The genius of Richie Havens at this point is beyond compare – a unique take on the dying folk sound of the 60s, one that infused it with a deeper sense of soul that helped it get new legs in the Woodstock generation – yet which is also heard here before any of the post-hippie cliches that would bog down some of Richie's later work. There's an earnestness to this music that's also touched with a good degree of worldly sense – a notion that the world was changing, but one person at a time, and mostly through the gentle efforts and honest efforts of souls like Richie. This LP features 11 tracks in all – with titles that include "High Flyin' Bird", "San Francisco Bay Blues", "Just Like A Woman", "Sandy", "Three Day Eternity", "Follow", and "Handsome Johny". (Soul, Rock) CD

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A mixed bag record, but with some really wonderful moments – and essential listening as a lead-up to the Pet Sounds album to follow! There's a mix of styles here – some rough rocking numbers that are a bit stiff, mixed with some really amazing tunes that get at Brian Wilson's new sensitivities – tunes like "Girl Don't Tell Me", "You're So Good To Me", "Summer Means New Love", and "Let Him Run Wild" – all complicated in subtle ways, with a great sense of tension underneath. Other tracks include "Help Me Rhonda (45 single version)", "California Girls", "I'm Bugged At My Old Man", and "Amusement Parks USA". CD

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

The Challengers cook it strongly here – adding in a bit more sax than before to their sweet guitar instrumental groove – almost using the instrument as a second sort of engine to give themselves even more power than before! There's a slightly deeper tone than on the group's previous records – all the sharp guitar lines that made The Challengers one of the best of the bunch, but with a range that stretches out nicely overall – and keeps even the familiar tunes from sounding like the usual bag! Titles include "Mr Rebel", "K-39", "Out Of Limits", "One Mint Julep", "Bedlam", "Chiflado", "Just Drums", and "Mark Of Zorro". CD

Rare late 60s work from guitar genius Jerry Cole – and even more compelling than his famous records from earlier in the decade! This collection unearths a lost side of Jerry's career – tripped-out psych instrumentals from 1967 and 1968, recorded under a variety of different aliases – like The Generation Gap, Projection Company, Stone Canyon Rock Group, and T-Swift & The Electric Bag – all groups that didn't exist in real life, but were album-based studio projects by Cole! Jerry's brought a lot more fuzz to the sessions than on his surf and hot rod instrumental tracks – but the groove is mighty tight throughout, with almost a funky undercurrent to some of the best tracks – kind of an American equivalent to the UK freakbeat modes of the period, served up by Cole and a host of tight LA studio musicians. Great stuff throughout – all pulled from the Custom Records catalog – and titles include "Tune Out Of Place", "Fool's Luck", "Wild Times", "Hard Times", "What's Your Bag", "Our Man Hendrix", "Red Eyes", "I Love You I Do", "Expo In Sound", and "The Stinger". CD

Really important early live work from The Doors – a performance at the legendary Matrix club in San Francisco – and one of the first concert recordings ever done of the group! The set wasn't originally part of their legacy with Elektra Records, but has become rehoused as a key part of their catalog at the label – a really burning performance that effortlessly mixes blues inspirations, psych inclinations, and that very special quality that the band was forging right from the start! As with other unearthed Matrix recordings – which seem to show up more and more as the years go on – the whole thing is a key window into not just a moment in the group, but a moment in the scene as well – even though, reportedly, the concerts were very under-attended at the time. This triple-length package brings together the entire five nights of recording, with lots of unissued material – including surprising versions of jazz tunes "Bag's Groove" and "All Blues" – plus never-heard versions of "Summer's Almost Gone", "When The Music's Over", "My Eyes Have Seen You", "Alabama Song", "Break On Through", and "Moonlight Drive". CD

