Ace Records

26/07/2024

Wow thanks for all the entries folks! This month's winners were:

Fred Shuster
Dennis Dembo
Phil Crean

As ever, if you know them please tag them below so they don't miss this post. 🙏

26/07/2024

It's Ace new release day folks! Like, share or comment to win one of three sets of new releases. The winners will be drawn out of the hat at 5pm today. 🙏

26/07/2024

All things French #1. What better way to get in the spirit for the Paris Olympics can there be than with an expertly curated, scholarly annotated and gorgeously packaged collection of French music? Over the coming days, we’ll share some of our premier collections of Gallic pop to bring a certain je ne sais quoi to your preparations.

We kick off with “C’est Chic! French Girl Singers Of The 1960s”, the inaugural release on our Ace International imprint. This hand-picked compilation of two dozen pop gems from France, epicentre of the yé-yé phenomenon, features some of the country’s biggest female stars of the time – adorable CD cover girl France Gall, Sheila, Françoise Hardy – alongside lesser-known but equally terrific fan favourites such as Jacqueline Taïeb, Arlette Zola, Liz Brady and Christie Laume.

Particular highlights include ‘Les Filles C’est Fait Pour Faire L’amour’ by Charlotte Leslie (a fuzz guitar-propelled version of US soul group the Capitols’ ‘We Got A Thing That’s In The Groove’), ‘Tu La Revois’ (a beautiful cover of Carole King and Gerry Goffin’s ‘He’s In Town’) and recordings of a trio of great songs written by the one and only Serge Gainsbourg, enfant terrible of the yé-yé generation.

For those who prefer their music on a less compact medium, the 12-track 12” LP edition of “C’est Chic” is pressed on 180g blonde vinyl in a heavy-duty gatefold jacket.

25/07/2024

New Jill Swing 1988-94 will be released on CD + 2LP on: 27.09.2024.
(Blue Vinyl exclusive via Rough Trade)

New jill swing was a cheeky response to the very male, late 80s world of new jack swing, and it was the dawn of a golden age for female R&B in the 90s.

The original source of new jack swing - or swingbeat - could be found in key records like Janet Jackson’s “Control”, produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, which mixed hard beats with soul, real R&B with 808s and a tough shuffle. Producer Teddy Riley took these sounds a step further at the end of the 80s, blending them with hip hop because - strange as it now seems - hip hop in the 80s was barely integrated into R&B.

Solo acts like Karyn White (‘The Way You Love Me’) and Jasmine Guy (‘Try Me’) followed in Janet Jackson’s future-perfect footsteps, inspiring a bunch of female groups who followed in the early 90s. The initial ground-breakers were a Motown act called the Good Girls who were set up to be a swingbeat Supremes, with the wonderful ‘Your Sweetness’ in 1989. 1990 saw the emergence of R&B superstars En Vogue whose confidence and style proved that swingbeat wasn’t just a genre for boy bands. Xscape (‘Love On My Mind’) followed in 1991while SWV (‘I’m So Into You’) and Jade (‘Don’t Walk Away’) both had their first UK hits in the spring of 1993. These hits were also pop classicist in their melodies and lyrics, harking back to 60’s girl groups as much as they looked forward to the 21st century.

“New Jill Swing” has been compiled by Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley and is historically significant as the first ever compilation of the genre. New jill swing may have borrowed from hip hop but it was more smartly stylized and consciously retro-modern in its look, whether that was in En Vogue’s Old Hollywood references, the Good Girls’ plaid skirts or Jade’s baseball caps and braids. It would also unwittingly lay down the groundwork for the ultra-modern sounds to come later in the decade from the likes of TLC and Missy Elliot.

It's a classic soundtrack already.

