One of the better moments of the underground scene on Polydor at the end of the 60s – a pretty cool little group led by Noel Redding! There's a few slightly soulful moments on the set that make it nicely appealing to our ears – a bit hippy dippy to be sure, but with some nice drums, good production, and even some guest flute by the legendary Chris Wood. Jimi's shadow will always blot out the excellence of the other members of The Experience, and Fat Mattress is shows had more to offer than outside the harder edged realms of rock. Titles include "Mr Moonshine", "All Night Drinker", "Petrol Pump Assistant", "How Can I Live", "Everything's Blue", and "Bright New Way". This CD edition from Esoteric includes 8 bonus tracks, including rare singles and session tracks: "Naturally", "Iridescent Butterfly", "Magic Forecst", "Little Girl In White", "Eric The Red", "and more. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

A classic Dutch jazz/rock outfit – with sweet guitars from Jan Akkerman, and a mix of funky flute and keyboards from Thijs Van Leer! LP, Vinyl record album

Frippertronic frenzy – with some amazing guitar lines, mixed with organ, bass, and drums! LP, Vinyl record album

Groovy! This is an excellent "best of" selection the focuses on the work of the excellent French 60s star France Gall. The set's pulled from the larger 4 CD box set, and features packaging that works along similar lines. There's a total of 23 cuts in all, and if you've been looking for a good way to build your collection of groovy French pop – this is a great place to start! Titles include "Jazz A Gogo", "Baby Pop", "L'Amerique", "Bebe Requin", "Les Sucettes", "Ne Sois Pas Si Bete", "Bonsoir John John", "Avant La Bagarre", and "Teenie Weenie Boppie". (French, Rock) CD

Two playful tracks from the soundtrack to the French film Ursule Et Grelu! 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

Hello have cleaned up their look a bit from previous records, but they're still hitting hard in that glam-inspired groove we love so much! Guitars are fuzzy, the vocals flanged-out too, and even though the rhythms are tight, there's a spooky sort of mid-70s pop vibe going on overall – an undercurrent of nastiness that hides beneath the group's power pop look and catchy tune hooks. Production is relatively simple too – somewhat smoother than before, but still with more than enough rough edges in the right parts. Titles include "99 Ways", "Back Seat Talking", "The Cat Is Wild", "You Shot Me Down", "Oh Caroline", "How To Survive The Night", "Walking Midnight", "Elenore", and "Hi Ho Silver Lining". CD also features 8 more bonus tracks that include "Good Old USA", "Too Much Hesitating", "Night Watcher", "One By One", and "You Got Class Babe". CD

Arranged and conducted by Ted Irwin– with titles that include "Suitcase Room", "Beautiful Girl Goodbye", "How Are You", "A Little Later", "A Place", "Emily's Vacation", "Ask Virginia", "The 11th Tune", and "Hello You". LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool Japanese pic sleeve! 7-inch, Vinyl record

The final proper album by The Jam! The Gift is a far more diversely soul-steeped set of tunes than anything they'd done up to this point – and in hindsight, it feels more like a starting point for Paul Weller's career to come than a final album for The Jam! While they're working more soul influences into the formula, there's still a devotion to insistently catchy hooks that they'd sported since the beginning. A classic that really deserves a lot more respect than it gets in some circles! Includes "Happy Together", "Ghosts", the nice "Psychedelic Shack"-styled "Precious", "Just Who Is The 5 O'Clock Hero", "Running On The Spot", "Circus", "The Planner's Dream Gone Wrong", "Carnation", the great Motown-homage and superhit "Town Called Malice" and "The Gift". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the bonus single – with Away From The Numbers/Modern World/Down In The Tube Station At Midnight! 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... CD

