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‘Falling From Fame’ is Takida’s follow album to the hugely successful ‘Sju’, which has become a milestone album in Takida’s over two decades long career, as ‘Sju’ broke the band outside of Sweden, and specifically in Germany, with tracks like ‘Master’ and ‘What About Me’. ‘Falling From Fame’ could be Takida’s most solid album, 11 newly composed tracks with a range of strong singles such as the introducing track- ‘Goodbye’.

Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde sings Bob Dylan.
The songs were recorded in lockdown by Chrissie and her Pretenders bandmate James Walbourne, almost entirely by text message. James would record an initial idea on his phone and send it off to Chrissie to add her vocal, before the tracks were mixed by Tchad Blake (U2, Arctic Monkeys, Fiona Apple). The nine-track album will be released via BMG on 21st May.
Speaking about how the album came together and its inspiration, Chrissie says:
‘A few weeks into lockdown last year, James sent me the new Dylan track Murder Most Foul. Listening to that song completely changed everything for me. I was lifted out of this morose mood that I’d been in.
I remember where I was sitting the day that Kennedy was shot - every reference in the song. Whatever Bob does, he still manages somewhere in there to make you laugh because as much as anything, he’s a comedian. He’s always funny and always has something to say. That’s when I called James and said, ‘let’s do some Dylan covers’ and that’s what started this whole thing.’
Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde sings Bob Dylan includes Chrissie and James’ versions of In the Summertime, You’re a Big Girl Now, Standing in the Doorway, Don’t Fall Apart on Me Tonight and Tomorrow is a Long Time.

This is the first official re-release on vinyl under licensed courtesy of BMG Rights Management,UK, remastered from an original master copy out of the vaults of BMG, originally released in 1972 on Bronze Records.

Co-founder of Colosseum in 1968 with Jon Hiseman, he knew from his Jazz Club years as drummer for Georgie Fame, Dick ran through this group's hectic recording and touring schedule for over 3 years until November 1971, when it disbanded.

In his late 30s at that time, on top of his musical shape, he moved on to start recording on his first solo project, with material left over from Colosseum days (written by D. H.-S., Clem Clempson and Jon Hisemann) and new material jointly composed with well-known lyricist Pete Brown. He recruited the help of Colosseum mates, Hiseman, keyboardist Dave Greenslade and vocalist/bass player Mark Clarke, plus the brilliant ex-Elton John group Caleb Quaye (Hookfoot) on guitars and Rob Tait (ARC, Battered Ornaments) on drums; old pal G. Bond is featured providing remarkable moog work on 'Pirate's Dream', funky organ on 'Moses In The Bullrushourses' and sharing piano duties with Gordon Beck (G.B. Trio, Nucleus) on 'What The Morning Was After'; Paul Williams (Juicy Lucy) gets the lion share of vocal duties, and Chris Farlowe and Chris Spedding (Nucleus, Battered Ornaments) have respectively a sole vocal and a guitar spot on 'Pirate's Dream'.

The album track by track:
Side one starts with 'Future Song', the track that really rises above the other tracks here. The guitar, vocals (by Mark Carke) and sax are great on this one. Killer sax 2 minutes during an excellent instrumental interlude. H.-S. sounds slightly eastern-influenced on his outstanding sax lines. Such an uplifting track with it's repetitive riff and hard, driving sound! Next is 'Crabs', starting off in a mellow way with Greenslade's piano and reserved vocals as the sax joins in followed by guitar and drums as it builds. Irresistable! Great vocals by Paul Williams. One could easily imagine both tracks on a Colosseum album. 'Moses In The Bullrushourses' is uptempo, owing just as much to jazz, blues and hard rock. Great groove! Lots of organ here to send shivers down your spine and perfect guitar playing. 'What The Morning Was After' opens with some sax excursions as the drums help out. Acoustic guitar by Quaye and powerful vocals by Paul Williams take over as the piano joins in. Our second favourite tune on here after the opener. A folky song really until it picks up half-way through.

Side 2 opens with the 11 minutes 'Pirate's Dream', with Farlowe on vocals and Spedding's initial rock blues riff, but soon evolving to a complex multi parted composition in the best spirit of Valentyne Suite, driven by Hiseman multi faceted drumming. D. H.-S. twin saxes soar on a calmer mid section with Spedding doubling the licks and the bass grumbling relentlessly behind; it slowly gains speed with moog, sax and vocalizations duelling and answering each others with dazzling, demanding and inspired phrasings on top a thundering rhythm section; after the lyrics resume it evolves into a majestic, grandiose finale. A bluesy clean guitar lick opens 'Same Old Thing', a swinging, calm heavily modulated twisted blues, with a punchy rhythm section, a soulful Williams on vocal, Quaye delivering an inspired sparkling solo and D. H.-S.'s sensitive fat sax enhanced with some double tracking on the solo part. A great ending to a great album.

Album comes with the reproduction of original gatefold cover sleeve, additional cover-sized insert with band story, lyrics and photos. A highlight! Highly recommended!

Originally released in 1995, Garbage’s self-titled debut album was met with critical acclaim upon its release. Featuring the band’s most recognizable single “Stupid Girl”, the album has since sold over four million copies and achieving double platinum certification in the UK, US and Australia. Formed in 1993 comprising of members Duke Erikson, Steve Marker, Butch Vig and Shirley Manson, Garbage have gone onto sell over 17 million albums worldwide over a 28 year career.

This 2LP Gatefold & 2CD Digipack release, alongside the repress of their follow up album Version 2.0 (1998), is the first time the newly remastered album has been made available via BMG, ahead of their new studio album No Gods No Masters, to be released on Infectious Records in June 2021.