1. I'M SO INTO YOU (RADIO REMIX) - SWV RCA 07863 62501-2 (1993) 4.11
2. THE WAY YOU LOVE ME - KARYN WHITE Warner Bros.927 773 7 (1988) 3.44
3. WHAT I WILL DO TO YOU - EX-GIRLFRIEND “X Marks The Spot” LP Reprise 9 26547-2 (1991) 5.01
4. GIVING YOU THE BENEFIT (7" VERSION) - PEBBLES MCA 1448 4.26 (1990) 4.26
5. DON'T WALK AWAY (POP WALK) - JADE Giant W0160 (1993) 3.38
6. TRY ME (SPECIAL SLAMMIN' REMIX EDIT) - JASMINE GUY Warner Bros. 9 21597-2 (1990) 4.19
7. YOUR SWEETNESS (ALBUM VERSION) – THE GOOD GIRLS “All For Your Love” LP Motown MOT-6278 (1989) 4.02
8. PIECE OF MY HEART - TARA KEMP “Tara Kemp” LP Giant 7599-24408-2 (1991) 4.48
9. SHE'S NOT MY LOVER - JOYCE IRBY “Maximum Thrust” LP Motown MOT-6267 (1989) 4.29
10. LIES (NEW JACK REMIX) - EN VOGUE “Remix To Sing” LP EastWest America 7567-91814-2 (1991) 5.43
11. AIN'T NUTHIN' IN THE WORLD (SINGLE EDIT) - MIKI HOWARD Atlantic 7-88826 (1989) 4.55
12. IN MY NATURE - NUTTIN' NYCE “Down 4 Whateva” LP Jive HIP 160 (1993) 3.38
13. YOU MAKE THE DIFFERENCE - TRACIE SPENCER “Make The Difference” LP Capitol CDP-7-92153-2 (1990) 5.04
14. LOVE ON MY MIND - XSCAPE “Hummin' Comin' At ‘Cha” LP Columbia CK 57107 (1993) 3.48
15. I WANNA GIVE IT TO YOU - SHANICE “21… Ways To Grow” LP Motown 31453-0302-2 (1994) 3.58
16. FULL TERM LOVE - MONIE LOVE “In A Word Or 2” LP Warner Bros. 9 45054-2 (1993) 4.43
17. BETCHA'LL NEVER FIND (RADIO VERSION) - CHANTAY SAVAGE RCA - RDJ 62651-2 (1993) 4.42
18. MY HAPPINESS - KEISHA JACKSON “Keisha” LP Epic 468589 2 (1991) 3.53

Ace is the leading reissue record company in the UK, specialising in rock'n'roll, soul, funk, blues, jazz, R&B, garage rock and punk.

23/07/2024

We just spotted a great Lonnie Liston Smith documentary on youtube, well worth checking out. Astral Travelling back on Vinyl this Friday. 🙏

https://youtube.com/watch?v=biC_dhEiFiY

19/07/2024

Summer selections, compiled by Bob Stanley and Saint Etienne ☀️

17/07/2024

"Keb Darge Presents The Best Of Ace Sixties Garage Punk"

Keb Darge Presents The Best Of Ace Sixties Garage Punk
Release date: 30.08.2024

I was a tad slow on the uptake on this. Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow both told me over 25 years ago that I would like 60s garage. In my head, however I had already conjured up a picture of drug infested hippie nonsense that was obviously going to be far too soft for my manly man’s men’s man’s ears.
Jump to 2012 and I am living in the Philippines doing a lot of DJ’ing in Japan, but not getting the bookings I used to get in Kobe. So, I asked my mate, Kaz Eguchi, “why not?” He informed me that Kobe was northern soul territory now and as I had sold all of my northern soul records I had been relegated to once in a blue moon bookings. Right, I thought, I am going to buy northern, but not the stuff everybody else was playing. I was going to go looking for that nasty white northern style they used to play at Wigan Casino, The 7 Dwarfs, Deadbeats, Seeds, etc.
I then phoned an old US dealer who I was sure would have some. “Hello Barry have you got any of that nasty white northern they used to play at Wigan?” “You mean garage, Keb?” “No, I mean that nasty white northern they used to play at Wigan” “Yes Keb, it’s called garage”. I then politely requested some recommendations. The next week I set about selling all the soul, rockabilly, funk, and everything else I had in order to raise money for this garage stuff, of which I soon found there were thousands. Sadly, as is usually the case, most of the best ones were somewhat pricey.
Though there are a couple of “never before on vinyl” tunes here for serious collectors, this compilation is aimed at those folk who are just getting into it. I have picked a selection of my favourites from the nice cheap and easy to find stuff up to the four figure and bloody hard to find stuff.

