A striking little set from vibesman Freddie McCoy – not just for the cool superhero image on the front cover, but also for the tight grooves underneath! The album's one of McCoy's most unified for Prestige – as all tracks feature a core quartet with Freddie on vibes, Charlie Wilson on piano, Steve Davis on bass, and Rudy Lawless on drums – not your usual Prestige players, and all musicians who really make the album sparkle! There's a bold soul jazz vibe running through the set – similar to some of Freddie's other work, but a bit more open too – and titles include a groovy take on "Girl From Ipanema", plus the soul jazz classics "Speak Out, Deagan!" and "Hav' Mercy" – as well as the cuts "Yesterdays" and "Spider Man". CD

One side of music from The Peach Thief – the other of music from The Liars, International Detective, The Cheaters, The Spider's Web, and Man From Interpol. LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Hitch Hike", "The Last Time", "That's How Strong My Love Is", "I'm All Right", "Spider & The Fly", "Under Assistant West Cost Promotion Man", "Cry To Me", and "Satisfaction". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the first true moment of genius from The Who – a record that shows that the group aren't just the usual mod rockers of the time – even though they were already pretty darn great in that format! Instead, there's all these little weird bits and odd themes going on – including elements that would get expanded more fully in later concept albums, but which already have this great force here – especially packed into these short, tuneful little songs. The whole thing's wonderful – as dark as it is catchy – and titles include "Boris The Spider", "So Sad About Us", "Don't Look Away", "Run Run Run", "Whiskey Man", "A Quick One While He's Away", "I Need You", and "See My Way". LP, Vinyl record album

A huge document of work from LA's Consolidated Productions – a company you might not know by name, but one who issued work on a number of tiny indie labels – including City Lights, Simco, Space, Velvet, Angel Town, and many other labels! The set is heavy on 60s soul in a variety of styles – and features group harmonies, deep soul singers, and even some instrumental work too – all with qualities that are very much in the best modes that the Chicago scene was recording at the time – sophisticated, but gritty too – and with a vibe that's way past the 60s soul hits you'll find on mainstream compilations! You'll recognize a few names here – including Gene Russell, later of Black Jazz fame – and there's a fair bit of obscure artists too – in a set list of 28 tracks that include "Misery" by The DeVelles, "Cool It Baby" by BB Carter, "I'm Mad" by Spider Walker, "Money Man" by LA Untouchables, "I Got To See My Baby" by Lee Jones, "Jet Set" and "Doin The Snake Hips" by Gene Russell's Trio, "Don't You Fool Me" by Ann Stacy, "My Lover" by Marilyn Calloway & The 4 Silvertones, "Lighten Up Baby" by Ty Karim, "Turkey Trot" by Dynamic Duo & The Penguiness, "False Pride" and "Prove It" by Lee Harvey, and "So Called Friend" by Billy Williams. LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite Frank Zappa projects ever – an album of mixed rock and soul tracks from Ruben Guevara and his group The Jets – all done in a style that tries to recapture the sound of East LA in the 60s! Some numbers are in a rocking mode, but others hit a mellower harmony style that's even better – almost doo wop at times, but with a sweeter soul style. There's a few silly moments, but thankfully not as much as on a regular Zappa album – and titles include "Sparkie", "Dedicated To The One I Love", "All Nite Long", "Spider Woman", "Charlena", "Santa Kari", "Mah Man Flash", and "Almost Grown". CD

Late 60s compilation of highlights from the first couple (and best) albums by Them – the British (by way of Belfast) psych soul powerhouses that managed to snap down on West Coast psychedelia, hard soul, and adventurous guitar driven pop in a single bound! The original 11 LP tracks are here, including "Time Out For Time In", "She Put A Hex On You", "Bent Over You", "Waltz Of The Flies", "Black Widow Spider", "Market Place", "Young Woman", "But It's Alright" and more. The real highlight, though is the wealth of bonus tracks and rare single versions of the tunes: "Square Room", "Dirty Old Man", "Corinna", "Dark In The Shadows", and others. 19 tracks in all, with nice fold out notes and photos, too! LP, Vinyl record album