A legendary psych set from the Chicago scene of the late 60s – served up by a group who take their name from the famous horror author HP Lovecraft, and who get some sublime production from Dunwich – also another Lovecraft reference! The group have a really unique vibe – in that they've got some of the eeriness of late folk, mixed with fuzzier psychedelic instrumentation – vocals that have that quality from that moment in the summer of love when the sunshine children were starting to realize that the world was a darker place – with lots of spooky spaces to explore! The instrumentation is great – with all sorts of elements that really open up the sound, like harpsichord, clavichord, flute, tympani, 12 string guitar, and guitaroon – and the harmony vocals of the group really have an unsetting vibe. Jazzman Eddie Higgins plays a bit of vibes, and handles some larger arrangements – and titles include "I've Been Wrong Before", "The Time Machine", "That's How Much I Love You", "Wayfaring Stranger", "Let's Get Together", and "That's The Bag I'm In". CD

Great solo work from this former member of The Byrds – with titles that include "Lost My Drivin Wheel", "Draggin", "Time Cube", "My New Woman", "Stone", "Bag Full Of Money", and "The Water Is Wide". CD

A huge dip into the world of all-girl bands from the 60s – not sweet-voiced, teeny-bopping pop acts – and instead a host of raw, garagey groups that come across with a heck of a lot of power! There's some folks out there who might tag a famous 70s group or two as the first female rock band – but as the compilers of this long-running series know, the phenomenon goes way way back – so much so that there's no need to fuss and fight about any "first", and instead just dive in and enjoy all the wonderful music on the set! Production is nice and lean on most of these cuts – no added strings or orchestral sweetening – and these groups work in territory that's got all the raw power of any of the male groups to be tagged with the "garage" label over the years. Three tracks on the set are previously unreleased, the package has superb notes on the material, and titles include "Pink Dominos" by Chiyo & the Crescents, "I Don't Know Why" by The Wrong Black Bag, "Ask Me" by Debbie Williams & The Unwritten Law, "Dimples" by The Misfits, "Melvin" by The Belles, "Stardust Come Back" by Girls Take Over, "Really Gonna Shake" by Sandra Barry & The Boys, "Skinny Minnie" by The Beat Chics, and "Never Till Now" by The Bootles. CD

Music from Chuck Prophet & Scott Matthews, Thin White Rope, Trick Bag, David Dreams, Monks Of Doom, the Corn Dollies, Bevis Frond, the Shamen, Giant Sand, the Membranes, 501 Spanish Verbs and more. CD

A huge dip into the world of all-girl bands from the 60s – not sweet-voiced, teeny-bopping pop acts – and instead a host of raw, garagey groups that come across with a heck of a lot of power! There's some folks out there who might tag a famous 70s group or two as the first female rock band – but as the compilers of this long-running series know, the phenomenon goes way way back – so much so that there's no need to fuss and fight about any "first", and instead just dive in and enjoy all the wonderful music on the set! Production is nice and lean on most of these cuts – no added strings or orchestral sweetening – and these groups work in territory that's got all the raw power of any of the male groups to be tagged with the "garage" label over the years. Three tracks on the set are previously unreleased, the package has superb notes on the material, and titles include "Pink Dominos" by Chiyo & the Crescents, "I Don't Know Why" by The Wrong Black Bag, "Ask Me" by Debbie Williams & The Unwritten Law, "Dimples" by The Misfits, "Melvin" by The Belles, "Stardust Come Back" by Girls Take Over, "Really Gonna Shake" by Sandra Barry & The Boys, "Skinny Minnie" by The Beat Chics, and "Never Till Now" by The Bootles. CD

Titles include "Tube Snake Boogie", "Legs", "La Grange", "Viva Las Vegas", "Sharp Dressed Man", "Tush", "My Head's In Mississippi", "Pearl Necklace", "Got Me Under Pressure", "Cheap Sunglasses", and "Sleeping Bag". CD

Includes "Addicted To Love", "Hyperactive", "I Didn't Mean To Turn You On", "Flesh Wound", "Trick Bag", and "Discipline Of Love". CD

One of the holy grails of the Japanese early 70s psychedelic scene with tracks by Hadaka No Rallizes, Acid Seven, Minami Masato and Taj Mahal Travellers– originally released as in a tiny pressing commemorating the Oz Days benefit held for Tokyo's Oz Rock Cafe – which had purportedly been shut down do to unsavory activities of the chemical enhancement variety! Mind altering grooves galore – with each of the 4 artists originally getting a side of a record to do their thing, here divided on a 2CD set. CD