SIDE ONE
1. ACTION WOMAN - THE LITTER Scotty 6710 (1967) Kicking off with a Minneapolis pounder that would not have been far out of place amongst those nasty white northern records they used to play at Wigan. Two years after releasing this 45, the band were signed to the Probe branch of ABC Records, so they did better than most garage bands of the day. All in all they released three albums and five 45’s, though one was a re-release of this with a Small Faces cover on the flip.
2. HANG IT OUT TO DRY - BUD & KATHY Downey 136 (1966) Down to LA and a pair that didn’t fair quite as well as the Litter. I only know of this one release by them, and it’s rarity indicates that it didn’t quite sell well when released. Definitely much more in demand now than it was then.
3. COME SEE ME - SANDY EDMONDS Zodiac Z45/1261 (New Zealand) (1966) With two albums, eight 45’s, a modelling career and numerous TV appearances it would be safe to say Sandy Edmonds did alright for a lass originally from Ormskirk, Lancashire. With the Pleazers providing a thunderous backing she takes on this Pretty Things minor hit, and makes it a tad more appealing for the dance floor.
4. SWEET YOUNG THING - THE CHOCOLATE WATCHBAND Uptown 740 (1966) Back to California and a minor success story. Three 45’s and three albums is pretty good going for bands like this in the 60s. This, their first release is, in my correct opinion, their best outing. Later on they would use too many session musicians and lose some of the magic. Argue if you must.
5. THE PEOPLE IN ME - THE MUSIC MACHINE “Turn On” LP OSR LPS 8875 (1966) California again and an even bigger success story as they had a #15 Billboard Hot 100 hit with their first release ‘Talk Talk’. They grew out of the namby pamby folk trio the Raggamuffins when front man, Sean Bonniwell, decided he wanted to do something harder and more cutting edge. Two new members were added along with a menacing all-in-black look and soon they were LA’s coolest of the cool with plenty of gigs and a few television appearances. This track first appeared on their “Turn On” LP.
6. I - THE KNIGHT RIDERS (Virgil Daniels) “San Francisco Roots” LP Vault LP 119 (1968) Still in California, but onto a more familiar story of abject failure. This, their one tune that received a release appeared on a compilation of San Francisco psychedelic tunes two years after the band broke up in 1966. This was probably down to God punishing the band for regularly openly smoking Satan’s spinach in front of numerous impressionable teens.
7. IT'S UP TO YOU - THE SHILLINGS CDWIKD 129 “The Scorpio Records Story” Big Beat CDWIKD 129 (1994) Another California flop story. The group had one release – ‘It Was My Mistake’ – on Fantasy prior to recording this, but judging by the rarity of that 45 today, it would appear that it did not sell very well at all. This track never gained a release until those lovely people at Ace records put it out on a CD in the 90s. This is its first appearance on vinyl. Feel free to thank me.

SIDE TWO
1. GOOD 'N' BAD - THE VENTURIE 5 Venturie 1001 (1967) The first of the Norman Petty studio recordings on here, and one that again seems to have failed miserably based on the scarcity of the single today. This is the only release by this New Mexico groups on their own one-shot label. It’s all very sad really as this sounds great to me.
2. NO SILVER BIRD - THE HOOTERVILLE TROLLEY Lynnette 551 (1968) Staying in Norman Petty’s studios with another 45 that is very scarce today. This was produced by Tommy Bee, the man behind the legendary 1967 Fe-Fi-Four Plus 2’s classic ‘I Wanna Come Back (From The World Of LSD)’. This track was obviously written by some young western colonial who had settled in Great Britain but could not get the hang of the local currency back then and so longed to return home.
3. GREY ZONE - THE FOG “Lost Innocence; Garpax 1960s Lost Punk & Psych” CDWIKD 346 (2020) A group from Bakersfield, California who released absolutely nothing. This tune was recorded in 1968 and remained on the Gary S Paxton Sound Service master tapes until Ace’s Alec Palao exhumed it for the “Lost Innocence” compilation.
4. THEY CAN'T HURT ME - THE LYRICS Era 3153 (1965) It must have been quite disheartening for two of the band members when they were replaced by session men as veteran producer, Don Ralke, did not feel they were good enough. The result however on both sides of this 45 were stunning, so maybe no bad thing for us collectors. After this the Lyrics moved to GNP Crescendo Records to record a couple of more soulful garage type 45’s, one of which, ‘So Glad’, got plays on the northern soul scene. Then there were two more 45’s for Feather records, one of which was a reissue of ‘So What’ – the flip to this – and then they were gone.
5. WHO KNOWS - THE NIGHTCRAWLERS Kapp LP 350 (1967) Across to Florida now with a group who squeezed out one album and five singles during their short existence. ‘Little Black Egg’ from 1965 is their best known track, though at the time it didn’t do that well. This is a track from their eponymous album that, for collectors, would have been a great 45. Sadly, it was not to be.
6. SHE'S GONE - THE TORMENTORS Royal 002 (1967) Back to the West Coast and the Rat Fink club in LA where these boys hung out. Five singles and one album again, though the album was basically all the singles put together. As is normally the case, this, their best 45 by far, turns out to be the hardest to find.
7. TOO LATE TO KISS YOU NOW - THE CORDS “Now Hear This! Garage and Psych From The Norman Petty Vaults” CDWIKD 263 (2007) We finish back at Norman Petty’s vaults. The group released two 45’s that were not very special, however this is, and again did not appear until Alec Palao rescued it from the master tapes.

