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Strictly Limited TO 7,500 Numbered Copies: Ultradisc One-step 180g 33pm LP SET Presents 1973 Album IN Audiophile Sound 1/4" / 15 IPS / DBX analogue copy to DSD 256 to analogue console to lathe / Released only eight months after his exhilarating debut, Bruce Springsteen's The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle contains rousing dispatches from the boardwalk, the street, the beach, and the bedroom. It explodes with energy, dares to dream, teases with humour, crackles with tragedy, clings to hope, and overflows with discovery, youthfulness, and personality. It features an unforgettable cast of characters — corner boys, teenage hustlers, doomed lovers, jazz men, junk men, factory girls, fortune tellers, alley cats, pimps, escorts, and more — illuminated by vivid colour, breathtaking detail, and poetic action.

Musically, the heartfelt 1973 record is inhabited by sympathetic vignettes and cinematic arrangements steeped in rock 'n' roll, soul, jazz, and R&B. It finds the New Jersey native looking beyond the parameters of his preceding record and seeking to move on from environments he knows well (and chronicles here) by rushing headlong toward unknown territories, adventures, and people. Underpinned by the singer-guitarist's ambitious poetic enterprise and will to succeed, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle is the album on which Springsteen becomes the Boss.

Mastered on Mobile Fidelity's renowned mastering system, pressed at RTI on MoFi SuperVinyl, and strictly limited to 7,500 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 33rpm LP set is the definitive-sounding version of Springsteen's sophomore record. Benefitting from SuperVinyl’s nearly non-existent noise floor, superb groove definition, and dead-quiet surfaces, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle plays with a clarity, energy, presence, and openness that complement the expressiveness, dynamics, and scope of the seven restless songs that comprise a work Rolling Stone ranked the 345th Greatest Album of All Time.

Beyond the audiophile sonics that practically place you behind the console at 914 Sound Studios — listen to the separation between the instruments, natural decay of the notes, interplay within the widescreen soundstaging, and nothing-to-lose youthfulness of Springsteen’s voice — this reissue takes seriously this record’s influential merit by presenting it in packaging that underlines its status. Tucked in a beautiful slipcase, the LP is housed in a special foil-stamped jacket with faithful-to-the-original graphics. This reissue is made for listeners who prize sound quality and who want to engage themselves in everything involved with the invigorating set that busted Springsteen loose from the club circuit and landed him on the radio

Determined to liberate anyone within earshot and unafraid to come on strong, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle serves as the debut of the E Street Band — not only heard but seen for the first time by most of the public courtesy of the back-cover photograph. This is where saxophonist Clarence Clemons, organist-accordionist Danny Federici, and pianist David Sancious step out of the shadows — and drummer Vini Lopez and bassist Garry Tallent again stoke a fiery rhythmic engine that helps drive the untamed, reimagined big-band swing of “Kitty’s Back,” breathless R&B thrust of “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” and carefree dance steps of the funky “The E Street Shuffle.”

Of course, the main attraction remains a then-24-year-old visionary on the precipice of becoming a sensation and turning a then-bloated rock scene on its head. Recorded over three months while Springsteen and company were busy touring his debut LP, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle reflects the high-octane approach the vocalist embraced onstage and drifts away from the label-dictated acoustic-based frameworks of his debut. The set also witnesses Springsteen deepening his observational skills, with narratives such as the romantically tinged “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)” and redemptive epic “Incident on 57th Street” mirroring changes taking place in the singer’s own life, small towns, and America at large.

A thrilling collision of memories, reflections, and composites — Sandy, Rosalita, and the latter’s parents are all based on actual people Springsteen knew, as is the community depicted in the opening track — the aptly titled The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle resonates decades on due to its truths, authenticity, and spirit. Those characteristics — as well as the fact that many of its lengthy songs come on as the equivalent of sweaty, feverish soul revue that won’t stop until you’ve been exhausted — also explain how this now-iconic album triumphed over the reservations of industry “experts” that both demanded Springsteen re-record it and instructed deejays not to play it. Yet there’d be no stopping a record that saw the past, present, and future, a band whose will would not be denied, and a phenomenon who was born to run. A never-ending invitation to act real cool and stay up all night, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle always feels alright.

