Rock — All Formats  

Post-Tropicalia work from Leno – a Brazilian singer who'd worked as part of a duo during the Jovem Guarda years, but who really sounds great here on his own! The style's a bit more straightforward rock than the Brazilian sound of a few years back – a bit fuzzy and compressed at times, yet still with a really strong edge, and light years from more mainstream American rock of the time. Many tracks were supposedly banned by the censors in Brazil at the time, although from today's perspective they've got a hard-rocking charm that's more innocent than anything else – a quality that makes the record ripe for rediscovery today! Lion productions have done a wonderful job with the notes and packaging (as usual!) – and titles include "Johnny McCartney", "Por Que Nao", "Lady Baby", "Deixo O Tempo Me Levar", "Peguei Uma Apolo", "Pobre Do Rei", "Sentando No Arco-Iris", and "Bis".

Can opens up a bit with Unlimited Edition – expanding upon their earlier Limited Edition compilation – fleshing out that set of archival Can errata into a sprawling, boundless 70+ minute set of brilliant, yet largely unused genius from the group's earlier archives! Can is legendary for constructing their greatest studio material out of freewheeling studio experimentation, so it stands to reason that there was a whole heck of a lot of worthy material left out. Boy, was there ever! It's got bits from both the Mooney and Suzuki periods, as well as spacious Can instrumental material. It's made up largely of brief bits that didn't find their way into a whole piece, but there's some longer numbers, too – and one epic: the 17+ minute "Cutaway". Titles icnlde "Gomorrha", "Doko E", "The Anpress And The Ukraine Song", "TV Spot", "Mother Upduff", "Connection", "Fall Of Another Year", "Transcendental Express", "Ibis", "Blue Bag (Inside Paper)", "Musette", "EFS No. 10", "I'm Too Leise" and more.

What the what? An insanely raw little album from Debis – a group who hailed from the hinterlands of Oaklahoma in the mid 70s – yet managed to preface some of the most important punk and noise from a few years later! The album's got a sound that's completely mindblowing – a mix of short, sharp numbers that definitely have a punky sneer – plus others that add in experimental sounds and electronics – a blend that's almost like early Swell Maps at their best – with with a lot more frenzy in the end! The whole thing's gotta be heard to be believed – then treasured for the gem that it is – put together with wild tracks that includes "One Way Spit", "New Smooth Lunch", "Tricia", "Tell Me", "Blue Girls", "Flight Taken", and "Witness". CD adds in another 10 bonus tracks – all pulled from rehearsal recordings – and the book also features the full story of this unusual group!

A wonderfully weird project from Alan Bishop – famous member of Sun City Girls, and also the man who's given us the Sublime Frequencies label! The sound here is a great mix of both of those worlds – some of the exotic tones that SF has explored in its groundbreaking global releases, mixed with some of the offbeat sounds we've always loved from Sun City Girls – yet somehow also fused at times into a catchy approach that's almost pop at points, then quickly offset by darker elements that are right around the corner. Filled with surprises – and titles include "Black Blood", "Death Zoo", "Summer Rain", "Dark Hall", "Hitman Boy", and "Dream Machine".

Mindblowing music from this ultra-cool musician – nearly three albums packaged on one CD! First up is Stones – a very groovy set of tunes that we'd rank right up there with Hal Blaine's Psychedelic Percussion for sheer nuttiness! Emil Richard plays a range of percussion instruments – as on other albums from the time – vibes and lots of mallet and percussion instrument – but he's also working with a really noisy moog, handled by Paul Beaver, and some weird "22-tone-to-the-octave" instruments that give the album an other-worldly tone that we really love. The whole thing bubbles and bleeps and grooves – with plenty of jazz still in the mix, as befits Richards' roots in the LA scene of the late 50s. 12 tracks in all – all named after birthstones – with titles that include "Garnet", "Moonstone", "Emerald", "Topaz", "Opal", and "Ruby". Next up are 6 tracks from New Time Element – one of the grooviest albums to come from the godlike hands of Emil Richards! This album's got a bit more punch than some of Richard's more jazz-based sessions – with Emil playing a wide range of percussion instruments, plus vibes and marimba – all backed by some incredibly groovy work on organ and piano by Dave McKay! Arrangements are by Tom Scott and Paul Beaver – and the record's got the jaunty, swinging quality of some of Scott's best early work of the time – particularly his early gems for Impulse! Titles include a great version of Tom Scott's oft-recorded "Blues for Hari", a very groovy number with a great 60s eastern feel – plus "Hot Fudge Sundae", "Happy Together", "Jimmy", and "Georgy Girl". And last but not least are 8 tracks that comprise Journey To Bliss – a fantastic bit of "Eastern" tinged jazz – and a real musical Journey To Bliss on its own! Vibist Emil Richards has always been totally groovy in our book – but he really outdoes himself here – working in an exotic mode that features lots of weird percussion over choppy modal grooves from keyboards, guitar, and drums – all in a wild blend of rhythms and grooves played by Richards and his Microtonal Blues Band. Players include Tom Tedesco and Dennis Budimir on guitar, Dave MacKay on keyboards, and Joe Porcaro on drums – but all players handle a variety of instruments, as does Richards, who must play dozens of different percussion elements on the set! Side one of the album features some great short groovers – like "Maharimba", "Bliss", "Mantra", and "Enjoy Enjoy" – all of which are in a tripped-out LA guru hippy mode that's simply wonderful! Side two features the extended "Journey To Bliss" suite, which has some spoken bits and a much wilder sound – but also the same sort of groovy pop-Eastern sound as side one!