Multi-platinum rock band STAIND are back with their first album in nine years, Live: It’s Been Awhile, May 7 via Yap’em / Alchemy Recordings. The band is comprised of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny April, and drummer Sal Giancarelli. Over the course of their career, the band has released seven studio albums and eight Top 10 singles, selling over 15 million albums worldwide. Break The Cycle, released in 2001 and RIAA certified 5x platinum, featured the smash single, “It’s Been Awhile,” one of the most played songs in modern rock radio history, spending 20 weeks at Number 1. In 2019 after a five-year hiatus, STAIND reunited for some unforgettable festival performances, and a hometown reunion show at Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, CT where their upcoming album, Live: It’s Been Awhile was recorded.

Parisian Soul debut on Local Talk is intelligent, warm, jazzy, peak time house music.
It has the underground vibe yet speaks to everyone, timely thought out chords that gives you positive rush to your ears and give your heart a great big hug.
On the flip legendary producer Olivier Portal aka Playin' 4 The City delivers a mix that is screaming to be played as much on a sunny afternoon as it is at a night party, it is heavenly!

Artist info : In the early 80's, when he was still a young boy, David Hachour involved himself totally in Hip Hop culture. He bought turntables and became a Hip Hop DJ. He threw parties, participated in graffiti contests, became a high level BMX competitor. Having moved to London, David ditched the Adidas and the paint bombs for electronic music.

In 1998, David Hachour founded Oscar with his friend Florent Sabaton, releasing 3 albums and many singles. David traveled all over the world to play alongside famous DJs such as Rainer Truby, Louie Vega, Shazz, Carl Craig, Grand Master Flash, Kenny Larkin, Dixon.

In 2016, David started working on Parisian Soul with his friends Alexandre Destrez (St Germain, Dimitri From Paris) and percussionist Edmundo Carneiro (St. Germain, Bob Sinclar, De La Soul).

Adam Gibbons, the artist & producer behind Lack of Afro and The Damn Straights, is set to release The Last Bastion OST, a cinematic, funk & soul soundtrack to a film that has yet, and may never, be made. Encompassing lush string and horn arrangements, the project will be released in three parts, with the full soundtrack coming out on limited edition, red vinyl this summer. Having originally got into music with the idea of scoring for films, The Last Bastion sees Adam fulfilling something of a long-held ambition.

"Long before all the Lack of Afro stuff took over, being a film composer was all I wanted to do. All my heroes were composers - guys like John Barry, John Williams & Thomas Newman and more recently David Holmes, Daniel Pemberton and Ludwig Goransson. There is something magical about a great film score - it adds so much to the cinematic experience in every way imaginable. I was always drawn to what the music was doing and I was fascinated by the guys who were the composers of the magic.”

Zero 7 have released Shadows EP via Make/BMG. The four-track release is the British duo’s first collection in more than half a decade and sees them team with renowned new singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Lou Stone.

From the melancholic electronica of Shadows, the ambient sheen of Outline to the lush arrangements of After The Fall & Take My Hand, Zero 7 fuse their long-standing gift for soulful songcraft and inventive production with the London-based Stone’s standout vocal delivery.

“The Shadows EP came together after a very fertile period of writing together with Lou Stone” explain Sam Hardaker & Henry Binns. “It’s the first body of work we’ve released since EP3 back in 2015 and hopefully is the start of many more creations".

Early tracks have received a groundswell of support from the likes of Lauren Laverne & Chris Hawkins at 6 Music, Robert Elms at BBC Radio London, as well as plaudits from Clash, The Independent, American Songwriter, Flood Magazine & KCRW.

The group recently shared a stunning live video for Outline which Clash described as ‘a spell-binding union of inventive production and that beatific vocal from Lou Stone’.

It’s almost twenty years since the release of the duo’s Mercury nominated debut Simple Things, which simultaneously catapulted Sia into the spotlight back in the early 00s. Shadows EP hears Zero 7 still at the very top of their game, and with an open ear for collaborating with rising talent along the way.

TROJAN JAMAICA / BMG is proud to announce the release of U-ROY’s final full-length, SOLID GOLD U-ROY. The album was originally set to come out in 2020 with plans for a worldwide tour in support, but unfortunately, the pandemic delayed the release. Now, with the heartbreaking loss of U-ROY on February 17, the album has become a celebration of one of the most profoundly influential reggae stars of his generation. An originator of the chatty rhythmic vocal style known as toasting — a key foundational element in the development of rap in its nascent stages in the 1970s — U-ROY left behind an unmatched legacy which is clearly on display on SOLID GOLD U-ROY, with its guest appearances including ZIGGY MARLEY, SHAGGY, MICK JONES of THE CLASH, SANTIGOLD, SLY & ROBBIE, DAVID HINDS of STEEL PULSE, and more. The album arrives on
July 16, 2021.

SOLID GOLD U-ROY is being heralded today by the release of “MAN NEXT DOOR” (Feat. SANTIGOLD). One of the great reggae songs of all time, the track features an indelible guest appearance by the incomparable Santigold. “Man Next Door” is a beloved reggae standard written by John Holt and released in 1968 by his group The Paragons. U-ROY sampled the song in 1982 for “Peace and Love in the Ghetto” on his Original DJ album. Pre-orders of SOLID GOLD U-ROY will come with an instant grat download of “MAN NEXT DOOR”

Tones 1.0 is a record specifically made for the purpose of melodic scratching, although it is not limited to just that; it can be also used as a production tool.

Think of Tones 1.0 as a synthesized toolkit that blurs the lines between live performance and production.



Side A consists of 16 locked modulating tones (8 bass tones and 8 lead tones) that have been recorded from various analog synthesizers. They were recorded live while manipulating cut-off frequencies, resonance and LFOs to a click track at 133.33 BPM. This gives the tones extra rich sonics and more depth while being scratched. Each bass tone is recorded at middle C (C3) while each lead tone has been recorded an octave higher (C4).



Side B consists of musical phrases, chords, drums, experimental tones and skip-proof atonal scratch sounds, all of which have been recorded at 133.3 BPM.



