Rock — LPs  

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".

Strange and incredible mid 70s atmospherics from Jean-Pierre Massiera – dark atmospherics that roll from heady psych rock to cerebral funk and proggy dynamics – taken to a far deeper dimension thanks to Massiera's hypnotic use of tape samples and layered vocal errata! It's amazing how much is going on here, especially given that the feverish hypnotic effects never lag – as wild and tripped out as it gets, the hold it has on your sensory processors never lags! Billed as a Gallic concept album, it may very well be that, but we can only speak for the visceral thrills – which it has, and many to spare! Includes 3 long pieces, "Frayeur", "Angiosse", and the 16 +minute "HIA".

A madly grooving late 60s French soundtrack by Jean-Pierre Mirouze – and a masterful one at that – with sounds that range from a moody, dramatic vocal tune to some killer instrumental funk! The haunting "Together" opens the record in a great way – with a mystical mellow vibe and English language vocals by Barry Green. Subsequent instrumental tunes have a similarly evocative or sultrier vibe – while others such as "Sexopolis" have heavy Hammond, massive rhythms, and a totally freaked-out groove! Includes "Tivoli Garden", "Ulla Et Georgie", "Karin On The Ryke", "Lovers Party", "Tivoly By Night", "Scene Du Port" and "Tandoori Dance".

Rare and unreleased instrumentals from the great French orchestral pop composer Jean Claude Vannier – amazing stuff from his personal archive that ranges from loosely haunting passes to more grandly orchestrated bits – funky psych rock backdrops to heavy, tribal percussion numbers! Vannier is as much of a master of setting a mood as he as an expert composer-arranger, and this great set is brilliant showcase of his talent and we'd even say a fine entry point if you're just now being introduced. He's greatly reknowned for the incredible work he did with Serge Gainbourg, as well he should be – but a standout artist on his own, as you're hear here! It's got previously unreleased numbers from his Vannier's own vaults, many from a fertile period in the early 70s, plus rare sound library recordings and more! Includes "Bombard Lamentation" (centered around the reed instrument used most often in Breton music), "L'Ours Peresseux – 1969", "La Girafe Au Ballon", "Claquez Klaxons", "Theme 504", "Road To Cuba", "La Douleur De L'Orchestre", "L'Elephant Equilbriste", "Je M'Appelle Geraldine", "Saturnin Vaca Vaca" and more.

One of Frank Zappa's biggest-selling albums of the early 70s and it's also one of his best ever! Over-Nite Sensation finds Zappa's leftfield weirdness and sly social satire at play within adventurous, but accessible arrangements. It's got some early fusiony rock bits paired with heavy drums and muscular rock riffs – and it's a hell of a great sound! The songs themselves are sharp here, too. If forced to make a list of favorite Zappa songs, it'd certainly include "Camarillo Brillo", which kicks this record off – and other titles include "I'm The Slime", "Montana", "Dinah-Moe Humm", "Zomby Woof", and "Dirty Love". Features keyboards from George Duke and violin from Jean Luc Ponty – plus horns by Ian Underwood, Sal Marquez, Tom Fowler and Bruce Fowler – plus percussion by Ruth Underwood and amazing drums by Ralph Humphrey.

Easily one of the most trippy albums ever from Andre Popp – a French arranger who's usually best known for his lounge recordings of the 50s and 60s – but who's working here in a more psych-inspired mode that's right up there with the work of Jean Claude Vannier and Michel Colombier! Like both of those artists, Popp uses conventional instrumentation, turned towards trippier rock-era styles – a bit of flute, light guitar, touches of organ and piano – all held together by electric bass that sews things up from the bottom – and produced with lots of cool studio effects that further trip out the core sounds! The work is way different than Andre's gentler pop instrumental records – and titles include the funky "Pour Celui Qui Viendra", plus "Tric Trac", "Ophelia", "Ave", "Theme In G Minor", and "Toutes Les Pommes Du Paradis".

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

Fantastic stuff – and a record that may well be the greatest ever from the mighty Serge Gainsbourg – high praise indeed, considering the greatness of Gainsbourg's other music! The album is one long suite built around a spare, electric bass-driven theme – a slow funk riff that's been sampled countless times over the years, and which has gotten the album continuous play on both sides of the Atlantic for many many years. The mighty Jean-Claude Vannier handles the arrangements, and Serge mutters the lyrics over the top, in a raspy loud whisper – while the funky rhythms dart in and out of odd washes of sound, and unusual eerie sounds. There's a very strong soundtrack feel to the album, as waves of music envelop the lyrics – tripped out in funky beats that have become legendary over the years, thanks to some very famous samples! Titles include "En Melody", "Cargo Culte", "Ballade De Melody Nelson", "Valse De Melody", "Ah! Melody", and "L'Hotel Particulier". Great new LP reissue package – with 180 gram vinyl, notes, an interview, and even lyrics in English & French!

Blazing 60s & 70s string-shredding mastery from Japan's great guitar instrumentals guru Takeshi Terauchi – whose playing matches the greatest 50s & 60s rock guitar gurus in both dexterous ability and pulpy mood setting! Takeshi put his own unique spin on the chugging styles of the period – hard-charging twang, surf and beat in the 60s, and distorted spacey and funky rock later on in the 70s – all of it pretty amazing! Includes "Ganroku Hanami Odori", "Rising Stars", "Sado Okesa", "The Clamour Of The Sun", "South Pier" and "Summer Boogaloo" by Takeshi Terauchi & The Bunnys, plus "Hoshi Eno Tabeji (Journey To The Stars", "Sa No Sa", "Touryanse", "Nambuzaka Yuki No Wakare", "Tsugaru Eleki Bushi" and more by Takeshi Terauchi & Blue Jeans. 14 tracks on the vinyl version.

Fantastic French femmes from the 60s – and a great illustration of the way that girl power really took over the sound of the Parisian scene at the time! These tunes have a punch that few American or British tracks of the period could ever hope to match – a way of staying sweet, yet really hitting hard with a groove – sometimes with fuzzy guitars or organ, sometimes with a fuller blast of orchestrations – always completely charming and immediately appealing – even if you can't understand the lyrics! Most numbers feature work by some top-shelf arrangers from the tight Parisian scene – including Alain Goraguer, Jacques Denjean, Michel Colombier, and Ivan Julien – and titles include "Le Coeur Au Bout Des Doights" by Jacqueline Taieb, "Laisser Tomber Les Filles" by France Gall, "Voila" by Francois Hardy, "Il Suffit D'Un Jour" by Liz Brady, "L'Adorable Femme Des Neiges" by Christie Laume, "Impatiente" by Les Gams, and "Les Filles C'Est Fait Pour Faire L'Amore" by Charlotte Leslie.

A bit of a notorious record in the good Captain's career, cut in the transition between the original Magic Band and the fine later lineup that was responsible for the excellent LPs on Virgin. The sound is pretty spare, and without the mindbending twists and turns that Beefheart had made his trademark up to this point, and as such, is more of a straight blues and rock record. Van Vliet still sounds great, croaking his idiosyncratic lyrics in his own bad to the bone manner. 9 tracks in all, including "Party Of Special Things", "Same Old Blue3s", "Observatory Crest", "Pompadour Swamp", "Captains Holiday", "Rock N Roll's Evil Doll", "Further Than We've Gone", "Twist Ah Luck" and "Bluejeans & Moonbeams".