Pop & Rock News

Tedeschi Trucks Band, led by the husband-and-wife team of singer-guitarist Susan Tedeschi and guitar virtuoso Derek Trucks, have grown into one of the most deeply skilled and admired musical ensembles in the world. 2016 was the 12-piece juggernaut's most impressive and successful year to date. Live From The Fox Oakland captures the band performing at their best. From the opening notes of Don't Know What It Means' to the closing solo on Let Me Get By' the Tedeschi Trucks Band are firing on all cylinders.

One of those songs that seems tailor made for the popcorn genre, '16 Tons' gets a bold, big-band treatment from the legendary blues-man BB King - one of the best renditions out there. Flip it over for a contrasting but just as cool twist on '16 Tons', this one an uptempo, jazzy workout that will surely turn heads.

Lightnin' Hopkins had already recorded dozens, if not hundreds, of sides for various labels by the time he hooked up with Chris Strachwitz in the late '50s, but his recordings for Strachwitz's Arhoolie label are some of the rawest and strongest of his career. Originally released in 1968, this classic slab of Texas blues is reissued here on high quality vinyl with an exact reproduction of the paste-on sleeve. On forest green vinyl.

Bloody abstract Electro Hip Hop, strongly blues, with a pinch of jazz.

(Disclaimer: release notes refer to the combined CD double-album release of Vol. 3 and 4 on which all tracks appear together. These two volumes are released separately on vinyl format)

Get ready for two brand-spanking new chapters in Perfect Toy's high octane, Down & Wired series of garage-mod-soul nuggets because the label has once again persuaded the man responsible for Volumes 1 and 2 - crate digger par excellence 'Chan The Man' - to unearth even more gems from his record collection!

The goodness kicks off with The Revival's virtually unknown, but irresistible, blues-funk head nodder I Chose To Sing The Blues followed by Take 5+2's stank slice of fuzz-heavy rnb, Motherless Child, originally (not to mention bizarrely) released on an EP handed out as a election promo giveaway for a man who later became mayor of Bonn - Hans Daniels of Germany's Conservative party, the CDU. Elsewhere, Heather Black delivers a blisteringly fast version of Third Avenue Blues Band's Come And Get It while The Turks provide an equally scorching take on Hendrix's Fire. The covers (and the treats) continue with teenage band The Aftermath's heavy take on Junior Wells' Messing With The Kid and Hunger's Brian Auger-ish Mind Machine. Babe Wallace mixes up English and Yiddish lyrics on big band rhythm & blues monster Dizengoff and there's yet another cover (easily the best one you've never heard) of Allen Toussaint's New Orleans funk classic Get Out Of My Life Woman by the Fabulous Impacts. There's also room for The Inn Crowd's super-rare harmonica-drenched groover Run Clarence Run and Friends' My Land which sandwiches two minutes of organ-led craziness between its deceptively mellow intro and outro. Towards the end of this epic double set comes yet another Hendrix cover - 49th Blue Streak's funked-up, fuzzed-up Foxy Lady and there's an appropriate closer in the form of George Brigman's hypnotic Drifting.

This is a super-hot collection of vintage rarities (accompanied by detailed liner notes and never-before-seen photos of the artists!) imbued with all the glorious imperfections of the golden age of the analogue era that artists now often strive so hard to recreate. Little surprise then that these cuts should sound so fresh today.

Recorded in a couple of sessions at Capitol Studios (1954) and Fine Sound Studios, 'Lady Sings The Blues' is a landmark
release. The album shared its title with Billie's ghostwritten autobiography, published the same year (which she maintained
that she never read). Of the 12 tracks, Too Marvellous For Words, Willow Weep For Me, I Thought About You and the
title song were new material for her, the remaining eight being past hits revisited.
Since her death, the music of Billie Holiday has been championed by many high-profile artists who freely acknowledge her
influence. Though Holiday's career was relatively short, she created a musical legacy that has endured to the current day.