Sacd: Mastered ON Mobile Fidelity's Renowned Mastering System: Numbered-edition Hybrid Sacd Plays With Expressive Clarity / Released only eight months after his exhilarating debut, Bruce Springsteen's The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle contains rousing dispatches from the boardwalk, the street, the beach, and the bedroom. It explodes with energy, dares to dream, teases with humour, crackles with tragedy, clings to hope, and overflows with discovery, youthfulness, and personality. It features an unforgettable cast of characters — corner boys, teenage hustlers, doomed lovers, jazz men, junk men, factory girls, fortune tellers, alley cats, pimps, escorts, and more — illuminated by vivid colour, breathtaking detail, and poetic action.

Musically, the heartfelt 1973 record is inhabited by sympathetic vignettes and cinematic arrangements steeped in rock 'n' roll, soul, jazz, and R&B. It finds the New Jersey native looking beyond the parameters of his preceding record and seeking to move on from environments he knows well (and chronicles here) by rushing headlong toward unknown territories, adventures, and people. Underpinned by the singer-guitarist's ambitious poetic enterprise and will to succeed, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle is the album on which Springsteen becomes the Boss.

Mastered on Mobile Fidelity's renowned mastering system, pressed at RTI on MoFi SuperVinyl, and strictly limited to 7,500 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 33rpm LP set is the definitive-sounding version of Springsteen's sophomore record. Benefitting from SuperVinyl’s nearly non-existent noise floor, superb groove definition, and dead-quiet surfaces, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle plays with a clarity, energy, presence, and openness that complement the expressiveness, dynamics, and scope of the seven restless songs that comprise a work Rolling Stone ranked the 345th Greatest Album of All Time.

Beyond the audiophile sonics that practically place you behind the console at 914 Sound Studios — listen to the separation between the instruments, natural decay of the notes, interplay within the widescreen soundstaging, and nothing-to-lose youthfulness of Springsteen’s voice — this reissue takes seriously this record’s influential merit by presenting it in packaging that underlines its status. Tucked in a beautiful slipcase, the LP is housed in a special foil-stamped jacket with faithful-to-the-original graphics. This reissue is made for listeners who prize sound quality and who want to engage themselves in everything involved with the invigorating set that busted Springsteen loose from the club circuit and landed him on the radio

Determined to liberate anyone within earshot and unafraid to come on strong, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle serves as the debut of the E Street Band — not only heard but seen for the first time by most of the public courtesy of the back-cover photograph. This is where saxophonist Clarence Clemons, organist-accordionist Danny Federici, and pianist David Sancious step out of the shadows — and drummer Vini Lopez and bassist Garry Tallent again stoke a fiery rhythmic engine that helps drive the untamed, reimagined big-band swing of “Kitty’s Back,” breathless R&B thrust of “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” and carefree dance steps of the funky “The E Street Shuffle.”

Of course, the main attraction remains a then-24-year-old visionary on the precipice of becoming a sensation and turning a then-bloated rock scene on its head. Recorded over three months while Springsteen and company were busy touring his debut LP, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle reflects the high-octane approach the vocalist embraced onstage and drifts away from the label-dictated acoustic-based frameworks of his debut. The set also witnesses Springsteen deepening his observational skills, with narratives such as the romantically tinged “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)” and redemptive epic “Incident on 57th Street” mirroring changes taking place in the singer’s own life, small towns, and America at large.

A thrilling collision of memories, reflections, and composites — Sandy, Rosalita, and the latter’s parents are all based on actual people Springsteen knew, as is the community depicted in the opening track — the aptly titled The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle resonates decades on due to its truths, authenticity, and spirit. Those characteristics — as well as the fact that many of its lengthy songs come on as the equivalent of sweaty, feverish soul revue that won’t stop until you’ve been exhausted — also explain how this now-iconic album triumphed over the reservations of industry “experts” that both demanded Springsteen re-record it and instructed deejays not to play it. Yet there’d be no stopping a record that saw the past, present, and future, a band whose will would not be denied, and a phenomenon who was born to run. A never-ending invitation to act real cool and stay up all night, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle always feels alright.

