... LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album in the British folk scene at the start of the 70s – one of those records that was maybe a bit ignored at the time, but which has gone on to shape the sound of generations in the decades that followed! Anne Briggs has a really haunting voice – one that's got this spare, eerie quality that maybe follows from earlier American work by a singer like Jean Ritchie – and she's also a hell of a guitarist too, playing here with a complexity and sense of sound that instantly rivals some of the greats of both the Takoma Records generation, and UK contemporaries like Bert Jansch and John Renbourn. The album mixes vocals and instrumentals beautifully – and although the sound is lean, the whole thing has a tremendously powerful sound – on titles that include "Standing On The Shore", "Tangled Man", "Clea Caught A Rabbit", "Fire & Wine", "Highlodge Hare", "Sandman's Song", "Time Has Come", and "Tidewave". LP, Vinyl record album

The instant-classic debut of Iris DeMent – a record that came out in the 90s, but which has a classic country vibe that not only lives up to DeMent's hardscrabble roots, but which also really blows away any sort of retro or "alt" attempts to hit territory like this at the time! Dement doesn't need to fake anything at all, or hang her music in "authentic" trappings – as it's all there, right at the start – beautifully understated, and set to instrumentation that's a lot different than mainstream Nashville at the time – but which also isn't trying to ape any 50s or 60s modes either. The whole thing's a beautiful testament to one of the freshest new voices of her generation – with titles that include "Our Town", "When Love Was Young", "Mama's Opry", "Higher Ground", "After You've Gone", "Let The Mystery Be", and "Infamous Angel". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the great American folk and country figures of the past half century, and one who doesn't get the mainstream reverence he deserves – Tom Paley, a founding member of The New Lost City Ramblers – and he's rambling quite beautifully on these 2011 recordings with his Old Time Moonshine Revue! There's an experienced, elegiac quality here on Tom's voice and on the songs, but it's lively and timeless! He's in his mid 80s and in truly classic form here! Includes "Roll On, Roll On", "Little Birdie", "Beelzebubbles", "Johnson City Blues", "The Fiddling Soldier", "A Horse Named Bill", "Whiskey Seller", "Little Rabbit", "Green Grow The Lilacs", "Poor Bill" CD

One of the undisputed 70s classics from John Prine – a set mostly recorded down in Nashville, but at a level that still keeps Prine's wit and Chicago sensibilities firmly intact! The instrumentation here is a bit augmented from before – with help from the great Reggie Young on guitar, and a few Arif Mardin production touches – but overall with that up-close, upfront quality that's perfect for Prine's words and vocals. Titles include "Grandpa Was A Carpenter", "Onomatopoeia", "Blue Umbrella", "Dear Abby", "Often Is A Word I Seldom Use", "Christmas In Prison", "Please Don't Bury Me", and "The Accident". CD

A Spanish album that brings together two classic early records from this great guitarist! First up is the self-titled John Renbourn – the first full album from acoustic genius Renbourn – a set that would not only establish John's legacy for years to come, but also have a very strong impact upon the role of the guitar on the British scene too! The album's definitely in a mode that owes something to an American folk legacy – but it also really breaks from the past with unusual phrasings and colorings in Renbourn's guitar – certainly with an ear towards ancient English modes, but also at once very fresh and contemporary – a strong precursor to the waves of new acoustic talents that would flow from the UK a few years later, but maybe even more revolutionary – given that John's mostly just working here with his guitar and voice. Bert Jansch adds guitar to a few tracks – and titles include "Song", "Down On The Barge", "Plainsong", "Judy", "Beth's Blues", "Blue Bones", "Train Tune", "Winter Is Gone", and "Noah & Rabbit". Next is Another Monday – one of Renbourn's most obscure records, and a set that is mostly instrumental, with some completely fantastic work by Renbourn on guitar – but which also features a bit of guest vocals from singer Jacqui McShee – whose warmer presence next to John really makes for a nice pairing. The album's as powerful as it is subtle, really beautiful in its sense of variety – with titles that include "Buffalo", "One For William", "Lost Lover Blues", "Another Monday", "Day At The Seaside", "Nobody's Fault But Mine", and "Waltz". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes selections by Eddie Rabbitt, Mel Tillis, Charlie Rich, Hank Thompson, and others. (Soundtracks, Folk/Country) LP, Vinyl record album

