A landmark album in the history of South African jazz – a set that marks a real shift in the way the music was put together, and maybe a new sort of sophistication that would really mark the scene in years to come! The album's not the first recording from pianist Gideon Nxumalo, but it definitely represents a shift in his sound – longer tracks that often have a slow-building sense of shape and spirit, as the more rhythmic modes of earlier years are opened up and relaxed in favor of some of the larger sound of the tracks and solo space. Yet if you're worried about the record not having a groove, don't fret, as there's plenty of that in here too – just in ways that really make the album stand out strongly in a modern jazz idiom. The session details have been lost to the shifting sands of time, but in addition to Gideon's piano, there's guitar, alto, tenor, trumpet, and flute on the record – on titles that include "Early Mart", "Frustration", and "Slow Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the true pop masterpieces of the 90s! This albums' a beautiful mix of Brian Wilson-y production, Capitol countrified pop, soaring LA 60s instrumentation, and about a million other influences! Genius Sean O'Hagan's put the whole thing together, and the record is the kind of lost pop treasure you've always hoped to find searching through the old LP racks – but never thought you'd get on a CD in the 90s. Includes the amazing "Checking In, Checking Out" – which outdoes Jimmy Webb in its Webb-ness; the moody "Giddy & Gay"; and lots of other nice moments like "The Goat Strings", "Track Goes By", and "Up In the Hills". CD

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The first solo album from John Cale – and a record that's about as different a statement as he could have made from his previous work in the Velvet Underground! There's an approach here in both the songwriting and instrumentation that's instantly Cale-like – sounds that have a knowledge of all the newer ideas that have been brewing up in the underground throughout the 60s – both in rock and more "serious" forms of art music – yet a way of putting over the tunes with undeniable charm, and which have Cale rising to the forefront as a surprisingly strong lead. A few steps further, and John might well have been a compelling crossover pop singer with a record like this – yet it's also his way of holding back that really makes things interesting – especially given all the different directions his career would take in the next few years – all hinted at here, but hidden in some surprisingly tuneful songs. Titles include "Ghost Story", "Amsterdam", "Charlemagne", "Hello There", "Gideon's Bible", "Adelaide", "Cleo", and "Big White Cloud". CD

The first solo album from John Cale – and a record that's about as different a statement as he could have made from his previous work in the Velvet Underground! There's an approach here in both the songwriting and instrumentation that's instantly Cale-like – sounds that have a knowledge of all the newer ideas that have been brewing up in the underground throughout the 60s – both in rock and more "serious" forms of art music – yet a way of putting over the tunes with undeniable charm, and which have Cale rising to the forefront as a surprisingly strong lead. A few steps further, and John might well have been a compelling crossover pop singer with a record like this – yet it's also his way of holding back that really makes things interesting – especially given all the different directions his career would take in the next few years – all hinted at here, but hidden in some surprisingly tuneful songs. Titles include "Ghost Story", "Amsterdam", "Charlemagne", "Hello There", "Gideon's Bible", "Adelaide", "Cleo", and "Big White Cloud". LP, Vinyl record album

Gil Shaham is superb on his reading of Arvo Part's "Fratres" – a piece dedicated to Gideon Kremer, and played here with as much deftness and edge as we find in Kremer's own best work of the time. The larger orchestra fills in amidst the strings with growing force as the piece moves on – and Roger Carlsson provides some percussion as well. Part's "Tabula Rasa" is given an especially beautiful reading, too – with twin violins from Shaham and Adele Anthony, really unlocking the tunefulness of the work – which also includes prepared piano by Erik Risberg. The second half of the album features "Symphony No 3" – a fully orchestral work, conducted by Neeme Jarvi with the Gothenberg Symphony Orchestra. CD

A really striking mid 80s effort from the legendary Lee Scratch Perry – done at a time when his name and reputation had risen strongly on the global scene – which also seems to come through in the music as well! There's a wider range of styles going on here than before – and Scratch is more upfront, less hidden behind his own production – feeling that sense of mission as a messenger for madness that he seemed to take up at the time – a quality that comes through both in his lyrics and vocals, and in the nicely mish-mashed production as well! The set is credited to The Upsetters, but not the classic lineup – more a cast of characters behind much of the classic Black Ark material, though in good command of Scratch's brand of funky reggae. Titles include "Introducing Myself", "Time Marches On", "The Joker", "All Things Are Possible", "Grooving", "Drum Song", "I Am A Madman", "Show Me That River", and "Sexy Lady". Plus, 2CD set features all sorts of bonus tracks – 12 of which show up on CD for the first time ever – including "Time Marches On (take 1)", "Time Marches On Dubwise", "Rain Day In London", "The Perry Christmas Dub", "Madman Dubwise", "All Things Are Possible (12" mix)", "I Am A Madman (12" mix)", "I Am The Upsetter (1985)", and a number of different takes and mixes of "Merry Christmas Happy New Year". CD

