A fantastic collection of work by The Arrows – a glam-era UK power pop trio with a really great sound! The Arrow sound is sort of a leaner version of grooves laid down by Gary Glitter or Sweet – a fuzzy, hook-heavy approach to rock – one that uses lots of heavy drums on straightforward rhythms, full guitar lines that are clean and straightforward, and compressed production that pushes the guitars and vocals together nicely! There's a real power to these tunes that's simply amazing – an unabashed love of catchy pop mixed with heady guitars – best summed up in the group's original version of "I Love Rock & Roll", issued years before Joan Jett scored with her cover version. This 2CD package features everything the short-lived group recorded – their full First Hit album, 7" singles, and bonus Mickie Most and Arrowsvision tracks – 29 titles in all, including "I Love Rock & Roll", "We Can Make It Together", "Diesel Locomotive Dancer", "Love Child", "Boogiest Band In Town", "First Hit", "Once Upon A Time", "My World Is Turning On To Love", "Movin Next Door To You", "Broken Down Heart", "My Last Night With You", "Dreamin", "Bam Bam Battering Ram", "Wake Up", "Love Is Easy", "Gotta Be Next To You", "Love Rider", and "Dare You Not To Dance". CD

One of our favorite records of all time! We've got to admit, this one's an acquired taste, but if you dig cool LA studio pop from the early 70's, this record's a real treasure! Nick DeCaro was probably best known to the world as an instrumental arranger for A&M (he did a lot of the Claudine Longet albums), but this record from the early 70's has him singing in a set of cool spacey tracks that mix studio pop and jazz for a sound that's unlike anything else we've ever heard before. Nick's backed by a tight group that includes LA jazz players like Arthur Adams, Wilton Felder, Paul Humphrey, Harvey Mason, and David T. Walker – and the sound is very compressed, very laidback, and very very hip. Tracks include "Under The Jamaican Moon", "Wailing Wall", and great versions of "Getting Mighty Crowded" and Stevie Wonder's "Angie Girl". Remember, it's an acquired taste, but if you like stuff like middle period Steely Dan or Maria Muldaur, you'll really dig this one! (Now Sound, Rock) CD

A surprisingly strong record from an equally surprising duo – both artists who had given the world some real moments of genius in the 70s, then maybe lost their way a bit in the following decade – only to strip things back to a basic appeal here! For Eno, the record is a real return to song-based forms – something he'd really lost during so many of his ambient projects – and for Cale, the record is maybe a bit more focused, with just the right sort of energy to bring his often-strong songwriting back to the fold – as both artists open up with their best instrumental flexibility, and share their strong studio skills too. Titles include "In The Backroom", "Empty Frame", "Spinning Away", "Been There Done That", "Crime In The Desert", "The River", "Cordoba", "Footsteps", "One Word", and "Lay My Love". CD

A heck of a charmer from Haircut 100 – one of a handful of great UK albums from the early 80s that mixed post-punk energy with warmer touches from jazz and Latin – all in a blend that's completely wonderful overall! Haircut 100 were never trying to change the world – and they certainly never passed themselves off as a real jazz combo – but they've got a great way of adding in just the right touches on sax, congas, and even a bit of vibes – all to create a captivating setting alongside Britpop guitar lines and the great vocals of Nik Heyward. Nik's way more appealing here than on his later work – unabashedly groovy, on tunes that include the classic "Love Plus One", alongside "Snow Girl", "Lemon Firebrigade", "Favourite Shirts", "Milk Film", "Surprise Me Again", and "Fantastic Day". This 4CD package is totally great – in a 7" square book, with a bonus 44 page booklet of notes and new interviews! CD2 features Pelican Plus – 15 more bonus tracks that include the non LP cuts "Skip Club" and "Ski Club Of Great Britain" – plus all sorts of 12", 7" , and extended versions. CD3 features Junction Box – 11 more unfinished tracks, including some very cool instrumentals that really show the jazzier side of the group. And CD4 features a 14 track live set, recorded at Hammersmith Odeon in 1982! CD

