Rock 'n' Roll 180 Items

Just in time for Halloween. Zombina and the Skeletones are returning from the dead to bring you their first full-length album in ten years ‘The Call of Zombina’.

The Band Under Your BedTM returned to the studio (or in this case a creepy old church in Liverpool) to make their first album in ten years, with Stephen Cole from the avant garde “post-music” act a.P.At.T producing. ‘The Call Of Zombina’ is Hammer Horror melodrama as art-therapy, the pank roots of goth-rock meets the strings and harpsichords of baroque.

‘The Call Of Zombina’ seeks to mirror the clamic portmantean horror of ‘The House That Dripped Blood’ or ‘Asylum’, with each track telling its own self-contained story. Musically it’s death rock/ baroque, Joe Meek and James Bernard meets The Damned uptown. Lyrically, the schlocky Americanistas of old have been eschewed in favour of the no less pulpy vernacu lar of Pan Classics paperbacks... and of course the whole thing was recorded in an old spooky church, to captare some of that creaky atmosphere and gigantic reverb.

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.

Compilation of Rockabilly songs from the famous Sun Recordings (Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins) / Limited Edition Numbered / Yellow 180 gm Vinyl with Four Panel Colour / Bonus Booklet.

On this Rockabilly LP you will find twenty of the greatest Rockabilly artists and songs from the late 1950s. To name a few: ''Blue Suede Shoes'' performed by Carl Perkins is considered one of the first rockabilly records, incorporating elements of blues, country and pop music of the time. Janis Martin was only fifteen years old when she recorded ''Will You, Willyum''. This album also features Elvis Presley with his first commercial hit, ''That's All Right,'' and Bobby Day's biggest hit should not be –and is not—missing from this collection. To close, Jerry Lee Lewis with ''Great Balls Of Fire',' a single that sold more than a million times in the week it was originally released. Enjoy the Rockabilly Heroes on ''Cool Blue” vinyl!!

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.

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.

Is rockabilly perhaps the first white form of rock 'n' roll? It clearly embraces the country component, along with the influence of rhythm & blues, resulting in an explosive mix that never fails to captivate. It's widely known that officially Elvis Presley fired the first shot, recording That's All Right, and Carl Perkins, with Gone, Gone, Gone, alongside Sonny Fisher, with Rockin' Daddy, became the genre's first composers. So its birth could be dated back to 1954, and it was in 1956 when it truly hit the big time on the charts, only to be forgotten in 1957, in favor of a much less savage way to rock. But rockabilly, with its natural rawness, remained there, in the underground, achieving some minor regional success and leaving thousands of wonderful examples of its existence that would later become prized collector's items. Interestingly, in 1956, Eisenhower's interstate highway plan was also born, a turning point in interstate road communications across the USA, which was a genuine revolution for mass population. Two big changes in the same year that we've taken advantage of, to pick up from the roadside of those rock 'n' roll highways a few examples of great 45s, recorded by small record labels that seemed relegated to oblivion. One shot per state, eight record labels, eight different artists, condensing two raw diamonds into the coolest way ever - 8 x 7" 45 rpm wax records box set plus 4 pages 7” booklet! Ready for that Interstate Rockabilly journey?

Holy Beat! - A collection of 60's Italian Christian beat from the vaults of Ariel Records. Nine tracks from three amazing Italian bands, Angel and the Brains, I Barritas & The Bumpers. Originally released as La Messa dei Giovanni in 1966 and recorded live the same year, this record has been the stuff of legend for deep cut Pop connoisseurs and 60's Beat archeologists, a beautiful and mesmerizing gem that goes way beyond the Christian novelty. Presenting here three amazing Italian bands (Angel and the Brains, I Barritas & The Bumpers), this is not just a Christian pop record, this is a collection of beautifully crafted Italian 60's Beat that will blow the mind of anyone remotely interested in 60's music, a must!