Features selections by Alan Jabbour, Charles Hawks, Thomas Holland, Terry Baucom, Buck Mountain Band, Leake Caudle, Smokey Ridge Boys, Mole Hill Highlanders, and more! LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful album from the eternally underrated Hoyt Axton – whose rich, folksy lead vocals are given some fairly soaring arrangements on tunes that range from topical but not quite protest folk material to some trippier, chemically enhanced narratives! Hoyt's got the kind of easygoing, laconic drawl to keep a rustic vibe in the overall sound, but on these tunes he really stretches out into some some lyrically ambitious numbers that bring Tim Buckley to mind, and he also employs mean growl to some seedier numbers that surprised us even more. He dabbles in these eclectic sounds without ever betraying his Hoyt-ness (look at that, we made up a new word). Titles include "Way Before The Time Of Towns", "Beelzebub's Laughter", "Sunshine Fields Of Love", "Sunrise", "Kingswood Manor" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly strong set of previously unreleased Johnny Cash – recorded with producer Billy Sherrill, mostly in 1984, but with a couple sessions from '81 – and it's honestly as great, and a heck of a lot better than a bunch of Johnny's music that actually DID see commercial release during the 80s! Our favorite Billy Sherrill productions are ones like this, where he's providing a clean, polished backdrop for hardscrabble honky tonk heroes, without compromising their gritty nature. He worked that kind of magic for Johnny Paycheck and George Jones, and it works just as well for Johnny. Johnny's voice is as rich and booming as ever – and it includes a couple duets with June Carter, and one with fellow Highwayman Waylon Jennings. Includes the great title track, "Baby Ride Easy", "She Used To Love Me A Lot", "After All", "I'm Movin' On", "If I Told You Who It Was", "Call Your Mother", "I Drove Her Out Of My Mind", "Tennessee", "Rock And Roll Shoes", "Don't You Think It's Come Our Time", "I Came To Believe" and a bonus Elvis Costello mix of "She Used To Love Me A Lot". CD

The instant-classic debut of Iris DeMent – a record that came out in the 90s, but which has a classic country vibe that not only lives up to DeMent's hardscrabble roots, but which also really blows away any sort of retro or "alt" attempts to hit territory like this at the time! Dement doesn't need to fake anything at all, or hang her music in "authentic" trappings – as it's all there, right at the start – beautifully understated, and set to instrumentation that's a lot different than mainstream Nashville at the time – but which also isn't trying to ape any 50s or 60s modes either. The whole thing's a beautiful testament to one of the freshest new voices of her generation – with titles that include "Our Town", "When Love Was Young", "Mama's Opry", "Higher Ground", "After You've Gone", "Let The Mystery Be", and "Infamous Angel". CD

One of two unique albums from Willie Nelson – recorded during a brief time when Atlantic Records was dabbling in country, and called on Willie and gave him the freedom to work in a way he wasn't able to do while at RCA! This material's almost a lost chapter in Willie's career – sandwiched between his long runs at RCA and Columbia, and representing a moment when Nelson was keenly in touch with all the new energy on the Austin scene – using it to infuse his already great songwriting with bolder energy in the vocals and instrumentation, and a more badass approach overall! Titles here include the classics "Whiskey River" and "Shotgun Willie" – plus "Slow Down Old World", "Devil In A Sleepin Bag", "You Look Like The Devil", "Bubbles In My Beer", "She's Not For You", "So Much To Do", and "Local Memory". CD

Vic Chesnutt's debut, produced by Vic fan and champion Michael Stipe of REM, who smartly puts Vic's distinctive drawl and unvarnished guitar strumming front-and-center! His voice and these songs might not be conventionally pretty, but they sure are beautiful in their one-of-a-kind, uncompromising approach to the singer-songwriter genre. Recorded in a single day, Little is a defining early effort that would set the stage for a remarkable run of wonderful recordings by Vic, who lived to see his work loved and appreciated by peers and devoted fanbase, if never coming close to a mainstream breakthrough. Vic's voice, guitar, and the pictures they paint are the main thing here, with some occasional, spare bits of keyboards and backing vocals, adding just a bit of texture. You either "get" Vic or you don't. We we think he was a genius. Includes "Isadora Duncan", "Danny Carlisle", "Mr. Reilly", "Rabbit Box", "Speed Racer", "Soft Picasso", "Geppetto", "Bakersfield" and more. This great 2016 pressing on New West has 5 bonus tracks: "Bernadette", "Vernon", "Acting So Bad", "Miss Mary" and "Elberton Fair". (Rock, Folk/Country) CD

