Rock — All Formats  

Rock 'n' soul from South Africa's The Flames – their '67 set Burning Soul and '68's Soultime – on a single CD! Burning Soul wasn't the group's first album, but it's the first featuring vocalist Blondie Chapman, who helped steer the group's more rocking roots to a sound more indebted to classic Motown and Atlantic soul! They do keep a nice undercurrent of rock & roll, though,and this is a nice little set with some really groovy covers. Titles include "You Got It Made", "Stop, Look And Listen", "Knock On Wood", "Hold On I'm Coming", "Purple Haze" and more. Soultime has a pretty cool mix of straighter late 60s style soul-rock with a bit of trippy psyche influences in the mix. At this point, the group reminds us a little bit of Soul Survivors and some of the acts on Dunwich – and the bass-heavy groove of the tracks is really wonderful. Titles include "Lost", "If You Think You're Groovy", "I Was Made To Love Her", "Useless Illusions", "Restless", "Wishes", and "Solitude".

Beautiful modern pop from this enigmatic Swedish group who took their name from the legendary Polish soundtrack composer Krszytof Komeda! Their music is dreamy and wonderful – with bits of 60s pop filtered through a 90s sensibility, trimmed down through a post-punk adherence to simplicity – served up in a lovely little package. Titles include "Top Star", "Light O My Life", "More Is More", "Rocket Plane", and "New New No". First time on vinyl!

Hard grooving psychedelia and other wise astral rock from the South African underground scene – and a variety of sounds – some from the Hendrix school of hard bluesy psyche sounds, others airier and more based on soaring vocals and trippy songcraft, and still others with surprising bits of soul! This second volume in the Astral Daze series stands up proudly with the first, with a few recognizable names for deep rock nugget diggers, Blondie Chapman for one, here with his group The Flames, and lots of others that are totally fresh to our ears! 18 tracks in all: "The Kid He Came From Aazareth" by Freedoms Children, "Spider Spider" by Tidal Wave, "Solitude" by The Flames, "I Wish I Was A Purple Door" by Falling Mirror, 'Woman Yeah" by The Gonks, "She's A Mermaid" by Band Of Gypsies and much more.

Bebel Gilberto eat your heart out – Antena explored the same electric-bossa territory you did, nearly 20 years before your first big record! The group were a short-lived French outfit who were one of the shining jewels in the crown of the lovely label Les Disques Du Crepuscule during the early 80s – and were a real breath of fresh air in the post-punk years with their light and jazzy approach to the groove. As you'll hear in this set, Antena's style borrows a lot from the bossa, but also throws in some wonderful poppish touches – including jangly guitars recorded in a similar mode to some of the other French/European indie groups of the time, and a slight darkness in production that almost gives a Martin Hannett-like undercurrent to the whole set. The group's album Camino Del Sol has been lovingly reissued with a great set of notes, as well as a series of bonus tracks from an additional ep – making for a beautiful 14 track package that will really help you rediscover this nearly-lost group! Titles include "Sissexa", "To Climb The Cliff", "Camino Del Sol", "Bye Bye Papaye", "Noelle A Hawaii", "The Boy From Ipanema", "Seaside Weekend", "Frantz", and "Ingenuous".

Joan Baez, back when she was really pretty darn amazing – a young, fresh, powerful force in 60s folk music! The set features Baez on vocals and guitar – with additional electric guitar on a few tracks, a bit of mandolin, and some bass. Includes great readings of Dylan tunes "Farewell Angelina", "It's All Over Now Baby Blue", "Hard Rain's Gonna Fall", and "Daddy You Been On My Mind" – plus Donovan's "Colours".

Joan Baez, back when she was really pretty darn amazing – a young, fresh, powerful force in 60s folk music! The set features Baez on vocals and guitar – with additional electric guitar on a few tracks, a bit of mandolin, and some bass. Includes great readings of Dylan tunes "Farewell Angelina", "It's All Over Now Baby Blue", "Hard Rain's Gonna Fall", and "Daddy You Been On My Mind" – plus Donovan's "Colours".