The complete Monument recordings of southern soul-tinged swamp rock trailblazer Tony Joe White – in a wonderful box set from the deep catalog explorers at Rhino Handmade! Swamp Rock contains everything from the Black & White, Continued and Tony Joe LPs – with dozens of previously unreleased work from the era. Unlike the most famous dude we can think of who wears the swamp rock genre tag, Tony Joe White really was reared in the swamp country of Louisiana – and genuineness shows on these fine recordings! His vocals here have a bit of that laconic storyteller vibe of a Bobby Bare type character – but the production and arrangements have a real feel for the Stax and Muscle Shoals sounds. It's a blend of styles that's quite unique – and well worth rediscovery! Includes all the tracks from Tony Joe's 3 LPs for Monument plus a swampful of great bonus numbers from those sessions and more – a whopping 81 tracks on four CDs! Disc one includes the Black & White LP and much more: "Willie And Laura Mae Jones", "Soul Francisco", "Whompt Out On You", "Wichita Lineman" and more. Disc 2 features the Continued LP and more: "Elements And Things", "Woodpecker", "Old Man Willis", "Woman With Soul" and much more. Disc 3 includes the Tony Joe LP tracks and more: "Stud-Spider", "Widow Wimberly", "Save Your Sugar For Me", "Hard To Handle" and more. Disc 4 includes a slew of previously unreleased material cut at Barclay Studios in Paris, plus live work from Tony Joe at the Isle Of Wight: titles include "Mississippi Delta", "Chain Of Blues", "Ballad Of Hollis Brown" and more from the Barclay sessions, plus "Boom Boom", "I Want You", "Groupy Girl" and more from Isle Of Wight. CD

A huge document of work from LA's Consolidated Productions – a company you might not know by name, but one who issued work on a number of tiny indie labels – including City Lights, Simco, Space, Velvet, Angel Town, and many other labels! The set is heavy on 60s soul in a variety of styles – and features group harmonies, deep soul singers, and even some instrumental work too – all with qualities that are very much in the best modes that the Chicago scene was recording at the time – sophisticated, but gritty too – and with a vibe that's way past the 60s soul hits you'll find on mainstream compilations! You'll recognize a few names here – including Gene Russell, later of Black Jazz fame – and there's a fair bit of obscure artists too – in a set list of 28 tracks that include "Misery" by The DeVelles, "Cool It Baby" by BB Carter, "I'm Mad" by Spider Walker, "Money Man" by LA Untouchables, "I Got To See My Baby" by Lee Jones, "Jet Set" and "Doin The Snake Hips" by Gene Russell's Trio, "Don't You Fool Me" by Ann Stacy, "My Lover" by Marilyn Calloway & The 4 Silvertones, "Lighten Up Baby" by Ty Karim, "Turkey Trot" by Dynamic Duo & The Penguiness, "False Pride" and "Prove It" by Lee Harvey, and "So Called Friend" by Billy Williams. LP, Vinyl record album

Really classic jazz grooves from the vaults of Prestige Records – the kind of cuts that first broke big on the London scene of the 80s, at a time when diggers were setting fire to the rare groove scene too! The cuts here are proof that some of the best work doesn't need to come from completely obscure groups or super-tiny labels – as the music here is exactly the kind of work that made huge waves in the US jazz scene when first released, then went underground for many years – until later collectors and diggers brought it back to the limelight! The great thing is how many of these cuts are all acoustic – no need for electricity to make things funky – as you'll hear on tracks that include "Hiyo Silver" by Bennie Green, "Grease Monkey" by Kenny Burrell with Jack McDuff, "Mau Mau" by Art Farmer, "Mambo Inn" by Billy Taylor with Candido, "Manteca" by Red Garland, "Blue Stompin" by Hal Singer, "Spider Man" by Freddie McCoy, "Filthy McNasty" by Eddie Jefferson, "Flatjacks" by Willie Rodriguez, "Blue Gator" by Willis Jackson, and "Pedro Stroller" by Johnny Lytle. CD

