An early 80s set from Cherry Red Records, and one that shows just how important the British label was to the world of post-punk music at the time – as you'll hear from an assortment of tracks that's more than enough to give labels like Factory or Rough Trade a run for their money! Cherry Red always had a way of thinking outside of the norm – mixing experimental sounds with more tuneful moments, and sometimes showcasing artists who weren't afraid to put their feelings on the line – at a level that other British indies would pick up more strongly a few years later. There's plenty of formative sounds here – and titles include "Plain Sailing" by Tracy Thorn, "My Face Is On Fire" by Felt, "No Noise" by Eyeless In Gaza, "Don't Blink" by The Nightingales, "Some Things Don't Matter" by Ben Watt, "Modi 2 (extract)" by Piero Milesi, "All About You" by Thomas Leer, "Portrait" by Five Or Six, "Eine Symphonie Des Grauens" by The Monochrome Set, "Lazy Ways" by The Marine Girls, "I Unseen" by The Misunderstood, and "On My Mind" by Everything But The Girl. This massive 3CD version of the collection is overflowing with great material – a whopping 72 tracks in all, 17 of which are unreleased, presented in a book-style package with plenty of notes! Added material includes work from The Nightingales, Kevin Coyne, The Passage, Monochrome Set, Jane, Five Or Six, Thomas Leer, Martyn Bates, Creation Rebel, The Reflections, Swallow Tongue, Bodhi Beat Poets, and even Patrick MacNee & Honor Blackman of The Avengers! CD

A huge legacy of music from Eyeless In Gaza – an important British duo from the post-punk years, and one with a sound that definitely went on to shape the style of much bigger acts at the time! As with some of their darker contemporaries, the group began in a style that was stark and electric, but warmed things up as the records moved on, and they really learned how to hone their craft – especially the vocals of Martyn Bates, who has a pre-goth way of sounding spooky and soulful at the same time – all in a mode that's very British as well! Most tracks are pretty spare – lots of keyboards, moody bass, and guitar – and the set brings together 102 tracks from their albums for the Cherry Red label, plus singles too – in a box that has each of the five CDs divided up into thematic styles – running from catchy cuts on one disc to much more experimental work on another! 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

The first great, label-spanning compilation of great 50s & 60s tracks by a variety of artists with some little in common in some cases, but share at least one unbreakable bond – they recorded these tracks with the incredible James Burton on guitar! It's got fiery, pivotal rockabilly Dale Hawkins and Bob Luman, pop takeover numbers by Ricky Nelson, rustic charisma from Lee Hazlewood, benchmark honky tonk from Merle Haggard, harmony country rock from Buffalo Springfield and much more – including numbers credited to James Burton himself and with Ralph Mooney. Includes "Susie-Q" by Dale Hawkins, "Red Hot" by Bob Luman, "Cannonball Rag" by James Burton, "Blood From A Stone" by Ricky Nelson, "A Child's Claim To Fame" by Buffalo Springfield, "Swamp Surfer" by Jimmy Dobro, "Someday, Someday" by The Shindogs, "Just For A While" by Carol Williams, "Tryin' To Be Someone" by David & Lee and more. (Folk/Country, Rock) CD

Stomping organ instrumentals from Dave Baby Cortez – early singles done for the Clock label at the end of the 50s and start of the 60s – all of which helped to really find a place for the organ in American pop and soul! Cortez brought a style to the instrument that was as wild as some of the guitarists and saxophonists of his time – a mode that wasn't really jazz, was a bit R&B, and which helped give the organ a much leaner sound than some of its "skating rink" uses in pop during the decade before. Dave's clean style is a great fit for the jaunty, leaping rhythms of these tunes – and other instrumentation includes tenor, guitar, and even a bit of piano, which is featured on a few tracks instead of organ. CD features 25 tracks in all – with titles that include "Piano Shuffle", "The Happy Organ", "Cat Nip", "Hey Hey Hey", "Mari Gras", "Fiesta", "Love Me As I Love you", "The Whistling Organ", "Do The Slop", "You're Just Right", "Riffin", "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie", "Dave's Special", "Red Sails In The Sunset", and "Hurricane". (Soul, Rock) CD

