Rock — All Formats  

There's nobody like The Small Faces at their best – as you'll hear from the group's killer 1966 album on Decca! The style here is tight, right, and fully-formed straight from the start – easily one of the best UK 60s hybrids of American influences from R&B, garage rock, and early psych – sorted out perfectly by a quartet of lads who really know what they're doing. And the album's maybe even more focused than the group's later album on Immediate – as here, The Small Faces are all business, and the right kind of gritty – just fantastic stuff that's fresh and exciting even today! Titles include "Shake", "Come On Children", "You Better Believe It", "IT's Too Late", "One Night Stand", "Sorry She's Mine", "Sha La La Lee", and "Own Up Time". 2CD version is filled with great stuff – the full mono mix of the album, plus bonus tracks that include "Patterns", "Grow Your Own", "What's A Matter Baby", and "I've Got Mine" – and then a full bonus CD of 14 more tracks – all strange mixes and alternate versions of album tracks!

Possibly the rarest album by UK outfit pf Alan Bown! The group is named for founder, trumpet and flugelhorn player, and they got around bit earlier in an R&B-styled mode, then billed as The Alan Bown Set. Starting with this cool record, they committed to more of a psychedelic pop mode. That serves them well! The tunes are infectious, skewing the the accessible side of the psych sound. The drums hit hard and there's both punchy electric and chiming acoustic elements – usually with groovy organ and huge melodies. Outward Bown has never had much luck in the market place, and this 2CD UK edition aims to remedy that – with the full stereo version plus the bonus track "Little Lesley" on disc one, plus the full mono version with a few additional bonus tracks on disc two. Includes "Toyland", "Mutiny", "Sally Green", "Love Is A Beautiful Thing", "Violin Shop", "You're Not In My Class", "Technicolor Dream", one of the most unique covers of "All Along The Watchtower", "My Girl Of The Month May" and more.

An incendiary collection of mid-to-late 60s material from The Attack – a proponent of the same UK scene that spawned The Creation and The Who – and influenced later firebrands like The Buzzcocks and other punk era greats! About Time includes the group's Decca singles, rare radio sessions, and previously unreleased records – some with a slight bluesy guitar tinge, but nearly all of them heavy and driving – way ahead of their time! Tracks include "Any More Than I Do", "Feel Like Flying", "Created by Clive", "Try It", "Go Your Way", "Strange House", "Freedom For You", "Hi Ho Silver Lining", "Magic In The Air (aka Watch With Mother)", and "We Don't Know". 15 tracks in all – and slightly different than the Cherry Red version.

A pretty killer slab of heavily-thumping early 70s rock from Megaton – a group with a Sabbath-like and a sound that definitely matches it – plus a surprising bit of bluesy heat in the mix! The album's got an impressive sound, somewhat in the vein of Free – and like Free, the vocalist seems to have a secret stash of bluesy soul records underneath his bed – as well as other contraband! There's some pretty shameless riffs on Zep and other hard rockers of the era – and that actually kind of adds the seedy charm of the record. Tracks include "Out Of Your Own Little World", "Niagara", "Wanna Be A Hero", "Coo Cooki Choo", "Woman I'm Gonna Make You Mine", "Life Was Easy Yesterday", and "Tomorrow Never Comes My Way".

Early brilliance from The Small Faces – a set that perfectly sums up all the aspects that set them apart from their peers on the British scene of the 60s! Sure, there's the requisite mod touches in the music's influence from American R&B and garage – but there's also a winningly unique vibe in the way the whole thing comes together – almost a touch of nascent psych, yet used in very economical ways – to perfectly fuel Steve Marriott's lead vocals, and send them soaring where few others might dare to go at the time! There's a cohesion and focus of vision that grabs us right from the start – and holds strongly, even when the group are handling other folks' songs too. Titles include "Runaway", "My Mind's Eye", "That Man", "Hey Girl", "All Or Nothing", "Plum Nellie", "You Really Got A Hold On Me", and "My Way Of Giving". MASSIVE 2CD package features – full mono mix of the album – plus bonus tracks that include "Understanding", "I Can't Dance With You", "I Can't Make It", "Just Passing", "Picanniny", "My Minds Eye (stereo)", "Understanding", and loads more – including alternates, rare mixes, and more!

