Bernard Herrman's classic spooky score to this great Hitchcock thriller. The music is often very intense, to perfectly suit the film's tone – and has that great jagged edge that Herrman brought to some of his other best soundtrack scoring. The tracks are long, and have a pretty edgy sound for the most part – but not without some more lush and romantic movements. An all time classic! Titles include "Prelude & Rooftop", "The Beach", "The Nightmare & Dawn", "The Necklace, The Return & Finale", "Goodnight & The Park", "Carlotta's Portrait", "Scene D'Amour" and more. CD

Bernard Herrman's classic spooky score to this great Hitchcock thriller. The music is very intense, and has that great jagged edge that Herrman brought to some of his best soundtrack scoring. The tracks are long, and with a very edgey sound. Titles include "Vertigo Prelude & Rooftop", "The Beach", "The Nightmare & Dawn", and "The Necklace, The Return & Finale". Recorded in concert in 1996 by Joel McNeely conducting the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. CD

Seminal sounds from trumpeter Ian Carr and his Nucleus group of the early 70s – maybe one of the few jazz rock groups that was ever able to work with a fair bit of jazz in their sound! Unlike his contemporaries, who often started in rock first, then added some horns – Carr was already coming off an important 60s legacy, co-leading a group with tenorist Don Rendell – so the vibe here is like an extension of that very rhythmic, very tonal modern work – but with the addition of electrified instrumentation – thanks to the guitar work of Chris Spedding and keyboards of Karl Jenkins – who plays some fantastic electric lines throughout! The vibe is maybe a bit in the territory of early 70s electric work by Miles Davis and Donald Byrd (pre-Mizell for the latter) – but there's maybe a farther-reaching concept at play on many of the records, at a level that always helped the group cross over to the prog crowd, and move beyond just a straight jazz audience. Other key players include Brian Smith on tenor and soprano saxes – a really fantastic part of the lineup – plus Jeff Clyne on bass and John Marshall on drums – and as the albums move along a bit, the lineup shifts slightly, and also opens up to guests who include Kenny Wheeler and Harry Beckett on trumpets, Tony Levin on drums, and Norma Winstone on voice. And although some of the albums have been reissued before, this is the first set to really dive in completely – and bring together material from the Vertigo Records releases that include Elastic Rock, We'll Talk About It Later, Solar Plexus, Belladonna, Labyrinth, Roots, Under The Sun, Snakehips Etcetera, and Alley Cat. CD

Fantastic lost material from Jackie McLean! The set was recorded right before his "new thing" era – in the same period as the amazing Fickle Sonance album. And like that one, this features Jackie edging out towards modernist ideas, yet still swinging hard and fierce, with a firey boppish sensibility. The writing is great – and the players include Herbie Hancock on piano, Donald Byrd on trumpet, Butch Warren on bass, and a young Tony Williams on drums – making his recording debut on the album! The whole thing's tinged with dark and fragile emotion – and a heated sense of urgency that makes it one of McLean's best albums of the 60s – even though it was recorded then, and not issued by Blue Note until many years later! Titles include "Marney", "Dusty Foot", "Vertigo", and "Cheers" – plus one more track, "Formidable", from a 1959 session with Donald Byrd and Walter Davis. CD

Fantastic lost material from Jackie McLean! The set was recorded right before his "new thing" era – in the same period as the amazing Fickle Sonance album. And like that one, this features Jackie edging out towards modernist ideas, yet still swinging hard and fierce, with a firey boppish sensibility. The writing is great – and the players include Herbie Hancock on piano, Donald Byrd on trumpet, Butch Warren on bass, and a young Tony Williams on drums – making his recording debut on the album! The whole thing's tinged with dark and fragile emotion – and a heated sense of urgency that makes it one of McLean's best albums of the 60s – even though it was recorded then, and not issued by Blue Note until many years later! Titles include "Marney", "Dusty Foot", "Vertigo", and "Cheers". Now, in this reissue with 24-bit mastering, it's also coupled with a great set that has McLean playing with Kenny Dorham and Sonny Clark, recorded a year earlier. The whole CD's got a total of 11 great tracks – and it's one of the best Jackie McLean titles you can find! CD

