Frank Zappa's got some fantastic fusion touches on this sweet little set from the 70s – thanks to keyboards and a bit of vocals from George Duke, heavy drums from Chester Thompson, and even some brief help from Johnny Guitar Watson! The set's still got a very Zappa-esque feel, but it's clear he's also letting Duke stretch his wings a bit too as there's parts of the record that almost echo the style of some of George's more far-out recordings for MPS. The balance is great – and one that makes the album a lot more soulful at points than we're used to hearing from Zappa. Titles include "Florentine Pogen", "Can't Afford No Shoes", "Inca Roads", "Po-Jama People", "Evelyn A Modified Dog", and "San Ber'Dino". CD

A trio of early 70s LPs from Klaus Weiss & Niagara – in a 3CD set! First up is the 1971 self-titled debut – a pretty astonishing set of heavy, hypnotic drums and percussion. It features just 2 long jams, "Sangandongo" and "Malanga" and it's pretty much an all percussion affair! Sub is a legendary bit of heavy funk. The lineup here includes fuzzy guitar, electric piano, and of course, lots of heavy percussion – all served up in a way that's jamming, but a lot more straightforwardly funky than some of the group's contemporaries on the European scene! Ack Van Rooyen plays trumpet, Ferdinand Povel plays tenor and flute, and the production is often very tripped-out – abstracting the jazz roots a bit with some really cool touches. A great bridge between the MPS scene and the more progressive German groups – with titles that include "SUB", "Bones", "Niagara", "Terra Incognita", "Gibili", and "Kikiriti". Afire is another seminal percussion effort – and an album with a very strong focus on the rhythms – but the groove is still somewhat melodic too, thanks to inventive use of some of the smaller, more tuned percussion instruments by other members of the group. There's almost a funky batucada groove going on here – a rich, round sound that comes from a very tight small combo! Titles include "City Walk", "What For", "Terpischore", "Carnival", "Rhythm Go", "Dance In Seven", "Rolling", "Malanga Two", and "The Third One". (Jazz, Rock) CD

Frank Zappa's got some fantastic fusion touches on this sweet little set from the 70s – thanks to keyboards and a bit of vocals from George Duke, heavy drums from Chester Thompson, and even some brief help from Johnny Guitar Watson! The set's still got a very Zappa-esque feel, but it's clear he's also letting Duke stretch his wings a bit too as there's parts of the record that almost echo the style of some of George's more far-out recordings for MPS. The balance is great – and one that makes the album a lot more soulful at points than we're used to hearing from Zappa. Titles include "Florentine Pogen", "Can't Afford No Shoes", "Inca Roads", "Po-Jama People", "Evelyn A Modified Dog", and "San Ber'Dino". CD

Frank Zappa's got some fantastic fusion touches on this sweet little set from the 70s – thanks to keyboards and a bit of vocals from George Duke, heavy drums from Chester Thompson, and even some brief help from Johnny Guitar Watson! The set's still got a very Zappa-esque feel, but it's clear he's also letting Duke stretch his wings a bit too as there's parts of the record that almost echo the style of some of George's more far-out recordings for MPS. The balance is great – and one that makes the album a lot more soulful at points than we're used to hearing from Zappa. Titles include "Florentine Pogen", "Can't Afford No Shoes", "Inca Roads", "Po-Jama People", "Evelyn A Modified Dog", and "San Ber'Dino". CD

Sublime girl group sounds from the great Lee Hazlewood – the complete recordings of Honey Ltd – an obscure Hazlewood project from the end of the 60s! The style here combines all the depths of Lee's own music with some of the sweeter Sunshine Pop sounds you'd expect from the cover – a really unique mix that has these moodier moments coming forth at times that really surprise us – and which takes the music way way past that of any of the girls' hipper contemporaries – especially the similarly-named Honeys! The harmonies are incredible – definitely rooted in jazz, with a complexity that goes way past pop – and in a way, the group remind us a bit of the incredible Third Wave group who recorded for MPS around the same time – although these gals definitely get a more sinister sound from Lee's help in the studio. Songs are mostly originals by the group – penned with some very compelling lyrics – and the album features great arrangements from Ian Frebairn Smith, who really does a great job of mixing the baroque with the groovy! The set features the full rare album by the quartet, plus two single tracks, and some unreleased cuts as well – titles that include "The Warrior", "Silk N Honey", "Come Down", "For Your Mind", "I've Got Your Mind", "Tomorrow Your Heart", "Eli's Coming", "I'm So Glad", "Love The Devil (backing track)", and "Silver Threads & Golden Needles". CD

