It's a long way from The Mamas & The Papas by this time for John Phillips – standing on the beach on the cover, all bedraggled in a dirty hat and coat, with a long beard, and a worn-out look on his face – but that change turns out to be a great one for him, as you'll hear on the set! The style here is much rougher and earthier than the sweeter pop of the 60s – a batch of Laurel Canyon folksy numbers that show the hipper side of Phillips that didn't always get expressed in his former pop years. Titles include "April Anne", "Captain", "Drum", "Someone's Sleeping", "Holland Tunnel", and "Mississippi". Plus, the CD features 8 more bonus tracks, most of which are previously unreleased – "Shady", "Lonely Children", "Lady Genevieve", "The Frenchman", "16mm Baby", and "Black Girl". CD

One of the coolest collections we've heard from Keb Darge in years – not the funk and soul he first gave us when he started putting compilations together, nor the rockabilly and R&B from more recent years – and instead a fantastic array of rare late 60s garage rock and freaky fuzz singles! The set's tone in collaboration with Cut Chemist – another DJ we'd never expect to know this music so well – and together, the pair turn their talent for rare record digging to an arena that never seems to get old – the under-underground of the pre-hippy years, with a stunning selection of tracks by artists who worked in the deep shadows beneath bigger acts like Count Five, The Seeds, or Standells. Half the record is collected by Cut Chemist, the other by Keb – and the package features a whopping 30 tracks in all, most of which we'd never heard before! Titles include "Cry" by The Malibus, "Cuttin Grass" by Caretakers Of Deception, "Project Blue" by The Banshees, "Slander" by Ty Wagner, "Suzy Creamcheese" by Teddy & His Patches, "Nowadays People" by Captain Crunch & The Crew, "Go On Leave" by Red Beard & The Pirates, "In & Out" by Larry & The Blue Notes, "Why Am I Alone"by The Choab, "Can It Be" by The Savoys, "Modman" by The Spacemen, "Baby Go" by The Avantes, "Just Let Me Be" by The Outsiders, and "Come On Baby & Stick Around" by Al's Untouchables. CD

A lost gem from Anne Briggs – one of the lesser-known artists of the British underground folk scene at the end of the 60s – but a singer we'd rank right up there with the great Sandy Denny! Briggs works here in an ancient-sounding batch of material – the kind of tracks that conjure up the darker corners of the British landscape and its history – performed by Anne with mostly just vocals and guitar, but in a lyrical style that arcs, and turns, and dips with maybe more energy than if there were an entire group behind her. The style is spare, but never sleepy – and there's a hell of a lot of power in these tunes, especially on the few numbers that feature a bit of bouzouki as well. Titles include "Reynardine", "Young Tambling", "Living By The Water", "Maa Bonny Lad", "Blackwater Side", "The Snow It Melts The Soonest", and "Go Your Way". (Folk/Country, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy hitting jazz rock from the UK underground of the early 70s! We'll Talk About It Later is a great early album from Ian Carr's legendary Nucleus group – playing here in a version that includes Karl Jenkins and Brian Smith on reeds, and Chris Spedding on guitar. The band had a landmark sound that mixed progressive jazz and tight full-on rock fusion into a style that was sometimes funky, sometimes avant, and often pretty darn exciting! This album has lots of nice electric piano lines, and plenty of choppy sax parts that hit a nice groove in the manner that would later be taken up by a lot of European reed players, with nice long songs with plenty of room for improvisation – and grooves that are still nice and jazzy. Titles include "Song for The Bearded Lady", "Oasis", "Ballad of Joe Pimp", "Easter 1916", and "Lullaby For A Lonely Child". (Jazz, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Never-issued work from this legendary fusion group – a 1971 live performance recorded in Rotterdam, and a set of tracks that's a perfect complement to the legendary Nucleus albums issued by Vertigo at the time! Leader Ian Carr is upfront on trumpet – but as with the best Nucleus recordings, this is definitely an all-out group affair – driven by very strong work from John Marshall on drums and Roy Babbington on bass – and filled with work from two different simultaneous electric pianos, handled by both Hywel Thomas and Karl Jenkins, the latter of whom also blows a bit of oboe. Other reeds are from Brian Smith on tenor, soprano sax, and flute – and all tracks are nice and long, and often quite funky – with titles that include "Snakehips Dream", "We'll Talk About It Later", "Song For The Bearded Lady", "Exit Interlude 1", "Persephone's Jive", "Exit Interlude 2", and "Oasis". (Jazz, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible work from Nico – easily one of her most haunting albums ever, and a huge step forward even from the sublime Chelsea Girl record! John Cale produced and arranged the album, and plays some extra-spooky harmonium throughout – an instrument that's got the same low, dead tones as Nico's vocals – which makes for a wonderfully haunting blend! Parts of the record echo the minimal explorations that Cale did with Terry Riley, but in a different way – with heroin definitely playing strongly as part of the aesthetic. The album's a gem through and through – definitely one of the few crucial solo works from Nico – and titles include "My Only Child", "All That Is My Own", "Afraid", "Janitor Of Lunacy", and "Abschied". LP, Vinyl record album

