Buscar:black dylan

Ace’s small but ever-evolving “Black America Sings…” series has been quiet of late, but it springs back into action this month with the 2-LP and CD releases of “Highway Of Diamonds” – a second dip onto the catalogue of Bob Dylan, as reimagined by some of the foremost African-American artists of the 20th century.

From almost the start of his songwriting career, Dylan’s words and music have impacted on black American music, with ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’, speaking to an America that was still mostly segregated and becoming an anthem for all colours and creeds. As Dylan’s own career progressed, so did the number of covers he received, with a significant amount coming from what might be termed ‘non-traditional’ sources such as those heard here.

The 20 songs on “Highway Of Diamonds” continue the story that was told in part on the earlier “How Many Roads” compilation, with an almost entirely different selection of artists lending their voices to some of the best songwriting of the 20th century, and an almost entirely different selection of songs (with the exception of ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’ itself, which provides a common thread linking the story told across the two sets).
Big names from the worlds of soul, gospel and jazz, timeless songs and, for many, new ways of appreciating ever-durable material make “Highway Of Diamonds” as essential a purchase as its predecessor.

As ever, the great audio is complemented by a handsomely illustrated package on both CD and double vinyl, with a plethora of illustrations and in depth song-by-song-and-track-by-track annotation by Ace legend Tony Rounce.

RSN ist Produzent, DJ und Musiker aus der griechischen Metropole Athen. "Strange Eyes" ist bereits sein viertes Album und gleichzeitig sein Debüt auf Agogo. Es enthält 13 Songs, die von Electronica und Trip-HopSounds beeinflusst sind, die typische Elemente aber mit ganz ungewohnten Klängen zusammenbringen. HipHop-Beats mit fetten Basslinien treffen auf effektvoll melodische Gitarren, eine Hammond-Orgel und atmosphärische, analoge Synthesizer schaffen einen idealen Klangraum für die Musik des Griechen. RSN hat zudem zahlreiche außergewöhnliche Sänger und Musiker als Gäste für diese Produktion eingeladen. Seit 2009 ist er als DJ bei der bekannten britischen Band Belleruche aktiv. Mit diesen Meistern des Souls tritt er regelmäßig bei vielen Konzerten in Griechenland und im Ausland auf, sei es in Serbien, in der Türkei, Russland, Schweiz, Frankreich, England oder Ukraine. In den vergangenen Jahren ist er so auf den großen Festivals in der ganzen Welt zu Gast gewesen. Als DJ hat er selber die Live-Shows von Top-Künstlern wie Alpha Blondy, Wax Taylor, DJ Krush, Parov Stellar und anderen eröffnet.

