Search:the 1975

Metropolis; a powerful song addressing city inequalities and their impact on youth. It's a call for freedom, criticizing large corporations. The lyrics remind us of our basic human needs, while the smooth music eases the despair about environmental issues. Despite being recorded over forty years ago, the message feels relevant today, as we continue to struggle with harmful capitalism.

Originally part of a 1975 charity compilation LP raising money for environmental charities in California, which later became a collectors artifact changing has for silly money (which didn’t fit well with the Déjà vu kid team), so this Balearic nugget, the crown jewel of this album, was released on 7”…There is no better way to share it again than on it’s own 45 inch release at a fair price.

Moonboots, Danny Psychemagik, Spruzzi Monorecords, Micky Browne, Paul Hillery are just a selection of names who have championed this track from this great album and now we can reshare it with you in this first time format.

Artwork redesigned by GNB Studios.

Popol Ace is a progressive rock band from Norway which had its heyday in the 1970s. The band formed in 1972 as Popol Vuh, but changed their name in 1975 to avoid the confusion with the German group of the same name, which practiced more experimental and cosmic music. Stolen From Time is an ambitious and varied album, which testifies to the richness of progressive rock of the time. The group mixes various influences, such as Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes, or Supertramp. The nine tracks on the album are all musical nuggets, ranging from symphonic rock to folk via jazz- rock or hard- rock. The group demonstrates great instrumental and vocal mastery, with neat arrangements and catchy melodies. Singer Jahn Teigen stands out for his powerful and expressive voice, able to move from low register to high register with ease

An anthology of the intensely arresting work of Robert Fesler (1936-2023), revealing many of his compositions (1975-1987) created with his self-built synthesizers, with as pinnacle the μP RPF78. All music composed and recorded by Robert Fesler at his home on rue Cour Boisacq in Bierges, Belgium. Except one, all tracks are previously unreleased.

With profound simplicity and devotion, Fesler paints a hermetic inner world with strong emotions of confronting solitude, sensual alienation and traumatic angst. His music was as much a therapeutic treatment as an artistic expression. Fesler quotes, »Building my synthesizers and working with them enabled me to sublimate my anxieties.« Most tracks were played and recorded real time, often with two synthesizers (the Synthese 756 and the μP RPF78), capturing the heat of the moment in one take, without multitracking. The austere and reductionist approach reinforces the overall spirit of his work, resulting in an engaging, mysterious solitary journey. It’s quite incredible how one person can put so much technical cerebral content in the development of a machine and use it in such an emotional way.

The music of Robert Fesler might be considered as very Belgian. To situate it within a close entourage, one can say it has: The endurance of Baudouin Oosterlynck The purity of Dominique Lawalree The mysticism of Arsène Souffriau

The latest release on Jai Alai follows the format of forgotten vinyl tracks never before released on 7” format, or previously CD only album tracks, and will raise some eyebrows in artist selection and pairing.

Donaldson Toussaint L’Ouverture Byrd II was one of the most significant jazz artists of all time having joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in the mid-50s and establishing himself as one of the best hard bop trumpeter/flugelhorn players. His progression was continuous through the 50s/60s working with John Coltrane, Gigi Gryce, Pepper Adams, Thelonius Monk, Sonny Rollins as sideman, and became one of Blue Note Records leading artists.

By the end of the 60s Byrd decided to move away from that idiom, experimenting with jazz fusion, African music and Rhythm & Blues. He worked hard to make jazz and its history part of the curriculum in US music colleges and he taught at many including Rutgers, Hampton, Howard, and Columbia, the latter from who he received his PhD in music.
Byrd took a great interest in how Miles Davis’ experimentation was resonating with a younger audience, and despite being castigated by his musical peers, his development of jazz fusion changed the jazz scene forever. His work with the Blackbyrds was a cornerstone for the progression of jazz funk in the UK.

The effect of his hook-up with brothers Larry & Fonce Mizell was immediate and his Blue Notes albums “Black Byrd” (1973), “Street Lady”, “Stepping Into Tomorrow” (1974), “Places & Spaces” (1975) and “Caricatures” (1976) became legendary on the newly evolving jazz funk scene with certain tracks such as “Change (Makes You Wanna Hustle)” normalising dance jazz on the disco floors, not to mention being a rich source for many hip-hop samples.
A slightly leaner period followed when he moved to Elektra Records and of the three albums with his new incarnation 125th Street NYC, a group of musicians he taught at North Carolina Central University, two were produced by Isaac Hayes including “Words”, “Sounds, Colors & Shapes” (1982) from which “Everyday”, a fabulous forgotten piece of mellow jazz funk derives.

By the end of the 80s he had returned to his harder straight-ahead jazz roots, but his place in history and the evolving of jazz as a dance culture in our clubs should never be forgotten.

Y2K prepper-rock for the underemployed. Tracked at home in 1999, the 1975 EP expands on Stratosphere's slacker-positive dreamscape, with layers of guitars both clean and fuzzy, humming organ, and_gasp!_a drum machine. Needle down, candles on.

Elaine Brown has led a life of distinction. Appointed in August 1974 by Huey Newton from his exile in Cuba to be the one and only female leader of the Black Panther Party, Elaine has pursued a career of community service that continues to this day. But her debut 1969 album Seize the Time leaves one wondering what would have happened had she not put her musical career second. She was first discovered as a performer while singing Thomas Dorsey’s “Precious Lord” at the funeral service for Panther Bunchy Carter. Afterwards, Panther’s Chief of Staff David Hilliard had her audition for him accompanying herself on piano. That session led to her composition “The Meeting” (about an encounter with Eldridge Cleaver) being adopted as the Black Panther Party National Anthem, and an album was commissioned. Elaine enlisted Los Angeles jazz legend Horace Tapscott and his PanAfrikan Peoples Arkestra to arrange and back her, and Seize the Time was born—which the Black Panther Party’s newspaper called “the first songs of the American revolution.” Blending influences ranging from Bob Dylan to classical, and anchored by Elaine’s powerful delivery of her deeply-felt lyrics, this album will stir your blood whether you agree with its politics or not. Now, with the cooperation of Elaine Brown herself, Seize the Time sees its first-ever American LP reissue, complete with original “uni-pak” packaging featuring lyrics and liner notes, plus an insert with new liner notes by Pat Thomas, author of Listen Whitey! The Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975.Limited run of 950 copies in deep purple vinyl. SIDE ONE 1. Seize the Time 2. The Panther 3. And All Stood By 4. The End of Silence 5. The Meeting (The Black Panther Party National Anthem SIDE TWO 1. Very Black Man 2. Take It Away 3. One Time 4. Assassination 5. Poppa’s Come Home SELLING POINTS • Elaine Brown Is an Activist First and Musician Second • But Her 1969 Debut Seize the Time Shows Things Could Have Gone the Other Way • She Was Appointed in 1974 by Huey Newton from His Exile in Cuba to Be the One and Only Female Head of The Black Panther Party • She Has Pursued a Career in Community Service That Continues to This Day • First Discovered as a Performer When Singing Thomas Dorsey’s “Precious Lord” at the Funeral for Panther Bunchy Carter • Then Panther’s Chief of Staff David Hilliard Had Her Audition for Him Accompanying Herself on Piano • An Album Was Commissioned, and Brown’s “The Meeting” (About an Encounter with Eldridge Cleaver) Became the Black Panther Party National Anthem • Seize the Time Was Arranged by L.A. Jazz Legend Horace Tapscott, and Features His Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra • A Unique Record Featuring Influences Ranging from Dylan to Classical, All Anchored by Brown’s Impassioned Singing and Deeply-Felt Lyrics • First-Ever American LP Reissue • Includes Original Uni-Pak Jacket with Notes and Lyrics • Also Contains Insert with Notes by Pat Thomas, Author of Listen Whitey! The Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975 • Deep Purple Vinyl Pressing • Limited to 950 Copes • This Release of Seize the Time Is Fully Authorized by Elaine Brown Herself STREET DATE: MAY 3, 2024 (Limited Deep Purple Vinyl Edition) iBarcoder Trial ELAINE BROWN BLACK PANTHER PARTY BLACK PANTHER PARTY ELAINE BROWN VAULT

Repress!

THE M.V.P.'s burst into life on the Northern Soul scene back in 1975 courtesy of Blackpool Mecca DJ Ian Levine and has long since divided opinion. Is it pop, is it soul, are they black, are they white, etc etc. Well, it's a rock record from 1971 and has nothing to do with soul... but everything to do with Northern Soul! It packed the floor at the Highland Room and was adopted as a Wigan Casino anthem and immortalized by Tony Palmer in his 1977 Granada TV documentary This England. It was reissued by UK Buddah, due to popular demand, driven in no small part by the TV show and its 20 million viewers. Now, some 40 years on, we present the iconic track, both stereo and mono mixes, as mastered at the time by Bell Sound's senior engineer Joe Breschie.

SALES POINTS:
All time Northern Soul Classics - Two fabulous sides
Massive appeal to ALL Northern Soul fans
As featured in the film Northern Soul

Repress
Dry mix only single LP edition, reverb mix of 2LP edition excluded.

Issued in 1975, this is the articulation of Zambia’s Zamrock ethos. Its' musicians were anti-colonial freedom fighters, it envelops Zambian folk music traditions, and it rocks - hard. Amanaz were serious, and they made a serious stab at an album. They titled their album Africa, according to original band member Keith Kabwe, “because of how it was shared and how its inhabitants were butchered and enslaved, its resources stolen... all the atrocities slave drivers committed. “ Thus, their “Kale,” a blues sung in Nyanja, that traced the continent’s arc from slavery to Zambia’s independence closes the album. Kabwe and rhythm guitarist John Kanyepa have a winsome softness to their vocals, which sit politely aside the feral growl of drummer Watson Baldwin Lungu, bassist Jerry Mausala and bandleader/lead guitarist Isaac Mpofu. Africa’s vibe ranges from anxious (“Amanaz”) to escapist (“Easy Street”) to straight-up pissed-off. On the “History of Man,” his voice whiskey-burned, his distorted guitar buzzing like swarming hornets, Mpofu indicts his species. There’s a darkness to Africa not found on any other Zamrock records, and a melancholy drifts throughout, specifically on Mpofu’s more restrained “Khala My Friend,” which stands as an effective, bleak situation for the Zambian everyman, the average citizen of a struggling, new nation, who might have had relatives in conflict-torn countries on the horizon, who might have been struggling to find his next meal, who might have seen a bleaker future than his president promised. Then there’s the clear Velvet Underground-influence on the nostalgic “Sunday Morning,” which, as Kabwe recalls, was the first song written for the album, back in 1968, when Velvet Undergound and Nico was a new release - and the underground funk of “Making The Scene.” The album also tackles traditional Zambian music and early-‘60s rock – punctuated, of course by Kanyepa’s wah-wah and Mpofu’s fuzz guitars. But every time Amanaz get too deep, too violent, they come back with an accessible song and woo their listener back to the groove. “Green Apple” is a civil song, featuring Kanyepa’s sighing guitar.

Repress of Child's EP "I". "If you're familiar with CHILD and are particularly a sucker for the keyboard, I'm afraid I've got some bad news - It's mostly gone. Fear not, though, as their fuzz-infused blues is alive and kicking and is sure to continue to appeal to a lot of fans of different genres. The three songs follow as their lengths increase, starting with "Age Has Left Me Behind", clocking in at 03:47 and ending with "Going Down Swinging", a 10:20 jam which definitely raises the temperature and which I'm confident will be talked about for a long time. In-between, one can find "The Other Song", which is not just another song, but a sublime cover of Spirit's "The Other Song", originally released as part of the album "Son of Spirit" in 1975. A great tune started only by Michael (drums) and Danny (bass), to whom Mathias and his guitar join after around 20 seconds, and later with a lovely vocal melody which stands throughout the whole song - the less fuzzy song of the EP but definitely a pure beauty (so is the original)." - More Fuzz

Orange vinyl, limited to 350 copies. Repress of Child's EP "I". "If you're familiar with CHILD and are particularly a sucker for the keyboard, I'm afraid I've got some bad news - It's mostly gone. Fear not, though, as their fuzz-infused blues is alive and kicking and is sure to continue to appeal to a lot of fans of different genres. The three songs follow as their lengths increase, starting with "Age Has Left Me Behind", clocking in at 03:47 and ending with "Going Down Swinging", a 10:20 jam which definitely raises the temperature and which I'm confident will be talked about for a long time. In-between, one can find "The Other Song", which is not just another song, but a sublime cover of Spirit's "The Other Song", originally released as part of the album "Son of Spirit" in 1975. A great tune started only by Michael (drums) and Danny (bass), to whom Mathias and his guitar join after around 20 seconds, and later with a lovely vocal melody which stands throughout the whole song - the less fuzzy song of the EP but definitely a pure beauty (so is the original)." - More Fuzz

First Step Beyond by proto-metal quintet Medusa might have forever shifted the perception of Chicago rock history had it managed to make the leap from tape to its never-realized vinyl pressing. Instead, the conflagation of Sabbath, Hawkwind, and Amon Duul II remained petrified in the Corycian Caverns... otherwise known as the drummer's basement. Self-produced on four track in 1975, this lone transmission from Medusa's repertoire appeared on the extremely mysterious Pepperhead label, whose proprietor allegedly disappeared after a bad trip and was never been seen again. Forged in ceremonial mock-velvet, custom embossed in Gorgon-gold and blood-red, and art directed in accordance with the band's elaborate original stage props and artwork, Numero Group positioned this unreleased opus to finally reach its destination: the stereos of pot-smoking and leather-clad teenagers, young and old.

First Step Beyond by proto-metal quintet Medusa might have forever shifted the perception of Chicago rock history had it managed to make the leap from tape to its never-realized vinyl pressing. Instead, the conflagation of Sabbath, Hawkwind, and Amon Duul II remained petrified in the Corycian Caverns... otherwise known as the drummer's basement. Self-produced on four track in 1975, this lone transmission from Medusa's repertoire appeared on the extremely mysterious Pepperhead label, whose proprietor allegedly disappeared after a bad trip and was never been seen again. Forged in ceremonial mock-velvet, custom embossed in Gorgon-gold and blood-red, and art directed in accordance with the band's elaborate original stage props and artwork, Numero Group positioned this unreleased opus to finally reach its destination: the stereos of pot-smoking and leather-clad teenagers, young and old.

