A beautiful treasure from the legendary Nick Drake – the last album he ever recorded – and a set that may well be his most personal as well! The sound here is even more stripped-down than before – often just vocals and acoustic guitar, but used together in ways that are really unique – inflected with lots of the jazzy phrasing that always made Nick so unique – and light years from any of the folkies who were his contemporaries! There's a very special Drake-like approach to the whole record – a heavenly sound that's never been duplicated again – and titles include the classic "Pink Moon", plus "Place To Be", "Road", "Parasite", "Ride", and "From The Morning". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that blew the world away when it was first released – and still continues to delight all these many years later! Brian Eno had first rose to fame in Roxy Music – where his sonic sensibilities and ear for electronic experimentation really added a lot to their initial albums – and here, on his own, he's in somewhat side-stepped territory – mixing things up in the art/glam generation of Roxy and Bowie, but also already showing a darkness that really sets him apart from the pack! The first three songs alone are a hell of a statement from any musician in the 70s, and the titles alone almost get at their impact – "Needles In The Camel's Eye", "The Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch", and "Baby's On Fire" – all songs that offer a rare blend of ferocity and humor that wouldn't emerge elsewhere until the punk movement. Yet Eno's hardly the forerunner of punk, but he's also not glam, metal, or anything else – a supremely impactful artist with this record, completely in his own space – like a rare breed that might include The Velvet Underground, Gram Parsons, or Bowie. Titles include "Needles In The Camel's Eye", "The Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch", "Baby's On Fire" "Blank Frank", "Some Of Them Are Old", "Cindy Tells Me", "On Some Faraway Beach", and "Dead Finks Don't Talk". LP, Vinyl record album

The record where it all really came together for Fairport Convention – the point at which the already-great group really stepped forward to become something totally unique! By this point all the key elements are firmly in place – sublime vocals from the great Sandy Denny, amazing guitar and songwriting from the young Richard Thompson, and an overall approach to the music that was way more than folk – in the way the elements are layered together carefully, and build in these hypnotic lines that are completely amazing – almost modal in conception, but much more subtle – and the quality that really makes their work so unique. Titles include "Genesis Hall", "Autopsy", "Cajun Woman", "Percy's Song", "Million Dollar Bash", and "Who Knows Where The Time Goes". (Folk/Country, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

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Includes "Rage Hard", "Warriors of the Wasteland", and "Watching the Wildlife". (Soul, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

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A genius collaboration – early Frippertronics from the great guitarist, and all the sonic genius of the young Brian Eno! The work is very guitar-based, but heavily processed too – and the set features two long tracks, "The Heavenly Music Corporation" and "Swastika Girls". LP, Vinyl record album

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Wild work from this offbeat UK group – a lineup that includes Neil Innes on piano, electric piano, and vocals – plus Ollie Halsall on guitar, and John Meggison on piano and organ – and more vocals by a lot of other members! LP, Vinyl record album

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Philadelphia Freedom from Elton John – a trio of tracks recorded with legendary Philly Soul producer Thom Bell, all with a Sigma Sound vibe that's quite different than most of John's other work at the time! In fact, although these tracks were recorded right at the height of the disco era, they're quite restrained and more focused on a soulful sound overall – in a style that's very similar to Davie Bowie's great Philly Soul recordings on the Young Americans album! MFSB, Bell & James, Bobby Eli, and many other key Philly talents are in the lineup – and titles include "Mama Can't Buy You Love", "Are You Ready For Love", and "Three Way Love Affair". This version features six tracks in all – more than the original EP release – including "Shine On Through", "Country Love Song", and "Nice & Slow". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Daniel", "Blues For My Baby & Me", "Midnight Creeper", "Elderberry Wine", "Have Mercy On The Criminal", "Crocodile Rock", and "High Flying Bird". LP, Vinyl record album

