A different sound than the 60s, sure – but you can't beat Donovan, no matter what the setting. Mickie Most produced, and all songs are Donovan originals – including "Maya's Dance", "Local Boy Chops Wood", "Astral Angel", "Dare To Be Different", and "Sing My Song. LP, Vinyl record album
(White label promo. Includes the printed inner sleeve. Cover has a promo stamp, light wear, and a light scrape in front.)
A great bit of glam pop from the mid 70s – presented with a tightly focused sound that's got plenty of grooves on the bottom, and sweetly compressed guitars and vocals over the top! Mike Leander's at the production helm, and the album's kind of a further popification of the older Gary Glitter groove – softened a bit at times, especially on a few of the mellower numbers – but still pretty great on the upbeat ones! Titles include "Where Have You Been", "Painted Lady", "People Like You & People Like Me", "Let Me Love You", "Dream Baby", "My First Mistake", "Makes You Blind", and "Watch The Show". LP, Vinyl record album
Grateful Dead —
In The Dark ... LP Arista, 1987. Near Mint- Gatefold ...
Out Of Stock
An album that hardly has the Grateful Dead in the dark – given that it was one of their biggest of the 80s, and really helped the group find a big new audience, thanks to a surprising hit! All the older elements are still in place, but the production has definitely changed since the early years – more upfront elements throughout, although still not really aimed at territory that's totally commercial – maybe just refining some of their older ideas for a new generation, in ways that Dylan and Springsteen were finding on their records at the time – maybe as an answer to the younger generations who were copping their style. Titles include "Hell In A Bucket", "West LA Fadeaway", "Tons Of Steel", "Touch Of Grey", "When Push Comes To Shove", and "Black Muddy River". LP, Vinyl record album
(Includes the printed inner sleeve. Cover is still in the original shrink, with hype sticker!)
A heck of a charmer from Haircut 100 – one of a handful of great UK albums from the early 80s that mixed post-punk energy with warmer touches from jazz and Latin – all in a blend that's completely wonderful overall! Haircut 100 were never trying to change the world – and they certainly never passed themselves off as a real jazz combo – but they've got a great way of adding in just the right touches on sax, congas, and even a bit of vibes – all to create a captivating setting alongside Britpop guitar lines and the great vocals of Nik Heyward. Nik's way more appealing here than on his later work – unabashedly groovy, on tunes that include the classic "Love Plus One", alongside "Snow Girl", "Lemon Firebrigade", "Favourite Shirts", "Milk Film", "Surprise Me Again", and "Fantastic Day". LP, Vinyl record album
(Cover has a cut corner, promo stamp, hype sticker, and light wear. Vinyl has a short click on "Fantastic Day".)
25
Happy The Man —
Crafty Hands ... LP Arista, 1977. Near Mint- ...
Out Of Stock
... LP, Vinyl record album
26
Jeff Healey Band —
See The Light ... LP Arista, 1988. Very Good+ ...
Out Of Stock
Heaven 17 —
Heaven 17 ... LP Virgin/Arista, Early 80s. Very Good+ ...
$7.99
A US compilation – with cuts that include "Penthouse & Pavement", "Play To Win", "Let Me Go", "The Height Of The Fighting", "We're Going To Live For A Very Long Time", "I'm Your Money", and "Fascist Groove Thang". LP, Vinyl record album
(Cover has light wear.)
28
KBC Band —
KBC Band ... LP Arista, 1987. Sealed ...
Out Of Stock
A real standout from Ray Davies and crew – heavy-hitting here with guitars that seem a bit more amped up than usual, and a slight post-punkish groove that's almost a reinvention of the group's sound for an 80s new wave market! The album's a surprisingly hard rocker in parts, and has a darkness that's a nice change from some of the late 70s Kinks material – but also shows Ray still able to come up with some more tender numbers in just the right spots. Tracks include "Add It Up", "Destroyer", "Yo Yo", "Art Lover", "Better Things", "Killer's Eyes", "Around The Dial", and "Give The People What They Want". LP, Vinyl record album
(Includes the printed inner sleeve. Cover has light ring wear.)
A real standout in the later catalog of the Kinks – a record that gave the group a number of minor hits, and which let them rock out a bit more than usual – in a style that was clearly influenced by the punk of the period, but which also had sort of a Pete Townsend-esque quality to it. Titles include "Superman", "Catch Me Now I'm Falling", "National Health", "Pressure", "Misery", "A Little Bit Of Emotion", and "Attitude". LP, Vinyl record album
(Cover has minimal wear.)
33
Kinks —
Misfits ... LP Arista, 1978. Near Mint- ...
