Incredible pop psych sounds from Grapefruit – a group who might be best known for their early inclusion in the Beatles' Apple Corps – but who can easily stand on their own with the strength of material like this! The production is superb, and the overall vision in the music is sublime – trippy touches, but never too many – and vocals that echo out with both a sense of harmony in the group, and some beautiful larger touches in the studio! The whole thing's got a subtle power that we'd rank right up there with The Zombies, just as they were starting to get great! LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible pop psych sounds from Grapefruit – a group who might be best known for their early inclusion in the Beatles' Apple Corps – but who can easily stand on their own with the strength of material like this! The production is superb, and the overall vision in the music is sublime – trippy touches, but never too many – and vocals that echo out with both a sense of harmony in the group, and some beautiful larger touches in the studio! The whole thing's got a subtle power that we'd rank right up there with The Zombies, just as they were starting to get great! LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from one of the great never-rans of late 60s rock music – a trio from St Louis, but one who were scooped up by EMI and given fantastic studio treatment at Abbey Road studios in London – then never saw their full length album issued at the time! That lack of big circulation hardly matches the quality of the music here – as the group have soaring harmonies in ambitious production that's right up there with George Martin's best work – songs that are ambitious, but plenty darn catchy – almost as if some genius Sunshine Pop group from Cali got taken up by Apple Records! The group's full album was only issued many years later – but this package adds in everything they recorded – rare singles, demos, and even a few very unusual later tracks that sound pretty darn great – titles that include "She's Not Dead", "A Song For Jane", "World Of You", "Stopped", "The Children", "Resurrection", "The Years", "Bessy Goodheart", "Swinging London", and "1968". CD

Really heady work from Black Widow – the legendary UK prog group, and not the countless other artists who've also recorded under the same name! Black Widow were one of a handful of groups who took the horror rock modes of the early 60s and pushed them into territory that was much more terrifying – using hard rock impulses and wiggier instrumental modes to underscore the satanic and supernatural themes in their music! It's maybe no surprised that the group were managed by the same team who handled Black Sabbath – but you'll find music here that's much more sonically complex, especially over the huge range of records included in the package – a box that features their initial incarnation as Pesky Gee on the album Exclamation Mark, an early demo album, and the studio records Sacrifice, Black Widow, and Black Widow III – plus the Black Widow IV album, which was never issued back in the 70s. There's also rare tracks, demos, and even live material – making for a 68 track set that's also got a 40 page booklet of notes. CD

A completely charming set from the British scene of the late 60s – one of those "shoulda been huge" sorts of records, but one that's become all that much more charming over the years because of its obscurity! Duncan Browne is a hell of a songwriter, and has a voice that's immediately captivating – served up here in a mix of acoustic instrumentation and larger arrangements that's not that far from the best sound of Island Records during the same generation – but with more of the singer/songwriter spin you might hear from Colin Blunstone. The whole thing's wonderful – a record that just keeps on giving over the years – with titles that include "Give Me Take You", "Ninepence Worth Of Walking", "The Ghost Walks", "Chloe In The Garden", "On The Bombsite", "Gabilan", "Alfred Bell", and "The Death Of Neil". Great UK version features 10 bonus tracks – some unissued demo and rehearsal cuts, plus "The Cherry Blossom Fool". CD

Maybe the first-ever collection to really get at the huge scope of work handled by the great John Carter – an important figure in the UK music scene of the 60s, but one who worked in a variety of guises, and never got as much exposure in the spotlight as he might! Carter was a hell of a songwriter, and also had the kind of an ear for a tune that made him an equivalent to some of the American talents roaming around the Brill Building in the mid 60s – and like those artists, John first started putting out songs for others, then also recording his own work too – but often in a variety of different groups that were more put together for recording projects than touring onstage. This huge set brings together all these magical moments of pop genius from John Carter – 105 tracks in all, with recordings by Carter Lewis, The Ivy League, First Class, Ministry Of Sound, The Wheels, Friends, The Flower Pot Men, Carlew Choir, Stamford Bridge, Stormy Petrel, and other Carter-related projects – plus a fair bit of demo recordings done with full studio help as well. It's great to hear Carter's evolution over the decade or so covered by the box set – almost an evolution of British pop and rock as well! CD

