Music from Thurston Moore, the Stone Roses, Teenage Fanclub, White Zombie, the Roots, Hardvark, Sonic Youth, Southern Culture On The Skids, and Elastica, CD

Ouch – what a cover! The image is so graphic, it makes the grooves on the record sound tame by comparison! Yet given that the soundtrack's done by Nico Fidenco – well-known for his sexy work of the 70s – there's plenty of great stuff going on here – a mix of Italian and horror modes – all quite fitting, given that the film features a horny zombie! Keyboards are great – and sometimes have these cool moogy touches that glide along nicely – slow-stepping in that slinky, sexy, Euro erotic way that you'd expect from Fidenco. Other modes are slightly spookier, yet usually with an undercurrent of whimsy – to keep in line with the tongue-in-cheek plotline – and the CD reissue features 18 tracks from the film, all remastered nicely! CD

Weird and wild sounds from contemporary Bogota – music that's got a very old school quality at its core, yet which also mixes in plenty of experimentation with the rhythms! Think of this as an old Colombian record with analogue electronics and sound samples – or some other-worldly sounds from the left side of the Peruvian scene – still with plenty of Latin elements at the core, especially in the grooves – but done with some really cool keyboards, tape tricks, and other nice bits! Titles include "Fiesta", "Guarach UFO", "Desesperanza", "Salsa Caliente", and "Salsa Del Zombie". CD

One of the funkiest blacksploitation soundtracks of the 70s – a rare indie gem from Nat Dove & The Devils! Dove's got a style that's a lot rougher and rootsier than other soundtrack artists of the 70s – an approach that's more based in the modes of the indie funk underground of the time, and less in the more polished studio funk you'd find on bigger film releases. The grit in the grooves is wonderfully welcome here – and it's a quality that really sets this one apart from the pack, and keeps it in heavy rotation over the years! Most of the tracks on here are instrumentals, and a few of the cuts have vocals by Mary Love – and titles include "Joy", "Petey Wheatstraw", "Steve's Den", Junkie Chase", "Zombie March", "Ghetto Street USA", and "Loving You". CD

A totally amazing little package – every single album recorded by Fela Kuti, served up in tiny LP-style sleeves, and brought together in one excellent box set – with a bonus movie as well! The collection features a total of 51 albums, most of which are paired up with crucial counterparts, as on some of the previous CD releases of the material. But this time around, there's way more than you might imagine in one place – classic records that include Afrodisiac, Confusion, Shakara, Fela's London Scene, He Miss Road, Kalakuta Show, Music Of Many Colors, Beasts Of No Nation, Army Arrangement, Coffin For Head Of State, Original Sufferhead, ITT, The Fela Singles, Roforofo Fight, Excuse O, Moise For Vendor Mouth, Why Black Man Dey Suffer, Na Poi, Authority Stealing, VIP, Fela With Ginger Baker Live, Underground System, Zombie, and lots lots more – a truly amazing run of music! Also features the bonus DVD – A Slice Of Fela. Plus, this package also features 3 more CDs than the previous complete box set – filled with loads of rarities, and 2 previously-unissued tracks! Also features a 52 page booklet with a biography and album commentary. CD

Titles include "Zooming At The Zombie", "Front And Center", "Sweet Georgia Brown", "Undecided", "Prelude For Trumpet", "Revolutionary Etude", and "Blue Skies" – 22 tracks total. CD

Cro-Magnon returns with a killer batch of cosmic grooves and electro funk jams – full of spacey synths, thunderous drums & percussion, and fusiony jazz funk – glorious grooves from one of the leading combos in the cosmic realm of the Japanese scene! The core Cro Magnon crew is just the 3 piece of percussionist Shigekazu Otake, guitar/bass/programming guru Tusuyoshi Kusuga and Takumi Kaneko on the keys– but they get a little help in the studio by a couple of horns from the mighty Soil & Pimp Sessions crew – sax by Motoharu and trumpet by Tabu Zombie, on the excellent "Chase After The Shadow" track – plus some addional percussion and vocals for the intro & outro. If Cro-Magnon's debut was a bit heavier with straight up keyboard heavy fusion funk, Great Triangle shoots further into the cosmos – full of ultra hypnotic jams with an insistent groove! Titles include "Riding The Storm", "ECLIPSE", "Keep Me Satisfied", "La Fusion", "SPARKLING", "Sign Of Fire", Take Me Higher" and "New Horizon". CD

