Rock & Indie Vinyl 241 Items

Insect Trust were an American jazz-based rock band that formed in New York in 1967. The members of the band were Nancy Jeffries on vocals, Bill Barth on guitar, Luke Faust - formerly of the Holy Modal Rounders - on guitar, banjo, fiddle, and harmonica, Trevor Koehler on saxophone, and Robert Palmer (1945–1997) on clarinet and alto saxophone. Elvin Jones and Bernard Purdie both drummed with the group at times. Bill Folwell, who had played with Albert Ayler (and later an original member of The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo), on bass and trumpet; as well as Warren Gardner on trumpet and clarinet, were part of the band by the time they recorded their second album. The band probably took its name from William S. Burroughs's novel Naked Lunch. The music ranges from surreal folk-rock (in the vein of such local heroes like Holy Modal Rounders and Fugs), to Booker T.-like pop-soul, to flat-out free jazz. Never intended to be a traditional pop act, the Insect Trust should be best remembered for extending rock's boundaries and taking the genre to a much hipper level without resorting to a lot of banal technique.

The long lost 1968 debut album by singer-songwriter, Scott Fagan, once tipped to be bigger than Elvis, is set for release on 9th February 2024 via Earth Recordings. 'South Atlantic Blues' will be reissued for the first time in its original artwork, with an iconic portrait of Fagan by famed rock photographer, Joel Brodsky, following a widely celebrated 2015 release.Revisiting his mystical, mythical, and deeply soulful masterpiece, this psych-folk gem doffs a Tropicalia hat direct from downtown New York. "His songs embrace a broad sonic fantasia, swirling in '60s New York R&B and '40s jazz, as well as the Caribbean rhythms of calypso, meringue and Pachanga." New York TimesScott Fagan's story is worthy of a movie in itself. A swinging hipster who landed in 60s Greenwich folk scene, escaping the abject poverty of his U.S. Virgin Islands upbringing, Fagan found himself mentored by the Brill Building's Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, and feted as the next big thing. "Forget Rodriguez, forget Searching for Sugar Man," says Sharyn Felder, daughter of the late Doc Pomus, the legendary songwriter who signed Fagan to management in 1964. "Scott was so much more. He was cut from a different cloth."'South Atlantic Blues' is the perfect soundtrack to this tale, an epic song cycle wrapped around an impassioned love story, driven by Fagan's dense, allusive lyrics, and production by Elmer Jared Gordon (Pearls Before Swine) and rich arrangements by Horace Ott (Nina Simone, Sam Cooke, The Shirelles). The Earth Recordings reissue coincides with a resurgence in activity for Fagan, with a new album in the works - the never-recorded soundtrack to 'Soon', the 1971 Broadway rock musical he co-wrote and starred in - and a documentary 'Soon: the Story of Scott Fagan' currently filming through Scissor Kick Films, from director Marah Strauch, writer Chris Campion (who rediscovered the singer-songwriter in 2015), and producer Eric Bruggeman.Classic Black Vinyl + DLC

Released only one year after their psychedelic debut, The Fallen Angels’ sophomore album, It’s A Long Way Down, lays it all out on the line. Unfettered by label interference, The Fallen Angels’ second and final record highlights all the band has to offer. Off-kilter time signatures, experimental soundscapes, and white-hot guitar licks abound across It’s A Long Way Down’s dozen tracks, with lead singer Jack Bryant’s vocals serving as a guiding light through the paisley-patterned tunnel. Album high points like “Poor Old Man” and “Something New You Can Hide In” tease early signs of progressive rock with their weird and winding melodies, and impress with rock-solid instrumentation. An early marvel of psych rock that holds up to this day. Mastered from its original tapes and pressed at RTI on color vinyl, in its original gatefold design.

