One of the most stunning debut albums of the 70s – and a set that burst on the scene with a sound that summed up a generation, but which had never been heard this clearly before! This self-titled Clash album was different from other landmarks of the time – work by the Sex Pistols, Ramones, and others – as the group had a sense of raw power, but also a tunefulness too – a way of pushing their message into territory that others wouldn't have reached – with tunes that were as surprisingly hummable as they were politically correct! There's a bit less Jamaican influence here than in later Clash years, but that quality is still present somewhat – and over the years, this is definitely a set we can return to again and again – with no sense of apology or outdated ideals at all. Nearly every cut's a classic – and titles include "Janie Jones", "Career Opportunities", "Police & Thieves", "Garageland", "Clash City Rockers", "I Fought The Law", "White Riot", "London's Burning", "White Man In Hammersmith Palais", and "I'm So Bored With The USA". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from The Clash – ferocious, melodic and masterful bits of barbed greatness from the group – the greatest flaw of which is that it's not the first album. They're still completely great, playing in peak form even with the less shambling, slightly more polished production of Sandy Pearlman. This one stands out beautifully to us nowadays, since most of the songs aren't as overplayed as the more zeitgeiest-y earlier ones or the Mtv hits that came later on. Essential!! Titles include "Julie's In The Drug Squad", "All The Young Punks", "Last Gang In Town", "Guns On The Roof", "Cheap-Skate", "Drug-Stabbing Time", and "Safe European Home". LP, Vinyl record album

The longest album ever from The Clash – a stunning triple LP set that really shows the group bristling with new ideas and energy throughout! There's a hell of a lot going on here – some cuts that are every bit as strong as the previous records, others that offer a few mis-steps but in a wonderfully playful way – and a few more that really hit this sort of unique mix of genres and politics that could only be summed up as Clash-like at its best! Bits of hip hop, reggae, new wave, funk, and more mix together beautifully – and the album's got a hell of a lot of charm and character, even if you're skipping past a few of the cuts you don't like as much as the others. 36 tracks in all – and titles include "The Magnificent Seven", "Hitsville UK", "Junco Partner", "The Leader", "Police On My Back", "Midnight Log", "The Call Up", "Washington Bullets", "Broadway", "Rebel Waltz", "Look Here", "The Crooked Beat", "Somebody Got Murdered", "Lose This Skin", "Charlie Don't Surf", "Kingston Advice", "Corner Soul", "Let's Go Crazy", "The Sound Of Sinners", "Living In Fame", "Silicone On Sapphire", and "Career Opportunities". LP, Vinyl record album

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Quite possibly the crowning masterpiece by The Clash – and a record that certainly pushed them out of the punk rock ghetto and into the collections of countless mainstream folks over the years! This is the set that really pushed the group over the top – the one that harnessed all the best energy of the previous two records and gave it a strong new focus – one that draws on roots as deep as the late 50s Elvis reference of the cover art, but which also bubbled over with newly approaching 80s musical ideas and politics! Yet the message never gets in the way of the guitar-heavy tuneful appeal of the songs – ringing out for decades on classics like "Train In Vain", "London Calling", "Spanish Bombs", "Lost In The Supermarket", "Guns Of Brixton", "Clampdown", and "Rudy Can't Fail". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include their classic anthem "This Is England" – plus "Three Card Trick", "Play To Win", "Life Is Wild", "North & South", "Movers & Shakers", "Cool Under Heat", "We Are The Clash", and "Dirty Punk". LP, Vinyl record album

The first album from Culture, and still their most classic – a set that takes its title from a prediction by Marcus Garvey – who said that there would be trouble in the world when "two sevens clash" on July 7, 1977! Fortunately, we made it all through that date in one piece – and good thing too, as the record's gone on to even more legendary status as the years have gone on – with a righteous sort of energy that just seems to get more important over the decades. Joe Gibbs produced, and arranged with Errol Thompson – and the slow-stepping rhythms of the set, heavy on bottom-end sounds, are a perfect backdrop for the message-oriented lyrics in the music. Every cut's a classic – and titles include "I'm Alone In The Wilderness", "Pirate Days", "Two Sevens Clash", "Calling Rastafari", "I'm Not Ashamed", "Get Ready To Ride The Lion To Zion", "Black Starliner Must Come", "Jah Pretty Face", "See Them A Come", and "Natty Dread Taking Over". LP, Vinyl record album

