The Free Fall Band are five very young timeless pop creators bursting with melody and sublime choruses, hailing from Mataró, a village north Barcelona.

‘Elephants Never Forget’ was the band’s debut album, produced by Miqui Puig and released on LAV Records. The record sums up The Free Fall Band perfectly: echoes of The Beatles, Jonathan Richman, The Shins, The Zombies… fun and emotion in equal measure, carefully assembled arrangements and a youthful image.

2013 put them at the forefront of Spanish pop, thanks to landmark moments such as their performance at the Primavera Sound Festival and supporting Rodriguez in Barcelona. They also released their first step on El Segell del Primavera, an EP with covers of The Strokes, Violent Femmes, New Order, Booker T. & The MGs and Jonathan Richman.

And now their second album arrives. It’s called ‘The Münster Sights’ and shows the band in another level: the songs reflect a band that have been playing and growing as musicians. The album was produced by Darren Hayman (he used to play in Hefner and has a long and amazing solo career) and engineered by Giles Barrett (from London popsters Tigercats), a perfect choice for The Free Fall Band as they’ve long been fans of both musicians. As a result ‘The Münster Sights’ sounds richer and fatter than their previous efforts and contains such great numbers as ‘Fontana’ and ‘I Want To Know’.

TRACK LISTING

I Want To Know
City Of Raleigh
Fontana
Look At Me Run, Dear
Lonesome Cowboy, Solitary Peggy Sue
Oh, What An Awkward Day
By Your Window
Every Man
The Barbershop
A Friend’s Homecoming
The Münster Sights

There was an immediate buzz surrounding 'This Is What I Know About Being Gigantic', the 2001 debut EP by Seattle indie phenomenon Minus the Bear. It wasn’t the kind of viral interest that translated into a string of sold-out tour dates, but it meant that the tuned-in crowd eagerly anticipated their next move. To help stir up the excitement for their first proper full-length, the band followed up '...Gigantic' with a promo CD featuring two tracks from their upcoming album, a short instrumental interlude, an exclusive new song, and a demo version of another album track. Packaged in a cardboard slipcase, it was the kind of cheaply manufactured promotional item that could be handed out for free at shows or thrown in as a bonus in online orders—a relic of the final years of the CD age before the advent of the iPod and mp3. The sampler CD was christened 'Bands Like It When You Yell “YAR!” At Them' in a nod to the upcoming album 'Highly Refined Pirates'.

While these kinds of promotional items typically had an ephemeral existence, filed away in some neglected binder of CDs or tossed out during one of the many apartment-to-apartment moves of the band’s principal demographic of urban twentysomethings, 'Bands Like It When You Yell “YAR!” At Them' had a curiously persistent presence. Perhaps it was because it was packaged more like a proper EP than a sampler. It certainly helped that it was a free release, meaning anyone who came to a show likely walked away from the evening with the cardboard slipcase tucked in their jacket pocket. It’s also noteworthy that the EP showcased three songs from the back half of 'Highly Refined Pirates' rather than the album’s live staples and fan favorites from side A. Whatever the combination of factors at play, '...“YAR!”' took on a life of its own and was ultimately re-packaged in a jewel case and sold as a proper EP in 2004 in the wake of 'Highly Refined Pirates’ success. And now in 2026, it’s getting its first proper release on vinyl.

Opening with the driving beat, chirping guitars, and funky low-end of 'Spritz!!! Spritz!!!', 'Bands Like It When You Yell “YAR!” At Them' quickly cements Minus the Bear’s foundation of sophisticated revelry, a spirit further emphasized in the 'Highly Refined Pirates' title choice. Part of the Bear’s lore involves them playing their first show three days after 9/11, and just as New York City’s indie rock scene took a sharp turn towards nightclub debauchery and a rejection of ‘90s rock’s dour fatalism in the wake of the World Trade Center tragedy, so did the Bear turn away from the Seattle’s scene’s penchant for gloom and angst towards a cerebral after-hours pop sound. The inclusion of 'Women We Haven’t Met Yet' helped elevate what could have otherwise been seen as an album deep cut into a lead track. The fact that these first two songs essentially served as preview singles over future Pirates hits like 'Monkey!!!Knife!!!Fight!!!' and 'Absinthe Party At The Fly Honey Warehouse' speaks to the high quality of every song the band cranked out in their early years. The EP’s exclusive track 'Drop It Like It’s Hot' presaged Snoop Dogg’s mega-hit single of the same name by two years, but whereas Snoop leaned into restrained minimalism, the Bear unleashes some of their fiercest work here, building off of interwoven riffs and electronic layers to a climax of stabbing guitars and hollered vocals. Much like Nirvana’s 'Hormoaning' EP, Minus the Bear’s 'Bands Like It When You Yell “YAR!” At Them' was initially more of a marketing gimmick than a proper release, but given the popularity of the pivotal studio albums that stemmed from the same recording sessions, these extended plays serve as compelling companion pieces that have earned a special spot in their respective fanbases’ hearts. Suicide Squeeze is proud to offer 'Bands Like It When You Yell “YAR!” At Them' on vinyl on September 18, 2026, nearly 25 years after the band’s first show.

Remastered for vinyl by Bernie Grundman with lacquers cut at 45rpm, this limited edition pressing of 1000 copies on Puget Sound-colored vinyl helps document and preserve the exciting early years of one of American indie rock’s most beloved acts.

TRACK LISTING

1. Spritz!!! Spritz!!!
2. Women We Haven’t Met Yet
3. You’re Some Sort of Big, Fat, Smart-Bug, Aren’t You?
Side B
4. Drop It Like It’s Hot
5. I Lost All My Money at the Cock Fights (Demo)

The last few years have been transformative for Nate Amos. Between delivering breakout records both as a solo artist — under his This Is Lorelei moniker — and with his band Water From Your Eyes, sold out shows across multiple continents, to seeing some of today’s most influential artists cover his songs, the ascending songwriter has found his stride. As the first This Is Lorelei album for Matador Records, The Singer in My Band takes the building blocks of the Great American Songbook and twists those elemental pieces into new shapes, at once both strangely familiar and endearingly offbeat in Amos’ signature style.

Written while touring the globe in support of releases from both his bands, The Singer in My Band arrives as the first true “road record” in Amos’ discography. “The ideas incubated while daydreaming in the car without access to any instruments,” he recalls, “so instead of being home and writing on the guitar or a computer, they developed slowly and subconsciously, existing as a sort of intangible thing while looking out the van window.”

2024’s Box for Buddy, Box for Star was Amos’ first attempt at an intentionally written full-length solo album, tackling newfound sobriety through a roving tongue-in-cheek take on musical personas, all strained through Amos’ genre-agnostic lens. It was a critical and word-of-mouth success, spawning a deluxe version with covers and collaborations including MJ Lenderman, Hayley Williams, Jeff Tweedy, Cameron Winter and many more.

The Singer in My Band came together in the same apartment Amos has produced much of his music, with final touches made at his parents’ house in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Amos engineered, produced, and performed everything on Singer, save for a blistering banjo lead on the title track courtesy of his father, bluegrass musician Bob Amos, and the occasional vocals from his sister Sarah Amos and partner Al Nardo. “They’re three people who had a fundamental impact on what this album was to begin with, and the ways they could contribute were things that I had in mind as I was writing the songs,” he explains.

There’s an economy of style to Singer that’s distinct in the Lorelei catalog, harkening back to Amos’ earliest experiences with songwriting and a lifelong reverence for bluegrass music. “It’s the most fundamental form of music to me,” he says, but is quick to note any influence is more as a set of principles than a sound. “There’s a simplicity to bluegrass, where there are very particular rules and a very particular box - songs have to stand up by themselves in terms of melody, lyrics and chord progression.”

Inspired by the textured and organic production of Gordon Lightfoot, songs like “Billy Came Back” and “The Kid With the Crown” feature richly layered choruses made all the more effective by their spartan verses. The glitchy vocal harmonies on “Oh No Now My” feel beamed in from some distant future, fleetingly captured on decaying equipment for the album’s most anthemic song, second only to the widescreen climax of “Hey Sarah Is It Gonna Rain Forever.”

There’s Joey, Billy, Genevieve, Sarah, and the ever present Buddy, an Altman-esque ensemble cast who populate the album’s stories, scattered through distinctly American scenes and landmarks. As narrators go, they aren’t terribly reliable. They traffic in wild stories and chaotic experiences that are at once weirdly specific and just a bit blurry, mirroring Amos’ experience of these last several years. “It’s funny, I sent my dad the album after I finished it, and he said it was kind of an “on the road beatnik” album and that kind of reframed it for me,” says Amos. “It really is like a collection of chaotic experiences that you have while travelling. They’re also very much little works of fiction with elements of truth to them.”

For many years, Amos’ This Is Lorelei project was known only to a close knit group of creatives in Chicago, where he relocated in his early 20s and produced hundreds of albums and EP’s, tracing the outlines for both of his prolific projects before relocating to New York. In the time since, he’s flourished as a wildly creative polymath who is equally adept at slinging heartworn hooks and eyeball-exploding art-pop. These are songs about songwriting as a way of life – messy, debilitating, transcendent – from one of the most gifted contemporary interpreters of the form.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
I Will Eat My Heart in the Morning Light
On No How My
Billy Came Back
Watching Heaven Fall
Sailing (Your Baby’s Down)

Side B
The Singer In My Band
Nitro
Hey Sarah Is It Going To Rain Forever
The Kid With the Crown
And I Haven’t Seen My Love in Quite a While
Don’t You Cry in Lonesomeness

Bonus 7”
Side A
Chestnut

Side B
Dust in the Wine

Career-spanning 'best of' from Manchester's Courteeners, compiling singles from across all seven of their albums.

TRACK LISTING

1. Are You In Love With A Notion?
2. Cavorting
3. Acrylic
4. You Overdid It Doll
5. Pink Cactus Café
6. Summer
7. Take Over The World
8. Bide Your Time
9. Small Bones
10. The 17th
11. Fallowfield Hillbilly
12. That Kiss
13. Lose Control
14. Modern Love
15. Sycophant
16. Hanging Off Your Cloud
17. The Luckiest Man Alive
18. What Took You So Long?
19. Not Nineteen Forever
20. Plus One Forever

Achieving musical transcendence is a tricky feat. If it happens - a big if - it does so naturally, and perhaps nobody knows that better than Band of Horses, whose landmark debut 'Everything All The Time' still, after twenty years, feels as vital and, dare we say, transcendent as when it came out in 2006.

Guitarist/vocalist Ben Bridwell formed Band of Horses in Seattle in 2004, after the end of his nearly ten-year run in northwest melancholic darlings Carissa’s Wierd. Carissa’s Wierd trafficked in beautiful orchestral pop, whose songs told unflinching stories of heartbreak and loss, leavened with defeatist humor. Band of Horses rose from the ashes of that well-loved band, buoyed by Bridwell’s warm, reverb-heavy vocals, and woodsy, dreamy songs oozing with tension, longing and hope. Armed with a fresh Sub Pop deal and a smashing batch of songs, the band recorded their debut full-length, 'Everything All the Time', with producer Phil Ek at Seattle’s Avast studios.

At times raggedly epic ('The Great Salt Lake') and delicately pensive ('St. Augustine', 'Monsters'), 'Everything All The Time' is an album painted gorgeously in fragile highs and lows. That’s part of the genius in Band of Horses: they craft intelligent, classic movements within their songs, perfectly balancing desperation and hope, calmness and mania, love and fear. And of course there’s the massive single, 'The Funeral', which became a defining song of the era, and continues to inspire new generations of fans and artists alike. On top of tons of film and TV placements, the song was sampled by Kid Cudi, and transformed into a 2025 dance edit by acclaimed producer/multi-instrumentalist Gryffin.

Now, on the occasion of the 20th birthday of the album, Sub Pop and Band of Horses present the definitive snapshot of the band circa 'Everything All The Time'. For this anniversary release, the album has been fully remastered, with the artwork refreshed and expanded into a gatefold jacket with liner notes by Phil Ek. And the album is accompanied by an additional LP of bonus tracks, including the 2005 tour EP, a trove of previously unreleased studio and live tracks, and rarities like 'The End’s Not Near' (as featured on The O.C.) and a demo version of 'The Funeral'.

TRACK LISTING

LP Tracklisting:
1. The First Song
2. Wicked Gil
3. Our Swords
4. The Funeral
5. Part One
6. The Great Salt Lake
7. Weed Party
8. I Go To The Barn Because I Like The Barn
9. Mons
10. St. Augustine
11. (Biding Time Is A) Boat To Row
12. Part Two
13. Coal Mine
14. Worry Song
15. The End's Not Near
16. The Funeral (Demo Version)
17. Wicked Gil (Demo Version)
18. Our Swords (Demo Version)
19. I Go To The Barn Because I Like The / Monsters (Live At The Crocodile)

CD Tracklisting:
1. The First Song
2. Wicked Gil
3. Our Swords
4. The Funeral
5. Part One
6. The Great Salt Lake
7. Weed Party
8. I Go to the Barn Because I Like The
9. Monsters
10. St. Augustine
11. (Biding Time Is a) Boat to Row
12. Part Two
13. Coal Mine
14. Worry Song
15. The End's Not Near
16. The First Song (Demo Version)
17. Wicked Gil (Demo Version)
18. Our Swords (Demo Version)
19. The Funeral (Demo Version)
20. Part One (Demo Version)
21. Our Swords (Live at The Crocodile)
22. I Go to the Barn Because I Like The / Monsters (Live at The Crocodile)
23. Showdown (Live at The Crocodile)
24. Part One (Live at The Crocodile)

Joaquin ‘Joe’ Claussell returns to the Spring Revisited project, and he delivers another jazz-infused house mix of a classic funk track by the iconic Fatback Band.

Spring Revisited is collaborative project between Ace Records and Acid Jazz, inviting influential house music producers to reinterpret classic tracks from seminal New York label. Spring Records, a pioneer in funk, soul and disco.

After a series of sell-out and chart-topping 12” and 7” releases, as well as a 2LP compilation, the project continues with these two new mixes of the Fatback Band’s ‘(Do The) Spanish Hustle)’. Claussell combines the original classic funk elements with Latino percussion and samba-styled trumpets.

First up is his 'Sacred Rhythm Version’, which lifts the tempo and loops a section of the original's percussion. Keeping the trumpets, and soulful vocal phrases, he adds a DJ-friendly kick drum and shows off his improvisation skills with a vibrant synth line.

On the flip, he strips back some of the drums and horns and focuses on the bassline with the 'Spanish Harlem Dub,' which is a moody rework utilising some funk-infused organ chords.

On the original track Joe says: "I can vividly recall the very first time I heard Spanish Hustle blasting through my brother Jackie’s stereo system. Not long afterward, I experienced its energy again on the dance floor at a discotheque known as The Inferno, where it was masterfully delivered by the legendary René Hewitt. The record left an imprint on my spirit that never faded.’

A spectacular continuation of the series, presented in the nowsignature Spring Revisited housebag, resembling an original worn-in promotional 12”, pressed in a strictly limited run!

TRACK LISTING

1. (Do The) Spanish Hustle – Joaquin ‘Joe’ Claussell Sacred Rhythm Version
2. (Do The) Spanish Hustle – Joaquin ‘Joe’ Claussell Spanis

Rx Bandits’ landmark album '...And the Battle Begun' marked a defining creative leap for the band, channeling intricate musicianship, dynamic arrangements, and socially charged lyricism into one of the most influential independent rock records of its era. Originally released in 2006, the album captured the band at a creative crossroads — expanding far beyond the ska-punk roots they emerged from and embracing a broader spectrum of progressive rock, jazz fusion, reggae, dub, psych, and melodic experimentation. The result was a deeply ambitious and emotionally resonant album whose impact continues to be felt twenty years later.

In celebration of the album’s 20th anniversary, Sargent House have released a newly remastered version of the full album alongside four previously unreleased live recordings. The re-issue also commemorates the first album ever released by the label, honoring the lasting legacy of a record that continues to inspire listeners and stands as a defining chapter in Rx Bandits’ history.

TRACK LISTING

1. Untitled
2. ...And The Battle Begun
3. In Her Drawer
4. Only For The Night
5. On A Lonely Screen
6. 1980
7. One Million Miles An Hour, Fast Asleep
8. Apparition
9. A Mouth Full Of Hollow Threats
10. Epoxi-Lips
11. Tainted Wheat
12. To Our Unborn Daughters
13. Crushing Destroyer
14. Apparition (Live)
15. Consequential Apathy (Live)
16. In Her Drawer (Live)
17. Only For the Night (Live)

Originally released on January 1, 2020 as a digital-only single to welcome the New Year, the track arrived at a moment when the world was just beginning to emerge from the grip of the pandemic. It was later followed by a limited EU-only 7-inch pressing in March 2020, which has since become highly sought after on the secondary market. ??Now, driven by a resurgence in popularity—sparked by the official music video on YouTube amassing over 9 million views and counting—the single returns in a brand-new pressing. This edition features a printed sleeve with the original artwork and will be limited to just 500 copies. The track itself is a full-band reimagining of the song that originally closed their 2018 album Golden Days, where it appeared in a stripped-back piano and vocal arrangement. In its fuller form, the song radiates hope, joy, and the euphoria of new beginnings—capturing a sense of optimism, opportunity, and the anticipation of brighter days ahead. These themes are emblematic of Mamas Gun’s sound and spirit.

TRACK LISTING

A1. This Is The Day (Full Band Version)
B1. Strangers on a Street

The Solomon Gundy Band is the project of British trumpeter and composer Sean Corby, bringing together a cross-generational collective of musicians from the UK's vibrant jazz scene.

Their debut album 'Hancestry' blends soul jazz, Afro- diasporic rhythms and soundsystem sensibilities into a contemporary statement that reflects both tradition and experimentation.

Mixed by Ashley Slater (Loose Tubes) and featuring guest appearances from UK jazz legend Courtney Pine, rising star pianist Sultan Stevenson and vocalist Julie Dexter, the album bridges the pioneering generations of Jazz Warriors with sounds of today's vibrant UK subculture. Rooted in Sean Corby's personal journey back to the trumpet after years away from the music, Hancestry celebrates resilience, collaboration and the evolving story of jazz in the UK.