You’ll find a rich tapestry of ideas to choose from ranging from funk basslines/chords and licks, soul chords and licks, drums, atonal scratch sounds and experimental tones that create futuristic atmospheres. Major and minor 7th chords follow the circle of 5ths so that they are all relative to each other, perfect for creating music quickly. Once you’ve created a beat/sketch you can then jump to the skip-proof atonal scratch sounds and solo over the top. Enjoy.

Hitting number two in the UK album chart and with over a billion streams, in Dissimulation KSI creates space for both his public persona and the personal: big hit features with the likes of Rick Ross and Lil Baby (Down Like That) and AJ Tracey (Tides) sit alongside more intimate, honest tracks. No stranger to defying expectations, Dissimulation received critical acclaim. Clash labelled it “an excellent body of work”; “he’s absolutely smashed it” proclaimed Metro.

It’s no surprise that KSI has been seen on the cover of The Sunday Times Magazine and Music Week; The Observer Magazine, Viper and Notion. Other labels and artists want a piece of the KSI pie too: just look to the success of his features on S1mba’s Loose and Nathan Dawe’s BRIT nominated Lighter. 



With his second album on the horizon, a 2021 tour which sold out in seconds, the launch of his own label and a single with Craig David (Really Love), Anne-Marie (Don’t Play) and YUNGBLUD (Patience), KSI is proving that music is very much his domain. 



KSI brings with him the unrelenting work ethic and infectious energy which YouTube instilled in him. Despite his debut’s success, he’s certain Dissimulation just scratched the surface: the next record, he’s clear, will showcase his artistry’s further progression again. Given FAULT Magazine described KSI as “one of 2019’s biggest success stories - “an emergent hip-hop star” said The i - all eyes will be on his follow up. KSI’s task - writes The Observer - is “not just to make “YouTube rap” but the real thing”. Their verdict? “Mission accomplished.”

During 2019, Blondie was invited to perform in Havana, Cuba as part of a cultural exchange through the Cuban Ministry of Culture. This was a 40 year ambition come especially for songwriter & guitarist Chris Stein, who had longed to visit Cuba for most of his life. Artist and director Rob Roth documented this special moment and career highlight by shooting a short film titled “BLONDIE: VIVIR EN LA HABANA”.

The film is broken up into 3 parts — Water, Fire and Air — and present a meditation on the experience as well as highlights from the two-night live musical performances with special guests Alain Perez, David Torrens and Cuban Fusion Pioneers Sintesís at Havana’s famous Teatro Mella.

With narration from Blondie founding members Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, and Clem Burke, providing a glimpse into the passion and beauty they discovered in Havana and the magic moments of performing alongside incredible Cuban artists. “BLONDIE: VIVIR EN LA HABANA” goes beyond the atypical short form film and live music documentary by presenting a portrait of the legendary band’s first experience in Havana and of the magical exchange between musicians from the two cities each call home and their intertwined influences.

The sound track for the film features Cuban musicians Carlos Alfonso, Ele Valdés, María del Carmen Ávila, Alejandro Delgado, Juan Carlos Marin, Jamil Schery, Degnis Bofill, Adel González

Released in July on limited edition pale blue vinyl to accompany the film which will feature throughout 2021 in many prominent Film Festivals inc the Tribeca Film Festival.

Five-time ARIA award-winning producer, songwriter and artist, Nick Murphy announces the highly anticipated new album from his Chet Faker project, Hotel Surrender. In a return to making music that simply felt good, Nick Murphy revived his acclaimed billion streaming Chet Faker project in October 2020 after a six-year hiatus. The culminating result is Hotel Surrender: a self-produced, self-written 10-track LP that reintroduces the swaggering bass lines and electrifying melodies that made fans fall in love with Chet Faker the world over

Bardouin Music is back with a new record 1000% rave and acid basslines

It includes 5 tracks of trained producers and new talents like Warn Twice, Charleeps, ESBA, Neida, Larson or Sentiments. Probably bangers only.

Originally conceived as a medium for Chicago-based multi-media artist/activist Damon Locks's sample-based sound collage work, Black Monument Ensemble (BME) has evolved from a solo mission into a vibrant collective of artists, musicians, singers, and dancers making work with common goals of joy, compassion, and intention. A genuinely multi-generational collective, ages of BME members range from 9 to 52 years old; members include instrumentalists and fellow IARC recording artists Angel Bat Dawid and Ben LaMar Gay. Their debut album Where Future Unfolds was released in 2019 by International Anthem glowing praise; landing at #3 on Bandcamp's "Best Albums of the Year," #25 on WIRE Magazine's "Best Albums of 2019," and being repeatedly dubbed "The Best Album of 2019" by BBC/Worldwide radio titan Gilles Peterson. Locks & BME's new album NOW was created in the final throes of Summer 2020, following months of pandemic-induced fear & isolation, the explosion of social unrest, struggle & violence in the streets, and as the certain presence of a new reality had fully settled in. Set up safely in the garden behind Chicago's Experimental Sound Studio, the music was recorded in only a few takes, capturing the first times members of BME had ever played or sang the tunes. For Locks, the impetus was more about getting together to commune and make art than it was about producing an album. In his words: "It was about offering a new thought. It was about resisting the darkness. It was about expressing possibility. It was about asking the question, 'Since the future has unfolded and taken a new and dangerous shape... what happens NOW?'"

