(Folk/Country, Rock) CD

Not as sublime as their first LP, but still a nice batch of modern pop sound collage. More traditional song structures are poking through the cool po-mo facade here. With "Opus 4", "Eye Of A Needle", "Backbeat", "Instruments Of Darkness", "Peter Gunn" and "Beatback". (Soul, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

With Max Headroom. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Blondie had a lot to live up to after Parallel Lines, but they pulled it off here – Eat To The Beat is another classic! Downtown cool, a strong sense of pop history and tight production by Mike Chapman make for a really distinct sound on this one. Standouts include the excellent opener "Dreaming" (one of the finest Harry/Stein songs ever, if you ask us), the punky title track, "Union City Blue" and "Accidents Never Happen", and while Blondie albums are by nature hit-and-miss given the fearless mish-mash of styles they always brought in, the whole thing is pretty great! Other tracks include "Shayla", "Die Young Stay Pretty" and "Living In The Real World". LP, Vinyl record album

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A nice change in sound for Debbie Harry – thanks to Chic production from Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards – who really help the solo singer find a groove that's quite different than her work in Blondie! The style's a mixture of the funky club that Chic did so well, with elements that lean a bit more towards an early 80s rockish dancefloor – almost with a vibe that echoes some of the UK imports trickling over to these shores at the time, but with a definite New York vibe underneath! The setting gives Harry's vocals a great way to hit a more playful nature – that sound that was creeping in a bit in Blondie, but which some folks thought was wrong for the group – and Chris Stein is still on hand to bring in some street-sensitive riffing guitar. Titles include "Backfired", "Military Rap", "Oasis", "Surrender", "Chrome", "Jump Jump", and "The Jam Was Moving". LP, Vinyl record album

THE perfect ode to decadent 80s drug culture from the Scarface soundtrack, with bubbly, percolating production with extra-80s guitar riffing provided by Giorgio Moroder. (Soul, Rock) 12-inch, Vinyl record

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... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Relatively late work in the classic years of Procol Harum – but as any true fan of the group will tell you, these guys never stopped being great – even if the rest of the world wasn't paying as close of attention as they were back in the 60s! Gary Brooker's vocals and piano are still going strong – and the songs have that great sense of structure and subtle drama that always made the group so unique – a mode that other groups might have overdone, but which is so well balanced here, the sound is completely sublime – full-on sonic punch one minute, spare elements the next – all handled with an honest, open vibe that was pretty darn unique in the glossy music world of 1977. Titles include "Strangers In Space", "Wizard Man", "Something Magic", "Skating On Thin Ice", "The Worm & The Tree", and "The Mark Of The Claw". 2CD set features bonus tracks "Backgammon", "You'd Better Wait (live)", and "This Old Dog (live)" – plus a full bonus CD that bfeatures a BBC Radio In Concert performance from 1977 – 11 more tracks, most from earlier years! CD

A big big crossover album from the UK ska scene of the early 80s – built upon the ashes of the older Specials group, but still with plenty of the dark edges we'd come to expect in Jerry Dammers work! There's a bit more electric instrumentation at the bottom of the tracks, but the sound is still relatively in the ska-styled groove of the original Specials work – although sometimes maybe inflected with a more straightforward dancefloor bounce, too – which is what really helped some of these tracks get traction at a larger level beyond the ska scene. Over the years, the record's become as classic as the earlier Specials sets – and really lives up to its classic-styled cover image too! Includes the big tracks "Nelson Mandela" and "Racist Friend" – plus "Break Down The Door", "Alcohol", "War Crimes", "Bright Lights", and "Night On The Tiles". (Reggae, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

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Titles include "Old Brown Mouse", "Weathercock", "Journeyman", "Moths", "No Lullaby", and "And The Mouse Police Never Stops". Deluxe 2018 reissue includes in new stereo mix, unreleased bonus tracks, two CD's of live concert material from the '78 tour, plus 5.1 Surround mixes of all tracks on 2 DVD's – all in a great hardcover package filled with notes and photos! CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Aqualung", "My God", "Slipstream", "Locomotive Breath", "Wind UP", and "Mother Goose". LP, Vinyl record album

Not an original full length album from Pere Ubu, but a set that's as crucial to their catalog as any of the first few records – as it brings together all their important early 7" singles, including titles issued on the Hearthan label, and some UK releases on Rough Trade and Chrysalis! Together, the tracks really show the young genius of Dave Thomas and the group – and demonstrate that stunning blend of Ohio roots – that punky/arty mode that always made the Cleveland and Akron scenes so different than the rest of the country. Titles include the classic "30 Seconds Over Tokyo", plus "Final Solution", "Heart Of Darkness", "Cloud 149", "Untitled", "My Dark Ages", "The Book Is On The Table", "Heaven", "Lonesome Cowboy Dave", and "Not Happy". LP, Vinyl record album

The last in the classic run of Steeleye Span albums to feature the mighty Ashley Hutchings on bass – and a set that also has the group adding in a bit of Irish repertoire to their exploration of ancient English modes – but all in their fantastic blend of ancient and modern elements. If anything, the harmonies are even better than before – they've really found a way to combine along with the lead of Maddy Prior, in a style that has this real edge, almost evil quality at times – on titles that include "Four Nights Drunk", "Gower Wassail", "Captain Coulston", "When I Was On Horseback", and "Wee Weaver". (Folk/Country, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album