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". (Folk/Country, Rock) CD

... CD

Fairport Convention are down to a quartet here, but still sounds fantastic – with Simon Nicol on guitar and dulcimer, Dave Pegg on bass and violin, Dave Swarbrick on mandolin and violin, and Dave Mattacks on drums and piano – and vocals from all members of the group. (Folk/Country, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Mr Big", "All Right Now", "Fire & Water", "Remember", "Oh I Wept", and "Heavy Load". LP, Vinyl record album

The third and fourth albums from Atomic Rooster – back to back in a single set! First up is Made In England – a really striking album in the career of Atomic Rooster – one that's a little bit groovier than most, and maybe a bit funky as well! The drums are great, and have plenty of soulful currents – and the Hammond, piano, and electric piano work of Vincent Crane almost seem to echo earlier UK beat group currents, but turned towards a much hipper 70s vibe – one that's followed by an equally extended range from vocalist Chris Farlowe, who seems to fold together both his mod and prog experience in the vocals! Steve Bolton brings in some tight, riffing guitar – and titles include "Time Take My Life", "Never To Lose", "Breathless", "People You Can't Trust", "All In Satan's Name", "Close Your Eyes", "Little Bit Of Inner Air", and "Stand By Me". On Nice N Greasy, Atomic Rooster definitely get a bit greasy – using some funkier elements at times, and bluesier currents at others – all at a level that really lets singer Chris Farlowe hit some of his most expressive modes! The group's got a fresh guitarist this time around, Johnny Mandala on lead – and his presence gives some of the cuts a harder rock edge than before, often taking the lead more than the keyboards of longtime member Vincent Crane, which helps shape the sound of the set. Titles include "Voodoo In You", "Save Me", "Satan's Wheel", "Can't Find A Reason", "Take One Toke", and "All Across The Country". CD set features the bonus tracks "Moods" and "What You Gonna Do". CD

The first Babes In Toyland LP – maybe a little noisier and stranger than their major label efforts, which is a heck of a statement given how gnarly and awesome the later Fontanelle record turned out! Babes never really got the props they deserve for helping pave the way for noise rock to pummel it's way to the mainstream in the early 90s – especially for women in the scene – and Spanking Machine is the most underappreciated album in an underappreciated run all together. Includes "Swamp Pu**y", "He's My Thing", "Vomit Heart", "Dogg" "Pain In My Heart", "Lashes", "You're Right" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Soulin", "Thunder Island", "Night Shift", "Babylon", "Love Is Cold", "Happy Too", "Cozumel", and "Magic Moment". LP, Vinyl record album

A trio of spacey classics from Tim Blake – all brought together in a single set! First up Crystal Machine – fantastic sounds from Tim Blake, an artist who previously worked with Gong, and sometimes worked with Hawkwind – but who really came into his own on this legendary album of electronics! Tim works here on a self-constructed "crystal machine" – a bank of electronics that was often played in performance to front some trippy film installations (as shown on the cover) – which perfectly suited the stretched-out spacey style of his music! The vibe is maybe a bit like early Tangerine Dream, but with some of the warmer modes of the French electronic scene of the time – and titles include "Midnight", "Last Ride Of The Boogie Child", "Synthese Intemporel", and "Crystal Presence". On the cover of Blake's New Jerusalem, Tim looks like he's sitting at the helm of a spaceship on the cover – and in a way, that's what his music was at the time – a way of taking off to the skies on waves of electronics, in the kinds of sounds that Blake first created in his Crystal Machine project, but which have an even sharper focus here! The album's got more vocals than Tim's previous effort, and in a way that's what really sets it apart from the rest – as Blake's got this warmly positive approach that would be at home in progressive folk, but which here comes across with a very unique style – given the mostly electronic setting of the album! All the banks of knobs, slides, and keys pictured on the cover are used to strongly skillful effect – on titles that include "Generator", "Passage Sur La Cite", "New Jerusalem", "Song For A New Age", and "Lighthouse". Magick is a really great later set from electronic genius Tim Blake – an album recorded 15 years after his early classics, and done in his windmill home in France – but all played live, in a way that makes the electronics and keyboards here maybe more amazing! Blake has certainly picked up some of the elements from the 80s generation who were influenced by his earlier work – but also keeps the more open sense of song structure from his classics at points – with a sound that still knows when to revel in the best analog moments, next to the digital ones. Titles include "Tonight", "Strange Secret Of Ohm Gliding", "A Dream", "More Magick", and "Waiting For Nati". Also features the bonus b-side "The Woodland Voice". CD

