Forced Exposure New Releases for the Week of 6/26/2023

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: 1972 010LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock. "Cutting their teeth as teens in a West Bromwich bedroom, The Sea Urchins were nothing like the heavy metal that seemed to fill every bar in the UK Black Country. Fringe haircuts, perfect trousers, suede jackets and infectious tambourines gave plenty of hints as to their youthful ambition, but nothing could fully prepare you for just how utterly spellbinding these songs would be. Compiling their fanzine-only flexi material with the full complement of singles for Sarah Records, Stardust runs chronologically from late 1986 to the middle of 1989, beginning with the singles split for Clare Wadd's Kvatch and Matt Haynes' Sha La La, before hitting the first of what would be an even hundred releases from the new label Wadd and Haynes would form -- Sarah. The song that launched a legendary label and defined a sound, a scene, a place and time; 'Pristine Christine' still rings out as immediate and magical today as it did on first listen. What a glorious jangly rush racing around the corners of pop's history! The band would reach such heights time and again over the course of this three-year burst. The melancholy swinging folk of 'Everglade' and it's wonderfully yearning vocal; the organ-fueled British invasion garage rock sing-a-long of 'Solace'; the playful psych pop of 'A Morning Odyssey'; the acoustic sweep of 'Wild Grass Pictures'; the perfectly named 'Summershine' leaving you with a ramshackle smile out on the dancefloor. All of it is just so filled with delicate humanity, yet somehow absolutely perfect. As Bob Stanley said about the shimmering ballad 'Please Rain Fall' while bestowing it with NME Single Of The Week (an honor also bestowed upon 'Pristine Christine'), 'think of some variations on the word marvelous and you're most of the way there.' In their time, they might have seemed wildly out of step, but it's not crazy to say that things could have been very different for the likes of Radiohead, The La's, and Oasis without The Sea Urchins."

 

PRICE: $25.50

CAT #: AUK 005LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. Originally released on CD in 1996, now reissued on A Recordings, Anton Newcombe's own record label. Released on 180 gram vinyl. The Brian Jonestown Massacre's obsession with the Rolling Stones continues unabated on the brilliant Take It from the Man!; where the group resurrected psychedelic-era excesses on the previous Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request, here they jump further back in time to the Stones' mid-'60s period, with even more superlative results. From the opening "Vacuum Boots" onward, Take It from the Man! is gritty, swaggering R&B-influenced rock, delivered with remarkable assurance and attitude; singer Anton Newcombe is half-madman and half-shaman, and he commands each delirious moment with absolute mastery, emerging not so much a disciple of Mick Jagger but as a serious threat to the throne.

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: AUK 033LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 black vinyl repress. Mini Album Thingy Wingy contains seven brand new and exclusive Brian Jonestown Massacre tracks recorded by Anton Newcombe in is his studio in Berlin in 2014 and '15. Running at 35 minutes, the mini-album was co-produced, engineered, and mixed by Fabien Leseure. Four songs written by Newcombe; the band's first Slovakian song, co-written with Vladimir Nosal ("Prsí Prsí"); a composition by Newcombe and Tess Parks ("Pish"); and a cover of the 13th Floor Elevators' "Dust" featuring Alex Maas from The Black Angels on jug. Originally, Newcombe was heavily influenced by The Rolling Stones' psychedelic phase, but his work in the 2000s has expanded into aesthetic dimensions approximating the UK shoegaze genre of the 1990s and incorporating influences from world music, especially Middle Eastern and Brazilian music. This album mixes the traditional Brian Jonestown Massacre sound with Eastern influences and brings it up to date with the benefit of all the additional weirdness that's been discovered in the past 40 years.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: ACRSLP 1615LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Powerhouse performer, Willie Mae 'Big Mama' Thornton, was a singing sensation who did not get the recognition her talents so richly deserved. A big woman with a big personality, Big Mama Thornton possessed one of the most soulful voices in R&B history. She had a huge-selling R&B No.1 with the original recording of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller's 'Hound Dog', but would see her success eclipsed by Elvis Presley who would go on to sell 10 million copies globally with his cover on his way to being crowned 'The King of Rock 'n' Roll'. This 16-track, 140g black vinyl, goes some way in showcasing her colorful personality as well as highlighting her as a performer who brought much more to popular music than one landmark hit. Also includes numbers such as 'They Call Me Big Mama', 'I Smell A Rat', 'Just Like A Dog (Barking Up The Wrong Tree)', 'Don't Talk Back' and 'Big Mama's Coming Home'. Big Mama Thornton not only gifted the world one of the most bombastic interpretations of the blues, but she also helped redefine the place of black women in the music business."

 

PRICE: $37.00

CAT #: ACTLP 9242LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"When Bernard Purdie is not helping some big star the likes of Aretha Franklin, Isaac Hayes, Donny Hathaway and B.B. King to create a fantastic studio sound, the drummer pursues his own projects such as Soul to Jazz, two albums he recorded in 1996 and 1997. Released on CD back then (and now out of print), the two recordings have a cult factor today and sound as fresh as they did back then. Now both albums are released together for the first time as a 3LP set. These recordings are peppered with lots of prominent star guests from jazz and soul, from Eddie Harris, Michael Brecker and Nils Landgren to Hank Crawford, Stanley Turrentine and Cornell Dupree. Purdie's Soul to Jazz project takes two different approaches: The first part focuses on the renowned WDR Big Band led by Gil Goldstein. Soul classics such as Stevie Wonder's 'Superstition', 'When a Man Loves a Woman', Eddie Harris' 'Freedom Jazz Dance' and Lee Morgan's famous groove tune 'Sidewinder' are interpreted in large-scale sound. One discovery of these recordings amidst all the renowned guest soloists is the New York-born singer Martin Moss. The great success of this first album released under Soul to Jazz led to Soul to Jazz II, a more intimate record, but one that picks up where the first recording left off by exploring similar themes. Again, Purdie has called together a notable band of kindred spirits, including saxophonists Hank Crawford (B.B. King, Ike & Tina Turner, Ray Charles), Stanley Turrentine (Jimmy Smith, Shirley Scott) and Vincent Herring, as well as guitarist Cornell Dupree (King Curtis) to pianists Benny Green and Junior Mance. Bernard Purdie's Soul to Jazz is a timeless classic and a blueprint of the soul-jazz genre in all its facets. Above all, it is a portrait of one of the most influential and best drummers in the world, who made jazz groove with his inimitable funky soul beat."

 

