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Half of the fourth album from The Incredible String Band and by far their most sprawling work to date – which was originally split into separate LPs for the US release – this bein the more intimate Wee Tam portion! Multi-instrumentalists Mike Heron & Robin Williamson began using studio multi-tracking to incredible effect on their previous LP, and continue on that path here, though accompanied by violin and percussion by Rose. Titles include "Job's Tears", "The Yellow Snake", "Beyond The See", "The Half-Remarkable Question", "Ducks On A Pond" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The fourth album from The Incredible String Band and by far their most sprawling to date – the double album Wee Tam & The Big Huge – which was originally split into separate LPs for the US release, but best served as a whole! Multi-instrumentalists Mike Heron & Robin Williamson began using studio multi-tracking to incredible effect on their previous LP, and continue on that path here, though accompanied by frequent collaborator Licorice (who earlier sang with the group, but contributes Irish harp & percussion here) plus violin and percussion by Rose – and the album as in turns their most ambitious and also quite intimate, particularly on the first half. 18 tracks on 2CDs: "Job's Tears", "Puppies", "The Yellow Snake", "The Half-Remarkable Question", "Air", "Ducks On A Pond", ", "Maya", "Lordly Nightshade", "The Mountain Of God", "The Circle Is Unbroken" and more. CD

One of the greatest Ray Price records ever – almost a country music version of Wee Small Hours Of The Morning – filled with sad songs and late night love. Wonderful arrangements – and killer steel guitar work from Buddy Lucas, too. CD

Music from Johnnie Lee Wills & His Boys, Charlie Adams, Billy Barnett, Hank Locklin, Larry Nolen & The Bandits, Terry Fell, Rod Morris, Kenny Roberts, Pee Wee King, Buck Griffin, Curley Williams, Charline Arthur, Jimmy Dolan, and more - 33 tracks in all. CD

Guitarist John Fahey had a surprisingly great ear for a Christmas tune – a surprising inclusion in the catalog of the sometimes-dark musician – whose usual recordings often had a much moodier feel! At Christmas, though, Fahey pulled out a tone that was often a lot more joyous – this ringing quality that was always present in his guitar work, turned to herald the season with sublime solos issued on a host of classic albums on the Takoma label! This set features the best of those gems, a total of 14 solo guitar tracks (a few of which feature added rhythm guitar) – sure to please any fan of Fahey's regular work, and bound to turn lots of other folks onto his genius as well. Titles include "Joy To The World", "Wee Three Kings Of Orient Are", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", "Christmas Medley", "Silent Night", "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", and "The Christmas Song". (Holiday Music, Folk/Country) CD

(Rock, Folk/Country) LP, Vinyl record album

Four of the more obscure RCA albums from the great Bobby Bare – all brought together here in a single set! First up is the very unusual English Countryside album – a special set that has the vocals of Bobby Bare paired with a group from the UK – Liverpool's Hillsiders, who sing with a style that's a bit folk, and a bit rock – but which takes on a very distinct country vibe amidst the RCA production of Chet Atkins! Both Bare and The Hillsiders sing solo on the record – but most of the set has them paired together, and the presence of all those voices on the tracks create a nice sense of spontaneity – maybe a hint at the more relaxed recording approach that Bobby would use on his big albums of the mid 70s! Titles include "Sweet Dreams", "Six Days On The Road", "Find Out What's Happening", "Love's Gonna Live Here", "Goin Home", "Blue Is My Lonely Room", and "I Washed My Face In The Mountain Dew". Margie's At The Lincoln Park Inn is a seminal album in the career of Bobby Bare – and the record that really has him turning from a young smiling country singer to the kind of more adult, mature talent that would really send him over the top! The album's promise of "controversial country songs" is certainly apt – as in addition to the great Tom T Hall title cut, the album also features Bare taking on great material from Kris Kristoffersen, Mel Tillis, and even the team of Spooner Oldham and Dan Penn – all set to arrangements that are nicely more sophisticated than those used on the more pop productions of some of Bobby's earlier albums. Titles include "Margie's At The Lincoln Park Inn,", "The Law Is For The Protection Of The People", "Watching The Trains Go By", "Skip A Rope", "Rainy Day In Richmond", "Cincinnati Jail", "Wild As The Wind", and "Drink Up & Go Home". I Hate Goodbyes is the record that marked the return of Bobby Bare to RCA Records in the early 70s – and one that also marks the start of a very different phase in Bare's career! This time around, Bobby's handling the production himself – working with the kind of thoughtful, mature material that would really let him open up – songs from Billy Joe Shaver, Mickey Newbury, the team of Bill Rice and Jerry Foster, and even an early tune from Shel Silverstein – who would soon become one of the biggest contributors to Bobby's records. The vibe is very different than his RCA material of the mid 60s, and in a great way – on titles that include "I Hate Goodbyes", "Restless Wind", "Ride Me Down Easy", "Send Tomorrow To The Moon", "You Know Who", "An Offer She Couldn't Refuse", "What's Your Mama's Name Child", and "Poison Red Berries". Last up is Cowboys & Daddys – an overlooked gem in the mid 70s RCA years of the great Bobby Bare – and a set that really shows the dedication that Bare had during these years to finding the most sophisticated material of the new country generation! The list of songwriters alone is great – as the set features tracks from Terry Allen, Shel Silverstein, David Hickey, and Tom T Hall – plus an early contribution from Bob McDill, with whom Bare would soon record a lot more material on albums to come. There's a mature, laidback vibe to the whole set – different than some of the more playful Bobby Bare albums of the time – and titles include "Chester", "The Cowboy & The Poet", "Amarillo Highway", "Speckled Pony", "Calgary Snow", "Last Dance At The Old Texas Moon", "Pretty Painted Ladies", and "The Stranger". CD

