Rock — All Formats  

One of 70s rock's finest moments – the second album from Big Star! With Chris Bell out of the picture, one could successfully argue the traits lacking from the first album, but this thing stands up as work of genius all its own – with a raw, shambling immediacy to the songs that cuts incredibly deep. Amazing stuff! Titles include "O My Soul", "Life Is White", "Way Out West", "You Get What You Deserve", "Mod Lang", "She's A Mover", "Morpha Girl", "I'm In Love With A Girl".

Lovely 60s girl pop from Lesley Gore – the sweet, soaring, brightly sunny Magic Colors album – released in full for the first time ever – and with a huge assortment of bonus tracks, too! Magic Colors should have come out on Mercury in 1967, but it wasn't to be. Well, better late than never, right? It's fluffy, but fun – with sweet vocals by Leslie and with arrangements by Bob Crewe, Jack Nitzsche, Gamble & Huff, Thom Bell and others. The album tracks include "It's A Happening World", "Magic Colors", "Brink Of Disaster", "I'm Fallin' Down", "To Sir With Love" and more. Includes a whopping 15 bonus singles: "Summer And Sandy", "Small Talk", "I Can't Make It Without You", "Summer Symphony", "One By One", "Wedding Bell Blues" and more. 25 tracks in all!

A nice bit of psych folk from the UK – Paul Korda's Passing Stranger record from 1971. It's pretty driving set in moments, and quite delicate in others – voiced impressively by Korda, who's also really strong in the songwriting arena! The songs are really inspired, still carrying some of the romance and idealism of the later 60s, and his voice is quite soulful, too! It's co-produced by Vic Smith and features some stellar guests on the sessions, including AWB guitarist Alan Gorrie, plus Chris Spedding, Onnie McIntyre, Madeline Bell and Doris Troy. Includes "Between The Road", "Morning Wakes The Sun", "Dover Ferry", "Ode To The Ministry", "Into Your Station", "Pass Me Winter", "Rubble My Cauldron", "We Are Each Other", "A Passing Stranger", "Mud Mother" and more. 2 bonus tracks: "English Country Garden" and "Seagull" – pulled from rare singles!

Laura Nyro's first album ever – originally issued by Verve/Forecast in the mid 60s, but brought back out on the market by Columbia, during the height of Nyro's early 70s fame for the label! Even at this early point, Nyro sounds wonderful – a fair bit more soulful than most other female pop singers of her time – with a fully-fleshed out approach to the vocals that's mature and sensitive, and almost a bit more confident at times than in later years. Arrangements are by Herb Bernstein, and almost have the same sort of sunny feel as The 5th Dimension in their famous covers of Nyro's tunes – again with more soul than we might have expected for the time. Titles include "Lazy Susan", "Stoney End", "Flim Flam Man", "Buy & Sell", "He's A Runner", "Billy's Blues", and "Wedding Bell Blues".

A record we'd never part with – and easily our favorite album ever from The Who! Quadrophenia represents the group at its peak from all perspectives – songwriting, performance, and even studio presence – as the album's got a sonic sensibility that few other albums of the time can match! The set's a concept record – a story, like Tommy – yet it remains incredibly lean, without any overcluttered rock opera feel – so much so that most tunes stand mightily on their own, but also have a dense sense of texture when taken together as part of the double-length album. And we'll also say that the record's one of the few extended sets we always end up breezing through from start to finish – almost surprised by the time it comes to a close – and often hitting repeat to hear the whole thing over again! Titles include "I Am The Sea", "The Real Me", "Cut My Hair", "The Punk & The Godfather", "Sea & Sand", "5:15", "Bell Boy", "Love Rein O'Er Me", and "Is It In My Head".

A totally groovy batch of mid-to-late 60s London rock– wonderful work by Small Faces, Chris Farlowe, Billyy Nicholls, Australian Playboys, Amen Corner and more – plus loads of period interviews and soundbites from hipsters, movers and shakers of the era! The whole thing has the feel of a soundtrack, of a time and place rather than from a film – with classic tunes and some lesser known gems as well! A groovy throwback to 60s swinging London! Titles include "Itchycoo Park" by Small Faces, "Night Time Girl" by Twice As Much, "Out Of Time" by Chris Farlowe, "Portobello Road" by Billy Nicholls, "I'll Go Alone" by Humble Pie, "Alfred Bell" by Duncan Browne, "If Paradise Is Half As Nice" by Amen Corner" and more – plus bits of dialogue, interviews and statements from Mick Jagger, Andrew Loog Oldham, Allen Ginsberg, Michael Caine and more!

Badass sounds brewed up in the border town of El Paso – amazing guitar-driven gems recorded for a handful of indie labels in the late 50s and early 60s – served up here with wonderfully great sound, and a full set of notes as well! The set's a stunning volume in Norton's deep-digging project on the El Paso scene – and it's really rich with discoveries throughout – loads of rough-edged rockers that lie somewhere in a space between rockabilly and 60s garage – every one a treasure. Titles include "Across The Bay" by Joe Richie, "Lonely Before Dawn" by Night People, "I Love You Baby" by The Ravons, "Cradle Rock" by Rhythm Heirs, "Long Grey Highway" by Frank Thayer & The Lyonals, "Sarah Jane" by Don Orr & The Original Rockets, "Lonely Teardrops" by The Fortunes, "Jungle Bunny" and "Bacardi" by Jerry Bell & The Original Rockets.

Badass sounds brewed up in the border town of El Paso – amazing guitar-driven gems recorded for a handful of indie labels in the late 50s and early 60s – served up here with wonderfully great sound, and a full set of notes as well! The set's a stunning volume in Norton's deep-digging project on the El Paso scene – and it's really rich with discoveries throughout – loads of rough-edged rockers that lie somewhere in a space between rockabilly and 60s garage – every one a treasure. Titles include "Across The Bay" by Joe Richie, "Lonely Before Dawn" by Night People, "I Love You Baby" by The Ravons, "Cradle Rock" by Rhythm Heirs, "Long Grey Highway" by Frank Thayer & The Lyonals, "Sarah Jane" by Don Orr & The Original Rockets, "Lonely Teardrops" by The Fortunes, "Jungle Bunny" and "Bacardi" by Jerry Bell & The Original Rockets.

