Incredible work from Scott Walker – maybe the best album so far in his revival stretch of the last few decades – and a set that has even more depth and power than the previous albums! The album's a collaboration with Sunn0))) – who provide these dark textures and sonic patterns that are extremely low-end – which leaves Walker's vocals plenty of space up top to unfurl with this lyrical power we haven't heard in years – and a range of expression that's almost operatic in nature – easily some of the boldest vocalizations we've ever heard from Scott – and that's saying a lot, given his incredible legacy since the 60s. The whole thing almost feels like one of the most perfectly-realized moment of Walker's darker later period – and although the group performs the music, it was all still written by Scott. Titles include "Brando", "Bull", "Herod 2014", "Fetish", and "Lullaby". CD

Paul Weller returns to a major label (a return in the US, anyway) with a set of covers – featuring the husky-voiced Weller in fine form on a far-reaching set of tracks! We're consistently impressed with Paul's solo albums, particularly 2003's sadly under appreciated (in the US, anyway) gem Illumination, so it was a bit of a downer to hear that his return to the big leagues on this side of the pond is a covers album – but it's actually a worthy endeavor! It's mostly done in Paul's stripped-down soul revival mode, reigning in some pretty disparate source material to the style. Tracks include "If I Could Only Be Sure", "Wishing On A Star", "Don't Make Promises", "Close To You", "Early Morning Rain", "Hercules", "All Along The Watchtower" and more. CD

The title's maybe a bit misleading – as most folks think of day-glo as a color associated with some of the most throwaway culture of the 80s – but the brightness of the hue definitely marks the big explosion in styles during the key British year of 1978 – a time when the punk revolution of 1977 opened the door for a big range of modes to follow! It might be said that the post-punk years came immediately after the initial days of punk – and they definitely begin here, as hard and fast modes are mixed with more unusual styles that include mod revival moments, electronic experiments, and even some offbeat pop – expressions of humor, anger, and a shifting political landscape – served up as an amazing document of the creative intensity of the time! As with other Cherry Red boxes, the overall package is great – a huge amount of notes to support the 79 tracks within – a diverse array of music from Blue Steam, The Others, UK Subs, The Jam, Monochrome Set, Wreckless Eric, Spizzoil, Public Image Ltd, 999, The Stranglers, Japan, The Only Ones, Magazine, Alternative TV, Slush, Time Machine, Eater, The Bozos, Tyla Gang, Ed Banger, No Sweat, The VIPs, John Cooper Clarke, Scritti Politti, Penetration, Stiff Little Fingers, Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias, Teardrops, Coventry Automatics, Menace, Bleach Boys, Jilted John, Zones, Electric Chairs, and many more! CD

The fantastic and nicely expanded Ace Story Vol 2 – the seminal series of one time vinyl only Ace Records compilations of standout late 50s/early 60s New Orleans R&B, with a bit of rock & roll & blues! Like Vol 1 of the CD revisit/revival, the 12 tracks from the original vinyl compilation are fleshed out with an addition dozen tracks that are just as great! It's steeped heavily is fantastic late 50s Crescent City R&B, jump blues and more – great stuff from Eddie Bo, Little Shelton, Jimmy Clanton, Huey Piano Smith, Earl King, Gene & Al's Spacemen, Big Boy Myles and more! 24 tracks in all: "Blow Wind Blow" by Junior Gordon, "Roberta" by Frankie Ford, "Sea Cruise" by Little Shelton, "Chickee Wah-Wah" by Bobby Marchan, "Curiousity" by Joe & Ann, "Teen Age Rock" by Little Booker, "Little Girl" by Earl King, "New Orleans" by Big Boy Myles, "Looped" by Joe Dyson with Johnny Collins and many more. (Soul, Rock) CD

The second album from the Allman Brothers, and maybe the one where their sound really comes together – an incredibly chromatic approach to long-spun work on guitar – almost influenced by jazz at times, and definitely very different than some of the more jamming work of the scenes on the coasts at the time! The group really let the tunes open up and flow – brimming over with so much sublime guitar work from Greg Allman, already a very distinct voice on his instrument – matched with more guitar from Dicky Betts, and given all these warm organ lines from Greg Allman, whose vocals are wonderful too. This may not have been the first record to try to find a southern voice in modern rock, but it's definitely one of the most crucial – as you'll hear on titles that include the classic "Midnight Rider" – plus "In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed", "Revival", "Don't Keep Me Wonderin", "Hoochie Coochie Man", and "Please Call Home". CD

