A slightly gentler album than the first Captain Beyond outing – but one that really has the group stretching out their wings wonderfully! The set's recorded both in Macon and Sausalito – and really has a vibe that indicates that mix – a core southern rock element, handled with the soulful undercurrents of early 70s Capricorn Records – but given some freer-thinking elements at times from the Bay Area scene! The drums power through nicely at some of the best points – but even the laidback tunes are pretty darn great – and we honestly never can understand why Captain Beyond weren't as big as some of their contemporaries from the southern scene. Titles include "Starglow Energy", "Evil Men", "Drifting In Space", "Bright Blue Tango", "Everything's A Circle", and "Voyages Of Past Travelers". LP, Vinyl record album

A slightly gentler album than the first Captain Beyond outing – but one that really has the group stretching out their wings wonderfully! The set's recorded both in Macon and Sausalito – and really has a vibe that indicates that mix – a core southern rock element, handled with the soulful undercurrents of early 70s Capricorn Records – but given some freer-thinking elements at times from the Bay Area scene! The drums power through nicely at some of the best points – but even the laidback tunes are pretty darn great – and we honestly never can understand why Captain Beyond weren't as big as some of their contemporaries from the southern scene. Titles include "Starglow Energy", "Evil Men", "Drifting In Space", "Bright Blue Tango", "Everything's A Circle", and "Voyages Of Past Travelers". CD

A really fantastic album from trumpeter Ian Carr and his legendary Nucleus group – a combo who are really right on the money here, finding their own sort of space at a level that's very different than some of the other rock/jazz projects on the UK scene at the time! There's often a lot more space between the notes going on here than on more jamming, more progressive records – a laidback groove that's wonderfully soulful, and which ties this Nucleus set a bit more strongly to American jazz funk that was rising up at the time – or maybe like some of the better Euro work by groups like Cortex or Placebo! Ian Carr leads the group on trumpet, Dave MacRae plays a lot of great keyboards, and Brian Smith blows strong solos on tenor, soprano, and flute – on titles that include "Southern Roots & Celebration", "Capricorn", "Images", "Caliban", "Roots", and "Whapatiti". (Jazz, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

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A searing set of southern rock from Ronnie Hawkins – already working here in a revivalist mode of sorts, with backing from the Dixie Flyers and a real blend of Atlantic and Capricorn-styled approaches to rock. Duane Allman and Donald Duck Dunn both sit in on the sessions, and the whole thing's got a relaxed, rootsy rock feel overall – Ronnie singing along with the Flyers on tunes that include "Red Rooster", "Ooby Dooby", "Don't Tell Me Your Troubles", "Drinkin Wine Spo-dee-o-dee", "Lonely Weekends", "Treasure Of Love", and "The Lady Came From Baltimore". LP, Vinyl record album

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One of those records in which Kris Kristofferson takes on the 70s, and comes up with a sound and style that's completely his own – even when working within the mainstream of the time! His label, Monument, could do plenty of hokey stuff – and even arranger Bill Justis wasn't always the hippest of cats – nor producer Fred Foster. Yet working here, they all rise to the occasion under the majesty of the man's music – a soaring batch of original tunes, of that special sort that Kris was always keeping to himself after his early years writing hits for others. Titles include "Why Me", "Give It Time To Be Tender", "It Sure Was Love", "Nobody Wins", "Enough For You", and the title cut "Jesus Was A Capricorn", owed to John Prine! (Folk/Country, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Genius early work from Kris Kristofferson – four great albums in a single package, with SACD mastering too! First up is The Silver Tongued Devil & I – a masterful tribute to the genius of Kris Kristofferson, and a record that perfectly illustrates that unique place he held in music at the start of the 70s! The album's Kris' second, and has maybe a more unified vibe than his debut – filled with original material that has that open, honest quality that Kristofferson brought to country music – and which also had a surprisingly strong impact on mainstream rock and singer/songwriter material too! There's both a frankness of feeling and sharpness of wit that make the whole thing wonderful – and the album's overflowing with original gems that include "Jody & The Kid", "Billy Dee", "Loving Her Was Easier", "The Taker", "When I Loved Her", "The Pilgrim Chapter 33" and "Epitaph" – plus a great reading of the Bobby Bare/Billy Joe Shaver tune "Good Christian Soldier". Border Lord is a wonderful album, and one that's full of lesser-known gems from Kris Kristofferson – from a time when he'd started sharing his songs with other singers first, and started to hold back all the good stuff for himself! The album's got help from some country music studio greats, but it's clearly Kristofferson's show, right from the start – overflowing with tunes that get delivery from Kris that nobody else can match – with a special understanding of the choice of words, balance of wit, and depth of feeling that makes him so great on record. Titles include "Burden Of Freedom", "Border Lord", "When She's Wrong", "Kiss The World Goodbye", "Getting By High & Strange", "Somebody Nobody Knows", and "Josie". Jesus Was A Capricorn is one of those records in which Kris Kristofferson takes on the 70s, and comes up with a sound and style that's completely his own – even when working within the mainstream of the time! His label, Monument, could do plenty of hokey stuff – and even arranger Bill Justis wasn't always the hippest of cats – nor producer Fred Foster. Yet working here, they all rise to the occasion under the majesty of the man's music – a soaring batch of original tunes, of that special sort that Kris was always keeping to himself after his early years writing hits for others. Titles include "Why Me", "Give It Time To Be Tender", "It Sure Was Love", "Nobody Wins", "Enough For You", and the title cut "Jesus Was A Capricorn", owed to John Prine! Spooky Lady's Sideshow is a record that has Kris Kristofferson loosening up his mix of styles slightly, almost a nod back to his debut – but all in a way that only seems to bring an even greater range of feeling to his songwriting! Kristofferson maybe looks a bit more casual and laidback on the cover than some previous sets, but he's still got all the sharpness of delivery that makes him so great, and which really matches his magical words – on titles that include "Broken Freedom Song", "Star Spangled Bummer", "Smile At Me Again", "I May Smoke Too Much", "Stairway To The Bottom", and "Rescue Mission". (Folk/Country, Rock) CD