PRICE: $42.00

CAT #: BEWITH 129LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Lewis II was the follow-up to Lewis Taylor's epochal, self-titled debut album. It was initially released in 2000 and this double LP release, its first ever vinyl edition, has been heavily anticipated for nearly a quarter of a century. After Island rejected Lewis Taylor's second release (later released as The Lost Album), he returned to the studio to record Lewis II. Less esoteric than Lewis Taylor, Lewis II is a more polished, sophisticated funk and mature up-tempo soul than the dark psych-soul of his debut. The production, whilst slicker, is a bit tougher, with more crisp R&B-flavored grooves, and head-nod beats and more bass pumping up his voice. The moody funk of "Party" sounds like a mad blend of Riot-era Sly Stone and Brian Wilson. "My Aching Heart", with its clean, slick, late '90s R&B drums, could surely have been a single. Lewis hoped "You Make Me Wanna" would be a single but the dank, organ-drenched groove, coupled with the growling eroticism of Lewis's vocals would've, again, made this beyond the pale for most mainstream music fans. Somewhat incongruous acidic synths and bleeps give way to a laconic summertime groove on breezy highlight "The Way You Done Me", all funky acoustic guitars and stunning, good-time vocals. Sumptuous ballad "Satisfied", a fan favorite, marries unusual instrumentation with classic soul-ballad structure. The dubbed-out, spaced-out "Never Gonna Be My Woman" is the closest the album comes to classic D'Angeloesque neo-soul, with echoes of the esoteric funk featured across Maxwell's contemporaneous Embrya. The "I'm On The Floor" / "Lewis II" / "Into You" song cycle stacks up against any other consecutive 15 minutes of recorded music. These could've been hits for Justin Timberlake during his Timbaland-collaborating days, such is the sonic and textural pop experimentation at play here. The extraordinary title track sounds like an outtake from Marvin Gaye's Trouble Man and spends its last third as a searingly dark piano-led psychedelic-guitar-crunching soul instrumental. The way it segues into, er, "Into You" is just straight up genius. The swoonsome, lovelorn ballad "Blue Eyes", apparently written in the spirit of Marvin's "Vulnerable", is a lush, slow swinger with some gorgeous noir touches. To close, Lewis completely retools Jeff Buckley's beloved, beautiful "Everybody Here Wants You". With fiery vocals, icy piano, and psychedelic guitars, Lewis recasts Buckley's effort as dramatic, ethereal soul. Mastered by Simon Francis. Cut by Cicely Balston at Air Studios and pressed at Record Industry.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: BEWITH 130LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Nothing compares to Lewis Taylor and nobody crafts a "B-Side" quite like him. Gathered together for the first time on one slice of wax, Be With Records present The Damn Rest: an album's worth of B-Sides from the era of the 1996 Lewis Taylor album. More off-the-wall and abstract than the album proper, these rare, underheard tracks burst with Lewis's uncompromising genius. The Damn Rest is the essential bridge between Lewis Taylor and Lewis II. Lewis Taylor's self-titled masterpiece from 1996 was to be originally called Damn. However, concerns over distribution in the US soured this desired title. When thinking about what to call this collection of essential B-Sides from the era of that first album, we thought The Damn Rest would be appropriate. But these tracks aren't simply throwaways or outtakes, as Lewis himself states: "each little group were recorded specifically for the release of each 'single'." The collection opens with "Asleep When You Come", the A2 on the original "Lucky" 12". It's a slow-mo string-drenched soul offering, cast in cinematic soft-focus with a vocal performance from the heavens. Also, from the "Lucky" single, "You Got Me Thinking" may actually be Lewis's funkiest moment, a great, gently psychedelic funky club track. Next, the gorgeous, meandering "I Dream The Better Dream" is just sheer, metronomic bliss, with shades of Stevie Wonder. As we move to the B-sides from the "Whoever" single, the first to feature is "Pie In The Electric Sky / If I Lay Down". A head-nod funk workout in two parts; part psychedelic heavy soul jam, part breezy Marvin-esque near-instrumental of the deeply lush variety. Flip over for "Waves", a shimmering, dramatic, sweeping string-led fan favorite. It's followed by the deep wyrd-soul of "Trip So Heavy" the final, dizzying track from the "Whoever" single and another celestial funk delight featuring strings, organ, twisted bass and heavy drums. From the "Bittersweet" 12", "A Little Bit Tasty" is a building, schizophrenic soul-jazz epic that starts out with Lewis performing a call and (distant) response with himself over a gentle mid-90s drum loop before snatches of heavy, crunching metal guitars blast apart the otherwise neat song structure. The Damn Rest is worth it for the inclusion of the jaw-dropping "Lewis III" alone. A dazzlingly lush and stunningly sophisticated prog/soul hybrid that owes as much to Pet Sounds as What's Going On with arrangements that grow and unfold in layers. Mastered by Simon Francis. Cut by Cicely Balston at Air Studios and pressed at Record Industry.

 

PRICE: $42.00

CAT #: BEWITH 141LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Lewis Taylor's legendary magnum opus: The Lost Album. The intended follow-up to his first album but Island rejected it for fear of "confusing" the marketplace and its conception of Lewis as a soul artist. It's a breezy sunset masterpiece. The genesis of this incredible record needs unpicking a bit. Lewis stopped promoting the first album after a year and went home to record a completely different record that was the most un-R&B album you could probably ever hear. Thankfully, Lewis and longtime partner Sabina Smyth revisited the scrapped demo tracks in 2003. They decided to re-arrange, re-record and then self-release them. So, it was that the brand-new version of The Lost Album finally dropped in late 2004. The Lost Album was a fully 50/50 collaboration between Lewis and Smyth. It's not straight up "soul music" in the vein of his previous work. Yet, in its perfectly formed suite of one dozen songs, The Lost Album is dripping in soul. It features deep, fresh imprints on well-loved, accessible sounds. It's a proper '70s style double album. Deep orchestral opener "Lost" is a sublime, harp-laced, string drenched gem, a cinematic, melancholic Axelrod-esque mini-epic. Written by Smyth, it evokes Donny Hathaway's celestial "I Love The Lord, He Heard My Cry" from Extensions Of A Man. The only problem is the brief 90 seconds running time. It segues into the classic Brian Wilson-meets-power-pop-rock splendor of "Listen Here" which, with its outstanding extended harp-licked beatless intro, sounds like the younger cousin to Boston's "More Than A Feeling". You then drift into the ringing guitars of classic '70s rock anthem "Hide Your Heart Away". A new version of the heart-stopping, shoulda-been-a-massive-pop-hit "Send Me An Angel" opens Side B before the arrival of "Leader of the Band". Soaring, piano-led Rundgren-esque power pop that makes the hairs on the back of your next stand on end. The simple jangly brilliance meets experimental prog-rock of "Yeah" sounds like simultaneously like prime CSNY and late '90s Radiohead. Downlifting stunner "Please Help Me If You Can" and the warm textures and brilliant atmospherics of goosebump-inducer "Let's Hope Nobody Finds Us" are reminiscent of The Beach Boys' Holland. Closing out this remarkable side of music, the accidentally Balearic "New Morning". The final side opens with the vaguely Beatlesesque "Say I Love You". It's just classic, soaring pop-rock songwriting. The sassy, Stonesy swagger of "See My Way" injects enough rock n' roll attitude to compensate for the rest of record's peace-loving, AOR sun-dappled vibe. Album closer, "One More Mystery" comes on initially like a baroque-pop George Harrison before piling crunching drums and screeching guitar solos. Mastered by Simon Francis. Cut by Cicely Balston precise cut for Alchemy at AIR Studios.

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: BONER 001LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"2014 release. The classic 1983 hardcore scuzz rock debut from Berkeley, CA's Fang, Landshark! is a unique mix of erratic thrashers and slow Sabbath-oid noise riffs. Its best-known tune is without a doubt the rumbling and stumbling opening track "The Money Will Roll Right In," which has been covered by Nirvana, Metallica, Mudhoney, The Butthole Surfers and God knows who else. The record also includes cheerful odes to the disabled ('Destroy the Handicapped'), the follicle-y challenged ('Skinheads Smoke Dope'), and assorted werewolves, delinquents and drug users. Fang continues to unload their brand of sludge-punk on audiences to this day, with recent tours taking them around the US, Europe and Brazil. This reissue is remastered and back in print on vinyl for the first time in 20 years, with additional vintage artwork inside. The digital download included with the disc also features their entire Where the Wild Things Are release, plus more."

 

PRICE: $38.50

CAT #: CNLP 070LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Reissue, originally released in 1968. Volker Kriegel was considered the pioneering jazz-rock and fusion guitarist from Europe. 1968 was a crucial year for his career as he released With A Little Help From My Friends, his first solo album, and signed with American vibraphonist Dave Pike, joining what would quickly emerge as one of the most popular and influential jazz fusion combos. This precious document reissued for the first time by Cinedelic Jazz with bonus tracks highlights all his qualities that enabled him to become one of the most acclaimed and innovative guitarists in European jazz. The original album included two recording sessions; Side A in Cologne and Side B in Frankfurt, with different performers. Side A as a trio with double bass and drums, and on the other with the addition of vibraphonist, Claudio Szenkar. The covers performed are the two by Lennon-McCartney "With A Little Help From My Friends" and "Norwegian Wood", and the traditional Brazilian "Nãnã Imborô". Added to the original album are four previously unreleased tracks of great depth recorded at the Deutsches Jazz Festival in Frankfurt in 1968: "Teaming Up" and "Vian-De" by Kriegel himself, "Spanish Soul" by Szenkar and "Nina's Dance" lasting over nine minutes and featuring Tony Scott on clarinet and Gustl Mayr on tenor sax. Over the years, Kriegel would go on to participate in over 200 albums.