The complete recordings of July – a set that features their rare original album, unreleased tracks, and lots of surprisingly great later material too! First up is the self-titled July album from 1968, presented in both mono and stereo mixes – the debut album from July – a group who only gave the world this gem of a record back at the end of the 60s – but who've gone on to become legendary, based on the strength of the set! The whole thing is a real standout in the psych scene of the UK – well-crafted songs that are tight, but groovy and loose at the same time – tuneful, but filled with experiments – and produced with just the right sort of inventive qualities to make the special flourishes and individual moments of genius really come to light! There's so many great things going on here – an all-rich, no-filler record that's filled with gems that include "My Clown", "Dandelion Seeds", "Jolly Mary", "Hallo To Me", "You Missed It All", "The Way", "To Be Free", "Crying Is For Writers", "I See", and "A Bird Lived". Next is Second Of July – a great counterpart to the legendary self-titled album from July – material recorded in a private setting, to predate that psych masterpiece – but every bit as stunning overall! The quality of this work goes way beyond its origins as demo material – as the sound is wonderful, the musical ideas very rich, and overall psychedelic conception is amazing! There's no overindulgence, but also no easy pop psych modes either – and it's really incredible how much these guys can pack into a short song – from unusual guitar lines, to freewheeling rhythms, and trippy ideas in the lyrics. Many numbers have a sweet groove underneath, and are slightly freakbeatish – but there's also a much more unique feel to the record as well. Tracks include "Dandelion Seeds", "You Missed It All", "My Clown", "Friendly Man", "I See", "The Girl In The Cafe", and "Move On Sweet Flower". The box set then moves into two later albums from a re-formed group – Temporal Anomaly and Resurrection – both of which feature material conceived over a number of years, issued on Resurrection in 2013, and on Temporal Anomaly here for the first time ever. Tracks are great – still very much in the spirit of the classic material, and produced with a nicely understated vibe. Last up is The Wight Album – a recent project from July – still sounding surprisingly great after all these years! At this point, the group is a duo – original members Peter Cook and Tom Newman – but they really manage to craft some great sounds here, with a style that ties back to their initial recording in 1968, and which features some of the successful flourishes of their revived activity from about a decade ago! The tunes are way better than any sort of younger attempt at material like this – mostly because there's a nicely understated, although still quite psychedelic, approach to the whole thing – maybe a reminder that with the best psych records, charm is every bit as important as fuzz. Titles on the double-length set include "The Traveler", "Sophie", "Special Guy", "Henry's Squirrel", "Seeking The Hacksaw Blades", "The Game", "What's Gonna Be", "Disco Klingon", "Mods Of Ryde", "It's Up To Me", and "Once When We Was Free". CD

Great groovy pop from the Italian scene of the 60s – a wealth of rare singles from female singers, almost all of whom we've never heard before! We'll confess to a long love and deep knowledge of female French singers from the time – but also admit a strong ignorance about most Italian pop, which always seems a bit harder to find – especially collected together in sets like this for the English-speaking world. And while we totally love the French sets from Ace Records, we almost dig this one even more – as the whole thing's so fresh, so groovy that each new tune is a real delight – as bold orchestrations mix with mod rhythms, rockish instrumentation, and some totally cool Italian lyrics sung by a batch of female singers who've definitely got us already digging for more. Titles include "Baluba Shake" by Brunetta E I Suoi Balubas, "Il Mio Posto Quale" by Ornella Vanoni, "Sono Qui Con Voi by Caterina Caselli, "Un Amore Inutile" by Isabella Ianetti, "La Notte E Fatta Per Rubare" by Catherine Spaak, "Il Geghege" by Rita Pavone, "Ragazzo Triste" by Patty Pravo, "Se Telefonando" by Mina, and "Questa Sinfona" by Carmen Villani. CD