Not singles as in the world of "hits" – but a really cool collection of rare work from Sun City Girls – mostly tracks issued on 7" singles for the Majora label, plus a few bits from other sources too! Together, the tracks provide a perfect illustration of the wide-ranging aesthetic of the group – some of the exotic tones that would be explored much more fully in their Sublime Frequencies label – mixed with some raspy, trippy elements that marked these guys as some of the few psych experimentalists of their generation! And honestly, this stuff sounds way better than we remember it – really compelling after all these years, especially in light of the later accomplishments of the Bishop brothers. Titles include "Soar/The Flower", "Esoterica Of Abyssynia", "Eye Mohini", "Sun Damaged My Ass", "Borungku Si Derita", "It's Ours", "Abydos", "Kickin The Dragon", and "Kal El Lazi Kad Ham".

Includes "One", "Mama Told Me Not To Come", "Easy To Be Hard", "Out In The Country", and "Eli's Coming".

A great late album from French composer, arranger, lyricist, singer and all around creative musical force Jean Claude Vannier – with Vannier singing moody, vintage orch pop numbers in a mode that does both JCV and his old collaborator Serge Gainsbourg proudly! The set has a very lively feel to it, which is quite natural, given that the album came about following the group's rehearsals for the Histoire De Melody Nelson performance at London's Barbican in 2006. It features a brilliant group of players who worked with Vannier and Serge Gainsbourg on that uber-iconic album as well as other boundary-busting projects and soundtracks – including Cannabis, La Horse, Slogan and Vannier's own legendary leftfield classic L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches. Vannier's voice is charismatic as can be, and the vintage pulp orchestrations are as fresh as ever. Includes "Londres-Paris-Sofia", "Les Yeux Valise", "Au Desespoir Des Singes", "Les Coquelicots", "La Vie En Live", "Une Partie De Scrabble", "Roses Rouge Sang" and "Un Petit Quelque Chose".

Mindblowing music from the legendary Scott Walker – a set that's even darker and more powerful than Drift – but which also shows a new sort of sensitivity as well! Walker's musical journey has been amazing – from teen idol to crooning poet to country singer, new wave experimentalist, and the incredibly artistic and reclusive talent of recent decades. Yet Bish Bosch is something completely new entirely – a record that bursts out with noise one minute, then shifts to sparely expressive passages the next – all in ways that kind of recapture the poetic charm of the initial Walker solo records, while wrapping it up with all the fiercely artistic energy of the later ones. There's a very abstract vibe to the record at points – not rock, never pop, and not even anything close to the vocalizations you'd hear from anyone except the most experimental or avant artists – yet somehow still in that amazingly deep tone that Walker could craft when singing for a mainstream audience. These contradictions, and many others, are what really make the record sparkle – and tracks include "See You Don't Bump His Head", "Corps De Blah", "Phrasing", "The Day The Conducator Died", "Tar", "Dimple", and "Epizootics".

Beautiful work from Hedy West – a folk singer with a voice that cuts through to the quick – none of the sweetness of some of the poppier acts of the 60s, and none of the softness that you might get from commercial efforts – and instead a sound that's straight from the hills, and a bit like some of the best Elektra recordings by Jean Ritchie! West plays banjo along with her vocals, but uses the instrument in a way that's almost more like acoustic guitar – very complicated note patterns, and less of the rhythmic strumming that you'd get in a hokier effort – with qualities that are often very dark and brooding. CD features Hedy's first two albums for Vanguard – Hedy West, with tracks that include "Single Girl", "Shady Grove", "Drowsy Sleeper", "Fare Thee Well", "Fragments", and "Sweet Jane" – and Hedy West Volume 2, with tracks that include "Pans Of Biscuits", "Lady Beauty Bright", "Boston Burglar", "Farther Along", "Hubbard", "Run Slave Run", and "Poor Little Lost Baby". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – unissued tracks "Cotton Mill Girls" and "Who's Going To Shoe Them Pretty Little Feet".

