ATOMIC FOREST - Obsession

Given the abundance of Eastern influence in Western psych-rock, India gives back with a heavy dose of acid-tinged originals and bent covers.

"Atomic Forest’s mix of blistering, fuzzy rock and synth-lead funk inspired collectors the world over to fork over thousands of dollars for original copies of their solitary release, Obsession '77. Part of the interest certainly stemmed from its liberal doses of searing fuzz guitar. Part of it sprung from the oddity of it all: had India, a country that, quite literally, churned out tens of thousands of albums during psych and hard rock’s heyday, only produced this one, lonely psychedelic album? Part of it sprung from the album’s rarity: unknown for years, Obsession '77 suddenly became a top want on every global-rock collector’s short-list." - Now-Again

"We first got wind of Atomic Forest via Academy Records' excellent comp OBSESSION, a brilliant mixing of some of the rarest and most choice psych and funk gems from around the world. The comp opens and closes with two versions of  "Obsession '77" by Atomic Forest, easily one of the most fierce tunes on the record. I've occasionally tried to find more of Atomic Forest, but with out much luck, so it's pretty exciting to see the release of this collection of searing psychedelic funk from various incarnations of Atomic Forest, 1973-77." - Primordial Sounds

VA - Mod Jazz Forever

This latest installment of the Mod Jazz series offers the same irresistible mixture of sounds which made the previous volumes so delightful. Hammond organ stompers, bluesy vocal numbers and soulful grooves abound on this compilation that works as well in the living room as on the dance floor.

"The Ace/Kent label's ongoing, if sporadic, Mod Jazz series is a fine example of how to construct an intelligent and highly enjoyable batch of anthologies spotlighting rather obscure tracks in a genre that doesn't get a great deal of attention from history books. Showcasing jazz from the 1960s with a good measure of soul (and sometimes some rock, pop, and funk influence), this is the kind of jazz that's usually more accessible than most to non-jazz specialists, though it doesn't mean jazzheads of a certain taste can't find it to their liking too." - Allmusic

"The Mod Jazz crew are back in town, and we have scoured the world to provide you with the perfect blend of jazz, with a touch of the blues, a shake of soul and a pinch of latin. As usual, we pay only lip service to genre divides, and bring you lots of great jazz vocals, often with an R&B twist." - Ace Records

VA - Looking Back: 80 Mod, Freakbeat & Swinging London Nuggets

Sixties British Mod sounds encompassed hard-edged r'n'b and swingin' blue-eyed soul, as well as Who-ish freakbeat power pop. Looking Back provides an excellent and comprehensive overview of all these styles over the course of three CDs.

"A mammoth eighty-track compendium of the finest (mostly) British Mod sounds of the '60s, housed in a clambox with a 48-page booklet, Looking Back boasts a smattering of previously unissued gems from the likes of A Wild Uncertainty, Tony Rivers & The Castaways, The Thoughts, The Trekkas and The Knave, compiled and annotated by Paul Weller biographer and long-time Mod observer John Reed and designed by Andy Morten (Shindig! magazine, Rev-Ola)." - Cherry Red Records

THE APOLLAS - Absolutely Right! The Complete Tiger, Loma and Warner Bros. Recordings

Two songs in, the Wall Of Sound hits with "Who Would Want Me Now," a deep soul ballad that brings to mind the intensity of Loraine Ellison's "Stay With Me." The remaining 24 tracks here also impress, and make you wonder how much soul/funk is still out there waiting to be discovered! The big reissue surprise of 2012 so far.

"On a remarkably consistent five-year span of singles from 1963 to 1968, this Bay Area-born gal trio indulged equally in searing balladry, gritty gospel laced-R&B, and infectious pop, mastering them all with soulful aplomb. Absolutely Right! contains the Apollas’ impeccable mid-'60s oeuvre collected in one place, with the unexpected bonus of several unissued cuts, including Leola Jiles’ heartbreaking masterpiece 'I’ve Got So Used To Loving You.'" - Ace Records

VA - Smash Boom Bang! The Songs and Productions of Feldman, Goldstein & Gottehrer

Running the gamut from raucous garage rock to girl-group pop, Smash Boom Bang! showcases the infectious songs and productions of New York City tunesmiths Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer.