The legendary debut of Hackamore Brick – a really unique little group who only gave the world this one little record, then disappeared for decades! Although issued on the mostly-pop Kama Sutra imprint, the album's got this earnest, honest quality that's really refreshing for the time – neither too-jamming rock or psych, but also not really singer-songwriter material either – and instead that kind of personal blend of acoustic elements and electric passion that's been rediscovered recently in the farther reaches of the "private" underground of the 70s. Yet here, the group are emerging already full-formed – with songwriting that's sublime, vocals that are transcendent, and mix of modes that was certainly a head-scratcher to the mainstream market of the time – but which has gone onto make the album a real treasure that's gotten some much-needed rediscovery in recent years. Titles include "Got A Gal Named Wilma", "Reachin", "Radio", "Peace Has Come", "Zip Gun Woman", "Someone You Know", and "Oh Those Sweet Bananas". CD

A heck of a charmer from Haircut 100 – one of a handful of great UK albums from the early 80s that mixed post-punk energy with warmer touches from jazz and Latin – all in a blend that's completely wonderful overall! Haircut 100 were never trying to change the world – and they certainly never passed themselves off as a real jazz combo – but they've got a great way of adding in just the right touches on sax, congas, and even a bit of vibes – all to create a captivating setting alongside Britpop guitar lines and the great vocals of Nik Heyward. Nik's way more appealing here than on his later work – unabashedly groovy, on tunes that include the classic "Love Plus One", alongside "Snow Girl", "Lemon Firebrigade", "Favourite Shirts", "Milk Film", "Surprise Me Again", and "Fantastic Day". This 4CD package is totally great – in a 7" square book, with a bonus 44 page booklet of notes and new interviews! CD2 features Pelican Plus – 15 more bonus tracks that include the non LP cuts "Skip Club" and "Ski Club Of Great Britain" – plus all sorts of 12", 7" , and extended versions. CD3 features Junction Box – 11 more unfinished tracks, including some very cool instrumentals that really show the jazzier side of the group. And CD4 features a 14 track live set, recorded at Hammersmith Odeon in 1982! CD

Three classic albums from Redbone – served up in a single set! First up is Potlatch – a killer album from Redbone – one that has the group really hitting on all burners – using that strongly solid groove that Pat and Lolly Vegas first forged through years on the west coast club scene, and turning it into a more powerful message that made the group such a top-shelf act at the time! And sure, most folks remember Redbone as being a crucial first nation group – but there's a quality to the music here that instantly pushes them into competition with the best of the mainstream too – a sharp, soulful sound that comes on strong right from the start – on tunes that include "Without Reservation", "Maggie", "Light As A Feather", "Drinkin & Blo", "Bad News Ain't No News At All", and "Alcatraz". Message From A Drum is great – a record that has Redbone opening the door to a bit more elements from their roots than before, but also while expanding their sound in all these ways that are completely unexpected too! The approach is great – and almost as if Pat and Lolly Vegas had shown to the rest of the world that they could conquer mainstream rock at the start of the 70s, then felt free to experiment a bit more with the overall shape of their sound – using some rootsy elements that echo the drum in the title, but also tripping things out a bit too – often with a heady vibe that makes the album one of their best. Titles include "The Witch Queen Of New Orleans", "The Sun Never Shines On The Lonely", "One Monkey", "Chant 13th Hour", "Jericho", "Niji Trance", "Message From A Drum", and "Fate". Cycles is a bit later, from 1977 – and is a record that's maybe a bit more soulful than usual for Pat and Lolly Vegas – thanks to production from Linda Creed – who gives the pair a groove that's a nice change from their early 70s records, and underscores some of the more soul-based modes that were always lurking in their music! There's some warm keyboards on the record, and some very nice grooves that never try to change up the group at all – but instead open these currents of funk and mellower soul that turn out to be a great showcase for the vocals of the Vegas brothers! Titles include "Cycles", "Open", "Gamble", "Dancing Bones", "Funky Silk", "Don't Say No", and "Give Your Our Love Another Try". CD

