Mythical 1981 recording by the Mancunian eleven-piece, supervised by Prince Hammer. Reason was the sound-boy weapon. Compellingly off-kilter and atmospheric.

Sensational Texan guitar blues. Gatemouth comes out of T-Bone Walker. Don Robey started the Peacock label, just to put his records out. Without Clarence there is no Johnny Guitar Watson. Killer, killer, killer.

Loco, lo-fi garage and psych, 1966-7, put together by the people behind the excellent Six Feet Under compilation.

Blissful boogie-down soul by the Fatback Band alumnus, produced by Greg Carmichael and Patrick Adams; originally released in 1978. With the almighty It Ain’t No Big Thing.

Too experimental for their label International Artists, back in 1967.

A recording at the Maison de la Radio in May 1973; broadcast on France Culture later that year, but never released till now. Songs from their various early-seventies albums, but stripped right back, highlighting Fontaine’s inventive and provocative poetry, with only their own accompaniment of guitar, percussion, and accordion.

The former Flair and Leiber and Stoller go-to is a rock ‘n’ roll hero. A charged, witty, extrovert guide to its glory days — from doo wop through blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll… into soul. Terrific stuff.

Hard bop from 1961: a quintet including Marcus ‘Gemini’ Belgrave, Ronnie ‘Doin The Thang’ Mathews, and Gene Hunt, from Horace Silver’s band.