There really wasn't anything exactly like Jane's Addiction on a major label in their late 80s, very early 90s prime – and this first of 2 classic Warner albums from that early peak stand the test of time. Nothing's Shocking, then and now, is a strange mix of psychedelia and hard rock, weird enough to earn fans from the artier indie and college radio underbelly, and reach more mainstream hard rock fan – which really paved the way for 90s rock in ways they might not get enough credit for these days. The sound doesn't really get old, either. Includes the classic "Jane Says", plus "Idiots Rule", "Mountain Song", "Summertime Rolls", "Ted Just Admit It", and "Had A Dad". CD

Jefferson Airplane's first live album – capturing them at a late 60s peak, at the Fillmores East and West – stretching things out nicely onstage and featuring a bunch of cool covers! Even though Jefferson Airplane has always been a symbol for freewheeling hippie excess, the album versions of so many of their benchmark tunes are pretty concise – but they get a nice workout in the live setting, without it ever getting too far out – and with those killer group harmonies in place. Includes "3/5 Of A Mile In 10 Seconds", "Fat Angel", "Somebody To Love", "It's No Secret", "Plastic Fantastic Lover", "Bear Melt" and more. CD

Jefferson Airplane's first live album – capturing them at a late 60s peak, at the Fillmores East and West – stretching things out nicely onstage and featuring a bunch of cool covers! Even though Jefferson Airplane has always been a symbol for freewheeling hippie excess, the album versions of so many of their benchmark tunes are pretty concise – but they get a nice workout in the live setting, without it ever getting too far out – and with those killer group harmonies in place. Includes "3/5 Of A Mile In 10 Seconds", "Fat Angel", "Somebody To Love", "It's No Secret", "Plastic Fantastic Lover", "Bear Melt" and more. CD

A classic run of records from Waylon Jennings – brought together in a single package! First up is Lonesome Onry & Mean – a pivotal album for Waylon Jennings – the record where he really found the new direction that would finally get him the fame he deserved – delivered in a way that's free from all the later cliches, and which also ties Waylon pretty strongly to the hipper currents of the underground – especially that point where singer/songwriter genius intersected with country! The production is his own, and vastly different than the late 60s records – even though we love those to death too – and that magical Jennings vocal approach does fantastic things to tunes by Steve Young, Mickey Newbury, Kris Kristofferson, and others! Titles include the fantastic "Lonesome Onry & Mean", plus "Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues", "Freedom To Stay", "Lay It Down", "You Can Have Her", "Pretend I Never Happened", "San Francisco Mabel Joy", "Sandy Sends Her Best", and a great take on "Me &Bobby McGee". Honky Tonk Heroes is genius material from Waylon Jennings – one of those career-defining records from the early 70s that completely put him on top, and heralded a whole new generation in country music! The set's maybe equally noteworthy as a showcase for the up-and-coming Billy Joe Shaver, who wrote much of the songs on the record – and it's also a great showcase for the important production talents of Tompall Glaser, who really gets the spirit of the music right! Titles include great versions of "Honky Tonk Heroes", "Old Five & Dimers Like Me", "Ride Me Down Easy", "Black Rose", "Willy The Wandering Gypsy & Me", "Omaha", and "Ain't No God In Mexico". This Time is one of those Waylon Jennings records from a time when he could do no wrong – fighting the stronger powers at RCA to really find his voice – recording at the studio of Tompall Glaser, with great production help from Willie Nelson – who was enjoying his own transformation at the time too! As with the previous two gems from this period, the choice of material and presentation is great – songs by Willie, JJ Cale, and Billy Joe Shavers – in a set of titles that include "Heaven Or Hell", "It's Not Supposed To Be That Way", "This Time", "Pick Up The Tempo", "If You Could Touch Her At All", "Walkin", "Slow Rollin Low", "Louisiana Woman", and "Slow Movin Outlaw". Ramblin Man is Waylon Jennings at peak mid 70s perfection! Ramblin' Man fits in stylistically with the gruff honky tonk hero mode he first fully realized a couple albums earlier, but he's still fiercely blazing trails here, pairing his gruff lead vocals with sweeter female harmonies on some tracks, changing the groove from laidback swagger to fast-paced honky tonk, working in some tender ballads with the gruffer numbers...Waylon at his best. Starts up with the eternal title track and equally classic "Rainy Day Woman" and hardly lets up in greatness from there, with "Cloudy Days", "The Hunger", "It'll Be Her", a great cover of the Allman Brothers' "Midnight Rider", "Memories Of You And Me", "Amanda" and more. Features bonus tracks too – "Laid Back Country Picker", "The Last One To Leave Seattle", "Big Big Love", "Got A Lot Going For Me", "The Last Letter", and "The One I Sing My Love Songs To". (Folk/Country, Rock) CD

