A pair of really unusual albums from Mike Cooper – presented here in a single package! The core set, Life & Death In Paradise, is one of the last in a run of classics that Cooper gave the world at the start of his career – and has really unusual collaborations with members of the London jazz scene – including bassist Harry Miller, saxophonist Mike Osborne, and drummer Louis Moholo! The jazz component of the record is small – this is definitely acoustic singer/songwriter material, not the work the musicians might have issued on the Ogun label – but the set does represent a really nice shift for Cooper, and a great setting for the kind of offbeat songs he does so well. Titles include "Critical Incidents", "OMM Coda", "Suicide De Luxe", "Black Night Crash", "Rocket Summer", and the long "Life & Death In Paradise" suite. The package also features material from many years later – a live acoustic set recorded in Milan in 2018, showing Cooper still as a hell of a talent, with an even more complex understanding of the acoustic guitar – matched by his own unique vocalizations on some of the best tracks. Titles include "Peach Trees", "In Moments Of Reverie", "Lord Franklin", "Sage & Thyme", and "Industrial Hazard". CD

Sacrilicious psychobilly sleaze from The Cramps – tearing into the 80s with Songs The Lord Taught Us – one their best ever albums! The Cramps may have ticked off aging proto rock fans of the time with their ghoulish take on the style, along with their punk demeanor, but producer Alex Chilton sure did "get it", right? As if we didn't already adore that dude! CLASSIC! Titles include "TV Set", "Rock On The Moon", "Garbage Man", "I Was A Teenage Werewolf", "Mystery Plane", "I'm Cramped", "Tear It Up" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A searing set of recordings from Cyril Davies – originally the harmonica player in the early group of Alexis Korner, but working here at the head of his own group – singing as well, next to additional vocals from Long John Baldry! The set brings together rare BBC and Hullabaloo recordings by the combo – which also features guitar from Geoff Bradford, and both organ and piano from Keith Scott – a tight combo who really make the group jump as they turn out out mod blues remakes of a host of American tunes – plus a few other surprises along the way! Vinyl features 26 tracks in all – and titles include "Country Line Special", "Good Understanding", "Leave My Woman Alone", "My Babe", "Harmonica Breakdown", "Preaching The Blues", "Money's Getting Cheaper", "I'm Ready", and "Chicago Calling". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the headier groups in the Mainstream Records psychedelic scene of the late 60s – and that's saying a lot, considering the company the act were keeping on the label! December's Children features both a male and female vocalist, each of whom sing a bit solo, but also come together in occasionally majestic ways – a bit like the mode of Jefferson Airplane at times, but with a lot more complexity. Styles range from funky blues rock to gentler, folksier modes – and although the instrumentation is conventional for a rock combo, the group manage to get a lot of unusual sounds out of what they have on hand. Titles include "Afternoon", "Hide The Water", "Sweet Talkin Woman", "Slow It Down", "Livin Way Too Fast", and "Back Road Rider". LP, Vinyl record album

Brian Eno at the crux of his career – hanging perfectly between the guitar-heavy glam of earlier years, and the spacey electronics of later material – both of which he presents wonderfully on the record! The album is one of his last to feature real rock songs, with the kind of vocals you'd know from Eno's first two albums – and it mixes straighter styles with more complex electronic soundscapes, resulting in some wonderfully cold and abstract material that prefaces musical territory that many other artists wouldn't hit until the following decade! Titles include "Golden Hours", "The Big Ship", "St Elmos Fire", "Sky Saw", "Spirits Drifting", and "Becalmed". CD

A record that really has Fairport Convention knocking it out of the park – making a bold turn towards British traditional music, but in a way that imbues these relics with a whole new life of their own! The album came at a key turning point – after an accident that took one of their members, and which almost saw the group disband – but instead turn towards the past for even deeper inspiration than some of their contemporaries, whom they'd covered on other records – at a level that seems to set Sandy Denny free into this sublime territory of her own! Denny's vocals are incredible – like a thing unlocked from some ancient vault – and they're given this wonderful focus through the growing complexity of Richard Thompson's guitar work, and the understated brilliance of Ashley Hutchings' bass – both of which bring in these modal inflections that are very 60s, and hardly conceived of as accompaniment with the original tunes. The result is tremendous – tunes that are completely transformed, as a touchstone for generations. Titles include "Matty Groves", "Reynardine", "Come All Ye", "The Deserter", "Tam Lin", and "Crazy Man Michael". (Folk/Country, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Four incredible albums from the young Georgie Fame – plus a bonus CD of rare material, bonus tracks on all CDs, and 18 previously unreleased tracks – all in a box set with a 48 page book, 5 postcards, and a poster too! First up is Rhythm & Blues At The Flamingo – blistering early work from a young Georgie Fame – a set that definitely lives up to the Rhythm & Blues in the title! The set was recorded live at London's hip Flamingo club – and Georgie and The Blue Flames are very much in command of the crowd – burning with the intensity of a American small organ combo, especially the early 60s variety that often played equal parts soul jazz and R&B! Georgie's on the Hammond, and also sings with a rough-edged style that's plenty soulful, and incredibly appealing – a mode that oozes charisma, but never sounds fake or forced. Titles include "Do The Dog", "Eso Beso", "Work Song", "Baby Please Don't Go", "Shop Around", "Humpty Dumpty", and "You Can't Sit Down". Fame At Last is a brilliant mix of jazz, soul, and R&B – all filtered through a mod sort of London freshness, as early proof that the city could always take some great things from our own musical roots, and feed it back to us with a whole new flavor! Georgie's no copycat here, though – and the sound is instantly Fame-like – a style that's really not the sort that any Americans were doing at the time, and certainly never this well. Hard-burning Hammond colors most of the tunes here – played with a tightly vamping quality – but it's Georgie's charmingly crackling vocals that really win us over! Titles include "Gimme That Wine", "Pink Champagne", "Monkeying Around", "Green Onions", "Let The Sunshine In", "Get On The Right Track Baby", "I'm In The Mood For Love", and "I Love The Life I Live". Sweet Things is a definite sweet thing from Georgie Fame – a record that has him filling in his sound even more than before, with tremendously soulful results! The backings here are bigger than before – a bit tooled in an American soul mode, but still with that beautifully raspy Georgie Fame touch – lots of jazzy inflections on the vocals, and a way of handling a tune, even a familiar one, and really working it on his own level. Hammond still fills in most of the tunes, but other instrumentation includes some nice African percussion from Speedy Acquaye, saxes from Pete Coe, and some nice bold drums from John Mitchell. These come out to the forefront on the classic funky tune "Music Talk" – and still sound great on other numbers that include "The World Is Round", "Last Night", "Dr Kitch", "My Girl", "Ride Your Pony", and "Sweet Thing". Sound Venture is one of the jazziest early albums from Georgie Fame – a set that has him singing with the big band of Harry South, at a level that's a lot more complicated than some of his other work with The Blue Flames! The style here still has that mod 60s London feel, but it also has some deeper inflections as well – modes borrowed a bit from Jon Hendricks or Mose Allison, yet served up with even greater complexity – at a level that really points towards the tremendous growth Fame would unleash over the next few years. Members of the group include Tubby Hayes, Ronnie Scott, Tony Coe, Dick Morrisey, Kenny Wheeler, and many other key Brit jazz figures of the time – and titles include "Three Blind Mice", "Dawn Yawn", "Feed Me", "Lovey Dovey", "Lil Darlin", "Lil Pony", "I Am Missing You", and "Many Happy Returns". CD5 is Bend A Little – a package with 20 unusual titles – demos, rare tracks, and outtakes – including unreleased tracks, IBC recordings, and even two German tracks too! Plus, each individual CD comes with bonus tracks – 40 bonus tracks, in addition to the 20 more titles on the Bend A Little set – a huge amount of material! (Vocalists, Rock) CD