For the first time on double vinyl - and 20 years after its first release on cd – here we have the compilation 'Garage Beat in Florence', basically a snapshot of Florence 1966 ‘beat phenomena’. All the tracks were recorded at 'Studio Due' for the NET label and originally enclosed with the magazine 'Nuova Enigmistica Tascabile'. Plus – as bonus tracks – a nice selection from the Ginco Records label, including previously unreleased acetate ! The double vinyl contains 28 tracks, pictures, memorabilia and also the history of 'Studio Due' and its innovative recording techniques, which became an integral part of NET's fame among collectors and lovers of Beat sounds. The activity of 'Studio Due' was unfortunately abruptly interrupted by the Florence flood of the 4th November of 1966. Riyl : Pebbles, Highs In The Mid Sixties, Nuggets.

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,...

The Trashmen's defining moment, 1963's "Surfin' Bird," is perhaps the ultimate lightning-in-a-bottle record. Their first true studio recording, it captures the group's interminable energy and mastery of live performance. But it also is the culmination of spirit and experiment that turned it into something new and, from the perspective of 50 years, unique. This collection shows them to be variously a first-rate surf band, a great protopunk outfit, solid rockers with the raw essence of the earliest originators of the sound, and adept enough to work in some comedy and country. This scope of ability and interest is probably the true basis of the band's following now. But "Surfin' Bird" has more tenacity than other bands' entire better-performing catalogs, and with it, the Trashmen created a work that is arguably today the most relevant release from that storied decade.

The Royal Hangmen are exited to announce the release of our third full-lenght album "Paranoid Nightmares" on Foggy Notion Records. Swiss garage heroes The Royal Hangmen are back with their third album. Imagine fuzz-driven guitars, a grinding Vox organ, a stompin' backbeat and some high energy screaming vocals, mix that with some real dedicated sixties attitude and you dig what the The Royal Hangmen were all about. These swiss wildmen play vintage instruments with a sound reminiscent of The Sonics, 13th Floor Elevators and Small Faces but with a style and energy all of their own."Paranoid Nightmares" is an adventurous and eclectic trip through the glorious sixties. 12 tracks that lead you fromfuzz-driven Beat to Surf, from Folk-Jangle to R'n'B and Soul. Always authentic and raw, the band's sound is a lovely combination of shredding vocals, nasty guitars and organ sounds with strong melodies and hooks on top. For fans of The Sonics, The Pretty Things, The Fuzztones, The Chesterfield Kings.

The Millennium Stands As One Of The Most Remarkable Psychedelic Bands From '60s California.This Single Presents On Vinyl For The First Time, Two Rare Recordings That Never Made It Into The First Seminal Album "Begin" + 2 Demo Tracks.Essential Listening For Those Into Sunshine Pop Harmonies And Psychedelia!Detailed Info:The Millennium Stands As One Of The Most Remarkable Psychedelic Bands From '60s California Despite The Sales Of Their Only Lp, "Begin", Did Not Match The Big Expectations Created By The Great Critical Acclaim Received And The Huge Financial Costs Of Its Recording.Although Conceived As A Studio Group By Curt Boettcher (Ballroom, Sagittarius_), The Millennium Was A Real Band Despite Never Performed Publicly. Following A Carte Blanche Deal With Columbia, He Assembled A Group Of Talented Californian Singers And Musicians (Lee Mallory, Sandy Salisbury, Joey Stec, Doug Rhodes, Michael Fennelly And Music Machine Drummer Ron Edgar) To Record An Album, Resulting In A Sublime Pop Masterpiece, Combining Sunny Melodies, Outstanding Vocal Harmonies And Psychedelic Touches.This Release Presents Some Rare Recordings And Demo Versions By The Band On Vinyl For The First Time.

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’.

Buffalo NY’s THE Hamiltones are back with a new high concept surf record, In Space It serves as the soundtrack to an epic space opera, borrowing familiar themes and textures from mid-century sci-fi and superimposing them onto thoroughly modern surf rock. While most bands of the style only use guitar, bass, and drums, The Hamiltones dare to utilize layers of vocal ooos and aaas, lush strings, horns, space-age synthesizers, and even theremin on their new opus. The result is a record that has just as much in common with John Williams, Ennio Morricone, and John Carpenter as it does with Dick Dale or The Ventures. In Space is unflinchingly audacious, daring to boldly go where no surf band has gone before. The experience is fully immersive, as the 12” record comes with a companion 7” EP of music by the mysterious Moon People, and a 6-page insert spelling out the plot of the fictitious film to which In Space serves as the soundtrack.

