A soaring set from the great Robbie Basho – one of the most unique artists of his generation! Basho's often mentioned in the same breath as John Fahey, but a record like this really shows his difference – as the record not only features wonderful work on both 6 and 12 string guitar from Basho, but also has lots of these oddly-sung, surprisingly heartfelt lyrics – in a mode that's quite far from folk roots, and which instead has this really soulful warbling that really adds a lot to the spirit of the tunes. The only other instrumentation is some very cool work on the South Indian log drum – and titles include "Omaha Tribal Prayer", "Sweet Medicine", "Roses & Gold", "Joseph", "Blue Corn Serenade", and "Wounded Knee Soliloquy". (Folk/Country, Rock) 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

Includes remixes by William Orbit, Moby, Adrian Sherwood, John McEntire, and Thurston Moore. LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work by one of the unsung heroes of Sun Records – 16 titles that include "Thunderbird", "Sadie's Back In Town", "All My Sins Taken Away", "Restless", "Going Home", "Red Headed Woman", "You're Not The One For Me", "Tomorrow Night", and "Feel So Good". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the greatest moment ever from Caravan – one of the greatest groups to emerge from the jazzy Canterbury scene in the late 60s! The album's a wonderful blend of jazz roots and more focused rock impulses – and has some subtle funky elements that's given it a wider sort of audience over the years – that special sound you'd find in a rare few Deram gems by artists like Mike Westbrook or Colosseum too. The drums are especially great – snapping out in a way that really holds things together, even when the instrumental solos really step out strongly – especially the organ, flute, and tenor – all of which retain a jazzy appeal. The vocals from Richard Sinclair are nice, too – never overdone, with almost a Robert Wyatt sort of reserve – and titles include "Golf Girl", "Love To Love You", "In The Land Of Grey & Pink", and the extended "Nine Feet Underground", which takes up all of side two. CD features bonus tracks – the unreleased "I Don't Know Its Name", "Aristocracy", "Group Girl", and "It's Likely To Have A Name Next Week" – and a new mix of "Disassociation/100% Proof". CD

Early genius from the great Martin Carthy – the kind of set that had a huge influence on the acid folk generation to come, and one that also marks the start of a huge amount of contributions Carthy would make to the UK scene! The album is spare, with just Martin on vocals and guitar – and additional accompaniment from frequent partner Dave Swarbrick on fiddle and mandolin – both instruments used occasionally, but in really great ways. The production is wonderful – that eerie sound that makes so many of the UK folk sets so different than American ones of the 60s – and titles include "Springhill Mine Disaster", "Scarborough Fair", "Lovely Joan", "The Handsome Cabin Boy", "High Germany", and "The Trees They Do Grow High". (Folk/Country, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most compelling albums ever recorded by guitarist Eugene Chadbourne – a set billed as "free improvised country and western bebop" – and which features Chadbourne serving up these wild variations on tunes by Carl Perkins, Roger Miller, David Allen Coe, Bobby Bare, Merle Haggard, and other country music legends! The album's much more Eugene than Nashville – although Chadbourne does sing lyrics on all of the tunes, but in a way that's very offbeat and hardly unlike the originals at all – as is his guitar work, which is acoustic and all twisted and turned up in all the offbeat phrasings you might expect! Much of the record is Chadbourne on vocals and electric dobro – but the set also features some drums by David Licht, saxes from John Zorn, and cello from Tom Cora. Titles include "The Last Word In Lonesome Is Me", "I'm The Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised", "Georgia In A Jug", "Motel Time Again", "Dang Me", "Window Shopping", "Jealous Loving Heart", "Mr Record Man", and "Swingin Doors". (Out Sound, Rock) CD