"Feldman, Goldstein and Gottehrer made loud, drum-and-handclap-infused pop in the first half of the '60s. Not known for subtlety, they took much from the likes of Bo Diddley and Gary 'US' Bonds and pushed the power up to 11, as evidenced on The Sheep's 'Hide And Seek,' arguably the loudest, most in-your-face two minutes in pop." - Record Collector

"If you don’t know the names of Messrs. Feldman, Goldstein and Gotteher, you’ll undoubtedly know 'My Boyfriend’s Back,' 'Hang On, Sloopy' and 'I Want Candy,' and you just might be surprised to find that all three songs were the work (either in songwriting, production or both) of the same team. Smash Boom Bang!  takes its name from three prominent labels, the last of which was founded by Bert Berns.  As Berns’ tragically short-lived career has already been anthologized by Ace, this collection makes the perfect companion to those earlier two volumes." - The Second Disc

WENDY RENE - After Laughter Comes Tears: Complete Stax & Volt Singles + Rarities 1964-65

Light In The Attic has been on a tear (ha) this past year, with recent reissues and archival finds from the likes of Charles "Packy" Axton, Jim Ford, the Louvin Brothers, Shin Joong Hyun, the Mowest imprint, and Michael Chapman, but we were especially excited and surprised to see this anthology on the label's release schedule!

"This will be the first ever anthology of the mysterious Southern soul queen who cut some of the most achingly gorgeous 45s on Stax and Volt back in the day. While she’s been sampled to death by everyone from the Wu-Tang Clan to Alicia Keys and covered by Lykke Li, little is known about the singer’s short but brilliant career until now. After 45 years spent decidely out of the spotlight, we’re grateful to have Wendy involved in putting together this special anthology, which includes all of her singles and close to a dozen rarities." - Light In The Attic

"Much of Rene's work was recorded when she was in high school (and after she quit), and you can hear it in her voice, which is breathtakingly clean and pure, filled with the sense that she's singing with every ounce of her body. Part of the collection's urgency too is because of the backing band: the tracks feature the Stax session players Charles "Packy" Axton and the members of Booker T. and the MGs at the peak of its powers, including Steve Cropper on guitar and Booker T. Jones on organ." - L.A. Times

VA - On With The Show: The Johnny Otis Story, Volume 2 (1957-1974)

As much as we urge those who have yet to hear Midnight At The Barrelhouse to also give that first volume a listen, some of the most irresistible moments on this second set might be when Otis and band tackle R&B rhythms popularized by other outfits, putting their own hep and savvy spin on them, whether the Bo Diddley beats of "Mumblin' Mosie," "Crazy Country Hop," "Hand Jive One More Time" and, well, "The New Bo Diddley," or the "Tramp"-ed up, lip-smacking "Country Girl."

"On With The Show lives up to its title by picking up Johnny’s story from just before where the first volume left off, and carrying it through to the mid-'70s – the point at which he stopped releasing new music and began diversifying his talents into cultural, spiritual and political areas.

Johnny found that he was fighting a losing battle as R&B began to get pushed off the charts by early '60s pop and, subsequently, Mersey Beat. But he still made great music whether the public bought it or not, and On With The Show contains many of the most enduring Otis classics in Johnny's massive catalogue, such as "Castin' My Spell," "Crazy Country Hop" and "Mumblin' Mosie."

The second half of the CD chronicles Johnny's creative renaissance via the 1969 Cold Shot album and its chart single "Country Girl." It also features early groundbreaking performances by his teenage son and nascent guitar hero Shuggie, and several cuts that have latterly become much played rarities on the funk and jazz scenes." - Ace Records

VA - The FAME Studios Story 1961-73 / GEORGE JACKSON - Don't Count Me Out: The FAME Recordings Vol. 1

Ace/Kent's sequel of sorts to 2008's Take Me To The River: A Southern Soul Story 3CD set, The FAME Studios Story hones in on Muscle Shoals' golden era, while Don't Count Me Out further focuses on George Jackson's peak years at the studio, from 1968 to 1972.