Maybe the first true moment of genius from The Who – a record that shows that the group aren't just the usual mod rockers of the time – even though they were already pretty darn great in that format! Instead, there's all these little weird bits and odd themes going on – including elements that would get expanded more fully in later concept albums, but which already have this great force here – especially packed into these short, tuneful little songs. The whole thing's wonderful – as dark as it is catchy – and titles include "Boris The Spider", "So Sad About Us", "Don't Look Away", "Run Run Run", "Whiskey Man", "A Quick One While He's Away", "I Need You", and "See My Way". CD

Maybe the first true moment of genius from The Who – a record that shows that the group aren't just the usual mod rockers of the time – even though they were already pretty darn great in that format! Instead, there's all these little weird bits and odd themes going on – including elements that would get expanded more fully in later concept albums, but which already have this great force here – especially packed into these short, tuneful little songs. The whole thing's wonderful – as dark as it is catchy – and titles include "Boris The Spider", "So Sad About Us", "Don't Look Away", "Run Run Run", "Whiskey Man", "A Quick One While He's Away", "I Need You", and "See My Way". CD

A classic album by one of the coolest cats to ever record a Halloween record – Philly TV figure John Zacherley, whose recorded career consists almost entirely of horror parody material! Zach's got a strong ability to emulate the kind of creepy figures in older horror films of the 30s and 40s – focusing mostly on their goofier sides, which are then used to present the album's whimsical horror-themed numbers, all set to jazzy backings by Gerald Alters! Imagine Bela Lugosi performing his different characters on a jazz vocal album, and you'll get part of the flavor of this classic – which includes the titles "Baying At The Moon", "Transylvania PTA", "Frank & Drac Are Back", "Coolest Little Monster", "Come With Me To Transylvania", and "Spider Man Lullaby". LP, Vinyl record album

An assortment of Nujazz, downtempo, and electronic tracks from Germany – pulled together by the folks at Spinning Wheel Records, who we love for their collections of older groovy bits! The set features many exclusive tracks and previously unissued numbers – and it fits nicely with a Compost or G-Stone-type groove. Tracks from Max Fresh, Wiseintime, Jimpster, Mark De Clive-Lowe, Alex Phountzi, Reunion, Sonic Surfer, The Green Man, uss Gabriel, and BTO Spider & Jeremiah. CD

Incredible work from one of the maddest talents in rock and roll – the amazing Kim Fowley, one of THE most important forces on the LA scene of the 60s! Kim's known for many things – producer, arranger, musician, and insane performer – and this set really does a great job of bringing together all of those aspects – really getting at the "rockin hipster around town" persona that was Kim's calling card through over 3 decades of rock in the city. The package features 32 tracks in all – numbers that Kim recorded under his own name, or produced for other labels – all packaged with a stunning set of notes that's filled with stories, suspect history, and other dark chapters from the Kim Fowley past! Titles include "Animal Man", "Bubblegum", "The Trip", and "Space Odyssey" by Kim Fowley, "Wild Thing" by Cathy Rich, "Fallin Off The Edge Of My Mind" by The Seeds, "Pink Dominos" by The Crescents, "Honest I Do" by The Innocents, "Papa Oom Mow Mow" by The Rivingtons, "Like Long Hair" by Paul Revere & The Raiders, "Security" by N Betweens, "The Comedown Song" by Spider, "Popsicles & Icicles" by The Murmaids, and "Satans Holiday" by The Lancasters. CD

Arguably one of the greatest rock and roll albums of all time – and the key flowering of the partnership between David Bowie and Mick Ronson! The guitars here are heavy – so much so that the record's always crossed over big with crowds who are always suspicious of Bowie's artier work of the 70s – and represented a crucial moment when his groundbreaking music also found a large mainstream audience as well. And despite the fact that Ziggy's an androgynous space rocker with a spurious pedigree, the manufactured posturing of the album's come to be taken quite literally over the years – a vivid text of alienation, expression, and redemption – served up beautifully over a host of classic tracks that include "Five Years", "Soul Love", "Moonage Daydream", "Suffragette City", and "Ziggy Stardust" – all further proof of Bowie's 70s ability to slide in wherever he wanted with ease! LP, Vinyl record album

