An overlooked gem from the British free jazz scene of the 70s – a set issued on the Bead Records label, and one that got very little circulation at the time – but which is equally as mindblowing as work from the period on labels like Ictus and Ogun! The duo here features Roy Ashbury on drums and percussion, and Larry Stabbins on soprano and tenor – working in this free, open space, but on tracks that are often shorter than album-length improvisations – which allows the players to stop a minute, take a breath, and move into these nicely varied moments of spontaneous creation! You might know Stabbins from later 80s work on more groove-oriented records – but here, he's a tremendousimproviser, with a sense for creative reedwork that might well rival his contemporary Evan Parker. Titles include "Puff", "Formants Of The Deep", "Wych Elm", "Fire Without Bricks", "Rough Cut", and "Maldoror". CD

Rare late 60s psychedelia from blue collar Rockford, Il – a totally great lost album of pop psych tunefulness from Pisces – who had an incredible knack for experimental sounds that weave in and out of the hallucinatory pop structure! The group centered around core players Jim Krein and Paul DiVenti, and a number of the tunes have fragile, beautiful lead vocals by Linda Bruner, bringing in a bit of Velvets style stark, haunting loveliness – and most of the tracks languished unreleased all this time! This is essentially the first real release of almost all of the tunes, and the best shot at finding an adventurous audience any of it has ever had! We think this stuff would have been hugely influential had it found an audience in its time, hell, it sounds to us like it actually did influence countless groups, even though that's hardly even possible! There's a tunefulness at the center that bears the fruits of the experimental pop sounds that came from benchmark scenes of the era, from Haight Ashbury to Abbey Road – but the found sound ephemera, tape manipulations, and tripped out atmospherics really bring in some far out vibes! An essential discovery from Numero that's as exciting, insistently groovy and eclectic as any of the rock oriented stuff they've dug up to date! Titles include "Dear One", "Children Kiss Your Mother Goodnight", "Motley Mary Ann", "Say Goodbye To John", "The Music Box", "Like A Hole In The Wall Where The Rat Lives", "Elephant Eyes", "Circle Of Time" and more – plus the "extended play" bonus tracks "A Flower For All Seasons" and "In The Summer A Grape Grows". CD

Fantastic material from Tim Buckley – rare tracks recorded in 1968 and 1973, both presenting two different slices of his too-short career – and standing together as a great addition to his too-small catalog of recorded work! The first half features small sessions from 1968 – with Tim on those amazing vocals of his and Lee Underwood on lead guitar – plus a bit of vibes from Dave Friedman, in a manner that echoes the great use of that instrument on his Elektra albums of the late 60s. The songs are dreamy, open, and have that sublime blend of blueness and flow that really set Tim apart from his contemporaries – titles that include "Danang", "Happy Time", "Buzzin Fly", "Song To The Siren", and "Ashbury Park" – all done in unusual versions. The second half of the record features material recorded in 1973 – songs that are a bit more tight, with more of an overall group feel – almost jamming in the way the whole thing comes together! 1973 titles include versions of "Honey Man", "Falling Timber", "Quicksand", "Stone In Love", "Sefronia", "Because Of You", and "The Dream Belongs To Me". CD