Possibly one of the best-remembered albums by John Mayall's legendary Blues Breakers combo – thanks to vocals and guitar from a young Eric Clapton! Clapton at this point is way fresher than in later years – not prone to cliches, and still coming across with a raw, edgey power that is drenched in American blues tradition. Mayall's great too – wailing on harmonica, organ, and piano – and other members of the core group include John McVie on bass and Hughie Flint on drums – augmented by contributions from UK jazzers John Almond on baritone sax and Alan Skidmore on tenor. Titles include "All Your Love", "Little Girl", "Key To Love", "Parchman Farm", "Have You Heard", "It Ain't Right", and "Steppin Out". LP, Vinyl record album

Metallica's breakout smash, the album that catapulted the band and the thrash metal genre to the top of the charts. While the production shines just a little brighter then the first few albums, the band is far from extinguishing their torch as metal trailblazers – to this point, there's very few songs as heavy as "Enter Sandman" got into regular airplay rotation and the most of the album hits even harder, even as they fully embraced the more melodic capabilities they barely touched on in the past. Includes "Enter Sandman", "Sad But True", "Nothing Else Matters", "Don't' Tread On Me", "Holier Than Thou" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Procol Harum check into the Grand Hotel – and check out with one of their greatest albums ever! The set's got that majestic sound that was the group's strongest point – a strange mix of the very personal vocals of Gary Brooker and the expansive blend of piano, organ, and guitar that the group often sent soaring to the skies – augmented here with some perfect use of strings and chorus – never too heavy, but all fused perfectly with the core energy of the sextet! In fact, it's that sense of compression – of folding everything together so well – that really makes the group so great, and such an important precursor for so many acts that were beginning to blossom in the UK scene, using a similar approach in different ways. Yet it's that Gary Brooker/Keith Reid sense of songwriting that still sets these guys apart from anyone else – as you'll hear on titles that include "Grand Hotel", "Tojours L'Amour", "TV Caesar", "A Souvenir Of London", "Robert's Box", "Fires", "For Liquorice John", and "A Rum Tale". LP, Vinyl record album

A conscious classic from the start of the 70s – a record that gave the US its huge title hit – which was one of the biggest mainstream songs to recognize the struggles of the Native American at a key political point. The rest of the record follows in very similar spirit – much headier than the group's pop music of the 60s – with fuzzy guitar from Freddy Weller, burning keyboards from Paul Revere, and some great lead vocals from Mark Lindsay. Titles include "Indian Reservation", "The Shape Of Things To Come", "Prince Of Peace", "Heaven Help Us All", "Take Me Home", "Come In You'll Get Pneumonia", and "The Turkey". LP, Vinyl record album