Music produced in the 70’s in the Basque Country got trapped between two earth shattering artistic currents; Ez Dok Amairu in the 60s and Basque Radical Rock in the 80’s, and unfortunately, most of the lovely discs and tunes created at that magical time have been pushed to a remote (and sometimes even despised) corner of our collective memory. 60’s and 80’s music currents are almost opposite, and both work as magnetic poles with a very strong power of attraction, and maybe also as a burden for any of the later artistic currents. 60’s generation of artists searched within their rich and ancient cultural roots to acknowledge and update them, in proud, hopeful and unforgettable folk songs. The 80’s one on the other hand, worked in a flammable environment in constant social and political conflict and found in punk the perfect way to express their anger and weariness for so many unfulfilled promises and the lack of opportunities into short, noisy, direct and corrosive songs, technically sparse but full of energy and expressive power. Most of the “classic” names engraved in our memory come from one or the other like Benito Lertxundi, Mikel Laboa, Lourdes Iriondo and Xabier Lete or Kortatu, Hertzainak, Zarama, Las vulpes, Eskorbuto or Cicatriz. 70’s generation and their music works somehow as the “missing link” (“katebegia” in Basque) between the two. They loved folky tunes and don’t forget their ancient roots, but they also look outside for inspiration and experimentation. Just as the 80’s boys and girls found punk the 70’s guys found a completely different sonic and aesthetic landscape in the works of Grateful Dead, Fairport Convention, King Crimson, Soft Machine, Gong,… and worked closely with keen souls in other neighboring regions such as Maquina!, Pau Riba or Sisa in Catalonia or Smash and Triana in Andalusia. This resulted in more abstract and poetic lyrical content, much longer psych-folk-prog-jazz tunes, full of complex instrumental passages and mesmerizing structures of sheer ambition and masterful execution in many cases. But, most important of all, they found a voice of their own, rich, unique, and fascinating, and that’s what makes them so valuable to us. Not only to us, but also to lots of vinyl collectors and crate-diggers around the world, who have in many cases paid fortunes for some of the original editions of LPs that are the source of tunes in this compilation. Mikel Unzurrunzaga Schmitz aka DJ Makala, Dj and producer of worldwide scope and wisdom, noticed this fact first and decided to pay homage to these wonderful tunes through this masterful and dedicated selection for your pleasure and as an open invitation to dig deeper into your adventures in the dark and hidden side of Basque popular music. The album Katebegiak, now published by Elkar, contains 13 tunes on double LP gatefold edition from Haizea, Izukaitz, William S. Fischer, Magdalena, Enbor, Itoiz, Koska, Itziar, Errobi, Lisker, Amaia Zubiria & Pascal Gaigne, Gontzal Mendibil & Taldea and Urria, and the CD-Book edition adds an extra bonus track by the great unknown artist Juan Arkotxa. Along with this compilation, and as a sample of the era, we reissued two more little gems of which we have included a track on the compilation.

New album for the historical Italian Prog Band, a concept album about Pangea. And also this time the guests are of great level and history as Ricky Belloni (Electric Guitar - New Idea, New Trolls), Donald Lax (Violin, Quella Vecchia Locanda), Tolo Marton (Electric Guitar - Le Orme). Cover designed by Armando Mancini, already author, in the 70s, of historic covers of Italian Prog such as Quella Vecchia Locanda, The Trip, Rovescio della Medaglia, Raccomandata Ricevuta di Ritorno and many others.

Nemesis Lately is the second full-length album released by Somnus Throne. This LP is very much a continuation of their first album(Burning World Records 2020), but with much more attention to detail, a further exploration of the depths of each niche within 'doom,' and a greater variety of sounds. Think just as much heaviness as the first album with less drone and more action. Nemesis Lately goes everywhere across the landscape of doom, stoner, heavy psych, and grunge from a welcoming kick in the teeth by a Motorhead-esque first track, through shades of Acid King, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Black Angels, The Melvins, Dead Meadow, High on Fire, The Sword, Electric Wizard, Dopelord, Black Pyramid all the way to a concluding track that strives at echoes of Led Zeppelin's acoustic prowess. It goes without saying that the entire album, and the entire Somnus Throne catalogue in total, is never more than one decapitated bat away from Black Sabbath worship. In sum-total, this album is truly a smorgasbord of all things fuzzy, doomy, smokey, sleepy, and trippy while also managing to grasp the essence of each sound -- perfect for anyone ready to doom, space, fuzz, head bang, tune in, turn up, and trip out for the next 40+ minutes.

Anyone who gives the dull name “Four” to their rock album must either be very sure of success or already have resigned. The group Toto may well have experienced such extremes as there was an enormous cleft between their amazing financial success and the crushing negative opinions voiced by the critics. Billboard criticised the superficial lyrics as being void of any sort of emotional weight while the Los Angeles Times aimed their fire at the musicians themselves, slamming them as dubious artists with a commercialised mentality.
To this Toto struck back with their fourth album, which was an unparalleled success and brought them six Grammy awards. For a whole ten months "Africa" reigned at Number 1 on the charts and together with the super-hit "Rosanna" the two smash hits were a constant presence, backed up by a collection of impressive rock classics. A trip to the record shop is all that is needed to prove that this is unlikely to change in the near future. The bright red cover with its depiction of a sword will catch your eye, as though saying: It’s got to be the Fourth!