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The Monkees in their groovy, giddy prime – and a nice little album that leaves the silliness of the TV show aside for a catchy and credible batch of late 60s group pop – with a nice mix LA studiocraft and touches of psych tinged country rock for which they still don't get enough credit! The main album is perhaps best known for the big hit "Pleasant Valley Sunday" – but the rest of the tracks have the boys continuing to take on the style of post Rubber Soul acoustic Beatles, plus some much more adventurous bits of early psychedelic pop! Album tracks include "Salesman", "She Hangs Out", "The Door Into Summer", "Love Is Only Sleeping", Nilsson's "Cuddly Toy", "Hard To Believe", "What Am I Doing Hanging 'Round", "Daily Nightly", "Don't Call On Me" and "Star Collector". With seven bonus tracks. CD

A fantastic set from The Monkees – maybe the record that really had them coming together and finding that special groove that was all their own! The set features their completely sublime "Pleasant Valley Sunday" – but also has this great range of unusual material that seems to let everyone get some great space in the spotlight, while also hinting at trippier inclinations too – on other cuts that include "Love Is Only Sleeping", "She Hangs Out", "Cuddly Toy", "Hard To Believe", "What Am I Doing Hangin Round", "Star Collector", "Salesman", "Star Collector", and the completely bizarre "Peter Percival Patterson's Pet Pig Porky". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic set from The Monkees – maybe the record that really had them coming together and finding that special groove that was all their own! The set features their completely sublime "Pleasant Valley Sunday" – but also has this great range of unusual material that seems to let everyone get some great space in the spotlight, while also hinting at trippier inclinations too – on other cuts that include "Love Is Only Sleeping", "She Hangs Out", "Cuddly Toy", "Hard To Believe", "What Am I Doing Hangin Round", "Star Collector", "Salesman", "Star Collector", and the completely bizarre "Peter Percival Patterson's Pet Pig Porky". LP, Vinyl record album

Motorhead at their thunderingly heavy, breakneak speediest, shrapnel-voiced best! For a band that's best enjoyed for it's raw and direct brute force and belligerent swagger, it's still important to approach with a sense of perspective – and know that before Motorhead, heavy rock just did not sound like this. Many, many tried to follow Lemmy's lead afterwards, with varying creative success, but we'll always go back to the trailblazers. Includes the all time classic title tune, second only to "Ace Of Spades" in their canon, plus "Stay Clean", "(I Won't) Pay Your Price", "I'll Be Your Best", "Capricorn", "No Class", "Tear Ya Down", "Metropolis" and "Limb From Limb". LP, Vinyl record album