Jazz musician and critic Leonard Feather once observed: Americans, unknowingly, live part of every day in the house that Satch built. A riff played by a swinging band on television, a nuance in a Sinatra phrase, the Muzak in the elevator, all owe something to the guidelines that Louis set.' He wrote those words many years ago, but today not a lot has changed. All the tracks included on this LP are brilliant, virtuoso performances from the legendary trumpet star who changed the course of jazz more than any other.

The world's most famous and most influential trumpet player shaped the face of jazz. Then, after inventing the art of scat
singing, he moved on to become one of the greatest all-round entertainers - a singer and musician like no other, one who
appeared in countless films and made an array of great recordings spanning jazz, Broadway and pure pop. Even today,
many years after his death in 1971, the sound of the so-musical gravel that was Louis Armstrong's voice still resonates
throughout our lives.

Two sided country blues bop masterpiece.

Rockabilly oddball out of Iowa with exotica flipster

Ike Turners' band deliver this driving R'n'B banger with Ike's signature guitar solo and forceful vocals from Brenston.

Boss rockin' boppin' dancefloor filler and reproduced on original looking labels for the first time.

Two sides only ever originally issued on 78rpm format delivered here on this handy 'repro' 45. Great early jiver backed with a classic take on 'Down The Road A-Piece' from the self proclaimed 'Rasputin Of Boogie Woogie'

Harsh and primitive country blues boppers from Slim

Two hard-edged dancefloor R&B killers back to back from one of the true blues greats, Elmore James, with his unique, uptempo rendition of the delta standard 'Rollin' And Tumblin' backed up with the equally frenetic 'Stranger Blues'.

Get ready for two brand-spanking new chapters in Perfect Toy's high octane, Down & Wired series of garage-mod-soul nuggets because the label has once again persuaded the man responsible for Volumes 1 and 2 - crate digger par excellence 'Chan The Man' - to unearth even more gems from his record collection!

The goodness kicks off with The Revival's virtually unknown, but irresistible, blues-funk head nodder I Chose To Sing The Blues followed by Take 5+2's stank slice of fuzz-heavy rnb, Motherless Child, originally (not to mention bizarrely) released on an EP handed out as a election promo giveaway for a man who later became mayor of Bonn - Hans Daniels of Germany's Conservative party, the CDU. Elsewhere, Heather Black delivers a blisteringly fast version of Third Avenue Blues Band's Come And Get It while The Turks provide an equally scorching take on Hendrix's Fire. The covers (and the treats) continue with teenage band The Aftermath's heavy take on Junior Wells' Messing With The Kid and Hunger's Brian Auger-ish Mind Machine. Babe Wallace mixes up English and Yiddish lyrics on big band rhythm & blues monster Dizengoff and there's yet another cover (easily the best one you've never heard) of Allen Toussaint's New Orleans funk classic Get Out Of My Life Woman by the Fabulous Impacts. There's also room for The Inn Crowd's super-rare harmonica-drenched groover Run Clarence Run and Friends' My Land which sandwiches two minutes of organ-led craziness between its deceptively mellow intro and outro. Towards the end of this epic double set comes yet another Hendrix cover - 49th Blue Streak's funked-up, fuzzed-up Foxy Lady and there's an appropriate closer in the form of George Brigman's hypnotic Drifting.

This is a super-hot collection of vintage rarities (accompanied by detailed liner notes and never-before-seen photos of the artists!) imbued with all the glorious imperfections of the golden age of the analogue era that artists now often strive so hard to recreate. Little surprise then that these cuts should sound so fresh today.

Robert Cray Teams with Steve Jordan and Legendary Memphis Sidemen for New Album.

Robert Cray has been bridging the lines between blues, soul and R&B for the past four decades, with five Grammy wins and over 20 acclaimed albums. For his latest project, Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm, the Blues Hall of Famer traveled to Memphis with his friend, renowned Grammy Award winning producer Steve Jordan, to make a classic soul album with Hi Rhythm, the band that helped create that sound.