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A really fantastic album from trumpeter Ian Carr and his legendary Nucleus group – a combo who are really right on the money here, finding their own sort of space at a level that's very different than some of the other rock/jazz projects on the UK scene at the time! There's often a lot more space between the notes going on here than on more jamming, more progressive records – a laidback groove that's wonderfully soulful, and which ties this Nucleus set a bit more strongly to American jazz funk that was rising up at the time – or maybe like some of the better Euro work by groups like Cortex or Placebo! Ian Carr leads the group on trumpet, Dave MacRae plays a lot of great keyboards, and Brian Smith blows strong solos on tenor, soprano, and flute – on titles that include "Southern Roots & Celebration", "Capricorn", "Images", "Caliban", "Roots", and "Whapatiti". LP, Vinyl record album

Two jazz rock classics – back to back as a 2CD set! Solar Plexus was a pivotal album in the career of British jazzman Ian Carr – one that had him really opening up into some trippy, spacey grooves – adding in a lot of keyboards, kicking up the grooves, yet still never losing the strong jazzy finish that was the best part of his earlier work. Players on the set include trumpeters Harry Beckett and Kenny Wheeler, guitarist Chris Spedding, and keyboardist Karl Jekins, who really throws in some groovy lines on the set! Titles include "Elements 1 & 2", "Snakehips Dream", "Torso", "Spirit Level", and "Bedrock Deadlock". Belladonna is one of the heaviest electric sets from UK trumpeter Ian Carr – and that's really saying a lot, given how much heavy work he cut with his group Nucleus! The sound here is a groundbreaking mix of acoustic horns and keyboards – trumpet from Carr, and a mix of tenor, soprano, alto, and flute from Brian Smith – coming into contact with the Fender Rhodes of Dave MacRae and the Hohner electric of Gordon Beck! The pairing of keys is wonderful – and the whole thing is sewn together by the guitar of a young Allan Holdsworth, who's very much in the sway of Carr's sound here, instead of the later directions he'd take as a leader. The set might be worth it alone for the massive "Summer Rain" – a slow funk track that trips along beautifully – but the whole thing's great, and other titles include "Belladonna", "Mayday", "Suspension", and "Hector's House". CD

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A set that was originally issued on the legendary Vertigo Records label, but one that's maybe a bit more down to earth than some of its cosmic contemporaries – as Hokus Poke have a style here that mixes some hard rock elements with maybe a more pastoral approach – all served up in a way that's easygoing and understated at times, but with top-shelf presentation throughout! Singer/guitarist Clive Benkhorn is great, and he gets additional guitar leads from Roger Clarke at times too – on original tunes written by various members of the group as they come together with this special sort of sonic ear that makes the album more and more hard to peg as the set goes on! Titles include "Living In Harmony", "The Poke", "Big World Small Girl", "Down In The Street", "Hag Rag", "HP Boogie", and "Sunrise Sunset". LP, Vinyl record album

The fantastic debut of Jade Warrior – a group who were one of the most unique prog acts to record for the Vertigo label in the 70s! Jade Warrior is just a trio – and unlike some of the harder-rocking power trios of the time, the group have a way of balancing softness and intensity, acoustic modes and electric ones – all with a unique style that also offers up some of the exoticism promised by their name! Yet don't worry about that last aspect – as things here are never too heavy-handed, as the group are Brit to their core – maybe balancing some of the lighter Mel Collins moments of King Crimson and the more personal Ian Anderson songs of Jethro Tull – in a line up that features percussion and flute from Jon Field, guitar from Tony Duhig, and bass and these great raspy vocals from Glyn Havard. Titles include "Masami Morning", "Windweaver", "Petunia", "Telephone Girl", "Psychiatric Sergeant", "Slow Ride", and "A Prenormal Day At Brighton". LP, Vinyl record album

The fantastic debut of Jade Warrior – a group who were one of the most unique prog acts to record for the Vertigo label in the 70s! Jade Warrior is just a trio – and unlike some of the harder-rocking power trios of the time, the group have a way of balancing softness and intensity, acoustic modes and electric ones – all with a unique style that also offers up some of the exoticism promised by their name! Yet don't worry about that last aspect – as things here are never too heavy-handed, as the group are Brit to their core – maybe balancing some of the lighter Mel Collins moments of King Crimson and the more personal Ian Anderson songs of Jethro Tull – in a line up that features percussion and flute from Jon Field, guitar from Tony Duhig, and bass and these great raspy vocals from Glyn Havard. Titles include "Masami Morning", "Windweaver", "Petunia", "Telephone Girl", "Psychiatric Sergeant", "Slow Ride", and "A Prenormal Day At Brighton". CD features bonus track – "Telephone Girl (unreleased first version)". CD

