MAIA SHARP - ECHO         BLIX STREET RECORDS  G2-10096

American singer and songwriter Maia Sharp is the daughter of country songwriter Randy Sharp and grew up in the San Fernando Valley in the ‘70s - the era of Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell and Rickie Lee Jones. By the age of twelve she played piano, saxophone, oboe and guitar, and by her twenties she was performing her own jazz/folk songs in L.A. acoustic venues. Sharp’s songwriting won the attention of manager Miles Copeland, who signed her to his new Ark 21 label and released her debut album, Hardly Glamour, in 1997. Her tunes have been recorded by Cher, Kim Richey, the Dixie Chicks, Art Garfunkel, Trisha Yearwood, Bonnie Raitt and many others. Four years ago Maia Sharp achieved a lifelong ambition when Bonnie Raitt invited her to open for and perform with her on the road. Sharp’s latest album, Echo, featuring her US hit single ‘John Q. Lonely’, will be released in the UK on May 3rd. Produced by acclaimed studio magician Don Was, the album shows her to be a uniquely gifted singer, writer and multi-instrumentalist. Her way with a melody, her sophisticated chord movements, the twist and flow of her lyrics all testify to a writing technique that’s equal to the best in the business. Highlights among these twelve cracking songs include the catchy ‘Polite Society’ and ‘Death by Perfection’ (a duet with Bonnie Raitt). ‘Her finest release to date, an album whose rootsy songwriter pop crackles with shrewd insight, keen writing and a strong dose of carpe diem.’ - Nashville Scene.

JANIS IAN - STARS & AFTERTONES   EDSEL EDSX 3005

The American songwriter, singer, musician and occasional science fiction author Janis Ian was born Janis Eddy Fink into a Jewish family in New York City in 1951. Her father was a music teacher and her mother ran a summer camp in upstate New York, and in that Cold War era they were often under government surveillance because of their left-wing politics. Young Janis admired the work of folk pioneers such as Joan Baez and Odetta, and at the age of twelve wrote her first song, Hair of Spun Gold (later recorded for her debut album). At age thirteen, she changed her name to Janis Ian, taking her brother Eric’s middle name, and wrote her first hit single, Society’s Child (Baby I’ve Been Thinking), about a forbidden interracial romance. This became a national hit on its third release, after Leonard Bernstein featured it in a television show. In the mid-seventies via the classic single, At Seventeen, and a string of commercial and critically-acclaimed albums, Janis Ian became one of the most talked about artists of her generation. Edsel has now released this double CD pairing of two of those albums, Stars and Aftertones, together with live tracks available for the first time officially in the UK as well as detailed booklets with notes and memorabilia provided by Janis herself. BETWEEN THE LINES & THE OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST CONCERT (EDSEL EDSD 2044) is an invaluable CD and DVD set featuring the classic Between The Lines (which includes At Seventeen), and, for the first time, a DVD including an entire concert recorded for BBC TV’s The Old Grey Whistle Test. Bonus features include performances from The Shirley Bassey Show and The Lena Zavaroni Show, which have never been aired since their original broadcast in 1976 and 1980 respectively.

GORDON GILTRAP - MUSIC FOR THE SMALL SCREEN & THE SOLO ALBUM   EDSEL EDSD 2073

Gordon Giltrap is an acclaimed acoustic and electric guitarist and composer whose work cross many musical genres - folk, blues, folk rock, pop, classical and rock. He started to learn the guitar at the age of twelve, never receiving any formal tuition on the instrument, and gradually developed his own style and technique. His career started to take off in the 1960s when he played live in London folk clubs alongside contemporaries such as Bert Jansch, John Renbourn and Mike Oldfield. The 1970s brought much wider recognition as he started to concentrate on more instrumental pieces and formed the Gordon Giltrap Band, which toured extensively. The legions fans of this supremely gifted musicians will be sure to welcome this reissue of a two CD set comprising of Music For The Small Screen and The Solo Album, together with a CD / DVD set TROUBADOUR & LIVE AT VENTNOR WINTER GARDENS (EDSEL EDSX 3007). These collections come superbly-packaged - the DVD includes a bonus interview with Gordon Giltrap which recorded in 2009 with Rodney Hearth - and illuminated by humorous and informative liner notes from the man himself. More releases of his back catalogue are scheduled throughout 2010 as well as the release of a brand new album and a lengthy UK tour in the middle of the year.

