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A brilliant little comeback album for Roxy Music – their first album in 4 years after Siren, and a well-done departure that takes off from older records without losing any of their greatness! In a way, the set's almost the group's Lodger – a similar effort to Bowie's record from the same time that reflects a move away from heavier styles of earlier years, but never loses the edge of the group's best work. Manifesto also reflects some of the lessons learned by Bryan Ferry on his solo records – a bit leaner and cleaner presentation of the songs – but the album itself is also strongly a group production effort, and certainly feels that way in its use of Phil Manzenera's great guitars and Andy Mackay's horn arrangements. Titles include "Ain't That So", "Stronger Through The Years", "Trash", "Manifesto", "Angel Eyes", "Spin Me Round", "Cry Cry Cry", and "My Little Girl". CD

A brilliant little comeback album for Roxy Music – their first album in 4 years after Siren, and a well-done departure that takes off from older records without losing any of their greatness! In a way, the set's almost the group's Lodger – a similar effort to Bowie's record from the same time that reflects a move away from heavier styles of earlier years, but never loses the edge of the group's best work. Manifesto also reflects some of the lessons learned by Bryan Ferry on his solo records – a bit leaner and cleaner presentation of the songs – but the album itself is also strongly a group production effort, and certainly feels that way in its use of Phil Manzenera's great guitars and Andy Mackay's horn arrangements. Titles include "Ain't That So", "Stranger Through The Years", "Trash", "Manifesto", "Angel Eyes", "Spin Me Round", "Cry Cry Cry", and "My Little Girl". CD

A fantastic classic from Genesis – a record that really has the early version of the group at their height – able to spin out longform instrumental passages that would go onto shape a generation of proggers who tried to copy their sound – amidst lyrical moments that really have Peter Gabriel hitting his imaginative stride! The set's worth it alone for the amazing side-length "Supper's Ready" – a track so trippy, it's completely different than the Phil Collins-led era of Genesis – and the record features so many other great moments – like the commentary on urban housing that is "Get Em Out By Friday", the soaring keyboard-driven "Watcher Of The Skies", and the majestic "Can Utility & The Coastliners". All that and one of the strangest covers of all time too! CD

A pretty amazing album from vocalist Caroline Peyton – a eclectic set from '77 that manages to cohesively blend pop, country, soul, folk and even a touch of disco-styled funk – but it all holds together masterfully thanks to credible craftsmanship and especially to Caroline's lovely vocals! Caroline has an incredible voice – and she's given plenty of room on these tracks to really fill the room with it. Some of tunes wouldn't be out of place at all in the Laurel Canyon scene, but she also handles a more diverse palette of styles. One track, "Party Line" takes a left turn towards club soul, and despite being a bit of an anomaly, it somehow feels right in place with the rest of it. there's an honest, midwestern aura here that shines through wonderfully. Caroline and songwriter/producer Mark Bingham made impeccable team on the couple of underappreciated records they made together in the 70s, and Intuition is a true gem! Original album tracks include "Still With You", "Together", "Donkey Blues", "Call Of The Wild", "Just As We", "You Too", "Brister", All This Waiting" and "Light Years". Numero/Askerisk goes the extra mile with this well done revisit – with nice liner notes by Edd Hurt, photos, and 7 bonus tracks, including demos, outakes and more – including "Shake Down", "Another Today", "Try To Be True", "Spin" and more. (Folk/Country, Rock) CD

Not the first album from Roy Buchanan, despite the title – but a set that helped firmly cement his strong 70s legacy – thanks to plenty of the almost-effortless guitar craft that made Roy one of the key forces to carry blues inspiration towards a more rock-oriented world at the time! Despite his face on the cover, Roy doesn't even sing at all – he leaves that to vocalist Bill Sheffield, who's got a soulful style that really matches the grooves – which leaves Buchanan to spin out all these long, well-crafted guitar lines that are more important to the record than the lyrics. Titles include "I'm A Ram", "In The Beginning", "You're Killing My Love", "Wayfaring Pilgrim", and a nice take on the Cannonball Adderley/Joe Zawinul tune "Country Preacher". CD

A really fantastic solo album from Gene Clark – his first effort after leaving The Byrds behind, and a really well-chosen collaboration with The Gosdin Brothers – who help Clark hit a lot more of a country vibe than he might have done otherwise! Make no mistake, there's still plenty of Gene's moody songwriting and vocal styles in the mix – but the Gosdin harmonies really help give the whole thing a special spin – maybe that mix of country roots and darkness that the Flying Burrito Brothers were about to unleash – yet given the world by Gene Clark a few years before! The whole thing's wonderful – as essential a piece of the LA country rock underground as any of Gram Parsons' albums – with titles that include "So You Could Say You Lost Your Baby", "Think I'm Gonna Feel Better", "Keep On Pushin", "Echoes", "Tried So Hard", "Elevator Operator", and "Couldn't Believe Her". CD features bonus tracks – remixed stereo versions of "Only Colombe" and "The French Girl" – and a previously unreleased acoustic demo of "So You Say You Lost Your Baby". CD