Completely unreleased music from this legendary Boston group – one that features Mission Of Burma working with leader Dredd Foole, in a set of cuts that are completely incendiary all the way through! The material is mostly live, and even edgier than their studio work – and shows the sonic intensity and complexity that the Burma musicians bring to the performance – especially the organ and guitar work of Roger Miller, which really shows how much understanding of sound and power he's picked up in a few short years! The set features 10 live tracks – 9 of which were recorded at the legendary Rat Club – plus 2 more home recordings that are solo numbers – titles that include "So Tough", "Play With Fire", "Not A Beast", "Touch", "Greatest Band In Hell", "TV Eye", "Not The Same", "Behind You", and "Paint It Black". CD

Beautifully tripped-out material from Gale Garnett & The Gentle Reign – titled after the Sausalito Heliport, a northern California complex that housed a bunch of hippy dippy bands in the late 60s! The album's a wonderful blend of Bay Area freedoms and some of the folksier and sweeter touches of east coast groups of the time – with instrumentation that includes organ, harpsichord, guitar, and lots of cool percussion – and a style that's got lots of wild elements, yet always manages to compress them down into cool sunshiney tunes! Titles include "Peace Comes Slowly To The Thrashing Fish", "Water Your Mind", "The Trip Note Song", "Man In The Middle", "Want Ad", and "Deer In The City". LP, Vinyl record album

An album we come back to more and more over the years – a bit more subtle than some of the other Gabriel-era Genesis records, but in a really great way! You'll not get any overly-heavy concepts here, yet the album still retains all the instrumental complexity the group was getting so great at – nicely subtle at times, a bit more expanded at others – and with a balance of bigger songs and more personal moments that hints at the direction the group would take after Peter Gabriel. Instrumentation is superb, especially the keyboards – and titles include "Aisle Of Plenty", "Firth Of Fifth", "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight", "I Know What I Like", "Battle Of Epping Forest", "The Cinema Show", and "More Fool Me" – the last of which was a key early vocal moment for Phil Collins. LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool British group, and one who work here with equal influences from blues and jazz – all at a level that has the complex riffing of a group like Colosseum mixed with some of the earthier woodwinds of Jethro Tull! Female lead singer Linda Rothwell has a really unique style, and one that doesn't try too hard to ape bigger American names of the time – while Joseph Rosbotham provides loads of cool work on flute and tenor, which further underscores the album's special kind of sound. Malcolm Grundy turns in some excellent work on guitar – and titles include "Port & Lemon Lady", "Hunters Song", "Men", "I Heard A Song About A Friend", "Emerge Breath Sunshine Dandelion", and "Prism". CD

A really fantastic solo album from guitar genius Peter Green – recorded right after he'd departed Fleetwood Mac, the band he helped found – and done in a freewheeling trippy style that's unlike anything recorded by that other group! Green's guitar is still unbelievably strong, but cast here as much in psychedelic modes as bluesy ones – and set up in this all-instrumental lineup that features Zoot Money on piano, Godfrey Maclean on percussion, Alex Dmochowski on bass, and Nick Buck on electric piano and organ! The album is very experimental – long instrumental tracks with lots of creative twists and turns – and titles include "Descending Scale", "The End Of The Game", "Burnt Foot", "Hidden Depth", and "Bottoms Up". LP, Vinyl record album

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A classic of Canadian rock – and a set that broke big on this side of the border too! Wheatfield Soul is a sublime showcase for the young talents of Burton Cummings, Randy Bachman, and other members of the group – working here in a mix of jazz/rock modes and blue-eyed soul that would go onto set the scene for countless other groups in years to come – hard to describe accurately, but beautifully summed up in the album's "These Eyes" hit! Cummings vocals and keyboards come across wonderfully – and the rhythms often have clever changes that hint at his jazzy future to come, but on shorter tunes here that have a rich amount of complexity packed in a very tight space. Titles include "These Eyes", "Lightfoot", "I Found Her In A Star", "Pink Wine Sparkles In The Glass", "Maple Fudge", "We're Coming To Dinner", "When You Touch Me", and the amazing 10 minute tune "Friends Of Mine". LP, Vinyl record album

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The seminal debut of Hatfield & The North – a group that maybe came a bit late in the UK prog scene of the early 70s, but who had a huge influence for decades to come! The quartet are a late transformation of the earlier Canterbury sound – leaner, maybe jazzier, and with a great ear for warm tones and organic elements that help hold the complexity of their music to the surface of the planet. Plus, there's this more open, honest quality to some of the work – especially the vocals – that quality, say, that made Matching Mole so different than Soft Machine. The whole lineup is an all-star affair – Richard Sinclair on bass and vocals, Pip Pyle on drums, Phil Miller on guitars, and Dave Stewart on organ, piano, and tone generator – plus some nice guest sax and flute from Geoff Leigh of Henry Cow, and vocals from Robert Wyatt on one track. Titles include "The Stubbs Effect", "Calyx", "Licks For Ladies", "Bossa Nochance", "Big Jobs No 2", "Lobster In A Cleavage Probe", and "Rifferama". This CD edition includes the bonus tracks "Let's Eat Real Soon", "Fitter Stoke Has A Bath" and "Your Majesty Is Like A Cream Donut". CD