A pair of albums from this near-forgotten group – both originally issued by Elektra, and presented here with bonus tracks too! First up is the self-titled Crabby Appleton – a set that's got a surprising sort of late psych vibe at times – almost as if the group were hanging on to some of the modes that first got them started, while also stretching out with some of the new sophistication that the 70s had to offer! That psych touch is maybe no surprise, though, given that the group's singer Michael Fennelly was in The Millennium – and works here with some heavier rockers who were in Stonehenge – all in a surprising mix of modes that really keeps things interesting throughout! Titles include the big single "Go Back", plus "Peace By Peace", "To All My Friends", "Some Madness", "Hunger For Love", "Last Night In Your Sleep Fred", "Some Madness", and "The Other Side". Next is Rotten To The Core, the second and last album from Crabby Appleton, and a record that's got the group picking up some harder edges than before – shedding some of the lighter psych elements for harder modes on the downturning grooves, almost as if the group had some blues inspirations they didn't showcase the first time around! The shift is one that has us almost thinking that the group could have hit the heights of 70s AM rock, had they held the course – with lots of surprising nuggets throughout, in a set list that includes "Makes No Difference", "Lucy", "It's So Hard", "Tomorrow's A New Day", "You Make Me Hot", "Gonna Save You", and "Love Can Change Everything". 2CD set features bonus material – "Go Back (alt mono single)", "Try (alt mono single)", "My Little Lucy (alt mono single)", "Some Madness (mono single)", "Can't Live My Life (alt mono single)", "Grab On", "Tomorrow's A New Day (alt mono single)", and "It's So Hard (alt mono single)". CD

A long-overdue package – one that finally brings together all the many strands of music from underground Cali rock legend Merrell Fankhauser! CD1 features some of Merrell's earliest music – a host of early singles by Merrell & The Exiles, some of which were issued on the Glenn and Golden Crown labels – mixed here with rare unissued titles too – for a whopping 19 tracks that offer up a rare look at Fankhauser's earliest years! CD2 features the classic Fapardokly record – a lost bit of legend from the west coast scene of the 60s – and a record that's maybe best-known as a showcase for the early genius of Merrell Fankhauser – who wrote most of the songs on the set, a good number of which were actually recorded for the record by his previous group, The Exiles! Yet despite that little bit of trivia, there's a great vibe going on here – a seminal shift in the Cali scene from garagey work to trippier modes – served up beautifully on titles that include "Glass Chandelier", "Suzie Cryin", "Tomorrow's Girl", "Lila", "Mr Clock", "No Retreat", "Gone To Pot", "When I Get Home", "Supermarket", and "The Music Scene". CD3 features the album Things, recorded by Merrell Fankhauser & HMS Bounty – a perfect blend of Fankhauser's earlier garage rock modes and latter trippier styles! The tunes are short and wonderfully tuneful – produced at Gold Star studios, with a simple, straightforward style that makes all the deftness of the songwriting come through even more – an approach that, although supposedly steeped in Pacific Ocean inspiration, almost feels more like that great moment when some UK groups of the mid 60s were tripping out, but not too much. Titles include "Lost In The City", "Your Painted Lives", "In A Minute Not Too Soon", "A Visit With Ashiya", "The Big Gray Sky", and "Rich Man's Fable". CD4 features MU – an incredible record, and one that really lives up to all its well-deserved legend over the years – one of those sets that's not just rare, but which has all the chops to really deliver the goods! A few short years before, Merrell Fankhauser was recording garage and psych on the LA scene – but here, he steps off the latter with a bit of post-60s hangover – working with a current of darkness that really changes things up, while still providing a great outlet for his legendary work on guitar – and his mindblowing sense of a lyric! Titles include "Ballad Of Brother Lew", "Eternal Thirst", "Too Naked For Demetrius", "Mumbella Baye Tu La", "The Clouds Went That Way", and "Nobody Wants To Shine". CD5 features MU's The Last Album – 20 more tracks recorded in 1974, but unissued for many years – and CD6 features the legendary Maui album from the enigmatic Merrell Fankhauser – a self-released set that drew inspiration from his time in Hawaii – even though the set was mostly recorded in LA and San Francisco! The tunes are beautiful – nicely evolved from Merrell's psych of earlier years, with a much more personal vibe – yet all without some of those west coast cliches that were creeping into more mainstream music of the period. You might get the vibe partly right if you could maybe imagine a more personal singer/songwriter take on the AOR vibe of the period – with leaner, better instrumentation and unslick production – but that's also only part of the picture too! Titles include "On Our Way To Hana", "Make A Joyful Noise", "Garden In The Rain", "Waterfall", "The Source", "Sail It Over The Ocean", and "We Were All Free". Box set features a very detailed book of notes – bonus tracks added to most of the albums, and a massive 95 tracks in all! CD

