Creation - Creation 1974

This collection’s tentative claim to fame probably rests with the fact it was an early release by Leon Patillo. Patillo went on to a mid-’70s stint with Santana and then fame as a Christian singer and (now) evangelist.

Formed in the late 1960s, and original known as Leon’s Creation (shortened to Creation), started out as an eight piece funky outfit that seemed to owe more than a little to Sly & the Family Stone.

Released in 1974, “Creation” found the band working with producers  Jimmy Douglass and band bassist Jimmie Calhoun.  Mostly penned by Patillo and keyboard player Lenny Lee Goldsmth, the album featured all original material.  Musically the overall feel was somewhere between Sly-styled  funk (‘Facts‘) and a bus load of clean cut, young evangelists (‘Joy‘). Thanks to FunkMySoul.

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Lawrence Brown's All-Stars - Inspired Abandon 1965

One of the great swing trombonists, Lawrence Brown tends to be underrated because he spent so much of his career with Duke Ellington's Orchestra. Actually, Brown's initial solos with Ellington upset some of Duke's fans because it was feared that his virtuosity did not fit into a band where primitive effects and mutes were liberally utilized. But over time, Brown carved out his own place in the Ellingtonlegacy.

Lawrence Brown learned piano, violin, and tuba before deciding to stick to the trombone. He recorded with Paul Howard's Quality Serenaders (1929-1930) and Louis Armstrong (with Les Hite's Orchestra in 1930) in Los Angeles before joining Ellington in 1932, staying until 1951 when he left to join Johnny Hodges' new small group. After 1955, Brown became a studio musician in New York, but then spent 1960-1970 back with Ellington (where he reluctantly had to play some solos with a plunger mute) before retiring. Although he only led two albums of his own (a 1955-1956 outing for Clef and 1965's Inspired Abandon for Impulse), Brown was well-featured on many recordings with Ellingtonthrough the years; "The Sheik of Araby" (1932) and "Rose of the Rio Grande" (1938) were favorites. AMG.

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Mor Thiam - Dini Safarrar 1973

Originally released in small numbers as a custom pressing in 1973, the compelling 'Dini Safarrar' by Senegalese drummer Mor Thiam has gained cult status around the world amongst enthusiasts of jazz, funk, hip hop & African music, and grail status among LP collectors. Here is the first official reproduction of this album, faithful to the original and made with the blessing and cooperation of Mor Thiam himself, as well as his son Aliaume Thiam, otherwise known as hip hop and R&B superstar Akon.

Mor Dogo Thiam (pronounced 'Chahm') is a cultural historian, dedicated philanthropist and genius on the djembe. He began his career as a drummer while a young boy in his native Senegal, before moving to St. Louis, Missouri in the early 1970s, where his unique musical skills earned him the respect of the local jazz community. A fusion of the traditions of his Senegalese upbringing and the funk & jazz sounds of his new environs, 'Dini Safarrar' was entirely self-funded and was also conceived as a benefit album, with all the proceeds donated to famine relief in Africa. Indeed, proceeds generated by the sale of this reissue will go directly into a fund to assist a school in Senegal set up by Mor himself.

The subtitle and translation of Dini Safarrar is 'Drums of Fire', though it may be more aptly described as 'Drums of Krakatoa', such is the explosive intensity captured within the grooves. The multitude of pulsating percussive elements throughout each track creates an intense rhythmic dissonance, the musical equivalent of an erupting volcano. It can be no co-incidence that the energy & passion of Akon's music was duly ignited by his father's very same Drums of Fire. May the legacy continue.

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Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield 1973

Not to be confused with their self-titled debut album, this double LP, which can still be found without too much hassle, is clearly the best Springfield compilation, at least until the overdue day when a box set appears that includes everything recorded by this superb band. It does miss some good songs, especially from the first album, but zeroes in on their very best work, and includes a nine-minute version of "Bluebird" available nowhere else, as well as excellent liner notes. AMG.

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Swampgas - Swampgas 1971

The Long Island, NY, band Swamp Gas recorded one album of mediocre of-its-age rock at the beginning of the early ’70s. Alternating between hard rock and folk-rock, it bore some influences from the Grateful Dead, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and more aggressive bluesy early hard rock bands. The group had been discovered by Artie Kornfeld, most famous as one of the producers of the Woodstock festival, and Kornfeld and the band were co-credited as producers of the self-titled Swampgas LP.