A great tribute to the songwriting skills of Laura Nyro – presented here in a package that features key covers from some of Nyro's contemporaries, and which also includes a surprising amount of soul music too! Laura's one of those key 60s talents who started writing for others, then got the chance to spread her wings on her own – and while her own recordings have really continued to reach new audiences over the decades, it's great to have a package like this to remind us of Nyro's songwriting roots! The set's mostly heavy on material from the late 60s and early 70s – with a fair bit of female soul tunes in the mix – and it also includes a few more contemporary numbers that come as a nice surprise. Like others in Ace's "songwriter" series, the production and packaging is great – and titles include "Stoney End" by The Blossoms, "Time & Love" by The Supremes, "Wedding Bell Blues" by Bobby Gentry, "Captain St Lucifer" by Melba Moore, "Save The Country" by Thelma Houston, "Lazy Susan" by Liane Carroll, "He's A Runner" by Mama Cass, "Buy & Sell" by Nnena Freelon, "Lonely Women" by Linda Hoyle, "Eli's Coming" by Friends Of Distinction, and "Stoned Soul Picnic" by Staple Singers.

A great collection of 60s & 70s singles, rarities, and previously unreleased gems from the vaults of Memphis's Ardent label – featuring a loads of soulful rock & fledgling power pop that's heavy on Big Star & related efforts – including many previously unreleased tracks! Disc one of this mammoth double disc set features 60s material that ranges from early decade r&b tinged tunes – to psychedelic rock experiments towards the end of the decade – all with roots in the rockin' soulful Memphis sounds! Includes cuts by The Ole Miss Downbeats, The Avengers, The Honey Jug, Chris Bell, Alex Chilton and many more! Disc two is in part a 70s Big Star-a-palooza, with classic singles, demos, alternate mixes and more – plus tracks by Cargoe, The Hot Dogs, The Scruffs and others! Disc one tunes include "Geraldine" by The Ole Miss Downbeats, "Batarang" by The Avengers, "Rocks" by Terry Manning, "In 1852 We" by The Honey Jug, "Halfway Down The Stairs" by Lawson & Four More, "Looking Down" by The 1st Century, "Everyday As We Grow Closer" (original mix) by Alex Chilton and much more. Disc 2 features 70s material including "In The Street", "When My Baby's Beside Me", "September Gurls", "I Got Kinda Lost" (demo) and more by Big Star, "Fell Alright" by Cargoe, "Downs" (demo) by Alex Chilton, "My Mind" by The Scruffs and more. 48 tracks on 2CDs!

Pre-Voidoids and Pre-Ramones hard rock band featuring Marc Bell, aka Marky Ramone – with their self-titled and Hard Attack records – together in a 2LP set! Dust's 1971 is a mix of pummeling, though accessible rockers and a suprising bluesy and psych folk nod here and there – particular in the slide guitar and pedal steel of Kenny Aarronson. It features a mix of those and pummeling rockers – with drums that are way faster than Marc would play after changing his persona to Marky! Titles include "Stone Woman", "Chasin' Ladies", "Love Me Hard", "From A Dry Camel" and more. The follow up Hard Attack – as the the title indicates – streamlines the approach a bit into more of a straight up hard rocking style. Titles include "Pull Away/So Many Times", "Learning To Die", "All In All", "Ivory", "I Been Thinkin", "How Many Horses", and "Suicide".

Sublime 60s instrumental sounds from LA – with a groove that's similar to The Ventures, or some of the lesser-known surf instrumental groups. Includes the group's big hit reading of "Out Of Limits", plus "Bell Star", "Saturn", "Re-Entry", "Other Limits", "Twilight City", and "Limits Beyond".

Warm bell tones and smooth sine waves lay underneath the skittering pitter patter of electronic percussion of MOM's lates offering of Cologne soundscapes. 15 tracks of happy machinery bubbling and squeaking, including "Snap Bar", "Rerelease Hysteresis", 'High Court & Low Cut" and "Glim".

A rawer Badfinger emerges on Ass – self-produced with a no frills vibe that was apparently something of a controversial way for the boys to record at the time, as Apple initially rejected it. It sounds like great rock & roll to us! Sweet melodies and tuneful songs are still the order of the day, but it isn't sweetened, embellished or lushed up in the studio. Titles include "Apple Of My Eye", "Get Away", "Icicles", "Blind Owl", "I Can Love You", "Timeless" and more.

Minimalist drone from Masaki Batoh of Ghost – sparely beautiful and somewhat ominous soundscapes from ever-creative experimenter – and the way he created these sounds is kinda mindblowing! Brain Pulse Music is literally what Masaki Batoh has here. Essentially, he dreamed up a machine that could convert radio-transmitted brainwave/EKG data into a more audible frequency. He then found some people to make that happen! Also in the mix here are both peaceful sounding and kind of clattering bits of more traditional Japanese instrumentation – drums, gongs and bells. Dreamy, haunting stuff from a master experimentalist! Includes "Kunamo Codex 1", "Eye Tracking Test", "Kumano Codex 2", "Kumano Codex 3", "Kumano Codex 4", "Kumano Codex 5" and "Aiki No Okami".

Rhythmic early 60s global grooves from John Berberian – a master of the oud with a great group of players on these oft intense takes traditional Turkish, Armenian and Arabic songs! The melodies and rhythms are pretty impressive – the percussion is particularly heavy and groovy! The oud is out front and supported by lots of clarinet and bongo, hand percussion, guitar, bass and some vocals, too! There's a passion here that easily trumps any initial thoughts that this would be a dry reading of middle-eastern folk material – it's appealing in many of the ways that Salah Ragab's Egyptian jazz material is, without the cosmic funkiness. Players include Souren Baronian on clarinet and bongos, Jack Chalikian on canun, John Valentine on guitar and dudoog, among others. Tracks include "Siseler", "Laz", "Basha Bella", "Whyek", "Taksim", and "Nubar Nubar".

