... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest power pop albums ever recorded – a blistering batch of tight little rocking tunes that took pop music back to basics at the end of the 70s! The group have an almost Beatles-esque flair for the short catchy tune – but have also pumped up things nicely with a smoothly compressed 70s approach to production. There's an urgency to the work that seems to drive the whole thing with an uptight adolescent sense of horniness – a strange force that kicks most tunes into ultradrive by tapping into a virtually limitless source of energy! Titles include the mega-hit "My Sharona", plus "Heartbeat", "Lucinda", "Frustrated", "Good Girls Don't", "Selfish", "O Tara", and "Maybe Tonight". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little group – with music as wonderful as their name! Lothar & The Hand People sprung out of the post-folk years of the mid 60s – bringing together styles that had an earthier touch, with others that shared more in the proto-psyche of the time, and which also had a bit of a cosmic influence. And while at their core, the group had a sound that was shared by a number of groups at the time – somewhere in between Byrds-esque down-homeyness and sunshine psyche – they also had a knack for pulling in unusual instrumentation, creating some great "curve ball" moments that really kept their albums interesting. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic collection of work from the legendary Posh Boy label – a short-lived, but crucial imprint on the LA punk scene at the start of the 80s – and a company that was always a lot more hardcore than SST! Posh Boy really had a knack for capturing the short, sharp tunes that marked the LA scene at its best – work with blistering intensity, but also a slight dose of humor – maybe a bit of Ramones influence on the west, but always taken to more insane territory in the long run! Posh Boy gems are hard to come by, but this famous compilation offers up a nice full length document of label artists who didn't get much exposure past 45s – with tracks that include "I Have A Date", "Don't Bother Me", "California", and "Tiger Beat Twist" by The Simpletones; "I Got Power", "Atomic Lawn", "Meat House", and "Black & Red" by Rik L Rik; "Modern Machine", "Suzy Is A Surf Rocker", "Living In Madrid", and "Trix Are For Kids" by The Crowd. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest soundtracks ever from the great John Barry – a set of tracks that echoes some of his famous modes from James Bond films, yet also has a unique quality all its own! Barry's got a strongly jazzy sensibility here – and spaces out some great instrumentation with the same sensibilities used in the equally great music for The Knack! Staff aren't listed, but there's clearly some great Brit jazz players in the lineup – given the record's key use of vibes and tenor solos – as well as this very cool slow-plucked guitar with a noisy, echoey quality. The sound is brilliant – everything you'd hope for in the best 60s soundtracks – and titles include "The Ipcress File", "Alone In Three Quarter Time", "A Man Alone", "If You're Not Clean I'll Kill You", "Goodbye Harry", and "Alone Blues". LP, Vinyl record album