Pop & Rock News

Miles Davis' 20-year association as an artist at impresario George Wein's renowned Newport Jazz Festival is a thriving tradition that is celebrated with the release of Miles Davis At Newport 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4.

The 8-LP box set, comprised of live performances by Miles' stellar band lineups in 1955, 1958, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1973, and 1975, in Newport, Rhode Island, New York City, Berlin, and Switzerland.

The 4th entry in the critically-acclaimed Miles Davis Bootleg Series, contains hours of previously unreleased material. From Miles' debut performance at NJF in 1955 (a hastily arranged jam session featuring Thelonious Monk and Gerry Mulligan, that immediately led to the trumpeter's Columbia signing), to his final public performance of the '70s in 1975, the box set traces the ascendance of Miles' music as the Jazz superstar he has become known to be.

The full-length concert performances alone of Miles' famed ""Kind Of Blue"" Sextet (with Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb), and second great quintet in '66 and '67 (with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams) represent templates that reverberate in jazz and popular music to this day.

This hot vinyl EP features 4 outstanding rockabilly tracks taken from Scotty's two CDs available on El Toro Records.

Historical funky, soul, .... tunes in original , extended and re-mastered edition. Let's go to Disco '70 !!!!

This Incredible afro-soul album was recorded in Italy in 1974 by the two Nigerians Ezy Hart and Isaac Olashugba.

Ezy is known for his vocals while Isaac for playing saxophone. They are ex-members of Fela Kuti's band, The Koola Lobitos and The Don Ezekiel Combination. After doing amazing collaborations together, recording a few Christian-Funk albums, and touring West Africa, these two finally settled in Italy.

The Funky Fella, a group of 12 top Italian musicians such as Maestro Leoni from Rifi records, produced three albums with Ezy and Isaac. The first one is called Soul Rock and is considered as a Soul masterpiece.

It contains the bomb track called 'Bawagbe' ; This track is very tuff, hypnotic afro-soul groove with ruff Yoruba chants, smacking congas, afro horns, funky breaks and a wicked percussion breakdown of rattling cowbells. It`s a very unique collectors' item for the afro-funk lovers and more.

Hot Casa Records also included a bonus track called 'I'm Ready For you', coming from the rare funky 7inch released in 1976.

Back To Basics does exactly what it says on the sleeve. It is unashamedly stripped back. The snappy lyrics are refreshingly audible and the instrumentation is clean, subtle and accomplished.
Bill Wyman's first solo album in 33 years wears its influences on its sleeve - Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, JJ Cale - and there's more than a passing nod to Bill's own English background. It is that rare thing, a melt of styles and genres that actually work together - uplifting in a jaunty, dancey way and pensive in a bluesy, narrative way.
Bill Wyman's last solo UK album, Bill Wyman, was released in 1982. Back To Basics comprises only his fourth UK solo release. But Bill has not been idle of course. 31 years in the Rolling Stones, author of seven learned books, globally exhibited photographer, metal detecting expert with his own brand of metal detector, producer, composer for film and TV and founder of the very successful Rhythm Kings who release albums and tour regularly - he has had a pretty full calendar. It was only when archiving old demos last year he realised he had around 60 songs he'd never released. He chose three songs that needed reworking and did just that. He put them together with brand new songs and went into his studio to record them. The album comprises 12 tracks in total, eight of which are new songs. Musicians joining Bill in the studio include long-time collaborator/guitarist Terry Taylor, Guy Fletcher (Mark Knopfler), Graham Broad and Robbie McIntosh while co-production credit goes to Andy Wright (Jeff Beck, Eurythmics, Simply Red). On Bill Wyman's 'Back To Basics' you get music that's the real deal!

Over four sides of vinyl, Lucky Parker unearths nuggets from the rock'n'roll era, as resurrected by American band The Cramps. Formed in 1976, with singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy, the two constants in their line-up, The Cramps were part of New York's diverse CBGB punk scene. Favouring a stripped-down rockabilly/garage sound, their repertoire of originals and cover versions displayed a penchant for rock & roll and rhythm & blues, and a predilection for retro science fiction and horror imagery, which saw the band come to be regarded as pioneers of the psychobilly genre, although the tag woefully fails do them full justice.