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The second set of madness from the legendary Os Mutantes – and like the first, an album done in close collaboration with arranger/producer Rogerio Duprat, whose talents add a new level of genius to the record! The album's got a compelling mix of styles that strikes out on the very first tune – a playful pastiche that's partly postmodern, partly psychedelic, and still tremendously powerful decades later – even if you can't understand most of the lyrics! Styles are just about impossible to pin down, but that's what makes the record so unique and essential – and if you ever needed one album to convince you of the mindblowing energy taking place during the Tropicalia years, this one may well be it! A few tracks are written by Tom Ze, and titles include "Dom Quixote", "Dia 36", "Magica", "Rita Lee", "Algo Mais", "Qualquer Bobagem", and "Fuga No II". (Brazil, Rock) CD

A great compilation of LA punk! 14 tracks from The Alley Cats, Eyes, X, The Weirdos, Black Randy, The Bags, Rhino 39, Avengers, Randoms, and The Dils. CD

A stunning selection of tracks from a moment when things really got interesting on the UK scene – when the straighter guitar lines of early punk gave way to more unfamiliar instrumentation, unusual production, and offbeat rhythms – yet almost always with a really raw, stripped-down feel – thanks to the indie placement of most of these cuts! Some of the material is work that would later become known as post-punk, and referenced as a huge influence on later groups – but as with most Bob Stanley/Pete Wiggs collections, there's something here that goes way past the ordinary – as the set list is filled with all these great twists and turns, and some wonderful surprises that come from cuts that were issued on some of the much smaller labels of the period, compared to bigger indies like Rough Trade or Fast Product. The music's got a raw, experimental edge throughout – and Stanley and Wiggs provide plenty of illuminating notes – to support this package of 24 tracks that includes "Somebody" by Frankie's Crew, "Small Hours" by Karl's Empty Body, "Work" by Blue Orchids, "Violence Grows" by Fatal Microbes, "Where Were You" by The Mekons, "The Terraplane Fixation" by Animals & Men, "Bored Housewives" by Androids Of Mu, "Can't Cheat Karma" by Zounds, "No Forgetting" by Manchester Mekon, "Drink Problem" by Thin Yoghurts, "The Sideways Man" by The Digital Dinosaurs, "Different Story" by Tarzan, "Production Line" by The Door & The Window, and "The Window's Broken" by Human Cabbages. CD

2 of very best LPs ever cut by the Louvin Brothers – Tragic Sounds Of Life and Satan Is Real – back to back on CD complete with bonus tracks! Tragic Songs Of Life is quite possibly THE greatest record that the Louvin Brothers ever made – and a haunting batch of songs filled with death and disaster, sung in a crystalline harmony style by Ira and Charlie! Includes the oft-quoted "Kentucky", plus loads of other great ones, including "Take The News To Mother", "What Is Home Without Love", the bone-chilling "Knoxville Girl", and "Mary Of The Wild Moor". Great stuff, and completely essential! Satan Is Real is a fantastic record of country harmony spirituals, cut during the height of their years at Capitol! The record's a treasure all the way through – from great songs like "Satan is Real", "The Drunkard's Room", and "Dying From Home, And Lost" – to the groovy cover that has the Louvins smirking next to a flaming pile of garbage with a self designed statue of Satan. Incredible stuff! Other titles include the Gram Parsons epiphany "The Christian Life", "Satan's Jeweled Crown" and "I'm Ready To Go Home" and more. The CD also includes 4 bonus tracks of 45 sides: "Blue From Now On", "Red Head Hop", "Read What's In My Heart" and "My Heart Was Trampled On The Street". (Folk/Country, Rock) CD

An imagined take on the Mid-East scene – not authentic tracks, but a mix of postwar recordings in a variety of styles – most of which mix rocking rhythms with the kind of exotic touches that fed fantasies back in the day when the area was known as Asia Minor! As with other "destination" series collections, the mix of work here is wonderful – all sorts of cool and unusual tunes, of the sort you might have found in The Cramps' record collections – music that moves between rock and soul, instrumental and vocal, jazz and exotica – as they chart a path for a desert caravan to follow! 32 tracks in all – and titles include "Pasha" by The Ramrocks, "Rockin In Bagdad" by Jerry Reid, "Turkish Doghouse Rock" by Kent Westberry, "Ali Baba" by Dave & The Customs, "Ali Baba's Boogie" by Preston Love", "Camel Walk (part 1)" by The Saxons, "Ali Ben Ghazi" by Jack Hammer, and "Habibi Twist" by The Latins. CD