Three rare albums from this overlooked UK singer/songwriter – presented here with lots of bonus tracks too! First up is Message To A Harlequin – heady pop from Tim Hollier, who's working with some especially nice arrangements from John Cameron – all in an orchestral pop mode that almost gives the record a Moody Blues sense of space and ambition! Hollier's vocals are sometimes folky, but have a trilling quality that reminds us a bit of Tom Rapp – a sound that's somewhat thin, but supported nicely here by Cameron on a batch of original tunes penned in a very painterly mode! Titles include the great "Full Fathoms Five", plus "Message To A Harlequin", "Streets Of Gold", "Hanne", "Jimmy", "In Silence", and "And Where Were You That Morning Mr Carroll". Next up is the self-titled Tim Hollier album – a record that seems to have its roots in folk, but which pushes forward with so much more going on – maybe a bit like some of the more unique hybrids on Island Records at the time! Tim's got a way of singing that certainly seems inspired by folk – distinct phrasing, a gentle trill, and strong use of his own work on acoustic guitar next to the lyrics – but there's also larger arrangements on the set, and some heavier, headier moments too – all of which give the whole thing the same sort of moody vibe that earlier artists like Tim Buckley were starting to unlock. There's an almost eerie sound to the album at times – and titles include "Man Of Gentle Sunlight", "Seagull's Song", "And It's Happening To Her", "Love Song", "Maybe You Will Stay", and "Would I Sing". Last up is the Skysail album – a set that seems to have Hollier really maturing his style, and getting very strongly past his roots – with an approach that really leans on his strong vocal ability, set to larger arrangements by John Cameron and Ed Coleman. Titles include "Time Has A Way Of Losing You", "Tenderly Stooping Low", "Sunshine Moonshine", "Through The Darkness", "While London's Days Increase", "Tomorrow Is The First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life", and "Beauty Of The Gardens". CD features bonus tracks – 10 more live tracks from BBC sessions and other sources – plus the single tracks "The Circle Is Small" and "In A Corner Of My Life/Time Stood Still". CD

A huge amount of material from Tommy James & The Shondells – a group that most people know for a string of jingle-jangle gems in the 60s, but who kept on making some really wonderful music over the course of the 11 albums included in this set! The group at the start were already pretty darn amazing – able to create the kind of catchy, groovy tunes that really exploded out of AM radio in the mid 60s – but as the years went on, Tommy moved into headier territory, and started to stretch out from the pop psych sound of "Crimson & Clover" – one of his last great hits, but also the gateway to all the wonderful music heard here in the second half of the set! The collection is a real ear-opener – and includes lots of music that hasn't been on CD in any form for years (or vinyl for that matter too!) – plus bonus tracks on most of the records, and other rare material – all bundled up with a heavy booklet of notes. 140 tracks in all – and the albums Hanky Panky, It's Only Love, I Think We're Alone Now, Gettin Together, Mony Mony, Crimson & Clover, Cellophane Symphony, Travelin, Tommy James, Christian Of The World, My Head My Bed & My Red Guitar – and bonus tracks and singles too! CD