A fantastic classic from Genesis – a record that really has the early version of the group at their height – able to spin out longform instrumental passages that would go onto shape a generation of proggers who tried to copy their sound – amidst lyrical moments that really have Peter Gabriel hitting his imaginative stride! The set's worth it alone for the amazing side-length "Supper's Ready" – a track so trippy, it's completely different than the Phil Collins-led era of Genesis – and the record features so many other great moments – like the commentary on urban housing that is "Get Em Out By Friday", the soaring keyboard-driven "Watcher Of The Skies", and the majestic "Can Utility & The Coastliners". All that and one of the strangest covers of all time too! CD

Sure, Rickie Lee Jones went onto become a bit of a cliche in later years, but this early album's still got an undeniable power – and was a great breath of fresh air, at a time when it seemed like most of modern music was forgetting its roots! What is it with the LA scene from the 60s onward that they always seemed to find their best inspiration in the past? Artists like Harpers Bizarre, Randy Newman, Tom Waits and others set the stage for a record like this – by reaching back into older styles and bringing them forward with a more contemporary spin. (And why was it that LA seemed to be the center of this mode – and New York, Chicago, and other cities never worked that way?) Rickie serves up a nice assortment of older-styled vocal cuts – performed with a mixture of traditional and 70s jazz backings, supported by some extra-classy Warner production from Lenny Waronker. Titles are all originals, but done with an older hipser sort of feel – and titles include "Easy Money", "Chuck E's In Love", "Young Blood", "The Last Chance Texaco", "Danny's All Star Joint", "Weasel & The White Boys Cool", "Company", "Coolsville", and "On Saturday Afternoons In 1963". CD

A really mighty collection, and really the first to give NRBQ their full due – as the set not only brings together an amazing scope of sounds recorded over the space of decades, but also includes some new material never issued elsewhere! The package is kind of a history book that starts at the present, then leaps into the past – as some of the new material is on CD1, then CDs 2 through 5 take a very long journey from the group's mid 60s roots as underground southern rockers, through a variety of changes over the 70s, 80s, and 90s. CD2 might well be the coolest – as it features 23 tracks that are just from the years 1966 through 1970 – really demonstrating that New Rhythm & Blues Quartet element that gave the group their name – a fresh take on older R&B modes, but given a bit of a southern rock spin – almost making the group an equivalent to that music that Nitty Gritty Dirt Band were to roots and bluegrass. The package features an insane amount of music – 106 tracks in all, some of them live, some of them rare, and even early home recordings – and the whole thing comes with a huge booklet of notes as well! CD

Landmark work from The Rolling Stones – and a set that may well stand alongside Exile On Main Street for capturing the group at their height! The record's got the Stones very much in their own space – years from just putting a UK spin on American blues – and instead, finding a way to take all their best influences, and fuse them into a nasty, gritty sound that's complete genius all the way through! Yet at the same time, the set also has them more comfortable with rootsy elements too – but returning to styles in ways that are very different than their youth – with a new sort of mature confidence that holds the album together wonderfully. Titles include "Brown Sugar", "Wild Horses", "You Gotta Move", "Can't You Hear Me Knocking", "Bitch", "Sister Morphine", "Dead Flowers", and "I Got The Blues". CD

A fantastic classic from The Band – a set that's hardly got them cowering in the corner the way the "stage fright" title might imply – and which instead seems to have the group at their most confident during the early years, effortlessly spinning impeccable musicianship and some surprisingly biting lyrics! The young Robbie Robertson is on guitar, Garth Hudson warms things up with organ lines, and vocals are handled by the shifting array of other players in the lead – Rick Danko, Levon Helm, and Richard Manuel. Titles include "The Shape I'm In", "Sleeping", "Strawberry Wine", "Just Another Whistle Stop", "Daniel & The Sacred Harp", "Stage Fright", and "Time To Kill". CD reissue includes an alternate take of "Daniel & The Sacred Harp", two alternate mixes, and a radio commercial. CD

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"Little Deuce Coupe" makes a second appearance on a Beach Boys album – this time around as a leadoff track to show the group's versatility on the hot rod market! Despite the change from surf themes, though, the music here is magically the same – sublime Wilson family harmonies, produced with a clean, clear simplicity that really makes the voices sparkle. And even when singing about cars, the Boys manage to break our hearts with their ballads and more gentle numbers – as you'll hear on a set of tunes that includes "Ballad Of Ole Betsy", "409", "Shut Down", "Our Car Club", "Be True To Your School", "No Go Showboat", "A Young Man Is Gone", and "Car Crazy Cutie". Includes the complete album in both the mono and stereo mixes. CD

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A wild and wooly take on the girl group genre – produced by Frank Zappa, and issued on his own label too! CD

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The third in Led Zeppelin's spectacular run of early albums – each one either matching or topping its predecessor, depending on one's personal favorite – and a record with an influence that's as massive as the sound! The record's got a pair of of Zep's best-remembered songs in "Immigrant Song" and their take on the traditional "Gallows Pole", but the whole thing is great – and a great balance of their earlier bombast with a lot more acoustic moments. Other tracks include "Friends", "Celebration Day", "Tangerine" and "Hats Off (To Roy Harper)". CD

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