Theatrical rocker Arthur Brown gained notoriety and fame in equal measure through ‘Fire,’ an anthem to their pyrotechnic excess. When his backing musicians quit to form Atomic Rooster, Brown formed Kingdom Come to further explore the nexus of music and theatre and of the series of albums they cut for Polydor, Journey is the strangest and greatest. Stretching to the deepest reaches of space rock, Journey used the Bentley Rhythm Ace drum machine, and Victor Peraino’s synths, theremin and mellotron, to chart the astral records of history. This is Brown’s true masterpiece, an astounding record that was aeons ahead of its time.
The core membership of free jazz act The Trio ensured its output was captivating, comprised as it was of double-bassist Barre Phillips, who had played with Archie Shepp, Chris McGregor, and Gong; saxophonist John Surman, who had played with John McLaughlin, Lester Bowie, and Alexis Korner; and drummer Stu Martin, who had played with Count Basie, Donald Byrd and Herbie Hancock. On the gripping sophomore set Conflagration, guest players include Chick Corea and trumpeter Harry Beckett, ensuring their take on abstract jazz contains melody as well as jarring exchanges. Another great Trio free jazz set!
Introducing "Azerbaijani Gitara vol. 2" by Rəhman Məmmədli, the eagerly awaited sequel to Bongo Joe’s acclaimed debut featuring Rüstəm Quliyev. Born from the vibrant streets of Baku, Azerbaijani gitara culture has evolved into a mesmerizing fusion of indigenous traditions and global influences. From the oil boom era to Soviet rule, musicians have embraced the electric guitar as a symbol of cultural expression.
Rəhman Məmmədli, a legend in his own right, revolutionized the sound with his innovative techniques and impassioned performances. Drawing inspiration from mugham music, Məmmədli's compositions resonate with soul-stirring melodies and electrifying solos.
Join us as we honor the pioneers of Azerbaijani gitara culture while celebrating the continued evolution of this rich musical tradition. "Azerbaijani Gitara vol. 2" promise to captivate listeners with its depth, diversity, and unbridled passion, inviting you on a journey through the heart and soul of Azerbaijan's musical heritage.
Beinahe 50 Jahre lang war Johnny Hodges der vielleicht wichtigste Solist im Orchester von Duke Ellington. Parallel unternahm der Altsaxophonist natürlich auch immer wieder erfolgreiche Soloausflüge, so wie 1958 auf dem Verve-Album “Blues A-Plenty”. Mit einem All-Star-Septett, in dem gleich vier weitere prominente Ellington-Musiker versammelt waren, präsentiert Hodges hier neben fünf eigenen Kompositionen u.a. auch zwei Nummern aus der Feder seines Bosses
Fresh from their US tour supporting Black Sabbath, Brooklyn-based heavy metal trio Sir Lord Baltimore expanded to a quartet for the recording of their self-titled sophomore album, released by Mercury in late 1971. The new addition was uitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Joey Dambra, brother of guitarist co-founder, Louis Dambra, adding a dual-guitar element to their hefty sound. The album begins with the epic “Man From Manhattan,” a symbolic allegory of a resurrected Christian icon in a new setting; in contrast, “Where Are We Going” captured the rawness of the group in live glory and “Chicago Lives” a twin-guitar attack. Somehow, the band did not survive long after its release, though Joey later recorded with John Lennon; this reissue spins at 45 RPM for maximum fidelity.
Jazz-infused prog rock act Catapilla began in London in 1970, with saxophonists Robert Calvert (who later worked with Daevid Allen in various Gong spin-off projects) and Hugh Eaglestone, bassist Dave Taylor (of chart-topping pop act Edison Lighthouse, and later active in hard-rock group, Liar), along with drummer Malcolm Frith, guitarist Graham Wilson and clarinet player/flautist, Thierry Rheinhardt; original vocalist ‘Lady’ Jo Meek quit early (to work with the keyboardist, poet and science fiction author, Julian Jay Savarin) and was duly replaced by her sister, Anna, whose gutsy gasps gave the band its noteworthy difference, along with the woodwinds and horns. Former Millionaires’ bassist Cliff Cooper (who had worked with producer Joe Meek before founding Orange Amplifiers), brought Catapilla to the attention of Black Sabbath’s manager, Patrick Meehan, who swiftly got them a contract with Vertigo, Philips’ prog subsidiary; this self-titled debut has four freaky tracks, including the side-long closer, “Embryonic Fusion.”