Seit über 30 Jahren ist Simon Joyner eine Ausnahmeerscheinung - ein vollkommen unabhängiger Künstler, der sich ganz auf sein Handwerk konzentriert. Der in Omaha lebende Singer-Songwriter veröffentlichte Anfang der 90er Jahre erstmals Musik und ist seitdem seinem Weg treu geblieben. Joyners Songs voller stiller Freude und Herzschmerz haben verschiedene Generationen von Künstlerkollegen geprägt und zeigen sich als offensichtlicher Einfluss bei Acts wie Bright Eyes oder Kevin Morby sowie als Anklänge gemeinsamer Perspektiven bei den nachfolgenden Lenkers, Oldhams und Molinas. "Tough Love", Joyners 19. Studioalbum, setzt diesen Aufwärtstrend fort. Obwohl es untrennbar mit der persönlichen Trauer von "Coyote Butterfly" aus dem Jahr 2024 verbunden ist - dem autobiografischen Album, das Joyner nach dem Tod seines Sohnes aufgenommen hat - erforscht dieses neue Album das Konzept der ,tough love" als Dichotomie, die auf verschiedene fiktive Beziehungen angewendet wird, darunter romantische, familiäre und politische. Dieser Balanceakt zeigt sich in lebhaften Schilderungen alltäglicher Herzensschmerzen und in der Auseinandersetzung mit politischer Wut und dem Verrat am amerikanischen Traum. Eines der Wunder von Joyners Werk ist, dass sich seine Muster nicht wiederholen, sondern wandeln. Anspielungen auf Cohen, Dylan und die Velvets sind seit den frühen Lo-Fi-Tagen Teil seines Songwritings, doch die Art und Weise, wie diese Vorbilder einfließen, verändert sich ständig. Während Joyners raue Akustiksongs im Rampenlicht stehen, werden sie von E-Gitarren angestachelt und sind von experimentellen Tendenzen durchdrungen. Die Rocksongs bilden einen Mittelweg zwischen minimalistischen Grooves, die von Velvet Underground der Loaded-Ära übernommen wurden, und der ekstatischen rhythmischen Verrücktheit von Can. Wenn wir beim vorletzten Track, ,Anniversary Song", angelangt sind, haben die geisterhaften Vocals und die Scratches des mikrotonalen Synthesizers die Grenzen zwischen Joyners Folk-Sänger-Herz und seinem Avantgarde-Geist verwischt. All das mündet in den 20-minütigen Titeltrack, der "Tough Love" abschließt - ein erschütternder Sturz in einen scheinbar bodenlosen Abgrund aus Reue, Überlebensschuld und unverblümter Trauer. Er leiht sich eine repetitive Struktur aus Lou Reeds erzählter Suite ,Street Hassle" und kombiniert sie mit dem seitenfüllenden Zeugnis von Dylans ,Sad-eyed Lady of the Lowlands", Joyner erzählt dazu aus der Perspektive seines verstorbenen Sohnes, der zu seinem Vater spricht, all seine Fehler darlegt und schonungslos hervorhebt, dass nichts davon rückgängig gemacht werden kann. Bald jedoch öffnet sich diese Qual zu etwas Transzendentem, sowohl in ihrer eleganten Bildsprache als auch in ihrer ätherischen Atmosphäre. Die letzten Momente des Albums gewähren die Erlaubnis zur Selbstvergebung und hoffentlich eines Tages auch zum Verständnis. Dieses kathartische Ende bringt all die verworrenen Gefühle, die sich durch "Tough Love" ziehen, auf den Punkt. So wie Joyner das Songwriting aus ungewöhnlichen Blickwinkeln angegangen ist, die sich jedes Mal ändern, wenn er zur Gitarre greift, um ein neues Album aufzunehmen, so verändert sich auch auf "Tough Love" seine Beziehung zu Trauer, den alltäglichen Kämpfen und dem ewigen Streben nach etwas Besserem.

Mercury Rev"s 1991 debut album Yerself is Steam was a critical success, and quickly followed up by the Car Wash Hair single. The releases persuaded the band to perform their very first live gig - then their third gig was on the main stage at Reading Festival and their fourth was supporting Bob Dylan - an auspicious start to their decades-long career. Despite the plaudits resulting in strong sales and regular tours, it was not until their fourth album, Deserter"s Songs that they gained a mainstream audience. The band is currently touring the world in support of their most recent album, Born Horses.