TRACK LISTING

1. Hancestry (for Zora Neale Hurston)
2. Divine Days (for Leon Forrest)
3. Sparkey's Lament
4. Duke of Da Bronx
5. Drum Song (for Chino)
6. Choose To Be (for James Baldwin)
7. Wadada (for Ismael Leo Smith)
8. Seasons
9. Jazz Interlude/Solomon A Dub

An evocative coming of age story from one of the UK’s first ever female post-punk musicians. Debsey Wykes was the bass playing singer in the first all girl punk group Dolly Mixture. Thrown into the musky, misogynistic, male dominated world of the UK music industry in the late 1970s, they enjoyed unlikely #1 success alongside Captain Sensible of The Damned on1982’s even unlikelier cover version of ‘Happy Talk’, whilst fame and success on their own individual terms alluded them.

Debsey went onto greater prominence with Saint Etienne with who she has performed since 1992, whilst in 2025, desirable Dolly Mixture reissues sell out around the world as quickly as they are printed. Featuring a cast of contemporary post-punk heroes – rom Paul Weller and the Jam (their first record label boss) to Madness and the Pogues – Teenage Daydream is a unique coming of age story of youthful ambition, enterprising DIY musical ethics and how an unlikely bunch of school-girl friends ended up on Top of the Pops in home made hula skirts.

Two rare recordings from the archives of legendary producer Richard Hewson.

"Rising Star (Cosmix)" began life in 1984 as a vocal single performed by Debbie Sharp. Hewson reworked the original track into a percussive cosmic disco interpretation, aptly titled the “Cosmix”, experimenting with his newly acquired Bel Delay effects unit, which became central to his studio explorations at the time.

"Deep Song" dates back even further, to the late-70s Richard Hewson Orchestra period - the creative blueprint that would later evolve into Hewson’s cult studio project, The RAH Band. Written, produced and assembled by Hewson in his home studio before additional strings and vocals were layered in, the track was inspired by his deep admiration for Miles Davis, particularly the landmark album "Kind Of Blue". "Deep Song" was originally released as a B-side under a mysterious alias in 1979.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Shhh! There MIGHT just be a huge archival video project involving a Manchester synthstress / song writer . documentary maker forthcoming.. but you didn't hear that from me! In the meantime, enjoy more hits from one of the most prolific but under acknowledged producers of the electro-disco / boogie scene. His catalogue is never ending!

TRACK LISTING

rising star (cosmix)
deep song (12 single mix)

These are two brand spanking new exclusives for the latest Z Records 7 inch record. First up is 'Reach For It' from The Sunburst Band with its uplifting Mtume/Lucas feel, glorious vocals from New Jersey singer Tiffany T'zelle (fans will know her from Dave Lee's 'Produced With Love II' album) and all the usual star players of The Sunburst Band. Then making her debut on ZR is Queen B Unlimited with '27 Sided', an ultra smooth dose of modern disco-soul. It's and expertly produced love song about us all being different shapes and trying to find our match. We suggest turning the lights down low for this one.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Two BRAND NEW disco joints for our perusal courtesy of Dave Lee, Tiffany T'zelle and Queen B. Be it for the super crisp (and obviously very modern) drums, you'd be forgiven to thinking these are lost classics! An absolutely doozy of a double A side disco lovers simply cannot do without.

TRACK LISTING

The Sunburst Band - Reach For My Love (feat Tiffany T'zelle - Special 45 version)
Queen B Unlimited - 27 Sided (Special 45 version)

This perfectly formed EP brings together Dutch duo Fouk with a selection of collaborators across four groove-led cuts blending house, disco, and nu-disco influences.

The title track sees Fouk teaming up with The Phenomenal Handclap Band, delivering a vibrant vocal cut driven by warm basslines, uplifting melodies, and classic disco instrumentation. Importantly, both the vocal and instrumental versions appear here as extended mixes exclusive to the vinyl release.

Further collaborations with Archil & Leon and 79.5 continue the EP’s groove-heavy approach, combining soulful vocals, live instrumentation, and dancefloor-ready arrangements.

Already receiving strong support across radio, DJs, and streaming platforms, including plays from Bill Brewster (NTS Radio), Colleen Cosmo Murphy, Dom Servini, Francois K, Graeme Park, Hot Toddy, Massimiliano Pagliara, Pete Herbert, Slothboogie, Tim Zawada / Star Creature Universal Vibrations, Dave Pezzner, Nadiem Shah, Luxxury, Dj Supermarkt, Luke Solomon, Seamus Haji, Sophie Lloyd, J-Kriv, DJ Rocca, Faze Action.

With warm grooves, uplifting vocals and strong crossover appeal between disco, house and nu-disco scenes, this EP offers high playability for DJs and strong appeal for modern disco and house collectors.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Nice to see New York's PHCB return after a brief hiatus. Proper party starters in every sense of the word, with a royal cast of collaborators to hand on this EP; your house party just got a major upgrade!

TRACK LISTING

A1. Fouk & Phenomenal Handclap Band - Turn It Out (Extended)
A2. Fouk & Phenomenal Handclap Band - Turn It Out (Instrumental)
B1. Fouk and Archie & Leon - Sundays
B2. Fouk & 79.5 - Reverie 

When five-time Grammy award winner Taj Mahal intersects with The Phantom Blues Band, it’s one of those rare joints that hits you before you even know you’ve been hit. They walk in, plug in, and the whole room shifts. Studio assassins, road lifers, groove keepers and somehow still hungry. They are an internationally renowned Two-Time Grammy Award winning group.

Taj Mahal’s fearless, open-hearted spirit still shadows the whole thing with that genre-hopping joy. He leads you down the road with a history lesson and the Phantoms carry it with honor to the Griot. Mahal sings and plays harp as he fronts an all-star lineup of legendary musicians with the three ringleaders for the Phantoms--Johnny Lee Schell, the soulful gunslinger with tone for days, Tony Braunagel keeps the whole ship steered straight and on time, every time, and Larry Fulcher, the anchor, the heartbeat, the quiet storm on bass. Additionally, Jon Cleary, with that unmistakable New Orleans piano swagger, Mick Weaver, a session master who’s playing slides in with an undeniable velvet magic, and in the horn section, Joe Sublett on sax and Les Lovitt on trumpet bring the orchestration into the full view of this genre.

This band doesn’t ‘back” anybody. They lift you up, carry you, and dare you to rise higher. On this record they slide through blues, soul, R&B, and island color with the ease of men who’ve lived every bit of it. This is deep-groove, grown-folks music from a band that still plays like the night is young.

‘Time’ is their new release on Resonatin’ Records / Thirty Tigers and celebrates over thirty years of making this uplifting inspiring and aspiring music together.

TRACK LISTING

1. Life Of Love
2. Wild About My Lovin'
3. Crazy About A Jukebox
4. Time
5. You Put The Whammy On Me
6. Talkin' Blues
7. Sweet Lorene
8. Ask Me 'Bout Nothing (But The Blues)
9. It's Your Voodoo Working
10. Rowdy Blues

The long awaited autobiography from the musical maverick, polymath and Beta Band front man.

Formed in 1996 the band were quickly embraced in the media as The Next Big Thing and hailed by famous fans from Radiohead to Noel Gallagher. They were an idiosyncratic, self-contained, Dadaist counterpoint to the bloated Britpop corpse as it metastasized in the late ‘90s. The band split in 2004, owing their record label £1.2m.

Since 2004, front man and songwriter Steve Mason has forged a singular, highly lauded solo career, releasing 5 albums under his own name and in April this year the Beta Band reformed to announce their first shows and the UK and U.S in over twenty years. “I see this book as a picture of someone who was lost, with zero confidence and had no idea what he was supposed to do to with his life. But through music, he found something approaching belief in himself which carried him over the next 30 years into all manner of success, failure and adventure.

All the while battling the demons on constant patrol in his mind until, after they nearly finished him off, he focused his full attention on purging them from of aspect of his life. It’s a story of youth culture, failure, success, sadness and redemption.

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2026 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY APRIL 18TH ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

IF THERE ARE ANY REMAINING COPIES THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT 8PM (BST) ON MONDAY APRIL 20th).

Deluxe edition of the classic 1970 album from Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band. This limited edition 2LP vinyl set features the original album, recut from the original master tapes at Bernie Grundman Mastering, plus an additional LP with previously unreleased instrumental versions and alternate takes from the original album sessions.

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2026 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY APRIL 18TH ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

IF THERE ARE ANY REMAINING COPIES THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT 8PM (BST) ON MONDAY APRIL 20th).

Recorded in 1995 and released on CD in 2019, this is the vinyl debut for this fantastic DR John Album. 1000 copies on double purple vinyl for RSD 2026. “Ya know, dis would be dat thing I was always using my head for: a big band thing with my New Orleans riffs.” Thus spoke Mac Rebennack, a.k.a. Dr. John, while tossing around ideas with his manager Stanley Chaisson ahead of a 1995 tour. Not long afterward, he manifested that vision in Cologne, Germany, where he recorded 16 tracks with the WDR Big Band. It remained on ice, until now. On the opening “Indian Red,” Mac name-checks Mardi Gras Indian tribes and soars to new heights when WDR jumps in with the gale-force gusto of a truly big band, summoning a real second-line rave-up. “New York City Blues” swings with enough swagger to light up Times Square, while “I’m Just Lucky” invokes the glitz of Vegas in its Rat Pack heyday. Both put a new spin on songs from Afterglow, the 1995 album Dr. John was touring behind, which also included moodier pieces like “Gee Baby.” Though not every track is one for the ages, this live set makes a fine addition to every Dr. John fan’s library, and delivers exactly what the good doctor intended to conjure: Big Band Voodoo. Personnel: Dr. John, piano, vocals; Phil Upchurch, guitar; Milan Lulic, guitar; Frank Chastenier, piano; John Goldsby, bass; Jeff Hamilton, drums; WDR Big Band horn section. 

TRACK LISTING

1 Indian Red 2 I’m Just A Lucky So And So 3 Blue Skies 4 Tell Me You’ll Wait For Me 5 Gee Baby Aint I Good To You 6 Stagger Lee 7 New York City Blues 8 I Know What I Got 9 I Still Think About You 10 I’m Confessin’ (That I Love You 11 Mess Around 12 There Must Be A Better World Somewhere 13 So Long 14 Going Back To New Orleans 15 JC’s Blues 16 Tipitina

Marking its 20th anniversary in 2025, the eponymous debut album from Staten Island's finest is finally back in print. Housed in a deluxe "old style", tip-on jacket and sporting an all-analog (AAA) re-master from the original tapes–via Ryan Smith (Sterling Sound)–this iconic LP has never looked or sounded better. Featuring "Up From the South," and "Ghost Walk" this is essential listening for fans of Daptone and the Budos alike.

ALL-ANALOG (AAA) re-master from the original tapes–via Ryan Smith (Sterling Sound).

TRACK LISTING

1. Up From The South
2. T. I. B. W. F.
3. Budos Theme
4. Ghost Walk
5. Monkey See, Monkey Do
6. Sing A Simple Song
7. Eastbound
8. Aynotchesh Yererfu
9. King Charles
10. The Volcano Song
11. Across The Atlantic

More excellent and previously unreleased instrumental 1970s roots from 12 Tribes musical director Pablove Black and cohorts. Side A has an instrumental cut of the sublime rhythm used for Ewan Naptali's classic "Africa Awaiting Its Creator", the flip side has another instru titled "Sons of the Most High", which we think was voiced by Dan Hutson but never released.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Africa Awaiting (Instrumental)
B1. Sons Of The Most High (Instrumental)

"'Country Sides' is about our world and how we've used music to live in the spaces where we want to exist: To Get High On Our Own Supply - This record is both a nod to the past and a look to the future - We've been writing, recording and performing music that inspires us for TWENTY YEARS and we hope in turn it connects with and inspires others - Pretty simple, right?

"There are soul and folk, rock and roll and 'Country Sides' to all of the music we make. This time around, we spent a little more time exploring the 'Country Sides' of our musical personality. Take a ride on an ethereal wave of a pedal steel swell, but feel your feet rooted firmly to the ground and the muscle of the bass and drums. They give you an undeniable rhythm to move to. Follow the Wurlitzer piano dancing along with the acoustic guitars to find the vocals, always leading, but always blending and making a sweet sweet harmony.

"We are a band of brothers, who started by walking in the footsteps of the musical giants that were laid long before we set out on this journey. Now, twenty years in we are on our own path, enjoying the view as we ride along the country side. "

- The Band Of Heathens

TRACK LISTING

1. No Direction
2. High On Our Own Supply
3. She's The Night / Lead Don't Follow
4. Forever's Not A Long Time
5. Finish Something I Started
6. Pleasing People
7. Good As I Can Be
8. Take The Cake
9. Just As Much
10. Letting Go

The Lower Angel Band are a British folk-rock band formed in Warrington, Cheshire in 2025.

The band blend folk rock and pop, weaving in traditional instruments and warm keyboard textures beneath a rich, blues-inflected female vocal from front-woman, Vicky Williams. Their style is marked by memorable melodies and lyrics that explore everyday life and spiritual growth through stories and reflections. Since forming earlier this year the band have been drawing crowds across Warrington and the surrounding area. Notable performances include 'The Narrowboat Sessions' and Newton Festival 2025. The Lower Angel Band also have support from Radio Warrington - having starred on their Country & Folk Show in October.

'All In' as a whole, is inspired by nature, endurance and reflection. Each song derives from personal experiences and discoveries - following both the physical and spiritual journeys taken along the way. This album celebrates the human experience of both the highs and the lows of life, 'All In' together.

TRACK LISTING

1. My Voice
2. Demon Seed
3. Fiona & The Rain
4. Home From Here
5. Changes
6. Times
7. The Lower Angels
8. Bathe In My Light
9. Prophecy Of Drowning
10. Winnie's Garden

In November 1969, the Rolling Stones toured the United States for the first time in three years. Gone from the band was founder member Brian Jones, replaced by Mick Taylor from John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Gone too were the Top Ten-laden 30-minute sets played over inadequate PA systems to crowds of screaming, gawping teenagers.

In their place was a fully-fledged 75-minute rock show drawing heavily on the new Stones albums Beggar's Banquet and Let It Bleed, utilising innovative lighting andstaging. Led by the Glimmer Twins - Mick Jagger and Keith Richards - the Rolling Stones rocked across America on a 24-date tour whose essence iscaptured in the live album Get Yet Ya-Ya's Out, heralded by many as the finestlive rock album of all time. From an unpublicised opening night in Fort Collins, Colorado through to the tragic events at Altamont, California a month later, Everybody Seems To Be Ready(taking its title from Chip Monck's nightly stage introduction for the band) mixes contemporaneous press reports with previously unpublished first-hand accounts to present the story of a tour that has gone down in history as the first rock tour of the modern era in the words of the people who were there.

Newly remastered. First time on vinyl in decades. Includes “The Weight,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “Up On Cripple Creek,” “Ophelia” and many more!

TRACK LISTING

LP Tracklist:
A1. Up On Cripple Creek
A2. The Shape I'm In
A3. The Weight
A4. It Makes No Difference
A5. Life Is A Carnival
B1. Twilight
B2. Don’t Do It
B3. Tears Of Rage
B4. Stage Fright
B5. Ophelia
B6 The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

CD Tracklist:
1. Up On Cripple Creek
2. The Shape I'm In
3. The Weight
4. It Makes No Difference
5. Life Is A Carnival
6. Twilight
7. Don’t Do It
8. Tears Of Rage
9. Stage Fright
10. Ophelia
11. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

Badasonic Records proudly presents a new chapter in its Soundclash Series: a transatlantic 45rpm featuring Belgian ska-reggae-soul collective The Utopians and Austin, Texas’ finest rocksteady outfit The Bandulus. Each band reimagines one of the other’s songs, creating a true musical exchange that bridges continents while celebrating shared roots.

On the A-side, The Utopians take on The Bandulus’ rocksteady gem 'Be Your Man' and transform it into a driving early reggae cut, infused with raw energy and vocal stylings influenced by Toots & The Maytals. Flipping to the B-side, The Bandulus reinterpret The Utopians' 'Don’t Work'. Originally an early reggae track, the song is reborn as a late-70s reggae version, adding a fresh electronic edge while keeping the soulful core intact.

This special release is the direct outcome of the two joint European tours that brought the bands together, solidifying not only their artistic respect but also a genuine friendship. Produced and mixed by Nico Leonard for Badasonic Records, the single captures the warmth of analog recording and the creativity of two groups committed to carrying Jamaican-inspired music into the present day.

Available as a collector’s edition 45rpm vinyl and digitally worldwide, this split single is more than just a record — it’s a cultural dialogue, a celebration of collaboration, and a testament to the strong bond between The Utopians and The Bandulus.

TRACK LISTING

1. Be Your Man
2. Don’t Work

The Selenites Band - "Journey on Az Ma'ar Moon" - an Ethiofuturist odyssey. 

With "Journey on Az Ma'ar Moon", their third studio album, The Selenites Band continue their exploration of ethiojazz, deconstructing and reinventing it to project it towards the stars.

Conceived as a journey to an imaginary moon, each track becomes a stage in an interstellar narrative, where myths, ancestral rhythms and Afrofuturism intertwine.

Between heritage and experimentation, the group deploys a groove from elsewhere: a mystical, cinematographic and resolutely modern trance.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Behind Az Ma’ar - Part I
A2. The New Man Encounter
A3. Mez’kæl Blossom
A4. Behind Az Ma’ar - Part II
A5. Moka Minor Circus

B1. Ride The Penrose Way
B2. Ælem’ïe
B3. Theïa
B4. Behind Az Ma’ar - Part III
B5. Tycho’s Gate

White Boy and the Average Rat Band was formed in the unlikely small mountain town of Richlands, Virginia in late 1979 by guitarist and songwriter Michael Matney. Fresh out of high school in 1979, Matney would venture over the mountain to neighboring Tennessee to try his luck in the music Mecca of Nashville. There Matney would join Kriss Famous’ longtime established local act “Tabu”, replacing Ron Keel as lead guitarist. It was in this arrangement that Matney would be christened with the name “White Boy”.

His time with “Tabu” and in Nashville would be brief before returning back to Virginia. Once back home, Matney would take a job with a local record store and recording studio owner who would grant him recording time in exchange for employment. There Matney would helm his own project deemed White Boy and the Average Rat Band; writing, composing and producing the self-titled debut. On the project, Matney played all the instruments, in exception to the two separate drummers used to complete the album. Musicians were then assembled in order to represent a band on the album and in live performances.

In 1980 the White Boy and the Average Rat Band self-titled debut album would be released in a limited number of 300 copies, of which 50 would be lost. They would see very limited distribution, which only added to the curiosity the album would become. The band in the early 1980’s would have a short life-span that would well be surpassed by their reputation on into the next couple of decades.