CRIMSON/BLACK COLORED

Indie Retail Exclusive Crimson & Black color vinyl Originally conceived as a medium for Chicago-based multi-media artist/activist Damon Locks's sample-based sound collage work, Black Monument Ensemble (BME) has evolved from a solo mission into a vibrant collective of artists, musicians, singers, and dancers making work with common goals of joy, compassion, and intention. A genuinely multi-generational collective, ages of BME members range from 9 to 52 years old; members include instrumentalists and fellow IARC recording artists Angel Bat Dawid and Ben LaMar Gay. Their debut album Where Future Unfolds was released in 2019 by International Anthem glowing praise; landing at #3 on Bandcamp's "Best Albums of the Year," #25 on WIRE Magazine's "Best Albums of 2019," and being repeatedly dubbed "The Best Album of 2019" by BBC/Worldwide radio titan Gilles Peterson. Locks & BME's new album NOW was created in the final throes of Summer 2020, following months of pandemic-induced fear & isolation, the explosion of social unrest, struggle & violence in the streets, and as the certain presence of a new reality had fully settled in. Set up safely in the garden behind Chicago's Experimental Sound Studio, the music was recorded in only a few takes, capturing the first times members of BME had ever played or sang the tunes. For Locks, the impetus was more about getting together to commune and make art than it was about producing an album. In his words: "It was about offering a new thought. It was about resisting the darkness. It was about expressing possibility. It was about asking the question, 'Since the future has unfolded and taken a new and dangerous shape... what happens NOW?'"

Cinthie’s we_r house imprint returns with its twelfth release
this May, coming courtesy of BMW aka Christian Burkhardt,
Meat and Chris Wood.

Over the past few years Cinthie’s we_r house has played host to material from the likes of Kevin Over, Manuold, Elgo Blanco and Simon
Shaw to name a few, the imprint continues to push house sounds
with a stripped-back, groove driven inclination. Here this continues
in fine form with German trio Burkhardt, Meat and Wood under
their collective BMW guise.

Nina Simone: The Montreux Years is released as part of a brand new Montreux Jazz Festival and BMG collection series “The Montreux Years”. The collections will uncover legendary performances by the world’s most iconic artists alongside rare and never-before-released recordings from the festival’s rich 55-year history, remastered in superlative audio. Each collection will be accompanied by exclusive liner notes and previously unseen photography.

Nina Simone’s story from the late sixties to the nineties can be told through her legendary performances in Montreux. Taking to the Montreux stage for the first time on 16 June 1968 for the festival’s second edition, Simone built a lasting relationship with Montreux Jazz Festival and its Creator and Founder Claude Nobs, which uniqueness, trust and electricity can be clearly felt on the recordings. Simone’s multi-faceted and radical story is laid bare on ‘Nina Simone: The Montreux Years’. From Nina’s glorious and emotional 1968 performance to her fiery and unpredictable concert in 1976, one of the festival’s most remarkable performances ever witnessed, the collection includes recordings from all of her five legendary Montreux concerts – 1968, 1976, 1981, 1987 and 1990.

Featuring rare and previously unreleased material from Claude Nobs’ private collection, Nina Simone devotees worldwide will be thrilled by the inclusion of the powerful I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free, poignant and fearless Four Women and Simone’s hauntingly beautiful performance of Ne Me Quitte Pas. A spine-tingling version of Janis Ian’s searing and potent Stars, which Simone covered for the very first time during her 1976 Montreux performance, sits alongside her bold and electrifying re-imagine of Bob Marley’s ballad No Women No Cry in 1990. The collection closes with the encore of Nina Simone’s final Montreux Jazz Festival concert and one of Simone’s most-loved and best-known recordings, the exuberant My Baby Just Cares For Me, showcasing the deep and multidimensional facets of Simone’s life and music.

Etta James: The Montreux Years is released as part of a brand new Montreux Jazz Festival and BMG collection series “The Montreux Years”. The collections will uncover legendary performances by the world’s most iconic artists alongside rare and never-before-released recordings from the festival’s rich 55-year history, remastered in superlative audio. Each collection will be accompanied by exclusive liner notes and previously unseen photography.

‘Etta James: The Montreux Years’ is a treasure trove of timeless classics, powerful and electrifying performances and raw, soaring vocals by one of the greatest ever female vocalists. The collection, featuring recordings from James’ Montreux Jazz Festival concerts in 1977, 1978, 1989 1990 and 1993, encapsulates and reflects Etta’s dynamic artistry and long-lasting impact. Spanning performances from across three decades, ‘Etta James: The Montreux Years’ offers deeply personal and intimate snapshots into James’ acclaimed musical journey, highlights and her phenomenal career.

From one of Etta James’ earliest successes, the infectious and endlessly elegant Something’s Got A Hold On Me, a medley that consist of At Last, Trust In Me and Sunday Kind of Love, which is a fusion of highlights from the early 60s, to the raw and emotional I’d Rather Go Blind and soulful horn-driven Tell Mama. The collection closes with Baby What You Want Me To Do, James’ homage to Jimmy Reed and the encore of her 1979 concert.

In 1975, Montreux Jazz Festival captured a significant moment of musical history – Etta James’ very first concert in Europe, performing at the festival’s 9th edition. The CD edition of ‘Etta James: The Montreux Years’ will include this special landmark concert, held at Montreux Casino on 11 July 1975.

Acclaimed singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Amy Helm is set to release What the Flood Leaves Behind (Renew Records/BMG) on June 18th. Produced by Josh Kaufman (Taylor Swift’s Folklore, Bob Weir, Bonny Light Horseman) who is also featured on piano, guitar, and mandolin, the record brings Helm’s powerful, emotive vocals to the forefront. After recording 2018’s This Too Shall Light in Los Angeles, Helm returned home to Woodstock and Levon Helm Studios to record What The Flood Leaves Behind. The historical significance of returning to that special place built by her father clearly resonated with Helm. “Going back to the place where I learned so much about how to express music, how to hold myself in music, how to listen to music,” she begins, “It was humbling in a funny way. I could see clearly where I came from and where I am now in my life. I was singing from a different place now and for a different reason.”

Joan is a 3 times Grammy Nominated Singer/Songwriter. Consequences, Joan Armatrading’s new album, is one of her most intimate and direct albums yet and one that wears its conscience and its heart on its sleeve. Released via BMG on June 18th, and her 22nd studio album to date, it ably illustrates the fact that Joan Armatrading never likes to repeat herself. It is a very different follow up to 2018’s Top 30 hit album Not Too Far Away. Consequences comes in CD, vinyl and digital format and comprises 10 tracks in total, all written, performed and produced by Joan.