An amazing step sideways for London's Zoot Money – a move from mod to psych, with a trippy quality that's quite different from his jazzy sound a few years before! The group's got legendary fame – not just for the shift in styles by Zoot, but also for the fact that it features key work from a young Andy Summers – later of The Police – who works here with some great tones on guitar, and plenty of fresh ideas in all the songs he penned on the record! Money's vocals are wonderful – almost as if Georgie Fame were singing on a psych album – which is as unusual and compelling as you might think. These sessions were recorded in the late 60s, but mostly unissued at the time – but really rank with the best of the early Syd Barrett or Kevin Ayers generation – with titles that include "Coffee Song", "Madman Running Through The Fields", "This Island", "High Flying Bird", "Four Firemen", "Soma (parts 1 & 2)".

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".

One of the best records of the post rock 90s – the masterful Directions In Music from Bundy K Brown, Doug Sharin and James Warden – a record that will sound fresh and insistent for as long as anyone's listening to it! This one stands up to the passing of time as well as any other instrumental avant rock album of any period. It's 8 untitled pieces with guitar, bass and drums at the core of the sound, but with subtle, angular touches and textural manipulation adding depth without it ever getting too arty or difficult just for the sake of it – there's not a unnecessary particle or element to be found. Mesmerizing all the way!

Two early gems from this fab French singer! First up is the self-titled Francoise Hardy album from 1962 – a seminal debut from the young Hardy, and a record that set the tone for a whole generation of French music to come! The album's a remarkable achievement – especially considering that Francoise was 18 at the time – filled with original tunes that have a really fresh presentation – not just in the lyrics, but in the overall presentation – which was a huge change from the overly emotive modes of the generation before. Hardy plays a fair bit of acoustic guitar along with her vocals – furthering the groovy feel of the set – and backings are by the orchestra of Roger Samyn, who adds in some slight rockish touches. Titles include "On Se Plait", "Oh Oh Cheri", "Ca A Rate", "Tous Les Garcons Et Les Filles", "La Fille Avec Toi", and "J'Suis D'Accord". Canta Per Voi In Italiano has Hardy changing up her lyrics entirely – using Italian instead of French, in a way that was not uncommon for other European singers of her time! The vibe is similar to her French work of the time – a beautiful blend of dreamy female vocals and some slight rockish touches – the latter of which are always underplayed, so as to keep the youthful quality of Hardy in the lead. Titles include "Ci Sto", "Per Tanto Tempo", "Io Vorrei", "E Alla'Amore Che Penso", and "L'Eta Dell'Amore".

A great little record that's waiting to be re-discovered! The album quickly tanked as the over-pressed soundtrack to an under-viewed film – but despite years in cutout bins, it's got a fresh quality that we really treasure! About half the album features cool instrumental tunes from Mike Leander – scored in that weird mix of touches that he was using in his "rock to easy" years – and these cuts are interspersed with vocal numbers by Paul Jones, sung in a dramatic style that's a bit Bowie, but with more blue eyed soul. Titles include "Free Me", "It's Overotherness Time", "I'm Alright Jackboot", "I've Been A Bad Bad Boy", and "Stephen".

Definite gold from Liquid Blue – an obscure indie group from the 70s, but one with a tight sound that should have made them huge! The style here is partly soul and funk, partly smoother AOR crossover material – but served up with a nice indie vibe that still keeps things fresh, and which makes the album feel more like a blue-eyed soul effort than anything else! There's a warm So-Cal vibe to the whole thing – rhythms heavy with keyboards and tight guitar bits – and the vocals are often compressed down nicely into the mix, making for a mighty smooth groove overall. Titles include "Ain't That What You Want", "Papa Do Right", "Girl Of A Million Dreams", "Abuse Me", "Go For It", and "Big Money".

