A never-issued album from Neil Young – recorded during a key 70s stretch, and finally out of the can after decades of being locked away in the vaults! At the time, Neil didn't think the record was as strong as some of his other work – but to us, fans of the man's music, the whole thing is an essential treasure – a nice bridge between a few different modes of his shifting 70s palette, especially since there's some up-close, acoustic numbers that really reveal a personal side of Young, and some of the difficulties he was going through at the time. Titles include "Florida", "Little Wing", "We Don't Smoke It No More", "Separate Ways", "Try", "Mexico", "Star Of Bethlehem", "Vacancy", and "Kansas". CD

Great stuff by Art Pepper – originally issued only on tape, and kind of lost in his catalog – and like many albums of his 50s work released after the fact, this one almost blows away some of his best known records! The material was recorded in 1957, and was only ever issued on pre-recorded tape by the Omega Tape Company, so it's one of the rarest 50s sessions by Pepper. The set's got a harder groove than most of his record on Contemporary – which is great with us, because we can finally hear the emotion and tone that Pepper is always credited with, but which doesn't always show up on record. The group's a small one, with Ben Tucker on bass, Chuck Flores on drums, and the late LA bopper Carl Perkins on piano. Titles include "Surf Ride", "Begin The Beguine", "Holiday Flight", "Webb City", and "Too Close For Comfort". CD also features 2 previously unissued bonus tracks – "Blues Rock" and "Rock Blues". CD

Two rare Argentine albums from Vera Sienra – back to back on a single CD, with great notes too! Nuestra Soledad is a tremendous debut, and unlike anything that we can easily put into words – fado in style, but carried off in a way that's more bossa nova overall – yet done with a fuller sense of feeling that almost echoes European singers of the decade before! Vera's vocals are incredibly deep – not baritone, but filled with a sense of melancholy that hardly matches the image on the front cover – and the arrangements and guitar are done by Eduardo Mateo, who you might know from other excellent work of this nature from the Buenos Aires scene. Titles include "La Flor", "Si Tiene Final", "Aquel", "El Caminante", "Calle Triste", and "Junto Al Cristal". Vera is a slightly different album from a few years later – a record with some fuller backings, and an even more emotive approach overall – yet still done with that amazing vocal approach, and nicely restrained in ways that really underscore the sense of sadness in the tunes. Titles include "Uno Mas", "No Me Dejes Ir", "Cancio Para El Tiempo", "La Gaviota", "Y Porque Nos Conocimos", and "La Inconformidad". CD