... LP, Vinyl record album

(Rock, Folk/Country) CD

... CD

... CD

(Rock, Folk/Country) CD

... CD

... CD

(Rock, Folk/Country) CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

A treasure trove of work from a singer who's finally getting his due – Louisiana legend Jimmy Donley, an artist whose career was as short-lived as his time on the planet – but who worked during the early 60s in a wonderful blend of soul, R&B, and rough-edged rock! The package is amazing – and a much-needed look at this artist who burned incredibly brightly for a few short years, before taking his own life in the mid 60s. Jimmy's a hell of a singer, and a damn great songwriter too – and according to the notes, most of the tunes on the set originated with him, but were sold quickly to others to earn cash – a fact that hardly keeps the music from being a great representation of Donley's genius. There's definitely some echoes of New Orleans soul in the recordings, but given that many of the sessions were handled by Huey P Meux, there's also a west Louisiana vibe, too – with almost some grittier east Texas elements as well. The sound is quite unique – and uniquely breathtaking in this scope – a 2CD set that features 20 songs issued on singles for the Tear Drop label – plus another 36 tracks as demos, duets, and other rare material! Titles include "A Woman's Gotta Have Her Way", "Think It Over", "Strange Strange Feeling", "Love Bug", "Baby Ain't That Love", "Just A Game", "Santa Don't Pass Me By", "Baby Heaven Sent Me You", "Loving Cajun Style", "Forever Lillie May", "I Still Care", "It's Time To Say Goodbye", and "I'll Keep On Movin". CD

The great Dan Hicks at the height of his powers – working in a sublime acoustic mode that weaves together strands of gypsy swing, American roots, harmony vocals, and plenty more too – all in a mode that's lean and timeless, and which was one of the hipper new sounds on the west coast scene of his generation! Dan works with great support from vocalists Maryann Price and Naomi Ruth Eisenberg – alongside instrumentation that includes guitar, bass, violin, mandolin, and plenty of percussion – all wrapped up with a sublime sound that has all the elements resonating together wonderfully! Titles include a great remake of his earlier gem "I Scare Myself" – plus "You Got To Believe", "O'Reilly At The Bar", "Moody Richard", "The Laughing Song", "Canned Music", "Skippy's Farewell", "Fujiyama", "Woe The Luck", and "I'm An Old Cowhand". (Rock, Folk/Country) 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

Beautiful, simply beautiful! The set features 23 tracks from a range of western-themed movies and TV shows – not really spaghetti westerns, but the sort of popular American work of the 50s and 60s, which often starred bigger names in show business, and which features popular vocal themes interpreted by chart stars of the time. The approach is quite different than most of our other soundtrack selections – a wealth of groovy pop vocal tunes united through western themes, and compiled together in a fantastic package with images from the films. Titles include "Fury" by The Prarie Chiefs, "The Man From Laramie" by Al Martino, "The Ballad Of Cat Ballou" by Nat King Cole & Stubby Kaye, "The Lonely Man" by Tennesse Ernie Ford, "Man With True Grit" by Glen Campbell, "Buttons & Bows" by Bob Hope, "The Wind The Wind" by Dean Martin, "Old Turkey Buzzard" by Jose Feliciano, "Marmalade Molasses & Honey" by Andy Williams, "The Legend Of Wyatt Earp" by Shorty Long, "Stagecoach To Cheyenne" by Wayne Newton, and "Bronco" by Johnny Gregory. (Soundtracks, Folk/Country) CD

A really cool collection of vintage country music Christmas tunes – not just hits, but some excellent obscure material – all pulled together in a way that really lives up to the high standards we expect from the Bear Family label! These tracks are pulled together from a variety of labels and sources, and don't just include cowboy numbers you might guess from the "range" in the title – but also western swing, honky tonk, and maybe a few countrypolitan gems as well! The set features 26 titles in all – with great graphics and notes throughout – to accompany titles that include "Santa Claus Is Coming" by Skeeter Davis, "Santa's On His Way" by Bob Wills, "North Pole Boogie" by Billy Briggs, "Christmas Can't Be Far Away" by Eddie Arnold, "Christmas Time's A-Coming" by Bill Monroe, "Jolly Old St Nicholas" by Wilf Carter, "I Wish Everyday Was Christmas" by Ray Salter, "New Baby For Christmas" by George Jones, "Blue Snowfall" by George Morgan, "White Christmas" by Ernest Tubb, "Christmas Carols By The Old Corral" by Tex Ritter, "No Place Like Home On Christmas" by Little Jimmy Dickens, "It's Christmas Time" by The Louvin Brothers, "Home At Christmas" by Nelson Young, "I'm Gonna Lasso Santa" by Brenda Lee, and "We Wanna See Santa Do The Mambo" by Terry Fell. (Holiday Music, Folk/Country) CD