A mighty deep look at one of the hippest labels on the rockabilly scene – and one that was quite a surprise, too – given that Dot Records not only served up a fair bit of instrumental pop, but also recorded some of the "fake" rockers of the time as well! Yet all the work here is the real deal – tracks from the farther reaches of the Dot catalog, and related Hamilton imprint – work that was only ever issued as 7" singles, and quickly lost in the shuffle – only to be rediscovered in later generations by the kind of cats who were always digging for the coolest, rawest tracks from back in the day! As with other volumes in this groundbreaking series, the package presents a heck of a lot of music with very detailed notes – 37 titles that include "When The Sin Stops" by The Nighthawks, "Bad Boy" by robin Luke, "Honky Tonk Song" by Leroy Van Dyke, "Cool It Baby" by Dick Lory, "Mail Train" by Billy Joe Tucker, "My Babe" by Ronnie Smith, "Nancy Lynne" by Dick D'Agostin & the Swingers, "Love Charms" by Sanford Clark, "Jeopardy" by Ned Costner, "Whatcha Gonna Do" by Earl Henry, "I'm Hypnotized" by Don Johnson, and "Steelworker Blues" by Keith Courvale. CD

The excellent, underappreciated mid 80s compilation of rare and unreleased Roky Erickson live recordings and studio material – recorded from the mid 70s to early 80s – with his backing bands The Explosives, The Aliens and Blieb Alien, plus a couple of sparely haunting beauties backed by guitarist Jack Johnson. It's great stuff – with some eccentric lyrics and some raucous instrumentation, but still finely crafted – as were Roky's proper studio albums from the period. Way more than an odds-and-ends compilation – this is just as vital as any Roky Erickson albums during this amazing period! Includes "Night Of The Vampire", "The Interpreter", "Song To Abe Lincoln", "Sweet Honey Pie", "I Am", his amazing, oddly uplifting cover of the Velvets' "Heroin" (recorded live at the Hollywood Whisky-A-Go-Go), the astonishingly beautiful "I Have Always Been Here Before", "Anthem (I Promise)", "Bermuda", "Burn The Flames", "I'm A Demon" and "The Beast". CD

A brilliant bit of work from the UK scene of the early 80s – a group formed out of the ashes of The Prefects, and driven strongly by the uniquely bristling energy of frontman Robert Lloyd! The record's got lots of fantastically jagged moments – punk into post-punk, but without the freer frenzy of The Fall – maybe more the well-rooted basslines of Gang Of Four, although the style of The Nightingales is very different! Lloyd's vocals and presence are wonderful – and the songs are laced together with all these fast, jagged guitar lines that are fantastic – a bit like those from the Ron Johnson label scene to come. Tracks include "Blood For Dirt", "Start From Scratch", "One Mistake", "It Lives Again", "Joking Apart", "Yeah, It's OK", "Under The Lash", "Blisters", "Don't Blink", "Elvis The Last Ten Days", and "Make Good". CD

Early rock, rhythm & blues and boogie woogie-fueled numbers from the late 50s and early 60s southern Louisiana and southeast Texas scenes– a real treasure trove of tunes in the Boppin' In The Bayou series from Ace Records! This one's pretty heavy with sax and piano-backed proto rock – dynamite tunes from forgotten heroes and a few legendary cats alike – with numbers by Frankie Lowery, a great early tune by Mickey Gilley, Gene Dunlap, Pee Wee Trayhan, Shelby Martin and many more. 28 tracks in all – and the titles include "Made In The Shade" by Gene Dunlap & Jokers, "TC Show" by Gene King & His Mecaton Band, "Baby Hurry Home" by Pee Wee Trayhan, "My Baby's Cheating On Me" by Mickey Gilley, "Ha Ma Man" by Warren Storm, "Me And My Baby" by Rick Johnson, "Cinderella" by Paul Marvin, "Rock & Roll Baby" by Bobby Wheeler & His B-Bops, "Somebody Knocked At My Door" by Arnold Broussard, "Little Cajun Girl" by Gene Rodrigue and more. CD

A fantastic introduction to the world of power pop – that tight, fast, catchy style of music that came about at the same time as punk – and which flourished for a few short years as a more tuneful take on the sound of the underground! Some of the artists here hit big in the years before, others were later smothered in the world of 80s chart hits and music videos – but for a brief, wonderful time, the record racks exploded with great singles and album tracks like these – tunes that almost were a back-to-basics approach after the era of AOR and classic rock, but without some of the sneering attitudes of punk. Most of the artists here are American, and there's a few gems here from the early 70s – key tracks that point the way towards the golden era – all captured beautifully by Ace/Big Beat with their usual detailed notes and history on the music. Titles include "Let Go" by Dirty Looks, "Come On Let's Go" by The Paley Brothers with The Ramones, "Baby It's You" by The Boys, "Nothing Comes Close" by Bill Lloyd, "Better Than Anyone Else" by The Toms, "Nuclear Boy" by 20/20, "Rock & Roll Is Dead" by The Rubinos, "One World" by Utopia, "Andy Please" by Van Duren & The Jody Stephens, "The Trains" by Nashville Ramblers, "Shake Some Action (first version)" by The Flamin Groovies, "What I Like About You" by The Romantics, "I Need That Record" by The Tweeds, "Looking For The Magic" by Dwight Twilley Band, "Kerri" by Robert Johnson, "Radio Heart" by The Secrets, and "Teen Line" by The Shivvers. CD

Excellent set released by the CMF, and featuring a wealth of rare rockabilly tracks by the likes of Joe Clay, Ric Cartey, Pee Wee King, Tommy Blake, Jimmy Dell, Hoyt Johnson, and others. Loads of great stuff, and ripping all the way through! CD

A record with a denim cover, complete with an actual jeans back pocket – which should be more than enticing enough to draw you in – even if the whole thing doesn't have any notes on the contents at all! The set is part of that mysterious run of Numero compilations – less label or scene-structured than some of their earlier work, and filled with an array of tracks that really run the gamut – some synth numbers mixed with warmer AOR-styled gems – all with a definite late 80s vibe, as hinted at by the title! Tracks include "Naughty Naughty" by Isabelle Antenna, "Feels So Good" by Phoebe Cates, "The Secret Sign" by Dianne Mower, "Glued To The Spot (7" version)" by Cheryl Glasgow, "Me To You" by Terry Garthwaite, "Breath" by Vazz, "Someday You'll See" by DeMonica Flye, "Hear My Heart" by Jeff Phelps, and "You Got Me" by Crow Johnson. LP, Vinyl record album

A record with a denim cover, complete with an actual jeans back pocket – which should be more than enticing enough to draw you in – even if the whole thing doesn't have any notes on the contents at all! The set is part of that mysterious run of Numero compilations – less label or scene-structured than some of their earlier work, and filled with an array of tracks that really run the gamut – some synth numbers mixed with warmer AOR-styled gems – all with a definite late 80s vibe, as hinted at by the title! Tracks include "Naughty Naughty" by Isabelle Antenna, "Feels So Good" by Phoebe Cates, "The Secret Sign" by Dianne Mower, "Glued To The Spot (7" version)" by Cheryl Glasgow, "Me To You" by Terry Garthwaite, "Breath" by Vazz, "Someday You'll See" by DeMonica Flye, "Hear My Heart" by Jeff Phelps, and "You Got Me" by Crow Johnson. LP, Vinyl record album