A huge dip into the world of all-girl bands from the 60s – not sweet-voiced, teeny-bopping pop acts – and instead a host of raw, garagey groups that come across with a heck of a lot of power! There's some folks out there who might tag a famous 70s group or two as the first female rock band – but as the compilers of this long-running series know, the phenomenon goes way way back – so much so that there's no need to fuss and fight about any "first", and instead just dive in and enjoy all the wonderful music on the set! Production is nice and lean on most of these cuts – no added strings or orchestral sweetening – and these groups work in territory that's got all the raw power of any of the male groups to be tagged with the "garage" label over the years. Three tracks on the set are previously unreleased, the package has superb notes on the material, and titles include "Pink Dominos" by Chiyo & the Crescents, "I Don't Know Why" by The Wrong Black Bag, "Ask Me" by Debbie Williams & The Unwritten Law, "Dimples" by The Misfits, "Melvin" by The Belles, "Stardust Come Back" by Girls Take Over, "Really Gonna Shake" by Sandra Barry & The Boys, "Skinny Minnie" by The Beat Chics, and "Never Till Now" by The Bootles. CD

A deep deep dive into the farther reaches of the California scene in the late 60s – music that's completely wonderful all the way through, and presented with a level that really blows away some of the less-official collections on the market! If you know the hit sounds of the time, you'll know a bit of what to expect here – but the selection of cuts goes way way deeper, put together by Alec Palao, a guy we'd already trust with anything Cali from the 60s – and who really knocks himself out with this set! If you dig Beach Boys, Mamas & Papas, and the Byrds, you'll find plenty of new sounds here to fall in love with – and as usual with Ace, the whole thing comes with superb notes, and even features a few unreleased tracks – including two rare cuts by Third Wave, who recorded one album for MPS! Titles include "Niki" and "Three Kingfishers Ferris Wheel" by Third Wave, "Go Try & Put Out The Sun" by The Forum, "Soul Sunrise" by JP Rags, "A Thousand Faces" by The Thousand Faces, "Out In The Open" by The Justice League, "Meadows & Flowers" by Curt Boettcher, "Richard & Me" by Evergreen Tangerine, "Someday Sunday" by The Gettysburg Address, "Lazy Bones" by The Tricycle, "Sugar Stone" by The Candy Company, "The Life You Lead" by A Small World, "Summer Flower" by Crystal Set, and "Until Now" by Augie Moreno. CD

A mighty nice collision of sounds – and one that really gets at the special spirit of music on the left side of the scene at the start of the 80s! Sure, punk broke things open in the late 70s – but a few years later, that initial shock gave way to a much more fluid, experimental sort of scene – one in which different sounds and styles could resonate with each other in a really great way – some barriers between rock and soul forever taken down, and the door from the artier side of the spectrum open to bring some fresh ideas into the mainstream! Writer Jon Savage was a very important part of the scene at the time – and here, he recalls the musical moment not just with a great array of tracks that leap between genres, but also with well-penned notes that get at the thought behind the tunes included on the 35 track set. Titles include "Hydraulic Pump (part 2)" by P Funk All Stars, "We're So Cool" by Au Pairs, "Planet Rock" by Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force, "Don't Make Me Wait" by NYC Peech Boys, "Poor Old Soul (part 2)" by Orange Juice, "Sound Of The Crowd" by Human League, "Underground" by The Bizarros, "Twist & Crawl" by The Beat, "These Days" by Joy Division, "The Apartment" by Giorgio Moroder, "She's Lost Control" by Grace Jones, "More Bounce To The Ounce" by Zapp, "Flight" by A Certain Ratio, "Euthenics" by Modern Eon, "Too Many Creeps" by Bush Tetras, "How We Gonna Make The Black Nation Rise" by Brother D with Collective Effort, "Mack The Knife" by Psychedelic Furs, "Pictures" by Josef K, "Adventures On The Wheels Of Steel" by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, "Art On 45" by Royal Family & The Poor, and "Our Love" by Donna Summer. CD

Girl rock galore – a cool little set that brings together important female cuts from the late 70s punk years, then moves forward to show just how much the underground exploded from the 90s into the 21st Century! The set's got plenty of the energy you'd expect from the title – and as with other collections on Ace, the track list is superb – lots of great choices throughout – and supported with a very detailed booklet of notes that ties everything together, and really fills you in on some of the lesser-known artists in the set. CD features 24 tracks in all – and titles include "Spirit FM" by Bad Moves, "Take It Off" by The Donnas, "Out Of Time" by Vibeke Saugestad, "I'll Be Alright" by Baby Shankes, "We Only Come Out At Night" by The Sugar Store, "Peter Gunn Locomotion" by The Delmonas, "Hanging On The Telephone" by Blondie, "Cmon & Kiss Me" by Sun 60, "The Teens Are Square" by The Courettes, "Teenage Kicks" by Dawn Chorus & The Bluetits, "In The City" by Cocktail Slippers, "Juvenile Thrills" by The Launderettes, "Dancing With Joey Ramone" by Amy Rigby, "Rock Boys" by Suzy & Los Quattro, "Take It All Away" by Girlschool, "Unforgiven" by The Go Gos, and "Da Doo Ron Ron/I Wanna Be Sedated" by The Dollyrots. CD

