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

The classic agit-rap-rock debut of Rage Against The Machine – with the most fiery political lyricism and imagery of any massively popular record of its time – and as great of a pairing of revolutionary rap and heavy guitars as there ever was! It's hard to imagine now, but there were very few straight up rap rock bands before Rage Against The Machine. Hard rock breaks were ample, of course, but straight up rap rock bands were pretty scarce, pre-Rage. Rage Against The Machine's pop culture revolution was as massive as the social and political revolution that their songs called for! Includes "Bombtrack", "Killing In The Name", "Take The Power Back", "Settle For Nothing", "Bullet In The Head", "Know Your Enemy", "Wake Up", "Fistful Of Steel", "Township Rebellion" and "Freedom". CD

The first really major album from Rare Earth – issued on their own self-named subsidiary of Motown! The set's a perfect blend of the rich undercurrents of the heady Detroit scene of the late 60s – at one level a tripped-out rock record with styles that almost hint at MC5, at another level a batch of blue-eyed funky soul, with keen appreciation for the grooves coming out of the headier end of the Motor City indie spectrum! There's lots of tripped-out guitar work on the set – reminiscent of contemporary work by Dennis Coffey and George Clinton – mixed with a Mitch Ryder, R&B-inspired vocal style that actually comes across pretty darn well. Added to this is the group's flat-out ability to jam – showcased best in the side-long title cut "Get Ready" – a massive jammer which runs for nearly 22 minutes, and takes up all of side two! Other tracks include "Train To Nowhere", "Magic Key", "Tobacco Road", and "In Bed". LP, Vinyl record album

Here's a guy with a great gimmick – whistling! Jack Smith was a youngster, but he could blow with the best of them – whistling his way through the massive international pop hit "I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman" – a tune that's as groovy as it sounds, with a crashing goofy approach that's really really great! Smith wets his whistle on 11 other tracks on this one and only album – mixing in a bunch of cool arrangements from Ivor Raymonde that have a nice 60s Brit feel. Titles include "I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman", "Song Of The Steppes", "Happy Wanderer", "Union Jack", and "Early One Morning". LP, Vinyl record album

Prime classic Springsteen double album, circa 1980! The River finds Bruce a few years removed from the massive breakthrough that was Born To Run, and seemingly starting to let go of the darker tone of Darkness On The Edge Of Town, though still with some shadows of it. Definitely a creative high point, and a record we're always happy to revisit. Includes "The Ties That Bind", "Hungry Heart", "Out In The Street", "Fade Away", "Ramrod", "Drive All Night", "Wreck On The Highway", "Independence Day" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing sounds from The Stark Reality – an obscure group from the early 70s, but one who've really risen to fame over the years – thanks to their groundbreaking ear for new music, and their freewheeling way with a funky groove! This package brings together all the incredible work recorded by the group in the late 60s and early 70s – a mindblowing assortment of funky and fuzzy jazz tracks – almost all of which are graced by the offbeat vibes work of Monty Stark! Stark often adds a bit of distortion into his instrument, which makes for a very tripped-out approach to vibes – one that blends perfectly with the heavy funk of some of the rhythms, and the freaky guitar lines added to most tracks by a young John Abercrombie. Yet at other times, things are very laidback and chilled-out – balanced beautifully from track to track, in a way that illustrates the larger picture the group were always going for in their music. This massive package brings together everything Stark Reality ever recorded – their famous Discovers Hoagy Carmichael's Music Shop album, the Acting Thinking Feeling live performance, the Roller Coaster Ride/1969 album, and lots of rare singles too – more than enough music to please any fan of the group, and blow the minds of anyone who's just getting a first taste. Titles include "Roller Coaster Ride", "On Being Black", "New World Generation", "Theme To Say Brother", "Dreams", "Clouds", "All You Need To Make Music", "Rocket Ship", "Cooking", "The Old Prospector", and "Junkman's Song". Great package too – with two LP-styled CD sleeves inside a larger case, plus a big booklet of notes and photos! (Jazz, Rock) CD

Fantastic sunshine pop from the Strawberry Alarm Clock – an album that's a bit trippy, a lot sunny – and just the right mix of psych and harmony soul! There's some wonderful overlooked nuggets on the record – tunes that go past their chart hits, and which really remind us that the group was definitely a cut above most of their contemporaries – with these edges and surprises that really keep things interesting. The mighty George Tipton helped arrange some of the best cuts – and titles include the massive "Barefoot In Baltimore" – a perfect bridge between the earlier 60s harmony sounds, and the headier mode of the later generation – as well as the tracks "Sea Shell", "Lady Of The Lake", "A Million Smiles Away", "Shallow Impressions", and "Eulogy". LP, Vinyl record album

Not a group from the Cali scene of the 60s, as their name might make you expect – but instead a very cool UK group, and one who've picked up some of the best sunshine pop inspirations of the period, then mixed them with trippier touches as well! The set begins early, at a time when the group were maybe more slavish to American inspirations – but then really stretches out near the end of the 60s and start of the 70s, when West Coast Consortium were also taking more chances with their music, and really experimenting with the way that production played with their vocals! And while they had a big single back in the day, West Coast Consortium never issued that much material – certainly not here in the US – which makes this huge 3CD set a real discovery, especially as it also include later recordings for the Trend label, material done as The Consortium, and even some unissued albums! There's a massive 76 tracks on the set, along with very detailed notes – and titles include "Philadelphia", "Money Matters", "Rings & Things", "Mr Umbrella Man", "Whatever Became Of Emily Jane", "Live & Let Live", "This Poor Man", "Scarlet Rider", "One Six Two", "Willow Wood", "The Elastic Band", "Beggar Man", "Cynthia Serenity", "I Don't Want Her Any More", and "When The Day Breaks". CD

A massive 2 CD package – one that set a whole new standard for 70s live albums! The group's at their rocking best – a bit rawer here than in the studio – and the set includes some overlooked gems from albums, plus renditions of a few Beatles tunes too. CD

A really great look at a key year in British punk – a time when the music really broke open, and artists from a wide range of scenes began to make music in a punk rock vein! The set has way more variety than you might expect – not just the big names and new acts that were helping define the music, but also surprising entries from hard rock, pub rock, and other styles – all really embracing the short, sharp shocks of punk – and showing just how influential the new sound was to the larger British music scene. Punk never grabbed the mainstream the same way over here – and the 3CD set is a fantastic representation of the big bang the music made in the UK in 1977 – presented with the kind of detailed notes and other information that always makes these collections from Cherry Red so great. The package features a massive 87 tracks in all – with work by The Heartbreakers, Eater, Chartreuse, The Rings, Models, Buzzocks, Vibrators, Deaf School, The Damned, Gorillas, The Jam, Britzkrieg Bop, Cock Sparrer, Motorhead, Only Ones, Johnny Moped, Rezillos, Slaughter & The Dogs, Wreckless Eric, Boomtown Rats, Sham 69, Radiators From Space, Doctors Of Madness, Generation X, Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias, Zeros, Tom Robinson Band, X-Ray Spex, Tyla Gang, Jerks, Spider, Alternative TV, John Cooler Clarke, Graham Parker, The Doll, Ultravox, Chelsea, Eddie & The Hot Rods, Raped, Norman & The Hoolians, Drug Squad, and many others. CD

A massive look at the huge legacy of North American punk in the late 70s – culled together from scenes in New York, Ohio, Boston, and LA – plus other surprising spots around the country – as artists were working separately, but together, to completely reinvent both the sound of the nation, and the way that records were made! Because of the geographic range of the scenes, US and Canadian acts had a great sense of variety – the sometime wit of LA, the noisier experimentation of Ohio, oddball creations of San Francisco, and searing artistic side of New York – all brought together here with a range of other styles too. The package is great, and includes so many artists we'd forgotten about, next to giants of the field who are still completely crucial today – brought together in a book-style package with 130 tracks and very detailed notes – in support of work from groups who include X, Adolescents, Flesh Eaters, Lyres, The Jetsons, Slickee Boys, Feelies, Bush Tetras, Suburban Lawns, Mission Of Burma, The Bizarros, Nervous Rex, The Dickies, Pagans, The Last, Mars, Devo, Destroy All Monsters, Avengers, Residents, Pere Ubu, Suicide, and dozens of others! CD

The "nuggets" in the title is very well placed here – as all the cuts here have every bit as much freak and fuzz as the American garage and pre-punk work chronicled famously on the lengendary Nuggets series! Yet these tracks are all even more obscure, and all come from African sources that never got any exposure over here back in the day – records from Zambia, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe – all brought together in a massive collection that's filled with heavy guitar work, and a fair bit of monstrous basslines too – which gives some of these tracks a slightly funky current at the bottom, even while the guitars and vocals are tripping out up top! The collection's a great complement to some of the Zamrock reissues from Now Again in recent years – and titles include "The Bad Will Die" by Keith Mlevhu, "Can't You Hear Me" by Paul Ngozi, "Black Power" by Peace, "Mad Man" by Born Free, "Breakthrough" by Funkees, "Few Bena Zambia" by Revolutions, "Come Home" by Wells Fargo, "Amanaz" by Amanaz, "Don't Take Me For A Ride" by Founders, "Like A Chicken" by Witch, and "Making Life Out Of Music" by Eye Q. Also includes the reworked "No Time (Pilooski edit)" by Witch. (Global Grooves, Rock) CD