Limited to 500 copies. Strictly Limited Edition Deluxe Gatefold LP with exclusive scholarly liner notes by Alvin Lucia! Full dynamic range 2022 remasters direct from the first generation analogue master tapes! Limited Edition 500 LPs

Velvett Fogg are a psychedelic rock band hailing from Birmingham, England. Active during the late 1960’s, Velvett Fogg were one of the many new bands from the Birmingham underground scene trying to take pop and rock music to a higher level of creativity. They were given a record deal by Pye Records, through which they released their first and only studio album, the self-titled Velvett Fogg. The original package was accompanied by a quote from U.K. disc jockey John Peel, who commented that “there is a lot of good music on this record. Remember Velvett Fogg - you will hear the name again”. Ironically the band broke up shortly after release. The album has since become a much sought after title.

Velvett Fogg is available on black vinyl.

The 1969 follow up to Silver Apple’s debut found the duo digging into the far reaches of their songwriting psyches for a darker and more emotionally charged set of songs. While the debut set the stage for a sound the world had never heard before, Contact is where the Silver Apples began inhabiting that sound with more urgency and experimentation.

Sourced from the original master tapes plus inner sleeve with unseen master tape box photos. Featuring the original controversial artwork with the Silver Apples in the cockpit of a Pan Am jet on the front, and a plane crash with the duo superimposed over it, on the back. The airline sued both Kapp Records & the band, forcing the band to breakup. Their highly influential sound has influenced countless bands from Stereolab, Beastie Boys, Blur and more.

One of the most eagerly anticipated albums of 1968 by press and public, 'Cheap Thrills' met every expectation and then some. With the heartrending version of 'Piece Of My Heart' and a definitive cover of Gershwin's 'Summertime', the album (which consists of studio and live material) shot to the top of the charts and stayed there. The audio has been sourced from the original masters, and Robert Crumb's artwork (also known for creating Fritz the Cat and the iconic Keep On Truckin' comics) is meticulously recreated on this Music On Vinyl issue. A truly classic album and an important part of Rock history, this album is a time capsule for one of rock's most distinguished singers.

Why you'll love it...
Townes Van Zandt’s work, as far-reaching and as universal as it has become, begs for possessorship. It’s a love language understood by all who find it, yet one that remains acutely difficult to translate to those who haven’t.



No one understood this better than his earliest fans. It’s perhaps why his first studio album, For the Sake of the Song, remains a point of controversy among anyone who discovered Townes Van Zandt outside of these LP’s grooves. Townes Van Zandt the songwriter was the antithesis of bells and whistles, and so an album with such accoutrements, as this album has in spades, rings false — however unfairly — among purists. Taken in context, though, For the Sake of the Song is a gorgeous study in polarity. Each anchor is an artist from wildly different backgrounds, united under the profound effect of songcraft.

Touted as the “new Doors,” Ars Nova’s second release shows the band genre-bending jazz and heavy psychedelia in a style that’s their own. Shifting from a largely classical centric sound, this was the group’s last album before going their separate ways. Pressed on pink vinyl!

Sunshine & Shadows takes the baroque-meets-psych sound of the debut and turns a bit more to the psych side. The stately brass interludes are gone, but horns still figure prominently in the mix. There’s some jazzy New Orleans flavor to a couple of the tunes, albeit twisted into a 7/4 vamp on “You Had Better Listen.”

The instrumentalists in the band, featuring trumpet and trombone, really give the music a unique flavor, setting them apart from the multitudes of other American psych bands. Ars Nova might be likened to Ultimate Spinach (but without the overly serious, pretentious lyrics) or later Zombies (though with less emphasis on the keyboards).

It’s all very well written and nicely played, and when they do a tender ballad like “Temporary Serenade,” the acoustic guitar is very lute-like, much more along the lines of classical than folk (like the later work of Jan Akkerman with Focus), and the trumpet descant adds a lovely spice.

“Well, Well, Well” is the heaviest rock tune in their repertoire, with a great electric guitar riff and hot organ playing, again set apart by trombone and trumpet. This one is definitely worth seeking out for baroque pop fans.

