... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

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

A rock/soul outing from Gale Force – a group comprised of brothers Len and Ken Gale, hence the name! The set's an odd one – as it was produced by Wayne Henderson during the height of his glory days at Fantasy, and features keyboards by Bobby Lyle – so you'd guess that it would have some sort of a jazz funk component. But overall, it's a pretty strict rock outing – although not without some soulful charms – as the brothers seem to pick up the Fantasy Records groove where Creedence left off – going for compressed and rhythmic tunes that almost have a Steve Miller style at times. Titles include "Reach On Out", "I Was Made To Love Her", "Amourena", "Turn On The Blue Lights", and "Let My Love In". LP, Vinyl record album

A Sunshine Pop classic from The Gordion Knot – an album that's overflowing with warm late 60s harmonies, all produced to perfection by ex-Hi-Los member Clark Burroughs! The album's got a style that takes the modes Burroughs and his group forged back in the 50s, and updates it with a groovier, modder sort of style – a gently swinging late 60s sound that brings in some trippier elements, and some occasional singer/songwriter inspirations. JD Weatherly steps out in front of the group on bolder lead vocals on a few numbers – but even on these, there's strong harmony support underneath – and some wonderfully dynamic backings that soar up, and support the whole thing on a really groovy pillow of sound! Titles include "It's Gonna Take A Lot", "The World Keeps Spinnin", "Strong Wind Blowin", "One Way Street", "Carraway Stream", "Carnival Lights Again", "Broken Down Ole Merry-Go-Round", "If Only I Could Fly", and "We Must Be Doing Something Right". LP, Vinyl record album

An Italian prog classic from the New Trolls – a group who sing in English throughout, and work with a quality that makes us wonder why this set never broke big on the British or American scenes of the 70s! The record's got a very special vibe right from the start – a blend of acoustic guitar and stronger electric elements – served up in modes that use the acoustic instrument to underscore some of the darker, personal currents in the lyrics – almost a departed spirit that seems to leave the singer in this soul-searching position that really colors the tunes. Other instrumentation is a blend of heady guitars, keyboards, and drums – but often used in these really thoughtful ways – not just jamming for jamming's sake, and instead balanced with the lyrics in a very careful manner. Titles include "St Peter's Day", "Percival", "Searching", "Giga", "Bright Lights", "Lying Here", and "A Land To Live A Land To Die". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe one of the strangest covers ever used for a John Fahey record – very 80s! Yet his guitar work here is spot-on – in a setting that features extra guitar and bottleneck from Terry Robb – plus percussion and bass on a re-recorded version of "River Medley", next to other tunes that include a great reworking of Baden Powell's "Canto De Ossanha", as "Let Go", plus Bola Sete's "Pretty Afternoon" – and other titles that include "Lost Lake", "Black Mommy", and "Lights Out". (Folk/Country, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Late 60s compilation of highlights from the first couple (and best) albums by Them – the British (by way of Belfast) psych soul powerhouses that managed to snap down on West Coast psychedelia, hard soul, and adventurous guitar driven pop in a single bound! The original 11 LP tracks are here, including "Time Out For Time In", "She Put A Hex On You", "Bent Over You", "Waltz Of The Flies", "Black Widow Spider", "Market Place", "Young Woman", "But It's Alright" and more. The real highlight, though is the wealth of bonus tracks and rare single versions of the tunes: "Square Room", "Dirty Old Man", "Corinna", "Dark In The Shadows", and others. 19 tracks in all, with nice fold out notes and photos, too! LP, Vinyl record album

A gritty little gem in the Gram Parsons/Burritos catalog – mostly covers of classic honky tonk tunes! Many of the tracks were recorded for what would have been an honest, earnest, hard country album that was never fully realized – eventually paired with a few other tracks of similar vintage and some outtakes with Emmylou, then released as a posthumous Gram Parsons/Flying Burrito Bros LP. Gram is hardly acknowledged by the country music establishment to this day, but this set shows that he loved and respected the songs of Merle Haggard (Gram's supposed cultural opposite at the time, so little did the world actually know), Buck Owens, The Louvin Brothers and the endless lost highway of roadhouse jukebox classics – played here with a boozy after hours swagger! Tracks include "Brand New Heartache", "Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down", "Sing Me Back Home", "Crazy Arms", "Close Up The Honky Tonks", "Honky Tonk Women", "Dim Lights" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest moments ever from Psychic TV – and a really stunning surprise after the breakup of Throbbing Gristle! Genesis P Orridge and Peter Cristopherson go in a completely different direction here – a mode that still holds onto some of the noise lessons learned in TG, but which also shows this incredible love of both more complicated pop modes from the 60s, and some of the farther reaches of minimalism as well! The album sports these tremendous ballads with eerie vocals by Genesis – including "The Orchids" and "White Nights" – which are both eerie recastings of an older mode of UK pop love songs – and there's other tracks that maybe echo a bit of Meredith Monk, or some of the underground experimentalists on the Lovely Records scene – including bits that have weird phone rings, dog barks, and other great touches. A spare and subtle use of noise and darker sounds wends its way throughout – but never with the heavier handed touches of later years – and titles include "Hymn 23", "The Orchids", "Botanica", "Iron", "Glove", "Always Is Always", "White Nights", "Finale", "Eleusis", "Medmenham", "Ancient Lights", "Proof On", "Eden 1 Eden 2 Eden 3", "Clouds Without Water", "Black Moon", "Silver And Gold", "In The Nursery", and "Circle". LP, Vinyl record album