Led Zeppelin at peak power – mixing hard rock bombast with deep, genuine love for blues and folk guitars! Houses Of The Holy is the essential the blueprint for countless imitators to come – but it's also got smarts, subtleties and creative ambitious that's just plain lost on the watered wannabes that floated up in Zeppelin's wake. Titles include "The Crunge", "Over The Hills & Far Away", "The Song Remains The Same", "The Rain Song", "Dancing Days", "Dyer Maker", "No Quarter", and "The Ocean". CD

Led Zeppelin at peak power – mixing hard rock bombast with deep, genuine love for blues and folk guitars! Houses Of The Holy is the essential the blueprint for countless imitators to come – but it's also got smarts, subtleties and creative ambitious that's just plain lost on the watered wannabes that floated up in Zeppelin's wake. Titles include "The Crunge", "Over The Hills & Far Away", "The Song Remains The Same", "The Rain Song", "Dancing Days", "Dyer Maker", "No Quarter", and "The Ocean". LP, Vinyl record album

Led Zeppelin at peak power – mixing hard rock bombast with deep, genuine love for blues and folk guitars! Houses Of The Holy is the essential the blueprint for countless imitators to come – but it's also got smarts, subtleties and creative ambitious that's just plain lost on the watered wannabes that floated up in Zeppelin's wake. Titles include "The Crunge", "Over The Hills & Far Away", "The Song Remains The Same", "The Rain Song", "Dancing Days", "Dyer Maker", "No Quarter", and "The Ocean". LP, Vinyl record album

Led Zeppelin at peak power – mixing hard rock bombast with deep, genuine love for blues and folk guitars! Houses Of The Holy is the essential the blueprint for countless imitators to come – but it's also got smarts, subtleties and creative ambitious that's just plain lost on the watered wannabes that floated up in Zeppelin's wake. Titles include "The Crunge", "Over The Hills & Far Away", "The Song Remains The Same", "The Rain Song", "Dancing Days", "Dyer Maker", "No Quarter", and "The Ocean". CD

Led Zeppelin at peak power – mixing hard rock bombast with deep, genuine love for blues and folk guitars! Houses Of The Holy is the essential the blueprint for countless imitators to come – but it's also got smarts, subtleties and creative ambitious that's just plain lost on the watered wannabes that floated up in Zeppelin's wake. Titles include "The Crunge", "Over The Hills & Far Away", "The Song Remains The Same", "The Rain Song", "Dancing Days", "Dyer Maker", "No Quarter", and "The Ocean". CD

Led Zeppelin at peak power – mixing hard rock bombast with deep, genuine love for blues and folk guitars! Houses Of The Holy is the essential the blueprint for countless imitators to come – but it's also got smarts, subtleties and creative ambitious that's just plain lost on the watered wannabes that floated up in Zeppelin's wake. This super deluxe box set includes a wealth of bonus material and a 80-page hardbound book, plus art print! Titles include "The Crunge", "Over The Hills & Far Away", "The Song Remains The Same", "The Rain Song", "Dancing Days", "Dyer Maker", "No Quarter", and "The Ocean". LP, Vinyl record album

Mazzy Star's second album and first for Capitol, one of those rare, wonderful moments in the early 90s when a band that had been bubbling just under the popular radar hooked up with a major label and managed to hit both a popular and creative peak! This one really hasn't aged a day since it came out. The songwriting pair of guitarist David Roback and Hope Sandoval – the former transcending pop psych influences as far back as the early 80s in The Rain Parade, the latter with one of the most hauntingly beautiful voices in rock at the time – put together their best, moodiest effort. Includes the breakout hit "Fade Into You", a cool cover of Arthur Lee & Love's then recent "Five String Serenade", "Blue Light", "She's My Baby", "Wasted", "Into Dust", "So Tonight That I Might See", "Mary Of Silence", "Unreflected" and "Bells Ring". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time – a pioneering blast of mid 80s thrash from Metallica at an early peak! Say what you will about Metallica's later career triumphs and failures, there's no overstating how huge their impact was on metal and hard rock early on, and their best few records are incredible to this day. This may well be they're very best album – the culmination of a couple years of slow-building word-of-mouth reputation-building for genre work that can't be praised highly enough. One metal classic after another: "Fight Fire With Fire", "Ride The Lightning", "For Whom The Bell Tolls", "Fade To Black", "Trapped Under Ice", "Escape", "Creeping Death" and "The Call Of Ktulu". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time – a pioneering blast of mid 80s thrash from Metallica at an early peak! Say what you will about Metallica's later career triumphs and failures, there's no overstating how huge their impact was on metal and hard rock early on, and their best few records are incredible to this day. This may well be they're very best album – the culmination of a couple years of slow-building word-of-mouth reputation-building for genre work that can't be praised highly enough. One metal classic after another: "Fight Fire With Fire", "Ride The Lightning", "For Whom The Bell Tolls", "Fade To Black", "Trapped Under Ice", "Escape", "Creeping Death" and "The Call Of Ktulu". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time – a pioneering blast of mid 80s thrash from Metallica at an early peak! Say what you will about Metallica's later career triumphs and failures, there's no overstating how huge their impact was on metal and hard rock early on, and their best few records are incredible to this day. This may well be they're very best album – the culmination of a couple years of slow-building word-of-mouth reputation-building for genre work that can't be praised highly enough. One metal classic after another: "Fight Fire With Fire", "Ride The Lightning", "For Whom The Bell Tolls", "Fade To Black", "Trapped Under Ice", "Escape", "Creeping Death" and "The Call Of Ktulu". CD

