... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the hometown favorite, Chicago Bulls 'theme' music, "Sirius"– and of course, "Eye In The Sky". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

A stone cooker from the Blues Project – a fantastic mix of blues, folk, and pretty darn hard rocking guitar – all recorded with a sense of freedom that really lets the group open up and do their thing! The album's overflowing with great original Al Kooper tunes – and the set's recorded with a great edge to the guitars, making for some wonderfully psychedelic moments – and a sheer raw power that's really let this one stand up over the years, without the kind of cliches you might expect from the group's name! Titles include "Fly Away", "Caress Me Baby", "Two Trains Running", "Steve's Song", "You Can't Catch Me", and "I Can't Keep From Crying". CD

Includes the hometown favorite, Chicago Bulls 'theme' music, "Sirius" – and of course, "Eye In The Sky". CD

Includes the hometown favorite, Chicago Bulls 'theme' music, "Sirius" – and of course, "Eye In The Sky". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

The fab second album by the Free Design – one that has them moving confidently into the realm of groovy pop – magically touching songs with their unique innocent harmony approach, and completely transforming them in the process! The set includes wonderful versions of groovy 60s pop hits like "Windows Of the World", "Eleanor Rigby", and "California Dreamin" – but stands out even more for Chris Dedrick's original compositions – like "Quartet No 6 In D Minor", "A Leaf Has Veins", "An Elegy", "I Found Love", "You Could Be Born Again", and "Ivy On A Windy Day". Sublime throughout – and as the cover says – "The Freshest Sounds You've Ever Heard!" (Vocalists, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible early album from the LA scene – very different than the hardcore and the new wave that was dominating the city at the time – and done in a style that's much more UK post-punk overall – almost with a feel that's like some of the best early releases on Factory Records! The album was reportedly recorded in a parking garage, and definitely has a dark sound to match – a moody blend of tribal percussion, brooding bass, edgey guitar, and these raw, stark lyrics that really get to the point right away! The set was the first in the longer legacy of Independent Project, and is maybe still the best – with titles that include "Attempted Coup Madagascar", "The Ivory Coast", "Next To Nothing", "Zulu Zulu", "Real Men", and "When All Else Fails". Great reissue pressing – with a full disc of material that represents the early recordings by the group before the label – 11 more tracks, recorded in various parking garages at UCLA! The package also features very detailed notes – finally getting past the mystery of the original release. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

The very first album from Free Design – and the start of a mini-legend that's seen the group really growing in fame as the years move on! The group borrow some harmonies from earlier pop and jazz vocal groups, and work in a style that certainly nods to the sunshine pop generation – but with a more down to earth approach that's really wonderful and a lot more intimate – really unlocking the hip yet naive quality that's always made the group so unique. The original tunes here are maybe the most compelling – including "Kites Are Fine", "My Brother Woody", and "The Proper Ornaments" – but the group also does a nice job on remakes of "A Man & A Woman", "Michelle", and "Feelin Groovy". (Vocalists, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the wildest of the classic Free Design albums, and one that will leave you scratching your head – thinking that these guys were either the biggest acid freaks around, or the most simplistic kiddie-minded adults you'll ever meet! We don't know what got into the water in the studio on this one, but the group are really expanding their minds here – taking on some groovy-as-groovy can be material – all with the sweet mixture of harmony vocals, easy instrumentation, and hippie-era naivete! The titles alone state the case – with tunes that include "Stay Off Your Frown", "Bubbles", "Kije's Ouji", "That's All, People", and "Butterflies Are Free" – plus a great cover of "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head". LP reissued on nice heavy vinyl, with a sweet gatefold cover! (Vocalists, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Early live recording from Savage Republic – a band from the LA scene, but very different than the hardcore and the new wave that was dominating the city at the time – and done in a style that's much more UK post-punk overall – almost with a feel that's like some of the best early releases on Factory Records! CD

Sunny wonderfulness from one of the grooviest vocal groups of all time! This is Free Design's legendary album for children – referred to in the title as "very important people" – and it's a strangely hip set of tracks designed to get the kids to open up in a groovy late 60s kind of way. Given that the Free Design always sounded like a bunch of hippy kids, the setting is perfect for them – and they dreamily make their way through a great set of nearly all original tracks that sparkle with an innocent charm that's slyly deeper than you'd guess from the kid-orientation of the set! Original titles include "Love You", "Kites Are Fun", "Daniel Dolphin", "Ronda 'Go Round", "Bubbles", "Little Cowboy", and "Scarlet Tree". CD features 2 bonus tracks – both outtakes from "For The Love Of Your Lips", a Chapstick commercial! (Vocalists, Rock) CD