 

PRICE: $35.50

CAT #: CNSV 003LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

First time on vinyl; from original master tapes. An incredible first ever release of the legendary composer Egisto Macchi's soundtrack for Mino Guerrini's 1968 film, Gangsters '70. Created in collaboration with Walter Branchi, Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza, it's among the most strikingly experimental of all his soundtrack work and remains startlingly urgent more than half a century down the road. This album has it all. Psychedelic jazz, free outings, insane flow, tension, energy, melodic beauty, and a telepathic interaction

 

PRICE: $23.00

CAT #: DC 375LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress; deluxe gatefold LP version. "The cat's back in the bag again -- try not to throw it in the river this time! This one is special: Jim O'Rourke has delivered his first new solo album since 2001. Working relentlessly since he burst onto the scene in 1989, Jim has played, recorded and mixed a couple hundred records -- but only a dozen of them have been Jim O'Rourke-endorsed products that bear the name that gives his promise of quality. That relative handful of albums has established a brand that's been burned deep into Jim's flanks. Is it any wonder that he fled the western hemisphere; never leaves his Tokyo apartment and isn't seen in public anymore without a strong drink in his hand? So anyway, it's been a long time since one of Jim O'Rourke's popular music records. The Visitor hasn't made us wait as long as Chinese Democracy but it has made us wince a lot less. Call it Jim's Japanese Democracy -- a republic of one inside the studio where it was recorded and mixed. The Visitor is a seriously all-O'Rourke affair -- all the sounds you hear are Jim and Jim alone. So this time you can't blame any of those session dudes and their bloodless line readings -- the chill you're getting is a one-hundred percent O'Rourke effect. As a matter of fact, it might be more like two hundred percent -- some of The Visitor is tracked so deep, it took two hundred tracks to hold it all. It doesn't sound like it though -- to Jim's credit, the mix sounds very minimal, very straightforward -- not like several hundred tracks at all. Call it his invisible wall of sound -- Spector without the gun. But what Jim lacks in firearms, he makes up for in desire. Speaking of sound, all the classic O'Rourke-isms are here, for you musicologist types: percolating banjos, smooth electric leads, organic, kicking drum sounds, the flickering of shakers to the left and right, mellow but ominous woodwinds, sounds that indicate 'vintage' (before turning left and running out the door), sonic jokes, sonic tear-jerkers, sonic jerkoffs, all wrapped in spacious yet subtle left to right placement of everything in the picture. There's moments of low comedy next to high drama and juicy melancholy with a seeming lack of regard for proximity (which of course is just what Jim wants you to think, that's how jaded and perverse he is!). Plus -- sudden surging rhythms! A roil of noise or two! Constantly shifting moods! Things that aren't what they seem! The Visitor is sort of 'O'Rourke Does O'Rourke' -- Jim recontextualizing everything he's done over the years, and throwing out the bullshit. The one thing you won't hear is his voice -- perhaps another O'Rourkian self-examination? Or maybe he's just saving it for all the name-calling on his next album. At the end of the day, The Visitor doesn't overstay its welcome -- call it a cautionary tale, rest of the music world! And get ready for redefinition -- Jim O'Rourke is back."

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: DC 584LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock; LP version. "WOO is brothers Mark and Clive Ives. Emboldened by the success of the recent reissue of It's Cosy Inside, Mark and Clive had a listen to hundreds of previously unreleased tracks recorded in the 70s and 80s to assemble their first new record in two decades, When The Past Arrives. With comparisons to Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Animal Collective, Cluster, and Brian Eno, WOO's profile in the world of atemporal music has been growing for years. For the lucky few who know, like Fela, or Neu!, WOO has their own instantly recognizable vibrantly pulsing sound, a quiet sound of comfort and contentment."

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: DC 639LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress. "Nuno Canavarro's Plux Quba hails from three decades in the past, yet the simple profile of its abstract/ambient/cutup collage makes it a record that sits quite comfortably in our IDM-informed future. In 1988, Plux Quba was a primal dark horse in the world of pants-forward electronic music -- an obscurity issued with little explanation from the laid-back west coast of Europe: Portugal, of all places! -- though the casual listener could hardly know that from an examination of the LP jacket. The vanguard of electronics in late-80s Europe was being pushed by organizations like Nurse With Wound, The Hafler Trio, HNAS -- and yet, when Christoph Heemann came across this recording, it struck his ears and the ears of fellow listeners like nothing before. Plux Quba was handed around between the principles of the early '90s A-Musik scene: Jan St. Werner, C-Schulz, Frank Dommert, Georg Odijk, plus interested fellow travelers like Jim O'Rourke, to the intense curiosity of all. To ears that were already saturated with all things kraut, the dark corners of prog and the frontline of experimental and improvised music, it proved elusive. Not simply in how it sounded and how that sound was achieved, but in where it was coming from -- like later Robert Ashley at times; certain stretches of melody recalled some of Eno's ambient pieces -- but mostly, it was a completely alien soundscape! And who was it? Was the band called Plux Quba? The record? The label? These sorts of mysteries are at the heart of records that require close listening and re-listening. As it was absorbed, it grew to be an influence on the Köln sound -- Mouse On Mars, Lithops, and Heemann's many and varied projects -- as well as O'Rourke, Fennesz and many others. Music and sound of this nature have for many years been made available by bands like Autechre, labels like Mille Plateaux -- but for the first ten years of its existence, Plux Quba was rarely heard. O'Rourke reissued it as the first record on his Moikai label in 1998, and it had a good run through around 2005 before the last of the print parts were filled. It's been almost a decade since Plux Quba was available, which is way too long considering that we live in an era where it is necessary to have an LP of this on hand for your contemporary listening distractions. And so, Drag City has stepped in to reissue the Moikai reissue of Nuno Canavarro's classic Plux Quba."

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: EB 193CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

There is a dub series that has been causing a sensation for years, and has been since the release of King Size Dub 1 in 1994. In the series there were always trips to obscure counting (Vol. 69) and specials about certain regions (Dub In Germany), labels (ON-U Sound Records from London) or bands (Dubmatix from Toronto). It's wonderful that with KSD 23, another compilation in the series presents dub as a multi-layered art of sound mixing. In this edition, there is a spectacular focus on cover versions of very famous songs like "Cocaine" (JJ Cale), "Personal Jesus" (Depeche Mode), "Master Blaster" (Stevie Wonder), "Blue Monday" (New Order), "Guns Of Brixtion" (The Clash), "The Robots" (Kraftwerk), and so on.Features Noiseshaper, Simple Straw, Mexican Dubwiser, Artwork Jamal, Dubvisionist, Reggaesta, Earl 16, Dubinator, Alan Moore, Dieter Meier, Dub Spencer & Trance Hill, Dubby Wonder, Eugene Tambourine, Seanie T meets Aldubb, Rob Smith aka RSD, Martha And The Muffins, Dreadzone, Misled Convoy meets Uncle Fester On Acid, Bim Sherman, Dub Mode, Joseph Holiday, L.A.B meets Paolo Baldini DubFiles, Dubmatix, Barry Ashworth, Manasseh, Kleer meets Dubinator, RE-201, Awa Fall, Zion Train, Kid Loco meets Soul Sugar.

 

PRICE: $36.50

CAT #: XBIT 003LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Rico Puestel (Cocoon, Break New Soil) presents an exclusive collection of long-lost techno tracks from his 2002-2004 archives on blue double vinyl, accompanied by a dream painting Rico did in basic school as full color artwork. Seemingly and somehow being ahead of their time, these tracks never made it to an official release although Rico always desired their sheer existence and overall sound, standing out in many different ways... A further exhibition on the run!

