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(Cassettes, Rock) Cassette

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First up is Can't Stand The Rezillos – a record with guitars fast and hard enough to almost be late 70s punk rock, but which often comes off with a more playful, whimsical new wave sort of approach! Tracks are short and hook-heavy – produced by Bob Clearmountain with that razor-edged quality he brought to his best work of the time – and the trading off of lead vocals between Fay Fife and Eugene Reynolds makes the record hang nicely in a space between Blondie and The Ramones! Titles include "Flying Saucer Attach", "No", "Top Of The Pops", "2000 AD", "It Gets Me", "Glad All Over", and "Cold Wars". Next is Mission Accomplished – a fierce little live set from The Rezillos – one that comes as quite a surprise, since the group had only issued one studio set before – but a great choice overall, as the live setting really seems to set them on fire! Things here are harder, faster, and sharper than on their debut – with more punk speed and energy in the guitars, even if the songs themselves are more in a power pop mode – as tuneful as they are quick-moving! The concert was actually the group's last – recorded at a time when they'd announced a breakup – and that maybe gives the whole thing an urgency that was missing before, and which really makes us wish they'd kept recording. Titles include "Top Of The Pops"," Mystery Action", "Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonite", "Thunderbirds Are Go", "No", "Teenbeat", "Ballroom Blitz", "Destination Venus", and "Culture Shock". CD

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A rare lost gem from the Boston scene of the early 80s – and a set whose "Din" features work from members of Mission Of Burma! Dan Ireton is Dredd Foole, and has a raw, moody way of putting over the vocals – strongly in the American post-punk tradition of the time, with a mode that's a nice link to some of the more experimental work on the Ohio scene – and a perfect fit with the dark instrumentation on the set – filled with plenty of lead guitar by Clint Conley, who's bringing his best MoB modes to the set – alongside organs and more guitar from Roger Miller, bass from Martin Swope, and drums from Peter Prescott. Titles include "Sanctuary", "Behind You", "Greatest Band In Hell", and "So Tough". PLUS, this reissue adds in rare bonus material – a version of "Sister Ray" from the album sessions – and live tracks "When I Was Young" and "So Tough", and a great take on Pere Ubu's "Final Solution". Also features a hidden bonus track – a cover of The Stooges "We Will Fall". CD

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

Elton back when he was genius, and unlike anyone else – with titles that include "Ballad Of A Well Known Gun", "Son Of Your Father","Burn Down The Mission", "Love Song", and "Where To Now St Peter". CD

Elton back when he was genius, and unlike anyone else – with titles that include "Ballad Of A Well Known Gun", "Son Of Your Father", "Burn Down The Mission", "Love Song", and "Where To Now St Peter". LP, Vinyl record album

A full on funky set from French maestro Sauveur Mallia – a record that mixes his own work on bass, keyboards, electronics, and samples with some slight touches over the top on trumpet, trombone, and saxophone too! The style is definitely a lot more 80s than some of Mallia's 70s work – plenty of the more compressed elements you'd know from film scores of the time, and electric drum rhythms and basslines – all popping and percolating in different ways from track to track! The set's credited to the group Swing Family, but it's clear that the whole thing is mostly Mallia's own work – on titles that include "Gentleman & Musician", "Film Action", "Episode Double", "Musical Stars", "Music Force", "Mission Africa", and "Greewich Boulevard". (Sound Library, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

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

There's a 4AD-styled image on the cover – and the set looks at a moment in late 80s music when things were nicely swirling together – when production was getting a bit more layered and sophisticated from a few years before – yet not in a way that was overly polished or commercial! Instead, the style represented a new level of sonic sophistication – ways of taking core sounds and spinning them out with greater depth – which made for some really wonderful textures and shapes in the music – pushing things forward in ways that helped the vocals a lot too! The title references a few styles of the time, but there's plenty more going on within – a huge array of work on a special book-style, 4CD package that comes complete with loads of detailed notes on the music. Dozens of tracks in all – work by Ultra Vivid Scene, This Mortal Coil, Shelleyan Orphan, The Chameleons, Louis Philippe, Cranes, Breathless, Kitchens Of Distinction, The Wake, Lush, His Name Is Alive, Lycia, The Sweetest Ache, Smashing Orange, Sweet Jesus, Cranberries, Telescopes, Innocence Mission, Mazzy Star, St Etienne, Low, Dubstar, Pale Saints, and many others. CD