Lou Reed's maybe a bit more subtle here than during his years with the Velvet Underground, and his earliest solo records – but he also has this new sort of maturity that really points the way forward to the years to come! Coney Island Baby further marks the continuing legacy of Lou Reed as a hell of a songwriter – able to portray human strivings and failings with a surprisingly sensitive ear – all in the kind of modes that might not hit you over the head the first time around, but which are completely compelling over the next few spins. There's always that wry little quality to Reed's vocals here – that bite that almost comes as a weary attempt to snap back at the world – and while the album's maybe not the most transgressive release of 1976, it's got a subtle power that's made it a lot more long-lasting than some of its contemporaries. Titles include "Crazy Feeling", "Charly's Girl", "A Gift", "Ooohhh Baby", "Coney Island Baby", and "She's My Best Friend". CD

A pair of early 70s albums from Tom Rush – back to back on a single CD! First up is the self-titled Tom Rush album for Columbia – maybe the biggest album ever from Tom Rush – a set that pushes the singer strongly past his more folksy roots, and seems to set him up for a bigger career in the 70s mainstream! And yet the record's not commercial at all – done with a laidback instrumental style that moves into rock from folk, with occasional rootsy elements, but passages of softer phrasing that really work well with Tom's vocals too. Titles include "Old Man Song", "Livin In The Country", "Driving Wheel", "Rainy Day Man", "Drop Down Mama", and a really great take on "These Days". Wrong End Of The Rainbow is an album that lets Tom Rush bring in a lot more of his own songs than his Columbia Records debut – a great reminder of the early years of his career, when Tom gave the world a few songs that were picked up and redone by some of his key contemporaries! The style moves Rush even more past folk than before – still done with an intimate sense of instrumentation, which includes plenty of acoustic elements – but handled with phrasing that's very different than it would have been in the 60s, as Rush and his generation find a new way to move forward with more mature modes and a stronger sense of variety. Titles include "Starlight", "Jazzman", "Rotunda", "Biloxi", "Merrimac County", "Wrong End Of The Rainbow", and "Gnostic Serenade". (Folk/Country, Rock) CD

A garagey group from the North Carolina scene of the 60s, but one who've also got this really tuneful vibe as well – almost a sort of Brit Invasion inspiration mixed with the rougher edges in their music! The group harmonize in a way that's clearly got some Beatles inspiration, but the production of this unissued material is very different than any sort of George Martin session in the studio – with plenty of echo and even a bit of distortion from time to time, which really offsets the sweetness in the vocals! The set features their original Wal-Mor 45 – the only two tracks that were ever issued back in the day – plus eight more unissued titles – tunes that include "Try Not To Cry", "Ticky Tacky", "Don't Be Surprised", "Get Out Of That Rut", "I Walk The Line", "Blue Blue World", and "The Shortest Road To You". CD

Really beautiful work from Som Imaginario – a progressive Brazilian group of the 70s, and one who also had strong ties to the world of Milton Nascimento as well! Milton's keyboard player Wagner Tiso is a key part of the record here – playing organ and electric piano – and the set also features wonderful sax and flute from Nivaldo Ornelas, who brings a lot of warmer, soulful currents to the set! The performance is a live one, and has a stile that's really cool – jazzier and more personal than some of the group's studio work at times – recorded in 1976, but issued here for the first time ever. Titles include "Sabado", "Imaginados", "Banda Da Capital", "Os Cafezais Sem Fim", "Xa Mate", and "Radio Guarany". Features CD-only bonus tracks "Armina" and "Manuel O Audaz". (Brazil, Rock) CD

Quite a compelling album from the great and sometimes-overlooked Al Stewart – a set that really showcases the evolution in both his songwriting and subject matter – all at a level that seems wonderfully unconcerned with any sort of chart hit or commercial crossover! At this point, Al's kind of the perfect step beyond the earlier version of Brit singer/songwriters you would have found on labels like Harvest or Vertigo – steeped both in a creative sense of subject matter that seems influenced by Dylan, with an ability to spin out narratively unusual tunes that also get way past folksy cliches too – and which are delivered here with well-arranged, well-produced backings – but again, at a level that seems quite far from chartbound. Al's wonderful vocal style is a big part of the album's strength – really individual, and a sound we can fall in love with, no matter what the setting. Titles include "Warren Harding", "Roads To Moscow", "Last Day Of June 1934", "Nostradamus", and "Post World War Two Blues". CD

