Not the best of the German prog bands, but still a compelling one that starts with a basic jazz/rock lineup of organ, guitar, and bass – and which plays jamming tracks that are peppered with vocals. Includes nice version of "Light My Fire", plus the originals "Sundown", "Change Of Mind", and "No Drugs". LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant 60s pop from the team of Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart – best known for their key early songwriting work for The Monkees, but a heck of a great duo on their own! Boyce & Hart have a sparkly, sunshiney sound that's very much a part of The Monkees generation – a beautiful post-folk, post-surf blend of styles, and one that's served up with all the warmth and charm that made The Monkees so great – yet also with some cool twists and turns that make a record like this so great – the kind of chance-taking that A&M sometimes allowed its artists to take at the time! Backings are super-groovy – arranged by Artie Butler and Don McGinis – and titles include "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite", "Teardrop City", "I Wanna Be Free", "The Countess", "Population", and "Two For The Price Of One" – a great cover of a Larry Williams & Johnny Watson soul tune! LP, Vinyl record album

Barclay James Harvest sound almost a bit more melancholy here than on previous records – maybe just because the leadoff hit track "Hymn" has a brooding message on drug deaths – but also because there seems to be a slightly more intense quality to their overall approach! The group are in very comfortable, confident territory – so much so, they can slow things down a bit and move with a brooding sense of soul that almost seems a precursor to the power ballad scene that would emerge a few years later. These tracks are still nicely free of the schmaltz of those – but definitely have a sense of compression that points the way forward – on titles that include "Hymn", "Love Is Like A Violin", "Leper's Song", "Taking Me Higher", "Spirit On The Water", "Sea Of Tranquility", and "Hard Hearted Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost hard rock gem from a Milwaukee quartet – produced by Kim Fowley with a sound that's as raw and garagey as his best indie productions from the mid 60s! These guys have all sorts of familiar elements in the mix – an influence from blues, a trippier style of guitar, and some nicely soulful currents in the vocals of Den Geyer – but there's a special brew that takes all of these qualities into special territory, making for the kind of standout set that was mysteriously overlooked at the time – but which makes for one of those rare treasures that lie far below the giants of the classic rock generation. Titles include "Gotta Be Free", "Hope For The Future", "Pearl", "Lady In The Dark", "I'm Walkin", "Trackin Shoes", "Sweet Mother Earth", and the jazzy guitar tune "Gazebo" – dedicated to the great Gabor Szabo! LP, Vinyl record album

The Allman Brothers at their best – and a key 70s set that may well have the group working at their peak! All their best southern roots are firmly tied together here – not just the country-touched approach to rock that was the group's calling card, but also their ties to some of the Georgia soul scene as well – an element that really surfaces in some of the album's piano lines and rhythms, which really help underscore the depth of the tunes – and give the group a solid footing that's stronger than some of their more cliched contemporaries. These tunes hold up wonderfully over the years – and have a visionary approach that almost sparkles even more strongly here in the 21st Century than when we first started digging their sounds on radio back in the 70s. Titles include "Southbound", "Jessica", "Pony Boy", "Wasted Words", "Ramblin Man", "Come & Go Blues", and "Jelly Jelly". LP, Vinyl record album

A really beautiful solo album from Jon Anderson – best known as the lead singer of Yes, stepping out here with a set that matches the solo projects of Chris Squire and Steve Howe from the same time! Yet unlike those efforts, this one is truly a solo recording – as Anderson not only sings, but handles all the instruments himself – keyboards, guitars, and everything else – folded together in a sound that's very faithful, thanks to work from Mike Dunne, who'd handled a lot of the sound for recordings by Yes! Given that Anderson's not an instrumental virtuoso, like some of his bandmates, the record is a nice change from some of the side-long power jams of mid 70s Yes – tunes that together tell a story, but which have a lyrical, personal vibe that also really suits the charms of Jon's vocals. The set feels nicely like a mid 70s side-chapter of Yes – in ways that are different than the solo records by Howe and Squire – and titles include "Ocean Song", "To The Runner", "Flight Of The Moorglade", "Solid Space", "Dance Of Rampart/Olias", and "Meeting/Sound Out The Galleon". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the standout moments in the career of Rod Argent – a record that gave his self-named group one of their biggest hits ever, yet a set that still kept all the depth and diversity of their other records too! The album starts out with the group's famous "Hold Your Head Up" – the anthemic strutter that crossed over big, and which burns here with plenty of great organ lines from Rod. Other numbers really mix things up – rocking harder than Rod's Zombies work, but also showing some complicated sensibilities too – brought out nicely by co-producer Chris White, who also wrote most of the songs on the date with Argent. Titles include "Pure Love", "He's A Dynamo", "Hold Your Head Up", "Be My Lover Be My Friend", "Keep On Rolling", and "I Am The Dances Of Ages". LP, Vinyl record album

