A decade since their previous effort, and 14 years since their previous masterpiece, Portishead returns with Third – and, oh, what a mindblowing third act. The first thing you'll realize about Third is that it's not Dummy Part 3 – a welcome and surprising trait – but it does take their earlier way with a spooky, brooding and ominous framework to new dimensions. Secondly, there's no obvious single – it's to be taken as a whole. Beth Gibbons's vocals are as soul wrenching as ever, and an overall stark, melancholic beauty connects Portishead '08 to the old stuff, but they go deeper. Some bits are quite minimalist, wringing emotion from a low strum, a distant chime, or a haunting bit of dissonance – other parts are more richly layered and even a bit jarring. Pulp cinematic aura, feedback textured psychedelia, haunting European pop, and traces of field recorded folk flavor the sound – they've dabbled in all of these elements before – but never with this particular feel. The sound of epiphany. How many acts in the pop realm create a whole new style with a classic album, and then pull off something nearly as great almost 15 years later, without ripping themselves off? Add Portishead to that small list. We'll call '08 early, this is the best pop album of the year. Titles include "Silence", "Hunter", "Nylon Smile", "The Rip", "We Carry On", "Deep Water", "Machine Gun", "Small", "Magic Doors", "Threads". (New Grooves, Rock) CD

A double length set – with the complete ABC/Probe recordings of Soft Machine! The first disc features 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?". Soft Machine Two is sublime early work from Robert Wyatt and crew – a psychedelic accented jazz rock classic that never gets old – and a visionary set that inspired a generation! The heavily fuzzy guitar sound is transcendent on Volume Two – with sudden jazzy changes, augmented by horns, and all done with a sly sense of humour for which the group doesn't get enough credit. The set's broken up into two different "concept" halves – and side one is "Rivmic Melodies" – and includes "Pataphysical Introduction", "A Concise British Alphabet", "Dada Was Here", and "Out Of Tunes". Side two is "Esther's Nose Job" – with the parts "Pig", "Fire Engine Passing With Bells Clanging", "Orange Skin Food", and "A Door Opens & Closes". Wyatt's on vocals and drums; Hugh Hopper is on bass, guitar, and alto; and Mike Ratledge plays some great Lowry and Hammond organ, plus a bit of harpsichord and flute! CD

Heady instrumental work from Tetragon – a German group who can really play their instruments with great virtuoso tendencies, but who work here in a more home-grown setting that's quite different from overblown classic rock of the time! The record features loads of great keyboards – including organ and clavinet – clearly trained in jazz and classical music, but turned towards a much more rock-based style of jamming – layered in with guitar, bass, and drums – and all delivered with an edge that's much rougher than you might expect – kind of the small label production you'd find for a psych record, which really keeps this one away from the ELP side of the spectrum. Titles include "Irgendwas", "A Short Story", "Nature", "Fugue", and "Jokus". CD features full notes, and the bonus track "Doors In Between". CD

An album that has Frank Zappa really continuing to push the instrumental complexity of his music – showing the world that he's not just another long-haired casualty from the 60s, and instead an artist who just kept on getting deeper and deeper into his own really unique groove! The record's overflowing with instrumental tracks that some might argue had a huge impact on jazz fusion – especially that mid 70s moment when the door opened in jazz to some more rock-like solos and rhythms – and that link is maybe no surprise, given that the lineup includes work from older jazzmen who include Billy Byers on trombone and the great Fred Jackson on saxes – plus George Duke on keyboards and Ernie Watts on c-melody sax. As always, the drums of Aynsley Dunbar are superb – and titles include "The Grand Wazoo", "Eat That Question", "Blessed Relief", "For Calvin & His Next Two Hitch-Hikers", and "Cleatus Awreetus-Awrightus". CD

A brilliant encapsulation of the modern psych, freak folk, tripped out indie pop, and all around uncategorizable grooves of the Twisted Nerve label – a 10th anniversary celebration – doubling as both a label retrospective and a fantastic, riveting mix set by DJ Andy Votel! This approach works incredibly well, with Votel crafting a heady, exciting interconnective groove out of some fairly diverse material, and also includes some rare remixes Includes bits that sound like they were plucked from some spacey late 60s/early 70s style pharmaceutical fever dream, to more blissed out and dreamy avant pop moments, to some acoustic centered freak folk and electronics peppered experimentalism – in an excellent continuous mix by Votel. The CD has 13 tracks that each blend a couple or more Twisted Nerve tracks from over the years, a blend of more than 30 tracks in all, including "Say Your Prayers" and more by DOT, "Riding With Gabriel Greenburgh" by Badly Drawn Boy, "Sad Tail" by The Liftmen, "Fire In My Head" by Voice In The Seven Woods", "Pretty Pretty" by Mum & Dad, "Hag Door Mountain" by Samandtheplants, "Gone" by Sirconical, "Rusty Human" by Jukes, "CPU Song" by Little Miss Trinitron and much more! (Funky Compilations, Rock) CD

