Our picks this week.
Reissued for the first time in decades as a standalone title for it's 47th (and a bit) anniversary, XTC's very first release, the 3D EP. The speed of musical change underneath the mainstream was as fast as a shouted "1, 2, 3, 4" on any number of monochrome identi-punk singles in equally drab sleeves, and it was into this febrile mix that XTC released it's first 12" EP - 3D, at the end of September '77 (a 7" version was withdrawn) and for all that it shared the freneticism of it's punkier brethren, it also boasted - even across just three tracks - a variety, a color and a pop sensibility that acted as a marker for the band's future rapid development. Whisper it, but these guys could actually play... and write tunes, accessible ones that burrowed their way into your ears and brain. An album wouldn't appear until early 1978 (by which time "Post Punk" was emerging as marketing name of the month) but XTC had made their recorded entry in that magical year and not for the first or last time, shown they could compete with the best (and worst) that 1977 placed on vinyl.
THE YES ALBUM (SUPER DELUXE EDITION) contains 4 CDs, a Blu-ray disc, and an LP. It includes a new remaster of the album and Steven Wilson’s 2014 remix. Two previously unreleased concerts from 1971 debut in the set as well.
Comprehensive seven CD box set that contains all of the original six albums as well as the 'It's All Over Now' album that was recorded in 1975 but not released until 1988. Also included are unreleased tracks from the Warner vaults as well as live recordings and rarities from band member Ian Gomm who is also providing a mass of rare/unseen images from his archive as well as contributing to the sleeve notes.
CD1 features the band's eponymous debut album as well as three previously unreleased tracks from the Warner vaults and rare studio recordings from Ian Gomm's archive.
CD 2 features the band's sophomore album 'Despite It All' that is accompanied by live tracks recorded at The Roundhouse in London in 1972.
CD 3 features the band's third album 'Silver Pistol' and also has three rare tracks that were recorded for the album but didn't make the final cut, there is also more live recordings from The Roundhouse in 1972.
CD 4 features the band's fourth album 'Nervous On The Road' and also has live recordings from Amsterdam in 1972, Paris in 1973 and more from The Roundhouse in 1972.
CD 5 features the band's fifth album 'Please Don't Ever Change' as well as singles recorded as The Hitters and Limelight, along with live recordings from Newcastle in 1973 and Cardiff in 1974. CD 6 features the band's final official album 'The New Favourites Of Brinsley Schwarz' which includes one of Nick Lowe's most famous songs '(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding', with bonus live tracks from gigs in Sheffield, Tilburg and Cardiff, all in 1974.
CD 7 features the album 'It's All Over Now', recorded in 1975 but not released until 1988. Bonus material includes the band's last ever single, billed as The Brinsleys as well as live recordings from Groningen in 1975 as well as Koln in March 1975, recorded just nine days before the band broke up.
Three CD compilation that focuses on the massive influence The Beatles had on a multitude of artists in disparate genres throughout numerous countries, right from the very start.
Featuring Mary Wells, Count Basie, Cilla Black, Joe Cocker, PJ Proby, Mae West, Jose Feliciano, Jimmy James, Liza Minelli and many more.
In this collection, we find artists from France, Holland, America, Italy, New Zealand, Hungary, and Puerto Rico, all proving that The Beatles songs were so great that it didn't matter what language they were sung in.
Sunshine pop sits next to raw soul while bluegrass nudges up against jazz. Serious British folkies mix with campy Hollywood legends as Hungarian gypsy guitar makes way for proto psychedelia - nothing was safe from the all-encompassing influence of The Fab Four!
This wild variety of musical styles not only illustrates the strength of the compositional skills of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison but also provides an engaging and eclectic listening experience that appeals to fans of The Beatles in particular as well as those who like popular music in general.
This record is massive and amazing. Nowhere To Go But Up is Guided by Voices' third album of 2023 (and thirty-ninth overall) and is a sprawling, wild adventure. With virtually no choruses and just two repeated lyrics in forty minutes, GBV is audacious and unafraid. One of the most fully realized works that Guided by Voices has created, Nowhere To Go But Up showcases an expert rock band at the top of their game. The band is on a roll and unstoppable. Following their monumental 40th Anniversary Celebration in Dayton, Ohio, GBV begins their fifth decade with a bang!
The funk fans have been waiting for this one. Finally available on vinyl, Grant Green's near perfect slice of jazz funk and soul, Live at Club Mozambique, remastered and rendered back in the Motor City. Grant Green's band had been playing a series of live dates at Detroit's Club Mozambique, (before it became a fabled Male dance club) when this session was recorded live on two cold January nights in 1971. Powerhouse drummer Idris Muhammad and soulful tenor star Houston Person were brought in to supplement Green's current band featuring Ronnie Foster on organ and Clarence Thomas on Soprano and Tenor Sax and Blue Note producer Francis Wolff recorded. This treasure was never released, though, and (conjectures aside) remained in the Blue Notes vaults for 35 years before a 2006 CD release. Sounding incredibly fresh and live, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more real stamping of Grant Green at the top of his game.
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