An Australian duo from the end of the 70s, and one who work here in a smooth blend of AOR and blue-eyed soul modes! The set's an obscure one, but it's got a sound to rival the best of the Cali scene of the time – and the pair also have a way of harmonizing and trading vocals that might also match Hall & Oates at their best – although with a stripped-down style that's more personal, and maybe even more compelling, given the indie vibe of the album! Instrumentation is lean, never too commercial, and there's some great keyboard lines too – all of which makes the whole thing a lost yacht rock treasure, with cuts that include "Cristobel", "Love Me Little Love Me Long", "Last Taste", "It's Alright", "Something New", and "Too Much Too Little Too Late". LP, Vinyl record album

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A rare solo project from reedman Andy Mackay – the great musician whose saxophone work was such a key part of the early Roxy Music sound! The album features work from Eddie Jobson, Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera, Roger Glover, and a larger array of unusual guests – and is an odd reworking of older rock themes, but with an odd Roxy-like twist! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the more song-based sets from Phil Manzanera – a really wonderful record that definitely foregrounds all the magic he was bringing to early records by Roxy Music, but put out here in a nicely different way as well! Things are never too prog-indulgent – and Manzanera's got some wonderful help to make the record really come out great – including key vocal moments from Brian Eno, John Wetton, and Robert Wyatt – and a hip lineup of instrumentalists who include Andy MacKay on saxes, Eddie Jobson on keyboards, and Charles Hayward on percussion! Phil's got a wonderfully strong sense of rhythm on most numbers – almost at the level of his Listen Now album – and titles include Eno's wonderful performance on "Big Day", plus "Miss Shapiro", "East Of Echo", "Lagrima", "Alma", "Carhumba", "Same Time Next Week", "Frontera", and "The Flex". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice collection of tracks from some of John Martyn's best albums! Titles include "May You Never", "Bless The Weather", "Over The Hill", "Solid Air", "I'd Rather Be With The Devil", and "Spencer The Rover". LP, Vinyl record album

Gary Numan plays on the Numan-penned song, "I Dream Of Wires". Chris Franz from Talking Heads also makes a guest appearance. LP, Vinyl record album

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Titles include "Pressure Drop", "Give Me An Inch", "Work To Make It Work", "Here With you Tonight", "Which Of Us Is The Fool", and "Fine Time". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes "Bad Case Of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)", "Too Good To Be True", "Can We Still Be Friends", "In Walks Love Again" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

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The continuing evolution of the great Jess Roden – an lesser-known 70s talent who emerged from the jazz rock scene in the UK at the end of the 60s – but who's working here in a much more sophisticated mode! Jess always had a lot of soul in his style right from the start – that 60s London love of R&B and American roots – and here he fuses it with some hip arrangements from Leon Pendarvis, who takes the older Roden groove into sweet New York territory that comes across with a surprising degree of modern soul at times. There's lots of jazz in the instrumentation – including sax solos from Harold Vick and Scott Hamilton – and Jess has honestly never sounded better – extremely expressive, even on the mellower moments. Titles include "The Hardest Blow", "Drinking Again", "Sensation", "Misty Roses", "Woman Across The Water", and "The Quiet Sound Of You & I". LP, Vinyl record album

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Still one of THE standout records of the post-punk years – the simple but effective dub statement of three London ladies with decidedly left wing politics! The record's in a format that would later be copped by dozens of groups – one that mixes together post-punk and heavy dub – the former of which is served up with some nice rough guitars and crackly vocals, and the latter which is done even better with some super-solid production by Dennis Bovell! Titles include "Shoplifting", "Spend Spend Spend", "Instant Hit", "Newtown", "Ping Pong Affair", and the seminal "Typical Girls"! LP, Vinyl record album

A real turning point for Sparks – a set that has the duo of Russell and Ron Mael finding a whole new focus for their music on the UK scene! The style is a bit glammy at times – not in the execution, so much as the production – which has a great way of compressing the vocals up against the guitars – while still keeping all the sharpness of the group's earlier music, which is a key component in pushing forward the subtle wit of the tunes! There's also a slight warble to both the vocals and some of the melodies – which might sit nicely next to early Roxy Music in listening spirit, even though Sparks themselves are very much their own thing. Titles include "Here In Heaven", "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us", "Amateur Hour", "Equator", "Complaints", "Thank God It's Not Christmas", and "Talent Is An Asset". LP, Vinyl record album