Matney would then go on to other projects, such as a live guitarist sitting in with Dr. Hook and as a touring guitarist with David Allen Coe. During which time, unannounced to Matney, White Boy and the Average Rat Band’s name was gaining somewhat of a cult status amongst record collectors around the globe seeking private press releases and on-the-fringes type rock bands. As the records continued to circulate through the hands of these collectors, the album began to become more and more difficult to find, as well as fetching prices in the high hundreds of dollars.

In 2010 a bootleg pressing of the band’s album would begin to circulate. This unofficial release would be a response to the high demand of people seeking the record. Although it was unknown to the band at the time and obviously done without permission, the bootleg only helped to grow the band’s cult status even greater. Riding Easy offers the first official reissue of this lost 1980 album.

TRACK LISTING

1. Prelude
2. Neon Warriors
3. Sector 387
4. Maybe I'm A Fool
5. The Prophet Song
6. Leaving On Vacation
7. Blue Moon
8. Oriental Doctor
9. Tell Someone
10. Will To Fight
11. Smokehouse Blues
12. Phone Call From New York
13. If I Find Love

This release sees Laura Veirs capturing a live performance of her collaboration with a 32 teenagers from a school choir in Angouleme, France. Veirs and the choir performed together on May 24, 2025.

TRACK LISTING

1. Intro
2. Shining Lamp Interlude 1
3. Freedom Feeling
4. Wide-Eyed, Legless
5. Shining Lamp Interlude 2
6. Little Deschutes
7. Lonely Angel Dust
8. Shape Shifter
9. Shining Lamp Interlude 3
10. Black Butterfly
11. Snow Camping
12. Make Something Good
13. Riptide
14. I Can See Your Tracks

A landmark account of Paul McCartney’s triumphant musical reinvention in the 1970s and the rise of one of the decade’s most iconic bandsAs the Sixties came to a close, Paul McCartney was faced with the daunting prospect of being a solo artist for the first time. Wings’ ascension to the top of the charts with classic albums including Band on the Run, Venus and Mars and At the Speed of Sound, along with the band’s stadium-filling live shows, would prove to critics and fans that not all great acts are impossible to follow. Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run is a rousing, stereophonic celebration of the songs, collaborations and performances that would shape the soundtrack of the late 20th century.

Drawn from over 500,000 words, based on dozens of hours of interviews with McCartney and numerous key players in the band’s orbit, Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run weaves together the improbable trajectory of Paul McCartney and his newly formed band (featuring co-founding members Linda McCartney and Denny Laine) across the technicolor 1970s until their dissolution in 1981.

"Further Adventures Of The WTF Band", because three letters are cheaper than
therapy. The Idjuts and Minjung Kate Kim continue their campaign to replace BPM with LOL, deploying two wigged-out, psychedelic drug chuggers littered with incomprehensible vocal murmurings, flange-attacked & echo-drenched perc hits, and wild free improv stylings. Perfect for soundtracking your next ketamine fueled art launch or a psychedelic tea party on Mars. Bonkers /// brilliant - it's the Idjut Boys alright! 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: WTF indeed! Idjuts stick to their remit - delivering an audio injoke which only the most seasoned acid house casualty will be able to decipher. Jokes aside, if you enjoy playing wigged out music to freaks in dark rave caves, this disjoined and discombobulated number should sit nicely next your records by Toulouse Low Trax, Madteo, Don't DJ and other drugged-out warehouse mutations.

TRACK LISTING

A1. WTF - Word Salad Version
B1. WTF - Conical Squares Version

The four-parts Canadian, one-part Arkansan quintet's sophomore effort boasts more soon-to-be-staples than any other Band studio recording, what with the likes of the Joan Baez hit "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", "Across the Great Divide", and "Up on Cripple Creek" standing out among the dozen uniformly memorable tracks.

Lesser-known group originals such as the achingly lovely "Whispering Pines" and the cryptic "Unfaithful Servant", however, play crucial roles in giving this 1969 classic its unique flavour.

Now in limited edition Bone White vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

01. Across The Great Divide
02. Rag Mama Rag
03. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
04. When You Awake
05. Up On Cripple Creek
06. Whispering Pines

01. Jemima Surrender
02. Rockin' Chair
03. Look Out Cleveland
04. Jawbone
05. The Unfaithful Servant
06. King Harvest (Has Surely Come)

On August 30, 1972, John Lennon and Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band with Elephant’s Memory and guests headlined 2 historic One To One concerts at Madison Square Garden, NYC. These benefit shows played to a combined audience of 40K people and helped raise over $1.5 million to support children with disabilities. They were his only full-length concerts after leaving the Beatles and the last shows John and Yoko performed together. Produced by Sean Ono Lennon, both concerts have been completely remixed and re-engineered by Paul Hicks and Sam Gannon, using new HD multitrack transfers by Rob Stevens with mixes mastered by Alex Wharton at Abbey Road.

TRACK LISTING

2 X BLACK VINYL
Track Listing:
1. Power To The People (intro)
2. New York City
3. It's So Hard
4. Move On Fast
5. Well Well Well
6. Born In A Prison
7. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)
8. Mother
9. We're All Water
10. Come Together
11. Imagine
12. Open Your Box
13. Cold Turkey
14. Don’t Worry Kyoko (Mummy’s Only Looking For A Hand In The Snow)
15. Hound Dog
16. Law And Order
17. Give Peace A Chance [with Special Guests]

CD
HYBRID SHOW
THE ONE TO ONE CONCERT
HYBRID ‘BEST OF’ SHOW
Track Listing:
1. Power To The People (intro)
2. New York City
3. It's So Hard
4. Move On Fast
5. Well Well Well
6. Born In A Prison
7. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)
8. Mother
9. We're All Water
10. Come Together
11. Imagine
12. Open Your Box
13. Cold Turkey
14. Don’t Worry Kyoko (Mummy’s Only Looking For A Hand In The Snow)
15. Hound Dog
16. Law And Order
17. Give Peace A Chance [with Special Guests]

2CD
CD1 - The One To One Concert Afternoon Show
John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band With Elephant’s Memory Plus Special Guests:
1. Power To The People (intro)
2. New York City
3. It's So Hard
4. Move On Fast
5. Well Well Well
6. Born In A Prison
7. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)
8. Mother
9. We're All Water
10. Come Together
11. Imagine
12. Open Your Box
13. Cold Turkey
14. Don’t Worry Kyoko
15. Hound Dog

CD2 - The One To One Concert Evening Show
John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band With Elephant’s Memory Plus Special Guests:
1. Power To The People (intro)
2. New York City
3. It's So Hard
4. Move On Fast
5. Well Well Well
6. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)
7. Mother
8. We're All Water
9. Born In A Prison
10. Come Together
11. Imagine
12. Open Your Box
13. Cold Turkey
14. Hound Dog
15. Law And Order
16. Give Peace A Chance

BOXSET
CD1 / Blu-Ray1
The One To One Concert Hybrid ‘Best Of’ Show
John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band With Elephant’s Memory Plus Special Guests:
1. Power To The People (intro)
2. New York City
3. It's So Hard
4. Move On Fast
5. Well Well Well
6. Born In A Prison
7. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)
8. Mother
9. We're All Water
10. Come Together
11. Imagine
12. Open Your Box
13. Cold Turkey
14. Don’t Worry Kyoko
15. Hound Dog
16. Law And Order
17. Give Peace A Chance

CD2 / Blu-Ray1
The One To One Concert Afternoon Show
John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band With Elephant’s Memory Plus Special Guests:
1. Power To The People (intro)
2. New York City
3. It's So Hard
4. Move On Fast
5. Well Well Well
6. Born In A Prison
7. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)
8. Mother
9. We're All Water
10. Come Together
11. Imagine
12. Open Your Box
13. Cold Turkey
14. Don’t Worry Kyoko
15. Hound Dog

CD3 / Blu-Ray1
The One To One Concert Evening Show
John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band With Elephant’s Memory Plus Special Guests:
1. Power To The People (intro)
2. New York City
3. It's So Hard
4. Move On Fast
5. Well Well Well
6. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)
7. Mother
8. We're All Water
9. Born In A Prison
10. Come Together
12. Open Your Box
13. Cold Turkey
14. Hound Dog
15. Law And Order
16. Give Peace A Chance

CD4 / Blu-Ray2
New York City (The Ultimate Mixes)
John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band With Elephant’s Memory Plus Invisible Strings:
1. New York City (Ultimate Mix)
2. Sisters, O Sisters (Ultimate Mix)
3. Attica State (Ultimate Mix)
4. Born In A Prison (Ultimate Mix)
5. Sunday Bloody Sunday (Ultimate Mix, Extended)
6. The Luck Of The Irish (Ultimate Mix)
7. John Sinclair (Ultimate Mix, Extended)
8. Angela (Ultimate Mix)
9. We're All Water (Ultimate Mix)

CD5 / Blu-Ray2
New York City (The Evolution Documentary)
John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band With Elephant’s Memory Plus Invisible Strings:
1. New York City (Evolution Documentary)
2. Sisters, O Sisters (Evolution Documentary)
3. Attica State (Evolution Documentary)
4. Born In A Prison (Evolution Documentary)
5. Sunday Bloody Sunday (Evolution Documentary)
6. The Luck Of The Irish (Evolution Documentary)
7. John Sinclair (Evolution Documentary)
8. Angela (Evolution Documentary)
9. We're All Water (Evolution Documentary)

CD6 / Blu-Ray2
New York City (Studio Jam)
John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band With Elephant’s Memory:
1. Jazz Freakout
2. You Can't Sit Down
3. Roll Over Beethoven
4. Honey, Don't
5. Ain't That A Shame
6. My Babe
7. Send Me Some Lovin'
8. Fools Like Me
9. Down In The Caribbean
10. Happy Birthday Yoko Ono
11. That's Right
12. Don't Be Cruel / Hound Dog
13. Yoko's Rhythm
14. Whole Lotta Shakin' / It'll Be Me
15. Yakety Yak
16. Road Runner

CD7 / Blu-Ray3:
Live Jam 1
John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band And A Star Studded Cast Of Thousands
Peace And Love For Christmas, In Aid Of UNICEF, Live At The Lyceum Ballroom, The Strand, London, 15 December 1969:
1. Cold Turkey (live)
2. Don’t Worry Kyoko (live)
John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band With Frank Zappa And The Mothers
Fillmore East, New York
6 June 1971:
3. Well (Baby Please Don't Go) (live)
4. Jamrag [Say Please / King Kong / Aawk] (live)
5. Scumbag (live)
6. Aü (live)

CD8 / BluRay3
Live Jam 2
John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band With David Peel And The Lower East Side
Live At The John Sinclair Freedom Rally, Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 10 December 1971:
1. Attica State (live)
2. The Luck Of The Irish (live)
3. Sisters, O Sisters (live)
4. John Sinclair (live)
John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band
Live At The Benefit For The Families Of The Victims Of The Riot At Attica State Correctional Facility, Apollo Theater, Harlem, NYC, 17 December 1971:
5. Attica State (live)
6. Sisters, O Sisters (live)
7. Imagine (live)
John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band
Live On The David Frost TV Show, The Little Theatre, 240 West 44th Street, NYC, 16 December 1971:
8. Attica State (live)
9. Sisters, O Sisters (live)
10. John Sinclair (live)
John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Elephant’s Memory Band
Live At The Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon, Americana Hotel, NYC, 4 September 1972:
11. Imagine (live)
12. Now Or Never (live)
13. Give Peace A Chance (live)

CD9 / Blu-Ray3
Home Jam
John Lennon
Home Recordings At The St. Regis Hotel, New York, 10 September 1971:
1. Shazam
2. Honey, Don’t
3. Glad All Over
4. Lend Me Your Comb
5. Wake Up Little Susie
6. New York City
7. Wake Up Little Susie
8. ‘Hey, Que Pasa?’
9. You’re So Square (Baby I Don’t Care)
10. Vacation Time
11. Heartbeat
12. Peggy Sue Got Married
13. Peggy Sue
14. ‘Phone Call From Henry Gotsello’
15. Peggy Sue
16. ‘Now We’d Like To Change The Mood A Little...’
17. Maybe Baby
18. Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues
19. Rave On!
20. Twelve Bar Blues
John Lennon
Home Recordings At The St. Regis Hotel, New York
27 October 1971:
21. I Got You
22. Hi-Heel Sneakers
23. Slippin’ And Slidin’
24. Gone From This Place
John Lennon
Home Recordings At Campus Inn, Ann Arbor, Michigan
10 December 1971:
25. Send Me Some Lovin’
26. He Got The Blues
27. When The Teacher
28. Pill
29. It’s Real
John Lennon And Phil Ochs
Home Recordings At Campus Inn, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 10 December 1971:
30. I Ain’t Marching Anymore
31. Joe Hill
32. Chords Of Fame
33. Ringing Of Revolution

'Live at The Warfield: February 28th, 1991' presents the complete opening night of a 3-show run at the JGB's beloved home in the Bay area pressed to 4-LPs.

From the bubbly show opener 'The Way You Do the Things You Do' to a rollicking 'You Never Can Tell', the night's setlist has you picturing the crowd swaying and smiling. Gospel harmonies shine on 'My Sisters and Brothers', and the always vibrant 'Deal' leaves no doubt: the band came to have a blast.

Housed in gatefold packaging, the 'February 28th, 1991' release offers a vivid snapshot of a group whose chemistry, soul, and joy made every night feel like something special.

TRACK LISTING

1. THE WAY YOU DO THE THINGS YOU DO
2. MISSION IN THE RAIN
3. YOU NEVER CAN TELL (C'EST LA VIE)
4. SIMPLE TWIST OF FATE
5. I SECOND THAT EMOTION
6. LIKE A ROAD LEADING HOME
7. MY SISTERS AND BROTHERS
8. DEAL
9. EVERYBODY NEEDS SOMEBODY TO LOVE
10. STOP THAT TRAIN
11. WAITING FOR A MIRACLE
12. THINK
13. LAY DOWN SALLY
14. THAT LUCKY OLD SUN
15. MIDNIGHT MOONLIGHT

BIOGRAPHY BY IRVINE WELSH
I discovered the Beta Band, like I discovered a lot of great music, basically through eventually surrendering to the enthused urgings of a mate who was cooler than me. He continually evangelized about the EP’s. I was lost to the concert hall and firmly ensconced on the dancefloor by then and highly resistant, but quite taken by the idea that a band would bring out extended plays rather than singles. When I did check them out, I was instantly smitten by their originality and power.

The band, therefore, were pivotal for me in terms of my own musical journey, in that they represented a gateway back into indie guitar music, which I’d basically given up since becoming obsessed with rave and acid house.

The Beta Band were definitely a band for the cool cognoscenti- like my buddy- the ones you make a bit of a tit of yourself trying to convert quite straight boring people to.

The emotions they induced were a kind of throwback to school days when you were very pompous and prescriptive about what you liked, and derisive towards non believers. It’s a testimony to the power of the music that they could take me to the raw state of the younger man.

I took it personally that they didn’t hit the mainstream commercial base. At least two of the three albums they made deserved quadruple platinum status. Hot Shots II and Heroes to Zeros are permanently lodged very high in my top one hundred albums of all time.

So, the return of the Beta Band has me moving into the same mode of immature, adolescent anticipation. Everyone should have the Beta Band albums and EP’s in their collection. It still kind of annoys me - in fact it bugs the shit out of me - that most of them don’t.

And that really is something. 

TRACK LISTING

A1 Dry The Rain
A2 I Know
A3 B + A
B1 Dogs Got A Bone
B2 Inner Meet Me
B3 The House Song
C1 The Monolith
C2 She's The One
D1 Push It Out
D2 It's Over
D3 Dr. Baker
D4 Needles In My Eyes 

Hailing from Amsterdam, New Cool Collective Big Band (or NCCBB as they shall now be known) are an 8-piece jazz combo / 21-piece big band playing a crossover of jazz, cumbia, afro, surf, boogaloo and more. Released on the highly acclaimed Japanese label P-Vine, "Enter The Dragon" b/w "Misirlou" is a vibrant representation of what the band are all about - frenetic grooves, advanced muscianship, heritage jazz models, modern experimentation.

Two tracks that pay tribute to golden age cinema (Bruce Lee's Enter The Dragon & Dick Dale's surf romp made famous on Pulp Fiction)  whilst injecting their own flair and flamboyancy cooly into proceedings. A modern jazz collectors gold nugget - don't sleep. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Busy and bustling modern jazz-funksters with plenty of attitude and the musicianship to match. Incredibly well executed covers of two cinematic anthems, injected with the band's own unique spirit.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
1. Enter The Dragon

Side 2
1. Misirlou

2023’s 'Dancing On The Edge' was quickly beloved by those who stumbled upon it, earning high praise from publications like Pitchfork & The Line Of Best Fit, who deemed it a “remarkable, endlessly rewarding debut.” His second album, 'New Threats From The Soul', reckons mightily with the perplexities of human efficacy and agency in an absurd and debased world. This probably sounds hopelessly plodding and severe. It is not—not remotely. It’s a shit-ton of fun. The songs are all earwigs; the arrangements genuinely thrilling, enlivening efforts by the crackerjacks that comprise the sprawling Roadhouse Band. Each trip through the record reveals more of the depth and breadth and tangle of its tapestry.

Across 'New Threats…', Ryan manages near-rhymes that a hundred years’ worth of monkeys labouring at Chat GPT-enabled typewriters couldn’t achieve: “bromeliad” and “necrophiliac”; “urinal” and “de Chirico.” Kinky Friedman lamented that people thought his funny songs were sad and his sad songs were funny, when they were both simultaneously. Like the Kinkster, Ryan can make you laugh through a lump in your throat. In his formidable crew of harmony singers there are four of the most gifted lyricists & vocalists to currently walk among us—Catherine Irwin, Will Oldham, Lou Turner, Myriam Gendron— which testifies to the profound heft of his writing (these folks don’t often sign up to sing pap).

'New Threats From The Soul' is a masterclass in reducing the sublime to the prosaic, immensity to infinitesimally, and vice versa (the trick can only work both ways). Everything in our universe is essentially flotsam or jetsam, rubbish heaps of fragments and shards. We, especially, are jerry-rigs of bubblegum and driftwood, inconsistencies and incoherencies, dead dreams and necrophagous hopes, “mismeasurements between the place where [we are] and the place where [we] could have been,” although somehow not—miracle of miracles—bereft of simple joys, as Davis sings on today’s single.