This Speakers Corner LP was remastered using pure analogue components only, from the master tapes through to the cutting head. More information under www.pure-analogue.com.
All royalties and mechanical rights have been paid.

Complete 1967 recordings - including the cult psychedelic classic 45 “Madman Running Through the Fields” - by Dantalian’s Chariot, Zoot Money’s psychedelic incarnation featuring a young Andy Somers on guitar & sitar (later known as Andy Summers in The Police). Performing frequently at Middle Earth and UFO displaying a wild light show, the band cut just one 45 but laid down more tracks for an unreleased album. Here it is in its full sonic glory. Top notch UK psychedelia with West Coast and Eastern influences.

LaMunai Records is a record label from Jakarta that pays full attention to archiving Indonesian music. This time, there are proud to announce the release of an exclusive vinyl compilation from the legendary music group One Dee Group, led by the versatile musician, Wandi Kuswandi. The name “one dee” itself is a play on his name, “Wandi”. This vinyl is a tribute to the musical journey of Wandi Kuswandi, a musician, singer, band leader and songwriter who is widely known for his extraordinary talent and contribution to the world of Indonesian music. Wandi Kuswandi, born in Bandung to parents from Banten, began entering the world of music as a teenager by playing Rolling Stones songs. In 1974, he formed a band called ODALF, which stands for One Dee and Lady Faces. With ODALF, Kuswandi and his group managed to second place in the Festival Band Girls held by Top Magazine at Istora Senayan, Jakarta.



“One Dee Group” vinyl compilation features the best collection of One Dee Group songs, providing musicians with the opportunity to experience the beauty and uniqueness of their works. This Vinyl is not only a sweet memory for old fans, but also an introduction to a new generation to get to know one of Indonesia’s great musicians.

Türküola proudly presents a brand new Cem Karaca album where most of the songs made their premieres inside this release. From the original masters of Türküola, we will be hearing Apaşlar, Ferdy Klein and even Dervişan era of Cem Karaca with English lyrics. As the opening track, we hear “Mutlaka Yavrum” which he recorded with Dervişan in 1975 which is really a political piece also with English lyrics. Karaca tells the stories of the children in refugee camps because of the Palestine and Israel conflict. The English versions of “Kendim Ettim Kendim Buldum”, “Emmioğlu”, “Muhtar” and “Baba” have the same playback with their Turkish versions but this time directly and faithfully transferred from their original masters. These tracks were recorded with Ferdy Klein Orchestra in 1970. The Turkish versions of these songs were previously released but the English ones were in the treasure box till now. “Tears”(Resimdeki Gözyaşları), “No No No” (Emrah 1970), “Why” (Oy Babo) and “Istanbul” (Istanbul’u Dinliyorum) are the recordings of Apaşlar with the support of Ferdy Klein Orchestra dated 1968 and the English versions were also released in the same era as two separate singles. In this album, we also hear instrumental tracks played by Apaşlar with the support of Ferdy Klein Orchestra namely “Memories of Marmara” (Emrah 1970) where vocal parts are replaced with strings, “Laila’s Dream” (Resimdeki Gözyaşalrı-Tears) where vocal parts are given with brass and solo sax, “Oy Bana Bana” where vocal parts are replaced with electric guitar and sax. These three songs were previously released in the LP of The Bosporus Sound Orchestra named “Laila’s Dream” which had been released by United Artists, Liberty, and Türkofon before. The Bosporus Sound Orchestra was, of course, Ferdy Klein’s pseudonym for his orchestra. Thanks to Türküola for making these legendary recordings meet its collectors and Anatolian Pop fans via faithfully transferred master recordings.

