A groovy little group from the northeast scene in the 70s – one who mix jazz and funk touches with some more roots-oriented material at times – all handled with instrumentation that's impeccable throughout! If these guys were out in Cali, they'd no doubt be working in the big studios of the time – or maybe would have even scored some sort of major label contract – yet the really wonderful thing about the record is that it's much more homegrown, and completely charming in the process – especially since their sound is very tight, but without too much overdone production. Titles include the great groover "Crazy Days" – plus "Blue Eyed Lady", "Fly Away", "Finding My Way Back Home", "I Can't Live Without You", "Nice Guys & Fools", and "Go On Away". Great reissue adds a number of bonus tracks to the original album! LP, Vinyl record album

The Grateful Dead in the early 80s – still going strong in a live setting, and with a vibe that's maybe even closer to their roots than some of their Arista studio material at the time! The set is a massive ten-sided representation of a show that has the group soaring and stretching out on nearly every track – with jamming versions of "Ramble On Rose/El Paso", "Althea", "Feel Like A Stranger", "Stella Blue/Good Lovin", "Space/The Other One", "Uncle John's Band/Drums", "Ship Of Fools", "Estimated Prophet", "China Cat Sunflower/I Know You Rider/Samson & Delilah", "Deep Elem Blues", "New Minglewood Blues", "Beat It On Down The Line", "US Blues", and "Bird Song". LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing music from Hapshash & The Coloured Coat – a group with a sound that's every bit as freewheeling as their name! The set's a unique collaboration between DJ/producer Guy Stevens and psych poster designers Michael English and Nigel Weymouth – and has this loose, unfettered feel that's almost more like a "happening" in the studio instead of some road-jamming band cutting its music to vinyl – a really hair-down party with instrumentation on trippy percussion, jangly guitar, and other odd sounds that step in and out of the mix – showing a larger studio sense of manipulation for the whole record. There's an odd groove to the record at parts – almost a chaos theory return of the eternal – and titles include "H-O-P-P Why?", "A Mind Blown Is A Mind Shown", "The New Messiah Coming 1985", "Aoum", and the epic side two jam "Empires Of The Sun". LP, Vinyl record album

The first time out, these guys seemed more like a mistake or a studio collision (and we mean that in a good way!) – but for this second set, Haphash and crew have really evolved – getting a bit tighter and more focused – yet still sticking to the trippy multi-colored style that made them so great in the first place! There's a bit more emphasis on lyrics than before, and there's actually some great structure to the songs – served up in a blend of acoustic instrumentation and fuzz, often with these whimsical little touches that come across in this oddly spooky sort of way – a mode that really makes these guys a real standout in the late 60s psych generation. Titles include "Colinda", "Chicken Run", "Big Bo Peep", "Milk Shake Knock", "The Wall", "You For Ophelia", and "Fare You Well". LP, Vinyl record album

A true classic by Jimi with the original Experience lineup – the third of three straight up masterpiece LPs to come out in just over a year's time by the group! You could call the leftfield astral effects in the mix experimental if you had to – innovations in the studio with echo, that hallucinatory backwards sound effect and other stranger bits – but the passionate, naturally expressive playing and singing by Jimi makes it all fell just right, and the Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell still don't get enough credit for being at the heart of such greatness. A massive 2LP effort that includes "Voodoo Chile", "Crosstown Traffic", "Electric Ladyland", "Little Miss Strange", "Moon Turn The Tides", "Still Raining Still Dreaming" and "All Along The Watchtower". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare rock from the Japanese scene of the postwar years – but sounds that definitely have a universal appeal overall! Masaaki Hirao is way more than just a novelty remake of American rockers of the time – as he's got a sharp-edged sound that easily rivals the best we had to offer here in the US – the charm of Elvis, the propulsion of Johnny Burnette, and the offbeat appeal of Buddy Holly! Yet the sounds here are often quite their own thing, too – especially on the Japanese language numbers which make up most of the set, and which have Masaaki stepping away from straight American cover versions, and really doing some great things on his own. The guitar lines are especially great – recorded with brilliant twang and echo that really matches the power of the vocals – and the set features some mighty nice live tracks that are even more biting than the studio material! 10 cuts in all – including "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", "Hoshi Wa Nandemo Shitteiru", "Isuki No Komoriuta Rock", "Crazy Love", "Ooh My Soul", "Jenny Jenny", "Miyo Chan", and "Blue De Memphis". LP, Vinyl record album