SHRINK TO FIT, VOL. 2 - COTTON PICKIN’ ROCKERS     SLICK O RAMA 502 CD

Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, emerging primarily in the southern United States in the early 1950s. The term rockabilly is a portmanteau word combining rock (from rock ‘n’ roll) and hillbilly, a style of country music. Other important influences on rockabilly include western swing, boogie woogie, and rhythm and blues. The influence and popularity of the style waned in the 1960s, but during the late 1970s and early 1980s, rockabilly enjoyed a major revival of popularity that has endured to the present day. Following on from Blue Jean Boppers, this new Shrink To Fit denim themed compilation from Steve Hooker sports an evocative, previously unpublished photo of Eddie Cochran in jeans and jean jacket on its cover and features Levi Dexter, The Rizlaz, The Atomics, GT Rockers, Roddy Radiation and The Bonediggers, new German band Switchblade, Darrel Higham and The Enforcers, Johnny Legend, The Jooks of Kent and Steve Hooker. The ten outstanding tracks include a storming opener, Snake Eyed Mama, the instrumental Scratchin’, Eddie Cochran’s C’mon Everybody, the terrific blues-influenced Cotton Mill Rag, and the last guitar-driven track, Cotton Pickin’, surrounded by atmospheric railroad sounds.

ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO - GRAVITY & THIRTEEN YEARS     RETROWORLD

Alejandro Escovedo’s career in music stretches back over thirty years, from his days as a member of the San Francisco Punk band, The Nuns, with Delphine Neid, Jennifer Miro and Jeff Olener. He comes from a musical family, including brothers Coke Escovedo and Pete Escovedo, both percussionists, and Prince collaborator Sheila E, as well as brother, Mario, who fronted the hard rock band, The Dragons. Alejandro Escovedo moved in the 1980s to Austin, Texas, where he adapted a roots rock/alternative country style sound in the bands Rank and File and the True Believers. It was with the release of his first solo albums, Gravity in 1992 and Thirteen Years in 1994 that he really found his true voice. These albums were written in the wake of his wife’s suicide and are understandably sombre in tone, though Escovedo is such an accomplished writer that there is much light and shade in the recordings, both in terms of the lyrical and musical content. Both Gravity and Thirteen Years come with a bonus disc of rare live recordings, including cover versions of songs by The Velvet Underground and Mott The Hoople, two of Escovedo’s biggest musical influences. Retroworld has also just released several great blues albums, including harmonica maestro James Cotton’s MIGHTY LONG TIME (featuring guest stars such as Matt ‘Guitar’ Murphy and Jimmie Vaughan) and SNAKEBITE, a terrific double CD with Buddy Guy, Otis Rush and Magic Sam - 49 cracking tracks from the late fifties and early sixties originally recorded for the Chicago independent blues label Cobra. Highly recommended.

SHRINK TO FIT, VOL. 1 - BLUE JEAN BOPPERS     STUDIO SLICK 501 CD

This CD brings together an invigorating selection of nine contemporary US and UK rockabilly numbers about jeans, an intrinsic part of the culture. Produced by ‘rockabilly, blues and soulman’ Steve Hooker in association with the world famous Slick 50 barber shop, the album includes The Polecats (featuring guitarist Boz Boorer) with a live version of Gene Vincent’s Blue Jean Bop and God’s Blue Jeans by US band The Atomics. A number of tracks were specially recorded for this collection, including those by The Arizona H-Bombs, Steve Hooker, The Vegas Valentinos, and Dawghouse. The Carlos y Bandidos track, Develine, is a great rockabilly fans’ favourite, and other highlights include the Lennerockers’ Five Jeans Jackets Are Ready To Go and Switchblade’s Tight Blue Jeans. Steve Hooker has also released a new 7” vinyl single on Witchcraft International  (WCI 102). There are three storming tracks including the swaggering title song, Sugar Devil. Great stuff.