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: FTR 397CS

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"After recording three studio albums (two of which -- 2019's The Whole of Each Eye (FTR 498LP) and 2022's Map of Dawn (FTR 669LP) -- we were honored to co-release with Cardinal Fuzz), this amazing Portland OR sextet decided to try something different. An experiment. They packed a vanload of gear and headed out to a rural house in Central Oregon with an 8-track recorder. Besides their standard array of axes, they also brought various 'little instruments' as well as acoustic strings and percussives of various stripes, then spent three full days jamming from very early to very late. There was a lot improvisation, instrument swapping and musical hijinkery quite different from their standard approach. This resulted in a dozen tapes filled with all sorts of ideas and sounds, and the band started fiddling with them as soon as they got home. The High Desert Sessions is the result. The music is arranged into two side-long suites, which ramble around some very weird stylistic junctures, ranging from dusty slide guitar segments to loud roars of rock aktion, dissonant blares of jazzoid skronk and dreamy smears of shimmering sunshine avant-pop. There are also a few winks of the massive drum/guitar dualism for which Abronia is known. But most of this tape explores previously unvisited sonic regions. The High Desert Sessions' first side offers a relatively unhurried flow, the flip has more squirrely segmentation, but it's all cool as hell. And heard as a whole, it may augur some new points-of-interest that Abronia might be visiting in the future. Or not. Because that is nature of experimentation. But it's very hep to have this aural peek into their ongoing process. Especially because it all sounds great. Can't wait for the next album!" --Byron Coley, 2023

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: GUESS 180LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock, LP version. Reissue. Originally released as private pressing in 1971, the Farm album is highly sought-after and revered by collectors. Recorded by this Southern Illinois band in 1971 at the legendary Golden Voice studios, it's chock full of jammy, bluesy guitar psych with heavy dual guitars, organ, congas, harp... Recommended if you like Quicksilver, Allman Brothers, Canned Heat, Ten Years After... Remastered sound; original artwork; includes booklet with photos and extensive liner notes by Kevin Rathert (It's Psychedelic Baby) LP version includes download card. "A vital album for fans of vintage guitar action." --Patrick Lundborg (Acid Archives).

 

PRICE: $32.00

CAT #: HE 004LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

There are still some pearls of dance music from the late '80s to early '90s that have remained in obscurity and have gone unnoticed or at least there has been no special attention, so Jose Manuel has dug deep as he already did in the first chapter of the compilation Milagros del Ritmo . Among the annals of releases between '89 and '93 Jose has found pearls that he wanted to encapsulate in the second chapter of Milagros Del Ritmo II. Nine tracks among which you find: "Come To Me (Ven Aqui)" by La Luna produced by Erik Kupper, where percussion and Latin influences dominate over a house beat, then there is "Teknology" by DJ Raffa, a well-known Brazilian DJ, followed by Lorena with "Tu Eres Igual Que Los Demás (De Luxe Dub)", where the beat vaguely recalls "Los Niños Del Parque" by Liaisons Dangereuses. This second volume of Milagros Del Rirmo II cannot be missed by DJs who love and play the retro sound.

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: HGBS 20203LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"With the label MPS, post-war musical history was written in Germany: noble music productions with many international greats come from the Black Forest and are timelessly legendary. Some treasures from the label's archive are released by HGBSBlue on high-quality vinyl, like this hot live recording with the Pony Poindexter Quartet from 1969. Poindexter, saxophonist and singer, was a native of New Orleans who came to Paris in 1964, where he lived for many years. He is credited with important impulses for the soprano saxophone in jazz, and his strongly blues-oriented style is probably related to his hometown. It was not until 1977 that he went back to the USA, where he died in 1988. In Munich he met two young Czech musicians who had a stopover there after the end of the 'Prague Spring' before starting their successful jazz careers in the USA: Jan Hammer and Jiri (George) Mraz. Together with them, as well as the German drummer Michael Dennert (1935-2016), the US saxophonist recorded this live record in 1969, on which the four musicians move in expressive playing mood in the footsteps of their musical ancestors from New Orleans. Hammer and Mraz already show their extraordinary brilliance and maturity. Jan Hammer amazes with his earthy organ playing and Jiri Mraz with refreshing virtuosity. The Happy Life Of Pony Poindexter was the name of the release on the MPS sub-label 'Session' back then. It has now, after more than 50 years, been re-edited, refreshed and mastered. You can still feel the sparkling power and happy gut feeling with which the music was made. Poindexter knows how to carry away the audience. Just as the musicians before him did in his hometown of New Orleans. Just hot jazz."

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: HJR 016LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 restock; originally released in 2005. Another installment of amazing music from the first wave of modern black settlement in England. The focus remains on the '50s, with classic calypsos running alongside the African jazz of Ambrose Campbell -- the father of modern Nigerian music -- and some blistering high-life. Among the contributions from the '60s there is some South African kwela (featuring Chris McGregor) and a jazz-dance percussion workout from the Trinidadians who put the Notting Hill Carnival on London streets. The LPs are housed in a gatefold sleeve with a beautiful folded insert. There is a trenchant introduction by Paul Gilroy, full discographical notes, and numerous wonderful photographs. Includes tracks by Young Tiger, Ambrose Campbell, Mona Baptiste, West African Rhythm Brothers, Lord Kitchener, Lord Beginner, The Lion, Tunji Oyelana, Shake Keane & His Highlifers, King Timothy, West African Swing Stars, Gwigwi Mrwebi, Russ Henderson, and Rans Boi's Ghana Highlife Band.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: HJR 021LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 repress; 2006 release. Ambrose Campbell was acclaimed by Fela Kuti's generation -- by Fela himself -- as the founder of modern Nigerian music. Several of his recordings lit up London Is the Place for Me 2 (HJR 016LP, 2006), and Volume Three is devoted to his music, drawing on the 78s he cut in London over ten years from 1949. Nearly all the tracks assembled here come from recordings made for the Melodisc label and originally released as 10" 78 rpm singles. People who bought these records at the time can still recall how it was when the percussion team -- among them Ade Bashorun, Salustiano, Dos Anjos, Manny Myers and "Lati" Pedro -- built their polyrhythms in Ola Dosunmu's kingdom. With the melodic guitars of Brewster and Ambrose coming together behind Campbell's soothing voice, the musicians contrived to paint an evocative, enduring picture of palm wine Lagos nights." --Val Wilmer Features: West African Rhythm Brothers, Nigerian Union Rhythm Group, Ayinda Bakare And His Meranda Orchestra, Nigerian Union Rhythm Group, and West African Rhythm Stars.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: HJR 061LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 restock. Double LP version. Comes in a gatefold sleeve with full-size booklet. At last, fresh installments in Honest Jon's acclaimed, much-loved series: open-hearted, bittersweet, mash-up postcards to the here and now, from young black London. As then, calypso carries the swing. There are four more Lord Kitchener songs -- in consideration of his wife leaving him for a GI, cricket umpires, a fling onboard an ocean-liner and West Indian poultry -- besides a hot mambo cash-in, cross-bred under his supervision, and an uproarious, teasing Ghanaian tribute to him in Fanti by London visitors The Quavers. The Mighty Terror contributes the woe-begotten, cautionary tale of his beloved Patricia's change of heart. Mona Baptiste with some wonderful, soulful exotica. Also finally getting some dues, the path-breaking Latin-African-jazz experiments of Ghanaian drummer and percussionist Buddy Pipp, with spine-tingling playing by the great Jamaican saxophonist Joe Harriott. Expert jazz idioms course sophisticatedly through all the selections, which include a straight-up, South London version of Duke Jordan's "Jordhu," something from Dizzy Reece's soundtrack -- brokered by Kenneth Tynan -- to the British crime film Nowhere to Go.

 

PRICE: $64.00

CAT #: HOS 803LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Originally released as a three-cassette in 2016, Green Graves is now available again on vinyl after years. Official reissue of the cult classic collectable vinyl meltdown on three cursed LPs. Similar but slightly updated layout. the unchallenged return of yellow herb poison snake ambient music.

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: SONG 011CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Written, played. and recorded by Muslimgauze. Mastering by Yuriy Bulychev. Design by Zavoloka. Photography and production by Dmytro Fedorenko. Grad shrapnel and destroyed machine-gun cartridge were kindly provided by Maryna Fedorenko and Georgiy Potopalsky. Martyr Shrapnel was originally released by The Muslimgauze Preservation Society in 2012.

 

PRICE: $39.50

CAT #: SONG 011LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Double LP version. 180 gram vinyl. Written, played. and recorded by Muslimgauze. Mastering by Yuriy Bulychev. Design by Zavoloka. Photography and production by Dmytro Fedorenko. Grad shrapnel and destroyed machine-gun cartridge were kindly provided by Maryna Fedorenko and Georgiy Potopalsky. Martyr Shrapnel was originally released by The Muslimgauze Preservation Society in 2012.