A surprising little gem from the late 60s UK blues rock scene – and one of the first efforts from a young Dave Edmunds! Edmunds is the key member of this trio – singing lead vocals and playing some incredibly smoking guitar that kicks off this blues-heavy set, and needs no apologies whatsoever! Tunes include 2 great instrumentals – Freddy King's "Stumble" and the original "Blues Helping" – both of which have that unmistakable Edmunds sound already firmly in place – plus versions of "I Believe To My Soul", "Come Back Baby", "Don't Answer The Door", "So Unkind" and "On The Road Again". LP, Vinyl record album

Catchy dawn of the 70s rock that's rooted in hooks and grooves, but taken to the next level with some killer piano and keys, and production touches! The group's best known for the sublime track that kicks this record off, "Something In The Air", which was covered pretty faithfully by the Flaming Lips – but Thunderclap Newman's original is more timelessly wonderful. The vocals remind us of Pete Townsend at his best, and the whole thing's pretty wonderful. Titles include "Hollywood", (#s 1 & 2) "The Reason", "Open The Door, Homer", "Acidents", "Wild Country", and "The Old Cornmill". Pete Townsend is the secret, uncredited bass player! LP, Vinyl record album

An album that has Frank Zappa really continuing to push the instrumental complexity of his music – showing the world that he's not just another long-haired casualty from the 60s, and instead an artist who just kept on getting deeper and deeper into his own really unique groove! The record's overflowing with instrumental tracks that some might argue had a huge impact on jazz fusion – especially that mid 70s moment when the door opened in jazz to some more rock-like solos and rhythms – and that link is maybe no surprise, given that the lineup includes work from older jazzmen who include Billy Byers on trombone and the great Fred Jackson on saxes – plus George Duke on keyboards and Ernie Watts on c-melody sax. As always, the drums of Aynsley Dunbar are superb – and titles include "The Grand Wazoo", "Eat That Question", "Blessed Relief", "For Calvin & His Next Two Hitch-Hikers", and "Cleatus Awreetus-Awrightus". CD

A hell of a tribute to the songwriting genius of Dolly Parton – a side of her talents that's sometimes obscured by her incredible voice and overwhelming personality! Yet right from the start, long before she was a superstar, Dolly was as much a writer in country music as she was a singer of songs – and her early records are filled with gems that opened up a whole new space for the female voice not just in country music, but in other styles too – as testified by the mix of soul, rock, and other modes that appear on this set! Dolly kicks off the collection with one of her hits – but the package then spans decades to bring together a range of really wonderful readings of songs from the pen of Parton – all accompanied by detailed notes on every selection in the set. Titles include "I Will Always Love You" by Linda Ronstadt, "Two Doors Down" by Zella Lahr, "In The Good Old Days" by The Everly Brothers, "Here I Am" by Percy Sledge, "Nickels & Dimes" by Buck Owens, "I Loved So Fast & Hard" by Porter Wagoner, "There'll Always Be Music" by Tina Turner, "My Tennessee Mountain Home" by Maria Muldaur, "Little Sparrow" by Bettye Lavette, "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" by Bill Phillips, "Most Of All Why" by Holly Dunn, "I'm In No Condition" by Hank Williams Jr, "Touch Your Woman" by Margie Joseph, "Kentucky Gambler" by Merle Haggard, "Coat Of Many Colors" by Emmylou Harris, "Don't Let It Trouble Your Mind" by Rhiannon Giddens, and "Love Is Like A Butterfly" by Nana Mouskouri. (Folk/Country, Rock) CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

