One of the highest-concept of all 70s Kinks album – a dark exploration of fame and the price of success, done as a mini-rock opera starring Norman & The Starmaker! As with some of these sets, the best tunes here are those that are the most subtle and less dramatic – and which revisit the more everyday themes of the group's Village Green years. Other tracks are a bit more showy and gimmicky, in a way that almost makes you feel silly for caring about the subject matter – even though Ray Davies's vision of the issues at hand is still as biting as ever. A few standout tracks move into straighter rocking territory, but without the kitsch of some of the other "oldies" styled numbers – and titles include "Holiday Romance", "Everybody's A Star", "Rush Hour Blues", "Nine To Five", "When Work Is Over", "Ducks On The Wall", "You Can't Stop The Music", and "Face In The Crowd". LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of non-LP material and other rare gems from one of the key figures in the Turkish psychedelic scene – an amazing artist who managed to take rootsy themes and melodies, and mix them with some really heavy duty guitar – all to create a freaky, fuzzy batch of music that forever changed his scene! Much of Koray's music never got circulation outside of the Mid-East back in the day, and we've been lucky enough to have 21st Century interest lead to a great wave of reissues – as Koray's albums have come out in various packages over the years – leading to this really well-done collection of 45rpm-only tracks, and even more obscure music too! Titles include "Mechul", "Kendim Ettim Kendim Buldom,", "Gun Dogmuyor", "Goca Dunya", "Kraller", "Cumbur Cemaat", "Hadi Hadi Ordan", "Dusunus", "Olmayinca Olmuyor" and "Sevdigim". CD

A great collection of non-LP material and other rare gems from one of the key figures in the Turkish psychedelic scene – an amazing artist who managed to take rootsy themes and melodies, and mix them with some really heavy duty guitar – all to create a freaky, fuzzy batch of music that forever changed his scene! Much of Koray's music never got circulation outside of the Mid-East back in the day, and we've been lucky enough to have 21st Century interest lead to a great wave of reissues – as Koray's albums have come out in various packages over the years – leading to this really well-done collection of 45rpm-only tracks, and even more obscure music too! Titles include "Mechul", "Kendim Ettim Kendim Buldom,", "Gun Dogmuyor", "Goca Dunya", "Kraller", "Cumbur Cemaat", "Hadi Hadi Ordan", "Dusunus", "Olmayinca Olmuyor" and "Sevdigim". LP, Vinyl record album

The title track's a mighty big hit for The Marketts – and it's also a great way to describe the group's talent for pushing past their boundaries at the time! The sound is surf instrumental at the core – but really stretches out to space themes, soundtrack areas, and more – thanks to inventive arrangements from Ray Pohlman, who pushes these guys farther than the usual groups of the time – while still keeping that guitar instrumental style that made them so great overall! There's a lot more variety to the tunes than you'd hear on a Ventures album, for example – and beautiful Bones Howe engineering makes sure that the sound is top-shelf throughout! Titles include the group's big hit reading of "Out Of Limits", plus "Bell Star", "Saturn", "Re-Entry", "Other Limits", "Twilight City", and "Limits Beyond". LP, Vinyl record album

A further step forward in the career of Joni Mitchell – a record that not only continues the jazzier currents she explored in the 70s, but also brings in a whole bunch of different modes as well – so much so, it's almost as if Joni's daring anyone to still call her a folk singer with the album! The themes are wonderfully sophisticated, as is the songwriting – the king of material that would keep Mitchell strong for decades, while so many of her contemporaries faltered – as you'll hear on the tracks "In France They Kiss On Main Street", "Sweet Bird", "Shadows & Light", "The Boho Dance", "Don't Interrupt The Sorrow", "The Jungle Line", and "Edith & The Kingpin". LP, Vinyl record album

The second full album from Nazz – a set that has Todd Rundgren extending even more dominance over the group through his original songs and arrangements – and, we're willing to guess, a fair bit of production work too – even though that's credited here to the entire band! Rundgren's still not singing lead vocals on most of the tunes, so they've got that slighty more psychedelic feel the group put forth on their debut – but the guitars here have also stepped back a bit, and many of the best tracks have that more fragile, more personal feel that we've always loved in Todd's solo work – even if some of the themes are still a bit varied. Titles include "Hang On Paul", "Rain Rider", "Gonna Cry Today", "Featherbedding Lover", "Kiddie Boy", "Forget All About It", "Not Wrong Long", and "Meridian Leeward". CD

The second sublime album from Neon Philharmonic – and one that seems to go even deeper than the first in its blend of ambitious musical themes and mature lyrical ideas! The presentation here is even more symphonic than on the first record – but at a level that's never soppy or sleepy – as there's a gentle groove on most tracks, loping around in these really lovely modes that make the tunes sparkle and glisten with the best sort of late 60s Warner Brothers wit! There's this wonderful mix of longing, nostalgia, and a kind of new vision for post-60s adulthood to the record – very hard to describe, but completely wonderful – at once completely heartfelt, but also with a great sense of distance on itself. Titles include "Long John The Pirate", "Do You Remember Dresden", "You Lied", "Forever Hold Your Peace", "Harry", and the wonderful "F Scott Fitzgerald & William Shakespeare". LP, Vinyl record album

You may know the Ozark Mountain Daredevils as a crossover AM radio act from the mid 70s – but on this early record, the group have a nicely rootsy vibe that certainly lives up to their name! Production is by David Anderle and Glyn Johns – who do a great job of avoiding some of the cliches of the nascent country rock scene – which really suits the way that the group brings some more personal themes to tunes that have a mixture of acoustic elements, especially harmonica, and some heavier rock touches. And the Ozark here might be a good way of nicely placing the album's feel away from some of the other work of the period – as the sound is neither LA country rock, nor upstate New York, nor even Memphis or Muscle Shoals. Titles include "Chicken Train", "Colorado Song", "Within Without", "Black Sky", "Road To Glory", "Standing On The Rock", and "Country Girl". CD

