Rock 'n' Roll Vinyl 334 Items

Farnak. The inspirational nihilist and perpetual droog is the sound of bedroom rock experimentations and insightful lyricism in this 7" single. Lend your ears a listen and give yourself a break.

This 10-incher offers powerful and authentic rockabilly from Charlie Hightone and his Rock-It's, who are among the most popular bands on the European rockin' scene. Their early releases have been packing the dancefloors with boppers, and this second full-length release is sure ton have a comparable impact. 'Small But Loud' includes contributions from Big Sandy and Vesa Haaja (The Barnshakers).

After the success of Keb Darge’s 2023 Ace Rockabilly compilation (chd 1637) the legend returns with another collection of music close to his heart.

On “Keb Darge Presents The Best Of Ace Sixties Garage Punk” the smooth-headed maestro pulls open his curtains to reveal a selection of US garage stompers from the 60s. “Though there are a couple of “never before on vinyl” tunes here for serious collectors, this compilation is aimed at those folk who are just getting into it,” states Keb “I have picked a selection of my favourites from the nice cheap and easy to find stuff up to the four figure and bloody hard to find stuff.” Artists like the Hooterville Trolley, the Litter, the Music Machine, the Venturie 5, the Lyrics and the Nightcrawers reflect back light towards British invasion bands like the Who, the Kinks and the Rolling Stones, home-grown garage flowers and the dark end of the psychedelic street. Laced with fuzzed guitar, enthusiasm, a driving beat and an attitude that was proto-punk this music remains fresh and is already being embraced by a new generation.

With liner notes from Keb and housed in a sleeve by Robin Banks −who also did the artwork for Keb’s Rockabilly compilation − this is an essential purchase.

The tracks from the group’s two 1984 EPs together on a swanky 10-inch vinyl LP. Inner bag features liner notes by Kris Needs incorporating new interviews with all three Delmonas and a series of great photos by Eugene Doyen.

Sarah Crouch, Hilary Wilkins and Louise Baker started singing together as a unique spark of spontaneous magic inextricably linked to their boyfriends in the Milkshakes, then rocking a garage-punk antidote to shiny synth-pop and brash chart stars with a direct lifeline back to rock’n’roll’s original simplicity and wildness. After Billy Childish and Bruce Brand formed the Pop Rivets in 1978, the guys hooked up with Micky Hampshire and Russell Wilkins to found the Milkshakes. Sarah shared a student house with boyfriend Micky plus Billy. After she and Hilary, then dating Russell, sang backing vocals on the Milkshakes’ rollicking Beatles-translated take on the Shirelles’ ‘Boys’, Louise’s arrival turned them into a girl group pretty much by accident.

“I loved the music the Milkshakes were playing,” Louise recalls. “Loved the small, intimate venues and most of the bands that played with them, especially the Prisoners. I’d gone with the Milkshakes to Belgium and was somehow persuaded to get up on stage and sing something. Next thing I knew, there was some kind of plan to get the three of us in the studio.” At first the three girls were called the Milk-boilers, renaming themselves the Delmonas by the time Ace Records’ Roger Armstrong and Ted Carroll suggested recording the EPs that furnish this collection. “I think we were asked to each think of three songs and turn up,” says Louise. “I mostly listened to music from the 60s: lots of girl groups, Irma Thomas, Dusty Springfield, Bo Diddley, Velvet Underground, Kinks. Bruce had the best record collection; Mel Tormé was in there somewhere and one of my faves. Sarah came up with doing the Doors cover.”

‘Comin’ Home Baby’ was written as an instrumental before Bob Dorough added lyrics and Mel Tormé recorded it in 1962. The Delmonas’ finger-clicking, noir-dynamic version kicked off their first EP with authentic-sounding 60s production resonance, iced with mysterioso organ. The Cookies scored a hit with Goffin & King’s ‘Chains’ in 1962, the Beatles’ version providing the Hamburg Star-Club template for the Delmonas’ energised rendition. The first EP, “The Delmonas Volume 1”, rounded off with two songs from the Childish-Hampshire songwriting partnership: ‘Woa’ Now’ and ‘He Tells Me He Loves Me’, the latter recalling the New York Dolls covering the Shangri-Las’ ‘Give Him A Great Big Kiss’, mainly because it has similar chords.

“The Delmonas Volume 2” opened with Sarah’s idea of covering the Doors’ hit. “We thought, ‘How would the Kinks have played it?’” she affirms. ‘Hello, I Love You’ had got the Doors into hot water with the Kinks’ publishers for its resemblance to ‘All Day And All Of The Night’. The Delmonas home in and highlight that similarity, adding bonkers psychedelic drop and evocative new coda. Their surf-tinged version of the Milkshakes’ ‘I’m The One For You’ is followed by the swampy screaming of ‘Peter Gunn Locomotion’, a cover of a 1963 single by Freddie Starr in his pre-stand-up comedian days as singer with the Midnighters. The set closed with the sultry organ-led vamp of the Milkshakes’ ‘I Want You’, the nearest the Delmonas get to the slowies Sarah helpfully points out they referred to as “shag songs”.

