... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

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

The group's classic – the song about a stranger in a black sedan – and a great bit of funky, jazzy rock! 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

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". CD

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". 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". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful b-movie sleaze from Mike Curb and his usual host of studio rock freakout groups! The sound is pure Tower – a bit kitsch and a bit garagey – kind of a blend of the gritty sound of the late 60s underground, mixed with soundtrack modes that offer up a cool fantasy of that scene as well! There's plenty of unusual groups here – and tunes include "Mondo Hollywood" by the Mugwump Establishment, "Magic Night" by Mike Clifford, "Last Wave Of The Day" by The Riptides, "Great God Pan" by God Pan, "Magic Night March" by 18th Century Concepts, and "Moonfire" by the great Davie Allan & The Arrows! Also features the "Mondo Hollywood Freakout" by the Mugwump Establishment – a freaked-out instrumental that's worth the price of the record alone! (Soundtracks, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A record of pure genius and one of the greatest albums ever to come out of the British jazz rock scene – in an expanded 2CD package – with BBC and Peel Sessions, plus previously unreleased studio material! Matching Mole was a bit of a supergroup at the time – one that featured the piano, drums, and voice of Robert Wyatt next to the guitar of Phil Miller – topped off by additional piano, organ, and electric piano – in a wonderfully spacey, wonderfully mellow style that's never been matched again! If you dig the quieter, gentler side of Wyatt's work – or some of Miller's most intimate recordings on Virgin – you'll totally flip over the album – but even that's not giving it it's full due, because the sound is totally unique. Wyatt's vocals are wonderfully personal, and almost heartbreaking at times – handled with a fragility that few others of his generation had the courage to match! Titles include "Part Of The Dance", "Signed Curtain", "O Caroline", "Instant Kitten", "Beer As In Braindeer", and "Dedicated To Hugh But You Weren't Listening". Bonus material includes "O Caroline (Single Version)", "Signed Curtain (Single Edit)", the previously unreleased "Part Of The Dance Jam" (21+ minutes!) , plus "Horse", and "Memories Membrane", "Immediate Kitten" and "Marchides/Instant Pussy/Smoke Signal" from early '72 BBC sessions for John Peel and more! CD

Searing sounds from The Seeds – not just the group's well-known material on GNP, but lots of obscure non-LP tracks, b-sides, and even some late gems recorded for MGM! The sneering, gritty quality of the group really comes through on these tracks – tight numbers that pack a heavy punch in the short space of a vintage 45 – as a few familiar tunes mix things up with lots of lesser-known gems – all in a mindblowing set of garage psych from the tail end of the 60s! Titles include the MGM singles "Bad Part Of Town", "Did He Die", "Love In A Summer Basket", and "Wish Me Up" – plus the tracks "The Wind Blows Your Hair", "Six Dreams", "Mr Farmer", "Up In Her Room", "No Escape", "Out Of The Question", "Daisy Mae", "Excuse Excuse", "March Of The Flower Children", "Try To Understand", "Can't Seem To Make You Mine", and an unedited rare version of "Pushin Too Hard". CD