Raucous, rumbling and hard-charging Chess rhythms, rock and roll by Chuck Berry – his legendary After School Session – and possibly his greatest album ever! It features not only some of Chuck Berry's most famous material, but some of the best early rock songs, period –particularly the revolutionary "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" – plus"Berry Pickin", "Deep Feeling"," School Day", "Too Much Monkey Business", "Roly Poly", and "No Money Down". 3 bonus tracks on the CD: The fierce"Thirty Days", "You Can't Catch Me" and the uber-legendary "Maybelline".

A whole set of rocking instrumentals from the Bill Black Combo – their own Memphis instrumental versions of tunes recorded by Chuck Berry at Chess – served up in the group's trademark blend of guitar, organ, and tenor sax! There's a bit more guitar than usual on some of the cuts – an obvious nod to Berry's prowess on the instrument – yet other tunes have the tenor taking this place, and working some cool groovy sounds with the lead instrument lines. Titles include "Roll Over Beethoven", "Sweet Little Sixteen", "School Days", "Carol", "Maybellene", "Thirty Days", and "Reelin & Rockin".

Groovy girl pop from late 60s France – a treasure trove of under-discovered numbers from the lovely Clothilde! Clothilde's from the same vintage as France Gall and Francoise Hardy – but she's got a style that's a bit sweeter vocally, yet still set to the mod-styled backings that really make 60s French pop so great! Tunes are plenty groovy, with a few trippy touches from time to time – and most numbers have a bouncy groove that really keeps things interesting – especially when odd instrumentation creeps into the mix – like bits of musical saw, oddball percussion, and bells and whistles! Titles include "Fallait Pas Ecraser Lau Queue Du Chat", "La Chanson Bete Et Mechante", "Le Boa", " "Saperlipopette", "102-103", "La Ballade Du Bossu", "A Ora Sos'e", and "Qualcosa Che Non Va".

A decade of Kim Fowley produced, arranged and recorded madness – proto garage, sleazy surf styled rumbles, pulpy vocal pop, and fuzzy tunes galore – some credited to Kim Fowley and more savage tunes from Bruce & Jerry, Renegades, Mo And Jo, Blue Bells, Althea And The Memories and more! It's fantastic stuff, some never before issued, and rare singles for labels and imprints like Kimco, Alsand, Arwin and American International. Seedy rockers galore! Includes "I Saw Her First" by Bruce & Jerry (Bruce Johnson, later Beach Boy), "Late Late Show" by Patterns, "Big Fat Alaskan" by Donnie And The Outcasts, "The Rebel" by Players, "Daybreaker" by Kim And The Skippers, "Music Is The Magic" by Kim Fowley, "Surf Pigs" by Kim Fowley And Mars Bonfire and more. 16 tracks in all.

One of the rarest Lee Hazlewood albums ever – a mid 70s set recorded for Polydor in Sweden, and one that represents a really unique chapter in Lee's career overseas! At times, the album's got a very strong country feel – more so than even other Hazlewood records, which always had a bit of twang – yet at other points, the record moves into more familiar vocal work – recalling some of the modes that Lee had laid down on his best work of the late 60s. Not all songs are originals, but Lee definitely makes all the music his own – and the arrangements by David Whitaker and Lars Samuelson move around in good ways to match the spirit of Hazlewood's mood on each tune. This reissue features some really great notes – filled with the kind of personal recollections that make Lee's life seem like it was always a blast to live – and titles include "The Rising Star", "Come On Home To Me", "It's For My Dad", "Paris Bells", "Hello Saturday Morning", "Wait Till Next Year", "LA Lady", "I've Got To Be Moving", "Mother Country Music", and a great version of "It Was A Very Good Year".

A beautiful early 70s psych folk set from the angelic vocal and songwriting duo of Pat Gefell and Jo D Andrews – their Refuge album for Ovation in 1973 – highlighted by their gorgeous vocals, but committed with lovely, lightly soaring arrangements! Save for a solid cover of the Elton John/Bernie Taupin penned "Sixty Years On", Gefell and Andrews wrote the songs here, and it's remarkably strong stuff! The duo vocals and harmonies are especially sweet. The Chicago-based production wisely leaves ample space in the arrangements for them to sort of loosely, emotively embellish with their voices – with string arrangements by co-producer George Andrews and an impressive roster of session players including bassist Phil Upchurch, drummer Don Simmons and percussionist Bobby Christian. Includes "Jenny", "Voice In The Wind", "To A Flame", "Tomorrow Is A Long Time", "Refuge", "Song For Craig", "A Light Is Shining", "Feel The Spirit" and more. This great CD edition on Lion is really loaded up with bonus tracks – single mixes, B-Sides, alternate takes and more! Those include "Joy", "Hawg For You Baby", "Country Woman (OV/1038) (Single B-Side)", "Jenny (Single Mix)" and many more. 25 tracks in all.

What? A brand new album from Jimi Hendrix? Didn't he, uh, check out a few decades ago? Well, turns out that the Experience folks have found some amazing work on the vaults – really incredible tracks that are way more than just a rehash of previous releases, aren't demo recordings at all – and are instead some wonderful work that really comes together well as a long-overdue full album! The set's a stunning smoker through and through – filled with the kind of deft guitar work that made Jimi a legend right from the start – and stuffed into tunes that pack as much of a punch as any of the famous Hendrix singles that have kept spinning for so many years. All tracks are studio recordings, all previously unreleased – and titles include new songs like "Somewhere" and "Hear My Train A Comin", plus studio takes of "Inside Out" and "Bleeding Heart" – and lots more great tracks that include "Earth Blues", "Let Me Love You", "Izabella", "Crash Landing", "Easy Blues", and "Mojo Man".