The complete recordings of July – a set that features their rare original album, unreleased tracks, and lots of surprisingly great later material too! First up is the self-titled July album from 1968, presented in both mono and stereo mixes – the debut album from July – a group who only gave the world this gem of a record back at the end of the 60s – but who've gone on to become legendary, based on the strength of the set! The whole thing is a real standout in the psych scene of the UK – well-crafted songs that are tight, but groovy and loose at the same time – tuneful, but filled with experiments – and produced with just the right sort of inventive qualities to make the special flourishes and individual moments of genius really come to light! There's so many great things going on here – an all-rich, no-filler record that's filled with gems that include "My Clown", "Dandelion Seeds", "Jolly Mary", "Hallo To Me", "You Missed It All", "The Way", "To Be Free", "Crying Is For Writers", "I See", and "A Bird Lived". Next is Second Of July – a great counterpart to the legendary self-titled album from July – material recorded in a private setting, to predate that psych masterpiece – but every bit as stunning overall! The quality of this work goes way beyond its origins as demo material – as the sound is wonderful, the musical ideas very rich, and overall psychedelic conception is amazing! There's no overindulgence, but also no easy pop psych modes either – and it's really incredible how much these guys can pack into a short song – from unusual guitar lines, to freewheeling rhythms, and trippy ideas in the lyrics. Many numbers have a sweet groove underneath, and are slightly freakbeatish – but there's also a much more unique feel to the record as well. Tracks include "Dandelion Seeds", "You Missed It All", "My Clown", "Friendly Man", "I See", "The Girl In The Cafe", and "Move On Sweet Flower". The box set then moves into two later albums from a re-formed group – Temporal Anomaly and Resurrection – both of which feature material conceived over a number of years, issued on Resurrection in 2013, and on Temporal Anomaly here for the first time ever. Tracks are great – still very much in the spirit of the classic material, and produced with a nicely understated vibe. Last up is The Wight Album – a recent project from July – still sounding surprisingly great after all these years! At this point, the group is a duo – original members Peter Cook and Tom Newman – but they really manage to craft some great sounds here, with a style that ties back to their initial recording in 1968, and which features some of the successful flourishes of their revived activity from about a decade ago! The tunes are way better than any sort of younger attempt at material like this – mostly because there's a nicely understated, although still quite psychedelic, approach to the whole thing – maybe a reminder that with the best psych records, charm is every bit as important as fuzz. Titles on the double-length set include "The Traveler", "Sophie", "Special Guy", "Henry's Squirrel", "Seeking The Hacksaw Blades", "The Game", "What's Gonna Be", "Disco Klingon", "Mods Of Ryde", "It's Up To Me", and "Once When We Was Free". CD

A British group, but one who also bring in a bit of American straightforwardness as well – mostly in the way they strip down the vibe of the record, harmonize their vocals, and go for an approach that avoids some of the overblown modes of their contemporaries! There's definitely some great hard rock guitar in the mix – played by Les Nicol, who can really tear it up – yet the whole thing also has a way of sounding nicely different than late psych or nascent prog, maybe in part because of the American production and the album's initial release only in the US. Titles include "My Poor Mary", "Matthew", "Mark", "Luke", "John", "High In The Tower Of Coombe", and "Methuselah". CD reissue features seven more bonus tracks from the original sessions – including "Don't Ask Me & I Won't Lie", "Put Me Down Woman", "You Are My Sunshine", and other mixes of tunes on the album! CD

Fantastic work from an obscure group who recorded some really genius material that never saw the light of day back in the 60s! The set features early New York sessions from the group Rain – a group with Merseyside roots and a previous incarnation as part of the Lomax Alliance – but working here in a superb style that's got this unusual blend of Beatles-era songwriting and production with some of the hipper currents of the American pop psych generation – all of which is completely sublime! The whole thing is wonderful – really instant classic material, and we're not sure why it was never released – but that fault is corrected here, with a stunning batch of tunes that include "No Deposit No Return", "Sapphire Skies", "Sundrops", "You You You", "Midnight Blue", "Something Is Happening", and "One Is All & All Is One". CD also features six more never-issued tracks, from the group's incarnation as Gypsy Wizards – titles that include "In Deadication", "The Old Man", "The Brightest Light", and "Spreading Love All Around". CD