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: ITR 373LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"The Side Eyes are back with the follow up to their 2017 self-titled debut album and are asking the question What's Your Problem? Anyone suspecting that the Southern California band may have mellowed out in the five years between albums will have those suspicions shattered within the first twenty seconds of the opening track 'Get Me Out.' If anything, the band is now harder, faster and angrier than they were the first time around. Vocalist Astrid McDonald is in fiery fine form calling out everything from phonies to shit-talkers to people that simply aren't nice. Brothers Kevin and Chris Devine on guitar and bass and drummer Sam Mankinen thunder through the twelve tracks here at a breakneck speed that is positively pummeling. While The Side Eyes sound like a throwback to early Southern California hardcore punk rock like Circle Jerks and the Adolescents, the band also sites more recent bands like Ceremony, Glue and Babes In Toyland as influences. Produced by Steve McDonald (Redd Kross / Melvins) and clocking in at under twenty minutes (while spinning at 45 RPM), What's Your Problem? is a modern punk rock gem that blows past the sonic barriers of their past inspirations. This is great stuff!"

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: JPR 104LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"The '80s and '90s was an innovative and exciting time for pinball as the music and playfields evolved to incorporate the electronic innovations rising from the reign of the video game and computer industry. A time when music moved from the background to the forefront of game play becoming an integral element of the feel and kinetic nature of pinball where no two games will ever be exact. These collections of original electronic music from classic BallyTM/WilliamsTM pinball tables feature songs from many of the most popular games of this era. The pinball industry exploded during the pandemic with new companies and games entering the market. Making Pinball the new hot throwback resurgence with barcades, tournaments and arcade museums opening across the globe. Red transparent vinyl."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: JPR 105LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"The '80s and '90s was an innovative and exciting time for pinball as the music and playfields evolved to incorporate the electronic innovations rising from the reign of the video game and computer industry. A time when music moved from the background to the forefront of game play becoming an integral element of the feel and kinetic nature of pinball where no two games will ever be exact. These collections of original electronic music from classic BallyTM/WilliamsTM pinball tables feature songs from many of the most popular games of this era. The pinball industry exploded during the pandemic with new companies and games entering the market. Making Pinball the new hot throwback resurgence with barcades, tournaments and arcade museums opening across the globe. Blue transparent vinyl."

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: JRLP 060LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 repress. LP version. Dennis Brown has always been cited as Jamaica's favorite singer. While Bob Marley set out to conquer the world, Brown's popularity on the island grew with every year. His most prolific period is said to be with producer Niney the Observer, who led the singer down a more roots-oriented avenue and put Brown on some of his heaviest rhythms, which were then mixed by the Dub Master himself, King Tubby. Dubbing at King Tubby's collects tracks from this period, when the Crown Prince of Reggae met Niney the Observer at King Tubby's.

 

PRICE: $35.00

CAT #: FREUD 140LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"The March Violets came from Leeds in the early '80s, label-mates of Sisters of Mercy. Constantly at the heights of the UK indie singles charts, the singles were the base for successful compilations in the UK and USA. Signing to a major, they had two songs featured in a John Hughes' movie -- but split up before an album was completed. Twenty-five years later they reconvened, making tours of the UK and USA. A single and video of 'Dandelion King' was issued in 2011. Unfinished business included an album, and Made Glorious was given a release in 2013 via an over-subscribed Pledge Music campaign. Fans got access to a very limited CD and download, but sadly events intervened to stymie the reunion and planned vinyl release, much to the disappointment of their fans. Here at last is the long-awaited 'difficult first album' on double-vinyl from The March Violets!"

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: LMS 5521915

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Celebrating 25 years since its release, Time Was Gigantic... When We Were Kids, the seminal 1998 album by The Durutti Column. The band and lead member Vini Reilly were one of the first signings to Antony Wilson's Factory Records, and Time Was Gigantic... was the final Factory Records release for The Durutti Column and the last release for the label before it closed. The new edition features extensive liner notes by Factory Records and band expert James Nice, and the original artwork has been revisited by the original designers 8VO (Mark Holt and Hamish Muir). The band (and in particular the guitar playing of Vini) has developed a cult following over the past 40 years with fans of the band including Brian Eno, John Frusciante (who called Vini "the best guitarist in the world", The Avalanches, The Chromatics, Johnny Marr, and John Cooper Clarke, to name a few. Remastered; includes five bonus tracks: "It's Your Life, Babe", "Kiss of Def", "In the City", "New Order Tribute", "Drinking Song (version)". CD reissue.

 

PRICE: $42.00

CAT #: LMS 5521916

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Double LP version. 180 gram vinyl; two printed inner sleeves. Celebrating 25 years since its release, Time Was Gigantic... When We Were Kids, the seminal 1998 album by The Durutti Column. The band and lead member Vini Reilly were one of the first signings to Antony Wilson's Factory Records, and Time Was Gigantic... was the final Factory Records release for The Durutti Column and the last release for the label before it closed. The new edition features extensive liner notes by Factory Records and band expert James Nice, and the original artwork has been revisited by the original designers 8VO (Mark Holt and Hamish Muir). The band (and in particular the guitar playing of Vini) has developed a cult following over the past 40 years with fans of the band including Brian Eno, John Frusciante (who called Vini "the best guitarist in the world", The Avalanches, The Chromatics, Johnny Marr, and John Cooper Clarke, to name a few. Remastered; includes five bonus tracks: "It's Your Life, Babe", "Kiss of Def", "In the City", "New Order Tribute", "Drinking Song (version)". Double LP version marks the album's first vinyl release.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: MAR 060LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2023 restock. Mad About Records present a reissue of Malachi Thompson's The Seventh Son, originally released on RA Records in 1980. A true jazz holy grail. For anyone collecting spiritual jazz, this reissue is simply not to be missed. Malachi Thompson moved to Chicago as a child and credited his interest in the trumpet when he was 11 years old. Malachi worked in the rhythm and blues scene on Chicago's South Side as a teen. In 1968, he joined the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), spending some time in the AACM big band. Thompson worked with saxophonists Joe Henderson, Jackie McLean, Frank Foster, and Archie Shepp, among other musicians while living in New York City. He formed his free bop band in 1978, and eventually relocated to Washington, D.C. Thompson also worked with Lester Bowie's Hot Trumpets Repertory Company and formed Africa Brass, a group inspired by traditional New Orleans brass bands. With a goal of preserving the Sutherland Theater on Chicago's South Side, Thompson founded the Sutherland Community Arts Initiative, a non-profit corporation, in 1991. He also wrote incidental music for a play about the theater. Informed in 1989 that he suffered from T-cell lymphoma and had one year to live, Thompson claimed he was healed by radiation and reading about jazz. He died in Chicago, Illinois from a relapse of his cancer in 2006.