One of the funkiest blacksploitation soundtracks of the 70s – a rare indie gem from Nat Dove & The Devils! Dove's got a style that's a lot rougher and rootsier than other soundtrack artists of the 70s – an approach that's more based in the modes of the indie funk underground of the time, and less in the more polished studio funk you'd find on bigger film releases. The grit in the grooves is wonderfully welcome here – and it's a quality that really sets this one apart from the pack, and keeps it in heavy rotation over the years! Most of the tracks on here are instrumentals, and a few of the cuts have vocals by Mary Love – and titles include "Joy", "Petey Wheatstraw", "Steve's Den", Junkie Chase", "Zombie March", "Ghetto Street USA", and "Loving You". CD

Finer moments from Frank Zappa, but some lost moments too – given that all the tracks on the set are previously unreleased – and are pulled from both live and studio recordings during Zappa's formative late 60s/early 70s stretch! The package is a real treasure trove – a reward to fans of Frank who've waited so long for music like this – sounds to rival some of the most groundbreaking music from Zappa's years at Verve and Reprise, with incredibly deft instrumental interplay – often a bit more improvised in the live tracks than on the full albums of the time! The sound quality is pretty nice, especially given that a few of these tracks are from near-lost tapes or cassettes. Titles include "Sleazette", "The Walking Zombie Music", "Music From The Big Squeeze", "The Subcutaneous Peril", and "Pumped & Waxed". CD

Tracks from Sonique, Zombie Nation, Delerium Feat Sarah McLachlan, Darude, Fragma, Goldenscan, Planet Perfecto, Sasha And Emerson, Moby, Paul van Dyk, Sister Bliss, and more. CD

The Mekons follow up to Fear & Whiskey, another incredible moment in what might by their best ever period – and most certainly a favorite of ours for the addition of the great Sally Timms to the band! We can't speak for the crowds overseas, but at this point in the Mekons touring career, we'd wager that as many 25 out of every 40 people at their live shows in the US were rock critics with literary ambitions. We mean that as a compliment to both the band and the critics. There's a poetic, boozy passion to the lyrics and the musical craft is a little more straight forward here than the preceding effort, and a maybe a little more formative of the alt country sound they'd come be credited for inspiring. It's their second straight up classic album in a row, with titles including "Hello Cruel World", "Ugly Band", "Big Zombie", The Letter", "Dream Dream Dream", "Slightly South Of The Border", "King Arthur", and "Oblivion". CD

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A true treasure trove for any fan of the Zombies, Rod Argent, or Colin Blunstone – magical material recorded in the immediate post-Zombies years – offered up here with a few rare late Zombies tracks as well! The genius of Odessey & Oracle still hangs heavy here on most of the tracks – as does the earliest solo work of Colin Blunstone – an airy mix of pop harmonies, spacey instrumentation, and baroquely psychedelic touches – all strung together lightly, but slowly pulling in the different directions the members were taking after the breakup of the original group. Perhaps the greatest bits here are Colin Blunstone tracks recorded under the name of Neil MacArthur for Decca – titles that predate his brilliant Year One album, but which have a very similar feel. Neil MacArthur tracks include "Hung Upside Down", "Without Her", "Twelve Twenty Nine", "World Of Glass", "Never My Love", "It's Not Easy", "Don't Try To Explain", and "She's Not There". Also great are some Rod Argent & Chris White tracks – again pre-Argent material, but with a strong Zombies link in their sound – on tracks that include "It Never Fails To Please Me", "I Could Spend The Day", "She Loves The Way They Love Her", "Telescope", "To Julia", and "Unhappy Girl". CD also features some great "orchestral mix" titles by The Zombies – "If It Don't Work Out" and "Walking In The Sun" – both of which sound beautiful with added strings! CD

One of the best American psyche albums we've heard from the late 60s – a near-perfect record that's head and shoulders above the rough experimentation of most other groups from the period! Colours spell their name with a definite British twist, and there's clearly a Beatles influence going on here – a sound that's almost pre-Sgt Peppers, but which has wonderfully complicated time changes, vocal parts, and production techniques that must have cost a pretty penny to such a little-known group! Horns and strings are arranged by Dave Roberts, and handled with a sensitivity that almost matches The Zombies' best at times – and the tunes themselves are a fresh variety of odd themes, including one number about robbing a liquor store. Titles include "Brother Lou's Love Colony", "Bad Day At Black Rock Baby", "Love Heals", "Rather Be Me", "I'm Leaving", "Cataleptic", "Don't You Realize", and "Lovin". CD

