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Cocteau Twins

Four Calendar Cafe - 2024 Reissue

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LP

£25.99

This re-issue of the... [ + ]

Cat Number

UMCLP094

Release date

19 Jul '24

Format Info

This re-issue of the Cocteau Twins' 1993 album has been remastered by Robin Guthrie and is pressed onto high quality 140g vinyl.

Cocteau Twins vocalist Elizabeth Fraser, guitarist Robin Guthrie, and bassist Simon Raymonde formed in Grangemouth, Scotland in the late 70s

The brainchild of Guthrie and original bassist Will Heggie, by 1981 they had added Fraser and the following year signed to 4AD, one of the most illustrious of the indie labels. With Raymonde replacing Heggie in 1983, the trio went on to create some of the most unique and otherworldly music of the 80s, built around Guthrie's chiming guitar and Fraser's unmistakable soprano. By the early 90s, the group had just released their most successful album, the commercial Heaven or Las Vegas, but the relationship with 4AD was coming to an end. Mercury imprint Fontana was going through something of a purple patch, signing former underground bands, and by 1992, Cocteau Twins had joined The Fall and the House Of Love.

The group's debut album for Fontana, Four- Calendar Cafe, was released in October 1993. Its gossamer melodies and largely upbeat pop bely the turmoil the group were going through. Barney Hoskyns, writing in Mojo, said that Four- Calendar Caf was "the most poignant, heartrending Cocteaus record of all, an album of naked confession and raw beauty . . . Sadness never sounded so luscious." Simon Raymonde agreed: "I think in time people will realise what a great album Four-Calendar Cafe is. Because I think it's beautiful." Led by the single Evangeline, the reached No 13 in the UK album chart and is much-loved by fans.

TRACK LISTING

Know Who You Are At Every Age
Evangeline
Bluebeard
Theft, And Wandering Around Lost
Oil Of Angels
Squeeze- Wax
My Truth
Essence
Summerhead
Pur

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Photek

Modus Operandi - 2023 Reissue

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Originally issued on Science/Virgin in September 1997, Modus Operandi established Rupert Parkes as an unmistakable force within the realm of drum and bass and downtempo - Modus Operandi is presented here with scrupulous attention to the detail of its original UK first pressing and is available on three 140gm LPs

Whether replacing a much-loved original, or adding to a collection afresh, this is a superior way to enjoy such enduring and influential music

Born in Suffolk, Parkes, learnt saxophone as a child, but by the early 90s, he like many others, got into electronic music, and by the middle of the decade was making inventive, skeletal, drum and bass. Photek was first heard on his own label, with releases such as Seven Samurai and U.F.O, which brought him to the attention of Goldie, who released his calling card Natural Born Killa EP on his Metalheadz imprint. Photek's slower take on what was then known as 'jungle', produced a half- step breakbeat, adding a glacial, mellowness to the relentless beats.

By the time of his signing to Virgin, Photek was truly making waves, and Modus Operandi was trailed by The Hidden Camera mini album, which reached the UK Top 40, as did the single Ni Ten Ichi Ryu. Modus Operandi was a critical and commercial success, reaching the Top 40 and establishing him as a go- to producer and remixer. The space around his beats and his ample yet judicious range of effects can be heard on tunes such as The Hidden Camera and the jazzinfluenced title track.

Photek has not released a new album in over a decade. He now is an established film and television composer in Hollywood. However, his work is fondly remembered and still sounds as fresh as a drum and bass daisy.

TRACK LISTING

The Hidden Camera
Smoke Rings
Minotaur
Aleph 1
124
Axiom
Trans 7
Modus Operandi
KJZ
The Fifth Column

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House Of Love

The House Of Love - 2023 Reissue

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LP

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Cat Number

UMCLP055

Release date

15 Sep '23

Format Info

This re- issue replicates the original 1990 Fontana UK release with printed inner sleeve and lyric sheet and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

The House Of Love – guitarist and vocalist Guy Chadwick, lead guitarist Terry Bickers, bassist Chris Groothuizen and drummer Pete Evans – formed in London in 1986 - Chadwick had been around the music industry for several years, but was energised seeing The Jesus And Mary Chain, inspiring him to form the band - Signing to Creation, The House Of Love were greeted enthusiastically by the music press and their single, Shine On and self-titled debut album became indie disco classics - By 1989, the band were big news and had signed to Fontana, part of the PolyGram group.

