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Rubinho E Mauro Assumpção's 'Perfeitamente, Justamente Quando Cheguei' has to be up there as one of the finest Brazilian-psych-folk-MPB records we know. Unfortunately, it's very hard to find in the wild; even on digging trips to Brazil, an original copy rarely shows up, and when it does, it comes with a hefty price tag.

This highly sought-after rarity was released on the Brazilian label Tapecar Records in 1972 and is the one and only album by the sensational pairing of Rubinho and Mauro Assumpção. Effortlessly blending folk, MPB, funky-psych, rock, and relaxed, swaggering samba, this record ought to be heralded as a true Brazilian classic. However, maybe due to its scarcity and the previous reissue predominantly being only available to the Brazilian market, it has not had a chance to fully shine and find the wider audience it deserves. Through our reissue we hope to put things right. Fans of records by Milton Nascimento and Lô Borges are sure to enjoy the same magic and allure in 'Perfeitamente, Justamente Quando Cheguei'.

In addition to being the album’s songwriters, Mauro Assumpção took on the role of producer and Rubinho was co-producer as well as playing piano, organ, acoustic guitar and performing vocals. The record features the drummer Gegê who worked with Milton Nascimento, Edu Lobo, Nana Caymmi, Dom Um Romão and more. It also features guitarist Rick Ferreira, who played with Erasmo Carlos, Gal Costa and other greats. Rounding off the players on the album are Darcy Da Cruz and Formiga who have graced many a fine recording on horns.

'Perfeitamente, Justamente Quando Cheguei' is a truly stunning work that washes over you with beauty. Delve in and savour.

Glasgow’s Seated Records return with more archival Scottish New Wave material; this time, in the form of Pop Wallpaper’s disco-not-disco interpretation of the Shuggie Otis classic, “Strawberry Letter 23”. And interpretation is the right word, guitarist Evan Henderson confesses that the lyrics sang by Audrey Redpath on the record were, “err inaccurate due to pre-internet home recording translation”.

The Edinburgh band first released “Strawberry Letter 23” in 1986 as a double A side 12” alongside original song, “Nothing Can Call Me Back". The 1986 record’s sleeve states that the original - “Strawberry Letter 23" has been “re-modelled for special pleasures, namely on the dance floor”. Here the re-model has been re-modelled once more. The track is recontextualised for 2022 playing on a four track 12” that includes an unreleased instrumental demo version of the track, as well as mixes from label founder Pigeon Steve and close friend of the label, Useful Tom.

Wallpaper’s first EP “Over Your Shoulder” was released in 1984. The release received a considerable amount of radio support, not least from Radio 1’s John Peel and Janice Long, which culminated with a live session for Long’s show at the BBC’s studios in London. Released a couple of years later, Strawberry Letter received similar levels of radio play. Despite (much to the band’s confusion) being tracked by Motown UK at one point, Pop Wallpaper did not go on to receive commercial success and eventually went their separate ways.

“Strawberry Letter 23” sits in the singular historical, cultural context of mid-80s Britain. Following the explosion of punk at the end of the 1970s, in the 1980s many British bands began experimenting with new styles and instruments - always keeping an eye firmly on their punk roots. The loose percussion and synthesiser melodies have an almost new-age, balearic mood, while the falsetto vocals of singer Audrey Redpath are an unmistakable embodiment the Post-punk style of the time. The prominent bass-line suggests a reggae or disco inspiration, and bass player Myles Raymond admits that he obsessed over a Sly & Robbie Taxi records compilation around the time the band put the tune together.

This reissue includes an unreleased, unheard instrumental demo-version of the cover, “SL23”. The band recorded the demo during an nighter at Wilf’s Planet studios in Edinburgh, just after Wet Wet Wet had just finished up their own demo for “Wishing I Was Lucky” (Pop Wallpaper all insist they thought it would never be a hit). In this version, we hear the band messing around with drum machines and synths which, in a similar style to Kevin Low and Fiona Carlin on Seated 001, creates a stripped back dance floor work-out that bares almost no resemblance to any version of “Strawberry Letter 23”. In an attempt to emulate the Trevor Horne production style of the time, the band’s drummer Les Cook recalls pushing for more and more reverb on the drums during the session to a reluctant producer Chic Medley, who “eventually obliged, but needed a lot of persuading”. Much to Cook’s disappointment “the reverb was toned down when we got to the final release”.

On the B side, label boss Pigeon Steve delivers a dubbed-out and acid drenched, cosmic rendition of the track with “SL24”, before Useful Tom (son of Pop Wallpaper bass player Myles Raymond) brings the EP to an end with spacey de-construction of fractured vocals and gliding synths on the B2 with “SL25”.

The recordings on this album constitute the material from a June 20th, 1968 studio session recorded by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer (HGBS) and Joachim-Ernst Brendt in Germany's Black Forest. This is no ordinary recording. This enthralling Bill Evans session was recorded five days after a famous performance at the 1968 Montreux jazz festival by Evans, bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Jack DeJohnette. Verve's Montreux live recording won a Grammy, but this studio session has been in the vaults ever since.

For the first time this album was mastered in all analogue (AAA), from the original analog master. Mastered by René Laflamme at 2xHD Mastering lab and cut at Bernie Grundman at 45 RPM.

The 2xHD Fusion Mastering System is an innovation in audio restoration for a virtual audio reality. In the constant evolution of its proprietary mastering process, 2xHD has progressed to a new phase called 2xHD Fusion, integrating the finest state-of-the-art analog Nagra-T tape recorder modified with high-end tube playback technology, wired with OCC silver cable for better transparency and 3D imaging. 2xHD Vinyl are sourced from first generation analog recordings without any digital corruption. The cutting is done at Bernie Grundman Mastering Lab on tube cutting equipment.