An amazing document of one of the grooviest groups to emerge from the UK at the start of the 80s – not just their three full albums, but almost as much rare bonus material as well! The English Beat came a bit later than the initial wave of Two Tone ska revival groups – and they came with a difference, too – a bit more soul, and a slightly more contemporary approach to their music – one that pushed Jamaican roots into mod London modes – particularly the best sorts that were bubbling up in the post-punk generation! The group really helped revive some warmer sounds in British music – yet without just copying older modes from the other side of the Atlantic, too – and these three great albums definitely went onto set a fire in a host of other groups as well – the first wave of some surprisingly soulful moments from the UK in the 80s. The box set features the full albums I Just Can't Stop It, Wha'ppen, and Special Beat Service – all with bonus tracks not on the original albums. Then, the set also features more bonus material that includes 15 12" and dub versions of album tracks – and three Peel Session recordings from 1979, 1980, and 1982 – plus a live Boston recording from 1982! Comes in a great box, with a 24 page booklet of essays and rare photos! CD

The American debut of The English Beat – aka the UK group The Beat, who'd been making some big waves with import 45s on the 2Tone label, the burst forth on our US market with a slight shift in name, due to another group hogging their original moniker on our side of the Atlantic! That bit of backstory hardly need matter, though – as the group wear their English loud and proud here, setting off a huge ska revival as they blend Jamaican roots with London attitude in the post-punk years – stacking up a set of classics that continue to groove many turntables all these many years later. Titles include "Mirror In The Bathroom", "Hands Off She's Mine", "Twist & Crawl", "Big Shot", "Best Friend", and "Jackpot". CD

The third album from The English Beat and another step further away from their rougher roots – which may not have sat well with strident fans of their earlier, punchier ska revival sounds – but it stands up today as one of the most timeless leftfield pop albums of the early 80s! The Beat never discarded their calypso, ska, rocksteady inspirations, they simply expanded upon them – and there's plenty of hooky, catchy songcraft on Special Beat Service – as well as the uncommonly soulful pop of songs like "Save It For Later"! Other tracks include "I Confess", "Jeanette", "Sorry", "Sole Salvation", "She's Going", "End OF The Party", "Ackee 1 2 3" and more. CD

One of best ever albums by The English Beat – one that cemented their status as one of the most creative groups to come out of the ska revival scene! Wha'ppen has lots of fresh instrumentation and experimentation – but that's in service of some tight, insistent songcraft – and they never ever bury their their Caribbean influences. There's a bit more Afro Beat-inspired rhythms and some atmospheric underground pop touches, but it's still get plenty of the Jamaican style we loved about their earlier work, too – on a record that didn't get the acclaim it deserved at the time! Titles include "Monkey Murders", "I Am Your Flag", "Walk Away", "Get A Job", "The Limits We Set", "Dream Home In NZ", and "Drowning". CD

One of the most important albums on the mighty 2 Tone label – and part of a huge ska revival on the British scene that would send ripples through modern music for years to come! And sure, the words "ska" and "revival" in the same sentence can often make most folks wince – but The Specials here work at a time long before the mode was reduced to cliche – and during a punk rock period when their contributions were especially vital – presented beautifully here on an album that's also produced by a young Elvis Costello! There's no overdone jams, no schlocky frat boy modes, just hard-edged London ska with a strong nod back to Kingston roots – on titles that include "A Message To You Rudy","Do The Dog", "It's Up To You", "Doesn't Make It Alright", "Concrete Jungle", "Monkey Man", "(Dawning Of A) New Era", "Too Much Too Young", and "Gangsters". CD

The monumental first album from Yes – a group who were already onto something amazing with this set, and would only get better and better in years to come! The members had backgrounds in straighter, more conventional rock acts – but here, together, they unleash work with a wonderfully fresh sense of timing and structure – tunes that are still a bit shorter in comparison to later albums, but already full of the kind of complicated shifts and changes that instantly set Yes apart from the rest! And yet there's also a simple, honest approach too – not complexity for its own sake, as the group never find themselves in blind alleys or dead ends – and maintain this magical mix of elements that soars from track to track. The early lineup here features trademark vocals from Jon Anderson, alongside the bass of Chris Squire, guitars of Peter Banks, organ and piano of Tony Kaye, and drums of Bill Bruford – on titles that include "Harold Land", "Beyond & Before", "I See You", "Looking Around", "Sweetness", "Survival", and "Every Little Thing". CD

