A tremendous document of work by Jake Thackray – one of the most unique talents on the British music scene of the 60s, but an artist who's sadly been un-remembered over the years! At first glance, Jake's definitely a folkie, but he's also one with a strong influence from French singer/songwriters like Jacques Brel or George Brassens – and takes key inspiration from them in the depth and darkness of his work. Like both Brel and Brassens, Thackray's got a style that's almost out of time – one that's ageless at some points, but with a very contemporary way of viewing the world – personal, pointed, and penned with an incredible sense of wit. In an era when most folkies were attacking the political or pushing into the fantastic, Jake spent careful time looking at human foibles and the complexities of interpersonal relationships – always from a distance, but close enough to note the odd humor in even the most banal situations. This wonderful set brings together 4 of Thackray's albums for EMI – Bantam Cock, Last Will & Testament, Jake's Progress, and On Again On Again – all of which feature Jake's slightly jazz-inflected vocals alongside acoustic guitar and very spare, but well-chosen additional instrumentation. Package also features a full disc of unreleased material – including different versions of other tunes on the albums. 97 tracks in all, and a wonderful musical discovery throughout! Titles include "The Cactus", "Country Bus", "Brother Gorilla", "The Girl In The Window", "Ulysses", "Scallywag", "Salvation Army Girl", "On The Shelf", "Go Little Swale", "Isabel Makes Love On National Monuments", "Joseph", "Famous People", "The Gravedigger", and "Leopold Alcocks". CD

A sublime second solo effort from Syd Barrett – and maybe his most perfectly-formed album ever! There's a sinister balance to the record right from the start – a gentle approach to the offbeat themes that is almost more unsettling than if the matter was undertaken more forcefully – weird little bits just tossed off by Syd as if they're really the ramblings of the madman promised on the cover of his first LP – almost with a deadpan quality that makes the whole thing even more unsettling with repeated listenings! Instrumentation is relatively lean – almost a folksy mix of acoustic guitar, electric, sullen bass, and some haunting keyboards – all as if someone picked apart Pink Floyd, then started to construct a rough sketch from the parts that lay scattered on the floor. The album's had an influence from psych through punk and many years beyond – and titles include "Baby Lemonade", "Gigolo Aunt", "Wolfpack", "Effervescing Elephant", "Winde & Dined", "Rats", and "It Is Obvious". CD

Seminal sounds from Be Bop Deluxe – a massive package that features all five of their albums for Harvest in the mid 70s – plus loads of bonus tracks too! The Be Bop Deluxe sound is a bit hard to peg, especially over the evolution enclosed here – but they've definitely got a cool compressed approach to music that's a bit like ELO – or at least like some of the best Brit work of the period that was using that studio style of mixing the vocals and guitars all up in the same sonic space, then fusing the whole thing to a tight level of production, yet all without ever sounding too slick at all. Be Bop Deluxe never had many hits on this side of the Atlantic – which may well be a testament to the inventiveness going on here – especially as things stretch out towards the end of the group, and seem to echo the imminent solo career of Bill Nelson. 5CD set features the full albums Axe Victim, Futurama, Sunburst Finish, Modern Music, and Drastic Plastic – plus loads more bonus tracks, singles, and demos – a massive 82 tracks in all! CD

An earlier classic from The Beach Boys – and easily one of their best records from the prime sun and surf era for the group – with rave up rockers and some sweet ballads! So much as been written about the foreboding behind-the-scenes circumstances in Beach Boys lore, even during these early years, it can steal away from the more innocent charms if you allow it to – but don't! This is all about soaring, groovy harmonies and impeccable production – on tunes that include "I Get Around", "All Summer Long", "Hushabye", "Little Honda", "Wendy", "Carl's Big Chance", "Girls On The Beach", "Drive-In", "Don't Back Down" and more. CD

A classic double live set from David Bowie – recorded during his years as The Thin White Duke (as you might guess from the cover!), but featuring a fair bit of material from the Ziggy Stardust years! The music is pretty straightforward, and pretty rocking – lots of fuzzy guitar in the Diamond Dogs/Aladdin Sane mode – played by a group with Earl Slick on guitar and Michael Kamen on electric piano and moog. Titles include "Rebel Rebel", "1984", "Knock On Wood", "Here Today Gone Tomorrow", "Watch That Man", "Cracked Actor", "All The Young Dudes", "Width Of A Circle", "Jean Genie", "Rock N Roll Suicide", "Big Brother", and "Panic In Detroit". CD

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Features two live sessions from the BBC Radio One In Concert series – one on Feb. 19th, 1970 and the other on Mar. 9th, 1972. CD

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Classic early 70s space rock from Hawkwind – mixing punchy, fuzzy aggression with trippy post psych soundscapes – with less keyboard-heavy prog noodling and tighter vibe! Doremi Faso Latido is the first Hawkwind album with Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister in the lineup, and although we can't say that this is why it's got a tighter sound, it's probably fair to speculate. It's great, whatever may make it so! Includes "Brainstorm", "Space Is Deep", "Lord Of Light", and "Down Through The Night". CD

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The groundbreaking first album from Neu – maybe not the earliest record in the Krautrock generation – but a set that certainly set a new sort of standard after it was released! The group mix together slow-building rhythms and plenty of fuzz – all recorded by the great Conny Plank, who has a way of blending the songs and all their many elements – instrumentation put together by ex-Kraftwerk members Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother – who mostly use guitars, bass, and drums – but end up turning them into something completely different with the help of Plank! Some of the tracks are quite long, and really take a great path to find their way forward – very different than Can or Cluster, at least from an outside perspective – but equally classic. Titles include "Hallogallo", "Sonderangerbot", "Im Gluck", "Negativland", "Weissensee", and "Lieber Honig". CD

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Twenty track Japanese compilation. CD

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With 29 tracks including "Perfidia", "Ram-Bunk-Shush", "No Trespassing", "Twisted", "Night Drive", "Walk Don't Run 64", "Dick Tracy", "Hawaii Five-O", and more! CD

A massive 2 CD package – one that set a whole new standard for 70s live albums! The group's at their rocking best – a bit rawer here than in the studio – and the set includes some overlooked gems from albums, plus renditions of a few Beatles tunes too. CD