The Zephyrs release their brand new album “For Sapphire Needle” on January 27th 2023 alongside Spanish comrades Acuarela, their first since 2010. With only 2018’s double A-side single “The Witches” and “The Crown Prince of Lies” in between, this represents their first collection of new songs in 13 years: from short and tightly constructed country-folk introspections to sprawling, spaced-out psychedelia, including a couple of extremely sharp pop glimmers and a killer Morricone-like instrumental. Originally conceived of as a series of 4 track EPs based on the seasons in which they were created, the recordings spanned into a patchwork of sessions with long-time collaborator and producer Michael Brennan at his Substation studio, neighboring a naval port in Rosyth. The ongoing recording sessions were made possible with the kind support of Robert Dillam, drummer for The Zephyrs and ex-guitarist for Creation band Adorable. With songs ranging from short and tightly constructed country-folk introspections to sprawling, spaced-out psychedelia, what resulted was an album near to double length. The collection presented as “For Sapphire Needle” is a cut-down selection of these songs. The record opens with “Leatherback”, a Crazy Horse inspired wall of distorted guitars drawing on lyrics from The Zephyr’s first album and pre-history, followed by the four songs earmarked for the first of the seasonal EPs – Winter – whose artwork was photographed in the alley behind Traceyann Campbell’s (Camera Obscura) house in Glasgow. Elsewhere on the album, “I tell you what” had much of its writing and recording initiated in a wooden shack near Aviemore and “Bolder” tells the story of overheard bar-side conversations and delayed flights in Denver airport, where lizard people live underground and some say the new world order lays dormant. The domestic depression of “How have you been today” precedes closing opus “Aliens”, inspired in equal measures by the maturation as social control science fiction of The Tripods and the schlock b-movie imagery of Rocky Erickson’s The Evil One. The album is the work of older and more consistent The Zephyrs. Stuart, David and Robert joined by collaborators: guitarist John Brennan and keyboardist Will Bates. The songs and sounds are sculpted out of slabs of time with friends at the Substation, a de facto weekly youth club for musicians who refuse to grow old. The triple bridges of Queensferry, the shipbuilding cranes of Rosyth docks and Babcock's shop - one of the few places in Scotland you can buy a real periscope over the counter - are just some of the backdrops as the Zephyrs rehearse for nobody but themselves. Yet, ever since Jean-Luc Picard himself told us that "this is not a holiday", it has become a unique and unbeatable way of peering up above the waterline, reinventing themselves and returning to the scene. Indeed with 10 songs in 46 minutes which wade across Gram Parsons and Big Star, Slowdive and spaghetti Western: folk, rock and shoegaze… as if they were trying to shorten the path to the California sky passing through Scotland and then Almería in Spain.

2020. The year of the corona-pandemic, when the music world was forced into a standstill, five old friends put in motion an old idea that had been lingering - and what eventually was to become a new band and powerhouse: The Halo Effect.
The members of The Halo Effect are not only masters of their domain, but also some of the pioneers of the Gothenburg melodeath scene; Lead guitarists and melodic deathslingers Niclas Engelin and Jesper Strömblad, lead singer and raging growler and lyricist Mikael Stanne, further on adding to this mix is the solid backbone and foundation of power bassist Peter Iwers, and his partner in crime since twenty plus years, hard-hitting drummer Daniel Svensson.
Knowing each other from an early age during the late 80’s and then playing together in different constellations during the 90’s, they came to dominate the Metal scene in Gothenburg - mainly being part of the two major bands and metal exports In Flames and Dark Tranquillity, also two of the pioneers and major forces behind the melodeath monicker: The Gothenburg Sound. A sound that would echo far and wide across the world and influence countless of metal bands during the 90’s and early 2000’s.This was also the initial thought behind The Halo Effect - to go back to the roots and
explore what the groundbreaking metal sounded like then. And add the experience and skills of what the members could bring to the table now. The result is an exceptional album and real tour de force to fans of melodeath where the echoes of the Gothenburg Sound is evident. The Halo Effect delivers the goods in a brutally efficient display of heart pounding beats, melodic mayhem and furious growling at its best. Raw, yetmelodic, and in your melted face.Buckle up and remove your ear plugs. The restrictions are being lifted, the pandemic is over, and The Halo Effect is finally ready to meet its audience all over the world.

Silver biplanes are Tim Vass (one half of Razorcuts - the Creation-signed indie pop darlings) and Vanessa Vass (singer of Radcliffe jangle pop favourites the Melons). "A Moment In The Sun” is the debut long player by silver biplanes, a melodic indie band based in Bedfordshire, England. The band features wife-and-husband team Vanessa Vass and Tim Vass alongside drummer Rob Scott and the album is the pinnacle of a musical career which has previously seen Vanessa and Tim release songs on no fewer than 30 different labels between them! The band are lifelong fans of the highways and bi-ways of music and the album draws upon a wide range of influences. It’s a heady mix of choruses, hooks and catchy tunes in which you’ll hear traces of psychedelia, post-punk, krautrock and more. Tim was bassist and lyricist in cult indie band Razorcuts, co-writing all of their songs. Razorcuts releases regularly featured in the higher reaches of the independent charts throughout the late 80s and included two top five albums recorded for the famous Creation label. Both albums were reissued in sellout deluxe vinyl editions in 2020. Razorcuts continue to appear on numerous compilations and their influence is often cited in books and internet articles. Tim has also played in Red Chair Fadeaway, Dandelion Wine and the Forever People. Vanessa was the singer in 90’s indie band The Melons who are probably best remembered for their two legendary live sessions on Mark Radcliffe’s Radio 1 show. The Melons released 6 singles and were regularly featured in the British music press.

Thee Headcoats and CTMF go head-to-head! Two Billy Childish bands battle it out with versions of the same song! Thee Headcoats version is taken from their forthcoming new studio album "Irregularis: The Great Hiatus". The CTMF version is exclusive to this release. Q: Two versions of the same song by different bands. Has each band heard the other version? If so, did they pass judgement? A: No, neither group heard the other version. I had forgotten how the CTMF version went - even though it was only a few weeks past. As with all the LPs there's no rehearsal. I play the track - we do a run through and then press record. I don't remember how either version goes now. Q: There's a famous saying - "Talent borrows; genius steals". Are you a borrower? A stealer? Or something else entirely? A: As I've said before, I follow strict music industry guidelines and only plagiarise 50 percent of my material. Kurt Cobain put it better - he said people thought he was original because he didn't let on what he was ripping off. Though we know he got the riff to his most famous song from The Daggermen, a local group Wolf (our drummer) played in. Q: What was it like recording with Bruce and Johnny after such a long time? A: We met up in the studio in the morning, had a cuppa, a chat, plugged in and recorded the LP (in two days.) It was the first time we'd all been together in about 30 years, and it felt like yesterday - just laughing and joking about how rubbish we were and generally having fun. It was like no time had passed at all. Q: Love the sleeve picture for this 7"! A lot of people miss the humour in your work, does that frustrate you? A: I'm not frustrated but surprised that the British seem to have lost their sense of humour somewhat - they've been pretty po-faced since 1978, I think. I was brought up on Pete and Dud when I was a kid. Interestingly a lot of comedians seem to like what we do. Stewart Lee has always been a fan and he said there are others of his ilk. If something can't be mocked or laughed at, I'm not that interested in it.