All these tracks would re-appear on their “Dangerous Charms” album, along with out-takes and recordings from a BBC session, before the original trio splintered, leaving Sarah and Hilary to return for further adventures as Ludella Black and Ida Red. The eight tracks here capture a moment when three fun-loving friends got to live out some musical fantasies and had a blast doing it. 37 years later, it sounds just as contagious.

Legendary international DJ, Keb Darge, fell under the spell of this music when his Japanese girlfriend forced him to go down to a ‘Rockabilly’ night back in 1989. As soon as the DJ dropped the needle on Johnny Burnette’s ‘Rockabilly Boogie’ Keb was mesmerized. He was soon hunting down the hideously rare top tunes and slipping thousands of pounds into specialist collectors like Boz Boorer’s back pocket, when the legendary guitarist was not recording or touring with Morrissey. Of course, Keb was then taking these records and introducing them to new audiences in his DJ sets worldwide.

Although it has taken an age to persuade him, Keb has now applied his perfectionist compiling skills to pick 14 killers to grace this fantastic collection. Ranging from the bopping Glen Glenn’s ‘Blue Jeans and A Boy’s Shirt’ to the almost hillbilly Jimmy Johnson’s ‘All Dressed Up’. This is a must-have compilation not only for those who have been oiling their quiffs for decades, but also those wondering what this “rockabilly” is all about. Keb drops you in at the deep end with no easy-going fillers, and you’ll be glad he did.

Keb has written the sleeve notes and with cover art by the legendary Robin Banks – this album looks as good as it sounds.

The Vampisoul chicas are back. And for the third time. And, although collectors and connoisseurs have never stopped playing the songs by these Spanish female singers, here they are again, sounding as vibrant as they did half a century ago. Because these children of their times, the musical decades of the 60s and 70s covered by this compilation, boldly ventured into the limited spaces of freedom open to female artists back then. And they did so with attitude, in search of the right repertoire, proudly presenting new, daring personal projects often breaking away from the demure tone adopted by mainstream local female singers. And they were canny about it too. Realizing that the censors working back would just listen to the song that the record company flagged up as the listening target on the A side and not bother to flip the single over, they recorded many of their racier songs on the B side. That exciting dark side of singles, which have long tempted collectors. Lacking the freedom and visibility enjoyed today, these daring records by these female singers went as far as they could and a few managed to go beyond. The songs on this compilation tell everyday stories, narrating small socio-musical conquests revolving round the enduring theme of young love. Sass, sex, boy-girl rivalry, the defense of liberating women's fashion and, saying what women think loud and clear, all characterize these grooves. Performed in a variety of musical styles ranging from ye-yé, twist, disco, beat, popcorn, flamenco pop to Northern Soul, and, even more surprisingly, sung in an everyday, natural and self-assured tone that must have ruffled some feathers. As in previous volumes of "¡Chicas!", this third compilation includes female singers from outside Spain but whose career, their decision to sing in Spanish or their long tours and local stays, and occasionally permanent residence, meant their albums were created, recorded or produced here in Spain. It's a winning proposition for everyone. Take the band Los Bravos,...

Los Mambo Jambo return with their second album as Los Mambo Jambo Arkestra, which sees the Barcelona quartet backed by 12 extra musicians, including two horn sections and one extra guitarrist. ‘El Gran Ciclón, arranged by their own Ivan Kovacevic (bass) and produced by Dani Nel•lo (sax), includes 11 tracks from the band’s different eras with a new twist.

The new album by the great Dani Nel·lo is a compilation of the best 11 songs from the two previous volumes of Los Saxophonistas Salvajes, ('El Twister', 'Sassy, 'Hey Chula!', 'Honey White'…), currently out of print on vinyl. It also includes two unreleased tracks: 'Snake Eyes', a song that King Curtis recorded in 1959 with saxophonist Noble Watts, and Jimmy Forrest's 'Night Train Mambo', one of the most covered and played songs in blues jams and at burlesque shows.

Shaghayegh was an Iranian rock band that emerged in the mid-1960s. They only released one EP, which was released under two different labels (Royal and Monogram), both versions rare as hell and go try find one. and their original vinyl records are some real highly rarity. Only four tracks are known to exist from the band, and they were printed on two different labels at the time.

Now it’s reissued thanks to the mighty Juzz label out of Tehran, bringing their garage-beat particular sound to a new life, in a well-cared production, limited to 500 copies in grey vinyl and beautiful cover.

You may recognise this fine fellow as the bass player for such acts as Spoon, Lee Fields' Expressions, Reigning Sound and The Jay Vons. Or perhaps you've heard the man himself wailing away on several well-received 45's released on Wick Records and compiled on the digital EP 'Hey Lovers'.

With 'Do You Still Think of Me?', his debut album for Wick Records, Trokan takes the listener through the full spectrum of 60s influenced music: the moody teen-beat bop of 'Save a Place', the garage dwelling angst of 'Nowhere to Be Found', to the sweet soul sound of the title track. But throughout the records, it's the unique sound of Benny's raspy, vulnerable lead vocal that carries us across this truly stunning collection of modern pop. 'Do You Still Think of Me?' is a breath of fresh air from a well-seasoned veteran. Unquestionably worth the wait.