A heady power trio, with a sound that's a lot more heavy than you'd guess from the cover! These guys come across looking like they might be a soft rock harmony group, but instead they wail away beautifully with a pre-metal sort of sound – lots of full, fierce rhythms and fuzzed-up guitar – very lean and mean, and quite uncharacteristic for the RCA label at the time. Solos are especially burning – right up there with Sabbath at the time – and believe it or not, the guys actually do harmonize a bit on the lyrics too! Titles include "Lazy Woman", "Mystery Rider", "Fifteen", "All I Need", "Promotion Man", and "Bells".

Pivotal singles from the amazing Wanda Jackson – one of the greatest female rock and country voices from the 50s onward – who mixes a cutesy coo and a feral growl for a sound that was pretty much unprecedented at the time! The material bridges proto rock and country music in a way that confused the heck outta radio programmers and the label's hope to break her into superstardom back in the day – and Wanda had a voice that could've (and should've) made her a star on par with the Sun Studios boys club. She's tough and tender at the same time – and Capitol producer Ken Nelson is near the top of his game here, too. This really is the best of her Capitol singles – 29 in all – including "I Gotta Know", "Fujiyama Mama", "Honey Bop", "Did You Miss Me?", "Right Or Wrong", "Sinful Heart", "In The Middle Of A Heartbreak", "Mean Mean Man', "Sympathy", You Bug Me Bad", "Silver Threads And Golden Needles", "Rock Your Baby", "(Every Time They Play) Our Song", "Little Charm Bracelet", "No Wedding Bells For Joe", "Honey Bop" and more.

The title track is one of the biggest hits ever from Jan & Dean – but the album's filled with other groovy numbers that really stretch out past familiar territory – including a number of other "city-based" tracks, all given the sweet Jan & Dean touch! The duo are great on lead vocals – and get some ripping studio help from members of the Wrecking Crew, plus great lead guitar from folks like Glen Campbell and Billy Strange – both of whom help keep a nice twangy sound on the tunes! Titles include "Surf City", "Soul City", "Detroit City", "Memphis", "Manhattan", and "Tallahassee Lassie".

Smoking hot rod grooves – put together by studio maestro Bruce Johnston in the years before he became a bigger Beach Boy! The set's one of many groovy surf/car sets that Johnston cut during this mid 60s stretch – although it's more obscure than most, given its release on Smash Records – instead of the usual Capitol or Columbia outlets for his work. But the lineup features some key familiar faces from those other projects – guitar from Glenn Campbell and Tommy Tedesco, and some mighty drums from the great Hal Blaine! Hot Rod enthusiast George Barris adds his name to the project – and also gives up some nice car knowledge on the back cover – and titles include "Stick Six", "Fireball", "Jive Driver", "Super Fine", "Firecracker 400", "Hotty 32", and "Speed Shifters".

An amazingly soulful set of folk tunes from the late 60s – the only album we've ever seen from singer Jerry Moore, and a real rarity from the ESP label! Moore's got a style that's somewhere between Terry Callier and Tim Buckley – earthy and acoustic one minute, but stepping out with some hipper rock-influenced touches the next – in a style that makes the album way more than just a conventional folk set. There's a strong political undercurrent to many of the tunes – and Moore is backed by a quartet that includes Eric Gale on electric guitar and Ralph McDonald on percussion. Titles include "Ballad Of Birmingham", "Drugged", "This Is My Time", "Let Go Reach Out", and "Anti Bellum Sermon".

Short instrumental orchestrations from Van Dyke Parks – all previously unreleased! Described as "Music For The Silver Screen" – and inspired by a train trip he took in 1955. "The Super Chief", "Go West Young Man", "Bar Talk", "Iron Horse", "Tee Pee Motel", "Virgin Territory", "Crossing The Colorado", "The Joshua Tree", "Chateu Marmot" and many more. 27 tracks in all! Includes a CD.

An album of fragile beauty and buried darkness – in a space that's somewhere between the work of Nico and Brigitte Fontaine, but a fair bit sweeter overall! Emmanuelle Parrenin sings here in a timeless style that might almost be called folksy – especially in the return to tradition styles of the UK 70s scene – but it's also got a slightly headier feel overall, almost trippy at times, with a sense of crumbling innocence that's further underscored by spare instrumentation that includes hurdy-gurdy, spinet, and dulcimer. Most tunes just feature vocals and some combination of these instruments – and a few numbers feature slightly larger backing, but never a full group mode. Titles include "Ritournelle", "Leiturgie", "Copraze", "Lecharpe De Soie", "Ce Matin A Fremontel", and "Belle Virginie". Amazing vinyl reissue – very heavy cover and vinyl, and beautifully done overall!

Cool guitar-driven rock from 60s Brazil – a group that's less pop than you might guess from their name, and who work in a burning blend of twangy guitar and moody organ lines! The set's a charmer right from the start – with a slinky feel on many numbers, different than the usual garagey sounds you'd expect from a lineup like this – with lots of mod elements that almost feel like they've come from 60s Italian soundtracks! Most tunes are instrumental, with a strong focus on the guitars – and titles include "I Need You", "All Quiet On The Mersey Front", "Solidao", "As Sete Maravilhas", "Hit Pop", and "Meu Sonho". CD features four bonus tracks too – "Jingle Bells/O Bom Velhinho", "Boas Festas", "Noite Feliz/Parabens A Voce", and "Cancao De Aniversario/Ave Maria".

A strange, yet worthy leftfield album by the Pretty Things – one that features unknown French singer and wealthy Pretty Things fan Phillip Debarge – who essentially commissioned the group to write and produced this grooving little record! The Pretty Things and Debarge recorded the set at Nova Studios – one of the earliest London facilities with the state of the art multi-tracking, circa '69 – but there's still a nicely rugged and raucous underbelly to the production that's just tripped out enough with mellotron, harpsichord and harmonies. The album never saw light of day before the good people at Ugly Things saw it through all these decades later – and it's a surprising treasure from the seminal years of the group! Includes "Hello, How Do You Do?", "You Might Even Say", "Peace", "Eagle's Son", "It'll Never Be Me", and "All Gone Now".