The Best of ZZ Top (10 Legendary Texas Tales) is a greatest hits album by American rock band ZZ Top, released November 26, 1977.4 Spanning the years from 1971 to 1975, this compilation album does not contain any songs from Tejas, which was released the year before. The first ZZ Top Compilation with hits from their first six albums, including La Grange, Tush and Just Got Paid. This was released in the US last year and will now be available everywhere

Don't judge a book by its cover. Judge a record by its cover.

And, perhaps, its title.

Cedar Walton's Mobius is as outrageously, disorientatingly brilliant as the stunning jacket design, featuring the legendary jazz pianist morphing into a mobius strip, set against a beautiful sky filled with cumulus clouds. A proper jazz-funk fusion slapfest, Mobius is a stellar electric set from - essentially - one *hell* of a SUPERBAND.

Yes, in addition to Walton's Fender Rhodes wizardry, Mobius is elevated by Ryo Kawasaki's stinging electric guitar, pristinely clear vocals by Adrienne Albert and Lani Groves, rootsy percussion by Ray Mantilla and Omar Clay, alto and baritone from Charles Davis, trumpet from Roy Burrowes, Gordon Edwards on bass and Frank Foster's tenor sax. Oh and did we mention STEVE GADD ON DRUMS?!?!

Gem after gem of looping, bliss-inducing gold, it's an incredibly revelatory album. It presents a thrilling synthesis of R&B, funk, blues and hard bop (with a hint of rock), all driven by an idiosyncratic electronic keyboard. Walton, a giant in the jazz world, got quite the workout every time he played, from piano to arp synthesizer to clarinet to electric piano to mini-moog and back again.

Mobius was Cedar Walton's debut for RCA in 1975. The versatile artist confirmed his abilities as a player, composer, interpreter and arranger with this stunning record, and his own bright compositions offered a springboard for the improvisations of the different soloists. Coltrane's "Blue Trane" is the first classic to be given the funkafied Mobius treatment, Ryo Kawasaki let loose all over neck-snapping Gadd-drum gold before the horns take a fiery turn and subsequently give way to Cedar's virtuosity. A sparkling b-boy break version of Thelonious Monk's "Off Minor" (featuring an absolutely *fire* solo from Walton) really sets proceedings alight. Of the three original pieces, the shuffling, percussive power of "Soho" is just absolutely mind bending Latin-influenced jazzy soul whilst the mellow vibes of "The Maestro" bring elegant, sumptuous soul. And then there's the effortlessly funky "Road Island Red". Just too, too good.

Cedar Walton was born in Dallas, Texas, on January 17, 1934 and began his professional career in 1959 when he began touring for several years with the J.J. Johnson Quintet. He later joined the Art Farmer-Benny Golson Jazztet and then Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. Pretty solid credentials, right? While based in New York City, Cedar played with such luminaries as Donald Byrd, Eddie Harris, Blue Mitchell, Kenny Dorham, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Jimmy Heath and Milt Jackson. Without question, he was one of the most complete and gifted musicians of his time and Mobius provides proof of that. The fresh, danceable tracks, all firmly rooted in the living tradition of blues and gospel, are skilfully presented by a master who enjoyed keeping abreast of contemporary tastes and was always keen to renew his language.

As the album notes state: “Mobius, which is the theoretical shape of the infinite universe, makes use of the most modern recording techniques and synthesizers. We mastered and mixed so that it’s hotter than the competition, which should help radio play and in-store demonstration.” Indeed. Mobius is really gorgeous mid-70s fusion, ranging from the funky to the ecstatic. It's an absolute MONSTER that will completely blow you away; and, yes, it's as wild and hypnotic as the cover. The audio for Mobius has been carefully remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring it sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry in Holland. The original, iconic sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

The second in our Mr Bongo series opening the vault on classic recordings from the fabled Groove Merchant Records catalogue. This time the spotlight turns to the Hammond B3 organ maestro Lonnie Smith, as we proudly present a reissue of his cosmic jazz-funk journey, ‘Afro-Desia’.

Originally released in 1975, this much-loved album was produced by Groove Merchant label owner Sonny Lester and features the mysterious 'Compliments Of A Friend' on guitar. Considering Smith was part of George Benson’s quartet in the ‘60s, that not so discreet veil appears to have been lifted on who this ‘friend’ might be. However, presumably due to contractual reasons, Benson had to remain covert for this recording. The lineup doesn’t stop there though, with the likes of legendary bassist Ron Carter and Grammy award winning saxophonist Joe Lavano joining the outfit.

An album of two parts, the first side sees Lonnie Smith in a spaced-out, cosmic jazz funk setting. The opener 'Afrodesia' is a funk flexing, steamy groover. Greg Hopkins and Lavano trading off on trumpet and sax respectively, as that bassline walks its way over fluttering jazz percussion and off-kilter electronics. 'Spirits Free' is an epic 15-minute free-wheeling jazz-funk workout. A mind melting trip that rises and falls, in parts spacey and serene, with Smith’s organ playing complimented by stretched out horns. Before long it opens out into unconstrained fluid sections that do its title proud. Pure ‘70s jazz-funk at its most stellar.

Side B takes a more classic soul-jazz flavour, with touches of Latin spice. 'Straight To The Point' kicks off with a carnival zing, full-frontal horn and organ lines providing a fiery party punch. It’s a swinging jazz cut that used to receive spins by DJs at Russ Dewbury's Jazz Room's sessions in Brighton in the ‘90s.

Finally, 'Favors' and 'The Awakening' close out the release. Two sure shot, quintessential Lonnie Smith firing Hammond grooves. Each conjuring up images of packed out, smokey jazz bar jams, every player letting loose with masterful improv sections to whip the crowd up into a frenzy.

A truly wonderful album, and an archetypal release showcasing the height of jazz musician excellence from this era.

Meaning ‘Hi’ in Uruguayan slang, Opa are a South American jazz-funk phenomenon. Fusing Uruguay’s native Candombe rhythms with North American jazz and pop music, Opa’s space-age synthesizers, boisterous grooves and compositional magic expressed a distinctive Afro-Uruguayan voice within the global jazz vernacular: a voice which remains as vital and unique today as when it was recorded, almost half a century ago.

Having migrated to New York from Montevideo in the early seventies, Opa were heard playing in a nightclub by renowned producer and label owner Larry Rosen. At Holly Place Studios between July and August 1975, Rosen oversaw Opa’s first recordings using a four track TEAC 3340. The album would become home to some of Opa’s hardest hitting funk jams, with moments of songwriting wonderment and soulful pop and rock progressions combining with the jazz-funk fusion Opa would become known for.

Mysteriously (for reasons unknown to the band), Opa’s debut was shelved and remained so until the mid-1990s. But the Back Home recordings were used as demos, gaining Opa a record deal with Milestone Records and the subsequent release of two cult-favourite albums: Goldenwings (1976) and Magic Time (1977).

Opa would also collaborate with North American titans including bassist Ron Carter, producer Creed Taylor and Brazilian icons Airto Moreira, Flora Purim, Hermeto Pascoal and Milton Nascimento. In more recent years Opa’s music has found new audiences after being sampled by Captain Murphy (aka Flying Lotus) and Madlib.

For fans of Azymuth, Weather Report, Cortex and The Headhunters, Opa’s Back Home will be released on Vinyl LP and CD on the 8th March 2024 via Far Out Recordings

Best Of Bruce Springsteen is a collection of original songs spanning his storied 50-year recording career, from 1973's Greeting from Asbury Park, NJ to 2020's Letter To You. It will be available as an 18-track set across 2 LPs or 1 CD - and digitally as an expanded 31-song package. The collection will span early-career favorites like "Growin' Up" and "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)," staples of Springsteen's live shows from "Dancing In The Dark" to "The Rising," best-selling breakouts like "Born To Run" and "Hungry Heart," as well as recent releases "Hello Sunshine" and "Letter To You." Here, these career-spanning works appear together in one set for the first time. The packaging includes archival photos and a new essay.

Sony Music feiert die Musik von Bruce Springsteen mit einer Sammlung von Original-Songs aus seiner 50-jährigen Karriere, vom Debütalbum GREETINGS FROM ASBURY PARK, N.J. aus dem Jahr 1973 bis zum Album LETTER TO YOU aus dem Jahr 2020.

Die Sammlung umfasst Favoriten der frühen Karriere wie "Growin' Up" und "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)", Grundpfeiler von Springsteens Live-Shows von "Dancing In The Dark" bis "The Rising", Bestseller wie "Born To Run" und "Hungry Heart" sowie die jüngsten Veröffentlichungen "Hello Sunshine" und "Letter To You". Auf dieser Kollektion erscheinen die wichtigsten karriereübergreifenden Werke zum ersten Mal zusammen als Set. BEST OF BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN enthält ein Albumcover, das vom Fotografen Eric Meola während der BORN TO RUN-Sessions aufgenommen wurde, sowie neue Liner Notes von Erik Flannigan.

Sony Music feiert die Musik von Bruce Springsteen mit einer Sammlung von Original-Songs aus seiner 50-jährigen Karriere, vom Debütalbum GREETINGS FROM ASBURY PARK, N.J. aus dem Jahr 1973 bis zum Album LETTER TO YOU aus dem Jahr 2020.

Die Sammlung umfasst Favoriten der frühen Karriere wie "Growin' Up" und "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)", Grundpfeiler von Springsteens Live-Shows von "Dancing In The Dark" bis "The Rising", Bestseller wie "Born To Run" und "Hungry Heart" sowie die jüngsten Veröffentlichungen "Hello Sunshine" und "Letter To You". Auf dieser Kollektion erscheinen die wichtigsten karriereübergreifenden Werke zum ersten Mal zusammen als Set. BEST OF BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN enthält ein Albumcover, das vom Fotografen Eric Meola während der BORN TO RUN-Sessions aufgenommen wurde, sowie neue Liner Notes von Erik Flannigan.

EIGHTEEN AND I LIKE IT… (MISC. COLOURED VINYL))if you survived trips 1-17 with one tiny speck of psychedelic sunshine intact, Brown Acid The 18th Trip will be your coming of age nightmare. Vintage underground '70s hard rock, coming at you from bizarre angles, local scene wasteland America when everybody was out for themselves and the drugs went bleak. The guitars kill, the attitude is twisted, even the sex is headed down the wrong road. Real people, no compromise, pure and potent. Get stoked, take the 18th Trip and know that the artists will get paid for pulverizing your soul! "People… are you ready?, 'cause the music now is getting so heavy"… Back Jack out of St. Louis, Missouri in 1974 launch our trip with "Bridge Waters Dynamite". It's an invocation to rock flashing on Mark Farner whooping up a Grand Funk crowd, then getting to the point quickly with berserk guitar assaults. Heavy riff with power chord stalks beneath as you take their advice… get loose and blow up the past. Smokin' Buku Band dropped my jaw with the audacious track "Hot Love" coming on like some fractured fever dream burlesque of Led Zep moves out of Hollywood in 1980. Swooping elongated vocals above, a total Zep chord move at the end of each verse. Writer/producer Steve Shauger aka Shag Stevens gets a brilliantly messed up sound quality here, the ideal polar opposite of slick. The extended guitar break is an epitome of serendipitously crude virtuosity, simply outrageous! Coming at you from way outta left field is "Moby Shark" by Atlantis, a hilarious and strange Baltimore pre-punk vibed dose of D.I.Y. meets hard rock. Lon Talbot is the mastermind, the flip side of this impossibly rare Mekon Records label single was featured in an obscure 1978 B-movie titled "The Alien Factor". Follow the lyrics closely, when the ominous jaws jaws jaws start coming after you you you… the song's big hook is so preposterously catchy the shark attack feels like good news. Inquiring minds should know that the band formerly known as Atlantis can now be found by searching for the Lon Talbot Group! Tommy Stuart and the Rubberband's "Peeking Through Your Window" from 1970 opens with a spooky organ riff, slips into a gushy fuzz/organ groove akin to "Mustache In Your Face” by Pretty. The singer creates downright creepy vibes, a stalker peeking through the girl's mind like a peeping Tom at the window up to no good. The lyrics evoke a disturbing scenario. Tommy Stuart also made a strange LP titled Hound Dog Man in 1977 and some terrific rare garage singles under the names Magnificent Seven and The Omen & Their Love in the mid '60s. Nothing better than an angry two chord guitar attack with cowbell to set the stage for this rant about getting "Ripped Off" by love. Taken from their rare 1977 LP on Dynamite Records, Chicago Triangle was Marvey Esparza, Dave Guereca, Jose 'Tarr' Perez and Robert Aguilera. They unleash such strong brain-scrubbing wah wah frenzy in the guitar break here that it seems to perversely mock it's own intensity! Like I said, Brown Acid the 18th Trip comes at you from all kinds of uncanny angles. Damnation of Adam Blessing out of Cleveland, Ohio unleashed a stone killer psychedelic hard rock classic "Cookbook" in the late '60s, this track "Nightmare" from 1973 has them cooking again at full power. A different singer, name change to Damnation and then Glory, unleashing a deadly dose of dark progressive heavy rock drama peaking when spooky 'oooo-wa-oooo' background vocals emerge during a bizarre spoken bit. It unfolds like a mini-epic and includes some remarkably brutal guitar and turbulent organ, too. "Swing your sword, all aboard… bid farewell to the dreamer" Dalquist exclaims. Cynical view of human nature, idealism is over, war is coming, it always does. Opens with a cold menacing riff and atmosphere reminiscent of "Synthezoid Heartbreak" by Maya. Mournful despondent vocals ride an insistent churning groove, gnarly guitar break moves into free noise territory. This rare track is from a local various artists benefit album titled Kangaroo Jam issued for the Waco Family Abuse Center in Texas circa 1980. The Pawnbrokers "Realize" is prime proto heavy rock emerging out of psychedelic garage roots in 1968 Fargo, North Dakota. Unusual arrangement, terrific sustain guitar tones like on the first Blue Cheer LP, even a rip on Hendrix "Manic Depression" with unison voice and guitar ascent near the end. They made three 45s and were active from '65 to '69. Hats off to Blake English, Kent Richey, Paul Rogne and Steve Harrison, you nailed it in just a hair over two minutes! As pure and creative as the original psychedelic garage hard rock gets. Parchment Farm from Union, Missouri gigged with the likes of ZZ Top and Foghat back in the day and unleashed the amazing "Songs Of The Dead" in 1971. Primitive riff/chord pattern dosed with some funky prog moves, sky turning black, 'is this heaven or hell' type disoriented confusion… may as well grab your guitar and sing songs to the dead. Robert 'Ace' Williams on bass, Paul Cockrum on guitar, Gary Reed on keys and Micky Waterman on drums, replacing Mike Dulany (R.I.P.) Cool that they use the Blue Cheer misspelling from Vincebus Eruptum for the band name! Ominous organ, thick minimalist fuzz riff, funky psychedelic wah wah flashes and freaky sex combine in one twisted dance titled "Rockin' Chair" by Brothers Of The Ghetto. Out of Chicago in 1975 with some Santana atmospherics and a delicious fuzz wah screamin' guitar break, the groove is highlighted by an off the wall vocal which sounds eerily detached in a subtly sleazy way. Rene Maxwell is the writer of this hard-rock boogie-down hybrid straight out of the twilight zone. It was issued on Ghetto, a subsidiary of the peculiar Kiderian label that released the Creme Soda LP. Now that your head is totally skewered, go Back Jack and play side one again! (Words by Paul Major)

