With Johnny Ventura and orchestra. LP, Vinyl record album

Nice mid 60's session that stands as one of Raney's strongest from the decade, and a tight quintet performance by a group that includes Jim Hall on second guitar, Zoot Sims on tenor, Steve Swallow on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums. The tracks are fairly standard, but there's a lot of nice Brazilian titles like "A Primera Vez", "Presente De Natal", "Este Seu Olhar", and "Coisa Mais Linda". Raney's tone is nice and deep, as always, with a good heavy sound on the lower strings. LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible batch of prime garage rock era nuggets from the Peruvian scene – fuzzy gems by the Saicos! The Saicos bring a sense of menace to these tunes – with a guitar tone touched with an eerie vibe, and lead vocals that are really piercing and gravelly in that instills this primordial edge that needs to be heard to be believed – but that balance it off with some moddish, British invasion grooves, too. The overall sound manages to blend both the heavy menace of cult acts like the Monks and the Seeds with the tunefulness of the Animals – and clear precursor the garage punk for decades to come! Titles include "Come On (Ven Aqui)", "Ana", "Demolicion", "Lonely Star (Estrella Solitaria)", "Cememterio", "Te Amo", "Fugitivo De Alcatraz", "Salvaje", "El Entierro De Los Gatos", "Besando A Otra" and "Intensamente". Comes with a great booklet, too! LP, Vinyl record album

Pre-US work from Juan Garcia Esquivel – 2 early albums recorded in Mexico in the mid 50s! First up is Las Tandas – a set that's got a hip mix of jazz, swing, and Latin orchestral touches – presented here with some spoken announcements at the beginning of each track, in a way that supposedly sounds "live" – although the recording of the instruments is more in studio-level quality. Titles are all quite unusual – and often offer an odd extrapolation of older modes from the decade before – slightly re-arranged in more modern 50s orchestral modes. Titles include "Politecnio Rock & Roll", "Goya Universidad Rock & Roll", "Una Y Otra Vez", "Collar De Perlas", "Potpourri Curiel", and "Tren Nocturno". To Love Again is one of the rarest of Esquivel's RCA albums – a set that was recorded in Mexico, but issued as one of his first albums in the US! The sound's a bit romantic, but it's still got plenty of elements of his classic RCA work – including his unique approach to arrangements, and his penchant for lots of nice little instrumental flourishes that burst out of the larger ensemble with a nice sense of flourish! Titles include "Jungle Drums", "Vereda Tropical", "Siboney", "Hornblowers Serenade", and "Nocturnal". CD

A legendary project from Tortoise – kind of the "part 1.5" to their tremendous debut – as it features material from that record, remixed by members of the group and other key figures on the Chicago scene – all as a real testament to the many criss-crossing styles and modes that were taking place during these key post-rock years! The original material was performed by the version of the group that featured Bundy K Brown, John Herndon, John McIntire, Doug McCombs, and Dan Bitney – and remixes are by McEntire and Brown from the group – plus Steve Albini, Brad Wood, Casey Rice, Jim O'Rourke, Rick Brown, and even Mike Watt! Titles include "Alcohall", "Your New Rod", "Cobwebbed", "Tin Cans (Puerto Rican mix)", "Initial Gesture Protraction", "The Match Incident", and "Not Quite East Of The Ryan". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary project from Tortoise – kind of the "part 1.5" to their tremendous debut – as it features material from that record, remixed by members of the group and other key figures on the Chicago scene – all as a real testament to the many criss-crossing styles and modes that were taking place during these key post-rock years! The original material was performed by the version of the group that featured Bundy K Brown, John Herndon, John McIntire, Doug McCombs, and Dan Bitney – and remixes are by McEntire and Brown from the group – plus Steve Albini, Brad Wood, Casey Rice, Jim O'Rourke, Rick Brown, and even Mike Watt! Titles include "Alcohall", "Your New Rod", "Cobwebbed", "Tin Cans (Puerto Rican mix)", "Initial Gesture Protraction", "The Match Incident", and "Not Quite East Of The Ryan". LP, Vinyl record album