As well as original songs, The Cramps' albums habitually included cover versions, and Look What The Cramps Dredged Up features 32 of the tracks that were covered by the band. Although most fall into the loose category of rock'n'roll, they all possess a unifying deviancy; rock'n'roll at its most wildly primal and juvenile, the freakish teen music Lux & Ivy idolised and aspired to refashion. Despite their cohesive character, these discoveries vary widely in style, from the peerless balladry of Ricky Nelson to the abandoned rockabilly of Johnny Burnette and the frankly unhinged sound of Fat Daddy Holmes. Rhythm & blues numbers vary from Andre Williams' greasy Bacon Fat to Little Willie John's timeless Fever and The Top Notes' pre-Isley Brothers original of Twist & Shout. Throw into the mix Link Wray's sinister instrumental Rumble, the B-movie horror of The Frantics' The Werewolf, plus classic sides by Carl Perkins, Richard Berry and Wanda Jackson, and you have a fantastic cross section of The Cramps' jukebox.

Arguably the greatest recordings of the great Fred McDowell's career were the two albums for Arhoolie, recorded at the height of the blues revival in 1964-65. This is the first of those two and an absolutely stunning piece of delta blues majesty. A stripped down beauty that is reissued here on high quality vinyl with an exact reproduction of the paste-on sleeve. Includes download card. Limited edition of 500 on translucent bottleneck brown vinyl.

"In Europe" was recorded on October 20th, 1965 while Big Mama Thornton was part of the Folk Blues Festival revue that was touring Europe at the time. The sessions finds her in great form with an ace backing band offering killer support on tracks such as Little Red Rooster', Unlucky Girl' and Hound Dog'. The band consists of Buddy Guy - guitar, Fred Below - drums, Eddie Boyd - piano and organ, Jimmy Lee Robinson - bass, Walter "Shakey" Horton - harmonica. Essential blues.

The TWO is an unconventional Swiss blues band. One is from Switzerland, the other from Mauritius island and their roads crossed. Wild, sincere and profound, their music is an invite for a trip to the roots of the blues. From lake Geneva, through the creole lagoons of the indian ocean, to the murky waters Mississippi delta, their groove feeds on daily narratives of modern hardships, joys and hopes.

The duo has been restlessly sharing thier love for the blues since 2012. Laureates of the Swiss Blues Challenge 2014 edition, they represented Switzerland at the European Blues challenge 2015 in Belgium and at the International blues challenge 2015 in Memphis, where they reached the semi-finals. Here's their very first vinyl on our favorite format. The road will be long and more adventures are awaiting The TWO for their 2015 tour.

Death Is Not The End compile 10 of Washington Phillips' 18 known recordings, made between 1927 and 1929. These musical sermons feature Phillips' voice self-accompanied by a mystery instrument that been the subject of some debate - having been identified as a Dolceola, a Celestaphone, two Celestaphones tuned in octaves attached side-by-side, or a Phonoharp. Many consider it to be an instrument entirely home-made by Phillips himself. Either way, these recordings remain some of the most unique and understated gospel recordings from this period, and perhaps ever.

Acclaimed vocalist José James released his new album Yesterday I Had The Blues: The Music of Billie Holiday in honor of Holiday's 100th birthday in March 2015 and the album is now avalible on LP. James celebrates the woman he refers to as his 'musical mother' with this stunning set of 9 songs written or popularized by Holiday. The album, which was produced by Blue Note president Don Was, features a stellar band including pianist Jason Moran, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Eric Harland.

