Don't let the "tapes" in the title fool you – as the album's not really some leftover material, and instead stands proudly as the third full record from Germany's legendary Faust! Even on a scene that was filled with progressive, experimental heavyweights, Faust could still stand alone – maybe more concerned with sounds than songs at times, as you'll definitely hear here – on shorter tracks that make for these marvelous mixes of sonic explosions and melodic inspirations – shifting effortlessly between longer tracks and very short bursts, with some occasional messed up vocals to liven things up! Brilliant throughout, and still overflowing with all the power it had back in the 70s. CD

Don't let the "tapes" in the title fool you – as the album's not really some leftover material, and instead stands proudly as the third full record from Germany's legendary Faust! Even on a scene that was filled with progressive, experimental heavyweights, Faust could still stand alone – maybe more concerned with sounds than songs at times, as you'll definitely hear here – on shorter tracks that make for these marvelous mixes of sonic explosions and melodic inspirations – shifting effortlessly between longer tracks and very short bursts, with some occasional messed up vocals to liven things up! Brilliant throughout, and still overflowing with all the power it had back in the 70s. LP, Vinyl record album

A deep dive into the genius of Faust – material recorded by the groundbreaking experimental collective at their home base during the early 70s, none of issued at the time! The work here stands as a seminal addendum to the too-small catalog of the group's material from these days – and the sounds within really show Faust at their most creative – moving through the kind of sonic territory that you'd know from their records, but presented here as if you've discovered an album that you somehow passed by! Some tracks are spare and moody, others driving and jamming – and throughout the material, Faust show that really unique ear for mixing live instrumentation and studio experimentation – all at a level that was very much their own, even in the heady company of the Krautrock generation. The material was originally part of the expensive Faust box set, but is presented here as a standalone release – and titles on volume one include "Naja", "Flaflas", "Mechankika", "Vorsatz", "Bonne Soupe Au Fromage", "Acouphenes", "Fin De Face", "Weird Sounds Sound Bizarre", and "Es Ist Wieder Da". CD

A deep dive into the genius of Faust – material recorded by the groundbreaking experimental collective at their home base during the early 70s, none of issued at the time! The work here stands as a seminal addendum to the too-small catalog of the group's material from these days – and the sounds within really show Faust at their most creative – moving through the kind of sonic territory that you'd know from their records, but presented here as if you've discovered an album that you somehow passed by! Some tracks are spare and moody, others driving and jamming – and throughout the material, Faust show that really unique ear for mixing live instrumentation and studio experimentation – all at a level that was very much their own, even in the heady company of the Krautrock generation. The material was originally part of the expensive Faust box set, but is presented here as a standalone release – and titles on volume one include "Naja", "Flaflas", "Mechankika", "Vorsatz", "Bonne Soupe Au Fromage", "Acouphenes", "Fin De Face", "Weird Sounds Sound Bizarre", and "Es Ist Wieder Da". LP, Vinyl record album

A deep dive into the genius of Faust – material recorded by the groundbreaking experimental collective at their home base during the early 70s, none of issued at the time! The work here stands as a seminal addendum to the too-small catalog of the group's material from these days – and the sounds within really show Faust at their most creative – moving through the kind of sonic territory that you'd know from their records, but presented here as if you've discovered an album that you somehow passed by! Some tracks are spare and moody, others driving and jamming – and throughout the material, Faust show that really unique ear for mixing live instrumentation and studio experimentation – all at a level that was very much their own, even in the heady company of the Krautrock generation. The material was originally part of the expensive Faust box set, but is presented here as a standalone release – and titles on volume two include "Danach", "Lampe An Tur Zu Leutte Rein", "Wir Wollen Mehr Volumen Kriegen", "Arrampicarsi Sul Vesuvio", "As Tu Vu Mon Ombre", "Ma Trompette", and "Dampf". CD