"The FAME Studios Story 1961-1973 is an exhaustive 3CD set derived from two years’ worth of excavations by the intrepid Ace team at the hallowed FAME vault. The result is a full programme of FAME-related releases slated for issue on Ace, Kent, and BGP over the next couple of years, but the lynchpin is this definitive anthology that focuses upon the halcyon days of the studio and the label. It’s an open-minded, celebratory overview that, across 75 tracks, spotlights both artists and records that are either acknowledged greats, or lesser known – yet no less worthy – entries in the lexicon of soul." - Ace Records

"Rick Hall, who owned FAME, knew that if a top soul artist was coming into the studio and some songs were needed, then George Jackson was the man. He was valued so much as a songwriter that his career as a singer was sadly neglected, and only two 45s were issued during his long association with FAME. Luckily for us, Rick Hall held on to a truckload of the other recordings George cut at FAME which have remained in the vaults until Tony Rounce, Dean Rudland and Alec Palao plucked them from the shelves for this terrific release and several future volumes." - Ace Records

KIM JUNG MI - Now

When Light In The Attic compiled Beautiful Rivers And Mountains this past fall, an anthology of tracks led by/produced by/featuring Shin Joong Hyun, many of us on staff here were especially struck by "The Sun," a track featuring the vocals of psych-folk songbird Kim Jung Mi; we're glad to now have the chance to listen to this reissue of Now, Mi's 1973 full-length effort produced by Shin.

"At the dawn of the 1970s, South Korea’s rock music scene was at its zenith. Much of the reason for this was the god-like musical touch of guitar wizard, songwriter, producer, and arranger Shin Joong Hyun. For this album, he took a young girl named Kim Jung Mi, and transformed her from a wallflower student into a folk-psych chanteuse in record time (if Francoise Hardy is the Marianne Faithful of France, then Kim Jung Mi is, I suppose, the Francoise Hardy of Korea)." - Light In The Attic

"Kim Jung Mi's Now is probably one of the oddest albums I've ever heard. That's not because Now sounds especially exotic, though. On the contrary, it's because it doesn't. The point isn't that the album is derivative. It's that it's familiar. When I listen to 'Lonely Heart,' for example, I feel like I'm hearing something for the thousandth time, even though I can't exactly put my finger on where. It's too psych for Sandy Denny, not bluesy enough to be Janis Joplin, not smoky enough for the pop cabaret of Julie London, not over-carbonated enough to be Serge Gainsbourg—but it's somewhere in a world where all those things are on the jukebox." - Splice Today

VA - Eccentric Soul: The Nickel and Penny Labels

It's been two and a half years since the last volume in Numero's Eccentric Soul series (Smart's Palace) was released; getting to now hear such stellar cuts as Little Ben & The Cheers' "I'm Not Ready To Settle Down" and Jerry Townes' "Three Sides To A Triangle," though, has made The Nickel and Penny Labels well worth the wait.

"Chicago’s Richard Pegue was one of the most intriguing figures to come out of the Chicago soul scene in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Raised during the city’s fertile Doo-wop era, Pegue immersed himself in music immediately. He cut his chops as a mobile dj, record store clerk and recording artist before stepping into the booth as one of Chicago’s most enduring radio personalities to grace the city’s airwaves. The Nickel and Penny labels featured in this compilation are twin sides of the same eccentric coin, Pegue himself. He was the writer, arranger and producer of some of the most beautiful Chicago soul records in the ’60s and ’70s; too bad they all went out of print weeks after being released." - Numero Group

"Little Ben & The Cheers’ “I’m Gonna Get Even With You” is hummable as hell, but spikes its classic Motown punch with a shot of ego-wounded nastiness, and the vigorous pulse and righteous back and forth singing on South Shore Commission’s “Shadows” are just two of a half-dozen earworms that the song will lodge in your brain." - Dusted

VA - Big Band Present: Italo Funk Experience

Another excellent entry in Nascente's Experience series. Bene!

"Italian Funk Experience features lost soundtrack gems from cult soundtrack composers such as Piero Piccioni & Piero Umiliani, modal-jazz classics from Lee Konitz & Giovanni Tommaso, twisted Italian funk from the likes of Tony Esposito and super-rare pieces from the cult Italian library music label Rotary, many composed by Italian jazz-legend Amedeo Tommasi.

Big Bang is the production name of Simone Serritella, head honcho of the Italo-jazz re-release label Arision, and under his production name Big Bang, a celebrated jazz-dance producer and favourite of Gilles Peterson." - Demon Music Group

VA - Dynamic Grooves: Funk and Groovy Soul From the Vaults of Scepter, Wand, Dynamo and Musicor

Complementing/supplementing Kent's Manhattan Soul comp from earlier this year, the ACE family of reissue labels (this time around, BGP) unearths yet more late-'60s/early-'70s NY soul.