EIGHTEEN AND I LIKE IT… (MISC. COLOURED VINYL))if you survived trips 1-17 with one tiny speck of psychedelic sunshine intact, Brown Acid The 18th Trip will be your coming of age nightmare. Vintage underground '70s hard rock, coming at you from bizarre angles, local scene wasteland America when everybody was out for themselves and the drugs went bleak. The guitars kill, the attitude is twisted, even the sex is headed down the wrong road. Real people, no compromise, pure and potent. Get stoked, take the 18th Trip and know that the artists will get paid for pulverizing your soul! "People… are you ready?, 'cause the music now is getting so heavy"… Back Jack out of St. Louis, Missouri in 1974 launch our trip with "Bridge Waters Dynamite". It's an invocation to rock flashing on Mark Farner whooping up a Grand Funk crowd, then getting to the point quickly with berserk guitar assaults. Heavy riff with power chord stalks beneath as you take their advice… get loose and blow up the past. Smokin' Buku Band dropped my jaw with the audacious track "Hot Love" coming on like some fractured fever dream burlesque of Led Zep moves out of Hollywood in 1980. Swooping elongated vocals above, a total Zep chord move at the end of each verse. Writer/producer Steve Shauger aka Shag Stevens gets a brilliantly messed up sound quality here, the ideal polar opposite of slick. The extended guitar break is an epitome of serendipitously crude virtuosity, simply outrageous! Coming at you from way outta left field is "Moby Shark" by Atlantis, a hilarious and strange Baltimore pre-punk vibed dose of D.I.Y. meets hard rock. Lon Talbot is the mastermind, the flip side of this impossibly rare Mekon Records label single was featured in an obscure 1978 B-movie titled "The Alien Factor". Follow the lyrics closely, when the ominous jaws jaws jaws start coming after you you you… the song's big hook is so preposterously catchy the shark attack feels like good news. Inquiring minds should know that the band formerly known as Atlantis can now be found by searching for the Lon Talbot Group! Tommy Stuart and the Rubberband's "Peeking Through Your Window" from 1970 opens with a spooky organ riff, slips into a gushy fuzz/organ groove akin to "Mustache In Your Face” by Pretty. The singer creates downright creepy vibes, a stalker peeking through the girl's mind like a peeping Tom at the window up to no good. The lyrics evoke a disturbing scenario. Tommy Stuart also made a strange LP titled Hound Dog Man in 1977 and some terrific rare garage singles under the names Magnificent Seven and The Omen & Their Love in the mid '60s. Nothing better than an angry two chord guitar attack with cowbell to set the stage for this rant about getting "Ripped Off" by love. Taken from their rare 1977 LP on Dynamite Records, Chicago Triangle was Marvey Esparza, Dave Guereca, Jose 'Tarr' Perez and Robert Aguilera. They unleash such strong brain-scrubbing wah wah frenzy in the guitar break here that it seems to perversely mock it's own intensity! Like I said, Brown Acid the 18th Trip comes at you from all kinds of uncanny angles. Damnation of Adam Blessing out of Cleveland, Ohio unleashed a stone killer psychedelic hard rock classic "Cookbook" in the late '60s, this track "Nightmare" from 1973 has them cooking again at full power. A different singer, name change to Damnation and then Glory, unleashing a deadly dose of dark progressive heavy rock drama peaking when spooky 'oooo-wa-oooo' background vocals emerge during a bizarre spoken bit. It unfolds like a mini-epic and includes some remarkably brutal guitar and turbulent organ, too. "Swing your sword, all aboard… bid farewell to the dreamer" Dalquist exclaims. Cynical view of human nature, idealism is over, war is coming, it always does. Opens with a cold menacing riff and atmosphere reminiscent of "Synthezoid Heartbreak" by Maya. Mournful despondent vocals ride an insistent churning groove, gnarly guitar break moves into free noise territory. This rare track is from a local various artists benefit album titled Kangaroo Jam issued for the Waco Family Abuse Center in Texas circa 1980. The Pawnbrokers "Realize" is prime proto heavy rock emerging out of psychedelic garage roots in 1968 Fargo, North Dakota. Unusual arrangement, terrific sustain guitar tones like on the first Blue Cheer LP, even a rip on Hendrix "Manic Depression" with unison voice and guitar ascent near the end. They made three 45s and were active from '65 to '69. Hats off to Blake English, Kent Richey, Paul Rogne and Steve Harrison, you nailed it in just a hair over two minutes! As pure and creative as the original psychedelic garage hard rock gets. Parchment Farm from Union, Missouri gigged with the likes of ZZ Top and Foghat back in the day and unleashed the amazing "Songs Of The Dead" in 1971. Primitive riff/chord pattern dosed with some funky prog moves, sky turning black, 'is this heaven or hell' type disoriented confusion… may as well grab your guitar and sing songs to the dead. Robert 'Ace' Williams on bass, Paul Cockrum on guitar, Gary Reed on keys and Micky Waterman on drums, replacing Mike Dulany (R.I.P.) Cool that they use the Blue Cheer misspelling from Vincebus Eruptum for the band name! Ominous organ, thick minimalist fuzz riff, funky psychedelic wah wah flashes and freaky sex combine in one twisted dance titled "Rockin' Chair" by Brothers Of The Ghetto. Out of Chicago in 1975 with some Santana atmospherics and a delicious fuzz wah screamin' guitar break, the groove is highlighted by an off the wall vocal which sounds eerily detached in a subtly sleazy way. Rene Maxwell is the writer of this hard-rock boogie-down hybrid straight out of the twilight zone. It was issued on Ghetto, a subsidiary of the peculiar Kiderian label that released the Creme Soda LP. Now that your head is totally skewered, go Back Jack and play side one again! (Words by Paul Major)

The 1975 debut album of Kilburn and The High-Roads, 'Handsome' features the singles Rough Kids and Crippled With Nerves. Formed by the influential Ian Dury, proto-punks Kilburn and The High-Roads would inspire the architects of the London punk scene that would follow a year later.

In 1975, Joyce Moreno, who had just wrapped up a tour with legendary Brazilian composer Vinicius de Moraes, found herself in a studio with producer Sergio Bardotti in Rome, Italy. She had been taking a break from writing and she decided to pick up a selection of her favorite compositions from contemporary Brazilian writers who‘s songs were beacons of hope in times of an ongoing intense Military leadership in her home country. Unlike their previous albums, these recordings live from their reductiveness and intimacy. For a long time, Passarinho Urbano was considered a secret masterpiece and was highly sought after by record collectors, now Week–End Records is glad to be making it available internationally on vinyl for the first time ever.

By the early '70s globetrotting Fabienne Shine had befriended members of Led Zeppelin. She became romantically entangled with guitarist Jimmy Page and he and Robert Plant encouraged Shine's musical pursuits, urging her to put together a group of her own. And so she did, forming "Shakin' Street" in 1975 and opened for bands including Blue Oyster Cult and Black Sabbath

Recorded in a castle in England, Frampton is the breakout album where it all came together: Peter Frampton’s penchant for writing catchy songs with irresistible hooks, superlative guitar playing, and soulful, evocative vocals. Frampton is also the album in which Peter introduced one of his signatures in the “talk box” for his guitar break on “Show Me the Way,” which became iconic during the tour supporting this album and the live time capsule Frampton Comes Alive. In addition to “Show Me the Way,” ”Baby, I Love Your Way” and “(I’ll Give You) Money” have dominated the airwaves and Frampton’s live shows since this album’s release in early 1975. Frampton is arguably the high-water mark of Frampton’s early studio work and a showcase for an artist who had found himself as a singer/songwriter, and guitar player and was on the way to becoming a household name around the world.

Black Truffle is thrilled to announce a major archival release from legendary American composer and live electronics innovator Richard Teitelbaum, centred around his soundtrack for Suzan Pitt’s cult 1978 animation Asparagus. Best known to some listeners for introducing Europe to the Moog synthesizer as a founding member of Musica Elettronica Viva in Rome, Teitelbaum’s extensive and radically experimental body of work includes collaborative recordings with master improvisers like Anthony Braxton, Andrew Cyrille and George Lewis, intercultural experiments combining electronics with non-Western instruments such as the shakuhachi, works for computer controlled piano, and large-scale multi-media operas. Recorded at York University, Toronto in 1975–1976, ‘Asparagus (European Version)’ sprawls across both sides of the first LP. Discovered by composer Matt Sargent in Teitelbaum’s tape archive, this is a previously unheard major work for Moog modular and Polymoog synthesizers, unique in Teitelbaum’s oeuvre for its lushness and gently melodic quality. The music unfolds slowly, submerging lyrical melodies and burbling arpeggios into uneasy, glacially shifting harmonic swells, the luscious texture thickened with subtle changes of modulation and phase, calling up the shifting layers of Costin Miereanu’s classic Derives or the kosmische Musik tradition more than any academic synthesizer exercise. Teitelbaum incorporated much of this material into his soundtrack for Suzan Pitt’s Asparagus, which receives its first official release here. Asparagus, famously paired with David Lynch’s Eraserhead for a two-year run of midnight screenings at New York’s Waverly Theatre, uses hand-drawn and stop animation to unfurl an oneiric succession of images, beginning with a sequence in which the female protagonist defecates two stalks of asparagus, which multiply and float out of the toilet bowl to form the letters of the title. Teitelbaum’s soundtrack interweaves delicate drifting tones from the ‘European Version’ with contributions from Steve Lacy and Steve Potts on saxophones, George Lewis on trombone and Takehisa Kosugi on violin. Edited closely to the film, even without images the soundtrack proposes a surreal journey through floating synth tones, squealing horns, propulsive arpeggios, distant chatter, and an old-timey waltz. The final side of the set presents a new realisation of Teitelbaum’s text score ‘Threshold Music’, performed at a memorial concert at Roulette, New York in 2022 by Leila Bourreuil (cello), Alvin Curran (sampler and objects), Daniel Fishkin (daxophone), Miguel Frasconi (glass objects) and Matt Sargent (lap steel). The piece asks musicians to match their instrumental volume to that of the sounds of the environment in which they play, sometimes with the addition of recorded environmental sounds, reinforcing frequencies they encounter in listening deeply to their surroundings. Here the players use a field recording taken at Teitelbaum’s home in Bearsville, New York, their long tones and shimmering, glassy textures delicately emerging from the white noise of the location recording. Released with the full approval of both Richard Teitelbaum and Suzan Pitt’s estates, Asparagus is illustrated with striking images from Pitt’s film and accompanied by detailed liner notes by Francis Plagne. These previously unheard pieces shed new light on the work of a key composer in the American experimental tradition, offering up some of Teitelbaum’s most beautiful and engaging music.

La donna della domenica” (Sunday Woman) is a 1975 giallo movie, an Italian/French co-production directed by Luigi Comencini and starring

Marcello Mastroianni, Jacqueline Bisset and Jean-Louis Trintignant.

The soundtrack of this film, composed, orchestrated and directed by Ennio Morricone, enjoys the typical elements of the Maestro's style,

At the time, only a single 45rpm was released for “La donna della domenica”, including the main theme and

“Torino di notte” as the B-side, and only in 2008 the full score has been finally released on CD;

this is therefore the very first vinyl version of this soundtrack! Clear light blue vinyl edition. Audio remastered by Claudio Fuiano.

Japanese jazz, rare groove masterpiece re-released on clear lime yellow color vinyl!

The pleasure of feeling numb all over your body with a single drum beat. Akira Ishikawa, the super funky drummer born in Japan, runs through a wonderland of grooves!

Akira Ishikawa is a super funky drummer born in Japan. His ability to freely explore and fuse jazz, rock, and African music to create a unique musicality has been highly praised in many fields. His career includes masterpieces from jazz rock to rare groove, but this work is especially beloved for its outstanding song selection and exciting musicality. "Let's Start" is a tight cover of Fela Kuti's Afro-funk, "Bongo Rock" is a dynamic song with drum breaks, and "Pick Up The Pieces" is a jazz-funk version of the Average White Band's classic song. It is full of amazing monster tunes that are hard to believe were recorded in 1975. Support from masters such as Kiyoshi Sugimoto, Hiromasa Suzuki, and Takeru Muraoka also shines.
text by Yusuke Ogawa (universounds/Deep Jazz Reality)

This top-notch spiritual jazz album from Argentina will leave fans of Pharoah Sanders and John Coltrane astonished. Recorded in 1975 and still surprisingly off the radar, this is one of the deepest jazz albums from South America.

Inspiración is the meeting of two generations united by music: Ara Tokatlian and Guillermo Bordarampé, members of the influential 70s rock band Arco Iris (which Tokatlian cofounded with the now Oscar award-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla), join forces with Enrique "Mono" Villegas, an admired jazz pianist who had been active since the 1930s.