We love Wayne Talbert – and think he's one of the great under-discovered talents of his time! Wayne worked in the Sir Douglas Quintet, which is probably how he ended up recorded for Mercury – but he's got a sound that's very distinct, and has this really amazing mix of jazz, soul, and Texas elements – but all with a vibe that's unlike anything else we can think of! Wayne wrote most of the tunes on this set himself, and they often have these jazzy arrangements that includes bits of vibes, modal piano, soaring horns, and other elements that are all jumbled together – with a unique blend that's maybe in the territory of that great Shades Of Joy album on Fontana, with a similar disregard for easy labels or tags! Yet Talbert's soulful vocals also have a charm that really sets this one apart, too – almost Mose Allison meeting Joe Cocker somewhere down near the border – a quality that should have made Wayne huge – on titles that include "Dues to Pay", "What More Can I Say", "Schizophrenic Susan Minnick", "Funky Ellis Farm", and "Hell of a World". CD

A much-needed and insanely overstuffed look at the Tremeloes – one of those groups from the 60s who are known for an odd single or two – but who have a tremendous recorded legacy that finally gets its due in this mighty box set! The Tremeloes were perfect at turning out the right sort of pop psych tunes that made the British charts sparkle in the late 60s – numbers that were catchy, but inventive too – never too indulgent, but really well-crafted with just the right attention to guitar work next to the vocals. Their singles did well, but the group recorded a huge amount of material for CBS during their time as a group – all of which is included here, a total of 165 tracks, plus a big booklet of notes. In addition to singles and b-sides, the set features the albums Here Come The Tremeloes and Alan Dave Rick & Chip – both in mono and stereo – the albums World Explosion, Suddenly You Love, Live In Cabaret, and Master – plus a rare unissued soundtrack for the film May Morning! There's lots of bonus material, unreleased tracks, and rare European singles too – which makes for a wonderfully groovy collection overall. CD

An unusual moment in the career of Tom Waits – a set that features some tracks done for a stage production, and which almost seem to unlock a Brechtian side in the singer's approach – especially given the jagged rhythms and dark currents that seem to inflect to many of the tunes! At a number of points, Waits sings in a style that's even more gruff than some of his standard albums – and mixed with the instrumentation on the set, there's almost a between the wars sort of vibe to the whole thing – a very nice change from the vibe of so many previous albums. At some level, the set might also mark an elevation to some of the more "serious" modes that Nick Cave was also hitting around the same time – a onetime underground hero realizing the power of himself in the larger world of art and culture. Titles include "Everything Goes To Hell", "Another Man's Vine", "Knife Cause", "The Part You Throw Away", "A Good Man Is Hard To Find", "Starving In The Belly Of A Whale", and "Misery Is The River Of The World". CD

One of the best American psyche albums we've heard from the late 60s – a near-perfect record that's head and shoulders above the rough experimentation of most other groups from the period! Colours spell their name with a definite British twist, and there's clearly a Beatles influence going on here – a sound that's almost pre-Sgt Peppers, but which has wonderfully complicated time changes, vocal parts, and production techniques that must have cost a pretty penny to such a little-known group! Horns and strings are arranged by Dave Roberts, and handled with a sensitivity that almost matches The Zombies' best at times – and the tunes themselves are a fresh variety of odd themes, including one number about robbing a liquor store. Titles include "Brother Lou's Love Colony", "Bad Day At Black Rock Baby", "Love Heals", "Rather Be Me", "I'm Leaving", "Cataleptic", "Don't You Realize", and "Lovin". CD