The Incredible String Band are paired down to the core duo of Mike Heron & Robin Williamson for their third and possibly best album – the truly incredible Hangman's Beautiful Daughter – using the studio as a most impressive adjunct member of the group at this point! This is an extremely talented pair – each playing myriad instruments – sitar, organ, guitar, hammer dulcimer, harpsichord, gimbri, whistle, pipe, oud, mandolin, mouth harps and more. Previous vocal collaborator Licorice sings on one song, and Dolly Collins and David Snell contribute flute organ, piano and harp – but the main duos incredible way of layering their magic with multitracking in the studio the real masterstroke of the effort. Titles include "Koeoaddi There", "Witch's Hat", "The Water Song", "Swift As The Wind", "Nightfall", "Waltz Of The New Moon", "Three Is A Green Crown" and more. (Folk/Country, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Half of the fourth album from The Incredible String Band and by far their most sprawling work to date – which was originally split into separate LPs for the US release – this bein the more intimate Wee Tam portion! Multi-instrumentalists Mike Heron & Robin Williamson began using studio multi-tracking to incredible effect on their previous LP, and continue on that path here, though accompanied by violin and percussion by Rose. Titles include "Job's Tears", "The Yellow Snake", "Beyond The See", "The Half-Remarkable Question", "Ducks On A Pond" and more. (Folk/Country, Rock) 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 really fantastic final studio album from Jefferson Airplane – a set that's definitely different than their early work, and which shows the new directions that members would soon take on their own – but done with a vibe that's also a fantastic evolution of the core group's famous sound! The guitar work is even more complex than before – Jorma Kaukonen really blowing us away with his skills, but never in a show-offy way, as the whole thing is wrapped around these honest core rhythms that are almost a rootsier take on psyche elements – with Grace Slick's lead vocals almost coming off with a Sandy Denny quality at times. Titles include "Long John Silver", "Aerie (Gang Of Eagles)", "Twilight Double Leader", "Milk Train", "The Son Of Jesus", "Easter", "Trial By Fire", and "East Starch Mom". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal late 60s work from Jefferson Airplane – done with an all-star roster of fellow counterculture heroes and late 60s icons in the studio – including David Crosby, Jerry Garcia, Steven Stills, and Nicky Hopkins! The whole thing is an incredible mix of breezy harmonies and killer melodies, but tuned to more political lyrics – a brilliant approach – full of disarmingly tuneful, yet lyrically defiant songs. Amazing stuff – and a heck of a way to cap off the 60s for this legendary band. Titles include "Wooden Ships", "Eskimo Blue Day", "We Can Be Together", "A Song For All Seasons", and "Volunteers". LP, Vinyl record album

The lost legacy of a Twin Cities group who gave the world two great singles back in the day – but also left behind a lot of other excellent material that never saw the light of day! Joker's Wild sound a lot like you might guess from their look on the cover – psychedelic, but down to earth too – that smaller city vibe from a point when garage rock groups were learning how to really play their instruments, write great songs, and expand their sound with a better understanding of the studio – all of which really marks the work on this set! The lineup is lean, and the sound is nice and raw throughout, but surprisingly tuneful too, thanks to strong production – and titles include rare singles "All I See Is You" and "Echo" – plus "Copper Penny", "Good Time", "Hard Road", "I See You", "Stranger", "Witch", "That Man's Not You", "River", "Dissatisfied", "American Dream", "Peace Man", "Park Music", and "Have You Ever Loved Somebody". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer collection of rare mid 50s Columbia Records singles by Sid King – a key figure in helping hillbilly music transition to rock and roll! Sid is probably more country than some of his rocking contemporaries, and the work here actually seems to be perfectly balanced between the two modes – maybe in part because the group hails from Texas, and in part because much of the production is handled by Don Law – the Columbia country powerhouse, and a studio talent who's got an especially strong ear for making the guitar ring out in the mix! There's a great sense of growth going on over the space of the years in these tunes – definitely hillbilly in the early 50s cuts, but hard rockabilly genius on the later ones too. LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked gem from The Kinks – a set that's got all the wit of their late 60s material, a bit of the rootsy currents of Muswell Hillbillies, and a lot more bite than the group would have in some of their next few albums to come! Ray Davies' pen is razor-sharp, as is his vocal approach – and the songs are maybe even more gritty than the group would have done a few years before – furthered by some of the instrumental currents that also bring in a few acoustic elements and some Americanized riffs, which are then also matched by an occasional twang in Ray's vocal presentation. Plus, the double-length set also features one album of studio material, and a second live album – almost as a "bonus" thrown in for good measure. Studio tracks include the hit "Celluloid Heroes", plus "Here Comes Yet Another Day", "Maximum Constipation", "Unreal Reality", "Hot Potatoes", "Motorway", and "Supersonic Rocket Ship" – and live cuts include "Skin & Bone", "Alcohol", "Banana Boat Song", "Lola", "Holiday", and "Mr Wonderful". LP, Vinyl record album