A startlingly great mid 70s loner folk record by Scott Key – with some of the finest, most artful fingerstyle guitar we've heard on a self-recorded album from the period – and a really strong record that would be right at home on the Takoma label! Recorded in Colorado by Key himself, who plays acoustic guitar and bottleneck slide on songs that reveal a masterful acoustic guitar player, as well as creative ear for drones and post-psych effects. Occasionally has vocals, but it's a largely instrumental effort – and a brilliant one! Titles include "Cat Soup", "Buzzard Blues", "The Laughing Cowboy", "The Moonshiners Are Gone", "Goon Lagoon", "This Forest And The Sea" and more. 5 bonus tracks on this great CD version from Lion: "Hungry Joe's Birds", "One Great Sin", "Just A Song For You", "The Farm Report" and "Jabberwocky". CD

One of two unique albums from Willie Nelson – recorded during a brief time when Atlantic Records was dabbling in country, and called on Willie and gave him the freedom to work in a way he wasn't able to do while at RCA! This material's almost a lost chapter in Willie's career – sandwiched between his long runs at RCA and Columbia, and representing a moment when Nelson was keenly in touch with all the new energy on the Austin scene – using it to infuse his already great songwriting with bolder energy in the vocals and instrumentation, and a more badass approach overall! Titles here include the classics "Whiskey River" and "Shotgun Willie" – plus "Slow Down Old World", "Devil In A Sleepin Bag", "You Look Like The Devil", "Bubbles In My Beer", "She's Not For You", "So Much To Do", and "Local Memory". This version features a bonus LP of all sorts of rare tracks recorded during the same sessions – titles that include "Both Ends Of The Candle", "Under The Double Eagle", "I Gotta Have Something I Ain't Got", "I'm So Ashamed", "I Drank All Of Our Precious Love Away", "Save Your Tears", and two takes of "My Cricket & Me", plus alternates of titles on the album. LP, Vinyl record album

Picking up where the previous Stratosphere Boogie collection leaves off, this is volume two of the caffeinated country swing and rockabilly rabble rousing of the pioneering duo. Speedy West could play the pedal steel like a man on fire or a doomed, sinnin' fool, and guitarist Jimmy Bryant was just as hot – and without their instrumentals the worlds of country and unashamedly twangy rock would be sad indeed. Tracks include "Frettin' Fingers", "Lover", "Two Of A Kind", "Yodeling Guitar", "West Of Sonoma", "Opus 1", "Truck Driver's Ride", "T-Bone Rag", "Railroadin'", "Jammin' With Jimmy", "The Rolling Sky", "Pushin' The Blues", "Swingin' On The Strings", and "Caffeine Patrol". 20 tracks in all. CD

The legendary debut of Dwight Yoakam – a honky tonk classic delivered with inimitable swagger! It's not only one of the finest country albums of its decade, we'd honestly rank Guitars Cadillacs Etc Etc up there with best country albums ever. Really! The mid 80s isn't one of the best remembered eras in country music – even hardscrabble heroes like Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson were fumbling around for the right balance of traditionalism and modernism at the dawn of the CD era – so there's no overstating what a huge breath of fresh air Yoakam was at time. He pays heartfelt homage to roots rock and honky tonk tradition, but he honed his craft in the LA club scene of the early 80s, giving his way with a classic sound an edge like no others at the time. A masterpiece. Titles include "South Of Cincinnati", "Bury Me", "Guitars Cadillacs", his killer version of Cash's "Ring Of Fire", "I'll Be Gone", "Miner's Prayer" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A great little set that really lives up to the promise of its title – and it's claim to offer up "commercial recordings of Anglo-European American vernacular music that challenges the stereotypes"! The set's a wealth of obscure 78rpm recordings that really defy genre convention – and which show that the 20s was easily one of the most experimental times in American music – a point when later common styles were really quite new, and still very fluid – bits of later blues, folk, or country intermingling equally – often from sources that you wouldn't expect a decade or two later. These tracks are all acoustic, but feature really inventive instrumentation – especially when modes of a generation or two before are pushed into new phrasings with decidedly (then) modern flavors. As usual with these Tompkins Square reissues, the sound quality is great – and the package offers up some good notes to help situate the music too. Titles include "Caliope" by Lewis Brothers, "Bacon & Cabbage" by Blind Joe Mangrum & Fred Shriver, "Don't Get One Woman On Your Mind" by Willard Hodgin, "The Whale Did I Know He Did" by Mustard & Gravy, "Ladies Quadrille" by The Happy Hayseeds, "Dill Pickles Rag" by McLaughlin's Old Time Melody Makers, and "Down In Tennessee Blues" by Homer Davenport. CD

