Rock — All Formats  

A rare early 70s record from guitarist, singer and songwriter Ray Stinnett – who was the guitar player for Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs at their wooliest and bulliest – and made this long-buried solo record for A&M in '71! Ray was born in Memphis, and after his success with Sam The Sham, he dropped out for a while in San Francisco before heading home to Memphis. A Fire Somewhere was recorded at Fame and Argent, and sure enough, it's got quite a swampy southern groove at times – but there's also some sparer acoustic numbers that carry a post-hippie vibe that he no doubt soaked up in San Francisco. It's hard to believe it's been shelved for such a long time! Includes "Salty Haze", "You Make Me-Feel", "Silky Path", "Wheel Of Time", "Stop", "Long Rivers Flow", "America", "You & I", "Honey Suckle Song", "Liberty High", "Natural High", "Love Is The Answer", "A Fire Somewhere" and "The Rain".

A rare early 70s record from guitarist, singer and songwriter Ray Stinnett – who was the guitar player for Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs at their wooliest and bulliest – and made this long-buried solo record for A&M in '71! Ray was born in Memphis, and after his success with Sam The Sham, he dropped out for a while in San Francisco before heading home to Memphis. A Fire Somewhere was recorded at Fame and Argent, and sure enough, it's got quite a swampy southern groove at times – but there's also some sparer acoustic numbers that carry a post-hippie vibe that he no doubt soaked up in San Francisco. It's hard to believe it's been shelved for such a long time! Includes "Salty Haze", "You Make Me-Feel", "Silky Path", "Wheel Of Time", "Stop", "Long Rivers Flow", "America", "You & I", "Honey Suckle Song", "Liberty High", "Natural High", "Love Is The Answer", "A Fire Somewhere" and "The Rain".

A Brazilian underground classic from the early 70s – mindblowing work that mixes heavy percussion with lots of guitar – in a style that's samba soul one minute, but heavier rock the next! There's a bit of a Jorge Ben influence going on at times – particularly in the way the record uses quickly-strummed acoustic guitar next to the earthy rhythms – but the overall sound is also a bit more fragile at times, and rougher around the edges, especially at its most expressive moments. But that quality only serves to make the album more striking – an instantly captivating set that needs no previous cultural knowledge at all! Really tremendous stuff – the kind of lost treasure that will have you scratching your head, but loving it at the same time! Titles include "Apelo", "Grinfa Louca", "A Mente", "Tramba", "Madalena", "Mensageiro", "Cristina", "Olhar Animal", and "Microfones Metalicos".

A rare non-soundtrack record from Goblin – but done in a style that's equally wonderful as their famous music for horror films! The set really shows the progressive roots from which they sprang – with a sound that's a bit fuller than some of their soundtrack work, and which also has vocals too – sung in Italian, but with a very Peter Gabriel sort of edge to them. Keyboards figure heavy in the mix, and there's also some really nice dark undercurrents too – on titles that include "La Danza", "Mark Il Bagarozzo", "Terra Di Goblin", "Un Ragazzo D'Argento", and "Notte".

A non-soundtrack album from Goblin – but one that's right up there with the spirit of their classic scores for director Dario Argento! The tunes here are a bit longer, and spin out with a great mix of funky rhythms and electric keyboards – Fender Rhodes and clavinet, mixed nicely with tight basslines and fuzzy guitar – really showing the group's earlier rockish roots, but handled with the lean, jazzy style that would make them kings of the Italian soundtrack scene of the 70s. Titles include the long versions of "Aquaman" and "Dr Frankenstein" – which were both used later in Suspiria – and other cuts include "Roller", "Goblin", "Snip Snap", and "Il Risveglio Del Serpente".

Not really a Goblin soundtrack, so much as a soundtrack project by some of the band's members – Claudio Simonetti, Massimo Morante, and Fabio Pignatelli – but still a nice one, with most of the group's classic elements firmly in place! The score's a great counterpart to this very odd Dario Argento film about a novelist turned murderer – and it's filled with lots of spacey keyboards, fuzzy guitars, and the kind of weird atmospheric bits you'd expect from an early 80s horror film! Titles include "Slow Cirkus", "Lesbo", "Flashing", "Tenebre", "Waiting Death", and "Jane Mirror Theme".

Not really a Goblin soundtrack, so much as a soundtrack project by some of the band's members – Claudio Simonetti, Massimo Morante, and Fabio Pignatelli – but still a nice one, with most of the group's classic elements firmly in place! The score's a great counterpart to this very odd Dario Argento film about a novelist turned murderer – and it's filled with lots of spacey keyboards, fuzzy guitars, and the kind of weird atmospheric bits you'd expect from an early 80s horror film! The CD includes a total of 19 chilling tracks, with a number of bonus cuts, a few of them remixes. Titles include "Slow Circus", "Lesbo", "Jane Mirror", "Waiting Death", and "Gemini".