The one-and-only album by upstate New York's wonderfully trippy psych-folk Chrysalis – a buried rock treasure from 1968. Definition is a strange title for the record, as the group refuses to be bound to any one – mixing laidback, trippy psychedelia, oddball folk, and meandering strains of free and old timey jazz influences! Led by rhythm guitarist J Spider Barbour, the group featured vocals by Nancy Nairn and standard psych rock arrangements, plus leftfield acoustic instrumentation and trippy keyboards! The main album includes the tracks "That Will Be The Morning", "Lacewing", "Lake Hope", "Piece Of Sun" and "Dr. Roots Garden". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from The Clash – ferocious, melodic and masterful bits of barbed greatness from the group – the greatest flaw of which is that it's not the first album. They're still completely great, playing in peak form even with the less shambling, slightly more polished production of Sandy Pearlman. This one stands out beautifully to us nowadays, since most of the songs aren't as overplayed as the more zeitgeiest-y earlier ones or the Mtv hits that came later on. Essential!! Titles include "Julie's In The Drug Squad", "All The Young Punks", "Last Gang In Town", "Guns On The Roof", "Cheap-Skate", "Drug-Stabbing Time", and "Safe European Home". LP, Vinyl record album

Prime Elvis Costello work from his early run with The Attractions – a set that's overflowing with tunes that are catchy yet biting, and which get superb production from Nick Lowe! Titles include "Oliver's Army", "Green Shirt", "Party Girl", "Good Squad", "Moods For Moderns", "Two Little Hitlers", "Accidents Will Happen", "Senior Service", and "What's So Funny Bout Peace Love & Understanding". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the tightest, grooviest albums on the short-lived rock years of the mostly-jazz Mainstream Records label – a treasure trove of tuneful tracks that spin out like some of the best late 60s work by The Zombies or The Left Banke! There's a starkness to the tunes that recalls some of the other Mainstream efforts of the period – although the overall sound is warmer, with great harmonies from two singers, in a way that really opens up the more melodic elements of the tunes, while still keeping some of that psychedelic edge that makes all the Mainstream releases from this time so wonderful. The album has a vibe that's all its down – definitely different than some bigger label effort or a more mainstream Cali production – and the quality of songwriting is superb throughout. Titles include "Seems I've Changed", "No Thanks Mr Mann", "Winner Loser", "Seven North Frederick", "Remembering Sunnybrook", and "Caught In The Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

Fairport Convention are down to a quartet here, but still sounds fantastic – with Simon Nicol on guitar and dulcimer, Dave Pegg on bass and violin, Dave Swarbrick on mandolin and violin, and Dave Mattacks on drums and piano – and vocals from all members of the group. (Folk/Country, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning introduction to the music of Nino Ferrer – one of the coolest, grooviest French singers of the late 60s and 70s – an artist who never gets the same sort of exposure as Serge Gainsbourg, France Gall, or some of his other contemporaries – but who we think is equally great! Nino can bring in bits of soul, mod, bossa, or other elements to his music – and as the 70s move in, he still keeps things very groovy by moving into headier territory that uses organ, guitar, and drums in ways that open up and make the music even cooler than before! This package features 40 gems from Nino – a tremendous selection of great tracks that includes "Vomitation", "Cannabis", "Vivent Les Moules", "Le Sud", "La Rua Madureira", "Les Hommes A Tout Faire", "L'Arbre Noir", "On He Hein Bon", "Je Vends Des Robes", "Le Roi D'Angleterre", "La Banda A Ferrer", "Je Vous Dis Bonne Chance", "Moses", "Un An D'Amour", "L'Angleterre", "Knou", "Bloody Flamenco", and "Sodome Et Gomorrhe". Also features the rare soundtrack tune "La Route". (French, Rock) CD

A stunning introduction to the music of Nino Ferrer – one of the coolest, grooviest French singers of the late 60s and 70s – an artist who never gets the same sort of exposure as Serge Gainsbourg, France Gall, or some of his other contemporaries – but who we think is equally great! Nino can bring in bits of soul, mod, bossa, or other elements to his music – and as the 70s move in, he still keeps things very groovy by moving into headier territory that uses organ, guitar, and drums in ways that open up and make the music even cooler than before! This package features 40 gems from Nino – a tremendous selection of great tracks that includes "Vomitation", "Cannabis", "Vivent Les Moules", "Le Sud", "La Rua Madureira", "Les Hommes A Tout Faire", "L'Arbre Noir", "On He Hein Bon", "Je Vends Des Robes", "Le Roi D'Angleterre", "La Banda A Ferrer", "Je Vous Dis Bonne Chance", "Moses", "Un An D'Amour", "L'Angleterre", "Knou", "Bloody Flamenco", and "Sodome Et Gomorrhe". Also features the rare soundtrack tune "La Route". (French, Rock) CD