The record functions in parallel with Kafka’s winking dictum that there is an infinite amount of hope in the universe, just not for us. 'New Threats…' suggests that maybe, just maybe, something like redemption is possible, but only once we’re entirely emptied out and hawked in toto down at Walden Pawn.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Organic sounding flickers of acoustic guitar and snappy percussion underpin the beautifully harmonised vocals and swooning slide guitar. While there are moments of thoughtful minimalism, it merely offsets the jubilant melodic intensity of the rest of the LP. Beautifully uplifting and summery sounds throughout.

TRACK LISTING

1. New Threats From The Soul
2. Monte Carlo / No Limits
3. Mutilation Springs
4. Better If You Make Me
5. The Simple Joy
6. Mutilation Falls
7. Crass Shadows At Walden Pawn

They had awards, credibility, commercial success and creative freedom. Then they deleted their records, erased themselves from musical history and burnt their last million pounds in a boathouse on the Isle of Jura. And they couldn't say why.

This is not just the story of The KLF. It is a book about Carl Jung, Alan Moore, Robert Anton Wilson, Ken Campbell, Dada, Situationism, Discordianism, magic, chaos, punk, rave, the alchemical symbolism of Doctor Who and the special power of the number twenty-three. Wildly unauthorised and unlike any other music biography, THE KLF is a trawl through chaos on the trail of a beautiful, accidental mythology.

10th ANNIVERSARY EDITION UPDATED WITH NEW MATERIAL

'In Liverpool everybody wanted to be in a band. On every street corner and in every cellar there were young fellas practising with guitars. But it was rare to see any girls on the new Merseybeat scene.

It was inevitable that we would find each other . . .'In the early '60s, four friends from Liverpool formed a band.

But this is not the 'fab four' story we know. Mary, Sylvia, Valerie and Pamela - also known as The Liverbirds - were one of the world's first all-female rock'n'roll bands. At an early gig, backstage at the Cavern Club, a young John Lennon told them that 'girls don't play guitars'.

But they took that as a challenge. Despite the early scepticism, they won over tough crowds, toured stadiums, recorded two hit albums, and played with the Kinks, Rolling Stones and Chuck Berry - all in the space of just five years. Now, the two surviving members of the band tell their incredible story in full for the first time - capturing a lost era of liberation and rock'n'roll, as they thrived in the vibrant Merseybeat music scene and formed a friendship that has endured through the decades.

A native of Shreveport, Louisianan, Fred Moss has been a lifetime professional musician, doing Session work and touring with many large artists, teaching and mentoring other artists. Surprisingly, During Fred's time working it turns out he was recording some rather brilliant unreleased Modern Soul music, the first single of which Athens of the North is very proud to present here.'Stay Away' is a gospel-tinged floater of the highest order, up there with the finest modern spins of the last 40 years, essential. On the flip, a funky 70s syncopated dancer that's going to be a big hit with forward-thinking northern crowds. Two brand-new mixes done in the Athens of the North studio from the original multitracks. This one is a little pricier than usual, but a lot of work went into getting it right, and we all gotta eat. This one is worth every penny, as good as any £1000+ modern rares and a two sider was well.

TRACK LISTING

1. Stay Away
2. Turn Your Love Around

Ireland’s favourite Avant-punk quartet has re-issued 'The Early Years' EP, a collection of out of print 7” singles and covers originally released on Any Other City Records and The Quarter Inch Collective and then on Rough Trade in 2015. 'The Cha Cha Cha' has now been remastered alongside the rest of the tracks and is ready for the dancefloor once again.

Fan fave (and live setlist staple) featured on the collection is an eight-minute cover of post-dubstep mastermind Blawan’s absurdist banger and demented earworm 'Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage' that, simply put, is unlike anything you’ve ever heard before or since

TRACK LISTING

1. Lawman
2. De Bom Bom
3. I Love You
4. Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage
5. The Cha Cha Cha

Two years after releasing the 'Frontier’s Edge' EP, the Budos Band are returning with their first full-length since 2020’s 'Long in the Tooth'. Titled simply 'VII', the new album sees them doing what they do best: laying down hypnotic, horn-spiked grooves that menace and mesmerize in equal measure.

Produced by Budos guitarist Tom Brenneck with Simon Guzmán engineering, 'VII' features 11 tightly constructed new tracks that draw on the group’s wide range of influences, sounding like only the Budos can. It’s music for getting down, for nighttime drives, and for alternate headspaces — a beguiling mix of mystery and rhythm that stands with the formidable work they’ve released in their two decades of recording. 'VII' was recorded in California and serves as the Budos Band’s first full-length album on Diamond West, the independent label founded in 2023 by Tankel and Brenneck. It’s also the group’s first album to include instrumental contributions from percussionist Rich Tarrana, who previously played in the Frightnrs. All told, it succeeds in opening up some new sonic spaces while staying tethered to the intuitive, unique musicality that made them such a sensation from the jump.

TRACK LISTING

1. Thrice Crowned
2. Overlander
3. Night Raid
4. Lair Of 1,000 Serpents
5. Kudzu Vine
6. Sharky’s Delight
7. Curse Of The Ivory Fang
8. Behind The Black Curtain
9. Escape From Ptenoda City
10. The Strigoi
11. Mean Streets

TRACK LISTING

1 Tsunami
2 Aliyah
3 Pin
4 Naming Names
5 Disarm
6 Circus
7 Boat
8 Shoes
9 Dissolve
10 Under Weather

It is with a certain sadness for his fans across mediums that Donald Glover has declared 'Bando Stone and the New World' the last Childish Gambino album. The ostensible soundtrack to a feature-length movie of the same name, the hour-long project includes snippets of dialogue that hint at the film’s apocalyptic subject matter. The fact that the soundtrack is preceding the actual film is part of Glover’s strategy: He wants listeners to work to figure out what they’re listening to. “The soundtrack forces the audience to participate in a way that I don't feel like most things force you to participate,” he says. “It forces you to have an imagination. I already see people being like, 'This is very cinematic, this must be the part that... This feels like a credit sequence.' A lot of stuff feels flat because it's not asking you to participate. Art used to be you had to participate on some level and have some sort of thought process on it. You can't just be like, 'Oh, this is mid.'” Even without the benefit of the full visuals, these 17 tracks make for a satisfying swan song that synthesizes what came before with fresher ideas gleaned from the threshold of finality.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Despite how you feel, It seems a natural choice for Glover to focus on his huge acting talent rather than his equally huge music talent, it's surprising that he's managed to keep both afloat at this level for so long. A brilliant musician, performer and songwriter presenting his last album under this moniker is obviously something to mourn, but it's superbly nuanced and supremely beautiful. PLUS, it's been presented before the film it's the soundtrack of, so it stands alone! genius.

TRACK LISTING

1. H3@RT$ W3RE M3@NT T0 F7¥
2. Lithonia
3. Survive Feat. Chlöe
4. Steps Beach
5. Talk My Shit Feat. Amaarae & Flo Milli
6. Got To Be
7. Real Love
8. In The Night Feat. Jorja Smith & Amaarae
9. Yoshinoya
10. Can You Feel Me Feat. Legend
11. No Excuses
12. Cruisin' Feat. Yeat
13. We Are God
14. Running Around Feat. Fousheé
15. Dadvocate
16. Happy Survival Feat. Khruangbin
17. A Place Where Love Goes

Dive into the cosmic grooves of Nebulous, the 8th album by UK's most enigmatic library music composer, to be released on digital and vinyl in January 2025. This 9-track odyssey takes The Natural Yogurt Band’s signature sound to an even richer galaxy with keyboardist Huw Rees aka The Oracle, who adds warped organs and electric pianos over gritty drum breaks and electric pulses, echoing the raw energy of space's farthest reaches—ideal for jazz heads seeking a unique listening experience.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: More from the singular psychedelic jazzers Natural Yoghurt Band. Rolling out their own peculiar blend of library-informed, instrumental grooves. There's elements of exotic and lounge amonst the lysergic jams.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Projections
A2. Altered States
A3. Bio Morphic Patterns
A4. Messages
A5. Nebulous

B1. Perception
B2. Poly Morph
B3. Existence
B4. Dimensions

Sourcing rare records to reissue can involve meticulous research and years of digging, but then occasionally, Lady Luck smiles upon you

We probably would have never heard of the Medium Wave Band if Gary from Mr Bongo hadn't known Wolverhampton-based record dealer, Steve Ward. Whilst offering Gary some records for sale, he remembered he had a spare copy of an old 7" single that he thought Gary might like. Steve didn't know much about the release, and it had never sold on Discogs. Looking at the record itself, it was minimalist in appearance and information, there wasn't much to go on other than that it was from the Birmingham area. The mystery drew us in...

The A-side, 'So Tender', is a late-night, jazzy slow-jam, with beautifully sultry, soulful female vocals which sounded vaguely familiar. On listening to the B side, 'Games (Instrumental)', you are rewarded with a superb example of Britfunk / independent UK jazz- funk . The pulsating, bass- led dancefloor groove and sensibility is a sound reminiscent of productions usually found on labels such as Elite, but the 7" was not released on a label, it was a private press by the band themselves. So who are the enigmatic The Medium Wave Band?

After some fruitful internet digging and correspondence, we got the answers. The band lineup featured Elliot Browne on guitar (lead & rhythm), Ron Lyseight on guitar (rhythm), Andrew Proverbs on keyboards, Tony Peart on drums, Paul Snook on bass, Linton Levy on saxophone, and surprisingly, the beautiful vocals we had been enjoying were those of Jackie Graham, aka the hugely successful UK vocalist, Jaki Graham . Maybe best known for her pop hit with David Grant, 'Could It Be I'm Falling In Love', but also featuring on the cult classic track 'Fire In My Heart' by Escape From New York.

Influenced by artists and bands including George Benson , Ronnie Laws , Weather Report, George Duke, Azimuth and Chick Corea to name a few, the guys booked into a studio near the Botanical Gardens in Birmingham and recorded the two tracks that make up this 7". Only 200 copies of the original 7" were ever pressed and were sold mostly in Birmingham at Summit Records by the band's friend DJ Frenchi, as well as at live shows. Despite its limited distribution channels, the record received solid support from fans and those in the music industry, including Morgan Khan of the influential record label, Street Sounds. DJ and journalist, Lindsay Wesker, reviewed the release and this led to the band travelling to London for several radio interviews. They played live shows across the country, including at the prestigious Ronnie Scott's in London, and supported both Shakatak and Weapon of Peace in Birmingham.

Thanks to all those involved bringing this release into fruition and for solving the mystery behind a wonderful Britfunk and UK soul record that could have otherwise been lost in the mists of time.

TRACK LISTING

So Tender
Games (Instrumental)

'Do They Know It’s Christmas?' is a single by Band Aid, a charity supergroup founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure. To commemorate 40 years since the original recording, a newly compiled CD and vinyl reissue will raise vital funds for the Band Aid Trust.

The reissue features the original 1984 version, and subsequent Band Aid 20 and Band Aid 30 versions, plus the 2024 Ultimate Mix – an extraordinary new edit by Trevor Horn which mixes together vocals of the many artists who have recorded the song over the decades into one seamless whole.

Here on one record are the finest voices and the greatest musicians of British rock n roll history.

TRACK LISTING

1. Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas? – 1984 Version
2. Band Aid 20 – Do They Know It’s Christmas? – 2004 Version
3. Band Aid 30 – Do They Know It’s Christmas? – 2014 Version
4. Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas? – 2024 Ultimate Mix
5. Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas? – Live At Wembley Stadium, 1985

THIS IS A BLACK FRIDAY 2024 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 29TH ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

IF THERE ARE ANY REMAINING COPIES THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT 8AM ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 30TH).

Electric on the Eel: August 29th, 1987 brings the first Eel River show to vinyl. Co-produced by Bill Graham Presents and the Hog Farm, this show lent an air of familiarity not always present in the urban setting Jerry usually played in. With their quintessential band in tow – Gloria Jones, John Kahn, David Kemper, Jacklyn LaBranch, and Melvin Seals – fans traveled across the country to see JGB in the heart of the Emerald Triangle. Limited edition of 4,000 pressed on Orange Sunshine vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
2. Forever Young
3. Get Out Of My Life Woman

Side B
1. Run For The Roses
2. And It Stoned Me
3. My Sisters And Brothers

Side C
1. Deal
2. The Harder They Come

Side D
1. I Shall Be Released
2. Think
3. Evangeline

Side E
1. Gomorrah
2. Let It Rock

Side F
1. That Lucky Old Sun
2. Tangled Up In Blue

A trio of Kansas City soul sweepers, from the sprawling midwest burg’s storied Cavern, Damon, and Forte concerns. Bump and the Soul Stompers’ 1970 sweet soul double sider 'I Can Remember' was a tail pipe-dragging, low rider classic in the making, had it ever been released. A few years later Jerald “Bump” Scott took his new group to Cavern’s subterranean confines to cut the group harmony masterpiece 'Living In The Past', but remained unissued prior to Numero’s discovery of the Cavern tapes. As disco was cresting at the top of the next decade, Sharon Revoal tracked her James Brown meets James Bond stepper 'Reaching For Our Star' - the last 45 released on Marva Whitney’s peerless Forte label.

TRACK LISTING

1. Strange Happenings
2. Living In The Past

The ethereal third album from Texas’s slowcore first wavers. A lethargic, sparse, and autumnal album, 'The Golden Band' is where The American Analog Set developed the courage to drive 40 KPH on the autobahn. Issued on Emperor Jones in 1999, this 25th anniversary Numero edition has been remastered from the original tapes and flawlessly reproduced in a gorgeous tip on sleeve. When are you quitting the scene?

TRACK LISTING

1. Weather Report
2. Good Friend Is Always Around
3. It's All About Us
4. A Schoolboy's Charm
5. The Wait
6. New Drifters I
7. New Drifters II
8. New Drifters III
9. New Drifters IV
10. Golden Band
11. I Must Soon Quit The Scene
12. Will The Real Danny Radnor Please Stand?

"At the frayed bottom-edge of Indiana – just a moderate bike ride north of Louisville, Kentucky – multi-instrumentalist, artist and songwriter Ryan Davis’’ Americana-noir soundwaves have been emanating for years in a myriad of forms. As driving force for the lauded State Champion, long-running member of Tropical Trash, administrator of the esoteric and excellent Cropped Out festival, and lone proprietor of the Sophomore Lounge label, Davis lays down his first proper ‘solo’ release with Dancing On The Edge, a rich, 2LP tapestry of tunes that absolutely glows over seven expansive cuts. It’s a pure collage of modernity and heritage.

After a period of introspection spent re-immersing himself in his drawing & painting practice, as well as his newfound delvings into instrumental music, Davis’ sea change was imminent. “I wasn't sure I would ever make another record of ‘song’ songs,” he says, “but last year I started writing again and it eventually took the shape of the record at hand. I worked painstakingly hard on the material. It felt virtually impossible to complete for a bulk of the time I spent trying to enter into it, but the process pulled me out of a strange place. I was eventually able to live inside of the songs enough to understand the world within them – to ultimately help shape them into what I understood them to be.” Indeed, there’s a load of inspiration captured in the grooves with Ryan’s unfiltered, folk-traditioned approach to poetic twists-of-tongue meeting head on with sublime instrumentation.

TRACK LISTING

1. Free From The Guillotine (08:22)
2. Learn 2 Re-Luv (06:03)
3. Flashes Of Orange (09:56)
4. Bluebirds In A Fight (07:07)
5. Junk Drawer Heart (06:25)
6. A Suitable Exit (09:20)
7. Bluebirds Revisited (03:57)

62 years of music, loves, losses, long summer days and longer, darker nights are vividly recalled by ‘our greatest living songwriter’, Michael Head and The Red Elastic Band as he plays out flickering scenes from his life on new album, Loophole.

12 evocative and autobiographical songs to be accompanied by the written word as Michael Head prepares his memoirs for release with an autobiography with Nine Eight Books. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: Dear Scott's mellower sibling picks up where our record of the year left off, with the stunning Shirl's Ghost, and meanders beautifully through Mick's usual magical worlds before ending on his ages old, but hitherto not recorded, lost classic, Coda. Mick's only gone and smashed it again. As the maestro himself would undoubtedly say: Is Right!

TRACK LISTING

1 Shirl's Ghost
2 Ambrosia
3 Ciao Ciao Bambino
4 Tout Suite!
5 The Human Race
6 You Smiled At Me
7 A Ricochet Moment
8 Connemara
9 Merry-Go-Round
10 You're A Long Time Dead
11 Naturally It's You
12 Coda

7" - Exclusive To Dinked Edition
Side A
1. Connemara - Acoustic (Live From Hebden Bridge)
Side B
2. Tour Suite! (Live Acoustic From Hebden Bridge)

BMX Bandits are back with their twelfth studio album, their most musically ambitious so far – 'Dreamers On The Run'. An album dedicated to all the outsiders out there. BMX Bandits were formed in the Scottish ex industrial town of Bellshill in 1985 by Duglas T Stewart and Sean Dickson. When Sean left to concentrate on his other band The Soup Dragons so began BMX Bandits, not as a conventional band of the same 4 or 5 faces but as an ever growing extended musical family which has included members of The Vaselines, The Pastels, The Pearlfishers and Teenage Fanclub over the years. In 2014 Duglas formulated the idea for a new BMX Bandits album that would be called 'Dreamers on the Run', about living in two worlds; the world of dreams and of music while trying to survive the real world.

Duglas started writing songs for the new album and even booked a couple of shows to perform these new Dreamers songs live. Then Duglas got ill, his mental health spiralled out of control and this led to physical health problems. The project was put on hold, the planned live shows and recording were cancelled. During lockdown Duglas was commissioned to provide the soundtrack for an independent feature film ‘Dreaded Light’. For this project Duglas chose multi instrumentalist Andrew Pattie to be his main collaborator. Andrew had being playing guitar live for the band for a few years. Duglas recalls “After recording an actual soundtrack for an actual movie together it became obvious to me that Andrew was the right collaborator to make this very cinematic album that I’d dreamt of.

He had the musicality and fearlessness that it needed.” So now, ten years later than originally planned 'Dreamers on the Run' is here. “Together we worked on some of the song ideas and themes that I had a decade ago, completing them together and both of us wrote new material that complemented the album’s narrative.” The album was mastered by Duglas’ original partner in crime Sean Dickson, now known as Hifi Sean and features guest appearances by giants of the International Pop Underground Jowe Head and Calvin Johnson.

