This is the kind of pressure we could stand to have more of!! Trojan recruits Rebel Music Author and Jamaican music aficionado to curate a set of tunes loved by the skinhead set and he brings the heat with this set of heavy bouncing reggae, ska and rock steady vibes! Over 2 dozen choice tracks of snapping late 60s Jamaican soul, cut at the dawning of a new era and guaranteed to coax an "Oi!" or two from the skinhead lurking under your otherwise buttoned-down exterior! 26 numbers in all, with loads of lesser known and hard to find gems, including "Dry Acid" by Cool Sticky & The Upsetters, "Foey man" by George Dekker, "Children Get Ready" by the Versatiles, "Birth Control" by Lloyd Charmers, "South Special" by Karl King Cannon Bryan & The Harry J All Stars, "Dynamic Pressure" by the Music Specialists, "What A Fire" by the Ethiopians, "Lock Jaw" by Dave Barker, "Check Him Out" by the Bleechers, "Dolly House On Fire" by the Reggae Boys, "Bangarang" by Stranger Cole & Lester Sterling, "Hold Down" by the Kingstonians, "Love Up Kiss Up" by The Termites, "Pee Pee Cluck Cluck" by the Pioneers, "Good Time Rock" by Hugh Malcolm, "Reggae Pressure" by The Hippy Boys,"Lee Van Cleef" byKing Stitt, "The People's Choice" by WInston Williams and "Movements" by Count Machuki. CD

An unreleased album of sorts from roots reggae great Patrick Andy – tracks that were initially culled together by producer Yabby You in the late 70s, and which include a few never-issued tunes by Andy, plus rare stereo mixes of some other tunes too! If you know the famous title single that gives the album its name, you'll know the righteous vibe of everything else within – as Patrick's vocals have this quality that's very personal and very moving, as he works with bad-stepping rhythms that are great for his vocal versions, and the dubs that follow up most of the tracks. Titles include the unreleased tracks "Call On Jah", "Got To Give Some Help", and "Give Thanks" – plus a stereo mix of "Living In Mount Zion", and the cuts "You Don't Want Me (unreleased mix)", "Youths Of Today", and "Love Of A Woman Dub (unreleased mix)" – plus five more dub tracks too. LP, Vinyl record album

An unreleased album of sorts from roots reggae great Patrick Andy – tracks that were initially culled together by producer Yabby You in the late 70s, and which include a few never-issued tunes by Andy, plus rare stereo mixes of some other tunes too! If you know the famous title single that gives the album its name, you'll know the righteous vibe of everything else within – as Patrick's vocals have this quality that's very personal and very moving, as he works with bad-stepping rhythms that are great for his vocal versions, and the dubs that follow up most of the tracks. Titles include the unreleased tracks "Call On Jah", "Got To Give Some Help", and "Give Thanks" – plus a stereo mix of "Living In Mount Zion", and the cuts "You Don't Want Me (unreleased mix)", "Youths Of Today", and "Love Of A Woman Dub (unreleased mix)" – plus five more dub tracks too. CD features bonus tracks – "Sufferation", "Sufferation Dub", "No Easy Game (ext mix)", and "Show A Little Love (ext mix)". CD

Pressure Sounds does it again, with another fine collection of mighty, mighty dub! A much needed Blackbeard retrospective collecting 16 hard to get cuts from British dubmeister Dennis Bovell, rare dubs and instrumentals, plus a couple of outstanding vocal tracks from the man at the epicenter of the British reggae scene. Focusing on Bovell's early work, this collection brings some of his heaviest productions out for the first time since their original release in the mid-seventies, all propelled by his chubby bass playing and rounded out by his deft touch on the console. 16 tracks in all: "The Grunwick Affair", "Harmoniser Dub", "Dominion Dub", "Rowing (12" version)", "Zombie Zones", "Zion Dub", "Higher Ranking", "Ranking High", "Scientific", "Shi-cago", "None Jah Jah Children (Melodica version)", "Uganda Crisis", "Ah Fi Wi Dis", "Entebbe", "Blood Ah Go Run" and "Dub'er". As always, a wonderful package, with new liner notes and photos! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best records ever by Joe Higgs! Higgs is one of classic reggae's best songwriters and one of it's most distinctive voices – having written for, performed with or simply influenced some of the biggest names in the game – but his own great records didn't really crossover to the mainstream. While he doesn't pander to the mainstream, the strength of the songs, his soulful voice and the strains of American soul that lace the roots-ish vibe here are broadly appealing to say the least. As incredible as it is important! Includes "Devotion", "One Man Kutchie", "Unity Is Power", "Love Can't Be Wrong", "Small World", "Think Of The Moment", "Sadness is A Part Of My Heart" and "Sons Of Garvey". LP, Vinyl record album