An incredible record – with a great performance, and the ultra-creepy long version of "Celebration Of The Lizard"! LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe one of our favorite Doors records of all time – if only for the long Fender Rhodes solo by Ray Manzarek on the album's final track, "Riders On The Storm"! Yet the whole album is pretty darn great, too – the last to feature Jim Morrison, who would leave the planet shortly after the album was released! There's a looser, more mature feel to the whole record – still lots of the territory the group had explored on previous albums, but also maybe more relaxed in the studio – knowing when to go for a hook when needed, but also letting some of the tunes really find themselves too. Titles include the hits "Riders On The Storm", "LA Woman", and "Love Her Madly" – plus "The Changeling", "Been Down So Long", "Cars Hiss By My Window", "The WASP", "L'America", and "Hyacinth House". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Tell All The People", "Touch Me", "Shaman's Blues", "Easy Ride", "Wild Child", "Do It", and "Wishful Sinful". LP, Vinyl record album

A true Celebration Of The Lizard – with the cuts "The Unkown Soldier", "Spanish Caravan", "Summer's Almost Gone", "Not To Touch The Earth", and "Hello I Love You". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe one of our favorite Doors records of all time – if only for the long Fender Rhodes solo by Ray Manzarek on the album's final track, "Riders On The Storm"! Yet the whole album is pretty darn great, too – the last to feature Jim Morrison, who would leave the planet shortly after the album was released! There's a looser, more mature feel to the whole record – still lots of the territory the group had explored on previous albums, but also maybe more relaxed in the studio – knowing when to go for a hook when needed, but also letting some of the tunes really find themselves too. Titles include the hits "Riders On The Storm", "LA Woman", and "Love Her Madly" – plus "The Changeling", "Been Down So Long", "Cars Hiss By My Window", "The WASP", "L'America", and "Hyacinth House". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible record – with a great performance, and the ultra-creepy long version of "Celebration Of The Lizard"! CD

The classic – with "Break On Through", "Soul Kitchen", "Crystal Ship", "Light My Fire", "Back Door Man", and "The End". CD

Titles include "Hello I Love You", "Light My Fire", "Love Me Two Times", "People Are Strange", "Touch Me", "Not To Touch The Earth", "Break On Through", and "LA Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Land Ho", "Maggie M'Gill", "Roadhouse Blues", "Waiting For The Sun", "Peace Frog", "Ship Of Fools", and "Blue Sunday". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic debut from Sugarloaf – a group who managed to use the Hammond organ in ways that were just as strong as the guitar in most other groups! The approach here seems to draw a lot from all the best changes taking place in soulful jazz – as Jerry Corbetta manages his keyboards with this lean quality that's wonderful, and balanced with the bass, drums, and guitar in this perfect way – almost funky at many moments, and still pretty damn sharp even if not! You'll probably know that quality from the group's classic hit "Green Eyed Lady" – but it really shines through on the whole album, on titles that include "Bach Doors Man", "Chest Fever", "Things Gonna Change Soon", and "Train Kept A Rollin". LP, Vinyl record album

The groundbreaking debut of Can – a record that came out on 1969, and is every bit a part of its time – but also light-years ahead of so many of its contemporaries, with a quality that's kept the music intensely resonant over the decades! The songs are long, jamming, and full of plenty of prog and psych elements – yet they're also unlike those genres at all – maybe colder, starker, more visionary – using just familiar instruments, but in ways that are oddly unsettling – thanks in part to the intensity of the group's sense of interplay! The amazing Jaki Leibezeit is on drums, next to the raw guitar work of Michael Karoli, the insane basslines of Holger Czukay, and mad organ of Irmin Schmidt – topped here with vocals from the group's initial singer, Malcolm Mooney. The whole thing's fantastic – and titles include "Father Cannot Yell", "Mary Mary So Contrary", "Outside My Door", and the incredible side-long "You Doo Right" – which takes up the second half of the album! CD