Deluxe vinyl reissue of The Meteors' 2012album!

You may recognise this fine fellow as the bass player for such acts as Spoon, Lee Fields' Expressions, Reigning Sound and The Jay Vons. Or perhaps you've heard the man himself wailing away on several well-received 45's released on Wick Records and compiled on the digital EP 'Hey Lovers'.

With 'Do You Still Think of Me?', his debut album for Wick Records, Trokan takes the listener through the full spectrum of 60s influenced music: the moody teen-beat bop of 'Save a Place', the garage dwelling angst of 'Nowhere to Be Found', to the sweet soul sound of the title track. But throughout the records, it's the unique sound of Benny's raspy, vulnerable lead vocal that carries us across this truly stunning collection of modern pop. 'Do You Still Think of Me?' is a breath of fresh air from a well-seasoned veteran. Unquestionably worth the wait.

The perfect introduction to the original Psychobilly band! 25 favourites, many issued as singles, from The Meteors - the band that sparked the Psychobilly movement and continues to lead the way!

This is Gianni and Erika third album, after two works released by Voodoo Rhythm Records and produced by Jim Diamond, musician and producer for two iconic bands from Detroit, The Dirtbombs and The White Stripes. The record features former Screaming Trees vocalist - and acclaimed solo artist - Mark Lanegan and Chilean multi-instrumentalist Alain Johannes (Queens Of The Stone Age, Spinnerette, Ten Commandos, The Desert Sessions). “The title track of the new album was born during our last day of re-cordings” - says Gianni Blacula and Switchblade Erika.. “Alain is an enthusiast of strings instruments, and on the last day he arrived at the studio with a Neapolitan mandola he bought in the historical centre of Naples. We were astonished about how a traditional instrument as the mandola can get a rock sound, so we followed up went to the recording room. Alain at the mandola and vocals and us on guitar and drums. There was suddenly the right atmosphere that to Alain reminded “ the Desert Sessions” , so much that the song came out at the first take. Then Alain wrote the lyrics and the last line “Beast Must Regret Nothing” affected us , we have chosen it as the title of the album because it totally reflects his mood, and it does taste of Devils!” Gianni and Erika got in touch with Alain for the first time in September 2019, during a Spanish tour, while they were looking for inspirations for their new record. In the same moment Alain was on a European tour which ended in Italy. The collaboration was born in a spontaneous way, for a mutual esteem between the Devils and the famous producer and musician. The album have been recorded in Naples, Italy, with a two weeks session in a historic studio equipped with a large tracking room with truly unique acoustics. Alain actively collaborated in the production of the album taking part to creative process and helping them with the arrangements. The Devils formed in Naples in 2015 and their first two albums “Sin,You Sinners!” in 2016 and “Iron Butt” in 2017 were produced by Jim Diamond (The White Stripes, The Sonics and the Dirtbombs), pub-lished by Voodoo Rhythm Records. From 2016 the duo constantly tour, and has played everywhere doing over 400 shows between Europe and Canada. The Devils are the sound of desolation and chaos; their style is primitive, filled with sex, sin and rock’n’roll. They are wild, loud and sexy. The name of the band was chosen has tribute to the movie “The Devils” by Ken Russell and they have been on tour with Jon Spencer, The Sonics, Boss Hog and The Monsters, and has open act around Europe for Mudhoney, Nashville Pussy, Guitar Wolf, Kid Congo and many more.

Los Saicos Created A Raw, Wild And Visceral Sound, The Southern Hemisphere Equivalent Of The Garage Rock That Was Coming Out Of The Us And Their Anthem 'Demolición' Is One Of The Most Insane '60s Punk Songs Of All Time. Unavailable On A 45 For Over A Decade, Here It Is Again! The Archaeology Of Rock'n'roll Is Much Like Any Other Form Of Digging. Significant Finds Demand The Re-Addressing Of Previously Considered Certainty. You Can Hear Direct Links To Both The Stooges And The Cramps Here And Several More Equally Enthralling Combos. The Latter Spawned Several Generations Of Individuals Who Would Dig Deep To Previously (Mostly) Unheard Seams Of Music And Other Forms Of Culture That Have Since Become Part Of The Mainstream Fabric. When Los Saicos' Front Man Erwin Flores Was Asked How Aware He And His Friends Were Of What Was Happening In Britain And The Us At The Time, Here's What He Had To Say: "We Knew The Beatles, They Were Our Idols. We Heard The Rolling Stones After Recording 'Demolición' And Also Bob Dylan And Others. The Primitive Nature Of Our Songs Is Something That Came Spontaneously Out Of My Head. The Band Had No Problem With Assimilating And Arranging It. We Thought Of Ourselves As Bad Boys And That Must Have Been A Driving Force." "Primitive To The Point Of Primordial, Los Saicos Are An Important Benchmark. Not Were. Who Ever Thought There Could Be A Combo Out There In Peru That Would Make The Sonics Sound Like Simon And Bloody Garfunkel? There Is Quite Possibly Some Other Music Out There, Someplace, That Could Well Make Us Re-Address This Consideration, But Until Then, Cherish This Short Course Of Saicotherapy."