Essentially early Stones! 12 X 5 is The Rolling Stones at a very early, hard grooving peak, way back in '64. It's ground breaking stuff, in they they truly pave the way for so much of the soul, blues and R&B loving Anglos to come out of the Brit and US scenes in the months and years to come. It's a covers-heavy set, given that they were just beginning to do doing original material at this early point – and the tracks include the Jagger/Richards penned "Good Times, Bad Times", "Congradulations" and "Grown Up Wrong" – plus "Time Is On My Side", "Around And Around", "2120 South Michigan Avenue", "Susie Q" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A rootsy rock classic from Seatrain – a group who maybe aren't as well-remembered these days as they should be – but who set off a lot of fires with this set! The group work in territory that's close to The Band or Little Feat – and in fact they cover a song by the latter at once point – yet they also recorded this album in the UK, with production by George Martin – whose studio warmth brings a different quality to the record than you might hear if they were recording in the US. Lead vocals are by Peter Rowan and Lloyd Baskin – and titles include "Oh My Love", "Waiting For Elijah", "13 Questions", "Out Where The Hills", "Home To You", and "I'm Willin" – plus an unusual take on the acoustic music classic "Orange Blossom Special". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare second meeting between Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra – recorded for RCA a few years after their initial outing for Reprise, and done with a style that's even moodier than the first! Given that Nancy's less of a star at this point, Lee really dominates the album – and casts Sinatra in a space that's filled with his own dark themes of loneliness, pride, responsibility, and forbidden adult love. Backings are rich and large, but the voices are always upfront in the mix – and arrangers Larry Muhoberac and Clark Gassman really do a great job of getting the Hazlewood vision down perfectly. Most of the tracks are originals, and titles include "Got It Together", "Back On The Road", "Arkansas Coal Suite", "Congratulations", "Paris Summer", "Friendship Train", and "Tippy Toes". Also features two great bonus tracks – "Machine Gun Kelly" and "Think I'm Coming Down". (Vocalists, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A real turning point for Sparks – a set that has the duo of Russell and Ron Mael finding a whole new focus for their music on the UK scene! The style is a bit glammy at times – not in the execution, so much as the production – which has a great way of compressing the vocals up against the guitars – while still keeping all the sharpness of the group's earlier music, which is a key component in pushing forward the subtle wit of the tunes! There's also a slight warble to both the vocals and some of the melodies – which might sit nicely next to early Roxy Music in listening spirit, even though Sparks themselves are very much their own thing. Titles include "Here In Heaven", "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us", "Amateur Hour", "Equator", "Complaints", "Thank God It's Not Christmas", and "Talent Is An Asset". 2LP pressing features some great bonus tracks – demos from 1973 that include "When I Take The Field ON Friday", "Windy Day", "Marry Me", "My Brains & Her Looks", "A More Constructive Use Of Leisure", "Barbecutie", and "Alabamy Right". LP, Vinyl record album

Prime classic Springsteen double album, circa 1980! The River finds Bruce a few years removed from the massive breakthrough that was Born To Run, and seemingly starting to let go of the darker tone of Darkness On The Edge Of Town, though still with some shadows of it. Definitely a creative high point, and a record we're always happy to revisit. Includes "The Ties That Bind", "Hungry Heart", "Out In The Street", "Fade Away", "Ramrod", "Drive All Night", "Wreck On The Highway", "Independence Day" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The smoking second set from The Undertones – a record that maybe has the group moving slightly away from the rougher punk territory of their debut, but still at a level that's full of raw guitar-driven power throughout! Feargal Sharkey's become a hell of a singer by this point – and really knows how to work that raspy charm to great effect – as clearly one of the most distinct punk vocalists of his generation! The guitar interplay by the O'Neills is great too – and titles include "See That Girl", "More Songs About Chocolate & Girls", "Hard Luck", "The Way Girls Talk", "My Perfect Cousin", "What's With Terry", "Girls That Don't Talk", "Nine Times Out Of Ten", "Wednesday Week", and "Tearproof". LP, Vinyl record album

The mid 70s double LP release of the Velvets live – just past the uber prime point, in 1969 after Doug Yule had steeped in for the departed John Cale! Includes very solid live versions of benchmark numbers, with the VU sounding remarkably sharp on stage on the classics and more. Includes "Waiting For My Man", "Lisa Says", "What Goes On", "Sweet Jane", "We're Gonna Have A Real Good Time Together", "Femme Fatale", "New Age", "Rock And Roll" and "Beginning To See The Light". LP, Vinyl record album

This 1970 live recording arrived at the end of the line for the true Velvet Underground – before latter-day bassist Doug Yule took over the name for a short and (thankfully) long-forgotten stint, in a performance that became known as the group's last live set! Maureen Tucker and John Cale were indeed MIA at this point, making it Lou's show all the way, performing his soon to be seminal songs from throughout the REAL band's too-short existence – and tracks include "I'm Waiting For My Man", "Sweet Jane", "Lonesome Cowboy Bill", "Sunday Morning", "Femme Fatale", "After Hours", and "New Age". LP, Vinyl record album