16/07/2024

Our 2LP Deluxe Edition of the Seeds "Future" presenting the original stereo master plus a second LP of bonus tracks, alternative takes and mixes. 😎 Release date: 30.08.2024

15/07/2024

Happy Birthday Millie Jackson, from your friends at Ace Records 🙏

15/07/2024

https://www.theartsdesk.com/new-music/music-reissues-weekly-atlanta-hotbed-70s-soul

Michael Thevis made his money from po*******hy. In the Seventies, his Atlanta warehouses were stuffed with most of America’s p**n. Nationally, Thevis was the main distributor. Looking for something less edgy to fund with his profits, he turned to the music business and bankrolled the GRC label and...

12/07/2024

"truly earth-shattering" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🙏

11/07/2024

"We've Only Just Begun - The Paul Williams Songbook" Release date: 26.07.2024 👍

Paul Williams started out as an actor in the 60s, struggled to get work, and ended up almost by accident as a songwriter. Lucky us! He became one of the warmest, most successful songwriters America has ever seen, with songs full of generosity, humility and humanity. Right at the start, he wrote ‘Fill Your Heart’ with Biff Rose, covered by David Bowie on “Hunky Dory”, and ‘Someday Man’ for the Monkees. But it was in the 70s that he hit his stride, writing a ton of songs for the Carpenters, including ‘We've Only Just Begun’ and ‘I Won't Last a Day Without You’.

“We’ve Only Just Begun” is the first ever compilation of Paul Williams work as a songwriter, and it casts its net wide to find wonderful recordings of his songs by Scott Walker (‘We Could Be Flying’), Glen Campbell (‘Another Fine Mess’) and Elvis Presley (‘Where Do I Go From Here’). The familiar Carpenters hits are presented in wonderful, less heard renditions by Diana Ross (‘I Won't Last A Day Without You’), Freda Payne (‘Rainy Days And Mondays’) and Petula Clark (‘Let Me Be The One’). Despite being a songwriter he still worked in movies and ended up writing the theme for One On One by Seals & Crofts and ‘What Would They Say’ (recorded by Helen Reddy) from John Travolta's breakthrough movie The Boy In The Bubble. He found perfection with ‘The Rainbow Connection’ sung by Kermit the frog in the first Muppet Movie.

Compiled by Bob Stanley, “We’ve Only Just Begun” is a timely salute to a man hailed as a genius by, among others, Daft Punk. Now in his 80s, Williams is working on a musical of Pan’s Labyrinth with Guillermo Del Toro, hoping for a 2026 opening in London’s West End. He has been chairman of ASCAP for fifteen years now – an institution set up by Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern and other forebears more than a century ago – and is long-recognised as one of America’s greatest living songwriters. He isn’t expecting a call from the Rock’n’roll Hall of Fame any time soon, and it doesn’t bother him a jot. "Being clever isn't really important," he told Disc in 1972. "I'd rather be honest or moving."

10/07/2024

Johnny Lytle - "New and Groovy" Release date: 26.07.2024

Vibes player Johnny Lytle was one of the heroes of the early acid jazz club circuit, with his cut 'Selim' being an anthem of the scene.

The Ohio born player had made his name at Riverside where his 1965 album "The Village Caller" made him a star. When Riverside ceased trading, owner Orrin Keepnews collaborated with Lytle on two albums which came out on the Detroit label Tuba

Ace reissued the first album The Loop last year (HIQLP 115). We are delighted to now put out the second, “New And Groovy”. The line-up features Milt Harris (organ) Wynton Kelly (piano), George Duvivier (bass) “Peppy” Hinnant or Jimmy Cobb (drums) Montego Joe (congas) and Lytle on vibes the band power through a selection of original material like ‘The Snapper’, ‘The Pulpit’ and ‘Screamin’ Loud’. The album also contains Lytle’s radical reworking of Miles Davis' 'Miles' which Lytle retitles 'Selim'. With poor distribution, “New And Groovy” barely made it to the shops back in 1967 and was ignored for twenty years until DJs such as Bob Jones and Gilles Peterson started playing it in the 80s making it a sought-after LP.