A record that seems to take Dead Can Dance even farther back into the past than ever before – not to the sound of their earliest years, but to a world of ancient musical elements that come together beautifully in their hands! The set is probably the most carefully-recorded the group ever gave us – and one of the most sensitive too – with spacious qualities that can let individual vocal or instrumental passages really resonate, while wider washes of sound come in to tie the whole thing together, but in a way that's greatly matured since the earlier years of 4AD. Lisa Gerrard's vocals are amazing – and titles include "The Carnival Is Over", "Ariadne", "Towards The Within", "Spirit", "Bird", and "How Fortunate The Man With None". CD

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

Great experimental work from Holger Hiller – a set that was issued on the important German new wave label Ata Tak, but which was maybe even more revolutionary than most other records on the imprint at the time! Hiller bridges so many different worlds here – earlier German electronic experimentation at an academic level, some of the spacier sounds of the prog generation, and the really creative exploration of earlier ideas in a more personal level that marked the new wave of the post-punk years – using some elements here that would be right at home on a cold wave recording, but with modes that are sometimes more playful, and almost in territory that Holger Czukay would explore on some of his solo work of the decade. The mix of keyboards, vocals, and analog elements is great – and titles include "Jonny", "Hosen Die Nicht Aneinander Passen", "Mutter Der Frohlichkeit", "Das Feuer", "Ein Hoch Auf Das Bugeln", and "Budapest Bukarest". CD

Mylon LeFevre's got a long legacy in the world of spiritual music – but this set is one of a pair of totally sweet secular records done for Warner Brothers in the late 70s – an album that really makes great use of LeFevre's wonderful vocals, which had been honed in both gospel and rock groups for many years before the sessions! Production is by Jerry Crutchfield, who does a great job of mixing occasional roots elements with warmer AOR styles – yet never in a way that's too polished, or too commercial at all – really leaving the sound as one of those secret and overlooked 70s dates for a larger label. Titles include "Country John", "Let's Get Together", "Goodbye Miss Sadness", "Love As One", "Understand It", "Basic Lady", and a nice countryfied take on "Girl From The North Country". CD

Great work from this blue-eyed soul group of the 70s – one who've been picked and kept alive by some key underground scenes over the years – like the Northern Soul world of the UK, and the beach music scene in the Carolinas! The group here have some key jazz contributions from Mike Melvoin on piano, Dennis Budimir on guitar, and Tom Scott on tenor – and as with their first record, there's a nice current of soul running through the music – a way of using soulful elements in subtle ways, which is really the appeal of these guys – as they really know how to slide in with a compelling style and a warm vocal approach! Titles include "Get It Up For Love", "I Can't Stop This Love Song", "When You Get Right Down To It", "Who's Foolin' Who", and "Magical Lady". CD features four bonus tracks, all singles – "Skysurf", "Can't Let You Down", "Gemini Lady", and "Love Connection". (Soul, Rock) CD

A searing album of Tuareg guitar from Mdou Moctar – coming across here with even more power and intensity than ever before! For years, African guitar styles have been gaining plenty of attention in the larger world of rock – and here, the sound is almost as of Mdou Moctar is trying to bridge that gap – turning in tracks that almost defy the boundaries of nation and language, with an appeal to just about anyone with an ear for amazing guitar work, psychedelic elements, and music that really knocks it out of the park! The drums of Souleymane Ibrahim push the whole thing tremendously – with a driving power different from other Tuareg albums – and Moctar's guitar can only respond with really frenzied solo work throughout. Titles include "Takoba", "Sousome Tamacheq", "Modern Slaves", "Oh France", "Funeral For Justice", and "Djallo #1". (Global Grooves, Rock) CD