The second album from Principal Edwards Magic Theatre – and arguably even better than the first, thanks to some really focused production from Nick Mason! The sound here has more of the building elements of psychedelia you'd expect from Mason's history with Pink Floyd – and a bit less of the flowery looseness of Principal Edwards' debut – and the new focus is a really welcome addition, as it helps the group find a new level of power in their music they might never have attained! There's still plenty of folksy instrumentation and trippy themes in the tunes – but the guitars are more electric, the studio tricks more dynamic, and the overall record is a much more pleasing bit of ear candy that stands up well to the test of time. Titles include "Freef", "Total Glycerol Esther", "Mc Alpine's Dream", and "Asmoto Running Band". LP, Vinyl record album

A bold step forward for the Rascals – and a record that really has them taking some great chances with their music! There's a definite psychedelic influence in the mix, but the sound is also more ambitious too – not just a scattering of elements borrowed from their contemporaries, but a real effort to find a new place for their music – with some wonderful results! The great Arif Mardin is firmly teamed with the group here on arrangements – filling in the rough ideas of the tunes with some near-perfect backings – and the vocals themselves have a quality that's much more deeply personal than before – moving past the simple soul themes of earlier years. Titles include "Silly Girl", "My World", "Easy Rollin", "Please Love Me", "My Hawaii", "I'm Gonna Love You", "Singin The Blues Too Long", and "Sattva". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked electronic gem from the Factory Records scene – the third album by Section 25, done in a style that's completely different than the group's other work! The sound here is extremely stripped-down – very much in the mode of New Order's first few singles, with a love of electric beats and keys, turned towards simple Brit pop themes done with nice hints of darkness. There's almost a post-Kraftwerk sound to the whole thing – like filtering "Computer Love" and "Tour De France" into catchier, more upbeat territory – yet without losing any of their quality or charm. And as a whole, the album works wonderfully – sliding from one track to the next, and making for an incredibly held-together set that was rare for the time. Tracks include "The Process", "Looking From A Hilltop", "Reflection", "Prepare To Live", "Program For Light", "Desert Beneath The Blade", and "Inspiration". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare second meeting between Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra – recorded for RCA a few years after their initial outing for Reprise, and done with a style that's even moodier than the first! Given that Nancy's less of a star at this point, Lee really dominates the album – and casts Sinatra in a space that's filled with his own dark themes of loneliness, pride, responsibility, and forbidden adult love. Backings are rich and large, but the voices are always upfront in the mix – and arrangers Larry Muhoberac and Clark Gassman really do a great job of getting the Hazlewood vision down perfectly. Most of the tracks are originals, and titles include "Got It Together", "Back On The Road", "Arkansas Coal Suite", "Congratulations", "Paris Summer", "Friendship Train", and "Tippy Toes". Also features two great bonus tracks – "Machine Gun Kelly" and "Think I'm Coming Down". (Vocalists, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

The second half of the title gives this one away – as the album's a batch of progressive rock tracks from early 70s Bolivia – all very heavy on guitar and organ! Tracks are longish, but never too sloppy – and the keyboards and guitar jam together nicely in an exploration of themes that are slightly different than those that might have been used in a set like this of European origin. A few numbers add in a bit of strings or woodwinds – not much, just enough to push things past simple rock jamming – and titles include "Kenko", "Wara", "El Inca", "Realidad", and "Cancio Para Una Nina Triste". CD

A landmark live set from The Who – a record that offers the group with a blistering intensity that blows away all their other studio albums of the time! Although offered during the Who's Tommy-era expansion into broader themes and more complicated instrumentation, the album's a real return to basics – and features a guitar-heavy version of the group performing a number of older rock n roll classics like "Summertime Blues", "Shakin All Over", and "Young Man Blues" – plus really extended jamming takes on their own "My Generation" and "Magic Bus", and a searing 2 minute take on "Substitute" that's probably everything you ever need to know about The Jam! LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the first true moment of genius from The Who – a record that shows that the group aren't just the usual mod rockers of the time – even though they were already pretty darn great in that format! Instead, there's all these little weird bits and odd themes going on – including elements that would get expanded more fully in later concept albums, but which already have this great force here – especially packed into these short, tuneful little songs. The whole thing's wonderful – as dark as it is catchy – and titles include "Boris The Spider", "So Sad About Us", "Don't Look Away", "Run Run Run", "Whiskey Man", "A Quick One While He's Away", "I Need You", and "See My Way". LP, Vinyl record album

Hard to believe this excellent series is hitting its ninth volume – and this time around, Ryley Walker is at the helm – making excellent musical choices that really keep things fresh! As with previous volumes, the focus is on the most creative talents of the acoustic underground – usually heard here in a solo setting, but sometimes with light additional instrumentation – pushing forward that tradition of music that Tompkins Square has been so essential in capturing in recent years – almost as if the label has become the Takoma Records of the 21st Century! Walker makes some great choices here, and focuses on some overlooked and up-and-coming talents, including a few from our hometown of Chicago. Tracks include "Wooden Waltz" by Eli Winter, "Leicester Hwy" by Shane Parish, "Boat Ride" by Kendra Amalie, "World Of Objects (guitar edit)" by Fire Toolz, "Knots Where Never Was" by Lucas Brode, "Seedlings" by Dave Miller, "Variations On Themes For Blind Dogs" by Pete Fosco, and "I Used To Sing" by Matthew Rolin. (Folk/Country, Rock) CD

A collection of classic country that's got way more to offer than the "depressing" in the title might make you think – not tracks that are purposely over the top and full of bad feeling – but instead the kind of well-crafted work that makes postwar country some of the most carefully emotive music of the time! The set's overflowing with themes of love and loss, but handled with a mature, honest, very human approach – never wallowing too much in depression, and instead often coming across with a slightly redemptive spirit in the realization of the loss. The set features 30 tracks in all – and titles include "Letter Edged In Black" by Hank Snow, "Teardrops & Empty Arms" by Texas Ruby, "A Church A Courtroom & Then Goodbye" by Patsy Cline, "Lonely Street" by Don Gibson, "Call Of The Wedding" by Goldie Hill, "There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight by George Jones, "Tramp On The Street" by Carlisle Brothers, "The Old Crossroad Is Waitin" by Rose Maddox, "Lonely Side Of Town" by Kitty Wells, "Are You Afraid To Die" by Stanley Brothers, and "I'm Reading Yaur Letter Again" by Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper. (Folk/Country, Rock) CD