A massive collection of work from these important years in music – and even if you don't know or care about Gary Crowley, who's pictured on the cover, you'll find plenty to love here if you dig UK sounds from the late 70s and early 80s! As indicated by the title, the set focuses on new wave and punk tracks – which also means that there's plenty of post-punk too – and the package does a really great job of offering up music that stands the test of time, even though much of it never got much play on American airwaves back in the day – music that really helped set the tone for a generation, and whose effects are still resonating all these many years later. As with volume one, the presentation is great – a very nice package, with detailed notes – and the 2LP version features 28 titles – with work by The Times, Shake, The Limps, Newtown Neurotics, The Slits, Gary Valentine, Basement 5, Dolly Mixture, Liquid Stone, The Subterraneans, Stiff Little Fingers, The Jam, Zounds, The Cure, The City Limits, Moving England, The Barracudas, Penetration, X-Ray Spex, The Limit, Magazine, Golinski Brothers, The Clash, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

You might not know Les Cousins, but back in the city it was a very important club on the London scene – a crossroads of blues, folk, and other styles – with an influence that was every bit important in England as the Greenwich Village clubs were in the US! This massive 3CD set does a great job of documenting the sounds that passed through its stage – not via live recordings, but over a well-chosen array of cuts that demonstrate just how hip British work of the time could be – folk-plus material, of the sort you'd hear on the best albums on Island Records or Transatlantic, all very much of the generation of Nick Drake and Fairport Convention! The 3CD set does a really great job of showing the wide range of acts from this moment – including many we haven't had on other reissues in recent years – in a great box that features 72 tracks, and very detailed notes on the material. Includes work from The Levee Brothers, Roy Harper, Dr Strangely Strange, Strawbs, Owen Hand, Dave Evans, Anne Briggs, Tom Yates, Duffy Power, Ron Geesin, Jackson C Frank, Martin Carthy, Dando Shaft, Shelagh McDonald, Al Jones, Sweeney's Men, Sam Mitchell, Tir Na Nog, Beverly, Michael Chapman, and many others. CD

An early 80s set from Cherry Red Records, and one that shows just how important the British label was to the world of post-punk music at the time – as you'll hear from an assortment of tracks that's more than enough to give labels like Factory or Rough Trade a run for their money! Cherry Red always had a way of thinking outside of the norm – mixing experimental sounds with more tuneful moments, and sometimes showcasing artists who weren't afraid to put their feelings on the line – at a level that other British indies would pick up more strongly a few years later. There's plenty of formative sounds here – and titles include "Plain Sailing" by Tracy Thorn, "My Face Is On Fire" by Felt, "No Noise" by Eyeless In Gaza, "Don't Blink" by The Nightingales, "Some Things Don't Matter" by Ben Watt, "Modi 2 (extract)" by Piero Milesi, "All About You" by Thomas Leer, "Portrait" by Five Or Six, "Eine Symphonie Des Grauens" by The Monochrome Set, "Lazy Ways" by The Marine Girls, "I Unseen" by The Misunderstood, and "On My Mind" by Everything But The Girl. This massive 3CD version of the collection is overflowing with great material – a whopping 72 tracks in all, 17 of which are unreleased, presented in a book-style package with plenty of notes! Added material includes work from The Nightingales, Kevin Coyne, The Passage, Monochrome Set, Jane, Five Or Six, Thomas Leer, Martyn Bates, Creation Rebel, The Reflections, Swallow Tongue, Bodhi Beat Poets, and even Patrick MacNee & Honor Blackman of The Avengers! CD

One of the coolest collections of underground Thai rock we've seen – and it certainly is The Heavier Sound Of the Luk Thung Underground – including a uniquely Thai vision flavored with a Black Sabbath riff, psych makeovers of Thai folklore, and a bunch great tunes that meld Bangkok life with western garage and psychedelia masterfully! All of the tunes are heavy in their own way, but it's by no means heavy in a simple hard rock way – loads of impassioned vocals, astounding percussion, tripped out guitar and other strings and woozy organ keep the arrangements exciting, and the otherworldly aspects play nice with accessible melodies. Titles include "Kuen Kuen Lueng Leung" (the aforementioned heady take on Sabbath's "Iron Man"), "Ruk Kun Samong" by Plearn Promdan, "Pai Joi" by Rung Petchburi, "Nam Mun Pang" by Sroeng Santi, "Dub Fai Kui Gun" by Sroeng Santi and more. 14 massive slabs of heavy Thai psych in all! (Global Grooves, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Bring on the sun if it burns this strongly – as we're more than happy to get extra toasty in the light of such wonderful tracks as these! The set's a stunning look at the massive musical shift on the UK scene in the year of 1967 – a time when psych was certainly making its influence felt, but groups were also opening up in all these other sorts of ways too – really getting past the jaunty rhythms and catchy lyrics of a few years before – and instead somehow managing to make all these amazing things happen in just the space of a short 7" single! Some of the artists here are artists who were making more mainstream music a few years earlier, others are new acts that would soon become superstars, and a few more are genius groups who burst out strongly, then disappeared from view – all brought together in a great 3CD package, with 79 tracks in all, and very detailed notes. Artists include The Herd, Idle Race, Dave Davies, John Williams, Svensk, Universals, Australian Playboys, Tony Rivers, Great Uncle Fred, Artwoods, 23rd Turnoff, Vocal Point, Zombies, Nirvana UK, Lisa & Francesca, The Mirage, Virgin Sleep, Accent, Our Plastic Dream, David Bowie, Living Daylights, John's Children, Episode Six, Orange Bicycle, The Poets, Genesis, Crocheted Doughnut Ring, Piccadilly Line, Scott Henderson, Made In Sheffield, Caleb, and many others! CD

The Beatles weren't just the biggest recording act on the scene in the mid 60s, they were also probably the most influential from a songwriting perspective too – such that countless other groups, singers, and musicians picked up their songs and gave them a try, including some tracks that The Beatles never recorded themselves! These aren't just hack cover versions, though – as the artists here clearly love the Fab Four, and are dedicated to unlocking ways that the music inspires them, and makes them seek their own expressions too – expressions that are presented here in full force, in a very cool package that mixes up rock, soul, jazz, folk, and other styles too – all in a massive 85 track set, with very detailed notes. Artists include Jackie Lynton, Marilyn Powell, The Merseymen, Dick Rivers, Mary Wells, Duffy Power, The Coterie, Mark Wynter, Strawberry Fair, Brotherhood, The Buckinghams, Madeline Bell, The Transatlantics, Count Basie, Jimmy James, Spanky & Our Gang, Zoot, Junior Parker, Jackie Trent, The Four Preps, PJ Proby, Mae West, Five Man Electrical Band, Dave Baby Cortez, and many others. CD

The legendary debut of The Allman Brothers – and a set that maybe set the tone for countless southern rock albums to emerge in the following decade! Yet even at the start, the Allmans are still set apart from the rest – a fiercely jamming band who created the structure for most of the tunes by working together with an almost jazz-like inspiration – blending the guitars of Duane Allman and Dickey Betts with organ and vocals from Gregg Allman, driven by the massive bass of Berry Oakley, and held strong through the percussion efforts of Jai Johanny Johanson and Butch Trucks. Titles include the classic "Whipping Post", plus "Dreams", "Every Hungry Woman", "Don't Want You No More", "Black Hearted Woman", "Trouble No More", and "It's Not My Cross To Bear". LP, Vinyl record album

A mega-hit for David Bowie – and an album that reduced some of the complexity of previous efforts, yet still managed to hold onto all that was great! There's definitely some massive chart material here, but the tunes are still some of the best of their time, pop-wise – tracks that bring forward the best dark corners of the Bowie mythos, and refine them slightly for a new generation – always in tunefully compelling ways. And despite the crossover fame of the set, it holds up surprisingly well over the years – possibly because of that status. Did you know that Stevie Ray Vaughan plays guitar on this album? Titles include "Modern Love", "China Girl", "Let's Dance", "Without You", "Criminal World", and "Cat People" (in a different take than the soundtrack version.) LP, Vinyl record album

A massive set, and one that features way more material than this legendary group released back in the day – all the full albums from Brinsley Schwarz, plus unissued studio material and other rarities too! The group were named after their guitarist, Brinsley Schwarz – but the group also featured key work from a young Nick Lowe, sounding wonderful here before going out as a solo act – and, with Schwarz, really helping to craft that smaller group, pub rock-styled approach that was such a strong antidote to prog and classic rock excesses of the period! There's a very down to earth vibe on many of these cuts – not entirely the roots rock of the US scene, but not far off – and also already echoing some of that tunefulness that Lowe would continue in his own recordings and productions – almost a secret evolution of a mod aesthetic, but hidden amidst other 70s trappings. Maybe we're pitching it wrong – but the records don't lie, and have plenty to tell here – full albums Brinsley Schwarz, Despite It All, Silver Pistol, Nervous On The Road, Please Don't Ever Change, The New Favourites Of Brinsley Schwarz, and It's All Over Now – plus dozens of bonus tracks, both live and studio – including work as The Brinsleys, The Hitters, and Limelight. 132 tracks on 7CDs, with very detailed notes! CD

