65569

    Just Above My Head by James Baldwin

    'This is the work of a born storyteller at the height of his powers' Edmund White, Washington Post

    When Arthur Montana, world-renowned 'Emperor of Soul', is found dead in a London pub, his grief-stricken brother looks back over thirty years in the lives of their group of friends: from their childhood spent preaching and singing in Harlem churches, to their struggles with war and poverty, and their encounters with wealth, love and fame.

    Other Releases on

    Punk: The Last WordBy Chris Sullivan and Stephen Colegrave
    'A thoroughly enjoyable compendium of appalling behaviour.' Nick Logan, Editor NME (1973-1978), founder of The Face 'From the shabby stowaways of the...
      • Book (900g)£30.00 £25.00
        Expected 30 NovPreorder
      Freedom Rhythm and Sound EVENTThu 18 Dec 2025
      Gilles Peterson + Stuart Baker (Soul Jazz Records) + Special GuestsAn evening of conversation, music and visuals 7.30-10pm Thu 18 Dec 2025 at The American...
        • EARLY BIRD Live Event E-Ticket£10.00
          In stockAdd to Bag
        Rock Against Racism 1976-1981By Syd Shelton
        Rock Against Racism is a body of photographs that Syd Shelton produced for and about the British Rock Against Racism movement (RAR) of 1976–1981. For...
          Clarks in JamaicaBy Al Fingers, includes photos by Adrian Boot, Dave Hendley, David Corio, Mark Read, Beth Lesser
          Back in stock! Last copies!Superb brand new edition of this excellent deluxe 240 pages hardback, 100s and 100s of photos and text. New edition includes...
            • Book (1.5kg) 9780956777393£40.00 £35.00
              In stockAdd to Bag
            Greensleeves BOOKThe First 100 Covers
            WICKED NEW HARDBACK BOOK! Charts the story of Greensleeves Records —from its beginnings as a mid-1970s West London record shop to its rise as a...
              Soul Jazz Records hoodie (navy)
              Brand new Soul Jazz Records Functional Outer Wear Product #1 Exclusive to Sounds of the Universe Limited edition navy hoodie (large) with design.
                Namba RoyNo Black Sparrows
                'A vivid portrait of Jamaica in the 1930s" Excellent social realist novel. Written by Jamaican Namba Roy in the 1950s in Britain. He died in 1961 and...
                  • Original Book (200g)£15.00
                    Original Pre-Owned Out of Print paperback copy in good condition
                    In stockAdd to Bag
                  Revolutionary Letters
                  By turns a handbook of countercultural living, a manual for street protest, and a feminist broadside against the repressive state apparatus, Revolutionary...
                    Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy presents 'Balearic Breakfast' Volume 4
                    “There are curators, and then there's Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy.” - Resident Advisor The sun has finally come out. It’s the first time something...
                      Wayne GorbeaCogele el Gusto
                        • Original CD£3.99
                          CD disc condition: VG+Case & booklet condition: VG+Original Pre-Owned CD in great condition
                          In stockAdd to Bag
                        Sabroso Guaganco Vol. 10Sabroso Guaganco Vol. 10
                        Latin compilation
                          • Original CD£9.99
                            CD disc condition: VG+Case & booklet condition: VG+Original Pre-Owned CD in great condition
                            In stockAdd to Bag
                          Sabroso Guaganco Vol. 11Sabroso Guaganco Vol. 11
                          Latin compilation
                            • Original CD£9.99
                              CD disc condition: VG+Case & booklet condition: VG+Original Pre-Owned CD in great condition
                              In stockAdd to Bag
                            Sabroso Guaganco Vol. 12Sabroso Guaganco Vol. 12
                            Latin compilation
                              • Original CD£9.99
                                CD disc condition: VG+Case & booklet condition: VG+Original Pre-Owned CD in great condition
                                In stockAdd to Bag
                              The Blood of OthersSimone de Beauvoir
                              Potent and vividly emotional, Simone de Beauvoir’s captivating novel questions freedom and individual responsibility in the face of brutality‘These...
                                • Book (350g) 9780241696453£9.99
                                  In stockAdd to Bag
                                Salsa Y Ache
                                  • Original CD£4.99
                                    CD disc condition: VG+Case & booklet condition: VG+Original Pre-Owned CD in great condition
                                    In stockAdd to Bag
                                  My Grandmother's Hands : Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodiesby Resmaa Menakem
                                  THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'Insightful, thought-provoking and profound. I can't recommend highly enough' Sunny Singh'A revolutionary work of beauty,...
                                    • Book (350g) 9780141996479£10.99
                                      In stockAdd to Bag
                                    Nova Scotia House : A Novel
                                    Nova Scotia House takes us to the heart of a relationship, a community and an era. It is both a love story and a lament; bearing witness to the enduring...
                                      This Woman's Work : Essays on Music