A soaring set from the great Robbie Basho – one of the most unique artists of his generation! Basho's often mentioned in the same breath as John Fahey, but a record like this really shows his difference – as the record not only features wonderful work on both 6 and 12 string guitar from Basho, but also has lots of these oddly-sung, surprisingly heartfelt lyrics – in a mode that's quite far from folk roots, and which instead has this really soulful warbling that really adds a lot to the spirit of the tunes. The only other instrumentation is some very cool work on the South Indian log drum – and titles include "Omaha Tribal Prayer", "Sweet Medicine", "Roses & Gold", "Joseph", "Blue Corn Serenade", and "Wounded Knee Soliloquy". CD

A great little album of tripped-out folk rock by Sandy Bull, with more of a funky and jazzy edge than you'd expect. Bull plays most of the instruments on the album – including guitar and percussion, which dominate the set, plus a bit of electric instrumentation on the groovier tracks. The set's got some great open-ended numbers that take the experimental folk sound of the late 60s, and filter it through an ESP-like approach to hippy rock – with bits of modalism that make the numbers hold together nicely, and groove where you wouldn't expect them to! Titles include "Sweet Baby Jumper", "Gotta Be Juicy", "Carnival Jump", "Chesseburger", and "Easy Does It". LP, Vinyl record album

The sixth volume of American Recordings from Johnny Cash – recorded in the months between June's & Johnny's passing – produced by an increasingly reverent Rick Rubin and put together with care and consideration. Cash sounds justifiably weary on these late recordings, with songs chosen from the work of great friends, admirers and the Man In Black himself. It's the second posthumous set in the series, but it's truly good stuff, and certainly respectful of Johnny's astounding legacy. Includes "Ain't No Grave", "Redemption Song", "For The Good Times", "Satisfied Mind", "I Corinthians 15:55", "I Don't Hurt Anymore", "Cool Water", "Last Night A Stranger Had A Dream" and "Aloha Oe". LP, Vinyl record album

Johnny first LP collaboration with his soon to be wife June Carter, and it's a nice one! Carryin' On has it's share of sweet, lovely moments shared by the two, but also has a lot more cool 60s oddball touches than one would expect. The couple cover Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" and two Ray Charles tunes, "I Got A Woman" and "What I Say". All three sound pretty strange coming out of hard-nosed Johnny, and prove to be quite fun and endearing, and very indicative of the freedom he had at Columbia to do whatever the heck he wanted. Other tracks include "Shantytown", "Pack Up Your Sorrows", "Jackson", "What A Good Thing We Had", and "No, No, No". Includes two bonus tracks from the sessions, and new liner notes by old pal Carl Perkins. CD

A legendary album from the great Gene Clark – a key part of that scattered legacy that really helped cement his individual genius after leaving The Byrds! Much of the record is a spare and intimate affair – with Gene's warm vocals accompanied by his own gently picked acoustic guitar, along with producer Jesse Ed Davis (who does a masterful job in the booth on this one) also on guitar. The tunes are also sweetened by waltzy basslines, and Byrds-y keyboard riffs by Ben Sidran, but Gene's wonderful vocals and his amazingly strong songwriting are obviously the biggest draws – not standard country or roots rock, and instead delivered with a sense of sophistication that's almost a genre unto itself. Titles include the amazing "For A Spanish Guitar" – plus "The Virgin", "With Tomorrow", "White Light", "Where My Love Lies Asleep", "1975", and a great reading of The Band & Bob Dylan's "Tears Of Rage". (Rock, Folk/Country) LP, Vinyl record album

