Search results: Get Ready!

Review: While lots has been written about the influence of Black American soul and R&B artists on Britain's most successful (white) bands of the 1960s, little focus has previously fallen on the music of black Britons - and others from elsewhere in the Commonwealth who called the UK home - during the same period. Gotta Get A Good Thing, which tells the story of black music in Britain in the "swinging sixties", is therefore long overdue. Musically, it skips through soul, rhythm & blues, ska, rocksteady and more besides, offering up tracks from both well-known names and overlooked artists. Throw in extensive liner notes - including an introductory essay from Fitzroy Facey of the Soul Survivors - and you have a genuinely essential compilation.

Review: Selector, percussionist, producer and all-round legend Snowboy represents his weekly Madame JoJo's showcase in album form. Digging deep across two 12"s, Snowboy treats us to 23 undiluted funk and soul cuts. From well-known (James Brown's "Bring It Up" and Etta James' "Can't Shake It") to lesser-known (The Shirelles' "Boys", Dorothy Berry's "I Say You're Driving Me Crazy"), the whole curation rolls with emphatic consistency and attention to detail. With gems hidden around every corner, even the most ardent of collectors will find many things to love right here.