15 years after the album’s release, ‘City Of Echoes’ is now
available in a deluxe 2LP edition, newly remastered by
Josh Bonati and featuring a full LP’s-worth of bonus
material, including original album demos, alternate takes,
and pieces originally only available on the rare ‘Pink
Mammoth’ EP.
‘City Of Echoes’, originally released in 2007 by Hydra
Head Records, marked a paradigm shift for Pelican.
Coming off the heels of the glacial ‘Australasia’ and their
even more expansive and acclaimed follow-up, ‘The Fire
In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw’, their third album is
a study in precision.
Inspired by their non-stop tour schedule following ‘The Fire
In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw’’s release, the
quartet composed ‘City Of Echoes’ to be a lean
powerhouse of non-stop melodic hooks and lurching
rhythms that reflected the energy of live performance.
Guitarists Trevor Shelley de Brauw and Laurent
Schroeder-Lebec trade crisp riffs that twirl in opposition
before thundering together in monoliths. The sheer
amount of potent interplay between the two, often
borrowing from disparate edges of rock and metal at a
whim before completely transforming, is mind-boggling.
Bassist Bryan Herweg and rhythm section compatriot /
drummer / brother Larry Herweg lock into a wider array of
grooves than ever before. Their considered bedrock
guides the band’s dynamics into some of the ensemble’s
most tender moments as well as their most ferocious.
Recorded by Andrew Schneider at Electrical Audio Cover.
Art designed by ISIS and SUMAC founder Aaron Turner,
with photography by Robin Laananen.
Also available to independent retailers on Translucent Blue
vinyl.

15 years after the album’s release, ‘City Of Echoes’ is now
available in a deluxe 2LP edition, newly remastered by
Josh Bonati and featuring a full LP’s-worth of bonus
material, including original album demos, alternate takes,
and pieces originally only available on the rare ‘Pink
Mammoth’ EP.
‘City Of Echoes’, originally released in 2007 by Hydra
Head Records, marked a paradigm shift for Pelican.
Coming off the heels of the glacial ‘Australasia’ and their
even more expansive and acclaimed follow-up, ‘The Fire
In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw’, their third album is
a study in precision.
Inspired by their non-stop tour schedule following ‘The Fire
In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw’’s release, the
quartet composed ‘City Of Echoes’ to be a lean
powerhouse of non-stop melodic hooks and lurching
rhythms that reflected the energy of live performance.
Guitarists Trevor Shelley de Brauw and Laurent
Schroeder-Lebec trade crisp riffs that twirl in opposition
before thundering together in monoliths. The sheer
amount of potent interplay between the two, often
borrowing from disparate edges of rock and metal at a
whim before completely transforming, is mind-boggling.
Bassist Bryan Herweg and rhythm section compatriot /
drummer / brother Larry Herweg lock into a wider array of
grooves than ever before. Their considered bedrock
guides the band’s dynamics into some of the ensemble’s
most tender moments as well as their most ferocious.
Recorded by Andrew Schneider at Electrical Audio Cover.
Art designed by ISIS and SUMAC founder Aaron Turner,
with photography by Robin Laananen.
Also available to independent retailers on Translucent Blue
vinyl.

In the early '70s, after relocating from his native Genoa to Rome, young saxophonist Gianni Oddi was beginning to establish himself as a super-cool arranger thanks to a series of cover albums recorded for RCA Italy. They contained funk, soul and easy-listening versions of contemporary pop hits, but Oddi often managed to include one or two original compositions of his own – like the ones contained in this new instalment of Four Flies's 12-inch vinyl series for DJs.

The luscious funk of Dreamin', on side A, shows Oddi as an Italian master of groove. Warm, sexy and nocturnal, the song combines breaky drums with tantalizing vocals (provided by Baba Yaga's Isabella Sodani), adding a romantic, dreamy vibe in the special with strings and piano (the latter played by Oddi himself) that are at once reminiscent of soulful black music and influenced by the melodic tradition of Italy.

Geronimo, on side B, is almost a tribute to Manu Dibango – a favourite of Oddi's at the time. Here, Oddi's signature groove, at once refined and infectious, is driven by Mario Scotti's pulsating bass, Silvano Chimenti's wah-wah guitar, Oddi's own persuasive sax and, in particular, sound engineer (and former drummer) Enzo Martella's 'moose call' sound (made by sliding a thumb across the top of a conga). In a nutshell: Africa reimagined in Via Tiburtina (the street in Rome where RCA Italy's recording studios where located).

Both tracks are perfect examples of Oddi's sound and... Style (yes, his 1974 album for RCA Italy's SP series). The same sound (and style!) characterizes masterpieces like Le Montagne della Luce (co-written with Romolo Grano), La Sbandata (the funky theme from Domenico Modugno's soundtrack, which Oddi arranged and produced) and Mondo di Notte Oggi (co-written with Gianni Dell'Orso). All of these have been released by Four Flies, which continues to celebrate this fantastic groove maker.

 ‘Silent World’ is perhaps the most personal album
of drummer, composer and bandleader Wolfgang
Haffner yet.
 A master of clarity, focus, and reduction,
accompanied by Dominic Miller, Nils Landgren, Till
Brönner, Bill Evans, Rhani Krija, and many more.
 ‘Silent World’ is about the essentials of being
human, a message which Haffner signals clearly
with concise track titles such as ‘The Peace
Inside’, ‘Hope’ or ‘Belief’. Sometimes we’re in the
world of hymns, sometimes of dreams, but there is
always a melody to be grasped and a pulse to be
felt, and those points of reference give a basis for
the listener to focus and to enjoy the music
thoroughly.

The American garage rock band Louis XIV was formed by singer and guitarist Jason Hill, guitarist Brian Karscig, Drummer Mark Maigaard and bassist James Armbrust. In total, the band released three studio albums, including the third album from 2008, Slick Dogs And Ponies. It was released onAtlantic Records and featured the popular tracks “Guilt By Association”, “Air Traffic Control” and “Stalker”. It was their last album before disbanding in 2009. Jason Hill continued his musical career as a composer for film music and is best known for scoring Gone Girl, Mindhunter and Love, Death And Robots amongst others.

Slick Dogs And Ponies is available as a 15th anniversary edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on translucent green coloured vinyl and includes an insert.

repress

Limited

Renowned around the world for his iconic sound, disco legend T-Groove teams up with one of the greatest street drummers of all time, George Kano, to form the foundation of an 18 man jazz-funk-disco experience! Moody but sweet. Soulful and groovy. Recorded live, these ten songs are perfect whether you're in the club or sitting in your favorite armchair. The only certainty is you won't be able to stop yourself from dancing like nobody's watching.

This incredible trio of poets, were not only musicians but Civil Rights Activists, rising up in the early 1960’s. They formed the group whilst in prison where they began performing the “spoken word” to rhythm and percussion. The last poets where born! None of this prolific music has been issued as a 7” before, great music for all good music lovers

A - “It’s a trip” - Vocal ACID JAZZ / dance gem!
Killer Track. Percussive vocals; addictive and funky. Acid jazz club classic. Dare you to keep up. Once you start, you can’t stop dancing. Such vibes. Environmental and racism-alerts messages chorused as early as 1977. You gotta listen to the words. Zeitgeist extraordinaire.

B - “Blessed are those who struggle” - Exclusive 7” cut for this vinyl release. The super funky drums of Mr Bernard Purdie, one of the best drummers in the World, if I may say so myself. Stunning.

