Nirvana's classic session for MTV's Unplugged – slowing down the tempo and stripping away the feedback and squalling electric guitars of their early 90s classics – as well as showing Kurt Cobain's command of cover tunes! This is a set that blew expectations right out of the water. It shows the essence of the great Cobain songwriting, as well has his gift for interpreting others – drawing parallels from Bowie, The Meat Puppets to traditional folk and blues. Amazing! Includes "About A Girl", "The Man Who Sold The World", "Where Did You Sleep Last Night", "Lake Of Fire", "All Apologies", "Dumb", "Polly" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic sunshine pop from the Strawberry Alarm Clock – an album that's a bit trippy, a lot sunny – and just the right mix of psych and harmony soul! There's some wonderful overlooked nuggets on the record – tunes that go past their chart hits, and which really remind us that the group was definitely a cut above most of their contemporaries – with these edges and surprises that really keep things interesting. The mighty George Tipton helped arrange some of the best cuts – and titles include the massive "Barefoot In Baltimore" – a perfect bridge between the earlier 60s harmony sounds, and the headier mode of the later generation – as well as the tracks "Sea Shell", "Lady Of The Lake", "A Million Smiles Away", "Shallow Impressions", and "Eulogy". LP, Vinyl record album

Ambitious folksy work from British trio Jade – a set that definitely fits into the best acid folk style of the time! There's often a bit of fuller backings in the mix here – nothing slick or commercial, but just a slight use of strings or other instrumentation to give the tunes the right sense of majesty and timing – especially when some well-placed piano lines are used alongside the acoustic guitar to underscore some of the best dark elements of the tunes. Vocals are never too trilling, nor too personal either – and there's almost a bit more confidence to Jade's approach than some of their contemporaries. Titles include "Amongst Anenomies", "Raven", "Fly On Strangewings", "Alan's Song", "Bad Magic", "Clippership", and "Five Of Us". LP, Vinyl record album

A never-issued album from the guitar genius Robbie Basho – material recorded at the same Vanguard Records sessions that produced his monumental albums Voice Of The Eagle and Zarthus, and every bit as great as the work that appeared on those records – and as the tracks on Basho's Takoma Records albums from the 60s! The set features Robbie doing a bit of his unusual vocalizations, but in a way that's folded in very strongly with his unusual phrasings on acoustic guitar – although with Basho maybe hitting a more familiar folk style at some moments, even though the lyrics are all his own, and have a mystical quality that really matches his work on guitar. There's a really haunting quality to the whole record, and the vocal tunes could easily have Basho right up there with left-field contemporaries, like Fred Neil on Capitol, or Tim Hardin on his early Columbia years – but, mixed with the longform guitar explorations, create a vibe that's completely Robbie's own. Titles include "A Day In The Life Of Lemuria", which is an unusual piano/whistling tune – plus "The Butterfly Of Wonder", "Thunder Sun", "Song Of The Great Mystery", "Thunder Love", "Death Song", "Night Way", and "Katerei Tekakwitha". (Folk/Country, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A great overview of the Incredible String Band – early material from the group's first three albums on Elektra, all pulled together in a double-length set that's a perfect introduction to their genius! The core talents here are Mike Heron and Robin Williamson – the founders of the group, and architects of most of the songs – tunes that use a fair bit of the acoustic instrumentation that you'd guess from their name, in an compelling inversion of older Brit folk modes – that same balance between modern and ancient that you'd hear from a few of their hippest contemporaries. The whole thing's great – and we really love to lose ourselves in the music. Titles include "Air", "Job's Tears", "October Song", "Everything's Fine Right Now", "Koeeoaddi Death", "A Very Cellular Song", "Maya", "This Moment", "Way Back In The 1960s", "Painting Box", "Log Cabin Home In The Sky", and "Cousin Caterpillar". (Folk/Country, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful bit of funky rocking soul – and the one and only album by the Deirdre Wilson Tabac – a group whose name is as strange as their grooves are funky! The group are best known for their well-compiled track "I Can't Keep From Cryin Sometimes" – an uptempo jazzy gem that mixes skipping Hammond with soaring vocals and some really great horns – and the rest of this set has a very similar feel – one that blends jazz rock with more soulful vocals, in a groove that's totally unique! Sonny Casella wrote, arranged, and produced the record – and he's also the drummer in the group, so there's keen attention to rhythms on all tracks. Titles include "I Can't Keep From Cryin", "Magic One", "I Go To You", "Other Side Of Life", "Angel Baby", "Get Back", "The Last Thing On His Mind", and "Let's All Join Together". (Soul, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A slightly gentler album than the first Captain Beyond outing – but one that really has the group stretching out their wings wonderfully! The set's recorded both in Macon and Sausalito – and really has a vibe that indicates that mix – a core southern rock element, handled with the soulful undercurrents of early 70s Capricorn Records – but given some freer-thinking elements at times from the Bay Area scene! The drums power through nicely at some of the best points – but even the laidback tunes are pretty darn great – and we honestly never can understand why Captain Beyond weren't as big as some of their contemporaries from the southern scene. Titles include "Starglow Energy", "Evil Men", "Drifting In Space", "Bright Blue Tango", "Everything's A Circle", and "Voyages Of Past Travelers". LP, Vinyl record album