1969 album from the Morgan Blue Town stable, a classic psychedelic prog album. Album features Mike Bobak, Andy Jons & Wil Malone. Now on Limited Edition 180 gram Pearl Colored Vinyl.

Mighty Baby evolved out of the Action, club favourites who released a number of poor-selling singles. Dropped by Parlophone, musical chairs saw Ian Whiteman (keyboards/flute) and Martin Stone (guitar) join and the music now blended progressive psychedelia with longer pieces dominated by instrumental prowess rather than Reggie King’s soulful vocals. King departed and guitarist Alan King and Whiteman began to share vocal duties on newly penned material like ‘Egyptian Tomb’ and ‘House Without Windows’ that, in retrospect, can be seen as reflecting light from the dark star of the Grateful Dead.

“Mighty Baby” was first released on the Head label on 7th November 1969 in a superb gatefold sleeve with artist Martin Sharp serving up the arresting front cover that looked like a lion being showered in blood. The album received positive reviews, with International Times stating “The music has a hundred characters… Eastern, Oriental, country, folk, rock, blues, pop etc. etc… At this moment in time Mighty Baby’s record is simply THE best thing in its class.”

The album is now seen as a progressive rock classic; cohesive, with no low spots, the inventiveness and musical prowess on a par with the equally revered, albeit jazzier, prog rock band Cressida. This latest edition from Ace, not only replicates the gatefold sleeve of the original but also contains an inner sleeve replete with memorabilia from the collection of Richard Morton Jack

“Mighty Baby” is a must-have purchase not only for fans of the band but those who want to discover this classic progressive rock album for the first time.

The Wynder K. Frog story evolves around Mick Weaver. After he switched from piano to organ he joined a band named The Chapters that would soon be renamed Wynder K. Frog and perform material from James Brown's Flames, Booker T. and The MGs or even songs learned through Georgie Fame's recordings and Graham Bond's repertoire. Wynder K. Frog moved to London and became regulars in the city's R&B scene playing at Swingin' London's clubs like the Tiles or The Marquee. A contract with Island Records was secured and -under the wings of producers like Chris Blackwell, Guy Stevens, Jimmy Miller or Gus Dudgeon- Wynder K Frog, a name that would eventually be used as a pseudonym for Weaver more than a proper band name, did some some amazing Hammond organ-ized recordings and issued in three LPs and a bunch of cool 45s.

At the end of the 1960s, Weaver would quit the "band scene" to become one of the most in demand session musicians and throughout his career he'd be heard backing names such as Eric Burdon, Roger Chapman, Dave Gilmour, Keef Hartley, Alexis Korner, Ralph McTell, Taj Mahal or Otis Rush a.o, but his LPs as Wynder K Frog are classic Hammond sound from the 1960s UK and will appeal to those into Brian Auger, Graham Bond, The Artwoods, Zoot Money, Jimmy McGriff, Booker T. & The MGs and the likes.

OUT OF THE FRYING PAN
Released at the end of the summer of 1968, and with a host of session musicians that included the brass section of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, producer Gus Dudgeon helped Weaver / Wynder K Frog to improve the results obtained on the debut LP and get one step closer to the live action. The formula was more or less the same, instrumental hammond a go go covers of hits from the era, including The Rolling Stones' "Jumping Jack Flash", a funked up version of the classic Tommy Tucker blues number "Hi Heel Sneakers", an exploding cover of "Tequila" or the standard "Green Door", but it also included the sensational Weaver-penned "Harpsichord Shuffle".

Vinyl LP repressing of this 1969 album. WILLY & THE POOR BOYS, the fourth album by one of the world's all-time greatest rock bands, Creedence Clearwater Revival, remains a top-selling album in the CCR catalog with over 2 million copies sold to date. Reaching the top 50 in six countries upon it's release, the album stands as a landmark international success and one that cemented the band's legacy as a vanguard of American rock 'n' roll. Contains the ubiquitous chart-topping hit, 'Down On The Corner,' which rocketed into the top 10 in the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and continues to be a mainstay on classic rock radio today. Additionally, the visceral 'Fortunate Son' is included here - an incendiary protest song that became inextricably linked to the Vietnam war, resulting in it's addition to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress in 2014 for being 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant'.