A long-overdue look at a little-heard side of the career of 60s pop giant Lou Christie – his great but ill-fated recordings for Columbia Records – most of which appear here for the first time ever! Lou hit the label right after a massive hit for MGM – and Columbia gave him plenty of time in the studio, and continued his work with producer Charles Calello – the genius who crafted so many wonderful settings for Christie, as well as the Four Seasons at the time. Calello's genius is in full effect here – creating these incredible backdrops for Christie's stunning vocals – really pushing him past simple pop into a whole host of different modes that make the whole thing a great "what if" – had the label not given up on Lou so quickly. The CD features great sound, detailed notes, and 24 tracks in all – 15 of which appear here for the first time ever – a blindingly great mix of tracks that includes "I Remember Gina", "The Greatest Show On Earth", "Blue Champagne", "Tender Loving Care", "Gypsy Bells, "Escape", "Standing On My Promises", "Shake Hands & Walk Away Cryin", "Self Expression", "Yellow Lights Say", "Meditation", and "How Many Days Of Sadness". CD

An amazing reissue of this now-legendary album – once a lost psych oddity, but a set that's gone onto make plenty of waves over the years! Song Of A Gypsy may well be one of the best self-issued psych sets from the American underground – a really well-written, well-recorded record that has a very dark personal vision – an approach to the music that's instantly unique, and which shows that digging for rare psych albums can really yield the occasional gem that stands head and shoulders with the bigger names of the time! Damon's voice is darkly spooky, and couched with these cool flanged-out guitar lines on the sides – creating a space that's very personal, and which seems to let the lyrics hit these qualities that go much deeper than usual. The core album's been treasured for years by the few fans who had an original copy, and by a few more who had a previous reissue – but this double-length set is the first to ever tell the true tale of the enigmatic Damon – with a huge 64 page booklet of notes, and a massive amount of rare bonus tracks too. The core album includes "Song Of A Gypsy", "Funky Funky Blues", "Don't You Feel Me", "The Night", "Feel Your Love", "Oh What A Good Boy Am I", and "Birds Fly So High". Bonus tracks include some demo and 45 versions of "Song Of A Gypsy", plus "Don't Cry", "Lonely Surfer", "Bowlin Alley Jane", "Everything Is Alright", "The Little White Cloud That Cried", "I Wonder Why", and "I've Got My Pride". LP, Vinyl record album

Fairuz is a singer with a legendary voice – already one of the most important vocalists in Lebanon by the time of this album – with a way of soaring and stretching a note that's completely breathtaking, even if you can't understand the language! And while Fairuz had previously recorded in more conventional modes, she works here with the amazing arranger Ziad Rahbani, who blends together ancient and contemporary styles at once – sometimes letting her voice hang out in the open, unadorned – other times casting it with these arch-modern edges that you'd hear on the brilliant albums he issued under his own name. The whole thing is a massive pairing of two key Lebanese musical talents – on titles that include "Kifak Inta", "Something Is Happening", "Indi Thika Fik", "It's Not A Problem", "Prova", "Ya Leili Leili Leili", and "Farewell Song". (Global Grooves, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A long-overdue package – one that finally brings together all the many strands of music from underground Cali rock legend Merrell Fankhauser! CD1 features some of Merrell's earliest music – a host of early singles by Merrell & The Exiles, some of which were issued on the Glenn and Golden Crown labels – mixed here with rare unissued titles too – for a whopping 19 tracks that offer up a rare look at Fankhauser's earliest years! CD2 features the classic Fapardokly record – a lost bit of legend from the west coast scene of the 60s – and a record that's maybe best-known as a showcase for the early genius of Merrell Fankhauser – who wrote most of the songs on the set, a good number of which were actually recorded for the record by his previous group, The Exiles! Yet despite that little bit of trivia, there's a great vibe going on here – a seminal shift in the Cali scene from garagey work to trippier modes – served up beautifully on titles that include "Glass Chandelier", "Suzie Cryin", "Tomorrow's Girl", "Lila", "Mr Clock", "No Retreat", "Gone To Pot", "When I Get Home", "Supermarket", and "The Music Scene". CD3 features the album Things, recorded by Merrell Fankhauser & HMS Bounty – a perfect blend of Fankhauser's earlier garage rock modes and latter trippier styles! The tunes are short and wonderfully tuneful – produced at Gold Star studios, with a simple, straightforward style that makes all the deftness of the songwriting come through even more – an approach that, although supposedly steeped in Pacific Ocean inspiration, almost feels more like that great moment when some UK groups of the mid 60s were tripping out, but not too much. Titles include "Lost In The City", "Your Painted Lives", "In A Minute Not Too Soon", "A Visit With Ashiya", "The Big Gray Sky", and "Rich Man's Fable". CD4 features MU – an incredible record, and one that really lives up to all its well-deserved legend over the years – one of those sets that's not just rare, but which has all the chops to really deliver the goods! A few short years before, Merrell Fankhauser was recording garage and psych on the LA scene – but here, he steps off the latter with a bit of post-60s hangover – working with a current of darkness that really changes things up, while still providing a great outlet for his legendary work on guitar – and his mindblowing sense of a lyric! Titles include "Ballad Of Brother Lew", "Eternal Thirst", "Too Naked For Demetrius", "Mumbella Baye Tu La", "The Clouds Went That Way", and "Nobody Wants To Shine". CD5 features MU's The Last Album – 20 more tracks recorded in 1974, but unissued for many years – and CD6 features the legendary Maui album from the enigmatic Merrell Fankhauser – a self-released set that drew inspiration from his time in Hawaii – even though the set was mostly recorded in LA and San Francisco! The tunes are beautiful – nicely evolved from Merrell's psych of earlier years, with a much more personal vibe – yet all without some of those west coast cliches that were creeping into more mainstream music of the period. You might get the vibe partly right if you could maybe imagine a more personal singer/songwriter take on the AOR vibe of the period – with leaner, better instrumentation and unslick production – but that's also only part of the picture too! Titles include "On Our Way To Hana", "Make A Joyful Noise", "Garden In The Rain", "Waterfall", "The Source", "Sail It Over The Ocean", and "We Were All Free". Box set features a very detailed book of notes – bonus tracks added to most of the albums, and a massive 95 tracks in all! CD

Jose Feliciano really lives up to the title here – stepping out strongly with the same style used on his "California Dreamin" hit – a massive blend of strings, soul, and Jose's unique vocal approach! Feliciano came out of the Latin market in the 60s, but by the time of this record he's really a key crossover force in soul – and one that helped establish the brown-eyed variant of the music through his massive work for RCA. The instrumentation is often as groovy as the record – with backing by a small combo that includes Milt Holland on percussion, Ray Brown on bass, and Mike Melvoin on keyboards – plus added arrangements from RCA talents George Tipton and All Capps. Titles include the groovy "Hitchcock Railway", plus "Younger Generation", "Sad Gypsy", "Hi Heel Sneakers", "She's Too Good To Me", and "Sleep Late My Lady Friend". LP, Vinyl record album

A really groovy little record – and one by a group who might well be better-named "Funky Duck", given all the heavy drums and sharp riffing on the tunes! These guys are definitely a rock group, but they've also got the sort of instrumentation that would be right at home on a funky soul session – massive drums from Paul Francis, who also handles a lot of percussion, plus wicked basslines from Mick Hawskworth, who works with Francis very hand-in-glove – while Roy Sharland delivers lots of organ and electric piano, and Graham White handles the sharp guitar and vocals too. Were this set issued in the US back in the day, it would have been the kind of crate-digging funky rock record valued by the true school generation – and cuts include "Time Will Be Your Doctor", "Mrs. Prout", "Just Look Around You", "Afternoon Out", "More Than I Am", "Country Boy", "In Our Time", and "A Word From Big D". LP, Vinyl record album

A true classic by Jimi with the original Experience lineup – the third of three straight up masterpiece LPs to come out in just over a year's time by the group! You could call the leftfield astral effects in the mix experimental if you had to – innovations in the studio with echo, that hallucinatory backwards sound effect and other stranger bits – but the passionate, naturally expressive playing and singing by Jimi makes it all fell just right, and the Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell still don't get enough credit for being at the heart of such greatness. A massive 2LP effort that includes "Voodoo Chile", "Crosstown Traffic", "Electric Ladyland", "Little Miss Strange", "Moon Turn The Tides", "Still Raining Still Dreaming" and "All Along The Watchtower". CD

