Sept. 22 street date. To coincide with the growing event that is Halloween, 100 Hits celebrates the season of the witch with its latest release '100 Hits - Halloween'. Features scary chart sounds including ‘Ghostbusters’ (Ray Parker Jr.), ‘Feed My Frankenstein’ (Alice Cooper), ‘Hunting For Witches’ (Bloc Party), ‘Amityville (The House On The Hill)’ (Lovebug Starski), ‘I Put A Spell On You’ (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins), ‘Monster Mash’ (Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers) and many more, including contributions from Chet Baker, Japan, Blue Oyster Cult, Run-DMC, The Cult, Robert Johnson, Andy Williams, Edgar Winter Group, Thelonious Monk - an interesting mix, to say the least! Also features a Karaoke DVD featuring 20 Halloween classics such as ‘Thriller’, ‘Highway To Hell’, ‘Bad Moon Rising’, and a 20 track movie theme disc featuring tracks from classic horror films such as ‘Halloween’, ‘A Nightmare On Elm Street’, ‘The Exorcist’ and ‘The Omen’.
January 21 street date. Four exceptional hours of music that defines British pop at the end of a tumultuous decade! If 1977 was the year that punk broke, and 1978 saw the UK turn Day-Glo, then 1979 was all about the aftershock of punk, with the redrawn British musical landscape divided between various youth sub-cultures and factions. The release of the film "Quadrophenia" gave a focal point to the growing mod revival, power pop bands like The Jags similarly sought inspiration from the mid-1960s, while 2-Tone recalibrated the ska sound of Prince Buster for a new generation of pork pie hat-wearing rude boys. Running parallel to those developments, a plethora of bands - prominent among whom were Public Image Ltd, Siouxsie And The Banshees, The Fall, and Joy Division - were demanding the future now with an uncompromising sound and nonconformist approach that would subsequently be labelled post-punk. They were joined by the likes of The Human League and Tubeway Army, who brought avant-garde electronic influences and dystopian lyrical themes into the pop charts. Naturally enough, all of the aforementioned bands are represented on ‘Revolt Into Style’ alongside more obscure 7" gems and a smattering of key album tracks from some of the most important long-players of the year.
October 22 street date. On the occasion of its 30th anniversary, Praga Digitals presents a box-set of 30 key discs that retrace the history of the label. These include re-releases of some of the house's great names, such as the Prazák, the Kocian, the Zemlinsky and the Párkányí, but also the magnificent restorations of the historic recordings of Mravinsky, Furtwängler, Oistrakh and Richter. The selection draws from the label's preferred repertory, from Czech music to the Second Viennese School, via Brahms, Schubert, Janácek, but also Debussy, Ravel, Mahler, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, without forgetting the composer who was perhaps most championed by the catalogue, Bartók. This box-set is thus an opportunity to reinstate some of the finest discs in the catalogue, from among those that contributed to making Praga Digitals one of the greatest catalogues of chamber music and one of the references as regards aural beauty, in a limited and remastered edition.
Sept. 22 street date. An era defining collection of records from artists that have become the backbone of what we now know as dance music and club culture. CD1 travels from the Balearic optimism of Bocca Juniors, Jah Wobble and Paradiso, to the Boys Own remixes of Indie/Dance anthems from Primal Scream, James, The Farm and the Happy Mondays. CD2 is adventure into the early era of UK house and Acid house, focusing on the label's highlights: Fire Island, Chemical Brothers, Pete Heller and the anthems of all anthems ‘Born Slippy’ by Underworld. From Junior Boys Own; a label that not only defined what British dance music actually sounded like but also what it should sound like. These are not just great records, or even great house records, but they evoke something that is embedded in British culture.
May 18 street date. Ten years after 2008's African Scream Contest, crate-digger Samy Ben Redjeb unveils a new treasure trove of Vodoun-inspired Afrobeat heavy funk crossover greatness on African Scream Contest 2. Gut-busting yelps, lethally well-drilled horn sections and irresistibly insistent rhythms. Features Stanislas Tohon, Elias Akadiri & Sunny Black´s Band, Picoby Band D´Abomey, Antoine Dougbé, Orch. Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou, Black Santiago, Lokonon André et Les Volcans, Sebastien Pynasco and L´Orchestre Black Santiago, Super Borgou de Parakou, Cornaire Salifou Michel et L´Orchestre El Rego & ses Commandos, Gnonnas Pedro and His Dadjes Band, and Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou. African Scream Contest 2 includes meticulously researched text and effortlessly fashion-forward photography, supplied by the artists themselves. CD version comes with a 44-page booklet. Double LP version comes on 140 gram vinyl; gatefold sleeve; includes 24-page, LP-size booklet.