Don't think "disco" as in the New York scene at Studio 54 – as these cuts are much deeper and dubbier – served up under the supervision of Bunny Lee by studio maestros Barnabas and Pat Kelly! Instrumentation is by the Aggrovators, but the magic comes equally from the production effects as it does from the massive rhythms by the group – as all the elements are filtered out in space, and criss-cross back and forth in this wonderful way – never too sloppy or experimental, but definitely tripping out with the groove! Vocals are muted when they do make an appearance – and titles include "The Aggrovators Special Dub", "Money In My Pocket Dub", "Portobello Special Dub", "Super Rockers Dub", "The Bomb Dub", "The Killer Dub", and "The Dub Specialist". LP, Vinyl record album

A host of rare gems from the early years of Lee Perry's legendary Black Ark studios – material recorded by Scratch himself, on some cuts featuring The Upsetters, others some close contemporaries – but all nicely unified here by contributions from Lee at just about every level! As with other Pressure Sounds collections, the approach here is wonderful – way past the entry-level reggae collections you might get elswhere, but also not overwhelmed with trainspotter attention to rareness over quality – as the cuts here are all pretty darn great, and feature many gems from the early reggae years that really show Perry's diversity past his own recordings. The set includes a number of Upsetters version recordings of vocal tunes – and titles include "Set Yourself Up" by The Upsetters, "Brotherly Lvoe" by Henrick Nicholson, "Roots Train (previously unreleased dub plate mix)" by Junior Murvin, "Woman Gotta Have Love (previously unreleased dub plate mix)", "Say A Little Prayer (12" mix)" by Eric Donaldson, "Mr Cravin" by Junior Murvin, "Such Is Life (version)" by The UPsetters, "Nu Fi Run It Down" by Danny Clarke, "Ska Baby" by Bobby Ellis, "Such Is Life" by Lord Creator, and "Oh Me Oh My" by Bree Daniels. CD

Rare work from Jimmy Riley – a 70s singer who never fully got his due, but who rubbed shoulders with all the best on the Kingston scene, and made some mighty great music in the process! Jimmy's the father of Taurus Riley – the contemporary vocalist – but may well be a more expressive talent in his own right, as you'll hear in these powerful tracks from the late 70s, which include a number of great protest and political numbers, set to slow-stepping, head-nodding rhythms. A few cuts here are offered up in both original takes and versions, and most are pretty darn obscure, but pulled together with the always-great Pressure Sounds level of care and class. Titles include "Gunman Of JA", "From The Ghetto", "Westcoast", "Five Thanks & Praise", "Tell The Youths The Truth", "Majority Rule", "Bridge The Gap", "Poor Immigrant", and "Everyone Needs Money". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic record from the great Delroy Wilson – a set that's dubby at the core, but also has a righteous sense of soul too – almost a Jamaican extension of the hippest styles of early 70s American soul! Delroy's vocals are wonderful – very powerful, even without trying too much – and set up amidst some great production from Bunny Lee that really makes the whole thing shine like a slow-burning dark star – a perfect vibe that's laidback, but never lazy – and a great change from some of the more polished early 80s Jamaican soul. Titles include a great remake of the Chi-Lites "Go Away Dream" – plus "No More Heartaches", "Spit In The Sky", "When She Was My Girl", "I Can't Take You Back", "I Can't Fight It Anymore", "Won't You Come Home", and "Silhouette Silhouette". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent! You're probably familiar with the Aquarius Dub set, an early, early dub LP, featuring some great rockers from Herman Chin Loy and Augustus Pablo – this groovy set from Pressure Sounds collects many of the vocal, dee jay and instrumental tracks that those rhythms laid the base for! 2 dozen bouncing numbers from the Scorpio and Aquarius imprints, with Chin Loy's rippling offbeat approach to production and top flight chats, scats and voicing from some of Kingston's finest, including Augustus Pablo & Herman "Aquarius Rock" and "Iggy Iggy", 2 versions of Alton Ellis' "Alton's Official Daughter", The Aquarians "Funky Aquarius", Sounds Unlimited "Roadrunner" and "Middle East Skank", Archie McKay "Pick Up The Pieces", Leroy Parker "Groove With It", Beres Hammond "No More War" plus its version by Herman, Dennis Alcapone "Return Of Sabata", James Eastwood "Darkest Night", Charlie Boy "Funky Strip", The Teacher "Soul Vibration", Dennis Brown "Song My Mother Used To Sing", Herman "Aquarius Dub", "River Nile Version", "Sabata" and "I Man" and Augustus Pablo "The Red Sea", "Snowball & Pudding", "Song Of The East" and "East Of The River Nile". CD