BOZ BOORER - MISS PEARL       VIBRANT RECORDS V1BECD006

Morrissey collaborator and a stalwart of the UK rock’n’roll scene for over twenty years, one-time Polecat guitarist Boz Boorer plays his irrepressible music full-on and straight. He has been musical director and co-writer with Morrissey since 1991 and played on the Morrissey solo albums Your Arsenal, Southpaw Grammar, Maladjusted, Beethoven Was Deaf, You Are The Quarry and Ringleader Of The Tormentors. He’s also recorded with the likes of Joan Armatrading, Adam Ant, Edwyn Collins, Jools Holland and Kirsty MacColl.  This brilliant album features sixteen full-throttle rockabilly classics, including Jimmy Wages’ unreleased classic Miss Pearl and a ferocious version of Hank Mizell’s Jungle Rock (with backing vocals by Adam Ant). Other highlights include B29 (Droppin’ Bombs on Your Heart), Atom Bomb Baby, Rock’n’Roll Ruby, Yakety Yak (with Chrissie Lane), The Ramones’ Rockaway Beach and guitarman Steve Hooker’s composition, Dollar Short (on the wages of sin). Long-time Boz collaborator Steve Hooker also plays on an alternate version of In the Witchin’ Hour from his own Boptown album. This is fine, rip-roaring music full of raw, high-octane excitement, bringing real freshness to the great Fifties rockabilly tradition.

THE HISTORY OF RHYTHM AND BLUES - 1942-1952   RHYTHM AND BLUES RECORDS RANDB003

Rhythm and blues, or R&B, is a term coined by Jerry Wexler in 1947 to refer to several types of postwar African-American popular music, as well as for some white rock music derived from it, but the term is more commonly understood to describe the sophisticated urban music that began in the 1930s, when Louis Jordan started making blues-based records with humorous lyrics and upbeat rhythms that owed as much to boogie-woogie as to classic blues forms. This music, sometimes called jump blues, set a pattern that became the dominant black popular music form during and for some time after the Second World. This paperback-sized 4-CD box set features the post-war years and includes a fascinating 64-page book containing in-depth analysis by compiler Nick Duckett of the 101 tracks, pointing out relevant stylistic and musical innovations. Disc One - Jumpin’ From Harlem To The West Coast - includes such greats as Dinah Washington, Big Joe Turner and the Nat Cole Trio, together with rarities by the likes of Lucky Millinder, the wonderful Cecil Grant, Henry ‘Red’ Allen and the splendidly named Rubberlegs Williams. Disc Two - Guitar Boogies, Sax Screamers & Gospel Roads - has the wonderful Arthur Crudup, Big Joe Williams (Baby Please Don’t Go, first recorded in 1935), Johnny Otis, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters (I Can’t Be Satisfied) and John Lee Hooker’s Boogie Chillen. Disc Three - Have You Heard The News? There’s Good Rockin’ Tonight - includes Wild Bill Moore, Roy Brown & His Mighty Men, Louis Jordan’s famous Saturday Night Fish Fry, Hal Singer’s Rock Around The Clock, the awsome Howlin’ Wolf and bottleneck guitar genius Elmore James (Dust My Broom). Disc Four - Soul Train Mambo - Destination New Orleans - has Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Jordan’s irresistible Stone Cold Dead In The Market, Professor Longhair & His Shuffling Hungarians, Antoine Fats Domino (The Fat Man), Lloyd Price (the classic Lawdy Miss Clawdy), the underrated Ruth Brown and Ray Charles. This superb collection brings together some of the most powerful, influential and joyous music ever recorded. Also highly recommended is THE HISTORY OF RHYTHM AND BLUES, VOLUME ONE (RHYTHM AND BLUES RECORDS RANDB001). This is another wonderful four CD box set with a 32-page booklet containing analysis of 97 great tracks dating from 1925-1942. Disc One features country blues, spirituals, jug bands and ‘hokum’. Disc Two highlights piano boogie-woogie ragtime and jazz. Disc Three - Up River To Chicago – has urban blues and gospel. Disc Four - Jazzin’ The Blues – features after hours swing boogie and jive. An excellent A1 sized History of Rhythm & Blues 1900-64 wall poster from Rhythm and Blues Records also traces the story of the music from its roots in Texas and the Mississippi Delta through its migration to the big cities. For more details see the website at www.rhythmandbluesrecords.co.uk