September 16 street date. The formula was simple: marry bubblegum and soul to the absolute sincerity of an enthusiastic child, cross your fingers and pray for airplay. But while the youthful sums of that formula may have grown up and walked away from their illusions of stardom, their permanent records remain. By 1973, Michael, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Jackie were as hip as kids could get—household names, with lunchboxes, coloring books, a Saturday morning cartoon, and an Alpha-Bits cereal commercial pushing the J5 brand onto any kid with television reception. Their impressive run of four consecutive #1 singles playing on both pop and R&B stations cemented their appeal to both whites and blacks, prompting MGM to launch the Osmonds as the safer (read: white) alternative. And parents? Well Michael had that wrapped up with his impossible-not-to-love mini-James Brown thing. Even their song selection straddled both sides, with “Zip A Dee Do Dah” and “ABC” for kids, and contemporary standards “Standing In The Shadows Of Love” and “My Cherie Amour” for the older crowd. This extreme marketing and merchandising juggernaut created the kid soul explosion. A decade removed from our acclaimed Home Schooled compilation comes a fresh batch of talent show titans. With enterprising parents, neighbors, and teachers turning play dates into recording dates, groups like Magical Connection, Little Man and the Inquires, and Five Ounces of Soul emulated the Jacksons, who’d made grade-school stardom appear easy as ABC. Afterschool Special: The 123s Of Kid Soul contains 19 tiny tunes ranging from bilingual D.A.R.E. anthem, to James Brown bio, to young love and life beyond the playground.
August 6 street date (CD)/September 17 street date (LP). "Amerikinda: 20 Years of Dualtone" is truly a one-of-a-kind compilation album celebrating the life, legacy, and future of the label's musical family. As a testament to the community of artists they've been honoured to work with, and the mutual admiration between them, this album features Dualtone artists past and present covering fellow Dualtone artists. Includes tracks by The Lumineers, Shakey Graves, Shovels & Rope, Gregory Alan Isakov, Mt. Joy, Hayes Carll, Radney Foster, and more.
Reissue from 1994 combines concrete loops Hip-Hop beats mid-East & African instruments w/snatches Irish & other musics + samples of preachers etc. Sounds reminiscent of early out-there On U Sound releases like African Headcharge. Brilliant!
November 6 street date. Kent’s first 3CD anthology of Southern Soul- the award-winning "Take Me To The River" - was critically and publicly acclaimed in equal measure. It has gone on to become one of the best-selling items in the Ace catalogue and continues to sell well more than half a decade after its release. Southern Soul has so many stories to tell that a second collection was always inevitable. "Back To The River" has taken the premise of its predecessor and expanded its brief to bring you Southern soul not only from the south, but also southern-styled music from the north, east and west of the United States. As before, our 75 tracks run the gamut from well-known classics to little-known and highly valuable obscurities, topped off with a generous helping of previously unissued titles by familiar names. The booklet abounds with scans of highly desirable 45s and rare photos, and once again each of the 75 tracks gets its own individual annotation. The packaging is different from the first volume - A sturdy slipcase houses a 3CD digipak with a separate 64-page booklet.
Sept. 29 street date. An attractively priced 3 CD set of the hippest Gallic grooves from the largest country in the European Union. CD1, entitled ‘Paris Café Chanson’, delivers 15 café classics from the 1930s-50s, a time when the boulevards of metropolitan France grooved to chanson and gypsy jazz from legends such as Charles Trénet, Edith Piaf, Georges Brassens, Charles Aznavour and Henri Salvador. CD2, entitled ‘Ye-Ye Girls & Guys’, features the swinging pop sound of 60s France with a collection of classics from artists such as Brigitte Fontaine, Jacqueline Pérez, Jacqueline Taieb, and Liz Brady, who helped define Gallic cool during ‘Le Swinging’ 60s. CD3, entitled ‘France Now!’, brings things up to date with an assortment of cuts from the movers and shakers on the French roots music scene such as Lo’Jo, Lo Còr De La Plana, Carte de Sejour, Titi Robin and Moussu T e Lei Jovent - bands who with their roots in music from across the Mediterranean and beyond really reflect the diverse ethnic make-up of France in the 21st century. 3 CDs de musique contemporaine Française à un prix très attrayant. Le premier CD “Paris Café Chanson” nous offre 15 classiques des années 1930s jusqu’au 1950s. Dans le temps, les boulevardsde la France bougeaient au rythme de Charles Trenet, Edith Piaf, Georges Brassens, Charles Aznavour et Henri Salvador. CD 2 intitulé “Ye-Ye Gils & Guys” met en vedette le son des années 60 avec une collectionde musique d’artistes tel que Brigitte Fontaine, Jacqueline Pérez, Jacqueline Taieb, et Liz Brady. Le troisieme CD “France Now” nous met à jour avec un assortiment de chansons qui refeltent la diversité ethnique de la France d’aujourd’hui. Des artistes tel que Lo’Jo, Lo Còr De La Plana, Carte de Sejour, Titi Robin and Moussu T e Lei Jovent représentent la France du 21ieme siecle.
Jan. 17 street date. 58 lounge and exotica classics from the vaults of EMI (Capitol Records), featuring Dean Martin, Dinah Washington, Julie London, Sergio Mendes, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Yma Sumac, Ella Mae Morse, Martin Denny, and many others. This set collects together the "greatest hits" from EMI's popular 'Ultra Lounge' series of lounge and exotica compilations with lounge and exotica gems mixing up cool jazz and easy listening with tropical rhythms. Will appeal to fans of easy listening, swing, burlesque and tropical rhythms. 48 tracks.
