Never-heard early sounds from the young Lou Reed – early recordings of material that helped cement his fame in the Velvet Underground – uncovered after being lost for almost 50 years! The tracks here are early demos of both songs that the Velvets would famously soon record, and other material that they didn't – done by Lou with help from John Cale on a number of the tracks, and already in a surprisingly dark sort of style – despite the fact that the instrumentation is mostly just a single guitar alongside the vocals! With that approach, there's maybe a slight nod to the Greenwich Village scene in terms of the presentation – and served up that way, you can hear just how strongly the young Reed is already shaking up the scene in New York – almost as if he's using the modes of the folkies as ammunition to mow them all down. The package features never-heard takes of "Heroin", "I'm Waiting For The Man", and "Pale Blue Eyes" – plus "Too Late", "Buttercup Song", "Buzz Buzz Buzz", "Stockpile", "Men Of Good Fortune", and even "Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams". CD features bonus tracks – an alternate of "I'm Waiting For The Man", and versions of "Don't Think Twice It's All Right", "Gee Whiz", "Baby Let Me Follow You Down", "W&XYZ Blues", "Lou's 12 Bar Instrumental", and the creepiest version of "Michael Row The Boat Ashore" you'll ever hear! CD

Never-heard early sounds from the young Lou Reed – early recordings of material that helped cement his fame in the Velvet Underground – uncovered after being lost for almost 50 years! The tracks here are early demos of both songs that the Velvets would famously soon record, and other material that they didn't – done by Lou with help from John Cale on a number of the tracks, and already in a surprisingly dark sort of style – despite the fact that the instrumentation is mostly just a single guitar alongside the vocals! With that approach, there's maybe a slight nod to the Greenwich Village scene in terms of the presentation – and served up that way, you can hear just how strongly the young Reed is already shaking up the scene in New York – almost as if he's using the modes of the folkies as ammunition to mow them all down. The package features never-heard takes of "Heroin", "I'm Waiting For The Man", and "Pale Blue Eyes" – plus "Too Late", "Buttercup Song", "Buzz Buzz Buzz", "Stockpile", "Men Of Good Fortune", and even "Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful set of unreleased Arthur Russell songs – great tunes that he cut in more of an eclectic singer-songwriter approach than some of his other work – emotionally upfront, understated material that is simply beautiful! The songs range from very stripped down and folksy on the earlier recordings – kind of like an East Village Townes Van Zandt (we s**t you not) with Arthur singing and playing acoustic guitar and occasionally his cello – with an intuitive, true understanding of folk and Americana at its most honest and direct, while still working in some avant flourishes. As the set and the years of recording progress, the accompaniment gets busier and more pop, soul and experimental sounds are filtered in – but the song-based approach carries all the way through. For a noted perfectionist and experimentalist, it's a really unfussy batch of material, and very rewarding. Highly recommended! Tracks include "Close My Eyes", "Goodbye Old Paint", "Maybe She", "Oh Fernanda Why", "Eli", "Habit Of You", "Janine", "Big Moon", "The Letter", "Your Motion Says", "Love Is Overtaking Me", "Planted A Thought", "Love Comes Back" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A really great record from the Japanese scene of the 70s – one that seems to borrow a lot from the French pop styles of the late 60s – as you might guess from the group's name! Toi Et Moi are one guy singer, one gal – blending their Japanese vocals beautifully, with elements that move between lighter bossa elements and some fuller, more upbeat backings – a blend that makes the album a treasure through and through, and which gives it the same ability to transcend the boundaries of language as some of our favorite European work of the time! Lyrics are all in Japanese, and titles translate as "Love Token In A Spring", "June Bride", "Village In The Valley", "Ballad Of Rainbow & Snow", and "Beautiful Summer". (Japanese, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

"Mostly" live genius from Frank Zappa and the Mothers Of Invention – recorded at The Roxy with some studio additions – and the players include George Duke, Tom Fowler, Ruth Underwood, Walt Fowler, Ralph Humphrey and the other great players from this peak period! It's astonishing stuff – and as strong of a mix of the tightly rock-centric and exploratory/hard fusiony sides of Zappa as you could hope for – shoot, even the stage banter is priceless! Includes "Penguin In Bondage", "Pygmy Twylyte", "Village Of The Sun", "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?", "More Trouble Everyday" and "Be-Bop Tango (Of The Old Jazzmen's Church)" and more. CD

"Mostly" live genius from Frank Zappa and the Mothers Of Invention – recorded at The Roxy with some studio additions – and the players include George Duke, Tom Fowler, Ruth Underwood, Walt Fowler, Ralph Humphrey and the other great players from this peak period! It's astonishing stuff – and as strong of a mix of the tightly rock-centric and exploratory/hard fusiony sides of Zappa as you could hope for – shoot, even the stage banter is priceless! Includes "Penguin In Bondage", "Pygmy Twylyte", "Village Of The Sun", "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?", "More Trouble Everyday" and "Be-Bop Tango (Of The Old Jazzmen's Church)" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

"Mostly" live genius from Frank Zappa and the Mothers Of Invention – recorded at The Roxy with some studio additions – and the players include George Duke, Tom Fowler, Ruth Underwood, Walt Fowler, Ralph Humphrey and the other great players from this peak period! It's astonishing stuff – and as strong of a mix of the tightly rock-centric and exploratory/hard fusiony sides of Zappa as you could hope for – shoot, even the stage banter is priceless! Includes "Penguin In Bondage", "Pygmy Twylyte", "Village Of The Sun", "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?", "More Trouble Everyday" and "Be-Bop Tango (Of The Old Jazzmen's Church)" and more. CD

You might not know Les Cousins, but back in the city it was a very important club on the London scene – a crossroads of blues, folk, and other styles – with an influence that was every bit important in England as the Greenwich Village clubs were in the US! This massive 3CD set does a great job of documenting the sounds that passed through its stage – not via live recordings, but over a well-chosen array of cuts that demonstrate just how hip British work of the time could be – folk-plus material, of the sort you'd hear on the best albums on Island Records or Transatlantic, all very much of the generation of Nick Drake and Fairport Convention! The 3CD set does a really great job of showing the wide range of acts from this moment – including many we haven't had on other reissues in recent years – in a great box that features 72 tracks, and very detailed notes on the material. Includes work from The Levee Brothers, Roy Harper, Dr Strangely Strange, Strawbs, Owen Hand, Dave Evans, Anne Briggs, Tom Yates, Duffy Power, Ron Geesin, Jackson C Frank, Martin Carthy, Dando Shaft, Shelagh McDonald, Al Jones, Sweeney's Men, Sam Mitchell, Tir Na Nog, Beverly, Michael Chapman, and many others. CD

A wonderful look at the 60s scene in East LA – filled with cuts from some of the underground groups who made the area one of the hippest hotbeds of music at the time! There's a great blend of soul, R&B, and Latin elements bubbling under in most of these tracks – echoes of east coast modes, but touched with some of the styles that would show up more strongly in later Chicano rock – still at a very early level here. Harmony soul modes get plenty of play – and titles include "Come Swim With Me" by Little Ray, "My Heart Cries" by The Romancers, "Get Your Baby" by The Premiers, "Nau Ninny Nau" by Cannibal & The Headhunters, "Hector (part 1)" by Village Callers, "Rainbow Stomp (part 1)" by The Mixtures, "Please Answer" by The Heartbreakers, "One Like Mine" by The Salas Brothers with The Jaguars, "My Girl" by Phil & Del with The Mixtures, and "Destiny" by Larry Tamblyn. (Soul, Rock) CD