 

PRICE: $30.00

CAT #: LP 26824LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Enquanto Ha Forca was originally released in 1978 and has long been out of print." "Jose Afonso is generally regarded as one of Portugal's most influential folk musicians of the 20th century. His songs of protest and political critiques helped fuel revolutionary movements launched by the people of Portugal in the early '70s, and his music remained sharply critical and politically charged as he actively recorded and performed until just before his death in 1987. In a relatively short amount of time, Afonso was quite productive, leaving behind documents of revolution and righteous struggle such as his 1975 album República and many others...Jose Afonso died in February of 1987, his funeral attended by more than 30,000 people. His compositions continued to inspire and excite long after his death, and Afonso is considered one of the most important protest singers in Portugal's history." --Jose Afonso Biography by Evan C. Gutierrez (AllMusic)

 

PRICE: $25.50

CAT #: MENT 016LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock. Lost-in-time kosmische/kraut/avant-garde artifact produced by Toby Robinson, aka The Mad Twiddler, circa 1975 for his private Pyramid label. Tolkien-inspired dark ambient soundscapes with spooky/ritualistic atmosphere, treated percussions, gongs and guitars, trippy Hammond and Mini-Moog, tape loops, weird noises, and drones... File under dark ambient, proto-industrial, kraut, experimental... RIYL: Kluster, Stockhausen, Taj-Mahal Travellers, Nurse With Wound, Throbbing Gristle, Lustmord, Cozmic Corridors. 24-bit domain remaster from the original tapes. Includes insert with detailed liner notes by Alan Freeman. LP version includes download code. "A major work of electronic avant-garde -- high quality deep esoterica of the weird and spooky kind." --Alan Freeman

 

PRICE: $32.00

CAT #: MG 140LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Remastered self-titled Swiss Romande sought-after dark wave/post punk album from 1981. Includes 24"x24" poster and original insert with lyrics.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: MGART 612LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock. MG.ART announce the authorized 50th anniversary edition of Ash Ra Tempel's Schwingungen, originally released in 1972. One of the most important German krautrock albums. Re-cut carefully overseen by Manuel Göttsching himself. Gatefold sleeve with sticker; Includes original release sheet and inlay.Julian Cope's review on Schwingungen in Krautrocksampler (Head Heritage, 1995): "'Beware of Schwingungen!' That should be the large sticker on the front of all copies of this record. For it is dangerous to be casually introduced to something that is life-changing, as I found out to my cost when first listening to this record. It all starts fairly simply and without any cause for alarm -- 'Look at Your Sun' begins with a Doorsy lone groover guitar begins a pedestrian blues, beautiful. Then the most crushed voice, a cross between Johnny Rotten and Tiny Tim, preaches its way into the proceeds. God, it is beautiful -- John L. repeats over and over, 'We are all one, we are all one', until a howling fuzztone solo guitar blows the whole one chord 'Signed D.C.' ringing-cymbals torture to an end. And then the most far out track of all begins. This is called 'Flower Must Die' and it is a free-rock giant that transcends everything else in its field (there are no contenders.) As I've written before, PIL sounds like this. John L. was John Lydon in a previous incarnation. After a slow weird build, a frantic streamlined one-chord mantra kicks in and it's like the Stooges' Funhouse period but in a Righteous Vision Zone that fucks them right off. Phasing tears at the whole tracks as this Holy Racket crosses into hyper-space and everything gets all hyphenated just-for-the-sake-of-it. 'Flowers Must Die', man, it's fucked up. Over on side two, the title-track ('Vibrations') begins poetically enough with Wolfgang Muller's epic and hugely reverbed vibraphone. Organ fades in and FX guitars, and time passes by. Finally, tom-toms roll and the developing pace is built upon until that great eternal chord sequence finally materializes -- this is the one that Göttsching and Enke believed was the sound of heaven. They may have been right. And Schwingungen was a gift from the Gods."

 

PRICE: $35.00

CAT #: MJC 129005LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"Francesco Sotgiu has forged a unique and very swinging project of songs. With a quintet consisting of Luigi Bonafede on piano, Emanuele Cisi and Riccardo Luppi on woodwinds, Salvatore Maiore on bass, Francesco on drums, and with special guest Paolo Fresu on trumpet to cap off this heartfelt collection. There is also a nice diversity of groups within this larger collection..." --Gil Goldstein, five-time Grammy award-winning American accordion playerThis record was recorded in the middle of the pandemic times and most of the work for preparing this record took place via the telephone: the selection of the songs on paper, the exchange of ideas on arrangements, staff, and instruments, a sort of "phone rehearsal" of the structure of the songs, with the choice of a solo; everything else, everything that will happen in the recording sessions, is the result of a controlled improvisation, a jam session masterfully captured in the studio through the use of well-positioned ribbon microphones. In the classic "Caravan" by Duke Ellington and Tizol or "Afro Blue" by Mongo Santamaria, Coltrane toning, the Latin accent of the rhythm section supports the interpretation of the theme and the interplay in the solos between the soprano and tenor saxophones by Cisi and Luppi, and the piano by Bonafede. A certain elegance in the execution distinguishes pieces such as "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love", with a calibrated solo on the double bass of Maiore and the flute by Luppi, the immortal "Take Five" by Paul Desmond, with the highlighted soprano by Cisi, "Wishes", "7th Street", and the eponymous "Passing", characterized by the precise medium/fast drive of the drums and a certain "cinematic" taste of the main themes. In songs such as "Black Bats and Poles", composed by Jack Walrath, and in "Stranatole", an original piece by Sotgiu, the quintet opts for an effective hard bop language, while in Coltrane's "Wise One" and McCoy Tyner's "Ballad For Aisha" you enter a modal, mystical, and ceremonial jazz. A special separate mention for two classics such as "My Foolish Heart" by Victor Young, performed in trio by Sotgiu, Maiore and the unmistakable trumpet by Paolo Fresu, and the "Lotus Blossom" by Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington, which in the piano-violin duo of Birro and Sotgiu, in a minute gives a suspended momentary magic, sums up the roots of African-American jazz music. Features Paolo Birro and Marco Micheli.

 

PRICE: $38.00

CAT #: MOV 2345COL-LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"1967's Mr. Soul of Jamaica was the first album by rocksteady star Alton Ellis. He was one of the innovators of the genre and given the informal title 'Godfather of Rocksteady'. The album is packed with some wonderful, melodic songs, ones that will appeal to vintage reggae lovers as well as soul music fans. Ellis is fabulous on every song on this record, including 'You Make Me So Very Happy', 'Why Birds Follow Spring' and 'Ain't That Lovin' You'. Alton Ellis was inducted into the International Reggae and World Music Awards Hall Of Fame in 2006. Mr. Soul of Jamaica is available as a limited edition of 750 individually numbered copies on translucent magenta colored vinyl."

 

PRICE: $47.00

CAT #: MOV 3322COL-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Red vinyl. "The Marshall Suite is the 1999 album by The Fall. The album builds on the techno-influenced beats of its predecessor Levitate, while also returning to a more rockabilly-influenced sound reminiscent of earlier Fall line-ups with songs such as the catchy 'Touch Sensitive' and the strange, complex, thumping jungle beats of 'The Crying Marshal'. The Marshall Suite was made immediately after an American tour during which Mark E. Smith had an onstage fight with members of the band and was arrested following ongoing altercations at the hotel at which the group were staying. While the remaining band members quit and returned to England, leaving Smith in a cell in Manhattan, Julia Nagle chose to stay in the band, helping to assemble the group's new line-up. During the recording of the album, this new line-up was still taking shape and the album features two different bassists. None the less it was very well-received album at the time and highly collectible by now. The Marshall Suite is now available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on translucent red colored vinyl. It features 3 sides of music and a blank D-side."

 