Meditative, soothing and serene, Inspiración is music your soul yearns for.

Official reissue with sound off the master tapes, including a reproduction of the original 16-page booklet. With the blessing and support from Ara Tokatlian and Guillermo Bordarampe.

Before coming to Europe, in 1970, pianist Manuel Villarroel was a vet in his native Chilli. A few years later, as leader of the Machi Oul Big Band, he returned to the animal kingdom. A very specific kind of animal, for sure, the Quetzalcoatl, also known as the Feathered Serpent. What is behind this title (also the name of one of the three original compositions on this album released on the Palm label in 1976), is first and foremost a sort of homecoming...

After discovering the jazz of Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Miles Davis and John Coltrane, Villarroel was taken by the free jazz which was all the rage at the time in America and Europe, and this would inspire the first version of his Machi-Oul, project. This was a septet, with which the pianist would record, in 1971, the tremendous Terremoto (re-released by Souffle Continu FFL085). After this masterstroke Villarroel was invited to record with Perception (Perception & Friends) and with Baikida Carroll (Orange Fish Tears). While these were notable contributions, Villarroel was already looking into other combinations.

“I had to deal personally with my situation as an expatriate, without disavowing it. I tried not to betray my roots, I tried to translate into my music what was essential to me, to reflect my origins – Latin America, its musical and above all human feelings – while remaining faithful to jazz, which is the mode of expression of the musicians in the group”. This then is the ‘homecoming’ we mentioned, which would incite Manuel Villarroel to compose what he would call “structured free music”. In January 1972 the pianist enlarged his formation to reach the size of a real big band: the Septet became the Machi-Oul Big Band. Three years later in January 1975, with producer Jef Gilson at the helm, fifteen musicians including those from the old Septet (Jef Sicard, François and Jean-Louis Méchali, Gérard Coppéré) worked on a rare form of jazz. From togetherness to dissonance, we danse to it “Bolerito” then shake it up on “Leyendas De Nahuelbuta”. As for the concluding serpent, it is a piece which is impossible to pin down: “Quetzalcoat” is as impressive as it is difficult to grasp. To remind ourselves of this, lets listen to it again.

Das zweite Album der Alternative-Pop-Band MUNA wurde bei seinem Erscheinen 2019 nur in den USA als sehr limitierte farbige Vinyl-LP veröffentlicht, was es zu einer begehrten Rarität macht. Das Album «Saves The World» enthält auch ihren erfolgreichsten Track «Number One Fan» und erhielt bei seiner Veröffentlichung begeisterte Kritiken, u. a. 4 und 5 Sterne von Rolling Stone, The Independent und Pitchfork, und wurde in vielen Listen der besten Alben des Jahres 2019 aufgeführt, darunter Billboard und The Guardian. Die Band, bestehend aus Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin und Naomi McPherson, ist nun bei Phoebe Bridgers Label (Saddest Factory) unter Vertrag und tourt weiter, zuletzt als Support für Harry Styles, The 1975 und Taylor Swift, sowie als Headliner bei eigenen Konzerten in den USA und Europa.

Das zweite Album der Alternative-Pop-Band MUNA wurde bei seinem Erscheinen 2019 nur in den USA als sehr limitierte farbige Vinyl-LP veröffentlicht, was es zu einer begehrten Rarität macht. Das Album «Saves The World» enthält auch ihren erfolgreichsten Track «Number One Fan» und erhielt bei seiner Veröffentlichung begeisterte Kritiken, u. a. 4 und 5 Sterne von Rolling Stone, The Independent und Pitchfork, und wurde in vielen Listen der besten Alben des Jahres 2019 aufgeführt, darunter Billboard und The Guardian. Die Band, bestehend aus Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin und Naomi McPherson, ist nun bei Phoebe Bridgers Label (Saddest Factory) unter Vertrag und tourt weiter, zuletzt als Support für Harry Styles, The 1975 und Taylor Swift, sowie als Headliner bei eigenen Konzerten in den USA und Europa.

"Secret Treaties is the third studio album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released in 197It features the same band members and production team as their previous album Tyranny & Mutation, but also the only BÖC album that does not feature a track with lead vocals sung by guitarist Donald ""Buck Dharma"" Roeser. Lyrics to the lead-off track ""Career of Evil"" were written by future punk poet Patti Smith, a longtime contributor to the band (and, at the time, girlfriend of BÖC keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Allen Lanier). The album spent 14 weeks in the US album charts, peaking at No. 5It was certified Gold by the RIAA. In 1975, a poll of readers of the British magazine Melody Maker voted Secret Treaties the ""Top Rock Album of All Time"". In 2010, Rhapsody called it one of the all-time best ""proto-metal"" albums. Secret Treaties is available on black vinyl and includes an insert."

Secret Treaties by Blue Oyster Cult, released 8 March 2024, includes the following tracks: "Dominance and Submission", "Cagey Cretins", "Flaming Telepaths" and more.

This version of Secret Treaties comes as a 1xLP. This release comes with (a) Insert(s).

Jesse James returns to the Soul Junction roster with a new 45 that features his own unique interpretation of a classic song that is backed with one of the more popular songs from his 1990 “Looking Back” album now brought to you for the first time as a 45 release.

Beginning with the A-side, “Everybody’s Talking At Me” which is Jesse’s unique cover of the folk rock singer Fred Neil’s penned song “Everybody’s Talkin’”. Which although recorded by Neil originally, was made internationally famous by Harry Nilsson when used as part of the theme score for the acclaimed United Artists 1969 film “Midnight Cowboy”. The song has been much covered in the style of a ballad but Jesse’s version recorded under the production skills of close friend Willie Hoskins (Wilhos Productions and Boola Boola Records) is a great up-tempo piano driven version of the song. “Everybody’s Talking At Me” is yet another find from the unissued tapes from the self- financed sessions that Jesse recorded at the Searra Sound Studios in Berkley C.A during 1971 that also has brought us SJ543 “(The Girl In) Clinton Park” and SJ544 “If A Man Ever Loved A Woman (Baby I Love You)”.

While the b-side, features the much, admired modern soul favourite “You’re More Than A Friend Of Mine” which first gained a release on the 1990 ‘Looking Back’ album (Gunsmoke Records). “You’re More Than A Friend Of Mine” was up to that point a previously unissued mid 70’s recording produced by the late song writer /producer Ron Carson. Carson the original owner of the San Francisco Soul Clock Records label remains highly respected for his work with the hit group, ‘The Whispers’ (both on Soul Clock and some of their later Janus recordings). Carson had produced and co-wrote Jesse’s 1975, 20th Century Records release “If You Want A Love Affair/I Never Meant To Love Her” now regarded worldwide as Jesse’s signature song. Carson had a follow up release in the can, which never came to fruition due to Jesse and 20th Century parting company for the second time. Carson by then had moved on and was heavily involved in the production of the Janus distributed blackploitation album “Black Fist” for Happy Fox records. “Black Fist” was a various artists compilation which also featured the Jesse James composition “The Same Thing Happens (Part1 & 2)”. The shelved, proposed 20th Century follow up release would have been “Your More Than A Friend of Mine/I Don’t Want It To End” recorded during 1976. Carson had pitched the idea of a song in a similar vein to the Jackson Sisters 1973 Prophesy Records release “(Why Can’t We Be) More Than Friends” to the songs original songwriting team William Peele Jr and Warren Sams. They duly obliged, coming up with the aforementioned “Your More Than A Friend Of Mine”. Warren Sams along with his half-sister Christine Adams Tripp and their friend Rachel Sanders were none other than the respected vocal trio “Water & Power” who recorded the acclaimed 1975 album of the same name for Fantasy Records and a solitary 45 “Mr Weatherman/If You Don’t Want Me”.

1975 was a banner year for superstar Alice Cooper with the release of the groundbreaking concept album Welcome To My Nightmare. This album showcases Cooper's theatricality, storytelling prowess, and ability to create an immersive world of horror and fantasy.

From the opening notes of the title track, "Welcome to My Nightmare," listeners are transported into a dark and twisted dreamscape. Cooper's signature blend of rock, glam, and theatricality shines throughout the album. His gritty yet melodic vocals, combined with a richly layered musical backdrop, create an atmosphere of eerie enchantment. The album's production incorporates haunting orchestral arrangements, catchy hooks, and powerful guitar riffs, crafting a sonically diverse and captivating listening experience.

Teaming up again with his longtime producer Bob Ezrin, the duo assembled some of the greatest music to go along with the David Winter-produced TV special, and in doing so, created some of his best known songs like the huge hit single "Only Women Bleed." This Top 5 single carried Welcome To My Nightmare into multiple platinum territory and forever etched the word superstar to the name of Alice Cooper.

All the hallmarks of a top-notch Analogue Productions reissue are here for you to savor: Mastered directly from the original master tape by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering and cut at 45 RPM. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings and RTI, and housed in tip-on old style gatefold double pocket jackets with film lamination by Stoughton Printing.

- Betty's classic third album, originally released by Island Records in 1975 - New vinly pressing on Metallic Gold colored wax - Featuring Betty's band Funk House - Booklet includes liner notes by John Ballon interviewing Betty plus full lyrics - Newly remastered from the original analog tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio // In the 1970s, Betty Davis defied genre and gender by pushing her voice to extremes and embracing the erotic. She articulated a kind of pre-punk, funk-blues fusion that had yet to be normalized in mainstream music - a style that few musicians have come close to replicating. As one of the first Black women to write, arrange, and produce her own albums, Betty was a visionary who disregarded industry boundaries and constraints. Raw, unapologetic, and in full control, Betty paved the way for generations of future artists who said 'funk you' to the music industry and social norms. In 1975, Betty Davis's star was on the rise. With the backing of Island Records and a new band, Funk House, Betty's third album, Nasty Gal, leans into the hyper-sexualized persona with which her critics were so obsessed. She raps, purrs, shrieks, and moans on top of Funk House's manic funk-rock and lays claim to the "bad girl" anthems that now saturate the music industry. Mastered from the original tapes, Nasty Gal showcases Betty's groundbreaking work as a performer, writer, and producer.

- Betty's classic third album, originally released by Island Records in 1975 - New vinly pressing on Metallic Gold colored wax - Featuring Betty's band Funk House - Booklet includes liner notes by John Ballon interviewing Betty plus full lyrics - Newly remastered from the original analog tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio // In the 1970s, Betty Davis defied genre and gender by pushing her voice to extremes and embracing the erotic. She articulated a kind of pre-punk, funk-blues fusion that had yet to be normalized in mainstream music - a style that few musicians have come close to replicating. As one of the first Black women to write, arrange, and produce her own albums, Betty was a visionary who disregarded industry boundaries and constraints. Raw, unapologetic, and in full control, Betty paved the way for generations of future artists who said 'funk you' to the music industry and social norms. In 1975, Betty Davis's star was on the rise. With the backing of Island Records and a new band, Funk House, Betty's third album, Nasty Gal, leans into the hyper-sexualized persona with which her critics were so obsessed. She raps, purrs, shrieks, and moans on top of Funk House's manic funk-rock and lays claim to the "bad girl" anthems that now saturate the music industry. Mastered from the original tapes, Nasty Gal showcases Betty's groundbreaking work as a performer, writer, and producer.

Ennio Morricone in his long and wonderful career has composed a large number of soundtracks for Thrillers and Noir.

Here is a selection of ten scores which once again demonstrate his immense musical genius.

THE PALERMO CONNECTION by Rosi (1990), VIOLENT CITY by Sollima (1970), WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE? by Dallamano (1972),

BEHIND THE TRIAL (1978-1980), THE FLOWER IN HIS MOUTH by Zampa (1975)

THE HUMAN FACTOR (1975), SHORT NIGHT OF GLASS DOLLS by

Lado (1971) ALMOST HUMAN (1974), THE DEATH DEALER (1974), THREE COLUMNS IN THE NEWS (1990) by Vanzina,

musically represent the entire dramatic and mysterious side of Ennio Morricone who wrote,

orchestrated and conducted soundtracks for two genres that always had a huge following of fans all over the world.

The studies with Goffredo Petrassi and the association with Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza let the Avant-garde playing an important role in the career of Ennio Morricone,

who wrote many contemporary pieces for himself, but then the author composed soundtracks where dissonance played a major role.

For the Italian edition of the film SPACE: 1999 (1975), the cult British TV series, he composed a very neurotic Jazz with muted horns.

Also for the science-fiction film THE HUMANOID (1979) Ennio Morricone created hallucinating strings scores mixed with electronic effects. For SACCO E VANZETTI (1971)

an electronic score by Walter Bianchi evokes all the drama of the undeserved death sentence of the two protagonists.

Experimental music of great impact in the film and off the screen for famous thrillers such as THE DEATH DEALER (1974), SHORT NIGHT OF GLASS DOLLS (1971).

Avant-garde music has always been present in Elio Petri’s films set to music by Morricone such as PROPERTY IS NO LONGER A THEFT (1973).

Avant-garde music in the noir cinema of VIOLENT CITY (1970) and A PURE FORMAL- ITY (1994) and in auteur films such as GARDEN OF DELIGHTS (1967) and SARAH’S LAST MAN (1972).

The romantic side of Maestro Morricone contrasts the dramatic side of Thriller and Crime genre where dissonances always dominate.

For TIE ME UP! (1989) Morricone composed a delicate love theme for his one and only collaboration with the great Spanish film director Pedro Almodovar.

For FOR LOVE (1976) he created a motif for piano and orchestra as a back- ground to a love triangle.

The first sexual experiences of a teenager with older women at the end of the war in DISOBEDIENCE (1981) are accompanied by piano, strings and oboe.

“Desperate love theme” from MAKING LOVE (2000) is a very nostalgic classic tune for violin and orchestra. “Per le antica scale (Preludio)” from

DOWN THE ANCIENT STAIRS (1975) is a captivating, slow and sensual, love tune for piano and orchestra with a predominant flute solo.

“Beata and Joe” from THE STAR MAKER (1995) a sentimental theme for the two protagonists performed by an orchestra with the intervention of a classical guitar in the second part.

The crystal voice of soprano Edda Dell’Orso appears very frequently in Ennio Mor- ricone’s soundtracks as in the case of THE GOOD THIEF (1980),

THE MASTER AND MARGARITA (1972), WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE? (1972), ORIENT EXPRESS (1979).

