Rock — All Formats  

A repackaged version of the album Summer Days & Summer Nights – one of those stupid Capitol reissues that somehow contains less tracks than the original album! Fortunately, there's enough good stuff on here to make this one worth checking out – like some key pre-Pet Sounds gems that include "Let Him Run Wild" and "You're So Good To Me", both of which define the Pet Sounds love essence at its best – as well as the amazing "Summer Means New Love", an instrumental that hints at what Brian would soon do later in the studio!

Groovy album that has a number of vocal tracks from the Hair soundtrack, plus other late 60s groovy pop titles – all performed by the obscure California Poppy Pickers (who we seem to remember being someone else, but we're not sure.) Titles include "Good Morning Starshine", "Narrow People", "Hair", "Sunshine Summer Days", "Clean Up Your Own Backyard", and "Oh Happy Day".

Includes performances by Joan Baez, Kris Kristofferson, Country Joe McDonald, the Beach Boys, Merry Clayton, and Linda Ronstadt.

A mixed bag record, but with some really wonderful moments – and essential listening as a lead-up to the Pet Sounds album to follow! There's a mix of styles here – some rough rocking numbers that are a bit stiff, mixed with some really amazing tunes that get at Brian Wilson's new sensitivities – tunes like "Girl Don't Tell Me", "You're So Good To Me", "Summer Means New Love", and "Let Him Run Wild" – all complicated in subtle ways, with a great sense of tension underneath. Other tracks include "Help Me Rhonda", "California Girls", "I'm Bugged At My Old Man", and "Amusement Parks USA". Includes the complete album in both the mono and stereo mixes.

An interesting little record – with kind of a crossover California soul feel overall – recorded with Rene Hall arrangements that echo a few rootsy modes at times, mixed in with fuller orchestrations that step a bit back towards Jackie's earlier years on Imperial – a surprisingly nice blend, with a fresh sound for the 70s. The album features a number of great tracks co-written with Jimmy Holiday – a fellow Imperial talent – and titles include "Mediterranean Sky", "Sooner Or Later", "What Was Your Day Like", "Livin On The Easy Side", "Brighton Hill", and "When Morning Comes Again".

American sounds, but forged in Sweden – a surprisingly great batch of work from expatriate Jack Downing – including some rare singles, previously unreleased tunes, and even some live material too! Downing clearly picks up some of the folk rock styles of the post-Dylan generation – but he's also got this rough, raspy style of singing that's much more garagey at points than any folkies in the US – a weird sort of hybrid that only gets more interesting as the music here moves into the early 70s! The package brings together a full album recorded for RCA in Sweden, singles for Karusell, RCA, and CBS, and some live material recorded for Swedish radio too – 37 tracks that include "No Man's Land", "Out My Light", "Muddy Water", "Queen Jane Approximately", "Branded Man", "Only Dadd That'll Walk The Line", "The Kind Of Words", "Greenback Dollar", and "Going To California".

A warm, southern-inflected batch of bluesy sunshine rock from Dale "The Hawk" Hawkins – best known for gifting the world with his Chess original version of "Suzie Q" back in the late 50s – a big step away from the r&b steeped rockabilly he made his name on a decade earlier! LA, Memphis & Tyler, Texas is a catchy title and kind of a good hint at the sound – which has a breezy late 60s California vibe, but it's laid down with Memphis style horn backings and swampy guitars. Dale's vocal delivery is his most effervescent ever – and the players include James Burton, Spooner Oldham, the Memphis horns and even Taj Mahal! Tracks include "LA-Memphis-Tyler", "Heavy On My Mind", "Joe", "Houndog", "Back Street", "La-La La-La", "Candy Man". "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town", "Little Rain Cloud" and more.

A goofy title track, and a groovy little album from Jan & Dean – a set that has them settling nicely into their role as one of the most playful pairs in west coast pop – with a heck of a lot more staying power than some of their more surf-washed contemporaries! The album's got a number of tracks that follow in the similar LA-environs mode as the title track – but instead of being gimmicky, they almost come across with this whimsical sort of charm – like they're Jan & Dean's version of British tunes from The Kinks – a wonderfully playful picture postcard version of California, with more wit than you might expect! Titles include "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena", "The Anaheim Azusa & Cuckamonga Sewing Circle", "Summer Means Fun", "Old Ladies Seldom Power Shift", "Sidewalk Surfin", "One Piece Topless Bathing Suit", and "Horace The Swinging School Bus Driver".