The complete works of Ranbow Ffolly – presented here in an overstuffed 3CD set! First off, forgive the double letters in the group's name – but that's the way the band spelled it themselves, and if you sounded this trippy, you'd probably do the same! Rainbow Ffolly have a really unique sound, even for their time – because they're not really Sunshine Pop, but they're also not totally head-expanding psych either. Instead, there's kind of a personal, almost artsy approach – but one that doesn't ever get too bogged down in itself, even though it's clearly concerned with sound experiments as much as it is with jangly guitar pop – which really comes through in the way that the guitars get all weird and strangely sonic around the edges. The set features both stereo and mono versions of their classic album Sallies Fforth – with titles that include "She's Alright", "Sun Sing", "Sun & Sand", "Labour Exchange", "Sighing Game", "Come On Go", "Montgolfier", and "I'm So Happy". Then, the set features lots more bonus tracks from the same period – including 'Go Girl", "Drive My Car (single mix)", "The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill", and "Sun Sing" – plus this very cool series of "hospital radio jingles", which are interspersed with the group performing songs that include "Sunshine Of Your Love", "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, "I Can't Let Maggie Go", "Gimme Little Sign", "Bells of Rhymney", "Something Else", "I Can Hear The Grass Grow", and "I'm So Happy". Then, CD3 features the album Ffollow Up – recorded in 2016 by remaining members of the group – with 18 more tracks in all! CD

Super-sharp work from Snafu – a group whose sound is a lot sharper than their name might make you expect! Snafu is something of a supergroup – as they feature guitar from Micky Moody, later of Whitesnake fame – and vocals from Bobby Harrison, previously of freedom – in a lineup that features members from other big UK groups too! Their sound is a mixture of hard rock elements and bluesy currents – but fused together with more of that careful compression that marks some of the bigger shifts that were taking place in the UK scene of the time. There's some surprising roots elements in the music at points, which may well be the strongest side of the group's sound – and throughout their short run, they kept things mighty tight and on point! Box set features a 48 tracks in all – the full albums Snafu, Situation Normal, and All Funked Up – plus a full set of BBC live performances on CD4, and bonus tracks that include "Dixie Queen", "Are You Sure", and "Sad Sunday" – and more BBC session tracks too – all boxed up with plenty of notes too! CD

A huge run of music from this legendary psychedelic band – all served up here in a single set! First up is their Part 1 album – the initial uttering from the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band – a group with a heady sound that definitely lives up to their name! There's less "pop art" going on here than just trippy psych – served up at a level that makes the group one of the best bigger label examples of the style at the time – and definitely a lot more edgey than some of their labelmates on Warner. Jimmy Bowen produced, but really keeps all the edges intact – and titles include the completely insane "Help I'm A Rock" (actually about a rock calling for help!) – plus "Shifting Sands", "1906", "Transparent Day", "Here's Where You Belong", and "If You Want This Love". Next is Volume 2 – the amazing second album from this ultra-cool group – a set that's even weirder and wilder than their debut! The trio are maybe one of the few who really live up to the farthest expectations of the psych generation – as they're really open to let their minds fly in their choice of lyrics, instrumentation, and overall presentation of the record – which hardly seems the sort to yield any sort of singles at all, even though a few of the tunes are downright catchy! Instead, the whole thing's put forth as a dark statement on late 60s society – with a sound that's as heavy as the subject matter, and not afraid to really pus all the freak and fuzz as far as it can go! Quite surprising, even for the Reprise label – and tracks include "Queen Nymphet", "Tracy Had a Hard Day Sunday", "In the Arena", "Smell of Incense", "Suppose They Gave A War & No One Comes", "Overture Wcpaeb (part 2)", and "Carte Blanche" – which supposedly they were given in recording the album! Next is Child's Guide To Good & Evil, the third album in the continuing genius of the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band – a group who are certainly as experimental as their name would imply, but who can also come across with some warmer Sunshine Pop touches too! And it's that which makes the group so wonderful – the blend of freak and sweet, of fuzz and fun – all given a special shape in the studio through the genius of producer Jimmy Bowen, whose work here with Bob Markley is superb – and very much open to the best freedoms that Warner was offering its creative talents at the time! The song titles are equally superb – and titles include "A Child's Guide To Good & Evil", "Ritual #1", "Anniversary of World War III", "Eighteen Is Over The Hill", "As Kind As Summer", and "Our Drummer Always Plays In the Nude". CD 4 features 18 more bonus tracks – rare takes and alternate mixes of titles that include "Watch Yourself", "Ritual #1", "As Kind As Summer", "Eighteen Is Over The Hill", and "Until The Poorest People Have Money To Spend" – plus other tracks too. And all the other three albums are presented in both mono and stereo mixes – which makes for 84 tracks in the full set! CD