Das lebenslange Armdrücken zwischen Kopf und Herz steht im Mittelpunkt von Faith Crisis Pt 1, dem dritten Album der Emo-Indie-Rocker Middle Kids aus Sydney. Die neuen Songs legen die schmerzhaften, frustrierenden und chaotischen Teile des logischen Puzzles dar, das das Leben jeden Tag von uns verlangt. Produziert von Jonathan Gilmore (The 1975, Beabadoobee), bringen Hannah Joy, Tim Fitz und Harry Day meisterhaft Emotionen des Überwältigtseins zum Ausdruck, die den Hörer von den ersten Takten an fesseln. Das Trio greift erneut auf das Wesentliche des Indie-Rock zurück (Gitarre, Bass, Schlagzeug) und hebt seine Songs mit euphorischen Gesangsdarbietungen, einer mitreißenden Produktion und unvergleichlichen Pop-Sensibilität hervor.

Das lebenslange Armdrücken zwischen Kopf und Herz steht im Mittelpunkt von Faith Crisis Pt 1, dem dritten Album der Emo-Indie-Rocker Middle Kids aus Sydney. Die neuen Songs legen die schmerzhaften, frustrierenden und chaotischen Teile des logischen Puzzles dar, das das Leben jeden Tag von uns verlangt. Produziert von Jonathan Gilmore (The 1975, Beabadoobee), bringen Hannah Joy, Tim Fitz und Harry Day meisterhaft Emotionen des Überwältigtseins zum Ausdruck, die den Hörer von den ersten Takten an fesseln. Das Trio greift erneut auf das Wesentliche des Indie-Rock zurück (Gitarre, Bass, Schlagzeug) und hebt seine Songs mit euphorischen Gesangsdarbietungen, einer mitreißenden Produktion und unvergleichlichen Pop-Sensibilität hervor.

"Acclaimed singer-songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich returns with his 5th studio album ‘Some Things Break’ which sees a subtle reinvention in Benjamin Francis Leftwich’s sound and some of his most daring lyrics to date. The album consists of ten brand new tracks, all written and performed by Leftwich and follows his previous album ‘To Carry A Whale’, released in 2021.
‘Some Things Break’ was written over the course of the past two years at locations across the globe including London, Nashville, Washington and Stockholm. It was produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Jimmy Hogarth (Amy Winehouse, Sia, Anohni & The Johnsons) and features collaborations with fellow songwriters including Mikky Ekko, The 1975’s Jamie Squire, Jon Green and more.
Album available on CD and ‘Evening Sky’ vinyl."

Fabled jazz-rock group Soft Machine present this heartfelt tribute to one of the greats of British jazz - trumpeter Harry Beckett - covering his stunning “The Dew at Dawn” on this limited edition 7” vinyl, with a cover of a classic Softs tune on the B side.

This is the second 7” in My Only Desire Records’ Brit Jazz 45s series, which sees some of their favourite contemporary jazz acts each making brand new studio recordings of two classic compositions from the golden era of ‘60s and ‘70s British jazz.

Now led by guitar master John Etheridge, an original Soft Machine member since the mid-‘70s and Canterbury scene veteran saxophonist Theo Travis, the band has undergone some recent lineup changes with bassist Fred Thelonious Baker (a former Harry Beckett bandmate) joining for 2023’s ‘Other Doors’ album. This is also the first recording with drummer Asaf Sirkis, who has replaced the late British jazz legend John Marshall.

Etheridge and Travis’ unique arrangement has upped the tempo of the “The Dew at Dawn” (originally released on Ogun Records in 1975) pushing the Caribbean-infused groove to the fore. Beckett’s joyful theme - first played on Etheridge’s guitar and then picked up by Travis’ mesmeric soprano saxophone - evokes the sun rising over the misty Hackney marshes and the hope of a better future. The track is underpinned by Baker’s nimble bass guitar and Sirkis’ scattering drums, with Etheridge’s superb soloing honed over a stellar five-decade career.

The Who By Numbers ist das siebte Studioalbum von The Who, das von Glynn Johns produziert und im Oktober 1975 veröffentlicht wurde. Das Album war ein Kraftpaket und erreichte auf beiden Seiten des Atlantiks die Top 10. Das Album enthält Songs wie ”Slip Kid” und ”Squeeze Box”. The Who By Numbers ist jetzt auf schwarzem 180-Gramm-Vinyl erhältlich, das von Jon Astley, dem langjährigen Tontechniker von The Who mit einer Half Speed Technologie in den Abbey Road Studios gemastert wurde. Verpackt in der Originalhülle, mit Obi und Echtheitszertifikat. Verfügbar ab dem 02.02.2024 als 1LP Half Speed Masters.

Ein bahnbrechendes Album aus dem Jahr 1975, das mehr als dazu beigetragen hat, den Reggae einem neuen internationalen Publikum nahezubringen. Der Titeltrack ist auch heute noch eine der ikonischen 70er Reggae-Hymnen und das gesamte Album ist randvoll mit Roots-Reggae-Klassikern. Aufgenommen bei Channel One, Randy's & Harry J's und gemischt auf Treasure Isle.
Black Star Liner hat bei seiner Veröffentlichung die Messlatte für Roots-Reggae-Musik sehr hoch gelegt, und die Zeit hat nichts an seiner Majestät eingebüßt.

Southside Movement was a Chicago funk band that was busy during the mid 70s releasing a total of three albums between 1973 and 1975 on Wand and 20th Century Records. They also collaborated with the lush tones of soul singer and fellow Chicagoan Jackie Ross on records for Chess and Brunswick that have long since been forgotten. Until now, that is, because P-VINE has put together this great reissue of the music that was only released in limited test presses back in the day, and has added to it some previously unreleased tracks. The standout here is 'You Are The One That I Need' with its tropical funky vibes.

First reissue of these cult 1974 recordings of a Mayan brass band playing funeral dirges and popular songs in its distinctive extended harmonic and rhythmic style. The members of the San Lucas Band lived in the mountain village of San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala, playing local events of both religious and social nature. The pride of their town since 1922, the band represented a fast-disappearing musical tradition when these recordings were originally released in 1975. Their unique sound derived from an unusual combination of instruments, a repertoire including pieces dating from more than fifty years before the recordings were made to more recent ones, and above all from the highland Maya style of their playing, which is characterized by a preference for freer rhythmic structures and a wider variety of pitches than Western scales allow. One of Jon Hassell and Charlie Haden's favorite records, it was nominated for a Grammy Award upon first release and has remained much beloved by a small community of enthusiasts for decades. A profound and rewarding musical experience for all adventurous listeners, notably fans of Albert Ayler, microtonal and raw cosmic music.

Analogue Productions (Atlantic 75 Series)
Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Atlantic Records!
Bad Company's eponymous 1974 debut featuring "Ready for Love"
180-gram 45 RPM double LP
Mastered directly from the original master tape by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound
Pressed at Quality Record Pressings and RTI
Tip-on old style gatefold double pocket jackets with film lamination by Stoughton Printing

From the wreckage of Free came Bad Company, the English hard rock supergroup fronted by singer Paul Rodgers and featuring his drummer bandmate Simon Kirke, Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs, and King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell. Peter Grant, who managed the rock band Led Zeppelin, also managed Bad Company until 1982.

The group's eponymous 1974 album debut decidedly proves the band is proudly not progressive — the details make a difference, as do the pastoral acoustics of the closing "Seagull" — reducing their rock 'n' roll to a strong, heavy crunch; compare "Ready for Love," a tune Ralphs brought over from Mott the Hoople, to the original to see how these quartet members keep their heads down as they do their business. Appropriately enough given their name, there's a sense of slow, churning menace to Bad Company, writes AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine.

Their first three albums, Bad Company (1974), Straight Shooter (1975), and Run with the Pack (1976), reached the Top Five in the album charts in both the U.K. and the U.S.. Many of their singles and songs, such as "Bad Company," "Can't Get Enough," "Good Lovin' Gone Bad," "Feel Like Makin' Love," "Ready for Love," "Shooting Star," and "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy," remain staples of classic rock radio. They have sold 20 million RIAA-certified albums in the U.S. and 40 millon worldwide.

The self-titled debut album was recorded at Headley Grange, Hampshire, in Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S, and No. 3 on the U.K. Albums Chart, spending 25 weeks on the U.K. charts. The album has been certified five times platinum in the U.S., and became the 46th-best-selling album of the 1970s. The singles "Can't Get Enough" and "Movin' On" reached No. 5 and No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 10.

All the hallmarks of a top-notch Analogue Productions reissue are here for your pleasure: Mastered directly from the original master tape by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound and cut at 45 RPM. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings and RTI, and housed in tip-on old style gatefold double pocket jackets with film lamination by Stoughton Printing.

Classic Solo Album From Founding Member of The Byrds!

"... one of the greatest singer/songwriter albums ever made." -All Music

Gene Clark's 1971 classic "White Light" is a bittersweet and knowing statement from a singer/songwriter at the peak at his creative powers. Having fronted The Byrds, Clark on his own here is stripped down in guitarist Jesse Ed Davis' stark production. The lyrics, singing and guitar playing are so powerful that less production here is immeasurably more musically.

White Light was 100% Analogue Mastered by Kevin Gray at CoHEARent Audio from the best source available- phenomenal-sounding 1/2" safety copies of the original stereo master tapes. The results are amazing! The beautiful guitar playing is finally full and rich, and you can hear the full body of the instruments, not just the strings. Gene's aching vocals have never been so emotive and immediate.

Mega rare soundtrack to the obscure Venezuelan sexploitation film “Sobre la Hierba… Virgen” originally released in 1976 and almost impossible to find in any condition. The album includes a wide variety of music to enjoy, from thrilling psychedelic jazz-funk to spacey experimental tracks, killer drum-breaks or romantic instrumental tunes. Composer and keyboard player Schneider had an outstanding body of work for the TV/film industry and recorded with the likes of Baby Bell, Grupo Syma, Vytas Brenner as well as huge mainstream artists like José Luis Rodríguez and Pecos Kanvas. He was also producer to Phirpo Y Sus Caribes’s highly collectable only LP, a brilliant Afro-Latin funk masterpiece. His much sought-after 1975 solo album on Polydor anticipated the sounds comprised on “Sobre la Hierba… Virgen”, featuring a variety of exotic arrangements ranging from Latin mood to jazz funk to electronic psychedelic. “Sobre la Hierba… Virgen” is one of the best recordings of Pablo Schneider at the peak of his career.

Official soundtrack to the video game Grendizer, Feast of the Wolves, composed by Marcin Przybylowicz and Magda Urbańska.

Get ready for an unforgettable adventure with Grendizer, the famous giant robot. This action-adventure game, adapted from the cult anime series, will plunge you into the world of its creator, Go Nagai, and give you the chance to pilot the most powerful of robots and fight the forces of evil.

Grendizer is a cult manga created by Go Nagai in 1975. This sci-fi masterpiece revolutionised the mecha genre by introducing giant robots in epic battles. The captivating story plunges us into a futuristic universe where the hero, Actarus, pilots the powerful robot Grendizer to protect the Earth from alien invaders.

As soon as it was published, "Grendizer" was a phenomenal success. The visual impact of the detailed drawings and spectacular battle scenes contributed to the general craze. The manga quickly became a veritable social phenomenon, generating spin-off products, animated adaptations and a devoted fan base.

The career of composer Marcin Przybylowicz is marked by his exceptional talent and memorable contribution to the video game industry. Przybylowicz has brought his musical creativity to many projects, but it is his collaboration with CD Projeckt on The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 that has earned him worldwide recognition!

Doctor Who – Revenge Of The Cybermen was the season 12 finale first broadcast on April 19th, 1975. As with so much television music of the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s, the original master tapes of Carey Blyton’s score for Revenge of the Cybermen were not retained. The only surviving copy is a set of four 7”, 7.5ips “composer’s copy” domestic 1/4-inch tape. It is from those digital transfers that this release is taken. Sadly, and to Carey’s obvious and understandable disappointment, the completed music did not meet with the complete approval of the production team, and much of it was not used. Peter Howell of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop added some electronic embellishments and arranged some additional cues for parts two and three but some of that was also left on the proverbial cutting room floor.
For this release, Carey’s original score is presented (and heard here for the first time) as written. This is followed by the additional, alternative, and “enhanced” cues, all of which were also on Carey Blyton’s tapes.
“This is undoubtedly one of the most distinctive, mysterious, misunderstood, and even controversial scores in Doctor Who history, and it delights me to finally bring it, complete, to your ears!” Mark Ayres - compiler and producer

We Release Jazz is sooooo happy to announce the release of a very limited edition double LP for Boillat Thérace Quintet’s 1974 Montreux Jazz Festival performance, with 3 bonus studio tracks! This gem from the Geneva, Switzerland band follows the acclaimed WRJ reissue of their self-titled album (1974) and My Greatest Love (1975), their full-length with Benny Bailey. The 300-copies-only white sleeved DLP comes with the classic obi and features fully remastered audiophile-ready recordings.

Captured live at Montreux Jazz Festival, July 3rd 1974, this rare audio treat features Boillat Thérace Quintet fan-favorites including their infamous homages to Swiss Marmite ("Cenovis"), and Geneva's public transport line Tram 12 ("1224"), as well as remarkable renditions of timeless jazz numbers by Freddie Hubbard ("Straight Life" and "Backlash") and Chick Corea ("Spain").

Additionally, the double LP offers 3 bonus songs taken from the ensemble’s sessions for their self-titled debut: superb takes on Herbie Hancock’s "Dolphin Dance", Wayne Shorter’s "Adam’s Apple", and Claude Engel’s "5th of July, Dulong Street".

All in all it’s a beautiful soul-jazz/modal fest full of flair and heart, one that perfectly encapsulates the vibrant and inventive Swiss jazz scene of the 1970s. A must have for fans and collectors.

This new album from We Release Jazz follows the label’s celebrated releases of the Ryo Fukui catalogue (Scenery, Mellow Dream, A Letter from Slowboat, Ryo Fukui in New York, My Favorite Tune), Hiroshi Suzuki’s seminal Cat album, and Le Cercle Rouge soundtrack by Eric Demarsan among other jazz wonders.