Very experimental work from this loose Canadian collective of the late 60s – but a set that's filled with some surprisingly cool touches too! The album's almost more of a "happening" in the studio at times – with free-flowing energy between jazz musicians, rockers, poets, electronocists, and more experimentally sonic scientists – shifting styles quickly from track to track, but occasionally hitting some straighter, funkier moments that are totally great – almost a more tripped-out version of some of the French electronique work we love so much from the 60s – and a record that's mindblowingly beautiful in its sense of freedom and creativity. The whole thing's a sonic trip through incredibly fresh territory – never too overindulgent, and beautifully balanced both in sound and execution. Titles include "Ode A L'Affaire", "J'Ai Perdue 15 Cents Dans Le Nez Froid", "Finale", "Viens Danser Le OK La", "Agnus Dei", "Desafinado", "She's Leaving Home", and "Intermezzo". LP, Vinyl record album

Arguably one of the greatest double-live albums of the classic rock generation – filled with extra long takes of Led Zep classics, most of which diverge very strongly from their studio versions! The real highlight here is the set's classic "Moby Dick", which features one of the greatest drum solos ever set to wax – but other tunes include "Rain Song", "Whole Lotta Love", "Stairway To Heaven", "No Quarter", and "Dazed & Confused". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite possibly the best of the solo Phil Manzanera projects – a wonderfully tight album that's surprisingly soulful and funky at times! Phil gets some great studio help from Eno and Godley & Creme – the latter two of who can really be felt on the record's well-penned lyrical numbers – sung by Simon Ainley with these great compressed vocals! LP, Vinyl record album

A split album – one side live, one in the studio – one that features guest work from Graham Nash, Spencer Davis, and Rita Coolidge – on titles that include "Pearly Queen", "Just A Song", "To Be Free", "Headkeeper", "World In Changes", and "Feelin Alright". LP, Vinyl record album

The MC5 move to Atlantic Records after their first album – and find a whole new sort of focus that's pretty great! Their classic debut was a raw live album – designed to capture their intensity on the Detroit scene of the late 60s – but this set has the group stretching out, and really going for something else – working in the studio for the first time, with surprisingly strong production from a young Jon Landau – and a sense of focus in the songs that shows a great degree of maturity, while still keeping all their pre-punk edges! Wayne Kramer and Fred Sonic Smith are plenty darn fierce on guitar – and the titles alone give a good idea of the energy of the record – and include "Tutti Frutti", "Teenage Lust", "High School", "Shakin Street", "The Human Being Lawnmower", and "Back In The USA". LP, Vinyl record album

Forget The Stooges, forget Alice Cooper, forget the White Stripes, and maybe even forget Funkadelic – because this landmark album is one that really put the ferocity of the Detroit scene on the map – rising up the city's legacy of raw sounds next to their better-known soul and pop of the 60s – and forever putting MC5 on the great rock and roll map! The group had been honing their craft in the city for a few years before this set – and it was the genius of Elektra Records to capture them live at the city's Grande Ballroom, and not in the studio – which is part of the intensity of the record's charm, especially on the sometimes-edited bit of profanity. Titles include the seminal "Kick Out The Jams", plus "Come Together", "Rocket Reducer No 62", "Borderline", "Motor City Is Burning", "I Want You Right Now", and "Starship". LP, Vinyl record album