A goofy title track, and a groovy little album from Jan & Dean – a set that has them settling nicely into their role as one of the most playful pairs in west coast pop – with a heck of a lot more staying power than some of their more surf-washed contemporaries! The album's got a number of tracks that follow in the similar LA-environs mode as the title track – but instead of being gimmicky, they almost come across with this whimsical sort of charm – like they're Jan & Dean's version of British tunes from The Kinks – a wonderfully playful picture postcard version of California, with more wit than you might expect! Titles include "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena", "The Anaheim Azusa & Cuckamonga Sewing Circle", "Summer Means Fun", "Old Ladies Seldom Power Shift", "Sidewalk Surfin", "One Piece Topless Bathing Suit", and "Horace The Swinging School Bus Driver".

Hard rock perfected! It's around Led Zeppelin IV you can easily say that the group moved up from being incredibly great to flat-out legendary. On IV, they do a bit of what the did on each of the three preceding albums, but rather than starting to repeat themselves, they get better! Amazing. Every song a classic: "Black Dog", "Stairway To Heaven", "Rock And Roll", "Misty Mountain Hop", "When The Levee Breaks", "Going To California", "Four Sticks" and "Battle Of Evermore".

With a name like this, you'd expect Lollipop Shoppe to be a sweet California band with a sunny pop feel – but instead, they've got a really nasty, nicely gritty sort of feel – kind of Sunset Strip garage rock turned towards more manic modes, a bit like early Love at their best! There's a raw power here that's simply wonderful – hardly what you'd expect from the usual groups on Uni Records at the time – and more the style you'd be likely to find from some small indie set out in the hinterlands. Guitars are raw and rugged, vocals are sung with a heartbreaking intensity – and a clear bit of craziness – and the rough-edged production really suits the group's sound wonderfully. Titles include "You Must Be A Witch", "It's Makin It", "I'm Gonna Be There", "It's Only A Reflection", "It Ain't How Long", and "Don't Close The Door On Me". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "Someone I Know" and "Through My Window".

Wonderful stuff! You probably know Mama Cass as one of the "mamas" in the Mamas & Papas – but she's got an insane pop vision on her own, a mad mix of the sweet, psychedelic, and historic, filtered through the haze of a late 60s LA summer afternoon. File this one next to your gems by The Association, Harper's Bizarre, and Van Dyke Parks – and you'll grow to love Mama for her tripped-out groovy pop! Titles include "You Know Who I Am", "Sweet Believer", "Rubber Band", "Long Time Loving You", and "California Earthquake".

The fun fun soundtrack to Rock 'N' Roll High School – that gloriously, knowingly trashy Roger Corman produced movie vehicle for the Ramones! Of course The Ramones are all over he soundtrack, but it's got a bunch of 70s new wave and hard rock from Devo, Eno, Nick Lowe, Todd Rundgren and more. Includes "Rock N Roll High School", "I Want You Around", a medley of "Blitzkrieg Bop", "Pinhead", "California Sun" and more by The Ramones, "Come Back Jonee" by Devo, "Energy Fools The Magician" by Eno, "So It Goes" by Nick Lowe, "School Days" by Chuck Berry, "School's Out" by Alice Cooper and more.

A tremendous bit of psychedelic pop from sunny California at the end of the 60s – one of those records that has a heck of a lot more going on than most of the bigger sets at the time! Sunlight work in territory that's not unfamiliar – harmony vocals, guitar-based grooves, and slightly hippieish lyrics – but they've got a way of putting together the tunes that's really a cut above – a compelling style that somehow makes all the best elements really resonate strongly, with a perfection that delights more and more with each new track on the album! There's kind of a timeless quality to the record that almost makes it feel like something recorded many years later – but the overall production and instrumentation are very 60s-based, with a really great sound throughout. CD features the full album plus bonus tracks – and titles include "David", "Light Without Heat", "Hammond Eggs", "Sometimes A Woman", "Second Thoughts", "Seven Times Infinity", and "The Fun Machine".