The Wizzz ! saga continues with a fresh selection of 60s and 70s rarities gathered from the unchartered nooks of the French-pop galaxy. Stars, underbosses and unknown artists rub shoulders on this tangy new compilation. Take off on a sonic journey through the starry night of the late sixties. Al Awni Bouarane, better known as Abdelwahab Doukkali, was born on January 1st 1941 in Fès, Morocco. Drawn to the world of arts from his earliest years, he took an interest in theatre, drawing and painting before starting to sing in Casabalanca at the beginning of the sixties. In 1962, he leaves Morocco to settle down in Cairo, where his fame burgeoned. A singer songwriter awarded a number of honorary titles of international significance, he became, through the decades, one of the greatest figures of Middle-Eastern music. His repertoire, mostly traditional, fills the grooves of about twenty albums and some thirty singles. It holds a few surprising gems that bring together his eastern sensibility with the rhythms and harmonies of western rock: a handful of twists at the beginning of the sixties and more particularly the notable Je Suis Jaloux, sung in French and released on the label Philips in 1967. The track, recorded “as a matter of curiosity” according to the singer, is an outsider of the master’s discography. In an interview for the daily Aujourd’hui le Maroc in February 2017 he expressed his regrets for not pursuing a broader career in France: “One day I got to Paris and found people dancing to my song Je Suis Jaloux. Unfortunately I left Paris – that was a mistake. The company I was working with had offered great conditions but I am a child of the sun and the spring; I came across a cold period that lasted and led me to leave this city I still dream about”. Today Abdelwahab Doukkali shares his time between singing and painting and lives in Casablanca. Tom – a crepuscular mid-tempo with a touch of Soul produced for Barclay in 1968 – is François Bernheim’s first solo release. The arrangements are the work of Jean-Claude Petit, the recording was carried out by Bernard Estardy while the finest of French studio musicians played the instruments: Francis Daryzcuren on the bass (he appeared on Brigitte Bardot’s Harley Davidson, Le Sud by Nino Ferrer…), Marc Chantereau on the drums (Alexandrie, Alexandra by Claude François, Quelque chose de Tennessee by Johnny Hallyday, Je suis venu te dire que je m’en vais by Serge Gainsbourg…), and playing the six-string Sylvano Santorio (conductor for Jacques Brel) as well as Jean-Pierre Martin (stage guitar player for Johnny Hallyday). The session, held at the CBE studio of Paris’ rue Championnet, tests the young singer’s nerves who out-does himself in a vocal performance of great intensity. And yet, François Bernheim’s musical career had been flourishing for some time: as a youngster he had joined the Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois, a choir for which he was made soloist at the age of 10. Without any formal musical background, he starts learning the guitar by himself at age 14 and, like many musicians of his generation, trains to the instrumentals of the Shadows or the Fantômes, then to the Beatles. He later evolves as a vocalist and songwriter with Roche-Martin along the Sanson sisters, Véronique and Violaine, met while they were singing on a beach. The band, produced by Michel Berger and Claude-Michel Schönberg, records two EP’s in 1967 for the label Odeon. Following the EP Tom, François Bernheim releases a second EP, on which appears yet another successful track, the dreamy Miami-Beach, then dedicates himself to artistic direction and discovering new talents. As he is still a law student, he chooses to hide his identity under the alias Gilles Péram, for fear his musical activities would discredit his status as a future lawyer. It’s with this new name he launches the Poppys, spurred by Eddie Barclay, and releases hits like Noël 70 and Non, non, rien n’a changé. Through his career, François Bernheim/Gilles Péram recorded seven albums and some twenty singles, worked with the likes of Esther Galil, Renaud, Louis Chedid, Patricia Kaas, Marie Laforêt, Brigitte Bardot, Nicoletta, Marc Lavoine, Carlos, Serge Reggiani, Richard Cocciante, Gérard Lenormand, Pierre Richard, Guillaume Depardieu, Elizabeth Depardieu, Gérard Depardieu and Chimène Badi, worked as an actor and made music for a number of ads (Cachou Lajaunie, Carte Kiwi, Malabar, Club Med, Mini Mir…), and even composed a track sung by Kanye West (Power). This chameleon of variétés made in France now works with the likes of the comedian Sandrine Sarroche and the singer Dani. Michel Handson signs this B-side with a touch of hip-hop in 1973 for the label Butterfly. The arrangements are the work of the Costa (authors of a dozen of singles between 1967 and 1987) and Gabriel Yared, a prolific movie score composer (Scout Toujours, 37°2 le Matin, L’Amant…). Before passing into oblivion, Michel Hanson records two more singles, of which L’Heure du slow traditionnel in 1978, languid slapstick track, kitsch and over the top, much appreciated by amateurs of the genre.“There’s no going out naked on the streets, Boeing!” This track from the Swede Matty Kemer’s only single, a tribute to freedom and aviation, was recorded for the label Disque d’Or. The lyrics weren’t the work of some unknown writer but of Ezra Bouskéla, member of the mythical Zorgones (from which hailed future members of Magma, like Zabu, and of Dynastie Crisis) and lyricist for Johnny Hallyday (Rendez-moi le soleil, Le monde entier va sauter, Dans ton univers) but also Herbert Léonard (L’oiseau d’argent). A real French-style beatnik, Ezra leaves for India regardless of his promising debut, leaving behind all of his musical projects, from which a collaboration with Jacques Lanzmann orchestrated by Lee Hallyday. His trip (by bus, and not by Boeing!) is the subject of the hectic autobiographical novel Shambo.