After touring the globe showcasing their A/V moshpit-inducing live show, they are revealing their new musical creations to an unsuspecting public. Never Sleep are proud to present a landmark moment in the Japanese hardcore new rave scene. The blinding lights of DEATH RAVE point to an untraveled journey, a sci-fi fusion of black metal, gabber, cyberpunk, performance art and techno. It’s their first for the Berlin label (founded by Gabber Eleganza) following 2021’s EP Principle of Light Speed Variance. Full description VMO aka Violent Magic Orchestra break through the darkness and herald a spectacular mould-melting sound on their forthcoming album DEATH RAVE. After touring the globe showcasing their A/V moshpit-inducing live show, they are revealing their new musical creations to an unsuspecting public. Never Sleep are proud to present a landmark moment in the Japanese hardcore new rave scene. The blinding lights of DEATH RAVE point to an untraveled journey, a sci-fi fusion of black metal, gabber, cyberpunk, performance art and techno. It’s their first for the Berlin label (founded by Gabber Eleganza) following 2021’s EP Principle of Light Speed Variance. Ahead of the release VMO have brought their digital harcore to festivals around the globe, including Roadburn Festival, BANG FACE Weekender, Brutal Assault extreme music festival, Le Guess Who?, CTM Berlin and Dark Mofo. Their performance is the ultimate extreme visual music project in which techno, black metal, and industrial unite to create a ritual from the near future, 2099. All visual art and stage setting is provided by non-touring member, artist and programmer Kezzardrix (who has been visual director for millennium parade and BABYMETAL previously).The power consumption of a VMO show is equivalent to 56 guitar amplifiers, 5000W, a mind-expanding supreme noise and light experience. The band members all go by the names of classic black metal bands rendered in the Japanese katakana script; “ダークスローン”; “メイヘム”, and “エンペラー”. Their new LP is the first to feature lead vocalist ザスター. The record features guest vocals from extreme metal icon Attila Csihar, known for singing with Mayhem and Sunn O))). Other featured artists include Dylan Walker, singer of Full of Hell, punk-techno artist Infinity Division (aka Ash Luk), Icelandic darkwavers Kælan Mikla and Ican Harem of Gabber Modus Operandi. The result is a leap forward from their 2016 debut, where they have found a singularity where death metal meets Kraftwerk, or Rephlex goes black. Dressed in corpse paint and other hell-raising looks, onstage they are like “Shinigami (death gods) from the Death Note manga”. Singles Venom, Supergaze and Martello Mosh Pit featuring Gabber Eleganza have been released in the lead up to the record and have been shocking techno dance floors too with their hi-NRG-symphonic doom-gaze. They have shared their video for Planet Helvetech (here), created by Berlin-based Patrick Defasten. Helvetech combines the Norwegian word for hell (hevlete) with techno and is a reference to the infamous black metal shop founded by Mayhem’s Euronymous. It’s a song that imagines time travel from 2099 on the planet Helvetech (where VMO comes from) to 1990s Oslo. In 2023, they performed at the CTM festival in Berlin, as well as at Berghain, receiving rave reviews. At Sydney’s leading multi-sensory SOFT CENTER festival they drove the crowd into a frenzy on the 17 metre X 30 metre jumbo screen. They have also collaborated with artists, performing at the two day installation by the trailblazing Tianzhuo Chen - The Shepherd - at the Kyoto International Performing Arts Festival in 2021 here. At Sónar 2023, VMO provided the music for Taiwanese visual artist Yuen Hsieh’s work about virtual life after death DIGITAL AFTERLIFE AGENCY here. VMO will tour the world again for the new record, with appearances at ROSKILDE and media art and music fest Sónar 2024 announced so far and the DEATH RAVE experience getting bigger and bigger.

"After Outer Edges we were trying to find a new direction for Noisia. This resulted in an extensive journey that took us through a lot of new ideas and music.

Although we eventually decided to stop, we are proud of the things we made along the way, and these tunes were always meant to be part of a larger whole. So before we finally close the book on Noisia, we wanted to share them with you, on one last album. Previously released or newly finished, they all represent directions we enjoyed exploring.

In the end, we didn't manage to figure things out. But we did get closer." - Nik, Thijs, Martijn (Noisia)

"After Outer Edges we were trying to find a new direction for Noisia. This resulted in an extensive journey that took us through a lot of new ideas and music.

Although we eventually decided to stop, we are proud of the things we made along the way, and these tunes were always meant to be part of a larger whole. So before we finally close the book on Noisia, we wanted to share them with you, on one last album. Previously released or newly finished, they all represent directions we enjoyed exploring.