A great package that includes the "final" concert by David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars persona – recorded at London's Hammersmith Odeon in 1973, and pulled from the soundtrack to the DA Pennebaker film of the same name! The original film featured Bowie, Mick Ronson, and the rest of the Spiders jamming their way through the guitar-heavy tunes of the Ziggy era, plus a few choice bits from earlier years. Titles include "Ziggy Stardust", "Watch That Man", "Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud", "All The Young Dudes", "Oh You Pretty Things", "Moonage Daydream", "Changes", "My Death", and "Hang Onto Yourself". Plus, this 50th Anniversary edition features much better mastering than the original – and also includes the not-reissued Jeff Beck appearances on "Jean Genie/Love Me Do" and "Round & Round". CD

Arguably one of the greatest rock and roll albums of all time – and the key flowering of the partnership between David Bowie and Mick Ronson! The guitars here are heavy – so much so that the record's always crossed over big with crowds who are always suspicious of Bowie's artier work of the 70s – and represented a crucial moment when his groundbreaking music also found a large mainstream audience as well. And despite the fact that Ziggy's an androgynous space rocker with a spurious pedigree, the manufactured posturing of the album's come to be taken quite literally over the years – a vivid text of alienation, expression, and redemption – served up beautifully over a host of classic tracks that include "Five Years", "Soul Love", "Moonage Daydream", "Suffragette City", and "Ziggy Stardust" – all further proof of Bowie's 70s ability to slide in wherever he wanted with ease! LP, Vinyl record album

Arguably one of the greatest rock and roll albums of all time – and the key flowering of the partnership between David Bowie and Mick Ronson! The guitars here are heavy – so much so that the record's always crossed over big with crowds who are always suspicious of Bowie's artier work of the 70s – and represented a crucial moment when his groundbreaking music also found a large mainstream audience as well. And despite the fact that Ziggy's an androgynous space rocker with a spurious pedigree, the manufactured posturing of the album's come to be taken quite literally over the years – a vivid text of alienation, expression, and redemption – served up beautifully over a host of classic tracks that include "Five Years", "Soul Love", "Moonage Daydream", "Suffragette City", and "Ziggy Stardust" – all further proof of Bowie's 70s ability to slide in wherever he wanted with ease! Features great bonus tracks – unreleased demos of "Ziggy Stardust" and "Lady Stardust" – plus the unreleased "Sweet Head", the b-side "Velvet Goldmine", and an unreleased mix of "John I'm Only Dancing". CD

A cooker from this Chicago living legend – and proof that the passage of time hasn't dimmed the talents of Eddie Campbell at all! Eddie's firmly in the lead on vocals and guitar – plus a bit of harmonica, too – and the setting is mostly stripped-down, with the kind of no-nonsense contemporary blues production you'd expect from Delmark – almost a back-to-basics mode that really fits the music. Lurrie Bell guests on a few tracks – and titles include "Brownout", "I Do", "Call My Mama", "I Don't Understand This Woman", "Boomerang", "Starlight", "All My Life", "Skin Tight", and "My Friend". CD

Underground work from the Manchester scene at the start of the 80s – and work that's even more deeply underground than some of the city's post-punk classics at the time! Spider King only ever issued a track or two back in the day, but the music on this first full LP is worthy of the best from the North England indie world at the time – sometimes as dark as the early cold wave material, sometimes more witty and catchy, with almost a new wave vibe – all done with a homemade brew of electronics, keyboards, and basslines – plus maybe a slight bit of punkish sneer in the vocals. Only two of the album's ten tracks was released before, and titles include "Shot To Pieces", "City Girls", "Mad Dog", "Chinese Takeaway", "Back On The Pills", and "Would You Wanna Die For England". LP, Vinyl record album