Trumpeter Toshinori Kondo may have cut some avant-oriented material over the years – but this set is a different sort of record – one that's cut with his Tibetan Blue Air Liquid Band, in a playful mix of rhythms, tones, and jazz! The approach is maybe post-fusion, inflected with a bit of art rock inspiration – still with plenty of jazz-based solos, but also a very unconventional approach to the rhythms, which are sometimes sunny and bright, sometimes a bit more edgey. Titles include "Raku Raku Raku", "Light Footwork Song", "7 Time", "A Crack In The Sky", and "Setouchi Blue". (Jazz, Rock) CD

A very cool mix of rock, blues, and soul – similar to some of the bigger mod names from the UK scene of the 60s! Titles include "Teardrops", "Searchin For Love", and "Baby Baby Baby" – all originals by Pete – plus versions of "One Night", "Monkey Time", "Stupidity", "I Like It Like That", and "Mary Ann". LP, Vinyl record album

A wild solo project from Rita Lee – done after the breakup of Os Mutantes, and offered up almost as some sort of commentary on mainstream rock in the 70s! There's a much more straightforward approach to the music here – a sometimes-glammy sound that's echoed by the band's space-style costumes and makeup – but there's also some weirdly old-style rock instrumentation too, almost like the way that an artist like Gary Glitter could fold the 50s and 70s together in his music, and come across making something very weird and new. Here, the keyboards are almost stronger than the guitars – and Rita herself plays moog, melotron, organ, and piano – on titles that include "Tem Uma Cidade", "Menino Bonito", "Mame Natureza", and "Eclipse Do Cometa". (Brazil, Rock) CD

A tripped-out batch of hard jamming tracks from ex-Mutante Rita Lee – recorded with assistance from all the members of the group at the time, but in a mode that's quite different overall! Lee is clearly the star of the show here – singing all lyrics with a much fiercer vocal approach than on her earlier solo album – pushing things hard to keep up with the jamming keyboards of Arnaldo Baptista and guitar of Sergio Dias – both of whom are working with the energy that would show up in the Mutantes styles in the years after Lee departed. One of the most compelling aspects of the record is the structure of the tunes – less conventionally rockish overall than the direction Os Mutantes were moving towards – and still with that strong dramatic flair that Lee always provided when in the group. Titles include "Vamos Tratar Da Saude", "Amor Branco E Preto", "Superficie Do Planeta", "Teimoisia", "Tapupukitipa", "Beija Me Amor", and "Frique Como". (Brazil, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A power-pop classic from early 80s Spain – the debut of Los Secretos, a group with a sound that's very much in keeping with their look on the cover! We might put this one right in the territory of the classic debut by The Knack – as these guys have a similar sort of tightness, and a great way of bridging generations with their straightforward approach, and super-catchy ear for a tune! Lyrics are all in Spanish, but there's a really universal appeal to the whole thing – and titles include "Me Aburro", "Nino Mimado", "Dejame", "No Me Digas Nada", "Ojos De Perdida", "Que Puedo Hacer Yo", "Otra Tarde", and "Sobre Un Vidrio Mojado". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare solo project from reedman Andy Mackay – the great musician whose saxophone work was such a key part of the early Roxy Music sound! The album features work from Eddie Jobson, Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera, Roger Glover, and a larger array of unusual guests – and is an odd reworking of older rock themes, but with an odd Roxy-like twist! LP, Vinyl record album

John Mayall's definitely getting back to his roots here – and he's also getting help from an all-star cast as well! Mayall's vocals and piano are in fine form – almost with a rough-edged Blues Breakers sort of vibe, but sometimes a bit funkier too – in ways that strongly show the evolution of the older Brit blues groove into some hipper, more soul-drenched territory. Players on the record are a range of familiar names – including Eric Clapton on guitar, Johnny Amond on sax and flute, Harvey Mandel on guitar, Sugarcane Harris on violin, and Keef Hartley on some especially nice drums. Titles include "Prisons On The Road", "Groupie Girl", "My Children", "Home Again", "Blue Fox", "Boogie Albert", "Unanswered Questions", "Goodbye December", "Force Of Nature", and "Dream With Me". CD also features bonus tracks too – including "Accidental Suicide (1988 rmx)", "Force Of Nature (1988 rmx)", "Boogie Albert (1988 rmx)", "Television Eye (1988 rmx)", "Looking At Tomorrow (1988 rmx)", "Mr Censor Man (1988 rmx)", and "Home Again (1988 rmx)". LP, Vinyl record album