The second full length set from The Monkees – a record that was issued at a time when global interest in the group was at an early peak, and when the group were able to deliver way more than just the "More" promised in the title! All the vocal performances here are top shelf – that careful blend of pop catchiness and deeper feeling that made the group such a sly act over the years – a depth that's sometimes overshadowed by their initial reputation as a packaged pop product – but which is certainly evident over the years, especially with repeated plays of a treasure like this! The album's overflowing with gems – including "She", "Your Auntie Grizelda", "Steppin Stone", "Mary Mary", "Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow", "The Day We Fall In Love", "Laugh", and "Sometime In The Morning". LP, Vinyl record album

Motorhead tearing it up in the early 80s and arguably hitting their absolute peak – the final album with the classic trio lineup of Lemmy, Fast Eddie Clarke and Philthy Animal Taylor – capping off one of the most trailblazing periods for any band in rock & roll history! Iron Fist is as unrelenting and stubbornly gruff as the preceding Overkill and Ace Of Spades LPs, a loud and clear statement that this band was committed in full to the sound they created. Includes "Iron Fist", "Hert Of Stone", "I'm The Doctor", "Loser", "Shut It Down", "Speedfreak", "(Don't Need) Religion", "Bang To Rights" and more. CD

A big, lush and moody set of standards by the great Harry Nilsson – with Harry's charismatic, unrivaled vocals in peak form – and add just a little touch of the oddball touches he was most famous for to that point! At this point in the early 70s, probably the least hip thing a singer could do would be to hire a a grand pop composer and an orchestra to record a set of standards, but ever the vocal trailblazer, that's what Harry did and it works magically. Gordon Jenkins conducted, and titles include Nilsson's takes on "Lazy Moon", "For Me And My Gal", "It Had To Be You", "This Is All I Ask", "As Time Goes By" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the great earlier solo records from Iggy – capping off the 70s here with a bang! New Values finds Iggy a real peak point for edgy, yet accessible songwriting – a talent he no doubt honed in the preceding few years of working with David Bowie. The production is great here, too – with the rugged guitar and bugged out vocals you'd expect from Iggy, but with some cool little synthesizer touches here and there, that actually sound fresh to this day – as opposed to new wave-y. We value this one as highly as just about any Iggy Pop album. Includes "Tell Me A Story", "New Values", the classic "I'm Bored", "Five Foot One", "Angel", "The Endless Sea", "Don't Look Down", "African Man", "Billy Is A Runaway" and more. CD

The incredible later masterpiece from Lou Reed – still one of the great rock records of the early 80s and a real late peak for Lou! It's an electric guitars and straight forward songcraft focused set, with Lou in an accessible, but still edgy mode. The intense commitment to his vocals are as chilling as they'd been in years, too. Titles include "My House", "Underneath The Bottle", "Average Guy", "The Heroine", "Heavenly Arms", "The Day John Kennedy Died", and "The Blue Mask". LP, Vinyl record album

Lou Reed at his mid 70s live peak! Volumes have already been and will continue to be written about Lou's output in the 70s, and rightly so. This set is particularly amazing in that it follows the artful highpoint/financial failure that is Berlin – so Lou is doing the rock & roll star thing here, kinda given the people what they want in a way. What's so amazing here is that it doesn't feel like a cash-in, it's crazy good and geniunely passionate stuff! The blazing guitars don't hurt, nor does the fact the the set is heavy with Velvets-era faves. Includes "Intro/Sweet Jane", "Heroin", "White Light/White Heat", "Lady Day" and "Rock N' Roll". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice later noise pop moment in REM's canon, bringing some electric fuzz to the forefront after the soaring, anthemic alt folk of Automatic For The People! Monster might've been a bit divisive at the time, and maybe it still is after all these years, but it holds up better than a lot of their later work, with catchy vocals sailing over reverb-y guitars. REM changed courses a lot over the years, but this might be one of the their latest daring twists, especially coming out at right after the most popular peak. Includes "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?", "Crush With Eyeliner", "Star 69", "I Don't Sleep, I Dream", "Strange Currencies" and more. (Cassettes, Rock) Cassette

A nice later noise pop moment in REM's canon, bringing some electric fuzz to the forefront after the soaring, anthemic alt folk of Automatic For The People! Monster might've been a bit divisive at the time, and maybe it still is after all these years, but it holds up better than a lot of their later work, with catchy vocals sailing over reverb-y guitars. REM changed courses a lot over the years, but this might be one of the their latest daring twists, especially coming out at right after the most popular peak. Includes "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?", "Crush With Eyeliner", "Star 69", "I Don't Sleep, I Dream", "Strange Currencies" and more. CD