A rare full album from The Tradewinds – a wonderful harmony pop group with a Sunshine Pop feel! The Tradewinds have a style that's heavily in a Beach Boys mode – sunny California harmonies on the vocals, and a sort of post-Pet Sounds approach to songwriting – one that makes for some really compelling songs in the set! The group's best known for their "New York's A Lonely Town" hit, but the whole album is great – filled with inventive songs, compelling vocals, and cool arrangements from Jimmy Wisner and Artie Butler – two very groovy talents. Titles include "Mind Excursion", "Bad Misunderstanding", "Only When I'm Dreamin", "Small Town Bring Down", "To Be With You", "Little Susan's Dreamin", and "Huggin In The Hall". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" and "Hard Life".

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!

That's Paul Williams, lost amidst the whiteness of the cover – kind of fuzzy around the edges, just like the warm feelings in his music! The album's got all the best elements that Williams had to offer in the 70s – some incredible songs that are instantly more personal and more upfront than most of his contemporaries, sung by Paul in that weird, raspy style that really makes you know he's not making any of this up – no false bravado, or pop star cockiness – just that up-close element that made this lil' ol' short guy a surprisingly strong singer in the 70s. Arrangements are by Kenny Ascher, and are some of the best that Williams got at the time – and titles include "Sunday", "Margarita", "Sleep Warm", "A Little Bit Of Love", "The Family Of Man", "California Roses", "She Sings For Free", and "Sad Song".

A host of songs that may be familiar to your ears – but in versions that pretty obscure! The collection follows wonderfully in the spirit of the unique first volume – and again offers up the original versions of songs that later went onto become big hits for other artists – often presented here as indie 45s that hardly made much noise upon original release, but which obviously harbored enough genius to lead to famous recordings in later years! Styles change up nicely – a bit of rock, soul, and other modes in the collection's mix of 24 tracks – and titles include "California Dreamin" by Barry McGuire, "Hush" by Billy Joe Royal, "Sorrow" by The McCoys, "I've Got My Mind Set On You (parts 1 & 2)" by James Ray, "Old Man Willis" by Tony Joe White, "You Got What It Takes" by Bobby Parker, "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" by Don Cherry, "Leavin It All Up To You" by Don & Dewey, "Sing In The Sunshine" by Hoyt Axton, "Mustang Sally" by Sir Mack Rice, "Mbube" by Solomon Linda's Original Evening Birds, and "Higher & Higher" by The Dells.

Joanie's second album for Warner Brothers – and a date that features some especially nice backings from Neal Hefti, who helps swing Sommers into some great jazzy territory, but always with that playful Hefti touch that we love so much! Instrumentation is always interesting, even underneath the vocals – and the record sparkles like some of the better upbeat jazz vocal sides on Capitol from the time – much better than the usual mainstream fare, with kind of a cool California wink at the listener. Titles include "Aren't You Glad You're You", "For All We Know", "Nobody Else But Me", "This Can't Be Love", "Let There Be Love", and "This Heart Of Mine".

The one-and-only record by Anonymous – a mid 70s Indianapolis group who only ever pressed up a few hundred copies – and now it's one of best and most desired private press gems of its time! It's got a great sound that bears the influences of some of the great California combos of the period – think The Byrds and Crosby Stills Nash & Young – with great lead and harmony vocals and brilliant acoustic guitar work. What's most remarkable is that their songs and performances live up to those groups – it really seems like the only thing that held them back was the lack of a big production budget, promotion and distribution. Talent-wise, they have the goods! A really solid, timeless set. Includes "Who's Been Foolin'?", "J Rider", "Up To You", "Shadow Lay", "Pick Up And Run", "We Got More", "Sweet Lilac" and "Baby Come Risin'". This first ever licensed re-release feature liner notes by Aaron Milenski of Acid Archives.

The one-and-only record by Anonymous – a mid 70s Indianapolis group who only ever pressed up a few hundred copies – and now it's one of best and most desired private press gems of its time! It's got a great sound that bears the influences of some of the great California combos of the period – think The Byrds and Crosby Stills Nash & Young – with great lead and harmony vocals and brilliant acoustic guitar work. What's most remarkable is that their songs and performances live up to those groups – it really seems like the only thing that held them back was the lack of a big production budget, promotion and distribution. Talent-wise, they have the goods! A really solid, timeless set. Includes "Who's Been Foolin'?", "J Rider", "Up To You", "Shadow Lay", "Pick Up And Run", "We Got More", "Sweet Lilac" and "Baby Come Risin'". This first ever licensed re-release feature liner notes by Aaron Milenski of Acid Archives.