Returning to a heavier, more aggressive sound, in 1975 Black Sabbath delivered their sixth classic album in a row. Taking almost a year to complete, Sabotage is Black Sabbath at their best and possibly their most musically experimental. Brought up to date for 2021 is the original album newly remastered as well as a full concert recorded on the 1975 Sabotage Tour of North America. In addition to a selection of tracks from Sabotage, this live album includes the Black Sabbath classics War Pigs, Iron Man and Paranoid. Also included in this super deluxe edition is a replica of the rare Japanese single ‘Am I Going Insane (Radio)’, which completes the audio package for this fan-friendly deep dive into the classic Black Sabbath album, Sabotage.

A unique new album of poetry and music featuring Marianne Faithfull set to the music of Warren Ellis, and featuring Nick Cave, Brian Eno and Vincent Ségal
With She Walks in Beauty, Marianne Faithfull with composer and multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis releases one of the most distinctive and singular albums of her long, extraordinary life and career. It was recorded just before and during the first Covid-19 lockdown – during which the singer herself became infected and almost died of the disease – with musical friends and family including not only composer Warren Ellis but Nick Cave, Brian Eno, cellist Vincent Ségal and producer-engineer Head. She Walks in Beauty fulfils Faithfull’s long-held ambition to record an album of poetry with music.
It’s a record that draws on her passion for the English Romantic poets, a passion she fostered in her A Level studies with one Mrs Simpson at St Joseph's Convent School in Reading. From there she entered the world of As Tears Go By, of Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones, Top of the Pops and the left-hand path of pop and stage stardom. Sixties iconography and outrage followed, as did her subsequent battles with addiction before her 1979 return to powerful female and artistic autonomy with Broken English, an album which featured her setting to music Heathcote Williams’ poem of eviscerating rage, Why D’Ya Do It?
Drawing deep on the poetry of Shelley, Keats, Byron, Wordsworth, Tennyson and Thomas Hood, Faithfull’s vocal performances set to Ellis’s subtle collages of sound draw out the heart, the quick, the vibrant living matter in all these great poems, making them fresh, renewing them with the complex, lived-in timbres of her voice, and set to a subtle palette of ambient musical settings. It’s both a radical departure and a return to her original inspirations as an artist and performer.
The greatest poetry is best heard, and Faithfull’s accounts of some of the greatest lyric poetry in our language – Keats’ Ode To A Nightingale and Ode To Autumn – are spine-tingling in their deep understanding of the poetry’s powerful currents of meaning and identification. On Nightingale, her voice opens up like an epic landscape, while in Shelley’s miniature masterpiece, To The Moon, she sounds otherworldly, as if calling down from another medium, and the atonal, otherworldly sound textures provided by Eno on Bridge of Sighs and La Belle Dame Sans Merci become a compelling foil for Faithfull’s haunting interpretations of these rich, dark poems.
“They’ve have been with her her whole life,” says Ellis. “She believes in these texts. That world, she inhabits it, embodies it, and that really comes through. There’s just something about the way she can deliver that is incredibly affecting.”
“Eventually I always end up where I was meant to be,” says Faithfull. “I’ve noticed that. It may take a long time, but I get there. I never forget these things. After all these years, I’ve drawn the strands back and they still mean something and they resonate more, actually, because I now have life experience. Life and near-death experience. Many times! Not just once.” She Walks in Beauty is scheduled for release April 30th, with artwork created for the album by British artist and lifelong friend, Colin Self, and with the full texts of the poems, and commentary, included in the liner notes. While Faithfull continues to recover from the after-effects of Covid-19, and the world around us continues to struggle with the impact of the worldwide pandemic, these are poems and performances to steady and lift the spirit.

It all starts with a great song and “You Baby” has it all! Penned by husband and wife team Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil with the magic touch of Phil Spector – what an awesome trio – and the bedrock of a future classic.
The song was originally produced by Spector for the Ronettes, signed to his Philles label, and appeared on their 1964 breakthrough album ‘Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes’ featuring, of course, his wife to be Veronica Bennett. The song was also recorded in the U.S. by pop/rock band the Lovin’ Spoonful for their 1965 debut album ‘Do You Believe In Magic’.
However, in January 1966 Pye Records unleashed JACKIE TRENT’s epic Northern Soul version produced by her husband Tony Hatch. Heralded by a pounding drum beat and trumpet blast it is no wonder that Jackie’s definitive cover shook the walls at Wigan Casino a decade later. And its popularity has never gone away, hence its current price tag of £300-400! Check out Jackie’s performance on the Morecambe and Wise Show on YouTube, what an intro!
“You Baby” was also recorded in May ’66 by Cameo Parkway’s Lovenotes in a very similar vein and in November ’66 by the legendary Len Barry. Other notable cover’s include Sonny & Cher, the Bubblegum pop group Salt Water Taffy and, in 1975, John Holt’s reggae version.
“Lost Summer Love” was originally recorded in 1964 by U.S. actress Shelley Fabares known for her long-running role as Mary Stone in the sitcom ‘The Donna Reed Show’ and as Elvis Presley’s leading lady in ‘Girl Happy’, ‘Spinout’ and ‘Clambake’. She also scored a No.1 pop hit in 1962 with the teen anthem “Johnny Angel”. But, as with our ‘A-side’, it was reborn as a Northern Soul classic when Pye Records picked the song up in 1965 and recorded it on their latest signing, teenager LORRIANE SILVER. Once again the stomping drum track, percussion and handclaps propel you to the dancefloor where you’re greated with an unforgettably catchy tune, a bevvy of backing vocals and Lorraine’s effervescent vocal.
Two fabulous reasons to make this one of the top reissue 45s of 2020!