A wild set of work from the Swedish scene of the 70s – work that's all inspired by a spiritual current in the artists, but which comes across with a vibe that you really wouldn't expect! It might be the shift in language – the Swedish lyrics mean that most of us can't understand the religious message of the vocals – but there's also a freewheeling sense of style going on too – including plenty of the funky currents that you'd find in Godspell or Jesus Christ Superstar – upbeat, lively, and stepping out with a really positive vibe! The instrumentation is great – a blend rock, soul, funk, and jazz – often in the same cut at once – and the whole thing is wonderfully groovy – filled with work we never would have heard otherwise, by artists who include Tomas Ernvik, Sabandet, Tillsammans, Mobilen, The Vergers, Mission Possible, Sanggruppen Liv, Obadja, Ingegerd, Humlans Funkykappe, and many others! (Funky Compilations, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

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

The second chapter of the underground Boston legacy of Dredd Foole & The Din – a strong stretch of material from a time when Dredd was working with the Volcano Suns! Early Din-related material had Mission Of Burma providing the instrumentation – and the shift here to Volcano Suns makes for music that's maybe a bit more in tune with the American underground of the mid 80s – that shift away from punk that made the Suns' own recordings so crucial, and which saw some of this material released during the glory days of Homestead Records! The package features two full albums – Eat My Dust Cleanse My Soul and Take Off Your Skin – both reissued here for the first time – plus lots of live material, recorded both at The Rat in Boston, and at CBGB – plus some rare studio material too – all in a package that has detailed notes, new mixing, and a total of 40 tracks in all. Titles include "No Gun", "I'm Crying", "Not The Same", "People Are Strange", "Paralyzed", "Criminal", "Greatest Band In Hell", "Shoulda Known Better", "So Strange", "I Can't Stand It", "Sonic Web Theme", "Not A Beast", "Slack", and "Put Down". CD

A Jerry Garcia solo album, but one with a fair bit of help from the Grateful Dead as well – as the group play on album half the album's tracks! Some of the music still has that slinky vibe of solo Garcia – and a number of tracks are warmed up by Fender Rhodes from Larry Knechtel – but there's also that fuller spirit that the Dead can bring to the music, yet delivered in a way that's nicely laidback compared to some of their own records. A nice meeting at the crossroads – with titles that include "They Love Each Other", "Catfish John", "Comes A Time", "It Must Have Been The Roses", "Might As Well", and "Mission In The Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You", "Simple Twist Of Fate", "The Harder They Come", "Gomorrah", "Love In The Afternoon", and "Mission In The Rain". CD

A wonderful early record from Elton John – recorded live in the studio, and with a freer, more open vibe than some of his other albums! The approach is wonderful – and really showcases that sort of special spirit that Elton was creating with the group – but at a grittier level that maybe even ties the whole sound even more strongly to his American inspirations. Titles include a very long version of "Burn Down The Mission" – plus "Bad Side Of The Moon", "Take Me To The Pilot", "Sixty Years On", "Can I Put You On", and "Honky Tonk Women". CD

Music from Willie Alexander, the Real Kids, the Cars, Unnatral Axe, Human Sexual Response, the Maps, Mission Of Burma, the Lyres, Neats, the Thrills and more. CD

Elton back when he was genius, and unlike anyone else – with titles that include "Ballad Of A Well Known Gun", "Son Of Your Father", "Burn Down The Mission", "Love Song", and "Where To Now St Peter". Bonus disc includes previously unreleased material, demos, an alternate version of "Madman Across The Water", and BBC sessions. CD