Historical Graffiti is the band’s fourth full-length, out in 2016. Gary Arce, the guitarist, seems comfortable sitting on a single vamp throughout the opener ‘The Wind Cries Edalyn’, allowing the additions of violin and bandoleon accordion (played by the tango musicians Sara Ryan and Adolfo Trepiana, respectively) to weave melodies in between. Despite the titular connection to the Jimi Hendrix song, it bears no discernible resemblance to ‘The Wind Cries Mary’ and it is a deceptive number; what seems such a simple, almost easy-listening song reveals more colour with every listen. ‘Her Phantom Finger of Copenhagen’ is slightly darker and almost sounds, with the slight distortion on Arce’s guitar, as if it could have come from Pot Head, the EP the band released in 2005. Mario Lalli, the bass player, begins the third song, ‘Naomi Crayola’ with a throbbing single note, aided by Bill Stimson’s metronomic drumming. Imagine if Can grew up near the beach, it’s that sort of vibe. The only problem with the song – and the album, as it happens – is that it is too short. Ryan’s violin returns in ‘The Secret Language of Elephants’, this time playing the role of keeping the main vamp alive while Arce’s guitar generates an evocative soundscape that opens in your mind a wide, violet sky like that above a desert the moment after the sun disappears for the night. The closing song and title track is the most free of the five on the album, with Stimson’s beat conjuring memories of Kyuss’s more mellow moments from Welcome to Sky Valley, Lalli’s bass marking the simplest of bottom ends and Arce having a ball over the top. (taken from the band's Bandcamp)

An album inspired by childhood culinary experiences, where memories and fiction mix in an explosive cocktail of cinema, rock & roll and psychedelia. The album sounds rough, as if it were played live by a band, even though it is instead a one man session. The skeleton of each track is characterized by the most classic of drums, bass and guitar combos.

Complete 1967 recordings - including the cult psychedelic classic 45 “Madman Running Through the Fields” - by Dantalian’s Chariot, Zoot Money’s psychedelic incarnation featuring a young Andy Somers on guitar & sitar (later known as Andy Summers in The Police). Performing frequently at Middle Earth and UFO displaying a wild light show, the band cut just one 45 but laid down more tracks for an unreleased album. Here it is in its full sonic glory. Top notch UK psychedelia with West Coast and Eastern influences.

1992’s ‘Untitled’ brought the band’s third album that re-cemented the duo once again as the progenitors of the “lo-fi” genre. This breakthrough set transitioned "The Trux" into a never ending all-inclusive rotating cast of musicians. Continuing Fire Records’ series of classic remastered albums from Royal Trux, ‘Untitled’ is released on white vinyl and features updated monochrome and silver artwork.

As unpredictable as ever, Neil Hagerty and Jennifer Herrema shook off the next level layering and noise of ’Twin Infinitives’ to embrace the history of rock ‘n’ roll in all its deformed grandeur. Utilizing their ever present mind set of macro-inclusivity, they allowed the subconscious "radio stations" of their lives to infiltrate, lead, and dictate. Culling from their collective minds and memories twisted tunes that touched them. After the blood rush of their much-hailed avant-garde masterpiece ‘Twin Infinitives’ (1988), this eight-song opus added to the lo-fi genre that originated on ‘Twin Infinitives’.

On ‘Untitled’ Hagerty uses his 5-string blues roots and hails rock’s twisted potential, while Herrema slurs and snarls in ecstasy. They sound like they’re locked in a fourth-floor boudoir at the Chelsea Hotel; bottles clink, an album clicks on its run-out groove, the band plays on. In the mix are the characters and casualties of the 90s, a roll call of swaggering misfits. These aren’t superficial sketches, the Trux cut much deeper than that…

“‘Junkie Nurse' isn't just about addiction; it's about the twisted hope that even the most broken people can somehow mend others, even when they're falling apart themselves." Jennifer Herrema, Royal Trux.

With ‘Untitled’ Royal Trux justifiably increased their coterie of convicted followers, becoming the cult heroes for a transgressive generation, and the Rosetta Stone for male/female duos (ie:The White Stripes, The Kills etc... ) over the years inspiring everyone from The Silver Jews (David Berman) & Sonic Youth through to melodic blue-eyed soulsters like Hot Chip - “I urge and encourage you to enter the harmolodic multiverse of their music.” Alexis Taylor, Hot Chip

“Royal Trux were nothing if not fearless.” Pitchfork

If there was one band whose appearance at and support for the Bill Graham Memorial Concert - held in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park on November 3rd 1991, just 8 days after Bill and his girlfriend, Melissa Gold, plus pilot Steve Kahn, were killed in a fatal helicopter accident - was not just assured but all but mandatory, it was The Grateful Dead. This amazing and touching set features the iconic John Fogerty on 4 tracks !