                                      This Woman's Work: Essays on Music is edited by Kim Gordon and Sinead Gleeson and features contributors Anne Enright, Fatima Bhutto, Jenn Pelly, Rachel...
                                        • Book (600g) 9781474621472£20.00
                                          In stockAdd to Bag
                                        DJ Disciple & Henry KronkThe Beat, the Scene, the Sound : A DJ's Journey through the Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of House Music in New York City
                                        A thrilling and tumultuous, behind-the-scenes account of house music in NYC. The Beat, the Scene, the Sound follows DJ Disciple and his behind-the-scenes...
                                          James Kaplan3 Shades of Blue : Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans & The Lost Empire of Cool
                                          1959 saw Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and the other members of Miles's sextet come together to record the bestselling jazz album of all time:...
                                            Nettleblackby Nat Reeve
                                            'To be blunt: I must escape.' 1893. Henry Nettleblack has to act fast or she'll be married off by her elder sister. But leaving the safety of her wealthy...
                                              Friedrich NietzscheAphorisms on Love and Hate
                                              'We must learn to love, learn to be kind, and this from our earliest youth ... Likewise, hatred must be learned and nurtured, if one wishes to become a...
                                                Eros the Bittersweet : An Essayby Anne Carson
                                                Named one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time by the Modern LibraryAnne Carson’s remarkable first book about the paradoxical nature of romantic...
                                                  Japan : A Culinary Travel Diaryby Clemence Leleu
                                                  This gastronomic journey through Japan blends cultural touchpoints and authentic recipes to chronicle the myriad flavors, ingredients, and traditions that...
                                                    • Book (1.6kg) 9783791393001£30.00
                                                      In stockAdd to Bag
                                                    Days at the Morisaki Bookshopby Satoshi Yagisawa
                                                    The beloved Japanese bestseller: a tale of love, family, new beginnings, and the comfort that can be found between the pages of a good book. When twenty-five-year-old...
                                                      • Book (300g) 9781786583239£10.99
                                                        In stockAdd to Bag
                                                      Luke de NoronhaDeporting Black Britons : Portraits of Deportation to Jamaica
                                                      Since the late nineties, the UK has deported thousands of people to Jamaica. Many of these ‘deportees’ left the Caribbean as infants and grew up in...
                                                        Jacqueline CrooksFire Rush
                                                        Yamaye lives for the weekend, when she can go raving with her friends at The Crypt, an underground club on the outskirts of London. Then everything changes....
                                                          We Were There:How Black culture, resistance and community shaped modern Britain
                                                          We Were There is about a Black Britain that for too long has been unknown and unexplored – the one that exists beyond London. **An Esquire and GQ best...
                                                            • Book (700g) 9781847927477£22.00
                                                              In stockAdd to Bag
                                                            Keith Gildart & Stephen CatterallKeeping the Faith : A History of Northern Soul
                                                            In the 1970s, Northern Soul held a pivotal position in British youth culture. Originating in the English North and Midlands in the late-1960s, by the mid-1970s...
                                                              Margo JeffersonNegroland : A Memoir
                                                              'Jefferson's eye for details yields some devastatingly honest and painful insights' The Times'Captivating... Charm is this book's watchword' Colin Grant,...
                                                                Emanuele CocciaPhilosophy of the Home : Domestic Space and Happiness
                                                                A bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom - are these rooms all that make a home? Not at all, argues Emanuele Coccia. The buildings we inhabit are of immense psychological...
                                                                  The Black Power Mixtape : 1967-1975
                                                                  Featuring images recently discovered in the archives of Swedish television, The Black Power Mixtape shows the Black Power movement as never seen before....
                                                                    Karl Marx, Friedrich EngelsThe Communist Manifesto
                                                                    'The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains.'Marx and Engels's revolutionary summons to the working classes - one of the most important and...