Gilles Janeyrand, piano and guitar player, witnesses two memorable stage acts in his early years: Jacques Brel’s farewell at the Olympia in 1964, then the Beatles at the Palais des Sports in 1965. It’s a revelation: coming out of the Beatle’s concert he decides he ought to become a singer. A few years later, a friend shows Gilles a classified ad published in France Soir: Robert Stigwood, producer for the Bee Gees, the Whos and Cream, is looking for French artists to showcase on his label, RSO. Gilles Janeyrand follows up on the ad and auditions at the Polydor studios, where he meets Claude Ebrard, head of RSO France. Gilles plays four songs at the guitar, from which Amour 2000 and Filles 2000, two tracks he composed for texts written by friends. Claude Ebrard chooses to record the two tracks with the arranger Jean-Claude Petit, and suggests adding flutes, in reference to Jacques Dutronc who had just released Il est cinq heures, Paris s’éveille. The track is recorded in 1969 at the Studio des Dames. Gilles remembers: “There were 25 musicians around me, and I thought it was perfectly normal! I was 18 and that’s the image I had of a career as a variété singer.” At the moment of the contract’s signature, Robert Stigwood sends a Jaguar and a photographer to pick Gilles up at this parent’s were he still lives. They’re taken to RSO’s headquarters, located near the Théâtre des Champs Élysées, and get off the car right as Jacques Brel comes out of the theatre, where he’s rehearsing his show L’Homme de la Mancha. Jacques Brel is familiar with the photographer and editor but doesn’t know Gilles yet, to whom he is introduced. Upon hearing Gilles is signing his first recording contract Jacques Brel utters a “Good luck” he’ll never forget.

Gilles leaves the choice of the A-side to the producers and Filles 2000 becomes the single’s B-side. Gilles promotes Amour 2000 on television, during a show hosted by Michel Drucker, who’ll invite him again repeatedly through the 70s. The record receives critical acclaim but the sales don’t follow. In 1974, at the Ferber studios, an LP is recorded with the musicians of the singer Christophe. The record, produced by St Preux for Heloïse Music, benefits from a rather important production: the crew enjoys over a month in the studio, not always even working full-days, preferring to round them off in the closest bar. Gilles is given full artistic freedom: Saint Preux, who lives with leopards, spends his afternoons at the cinema rather than behind the mixer. The period is one of hedonism, and Gilles adopts a psychedelic lifestyle. Some of the album’s tracks evoke the spirit of the first single: Les martiens and La fleur magique (of which a short version exists, intended for a single that never came out, probably lost in Heloïse Music’s archive). Overall, the album is a nice assemblage in the flamboyant progressive style of the mid 70s. Many more singles come out until the mid 80s, of which Je suis un passant, a minor success. But the big hit never comes and Gilles Janeyrand gradually turns to theatre, cinema and television. His name appears in the credits of Clara et les chics types (Jacques Monnet, 1981), La vie et rien d’autre (Bertrand Tavernier, 1989), J’accuse (Roman Polanski, 2019) as well as of another dozen of movies and TV series.

Albert-Henri Rykaert aka Alain Ricar was born in 1922 in Charleroi, Belgium. His father sold monkeys and, one day, exchanged a marmoset for a small accordion found in Berlin’s rubbles. He offered the instrument to his son. The latter first disregarded it, though it was to resurface in his life decades later. Peddler, birthstone merchant, he tries to lead a “normal” life before embarking on an artistic career later on, at the end of the 50s. During his first stage appearance playing the part of a dark, handsome character, the crowd bursts out laughing; Ricar involuntarily discovers his comical potential, which he was to exploit throughout his career. Comedian, singer, songwriter, he performs in cabarets or for the theatre, in Paris and in Belgium, then on RTB (Belgian TV). He namely appears in Les Aventures du Capitaine Long, a musical soap opera of his creation in which he plays the role of a lonesome singing sailor whose Camembert cheese-filled ship sank near a deserted island… Following the rediscovery of his accordion while looking through the families’ attic, Alain Ricar creates a comical singing act, which he presents at memorable concerts (for the opening act of Serge Gainsbourg in 1964, then of Johnny Hallyday in 1966). Through the 60s, he records five singles, of which I like sex is the only incursion into pop music. Alain Ricar who once wrote: “I have no age and I don’t miss it much”, dies in 1998 at the age of 92.

A cigar in his right hand, a gun in the left, binoculars around his neck complete with a predatory smile, Paul Dupret captivates us with the debonair B-side of the one and only single he released for the label Vogue in 1970.