Forget The Stooges, forget Alice Cooper, forget the White Stripes, and maybe even forget Funkadelic – because this landmark album is one that really put the ferocity of the Detroit scene on the map – rising up the city's legacy of raw sounds next to their better-known soul and pop of the 60s – and forever putting MC5 on the great rock and roll map! The group had been honing their craft in the city for a few years before this set – and it was the genius of Elektra Records to capture them live at the city's Grande Ballroom, and not in the studio – which is part of the intensity of the record's charm, especially on the sometimes-edited bit of profanity. Titles include the seminal "Kick Out The Jams", plus "Come Together", "Rocket Reducer No 62", "Borderline", "Motor City Is Burning", "I Want You Right Now", and "Starship". LP, Vinyl record album

A record with a sound that's as wonderfully swirling as its cover – material from a short-lived Cali group of the early 70s, and one who deliver this set with all the best elements of the big groups of the time – but with a much more laidback vibe! Their harmonies can really be wonderful, and hardly even need any studio augmentation – as you'd get with a more commercial group – and the songs are easygoing, but well put-together – tight, but nicely far from the charts too – and served up with some impeccable instrumentation that really gives the group their own flair! The whole set's got all the warmth of the best soft or country rock material of the time, but is more personal and less major label – on titles that include "Angelena", "Early Morning", "Tell Me A Story", "Roll Em Down", "Sleep Eyes", "New Day", "Time", and "Dirt Roads". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the greatest album ever from Van Morrison – and a set that broke into a whole new side of his talents! Van's producing himself on the record – not really in the conventional role as a producer, but in a way that has him really writing most of the album as he goes along in the studio – using core ideas for tunes, and fleshing them out in a relatively spontaneous way with the musicians involved – at a level that also shows some of the most jazzy elements of Morrison's music to date! That approach is heard to key effect in the sublime title cut "Moondance" – but it also echoes over the course of the whole album's stellar set list – tracks that include "Caravan", "Into The Mystic", "Come Running", "Glad Tidings", and "And It Stoned Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the greatest album ever from Van Morrison – and a set that broke into a whole new side of his talents! Van's producing himself on the record – not really in the conventional role as a producer, but in a way that has him really writing most of the album as he goes along in the studio – using core ideas for tunes, and fleshing them out in a relatively spontaneous way with the musicians involved – at a level that also shows some of the most jazzy elements of Morrison's music to date! That approach is heard to key effect in the sublime title cut "Moondance" – but it also echoes over the course of the whole album's stellar set list – tracks that include "Caravan", "Into The Mystic", "Come Running", "Glad Tidings", and "And It Stoned Me". Really great 3LP package – features a new stereo remix by Steven Wilson, plus two more albums' worth of rare outtakes and other material – different versions of songs from the album, and the tracks "I Shall Sing (take 7)", "I've Been Working (early version take 5)", and "Nobody Knows You When You're Down & Out (outtake)". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest records in the 60s surf/hotrod/motorcycle years of instrumental sets – an album that's partly sound effects from races, and partly instrumental music! There's no credits as to the players, but we're guessing it's the cream of the crop of LA studio musicians, of the sort who usually worked for Liberty! (Sound Library, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A live counterpart to the first Motorhead album on Chiswick – a set that's got the same weird blend of proto-punk and pub rock – all served up with a bit of a hint of the style to come! The guitars are even heavier than on the studio set – and the drums are too – and there's a nicely muddy quality to the mix that makes the whole thing sound sneeringly wonderful, and which links Motorhead more closely to the punk generation of the time than you might expect! Titles include "Iron Horse/Born To Lose", "White Line Fever", "The Watcher", "On Parole", "City Kids", "Train Kept A Rollin", and "Keep Us On The Road". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the rawest recordings made by Fred Neil – and a record we really love – featuring one side of live tracks, and another of unusual studio material! The first half of the album has Fred playing in a spare setting up in Woodstock – working in a small club, and doing great versions of tracks that include "The Dolphins", "Other Side Of This Life", "Roll On Rosie", "Everybody's Talkin", and "Sweet Cocaine". The sound is nice and rootsy, with some 12 string guitar work that's totally great. The other half features an assortment of studio tracks that have Fred working with some diverse guests that include Les McCann, Vince Martin, and Gram Parsons – on titles that include "Felicity", "Badi Da", "Come Back Baby", and "Ya Don't Miss Your Water". LP, Vinyl record album

