British progressive rock band Jody Grind issued two obscure albums combining hard rock, jazz, blues, and classical influences with lineups emphasizing Hammond organ, guitar, and drums. Prone to long instrumental riffing and rather ponderous, stern original material, they were similar to other very early organ-oriented U.K. progressive rock acts. Jody Grind's debut album was early progressive rock with a somewhat jazzier orientation than most such bands, though the playing was a good sight more impressive than the singing and songwriting. There's a fairly grim tone to the original material, all (save a cover of the Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black") written by Tim Hinkley and Ivan Zagni, who wrench extended heavy blues and jazzy solos out of their organ and guitar, respectively.

Two classic easy-listening albums by Paul Mauriat and His Orchestra, originally released in 1967 and 1968 on the Philips label, together on one CD and remastered from the original analogue stereo tapes for Vocalion's trademark crystal-clear sound. French composer/conductor Paul Mauriat is a classically trained musician who decided to pursue a career in popular music. His first major success came in 1962, as a co-writer of the European hit "Chariot." In 1963, the song was given English lyrics, renamed "I Will Follow Him," and became a number one American hit for Little Peggy March. Mauriat is best remembered for his 1968 worldwide smash "Love Is Blue."

5 Classic Albums is a essential 5-CD box set collection highlighting the formative Golden Era of Motown icons The Temptations, released in 2017 via Spectrum Music. Bringing together five complete remastered albums in mini-LP sleeves, the set tracks the group's meteoric rise from 1965 to 1968. Included are their defining early masterworks produced by Smokey Robinson—The Temptations Sing Smokey (featuring My Girl and The Way You Do The Things You Do) and The Temptin' Temptations (Since I Lost My Baby, My Baby)—alongside Norman Whitfield's takeover on Gettin' Ready (Ain't Too Proud to Beg, Get Ready) and With A Lot O' Soul ((I Know) I'm Losing You, You're My Everything). The package is rounded out by their smash 1968 joint effort with Diana Ross & The Supremes, capturing the quintessential Classic Five lineup at the absolute peak of their vocal power.

Emperors of Soul is a comprehensive 5-CD box set anthology celebrating the extraordinary legacy of Motown legends The Temptations. Compiling 109 tracks across more than six hours, the set traces the quintet's career from their pre-Motown beginnings as The Distants and The Pirates through their '60s Smokey Robinson-produced pop/R&B chart-toppers (My Girl, Ain't Too Proud to Beg, Get Ready), Norman Whitfield's groundbreaking psychedelic-soul era (Cloud Nine, Ball of Confusion, Papa Was a Rollin' Stone), and into their '70s and '80s funk, quiet storm, and disco evolution. Featuring pristine remastering, rare alternate mixes, and previously unreleased studio gems, Emperors of Soul stands as the definitive retrospective of one of vocal music's most influential groups.

Collections is a concise and essential 2005 retrospective budget compilation honoring "The Polish Prince" of traditional pop, Bobby Vinton, released by Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Gathering ten of Vinton's defining hits and signature romantic ballads from his peak chart years in the 1960s and 1970s, this collection highlights his lush orchestration, smooth crooning style, and knack for memorable hooks. The set features timeless Billboard #1 chart-toppers like Blue Velvet, Roses Are Red (My Love), Mr. Lonely, and There! I've Said It Again, alongside classic renditions of pop standards like Blue Moon, Sealed With a Kiss, and his later 1974 comeback hit My Melody of Love.

Originally recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's Englewood Cliffs studio in September 1967 and reissued on CD in 1997, 'Bout Soul is one of alto saxophonist Jackie McLean's most explicit and uncompromising journeys into free jazz. Moving far beyond traditional hard bop, McLean leads an exceptional ensemble featuring trumpeter Woody Shaw, pianist LaMont Johnson, bassist Scott Holt, and drummer Rashied Ali, with guest appearances by trombonist Grachan Moncur III and poet Barbara Simmons. The provocative title track opens with Simmons' spoken-word recitation exploring the philosophy of "soul", setting the stage for an album filled with fiery collective improvisation, intricate modal themes, and avant-garde urgency across compositions like Conversion Point and Big Ben's Voice.

Juba-Lee is a landmark, highly sought-after 1967 free jazz session by avant-garde alto saxophonist Marion Brown, presented here in its Japanese CD issue on Fontana Records. Recorded in New York City in November 1966—just a month before Brown's acclaimed Impulse! debut Three for Shepp—the album captures an extraordinary septet featuring trombonist Grachan Moncur III, trumpeter Alan Shorter, tenor saxophonist Bennie Maupin, pianist Dave Burrell, bassist Reggie Johnson, and drummer Beaver Harris. Notable as the only recorded collaboration between visionary brass icons Moncur III and Shorter, the set moves from intense collective improvisations like 512E12 to deep, brooding modal spaces on Shorter's Iditus and the spirited, blues-inflected title track. A essential historical masterpiece of 1960s avant-garde jazz.

Amidst their pop/rock, blues, and folk-rock, Manfred Mann peppered their early recordings with jazzy instrumentals that faintly suggested a jazz-rock direction. Soul of Mann, never issued in the U.S., is a compilation of most of these early instrumental efforts, which originally appeared on various singles, EPs, and LPs between 1963 and 1966 (though one song, "L.S.D.," and is actually a blues-rocker with a Paul Jones vocal). Instrumentals were not the band's forte, but this collection is more interesting than you might think. No one would put Manfred Mann on the level of a jazz artist like Oscar Peterson, but these cuts are executed with a surprising amount of style and wit.