The late 60s comeback album for the Fireballs and vocalist Jimmy Gilmer – a record that found the driving early rock rhythms fitting in very well with the light sunshine and psychedelic pop of the late 60s! The sound on this record has little in common with the early rock instrumentals that the Fireballs made their name burning through. This set is more of a catchy jangly sunshine rock record, with the tight Fireball rhythm section, plus some Stax-influenced horns, easy garage organ and keys, and groovy vocals by Gilmer. Tracks include "3 Minutes' Time", "Ain't That Rain", "Where Can We Be Found?", "Bottle Of Wine", "Mason Street", "Groovy Motions", "Goin' Away", "Barbara White", "A Girl As Perfect As You" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

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

A gem of a record from the Cali scene of the late 60s – even though it was recorded in LA by a band from Canada! 49th Parallel are one of the great lost groups from the time – a combo who've got a sound that's very fresh, very much their own, yet who also resonate with all the best elements of the period – as they weave their own unique blend of psych and sunshine pop styles through the music! There's occasional horns on the record at times, but never in a jazz rock way – just a touch of brass to give things a bit more punch, used lightly and rightly, and in a very groovy way. Sometimes the guitars get a bit freaky and fuzzy, but never in any style that's overblown to threaten the sweetness of the vocals – and titles include "Now That I'm A Man", "Get Away", "Eye To Eye", "Missouri", "Lazerander Flitchy", "Twilight Woman", "Close The Barn Door", and "The People". LP, Vinyl record album

A cool quartet with some very groovy vocals – a combo who seem to take some great inspiration from Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 – as well as other hip vocal groups of the 60s! The lineup features one gal and three guys – often with the gal singer in the lead, supported by warm harmonies from the male singers – all grooving to their own instrumentation, played on organ, guitar, and drums! This lean approach is mighty nice – and has the group soaring through a cool mix of soul and pop material that's all pretty upbeat and lively – given a few 70s touches on the keyboards at times, and coming across with a spontaneous feel that almost makes you feel like you're catching the combo in a club. Titles include "Dream A Dream A Day", "Scarborough Fair", "Summertime", "I Thank You", "More Today Than Yesterday", "What The World Needs Now", "Let's Make It One World", and "Day Dreaming". (Vocalists, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A cool quartet with some very groovy vocals – a combo who seem to take some great inspiration from Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 – as well as other hip vocal groups of the 60s! The lineup features one gal and three guys – often with the gal singer in the lead, supported by warm harmonies from the male singers – all grooving to their own instrumentation, played on organ, guitar, and drums! This lean approach is mighty nice – and has the group soaring through a cool mix of soul and pop material that's all pretty upbeat and lively – given a few 70s touches on the keyboards at times, and coming across with a spontaneous feel that almost makes you feel like you're catching the combo in a club. Titles include "Dream A Dream A Day", "Scarborough Fair", "Summertime", "I Thank You", "More Today Than Yesterday", "What The World Needs Now", "Let's Make It One World", and "Day Dreaming". (Vocalists, Rock) CD

A really joyous groove from Michel Fugain and his Big Bazar group – a sound that's a bit hard to describe, but which really grabs us right away! There's definitely some groovy rhythms going on in the set – and the style is kind of an updated French pop mode from the late 60s – swinging in a way that absorbs plenty of influences from the outside scenes, particularly some Brazilian ones – but with a sound that's definitely French all the way through. Fugain's vocals are in the lead, often supported by a chorus – and the backings by Jean Bouchety have this really cool soundtrack feel at points – especially when the rhythms are upbeat and grooving. Titles include "Allez Bouge-Toi", "Attention Mesdames Et Messieurs", "Notre Societe", "Les Gens Irremplacables", "Leda Leda", and "L'Arche De Noe". (French, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