In the end, we didn't manage to figure things out. But we did get closer." - Nik, Thijs, Martijn (Noisia)

New “Inversions” of drone rock pioneers Earth’s debut release. A collaboration between Dylan Carlson and Black Noi$e (Armand Hammer, Danny Brown, Earl Sweatshirt) formed in mutual respect and appreciation for one another. Both artists were intrigued by the creation of vast musical landscapes and the connection of music, with its ability to transport the listener. The music of Earth was recognised and celebrated for moving at a glacial pace and yet this new collaboration surprisingly saw Black Noi$e slowing things down even further.
The debut, which originally came out in 1991, notably featured Kelly Canary and Kurt Cobain on vocals on the tracks “A Bureaucratic Desire for Revenge Part 2” and “Divine and Bright”. Black Noi$e reimagines the original recordings with his experimental sensibility and innovative multi-instrumental, cross genre exploration. Applying contemporary electronics to the heavy droning bass and guitars and languid rhythms, this inversion oscillates and reverberates with a different kind of energy whilst simultaneously highlighting the much loved low slow and distorted properties of the original.

‘Extra Capsular Extraction’ was the first music Dylan made with Earth and his first time in a recording studio, which he recalls at the time as being “terribly exciting”. It also marked the first time collaborating with others and seeing it reified into a tangible object or product, a spirit that Dylan has carried through to the present. The original album is a document of a specific period and Dylan’s creative development. These inversions of Extra Capsular Extraction are, to quote Dylan, “an exciting way to reintegrate them into the present time and with my more expanded conceptions of musical endeavours”.
"Doom-metal innovators" Pitchfork.

"With guitars ramped up to the nth degree, but tuned to gut-wrenchingly low frequencies, Earth carved out a veritable canyon of pure molten drone, one which would have a profound influence on modern metal music." The Quietus

US Black Friday 2025 Release. There are very few albums in the psych/punk/hard rock/private presses strata that garner the sort of universal awe and accolades that Fraction’s almighty Moonblood LP does, and even fewer records in the world that could be dubbed ‘Christian Rock’ incur such fierce devotion. Indeed some records just meteorically lift themselves out any genre tag with brilliance and sheer defiance--and Moonblood is surely one of them. Based in LA, Fraction was a ragged collection of working-class musicians--the line-up was ringleader Jim Beach--vocals; Don Swanson--lead guitar, Curt Swanson--drums, Victor Hemme--bass, and Robert Meinel--rhythm guitar. Beach himself describes those early days: “The guys met through various acquaintances that we had in LA. All of us had been in bands before, but were seeking something with more teeth. We had a small studio in an industrial complex in North Hollywood and started practicing sometimes as early as 4:30 AM. We all had day jobs, so we did what we could.”

Amazingly the recording sessions for the album were recorded similarly on the fly, as Beach further states: “The Moonblood recording took place at Whitney’s Studio in Glendale, CA, early in 1971. On a strict budget, these songs were recorded in less than three hours—all of them “one takes.” We played, all 5 of us, simultaneously-- there were no studio effects, no overdubbing or any additional sound effects added. Basically what you hear is considered ‘old school’ recording.”

This workmanlike description in no way prepares one for the pure tortured genius the session wrought. Particularly noteworthy is Beach’s vocals—as commonly stated, the spirit of Jim Morrison is conjured in his deep baritone, which gives way to unparalleled pained howls, at times bathed in delay which trails into the abyss. Fascinatingly enough, Beach cites the much punker Love as his fave LA band over the Doors, and also gives influence-nods to proto-everything rockers The Yardbirds and to Dylan, whose dark word tapestries surely inspired Beach’s lyrics (though lines from The Doors’ “L’America” pop up on the LP) Whatever the case, the man clearly has a vision, as even the stark sleeve concept is Beach’s own. Equally as integral to the Fraction sound is lead guitarist Don Swanson—his blown-out fuzz riffs set a template for what is now commonly known as “stoner rock” or “acid punk,” and his solos consist of jagged, wah-wah-ed shards of notes, with his amplifier clearly pushed to the limit.