The searing second album from Jade Warrior – and a record that shows the world what a mighty guitar powerhouse lurked behind their faux-Japanese aesthetics! The group's a quintet for this record – upped from the debut – and in addition to razor-sharp guitar work from Tony Duhig, there's also some great use of tenor, alto, and flute by newcomer Dave Connors – who works alongside the flute and percussion of group founder Jon Field. Allan Price adds in plenty of drums next to Field's percussion – and the vocals of Glyn Havard are even more powerful here than before – definitely matching the ferocity of his work on the bass! The whole thing's great – a hard rock masterpiece with just the right lighter touches at times, thanks to the reeds – a masterpiece by a group who never got the attention they deserved at the time – apart from hip listeners who really knew where it was at. Titles include "Water Curtain Cave", "We Have Reason To Believe", "Eyes On You", "Barazinbar", "Yellow Eyes", and "Three Horned Dragon King". CD features a bonus track – a version of "Minnamoto's Dream" with a sudden ending! CD

The debut album from Juicy Lucy – an American act who made a trip to the London scene in the late 60s, where they found a way to forge a whole bunch of influences into a very unique groove! Had they stayed back home in Cali, Juicy Lucy might have gravitated towards the Bay Area scene, and ended up sounding a bit freakier and hippieish – but in London, they sharpened their sound, unleashed some deeper bluesy currents, and put the whole thing together with a mix of wit and flair that really set them apart! The group boasts great lead vocals from Ray Owen, a cool mix of electric and acoustic sax parts from Chris Mercer, strong lead guitar from Neil Hubbard, and a range of great sounds from Glenn Ross Campbell – who uses steel guitar and mandolin in ways that are very different than American groups of the time. Forgive the album its quickly-dated, exploitative cover – because it's got a lot more to offer than that – and titles include "Chicago Northwestern", "Train", "Nadine", "Mississippi Woman", "She's Mine She's Yours", and "Just One Time". LP, Vinyl record album

Three full albums from Juicy Lucy – plus bonus tracks too! First up is the self-titled debut from Juicy Lucy – an American act who made a trip to the London scene in the late 60s, where they found a way to forge a whole bunch of influences into a very unique groove! Had they stayed back home in Cali, Juicy Lucy might have gravitated towards the Bay Area scene, and ended up sounding a bit freakier and hippieish – but in London, they sharpened their sound, unleashed some deeper bluesy currents, and put the whole thing together with a mix of wit and flair that really set them apart! The group boasts great lead vocals from Ray Owen, a cool mix of electric and acoustic sax parts from Chris Mercer, strong lead guitar from Neil Hubbard, and a range of great sounds from Glenn Ross Campbell – who uses steel guitar and mandolin in ways that are very different than American groups of the time. Forgive the album its quickly-dated, exploitative cover – because it's got a lot more to offer than that – and titles include "Chicago Northwestern", "Train", "Nadine", "Mississippi Woman", "She's Mine She's Yours", and "Just One Time". Lie Back & Enjoy It is hard and heavy work from Juicy Lucy – a group who are even stronger here on this second set than on their debut – effortlessly spinning out lines that are very much in the best hard rock modes of the period, but which also retain some nice bluesy influences as well! The group's a sextet – and in addition to some very unique vocals from singer Paul Williams, who also plays piano and congas, the set also has some surprisingly nice use of steel guitar and mandolin, but never in ways that sound like the instruments might in the handling of some of the Cali crowd at the time. Lead guitar is from Mick Moody, sax and keyboard lines are from Chris Mercer, and titles include "Pretty Woman", "Built For Comfort", "Whisky In My Jar", "Hello LA Bye Bye Birmingham", "Thinking Of My Life", and "Willie The Pimp". For Get A Whiff Of This, the title's a bit of a joke, especially in relation to the cover – but Juicy Lucy come on strong here, with a searing sound that shows that they're way past the novelty of the image on the front! Over the course of the previous records, the group really honed their unique blend of American blues and Brit hard rock inspiration – very well-focused here, with a sound that paves the way for some of the bigger crossover acts that would soon dominate American radio in the mid 70s – something the group unfortunately never got the chance to do. Titles include "Mr Skin", "Midnight Rider", "Mr A Jones", "Sunday Morning", and "Jessica". 2CD set features the bonus b-side tracks "Walking Down The Highway" and "I Am A Thief". CD