A real turning point for Sparks – a set that has the duo of Russell and Ron Mael finding a whole new focus for their music on the UK scene! The style is a bit glammy at times – not in the execution, so much as the production – which has a great way of compressing the vocals up against the guitars – while still keeping all the sharpness of the group's earlier music, which is a key component in pushing forward the subtle wit of the tunes! There's also a slight warble to both the vocals and some of the melodies – which might sit nicely next to early Roxy Music in listening spirit, even though Sparks themselves are very much their own thing. Titles include "Here In Heaven", "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us", "Amateur Hour", "Equator", "Complaints", "Thank God It's Not Christmas", and "Talent Is An Asset". 2LP pressing features some great bonus tracks – demos from 1973 that include "When I Take The Field ON Friday", "Windy Day", "Marry Me", "My Brains & Her Looks", "A More Constructive Use Of Leisure", "Barbecutie", and "Alabamy Right". LP, Vinyl record album

The final album from Spooky Tooth – at least during their initial run – and a surprisingly strong set that really points to a huge amount of new directions and ideas! Mike Patto is in the group this time around – and the presence of his vocals and deft instrumental work really give Spooky Tooth a renewed focus and sense of energy – which seems to push the guitars of Mick Jones into territory that's even bolder than before – with more than a few hints of the Foreigner to come! Gary Wright's vocals are still at center stage, but the whole album almost feels like the whole group coming together to really stretch their wings and soar. Titles include "Fantasy Satisfier", "Two Time Love", "Higher Circles", "Hell Or High Water", "The Hoofer", "I'm Alive", and "The Mirror". LP, Vinyl record album

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An album that never existed back in the day, but which features all the rare singles and b-sides from the early years of Lewis Taylor – recordings from around the time of his classic album Damn, hence the title – plus some other great surprises as well! If anything, the music here is even moodier and darker than the album tracks – there's some really incredible work that shows just why Taylor was one of the most unique soul singers of his generation – especially on tracks when he might use a bit of noise or other dark effects to blend with his incredible vocals – a really groundbreaking approach, served up here on titles that include "Trip So Heavy", "Waves", "Lewis III", "A Little Bit Tasty", "You Got Me Thinking", "I Dream The Better Dream", "Asleep When You Come", and "Pie In Electric Sky/If I Lay Down With You". (Neo Soul, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A great overview of the early years of Richard Thompson – a set that brings together some rare material and classics, all at a level that really shows the multi-faceted genius he had right from the start! In later years, Thompson continued to be known as a skillful singer/songwriter – but here, he's almost as much a guitar hero as he is a vocalist – a sharp-edged talent, no matter what the setting! Highlights include unissued live takes on "Dark End Of The Street", "The Cavalry Cross", "Night Comes In", and "Sweet Little Rock & Roller" – and other titles feature solo work, duets with Linda Thompson, and even a few with Fairport Convention – titles that include "Mr Lacey", "Ballad Of Easy Rider", "Poor Will & The Jolly Hangman", "Flee As A Bird", "A Heart Needs A Home", "It'll Be Me", and "The Pitfall/The Excursion". LP, Vinyl record album

The well-done music companion to the mostly-comedy concert from the UK – with two tracks each by Pete Townshend, Tom Robinson, and John Williams – plus one more by Neil Innes, and a duet between Townshend and Williams on "Won't Get Fooled Again". LP, Vinyl record album

A huge album from Traffic – a set that was first given to the world in a strange-shaped cover – which seemed to grace countless record collections back in the 70s! The group is expanded to a sextet here – with bass from Rick Grech and percussion from Rebop Kwaku Baah – both of whom really flesh out the sound in wonderful ways – adding more bottom and heft to the musical ideas here from Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi, the latter of whom gets to shine on vocals on two tracks too! As usual, the reeds from Chris Wood really send the whole thing home – and titles include "Rock & Roll Stew", "Rainmaker", "Many A Mile To Freedom", "Hidden Treasure", and "Light Up Or Leave Me Alone". LP, Vinyl record album