Beach says: “Don’s guitar was always my driving force and he did everything he could to keep it over the top. You’d never know that (his sound) was coming from an old, broken down Esquire. Don kept it alive!” The other members contributions shouldn’t be underappreciated though-- drummer Curt Swanson keeps things at a constant simmer, and then boils over when the whole band launches into snarling glory. The band and LP as a whole equals something indescribably intense from start to finish—comparisons to the Detroit late 60s high-energy bands like The Stooges and MC5 abound, as well as the sort of late 60s damaged spirit lurking in biker clubs and disgruntled Vietnam vets. The song cycle on side 1 of the LP in particular cuts to the emotional core, with severely charged dark lyrics like “Extend your thumbs and burn the darkness out of her.” Which brings us to the Christian aspect--it often can confuse listeners. The Fraction/Beach world of religion is complex and perhaps a bit pagan/sinister than most---fire and brimstone, temptation, and the truth-seeker being burned by this hell on earth—or perhaps as Beach himself best put it: “Speaking for myself, as a believer, it’s been a progressive experience since my childhood.

I think we’re all basically driven to live more than religion.” The album was pressed in a run of but a few hundred to little attention in the day, but now inferior bootlegs flood the marketplace, and originals of Moonblood command thousands of dollars. So enjoy this all-inclusive reissue, which also features for the first time on vinyl, 3 lost tracks-- like the more acoustic-minded “prisms” and “dawning light,” as well as the proto-metal choogle of “Intercessor’s Blues.”

Obwohl die Feelies im Laufe der Jahre sechs Alben mit eigenen Songs veröffentlicht haben, sind sie vor allem dafür bekannt, dass sie in ihren langen Zugabensets gerne Cover-Songs spielen. Rewind ist eine Zusammenstellung einiger ihrer Lieblingssongs von den Beatles, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, The Doors und anderen.

Legendary postmodern, post punk, post human, past caring collective Mekons return with a brand-new album for 2025. Their first release on Fire Records, ‘Horror’ a collection of songs written in late 2022 but providing a horribly prescient reflection of the world in its current miasma and how we got here. ‘Horror’ looks at history and the legacies of British imperialism with mashed up lyrics set against a typically eclectic sound that amalgamates everything from dub, country, noise, rock & roll, electronica, punk, music hall, polka and you can even take your partner for a nice waltz on ‘Sad And Sad And Sad’. The roots of their global sound reflect their nomadic journey through time and space from Leeds to California in the West and Siberia in the East and is woven into the fabric and intricacies of their song creation… Sounding like The Chills and R.E.M circa the I.R.S Records years, ‘Mudcrawlers’ sees just about the whole band joining Jon Langford on vocals speaking of Irish famine and refugees journeying to Wales. ‘War Economy’ shivers in the cold of such Boroughs spiked one-liners: “Clinical coercion will not achieve dominance!” Sounding like its straight off a Jenny Holzer neon sign (she of Abuse Of Power Comes As No Surprise), it’s held together by a disgruntled swaggering riff that underpins an explosion of disquiet. Meanwhile, Rico takes the lead on the maliciously luscious ‘Fallen Leaves’ an appalled and appalling Hammer Horror take on climate breakdown reminiscent of Rolling Thunder Dylan, that recalls The Pogues at their most introspective, its Celtic twilightism augmented by Susie Honeyman’s keening violin as the dying sun sinks down and the river Styx flows on in the pitch black night. Almost 50 years in the making, these Mekons continue to astound, their sound, sentiment and method of delivery blended to perfection by bass player and studio wizard, Dave Trumfio. The Mekons are Jon Langford, Sally Timms, Tom Greenhalgh, Dave Trumfio, Susie Honeyman, Rico Bell, Steve Goulding, and Lu Edmonds. "Effortlessly eloquent post-punks" Pitchfork // “The Mekons are still vital” Rolling Stone // “The most revolutionary group in the history of rock ‘n’ roll,” Lester Bangs // UK Tour 8-15 May 2025 (including London, Manchester, Glasgow, and more).