A landmark album of hard-rocking soul – and a record that broke open both genres for a generations to come! The set's about as classic as you can get for Little Richard – filled with killer numbers that jump around boldly in some heavy New Orleans piano-led grooves – all topped by Richard's raw, raspy, utterly amazing vocals! And sure, you may know some cuts here from oldies radio, but together they really have a heck of a lot of power – and stand as a testament to the fresh genius that Little Richard represented at this early point – a sound that hundreds would try to copy, but nobody could ever hope to match. Titles include "Tutti Frutti", "Rip It Up", "True, Fine Mama", "Long Tall Sally", "She's Got It", "Oh Why", "Baby", and "Slippin' & Slidin". Great new CD reissue – with bonus demo versions of "Baby" and "All Night Long", and an interview with Art Rupe – plus bonus videos of "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally", both screen tests!

Quite possibly the last truly sublime album ever recorded by Os Mutantes – a set that's a bit more rock-oriented then their first few, but still pretty revolutionary overall! The group have expanded to a quintet at this point, but haven't yet falling into the guitar-heavy groove of later years – and Rogerio Duprat is working with the group on arrangements, although Mutantes member Arnaldo Baptista is handling production chores himself. Odd styles still slide into the mix as the tunes roll on – creating that great sense of surprise that makes their best work so great, and keeping things fresh even when a bit more straight ahead! Titles include a reprise of "Baby", one of the group's early classics – plus "Portugal De Navio", "Virginia", "Tecnicolor", "El Justicero", "Lady, Lady", "Sarava", "It's Very Nice Pra Xuxu", and "Top Top".

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!

A strong statement from drummer Dylan Ryan and Sand – Dylan's trio with guitarist Timothy Young and bassist Devin Hoff. This is in a more paired down setting than we've heard Dylan in recently and it's damn strong stuff! Chicago-bred musician Ryan has never been one to heed stylistic boundaries – mixing up free jazz and avant rock into a unique, compelling sound. Now a citizen of LA, he's sounding as fresh as ever. The rhythmic interplay between Ryan and Hoff is equally invigorating in tightly walloping arrangements and the looser ones, and Young's fiery electric guitar is awesome to behold – particularly on the feedback-flavored rave ups. Includes "White Nights", "Barocco", "Psychic Journey", "Mayan Sun", "White Magic", "Soft Rain On A Dead Sea", "Time Stalkers", "Translucent Spheres", "Dreamspell" and "Sky Bleached".

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!

The fuzzed out drone rock of Spaceman 3 – live in Amsterdam in the summer of '88! Where the group's best studio recordings blended weary, but catchy melodies and some more delicate songs with the heady distorted guitar sound. The live set, if this and the other recordings we've heard are representative, focuses a bit more on the latter, and it sounds pretty fresh and invigorating all these years later. Includes "Mary Anne", "Come Together", "Things'll Never Be The Same", "Take Me To The Other Side", "Rollercoaster". "Starship" and "Walking With Jesus".

The raw and melodic first wave sounds of Spacemen 3 – an early indicator of the boundless sounds to come the group and their offshoot projects to come – but this is a wholly worthy record and still one of the coolest psychedelic rock records of the 80s! Spacemen 3 always proudly wore their influences on their sleeves, and the inclusion of covers on this first record make that even more pronounced, but as it would continue or a couple decades to come with these guys, it's the fresh, personal approach to carrying the torches that make them so exciting. Essential! Titles include "Losing Touch With My Mind", "Hey Man", "Rollercoaster", "Mary Anne", "Little Doll", "2:35" and "DD Catastrophe".

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".

A stone smoking album from Nick Waterhouse – the first full-length we've ever heard from the singer, and a killer set all the way through! The backings are funky, but the sound is nice and gritty too – much more in an R&B mode than other contemporary albums of this nature – which is a perfect fit for Nick's sharp-edged way of handling the lyrics! Production is wonderful – very classic overall, but with a fresh feel that's all its own – a perfect illustration of the way that Waterhouse gets past easy generic classifications, or any sort of soul music cliches – and manages to come up with something fresh, unique, and all his own! Most instrumentation is vamping small combo soul, with occasional backup vocals – and titles include "Times All Gone (parts 1 & 2)", "Indian Love Call", "Is That Clear", "Raina", "If You Want Trouble", "Say I Wanna", "Some Place", and "Teardrop Will Follow You".

