archives of Phil Cohran. Armageddon was conceived in 1958 and written down in 1963. After performing with Sun Ra and benefiting from the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Phil Cohran’s compositions changed decidedly, and he began to focus on cosmology and culture. This particular performance was recorded live at the Afro Arts Theater at 3900 S. Drexel in Chicago on February 11th, 1968. It has never been released and practically unheard in over 40 years
In celebration of Stones Throw Records 15-year anniversary, the label is hosting a series of shows with Stones Throw artists recording live, directly to vinyl, in front of an intimate audience at Capsule Labs studio/pressing plant. Each series is invite only to 100-150 lucky fans. The sets are recorded straight to vinyl LP in real time. No computers, tape, or digital gear are used in the recording. Side D is blank. Limited to only 500 units on vinyl!
The County is Topher Mohr – Guitar; Joe Abrams – Bass; Quincy McCrary – Keys; Quentin Joseph – Drums; Todd Simon – Trumpet; David Moyer – Saxophone.
In listing the greatest albums in hip-hop history, one title never seems to stray from the upper echelons, no matter how many years pass: Boogie Down Productions’ undisputed classic from 1986, Criminal Minded. Released amidst a battle between BDP and MC Shan that would redefine the New York rap landscape as it was then known, the album, which features the songs “South Bronx,” “Criminal Minded” and “The Bridge is Over,” captures the excitement, urgency and raw power that embodies hip-hop culture as we know it, with KRS-One’s aggressive yet intelligent lyricism backed by Scott La Rock’s hard-hitting, stripped-down beats. A true classic, Criminal Minded has been recognized by Vibe Magazine, The Source and Rolling Stone as one of the most important albums of all time.
The album is packaged in a gatefold “paste-on style” jacket, featuring extensive liner notes from journalist Brian Coleman and KRS-One, full color printed dust sleeves with vintage B-Boy Records graffiti artwork, full-color 24” x 36” poster and the bonus track “P is Free (Original 12” Version).
Double-LP pressing with a new digital transfer from the original analog master tapes.
Originally released in 1959, Chega de Saudade is kind of like the book of Genesis of bossa nova. It influenced so many musicians both at home (Caetano Veloso, Jorge Ben) and abroad (Stan Getz, Herbie Mann, Charlie Byrd) that almost every song on this album (from ‘Desafinado’ to ‘Bim Bom’) is now a standard. Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, who display their song writing talents here, would soon go on win a Grammy for ‘The Girl From Ipanema.’ Now with bonus CD of the album!” On 180 gram vinyl.
Nestled in between Nigeria and Ghana, the traditional heavyweights of the golden West African musical axis, Benin, formerly known as Dahomey, has birthed some of the most raw and psychedelic Afro sounds to emerge from a continent blessed with artistic talent. From Lome to Luanda, Africa’s coastal cities have constantly served as creative hubs and Benin’s economic capital, Cotonou, is no exception. The former French trading post has spawned several bands and performers, the most indefatigable and prolific of which undoubtedly remains Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo.
Extensively featured on Analog Africa’s previous releases, Poly-Rythmo and its legendary members constitute arguably Africa’s most innovative band. By building upon and modernizing the traditional rhythms of Vodoun, conforming to the Afrobeat sound of the time, incorporating Western styles and injecting a healthy Latin dose, Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo fostered a diverse groove that remained unique to Benin and resonated with the region’s urban centers.
Despite consisting of 16 members at its peak, the band was originally founded as Orchestre Poly-Disco in 1968 with original members Melome Clement, Bentho Gustave, Amenoudji Vicky Joseph and Bernard “Papillon” Zoundegnon. Seeking to expand and in search of a soul singer, Bentho and Papillon persuasively lured a certain Vincent Ahehehinnou from Daho Jazz, a band with little prospect of major success that often performed in seedy
venues.
Due to changes in producers and financiers, Orchestre Poly-Disco switched its name to Orchestre El Ritmo before finally establishing themselves as Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou after signing with Adissa Seidou, the owner of the Albarika Store label, in 1969. Influenced heavily by Fela Kuti, Vincent, who by this time had transformed himself into an Afrobeat and funk specialist, perhaps Benin’s best, soon became a supremely influential member of Poly-Rhythmo and was approached by Albarika to record a 7-inch single. Realizing the band’s preeminence on the African music stage, Vincent believed the time was ripe to follow in the footsteps of African music greats and record a full album instead. A deal was subsequently struck with the label for a production fee of 320.000 CFA – about 500 euros given today’s exchange rates.
The band took advantage of their producer’s cross-border contacts and traveled from Cotonou to Lagos, which possessed better-equipped studio facilities, to record their first LP consisting of four heavy Afrobeat tracks, wholly composed by Vincent Ahehehinnou himself, in 1973.
