A legendary record from KMD – the group's second album, which was unissued at the time because their label had an issue with the now-famous cover image! The set is every bit as fantastic as their first – with some of that strong influence from jazz that marked their music as a real standout at the time – but also some raw elements that really make us wonder where they would have gone, had they kept on together as a trio – if not for the untimely early death of Dingilizwe Dumile! Yet, as history shows, that moment spawned the MF Doom persona of group member Zevlove X (Dumile's brother) – who would go on to form a legacy of his own. The whole thing's great, even without that mini-history lesson – and titles include the classics "Plumskinnzz" and "What A Ni**a Know" – plus "Get-U-Now", "Sweet Premium Wine", "Black Bastards", "Constipated Monkey", and "Gimme". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary record from KMD – the group's second album, which was unissued at the time because their label had an issue with the now-famous cover image! The set is every bit as fantastic as their first – with some of that strong influence from jazz that marked their music as a real standout at the time – but also some raw elements that really make us wonder where they would have gone, had they kept on together as a trio – if not for the untimely early death of Dingilizwe Dumile! Yet, as history shows, that moment spawned the MF Doom persona of group member Zevlove X (Dumile's brother) – who would go on to form a legacy of his own. The whole thing's great, even without that mini-history lesson – and titles include the classics "Plumskinnzz" and "What A Ni**a Know" – plus "Get-U-Now", "Sweet Premium Wine", "Black Bastards", "Constipated Monkey", and "Gimme". LP, Vinyl record album

The first full length from MF Doom – a record that set the standard for underground hip hop to come! On this modern classic, Doom caps off the 90s with more jazzy soul in the beats, and some semblance of straightforward rhyme mastery from both Doom & his guests – taken to the outer limits! What really pushes this one into legendary status are how well he works with creaky comic adventure samples – using them as the genesis of Doom's metal face supervillain persona. Looking back, the set is clearly the building blocks for deeper insanity to come – but the sense of structure may well make it his best album ever! Includes "Doomsday", "Rhymes Like Dimes" feat Cucumber Slice, "The Finest" feat Tommy Gun, "Go With The Flow", "Tick Tick", "Hey!", "The Mic", "Dead Bent", "?" feat Kurious and much more – including all of the classic skits (yeah, we said it, classic skits, creative sci fi sample genius that are creative as the proper tracks) – with 19 tracks in all. LP, Vinyl record album

YOD serves up that nicely laidback, almost conversational style that makes his music so great – working here with beats from Wino Willy, Lee Scott, Nicholas Craven, Jonwayne, and J-Es – each of whom really get that slow-stepping mix of bass and jazz just right! Titles include "The Simpsons", "50K Or Brunch", "The Hand Of YOD", "The Unknown Comic", "The Man On The Moon", "The Tonight Show", and "Triple Lindy". Also features a bonus "Metal Face Medley". LP, Vinyl record album