Hard-rocking Brooklyn trio Sir Lord Baltimore’s highly sought-after debut album is a legendary precursor of the heavy metal genre, a 1971 Creem review of the disc perhaps the first to ever use the term. The group benefited from the songwriting and production team of Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos, Appel the future manger of Bruce Springsteen and Cretecos already heady from success with The Partridge Family; recorded at Vantone Studios in New Jersey, it
was mixed to fine effect by Eddie Kramer at Electric Ladyland, fresh from his work with Jimi Hendrix. Guitarist Louis Dambra co- arranged the material with Appel and Cretecos; he had earlier played in garage band The Koala as Louis Caine, and here his screeching guitar
is a major draw, backed by plodding bass from Gary Justin, as front man John Garner shrieks his vocals while pounding furious drumbeats. Aside from a tough cover of Ray Charles’ “I Got A Woman” and a track inspired by Yeats’ poem “Lake Isle Of Innersfree,” the album features heavily-stoned acid rock originals, delivered the Sir Lord Baltimore way.
The daughter of a Brazilian mother and German father, Astrud Gilberto achieved international prominence with “The Girl From Ipanema,” an inauspicious debut
recorded for the landmark album her husband, Joao Gilberto, created with Stan Getz in 1963. Moving to the USA, where she was subsequently based,
she continued her solo career and also toured with Getz, with whom she later began a relationship. Over-the-top classic That Girl From Ipanema allowed
her to revisit the hit in the sweeping high-fidelity full-spectrum setting of a disco big-band,
the album overseen by MFSB and Salsoul mainstay, Vince Montana.
Along with individual takes of Cole Porter’s “Love For Sale” and Harry Nilsson’s “The Puppy Song,”
original “Far Away” benefits from the understated trumpet of Chet Baker, but the album ultimately revels in all things disco,
the Brazilian element coming courtesy of percussionist
Dom Um Romao on select tracks. Crank up the volume and tune in to the brass, piano and percussion that percolates under Astrud’s characteristically soft
and sultry vocals to fully experience this underrated gem.
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* Brand new outing from dub producer I David who takes us on a dubby journey on the Orient Express into Istanbul and further into Anatolia.
* The track titles are mostly belly-dancing related which gives to clue to the content.
* Featuring an instrumental and three dub excursions of the same tune.
* For fans of The Rootsman, Muslimgauze etc.
* 300 copies only
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Triple edition, packaged in thick PVC cover with a foldable double sided poster and download card.
Celebrating the 20 year anniversary of highly revered Jazz collective, Build An Ark from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 2003 and releasing albums between 2004 and 2010, the Carlos Niño co-ordinated project included contributions from luminaries such Phil Ranelin, Big Black, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Adam Rudolph, Derf Reklaw (R.I.P.), Dexter Story, Dwight Trible, Gaby Hernandez, Mia Doi Todd, Munyungo Jackson, Nate Morgan (R.I.P.) Waberi Jordan, Avotcja & many more.
This set was compiled by band leader Carlos Niño with recordings from 2001 to 2008 that have previously been released on Kindred Spirits.
Among the most famous husband-and-wife soul duos of all time, Ike & Tina Turner scored an incredible array of hits in the 1960s and 70s, before Tina finally exited the partnership. The debut LP on the Pompeii label, So Fine dates from 1968, a couple of years after a support slot on a Rolling Stones tour boosted their profiles; in addition to a remake of early hit ‘A Fool In Love,’ there’s an awesome take of Johnny Otis’ ‘So Fine’ and a competent rendition of ‘Shake A Tail Feather.’ Tina is fully in her element, the Ikettes keep up the harmonic pressure, and producer Ike handles the rest. Recommended listening for all soul fans!
Getting their start in the mid-1960s as a covers band, the Surrey-based group that began as The Late and who would be forced to take the name Unicorn mid-way through the recording of this excellent debut LP soon understood that originals made better sense, pointed in that direction by the success of Crosby, Stills and Nash. Given greater depth by Gerry Rafferty’s producer, Hugh Murphy, Uphill All The Way makes for superb listening, the musical craftsmanship yielding intricate textures beneath Ken Baker’s dreamy lyrics, the intelligent folk rock complete with country and western underpinnings. A must for UK folk rock fans!
Psychedelic pop act Jawbone had ample talent and keen industry connections yet remained unjustly obscure. Core members had been active in The Mirage, who signed with CBS and later recorded for Phillips; drummer David Hynes and bassist/future Elton John Band mainstay Dee Murray briefly joined the Spencer Davis Group, but regrouped as Portobello Explosion, which became Jawbone. Their rare self-titled debut, released by Carnaby in 1970, had an undercurrent of Americana, and there’s a one-off cover of The Beatles’ ‘Across The Universe’; this edition features bonus track ‘Way, Way Down,’ a non-LP Carnaby 45.