Born in early 1966 as a garage band playing heavy covers by the Rolling Stones, the Byrds, the Who, and the Animals, the Fringe conquered Toronto’s coolest hippie clubs in 1967 with their underground psych vibe. In 1968 they scored a national hit and blasted across Western Canada with their psychedelic light show and transcendent songs like “Token for My Mind,” “Plastic People,” and “Executive Dream,” culminating in a spotlight appearance on CBC TV’s Let’s Go! teen show and at a Love-In festival. Now for the first time on vinyl – all 11 of their 1967-68 trippy songs in glorious mono, including everything on their mega-rare promo EP. Sourced from the original analog tapes. 500 copies, in deluxe gatefold jacket. Includes 12-page booklet insert with interviews, lyrics, unseen photos, charts, clippings and more.

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.

“‘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)

A few years back someone released a 10″ boxset comprising of a box, badge, poster and a 10″ lathe cut EP with just 6 tracks taken from the set played at Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium (Aug 26th 1990).

You didn’t get much in the way of music for your hard earned €’s, £’s or $’s….And it was claimed that there were only 10 (?) set’s made.

What you get here is basically the full gig with a great sound pressed on 200 grm coloured vinyl and housed in a high quality, heavy guage sleeve with a beautiful glossy finish. No hand numbering, you can put your own number in up to 100 although it seems 200 have been pressed and what’s more it comes with a fab poster, identical to the poster in the box set !

We’re told only 200 of these were pressed (although a bunch in black no doubt) and we have a couple of boxes coming…As usual it’s a case of 1st come, 1st served.

Svart Records proudly present Earthly Remains, a three 7" singles box set with new Coffinshakers tracks!

The ”Earthly Remains” box-set includes three songs from the latest ”Graves, Release Your Dead” album and three brand new tracks from the same sessions. These tracks shouldn’t be seen as left-overs though, they certainly deserve their place in any serious Coffinshakers collection and in a sense makes the album complete.

”March of The Coffinshakers” marks the procession of the dead featuring a lead guitar taken straight from the spaghetti-horror dimension with massive string arrangements to boot. ”Raising Hell” sees the band in garage mode, complete with a vicious fuzz! Finally the doomsday story of ”No Return” almost takes us to crooner territory, imagine that! The three 7”s are housed in brand new watercolor artwork by Jenny Bengtsson. Will you dare to take one step further into the strange realm of The Coffinshakers?

Svart Records proudly present Earthly Remains, a three 7" singles box set with new Coffinshakers tracks!

The ”Earthly Remains” box-set includes three songs from the latest ”Graves, Release Your Dead” album and three brand new tracks from the same sessions. These tracks shouldn’t be seen as left-overs though, they certainly deserve their place in any serious Coffinshakers collection and in a sense makes the album complete.

”March of The Coffinshakers” marks the procession of the dead featuring a lead guitar taken straight from the spaghetti-horror dimension with massive string arrangements to boot. ”Raising Hell” sees the band in garage mode, complete with a vicious fuzz! Finally the doomsday story of ”No Return” almost takes us to crooner territory, imagine that! The three 7”s are housed in brand new watercolor artwork by Jenny Bengtsson. Will you dare to take one step further into the strange realm of The Coffinshakers?

RSD Exclusive, Limitation: 1500

On their first international tour, in May of 1982, Americana music legends The Blasters were recorded at the Venue in London England. Six of those tracks were released on Slash Records as a 12” EP later that year. Four more tracks were uncovered and included on the Rhino/Warner Bros anthology album Testament in 1997. As part of a new catalog deal for the Blasters recordings with Liberation Hall, the label has uncovered the thirteen remaining tracks and is releasing the complete concert. The show found The Blasters firing on all cylinders as they were taking off in London, after Shakin Stevens’ version of the Dave Alvin-written “Marie Marie” hit the top 20 of the UK charts. It is quintessential listening, and a magical music moment uncovered for any fan of the band. The RSD Black Friday classic black vinyl double LP exclusive is housed in a gatefold sleeve with new liner notes, rare photos and memorabilia images.