Strut revives a lost recording from the archives in January with a 2002 collaboration between acclaimed South African folk singer Vusi Mahlasela, singer songwriter Norman Zulu and Swedish jazz / soul collective Jive Connection. Sotho folk singer Vusi Mahlasela, dubbed "The Voice" Of South Africa, performed at Mandela"s inauguration in 1994 and has enjoyed his own long relationship with Sweden, regularly embarking on cultural exchanges and forging a strong bond with the Jive Connection band, featuring guitarist / bassist Stefan Bergman and Little Dragon drummer Erik Bodin within its line-up. Although touring regularly, the collaboration has rarely been documented beyond a lone studio album in 1994. This "lost" recording, discovered in the archives of producer Torsten Larsson, also features songwriter / vocalist Norman Zulu and showcases their natural musical chemistry together. Vusi"s songs have traditionally addressed the struggle for freedom and the need for reconciliation and, here, his lyrics are as powerful as ever, ranging from parables ("Prodigal Son") to an unflinching lament on child abuse ("Faceless People"). Jive Connection vary the soundtrack, bringing in hints of reggae, jazz and post-punk alongside traditional township arrangements.

Originally released in February 2012 and receiving positive critical reception, COGNITIVE is SOEN’s phenomenal debut album. The project features co-founding members, drummer Martin Lopez (OPETH, AMON AMARTH) and vocalist Joel Ekelöf (WILLOWTREE), Steve DiGiorgio (SADUS, TESTAMENT, DEATH, ICED EARTH) on bass and Kim Platbarzdis on guitars. The album was mixed by the Grammy Award-winning Canadian producer David Bottrill, who has worked with PETER GABRIEL, TOOL, SMASHING PUMPKINS and MUSE.

Described by Lopez himself as “melodic, heavy and intricate”, COGNITIVE, through its beautiful melodies, not only displays the performers’ superb technical proficiency, it also showcases the impressive and mysteriously warm vocals of Ekelöf.

Due to great public demand, SOEN will release COGNITIVE for the very first time on vinyl on January 27, 2023 via Silver Lining Music. This official SOEN-endorsed double vinyl release is complete with the bonus track “Writhen” and all of the album lyrics.

Soul Jazz Records are releasing Count Ossie and The Mystic Revelation’s seminal 1975 album Tales of Mozambique in an expanded double album/single CD/digital format, fully remastered and with the inclusion of two bonus rare single-only tracks, full sleevenotes, exclusive photographs and interview.

Count Ossie is the central character in the development of Rastafarian roots music, nowadays an almost mythical and iconic figure. His importance in bringing Rastafarian music to a populist audience is matched only by Bob Marley’s promotion of the faith internationally in the 1970s.

Count Ossie’s drummers performed on the first commercially released single to integrate Rastafarian traditional music with popular music: the vocal group The Folkes Brothers’ groundbreaking song ‘Oh Carolina’, recorded for producer Prince Buster in 1959. In 1966 his drummers greeted the momentous arrival of Haile Selassie at Kingston airport.

His legendary jam sessions up in his Rastafarian compound in the hills of Wareika, Kingston, are famous for the many Jamaican musicians who attended including The Skatalites players – Roland Alphonso, Don Drummond, Johnny Moore, Lloyd Knibbs – and many others.

The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari formed in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1970, a union of Count Ossie’s Rastafarian drummers – variously known as his African Drums, Wareikas or his Afro-Combo – and the saxophonist Cedric Im Brooks’ horns group, The Mystics.

The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari are the defining group in bringing authentic Rastafarian rhythms into the collective consciousness of popular music, their unique music is at once rooted in the deep traditions and rituals of traditional drumming and chanting alongside a forward-thinking, even avant-garde, artistry influenced by the likes of John Coltrane, Sun Ra, Pharoah Sanders and other pioneering African-American jazz artists radicalised and charged by the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

Tales of Mozambique is a truly unique and fascinating ground-breaking album.

Count Ossie and The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari are the central group featured on Soul Jazz Records recent "Rastafari - The Dreads Enter Babylon” a collection showing the influence of Rastafari in Reggae and Jamaican popular culture.

Soul Jazz Records will also be releasing Count Ossie and The Rasta Family 'Man From Higher Heights’ in the near future.

* Bonus tracks

REVIEWS

" All roads in Rastafarian roots music lead to Count Ossie.He’s the lead character in this compelling subplot, the musician who was one of the first to put Rasta tenets into the heart of popular music.

He did so from his camp in the hills above Kingston, Count Ossie and his drummers casting a spell on the musicians who gathered to check him out and then went on to spread the word about the powerful nyabinghi rhythms and mesmerising percussion.

This is a reissue of the 1975 album Count Ossie made with his Rastafarian drummers and saxaphonist Cedric ‘Im’ Brooks’s group The Mystics.

It’s a groundbreaking, majestic work, by turns righteous in tone and joyous in execution. It’s the sound of Ossie and his ensemble narrating a history lesson and you’d be daft not to want to find out more." IRISH TIMES

Debut solo album by Dave Rowntree, best known as the drummer in Blur. It"s a record set to surprise many people, being an electronic-based album with orchestral fringes, filled with great, tuneful songs delivered by Rowntree"s assured and expressive vocal performances. While down the years he"s provided backing vocals on many of Blur"s albums and onstage during their live sets, this is the first time the drummer has stepped up to the microphone as a singer in his own right. He says he didn"t particularly find the prospect daunting. Produced by Leo Abrahams (Brian Eno, Ghostpoet, Wild Beasts), featuring co-writers including Gary Go and Högni Egilsson and stirring orchestrations recorded in Budapest, Radio Songs is a sonically expansive, but also deeply personal record.

New Stay Up Forever offshoot label SUF ACID CHRONICLES will be dedicated to bringing all kinds of different Acid music to the table with remixes from the London Acid Techno community. First release is by Portugal's rising techno star Ninna V who provides two stomping, classic Acid tracks with thumping remixes from D.A.V.E.The Drummer and Chris Liberator & Sam DFL.