                                                                      People also bought

                                                                      New Orleans 1960By William Claxton and Joachim E. BerendtTaschen
                                                                      Amazing photographs of New Orleans musicians and carnival in 1960. Deluxe secondhand hardback book in good condition
                                                                        TrikstaBy Nik Cohn
                                                                        Original secondhand US hardback book w/dustjacket in good condition
                                                                          Mandy's Favourite Louisiana RecipesNatalie V. Scott
                                                                          Cajun style - secondhand out of print paperback cookery book in good condition
                                                                            The WinstonsColor Him FatherSoul Jazz Records
                                                                            What do Tyler the Creator, Mantronix, Stetsasonic, DJ Shadow, Eric B and Rakim, Brand Nubian, Jay-Z and N.W.A. have in common? What do UK Apachi and...
                                                                            • The Winstons – Color Him Father
                                                                            • The Winstons – I've Gotta Be Me
                                                                            • The Winstons – The Chokin' Kind
                                                                            • The Winstons – The Greatest Love
                                                                            • The Winstons – A Handful Of Friends
                                                                            • The Winstons – Everyday People
                                                                            • The Winstons – Love Of The Common People
                                                                            • The Winstons – Wheel Of Fortune
                                                                            • The Winstons – The Days Of Sand And Shovels
                                                                            • The Winstons – Birds Of A Feather
                                                                            • The Winstons – Only The Strong Survive
                                                                            • The Winstons – Traces
                                                                            • The Winstons – Amen, Brother
                                                                            • The Winstons – Say Goodbye To Daddy
                                                                            • The Winstons – Mama's Song
                                                                            • The Winstons – Amen, Brother (Extended Mix)
                                                                            Bourbon Street Black (1973)The New Orleans Black JazzmanOxford University Press (1973)
                                                                            Description: "New Orleans, "Mecca" of the Jazz world, has always pulsated with musical life. At the heart of this life is Bourbon Street Black - a nearly...
                                                                              • Original Book (400g)£20.00
                                                                                Secondhand ex-library hardback book w/stamps, small tear on side d/jacket
                                                                                In stockAdd to Bag
                                                                              Life Between IslandsSoul Jazz Records
                                                                              Soul Jazz Records new ‘Life Between Islands’ collection is released in conjuction with Tate Britain’s exhibition of the same name. This landmark...
                                                                              • Black Slate – Sticks Man
                                                                              • Dee Sharp – Rising To The Top
                                                                              • Asher Senator – One Bible
                                                                              • Cymande – Fug
                                                                              • Digital Mystikz – Misty Winter
                                                                              • Winston Curtis – Be Thankful For What You've Got
                                                                              • Trevor Hartley – It Must Be Love
                                                                              • Shut Up and Dance featuring The Ragga Twins – Java Bass
                                                                              • Brown Sugar – Black Pride
                                                                              • The Terrorist – RK1
                                                                              • Black Harmony – Don't Let It Go To Your Head
                                                                              • Pebbles – Positive Vibrations
                                                                              • The Ragga Twins – Ragga Trip
                                                                              • Janet Kay and Alton Ellis – Still In Love
                                                                              • Funk Masters – Love Money
                                                                              • Cosmic Idren – Compelled
                                                                              • Harry Beckett – No Time For Hello
                                                                              • Sandra Reid – Ooh Boy
                                                                              • Tabby Cat Kelly – Don't Call Us Immigrants
                                                                              • Brown Sugar – I'm In Love With A Dreadlocks
                                                                              James BaldwinArtist on FireLaurel
                                                                              The author, a longtime Baldwin friend, uses personal memories and interviews with more than a hundred friends and associates, to offer a detailed profile...
                                                                                Studio One LoversSoul Jazz Records
                                                                                Lovingly compiled, this album features only the finest Lovers from Jamaica’s finest label. From Blues parties in London, Birmingham, Bristol etc Lovers...
                                                                                • Delroy Wilson – I Don't Know Why
                                                                                • Basil Daley – Hold Me Baby
                                                                                • Myrna Hague – Touch Me Baby
                                                                                • John Holt & The Paragons – Darling, I Need Your Loving
                                                                                • The Sharks – How Could I Live (1st Cut)
                                                                                • The Mad Lads – Ten To One
                                                                                • Jackie Mittoo – Reggae Magic (2nd Cut)
                                                                                • Larry & Alvin – Your Love
                                                                                • Freddy & Jenny – Too Long Will Be Too Late
                                                                                • Alton Ellis – Let Him Try
                                                                                • Albert Tomlinson – Don't Wait For Me
                                                                                • Horace Andy – Got To Be Sure
                                                                                • Carlton & His Shoes – Never Give Your Heart Away
                                                                                • The Heptones – Ready To Learn