A nice later noise pop moment in REM's canon, bringing some electric fuzz to the forefront after the soaring, anthemic alt folk of Automatic For The People! Monster might've been a bit divisive at the time, and maybe it still is after all these years, but it holds up better than a lot of their later work, with catchy vocals sailing over reverb-y guitars. REM changed courses a lot over the years, but this might be one of the their latest daring twists, especially coming out at right after the most popular peak. Includes "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?", "Crush With Eyeliner", "Star 69", "I Don't Sleep, I Dream", "Strange Currencies" and more. CD

Essentially early Stones! 12 X 5 is The Rolling Stones at a very early, hard grooving peak, way back in '64. It's ground breaking stuff, in they they truly pave the way for so much of the soul, blues and R&B loving Anglos to come out of the Brit and US scenes in the months and years to come. It's a covers-heavy set, given that they were just beginning to do doing original material at this early point – and the tracks include the Jagger/Richards penned "Good Times, Bad Times", "Congradulations" and "Grown Up Wrong" – plus "Time Is On My Side", "Around And Around", "2120 South Michigan Avenue", "Susie Q" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A great live Santana set, recorded in Japan in '73 and never released on vinyl in the US! The band here is at their peak, and this set features a nice large lineup that includes Tom Coster, Richard Kermode, Doug Rauch, Armando Peraza, Jose Chepito Areas and Michael Shreve, plus Leon Thomas on vocals! Some tracks show the clear influence of Miles' electric jazz recordings from the same period, while others have a hardcore Latin percussion base, and as you can imagine there's no shortage of full on guitar pyrotechnics and jamming on all the band members' parts. Most of the group's tracks that have entered classic status are here, but the moments that shine the brightest are the lesser known numbers and extended passages where the group really gets into the groove! Includes "A 1 Funk", "Gypsy Queen", "Oye Como Va", "Yours Is The Light", "Batuka", "Xibaba", 'Waiting", "Free Angela", "Samba De Sausalito", "Mantra", "Kyoto", "Incident At Neshabur" and "Toussaint L'Overture". CD

The great debut of Townes Van Zandt! On the level of pure songwriting, it's masterful – Townes was pretty much in peak form on that front even on the debut! The record is at it's best when it's at it's most intimate – simply letting his voice and acoustic guitar carry everything. There's some fairly adventurous production by Jack Clement & Jim Malloy, though – a bit out of character for Townes at his slightly later, more stripped down and iconic – but that's actually something we appreciate a lot more than we used to. Like the big budget studio recordings of Van Zandt's songs as covered by others, it goes to show just how sturdy and adaptable his songs are in different settings. Classic! Includes "For The Sake Of The Song", "Tecumseh Valley", "Many A Fine Lady", "Quick Silver Dadreams Of Maria", "I'll Be There In The Morning", "Sad Cinderella", "All Your Young Servants", "Sixteen Summers, Fifteen Falls" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Tom Waits's follow-up to Rain Dogs – and a batch of songs that do double duty as a straight-up, stand alone record from his wild years at Island Records – and also as the musical accompaniment to a play he co-wrote with wife Kathleen Brennan! (As Chicagoans, we have a special fondness for that side of the project, since the play premiered here with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company.) It's a prime batch of Waits songcraft from this most amazing creative peak period – with the trademark gritty, howled vocals, primal drums, pre-rock horns. Titles include "More Than Rain", "Way Down In The Hole", "Straight To The Top", "Telephone Call From Istanbul", "Train Song", "Cold Cold Ground", "I'll Be Gone", "Yesterday Is Here", "Blow Wind Blow", and "Hang On St Christopher". CD

Tom Waits's follow-up to Rain Dogs – and a batch of songs that do double duty as a straight-up, stand alone record from his wild years at Island Records – and also as the musical accompaniment to a play he co-wrote with wife Kathleen Brennan! (As Chicagoans, we have a special fondness for that side of the project, since the play premiered here with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company.) It's a prime batch of Waits songcraft from this most amazing creative peak period – with the trademark gritty, howled vocals, primal drums, pre-rock horns. Titles include "More Than Rain", "Way Down In The Hole", "Straight To The Top", "Telephone Call From Istanbul", "Train Song", "Cold Cold Ground", "I'll Be Gone", "Yesterday Is Here", "Blow Wind Blow", and "Hang On St Christopher". LP, Vinyl record album

Tom Waits's follow-up to Rain Dogs – and a batch of songs that do double duty as a straight-up, stand alone record from his wild years at Island Records – and also as the musical accompaniment to a play he co-wrote with wife Kathleen Brennan! (As Chicagoans, we have a special fondness for that side of the project, since the play premiered here with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company.) It's a prime batch of Waits songcraft from this most amazing creative peak period – with the trademark gritty, howled vocals, primal drums, pre-rock horns. Titles include "More Than Rain", "Way Down In The Hole", "Straight To The Top", "Telephone Call From Istanbul", "Train Song", "Cold Cold Ground", "I'll Be Gone", "Yesterday Is Here", "Blow Wind Blow", and "Hang On St Christopher". LP, Vinyl record album