Arguably one of the greatest rock and roll albums of all time – and the key flowering of the partnership between David Bowie and Mick Ronson! The guitars here are heavy – so much so that the record's always crossed over big with crowds who are always suspicious of Bowie's artier work of the 70s – and represented a crucial moment when his groundbreaking music also found a large mainstream audience as well. And despite the fact that Ziggy's an androgynous space rocker with a spurious pedigree, the manufactured posturing of the album's come to be taken quite literally over the years – a vivid text of alienation, expression, and redemption – served up beautifully over a host of classic tracks that include "Five Years", "Soul Love", "Moonage Daydream", "Suffragette City", and "Ziggy Stardust" – all further proof of Bowie's 70s ability to slide in wherever he wanted with ease! LP, Vinyl record album

The seminal second album from Slint, and the group's swan song too – yet a record that would go on to have a huge impact for years to come, virtually setting the tone for many other 90s projects from a variety of other scenes! The Louisville quartet really knock it out of the park here – refining their instrumentation, and honing things to a level that really makes great use of some of the longer spaces on the album to serve up instrumental complexity with a level that almost seems effortless – on titles that include "Don Aman", "Washer", "Good Morning Captain", "Breadcrumb Trail", "Nosferatu Man", and "For Dinner". LP, Vinyl record album

A great array of bug-related tunes from the glory days of the 45rpm single – mostly rock numbers, but with some cool instrumental, soul, and exotica tracks thrown into the mix as well! The package is one of the weirdest of the many great themed compilations we've stocked from Bear Family records – and is different than some of the more monster-oriented collections that come out every year for the Halloween season – as the work here is definitely filled with references to spiders, flies, and other six-legged critters – as you'll dig on cuts that include "Hornet's Nest" by Curtis Knight, "Tarantula" by Bruce Gist & The Invaders, "Black Widow" by The Nobles, "The Fly" by Chubby Checker, "Tsetse Fly" by Martin Denny, "Get Away Fly" by Buddy Lucas, "Lady Bug" by Chet Poison Ivey, "The Wedding Of The Bugs" by Moon Mullican, "Tarantula" by The Storms, "The Web" by Abie Available Baker, "Little Cricket" by The Royal Teens, "Tarantula" by The Tarantulas, "Fly Trouble" by Hank Williams, "The Spider & The Fly" by Bobby Christian, "Beatle Bug" by Link Davis, and "The Bug" by the Swing Kings. CD

A great package that includes the "final" concert by David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars persona – recorded at London's Hammersmith Odeon in 1973, and pulled from the soundtrack to the DA Pennebaker film of the same name! The original film featured Bowie, Mick Ronson, and the rest of the Spiders jamming their way through the guitar-heavy tunes of the Ziggy era, plus a few choice bits from earlier years. Titles include "Ziggy Stardust", "Watch That Man", "Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud", "All The Young Dudes", "Oh You Pretty Things", "Moonage Daydream", "Changes", "My Death", and "Hang Onto Yourself". Plus, this 50th Anniversary edition features much better mastering than the original – and also includes the not-reissued Jeff Beck appearances on "Jean Genie/Love Me Do" and "Round & Round". CD

A great package that includes the "final" concert by David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars persona – recorded at London's Hammersmith Odeon in 1973, and pulled from the soundtrack to the DA Pennebaker film of the same name! The original film featured Bowie, Mick Ronson, and the rest of the Spiders jamming their way through the guitar-heavy tunes of the Ziggy era, plus a few choice bits from earlier years. Titles include "Ziggy Stardust", "Watch That Man", "Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud", "All The Young Dudes", "Oh You Pretty Things", "Moonage Daydream", "Changes", "My Death", and "Hang Onto Yourself". Plus, this 50th Anniversary edition features much better mastering than the original – and also includes the not-reissued Jeff Beck appearances on "Jean Genie/Love Me Do" and "Round & Round". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most unusual projects ever issued by the Corbett Vs Dempsey label – and that's saying a lot, given their recorded output – a collaboration between writer Nikolai Galen and artist Sarmen Almond, served up in a very eerie blend of spoken passages and sonic experimentation! You might know Galen as Nick Hobbs, from back when he was part of the amazing group The Shrubs, on the UK scene of the 80s – and Almond is an artist who uses the human voice in a variety of ways – which makes for a nice mix with Galen's more straightforward presentation of his writings, which are often delivered in a way that have the echoing spookiness of David Tibet during his acid folk-styled years. Titles include "If There Were An Ointment", "Lex Talionis", "Black Flags", "Rose Bush", "As A Child", "Codex", "Epica", "Clowns", "She Lifts The Slate", and "Four Horses". CD