The group's debut album for Fontana, also entitled The House Of Love, was released in February 1990. Known often as 'The Butterfly Album' after Trevor Key's distinctive artwork, much was made at the time of its protracted birth and the weight of expectation, and the fact it was produced by five different people. Years later, it sounds assured and confident commercial indie, bursting with invention and melody. The re-recording of their Creation calling card, Shine On, gave them a UK Top 20 hit and Beatles And The Stones points the way to the gentler side of Oasis some years later.

TRACK LISTING

Hannah
Shine On
Beatles And The Stones
Shake And Crawl
Hedonist
I Don't Know Why I Love You
Never
Someone's Got To Love You
In A Room
Blind
32nd Floor
Se Dest

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House Of Love

Babe Rainbow - 2023 Reissue

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LP

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Cat Number

UMCLP056

Release date

15 Sep '23

Format Info

This re- issue replicates the original 1992 Fontana UK release with printed inner
sleeve and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

The House Of Love – guitarist and vocalist Guy Chadwick, lead guitarist Terry Bickers, bassist Chris Groothuizen and drummer Pete Evans – formed in London in 1986 - Chadwick had been around the music industry for several years, but was energised seeing The Jesus And Mary Chain, inspiring him to form the band - Signing to Creation, The House Of Love were greeted enthusiastically by the music press and their single, Shine On and self-titled debut album became indie disco classics - By 1989, the band were big news and had signed to Fontana, part of the PolyGram group.

The touring and promotion for The House Of Love took its toll on the group with lead guitarist Terry Bickers leaving the group to be replaced with Simon Walker. Taking its name from a Peter Blake painting, Babe Rainbow was released in July 1992. Overseen by The The and Julian Cope producer Warne Livesey, it has a tremendous urgency and greater unity than their previous album. Trailed by the single The Girl With The Loneliest Eyes, Babe Rainbow also contains live favourite Crush Me, the brooding High In Your Face and Top 50 hits Feel and You Don't Understand. Simon Walker left the group and was replaced with Simon Mawby, who himself was to depart by the end of 1992.

TRACK LISTING

You Don't Understand
Crush Me
Cruel
High In Your Face
Fade Away
Feel
The Girl With The Loneliest Eyes
Burn Down The World
Philly Phile
Yer Eyes

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House Of Love

Audience With The Mind - 2023 Reissue

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LP

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Cat Number

UMCLP057

Release date

15 Sep '23

Format Info

This re- issue replicates the original 1993 Fontana UK release with printed inner
sleeve and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

The House Of Love – guitarist and vocalist Guy Chadwick, lead guitarist Terry Bickers, bassist Chris Groothuizen and drummer Pete Evans – formed in London in 1986 - Chadwick had been around the music industry for several years, but was energised seeing The Jesus And Mary Chain, inspiring him to form the band - Signing to Creation, The House Of Love were greeted enthusiastically by the music press and their single, Shine On and self-titled debut album became indie disco classics - By 1989, the band were big news and had signed to Fontana, part of the PolyGram group.

Released in July 1993 Audience Of The Mind makes a claim for being the great lost House Of Love album, slipping into the UK charts for a solitary week, and having no singles taken from it. Self-produced and recorded as a three-piece in under two weeks, Audience Of The Mind feels as fragmentary as 'The Butterfly Album' feels fulsome. There are some great moments – the moody-yet-melodic Haloes, Shining On (featuring a guest appearance from guitarist Sean O'Hagen), the eight- minute Into The Tunnel and the acoustic title track with Chadwick sounding something like an aggrieved indie Nick Drake. It is a work ripe for rediscovery.

TRACK LISTING

Sweet Anatomy
Audience With The Mind
Haloes
Erosion
Call Me
Shining On
Portrait In Atlanta
Corridors
Hollow
All Night Long
Into The Tunnel
You've Got To Feel

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Catherine Wheel

Happy Days - 2023 Reissue

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Formed in Great Yarmouth in 1990, Catherine Wheel – singer guitarist Rob Dickinson, guitarist Brian Futter, bassist Dave Hawes and drummer Neil Sims – are possibly one of the greatest lost bands of that fabled decade - Swimming against several tides, they were loosely defined as 'shoegaze', and failed to fit in with the grunge or britpop movements in those years.

They were of a size and scale to be supported by the upcoming Radiohead. Melody Maker said that Radiohead were like Catherine Wheel as they "function along a similar catharsis/ contrivance axis, ladling existential angst into skilfully imposing song structures."