One of the great fake live albums of the 60s – a set that promises to be a concert performance from the title and cover, but which actually just features The Seeds playing live together in the studio! Yet that little trick is hardly a problem – because the album's the last-ever from this seminal group, and captures them in a format that really lets them take off! Their studio sessions were always great, but this one's got a special edge from letting all the instruments work together in the same space at once, with no edits or dubs. The core combo sounds wonderful – searing guitar, trippy keyboard lines, and all the sneering vocals the young Sky Saxon can muster – served up over tracks that include "Mr. Farmer", "No Escape", "Satisfy You", "Night Time Girl", "Up In Her Room", "Gypsy Plays His Drums", "Mumble And Bumble", "Forest Outside Your Door", "900 Million People Daily All Making Love", and "Pushin' Too Hard". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty astonishing creative leap for Wire – a record that still holds all the short, sharp, energy of their Pink Flag debut – but which also opens up the group to all these weird elements they'd explore in later years and solo work too! The record is almost the group's equivalent of work by Swell Maps – still very punk in construction, but already getting experimental too – a mix that instantly set the group apart, and has kept them in territory that nobody else has ever been able to touch. Titles include "Heartbeat", "Practice Makes Perfect", "Being Sucked In Again", "I Am The Fly", "Outdoor Miner", "Sand In My Joints", "I Feel Mysterious Today", "Marooned", "French Film Blurred", "Mercy" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary album from the Krautrock scene of the 70s – one that was put together by Walter Wegmuller – more of an artist than a key musician on the scene, yet one who was wise enough to open the door to a huge amount of collaborative talents from the generation! The album's really more of an all-star Krautrock effort overall – as it features contributions from Klaus Schulze, Manuel Gottsching, Harald Grosskopf, Dieter Dierks, and others from important German acts of the period – and the music is very much in a cosmic jamming mode, with some occasional vocals or spoken bits – stretched out over the double length space of the set! Tracks are all named after individual tarot cards – and include "Der Wagen", "Die Kraft, "Der Tod", "Der Magier", "Die Sterne", "Der Mond", "Die Sonne", and "Die Welt". CD

A pretty astonishing creative leap for Wire – a record that still holds all the short, sharp, energy of their Pink Flag debut – but which also opens up the group to all these weird elements they'd explore in later years and solo work too! The record is almost the group's equivalent of work by Swell Maps – still very punk in construction, but already getting experimental too – a mix that instantly set the group apart, and has kept them in territory that nobody else has ever been able to touch. Titles include "Heartbeat", "Practice Makes Perfect", "Being Sucked In Again", "I Am The Fly", "Outdoor Miner", "Sand In My Joints", "I Feel Mysterious Today", "Marooned", "French Film Blurred", "Mercy" and more. CD

A pretty astonishing creative leap for Wire – a record that still holds all the short, sharp, energy of their Pink Flag debut – but which also opens up the group to all these weird elements they'd explore in later years and solo work too! The record is almost the group's equivalent of work by Swell Maps – still very punk in construction, but already getting experimental too – a mix that instantly set the group apart, and has kept them in territory that nobody else has ever been able to touch. Titles include "Heartbeat", "Practice Makes Perfect", "Being Sucked In Again", "I Am The Fly", "Outdoor Miner", "Sand In My Joints", "I Feel Mysterious Today", "Marooned", "French Film Blurred", "Mercy" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most important early records by Elvis Costello – and maybe one of a small handful that we'd deem completely essential out of his massive catalog over the decades! Elvis and The Attractions are in perfect form here – coming across with all the biting energy of the punk generation, but not punk at all – and instead finding a way to open the door to a global audience, especially American, that some of his contemporaries weren't able to reach at the time – thanks to some incredible songs that even Elvis might not have thought would go on to become pop and rock standards over the years! Titles include "This Year's Girl", "Hand In Hand", "Chelsea", "Lip Service", "Little Triggers", "Pump It Up", "No Action", "Lipstick Vogue", and "Living In Paradise". US version also includes "Radio Radio" and "Big Tears". CD

Hard grooving late 60s blues rock from the great Johnny Winter! Winter's guitar sounds as great here as it does in some of his better known records. The self-titled set is one of Winter's most straight-forwardly bluesy sets, and titles include "I'm Yours And I'm Hers", "Dallas", "Leland Mississippi Blues", "Back Door Friend" and more. CD includes 3 bonus tracks. CD

A legendary album from the Krautrock scene of the 70s – one that was put together by Walter Wegmuller – more of an artist than a key musician on the scene, yet one who was wise enough to open the door to a huge amount of collaborative talents from the generation! The album's really more of an all-star Krautrock effort overall – as it features contributions from Klaus Schulze, Manuel Gottsching, Harald Grosskopf, Dieter Dierks, and others from important German acts of the period – and the music is very much in a cosmic jamming mode, with some occasional vocals or spoken bits – stretched out over the double length space of the set! Tracks are all named after individual tarot cards – and include "Der Wagen", "Die Kraft, "Der Tod", "Der Magier", "Die Sterne", "Der Mond", "Die Sonne", and "Die Welt". CD