One of the few albums ever issued by Ronnie Barron – an artist with a long range of work on the New Orleans scene, ties to Dr John, and even a role in the Woodstock scene of the early 70s – all of which really come through on this well-done set! Barron's got all the roots in his music that you'd guess from that legacy – some Nola moments in the rhythms, and a great ability to add a lot of character to his lyrics – sometimes shifting nicely from track to track, and bringing a lot of funky charm to the whole thing! Titles include "Duke Of Crenshaw", "Happy Happy Happy", "Let It Shine", "Freeway Mama", "Louisiana Flood", and "Don't Let My Husband Catch You". LP, Vinyl record album

A pivotal moment for Bob Dylan – and maybe one of THE albums of the 60s! The newly-electrified Dylan really takes off here – putting more punch and bit into his already-strong lyrical approach – and twisting things in amazing ways that still leave us breathless all these many years later! And sure, the album gave Bob a few hits – which are nestled in here next to headier tunes that work together perfectly. Titles include "Like A Rolling Stone", "Ballad Of A Thin Man", "It Takes A Lot To Laugh It Takes A Train To Cry", "From A Buick 6", "Desolation Row", "Highway 61 Revisited", and "Queen Jane Approximately". LP, Vinyl record album

A key record in the revival of Red Crayola – a set done at a time when Mayo Thompson had relocated to the UK scene, and having a surprisingly big influence there! The set features some guest help from members of Pere Ubu – and titles include "On The Brink", "Letter Bomb", "Discipline", "X", "Wonderland", and "An Opposition Spokesman". LP, Vinyl record album

An album that maybe marked the close of one chapter of The Kinks, and the start of another – music that still holds on to some of the best elements of their late 60s Village Green era, but which also moves the group into some of the headier territory of their Muswell Hill/RCA years too! Ray Davies has never sounded more earnest – still able to pull off wit when needed, but also more down to earth – and because of the massive title hit, the set was also one that put the group in front of the ears or more folks than had been hearing them in previous years. Titles include, of course, the mega-hit "Lola" – plus "This Time Tomorrow", "Apeman", "Strangers", "The Contenders", "Long Way From Home", "Rats", and "Top Of The Pops". LP, Vinyl record album

The first album issued by the Grateful Dead on their own label – a setting that might make you think they'd act with less control than when at Warner Brothers, but which actually seems to have them doing the reverse! The whole thing's a great back-to-basics effort – sharp songs, rootsy instrumentation, and this nicely compact presentation of all the best ideas they'd been percolating for the past five years – maybe expanded a bit on the longer "Weather Report Suite" that ends the record, but tight and sing-songy on most of the rest – titles that include "Row Jimmy", "Stella Blue", "Let Me Sing Your Blues Away", "Eyes Of The World", and "Here Comes Sunshine". LP, Vinyl record album

The first album issued by the Grateful Dead on their own label – a setting that might make you think they'd act with less control than when at Warner Brothers, but which actually seems to have them doing the reverse! The whole thing's a great back-to-basics effort – sharp songs, rootsy instrumentation, and this nicely compact presentation of all the best ideas they'd been percolating for the past five years – maybe expanded a bit on the longer "Weather Report Suite" that ends the record, but tight and sing-songy on most of the rest – titles that include "Row Jimmy", "Stella Blue", "Let Me Sing Your Blues Away", "Eyes Of The World", and "Here Comes Sunshine". LP, Vinyl record album

The lone album from the Bubble Puppy – a monumental effort of late 60s hard grooving psychedelia – and one of very best albums to come out of the original Texas psych scene! A couple of the Pup's labelmates at United Artists get a lot of revelry all these years later, and rightfully so – who would argue the importance of The Red Krayola and 13th Floor Elevators – but Bubbly Puppy deserve to be on that top shelf, too. The sound is tight and hard hitting, with trippy lyricism and groovy group harmonies, while the guitars range from cathartic fuzz to some surprisingly pretty melodicism. Not as far out as some of their peers, but the groove is absolutely killer. Titles include the benchmark single "Hot Smoke And Sasafrass", plus "Todd's Tune", "I've Got To Reach You", "Lonely", "Hurry Sundown", "Elizabeth", "It's Safe To Say", "Beginning" and much more. LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly sunny project from John Carroll Kirby – a set that's jazzier and warmer than most of his previous work – almost in this very cool blend of 70s jazz funk and instrumental AOR! The rhythms have some 80s elements at times, but not in the colder sound of the electro generation – as all the other instrumental parts, especially the keyboards, are tuned up with a nice sort of glow, and really make the album sparkle – not all-out jazz, but with all the organic elements of soulful fusion, yet tilted a bit more towards a contemporary Cali vibe that you'd expect from Stones Throw. Titles include "Hotel Jonny Chingas", "Sun Go Down", "Flying Cat", "Oropendola", "Mates", "The Takedown", and "Vertigo" – plus three bonus dub tracks too! LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the fiercest work we've ever heard from this legendary Czech fusion outfit – a previously-unreleased live performance from 1980, and one that may well blow away some of their classic studio records from the 70s! The tunes are long, and have a sense of darkness that we're not sure we've heard this strongly before – as keyboardist Martin Kratochvil plays Fender Rhodes and moog to really set the stage for most tunes at the start – then opening the door to bolder work on guitar from Frantisek Francl. There's as much prog going on here as jazz – and the lean quartet setting allows for plenty of longspun work from keys and guitar – on titles that include "Pecet", "Pralesni Pisen", "Trhanec", "Az Se Ucho Utrhne", and "Madona". (Jazz, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A record that's virtually impossible to describe in words – partly because it's got a trans-historical, trans-spatial sort of vibe – effortlessly filtering together the best roots of older French pop music, and combining them with a range of underground pop elements that reach out to the farther reaches of the globe! Jean Emmanuel Deluxe sings lead – often with a raspy style that's partly sung, partly spoken – but never in a Serge Gainsbourg mode. Instead, he gets lots of spacey support on keyboards, echoey drums, and other instrumentation that feels like reworked 60s modes – ala Stereolab, High Llamas, or Pearlfishers. Yet the record is nothing like any of those references at all – even though Sean O'Hagan provides some guest work – as does Bertrand Burgalat, Misawa Masanori, and drummer Werner "Zappi" Diermaier of Faust. Titles include "Lushy Life", "The Girl Who Was Talking In Reverse", "Claire", "La Gourveneur De California", "Hollywood Parties", and "Comme Une Video Star". LP, Vinyl record album