1995's Happy Days found the group travelling further into a hybrid of heavy metal and improvisation – certainly with the addition of Mark Feltham (from Nine Below Zero) on harmonica, who had added his distinctive sound to the later Talk Talk albums, the group create a mesmerising sound on the more ambient tracks, offering a clear pathway to later groups such as Mogwai. There is still room for some anthemic shoegaze, however, on tracks such as Shocking and Judy Staring Up At The Sun, which features guest vocals from Tanya Donelly.

This re-issue replicates the original 1994 Fontana UK 2LP release with gatefold sleeve and bonus track "Glitter" and is pressed onto high quality 180g black vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

God Inside My Head
Waydown
Little Muscle
Heal
Empty Head
Receive
My Exhibition
Eat My Dust You Insensitive Fuck
Shocking
Love Tips Up
Judy Staring At The Sun
Hole
Fizzy Love
Glitter
Kill My Soul

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Catherine Wheel

Chrome - 2023 Reissue

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Formed in Great Yarmouth in 1990, Catherine Wheel – singer guitarist Rob Dickinson, guitarist Brian Futter, bassist Dave Hawes and drummer Neil Sims – are possibly one of the greatest lost bands of that fabled decade - Swimming against several tides, they were loosely defined as 'shoegaze', and failed to fit in with the grunge or britpop movements in those years.

They were of a size and scale to be supported by the upcoming Radiohead. Melody Maker said that Radiohead were like Catherine Wheel as they "function along a similar catharsis/ contrivance axis, ladling existential angst into skilfully imposing song structures."

Overseen by Pixies producer Gil Norton and recorded at Pink Floyd's Britannia Row Studios, where band favourites, Joy Division, had made Closer, Chrome marked a huge step forward, honed on the road after the constant touring to support previous album Ferment. With its sleeve designed by Storm Thorgerson, it's as if the album was a dry run for Muse. There is increasing experimentation – the 7 minutes plus of Fripp are, as writer Ben Cardew noted, "celestial and full of dread." As Pitchfork wrote, "It's as if Chrome were imported from another history of alt- rock, one more textured and romantic, where it sits deservedly atop the pile."

This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1993 Fontana UK release and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

Kill Rhythm
I Confess
Crank
Broken Head
Pain
Strange Fruit
Chrome
The Nude
Ursa Major Space Station
Fripp
Half Life
Show Me Mary

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Catherine Wheel

Ferment - 2023 Reissue

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2xLP

£32.99
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Single vinyl LP plus... [ + ]

Cat Number

UMCLP043

Release date

18 Aug '23

Format Info

Single vinyl LP plus three-track live 12" EP, recorded at Bath Moles Club on 6 November 1991 which is pressed onto 140g vinyl.

Formed in Great Yarmouth in 1990, Catherine Wheel – singer guitarist Rob Dickinson, guitarist Brian Futter, bassist Dave Hawes and drummer Neil Sims – are possibly one of the greatest lost bands of that fabled decade - Swimming against several tides, they were loosely defined as 'shoegaze', and failed to fit in with the grunge or britpop movements in those years.

They were of a size and scale to be supported by the upcoming Radiohead. Melody Maker said that Radiohead were like Catherine Wheel as they "function along a similar catharsis/ contrivance axis, ladling existential angst into skilfully imposing song structures."

After a contract race with Creation and Opal Records, Catherine Wheel signed to Fontana. In June 1992, they released their debut album, Ferment, which was produced by Tim Friese-Greene, who had just recently finished working with Talk Talk. Its muscular rock was often mesmeric, and its lead single Black Metallic created huge interest. The album was ranked No 23 in Pitchfork's 50 Best Shoegaze albums of all time.

This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1992 Fontana UK release and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl

TRACK LISTING

Texture
I Want To Touch You
Black Metallic
Indigo Is Blue
She's My Friend
Shallow
Ferment
Flower To Hide
Tumbledown
Bill And Ben
Salt

Shallow (Live)
I Want To Touch You (Live)
Salt (Live)

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Fairport Convention

Liege & Lief - 2023 Reissue

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LP

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Cat Number

UMCLP049

Release date

14 Jul '23

Format Info

This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1969 Island Records UK release with
gatefold sleeve and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

The trajectory that Fairport Convention took in the space of four albums and two years is one of the most remarkable in British popular music - these records contain some of the most storied names not just in British, but world music.From a bunch of school friends setting out to be 'the British Jefferson Airplane', over the course of their first quartet of releases, the group metamorphosed into the leading exponents of British folk rock.