GREAT BRITISH SKIFFLE, VOL. 3     SMITH & CO SCCD 1172

Skiffle is folk music with jazz, blues and country influences, often played using homemade or improvised instruments such as the washboard, tea chest bass and kazoo, as well as more conventional instruments like acoustic guitar and banjo. Skiffle groups were originally referred to as spasm bands and the music was being played in Louisville and Memphis by the 1920s. Skiffle’s roots can also be found in the jazz bands of the 1940s and 1950s. The British skiffle craze in the 1950s and early 1960s encouraged countless amateurs to get started, including The Quarry Men formed in 1957 by John Lennon. This double-CD collection features a generous 61 tracks recorded between 1952 and 1958, including music by such greats as Lonnie Donegan, Chas McDevitt, Alexis Korner, Ken Colyer, The Vipers, the exhilarating Johnny Duncan & The Bluegrass Boys, and George Melly, as well as rarities by Dickie Bishop & His Sidekicks, The Station Skiffle Group, The Betty Smith Quintet, Les Hobeaux Skiffle Group and The Original Barnstormers. Highlights include Light From The Lighthouse and Lonesome Traveller (Lonnie Donegan & His Skiffle Group with Miki & Griff), Ken Colyer’s bluesy I Can’t Sleep, Alan Lomax, Guy Carawan & Peggy Seeger’s version of This Train. As the complier Dave Travis says, ‘Despite the panning skiffle often received in the 1950s’ press, an extraordinary quantity of fine music was laid down at the time and thankfully has survived. So rest assured this Volume 3 of British Skiffle is bang up to standard. Sit back, remember and enjoy…’ Other new double CDs in the Smith & Co ‘As Good As It Gets’ series include Great Rockabilly, Vol. 3 (SCCD 1170), Great British Rock ‘n’ Roll, Vol. 3 (SCCD 1171) and Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Instrumentals (SCCD 1173), featuring stirring tracks from the likes of Duane Eddy, Link Wray, The Champs, Chuck Berry and Fats Domino. See also Lonnie Donegan

J.J. CALE - ROLL ON           BECAUSE MUSIC

Grammy Award-winning American songwriter and musician J.J. Cale is probably best known for writing two songs that Eric Clapton made famous - After Midnight and Cocaine. Born John W. Cale in 1938 in Oklahoma City, he changed his name in the mid-1960s to ‘J.J.’ to avoid confusion with the Velvet Underground’s John Cale. As one of the originators of the Tulsa Sound, J.J. Cale’s music draws on blues, rockabilly, country and jazz influences to produce a highly personal, laid back style characterised by shuffle rhythms, simple chord changes, relaxed vocals and clever, incisive lyrics. Cale is also a distinctive and idiosyncratic guitarist, incorporating both fingerpicking and gentle, meandering electric solos. Because of his aversion to stardom, extensive touring or even recording, he has remained a relatively obscure cult artist but has influenced many others, including Johnny Cash, The Band, Captain Beefheart, George Harrison, Santana, Mark Knopfler, Neil Young and Bryan Ferry. The Tulsa Sound has been adopted particularly by Eric Clapton, and the title track of this new album, Roll On, is a previously unreleased collaboration between Clapton and Cale. Other standout tracks include a Down In Memphis groove, Oh Mary, Old Friend, the jazzy Former Me and the relaxed Where The Sun Don’t Shine. The new album is full of timeless grooves and the meticulously understated production that he is known for, but it also adds new dimensions to the ‘classic Cale sound’.  Listen to clips of all the tracks on the album.