A massive amount of music that definitely lives up to its title – not the debut album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, but instead 4CDs' worth of rare music, both live and studio – more than enough to deeply enrich your experience of the music of Jimi Hendrix! The package is a real delight to those who've been trying to track down bits like these on bootlegs over the years – a fully-licensed package put together with the Experience Hendrix folks, filled with unreleased alternates, live recordings, unusual mixes, and more! The set features a whopping 56 rare tracks, four whole new songs mixed with live tracks and alternates – and an 80 page booklet of rare photos and notes on the tracks. Titles include live versions of "Little Wing", "Red House", "Purple Haze", "All Along The Watchtower", "In From The Storm", "Fire", and "The Wind Cries Mary" – plus unreleased recordings of "Little Wing", "Slow Blues", "If 6 Was 9", "Title #3", "Hey Joe", "Highway Chile", and "Room Full Of Mirrors" – and alternate versions of "Sweet Angel", "Gloria", "Message To Love", and lots more! CD

A massive collection of genius from Led Zeppelin – and material that has gone onto become a crucial part of their all-too-small catalog over the years! The work here was all recorded for the BBC in the years 1969 through 1971 – offering up a much wider picture of the group during these formative years, handled by some top-shelf production – which makes these tracks way better than some of the bootlegs and demos that fans had to rely on before these sides hit the record racks. CD

One of their biggest LPs, this one hardly needs any introduction from us, with the massive hit "Another One Bites The Dust", that appeals to beat diggers and mullet-headed rockers alike! Also includes "Dragon Attack", "Play The Game", "Need Your Loving Tonight", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", "Rock It (prime jive)", "Don't Try Suicide" and "Sail Away Sweet Sister". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive live document of the power of Rush in their early years – mostly just guitar, bass, and drums – but used with intensity and imagination on titles that include "Bastille Day", "Anthem", "Bytor & The Snow Dog", "Fly By Night/In The Mood", "Lakeside Park", "Working Man/Finding My Way", "Something For Nothing", and even a full rendition of the "2112" opus! LP, Vinyl record album

The massive full length flowering of Television – a record issued on a major label, but which represents all the underground genius that the group had been bringing to the New York scene for a few years in the mid 70s! The guitar might be worth the price of admission alone – a standard-setting approach that influenced a generation – and, when matched with the vocals of Tom Verlaine, really knocks the whole thing out of the park! There's a blend of raw edge and understated poetry that instantly demonstrates why the American underground of the time was so different than the world of British punk – and although the set came out in 1977, it still has a massive power all these many years later. Every track's a gem – and titles include "See No Evil", "Venus", "Friction", "Marquee Moon", "Elevation", "Guiding Light", "Prove It" and "Torn Curtain". LP, Vinyl record album

The "nuggets" in the title is very well placed here – as all the cuts here have every bit as much freak and fuzz as the American garage and pre-punk work chronicled famously on the lengendary Nuggets series! Yet these tracks are all even more obscure, and all come from African sources that never got any exposure over here back in the day – records from Zambia, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe – all brought together in a massive collection that's filled with heavy guitar work, and a fair bit of monstrous basslines too – which gives some of these tracks a slightly funky current at the bottom, even while the guitars and vocals are tripping out up top! The collection's a great complement to some of the Zamrock reissues from Now Again in recent years – and titles include "The Bad Will Die" by Keith Mlevhu, "Can't You Hear Me" by Paul Ngozi, "Black Power" by Peace, "Mad Man" by Born Free, "Breakthrough" by Funkees, "Few Bena Zambia" by Revolutions, "Come Home" by Wells Fargo, "Amanaz" by Amanaz, "Don't Take Me For A Ride" by Founders, "Like A Chicken" by Witch, and "Making Life Out Of Music" by Eye Q. Also includes the reworked "No Time (Pilooski edit)" by Witch. (Global Grooves, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A massive tribute to this groundbreaking, genre-busting label – a short-lived imprint on Island Records that was put together by Brian Eno in the mid 70s – all to showcase some of the best new experiments in avant classical and minimalist music! There's a special sort of quality to these records – work that maybe has a bit more "heart" than some of the colder, more academic work of the period – even in comparison to some of the other records issued by some of these artists – warmer and more personal than the productions of Cramps or CRI, for example – and always seeming to have that special sort of sonic brilliance that Eno brought to his own music of the time! The label only issued ten full records, but that makes for a very unified vibe for the entire catalog – which is collected here with a huge booklet of notes inside the box set. Albums include The Sinking Of The Titanic by Gavin Bryars, Voices & Instrumentals by Jan Steele & John Cage, Irma by Tom Phillips, Pavilion Of Dreams by Harold Budd, Decay Music by Michael Nyman, Discreet Music by Brian Eno, New & Rediscovered Musical Instruments by Max Eastley & David Toop, Music From The Penguin Cafe by Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Machine Music by John White & Gavin Bryars, and Ensemble Pieces by Christopher Hobbs, John Adams, & Gavin Bryars. (Out Sound, Rock) CD

A wealth of wonderful work from the key years of the British Invasion – including a fair bit of groups who never really crossed the Atlantic to invade our shores at the time! Liverpool is best known as the home of The Beatles, but during the early 60s, the city was host to a huge wave of creative activity – as were nearby cities in the north of England – and as you'll hear in this set, there was no end to the range of groups making killer records over the space of number of years! Some of the work here will ring your ears with familiar tones from UK 60s rock, yet in ways that are different than the mod styles down in London, there's plenty of overlooked gems here to discover – and given that the box set goes well into the second half of the 60s, there's plenty of tracks here that are way different than just the work that grew up in the shadows of the fab four! The package has that fantastic presentation we love from the Grapefruit/Strawberry label – really well-chosen cuts, supported by very detailed notes – a massive 93 tracks in all, with work from The Perishers, Quotations, Satin Bells, Cilla Black, Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas, Wimple Witch, Selftons, 23rd Turnoff, Tony Jackson & The Vibrations, The Mojos, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Wailing Howie Casey & The Seniors, Lee Curtis & The All-Stars, The Big Three, The Kinsleys, Wellington Wade, and dozens of others! CD

Looking for the magic? There's plenty of it here – a really magical blend of 70s American groups who were working in territory that was neither classic rock, nor punk, nor prog, metal, or other big styles at the time – hitting a unique blend of modes that was partly a revival of simpler styles of earlier years in rock music, but also embracing some of the more advanced studio and recording techniques of the time – catchy, yet never overtly commercial – but instantly appealing too! Phew – if it sounds like we're spinning a lot of plates at once, that's what it takes to come up with the special sound of these tracks – served up in a wonderfully-done collection that really opens up past some of the more obvious choices, and flies the power pop banner in some surprising territory that really works well. There's a massive 76 titles on the set, all presented with very detailed notes – with work from Eric Carmen, The Runaways, Cheap Trick, Andrew Gold, The Babys, Tommy Hoehn, Spitballs, The Moberlys, Grin, Bread, Flamin Groovies, Blue Ash, The Wackers, Stories, Crabby Appleton, Target, Tim Moore, Nils Lofgren, Sneakers, The Quick, Tuff Darts, 20/20, Cheese, The Names, Moon Martin, The Knack, Greg Kihn, and many others! CD

A stunningly huge look at the post-punk scene in the UK from the late 70s into the start of the 80s – served up here in an overview of bands both classic and obscure, which makes for a package that's filled with surprises throughout! The work here all comes from a time right after the initial explosion of punk rock opened the door for groups to experiment in a variety of ways – not just short sharp songs, but work that includes electronic experiments, reggae influences, moody minimalism, and industrial noise – all coming together in a way that made these years such an exciting time to be listening to music! The package features a massive 105 tracks on 5CDs, along with a very hefty booklet of notes on all the groups and tracks included – a lineup that includes The Birthday Party, Robert Wyatt, The Cure, The Flowers, Art Attacks, Subway Sect, Spizzoil, O Level, Glaxo Babies, Crazies, Public Image Ltd, Occult Chemistry, Again Again, The Slits, Disco Zombies, Nightingale, 23 Skidoo, Five Or Six, Kan Kan, The Membranes, Apartment, Soft Boys, Swell Maps, Gang Of Four, Tubeway Army, Throbbing Gristle, Section 24, and dozens of others. CD

One of the coolest collections of underground Thai rock we've seen – and it certainly is The Heavier Sound Of the Luk Thung Underground – including a uniquely Thai vision flavored with a Black Sabbath riff, psych makeovers of Thai folklore, and a bunch great tunes that meld Bangkok life with western garage and psychedelia masterfully! All of the tunes are heavy in their own way, but it's by no means heavy in a simple hard rock way – loads of impassioned vocals, astounding percussion, tripped out guitar and other strings and woozy organ keep the arrangements exciting, and the otherworldly aspects play nice with accessible melodies. Titles include "Kuen Kuen Lueng Leung" (the aforementioned heady take on Sabbath's "Iron Man"), "Ruk Kun Samong" by Plearn Promdan, "Pai Joi" by Rung Petchburi, "Nam Mun Pang" by Sroeng Santi, "Dub Fai Kui Gun" by Sroeng Santi and more. 14 massive slabs of heavy Thai psych in all! (Global Grooves, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