The incredible first album from Traffic – a record that was already way ahead of the pack, and would set the tone for so many other sounds and modes from others in years to come! At some level, the group were just coming off the big beat group years in the UK – that time of strong inspiration from American soul, jazz, and R&B – but they're already pushing all these elements in very different ways – certainly psychedelic, as you'd guess from the image on the cover – but also still holding onto a lot of the soul and jazz that first inspired them! To our ears, the reed work of Chris Woods is as important to the record as the Hammond from Steve Winwood, guitar from Dave Mason, and drums from Jim Capaldi – plus the vocals from all three – and in addition to the classic title cut "Mr Fantasy", other tunes include "Dealer", "House For Everyone", "Berkshire Poppies", "No Face No Name No Number", and "Coloured Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Glad", "Freedom Rider", "Tragic Magic", "Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory", "Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys", and "Light Up Or Leave Me Alone". LP, Vinyl record album

Recorded live on tour in Germany. Titles include "(Sometimes I Feel So) Uninspired", "Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory", "Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys", and "Light Up Or Leave Me Alone". LP, Vinyl record album

Traffic get some help here from Muscle Shoals heavyweights Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins, and Jimmy Johnson – a trio who help the group continue that richer, more expanded sound that was first unfurled on the group's Low Spark album! The sound is maybe a more focused attempt at territory from that record, but one that also really stretches things out too – long tracks that have just the right balance, and which never make the extra long space of the tunes feel like their wasted at all – just perfect settings for the energy of the tunes composed by Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi. Titles include "Roll Right Stones", "Tragic Magic", "Evening Blue", and "Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from Traffic, and a set that forever cemented their legacy in the annals of modern music – a set that has Dave Mason returning to the group after a brief hiatus, and maybe helping the quartet find a tighter, rootsier sound overall! The approach here is nicely mixed – almost half Dave Mason moments, and half from the energy of Jim Capaldi and Steve Winwood – held together wonderfully by the reed work of Chris Wood! There's a few key classics here, and lots more overlooked gems – and titles include "You Can All Join In", "Forty Thousand Headmen", "Pearly Queen", "Who Know What Tomorrow May Bring", and "Feelin' Alright". LP, Vinyl record album

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The last album in a legendary run from Traffic – a set that has the team of Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi working with a really strong sense of focus – maybe in part because the group's winnowed down to a quartet, which leaves their contributions even more strongly in the lead! The great Chris Wood still brings in some nice sax and flute touches – but Steve's also really letting loose on keyboards, and not just organ and piano – taking the longer space of some tracks to bring in some mighty nice solo moments! Titles include the classic title cut "When The Eagle Flies" – plus "Dream Gerrard", "Graveyard People", "Love", "Walking In The Wind", and "Something New". LP, Vinyl record album

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Titles include "Angel Of Harlem", "Helter Skelter", "All Along The Watchtower", "Silver & Gold", "Price", "All I Want Is You", and "Desire". LP, Vinyl record album

The breakthrough classic – with titles that include "Two Hearts Beat As One", "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "New Year's Day", "40", "Surrender", "The Refugee", "Red Light", and "Seconds". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include live recordings of "Bad" and "A Sort Of Homecoming", plus "The Three Sunrises" and "Love Comes Tumbling". LP, Vinyl record album