It didn’t come out immediately, however, as Kornfeld’s label experienced financial troubles. It did eventually get released by Buddah Records, the parent company of Kornfeld’s label, but by that time the band had been broken up for about a year. Guitarist and principal songwriter Baird Hersey later recorded as part of the jazz group the Year of the Ear, with the band FX, and as a solo artist, as well as played guitar and sung with David Hykes. Singer Kim Ornitz established a successful career in film music as a sound mixer.

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John Mayall With Eric Clapton - Bluesbreakers 1966

Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton was Eric Clapton's first fully realized album as a blues guitarist -- more than that, it was a seminal blues album of the 1960s, perhaps the best British blues album ever cut, and the best LP ever recorded by John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Standing midway between Clapton's stint with the Yardbirds and the formation of Cream, this album featured the new guitar hero on a series of stripped-down blues standards, Mayall pieces, and one Mayall/Clapton composition, all of which had him stretching out in the idiom for the first time in the studio. This album was the culmination of a very successful year of playing with John Mayall, a fully realized blues creation, featuring sounds very close to the group's stage performances, and with no compromises. Credit has to go to producer Mike Vernon for the purity and simplicity of the record; most British producers of that era wouldn't have been able to get it recorded this way, much less released. One can hear the very direct influence of Buddy Guy and a handful of other American bluesmen in the playing. And lest anyone forget the rest of the quartet: future pop/rock superstar John McVie and drummer Hughie Flint provide a rock-hard rhythm section, and Mayall's organ playing, vocalizing, and second guitar are all of a piece with Clapton's work. His guitar naturally dominates most of this record, and he can also be heard taking his first lead vocal, but McVie and Flint are just as intense and give the tracks an extra level of steel-strung tension and power, none of which have diminished across several decades. AMG.

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Art Ensemble Of Chicago - Fanfare For the Warriors 1973

The Art Ensemble of Chicago's first (and arguably most significant) period concluded with this high-quality studio session, Fanfare for the Warriors. The quintet (trumpeter Lester Bowie, Roscoe Mitchell and Joseph Jarman on reeds, bassist Malachi Favors and drummer Don Moye) provides concise but adventurous performances. High points include Mitchell's "Nonnaah," Bowie's humorous "Barnyard Scuffel Shuffle" and "Tnoona," but all of the selections have their own musical personality. It's a fine showcase for this important avant-garde unit. AMG.

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Syl Johnson - Back For A Taste Of Your Love 1973

A rollicking vocalist and gifted harmonica player, Syl Johnson has forged a career in both blues and soul. The brother of bassist Mac Thompson and guitarist/vocalist Jimmy Johnson, Syl Johnson sang and played with blues artists Magic Sam, Billy Boy Arnold, and Junior Wells in the '50s before recording with Jimmy Reed for Vee-Jay in 1959. He made his solo debut that same year with Federal. Johnson toured with Howlin' Wolf from late 1959 until 1962, when Willie Mitchell signed him to Hi Records. Johnson recorded for both Twilight and Hi in the late '60s and early '70s, clicking with the dance/novelty cut "Come on Sock It to Me" and crackling message track "Is It Because I'm Black?" He had his biggest hit with "Take Me to the River" in 1975, reaching number seven on the R&B charts. Johnson later recorded for Shama and Boardwalk. He reappeared on a collaboration with his brother Jimmy in the summer of 2002, humorously titled Two Johnsons Are Better Than One. AMG.

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Bonnie Raitt - Bonnie Raitt 1971

he astounding thing about Bonnie Raitt's blues album isn't that it's the work of a preternaturally gifted blues woman, it's that Raitt doesn't choose to stick to the blues. She's decided to blend her love of classic folk blues with folk music, including new folk-rock tunes, along with a slight R&B, New Orleans, and jazz bent and a mellow Californian vibe. Surely, Bonnie Raitt is a record of its times, as much as Jackson Browne's first album is, but with this, she not only sketches out the blueprint for her future recordings, but for the roots music that would later be labeled as Americana. The reason that Bonnie Raitt works is that she is such a warm, subtle singer. She never oversells these songs, she lays back and sings them with heart and wonderfully textured reading. Her singing is complemented by her band, who is equally as warm, relaxed, and engaging. This is music that goes down so easy, it's only on the subsequent plays that you realize how fully realized and textured it is. A terrific debut that has only grown in stature since its release. AMG.