Roy Porter's classic 1975 album Inner Feelings has long been a treasure trove of sample sources for hip-hop artists over the years. DJ Spine is one of those who made use of parts of the album's opener 'Party Time' in his own tune 'Rock.'

Now for the first time that single gets reissued on 7" along with DJ Spinna's edited version on the flip. The original is a real funk classic with fat bass grooves and hefty drum breaks. This track was once released on the famous tax scam label with the artwork which is presented here. It makes for a package with a great backstory and an even better sound for lovers of rare grooves and hip-hop.

Das Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album (1975) bringt zwei Legenden der modernen Musik zusammen. Nur mit Gesang und Klavier, ohne weitere Musiker, wählten die beiden Künstler die Songs aus und erarbeiteten die Arrangements für das erste von zwei gemeinsamen Alben

Im Juni 1975 taten sie sich zusammen. Bennett und Evans wählten die Melodien aus, arbeiteten die Arrangements halb spontan aus und wählten die endgültigen Takes aus, die verwendet werden sollten. Die Musik ist eine der herzlichsten und menschlichsten in diesem selten betretenen Bereich, in dem Jazz und Popmusik verschmelzen.-

Repress!

To celebrate what would have been the world-renowned songwriter, Rod Temperton’s 70th birthday, one of the highlights of Heatwave’s ‘Central Heating’ album, and never before released as a single, the mystical ‘The Star Of A Story’ gets an official, remastered outing on 45! Backed with the intoxicating, funk joint ‘Ain’t No Half’ Steppin’ it’s an incredible insight into the magic of both Rod and Heatwave as a whole.

Formed in 1975, Heatwave, primarily a chart topping funk / disco outfit, dropped ‘The Star Of A Story’ an uncharacteristic yet deeply elegant and ethereal departure crafted by keyboardist, Rod Temperton. Like an eternally warming Balearic blanket, angelic, siren-like falsetto vocals from Johnnie Wilder lure from a distance as harmonies straight outta heaven drift across the airwaves.

It’s a serenade of the sweetest kind backed with sweeping cellos, soft keys and laidback acoustic guitars. A dream-inducing, drifting beauty that has been sampled numerous times by the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, The Pharcyde and Hudson Mohawke and even covered by the legendary George Benson.

On the flip side, a trademark Heatwave mid-tempo funk number, in the form of ‘Ain’t No Half Steppin’. Beginning with a head spinning intro that leads into a true showcase of the group’s collective power on the mic. Mario Mantese jams out on the bass as blaring horns, lively strings and grooving chord struts turn this up about as hot as you can get. Sultry, soulful and smooth bursting at the seams with funk richness it’s long been a staple of the some of the best DJs out there and famously sampled by Big Daddy Kane, amongst many others.

Marjaa: The Battle of the Hotels” is a concept album born of the idea of merging singer & songwriter Mayssa Jallad’s two vocations: music and urban research/architectural history. Written in collaboration with producer Fadi Tabbal, the music builds upon Tabbal’s spatial approach to sound and Jallad’s research on Beirut’s Hotel District. The album is a reference to Jallad’s Historic Preservation master's thesis, in which she detailed the history of the “Battle of the Hotels”, a 5-months battle that took place in Beirut at the beginning of the Lebanese Civil War, from October 22nd, 1975 to March 29th, 1976. Jallad saw architecture as a main protagonist of the battle, as she discovered it was the first high rise urban battle in the world. The close of the battle resulted in the 15-year Green Line, an urban rift which split Beirut into “East and West”, restricting movement and communication and creating a violent divide that still resonates today. The album comprises two parts. Part A: Dahaliz, is a stroll in the city, where Jallad tries (and fails) to follow an old map. Musician Youmna Saba is a companion in this journey of remembering the once winding corridors (“Dahaliz”) of the city, destroyed by new developments since the 1960s. Empty skyscrapers propel her onto a past filled with the violence of snipers, and a present filled with the glamorous injustice of empty luxury real estate endorsed by powerful warlords-turned-politicians. In Part B: Maaraka, Jallad inhabits the building of the Battle of the Hotels, as its events unfold. She calls the fighting militias the Blues and Reds, respectively the Lebanese Front (Christian Nationalists) and the Lebanese National Movement (Pro-Palestinian leftists), leveling the playing field, and drawing a map of the battle through songwriting. Sary Moussa produces the conclusion of the battle in “Holiday Inn (March 21 to 29)”, which ends with the ultimate severance of the city of Beirut. The music caters to post-war youth who have never been taught this difficult history. Once we consider the “Battle of the Hotels” as our common heritage, it provides an opportunity to teach the value of civil peace. It is also a call to protest for the renewal, rather than the recycling of the political class that has once destroyed the country and holds us, to this day, hostage of its violence. Limited edition of 300 copies. 140gsm vinyl pressed at Microforum (Canada).

28. September 2023 – Als Tina Turner im Mai dieses Jahres verstarb, hinterließ sie das Erbe eines gewaltigen Lebenswerkes. Eine neue Anthologie blickt zurück auf ihre legendäre Solokarriere, die vor fast 50 Jahren ihren Anfang nahm. „Queen of Rock ‘n‘ Roll“ ist eine Zusammenstellung von 55 Tracks, die uns anhand ihrer Singles durch ihre einzigartige Solokarriere führt, angefangen bei ihrer Coverversion von „Whole Lotta Love“ (1975) bis hin zum Kygo-Remix von „What's Love Got to Do With It“ aus dem Jahr 2020. Es ist das erste Mal, dass ihre gesamte Single-Sammlung in einem Set veröffentlicht wird.

„Queen of Rock ‘n‘ Roll“ ist ab dem 24. November erhältlich und kann ab jetzt vorbestellt werden. Die Anthologie erscheint als 3-CD und 5LP-Set sowie als abgespeckte Vinyl-Version mit 12 Tracks. Alle physischen Varianten enthalten ein Vorwort von Bryan Adams, langjähriger Freund und Kreativpartner Turners.

Tinas erste Veröffentlichung als Solokünstlerin erfolgte zu einer Zeit, als sie mit dem Duo Ike & Tina Turner Revue tourte und Alben herausbrachte. „Tina Turns The Country On!“ – so der Titel des 1974 veröffentlichten Solo-Debüts – brachte keine Singles hervor, weshalb diese Anthologie erst 1975 einsetzt. Da nämlich wurde ihre Coverversion von Led Zeppelins „Whole Lotta Love“ vom zweiten Album „Acid Queen“ offiziell als Single veröffentlicht. Im weiteren Verlauf hält die Sammlung Duette mit anderen legendären Künstlern wie David Bowie, Bryan Adams, Eric Clapton und Rod Stewart sowie einige der unvergesslichsten und berühmtesten Pop- und Rock-Singles aller Zeiten bereit, darunter „What's Love Got To Do With It“, „Private Dancer“, „We Don't Need Another Hero“, „The Best“, „Steamy Windows“, „I Don't Wanna Lose You“ und „Disco Inferno“, um nur einige zu nennen.

Um das Vermächtnis der Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll zu feiern, enthält die Sammlung auch eine neue Version von „Something Beautiful Remains“, nunmehr schlicht betitelt „Something Beautiful“. Der ursprünglich 1996 veröffentlichte Track wurde von Turners legendärem Produzenten und langjährigen Mitstreiter Terry Britten überarbeitet und ist ein gefühlvoller und angemessener letzter Tribut an das kraftvolle Vermächtnis, das sie hinterlässt. Britten, der das Rework nicht lange nach ihrem Tod anfertigte, kommentiert: „Liebe Tina, die Zusammenarbeit mit dir war eine Erfahrung, die sich niemals wiederholen wird. Und doch bleibt in meinem Herzen ‚Something Beautiful‘ zurück.“

Tina wird auf der ganzen Welt verehrt. Mit ihrer persönlichen Geschichte, ihrem Gesang und ihrer Art des Tanzens war und ist sie eine Inspiration für Millionen von Menschen rund um den Globus. Und nicht zuletzt hat sie ein musikalisches Vermächtnis hinterlassen, das einige der bekanntesten Songs aller Zeiten umfasst.

Tina Turner ist zweifellos eine der bedeutendsten Künstlerinnen der modernen Musikgeschichte. Um es mit den Worten Beyoncés bei der Verleihung Kennedy Center Honours 2005 an Tina Turner zu sagen: „Ich werde nie den Moment vergessen, als ich den ersten Auftritt von dir Tina Turner sah. Ich hatte noch nie in meinem Leben eine Frau gesehen, die so kraftvoll, so furchtlos und so fantastisch war." (Hier kann man Beyoncés Laudatio samt darauffolgender Live-Performance ansehen.) 2008 traten die beiden dann gemeinsam bei den Grammy Awards auf und performten „Proud Mary“, ein Song von Ike & Tina Turner aus dem Jahr 1971. Diese Performance – anzusehen hier – gilt heute als einer der ikonischsten Momente in der Geschichte des weltweit wichtigsten Musikpreises.

Tina Turner hat über 200 Millionen Tonträger verkauft und hatte in Deutschland acht Top-10-Singles und ebenso viele Top-10-Alben (bzw. fünf, wenn man die Compilations/Livealben nicht dazuzählt), darunter die #1-Single „We Don’t Need Another Hero“ und die #1-Alben „Break Every Rule“ und „Foreign Affair“. Im UK war sie die erste weibliche Künstlerin, die in sechs aufeinanderfolgenden Jahrzehnten einen Top-40-Hit im Vereinigten Königreich hatte. Dort sind ihre Alben heute mit 20-fachem Platin dekoriert, in den USA mit 9-fachem Platin und in Deutschland mit 11-fachem Platin. Auch im Rest der Welt erzielte Turner gewaltige Verkaufszahlen. Bei den Grammy Awards wurde sie achtmal ausgezeichnet und insgesamt 25-mal nominiert. 1991 wurde Turner in die Rock & Roll Hall of Fame aufgenommen, außerdem hat sie Sterne auf dem Hollywood Walk of Fame und dem St. Louis Walk of Fame. Das Konzert im Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro im Rahmen ihrer „Break Every Rule“-Tournee 1988 stellte mit 184.000 Zuschauer:innen im Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro einen neuen Weltrekord für das größte zahlende Publikum bei einem Solokonzert auf. Das Rolling Stone Magazine führt Tina Turner auf #17 der 100 größten Sänger:innen aller Zeiten und auf #63 der 100 größten Künstler:innen aller Zeiten.

Trotz all dieser Erfolge und ihres gewaltigen Ruhms verschwand die Person Tina Turner nie hinter der Persona Tina Turner. Sie blieb ihre gesamte Karriere über nahbar und authentisch – ein weiterer Grund, wieso sie bis heute weltweit so geliebt wird. Bryan Adams dürfte in seinem wunderschönen und persönlichen Vorwort vielen Menschen aus dem Herzen sprechen, wenn er über die Wirkung schreibt, die Tina auf ihn hatte:

„Tina hat den Lauf meines Lebens verändert, denn ihr schreibe ich zu, dass ich es aus der Bedeutungslosigkeit auf die Bühnen des Vereinigten Königreiches und Europas gebracht habe. Ich bin so dankbar, dass sie etwas von ihrer kostbaren Zeit mit mir teilte. Sie war eine Naturgewalt, niemand hatte ihre Energie oder ihre Stimme“, so Adams, der dann mit Bezug auf seinen 1985er-Song mit Tina Turner anfügt: „It’s only love, and that's all.“

28. September 2023 – Als Tina Turner im Mai dieses Jahres verstarb, hinterließ sie das Erbe eines gewaltigen Lebenswerkes. Eine neue Anthologie blickt zurück auf ihre legendäre Solokarriere, die vor fast 50 Jahren ihren Anfang nahm. „Queen of Rock ‘n‘ Roll“ ist eine Zusammenstellung von 55 Tracks, die uns anhand ihrer Singles durch ihre einzigartige Solokarriere führt, angefangen bei ihrer Coverversion von „Whole Lotta Love“ (1975) bis hin zum Kygo-Remix von „What's Love Got to Do With It“ aus dem Jahr 2020. Es ist das erste Mal, dass ihre gesamte Single-Sammlung in einem Set veröffentlicht wird.

„Queen of Rock ‘n‘ Roll“ ist ab dem 24. November erhältlich und kann ab jetzt vorbestellt werden. Die Anthologie erscheint als 3-CD und 5LP-Set sowie als abgespeckte Vinyl-Version mit 12 Tracks. Alle physischen Varianten enthalten ein Vorwort von Bryan Adams, langjähriger Freund und Kreativpartner Turners.

Tinas erste Veröffentlichung als Solokünstlerin erfolgte zu einer Zeit, als sie mit dem Duo Ike & Tina Turner Revue tourte und Alben herausbrachte. „Tina Turns The Country On!“ – so der Titel des 1974 veröffentlichten Solo-Debüts – brachte keine Singles hervor, weshalb diese Anthologie erst 1975 einsetzt. Da nämlich wurde ihre Coverversion von Led Zeppelins „Whole Lotta Love“ vom zweiten Album „Acid Queen“ offiziell als Single veröffentlicht. Im weiteren Verlauf hält die Sammlung Duette mit anderen legendären Künstlern wie David Bowie, Bryan Adams, Eric Clapton und Rod Stewart sowie einige der unvergesslichsten und berühmtesten Pop- und Rock-Singles aller Zeiten bereit, darunter „What's Love Got To Do With It“, „Private Dancer“, „We Don't Need Another Hero“, „The Best“, „Steamy Windows“, „I Don't Wanna Lose You“ und „Disco Inferno“, um nur einige zu nennen.