In 1960s New York, both the Scepter/Wand and Musicor/Dynamo groups of labels were at the peak of the independent label scene. They had hit artists from across the musical spectrum, but with a very strong foot in the world of soul. By the late '60s, as that world was starting to be strongly influenced by funk, they were in a position as established players in the industry to sign up recordings from all around the United States. Dynamic Grooves focuses on the labels’ output, providing a snapshot of the scene in which they worked at this time. - Ace Records

VA - This May Be My Last Time Singing: Raw African-American Gospel On 45RPM 1957-1982

Yeti publisher Mike McGonigal's previous gospel compilation curated for Tompkins Square, the mighty triple-disc Fire In My Bones: Raw + Rare + Otherworldly African-American Gospel 1944-2007, wowed us the moment it came into our shop almost exactly two years ago; This May Be My Last Time Singing is of an equally impressive girth, value and calibre.

"Get ready for fiery sanctified soul, heavy Pentecostal jams, drum machine gospel, slow-burning moaners, glorified guitar sermons and righteously ragged a cappella hymns! The music on this compilation was originally released on small label 45s, mostly in the 1960s and '70s. At least one-third of the records were self-released, paid for by a church congregation or the artists themselves. Others were on regional labels (typically run by one single producer) little known today outside of a small circle of collectors. This vibrant music is incredibly honest and almost criminally unknown." - Tompkins Square

DILLARD & CLARK - The Fantastic Expeditions Of Dillard & Clark / GENE CLARK - White Light / GENE CLARK - Roadmaster

Sundazed just reissued three albums Gene Clark released between 1968-1972, including his acclaimed collaboration with Doug Dillard. You can't go wrong with any of them!

"Gene Clark was front and center as tambourine player, singer and principal songwriter for the Byrds, but in early 1966 he flew the coop. A gifted songwriter, expectations ran high for a stellar solo career, but those hopes were dashed when his debut solo album and single both failed to chart. Dropped by Columbia Records the following year, Gene's career remained in limbo until teaming up with banjo player extraordinaire Doug Dillard for The Fantastic Expeditions Of Dillard & Clark."

"Tiring of the Hollywood fast lane by 1969, Gene and new wife Carlie moved up to Mendocino on the Northern California coast. It inspired a body of songs unlike anything Gene had composed before. Their stark simplicity and stripped down arrangements—acoustic guitar, harmonica and voice—evidence a deeper insight into life and an overall optimism rarely found in his previous body of work. The resulting album, White Light, produced by renowned guitarist Jesse Ed Davis, remains one of Gene's most accessible and much-loved recordings among fans and critics."

"By 1972, Clark had settled into a new life far from the adulation that still surrounded someone of his stature as a former member of the Byrds. However, he still owed A&M Records one more album. Gathering together the cream of the L.A. country-rock fraternity—innovative guitarist Clarence White, Chris Ethridge on bass, ex-Byrd and Burrito Brother Michael Clarke on drums, pedal steel guitarist extraordinaire Sneaky Pete, Byron Berline on fiddle and pianist Spooner Oldham—Gene set about recording an album of pure country rock unfettered by any commercial dictates." - Sundazed

VA - Midnight At The Barrelhouse: The Johnny Otis Story, Volume 1 (1945-57)

We can't stop playing this in the shop—with the wide variety of '40s/'50s styles covered (from R&B to jump blues to fuller, big-band arrangements) and such standout tracks as "The Turkey Hop", "Oopy-Doo" and "Hound Dog", customers' ears pretty much always perk up, and we're invariably asked what we've thrown on. A real grabs-you-from-the-get-go crowdpleaser from an orchestral revue that clearly put on one heck of a show.

"Although universally recognized as an important figure in mid-20th century rhythm & blues, Johnny Otis did not make the most consistent records, whether he was the featured artist/singer or involved in more of a production capacity. This first volume of a two-part career overview compiles some of the more significant entries in his discography (a massive one if you count his productions)." - Allmusic

"The spectacular career of Johnny Otis was a microcosm of the entire Los Angeles postwar R&B and subsequent rock ‘n’ roll scene. He wore every hat imaginable during those rollicking years: bandleader, musician (drummer, vibist, and pianist), dynamic singer, prolific songwriter, hitmaking producer, label owner (Dig Records), deejay, and TV host, excelling at all[...] Ace’s 25-song overview of Otis’ dauntingly voluminous early catalog does a splendid job of examining the first dozen years of Johnny’s recording career, its songlist spanning no less than eight labels." - Blues Revue

VAN DYKE PARKS - Arrangements, Vol. 1

A man who started his parallel careers as arranger, producer, lyricist, songwriter and A/V/A&R rep at an astonishingly early age, Van Dyke Parks is a musician's musician thoroughly deserving of canonization by way of this long-awaited, self-released anthology (with more volumes hopefully to come).