Six volumes worth of licensed tracks released in just three years: doing the Dark Lord’s work isn’t an easy job, but somebody’s gotta do it, so here is Brown Acid - The Sixth Trip, with more lined up. The heads just can’t get enough obscure hard rock, heavy psych, and proto-metal from the late‘60s and ‘70s!

This time around Riding Easy present ten deep cuts from across the continental USA and one from the neighbors up North. This trip kicks off with an outrageous number from Gold out of San Francisco circa 1970. The band used to open their sets with this over-the-top frantic jammer which is absolutely mind-blowing! Delving deeper into the depths, Canadians continue to prove that they could bang heads with the best of ‘em! Heat Exchange from Toronto released the rollicking ripper “Inferno” on the Yorkville label way back in 1968 and it’s still thumping almost fifty years later.

Some more examples of the mind-melting tracks on this platter: Missouri isn’t a state that brought us a lot of heavy 45s, but there are a handful of outstanding tracks, one of which is the funk-laced anthem “Give Me Time” by Backwood Memory from Kansas City. Youngstown, Ohio, meanwhile, might have been the Hard Rock Mecca back in the day. Travis is yet another Youngstown group that aimed to get asses out of seats and out in the streets. Truth & Janey had their incredible proto-metal masterpiece 1976 album No Rest For The Wicked; released four years earlier, “Midnight Horseman” was a 45-only track, included here!

Those are just some of the fruits of months worth of record digging and detective work included on this latest installment. This is the stuff that makes life worth living, at least until the next Trip…

Limited to 800 copies. The Rubinoos’ self-titled debut album is a power pop classic containing the hit "I Think We're Alone Now," as well as the anthemic "Rock And Roll Is Dead," which in the context of the disco-era in which this album was released, was almost accurate. At the time of release, the influential New York Rocker declared the album, “The best pop album of the decade.”

Yep Roc Records is proud to be reissuing this classic album on limited edition translucent yellow vinyl (in homage to Beserkley Records)!

Side 1 1. "I Think We're Alone Now" 2. "Leave My Heart Alone" 3. "Hard to Get" 4. "Peek-A-Boo" 5. "Rock and Roll is Dead" Side 2 1. "Memories" 2. "Nothing a Little Love Won't Cure" 3. "Wouldn't It Be Nice" 4. "Make It Easy" 5. "I Never Thought It Would Happen"

Historical Graffiti is the band’s fourth full-length, out in 2016. Gary Arce, the guitarist, seems comfortable sitting on a single vamp throughout the opener ‘The Wind Cries Edalyn’, allowing the additions of violin and bandoleon accordion (played by the tango musicians Sara Ryan and Adolfo Trepiana, respectively) to weave melodies in between. Despite the titular connection to the Jimi Hendrix song, it bears no discernible resemblance to ‘The Wind Cries Mary’ and it is a deceptive number; what seems such a simple, almost easy-listening song reveals more colour with every listen. ‘Her Phantom Finger of Copenhagen’ is slightly darker and almost sounds, with the slight distortion on Arce’s guitar, as if it could have come from Pot Head, the EP the band released in 2005. Mario Lalli, the bass player, begins the third song, ‘Naomi Crayola’ with a throbbing single note, aided by Bill Stimson’s metronomic drumming. Imagine if Can grew up near the beach, it’s that sort of vibe. The only problem with the song – and the album, as it happens – is that it is too short. Ryan’s violin returns in ‘The Secret Language of Elephants’, this time playing the role of keeping the main vamp alive while Arce’s guitar generates an evocative soundscape that opens in your mind a wide, violet sky like that above a desert the moment after the sun disappears for the night. The closing song and title track is the most free of the five on the album, with Stimson’s beat conjuring memories of Kyuss’s more mellow moments from Welcome to Sky Valley, Lalli’s bass marking the simplest of bottom ends and Arce having a ball over the top. (taken from the band's Bandcamp)

Nemesis Lately is the second full-length album released by Somnus Throne. This LP is very much a continuation of their first album(Burning World Records 2020), but with much more attention to detail, a further exploration of the depths of each niche within 'doom,' and a greater variety of sounds. Think just as much heaviness as the first album with less drone and more action. Nemesis Lately goes everywhere across the landscape of doom, stoner, heavy psych, and grunge from a welcoming kick in the teeth by a Motorhead-esque first track, through shades of Acid King, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Black Angels, The Melvins, Dead Meadow, High on Fire, The Sword, Electric Wizard, Dopelord, Black Pyramid all the way to a concluding track that strives at echoes of Led Zeppelin's acoustic prowess. It goes without saying that the entire album, and the entire Somnus Throne catalogue in total, is never more than one decapitated bat away from Black Sabbath worship. In sum-total, this album is truly a smorgasbord of all things fuzzy, doomy, smokey, sleepy, and trippy while also managing to grasp the essence of each sound -- perfect for anyone ready to doom, space, fuzz, head bang, tune in, turn up, and trip out for the next 40+ minutes.

