Rock — All Formats  

Fab early work from unsung British studio genius John Carter – 2 albums from his Ministry Of Sound group in the 60s! Carter's best known for his later, more baroque productions – but here he's working in a great blend of jangle pop and trippier influences – almost the British equivalent of some of the hipper LA groups of the time, but with bits of Hollies and Kinks-era pop in the mix as well! Tracks are relatively short and straightforward – based around catchy choruses, but often hitting on deeper themes, especially on the later work represented on the set. The 2CD package features the full tracks from the albums Men From The Ministry (1966) and Midsummer Nights Dreaming (1968), plus 11 more bonus singles from the group's Sunny Records sessions of the time. Titles include "I'm Coming Home", "Something Very Good", "Goodbye To Rosalie", "White Collar Worker", "In The Sky", "Sequin Sally", "Rain Raiin Rain", "Roberto Billow", "Love Equals Love", "Memory", "Turn Around", "Time & Motion Man", "Sunday In The Park", and "Magic People".

Really dark sounds from the enigmatic Igor Wakhevitch – even darker than his previous albums, and that's saying a lot, given the nature of those sets! This one was done in collaboration with American dancer Carolyn Carlson – but given the moody, offbeat quality of the sounds on the disc, we're damned if we can figure out how anyone could physically interact with the music! Some passages are very abstract and electronic – while others seem to use atonal acoustic instruments, but with a vibe that's still quite electric – and even the few female vocal passages come across with a sharp, striking quality – a bit like Cathy Berberian with Berio. Titles include "Eve Speaks", "Henry The Fool Of The Doll", "Ritual Of The Master Of The Doll", "Arrival Of The Magic Doll", and "Twilight & Call Of The Ascending Spirit".

Blistering funk rock and raw, tightly grooving psych soul from small town Victoria, TX – trailblazing material from Kool & Together. This is an amazing anthology from Heavy Light/Light In The Attic that pulls together material from private press 45s the group put in the early-to-mid 70s and previously unreleased tracks recorded by Texas music legend Huey P Meaux. There's a raw soul, funky drums & percussion core to Kool & Together's style that's really great! Singer Tyrone Sanders doubles as the group's conga player, which is a great touch! There's a demonstrable level of gritty psych soul and rock in the mix, too – wah wah guitar, in particular – but they're much more into a tight, heady groove than the kind of lumbering heft and solo-heavy styles of other Hendrix disciples. It's a family band – the earliest tracks on the set feature Charles Sanders Sr on vocals, with Charles Jr on guitar, Tyrone on conga and Joe Sanders on drums – with the boys trading lead vocals and instrumentation on other later recordings, along with additional players. A great discovery from Heavy Light Records! 19 tracks in all: "Sittin' On A Hot Red Stove", "I Know", "If You Can", "Wino Man", "Magic Words", "Peace Is At Hand", "Better Days", "Fly So High", "Electronic Funk", "Reaching Out", "Hooked On Life", "Blow It Out Your Mind", "Get Your Feet Off The Ground" and more, plus 4 demos: "Escapism Beat", "Hot Pants", "Nassau Beat" and "Wino Man".

The immortal collection of psychedelic era garage rock and proto-punk gems – originally released on Elektra in 1972, where it influenced many of the great 70s underground pioneers, long before being reborn as an expanded box set in the late 90s! Lenny Kaye and Elekra Records big wig Jac Holzman put Nuggets together in 1972, mixing a bunch of great buzzsaw rock singles, indiscriminately melding hits and underground cuts alike – 27 great tracks by the likes of the Amboy Dukes, Standells, Castaways, Magicians, the Seeds, the Electric Prunes, Sagittarius, the Magic Mushrooms and many more! Tracks include "I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)" by Electric Prunes, "Dirty Water" by the Standells, "Respect" by Vagrants, "No Time Like The Right Time" by Blues Project, "Invitation To Cry" by Magicians, "You're Gonna Miss Me" by Thirteenth Floor Elevators, "Psychotic Reaction" by Count Five, "Baby Please Don't Go" by Amboy Dukes, "My World Fell Down" by Sagittarius, "Open My Eyes" by Nazz and more! One of the first great rock anthologies!

The immortal collection of psychedelic era garage rock and proto-punk gems – originally released on Elektra in 1972, where it influenced many of the great 70s underground pioneers, long before being reborn as an expanded box set in the late 90s! Lenny Kaye and Elekra Records big wig Jac Holzman put Nuggets together in '72, mixing a bunch of great buzzsaw rock singles, indiscriminately melding hits and underground cuts alike – 27 great tracks by the likes of the Amboy Dukes, Standells, Castaways, Magicians, the Seeds, the Electric Prunes, Sagittarius, the Magic Mushrooms and many more! Tracks include "I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)" by Electric Prunes, "Dirty Water" by the Standells, "Respect" by Vagrants, "No Time Like The Right Time" by Blues Project, "Invitation To Cry" by Magicians, "You're Gonna Miss Me" by Thirteenth Floor Elevators, "Psychotic Reaction" by Count Five, "Baby Please Don't Go" by Amboy Dukes, "My World Fell Down" by Sagittarius, "Open My Eyes" by Nazz and more! One of the first great rock anthologies!