A stunningly huge look at the post-punk scene in the UK from the late 70s into the start of the 80s – served up here in an overview of bands both classic and obscure, which makes for a package that's filled with surprises throughout! The work here all comes from a time right after the initial explosion of punk rock opened the door for groups to experiment in a variety of ways – not just short sharp songs, but work that includes electronic experiments, reggae influences, moody minimalism, and industrial noise – all coming together in a way that made these years such an exciting time to be listening to music! The package features a massive 105 tracks on 5CDs, along with a very hefty booklet of notes on all the groups and tracks included – a lineup that includes The Birthday Party, Robert Wyatt, The Cure, The Flowers, Art Attacks, Subway Sect, Spizzoil, O Level, Glaxo Babies, Crazies, Public Image Ltd, Occult Chemistry, Again Again, The Slits, Disco Zombies, Nightingale, 23 Skidoo, Five Or Six, Kan Kan, The Membranes, Apartment, Soft Boys, Swell Maps, Gang Of Four, Tubeway Army, Throbbing Gristle, Section 24, and dozens of others. CD

The full early work of UK pop singer Kim Wilde – a big force on both sides of the Atlantic for a few short years, and part of a great wave of catchy girl-fronted music in the generation that also included Blondie and the Go-Gos! Kim's got her own special twist on the sound – one that also draws from some of the UK pop of the period, but which also never moves into too much synth or electro pop – and instead takes all the best upbeat, live energy of the early new wave years – and maybe gives it a more straightforward spin, in a way that helped Wilde get plenty of play on the charts! This nicely-done set features all three albums for the RAK label – Kim Wilde, Select, and Catch As Catch Can – plus bonus tracks that include "Boys", "He Will be There", "Child Come Away", "Just Another Guy", "Watching For Shapes", "Rain On", and "Back Seat Drive". CD4 features lots more bonus tracks too – special disco mixes that include "Kids In America (Luke Mornay rmx)", "Chequered Love (Matt Pop ext)", "Water On Glass (Project K soundtrack)", "Cambodia (Matt Pop ext)", "View From A Bridge (Project K soundtrack)", and "Take Me Tonight (Luke Mornay profondo giallo mix)". CD

Who better to spend Halloween with than Lux and Ivy of The Cramps – a pair who almost act like it's the last day of October all year long! Lux and Ivy are well-known as collectors of strange and offbeat 45s from the late 50s and early 60s – and that period also coincides with a great run of horror rock, monster novelties, and other spook-oriented singles – the sorts that are almost like the audio equivalent of catching a schlocky film on the late late show, or sitting at the drive-in watching some low-budget monster movie! The package features a whopping 50 tracks in all – tunes that are maybe more funny and groovy than downright scary – but that's OK with us, because the whole thing's great. Titles include "He's A Vampire" by Archie King, "She's My Witch" by Kip Tyler, "Cannibal Stew" by Jerry & Mel, "Graveyard" by Leroy Bowman & The Arrows, "Beware" by Bill Buchanan, "Voodoo Kiss" by Don Sargent & The Buddies, "Rock N Bones" by Elro Dietzel & The Rhythm Bandits, "The Cave (part 1)" by Gary Spider Webb, "Strollin Spooks" by Ken Nordine, "The Rockin Ghost" by Archie Bleyer, "The Mummy's Bracelet" by Lee Ross, "Swamp Girl" by Kay Martin, "The Spook" by The Tomkos, "Mr Ghost Goes To Town" by The Five Jones Boys, and "The Fang" by Nervous Norvus. (Halloween, Rock) CD

A harmony heaven way to enjoy the Holiday! The group's version of Christmas has to be one of the best-ever recorded in rock and roll – and given the undercurrent of sadness that was coming forth in their non-Holiday hits of the period, the style here is perfect to fit the melancholy mood of the Christmas tunes – even some of the more upbeat numbers! Production is great too – beautiful enough to hold up strongly after all these years – and titles include "Blue Christmas", "Merry Christmas Baby", "Little Saint Nick", "Santa's Beard", "We Three Kings", "Frosty The Snowman", and "I'll Be Home For Christmas". (Holiday Music, Rock) CD

Sunshine Pop is a style that's usually associated with the American west coast scene of the 60s – music that sprung up in the wake of The Beach Boys and some of the other upbeat, harmony-heavy groups of the time – yet as you'll see in this set, there was also plenty of sunshine pop coming from the UK too – some by older artists influenced by musical changes, some by very cool English groups, and some by artists who were really taking the sound and spirit in their own direction! The box tracks a great stretch in the UK scene when things were sweet and well-produced, with a really great focus on well-crafted vocals amidst lovely arrangements – never too slick or sleepy in a soft rock way – and often presented with some unique British twists that make the tunes a great change from Sunshine Pop in the US! We love it when the Grapefruit label digs into a genre we never would have explored this deeply – and the 3CD package is a wonder throughout – with 87 tracks in all, alongside a big booklet of notes – presented by a huge array of artists who include Butterscotch, Dawn Chorus, The Mirage, Design, The Zombies, Paul Ryan, Roger Webb Sound, Agincourt, The Flies, Jason Cord, Symbols, Pinkerton's Colours, Tony Rivers & The Castaways, West Coast Consortium, The Seekers, Wilson Malone Voiceband, Orange Bicycle, Ken Smart, Harmony Grass, Episode Six, and many many others! CD