A pair of disco gems – back to back in a single set, and with bonus tracks too! First up is the album On Such A Winter's Day by Grand Tour – a unique side project of the Canadian team who gave the world the THP Orchestra, but one that's done with a bit more Euro style overall! The grooves are full and sweeping right from the start – not as cold as the sounds coming from some of the German studios, but with a similar use of vocals tied up inside the strings – a quality that has the singer equally placed with the instrumentation in the mix, and not as much as a standout soloist. These strings are arranged to perfection by the legendary Jimmie Haskell – who really changes up his mode here, and works great with the groove. The set's got a killer clubby remake of "California Dreamin" – done with female lead vocals and a disco pace that's somehow more chilling than the original. Other titles include "Still I'm Sad", "The Grand Tour", "Flight To Versailles", and the great jazzy groover "Late November". Bonus tracks include "Grand Tour (7" mix)", "Let's Go Boating (promo 7" mix)", "Grand Tour Medley", "Lat November (promo 7" mix)", and "Still I'm Sad (7" mix)". Headin South is a standout album from Southern Exposure – a sweet disco set from the Canadian scene of the late 70s – and one that's as sexy-sounding as its cover might imply! The tracks are long and nicely stretched-out – and have a great use of percussion at the core, mixed with spacier keyboards that really help refine the groove – and give the tracks more than enough energy to push well past the 5 minute mark – even without any sort of strong vocals in the lead! Lyrics are mostly in the catch chorus style of this sort of work – but the main appeal is really the instrumentation, including keyboards from Carl Marsh, alongside some nice riffing guitar and bass as well. Titles include "On Our Way", "Love Is", "Tight Pants", and "Headin South". Bonus tracks include "Headin South (edit)", "On Our Way (edit)", "Love Is (7" mix)", and "Tight Pants (7" mix)".

REM's major label debut – the culmination of years spent inching closer and closer to the mainstream – and one of the best examples of the past several decades of a band rooted in the indie rock underground reinventing themselves as superstars, without compromising their uniqueness or overall greatness! The previous couple of albums showed that REM was capable of producing songs with sing-a-long potential – and more powerful rock songs – along with their uniquely moody, often acoustic-based songcraft. This is where they took the biggest step yet in that direction. Michael Stipe really stepped out his shell like never before around this time, and his evolution from indie rock poet to extroverted showman is amazing. Titles include "Pop Song 89", "Get Up", "You Are Everything", "Stand", "World Leader Pretend", "The Wrong Child", "Orange Crush", "Turn You Inside Out", "Air Shirt" and "I Remember California". This great 25th Anniversary remastered deluxe edition includes expanded fold-out poster, 4 postcards, plus an incredible bonus CD – 21 songs recorded live in Greensboro, NC on November 10, 1989 – including "Stand", "The One I Love", "Turn You Inside Out", "Belong", "Exhuming McCarthy", "Orange Crush", "Get Up", "Fall On Me", "Finest Worksong", "Live And How To Live It", "It's The End Of The World As We Know It", "Pop Song '89" and more.

A nice bit of hippy-dippy rock/pop from late 60s California – a male and female vocal team, with a sound that's somewhere between The Mamas & The Papas and Ian & Sylvia and Jefferson Airplane. The overall sound of the record is very nice – thanks to production by Steve Barri, arrangements by Tom Brown, and a backup combo that includes Hal Blaine on drums and percussion, and Larry Knechtel on piano and organ. Songs are short and catchy, and titles include "November Snow", "Establishment Blues", "Sonora", "Golden Gate Park", "Sausalito Sunrise", "Gardens of Chelsea", and "Quick Draw Man".

REM's major label debut – the culmination of years spent inching closer and closer to the mainstream – and one of the best examples of the past several decades of a band rooted in the indie rock underground reinventing themselves as superstars, without compromising their uniqueness or overall greatness! The previous couple of albums showed that REM was capable of producing songs with sing-a-long potential – and more powerful rock songs – along with their uniquely moody, often acoustic-based songcraft. This is where they took the biggest step yet in that direction. Michael Stipe really stepped out his shell like never before around this time, and his evolution from indie rock poet to extroverted showman is amazing. Titles include "Pop Song 89", "Get Up", "You Are Everything", "Stand", "World Leader Pretend", "The Wrong Child", "Orange Crush", "Turn You Inside Out", "Air Shirt" and "I Remember California".

A handful of tracks from the Greensboro stop in on legendary Green tour! Includes "Remember California," "So. Central Rain", "Feeling Gravitys Pull" and more.