Heady and heavy work from Billy Bond and La Pesada Del Rock & Roll – a guitar heavy group from Argentina, and one with plenty of blues rock overtones! The guitars are definitely turned up to 11 here – jamming with an intensity to match some of the best hard rock sides from Peru reissued by the Lazarus label in recent years – and like those sets, there's a sound here that's an intensification of earlier beat group modes – taken into much harder territory for the 70s. The production is great – earthy, trippy, and a little bit spooky – and the album's got an oddly unsettling feel, one that's familiar at first, but then increasingly estranged as the record moves on. Quite compelling, and with 16 tracks that include "Dueno De Tu Piel", "El Parque", "Buen Dia Senor Presidente", "Divertido Reventado", "Salgan Al Sol", "La Maquina", "Voy A Ver Un Amigo", "Para Que Nos Sirven", and "La Marcha De San Lorenzo". (Brazil, Rock) CD

One of the most stunning debut albums of the 70s – and a set that burst on the scene with a sound that summed up a generation, but which had never been heard this clearly before! This self-titled Clash album was different from other landmarks of the time – work by the Sex Pistols, Ramones, and others – as the group had a sense of raw power, but also a tunefulness too – a way of pushing their message into territory that others wouldn't have reached – with tunes that were as surprisingly hummable as they were politically correct! There's a bit less Jamaican influence here than in later Clash years, but that quality is still present somewhat – and over the years, this is definitely a set we can return to again and again – with no sense of apology or outdated ideals at all. Nearly every cut's a classic – and titles include "Janie Jones", "Career Opportunities", "Police & Thieves", "Garageland", "Clash City Rockers", "I Fought The Law", "White Riot", "London's Burning", "White Man In Hammersmith Palais", and "I'm So Bored With The USA". LP, Vinyl record album

A 2LP set of rare Doors – the LA Woman Workshop Sessions – three sides of never-before-released tracks from the sessions, plus a laser-etched fourth side with the "Electric Woman" art originally issued with the landmark LA Woman LP! The vinyl focuses exclusively on the unreleased material – with alternate versions of "The Changeling", "Love Her Madly", "The Wasp (Texas Radio And The Big Beat)" and "Riders On The Storm", plus versions of "Cars Hiss By My Windows", "LA Woman" and "Been Down So Long" featuring rhythm guitar by Marc Benno. Last, but not least the previously unreleased song "She Smells So Nice" and "Rock Me". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the great, lost, under-discovered albums on Atlantic from the late 60s – the little-circulated debut of singer Scott Fagan – a very unusual talent who mixes soulful currents with a very personal singer-songwriter approach! Scott's sound is never too polished – he's certainly not trying to be a blue-eyed soul act here – but the music has these currents of organ, electric bass, and occasional groovy rhythms that make for a very compelling counterpoint to his raspy, island-bred vocals. All tunes are originals by Scott – and arrangements are by Horace Ott on most numbers, which might account for the soulful vibe. The album is completely unique – one of those sets that, if you dig it, you'll never find anything to match it – and titles include "In My Head", "South Atlantic Blues", "Crying", "Nothing But Love", "Tenement Hall", "Crystal Ball", and "In Your Hands". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite mixing of modes from the old school – a tremendous second album from the legendary Aksak Maboul! The record mixes arty playfulness with some rootsier elements – bits of Eastern instrumentation, jazz, improvisation, and even some post-punk elements – all in a way that makes for one of the most creative recordings of its time – a set that easily provides key inspiration for more recent genre-crossing acts like this! There's a bit of Y or Ze Records whimsy at times – but the end result is much deeper, and much more compelling– as you'd expect from a group that features Fred Frith on guitar, Chris Cutler on drums, Marc Hollander and Michel Berkmans on reeds, and Denis Van Hecke on a range of cool cellos! Each tune has a slightly different flavor, but there's still a really unified feel to the record too – one of those European projects that comes together like nothing you'd hear from the US. Titles include "Geistige Nacht", "A Modern Lesson", "Palmiers En Pots", "Inoculating Rabies", "Cinema", and "Bosses De Crosses". CD