LIZ PHAIR - EXILE IN GUYVILLE         ATO RECORDS

The streetwise American singer-songwriter and guitarist Liz Phair was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1967, and was raised in Winnetka, Illinois. After majoring in art history at Oberlin College, Ohio, she began her music career in the early 1990s by self-releasing homemade audio cassettes under the name Girly Sound while supporting herself by selling her drawings on the streets of Chicago, where she became part of the alternative music scene. Gerard Cosloy, co-president of cool indie label Matador Records, offered a $3,000 advance, and Phair began working on a single, which turned into the 18 songs of her debut album, Exile in Guyville. Produced by Phair and Brad Wood, Exile in Guyville was released in 1993 to critical acclaim. The album’s blunt, often sexually explicit lyrics are combined with a winning hybrid of indie rock and pop and her low, vibrato-less voice gives many of the songs a detached, deadpan character. In the spring of 1994, the album briefly made it to the U.S. charts and was ranked 15 in Spin’s ‘100 Greatest Albums, 1985-2005’. It was also number 328 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time and has inspired many other artists to imitate its lo-fi sound and emotional honesty. Fifteen years after its release, Exile in Guyville has finally been reissued, complete with three B-sides and Guyville Redux, a 60-minute DVD of interviews filmed by Phair herself. As well as Liz Phair (guitar, piano, vocals) the album features Casey Rice (guitar, cymbals, background vocals, handclapping), Brad Wood (organ, synthesizer, bass, guitar, percussion, bongos, drums, background vocals, drones, feedback), Tony Mariotti (bass) and John Casey (harp). This song-by-song reply to the Rolling Stones’ 1972 album, Exile on Main Street, remains essential listening.

LONNIE DONEGAN – JUST ABOUT AS GOOD AS IT GETS     SMITH & CO SCCD 1123

Lonnie Donegan was born Anthony James Donegan in 1931 in Glasgow, the Scottish/Irish son of a professional violinist. He moved with his mother to East Ham, London, at an early age, after his parents divorced. Inspired by blues music and New Orleans jazz bands heard on the radio, he bought his first guitar at the age of fourteen and later played banjo in Chris Barber’s trad jazz band. In 1952 he formed his first group, the Tony Donegan Jazzband, who on one occasion opened for the blues musician Lonnie Johnson (Donegan was a big fan of Johnson and took his first name as a tribute). During the time he sang and played for Chris Barber, Donegan began improvising what he called a ‘skiffle’ break during the intervals. With a washboard, a tea-chest bass and a guitar, he entertained audiences with folk songs and blues by artists such as Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie, giving the impression that anyone could do it. He recorded Leadbelly’s Rock Island Line with Chris Barber in 1954 and two years later this was a smash hit, becoming the first debut record to go gold in Britain and reaching the top ten in the United States. This 50 track, double-CD collection features all of the King of Skiffle’s ground-breaking recordings made between 1953 and 1956, with none of the later cabaret knockabout songs such as My Old Man’s A Dustman, which were commercially successful but poorly received by skiffle fans. Donegan’s love and knowledge of the music is evident throughout and he performs with infectious drive and enthusiasm. Highlights include old favourites such as Don’t You Rock Me Daddy-O, Rock Island Line, John Henry and Wabash Cannonball, as well as the soulful Bury My Body, blues such as In The Evening, When The Sun Goes Down and many great live performances. He even manages to breathe fresh life into the ubiquitous Frankie & Johnny. ‘He was the man’ - Paul McCartney. Other highly recommended double CDs in this As Good As It Gets series include Great British Skiffle (SCCD 1122), Great British Rock ‘n’ Roll (SCCD 1124) and Great Rockabilly (SCCD 1125).

THE UNDERTONES - AN ANTHOLOGY     UNION SQUARE Salvodcd209

Northern Irish punk rock/power pop band The Undertones formed in Derry in 1975 and featured the O’Neill brothers – John and Damian on guitars, Michael Bradley on bass, Billy Doherty on drums, with Feargal Sharkey on vocals. This original line-up released four superb studio albums before disbanding in 1983. The Undertones shared much in common musically with The Ramones in the USA and The Buzzcocks in England, but it wasn’t until 1978 that their rousing music were preserved on vinyl. The classic debut single, Teenage Kicks, featuring Sharkey’s distinctive high, emotional vibrato, was released originally on the Good Vibrations label and became a firm favourite of Radio One’s influential DJ, John Peel. The presenter made it his ‘favourite record of all time’, played it incessantly and famously asked to have the opening lyric inscribed on his headstone. This debut was followed by a dozen perfect pop singles, including Jimmy Jimmy, Here Comes The Summer, My Perfect Cousin and Wednesday Week. This excellent double CD has a 32 page full colour booklet and almost two and a half hours of the best Undertones music, including all the hits, 27 previously unreleased demos, alternate takes, session recordings and live tracks. The band’s addictive music, with its lyrical invention, flair and strong chorus hooks, triumphantly stands the test of time. Irresistible.