Hailing from Florida, After All was formed by well-experienced musicians with an R&B, jazz and blues background who hooked up with poetry writer Linda Hargrove to record an ambitious album influenced by acid-rock and psychedelic, early progressive sounds. Originally released in 1969 on the Athena label, the album is now considered an obscure classic. Top level psych/prog dominated by Hammond organ / guitar plus explosive drumming. Here’s a welcome new reissue in original artwork plus remastered sound, insert with liner notes.

First ever official vinyl reissue of this bluesy psychedelic hard-rock album from 1969.

Reissue of the band sole album, originally released in 1968 on Capitol Records. The record is a mixture of light psychedelic pop and folk. The band broke up shortly after failing to achieve commercial success or critical acclaim. The following year Artie Kornfeld, the record engineer of the album, went on to be the music producer of the Woodstock festival in 1969. Debbie Harry went on to join The Stillettos in 1974 and other bands until subsequently achieving success in 1976 fronting the new wave band Blondie.

Led by explosive guitar player Chris (later Christa) Bond, Thunder and Roses was a power-trio from Philly in the best tradition of Cream or the Jimi Hendrix Experience. This is their sole album, originally released in 1969. A cult psychedelic hard-rock classic, including “White Lace and Strange”, famously covered by Nirvana. Thunder and Roses (named after a story from The Astounding Science Fiction Anthology) started to take form when genius 18-years old guitar player Chris Bond and bassist Tom Schaffer met heavy drummer George Emme (previously of The Electric Power House). Rehearsing six days a week the trio gelled quick and soon they were playing memorable shows at venues like Electric Factory and the Trauma. Recorded at Sigma Sound by Joe Tarcia, “King of the Black Sunrise” was released by United Artists in 1969. Dominated by Bond’s outstanding fuzz-wah guitar playing, the album featured seven original songs plus a storming cover of Hendrix’s “Red House”. Sadly, the record label took a wrong decision when refused to release the killer “White Lace and Strange” as a 45 to promote the album, choosing the mockery “Country Life” instead. After Thunder & Roses split, guitar player and main songwriter Chris Bond had a successful career as producer, songwriter, arranger and session musician, working closely with Daryl Hall & John Oates as well as other top artists. Later in his life, Chris eventually transitioned from male to female and changed her name to Christa. She sadly passed away in 2019.

Pink Floyd's second studio album, remastered from the original mono analogue tapes. Remastered by James Guthrie, Joel Plante and Bernie Grundman. Limited edition 180 g heavyweight vinyl. Tracklisting: Side 1: 1. Let There Be More Light, 2. Remember A Day, 3. Set The Controls For the Heart Of The Sun, 4. Corporal Clegg. Side 2: 1. A Saucerful Of Secrets, 2. See-Saw, 3. Jugband Blues.

180 gram pressing!

Remastered from the original tapes, 180g vinyl!

This almost entirely instrumental album with “groovy” sounds by the legendary Plaster Casters, the Chicago groupies who started in the late 60s with Jimi Hendrix and later the likes of Jello Biafra and Ariel Pink, was produced by music business veteran Bob Thiele and released on his newly launched New York-based Flying Dutchman record label, which mostly released jazz and blues, including important albums by Gil Scott-Heron, Gato Barbieri, Oliver Nelson, Lonnie Liston Smith and Thiele’s wife, pop singer Teresa Brewer.

Officially reissued for the first time on vinyl here's a definitive pop psych masterpiece, originally released in 1968 on Dunhill Records. It's not a legend that John Lennon named the band after an art book by Yoko Ono. The Beatles were closely involved in their early career, signing them to Apple Publishing. Lennon and McCartney produced their single "Lullaby". Here's their debut album with extra tracks taken from their 1967-1968 London Session Apple.