This 1970 live recording arrived at the end of the line for the true Velvet Underground – before latter-day bassist Doug Yule took over the name for a short and (thankfully) long-forgotten stint, in a performance that became known as the group's last live set! Maureen Tucker and John Cale were indeed MIA at this point, making it Lou's show all the way, performing his soon to be seminal songs from throughout the REAL band's too-short existence – and tracks include "I'm Waiting For My Man", "Sweet Jane", "Lonesome Cowboy Bill", "Sunday Morning", "Femme Fatale", "After Hours", and "New Age". 2LP version features bonus tracks – including "White Light/White Heat", "I'm Set Free", "Candy Says", "Some Kinda Love", and "Lonesome Cowboy Bill (version 2)". LP, Vinyl record album

A key record in showcasing Frank Zappa's blend of complicated compositions and all-out jamming – that mix of hard rock and serious songwriting that would direct his energy for most of the 70s – yet still pretty darn raw at this point! The album's a live one – with some of the same great spontaneous energy of the Fillmore set, but even less silliness – even amidst the album's longer songs and weirdass lyrics! The set begins with the extended "Billy The Mountain" – definitely a journey in music – then rolls into "Call Any Vegetable", "Eddie Are You Kidding", "Magdalena", and "Dog Breath". LP, Vinyl record album

A truly underappreciated later album from The Band, made after they decided to hang it up as a touring act – one that holds up SO much better than it's given credit for, by thier die hard fans and even The Band itself – but it works for us! The Band's most legendary first couple of records were the product of a longtime road tested group of deeply invested craftsmen, working together in a beautifully intuitive way. By this point, they are well known to have been looking for an exit strategy – and while Islands is a strong batch of songs, masterfully played and soulfully sung – it's genuine charms get lost in the lore. It's a breezier, easier going affair than their more rawly passionate records, but it's an overlooked gem. Includes "Right As Rain", "Street Walker", "Ain't That A Lot Of Love", "Islands", "The Saga Of Pepote Rouge", "Knockin' Lost John", "Living In A Dream" and their sweet little take on "Georgia On My Mind", with Richard Manuel on lead vocals for a change, given this beauty of a pop standard a gruff edge that works wonderfully well. LP, Vinyl record album

There's no denying that Hunky Dory is one of the most significant albums ever in the catalog of David Bowie – a real turning point that pushed both his songwriting and performance to a whole new level! And while the core album is completely wonderful, and one of our favorite Bowie albums ever – this package brings forth new material from the same period – showing some alternate versions of songs pulled both from the sessions, and an early promo album – all at a level that definitely lives up to the promise of the title! Tracks include "Changes (alt mix)", "Oh You Pretty Things (Bowpromo mix)", "Eight Line Poem (Bowpromo mix)", "Life On Mars (original ending)", "Kooks (Bowpromo mix)", "Quicksand (early version)", "Fill Your Heart (alt mix)", "Bombers (alt mix)", "Andy Warhol (original mix with alt intro)", "Song For Bob Dylan (alt mix)", "Queen Bitch (Bowpromo mix)", and "Bewlay Brothers (alt mix)". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that's way more than just "again" – that is, a recap of the first Buffalo Springfield classic – as the set not only has the group really exploding forward, but also the individual members taking these strong steps on their own that really point towards their big legacies to follow! Neil Young grabs us with darkness on the first tune, Richie Furay warms us with some country strains on the next, and Stephen Stills moves into a space that's very much his own on the next – yet throughout it all, the record has this sense of unity that really holds up over the years – giving us depth that makes the whole thing an amazing listen time and time again. There's some key help along the way – a bit of piano from Don Randi, electric piano from Jack Nitzsche, and even some recording help from Jim Messina – all furthering the warmth of the group's approach. Titles include "Mr Soul", "Sad Memory", "Hung Upside Down", "Good Time Boy", "Rock & Roll Woman", "Broken Arrow", "A Child's Claim To Fame", and "Expecting To Fly". LP, Vinyl record album