The popularity of “New And Groovy” has remained, and this is first time it has been legally reissued on vinyl. Snap one up!

09/07/2024

We're proud to announce a new episode of the Ace podcast with our very own Bob Stanley & Pete Paphides in conversation about Bob’s new library electronica album, Tomorrow’s Fashions. It includes - as an unexpected bonus - Pete singing the themes from Rugby League & the Munch Bunch...

We welcome you to the Ace podcast, lovingly presided over for us by journalist, record collector and broadcaster Pete Paphides. This occasional series will feature interviews with guests from many branches of the extended Ace family, detailing their own careers, the artists that have influenced thei...

08/07/2024

Ace have rolled out the carpet when it comes to the Seeds reissuing the deluxe vinyl edition of their eponymous debut “The Seeds” (HIQLP2 129) as well as “A Web Of Sound” (HIQLP2 135). As well as featuring the original albums in all of their glory both came with an additional LP of out-takes, alternative versions and other gems.

Ace are now delighted to serve up a 2-LP deluxe edition of the Seeds classic third album, “Future”. Originally released in 1967, this edition paints a new picture of this psychedelic epic. The first LP presents the original stereo master of “Future” showcasing tracks such as ‘Out Of The Question’, ‘A Thousand Shadows’ and ‘Travel with Your Mind’, in all their glory.

The second presents bonus tracks, alternative takes and mixes demonstrating that beneath the overdubs, the Seeds classic rock’n’roll sound remained as strong as ever.

Served up in a glorious high gloss, thick card gatefold sleeve “Future” also contains an eight-page lavishly illustrated booklet, with notes by Alec Palao.

The “Seeds” (HIQLP2 129) and “A Web Of Sound” (HIQLP2 135) are still available.

Release date: 30.08.2024.

05/07/2024

Bob Stanley's "Tomorrow's Fashions - Library Electronica 1972-1987" (Also available on CD). 💿

Nothing said new or modern or futuristic quite like a synthesiser in the 70s and 80s. If you were shooting an advert and you wanted your product or your company to appear forward-thinking and ahead of the game, then you would want something electronic, something out of the ordinary. When TV producers and advertising directors started searching for music that sounded like “Tubular Bells” – and then Tomita, and later Jean Michel Jarre – music libraries such De Wolfe, Bruton, Parry and Chappell had to have the tracks readily available.

Compiled by Bob Stanley, “Tomorrow’s Fashions” varies from advertising jingles and TV themes to space exploration and gorgeous, beatless ambience. Though it’s 40-to-50 years old there’s a real freshness to this music. Older jazz players Brian Bennett, John Cameron, Alan Hawkshaw and others seized the chance to operate a synth; younger pups including John Saunders and Monica Beale were simply intrigued by the new technology being wheeled into the studios. There’s a tangible sense of adventure.

“Tomorrow’s Fashions’” brand of electronica anticipated new age and ambient music. It also had both a direct and indirect influence on pop – the early Human League and the future sounds of Warp Records are all over this collection. Electronic library tracks have been sampled by everyone from MF Doom to Kendrick Lamar.

One person’s primitive and experimental is another person’s space-age lullaby. This was music made in the shadows – in Soho’s secretive music library studios – that has now become desirable and influential. The chances are chunks of it will be sampled and used on hit records that have yet to be written. If the musicians’ aim was to soundtrack tomorrow’s fashions, they couldn’t have got it more right.

1. COASTER - Simon Park
2. RIPPLING REEDS - Wozo
3. LEAVING - Sam Spence
4. NORTHERN LIGHTS 1 – John Cameron
5. SPAGHETTI JUNCTION - Peter Reno
6. SPACE WALK - Rubba
7. PROSPECT - Paul Hart
8. TOMORROW'S FASHIONS - Geoff Bastow
9. BLUE MOVIES - Brian Wade
10. VIDEODISC - Trevor Bastow
11. INTERFACE - Astral Sounds
12. STARWAYS - Brian Chatton
13. OPTICS - Unit 9
14. ATOMIC STATION - Wozo
15. FUTURE PROSPECT - Adrian Baker
16. PLANNED PRODUCTION - Warren Bennett
17. FUTURE PERSPECTIVES –
Anthony Hobson aka Tektron
18. WATERFALL - Chameleon
19. TELECOM - James Asher
20. EAGLE - Simon Park aka Soul City Orchestra
21. ASTRAL PLAIN - Alan Hawkshaw
22. DRIFTING IN TIME - Paul Williams
23. EARTH BORN - Brian Bennett
24. SOFT WAVES - Harry Forbes
25. TOPAZ - Astral Sounds
26. ETERNITY - Alan Hawkshaw
27. INFINITY - John Cameron
28. MORNING DEW - Andy Grossart & Paul Williams

04/07/2024

After the success of Keb Darge's 2023 Ace Rockabilly compilation (CHD 1637) the legend returns with another collection of music close to his heart.