The one astounding studio album of proto punk/abrasive psych genius from the Monks – a true masterpiece – and a record that's been ripped off by myriad more famous groups in both the mainstream and underground rock landscape of the past 40 years! The group's status as discharged G.I.'s informs some of spewed vitriol, but beyond that there's little connection to any trends or scenes – the Monks are true originals in a world of imitators – and that adds a layer of excitement to an already mind blowing listen. The album's wild organ washes, primitive drums and guitar, and harsh, bizarre vocal rants prefigured everything from the Stooges, to Rocket From The Tombs, to the more predictable punk stuff that arrived 18 years later – yet it still grooves. Outrageous and incredible! "Monk Time", "Shut Up", "Boys Are Boys And Girls Are Choice", "Higgle-Dy-Piggle-Dy", "I Hate You", "We Do Wie Du", "Drunken Maria", "Blast Off!", "That's My Girl", "Cuckoo", "Love Can Tame The Wild", "He Went Down To The Sea" and more – the first 12 tracks are the original LP release – followed by later singles and a live track. Light In The Attic's reissue has better sound than we've ever heard for this material, and a great booklet of notes and photos. LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy fuzz from late 60s Brazil – a Tropicalia-era album, but one with a slightly more mainstream groove – one that mixes elements of regional music with psychedelic elements and bouncy, mod-styled backings! The approach is somewhat like the work going on over at EMI/Odeon during the time – although there's certainly a trippier side to the record as well, thanks to arrangements from Rogerio Duprat, Damiano Cozzela, and Julio Medagalia. There's a fair bit of groovers on the record – although in a somewhat offbeat mode – nestled nicely next to a few headier tunes that help balance out the whole set wonderfully. Titles include "Alegria Alegria", "Quem Sabe", "Que Maravilha", "Fossa Boboca", "Longe Do Tempo", "Pela Rua Da Praia", and "Vou Buscar Voce". (Brazil, Rock) CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

The second set of madness from the legendary Os Mutantes – and like the first, an album done in close collaboration with arranger/producer Rogerio Duprat, whose talents add a new level of genius to the record! The album's got a compelling mix of styles that strikes out on the very first tune – a playful pastiche that's partly postmodern, partly psychedelic, and still tremendously powerful decades later – even if you can't understand most of the lyrics! Styles are just about impossible to pin down, but that's what makes the record so unique and essential – and if you ever needed one album to convince you of the mindblowing energy taking place during the Tropicalia years, this one may well be it! A few tracks are written by Tom Ze, and titles include "Dom Quixote", "Dia 36", "Magica", "Rita Lee", "Algo Mais", "Qualquer Bobagem", and "Fuga No II". (Brazil, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

The amazing debut of Soft Machine! It's hard to find a more seminal moment of jazz rock from the British scene – and there's certainly few albums from its generation that stand up as well over the years as this one! The trio of Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, and Michael Ratledge carve out the future of progressive playing on this excellent set of shorter tunes that still offer up all the hard jamming of later years. Beat group morphs into prog jazz before your very eyes – on tracks like "Hope For Happiness", "Why Am I So Short", "Save Yourself", "Priscilla", "So Boot If At All", "A Certain Kind", "Lullabye Letter", and "Why Are We Sleeping?" – plus the bonus tracks "Feelin Reelin Squeelin" and "Love Makes Sweet Music". CD

All the classics – including "Big Bottom", "Sex Farm", "Stonehenge", "Listen To The Flower People", and "Hell Hole". (Soundtracks, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Say what you want, we love this album! When it came out, we were such big Jam fans that we could never forgive Paul Weller – but now, nearly 20 years later, we're stunned at how great some of the soul songs on the album are. Sure, you've got to throw away about half the tracks – because they're silly early 80s bad funk numbers – but the remaining half is way more soulful than you'd remember, with a sweet, sincere, compressed sound that's made all the better by jazzy touches from Mick Talbot and Steve White. Includes the classics "My Ever Changing Moods", "You're The Best Thing", "Blue Cafe", "Paris Match", and "Dropping Bombs On The White House". (Soul, Rock) CD