A heck of a great batch of blue eyed soul tracks – much harder-hitting than you'd expect from the name of the group, and done with a "live studio" feel that really makes the session kick! The group's a big one, of mixed origin – of the sort of party club type acts that used to play a lot in the south in the 60s – and alongside original tunes, they also really groove on some upbeat numbers in a soaring Sam & Dave sort of mode. Titles include "I've Been Trying", "I'm Losing You", "Hey You", "Such A Fuss About Sunday", "Soul Man", "Shake", and "I Feel Good". (Soul, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

The amazing debut of Be Bop Deluxe – a record that's made up of all sorts of familiar parts, yet somehow really manages to set itself apart as a whole! The young Bill Nelson is at the top of his game here – a hell of a guitarist, which we sometimes forget in his later work – and a vocalist with a sinister edge that gives the record a sense of darkness that matches the compressed production and overall moody vibe – a child of the Bowie/Bolan generation, but one that's a real black sheep of the family too! The strength of the record is impossible to sum up in easy words – but it's there for the hearing, right from the very first note – on titles that include "Jet Silver & The Dolls Of Venus", "Axe Victim", "Love Is Swift Arrows", "No Trains To Heaven", "Jets At Dawn", "Rocket Cathedrals", and "Third Floor Heaven". LP, Vinyl record album

Repackaging of the Beach Boys' installment in Capitol's hot rod-themed Shut Down series – the first edition of which was devoted to a host of different artists! It's clear that even in this setting, The Beach Boys have way more to offer than just a few gimmicky car songs – as the record offers some of the early group's most tender, personal moments – real early gems like "The Warmth Of The Sun" and "Don't Worry Baby" - mixed in with more playful numbers like "Fun Fun Fun", "This Car Of Mine", "In The Parkin Lot", "Shut Down Part 2", and "Keep An Eye On Summer". It's this mix that really gets at the group's genius at the time – maturity creeping out amidst the youthful themes, in ways that few other 60s acts could ever hope to match. LP, Vinyl record album