When most musicians reach a career milestone they take it on tour. Texas, whose debut album turned 30 last year, had bigger ambitions. Rather than simply perform their old songs, the Scots set out to meet their old selves – the wide-eyed kids who made Southside, their two million-selling, Top 3 debut, and the band who bounced back eight years later with the six times platinum White On Blonde.
The vaults at Universal were raided for recording sessions for both albums, stored on tape and DAT and never digitised. Top of Texas’ list was their first, failed attempt at I Don’t Want A Lover, scuppered by Chic bassist Bernard Edwards.
“Just after we signed, we were in the studio with Bernard and Chic’s drummer Tony Thompson,” recalls guitarist Johnny McElhone. “Bernard got coked up and ended up running away to Mexico before Sharleen even started her vocals. But that’s a whole other story.”
Late in 2018, the aborted version was found, alongside several songs recorded during different sessions which didn’t make their debut. The biggest revelation, however, was a 15-strong batch of tracks from the White On Blonde sessions which both Johnny and Sharleen Spiteri had forgotten existed.
“When we made that album, no one in Britain gave a shit about Texas,” says Sharleen. “We were still doing really well in Europe, but here we couldn’t get arrested.
“No one at our label was asking to hear any music or pushing us, so we just kept writing and recording and trying out new stuff until we felt the record was ready. Hence we ended up with a lot more material than usual.”
So good were the songs that Texas initially planned to release them as a ‘lost’ album, possibly to be called Blonde On White. But working with their old recordings inspired them to start writing new songs.
“Tweaking the old stuff was so much fun,” says Sharleen. “It felt like us, now, collaborating with ourselves of 25 years ago. It was amazing to go back there – my voice was so young! – and to hear how much energy and passion we had. We were fighting for our careers at the time, trying to prove that Texas were still relevant.
“Our excitement at finding this treasure trove of songs collided with our excitement from back then and, unplanned, new songs started coming. You could say we were inspired by ourselves, if that didn’t make us sound insanely big-headed.”
Hi, Texas’ tenth album, is the result of that bonkers journey back but has its eyes firmly fixed on the future. The title track and sensational first single aptly fuses the two. A brand new collaboration with Wu Tang Clan, it finds a soulful Sharleen nestled next to boisterous raps from RZA and Ghostface Killah over a cinematic backdrop of lush beats and acoustic guitar.

The new album American Quilt from Paula Cole. American Quilt, out May 21st, is the fondue of Cole’s melting pot, blending a variety of genres that include jazz, folk, and country. Cole takes on classics like “Black Mountain Blues,” “Nobody Knows You (When You’re Down and Out),” and “What a Wonderful World,” creating a patchwork of American music. The album also includes one original song, “Hidden in Plain Sight,” which is about quilts women made that provided clues to slaves in the Underground Railroad.

If there’s ever been a way to describe David Allan Coe, it’s got to be his ability to defy categorization. With over six decades of following his musical muse wherever it’s led, this craggy voiced outlaw has crossed the panorama of American roots music. As well as being a singer, guitarist, songwriter, David is also a magician and a ventriloquist, deep sea treasure hunter, and movie star. His movies included Stagecoach, The Last Days Of Frank and Jesse James, Lady Grey, Buckstone County Prison, Take This Job and Shove It, to mention a few. David signed with Sun Records in 1968 and recorded his first album Penitentiary Blues, all songs that David had written in prison. In 1973, Columbia Records bought David’s contract from Sun Records and he recorded his first Columbia album, titled “The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy”, several years before Glen Campbell had a hit with the song, “Rhinestone Cowboy.” Much has been written about David’s past and his lifestyle, but not much about his achievements over the years. From performing on Farm Aid to touring with Neil Young, Kid Rock and Willie Nelson. David’s song, “Take This Job and Shove It” has received multi-million airplays certificate from BMI. His “Greatest Hits” album is multi-platinum and his “First Ten Years” album is gold. David has had sixty three songs on the Billboard Singles Charts, including, “Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile”, “The Ride”, “Please Come To Boston”, “Willie, Waylon and Me”, “Jack Daniels If You Please” and “You Never Even Called Me By My Name” to name a few. David has written songs for Johnny Paycheck, Tanya Tucker, George Jones, Willie Nelson, Leon Russell, Charlie Louvin, Del Reeves, Tamy Wynette, Melba Montgomery, Stoney Edwards, The Oak Ridge Boys and Kid Rock. Both “Would You Lay With Me” and “Take This Job and Shove It” are multi- million seller songs penned by David. Johnny Cash has also recorded David’s songs including “Would You Lay With Me” on his chart topping album entitled, Cash. David has been through a lot in his life but has managed to put his past behind him and move forward with his life. This album was recorded in 2001 live from the Iron Horse Saloon in Daytona, Beach Florida and includes the only recorded version of, I’m An Ohio Boy.

On 12th Feb 2021, Bugzy Malone releases his fifth full length project, ‘The Resurrection’. This body of work is full of hard-won wisdom and undiluted street delivery on an elevated level that sees Bugzy produce his most accomplished work to date. The tracks weave social commentary and personal experience which produces something complex but powerful.

The album is launched with the single Don’t Cry’ ft. Dermot Kennedy. This is an anthem that journey’s Bugzy’s near fatal accident in March, depicting the mental and physical journey Buzgy went through whilst on the ground following the crash. In true King of the North fashion, Bugzy delivers technically perfect verses and showcases the incredible lyrical ability that everyone has come to love of him. This is balanced by Dermot Kennedy’s powerful and gritty chorus

‘Don’t Cry’ ft. Dermot Kennedy follows on from recent release ‘Doe’d Up’ and M.E.N III, the third instalment of ‘of his legendary M.E.N series which debuted at #18 in the singles chart, giving Bugzy his highest single chart position to date.