December 11 street date. Over the last 12 months Africa has dominated world music like no other continent. Beginner’s Guide to Africa collects together 46 tracks from the artists who are making waves in African music today: CD1 'Stars' features gems from the biggest legends in African music old and new such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Alpha Blondy, Amadou & Mariam, Staff Benda Bilili, Kanda Bongo Man & Thomas Mapfumo. CD2 'African Roots' features African-blues, congotronics and desert-blues from Kasai Allstars, JuJu & Daby Touré. CD3 'Dance' features contemporary classics from the hottest acts on the scene now: Dub Colossus, Damon Albarn’s DRC Music, Baloji & Magic System. To many people Africa is ‘the’ continent that springs to mind when thinking of world music and this compilation presents a look at some of the artists making African music so vibrant in 2013. Featuring: Damon Albarn, Amadou & Mariam, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Alpha Blondy, Staff Benda Bilili & many more!
October 30 street date. In uproarious celebration of Black Sabbath's 50th anniversary, Magnetic Eye presents a double album featuring 15 heart-stopping renditions of classic tunes from across the Sabbath discography by some of the riff-heaviest bands in the worldwide stoner doom scene. As a companion piece to "Vol. 4 Redux", "Best Of Black Sabbath" features both faithful takes and almost unrecognizable re-creations, all in devotion and tribute to the godfathers of metal. Includes ripping tracks from Earthless, Rwake, Caustic Casanova, Howling Giant, Elephant Tree and more.
February 22 street date. "Big Gold Dreams" documents the vibrant independent music scene to emerge in Scotland across the late 70s and 80s. Initially ignited by punk, labels sprang up inGlasgow, Edinburgh and elsewhere to give a voice to the explosion of new acts across the country. Named after Fire Engines' memorable single and Grant McPhee's recent TV and DVD documentary, "Big Gold Dreams" includes many of the Scottish music scene's most important names as well as countless obscurities. Includes landmark tracks by The Rezillos, Simple Minds, Skids, The Jesus And Mary Chain, Primal Scream, The Waterboys, Cocteau Twins, Aztec Camera, The Shamen, Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie and many others. Includes recordings from key labels such as Zoom, Postcard, 53rd & 3rd, Rational, Fast Product/Pop:Aural, Supreme International Editions, Creation, Egg, Sarah, etc. Boasts lengthy essays and band histories by Grant McPhee, Neil Cooper and Tim Barr, within a lavishly illustrated 70-page booklet.
July 23 street date. In 2020, 4AD turned 40. Never one to be on time for a party, the label is commemorating that landmark this year with the release of "Bills & Aches & Blues". The compilation features 18 of its current artists covering a song of their choosing from 4AD's past: a creative experiment rooted in the spirit of collaboration and a snapshot of 4AD, 41 years after its inception. "Bills & Aches & Blues" will be released with standard vinyl and CD editions following on 23 July and a deluxe vinyl boxset later this year. The first 12 months' profits from "Bills & Aches & Blues" will be donated to The Harmony Project, a Los Angeles-based after-school programme for children from communities and schools that lack equitable access to studying the arts or music. "Bills & Aches & Blues" is named, arguably (as Elizabeth Fraser never published the lyrics) after the opening line of Cocteau Twins' ‘Cherry-Coloured Funk’.
February 5 street date. Every 21st birthday party needs a worthy soundtrack. We invite you to Paint the Town Bloodshot Red with this 12 pack of songs celebrating the grain and the grape, sung in the key REVELRY! This super limited edition set of six 45rpm 7 inch singles comes to you in a custom six pack carrying case, and features some familiar Bloodshot artists including KELLY HOGAN, BOBBY BARE, JR, NORA O’CONNOR, BANDITOS, plus recent signees THE YAWPERS and AL SCORCH, alongside friends of the label like ROBERT POLLARD of GUIDED BY VOICES, DALE WATSON, DEER TICK, ELIZABETH COOK and more. It’s a collection where punk, country, roots and good times meet. Brewed by the grimy light reflected off the green waters of the Chicago River, there’s a smooth yet spicy ear feel, redolent of feedback, pathos, humor and freshly mown grass. With tasting notes of boysenberry, elderflower, late night diners, shoe leather and an oaky, bitter finish, it’s a sound you’ll savor, listen after listen.
July 14 street date. This superb compilation presents all of the original recordings of the songs performed on the “Blue & Lonesome” album. The exceptions are Little Johnny Taylor’s, “Everybody Knows About My Good Thing” which was a hit for him in 1972. Howlin’ Wolf’s “Commit A Crime” was a rewrite of a song he first recorded in 1958 called “I’m Leaving You” and it’s this earlier version that’s presented here, then finally Magic Sam’s “All of Your Love” which was a variation on his 1957 single, “All Your Love”. As bonus tracks Jasmine has selected a further 19 songs from the likes of Muddy Waters, Barrett Strong, Otis Redding and Chuck Berry all programmed in the chronological order The Rolling Stones released them between 1963 and 1965. Here then are all the original recordings that inspired one of the greatest rock groups then and now.