Elton back when he was genius, and unlike anyone else – with titles that include "Ballad Of A Well Known Gun", "Son Of Your Father","Burn Down The Mission", "Love Song", and "Where To Now St Peter". CD

Genius early work from Kris Kristofferson – four great albums in a single package, with SACD mastering too! First up is The Silver Tongued Devil & I – a masterful tribute to the genius of Kris Kristofferson, and a record that perfectly illustrates that unique place he held in music at the start of the 70s! The album's Kris' second, and has maybe a more unified vibe than his debut – filled with original material that has that open, honest quality that Kristofferson brought to country music – and which also had a surprisingly strong impact on mainstream rock and singer/songwriter material too! There's both a frankness of feeling and sharpness of wit that make the whole thing wonderful – and the album's overflowing with original gems that include "Jody & The Kid", "Billy Dee", "Loving Her Was Easier", "The Taker", "When I Loved Her", "The Pilgrim Chapter 33" and "Epitaph" – plus a great reading of the Bobby Bare/Billy Joe Shaver tune "Good Christian Soldier". Border Lord is a wonderful album, and one that's full of lesser-known gems from Kris Kristofferson – from a time when he'd started sharing his songs with other singers first, and started to hold back all the good stuff for himself! The album's got help from some country music studio greats, but it's clearly Kristofferson's show, right from the start – overflowing with tunes that get delivery from Kris that nobody else can match – with a special understanding of the choice of words, balance of wit, and depth of feeling that makes him so great on record. Titles include "Burden Of Freedom", "Border Lord", "When She's Wrong", "Kiss The World Goodbye", "Getting By High & Strange", "Somebody Nobody Knows", and "Josie". Jesus Was A Capricorn is one of those records in which Kris Kristofferson takes on the 70s, and comes up with a sound and style that's completely his own – even when working within the mainstream of the time! His label, Monument, could do plenty of hokey stuff – and even arranger Bill Justis wasn't always the hippest of cats – nor producer Fred Foster. Yet working here, they all rise to the occasion under the majesty of the man's music – a soaring batch of original tunes, of that special sort that Kris was always keeping to himself after his early years writing hits for others. Titles include "Why Me", "Give It Time To Be Tender", "It Sure Was Love", "Nobody Wins", "Enough For You", and the title cut "Jesus Was A Capricorn", owed to John Prine! Spooky Lady's Sideshow is a record that has Kris Kristofferson loosening up his mix of styles slightly, almost a nod back to his debut – but all in a way that only seems to bring an even greater range of feeling to his songwriting! Kristofferson maybe looks a bit more casual and laidback on the cover than some previous sets, but he's still got all the sharpness of delivery that makes him so great, and which really matches his magical words – on titles that include "Broken Freedom Song", "Star Spangled Bummer", "Smile At Me Again", "I May Smoke Too Much", "Stairway To The Bottom", and "Rescue Mission". (Folk/Country, Rock) CD

Crazy stuff – and a very fitting compilation of tracks designed to accompany the excellent Songs In The Key of Z book by Irwin Chusid. Chusid's book looks at the history of "outsider music" in the US – the odd fringes of the underground, where conventional expectations about music are thrown away in the mad vision of adventurous artists with a mission to create and express as never before. There's a few familiar names on here, but there's a lot more wild stuff that we've never ever heard before – and although the styles are a real mixup, the tracks are all united by their uniqueness and by Chusid's thoughtful production of the package. Titles include "Walking On The Moon" by Lucia Pamela, "Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere" by Peter Grudzien, "Virgin Child Of The Universe" by Song-Poem, "In Canada" by BJ Snowden, "Cousin Mosquito #1" by Congresswoman Malinda Jackson Parker, "At The Grass Roots" by Sri Darwin Gross, and "They Told Me I Was A Fool" by Jandek. 20 tracks in all. CD