TRACK LISTING

Tracklist:

A1. Dreamers On The Run
A2. Setting Sun
A3. Time To Get Away
A4. What He Set Out To Be
A5. Cockerel’s Waiting

B1. My Name Is Duglas (Don’t Listen To What They Say)
B2. Home Before Dark – In The Industrial Zone
B3. Hop Skip Jump (For Your Love)
B4. The World Was Round
B5. Things You Threw Away
B6. Digital Dreamers

Tracklist Bonus 7":

A1. Setting Sun (Single Version With Intro)
A2. Your Class (Even More Dreams Version)
B1. Home Before Dark (Even More Dreams Version)
B2. Come Dance With Me

The Stanford Family Band release their debut EP "For Your Listening Pleasure". Fronted by the captivating lead vocals of Elliot Stanford, the EP's six songs capture a vintage pop aura whilst retaining a fresh indie and garage rock edge.

Offering a sound which journeys through bittersweet memories, nostalgia, and the warmth of sunlit days, The Stanford Family Band have started to make a name for their unique sonic approach - drawing inspiration from iconic acts such as The Beach Boys and The Modern Lovers, built around complex four-part harmonies and irresistibly memorable melodic hooks.

Speaking about the EP, Elliot Stanford (lead vocals, piano, guitar and songwriter) said: "When we were first signing with Goo, we really had no idea what we would release or how it would end up looking. We have a lot of songs, old and new, some of which have been floating around for many years. In the end we just really wanted to put out a body of work that really encapsulates everything we are about! We love big dramatic songs and arrangements, but at the same time, a little cheeky country/garage rock beat has always tickled us so we just really wanted to capture everything that we love in one concise record. It’s been an absolute pleasure to work on this with our friend Harry Hayes (Producer) and we are mega proud of how it all came together!"

Having already garnered tastemaker press coverage and a whole host of radio play, The Stanford Family Band have quickly started to gain critical acclaim. This EP showcases the outfit’s uncanny ability as songwriters, creating memorable, charming and beautifully constructed melodic tracks.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
A1. Your Chair
A2. Make My Day
A3. Sweep The Floor

Side B
B1. Love Me A Bit
B2. Nothing Like Something
B3. On My Holiday

Band Of Nowhere is a new constellation project by Juanjo Sánchez, together with other collaborators with whom he had previously worked. It is worth mentioning Bob Drake on drums, former member of the legendary formation Thinking Plague (also on Hail, 5UU's, The Science Group) who has also mastered the project from their studio in the Midi-Pyrénées and also to mention the guitarist Jordi Cabayol (Camino al Desván) both Juanjo and Jordi began their career in a significant band of Barcelona of the early eighties, such as Entr'acte.

The becoming of Juanjo Sánchez would take him to other latitudes as a member of Alondra Satori and without losing the lighthouse of his city, he would collaborate with other outstanding musicians such as Quicu Samsó (Koniec, Macromassa).

The fluidity and chromaticism of his previous album Gonza Magilla is still perceived in here, but in a much more electrified way with guitars that are sometimes expansive, other times exuberant wrapped up with contagious synthesizer modulations and very marked rhythms. The production and especially the arrangements are fantastic with those special presences of synthesizers that are not common around here.

Its original improvisation and experimentation is skilfully adjusted by Juanjo Sánchez, giving a much more playful result with unexpected combinations, very much in continuity with a certain European Art Rock such as Aksak Maboul, Etron Fou, Zamla,The Work or the mischievous resonances of The League of Gentlemen; all this mapping the sound transit, to an unpredictable and vibrant non-place.

Housed in it's original hand made artwork with the little upgrade twist of silk-screen printing textured grey cardboard and including a insert colour with photos and text provided by Juanjo Sánchez.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
Calling All Beginners
Fleeing To The Poles
Ashes
Rouler Ma Bosse
Sunday Machinery

SIDE B
Lucid Dreams
Twisted Maze
Rolla Bolla
Chinese Forecast

In the early '60s, four friends from Liverpool formed a band. But this is not the 'fab four' story we know . .

Mary, Sylvia, Valerie and Pamela - also known as The Liverbirds - were one of the world's first all-female rock'n'roll bands. At an early gig, backstage at the Cavern Club, a young John Lennon told them that 'girls don't play guitars'.

But they took that as a challenge. Despite the early scepticism, they won over tough crowds, toured stadiums, recorded two hit albums, and played with the Kinks, Rolling Stones and Chuck Berry - all in the space of just five years. Now, the two surviving members of the band tell their incredible story in full for the first time - capturing a lost era of liberation and rock'n'roll, as they thrived in the vibrant Merseybeat music scene and formed a friendship that has endured through the decades.

The long awaited official reissue of ‘She Wants’, one of the first UK street soul singles originally released in 1985 by The NM Band.

The NM Band was an alias for UK lovers' rock band Natural Mystic, responsible for a number of hits in the late 70’s and early 80’s most notably ‘Runaway Love’ and ‘Groove Rocking’. They released a string of acclaimed reggae LPs and toured extensively throughout the UK, but by 1985 wanted to try something away from their trademark roots reggae sound. Influenced by the availability of affordable hardware the band set about fusing reggae and soul using an Akai drum machine, Yamaha DX7 and Roland sound module. ‘She Wants’ is one of the forebearers of UK street soul, raw machine drums paired with an incredibly soulful vocal from Ashley Sommers. The band created their own imprint Mixdown to release the single, but it slipped under the radar, despite strong radio play from Choice FM and the then pirate station Kiss. The 12” is backed with dub version ‘She Wants (More)'.

A 140gram pressing in 3mm spine black disco sleeve with metallic sticker designed by Bradley Pinkerton.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Phwwoooarr! Isle Of Jura really know how to treat us. Unearthing and repressing this absolute GEM of a street soul jam from The NM Band. Rich with the duo's reggae heritage but exercising those (then modern) drum machines and FM synths with all the excitement that new equipment brings! A true holy grail.

TRACK LISTING

She Wants
She Wants More

The highly sought-after Japanese disco funk soundtrack from 1977 featuring the cream of the Tokyo scene gets officially reissued for the first time outside of Japan. The ‘imaginary’ soundtrack to the adventures Of Kindaichi Kosuke, 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. This reissue is the album's first official release outside of Japan. Remastered from the original tapes, it features artwork by renowned illustrator Ichibun Sugimoto, OBI strip and a 4 page insert with a new introduction by Anton Spice 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. Kindaichi is a peculiar character. He is a sort of goofy, yet scrupulous detective, not dissimilar to Columbo, and has become legendary in Japan over the decades. 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. As he wrote on the back of the LP sleeve "When I first heard an album was being made based on my novels, I felt very strange. I could understand if my novels were turned into films and then soundtracks were recorded based on these films. But this time, the music created was directly inspired by my novels. I felt very intrigued, yet very excited." 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 Adventures Of Kindaichi Kosuke" 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, Jun Moriya (ds), who is on Joe Hisaichi's cult 'Wonder City Orchestra' album, Tadaomi Anai (perc) who played with Disco singer Eri Ohno, Koji Hadori (tpt) who's featured on Haruomi Hosono's "Pacific" album. Also present on the album are Takeru Muraoka (sax) who plays on many Tatsuro Yamashita cult albums including "For You" and "Spacy", Kimiko Yamauchi (koto) who's on Akiko Yano's landmark "Japanese Girl" and, last but not least, Koji Yamaguchi (fr horn) who plays on Yazuaki Shimizu's "Kakashi" album Together they lay the funk on ten instrumentals filled with pur disco and funk breakbeats, making the album one of the highly-coveted Japanese LPs on international cratedigger scene. This reissue which Wewantsounds is delighted to officially put back on the market, features OBI strip and a four page insert faithfully reproduces the original artwork plus audio remastered from the original tapes.

TRACK LISTING

1. Kindaichi Kosuke No Theme
2. Yatsuhakamura
3. Kamen Butoukai
4. Honjin Satsujin Jiken
5. Gokumontou
6. Akuma No Temariuta
7. Meirosou No Sangeki
8. Akuma Ga Kitarite Fue Wo Fuku
9. Mitsukubitou
10. Inugamike No Ichizoku

Scott Hepple and the Sun Band are a Psychedelic Rock Band from Newcastle, UK. The band favours a 60's/70's sound, with influences including Neil Young, Black Sabbath, The Beatles and Ty Segall.

Debut album 'Ashes to Wildflowers' was recorded analogue with Maximo Park's Duncan Lloyd, and was mastered by the renowned Chicago-based engineer Carl Saff (Sonic Youth, Ty Segall, J Mascis).

"The album's main theme of reincarnation goes hand in hand with the production" Scott says. "I wanted to produce the overdriven raw analogue sound that was rife in the late 60's/early 70s, which is where I take alot of my inspiration from".

The first single 'Letting Go' was released in January, followed by 'Nobody Else (Is Gonna Do It For You)' in April. On the run up to their headline UK and European album tour in Autumn/Winter, the band are supporting acts such as Love, Teke Teke, Nice Biscuit, GIFT and Ghost Woman. In June 2023, they performed at Third Man Records in London.

TRACK LISTING

1. Letting Go
2. Warm Night
3. Nobody Else (Is Gonna Do It For You)
4. Caligula
5. Leisure Cruise
6. Spirit Animal
7. Hair Of The Dog
8. Wildfires
9. Chosen

Frontier’s Edge is the new EP by the fiery, energetic and genre-defying group The Budos Band.

After a two-decade run with the legendary Daptone Records, Frontier’s Edge is the first new music from the group on the new label, Diamond West Records — run by The Budos’ saxophonist Jared Tankel and guitarist Tom Brenneck.

The Budos Band’s departure from Daptone was on good terms; the split from their long-time home base was an organic result of the band’s evolution.

“It’s just a natural growth,” Brenneck says, admitting: “We’re going further away from the sound of Daptone and into territory they probably wanted to stay away from.”

As a result, Frontier’s Edge finds the group hungry, passionate and primed to charge into their next epoch newfound sense autonomy within the collective. “We’re a powerhouse in the studio; we can produce ourselves,” Brenneck says proudly of a long process of self-containment. “I take the helm, but the band, they know what they want.” As expected from The Budos Band, Frontier’s Edge resists analysis; it represents the band as they are: a contained explosion. You don’t pick apart Frontier’s Edge; you feel it all at once.

“Somehow, we wrote six songs in two days,” says The Budos’ drummer, Brian Profilio. “Tom was able to take what we were doing and put it together in a cohesive manner.”

Whether this is your first rodeo with The Budos Band or you’ve been following them throughout their two-decade run, Frontier’s Edge contains their musical universe Afrobeat, Ethiopian music, proto-metal, any number of other streams in microcosm.

Dime the volume and behold The Budos.

STAFF COMMENTS

Liam says: Tasty little EP from The Budos Band, 'Frontier's Edge' has everything you'd come to expect from these genre-wizards. A little bit of jazz, some desert psych and plenty of tasteful improvisation, this is definitely worth checking out!

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
1. Frontier’s Edge
2. Devil Doesn’t Care
3. KRITN
SIDE B
4. Crescent Blade
5. A Passage To Ashinol
6. Curled Steel

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2023 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

2-LP set of legendary Scottish rockers Travis’ entire performance of The Invisible Band captured at the final night of the 20th Anniversary tour in their hometown concert of Glasgow in May 2022. Pressed on 180-gram clear vinyl and housed in a gatefold jacket featuring exclusive photography from the tour.

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2023 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

The seminal album from Half Japanese back on Limited edition Orange vinyl and featuring updated artwork and liner notes from Jad Fair and producer Kramer. This is the Zen of Half Japanese, of prolific songwriter Jad Fair; wide-eyed crooner, humorous raconteur and spontaneous storyteller. A genre-bending romp through the mind of the man, originally released in 1989 in a purple patch for the group, preceded by "Music To Strip By" and "Charmed Life". "Half Japanese were a song machine," attested Pitchfork, while AllMusic saw this album as a collection of "humorous lo-fi rock'n'roll hit singles."

Another two deepfunk/soul tracks from Benjamin Robinson of Coco and Ben fame's tape archive. You might be forgiven for thinking is 45 is unreleased, but there is only enough copies of the original small hole pressing out there to count on one hand.

'Thumping For You' is a hypnotic floaty soulful funk banger with that catchy guitar that reminds you right away of the Coco and Ben connection, and the loose vibe just hits the dancefloor.

Brandon's song keeps the hypnotic loose vibe going for the flip, I can see me late night dancing to this one outside in the hills this summer.

TRACK LISTING

1. Thumping For You
2. Brandon's Song

In the last decade many early recordings of Somalia's Funk, Soul and Disco scene have been reissued, finding their way into the vinyl collections of music fans outside the Somali community, as well as radio and streaming playlists. But this record is different. 'The Berlin Session' by Dur-Dur Band Int. is not a reissue; it is the first new studio recording by a full group from Somalia since the country's golden era of music ended three decades ago. 'The Berlin Session' captures a historic reunion which took place in Germany's capital in 2019: Dur-Dur Band Int. together with legendary singers Xabiib Sharaabi (who lives in exile in Sweden), Cabdinuur Alaale (from Djibouti) and London-based Fadumina Hilowle. Previously heard on reissues such as the Grammy-nominated compilation 'Sweet As Broken Dates', these are living representatives of a distinct era. There may be over three decades between the original and new recordings but 'The Berlin Session' is proof that Somali music is hot, funky and alive - again.

TRACK LISTING

Wanka Helaa
Riyo
Hasha Geel
Heeyaa
Duurka
Love My Love
Sallal
Jija Love

Liverpool legend Michael Head (Shack, The Strands, Pale Fountains) returns with a stunningly beautiful double A-side single. "Velvets In The Dark" is a gorgeous conversational swooner in the style of Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talking", whilst the flip, "Koala Bears" has an almost jazzy flavour and slips into (Bacharach and David's) "Close To You" as made famous by The Carpenters! Strange, inspired magic from a bygone time, these two tracks perfectly complement one another: two evocative little stories done justice by the prettiest finger-picking, warmest horns and the classiest of arrangements. All in all, a little gem.

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: This is a beautiful, stand alone single, unavailable anywhere else and a good old fashioned double A side too. Both songs are absolutely beautiful but then that's a given where Mick is concerned.

"If I could be in any other band, it would be BMX Bandits"
Kurt Cobain allegedly said.

A great artist with excellent taste. The BMX Bandits have been around in varying formations since 1986 and come from great Scottish guitar pop lineage. Something must be in the drinking water in and around Glasgow, the density of legendary, fantastic bands is striking; Teenage Fanclub, Belle & Sebastian, Primal Scream, Vaselines, Pastels and... the BMX Bandits. With Duglas T. Stewart as the focal point, the band has been releasing great indie pop albums irregularly since 1989. Their first album "C86" is a classic and since then the band has had a worldwide fan base, be it in Tokyo, Hamburg and…well of course, Seattle.

Deeply rooted in the golden era of pop - the 60s - as well as the DIY indie pop scene of the 80s, Duglas and the Bandits created their own sound and style. Humorous, heartfelt and always featuring great melodies. Humorous, heartfelt, great melodies...that's exactly our field of expertise! And so it was surely only a matter of time until we, Tapete Records, finally had the honour of releasing a BMX Bandits album. Welcome aboard!

In between the BBC's coverage of the moon landing in the Summer of 1969 something else was happening, something that would have a greater impact on shaping me and my life. In between live images of the moon mission and reports the BBC were screening episodes of The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe starring Robert Hoffmann, a 1965 serialised telling of the classic tale of a man lost so far from home, it felt an appropriate choice of programme. The series was a French German production and for the BBC to broadcast it Hoffmann's dialogue had to be replaced in English. To do this they didn't have the option to just replace the voice and keep the original music and sound effects, everything had to be replaced. A new haunting soundtrack was produced by Gian Piero Reverberi and Robert Mellin. Their music for this show made a deep connection with me. It was so beautiful, it made me feel sad but I loved the feeling. It was a starting point in setting an aesthetic that runs through so much that I love in music and also in a lot of what I have done. Since then music composed / created for film and television has been a major passion and pleasure in my life and I always wanted to have an opportunity to work in this field.

Mark, Dreaded Light's writer and director approached me through a mutual friend to see if I would be interested in supplying original music for his debut film. At that point it became about both of us making a leap of faith, deciding that we trusted each other. I knew I needed a collaborator to help bring my ideas and themes to life and to bring interesting and to also bring sympathetic ideas of their own to the project. And so I asked Andrew to work with me on the soundtrack. Andrew can play a lot of instruments well, is a great singer and has natural musicality. We loved and connected with the emotional content in the story and we found our first musical theme quite quickly. It was a reaction to imagining an opening titles sequence that would set a mood and tone for everything that would follow. This theme mutates and resurfaces at various points throughout the film. After that we found other themes that we connected to the emotions and physicality of the central characters. As well as the instrumental themes you will find two songs on this album. Spinning Through Times is our emotional end theme about love living on after death. Long Forgotten Summers is a song composed especially for this album, inspired by the film, musically it grew out of the film's opening theme. Andrew and I are proud of this album and are grateful that we had the opportunity to be part of this project. We hope our music enhances the film and will be something that you will enjoy listening to separately.
Duglas T Stewart, Summer 2022.

I was surprised Duglas hadn't scored a feature film prior to Dreaded Light. He's so passionate about music in film and his knowledge of this area really is encyclopaedic. When I asked him why he said it was because no one had asked him. With this being my first feature film as a Director and his first as a Composer. There was part of me thought perhaps I should go with someone who had more experience. I decided I wanted him on board and I'm glad I did because he's been an asset to the production and the score that he created with Andrew is perfect. Mark MacNicol (writer and director of Dreaded Light), Summer 2022.

TRACK LISTING

1) Theme From Dreaded Light
2) Mysterious Nurse
3) Shutting Out The Light
4) Urination Jazz
5) I Heard A Baby Crying
6) Early One Morning (What's Wrong With You)
7) Kettle O' Worms
8) Night Riding
9) Tuning In
10) Love Theme
11) Long Forgotten Summers
12) Smorgans
13) Early One Morning (Reprise)
14) Duncan's Theme
15) Family Values
16) SAT NAVs And Drugs
17) A Dark Figure
18) Twist The Knife
19) Never Come Back
20) New Revelations
21) Discovering Duncan
22) Thrilling
23) Spinning Through Time

THE PICCADILLY RECORDS ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2022.

PICCADILLY RECORDS EXCLUSIVE: 
For a limited period only, buy either the CD or vinyl you’ll get an exclusive 14 track CD bonus disc, 'Live At Strathaven'.

Finding that luck, love and letting things roll works out for him just fine, Michael Head leads his Red Elastic Band into a fresh chapter with optimism and some of the best music of his career, releases his, Bill Ryder-Jones-produced album, Dear Scott.  