In the way American folk and blues had looked back to gospel songs and spirituals, Fairport mined a seam a traditional English folk song, and then combined them with rock rhythms to create something ground- breaking and quickly emulated. For many, this is the frst time the considerable talents of Richard Thompson, Sandy Denny, Ashley Hutchings, Ian Matthews, Dave Swarbrick and Dave Mattacks would have been heard on record In May 1969, the band were involved in a fatal car accident which killed their drummer Martin Lamble and Thompson's girlfriend, Jeannie Franklyn. In a state of obvious shock, Fairport decided to carry on, making Swarbrick a permanent member and adding drummer Dave Mattacks. Ashley Hutchings submerged himself in traditional British music and, as a result, fourth album Liege And Lief contained five traditional tracks, and three originals in the folk style. It established the template that Fairport would follow and is one of the most influential albums in British rock. The eight- minute masterpiece Matty Groves built On A Sailor's Life and gave Fairport another long-lasting anthem. By the time the album was released, Sandy Denny and Ashley Hutchings had both left the group, and another chapter was to begin.

Fairport Convention are still playing to this very day, still with original member Simon Nicol in the line- up. Their annual Cropredy Festival has become a reassuring landmark in the UK concert calendar - and many of these songs here feature in their set today.

TRACK LISTING

Come All Ye
Reynardine
Matty Groves
Farewell, Farewell
The Deserter
Medley: The Lark In The Morning; Rakish Paddy; Foxhunter's Jig; Toss
The Feathers
Tam Lin
Crazy Man Michael

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Fairport Convention

Unhalfbricking - 2023 Reissue

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The trajectory that Fairport Convention took in the space of four albums and two years is one of the most remarkable in British popular music.

These records contain some of the most storied names not just in British, but world music. From a bunch of school friends setting out to be 'the British Jefferson Airplane', over the course of their first quartet of releases, the group metamorphosed into the leading exponents of British folk rock. In the way American folk and blues had looked back to gospel songs and spirituals, Fairport mined a seam a traditional English folk song, and then combined them with rock rhythms to create something ground- breaking and quickly emulated. For many, this is the first time the considerable talents of Richard Thompson, Sandy Denny, Ashley Hutchings, Ian Matthews, Dave Swarbrick and Dave Mattacks would have been heard on record.

Ian Matthews left the group during Unhalfbricking, and they decided not to replace him. The album was recorded between January and April 1969 and shows the band gaining confidence. The material is strong, and their covers of three Bob Dylan songs (including material from the then-bootleg The Basement Tapes) yielded a Top 30 UK hit single, Si Ti Dois Partir – a cover of If You Gotta Go, Go Now, sung in French. Sandy Denny contributes her keynote song Who Knows Where The Time Goes, and most remarkable of all is A Sailor's Life, a traditional folk song arranged by Simon Nicol and Richard Thompson. The ballad builds over 11 minutes into a full-on wig-out with a guest performance by Dave Swarbrick on fiddle.

TRACK LISTING

Genesis Hall
Si Tu Dois Partir
Autopsy
A Sailor's Life
Cajun Woman
Who Knows Where The Time Goes
Percy's Song
Million Dollar Bash

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John Martyn

London Conversation - 2023 Reissue

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LP

£25.99
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Cat Number

UMCLP051

Release date

14 Jul '23

Format Info

This re-issue is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

A complex and sometimes belligerent character in real life, on record, John Martyn was the epitome of the folk-dreamer, embodying the spirit of the bourgeoning London acoustic scene of the late 60s - Well-known and respected for his 70s albums Solid Air and One World, this is where it began.

Released in October 1967, London Conversation was the first album by the first 'rock' signing to Chris Blackwell's Island Records. With eight of the twelve tracks written by Martyn, it is easy to see why Blackwell was such a champion of his work. The five- minute plus sitar drone of Rolling Home pointed the way to the possibilities that lay ahead. The sleeve captured the earnest folky sitting among the capital's chimney tops, strumming his acoustic. At once Martyn was part of it; Martyn was above it.