In fact, the four track-LP was recorded twice. Albarika rejected the first recording because of far too much background noise – the possible culprit being an obnoxious organ amplifier – forcing another recording to be done. The second recorded session met expectations and made it as the official vinyl release. That recording remains not only one of Benin’s rarest LPs but one of its best works of music, setting the standard for all future Poly-Rythmo releases and firmly cementing the band and Vincent’s reputation. The test-pressing of the rejected first recording was found and Analog Africa founder, Samy Ben Redjeb, chose two tracks from each recording. The two remastered track from the rejected recording is being exclusively released for the very first time on the recording you are holding.
Vincent has acknowledged that his entire life, including that of his family’s, revolved around and is owed to Orchestre Poly-Rythmo. The Afrobeat mastermind left his beloved band on May 28, 1978. He chose not to reveal the reasons for his departure.
“Well, here it is, dig it, then decide for yourself. This is truth to me, because it’s what I feel is real. Hey, I’m by no means trying to shrink heads. I just want to let you know where my head’s at. Check it out; for those of you that can get to the message, I say, LOVE, and to those of you who can’t, I say, ‘HANG ON IN THERE’.”
- Mike James Kirkland (taken from original back cover to “Hang On In There”)
As the 1960s were drawing to a close Mike James Kirkland was inspired to interject social commentary into his musical output along with a more funky- soul and experimental side to the production. First he released “Together” b/w “The prophet” on Bryan in 1971. And he followed this up with the amazing “Hang on in there” LP in 1972. The orginal album and all bonus 7″ cuts are included on our re-issue.
“If we were on a bigger label we would have done amazing things,” reminisces Kirkland. “But we did the best we could. I’m amazed that John
Legend has decided to cover the title track of my first album, that’s very cool.”
After the release of Hang on In There and Doin It Right (another Luv N’ Haight re-issue) Kirkland changed his name to Bo Kirkland, apparently to avoid confusion with the newly-turned-solo-artist Michael Jackson. The first single release under his new moniker, “Grandfather Clock reached #80 on theR&B charts in 1975. This was the prelude to him joining forces with Ruth Davis (formerly of the Ikettes) and the release of the classic “You’re gonna get next to me” in 1976.
The title track “Hang On In There” was recently covered by John Legend and The Roots
Retrospective of Fania Records, the seminal New York latin label, spanning its influential heyday between its formation in 1964 through to 1980 ! Fania was originally the brainchild of musician and bandleader Johnny Pacheco who, when disillusioned with the label releasing his music, teamed up with lawyer Jerry Masucci to form a new imprint, named after a Reinaldo Bolanos composition. At the time, the era of the ‘mambo kings’ that reigned supreme in New York from the late 1940s through the 1950s had begun to lose momentum.
New York’s new generation of young Latinos were more interested in doo-wop during the late 1950s, then the ‘twist’ and the R&B of Motown. Younger Nu Yorican musicians began experimenting with new, energetic fusions of Latin music like boogaloo and what ultimately became known as salsa and Fania arrived at the perfect time to bring the new sounds to the huge Latin communities in Spanish Harlem and across New York.
The label began signing artists like Louie Ramirez and Larry Harlow in 1966, then Bobby Valentin, Joe Bataan, conga maestro Ray Barretto, trombonist Willie Colon and singer Hector Lavoe. Over the next two decades, Fania successfully popularised the new music to a global audience and helped create a worldwide salsa explosion. Over time, it signed most of the major Latin artists of the era to the label including Celia Cruz, Ruben Blades and Roberto Roena.
This new album follows the development of Fania’s sound during its key years including early Johny Pacheco and Larry Harlow outings from 1964, classic Fania collaborations between Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe, seminal Latin soul (Joe Bataan, Ray Barretto), boogaloo and epic outings by Fania’s in-house super-group, the Fania All-Stars.
This compilation is his second for BBE. Few can match John Morales contribution to the world of the enthusiast turned remixer come producer. John Morales is considered one of true legends of the mix. And his work some thirty years later continues to be cutting edge and inspiring. Although familiar with John’s work – his epic mix of Universal Robot Bands boogie anthem is the source from which BBE Records got its name – No attempt had been made to summarise the pinnacle of John’s work.
Lucho Bermúdez y Su Orquesta became famed for their intricate arrangements, mixing big band music from the US with cumbia and porro. Their career spanned from the 1930s through to the 1960s and in cumbia’s hey day in the 1950s the band toured throughout the US and Cuba. This EP features six of their tracks dating back to the 1960s on a triple 7” vinyl. Limited to a 1000 copies.
The man many call the godfather of house, Frankie Knuckles began DJing in New York in the early ’70s while still a teenager, years before the disco boom which proved to be the first flowering of modern dance music. Ten years later he was in Chicago, putting together megamixes of old disco hits with new [...]
Strut team up with New York’s Knitting Factory for the exclusive worldwide release of ‘Live In Detroit, 1986′, the first new Fela Kuti material to be issued since his final studio album, ‘Underground System’, in 1992 !!
Recorded live at the Fox Theater in Detroit in November 1986, the concert marked a triumphant return to the [...]
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