Scientist spins out on a dub-driven power boat – scanning the swamps to drive out the vampires and a host of other ghouls too – all while reinventing Jamaican music in the process! The record's filled with lots of cool electric elements – those weird production effects and electronic doodles that make the music of Scientist so revolutionary – especially when spun out over a still-familiar backdrop supplied by Roots Radics, with a core essence that's very much from the pre-digital world of Jamaican music. Rhythm tracks were done at Channel One, and Scientist mixed the set at King Tubbys – a host of dub mini-masterpieces that include "The Voodoo Curse", "Dance Of The Vampires", "Blood On His Lips", "Cry Of The Werewolf", "the Mummy's Shroud", "The Corpse Rises", "Night Of The Living Dead", "Your Teeth In My Neck", "Plague Of Zombies", and "Ghost Of Frankenstein". 2CD version features a full bonus record of vocal versions – by Wailing Souls, Wayne Jarrett, Johnny Osbourne, and Michael Prophet! CD

An incredible album – and a real surprise in the catalog of Harold Vick, one of those players who just gets hipper the more you listen to him! Harold's working here with a really great group that includes Bobby Hutcherson, Blue Mitchell, Montego Joe, Walter Booker, and Mickey Roker – all of whom perform the extended "Carribean Suite", a long Latin-tinged piece written by Kenny Graham – the famous 50s British leader who's work with Afro-Cuban jazz was as important to the London scene as the work of Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo was to that of New York! The album's filled with fire and some very unusual twists – and titles include "Letitia", "Dance Of The Zombies", "Haitian Ritual", "Beguine", "Mango Walk", "Bongo Chant", and "Wha Hupp'n". CD

A truly incredible collection – even more wonderful than we might have guessed from the title and cover – and both of those are already pretty darn appealing! This package might well be the most comprehensive we've ever seen on the early days of punk in England – a package that goes way past the big names, way past the classic cuts, and really digs deep into the huge explosion of indie labels that fueled the scene – creating a legacy of rare singles and amazing sounds that the British scene hadn't seen in years! If you dig the Sex Pistols or Clash, there's dozens of other tunes here to love – some by artists you'll know from later fame, represented here on very early tracks – and lots more from acts who maybe only gave the world a handful of brilliant singles. The presentation is as stunning as the music – 111 tracks on 4CDs, inside a heavy 64 page book-style jacket – with page after page of notes on each song and band, and lots of images as well. Consider this whole thing an overdue primer on all the punk you missed – even if you lived back in the day – and lose yourself in the huge array of tracks by groups who include The Radiators From Space, Puncture, Some Chicken, The Panik, The Only Ones, Suspects, Tueway Army, The Boys, Acme Sewage Co, Raped, Bazoomis, Menace GLC, Sids, Rudi, Art Attack, Angelic Upstarts, Mean Street, Poison Girls, Chelsea, Demon Preacher, Leyton Brothers, The Dole, Riff Raff, The Tights, Social Security, Nicky & The Dots, No Way, The Wall, Hollywood Brats, Disco Zombies, Spizzoil, Horrorcomic, The Cravats, and lots lots more! CD

Music from James Brown, The Zombies, Lee Dorsey, Cher, Peter And Gordon, Jackie DeShannon, Cannibal And The Headhunters, Gary Lewis And The Playboys, The Larks, The Vogues, The Kinks,and more - 23 songs in all. CD

Bring on the sun if it burns this strongly – as we're more than happy to get extra toasty in the light of such wonderful tracks as these! The set's a stunning look at the massive musical shift on the UK scene in the year of 1967 – a time when psych was certainly making its influence felt, but groups were also opening up in all these other sorts of ways too – really getting past the jaunty rhythms and catchy lyrics of a few years before – and instead somehow managing to make all these amazing things happen in just the space of a short 7" single! Some of the artists here are artists who were making more mainstream music a few years earlier, others are new acts that would soon become superstars, and a few more are genius groups who burst out strongly, then disappeared from view – all brought together in a great 3CD package, with 79 tracks in all, and very detailed notes. Artists include The Herd, Idle Race, Dave Davies, John Williams, Svensk, Universals, Australian Playboys, Tony Rivers, Great Uncle Fred, Artwoods, 23rd Turnoff, Vocal Point, Zombies, Nirvana UK, Lisa & Francesca, The Mirage, Virgin Sleep, Accent, Our Plastic Dream, David Bowie, Living Daylights, John's Children, Episode Six, Orange Bicycle, The Poets, Genesis, Crocheted Doughnut Ring, Piccadilly Line, Scott Henderson, Made In Sheffield, Caleb, and many others! CD