Justafixation - Flower Powered Trippers From The British Psychedelic Subculture is a definitive 76-track deluxe 3CD box set released in 2019 by Particles. Originally compiled in the early 1990s as three hyper-rare, limited-edition vinyl LPs (Justafixation, Justavibration, and Justafication), this lovingly restored collection unearths the deep, lysergic underbelly of the late-1960s British underground scene (1966–1970). Packed into a 36-page full-color booklet with extensive liner notes and rare archival photos, this anthology collects obscure freakbeat, trippy psych-pop singles, and forgotten UK garage gems. Featuring rare tracks and studio obscurities by Shawn Phillips, The Koobas, Alex Harvey, Boeing Duveen, Herbal Mixture, Sharon Tandy, The Mindbenders, and Kippington Lodge, this box set is an unmissable treasury for lovers of classic British psychedelia.

Westbound Detroit Northern Soul is an essential 26-track compilation released in 2010 by Kent Dance, documenting the rich, dancefloor-oriented output of Armen Boladian's legendary Westbound and Eastbound record labels. Compiled and researched with deep archive digging, the set highlights the Motor City's vibrant post-Motown soul scene during the late 1960s and 1970s. Alongside floor-fillers and hits by Detroit heavyweights like Denise LaSalle, The Fantastic Four, The Detroit Emeralds, and Funkadelic (delivering a rare, stomping cover of "Can't Shake It Loose"), the compilation shines a bright light on mega-rare, previously unreleased, and master-tape discoveries. Highlights include previously unissued gems from Joe Matthews, Eddie Hill, and Damon Shawn, as well as an unreleased duet between Abe Tilmon and Denise LaSalle ("Ain't That Lovin'"). Packed with uptempo stompers and lush mid-tempo classics, this set is a treasure trove for Northern Soul aficionados and Motor City music collectors alike.

All of My Memories: The John Denver Collection is a landmark, career-spanning four-disc box set released in 2014 by RCA/Legacy. Comprising 90 tracks across over five hours of music, this expansive anthology is the most comprehensive chronicle of Denver's iconic career ever assembled. Reaching beyond standard hits, the set charts his complete artistic arc—from early mid-1960s folk recordings with the Mitchell Trio and Denver, Boise & Johnson through his 1970s chart-topping superstardom and into his final recordings before his tragic death in 1997. Alongside immortal classics like Take Me Home, Country Roads, Rocky Mountain High, Annie's Song, and Calypso, the collection features rare alternate takes, high-profile collaborations (with Olivia Newton-John, Emmylou Harris, Plácido Domingo, and the Muppets), and six previously unreleased archival tracks. Beautifully restored, it stands as the definitive portrait of one of American popular music's most earnest and enduring singer-songwriters.

Bitches Brew Live is an incendiary live release issued by Columbia/Legacy in 2011 to celebrate the forty-fifth anniversary of the landmark Bitches Brew sessions. Capturing trumpet icon Miles Davis at the exact apex of his electric transformation, the collection juxtaposes two pivotal live performances: a three-track set from the Newport Jazz Festival on July 5, 1969—recorded nine days before entering the studio to record the Bitches Brew album—and six fiery selections from the Isle of Wight Festival on August 29, 1970, performed before an audience of 600,000 people. Featuring a stellar lineup of fusion pioneers, including Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Dave Holland, Gary Bartz, Airto Moreira, and Jack DeJohnette, the album captures Davis plugged in and unleashing volatile, funk-infused improvisation. From early embryonic renditions of Miles Runs The Voodoo Down to the thunderous live execution of Spanish Key and the title track, Bitches Brew Live offers a high-voltage, historic view into one of the most revolutionary periods in modern music.

To Our Children's Children's Children is the fifth album by the Moody Blues, released in November 1969. The album was the first released on the group's newly formed Threshold record label, which was named after the band's previous album from the same year, On the Threshold of a Dream. It was inspired by the 1969 Moon landing. Drummer Graeme Edge remembers, "It was a very exciting time. Man had just gone to the moon and we thought of the album as a sort of time capsule - all our thoughts and feelings about living in such an epoch-making era." Keyboardist Mike Pinder adds, "To me, we were creating a rocket for every person who wants to go to the moon but couldn't, and would get to do so with the earphones on or the stereo turned up, lying on their backs on the carpet." The album was one of those listened to, on cassette tape, by the crew of Apollo 15 in 1971.

Pretty Flamingo marked the end of an era for Manfred Mann, though few American listeners, relatively oblivious to the affairs of this most underrated of all major British Invasion bands, knew it – Paul Jones was to leave soon after, as would Mike Vickers, a pair of events that would radically alter the group's sound and cause them to be abandoned by their label, EMI. But if it was a swansong for the original band, what a way to go, showing off just how subversive this band's American albums, in particular, were. As was the custom here (as opposed to England), the producers put the group's current pop hit single on the LP as a lure to boost sales, but as with their other releases, the rest of the album is loaded up with hard R&B, soul, and blues, and delivered all of the music that white middle-class parents were scared to death their kids would hear.