Triple coloured vinyl version (Each disc is a different colour) of the double CD that came out on Cherry Red in 2021 Presented in Tri-fold gatefold sleeve with 16 page 12x12 colour booklet, poster & photograph.
ONLY 350 COPIES WORLDWIDE
Among the first crop of Creation Records bands in the mid-1980s, THE LOFT seemed the most likely to break through. Following the success of The Smiths, guitar-based independent pop was in vogue, Alan McGee’s Creation label was turning heads – its bands blending 60s psychedelia, the melodic end of punk and a new sound which would soon be immortalised on NME’s C86 cassette. And in this London quartet, Creation had their answer to bands like Television, The Only Ones or early Modern Lovers, offering taut, off-kilter songs with an irresistibly deadpan cool.
Sadly, after just two singles, 1984’s downbeat debut ‘Why Does The Rain’ and the punchier sequel, ‘Up The Hill And Down The Slope’ – an indie hit which the band performed live on TV show The Oxford Road Show, The Loft dissolved, with various members founding new bands The Weather Prophets, The Caretaker Race and The Wishing Stones. They left behind seven studio tracks, a BBC Radio 1 session for Janice Long and one track from a Creation LP documenting the scene’s roots in small club The Living Room.
However, The Loft’s legend endured, eventually prompting a reunion in the early 2000s with all four original members – singer/songwriter/guitarist Pete Astor, guitarist Andy Strickland, bassist Bill Prince and drummer Dave Morgan. Alongside various well-received live shows, that led to a new single, ‘Model Village’ (2006) and more recently a session for Gideon Coe on BBC 6 Music (2015). The Loft’s reputation as founding fathers of a new breed of mid-80s indie pop continues to grow to this day, with the band often cited as an influence.
Compiled and coordinated by the band, Ghost Trains & Country Lanes expands on previous retrospectives of The Loft, adding those reunion recordings (including three previously unissued tracks), the Gideon Coe session and several live recordings from that historic performance at The Living Room back in 1984. (including many exclusive songs which were never recorded in the studio).
With new sleeve-notes by Danny Kelly, this is the definite tribute to The Loft

Formed in 2014 in Chicago by partners Joshua Condon
and Eliza Weber, Glyders have kept busy, lighting up
shows around town and country ever since then with their
mystery sound, on the road when and where they could
from here to Europe, taking time also to self-release a
couple of EPs (‘DIM’ and ‘Lend a Hand’).
 Fuelled by Josh’s spectral vocals and the liquidity created
by his guitar and Eliza’s bass, Glyders’ mazy spacecraft
takes to the air from the empty parking lot out back of the
roadhouse and finds in its arc an anodyne of the trippy and
the wiggy / ghostly places lost and found. Glyders have it
both ways, rocking the white line with fervour but also
stopping to soak up the fragrance of the purple sage and
the queen of the night by the side of the road.
 They’ve cut their records at home, with Josh delving deep
in the pleasures of analogue recording, finding the
embodiment of their subterranean fascinations with twists
and turns of the dial in a space they’ve dubbed the Juicy
Lagoon. Steeped in the pop and psychedelic enigmas of
rock and roll yore, the buzzing of tubes and transients and
uncontainable rumble, Glyders make it shake and live in
front of the tape machine and real audiences alike with a
flexible, expansive palette of sounds and a tight bunch of
songs.
 For their first vinyl full-length, the watchword, as ever, is
‘maximal minimal’. These kids are up around the bend and
in it for the long haul. After a few line-up shifts over the
years, they’re settled down with drummer Joe Seger and
are fixing their sights on the far horizons. If you see
Glyders choogling down the track, pull up and get set for
‘Maria’s Hunt’.

Formed in 2014 in Chicago by partners Joshua Condon
and Eliza Weber, Glyders have kept busy, lighting up
shows around town and country ever since then with their
mystery sound, on the road when and where they could
from here to Europe, taking time also to self-release a
couple of EPs (‘DIM’ and ‘Lend a Hand’).
 Fuelled by Josh’s spectral vocals and the liquidity created
by his guitar and Eliza’s bass, Glyders’ mazy spacecraft
takes to the air from the empty parking lot out back of the
roadhouse and finds in its arc an anodyne of the trippy and
the wiggy / ghostly places lost and found. Glyders have it
both ways, rocking the white line with fervour but also
stopping to soak up the fragrance of the purple sage and
the queen of the night by the side of the road.
 They’ve cut their records at home, with Josh delving deep
in the pleasures of analogue recording, finding the
embodiment of their subterranean fascinations with twists
and turns of the dial in a space they’ve dubbed the Juicy
Lagoon. Steeped in the pop and psychedelic enigmas of
rock and roll yore, the buzzing of tubes and transients and
uncontainable rumble, Glyders make it shake and live in
front of the tape machine and real audiences alike with a
flexible, expansive palette of sounds and a tight bunch of
songs.
 For their first vinyl full-length, the watchword, as ever, is
‘maximal minimal’. These kids are up around the bend and
in it for the long haul. After a few line-up shifts over the
years, they’re settled down with drummer Joe Seger and
are fixing their sights on the far horizons. If you see
Glyders choogling down the track, pull up and get set for
‘Maria’s Hunt’.

CHRISTIAN DEATH was formed by Rozz Williams in Los Angeles, California in 1979. Williams was eventually joined by guitarist/songwriter Rikk Agnew of ADOLESCENTS, James McGearty on bass and George Belanger on drums. This CHRISTIAN DEATH line-up was responsible for recording the band's iconic 1982 debut, ONLY THEATRE OF PAIN, widely regarded as the #1 American goth album of all-time. This exclusive double-LP version of OTOP commemorates its 40th anniversary- the first disc is the digitally remastered, original version of the album while the second disc is comprised of "Dogs" from HELL COMES TO YOUR HOUSE, four pre-Frontier demos, two studio demos made for a second Frontier Records' LP that never happened and two alternate studio mixes from OTOP. The gatefold LP jacket is printed in its original its black and metallic gold, includes a Colver collage poster and a hardcover copy of the photo book, ONLY THEATRE OF PAIN and all come in a hard slipcase. The oversized 12" x 12" book features rare and never-before-seen photos of CHRISTIAN DEATH as well as new interviews with photographer Edward C. Colver, the surviving band members, Frontier's Lisa Fancher and others. Colver befriended the band and followed them around in late 1981 and early 1982 at more than a dozen concerts as well as photo shoots in Rozz Williams' family home (used on the back cover and insert of ONLY THEATRE OF PAIN) and a session of now famous images at a Pomona CA cemetery. Info: Just as the theatrically-minded LA punk scene was beginning to give rise to such morbidly themed outfits as 45 Grave and the Flesh Eaters, an androgynous teenaged street performer named Rozz Williams (né Roger Painter) founded CHRISTIAN DEATH, one of the most prolific, enduring, and beloved gothic acts of all time. Williams' otherworldly groan can make "Only Theatre of Pain" difficult going for those that aren't the gothic faithful, but the loud/not-too-fast music (courtesy of ex-ADOLESCENTS guitarist Rikk Agnew and the walking-dead rhythm section of bassist James McGearty and drummer George Belanger) is appropriately doom 'n' gloomy, with inventive arrangements and clear sound - thanks to Frontier Records' go-to punk production legend, Thom Wilson- capturing the mood in full B-movie fidelity. The lyrics sacriligiously address horror topics and religion: they're overwrought (the backwards masking of 'Mysterium Iniquitatis' being one clever exception) but easy to overlook in the wash of inspired rock noise. The original lineup's recorded debut is a gem. Artists inspired by CHRISTIAN DEATH include Danzig, Craddle of Filth, Paradise Lost, Korn, Type O Negative, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson and Jane's Addiction. Press: "A depraved masterpiece, this was punk rock made poetic, subversive, and gracefully savage."- AV Club "The Gothic album to out-gothic all others" - Melody Maker "Only Theatre of Pain's influence should not be underestimated" - Record Collector Limited availability!