(12 month calendar with free CD) This unique 12" by 12" 2008 calendar features original classic artwork and rare photographs of legendary Blues performers. This highly enjoyable collector's item carries R. Crumb's endorsement: "Some of the most imaginative commercial graphics ever produced!" Inside are sample song lyrics, brief biographies, and birth and death dates of numerous Blues artists. Includes a free CD of the Blues songs of each month! It is something to collect and enjoy long past 2008. This is Volume 5 in a series of 15, all different Classic Blues Calendars scheduled for the coming years.
May 29 street date. "Occasional Rain" is the sequel to Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs' highly successful "English Weather" collection. This is the sound of young bands experimenting in a period of flux, feeling for a new direction, exploring jazz and folk - as many songs are led by mellotron, piano and flute as they are by guitar. Lyrically, there are two themes that crop up regularly: the search for a home that isn't there anymore - the certainties of the optimistic 60s, the physical reality of terraced streets - and the rain. "Occasional Rain" puts the era's bigger names (Traffic, Yes, Moody Blues) and the lesser known (Mandy More, Shape Of The Rain, Tonton Macoute) side by side. Like "English Weather", it evokes the turn of the new decade, a beautiful state of fuzzy confusion, and the feel of a wet Saturday afternoon at the dawn of the 70s spent flicking through the racks, wondering whether to buy the new Tull album or maybe take a chance on that Christine Harwood album in the bargain bin.
March 6 street date. Deluxe 180g vinyl edition. Compiled by Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs, "The Tears Of Technology" celebrates an era of electronic melancholia, synthesized intimacies and insights. At the turn of the 1980s, a new generation of musicians appeared who saw synthesisers not as dehumanizing machines but as musical instruments that could be coaxed into creating modern, beautiful and decidedly emotional music. It was almost as if the musicians were intentionally creating this music to prove the doubters wrong. The influence of Kraftwerk is all over this collection. Big names rub shoulders with obscurities by Turquoise Days, Electronic Circus and Illustration, all highly prized recordings among ‘cold wave’ and ‘minimal synth’ afficionados. There are pioneers like John Foxx and Thomas Leer, alongside unexpected synth sadness from Simple Minds and the Teardrop Explodes.
June 1 street date. The events of May 1968 are seen as a turning point in France's social history - pictures of the barricades are still potent images. Lines were drawn politically, culturally, socially, and pop music was not exempt. "Paris In The Spring" is a collection of the new music, put together by Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs, that emerged from France between 1968 and the mid-70s, an extraordinary blend of several previously independent strains - French chanson and yé-yé, American jazz and funk, British chamber pop - shot through with the era's underlying mixture of optimism, uncertainty and darkness. This is the first collection of its kind, released on the 50th anniversary of the Paris uprising. Artists include Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Dutronc, Jane Birkin, Jean-Calude Vannier, Michel Polnareff, Francoise Hardy, Triangle, and many more.
Oct. 25 street date. From 1958 to 1993, Thomas and Louise Boddie's industrious Boddie Recording Company issued nearly 300 albums and 45s, recorded 10,000 hours of tape, and remained in operation longer than any other studio, pressing plant, or label group in the history of Cleveland. Long forgotten even by the standards of the chronically overlooked northeastern Ohio music scene, Boddie was a fusion of its owner’s engineering genius and his limited economic means; its DIY recording studio housed in a humble barn, churned night and day to capture the sounds emanating from Cleveland's east side neighborhoods. The 58 tracks on these three CDs represent the best of the Boddies' in-house Soul Kitchen, Luau, and Bounty labels, which released an unspoiled treasure trove of kitchen-sink eccentric soul, fuzzbox funk, shoestring doo-wop, and haunted, eerily hook-laden spirituals. Enclosed inside is a mountain of office-styled ephemera: two massive booklets brimming with detail on the Boddies and their artists; extensive notes and scores of unpublished photos; a complete detailed discography folio; reproduced fliers; and a Boddie greeting card - all rendered with the handcrafted charm that was the Boddie hallmark. Call it a self contained record industry crammed into one box.
November 4 street date. Black America has been singing Sam Cooke for more than half a century. The volume of great songs that Sam wrote in a secular career spanning barely seven years is matched by the quality of those songs - many of which are fundamental to the evolution of soul music in the early-mid 60s. It’s therefore logical and right that Sam should appear in Ace’s occasional 'Black America Sings' series, as he does this month in a package issued close to the 50th anniversary of his death in December 1964. 'Bring It On Home' features some of Sam’s best-known songs (as well as - this being Ace - some of his least-known), many performed by artists whose careers Sam helped to get underway, including Johnnie Taylor, the Simms Twins, Mel Carter, and Bobby Womack. Also featured are a number of singers who owe a vocal debt to Sam, including Brenton Wood, R.B. Greaves, Johnny Nash, Otis Redding and Louis Williams of the Ovations. 21 of the 23 featured recordings have never appeared on an Ace or Kent CD before. A suitably fitting tribute to a true giant of popular music and one whose influence pervades to this day.