Really early genius from The Sonics – and the kind of music that reminds us why the legendary group still continue to sound so wonderful after all these years! The Sonics had an edge that was different than most of their contemporaries – definitely honed on plenty of influences from earlier rock and R&B, but also letting loose with a kind of frenzy that not only made them one of the most stunning acts of the early garage psych years, but which continued to get the group plenty of interest once punk rolled in too. The highlights here might well be the group's standout originals – "The Witch", "Psycho", and "Strychnine" – worth the price of admission alone – but laid out here next to other great cuts that include "Do You Love Me", "Roll Over Beethoven", "Boss Hoss", "Money", "Walking The Dog", Nighttime Is The Right Time", and "Dirty Robber". LP, Vinyl record album

A strange one for Motown – for a number of reasons: The group's European, for one, and they're more of a spacey rock group than a soul outfit. The vocals are a bit lackluster, but the group does have a wonderfully jazzy sound to their playing – and on the best cuts, they hit some strident grooves that really take off nicely, with a bit of a funky prog feel. Highlights include "Keepsake", "Pollution", "Words & Music", and "Time Is A Good Friend". (Soul, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Damn anthemic rock from Thin Lizzy – one of the few 70s groups who seemed to get better as they got older! The album's a stone killer – ripping away with tremendous power on guitar and vocals, but hitting an extremely tuneful approach that opens up each new song with some really magical delights. The kind of record that you can put on and rock out to immediately – something that's a rare breed today! Titles include "Sugar Blues", "Chinatown", "We Will Be Strong", "Killer On The Loose", "Didn't I", and "Hey You". LP, Vinyl record album

Biker time again – as Stu Phillips lays down a tight little soundtrack for this obscure motorcycle flick from the late 60s! Stu started out as a jazz man, but is best known to us for his very groovy work on the Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls soundtrack. The best cuts on here are Stu's instrumentals – a mixture of funky jazz with a twist, and a bit of funky flute, plus some other numbers that have a well-composed, more serious approach. Highlights include "Friendly Fuzz", which mixes heavy guitars, drums, and flute – and "Rescue", which has a very similar approach – plus the chase-y groover "Get It On". Tammy Wynette sings the title cut "Run Angel Run", and The Windows sing "True Believers", "You're Gonna Get A Piece Of My Mind", and "Love & Admiration Of The Brotherhood Society Of South Napa County". Also includes "Oversexed" – a nice mellow tune with a misleading title. (Soundtracks, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

The new sound of the European scene at the end of the 70s – music that carries plenty of inspiration from post-punk modes, but which also carries forth some key elements of prog as well – all at a level that's quite a surprise if you only know more iconic material of the time! The artists here aren't all British or European, but the sound within definitely showcases the way that later electronic experiments of the 70s were thinning down in the work of underground UK and German labels – and also showing the way that the instrumental excesses of the earlier part of the decade were being packed down into more economical packages, but all without losing any sense of freshness or experimentation! The set takes its title from a song on the last Bowie Berlin album – a great reference for the music – and titles include "Tight As A Drum" by Thomas Leer, "Silent Command" by Cabaret Voltaire, "Theme For Great Cities" by Simple Minds, "White Car In Germany" by The Associates, "Nite Flights" by The Walker Brothers, "3,000,000 Synths" by Chaz Jankel, "Nightcrawler" by Patrick Cowley, "Riot In Lagos" by Ryuichi Sakamoto, "Silicon Chip" by Basil Kirchin, "Ode To Perfume" by Holger Czukay, "Do Weit So Gut" by Harald Grosskopft, "The Farther Away I Am" by Daryl Hall (with Robert Fripp), and "Patriarcat" by Areski & Brigitte Fontaine. LP, Vinyl record album