A great set of heavy psych by Brit axe-wielders Wicked Lady – the first of a two part anthology – featuring their formative late 60s and peak early 70s material! Wicked Lady is the power trio of guitarist and singer Martin Weaver, bass player Bob Jeffries and drummer Mad Dick Smith – who deliver raw, fuzzy and lumbering psych grooves – which sound fresh to this day! There's some acoustic moments that are heavier in mood than sound, and plenty of straight up electric heaviness, sans cliches. Amazing stuff! Includes the acoustic title track, plus "Run The Night", "War Cloud", "Wicked Lady", "Out Of The Dark", "Rebel", "Life And Death" and "Living On The Edge".

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.

A rich array of underground sounds from late 60s London – most of which appear here for the first time ever! The set follows on the previous 94 Baker Street collection – and like that one, features obscure English singer/songwriters under contract to Apple – fresh talents signed up in the hopes that they'd later break big – lost to the shuffle of years amidst the misworkings of the company. Now, though, the folks at Cherry Red have done a great job of reconstructing this lost history – and have come up with a really great assortment of tracks pulled from rare demos – but mostly done at a level that's right up there with all the commercially-released British rock of the time. Most of these tracks have never been issued before – and titles include "Hold On" and "Sailing" by Joker, "You've Got A Hold On Someone" and "This Little Man Mk 1" by George Alexander, "Windy Love Affair" by Robert & Miles Priestley, "It's You" by Buddy Britten, "Any Day Now" by Coconut Mushroom, "Who Needs A King" and "Something New Every Day" by Timon, "How Does It Feel" by The Perishers, and "Kingfisher" by Barry Alexander.

Contemporary guitar, circa 1966 – an amazing document of the acoustic innovations going on at the time – served up in a really free-thinking batch of tracks! The music here isn't really straight folk, and definitely isn't acoustic rock or blues either – and instead really represents the forefront of the acoustic underground headed up by John Fahey and the Takoma Records scene – music that's had an undeniable impact on the sounds of the past few decades – and which sounds as fresh today as when it was released 50 years ago! Most tracks are relatively long, with amazing phrasing, tone, and timing that really sets them apart from the pack – stone gems that include two "Raga" numbers by Max Ochs, "The Fahey Sampler" by John Fahey, "Water Verses" and "Children's Dance" by Harry Taussig, "The Thousand Incarnations Of The Rose" by Robbie Basho, and "Old Man Walking Blues" by Bukka White.

A killer assortment of funky leftfield grooves from the late 70s and early 80s – groundbreaking work that goes way beyond conventional club, funk, and disco! The music here was light years ahead of its time, and still sounds pretty darn fresh today – a weird mix of arty, punky, and experimental modes – but all filtered down into a groove that's still catchy and compelling enough to cross over to fans of mainstream club. Many cuts here had a huge influence on house and techno modes of the mid 80s, and continue to have impact today on some of the younger, more influential groovemakers around the globe – and this single CD set is sort of a re-casting of the previous Disco Not Disco collections on Strut Records, which themselves were influential enough at the start of the current decade. CD features the tracks "Mind Your Own Business" by Delta 5, "Crunch Cake" by Isotope, "Your Life (party mix)" by Konk, "Launderette" by Vivien Goldman, "My Spine Is The Bassline (12" edit)" by Shriekback, "Contort Yourself (August Darnell rmx)" by James White & The Blacks, "Love Tempo (rmx)" by Quando Quango, "Sharevari (inst)" by A Number Of Names, "Silent Street/Silent Dub" by Maximum Joy, "Shake It Right" by Six Sed Red, and "Los Ninos Del Parque (12" mix)" by Liaisons Dangereuses.

The music of Paul McCartney – not only given a Brazilian twist, but a feminine one as well! The set features a host of fresh reworkings of Paul's best compositions – mostly Beatles' tunes, and really done in some compelling new versions – hardly covers at all, and more like completely new ideas that are formed from the original songwriting! Some tracks are vintage, and a lot more are more recent recordings – and all are pretty darn great – hardly what you'd expect at all on an album like this. Titles include "Eleanor Rigby" by Cassia Eller, "I Will" by Erika Martins, "And I Love Him" by Rita Lee, "My Love" by Leila Pinheiro, "Girlfriend" by Liah, "I Am Your Singer" by Hevelyn Costa, "Suicide" by Twiggy, "Here There & Everywhere" by Gal Costa, and "Ob La Di Ob La Da" by Pato Fu.