A really great look at a key year in British punk – a time when the music really broke open, and artists from a wide range of scenes began to make music in a punk rock vein! The set has way more variety than you might expect – not just the big names and new acts that were helping define the music, but also surprising entries from hard rock, pub rock, and other styles – all really embracing the short, sharp shocks of punk – and showing just how influential the new sound was to the larger British music scene. Punk never grabbed the mainstream the same way over here – and the 3CD set is a fantastic representation of the big bang the music made in the UK in 1977 – presented with the kind of detailed notes and other information that always makes these collections from Cherry Red so great. The package features a massive 87 tracks in all – with work by The Heartbreakers, Eater, Chartreuse, The Rings, Models, Buzzocks, Vibrators, Deaf School, The Damned, Gorillas, The Jam, Britzkrieg Bop, Cock Sparrer, Motorhead, Only Ones, Johnny Moped, Rezillos, Slaughter & The Dogs, Wreckless Eric, Boomtown Rats, Sham 69, Radiators From Space, Doctors Of Madness, Generation X, Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias, Zeros, Tom Robinson Band, X-Ray Spex, Tyla Gang, Jerks, Spider, Alternative TV, John Cooler Clarke, Graham Parker, The Doll, Ultravox, Chelsea, Eddie & The Hot Rods, Raped, Norman & The Hoolians, Drug Squad, and many others. CD

The second heady dip into the under-discovered underground of the late 60s – and a package that's every bit as ear-opening as the first Nuggets volume! As with that classic, there's material here that really shows the full spectrum of the American scene in the mid 60s – music that's bristling with new energy and excitement in the years before Woodstock, and done with a vibe that's heady, but never too heady – with a surprising amount packed into a very small space on plenty of these tunes! The set features a whopping 28 titles in all – and tracks include "Run Run Run" by The Gestures, "It's Cold Outside" by The Choir, "Free As The Wind" by The Myddle Class, "You Must Be A Witch" by The Lollipop Shoppe, "Blackout Of Gretely" by Gonn, "Spider & The Fly" by The Monocles, "Action Woman" by The Litter, "Talk Talk" by Music Machine, "Open Up Your Door" by Richard & The Young Lions, "I See The Light" by The Five Americans, and "Whatcha Gonna Do About It" by The Evil. LP, Vinyl record album

A searing live document of the magic of Ten Years After – recorded at London's Klooks Kleek as a great example of the kind of sound that got the group a huge amount of attention before they were even signed to a record label! The sound's still got some of the bluesy influences that both the group and that club were known for – but the guitar of Alvin Lee is really taking off, especially on the album's very long tracks – which seem to insist on solos that would go onto influence a whole psychedelic generation. The Hammond solos are great, too – and titles include "I May Be Wrong But I Won't Be Wrong Always", "Spider In My Web", "I'm Going Home", and a surprisingly great take on Woody Herman's "Woodchopper's Ball", which is completely transformed here! CD

A searing live document of the magic of Ten Years After – recorded at London's Klooks Kleek as a great example of the kind of sound that got the group a huge amount of attention before they were even signed to a record label! The sound's still got some of the bluesy influences that both the group and that club were known for – but the guitar of Alvin Lee is really taking off, especially on the album's very long tracks – which seem to insist on solos that would go onto influence a whole psychedelic generation. The Hammond solos are great, too – and titles include "I May Be Wrong But I Won't Be Wrong Always", "Spider In My Web", "I'm Going Home", and a surprisingly great take on Woody Herman's "Woodchopper's Ball", which is completely transformed here! LP, Vinyl record album