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A really fantastic final studio album from Jefferson Airplane – a set that's definitely different than their early work, and which shows the new directions that members would soon take on their own – but done with a vibe that's also a fantastic evolution of the core group's famous sound! The guitar work is even more complex than before – Jorma Kaukonen really blowing us away with his skills, but never in a show-offy way, as the whole thing is wrapped around these honest core rhythms that are almost a rootsier take on psyche elements – with Grace Slick's lead vocals almost coming off with a Sandy Denny quality at times. Titles include "Long John Silver", "Aerie (Gang Of Eagles)", "Twilight Double Leader", "Milk Train", "The Son Of Jesus", "Easter", "Trial By Fire", and "East Starch Mom". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from Khruangbin – a group with a name that's hard to pronounce, but who just keep getting better and better with each new release – to the point where on this record, they're definitely in a genre by themselves! Khruangbin blend together lean funky instrumentation with some slightly more progressive elements – never too jamming to get in the way of the groove, but with a complexity that shows us that these guys are really amazing musicians – steeped in the best influences from the past, but never copycats at all – and always with a very original sound! The core trio is expanded just slightly here on a few tracks – with the spare addition of elements like vibes, percussion, or pedal steel – each used sparingly, but to create some great sonic colors in the mix. Titles include "First Class", "Pelota", "Dearest Alfred", "If There Is No Question", "One To Remember", "So We Won't Forget", "Shida", and "Father Bird Mother Bird". (Deep Funk, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A record with a strange mix of elements on the outside – a confusing title, a proggy-cover image – but one that's got a sound that's a perfect maturation of the fantastic sound of Alexis Korner in the 60s! Korner's one of the overlooked heroes in British music – a strong devotee of American blues, and maybe so much so that sounds more like his inspirations than most – but never in a slavish way, as Alexis is always able to full absorb the sound, and make you feel like it's coming from his own deep soul – and over the years, he really shifted things in these slight, but powerful ways – making his music a huge influence on a big generation of UK rock acts to come. Here, the double-length set is almost a "thanks back" affair – as Korner records with a huge all-star array that includes folks like Robert Plant, Jack Bruce, Charlie Watts, Ginger Baker, Graham Bond, Lol Coxhill, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Ray Warleigh, Harry Beckett, and many more – a fantastic crossroads of all that's hip in British rock, blues, and jazz at the start of the 70s. Titles include "I Got A Woman", "Rockin", "She Foold Me", "I Wonder Who", "Dee", "Love Is Gonna Go", "Clay House Inn", "Evil Hearted Woman", "Mighty Mighty", "Sunrise", and "Hellhound On My Tail". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that really has Alexis Korner stretching out from the straighter blues of his 60s material – using his fantastic style on a set of tunes that show as much New Orleans influence as you might guess from the title – but also an evolved British roots rock quality too! The group is very interesting – relatively lean, and with loads of saxophone solos from Mel Collins – the reedman who made some early 70s King Crimson albums so great – plus second guitar from Peter Thorup, who also adds a bit of slide, and makes for a strongly guitar-based groove amidst some of the slightly funky rhythms. Titles include "Gospel Ship", "Lo & Behold", "County Shoes", "Don't Change On Me", "Rock Me", and "Sweet Sympathy". 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

Number five, and the Steve Miller Band is still going strong – working here with some great help from Area Code 615, who bring a slightly rootsy vibe to the set! That core Miller brilliance is still very firmly in place – and Steve's got an even sharper ear for writing songs this time around – working in more influences than before, and really finding his voice – or more appropriately, that great way his vocals can be filtered in with the production. Other guests include Ben Sidran and Nicky Hopkins – helping to reinstate the keyboard sound in the group – and titles include "Steve Miller's Midnight Tango", "Industrial Military Complex Hex", "Never Kill Another Man", "Going To The Country", and "Hot Chili". CD

Great jazz rock jamming from National Health – a group who evolved out of Hatfield & The North, and who work here with an equally complex sound! The album's a bit late in the UK jazz rock scene, but still has all the classic touches – really well-crafted instrumentation, played with a lot of jazzy inflections – but driven towards more rockish leanings in the overall sound, especially given some of the album's jamming moments. Players include Phil Miller on some incredible guitar, Dave Stewart on keyboards, and Pip Pyle on drums – and titles include "The Collapso", "Squarer For Maud", "Dreams Wide Awake", "Binoculars", and "Phlakaton". LP, Vinyl record album

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A seminal set from 70s Pink Floyd – a set that took all the energy of Dark Side Of The Moon, and refined it into an even more complex sonic setting! The songs here move out spaciously – still very unified as an overall album, but often with all of these longer-form musical ideas, and mature textural elements that really show the progression the group had made in just a few short years – almost as if they were revisiting the open-ended feel of their immediate records after the departure of Syd Barrett – but with a massive amount of new information about the possibilities of the recording studio, and their own skills as musicians. The whole thing's wonderful – always taken better as a whole than in just small slices – and titles include "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", "Welcome To The Machine", "Have A Cigar", and "Wish You Were Here". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal set from 70s Pink Floyd – a set that took all the energy of Dark Side Of The Moon, and refined it into an even more complex sonic setting! The songs here move out spaciously – still very unified as an overall album, but often with all of these longer-form musical ideas, and mature textural elements that really show the progression the group had made in just a few short years – almost as if they were revisiting the open-ended feel of their immediate records after the departure of Syd Barrett – but with a massive amount of new information about the possibilities of the recording studio, and their own skills as musicians. The whole thing's wonderful – always taken better as a whole than in just small slices – and titles include "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", "Welcome To The Machine", "Have A Cigar", and "Wish You Were Here". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal sounds from Placebo – one of the hippest electric groups going on the European scene of the early 70s, thanks to some great keyboards and electronics from the legendary Marc Moulin! Placebo's sound here is a unique approach to funky jazz – one that certainly draws from the electric modes of the American scene, and without any of the jamming elements of other Euro fusion groups – but there's also a touch of rockish inflection at points too – especially in the way the rhythms have a tightly pulsating groove. There's none of the indulgence of prog, but there's definitely a lineage going on somewhere in the mix too – and in addition to Moulin's keyboards, the group also features great horns from Nick Fissette, Alex Socrier, and Richard Rousselet. Titles include "Bolkwush", "Temse", "Balek", "Phalene", "Re-Union", and "Only Nineteen". (Jazz, Rock) CD