After the very successfull "jimmy Widener" first issue on the label dedicated to Hillbilly musice: "red Barn Record", We had dig a little more into our personnal shellac collection to offer you the complete Bullet sessions, 1950-52 of this obscure but very talentful "proto" rockabilly band. Two year before Elvis recordings at SUN, you already feel the wind of musical change' a coming!

Making their debut on Wick Records, New York's own Steady Sun deliver two sublime sides of ethereal psych. We're not talking about your run-of-the-mill fuzz fodder here, folks - Steady Sun delivers some of the most refreshingly satisfying psychedelia in decades! Truth is the Needle floats out of the speakers like lysergic vapor, engulfing the listener in layers of delicate guitar, spaced-out vocals, and pulsating bass that swirl around the heavy, grounded groove - generating an intoxicating juxtaposition. On the flip is Lash Around, whose insistent beat and hook-heavy melody will send you through a sonic wormhole that marries the experimentation of Barrett era Floyd with the hypnotic bounce of 1990s Manchester.

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.

After crisscrossing the nation for the last half-decade looking for a home, Pokey LaFarge found himself in Mid-Coast Maine. Upon arriving, the Illinois-born singer/songwriter/actor pursued a major life change, working 12-hour days on a local farm—a turn of events that catalyzed an extraordinary burst of creativity and redefined his sense of purpose as an artist. Rhumba Country was initially shaped from material that emerged while LaFarge was deep in work on the farm. “I’d be pushing a plow or scattering seeds, and the songs would just come to me,” he recalls. “It was tremendously inspirational and made me realize that apart from singing, farming is perhaps the oldest human art form.” While farming, LaFarge began dreaming up a kaleidoscopic sound informed by his love of music from far-ranging eras and corners of the globe, including mambo, tropicália, rocksteady, and mid-century American rock-and-roll. “The songs that naturally come to me are upbeat and make you wanna dance or at least bop your head—they’re all very colorful,” says LaFarge. “I used to think of my music in dark blue, but now I see it in technicolor.” Co-produced along with Chris Seefried and Elliot Bergman and recorded in L.A., the resulting Rhumba Country is an invitation to come together to celebrate life and love.

After crisscrossing the nation for the last half-decade looking for a home, Pokey LaFarge found himself in Mid-Coast Maine. Upon arriving, the Illinois-born singer/songwriter/actor pursued a major life change, working 12-hour days on a local farm—a turn of events that catalyzed an extraordinary burst of creativity and redefined his sense of purpose as an artist. Rhumba Country was initially shaped from material that emerged while LaFarge was deep in work on the farm. “I’d be pushing a plow or scattering seeds, and the songs would just come to me,” he recalls. “It was tremendously inspirational and made me realize that apart from singing, farming is perhaps the oldest human art form.” While farming, LaFarge began dreaming up a kaleidoscopic sound informed by his love of music from far-ranging eras and corners of the globe, including mambo, tropicália, rocksteady, and mid-century American rock-and-roll. “The songs that naturally come to me are upbeat and make you wanna dance or at least bop your head—they’re all very colorful,” says LaFarge. “I used to think of my music in dark blue, but now I see it in technicolor.” Co-produced along with Chris Seefried and Elliot Bergman and recorded in L.A., the resulting Rhumba Country is an invitation to come together to celebrate life and love.

Lula & The Bebops play rock’n’roll as if their lives depended on it.
“Steady Roll” is 13 tracks of jumping, jiving, rocking rhythm and blues. A debut album from a band who sound like they’ve been around forever.
Lula’s vocal goes from a whisper to a hurricane and with musical accompaniment provided by the Bebops, captures the spirit of the classic 1950’s Atlantic Records R&B Recordings.
Authentically recorded and mixed in mono and lovingly packaged; “Steady Roll” unearths lesser-known numbers, turning them into classics.

Lula & The Bebops put the sex and grit back into rock’n’roll. They make vintage songs sound relevant to now.

A band born and brought up in the industrial heartland of the North, who have seen the highs and lows and play with all the heart, soul, sadness, joy and pride that primal beat deserves.