Oct. 26 street date. Comprising 24 tracks by 20 acts (Françoise Hardy, France Gall, Jacqueline Taïeb and France's top girl group Les Gam's are each represented by two titles), 'C’est Chic!' features many of the premier female stars of Gallic pop, plus a few French-singing non-nationals for good measure. The majority of the songs here are French compositions, but astute listeners will recognise some others in their English language originals, each given a distinctive French twist. The compilers are currently immersed in the recordings of the yé-yé girls of Italy and Spain with a view to future Ace International releases. Also in the works is a collection of compositions by fabled songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, from whose vast catalogue "Roller Girl" by Anna Karina, "Laisser Tomber Les Filles" by France Gall and "Non, A Tous Les Garçons" by Michèle Torr are among this set's highlights.
June 3 street date. Back in May/June 1986, the New Musical Express released one of their regular mail-order cassettes. Reflecting the latest trends in Indie music, C86 was a 22-track cassette which was inspired by the NME’s C81 tape from half a decade earlier. Aside from a few name bands (The Pastels, Primal Scream, the Wedding Present, the Mighty Lemon Drops), most acts were relatively unknown beyond the back pages and gig listings of the weekly music press. A few hadn’t even issued a record! C86 slowly but surely became the NME’s best-selling ever compilation, selling an estimated 40,000 copies and eventually being reissued on LP and cassette by Rough Trade the following year. C86 prompted a week of shows at the ICA and would come to embody a whole musical style and era. This deluxe expanded edition of the original C86 cassette adds some 50 bonus tracks. The box set is curated by original compiler Neil Taylor and has the endorsement of the NME. Neil has chosen tracks which could conceivably have been on the original C86 package: all the recordings were made between mid-1985 and mid-1986. Neil wrote about many of the bands at the time. The C86 3-CD has been assembled by the same team behind last year’s Award-winning 5-CD box set Scared To Get Happy (AIM Best Catalogue Release Of 2013). Many tracks have never been on CD before. A few are even previously unreleased. Key names include The June Brides, The Jesus & Mary Chain, The Primitives, That Petrol Emotion, Jesse Garon & The Desperadoes, Happy Mondays, The Nightingales, The Railway Children, Pop Will Eat Itself, BMX Bandits, the Blue Aeroplanes and Treebound Story (featuring Richard Hawley).
January 21 street date. ‘C91’ is a snapshot of that time and place, bringing together the cream of the 1991 independent landscape and offering a rollercoaster of hits, near-misses and curiosities along the way. With thoughtful sleevenotes from Lois Wilson (Record Collector and MOJO) and fantastic mood-capturing artwork we've come to associate with the ‘C’ series, this 59 track set - the sixth in the series - continues a journey begun with ‘C86’, charting an essential, alternative view of the British music scene as it moved towards the inevitability of the 21st century. 1991 saw countless indie artists score hit singles and albums as the scene continued to mutate and adapt regionally, politically and aesthetically - from Manic Street Preachers' urgent, punk-infused anthems and the outer edges of shoegaze and psychedelic songcraft offered by Chapterhouse and Levitation, through to the dancefloor friendly adventures of Flowered Up and St Etienne, the art-school informed Kingmaker and established baggy favourites The Charlatans, 1991 offered up the broadest and richest smorgasbord of accessible, street-level artists the UK's youth had known in a decade.
July 21 street date. 2009 is the 15th anniversary of the legendary Ibiza beach bar, Café Mambo. An institution on the White Isle, Mambo is the destination for anyone seeking that perfect Sunset experience. As well as idyllic views, Mambo provides the perfect soundtrack to pre night-time Ibiza insanity. This year Mambo are honoured to have the legendary JOSE PADILLA compile disc 1 of their anniversary release. Since moving to Ibiza in 1975, Jose became the resident DJ at the equally famous Café Del Mar beach location and has single handedly become responsible for popularising the chill out genre. So it is with great pleasure that Jose has agreed to work with his friends at Mambo, providing a mix of the finest in downtempo electronica and ambient sounds. A bonus mix is also included by Mambo resident Jason Bye - perfectly encapsulating the vibe of the bar once the sun has set and the night people have come out to play.
Aug. 31 street date. The latest addition to Ace Records' high-profile Songwriter series. Comprising fan favourites and obscure collectables in equal measure, the set spans Sanford Clark's Top 10 hit of 1956 "The Fool" to 1970's German language interpretation of "And I Loved You Then" by transcontinental pop princess Peggy March (a song from Hazlewood's "13" LP). One of pop's genuine originals, Hazlewood was a brilliant and endlessly versatile songwriter, equally at home with twangin’ rock’n’roll, country, psychedelia, R&B, folk, easy listening, burlesque or blues. His songs are truly beyond categorisation. He was also a pioneer in the mysterious art of record production and taught a thing or two to the young Phil Spector, who hung around paying close attention while Hazlewood crafted magnificent guitar instrumentals for Duane Eddy. Of the 25 tracks on 'Califia', Hazlewood wrote each one and produced all but four. He sings on four cuts on this collection, including the Shacklefords’ recording of "The City Never Sleeps At Night", a song written for Nancy Sinatra - Lee Hazlewood’s perfect muse. The lushly orchestrated opening duet "Lady Bird" - one of the dozens of pop masterpieces that resulted from their partnership - was personally selected for this compilation by the lady herself. Also includes tracks by B.B. King, Dusty Springfield, Ann-Margret, and many more. This should prove to be one of the best (and best-selling!) collections of this very popular series.