Not girl pop, not chart hits, and instead a whole host of hard-burning tracks from the underground – a well-done collection that showcases a huge range of positive, powerful female musical expressions from the mid 70s onward! The set begins during the heyday of the early punk years, and focuses on a few key acts who were offering a great antidote to some of the more testosterone-fueled work of the time – then picks up some especially great pos-punk tracks, before making a brief stop in the early 90s, and ending up with a few key grrrl power cuts from the current century! As always with Ace records, the presentation is as great as the music – very detailed notes that tell as much of a store as the songs themselves – in support of a set list that includes "Survive" by The Bags, "Iama Poseur" by X-Ray Spex, "Kray Twins" by Mo-Dettes, "Popcorn Boy" by Essential Logic, "It's About Time" by The Pandoras, "Shakedown" by Au Pairs, "Das Ah Riot" by Bush Tetras, "Earthbeat" by The Slits, "Come On Now" by The Pussywillows, "Rules & Regulations" by We've Got A Fuzzbox, "What's Wrong With You" by Bratmobile, "Rebel Girl" by Bikini Kill, "I Gave My Punk Jacket To Rickie" by Mary Monday & The Bitches, "You're A Million" by The Raincoats, and "Expert" by Pragvec. CD

One of the greatest albums to come from the New York underground of the early 80s – even if it was a relatively big "hit" on a major label! Laurie Anderson is in perfect form here – drawing on a strong tradition of avant garde performance, but without any of the indulgences that would mire down performance art in years to come. Instead, she's got a clean, clear style that's simply amazing – spoken passages that are poetic and pointed, but which also have a slight undercurrent of wit – a charming quality that never takes itself too seriously, even when the sounds and styles are somewhat dark. Instrumentation includes some great rhythm passages from David Van Tieghem, plus surprising performances from Rufus Harley on bagpipes and George Lewis on trombone. Titles include "From The Air", "Big Science", "O Superman", "Born Never Asked", "Walking & Falling", "Example #22", "Let X = X", and "It Tango". CD

A really surprising step forward for two members of the legendary group Blossom Toes – guitarist Brian Godding and bassist Brian Belshaw – both musicians who were already blowing the scene away in their previous group, but who here expand their sound with a whole range of influences they'd just picked up! One of those is the voice of Julie Driscoll, who sings on a few tracks here with Godding – and another is some jazz elements they'd absorbed in the Centipede group of Keith Tippett – carried off here by guest work from Mark Charig on trumpet, Nick Evans on trombone, and even some piano from Brian Auger! Yet it's clear that Belshaw and Godding are having more than enough fun experimenting on their own with drummer Kevin Westlake – and there's an open, creative style to the record that really keeps things interesting throughout – and moves past the guitar-based modes that were the Blossom Toes stock in trade. Titles include "Rocky Yagbag", "Seed", "Moondance", "Rise", "Lost Horizons", "You're So Young", "Sticky Living", and "New Day". 2CD version features loads of bonus tracks and rare material – including "Square Dance", "Snippet With Tippett", "Come On Eyes", "Black Crow's Nest", "Freedom", "When I was In The Country", "Backstreet", "Waltz", "Earache", and "Hard Day's Night" – plus BBC live recordings of "Sticky Living" and "Go Have Yourself A Good Time". CD

The mindblowing first album from The Deviants – one of the weirdest, wildest groups on the UK scene in the late 60s – more garagey than psych, but pretty trippy at times too – and with a nasty edge that almost makes you feel like Kim Fowley was urging them on in the studio! The legendary Mick Farren is at the head of the group on vocals, but the set is clearly a collective effort – recorded by The Deviants themselves, before any label made them an offer to hit the studios – which may well be why the whole thing has such a distinct vibe of its own! The group almost have a proto-punk attitude at times – more LA than London – and they effortlessly shift through gems here that include "I'm Coming Home", "Garbage", "Bun", "Deviation Street", "Child Of The Sky", and the percussive heavy, batucada-like "Nothing Man". CD