Beach Boys karaoke – or kind of a "music minus one" album – but whatever the case, the set's a pretty unique outing in the field of 60s pop! The record's exactly what the title promises – a "stack o tracks" from the group's earlier records – rhythm parts, some instrumental bits – all laid out with key guitar parts missing and no vocals at all – so that you can pick up your instrument and play along with the record – and maybe get your friends to harmonize too! At the time, the approach seemed somewhat crazy – but after spending decades tracking down Smile-era bootlegs of Brian Wilson studio tracks just like this, the record's got a surprising sort of brilliance – almost as if Brian had guessed there's be a market for his "studio progress" sort of material. Titles include "Darlin", "Salt Lake City", "Wild Honey", "Catch A Wave", "Wouldn't It Be Nice", "Surfer Girl", "God Only Knows", "Little Honda", and "Let Him Run Wild". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual collection of early work by The Beau Brummels – pre-Warner material recorded for Autumn, but on a record issued by the Vault label! There's a great sense of jangle-pop throughout – a slight twang that would later unfold in different ways in Bradley's Barn, but which here works to give the tunes this little sense of sadness amidst the warmer melodies – which themselves are particularly great, and much better-crafted than some of the other US groups of this nature at the time. The boys definitely borrow a bit from The Beatles (including a name that gave them placement right next to the fab four in the record racks) – but maybe they're also drawing on some of the folk harmony groups from the SF scene they called home, too. LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic sounds from Tim Blake – an artist who previously worked with Gong, and sometimes worked with Hawkwind – but who really came into his own on this legendary album of electronics! Tim works here on a self-constructed "crystal machine" – a bank of electronics that was often played in performance to front some trippy film installations (as shown on the cover) – which perfectly suited the stretched-out spacey style of his music! The vibe is maybe a bit like early Tangerine Dream, but with some of the warmer modes of the French electronic scene of the time – and titles include "Midnight", "Last Ride Of The Boogie Child", "Synthese Intemporal", and "Crystal Presence". LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant garage psych from Blues Magoos – a group that's raw and punchy enough to pummel, but pulled off some sweeter numbers and lighter harmonies incredibly well! Walloping drums, excitable vocals and wailing organ grooves – the cracked the charts, but still bring a fully charged proto punk vibe. Totally excellent, the kind of thing we wish were staples of oldies radio, but for whatever reason are left to deeper rock diggers to discover all these years later. Includes "Sometimes I Think About", "Love Seems Doomed", "Worried Life Blues", "Tobacco Road", "One By One" and "I'll Go Crazy". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that still has Colin Blunstone sounding surprisingly strong a few albums into his solo career – maybe a bit mellower, and with a bit less edge than at the start – but still very able to find the best way to put his amazing vocals to work! The backings are smooth, but not too AOR – just this kind of laidback, lightly tippling style that mostly has Blunstone moving at midtempo modes that let the lyrics resonate strongly in the spaciousness of his voice. Light strings are used at times, which is always a nice touch with Colin's voice – and many of the tracks on the album are originals by Blunstone – including "I'll Never Forget You", "Who's That Knocking", "Lovelight", "Ain't It Funny", "Photograph", "Touch & Go", and "You Are The Way For Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Laura Branigan gets some help here on arrangements from Harold Faltermeyer – who makes things a bit funkier than you might expect – although still very much in the kind of poppy style he used famously on some big 80s soundtracks! The mode works well for Laura – whose approach is always on the soulful side of pop, but still filled here with all the sense of drama that made Branigan huge on the charts at the time. Titles include "Heart", "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", "The Lucky One", "Self Control", and "Satisfaction". Titles include "The Lucky One (John Robie mix)", "The Lucky One (Jack White mix)", "Self Control (12" version)", and "Satisfaction (special dance mix)". LP, Vinyl record album

The only album ever from Broken Glass – a group that features the great Stan Webb from Chicken Shack on guitar – bringing in all the strengths that he added to that well-known group! There's some of the blues rock inspiration of that earlier combo, but refined a bit more with a compressed sort of 70s Brit vibe – great production from Tony Ashton, who makes all the best licks and catchier lines of the songs really stand out – but without ever making the album sound too commercial. Titles include "It's Alright", "Keep Your Love", "It's Evil", "Ain't No Magic", "Broken Glass", "Take The Water", "Standing On The Border", and "Jersey Lightning". LP, Vinyl record album

The last album in the legendary run of records from Ginger Baker and the brothers Adrian and Paul Gurvitz – a heck of a power trio, but one that comes across in a very different way than Baker's famous work in Cream! If anything, Ginger's drums have more of a funk current than before – a really powerful driving force at the bottom, while Adrian riffs around all over the top and edges of the tunes with these well-crafted guitar lines that don't even need a solo to find their voice – wickedly emphasizing the vocals on tunes that include "Flying In & Out Of Stardom", "Neon Lights", "Mystery", "Thirsty For The Blues", "My Mind Is Healing", and "Smiling". LP, Vinyl record album

Hard to deny the lasting power of this crucial album from The Beatles – a set that unleashed some of their trippiest sounds and most tender moments too! The mix of wit and honesty is wonderful – and the sonic range is dynamic as the archetypal cover image – a package that's had an undeniable impact on modern music for the past few decades! Titles include "With A Little Help From My Friends", "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", "She's Leaving Home", "Lovely Rita", "When I'm Sixty Four", "A Day In The Life", and "Fixing A Hole". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album by Argent – Rod Argent's project immediately after the breakup of the Zombies! There's plenty of Zombie-like ideas here – particularly those floating around the Odyssey and Oracle album, but they're also done without the dreamy pop style of Colin Blunstone's vocals, which makes for a much harder sound overall. Added into that the guitar of Russ Ballard, which really kicks into the tunes nicely, and you've got some great rock and roll work – written with a pop sensibility, but played with a razor-sharp edge that's pretty hard hitting. Titles include "Lothlorien", "Rejoice", "Pleasure", "Sweet Mary", "Where Are We Going Wrong", "Rejoice", "Cast Your Spell Uranus", and "Celebration". LP, Vinyl record album