Classic Rock Vinyl 449 Items

What a feast for fans of the real Fab 4! Here's A collection of 1983/84 sessions, demos, B sides (and more!) presenting the kings of Punk going through critical times as they approach the fiasco of their previous album, "Subterranean Jungle", and toughen their sound (never forgetting their Bubble Gum roots) to deliver what would be their hardest album to date, "Too Tough To Die".

One of the rarest psychedelic garage albums ever, the Kaleidoscope album was recorded in the Dominican Republic by this Boricuan/Dominican band but released only in Mexico in 1969 as a tiny pressing, housed in a fantastic psychedelic sleeve designed by Bodo Molitor.

Led by legendary prog-fusion / session guitarist Ray Russell (John Barry Seven, Graham Bond, Georgie Fame, Running Man…) and bass player Jeff Watts (Steel Mill), Mouse released their only album in 1973 for the short-lived Sovereign label. An eclectic mix of progressive sounds, hard-rock, psych, blues and glam with stunning acid lead guitar. Includes their celebrated cover of Medicine Head’s “All the fallen teen-angels”. Remastered sound, original artwork in gatefold sleeve just like the original, insert with liner notes and pictures.

Heavy-progressive, proto-metal and psychedelic hard-rock from the depths of the UK underground, 1970-71. Formed in Preston by the core of Pete Hughes (lead guitar) and Mick Carroll (vocals, rhythm guitar), Stoned Rose evolved from a band called Five Steps Beyond and at one time featured Chris Allen on bass (later of Ultravox). The band worked with a London agency called Nemesis and also with Tramps from Birmingham (owned by Black Sabbath guitarist Toni Iommi). Stoned Rose played several times at notable venues like the Temple and the Cavern and also at underground and progressive clubs and Universities, sharing stage with bands like Stray, May Blitz, Blonde On Blonde… Exhumed from rare as hell acetates (including a Deroy one) and demo tapes, here’s the first ever Stoned Rose album. File next to Bent Wind! *Insert with liner notes by David Wells and rare photos / memorabilia

Led by legendary prog-fusion / session guitarist Ray Russell (John Barry Seven, Graham Bond, Georgie Fame, Running Man…) and bass player Jeff Watts (Steel Mill), Mouse released their only album in 1973 for the short-lived Sovereign label. An eclectic mix of progressive sounds, hard-rock, psych, blues and glam with stunning acid lead guitar. Includes their celebrated cover of Medicine Head’s “All the fallen teen-angels”. Remastered sound, original artwork in gatefold sleeve just like the original, insert with liner notes and pictures.

Rush Hour’s RSS series excels in unearthing buried treasure, offering a second chance for artists and releases that have long been overlooked. That’s certainly the case with ‘Witches’, the superb sole single by British 1980s wave trio Zenana.

Originally released on seven-inch by the tiny PRM label in 1986, ‘Witches’ was the product of a sister-brother songwriting team whose music was mostly recorded in the front room of a terraced house in Nanpean, a small industrial village in Cornwall, England’s most south-westerly county. While the single was infectious, impeccably produced and dancefloor-ready, it sold in limited quantities at the time.

Zenana’s story can be traced back to the early 1980s, when singer-songwriter Anita Tedder founded the all-female trio as a vehicle for her musical ambitions. To bring her songs to life, she joined voices with her brother Mike, an early adopter of electronic music who had built a studio – nicknamed MFR, short for ‘Mike’s Front Room’ – in his Cornish home.

Countless Zenana tracks were recorded at ‘mfr’ between 1984 and ’86, with the resultant demo cassette securing the band a management contract, a slew of live bookings, a video shoot and even a television appearance. Buoyed by this underground success, they headed to the remote Sawmills Studio in Cornwall – famously only accessible by boat – to re-record ‘Witches’, a song inspired by local folk tales of witches gathering near Mike’s home.

While this version of ‘Witches’ failed to make an impact at the time, it has become something of a cult classic following its’ rediscovery by crate digger Kiernan Abbott – and subsequent championing by other dusty-fingered DJs including Antal, Skyrager, Trevor Jackson and Luke Una – in early 2023. The buzz inspired Zenana to perform live again for the first time in decades, with the story of their surprise comeback being covered by British media outlets including the BBC and (more surprisingly) the Daily Mail.

Now presented in re-mastered form, ‘Witches’ is a genuinely slept-on gem. Propelled forwards by punchy drum machine beats, a killer synth bassline and fizzing keyboard sounds, the song benefits greatly from strong vocals and an extra-percussive middle eight layered with vocalisations, cosmic spoken word sections and swirling noises.

It comes backed by a brand-new extended ‘spell of love’ courtesy of Bristol duo Bedmo Disco, AKA music journalist Matt Anniss (author of Join The Future: Bleep Techno and the Birth of British Bass Music) and DJ/production partner Gareth Morgan. Anniss is a long-time friend of Mike and Anita Tedder who has fond memories of visiting Mike’s home studio with his family around the time that ‘Witches’ was recorded.

Working from Zenana’s original MFR eight-track recording (tapes of the single version were lost years ago), Anniss and Morgan have turned in the extended ‘dance mix’ the track never had first time around. More atmospheric, clandestine and dancefloor-focused, it offers authentic nods to New York proto-house, mid-80s Shep Pettibone dubs, and the pioneering synth-pop productions and dub mixes of Factory Records regular Martin Rushent.

Future music publishing magnate and film financier Tim Hollier signed to United Artists as a singer-songwriter in 1968 and after debut Message To A Harlequin, Hollier signed to Fontana for this excellent and unjustly neglected self-titled sophomore set. The beautiful folk rock showcases his collaborations with American guitarist/vocalist Amory Kane and supporting percussionist Ned Balen, the understated lead of Chilean guitarist Hector Sepulveda adding shades of psychedelic rock. Somehow, Tim Hollier failed to achieve the success it deserved, the obscure gem a rarity that all prog and intelligent folk rock fans will adore. Get yours now!

Experimental fusion project Jade Warrior began in the early 70s when percussionist/flutist Jon Field and guitarist Tony Duhig joined forces with bassist Glyn Havard; Field and Duhig had been in Second Thoughts which later became July. By the time of Last Autumn’s Dream the group was a quintet with drummer Alan Price and Tony’s younger brother David on lead guitar, allowing for denser explorations of the contrast between world music fusion and acid rock: Dave’s searing guitar leads jostle with eastern flute melodies, African rhythms and meditative folk motifs. Another fine piece of Jade Warrior’s evolution, ripe for rediscovery!