DENGUE FEVER's debut album was all covers of the cute, romantic
Cambodian pop of the 1960s - Having gotten that out of their systems,
they've followed it with an album of original material that shatters the
language barrier with mildly psychedelic, blissed out pop
On "Tip My Canoe", Zac Holtzman takes a stab at singing in Khmer, laying those
long, mellifluous syllables over a tweaky vamp, as Nimol uses her imposing pipes
to trace accents so dynamic that they sound almost vocodered as she leaps
around her impressive range. "Sni Bong" channels Dick Dale through its verses
and explodes into crunchy garage rock choruses, with a– wait for it– Cambodian
rap bridge. "One Thousand Tears of a Tarantula" pairs sun- baked spaghetti
western guitars with Nimol's clipped, forceful singing, and acoustic ballad
"Hummingbird" closes the album on a quiet note, with Nimol sliding between
English and Khmer. If that fact that Dengue Fever's music has been used in films
as diverse as Jim Jarmusch's Broken Flowers and the John Cusack vehicle Must
Love Dogs isn't proof enough of its potent versatility, then the ease and unity with
which the band conflates idioms should be.
Buscar:cut la roc
Following a live debut at Berghain and standout shows at De School and Institut fuer Zukunft, Daniel Martin-McCormick returns as Relaxer with the fourth installment in the project's eponymous EP series. Jamie Lee' takes over the a-side, harrowing screams are framed by strobing chords and a deadly groove. Simultaneously euphoric, agonizing and cathartic, Jamie Lee' was written as the climax of Relaxer's live set and is a prime example of the artist's uniquely feral techno. Drawing equally on punk confrontations and more haunting emotional explorations, Jamie Lee' is a lacerating and visceral descent.
On the b-side, Unwind' oozes from the speakers, a miasmic cut that builds on the white knuckle tension of Jamie Lee.' A lone synth figure worms its way through pulsating 3D drones, shimmering dissonances and hiccuping drums, rocking out into a quasi catatonic infinity. Finally Regime Change' gently floats on the surface of a trash-filled sea, a fading, smog choked reverie.
By popular demand 1993 now available on a Limited edition vinyl release.
C.M. Toni originally released music on Partners Inc Records for a short spell between 1991 and 1993. The label was inspired by the deep jazzy, soulful US house labels like Nervous, Strictly Rhythm and the NY house scene in general. These previously unreleased tracks were found recently on a tape recorded in 1993. The raw classic sound of 12 bit samplers, drum machines and early synths are all over these lost cuts recorded in the Dollis Hill attic, authentic house music from 1993.
These limited-edition black vinyl versions have been mastered by long-time Who engineer Jon Astley and cut for vinyl by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios with a half-speed mastering technique which produces a superior vinyl cut and are packaged in original sleeves with obi strips and certificates of authenticity.Tommy - Regarded as one of the most important albums of all time, Tommy is a rock opera about a Deaf Dumb and Blind Boy, which, when released in 1969, reached number 2 in the UK charts and #7 in the US. The album contains songs such as “Pinball Wizard”, “The Acid Queen” & “I’m Free” and is packaged in the original sleeve artwork. Sell Out - Released in 1967 Sell Out was the third album released by the Who and is revered for being one of the first concept albums, celebrating the short-lived pirate radio stations of the late 60s with its groundbreaking use of fake adverts and jingles between songs. Highlights include such as “I Can See for Miles”, “Armenia City in the Sky” and “Tattoo”
These limited-edition black vinyl versions have been mastered by long-time Who engineer Jon Astley and cut for vinyl by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios with a half-speed mastering technique which produces a superior vinyl cut and are packaged in original sleeves with obi strips and certificates of authenticity.Tommy - Regarded as one of the most important albums of all time, Tommy is a rock opera about a Deaf Dumb and Blind Boy, which, when released in 1969, reached number 2 in the UK charts and #7 in the US. The album contains songs such as “Pinball Wizard”, “The Acid Queen” & “I’m Free” and is packaged in the original sleeve artwork. Sell Out - Released in 1967 Sell Out was the third album released by the Who and is revered for being one of the first concept albums, celebrating the short-lived pirate radio stations of the late 60s with its groundbreaking use of fake adverts and jingles between songs. Highlights include such as “I Can See for Miles”, “Armenia City in the Sky” and “Tattoo”
- A1: Visitors - Visitors
- A2: Sem Studios - Ivresse
- A3: Des Profondeurs Jesus - L'electrocute
- A4: Les Chats - Bizarre
- A5: The Starlights - Mao Mao
- A6: Basile - Itubo Del Anno
- A7: Chico Magnetic Band - Pop Or Not
- A8: Les Maledictus Sound - Kriminal Theme
- A9: Jesus - Songe Mortuaire
- B1: Basile - Engins Bizarres
- B2: Human Egg - Onomatopaeia
- B3: Les Monegasques - Psychose
- B4: Chris Gallbert - Sing Sing
- B5: Hermans Rockets - Space Woman
- B6: Piranhas - La Turbie Pirhanienne
- B7: Human Egg - Egg
- B8: Les Maledictus Sound - Inside My Brain
- B9: After Life - (Le Secret De) La Vieille Dame (Le Secret De)
Eighteen sacred psychedelic suppositories from the laboratory of mad scientist and scalpel-happy pop mutilator Jean-Pierre Massiera. Includes
the rarest and most sought after fuzz funk, spooked surf and
interplanetary prog from ‘The French Joe Meek’ and all his schizoid splitpersonalities and freakish friends - The Maledictus Sound, Chico
Magnetic Band, Visitors, Human Egg, The Pirhana Sound and Jesus
himself.