BBE Music continues its highly acclaimed J Jazz Masterclass Series with Kemo Sabe, the
debut album from pianist Masao Nakajima. Recorded in 1979 on Yupiteru Records, it’s an
elusive beast in the field of J Jazz and balances delicate and refined playing with power and
vigour.
The Kemo Sabe album features bassist Osamu Kawakami, who has performed and
recorded with such J Jazz figureheads as Sadao Watanabe, Isao Suzuki, and Kunihiko
Sugano. Sax duty is by Toshiyuki Honda, leader of the popular fusion group Burning Waves.
On drums is Donald Bailey, the noted American drummer most known for playing on classic
Jimmy Smith Blue Note sessions. Bailey lived and worked in Japan for a number of years
from the late 70s and recorded several album dates with local artists such including Keiko
Nemoto, Isao Suzuki and George Kawaguchi.
Recorded at the height of the electric fusion era, Kemo Sabe is an avowedly acoustic album,
which may account for the small sales and low profile of the album at the time. The
propulsive title track, written by New Zealand jazzman Mike Nock, was gifted to Nakajimsan when they briefly met and was featured on J Jazz: Deep Modern Jazz From Japan vol 3.
The reissue’s liner notes features an exclusive interview with Masao Nakajima himself,
discussing his career and background to the album.
The BBE J Jazz Masterclass Series is curated by Tony Higgins and Mike Peden and is
dedicated to presenting the very finest in Japanese jazz. The series features rare, long-lost
and unreleased material presented in the highest quality reproductions of the original
releases, fully licensed and authorised.

Australian 9-piece Spiritual Jazz group Menagerie announce their highly anticipated third album 'Many Worlds', released 15th January 2021 on esteemed U.K label Freestyle Records.

Menagerie is the Melbourne-based Jazz ensemble founded by producer, songwriter, guitarist, DJ and recording artist Lance Ferguson, also the driving force behind The Bamboos, Lanu, Rare Groove Spectrum and Machines Always Win.

Recorded at Union Street Studio by award-winning engineer John Castle, 'Many Worlds' features some of Australia's finest musicians, including pianist Mark Fitzgibbon (a regular performer at Gilles Peterson and Patrick Forge's original Dingwalls sessions), drummer Daniel Farrugia and renowned saxophonist Phil Noy (The Bamboos).

Inspired by both the post-Coltrane generation of the 70's, labels like Strata-East, Impulse! and Tribe, along with the current 'New Wave Of Jazz', Menagerie aligns with the world of Kamasi Washington, Shabaka Hutchings and Nubya Garcia, whilst also bringing their own unique twist.

Lead single 'Free Thing' leans heavily into the spiritual side of the band's sound. The hypnotic spoken word-poem is evocative of The Last Poets, an earthy yet futuristic meditation on the universal theme of freedom itself, set to a backdrop of insistent percussion, double bass and brooding piano voicings.

'Hope' carries forward the sound of spiritual jazz into the 21st century, with its epic vocal harmonies and melodic fanfare, it is an uplifting anthem for this period of global worldwide upheaval and uncertainty.

The title track 'Many Worlds' is a perfect example of how Menagerie incorporates their myriad influences, but manage to create a sound that feels uncannily fresh and contemporary. Book-ended by ambient, ethereal sections, the slow-burning groove builds over its 11-minute duration to create a standout crossover track.

Menagerie have received airplay and radio support from Gilles Peterson (BBC6/Worldwide FM), Don Letts (BBC6), Jamie Cullum (BBC Radio 2), Simon Harrison, Paul Miller and Ennio Styles (3RRR).

'Many Worlds' will be released on legendary U.K imprint Freestyle Records - home to jazz contemporaries Courtney Pine, Jessica Lauren, and keyboard legend Brian Auger.

The debut album from post-folk travellers Immaterial Possession, a quartet, half of whom came from an artist commune and half who were card-carrying Elephant6 alumni. ‘Immaterial Possession’ is a rich tapestry of a record, a gorgeous, melodious return to a time when influences co-habited freely and whatever was close at hand made the music of the day. All set to Syd Barrett-era Floyd and Nico with haunting lines, it’s perfectly tinged with gamelan harmonies, evocative Spanish guitars and xylophone. Exuding mystical symbolism; they wear luscious threads, they’re part of something/anything; perhaps a neo-modern-folk commune of artists in search of a canvas to stretch out over their juxtaposed influences. Immaterial Possession was conceived by Atlanta natives, Cooper Holmes and Madeline Polites, who met while living together at an Atlanta artist commune that was integrated into the DIY music, theatre, and arts scene. Some years later the duo moved to the neighbouring musical town of Athens, GA. They were soon joined by seasoned drummer, John Spiegel, and eventually fulfilled with multi-instrumentalist Kiran Fernandes (keyboards, clarinets, flutes) - descendant of the Elephant 6 Collective scene. It’s eastern, it’s eerie dream pop, it’s spacious and ethereal… A perfectly wild trip, and where it ends is immaterial.

The heavy darkness that started it all! Southern Lord will be reissuing the very first ever Southern Lord release on vinyl: Thorrs Hammer- Dommedagsnatt

Extremely limited black vinyl repress

Circa 1995: Thorrs Hammer was a short-lived doom/death metal band from Seattle, Washington, USA. The group consisted of Runhild Gammelsæter, a Norwegian exchange student living in the US, on vocals, guitarists Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson, bassist James Hale, and drummer Jamie Sykes.

The band played 2 shows and recorded "Dommedagsnatt" before splitting, with Runhild opting to concentrate on her education (she now has a Ph.D.) while O'Malley, Anderson, and Sykes went on to form Burning Witch. O'Malley and Anderson also perform as Sunn O))).

"Dommedagsnatt" will be an upcoming Decibel Magazine Hall of Fame inductee!

Thick cardboard/tip-on style jacket.

Masters of anthemic rock ‘n’ roll Black Star Riders (The former Thin Lizzy
members) return with their hugely anticipated 5th studio album by
Earache records
Featuring 11 tracks, it was recorded in the Autumn of 2021 at Studio 606 in
Northridge California and Toochtoon Sound in Redmond Oregon with producer
and long time BSR associate, Jay Ruston. With Ricky Warwick on Lead Vocals /
Guitar, Robert Crane on Bass, Christian Martucci on Guitar and drummer Zak St.
About the album Ricky says “I am very proud of this record, Black Star Riders
fifth release and the first with our new and exciting relationship with Earache
Records. As with all BSR albums, ‘Wrong Side Of Paradise’ is an anthemic
statement of intent, driven by ferocious guitars and thundering drums. I can only
write about my own personal experiences, my families, my friends and how I see
a world that is unravelling and changing faster than we can comprehend. I’m a
firm believer however, in the power of positivity, something that echoes
throughout this album”.