Another incredible collection of rock steady from Pressure Sounds – some of the rarest singles ever from the Caltone & John Tom labels! It's very nice, very groovy stuff – mellow little rockers with sweet production by Phill Pratt, with vocalists that include a young Horace Andy, Ken Booth, Larry Marshall – plus instrumentals include work by Tommy McCook, Lyn Tait and others! 23 tracks in all: "Safe Travel" by Phil Pratt, "No One To Give Me Love" by Larry Marshall & Alvin Leslie, "Black Man's Country" by Horace Andy, "Time Is Getting Harder" by Peter Austin, "Bigger Things" by Tommy McCook, "You Left The Water Running" by Ken Boothe, "Bye Bye Bye" by the Clarendonians, "I'm Restless" by the Thrillers, "Victory" by Phil Pratt All Stars" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A wealth of rare work from Jamaican studio genius Bunny Striker Lee – unusual cuts and unreleased material – all of it a further testament to his legendary ear for a mindblowing sound! These aren't half-baked cuts, or material that deserved to fall to the cutting room floor – because the style is years ahead of its time, and put together with techniques and styles that are still pretty darn revolutionary after all these many years! Some tracks have a strong vocal presence, others are more instrumental – and in addition to Lee's famous flying cymbals technique, there's lots more going on here too – including some totally cool space age sounds. Unreleased tracks include "Bell Road Rock" by The Aggrovators, "Joe Frazier" by Tommy McCook, "Go Jah Jah Pickney" by Linval Thompson, "No Man Is An Island" by Johnny Clarke & Horace Andy, "Bunny Lee & King Tubby's Dubplate Special" by Cornell Campbell, "Life Of My Own" by The Raver, "Look How Long Nyabinghi Calling You" by Linval Thompson, "King Tubby's Vs Arrows Dubplate" by Cornell Campbell, "Jamaican Fruit Of African Roots" by Lennox Brown & Sheila Richards, "No Babylon Shall Escape In This Time" by Johnny Clarke, and "Every Knee Shall Bow" by Ronnie Davis. CD

A stellar set of surviving 70s Black Ark productions by Lee Perry – with rare and unreleased cuts plus pivotal, if long-buried sides by Junior Byles, U Roy, Delroy Butler, Tinga Stewart, The Upsetters, The Flames, The Ethiopians, Jah T and more – Perry-produced gems for Kingston's cultural rebels and sufferers! The Sound Doctor compilation is really an essential, perfectly-collected batch on Pressure Sounds – the UK label that once again proves to be among the finest and most respectful of Sound Doctor devotees. Among the exceptional rarities are the unreleased "Army Of Love" by Junior Byles, an exclusive dub plate mix of the Upsetters "Horny Train", the raw original mix of U Roy's "006" and many more – stirringly soulful Black Ark singles and dub versions including "Sound Doctor" by Bobby Floyd, "Do Good" by Al Maytone", "Different Experience" by Brother Ray", "Smiling Faces" by Tinga Stewart, "It's Impossible" by The Ethiopians, "Grandfather Land" by Jah T, "King Of Kings" by Pat Francis, "Be Prepared" by Keith Poppin, "Key Card" by Lee & Jimmy, "Start Over" by The Gatherers and more. CD