Wladimir Tax is at the head of the group – on vocals, flute, and acoustic guitar – and John Cale also plays electric viola – in a lineup that includes Jerry Spaulding on saxes, Richard Davis on bass, and Ron Johnson on vibes! LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant debut from Bram Tchaikovsky – a power pop genius, and one who may not be that well remembered these days – but who was equally grabbed up by folks who drinking deep of late 70s sounds by artists like Elvis Costello, Marshall Crenshaw, and The Jam! There's a bit of Paul Weller in Bram's vocal style – but that might just come from the way he goes deeper than some of his contemporaries in range, all while keeping pace with the strong fast-riffing sound of his songs – which are almost always extra-catchy numbers! Titles include "Robber", "Lonely Danger", "Turn On The Light", "Sarah Smiles", "I'm The One That's Leaving", "Girl Of My Dreams", and "Bloodline". LP, Vinyl record album

A great self-titled set from Toncho Pilatos – the early 70s Mexican group's wild first album, cut for Polydor! The group has familiar influences, but they put those pieces together in a unique way, with a sound that's really something else! The vocals are echoey and tripped out, with raw drums way out from in the mix – and overall it has kind of an otherworldly Stonesy vibe. Includes "Wait", "Kukulan", "Drunk Again", "Blind Man", "Dejenla En Paz", "La Ultima Danza", "Dulce Monserrat" and "Tommy Lyz". 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". CD

Includes their classic "Fade To Grey" – plus "Tar", "The Dancer", "Blocks On Blocks", "Malpaso Man", "Mind Of A Toy", and "Moon Over Moscow". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible album – and one of the most revolutionary rock albums of the late 60s! The Who recorded this one as a tribute to mainstream radio at the time – linking together some solid stand alone tunes with shorter, wittier tracks that were recorded as commercials for products that included baked beans, acne cream, and deodorant – as well as cool announcer bits too! The end result is one of the most sonically complex records issued by a mainstream rock act of the time – sort of like The Who said "yeah, everyone's trying to copy Sgt Peppers with big arrangements, but we'll take this concept album thing in a whole new direction!" Brilliant all the way through, and with tracks that include "Armenia City In The Sky", "Heinz Baked Beans", "Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand", "I Can See For Miles", "I Can't Reach You", "Rale", "Sunrise", and "Silas Stingy". CD features some great bonus tracks too – including "Glow Girl" and "Early Morning Cold Taxi". CD

A weird and wild little record – and one that came as quite a surprise to folks who'd previously known Link Wray as the king of the raunchy guitar instrumental in the 60s! Here, Link sings as well as plays – working in his legendary Three Track Shack, which was located in Maryland, but has a vibe that feels like it came right out of the Louisiana swamps! The style of the music follows suit – almost as if Link saw folks like Tony Joe White, Bobby Charles, and some of their contemporaries – and tried to find his unique take on the raunchy blend of roots rock, country, and maybe some occasional funky currents. Polydor cleaned the album up a bit for release – but no too much – and titles include "Juke Box Mama", "Rise & Fall Of Jimmy Stokes", "La De Da", "Black River Swamp", "Tail Dragger", "Ice People", and "Fire & Brimstone". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best albums ever by this British group that mixed jazz, funk, and rock – with lots of choppy guitar parts, and some nice funky drum breaks! The band had a looser sound on some of their other records, but this one is nicely compressed – especially for fans of later British jazz rock. A few tracks have some vocals, but there's more than enough instrumental cuts to make you forget them. Titles include "La Si Si-La So So", "Panic", "Liamo", "Tree", and "Death By Drowning". (Jazz, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album