Bright Persian psychedelic pop, funk, soul and boundless grooves from the 60s & 70s – one of the greatest compilations yet from Finders Keepers! Many of the tunes are actually classics of the era's Iranian scene, if wildly fresh and new our ears, while others are quite obscure all around, but all of it is fresh and exciting exotic pop that we're thrilled to see collected. The sounds draw from the creatively fertile period when traditions were combined in music all around the world – with hypnotic eastern raga strings blended with global funk and jazz, bursting pop tunefulness and both meditative and instantly gratifying melodies of myriad influences, borderline disco grooves and beyond. Exciting stuff! 16 tracks in all: "Helelyos'" by Zia, "Biya Bar-e Safar Bandim" by Mohammad Nouri, "Talagh" by Googoosh, "Miravi" by Soli, "Kavir-e Del" by Marjan, "Naz Kardanet Vaveyla" by Sima Bina", "Sharm-e Boos-e" by Ramesh, "Cheshm-e Man" by Dariush and more.

Raucous R&B, tight psych and mod soul from the late 60s UK – on a stellar Vol 4 in the great Rare Mod series from Acid Jazz – and nearly everything on it is entirely fresh to our ears! Rare Mod really goes deep, uncovering tunes that are honestly as infectious as the major mod standard bearing hits of the day – with raw drums, killer Hammond organ grooves and gritty vocals that give everything a sharp edge – but it’s commited by groups that proudly flaunt classic soul and R&B influences. Great stuff! Includes "Big Bird" by Dog Soul, "Tell Daddy" by All Night Workers, "Together Forever" by Gary Farr and the T-Bones, "Me And My Baby" by Row Boat, "Cover Girl" by Perfumed Garden, "The Thinking Kind" by The Wild Ones, "Arthur" by Virgin Sleep, "LSD" by Tomorrow's Children and more, 16 in all.

Dubby punk and punky reggae from the late 70s and early 80s – song stuff from a fresh, inventive period that holds up incredibly well! There's at least a couple of straight-up legendary acts here in Bad Brains and The Slits – plus great tracks featuring members of Killing Joke, Young Marble Giants, A Certain Ratio and more – and it's pretty great all the way through! Includes numbers by The Offs, Glaxo Babies, Peter & The Test Tube Babies, Chantage, Dangerous Girls and more, Includes "Cool Down" by The Offs, "Who Killed Bruce Lee (Version)", "Same Thing Twice" by Chantage, "Merge" by Jah Scouse, "Trapper Ain't Gotta Bird" by Peter & The Test Tube Babies, "Callling Captain Nemo" by Return Of The Panthers, "More Or Less Cut" by Red Beat, "Dangerous Girls" by Dangerous Girls,"Stay Close To Me" by Bad Brains, "Animal Space" by The Slits and more. 14 tracks on the CD.

A sprawling compilation of the folk rock, Brit blues, jazzy songcraft, oddball comedic and otherwise boundlessly fresh music from the roster of Transatlantic Records in the 60s & 70s! It's a mix of the still revered and largely forgotten – and the quality is high on both sides of that spectrum! Includes numbers by Bert Jansch, The Dubliners, Ralph McTell, Gerry Rafferty, Pentangle, Gryphon, The Purple Gang, Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias, Stefen Grossman and many more. 42 tracks on 2CDs: "Ye Jacobites By Name" by The Johnstons, "Wild Rover" by The Dubliners, "Streets Of London" by Ralph McTell, "Come Sing Me A Happy Song. . ." by Bert Jansch, "The Handsome Meadow Boy" by Dransfield, "Mother Nature's Son" by Gryphon, "Sign On The Dotted Line" by Gerry Rafferty, "Summertime Blues" by Mick Farren, "In Time" by Pentangle and many more.