PRICE: $50.00

CAT #: MOV 3364COL-LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Reggae Collected is compiled from the broad world of Jamaican artists, groups and its diaspora. This brand new compilation contains early reggae by Jimmy Cliff, classics from Third World, Peter Tosh, Toots & The Maytals, Steel Pulse, Black Uhuru, lovers-rock from Dennis Brown, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Gregory Isaacs, Yellowman and the #1 hit from Althea & Donna 'Uptown Top Ranking' which was championed by BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel. The album Reggae Collected is part of the Collected compilation series, which is a collaboration between Universal Music and Music On Vinyl. The compilations bring together the biggest and best names of its genre, combined with forgotten hits and less discovered gems, giving the listener an experience of both nostalgia, and uncovering new musical grounds at the same time. The 2LP Reggae Collected is available as a limited edition of 2000 individually numbered copies on yellow (LP1) and light green (LP2) color vinyl and includes an insert."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: OMM 560086LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock; LP version. Ohr present a reissue of Amon Düül's Paradieswärts Düül, originally released in 1971. In 1968, the Münchner Kommune, formed in 1967, had applied to Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser, the organizer of the Essen Songtage, for a gig there. When the Düüls arrived in Essen, already two bands of this name in the meantime, since three members had split off and now called themselves Amon Düül II. Paradieswärts Düül was released in 1971, it's the third album of this outfit. Transferred from the original analog tapes at Dierks Studios and carefully re-mastered.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: PHS 075LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 restock. Travel back in time to the modern pre-revolution Teheran and dig this wonderful, ear-catching album from 1976 by Iranian female singer Pari Zangeneh. Traditional Persian folk songs with a lovely, sweet psychedelic flavor with the use of beautiful strings, flutes, charming and tasty drumming, some organ and orchestration, percussions... imagine a Persian version of Mellow Candle or Vashti Bunyan and you're there. Born in 1939 in Kermanshah (Iran), Pari Zangeneh is a Soprano singer that lost her sight after a car accident in 1972. Her work over the years on restoring traditional Persian music and regional folk songs is invaluable. In 1976, she recorded this very unique album commissioned by K?noon (Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults), a social organization that produced many kinds of materials (books, films, records) for children in Iran. The arrangements were done by Varoujan (famous for his work with Googoosh, Dariush, etc.) Sourced from the original masters; hard cardboard sleeve + OBI; includes download card.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: PROTO 043LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Limited restock, last copies. "A collection of even rougher Suicide. Tracks include: 'Girl' (1976 version), 'Ghost Rider' (Rough mix), 'Frankie Teardrom' te detective meets the Alien (1976 version), 'Whisper' (Unreleased), 'Rocket USA' (Rough mix), 'I Remember' (Live), '96 Tears' (B Side), 'Radiation' (B Side), 'Hey Lord' (Xmas álbum)."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: RRS 136LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2022 restock; Radiation Records present a reissue of GBH's City Babys Revenge, originally released in 1983. After the chart-topping debut City Baby Attacked By Rats, Birmingham "UK82" punk pioneers Charged G.B.H. cut City Baby's Revenge, their second release for Clay Records, and even though a mere year had passed, City Baby's Revenge showed significant progression, Jock's guitar more obviously inspired by metal, the lyrics more explicit and the sound even rawer than before. With a cool take of the Stooges' "I Feel Alright" and the reggae/rockabilly-esque "Skanga", this acclaimed winner is the LP that broke the band in the USA and is arguably the best they ever recorded required listening for the band's devotees and all fans of metal-edged hardcore.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: RRS 195LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Yellow vinyl. Innovative East LA Chicano punk rockers The Brat formed in 1978 when lead guitarist Rudy Medina and his guitarist nephew Sidney met singer-songwriter Teresa Covarrubias. Together they began penning songs that addressed social inequalities while fusing hardcore sounds with reggae undercurrents and a hint of girl group pop. A gig at the Vex in 1980 put them in the orbit of Los Illegals and The Plugz, whose frontman Tito Larriva produced their debut EP Attitudes, making it the first release on his own Fatima Recordz label. A killer set from start to finish, this fully authorized limited edition remastered reissue comes with rare bonus tracks. Essential!

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: RRS 195S-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Splatter vinyl. Innovative East LA Chicano punk rockers The Brat formed in 1978 when lead guitarist Rudy Medina and his guitarist nephew Sidney met singer-songwriter Teresa Covarrubias. Together they began penning songs that addressed social inequalities while fusing hardcore sounds with reggae undercurrents and a hint of girl group pop. A gig at the Vex in 1980 put them in the orbit of Los Illegals and The Plugz, whose frontman Tito Larriva produced their debut EP Attitudes, making it the first release on his own Fatima Recordz label. A killer set from start to finish, this fully authorized limited edition remastered reissue comes with rare bonus tracks. Essential!

 

PRICE: $11.00

CAT #: RADK 7005CS

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock. Radiation Tapes present a cassette reissue of Dinosaur Jr.'s Where You Been, originally released in 1992. Formed in 1984, Dinosaur Jr. carved a singular path through the latter half of the 1980s and early 1990s, issuing a number of highly influential albums in the process before finding a home with Sire Records. Where You Been, their fifth record, emerged in 1993, at the height of enthusiasm for grunge and the alternative American rock scene the band had long been part of. Produced by a new line-up of the group (longtime drummer Murph and new bassist Mike Johnson completing the three-piece), the album became the band's most successful up to that point, reaching #50 in the US (where it sold over a quarter of a million copies) and #10 in the UK album charts, and spawning the hit single, "Start Choppin". Released to unanimously positive reviews, and containing many tracks that would become staples and fan favorites, "Where You Been" continued Dinosaur Jr.'s global ascent, being issued simultaneously across the US, Europe, Australasia, Asia, and South America. Limited edition of 350 on cassette.

 

PRICE: $30.00

CAT #: RSJLP 001LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"Reissued on vinyl for the first time in nearly 40 years, The Stan Tracey Quartet's Under Milk Wood is considered one of the finest British jazz albums ever made, an effortlessly iconic masterpiece that encapsulates the heady '60s jazz boom. It features compositions by the great Stan Tracey -- The Godfather of British Jazz -- inspired by Dylan Thomas' drama Under Milk Wood, including the timeless 'Starless and Bible Black' with its acclaimed solo by tenor saxophonist, Bobby Wellins. Like Thomas's characters, the themes vary greatly in tempo, in mood, in dramatic depth. The title song is a triumph, not only because it stands by itself as a beautifully conceived jazz ballad, but because it sets the scene for the rest of the writing and playing. Some of the other themes are impressionistic and highly subjective sketches of Thomas seen through the prism of jazz. It was awarded 69th place in Jazzwise magazine's 'The 100 Jazz Albums That Shook the World': 'Tracey is indispensable, a one-man mission statement. Here he showed how much could be achieved within the basic jazz quartet format. Reaction at the time seems to have been along the lines of where on earth did this come from? Coherent, vital and mind-stretching.'" "The haunting 'Starless and Bible Black' remains probably the finest single recorded performance by a British jazz group." --The Observer

 

PRICE: $13.00

CAT #: SS 030EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress. 2008 release.

 

PRICE: $13.00

CAT #: SS 041EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress. 2011 release. Features Dumminie DePorres.

 

PRICE: $13.00

CAT #: SS 044EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress. 2011 release.

 

PRICE: $13.00

CAT #: SS 050EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress. 2013 release.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: ARCHIVE 058LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

The first complete version of Eye For An Eye, including the two unreleased tracks "Sub Cahra pt1" and "Sub Cahra pt2" that were not on the first vinyl release. Eye For An Eye sounds very much like Muslimgauze material from 1993 (Salaam Alekum Bastard, Veiled Sisters). Much more laid back than their later output, it could be the best era of Muslimgauze. This one, like most of their others sounds dark, dirty, and hot. It was recorded as a direct follow up to Betrayal, with which this release shares common musical ground. Recorded right after the PLO signed a peace treaty with Israel, which still hasn't become effective. Much sameness exists along the lines of "Betrayal" throughout the catalog, and some rare, pricey items that suffer from sameness, such as "Maroon". What Bryn did in the mix is interesting; the cascading echoing keyboard and string, perhaps played by synths, is timeless in a place of cascading, crystalline vortices. It's all in the mix. This record makes an adventure of the sameness, breaks it all down, and turns it into texture-fields of tactile melodic density. The timeliness of the title and the current world situation.

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: PICI 048CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Early Band Of Holy Joy existed somewhere on the cut-up side of proto-industrial music, resting between Marc Stewart & Maffia, Sonic Youth, and Current 93, and proponents of a more romantic musical language -- Virginia Astley, Dead Can Dance, and Cocteau Twins, among them -- all artists whose work BPHJ's music sat comfortably alongside across on a stream of low-budget vinyl and cassette compilations after the start of the eighties. A great leap in polish led to a deal with Rough Trade and several early '90s albums which flirted with the mainstream, with BOHJ almost an odder, less obvious cousin to Dexys Midnight Runners. When these releases failed to take off as hoped, lost years followed on smaller labels and self-released projects, until the renewed urgency of the 2016 Brutalism Begins At Home EP and increasingly majestic albums on which saw leader Johny Brown's lyricism enter a new phase. The common thread through BOHJ's four decades of recordings is the foundational warmth and humanity of Brown's words. The band's earliest recordings seemed garnered from street-level observations of neighborhood people and sights. By the time of near-hit "Tactless", their songs -- whatever the underlying impulses may have been -- had become immediate enough to overcome the mystery of a line like "Do you remember the swan that was shot in the park?" Over each of their last three albums -- Funambulist We Love You, Neon Primitives, and Dreams Take Flight -- BOHJ has bettered itself, and may now have reached their apex, Fated Beautiful Mistakes. We live in a time of generally justifiable gloom and awkward uncertainty. So, it may appear cavalier to claim this album sounds revelatory in that context, but Band Of Holy Joy's strengths rest largely in Johny Brown and the band's ability to capture a wider societal feeling. One listen to the escapist fantasy of "Our Flighty Season Under The Flighty Sun" and its slightly-haunted ending speaks volumes beyond most of what passes for music in 2023, and it's just one of many perfect moments on this album.