Rare and unreleased Lee Perry dubplate mixes – brilliant productions from the creatively fruitful, boundary busting 70s years – with the mighty Upsetters and numbers featuring Junior Murvin, Candy Mackenzie, Leo Graham, Jimmy Riley, George Faith, Jack Lord and The Silvertones! This is the second Sound System Scratch compilation from the deep treasure diggers at Pressure Sounds – who have again assembled staggeringly adventurous and hard to find Scratch productions from an amazing period at Black Ark. A number of the tracks are previously unreleased, others are exclusive dubplate mixes, all incredible – be it smoked out, hazy dubs and surprisingly accessible and soulful reggae. Includes "Righteous Rocking" by The Upsetters, "Get Ready (Bongo Mix) by Junior Murvin & The Upsetters, "Kis Me Mix" by The Upsetters, "I've Got The Dub" by George Faith & The Upsetters, "Enter The Upsetter" by Lee Perry & The Upsetters, "Darkness In The City" by Jimmy Riley & The Upsetters, "Rejoice Jah Jah Children" by The Silvertones and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic album of dub from the 70s – and one that's got as much mystery on its cover as it's got magic in the grooves! Despite the name of King Tubby on the front, the real genius at the controls is Pat Kelly – who's got a different, but equally wicked way with working up a track – in this case, backing tracks from Bunny Striker Lee, which are given all sorts of cool changes in the snare, echo on the core drum parts, and nicely spacey touches all around the edges – almost outer space dub, of a mode that would come on more strongly a few years later! Pat Kelly claimed a lot of influence from jazz, and you can definitely hear it in the snare – on titles that include "Earth Fear", "Tradition Skank", "Black Out", "Serious Rebellion", "Bad Man Skank", "Was Alive", "Gun Man From Water House", and "Babylon Red". LP, Vinyl record album

Yabby You maybe wasn't one of the first to start experimenting in the studios of Kingston – but with work like this, he was certainly one of the best – especially in the classic period covered in the collection! The Yabby You approach often has a leaner, more stripped-down approach than some of his contemporaries – with less of the overall effects on the totality of a tune, and instead a nicely focused application to just a key instrument or element – sometimes an added bit of electronics, sometimes a way of messing up a solo in the middle! The Pressure Sounds label has always been great with work in this side of the spectrum, but they really knock it out of the park here – and bring together Yabby You versions of cuts from a variety of artists – including Wayne Wade, Michael Prophet, Ranking Trevor, and Samuel Patterson – titles that include "Creation Rock Version", "Now I Know Dub", "Warrior No Tarry Yah Version", "Heads A Roll Dub", "Repatriation Rock", "Death To All Racist", "Aggression Dub", "Chanting Version", "Yabby U Sound", "Man Of The Living Dub", "Black Is Our Colour Dub", and "Babylon A Fall Dub". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible set, and one that will definitely have you heaping praises on Barry Brown – as the singer was one of the most inventive of the late roots reggae years in Jamaica – and maybe gets his best presentation ever on the tracks on the set! There's a splashy brilliance to the way the tracks are put together – often with these subtle funky drums from Santa Davis, which provide this cool little kick underneath the heavy dub and echo used in the production – keeping the rhythms focused while Barry Brown lets his voice do all these amazing things! At times, you almost feel as if Barry's living in the world of fuzz and tripped-out sounds that make up the music – riding the waves and having a tremendous time in the process – on cuts that include "Fittest Of The Fittest (parts 1 & 2)", "Natty Rootsman (parts 1 & 2)", "Step It Up Youthman (ext)", "Look How Long", "Give Thanks & Praise (lion mix)", "Give Thanks (part 3)", "Creative Vibes (xylophone)", "From Creation", "Look How Long Dub", and "We Can't Dub Like This". LP, Vinyl record album

Great duo vocals from the team of Albert Bailey and Clifton Howell – recording here with some excellent rhythms from Sly & Robbie and the rest of the Channel One crew! The music is mostly mellow, with a stepping groove that works great for the harmonies of the pair – and there's a fair bit of roots numbers here, mixed with some warmer lovers' rock titles too. Like other great titles on Pressure Sounds, this one does a great job of giving Earth & Stone the showcase they deserve – with excellent sound, and notes on the music – and titles that include "False Ruler", "Once Bitten Twice Shy", "Black Roots", "Three Wise Men", "Holy Land Of Home", "Jail House Set Me Free", "Devil Wise", "House Of Dub", "Wiser Dub", and "Jester Not". LP, Vinyl record album

A wealth of rare tracks from the archives of Jamaican producer Bunny "Striker" Lee – tracks pulled from one-off dubplates mixed direct from the studio, and other unreleased tracks pulled from never-heard master tapes too! The music here definitely lives up to Lee's production legend – and, as explained in the notes, these dubs have an extra added dimension than some of his contemporaries' work – as they're mixed from 4 track tapes, instead of 2 – which creates this much deeper sound, and even lot more room for echo! Yet there's also a core compressed competence to the cuts that we really love – rock-solid instrumentation from top-shelf Kingston studio legends, on rare dubs of "Enforcement" by Vin Gordon, "Blood Of Babylon" by Barrington Spence, "Down In A Babylon" by Johnny Clarke, "Ethiopian Girl" by Linval Thompson, "A Friend Indeed Dub" by The Aggrovators, "Crucial Dub" by Prince Jammy, "Satta Dread" by Wayne Jarrett, and "The Gorgon" by Cornell Campbell. CD features two bonus tracks too. CD

