A classic double-live set from Kiss – issued almost hot on the heels of their Kiss Alive album, and equally great! The group are at the height of their 70s power here – searing through versions of "Detroit Rock City", "I Stole Your Love", "Beth", "God Of Thunder", "Calling Dr Love", "Christine Sixteen", "Hard Luck Woman", "Makin Love", "Love Gun", "King Of The Night Time World", "Ladies Room", "Any Way You want It", "Larger Than Life", and "Shout It Out Loud". LP, Vinyl record album

The "nuggets" in the title is very well placed here – as all the cuts here have every bit as much freak and fuzz as the American garage and pre-punk work chronicled famously on the lengendary Nuggets series! Yet these tracks are all even more obscure, and all come from African sources that never got any exposure over here back in the day – records from Zambia, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe – all brought together in a massive collection that's filled with heavy guitar work, and a fair bit of monstrous basslines too – which gives some of these tracks a slightly funky current at the bottom, even while the guitars and vocals are tripping out up top! The collection's a great complement to some of the Zamrock reissues from Now Again in recent years – and titles include "The Bad Will Die" by Keith Mlevhu, "Can't You Hear Me" by Paul Ngozi, "Black Power" by Peace, "Mad Man" by Born Free, "Breakthrough" by Funkees, "Few Bena Zambia" by Revolutions, "Come Home" by Wells Fargo, "Amanaz" by Amanaz, "Don't Take Me For A Ride" by Founders, "Like A Chicken" by Witch, and "Making Life Out Of Music" by Eye Q. Also includes the reworked "No Time (Pilooski edit)" by Witch. (Global Grooves, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Chuck Berry's way more than just rocking for sock hops here – as the set has the seminal figure working at the height of his powers – in a raw, stripped-down setting that still packs way more punch than you might remember if you only think of Chuck in terms of all those over-used cliches! The approach is almost more blues than rock – as the core combos have key work from Chess staple Willie Dixon on bass, plus piano from Johnnie Johnson and some occasional tenor from Leroy C Davis. But the real highlight is Berry and his mean guitar – and his sinister style of singing – almost a midwest counterpart to the nasty gritty grooves that the young Johnny Guitar Watson was laying down on the west coast at the time! Titles include "Worried Life Blues", "Too Pooped To Pop", "I Got To Find My Baby", "Broken Arrow", "Let It Rock", "Down The Road Apiece", and the cool instrumental "Mad Lad". (Soul, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Glen returns to work with Jimmy Webb – the brilliant songwriter who gave Glen big hits with "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" and "Witchita Lineman" back in the 60s. By the time of this 1974 recording, Jimmy had been through a lot of life – and was actually writing songs that were even more honest and gripping than in earlier years. He'd also become a heck of an arranger – and even though that work was often lost on Jimmy's own albums, mostly because Jimmy wasn't much of a singer, it sounds great here, as Glen's vocals really open up Jimmy's songs like few other singers could manage at the time! Titles include "Just This One Time", "Ocean In His Eyes", "The Moon's A Harsh Mistress", "Adoration", "It's A Sin", "I Keep It Hid", and "You Might As Well Smile". A brilliant record – the kind of underground major label gem that makes you realize that the 70s wasn't such a bad time! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few rock albums on the BYG/Actuel label – and a nice one at that! The group's an early spinoff from the very first lineup of Procol Harum, but by the time this album was recorded the only thing the groups shared was drummer Bobby Harrison. The sound is stripped down blues rock with a touch of mild, poppy psychedelia – replete with plenty of guitar and organ. The sound is just raw enough to rock, but the tunes are more concise than jamming, though there's no shortage of riffery to wag your hair too, should that be your style. Includes "Time Of The Season", "Hoo Doo Man", "Enchanted Wood", "Fly", "Dusty Track", and "My Life". LP, Vinyl record album

Overlooked genius from Led Zeppelin – an album that was missed by many the first time around, because of it's tight focus and simplicity! For the set, the group step back just a bit from their more stylistically sprawling tendencies – almost as if they got some of the more ambitious ideas out of their system with Physical Graffiti, or simply wanted to get out there and kick some ass – a back to basics move, and one that sees some tremendous guitar work from Jimmy Page! The album still has some longer songs and complicated changes – this is Led Zeppelin, after all – and the lack of over-played classic rock radio fodder actually makes this one a better listen nowadays than the more iconic albums. Includes "Achilles Last Stand", "For Your Life", "Nobody's Fault But Mine", "Candy Store Rock", "Hots On For Nowhere", and "Tea For One". LP, Vinyl record album

A really fantastic album from drummer Buddy Miles – an artist that many folks know for his key rock work in the Band Of Gypsys group of Jimi Hendrix, but a musician with an equally great ear for soul and funk as well! Miles began in Electric Flag, and certainly has ties to the world of psych – and here, he mixes funkier currents with lots of strong trippy guitar from Marlo Henderson – a player we don't know that well, but who adds some great lines that are a lot like some of the Phil Upchurch contributions over at Chess/Cadet at the same time. Miles sings on most numbers, with that nicely honest vocal approach we love so much – but there's a few instrumental moments too, and the set's got some great use of horns throughout, which brings in some southern funky currents too. Titles include "Joe Tex", "Place Over There", "The Segment", "Don't Keep Me Wondering", "Sudden Stop", and "That's The Way Life Is". (Soul, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest mainstream rock and roll debuts of all time – and a record that still blows away just about any other later work by The Pretenders! The set's got this raw, sneering power that's neither punk, nor new wave – but which seems to be very much of that moment – a very unique blend of the group's Ohio roots and their London experience – honed to razor-sharp perfection, but never slick or polished at all. Chrissie Hynde is quite far from her ballad modes, and brings this raw, adult vibe to the record that really sets a whole new level for women in rock – never sweet, but never sexed-up either – standing as firmly in the group alongside her masculine cohorts as she does on the cover. Production is great – oddly dark in all the right ways, but with a very simple elegance – and the album's near-perfect from start to finish – with tracks that include "Precious", "The Phone Call", "Tattooed Love Boys", "Private Life", "Kid", "The Wait", and "Mystery Achievement". LP, Vinyl record album

An unmitigated blast of punk, worthy of setting the stage for the American hard core movement! While punk rock had been firmly established by the time this album came out, no one was prepared for the next level that Black Flag would take things to with this brutal, nihilistic, stripped down assault on the status quo! A classic that will stand up for ages, wit fist in the air anthems like "Rise Above", "Six Pack", "What I See", "TV Party", "Police Story", "Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie", "Thirsty & Miserable", "Depression", "Padded Cell", "Damaged I", "Damaged II", "Life Of Pain", "Room 103" and "No More". LP, Vinyl record album