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Really important early live work from The Doors – a performance at the legendary Matrix club in San Francisco – and one of the first concert recordings ever done of the group! The set wasn't originally part of their legacy with Elektra Records, but has become rehoused as a key part of their catalog at the label – a really burning performance that effortlessly mixes blues inspirations, psych inclinations, and that very special quality that the band was forging right from the start! As with other unearthed Matrix recordings – which seem to show up more and more as the years go on – the whole thing is a key window into not just a moment in the group, but a moment in the scene as well – even though, reportedly, the concerts were very under-attended at the time. This triple-length package brings together the entire five nights of recording, with lots of unissued material – including surprising versions of jazz tunes "Bag's Groove" and "All Blues" – plus never-heard versions of "Summer's Almost Gone", "When The Music's Over", "My Eyes Have Seen You", "Alabama Song", "Break On Through", and "Moonlight Drive". CD

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

About as classic as you can get for the great Eddie Cochran – Cochran at his prime – that post-country, pre-pop sound that has Eddie drawing on a lot of southern roots, but really giving the music a raw focus – with that sound that went onto make him a huge influence for years to come – through mod scenes, punk years, and beyond! Great mono package from 1971 – with 30 tracks in all! LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Shorty Ashford, Billy Nix, Bobby Sisco, Chuck Dallis, Harry Carter, Chuck Dallis, Ginnie Carter, Rem Wall, Lorenzo Smith, Mel Kimbrough, Bob Burton, and more. CD

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

The birth of a legend – a smoking double-length collection of early work from Paul Butterfield and his Blues Band – a group that forever changed the sound of rock in the 70s, thanks to the way in which they really pushed their blues influences into great new territory for the psych and harder rock crowd! Butterfield was the real deal, right from the start – a young kid playing in Chicago blues bars on the south side, which gave him plenty of experience by the time he banded together with the key musicians who'd help him forge his groove – Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop, both masters of guitar whose work alongside Butterfield's vocals and harmonica really helped the music cook. Other players come into the mix along the way too, including the great Nick Gravenites – and the group sometimes add in more horns to further expand the soulful sound of their music. Titles include "Look Over Yonder's Wall", "Walkin Blues", "East West", "Spoonful", "One More Mile", "Mary Mary", "Born In Chicago", "Love March", "Last Hope's Gone", and "One More Heartbeat". CD

Music from Sammy Masters, Jack King, Wayland Chandler, Arkie Shibley, Carl Belew, Tommy Scott, the Maddox Brothers, and Eddie Miller – 30 tracks total. CD

A landmark leaping-off point for The Beatles – and a record that really paved the way for countless new ideas to come! The mix of catchy pop and freer ideas here is really wonderful – tunes that introduce a whole new mature world in mainstream music – yet manage to have all the catchy complexity of the earlier years too. Production, songwriting, and delivery is superb – and this version features 14 songs that include "Drive My Car", "Norwegian Wood", "Nowhere Man", "Think For Yourself", "The Word", "What Goes On", "Girl", "I'm Looking Through You", and "Run For Your Life"". LP, Vinyl record album

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

Patti Smith's first album and one of greatest rock albums of the 70s! Pure, driving passion powers Patti as profoundly as it ever would here on Horses. The musicianship is famously top notch, too, making for one of those amazing moments in rock when a great voice – not just a great sounding singer, but uniquely visionary presence ultimately proves to be more forceful than the players. Produced by John Cale, with great guitar from Lenny Kaye – and titles that include "Gloria", "Redondo Beach", "Birdland", "Free Money", "Kimberly", and "Land". Includes the bonus track "My Generation". CD

A set that steps out with a Curtis Mayfield reference in the title, but which goes into much heavier territory all – black rock, often mixed with a bit of funk, in the best tradition of some of the Hendrix-inspired groups who rose up at the start of the 70s! If you know the trippy psychedelic style of Merda, you'll get part of the vibe here – but as usual with Numero, the span is much wider-ranging overall – and the label's done a great job of uncovering a range of obscure African-American acts from the 70s who were firmly committed to the headier, heavier, fuzzier, freakier side of the spectrum! Titles include "I Can't Believe" by Flying Wedge, "Sweet Poison" by Iron Force, "Message To Planet Earth" by Solid Gold, "Ringing Bells (part 2)" by The Young Senators, "Rolling Love (part 2)" by Three Days Ahead, "It's A Dream" by Little Ed & The Soundmasters Band, "Funky Music" by The Basement, and "Chrystal Illusion" by Creative Unlimited. (Funky Compilations, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album