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Johnny Rivers - Home Grown 1971

Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella, November 7, 1942, New York City) is an Italian-American rock 'n' roll singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. His repertoire includes pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock 'n' roll. Rivers charted during the 1960s and 1970s but remains best known for a string of hit singles between 1964 and 1968, among them "Memphis" (a Chuck Berry cover), "Mountain of Love", "The Seventh Son", "Secret Agent Man", "Poor Side of Town" (a US #1), "Baby I Need Your Lovin'" (a Motown cover), and "Summer Rain".

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David Porter - Gritty, Groovy and Gettin' It 1970

The first of four David Porter albums issued on Stax subsidiary Enterprise, Gritty, Groovy, & Gettin' Itwas released months after songwriting partner Isaac Hayes' Hot Buttered Soul. Despite ceasing their incredible alliance as a composing duo, Hayes produced and co-arranged Porter's debut set. It wasn't nearly as successful as Hayes' solo work, but it did reach number four on Billboard's R&B Albums chart. There's some of the dramatic sweep heard in Hayes' releases, albeit with little in the way of sprawl. Apart from a fresh seven-minute version of Porter and Ed Lee (aka Isaac Hayes)' "Can't See You When I Want To," originally recorded by Porter for Stax in 1965, the material is compact and straightforward with a few thrills. With no new compositions, Porter surprisingly looks to other writers, as on a radically upbeat take of "I Only Have Eyes for You," a faithful version of Curtis Mayfield's ballad "Just Be True" (a 1964 hit for Gene Chandler), and a soaring, strings-heavy look at Jesse and JoAnne Belvin's "Guess Who." The 2013 reissue adds both sides of Porter's lone Stax-proper single, which wasn't distributed on a nationwide level. Decent previously unreleased tracks and some radio ads and jingles are also included, and the booklet features extensive liner notes. AMG.

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Percy Sledge - When A Man Loves A Woman 1966

A country-soul masterpiece. The title track remains among the most beloved, anthemic explanations of love's impact and travails ever written or performed. Had Sledge never made another song, he would still deserve kudos just for that one. But he continued to score with more simple, heartfelt, unsophisticated stories about disappointment, pain, rejection, and perseverance. AMG.

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Ripple - Ripple 1973

An interracial Michigan soul-funk band, Ripple had an R&B hit in 1973 with "I Don't Know What It Is but It Sure Is Funky," and made several other recordings for the GRC label in the mid-'70s. They were an eclectic hodgepodge of influences circulating in soul music at the time -- sometimes they can sound like a more pop-inclined version of Kool & the Gang, other times they sound like a less distinctive variant of Stevie Wonder. Their brand of funk was neither too raw nor too slick, with liberal pop and jazz influences. Those who like just-pre-disco funk will probably enjoy the group. AMG.

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Stéphane Grappelli & Stuff Smith - Stuff and Steff 1965

Violinists Stéphane Grappelli and Stuff Smith performed together on a few occasions, but this 1965 studio session, first issued by Barclay, was one of the more difficult dates to acquire until Universal Music reissued it on CD in 2002, as a part of their extensive Jazz in Paris series. With a solid rhythm section (pianist René Urtreger, bassist Michel Gaudry, and drummer Michel Delaporte) that pretty much sticks to a supporting role, it is clear that Smith's gritty tone rubs off on Grappelli as the session progresses. Highlights include Smith's "Blues in the Dungeon" (during which Grappelli playfully alternates between playing pizzicato and arco to back Smith's hoarse but swinging vocal) and an equally playful, swinging take of "This Can't Be Love." Jazz violin fans may give Smith the nod over Grappelli on this date, but both men obviously enjoyed themselves during the making of this disc. The glorious 24-bit remastering produces sound that is greatly improved over the tinny Everest LP reissued under Smith's name during the 1970s. AMG.

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Solution - Solution 1972

Solution were a Dutch progressive rock band that existed from 1970 to 1983, during which time they released six studio albums and one live album. They incorporated jazz, rock, pop and soul influences, becoming more commercial on their fifth and sixth albums. Solution split in 1983, playing a final concert at the Paradiso in Amsterdam and releasing a double live album. They have since regrouped (in March 2006) for two concerts at Panama, Amsterdam (released as a DVD in July 2007), while a triple CD compilation (The Ultimate Collection, comprising almost every track they released) was issued in 2005. Also, a 1976 pairing of Solution and Divergence (simply titled Solution) was reissued by EMI in February 2007, featuring "Fever" (left off the original CD edition) and "Divergence", the studio version of which was omitted from The Ultimate Collection in favour of the 1983 live recording.

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