A deep dive into the genius of Faust – material recorded by the groundbreaking experimental collective at their home base during the early 70s, none of issued at the time! The work here stands as a seminal addendum to the too-small catalog of the group's material from these days – and the sounds within really show Faust at their most creative – moving through the kind of sonic territory that you'd know from their records, but presented here as if you've discovered an album that you somehow passed by! Some tracks are spare and moody, others driving and jamming – and throughout the material, Faust show that really unique ear for mixing live instrumentation and studio experimentation – all at a level that was very much their own, even in the heady company of the Krautrock generation. The material was originally part of the expensive Faust box set, but is presented here as a standalone release – and titles on volume two include "Danach", "Lampe An Tur Zu Leutte Rein", "Wir Wollen Mehr Volumen Kriegen", "Arrampicarsi Sul Vesuvio", "As Tu Vu Mon Ombre", "Ma Trompette", and "Dampf". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary lost album from Faust – a set that was to be their second for Virgin Records, recorded at a time when the group were really reveling in their darker spirits – and captured sounds that may well be the headiest they ever created! The music is incredibly dense, and often quite noisy – yet still also often has that rhythmic pulse that the group first brought to their music – giving the whole thing an unusual quality that almost makes Punkt some sort of mystical bridge between the early work of Can and the grimier sounds of Throbbing Gristle that would soon emerge! We've never needed convincing that Faust are a key part of underground musical development in the 70s – but at the same time, this record really pushes that argument even further – with mindblowing sounds on tracks that include "Juggernaut", "Fernlicht", "Morning Land", "Crapolino", and "Knochentanz". CD

The 4th album from legendary German proggers Faust – as if you couldn't guess from the title – and quite possibly their best-remembered set! While still quite progressive, the record also has some tunes that are oddly a bit more hook-heavy – playful little tracks with vocal bits that really give them focus – and a few moments that almost hit a bit of a groove at the bottom amidst all the more experimental guitars and production! The titles almost give some indication that the group's looking at themselves with a bit of a smirk – and include "Krautrock", "Sad Skinhead", "Giggy Smile", and "It's A Bit Of Pain". Newly mixed version features a second CD with 9 more tracks that include Peel Session recordings of "The Lurcher", "Krautrock", and "Do So", plus "Jennifer (alternate version)", "Just A Second (extended version)", "Piano Piece", and "Giggy Smile (alternate version)". CD

The first-ever full album of music from Tony Conrad – issued in the early 70s after years of Conrad's secret input to the global avant garde – including some key years in New York, where he influenced John Cale and a generation of others who rose to greater fame! This set really has Conrad breaking out with a boldness right from the start – moving away from the arty underground, and trying to hit some more creative interplay with the more adventurous rock scene – which, in this case, includes strong work on the record by the young Faust – who turn out to be a perfect vehicle for Conrad's ideas of minimal sound progressions and tonal textures! Each side of the record features one long track – with heavy drums at the core, ala Faust – mixed with guitars, violin, and other waves of sound – almost in a pulsing space that recalls Cale's work with Terry Riley, or which is a more serious take on modes that Can was experimenting with too – although with a starkness and darkness that really lives up to the cover image. Titles include "The Side Of The Machine" and "The Side Of Man & Womankind". CD

A legendary lost album from Faust – a set that was to be their second for Virgin Records, recorded at a time when the group were really reveling in their darker spirits – and captured sounds that may well be the headiest they ever created! The music is incredibly dense, and often quite noisy – yet still also often has that rhythmic pulse that the group first brought to their music – giving the whole thing an unusual quality that almost makes Punkt some sort of mystical bridge between the early work of Can and the grimier sounds of Throbbing Gristle that would soon emerge! We've never needed convincing that Faust are a key part of underground musical development in the 70s – but at the same time, this record really pushes that argument even further – with mindblowing sounds on tracks that include "Juggernaut", "Fernlicht", "Morning Land", "Crapolino", and "Knochentanz". LP, Vinyl record album

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Arguably one of the greatest German albums of the early 70s prog era – the stunning debut of Faust, and a record beyond compare! The group his hitting here amazingly on all burners – stretching out long, rhythmic jams – working out weird production techniques – and blasting noisy bits when you least expect it – all in a style that's as playful as it is experimental, as charming as it is un-self-indulgent (if such a word actually exists!). Titles include "Miss Fortune", "Why Don't You Eat Carrots", and "Meadow Meal". CD

The 4th album from legendary German proggers Faust – as if you couldn't guess from the title – and quite possibly their best-remembered set! While still quite progressive, the record also has some tunes that are oddly a bit more hook-heavy – playful little tracks with vocal bits that really give them focus – and a few moments that almost hit a bit of a groove at the bottom amidst all the more experimental guitars and production! The titles almost give some indication that the group's looking at themselves with a bit of a smirk – and include "Krautrock", "Sad Skinhead", "Giggy Smile", and "It's A Bit Of Pain". LP, Vinyl record album