A beautiful little album of sweet late 60s easy – originally recorded by British producer Mike Hurts for Phase 4 at the end of the 60s, but never issued until now! The set has a really warm and glowing sort of groove – one that's a fair bit more dynamic than most of the rest of the Phase 4 sets, with evocative qualities that almost push the record more into the soundtrack side of the spectrum. Hurst's arrangements of the tunes are often quite driving, but never too dramatic – and although the set's an orchestral one, there's a great sense of pacing, timing, and rhythm to all the numbers. Titles include "April Fools", "Cool", "Sound Of Silence", "Wednesday's Child", "Good Vibrations", "Image", "Mission Impossible", and "Theme From The Wild Ones". (Now Sound, Rock) CD

A wonderful early record from Elton John – recorded live in the studio, and with a freer, more open vibe than some of his other albums! The approach is wonderful – and really showcases that sort of special spirit that Elton was creating with the group – but at a grittier level that maybe even ties the whole sound even more strongly to his American inspirations. Titles include a very long version of "Burn Down The Mission" – plus "Bad Side Of The Moon", "Take Me To The Pilot", "Sixty Years On", "Can I Put You On", and "Honky Tonk Women". LP, Vinyl record album

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... LP, Vinyl record album

Super-heavy live work from the Baker Gurvitz Army – stepping out here with even more power than on some of their studio material of the time! The drums of Ginger Baker are worth the price of admission alone, but all aspects of the performance here are top shelf – the vocals of Steve Parsons have a great range, and soar nicely in harmonies with other members from time to time – often given an extra glide from the keyboard work of Peter Lemer. The set features seven tracks from a live performance at Reading in 1975 – long takes of "Freedom", "Memory Lane", "Wotever It Is", and "The Gambler" – plus four more bonus tracks, recorded the same year at the Victoria Theater in London! CD

A double-helping of Chuck Berry brilliance from his early years on Chess Records – music that always has way way more to offer than you might think! Sure, some of Chuck's hits are very familiar – and sure, the man could later be a bit of a parody of himself – but there's no denying the power of this early material, and the revolutionary way Chuck had of playing guitar – rooted in blues, paving the way to rock, and also opening the door to lots more funky soul in years to come! The guitar work alone is worth the price of admission, but the songs and vocals are wonderful too – and the CD features 26 titles that include "Down The Road A Piece", "Mad Lad", "Sweet Little Rock & Roller", "Anthony Boy", "Little Queenie", "Oh Baby Doll", "Confessin The Blues", "Almost Grown", "Jo Jo Gunne", "Wee Wee Hours", "Too Much Monkey Business", and "Brown Eyed Handsome Man". (Soul, Rock) CD

A bit of David Byrne from the best years of the Talking Heads – tunes commissioned by Twyla Tharp for an offbeat piece of dance entitled The Catherine Wheel. A few of the tracks are vocals, and feature some of Byrne's most compelling lyrics from the time – and others are instrumentals, filled with guitar and prophet, and coming up with lots of dark rhythmic sounds that lie somewhere in the territory of experimental work at the time by Brian Eno, Jon Hassell, Adrian Belew, and other mainstream avant rockers. Titles include "His Wife Refused", "Two Soldiers", "Red House", "My Big Hands", "Big Business", and "What A Day That Was". LP, Vinyl record album