A groundbreaking record from Kraftwerk – a set that unified the 70s worlds of analogue electronics and prog rock – yet somehow managed to set the scene for a whole new sound to come! The album's a treasure all the way through – slow-building, and with beautiful bubbling moments that have these surprisingly simple hooks – heard to best effect in the album's classic title cut "Autobahn" – but echoed nicely through the album's other longer tracks too – "Kometenmelodie 1 &2", "Mitternacht", and "Morgenspaziergang". LP, Vinyl record album

The rare second volume of the Chapter Three album – one of the wildest the group ever recorded with one of the wildest covers too! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the 2 terrific records ex-Fairport Convention singer-songwriter Ian Matthews cut for the Vertigo label in the early 70s – built around Matthews wonderful vocals and acoustic guitars, but with a tighter rhythmic backdrop the the typical post folk trope! The key here is warmth – particularly in Ian's vocals, which carries over on some great little tunes! Tracks include "Tigers Will Survive", "Midnight On The Water", "Right Before My Eye", "Hope You Know ", "Please Be My Friend ", "House Of Unamerican Blues Activity Dream", "The Only Dancer" and more, LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal early album from Ian Carr's legendary Nucleus group – playing here in a version that includes Karl Jenkins and Brian Smith on reeds, and Chris Spedding on guitar! The band has a landmark sound that mixes progressive jazz and tight full-on rock fusion into a style that's sometimes funky, sometimes avant, and often pretty darn exciting! This album has lots of nice electric piano lines, and plenty of choppy sax parts that hit a nice groove in the manner that would later be taken up by a lot of European reed players. Tracks include "Torrid Zone", "Stonescape", "Striation", "1916 – The Battle Of Boogaloo", "Persephones Jive", and "Earth Mother". LP, Vinyl record album

A crucial album from that moment when British jazz was colliding with progressive rock – in key ways that were really elevated past their roots on records like this! By the time of the record, trumpeter Ian Carr already had a great run on the left side of the UK jazz spectrum – and here, with his group Nucleus, he embraces all sorts of amazing sounds and styles – using plenty of electric piano from Soft Machine's Karl Jenkins, guitar from Chris Spedding, and a VCS3 synth from Keith Winter – alongside more familiar jazz elements on tenor from Tony Roberts, soprano and flute from Brian Smith, and additional trumpets from Kenny Wheeler and Harry Beckett! The great John Marshall plays drums next to bass from Jeff Clyne and Ron Matthewson – and the album's got a mighty sense of experimentation and power, on titles that include "Torso", "Snakehips' Dream", "Changing Time", "Spirit Level", and "Bedrock Deadlock". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic set from Patto – a group who were never huge at the time, but who've gone onto become one of the best-remembered acts from the Vertigo Records scene – thanks to the sound of this amazing debut! The record is extremely hard to peg – it's definitely got some jazz inspiration in the way the songs are put together – especially since group member Ollie Halsall uses some great vibes – but the whole thing's hardly a jazz rock set at all – as the tunes are maybe more open at times, or a bit gritty at others – always topped by the unique vocals of Mike Patto. The record is both freewheeling and down to earth at the same time – a hard thing to pull off – and titles include "The Man", "Hold Me Back", "Time To Die", "Red Glow", and "Government Man". CD features bonus track "Hanging Rope (out take)". CD

Heady work from this heavy German group – with Holger Schmidt on vocals and lead guitar, Klaus Meinhardt on bass, and Karlheiz Traut on drums! Tracks are nice and long – and the whole thing was recorded by Diter Dierks at his famous studio. LP, Vinyl record album