TRACK LISTING

Fairy Tale Lullaby
Sandy Grey
London Conversation
Ballad Of An Elder Woman
Cocaine
Run Honey Run
Back To Stay
Rolling Home
Who's Grown Up Now
Golden Girl
This Time
Don't Think Twice

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John Martyn

The Tumbler - 2023 Reissue

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LP

£25.99
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This re-issue faithfully... [ + ]

Cat Number

UMCLP052

Release date

14 Jul '23

Format Info

This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1968 Island Records UK release and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

A complex and sometimes belligerent character in real life, on record, John Martyn was the epitome of the folk-dreamer, embodying the spirit of the bourgeoning London acoustic scene of the late 60s - Well-known and respected for his 70s albums Solid Air and One World, this is where it began.

Produced by fellow London scenester Al Stewart, The Tumbler was a huge step forward, presenting Martyn as the questing soul he would become; yet, for the abstraction of The Gardeners, there was the simple folk ditty of Fishin' Blues. With the exemplary flute playing of Harold McNair, Fly On Home is clear in its influence on Martyn's peer, Nick Drake. Knuckeldy Crunch and Slippledee- Slee Song demonstrates what would have happened if Syd Barrett had gone folk.

The Tumbler can be viewed also as the beginning of Martyn's slurred vocal style and sweet sentiment that was to chime with thousands of his aficionados in the UK.

TRACK LISTING

Sing A Song Of Summer
The River
Goin' Down To Memphis
The Gardeners
A Day At The Sea
Fishin' Blues
Dusty
Hello Train
Winding Boy
Fly On Home
Knuckledy Crunch And Slippledee-Slee Song
Seven Black Roses

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Wedding Present

Watusi - 2023 Reissue

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Formed in 1985, the group rose to prominence as part of the so-called C86 scene (a free NME cassette that showcased new bands of the era), with their fast-paced jangle- pop and intelligent lyrics by founder and only band constant David Gedge.The group built on the critical and commercial success of their debut album, George Best, and, in 1992, made headlines with their cunning ruse of issuing a single a month, all of which made the UK Top 40.

Signing to Island Records, the group – at this point Gedge, guitarist PaulDorrington, bassist Darren Belk and drummer Simon Smith – went to Seattle to record with producer/ engineer Steve Fisk, known then for his work with the fabled Sub- Pop label. As a result, Watusi is both razor sharp and slyly commercial, as typified by its singles Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah and It's A Gas. There is much to enjoy beyond – especially the tender confessional Big Rat and the reflective garden party drama Gazebo. Both underline John Peel's comment that Gedge had written "some of the best love songs of the rock'n'roll era."

For lovers of grunge- based indie with generous dashes of melody, Watusi is a must-have.

It is presented with scrupulous attention to the detail of the original UK first pressing and available in audiophile 180gm vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

So Long, Baby
Click Click
Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah
Let Him Have It
Gazebo
Shake It
Spangle
It's A Gas
Swimming Polls, Movie Stars
Big Rat
Catwoman
Hot Pants

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Lloyd Cole And The Commotions

Mainstream - 2023 Reissue

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Lloyd Cole & The Commotions – Cole, Blair Cowan, Lawrence Donegan, Neil Clark and Stephen Irvine – were formed in Glasgow in 1982, where Buxton-born singer-songwriter Cole was studying Philosophy and English at the University of Glasgow -Their sound swam against the tide of shiny 80s synthesisers, offering intense, melodic, guitar-based pop, topped with droll words packed with literary references.

By the time of Mainstream in October 1987, the group had taken a break and had spent time trying to find the right producer for their new material. Working with Ian Stanley, then fresh from the success of Tears For Fears' Songs From The Big Chair, the album allegedly cost ten times the budget of Rattlesnakes. Despite its 80s opulence – for example, guest appearances from Jon Hassell on trumpet, Tracey Thorn on vocals – it sounds untouched by the decade's excess. Its singles, My Bag, Jennifer She Said and From The Hip were all well received.

TRACK LISTING

My Bag
From The Hip
29
Mainstream
Jennifer She Said
Mister Malcontent
Sean Penn Blues
Big Snake
Hey Rusty
These Days

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10cc

The Original Soundtrack - 2023 Reissue

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Formed in 1972, 10cc were at once commercial, at once strange - Described as the 'missing link between the Beatles and Blur', it was rare to have four talented writers, singers and multi-instrumentalists all under one roof; but in Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman, Lol Creme and Kevin Godley, 10cc had just that - They released some of the most inventive and elaborate pop music ever to emerge from Britain.

