Many people rate this his best solo album, for murder like Pusherman, Freddie’s Dead and Give Me Your Love (and less persuasively because it trespassed most deeply into rock audiences).
‘This heavy script… I could relate with a lot of it… It allowed me to get past the glitter of the drug scene and go to the depth of it — allowing a little bit of the sparkle and the highlights lyrically, but always with a moral to that.’
Superior Rhino reissue, with die-cut sleeve.

Curtis, Curtis Live, Roots, Back To The World, Sweet Exorcist… all in their own slip-cases, with the original artwork… a steal.

The Duke’s response to Billy Strayhorn’s death from cancer in 1967, this album is one of his masterworks.
Featuring Johnny Hodges, in Strayhorn’s sublime arrangement, Blood Count is utterly devastating, every time. Another masterpiece of despair, cut by wistfulness, After All is stone-cold classic Ellingtonia. The solo-piano version of Lotus Blossom — which closed the original LP — is the Duke at his most emotionally frank.
Ineffably beautiful music, to help you through life.

More open-hearted, bitter-sweet, mash-up postcards to the here and now, from young black London. 
Proper Brit Pop.

Three front-rank reggae singers — with extensive credits for such producers as Coxsone Dodd, Augustus Pablo and Glen Brown — whose work at Wackie’s without question includes their very best. Originally two 10s.

A previously unreleased mix of the great man toasting over a one-away Satta excursion, for Lloydie Slim; and a previously unreleased dub.

Top Wayne Shorter; marvellous extras.