One of best set's yet on the Cicadelic label – deep diggers of obscure regional psych sounds – this one collecting rumbling late 60s singles by TX combos Carrols Mood, The Nomads, The Rebellers, Smoke, and The Remaining Few! It covers the years '66-'68 – a really creative period when the Brit Invasion and folk rock stuff that was popular around the globe was morphing into nascent psychedelia. Regional US groups on the coasts were making it big, but so many regional acts were just as great and never really got a shot at massive popularity. Here's a great document of what was happening down in Texas! Includes "What You're Doing To Me" and Out She Goes" (unreleased mixes) by Carrols Mood, "I'll Be There", "Three O'Clock Merrian" (several takes) and a really wild cover of "My Little Red Book" all by The Nomads, "Mainstream" by Smoke, "Mystical Bells" by The Sights And Sounds, "The New Generation" (previously unreleased mix) by The Rebellers and more. CD

Two jazz rock classics – back to back as a 2CD set! Solar Plexus was a pivotal album in the career of British jazzman Ian Carr – one that had him really opening up into some trippy, spacey grooves – adding in a lot of keyboards, kicking up the grooves, yet still never losing the strong jazzy finish that was the best part of his earlier work. Players on the set include trumpeters Harry Beckett and Kenny Wheeler, guitarist Chris Spedding, and keyboardist Karl Jekins, who really throws in some groovy lines on the set! Titles include "Elements 1 & 2", "Snakehips Dream", "Torso", "Spirit Level", and "Bedrock Deadlock". Belladonna is one of the heaviest electric sets from UK trumpeter Ian Carr – and that's really saying a lot, given how much heavy work he cut with his group Nucleus! The sound here is a groundbreaking mix of acoustic horns and keyboards – trumpet from Carr, and a mix of tenor, soprano, alto, and flute from Brian Smith – coming into contact with the Fender Rhodes of Dave MacRae and the Hohner electric of Gordon Beck! The pairing of keys is wonderful – and the whole thing is sewn together by the guitar of a young Allan Holdsworth, who's very much in the sway of Carr's sound here, instead of the later directions he'd take as a leader. The set might be worth it alone for the massive "Summer Rain" – a slow funk track that trips along beautifully – but the whole thing's great, and other titles include "Belladonna", "Mayday", "Suspension", and "Hector's House". (Jazz, Rock) CD

A pretty amazing 70s moment from Bob Dylan – a legendary tour that was a bit of a rock and roll circus on wheels – hence, perhaps, the unique name of the tour! Bob's in a very collaborative spirit here – working with famous guests who include Mick Ronson, Joan Baez, Roger McGuinn, Joni Mitchell, Ronee Blakely and Ramblin' Jack Elliott – all in an upbeat mode that surfaced most strongly on some of Dylan's tracks on the Desire album, which was issued during the two legs of the tour. This massive package features 14 CDs – New York city rehearsals, plus live shows in Boston, Cambridge, Montreal, and Worcester – as well as a bonus CD of rare performances. CD

A true classic by Jimi with the original Experience lineup – the third of three straight up masterpiece LPs to comeout in just over a year's time by the group! You could call the leftfield astral effects in the mix experimental if you had to – innovations in the studio with echo, that hallucinatory backwards sound effect and other stranger bits – but the passionate, naturally expressive playing and singing by Jimi makes it all fell just right, and the Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell still don't get enough credit for being at the heart of such greatness. A massive 2LP effort that include s"Voodoo Chile", "Crosstown Traffic", "Electric Ladyland", "Little Miss Strange", "Moon Turn The Tides", "Still Raining Still Dreaming" and "All Along The Watchtower". CD

An album that maybe marked the close of one chapter of The Kinks, and the start of another – music that still holds on to some of the best elements of their late 60s Village Green era, but which also moves the group into some of the headier territory of their Muswell Hill/RCA years too! Ray Davies has never sounded more earnest – still able to pull off wit when needed, but also more down to earth – and because of the massive title hit, the set was also one that put the group in front of the ears or more folks than had been hearing them in previous years. Titles include, of course, the mega-hit "Lola" – plus "This Time Tomorrow", "Apeman", "Strangers", "The Contenders", "Long Way From Home", "Rats", and "Top Of The Pops". LP, Vinyl record album

The full Stiff Records run from Lene Lovich – a singer whose sound and style were perhaps one of the most striking of the new wave generation! In fact, it's tempting to say that Lovich set a tone that countless other female artists would soon follow – a new vibe, a new look, a way of putting over a song that was completely different both from some of the 70s superstars from the middle of the decade, and from some of the harder-edged punk acts of the late 70s. If you know her classic "Lucky Number", you'll know what Lena is bringing to the table – but you'll also discover a heck of a lot more here, in a massive package of 81 tracks in all, 20 of which appear here on CD for the first time ever. The package features the full albums Stateless (in both the original and later mixes), Flex, No Man's Land, and New Toy – plus loads of bonus material from singles, b-sides, remixes, and live recordings too – wrapped up with very detailed notes. CD

The third album from symphonic rock pioneer Mike Oldfield – at this point unable to steer his way out of the engulfing shadow of his massive Tubular Bells album of a couple years earlier – yet still bearing fruit creatively, as Ommadawn is his third excellent and pretty much unprecedented album of layered instrumental mood rock grandeur in a row! It's not only his third album, it's his third 2 part, single piece epic in a row that's woven from acoustic, electric, classic and modern instrumentation – with a choir and and folk instrumentation keeping in something of an earthy realm, even with synthezisers and more otherworldly touches. Influences from Irish folk to African percussion, it's uncompromising, intricate and interesting to this day! This 2010 CD version features new stereo mixes by Oldfield, bonus tracks, and nice booklet of notes. Bonus tracks include "In Dulce Jubilo" and "Portsmouth" (both A-sides of singles), "First Excursion" and Argiers". CD

A massive prog album from the Dutch scene – yet one that never really got much global exposure back in the day, given that the whole thing was issued at a time when most of the rest of the world were interested in punk rock and disco! Don't let the poor timing put you off, though, as these guys move with the sharpness of the best of the Italian scene at the start of the 70s – and have some of the intensity of the hippest groups on the UK scene, a sense of timing that rivals that of Gentle Giant or King Crimson at their best – served up on a core blend of guitars, bass, and drums – with just a bit of guest flute and organ too. Titles include "Door Mekaar", "Ritme 7000", "Drei", "Karrotten", and "Kanon Pittoresk". 2LP reissue features some great bonus material too – including rare improvs, and other titles from the time! LP, Vinyl record album

Long buried live material from Gram Parsons & The Flying Burrito Brothers – captured at the dizzying heights of their cosmic American powers – over a couple shows at San Francisco's Avalon Ballroom in 1969! These were dates opening for the Grateful Dead – and it's from the Dead's massive recorded archives that this material comes – so the sound is really of fine caliber. Gram & the Burritos weren't shy about playing honky tonk standards, and the sets have a number of them, plus classics from the Gilded Palace album and more! The booklet features notes by Pamela Des Barres and Dave Prinz, with loads of photos. Disc 1 features the set from April 4, 1969, Disc 2 with the similar, and maybe a little stronger set from April 6, with bonus home recordings of "Thousand Dollar Wedding" and "When Will I Be Loved" at the end of the first disc. Titles include "Close Up The Honky Tonks", "Dark End Of The Street", medley of "Undo The Right and "Somebody's Back In Town", "She Once Lived Here", "Mental Revenge", "Sin City", "Lucille", "You Win Again", "Hot Burrito #1", "Hot Burrito #2", "Train Song" and more! CD

Wonderful! Shawn Phillips started his career as a shaggy folk rocker with a bit of a jazzy twinge – but this album collects odd bits and pieces that were left off of earlier albums, and works perfectly as a record that shows a whole new side of his genius! The album shows Phillips as a master of the funky jazz groove – and although he's still singing on some of the songs, he also lets loose with a number of instrumental cuts, laid out in a tight well-produced mode that puts them up there with some of the best work coming out on labels like Fantasy or Blue Note during the mid 70s. The centerpiece of these is the massive long cut "We Came To Say Goodbye", which builds and builds over the course of 15 minutes, with cool keyboards, great guitar, and the kind of tightly compressed grooves you'd expect to find on a Headhunters album (no surprise, since Headhunters Mike Clark, Bill Summers, and Paul Jackson are on the cut!) Other instrumental tracks include "Prelude To A Leaving" and "Italian Phases" – and strong vocal numbers include "Parisian Plight 1" and "Your Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

The excellent second album from Pilot, really perfecting the guitars, keyboards and vocals and hooks formula that shot them into the pop consciousness a year or so earlier – probably their best album ever! The first record had the massive hit "Magic" (aka oh, oh, it's. . .) but this record has a few tunes with hooks that are just as sharp. The opener "You're My No 1" is so catchy, we can hardly believe it's not a throwback pop radio staple, and the record has a few of tracks nearly as grand. The vocals & harmonies are better arranged, and the guitars and keyboards are in that great comfort zone between the glam pop of the previous couple years and the new wave pop to come. Somewhat silly bubble gum lyricism, sure, but it's tasty stuff! Other tracks include "January", "Love Is", "Call Me Round", "To You Alone", "Passion Piece", "Dear Artist" and more! 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