The great early double album from Tom Waits! This is peak Asylum era Waits, getting into that charismatic, drunken bluesy poet mode – essentially working live in the studio with a small audience , giving it a genuine sounding latenight cabaret vibe, and embracing his wit and style as brilliantly as he'd done to this point. Brilliant vintage Waits and a loose, yet nicely rhythmic backing combo. Titles include "Better Off Without A Wife", "Emotional Weather Report", "On A Foggy Night", "Eggs & Sausage", "Spare Parts", "Big Joe & Phantom 309", and "Putnam County". CD

The great early double album from Tom Waits! This is peak Asylum era Waits, getting into that charismatic, drunken bluesy poet mode – essentially working live in the studio with a small audience , giving it a genuine sounding latenight cabaret vibe, and embracing his wit and style as brilliantly as he'd done to this point. Brilliant vintage Waits and a loose, yet nicely rhythmic backing combo. Titles include "Better Off Without A Wife", "Emotional Weather Report", "On A Foggy Night", "Eggs & Sausage", "Spare Parts", "Big Joe & Phantom 309", and "Putnam County". LP, Vinyl record album

The great early double album from Tom Waits! This is peak Asylum era Waits, getting into that charismatic, drunken bluesy poet mode – essentially working live in the studio with a small audience , giving it a genuine sounding latenight cabaret vibe, and embracing his wit and style as brilliantly as he'd done to this point. Brilliant vintage Waits and a loose, yet nicely rhythmic backing combo. Titles include "Better Off Without A Wife", "Emotional Weather Report", "On A Foggy Night", "Eggs & Sausage", "Spare Parts", "Big Joe & Phantom 309", and "Putnam County". CD

One of the greatest albums from Tom Waits's peak years at Island – carrying on with the clattering, defiantly vintage-sounding instrumentation – especially given the obsessively modern production aesthetic on most major label albums in the mid 80s. This album also just so happens to feature at least a few of the best songs Waits ever wrote! Rain Dogs follows Swordfishtrombones, his first really drastic step into eccentrically gritty songs – and this one carries on that vibe, while also delivering some gritty ballads and a less out-there songs, too. Includes the much-loved (and deservedly so) "Downtown Train", "Singapore", "Clap Hands", "Tango Till They're Sore", "Hang Down Your Head", "Time", "Rain Dogs", "Gun Street Girl", "Walking Spanish" LP, Vinyl record album

A record we'd never part with – and easily our favorite album ever from The Who! Quadrophenia represents the group at its peak from all perspectives – songwriting, performance, and even studio presence – as the album's got a sonic sensibility that few other albums of the time can match! The set's a concept record – a story, like Tommy – yet it remains incredibly lean, without any overcluttered rock opera feel – so much so that most tunes stand mightily on their own, but also have a dense sense of texture when taken together as part of the double-length album. And we'll also say that the record's one of the few extended sets we always end up breezing through from start to finish – almost surprised by the time it comes to a close – and often hitting repeat to hear the whole thing over again! Titles include "I Am The Sea", "The Real Me", "Cut My Hair", "The Punk & The Godfather", "Sea & Sand", "5:15", "Bell Boy", "Love Rein O'Er Me", and "Is It In My Head". CD

A record we'd never part with – and easily our favorite album ever from The Who! Quadrophenia represents the group at its peak from all perspectives – songwriting, performance, and even studio presence – as the album's got a sonic sensibility that few other albums of the time can match! The set's a concept record – a story, like Tommy – yet it remains incredibly lean, without any overcluttered rock opera feel – so much so that most tunes stand mightily on their own, but also have a dense sense of texture when taken together as part of the double-length album. And we'll also say that the record's one of the few extended sets we always end up breezing through from start to finish – almost surprised by the time it comes to a close – and often hitting repeat to hear the whole thing over again! Titles include "I Am The Sea", "The Real Me", "Cut My Hair", "The Punk & The Godfather", "Sea & Sand", "5:15", "Bell Boy", "Love Rein O'Er Me", and "Is It In My Head". CD

A record we'd never part with – and easily our favorite album ever from The Who! Quadrophenia represents the group at its peak from all perspectives – songwriting, performance, and even studio presence – as the album's got a sonic sensibility that few other albums of the time can match! The set's a concept record – a story, like Tommy – yet it remains incredibly lean, without any overcluttered rock opera feel – so much so that most tunes stand mightily on their own, but also have a dense sense of texture when taken together as part of the double-length album. And we'll also say that the record's one of the few extended sets we always end up breezing through from start to finish – almost surprised by the time it comes to a close – and often hitting repeat to hear the whole thing over again! Titles include "I Am The Sea", "The Real Me", "Cut My Hair", "The Punk & The Godfather", "Sea & Sand", "5:15", "Bell Boy", "Love Rein O'Er Me", and "Is It In My Head". LP, Vinyl record album