Let Finders Keepers introduce you to some old friends of theirs - Charlie Mike Sierra, Jean-Pierre Areisam, JPM and Co. Erik, The Horrific Child, Jesus, Les Maledictus Sound, Human Egg... This might sound like they’re flicking through the imaginary LP racks in the record shop from ‘A Clockwork Orange’ or perhaps congratulating the runners up in a
Halloween fancy dress competition but for the previously uninitiated you
have just been ordained into the congregation of the many split
personalities of one Mr. Jean-Pierre Bernard Massiera. Bow down to the
nine-headed monster as he mutates and shape-shifts back through time
to his humble beginnings in a Buenos Aires province ravaging and
pillaging the music of the European people for his own twisted
benediction along the way.
This might, as intended, sound a little bit dramatic but if there is one
single ingredient that gives the eccentric Jean-Pierre Massiera his
distinct flavour it’s a large dollop of drama. Add sprinklings of
schizophrenia, shock, myth and macabre and you are on the way to a Bmovie broth with an acquired taste that has, like all the best cheese,
taken over thirty years to mature to perfection. Like all the best monsters,
his split personality is the key to his infamy and the secret of his blood
sucking success.
This is why Jean-Pierre Massiera is (un)commonly known for two key
periods in his career which, like a worm, can be split down the middle to
thrive and flourish independently. To cut a long story short, Massiera is,
above all, a lover and purveyor of musique fantastique, and is willing and
able to hijack whichever stylistic vehicle that passes him buy in order to
do feed his lust. In the earlier part of his career he honed his sordid craft
amongst psychedelic circles in Nice and Quebec. From late 1972
onwards he moved to Antibes and started a disco revolution and
became an in demand cosmic record producer. For years, prog rock
obsessives and disco aficionados have wondered if there was two
unrelated freak merchants called Jean-Pierre Massiera but, in this rare
instance, exploito-maniacs from both sides of the cosmic coin are united
by the work of this singular, single-handed monstrous music
manufactory.
Remastered and available once again on deluxe black vinyl since the
initial Finders Keepers limited edition 2009 pressing
Komos presents Soul Unity by Byard Lancaster.'From Sex Machine to A Love Supreme’ was Byard Lancaster’s musical motto.
The saxophonist and flutist from Philadelphia has released cult albums under his own name from the late 60's until his death in 2012 and features on recordings from Larry Young, Doug Hammond, Sunny Murray among other major jazz musicians. He also co-founded the mythical band Sounds of Liberation with his friends Khan Jamal and Monnette Sudler.
Soul Unity is a devotional journey through Great Black Music, from Africa to Coltrane, from Spirituals to Now, searching for the Source behind the forms. It features Byard Lancaster's close friends Khan Jamal from ‘Sounds of Liberation’, Keno Speller from ‘Lafayette Afro-Rock Band’, Alfie Pollitt, former musical director for Teddy Pendergrass and Men On A Mission, a Gospel quartet.
Produced by Antoine Rajon, now A&R of Komos, it was recorded in one take on a sunny Saturday afternoon of 2005 in Philadelphia at Morning Star Studios. First vinyl edition, remastered and cut by Frank Merritt at The Carvery.
Soul icon Otis Redding made immeasurable contributions to the form. As a singer-
songwriter, producer, arranger and talent scout, Redding was responsible for some of the
music’s biggest and most lasting hits during the 1960s, though his death in an airplane crash
in 1967 brought his life and career to a tragically premature end. He was born Otis Redding
Junior in 1941 in the small town of Dawson, Georgia, the son of a sharecropper and preacher,
and moved to the city of Macon at the age of two, where he learned to sing at the Vineville
Baptist Church. After singing in the high school band, he performed weekly gospel songs on
radio station WIBB, winning local talent contests after being inspired by Little Richard and
Sam Cooke. Since his father became ill with tuberculosis, Redding began supporting the
family at the age of 15, working as a gas station attendant, a digger of water wells, and
occasionally by playing piano with pianist Gladys Williams at the Hillview Springs Social
Club. Then, in 1958, Redding had a repeat prize run at a talent contest held by broadcaster
Hamp Swain, bringing him first into a group called Pat T Cake and the Mighty Panthers, and
later into Little Richard’s band (during a time when Richard switched rock and roll for
gospel). Moving to Los Angeles in late 1960, debut single “She’s All Right” was issued on
the Trans World label (a subsidiary of Al Kavelin’s Lute Records), credited to The Shooters
featuring Otis; following the birth of their first child and his subsequent marriage to Zelma
Atwood, Redding recorded the popular “Shout Bamalam” for Macon’s Confederate Records
(who swiftly reissued it on the Orbit label since some radio stations objected to the original
label’s confederate flag logo, during a time of terrible racial segregation in the South).