Mylon LeFevre ended up on the more spiritual side of the spectrum in his later years – but here on this great early set, he manages to blend gospel roots with some great elements of southern rock and soul – all produced by Allen Toussaint, and handled with a surprisingly soulful groove at times! Mylon handles lead vocals and acoustic guitar – but he's backed by a very sharp combo who effortlessly blend influences from soul with rockish guitar lines – maybe more Capricorn Records than Cotillion, and given some additional soul touches from the backing vocals on the record from Merry Clayton, Clydie King, and Venetta Fields! Tracks are almost all originals by Mylon – and titles include "Who Knows", "Sweet Peace Within", "Trying To Be Free", "Pleasing Who Pleases You", "The Only Thing That's Free", and "Peace Begins Within". CD

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Sweet smooth grooves from Sea Level – a killer crossover 70s group, one with roots in the Allman Brothers, but a sound that's much more wide-reaching overall! This sublime album is an AOR classic – a set that graced countless collections back in the day, thanks to a warm blend of rock and soul elements – all tied up in the kind of tight production you might guess from the cover! There's still some southern roots present in the music – especially on a few of the Allman-like guitar licks – but the overall approach is more cool and compressed, with a sweet 70s Cali sort of vibe, and some nice jazz undercurrents too. Titles include "Midnight Pass", "Cats On The Coast", "Song For Amy", "Had To Fall", "That's Your Secret", and "It Hurts To Want It So Bad". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic album from one of the coolest groups to emerge from the southern rock scene of the 70s – a combo who can be as tight and jazzy as The Crusaders one minute, then show off their down home roots the next! Sea Level have a sound that's impeccable throughout this self-titled set – almost a Macon, Georgia answer to the sound of Steely Dan in LA – and the set mixes instrumental tracks that have a jazzy fusion vibe with more straightforward tracks that hit the soul-inspired sound of southern rock in the years after the rise of Memphis and Muscle Shoals. The jazz cuts are the real charmers – tremendous stuff that we'd rank right up there with the best fusion of the period – and titles include "Rain In Spain", "Shake A Leg", "Grand Larceny", "Scarborough Fair", "Just A Good Feeling", "Tidal Wave", and "Nothing Matters But The Fever". LP, Vinyl record album

A great bit of drawn-out fusion – played by a British trio that features electric keyboards, bass, and percussion! The tracks have a jamming jazz-rock approach – but never get too overindulgent, and never fall into the traps of some of the other British groups of the time. Instead, the groove is pure – with some nice dropped-out moments that have the keyboards working on lines that sound like they might have been lifted off of one of Sonny Fortune's great mid-70s albums. The lineup features Peter Robinson on Fender Rhodes and other keyboards, Alyn Ross on bass, and Morris Pert on drums and percussion – plus some guest soprano sax from Robin Thompson on three of the four songs. All tracks are long, and titles include "Stardance", "Orinoco", and "From The Region Of Capricorn". CD

Livingston Taylor's not hiding his relation to brother James Taylor here – at least not in his style, which is strongly Taylor-like, but not nearly as filled with cliche! The songs are short, simple, and nicely personal – a bit folksy at moments, and at their best when sung with some jazzier phrasing on acoustic guitar. Liv's voice has a nicely light feel – beautifully lilting across the top of the tunes – and titles include "Hush A Bye", "Sit On Back", "Doctor Man", "Thank You Song", "Good Friends", and "Carolina Day". LP, Vinyl record album

A concept album from the Louisiana scene of the 70s, but one that's much more down to earth than big label projects of the time – and which comes across here in a really unique blend of southern rock guitar and some nicely complicated ideas! The approach is almost impossible to describe – there's part of the record that feels like a post-psych exploration of the sort you'd hear a decade later on Creation Records, but other moments with fuller guitar have elements that feel like they could find a home on the Capricorn label in the early 70s – a really great blend that's completely unique, and which has an instant appeal that even goes way past the concept of the set. Titles include "Kings", "Puppet City", "Third Estate", "Years Before The Wine", and "Look At Me". The set also includes the related, but never-issued Agonistes album – a record that maybe has more of a vibe that links it to British folk material – but again, with a special sort of quality that's all its own. Titles include "Agonistes' Funeral", "Resurrection", "Sun & The Season", "Sorrow's Death", and "Sing His Song". Also includes 5 more bonus tracks – a single by the Agonistes, and Third Estate recordings too! CD

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Duke plays some mighty nice organ, the set's produced by Skip Drinkwater, and titles include "Slippin & Slidin", "Funky Broadway", "Chinese Chicken", and "Clouds". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Del Shannon, Chris Kenner, the Shirelles, Gary Bonds, the Tokens, the Capris, the Marcels, Bobby Lewis, the Miracles, the Jive Five, Dion, Dee Clark, the Marvelettes & more. CD