April 1 street date. This CD kicks off a brand new BGP series which looks at the obscure and wonderful from different areas of American black music. The first collection digs into the West Coast studio scenes that produced so much great street funk and ghetto soul in the late 60s and early 70s. Focusing mainly on Los Angeles and San Francisco, the music ranges from the sweet harmonies of the Ballads’ ‘Butterfly’ to the relentless groove of ZZ Hill’s ‘Think People’. As well as previously unreleased masters by Eleanor Rigby, Chucky Thurmon and Choice Of Colors, “California Soul” includes the super-rare ‘Strike’ by Union and Little Johnny Hamilton’s ‘The Git Down’ from the rare Watts USA label. There are floor-fillers by Warm Excursion, Brenda George and Little Denise. Housed in a glorious sleeve featuring a Bill Ray shot of sharply dressed youths at the Watts Tower, it includes a detailed note housed in a fully illustrated booklet.
August 5 street date. 2015 was the year jazz hit the mainstream again. The catalyst for this was saxophonist Kamasi Washington’s 3CD masterpiece “The Epic”, influenced by the symphonic, spiritually aware jazz of the early 70s. “Celestial Blues” is a compilation that shines a spotlight on some of the music that may have influenced “The Epic”. The ten tracks range from the evidently spiritual – such as Gary Bartz’s classic ‘Celestial Blues’ or Joe Henderson & Alice Coltrane’s astounding collaboration on ‘Fire’, to less obvious but just as relevant recordings by drummers Roy Brooks and Joe Chambers. Charles Earland’s contribution bears a remarkable resemblance to ‘Henrietta Our Hero’ a stand-out track from “The Epic”, whilst Carlos Garnett and Azar Lawrence’s mix of saxophone, strings and voices could be a template for Washington’s whole sound. The compilation is completed by fine examples of the era’s jazz from Hampton Hawes and Bayeté Umbra Zindiko. Oliver Nelson’s ‘Aftermath’ is an apt closer.
February 3 street date. The 1960s girl-pop compilations on our occasional Ace International and Big Beat International imprints rank among our most popular releases of recent years. Having hit upon a winning formula by hopping over the Channel to France for 'C’est Chic!' and 'Tres Chic!', and by venturing further afield to Japan for two volumes of 'Nippon Girls', we now turn the spotlight on Italy. The collection opens with Brunetta’s prized dancefloor-filler ‘Baluba Shake’ and closes with ‘Cuore’, a dramatic beat ballad by petite dynamo Rita Pavone. Star of the show is the prolific Mina - queen bee of Italy’s female singers - with three tracks: ‘No’ (a wailing folk rock nugget), ‘Più Di Te’ (a cover of the Tracy Dey/Bob Crewe classic ‘I Won’t Tell’) and ‘Se Telefonando’ (a sophisto-pop epic courtesy of maestro Ennio Morricone). Other highlights include the sitar-embellished ‘Il Mio Posto Qual’È’ by Ornella Vanoni, a convincing cover of ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’ by beat girl Caterina Caselli, Gigliola Cinquetti’s superbly orchestrated Eurovision-winner ‘Non Ho L’Età (Per Amarti)’ and breathy-voiced actress Catherine Spaak’s bossa-imbued ‘La Notte È Fatta Per Rubare’.
February 3 street date. The 1960s girl-pop compilations on our occasional Ace International and Big Beat International imprints rank among our most popular releases of recent years. Having hit upon a winning formula by hopping over the Channel to France for 'C’est Chic!' and 'Tres Chic!', and by venturing further afield to Japan for two volumes of 'Nippon Girls', we now turn the spotlight on Italy. The collection opens with Brunetta’s prized dancefloor-filler ‘Baluba Shake’ and closes with ‘Cuore’, a dramatic beat ballad by petite dynamo Rita Pavone. Star of the show is the prolific Mina - queen bee of Italy’s female singers - with three tracks: ‘No’ (a wailing folk rock nugget), ‘Più Di Te’ (a cover of the Tracy Dey/Bob Crewe classic ‘I Won’t Tell’) and ‘Se Telefonando’ (a sophisto-pop epic courtesy of maestro Ennio Morricone). Other highlights include the sitar-embellished ‘Il Mio Posto Qual’È’ by Ornella Vanoni, a convincing cover of ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’ by beat girl Caterina Caselli, Gigliola Cinquetti’s superbly orchestrated Eurovision-winner ‘Non Ho L’Età (Per Amarti)’ and breathy-voiced actress Catherine Spaak’s bossa-imbued ‘La Notte È Fatta Per Rubare’.