A trio of key albums from the Pink Fairies – served up with lots of bonus tracks too! First up is Never Never Land – the fantastic debut of the Pink Fairies – easily one of the shaggiest, headiest bands on the UK scene at the start of the 70s – and a group who rose from the ashes of the equally important Deviants! The record's an unusual mishmash of modes – a set that confidently swaggers between psych, hard rock, and maybe even a bit of proto-punk – very confident in its approach, and coolly compressed in the production, but never in the slick style that would dominate British rock more strongly in the mid 70s. The Fairies aren't afraid to let their freak flag fly, but they're also clearly moving past hippiedom too – on titles that include "War Girl", "Do It", "Say You Love Me", "Tack One Side Two", "Thor", "Uncle Harry's Last Freakout", and "The Dream Is Just Beginning". What A Bunch Of Sweeties is filled with freaky fuzz from the Pink Fairies – a seminal UK group who were maybe trapped in a space between late psych and early glam – and somehow equally important to both! There's lots going on in the set – modes that are as offbeat as styles put forth by The Fugs in the late 60s, but a lot sharper overall from a musical perspective – especially in the way the group uses great guitar work and a few catchy numbers to sew the whole thing together – on titles that include "Portobello Shuffle", "Marilyn", "Pigs Of Uranus", "Walk Don't Run", "X-Ray", "I Went Up I Went Down", and "I Saw Her Standing There". Kings Of Oblivion is maybe the most fully-formed album from the legendary Pink Fairies – and a set that's got some really searing guitar from Larry Wallis – a melodic genius whose sound really holds things together, and gives the group a stronger focus than ever before! The guitar lines seem to bring out and amplify all the ideas the group were going for before – and maybe give the group a sense of darkness that they never fully reached – not hard rock cliche, but this tightness that's also completely individual – maybe like early Thin Lizzy at their best, yet in a completely different way. Titles include "I Wish I Was A Girl", "City Kids", "When's The Fun Begin", "Chromium Plating", "Street Urchin", and "Chamber Maid". Bonus tracks include "Going Down", "Walk Don't Run (first version)", "War Girl (alt mix)", "The Snake", "Do It (single mix)", "Uncle Harry's Last Freakout (alt mix)", "Well Well Well (alt mix)", "City Kids (alt)", and "Hold On (single)". CD

The last-ever album from the legendary Lou Reed – and a set that's completely different from the sounds he gave the world in the Velvet Underground, and on most of his solo work in recent decades too! The music is spare and ambient, and very much lives up to the "meditations" in the title – inspired strongly by Lou's love of Tai Chi, but also delivered with a quality that echoes a lot of the ambient work of Brian Eno too! There's a great sense of texture and tone here – really slow-building, quiet-shifting sound that has this really subtle, almost earthy power – definitely music that is designed to alter the body and mind, but in very peaceful ways. Titles include "Move Your Heart", "Find Your Note", "Wind Coda", and "Hudson River Wind". CD

Doug Sahm in the studio is already pretty darn great – as you'll know from his Sir Douglas Quintet albums – but live, he's maybe even more amazing – as he really opens up with a personal style that showcases all those mixes of modes from the Texas roots that helped make him one of the most unique figures in rock and roll! The first CD here features Sahm working in a live setting in Philly in 1973 – a well-recorded set that has all sorts of slices of his already-long career coming into play in a really great way. Titles on that set include "San Antone", "I'm Glad For Your Sake", "She's About A Mover", "Are Inlaws Really Outlaws", "The Rains Came", "Wolverton Mountain", and "Mendocino". The second set here is even better – recorded in Houston with a nicely gritty edge – very much the kind of confident south Texas setting that has Sahm setting fire to everything that drives him! Titles include "Texas Tornado", "Rain Rain", "At The Crossroads", "Wasted Days & Wasted Nights", "Papa Ain't Salty", and "Georgia". CD