Multifaceted San Francisco psyche-delic band It’s A Beautiful Day drew on aspects of folk, classical, jazz and world music, their outstanding differences driven by the lead vocalist and violinist David LaFlamme, his keyboardist wife Linda, and harmony singer Patti Santos. This engaging compilation joins the anthem ‘White Bird’ and the spirited ‘Hot Summer Day’ with ‘Don And Dewey’ (based on ‘Wring That Neck’ by Deep Purple, who nicked one of their musical themes for the intro to ‘Child In Time’), plus the previously unreleased ‘Summer Blues’ and ‘You Are The Sun’ – this stunner’s a must for all It’s A Beautiful Day fans!
Much appreciated reissue of R.N.A. Organism’s ‘R.N.A.O Meets P.O.P.O’ (first released by legendary Osaka label Vanity Records in 1980). A key document of the late ’70s experimental music scene in Kansai, Japan, R.N.A.O Meets P.O.P.O is a hallucinatory trip of dubby bass, churning guitars, sputtering rhythm boxes, twisted vocals and unidentifiable sound effects.
Carefully remastered by Stephan Mathieu from the original tapes, cut by Josh Bonati, pressed by RTI, and housed in a hefty Stoughton tip-on sleeve. This oedition also includes an expanded insert with an illuminating essay by R.N.A. Organism producer Kaoru Sato.
Sometimes music is supposed to feel weird and indescribable. It’s the moments of clarity within the dense, sonic mess that often feels the most satisfying. That’s the space that Earth Tongue occupy. At times, their songs are shrill and disorientating, other times their reverb-washed textures and instantly- familiar hooks can wrap you in a warm, loving embrace. The one consistent thread through their music, however, is the thick and all encompassing fuzz. Guitarist Gussie Larkin has become a master of the fuzz-smothered riff, and along with Ezra Simons’ off-kilter drumming, they’ve been sending punters into transcendental states since they began gigging in their home town of Wellington, New Zealand in 2016. Floating Being will be released this June 21st. The album was pieced together throughout their travels of Australia and Europe, with the finishing touches being added in their hometown. The album contains songs they’ve been playing live for the past year, and it captures the raw, primitive energy that exists within their live performance. Earth Tongue embrace the imperfections in their playing and recording - drawing influence from early 70s psych and prog rock. The last thing they wanted was to create a shiny, over-produced record - with that in mind, they recorded the drums to an old 8-track Tascam reel-to-reel in a friend’s garage in Melbourne. The result is a punchy, raw and fuzzy journey into psych-rock with songs that weave between melodic and jarring. Unexpected twists and turns leave the listener in a disorientated yet satisfying haze.
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Temir Alcy (producer Enir Da - Dali Muru & The Polyphonic Swarm and multi-instrumentalist Charles Lmx) is at the junction of spherical textures of acoustic clouds and shapeshifting forms of immersive electronic percussive patterns.
By intertwining etherionic atmospheres and organic moods to magnetic and hypnotic rhythms, Temir Alcy explores the mysteries of the future and the unknown through a journey of sensory trance, where whispers and melodies of voices strike a vivid contrast between emotions’ fragility and sound’s solidity enhanced by a downtempo, leftfield and erratic kraut’s feel.
Northampton, Massachusetts. The Five Colleges. Hampshire College. Forward-thinking education. Electronic Music studies. A vast student population created and sustained a vibrant cultural scene. This is but a snapshot of a fraction, but a fertile and significant one that impacted the lives of many who came in contact with it. The book follows a tight group of people who got together, made music, promoted and released it, created the conditions for others to record and release music, booked bands and then scattered throughout the Midwest and East Coast.
First person memories and memorabilia from Christopher Vine, Craig O'Donnell, Elliott Sharp, James Whittemore, Nicholas Brown, Sean Elias and others, patch up a story of joyous action, firm and enthusiastic DIY endeavours to make things happen as they would like them to happen. It is about a local scene and some key protagonists and it communicates values and methods that are still current — and probably will always be in some form or another among young people with a serious drive to act upon their artistic inclinations. This is also a depiction of what was in fact a model of a music scene. A complete ecosystem was in place during this period. Northampton, sure, but extended across the whole of Pioneer Valley in Western Massachusetts. Bars, music and record stores, live music, College radio, electronic music studios, written press and a lot of energy going into creative work. The immediate "punk effect" motivated the appearance of numerous bands, many short lived, others evolving into New Wave / Power Pop territory, eventually crossing into Post-Punk experimentation.