The legendary first album by The Fugs – a set that was first issued on Folkways Records, then later on ESP – and which is maybe a perfect bridge between these different underground worlds in the 60s! Ed Sanders, Tuli Kupferberg, Peter Stampfel, and the others are clearly budding hippies – but there's also a quality here that's different than the scene a few years later – maybe pulled equally from the late beat world, and the underground film world – no surprise, as Harry Smith produced the record for the group, and really has a great ear for their rootsier elements on acoustic instruments. The whole thing was recorded in two afternoon sessions in 1965, and still remains a record with surprising power after all these years – on titles that include "Slum Goddess", "Swinburn Stomp", "Supergirl", "Boobs A Lot", "My Baby Done Left Me", and "I Couldn't Get High". CD adds in 11 more bonus tracks - additional material from the original sessions – plus material recorded at the Night Of Napalm at St Marks place in 1965! CD

Their second album – a mad masterpiece of hippie freakout from Ed Sanders, Tulip Kupferberg, and the rest – with tracks that include "Group Grope", "Dirty Old Man", "Coming Down", "Virgin Forest", "Kill For Peace", and "Frenzy". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

An album we come back to more and more over the years – a bit more subtle than some of the other Gabriel-era Genesis records, but in a really great way! You'll not get any overly-heavy concepts here, yet the album still retains all the instrumental complexity the group was getting so great at – nicely subtle at times, a bit more expanded at others – and with a balance of bigger songs and more personal moments that hints at the direction the group would take after Peter Gabriel. Instrumentation is superb, especially the keyboards – and titles include "Aisle Of Plenty", "Firth Of Fifth", "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight", "I Know What I Like", "Battle Of Epping Forest", "The Cinema Show", and "More Fool Me" – the last of which was a key early vocal moment for Phil Collins. LP, Vinyl record album

A weird bit of folk funk rock – and a totally cool record on early 70s Verve! The album was recorded during the Mike Curb years at MGM – and has a similar pop crossover, adult hip kind of sound to some of Curb's other big success stories. The sound's an unusual blend of folk and growing 70s pop modes – and the track "Let's Love" is a nice spacey groover with a flanged-out pop sound. Songs include "Butterfly", "From Japan To America", "Low Lay Low", "Teddy Bear", "Harlequin", "Caroline", "Face Of A Clown", "The Gun", "Rain", "Elie Lama Sabacthani", and "Let's Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare material from the group that eventually became Unwound – high school recordings by the band of Justin Trosper and Vern Rumsey – pressed up here in a limited package with silkscreened cover – to kick off the full Numero reissue of Unwound material! LP, Vinyl record album

A key album in the legendary early years of Gong – that mythical moment when the group was almost more like a cult or a commune than just another rock band on the scene! The set has the group very firmly ensconced in their French country home, where the record was recorded – with a mindblowing lineup that includes the great Daevid Allen on vocals and guitar, Didier Malherbe on tenor and soprano sax, Gilli Smyth on second vocal, Steve Hillage on guitar, and Pierre Moerlen on drums and percussion – plus lots of other surprises along the way. Titles include "Selene", "Other Side Of The Sky", "Castle In The Clouds", "Oily Way", "Flute Salad", and "I Never Glid Before". LP, Vinyl record album

A key album in the legendary early years of Gong – that mythical moment when the group was almost more like a cult or a commune than just another rock band on the scene! The set has the group very firmly ensconced in their French country home, where the record was recorded – with a mindblowing lineup that includes the great Daevid Allen on vocals and guitar, Didier Malherbe on tenor and soprano sax, Gilli Smyth on second vocal, Steve Hillage on guitar, and Pierre Moerlen on drums and percussion – plus lots of other surprises along the way. Titles include "Selene", "Other Side Of The Sky", "Castle In The Clouds", "Oily Way", "Flute Salad", and "I Never Glid Before". CD

A seminal set from the Sunset Strip scene of the 60s – and just the kind of record that shows why the changes taking place in Cali were so important to the growth of so much other music at the time! A few years before, and The Grass Roots would have been a pop folk combo re-tuning traditional tracks for the coffeehouse scene – but here they're taking off with some post-folk modes that are partly sunshine pop, partly the headier currents that were the darker side of the west coast – all put together with superb production by PF Sloan and Steve Barri – who also penned some of the best tunes on the record. Titles include the great "Where Were You When I Needed You" – plus "Only When You're Lonely", "Look Out Girl", "Ain't That Loving You Baby", "I've Got No More To Say", "I Am A Rock", "Tell Me", and "Mr Jones". LP, Vinyl record album