Classic black 2LP in gatefold! "Her darkest, heaviest and most personal album yet . . . a haunting, doomy exercise in loud-quiet dynamics." Rolling Stone Sleep paralysis plagues singer/songwriter Chelsea Wolfe, and that strange intersection of the conscious and the unconscious has inadvertently manifested itself within her work. Across the span of her first four albums, there is an underlying tension, a distorted and nebulous territory where dark shadows hover along the edges of the sublime and the graceful. But until now, Wolfe's trials and tribulations with the boundaries between dreams and reality have only been a subconscious influence on her work. With her fifth album, Abyss, she deliberately confronts those boundaries and crafts a score to that realm she describes as the "hazy afterlife. an inverted thunderstorm. the dark backward. the abyss of time." Chelsea Wolfe's material has always felt intensely private, from the almost voyeuristic bedroom-production aesthetic of her debut album The Grime and the Glow to the stark themes and atmospheres of 2013's Pain Is Beauty. "Abyss is meant to have the feeling of when you're dreaming, and you briefly wake up, but then fall back asleep into the same dream, diving quickly into your own subconscious," says Wolfe. To conjure this in-between world, Wolfe continued her ongoing collaboration with multi-instrumentalist and co-writer Ben Chisholm and drummer Dylan Fujioka, with Ezra Buchla brought on board to play viola and Mike Sullivan (Russian Circles) enlisted to contribute guitar. The ensemble traveled to Dallas, TX to record with producer John Congleton (Swans, St. Vincent). In the back of her mind burned the words of designer Yohji Yamamoto: "Perfection is ugly. Somewhere in the things humans make, I want to see scars, failure, disorder, distortion." The resulting eleven songs reflect that philosophy as they smoulder with human frailty, intimacy, quiet passion, anxiety, and deep longing. "Sleep and dream issues have followed me my whole life," remarks Wolfe as she revisits notes from the writing and recording sessions. In a way, these issues have become a part of Chelsea Wolfe's identity, for whom the notion of sleep as an escape has been subverted. Abyss captures this dichotomy, this battle between the soothing and the upsetting, and demonstrates why Chelsea Wolfe has become one of the most intriguing songwriters of the decade.

A tangle of word and melody, old and new, NIGHTJAR evokes journeys along ghostly paths, country lanes and starlit shorelines, alive with shimmering patterns of a flowing tide. Stories of childhood, of loves and rivalries, fair maidens, cruel sisters and winged sorcerers are interwoven with glimpses of the natural world. NIGHTJAR is Liz Overs' debut solo release, having previously been signed to Atlantic in the late '90s as part of indie-dance crossover band Pocket Size, and she was also lead singer and songwriter for the Sussex-based folk band Chalk Horse Music.
Liz's haunting, unaccompanied version of The Birds in the Spring was featured in Dylan Howitt's award-winning documentary The Nettle Dress, and she performed live at several key screenings of the film in the UK.

Standard weight single black vinyl LP in picture sleeve

Das zweite Album des irischen Bluesrock-Trio jetzt auf Vinyl! 2014 stieg es auf Position 12 in die irischen Albumcharts ein und ist eine brillante Reise voller Blues-Rock Power! Als Nachfolger zu dem 2012 veröffentlichten und von Kritikern vielbeachteten Debüt "Electric Soup"baut das zweite Album der Band, "Rumble Shake" auf diesem Erfolg auf und liefert 10 Bluesrock-Songs aus dem tiefen Süden Irlands. Wahre Geschichten und sündhaft gute Musik mit Gästen wie zum Beispiel der texanischen Legende RAY WYLIE HUBBARD. Aufgenommen wurde das Album in den Westland Studios in Dublin, während das Trio die Historie des Ortes in sich einsog - denn in diesem Studio haben schon Größen wie BOB DYLAN, HORSLIPS und THIN LIZZY ihre Platten machen lassen - und abgemischt in Texas von George Reiff (TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND, THE BAND OF HEATHENS, RAY WYLIE HUBBARD). Christy O'Hanlon (Gitarre, Vocals), Stephen McGrath (Bass) und Gev Barrett (Drums, Background-Gesang, Perkussion) schrieben bis auf "Jessie Mae" (RAY WYLIE HUBBARD) alle Songs selbst und lassen den Bluesrock weiter Unvergänglichkeit atmen, ohne ihn dabei verstaubt klingen zu lassen.