Richard Hertel was born in Paris in 1947. At age 7 he’s the Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois choir’s solo singer; he then goes on to study percussions at the Conservatoire de Paris. In 1966, he creates the Gottamou with Nino Ferrer and Bernard Estardy; they record two EPs at the CBE studio for the label Riviera. Meanwhile he plays for various French-variété stars: Nicoletta, Hugues Aufray, Claude François, Nino Ferrer. Towards the end of the 60s, Richard Hertel (nicknamed Totoche in the musical world) releases a first single as a singer on the label Liberty, Patatras Hola, on which he also plays the drums and the organ. Perfect groove, amused lyrics, and atonal gimmick: the title track is a success but the record doesn’t sell much and quickly sinks into oblivion. He releases a second single for Liberty, the score for the film Chitty chitty bang bang by Richard Hertel and his orchestra. The record though is no more than a dull commission. Richard Hertel then becomes Patcho and releases two funk-infused singles on Atlantic in 1971 and 1972, produced by the avant-garde composer Igor Wakhévitch. Close to the drummer Kenny Clark, he discovers the universe of Jazz which he integrates at the beginning of the 70s, playing the drums with the likes of Bill Coleman, Joe Newman, Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Guy Lafitte and many others. In 1974, he settles down in the Gers (Southwestern France) and develops a passion for traditional Occitan music. He starts teaching percussions at the Conservatoire Occitan de Toulouse, and plays alongside the singers Martina e Rosina De Peira. Richard Hertel passed away in 2016.

In 1968, Michel Didier lands on the French scene with five simultaneous single releases on the label Fontana. From a mainly folk corpus emerges this flashy cover of Rainbow Chaser by the English band Nirvana, here renamed Comme un arc-en-ciel, orchestrated and soaked in trippy effects by Jean-Claude Vannier.

Vedette internationale, or the lament of an inmate frustrated not to be a star of show business, is the work of the mysterious Liberatore (nothing to do with the illustrator of graphic novel RanXerox). Probably of Belgian origin, the track was released on Vogue in 1969.

Alain Serco signs a frantic homage to his best friend Kiki, the B-side of his sole single, released on South Records at the beginning of the 70s.

Gérard Gray, fond of poetry, starts signing after discovering Charles Beaudelaire’s The Flowers of Evil (Les Fleurs du mal) through Léo Ferré. From the mid 60s he regularly sings in Parisian cabarets (l’Écluse, la Contrescarpe, Chez Georges, Villa d’Este, Chez Monique Morelli…) and shares the stage with a number of celebrities such as Alain Barrière, Pierre Perret, Antoine, Jacques Dutronc and Claude François. Le Poisson vert, recorded in 1970, was created with his friend Frédéric Rochel, who first composes the music in a “nostalgic, ironic and joyful” spirit. The duo then undertakes a sound research inspired by François de Roubaix, with whom Gérard Gray and Frédéric Rochel had become friends. Sensitive to rare or exotic instruments, they search for a “different” sound and put together demos tinkering with a Revox tape deck and a variety of objects: dictionaries replace drums, water-filled crystalware simulate an organ while a whole array of flutes, jaw harps, decoys and whistles is used to create an uncanny, surrealist soundscape. With the melody and the themes clearly defined, Gérard Gray writes the beautiful lyrics inspired by underwater visions and submarine mysteries. The song is recorded in Lausanne for the Swiss label Évasions, with the label’s usual musicians. Even though they use traditional instruments, the original demo’s atmosphere is brought forward by the sound recording of Stephan Sulke (aka Steff, German singer and producer of numerous unknown sixties gems). ! Manque l’annonce de la démo dans les bonus de la version téléchargeable !

Le grand méchant loup by François Faray revisits Charles Perrault’s tale at the time of the sexual liberation, yielding an ambitious glam-rock track. Oddly enough, the singer goes off the radar right after releasing this one and only single in 1973 on the label Pathé.

Patrice Lamy, born Jacques Desachy, is a romantic singer from Lausanne. He self releases a single in 1969 under the alias Patrice Leman, then four more through the 70s. Laisse-moi médire que je t’aime is the B-side of his third record, entirely written, composed, arranged and directed in 1974 by Pascal Dufar (or Duffard, depending on the sources) to whom we owe a handful of variété songs but mostly the 1976 experimental album Dieu est fou. The musicians playing on Laisse-moi médire all hail from successful pop formations: Magma’s Francis Moze on the bass, Zao’s Mauricia Platon on backing vocals, Paul Stanissinopoulos and Demis Visvikis from the Greek band Avis on the drums and keyboards. Catherine Lara plays the electric violin while the cosmic-style cover is the work of Armande Altaï. After a short, uneven career, Patrice Lamy dies of sunstroke at age 35 in 1984.

The Tunisian crooner K.R. Nagati becomes well known at the end of the 60s with a cover of the Franco-Arab track Yasmina, originally by the Algerian albino signer Blond Blond. His repertoire goes from Arabic adaptations of Western hits (Strangers in the night, Doctor Jivago, Guantanamera…) to traditional and religious songs. Sidi Bou, the lyrics of which are sung in French, English, German, Arabic and Italian, pays tribute to a summer romance and the town of Sidi Bou Saïd, perched on the cliffs overlooking Carthage and Gulf of Tunis. De l’Orient à l’Orion, Yasmina’s beautiful B-side, can be found on the Born Bad compilation Mobilisation Générale.

