Two rare albums from the legendary Hard Meat, plus an unreleased third record that predates their two releases on Warner Brothers! First up is the self-titled Hard Meat, from a group with a name that's a bit misleading – you might guess some sort of Spinal Tap-ish posturing hard rock act – but instead, they have a really moody kind of quality that mixes plenty of acoustic instrumentation in with some more progressive electric passages – all at a level that almost makes you feel like these guys started out as a folk group, but one who wanted to jam a lot more in the end! Guitar and vocals are handled by Mick Dolan – a superb instrumentalist, and a compelling singer – and the other two members of the group include Steve Dolan on bass and Mick Carless on drums and percussion – both players who use acoustic elements as much as their guitarist. The blend almost makes you feel as of Joe Boyd had decided to record a prog album for Island – and titles include "Universal Joint", "Run Shaker Life", "Through A Window", "Yesterday Today Tomorrow", and "Time Shows No Face". Through A Window is the second great album from Hard Meat – a British trio with a spirit that's all their own – not the hard rock vibe of some of the other contemporary combos of that format, but instead this magical blend of acoustic and electric elements that spins out with wonderful musicianship throughout! The songs here are a bit shorter than on their debut, and the lyrics sometimes have more of a focus too – but the record is still most concerned with interplay between guitar, bass, and drums – with as much acoustic sounds as electric, although almost never with the kind of roots-oriented vibe an American group might have. Titles include "Love", "The Ballad Of Marmalade Emma & Teddy Grimes", "On The Road", "Freewheel", "New Day", and "Smile As You Go Under". Last up is an unreleased album from 1969, two cuts of which – "Rain" and "Burning Up Years" – saw release at the time, compiled here next to other never-issued cuts that include "Erection", "Strange Fruit", "Most Likely You'll Go Your Way I'll Go Mine", "Liquid Boats", and "Walking Down Up Street". CD

No sonic labyrinth here – just a great set of hard-blown grooves from saxophonist Eero Koivistoinen! The session's a well-focused effort that has Eero working in quartet formation with acoustic piano, bass, and drums – blowing beautiful tones and colors with a slightly angular approach – but always keeping things straight ahead, and working in a deeply expressive mode that mixes some of the slight freedoms of the post-Coltrane generation with sharper lines of players like John Klemmer or Eric Kloss. At times, Eero's work on soprano and sopranino remind us of the recordings by Earl & Carl Grubbs on Muse during the 70s – especially on tracks that pick up a bit of a modal pulse, and stretch out with soaring grace. Titles include "Stress", "Honky Tonky", "Arabeski", "Spring Song", and "Labyrinth". 2CD set features lots of bonus tracks – the bassy breaking "Meat & Potatoes", in two versions, plus eight more alternate takes from the sessions! CD

Really tremendous work from Mandrill – an instant funky classic, and a set that has the group furthering the sublime sound they crafted on their seminal Composite Truth! The record has all these wonderful twists and turns – not just the usual 70s funky styles, but inflections from a globe's worth of influences – all filtered down and used here in fresh new ways to really keep the sound interesting – with a tightness that's never slick, and which instead has this really visionary approach that may well top some of Mandrill's higher-charting contemporaries! Instrumentation has plenty of jazz inflections, which really keeps things interesting – and the percussion has so many different styles going on, it's hard to keep track! Titles include the massive sample cut "Fat City Strut" – plus "Never Die", "Two Sisters Of Mystery", "She Ain't Lookin Too Tough", "Interlude", "Mango Meat", "Afrikus Retrospectus", and "Aspiration Flame". LP, Vinyl record album

The masterpiece by one of the greatest, most sincere rock bands of all time! Let It Be veers all over the place, or at least as much as jangly rock music can, in the best way possible. Includes the pseudo twangy opener "I Will Dare", with the distinctly midwestern hardcore of the group's earlier years showing up on "We're Coming Out" and "Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out", and Westerberg's great heart-on-sleeve, ragged balladry appearing for the closers. Like the Meat Puppets and X, the 'Mats really found themselves after they shed the rigid rules of punk rock, and developed into something every bit as honest and heartfelt. They followed the rock songbook just enough to keep their work warm and familiar, but with way too huge and hard-pounding heart to ever seem even the least bit derivative. Hell, they even make Kiss's "Black Diamond" sound sincere! Other tracks include "Favorite Thing", "Androgynous", "Unsatisfied", "Seen Your Video", "Gary's Got A Boner", "Sixteen Blue" and "Answering Machine". LP, Vinyl record album