A trio of albums from John Stevens' Away – all packaged together in a single CD set! First up is the initial outing from the group – a surprising little set from drummer John Stevens – quite different work than his more outside, freewheeling material in the Spontaneous Music Ensemble! This group hits that second chapter of British jazz rock that the Vertigo label did so well – a style that's much more mature than most American variants of the mode – neither stock rock fusion, nor smooth soul – and instead this approach that's still quite complicated and challenging at times, even though the music can have a nicely tight focus! The group features some excellent alto from Trevor Watts – who brings in lots of sharp edges – and the set also features Peter Cowling on bass and Steve Hayton on guitar. Titles include "Tumble", "It Will Never Be The Same", and "Anni". On Somewhere In Between, drummer John Stevens hits a lot of bases on a great second album with his Away group – almost funky at points, almost outside at others, and always working with the group in a searing, searching mode that's a cut above the usual fusion of the time! There's a bit more electricity on the set this time – electric bass from Nick Stephens and guitar from David Cole – but the energy of the set is still very spontaneous, and driven by Stevens' creative work on drums – and given plenty of bite from the soprano and tenor sax of Robert Calvert. The set's got a plenty fresh vibe – very much like labelmates Nucleus at this point, with lots of sharp edges and complicated patterns – but a sound that's still very down to earth. Titles include "Spirit Of Peace", "Chick Boom", "Can't Explain", and "Now". Mazin Ennit is definitely as amazing as the title proclaims – a bit leaner than before, with this wonderful use of two basses alongside the drums of John Stevens – all in a groove that refines older Brit jazz rock modes, but without losing any sort of edge! There's a complexity here that still lives up to Stevens' rich legacy in music – and the group features lots of sweet reedwork from Robert Calvert, who blows both soprano and tenor. Titles include "Away", "Sunshine Sunshine", "Whoops A Daisy", "Light Relief", and "Temple Music". CD features bonus tracks – "Anni (parts 1 & 2)" featuring John Martyn, and "Can't Explain (parts 1 & 2)" featuringt Terri Quaye. CD

Pre-shock rock psychedelia from Alice Cooper – more of a Detroit-reared answer to early Pink Floyd than it is a clue to the early metal horror show to come – and a record that stands stunningly well on its own! Since most people never even heard Pretties For You until long after Alice became a notorious rock star – which has made it unfairly judged in most circles – because if you enter it fresh, and take it for what it is, the whole thing's an incredible record that stands with some of the more revolutionary British albums of the late 60s. We hear rare psychedelia by the bucketful that's not nearly as good as this album, but which celebrated by rare psych diggers purely for its obscurity – and the overall presentation and performance is right up there with some of the coolest material on Harvest or Vertigo. Titles include "10 Minutes Before The Worm", "Sing Low Sweet Cheerio", "Reflected", "Apple Bush", "Earwigs To Eternity", "Titanic Overture", and "No Longer Umpire". CD

Pre-shock rock psychedelia from Alice Cooper – more of a Detroit-reared answer to early Pink Floyd than it is a clue to the early metal horror show to come – and a record that stands stunningly well on its own! Since most people never even heard Pretties For You until long after Alice became a notorious rock star – which has made it unfairly judged in most circles – because if you enter it fresh, and take it for what it is, the whole thing's an incredible record that stands with some of the more revolutionary British albums of the late 60s. We hear rare psychedelia by the bucketful that's not nearly as good as this album, but which celebrated by rare psych diggers purely for its obscurity – and the overall presentation and performance is right up there with some of the coolest material on Harvest or Vertigo. Titles include "10 Minutes Before The Worm", "Sing Low Sweet Cheerio", "Reflected", "Apple Bush", "Earwigs To Eternity", "Titanic Overture", and "No Longer Umpire". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful self-titled set from Cosmos Factory – a Japanese prog group from the early 70s, and one who might have gotten lost in the racks a bit – given that their name and debut title are the same as an album by Creedence Clearwater Revival! Yet the sound here is nothing like CCR – as the record has qualities that are almost like some of the best Vertigo Records material from the European scene of the time – a richness of sound that goes way beyond pure jamming, and which beautifully balances some mellower moments with harder energy and some pretty intense guitar solo too! Titles include "Soundtrack 1984", "An Old Castle Of Transylvania", "Poltergeist", "Fantastic Mirror", and "Soft Focus". LP, Vinyl record album

Two really unusual albums from British drummer/singer John Dummer – an artist who was part of the British blues scene in the 60s – but who's something very different altogether! First up is John Dummer's Famous Music Band – a set that features key contributions from Nick Pickett on vocals, guitar, harmonica, vibes, and a host of instrumentation – all used in ways that really move past traditional blues-based modes – certainly there at the core, as in the work of the rest of the group – but already moving past any sort of slavish attempt to both be American, and even blues at all. We'd be tempted to call the approach roots rock, but it's also a bit weirder and more offbeat than that – part of that special spirit that's always made Dummer so unique. Titles include "Lady Luck", "Love Ain't Nothing But Sorrow", "Run Around", "Searching For You", "Nine By Nine", "Coming Home", "Green Leaves", and "Fine Looking Woman". Blue is a set that has the band of British drummer John Dummer moving over to Vertigo records – a shift that helps them sound even tighter and cooler than before! Singer Nick Pickett gets equal billing on the cover – and it's Pickett's contributions that really shape the sound – really offbeat vocals, plus guitar, organ, and even a bit of violin – used in that blues inspiration that got Dummer started, but with a weirder, more unusual style overall – at that moment when London was past being slavish to Chicago or Memphis! Titles include "Medicine Weasel", "The End Game", "Me & The Lady", "Time Will Tell", and "If I Can't Keep From Laughing". CD