What's Bubblerock you say? It's a moment in UK pop at the start of the 70s – work from a time when the Brit pop modes of the 60s were giving ways to new styles of production and presentation – including some of the cool, compressed studio elements that would also show up in glam in a different way – but which here are used to really push the envelope on a whole host of super-catchy songs! There's also a bit of that more soul-inspired sound that UK pop had in the 60s, too – not the mod love of R&B, but more of the soulful styles you'd find in girl singers from the 60s – used here in different ways, sometimes even mixed with a bit of funk – all really showing the diversity that the UK scene had in comparison to the US market. The set's overflowing with groovy cuts – 77 numbers in all, many of which didn't get any play on our side of the Atlantic – work by artists who include Deep Feeling, The Pipkins, Smoky Forbes, Blackwater Junction, 22nd Street, The Montanas, Portrait, PC Kent, Derek Paul, Fluff, Blue Mink, Jonathan King, Main Attraction, Brotherhood Of Man, Summer Wine, Nemo, Tiger Sue, Five Day Rain, Lieutenant Pigeon, Hooters, John Carter, Muff, Velvet Opera, Huddersfield Transit Authority, Iron Cross, and many others! CD

The grittier side of the UK scene in the mid 60s – a whole host of work by groups who were strongly influenced by American soul, blues, and R&B – but were also really starting to put together sounds that were very much their own! The Rolling Stones were obviously the biggest stars of this moment – but this set digs much deeper, and brings out a fair bit of work that never made it over to our side of the Atlantic – mixed with very early cuts from artists that you might know from much bigger records later on! And while there's definitely a soulful current running through the music, most of these acts are more rock than anything else – although a few important acts also bring in some nice elements of jazz too. The 3CD set has a massive 91 tracks in all – all with great notes inside – and as you might guess from the title reference, The Yardbirds are included in the lineup – next to others who include The Talismen, Shades Of Blue, Mike Cotton Sound, Fuzz, The Iveys, The Hoochie Coochie Men, Original Four-Tunes, Nashville Teens, The Bad Boys, Stylos, Zombies, Art Wood Combo, Remo Four, Toggery Five, The Plebs, Screaming Lord Sutch, Soul Agents, Saxons, The Kinks, Mickey Finn & The Blue Men, Group 5, Shel Naylor, Cops N Robbers, and dozens of others! CD

A deep dive into the sound of Los Angeles in the middle of the 60s – a really well-done box that somehow manages to mix together all the different strains of music that were going on in the city of angels at the time – sunshine pop, garage rock, psych, pop, and even more experimental modes – served up here in a set list that's full of some of the coolest, hippest groups of the time! The box takes its title from a Beach Boys tune, but this isn't a set of well-played oldies from AM radio – and instead, the selection demonstrates the continued appreciation of this period of music over the decades, and the shift in interest to some of the more groundbreaking, obscure groups of the period – served up here with bigger names as well – all with the detailed notes and overflowing amount of tracks that we love from these boxes on the Grapefruit label! There's a massive 90 tracks in all – with work from Mark Eric, Jim & The Lords, The Heroes, Candy Company, Odds & Ends, Spirit, The Misunderstood, Urban Renewal Project, Peanut Butter Conspiracy, Captain Beefheart, Ruthann Friedman, The Rogues, Music Machine, Whatt Four, Velvet Illusions, Merrell & The Xiles, Sanctions, Grass Roots, New Wave, West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Grains Of Sand, Merry Go Round, Human Expression, Love, Laughing Wind, Roger Nichols & The Small Circle Of Friends, Boystown, Gene Clark, and many others! CD