An incredible album – and one of the most revolutionary rock albums of the late 60s! The Who recorded this one as a tribute to mainstream radio at the time – linking together some solid stand alone tunes with shorter, wittier tracks that were recorded as commercials for products that included baked beans, acne cream, and deodorant – as well as cool announcer bits too! The end result is one of the most sonically complex records issued by a mainstream rock act of the time – sort of like The Who said "yeah, everyone's trying to copy Sgt Peppers with big arrangements, but we'll take this concept album thing in a whole new direction!" Brilliant all the way through, and with tracks that include "Armenia City In The Sky", "Heinz Baked Beans", "Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand", "I Can See For Miles", "I Can't Reach You", "Rale", "Sunrise", and "Silas Stingy".

The one and only album from T2 – an incredible British group with a sound that should have been huge! Like some of the best of their generation, T2 is a trio – featuring some heavy guitars from Keith Cross, vocals by Peter Dunton, and rumbling bass from Bernard Jinks – all brought together with a sound that's sharply focused in its vision, yet freely expressive in execution. There's a great mix here between jamming passages and softer sensitivity – never as forced as on some of the early King Crimson records, but with a similar sort of sharpness and range that should have gotten this one to a much wider audience. Titles include the side-long "Morning", plus "In Circles", "JLT", and "No More White Horses".

A landmark live set from The Who – a record that offers the group with a blistering intensity that blows away all their other studio albums of the time! Although offered during the Who's Tommy-era expansion into broader themes and more complicated instrumentation, the album's a real return to basics – and features a guitar-heavy version of the group performing a number of older rock n roll classics like "Summertime Blues", "Shakin All Over", and "Young Man Blues" – plus really extended jamming takes on their own "My Generation" and "Magic Bus", and a searing 2 minute take on "Substitute" that's probably everything you ever need to know about The Jam!

A classic greatest hits package from The Who – one that had almost as much life as any of their major full length albums, and a set that served to re-introduce new audiences to the group after the success of Tommy and Who's Next! Most of the tracks here predate those albums – pulled from the group's earliest years, and awash in mod rhythms, tight guitars, and lyrics that are quite edgey – even in the format of a two-minute pop tune. Titles include "Boris The Spider", "Happy Jack", "Pictures Of Lily", "My Generation", "The Seeker", "I Can't Explain", "The Kids Are Alright", "Anyway Anyhow Anywhere", "A Legal Matter", "Substitute", "I'm A Boy", and "Pinball Wizard".

Hard to go wrong with this one – and the original Tommy album in its entirety is still amazingly tripped-out – much more so than you'd expect from the individual songs on their own, or from the later schlocky movie!

One of the greatest records ever by one of the greatest bands ever! The tracks of Who's Next are the stuff of legend – classics like "Baba O'Riley", "Bargain", "Going Mobile", "Behind Blue Eyes", and "Won't Get Fooled Again", tracks that show the group growing tremendously beyond their roots as mod rockers.

A great package – with a dozen Rolling Stones albums on sweet import vinyl! Includes the albums The Rolling Stones, Around & Around, The Rolling Stones No 2, Out Of Our Heads, After Math, Got Live If You Want It, Between The Buttons, Their Satanic Majesties Request, Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Get Yer Ya Ya's Out, and Metamorphosis.

The striking debut of Marianne Faithfull – a complicated mix of folk and pop styles, with a spooky other-worldly sound that's impossible to describe accurately! Marianne's voice has a trilling quality that makes it sound at once ancient and innocent – handled here with lightly drifting backings that create an eerie mood on some of the album's best songs. The set was arranged and produced by Jon Mark – and titles include "Come My Way", "Jaberwock", "Portland Town", "Spanish Is A Living Tongue", "Full Fathom Five", "Down In The Sally Garden", and "Black Girl".