A modern country rock masterpiece. Wilco's second album, an unlikely (for its time) major label double album does an incredible job of showing stylistic breadth and sprawl behind lyrical and emotional consistency, arrangements-wise recalling the best of the band's more adventurously rootsy forbears enough to not unfairly call it "alt-country" at the time, but it's ultimately timeless. Here we are decades later and it doesn't sound like it's aged a day. Includes "Misunderstood", "Far, Far Away", "Red-Eyed And Blue", "Forget the Flowers", "Outta Mind (Outta Sight)", "Kingpin", "Whole Would You Wanna Live", "Dreamer In My Dreams" and more. CD

A set that really expands the legend of Factory Records – the famous label who gave the world New Order, Joy Division, A Certain Ratio, and other important post-punk bands – as the set focuses on the equally legendary Hacienda nightclub, which the label opened in Manchester in 1982! Manchester was already a city with a hell of a music scene – but at the Hacienda, all sorts of sounds and styles mixed together – in a spirit that was similar to some of the energy on the New York scene at the time, particularly at a club like Danceteria – where the quest for the new took clubbers way past standard genre designations! The Fac 51 in the title was Factory's way of giving the club a catalog number that was in keeping with its record releases at the time – and the beautiful package features plenty of information on the club and the scene – along with 65 tracks by artists who include Gang Of Four, Section 25, Defunkt, Heaven 17, Medium Medium, The Birthday Party, Kurtis Blow, Shalamar, Barry Gray, Simple Minds, Rockers Revenge, 23 Skidoo, Royal Family & The Poor, Josef K, John Cooper Clarke, Stockholm Monsters, Swamp Children, Iggy & The Stooges, Sugarhill Gang, Laura Lee, Temptations, Trio, Bow Wow Wow, Valentine Brothers, Soft Cell, The Associates, Loose Joints, Suicide, Pale Fountains, and many others. CD

One of best set's yet on the Cicadelic label – deep diggers of obscure regional psych sounds – this one collecting rumbling late 60s singles by TX combos Carrols Mood, The Nomads, The Rebellers, Smoke, and The Remaining Few! It covers the years '66-'68 – a really creative period when the Brit Invasion and folk rock stuff that was popular around the globe was morphing into nascent psychedelia. Regional US groups on the coasts were making it big, but so many regional acts were just as great and never really got a shot at massive popularity. Here's a great document of what was happening down in Texas! Includes "What You're Doing To Me" and Out She Goes" (unreleased mixes) by Carrols Mood, "I'll Be There", "Three O'Clock Merrian" (several takes) and a really wild cover of "My Little Red Book" all by The Nomads, "Mainstream" by Smoke, "Mystical Bells" by The Sights And Sounds, "The New Generation" (previously unreleased mix) by The Rebellers and more. CD

One of best set's yet on Tucson, AZ's Cicadelic label – deep diggers of obscure regional psych sounds – this one collecting rumbling late 60s singles by TX combos Carrols Mood, The Nomads, The Rebellers, Smoke, and The Remaining Few! It covers the years '66-'68 – a really creative period when the Brit Invasion and folk rock stuff that was popular around the globe was morphing into nascent psychedelia. Regional US groups on the coasts were making it big, but so many regional acts were just as great and never really got a shot at massive popularity. Here's a great document of what was happening down in Texas! Includes "What You're Doing To Me" and Out She Goes" (unreleased mixes) by Carrols Mood, "I'll Be There", "Three O'Clock Merrian" (several takes) and a really wild cover of "My Little Red Book" all by The Nomads, "Mainstream" by Smoke, "Mystical Bells" by The Sights And Sounds, "The New Generation" (previously unreleased mix) by The Rebellers and more. CD

A famous date that showcases the Chess Records influence on the sound of the Brit rock scene – one that has a number of key players "giving back" to the label, and working on a special date with Howlin Wolf! Wolf's rough vocals are in the lead on all tracks, and he also plays a bit of harmonica and guitar as well – and other artists include Steve Winwood on piano and organ, Eric Clapton on guitar, Bill Wyman on bass, and Charlie Watts on drums – all players who are respectful of the original bluesy sound of Chess, and who clearly dig the opportunity to show off their chops in the setting. Titles include "I Ain't Superstitious", "Poor Boy", "Do The Do", "Red Rooster", "Built For Comfort", "What A Woman", "Highway 49", "Who's Been Talking", and "Rocking Daddy". (Blues, Rock) CD