June 24 street date. On June 24, Smithsonian Folkways will release the 23rd installment of the award-winning 'Classic' series. Classic African American Songsters traces the complicated yet rich history of the "songster", featuring celebrated artists like Big Bill Broonzy, Brownie McGhee, Lead Belly, Peg Leg Sam, Mississippi John Hurt, John Cephas, and more. The collection spans seven decades, and touches on everything from ragtime, country, and Tin Pan Alley to pre-blues, blues hybrids, and old-timey string band though 21 classic tracks - including five previously unreleased. Classic African American Songsters was co-compiled and produced by Pearson and Smithsonian Folkways archivist Jeff Place, a two-time GRAMMY Award winner who has produced more than 50 Smithsonian Folkways recordings. As with every compilation in the Smithsonian Folkways Classic Series, Classic African American Songsters explores the breadth and depth of a genre with liner notes that offer insight into the cultural and historical contexts of each selection. During the last 10 years, Smithsonian Folkways has released 'Classic' compilations of bluegrass, folk, blues, maritime, old-time, and mountain music, among others.
January 19 street date. Mississippi, particularly the Delta, lays claim to being the land where the blues began. Forged in the crucible of poverty and racial oppression, blues flourished there as nowhere else, evolving into what most critics consider the deepest or most intense strain of the blues tradition. During the Great Migration, music changed consistently, adapting to its new surroundings like St. Louis and Chicago, while retaining its connection to its down home Delta roots. This collection celebrates the diversity and dissemination of the blues’ most powerful and influential voices. Track Listing: 1. C.C. Rider - Big Bill Broonzy 2:34 / 2. Woman In Elaine, Arkansas - Roosevelt Sykes 2:23 / 3. Death Letter Blues - Son House 2:58 / 4. Your Crying Won’t Make Me Stay - KC Douglas & R.Riggins 2:43 / 5. Columbus, Mississippi Blues - Bukka White 3:30 / 6. I’m Going To Walk Your Log - William ‘Cat Iron’ Carradine 1:53 / 7. Why Did You Go Last Night - Clifton Chenier 3:17 / 8. I Stand And Wonder - Sam Chatmon 3:51 / 9. Sleeping With The Devil - Johnny Young and Walter Horton 3:58 / 10. Short Stuff’s Corinna - Short Stuff Macon 2:43 / 11. Married Woman Blues - Big Joe Williams 1:57 / 12. Up The Country Blues - Little Brother Montgomery 2:57 / 13. Dream - John Littejohn 4:44 / 14. Good Morning Little School Girl - Dr (Isaiah) Ross 3:36 / 15. Catfish Blues - David “Honeyboy’ Edwards 3:27 / 16. M & O Blues - Memphis Slim 3:37 / 17. Forty-Four - Scott Dunbar 4:14 / 18. Sun Goin’ Down - Son House 4:59 / 19. Frisco Line - Mississippi Fred McDowell 3:58 / 20. Diggin’ My Potatoes - Big Bill Broonzy 2:58
July 15 street date. In Classic Folk Songs for Kids, curator Jeff Place culls a cross-section of 26 classics from the Smithsonian Folkways vaults to tell an intriguing story of American signature sing-alongs. The songs’ origins are as fascinating as the songs are fun: centuries-old European ballads, an American Revolutionary tune, 19th-century American folksongs, African-derived game songs, a sea chantey, a railroad jingle, camp songs, and even an opera song! And the singers themselves are a who’s who of American folk music artistry —Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Cisco Houston, Suni Paz, Tom Glazer, Lord Invader, and many more.
Please note new street date: February 19. From label owner Terry Cole, "It was on March 16, 2020 that we closed up our storefront as the reality of a worldwide pandemic began to spread across the Midwest. While the level of uncertainty was unnerving, from that uncertainty came the idea for "Brighter Days Ahead". We knew we wanted to continue to release new music, but proceeding with our heavy 2020 release schedule as planned seemed ill advised. So the idea was to release individual tracks from many of our artists on a weekly basis and as a musical family, we could all help shine light on each individual artist weekly. So throughout the summer and into the fall, that's what we did. We released several dozen tracks and the weekly announcements certainly garnered a strong sense of community for our artists and fans alike. We're very proud to present "Brighter Days Ahead": a compilation from our talented stable of artists on both our Colemine and Karma Chief imprints". Features tracks from Ikebe Shakedown, Ghost Funk Orchestra, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, Ben Pirani, Neal Francis, and many more. 22 tracks, of which several tracks will only be available physically on this compilation.
Please note new street date February 19. From label owner Terry Cole, "It was on March 16, 2020 that we closed up our storefront as the reality of a worldwide pandemic began to spread across the Midwest. While the level of uncertainty was unnerving, from that uncertainty came the idea for "Brighter Days Ahead". We knew we wanted to continue to release new music, but proceeding with our heavy 2020 release schedule as planned seemed ill advised. So the idea was to release individual tracks from many of our artists on a weekly basis and as a musical family, we could all help shine light on each individual artist weekly. So throughout the summer and into the fall, that's what we did. We released several dozen tracks and the weekly announcements certainly garnered a strong sense of community for our artists and fans alike. We're very proud to present "Brighter Days Ahead": a compilation from our talented stable of artists on both our Colemine and Karma Chief imprints". Features tracks from Ikebe Shakedown, Ghost Funk Orchestra, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, Ben Pirani, Neal Francis, and many more. 22 tracks, of which several tracks will only be available physically on this compilation.