A stunning disco classic from Dan Hartman – maybe an unlikely talent for the dancefloors, given his image on the cover – but an artist who definitely went onto shape the sound of the clubs at the end of the 70s! The album's got the Hartman groove really hitting hard, and right on the money – a tightly compressed approach to disco that really lays heavily on the hooks – in a style that's similar to where Peter Brown was going at the time, with a similar compressed sensibility that gets past any of the fluff that was drowning others in the disco generation! In fact, it could well be argued that the approach here really helps focus a dancefloor sound towards the modes of the 80s – while still allowing for the fluid soul of the disco years too – a style that's summed up perfectly in the album's extended classic "Vertigo/Relight My Fire", which features famous vocals by Loleatta Holloway! Other titles are all sweet too – and include "Free Ride", "I Love Makin Music", "Just For Fun", "Love Strong", and "Hands Down". CD

Jazzy, scatting, and wonderful! Jazzinho firmly carry the torch of 70s Brazilian jazz – picking up the sound that the music had just as it started to spill into European and American scenes, with bossa nova at the core, but lots of nice electric touches on the top! The group features some wonderful female lead vocals – very breezy, with a warm and sunny finish that really gives the record a wonderful feel. Instrumentation is strongly jazzy – not just beats and tricks – and honestly, the album's got a really solid 70s feel that makes us love it to death! Titles include "Vertigo", "Velejou", "Astral", "Yambou", "Sim Ou Nao", "Camponesa", and "Constelacao". This edition of the CD features four bonus remixes – "Sim Ou Nao" by Sleepwalker, "Constelacao" by Quant, "Sim Ou Nao by Eddy & Dus and "Yambou" by Phil Asher! CD

A set that begins with a fantastic solo album from Reg King – the singer best known as the lead vocalist in mod heroes The Action, stepping out here in a very different mode on his own! The record's got a headier vibe than before – songs that are more personal, most penned by King himself – and backed with sophisticated sounds from BB Blunder, in a lineup that includes the great Brian Godding on guitar, plus some organ work from Brian Auger too! The production almost has the sort of touches Vertigo would put on its more soulful, less progressive singers – which works great for Reg – on titles that include "Savannah", "You Go Have Yourself A Good Time", "In My Dreams", "Little Boy", "Gone Away", "Down The Drain", and "10,000 Miles". CD also features bonus single tracks "Nobody Knows Where We Are" and "You Go Have Yourself A Good Time". CD2 features 16 more tracks that are all much more obscure non-album demos – and CD3 features 13 more tracks, all album demos and outtakes. As usual with the label, the package is great, and there's detailed notes throughout! CD

A hell of a group from the glory days of the Bronze Records scene – a group who boast some fantastic guitar work from a young Allan Holdsworth that are more than enough to get them on the label – but who also have a richness and complexity that rivals some of the hippest prog acts on labels like Vertigo or Harvest too! Jon Hiseman handles drums and percussion with a mighty nice edge, Mark Clarke delivers some heavy sinister basslines, and Paul Williams echoes all of those strengths with his dark-tinged vocals – in a mode that's nicely beyond some of the cliches that other groups might hit on a record like this. Titles include "Gorgon", "Brothers", "Foyers Of Fun", "Upon Tomorrow", "Grey & Black", "Up & On", and "Dark House". LP, Vinyl record album