On “Keb Darge Presents The Best Of Ace Sixties Garage Punk” the smooth-headed maestro pulls open his curtains to reveal a selection of US garage stompers from the 60s. “Though there are a couple of “never before on vinyl” tunes here for serious collectors, this compilation is aimed at those folk who are just getting into it,” states Keb “I have picked a selection of my favourites from the nice cheap and easy to find stuff up to the four figure and bloody hard to find stuff.” Artists like the Hooterville Trolley, the Litter, the Music Machine, the Venturie 5, the Lyrics and the Nightcrawers reflect back light towards British invasion bands like the Who, the Kinks and the Rolling Stones, home-grown garage flowers and the dark end of the psychedelic street. Laced with fuzzed guitar, enthusiasm, a driving beat and an attitude that was proto-punk this music remains fresh and is already being embraced by a new generation.

With liner notes from Keb and housed in a sleeve by Robin Banks −who also did the artwork for Keb’s Rockabilly compilation − this is an essential purchase.

SIDE ONE

1.ACTION WOMAN - THE LITTER
2. HANG IT OUT TO DRY - BUD & KATHY
3. COME SEE ME - SANDY EDMONDS
4. SWEET YOUNG THING - THE CHOCOLATE WATCHBAND
5. THE PEOPLE IN ME - THE MUSIC MACHINE
6. I - THE KNIGHT RIDERS
7. IT'S UP TO YOU - THE SHILLINGS

SIDE TWO

1.GOOD 'N' BAD - THE VENTURIE
2. NO SILVER BIRD - THE HOOTERVILLE TROLLEY
3. GREY ZONE - THE FOG
4. THEY CAN'T HURT ME - THE LYRICS
5. WHO KNOWS - THE NIGHTCRAWLERS
6. SHE'S GONE - THE TORMENTORS
7. TOO LATE TO KISS YOU NOW - THE CORDS

Release date: 30.08.2024

03/07/2024

"Girls With Guitars Got Eyes On You!" 🤘

02/07/2024

"This Is Goldwax 1964-1968" will be released on CD & 2LP Set: 30.08.2024 ✊

For the latest of the This Is series’ label spotlights – following our acclaimed looks at Flying Dutchman and Fame – we focus on Goldwax as it celebrates its 60th birthday, and feature the cream of the recordings made during its short existence. This throws the spotlight not only on James Carr, but vital label mate Spencer Wiggins and also the beautiful harmonies of the Ovations. These three acts were the mainstays of Goldwax, and alongside the song writing talents of George Jackson and Dan Greer, show why the label’s influence is still important today.

There are gems strewn throughout the catalogue, from the earliest recordings of ‘Why Can’t We Live Together’ hitmaker Timmy Thomas, through rarely-recorded artists such as Philip & the Faithfuls.

This two LP set also demonstrates how strong the Memphis club and studio scene was at the time with recordings of Willie Walker, Percy Millem, Barbara Perry, Gene ‘Bowlegs’ Miller and others who recorded sparsely but were popular live performers.

“This Goldwax” comes in a wide spine sleeve, with fully illustrated and annotated inner sleeves.

A perfect introduction to the label as it enters its seventh decade.