Out Of Stock
A high point of the Arista years – with cuts that include "Get Up", "Rock N Roll Fantasy", "Live Life", "Hay Fever", "Misfits", and "Black Messiah". LP, Vinyl record album
A high point of the Arista years – with cuts that include "Get Up", "Rock N Roll Fantasy", "Live Life", "Hay Fever", "Misfits", and "Black Messiah". LP, Vinyl record album
A nice transition from the overwrought concept albums of mid 70s Kinks – and a shift into tighter, shorter, more condensed tunes that got the group firmly back on track! The concepts here are each confined to the space of a single tune – taking Ray and the group back to the best approaches of their initial 70s recordings – and coming up with a few really catchy numbers in the process! Titles include "Sleepwalker", "Sleepless Night", "Brother", "Full Moon", "Life Goes On", "Stormy Sky", and "Mr Big Man". LP, Vinyl record album
(US pressing with Masterdisk stamp. Includes the printed inner sleeve.)
One of the most successful of the later Kinks albums – thanks to the hit single "Come Dancing", which kind of tied together the group's later leanings with some of their sweeter, nostagic approaches from the 60s. In fact, there's a quality to the set that really has Ray Davies going back to his "little pictures" sort of approach – wrapping up individuals and individual subjects nicely in the space of 3 to 4 minutes. Titles include "Labour Of Love", "Definite Maybe", "State Of Confusion", "Heart Of Gold", "Young Conservatives", "Cliches Of The World", and "Come Dancing". LP, Vinyl record album
(Includes the printed inner sleeve. Cover has some surface wear.)
A nice Japanese collection – with an unusual cover image! Titles include "Words", "Valleri", "Shades Of Gray", "I Wanna Be Free", "Pleasant Valley Sunday", "Steppin Stone", "Star Collector", "She", "Last Train To Clarksville", and "Listen To The Band". LP, Vinyl record album
(Includes obi with wear & tape. Cover has clear tape on all seams, half split seams, some wear & aging – but the vinyl is nice.)
A classic – with Brinsley Schwarz on guitar, Jack Nitzsche on production, and titles that include "Protection", "Love Gets You Twisted", "Saturday Nite Is Dead", "Local Girls", "Discovering Japana", and "Waiting For The UFOs". LP, Vinyl record album
The last full 70s album from Pilot – just a duo by this point, but working with all the punch and panache of their early records! As before, their ability for hook-heavy tunes is amazing – as there's so many numbers here that could have been huge AM radio hits, but which also have some surprisingly thoughtful lyrical touches, and arrangements that are simple, but which really pack a hell of a punch. Titles include "Monday Tuesday", "Big Screen Kill", "Creeping Round At Midnight", "Library Door", and "Mr Do Or Die". LP, Vinyl record album
64
Iggy Pop —
Party ... LP Arista, 1981. Very Good+ ...
Out Of Stock
Iggy's third album for Arista – one of his more straight-forward sets of rockers, for the most part – but Iggy being Iggy, it's still pretty edgy stuff for a rock album on major label in the early 80s! Includes "Pleasure", "Rock And Roll Party", the wacko "Eggs On A Plate", "Sincerity", "Houston is Hot Tonight", "Bang Bang", and surprisingly subdued cover of "Sea Of Love", "Happy Man", "Pumpin' For Jill" and more. LP, Vinyl record album
65
Iggy Pop —
Soldier ... LP Arista, 1980. Very Good+ ...
Out Of Stock
One of Iggy's better solo albums – with all the manic vocals you'd want and expect, but with some really cool production touches and oddball, yet accessible songs. You got love Iggy for kicking of a high stakes second album for Arista with a song about wanting a rubber dolly and hanging out with transvestites – flavored by a circus-y organ rather than blistering Stooges-style guitars. This was a man not kleen on repeating himself, and Soldier's still a fascinating effort. Includes "Loco Mosquito", "Ambition", "Knocking 'Em Down (In The City)", "Get Up & Get Out", "Mr Dynamite", "Play It Safe", "Take Care Of Me", "I Need More", "Dog Food", "I Snub You" and more. LP, Vinyl record album
Both solo and tracks from the Velvet Underground. Includes the songs "Waiting For The Man", "White Light White Heat", "I Heard Her Call My Name", "Pale Blue Eyes", "Beginning To See The Light", "Sweet Jane", "Rock And Roll", "Heroin", "Femme Fatale", "Walk On The Wild Side", "Berlin", "Men Of Good Fortune", "The Kids", "Coney Island Baby", "Temporary Thing", "All Through The Night", "So Alone", "How Do You Speak To An Angel", "Keep Away", and "Street Hassle". LP, Vinyl record album
Pete Shelley —
Homosapien ... LP Arista, 1981. Near Mint- ...