Frank Zappa's got some fantastic fusion touches on this sweet little set from the 70s – thanks to keyboards and a bit of vocals from George Duke, heavy drums from Chester Thompson, and even some brief help from Johnny Guitar Watson! The set's still got a very Zappa-esque feel, but it's clear he's also letting Duke stretch his wings a bit too as there's parts of the record that almost echo the style of some of George's more far-out recordings for MPS. The balance is great – and one that makes the album a lot more soulful at points than we're used to hearing from Zappa. Titles include "Florentine Pogen", "Can't Afford No Shoes", "Inca Roads", "Po-Jama People", "Evelyn A Modified Dog", and "San Ber'Dino". CD

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Richard Thompson is relatively fresh out of Fairport Convention here, and while there are traces of that group in his solo music, it's also very clear that the set is the key to his long legacy to come! Thompson's guitar is much more upfront than before – really finding itself in both an acoustic and electric mode – sometimes blended with folksy instrumentation from the past, but also much more focused with that sonic quality that really befits Thompson's very unusual vocal approach! Titles include "Roll Over Vaughn Williams", "The New St George", "Cold Feet", "Painted Ladies", "Twisted", "Wheely Down", and "The Poor Ditching Boy". CD

Includes bonus Variations EP. CD

Includes 7 tracks from the larger 3CD set. CD

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An amazing little record from Joe Byrd – an artist with roots in serious music, but who's serving things up here with a wild hippie aesthetic that makes the whole thing come across more like a "happening" than the usual sort of studio album – but in ways that also echo an earlier generation of Americanist composition too. The process of the record mimics some of Byrd's famous work in New York – and has a very collaborative feel overall, with elements of electronics, acoustics, and vocals coming together beautifully! There's some great tabla, harpsichord, moog, and organ on the record – plus more serious woodwinds and brass – and vocals from Victoria Bond, Susan De Lange, Christie Thompson, and Ernie Anderson – plus Joe himself. Titles include "Kalyani", "Moonsong Pelog", "You Can't Ever Come Down", "Gospel Music", "Nightmare Train", "Leisure World", and "The Elephant At The Door". CD

Fuzzy and genuinely well-crafted private press grooves from the Emerson brothers – with crazy good hooks, some surprisingly solid musicianship – and songs that range from straight-up catchy, though fuzz-drenched rock, to funk and soul! Donnie Emerson is the lead singer, guitarist and bass player, along with some synth – and on the best tunes, he's got a confident, laidback and warm style on vocals that truly doesn't feel the voice of a kid still in his teens – with brother Joe on drums and other friends on backing vocals here and there. Here's a record that profoundly transcends the private press novelty and the goofy jumpsuits they're rocking on the front cover! Includes "Good Time", "Give Me The Chance", "Baby", the instrumental groover "Feels Like The Sun", "Love Is", "Don't Go Lovin' Nobody Else", "Dream Full Of Dreams" and "My Heart". CD

Every single master take of Elvis Presley's music from the 50s – a comprehensive overview of the King's important years! Also features 14 never-issued tracks and a cool set of stamps! CD

The Stones may be old, but they ain't dumb! Mick & co. must have noticed the huge shot of artistic credibility Justin Timberlake received after the Neptunes hopped aboard, which is something the Stones haven't had in a couple of decades. The 'Tunes do a pretty great re-imagined take on the classic rock staple – adding some sitar and Eastern string touches on top of their patented minimal claps, snaps, and thumps. On top of the full length Neptunes mix and an edit you get Fatboy Slim's mix, also in epic form plus radio edit. Cook's is a fine, bubble gum club mix with a Happy Mondays kind of vibe. The Full Phat mix strays the most from the original, keeping Mick's vocal and the whoo-whoos, but completely strips the band and adds all electronic beats. The original version is here for you kids who didn't realize there was one! CD