Legendary postmodern, post punk, post human, past caring collective Mekons return with a brand-new album for 2025. Their first release on Fire Records, ‘Horror’ a collection of songs written in late 2022 but providing a horribly prescient reflection of the world in its current miasma and how we got here. ‘Horror’ looks at history and the legacies of British imperialism with mashed up lyrics set against a typically eclectic sound that amalgamates everything from dub, country, noise, rock & roll, electronica, punk, music hall, polka and you can even take your partner for a nice waltz on ‘Sad And Sad And Sad’. The roots of their global sound reflect their nomadic journey through time and space from Leeds to California in the West and Siberia in the East and is woven into the fabric and intricacies of their song creation… Sounding like The Chills and R.E.M circa the I.R.S Records years, ‘Mudcrawlers’ sees just about the whole band joining Jon Langford on vocals speaking of Irish famine and refugees journeying to Wales. ‘War Economy’ shivers in the cold of such Boroughs spiked one-liners: “Clinical coercion will not achieve dominance!” Sounding like its straight off a Jenny Holzer neon sign (she of Abuse Of Power Comes As No Surprise), it’s held together by a disgruntled swaggering riff that underpins an explosion of disquiet. Meanwhile, Rico takes the lead on the maliciously luscious ‘Fallen Leaves’ an appalled and appalling Hammer Horror take on climate breakdown reminiscent of Rolling Thunder Dylan, that recalls The Pogues at their most introspective, its Celtic twilightism augmented by Susie Honeyman’s keening violin as the dying sun sinks down and the river Styx flows on in the pitch black night. Almost 50 years in the making, these Mekons continue to astound, their sound, sentiment and method of delivery blended to perfection by bass player and studio wizard, Dave Trumfio. The Mekons are Jon Langford, Sally Timms, Tom Greenhalgh, Dave Trumfio, Susie Honeyman, Rico Bell, Steve Goulding, and Lu Edmonds. "Effortlessly eloquent post-punks" Pitchfork // “The Mekons are still vital” Rolling Stone // “The most revolutionary group in the history of rock ‘n’ roll,” Lester Bangs // UK Tour 8-15 May 2025 (including London, Manchester, Glasgow, and more).

Motown producer and songwriter Norman Whitfield assembled The Undisputed Truth to further explore the psychedelic soul he had been developing with the Temptations on songs like ‘Cloud Nine’ and ‘Psychedelic Shack’.

Joe Harris, Billie Calvin and Brenda Evans were assembled as the vocal front-line and their first single was ‘Save My Love For A Rainy Day’/’Since I’ve Lost You’ that was released on Gordy in February 1971 and got to #43 on the R&B Chart.

It was followed by ‘Smiling Faces Sometimes’/’You Got The Love I Need’ that was a massive hit single getting to #2 R&B and #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their debut album The Undisputed Truth followed and not only contained all four tracks issued on 7” but an almost interstellar version of ‘Ball Of Confusion (That’s What The World Is Today)’, ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’ as well as a very soulful prowl through Bob Dylan’s ‘Like a Rolling Stone’. Tracks like ‘California Soul’ and ‘Aquarius’ also ticked the psychedelic soul box. All told it was a fantastic debut and sold strongly.

Amazingly this fantastic album has not been repressed since 1972. Thus Ace are delighted to put it back into the record racks pressed on 180gm black vinyl.

21 tracks - pressed on limited edition 180g vinyl.This special LP edition showcases all of Elvis Presley's 1957 rock & roll studio sides

The core group backing him on all sides are Scotty Moore on guitar, Bill Black on bass, and D. J. Fontana on drums, plus The Jordanaireson backing vocals.

All tracks recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood between January and September 1957. Additional musicians to core group: Gordon Stoker (piano) Tiny Timbrell guitar), Dudley Brooks (piano).

When I first heard Elvis' voice, I just knew that I wasn't going to work for anybody; and nobody was going to be my boss. Hearing him for the first time was like busting out of ail." - Bob Dylan

Elvis was a unique artist... an original in an area of imitators." - Mick Jagger

Find all the titles that influenced one of the greatest rock band of all times, on a double vinyl. With: B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Muddy Waters, Sonny By Williamson I... The tracklist was made up by the journalist Lionel Eskenazi, who is a true specialist of the what many consider as the best rock band ever