Redding cut the movingly emotive “These Arms Of Mine” at Stax studios in Memphis in
1962, backed by Booker T and the MGs, which surfaced on the subsidiary Volt label in
October, reaching the charts some six months later (and eventually selling a reported 800,000
copies). Subsequent singles “What My Heart Needs” and “Pain In My Heart”/“Something Is
Worrying Me,” recorded in September 1963, formed the bulk of debut album, Pain In My
Heart, which was padded out by standard cover tunes of songs such as “I Need Your Lovin’,”
Ben E King’s “Stand By Me” and Little Richard’s “Lucille.” The album, which surfaced at
the start of 1964, reached the top 20 of the US R&B chart and also hit the Billboard Hot 100;
this edition has an alternate track listing that includes the Trans World debut single tracks
“She’s All Right” and “Getting’ Hip,” as well as “Mary Had A Little Lamb,” the B-side to
“That’s What My Heart Needs.” Carefully remastered, spinning at 45 rpm for enhanced qudio quality.
Percussionist Frank Ricotti played in the National Youth Orchestra and was rated the UK’s top vibraphonist during the late 1960s. In 1971, with guitarist Mike de Albuquerque, he cut the multifaceted jazz album, First Wind, which alternated between experimental rock-
influenced jazz and thoughtful adaptations of work by James Taylor, John Sebastian and Melanie Safka, with some surprising blues diversions too, such as Albuquerque’s “Go Out And Get It.” However, Albuquerque soon joined ELO as a bassist, putting an end to the duo.
- A1: Money Won't Change You
- A2: It's Bad
- A3: Good Thing
- A4: Best Of Luck To You
- A5: That's What I Get
- A6: That's The Sound Of My Heart
- A7: How Long Must I Wait For You
- B1: Foxy Mama
- B2: Look A Little Higher
- B3: I Take What I Want
- B4: She's Got To Be Loved
- B5: Just A Dream
- B6: To Love Me Like You Do
- B7: There's Gonna Be A Better Day Coming
Perhaps the best Soul / Funk LP Athens of the North has ever released and you know we have high standards, not one filler and mostly unreleased tracks – Essential LP
The Up Tights were formed by Henry Bradley in Forrest City, Arkansas in March of 1967 while most of the band members were attending Lincoln High School.They took their name from the Stevie Wonder song "Uptight - Everything's Alright." Playing at school functions, they quickly branched out to playing bigger shows and headlined the 1968 St. Francis County Fair in Forrest City.
The Up Tights first recorded for Action Records in Memphis as Noble and the Up Tights. The 45 featured an original song by singer, Izear "Ike" Noble Jr. titled "Don't Worry About It."
Henry Bradley was drafted into Vietnam in 1968. He served in the 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. While he was away, the Up Tights continued with Henry's brother, Arthur, taking over all the guitar duties. The band also hired a manager named John Mitchell. In 1968, the band met Joe Lee, who owned Variety recording studio in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
For the band's first recordings at Variety, Lee chose two originals by Noble titled "Look a Little Higher" and an updated version of "Just a Dream" which Lee released on his Alley Records label in 1968. Lee continued to record the band over the next several months. He liked to experiment in the studio and produced many versions of the group's original songs, adjusting the mix and adding elements to each unique take.
For the group's second Alley release, they appeared simply as Ike Noble on the record label. Lee brought in a local songwriter named Charles "Jamie" Holmes, who had previously written for Alley records and Joe Keene's studio in Kennett, Missouri
The resulting 45 from this collaboration was "It's Bad" backed with "That's What I Get," two Holmes originals. Another Holmes original was unreleased at the time, but available here titled "There's Gonna Be a Better Day Coming." Stax Records was interested in signing the group and wanted to re-cut "It's Bad" at their studio, but ultimately the label passed since they generally had a policy of working with Memphis based groups.
As the band grew in popularity, they began appearing with and competing with Memphis legends, the Bar-Kays. The group's biggest show in Arkansas was an opening slot at Barton Coliseum, one of the largest venues in the state, in Little Rock in mid-1969. As a result, the band was offered a spot on George Klein's "Talent Party" television show on WHBQ in Memphis in July of 1969..... Further Sleeve notes on back of the LP
Sean Thompson's Weird Ears self-titled full-length debut centers the
seasoned singer-songwriter/guitarist in the immediacy of he present
moment - Born and raised in Nashville, Thompson cut his teeth playing in
a slew of projects around the city's rock, folk, and experimental scenes
both as creative collaborator and session player, spanning from the
experimental math-rock of Gnarwhal to the psychedelic country rock of
Teddy & the Rough Riders, Promised Land Sound, or Skyway Man, to
more Recently joining singer-songwriter Erin Rae as a one-man-righthand band
When asked about the connective throughline in his projects, Thompson doesn't
hesitate: "From Gnarwhal to now, I've always wanted to make something that
feels alive." Taking equal inspiration from the improvisational grooves of the
Grateful Dead as well as the craft of songwriters like JJ Cale & Joni Mitchell,
Thompson's songwriting debut marks the arrival of a unique voice grounded by
wide-reaching, generous ears.