... CD

An explosive look at the mighty songwriting legacy of The Beatles – served up here in a giant 3CD package that features the group's famous songs covered by a whole group of their contemporaries on the UK scene! You'd think that most of these artists might be jealous, or resentful – not wanting to give a nod to the songwriting skills of Lennon, McCartney, or Harrison – but instead, they really revel in the tunes – often really transforming them, and completely making them their own – in ways that follow some of the best inspirations of the new psych generation, and which make the whole collection a lot better than just some straight rehash of hits by the fab four! The song selection is brilliant – dozens of tracks that we never would have heard otherwise – and as with all Grapefruit packages like this, the whole thing comes with a detailed booklet of notes on the music – way more information than you'd find even if you spent the whole day searching online. 68 tracks in all – with work from The Sorrows, Ice, The Spectrum, Real McCoy, The Eyes, Loose Ends, Rainbow Ffolly, Affinity, Yes, Blonde On Blonde, Spooky Tooth, Big Jim Sullivan, The Gods, Orange Bicycle, The Tremeloes, Jason Crest, Tomorrow, Circus, The Hollies, Camel, and many others! CD

That slightly creepy photo on the cover makes the kids look a bit more like cult members than the kind of sunny, happy flower children you might normally expect – and that's actually part of the quality of the package, too – as the set really gets at all the wonderful tensions taking place in American music in 1967 – a time of great freedom and optimism, but one with an undercurrent of darkness as well! The set really dives deeply into the crucial year of 1967, and goes way past the oldies and radio hits that most people associate with the musical moment – to bring together all sorts of cool cuts that often were only trading hands with the deeper chapters of the underground, mixed with a few other tracks from artists who got more play at the time, but were also changing the system from within! As with other Grapefruit collections, the notes and presentation are as great as the song choices – and the set features 85 titles in all, with work from The Balloon Farm, Gates Of Eden, Zodiac, Vanilla Fudge, Red Crayola, Lemon Drops, Cyrkle, Peppermint Trolley Company, Tim Rose, Spike Drivers, Blues Magoos, Sound Barrier, Grateful Dead, Thursdays Children, The ID, Zakary Thaks, Velvet Underground, Clear Light, Critters, Sagittarius, Jim & Jean, Sonny, Blue Things, Morning Dew, and many others! CD

The debut of Tom Waits – a prettier, less gravelly-voiced and less knowingly seedy effort as the albums to come – and a set that's as tender as any that Waits would ever record! This is Waits in after hours yearning mode, still upright on a barstool or a piano bench, not yet having fallen in a gutter. It's one of his best records. Includes "Ol' 55", "I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You", "Midnight Lullaby", the beautiful "Martha" – which still one of his best written songs), plus "Rosie", "Lonely", "Ice Cream Man", "Closing Time", "Grapefruit Moon", and "Little Trip To Heaven". CD

A wealth of wonderful work from the key years of the British Invasion – including a fair bit of groups who never really crossed the Atlantic to invade our shores at the time! Liverpool is best known as the home of The Beatles, but during the early 60s, the city was host to a huge wave of creative activity – as were nearby cities in the north of England – and as you'll hear in this set, there was no end to the range of groups making killer records over the space of number of years! Some of the work here will ring your ears with familiar tones from UK 60s rock, yet in ways that are different than the mod styles down in London, there's plenty of overlooked gems here to discover – and given that the box set goes well into the second half of the 60s, there's plenty of tracks here that are way different than just the work that grew up in the shadows of the fab four! The package has that fantastic presentation we love from the Grapefruit/Strawberry label – really well-chosen cuts, supported by very detailed notes – a massive 93 tracks in all, with work from The Perishers, Quotations, Satin Bells, Cilla Black, Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas, Wimple Witch, Selftons, 23rd Turnoff, Tony Jackson & The Vibrations, The Mojos, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Wailing Howie Casey & The Seniors, Lee Curtis & The All-Stars, The Big Three, The Kinsleys, Wellington Wade, and dozens of others! CD