A pair of masterful collaborations between Bunny Striker Lee and Prince Jammy – fantastic dubs based upon rhythms by The Aggrovators! The set brings together two full albums – one from the late 70s, one from the early 80s – and while there's some slight shifts in production and technology, the overall vibe runs true and clear – that amazing ear for spacier sounds around the sides of the grooves that Jammy could do so well – beautifully captured in the overall production, and balanced against the depth of the basslines, and the warmth of some of the few horn parts in the mix! LP, Vinyl record album

We never get tired of these Lee Perry reissues! The first of several compilations put together by the fine folks at Pressure Sounds documenting Perry's tremendous output from his Black Ark studio, at the peak of his powers in the mid 70s. Mostly drawn from 45s of cuts that attained legendary status because of their small press runs, this superb collection brings together the vocal and dub versions of tracks originally released on the Black Art & Upsetter labels. 13 tracks in all including "Psalms 20" by James Boom, "African Style" by the Black Notes, "Wolf Out Deh" by Lloyd & Devon, "Voodooism" by Leo Graham & "Better Future" by Errol Walker, along with their dubs by the Upsetters. LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from legendary producer Joe Gibbs – a key force in helping Jamaican music find the darker side of its groove at the end of the 60s, thanks to some groundbreaking work in the dee jay mode, and some other styles that are definitely an earlier precursor to dub! The set brings together 27 tracks that Gibbs recorded right at the tail end of the decade – many issued on the Amalgamated and Pressure Beat labels, including 9 tracks that appear on CD for the first time ever! But even the rest are pretty rare singles, most out of print for years – and as with other Doctor Bird collections, they're brought together here at a level that really makes sense, and illuminates the genius that's present in all of the individual cuts. Titles include "Niney Special" by Niney & The Destroyers, "Straight To The Head" and "Nevada Joe" by Johnny Lover & The Destroyers, "Echo" by The Now Generation, "Ghost Walk" and "Seeing Is Believing" by Carlton Gibbs, "Still Water Runs Deep" by Lizzy, "Jack Of My Trade" by Lord Comic, "Pussy Catch A Fire" by Two Soul Brothers, "News Flash Version" and "Rock The Clock (version 2)" by The Destroyers, "Perfect Born Ya" by The Immortals, "Honey No Money" by Niney & Slim Smith, and "Ghost Capturer" by Joe Gibbs All Stars. CD

The first-ever CD issue of a range of material from this ultra-hip group – all tracks that originally appeared on vinyl-only releases, now making their CD debut in an overstuffed collection that features 24 tracks in all! The vibe here is great – that Karl Hector & The Malcouns mix of deep funk instrumentation and various global elements – almost an imagined version of 70s sounds from Africa and the Mid East, but served up with the sensibilities of a deep funk combo – which is what they are, given that the group is just the Whitefield Brothers and Poets Of Rhythm, working here under another one of their many names! Yet the instrumentation is quite different than those other acts, too – much more rootsy and filled with a lot of organic percussion and other global elements – as you'll hear on titles that include "Shangold", "Leealah", "Roads Of Otumpa", "Tamanrasset", "JB Rip", "Irtijal", "The Cave", "Orange", "Transition X", "Medium Rare (part 1)", "Beyond Squares", and "Coomassi". CD

Two solo albums from Geoff Muldaur – recorded long after his jug band years, and his earlier sets with wife Maria! First up is Geoff Muldaur Is Having A Wonderful Time – a striking solo album from Geoff Muldaur – a record that draws on all the many different sounds and styles he brought to records through the 60s and early 70s, but which also adds in a stronger jazz impulse overall! Each track on the record has a slightly different spirit, which makes the whole thing feel more like a continuation of the experimental, open style of putting albums together that Warner/Reprise was so great at a few years before – as Muldaur sings with backings from a jazz group on one track, a string orchestra on another, a funk group on a third, and a roots rock combo on another – with players as diverse as Merle Saunders on electric piano, Doc Cheatham on trumpet, Bernard Purdie on drums, and Harold Vick on tenor. Joe Boyd produced – one of the few folks who might be able to successfully handle such a range – and titles include "Higher & Higher", "99 1/2", "Livin In The Sunlight", "I Want To Be A Sailor", "Tennessee Blues", "High Blood Pressure", and "Wondering Why". Motion is a set that's a bit tighter than some of the earlier work of Geoff Muldaur – a set that maybe has the well-trained singer moving into territory that's almost verging on AOR, yet which still hangs on to some of the wit of his earlier records as well! There's still some key traces of 70s Warner going on here – including a few songs by Allen Toussaint, and one with Martin Mull – which help balance out some of the more direct, tuneful numbers, and continue to provide some of the more offbeat qualities that made Geoff such an interesting sideways talent in the mainstream music world. Tracks include "Motion", "Let It Out", "I Don't Want To Talk About It", "When You Touch Me This Way", "Why Don't We Live Together", and a version of "Southern Nights". CD