June 3 street date. ‘Downtown’, ‘Call Me’, ‘Joanna’, ‘Sugar And Spice’, ‘You’re The One’, ‘Where Are You Now’, ‘A Sign Of The Times’, ‘Colour My World’ . . . There is no prize for knowing these songs were all penned by Tony Hatch, the subject of the latest release in our highly rated Songwriters series. Hatch is the first UK songwriter to feature in the series, a sign of the high regard in which he is held by our in-house compilers. The British Bacharach, they called him. While Bacharach had Dionne Warwick, Hatch’s muse was Petula Clark. And like his celebrated US contemporary, Hatch also excelled as a producer, arranger and recording artist in his own right. Already established as a hit-maker in Europe, with ‘Downtown’ Petula Clark became a star in the USA and Hatch’s renown spread across the Atlantic. Throughout the 60s, Hatch was under contract to the UK’s Pye label, the source of over half the tracks here. For added variety, our collection also features a number of recordings by American artists. The package includes a bumper booklet featuring an essay based on an exclusive interview with Tony Hatch, plus rare photos of him in the studio.
May 31 street date. Following their incredibly successful (and highly recommended!) 'How Many Roads - Black America Sings Dylan' compilation (CDCHD1278), Ace presents the soul, R&B and blues worlds' take on the music and lyrics of two young men from Liverpool, whose work as both songwriters and group members completely changed the way the world looked at popular music. The songs of John Lennon and Paul McCartney were frequently covered in all fields of music. It was inevitable that many of the best covers would emerge from a genre of popular music that was so important to all four Beatles. 'Come Together' presents a cross-section of Lennon & McCartney covers from artists as diverse as hard-core bluesman Lowell Fulson and supreme exponents of "sweet soul", the Moments, via such stellar names as Al Green, Chubby Checker, Little Richard, Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin. The range of repertoire covers virtually the entire recording and songwriting career of Lennon & McCartney, and embraces both their first big US hit "I Want To Hold Your Hand" (Al Green) and their last, "The Long And Winding Road" (The New Birth). Many of the inclusions will, we're sure, come as complete surprises even to those who think they know their Beatles covers inside out! This is a collection with high sales potential among both soul collectors and the still-vast legion of admirers that always rush to buy every note of music associated with any of the Beatles.
November 2 street date. The new volume in Ace's "songwriter" series looks at Muscle Shoals cult legend Eddie Hinton. Eddie was a fixture of the Shoals recording scene in the mid-late 60s. As well as being a prolific and immediately recognisable session guitarist, and a great singer who sadly recorded far too infrequently, Eddie regularly wrote fine songs with a peer group that at various times included Donnie Fritts and Dan Penn. "Cover Me" features a comprehensive selection of Eddie's best-known copyrights, many of which are now regarded as classics of 60s southern soul. Not all of Eddie’s songs are as well-known as his biggest hit, the much-recorded "Breakfast In Bed", but there are several others here that could and should have been just as commercially successful. Artists would always be glad to record whatever Eddie submitted for their consideration. You only have to look at this CD's cast list, which includes Bobby Womack, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Mink Deville, Candi Staton, Percy Sledge, Cher, and Lulu to name but a few, to see the calibre of talent Eddie's copyrights attracted.
Side A . Common – The Light (Kero One Remix) 4:28 2. Common – The light (Kero Instrumental) 4:28 3. Erykah Badu - On and On (Kero One Remix) 4:28 Side B 1. Andre 3000 – Roses (Kero One Remix) 5:04 2. Andre 3000 – Roses (Kero Instrumental) 5:04 Brand new remixes by Kero One of three classic tracks from Common, Erykah Badu, and Andre 3000. The remixed tracks are dance floor friendly but maintain that jazzy, feel good funky soul that Kero One is known for Producing. The EP includes 5 tracks with plenty of live instrumentation (Fender Rhodes, Fender Bass, Jazz guitar, vintage synths, etc.). Concept: Common, Erykah, and Andre of Outkast all shared a same passion, the passion to make good music. Additionaly, Common and Andre 3000 shared something else in common: Erykah Badu. They did however have differences, as their romantic relationships with each other didn't last long. Kero One attempts to sort out the differences, bringing them together for one last time to shine on the same record.
March 29 street date. Far from the twin epicenters of New York and Miami, Carlos Ruiz and his Ebirac label were both feeling and generating the aftershocks of the mid-’70s salsa boom. Holed up in their own bustling Puerto Rican community center on Chicago's west side, these third coast salseros plied their trade outside the hot lights, cutting their teeth in city parks, VFW halls, and Holiday Inn rec rooms. Nearly 50 records survive in the wake of orquestas La Justicia, La Solucion, and Tipica Leal ‘79, the most impassioned, singular moments of which are compiled here. Presented in deluxe Numero Style with a 60 page booklet accompanying the CD and a 12X12 inch, 24 page booklet in a full-sized slipcase with the LP.
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