"Van Dyke Parks helped Brian Wilson write the songs for SMiLE and recorded a handful of fine and critically acclaimed albums in the 1960s and '70s, but he earned his bread and butter as a producer and arranger, creating striking musical backdrops for other artists. Arrangements, Vol. 1 is a collection compiled by Parks himself that features 15 tracks he arranged; five were released under Parks' moniker, but the rest found him working for the likes of Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt, Arlo Guthrie, and Sal Valentino during his tenure as a staff producer at Warner Bros. Records." - Allmusic

"His solo records, starting with 1968's confounding Harry Nilsson-meets-Charles Ives opus Song Cycle, are subjects of fervent cult adoration but known to few. His arranging work, meanwhile, has put an inimitable stamp on American pop, though the vast majority of music fans have no idea when they are listening to his work. He is the quintessential liner-notes hero, in other words, which makes the overview of Arrangements, Vol. 1, on his own label Bananastan, that much more gratifying." - Pitchfork (Best New Reissue)

THE BEACH BOYS - SMiLE

First recorded in 1966-67, The Beach Boys' SMiLE is regarded as one of the greatest "lost albums" of all time. Different bootleg versions have been floating around for years, and many of the songs were remade for later Beach Boys albums. Heck, Brian Wilson even revisited the album in 2004, recording a brand new version with his band at the time, The Wondermints. However, this is the first time the original, as-complete-as-possible version of SMiLE gets an official release, and it's a doozy. Using Wilson's 2004 sequence as a guide, the album feels pretty dang near complete, with all the pieces falling nicely into place. It's exhilarating to finally hear, and it will surely put a smile on your face. Available as a 2CD, 2LP, or deluxe box set, with tons of extras, alternate versions, outtakes, etc. Dig in!

"If it ultimately sounds like nothing else, it still variously touches on doo-wop, barbershop singing, ragtime, the mock-Polynesian Tiki culture that swept Hollywood in the '50s, pre-rock'n'roll crooning, yodelling, cowboy movies, and 'You Are My Sunshine'." - The Guardian

"It’s easy to lose yourself in the countless studio takes. Little gasps of pure genius here and there. The slow dissolution to it all. The echoes of things to come. It’s a history lesson come to life, and that’s part of the reason the collection here works so well." - Consequence of Sound

VA - MGMT LateNightTales

The latest in LateNightTales' DJ mix series finds MGMT currating a mix of downbeat tracks expertly sequenced to be be the perfect soundtrack to your very own late night tale. Includes an exclusive cover of the Bauhaus song "All We Ever Wanted Was Everything" performed by MGMT.

"With choices from the some-of-these-people-may-be-on-something area of pop history, there’s the likes of The Chills, Television Personalities and Disco Inferno nestling alongside The Velvet Underground’s 'Ocean' and a cut from Felt’s full-on Cocteau Twins phase, Red Indians. Martin Rev and Suicide crop up with the menace-haemorrhaging 'Cheree' and slightly more upbeat 'Sparks', while Julian Cope’s 'Laughing Boy', from his own disowning-pop-era masterpiece Fried, is a welcome selection." - BBC Music

"The Late Night Tales albums usually consist of their fair share of older tracks but this is even more so the case here, with tracks from The Velvet Underground, Suicide, Julian Cope and the Durutti Column amongst others. The mixture of tracks is, however, pretty spectacular. The album opens on Disco Inferno's ghostly and lost sounding 'Can't See Through It' - a track by a band I had not heard before but that perfectly kicks off this floaty, folky mix." - Black Plastic

MGMT Late Night Tales Minimix by LateNightTales

NINO TEMPO & APRIL STEVENS - Hey Baby! Anthology

As far as magical pop music moments go, the story of Nino Tempo and April Stevens' almost-never-was hit "Deep Purple" is a swell one. It’s a classic tale of in-studio goofing off gone right; Nino couldn’t remember the lyrics to the second half of the Tin Pan Alley tune, so sister April gently cooed them to him. The charming improvisation was captured in two poorly rehearsed takes, and a number one hit was born.