One of the greatest records of all time – and don't you forget it! Despite the countless lines of type that have been written about this record, nothing does it full justice like an all-through listen – something we're reminded of every time we put this one on the turntable, which is a heck of a lot over the years! Brian Wilson busted his ass making this little gem – and the rest of the world, and the band, were never the same again – awash in harmonies that most other groups tried to match, set to themes of young loss, longing, and frustration that really mark an emotional development – not just in the Beach Boys, but in pop music in general. And although some of the tracks are ones you've heard a million times on oldies stations, they somehow resonate together much more strongly here – taking on new meaning as the smaller elements of each song come into constellation with each other – creating a complicated tapestry of feelings set to near-godlike orchestrations. Titles include "God Only Knows", "Caroline No", "Pet Sounds", "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times", "Wouldn't It Be Nice", and "You Still Believe In Me". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest albums of the 60s – and the first album in Donovan's legendary run with producer Mickie Most! The sound here is light years away from the heavy Dylan of Donovan's first recordings – and is steeped in eastern influences that sparkle in both the songwriting and arrangements – and which can be most strongly heard in the album's trademark use of tablas and electric sitar! Donovan's vocals are completely sublime, too – done in that raspy, almost lispy style that brings out all the best edges in his songwriting – and the lyrics of the tunes are a mind-expanding array of themes that really pushed the boundaries of 60s pop. Titles include the sublime classic "Sunshine Superman", plus "Bert's Blues", "The Fat Angel", "The Trip", "Celeste", "Three Kingfishers", and the funky funky "Season Of The Witch"! LP, Vinyl record album

A rare acid folk-styled gem from the Bay Area scene at the end of the 60s – served up by Rusty Evans from the famous Freak Scene group, stepping out here in a completely different style overall! The music is mostly acoustic, at a level that has the raspy lead vocals coming across with a nice current of darkness – really moody singing to fit the equally moody themes – almost darker than Tim Hardin at the time, as if Marcus were coming down from a bad trip with all these realizations about the world! There's a bit of electric guitar snaking through the record too – and overall the more gentle instrumentation really emphasizes the haunting power of the music. Titles include "Royal Maze", "The Coming", "Grains Of Sand", "Time Of Our Time", "We'll All Go Together", and "Color Song". LP, Vinyl record album

The start of a legendary run of records from Queen – a set that's maybe not as archetypically the group's work as mid 70s albums to come – but which is still a hell of a way to put themselves out for the rest of the world to hear! The intensity of their musical performance is already very much in place – heard here on the leadoff stormer "Keep Yourself Alive", which is a great way to begin the record – followed by other tracks penned by Brian May and Freddie Mercury that have a surprisingly diverse array of themes. Titles include "Liar", "My Fairy King", "Great King Rat", "Doing All Right", "Night Comes Down", "Jesus", "Modern Times Rock & Roll", "Son & Daughter", and the early instrumental reading of "Seven Seas Of Rhye". CD

A great late 80s return to form for Lou Reed – a record set in a New York that's a bit different than the gritty one of his youth, but which is captured here by Lou with that vivid sense of songwriting that always made his urban themes some of the best in rock and roll! The set's designed to be listened to straight through – like a book or a movie, Lou mentions in the notes – and the songs are set to well-crafted guitar work mostly by Reed, augmented with work from Mike Rathke – delivered in a vocal style that's found a newly-confident way of moving between singing and speech. Titles include "Dirty Blvd", "Endless Cycle", "Busload Of Faith", "Sick Of You", "Hold On Mr Waldheim", "Xmas In February", "Strawman", "Dime Store Mstery", "Romeo Had Juliette", and "The Last Great American Whale". CD

The fourth album from Roxy Music – a brilliant statement of their early genius through and through! The album has the group moving strongly past the Eno years, into a tighter framework that still contains many of the darker themes of earlier records. Ferry's lead vocals are incredibly majestic – rising to heights to match the European greats of years past who were his inspiration – and the group's tight blend of reeds, guitar, and moody keyboards gives the whole album an off-kilter sense of instrumentation that really sets it apart from the pack. There's an artfulness here that's never overdone, and the whole thing comes together with a magic that's impossible to describe, but which is Roxy at their best. Titles include "Out Of The Blue", "The Thrill Of It All", "Three & Nine", "Triptych", "Casanova", and "Prairie Rose". CD

Pure mainstream 70s pop genius, the most fully-formed of all early Supertramp albums – and a record that's filled with a surprising amount of great Fender Rhodes moments too! The set's a masterpiece from start to finish – filled with themes of loss and loneliness, but served up by the group with an incredibly redemptive sense of majesty and power – really fresh for the time, and still wonderful all these many years later – despite the fact that so many of these songs have gone onto become classics. The keyboards on the set work perfectly with the oddly-timed rhythms of the tunes – and there's a great blend here between high concept and straight ahead pop – on titles that include "School", "Bloody Well Right", "Asylum", "Dreamer", "Rudy", and "Crime Of The Century". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark live set from The Who – a record that offers the group with a blistering intensity that blows away all their other studio albums of the time! Although offered during the Who's Tommy-era expansion into broader themes and more complicated instrumentation, the album's a real return to basics – and features a guitar-heavy version of the group performing a number of older rock n roll classics like "Summertime Blues", "Shakin All Over", and "Young Man Blues" – plus really extended jamming takes on their own "My Generation" and "Magic Bus", and a searing 2 minute take on "Substitute" that's probably everything you ever need to know about The Jam! Remastered Deluxe Edition includes the first release of the entire concert. CD