Grant-Lee Phillips' new album, All That You Can Dream, is a turbulent and
highly musical rumination that finds the veteran singer-songwriter
addressing the strange fragility of life
The collection of songs bears the markings of his prolific output, a melodic
prowess and an ear for lyric in everyday conversation. Comparable to the works
Low or Duster, Phillips offers a salve to a wounded world, struggling to regain
equilibrium. This is Grant- Lee Phillips at his most reflective, wrestling with the
most pertinent of questions. Focusing on life in quarantine ("A Sudden Place,"
"Cruel Trick") and the ever-shifting political landscape ("Rats in a Barrel," "Cut to
the Ending"), this collection shows that Phillips remains one of the finest singersongwriters of our time.
- A1: California Girls
- D3: Wild Honey
- D4: Darlin
- D5: I Can Hear Music
- D6: Good Vibrations
- A2: I Get Around
- A3: Surfin' Safari
- A4: Surfin' Usa
- A5: Fun, Fun, Fun
- A6: Surfer Girl
- A7: Don't Worry Baby
- A8: Little Deuce Coupe
- B1: Shut Down
- B2: Help Me, Rhonda
- B3: E True To Your School (Single Version)
- B4: When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) (To Be A Man)
- B5: In My Room
- B6: God Only Knows
- B7: Loop John B
- B8: Couldn't It Be Nice
- C1: Getcha Back
- C2: Come Go With Me
- C3: Rock & Roll Music
- C4: Dance, Dance, Dance
- C5: Barbara Ann
- C6: Do You Wanna Dance?
- C7: Heroes & Villains
- C8: Good Timin
- D1: Kokomo
- D2: Do It Again
Expanded Edition[176,43 €]
Black Vinyl[9,12 €]
Blue Vinyl[10,29 €]
Black Vinyl[34,24 €]
Translucent Blue vinyl[35,92 €]
"To kick off the yearlong celebration and provide the perfect summer soundtrack, Capitol Records and UMe will release a newly remastered and expanded edition of The Beach Boys career-spanning greatest hits collection, Sounds Of Summer: The Very Best Of The Beach Boys, on June 17. Originally released in 2003, the album soared to no. 16 in the US and stayed on the chart for 104 weeks. Now certified 4x platinum for sales of nearly four and a half million albums, the collection has been updated in both number of songs and audio quality, expanding the original 30-track best of with 50 more of the band’s most beloved songs for a total of 80 tracks that span their earliest hits to deeper fan-favorite cuts and from their 1962 debut album, Surfin’ Safari through to 1989’s Still Cruisin’.
Assembled by Mark Linett and Alan Boyd, the team behind 2013's GRAMMY® Award-winning SMiLE Sessions and last year’s acclaimed boxed set, Feel Flows – The Sunflower and Surf's Up Sessions 1969-1971, Sounds Of Summer features nearly every US Top 40 hit of The Beach Boys’ incredible career, including “California Girls,” “I Get Around,” “Surfer Girl,” “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” “Fun, Fun, Fun,” “God Only Knows,” “Good Vibrations,” “Be True To Your School,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “Kokomo,” “Barbara Ann,” “Help Me, Rhonda,” “In My Room,” and many others. Fifty additional tracks showcase a broad mix of songs from across their wide-ranging catalog with some of the many highlights including “All Summer Long,” “Disney Girls,” “Forever,” “Feel Flows,” “Friends,” “Roll Plymouth Rock,” “Sail on Sailor,” “Surf’s Up,” and “Wind Chimes.”
The collection boasts 24 new mixes including two first-time stereo mixes, plus 22 new-and-improved stereo mixes, which in some cases feature the latest in digital stereo extraction technology, allowing for the team to separate the original mono backing tracks for the first time.
The expanded edition of Sounds Of Summer will be available in a variety of formats, including a 3CD softpack, and as a Super Deluxe Edition 6LP vinyl boxed set on 180-gram black vinyl in two options – a standard set or a numbered, limited edition version featuring a rainbow foil slipcase and four collectible lithographs. Both versions will feature color printed sleeves that replicate the original “Capitol Catalog” sleeves that highlight the entire Beach Boys discography, and all formats will include a booklet with new liner notes and updated photos. The original 30-track version will also be available in its newly remastered and upgraded form on single CD or double gatefold LP on standard weight vinyl or as a higher-end limited edition numbered version pressed on 180-gram vinyl with a tip-on jacket and a lithograph. "
Side A / Double A / You Feel Alright?
Double A returns for a sample heavy b-boy breaks workout with “You Feel Alright?”. This one’s a nod to his roots in late 80’s hip-hop; an à la Prince Paul cut and paste homage to a time when hip-hop was still for the dancers. There’s also a sneaky “whaddup?” to his fellow oldschool D&B heads in the breakdown. The main sample is 1970s
Afro-funk gold; horns, horns, and more horns. Bangin’ drums and a rolling baseline tie it all together for the dance floor.
Side AA / The Gaff / High Life
Party rocker, turntablist, edit maestro, all-round good dude, and Canadian National Treasure, The Gaff smashes a heavy afro-funk edit with a b-boy feel on this one. Knockin’ drums, syncopated percussion, and a house(ish) tempo make this one a guaranteed floor filler. A smattering of male vocals is the icing on the cake here too. Dj-friendly intro and outro for your mixing pleasure. A must for your crates.
