Since A Larum, Flynn has carved out a singular path as both a critically acclaimed musician and award-winning actor. He has released a string of celebrated albums including Been Listening, Country Mile, and Sillion, continually evolving his sound while maintaining his signature storytelling.

As an actor, he's earned accolades for roles on stage and screen, notably portraying David Bowie in Stardust and starring in films like Emma (2020) and Netflix’s The Dig.

He also composed and performed the beloved theme song for the BAFTA-winning series Detectorists, where his evocative music became inseparable from the show’s gentle, melancholic charm.

TRACK LISTING

The Box
The Wrote & The Writ
Tickle Me Pink
Brown Trout Blues
Eyeless In Holloway
Shore To Shore
Cold Bread
Wayne Rooney
Leftovers
Sally
Hong Kong Cemetry
Tunnels
All The Dogs Are Lying Down
Shore To Shore (Reprise)

This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1971 Island Records UK release in gatefold sleeve, inner sleeve with lyrics, 8 page booklet, promotional poster and sticker; it is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl

'Babbacombe' Lee was Fairport Convention's foray into the concept album so loved by groups in the 70s. Instead of looking at something fantastical or progressive, the group went back to the tale of John 'Babbacombe' Lee, the man they couldn't hang: The gallows failed three times after he was convicted of the murder of Emma Keyse in Torquay in 1885. Dave Swarbrick found details of the trial in a junk shop, and the band worked up the story into an album. Released at the end of 1971 with ephemera from the day telling the story, 'Babbacombe' Lee had episodes listed rather than tracks. It contained the most original material of a Fairport album to date, and was seen as taking folk-rock a huge step forward. Within weeks of the album's release both Dave Mattacks and Simon Nicol left the group, leaving Swarbrick and bassist Dave Pegg to lead Fairport on through their next chapter. Today, 'Babbacombe' Lee is one of the group's most enduring albums.

TRACK LISTING

The Verdict
Little Did I Think
I Was Sixteen (Part 1)
John My Son
I Was Sixteen (Part 2)
St Ninian's Isle
Trumpet Hornpipe
Sailors Alphabet
John Lee
Newspaper Reading
Breakfast In Mayfair
Trial Song
Cell Song
The Time Is Near
Dream Song
Wake Up John (Hanging Song)

Following on quickly from Fear, and capitalising on that album's energy Slow Dazzle is another fiery release by Velvet Underground founder John Cale - This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1975 Island Records UK release and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

Released in March 1975, initially, the album offers a false sense of mellow security: "Mr Wilson", a tribute to Brian, the leader of Cale's beloved Beach Boys starts the on a much sweeter note than "Fear Is A Man's Best Friend", as does "Taking It All Away"; by "Dirty Ass Rock'n'Roll" Slow Dazzle is off to darker terrain, business as usual. Cale, however, cannot resist a pop song and a ballad – "Ski Patrol" is a great two-minute vignette, and "I'm Not The Loving Kind" is soul-baring.

The album's reputation, however, rests on two tracks – "Guts", a bald telling of Cale's wife's infidelity and his pitch-black cover of Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel". 50 years later, these songs still pack a tremendous punch.

TRACK LISTING

Mr. Wilson
Taking It All Away
Dirty-Ass Rock 'N' Roll
Darling I Need You
Rollaroll
Heartbreak Hotel
Ski Patrol
I'm Not The Loving Kind
Guts
The Jeweller

Released in October 1974, Fear is an incredibly important in the 50+ year career of John Cale - This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1974 Island Records UK release and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

Fear marked Cale's return to recording in London after the best part of a decade in America. Signing to Island, he made fast friends with two key admirers, Phil Manzanera and Brian Eno, who assisted him in returning his music to the rawer sound of his earlier work, as opposed to the lush textures of his previous studio album, Paris 1919. The tense, clipped "Fear Is A Man's Best Friend" harks back to the work of the Velvet Underground, as does the standout, "Gun", eight minutes of overdriven bleakness with Eno duelling with Cale's guitar solo on synthesisers. Much is rightly made of these tracks, but there is also the sweetness of the gospel of "Buffalo Ballet" and the Beach Boys homage "The Man Who Couldn't Afford To Orgy". The pretty, semi-autobiographical "Ship Of Fools" offers listeners an opportunity to hear Cale reference the South Wales city of Swansea, its seaside suburb, Mumbles and his home village of Garnant.

In its often-skeletal simplicity, the often triumphant Fear is an album that brought an angular aggression with it.

TRACK LISTING

Fear Is A Man's Best Friend
Buffalo Ballet
Barracuda
Emily
Ship Of Fools
Gun
The Man Who Couldn't Afford To Orgy
You Know More Than I Know
Momamma Scuba

Recorded quickly between John Cale producing Patti Smith's Horses and his going out on an Italian tour, Helen of Troy became Cale's third and final studio album for Island Records - This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1975 Island Records UK release and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

Helen Of Troy is a raw, fascinating listen. The title track with its horns and spoken word is one of Cale's best: after the sweet bubblegum of "China Sea", the album gets increasingly stripped down – the acoustic guitar and piano of "Cable Hogue" and the punkish cover of The Modern Lovers' "Pablo Picasso" have long been favourites on the album. "Leaving It All Up To You" – in which Cale becomes increasingly disturbed – garnered controversy at the time and was actually removed from later pressings of the album because of its references to the Manson murders. Cale never lost his ability to shock. Taking its title from the opening line of Johnny Cash's "I Walk The Line", "I Keep A Close Watch", a track Cale would record again several years later, with its Robert Kirby-arranged strings and horns, is the closest Cale has veered toward a power ballad.