Eight years have passed since Cherrystones stayed true to his Word and compiled the sympathetic sounds of the psychedelic ghetto. We've reached Critical Mass and we need to wipe the slate clean. Cherrystones tunes us in to fourteen groups separated by locale but united by a restless urge to create on their own terms.  From Rizzo's nihilistic Moogie-boogie to a pre-teen Chandra's isolated no-wave. Through Dojoji's Downtown-via-Lagos punk-funk and Fote's dark, industrial groove, Critical Mass presents a snapshot of an international underground enthralled with the possibility of the new. This compilation was put together through records I was enjoying at that time - loose chips, fragmented discoveries, random punts and the true excitement from that hit of What the fuck is that!' It is an exercise in the good and the rad - solid jams from all corners of the world. A veritable platter to switch on the uninitiated or those who hear and feel the truth - it is not an exercise in rarity to make people feel alienated. I know what I feel and I hear the messages and feel the vibrations in these very songs - as will you if you allow them to' Cherrystones 2015. Words on Critical Mass: Cherrystones has rabidly dug through decades of twisted cables and dusty circuits to present a collection of wonderfully obscure yet utterly essential tracks from the dark recesses of a place and time where innovation was a priority and boundaries were non-existent.' Trevor Jackson - Next to Weatherall, Cherrystones knows more about music than anyone I know. These killer post-punk rarities are a must for anyone who thinks they've heard it all but obviously hasn't...' David Holmes - Critical Mass perfectly captures that electric moment when punk mutated into apocalyptic, synapse-shredding, cyborg grooves.' Steven Krakow - Plastic Crimewave / Galactic Zoo Dossier - Start to finish this compilation is a monster. Once again, Cherrystones makes me feel like I don't know a thing about 'post-wave-industrial' or records in general.' Gaslamp Killer - Tough beats and synthetics run throughout Critical Mass. I've been Cherrystoned.' Tom Furse - The Horrors.

1. Rheingold: FanFanFanatisch,
2. Rizzo: I Don't Care,
3. The Tee-Vees: War Machine,
4. Chandra: Kate,
5. Aksak Maboul: A Modern Lesson,
6. Transmitters: The Beat Goes On,
7. The Method Actors: Bleeding,
8. Crazy House: People Fall From Tall Buildings,
9. Bamboo Zoo: Emerging,
10. Dojoji: Quincunx,
11. The Lines: White Night,
12. Fote: Permanent,
13. 39 Clocks: Heat of Violence,
14: The Flowerpot Men: UG

Describing their style as - Latin Desert & Funeral Party' music, Opez clearly go their own special way. But listen to the debut album - Dead Dance' and you will find that this path is quite an exciting one. Set in a haunting environment of acoustic instruments and an expertly stylish production, the twelve songs recorded by duo Massi Amadori and Francesco Tappi are a journey into a twilight world of emotion and imagination.

Preston Shannon was originally from Olive Branch, Mississippi. At the age of 8 he moved with his family to Memphis, Tennessee where his initial fascination with the genre of blues music began. During the 1970's while working for a Hardware company he joined a band called Amnesty. Preston later ditched the day job to become a full time musician, securing a gig as the opening act for Shirley 'Woman To Woman' Brown's touring band.

In 1991 Preston formed his own band and it was while performing in the Rum Boogie Cafe on Memphis's world famous Beale Street that he was discovered by producer Ron Levy, who was instrumental in securing Preston a recording deal with the Rounder Record label.

Three album releases followed on Rounder's Bullseye Blues subsidiary label, firstly 'Breaking The Ice' (1994) followed by 'Midnight In Memphis' (1996) and 'All In Time'(1999) both recorded under the tutelage of Willie 'Pops' Mitchell at his renowned Royal Studios on Lauderdale Street, Memphis.

Following a move to the Title Tunes label in 2006 Preston released the 'Be With Me Tonight' album featuring a subtle blend of southern soul and electric blues. It is the title track 'Be With Me Tonight' a sublime southern soul ballad that has been chosen for the b-side of this 45 release.

While the A-side 'The Way I Love You' a more energetic southern soul dance track has been taken from Preston's most recent album project 'Dust My Broom' which he recorded for the Netherlands based Continental Record Services label. This version of Preston's 'The 'Way I Love You' features excellent musical accompaniment from one of the Netherlands most respected blues ensembles 'Fat Harry &The Fuzzy Licks'.

Nowadays Preston is a regular performer at B.B. Kings Blues Club in Memphis, while he also appeared at this year's Mississippi Valley Blues Festival in Davenport Iowa.