Van Morrison will release ‘Latest Record Project: Volume 1’ on May 7th on Exile/BMG. His 42nd record and his most dynamic and contemporary album in years, ‘Latest Record Project: Volume 1’ is a 28-track delve into his ongoing love of blues, R&B, jazz and soul

Rock band Ego Kill Talent—Jonathan Dörr vocals, Jean Dolabella [drums, guitar], Raphael Miranda [drums, bass], Niper Boaventura [guitar, bass], and Theo Van Der Loo [bass, guitar] —had been pivoting for most of 2020. The band was confirmed for a spring tour of South America with Metallica and Greta Van Fleet, set to perform at the majority of the Danny Wimmer Presents Festivals in the U.S., to tour with System of a Down in Europe, and to perform at many key European festivals. All told, EKT had booked 35 shows and 21 key festivals across three continents. They have supported Foo Fighters, (having been hand selected by Dave Grohl) and Queens Of The Stone Age
They are known for switching instruments amongst members while playing and were eager to show off their live prowess to audiences worldwide. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent global shutdown, Ego Kill Talent, like so many others, were forced to get creative —revamping and revising tour and album release plans.
EKT elected to split their full-length The Dance Between Extremes into three EPs due to the pandemic. The Dance EP landed on June 27 and The Dance Between EP dropped Dec 4. The third, final, and full release The Dance Between Extremes arrives on March 19, 2021.

Recorded sporadically over five years from 2015 to 2019, Sixty Summers was shaped profoundly by Stone’s key collaborators on the album: Thomas Bartlett, aka Doveman, and Annie Clark, the Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and producer known as St. Vincent. Bartlett and Clark were the symbiotic pair Stone needed to realise her first pop vision. A wizard of production and songwriting, Bartlett helped coax Sixty Summers’ independent, elemental spirit from Stone, writing and recording over 50 demos with her at his studio in New York. Itself a thoroughfare for indie rock luminaries, some of whom, such as The National’s Matt Berninger and Bryce Dessner, ended up on the album, Bartlett’s studio was perfect fertile ground for Stone’s growth.
Clark was the incisive yang to Bartlett’s yin, a sharp musical polymath who, when presented with the work Bartlett and Stone had made together, quickly helped fashion Sixty Summers into the album it was destined to be. Contributing vocals and guitar in addition to production, Clark’s revered acidic touch ignited the sparks of Stone’s creations.
The scope of Sixty Summers is dizzyingly vast; miles away from Stone’s past work, it is a world unto itself, a surreal and breathtaking new landscape. Where Stone’s previous solo records, 2010’s The Memory Machine and 2014’s By The Horns, found her grappling with the natural darkness that comes with loving too much, Sixty Summers finds Stone claiming every part of herself: fire, fury, love, lust, longing. Touching on reference points as disparate as the avant-funk of Talking Heads (on ‘Break’) the romantic 2am musings of Serge Gainsbourg (‘Free’, ‘Dance’) and the sleek, ecstatic synth work of Lorde’s Melodrama (‘Substance’), Sixty Summers is an album you can dance to and one you can lose yourself in completely.

Legendary drummer, Mick Fleetwood enlisted an all-star cast for a one-of-a-kind concert honouring the early years of Fleetwood Mac and its founder, Peter Green which was held on 25th February 2020 at the London, Palladium. The bill included Billy Gibbons, David Gilmour, Pete Townshend, John Mayall, Christine McVie, Zak Starkey, Steven Tyler, Bill Wyman, Noel Gallagher, Pete Townshend, Neil Finn, Kirk Hammett and Jeremy Spencer. Legendary producer Glyn Johns joined as the executive sound producer and the house band featured Fleetwood himself along with Andy Fairweather Low, Dave Bronze, Rick Vito, Jonny Lang and Ricky Peterson.

Fleetwood, who curated the list of artists performing, said: “The concert is a celebration of those early blues days where we all began, and it’s important to recognize the profound impact Peter and the early Fleetwood Mac had on the world of music. Peter was my greatest mentor and it gives me such joy to pay tribute to his incredible talent. I am honoured to be sharing the stage with some of the many artists Peter has inspired over the years and who share my great respect for this remarkable musician. ‘Then Play On’...”

Legendary drummer, Mick Fleetwood enlisted an all-star cast for a one-of-a-kind concert honouring the early years of Fleetwood Mac and its founder, Peter Green which was held on 25th February 2020 at the London, Palladium. The bill included Billy Gibbons, David Gilmour, Pete Townshend, John Mayall, Christine McVie, Zak Starkey, Steven Tyler, Bill Wyman, Noel Gallagher, Pete Townshend, Neil Finn, Kirk Hammett and Jeremy Spencer. Legendary producer Glyn Johns joined as the executive sound producer and the house band featured Fleetwood himself along with Andy Fairweather Low, Dave Bronze, Rick Vito, Jonny Lang and Ricky Peterson.

Fleetwood, who curated the list of artists performing, said: “The concert is a celebration of those early blues days where we all began, and it’s important to recognize the profound impact Peter and the early Fleetwood Mac had on the world of music. Peter was my greatest mentor and it gives me such joy to pay tribute to his incredible talent. I am honoured to be sharing the stage with some of the many artists Peter has inspired over the years and who share my great respect for this remarkable musician. ‘Then Play On’...”

Serj Tankian is the vocalist of iconic much loved metal band System Of A Down

2020, The Year Of Our Pandemic: A year of social unrest, police violence and a monumental US election. The year of COVID-19 and its mounting death toll. A massive explosion and mass death in Lebanon. Political upheaval in Belarus. A spiraling world economy. Global protests. If ever a stage was set for new music from Serj Tankian, this is it.
With his trademark eclecticism and one-of-a-kind vocal style, Serj delivers, Elasticity, a five song EP that run the gamut from hard-driving, electronically enhanced anthems like the title track to rallying cries for his beloved Armenia (“Electric Yerevan”) to the tongue-in-cheek political mash-up of “Your Mom.” Elasticity is comprised of songs originally intended for System Of A Down. But it didn’t quite work out that way.

The EP will delight fans of System who have waited a long time for new music. Alongside the release of the EP, Serj will release the documentary ‘Truth To Power’ which he directed himself and is released in conjunction with Oscilloscope Laboratories and Live Nation. The documentary features music from the EP and there are comarketing initiatives in place with the film company.