The heavy darkness that started it all! Southern Lord will be reissuing the very first ever Southern Lord release on vinyl: Thorrs Hammer- Dommedagsnatt

Extremely limited black vinyl repress

Circa 1995: Thorrs Hammer was a short-lived doom/death metal band from Seattle, Washington, USA. The group consisted of Runhild Gammelsæter, a Norwegian exchange student living in the US, on vocals, guitarists Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson, bassist James Hale, and drummer Jamie Sykes.

The band played 2 shows and recorded "Dommedagsnatt" before splitting, with Runhild opting to concentrate on her education (she now has a Ph.D.) while O'Malley, Anderson, and Sykes went on to form Burning Witch. O'Malley and Anderson also perform as Sunn O))).

"Dommedagsnatt" will be an upcoming Decibel Magazine Hall of Fame inductee!

Thick cardboard/tip-on style jacket.

The British heavy metal band Fastway formed in 1982 by former Motörhead guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke. He recruited Humble Pie drummer Jerry Shirley and vocalist Dave King, who later founded Flogging Molly. Their debut album was originally released in 1983 and features the two singles “We Become One” and “Easy Livin’”. Despite not being released as an official single, the track “Say What You Will” became one of their biggest hits to date.

Fastway is available as a 40th anniversary edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on red coloured vinyl and includes an insert.

In the finest tradition of BBE Music’s J Jazz Masterclass Series, we have a real obscurity of quality to savour. Taken from the rare 1978 private press album ‘Introducing’ by the Hideyasu Terakawa Quartet featuring Hiroshi Fujii, this private press gig recording was originally released in less than 100 copies. This BBE Music edition is the first time this very rare album has ever been reissued.

Led by saxophonist Hideyasu Terakawa alongside bassist Tetsuo Miura and drummer Akihiro "Thunder" Nakaya, the album was recorded live in concert as Terakawa stopped by at the jazz spot DIG in Masuda City, Japan, on the first of a seven-day regional tour in October 1978. Joining the trio was the featured guest, vibist Hiroshi Fujii.
According to Fujii, “a special label, Red Horison, released only this one album and it was sold at a few local record stores and available for sale when we played live. After this live recording, I did not perform with Terakawa again.” The current whereabouts of saxophonist Hideyasu Terakawa remain a mystery but we are delighted to be able to present this wonderful album to a new audience.
Unlike previous J Jazz Masterclass releases, the album contains no original compositions but rather fascinating interpretations of material by leading American jazz composers such as Wayne Shorter (Black Nile, as featured on J Jazz vol 3), Frank Foster (Simone) and Milt Jackson and Jimmy Heath (Rerev).

GEHENNAH's demo recording from 1994
This 10 track recording is a true hidden gem in Swedish metal history, as it had a
limited circulation back in the tape trading days. We have put great effort in
getting the best possible mastering and restoration of this nearly 30 year old
recording, and the result will blow peoples minds! The 10 tracks was recorded
about 1 year before the cult album debut Hardrocker , and shares a couple of
tracks, but is a completely different recording, with another drummer. Four of the
songs are not available on any other GEHENNAH release. GEHENNAH was, and
still is, a a brutal assault on the ears and the perfect homage to old school metal
a'la VENOM and early MOTORHEAD. In fact, the band formed in the early 90's as a
reaction to the velvet clad fantasy/ romantic/ troll infested type of metal that
started to emerge from Scandinavia at the time. GEHENNAH went for the throat
with their obnoxious, loud and raw rock'n'punk infused thrash metal. Don't miss
out on this piece of Swedish metal savagery!

Art Blakey was an exceptional musician, but not only because he succeeded in recruiting the best players to join his Messengers. He also had the skill to blaze new trails through forms of jazz that continuously evolved. Beginning in the Forties with the big bands of Fletcher Henderson and Billy Eckstine, he went on to play with Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie… And then Blakey met up with Horace Silver in the mid-Fifties to found the Jazz Messengers. It was with this band that Blakey would open his arms to all the best young musicians of this generation: he nurtured the likes of Hank Mobley, Jackie McLean, Lee Morgan,

Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard and many others. The first two sides of this album give an all too brief illustration of this aspect of the drummer, while sides three and four feature the inventiveness and rhythmical sense of a great percussionist who never renounced his African origins.

San Francisco's first and only rock 'n' roll band, CRIME loomed over the entire Mabuhay Gardens scene with their blistering 1976 single Hot Wire My Heart. The group's loose, damaged rock 'n' roll was as immediate as it was controversial. They were punk by any definition, yet shunned the label with a guttersnipe sneer. Their meticulously cultivated aesthetic of S&M graphics and police uniforms produced some of the era's most indelible imagery. One of their finest moves was playing in the San Quentin prison yard.

Formed by guitarists/vocalists Johnny Strike and Frankie Fix, CRIME enlisted bassist Ron the Ripper and drummers Ricky "Tractor" Williams (later of THE SLEEPERS), Brittley Black, and Hank Rank. Joey D'Kaye later joined on keyboards and bass duties.

For the first time, this LP release collects the sick energy of CRIME's three singles along with nine previously unreleased studio recordings from 1976 to 1980. The visceral churn and unwieldy leads on tracks like "Frustration" and "Piss On Your Dog" make Murder By Guitar the definitive statement from this prescient American underground band.

Debut full-length album set for release on Lovely Records - Previous and
ex-Members from Year Of The Goat, Disfear, Skitsystem, The Deadbeats,
Dollhouse, Tortyr and The Dontcares - Sweet Teeth's debut album got
hyped by Little Steven (Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band) and
Classic Rock Mag - The vinyl is pressed on Vinyl in two editions limited to
500 copies each
One edition on Pink vinyl and one edition on transparent yellow vinyl - The band
have previously released their debut one- sided 12" and got nominated to a
Manifest Award (Swedens Alternativ Grammy) for it - The band have opened up
for Millencolin and their debut 12" was released by Lovely Records together with
De:nihil Records (That is runed by Larzon, the Millencolin drummer)

Debut full-length album set for release on Lovely Records - Previous and
ex-Members from Year Of The Goat, Disfear, Skitsystem, The Deadbeats,
Dollhouse, Tortyr and The Dontcares - Sweet Teeth's debut album got
hyped by Little Steven (Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band) and
Classic Rock Mag - The vinyl is pressed on Vinyl in two editions limited to
500 copies each
One edition on Pink vinyl and one edition on transparent yellow vinyl - The band
have previously released their debut one- sided 12" and got nominated to a
Manifest Award (Swedens Alternativ Grammy) for it - The band have opened up
for Millencolin and their debut 12" was released by Lovely Records together with
De:nihil Records (That is runed by Larzon, the Millencolin drummer)