That's "bards" of prey, not birds of pray – a great selection of country singers, really doing their best on a well-chosen batch of unusual material! There's some of the slight doom/gloom themes going on here that you'll find in other material from the Hillbillies In Hell series – but there's also maybe a more expansive ear for the music too, maybe more thoughtfulness for the quality of the vocals instead of the oddness of the tune – an effort that we can wholeheartedly endorse! Titles include "Afraid To Rock The Boat" by Roy Clark, "The Little Bird" by John D Loudermilk, "Hell Walks The Street" by Shirl Milete, "Ballad Of Black Mountain" by Mac Curtis, "These Boots Are Made For Walkin" by Hayden Thompson, "Sing & Shout" by T Tommy & The Chanters, "Hell Bound Train" by David Rodgers, "Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down" by Slim & Zella Mae Cox, and "Listen To The Devil Laugh" by Dave Baker. And oddly, a few tracks here are repeated in other versions, by other singers too! (Folk/Country, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A nice lean set from Barclay James Harvest – a record that gets more to the core of their sound after the larger arrangements of some of their albums for Harvest Records – in a way that also seems to bring out more of an edge in their songwriting, too! The shift is somewhat subtle, but effective – as the quartet manage to find ways to make simple guitar and keyboard lines come across with this flowing vibe that often makes the sum sound way more than its parts – especially when set to the inventive themes covered by some of the album's lyrical topics! The drums are great, too – seemingly stronger than before – and titles include "Negative Earth", "Paper Wings", "The Great 1974 Mining Disaster", "Mill Boys", "Poor Boy Blues", and "Child Of The Universe". LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime second solo effort from Syd Barrett – and maybe his most perfectly-formed album ever! There's a sinister balance to the record right from the start – a gentle approach to the offbeat themes that is almost more unsettling than if the matter was undertaken more forcefully – weird little bits just tossed off by Syd as if they're really the ramblings of the madman promised on the cover of his first LP – almost with a deadpan quality that makes the whole thing even more unsettling with repeated listenings! Instrumentation is relatively lean – almost a folksy mix of acoustic guitar, electric, sullen bass, and some haunting keyboards – all as if someone picked apart Pink Floyd, then started to construct a rough sketch from the parts that lay scattered on the floor. The album's had an influence from psych through punk and many years beyond – and titles include "Baby Lemonade", "Gigolo Aunt", "Wolfpack", "Effervescing Elephant", "Winde & Dined", "Rats", and "It Is Obvious". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest records of all time – and don't you forget it! Despite the countless lines of type that have been written about this record, nothing does it full justice like an all-through listen – something we're reminded of every time we put this one on the turntable, which is a heck of a lot over the years! Brian Wilson busted his ass making this little gem – and the rest of the world, and the band, were never the same again – awash in harmonies that most other groups tried to match, set to themes of young loss, longing, and frustration that really mark an emotional development – not just in the Beach Boys, but in pop music in general. And although some of the tracks are ones you've heard a million times on oldies stations, they somehow resonate together much more strongly here – taking on new meaning as the smaller elements of each song come into constellation with each other – creating a complicated tapestry of feelings set to near-godlike orchestrations. Titles include "God Only Knows", "Caroline No", "Pet Sounds", "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times", "Wouldn't It Be Nice", and "You Still Believe In Me". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible fantasy of California pop – recorded too late in the 60s to really strike big, but with a perfect approach to mid-decade Beach Boys at their best! Mark Eric's clearly borrowing plenty of pages from Brian Wilson's bag for this set (and maybe Brian Hyland too) – and the original tunes have the beautiful quality of Wilson's best writing in the pre-Pet Sounds years – dealing with deeper themes, but in a very careful and sometimes guarded way that makes the tunes that much more heartfelt. The arrangements are Wilson-inspired too – but have a more mature style than the lyrics – handled by Vic Briggs with a quality that's similar to the brilliant Surf Symphony album of the same year – almost a dreamy remembrance of the sweeter side of California earlier in the decade, but undercut with some of the bluer, more adult modes of the time. Backings feature swirling strings, ringing vibes, and some groovy guitar – and Mark's vocals are often recorded in a way that harmonizes them against the lead – a one-man vocal group, with echoes of The Four Freshmen at times. Titles include "California Home", "Move With The Dawn", "Laura's Changing", "Lynn's Baby", "Just Passing By", "Sad Is The Way That I Feel", and "Take Me With You". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing set – all four of the legendary Warner Brothers albums by harmony giants Harpers Bizarre – plus bonus tracks too! First up is Feelin Groovy – the fab first LP by Harpers Bizarre! The group were one of the strangest pop ensembles operating in the seminal LA scene of the mid 60s – ostensibly a sweet harmony vocal group, but with a strangely childish approach that also had an ear open for the mind-blowing production styles of the Brian Wilson era. Van Dyke Parks was a big supporter of the group – and they perform a sublime version of his tune "Come To The Sunshine" as the leadoff track on the album – and even though Van Dyke didn't handle the arrangements of the record, the style of the music is very similar to his own, with guitar, bass, and drums coming into play with strings, woodwinds, and baroque orchestral touches. The record is as dark as it is sublime – one of those pop gems that hit big, but which has a brooding depth bubbling underneath the sugary coating – ala Pet Sounds. Tracks include "Happy Talk", "The Debutantes Ball", "I Can Hear The Darkness", "Raspberry Rug", and their huge hit version of "59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin Groovy)". Next is Anything Goes – the group's second album – and while it has a lot of similarities with the first, it's also a lot deeper of an expression of their strange blend of harmony vocals, sweet 60s pop, and the nostalgia for the early 20th century that was running through the Burbank Warner scene that included a young Van Dyke Parks, Randy Newman, Lenny Waronker, and other LA underground of the mid 60s. The whole record fits together beautifully – beginning with an old-timey radio kind of announcer, then sliding into sublimely crafted harmony tunes that include originals from the LA luminaries and the group, plus a few other surprising covers. Titles include the hit version of "Anything Goes", plus "The Biggest Night Of Her Life", "Milord", "Virginia City", "High Coin", "Jessie", "This Is Only The Beginning", and "You Need A Change". The Secret Life Of Harpers Bizarre is the third album by Harpers Bizarre – and one that shows them growing in leaps and bounds with each new release! The record is a sublime fusion of sweet pop California 60s harmonies (ala The Sandpipers or The Lettermen), baroque arrangements with a fake dreamy nostalgia (ala Van Dyke Parks or Randy Newman), and drug-addled underground takes on the eazy sound of the generation (ala Brian Wilson or Love). This album is one of their most perfectly-realized visions, and it features a great blend of older songs, all hipped-up to modern LA arrangements by the likes of Nick De Caro, Perry Botkin, and others. The record has an approach that's simply mindblowing when you consider the amount of funds and effort that must have been put into a record that would only be truly appreciated 40 years later – and it's filled with great titles that include "Me, Japanese Boy", "Look To The Rainbow", "Funny How Love Can Be", "Mad", "Green Apple Tree", and "Las Mananitas". Last up is the group's fourth album, unfortunately, the last Warner album by Harpers Bizarre – one of the few testaments of genius left to us by this incredible group! The record shows the group moving past the sweet pop and dreamy nostalgia of earlier albums – tentatively stepping into the haze of the late 60s LA scene with a blend of songs that share a lot musically with earlier work, but which also seem to have a more adult approach to some of their themes. Arrangements are by the group mostly – with help from pop geniuses like Jack Nitzsche, Nick De Caro, Lenny Waronker, Harry Nilsson, and Perry Botkin Jr. The harmonies are sublime – and the group effortlessly blends original tunes like "Soft Soundin Music", "All Through The Night", "When The Band Begins To Play", and "There's No Time Like Today, along with bizarre covers like "Hard To Handle", "Something Better", "I Love You Alice B Toklas", and Jim Pepper's "Witchi Tai To", which is worth the price of the record alone! Bonus tracks include "Both Sides Now", "Small Talk", "Poly High", "If We Ever Needed The Lord Before", "Malibu U", "Cotton Candy Sandman", "Lost My Love Today", and "Bye Bye Bye". CD