A powerful late testament to massive sound and ultimately legend of Rage Against The Machine – with great live recordings and once hard to find tracks from singles and import releases. Includes live versions of "Bullet In The Head", "Settle For Nothing", "Bombtrack", "Freedom", "Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos", "F Tha Police" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A massive discovery of material from the early Rolling Stones – beautifully-recorded performances that were originally done for the BBC – served up here in a double-length set that adds a huge amount of sounds to the start of their catalog! The tracks here date from 1963 to 1965, and really show the group evolving in the space of just a few short years – playing their own music, and great soul and blues numbers too – on shows that include Saturday Club, Blues In Rhythm, Yeah Yeah, and Top Gear. Titles include "Mona", "You Better Move On", "Satisfaction", "Come On", "Cops & Robbers", "The Spider & The Fly", "Roll Over Beethoven", "Cry To Me", "Mercy Mercy", "Around & Around", "Fannie Mae", "You Better Move On", "Route 66", "It's All Over Now", and "The Last Time". Also includes great bonus tracks – "Little By Little", "Ain't That Loving You Baby", "Beautiful Delilah", "Crackin Up", "I Just Want To Make Love To You", "Carol", "If You Need Me", "Confessin The Blues", and "2120 South Michigan Ave". LP, Vinyl record album

Soundgarden's massive breakthrough – and a much-deserved one, too – a great moment for 90s rock! Soundgarden started out in the indie underground, but unlike SO many bands who were mined by the major labels only to find that the mainstream was no place for them, Soundgarden really belonged to the world at large. The BIG sound, heavy riffs and wailing vocals are rock godhood personified, but at their best – as they are on Superunknown – there's an artful integrity that's not to be overlooked. Includes "Let Me Drown", "My Wave", "Fell On Black Days", "Mailman", "Superunknown", "Head Down", "Black Hole Sun", "Spoonman", "Limo Wreck", "The Day I Tried To Live", "Kickstand", "Fresh Tendrils", "4th Of July", "Half", "Like Suicide" and "She Likes Surprises". CD

The first-ever release of a massive body of work – tracks that were penned and recorded by Randy Starr for consideration by Elvis Presley – a huge batch of songs that were presented to The King during his big 60s years as a film star! Six of these cuts ended up on Elvis soundtracks of the time – and many of the rest are numbers that definitely feel right at home with the Presley style of the time – maybe in part because Randy and some of the other singers do a great job of hinting at the way that Elvis might handle them! The tracks have full instrumentation, and feel like indie singles of the period – sung by Randy on most titles, but also with vocal help from Kenny Karen, Malcolm Dodds, and Jerry Keller. The set features 35 titles in all – and tunes include "Adam & Evil", "Polynesian Paradise", "Viva Las Vegas", "Charro", "Come Hell Come Sundown", "Kissin Cousins", "Look Out Broadway", "Datin", "Easy Come Easy Go", "Strange Vibrations", "Handle With Care", "Clambake", and "Wheel Of Love". CD

A massive collection of Tortoise rarities – including work from non-US releases, tour-only EP material, compilation tracks and more – plus the long out-of-print, heavily sought after Rhythms, Resolutions And Clusters remix album – all at a great price! You really couldn't ask for a better collection of errata from the celebrated group. It features some of the best work the collective and individual members (Jeff Parker ('97-present), John Herndon, John McEntire, Doug McCombs, Dan Bitney, David Pajo ('95-'97) and Bundy Brown ('91-'94)) have ever done! Rhythms, Resolutions And Clusters – featuring adventurous re-imaginings by such a diverse roster as Casey Rice, Steve Albini, Brad Wood, Jim O'Rourke and Mike Watt – is possibly the face value boon of the collection given it's known "legendary lost" status, but pretty much everything here is just as tough to find, if not literally impossible! The set contains 3CDs and a DVD, which features most of Tortoise's music videos and extensive rare live performance footage. Frankly, we'd have paid $20 just for a CD single with "Gamera", and that's just the kick off track on disc 1! Other tracks on disc 1 include "Blackbyrd", "Sex For Elizabeth", "To Day Retrieval", "Whitewater", "Autumn Sweater", "A Grape Dope", "Blue Station" and more. Disc 2 includes "Madison Area", "TNT (Nobukazu Takemura remix)", "Why We Fight", "CTA", "Adverse", Cliff Dweller Society" and more. Disc 3 (Rhythms, Resolutions And Clusters) includes the tracks "Alcohall", "Your New Rod", "Cobwebbed", "The Match Incident", "Tin Cans", "Not Quite East Of The Ryan", "Cornpone Brunch" and more. DVD includes the videos for "Salt The Skies", "Dear Grandma And Grandpa", "Seneca", and more, plus live footage from Toronto in '96, the Deutches Jazz Festival in '99, Chic-A-Go-Go in '05 and the Burn To Shine project in '04. CD

Their massive crossover hit – a record that helped set a whole new standard for the AOR sound in the 80s! Includes the singles "Rosanna" and "Africa", plus "Lovers Of The Night", "We Made It", "Make Believe", "Good For You", "I Won't Hold You Back", "It's A Feeling", and "Waiting For Your Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Delicate dissonance, bruised beauty, and hazy noise pop – all in one of the best rock albums ever made – the amazing first album from the Velvet Underground and Nico! The album's the stuff of legend – and for good reason, too – a surprising slab of vinyl that barely set the world on its ear when first issued back in the mid 60s – yet a record that's gone onto have an influence felt for decades to come – arguably one of the most important rock records of all time. There's a really sinister edge to the record, even when things are sweet – and the range of subject matter and handling here is brilliant – from the dream pop slice of heaven "Sunday Morning", the melodic bitterness of "Femme Fatale", the massive White Light-esque freakout "European Son", and the sublime "Heroin" – quite possibly the inspiration for generations of drug use to come. The whole thing's a classic – with wonderful vocals from both Nico and Lou Reed – and titles include "Venus In Furs", "Run Run Run", "Black Angel's Death Song", "I'll Be Your Mirror", and "All Tomorrow's Parties". CD

Delicate dissonance, bruised beauty, and hazy noise pop – all in one of the best rock albums ever made – the amazing first album from the Velvet Underground and Nico! The album's the stuff of legend – and for good reason, too – a surprising slab of vinyl that barely set the world on its ear when first issued back in the mid 60s – yet a record that's gone onto have an influence felt for decades to come – arguably one of the most important rock records of all time. There's a really sinister edge to the record, even when things are sweet – and the range of subject matter and handling here is brilliant – from the dream pop slice of heaven "Sunday Morning", the melodic bitterness of "Femme Fatale", the massive White Light-esque freakout "European Son", and the sublime "Heroin" – quite possibly the inspiration for generations of drug use to come. The whole thing's a classic – with wonderful vocals from both Nico and Lou Reed – and titles include "Venus In Furs", "Run Run Run", "Black Angel's Death Song", "I'll Be Your Mirror", and "All Tomorrow's Parties". LP, Vinyl record album

The soundtrack for one of the most popular John Hughes films of the 80s, and the soundtrack for a generation as well – a mix of songs that were partly pulled from other sources, but which went on to make the idea of a compilation soundtrack every bit as important as a full original film score! The set kicks off with the massive hit "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds – the virtual theme of the film – then moves through tunes that include "Fire In The Twilight" by Wang Chung, "Waiting" by Elizabeth Daily, "We Are Not Alone" by Karla DeVito, "Didn't I Tell You" by Joyce Kennedy, and "Heart Too Hot To Hold" by Jesse Johnson & Stephanie Spruill. And the set also features a few instrumentals – "I'm The Dude", "Dream Montage", "The Reggae", and "Love Theme". (Soundtracks, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Don't know "toytown"? We didn't know the reference either, until we heard this totally wonderful set – and it turns out that the word is a great way to describe a unique moment in British music – one that mixes together whimsical psych, playful pop, and a whole host of groovy moments from artists familiar and obscure – woven together here in a massive collection that's filled with stunning surprises all the way through! The initial impulse is to collect cuts that have a slight nostalgia for childhood and innocence – but as with so much British music of the time, that also means that there's plenty of dark currents and spooky surprises along the way – a not-so-innocent quality in many tracks that really keeps things interesting and on edge all the way through! Yet rather than describe the music to death, we just invite you to dive in and swim through the 87 wonderful tracks in the package – work by a variety of artists that includes David Bowie, Timon, Astronaut Alan & the Planets, Idle Race, Wimple Winch, World Of Oz, The Herd, Fire, Jason Quest, Mark Wirtz, The Tots, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Good Time Losers, The Syn, Majority One, Clifford T Ward, Fire, Jigsaw, Kenny Everett, Simon Dupree, Tomorrow, David Matthews, The Riot Squad, Keith West, and a huge amount of other great acts too – all presented in full detail with the great booklet of notes that comes with the package. CD