Jordan and Cray met in 1987 while working on the concert film Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll, a tribute to Chuck Berry. Steve produced Robert's Grammy winning Take Your Shoes Off in 1999, and a number of other albums, including the exciting 4 Nights of 40 Years Live. He knew of Robert's deep love of O.V. Wright and other Memphis soul legends, and suggested they take up residence at Royal Studios, where Wright, Ann Peebles, Al Green, Syl Johnson, Otis Clay and many others recorded with the venerable producer, songwriter, arranger and engineer, Willie Mitchell. The core of Mitchell's Hi Rhythm band used on many of those landmark sessions was still around, though Mitchell himself had passed in 2010.

Set inside an old theatre, the funky Royal Studios looks much as it did when Al Green was cutting those classics for Hi Records. Guitarist Teenie Hodges has passed away, but his brothers Rev. Charles Hodges (organ and piano) and Leroy "Flick" Hodges (bass), along with cousin Archie "Hubbie" Turner (keyboards), were still there. "It was a soul, rhythm and blues, fantasy camp for us. Those guys have been playing in that room for 50 years," says Jordan.

Robert penned "You Had My Heart" and "The Way We Are," two stunning love songs. Many timeless soul songs were statements in a time of turmoil, and so it is again with Cray's "Just How Low." The album opens with a driving, soulful version of Bill Withers' "The Same Love That Made Me Laugh" that sounds as if it was originally from an old Hi Rhythm recording. Jay-Vee Records knows it's very lucky to have these powerful songs. When Robert chose two Tony Joe White songs for the album, White, a big fan of Cray, came up from Nashville to sit in. First up is the moving ballad "Aspen, Colorado" (the sister song of his "Rainy Night in Georgia"). The other end of the spectrum is the swirling psychedelia of "Don't Steal My Love." The tribute to O.V. Wright and Hi Rhythm is the horn-driven version of "You Must Believe in Yourself." Known for writing "Mustang Sally" and many other songs, Sir Mac Rice's "I Don't Care" follows on the album with an unforgettable hook, and Rice's funky "Honey Bad" features more guitar brilliance from Cray. Moving into early R&B from the 5 Royales, Robert performs "I'm With You Pt. 1" then turns the guitar loose on "I'm With You Pt 2."

Robert Cray Teams with Steve Jordan and Legendary Memphis Sidemen for New Album.

Robert Cray has been bridging the lines between blues, soul and R&B for the past four decades, with five Grammy wins and over 20 acclaimed albums. For his latest project, Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm, the Blues Hall of Famer traveled to Memphis with his friend, renowned Grammy Award winning producer Steve Jordan, to make a classic soul album with Hi Rhythm, the band that helped create that sound.

Jordan and Cray met in 1987 while working on the concert film Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll, a tribute to Chuck Berry. Steve produced Robert's Grammy winning Take Your Shoes Off in 1999, and a number of other albums, including the exciting 4 Nights of 40 Years Live. He knew of Robert's deep love of O.V. Wright and other Memphis soul legends, and suggested they take up residence at Royal Studios, where Wright, Ann Peebles, Al Green, Syl Johnson, Otis Clay and many others recorded with the venerable producer, songwriter, arranger and engineer, Willie Mitchell. The core of Mitchell's Hi Rhythm band used on many of those landmark sessions was still around, though Mitchell himself had passed in 2010.

Set inside an old theatre, the funky Royal Studios looks much as it did when Al Green was cutting those classics for Hi Records. Guitarist Teenie Hodges has passed away, but his brothers Rev. Charles Hodges (organ and piano) and Leroy "Flick" Hodges (bass), along with cousin Archie "Hubbie" Turner (keyboards), were still there. "It was a soul, rhythm and blues, fantasy camp for us. Those guys have been playing in that room for 50 years," says Jordan.