One of those amazing obscure records that seems to come out of nowhere – sounding nothing like most of the mainstream work of the time, with a power that might have shaped the world of music for years to come – if the album hadn't been issued in a tiny pressing of only 60 copies! There's a darkness here that's mindblowing – not just in the vocals, and the weird echoey way they've been recorded – but also in the overall instrumentation and pacing of the record – kind of a melancholy, slow progression that almost prefaces 80s styles on 4AD, but with a much rougher feel overall! Any psyche impulses are broken down into much sparer, earthier sounds – and there seems to be a bit of electronics in the mix – or is it just noise from the guitar? Yet lyrical themes are up-close and personal too – almost chance-taking in their earnestness, without the somberness of the instrumentation. All of this makes for a sublime mix – and a record that's as captivating as it is rare. Titles include "Lonely Again", "I Want To Love You", "Goodbye Sunshine", "Candleman", and "Seagulls" – and 2CD set features a whopping 23 bonus tracks – a huge amount of unreleased material, and a few other singles by the group. CD

Excellent work by The Kinks – cut right on the cusp of their earlier bluesier years, and their perfect picture postcard pop sides of the late 60s! The album's got a number of groovy little tunes that virtually put the jangle in 60s pop – with impeccable writing by Ray Davies, and all those little twists and turns that make his songs so great. And the themes, styles, and overall presentation of the whole thing are really stretching out nicely – with a sense of wit and critique on British society that really have the group coming into their own! Titles include "Party Line", "Dandy", "Session Man", "Rainy Day In June", "Most Exclusive Residence For Sale", "Fancy", "You're Lookin Fine", and "Sunny Afternoon". CD also features bonus tracks – "Mr Pleasant", "This Is Where I Belong", "Mr Reporter", "I'm Not Like Everybody Else", and "Big Black Smoke". CD

A great set of tracks by the Kinks – originally written as the soundtrack for a film that barely saw the light of day – yet presented here as a classic late 60s album that's up there with the other gems from the same period as Arthur and Village Green! A few tunes are instrumental – as you might expect from a soundtrack, and the songs hold together well with similar themes – and those cuts are mixed with some wonderful vocal numbers that have Ray Davies working at the top of his game – that picture postcard way of putting over a scene or a story – served up in titles that include the excellent "God's Children", an instrumental version of "Lola", and the cuts "Animals In The Zoo", "Whip Lady", "Dreams", "Helga", and "Willesden Green". CD

The title track's a mighty big hit for The Marketts – and it's also a great way to describe the group's talent for pushing past their boundaries at the time! The sound is surf instrumental at the core – but really stretches out to space themes, soundtrack areas, and more – thanks to inventive arrangements from Ray Pohlman, who pushes these guys farther than the usual groups of the time – while still keeping that guitar instrumental style that made them so great overall! There's a lot more variety to the tunes than you'd hear on a Ventures album, for example – and beautiful Bones Howe engineering makes sure that the sound is top-shelf throughout! Titles include the group's big hit reading of "Out Of Limits", plus "Bell Star", "Saturn", "Re-Entry", "Other Limits", "Twilight City", and "Limits Beyond". CD