Revered by heavyweight songwriting peers and discovered by new generations of discerning listeners, all enraptured by the fruits of Head’s winding, 40-year career, the Liverpool singer-songwriter enters a new age of creativity and collaboration with Dear Scott. Promising to be a shimmering jewel cast by the minds and hearts of Merseyside’s finest musicians, the 12-track album is dusted with both Ryder-Jones’ artistry and the heavyweight musicianship of The Red Elastic Band, which Head found had ‘stepped up’ following almost a year apart, forcing him to dig deeper himself.

Of slipping back into writing and recording in 2021, Head continues: “After being apart for a while, I went for a walk on the beach with the band and it was beautiful, literally and personally. Rehearsals followed and it clicked into place, with one thing leading to the next. It’s very much the ethos we’re working by, keeping things simple, but keeping the momentum. I’d met Bill a few times and he’s a lovely guy. Once we knew he was interested in producing the album we didn’t need to think about it again, it just progressed and became a completely natural thing.”

Dear Scott refers to novelist, F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose debt-ridden, down-and-out years captured the imagination of Head, specifically a postcard Fitzgerald addressed to himself upon checking in at Hollywood’s infamous Golden Age retreat, The Garden Of Allah Hotel. Head explains: “A decade after being the king of the jazz age, Fitzgerald arrived unfashionable and sober, ready to conquer Hollywood. His agent with a sense of humour booked him into The Garden Of Allah, where writers, movie stars and even Stravinsky sometimes lived. He famously picked up a postcard on checking in and addressed it to himself.”

The postcard read: Dear Scott, How are you? Have been meaning to come and see you. I have living at the Garden Of Allah. Yours Scott Fitzgerald

Head states that the formation of The Red Elastic Band in 2008 began with ‘whoever was available at the time’, primarily as a vehicle for live performance, producing one, previous album in 2017’s Adiós Señor Pussycat. The band has since developed into a cohesive, mutually-supportive and permanent line-up, with Phil Murphy on drums, Tom Powell on bass, Danny Murphy on guitars and Nathaniel Cummins on guitars and backing vocals being the musicians taking on the world in 2022 alongside Head. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: Dear Scott is a masterpiece. Twelve perfect songs with melodies to die for and words that feel like scenes from a film condensed into poetry. Michael Head is the Liverpudlian genius renowned for his classic pop songs from “Thank You” and “Jean’s Not Happening” through to “Comedy” and “Meant To Be”. Forty years making music and he’s just made his joint best LP, one that if you’re into guitar based pop music you’d be daft to ignore.

It’s not always been like this. In a career buffeted by personal problems and dodgy deals it has taken the arrival of erstwhile Coral guitarist Bill Ryder Jones, a fellow Merseysider and huge fan, to draw the very best out of Mick. Bill has helped create what feels like a greatest hits LP but made up of brand new songs. There’s jangling indie pop, jazz, mystical folk, roving psych pop and even a splash of bossa, taking us right back to Mick's days as a teen star in the Pale Fountains! As I mentioned, each track is a short story or mini movie touching on the kindness of strangers, old Hollywood dreams, the futility of war, Liverpool trips, Love from afar and even a murder in gangland made wild and funky on album highlight “Gino And Rico”.

The tunes themselves are proper ear worms and the album is designed as an old fashioned two sided listen. Side 1 has six perfect pop songs, hit after hit, but flip it over and you’re whisked off into what almost feels like a song suite, interspersed as they are with towering strings, mad interludes (each track has contrasting parts that surprise and amaze) and psych rock guitar; it’s bewildering but oh so beautiful and it grows and grows with every listen. The record starts off neat but slowly expands into the stratosphere only to end on a heavenly lullaby, melancholic and magical.

Mick’s other great album, Waterpistol, was loved by all at Piccadilly nearly 30 years ago. That we’re here again all these years later is bizarre and brilliant.

TRACK LISTING

A1 Kismet
A2 Broken Beauty
A3 The Next Day
A4 Freedom
A5 American Kid
A6 Grace And Eddie
B7 Fluke
B8 Gino And Rico
B9 The Grass
B10 The Ten
B11 Pretty Child
B12 Shirls Ghost 

Second album that finds the band expanded to a six member core. The addition of cello, second violin and second guitar has allowed them to develop a much broader sound with more vocals and guitar. Think of a sound somewhere between Godspeed.., Spiritualized and Rachels. Fantastic stuff!!!!!

Enriched with plenty of scene and period colour from British pop from the 1960s to the present, "Dreamworld" tells of all the ups and downs of a legend who once ironically (but quite rightly) described himself in an interview as the "Godfather of Indie Pop".

Love Record Stores Edition, limited to one per person.


Heavenly Recordings reissue of this hidden gem from Liverpool duo The Sand Band. Originally released in 2011 on Deltasonic, it's a collection of beautifully textured home studio recordings. Wonderful, warm, melodic songs for fans of Michael Head, Shack, The Coral.

Finding that luck, love and letting things roll works out for him just fine, Michael Head leads his Red Elastic Band into a fresh chapter with optimism and some of the best music of his career, releases his, Bill Ryder-Jones-produced album, Dear Scott.  

Revered by heavyweight songwriting peers and discovered by new generations of discerning listeners, all enraptured by the fruits of Head’s winding, 40-year career, the Liverpool singer-songwriter enters a new age of creativity and collaboration with Dear Scott. Promising to be a shimmering jewel cast by the minds and hearts of Merseyside’s finest musicians, the 12-track album is dusted with both Ryder-Jones’ artistry and the heavyweight musicianship of The Red Elastic Band, which Head found had ‘stepped up’ following almost a year apart, forcing him to dig deeper himself.

Of slipping back into writing and recording in 2021, Head continues: “After being apart for a while, I went for a walk on the beach with the band and it was beautiful, literally and personally. Rehearsals followed and it clicked into place, with one thing leading to the next. It’s very much the ethos we’re working by, keeping things simple, but keeping the momentum. I’d met Bill a few times and he’s a lovely guy. Once we knew he was interested in producing the album we didn’t need to think about it again, it just progressed and became a completely natural thing.”

Dear Scott refers to novelist, F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose debt-ridden, down-and-out years captured the imagination of Head, specifically a postcard Fitzgerald addressed to himself upon checking in at Hollywood’s infamous Golden Age retreat, The Garden Of Allah Hotel. Head explains: “A decade after being the king of the jazz age, Fitzgerald arrived unfashionable and sober, ready to conquer Hollywood. His agent with a sense of humour booked him into The Garden Of Allah, where writers, movie stars and even Stravinsky sometimes lived. He famously picked up a postcard on checking in and addressed it to himself.”

The postcard read: Dear Scott, How are you? Have been meaning to come and see you. I have living at the Garden Of Allah. Yours Scott Fitzgerald

Head states that the formation of The Red Elastic Band in 2008 began with ‘whoever was available at the time’, primarily as a vehicle for live performance, producing one, previous album in 2017’s Adiós Señor Pussycat. The band has since developed into a cohesive, mutually-supportive and permanent line-up, with Phil Murphy on drums, Tom Powell on bass, Danny Murphy on guitars and Nathaniel Cummins on guitars and backing vocals being the musicians taking on the world in 2022 alongside Head.

TRACK LISTING

A1 Kismet
A2 Broken Beauty
A3 The Next Day
A4 Freedom
A5 American Kid
A6 Grace And Eddie
B7 Fluke
B8 Gino And Rico
B9 The Grass
B10 The Ten
B11 Pretty Child
B12 Shirls Ghost 

Introducing the 'Saltpond City Band'. A buoyant 8-piece outfit hailing from Ghana, blending soulful highlife and percussive funk in their new album 'Boko A Ko', forthcoming on Meet Me There Records.

The Saltpond City Band was initially formed by the legendary Ghanaian highlife musician Ebo Taylor and is now led by his son, keyboardist and lead vocalist, Henry Taylor.

The album 'Boko A Ko' is a blend of highlife, funk and afrobeat, woven into a refreshing take on traditional Ghanaian highlife. With the core of the band set deep in the highlife experience, Taylor and company deliver a combination of driving horns, fluid percussion and earthy vocals. The album features Ebo Taylor himself on 'Mennbo Wobi', which also showcases Ghanaian flute extraordinaire Dela Botri adding fine elements of melodic escape.

The forthcoming album is set to be released on the brand new label 'Meet Me There Records' (MMTR). MMTR is a community-based project aiming to put the artist first. With profits split 50:50 between artist and label, 25% of the label profits will go directly towards the building of a recording studio in the local community of Dzita in West Ghana, Wornana Studios, which will become one of the first accessible recording studios in the Volta region.

'Boko A Ko' is already receiving Radio plays on BBC 6 Music, Craig Charles & Huey Morgan. Plus praise from highly acclaimed artists and DJ's, but is also an example of what else is to come from MMTR and is paving the way for new and unexplored talent that is coming out of the Ghanaian and West African music scene.

TRACK LISTING

1. Akwaa Braa
2. Mennbo Wobi (feat. Ebo Taylor & Dela Botri)
3. Otan
4. Adom Wura
5. Boko A Ko
6. Unconditional Love
7. Mbaa Basaa
8. Asem Ara Nkun

Recorded exactly two years after acclaimed visual artist and songwriter Terry Allen’s masterpiece Lubbock (on everything), the feral follow-up Smokin the Dummy is less conceptually focused but more sonically and stylistically unified than its predecessor it’s also rougher and rowdier, wilder and more wired, and altogether more menacingly rock and roll.

Following the 1973 Whitney Biennial, in which songwriter and visual artist Terry Allen and fellow iconic artist Horace Clifford “Cliff” Westermann both exhibited, Allen maintained a lively long-distance correspondence and exchange of artworks and music with Westermann, whose singular and highly influential art he admired enormously. In a February 1981 letter to his friend and mentor, written shortly after the late 1980 release of his third album Smokin the Dummy, while he and his family were living in Fresno, California, Terry explains the genesis of the album title: Westermann died shortly after receiving this letter, enclosed with a Smokin the Dummy LP, the minimalist black jacket of which Allen suggested that Cliff fold into a jaunty cardboard hat if he didn’t like the music. That response was unlikely, since Westermann loved Terry’s music, calling his debut record Juarez (1975) “the finest, most honest and heartfelt piece of music I ever heard.”

The Panhandle Mystery Band had only recently coalesced during those 1978 Lubbock sessions, Lloyd Maines’s first foray into production. Through 1979, they honed their sound and tightened their arrangements with a series of periodic performances beyond Allen’s regular art-world circuit, including memorable record release concerts in Lubbock, Chicago, L.A., and Kansas City. Terry sought to harness the high-octane power of this now well-oiled collective engine to overdrive his songs into rawer and rockier off-road territory.

His first album to share top billing with the Panhandle Mystery Band, Dummy documents a ferocious new band in fully telepathic, tornado-fueled flight, refining its caliber, increasing its range, and never looking down. Alongside the stalwart Maines brothers co-producer, guitarist, and all-rounder Lloyd, bassist Kenny, and drummer Donnie and mainstay Richard Bowden (who here contributes not only fiddle but also mandolin, cello, and “truck noise theory,” the big-rig doppler effect of Lloyd’s steel on “Roll Truck Roll”), new addition Jesse Taylor supplies blistering lead guitar, on loan from Joe Ely (who plays harmonica here). Jesse’s kinetic blues lines and penchant for extreme volume were instrumental in pushing these recordings into brisker tempos and tougher attitudes. Terry was feverish for several studio days, suffering from a bad flu and sweating through his

clothes, which partially explains the literally febrile edge to his performances, rendered largely in a perma-growl. (By this point, he was regularly breaking piano pedals with his heavy-booted stomp.) Like the album title itself, the songs on Smokin the Dummy ring various demented bells. The tracks rifle through Terry’s assorted

Obsessions especially the potential energy and escape of the open road, elevated here to an ecstatic, prayerful pitch and are populated by a cast of crooked characters: truckers, truck-stop waitresses, convicts, cokeheads, speed freaks, greasers, holy rollers, rodeo riders, dancehall cheaters, and sacrificial prairie dogs, sinners seeking some small reprieve, any fugitive moment of grace.

A reigning deity of a certain kind of country music since the mid-70s.
– The New York Times.

The kind of singular American artist who expresses the fundamental weirdness of his country. – The Wire.

TRACK LISTING

A1. The Heart Of California (for Lowell George)
A2. Cocaine Cowboy
A3. Whatever Happened To Jesus (and Maybeline)?
A4. Helena Montana
A5. Texas Tears
B1. Cajun Roll
B2. Feelin Easy
B3. The Night Café
B4. Roll Truck Roll
B5. Red Bird
B6. The Lubbock Tornado (I Don't Know)

On his manifold fourth album, acclaimed songwriter and visual artist Terry Allen contemplates kinship the ways sex and violence stitch and sever the ties of family, faith, and society with skewering satire and affection alike. Bloodlines compiles thematically related but disparate recordings from miscellaneous sources both theatrical and historical: two songs written for plays; two full-band reprises of selections from Juarez; the irreverent hellfire-hitchhiker-on-highway ballad “Gimme a Ride to Heaven Boy” (featuring Joe Ely); and the poignant eponymous ode to the arteries of ancestry and landscape (the debut recording of eight year-old Natalie Maines, later covered by Lucinda Williams).

Since 1970, when they met in Allen’s studio in his hometown of Lubbock, Texas, one of songwriter and visual artist Terry Allen’s great foils and friends was the sometimes cantankerous but always brilliant art critic and writer Dave Hickey, with whom he sparred on topics musical, visual, and beyond (and to whom this reissue is dedicated in memoriam, in the wake of his passing in 2021.) Hickey, a fellow Texan paddling against the currents of the hermetic New York centric art world, was an accomplished songwriter in his own right, and

he and Terry pushed each other to refine their respective practices. In 1983, the two were thick as thieves brothers in blood and Hickey’s wry but big-hearted presence haunts the history and periphery of Bloodlines, the album Terry released in June of that year.

Hickey’s commercial doubts notwithstanding, critical recognition was not in short demand. In a 1984 review of Bloodlines, the L.A. Herald Examiner called Allen “one of the most compelling American songwriters working today … making the most unique art-pop of our time,” elsewhere comparing him not only to Moon Mullican and Jerry Lee Lewis, but also to the Velvet Underground and Philip Glass (probably the first time that unlikely quartet ever appeared together in one sentence). In 1983, against all odds, such sentiments were growing in underground prominence, as Allen’s records gained a fanatical word-of-mouth following they weren’t easy to find in those days.

Recorded piecemeal at Caldwell Studios in Lubbock, in sessions spanning August 1982 through January 1983, Terry self-released it, like all his previous records, on his own Fate Records imprint. Despite his frustration with the protracted timeline and some anxiety about the correspondingly higher budget, the production on Bloodlines courtesy, once again, of master guitarist Lloyd Maines is slicker, cleaner, and more dynamic than prior efforts, and it reached a broader audience than ever before. UK label Making Waves reissued it in 1985, facilitating semi-reliable European distribution for the first time as well as a 1986 UK tour, on which the great BJ Cole filled in for Lloyd on pedal steel.

No veteran country songwriter sounds more attuned to the national mood. His songs still feel like little guidebooks for staring down a harsh universe.
– The Washington Post

It has always been a fool’s errand to frame Allen in terms of other artists there was nobody like him before he showed up, and the subsequent 40 years have been equally light on plausible peers. – Uncut

TRACK LISTING

A1. Bloodlines (I)
A2. Gimme A Ride To Heaven Boy
A3. Cantina Carlotta
A4. Ourland A5. Oh Hally Lou
B1. Oh What A Dangerous Life
B2. Manhattan Bluebird
B3. There Oughta Be A Law Against Sunny Southern California
B4. Bloodlines (II)

Finding each other amidst the more soulful side of the Manchester club scene, Lovescene can do it all. Able to both go big – as show-stopping early performances at Manchester International Festival and We Out Here Festival proved – and revel in the heady after-hours of the likes of Salford underground hub The White Hotel, new Band on the Wall-released 7” is a devastating encapsulation of the collective’s multiple personalities.

Suits You/Overnight (Dancefloor Mix) comes out hot on the announcement of the group’s debut album out in the Spring and is an irresistibly rich mix of velvet RnB, groove-laden soul and driving floor filler. The group deliver both in widescreen opulence, a direct link to their name which comes from band leader and vocalist Pop Roberts’ love of cinema.

“Good song writing should affect the viewer/listener in the same way a classic scene in a film should - the details in tone, wording and the emotion of the performance are everything” she says. “We’ll always strive to capture that in our music.”

Suits You adds to the canon of RnB torch ballads in its lament over unrequited love. It sees Roberts’ vocal soar high over gently rolling percussion, murmuring low-end and comparatively bolder guitars and keys that pull the track between hushed sadness to more heart-rending grief.

Flip side Overnight (Dancefloor Mix) sees Dub Phizix pop up with a guest engineer spot as the hook from the group’s original 2020 tune turns into a sultry, house-inflected party starter. “I played it at a few parties and the response was so good it just made sense to give it over to the dancefloors!” Roberts says. “We were even more pleased that Dub Phizix was up for mix engineering it - he's the king of beats and we respect his exceptional ears and advice.”

The split is the third release on the Band on the Wall 7” series, and a tantalisingly glimpse of one of Manchester’s most exciting new groups.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Suits You
B1. Overnight

2021 marks the 50th anniversary of The Band’s fourth studio album, ‘Cahoots’. On December 3, Capitol/UMe will release the newly remixed and remastered album in variety of formats to celebrate this iconic and influential album.

‘Cahoots’ was the fourth studio album, and last album of original material for four years.

The front cover painted by New York artist/illustrator Gilbert Stone Back cover features a photograph portrait of the group by Richard Avedon.
Features guest vocals from Van Morrison (on “4% Pantomime”)

TRACK LISTING

Life Is A Carnival
When I Paint My Masterpiece
Last Of The Blacksmiths
Where Do We Go From Here?
4% Pantomime
Shoot Out In Chinatown
The Moon Struck One
Thinkin’ Out Loud
Smoke Signal
Volcano
The River Hymn

The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were recorded at the September 1979 MUSE (Musicians United for Safe Energy) benefit concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE 1
1. Prove It All Night
2. Badlands
3. The Promised Land
4. The River

SIDE 2
5. Sherry Darling
6. Thunder Road
7. Jungleland

SIDE 3
8. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
9. Born To Run
10. Stay

SIDE 4
11. Detroit Medley
12. Quarter To Three
13. Rave On

From their genesis as members of the Venus club in-house band in the early 70s, Hailu Mergia and the Walias Band were at the forefront of the musical revolution during an era where modern instruments and foreign styles superseded the traditional fare to become the staple sound of Ethiopia. No one would argue that the Walias were the trailblazing powerhouse of modern Ethiopian music. They were the first band to form independently without affiliation to a theatre house, a club or a hotel; unprecedented and risky as they had to raise all funding for expenses by themselves including buying equipment. They were the first to release full instrumental albums, considered to be commercially unviable at the time. They opened their own recording studio, with band members Melake Gebre and Mahmoud Aman doubling as technical buffs during sessions. They were also the first independent band to tour abroad. In short, they were the pioneers every band tried to emulate; some more successfully than others. Odds are, any Ethiopian over the age of 35 who had access to TV or radio by the early 90s, will instantly recognize the sound of Walias. What is not a given is, how many would actually identify the band itself.