The first two Faust records on one CD, released in the US for the first time! Their first record is comprised of three tracks- the album-side length "Why Don't You Eat Carrots", plus "Meadow Meal", and "Miss Fortune". Recorded in Germany in 1972, "So Far" has eight songs including "No Harm", "So Far", "Picnic On A Frozen River", "On The Way To Abamae", and "It's A Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl". CD

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A record that's virtually impossible to describe in words – partly because it's got a trans-historical, trans-spatial sort of vibe – effortlessly filtering together the best roots of older French pop music, and combining them with a range of underground pop elements that reach out to the farther reaches of the globe! Jean Emmanuel Deluxe sings lead – often with a raspy style that's partly sung, partly spoken – but never in a Serge Gainsbourg mode. Instead, he gets lots of spacey support on keyboards, echoey drums, and other instrumentation that feels like reworked 60s modes – ala Stereolab, High Llamas, or Pearlfishers. Yet the record is nothing like any of those references at all – even though Sean O'Hagan provides some guest work – as does Bertrand Burgalat, Misawa Masanori, and drummer Werner "Zappi" Diermaier of Faust. Titles include "Lushy Life", "The Girl Who Was Talking In Reverse", "Claire", "La Gourveneur De California", "Hollywood Parties", and "Comme Une Video Star". CD

One of the darkest albums of the Krautrock scene in the 70s – an album that was actually recorded in a WWII-era bunker – where the duo were free to open up their instruments, jam for a very long time, and play with the sorts of effects and techniques you might know from bigger groups of the period! Yet there's a brooding quality here that's different than Can, Faust, or other groups – maybe because German Oak were a duo without a very clear path forward, and also because recording an album in an underground concrete bunker was bound to produced some weird vibes on the session! One of the group members recalls in the notes that in the space, he couldn't help thinking of the trauma of WWII – and you can definitely hear that in the music, and see it in the look of the package – which carries tunes that include "Screaming Skeletons", "Missile Song", "Belle's Song", and "Nothing". This fantastic package offers up some great notes from the group – in both German and English – and also adds in rare material too – the tracks "Bear Song", "Happy Stripes On Cats", "Ghost Guitar", "Belle's Song (extended)", "Python Vs Tiger", "Giant Rock Boulder Golem", "Missle Song (extended)", "Harpy & Peregrine", and "Bear Song (alt version)". CD

A Japanese book about Krautrock, but one that's laid out like a discography – so that you can understand it even if you can't read the language! All the artist and album information is in English (or German) – and every entry has a vivid full color photo, so that you can hundreds and hundreds of records that have gone onto make up the Krautrock genre as it's evolved over the years – following the music through key years of the 70s, and its evolution on the German scene as the 80s moved on – with slight side-trips into post-punk and industrial too. Chapters focus on artists or scenes – including Can, Kraftwerk, Neu, Hamburg, Faust, Die Krupps, Munchen, Embryo, Der Plan, Pyrolator, and lots more – dozens of other chapters that really lay out a wonderfully vivid picture of the music. The book is over 300 pages, with images of hundreds of records throughout! Book

A fantastic little collection – one that gets at a special side of the 70s European scene that wasn't quite prog, wasn't quite art rock, and wasn't quite experimental – but which definitely lay to the left of the mainstream during the decade and really helped set the tone for years to come! The music here is heavy on influences from the German scene, but also features some British tracks too – often in a way that makes a leaner approach to some of the bigger ideas of prog – with a more stripped-down approach, and often a less top-heavy sound – so that these cuts slide right in and sneak up on you with a really subtle sense of power. You'll recognize some of the names here, but the choice of tracks is key – put together by Bob Stanley, who gave us some other excellent "imaginary soundtrack" compilations from Ace. Titles include "Way Star" by Rubba, "L'Eroe Di Plastica" by Toni Esposito, "Tommy" by Focus, "Octave Doctors" by Steve Hillage, "Troupeau Bleau" by Cortex, "Canoe" by Piero Umiliani, "Penny Hitch" by Soft Machine, "Eileen" by Streetmark, "Jennifer" by Faust, "A Morning Excuse" by Amon Duul II, "Pony" by Annette Peacock, and "Don't You Know" by Jan Hammer. CD