Music beyond description – a unique blend of disco, funk, avant garde, and dub – the wonderful world of the late Arthur Russell! Russell was a bass player by trade, but he was schooled in both classical and Eastern music forms – and brought an incredibly fresh vision to his work in New York in the late 70s and early 80s. To some, Russell was a groundbreaking disco pioneer – with an offbeat production style and unique conception of rhythm. To others, Russell was a performance artist and avant garde musician – working in circles that included Phillip Glass, David Byrne, and Robert Wilson. This mix of modes was very much a part of the post-disco, post-punk sound of New York at the time – and nobody summarized it (or allowed it!) better than Russell himself. This excellent set from Soul Jazz is one of the first to truly give him his due – and it brings together a large amount of his disco-related projects, plus a few more introspective numbers cut under his own name. The sound is incredible – unlike anything you could categorize – especially on the Russell-titled numbers – and as always with Soul Jazz, the whole thing's beautifully packaged, with rich notes on the music and the person behind it! Titles include "Go Bang (Francois K mix)" by Dinosaur L, "Wax The Van" by Lola, "Is It All Over My Face (Larry Levan mix)" by Loose Joints, "In The Cornbelt (Larry Levan mix)" by Dinosaur L, "Pop Your Funk" by Loose Joints, "Schoolbell/Treehouse (Walter Gibbons mix)" by Indian Ocean, and "Let's Go Swimming (Walter Gibbons mix)", "A Little Lost", "In The Light Of The Miracle", and "Keeping Up" by Arthur Russell himself!

Music beyond description – a unique blend of disco, funk, avant garde, and dub – the wonderful world of the late Arthur Russell! Russell was a bass player by trade, but he was schooled in both classical and Eastern music forms – and brought an incredibly fresh vision to his work in New York in the late 70s and early 80s. To some, Russell was a groundbreaking disco pioneer – with an offbeat production style and unique conception of rhythm. To others, Russell was a performance artist and avant garde musician – working in circles that included Phillip Glass, David Byrne, and Robert Wilson. This mix of modes was very much a part of the post-disco, post-punk sound of New York at the time – and nobody summarized it (or allowed it!) better than Russell himself. This excellent set from Soul Jazz is one of the first to truly give him his due – and it brings together a large amount of his disco-related projects, plus a few more introspective numbers cut under his own name. The sound is incredible – unlike anything you could categorize – especially on the Russell-titled numbers – and as always with Soul Jazz, the whole thing's beautifully packaged, with rich notes on the music and the person behind it! Titles include "Go Bang (Francois K mix)" by Dinosaur L, "Wax The Van" by Lola, "Is It All Over My Face (Larry Levan mix)" by Loose Joints, "In The Cornbelt (Larry Levan mix)" by Dinosaur L, "Pop Your Funk" by Loose Joints, "Schoolbell/Treehouse (Walter Gibbons mix)" by Indian Ocean, and "Let's Go Swimming (Walter Gibbons mix)", "A Little Lost", "In The Light Of The Miracle", and "Keeping Up" by Arthur Russell himself!

Sublime early work from Robert Wyatt and crew – a psychedelic accented jazz rock classic that never gets old – and a visionary set that inspired a generation! The heavily fuzzy guitar sound is transcendent on Volume Two – with sudden jazzy changes, augmented by horns, and all done with a sly sense of humour for which the group doesn't get enough credit. The set's broken up into two different "concept" halves – and side one is "Rivmic Melodies" – and includes "Pataphysical Introduction", "A Concise British Alphabet", "Dada Was Here", and "Out Of Tunes". Side two is "Esther's Nose Job" – with the parts "Pig", "Fire Engine Passing With Bells Clanging", "Orange Skin Food", and "A Door Opens & Closes". Wyatt's on vocals and drums; Hugh Hopper is on bass, guitar, and alto; and Mike Ratledge plays some great Lowry and Hammond organ, plus a bit of harpsichord and flute!

Raucous drag strip rockers and driving R&B-fueled instrumentals by The T-Bones – killer material on Liberty from a group of young session wizards – including Hal Blaine, Glen Campbell, Leon Russell, Dave Pell, Steve Douglas and others! It's wildly fun stuff that goes all in with the drag strip novelty – but totally transcends it – with some rubber-burning, rumbling excellence! Killer guitars, sax, organ drums from a one-time relatively anonymous cast of players. Includes "Hey Little Cobra", "Shut Down", "Drag City", "Draggin'", "Scorchin", "Little Deuce Coupe", "Boss Drag" and more.

A full scale joint effort from the always unpredictable Stones Throw label and the cassette-centric Leaving Records – featuring audio adventurers Julia Holter, dak, Cyclist, Trance Farmers, Dem Hunger, Run DMT, Soundwizard BZB & MC Set, Oscar McClure, Odd Nosdam, Sun Araw and more. Cool, creative and diverse stuff – a good deal of it with kind of a darkness-tinged electro atmosphere – and an array of eerie broken beats, abstract instrumentals and vocals. 19 tracks in all: "Visions" by The Cyclist, "Into The Night" by Davis, "Lions Den" by dak, "Labelle Gross" by Oscar McClure, "You & Me Both (Live Arthur Russell Tribute)" by Julia Holter, "Sisters" by Odd Nosdam, "Right Off" by Sun Araw, "Bardo States Dream Walker Version" by Run DMT, "Purple Hay" by Trance Farmers, "Sadnis" by Knx, "Atimo" by Yuk and more.

A well-done look at a key moment in British music – that point when acoustic roots mixed with electric youth, and brought around a huge revival in the field of folk! The UK shifts at the end of the 60s were way different than those in the US – not nearly as simple as Dylan going electric, or folk harmony going pop – and as you'll hear in this set, there's a really progressive, revolutionary feel that runs through the music – one that's both got a great sense of history, yet a mission of personal change as well – quite far from overdone political tropes, yet with undeniable world-changing power in the end. The 2CD package is designed to accompany the book of the same name – and is divided up into Acoustic Eden and Electric Albion discs – each with their own feel. Titles include "Brother John" by Bread Love & Dreams, "Garden Song" by Bill Fay, "Music Of The Ages" by COB, "Diana" by Comus, "Oak Ash & Thorn" by Peter Bellamy, "John Barleycorn Must Die (first version)" by Traffic, "The Lark In The Morning" by Steeleye Span, "Country Road" by Unicorn, "Glasgerion" by Trees, "Glistening Glyndebourne" by John Martyn, and "Voices" by Nick Drake.