The dawn of the 90s debut of the Black Crowes! This is a record that really stood out at the time, a strange period in mainstream rock between the hard rock/hair metal of the late 80s and the moodier alternative rock to come – and here was the Crowes, carrying a torch for the old school swagger of the Rolling Stones and especially the Faces – and doing a pretty damn convincing job! Includes "Twice As Hard", "Jealous Again", "She Talks To Angels", "Struttin' Blues", "Stare It Cold", "Hard To Handle" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Pre-shock rock psychedelia from Alice Cooper – more of a Detroit-reared answer to early Pink Floyd than it is a clue to the early metal horror show to come – and a record that stands stunningly well on its own! Since most people never even heard Pretties For You until long after Alice became a notorious rock star – which has made it unfairly judged in most circles – because if you enter it fresh, and take it for what it is, the whole thing's an incredible record that stands with some of the more revolutionary British albums of the late 60s. We hear rare psychedelia by the bucketful that's not nearly as good as this album, but which celebrated by rare psych diggers purely for its obscurity – and the overall presentation and performance is right up there with some of the coolest material on Harvest or Vertigo. Titles include "10 Minutes Before The Worm", "Sing Low Sweet Cheerio", "Reflected", "Apple Bush", "Earwigs To Eternity", "Titanic Overture", and "No Longer Umpire". LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "Biscuits" feat Trife, "Beat The Clock", "Metal Lungies" feat Sheek Louch & Styles P, "Save Me Dear", "It's Over", "Tush" feat Missy Elliott, "Holla", "Ghostface", "Run" feat Jadakiss, "Love" feat Musiq & K Fox, and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Ghostface brings some real hip hop to latter day Def Jam – his best album since Supreme Clientele – and possibly '06 hip hop album of the year! Fishscale features appearances by the Wu Tang Clan & Theodore Unit, Ne-Yo, Megan Ward and others on the mic – but it's the stable of producers that helps make this one of the best above ground hip hop albums we've heard in a long time. MF Doom puts his Metal Fingerz behind the boards for a bunch of tracks, and the legendary Pete Rock handles a few – with additional work by J Dilla, Just Blaze, Lewis Parker and others. Ghost brings a literal lyrical focus to a number of the tracks – but he's still spraying words all over the damn place – and the best tracks are just as thrilling as his surreal word bombs of yore.Tracks include "Shakey Dog", "Kilo" feat Raekwon, the excellent Just Blaze-produced anthem "The Champ", "9 Milli Bros" feat Wu Tang Clan, "Beauty Jackson", "RAGU" feat Raekwon, "Be Easy" feat Trife, "Dogs of War" feat Raekwon & Theodore Unit, "Barbershop" and more. CD

One of the first few albums that Arthur Lyman recorded after his split with Martin Denny – and still very much in the best Denny mode – mixing vibes with percussion, and adding in lots of cool effects! There's a fair bit of exotic sounds in the mix – including birdcalls from group members – but Lyman's vibes are the real charm here – both metallic and warm at the same time, making for a nice degree of drama in ways that don't always show up on his later albums. Titles include "Jungle Fantasy", "Sakura", "Babalik Ka Rin", "Love Dance", and "Return To Paradise". LP, Vinyl record album

An unimpeachable metal masterpiece! Master Of Puppets is one of the rare cases when the critical and popular consensuses match right up and are both right on the money – there's just no arguing against this being considered one of the greatest, most influential, and surprisingly timeless metal albums of all time – and it built that reputation organically, fan by fan, without radio or music videos to hype it. All the more impressive for the few disarmingly quiet moments and borderline pretty instrumental passages before the heaviness comes walloping back in, this one is for the ages. Nothing but classic songs on this one: "Battery", "Master Of Puppets", "The Thing That Should Not Be", "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)", "Disposable Heroes", "Leper Messiah", "Orion" and "Damage, Inc.". LP, Vinyl record album

Sir Lord Baltimore may have a British-sounding name – but the group are a trio from Brooklyn, and serve up a blistering pre-metal version of hard rock that maybe blows away some of their English contemporaries at the time! There's a tremendous amount of power going on here – heavy bass from Gary Justin, searing guitars from Louis Dampier, and monstrous drums from John Garner, who somehow manages to also give out these raw, eerie vocals while also completely destroying the drum kit – all with energy that really prefaces a metal generation to come – but with a stripped-down vibe that's completely free of hoke. Titles include "Master Headache", "Helium Head", "Pumped Up", "Kingdom Come", "Hell Hound", "I Got A Woman", "Lake Isle Of Innisfree", and "Ain't Got Hung On You". LP, Vinyl record album