The late '70s found Turkey in an economic slump, and there was a huge rise in political violence. Baris, who so often put out collections of singles, rose to the occasion by spending 6 months holed up with his longtime backing band the Kurtalan Ekspres. The result was this studio album of Anatolian bummer psychedelia, often unfairly overlooked because it came out in the rather un-cosmic year of 1979, but also considered his best work by many. Yep, there are still electrified versions of Turkish folk songs, and the spaceshot ARPs and Korgs of '2023' are here too, but dont expect a happy swing around the ceiling of a planetarium. The real star of the album is the keyboard player, whose name translates to Sword Agent. 'Yeni Bir Gun' is viciously funky and brilliantly arranged, with tidbits stolen out of the latest disco hits, and lean, mean synthesizers that emerge from the beats like carbonated bubbles. Melancholy maqams & catastrophic Korgs collide when the Turkish psych master glides unflinchingly into the grim late '70s!! First time ever reissue, this release comes in gorgeous gatefold cover as the original, has a repro of the original poster as well, and brings an extra insert with extensive linernotes.

Fuzz guitars, organ, celestial vocal harmonies, a single effort and then…eternity (or obscurity if you look at the other side of the coin). In 1968 leader Richard Atkins - Richard Manning his artistic partner & co-writer, hence the name - was building toward success, his musical adventures and philosophy not that far from the likes of The Byrds or the more eccentric Simon & Garfunkel. He’d won a contract with Mercury Records, and recorded with the Wrecking Crew members, a group of Los Angeles session musicians famous for their work with the Beach Boys, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, and hundreds more. But stage fright triggered a disastrous make-or-break performance in a small Hollywood nightclub, and everything abruptly fell apart. Atkins gave up music in the prime, and for 50 years he refused even to listen to a radio, so painful were his memories of a career he was convinced could have been. Featuring top-notch backing from musicians such as Drake Levin (Paul Revere & the Raiders), Larry Knechtel (Bread), Mark Tulin (the Electric Prunes) and Rusty Young (Poco), the album - nonetheless - it's bound to appeal to all fans of high-quality early '70s US pop-rock. In 2017 the short history of this unlucky but brilliant combo was featured in a short animated movie of 10 minutes !

A glorious blend of Space-Rock, Kraut and Psychedelia courtesy of the mysterious Golem. Plenty of Hammond organ, analogue synths, ripping guitar, effects, trippy jams…“Orion Awakes” was recorded and produced circa 1976 by Toby Robinson a.k.a. Genius P. Orridge, while he worked as second engineer at the famous Dierks Studio in Cologne. Memories from those hazy times are sketchy but all leads to believe that the musicians featured here were well-known names from the Kraut scene under pseudonyms, recording 100% underground, non-commercial music under Toby’s guidance, just for fun.

Apparently, “Orion Awakes” was released as a very limited hand-made pressing housed in a silver foil sleeve on the Pyramid label, which was ran by Toby and his friend Robin Page, the Fluxus artist. No original copies have ever been found. The fascinating liner notes by Kraut expert Alan Freeman talk about seeing an original copy of Golem at a record shop in Germany many years ago and he also sheds some light on who could be the real musicians involved, as well as discussing the controversial story of the Pyramid label and the accusations of Golem being a manufactured 90s “fake” instead of a real vintage 70s recording.

“Legitimately tripped out, fans of the Cosmic Jokers could certainly get behind this one.”
- Angela Sawyer (Weirdo Records)

RIYL: Gila, Mythos, Guru Guru, Cosmic Jokers, Novalis, Neu!, Hawkwind, Brainticket, My Solid Ground, Pink Floyd…

A huge festival, unbelievably big. A record-setting of 670,000 people turned out for the second and final US Festival over Memorial Day Weekend 1983 at Glen Helen Regional Park in San Bernardino, Ca. – a location so obscure that even most SoCal residents couldn’t find it on a map even if you gave them a free ticket. The lineup for the four-day event was loaded, and quintessentially ‘80s: a Flock of Seagulls, Inxs, Men at Work, Quiet Riot, Mötley Crüe, Ozzy Osbourne, Berlin, U2, The Pretenders, and Stevie Nicks, just to name some of the acts.

