Three classic albums from Shoes, plus bonus tracks, and a full CD worth of rare material too! First up is Present Tense – a power-pop classic from Shoes – their first full length for Elektra Records, and a set that stands with all the best end of 70s gems from either coast! The songs are impeccable, and the group do a fantastic job of blending sharper guitars with really great lyricism – a mode that maybe makes the Illinois group a strong precursor for territory that The Replacements wouldn't hit until many years later – and which makes just about every track on the album a precious nugget that just gets better and better with time! Titles include "Now & Then", "Every Girl", "I Don't Wanna Hear It", "Three Times", "In My Arms Again", and "Too Late". On Tongue Twister, Shoes continue the brilliance of their first album for Elektra – serving up the kind of music that was so well-done, so subtle, it was maybe missed by most of the world at the time – even though it's gone onto the status of classic, thanks to legions of fans and critics! Shoes have a way with a tune that's unlike anyone else – maybe that compressed charm of Big Star, but fused into the sharper modes of the power pop years – but without any of the too commercial modes of some of the bigger groups of the time. Instead, the whole thing feels like you've just stumbled upon a brilliant band, playing in a backroom bar – which, unfortunately, is how Shoes spent too much of their career. Titles include "Only In My Sleep", "She Satisfies", "Found A Girl", "Hate To Run", "When It Hits", "Yes Or No", "Your Imagination", and "Girls Of Today". On Boomerang, Shoes maybe look a bit too new wave on the cover, but still sound perfect within – very much in charge of that perfect yet understated approach to a tune that has gone on to make them legends in all the many years since this album was released! The group were never out to change the world, and maybe that held them back at the time – but they were also never trying for big chart success, or too-slick modes – and there's a wonderfully honest, down to earth approach to the songwriting and production that clearly sets the stage for all the bigger late 80s groups that would follow in their wake. Nearly every tune is a completely catchy mofo – and titles include "Curiosity", "In Her Shadow", "Double Talk", "The Summer Rain", "Under The Gun", "The Tube", and "What Love Means". 4CD set features a huge amount of bonus material – 8 track demo versions of all three albums, added to their discs – and a bonus CD of 18 more rare tracks – all in a box, with a big booklet of notes! CD

Here's a genre you may not know about – the 70s wave of skateboard-related tunes, a sub-section of music that was to that decade what surf music was to the 60s! Obviously, surf music had a much bigger fame – and has been remembered a lot more strongly over the years – but as this groovy little set demonstrates, the second wave of 70s skateboard usage also had it's own band of musical supporters – most of them in a glam rock or power pop mode that was perfect for the uptight feel of boards at the time. Most tunes on the set are short and catchy – often featuring fuzzed-out guitars or nicely snapping rhythms – and overall, the whole set feels a lot more like some of the great 7Ts sets of recent years on Cherry Red than it does the soundtrack funk of other Diggler releases. Titles include "Skateboard Racer" by The Carvells, "Skateboard Saturday" by Wood Lane, "Skateboard Shuffle" by Zafra, "Little Skateboard Queen" by Sneakers & Lace, "Skateboard Honeymoon" by Daffy Duck, "Blue Tile Fever" by Streetkid, "Skateboard Bill" by Corky Carroll, "Skateboard Johnny" by Jack Tempchin, "Skateboarding In The UK" by The Rivals, and "Skateboard" by T Rex with Gloria Jones. CD

The complete Creation Records work of Biff Bang Pow – a group who were one of our favorite moments of 80s jangle pop from the UK – a group headed up by Creation founder Alan McGee, and an ensemble who probably kept the Creation spirit more strongly than any other group! McGee took the group's name from a 60s tune by the group The Creation – and the style of the music follows very strongly in the spirit of that influence – lean, guitar-driven, slightly psychedelic pop tunes – crafted with a simple and slightly dark approach. But there's also some of the darker production styles that emerged in the post-punk generation – which ensures that although catchy, the group's work is never too poppy – especially in comparison to some of their contemporaries who fled to bigger fame at major labels. The scope of Biff Bang Pow's material is tremendous – served up here on full albums that include Pass The Paintbrush Honey, The Girl Who Runs The Beat Hotel, Oblivion, Love Is Forever, Me, and The Laughing Apple – plus dozens and dozens of rare tracks – singles-only material, demos, alternates, live material, and more – some of it unreleased! The huge box features a massive 129 tracks in all. CD

A stellar compilation of material from underappreciated (in the States, anyway) UK indie guitar pop from Brighton's Blow Up – including the rare singles they cut for Creation, a bunch of tunes the Watermelon Sugar and Amazon Eyegasm albums, and a few tracks that are only now seeing light of day! It's odd that Blow Up didn't, well, blow up – they have an insistent, driving approach to guitar pop that sounds pretty great nearly 20 years on, unencumbered by any dawn of the 90s trends to our ears, and this is well worth checking out. 21 tracks in all: "World", "Pool Valley", "Somersault Sunrise", "Heaven Tonight", "Forever Holiday", "Crown Of Thorns", "Different Sounding Sights", "Baby Superstar", "Z Gurl", "Samantha Talk" and much more! CD

An unusual full length album from Dramatis – a group who'd been working as the backup group for Gary Numan, then had to step out on their own after getting the boot! That's hardly an issue, though – as this set features the group really awash in all the best modes they'd forged with Numan – a catchy take on the electronic-heavy pop that Gary often used behind his own vocals – delivered with a surprisingly great sound by the group on their own – with vocals, themes, and a cool cold vibe that's very much what you'd expect. Titles include "Oh 2025", "Human Sacrifice", "I Only Find Rewind", "Turn", "On Reflection", "Ex Luna Scientia", "Love Needs No Disguise", and "No One Lives Forever". CD features lots of bonus material – including "Face On The Wall", "Lady DJ (12" mix)", "One Step Ahead (12" mix)", "The Curtain", "Pomp & Stompandstamp", "I Can See Her Now (12" mix)", and "The Shame (12" dance party mix 1)". Also features eight more single mixes of album tracks – plus eight more tracks from a live BBC concert in 1982! CD