A massive tribute to this groundbreaking, genre-busting label – a short-lived imprint on Island Records that was put together by Brian Eno in the mid 70s – all to showcase some of the best new experiments in avant classical and minimalist music! There's a special sort of quality to these records – work that maybe has a bit more "heart" than some of the colder, more academic work of the period – even in comparison to some of the other records issued by some of these artists – warmer and more personal than the productions of Cramps or CRI, for example – and always seeming to have that special sort of sonic brilliance that Eno brought to his own music of the time! The label only issued ten full records, but that makes for a very unified vibe for the entire catalog – which is collected here with a huge booklet of notes inside the box set. Albums include The Sinking Of The Titanic by Gavin Bryars, Voices & Instrumentals by Jan Steele & John Cage, Irma by Tom Phillips, Pavilion Of Dreams by Harold Budd, Decay Music by Michael Nyman, Discreet Music by Brian Eno, New & Rediscovered Musical Instruments by Max Eastley & David Toop, Music From The Penguin Cafe by Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Machine Music by John White & Gavin Bryars, and Ensemble Pieces by Christopher Hobbs, John Adams, & Gavin Bryars. (Out Sound, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

The first-ever massive look at the female pop legacy of UK genius producer Joe Meek – a studio talent maybe best known for his work with instrumental groups, but one who also created some real magic with girl singers too! Joe's ear for twangy guitars, offbeat sounds, and otherworldly echo really works wonders here – as he takes more familiar styles of tunes and really gives them a great spin – bringing out some of the best quality in the female singers, many of whom never really cracked the charts that strongly in the 60s – and certainly never sounded as great as in the hands of Joe Meek! The package offers up very detailed notes on the singers, the songs, and Mee's special approach to the music – and the 3CD set features 88 tracks in all, with work from Valerie Masters, Lea & Chess, The Halos, Gunilla Thorn, Eve Boswell, Yolanda, Carol Jones, Pat Reader, Flip & The Dateliners, Diane & The Javelins, Glenda Collins, and others – including some unknown singers, and a number of unissued tracks too! CD

Dig French pop from the 60s? Here's a way to dig even deeper – as this great little collection is filled with rare gems that go past the classics in your collection by Serge Gainsbourg, France Gall, and Jane Birkin! Most of the material here is work that we'd never have come across otherwise – and the package definitely lives up to the "groove" promised in its title – as the work is upbeat, and blends together yeh yeh 60s modes with other mod styles, and even some touches of funk and psych from time to time! There's a massive amount of work here – 22 rare tracks in all – and titles include "Bye Bye City" by Le Coeur, "Flower Power" and "Georgie Girl" by Les Hamsters, "Dee Duck" by Maraton, "Une Petite Fille" by L'Empreinte, "Bye, Bye Brighton" by Epta, "Nevada" by Les Rotomagus, "Crazy Mister Badge" by Mister Badge, "Monsieur Cyber" by Les Chimeriennes, "Luimere Et Paix" by Pax Quartet, "Vous" by Michel Pagliaro, "Vivre D'Amour Et De Musique" by France, and "Un Rayon De Soleil Est Entre Dans Mon Lit" by Les Parisiennes. (French, Rock) CD

Incredible music from the key cultural year of 1966 – all hand-selected by the mighty Jon Savage! From punk to soul to plenty of places in between, when Savage has something to say we're always more than willing to listen – and this time around he really opens up our ears with a double-length collection of 48 tracks all recorded during a single year, each of which represents a key cultural shift at the time! The package isn't hits from the charts, or underground psych – and instead brings together smoking instrumentals, rare soul, proto-punk, trippy folk, and lots more – some familiar tracks, a few classics, and lots more obscure gems – all nestled together at a level that may well rewrite your understanding of the 60s. Forget the summer of love, because 1966 is the year when lots more happened – as Savage outlines in his massive track selection and great notes for the package. Titles include "Love At Psychedelic Velocity" by The Human Expression, "The Spy" by The Guys From Uncle, "Night Time" by The Strangeloves, "Nothing Comes Easy" by Sandie Shaw, "Greetings" by The Monitors, "I'll Be Your Mirror" by The Velvet Underground, "One Of These Days" by The Rooster, "You Better Believe It Baby" by Joe Tex, "7 & 7 Is" by Love, "Do You Come Here Often" by The Tornados, "Love's Gone Bad" by Chris Clark, "In The Past" by We The People, "One Hour Cleaners" by The Blue Things, "Foolish Woman" by Oxford Circle, "Hang On To A Dream" by Tim Hardin, "Batman" by Link Wray, "You Keep Me Hangin On" by The Supremes, "I'm A Boy" by The Who, "Come On Back" by Paul & Ritchie, and lots lots more! CD

One of the most awe-inspiring Nuggets sets yet – a massive ode to the late 60s San Francisco scene – a wide, wide breadth of amazing singles from a disparate selection of acts – bound by a 120-page hardcover, richly illustrated book! Love Is The Song We Sing isn't at all the lumbering box of hippie nostalgia you might be expecting – it's weighted very heavily in leftfield obscurities, out numbering the big hits by at least 10-to-1 – with harshly buzzing tunes, groovy psychedelia, and topical folk tunes alike. The book is full of great photos, in buoyant color and stately black & white, with notes on each individual track, an essay & track commentary by Alec Palao, a piece by early Rolling Stone figurehead Ben Fong Torres, and an additional piece by Gene Sculatti. This is one of the best Rhino boxes we've ever seen, and that's saying something, isn't it – with amazing songs by Dino Valente, Country Joe & The Fish, Blue Cheer, Sly Stone, Ace Of Cups, Count Five, Moby Grape, Beau Brummels, Flamin' Groovies and many more! Disc one "Seismic Rumbles" includes "Let's Get Together" by Dino Valente, "You Were On My Mind" by We Five, "Number One" by Charlatans, "Can't Come Down" by Warlocks, "She's My Baby" by Mojo Men, "Human Monkey" by Frantics and loads more. Disc 2 "Suburbia" includes "Psychotic Reaction" by Count Five, "Foolish Woman" by Oxford Circle, "Rubiyat" by Immediate Family, "Hearts To Cry" by Frumious Bandersnatch and more. Disc 3 "Summer Of Love" includes "Carl Street" by Mystery Trend, "Superbird" by Country Joe & The Fish, "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane, "Summertime Blues" by Blue Cheer, "Underdog" by Sly & The Family Stone, "Loading Zone" by Bells and lots more. Disc 4 "The Man Can't Bust Our Music" includes "Evil Ways" by Santana, "Revolution" by Mother Earth, "I'm Drowning" by Flamin' Groovies, "Dark Star" (single version) by Grateful Dead, "Get Together" by The Youngbloods and more. 77 tracks on 4CDs! CD

A huge batch of Peruvian rock from the late 60s & early 70s – some hard driving and garagey, others more soulful or more psychedelic – fantastic stuff from groups like Los Incognitos, Los Texao, Madera Fresca, Free Love System and Opus! The groups work in a number of global rock influences, and they pull it all off very well, with excellent drumming and guitars on most tunes, and keys. Excellent stuff from the fertile Peruvian scene! A massive set of 21 tracks: "La Pelea Del Gobernador", "Stone" and more by Los Texao, "Un Paseo Por El Recuerdo", "Correteando Anoranzas" and more by Free Love System, "Ya Sera Tarde" , "Siempre Te Recordare" and more by Los Incognitos, "Amy Time" and "La Lenta Que Apura" by Madera Fresca, "Va Y Bien" by Opus and more. CD

The legendary Chess Records is best known as a home to important blues, soul, and gospel records from the postwar years – but back in the 50s, the label also did a pretty great job with the harder side of the rock and roll spectrum too! Maybe that's no surprise, given that the Chess Brothers always had a great ear for new and unusual music – to a point where they sometimes issued work that wasn't recorded in their Chicago studios, which is the case with a fair bit of the cuts on this collection – many of which hail from points farther south, from territory that was bristling with new energy from rockabilly pioneers at the time! There's a few more familiar Chess artists mixed in here with more obscure artists who only issued singles for the label – and the massive 33 track package comes with very detailed notes on all the tracks within. Titles include "Run Rose" by Billy Miranda, Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" by Don & Bob, "The Story Of My Life" by Big Al Downing, "So Long Goodbye" by JC Hill, "Baby Bye Bye" by Dickie & The Gees, "Make Believe Wedding Bells" by Dick Glasser, "I Found My Girl" by The Kents, "6:15" by The Galaxies, "I Am Ready" by Bobby Dean, "See You Soon Baboon" by Dale Hawkins, "No More" by Bobby Charles, and That's All You Gotta Do" by Jack Ford. CD

One of best set's yet on Tucson, AZ's Cicadelic label – deep diggers of obscure regional psych sounds – this one collecting rumbling late 60s singles by TX combos Carrols Mood, The Nomads, The Rebellers, Smoke, and The Remaining Few! It covers the years '66-'68 – a really creative period when the Brit Invasion and folk rock stuff that was popular around the globe was morphing into nascent psychedelia. Regional US groups on the coasts were making it big, but so many regional acts were just as great and never really got a shot at massive popularity. Here's a great document of what was happening down in Texas! Includes "What You're Doing To Me" and Out She Goes" (unreleased mixes) by Carrols Mood, "I'll Be There", "Three O'Clock Merrian" (several takes) and a really wild cover of "My Little Red Book" all by The Nomads, "Mainstream" by Smoke, "Mystical Bells" by The Sights And Sounds, "The New Generation" (previously unreleased mix) by The Rebellers and more. CD