Turning The Crank is also a companion to an EP of the same title, including music played, produced and recorded in Northampton between decades (1970s going into the 1980s) by different combinations of individuals resulting in The Higher Primates, The Scientific Americans and Human Error. Music in turns mechanical and austere, gorgeously loose, in love with Dub.
Dudu Tassa, einer der führenden Rockstars Israels, ist der Enkel des kuwaitischen Musikers Daoud Al Kuwaiti, dessen musikalische Zusammenarbeit mit seinem Bruder Saleh, den Al Kuwaiti Brothers, in der arabischen Welt zwischen den 1930er und 1950er Jahren berühmt wurde. Dudu Tassa & The Kuwaitis eröffneten vor einigen Jahren das Coachella-Festival und wurden auch von Radiohead als Vorgruppe auf einer ihrer US-Tourneen ausgewählt. Die Brüder Al Kuwaiti gehörten in der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts zu den größten Komponisten und Musikern in Bagdad. Dudu Tassa hat einige der Aufnahmen der Al Kuwaitis aufgenommen und sie zu seinem eigenen Sound weiterentwickelt und modernisiert. Diese neue Version des Albums enthält zwei Bonustracks, darunter eine Live-Version von 'Eshrab Kasak Withana' (feat. Jonny Greenwood/Radiohead/The Smile).
Operation Sole like the summer, hopefully, imminent; “Operazione Sole” like the 1967 song by Peppino Di Capri, considered, perhaps wrongly, the first ska in Italy, but certainly the first to talk about Jamaica and upbeat rhythms.
The record you have in your hand is intended to be a testimony to how much the sounds born in Kingston between the '60s and '70s had a significant influence on local pop.
With the first explosion of reggae in England between 1968 and 1970, as well as with the rise of Bob Marley to a worldwide cult phenomenon, parallel to the all-English phenomenon of Two Tone and the ska revival, Italy, always attracted by the new trends not only English, he certainly couldn't stay on the sidelines.
Therefore these innovative and unknown upbeat sounds, derived from the blues of the 1950s and mixed with a Caribbean sauce, have also taken hold in the Bel Paese.
It began as early as 1959 with the song “Nessuno” by Mina, considered to all intents and purposes a Jamaican shuffle, to arrive in a few years at blue-beat (I4 di Lucca, Claudio Casavecchi) and ska (Margherita, Peppino Di Capri , Silvano Silvi, Renzo and Virginia) and be exposed to the first reggae (for example Jo Fedeli and his Italian version of “Israelites” by Desmond Dekker). Thus, we quickly reach the end of the decade of the economic boom and the culture, styles, references change: everything becomes more busy (on a cultural, artistic and political level).
After a stalemate phase that lasted more than five years, Bob Marley's reggae (considered a sort of new Messiah) conquers the planet, including Italy: the producers and artists, even at a high level, for a few years do not remain at all indifferent to this novelty and decide to introduce the "upbeat", primarily reggae, into the various pop repertoires: well-known names such as
Loredana Bertè, Mario Lavezzi, Rino Gaetano, Ivano Fossati, Ilona Staller, Adriano Celentano, Edoardo Bennato throw themselves headlong into new sonic adventures, in a pioneering way, but often with excellent results.
The "Operazione Sole" collection wants to take the credit, instead, of proposing and discovering lesser-known artists (with the exception of Gino Santercole, former associate and relative of Il Molleggiato), often real meteors in the Italian musical panorama, who have tried to achieve (or achieve again) success by adapting the pop that was so popular in those years to the new black sounds prevailing in the West.
We are in the early 80s and we range from the most classic reggae, to Italo-disco contaminated by dub up to the true Neapolitan style which, on more than one occasion, in its being endemically "black" and full of groove, has wrung out the watch out for agreements made in Kingston and London.
“Operation Sun”: a pleasant philological work, but surrounded by an equally pleasant aura of disengagement.
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VOLUME 1 of a series of 3 re-releases of the 80s underground solo cassette tapes by Menko Konings (aka EM / Menko / eM.)