180 gram high quality pressing vinyl!

Mega rare UK private album (99 copies originally pressed in 1969) by singer/songwriter Jeremy Harmer, featuring David Costa of psych-folk band Trees on guitar.

Melancholic, introspective psych-folk with chamber/ baroque feel. Guitar, flute, viola, bass, drums…

Jeremy Harmer started singing and playing at school and university, where his circle of friends included aspiring folk musicians like Nick Drake and pre-Trees David Costa. Jeremy has a long history as a singer/songwriter and performer, along with his work in the field of English language teaching.

“Idiosyncratics and Swallows’ Wings” was recorded one night in 1968 at the studios of Anglia Television, Norwich, while Jeremy was at the University of East Anglia. Along with Jeremy singing and playing guitar, the album features a mini-chamber ensemble of flute, viola, bass and drums with orchestral arrangements written by John Trevitt from the School of Fine Arts. Jeremy’s friend David Costa (prior to forming the psych-folk band Trees) played guitar on several tracks and co-wrote “Tuesday P.M.”

Only 99 copies were pressed at the time and all were sold to people at the University, making it impossible to find now.

*Original artwork in hard cardboard sleeve *First ever vinyl reissue *Insert with liner notes and photos *Download card

Riyl: Nick Drake, John Cale, Bert Jansch, Incredible String Band, Will Malone…

My favorite singer in the place was Karen Dalton. She had a voice like Billie Holiday's and played the guitar like Jimmy Reed"- Bob Dylan This essential folk/blues classic, originally released in 1969, was the debut album by Karen Dalton. Dalton was discovered by singer/songwriter Fred Neil, who introduced her to producer Nick Venet (the man who signed The Beach Boys and took The Beatles to America). She cut most of the tracks with one take, and all in one night. A perfectionist, Dalton was hard to convince to record, and producers Venet and Neil were only successful by tricking her into thinking the tape wasn't rolling. "Some find Karen Dalton's voice difficult to listen to", wrote Al/Music critic Richie Unterberger. "But Dalton's vocals aren't that hard to take, and they are expressive; like Buffy Sainte-Marie, it just does take some getting used to because of their unconventional timbre." On this album, Dalton covers a wide range of styles, from lim Hardin, Jelly Roll Morton, and Leadbelly to the traditional folk song "Ribbon Bow" and the Eddie Floyd/Booker T. Jones penned soul tune "I Love You More Than Words Can Say." She also sings a couple of Neil tunes. After years of drug abuse, Dalton died in 1993, aged 55. Although she didn't enjoy commercial success during her lifetime, her work has gained significant recognition since her death, and artists like Nick Cave, Devendra Banhart, and Joanna Newsom have noted her as an influence.

Why you'll love it...
“Knowing Tammy Wynette’s troubled history, and with 50-plus years of social change since the recording and release of Stand By Your Man, it’s difficult to hear the album and not want to scream: Tammy, get out of there; you’re so much better than him! But that’s not to say that the album, which ascended to No. 2 on Billboard’s Country Albums chart and earned a Country Music Association Album of the Year nomination in 1969, isn’t worth listening to. Wynette’s mournful voice, described by her longtime producer Billy Sherrill as ‘husky and soulful and tearful and dynamic,’ was made for songs like these; frankly, so were her real-life experiences. ‘She lived it, you know. She lived every tear every-body ever heard her sing,’ Sherrill once said of Wynette, and he assembled talented musicians to match her delivery in lush, Nashville Sound-era style.”

Why you'll love it...
After recording demos with Sam Phillips that he considered "too jazzy" Charlie Rich was given a stack of Jerry Lee Lewis records to study and "come back when [he got] that bad". The single "Lonely Weekends" hit Top 30 and earned a gold record for selling one million copies. The album features classics such as "C.C. Rider," "You're Gonna Be Waiting" and "Apple Blossom Time."