A record we'd never part with – and easily our favorite album ever from The Who! Quadrophenia represents the group at its peak from all perspectives – songwriting, performance, and even studio presence – as the album's got a sonic sensibility that few other albums of the time can match! The set's a concept record – a story, like Tommy – yet it remains incredibly lean, without any overcluttered rock opera feel – so much so that most tunes stand mightily on their own, but also have a dense sense of texture when taken together as part of the double-length album. And we'll also say that the record's one of the few extended sets we always end up breezing through from start to finish – almost surprised by the time it comes to a close – and often hitting repeat to hear the whole thing over again! Titles include "I Am The Sea", "The Real Me", "Cut My Hair", "The Punk & The Godfather", "Sea & Sand", "5:15", "Bell Boy", "Love Rein O'Er Me", and "Is It In My Head". CD

A record we'd never part with – and easily our favorite album ever from The Who! Quadrophenia represents the group at its peak from all perspectives – songwriting, performance, and even studio presence – as the album's got a sonic sensibility that few other albums of the time can match! The set's a concept record – a story, like Tommy – yet it remains incredibly lean, without any overcluttered rock opera feel – so much so that most tunes stand mightily on their own, but also have a dense sense of texture when taken together as part of the double-length album. And we'll also say that the record's one of the few extended sets we always end up breezing through from start to finish – almost surprised by the time it comes to a close – and often hitting repeat to hear the whole thing over again! Titles include "I Am The Sea", "The Real Me", "Cut My Hair", "The Punk & The Godfather", "Sea & Sand", "5:15", "Bell Boy", "Love Rein O'Er Me", and "Is It In My Head". CD

Wilco's incredible Kicking Television live album – from a rock band that defies convention and cliche – so who else to make one of the best, most interesting and adventurous live albums of the decade! The group was arguably at its live peak in the mid aughts, when Kicking Television was recorded in a residency at their hometown Chicago's Vic Theatre in May of '05. CD

The best in years from the enduring, still evolving avant rock treasure Wilco! Over the years, and especially in later ones, Jeff Tweedy and company have become much more adept at blending their poetic, acoustic country rock tendencies with art rock textures – as opposed to trading both in fits and starts. We loved their early post-Uncle Tupelo country rock efforts, loved their at the time stunning efforts to leave "alt country" behind on Summerteeth and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and after all these years, with strong core line-up of Tweedy, John Stirratt, Glenn Kotche, Mikael Jorgensen, Nels Cline and Pat Sansone holding together, they're really hitting later career peak in the post-millennium teens! Includes "Normal American Kids", "If I Ever Was A Child", "Cry All Day", "Common Sense", "Nope", "Someone To Lose", "Happiness", "Quarters", "Locator", "Shrug And Destroy", "We Aren't The World (Safety Girl)" and "Just Say Goodbye". CD

"Mostly" live genius from Frank Zappa and the Mothers Of Invention – recorded at The Roxy with some studio additions – and the players include George Duke, Tom Fowler, Ruth Underwood, Walt Fowler, Ralph Humphrey and the other great players from this peak period! It's astonishing stuff – and as strong of a mix of the tightly rock-centric and exploratory/hard fusiony sides of Zappa as you could hope for – shoot, even the stage banter is priceless! Includes "Penguin In Bondage", "Pygmy Twylyte", "Village Of The Sun", "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?", "More Trouble Everyday" and "Be-Bop Tango (Of The Old Jazzmen's Church)" and more. CD

"Mostly" live genius from Frank Zappa and the Mothers Of Invention – recorded at The Roxy with some studio additions – and the players include George Duke, Tom Fowler, Ruth Underwood, Walt Fowler, Ralph Humphrey and the other great players from this peak period! It's astonishing stuff – and as strong of a mix of the tightly rock-centric and exploratory/hard fusiony sides of Zappa as you could hope for – shoot, even the stage banter is priceless! Includes "Penguin In Bondage", "Pygmy Twylyte", "Village Of The Sun", "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?", "More Trouble Everyday" and "Be-Bop Tango (Of The Old Jazzmen's Church)" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

"Mostly" live genius from Frank Zappa and the Mothers Of Invention – recorded at The Roxy with some studio additions – and the players include George Duke, Tom Fowler, Ruth Underwood, Walt Fowler, Ralph Humphrey and the other great players from this peak period! It's astonishing stuff – and as strong of a mix of the tightly rock-centric and exploratory/hard fusiony sides of Zappa as you could hope for – shoot, even the stage banter is priceless! Includes "Penguin In Bondage", "Pygmy Twylyte", "Village Of The Sun", "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?", "More Trouble Everyday" and "Be-Bop Tango (Of The Old Jazzmen's Church)" and more. CD