An up tempo duet with great lyrics sung by a veteran unprolific singer. You may think twice about getting the original copy of this release. Oldies but goodies, this 100% positive conscious tune is almost singing about "Emancipate yourself from mental slavery", one of the representative themes of Jamaican music, in a nice duet style. An excellent party piece guaranteed to make you smile.

Go! is the second single to be taken from Public Service Broadcasting's critically-acclaimed new album The Race For Space. The album reached #11 in the UK album charts, #1 in the Independent Chart & #1 in Record Store Chart in it's first week, spent 3 weeks in the top 50 and selling over 16,000 copies in the first 4 weeks since release. The single is a fiery and confident speed-trial of a track, with an infectious hook and the most unlikely sing-along dialogue of the year, all counting down to the moon landing itself when Neil Armstrong utters the relief-filled words, The Eagle has landed'. The Race For Space is out now via Test Card Recordings and tells the story of the American & Soviet space race from 1957-1972 via the duo's eccentric mix of guitar-driven electronica, propulsive drumming and spoken word samples culled from this uniquely rich period of modern history. The band are currently in the midst of a globe-trotting tour. They return to the UK in April where they commence what promises to be a sold out tour following their London, Brighton, Birmingham & Manchester dates selling out 2 months up front. A show at the 02 Academy, Brixton has been announced for Sunday 29 November. Go! will be released on 7' vinyl on 11 May 2015 with a remix on the B-side from Scottish electro-post-rockers Errors who have just released new album Lease Of Life. The Race For Space follows Inform - Educate - Entertain, Public Service Broadcasting's debut album which has sold over 50k copies worldwide. // Press quotes: For PSB the horizon looks boundless' NME 8/10 // Out of this world' The Observer **** // Vibrates with poignancy and grandeur' Q // A multi-faceted, yet cohesive, creation that burnishes anew the golden age of space exploration' Mojo **** // Make no bones about it, this is a beautiful record... just wonderful' Drowned in Sound 8/10 // Richly entertaining, immersive and evocative, orchestrated with fastidious care and feeling' The Independent on Sunday **** // Rich and evocative...the sound of two young men gazing heavenwards and dreaming' Uncut // Brilliantly executed' The Guardian // A magnificent record' GQ // A perfectly realised work of art' The Sun **** // Vividly conveys the triumph, the glamour and the tragedy of the space race' Album Of The Week Time Out // Kraftwerk-meets-Aphex Twin-meets-Daft Punk... suitable for a laser show at the local planetarium' NPR // Bombastically brilliant' Clash // Immense' Mail On Sunday **** // A rocket-fuelled silver screen roller coaster... PSB are pushing the boundaries of what rock music can be' DIY // Excellent' Metro// You'll never need another band ever' Esquire // Brilliantly emotional soundscaping' i **** //"This is the pinnacle of what PSB are trying to achieve, by breathing new life into dusty old relics, and it makes for truly magical, exhilarating listening" The 405 // A euphoric musical journey' Shortlist Albums of 2015 // Pop so high-brow it's nearly in orbit' Channel 4 News // UK & Ireland Dates: 22nd April - Corn Exchange, Brighton, 23rd O2 Academy, Bristol, 24th Pyramids, Portsmouth, 25th Corn Exchange, Cambridge, 28th The Foundry, Sheffield, 29th Ritz, Manchester, 30th Riverside, Newcastle, 1st May The Ironworks, Inverness, 2nd O2 ABC, Glasgow, 3rd Mandela Hall, Belfast, 5th Button Factory, Dublin, 6th Institute, Birmingham, 7th Roundhouse, London. Summer Festivals : 6 June Lunar Festival, Warwickshire, 18 June BST Hyde Park w/ The Strokes, 19 June Hurricane Festival, Scheessel, GER, 20 June Southside Festival, Neuhausen, GER, 3 July Blissfields, Hampshire, 17 July Latitude Festival, Suffolk, 24 July Secret Garden Party, Cambridgeshire, 1 Aug Kendal Calling, The Lake District, 7 August Forgotten Fields, Sussex, 8 Aug Northbound Festival, Cumbria, 23 August Green Man, Glanusk, Wales. 29th Nov O2 Academy Brixton, London