After two albums and a run of hit singles on the UK label, the group moved across to Mercury Records in 1975. On the strength of one song, 10cc did a five-year deal with them for five albums. That one song was I'm Not In Love. The group's signature song ? played over five million times on US radio ? was one of many riches on their eagerly anticipated 1975 album, The Original Soundtrack. Also containing the hit single Life Is A Minestrone, the album opens with the influential nine-minute mini-opera, Un Nuit A Paris, demonstrating how far pop music had travelled in a short space of time.

This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1975 Mercury Records UK release with legendary Hipgnosis-designed gatefold sleeve and printed inner and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

Une Nuit A Paris
I'm Not In Love
Blackmail
The Second Sitting For The Last Supper
Brand New Day
Flying Junk
Life Is A Minestrone
The Film Of My Love

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Lloyd Cole And The Commotions

Easy Pieces - 2023 Reissue

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Lloyd Cole & The Commotions – Cole, Blair Cowan, Lawrence Donegan, Neil Clark and Stephen Irvine – were formed in Glasgow in 1982, where Buxton-born singer-songwriter Cole was studying Philosophy and English at the University of Glasgow -Their sound swam against the tide of shiny 80s synthesisers, offering intense, melodic, guitar-based pop, topped with droll words packed with literary references.

Given just how loved debut album Rattlesnakes was, it would have been hard for whatever followed to be received as warmly – yet Easy Pieces made a good first of it. It was to sell twice as many copies in its first two weeks as Rattlesnakes had to date, giving the group a Top 5 chart placing on its release in November 1985. Recorded with 80s super- producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, its first two singles, the brooding, gospel influenced Brand New Friend and the forever-jaunty Lost Weekend reached the UK Top 20.

TRACK LISTING

Rich
Why I Love Country Music
Pretty Gone
Grace
Cut Me Down
Brand New Friend
Lost Weekend
James
Minor Character
Perfect Blue

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10cc

Bloody Tourists - 2023 Reissue

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Formed in 1972, 10cc were at once commercial, at once strange - Described as the 'missing link between the Beatles and Blur', it was rare to have four talented writers, singers and multi-instrumentalists all under one roof; but in Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman, Lol Creme and Kevin Godley, 10cc had just that - They released some of the most inventive and elaborate pop music ever to emerge from Britain. 1978's Bloody Tourists contains one of the group's most well-loved singles, Dreadlock Holiday. The song, with its infectious reggae beat took the group back to the UK No. 1 spot in 1978. Like many of their biggest hits, it remains a staple of radio programming and its parent album plays well.
This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1978 Mercury Records UK release with legendary Hipgnosis-designed gatefold sleeve and printed inner and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

Dreadlock Holiday
For You And I
Take These Chains
Shock On The Tube (Don't Want Love)
Last Night
The Anonymous Alcoholic
Reds In My Bed
Life Line
Tokyo
Old Mister Time
From Rochdale To Ocho Rios
Everything You've Wanted To Know About!!!

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Lloyd Cole And The Commotions

Rattlesnakes - 2023 Reissue

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Lloyd Cole & The Commotions – Cole, Blair Cowan, Lawrence Donegan, Neil Clark and Stephen Irvine – were formed in Glasgow in 1982, where Buxton-born singer-songwriter Cole was studying Philosophy and English at the University of Glasgow -Their sound swam against the tide of shiny 80s synthesisers, offering intense, melodic, guitar-based pop, topped with droll words packed with literary references.

Signing to Polydor Records, the group's debut single, Perfect Skin, was released in early 1984 followed in October of that year by their debut album, Rattlesnakes. Produced by Paul Hardiman with strings arranged by Anne Dudley, it became one of the most cherished albums of the 80s. Including further singles Forest Fire and the title track, the group found themselves as the darlings of the music press, at a time when a university education was still a relative rarity. Cole wasted little time in cramming cultural allusions in his material – listeners were introduced to a world of Norman Mailer, Eva Marie Saint and Truman Capote, all wrapped in delightfully written pop music.

TRACK LISTING

Perfect Skin
Speedboat
Rattlesnakes
Down On Mission Street
Forest Fire
Charlotte Street
2CV
Four Flights Up
Patience
Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?