Blinding! This is the second volume to Soul Jazz's much acclaimed 100% Dynamite compilation of rare Jamaican soul and rocksteady – and it's every bit as great as the first! The set's boiling over with great tracks that we'll never ever find in the original, and as usual, it's packaged with exquisite care by the folks at the label. Titles include "Heatwave" by Tommy Cook, "Tom Drunk" by U Roy, "Sit & Wonder" by Prince Buster, "Hot Reggae" by Byron Lee, "Melting Pot" by Boris Gardner, "Sounds & Pressure" by Hopeton Lewis, and "Are You There" by Dawn Penn. Great stuff, with 17 tracks in all, and a very cool-looking cover! CD

The darkest sound of the electronic dancefloor in the 80s – and in fact, one that may well have led to a lot more different activities than just dancing! Unlike other electro work of the time, which was often a more keyboard and drum program-driven take on mainstream dance styles, these grooves are exceptionally dark – and although rhythm, are often less concerned with catchy hooks or easy-stepping riffs – a great illustration of the way the sounds of the leftfield were coming into clubs in the post-disco years! There's a strong emphasis here on the sounds of the UK post-punk electronic scene – particularly the north – with bits of Germany thrown in as well – mixed with some American artists who were clearly picking up the vibe at the time. And together, the music is virtually the blueprint for the Wax Trax/Nettwerk generation to come – although it's far richer and far more compelling overall! Titles include "The Bubblemen Are Coming" by Bubblemen, "Pressure (club)" by 400 Blows, "The Bus" by Executive Slacks, "Dream Games" by Shock, "Divided" by Portion Control, "Amok" by Ledernacken, "The Duke Arrives (12" re-edit)" by John Carpenter & Alan Howarth, "Move" by Schlaflose Nachte, "Surface Tension" by Analysis, "Je Suis Passee (dub)" by Hard Corps, "Invaders Of The Heart (exotic decadent disco mix)" by Jah Wobble, "Metal Dance" by SPK, "Slipping Again" by Naked Lunch, "You Gotta Say Yes To Another Excess (UK 12" promo)" by Yello, "Brothers (mix Gabi)" by DAF, "Golpe De Amistad" by Diseno Corbusier, and "Voices" by Neon. CD

DJ Red Alert presents a whole bunch of tracks, with "My Mic Sounds Nice (Remix)" and "I'll Take Your Man" by Salt N Pepa, "That's How I'm Living" by Black Rock & Ron, "South Bronx" by BDP, "Bait" and "Ego Trippin" by Ultramagnetic MCs, "Armed & Dangerous" by Kings Of Pressure, "Cracked Out " by Masters Of Ceremony, and "Don't Make Me Laugh" by Sparky D. LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning selection of cuts from a huge moment in prog on the British scene – the year 1973, and a time when the movement was maybe at its peak – or at least had some of its leading lights working at the top of their creative powers! This isn't a collection of classic rock hits, nor is it overly-familiar material from album rock giants – and instead, the package is a really inventive journey through a nicely varied mix of material – album cuts, rarities, and a few single cuts that have the bands focusing their energy into shorter tunes than before. In fact, that's maybe the real charm of this work – as so many of the groups are have really perfected their craft, yet haven't given in to commercial pressures – so there's top-shelf cuts all the way through, but also nary a hit in the batch. As with other Esoteric/Cherry Red collections like this, the package has very detailed notes that support the wonderful choice of tracks – and the 4CD set features 48 titles in all, with work from PFM, Badger, John Martyn, Curved Air, Hawkwind, Jonesy, Rare Bird, Nektar, Al Stewart, Anthony Phillips, Greenslade, John Lees, Yes, Beggars Opera, Robert Calvert, Caravan, Camel, and many others! CD