1. THE DARK END OF THE STREET - James Carr
2. UPTIGHT GOOD WOMAN - Spencer Wiggins
3. TO ME IT'S STORMING - George & Greer
4. CALL ON ME - Percy Milem
5. I'M LIVING GOOD –
The Ovations featuring Louis Williams
6. I DON'T WANT TO TAKE A CHANCE - 'Wee' Willie Walker
7. TODDLIN' - Gene 'Bowlegs' Miller
8. FREEDOM TRAIN - James Carr
9. I'M A POOR MAN'S SON - Spencer Wiggins
10. TICKET TO RIDE - 'Wee' Willie Walker
11. WHAT'CHA GONNA DO - Phillip & The Faithfuls
12. SAY YOU NEED IT - Barbara Perry
13. WHEN YOU LOOK IN THE MIRROR - Eddie Jefferson
14. THAT'S HOW STRONG MY LOVE IS - O.V. Wright
15. LOVE ATTACK - George & Greer
16. ONCE IN A WHILE (IS BETTER THAN NEVER AT ALL) –
Spencer Wiggins
17. A MAN NEEDS A WOMAN - James Carr
18. THEY SAY - The Ovations
19. A LUCKY LOSER - 'Wee' Willie Walker
20. ARABIAN JERK - The Merits
21. HAVE SOME BOOGALOO – Timmy Thomas
22. THE WELL'S GONE DRY - Dorothy Williams
23. SPOONFUL - Pl***oy Five
24. I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'VE GOT (BUT IT'S GOT ME) –
Percy Milem
25. A MAN IS A MEAN THING - Barbara Perry
26. WILL I EVER BE FREE - Jeb Stewart
27. SHE'S BETTER THAN YOU - Oboe with The Keys
28. HE CALLED ME BABY - Jeanne Newman

01/07/2024

John Lee Ho**er - Beginnings will be released: 30.08.2024

Celebrating the 75th anniversary of three top 10 R&B singles - “Hobo Blues”, “Hoogie Boogie” and “Crawlin’ King Snake.” This limited edition 4-track EP includes the bonus track, “Hastings Street Boogie,” which is also celebrating its 75th anniversary.

It was sixty years ago, in June 1964, when John Lee Ho**er entered the British singles charts for the first time with “Dimples,” peaking at #23. The track had been cut for the Vee-Jay label in America some eight years prior in Chicago. “Boom Boom,” issued in the UK in 1963, had already caught the ears and feet of the nascent mod movement. Both songs became live staples on the British blues scene, with The Animals covering both on their debut UK LP issued later in 1964.

But in 1952, way before the sharp-suited mods were attracted to John Lee Ho**er’s equally well-cut look and infectious music, the British Vogue label had issued “Hoogie Boogie,” recorded in 1949, on a 78rpm disc. Blues music was for the aficionado back then, and the four tracks on this EP hark back to those earliest recordings by John Lee Ho**er. “Hobo Blues,” “Hoogie Boogie,” and “Crawlin’ King Snake” all went Top 10 in the US R&B chart in 1949.

This is unadorned John Lee Ho**er, getting to the heart of his blues and boogie, just guitar, vocal, and tapping foot, 15 years before his music caught the ears of a wider and enthusiastic British audience. Decades may have passed, but the music remains fresh and vital.

This EP is housed in a beautiful period-era sleeve drawn and designed by Niall McCormack.

28/06/2024

Wow thanks for all the entries folks! This months winners were:

Jo Pop
Darrius Grenier-Fielder
Sally Coombs

As ever tag their names below so they don't miss this post. 🙏

27/06/2024

"a great story - big library composers including Cameron, Hawkshaw, Bennett et al working hard to remain contemporary by introducing electronic sounds into their works."

26/06/2024

Lonnie Liston Smith "Astral Travelling" due out: 26.07.2024 😎

Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, keyboard player Lonnie Liston Smith moved to New York in 1963 playing with the likes of Dakota Staton, Al Hibbler, Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln and Roland Kirk. He made his first recordings with Kirk and in 1968 entered into a mutually rewarding and instructive partnership with Pharoah Sanders and Leon Thomas. In 1971-2 he toured Europe with saxophonist Gato Barbieri appearing on his 1973 albums “Under Fire” and “Bolivia”. His growing reputation was also burnished by playing Fender Rhodes with Miles Davis electric band.

The second of these Barbieri LPs was released on Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman label. Thiele was quick to sign Smith and release Smith’s first album under his own name, “Astral Traveling”. Backed by his Cosmic Echoes band, Smith served up a beautiful spiritual and funky stew on tracks like ‘Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord’, ‘Rejuvenation’, ‘I Mani (Faith)’ and ‘In Search Of Truth’.

Smith went on to record “Expansions” one of the greatest funky jazz albums of all time in 1975 but this debut really paved the way towards that musical milestone.

Ace are delighted to reissue “Astral Traveling” in a gatefold sleeve that like the original pressing with liner notes by legendary jazz critic Nat Hentoff.

25/06/2024

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25/06/2024

"Tomorrow's Fashions - Library Electronica 1972-1987" Out this Friday. 🎛️

Nothing said new or modern or futuristic quite like a synthesiser in the 70s and 80s. If you were shooting an advert and you wanted your product or your company to appear forward-thinking and ahead of the game, then you would want something electronic, something out of the ordinary. When TV producers and advertising directors started searching for music that sounded like “Tubular Bells” – and then Tomita, and later Jean Michel Jarre – music libraries such De Wolfe, Bruton, Parry and Chappell had to have the tracks readily available.