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McAlmont & Butler

The Sound Of... - 2023 Reissue

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While the whole of the UK seemed to be mining the sound of The Beatles, Stones and The Who as Britpop slavishly paid homage to the 60s, The Sound Of McAlmont And Butler took its influences more from music of Dusty Springfield, Scott Walker, Andy Williams and Burt Bacharach while creating something unique and timeless

Rock, indie, soul, jazz and folk all meld in an album full of beguiling momentsBernard Butler had risen to fame as guitarist with Suede, who he'd left in 1994. After six months of solo writing, he approached ex- Thieves singer David McAlmont at London's Jazz Café, with the bare bones of a song, Yes. McAlmont added lyrics, and the track soared to No 8 in the UK charts, becoming the sound of summer 1995. It is impossible to listen to Yes without breaking into a beaming smile. With this headstart, the duo recorded more sides together – the Top 20 hit You Do and attendant tracks. However, it ended as quickly as it had began. Never intended as a long- term arrangement, McAlmont & Butler were over by autumn 1995. Considering The Sound Of McAlmont & Butler is effectively a compilation of the duo's sessions as opposed to a planned work, it has a tremendous consistency. A lot of the tracks were recorded as bonus tracks for CD singles (the 90s equivalent of a B- side), and retain a spontaneous air alongside the huge production numbers of Yes, You Do and Disappointment.

This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1995 Virgin Records UK release with printed inner sleeve and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

Yes (Full Version)
What's The Excuse This Time?
The Right Thing
Although
Don't Call It Soul
Disappointment
Interval
The Debitor
How About You?
Tonight
You'll Lose A Good Thing
You Do (Full Length)

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Big Country

The Crossing

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LP

£25.99
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Cat Number

UMCLP018

Release date

27 Jan '23

Format Info

This reissue faithfully replicates the original 1983 Mercury Records UK release with textured blue sleeve and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

Formed by ex-Skids guitarist Stuart Adamson in 1981 with old friend Bruce Watson and, from 1982, rhythm section Tony Butler and Mark Brzezicki, Big Country proved a fascinating proposition, adding punk, new wave and even new romantic elements to heavy, meaning-laden pop/rock with a passionate Celtic slant and fierce integrity

Using effects, Adamson and Watson's chiming guitars evoked traditional Scottish instruments. This was unique and proved highly influential. Within a year of their first release, many existing bands began to emulate the group's sound. Nobody achieved it quite like Big Country.Released in July 1983, The Crossing is, for many, the band's greatest album. At once of its time yet completely out of step with what was then happening, its traditional, well-made songs and sounds took it to No. 3 in the UK charts and into the US Top 20. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, it features four of the group's best- known songs, In A Big Country, Fields Of Fire (400 Miles), Harvest Home and Chance.

TRACK LISTING

In A Big Country
Inwards
Chance
1000 Stars
The Storm
Harvest Home
Lost Patrol
Close Action
Fields Of Fire
Porrohman

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Sandy Denny

Like An Old Fashioned Waltz - 2022 Reissue

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More beautiful sadness for you! Sandy's 1973, third solo offering is rich with nostalgia. Not only are two of the songs covers from her father's record collection but Sandy's own tunes are heavy with romance, memory, loss and loneliness. There are five absolute anthems on this album and the singing is beautifully embroidered with subtle inflections and emotional nuances. It wasn't for nothing that Robert Plant named her as his favourite of all the British female singers. And this edition's unaccompanied take of "No End" has to be up there with her greatest ever performances.

Out of print on LP for a number of years, this re- issue faithfully replicates the original 1974 Island Records UK release with its embossed gatefold sleeve and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

Solo
Like An Old Fashioned Waltz
Whispering Grass
Friends
Carnival
Dark The Night
At The End Of The Day
Until The Real Thing Comes Along
No End

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Sandy Denny

Rendezvous - 2022 Reissue

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From the power chords that open it, 1977's Rendezvous aimed squarely at giving Denny her commercial breakthrough. It demonstrates an artist evolving. Gold Dust really underlines how Denny could be viewed as the British Joni Mitchell, and its late- night jazz funk backing (with Steve Winwood on clavinet) offers a beguiling glimpse of where Denny may have travelled next. Rendezvous closes with No More Sad Refrains, which updated her late 60s ballad style. As Denny died tragically young less than a year after the album's release, it became a poignant full stop to such a promising career.

Long out of print on LP, this re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1977 Island Records UK release with lyric inner sleeve and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

Wish I I Was A Fool For You (For Shame Of Doing Wrong)
Gold Dust
Candle In The Wind
Take Me Away
One Way Donkey Ride
I'm A Dreamer
All Our Days
Silver Threads And Golden Needles
No More Sad Refrains

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Sandy Denny

Sandy - 2022 Reissue

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Sandy's second solo LP in 1972 was a bit less folky and more singer-songwriterly than her debut. She'd duetted on "Led Zeppelin Four" with Robert Plant and come up with perhaps her stongest set of songs. The arrangements were more expansive and the sound more ambitious, which was just as well since a number of the songs dealt with the healing powers of music. As she said herself: 'I can't write happy songs'... so here's another lush, melancholic, autumnal record for all you dreamers and true believers.