The highly anticipated full length from the Minneapolis hip hop RhymeSayers crew. Slug rhymes like a storyteller, in his prime when weaving songs of demented heartbreak, his voice pushes forth in a tortured singing style, hook friendly, ironic, and angry (dude still hasn't gotten over Lucy). Ant does all the production, with some dubby beats, some nice spidery piano loops, some drums are a little more quirky and off kilter (in a good way) than his previous work. 18 tracks in all, including "Onemosphere", "The Bass And The Movement", "F#ck You Lucy", the creepy anthem "God Loves Ugly", "Saves The Day", "Vampires", "Modern Man's Hustle", "Blamegame" and "Shrapnel". CD

The Diasonics may not be the first funk band we've heard from the former Soviet Union – but they're definitely one that will help put their scene on the map – thanks to some tight funky instrumentation and really great production styles that make the whole thing sound all weird and wonderful together! These guys really keep things spare in the best way possible – setting things up with funky drums on most tracks – then adding in organ or keyboards, and just the right amount of guitar – occasionally with some other elements, but usually in a way that uses subtle studio effects to trip things out on the familiar instruments at the core. Titles include "Spiders", "Andromeda", "Kite", "Balance", "Affair", "Salmanazar", "Ink", "Gurami", and "Almandine". CD

A trio of key albums from Mott The Hoople – presented here in a high-audio package! First up is Hoople – Mott The Hoople in all of their 70s glory – Ian Hunter with superb songwriting skills, and vocals delivered in a way that have a lot more bite than his later solo work – all wrapped up in this fuzzy, compressed, glam-styled production that's totally great! Sure, David Bowie had the Spiders From Mars – but Mott The Hoople were the real deal, and were totally committed to this mode to the hilt – as you'll hear on titles that include "Pearl N Roy", "Born Late 58", "Marionette", "Through The Looking Glass", "Roll Away The Stone", "Crash Street Kidds", and "Trudi's Song". Next is All The Young Dudes – maybe the most classic of all the Mott The Hoople albums of the early 70s – thanks in part to the classic title track, which was given to the group by David Bowie – who also supported the group with some fantastic production on this record too! Yet that hit is only one of many gems within – all delivered in a style that shows that Ian Hunter and the group were maybe in the territory of Mick Ronson and Bowie before they find their way with Ziggy – delivered here perfectly on tunes that have all the best elements of glam, but maybe more hard rock permanence and lyrical sensitivity too! In addition to "All The Young Dudes", the set also features a great remake of the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane" – and the cuts "Soft Ground", "Sea Diver", "Sucker", "Jerkin Crocus", and "Momma's Little Jewel". Last up is Mott – a fantastic classic – the kind of record that will remind you that Mott The Hoople were way more than a glam band with a big radio hit – as there's a depth, complexity, and completely satisfying quality to the record that holds on all the way through! Sure, the group's got fantastic guitar – courtesy of Mick Ralphs, who was setting a tone that so many others would copy in years to come – but there's way more going on here, and the group are really getting a sense of their power and identity – even if they were never hitting the full chart status they deserved. The whole thing's great – lots of perfect moments from Ian Hunter – and titles include "Hymn For The Dudes", "Whizz Kid", "All The Way From Memphis", "I Wish I Was Your Mother", "Ballad Of Mott The Hoople", and "Honaloochie Boogie". CD

A wild record – and one that nobody ever seems to know about! Mingus' drumming stalwart Dannie Richmond leads an odd group of groovy musicians in a weird set of material that's sort of pitched as a camp intellectual approach to jazz. The gatefold cover's got a Warhol-esque image of piles of cans of soup, with Richmond's face and the song titles over the image. The tracks are a weird mix of originals with groovy titles – like "High Camp", "The Spider", and "Pfoofnick" – plus a few other pop tracks cast in a very strange light. Richmond drums in a little combo that includes either Jimmy Raney or Toots Thielmans on guitar, Jaki Byard on piano, and Cecil McBee on bass. It's a very weird record, and one of the oddest sides ever cut by Impulse. We should also add that it's pretty darn groovy! LP, Vinyl record album