An early gem from Warren Zevon – his first for Asylum and a creative peak – with some of his best remembered songs, and deeper album cuts that are just as great! Zevon's dark sense of humor comes through here, especially on the all time classic "Poor Poor Pitiful Me", but there's some sweeter and more tender material, too. Produced by Jackson Browne and featuring a hell of a great group on the sessions, from Phil Everly, to Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, Carl Wilson, Bobby Keyes and others. "Frank & Jesse James", "Mohammed's Radio", "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead", "Carmelita", and "Backs Turned Looking Down The Path". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning selection of cuts from a huge moment in prog on the British scene – the year 1973, and a time when the movement was maybe at its peak – or at least had some of its leading lights working at the top of their creative powers! This isn't a collection of classic rock hits, nor is it overly-familiar material from album rock giants – and instead, the package is a really inventive journey through a nicely varied mix of material – album cuts, rarities, and a few single cuts that have the bands focusing their energy into shorter tunes than before. In fact, that's maybe the real charm of this work – as so many of the groups are have really perfected their craft, yet haven't given in to commercial pressures – so there's top-shelf cuts all the way through, but also nary a hit in the batch. As with other Esoteric/Cherry Red collections like this, the package has very detailed notes that support the wonderful choice of tracks – and the 4CD set features 48 titles in all, with work from PFM, Badger, John Martyn, Curved Air, Hawkwind, Jonesy, Rare Bird, Nektar, Al Stewart, Anthony Phillips, Greenslade, John Lees, Yes, Beggars Opera, Robert Calvert, Caravan, Camel, and many others! CD

The debut of one of the most forward-thinking, longest living, unique pop music phenomenons of the 80s onward! Although Depeche Mode diehards might bristle at being lumped in with pop music giants, you really can't deny that they're often emotionally raw, even morose songs, married with a range of synth friendly production got over with a huge audience with pretty astounding success. Here where it all started, with Vince Clarke writing all the songs on this one. Titles include "New Life", "I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead", "Puppets", "No Disco", "Photographic", "Dreaming Of Me" and more. CD

A gem of a record from the late 60s British scene – one based around the sound poems of writer and poet Terry Durham! The record features Duram speaking and singing his own lyrics – supported by musical backings arranged by John Coleman, shaded in by some wonderful work by players that include Alan Parker on guitar, Evan Parker on saxes, and Chris Karan (from the Dudley Moore and Roy Budd trios) on some especially nice drums! Despite the poetic approach of the session, Durham's rough vocals give it a real sense of humanity – with none of the high-art pretension you might expect, and a real "everyman" sort of feel that comes from the overall delivery of the tunes. There's a nice link here between the other British jazz and rock experiments of the time – and in a way, Durham's a lost link in a lineage of hipper British artists that include Nick Drake and Scott Walker. A few tracks even get a bit funky, and titles include "The Fortunate Isles", "Sleep Train", "White Room Dreaming", "Branwells Corner", "Crystal Telephone", "Moving Through My Life", and "Stills From A Late Nite Movie". (Jazz, Rock) CD

A late masterpiece from the Flaming Lips – one of their most unique and uncompromising records since they became leftfield hitmakers – and a record that works best as a whole! Embryonic is a grower, and the first record since The Soft Bulletin which, to our ears anyway, doesn't seem to have any illusions of a crossover ready single in the lineup. It's really a space rock record with fuzzy guitars and echoing noisiness, and a confident step out of "Do You Realize?" style speaks-to-everyone art pop, and into more of a dissonant, messy sound. It's a real thrill for us to see a longtime favorite not only get over into the mainstream consciousness and stay there for years, but to continue to challenge and innovate while they're hanging out there. Titles include "Convinced Of The Hex", "The Sparrow Looks Up At The Machine", "Evil", "Aquarius Sabotage", "See The Leaves", "Your Bats", "Powerless", "Scorpio Sword", "Watching The Planets" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

That's right, The Flaming Lips, plus Stardeath And White Dwarfs, with guests Henry Rollins and Peaches – all celebrating, deflating, inflating, messing with and making love to Pink Floyd's epic rock masterpiece Dark Side Of The Moon! Titles include "Speak To Me", "Breathe", "On The Run", "Tiome", The Great Gig In The Sky", "Money", "Us And Them", "Any Colour You Like", "Brain Damage" and "Eclipse". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the baseball stadium speakers classic, "Centerfield". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unusual group, with a vibe that's wonderfully hard to peg – partly funky, maybe a bit jazzy, and with some prog and blues rock elements in the mix too – yet all served up in a blend that's very much the group's own! There's a number of tracks that almost feel like they began as studio jams, which then have "singer" Richie Hamilton kind of speaking some lyrics that are often muted a bit next to the riffing guitar, bass, and drums – while a few other tracks have a stronger instrumental vibe, with very strong guitar work from Frank Vandenkloot. Eric Tagg makes a great appearance on Fender Rhodes on the cut "Friends" – and other titles include "Victim Of The Past", "What Is Man", "I'll Never Let You Go", and "Necernomicon". CD

