A really wonderful second set from Panama Limited – a group who've dropped the "Jug Band" from their name, and come across here with a very different sound! The album's still got lots of acoustic roots elements in the mix, but the overall conception is very strongly rooted in blues, then filtered through a more experimental generation – ala Captain Beefheart! It's clear that the group had been digging the Cap themselves, but they're not just copping his style here – as the album has a more pointed, tuneful approach – with vocals augmented by new group member Anne Matthews, who really helps them find a fresh groove. Way more trippy than before – thanks to some very evocative lyrics – and titles include "Moonshine", "Set Me Free", "Woman I Love", "Darkness Brings", "Laughing", and "Eastern Man". CD

Here's a compilation that's going after our hearts! As revolutionary as the oft-imitated Bo Diddley beat was in early rock & roll, he doesn't get the credit he deserves for the far reaching impact of his songwriting – having been covered by everyone from Buddy Holly, The New York Dolls, The Shadows Of Night, The Animals, The Pretty Things, Captain Beefheart, Los Lobos and so many more artists of all stripes over the years! This excellent set from Ace Records does a fantastic job of showing not only how far his influence reaches, but also how stylistically adaptable his tunes are. Swamp rock, proto punk, bluesy soul and more. Very well done and each cut is a keeper, with 24 tracks in all: "Bo Diddley" by Buddy Holly, "Crackin Up" by The Gants, "Pills" by New York Dolls, "Road Runner" by The Zombies, "Diddy Wah Diddy" by Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band, "Diddley Daddy" by The British Walkers, "You Don't Love Me (You Don't Care)" by The Birds, "Who Do You Love" by Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks and many more. CD

A deep dive into the sound of Los Angeles in the middle of the 60s – a really well-done box that somehow manages to mix together all the different strains of music that were going on in the city of angels at the time – sunshine pop, garage rock, psych, pop, and even more experimental modes – served up here in a set list that's full of some of the coolest, hippest groups of the time! The box takes its title from a Beach Boys tune, but this isn't a set of well-played oldies from AM radio – and instead, the selection demonstrates the continued appreciation of this period of music over the decades, and the shift in interest to some of the more groundbreaking, obscure groups of the period – served up here with bigger names as well – all with the detailed notes and overflowing amount of tracks that we love from these boxes on the Grapefruit label! There's a massive 90 tracks in all – with work from Mark Eric, Jim & The Lords, The Heroes, Candy Company, Odds & Ends, Spirit, The Misunderstood, Urban Renewal Project, Peanut Butter Conspiracy, Captain Beefheart, Ruthann Friedman, The Rogues, Music Machine, Whatt Four, Velvet Illusions, Merrell & The Xiles, Sanctions, Grass Roots, New Wave, West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Grains Of Sand, Merry Go Round, Human Expression, Love, Laughing Wind, Roger Nichols & The Small Circle Of Friends, Boystown, Gene Clark, and many others! CD

Magnificent early work from Eugene Chadbourne – a set that was recorded on Christmas Day, 1977 – and only issued a decade later on cassette – but sounds that are every bit as mindblowing as the material on Chadbourne's first few albums! The music here is heavy on compositions from Thelonious Monk – and the set also features Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Ornette Coleman tunes too – all reworked by Chadbourne with this incredible acoustic guitar style – very freewheeling, but still tied to the roots of jazz through a sense of melody – in ways that are maybe even more illustrative of his role in the scene than some of his other work. At one level, there's an acoustic guitar craft here that stretches back to the early blues recordings, but through a strong sense of avant freedom – ala Captain Beefheart – but Eugene's care with the tunes, mixed with his expressive phrasing, also put him in a space that's somewhere between the world of Derek Bailey and Fred Frith, and that of jazzman Barney Kessel, whose name he's holding in the poster on the cover. Titles include "5th Of Beethoven", "Reflections", "Off Minor", "San Francisco", "Hackensack", "Dewey Square", "Central Park West", "Brilliant Corners", and "Light Blue". Also includes a number of Chadbourne originals – and unissued tracks as well! CD