Complicated and folksy work from Quintal De Clorofila – aka Garden Of Chlorophyll – the duo of Negendre and Dimitri Arbo, singing together and working on an assortment of instruments that include acoustic guitars, casio keyboard, bandolim, microharp, soprano sax, flute, and lots of percussion! The style is as unusual as the group's name and presentation – but almost has as many echoes of other South American folk as it does more familiar work from Brazil – and although the record was cut in the early 80s, it's got an incredibly earthy tone, and sounds much more like some lost acid folk set from the late 60s! Titles include "As Alamedas", "Jornada", "Drakkars", "Liverpool", "Jardim Das Delicais", "Balada Da Ausencia", and "O Ultimo Cigano". CD features 2 bonus tracks too!

A bit trippy, a bit groovy – and a very compelling little set from the Brazilian duo of Rubinho & Mauro Assumpcao! At one level, the record's got an earthy feel that matches the cover image of the pair climbing out of a tree without their shirts on – but at another level, there's often echoes of some of the funkier modes coming into Brazilian music at the time – a slight Samba Soul influence that mixes well with the earthy, sometimes personal vocals of the duo. In a way, there's almost a similarity here to early work by Os Novos Baianos – who seem to inhabit a similar space – and like that group, these guys have a sound that's got plenty going on, even if you can't completely understand it! Titles include "Ta Tudo Ai", "Debandada Geral", "A Montanha", "Bloco Da Visao", "Os Olhos", "Sozinho Nao Estou", "Quero Companheira", and "Pe Na Estrada".

Great late 60s work from Ronnie Von – an under-appreciated Brazilian rocker, and one with a sound that sits nicely between the Jovem Guarda generation and some of the headier groups to come in the 70s! There's a nice array of psychedelic influences at play here – strong echoes of British work of the time, but used in much more sophisticated ways than any Jovem Guarda acts – never a simple copycat approach, but also never as arty as some of the Tropicalia recordings of the time either. Ronnie's voice has a depth that allows some nice changes in mood from track to track – lightly lyrical one moment, a bit darker and more tripped-out the next – bringing a sense of variety to the record that almost recalls Caetano Veloso during the time, but a bit more rockish overall. Titles include "Atlantica", "Dindi", "De Como Meu Heroi Flash Gordon", "Foi Bom", "Rose Ann", "Comeci Uma Brincadeira", and "Mares De Areia". CD features 4 bonus tracks – earlier singles that include "Meu Bem", "Paraiso", "O Pequeno Principe", and "Meu Mundo Parou".

Groovy psychedelic rock from Brazil – the self-titled effort from Ronnie Von – a Brazilian television personality and musician who stayed incredibly busy from late 60s through the 70s – but recorded few albums as sublime as this album from 1968! It's really a near-perfect batch of sunshine rock – sung in Portuguese and featuring some of the similar freeform sounds of his Brazilian contemporaries of the time – with groovy western touches in the instrumentation. Ronnie's vocals are backed up by organ washes and piano, buzzing guitars and walloping drums – but the overall feel is quite melodic. A wonderful blend of California sunshine and Brazilian rock grooves! Tracks include "Meu Novo Cantar", "Chega De Tudo", "Espelhos Quebrados", Anarquia", "Esperahca De Cantar", "Contudo, Todavia", "Anarquia", "Mil Novecentos E Alem", "Canto De Despedida" and more – plus 6 bonus tracks!

The second album from O Terco – the guitar-heavy power trio who were one of the hardest things going in Brazil during the early 70s! The album's got a style that's somewhat progressive, but which also still holds onto plenty of late 60s psychedelic elements – qualities both sweet and dark, often compressed into the arrangements with an approach that's a bit like some of the more underground South American rock of the time. Side one of the album features 5 shorter tracks – "Deus", "Voce Al", "Estrada Vazia", "Lagoa Das Lontras", and "Rock Do Elvis" – and the second side features the 19 minute suite"Amanheger Total" – a soaring, building number with lots of changes throughout! CD features 2 bonus tracks – "Tributo Ao Sorriso" and "Adormeceu".

One of the grooviest Mexican groups of the 60s – a combo who mix together beat, garage, and psychedelic sounds with a really wonderful feel – much more like some of the Argentine and Peruvian combos who've been getting more exposure these days! There's definitely an American rock influence going on, but most of the lyrics are in Spanish, which instantly helps differentiate most of the tunes – and the production style has a way of making the familiar organ and guitar lines sound somehow weird and strange – sometimes due to odd echoes and fuzz in the production techniques. The LP features 13 tracks in all with titles that include "Opus 14 Interior 12", "Dime", "Shake", "Confesion", "El Soldado", "Sabia", "No Lo Hagas" and "Substitute".

Heavy fuzz from late 60s Brazil – a Tropicalia-era album, but one with a slightly more mainstream groove – one that mixes elements of regional music with psychedelic elements and bouncy, mod-styled backings! The approach is somewhat like the work going on over at EMI/Odeon during the time – although there's certainly a trippier side to the record as well, thanks to arrangements from Rogerio Duprat, Damiano Cozzela, and Julio Medagalia. There's a fair bit of groovers on the record – although in a somewhat offbeat mode – nestled nicely next to a few headier tunes that help balance out the whole set wonderfully. Titles include "Alegria Alegria", "Quem Sabe", "Que Maravilha", "Fossa Boboca", "Longe Do Tempo", "Pela Rua Da Praia", and "Vou Buscar Voce".