A further step forward in the career of Joni Mitchell – a record that not only continues the jazzier currents she explored in the 70s, but also brings in a whole bunch of different modes as well – so much so, it's almost as if Joni's daring anyone to still call her a folk singer with the album! The themes are wonderfully sophisticated, as is the songwriting – the king of material that would keep Mitchell strong for decades, while so many of her contemporaries faltered – as you'll hear on the tracks "In France They Kiss On Main Street", "Sweet Bird", "Shadows & Light", "The Boho Dance", "Don't Interrupt The Sorrow", "The Jungle Line", and "Edith & The Kingpin". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from the Modern Lovers – but one that's completely different than the first! In an oft-told story, Jonathan Richman had a complete musical turnaround in the space between the records – shirking off the proto-punk of his roots (which was also a huge inspiration to the UK and US punk scenes to come) – and instead going into more personal material, delivered with the upfront and open emotionality that would mark Richman's music for decades to come! The shift is actually a great one – a way of really finding his own mark, and creating a sound that's completely unique – music that's surprisingly ageless, and with themes that nobody else could deliver this well. Titles include "Rockin Shoppin Center", "Back In The USA", "Important In Your Life", "New England", "Lonely Financial Zone", "Hi Dear", "Hey There Little Insect", and "Spring Time". CD

The first album that Momus recorded for Creation Records – a label that provided him with a much stronger springboard than before – which was perfect for the way the singer blended very offbeat lyrics with compelling mainstream songcraft! Momus was always very different than most of the Brit 80s scene in which he worked – influenced strongly by the French work of singer/songwriters like George Brassens, Jacques Brel, and Serge Gainsbourg – but graced with a very British wit, which made for an especially biting style that worked well with the themes of his songs. Momus has a vocal style that's maybe somewhere in Donovan territory, but sharper – and he draws from a variety of European song modes, fitted to the situation of each individual songs – as you'll hear on classics like "Situation Comedy Blues", "Three Wars", "The Gatecrasher", "Flame Into Being", and the Serge Gainsbourg-like "Closer To You". LP, Vinyl record album

Really wonderful work from The Pretty Things – a vastly-underrated group who work here with a depth that rivals bigger contemporaries like The Kinks or The Who! Like both of those groups, The Pretty Things have a heck of a lot going on musically – a real range of styles that goes beyond simple catchy pop – showing a growth in style and sound that's really tremendous, given the way they sounded just a few albums back. The songs are almost all originals, and filled with themes that run from the fierce to the fragile – often pointed pictures of the human condition, delivered with surprising sensitivity. The album features some added orchestrations from Reg Tilsley, and titles include "Tripping", "My Time", "One Long Glance", "House Of Ten", "Out In The Night", "Death Of A Socialite", "The Sun", "Children", and "Bright Lights Of The City". CD features 7 bonus tracks – including "Progress", "House In The Country", "My Time", "Photographer", and "The Sun". CD

Sweet acoustic folk rock from an obscure Colorado combo – a group who were perhaps a few years too late to make a mark with their sound, but who still sound wonderful nonetheless! This beautiful little record is the group's sole legacy – recorded for the tiny Owl Records label in 1973, and featuring a wonderfully harmonic approach! The instrumentation's all acoustic – warm guitars that slide in beautifully next to one another, plus mandolin, piano, and some occasional violin and recorder – and the vocals have a slightly spacey quality that fits in well with the themes of the tunes. Titles include "People Come", "And I A Fairy Tale Lady", "You Don't Have To Hurry", "Tappan Square", "Dorian 240 Lament", "Window", and "Binghamton". CD also features 4 bonus tracks – "Suite For Windy Spring", "Child", "Where I'm Bound", and "Chermaine". CD

The fourth album from Roxy Music – a brilliant statement of their early genius through and through! The album has the group moving strongly past the Eno years, into a tighter framework that still contains many of the darker themes of earlier records. Ferry's lead vocals are incredibly majestic – rising to heights to match the European greats of years past who were his inspiration – and the group's tight blend of reeds, guitar, and moody keyboards gives the whole album an off-kilter sense of instrumentation that really sets it apart from the pack. There's an artfulness here that's never overdone, and the whole thing comes together with a magic that's impossible to describe, but which is Roxy at their best. Titles include "Out Of The Blue", "The Thrill Of It All", "Three & Nine", "Triptych", "Casanova", and "Prairie Rose". LP, Vinyl record album

A huge package of material from The Sorrows – one full album, a wealth of rare singles, and even some solo material by group member Don Fardon too! The set begins with the album Take A Heart – a searing set from the mid 60s wave of the British scene – delivered with this mix of tunefulness and raw guitars that's totally great, echoed most strongly in the vocals, which really have an edge, even when delivering familiar themes on the lyrics – moodier than most, and in a really great way! The set then moves into a massive 28 more tracks that make up the a-sides and b-sides of the group's singles for Pye Records at the time – titles that include "Baby", "Gonna Find A Cave", "We Should Get Along Fine", "Pink Purple Yellow & Red", "My Gal", "Don't Sing No Sad Songs For Me", "Hooky", "Vivi", "Armchair King", and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes". The set then concludes with 10 more solo tracks from Don Fardon – some of the hardest to find material in the collection, and some of the most interesting too. Titles include "Lament Of The Cherokee Reservation Indian", "Daytripper", "Coming On Strong", "Ruby's Picture On My Wall", "We Can Make It Together", "Dreamin Room", and "I Need Somebody". 50 tracks in all! CD

A pair of Spooky Tooth classics – back to back in a single package! You Broke My Heart is an onslaught of fuzz from the reformed version of Spooky Tooth – a group that has Gary Wright very firmly back in the lead on vocals, and the new addition of Mick Jones on guitar – whose lead lines give the group a whole new sense of power! Wright and Jones worked together in Wonderwheel, and are a perfect pair here – with Mick's well-crafted lines underscoring Wright's vocals perfectly – all at a level that prefaces some of the bigger arena rock to come by a few years, but which also falls into none of its cliches at all! Wright's ear for a well-penned tune is still very firmly intact – and the rest of the group deliver some mighty heavy energy on the rhythms – on titles that include "Old As I Was Born", "Wild Fire", "Holy Water", "Times Have Changed", "Moriah", and "Cotton Growing Man". Witness is a further deepening of the Spooky Tooth sound – on an album that seems to have a headier approach to the lyrical themes, which is also echoed by the vocals of Gary Wright, and the energy of the rest of the group! These guys are still a blues-influenced rock group at the core – and are still hardly a progressive group at all – but they've also really opened up their palette on the tunes, and find ways of giving more than just the full-on fuzz of previous records, while still using that element to kick things in gear at all the right places! Titles the surprisingly funky "Ocean Of Power", plus "As Long As The World Keeps Turning", "Wings On My Heart", "Pyramids", "Dream Me A Mountain", and "Sunlight Of My Mind". CD