With over 5,000 performances spanning four decades, 20 million records sold worldwide, and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, CHEAP TRICK are undoubtedly one of the most influential classic rock groups of the past 50 years.

Produced by longtime associate Julian Raymond, IN ANOTHER WORLD sees Cheap Trick doing what they do better than anyone -- crafting indelible rock ‘n’ roll with oversized hooks, mischievous lyrics, and seemingly inexorable energy.

Trademark anthems like “Light Up The Fire” and “Boys & Girls & Rock N Roll” are countered by more introspective – but no less exuberant – considerations of times past, present, and unknowable future on such strikingly potent new tracks as “Another World” and “I’ll See You Again.” IN ANOTHER WORLD – which marks Cheap Trick’s first new LP since 2017’s double-header of WE’RE ALL ALRIGHT! and CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS – further showcases Cheap Trick at their most eclectic, touching on a myriad of distinct sounds and song approaches, from the swampy Chicago blues number, “Final Days” (featuring fiery harmonica from GRAMMY® Award-nominated singer and Wet Willie frontman Jimmy Hall) to a timely rendition of John Lennon’s still-relevant “Gimme Some Truth,” originally released for Record Store Day Black Friday 2019 and featuring the instantly recognizable guitar sound of erstwhile Sex Pistol Steve Jones.

As irresistible and immediate as anything in their already awesome catalog, IN ANOTHER WORLD is Cheap Trick at their irrepressible best, infinitely entertaining and utterly unstoppable

Armstrong at his zenith. In full control of his talent and his public From the big studio band to the combo with its New Orleans instrumentation. The technical quality emphasises the extraordinary fullness; the unparalleled warmth of his sound, the timbre of his voice and the stupendous swing which enlivens each instrumental or sung phrase.

Bad Colours is the moniker of London-born, Maryland-raised, Brooklyn-based DJ and producer Ibe Soliman. With influences of garage from both sides of the Atlantic as well as funk, post-disco, proto-house and rap samples; his debut album 'PINK' is set for release by Bastard Jazz on 26th February 2021.

The drive to record an album came about while isolating at home in Flatbush during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired by some rough ideas and samples that friends sent him, Ibe focussed his attention on making music. From time well spent soaking up and storing sounds from clubs around the world, Ibe found, now with the time to dedicate towards it, the tracks flooding out. Taking cues from early Trax records and Larry Heard, the UKG musicality of MJ Cole, Todd Edwards' vocal sampling techniques, the brashness of Bmore, and an encyclopedia of disco, funk and soul knowledge; Ibe got to work and quickly compiled more than enough tracks for a full-length release.

Flowing from the album intro 'PINK!', first single 'Cookin' vibes over a Chris Faust sample and saxophone from south California virtuoso Carras Paton. 'Feelin' Like' was originally built around a short vocal sample by Jarv Dee, but grew to include additional lyrics on black power from the Seattle rapper after he heard it: "Dancey stuff with a message" says Ibe.

Slow jam 'Heyyy', with its preemptive lyrical synths, bridges to the album's next single 'Get You Off'. Ibe had been listening to a lot of Marvin Gaye - particularly 'I Want You' - during lockdown, getting into the production and vocals. After writing the "I just wanna get you off" hooks, he handed the track over to talented singer, actor and playwright Marcus Harmon who wrote the verses and provided the stunning vocal performance.

Keeping the sensual vibe, 'Skin To Skin' samples vocals from 'Private Play' by Wash 'N' Set, also produced by Ibe, with the Chris Isaak-esque guitar lines by Lex from Foreign Tapes. Made late at night, CMYK reminded Ibe of driving at night in the rain in NYC, where the colors bleed together on the wet road while 'Boss', the first track made for the album, is based around a Sunny Jones sample. The closing track 'Feel' was made at the peak of Black Lives Matter protests. "I just wanted something hard sounding," says Ibe.

Known for his residencies at some of New York's top venues, Ibe has been rocking crowds as a DJ for over a decade, and has shared the decks with the likes of James Murphy, Mark Ronson, and Q-Tip. He's performed alongside Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg, Pusha T, and Young Thug, to name a few. In high demand as a private party curator, he's helped set the tone for Jeff Koons, FKA Twigs, Justin Timberlake, Travis Scott, and Usher. When Ibe's not behind the decks, he's in the lab, where he's produced for Kendrick Lamar, Faith Evans, Keyshia Cole, and Rick Ross, among others.

Following on from two hugely successful debut albums (‘One Step Beyond’ & ‘Absolutely’, both #2 in the UK album charts upon the respective releases), 7 is Madness’ third studio album.

Originally released in 1981 and reaching #5 in the UK album charts, it is now subject to a brand new re-release on 180g black vinyl as part of an ongoing reissue campaign. Featuring exclusive liner notes by journalist Stevie Chick (MOJO, The Guardian & NME) and interviews with saxophonist Lee ‘Kix’ Thompson and keyboard-player Mike Barson. It features the hit singles Grey Day UK #4, Cardiac Arrest [UK #14], and Shut Up [UK #7].

I Got A Name is part of a series of 1972 – 1974 Catalog Reissues of the Legendary Jim Croce, which are now back in print on CD & 180g Black Vinyl. The set of reissues includes 3 Top 10 Gold Certified Studio Albums & Top 5 Platinum Certified Greatest Hits Release, featuring 10 Billboard Hot 100 singles, including 8 Top 40, 5 Top 10, and 2 Number 1 Classics.

I Got A Name was Croce’s fifth and final studio album, released in December 1973, and was his first posthumous release. It reached #2 in the charts and is certified GOLD. It features the Top 10 Hits “I’ll Have To Say I Love You In A Song” (#9), “I Got A Name” (#10) and Top 40 Hit “Workin’ At The Car Wash Blues” (#32)

The title track was the theme for the movie “The Last American Hero”, starring Jeff Bridges, and it became a best-selling single.