Second Sub Pop album by acclaimed UK act TV Priest finds them building on the
post-punk of their early material and maturing into a powerhouse of tense, politically
caustic, and thoughtful rock music.
Without a brutal evaluation of their own becoming, TV Priest might have never made
their second album. Heralded as the next big thing in post-punk, they were
established as a bolshy, sharp-witted outfit, the kind that starts movements with their
political ire. There was of course truth in that, but it was a suit that quickly felt heavy
on its wearer’s shoulders, leaving little room for true vulnerability. “A lot of it did feel
like I was being really careful and a bit at arm's length,” says vocalist Charlie
Drinkwater. “I think maybe I was not fully aware of the role I was taking. I had to take
a step back and realize that what we were presenting was quite far away from the
opinion of myself that I had. Now, I just want to be honest.”
Having made music together since their teenage years, the London four-piece piqued
press attention in late 2019 with their first gig as a newly solidified group, a raucous
outing in the warehouse district of Hackney Wick. Debut single ‘House of York’
followed with a blistering critique of monarchist patriotism, and they were signed to
Sub Pop for their debut album. When ‘Uppers’ arrived in the height of a global
pandemic, it reaped praise from critics and fans alike for its “dystopian doublespeak,”
but the band - Drinkwater, guitarist Alex Sprogis, producer, bass and keys player Nic
Bueth and drummer Ed Kelland - were at home like the rest of us, drinking cups of
tea and marking time via government-sanctioned daily exercise. As such, the
personal and professional landmark of its release felt “both colossal and minuscule”
dampened by the inability to share it live. “It was a real gratification and really
cathartic, but on the other hand, it was really strange, and not great for my mental
health,” admits Drinkwater. “I wasn’t prepared, and I hadn’t necessarily expected it to
reach as many people as it did.”
As such, ‘My Other People’ maintains a strong sense of earth-rooted emotion, taking
advantage of the opportunity to physically connect. Using ‘Saintless’ (the closing
song from ‘Uppers’) as something of a starting point, Drinkwater set about crafting
lyrics that allowed him to articulate a deeper sense of personal truth, using music as
a vessel to communicate with his bandmates about his depleting mental health.
“Speaking very candidly, it was written at a time and a place where I was not, I would
say, particularly well,” he says. “There was a lot of things that had happened to
myself and my family that were quite troubling moments. Despite that I do think the
record has our most hopeful moments too; a lot of me trying to set myself reminders
for living, just everyday sentiments to try and get myself out of the space I was in.”
“It was a bit of a moment for all of us where we realised that we can make something
that, to us at least, feels truly beautiful,” agrees Bueth. “Brutality and frustration are
only a part of that puzzle, and despite a lot of us feeling quite disconnected at the
time, overwhelmingly beautiful things were also still happening.”
This tension between existential fear born from the constant uncertainties of life, and
an affirmative, cathartic urge to seize the moment, is central to ‘My Other People’, a
record that heals by providing space for recognition, a ground zero in which you’re
welcome to stay awhile but which ultimately only leads up and out. For TV Priest, it is
a follow-up that feels truly, properly them; free of bravado, unnecessary bluster or
any audience pressure to commit solely to their original sound.
- A1: Signe" (Eric Clapton) - 3:13
- A2: Before You Accuse Me" (Ellas Mcdaniel) - 3:36
- A3: Hey Hey" (Big Bill Broonzy) - 3:24
- A4: Tears In Heaven" (Clapton, Will Jennings) - 4:34
- B1: Lonely Stranger" (Clapton) - 5:28
- B2: Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out" (Jimmy Cox)
- B3: Layla" (Clapton, Jim Gordon) - 4:46
- B4: Running On Faith" (Jerry Lynn Williams) - 6:35
- C1: Walkin' Blues" (Robert Johnson) - 3:37
- C2: Alberta" (Traditional) - 3:42
- C3: San Francisco Bay Blues" (Jesse Fuller) - 3:23
- D1: Malted Milk" (Robert Johnson) - 3:36
- D2: Old Love" (Clapton, Robert Cray) - 7:53
- D3: Rollin' & Tumblin'" (Muddy Waters) - 4:10
Strictly limited to 10,000 numbered copies, pressed on MoFi SuperVinyl at RTI, and mastered from the original master tapes, Mobile Fidelity's ultra-hi-fi UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP collector's edition enhances the blockbuster work for today – and the ages to come. Surpassing the sonics of any prior version, it peels away any remaining limitations to provide a transparent, lively, ultra-nuanced presentation of a record that won six Grammy Awards – including prizes for Album of the Year, Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, and Best Rock Song. The expanse and depth of the soundstage, fullness of tones, natural snap and extension of the guitar strings, realistic rise and decay of individual notes, and roll of Clapton's vocals all attain demonstration-grade levels.
Housed in a deluxe box, the UD1S Unplugged pressing features special foil-stamped jackets and faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendor of the recording and the reissue's premium quality. No expense has been spared. Aurally and visually, this UD1S reissue exists as a curatorial artifact meant to be preserved, touched, and examined. It is made for discerning listeners that prize sound quality and production, and who desire to fully immerse themselves in the art – and everything involved with the album, from the images to the finishes.