A contemporary project, but one that was initially intended for the legendary KPM Sound Library – and one that has Emil Amos serving up instrumentals that offer up his own take on classic sound library modes from years back! There's definitely more of a 21st Century vibe going on here at times – as 80s elements get more of a twist through production learned from the beathead generation – all of which almost makes for a more industrial take on sound library styles! Titles include "Bad Night At Cowboys", "Theme From A Personal Prison", "Moving Target", "Interloper 1", "Zone Bleu", "Red Palms", and "Jealous Gods". (Sound Library, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

The second album by Argent – Rod Argent's project immediately after the breakup of the Zombies! There's plenty of Zombie-like ideas here – particularly those floating around the Odyssey and Oracle album, but they're also done without the dreamy pop style of Colin Blunstone's vocals, which makes for a much harder sound overall. Added into that the guitar of Russ Ballard, which really kicks into the tunes nicely, and you've got some great rock and roll work – written with a pop sensibility, but played with a razor-sharp edge that's pretty hard hitting. Titles include "Lothlorien", "Rejoice", "Pleasure", "Sweet Mary", "Where Are We Going Wrong", "Rejoice", "Cast Your Spell Uranus", and "Celebration". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive package of work from Bedlam – an early project from drummer Cozy Powell, and one with a legacy that's surprisingly bigger than the single album they issued back in the day! The first 2CDs feature both a new mix and 1973 mix of the self-titled Bedlam album – a searing set that stands as a great bridge between generations and styles on the UK hard rock scene! The group's most famous member is drummer Cozy Powell – the ersatz leader of the lineup – but the whole combo hits on all burners, with great lead vocals from Frank Aiello, guitar from Dave Ball, and bass from Dennis Ball – plus keyboards on the set from both Max Middleton and Felix Pappalardi – the latter of whom produced. Powell's drums are fantastic throughout – really driving the whole thing along – and Aiello comes across like some lost lead act from the glory days of the arena scene. The set features one killer break track called "Seven Long Years" – a stone jammer that begins with some great drums that break nicely into guitars – and other titles include "Believe In You", "Hot Lips", "Sweet Sister Mary", "Putting On The Flesh", "Set Me Free", and "The Beast". CD3 features a Live In London set from 1973; CD4 features a Live in New York set from 1974; CD5 features a related Big Bertha Live In Hamburg set from 1970; and CD6 features 16 more formative tracks from 1968 to 1970, recorded as Bedlam, Ace Kefford Stand, Big Bertha, and Ideal Milk. CD

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

David Bowie at his most sinister for the 70s – a landmark set that combines the harder rocking sound of the Ziggy Stardust years with the more sophisticated theatrics of Aladdin Sane – in a style that features some of the darkest, most political work of Bowie's career! There's a depth to the record that goes way beyond the silly, sensational cover image – and there's also a sonic complexity that's wonderful too – a songs slide into each other with a deftness that never fails to amaze us! The album grew out of a failed project based around George Orwell's famous book 1984 – but the rights to that story were denied by the family – so Bowie went in his own directly, and honestly came up with work that was far better than if he'd done any sort of slavish reading of the novel (Rick Wakeman famously failed in that territory – and the Eurhythmics fared just slightly better.) The whole thing's great, and titles include "Diamond Dogs", "1984", "Sweet Thing", "Candidate", "Rebel Rebel", and "Big Brother". LP, Vinyl record album

David Bowie at his most sinister for the 70s – a landmark set that combines the harder rocking sound of the Ziggy Stardust years with the more sophisticated theatrics of Aladdin Sane – in a style that features some of the darkest, most political work of Bowie's career! There's a depth to the record that goes way beyond the silly, sensational cover image – and there's also a sonic complexity that's wonderful too – a songs slide into each other with a deftness that never fails to amaze us! The album grew out of a failed project based around George Orwell's famous book 1984 – but the rights to that story were denied by the family – so Bowie went in his own directly, and honestly came up with work that was far better than if he'd done any sort of slavish reading of the novel (Rick Wakeman famously failed in that territory – and the Eurhythmics fared just slightly better.) The whole thing's great, and titles include "Diamond Dogs", "1984", "Sweet Thing", "Candidate", "Rebel Rebel", and "Big Brother". LP, Vinyl record album

The magnificent voice of Chris Connelly serves up a sublime tribute to the work of Nico – a set that's not a reworking of just her key classics, but which also includes a huge amount of original new songs by Chris as well! Connelly put together the double length set after being inspired by the book on Nico, You Are Beautiful & You Are Alone – and the spirit of that well-penned biography really moves throughout the tracks, as Chris balances his own originals with really different takes on the Nico tunes – all at a level that really comes across like some modern day masterpiece that feels like it was years in the making! If you've never heard Connelly sing, you'll be blown away – and the setting of the whole project really seems to have him at his best – in a selection of two dozen songs that include "Ripcord Ripcord", "The Last Mile", "Union Square West", "Eulogy To Lenny Bruce", "I Cannot Care For You", "The Falconer", "The Black Rooms Of Richeleiu", "Reims 12/74", "A Slow Jones In New York", "Running Pure", and "Andy Incidentally". CD