The amazing first album from Big Star – a set that came out of nowhere, made hardly a ripple on the charts, yet went onto crash in big waves of sound for generations to come! The style here is unlike thing else before – hardly what you'd expect from the group's Memphis roots or Alex Chilton's previous performances – yet the group's music has become a generation-defining sound in the way it blends southern inflections with harder rock influences, and a lean, gritty quality that's arguably in a late 70s space between punk and power pop. Every element is wonderful – guitars that are powerful, but never indulgent – vocals that are moving, but never overly emotive – and a balance between sensitive and searing moments that even The Replacements could never hope to match. A landmark all the way through – with tracks that include "Feel", "Ballad Of El Goodo", "In The Street", "The India Song", "When My Baby's Beside Me", "Give Me Another Chance", "Don't Lie To Me", "Thirteen", "Watch The Sunrise", and "Try Again". LP, Vinyl record album

Super-groovy work from The Bluebells – a Scottish group who should have been one of the bigger acts from the British Isles in the 80s, but who broke up before ever getting the shot they deserved! There's plenty of smart songwriting here – and a production approach that's in the territory of Prefab Sprout or some of their better contemporaries – nicely understated at times, so that the tunes can cross over, but also aren't destined to get overplayed on mainstream radio. If you dig 80s UK pop, you'll find plenty here to discover – a real overlooked legacy that includes the tracks "Learn To Love", "Young At Heart", "I'm Falling", "Cath", "Red Guitars", "Syracuse University", "South Atlantic Way", and "The Patriot Game". 2CD edition is overflowing with bonus material – 22 bonus cuts that include non-LP singles, b-sides, extended versions, and five never-issued tunes! Bonus titles include "Holland", "Tender Mercy", "Smalltown Martyr", "All I Ever Said", "Fall From Grace", "Happy Birthday Turn Gold", and "Forevermore". CD

Genius, pure genius from a young David Bowie – an album that we've always treasured as much as Ziggy Stardust! This set's pre-Hunky Dory, pre-Space Oddity – and it's an amazing little record that's almost completely devoid of guitars – instead using weird woodwinds (lots of oboe!), soaring strings, and offbeat orchestrations to carry off the tunes – all of which are as weird, mad, and wonderful as anything Bowie wrote in later years! The subject matter of the songs is almost a dark reflection of the picture postcard England that you'd find in work by The Kinks – the local pederast, weird guy who lives with his mum, old military geezer who can't get out of the past, cross-dressing soldiers, a gravedigger about to meet his death, and hip Londoners gallivanting all over town – all delivered with a sharpness that's stunning. We honestly think the record is flawless – incredibly complicated instrumentally, but incredibly groovy too – with all the edge you'll always love in Bowie, but in a fresh young flavor too. Years back, as young Bowie-heads, we always passed this one by – assuming it was unformed early roughness – but it's not, and is an incredible album that would have been more than enough for any other artist to build a career on. Titles include "Uncle Arthur", "Sell Me A Coat", "Rubber Band", "Love You Till Tuesday", "There Is A Happy Land", "When I Live My Dream", "Maids Of Bond Street", "We Are Hungry Men", "She's Got Medals", and "Please Mr Gravedigger". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