Here’s the legendary set of the Dublin band

Outro Tempo II: Electronic and Contemporary Music from Brazil, 1984-1996 is the second installment of Music From Memory’s Brazilian series. This volume picks up where the first Outro Tempo left off, shedding light on a new wave of experimentalism that emerged in Brazil in the late 1980s and 1990s. The twenty tracks collected uncover another area of Brazilian music that looked to the future for inspiration. This time it drifts beyond the rainforest and into the pulsating heart of Brazil’s great cities, where it meets a generation of young artists eager to radically change the face of contemporary Brazilian music. In Outro Tempo II the avant garde and pop worlds meld in a haze of percussion and electronics. It presents another uncompromising and magnetic reinterpretation of the limits of Brazilian music. Outro Tempo II is compiled again by John Gómez and features original artwork by Alice Quaresma. The CD version also includes the 2 tracks 'Bruhahá' & 'Eyes' which were released as a separate single on vinyl and were not included in the 2xLP version.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nemesis Lately is the second full-length album released by Somnus Throne. This LP is very much a continuation of their first album(Burning World Records 2020), but with much more attention to detail, a further exploration of the depths of each niche within 'doom,' and a greater variety of sounds. Think just as much heaviness as the first album with less drone and more action. Nemesis Lately goes everywhere across the landscape of doom, stoner, heavy psych, and grunge from a welcoming kick in the teeth by a Motorhead-esque first track, through shades of Acid King, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Black Angels, The Melvins, Dead Meadow, High on Fire, The Sword, Electric Wizard, Dopelord, Black Pyramid all the way to a concluding track that strives at echoes of Led Zeppelin's acoustic prowess. It goes without saying that the entire album, and the entire Somnus Throne catalogue in total, is never more than one decapitated bat away from Black Sabbath worship. In sum-total, this album is truly a smorgasbord of all things fuzzy, doomy, smokey, sleepy, and trippy while also managing to grasp the essence of each sound -- perfect for anyone ready to doom, space, fuzz, head bang, tune in, turn up, and trip out for the next 40+ minutes.

Finally available on vinyl ! "Bentrees have created a hypnotic and insightful album, combining a plethora of new and exciting influences as well as stripping back some of the sound they established on Psychollage. Two Of Swords will no doubt guide you through its sonic landscapes, luring you into a trance where all your cares will simply melt away." Review by Distorted Sound Magazine

Loud pressed vinyl single featuring the best track from the group's 1979 album plus an unreleased take of the track ''My Fate'' on the flip.. Very smooth German AOR..
Limited to 350 copies and released in a beautiful picture sleeve which shows the original LP artwork.
Ara Pacis, a group from the island Föhr in the North Sea, was originally founded in 1971. Initially influenced by blues and classic rock by The Rolling Stones, The Who, and the like, they were also inspired by bands such as Steely Dan as well as the German/British group Lake. However, Ara Pacis created a style of their own
when their privately pressed an self-distributed “To the Westcoast” LP was released in 1979. The songs were mainly characterized by two-part guitar riffs by Töns Brautlecht-Deppe and Wolfgang Schiffner, who also were the core songwriters of the band.
The freshly remastered single starts with the title track “To the Westcoast”. Due to its sunny and yacht-y vibe it is easily amongst the best and most authentic tunes out of the “Westcoast rock” genre recorded in Germany. With family connections in California, lead singer Töns Brautlecht-Deppe was able to create and capture the feeling of the Pacific sea shore just perfectly.
The single is backed with a revised studio version of “My Fate”. The track is also featured on the album but the version presented here on the 7" vinyl is an unreleased, even quite funky and more powerful take. It was recorded in 1981 at the Rüssl studio in Hamburg where Brautlecht had just started to work as an engineer.
As the "To the Westcoast" LP was released during a time when styles like New Wave, Synth Pop and Punk became popular in Germany and the interest in organic and soulful rock declined, Ara Pacis’ debut remained relatively unnoticed until today and even the Krautrock collector’s scene does not seem to be fully aware of this hard to find gem yet of which only 1000 copies were originally pressed. The band is still kept in good memory by their fans as a quite legendary live act and although they
officially split in 1982, the group still served their fan base with revival concerts in 1990 and 2002 plus a website with full band story and lots of images from the early days.