Black Fire: Spiritual Jazz and Black Empowerment Through Music In The 1970s

ON SALE: BLACK FIRE 5LP SET
5 legendary albums of Spiritual Jazz and Deep Funk. Via our web store at Rappcats.

This is the definitive reissue by Now-Again of five classic albums from the Black Fire record label. These 5 records are presented individually and as part of an obi-wrapped set that offers a value priced set of the albums. Limited edition, one time pressing.

Juju’s Live At The East 1973 and Experience Unlimited’s Free Yourself are shipping now. The others are pre-order with ship dates listed below.

Read more about the label: Black Fire – Spiritual Jazz and Black American Empowerment through Music in 1970s

Each album: Lacquered, most directly from master tape, by legendary Los Angeles mastering engineer Bernie Grundman. Packaged in a thick, tip-on sleeve and includes a unique, oversize booklet with extensive notes on each album, the Black Fire collective, and the musical and cultural revolution they created. MORE

Posted in NewsJan. 30, 2020

The J.B.’s “More Mess On My Thing.” The Funk Starts Here!

Here it is, rumored no more: More Mess On My Thing, the demo Bootsy Collins and his band recorded for James Brown in 1969 that won them the title “The J.B.’s” – and changed the course of popular music.

Top photo: The J.B.’s. Front: Frankie Waddy, Catfish Collins, Bootsy Collins. Back: Robert McCullough, Chicken Gunnels, unknown.

Buy Now» The J.B.’s – More Mess On My Thing
Guaranteed in stock via our web store at Rappcats.

This is the companion piece to Now-Again’s first-ever issue of the lost J.B.’s album These Are The J.B.’s. All tracks mixed by Mario Caldato, directly from the original multi-track masters. Overseen by Egon and Universal Music Group’s in-house Brown expert Harry Weinger. MORE

Posted in NewsNov. 22, 2019

Listen – Madlib and Egon with Gilles Peterson on Worldwide FM

In September, Egon joined Madlib to meet with Gilles Peterson in his legendary Brownswood basement studio in London to talk about… well…. music. From LA’s jazz scene from the 1950s until the present day, to Madlib’s favorite Weldon Irvine song, to how one can continue burning the fire of musical discovery throughout one’s life, it’s a free wheeling conversation interspersed with great music.

Listen here: Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide FM with Madlib and Egon, September 2019

Posted in NewsNov. 21, 2019

Revisit – Egon’s Funk Archaeology at RBMA: The Records Atlanta Soul/Funk Legend Richard Marks’ Left Behind

Linked below: Egon’s Funk Archaeology post at Red Bull Music Academy’s website, written five years ago, offering a peek into the process behind the Richard Marks Never Satisfied anthology on Now-Again. Read about the records that this soul and funk great left behind after he passed away, and immerse yourself in the process that we live every day, trying to give unsung heroes their due props while they’re still with us. Richard Marks lost album, Love Is Gone, is the next album in the Now-Again Reserve Edition subscription.

The download this time around: a second cut from the rare Moon Song publishing demo LP referenced in the piece, an unheard soul ballad by an unknown group that we’ll almost certainly never find.

The New Series: Richard Marks’ Records – Egon’s Funk Archaeology at Red Bull Music Academy.
The Old Series: Egon’s Funk Archaeology at NPR.
Download: Unknown Artist: “Any Part I’ll Play”

Posted in PicksNov. 13, 2019

Richard Marks – Love Is Gone: The Lost Sessions: 1969-1977 – LP #16 in Now-Again Reserve

Previously unreleased soul and funk from legendary Atlanta guitarist/singer/songwriter Richard Marks, the companion piece to our Never Satisfied anthology. Shipping mid January 2020.

SUBSCRIBE: NOW-AGAIN RESERVE – there are a limited amount of “Catch Me Up” subscriptions still available to get you the entire run of NOW-AGAIN RESERVE releases.

These songs, found on reels that Marks kept in his home, color Marks’ stylistic development – from his earliest work for the legendary Tuska label in the late ‘60s, through his more mature releases on smaller regional labels into the late ‘70s. MORE

Posted in NewsOct. 24, 2019