Barely a day went by without hearing the Walias either in the background on radio or as an accompaniment to various programs on TV. This Tezeta album, the band’s second recording, released in 1975, is one of those that have been impossible to find for nearly three decades. Sourced by Awesome Tapes From Africa and expertly remastered by Jessica Thompson, its unique and funky renditions of standards and popular songs of the day are so quintessentially Walias, flavorful and evocative. Hailu's melodic organ, unashamedly front and center in every track, makes even the complex pieces accessible. Profoundly engaging; it's an immersive trip down memory lane for those of us getting reacquainted with it, while also an enthralling and gratifying experience for fresh ears.

TRACK LISTING

01. Tezeta 04:30
02. Endegena 05:00
03. Zengadyw Derekou 03:40
04. Gumegum 04:26
05. Nefas New Zemedie 03:34
06. Atmetalegnem Woi 03:39
07. Mestirawi Debdabe 04:36
08. Ou-Ou-Ta 03:23
09. Aya Belew Belew 04:24

Plastic Ono Band was the debut solo album by John Lennon. Released on December 11th 1970, John and Yoko had started writing and demoing at Abbey Road (EMI Studios) in the summer, with recording sessions during September/October

After the break-up of The Beatles that year, John and Yoko embarked on a period of self-reflection and experimentation, with the results that the songs and sessions for Plastic Ono Band were heavily influenced by his immersion in Arthur Janov’s primal therapy. John was able to find emotional depth and honesty within himself that few artists had ever done before, with John saying to Rolling Stone “now I write all about me and that’s why I like it. It’s me.” . The result is perhaps the most honest and emotionally raw album that anyone has ever released, let alone someone who was one of the four most famous musicians on the planet. With a small core band comprised of just Ringo Starr on drums and old friend Klaus Voorman on bass, co-produced by Phil Spector, the album peaked at 8 in the UK charts and 6 in the USA. It has come to be regarded by many as John’s finest solo work and has continued to grow in stature and reverence and has often featured in various Best Of lists through the years since. 

Released on the same day was Yoko Ono’s Plastic Ono Band album, the couple regarding the release as a pair of albums rather than two entirely separate projects, albeit of course it not achieving the same sort of coverage or chart success as John’s.

Coming as this does hot on the heels of last year’s much loved and well-reviewed “Gimme Some Truth” set and “Imagine” before that, the audio has been completely remixed from the original studio tapes as part of the ongoing John Lennon Ultimate Mix series. The aim for this mix process is to achieve three things: to remain faithful and respectful to the original recordings; to ensure that the sound is sonically clearer overall and to increase the clarity of John’s vocals. As Yoko says, “it’s about John” and this new mix shows that it is his voice that brings the biggest emotional impact of the album.

TRACK LISTING

2LP
Side A: The Ultimate Mixes Album And Singles
Mother
Hold On
I Found Out
Working Class Hero
Isolation

Side B: The Ultimate Mixes Album And Singles
Remember
Love
Well Well Well
Look At Me
God
My Mummy’s Dead

Side C: The Ultimate Mixes/Out-takes Album And Singles
Mother / Take 61
Hold On / Take 2
I Found Out / Take 1
Working Class Hero / Take 1
Isolation / Take 23

Side D: The Ultimate Mixes/Out-takes Album And Singles
Remember / Rehearsal 1
Love / Take 8
Well Well Well / Take 2
Look At Me / Take 2
God / Take 27
My Mummy’s Dead / Take 2

2020 features music from some of our favourite artists and closest friends on the new Manchester scene. The Covid-19 pandemic has placed a colossal strain on the music industry. 2020 has been created with a vision of providing financial support for Manchester artists and Band on the Wall, with all proceeds split 50/50.

Featuring hand-picked tracks, contributed by artists whose music spans neo soul, jazz, afro-electronic and more, 2020 is an eclectic discovery of inspired and curated sounds; a shining light on the emerging talent of Manchester’s live music scene.

"Band on the Wall is more than just a building, it is an idea and a passion for great music that is born from the diverse communities of Manchester and beyond; and an organisation designed to celebrate those who make music for the sake of making music rather than money or celebrity. In the first half of 2020 we, and many of the creators we work with, had to stop what we were doing and while activity initially stalled, it was clear that it would be impossible for the artists to stop creating and for us to stop celebrating their music. Therefore, the idea was born to help support our local creative partners and ourselves by producing this ‘memento’ of this incredibly strange year.

Encapsulating this music on this disk reminiscent of this time, produced this year by young people who couldn’t stop making music if they tried, and despite not being allowed to perform in public, is our way of still saying thank you to them, and that we are all still here. Thanks for supporting." Gavin Sharp, CEO, Band on the Wall

STAFF COMMENTS

Millie says: A gorgeous collection of tracks compiled from emerging Manchester artists, featuring some of my personal favourites Katbrownsugar and Porij. 2020 has hit the music industry hard and this charity release helps artists and venues during this difficult time.

TRACK LISTING

1. Honeyfeet X Werkha - You Go To My Head (rewerked)
2. Mali Hayes - Oceans Ft Layfullstop
3. Secret Night Gang - Don't Mess With My Heart
4. Agbeko - There Is A Jungle (Live)
5. Porij - Closer
6. Lovescene - To The Side
7. Skeltr - Lojong
8. Contours - Northbound
9. Cervo - Reaching
10. Katbrownsugar & Al Turnbull - Jungle
11.Yemi Bolatiwa - Troubled Living
12. Shunya - The Clay & The Sculpture
13. Lieko Quintet - Black Lake
14. MSC Big Band - Grown Ups (Live) 

This release features a selection of some of our favourite songs, from some of the most memorable shows, to have been recorded as part of the Band on the Wall archive.

These tracks represent our commitment to celebrating the diversity and excellence of music created by remarkable people from across the world. All tracks were performed at Band on the Wall and very kindly contributed by the artists for release on this CD, which has been produced to support the venue and our ongoing mission to promote and celebrate the great music of many cultures, during this challenging year.

As 2020 has become a defining year for all of us who work to bring people together to celebrate live music, for us this represents not only the journey we have been on over the last ten years, but also helps to define our future commitment to this amazing music.

A special thanks to the artists, labels and management that have helped assemble this wonderful collection of tracks, recorded live inside Band on the Wall between 2009 – 2014. All sales proceeds will be split 50/50 between the artists and Band on the Wall.

Live from Band on the Wall is the second release on Band on the Wall’s new in-house imprint, Band on the Wall Recordings and follows the release of last month’s 2020 – a fundraiser compilation to support emerging Manchester artists.

STAFF COMMENTS

Millie says: Missing live music? Band on the Wall Manchester's iconic institution has released live tracks will take you right back to the atmosphere of being at a gig. We will be there again! Support venues and live music with this fundraising release.

TRACK LISTING

1. Gregory Porter - On My Way To Harlem
2. Jazzanova - Boom Clicky Boom Klack
3. Dele Sosimi - Lady
4. Charles Bradley - I Believe In Your Love
5. Kirsty Almeida - Cool Down Rewind
6. Azymuth - Club Morocco
7. Snarky Puppy - Strawman
8. Yellowjackets - Why Is It
9. Hafdis Huld - Oldest Friend
10. Bugge Wesseltoft - Singing 

Enrique Rodríguez and the Negra Chiway Band group have an instantly powerful and unique sound that is reminiscent of the ensembles of Sun Ra and his Arkestra as well as Horace Tapscott and his Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, one that channels the righteous spirits of Alice Coltrane, John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp and McCoy Tyner together with a stunning Latin rhythmical and new consciousness and percussive energy. Added to this are elements of the Samurai film soundtracks of Akira Kurosawa, Popol Vuh’s musical spirituality (especially their work with film director Werner Herzog), Tibetan Buddhism and over-blowing chants, all combining to give a truly unique new sound.

Enrique Rodríguez is a composer, percussionist, keyboardist and producer from Santiago, Chile, whose work shows many similarities with the music featured on Soul Jazz Records’ recent collection ‘Kaleidoscope - New Spirts Known and Unknown’, featuring new forward-looking jazz artists including Mathew Halsall, Theon Cross, Emma-Jean Thackray and Makaya McCraven.

Like all these artists, Rodríguez’s work is a progressive and experimental fusion of earlier influences that combine into a new and definitely 21st Century ground-breaking sound that, on account of its South American setting, give the group its truly unique feeling. Hypnotic modal piano riffs, powerful brass and flutes, an army of Latin percussion instruments and addictive vocal chants all combine in this powerful mix of radical 60s Afro-centric jazz, Eastern spirituality and cosmology and Latin American rhythmical movement.

TRACK LISTING

Dónde?
Descenso
Vindakalla-Welukan (Autoconfrontación)
No Quiero Seguir Así
Acabar De Conocerse
Paso Firme
Dónde? (Alt. Take)

"A split-screen maelstrom of Fela Kuti, Led Zep, Morricone, psych and dub" The Budos Band - MOJO - Rising - August 2019 Celebrating 15 years from the release of their debut album, Daptone's Royal Court from Staten Island delivers a truly epic collection of new material that finds the group further bridging the gap between the farfisa-fueled Ethio-Funk stylings of their early recordings, with the psychedelic, Sabbath-inspired hellfire of late. “In some ways, itʼs reminiscent of our first two albums The Budos Band and Budos II,” says Tom Brenneck. “We branched off on Burnt Offering and Budos V. Now, weʼre still moving forward.

You can play these songs on the dance-floor. We knew the horns had to stand out too. Thinking about hip-hop allowed us to put the bounce back into The Budos.” This is evident from needle drop to final rotation. Heavy drum breaks, reminiscent of the B-Boy approved grooves of their early output reign supreme, setting the stage for the pulsating, hallucinatory wall of organ, menacing horns, and rugged guitar riffs to permeate your soul - leaving the listener in a rhythmic wash of Budonian rapture. Long in the Tooth represents the culmination of a 15-year journey by a band that has consistently carved its own distinct path through the grooves of history.

TRACK LISTING

1 Long In The Tooth
2 Sixth Hammer
3 Snake Hawk
4 Dusterado
5 Silver Stallion
6 Haunted Sea
7 The Wrangler
8 Gun Metal Grey
9 Mierda De Toro
10 Budonian Knight Renegade

Pre-orders essential on this super limited NDATL release featuring two remixes from the legendary Larry Heard!

Mega!

TRACK LISTING

A.Take A Chance (Mr. Fingers Full Ambient Acid Instrumental)
B1.Take A Chance (Kai Alce Original Dub Mix)
B2. Take A Chance (Larry Heard Dub Remix)

Recorded in November 2018 at Ballintubbert House, Ireland, “a few pay grades above what we're used to!”, the alien construction of Ballintubbert and its corridors help to navigate Girl Band’s cataclysmic sound within a world of its own.

“In many ways the idea behind the album was to make an audio representation of the house.“ And this enigmatic manor becomes Girl Band’s sonic playground: to place yourself within a space, and to work with that space harmoniously. Dan continues, “We recorded all the drums twice: once on the landing and once in the cellar” -The Well of Souls- “and during production we could actually cut in between both these sounds”. The Talkies vacillates between being big, ambient, and atmospheric to suddenly terribly intimate and up close.

The Talkies is living, breathing, in a continual state of metamorphosis. It encompasses everything there is to love about Girl Band while simultaneously causing an exciting level of discomfort. The moaning and sawing guitars, atonal blankets of sound, abstractive lyrical repetition, chugging snare and ascending/descending snakes and ladders noise-rock guitar deliver something that is so distinctively Girl Band.

…Eregenis. Album closes to steady breathing. It drips with catharsis, slow and mindful and purging over the familiar key and darkly syncopated grooves which closes the door to Girl Band’s sonic universe and brings ‘The Talkies’ to its first and final silence.

TRACK LISTING

Prolix
Going Norway
Shoulderblades
Couch Combover
Aibophobia
Salmon Of Knowledge
Akineton
Amygdala
Caveat
Laggard
Prefab Castle
Ereignis

Lou Clarke and the All-Scars Band

Lou Clarke spent most of the 70's not of this Earth, a greatly formative time for him and those around him. The intervening period was spent retrospectively constructing a back catalogue of music to rival even the most seasoned of 'straight to charity shop' vinyl ghosts.

The All-Scars are a collection of well-trodden troubadours from a variety of Mancunian haunts who've generously come together to present these songs in something close to their original form as once might have been heard.

The 'Greatest Hits' album is a preventative measure precluding necessary high standards for a second work. All of the tracks have been taken from the future back catalogue including the upcoming demand avoidant '4th Album'.

Informed by New Orleans, built in Manchester, songs to drink dance or drown to.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Encompassing all the best gloomy moments of Nick Cave and the sozzled pub-rock of the Pogues, but drawing in perfectly measured elements of jazz, lounge and classic rock, Clarke et. al. perfectly soundtrack our austere political climate with wry, tipsy tongue-in-cheek commentary and damn good music to boot. Great stuff.

TRACK LISTING

1. Configure Your Life 02:59
2. Anyman 04:39
3. Blue Eyes 03:13
4. Down Again 04:05
5. My Beautiful Girl 03:17
6. Intoxicated Man 02:53
7. Run Deep 03:36
8. Co-Dependency Suicide Blues 03:25
9. Walking 02:55
10. I Got Nothing 02:43
11. Wrung Out 02:43

In 2018, Ty Segall’s Freedom’s Goblin hit with a watershed feeling. A feeling like, how much longer will rock albums like this even exist? An epic epoch double-LP that took the heroic arc of Ty’s populist masterpiece Manipulator and wadded it up into a much more aerodynamic (and harder-hitting) ball (or 20-sided D&D die), FG was also the continued work of the Freedom Band, Ty’s crew of choice since 2016. Storming the world playing songs from throughout his catalog in a series of ecstatic setlists, they sought freedom for themselves and the audience, even it if was just one night of emancipation from world’s numbing chill. Then they went and did it again the next night!

An all analog production, recorded live on stage at Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles by Steve Albini (via mobile unit onto two-inch tape!) and mixed with Steve in Chicago at Electrical Audio, Deforming Lobes witnesses the blunt-force traumpact of The Freedom Band in full effect, updating (and upending) numbers from Melted, Emotional Mugger, Twins, Manipulator, $ingle$ 2 and Self-Titled. From the start, the “Warm Hands” suite shows the growth of the group since recording the original version for the 2017 Self-Titled album—the jam has a new life all its own, and the band explores every song with similar unrestrained curiosity, never forgetting the collective experience they’re sharing. The feeling between audience and band at Los Angeles’ Teragram Ballroom on those January nights was its own special thing; here, the band is somehow even more front and center, making Deforming Lobes the first wholly original statement from The Freedom Band and bookending the Goblin experience with a fuck of an exclamation point.

A year-plus later, another rock album exists—but what’s to be done with the guitar? These guys did everything they could get away with to a certain degree of (well-focused) depravity. Maybe now it’s time for a transition, away from live band rawk into whatever, who knows? But before you grieve your speculative future loss too hard, you really oughta get Deforming Lobes.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: By all accounts, Ty Segall are one of the most dominant forces in live music around today, and this perfectly captures the energy and visceral heft of this momentous experience. Grooves are stretched out and worked around, turning a simple riff into a multi-layered tapestry, rich with distortion and so huge you can almost feel the sweat dripping off the stage.

TRACK LISTING

1 Warm Hands
2 Squealer
3 Breakfast Eggs
4 The Crawler
5 Finger
6 They Told Me Too
7 Cherry Red
8 Love Fuzz

Arguably one of the most acclaimed and loved bands of the past 20 years, by both fans and their musical peers alike, The Beta Band formed in St. Andrews, Scotland, in 1996. Innovative and singular, their unique musical and aesthetic approach to everything they did set them far apart from their musical contemporaries.

Together for a relatively short period of time, the three albums and three EPs they released between 1996 and 2004 would nonetheless help define them as one of the most exciting and cherished bands of their generation. 

TRACK LISTING

Champion Versions EP
A1. Dry The Rain / A2. I Know / B1. B + A / B2. Dogs Got A Bone

The Patty Patty Sound EP
A. Inner Meet Me / B. The House Song / C. Monolith / D. She’s The One

Los Amigos Del Beta Bandidos EP
A1. Push It Out / A2. It’s Over / B1. Dr. Baker / B2. Needles In My Eyes

CD Features The Same Tracklist In The The Same Order.

Perhaps not words we all find ourselves uttering on a daily basis, but then the esteemed singer is far from your average joe stuck in the day-to-day grind of an average job…

‘I Love My Job’ is the first album release in 5 years from the former Inspiral Carpets and Lovers lynch-pin and his current outfit: The Tom Hingley Band.

Arriving as the follow-up to his remarkable double album ‘Sand’ & ’Paper’ (released in 2013, with Pledge Music), the THB’s latest effort is an equally ambitious outing of vision and voice. On ‘I Love My Job’, Hingley and co. seek to offer a snapshot of the political revolution, anger, and aggression that have formed the backdrop for him, and us all, over the last three years.

Using the freedom of expression and amplification to communicate with the masses that is gifted to those in the job that Hingley finds himself in (though is so often shied away from by many of his musical contemporaries), ‘I Love My Job’ sees the singer using his platform to both shout to the heavens and put the world to rights. Someone has to right?

Getting it all of his chest, the record is very much a rejection and reaction to the here and now, with Hingley providing a loquacious outpouring of his own pure emotion, as well as socio-political commentary of wider contemporary issues that grip the current world, all wrapped up in 11 tracks of unbridled rock’n’roll….

“Nasty People” is a short sharp snap at the cowardly trolling culture that has developed and dominates the online realm, whereas the recoil of ‘Bullet’ is a revenge song that sees Hingley take direct aim at the convicted paedophile and Lost Prophets frontman Ian Watkins along with those who would use their power for acts of such despicable evil. “Beggar’s Hand” decries the shameful homelessness that plagues the streets of Manchester under the current government, whereas “White Sheep” is a song for those who feel oppressed by the corporate world of ‘too big to fail banks’ and utility companies in which extortion and profit at the expense of innocent consumers are business of the day.