Repress! Little Barrie And Malcolm Catto Team Up For Seven Tracks Of Breaks And Sci-Fi Fuzz For Maverick Producer Madlib's Label

Quatermass Seven, the meeting of minds between guitarist Barrie Cadogan, bassist Lewis Wharton and drummer Malcolm Catto represents a re-birth of sorts for Little Barrie, with these their first recordings since 2017’s Death Express and the untimely passing of their gifted drummer and friend Virgil Howe. As Lewis explains, the sessions played a part in the healing process, a way to re-connect through music without any intentions to necessarily come away with a finished record. “It was good to get in the studio again after such a long break especially as we didn’t go in with any agenda or expectations,” he explains. There was no preconceptions that we would make a new Little Barrie record, it was just an opportunity to work on some things Barrie had written for fun with zero pressure.” With most tracks recorded live with minimal overdubs, and produced by Malcolm at his Quatermass studios, The Heliocentrics’ main man brings new flavour to the band’s rhythm section by blending his power behind the drum kit and his expansive skills behind the mixing desk to take Little Barrie’s music forward into new territories. Recorded on Catto’s treasure trove of analogue gear, and mastered onto ¼” tape, the overall effect is guitar, bass and drums finding a sweet spot where genres collide, delivering a record that takes the influences of the past and pushes them towards somewhere more contemporary. “I definitely hear in Barrie’s songs a lot of common musical ground’” explains Malcolm. “It felt like a great thing to do, work with Malcolm while we’re figuring out what we wanna do,” Barrie concludes, “let’s just go in and do some playing and see what happens, and we came out with more than we ever intended.” Quatermass Seven delivers a dark, deep and expansive set of grooves, layered with frazzled and flawless guitar and flowing melodies, as well as pointing toward a future of exciting new musical opportunities. “Still here, so fine, just a little darker state of mind” sings Cadogan on ‘Steel Drum’, words which sum up hope in times of uncertainty, whilst unintentionally offering a perfect description of Quartermass Seven.

The old adage about Elvis Presley is that his soundtrack work never held a candle next to his studio albums. Though true for a majority of his film-related outings, the traditional notion is forever disproved by his Blue Hawaii set. Originally released in 1961 in support of the film in which he starred, the triple-platinum LP spent nearly five months at the top of the Billboard album charts; outsold his two prior studio efforts; and ultimately, remains the second-best-selling soundtrack of the musical-dominant 1960s. And now, it has received sonic treatment befitting rock royalty.

Recorded before the King started to burn out on soundtracks and go into a creative tailspin, Blue Hawaii presents him in tremendous voice. The newly uncovered layers of detail, body, emotionalism, and tonality on this SACD bring that treasured element – as well as the brilliance of the arrangements and accompaniment – to light like never before. Presley's warm crooning alone warrants unmitigated attention. It's not for nothing that this record – replete with panache, whimsy, romance, and seriousness – forever altered the course of his career.

Much like the film itself, the music on Blue Hawaii subscribes to a feel-good aesthetic. Presley plunges into a stylistic deep end with equal parts fearlessness and fun. He delves into early rock ‘n' roll ("Rock-A-Hula Baby"); touching balladry ("Hawaiian Wedding Song"); playful rumba ("Beach Boy Blues"); relaxing luaus ("Hawaiian Sunset"); and naturally, island-inspired fare ("Ku-U-I-Po"). It becomes immediately evident that the King is enjoying himself and committed to the mission. Is Blue Hawaii all serious art? No, but it was never intended to be. Rather, it serves as a showcase of Presley's outgoing personality and chameleon-like ability – like that of Frank Sinatra – to inhabit different roles and entertain.

Of course, Blue Hawaii remains timeless for another reason: The inclusion of the timeless, gorgeous, and still-untouchable staple "Can't Help Falling in Love." Penned by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss, the love song quickly transformed into an international standard – with Presley's definitive version hitting No. 2 on the charts and ultimately becoming the closing song to his concerts. Ranked among the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time by Rolling Stone, its conviction, sentiment, and depth testify on behalf of why Presley still reigns as the King.

However subtly, the staple also underscores another reason Blue Hawaii should never be overlooked in Presley's canon: the ace musicians involved in its creation. Guitarists Scotty Moore and Hank Garland; drummer D.J. Fontana; percussionist Hal Blaine; pianist Floyd Cramer; bassist Bob Moore; and iconic gospel backing vocalists the Jordanaires all contribute masterful performances. Hearing them with such expressiveness, openness, and realism on this 2LP 45RPM & SACD should forever alter how Presley's 1961 soundtrack – the finest of his career – is viewed. As he sings in the title track, dreams come true, indeed.

“On Des Demonas’ new seven-track EP Cure For Love
there’s a whalloping drum beat driving everything. But
the throbbing, pumping bass, clanging, slashing guitar and
whirling, swirling Farfisa are no mere passengers in this
vehicle! I’m told by the other band members Paul Vivari,
Joe [Halladay], Mark [Cisneros] and Ryan [Hicks] that
vocalist Jacky Cougar Abok is the loudest drummer
they’ve ever heard.
“But here he sings! In motifs. He sings out a beat, he
sings minimalist melodic hooks. He half speaks/half shouts
his lyrical content in rapid fire that is closer to beat poetry
than rap. His voice is insistent and demanding to be heard!
And it is! By having it slightly submerged, the listener is
forced to strain to hear the words because they won’t wanna
miss something important!
“The sonic fuel of the band is a blend of post-punk,
punk, funk, blues, psych-rock, Afrobeat, even bubblegum—
but the noise you hear is pure Des Demonas!
“Titles like the ‘Ballad Of Ike & Tina’ and ‘Black Orpheus
Blues’ add to the intrigue rather than explain the content.
The listener is both confronted and lured by something
bigger than themselves! Desire, intrigue, fear and exuberance
are the rewards to those unable to resist! But will yout
love be cured?
“You could look to Shakespeare, or simpler, you could
buy this record and find out!” —Kim Salmon

LIMITED-EDITION METALLIC FALCON COLOR VINYL VERSION - INDIES ONLY

There is a moment near the top of jaimie branch's FLY or DIE LIVE, the new album recorded by the trumpeter's quartet at in Zurich, Switzerland on January 23rd, 2020, which feels like it bears the weight of both that specific pocket of time, and a prophecy for all that was soon to come. branch and her Fly or Die crew - cellist Lester St. Louis, bassist Jason Ajemian, and drummer Chad Taylor - had just kicked off the concert at Moods, with the opening tracks off their then-new studio album FLY or DIE II: Bird Dogs of Paradise, the second of which, "Prayer for Amerikkka" is among the best political songs written during the Tr*mp Era, and when the moment in question pops off.