It is a work of great beauty among all the jagged edges of Helen Of Troy.

This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1971 Island Records UK release in gatefold sleeve and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

Released in June 1971, Angel Delight was the first of two albums of Fairport Convention as a four-piece, after the departure of founder member Richard Thompson that January. The band were living in a converted pub, The Angel, in Hertfordshire where they worked up the material for the album, another blend of the traditional and the original. The title track a pun on the time they were having at the pub, and a nod to the popular British dessert of the same name was a jolly catalogue of their life at the moment, referring to producer John Wood as 'John The Wood' and drummer Dave Mattacks as 'Dave The Drum.' It also mentions the day a lorry crashed into the pub, which, had Dave Swarbrick been in his room at the time could well have killed him.

The album Fairport's only Top 10 album in the UK chart is also known for its traditional medley of jigs and reels, The Cuckoo's Nest, the beautiful ballad Wizard Of The Worldly Game and the group's version of the salty English song The Bonny Black Hare.

TRACK LISTING

Lord Marlborough
Sir William Gower
Bridge Over The River Ash
Wizard Of The Worldly Game
The Journeyman's Grace
Angel Delight
Banks Of The Sweet Primroses
Instrumental Medley: The Cuckoo's Nest; Hardiman The Fiddler; Papa Stoor
The Bonny Black Hare
Sickness & Diseases

This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1970 Island Records UK release in gatefold sleeve and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

After their 1969 album Liege and Leif paved the way, Fairport Convention pushed further into traditional music, led by charismatic and renown fiddle- player Dave Swarbrick, who had joined the group in 1969 after making his name with Martin Carthy earlier in the decade. Vocalist Sandy Denny and bassist Ashley Hutchings left after Liege and Leif, and for the first time since the group's inception in 1967, there would be no female voice on a Fairport album.

Guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol took vocal leads with Swarbrick and, with new bassist Dave Pegg joining drummer Dave Mattacks, the group made Full House, released in July 1970. Picking up where its predecessor left off, and again recorded with Joe Boyd at London's Sound Techniques, the album continued the standards set by their previous four albums. Four of the seven songs on Full House were adapted from traditional folk melodies, such as Dirty Linen and Sir Patrick Spens, while of the originals, Thompson and Swarbrick's nine- minute opus Sloth gave the group one of their all- time anthems. The sleeve sent up their new role as ambassadors of the rustic by inventing a string of traditional British games that didn't really exist.

TRACK LISTING

Walk Awhile
Dirty Linen
Sloth
Sir Patrick Spens
Flatback Caper
Doctor Of Physick
Flowers Of The Fores

My Nation Underground is an album ripe for rediscovery - This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1988 Mercury Records UK release and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

Saint Julian had established Julian Cope as something of an establishment antihero and audiences, who'd been reacquainted with him were expecting more of the same. Instead, Cope changed his band line-up and attempted to mix funk and Krautrock on his new material; Chris Blackwell paired him with veteran US producer Ron Fair. The album produced three singles including "Charlotte Anne" which was a minor hit in the US. Album opener, "5 O'Clock World", a cover of a 1965 Vogues song, is light and poppy and the seven-minute title track, complete with strings and a harmonica solo, is one of the greatest (and perhaps only) attempts to merge go-go beats with post punk. There is a great deal to enjoy on My Nation Underground, underlining as it does Julian Cope's desire to continually push the envelope.

STAFF COMMENTS

Ashley says: Both bizarre and brilliant, Copey never failed to surprise us.

TRACK LISTING

5 O'Clock World
Vegetation
Charlotte Anne
My Nation Underground
China Doll / Someone Like Me
Easter Everywhere
I'm Not Losing Sleep
The Great White Hoax

Released in March 1987, Saint Julian was seen as a storming return to form for Julian Cope - This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1987 Mercury Records UK release and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

Signed to Island Records, his Iggy Pop/ Jim Morrison side was cultivated, the weirdness dialled down, leathers were worn and a rock'n'roll microphone stand was utilised. The lead track "World Shut Your Mouth" gave Cope his first solo UK Top 20 hit, a big, brash slice of garage rock, it was a post- punk equivalent to David Bowie returning with Let's Dance; simple, straightforward. Backed by what Cope called his 'two-car garage band', the album reached No 11 in the UK chart, his highest placing to date whether solo or in The Teardrop Explodes, it also entered the US Billboard Hot 200. It's not all straight- ahead stomp, the eight minute closer "A Crack In The Clouds" harks back to the Teardrop Explodes' Wilder, and Kate St. John's oboe on the title track evokes his Mercury albums.

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: This was a very exciting return for the erstwhile Acid Pop King with four huge numbers in particular Eve's Volcano, Trampolene, Spacehopper and ofcourse the imperious title track, all made sure that JC wasback where he belonged!

TRACK LISTING

Trampolene
Shot Down
Eve's Volcano
Spacehopper
Planet Ride
World Shut Your Mouth
Saint Julian
Pulsar
Screaming Secrets
A Crack In The Clouds

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!!!

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?

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.