Out of print on LP for a number of years, this re- issue faithfully replicates the original 1972 Island Records UK release with gatefold sleeve and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

It'll Take A Long Time
Sweet Rosemary
For Nobody To Hear
Tomorrow Is A Long Time
Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood
Listen, Listen
The Lady
Bushes And Briars
It Suits Me Well
The Music Weaver

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Sandy Denny

The North Star Grassman And The Ravens - 2022 Reissue

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After leaving Fairport Convention in '69, Sandy Denny made one record with her new group Fotheringay, and then this, in 1971, her first solo LP proper. The amazing Richard Thompson plays guitar and infact this album shares a similar, dense, drone-based tonality with his own debut solo effort. It's also a little idyosyncratic, truth be told, but there's still moments of unbelievable beauty here.

Out of print on LP for a number of years, this re- issue faithfully replicates the original 1971 Island Records UK release with gatefold sleeve and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

Late November
Blackwaterside
The Sea Captain
Down In The Flood
John The Gun
Next Time Around
The Optimist
Let's Jump The Broomstick
Wretched Wilbur
The North Star Grassman And The Ravens
Crazy Lady Blues

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Richard Thompson

13 Rivers

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LP

£14.99
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Cat Number

PRPLP150

Release date

14 Sep '18

The 13-song set is the Grammy nominated artist’s first self-produced album in over a decade and was recorded 100% analogue in just ten days. It was engineered by Clay Blair (The War On Drugs) and features Thompson’s regular accompanists Michael Jerome (drums, percussion), Taras Prodaniuk (bass), and Bobby Eichorn (guitar).

13 Rivers is a bare-bones, emotionally direct album that speaks from the heart with no filters. “There are 13 songs on the record, and each one is like a river,” Thompson explains. “Some flow faster than others. Some follow a slow and winding current. They all culminate on this one body of work.”

A high water mark in an overwhelmingly impressive career, 13 Rivers was recorded at the famed Boulevard Recording Studio in Los Angeles. Previously known as The Production Workshop, which was owned by Liberace and his manager, the locale served as the site for seminal classics by Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac, Ringo Starr, and hosted the mixing sessions for Pink Floyd’s legendary The Wall.

Of the album, Thompson says, “The songs are a surprise in a good way. They came to me as a surprise in a dark time. They reflected my emotions in an oblique manner that I’ll never truly understand. It’s as if they’d been channelled from somewhere else. You find deeper meaning in the best records as time goes on. The reward comes later.” He continues, “I don’t know how the creative process works. I suppose it is some kind of bizarre parallel existence to my own life. I often look at a finished song and wonder what the hell is going on inside me. We sequenced the weird stuff at the front of the record, and the tracks to grind your soul into submission at the back.”

TRACK LISTING

The Storm Won’t Come
The Rattle Within
Her Love Was Meant For Me
Bones Of Gilead
The Dog In You
Trying
Do All These Tears Belong To You?
My Rock, My Rope / You Can’t Reach Me
O Cinderella
No Matter
Pride
Shaking The Gates

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Richard Thompson

Electric - Deluxe 2CD Edition

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2xLtd CD

£13.99
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Cat Number

PRPCDX108

Release date

11 Feb '13

Format Info

CD deluxe edition with bonus disc including 7 bonus tracks.

One of the UK's most outstanding songwriters, and an astonishing guitar player whose versatility allows him to adapt his style as each song requires. After taking the bold step of recording his last album of new songs live, when it came to recording ELECTRIC, Thompson turned to Buddy Miller (Robert Plant, Solomon Burke, Emmylou Harris. Patty Griffin) to produce, recording at Miller's home studio in Nashville, TN.

The record was recorded as an electric trio with Thompson, drummer Michael Jerome and bassist Taras Prodaniuk, who also sings background vocals. Guests on ELECTRIC include the legendary Alison Krauss who joins Thompson on "The Snow Goose", while English singer-songwriter Siobhan Maher Kennedy (formerly with River City People) adds vocals on several tracks as well. Fiddle great Stuart Duncan also plays on the record; one of America's leading bluegrass musicians he played on recent albums by Robert Plant/Alison Krauss and Elvis Costello.

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