A much-needed look at the Japanese rock scene at the start of the 70s – one that was going through as many amazing changes as the world of music in the US and UK, but which has always been far out of reach for most listeners in the English-speaking world! The collection's not super-underground – a number of these artists recorded for major labels – but overall, the sounds within will be a fresh discovery for most ears – and a mindblowing one as well, with music at a free-thinking level that rivals some of the best work coming out on hip Anglo imprints at the time – like Harvest, Vertigo, or Island Records! Lyrics are all in Japanese, but all other aspects of the music echo the hippest Brit modes of the period – some folksy acoustic material, reworked with hipper jazzier currents – some broodingly dark sounds that would never have emerged a few years before – and an overall nicely organic vibe that really holds together all the way through. There's no avant, prog, or noisy material – which makes for a tight focus that really makes the whole thing feel very unified – and the notes provide plenty of background for novice English-speaking listeners, too. Titles include "Rokudenashi" by Fluid, "Mizu Tamari" by Fumio Nunoya, "Curry Rice" by Kenji Endo, "Sotto Futari De" by Kazuhiko Yamahira & The Sherman, "Otokorashiitte Wakarukai" by The Dylan II, "Zeni No Koyoryoku Ni Tsuite" by Ryo Kagawa, "Ware Ware Wa" by Tetsuo Saito, "Marianne" by Gu, "Boku Wa Chotto" by Harumi Hosono, and "Konna Fu Ni Sugite Iku No Nara" by Maki Asakawa. LP, Vinyl record album

A groundbreaking set of music from the start of the 70s – work by a variety of British groups who rose up from the underground and changed music forever – some who'd later fly to superstardom in the 70s, and many more who'd just remain the province of hipper listeners for decades to come! The music here is in a variety of modes – late psych, early prog, hard rock, and even experimental folk – the crowning jewels of important labels like Vertigo, Harvest, and Decca – brought together here with a really wonderful choice of cuts, and very detailed notes that helps really put all the many artists and sounds in perspective! If you think you know this moment from the classic rock records in your collection, then guess again – as you'll have plenty here to rework your ideas of 1970, in a set list of 57 tracks, with work from Gentle Giant, Blodwyn Pig, Lindisfarne, Hawkwind, Atomic Rooster, Van Der Graaf Generator, Caravan, Egg, Patto, T2, Kevin Ayers, Rare Bird, Stray, Family, Wishbone Ash, Yes, Quatermass, East Of Eden, Pete Brown & Piblokto, McDonald & Giles, Cressida, Love Sculpture, Affinity, Curved Air, Michael Chapman, and many others. CD

A surprisingly rich anthology – given that the group Five Day Rain issued no music at all during their short time in existence! Yet the creation of some white label promo records for the group's own use led to their rediscovery many years later – at a time when maybe the world was ready to hear their tuneful blending of psychedelic, harmonic, and hard rock modes – first forged in the group Iron Prophet, and served up as Five Day Rain with an expanded lineup who also were issuing music on singles as Studd Pump too! Yet it's the core work by Five Day here that's wonderful – music that is already pretty amazing in the raw, stripped-down form of the white label record's material – and which makes us wonder what would have happened if they'd ever gotten full treatment by a label like Vertigo or Harvest. This massive 2CD set features the best surviving versions of the white label LP tracks, plus unissued material, demos, and other rare material – including their Studd Pump single as well. Titles include "Good Year", "Leave It At That", "Fallout", "Marie's A Woman", "Too Much Of Nothing", "Don't Be Misled", "Sea Song", "Reason Why", "Antonia", "The Boy", "Wanna Make Love To You", "Dartboard", "Do Don't Worry", "Miss Elizabeth", "Floating", "Spare The Children", and even a version of "Sunny". CD

Music from Psycho, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Marnie, North By Northwest, Vertigo, Torn Curtain, Fahrenheit 451, and Taxi Driver. CD

A really wonderful step for UK jazzman Mike Gibbs – a musician who was part of the same big wave of late 60s creative talent that included Mike Westbrook and John Surman – but who really finds his own voice here on this album for the Bronze label! For years, there was a real dancing between UK avant jazz musicians, and some of the more jazz-oriented prog rockers – a mode heard especially on some of the Vertigo albums, such as work by Nucleus. But Gibbs sidesteps that moment beautifully, but really keeping things in a jazz perspective, but allowing in musicians who'd also drunk heavily of some of the electric brew – a core group here that includes Cahrlie Mariano on reeds, Philip Catherine on guitar, Steve Swallow on bass, Bob Moses on drums, Jumma Santos on percussion, and Gibbs himself on keyboards. Mariano and Catherine have an especially great sound here – more focus than on some other records, thanks to Gibbs' great writing and arrangements – and there's also a larger group of like-minded musicians on deck, including Derek Watkins and Kenny Wheeler on trumpet, Chris Pyne on trombone, Henry Lowther on flugelhorn, Ray Warleigh on alto, Alan Skidmore on tenor, and Tony Cole on tenor and bass clarinet – almost enough talent to make for one of those famous Lansdowne Studios sessions. The tunes are awash in color – some of Mike's best writing ever – and include "Tunnel Of Love", "Antique", "Undergrowth", and "Blackgang". CD