A driving, dramatic score for this early 80s epic of the gods! LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of very stripped-down albums from John Lee Hooker – issued together in this 70s set! First up is Country Blues Of John Lee Hooker – featuring the legendary John Lee Hooker, heard here in one of his more obscure recordings from the late 50s – at least in contrast to his famous sides for Vee Jay Records! This set's an unusual date – recorded in Detroit, despite the claim of the title – and featuring Hooker on acoustic guitar and vocals, without any other instrumentation at all – pitched much more towards the growing folk blues scene than some of his more familiar Chicago recordings. Tracks are short, but pack plenty of punch – and titles include "Black Snake", "I Rowed A Little Boat", "Bundle Up & Go", "Behind The Plow", "Water Boy", "Tupelo Blues", and "Pea Vine Special". That's My Story is from 1960, and features great rootsy blues from John Lee Hooker – and an unusual session that has him getting backup help from jazz players Sam Jones on bass and Louis Hayes on drums! Jones and Hayes only play on a handful of tracks, and most of the focus is on Hooker's damn-great vocals, and acoustic guitar – spun out nicely over a set of tracks that includes "I Need Some Money", a controversial clash with early Motown – plus "One Of These Days", "Gonna Use My Rod", "I Want To Talk About You", "Democrat Man", and "I'm Wanderin". LP, Vinyl record album

Great rootsy blues from John Lee Hooker – and an unusual session that has him getting backup help from jazz players Sam Jones on bass and Louis Hayes on drums! Jones and Hayes only play on a handful of tracks, and most of the focus is on Hooker's damn-great vocals, and acoustic guitar – spun out nicely over a set of tracks that includes "I Need Some Money", a controversial clash with early Motown – plus "One Of These Days", "Gonna Use My Rod", "I Want To Talk About You", "Democrat Man", and "I'm Wanderin". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive collection of work from these important years in music – and even if you don't know or care about Gary Crowley, who's pictured on the cover, you'll find plenty to love here if you dig UK sounds from the late 70s and early 80s! As indicated by the title, the set focuses on new wave and punk tracks – which also means that there's plenty of post-punk too – and the package does a really great job of offering up music that stands the test of time, even though much of it never got much play on American airwaves back in the day – music that really helped set the tone for a generation, and whose effects are still resonating all these many years later. As with volume one, the presentation is great – a very nice package, with detailed notes – and the 2LP version features 28 titles – with work by The Times, Shake, The Limps, Newtown Neurotics, The Slits, Gary Valentine, Basement 5, Dolly Mixture, Liquid Stone, The Subterraneans, Stiff Little Fingers, The Jam, Zounds, The Cure, The City Limits, Moving England, The Barracudas, Penetration, X-Ray Spex, The Limit, Magazine, Golinski Brothers, The Clash, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful early electronic works by Tod Dockstader – with a turgid sound that's very reminiscent of some of the early French Musique Concrete recordings from the 50s. Waves of sound collide and clash, opening up dark modern soundscapes that seem to point towards an outside referent – but which end up collapsing under the weight of the machine! Titles include "Piece 1", "Piece 2", "Piece 3", etc. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few albums ever cut as a leader by pianist Lorraine Geller – a player who's probably best remembered for her work with saxophonist (and husband) Herb Geller, but who also really swings nicely on her own! The album has Lorraine working with an LA trio that features Leroy Vinnegar on bass and drumming by either Lawrence Marable or Bruz Freeman – all of whom bring in a very soulful undercurrent to the record, helping bridge the two sides of the LA scene of the time, and making the album way deeper than you'd expect from the slightly elegant cover and title! The tracks aren't as strikingly modern as work cut by her husband during the 50s, but are quite strong nonetheless – with many unusual titles that include "Clash By Night", "Madam X", "Mystery Theatre", and "Everybody's Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty rough and rugged set of rock tracks – performed by a trio who were all prisoners at London's legendary Borstal! The title makes you think this might be some sort of Clash-type record, but the date belies the difference – and the overall approach is kind of in the Rolling Stones/Immediate Records mode of the late 60s – soulful at times, and with some added arrangements that include strings and larger orchestrations behind the core rock sound. Titles include "Long Long While", "Borstal", "See You Later", "You Made Me What I Am", "Life Is What You Make It", and "Take What We Want". LP, Vinyl record album

No soundclash here – as the grooves are all right on the money, and fit perfectly together throughout – a blinding blend of tropical-styled sounds that really lives up to the promise of the package! Sofrito have outdone themselves here – and come up with the kinds of tracks we'd never have found in a million years of digging – mostly vintage numbers from the late 70s and early 80s tropical scene – mixed with a few contemporary numbers that seem to have an equally classic sort of vibe! The package is an instant global grooves party right from the start – and titles include "O Ti Yo" by Midnight Groovers, "Cumbia Y Tambo" by La Pesada, "Ebolo" by Bell'A Njoh, "Vibrations Groove" by Lord Shorty & Vibrations International, ""Mwekuru Muthao" by Melodica Teens Band, "La Zorra Y El Perol" by Grupo Canalon De Tinbiqui, and "The Path (Sofrito edit)" by Concept Neuf. LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "D&D Soundclash" with Cocoa Brovas and production by Da Beatminerz, "Mic Stance", "Equality", "Defeat", and "Monotony", all with production by Premier, "Whirlwind Thru Cities", "Mortal Kombat" with Masta Killa, "Bring It Right", "Trilogy Of Terror" with Guru & Hannibal Stax, "Self Mastery", "Bigacts Littleacts" with GZA, "Warfare" with M.O.P., "Soul Assassination", and more. LP, Vinyl record album