Compiled by Bob Stanley, “Tomorrow’s Fashions” varies from advertising jingles and TV themes to space exploration and gorgeous, beatless ambience. Though it’s 40-to-50 years old there’s a real freshness to this music. Older jazz players Brian Bennett, John Cameron, Alan Hawkshaw and others seized the chance to operate a synth; younger pups including John Saunders and Monica Beale were simply intrigued by the new technology being wheeled into the studios. There’s a tangible sense of adventure.

“Tomorrow’s Fashions’” brand of electronica anticipated new age and ambient music. It also had both a direct and indirect influence on pop – the early Human League and the future sounds of Warp Records are all over this collection. Electronic library tracks have been sampled by everyone from MF Doom to Kendrick Lamar.

One person’s primitive and experimental is another person’s space-age lullaby. This was music made in the shadows – in Soho’s secretive music library studios – that has now become desirable and influential. The chances are chunks of it will be sampled and used on hit records that have yet to be written. If the musicians’ aim was to soundtrack tomorrow’s fashions, they couldn’t have got it more right.

1. COASTER - SIMON PARK LP De Wolfe DWS/LP 3481 (1982) 2.35
2. RIPPLING REEDS - WOZO LP De Wolfe DWS/LP 3412 (1980) 3.04
3. LEAVING - SAM SPENCE LP De Wolfe DW/LP 3247 (1972) 2.17
4. ATOMIC STATION - JOHN SAUNDERS AND MONICA HYDE LP De Wolfe DWS/LP 3412 (1980) 1.38
5. SPAGHETTI JUNCTION - PETER RENO LP De Wolfe DW/LP 3271 (1973) 2.54
6. SPACE WALK - RUBBA LP De Wolfe DWS/LP 3414 (1979) 2.33
7. PROSPECT - PAUL HART LP Bruton Music BRI 14 (1981) 3.10
8. TOMORROW'S FASHIONS - GEOFF BASTOW LP Bruton BRI 21 (1982) 5.14
9. BLUE MOVIES - BRIAN WADE LP Bruton Music BRH 13 (1981) 2.45
10. VIDEODISC - TREVOR BASTOW LP Bruton Music BRH 9 (1979) 2.38
11. INTERFACE - ASTRAL SOUNDS LP De Wolfe DWS/LP 3433 (1980) 1.54
12. STARWAYS - BRIAN CHATTON LP De Wolfe DWS/LP 3443 (1980) 2.11
13. OPTICS - UNIT 9 LP Wolfe DWS/LP 3541 (1984) 3.56
14. NORTHERN LIGHTS 1 - JOHN CAMERON LP Bruton Music BRI 25 (1985) 2.07
15. FUTURE PROSPECT - ADRIAN BAKER LP Bruton Music BRL 12 (1983) 2.12
16. PLANNED PRODUCTION - WARREN BENNETT LP Bruton Music BRL 19 (1971) 4.41
17. FUTURE PERSPECTIVES - ANTHONY HOBSON AKA TEKTRON LP De Wolfe DWS/LP 3566 (1986) 3.17
18. WATERFALL - CHAMELEON LP Sylvester SMCS LP/555 (1979) 2.55
19. TELECOM - JAMES ASHER LP Bruton Music BRL 9 (1981) 3.38
20. EAGLE - SIMON PARK LP De Wolfe DWS/LP 3380 (1978) 1.58
21. ASTRAL PLAIN - ALAN HAWKSHAW LP Bruton Music BRI 6 (1966) 4.01
22. DRIFTING IN TIME - PAUL WILLIAMS LP Parry Music PML 168 (1987) 1.23
23. EARTH BORN - BRIAN BENNETT LP Bruton Music BRD 19 (1982) 3.28
24. SOFT WAVES - HARRY FORBES LP Parry Music PML 164 (1987) 1.12
25. TOPAZ - ASTRAL SOUNDS LP De Wolfe DWS/LP 3433 (1980) 1.54
26. ETERNITY - ALAN HAWKSHAW LP Bruton Music BRI 6 (1979) 4.16
27. INFINITY - JOHN CAMERON LP Bruton Music BRI 25 (1985) 2.05
28. MORNING DEW - ANDY GROSSART & PAUL WILLIAMS CD Chappell CHAP AV 017 CD (1986) 1.59

Stereo