Robert penned "You Had My Heart" and "The Way We Are," two stunning love songs. Many timeless soul songs were statements in a time of turmoil, and so it is again with Cray's "Just How Low." The album opens with a driving, soulful version of Bill Withers' "The Same Love That Made Me Laugh" that sounds as if it was originally from an old Hi Rhythm recording. Jay-Vee Records knows it's very lucky to have these powerful songs. When Robert chose two Tony Joe White songs for the album, White, a big fan of Cray, came up from Nashville to sit in. First up is the moving ballad "Aspen, Colorado" (the sister song of his "Rainy Night in Georgia"). The other end of the spectrum is the swirling psychedelia of "Don't Steal My Love." The tribute to O.V. Wright and Hi Rhythm is the horn-driven version of "You Must Believe in Yourself." Known for writing "Mustang Sally" and many other songs, Sir Mac Rice's "I Don't Care" follows on the album with an unforgettable hook, and Rice's funky "Honey Bad" features more guitar brilliance from Cray. Moving into early R&B from the 5 Royales, Robert performs "I'm With You Pt. 1" then turns the guitar loose on "I'm With You Pt 2."

The most celebrated Grateful Dead show in history is finally getting its official release. The forces aligned for the Dead on May 8, 1977, at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, for what many hail the pinnacle performance of their 30-year career. So revered is the performance, that an audience recording of this show joined Prince's Purple Rain and Dolly Parton's Coat Of Many Colors as 2012's inductees into the National Recording Registry of the U.S. Library Of Congress, an honor bestowed upon music/songs that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important."

Cornell 5/8/77 was recorded live directly from the soundboards by Betty Cantor-Jackson. After several years the master tapes were seemingly lost for good, but that all changed at the end of 2016. The lost tapes, or lost Betty boards' as they are commonly known, finally made their way back home to the Grateful Dead vault, making it possible to officially bring the world this legendary show just in time for its 40th Anniversary. The complete live show has been remastered by GRAMMY award-winning sound engineer, Jeffrey Norman and packed into a unique and limited edition five-LP set. In addition to this, the transfers from the master tapes were produced by Plangent Processes, making of this the best, most authentic that Cornell has ever sounded.

A compilation of Georgia bluesmen who play all in a style of there own. Truly great recordings made by George Mitchell between 1979 - 1981. Features the hypnotic sounds of John Lee Ziegler, the incredibly rockin' drum & guitar music of James Davis, the hair-stands-up-on-the-back-of- your-neck voice & guitar of William Robertson (Also known as Cecil Barfield!), the unique daoist playing of Jimmy Lee Williams & the ragged & beautiful music of Jim Bunkley. Really just the best blues music you could ever hope to hear. Another testament to the brilliant ear of George Mitchell, who traveled the south in search of the real stuff & found it.

Very early 1962 recordings featuring a very young Janis Joplin. Recorded in part at the Folk Theatre in San Jose, 1962 where Janis is joined by Steve Talbot on stage, and the remainder at the Coffee Gallery in San Francisco, 1962. This collection of raw blues tunes is essential for any fan of the iconic performer. Limited edition of 500 copies.

Hugo Race and Michelangelo Russo are no strangers to either Hooker or the blues. Hailed as a supreme influence on the music of their band Hugo Race & The True Spirit, here the duo create a full sensory immersion in John Lee Hooker's World Today with devastating singularity of purpose. Recorded in a single, continuous day and night session at the Berlin studio of Boris Wilsdorf (Einsturzende Neubauten), this is an epic album of sonic sorcery suspended in time and place, looking back through twenty-first century eyes at John Lee Hooker's delta blues legacy in a swirling mix of analogue grit and deep trance pulses. The selection of tracks tells a story in itself, from the runaway twelve-year old boy of the desolate classics 'Hobo Blues' and 'Country Boy' to the worldly-wise elder Hooker of 'The World Today' (originally from Hooker 'n Heat) and The Motor City's Burning (a cover of Hooker's cover of the MC5 classic), the album traces the arc of a life from pre-modernity to the Now on the 100th anniversary of Hooker's birth. Race and Russo's reimagining of Hooker is simultaneously blues, electronica, avant-garde and ambient, a homage to one of the greats of rock and roll prehistory, delivered with a sting and a twist more relevant than ever to The World Today. Release date May 19th, 2017 through Gusstaff Records (CD) and Glitterhouse Records (LP) in Europe, and MGM in Australia. Race and Russo will tour JLH's The World Today in Europe, Oct-November 2017.