One of the greatest albums ever from Caetano Veloso – a rare all-English language set, recorded in London during the years of his exile! The post-Tropicalia set is a fair bit different than any other Veloso album we can think of – not just because of the English language, but also because the approach is somewhat gentle, and almost folksy at times – a real change from his experimental modes of the late 60s, and easily his most personal statement to date. The tunes are incredibly beautiful – filled with themes of loss and longing that no doubt come from his separation from Brazil – and although a few tunes feature light strings from Phil Ryan, most of the backings are relatively light, and almost acoustic. Titles include the classics "Shoot Me Dead", "If You Hold a Stone", "Maria Bethania", "In The Hot Sun Of A Christmas Day", and "London, London" – plus a cover of "Asa Branca". (Brazil, Rock) CD

One of the greatest albums ever from Caetano Veloso – a rare all-English language set, recorded in London during the years of his exile! The post-Tropicalia set is a fair bit different than any other Veloso album we can think of – not just because of the English language, but also because the approach is somewhat gentle, and almost folksy at times – a real change from his experimental modes of the late 60s, and easily his most personal statement to date. The tunes are incredibly beautiful – filled with themes of loss and longing that no doubt come from his separation from Brazil – and although a few tunes feature light strings from Phil Ryan, most of the backings are relatively light, and almost acoustic. Titles include the classics "Shoot Me Dead", "If You Hold a Stone", "Maria Bethania", "In The Hot Sun Of A Christmas Day", and "London, London" – plus a cover of "Asa Branca". (Brazil, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark live set from The Who – a record that offers the group with a blistering intensity that blows away all their other studio albums of the time! Although offered during the Who's Tommy-era expansion into broader themes and more complicated instrumentation, the album's a real return to basics – and features a guitar-heavy version of the group performing a number of older rock n roll classics like "Summertime Blues", "Shakin All Over", and "Young Man Blues" – plus really extended jamming takes on their own "My Generation" and "Magic Bus", and a searing 2 minute take on "Substitute" that's probably everything you ever need to know about The Jam! CD

A landmark live set from The Who – a record that offers the group with a blistering intensity that blows away all their other studio albums of the time! Although offered during the Who's Tommy-era expansion into broader themes and more complicated instrumentation, the album's a real return to basics – and features a guitar-heavy version of the group performing a number of older rock n roll classics like "Summertime Blues", "Shakin All Over", and "Young Man Blues" – plus really extended jamming takes on their own "My Generation" and "Magic Bus", and a searing 2 minute take on "Substitute" that's probably everything you ever need to know about The Jam! CD

A great illustration of the sorts of qualities that always made the British scene so interesting over the years – as even in the big year of hits that was 1972, these groups still had a way of coming up with all sorts of interesting modes and really fresh styles – maturing the earlier experiments of prog rock, going for some continued inventiveness in more edgey groups, and furthering a new generation of songwriting that took things way past too-familiar pop themes! The depth of music here is really great – and although the set features a few bigger names, they're easily matched with a number of groups who never charted on our side of the Atlantic, and who were really part of the record-buying cognoscenti on both sides of the ocean – represented here by the kind of album nuggets that really pushed this generation past singles and 45s! As with other Esoteric packages in this series, the choice of cuts is great – never too familiar, but also never too obscure for obscure's sake – as the 55 track package moves through work by Khan, Bombadil, Pretty Things, Ten Years After, Skin Alley, Rare Bird, Edgar Broughton Band, Uriah Heep, Hawkwind, Atomic Rooster, Barclay James Harvest, Mellow Candle, Van Der Graaf Generator, Help Yourself, Matching Mole, Bond & Brown, Vinegar Joe, Nektar, Family, Free, and others! CD

Guitarist Jan Akkerman bridges many worlds here – deftly stepping between spare acoustic guitar modes and some much more dynamic electric ones – but all with a sense of care and vision that really makes the record come together! The set begins with a few themes from John Dowland, updated by Akkerman, but still played with an ancient sort of vibe – one that leads into some very cool fusion moments that mix centuries-old aesthetics with the modern – creating a sense of anachronism that really keeps things interesting. Gene Orloff handled some of the larger arrangements, but the focus is always on Akkerman's deft work on the guitar – and titles include "Britannia", "House Of The King", "Javeh", "Lammy", and "A Fantasy". (Jazz, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Pretty cheesy stuff from Barrabas – not that they weren't always cheesy to begin with, but this one's going over the top! The record is in a tinny 80s dance mode – still with the jungle/tropical themes of earlier records, but also with a kind of Miami Vice-ish style on the guitars and keyboards. We suppose it represents sort of a sophistication for the ensemble – but we'd make this the last one to buy of all their records. Titles include "Sex Surprise Big Surprise", "Lovers In The Rain", "Stop The Horse", "Inside Of Me", and "Hollywood Ten O'Clock At Night" – and those titles should say it all! (Soul, Rock) CD

One of the greatest records of all time – and don't you forget it! Despite the countless lines of type that have been written about this record, nothing does it full justice like an all-through listen – something we're reminded of every time we put this one on the turntable, which is a heck of a lot over the years! Brian Wilson busted his ass making this little gem – and the rest of the world, and the band, were never the same again – awash in harmonies that most other groups tried to match, set to themes of young loss, longing, and frustration that really mark an emotional development – not just in the Beach Boys, but in pop music in general. And although some of the tracks are ones you've heard a million times on oldies stations, they somehow resonate together much more strongly here – taking on new meaning as the smaller elements of each song come into constellation with each other – creating a complicated tapestry of feelings set to near-godlike orchestrations. Titles include "God Only Knows", "Caroline No", "Pet Sounds", "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times", "Wouldn't It Be Nice", and "You Still Believe In Me". Also includes the bonus track "Hang On To Your Ego". CD