A mindblowing classic from Can – a set that has the group just getting better with each new record – to a point where it's the early 70s, and they're already in territory that's completely their own! The set features long tracks that spin out beautifully – driven that that rhythmic drive that the group always had at their best – so different than some of their contemporaries who might have gotten stuck in a sonic corner and never found their way out – while Can was bursting forth with energy and imagination that has kept them still sounding amazing as the decades move on! The set's the last one with the mighty Damo Suzuki, but fortunately not the last with the incredible drums of Jaki Leibezeit – and titles include the 19 minute jam of "Bel Air" – plus "Future Days", "Spray", and "Moonshake". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal set from Cheap Trick – a group who had already cut some excellent studio albums before this one, but who somehow finally reached huge fame in the mainstream with this classic concert release! The album is one of the greatest, most iconic live rock records of its era – in which the to that point under-appreciated Cheap Trick (in the US at least – as you can hear the wild screams, they had the love elsewhere) midwestern powerpop progenitors FINALLY broke through and cemented their legend! LP, Vinyl record album

Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah, Y- Y- Y- Y- Y- Y- Y-eah, this is one of best art rock albums of all time – the Eno produced full length debut of Devo – the caustic, sarcastic and fun soundtrack to society's devolution! There's nothing we don't love about Devo at this point, from their unprecedented use of multimedia, to the hard to pull off fusion of sneering social and pop culture satire with good humored fun, and that's just the conceptual stuff. The songs are original and inimitably great, too, with those squeeling synth punk dynamics. Tracks include (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (best rock cover ever?) "Jocko Homo", "Mongoloid", "Uncontrollable Urge", "Space Junk", "Come Back Jonee", "Sloppy (I Saw My Baby Gettin')" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Dutch revolutionaries The Ex at a high point of an incredible early run – rolling into the mid 80s with a fiery double album! By this point they had a strong blueprint for their sound and style – steady propulsive rhythms that roll to hypnotic effect, sing-speak vocals that work as well as poetic marching mantras as song lyrics, off kilter bits of instrumentation that fit in with noise jazz as much as post-punk rock – and they're right on cusp of a peak here. Includes "Jack Frost Is Innocent", "A Good Buy To You", "Boohoo", "Requiem For A Rip-Off", "Pleased To Meat You", A Plague To Survive", "Kidnap Connection", "Fire And Ice", "Food On 45", "Scrub That Scum", "The Rise Of The Dutch Republic", "Love You Till Eh", "Rabble With A Cause" and the title track. LP, Vinyl record album

A record that really has Fairport Convention knocking it out of the park – making a bold turn towards British traditional music, but in a way that imbues these relics with a whole new life of their own! The album came at a key turning point – after an accident that took one of their members, and which almost saw the group disband – but instead turn towards the past for even deeper inspiration than some of their contemporaries, whom they'd covered on other records – at a level that seems to set Sandy Denny free into this sublime territory of her own! Denny's vocals are incredible – like a thing unlocked from some ancient vault – and they're given this wonderful focus through the growing complexity of Richard Thompson's guitar work, and the understated brilliance of Ashley Hutchings' bass – both of which bring in these modal inflections that are very 60s, and hardly conceived of as accompaniment with the original tunes. The result is tremendous – tunes that are completely transformed, as a touchstone for generations. Titles include "Matty Groves", "Reynardine", "Come All Ye", "The Deserter", "Tam Lin", and "Crazy Man Michael". (Folk/Country, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

