A great second set from Ides Of March – proof that the jazz rock combo had a lot more going on than just their famous single! The sextet hailed from the same scene as early Chicago (Chicago, of course!) – and have here a sound that shares plenty of the jazzy flourishes of that better-known group – blasting trumpet lines that soar, dip, and turn alongside the more uptempo tunes, and shade in the mellower ones. But there's also a more personal approach to this set overall, one that comes from the rough vocals of James Michael Peterik and some of the surprisingly heartfelt lyrics to a few of the album's best tunes – not entirely the height of early 70s singer/songwriter material, but also not that far either. Titles include the funky "Superman", plus "LA Goodbye", "Mrs Grayson's Farm", "Friends Of Feeling", "We Are Pillows", "Freedom Sweet", and "Tie Dye Princess", an extended number that runs for over 11 minutes. LP, Vinyl record album

These guys will forever be known for the jazzy grooving title hit – "Vehicle", a brassy driving number that seems as if it's always being used in some sort of car commercial (which must net these guys a lot of royalties!) – but which is usually mistaken by others for being the work of Blood Sweat & Tears! Like BST, Ides Of March have a really driving sound here – pushing forward with heavy drums, sharp bits of brass, and a great early jazz rock sound that's way better than most work by the competition in years to come! Tracks include "Vehicle", "Wooden Ships", "Home", "Bald Medusa", "One Woman Man", and "Symphony For Eleanor". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those landmark meetings of mighty talents that sounds even better on record than it does on paper – as the set somehow finds this really special space that's completely between all the best early 70s modes of both Terry Riley and John Cale! Cale was really coming into his own at the time as a solo act – creating amazing records after leaving the Velvet Underground, but also still tied to the deeper art scene from which he emerged. Riley was on the way to becoming one of the most popular of the more modern composers – thanks to a nod from The Who, and a big audience for his wonderfully trippy records on Columbia. The label allowed the pair to create this really special music here – sounds that borrow from Riley's minimalism, while also having some of the darkness of Cale's own compositions – and coming across with this jagged, almost modal sort of approach that's really great. Cale only sings on one song, and the rest of the set is instrumental – as Riley plays piano, organ, and soprano sax – and Cale joins in on bass, guitar, viola, and harpsichord. The two of them groove together in these totally cool tracks that build and build, with minimal lines repeating over and over in endlessly fascinating groove – in a way that touches on a weirdly funky mode! The cut "Ides Of March" has the potential to be dancefloor groover in the jazz dance scene, and there's lots of other great tracks like "Church of Anthrax", "The Protege", and "The Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles". LP, Vinyl record album

Solo work from the former leader of Ides Of March. LP, Vinyl record album

Heady and heavy work from Billy Bond and La Pesada Del Rock & Roll – a guitar heavy group from Argentina, and one with plenty of blues rock overtones! The guitars are definitely turned up to 11 here – jamming with an intensity to match some of the best hard rock sides from Peru reissued by the Lazarus label in recent years – and like those sets, there's a sound here that's an intensification of earlier beat group modes – taken into much harder territory for the 70s. The production is great – earthy, trippy, and a little bit spooky – and the album's got an oddly unsettling feel, one that's familiar at first, but then increasingly estranged as the record moves on. Quite compelling, and with 16 tracks that include "Dueno De Tu Piel", "El Parque", "Buen Dia Senor Presidente", "Divertido Reventado", "Salgan Al Sol", "La Maquina", "Voy A Ver Un Amigo", "Para Que Nos Sirven", and "La Marcha De San Lorenzo". (Brazil, Rock) CD

A fantastic funky record from the Butterfield Blues Band – a set that's much less in the blues style from which the group took their name, and very strongly in the hipper mixed-up blend of styles that were happening on the Cali scene at the end of the 60s! Paul still leads the group on harmonica and vocals – but the latter often have a lot more of a loose, freewheeling soul sort of approach – as he's backed by a very cool group that's heavy on horns mixed with tight guitar and mighty nice basslines – plus piano from Jerry Ragovoy, who produced the whole set! Phillip Wilson provides some great drums – which are a key part of the funky cuts – and titles include "Love March", "No Amount Of Loving", "Love Disease", "So Far So Good", "Buddy's Advice", "Losing Hand", "Where Did My Baby Go", "All In A Day", and "Morning Sunrise". CD

A great tribute to one of the most famous clubs on the UK scene of the mid 80s – a spot that was crucial to the shift from post-punk modes to new goth spirits – and which was a vital outlet for new strands of darker music that were stepping forth at the time! Later goth cliches might make you pause – but the sounds here are from a time when the music had a very special spot in the UK – kind of a sidestep from some of the more nihilistic modes of the punk generation, maybe finding a way to move forward while still foregrounding some of the darker moods that were undeniable at this spot in British history. Yet even without all that larger framing, the set list here is more than enough to tell the tale – as the set features work from Play Dead, Wasted Youth, Soft Cell, The Cult, Christian Death, Theater Of Hate, Specimen, The Birthday Party, Virgin Prunes, Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Cure, The Cramps, Killing Joke, Alien Sex Fiend, Sexbeat, Sisters Of Mercy, Xmal Deutschland, and Gene Loves Jezebel. 5CD set is MASSIVE – served up in a 12" LP-sized box, with an 80 page hardcover book that features all sorts of writings on the club, and over 100 photos from back in the day – all in support of a 90 track set list that includes lots more work from The Runaways, Velvet Underground, Marc & The Mambas, Let's Wreck Mother, Human League, The Glove, Flowerpot Men, Japan, The The, New Order, March Violets, Malaria, Joy Division, The Associates, PiL, Throbbing Gristle, and dozens of others. CD