The first three Grin albums – all served up in a single package! First up is the self-titled debut – the first album from Nils Lofgren and his mighty early trio Grin – and a record that really shows all sorts of great criss-crossing styles of the time! There's some gentler echoes of late folk in the mix, put right up alongside fuller, harder rock impulses – but also given this sweeter Cali spin that reflects the album's recording at Wally Heider studios – all with a very down to earth vibe that preserves some of the Chicago innocence of Nils's roots. Titles include "Like Rain", "18 Faced Lover", "Outlaw", "Direction", "Open Wide", "I Had Too Much", "Sing For Happiness", and "Everybody's Missin The Sun". Next is 1 + 1 – the second album from the early group of Nils Lofgren – a really well-conceived combo that's expanded with just the right amount of larger arrangements on a few tracks here! It's clear that Nils is getting more confidence as both a singer and a leader – expressing himself through vocals that have a bit more bite, while still retaining some of the sweeter currents of before – and really pulling out some of the guitar and keyboard work that would make him a superstar in years to come. Bassist Bob Gordon and drummer Bob Berberich contribute some vocals too – and titles include "Slippery Fingers", "End Unkind", "Moon Tears", "Soft Fun", "Hi Hello Home", and "Just A Poem". All Out is a record with a wide smile on the famous cover image – maybe in part because Nils Lofgren and Grin really seem to be finding the sound that makes them happy! There's a blend of blues rock, rootsier modes, and a clear charisma that comes from Nils lead vocals throughout – and the group's expanded with second guitar from Tom Lofgren, which seems to let Nils do a bit more piano and keyboard work too – all of which really underscores some of the charms of the tunes. Kathy MacDonald joins the set on some guest vocals too – and titles include "Heavy Chevy", "Sad Letter", "She Ain't Right", "Heart On Fire", "Rusty Gun", "All Out", and "Don't Be Long". CD

Ruben Guevara of (Frank Zappa & The Mothers) – Ruben And The Jets band. 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

The seminal debut of Hatfield & The North – a group that maybe came a bit late in the UK prog scene of the early 70s, but who had a huge influence for decades to come! The quartet are a late transformation of the earlier Canterbury sound – leaner, maybe jazzier, and with a great ear for warm tones and organic elements that help hold the complexity of their music to the surface of the planet. Plus, there's this more open, honest quality to some of the work – especially the vocals – that quality, say, that made Matching Mole so different than Soft Machine. The whole lineup is an all-star affair – Richard Sinclair on bass and vocals, Pip Pyle on drums, Phil Miller on guitars, and Dave Stewart on organ, piano, and tone generator – plus some nice guest sax and flute from Geoff Leigh of Henry Cow, and vocals from Robert Wyatt on one track. Titles include "The Stubbs Effect", "Calyx", "Licks For Ladies", "Bossa Nochance", "Big Jobs No 2", "Lobster In A Cleavage Probe", and "Rifferama". This CD edition includes the bonus tracks "Let's Eat Real Soon", "Fitter Stoke Has A Bath" and "Your Majesty Is Like A Cream Donut". CD

One of the rarest Lee Hazlewood albums, and one of the coolest, too – the set falls a bit later than some of his other work on the Swedish scene – and, like Cowboy In Sweden, it's also a soundtrack too – but the vibe is different than that one, and almost shows this maturation of Lee's style – as if he's absorbing even more unusual elements during his time overseas, and finding a way to keep growing his sound away from his American years in LA! All the Hazlewood craft for songs and nicely wry vocals is still very much in place – but there's also some nice shifts in the arrangements, too – deepening things some fuller elements at times, yet stepping back into tighter elements at others. Titles include "Soul's Island", "A House Safe For Tigers", "Our Little Boy Blue", "Sand Hill Anna & The Russian", "Absent Friends", and a nice remake of "The Nights"! (Vocalists, Rock) CD