The brilliant consummation of Bowie's late 70s years in Berlin – a record that showed he could take the experiments in sound he was crafting with Brian Eno, and turn them back into the kind of creepily catchy rock tunes that first made him a legend! Eno's help on the record is still quite strong – heard very well in the record's use of odd electronics and exotic themes – of a sort that Eno would later explore on his own with David Byrne. But the real charm here is pure Bowie – with an unabashed flair for a dramatic lyric, a well-chosen use of a heavier guitar, and a sense of personality and poise that makes the record one of his most unified ever! Titles include "Red Sails", "Look Back In Anger", "Repetition", "Boys Keep Swinging", "Red Money", "Yassassin", and "DJ". Includes the bonus tracks "I Pray Ole" and "Look Back In Anger (1988 version)". CD

Easily one of the headiest Donovan albums of the 60s – a record that moves past the simple psychedelic pop of earlier hits, and into a range of mind-expanding themes and styles! There's a cerebral quality here that seems to take hold even on the simpler, catchier tunes – a deeply introspective approach that has Donovan working in a world that's really all his own – less concerned with hit singles, and more focused on a personal journey in music, one that ties together many strands of music borrowed from Celtic, West Indian, jazz, and folk sources. Arrangers are John Cameron and John Paul Jones – and titles include "Get Thy Bearings", "Peregrine", "The Entertaining Of A Shy Girl", "West Indian Lady", "Jennifer Juniper", "Tangier", "The River Song", "The Sun Is A Very Magic Fellow", and "Hi It's Been A Long Time". CD

A record that some might call the last truly great Peter Gabriel album – and a key cap to his excellent initial solo run! The album's got a deeper feel than before – slightly richer colors, more spiritual themes, and arguably more of a sense of majesty – almost an echo of some of the Native American modes explored by Laurie Anderson, who was then a recent collaborator of Gabriel! Instrumentation builds a bit more than before – with less guitars in parts, more percussive bits, and some funkier elements at the bottom that aren't exactly funky – more just a punch in force from the ground up. Gabriel's definitely feeling a sense of power here – and titles include "Lay Your Hands On Me", "Shock The Monkey", "San Jacinto", "I Have The Touch", "The Family & The Fishing Net", and "The Rhythm Of The Heat". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of our favorite work ever from the mighty Lee Hazlewood – material recorded under his own name for Reprise Records – during a stretch when he was also producing for the label with Nancy Sinatra and Dean Martin! The 2CD set features 3 full albums, plus great bonus tracks too – and the package is as great of a tribute to Hazlewood's genius as we've ever seen! First up is The NSVIPs – a set that follows up the same sort of "story song" format that Lee laid down on his wonderful Trouble album for Mercury – but done here with themes that are a bit hipper, and more wry – in keeping with his Reprise persona. Next is Friday's Child, which has some of Hazlewood's most beautifully-penned tunes – tracks that mix the whimsy of his bigger hits with some great darker elements. Last up is the amazing Love & Other Crimes – one of our favorite albums of the 60s, magically recorded in Paris with a very unique sound – and a style that's a bit different than some of Hazlewood's other records. Titles include "First Street Blues", "I Had A Friend", "Everybody Calls Me Something", "Me & Charlie", "A Real Live Fool", "Hutchinson Jail", "By The Way", "Houston", "Morning Dew", "The House Song", "Love & Other Crimes", "Pour Man", and "Wait & See". Bonus tracks are great too – and include Hazlewood tracks "Ode To Billie Joe", "Rainbow Woman", "I Am You Are", and "Charlie Bill Nelson" – plus other gems that include "Just Bluesin" and "Houston" by Sanford Clark, "A Stranger In Town" by The Vanguards, "The Whisk" by The Whisk Kids, "Zapata" by Jack Nitzsche, "What Are We Gonna Do In 64" by The Wildcats, "Our Man Flint" by The Ring A Dings, and "This Town" by Duane Eddy. 55 tracks in all – in a beautiful package with a gorgeous book! (Vocalists, Rock) CD

A record with a sexy cover and a slinky sound to match – the rare second album from the cool French instrumental combo Les Jaguars – a 60s group who start in modes that resemble American surf guitar, but really take off into some great directions of their own! The style here is familiar – bass, two guitars, and drums – but the quality of the instrumentation gets nicely complex, and opens up way past catchy themes and references to sand and surf – as the group turn in mostly original tunes throughout, and have some especially great interplay between the two guitars – at a level that might normally be carried by an additional keyboard or tenor sax. The record's a hell of an instro rocker – way more so than you'd guess from the cheesecake cover – and titles include "Tourbillon", "Guitare Cha Cha", "Melle Yeye", "Guitare Strip", "Guitare Jet", "Dors Mon Amour", and "Jaguar Shake". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare solo project from reedman Andy Mackay – the great musician whose saxophone work was such a key part of the early Roxy Music sound! The album features work from Eddie Jobson, Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera, Roger Glover, and a larger array of unusual guests – and is an odd reworking of older rock themes, but with an odd Roxy-like twist! LP, Vinyl record album

The second full album from Nazz – a set that has Todd Rundgren extending even more dominance over the group through his original songs and arrangements – and, we're willing to guess, a fair bit of production work too – even though that's credited here to the entire band! Rundgren's still not singing lead vocals on most of the tunes, so they've got that slighty more psychedelic feel the group put forth on their debut – but the guitars here have also stepped back a bit, and many of the best tracks have that more fragile, more personal feel that we've always loved in Todd's solo work – even if some of the themes are still a bit varied. Titles include "Hang On Paul", "Rain Rider", "Gonna Cry Today", "Featherbedding Lover", "Kiddie Boy", "Forget All About It", "Not Wrong Long", and "Meridian Leeward". LP, Vinyl record album