Titles include "Just", "Nice Dream", "Bones", "Fake Plastic Trees", "Planet Telex", "The Bends", "High & Dry", and "Black Star". CD

One of their best! After a tumultous tour for Tim, Bob Stinson left the band and they essentially recorded Pleased To Meet Me as a trio as far as the core band goes, but went down to Memphis to record with Jim Dickinson, and too our ears, that little bit of southern swagger, as paired with The Replacements still evolving blend of classic rock and punk influences and Westerberg's angry and weary songs makes this a helluva record – there are some days it's our favorite! Includes the totally great "Alex Chilton", plus "IOU", "I Don't Know", "Nightclub Jitters", "Never Mind", "Valentine", "Shooting Dirty Pool", "Skyway", "The Ledge" and "Can't Hardly Wait". CD

One of their best! After a tumultous tour for Tim, Bob Stinson left the band and they essentially recorded Pleased To Meet Me as a trio as far as the core band goes, but went down to Memphis to record with Jim Dickinson, and too our ears, that little bit of southern swagger, as paired with The Replacements still evolving blend of classic rock and punk influences and Westerberg's angry and weary songs makes this a helluva record – there are some days it's our favorite! Includes the totally great "Alex Chilton", plus "IOU", "I Don't Know", "Nightclub Jitters", "Never Mind", "Valentine", "Shooting Dirty Pool", "Skyway", "The Ledge" and "Can't Hardly Wait" – plus 11 bonus tracks including rare demos and am alternate version of "Can't Hardly Wait" CD

An album with a cheesy sort of cover – one that almost looks like it's about to melt – and one that hides the great all-star talents within – a lineup that includes Alexis Corner on guitar, Jack Bruce on bass, and Charlie Watts on drums! Yet maybe even better than the non-rockers on the date – as the group also features tenor from Hal Singer and Don Weller, and piano from both Bob Hall and George Green – both of whom really smoke up the keys in a very old-school mode! Korner and Bruce each sing a bit on the set, but the main focus also seems to be in the mix of R&B and bluesy currents from all the instrumentalists – who also include Colin Smith on trumpet and John Picard on trombone. Titles include "Roadhouse Boogie", "Rocket 88", "Waiting For The Call", "St Louis Blues", and "Talking About Louise". LP, Vinyl record album

Produced by Siggi Schwarz a group consisting of Chris Thompson, Michael Schenker, Steve Lukather, Geoff Whitehorn, Alex Conti and others cover hits from the original Woodstock. CD

A mad mix of loud guitar, wild samples, and heavy Brazilian percussion – all nicely topped with the soulful vocals of Chico Science! The record's one of the group's earlier ones, and it's filled with a sense of raw power and experimentation that easily demonstrates why the band grabbed so much attention so quickly. Forget all those cliches you keep hearing about the postmodern power of Tropicalia – this stuff's equally as complex, and filled with bits and pieces you wouldn't even imagine! Titles include "Da Lama Ao Caos", "Salusatiano Song", "Riso Flora", "Coco Dub", "Rios, Pontes & Overdrives", and "A Cidade", which has a nice little snippet from Mark E Smith! (Brazil, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic record from The Seeds, and one that definitely earns its title – as it points the way towards a psychedelic future that would have made the group giants on the international scene, had they continued in this direction! The sound is very different than the garage punk of their previous two albums – a lot more complex, yet still never overdone – a real testament to the genius of Sky Saxon and the rest of the group as they opened up their minds, and allowed all sorts of new ideas to spring forth! And if you like the earlier records, you'll still find plenty to love here, as the whole thing still has a mighty sinister edge – as you'll hear on the cuts "Travel With Your Mind", "Flower Lady & Her Assistant", "Fallin'", "Six Dreams", "Two Fingers Pointing On You", "Now A Man", "Painted Doll", "Out Of The Question", and "Where Is The Entrance Way To Play". LP, Vinyl record album

70s geekazoid hi-fi culture at it's finest! The folks at JBL put together this 2LP set as sort of a "bible" of a 70's understanding of hi-fi – and it's a weird mix of documentary discussion, speaker demonstration, and rock tracks by the likes of Alex Harvey and Hoyt Axton. Nutty, and chock full of open drum breaks! (Now Sound, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Easily the best-remembered album by Labi Siffre – thanks to some well-used sample tracks over the years! But over and above the fame of the funky tunes "The Vulture" and "I Got The", the record's a key part of Siffre's 70s catalog – a record that's as great for its complex songwriting and deeply personal lyrics as it is for its Fender Rhodes lines, and tight musical backings from the combo of Big Jim Sullivan. All titles here are originals, and even when the groove slows down there's a depth that clearly marks Labi as one of the best singer/songwriters of the 70s – a talent who's been finally rediscovered in recent years, although sometimes only remembered for a few jazzy hooks from these tunes, and not the strength of the whole magilla! Here's your chance to dip into the Siffre sound at its fullest – on tracks that include "The Vulture", "I Got The", "Another Year", "Down", "Old Time Song", "Sadie & The Devil", "Remember My Song", and "Turn On Your Love". (Soul, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album from Skip Spence – the onetime lead singer of Moby Grape, cast out of the group on his own by the time of this debut solo album – a record that's as powerful as it is fragile, and which has been the one lasting musical legacy of the man himself! The record almost sunk without a trace at the time, but has gone onto become the stuff of legend over the decade – supported by fellow singers, songwriters, and even a fair bit of the music press – who all shine key light on the record's unique, ahead of its time quality! Spence recorded the set for the same Columbia Records that was willing to take a chance on the early Leonard Cohen records – and there's a similarly singular vibe to Skip's approach – one that puts the whole thing at the level of "missed the first time around – but never again!" albums by later-decade legends like Big Star, Nick Drake, and maybe even Cohen. The style is hard to describe – similar reworking of roots-though-psych as Moby Grape, but a lot more intimate too – with so many lost dark corners, the set will be rewarding your ears for years to come! Titles include his original "Cripple Creek", plus "Diana", "Margaret Tiger Rug", "Weighted Down", "Little Hands", "Books Of Moses", "All Come To Meet Her", "Broken Heart", and "War In Peace" – plus 10 bonus tracks!! CD