A really cool later project from Spencer Davis – working here with acoustic guitar, including 12 string and autoharp – alongside Peter Jameson who also plays 12 string and bottleneck! The duo get some LA help from Barney Kessel and Larry Knechtal – and titles include "Balkan Blues", "Brother Can You Make Up Your Mind", "Thinking Of Her", "Mountain Lick", "Jay's Time", and "It's Been So Long". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful, easygoing live set by the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band – a short-lived 80s project that featured a whole new side of the Grateful One's musical explorations! In a way, the music here almost goes back to some of Garcia's roots – which were occasionally a bit bluegrass-oriented – and joyous cheers of the crowd really add the listening experience here. The group features Jerry and David Nelson on guitar and vocals, with Kenny Kosek on fiddle, and Sandy Rothman on mandolin, dobro, and banjo – and the titles include "Deep Ellum Blues", "I've Been All Around This World", "Oh The Wind & Rain", "I'm Troubled", "Diamond Joe", "Gone Home" and "Ripple". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the most haunting project to date from Ruth Goller – an important collaborator on the contemporary London scene, but one who's got a style that's much more than jazz – one that's definitely pushed to the limits here! The set features Goller on electric and acoustic bass, with overdubbed vocals that are often layered in very cool ways – and augmented track to track by guest work on drums, electronics, vibes, and sanza – instruments that are often used in ways that bring a slight touch of organic acoustic energy to the more layered proceedings. The textures of the vocals are very evocative – almost a blend of an older 4AD aesthetic with improvised music – and titles include "Next Time I Keep My Hands Down", "Below My Skin", "How To Be Free From It", "Don't Follow Me", "She Was My Own She Was Myself", and "All The Light I Have I Hand To You". (Jazz, Rock) CD

Maybe the most haunting project to date from Ruth Goller – an important collaborator on the contemporary London scene, but one who's got a style that's much more than jazz – one that's definitely pushed to the limits here! The set features Goller on electric and acoustic bass, with overdubbed vocals that are often layered in very cool ways – and augmented track to track by guest work on drums, electronics, vibes, and sanza – instruments that are often used in ways that bring a slight touch of organic acoustic energy to the more layered proceedings. The textures of the vocals are very evocative – almost a blend of an older 4AD aesthetic with improvised music – and titles include "Next Time I Keep My Hands Down", "Below My Skin", "How To Be Free From It", "Don't Follow Me", "She Was My Own She Was Myself", and "All The Light I Have I Hand To You". (Jazz, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the most haunting project to date from Ruth Goller – an important collaborator on the contemporary London scene, but one who's got a style that's much more than jazz – one that's definitely pushed to the limits here! The set features Goller on electric and acoustic bass, with overdubbed vocals that are often layered in very cool ways – and augmented track to track by guest work on drums, electronics, vibes, and sanza – instruments that are often used in ways that bring a slight touch of organic acoustic energy to the more layered proceedings. The textures of the vocals are very evocative – almost a blend of an older 4AD aesthetic with improvised music – and titles include "Next Time I Keep My Hands Down", "Below My Skin", "How To Be Free From It", "Don't Follow Me", "She Was My Own She Was Myself", and "All The Light I Have I Hand To You". (Jazz, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderfully expansive album from The Incredible String Band – initially performed as a stage project with the Stone Monkey dance troupe, and featuring the ISB at their most evocative and creative! Some tunes have a darker, sinister undercurrent – that link between the band and the acid folk underground – but others are more hippy dippy, with playful touches that still seem to have this undercurrent of evil somehow – an offbeat quality that really marks the special way that British groups like this were taking folk in very odd directions at the time – never losing sight of roots, but still never having the sense of optimism or indulgence of American acts. The double-length set has loads of especially nice instrumental moments – both acoustic and electric – and titles include "Bridge Song", "El Wool Suite", "The Juggler's Song", "Bad Sadie Lee", "Partial Belated Overture", "Walking Along With You", "Invocation", and "Robot Blues". (Folk/Country, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique project from the Serbian underground of the 80s – a record that mixes together global elements, electronics, and some other live instrumentation – all in a way that's as tuneful as it is experimental, and which has a nice sort of post-punk sense of freedom throughout! The music reminds us a lot of some of our favorite work from farther up on the European scene – particularly records on the Crammed label, as this set shares a similar sense of wider sensibilities coming into play with new technologies of the time, yet handled in a way that's very personal and poetic. The duo bring a bit of vocals to the record, but most of the music comes from the interplay between acoustic and electronic elements – on titles that include "Gitanes", "Gajeiro", "Rhinoceros II, "Sometimes At Nine", "In The Sky", and "Rumba Balcana". LP, Vinyl record album