Standout early work from the mighty Esquerita – an artist you might initially write off as a Little Richard copycat, but one who also delivers a whole lot more in the end! The groove here is rough R&B, inflected with a touch of early soul – and the piano lines are worth the price of admission, played at a level that goes back to early New Orleans roots, but with more 50s bluesy currents – often alongside some tenor and guitar that rival the best instrumentation you'd find on indie singles at the time from King and Atlantic – quite a surprise for the normally-pop Capitol Records. And the vocals are something else, too – certainly with a soaring, screaming range – but also just wonderful when they're more down to earth, and in the groove. Titles include "Hey, Miss Lucy", "Why Did It Take You So Long", "She Left Me Cryin'", "Get Back Baby", "I Need You", "Maybe Baby", and "I'm Battie Over Hattie". (Soul, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A bit of old, and a bit of new – and includes some great live material on the second half, including the extended "By Kind Permission Of" and "Dharma For One" – and the great "Christmas Song". Other titles include "Bouree", "Song For Jeffrey", "Love Story", "Wondering Again", "Up The Pool", "From Later", and "Nursie". LP, Vinyl record album

The only real full length document ever issued by the Sex Pistols – an album that came out almost as the group was falling apart – yet one that's still gone on to have a hell of a place in rock and roll history! There's no denying the power of these songs, even all these many years later – and together, this mix of important singles and key album cuts offers up a bleak picture of modern life that still resonates pretty darn strongly all these many years later! The whole thing's great, and as instrumentally intense as its lyrics – with classics that include "Holidays In The Sun", "Bodies", "Anarchy In The UK", "No Feelings", "Problems", "Pretty Vacant", "God Save The Queen", "New York", "EMI", "Liar", "Submission", and "Seventeen". LP, Vinyl record album

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

Norwegian jazz rock trio featuring Emil Storlkeen Ase on guitar, Jenny Froysa on baritone sax, and August Glannestrand on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

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

Key club cuts from the second generation of the industrial scene – that 80s moment when the music moved from the noisy, experimental territory of the Throbbing Gristle underground to a more mainstream world where the previous sonic breakthroughs were mixed with beats and lyrics to create some surprisingly danceable tracks! Here in Chicago, we had Wax Trax to thank us for introducing us to lots of this music – but on the other side of the Atlantic, some of these groups were getting plenty of play both on radio and in nite spots – using darker beats and basslines to surprisingly great effect. The package is maybe worth it alone for "Yon Yonson" by the Dave Howard Singers – a cut we thought nobody in the world remembered – and the 3CD package features 44 titles in all, with work from Attrition, Meat Beat Manifesto, A:Grumh, Lead Into Gold, Nocturnal Emissions, Test Dept, SPK, Front 242, Renegade Soundwave, Severed Heads, Age Of Chance, Laibach, Neon Judgement, The Weathermen, Section 25, Die Krupps, MAD, Legendary Pink Dots, Son Of Sam, Esplendor Geometrico, Hunting Lodge, Borghesia, Alein Sex Fiend, and others! CD

Easily one of Donovan's most successful albums – but also a brilliant blend of folk and jazz that forged a bold new sound in the 60s! Part of the strength of the set comes from arranger John Cameron – an artist that we love for his jazz and easy work of the late 60s, and who's working here with players that include British jazzmen Phil Seamen, Tony Carr, Ronnie Ross, and Harold McNair! The instrumental component of the album alone is worth the price of admission – as Cameron gently blends together moddish and trippy styles, alongside some folksier vocals and guitar from Donovan. But it's also Donovan's own extrapolation of styles of the time that really makes the album a masterpiece – a strange post-folk mode of expression that's almost a British counterpart to the genius of Simon & Garfunkel, but which is arguably darker and more intellectual. Apart from classic hits like "Museum" and "Mellow Yellow", the album also features some moodier brilliance on tracks that include "The Observation", "Hampstead Incident", "Sunny South Kensington", "Writer In The Sun", "Sand & Foam", and "House Of Jansch". LP, Vinyl record album