But on a more personal level, there’s an outpouring of emotions in tribute to the sounds and loved ones who have inspired Hingley throughout his life. “Introduction” glistens with the chimes with bells to honour the many lost souls that have departed over the past few years, not least his own mother and sister-in-law who he also pays homage to on “Black Light”:

TRACK LISTING

1) Introduction
2) Black Light
3) Glory Days
4) Toy
5) Bullet
6) Beautiful Girl
7) Beggars Hand
8) Prodigal Son
9) Nasty People
10) White Sheep
11) Shining For Somebody Else

As two of the UK’s finest exponents of traditional song, Norma Waterson and Eliza Carthy’s rich, distinctive and authentic voices have engaged new audiences and admirers across two generations. Between them, they have three prestigious Mercury Prize nominations, an MBE each for services to English music and have both been presented with BBC Folk Singer of the Year awards, as well as innumerable other accolades. Eliza recently embarked on her most ambitious project yet by recording and touring with the 12 piece Wayward Band, a 12-piece. The resulting album, ‘Big Machine,’ garnered both acclaim and more Radio 2 Folk Awards nominatiions in 2018 (‘Best Group’ and ‘Best Album’).

Although they have recorded independently and together on many occasions over the years, ‘Gift’ (2010) was Norma and Eliza’s first duo release, produced by Eliza. The album went on to pick up Best Album and Best Traditional Track at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

The remarkable new album, ‘Anchor,’ produced by Neill MacColl and Kate St. John, was recorded in their English home town of Robin Hood’s Bay and features an eclectic and beguiling collection of both traditional and contemporary songs. Amongst the 11 tracks we find Norma leading on Tom Waits’ ‘Strange Weather’ and ‘The Beast in Me’ by Nick Lowe. Trad Arr. ‘The Elfin Knight’ sees Eliza supported by Norma, Martin and extended family, ‘Lost in the Stars’ is a wonderful take on the Kurt Weill classic, while ‘Shanty of the Whale’, also featuring guest vocals of Martin Carthy, is a track written by KT Tunstall inspired by the singing of the Watersons, now come full circle in mutual respect and admiration.

Produced by Giles Martin for this year’s universally heralded ‘Sgt. Pepper’ Anniversary Edition releases, the album’s new stereo mix was sourced directly from the original four-track session tapes and guided by the original, Beatles-preferred mono mix produced by Giles’ father, George Martin. Praised by fans and music critics around the world, The Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’ Anniversary Edition is 2017’s most celebrated historical music release and an ideal gift for Beatle People here, there, and everywhere.

Live album from Bob Dylan & The Band, originally released in 1974, documenting their American tour. A 21 song double album, pressed on black vinyl with download code insert. 

TRACK LISTING

Side One

1. "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)" 02-14 (evening) 4:15
2. "Lay Lady Lay" 02-13 3:14
3. "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" 02-13 3:27
4. "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" 01-30 New York City 3:51
5. "It Ain't Me, Babe" 02-14 (evening) 3:40
6. "Ballad Of A Thin Man" 02-14 (afternoon) 3:41

Side Two

7. "Up On Cripple Creek" (Robbie Robertson) 02-14 (evening) 5:25
8. "I Shall Be Released" 02-14 (afternoon) 3:50
9. "Endless Highway" (Robertson) 02-14 (evening) 5:10
10. "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" (Robertson) 02-14 (evening) 4:24
11. "Stage Fright" (Robertson) 02-14 (evening) 4:45

Side Three

12. "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" 02-14 (evening) 4:36
13. "Just Like A Woman" 02-14 (evening) 5:06
14. "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" 02-14 (evening) 5:48
15. "The Shape I'm In" (Robertson) 02-14 (afternoon) 4:01
16. "When You Awake" (Richard Manuel, Robertson) 02-14 (evening) 3:13
17. "The Weight" (Robertson) 02-13 4:47

Side Four

18. "All Along The Watchtower" 02-14 (afternoon) 3:07
19. "Highway 61 Revisited" 02-14 (evening) 4:27
20. "Like A Rolling Stone" 02-13 7:09
21. "Blowin' In The Wind" 02-13 + 02-14 (afternoon) 4:30

Beautiful and evocative and recorded in his home-town of Liverpool between March 2016 and June 2017, the album is the culmination of four years of hard work. Equal to his finest moments, Adiós Señor Pussycat will undoubtedly only further cement his reputation as one of this generations greatest songwriters.

Since a self-imposed hiatus in 2008, Michael Head has been working with a fluid concept of an ever-rotating band format to provide a flexible platform for the range of his new live and recorded works.

‘Under the guise of Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band in 2013, they released their sought-after debut EP, Artorius Revisited, and followed this with a double A sided 7”, Velvets In The Dark / Koala Bears in 2015.

A soulful and poetic genius, fate, bad luck and circumstance and often conspired to deny him his rightful dues. Loved and lauded by fellow artists and critics alike, he started out in the early 1980s with The Pale Fountains, with whom he recorded a brace of acclaimed albums, Pacific Street (1984) and …From Across The Kitchen Table (1985). He subsequently formed Shack with his brother John and went on to record five albums over almost twenty years including the much loved and acclaimed Waterpistol and HMS Fable in 1999 which saw the band briefly flirt with chart success and hailed from the cover of the NME as “our greatest songwriter”

He also released, what is often regarded as his classic album, The Magical World Of The Strands under the name of Michael Head & The Strands in 1997, and with Shack currently on hiatus he has been performing under the Red Elastic Band guise for the past few years.

The album features the following musicians:
Michael Head - Vocals & Acoustic Guitar
Steve Powell - Electric & Acoustic Guitars
Phil Murphy - Drums
Tom Powell - Bass Guitar
Nina - Piano
Dan Rogers - Electric Guitar
Rod Skipp - Cello
Dewi Tudor Jones - Violin
Helen Tonge - Viola
Martin Smith - Trumpet
Andy Diagram - Trumpet
Simon James - Saxophone
Steve Powell, Joanne Head, Phil Murphy, Mary McCombs - Backing Vocals
Michael Head, Phil Murphy, Karina Townsend - Percussion

TRACK LISTING

1. Picasso
2. Overjoyed
3. Picklock
4. Winter Turns To Spring
5. Workin' Family
6. 4&4 Still Makes 8
7. Queen Of All Saints
8. Josephine
9. Lavender Way
10. Rumer
11. Wild Mountain Thyme
12. What's The Difference
13. Adios Amigo

Focused around the songwriting talents and production skills of Jo Dudderidge and Adam Gorman and the rhythmic driving force of enigmatic drummer Nick Vaal, The Travelling Band have been quietly honing what Marc Riley described as "Mancunian Americana".

The resulting album mines a rich seam of influences, with key album track 'Last Night (I Dreamt of Killing You)' and the grungy 'Wasted Eyes' highlighting the band's love of American indie rock, but still with that Mancunian twist nodding to Elbow and I Am Kloot. 'Mopping Forwards' draws on their time spent in East Nashville and the almost Satie-like melancholic ballad 'Loser' belies the darker turn that Jo and Adam's lyrics have taken.

TRACK LISTING

Moments Like Switches
Wasted Eyes
Into The Water
Mopping Forwards
Loser
Unlike You
Last Night (I Dreamt Of Killing You)
Out Of The Water
Failure Is A Bastard
Leftover Lines

When Darren Hayman (Hefner) and Emma Kupa (Standard Fare/Mammoth Penguins) decided to make a duets record, we knew the results would be great, but we didn’t expect them to be THIS great. Gathering together a rhythm section consisting of Michael Wood (Whoa Melodic/Singing Adams) on bass and Cat Loye (Fever Dream) on drums, The Hayman Kupa Band create brash, bold and effortlessly melodic power pop. Sharing writing duties and sometimes singing each others words, lines are blurred and creativity explored in a wonderfully exuberant collection of songs.

The album, recorded in 3 days, is an exploration of relationships and, at its heart, it’s the sound of a friendship being made. Darren explains further: It’s only happened a few times but just once or twice I have seen someone on stage and thought, “I want to be in a band with them.” But I thought it the first time I saw Emma playing with her magnificent and under-rated band Standard Fare. I met her properly a little later in Sheffield when we played together. Before the gig I said I was suspicious of bands that wore hats. She wore a hat on stage. They say imitation is a form of flattery and I was glad that I noticed when I wrote the song “Boy, Look at What you Can’t Have Now” that it sounded like the sort of thing Emma might write. I covered up my theft by asking her to sing on it. When we were recording the song I suggested that we should write a whole album of duets. Musicians suggest things like this all the time because they are stupid or drunk. A few months later Emma told me she had started writing the album. This is what Emma does; she says something then does it. I race to play catch up. The songs were written over 3 weekends at her house and mine. Co-writing is something I’m not used to. It’s very intimate and me and Emma became friends through the process. Emma’s lyrics are sharp and precise whereas mine are more metaphoric. We talked about relationships and that’s what the album is about. It’s about our fears and paranoias and the search for trust and love. We deliberately swapped lines and genders so the narrative is never truly that of traditional duets. We wanted a band to make the album and chose Michael Wood and Cat Loye. 

TRACK LISTING

A1) Let’s Do Nothing
A2) No More Bombs
A3) Red Petal
A4) Over’s Now Overdue
A5) We Can Get By
A6) Do You Know

B1) A Tent Of Blankets
B2) Draw The Line
B3) My Right Arm
B4) Pretty Waste Of Time
B5) Reach Out
B6) Then We Kissed

London – April 5, 2017 – It was 50 years ago this June 1st when The Beatles’ John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr astonished and delighted the world, ushering in the Summer of Love with Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, a groundbreaking masterwork that became popular music’s most universally acclaimed album. To salute the occasion, The Beatles release a suite of lavishly presented ‘Sgt. Pepper’ Anniversary Edition packages. The album is newly mixed by Giles Martin and Sam Okell in stereo and 5.1 surround audio and expanded with early takes from the studio sessions, including no fewer than 34 previously unreleased recordings.

“It’s crazy to think that 50 years later we are looking back on this project with such fondness and a little bit of amazement at how four guys, a great producer and his engineers could make such a lasting piece of art,” says Paul McCartney in his newly-penned introduction for the ‘Sgt. Pepper’ Anniversary Edition.

“‘Sgt. Pepper’ seemed to capture the mood of that year, and it also allowed a lot of other people to kick off from there and to really go for it,” Ringo Starr recalls in the Anniversary Edition’s book.

This is the first time Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band has been remixed and presented with additional session recordings, and it is the first Beatles album to be remixed and expanded since the 2003 release of Let It Be… Naked. To create the new stereo and 5.1 surround audio mixes for ‘Sgt. Pepper,’ producer Giles Martin and mix engineer Sam Okell worked with an expert team of engineers and audio restoration specialists at Abbey Road Studios in London. All of the Anniversary Edition releases include Martin’s new stereo mix of the album, which was sourced directly from the original four-track session tapes and guided by the original, Beatles-preferred mono mix produced by his father, George Martin.

TRACK LISTING

CD
(‘Sgt. Pepper’ 2017 Stereo Mix)
1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
2. With A Little Help From My Friends
3. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
4. Getting Better
5. Fixing A Hole
6. She's Leaving Home
7. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!
8. Within You Without You
9. When I'm Sixty-Four
10. Lovely Rita
11. Good Morning Good Morning
12. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
13. A Day In The Life

Deluxe [2CD]
CD 1: ‘Sgt. Pepper’ 2017 Stereo Mix (same As Single-disc CD Tracklist, Above)

CD 2: Complete Early Takes From The Sessions In The Same Sequence As The Album, Plus Various Versions Of “Strawberry Fields Forever” And “Penny Lane”
1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [Take 9]
2. With A Little Help From My Friends [Take 1 - False Start And Take 2 – Instrumental]
3. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds [Take 1]
4. Getting Better [Take 1 - Instrumental And Speech At The End]
5. Fixing A Hole [Speech And Take 3]
6. She's Leaving Home [Take 1 – Instrumental]
7. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! [Take 4]
8. Within You Without You [Take 1 - Indian Instruments]
9. When I'm Sixty-Four [Take 2]
10. Lovely Rita [Speech And Take 9]
11. Good Morning Good Morning [Take 8]
12. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) [Take 8]
13. A Day In The Life [Take 1 With Hummed Last Chord]
14. Strawberry Fields Forever [Take 7]
15. Strawberry Fields Forever [Take 26]
16. Strawberry Fields Forever [Stereo Mix - 2015]
17. Penny Lane [Take 6 - Instrumental]
18. Penny Lane [Stereo Mix - 2017]

Deluxe Vinyl [180g 2LP]
LP 1: ‘Sgt. Pepper’ 2017 Stereo Mix (same As Single-disc CD Tracklist, Above)
SIDE 1 SIDE 2
1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 1. Within You Without You
2. With A Little Help From My Friends 2. When I'm Sixty-Four
3. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds 3. Lovely Rita
4. Getting Better 4. Good Morning Good Morning
5. Fixing A Hole 5. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
6. She's Leaving Home 6. A Day In The Life
7. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!

LP 2: Complete Early Takes From The Sessions In The Same Sequence As The Album
SIDE 3
1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [Take 9 And Speech]
2. With A Little Help From My Friends [Take 1 - False Start And Take 2 – Instrumental]
3. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds [Take 1]
4. Getting Better [Take 1 - Instrumental And Speech At The End]
5. Fixing A Hole [Speech And Take 3]
6. She's Leaving Home [Take 1 – Instrumental]
7. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! [Take 4]

SIDE 4
1. Within You Without You [Take 1 - Indian Instruments]
2. When I'm Sixty-Four [Take 2]
3. Lovely Rita [Speech And Take 9]
4. Good Morning Good Morning [Take 8]
5. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) [Take 8]
6. A Day In The Life [Take 1 With Hummed Last Chord]

Pioneering English traditional folk powerhouse, Eliza Carthy, first assembled the Wayward Band in 2013 in order to explore and celebrate her long and varied career in folk music; 'the last truly underground music scene'.

To do this Eliza put together a team of hugely talented people from across the UK, and set out on the road to promote her 'Best Of' compilation, 'Wayward Daughter,' which coincided with a biography of the same name. Since then, the band has become a festival favourite, and Eliza has been awarded the MBE for services to folk music. Eliza and the Wayward Band loved playing together so much it seemed natural and inevitable, as well as characteristically ambitious, that this 12-piece would set about recording an album. Early in 2016 they did just that. 'Big Machine' is the result and the renowned Real World and Rockfield Studios are where it all happened.

The material represents a healthy slice of everything good that is happening in traditional music now, across a sparkling spectrum of sound. The album features three contemporary songs; Eliza's own 'You Know Me' about the migrant crisis and notions of hospitality (featuring MC Dizraeli), a powerful cover of Ewan Maccoll's Radio Ballad 'The Fitter's Song' (at the behest of Peggy Seeger - and the song which inspired the album title) and an affectionate reworking of 'Hug You Like a Mountain' (Rory MacLeod), re-imagined here as a duet with Teddy Thompson.

There are also several examples of the Broadside ballad collections housed in Chetham's Library in Manchester given a new twist with music by Eliza and the band. This follows an acclaimed programme Eliza presented for Radio 4 about the Manchester Ballads last year, covering everything from songs about and caused by domestic abuse ('Devil in the Woman,' 'Fade and Fall (Love Not)'), to love of the seafaring life ('The Sea'). Added to that a couple of searing instrumentals, a song about dying from custard poisoning and a heartbreaking traditional ballad 'I Wish that the Wars were all Over' (performed live with the band onstage in Real World Studios' Studio One and featuring Irish superstar Damien Dempsey), and you begin to get the picture.

A very Big picture, a Big Machine firing on all cylinders. 'Big Machine' is one of Eliza Carthy's most adventurous and accomplished works to date -- and given that Eliza is the most passionate and groundbreaking English traditional singer of her generation, 'Big Machine' is an album you really won't want to miss.

‘Band Of The Future’ is Ausmuteants’ fourth album and probably their best to date.

The band’s previous albums have been released in the US on Goner Records and they last toured the US in support of their previous album ‘Order Of Operation’ in 2014.

Ausmuteants are not the band of the future or the past. Ausmuteants are just a band. Not punk, new wave, hardcore, boogie, darkwave, oi, hyphenaterock or pet rock. Not drug users and not straight edge. Ausmuteants are regular dudes practising the sound of things falling apart.

TRACK LISTING

Silent Genes
I Hate You
New Planet
Coastal Living
Cross Eyes
Spankwire
Music Writers
Band Of The Future
Mr Right
Come Home With Me
Liars
Stuck
Struck By Lightning
Calculations

"The Band's first album, Music from Big Pink, seemed to come out of nowhere, with its ramshackle musical blend and songs of rural tragedy. The Band, the group's second album, was a more deliberate and even more accomplished effort, partially because the players had become a more cohesive unit, and partially because guitarist Robbie Robertson had taken over the songwriting, writing or co-writing all 12 songs. Though a Canadian, Robertson focused on a series of American archetypes from the union worker in "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)" and the retired sailor in "Rockin' Chair" to, most famously, the Confederate Civil War observer Virgil Cane in "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down." The album effectively mixed the kind of mournful songs that had dominated Music from Big Pink, here including "Whispering Pines" and "When You Awake" (both co-written by Richard Manuel), with rollicking uptempo numbers like "Rag Mama Rag" and "Up on Cripple Creek" (both sung by Levon Helm and released as singles, with "Up on Cripple Creek" making the Top 40). As had been true of the first album, it was The Band's sound that stood out the most, from Helm's (and occasionally Manuel's) propulsive drumming to Robertson's distinctive guitar fills and the endlessly inventive keyboard textures of Garth Hudson, all topped by the rough, expressive singing of Manuel, Helm, and Rick Danko that mixed leads with harmonies. The arrangements were simultaneously loose and assured, giving the songs a timeless appeal, while the lyrics continued to paint portraits of 19th century rural life (especially Southern life, as references to Tennessee and Virginia made clear), its sometimes less savory aspects treated with warmth and humor." - All Music.

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: Just as good as the first, maybe without the same impact. Includes the world-classic "The Night They Drove Old Whiskey Down".

TRACK LISTING

1. Across The Great Divide
2. Rag Mama Rag
3. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
4. When You Awake
5. Up On Cripple Creek
6. Whispering Pines
7. Jemima Surrender
8. Rockin' Chair
9. Look Out Cleveland
10. Jawbone
11. The Unfaithful Servant
12. King Harvest (Has Surely Come)