Um das Vermächtnis der Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll zu feiern, enthält die Sammlung auch eine neue Version von „Something Beautiful Remains“, nunmehr schlicht betitelt „Something Beautiful“. Der ursprünglich 1996 veröffentlichte Track wurde von Turners legendärem Produzenten und langjährigen Mitstreiter Terry Britten überarbeitet und ist ein gefühlvoller und angemessener letzter Tribut an das kraftvolle Vermächtnis, das sie hinterlässt. Britten, der das Rework nicht lange nach ihrem Tod anfertigte, kommentiert: „Liebe Tina, die Zusammenarbeit mit dir war eine Erfahrung, die sich niemals wiederholen wird. Und doch bleibt in meinem Herzen ‚Something Beautiful‘ zurück.“

Tina wird auf der ganzen Welt verehrt. Mit ihrer persönlichen Geschichte, ihrem Gesang und ihrer Art des Tanzens war und ist sie eine Inspiration für Millionen von Menschen rund um den Globus. Und nicht zuletzt hat sie ein musikalisches Vermächtnis hinterlassen, das einige der bekanntesten Songs aller Zeiten umfasst.

Tina Turner ist zweifellos eine der bedeutendsten Künstlerinnen der modernen Musikgeschichte. Um es mit den Worten Beyoncés bei der Verleihung Kennedy Center Honours 2005 an Tina Turner zu sagen: „Ich werde nie den Moment vergessen, als ich den ersten Auftritt von dir Tina Turner sah. Ich hatte noch nie in meinem Leben eine Frau gesehen, die so kraftvoll, so furchtlos und so fantastisch war." (Hier kann man Beyoncés Laudatio samt darauffolgender Live-Performance ansehen.) 2008 traten die beiden dann gemeinsam bei den Grammy Awards auf und performten „Proud Mary“, ein Song von Ike & Tina Turner aus dem Jahr 1971. Diese Performance – anzusehen hier – gilt heute als einer der ikonischsten Momente in der Geschichte des weltweit wichtigsten Musikpreises.

Tina Turner hat über 200 Millionen Tonträger verkauft und hatte in Deutschland acht Top-10-Singles und ebenso viele Top-10-Alben (bzw. fünf, wenn man die Compilations/Livealben nicht dazuzählt), darunter die #1-Single „We Don’t Need Another Hero“ und die #1-Alben „Break Every Rule“ und „Foreign Affair“. Im UK war sie die erste weibliche Künstlerin, die in sechs aufeinanderfolgenden Jahrzehnten einen Top-40-Hit im Vereinigten Königreich hatte. Dort sind ihre Alben heute mit 20-fachem Platin dekoriert, in den USA mit 9-fachem Platin und in Deutschland mit 11-fachem Platin. Auch im Rest der Welt erzielte Turner gewaltige Verkaufszahlen. Bei den Grammy Awards wurde sie achtmal ausgezeichnet und insgesamt 25-mal nominiert. 1991 wurde Turner in die Rock & Roll Hall of Fame aufgenommen, außerdem hat sie Sterne auf dem Hollywood Walk of Fame und dem St. Louis Walk of Fame. Das Konzert im Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro im Rahmen ihrer „Break Every Rule“-Tournee 1988 stellte mit 184.000 Zuschauer:innen im Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro einen neuen Weltrekord für das größte zahlende Publikum bei einem Solokonzert auf. Das Rolling Stone Magazine führt Tina Turner auf #17 der 100 größten Sänger:innen aller Zeiten und auf #63 der 100 größten Künstler:innen aller Zeiten.

Trotz all dieser Erfolge und ihres gewaltigen Ruhms verschwand die Person Tina Turner nie hinter der Persona Tina Turner. Sie blieb ihre gesamte Karriere über nahbar und authentisch – ein weiterer Grund, wieso sie bis heute weltweit so geliebt wird. Bryan Adams dürfte in seinem wunderschönen und persönlichen Vorwort vielen Menschen aus dem Herzen sprechen, wenn er über die Wirkung schreibt, die Tina auf ihn hatte:

„Tina hat den Lauf meines Lebens verändert, denn ihr schreibe ich zu, dass ich es aus der Bedeutungslosigkeit auf die Bühnen des Vereinigten Königreiches und Europas gebracht habe. Ich bin so dankbar, dass sie etwas von ihrer kostbaren Zeit mit mir teilte. Sie war eine Naturgewalt, niemand hatte ihre Energie oder ihre Stimme“, so Adams, der dann mit Bezug auf seinen 1985er-Song mit Tina Turner anfügt: „It’s only love, and that's all.“

ONLY AVAILABLE ON PREORDER!!

The first-ever LP box set gathering the entire 10 albums collection of Obscure Records produced by Brian Eno’s.
Curated by Gavin Bryars

Originally issued between 1975 and 1978, nearly 50 years on the output of Obscure remains radically forward-thinking - offering glimpses of a future yet to be fully seen - and amounts to one of the most important, influential, and creatively accomplished album series ever conceived.
Co-curated by Eno and the composers Gavin Bryars and Michael Nyman - issuing the recording debuts of Bryars, Nyman, John Adams, Christopher Hobbs, David Toop, Max Eastley, Jan Steele, Simon Jeffes / The Penguin Café Orchestra, and Harold Budd, in addition to important works by John Cage, Tom Phillips, and John White - Obscure’s collective output is a groundbreaking landmark in the histories of Minimalism, modern composition, and Experimental music, and laid much of the groundwork for the soon to emerge movement of Ambient music.

Illuminating the remarkable, and largely otherwise undocumented, creative ferment within and between the British and American scenes of experimental music during the mid to late 1970s, this collection - made in full collaboration with all of the composers or their estates - contains the entire 10 album output of Obscure, the majority of which have been out of print for years, with a number having never received a CD reissue.

Offering each of Obscure’s albums, completely remastered and housed in faithful replicas of their original covers and liner notes, as well as a 80-page book (LP dimension) for LP-BOX SET, filled with rare photos, archival material and texts by - among others - Gavin Bryars, Bradford Bailey, David Toop, Max Eastley, Richard Bernas, and Tom Recchion, this historic collection marks the first time this seminal series has received a complete LP repress.

It was not only in Brittany that progressive rock bands went under the radar in the 1970s This was the case with the New Zealand quintet Dragon, born in 1972 in Auckland. Author of two albums released by Vertigo, certainly appreciated by amateurs, the group unfortunately did not meet with the expected success in its country of origin, which led it to emigrate to Australia from 1975. From there, they would spin the perfect love with the kangaroo public and the rest of the world in the 80s. Since then, between splits and reformations, they are still touring! But let's come back to this second album "Scented Gardens For The Blind" published for the first time in 1975 and today emerged from the shadows by the Replica and Musea labels. Note that from the first title, they try to get out of the shackles of progressive pop with Ivan Thomson's keyboards which push the combo to venture towards very English lands that the Zombies then Argent knew how to borrow. It is both marked by the 70s and a real desire to seduce the charts. What they did next in Australia. For the time being, on most of the album, the work remains a paragon of progressive rock marked by long guitar solos and beautiful flights of keyboards. Masterfully reissued.

Erlebe die zeitlose Anziehungskraft von The Kinks mit der Best Of "The Journey - Part 2". Eine aufregende Odyssee durch die ikonischen Hits der Band, darunter das elektrisierende "Till The End of The Day", das überschwängliche "David Watts", die sonnengetränkten Vibes von "Sunny Afternoon" und die rebellische Hymne "20th Century Man", sowie viele, viele mehr.

Diese Veröffentlichung enthält drei unveröffentlichte, neu abgemischte Live-Tracks von den legendären "New Victoria Suite"-Aufführungen, die euch in die erste Reihe bringen, um die rohe Energie und musikalische Brillanz der Band zu hören.

Um die Magie von "The Journey Part 2" noch zu verstärken, enthält diese Veröffentlichung wunderschön gestaltete Linernotes von der Band selbst. Sie beleuchten die bemerkenswerte Reise der Band, den kreativen Prozess, denkwürdige Anekdoten und das bleibende Vermächtnis der Kinks und geben einen Einblick in die Welt der Band und die Geschichten, die hinter diesen zeitlosen Klassikern stehen.

Für die ultimativen Kinks-Fans gibt es auch eine 2CD-Version mit einer erweiterten Tracklist. So wird sichergestellt, dass jeder Fan in den Genuss dieser geschätzten Klassiker und seltenen Live-Perlen kommt.

Lass dich von der Nostalgie anstecken und genieße die unvergleichliche Klangwelt der Kinks.

This is the first color pressing of this performance. Doug Sahm AKA Sir Doug was both a Texas rock & roll legend and pioneer. True, there were others before him (Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison come to mind), but the Sir Douglas Quintet counterattacked the British invasion of the mid 1960’s with their own brand of Chicano-influenced rock that they had been playing around their hometown of San Antonio. Wearing their tight-fitting, English-looking suits, they hit the charts with “She’s About A Mover” in ’65, riding the waves with Doug’s incessant guitar twangs and Augie Meyer’s much-imitated, two-to-a-beat Vox electric organ chords. This performance, recorded October 14, 1975, came after Doug had temporarily retired the Sir Douglas name, but features original member Meyer along with musical compadres Martin Steitle, John Barber, Steve McDaniels and Harry Hess. All the Sir Douglas Quintet classics are here, including “She’s About a Mover,” “Mendocino,” and “Rains Came,” and Doug ventures into other musical territory ranging from T-Bone Walker to Bob Wills. Long before the Quintet, Doug had been making music since even before the birth of rock & roll. He began his career as “Little Doug,” a guitar-playing prodigy who was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry when he was only 13. Over time, with the help of his irrepressible personality, he became a voice for Texas music, the original “cosmic cowboy” back in the heyday of the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin. But his influence went beyond Texas; in 1973 he even lured Bob Dylan out of hermitage to record with him, and Bob in turn invited him to join his legendary Rolling Thunder Review Tour. Doug left us suddenly in 1999, but he left behind a unique legacy, a “Groover’s Paradise” indeed. - Terry Lickona (Producer Austin City Limits®)

Die Bob Dylan World Tour 1978 markierte die ersten internationalen Konzertdaten des Künstlers seit 1966 und seine ersten Live-Shows seit der Rolling Thunder Revue, die 1975-76 durch Nordamerika führte. Die einjährige Tournee war ein internationales Musikereignis, bei dem Bob Dylan in großer Besetzung weltweit vor mehr als zwei Millionen Fans spielte. Die Tournee begann im Februar 1978 mit elf historischen Auftritten: Dylans allererste Konzerte in Japan, darunter acht Auftritte in der berühmten Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokio. Zwei der Budokan-Konzerte - der 28. Februar und der 1. März 1978 - wurden auf analogen 24-Kanal-Mehrspurbändern aufgezeichnet. "The Complete Budokan 1978" ist das erste Mal, dass Dylans komplette Konzerte von seiner Welttournee 1978 offiziell als 4CD-Box erhältlich sind. Die Doppel-LP "Another Budokan 1978" ist speziell für Vinyl-Fans zusammengestellt, sie enthält 16 bisher unveröffentlichte Highlight-Titel aus dieser Box.

“A piece of music never truly comes to An end. Revisiting a theme illustrates this idea that life goes on.” These are the words of Wayne Shorter, uttered in 2018 upon the release of Emanon, his final opus. On this record, the octogenarian uses dusky hues to shade in the passions of his youth - drawing and science-fiction, as well as the causes he has defended all his life - the fight against ecological upheaval and structural racism. This sentiment did not fail to resonate with Julien Lourau, who has reached a stage in life where he has begun to look back over certain pages written by the man he has always considered one of the masters of his trade. Five years later, this Parisian native has also chosen to revisit his glory days, offering reworked versions of specific tracks composed by his titular elder throughout the 80s. “When I play this music, I find myself back in my teenage bedroom. These are my standards, and they remind me of autumn in Rambouillet.” At that time, after practising his scales, Julien would also play Dungeons & dragons, and immerse himself in SF as well as heroic fantasy - epic influences which are not without a certain connection to the dreamworlds Shorter conjured up, as another fan of landscapes beyond the grasp of reality.

This album features four themes taken from Atlantis, which came out in 1985, and two from Joy Ryder, released three years later. To these, he has added a composition penned at around the same time for Sportin’ Life, the penultimate LP by Weather Report. This is rounded off by a tune taken

from Native Dancer, the record which, ten years earlier, in 1975, brought together this saxophonist who learnt his trade alongside Art Blakey, before joining Miles’ second quintet, and Brazilian Milton Nascimento.

“Between Native Dancer and Atlantis, Shorter did not release anything under his own name, but he took the time and care to really perfect his writing. Upon his return, he injected a very Brazilian form of subtlety into his compositions, especially rhythmically. And from a harmonic point of view, these themes are extremely sophisticated, and reveal truly singular colours. In fact, he decided to display the score as if it constituted the liner notes of Atlantis.”

Julien Lourau is a fan of every Wayne Shorter era, from his Blue Note days, where Mr Gone defined the bases of a truly unique repertoire, all the way to his final quartet - a reference like no other. He decided to focus on this “highly electric” period, which is not necessarily Shorter’s best known, nor his most widely appreciated - despite being a unanimous reference, Shorter has nonetheless never had a direct descendent. In Lourau’s line of sight there lies a desire to focus on typically South American tonic accents which characterise this repertoire, twinned with the ambition to switch up their actual sound “by attempting to open up onto a production highly influenced by eighties fusion". However, he admits that modifying the structures of these most unique of worlds constituted a fresh challenge. “There’s this labyrinthine harmonic system where you’ve no idea how it holds together, but where it’s actually impossible to touch the slightest element without the whole edifice wavering. It is in fact a very difficult thing to achieve!”

In order to successfully transcribe all this creativity free of obstacles, Julien Lourau once again called upon the help of Mathieu Debordes. From January 2023 onwards, Mathieu endeavoured to break down all the musical elements, on paper, before creating any actual music. The record was therefore constructed on the faith of these scores, without necessarily transiting through a creative residency - just two live gigs, to make sure the setup worked. Besides Mathieu Debordes and his synthesisers, Julien Lourau has assembled an ad hoc team by his side. On the bass, according to the track, we can hear erstwhile companion Sylvain Daniel or a new acolyte on the fretless bass, Joan Eche Puig.

Stéphane Edouard, on percussion, even dives headfirst into an unlikely proto-rap of sorts, on Pearl On The Half Shell (where, on the original version, Bobby McFerrin adjusted his interventions in a rather madcap style). Aesthete and drummer Jim Hart as well as pianist Leo Jassef also figure on this release - both were present on previous project devoted to label

CTI. “At sixteen, I wanted to sound like Michael Brecker rather than Ben Webster - that was equated with modernity in those days”, adds Julien with a smile, as for him, all this rings out a little like a logical next step, a joyful immersion into the fountain of youth. And if, for this record, he plays the soprano more than ever, the saxophone Shorter set in his sights on, he never tries to replicate an unattainable ideal note by note. What would be the point?