Soulful city pop from the end of the 70s – a record that features the unique vocal stylings of Ginji Ito next to these really groovy, surprisingly jazzy arrangements – which also include some work from Ryuichi Sakamoto! The instrumentation alone is worth the price of admission – with a great mix of percussion and tight drum work next to keyboards, guitar, and some great work on sax and flute from Kazuo Takahaski. Sakamoto plays keys, lyrics are in Japanese, and titles include "Sweet Daddy", "King Kong", "Deadly Drive", "I'm Telling You Now", and "Hobo's Lullaby". (Japanese, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A sprawling 5CD box set of benchmark 80s indie pop from the UK – chronologically sequenced (for the most part) from the beginning to the end of the decade – with so many brilliant songs both straight-up classic and others that are relatively forgotten! Incredible stuff from the post punk guitar years, to dreamier and more psych steeped sounds, to the dancier grooves late in the decade that laid the groundwork for the 90s. Classics and early singles by Prefab Sprout, TV Personalities, Everything But The Girl, Pulp, Biff Bang Pow!, Primal Scream, The Wedding Present, The Soup Dragons, House Of Love, The Shamen, The Rosehips, Pop Will Eat Itself, The Wonder Stuff, The Stone Roses, Inspiral Carpets, James, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Lloyd Cole & The Commotion, The Darling Buds, The Boo Radleys and many, many more! More than 130 tracks in all – with a thick booklet of notes! Kind of like a Nuggets for the indie 80s British scenes! SO many great songs, but to name a few: "Revolutionary Spirit" by Wild Swans, "The Missionary" by Josef K, "Lions In The Garden" by Prefab Sprout, "A Picture Of Dorian Gray (Live)" by TV Personalities, "Just Like Honey (demo October '84)" by Jesus & Mary Chain, "Oblivious" by Aztec Camera, "Velocity Girl" by Primal Scream, "Go Out And Get 'Em, Boy" by The Wedding Present, "If I Said" by The Darling Buds, "Son Of A Gun (demo)" by The LAs, "The Hardest Thing In The World" by Stone Roses, "Catweazle" by The Boo Radleys and many, many more! CD

A really stunning set from Il Balletto Di Bronzo – a group who clearly have the instrumental chops to take off in a proggish way, but really keep things interesting here by staying in a grittier, more straightforward groove! The power of the drums and guitars is wonderful – almost funk rock at times, but with a slight bit more drama – which may well come from the dynamic lyrics sung in Italian! There's a focus and a punch to the record that really makes it stand out from the rest of the Italian scene at the time – a no-nonsense quality that seems more influenced by the American underground than some of the Anglo influences that were guiding most of the other groups. Were the set in English, and recorded on the Sunset Strip in 1968, it would have become a worldwide classic – yet the obscurity is what makes the album even more charming – a rich discovery all these many years later. Titles include "Neve Calda", "Girotondo", "Incantesimo", "Missione Sirio 2222", "Un Posto", and "Eh Eh Ah Ah". CD

A super tripped-out blend of rock, funk, and soul – easily one of Buddy Miles' most mindblowing albums – and a classic that never lets up at all! Buddy's leading the whole group on drums – really kicking things large from behind the kit – while the rest of the group jams in a heavy style that's got plenty of fuzzed-out guitar and jazzy horn riffs – virtually a blueprint for countless other rock funk groups that copped Buddy's style in years to come. The drums alone are worth the price of admission – but the whole album's so right, tight, and outta sight that it's been a favorite in our crates for years! Titles include "Train", "Let Your Lovelight Shine", "Don't Mess With Cupid", "Funky Mule", and "Wrap It Up". (Soul, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

The only real full length document ever issued by the Sex Pistols – an album that came out almost as the group was falling apart – yet one that's still gone on to have a hell of a place in rock and roll history! There's no denying the power of these songs, even all these many years later – and together, this mix of important singles and key album cuts offers up a bleak picture of modern life that still resonates pretty darn strongly all these many years later! The whole thing's great, and as instrumentally intense as its lyrics – with classics that include "Holidays In The Sun", "Bodies", "Anarchy In The UK", "No Feelings", "Problems", "Pretty Vacant", "God Save The Queen", "New York", "EMI", "Liar", "Submission", and "Seventeen". 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