Les Missiles are a group of four buddies from the city of Oran (Algeria). Together they first play instrumental pieces inspired by The Shadows, as Jupiter, before scattering all over France after Algeria’s independence. Micky Segura, drummer and later solo singer, ends up in Port-Vendres, close to the Spanish border. Well intent on reuniting the band, he leaves on a moped to find Robert Suire (the bass player) who had settled in Aubagne (South). From there they head to Jura (East), home to Bernard Algarra (rhythm guitar). With the last member impossible to locate, the trio makes its way to seek help from the mummified relics of Saint Claude, in the town of the same name. The very next morning they receive a postcard from their friend Manu Gonzalez (solo guitar), who proposes they should meet in Saint-Raphaël, were an apartment is waiting for them, or so he says. Upon their arrival, the three companions realise the apartment is in fact inhabited. They spend many weeks on the street, and then decide to get closer to the heart of French show business, Paris, and settle in Aulnay-sous-Bois (North-East suburbs). An audition takes them to Boulogne-Billancourt, were they perform their instrumental repertoire, before adding they can sing, too. The artistic director keenly asks for a demonstration, following which they sign a contract with the label Ducretet-Thomson. The name Jupiter is changed to Les Missiles, in reference to one of the directors’ car model. In 1964 they become famous with Sacré Dollar (a cover of the Kingston Trio’s Green black dollar) but also Maryline, a great success in Belgium and Switzerland. Three years of fame and concerts ensue, along with the release of two albums and over a dozen of singles. For six months the band tours with Claude François and even replace the Fléchettes on the backing vocals for the idol’s concert. Two members of the Missiles get married in 1966, and the band dissolves. Micky Segura sings as second voice and backing vocalist for Claude François, to whom he remains loyal until his death. He also sings along the likes of Nicoletta, Charles Aznavour, Gilbert Bécaud and Gérard Lenormand, as backing vocalist. La (nouvelle) guerre de cent ans, anti-beatnik jerk, comes from the band’s very last EP, which differs from the previous releases in that it features no covers and shows greater artistic freedom. The band’s sound veers towards garage, or even pre-psychedelic music, with the dissenting Publicité, filled with sound effects.

They haven't simply recorded another record, the Dead Brothers have created a whole new world of dark country blues and Swiss psycho folk with oriental deadly strings and rotten bagpipes.

This September, coffins will shake and graves shall release their dead

Darkness is falling. A cold wind blows from the snow-covered Carpathians, making the windows rattle and the corners of the house creak. Something is coming, eyes flashing red in the night and its footprints filled with grave dirt. What nocturnal terror is this? Why, it’s the arrival of the long-awaited third album by The Coffinshakers, folks.

While most bands quickly lose the spark, The Coffinshakers have stayed relevant – eternal like the undead. Though humor is their hallmark, there is also poignancy and something genuinely spine-tingling in their rugged, melancholy ballads. And this new offering shows them at the height of their baleful, campy power. They truly are a band that ages like fine wine – although vampires, of course, never drink… wine.

Much will be familiar to dedicated fans. Rob’s trademark malevolent chuckles still reverberate with sardonic glee, the deep rumble of his voice continuing to send all yellow-bellies hiding behind the barn. At the same time, his vocals have gained in both power and subtleness. The same goes for the guitar, bass, and drum work, now incorporating a broader array of classic Americana influences. These unholy badmen have drunk the blood straight from the neck of the authentic country, bluegrass, folk and other rootsy music of inbred US backwaters – and it has made their fangs sharper than ever.

And though The Coffinshakers still ride forth with tongue firmly planted in cheek, there is a new apocalyptic urgency to their third offering. From the marching drums of the desolate “Graves, Release Your Dead” to the echoing vocals of “River of Souls” and the cathartic cataclysm of “Down in Flames”, it all forebodes the imminent end of the whole dirty enchilada of existence. The band’s flippancy comes with a genuinely unsettling kernel of darkness – and black humor is always the most satisfying. Vampires may not cry, but we all know they laugh wickedly as they rise from the bone orchard.

- Per Faxneld, Södertörn University department of religion and vampirism, author of Satanic Feminism, Offerträdet, The Devils Party and others

The Coffinshakers' past nocturnal glories include the debut album "We Are The Undead" (1998) and the eponymous sophomore record (2007), after which the cadaverous quartet retreated to the silence of the tomb, having vacated their respective coffins only sporadically when invoked to perform undead rituals in front of a live audience. Now, many moons since they last haunted the earthly domain, the hour has come for another foray into the realm of the living. Yet again the dead shall live, the living die, and Musick shall untune the sky.

Svart Records will release Graves, Release Your Dead by The Coffinshakers on September 15th on long playing vinyl, compact disc and digital formats, including an exclusive variant with a 3D cover.