“Wayne Shorter is not just a saxophonist’s saxophonist. In fact, I don’t know a single person who has risen to challenge of his solos. I have not done it myself either, but on the other hand, I have retained a lot of his phraseology. His way of approaching the instrument reveals a more evanescent language, a work on colour and shape. Keeping this in mind has allowed me to gravitate towards certain elements, that in hindsight, I find echoes of in my work, even in Groove Gang.” Shorter etches out these phrases, creating a groove within which Lourau had traced subtle punctuation, managing, from a highly written base, to create fresh apertures, promises of a great escape. Emblematic of this standpoint, his regal version of Ponte de Areia, originally a wonderful dialogue between Milton Nascimento and Wayne Shorter. Here, the Frenchman takes liberties with the original melodies, without ever growing distant from the original spirit, extending one section with delicacy, offering a rubato development and then a groove “like a little suite”. Julien Lourau also renews with an accomplice from last century, Magic Malik, who lends his high-pitched vocals to the track. Though they had not recorded together for more than twenty years, the two of them got on as if they had only ceased collaborating yesterday, everything flowed naturally. The track was wrapped up in just one take, much like other themes, such as opener Who Goes There where the flautist deploys smooth, enchanted and smoky wisps.

Fundamentally, reflecting of the sleeve which features a child playing with a ball, image that could symbolise the sun just as much as the moon, Julien Lourau manages to translate the ambiguous candour which characterizes Shorter’s work - solar and crepuscular at the same time, that of a visionary and poet definitively situated outside of all chronology, but with whom Julien shares surprising and ‘timely’ coincidences. Shorter was born August 25, 1933, the same day as Julien’s father, “if we take time zones into account”, and who died on Lourau’s birthday, March 2, 2023. Should we take this as a random fact? Or could we not see here the sign of a destiny connecting the agnostic Frenchman to the man who, as a fervent Buddhist, believed in the transmission of his spiritual flow ?

Xavier Boyer, the lead singer of Tahiti 80 and one of the most distinctive voices in French indie pop, returns solo with a melodic and timeless new EP entitled "Soda Coda".

After "Tutu To Tango" (2007, under the name Axe Riverboy), "Some/Any/New" (2017), and not forgetting Tahiti 80's nine studio albums, Xavier Boyer has composed five songs navigating between soft rock, folk sounds and pop experimentation. "On previous albums, I'd done everything on my own, but this time I was looking for something more lively, more organic, more collective. I also wanted to exchange ideas with other musicians.

This mini-album (the vinyl version will include five alternative versions recorded on a 4-track cassette) was created with the help of three emblematic figures from the French music scene, Mehdi Zannad (Fugu, April March, A Girl Called Eddy) on keyboards, Laurent Blot (Le Superhomard) on drums and Stéphane Laporte (Domotic, Egyptology) on mix.

Recorded between tours and studio sessions with his main band, "Soda Coda" once again confirms his talent as a melodist and his appetite for sonic adventures. The power pop of "D Day" or the lyricism of "Children Of The Sun" would not be out of place on albums by Emitt Rhodes or Richard Swift (producer of Tahiti 80's "Ballroom" in 2014). "Oh Liza" is as smooth as an Elliott Smith novelty.

The singer assumes his influences: "My aim has always been to write timeless songs without pretending it's 1975, or 1998. I want my music to remain rooted in its time." "Read The Room" blends Jamaican music and avant-garde pop with its crystalline guitars and soaring synths, while "Soda Coda" brings a touch of Soul to the EP with its distorted piano and slap-back vocals.

More than a journey or a nostalgic trip, Soda Coda is a succession of luminous songs, and as Xavier Boyer sings on the eponymous track: "I'm singing something good, I can hear this tune lighting up my path".

Hailing from Cape Town, tenor saxophonist Winston Mankunku Ngozi (1943-2009) is a venerated
figure in the pantheon of South African jazz. Inspired by Coltrane while rooted in indigenous folklore,
he released the classic album Yakhal’ Inkomo at the outset of his career with the Mankunku Quartet in
1969. Backed by the Cliffs, Alex Express documents Mankunku’s return to the studio in 1975 with a
handful of new and original compositions and his inimitable tone on full display. Shaking off the burden
of Yakhal’ Inkomo, which was heralded as an earnest manifesto for modern South African jazz, the
album is a carefree affair that leans into township grooves with joyful exuberance. In addition to a
collaborative project with Mike Makhalemele entitled The Bull and the Lion, Alex Express is the first of
just two rare snapshots of Mankunku in the 1970s. Disillusioned by the recording industry, it would
take until his resurgence in the 1990s for Mankunku to flesh out his recorded legacy.

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND

Here is the much anticipated volume 4 of the HOT SAUCE compilation LPs dedicated to the Trojan related UK labels between 1965 and 1975.

HOT SAUCE VOLUME 4 features outstanding original Rocksteady, Boss Reggae and early Reggae (“Reggay”)
tracks including rare songs, overlooked gems, hidden treasures and a couple of hits.

The record labels showcased on this fourth volume are Amalgamated, Big Shot, Duke, Explosion, Grape, High Note , JJ Records, Treasure Isle and Trojan.

The tracks here have been selected according to their musical interest firstly, their rarity, and their complementarity. These tracks are all outstanding tracks, “killer tracks”, there is no “filler” whatsoever.
The HOT SAUCE series is a musical journey across Trojan and its labels highlighting early Jamaican Reggae’s many diverse musical genres and outstanding artists.

Since the early 70s “Tighten Up” series, no compilations have really explored these labels in depth on vinyl.

Bringing together Johannesburg’s two saxophone titans for a supergroup recording project was a
visionary move by Jo’Burg Records in 1976. Following the success of Makhalemele’s debut The
Peacemaker and Mankunku’s long-awaited sophomore release Alex Express, which both appeared in
1975, the bar had been set very high. Enamoured by their jazz contemporaries, the session was
concocted by members of an exciting new South African rock group called Rabbit, who formed a
backing group consisting of guitarist Trevor Rabin, bassist Ronnie Robot and drummer Neil Cloud
alongside jazz pianist Tete Mbambisa. Recorded at the state-of-the-art Satbel Music Recording
Studios, the inspired performances of this diverse cast of young South African artists at the height of
their powers was captured with exquisite fidelity. Packaged as The Bull and the Lion, the album title
references Mankunku’s signature composition “Yakhal’ Inkomo” (which means “the bellow of the
bull”) and Makhalemele’s stage name “Ratau” (meaning "lion"). The pairing of Mankunku and
Makhalemele stands with Moeketsi/Matshikisa and Pillay/Coetzee as one of the epic collaborations of
South African jazz in the 1970s.

Hailing from Alexandra and nicknamed "Ratau" (meaning "lion"), saxophonist Mike Makhalemele (1938-2000) was a force of nature with a robust yet soulful tone and seemingly endless breath. He embraced the pop music scene as an enthusiastic collaborator and staked his territory at the intersection of township grooves with modern currents in soul, funk and disco. As a solo artist, he delivered a formidable run of albums in the 1970s that that made him the most prolific recording artist in South African jazz during this era. First issued in 1975 by the maverick independent label Jo’Burg Records, his debut The Peacemaker was a tour de force that introduced Makhalemele’s heavyweight sax prowess (deftly accompanied by Jabu Nkosi on keys and Sipho Gumede on bass) while showcasing his innovative approach as a composer and arranger. To mark the arrival of a new
saxophone colossus, the album’s profile portrait cover boldly evoked the iconic Yakhal’ Inkomo by the Mankunku Quartet from 1969. Mike Makhalemele and Winston Mankunku Ngozi would go on to share
the spotlight on a collaborative release entitled The Bull and the Lion in 1976

Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, shortened in 1975 to Dr. Hook, was an American rock band, formed around Union City, New Jersey. They enjoyed considerable commercial success in the 1970s with hit singles including "Sylvia's Mother", "The Cover of the Rolling Stone", "A Little Bit More" and "When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman". In addition to their own material, Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show performed songs written by the poet Shel Silverstein. The band had eight years of regular chart hits, in both the U.S. and the UK, and great success with their later gentler material, as Dr. Hook.

Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, shortened in 1975 to Dr. Hook, was an American rock band, formed around Union City, New Jersey. They enjoyed considerable commercial success in the 1970s with hit singles including "Sylvia's Mother", "The Cover of the Rolling Stone", "A Little Bit More" and "When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman". In addition to their own material, Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show performed songs written by the poet Shel Silverstein. The band had eight years of regular chart hits, in both the U.S. and the UK, and great success with their later gentler material, as Dr. Hook.

This live concert was recorded during Supertramp's "Crime Of The Century" tour in London's Hammersmith Odeon, on March 9, 1975. It's featuring the entire "Crime of the Century" album and also some tracks from the then still-to-be-recorded "Crisis? What Crisis?" album.

This live concert was recorded during Supertramp's "Crime Of The Century" tour in London's Hammersmith Odeon, on March 9, 1975. It's featuring the entire "Crime of the Century" album and also some tracks from the then still-to-be-recorded "Crisis? What Crisis?" album.

Synthesizer king J.B. Banfi, a.k.a. Giuseppe 'Baffo' Banfi, hit the record market with the great italian prog rock outfit Biglietto per l'Inferno who released a legendary LP in 1974 on Trident and have been reivindicated in several occasions since with the release of lost recordings from the era as well as unearthing an unreleased 1974 live album. The band existed between 1972 and 1975, and had both Pilly Cossa on Hammond doing the virtuoso work and Baffo's keyboard explorations adding sound texture and atmosphere. Their second LP was recorded and mixes were to be produced by Klaus Schulze, but it remained unissued due to the Trident label flop. The band split shortly after this, but Baffo continued his experiments with electronic keyboards.

In 1978 Baffo released his first solo LP 'Galaxy My Dear', credited to J.B.Banfi and echoing huge influences from his friend and master Klaus Schulze, who would also produce his two next releases. A total DIY domestic home recording, with all the limitations implied but also with all its warmness within, 'Galaxy My Dear' is entirely played by Banfi and shows an accurate taste in his use of the synths, plus of course a strong kraut / cosmiche appeal that links the album's sound to that of the early Tangerine Dream or Ash Ra Tempel, but also brings a hint of Jean-Michel Jarre or even a certain reminiscence of the early electronic experiments by Franco Battiato and is a good contender to be filed along other Wah Wah reissues like those of Roberto Cacciapaglia or Franco Leprino.

Comes in original artwork with notes written by Baffo Banfi himself in a limited edition of 500 copies only.

Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the release of "TOUCH," a selection of sought-after tracks produced by Yuji Ohno, one of the most revered producers and arrangers on the Nippon music scene. His blend of Jazz, Space Funk and Disco have long been highly sought-after by DJs around the world and we've been given unique access to the Nippon Columbia vaults and to Mr. Ohno himself to come with a versatile selection from his 70s body of work, all bearing his uniquely recognisable sound. The set includes works with singers Nanako Sato, Hatsumi Shibata and Ken Tanaka alongside tracks from his cult anime soundtracks for "Lupin III" and "Captain Future." Approved by Yuji Ohno himself, "Touch" was remastered in Tokyo by Nippon Columbia and features liner notes by Nick Luscombe in conversation with the maestro and artwork by Optigram's Manuel Sepulveda.

Born in Atami in 1941, Yuji Ohno started learning the piano at a young age and formed his own band during his teenage years, getting into Jazz in the process. After high school, he entered the prestigious Keio University in Tokyo and played in the revered university big band alongside two other pianists, Masahiko Sato and Hirosama Suzuki, who would have an illustrious career in their own right. After University, Ohno became a professional musician and started playing with the new wave of Japanese Jazz musicians forming his own trio and recording with the likes of Hideo Shiraki, Terumasa Hino and Masahiko Togashi from 1967 onwards.

At the turn of the 60s, Ohno started to veer away from the Jazz scene as he realised, as told to Nick Luscombe that "the jazz music being played by the Japanese at the time was only chasing the cutting edge, and was ignoring the roots and origins of jazz." Ohno therefore shifted his efforts to film and TV and also to producing artists for various Japanese labels, becoming one of the most in-demand composers, arrangers and producers in Japan. This is when Ohno developed his unique sound across a wide variety of styles. More than anything else, he got renowned for his anime soundtracks, particularly with the Lupin III series - represented here by the superbly funky "Silhouette" - which made his fame in Japan

Whether it's jazz, funk, disco or Pop, the "Ohno Sound" is unmissable both in terms of melodies and arrangements, on a par with those of such legends as Quincy Jones and Michel Legrand. Ohno's melodies are sophisticated yet accessible and there's a great sense of space in his productions especially when it comes to slow-burning grooves as heard on "Kirameku Inner Space" from the cult anime soundtrack "Captain Future" or "The Soaring Seagull" from the sought-after 1975 album "Electro Keyboard Orchestra." This album was recorded with seven fellow musicians including Kentaro Haneda and Ohno's old friend, Masahiko Sato and using twenty Korg synths to create a unique blend of futuristic jazz funk. "The Soaring Seagull" could be the perfect embodiment of Ohno's signature sound when it comes to instrumentals. The producer was however equally at ease with producing lush disco extravaganzas such as "Subterranean Futari Botchi" by Nanako Sato or "I Wish You Love" by Hatsumi Shibata, a revamp of Charles Trenet classic, both colourful and glitzy.

Ohno's versatility is on display here with a couple of jazz vocal tracks, "Speak Low" by Ann Young accompanied by the Yuji Ohno Trio and Mieko Hirota's fast and furious "I Want to Be Happy" while he also excelled at crafting gorgeous mellow songs such as Ken Tanaka's "Lilac-gai No Aki" and Hatsumi Shibata's "Mouichido Kikasete" closing the selection on a perfect note. "Touch" is just a tiny selection from Yuji Ohno's immense body of work and it will hopefully open the ears of Japanese music lovers to one of the most important musician, producer and arrangers of his generation.