Sweet and mellow work from ex-Beau Brummel Ron Elliott – done in a style that's a bit jazzy, a bit folksy, and with some really nice moments! There's a feel here that steps off the Bradley's Barn album by the Brummels, but it's actually inflected with a hippy honesty that makes for an even more innocent feel – kind of jaded LA hipster goes to the country and soaks up the sunshine, if you know what we mean! Keith Barbour sings lead vocals, but Ron and Val Christian Garay often harmonize alongside – in a way that echoes some of the best early touches of America, too – but with a hipper feel. Jimmie Haskell handles the arrangements, and plays a bit of moog – and titles include "Lady Honey", "The Puppet", "Garbage Man", "Ain't Got The Strings", "More Than My Guitar", and "Sad Rag Doll". CD

Features "Fresh Garbage", "Uncle Jack", "Taurus", I Got A Line On You", "It Shall Be" and more – 41 tracks over 2 discs! CD

Incredible! The record's one that will blow away all your previous understandings of Rod Stewart – a wicked reinterpretation of the Faces sound, done with heavily acoustic instrumentation and really wonderful production. Includes Rod's landmark take on "Handbags & Gladrags" – plus "Man Of Constant Sorrow", "Cindy's Lament", "An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down", and "I Wouldn't Change A Thing". CD

Includes tracks by Bobby Charles, Shirley Ray, The Sham-ettes, Tommy Tucker, Johnny West, The Cannon Sisters, Jane Morgan, Jimmy Drifter, The Bagels, and The Lovin' Cousins. CD

Not Kurt Cobain's Nirvana, but a totally great effort from the late 60s Brit group of the same name – true pop psych geniuses, and able to work here with a sound that's nice and trippy, but never self-indulgent! These guys manage to get nice and spacey with some of the arrangements and production, yet still deliver one hell of a tune – really catchy tracks that make each new number on the album a 60s pop delight, but work that also has the richer depth of some of the more heady material of the time! The balance here is wonderful – at a level that few other groups might match – with echoes of some of our favorite other late 60s moments – like the Left Banke, or Chad & Jeremy's Cabbages & Kings, with great use of strings – but still very much Nirvana's own sound too. Titles include "Rainbow Chaser", "Tiny Goddess", "You Can Try It", "St John's Wood Affair", "Everybody Loves The Clown", "The Touchables", and "Trapeze". CD features bonus tracks "Oh What A Performance", "Flashbulb", "Darling Darlene", and "C Side Of Ocho Rios". CD

The long awaited return of Brazilian iconoclasts Os Mutantes – featuring original Mutante Sergio Dias and a great new band – plus songwriting contributions from Tom Ze and Jorge Ben – a forward looking endeavor, not at all a nostalgia trip! It's been around 30 years since the previous Os Mutantes album, and the never predictable Dias sounds as fresh and energized as we hoped he'd be – with bright, catchy-as-hell melodies, wildly playful carnivalesque sounds as well as more rootsy acoustic bits, on songs that fearlessly blend genres and influences. It's hard to imagine that we'll ever love records from Mutantes, or anyone else in any genre, as much as we love the late 60s stuff – but this is excellent, and among the better Mutantes records since the Rita Lee era. Dias sings and plays electric & acoustic guitars, Egyptian oud, organ, percussion, harmonica and handles the string arrangements, and fellow Mutantes this time out include percussion, drums & vocals by Dinho Leme and Bia Mendes, vocals, piano & keys by Henrique Peters and Fabio Recco, percussion & sound design by Simone Sou, bass, flute, strings and string arrangements and more by Citor Trida. Titles include "Hymns Of The World (Intro)", "Querida Qierida", "Teclar", "2000 E Agarrum", "Baghdad Blues", "O Careca", "O Mensageiro", "Anagrama" featuring Tom Ze, "Aamba Do Fidel", "Nada Mudou", "Gopala Krishna Om", "Hymns Of The World (Final)" and more. (Brazil, Rock) CD