The success of Nino Tempo and April Stevens (née Tempo) was indeed not overnight, in spite of the fluke of their massive hit. As children they moved to California to pursue their musical and theatrical dreams, with April cutting a saucy single "Warm Soft Lips" in 1953 (included in this compilation and the reason for the 'Stevens' surname change; gushingly singing about warm, soft lips had the potential to ruin young April’s reputation and any chance of a wholesome career)! Nino dabbled in film but got his true break as a jazz musician turned sought-after session player, becoming a favourite of Atlantic Records head honcho Ahmet Ertegun which led to Nino and his sister signing to Atlantic’s subsidiary label Atco.

This new Ace compilation is a full retrospective of Nino and April’s careers that includes numerous solo efforts by both. Their efforts as a duo initially took inspiration from the success of "Deep Purple" with Nino and April singing sweet sound-alike tunes featuring Nino's signature imperfect harmonica and April's spoken interludes.  A 'don't mess with success' attitude meant that there was a definite emphasis on reinventing 1920s and 30s classics (dig on their organ-anchored and sibling-harmonized take on "Honeysuckle Rose") and love songs of a more recent vintage such as "Hey! Baby." One's enjoyment of the duo's polarizing version of the Paris Sisters' "I Love How You Love Me" (recently heard on the stellar Nuggets: Where the Action Is! box set) depends on how much heavily panned bagpipe one can handle (this writer is planted firmly in the pro-bagpipe camp). As their follow-up singles struggled to find an audience, Nino and April left Atco to land at White Whale records, home of The Turtles.

White Whale gave Nino carte blanche in the studio, leading to 1966’s All Strung Out LP, a gorgeous more-Phil-Spector-than-Spector production that used the Wrecking Crew musicians as well as Gold Star Studios. It yielded two stunningly lush singles, "All Strung Out" and "I Can’t Go On Living Baby Without You’" (the latter song becoming a bit of an obsession for this writer in the weeks since this compilation was released). 

It’s evident in the variety of the material on this compilation that Nino and April had difficulty developing a marketable niche for themselves in the competitive pop landscape, and it’s a definite bummer that they never sustained their initial success, especially considering the easy charm of their early recordings and the killer playing and production on their later work. The sequencing of this compilation is thankfully not chronological, giving each track the opportunity to shine outside of any contextual confines. All in all, it’s one of the year’s most satisfying reissues—let’s give Nino and April their due!

VA - Delta Swamp Rock – Sounds From The South: At The Crossroads Of Rock, Country And Soul

Swamp rock is a distinctively southern white U.S. phenomenon, an overlap of many musical Venn Diagram circles. And though the title of this comp suggests that a Mississippi birth certificate is a prerequisite, that is also not necessary. One of its key exponents, John Fogerty, for all of his southern-isms, was born in Berkeley, California, far from Bayou Country to be sure. Geographical authenticity, however, was less important with swamp rock than sounding southern. After all, when you’re drawing from country, blues, gospel, soul, rock, and Cajun music, chances are you probably absorbed at least some of these sounds while doing a degree in university. No matter, the music produced during the thick of the swamp rock period (roughly 1968 to 1973) is some of the best soul music of the time, eschewing uptown slick and going for the dirt and grit associated with swamps, wetlands and such. 

One of the definitive swamp rock songs, "Polk Salad Annie" by Tony Joe White, was recorded in 1968 and celebrates the southern way of life which may have included eating polk salad (polk being a weed that grows in the swamps of the south). Elvis picked up on the song and spent most of the rest of his career wading through similar musical terrain.

One of the swampiest records ever recorded, Dr. John’s Gris-Gris, is a pure masterwork, and while The Night Tripper does not preside here, his "I Walk On Guilded Splinters" makes an appearance respectfully tackled by Cher. Dan Penn, one of the greatest white songwriters to blur the racial lines of southern music, is here with his mighty "If Love Was Money". Linda Ronstadt pulls one of the best numbers in the set with the outstanding country gospel waltz of "I Won’t Be Hangin’ Round". This wouldn’t be southern rock without the Allmans, Skynyrd, Bobbie Gentry, Leon Russell, and Boz Scaggs. Then, there are surprise turns from Big Star (definitely the most southern-sounding power pop band of the era), Cowboy (never heard of them before, but "Please Be With Me" is beautiful slice of country rock), Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and Link Wray (whose early '70s output fits the genre quite nicely).

It’s a wonderful document of an underappreciated sub-genre of rock, and once again Soul Jazz delivers. Everyone needs a summer soundtrack, and this one would be perfect for your next road trip, fishing trip, or cottage weekend.