Bebel Gilberto eat your heart out – Antena explored the same electric-bossa territory you did, nearly 20 years before your first big record! The group were a short-lived French outfit who were one of the shining jewels in the crown of the lovely label Les Disques Du Crepuscule during the early 80s – and were a real breath of fresh air in the post-punk years with their light and jazzy approach to the groove. As you'll hear in this set, Antena's style borrows a lot from the bossa, but also throws in some wonderful poppish touches – including jangly guitars recorded in a similar mode to some of the other French/European indie groups of the time, and a slight darkness in production that almost gives a Martin Hannett-like undercurrent to the whole set. The group's album Camino Del Sol has been lovingly reissued with a great set of notes, as well as a series of bonus tracks from an additional ep – making for a beautiful 14 track package that will really help you rediscover this nearly-lost group! Titles include "Sissexa", "To Climb The Cliff", "Camino Del Sol", "Bye Bye Papaye", "Noelle A Hawaii", "The Boy From Ipanema", "Seaside Weekend", "Frantz", and "Ingenuous".

A rare slice of power pop from the end of the 70s – just the kind of indie label gem that makes the genre so great! In a world where so many other groups were getting punky or quirky, The Toms keep things tight and right – really focusing on catchy melodies and well-penned rhythms – delivered with a simple, straightforward approach that's free from gimmicks, but plenty darn compelling. Lyrics are pretty fresh, but also have a sort of "instant classic" feel – making you wonder if you'd heard the songs before, given the way they grab you right away. Titles include "Let's Be Friends Again", "You Must Have Crossed My Mind", "Other Boys Do", "The Door", "It's Needless", "The Flame", "Think About Me", and "Better Than Anyone Else".

Maybe our favorite Beatles album ever – a key set that bridges the catchiness of the early years and the sharper ideas of later albums – with a slightly sinister undercurrent that really keeps things fresh! The album's got some great early psych in spots, offset with wonderfully mature and sweet lyrics on the love songs – cross-cut with a bit of witty social commentary too! Tracks include "Taxman", "Eleanor Rigby", "Love You To", "Here There & Everywhere", "She Said She Said", "And Your Bird Can Sing", "Tomorrow Never Knows", and "For No One".

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!

A rare slice of power pop from the end of the 70s – just the kind of indie label gem that makes the genre so great! In a world where so many other groups were getting punky or quirky, The Toms keep things tight and right – really focusing on catchy melodies and well-penned rhythms – delivered with a simple, straightforward approach that's free from gimmicks, but plenty darn compelling. Lyrics are pretty fresh, but also have a sort of "instant classic" feel – making you wonder if you'd heard the songs before, given the way they grab you right away. Titles include "Let's Be Friends Again", "You Must Have Crossed My Mind", "Other Boys Do", "The Door", "It's Needless", "The Flame", "Think About Me", and "Better Than Anyone Else".

Raucous R&B, tight psych and mod soul from the late 60s UK – on a stellar Vol 4 in the great Rare Mod series from Acid Jazz – and nearly everything on it is entirely fresh to our ears! Rare Mod really goes deep, uncovering tunes that are honestly as infectious as the major mod standard bearing hits of the day – with raw drums, killer Hammond organ grooves and gritty vocals that give everything a sharp edge – but it’s commited by groups that proudly flaunt classic soul and R&B influences. Great stuff! Includes "Big Bird" by Dog Soul, "Tell Daddy" by All Night Workers, "Together Forever" by Gary Farr and the T-Bones, "Me And My Baby" by Row Boat, "Cover Girl" by Perfumed Garden, "The Thinking Kind" by The Wild Ones, "Arthur" by Virgin Sleep, "LSD" by Tomorrow's Children and more, 16 in all.