Totally wonderful work from this overlooked 60s duo – Jon Abdnor and Javonne Braga – a pair who recorded for the very cool underground pop powerhouse Abnak Records, and have this rough-edged quality that really makes the music wonderful all the way through! The style is as groovy and pop psych as you might expect from the image on the cover – but there's a particular sort of execution here that really makes the music stand out – in part a sense of male/female vocal pairing that has all the unique charms of a Lee Hazlewood project, but more rough around the edges – so much so at some times they almost come across like John Doe and Exene singing on early records by X. A tremendous treat throughout – with titles that include "Gift Of Love", "You Don't Care", "How Come", "I Want Some More", "Thursday Morning", "Drums", "Doctor Jon The Medicine Man", and "Truly Truly True". CD

Totally wonderful work from this overlooked 60s duo – Jon Abdnor and Javonne Braga – a pair who recorded for the very cool underground pop powerhouse Abnak Records, and have this rough-edged quality that really makes the music wonderful all the way through! The style is as groovy and pop psych as you might expect from the image on the cover – but there's a particular sort of execution here that really makes the music stand out – in part a sense of male/female vocal pairing that has all the unique charms of a Lee Hazlewood project, but more rough around the edges – so much so at some times they almost come across like John Doe and Exene singing on early records by X. A tremendous treat throughout – with titles that include "Gift Of Love", "You Don't Care", "How Come", "I Want Some More", "Thursday Morning", "Drums", "Doctor Jon The Medicine Man", and "Truly Truly True". LP, Vinyl record album

Not a bad little side project from actor/musician John Lurie – who's working here under the guise of a mysterious blues musician! That gimmick is maybe the worst part of the record – as the music is clearly new, and hardly classic blues at all – but if you can get past it, the record's actually got a heck of a lot of charm in a Tom Waits sort of way – and makes us wish that Lurie had done even more material like this, maybe even under his own name – which would only push his strong personal even further into the music. The album features work from Evan Lurie, Marc Ribot, and John Medeski – and titles include "Wanna Wanna", "I'm A Doggy", "Small Car", "Runnin Round", and "Arms & Legs". CD

One of the greatest Yes albums of the 70s – even if it isn't a Yes album at all! Instead, the set's a stunning solo project from bassist Chris Squire – and a record that shows just how much his talents were to the sound of Yes as a whole! The album's got a vibe that's very much like the best Yes records of the early days – including Fragile, Close To The Edge, and Yes – and the changes and sharpness of the tunes are mindblowing – driven strongly by Squire's bass, and filled with fantastic touches from Bill Bruford on drums, Patrick Moraz on keyboards, and some especially great work on saxes from Mel Collins – who you might know from work with King Crimson. Chris also sings, and sounds pretty darn wonderful – with a bit of processing that expands his voice a bit, almost in Jon Anderson modes. Titles include "Hold Out Your Hand", "You By My Side", "Silently Falling", "Safe", and "Lucky Seven". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary project from Tortoise – kind of the "part 1.5" to their tremendous debut – as it features material from that record, remixed by members of the group and other key figures on the Chicago scene – all as a real testament to the many criss-crossing styles and modes that were taking place during these key post-rock years! The original material was performed by the version of the group that featured Bundy K Brown, John Herndon, John McIntire, Doug McCombs, and Dan Bitney – and remixes are by McEntire and Brown from the group – plus Steve Albini, Brad Wood, Casey Rice, Jim O'Rourke, Rick Brown, and even Mike Watt! Titles include "Alcohall", "Your New Rod", "Cobwebbed", "Tin Cans (Puerto Rican mix)", "Initial Gesture Protraction", "The Match Incident", and "Not Quite East Of The Ryan". LP, Vinyl record album

A creative left turn for Waits – written for an ambitious theatrical project, which to a certain degree takes him into surprising new territory and is all the more exciting for it – but still comes through as great late Island-era Tom Waits album in its own light! The Black Rider stage work was written in collaboration with Waits, director Robert Wilson and William Burroughs, and while the songs have the overtures and shaggy orchestral flourishes inherent to and geared to theater, the songs are still so distinctively Waits-ian in all its woozy glory. Includes "November", "Just The Right Bullets", "Black Box Theme", "Russian Dance", "I'll Shoot The Moon", "Crossroads", "Ain't No Sin", "Lucky Day", " The Briar And The Rose" and more. LP, Vinyl record album