A landmark session that gathered together just about every hip British jazz and jazz/rock musician of the time – and brought them together into one super-cool orchestra of sound! Robert Fripp produced the record, and Keith Tippett is the overall music director – but the album's got a feel that's much more in the avant side of the UK jazz spectrum – particularly the trippier side of the Deram/Decca label of the late 60s – like work by Mike Westbrook or Mike Gibbs! The lineup is huge – with Elton Dean and Dudu Pukwana on alto sax, Alan Skidmore and Gary Windo on tenor, Ian Carr and Mongesi Fesa on trumpets, Mark Charig on cornet, Nick Evans and Paul Rutherford on trombone, Keith Tippett on piano, Brian Godding on guitar, Robert Wyatt and John Marshall on drums, and Maggie Nicholls, Julie Tippett, Mike Patto, and Zoot Money on vocals – plus lots of strings as well!

A landmark session that gathered together just about every hip British jazz and jazz/rock musician of the time – and brought them together into one super-cool orchestra of sound! Robert Fripp produced the record, and Keith Tippett is the overall music director – but the album's got a feel that's much more in the avant side of the UK jazz spectrum – particularly the trippier side of the Deram/Decca label of the late 60s – like work by Mike Westbrook or Mike Gibbs! The lineup is huge – with Elton Dean and Dudu Pukwana on alto sax, Alan Skidmore and Gary Windo on tenor, Ian Carr and Mongesi Fesa on trumpets, Mark Charig on cornet, Nick Evans and Paul Rutherford on trombone, Keith Tippett on piano, Brian Godding on guitar, Robert Wyatt and John Marshall on drums, and Maggie Nicholls, Julie Tippett, Mike Patto, and Zoot Money on vocals – plus lots of strings as well!

Rare and raw mod rock from The Frays! 90 Wardour Street features a bunch great mid 60s recordings from the group – with a couple of great tunes that were released by Decca as singles back in the day, but the 12-track album was never released – until now! A nice back of spare, but wallop mod rhythms & hard blues. It's got a nice, unvarnished vibe overall – with some really sharp guitar lines, walloping drums and harp-blowing! Includes "Don't Start Crying Now", "Eenie Meenie Miney Mo", "Fattening Frogs For Snakes", "Help Me", "I Wonder Who", "Keep It To Yourself", "Red's Dream", "Groovin'", "My Babe" and "Walk On".

A cool contemporary set from Brazil – one that's got a great mix of folksy roots and inventive production – the latter of which comes from some great help in the studio by Kassin! Kassin co-produced the recorded with singer Vitor Patalano – whom himself already has a pretty compelling musical vision – one that almost echoes the hippest aspects of the late 60s/early 70s UK scene on labels like Harvest or Decca – yet which also comes across with a leaner, more personal feel too – one that's amplified strongly by Kassin's efforts. The record's a gem through and through – the sort that might have broke big, had it come out on a hipster label in the US – but even better as a Brazilian secret (at least for now!) Lyrics are all in English – and titles include "Cordillera Girl", "Not The Time", "Seagulls", "Death Cheating Tuna Cowboys", "Butcher The Savior", "We Want Your Genes", and "The Core".

The previously unreleased last album by The Zombies! RIP – The Lost Album features a batch of tracks were prepared for release pretty much on time with the group's demise – but after a couple of singles, the LP was ultimately shelved. Older Decca sessions still sound remarkably fresh here, the set is totally worth the Zombies legacy. Includes "Imagine The Swan" and "If It Don't Work Out", among the final singles ever issued by The Zombies and "Conversation Off Floral St", which was one of only a couple Zombies instrumentals. Other tracks include "Smokey Day", "Girl Help Me", "She Loves The Way They Love Her", "I'll Keep Trying", "Don't Cry For Me" and more.

The really cool, totally underrated first album from the mighty Thin Lizzy on Decca – a self-titled effort from a few years earlier in the 70s than the badass, harder rocking style to come – and with some nicely tripped out folk psych influences! It's interesting to listen this first record with their later work in mind, because you can sense the tide coming for the tighter, punchier sound of later records – but this early on, they're rolling with an airier late 60s-learned vibe, too! Titles include "Honesty Is No Excuse", "Ray-Gun", "Look What The Wind Blew In", "Clifton Garage Hotel", "Saga Of The Ageing Orphan", "Remembering (Part 1)" and more.