A fantastically free session from the Japanese scene of the late 60s – a set that really points the way towards some of the more dramatic, dynamic guitar-based expression to come in later decades! The group's a trio, with guitarist Masayuki Takayanagi very firmly in the lead – playing his instrument in a range of compelling ways – bowing the strings one minute, plucking with Derek Bailey-like complexity the next – sometimes with heavy drums and bass, other times standing out in very free solo space. The whole album's got a very freely improvised feel, and stands as an early link between free jazz and experimental rock modes - with tracks that include "Piranha", "Herdsman's Pipe Of Spain", "The Galactic System", "Sick Sick Sickness My Aunt", and "Study No 3 Up & Down". (Jazz, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A really tremendous album from The Talking Heads – and a set that moves far past their already-great early records, to really show a rhythmic complexity we never would have expected! Brian Eno is helping the group in the studio again here, and the record really shows both David Byrne and Eno's late 70s fascination with global rhythms – elements that are often used in spare, simple little ways to really help inflect the tunes with a playful imagination that goes way beyond the colder post-punk and new wave of most of their contemporaries! The balance of previous aesthetics with these new grooves is wonderful – heard to great effect on the classic club cut "I Zimbra" – but brewing up strongly underneath on gems that include "Mind", "Paper", "Cities", "Life During Wartime", "Memories Can't Wait", "Air", "Heaven", "Animals", "Electric Guitar", and "Drugs". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet electro classic from Telex – one of those records that had the Euro trio years ahead of their time, and working with a sound that went onto influence a fair bit of American club, dance, and hip hop in the decade to come! The record is awash in all sorts of great electronics – maybe no surprise, given that the trio features earlier experimenters Marc Moulin and Dan Lacksman, both of whom work with Michel Moers to come up with a cool and groovy style that mixes keyboards, beats, and really playful lyrics – some of which are run through vocoders to really sound great! Titles include "Lakele", "Dance To The Music", "Euro Vision", "Realite", "Cliche", "Tour De France", "My Time", and "A/B". LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool work from Telex – a trio who are really coming into their own on this third record, and maybe starting to resonate with some of the groups they helped inspire in the world of electro pop – particularly the more playful acts of the German new wave! As with some of those groups, there's a nice mix of wit and electronics on the set, but served up in English language lyrics that really help the group transcend their scene – finding a new home for the electronics of Marc Moulin and Dan Lacksman, as they get key lyric contributions here from Ron and Russel Male of Sparks! Titles include "Haven't We Met Somewhere Before", "Sigmund Freud's Party", "Exercise Is Good For You", "Brainwash", and "Dream O Mat". LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of records from Tempest – a group formed by drummer Jon Hiseman after the breakup of Colosseum! First up is the self-titled Tempest record – music by a hell of a group from the glory days of the Bronze Records scene – a group who boast some fantastic guitar work from a young Allan Holdsworth that are more than enough to get them on the label – but who also have a richness and complexity that rivals some of the hippest prog acts on labels like Vertigo or Harvest too! Ex-Colosseum member Jon Hiseman handles drums and percussion with a mighty nice edge, Mark Clarke delivers some heavy sinister basslines, and Paul Williams echoes all of those strengths with his dark-tinged vocals – in a mode that's nicely beyond some of the cliches that other groups might hit on a record like this. Titles include "Gorgon", "Brothers", "Foyers Of Fun", "Upon Tomorrow", "Grey & Black", "Up & On", and "Dark House". Next up is Living In Fear – a really great record from Tempest – a group who have so many different things going on at once – guitars that would be right at home on a hard rock effort, rhythmic complexity that verges on prog, and a tunefulness that really sends the whole thing over the top with an unexpected appeal that keeps on going throughout the entire set! Maybe the tipoff is the group's great cover of "Paperback Writer" – showing a love of the harmony in earlier work by The Beatles – updated here to a more guitar-based, fuzz-heavy style for the 70s – and matched with some equally groovy songs that have us wondering why these guys never found more of a following at the time! Other titles include "Funeral Empire", "Stargazer", "Dance To My Time", "Living In Fear", and "Waiting For A Miracle". CD set features two bonus tracks – "You & Your Love" and "Dream Train". CD

A tremendous document of work by Jake Thackray – one of the most unique talents on the British music scene of the 60s, but an artist who's sadly been un-remembered over the years! At first glance, Jake's definitely a folkie, but he's also one with a strong influence from French singer/songwriters like Jacques Brel or George Brassens – and takes key inspiration from them in the depth and darkness of his work. Like both Brel and Brassens, Thackray's got a style that's almost out of time – one that's ageless at some points, but with a very contemporary way of viewing the world – personal, pointed, and penned with an incredible sense of wit. In an era when most folkies were attacking the political or pushing into the fantastic, Jake spent careful time looking at human foibles and the complexities of interpersonal relationships – always from a distance, but close enough to note the odd humor in even the most banal situations. This wonderful set brings together 4 of Thackray's albums for EMI – Bantam Cock, Last Will & Testament, Jake's Progress, and On Again On Again – all of which feature Jake's slightly jazz-inflected vocals alongside acoustic guitar and very spare, but well-chosen additional instrumentation. Package also features a full disc of unreleased material – including different versions of other tunes on the albums. 97 tracks in all, and a wonderful musical discovery throughout! Titles include "The Cactus", "Country Bus", "Brother Gorilla", "The Girl In The Window", "Ulysses", "Scallywag", "Salvation Army Girl", "On The Shelf", "Go Little Swale", "Isabel Makes Love On National Monuments", "Joseph", "Famous People", "The Gravedigger", and "Leopold Alcocks". CD

This groundbreaking Chicago combo once again moves away from the pack on what might be their best album – leaving behind the host of imitators that sprung up in their wake. Standards still shows a fascination with the spare and revolving rhythms that graced the group's first few releases, but it's also a lot more complex musically – with plenty of added electronics, noisy guitars, keyboards, and some of the most sophisticated production to date – proof that these guys are great, and always growing as artists. Titles include "Seneca", "Eros", "Benway", "Eden 2", "Blackjack", "Speakeasy", and "Six Pack". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary album from the Brit psych scene at the end of the 60s – and one of the few records from that time that's still completely mindblowing all these many years later! Twink is John Alden, who'd had already had years of work behind him before putting together this set – including stints with Tomorrow and Pretty Things – and the direction here is very different than most of what was taking place at the time – much looser and more experimental, as the album seems to leap into very heady territory right from the start! There's no effort at putting out an easy single or crossover hit – and instead, some of these tunes have a sonic complexity that almost prefaces later more experimental work from the British scene, including the 80s industrial years – with one number that's just kind of a weird melange of voices, and another that's a lot of noise on drums, sitar, tablas, and effects – as well as a "pixie horn"! A few of the more vocal numbers – like the standout "Suicide" or "Three Little Piggies" – almost feel like work from Wicker Man – and other titles include "The Coming Of The One", "Ten Thousand Words In A Cardboard Box", "Fluid", "Dawn Of The Magic", "The Sparrow Is A Sign", and "Mexican Grass War". 2CD version features the full album in mono, then stereo – plus bonus tracks that include alternate versions of "Fluid", "Suicide", "10,000 Words In A Cardboard Box", "Dawn Of Magic", and "Rock An Roll The Joint". CD