An amazing collection of electronic music from the German scene of the 70s – easily one of the most exciting, innovative musical worlds of the past century! There was really something special going on in Germany at the time – a confluence of hippie rockers, serious proggers, urban punks, and academic electronicians – all coming together to completely destroy previous (or current) generic conceptions – and make mindblowing music that's still more revolutionary than most sounds from decades to come! This fab second collection of German electronic rock from Soul Jazz digs even deeper than the first – and features a few famous names mixes with some even more important talents from the underground – all packaged together with the rich notes and historical detail that make their compilations so great. Titles include "Le Jardin" by Rodelius, "A Morning Excuse" by Amon Duul II, "Base & Apex" by Eno, Moebius & Rodelius, "In A Sacred Manner" by Gila, "Himmelblau" by Wolfgang Reichmann, "Co Co Pino" by DAF, "Sun & Moon" by Michael Hoenig, "Emphasis" by Harald Grosskopf, "China" by Electric Sandwich, "Zeebrugge" by Asmus Tietchens, "Krautrock" by Faust, "Gibli" by Niagara, "Electric Day" by You, "Die Weisse Aim" by Sergius Golowin, "Danger Cruising" by Pyrolator, "Sundance Chant" by Gila, and "Als Hatt Ich Das Alles Schon Mal Gesehen" by AR & Machines. CD

Writer Jon Savage is maybe best known for his work on the early years of punk in England – and here, Savage steps back just a bit – to contextualize the rise of the new music in all sorts of other styles that were bubbling up in the mid 70s! Part of the set is a pathway to punk – especially on some of the glam and power pop cuts that clearly point the way ahead – but there's also a nice mix of hard rock, a bit of prog, and even some catchier numbers that really fit the feel of the package – and show what a wonderful mix of modes was taking place in the mid 70s – a great wake up call to anyone who thinks that things were dead until punk came along! The 2CD package is overflowing with surprises – 44 tracks, with notes from Savage as well – for titles that include "So Far" by Faust, "Hey Joe (version)" by Patti Smith, "Kings Of Speed" by Hawkwind, "Third Uncle" by Brian Eno, "After Eight" by Neu, "Easy To Slip" by Little Feat, "Girl From Germany" by Sparks, "End Unkind" by Grin, "Andy Warhol" by Dana Gillespie, "Yang Yang" by Yoko Ono, "Vicious" by Lou Reed, "She Means A Lot To Me" by Smyle, "When My Baby's Beside Me" by Big Star, "One Of The Boys" by Mott The Hoople, "Max's Kansas City 76 (part 1)" by Wayne County, "Cherry Bomb" by The Runaways, "Train Train" by Count Bishops, "I Don't Mind" by Dr Feelgood, "Slow Death" by Flamin Groovies, and "You Really Got Me" by Hammersmith Gorillas. CD

A record that's virtually impossible to describe in words – partly because it's got a trans-historical, trans-spatial sort of vibe – effortlessly filtering together the best roots of older French pop music, and combining them with a range of underground pop elements that reach out to the farther reaches of the globe! Jean Emmanuel Deluxe sings lead – often with a raspy style that's partly sung, partly spoken – but never in a Serge Gainsbourg mode. Instead, he gets lots of spacey support on keyboards, echoey drums, and other instrumentation that feels like reworked 60s modes – ala Stereolab, High Llamas, or Pearlfishers. Yet the record is nothing like any of those references at all – even though Sean O'Hagan provides some guest work – as does Bertrand Burgalat, Misawa Masanori, and drummer Werner "Zappi" Diermaier of Faust. Titles include "Lushy Life", "The Girl Who Was Talking In Reverse", "Claire", "La Gourveneur De California", "Hollywood Parties", and "Comme Une Video Star". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the darkest albums of the Krautrock scene in the 70s – an album that was actually recorded in a WWII-era bunker – where the duo were free to open up their instruments, jam for a very long time, and play with the sorts of effects and techniques you might know from bigger groups of the period! Yet there's a brooding quality here that's different than Can, Faust, or other groups – maybe because German Oak were a duo without a very clear path forward, and also because recording an album in an underground concrete bunker was bound to produced some weird vibes on the session! One of the group members recalls in the notes that in the space, he couldn't help thinking of the trauma of WWII – and you can definitely hear that in the music, and see it in the look of the package – which carries tunes that include "Screaming Skeletons", "Missile Song", "Belle's Song", and "Nothing". This fantastic package offers up some great notes from the group – in both German and English – and also adds in rare material too – the tracks "Bear Song", "Happy Stripes On Cats", "Ghost Guitar", "Belle's Song (extended)", "Python Vs Tiger", "Giant Rock Boulder Golem", "Missle Song (extended)", "Harpy & Peregrine", and "Bear Song (alt version)". CD