The wonderful voice of Marianne Faithfull in all its 60s glory – set up here with sublime arrangements from Mike Leander, in a style that's unlike just about anything else we can think of! Marianne's got a bit of a trill – as you might hear in female folk singers of the decade – but the overall presentation is something completely different altogether – kind of a dark recasting of the usual pop modes you might hear from Leander, with all these blue undertones and weird intonations that kind of point the way towards moodier female singers to come at the end of the 60s – but still with enough ties to the mainstream to make Faithfull's music even more powerful! The balance is hard to describe in words, but hits you right away from the very first note – and titles include "Counting", "Ne Me Quitte Pas", "In The Night Time", "Tomorrow's Calling", "With You In Mind", "I'm The Sky", "Lucky Girl", and "I Have A Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Prime Grateful Dead from the mid 70s – a time when the group were traveling famously around the globe, spinning out long songs with plenty of solos – but also able to keep on coming up with nicely sharp songs on records like this! By this point in their career, they're so instrumentally strong, they hardly need to show off – that is, they certainly do, but in a much more subtle way than before, and maybe than in a live setting – packing decades of roots and years of deftness into songs that include "Franklin's Tower", "Crazy Fingers", "Sage & Spirit", "Blues For Allah", "Sand Castles & Glass Camels", and "The Music Never Stopped". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from Khruangbin – a group with a name that's hard to pronounce, but who just keep getting better and better with each new release – to the point where on this record, they're definitely in a genre by themselves! Khruangbin blend together lean funky instrumentation with some slightly more progressive elements – never too jamming to get in the way of the groove, but with a complexity that shows us that these guys are really amazing musicians – steeped in the best influences from the past, but never copycats at all – and always with a very original sound! The core trio is expanded just slightly here on a few tracks – with the spare addition of elements like vibes, percussion, or pedal steel – each used sparingly, but to create some great sonic colors in the mix. Titles include "First Class", "Pelota", "Dearest Alfred", "If There Is No Question", "One To Remember", "So We Won't Forget", "Shida", and "Father Bird Mother Bird". (Deep Funk, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

What can we say? This is one of the greatest albums of all time! The record's got a sound that's completely unique – as crack LA garage punk rock meets Hollywood baroque production, and the result is an amazing bit of loud guitar noise backed by strings and horns, all graced by the godlike vocals of the great Arthur Lee. Forever Changes is a milestone in rock – an incredibly bleak document about insanity, escape, and the coming revolution that never happened. Think of all the best moments of Wild In The Streets, Zabriske Point, and Invocation of My Demon Brother rolled into one – and you'll only have a tiny slice of the picture! A record that will haunt us until the day we die – filled with incredible songs like "Alone Again Or", "Old Man", "Daily Planet", "Red Telephone", and "Maybe The People Would Be The Times Or Between Clark & Hilldale". LP, Vinyl record album

My god, what a record! This one's genius through and through – a set that sometimes gets eclipsed in the brilliance to come, but which is easily one of our favorites ever by Steely Dan! There's a beautifully focused feel here – thanks to Donald Fagan's incredible lead vocals, and a sense of songwriting that never takes any left turns – no odd forays into different styles or previous genres, just all steeped in Steely, as the group should be by this point! John Klemmer turns in some wonderful sax work that really helps shape the sound, and titles include the wonderful "Caves Of Altimira", "Kid Charlemagne", "Don't Take Me Alive", "Green Earrings", and "The Royal Scam". LP, Vinyl record album

The great early double album from Tom Waits! This is peak Asylum era Waits, getting into that charismatic, drunken bluesy poet mode – essentially working live in the studio with a small audience , giving it a genuine sounding latenight cabaret vibe, and embracing his wit and style as brilliantly as he'd done to this point. Brilliant vintage Waits and a loose, yet nicely rhythmic backing combo. Titles include "Better Off Without A Wife", "Emotional Weather Report", "On A Foggy Night", "Eggs & Sausage", "Spare Parts", "Big Joe & Phantom 309", and "Putnam County". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark leaping-off point for The Beatles – and a record that really paved the way for countless new ideas to come! The mix of catchy pop and freer ideas here is really wonderful – tunes that introduce a whole new mature world in mainstream music – yet manage to have all the catchy complexity of the earlier years too. Production, songwriting, and delivery is superb – and titles include "Norwegian Wood", "Think For Yourself", "The Word", "Girl", "I'm Looking Through You", and "Run For Your Life"". LP, Vinyl record album