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A lovely little record – every bit as wonderful as you might expect from the cover, with an evocative sound that fits right in with the concept of a rainy day raga! Peter Walker plays acoustic guitar, but he does so in these long, winding ways that are clearly inspired by Indian music – yet which come across with much more of an Americanist vibe – supported with some additional guitar from Monte Dunn, a 12 string "drone" from Alex Lukeman, and even some flute from Jeremy Steig – plus a bit of tamboura and bells too! The album's one of the most haunting we've ever heard on Vanguard – way more than familiar folk – and titles include "Morning Joy", "River", "April In Cambridge", "Sunshine", "Rainy Day Raga", "White Wind", and "Bianca". CD

An incredible album – and one of the most revolutionary rock albums of the late 60s! The Who recorded this one as a tribute to mainstream radio at the time – linking together some solid stand alone tunes with shorter, wittier tracks that were recorded as commercials for products that included baked beans, acne cream, and deodorant – as well as cool announcer bits too! The end result is one of the most sonically complex records issued by a mainstream rock act of the time – sort of like The Who said "yeah, everyone's trying to copy Sgt Peppers with big arrangements, but we'll take this concept album thing in a whole new direction!" Brilliant all the way through, and with tracks that include "Armenia City In The Sky", "Heinz Baked Beans", "Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand", "I Can See For Miles", "I Can't Reach You", "Rale", "Sunrise", and "Silas Stingy". This fantastic new package features the whole album in stereo and mono – plus 26 more bonus tracks, and a 16 page booklet of new notes and photos! CD

A really key album in the early run of Yes – yet a set that's also nicely different too! The record is the first to feature keyboard genius Rick Wakeman joining the group – a player whose talents would really elevate their sound – but the record also has this nicely intimate vibe at moments, too – with shorter tracks that introduce the talents of each players – which are then matched with the kind of complex, soaring numbers that the group could always do so well! Roger Dean turns in the first of his legendary covers for the group, and the whole thing's a mini-masterpiece – with titles that include their classics "Roundabout" and "Long Distanced Runaround" – plus "Cans & Brahms", "We Have Heaven", "Mood For A Day", "Heart Of The Sunrise", "South Side Of The Sky", and "The Fish". LP, Vinyl record album

A smoking live performance from Yes – heard here in all the glory of their Atlantic Records material at the start of the 70s! The lineup here is the stuff of legends – Jon Anderson on vocals, Chris Squire on bass, Steve Howe on guitar, Tony Kaye on keyboards, and Bill Bruford on drums – spinning out long takes on the two early classics "Yours Is No Disgrace" and "I've Seen All Good People" – both really shining moments for Anderson – plus a wonderful blend of "Clap/Classical Gas" – the latter of which has some nice work from Howe – and the group's complex gem "Perpetual Change". LP, Vinyl record album

The monumental first album from Yes – a group who were already onto something amazing with this set, and would only get better and better in years to come! The members had backgrounds in straighter, more conventional rock acts – but here, together, they unleash work with a wonderfully fresh sense of timing and structure – tunes that are still a bit shorter in comparison to later albums, but already full of the kind of complicated shifts and changes that instantly set Yes apart from the rest! And yet there's also a simple, honest approach too – not complexity for its own sake, as the group never find themselves in blind alleys or dead ends – and maintain this magical mix of elements that soars from track to track. The early lineup here features trademark vocals from Jon Anderson, alongside the bass of Chris Squire, guitars of Peter Banks, organ and piano of Tony Kaye, and drums of Bill Bruford – on titles that include "Harold Land", "Beyond & Before", "I See You", "Looking Around", "Sweetness", "Survival", and "Every Little Thing". LP, Vinyl record album

The monumental first album from Yes – a group who were already onto something amazing with this set, and would only get better and better in years to come! The members had backgrounds in straighter, more conventional rock acts – but here, together, they unleash work with a wonderfully fresh sense of timing and structure – tunes that are still a bit shorter in comparison to later albums, but already full of the kind of complicated shifts and changes that instantly set Yes apart from the rest! And yet there's also a simple, honest approach too – not complexity for its own sake, as the group never find themselves in blind alleys or dead ends – and maintain this magical mix of elements that soars from track to track. The early lineup here features trademark vocals from Jon Anderson, alongside the bass of Chris Squire, guitars of Peter Banks, organ and piano of Tony Kaye, and drums of Bill Bruford – on titles that include "Harold Land", "Beyond & Before", "I See You", "Looking Around", "Sweetness", "Survival", and "Every Little Thing". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful work from the Youngbloods – a mixture of folk rock and jazzy phrasing, very much in the same spirit of Tim Hardin or Tim Buckley, with a depth and complexity that's quite surprising, and which has held up surprisingly well over the years – almost more appealing now than when it was first recorded. The electric piano alone is worth the price of admission – jazzy in a way you won't find on the group's other records – and the album features a number of longer tracks – including a sublime reading of Fred Neil's "The Dolphin", and the cuts "Beautiful", "Sunlight", "Ride The Wind", and "Sugar Babe". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those records that should be an insane dark mess, given the look of the cover – but which turns out to be a surprisingly well put-together effort all the way through! Zappa does a great job of hiding behind his hair here – never acting with the pomp that a pop genius like him could easily have enacted – and instead passing off the record as if it's just another freakout – despite the fact that the arrangements are some of his tightest, most focused, and downright groovy so far! There's plenty of key musical help to make the whole thing come out right – including bass from Shuggie Otis, the inimitable voice Captain Beefheart, on the cassic "Willie The Pimp", violin from Jean-Luc Ponty, drums from Paul Humphrey, and bass from Max Bennett – all players who really live up to the musical complexity of Zappa's compositions – often with a pre-fusion vibe that's almost unexpected. Other titles include "Son Of Mr Green Grass", "The Gumbo Variations", "It Must Be A Camel", "Peaches In Regalia", and "Little Umbrellas". CD