Truly, everything about Unplugged matters. Having sold more than 10 million copies in the U.S. and more than 26 million copies worldwide, the 1992 work resonates with listeners of all generations and speaks a universal language. Recorded for MTV before a very small audience on January 16, 1992, the 14-track set became the signpost for future acoustic-based endeavours that witnessed artists of all stripes re-examining their catalogues and, in many instances, as Clapton does here, placing familiar originals in fresh contexts and unveiling spirited versions of cover material. Needless to say, Clapton's session turned MTV's series into can't-miss programming for which the likes of Rod Stewart, Tony Bennett, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and more would soon participate.
Kicking off his performance with a spirited instrumental to establish the mood, Clapton immediately wades into the style that originally caught his attention as a British teenager in the early 1960s: American blues. Backed by a superb band that includes guitarist Andy Fairweather Low, pianist Chuck Leavell, bassist Nathan East, and drummer Steve Ferrone, Slowhand delivers a rhythmic, toe-tapping rendition of Bo Diddley's "Before You Accuse Me" that announces he's come to reconnect with his muse. What follows over the course of nearly the next hour stirs the heart, shakes the soul, moves the mind, and invigorates the senses.
Of course, there's no talking about Unplugged without keying in on "Tears in Heaven," the striking ballad Clapton penned about the death of his four-year-old son. More emotional, direct, spare, and healing than the studio version released a year prior, it crackles with an intimacy, maturity, poignancy, honesty, sweetness, and integrity that inform the entire concert. Indeed, how Clapton frames other favorites here – transforming "Layla" into a relaxed, comfortable stroll and ruminating on the seasoned ripples flowing throughout "Old Love," for example – indicate both a creative rebirth and gleeful acceptance of the next phase of his career.
And that very direction (two of Clapton's next three albums would be all-blues projects) is what really makes Unplugged so indispensable. Equivalent in mastery if not in volume to the output that earned him his "God" nickname, interpretations of Jesse Fuller's "San Francisco Bay Blues" (complete with kazoo!), Big Bill Broonzy's "Hey Hey," Robert Johnson's "Walkin' Blues" and "Malted Milk," and Muddy Waters' "Rollin' & Tumblin'" showcase a learned professor in his element and all the wheels turning.
In every regard, Clapton's Unplugged session was appointment listening when it came out in August 1992. With the arrival of MoFi's UD1S pressing, that sensation is more urgent than before.
More About Mobile Fidelity UltraDisc One-Step and Why It Is Superior
Instead of utilizing the industry-standard three-step lacquer process, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's new UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S) uses only one step, bypassing two processes of generational loss. While three-step processing is designed for optimum yield and efficiency, UD1S is created for the ultimate in sound quality. Just as Mobile Fidelity pioneered the UHQR (Ultra High-Quality Record) with JVC in the 1980s, UD1S again represents another state-of-the-art advance in the record-manufacturing process. MFSL engineers begin with the original master tapes and meticulously cut a set of lacquers. These lacquers are used to create a very fragile, pristine UD1S stamper called a "convert." Delicate "converts" are then formed into the actual record stampers, producing a final product that literally and figuratively brings you closer to the music. By skipping the additional steps of pulling another positive and an additional negative, as done in the three-step process used in standard pressings, UD1S produces a final LP with the lowest noise floor possible today. The removal of the additional two steps of generational loss in the plating process reveals tremendous amounts of extra musical detail and dynamics, which are otherwise lost due to the standard copying process. The exclusive nature of these very limited pressings guarantees that every UD1S pressing serves as an immaculate replica of the lacquer sourced directly from the original master tape. Every conceivable aspect of vinyl production is optimized to produce the most perfect record album available today.
MoFi SuperVinyl
Developed by NEOTECH and RTI, MoFi SuperVinyl is the most exacting-to-specification vinyl compound ever devised. Analog lovers have never seen (or heard) anything like it. Extraordinarily expensive and extremely painstaking to produce, the special proprietary compound addresses two specific areas of improvement: noise floor reduction and enhanced groove definition. The vinyl composition features a new carbonless dye (hold the disc up to the light and see) and produces the world's quietest surfaces. This high-definition formula also allows for the creation of cleaner grooves that are indistinguishable from the original lacquer. MoFi SuperVinyl provides the closest approximation of what the label's engineers hear in the mastering lab.
SACD
Mastered from the original master tapes, Mobile Fidelity's numbered hybrid SACD enhances the blockbuster work for today – and the ages to come. Peeling away remaining sonic limitations to provide a transparent, lively, ultra-nuanced presentation of a record that won six Grammy Awards (including prizes for Album of the Year, Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, and Best Rock Song), it places Clapton and company in your room. The expanse and depth of the soundstage, fullness of tones, natural snap and extension of the guitar strings, realistic rise and decay of individual notes, and roll of Clapton's vocals all attain demonstration-grade levels. A perennial audiophile favourite, Unplugged now tosses its hat into the ring as a demonstration disc.