This first re-release/remaster is the cassette tape “dedicated to Charles Bronson” (1986) by Menko, with almost one hour music
TAPE RESTAURATION / REMASTER (2024) by the grand master RUDE 66
Vocals on Debra by Tonny Timmermans (aka Antonia)
Limited edition of 50 (hand numbered) golden cassette tapes with original J-card
“When I went solo in 1983 I only had a guitar, a bass and a four track cassette tape recorder. Sometimes I borrowed a rithmebox or a synth for a couple of days. These solo cassette tapes were created in that period.” (MK)
Music journalist Oscar Smit described these tapes in the 80s - in his column Dolby of the legendary Dutch magazine Vinyl - s.a.: “Big city music, metropolis beat, drum composers, funking basses, nervous rhythm guitars, radio and TV sounds in the background and intonationless vocals.”
Feiern Sie Def Jam 40 mit der Wiederveröffentlichung von Montell Jordans Debütalbum This Is How We Do It! Dies ist die erste Wiederveröffentlichung seit der Veröffentlichung des Albums im Jahr 1995!
Initially formed in southeast London in the mid-1960s as the Coloured Raisins, obscure black rock quartet Black Velvet infused their sound with soul and reggae undercurrents, a testament to the Caribbean origins of the group members, and the pervasive styles inspiring the black communities that inhabited London’s marginal outskirts. Produced by Don Lawson for the Beacon label, which was launched by the Antiguan businessman and future politician Milton Samuel, Black Velvet’s powerful debut is a snapshot in time of London’s black underground that will appeal to anyone interested in the black British music scene of the early 1970s.
After briefly replacing Eric Clapton in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, guitarist/bassist Geoff Krivit formed Doctor K’s Blue Band with pianist Richard Kay and singer/harmonica player Mick Hasse, the lineup completed by bassist Harold Vickers, slide guitarist Roger Rolt and future Steve Hillage drummer Eric Peachey. Their self-titled debut had top-notch renditions of blues classics such as ‘I Can’t Lose,’ ‘Key To The Highway’ and ‘Pet Cream Man,’ as well as spirited originals such as ‘Strobe Lemming’s Lament’ and the piano stomp ‘Crippled Clarence,’ but the album failed to break through. Grab a copy of this rarity to be blown away!
In the 1971 counterculture comedy You Gotta Walk It Like You Talk It, Zalman King tries to find the meaning of life, with Richard Pryor and Robert Downey Jr among the cameos; who better to cut the soundtrack than Steely Dan? Except that the Dan had not officially formed yet! With typical tongue-in-cheek touches, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker rise to the challenge, with fellow Dan guitarist Denny Diaz and drummer John Discepolo of previous vehicle, Jay & the Americans; if you’re a Steely Dan fan, you really need to check out this one-off soundtrack, cut just before they upset the rock applecart with Can’t Buy A Thrill.
Non-standard prog act Gryphon made their mark by incorporating abandoned instruments and ancient classical elements in their work, giving their self-titled 1973 debut outstanding differences to standard rock fare. With co-founder Richard Harvey on recorders, mandolin, harpsichord, and glockenspiel and Brian Gulland, on bassoon, crumhorns, and vocals, backed by guitarist Graeme Taylor and drummer/percussionist Dave Oberlé, Gryphon expertly channelled contemporary English folk through forgotten medieval and Renaissance styles; unlike later rock-oriented work, Gryphon showcases the band’s unadorned beginnings.
Formed in suburban Maidenhead by singer Tony Pook, guitarist/pianist Roy Apps and guitarist Robert Collins, Heron solidified when Collins was replaced by uitarist/mandolin player GT Moore. After a debut album recorded at the Pook family farm, specially priced double LP Twice As Nice And Half The Price achieved a fuller sound with guitarist Mike Cooper, bassist Mike Finesilver, drummer Terry Gittins and guitarist Willie Boazman. The epic set sounds absolutely brilliant from start to finish, with strong vocal harmonies, intricate guitar interplay and excellent musical communication. Arguably Heron at their absolute best!
In 1967, the English poet George Duffell, alias Jorgy Porgy, decided to set his verses to music, birthing J.P. Sunshine with guitarist/vocalist Rod Goodway of pop act the Pack (later with the Crazy World of Arthur Brown), the line-up expanding with a bassist and bongo player, Duffell’s girlfriend on percussion, and former Pack guitarist Andy Rickell on electric lead. These resultant recordings, cut on basic gear in Duffell’s flat, evidence an individual psychedelic sound, marked by the incestuous claustrophobia of the group’s romantic rivalries, the meandering lyrics and disjointed melodies pointing to the pervasive drug use that ultimately squashed the project. This is psych with a difference: rare, rough, and freaky!