Superb 45 featuring two Hammond-led instrumentals. The A-side is taken from The Guy HamperTrio's second long player due out on Hangman Records. The B-side is exclusive to this release. 'Man in the Mouth of a Cave' - I have painted St. Cuthbert's Cave, Northumberland on many occasions and decided that it was imperative that I write a great jazz /beat theme all about it. (Important info: After Viking raids monks from Lindisfarne wandered the north-east carrying the body of St. Cuthbert. Legend has it that they took refuge in 'St. Cuthbert's Cave.') I wrote the song with my friend Jamie Taylor in mind to have his way with it, which he does to thunderous applause - I should imagine. '107 Sleepless' is a tune I wrote in the early 1980s when me and Mick Hampshire would stay up the entire weekend writing songs for our group The Milkshakes. (We lived at 107 Rochester Street, Chatham.) About 3am Sunday morning we would be flagging and sitting there senseless. I would play this jazz riff over and over for some unknown reason. Meanwhile it should make a nice theme tune to some yet to be written HBO series and make me a millionaire - I should imagine. GUY Hamper - April 2023

No one knows summer like Santa Monica's Zach Yudin. "Can you hear it comin'?" he asks, at the start of "Cayucos", the opening salvo by his band Cayucas. With a nod to 60's beach blanket pop gems and bonfire folk songs, Cayucas hits the waves runnin', causing involuntary head bobs, finger snaps, toe-taps and the ability to shake your booty like it's strapped to a brand new set of maracas. Producer/multi-instrumentalist Richard Swift deftly captures Yudin's inimitable voice as it echoes through the barrel of the perfect wave. It's a song for the ages for sure. The B-side "Swimsuit" continues to carry the torch, with its cocktail-lounge organ flourishes painting a picture of young, carefree days spent pining for your summer love. Enjoy just a hint of the party that's still to come, and let Cayucas take you to your inner sanctum where there's always sunshine, and a Pina Colada is always a good idea. Full length to be released early 2013.

“‘Please Stay’, by The Cryin’ Shames, was the last song by producer Joe Meek to enter the UK Top 40, peaking at No. 26. Released on 18 February 1966, the song should have reached the top, but its progress was held back by the fact that the Decca record label had not pressed enough copies to meet demand. The collaboration should have been long and successful for both of them, but the Cryin’ Shames story is cursed with bad luck and, sadly, within a year of the success of ‘Please Stay’ the band broke up and Joe Meek died. This compilation brings together a first part of the material collected by Cherry Red on the double CD ‘The Tea Chest Tapes’ . The group began as The Bumblies, formed in Liverpool in 1963 by bassist George Robinson and singer Joey Kneen who had previously been in a band called The Calderstones, that included Tom Evans, who later went on to form the group Badfinger. The Bumblies’ name was taken from a television series of the same name featuring Michael Bentine. The rest of the line-up included Charlie Crane (vocals, harmonica), John Bennett (guitar), Phil Roberts (keyboards) and Charlie Gallagher (drums). Charlie Crane would be known in addition as ‘Carl’ or ‘Paul’ to avoid confusion with the other Charlie in the group. Joe Meek didn’t like the band’s choice of name so they changed it to The Cryin’ Shames. Ritchie Routledge replaced Bennett (guitar) after the recording of their debut single ‘Please Stay’. Derek Cleary (bass/guitar) replaced Robinson in time to play on their second single ‘Nobody Waved Goodbye’. After the original Cryin’ Shames fell apart, Routledge and Crane formed a group known as Paul And Ritchie And The Crying Shames with new members Brian Norris (bass), Mike Espie (guitar), Pete Byrne (organ) and Paul Commerford (drums). They released one single, ‘September In The Rain’. The group (as The Bumblies) auditioned for Joe Meek in late October or early November 1965 - the exact date cannot be ascertained because Meek’s tapes contain very little information, and only one or two of the more than seven hundred tapes actually bear a recording date...” (liner notes extracted from the Cherry Red’s booklet made by Mr. Craig Newton)

Formed in Edinburgh in 1992, The Kaisers set out to bring the excitement and joi de vivre of the early ‘60s beat era back to the Scottish music scene. Armed with junk shop guitars and tiny amplifiers, they quickly gained a reputation as one of the country’s most exciting live bands, belting out forgotten rock ‘n’ roll gems and their own period-perfect compositions with unsurpassed rawness. As their fame spread, they were soon firing their beat salvos at audiences from America to Japan. The broadcasting authorities took notice and radio sessions for John Peel, Mark Radcliffe and many others followed, both at home and abroad. The Kaisers released seven albums plus many singles and EPs – all on vinyl and always in mono. One EP was recorded during a particularly wild night at New York’s famous Cbgb. Although their records featured plenty of the good-humoured sonic violence that their fans craved, heartfelt yet visceral ballads were never off the musical menu. After a 13 year hibernation, The Kaisers returned to the stage via the festivals circuit and continue to appear at festivals across Europe. The resurgence of interest in the band has led to the writing and recording of a brand-new album ‘More From The Kaisers’.

Lovely put together compilation of rarities and hard to find tracks. The Redskins were a 1980s English band, notable for their left-wing politics, skinhead image and catchy, danceable songs. Their music combined influences from soul, rockabilly, pop and punk rock.

Great Old School Psychobilly in a true 80's style from this russian trio with Taras (former guitar player of Stressor) recorded in August 2010!!! Fans of early Batmobile and Honey Hush (pre-Archie) should take a listen!