Mainstream

Mainstream is the third and final studio album released by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions. It was produced by Ian Stanley and released by Capitol Records in the US and Polydor in the UK on 26 October 1987. It contained the hits "From the Hip", "My Bag", and "Jennifer She Said". Although the album reached number nine in the UK, it failed to chart in America and was not embraced by all critics.

Curtis Fuller - Smokin' (1972) {2017 Japan Mainstream Records Master Collection Series CDSOL-45270}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 274 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 98 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 270 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1972, 2017 Time / Mainstream Records / Solid Records Japan | CDSOL-45270
Jazz / Hard Bop / Groove / Trombone

Curtis Fuller is definitely smoking here – finding a way to fit his soulful trombone style to a sweet electric groove for the 70s – all at a level that makes the album one of his best from the decade! The drums are great – handled by Billy Higgins throughout, in a way that can be stone funky at some points, and nicely fluid at others – which Fuller matches with a combo that includes Cedar Walton on acoustic and electric piano, Bill Hardman on trumpet, Jimmy Heath on tenor and soprano, Earl Dunbar on guitar, and Mickey Bass on drums! The whole set is a wonderful step sideways for most players – a great way to reinvent their soulful styles of the 60s, but without going for any modes that are slick and commercial.

Curtis Fuller - Crankin' (1971) {2017 Japan Mainstream Records Master Collection Series CDSOL-45215}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 252 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 92 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 270 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1971, 2017 Time / Mainstream Records / Solid Records Japan | CDSOL-45215
Jazz / Hard Bop / Groove / Underground Soul Jazz / Trombone

The title certainly gets it right – as the set's one of the best (and one of the few) albums that trombonist Curtis Fuller cut in the 70s – a searingly sharp session that really shows a change from some of his Blue Note modes of the 60s! There's a current of righteous energy that moves through the set – and which maybe ties the sound more strongly to the sort of underground soul jazz work being recorded by the Black Jazz label of the period, or maybe like some of the hipper currents over at Prestige – such as Joe Henderson's albums. George Cables plays electric piano on the record – which already sets it apart from Fuller's earlier material – and the tracks are long, loose, and open – and graced with strong solo work from Bill Hardman on trumpet, Ray Moros on tenor, and Bill Washer on guitar. Yet perhaps strongest of all in shaping the record is the work of the rhythm duo Stanley Clarke on bass and Lenny White on drums – both working together here at an early point in their careers, but already hinting at the greatness to come. A very different album for Curtis Fuller.

Paul Jeffrey - Watershed (1971) {2017 Japan Mainstream Records Master Collection Series CDSOL-45227}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 266 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 102 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 14 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1971, 2017 Time / Mainstream Records / Solid Records Japan | CDSOL-45227
Jazz / Bop / Contemporary Jazz / Post Bop / Saxophone

An unusual sort of setting for tenor saxophonist Paul Jeffrey – an overlooked player from the east coast scene of the early 70s, and one who only cut a handful of records at the time! The date features Jack Wilkins on guitar, playing with these bright chromatic hues next to Jeffrey's sharper horn – a pairing that makes for an unusual sound, despite a familiar quartet setting – one that's even different from other matches of this nature, such as the work between Sonny Rollins and Jim Hall! Jeffrey's clearly got some bop roots here, but also opens up in other directions too – and the group features Thelonious Monk Jr on drums and Richard Davis on bass.

Harold Land - Choma (Burn) (1971) {Mainstream-Ace Records CDBOPM 026 rel 2014}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 240 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 86 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 44 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1971, 2014 Mainstream Records / Boplicity / Ace Records | CDBOPM 026
Jazz / Post Bop / Groove / Saxophone / Vibes

One of the hippest albums ever from the team of Harold Land and Bobby Hutcherson – and a set that's even more open than some of their other records on Blue Note or Chess! This set's a bit more electric than some of the other records from the pair – with these drawn-out Fender Rhodes lines from Bill Henderson – who comps and vamps with modal energy that really draws out some searing, searching solos from Land's tenor! Bobby's vibes are maybe a bit more restrained, but offer a key element in the overall soundshape of the record – and the rest of the lineup includes Reggie Johnson on bass, Ndugu and Woody Theus on drums, and Harold Land Jr on additional piano.

Jay Berliner - Bananas Are Not Created Equal (1972) {2017 Japan Mainstream Records Master Collection Series CDSOL-45256}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 216 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 86 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 12 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1972, 2017 Time / Mainstream Records / Solid Records Japan | CDSOL-45256
Jazz / Jazz Funk / Soul Jazz / Guitar

A silly title, but a funky little record – one of the only ones we've ever seen from guitarist Jay Berliner, and one of the best cookers from the early 70s Mainstream Records years! The sound here is almost soundtrack funk at points – lots of up-front lines from Berliner on guitar – riffing away over backings that include organ and keyboards from Paul Griffin, congas from Ray Barretto, drums from Jimmy Johnson, and additional rhythm guitar from Cornell Dupree. Wade Marcus arranged, and the sound is tight without being slick – a great sort of Kudu Records-styled groove – and an especially nice setting for Jay's guitar.

Afrique - Soul Makossa (1973) {2017 Japan Mainstream Records Master Collection Series CDSOL-45248}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 245 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 91 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 14 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1973, 2017 Time / Mainstream Records / Solid Records Japan | CDSOL-45248
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Jazz Funk / Afro Jazz

A killer album of Afro Funk – with a very unusual origin! In the wake of Manu Dibango's big hit (and some kind of failure to register the copyright), many many versions of "Soul Makossa" were recorded and released, some good, some bad. This album is a good example of that situation – kind of a quickie project issued by Mainstream Records to cash in on the hit – but it's also an amazing bit of lost funk, and a record that's lasted for years in the hearts of beatheads! The group's a studio combo headed by Richard Fritz – and includes funky drummer Paul Humphrey, organist Charles Kynard, and guitarist David T Walker – all players we can trust to keep things groovy.