 

PRICE: $19.50

CAT #: TDP 54033LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock. Trading Places present a reissue of Sir Lord Baltimore's Kingdom Come, originally released in 1970. Hard-rocking Brooklyn trio Sir Lord Baltimore's highly sought-after debut album is a legendary precursor of the heavy metal genre, a 1971 Creem review of the disc perhaps the first to ever use the term. The group benefited from the songwriting and production team of Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos, Appel the future manager of Bruce Springsteen and Cretecos already heady from success with The Partridge Family; recorded at Vantone Studios in New Jersey, it was mixed to fine effect by Eddie Kramer at Electric Ladyland, fresh from his work with Jimi Hendrix. Guitarist Louis Dambra co-arranged the material with Appel and Cretecos; he had earlier played in garage band The Koala as Louis Caine, and here his screeching guitar is a major draw, backed by plodding bass from Gary Justin, as front man John Garner shrieks his vocals while pounding furious drumbeats. Aside from a tough cover of Ray Charles's "I Got A Woman" and a track inspired by Yeats poem, "Lake Isle Of Innersfree," the album features heavily-stoned acid rock originals, delivered the Sir Lord Baltimore way. 180 gram vinyl; gatefold sleeve. Licensed by Cherry Red.

 

PRICE: $96.00

CAT #: TPR 209LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2023 restock; 2014 release. The complete recordings by the hitherto invisible 1974 quartet of Frank Lowe, Joe Bowie, William Parker, and Steve Reid. For what would have been his second album as leader, Frank Lowe captured this cataclysmic quartet in-studio at Survival and in performance at Studio Rivbea. Lowe called it "Logical Extensions". These 1974 tapes went unreleased and are heard only now in this rediscovered and expanded volume. Out Loud gathers the only known recordings of this combustible band, with trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah guesting on one track, and a link to landmark video footage of the quartet live at Rivbea. The second LP was recorded at Studio Rivbea 24 Bond Street, NYC around 1974; Recording engineer -Scott Trusty. The first LP was recorded at Survival Studio, 77 Greene Street, NYC on May 1, 1974; Recording engineer - Rashied Ali. Includes 38-page, full-color brochure: Ed Hazell explains the music's genesis and fits the group into a loft-scene perspective; Photographers Val Wilmer and Omar Kharem pluck choice visuals from the rubble of Watergate-era NYC; J.D. Parran's recollections give you director's-cut insight into Lowe's saxophony; 40-minute sync-sound video offers a revealing peep through the keyhole of 24 Bond Street. Comes in old-school, tip-on gatefold jacket, lavishly designed by the award-winning Svenja Knödler. Edition of 550 (hand-numbered).Personnel: Frank Lowe - tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, voice, percussion, congas, balafon, whistles, harmonica, miscellaneous small instruments; Joseph Bowie - trombone, congas; William Parker - bass; Steve Reid - drums.

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: WWSLP 031LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock; LP version. Obi; includes four-page insert. Wewantsounds present the first official release outside of Japan for The Mystery Kindaichi Band's The Adventures of Kindaichi Kosuke, originally released in 1977. The "imaginary" soundtrack to the cult detective book series by writer Seishi Yokomizo is on many DJ want-lists. Arranged by soundtrack master Kentaro Haneda and featuring a mysterious group of the best '70s Japanese Funk musicians, the album is pure undiluted disco funk. Writer Seishi Yokomizo is an institution in Japan. He could be compared to Agatha Christie with his series of novels based on the adventures of detective Kosuke Kindaichi. The fictional character was born in 1946 with Yokomizo's first novel in the series and solved mysteries until the late '70s under Yokomizo's pen before the death of the writer in 1981. Yokomizo's novels have been a prime source for film and TV scenarios, so when, in 1977, Japanese label King Records decided to record a concept album based on the Kindaichi novels, it made complete sense. The writer was slightly surprised though. The concept album was arranged by pianist Kentaro Haneda, a key TV and film composer who has worked on many anime films and is also famous outside of Japan for composing the music for the video game Wizardry. For the album, he assembled a supergroup of some of the best Tokyo funk and city pop musicians. The long list includes jazz pianist Hideo Ichikawa who played on the 1971 Joe Henderson In Japan album, drummer Jun Moriya, who is on Joe Hisaichi's cult Wonder City Orchestra album (1982), percussionist Tadaomi Anai who played with disco singer Eri Ohno, trumpeter Koji Hadori who's featured on Haruomi Hosono's Pacific album (1978). Also present on the album are saxophonist Takeru Muraoka who plays on many Tatsuro Yamashita cult albums including For You (1982) and Spacy (1977), Kimiko Yamauchi (koto) who's on Akiko Yano's landmark 1976 album Japanese Girl (WWSCD 017CD/WWSLP 017LP), and last but not least, French hornist Koji Yamaguchi who plays on Yazuaki Shimizu's Kakashi (1982). Together they lay the funk on ten instrumentals filled with pure disco and funk breakbeats, making the album one of the highly-coveted Japanese LPs on international cratedigger scene. Remastered from the original tapes. Faithfully reproduced original artwork; Artwork by renowned illustrator Ichibun Sugimoto. New introduction by Anton Spice.

 

PRICE: $34.50

CAT #: WWSLP 032LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 restock; double LP version. Wewantsounds present a 40th anniversary reissue of Akiko Yano's Gohan Ga Dekitayo, originally released in 1980. This superb double-album was recorded with Yellow Magic Orchestra at a time when she was part of the group's touring line-up between 1979 and 1980. The album is pure Akiko Yano featuring her superb singing and piano playing, enhanced by touches of YMO's synth-pop sound (check her cult version of YMO's classic, "Tong-Poo"). First album release outside of Japan. When Gohan Ga Dekitayo came out in 1980, Akiko Yano had been touring with Yellow Magic Orchestra for more than a year. She'd play keyboards alongside the three founding members -- Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Yukihiro Takahashi -- plus guitarist Kenji Omura and synth wizard programmer Hideki Matsutake (as part of the 1980 North American tour, she'd also feature in the group's cult TV appearance on Soul Train for a memorable rendition of "Tighten Up") and they are all present on Gohan Ga Dekitayo. The double-LP, whose title could be translated by "Dinner Is Ready", was co-produced with Ryuichi Sakamoto and recorded at two legendary studios: Tokyo's Alfa Studio "A" and Los Angeles's Sound City. It was Akiko's first shift towards a fuller synth sound following four studio albums mixing pop and jazz funk, including her landmark debut from 1976, Japanese Girl (WWSCD 017CD/WWSLP 017LP). A shift that would continue with the release of Tadaima in 1981 (WWSCD 016CD/WWSLP 016LP_, also featuring the YMO musicians. The fourteen tracks on Gohan Ga Dekitayo find Akiko in top form mixing her singer-songwriter's sensitivity with the electro-pop sound of YMO. It's interesting to note though that it is very much an Akiko Yano album even if the group is present on the album (interestingly they do also play analog instruments on the album). Akiko is clearly the one in charge with a string of beautiful compositions and the rendition of one of the group's classics, "Tong Poo" which she reinvents as a slower, less metronomic-paced song adding her own lyrics. Other highlights on the album include "Dogs Awaiting...", a hypnotic composition featuring fascinating electro arrangements or "Coloured Water" sung in English by Akiko accompanying herself on Fender Rhodes with subtle percussion by Tatsuo Hayashi and electronics by Ryuichi Sakamoto. There are many more great moments on this superb album which announces the further experiments of Tadaima. Remastered audio by Mitsuo Koike.