T Rex's phenomenal second album since moving into a heavier glam mode, following the great Electric Warrior LP – still standing firmly as one of the best purely rocking, trashy fun rock & roll albums of the 70s! Marc Bolan's roots on spacier psyche folk melodies sort of float over beefier, fuzzier, sleazier hooks – a facet of the T Rex sound that always set them apart from the pack of more rote guitar rock guys & gals, and this peak material. Includes the eternal "Metal Guru" & "Telegram Sam", more classics like the title track, "Mystic Lady", "Baby Boomerang", "Ballrooms Of Mars", "Main Man" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure set from Jacksonville, FL – served up by a metal-looking group with long hair and some nicely exposed biceps! Titles include "Jack The Ripper Style", "Your Place Or Mine"- "Turn Out The Light", "The Kid", and "Something Good". LP, Vinyl record album

The early 70s mix of medieval themes and more 70s rooted jams – Argus by Wishbone Ash! If you haven't heard this one, and you're expecting battle axes, swords and early metal bombast. . .well, there's some of that. But Wishbone Ash were restless cats, and there's longwinded acoustic passages and all kinds of early 70s rock going on here! Dig that Hipgnosis cover art, too. Titles include "Time Was", "Sometime World", "Warrior", "Throw Down The Sword", "Blowin Free" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The darkest sound of the electronic dancefloor in the 80s – and in fact, one that may well have led to a lot more different activities than just dancing! Unlike other electro work of the time, which was often a more keyboard and drum program-driven take on mainstream dance styles, these grooves are exceptionally dark – and although rhythm, are often less concerned with catchy hooks or easy-stepping riffs – a great illustration of the way the sounds of the leftfield were coming into clubs in the post-disco years! There's a strong emphasis here on the sounds of the UK post-punk electronic scene – particularly the north – with bits of Germany thrown in as well – mixed with some American artists who were clearly picking up the vibe at the time. And together, the music is virtually the blueprint for the Wax Trax/Nettwerk generation to come – although it's far richer and far more compelling overall! Titles include "The Bubblemen Are Coming" by Bubblemen, "Pressure (club)" by 400 Blows, "The Bus" by Executive Slacks, "Dream Games" by Shock, "Divided" by Portion Control, "Amok" by Ledernacken, "The Duke Arrives (12" re-edit)" by John Carpenter & Alan Howarth, "Move" by Schlaflose Nachte, "Surface Tension" by Analysis, "Je Suis Passee (dub)" by Hard Corps, "Invaders Of The Heart (exotic decadent disco mix)" by Jah Wobble, "Metal Dance" by SPK, "Slipping Again" by Naked Lunch, "You Gotta Say Yes To Another Excess (UK 12" promo)" by Yello, "Brothers (mix Gabi)" by DAF, "Golpe De Amistad" by Diseno Corbusier, and "Voices" by Neon. CD

With selections by Warhead, Cities, Takashi, Virgin Steele, Teazer, Blackface, Overkill, Deathslayer, and Frigid Bich. LP, Vinyl record album

A really heady set of tracks from the American scene – music that effortlessly bridges the 60s sounds of garage, blues rock, and psych – and prefaces some of the metal and more guitar-heavy modes to emerge later on in the 70s! The work here definitely shares more with the sounds of the 60s, but also really captures the music at a moment when things were really transforming – groups were getting past a slavish presentation of their influences, finding bold new modes of expression, and really letting their freak flag fly with fuzzy brilliance throughout – all at levels that were also different than some of the longer-spun modes of the European progressive world. As with other Grapefruit packages, the distillation of a sound and scene here is wonderful – and supported with very detailed notes too – in a package that includes 62 tracks in all - with work from Bang, Sudden Death, Dust, Arthur Lee, Boomerang, Cactus, Grand Funk, The Flow, Head Over Heels, Sir Lord Baltimore, ZZ Top, Brigade, Fuse, Conception, Morgen, Coven, Alice Cooper, Nazz, Stack, Spirit, Kim Fowley, SRC, Mass Confusion Rock Band, Society's Children, Omnibus, Wildwood, Human Beinz, The Sound Barrier, Fever Tree, and many others! CD