Limited to 1000 copies, the VMP exclusive edition of Charlie Rich's Lonely Weekends is pressed on Sky Blue vinyl at Softwax Record Pressing. The AAA 1LP will arrive in a single, direct-to-board jacket.

An acid-folk masterpiece finally revealed ! When two worlds collide here’s where the legacy of Tim Hollier begins, his first album was released on United Artists in 1968 and this long overdue re-issue is a definitive statement of the master genius. Guest on the opening night of a Beckenham folk club run by his friend David Bowie, Hollier recorded ‘Message To A Harlequin’ with the assistance of Donovan arranger John Cameron. Hollier was also a regular on London's folk club circuit for several years alongside the likes of Paul Simon, Al Stewart and Nick Drake. Here’s your chance to finally grab his visionary songwriting.

Siren was the debut album by Kevin Coyne with Siren, the band he founded with former Bonzo Dog Band bassist Dave Clague and pianist/guitarist Nick Cudworth. The album was originally issued on John Peel’s Dandelion label in 1969. An artist who would later inspire John Lydon, Sting, Ben Watt and Will Oldham and would collaborate with Robert Wyatt, Andy Summers, Dagmar Krause, Brendan Croker, Gary Lucas and The Mekons’ Jon Langford, Kevin Coyne deserves a royal place between the likes of Syd Barrett, Peter Hammill and Daevid Allen. Standing on the verge of british blues, folk and rawk’n’roll Siren could have been easily labeled as the british answer to Canned Heat, but there’s even more. ‘And I Wonder’ is clearly an anticipation of what would happen next, with the solo career of Coyne, more focused on acid folk songwriting. “Most of the album is good time rock-on-out-music a la the Flamin’ Groovies… one of those (albums) you keep coming back to when the night gets cold and the wine is almost out. I play it a lot, and that’s the nicest thing I can say about an album.” Ed Ward – Rolling Stone “Siren just came as a breath of fresh air really, in the same way that like a generation later The Ramones did. When you just thought ‘Thank God for that!’ You hadn’t realised how bored you’d become…” John Peel.

Signed By Simeon

The Rolling Stones returned to their blues roots on 1968's Beggars Banquet, which was immediately acclaimed as one of their landmark achievements. A strong, acoustic Delta Blues flavor colors much of the album, particularly "Prodigal Son" and Jagger/Richards' "No Expectations." Basic rock 'n' roll is not forgotten with "Street Fighting Man" and "Sympathy for the Devil." The lyrical bite of the material ensured it's place as one of the best blues-based rock albums of all time. 180-gram vinyl.

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.

ULTIMATE-SOUNDING VERSION OF THE HARMONY-RICH LANDMARK: DELUXE AUDIOPHILE PRESSING LIMITED AND NUMBERED COPIES
1/4" / 15 IPS analogue master to DSD 256 to analogue console to lathe


The enduring charm, contemporary relevance, and harmonic convergence of Crosby, Stills & Nash's fabled self-titled debut owe not only to impeccably played songs and resonant lyrics, but to career-defining performances by music's first genuine supergroup. Crosby, Stills & Nash lingers as an example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Factor in phenomenal studio production and acoustic-based architecture that served as guideposts for myriad albums that followed, and popular music would never be the same.

Limited and numbered, pressed on MoFi SuperVinyl at RTI, and mastered from the original master tapes, Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP collector's edition enhances the incalculably influential work for the ages to come. Surpassing the sonics of any prior version, it peels away any limitations to provide a transparent, ultra-nuanced presentation of a record that birthed the Laurel Canyon movement and established a precedent for close harmony singing that has never been eclipsed. The organic presentation of the textures; expanse and depth of the soundstages; fullness of tones; natural extension of the acoustic guitar strings; realistic rise and decay of individual notes; seamless blending of the vocals – all those important sonic facets (and more) reach demonstration-grade levels.