Prince Jazzbo started his career at Studio One before moving on to record for Glen Brown and Bunny Lee. He cut more classics with Lee Perry before establishing his own labels ‘Mr Funny’ ‘Ujama’ ‘Brisco’ and ‘Count 123’.
Rally Round Zion only appeared on a very limited run on the Wildflower label and has always had a cult status with collectors. An authentic roots tune with a deep Tubbys dub on the flip side. This is the first time it has been re-pressed. Comes in a hand stamped bag. Killer no filler!!
40-plus years since its original release, the pop-punk-new wave inventions of Anthony
Moore’s ‘Flying Doesn’t Help’ are freshly remastered, blasting the sparkling, angular
sounds into today with perfect vitality.
After spending the early years of the 1970s making experimental music first as a solo
artist, then with Slapp Happy and Henry Cow, 1976’s ‘OUT’ sessions had reinvigorated
Anthony’s youthful love of the naive pop melodies of pop radio, the undeniable excitement
of songs. While ‘OUT’ ultimately went unreleased at the time, the iconoclasm clouding the
late ’70s air was addictive and transformative for Anthony. England seemed to be roiled
as violently as it had been in counter-cultural days a decade earlier; the UK pop charts
breathlessly reflected the changing spectrum with equal parts aging hippie and prog
delicacies alongside new ascendant sounds: rough-hewn pub and punk rock, plus dub
reggae and disco and ska and Stiff and Krautrock. This proved to be an ideal environment
for Anthony to make records by exploring, as he puts it, the “deep connection between
minimalism, repetition, working with tape and celluloid and forming the modules of a
three-minute pop song.”
Caught up in a no-holds-barred era, Anthony was more than happy to play the out-of-hishead madman, raving through outrageous exchanges with the press, while ‘Judy Get
Down’ received Single Of The Week honours from the NME (with review penned by Brian
Eno). Represented by Blackhill Enterprises, Anthony did production work throughout
1978-1979, on Kevin Ayers’ ‘Rainbow Takeaway’, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band’s ‘Angel
Station’ and the first This Heat album, meanwhile cutting his own songs on a dead time
deal at Workhouse Studio with engineer / producer Laurie Latham. Through the wee
hours of countless nights, the two pieced together ‘Flying Doesn’t Help’, with a little help
from friends (an inspired bunch, including Bob Shilling, Charles Hayward, Chris Slade,
Robert Vogel, Festus, Matt Irving, Sam Harley, Bernie Clark, Edwin Cross and Martine
Moore on the telephone).
Building upon the axis of pop and experimental impulses that distinguished ‘OUT’, and
informed further by the raw sensibilities exploding everywhere, ‘Flying Doesn’t Help’
blasts out of the speakers with its own unique blend of sophistication and aggression,
Anthony’s keyboard flashes between arpeggiations and outright stabs among the noise of
slicing guitars, funk basslines and the reverbed blare of the drumkit. Opening with
Anthony’s greatest hit, ‘Judy Get Down’, and containing a noise-laden remake of the
Slapp Happy/Henry Cow number, ‘War’, among other delightful sweet-and-salty
confections, ‘Flying Doesn’t Help’ never stops moving, fuelled with raw outrage and dark
satirical intent, churning with the energy of next-gen types like Tubeway Army and DEVO,
while shimmering with the elegance of the still-challenging old guard types, like Cale and
Bowie.
Clearly, ‘Flying Doesn’t Help’ was steeped in the time, and the original release reflected a
deep mistrust of the corporation mindset. Information was a dubious concept, and
connections to any recognizable organization were seen as untrustworthy, so facts like
musician credits were left out of the package, and even Anthony’s name was altered (he
was credited as A. More on the album and Tony More on a single release). The label
name QUANGO was conceptual as well, standing for ‘Quasi Autonomous NonGovernmental Organization’; each record was sealed with red tape that the listener was
required to cut through in order to get to the music. Rather than recreate the conditions of
the original release of ‘Flying Doesn’t Help’, this reissue instead embraces the changed
environment of the current time and place: instead of no credits, now they are complete,
with Anthony’s full name restored and even the artwork subtly ‘relocated’ to reflect a new
set of relationships. All of which brings the forward-looking sounds of ‘Flying Doesn’t Help’
into the more independent-minded 21st Century syntax where it belongs.
"The dazzling symphonic album he always threatened to produce" UNCUT 5/5
"A soulful symphonic masterpiece" ROLLING STONE
Originally released in Japan only on CD in 2002, Plush's Fed lives up to the cult-like adulation it has garnered ever since. A stunning symphony of Bacharach-inspired pop, Toussaint-swing andMelody Nelson-era-Gainsbourg, it's an album bound together by Liam Hayes' maverick genius, an uncompromising Brian Wilson-esque quest for sonic perfection. Positively indulgent in every way, this sumptuous record has long deserved to be treated to a deluxe vinyl edition. Lovingly overseen by Hayes and recent collaborator Pat Sansone (Wilco/The Autumn Defense), it will finally be available on the format it should've always been, this Record Store Day 2018. Remastered and presented as a double LP - cut specially at 45rpm - it comes housed in a beautiful gatefold jacket with expanded artwork throughout.