Cambodian rock, pop and psychedelia from the 60s & 70s – compiled by the members of Dengue Fever, LA's modern torchbearers of rare prime rock era rarities from Cambodia! It's wonderful stuff – like a lot of the sounds from the pulpy garage rock era Asian underground, most tunes have love female vocals, but the instrumentation varies from raw r&b & kind of moddish influenced sounds, to more psychedelic electric guitar and hazy melodies, bits of funk, and strains that come closer to traditional Cambodian sounds. The tracks were culled for rare cassette tapes, and the sound quality is top notch! Titles include "Give Me One Kiss" by Dara Chom Chan, "Don't Speak", "Jombang Jet", "I Will Marry You" and more by Pan Ron, "Shave Your Beard", "Flowers In The Pond", "I Will Starve Myself To Death", "Cold Sky" and more by Ros Sereysothea. 12 tracks in all. (Global Grooves, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A harmony heaven way to enjoy the Holiday! The group's version of Christmas has to be one of the best-ever recorded in rock and roll – and given the undercurrent of sadness that was coming forth in their non-Holiday hits of the period, the style here is perfect to fit the melancholy mood of the Christmas tunes – even some of the more upbeat numbers! Production is great too – beautiful enough to hold up strongly after all these years – and titles include "Blue Christmas", "Merry Christmas Baby", "Little Saint Nick", "Santa's Beard", "We Three Kings", "Frosty The Snowman", and "I'll Be Home For Christmas". (Holiday Music, Rock) CD

Never-issued work from this legendary fusion group – a 1971 live performance recorded in Rotterdam, and a set of tracks that's a perfect complement to the legendary Nucleus albums issued by Vertigo at the time! Leader Ian Carr is upfront on trumpet – but as with the best Nucleus recordings, this is definitely an all-out group affair – driven by very strong work from John Marshall on drums and Roy Babbington on bass – and filled with work from two different simultaneous electric pianos, handled by both Hywel Thomas and Karl Jenkins, the latter of whom also blows a bit of oboe. Other reeds are from Brian Smith on tenor, soprano sax, and flute – and all tracks are nice and long, and often quite funky – with titles that include "Snakehips Dream", "We'll Talk About It Later", "Song For The Bearded Lady", "Exit Interlude 1", "Persephone's Jive", "Exit Interlude 2", and "Oasis". (Jazz, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

The great late 60s Brit psych folk set by Michael Chapman – well played by an ace group that included guitarist Mick Ronson and was produced by Gus Dudgeon, who also worked in Bowie's Space Oddity – a record up there with that one in unclassifiable cosmic folk and rock craftsmanship and eclecticism! There's a mix of acoustic and electric numbers, each with cooly slurred vocals and unique songcraft of Chapman. Includes "Aviator", "Naked Ladies And Electric Ragtime", "Stranger In The Room", "Postcards From Scarborough", "March Rain", "Trinkets And Rings", "Fishbeard Sunset", "Kodak Ghosts" and more. CD

A document of the the loosely defined prog, psyche, and underground rock from the vaults of Vertigo Records – a moniker originally put together by Phillips to cover the obscure scene – but one that proved to be a starting point for some legendary hitmakers, too! On top of assembling the deep nuggets for which you'd pick up such a comp – cuts by Magna Carta, Colosseum, Gentle Giant and others – it also includes buried nuggets by Black Sabbath, Rod Stewart, Uriah Heep and more! 41 tracks on 3CDs: "The Kettle" by Colosseum, "Who Do You Love?" and "Thinking Of My Life" by Juicy Lucy, "Behind The Wall Of Sleep" and "Spiral Architect" by Black Sabbath, "Three Sisters" by Affinity, "Lady In Black" by Uriah Heep, "Borne On The Solar Wind" by Jade Warrior, "Mouthpiece" Warhorse, "Time Machine" by Beggars Opera, "Handbags And Gladrag" by Rod Stewart, "Song For The Bearded Lady" and "Torrid Zone" by Nucleus, "Lord Of Ages" by Magna Carta, "Paper Plane" by Status Quo and much more – plus a 48 page booklet! CD

ZZ Top at the height of their powers – proudly stating their Texas roots on the cover, but also transforming them strongly with their music too! The trio's completely on fire – Dusty Hill on vocals and bass, Frank Beard on drums, and the legendary Billy Gibbons on vocals, guitar, harmonica, and even a bit of fiddle – on titles that include "El Diablo", "It's Only Love", "Arrested For Driving", "Ten Dollar Man", "She's A Heartbreaker", "Asleep In The Desert", "Pan Am Highway Blues", "Avalon Hideaway", and "Snappy Kakkie". LP, Vinyl record album

Richard Torrance has a beard on the back that's not unlike that of Kenny Loggins or one of the Doobie Brothers – and on this overlooked late 70s gem, he's in very similar territory – well-crafted music that's right up there with the best of the AOR generation, yet like most of Richard's records, a set that never fully got its due! That doesn't stop the whole thing from really pushing forward on all burners – strong original tunes by Torrance, sharp LA production by Carter, and nice support by a studio group. Titles include "Desert Lady", "Long Lonely Nights", "Get Into The Music", "Real Love", "Secrets Of Your Soul", and "Got No Shadow". CD