Out Of Stock
... LP, Vinyl record album
(Cover has light ringwear, some edge wear, some blemishes at the opening, and is bent a bit at the top right corner.)
71
Shriekback —
Jam Science ... LP Arista (UK), 1984. Very Good+ ...
Out Of Stock
... LP, Vinyl record album
72
Silver —
Silver ... LP Arista, 1976. Very Good ...
Out Of Stock
A great group from the 70s AOR scene – one that never fully got its due, but which never let that stop them from doing their best! Silver have this great harmony style that's somewhere in the territory of America – kind of a post-Beach Boys version of male group pop that's years beyond the modes of the 60s, and wrapped up here with near-perfect production that makes the harmonies sound even more heavenly they might have a few years before! All group members sing – John Batdorf, Brent Mydland, Greg Collier, Tom Leadon, and Harry Stinson – and most write tunes on the record, too. Titles include "Musician", "All I Wanna Do", "Memory", "Right On Time", "Goodbye So Long", "Wham Bam", and "Trust In Somebody". LP, Vinyl record album
(White label promo. Cover has a cutout hole, promo sticker, faint ring wear.)
The big second album from Sky – a record that's twice as long as the first, and which gives the group even more room for instrumental explorations! As before, the guitar sounds here are both acoustic and electric – played by both John Williams, the virtuoso musician with classical roots, and Kevin Peek, who's got more rock experience – and the group also features really strong keyboards from Francis Monkman, plus bass from the great Herbie Flowers, and thundering drums from Tristan Fry! The sound is a balance of fullness and space – much more so than other fusion records of this nature – and while Williams' solos sometimes have older elements in their phrasing, the overall sound is pretty progressive – in the best 70s mainstream way. Titles include "Fifo", "Sahara", "Dance Of The Little Fairies", "Ballet Volta", "Gavotte & Variations", "El Cielo", and "Tristan's Magic Garden". LP, Vinyl record album
(NOTE – Mid 80s German pressing in a Japanese gatefold cover.)
Patti Smith —
Easter ... LP Arista, 1978. Very Good+ ...
Out Of Stock
Among the best of the best of early Patti Smith albums – the Easter LP from 1978 – also her biggest hit ever! Easter splits the difference between accessible, if rawly impassioned rock & roll and more raucous and in yer face rebellious poetry. There's a stylistic gulf between the more delicate songs and the rawer ones, and that tension makes for a more amazing record overall. Titles include "Till Victory", "Space Monkey", "Because The Night", "Ghost Dance", "Privelege (Set Me Free)", "We Three", "25th Floor", "Easter" and more. LP, Vinyl record album
A 70s gem from singer/songwriter Al Stewart – a set that was part of his long-overdue rise to global fame – after quietly giving the world a number of great and overlooked albums from the UK scene! The vibe here is similar to the preceding set – the classic Year Of The Cat – in that Al's got all of his sharp songwriting and very unique vocal phrasing intact – all set to sharp production that brings out the real strengths of his catchier moments, and certainly pushes Al far past the more Dylan-inspired territory of his earliest years. Titles include the wonderful title cut "Time Passages" – plus "Song On The Radio", "Life In Dark Water", "Valentina Way", "A Man For All Seasons", "Almost Lucy", "The Palace Of Versailles", and "Timeless Skies". LP, Vinyl record album
(Includes the printed inner sleeve. Cover has light edge wear.)
Includes "Hold Me Now" & "Doctor! Doctor!" LP, Vinyl record album
(CRC pressing. Vinyl has a mark that clicks a bit at the start of "Doctor! Doctor!". Cover has some light scrapes, some wear at the bottom corners, and is lightly bent at the top seam and bottom right corner.)
86
Thompson Twins —
Side Kicks ... LP Arista, 1982. Near Mint- ...
Out Of Stock
Includes "If You Were Here", "Lies", "Love Is On Your Side", and more. LP, Vinyl record album
(US pressing with large Arista logo labels – AL 8-8002.)
87
Tonio K —
Amerika ... LP Arista, 1980. Near Mint- ...
$6.99
... LP, Vinyl record album
(Includes the printed inner sleeve. Cover has a cut corner, a small stain on one corner, a promo sticker, and ringwear.)
(Still sealed, with a cut corner, hype sticker under the shrink, and Factory Sealed sticker in back. Shrinkwrap is partially cracked a bit at the opening, but still intact and unopened.)