A legendary night at Chicago's Checkerboard Lounge – a set recorded at a time when the Rolling Stones were in town, and decided to pop down to the south side, and visit the home turf of their blues hero, Muddy Waters! You'll notice that the record bills the performance as Muddy Waters & The Rolling stones – and that's definitely the case here, as the Stones step in almost as Muddy's backing band – allowing Waters to really step out in the lead, while the group remind us that way back in the day, they got their start as a blues-based group first, before finding a style of their own! The set's also filled with guest appearances – including work from Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, and Lefty Dizz – and titles include "Mannish Boy", "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Long Distance Call", "Next Time You See Me", "Champagne & Reefer", "Clouds In My Heart", "One Eyed Woman", and "You Don't Have To Go". (Blues, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most iconic rock and roll shows of all time – the late 70s farewell to The Band, captured by Martin Scorcese in a famous film of the same name – and presented on record in a package that really lives up to the majesty of the moment! In the world of 2LP live sets of the 70s, the 3LP presentation gave the group even more space to stretch out and say their goodbyes to the world – while also opening the door up for a large lineup of guests who include The Staple Singers, Muddy Waters, Ron Wood, Van Morrison, Dr John, Bob Dylan, Ronnie Hawkins, and other well-chosen artists who allow the group to show off their roots and inspirations while also wrapping things up. Robbie Robertson produced, and the whole thing is pretty darn iconic from start to finish – on titles that include "The Last Waltz", "Up On Cripple Creek", "The Shape I'm In", "Down In South New Orleans", "Forever Young", "I Shall Be Released", "Rag Mama Rag", "Further Up The Road", "Dry Your Eyes", "Evangeline", and "The Weight". LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool soundtrack, and one that offers up a weird and wonderful mix of modes from the mid 60s – bits of surf guitar, garage rock, country, and more – all brought together in a wonderfully evocative mode that hardly needs the images of the offbeat film on the screen! The whole thing is a really great dip into a 60s underground that's not often as well represented in the world of compilations and reissues. Titles include "Tropic Waters" by Steve Waltner, "Melody On The Moon" by The Travelers, "Crying Guitar" by Johnny Blue, "Walk Through The Valley" by Kay Johnson, "Far Away" by Ron Heiss & The Low Notes, "Tarantula" by Jody Reynolds, and "Lost Horizon" by Tommy Dae's High Tensions. LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool soundtrack, and one that offers up a weird and wonderful mix of modes from the mid 60s – bits of surf guitar, garage rock, country, and more – all brought together in a wonderfully evocative mode that hardly needs the images of the offbeat film on the screen! The whole thing is a really great dip into a 60s underground that's not often as well represented in the world of compilations and reissues. Titles include "Tropic Waters" by Steve Waltner, "Melody On The Moon" by The Travelers, "Crying Guitar" by Johnny Blue, "Walk Through The Valley" by Kay Johnson, "Far Away" by Ron Heiss & The Low Notes, "Tarantula" by Jody Reynolds, and "Lost Horizon" by Tommy Dae's High Tensions. LP, Vinyl record album