A cool classic from the early years of Vertigo Records – and a wonderful mixture of hard rock energy and jazzy flute – but all at a level that's very different than Jethro Tull or other flute-based groups of the time! Norman Barratt handles the guitar with lots of fuzzy depth – and JD Hughes is on flute, and works the instrument in all these sharp-edged, overblown ways – as the space of the album allows for plenty of solos from both musicians! Norman also handles lead vocals, with a raw edgey style – and titles include "Coast Road", "The New One", "Dedication To Sid", "Think Of Life", and "Earl Of Pocket Nook". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare live date from Ian Carr's Nucleus – the jamming jazz-rock combo we mostly only know from their studio sides! The sound here is a lot more freewheeling than the group's work on Vertigo from the same period – a bit more outside at times, with plenty of room for the combo to not only jam, but also open up into some more exploratory ideas. A few moments are surprisingly gentle, while others are full-on and extremely powerful – a heady fusion of Carr's trumpet and flugelhorn with the keyboards of Karl Jenkins, saxes of Brian Smith, guitar of Ray Russell, bass of Roy Babbington, and drums of John Marshall. 2CD set features a well-recorded performance originally captured by Radio Bremen – with 12 tracks that include "Zoom Out", "Torrid Zone", "Song For The Bearded Lady", "By The Pool", "A Bit For Vic", "Persephone's Jive", and "Elastic Rock". CD

Never-issued work from this legendary fusion group – a 1971 live performance recorded in Rotterdam, and a set of tracks that's a perfect complement to the legendary Nucleus albums issued by Vertigo at the time! Leader Ian Carr is upfront on trumpet – but as with the best Nucleus recordings, this is definitely an all-out group affair – driven by very strong work from John Marshall on drums and Roy Babbington on bass – and filled with work from two different simultaneous electric pianos, handled by both Hywel Thomas and Karl Jenkins, the latter of whom also blows a bit of oboe. Other reeds are from Brian Smith on tenor, soprano sax, and flute – and all tracks are nice and long, and often quite funky – with titles that include "Snakehips Dream", "We'll Talk About It Later", "Song For The Bearded Lady", "Exit Interlude 1", "Persephone's Jive", "Exit Interlude 2", and "Oasis". LP, Vinyl record album

Jazzy, scatting, and wonderful! Jazzinho firmly carry the torch of 70s Brazilian jazz – picking up the sound that the music had just as it started to spill into European and American scenes, with bossa nova at the core, but lots of nice electric touches on the top! The group features some wonderful female lead vocals – very breezy, with a warm and sunny finish that really gives the record a wonderful feel. Instrumentation is strongly jazzy – not just beats and tricks – and honestly, the album's got a really solid 70s feel that makes us love it to death! Titles include "Vertigo", "Velejou", "Astral", "Yambou", "Sim Ou Nao", "Camponesa", and "Constelacao". CD also features a bonus mix of "Sim Ou Nao" by Sleepwalker! CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Possibly the tightest of recent volumes of this great series of downtempo grooves and abstract beats! This volume's got a nice compressed set of tracks – featuring 11 moder groovers, about half of which are unreleased. Rainer Truby helped compile the set, and titles include "Vertigo" by Beatless, "Underwater Pressure" by Modaji, "Planet Plan (Yellow Productions Dub)" by United Future Organization, "Son Of Ra Ra" by Restless Soul, "At The Movies" by Fauna Flash, "Bateria – Latin Impressions" by Victor Simonelli, "I See The Sun" by Earth Bound, and "Diary Of A Lost Girl" by Christian Zimmermann. CD

Maybe the deepest-digging volume in this really great series – a set that goes past the obvious to show all the many new styles of modern jazz that were brewing up in the British scene at the end of the 50s! The sounds here aren't just bop, but a nice variety of modern modes that bring as much sophisticated scoring and arrangement to play, as they do focus on inventive instrumentation and phrasing from the players! A few numbers are breathtaking tracks by larger groups, others are small combo material – and titles include "Elegy" by Victor Feldman, "Vertigo" by Steve Race Bop Group, "Regrets" by Shake Keane & Michael Garrick, "Fallonology" by All Star Sextet, "Dance Of The Zombies" by Kenny Graham's Afro-Cubists, "12 By 5" by Tommy Whittle, "Deep Forest" by Dill Jones, and "The Way You Look Tonight" by Wilton Gaynair. CD