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A creative left turn for Waits – written for an ambitious theatrical project, which to a certain degree takes him into surprising new territory and is all the more exciting for it – but still comes through as great late Island-era Tom Waits album in its own light! The Black Rider stage work was written in collaboration with Waits, director Robert Wilson and William Burroughs, and while the songs have the overtures and shaggy orchestral flourishes inherent to and geared to theater, the songs are still so distinctively Waits-ian in all its woozy glory. Includes "November", "Just The Right Bullets", "Black Box Theme", "Russian Dance", "I'll Shoot The Moon", "Crossroads", "Ain't No Sin", "Lucky Day", " The Briar And The Rose" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the last couple of great records Waits made for Island, and a defining moment in his career! Leave it to Waits to cut a bunch of songs that wrestle with mortality and the fleeting nature of life head on, but have as much fun with it as he does worry or mourn. It's got some rumbling raw material as gritty as anything he'd recorded before or since, beautifully sung ballads and cool, creaky speak-singing tunes. Truly a signature effort and one for both the casual fans and Waits diehards. Includes the classic "I Don't Wanna Grow Up", "Earth Died Screaming" "Dirt In The Ground", "Such A Scream", "All Stripped Down", "Let Me Get Up On It", "Whistle Down The The Wind", "That Feel" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Tom Waits's follow-up to Rain Dogs – and a batch of songs that do double duty as a straight-up, stand alone record from his wild years at Island Records – and also as the musical accompaniment to a play he co-wrote with wife Kathleen Brennan! (As Chicagoans, we have a special fondness for that side of the project, since the play premiered here with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company.) It's a prime batch of Waits songcraft from this most amazing creative peak period – with the trademark gritty, howled vocals, primal drums, pre-rock horns. Titles include "More Than Rain", "Way Down In The Hole", "Straight To The Top", "Telephone Call From Istanbul", "Train Song", "Cold Cold Ground", "I'll Be Gone", "Yesterday Is Here", "Blow Wind Blow", and "Hang On St Christopher". LP, Vinyl record album

Tom Waits's follow-up to Rain Dogs – and a batch of songs that do double duty as a straight-up, stand alone record from his wild years at Island Records – and also as the musical accompaniment to a play he co-wrote with wife Kathleen Brennan! (As Chicagoans, we have a special fondness for that side of the project, since the play premiered here with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company.) It's a prime batch of Waits songcraft from this most amazing creative peak period – with the trademark gritty, howled vocals, primal drums, pre-rock horns. Titles include "More Than Rain", "Way Down In The Hole", "Straight To The Top", "Telephone Call From Istanbul", "Train Song", "Cold Cold Ground", "I'll Be Gone", "Yesterday Is Here", "Blow Wind Blow", and "Hang On St Christopher". LP, Vinyl record album

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One of the greatest albums from Tom Waits's peak years at Island – carrying on with the clattering, defiantly vintage-sounding instrumentation – especially given the obsessively modern production aesthetic on most major label albums in the mid 80s. This album also just so happens to feature at least a few of the best songs Waits ever wrote! Rain Dogs follows Swordfishtrombones, his first really drastic step into eccentrically gritty songs – and this one carries on that vibe, while also delivering some gritty ballads and a less out-there songs, too. Includes the much-loved (and deservedly so) "Downtown Train", "Singapore", "Clap Hands", "Tango Till They're Sore", "Hang Down Your Head", "Time", "Rain Dogs", "Gun Street Girl", "Walking Spanish" LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the tracks "Underground", Shore Leave", "Dave The Butcher", "16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought-Six", "Franks Wild Years", "Down, Down, Down", "Rainbirds", "Just Another Sucker On The Vine", "Town With No Cheer, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

One of best ever albums by Tom Waits – the beginning of his gutbuckety, Americana Carnivalesque era of dreamlike sinister romance and lovelorn surrealism! The tin pan piano ballads and get pushed a bit to the wayside for Tom's more mysterious and poetic side, and this begins one of the great second acts in pop/rock history. Includes the tracks "Underground", Shore Leave", "Dave The Butcher", "16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought-Six", "Franks Wild Years", "Down, Down, Down", "Rainbirds", "Just Another Sucker On The Vine", "Town With No Cheer, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes "While You See A Chance". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes "Higher Love", "The Finer Things", "Back In The High Life Again", "Freedom Overspill", and more. LP, Vinyl record album