The packaging features the same attention to detail. Housed in a deluxe box, the Crosby, Stills & Nash UD1S pressing features special foil-stamped jackets and faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendour of the recording and the reissue's premium quality. Aurally and visually, MoFi's UD1S copy exists as a curatorial artifact meant to be preserved, touched, and examined. It is made for discerning listeners that prize sound quality and production, and who desire to fully immerse themselves in the art – and everything involved with the album, from the images to the finishes.

The backstory of how Crosby, Stills & Nash came to be nearly matches the import of its content. Already a renowned multi-instrumental virtuoso, Stephen Stills sought a fresh beginning after Buffalo Springfield splintered. Similarly, vocal powerhouse David Crosby arrived after leaving the Byrds and gaining a reputation for being difficult. Graham Nash drifted over after a frustrating stint in the Hollies. He met his new mates at a party. When the three sang together informally for the first time, their fate was sealed. To further tie their fortunes together, the singers used each of their surnames to identify the group to ensure the collective could not exist or continue on without all three members.

From the opening of the lead track, the multi-part "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," written for Judy Collins, it's apparent the trio's dynamic cannot be replicated or substituted. Originally released in May 1969 on Atlantic, the eponymous debut cracked the Billboard Top 10 and spent almost two years on the charts. Such longevity can be credited to the distinctive traits each member lends to a record Rolling Stone cites as the 252nd Greatest Album of All Time. Stills trades in folk, country, and rock accents while handing a majority of the instrumental duties (organ, bass, and lead guitar included). Crosby paints with mood and atmosphere, as well as direct political commentary. Nash ties everything together with accessible pop melodies.

More than five decades later, the ensemble's mellifluous singing and homespun arrangements continue to soar. The evidence pervades Crosby, Stills & Nash, whose magnetism reflects in standards such as the breezy "Marrakesh Express," protesting "Long Time Gone," poignant "Helplessly Hoping," and poetic "Wooden Ships." No wonder the trio's chemistry – as well as the distinctive traits of each member's singing, interwoven guitar parts, and contrasting personalities – became a permanent part of an American culture dealing with conflicting themes of peace and war, love and violence, and change and status quo.

More About Mobile Fidelity UltraDisc One-Step and Why It Is Superior
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S) technique bypasses generational losses inherent to the traditional three-step plating process by removing two steps: the production of father and mother plates, which are created to yield numerous stampers from each lacquer that is cut. For UD1S plating, stampers (also called "converts") are made directly from the lacquers. Since each lacquer yields only one stamper, multiple lacquers need to be cut. Mobile Fidelity's UD1S process produces a final LP with the lowest-possible noise floor. The removal of two steps of the plating process also reveals musical details and dynamics that would otherwise be lost due to the standard multi-step process. With UD1S, every aspect of vinyl production is optimized to produce the best-sounding vinyl album available today.

MoFi SuperVinyl
Developed by NEOTECH and RTI, MoFi SuperVinyl is the most exacting-to-specification vinyl compound ever devised. Analog lovers have never seen (or heard) anything like it. Extraordinarily expensive and extremely painstaking to produce, the special proprietary compound addresses two specific areas of improvement: noise floor reduction and enhanced groove definition. The vinyl composition features a new carbonless dye (hold the disc up to the light and see) and produces the world's quietest surfaces. This high-definition formula also allows for the creation of cleaner grooves that are indistinguishable from the original lacquer. MoFi SuperVinyl provides the closest approximation of what the label's engineers hear in the mastering lab.

As the Soft Machine's first bassist and original principal songwriter, Kevin Ayers was an overlooked force behind the group's groundbreaking recordings in 1967 and 1968. Joy Of A Toy is his debut solo album, its whimsical and unique vision is a clear indication of how Soft Machine might have progressed under Ayers' tenure. On the LP he is accompanied by his Soft Machine colleagues Robert Wyatt, Mike Ratledge and Hugh Hopper.

180g vinyl.