One of those records that should be an insane dark mess, given the look of the cover – but which turns out to be a surprisingly well put-together effort all the way through! Zappa does a great job of hiding behind his hair here – never acting with the pomp that a pop genius like him could easily have enacted – and instead passing off the record as if it's just another freakout – despite the fact that the arrangements are some of his tightest, most focused, and downright groovy so far! There's plenty of key musical help to make the whole thing come out right – including bass from Shuggie Otis, the inimitable voice Captain Beefheart, on the cassic "Willie The Pimp", violin from Jean-Luc Ponty, drums from Paul Humphrey, and bass from Max Bennett – all players who really live up to the musical complexity of Zappa's compositions – often with a pre-fusion vibe that's almost unexpected. Other titles include "Son Of Mr Green Grass", "The Gumbo Variations", "It Must Be A Camel", "Peaches In Regalia", and "Little Umbrellas". CD

One of those records that should be an insane dark mess, given the look of the cover – but which turns out to be a surprisingly well put-together effort all the way through! Zappa does a great job of hiding behind his hair here – never acting with the pomp that a pop genius like him could easily have enacted – and instead passing off the record as if it's just another freakout – despite the fact that the arrangements are some of his tightest, most focused, and downright groovy so far! There's plenty of key musical help to make the whole thing come out right – including bass from Shuggie Otis, the inimitable voice Captain Beefheart, on the cassic "Willie The Pimp", violin from Jean-Luc Ponty, drums from Paul Humphrey, and bass from Max Bennett – all players who really live up to the musical complexity of Zappa's compositions – often with a pre-fusion vibe that's almost unexpected. Other titles include "Son Of Mr Green Grass", "The Gumbo Variations", "It Must Be A Camel", "Peaches In Regalia", and "Little Umbrellas". LP, Vinyl record album

An album that has Frank Zappa really continuing to push the instrumental complexity of his music – showing the world that he's not just another long-haired casualty from the 60s, and instead an artist who just kept on getting deeper and deeper into his own really unique groove! The record's overflowing with instrumental tracks that some might argue had a huge impact on jazz fusion – especially that mid 70s moment when the door opened in jazz to some more rock-like solos and rhythms – and that link is maybe no surprise, given that the lineup includes work from older jazzmen who include Billy Byers on trombone and the great Fred Jackson on saxes – plus George Duke on keyboards and Ernie Watts on c-melody sax. As always, the drums of Aynsley Dunbar are superb – and titles include "The Grand Wazoo", "Eat That Question", "Blessed Relief", "For Calvin & His Next Two Hitch-Hikers", and "Cleatus Awreetus-Awrightus". LP, Vinyl record album

Cool cuts from around the globe – all brought together in one wonderfully funky set! The music here all draws heavily from American funk and psych styles – and often uses some slightly different instrumentation, or more regional inflection – to make the usual psych funk styles sound even more groovy and exotic – in a mindblowing way that makes the entire set a real musical delight! Most tracks are instrumental – heavy on drums and fuzzy guitar – but there's a few vocal moments, too – and the funk current is super-strong, way more so than on other collections that promise a heavy bottom, but usually just present offbeat psych. Titles include "Jet Pop" by Bana Pop Band, "Foxy Lady" by 49th Blue Streak, "Karate Chop" by The Tijuana Brats, "Stari Dvorac" by Pro Arte, "Nie Przejziemy Do Historii" by Krzysztof Klenczon, "Louis Louis" by Friar Tuck, "Time Of Machines" by Sergio Ferraresi, and "The Shaman's Dance" by Alexandr Sergeyevich. (Funky Compilations, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Andy Summers, Ralph Towner, Vernon Reid, Laurence Juber, David Cullen, Pierre Bensusan, Alex de Grassi, Bill Frisell, Henry Kaiser, Gary Lucas, Michael Manring, Tony McManus, Arlen Roth, David Russell and more. CD

Music from Dinah Shore With Henri Rene And His Orchestra, Mario Lanza With Ray Sinatra And His Orchestra And The Jeff Alexander Choir, Pee Wee King And His Golden West Cowboys, Eartha Kitt With Henri Rene And His Orchestra, Perez Prado And His Orchestra, Eddy Arnold With Hugo Winterhalter And His Orchestra And Chorus, Eddie Fisher With Hugo Winterhalter And His Orchestra And Chorus, Kay Starr With Hugo Winterhalter And His Orchestra And Chorus, Elvis Presley, Harry Belafonte With Tony Scott And His Orchestra And Chorus, and more. CD

Great work from a pivotal year in modern music – a time when some of the experiments of the early prog generation were working their way into shorter, catchier work – not entirely the kind of pop that American audiences were digging on the radio in 1974, but instead some forward-thinking music that would set the tone for years to come! There's a smartness and sophistication to most of these tracks, but also a down to earth quality that makes them easy go get into too – music that came out right before the punk and disco years, but which has gone on to provide endless appeal to listeners in much later generations too. As with Grapefruit sets, the track list is superb – with a great blend of familiar and lesser-known acts, all supported with detailed notes that really help you get into the music. 67 tracks in all – a few unreleased – with music from Ron Wood, Georgie Fame, Hello, Fancy, Unicorn, Bryan Ferry, Sparks, Status Quo, John Cale, Tramp, Snafu, Bebop Deluxe, Roxy Music, Man, Fox, Holy Mackerel, Carmen, Stackridge, Farm, Dave Cousins, Slade, Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Billy Kinsley, and many others! CD

The title here is very apt – as there's a reaching sort of vibe to the whole record – uplifting tunes from the farther reaches of the Numero catalog, all brought together in a way that really makes things soar! Genres shift nicely, and maybe the lack of description or cover notes is a good way of just making you trust the label and dive right in – something we've been doing for many years now! Tracks include "The Kiss" by Alex Johnson, "To Live In The Sea" by Masumi Hara, "Touch" by Calvin Keys, "Rain" by Bob Siebert, "Enchanted Pool Suite (prelude & part 1)" by Lenny White, "The Kiss" by Alex Johnson, "Thou Art With Me" by LaRhonda LeGette, "Past Life Regression" by ART Wilson, "Modulation Del Sol" by Ascending Wave, and "Gold Dust Twins" by Reach. (Funky Compilations, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Prog rock was shifting a bit as 1974 came into view, but the leading lights of the scene were still going strong – sometimes with new modes and slight shifts in production techniques that showed that the music was evolving very strongly, and not just content to mire in the modes of an initial wave of activity! If anything, most of the cats on this set are even sharper musicians and more daring songwriters than a few years before – which means that sometimes, there's an even more focused approach to the music – a bold message that can come across strongly, without a full side album jam – and with production elements that don't oversaturate as much, which almost seems to indicate that the prog scene of the moment were having some thoughts about musical shifts to come! As with the other titles in this series, the box features a superb set list – really well-chosen cuts that go past the obvious – accompanied by a very hefty set of notes on each act and the tunes within. 4CD set features 51 tracks in all – work from Caravan, Hawkwind, Gong, PFM, Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Peter Hammill, Neutrons, Nektar, Hatfield & The North, Traffic, Gravy Train, Darryl Way's Wolf, Procol Harum, Jethro Tull, Stackridge, Greenslade, Strawbs, Kevin Ayers, Jack Bruce, and others! CD