A great record from folk rock oddball Michael Hurley – with spare, ragged little solo guitar & vocal tunes that greatly showcase both Hurley's easygoing, slowly rolling along vocals, as well has his piercing, high emphatic howls– plus more fleshed out tunes with the band, full of groovy, eccentric instrumentation. He brings in some fiddle and mandolin for a rustic feel here and there, a coronet that lends a bit of a jazzy cognizance, and more streamlined, folk rock touches. The album includes a Hurley staple or two, including "Werewolf" – plus "Grand Canyon Line", "English Nobleman", "Be Kind To Me", "Troubled Waters", "Sweedeedee", "Open Up", "Jocko's Lament", "Light Green Fellow", "Get The Best Of Me", "Biscuut Roller", "When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano" and "Penguins".

A wonderfully weird project from Alan Bishop – famous member of Sun City Girls, and also the man who's given us the Sublime Frequencies label! The sound here is a great mix of both of those worlds – some of the exotic tones that SF has explored in its groundbreaking global releases, mixed with some of the offbeat sounds we've always loved from Sun City Girls – yet somehow also fused at times into a catchy approach that's almost pop at points, then quickly offset by darker elements that are right around the corner. Filled with surprises – and titles include "Black Blood", "Death Zoo", "Summer Rain", "Dark Hall", "Hitman Boy", and "Dream Machine".

Massive lost work from the Butterfield Blues Band – recorded in 1964, quite early in the group's career – but a set that already has them hitting hard with a really powerful sound! The recording quality and overall sound is nice and rough – a gritty groove that's more closely linked with the Chicago roots of the group than some of their later recordings – and the harmonica work of Paul Butterfield is really amazing – nicely distorted at times, almost in a fuzzy psych way – and matched by some excellent work on guitar from both Elvin Bishop and Mike Bloomfield – the latter of whom also handles Hammond and piano too. Titles include "Nut Popper 1", "Lovin Cup", "Our Love Is Driftin", "Take Me Back Baby", "Help Me", "Just To Be With You", "Everything's Gonna Be Alright", and "Goin Down Slow".

With a bonus CD Rom with interviews, rare photos & footage.

Rare Mexican psychedelic rock from The Survival – with a sound that ranges from a loose, wigged out psyche blues approach to tighter and faster groove – still informed by electric blues, but tricked out with fuzz and wah wah. A nice mix of raw production and expansive inspiration! They sing in heavily accented English, and it's a worthwhile discovery. Includes "Old People", "The World Is A Bomb", "What The World Need Is Union", "Electric Chair", "Canabis Lady", "Useless Warefare" and more.

Mindblowing music from the legendary Scott Walker – a set that's even darker and more powerful than Drift – but which also shows a new sort of sensitivity as well! Walker's musical journey has been amazing – from teen idol to crooning poet to country singer, new wave experimentalist, and the incredibly artistic and reclusive talent of recent decades. Yet Bish Bosch is something completely new entirely – a record that bursts out with noise one minute, then shifts to sparely expressive passages the next – all in ways that kind of recapture the poetic charm of the initial Walker solo records, while wrapping it up with all the fiercely artistic energy of the later ones. There's a very abstract vibe to the record at points – not rock, never pop, and not even anything close to the vocalizations you'd hear from anyone except the most experimental or avant artists – yet somehow still in that amazingly deep tone that Walker could craft when singing for a mainstream audience. These contradictions, and many others, are what really make the record sparkle – and tracks include "See You Don't Bump His Head", "Corps De Blah", "Phrasing", "The Day The Conducator Died", "Tar", "Dimple", and "Epizootics".

An unlikely bit of southern funk! Richard Newell – aka King Biscuit Boy – is a white Canadian blues performer, and not the kind of guy we'd normally rate – but on this album, he's lucky enough to get production from Allen Toussaint, who goes full-out to make this a fine fine funky session! The record's got plenty of nice snapping bass and drum parts, very much in the tradition of Toussaint's own best funky work – and it really grooves along nicely with a heavy New Orleans sound. Titles include "The Bum Is Mine", "Mean Old Lady", "Mind Over Matter", "Lovers & Leapers", and "Deaf Dumb Crippled & Blind".

A great late album from French composer, arranger, lyricist, singer and all around creative musical force Jean Claude Vannier – with Vannier singing moody, vintage orch pop numbers in a mode that does both JCV and his old collaborator Serge Gainsbourg proudly! The set has a very lively feel to it, which is quite natural, given that the album came about following the group's rehearsals for the Histoire De Melody Nelson performance at London's Barbican in 2006. It features a brilliant group of players who worked with Vannier and Serge Gainsbourg on that uber-iconic album as well as other boundary-busting projects and soundtracks – including Cannabis, La Horse, Slogan and Vannier's own legendary leftfield classic L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches. Vannier's voice is charismatic as can be, and the vintage pulp orchestrations are as fresh as ever. Includes "Londres-Paris-Sofia", "Les Yeux Valise", "Au Desespoir Des Singes", "Les Coquelicots", "La Vie En Live", "Une Partie De Scrabble", "Roses Rouge Sang", "Un Petit Quelque Chose" and more.