Lee Oskar 'Haunted House'

Lee Oskar 'Haunted House'

Famed for his prominent role alongside Eric Burdon in the line-up of funk rock fusion group WAR, Danish born harpist Lee Oskar went on to make three solo albums and also manufacture high-quality harmonicas. This track is off his 1978 LP 'Before The Rain', which is a hit and miss affair but also contains a languid jam called 'Steppin' with a bag-piped intro thats worth checking out.

Traffic 'Empty Pages'

Traffic 'Empty Pages'

J.J. Cale 'Ride Me High' (Mischief Brew edit)

J.J. Cale 'Ride Me High' (Mischief Brew edit)

King of the chillers J.J. Cale had a style so laid back its hard to imagine him changing out of his Wranglers and doing anything other than riffing away on a chaise-long made of cow skins. 'High Ride' - a live favourite and album highlight [sorry] off 'Troubadour' from 1976,  is here given a dancefloor-friendly re-rub by Mischief Brew for your boot-stomping pleasure. "How high can you go?"

Studio 'West Coast'

Studio 'West Coast'

Quality business from Studio - a Swedish outfit who released 'West Coast' in 2006 to almost unanimous critical acclaim. Coming on like some long lost Madchester band way ahead of their time, the album draws on a wide array of styles from balearic beats, to psychedelia, pop and dub, whilst maintaining a unique and coherent set of production values throughout its duration. If the Happy Mondays had holidayed in Scandinavia, had more hot tubs and taken less drugs, they may have sounded more like this.

Charlie Musselwhite 'Christo Redemptor'

Charlie Musselwhite 'Christo Redemptor'

More harmonica action for the January slump, this time from Delta born harp-master Charlie Musselwhite. A slow riverboat journey headed South, meandering yet uncomplicated in its route despite the jazzy inflections.  

Creedence Clearwater Revival 'Graveyard Train'

Creedence Clearwater Revival 'Graveyard Train'

Brothers Fogerty et al. come over all doom and gloom on this murky album ender from Bayou Country (1969). This swamp blues gives a chance for John Fogerty's voice to reach its rasping best, with the tempo lowered from the usual CCR repertoir. You get the sense that this train might barrel on indefinitely, tracks leading into the belly of the earth itself.

Headhunters 'If You've Got It, You'll Get It'

Headhunters 'If You've Got It, You'll Get It'

Inhabiting the more palatable reaches of the jazz-funk spectrum (if such a place exists in your life), Headhunters were formed from the band that backed Herbie Hancock on his hit album of the same name. This track is from their first album without Hancock, released in 1975 and also featuring the hit 'God Make Me Funky'. They've been a useful source for many an Akai-wielding, sample hunter in the years since.