Sonic Youth still going strong in the mid 00s – following up Murray Street with the just as great, if slightly more ominous and moody Sonic Nurse! This is the period that Jim O'Rourke was in the band, not only as a producer/sound manipulator, but playing guitar and bass and contributing to the composition process – and it's such a natural fit. Sonic Youth's way of layering free form noisy atmosphere into coherent songcraft is impeccable here – and timeless. Includes "Pattern Recognition", "Unmade Bed", "Dripping Dream", "Stones", "Dude Ranch Nurse", "New Hampshire", "Paper Cut Exit", "I Love You Golden Blue", "Peace Attack" and more. CD

An early moment of genius from Warren Zevon – the kind of record that really set his talents part from the singer/songwriter generation that came before – and made Zevon a key part of a new era of much darker songsmiths! Zevon manages to weave in all these strange moody elements while still delivering songs that are tuneful – often with studio talent that goes back to an earlier generation of LA polish, but which manages to have a bit more edge here in Warren's company. The lasting highlight of the record is probably the oft-played "Werewolves Of London" – but the whole thing is filled with gems – titles that include "Accidentally Like A Martyr", "Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner", "Nighttime In The Switching Yard", "Tenderness On The Block", "Veracruz", and "Lawyers Guns & Money". CD

Stunning work from the great Dale Hawkins – a singer who made some of the hardest, fiercest rock and roll on Chess Records in the 50s! Dale hailed from Louisiana, where much of this music was cut – but he also worked with Chess up in Chicago, where he seems to have picked up some slight bluesy currents in his rhythms. Yet even on his own, and even on the early material recorded in Shreveport, Hawkins has a hell of a sound – a blend of R&B and rockabilly that was forged way down in the swamps, and came back bubbling up with a hell of a lot of power! CD features 20 tracks in all – including "Suzie Q", "Little Pig", "Tornado", "Juanita", "Baby Baby", "Four Letter Word", and "Ain't That Lovin You Baby". CD

Stunning work from the great Dale Hawkins – a singer you may only know from the title track of this collection, but one who made some of the hardest, fiercest rock and roll on Chess Records in the 50s! Dale hailed from Louisiana, where much of this music was cut – but he also worked with Chess up in Chicago, where he seems to have picked up some slight bluesy currents in his rhythms – especially on the tracks that feature musicians like Roy Buchanan on guitar and Lafayette Leake on piano! Yet even on his own, and even on the early material recorded in Shreveport, Hawkins has a hell of a sound – a blend of R&B and rockabilly that was forged way down in the swamps, and came back bubbling up with a hell of a lot of power! Songs include "Liza Jane", "Susie Q", "My Babe", "Yea-Yea (Class Cutter)", "Four Letter Word (Rock)", "Little Pig", "Boy Meets Girl", and more – 30 tracks total, including 8 unissued numbers! CD

A set that's brimming over with improvising jazz talent – but one that's an especially great reminder of the guitar genius of the great Arto Lindsay! Lindsay is amazing here – playing with energy to match the brilliance of Ken Vandermark and Joe McPhee – which is really saying a lot, and which has us almost feeling like a younger version of Arto's self stepped forward straight from the New York no wave scene, in order to create a pan-historical bridge with the improvising strengths of the Corbett Vs Dempsey universe! Drummer Phil Sudderberg is wonderful too – a master of sounds and moments – and the short tracks allow for plenty of sharp changes, and shifts in energy between each selection. McPhee blows alto, tenor, and pocket trumpet – and Vandermark is on tenor, baritone, and clarinet – on titles that include "The Push & Pull Beneath The Surface", "She Must Have Known", "Whether You Were There Or Not", "When I Lose Any Sense Of Perspective", and "The World's Longest Afternoon". (Jazz, Rock) CD