A set that features two early 80s albums from the great Doug Sahm – plus a full CD of rare bonus material from the early days too! First up is Hell Of A Spell – a set that marks a new label for Doug Sahm, and maybe a slight shift in sound too – one that uses roots modes that extend a bit more past more familiar Texas territory, but only to showcase the depth in Sahm's music that continued to make him a legend long after his too-early passing! Doug's got a way of delivering a lyric that goes right past any sense of poster or artifice – a quality that makes these tunes completely charming, even though the modes might seem easy or familiar. The lineup includes some nice tenor sax and organ work – and titles include "Hangin On By A Thread", "Tunnel Vision", "Ain't Into Lettin You Go", "All The Way To Nothing", "Hell Of A Spell", "Can't Fake It", and "I Don't Mind At All". Nuevo Wave Live is a great concert set from Doug Sahm – continuing that great tradition of really letting his tunes open up before an audience – on titles that include "San Antone", "She's About A Mover", "Who Were You Thinkin Of", "The Rains Came", "T-Bone Shuffle", and "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues". CD2 features lots more tracks 25 additional titles that include early material in The Pharoahs, Mar Kays, and Dell-Kings – plus some solo tracks, one number with The Spot Barnett Band – and other tracks supposedly with Ernest Tubb, T-Bone Walker, and Freddy Fender – a few of each, but without much detail in the notes. CD

A key record in the post-Byrds legacy of the 70s – the famous pairing of JD Souther, Chris Hillman, and Richie Furay – all united in a mode that takes the country rock experiments of the late 60s into tighter territory for the new decade! There's definitely some focused, harmonic moments on the record that echo sounds that the Eagles and Poco were giving the world – but the record's also got plenty more moments that are more open, honest, and really show the way that the trio could put aside egos, and work as a whole. All three sing and play guitar, and Hillman adds some especially nice mandolin – on titles that include "The Heartbreaker", "Fallin In Love", "The Flight Of The Dove", "Rise & Fall", "Deep Dark & Dreamless", "Safe At Home", and "Border Town". CD

A pair of classics from Strawberry Alarm Clock – back to back on a single CD! First up is their classic Incense & Peppermints – dreamy pop psych from Strawberry Alarm Clock – a great late 60s group who skirted the worlds of Sunshine Pop and more jamming garage rock! This album's got a lot more to offer than you might guess from just the title hit – as the instrumentation sometimes gets nicely tripped out – with cool use of organ, harpsichord, and guitar – plus plenty of special effects in production – and even some of the song styles and lengths are unusual too, making the album way more than just a batch of cute little tunes. Titles include the classic "Incense & Peppermints", the eight minute jammer "The World's On Fire", the instrumental "Pass Time With SAC", and the cuts "Paxton's Back Street Carnival", "Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow", "Strawberries Mean Love", and "Unwind the Clock". Next is Wake Up It's Tomorrow – a great little second set from Strawberry Alarm Clock – much headier and tripped-out than their first! For the record, the group's not just working off the success of a previous single – and instead is really taking time in the studio to try out new ideas, musically, lyrically, and (most importantly) in the range of cool production techniques used on the set! There's still a warm harmony vocal approach on some of the album's best tunes, but they're also matched here with some more progressive guitar parts and fuzzier instrumental touches – in a way that brings a bit of darkness into the sunshine, and creates the wonderful sense of counterpoint that was always the group's strongest suit. Most tunes are nicely unfamiliar, and titles include "Curse Of The Witches", "Black Butter – Past, Present, & Future", "Soft Skies No Lies", "They Saw The Fat One Coming", "Nightmare of Percussion", "Tomorrow", "Sit With the Guru", and "Pretty Song From Psych-Out". CD also features single mixes of "Tomorrow" and "Sit With The Guru". CD

A surprising classic from the early 80s underground – a record that came to the world from the scene in Milwaukee, where neither the group nor the rest of the world would have expected the album to have such staying power over the decades! And yet, from the very first needle drop, it's hard to imagine otherwise – as the record's got this raw intensity that's not really punk, certainly not new wave – almost an American primitivist energy that really gets to the heart of the matter from the very first note – and goes on to deliver a non-stop testament of angst and longing, set to scratchy guitar and fast-riffing drums! Gordon Gano's vocals perfectly fit the spirit of the songs – and the set's full of classics that include "Blister In The Sun", "Kiss Off", "Add It Up", "Gone Daddy Gone", and "Prove My Love". 2CD version features a huge amount of bonus material on the second disc – demos of most tracks for the album, and live recordings from the same time – plus UK single tracks "Ugly" and "Gimme The Car". CD