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.

Dreamy dreamy pop from the late 60s underground – a wonderful assortment of rare singles and LP tracks, all hand-picked by the genius crew at Pet Records! The set seems to even top their previous excellent volumes – going beyond even the lesser-known, to come up with 24 tracks that we'd never heard before – but which easily rank with our favorite Sunshine Pop records ever! The package features a great set of notes that gives you details on each track, and really helps put the music into perspective. Loads of great harmonies, catchy tunes, and sweet California production – perfectly summing up the huge amount of untapped genius in the post-Pet Sounds era! Titles include "Where Is The Door" by West Coast Branch, "January Girl" by The Pipe Dream, "My Imagination" by PK Limited, "A Scene In Between" by The Stained Glass, "October Rain" by The Cinnamon Ship, "Floating Downstream On An Inflatable Rubber Raft" by The Second Helping, and "Lovin Day" by The Status Cymbal.

An amazing document of the California underground scene of the 70s – four volumes worth of material from the Los Angeles Free Music Society – recorded by a range of different artists who were all invited to contribute cheaply to a series of Blorp Esette albums! The range of work here is really massive – and in a way, the whole thing comes together more as a sound collage than anything else – some highly arty music mixed with trippier rock sounds, bits of roots, avant sound experimentation, and more – all coming across with a style that's incredibly fierce, kind of post-hippie, pre-CA hardcore – a slice of the west coast that's really been lost to time. There's definitely strains here of some of the SF scene that you'll find in the Ralph Records world – but much of it is a lot more obscure too, and there's almost a west coast version of the East Village/ESP sound going down too. 4CDs worth of work, and way too much to list here – but we can say that contributors include The Doo Dooettes, Ju Suk Reet Meate, Anne Harney, Reverend Marty Nation, Smegma, Nopar King, South Pasedena Free Music Ensemble, Ace & Duce, Bix Flent, Christian Death, Dennis Duck, Henry Kaiser, Mr Foon, Electric Willy Trio, The Patients, Ed Barger, and many others.

Sweet pop and soft rock from one of the greatest songwriting teams ever! Roger Nichols and Paul Williams may not be as familiar to you as Bacharach & David – or at least not as familiar as Paul Williams himself – but during the late 60s and early 70s, the pair emerged from the A&M studios as one of the greatest forces in LA songwriting! Both Nichols and Williams were hipper than the usual talents, and Nichols himself had recorded one of the greatest albums ever issued on A&M – and together, the pair managed to write some of the grooviest tunes ever to crack the mainstream as the 60s wore into the 70s. The songs here are touched with a great blend of California sun, hippie optimism, and love-burned realism – presented in a great array by a variety of pop and easy artists, making the set one of the greatest tributes to Nichols and Williams you could ever hope to hear! Titles include "The Drifter" by Heidi Bruhl, "Always You" by The Sundowners, "I Won't Last A Day Without You" by Paul Mauriat, "Someday Man" by The Casuals, "I Never Had It So Good" by Dobie Gray, "To Put Up With You" by The Sandpipers, "Talk It Over In The Morning" by Engelbert Humperdink, "Love So Fine" by Don Costa, "I Kept On Loving You" by Heaven Bound, "When Love Is Near" by The Original Caste, "Rainbow Connection" by Willie Nelson, and "No Love Today" by Michelle Phillips – plus "Travelling Boy" and "Rainy Days & Mondays" by Paul Williams, and "Let's Ride" and "The Drifter" by Roger Nichols.

Wonderful wonderful! The third album by Harpers Bizarre – and one that shows them growing in leaps and bounds with each new release! The record is a sublime fusion of sweet pop California 60s harmonies (ala The Sandpipers or The Lettermen), baroque arrangements with a fake dreamy nostalgia (ala Van Dyke Parks or Randy Newman), and drug-addled underground takes on the eazy sound of the generation (ala Brian Wilson or Love). This album is one of their most perfectly-realized visions, and it features a great blend of older songs, all hipped-up to modern LA arrangements by the likes of Nick De Caro, Perry Botkin, and others. The record has an approach that's simply mindblowing when you consider the amount of funds and effort that must have been put into a record that would only be truly appreciated 40 years later – and it's filled with great titles that include "Me, Japanese Boy", "Look To The Rainbow", "Funny How Love Can Be", "Mad", "Green Apple Tree", and "Las Mananitas".