Great versions of tunes penned by George Harrison – all of them by Brazilian artists, and most of them of older vintage too! Given that Harrison often wrote some of the edgiest tunes of The Beatles, the recordings here are already on good footing – and given that the collection does a great job of picking cuts from older albums of the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s – then throwing in a few more recent recordings – the scope of material is pretty darn great! Most tracks still have the lyrics in English, but a few feature Portuguese lyrics instead – and the set features versions of "Taxman" by Meire Pavao, "Don't Bother Me" by The Bells, "Te Adoro" by Golden Boys & The Fevers, "That Is All" by Hevelyn Costa, "Something" by Evinha, "I Need You" by Rosa Maria, "My Sweet Lord" by Chitaozinho & Xororo, "Love Comes To Everyone" by Zizi Possi, and "Piggies" by Twiggy & Andreas Kisser's Lostapes.

Rare rock from the Golden Triangle scene of Southeast TX in the late 60s and early 70s – a well-curated overview of the stylistically sprawling material being cut at Mickey Rouse's Lowland Recording Studio in Beaumont! Texas rock of the late 60s and early 70s justifiably brings to mind acts like The 13th Floor Elevators and The Bubble Puppy – tripped out psychedelia in other words, but Texas is huge, and there was a heck of a lot more going on than just the best remembered cult favorites. The music coming out of just the Beaumont, Port Arthur, Orange, Texas "triangle" chronicled here was incredibly diverse. It includes proto TX boogie rock that's a clear precursor to early ZZ Top, harmony flavored numbers that sound closer to Cali than they do The Lone Star State, one track that somehow fuses CS&N with The Beatles and does so with prominent cowbell in the mix (and it's good!!!), punchy psych grit, and swaggering country rock with some twang in the strings that feels a bit more profoundly Texan. You don't need our word that The Numero Group has devoted some serious attention to detail – with a large booklet of notes, photos and histories, plus the impressive Lost In The Golden Triangle "family tree" of the regional musicians involved – as if discovering these long buried regional relics wasn't impressive enough already. Beautiful! 28 tracks on the 2LP version...6 more than on the CD! "Trash One" by the Lowland Studio Band, "Live My Life Today" by Insight Out, "Simple House" by Mother Lion, "Love Of The Morning" by Circus, "Take A Look At Your Friends" by Next Exit, "You Know I Love You" by Roy Briggs & Alton Tew, "Calling Me Home (Demo)" by Donald Thomas and more, plus the LP only tracks "Lizard" by Lowland Studio Band, "Let Me Listen" by Sage, "Groundhog Day" by Boot Hill and more.

Church rock from 60s Quebec – a surprisingly great set of work that's way better than you might think from the concept! French Canada has always been strongly Catholic place – but it's also one that's pretty creatively inspired, too – so it's no surprise that in the wake of Vatican 2, lots of younger musicians were trying to find a way to get the message across – but in cool, groovy styles that really show the changes in sounds at the time! Some of these cuts are as freaky and fantastic as those heard on psych compilations from the Mucho Gusto label – and others have a cool funky approach – with lots of weird rhythms and offbeat instrumentation that's hardly what you'd expect to hear when walking into a church – and more in line with some of the more experimental rock-mass work from the US. Titles include "Raconte Moi" by Les Nocturnes, "Pierre" by Michel Conte, "Dieu Ne Se Mange Plus" by Jacques Michel, "Rappelle Toi Seigneur" by Steve Fiset, "Si Tous Les Hommes Voulaint" by Touladi & Gilles Jerome, "Ma Petite Esperance" by Les Messageres De Joi, "J'Ai Grand Desire De Votre Amour" by Les Allegros, "Gloire A Toi Tu Viens Nous Sauver" by Operation Jeunesse, and "Alleluia" by Pierre Labelle & Rene Angelil.

Church rock from 60s Quebec – a surprisingly great set of work that's way better than you might think from the concept! French Canada has always been strongly Catholic place – but it's also one that's pretty creatively inspired, too – so it's no surprise that in the wake of Vatican 2, lots of younger musicians were trying to find a way to get the message across – but in cool, groovy styles that really show the changes in sounds at the time! Some of these cuts are as freaky and fantastic as those heard on psych compilations from the Mucho Gusto label – and others have a cool funky approach – with lots of weird rhythms and offbeat instrumentation that's hardly what you'd expect to hear when walking into a church – and more in line with some of the more experimental rock-mass work from the US. Titles include "Raconte Moi" by Les Nocturnes, "Pierre" by Michel Conte, "Dieu Ne Se Mange Plus" by Jacques Michel, "Rappelle Toi Seigneur" by Steve Fiset, "Si Tous Les Hommes Voulaint" by Touladi & Gilles Jerome, "Ma Petite Esperance" by Les Messageres De Joi, "J'Ai Grand Desire De Votre Amour" by Les Allegros, "Gloire A Toi Tu Viens Nous Sauver" by Operation Jeunesse, and "Alleluia" by Pierre Labelle & Rene Angelil.

An incredible compilation – and a real document of a near-lost strain of music in the 70s – the wealth of underground pro-gay recordings that came out in the wake of Stonewall! The music here is way different than any camp cliches you might know from the 70s – no crisco disco, or overdone machoisms – and instead, often quite sensitive, with a mixture of folksy and singer-songwriter modes that were usually more common in the womyn's music world – but not used as often in the male gay scene – mixed with a few other funky styles too. Together, the music displays a surprisingly positive, confident scene – a great reminder of the sense of hopefulness and identity in the pre-AIDS days – and the package features detailed notes on each artist, most of whom we'd never heard before. Titles include "Gay Spirit" by Charlie Murphy, "It's Okay" by Blackberri, "Strong Love" by Smokey, "Evil & Lusty" by Mike Cohen, "Dreamboy" by Robert Campbell, "Tell Ol Anita" by Conan, "The One" by Paul Wagner, "Hots For A Hustler" by Scrumbly & Martin, and "Stand Up For Your Rights" by International Gay Society.