A great package of work from Shoes – one of the finest acts to come from the Illinois scene in the 70s – presented here with three full albums, and bonus tracks too! First up is their seminal Black Vinyl Shoes – an album that may well stand as the group's lasting treasure! The set's got a sharp-edged quality that still sounds pretty tremendous all these many years later – power pop, but without any commercial elements to smooth out its energy – served up with a raw, earnest quality that's neither punk nor hard rock – yet which deserved to be praised every bit as much as the best contemporary efforts in those genres too! These guys have a hell of a way with a hook, yet never hit you over the head with it either – and there's a lack of posturing that's really refreshing – a key difference between the sound of Shoes and their bigger Northern Illinois contemporaries Cheap Trick – an attitude that's different than, yet not that far off from the energy of The Replacements to come. Titles include "Capital Gain", "Boys Don't Lie", "She'll Disappear", "Fatal", "It Really Hurts", "Nowhere So Fast", and "Fire For Awhile". Bazooka is the long-lost first album from Shoes – recorded at home, and even rawer than any later releases – appearing here on vinyl for the very first time! The group are already pretty amazing at this early point – right on the money, and almost with more of a punkish vibe at points – although other tunes have them ripping out these mean guitar lines that are definitely way too ballsy for early punk. The songwriting is superb – amazing considering how young the guys were, and that the record was really just recorded for their own initial interest – and not a bigger company looking for a hit. There's also more darkness than in later years too – not everywhere, but at key points that make for a nice edge to the record. Titles include "Pinheads", "Love Took A Turn", "Rock Your One", "Along With Love", "New Meat", "I'm Brazen", "The Atlantic", "My Anisette", and "Educated". Last is One In Versailles – the debut album from Shoes – a cracker of a first record from any band, but a set that hardly made a dent at the time – given that it was only pressed in a limited run of 300 copies! That doesn't stop it from being a real moment of greatness, though – because the set sparkles with charm right from the very first note – nicely less polished than Shoes' later work, especially their major debut on Elektra – with a raspy intensity that really furthers the ideas wrapped up in the core of the tunes – and which almost comes across with the earnest yet relaxed quality of The Feelies in parts – even though this one was cut years before the emergence of that group! Titles include "One Night", "The Sun", "Banjo", "Eggroll Rock", "Do I Get So Shy", "Un Dans Versailles", "Kristine", and "Dance In Your Sleep". Comes in a box with a big booklet of notes – and 18 bonus tracks that include "Rock & Roll Freak", "My Husband's Home", "I'd Like To Take You Out Again", "Nothing Means More", "I Can Make It (demo)", "I Wanna Hide", "Okay (Bomp version)", "Tomorrow Night (Bomp version)", "Baby's Gone", "Ever Again", "Lucky Tail", "Capital Offense, "She'll Disappear (demo)", "I'll Take You Away (alt)", and "Like I Told You (second version)". CD

Really tremendous work from Mandrill – an instant funky classic, and a set that has the group furthering the sublime sound they crafted on their seminal Composite Truth! The record has all these wonderful twists and turns – not just the usual 70s funky styles, but inflections from a globe's worth of influences – all filtered down and used here in fresh new ways to really keep the sound interesting – with a tightness that's never slick, and which instead has this really visionary approach that may well top some of Mandrill's higher-charting contemporaries! Instrumentation has plenty of jazz inflections, which really keeps things interesting – and the percussion has so many different styles going on, it's hard to keep track! Titles include the massive sample cut "Fat City Strut" – plus "Never Die", "Two Sisters Of Mystery", "She Ain't Lookin Too Tough", "Interlude", "Mango Meat", "Afrikus Retrospectus", and "Aspiration Flame". CD

One of the only full sets we've ever seen to document the great run of singles cut by Jackie Brenston in the early 50s – work initially done in Memphis, as a real precursor to that city's soul scene – and later cut also in Chicago, with a really hard-wailing approach! The set's titled after "Rocket 88" – a track many folks call the first rock and roll song ever – recorded at Sun Studios in Memphis by Sam Philips, with Ike Turner as the real bandleader – before Chess took over the single, and then started recording Jackie up in Chicago. Titles include "Rocket 88", "I Want To See My Baby", "Jackie's Chewing Gum", "88 Boogie", "Pat Meat Is Greasy", "True Love", "The Blues Got Me Again", and "Lovin Time". LP, Vinyl record album

The masterpiece by one of the greatest genuine rock bands of all time – finally remastered! Let It Be veers all over the place, or at least as much as jangly rock music can, in the best way possible. Includes the pseudo twangy opener "I Will Dare", with the distinctly midwestern hardcore of the group's earlier years showing up on "We're Coming Out" and "Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out", and Westerberg's great heart-on-sleeve, ragged balladry appearing for the closers. Like the Meat Puppets and X, the 'Mats really found themselves after they shed the rigid rules of punk rock, and developed into something every bit as genuine. They followed the rock songbook just enough to keep their work warm and familiar, but with way too huge and hard-pounding heart to ever seem even the least bit derivative. Hell, they even make Kiss's "Black Diamond" sound sincere! Other tracks include "Favorite Thing", "Androgynous", "Unsatisfied", "Seen Your Video", "Gary's Got A Boner", "Sixteen Blue" and "Answering Machine". Includes 6 bonus tracks of outtakes & demos. CD

A great album that mixes funky music and comedy routines by Pigmeat! The set features 2 great funky 45 tracks – the hilarious "My Wife I Ain't Seen Her", plus a remake of "Open The Door Richard", done with some heavy Gene Barge backings. The album also features longer routines without music – "How To Make Love" and "The Bachelor Apartment" – recorded live at the Regal Theater. LP, Vinyl record album