A tight quartet set led by tenor Dave Schnitter – recorded in 2001, and finally seeing a very worthy release! Schnitter played with Art Blakey's revived Jazz Messengers in the 70s – and he carries a deep, deep love for that school of jazz on these numbers – which also recall 'Trane, Sonny Stitt and Dextor Gordon, and wouldn't sound out of place in your changer with 60s recordings by any of those cats! Schnitter composed most of the material, played by a group that includes James Zollar on trumpet, Thomas Bramerie on bass and Jimmy Madison on the kit. Tracks include "Dili Dili", "Sketch", "For All We Know", "Flirtation With Faust", "Sputnik", "You Don't Know What Love Is" and more. CD

A fantastic little collection – one that gets at a special side of the 70s European scene that wasn't quite prog, wasn't quite art rock, and wasn't quite experimental – but which definitely lay to the left of the mainstream during the decade and really helped set the tone for years to come! The music here is heavy on influences from the German scene, but also features some British tracks too – often in a way that makes a leaner approach to some of the bigger ideas of prog – with a more stripped-down approach, and often a less top-heavy sound – so that these cuts slide right in and sneak up on you with a really subtle sense of power. You'll recognize some of the names here, but the choice of tracks is key – put together by Bob Stanley, who gave us some other excellent "imaginary soundtrack" compilations from Ace. Titles include "Way Star" by Rubba, "L'Eroe Di Plastica" by Toni Esposito, "Tommy" by Focus, "Octave Doctors" by Steve Hillage, "Troupeau Bleau" by Cortex, "Canoe" by Piero Umiliani, "Penny Hitch" by Soft Machine, "Eileen" by Streetmark, "Jennifer" by Faust, "A Morning Excuse" by Amon Duul II, "Pony" by Annette Peacock, and "Don't You Know" by Jan Hammer. LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing collection of electronic music from the German scene of the 70s – easily one of the most exciting, innovative musical worlds of the past century! There was really something special going on in Germany at the time – a confluence of hippie rockers, serious proggers, urban punks, and academic electronicians – all coming together to completely destroy previous (or current) generic conceptions – and make mindblowing music that's still more revolutionary than most sounds from decades to come! This fab second collection of German electronic rock from Soul Jazz digs even deeper than the first – and features a few famous names mixes with some even more important talents from the underground – all packaged together with the rich notes and historical detail that make their compilations so great. Vinyl version part 2 features tracks that include "China" by Electric Sandwich, "Zeebrugge" by Asmus Tietchens, "Krautrock" by Faust, "Gibli" by Niagara, "Electric Day" by You, "Die Weisse Aim" by Sergius Golowin, "Danger Cruising" by Pyrolator, "Sundance Chant" by Gila, and "Als Hatt Ich Das Alles Schon Mal Gesehen" by AR & Machines. LP, Vinyl record album

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... LP, Vinyl record album

Original issue of volume 11 in the now legendary series. With the hard-to-get Honey Drippers "Impeach The President", The Headhunters "God Make Me Funky", Orange Krush "Action", Fausto Papetti "Love Theme" all with edited or extended breaks, and Lucy Hawkins "Gotta Get Out Of Here" and Funk Inc. "Kool Is Back". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those really great Italian sessions recorded by Chet Baker at a time when he was working away from the west coast scene – music that really helped the trumpeter find a new sort of magic in his approach, and really shift his phrasing from before! The set was recorded in Milan with Len Mercer and his orchestra – with a lineup of all-stars that includes Glauco Masetti on alto, Fausto Papetti and Gianni Basso on tenor, Mario Pezzotta on trombone, Franco Cerri on bass, and Gene Victory on drums. Titles include many standards, but handled with a fragile care by Chet – on tracks that include "I Should Care", "This Song Is For You", "When I Fall In Love", "Angel Eyes", "Street Of Dreams", "Goodbye", "Forgetful", and "Deep In A Dream". LP, Vinyl record album

Simone Guiducci on acoustic guitar – with Ralph Alessi on trumpet, Don Byron on clarinets, Fausto Beccalossi on accordion, and others. CD