                                                                                • Bob & Marcia – Really Together (No Strings)
                                                                                • Ernest Wilson – Undying Love
                                                                                • Bob Marley & The Wailers – I'm Still Waiting (1st Cut)
                                                                                • Doreen Schaeffer – We're All Alone
                                                                                The Stevie Wonder Scrapbookby James Haskins with Kathleen BensonCassell
                                                                                Great 1979 book about Stevie Wonder's life with loads (100s) of stunning black and white photos and text. Great!
                                                                                  Soul of a Nation 2Soul Jazz Records
                                                                                  Soul Jazz Records’ new release ‘Soul of A Nation: Jazz is the Teacher, Funk is the Preacher’ is a powerful new collection of radical jazz, street...
                                                                                  • The Art Ensemble Of Chicago – Theme De Yoyo
                                                                                  • The Har-You Percussion Group – Welcome To The Party
                                                                                  • The Pharaohs – Damballa
                                                                                  • Baby Huey – Hard Times
                                                                                  • James Mason – Sweet Power, Your Embrace
                                                                                  • Byron Morris and Unity – Kitty Bey
                                                                                  • Funkadelic – Nappy Dugout
                                                                                  • Rashied Ali & Frank Lowe – Exchange Part 2 (II)
                                                                                  • Gary Bartz NTU Troop – Celestial Blues
                                                                                  • Oneness Of Juju – Space Jungle Funk
                                                                                  • Sarah Webster Fabio – Work It Out
                                                                                  • Tribe (Wendell Harrison and Phillip Ranelin) – Beneficent
                                                                                  • Gil Scott-Heron – Whitey On The Moon
                                                                                  • Don Cherry – Brown Rice
                                                                                  • 1. The Art Ensemble Of Chicago – Theme De Yoyo
                                                                                  • 2. The Har-You Percussion Group – Welcome To The Party
                                                                                  • 3. The Pharaohs – Damballa
                                                                                  • View full info and tracklisting
                                                                                  Junior ReidOriginal Foreign MindBlack Roots
                                                                                  Junior Reid's outstanding debut album from 1985 with killer production from Sugar Minott, pushing rhythm & sound effects to the max. Includes the classic...
                                                                                  • – Love Mama
                                                                                  • – Hunts Bay
                                                                                  • – Sensie A Medicine
                                                                                  • – Rub A Dubbing
                                                                                  • – Original Foreign Mind
                                                                                  • – Original Foreign Mind Dub 12" Mix
                                                                                  • – If You Would Be Mine
                                                                                  • – What Do You Know
                                                                                  • – Black Man Seed
                                                                                  • – Cool Breeze Blowing
                                                                                  • – Junior Nature
                                                                                  • – Junior Nature dub 12" mix
                                                                                  Kellee PattersonKelleeModulor / Octave Lab
                                                                                  Reissue of Kellee Patterson's 'Kellee' album, recorded in 1976. Her the second album after her debut album 'Maiden Voyage' was released on Black Jazz Records....
                                                                                  • – I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More, Baby
                                                                                  • – What You Don't Know
                                                                                  • – Mister Magic
                                                                                  • – You Are So Beautiful
                                                                                  • – I Love Music
                                                                                  • – Stop, Look & Listen To Your Heart
                                                                                  • – Jolene
                                                                                  • – Time To Space
                                                                                  • – Once Not Long Ago
                                                                                  The Dirty Dozen Brass BandJelly (The Dirty Dozen Brass Band Plays Jelly Roll Morton)Columbia
                                                                                  New Orleans brass does the Jelly RollGreat Original still-sealed cassette tape !!!
                                                                                    • Cassette Tape COLUM53214£10.00
                                                                                      Original unplayed out-of-print sealed cassette
                                                                                      In stockAdd to Bag
                                                                                    Mr. MagicMr. Magic's Rap Attack Volume 2Profile Records
                                                                                    Old school hip-hopGreat Original still-sealed cassette tape !!!
                                                                                      Mr. MagicMr. Magic's Rap Attack Volume 3Profile Records
                                                                                      Booming hip-hop tapeGreat Original still-sealed cassette tape !!!
                                                                                        Classic Jamaican CookingBy Caroline SullivanSerif
                                                                                        Believe us, Studio One sounds better if you're eating Ackee & Saltfish. Find out how, right now, right here.
                                                                                          Portraits Of Who We AreThe David C. Driskell CentreThe University of Maryland
                                                                                          This catalogue is published in conjunction with the exhibition of the same title, organised by the The David C. Driskell Centre for the study of the Visual...
                                                                                            Marie, Voodoo Queenby Margot ArnoldMayflower
                                                                                            Novel based on the story of Marie Levaux, famous New Orleans Voodoo queen. Secondhand UK paperback in good condition