A key second chapter in the long and wonderful career of Joni Mitchell – a set that brings together the four albums she recorded for the Asylum label in the mid 70s – a post-Blue period that really had Joni opening up and exploring a lot in her music – including a jazzier side of the spectrum that never showed up as strongly before! First up is For The Roses – a sometimes-overlooked album in the career of Joni Mitchell – but a set that's every bit as great as the two huge hits that bracket it! Joni's really finding a great way forward, sounding more mature, and bringing some jazzier currents into her music – thanks in part to help from reedman Tom Scott and bassist Wilton Felder of The Crusaders – and a style of songwriting that's sometimes more fluid than before, and often a lot more biting too! Titles include "Woman Of Heart & Mind", "You Turn Me On I'm A Radio", "For The Roses", "Barbangrill", "Cold Blue Steel & Sweet Fire", "Let The Wind Carry Me", "Lesson In Survival", and "Judgement Of The Moon & Stars". Court & Spark is a key record in the second chapter of Joni Mitchell on record – a set that has both her vocals and her overall music style flowing with all these amazing touches you might not have heard a few years before – jazzier currents in her music that really set the album apart from earlier work in Joni's career! Mitchell responds to the music with soaring vocals that are completely wonderful, and nicely changed up in character from tune to tune – given backing by a host of great jazz and studio players who include Tom Scott on reeds and Joe Sample on keyboards! Titles include her classic version of "Twisted" – a redone version of the old Annie Ross track – plus the classic hit "Help Me", and "Just Like This Train", "Car On A Hill", "Court & Spark", "Down To You", "Free Man In Paris", and "People's Parties". Miles Of Aisles is the first-ever live album from Joni Mitchell – and a record that sounds a fair bit different than a concert set might have during the Reprise years – as Joni's got plenty of help from Tom Scott & The LA Express, who bring a tight yet intimate vibe to the proceedings! Joni's definitely a superstar at this point – as you might guess from the size of the amphitheater on the cover – but she's also got an even stronger ability to come across with a personal, pointed style – one that's very different than the overblown hype of so many other 70s live albums. The set includes a few tracks not yet on albums, and a nice mix of material – including the live version of "Big Yellow Taxi" that ended up as a hit single – and the cuts"You Turn Me On I'm A Radio", "Blue", "Woman Of Heart & Mind", "Both Sides Now", "Real Good For Free", "Jericho", "Circle Game", "Cactus Tree", "The Last Time I Saw Richard", "People's Parties", and "Woodstock". Hissing Of Summer Lawns is a further step forward in the career of Joni Mitchell – a record that not only continues the jazzier currents she explored in the 70s, but also brings in a whole bunch of different modes as well – so much so, it's almost as if Joni's daring anyone to still call her a folk singer with the album! The themes are wonderfully sophisticated, as is the songwriting – the king of material that would keep Mitchell strong for decades, while so many of her contemporaries faltered – as you'll hear on the tracks "In France They Kiss On Main Street", "Sweet Bird", "Shadows & Light", "The Boho Dance", "Don't Interrupt The Sorrow", "The Jungle Line", and "Edith & The Kingpin". CD

Weird work from the Wicker Man generation – that moment in British music where it often seemed like the spookiest sounds could come from the past – as you'll hear here in a huge batch of music from the acid folk revival years! Instrumentation on these tracks is mostly acoustic, but basslines and guitar parts can sometimes be electric – and both arrangements and production amplify some of the elements of the tunes in ways that really bring out eerie currents, even when the lyrics might seem more innocent! There's lots of music here we'd never heard before, mixed with surprising contributions from bigger names, all wrapped together with the genius ear for song selection that always makes these collections from the Grapefruit label so great. The 3CD set features 60 tracks in all, complete with a big booklet of notes on the artists – a great lineup that features cuts by Magnet, Third Ear Band, Parameter, Carolanne Pegg, Dry Heart, Amber, The Young Tradition, Kevin Coyne, Gallery, Lal Waterson, The Sallyangie, Horden Raikes, Chimera, Comus, JP Sunshine, Oberon, Simon Finn, Jan Dukes De Graye, Shirley Kent, Spriguns Of Tolgus, Sweeny's Men, Green Man, Parke, Archie Fisher, Pentangle, Stone Angel, Celebrated Ratliffe Stout Band, Folkal Point, Mr Fox, Heather Adrian & John, Marc Bolan, and many more. CD