A stunningly huge look at the post-punk scene in the UK from the late 70s into the start of the 80s – served up here in an overview of bands both classic and obscure, which makes for a package that's filled with surprises throughout! The work here all comes from a time right after the initial explosion of punk rock opened the door for groups to experiment in a variety of ways – not just short sharp songs, but work that includes electronic experiments, reggae influences, moody minimalism, and industrial noise – all coming together in a way that made these years such an exciting time to be listening to music! The package features a massive 105 tracks on 5CDs, along with a very hefty booklet of notes on all the groups and tracks included – a lineup that includes The Birthday Party, Robert Wyatt, The Cure, The Flowers, Art Attacks, Subway Sect, Spizzoil, O Level, Glaxo Babies, Crazies, Public Image Ltd, Occult Chemistry, Again Again, The Slits, Disco Zombies, Nightingale, 23 Skidoo, Five Or Six, Kan Kan, The Membranes, Apartment, Soft Boys, Swell Maps, Gang Of Four, Tubeway Army, Throbbing Gristle, Section 24, and dozens of others. CD

Music from Manfred Mann, The Zombies, The Tams, Chuck Berry, The Newbeats, The Supremes, The Searchers, The Beach Boys, Gerry And The Pacemakers, The Premiers, and more - 24 tracks in all. CD

Sunshine Pop is a style that's usually associated with the American west coast scene of the 60s – music that sprung up in the wake of The Beach Boys and some of the other upbeat, harmony-heavy groups of the time – yet as you'll see in this set, there was also plenty of sunshine pop coming from the UK too – some by older artists influenced by musical changes, some by very cool English groups, and some by artists who were really taking the sound and spirit in their own direction! The box tracks a great stretch in the UK scene when things were sweet and well-produced, with a really great focus on well-crafted vocals amidst lovely arrangements – never too slick or sleepy in a soft rock way – and often presented with some unique British twists that make the tunes a great change from Sunshine Pop in the US! We love it when the Grapefruit label digs into a genre we never would have explored this deeply – and the 3CD package is a wonder throughout – with 87 tracks in all, alongside a big booklet of notes – presented by a huge array of artists who include Butterscotch, Dawn Chorus, The Mirage, Design, The Zombies, Paul Ryan, Roger Webb Sound, Agincourt, The Flies, Jason Cord, Symbols, Pinkerton's Colours, Tony Rivers & The Castaways, West Coast Consortium, The Seekers, Wilson Malone Voiceband, Orange Bicycle, Ken Smart, Harmony Grass, Episode Six, and many many others! CD

Here's a compilation that's going after our hearts! As revolutionary as the oft-imitated Bo Diddley beat was in early rock & roll, he doesn't get the credit he deserves for the far reaching impact of his songwriting – having been covered by everyone from Buddy Holly, The New York Dolls, The Shadows Of Night, The Animals, The Pretty Things, Captain Beefheart, Los Lobos and so many more artists of all stripes over the years! This excellent set from Ace Records does a fantastic job of showing not only how far his influence reaches, but also how stylistically adaptable his tunes are. Swamp rock, proto punk, bluesy soul and more. Very well done and each cut is a keeper, with 24 tracks in all: "Bo Diddley" by Buddy Holly, "Crackin Up" by The Gants, "Pills" by New York Dolls, "Road Runner" by The Zombies, "Diddy Wah Diddy" by Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band, "Diddley Daddy" by The British Walkers, "You Don't Love Me (You Don't Care)" by The Birds, "Who Do You Love" by Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks and many more. CD

Music from Dusty Springfield, the Searchers, Cilla Black, Peter & Gordon, the Beatles, the Kinks, the Zombies, Tom Jones, the Who, the Troggs, the Hollies, Lulu, and more. CD

Music from The Moody Blues, Rod Stewart, Fever Tree, Free, The Edgar Winter Group, Lou Reed, The Velvet Underground, The Zombies, Steve Miller Band, The Youngbloods, Country Joe And The Fish, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and more - 24 tracks in al. CD