The first four albums from this crucial group – along with four more CDs of rare live material too! First up is the self-titled Cactus – the first album from this legendary group – an important American hard rock powerhouse, driven by the famous rhythm duo of Tim Bogert on bass and Carmine Appice on drums – both of whom roll out of the gate here with amazingly frenetic energy! They're maybe only topped by the guitar work of Jim McCarty, whose searing lines are clearly learned from blues inspirations, then turned up in both speed and power – to match the vocals and harmonica of Rusty Day! There's nothing going on here that sounds like blues rock at all – even though the set begins with a cover of "Parchman Farm" – next to other titles that include "My Lady From South Of Detroit", "No Need To Worry", "You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover", and "Let Me Swim". On One Way Or Another, Cactus are totally at the top of their game – and the guitar of Jim McCarthy really sets the record on fire, right from the very first note – at a level that should have made Jim one of the real guitar hero legends of his generation! Yet there's also power from the whole group going on too – tight rhythms from the team of Carmine Appice and Jim Bogert, the latter of whom starts to bring in his own vocals a fair bit more, offering backup to the raspy lead of Rusty Day. And while there's a few currents that show their older influence from blues, the sound here is massively hard rock all the way through – making the record a great illustration of the way that slavish blues rock gave birth to a fresh new jamming sound in a matter of just a few short years. Titles include "Rockout Whatever You Feel Like", "Song For Aries", "Feel So Bad", "Rock N Roll Children", and "Hometown Bust". Restrictions is next, and despite the title, there's no restrictions at all – as Cactus seem to be even more confident, more able to stretch their wings and fly than ever before – even adding in some extra piano and keyboards at points to the core guitar-heavy sound of the quartet! All the group's best elements are very firmly in place – searing guitar, righteously confident vocals, and a strutting sensibility that makes this early 70s album way ahead of the game in terms of territory that so many bigger groups would later copy for their own classic records. Titles include "Guiltless Glider", "Evil Alaska", "Sweet Sixteen", "Bag Drag", "Restrictions", and "Mean Night In Cleveland". Ot N Sweaty is a record that's got a bit of a shift in the classic Cactus lineup – as the group's still driven strongly by the work of Carmine Appice on drums and Tim Bogert on bass, but get guitar power from Werner Fritzschings, who's a pretty amazing player – next to some added keyboards from Duane Hitchings, and vocals from Peter French – a singer who's ballsy power might be even more in line with the group than their previous lead singer! The album's got an unusual approach in that side one was recorded live, side two in the studio – each with a nicely different flavor as a result – on titles that include "Swim", "Our Lil Rock N Roll Thing", "Bedroom Mazurka", "Telling You", "Bad Stuff", and "Bringing Me Down". 8CD set is overflowing with great material – bonus tracks added to three of the four albums in the collection, than a further 4CDs worth of live material – titled Fully Unleashed – The Live Gigs Vols 1 & 2. The live material is great – and really shows the tightness of the group at their best! CD

An early 70s gem from Captain Beefheart – not as wild-eyed and whacked out as the late 60s glories – but still a good stretch weirder than most of the post psych, blues-steeped rock of the time! Ultimately, it's still Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band, despite it being billed solely to Captain Beefheart on the cover (and his only album NOT co-billed with The Magic Band) – and we'd say it's their first album to go for a consistent mood from beginning-to-end, and we love it for that! If the Trout Mask Replica and Lick My Decals Off Baby records are the more feral early twin masterpieces – we'd say this one and Clear Spot are the wiser and more focused siblings, but no less classic! Tracks include "I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby","Grow Fins", "There Ain't No Santa Clause On The Evenin' Stage", "Blabbern Smoke", "Alice In Blunderland", "The Spotlight Kid", and "Glider". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal moment in leftfield music – maybe the crowning achievement of Captain Beefheart, and a landmark collaboration with Frank Zappa as well! Zappa produced, and gave the group plenty of room to stretch out on this double-length set done for his Bizarre Records imprint – which allowed the Captain the kind of freedom that Frank was getting at the time – which meant there was no need for a hit, no need to tone things down, and plenty of patience for all the record's amazing instrumental twists and turns, and Beefheart's madcap sense of humor as well! The Cap sings, and plays saxes and bass clarinet – and the record's got some really incredible guitar work from Zoot Horn Rollo and Antennae Jimmy Semens – really setting the stage for countless other guitarists in years to come. Tracks include "Dachau Blues", "Hair Pie", "Moonlight On Vermont", "Sweet Sweet Bulbs", "China Pig", "My Human Gets Me Blues", and "Dali's Car". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album from Joe Cocker – and a set that took blue-eyed soul in a whole new direction at the end of the 60s! The album's a surprising stunner all the way through – one that really gets past some of the overdone Cocker cliches that held on a bit too strongly in later years – served up here in relative simplicity, with core backing by Chris Stainton and The Grease Band, plus some key LA help from Leon Russell, and a bevy of backup singers that includes Merry Clayton, Bonnie Bramlett, Rita Coolidge, and Patrice Holloway. Russell co-produced the set, and his soulful touch definitely helps do a lot for Cocker's already-amazing vocals – adding in an undercurrent of funk that wasn't heard on Joe's first album. Titles include a classic remake of "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window", plus "Delta Lady", "Something", "That's Your Business Now", "Hitchcock Railway", "Dear Landlord", "Darling Be Home Soon", and "Hello Little Friend". LP, Vinyl record album