Its expansive, singular vision infamously took years to realise, involving Earth Wind & Fire's horn arranger (the legendary Tom Tom MMLXXXIV) amongst other elite personnel. Recorded with five different engineers (including Steve Albini and John McEntire), Hayes meticulously extracted every ounce of pop from each note. A long list of renowned studio ringers (including soul drummer Morris Jennings) and Chicago regulars (McEntire, Rizzo, Parker) among many others provide playing of demonstrably professional precision. As such, Hayes' complex, meandering melodies are rendered far more coherent and satisfying than they otherwise might have appeared, bringing his epic, anguished pop to a rarely seen level of perfection and depth. This unstinting dedication to the overarching vision was rewarded handsomely - artistically, at least.
However, as might have been expected, his deluxe approach resulted in a bill too steep for any American or European label to ultimately support. It has since seemed unlikely that it would see the light of day on either side of the Atlantic. Yet we were determined not to allow Hayes' lifetime achievement to go unnoticed or let music fans across the world miss out on one of the finest albums of this century.
A wide-eyed opus of stunning intensity, Fed oozes Hayes' impeccable influences without ever becoming overwhelmed by them. Incredibly, it touches upon Blaxploitation soul, Boz Scaggs-soft-rock, hints of jazz and blues, timeless baroque and skewed pop. In one long minute, the stabbing, soulful "So Blind" moves through five different melodic segments, horns shift easily from haunting backdrop to explosive forefront, smoothly giving way to strings as Hayes' voice casts its bewitching spell. The ambitious soul of "Having It All" has been described as the diffident cousin of Marvin Gaye's "Save The Children" whilst the breezy "Greyhound Bus Station" is pure 70s AM Gold, evoking the easy warmth of Jimmy Webb's beloved Land's End period. The sublime resignation of "No Education", a beautifully slow number that begins, "Never read a book in my life/ But I feel just fine" is post-rock ballad heaven. Arriving towards the end, the title track arrives as a majestic suite, moving from a horn-and-guitar-led instrumental via shifting melodies to Hayes' compelling vocal bursts.
An album of such brilliance, Fed can comfortably sit alongside such staggering statement pieces as David Bowie's Young Americans, Randy Newman's 12 Songs or Harry Nilsson's Nilsson Schmilsson. Indeed, for all the sprawling elements that went in - lengthy guitar builds, exploding horn sections, solemn strings, female backup chorus - it is a deeply personal and original record. Employing a distinct "more is more" aesthetic, he demonstrates remarkable restraint in producing an album of such intimacy. "My creation has drowned me," he memorably sings on languid opener "Whose Blues", yet he navigates the shifting styles and ideas with enviable ease.
For the label’s next release, the team at Leng Records has decided to offer-up something a little bit different: a 12” compilation of little-known and hard-to-find Balearic gems selected by friend of the label Paul Beckett.
Plucked from the dusty corners of his collection, the five tracks on show are quietly colourful, tactile and musically rich excursions that effortlessly blur the boundaries between genres and sound terrific blasting from speakers on a humid Mediterranean or Adriatic afternoon.
First up is Ray & John’s languid, subtly disco-tinged ‘Day By Day (Instrumental)’, which originally featured on the flipside of the Italian duo’s sole single from 1984. Rich in rubbery bass guitar, sequenced synth-bass, sharp disco guitar licks, Fairlight stabs, dreamy chords and occasional chanted vocals, it sounds like Please-era Pet Shop Boys reclining at a Rimini pool party after copious amounts of happy pills.
It’s followed by Angel’o’s ‘Angelo’, a turn-of-the-80s gem picked from the band’s long-forgotten album, Dream Machine. Marked out by warming electric piano motifs, squelchy synth-bass and hazy lead vocals, the track successfully mixes krautrock and space rock sounds with the then fresh sound of synth-pop.
Next up is All Trouvee’s ‘Darling’, a thoroughly overlooked 1987 single whose minimalistic sleeve artwork lists each of the now-classic – and then cutting edge – synthesizers used to make the sun-soaked blend of mid-80s synth disco, AOR pop and sunset-ready jazz-funk piano solos.
Equally as impactful is Angel’s ‘Tomorrow Night’, a classic – if little-known – chunk of glossy, laidback synth-pop from 1980 that sounds like something you’d hear on AM radio stations in the early hours of the morning. Its’ sound – all delay-laden Linn drums, synth-horns, Nile Rodgers style guitar licks and echoing lead lines – was actually far sighted for the time but would become more familiar to listeners as synth-pop boomed in the mid 1980s. Those who buy the digital version of the EP will also have access to a longer, club-style mix as well as the short version featured on the 12”.
Rounding off a fine package is ‘Feeling Action’ by Eggs Time, a deliciously warm and woozy chunk of fretless bass-sporting Italian pop/West Coast jazz-rock fusion plucked from a real since of buried treasure: an Italian compilation called – for reasons that aren’t clear – Moby Dick. There’s certainly a tinge of both yacht rock and blue-eyed soul about the track’s gorgeous blend of FM synth sounds, eyes-closed jazz guitar solos, unfussy beats and sweet female lead vocals. It provides a fittingly horizontal finish to a collection packed to the rafters with long-overlooked, sun-baked treats.




