Far out harmonies and psyche pop from the mid-to-late 60s – and another groovy batch of obscurites from the Cali scene and beyond in the Soft Sounds For Gentle People series from Pet Records! The series has only gotten deeper and groovier since the first one came out – many singles from groups that were recording for the major labels at the time, but the majority of whom are fresh discoveries to us – and if labels like Columbia, Warner Bros and Capital provided the opportunity for richer sounds and production, it's used to shoot the grooves even further out, without comprising the catchy grooves and sweetly soaring male and female harmonies. Possibly the best entry yet! 21 tracks in all: Titles include "Take A Bus" by Stix & Stonz, "Nothing Sacred" by The Johnnys, "Look At The Sun" by Mouse, "Hello" by Things To Come, "Kill The Cobra" by Bentley Road, "It's A Groovy World" by The Lollipop Fantasy, "Looking Down" by 1st Century, "Wispy Paisley Skies" by Fraternity Of Man and more.

The first album ever from The Faces – a mighty merger of half of the old Small Faces with the young Rod Stewart and Ron Wood, fresh from the Jeff Beck group! The meeting of talents really set The Faces on fire – bringing even sharper focus to the group's previous sound, and giving it a stellar frontman in the face of Stewart – who was still brilliantly soulful here, and way far from all the cliches he'd spew in later years! The guitars are fantastic, the rhythms very raw – and the whole record romps along with this messy blend of rootsy elements and garagey power – never letting up the sonic onslaught for a minute. In the US, Warner still tried to market the group by using "Small Faces" on the cover – but trust us, the sound is way different than before – as you'll hear on cuts that include "Stone", "Around The Plynth", "Looking Out The Window", "Nobody Knows", "Wicked Messenger", and the classic "Three Button Hand Me Down".

Rare rock from Rotomagus – a heavy group from France – the complete discography of the group, and a completely fresh discovery to us! The sound is loose, ragged and raw on the unreleased album demo that's covers the first half of the anthology – which only enhances the power of it. Singer Alain Fontaine sings, screams and wails in English – fascinatingly, he is a good singer, but shrieks his head off with abandon on some killer songs here. The band is just as strong, showing command of rhythm and with strong solos as well as bashing away with intensity. In some ways, it's a late 60s-style heavy psych album, but played at breakneck speed, rugged soul and with little effort to tidy anything up. The second half is much different – featuring singles the group cut for Polydor, CBS and other labels – far less raucous and more French pop psych-indebted, and those numbers are great, too! They work as well in frenzy as they do with trippy harmonies – very impressive! Titles include "Laureline", "Little Green Man", "Fighting Cock", "Shout Now", "I Dig Life", "The Flufluting Flatmul" and more from the unreleased demo album, plus the rare singles "Le Haut Du Pave", "Nevada", "Eros", "Madame Wanda", "Laureline", "The Sky Turns Red" and more.

Stereolab's second for Elektra, following strongly on their debut for the label – and one of their best ever! Mars Audiac Quintet is a brilliant batch of space age pop tunes, inflected with the genius ear for 60s classics that's always made the band so compelling to us, but done in a fresh and unique way. Stereolab loved and relied upon vintage gear, but you could never really peg them as retro, or revivalists. There was never another pop band exactly like them, yet it's also important to consider just how incredibly unique Stereolab was in the early-to-mid 90s landscape. Mindblowing! Titles include "Three Dee Melodie", "Wow & Flutter", "Ping Pong", "Anamorphose", "Three Longers Later", "Nihilist Assault Group", and "Fiery Yellow", "Outer Acceleration", "New Orthophony" and more.

Excellent Italian synth from the mid 80s – work that's much more spare and darker than other European work of the time! The approach here is almost more in a late 70s Sheffield mode than you'd guess from the date – lots of moody keyboard parts, stark drum machine lines, and vocals that, when they do appear, are distorted or processed into a much darker sound! The package is a real discovery to our ears – especially given that most of the Italian work hitting our shores at the time of these recordings was in a brighter, dance-based mode – which makes most of these tracks sound completely fresh today. Titles include "Story Of The Death Boy" by Xno, "A Mortal Song In A Beautiful Sunday" by Vena, "Vulcani" by Carmody, "On The Dancefloor" by Janitor Of Lunacy, "Veiled Lady" by Monuments, "Identity (deep version)" by Lisfrank, and "Wake Up" by Chromagain.