... CD

A fantastic set – totally fresh, and way different than the usual Northern Soul compilation! The set features many tracks recorded in the UK – which makes for a sound that's different than some of the American-heavy grooves that you'll hear on other sets, and which adds in a compelling dose of British 60s pop. Don't worry about a lack in "soul", though – because that side of the set's just as strong as you could hope for – it's just expanded further with some compelling new takes on arrangements and instrumentation. Titles include "Listen To My Heart" by The Bats, "Giving Up On Love" by Sonny Childe, "Billy Sunshine" by Billie Davis, "So Called Loving" by David Essex, "Nothing But A Heartache" by The Flirtations, "Name It You Got It" by Micky Moonshine, "Don't Change It" by Fearns Brass Foundry, "Our Love Is In The Pocket" by Amen Corner, "Heart Trouble" by Eyes Of Blue, and "Something Beautiful" by Adrienne Posta. 25 tracks in all! (Soul, Rock) CD

Music from Bill Haley & his Comets, Gunter Lee Carr, Roy Hall, Patsy Cline, Al Coker, Don Woody, Webb Pierce, Bobby Sykes, the Shirrelles, Brenda Lee, Ronnie Self and many more. CD

A bit later than classic vintage for the UK jazz-rock scene – but a set that's right up there with the best of the early years, thanks to a flurry of keyboards from the great Neil Ardley! Neil's keys have more of a 70s feel than some of the 60s elements used before – heavy on Arp Odyssey, and a bit of synth as well – and supported by work from Ian Carr on trumpet, John Martyn on guitar, and Tony Coe and Barbara Thompson on reeds – all players who help make the set more of a fusion outing than a rockish one. The solos get a bit proggy, but they're never overdone – and the tunes are quite lean overall, which allows for a good emphasis on rhythmic progressions. Apart from a bit of vocalization by Norma Winstone, the album's mostly instrumental – and titles include "Glittering Circles", "Upstarts All", "Leap In The Dark", and "Headstrong Headlong". (Jazz, Rock) CD

One of the few albums ever issued by Ronnie Barron – an artist with a long range of work on the New Orleans scene, ties to Dr John, and even a role in the Woodstock scene of the early 70s – all of which really come through on this well-done set! Barron's got all the roots in his music that you'd guess from that legacy – some Nola moments in the rhythms, and a great ability to add a lot of character to his lyrics – sometimes shifting nicely from track to track, and bringing a lot of funky charm to the whole thing! Titles include "Duke Of Crenshaw", "Happy Happy Happy", "Let It Shine", "Freeway Mama", "Louisiana Flood", and "Don't Let My Husband Catch You". LP, Vinyl record album

Len Barry's classic "1-2-3" is one of the alltime great pop crossover tracks of the 60s. It's issued here in an album with similar peppy poppy tracks like "Lip Sync", "You Baby", "Bullseye", "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", and "I.O.U." LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

A wealth of wonderful work from Marianne Faithfull, all pulled from those key early years when she was part of the musical world of Andrew Loog Oldham and the Rolling Stones! Yet right from the start, despite the fact that she sang a few Stones songs on her own (and wrote a few for the group, too) – Marianne was always very much her own singer, and had a way with a song that was quite different than most of the other UK girl pop artists of the time too! Faithfull sometimes has a trill, and always has a sense of darkness on these singles – almost in the territory of the young Nico, but more tuneful and less moody – and superbly set up in just the right sort of arrangements by Mike Leander, David Whitaker, and even the great Jack Nitzsche. CD features all the a and b-sides of these early singles, plus a huge amount of notes – and 22 tracks that include "Morning Sun", "Sister Morphine", "As Tears Go By", "Summer Nights", "The Sha La La Song", "Something Better", "I'd Like To Dial Your Number", "Counting", "That's Right Baby", "Tomorrow's Calling", "This Little Bird", "What Have I Done Wrong", and "Go Away From My World". CD

The second album from one of the most unique voices in British music in the 60s – a really sublime little set that moves beyond familiar folk, rock, and pop – to put Marianne Faithfull in a mighty special place that's all her own! Right from the very first note of her voice, Marianne's out to sound way different than the rest – with a darkness that almost echoes the solo work of Nico, but a warmer sound that still holds on to some of the previous Brit mode that inform the album. Arrangements are totally great – penned by David Whittaker, Mike Leander, and Jon Mark – conducted by Leander with an eerie sound that's really amazing. Titles include "Come & Stay With Me", "As Tears Go By", "Down Town", "I'm A Loser", "What Have I Done Wrong", "They Never Will Leave You", and "He'll Come Back To Me". CD features 6 bonus cuts – "I'd Like to Dial Your Number", "Morning Sun", "Greensleeves", "House Of The Rising Sun", "The Sha La La Song", and "Oh Look Around You". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool set, with lots of heavy guitar – and titles that include a version of the Arthur Crudup tune "My Baby Left Me" – plus "Lovin You Is Good For Me Baby", "I Want You", "Bullfrog", and "Makin Time". LP, Vinyl record album

(78 RPM, Rock) 78 RPM, Vinyl record

(78 RPM, Rock) 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Maybe one of the first-ever rock and roll full-length albums – with Bill Haley's big title cut – plus "Shake Rattle & Roll", "Two Hound Dogs", "Razzle Dazzle", "ABC Boogie", "Burn That Candle", "Rock A Beatin Boogie", "Birth Of The Boogie", "Dim Dim The Lights", and "Mambo Rock". LP, Vinyl record album

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

... CD

A landmark session that gathered together just about every hip British jazz and jazz/rock musician of the time – and brought them together into one super-cool orchestra of sound! Robert Fripp produced the record, and Keith Tippett is the overall music director – but the album's got a feel that's much more in the avant side of the UK jazz spectrum – particularly the trippier side of the Deram/Decca label of the late 60s – like work by Mike Westbrook or Mike Gibbs! The lineup is huge – with Elton Dean and Dudu Pukwana on alto sax, Alan Skidmore and Gary Windo on tenor, Ian Carr and Mongesi Fesa on trumpets, Mark Charig on cornet, Nick Evans and Paul Rutherford on trombone, Keith Tippett on piano, Brian Godding on guitar, Robert Wyatt and John Marshall on drums, and Maggie Nicholls, Julie Tippett, Mike Patto, and Zoot Money on vocals – plus lots of strings as well! (Jazz, Rock) CD

Genius work from the legendary Bill Fay – one of those 70s artists who never got their due back in the day, but who have gone on to become a crucial piece of the musical puzzle as the years move on! Fay recorded two incredible records for Decca – treasures as rare as the early Nick Drake albums – and like Drake, Bill was years ahead of his time, although in very different ways – an incredible songsmith, with qualities that maybe come through best of all in the material within! The tracks are all from Fay's personal archives – recorded in the early 70s in a stripped-down mode, but as fully formed songs – brought to the light of day by David Tibet, and presented here in a way that finally give these lost years their full exposure. Titles on this first volume include "Plan D", "Inside The Keeper's Pantry", "Arnold Is A Simple Man", "Time Of The Last Persecution", "Backwoods Maze", "The Sun Is Bored", "Release Is In The Eye", "Tell It Like It Is", and "Pictures Of Adolf Again". CD

Carl Perkins may have only had a hit or two in the early days of rock and roll, but he's a hell of a mighty talent – as you'll hear here in this overstuffed box that brings together all his Sun Records material with tracks recorded for Columbia and Decca too! CD