A real classic from one of our favorite artists of the 60s! Fred Neil is best known to the world as the man who wrote "Everybody's Talkin", which was used excessively in the film Midnight Cowboy (although his version in the film was sung by Nilsson) – but he's a hell of a great artist on his own, a real revolutionary that we'd rank right up there with someone like Tim Hardin or Nick Drake. This Capitol album has Fred playing in a very relaxed studio vibe – with some spare backing, and edgey playing that opens up a side of him that we've rarely heard elsewhere – all in a session that was largely improvised, and designed to recreate the feel of his legendary live shows. The tracks are fairly long, and include titles like "Felicity", "Send Me Somebody To Love", "Looks Like Rain", and "Fools Are A Long Time Coming". LP, Vinyl record album

Drums galore from the great Sandy Nelson – an artist who was one of the most hard-burning talents on the kit, back in the day – with a propulsive quality that makes a record like this take off right from the very first note! As with so many of Sandy's instrumental classics from back in the day, there's no record of the players on the date – but they've got to be some of LA's top-level studio talents, as there's some excellent saxophone solos on the set – and some especially great guitar! At a time when guitar-heavy instrumental rock albums were king, Sandy managed to bring the drums center stage – while still also holding onto the kinds of sounds you'd love from those groups too – all arranged by Rene Hall with a mighty sharp groove. Titles include "Drums A Go Go", "Whittier Blvd", "Do The Boomerang", "Soul Drums", "The Clapping Song", "Boot Leg", and "Casbah". LP, Vinyl record album

Laura Nyro's second album in her legendary early run for Columbia Records – and an effort that's a bit more dramatic than the first! Laura's handling all arrangements herself this time, and they're conducted by Jimmy Haskell – but the overall sound is almost as spare as if Nyro were working alone in a studio with just her piano, singing the lyrics of her tunes with a style that's almost tentative at times – and which further deepens the humanity of her music. Laura's slightly more fragile than before – not really shaky, but just more emotionally open – and that certainly brings a lot to her interpretation of the songs, especially when compared to other folks' versions. Titles include "You Don't Love Me When I Cry", "Time & Love", "Save The Country", "Mercy On Broadway", "Gibsom Street", "New York Tendaberry", and "Captain Saint Lucifer". LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool grooves from Tony Palkovic – an artist who's kind of a one man soul band in himself – playing keyboards and guitar over drum machine riffs – on these tracks that are laidback, soulful, and instrumental – almost serving up a smoother take on the territory of 80s electro soul! All the elements gel together beautifully – nothing's too forced, or ever stiff – and Tony clearly likes to find a groove in the studio, then spin it out with just a few key elements – which almost seems to underscore the quality of the songs even more. Titles include "Day To Day", "Hoping For A Better World", "Born With A Desire", "Breath Of Sound", "Electric Heart", and "Better Than Before". (Soul, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous discovery in soul music – previously unreleased demos from the legendary Dan Penn – one of the key songwriters in the Fame Studios/Muscle Shoals scene of the 60s! Dan's tunes had an undeniable impact on southern soul for decades to come – yet Penn hardly issued any singles himself – just sang on these in-house recordings as a way of demonstrating the strength of his songs! Yet Penn's vocals are amazing – as raspy and soulful as any of the big names who recorded his work – and backed here by superb Fame support by the core combo of Spooner Oldham on piano and organ, Jimmy Johnson on guitar, and Roger Hawkins on drums. Oldham co-wrote most of the tunes with Penn, and really gives them a slow-burning, all-soul feel with his keyboard lines – and although demo recordings, the production here is every bit as great as commercially-released material from Fame – making the collection sparkle like the lost album (or albums!) that Dan Penn never had at the time. Titles include "Keep On Talking", "Feed The Flame", "Strangest Feeling", "I Do", "It Tears Me Up", "Uptight Good Woman", "Far From The Maddening Crowd", "The Puppet", "Long Ago", "Slippin Around With You", and "Do Something". (Soul, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Not the famous Date With Elvis album on RCA – but instead a cool collection of rare studio outtakes and alternates from the 60s – including material from the sessions for Speedway and GI Blues! LP, Vinyl record album