Freaked out, slow burning, LSD inspired freeform psychedelia from the early 70s – credited to Czech-born guru Sergius Golowin and the Cosmic Jokers! Conceptually, Lord Krishna Von Goloka concerns itself with the spiritual machinations of the universe and all kinds of mystical mumbo jumbo of which we can't claim to speak for the merits, mostly due to a language barrier, but the leisurely cosmic soundspaces speak to us well enough! Acoustic guitars, spacey keys, organ and echoey sounds bring a lighter feel to much of it, as opposed to the heavier proggy touches of contemporary efforts of the time. 3 long pieces, the uber epic length "Der Reigen" and "Di Hock-Zeit" which each run near 20 minutes, and the shorter middle part "Die Weibe Alm". CD

The classic debut from one of the weirdest concept groups of the 60s – a mime rock band brought together by producer Lew Futterman – who'd also worked on some killer funky jazzy sessions with Brother Jack McDuff! The style here is psychedelic pop through and through – and although the group didn't speak, they do sing (is that really mime?) – and work in a groovy sing-song blend of reeds and rockish rhythms, one that definitely has some of the same sharp changes and funky undercurrents you'd find in Futterman's jazz projects – although honed down here into much shorter Sunshine tunes! The album's a very unique little record – and oddly the group flourished for years. But somehow this first record has a charm that's really undeniable – and is maybe still their best effort ever. Titles include "White Winged Doves","Dream Of Tomorrow", "Pray For Rain", "How Does It Feel To Be Free", "I Ride To Nowhere", "Come & See Me", and "Jelly Jam". LP, Vinyl record album

The complete recorded legacy of Idle Race – an incredible pre-ELO group that featured some amazing work from a young Jeff Lynne! In a way, the work here is almost more ELO than some of the earliest albums issued by the band a few years later – more of the pop-styled groove that Lynne would bring to the group during their mighty mid 70s run – with a great flair for catchy hooks, and a style of production that was in the same flanged-out, cross-speaker compressed mode that would become the Jeff Lynne trademark in years to come. And in fact, even though the last album on the set was done at a time when Lynne had left the group, it still retains many of his hallmarks – and has a wickedly clever approach to pop that's somewhat fuzzy, but never too trippy or self-indulgent. 2CD set features a whopping 47 tracks in all – the complete albums Birthday Party, Idle Race, and Time Is – plus 13 more non-album tracks and unreleased alternate versions! Titles include "Mr Crow & Sir Norman", "Sea Of Dreams", "Someone Knocking", "A Better Life", "End Of The Road", "The Lady Who Said She Could Fly", "Happy Birthday", "I Like My Toys", "Here We Go Round The Lemon Tree", "In The Summertime", "Alcatraz", "By The Sun", "We Want It All", "Bitter Green", "Sad O'Sad", and "Lucky Man". CD

A classic album from Idle Race – an incredible pre-ELO group that featured some amazing work from a young Jeff Lynne! The music is a great mix of trippy and catchy styles – and in a way, the work here is almost more ELO than some of the earliest albums issued by that band a few years later – which was sometimes a bit heavier overall. Instead, Idle Race almost work in a 60s version of the pop-styled groove that Lynne would bring to ELO during their mighty mid 70s run – with a great flair for catchy hooks, and a style of production that was in the same flanged-out, cross-speaker compressed mode that would become the Jeff Lynne trademark in years to come (think especially "Mr Blue Sky" or "Diary Of Horace Wimp"). Titles include "On With The Show", "Sitting In My Tree", "I Like My Toys", "The Birthday", "The Skeleton & The Roundabout", "End Of The Road", and "The Lady Who Said She Could Fly". LP, Vinyl record album

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Solo album from guitarist Henry Kaiser. Includes one long track, "When Your Work Speaks For Itself, Don't Interrupt". (Jazz, Rock) CD

Surprisingly soulful stuff from this Canadian combo – an album produced by Felix Pappalardi, with a sound that definitely shows his touch! Although they've got a British-sounding name, the group work in much warmer territory overall – personally-penned tunes that sometimes have the gentleness of folk, but often have a fuller presence too – especially in the way the vocals come up close, and the instrumental mix has a nice sense of depth. There's some compelling use of trumpet alongside the core guitar, keyboards, bass, and drums – and the album also features a bit of sitar too. Titles include "Phoebe", "I Would Be The One", "Speaking Of Dreams", "Looking Glass", "Beatrice", "Girl Is Young", and "Presenting Myself Lightly". CD

A funky combo, but one with a real difference – as they seem to find whole new corners of the globe in which to work their magic – almost an imagined space of cultural criss-crossing, all set to some mighty funky bass and drums! The core element here is the guitar – which echoes exotic modes that seem to move from Mexican folk, to contemporary Tuareg sounds, and even a bit of southwest guitar instrumental echo – but all in ways that are very fresh and different, and which also sound quite unusual compared to the usual use of guitar in a funky combo! There's a bit of vocals on the album, but really the guitar is the main "voice" – and one that speaks volumes – on titles that include "Lady & Man", "Como Te Quiero", "Shades Of Man", "Maria Tambien", "Como Me Quieres", "A Hymn", and "Rules". (Deep Funk, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album