Prepare to discover your new favorite artist – a tremendously hip cat who never got his due – and who should be held as high on these shores as British talents like Nick Drake, Bert Jansch, or John Martyn! Like all of those three, Davy Graham is a complete original – a guy with an acoustic guitar, but light years beyond familiar folk – often using all these jazzy changes in his style, and mixing his own music with songs by Dylan, The Beatles, Muddy Waters, and even Art Blakey – but all in ways that are completely transformative, and which maybe use the familiar songs just as a way for Graham to show us how individual he can be – because even a song we know sounds nothing like the original. His guitar work is superb – full of all the fresh ideas, unusual phrasings, and special sounds that the best of his generation were bringing to acoustic music – and titles include "Lotus Blossom", "Down Along The Cove", "Stan's Guitar", "Bulgarian Dance", "Buhaina Chant", "I'm Ready", "Getting Better", "Hornpipe For Harpsichord Played Upon Guitar", and "Pretty Polly". (Folk/Country, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A great record from the offbeat legend Michael Hurley – a set that features both spare tunes and others done with a larger band that's full of unusual instrumentation! The spare, ragged little solo tunes are served up on guitar and vocals – numbers that greatly showcase both Hurley's easygoing, slowly-rolling style, as well has his piercing, high emphatic howls. The group tracks feature bits of fiddle and mandolin – plus piano, harmonica, bass, and cornet – used sparingly, but in ways that punctuate the vocals nicely. Titles include the classic "Werewolf" – plus "Grand Canyon Line", "English Nobleman", "Be Kind To Me", "Troubled Waters", "Sweedeedee", "Open Up", "Jocko's Lament", "Light Green Fellow", "Get The Best Of Me", "Biscuit Roller", "When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano", and "Penguins". (Folk/Country, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool collection of early work on Harvest Records – a wonderful showcase of the way that branch of EMI Records was helping to create some crucial changes on the UK scene at the start of the 70s! The album's maybe most noteworthy for its inclusion of the rare Pink Floyd song "Embryo" – but the whole thing's great, and filled with hip gems that include "Octopus" and "Baby Lemonade" by Syd Barrett, "Rainmaker" and "Soulful Lady" by Michael Chapman, "Song From The Bottom Of The Well" and "Lady Rachel" by Kevin Ayers, "October 26" and "Grass" by The Pretty Things, "Druid One" by Third Ear Band, "Breathe" by Roger Waters, and "Careful With That Ax Eugene" by Pink Floyd. LP, Vinyl record album

An under-documented side of the British folk scene of the 70s – recordings made by producer Bill Leader for his small Trailer Records imprint – done in the spirit of Leader's better-known work for Topic and Transatlantic in the 60s, but with an overall feel that's surprisingly intimate for the time! Despite the "leave-taking" in the title, the sound here is extremely folksy – no string overdubs, psychedelic influences, or rock-based instrumentation – and instead a mostly acoustic, stripped-down style that's a real return to folk roots. Many tracks have a strong focus on the voice, with just a bit of added guitar or percussion – and we'll be honest in saying that we'd never heard most of these artists before this set! Titles include "Never The Same" and "To Make You Stay" by Lal Waterson, "Annachie Gordon" and "Annan Water" by Nic Jones, "Adieu To Judges & Juries" by Dorothy Elliott, "The Kid On The Mountain" by Alastair Anderson, "Jock O Hazeldean" by Dick Gaughan, and "Niel Gow's Lament For His Second Wife" by Aly Bain. LP, Vinyl record album

A completely wonderful album from Haruomi Hosono – a real watershed not just in his own career, but in the development of mainstream Japanese music too! The set's got the sophistication of the best of the singer/songwriter underground in the US – not just in the lyrical presentation, which you might not be able to understand – but also in terms of the overall production, arrangements, and instrumentation – which seem to echo some of the hippest currents of that LA underground that often found its greatest flowering in those under-sold albums on Warner Brothers during the late 60s. Hosono's vocals are wonderful – completely charming, even if you can't grasp the language – and the album's a much-treasured set from the Japanese 70s scene. (Japanese, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A completely wonderful album from Haruomi Hosono – a real watershed not just in his own career, but in the development of mainstream Japanese music too! The set's got the sophistication of the best of the singer/songwriter underground in the US – not just in the lyrical presentation, which you might not be able to understand – but also in terms of the overall production, arrangements, and instrumentation – which seem to echo some of the hippest currents of that LA underground that often found its greatest flowering in those under-sold albums on Warner Brothers during the late 60s. Hosono's vocals are wonderful – completely charming, even if you can't grasp the language – and the album's a much-treasured set from the Japanese 70s scene. (Japanese, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A record that really takes off nicely in the sort of acoustic territory first explored in the American underground of the 60s and 70s – evolving past some of the solo modes of contemporary musicians who might be a bit too tied to a Takoma aesthetic, while still showing that deft performance is still at the core of a record like this! Elijah McLaughlin plays both 6 and 12 string guitars – but almost always with contributions that include his own sonic touches on electronics, effects, tape loops, and even field recordings – augmented by hammered dulcimer from Joel Styzens, piano from Adler Scheidt, bass from Jason Toth, and cello and a bit of effects from Katinka Klejin. At times, there's a very melodic vibe, other moments are more subtle and woven together – on titles that include "Braided River", "Point Of Departure", "Headwaters", "Parallax", and the very long "Coloring Of Lake/Sky". (Jazz, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album