50 songs from The '4' Deuces, Billy Grammer, Gloria Lynne, The Baysiders, The Curls, The Lexingtons, Patsy Cline, Jimmy Isle, King Curtis, Doris Payne, The Renowns, Randy Lee, The Boulevards, The Supertones, and more. CD

A really cool package that's way more than just the blues promised in the title – as the set brings together work from a variety of scenes and styles, all showing the many ways that American blues had such an impact on UK sounds from the mod generation onwards! There's definitely some tracks here that stick to a slavish representation of the original influence – but the set also includes all sorts of great divergences, tracing the path that so many artists would take from learning blues licks to really stepping out with new sounds of their own in psych, prog, hard rock, and other British styles to follow! There's also some surprising folk moments too – and over the course of 73 tracks, the box follows a fantastic journey – also supported with great notes too – through the work of artists who include Siren, Andy Roberts, Medicine Head, John Martyn, The Deviants, Pentangle, Killing Floor, Jo Ann Kelly, Jellybread, Alexis Korner, Rod Stewart, Mike Cooper, Savoy Brown, The Purple Gang, Al Jones, Bronx Cheer, Dave Ellis, Roger Hubbard, Taste, Incredible String Band, Ralph McTell, and many others. CD

An excellent collection of rare female soul from the 60s – a set that not only features overlooked 45rpm singles from Warner Brothers at the time – but also some great gems from their famous Loma Records imprint too! If you think you know this territory, think again – as there's a huge amount of tracks here that are completely fresh to our ears – the kind of material that a label as big as Warner was able to cut with their ample staff and studio time, then never did a think to promote the singles at all – leaving a space of decades before all these 7" gems were finally able to get exposure on a set like this! The package moves between catchy group soul and deeper-burning solo material – and the whole thing's done with the usual high quality we love from Ace, from the sound quality right down to the notes in the book. Titles include "There He Goes" by The Royalettes, "We Can Find That Love" by Vickie Baines, "He's Good" by Barbara Jackson, "Contact" by Three Degrees, "Wounded" by The Cookies, "My Soul Concerto" by The Apollas, "I Taught Him (part 1)" by Gloria Scott & The Tonettes, "All Because I Love Somebody" by Barbara English, "Don't Come A Knockin" by Mary Lee Whitney, "Here I Come" by Joyce Alexander, "Jive Jimmy" by The Socialites, "The Reason Why" by The Dolls, "Bright Lights" by Delilah Kennebreuw, and "Oh Eddy My Baby" by Brenda Hall. (Soul, Rock) CD

A great little package, and way more than just the familiar exotica moments on mainstream compilations – as your guides here are Lux Interior and Poison Ivy of The Cramps – two folks who know more than plenty about the music of the farther reaches of the postwar years! And although their other collections for this label have gone way out to pull in some totally obscure material, the blend here is more measured – so that you'll get great cuts by some of the bigger exotica names, mixed with other numbers that are more unusual – and some that we wouldn't have even thought to include in such a package – all awash in sounds from the islands, tropical percussion, and even a few birdcalls and chants along the way! The 2CD set features a great range of material – and titles include "The Twisters" by Mel Henke, "Hampi" by Yma Sumac, "Mystery Of Love" by Olatunji, "Jardin De La Noche" by Robert Drasnin, "Mood For You" by Phil Moore, "Alegres Conga" by Cal Tlader, Envy" by Bill Russo, "Kele Kele" by Johnny Richards, "African Bossa Nova" by Ahmed Abdul Malik, "Tabu" by Augie Colon, "Pua Carnaeon" by Arthur Lyman, "Adventures In Paradise" by Leo Addeo, "Dance Of The Nustas" by Elisabeth Waldo, "Pagan Love Song" by Alex Stordal, "Balikpapan" by Jimmy Namaro Trio, and "Train To Ranchipur" by Markko Polo Adventurers. (Now Sound, Rock) CD

A really tremendous batch of dark-themed tunes from the American underground of the 70s – a treasure trove of under-discovered acts who were all inspired by the deeper brooding of the Led Zep and Black Sabbath generation! Unlike later manifestations from the indie scene, the work here isn't really heavy metal – and instead has this more complex approach – ready and able to spin out their own tales and stories in the space of a full length concept album, guided by their own unique myths and mysteries – even though most of these tracks only ever saw the light of day on 7" singles, as the bands mostly never got the chance to serve up a full-length set. Leave it to Numero to do a perfect job of bringing this underground together through their vivid notes and great images for the set – and no surprise, there's some occasional funky touches on a few of the tunes – especially on the drums. This is the kind of stuff the stoners in your high school wish they were hip enough to know about – and titles include "Warlord" by Wrath, "Twelve O'Clock Satanial" by Air, "Sealed In A Grave" by Triton Warrior, "Dark Days" by Space Rock, "Sweet Child" by Gorgon Medusa, "Cry For The Newborn" by Hellstorm, "Tasmania" by Stoned Mace, and "Seance" by Wizard. CD

A killer look at one of our favorite scenes in the UK in the punk years and beyond – the city of Leeds, home to a surprising amount of really fantastic groups – some of whom were initially united in a scene-based style, many more who later exploded in a range of very groovy modes that were all their own! The title's taken from a song by The Mekons – back when they shared a lot with Gang Of Four – and in addition to those two great groups, the package features material by a startling array of others – groups who really run the gamut once the 80s moves on – in a lineup that includes Cassandra Complex, Three Johns, Vicious Pink, Deja Vu, The Hollow Men, Wedding Present, The Mission, Son Of Sam, Age Of Chance, Edsel Auctioneer, Pale Saints, Snapdragons, Sisters Of Mercy, Soft Cell, Girls At Our Best, Scritti Politti, The Neats, Jerks, and many others. As you'll guess from the groups, there's a great range of punk, indie, and industrial material here – plus some noisy bits as well – and the whole thing's presented with a great booklet of notes on everyone included, and the scene in Leeds as well. CD