What? A brand new album from Jimi Hendrix? Didn't he, uh, check out a few decades ago? Well, turns out that the Experience folks have found some amazing work on the vaults – really incredible tracks that are way more than just a rehash of previous releases, aren't demo recordings at all – and are instead some wonderful work that really comes together well as a long-overdue full album! The set's a stunning smoker through and through – filled with the kind of deft guitar work that made Jimi a legend right from the start – and stuffed into tunes that pack as much of a punch as any of the famous Hendrix singles that have kept spinning for so many years. All tracks are studio recordings, all previously unreleased – and titles include new songs like "Somewhere" and "Hear My Train A Comin", plus studio takes of "Inside Out" and "Bleeding Heart" – and lots more great tracks that include "Earth Blues", "Let Me Love You", "Izabella", "Crash Landing", "Easy Blues", and "Mojo Man".

An amazingly soulful set of folk tunes from the late 60s – the only album we've ever seen from singer Jerry Moore, and a real rarity from the ESP label! Moore's got a style that's somewhere between Terry Callier and Tim Buckley – earthy and acoustic one minute, but stepping out with some hipper rock-influenced touches the next – in a style that makes the album way more than just a conventional folk set. There's a strong political undercurrent to many of the tunes – and Moore is backed by a quartet that includes Eric Gale on electric guitar and Ralph McDonald on percussion. Titles include "Ballad Of Birmingham", "Drugged", "This Is My Time", "Let Go Reach Out", and "Anti Bellum Sermon".

Big Star's amazing Third (or 3rd if you please) – one of the best one-time lost rock albums of the 70s, if not ever – a record that was tough to find for years before finally becoming an acknowledged classic! How this could have ever been thought of as anything less than essential is a mystery. There's this weary quality to the vocals and songwriting of Alex Chilton that's sublime – paired with a raw, rocking underbelly – and finished with strings, horns and other Memphis-y accents. You could think that it all sounds like an ill fit – but no, it's glorious! This vinyl version from 4 Men With Beards features the original cover and original mixes of the 1978 release. Tracks include "Stroke It Noel", their great cover of the Velvets "Femme Fatale", "Thank You Friends", "Jesus Christ", "Holocaust", "Blue Moon", "Take Care" and more.

You've always heard that girls do it better – and now here's proof, pressed up on a very vivid vinyl collection! The package really digs deep to show the overlooked underground of female rockers in the late 60s – the small, local, girl-driven combos that often didn't get as much exposure as the male groups of the garage generation, but who could rock equally hard when they wanted to! These gals mean business, and the set's filled with plenty of rare smokers – including "You Don't Love Me" by Kim & Grim, "Medley Of Junk" by The Continental Co-Ets, "Wild Thing" by Cathy Rich, "He's Not There Anymore" by The Bittersweets, "I'm On Your Prey" by The Glass Opening, "Come Back" by The Belles", "Take Me As I Am" by Denise & Co, "Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart" by The Puppets, and "Bend Me Shape Me" by The Models.

The oft-covered Bob Dylan songbook never sounds so soulful – classic interpretations of Dylan's canon from a great, far reaching roster of black artists – from the the ever-stirring Staple Singers, southern soul heroes Howard Tate and OV Wright, charismatic country soul from Brook Benton, great gender role perspective flipped versions by Nina Simone and Patti LaBelle, a funky tamborine take by Con Funk Shun and much more! It’s another excellent entry in the Songwriter Series from Ace Records, extra excellent in that it takes an obvious hero of 60s Songwriter – and actually pulls together songs that'll take you by surprise for their depth – whether you treasure Dylan, deep 60s & 70s solo & group R&B, funk, folk soul...or all of the above! Includes "Blowin In The Wind" by OV Wright, "Girl From The North Country" by Howard Tate, "The Man In Me" by The Persuations, "Lay lady Lay" by The Isley Brothers, "Emotionally Yours" by The O'Jays, "All Along The Watchtower" by Bobby Womack, "Maggie's Farm" by Soloman Burke, "Mr. Tamborine Man" by Con Funk Shun and more. 20 tracks in all.

A fuzzy, belligerently catchy batch of groovy underground UK psychedelic rock & pop – a compilation of some of the best numbers from acts such as Nick Garrie, Majority One, Chrysalis, Jawbone and more – compiled by the inspired reissue mavens at Rev-Ola Records! Many of the artists here take an adventurous spirit and a sometimes driving guitar sound from the Psych movement, but there's a focused tunefulness that's more in the fuzzy guitar pop realm. Nice stuff! Titles include "The River" by Octopus, "Goodnight Sweet Josephine", "Game" by Majority One, "Second Floor" by Mortimer, "Woodstock" by Turquoise, "Is Anybody Home?" by Mirage, "Cynthia Gerome" by Chrysalis, "Stand Up And Be Judged" by Ewan Stephene, "Light On The Wall" by Gun, "Jeremiah Dreams" by Jawbone and more.

The start of a whole new chapter – with "Shoot To Thrill", "Rock & Roll Ain't Noise Pollution", "Hells Bells", "Back In Black", and "Given The Dog A Bone".