Way more than just another look at the music of this legendary group – as the huge package brings together a wealth of rare material, including 36 tracks that appear here for the first time ever – all wrapped up in a beautiful package with a huge set of notes, photographs, and other information too! Erin Osmon serves up a massive oral history of the group, worth the price of the box alone – and there's also interviews and discographical information too – far more than you usually get with a box set of this nature. But honestly, the real charm is all the great unreleased material, added to the too-small catalog of the group's work from these classic years – Titles that include "I'll Never Break Away From This Heart Of Mine", "I Love You Honey Give Me A Bear", "Live It Up (Giorgio Moroder demo)", "Will Anything Happen (inst)", "Spaghetti Song (Atomic part 2)", "Once I Had A Love (Mike Chapman demo)", "Denis (Terry Ellis mix)", "Underground Girl", "Call Me (Chris Stein mix)", "Hardest Part (home tape)", "Theme From Topkapi (home tape)", "Mr Sightseer", "Ring Of Fire (home tape)", "Tide Is High (demo)", and "Susie & Jeffrey". 3CD set features 52 tracks in all – including some great material from are singles and early work too! CD

The hazy, hook-heavy debut of Blur! The group's next couple of records would prove to be so influential, it's all too easy to overlook Leisure's strengths nowadays despite the massive popularity of the biggest singles at the time, but it's a real gem – setting a mood as strongly as anything to come! Leisure personifies the moment in Britpop very strongly, like a heavier sounding Stone Roses, but the fuzz-drenched guitar sound here is pretty unique – especially on tunes like "Slow Down" and "Repetition" – more indicative of 60s psych, while hinting at the more ambitious Blur to come. Includes the great early singles "She's So High" and "There's No Other Way", plus "Bad Day", "Sing", "Come Together", "High Cool", "Wear Me Down" and more. (Cassettes, Rock) Cassette

Massive lost work from the Butterfield Blues Band – recorded in 1964, quite early in the group's career – but a set that already has them hitting hard with a really powerful sound! The recording quality and overall sound is nice and rough – a gritty groove that's more closely linked with the Chicago roots of the group than some of their later recordings – and the harmonica work of Paul Butterfield is really amazing – nicely distorted at times, almost in a fuzzy psych way – and matched by some excellent work on guitar from both Elvin Bishop and Mike Bloomfield – the latter of whom also handles Hammond and piano too. Titles include "Nut Popper 1", "Lovin Cup", "Our Love Is Driftin", "Take Me Back Baby", "Help Me", "Just To Be With You", "Everything's Gonna Be Alright", and "Goin Down Slow". CD

The third album from Alice Cooper and perhaps the first great one – starting the 70s sleaze show win streak with the massive "I'm Eighteen" and an LP full of great, gritty and grimy rock and roll. Bob Ezrin's producing for the first time, and if the songs and the whole show isn't yet as menacingly theatrical as it would get to be in the following couple of years, the angry anthemic vibe is here and it's heavy! Other tracks include "Caught In A Dream", "Hallowed Be My Name", "Black Juju", "Is It My Body", "Second Coming", "Ballad Of Dwight Fry" and "Sun Arise". CD

The third album from Alice Cooper and perhaps the first great one – starting the 70s sleaze show win streak with the massive "I'm Eighteen" and an LP full of great, gritty and grimy rock and roll. Bob Ezrin's producing for the first time, and if the songs and the whole show isn't yet as menacingly theatrical as it would get to be in the following couple of years, the angry anthemic vibe is here and it's heavy! Other tracks include "Caught In A Dream", "Hallowed Be My Name", "Black Juju", "Is It My Body", "Second Coming", "Ballad Of Dwight Fry" and "Sun Arise". CD

One of the most important early records by Elvis Costello – and maybe one of a small handful that we'd deem completely essential out of his massive catalog over the decades! Elvis and The Attractions are in perfect form here – coming across with all the biting energy of the punk generation, but not punk at all – and instead finding a way to open the door to a global audience, especially American, that some of his contemporaries weren't able to reach at the time – thanks to some incredible songs that even Elvis might not have thought would go on to become pop and rock standards over the years! Titles include "This Year's Girl", "Hand In Hand", "Chelsea", "Lip Service", "Little Triggers", "Pump It Up", "No Action", "Lipstick Vogue", and "Living In Paradise". US version also includes "Radio Radio" and "Big Tears". CD

A massive amount of work from the Dream Academy – a well-named British trio who gave the world some great sounds over the course of three full LPs and a heck of a lot of singles – all of which are included here with a huge amount of bonus tracks too! The group have a style that's similar to some of the other UK pop groups of the time, but expanded out around the edges with almost a cinematic sensibility – one that makes you feel as if they're working with much larger backings at points, even though they're just making the most of the digital equipment at their fingertips to spin out a rich sound that really enforces the catchiness of their lyrics. 7CD set features the full albums The Dream Academy, Remembrance Days, and A Different Kind Of Weather on the first three CDs. CD4 features additional material that didn't make the albums – including the tracks "The Chosen Few", "The Demonstration", "Sunrising", and "In The Heart". CD5 features rare b-sides and demos – including "Poised On The Edge Of Forever", "Test Tape No 3", and "Things We Said Today". CD6 features instrumental cuts – and CD7 features remixes and variants from singles! CD

A fantastic set from Aynsley Dunbar – the drummer who's worked famously with a number of other key artists on both the US and UK scenes – but an artist who always seems to bring something special to the mix when he is a leader! Aynsley's pictured on the cover behind a massive set of drums – which he brings to good use here, but in ways that are balanced out with contributions from a really great group of top-shelf British artists from other groups – including the great Paul Williams, whose raspy vocals really bring a lot to the record – alongside Tommy Eyre on organ, Ivan Zagni and Roger Sutton on guitars, Peter Friedberg on tenor, and Edward Reay Smith on trombone – the last two of whom bring some nicely soulful touches to the set. Titles include "Willing To Fight", "Willie The Pimp", "It's Your Turn", "The Days I Most Remember", and "Going Home". LP, Vinyl record album

Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera weren't the biggest group on the British scene of the late 60s, but they were certainly one of the coolest – as you'll hear on this massive collection that brings together all their key work of the time! First up is the self-titled debut album – stunner of a set from a group who should have been huge – especially given the sharpness and wit of this debut album! Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera bring together all the best strands of up and coming Brit rock of the time – a bit of psych undercut with some bluesy elements, marked by a moddish smirk that really keeps the whole thing punched-up throughout – no overindulgence, no easy mark for a hit – just a very individual sensibility that few of the group's underground contemporaries could match! These guys come across with all the personality of The Who in Happy Jack/Magic Bus years – and have a similar use and distance of trippy elements of the time – almost tongue in cheek, but just because they find a way to shift between them and straighter rock so easily. Songs are all great, and really well-written – and apart from a version of Oscar Brown Jr's "I Was Cool", the set features original material that includes "Mother Writes", "Mary Jane", "Flames", "Lookin For A Happy Life", and "Walter Sly Meets Bill Bailey". Next is the group's second album Ride A Hustler's Dream – a set that maybe has the group bringing in more blues influences to the music at times, but mostly as a way to let both the guitar work and vocals get even fuller and strongly expressed – which means that when the psychedelic elements come into the mix, there's an even more powerful vibe than on their debut album too! Titles include "Black Jack Davy", "Ride A Hustler's Dream", "Honey By", "Anna Dance Square", "Depression", "Warm Day In July", and the very cool "Raga" – and a great remake of "Eleanor Rigby". 3CD set features the debut album in a rare promo-only mono mix, plus 34 bonus tracks that include "There's A Hole In My Pocket", "She Keeps Giving Me These Feelings", "The Painter", "And I Remember", "Talk Of The Devil", "Dreamy", "Volcano", "A Quick B", and lots more – including singles and BBC tracks too! CD

A surprisingly rich anthology – given that the group Five Day Rain issued no music at all during their short time in existence! Yet the creation of some white label promo records for the group's own use led to their rediscovery many years later – at a time when maybe the world was ready to hear their tuneful blending of psychedelic, harmonic, and hard rock modes – first forged in the group Iron Prophet, and served up as Five Day Rain with an expanded lineup who also were issuing music on singles as Studd Pump too! Yet it's the core work by Five Day here that's wonderful – music that is already pretty amazing in the raw, stripped-down form of the white label record's material – and which makes us wonder what would have happened if they'd ever gotten full treatment by a label like Vertigo or Harvest. This massive 2CD set features the best surviving versions of the white label LP tracks, plus unissued material, demos, and other rare material – including their Studd Pump single as well. Titles include "Good Year", "Leave It At That", "Fallout", "Marie's A Woman", "Too Much Of Nothing", "Don't Be Misled", "Sea Song", "Reason Why", "Antonia", "The Boy", "Wanna Make Love To You", "Dartboard", "Do Don't Worry", "Miss Elizabeth", "Floating", "Spare The Children", and even a version of "Sunny". CD