A great set of duets between Gene Clark and Carla Olson – with titles that include "Fair & Tender Ladies", "The Drifter", "Gypsy Rider", "De Gato", "Every Angel In Heaven", "Don't It Make You Want To Go Home", and "I'm Your Toy". (Rock, Folk/Country) LP, Vinyl record album

An underground classic from Karen Dalton – a record that's almost out of time, given its early 70s release – as Karen sings with spare backings that are almost in a Folkway Records mode at points, but with all these headier currents that are also indicative of the Bay Area generation too! Dalton's voice is completely unique too – unlike anything you'll ever hear – phrasing that almost hearkens back both to vintage jazz and Appalachian folk, but a style that's more long hair – as are some of the backings too. The set was recorded upstate in Bearsville – and really has all the hallmarks of the freedoms of that scene at the time – summed up beautifully on material that includes "Something On Your Mind", "In A Station", "Take Me", "Same Old Man", Are You Leaving For The Country", "Katie Cruel", and "How Sweet It Is". (Rock, Folk/Country) LP, Vinyl record album

The earliest roots of Jackie DeShannon – and material that's very very different than her famous Cali pop material of the 60s! Jackie here is working live on radio in Aurora, Illinois – performing as the young country singer Sherry Lee, and with a presence that must have been wonderful to catch on the airwaves – very spontaneous, and very much in the spirit of classic radio country work by artists like Hank Williams, The Louvin Brothers, or other 50s artists who worked in a similar broadcast mode! Don't think of the record as a Jackie DeShannon album, think of it as a lost nugget from a young female country singer – and enjoy the mix of tunes that includes "Blue Monday", "Sweet Dreams About You", "A Satisfied Mind", "I'm Crazy Darling", "Why Baby Why", "Waiting", "You're The Reason I'm In Love", "I'm Counting On You", "Love Love Love", "Baby Honey", and "You Don't Owe Me A Thing". (Rock, Folk/Country) LP, Vinyl record album

The earliest roots of Jackie DeShannon – and material that's very very different than her famous Cali pop material of the 60s! Jackie here is working live on radio in Aurora, Illinois – performing as the young country singer Sherry Lee, and with a presence that must have been wonderful to catch on the airwaves – very spontaneous, and very much in the spirit of classic radio country work by artists like Hank Williams, The Louvin Brothers, or other 50s artists who worked in a similar broadcast mode! Don't think of the record as a Jackie DeShannon album, think of it as a lost nugget from a young female country singer – and enjoy the mix of tunes that includes "Blue Monday", "Sweet Dreams About You", "A Satisfied Mind", "I'm Crazy Darling", "Why Baby Why", "Waiting", "You're The Reason I'm In Love", "I'm Counting On You", "Love Love Love", "Baby Honey", and "You Don't Owe Me A Thing". CD features three bonus tracks too! (Rock, Folk/Country) CD

Darkly beautiful sounds from the duo of Don & Stevie Gere – a husband and wife who work here with a style that's folksy, but a bit spooky too – possibly due to the fact that the music within was recorded in their California home, and never issued for years! There's a deeply personal feel to the songs here – almost like we're peeking in on the intimacy of the couple, but as they try to put together a message to reach outside of their home too – themes of their own love mixed with greater societal issues – later taken up as some of the songs were reworked by other artists like David Gates, Curt Boettcher, and Waddy Wachtel. Yet there's an innocence to these original recordings that's really mindblowing – rescued from oblivion on aging acetates, and represented here on cuts that include "Sweet Sugar", "Keep An Eye On You", "Another Blue Day", "What Do You Think Of Me", "Kindly", and "Tell Me Now". (Rock, Folk/Country) LP, Vinyl record album

Unusual later work from Ramblin Jack Elliott – done in a nicely loose Warner style, with talking between most of the songs. LP, Vinyl record album

This album was recorded live in 1962 at the Second Fret club in Philadelphia. It's a nice set where he plays some Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly and Jimmie Rodgers tunes as well as some others. The recording is good – you can tell it was in an intimate setting – and his voice is strong and the guitar playing tight; he switches between a folksy sound and more of a blues mode. Tracks include "Cool Water", "Hobo's Lullaby", "Boll Weevil", "How Long Blues", "Mule Skinner Blues", and "Rock Island Line". LP, Vinyl record album