A fantastic mix of heady sounds and heavy funk from The Heliocentrics – and a record that continues the vibe of their previous set – in which the team of Malcolm Catto and Jake Ferguson were joined by the lovely vocals of Barbora Patkova! Patkova's presence is just what the group needs to really ground their sound – a female singer up front, but one who's as equally comfortable with distortion, fuzz, and echoey spaces as the two instrumentalists – a trio who continue that unique tradition of psychedelic funk that we first loved in Catto's early work on Mo Wax! Titles include "99% Revolution", "Hanging By A Thread", "Nonsense (part 1)", "Light In The Dark", "People Wake Up", "Burning Wooden Ship", and "Elephant Walk". (Deep Funk, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Some of the most tripped-out music ever from The Holy Modal Rounders – and that's saying a lot, given the nature of the group! This unique early album on ESP features two side-long tracks – both of which are mini-suites of sort, and filled with odd sounds, weird themes, and a strange mixture of hippie instrumentation and sci-fi experimentation! The group for the record is a quartet – with the core combo of Peter Stampfel on violin and vocals and Steve Weber on guitar, augmented by playwright Sam Shephard on drums and Lee Crabtree on piano and organ – plus extra vocals from the trio of Antonia, Barbara, & Wendy. The music is in the best free-thinking style of other rock on the ESP label in the 60s – and titles include "Jimmy & Crash Survey The Universe" and "The Second-Hand Watch". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the most tripped-out music ever from The Holy Modal Rounders – and that's saying a lot, given the nature of the group! This unique early album on ESP features two side-long tracks – both of which are mini-suites of sort, and filled with odd sounds, weird themes, and a strange mixture of hippie instrumentation and sci-fi experimentation! The group for the record is a quartet – with the core combo of Peter Stampfel on violin and vocals and Steve Weber on guitar, augmented by playwright Sam Shephard on drums and Lee Crabtree on piano and organ – plus extra vocals from the trio of Antonia, Barbara, & Wendy. The music is in the best free-thinking style of other rock on the ESP label in the 60s – and titles include "Jimmy & Crash Survey The Universe" and "The Second-Hand Watch". LP2 features Live In 1965 – Some of the earliest music ever from The Holy Modal Rounders – a rare live performance from 1965, recorded at the Chess Mate nightclub in Detroit, and featuring only the duo of Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber! The music here is a bit more folksy and a bit less trippy than some of the Rounders' later recordings, but it still shows a decidedly left-field approach – not just in the subjects of the tunes, but also in the way the guitar, banjo, and fiddle are used – almost as additional voices at times, instead of conventional folk instrumentation. Titles include "Crowley Waltz", "Black Eyed Suzy", "My Mind Capsized", "Fishin Blues", "Rum Mountain", "Random Canyon", "Skin Game", "Indian War Whoop", and "Flop Eared Mule". LP, Vinyl record album

Two very cool, very trippy numbers – both with almost a freakbeat sort of vibe! "Look At The Lights" has superb arrangements from John Cameron – who brings in a bouncy groove with jazzy flourishes next to the more psychedelic vocals, lyrics, and guitar! "Hold On To Your Mind" is an especially unusual number – very obscure, and a track that begins with this freewheeling romp that mixes piano, percussion, and a rolling rhythm that's maybe a more condensed version of the Church Of Anthrax territory explored by John Cale and Terry Riley – then graced with wicked vocals that really send the whole thing over the top! (Funky 45's, Rock) 7-inch, Vinyl record

Some of the earliest work you'll ever hear from the young Jim Osterberg – material that features the famous Stooges frontman playing drums, and doing a slight bit of singing! The group sound a fair bit like you might expect from the cover – a tight, sharp, local combo who do a great job both with their own material, and some of the well-chosen covers they recorded – the kind of stomping garagey material that would have been a hit in the small Michigan clubs at the time! Most vocals are by guitarists Nick Kolokithas and Jim McLaughlin, the latter of whom formed the group with Iggy – and Osterberg does sing lead on a pretty great version of "California Sun", and also contributed the original composition "Again & Again" – a tune that definitely points the way towards The Stooges, and is one of the creepiest things on here. Other titles include "Mona", "I Don't Know Why", "Slow Down", "Walk Don't Run", "Out Of Limits", "Surfin Bird", "Things We Said Today", and "Wild Weekend". Collection features a great range of material – even some early 1963 demos, when the group with just a trio! LP, Vinyl record album