A hell of a record from bassist Aston Barrett – best known for his work behind Bob Marley during the classic years, but stepping out here as a powerful force on his own – away from the late Great One, and recording here either under his own name, or with The Wailers! As the title implies, these tunes are all instrumentals – work from the pre-dub years, then later work from that generation – a time when the bass was even more crucial than ever, and kind of the glue that could hold together a really great dub! Some tracks were issued on Aston's own Fam's label, and others are from a variety of other obscure 45s from the time – titles that include "Gideons High", "Soul Constitution", "Guided Missile", "Work", "Family Man Skank", "Cobra Style (disco mix)", "Well Pleased (disco mix)", "Tribute To Y Mas Gan", "Rebel Am I", "Distant Drums Version", "Ixes", and "Steppers Rock". LP, Vinyl record album

The longest album ever from The Clash – a stunning triple LP set that really shows the group bristling with new ideas and energy throughout! There's a hell of a lot going on here – some cuts that are every bit as strong as the previous records, others that offer a few mis-steps but in a wonderfully playful way – and a few more that really hit this sort of unique mix of genres and politics that could only be summed up as Clash-like at its best! Bits of hip hop, reggae, new wave, funk, and more mix together beautifully – and the album's got a hell of a lot of charm and character, even if you're skipping past a few of the cuts you don't like as much as the others. 36 tracks in all – and titles include "The Magnificent Seven", "Hitsville UK", "Junco Partner", "The Leader", "Police On My Back", "Midnight Log", "The Call Up", "Washington Bullets", "Broadway", "Rebel Waltz", "Look Here", "The Crooked Beat", "Somebody Got Murdered", "Lose This Skin", "Charlie Don't Surf", "Kingston Advice", "Corner Soul", "Let's Go Crazy", "The Sound Of Sinners", "Living In Fame", "Silicone On Sapphire", and "Career Opportunities". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the rarest dub work ever cut by this legendary Jamaican producer – music that originally appeared on two different records that only ever circulated in shabby TK Records 12" sleeves, often with the wrong information printed on the labels! Yet the set is every bit as seminal as the music on the Aquarius Rock collection of work from Herman Chin Loy – very late in the game for Jamaican dub, but also at a level that almost seemed to give Loy and the musicians a lot more freedom in their ways to explore and experiment in the studio! All the work was done at Herman's Aquarius Studio, with players who include Aston Family Man Barrett on bass, Mickey Chung and Willie Lindo on guitars, and Leslie Butler on keyboards. Titles include "It's Alright Dub", "Armagideon War Dub", "She's Gone Dub", "Troubled World Dub", "You'll Never Know Dub", "Song Of My Mother Dub", "Them A Fight Dub", "No Malice Me Chalice Dub", "Why Do You Idle Dub", and "The Greatest Love Dub". LP, Vinyl record album

The legendary solo debut of Bunny Wailer – a set that maybe marks him as the most righteous member of The Wailers! The style here is heavy on the roots tip, but there's also a special sort of vibe going on too – these warm currents that are laced with occasional touches of jazz, amidst a mellow-flowing presentation that's right up there with the best of Island Records in the mid 70s – but somehow deeper too! Peter Tosh joins a great lineup that includes Winston Barrett, Robbie Shakespear, Winston Wright, and other Jamaican instrumental giants – but it's definitely Bunny who holds the whole thing together with a spirit that's quite different than his famous previous partner, Bob Marley. Titles include "Blackheart Man", "Rasta Man", "This Train", "Reincarnated Souls", "Armagideon", "The Oppressed Song", "Fig Tree", and "Fighting Against Convictions". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible first chapter of the solo career of Bunny Wailer – material recorded during the same time as the rise of the larger Wailers trio, but which has a special sort of vibe overall – a quality that maybe even predates some of the righteous sounds that Bob Marley would give the world a few years later! The tracks here were all issued as 45s as part of Bunny's Solomonic Productions imprint – a company that took its name from the Song Of Solomon in the Old Testament, which was a key spiritual direction for Bunny – in ways that made his influence so huge during the roots reggae years. And in fact, these cuts are prime roots material, but maybe even go things one better – as there's no sense of wider commercial appeal to the tracks, with a laidback sense of instrumentation and production – all handled by Bunny himself. Titles include "Tread Along", "Bide Up", "Searching For Love", "Armagideon", "Arabs Oil Weapon", "Pass It On", "Life Line", "Rasta Man", "Battering Down Sentence", and "Dream Land". LP, Vinyl record album