A strange, eerie psychedelia and prog steeped soundtrack to the Jean Rollins French vampire film Le Frisson Des Vampires – played by the group Acanthus – a great little set of evocative, stripped down macabre instrumentals and trippy bits of dialogue! Finders Keepers describes the sound by comparing it to lynchpin combos of early prog as affected by "a 1000 year old acid infused blood transfusion", and guess what – that's perfect! Guitar melodies spun very loosely and eerily rolling along with improved bits and creepy sound sound effects – but it never veers into shlocky horror movie music, it's psych-steeped instrumental rock, played in a spooky style. The music is great, and the bits of dialogue (in English) is totally priceless! Includes Funerailles Des Vampires", "Le Frisson Des Vampires", "La Chateau", "Wedding Party (Angoisse Temporelle)", "Occupied Clock", "Who Are You?", "Blood-Cups", "Isabelles Demise", "Night Excursion", "Isa's Ceremony", "Flightless Bird", "The Shiver Of The Vampires", "Envol Vers La Folie" and more. 27 tracks in all – the entire, previously unreleased soundtrack!

One of LA's best arrangers cooks up a very cool batch of instrumental cuts to honor the surfing crowd – and it totally transcends the genre! It evokes the mood and the style nicely, but it's not run of the mill surf music at all – but more of a 60s LA studio instrumentals celebration with a larger sense of arrangements, and some groovy guitar solos by a young Glen Campbell. Kind of close to a mid-period Beach Boys sense of arrangements-meet-surf sounds, and a nice Capitol sound to it. Titles include "Murphy's Grey Wet Suit", "Quigg Rides Again", "Surfing Baja", "Goofy-Foot Glen, "Come September", "End Of The World", "Easy Surf" and more.

The famous theme from "Tubular Bells" – used to great effect in The Exorcist, and a spooky bit of 70s keyboard music you'll recognize instantly! This cool limited pressing replicates a 70s pic sleeve design – and also features the more obscure track "In Dulci Jubilo".

A bunch of classic tunes that inspired – and were covered by punk rock founders The Ramones – with some that you'd expect and many more that might surprise you! If you're a fan of The Ramones, you know that they were students of rock and pop history. They really had an ear for the most irresistibly catchy songs, with the rawest underbellies. This set has feral tunes by The Stooges, The Seeds and The Trashmen – along with classic Phil Spector productions, some of the greatest surf pop and much more – all of which were covered by The Ramones at one point or another – and all of it great! Includes "Let's Dance" by Chris Montez, "California Sun" by The Rivieras, "Do You Want To Dance" by The Beach Boys, "Surfin Bird" by The Trashmen, "Baby, I Love You" by The Ronettes, "My Back Pages" by The Byrds, "Can't Seem To Make You Mind" by The Seeds, "7 And 7 Is" by Love, "I Don't Wanna Grow Up" by Tom Waits, "What A Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong, "Little Bit O' Soul" by Music Explosion and more. 24 in all.

Groovy girl pop from late 60s France – a treasure trove of under-discovered numbers from the lovely Clothilde! Clothilde's from the same vintage as France Gall and Francoise Hardy – but she's got a style that's a bit sweeter vocally, yet still set to the mod-styled backings that really make 60s French pop so great! Tunes are plenty groovy, with a few trippy touches from time to time – and most numbers have a bouncy groove that really keeps things interesting – especially when odd instrumentation creeps into the mix – like bits of musical saw, oddball percussion, and bells and whistles! Titles include "Fallait Pas Ecraser Lau Queue Du Chat", "La Chanson Bete Et Mechante", "Le Boa", " "Saperlipopette", "102-103", "La Ballade Du Bossu", "A Ora Sos'e", and "Qualcosa Che Non Va".

A dark little soundtrack that we'd pitch right up there with The Wicker Man or Rosemary's Baby – and one with a sound that's somewhere in between those two classics! The work was penned for an obscure early 70s film in the Czech new wave – and features music that's sometimes a bit folksy, sometimes a bit spiritualist – served up in a blend of light orchestrations, occasional choral passages, and eerie isolated instruments that include flute, harpsichord, organ, and bells! There's a darkly brooding quality that really reminds us of Komeda's last great moments for Polanski – but the overall sound is a bit freer, and more illustrative as well – little snippets of poetry in sound, created with a feel that's as evocative as the images they were designed to accompany. CD features 23 tracks in all – titles that include "The Magic Yard", "Talk With Grandmother", "The Letter", "The Sermon", "Sacrifice", "Questions & Answers", "Homeless", "Puppets", "In Flames", "Brother & Sister", "Forgiveness", and "And The Last".

The classic agit-rap-rock debut of Rage Against The Machine – with the most fiery political lyricism and imagery of any massively popular record of its time – and as great of a pairing of revolutionary rap and heavy guitars as there ever was! It's hard to imagine now, but there were very few straight up rap rock bands before Rage Against The Machine. Hard rock breaks were ample, of course, but straight up rap rock bands were pretty scarce, pre-Rage. Rage Against The Machine's pop culture revolution was as massive as the social and political revolution that their songs called for! Includes "Bombtrack", "Killing In The Name", "Take The Power Back", "Settle For Nothing", "Bullet In The Head", "Know Your Enemy", "Wake Up", "Fistful Of Steel", "Township Rebellion" and "Freedom".

Dark tales from the mid-century American scene – a host of rare blues, folk, and country numbers that went onto become inspiration for a host of rockers in later years! The package is put together with a Mojo stamp of approval – and features the original recordings of tunes that are key roots for Bob Dylan, Led Zepplin, Ry Cooder, Johnny Cash, and others – some classics, others a fair bit more obscure – and brought together here with thoughtful notes by Dave Henderson of Mojo. Titles include "Cast Iron Arm" by Peanuts Wilson, "Vigilante Man" by Woody Guthrie, "Dying Crapshooter's Blues"by Blind Willie McTell, "John Hardy Was A Deperate Little Man" by The Carter Family, "Stack O Lee" by Mississippi John Hurt, "Banks Of The Ohio" by Bascom Lamar Lunsford, "Pretty Polly" by Dock Boggs, "Jesse James" by Almeda Riddle, "Prison Cell Blues" by Leroy Carr, "The Gallis Pole" by Leadbelly, "Ornie Wise" by GB Grayson, and "Miss Otis Regrets" by Ethel Waters.

Pretty sweet – country versions of Beatles tunes – sung by Jerry Inman, and played by a combo with Glen Campbell on guitar!