A mindblowing debut from Cybotron – one of the most unusual groups to ever hail from Detroit – and that's saying a hell of a lot, given the musical legacy of the city! Cybotron have a sound that's starkly electronic, and a huge influence on later electro, hip hop, techno, and house – served up here as a spare, fuzzy approach to funk – but with lots of the colder touches you'd find from post-punk imports at the time! The blend is quite unique, and even more unusual given the fact that the trio were working in virtual obscurity on the Detroit scene – as an early project from the legendary Juan Atkins, with guitarist Jon-5, and the mysterious electronician 3070! There's more funk here than most of the group's electro contemporaries – but the sound is still nicely cold in all the right parts too – and titles include the seminal "Clear", which was years ahead of its time – plus "Cosmic Cars", "Cosmic Raindance", "Industrial Lies", "The Line", and "Alleys Of Your Mind". (Soul, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

That title exclamation's an apt one – as the album's one of the first few from the great Dusty Springfield – whose sense of soul is already a thing of joy! The record bursts out with a punch-packing power that really rises Dusty up from her contemporaries – no tears jerked too long, no overdone humility – and instead this subtle energy that has her completely in control, even when opening up on more emotive lyrics – polished in the right ways, but never in the too-bright styles that UK pop was trapped in a few years before. The whole thing's years before Springfield recorded over on these shores, but you can already hear that direction – on titles that include "Once Upon A Time", "You Don't Own Me", "Now That You're My Baby", "If Wishes Could Be Kisses", "I Wanna Make You Happy", "Your Hurtin Kind Of Love", and "I Want Your Love Tonight". (Vocalists, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A great little record from The Damned – even if the set does have them very far away from their punkish roots! Yet like some of the best of their contemporaries, the group grew up fast – shed a bit of anger, learned how to play their instruments, and really developed a way with a tune – an asset that you'll hear here right from the very first note! The songwriting is smart, but sensitive too – and with a slight edge at times, there's almost an evolution to the group's sound that's similar to XTC over the same stretch of time – save for the fact that the guitars are sometimes a bit more ferocious! Captain Sensible's definitely making himself felt more here than earlier – even singing on a few of the best songs too – in a set that includes "Ignite", "Generals", "Stranger On The Town", "The Dog", "Gun Fury", "Life Goes On", "Don't Bother Me", and "Under The Floor Again". LP, Vinyl record album

Wickedly clever British pop – plucked from our favorite period of this legendary British band! The record features the group hitting their songwriting stride – moving past the simple topics of earlier songs, into a flurry of snapshots of British life in the postwar years. Each song is a brilliant three minute ode to a certain aspect of life in England – served up with razor-sharp wit, and a creatively catchy approach to songwriting that few of the group's contemporaries could ever hope to match! The album features some of the best-known Kinks tunes from this time, plus overlooked gems – and titles include "Waterloo Sunset", "David Watts", "Death Of A Clown", "Two Sisters", "Situation Vacant", "Afternoon Tea", and "No Return". LP, Vinyl record album