A treasure trove of greatness from British folk rock legend John Renbourn – all of his late 60s solo work, done before moving on to greater fame in Pentangle! First up is There You Go – a rare one from singer Dorris Henderson and future Pentangle founder John Rensbourn! Florida born, LA raised singer Dorris Henderson moved to London in 1965 and was soon singing London's folk clubs, where she met Rensbourn. A solid mix of traditionals and then contemporary folk songs – stripped down and honest takes on "Saly Free And Easy", "Cotton Eyed Joe", "Mr Tamborine Man", "Going To Memphis", Something Lonesome", "Mist On The Mountain" and more. This edition includes bonus tracks from a rare 45 – "Hangman" and "Leaves That Are Green". Next is the self-titled John Renbourn from 1965 – a set that would not only establish John's legacy for years to come, but also have a very strong impact upon the role of the guitar on the British scene too! The album's definitely in a mode that owes something to an American folk legacy – but it also really breaks from the past with unusual phrasings and colorings in Renbourn's guitar – certainly with an ear towards ancient English modes, but also at once very fresh and contemporary – a strong precursor to the waves of new acoustic talents that would flow from the UK a few years later, but maybe even more revolutionary – given that John's mostly just working here with his guitar and voice. Bert Jansch adds guitar to a few tracks – and titles include "Song", "Down On The Barge", "Plainsong", "Judy", "Beth's Blues", "Blue Bones", "Train Tune", "Winter Is Gone", and "Noah & Rabbit". Bert & John is a hell of a collaboration between British legends Bert Jansch and John Renbourn – both working here together to completely redefine the sound of their music for the generation to come! This one album may well hold all the sense of subtle power and possibility that was about to flower in the Brit movement often known as "acid folk" – that reworking of older aesthetics with modern conceptions, and doing so mostly with their work on acoustic guitar – quite a feat, given the stripped-down instrumentation of the set! Bert sings a bit – in that incredible style of his – but the real attraction here is the guitar interplay, which is always fresh, never hokey, neither familiar American folk nor forced singer-songwriter backup material. Titles include a wonderful reworking of Charles Mingus' "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" – plus "Red's Favourite", "Orlando", "Soho", "Piano Tune", "East Wind", "After The Dance", and "The Time Has Come". Another Monday is maybe the most obscure album in the collection – a set that is mostly instrumental, with some completely fantastic work by Renbourn on guitar – but which also features a bit of guest vocals from singer Jacqui McShee – whose warmer presence next to John really makes for a nice pairing. The album's as powerful as it is subtle, really beautiful in its sense of variety – with titles that include "Buffalo", "One For William", "Lost Lover Blues", "Another Monday", "Day At The Seaside", "Nobody's Fault But Mine", and "Waltz". Watch The Stars is another great collaboration with Dorris Henderson – an American singer, but one who moved to London in the 60s – where she cut this rare gem with guitarist John Renbourn! The album's got a righteous vibe that's hipper than the usual folk set – with some traditional tunes and some contemporary material – recorded with that amazing phrasing that made Renbourn's guitar so distinct right from the start, with lots of those jazzy currents we love so much – and which really fit the creative vocal approach of Henderson! Dorris also plays some autoharp, and there's a bit of bass in the backings – although overall the main focus here is on Renbourn's guitar and Henderson's vocals. Titles include "Come Up Horsey", "God Bless The Child", "Watch The Stars", "30 Days In Jail", "Mosaic Patterns", "Tomorrow Is A Long Time", and "There's Anger In This Land". Sir John A Lot Of is perhaps one of the best-known albums from British guitar legend John Renbourn – as it was issued widely in the US, and kept in print for a surprisingly long time over the years! The approach here is slightly different than Renbourn's previous records – a bit in the image presented by the cover, although with maybe not as slavish a sound – as John just uses the whole thing to go a bit more ancient than before, in ways that echo the time travel that the whole British folk scene was taking as the 70s approached. The tunes are done in ways that are really beautiful – still lots of the incredible guitar work that made Renbourn such a standout on the scene – plus flute from jazzman Ray Warleigh, who's very different here than usual – and spare use of finger cymbals, African drums, and glockenspiel by Terry Cox. Titles include "Morgana", "Transfusion", "The Trees They Do Grow High", "Sweet Potato", "Seven Up", and "White Fishes". 6CD box features all records in original artwork sleeves, with a booklet of notes – and bonus tracks that include "Message To Pretty", "The Waggoner's Lad", "Lucky Thirteen", "Blues Run The Game", "The Wildest Pig In Captivity (alt)", "Can't Keep From Crying", "Transfusion (alt)", and "The Leaves Are Green". CD