THE PIGEON DETECTIVES - EMERGENCY     DANCE TO THE RADIO DTTR044

The Pigeon Detectives are from Rothwell near Leeds, where they formed about six years ago. The band features vocalist Matt Bowman, Jimmi Naylor (drums), Ryan Wilson and Oli Main (guitars) and Dave Best (bass). An increasing presence on the live music circuit, the band supported fellow West Yorkshiremen Kaiser Chiefs on gigs around Europe and were nominated for Best New Act at the Q Awards in 2007. But why the silly name? According to Jimmi Naylor, ‘It came from an Australian guy who we met at the Leeds Festival. We were just discussing band names and he came up with The Pigeon Detectives. When it came to our first gig in Leeds the promoter was saying, ‘What’s your name?’ We were like, ‘Oh, um The Pigeon Detectives.’ The bands first album was the hugely successful WAIT FOR ME, including such standout tracks as Take Her Back, I’m Not Sorry and You know I Love You. It’s followed now in a short space of time second, Emergency, which entered the charts at number three and has since achieved platinum status (a first for independent label Dance to The Radio). The album was made with producer Stephen Street (who previously worked with Blur, The Smiths and Babyshambles) in between a frantic schedule of gigs, touring and festivals. Catchy tunes and riffs abound, with rousing choruses that have sing-a-long irresistibility. Standout tracks include the bouncy opener, This Is An Emergency (also a single), the unambiguous Keep On Your Dress, She’s Gone, the compelling I’m a Liar, and the Clash-influenced You Don’t Need It. The Pigeon Detectives recently announced their second major UK tour for 2008, after playing to over 70,000 people earlier this year and appearing at several major UK festivals over the summer. The new tour starts in Grimsby on 24 November and ends with two dates at Leeds Carling Academy on 17-18 December, taking in cities such as Glasgow, Manchester and London en route. Tickets for all venues are on sale now and details can be found here

THE BLAKES     LIGHT IN THE ATTIC STRANGE 03CD

US garage punk trio The Blakes consists of Garnet Keim (guitar/vocals), brother Snow Keim (bass) and Bob Husak (drums). They met in Seattle in 1999 and started to play together, turning up with their instruments wherever there was the chance of a gig, or just a place to busk. They moved to LA and slept three to a single room whilst writing and continuing to play, refining and producing the sound that they have now recorded for this excellent eponymous debut album. The Blakes recently made their first trip to Europe (after a four month long US tour) when they released a 7” single Two Times and played several shows. They supported Reverend & The Makers at an NME Awards show in London and toured France with Gossip and The Kills, and are due back soon for several festival appearances. Their rousing and energetic brand of indie rock is well represented by this impressive bunch of songs. Outstanding tracks include the terrific opener, Two Times, as well as Run, the reflective Lintwalk, Vampire, the Kinks-like Lie Next To Me, Picture and Streets, with its superb guitar work. Irresistible music from a great live band.

THE BLACK ANGELS - DIRECTIONS TO SEE A GHOST       LIGHT IN THE ATTIC

The Black Angels are a psychedelic rock band from Austin, Texas. Formed in 2004, the band originally comprised six people (now five) from very different backgrounds. Singer/vocalist Christian Bland is the son of a Presbyterian Pastor and was raised in a devoutly religious household. Bassist / guitarist Nate Ryan was born on a cult compound and drummer Stephanie Bailey claims she's a descendent of Davy Crocket. She and Alex Maas (vocals/guitar) believe a little girl in a red linen dress haunts the group's home. Their name is taken from the Velvet Underground song ‘The Black Angel's Death Song’ and the band’s music is clearly influenced by that hypnotic mid-1960s Underground sound. They call it ‘hypno-drone ’n roll’ and it’s the sound of long nights on peyote, of dreams of a new world order, and of half-invented memories of the seamy side of ’60s. Other influences include Spacemen 3, mid-1980s Jesus and Mary Chain, and the early Rolling Stones. The new album, Directions To See A Ghost, is a psychedelic epic - seventy minutes of darkly lyrical music that reflects the band’s current preoccupations. ‘Our central theme is that people need to open up their minds and let everything come through, and to learn from past mistakes,’ says Christian Bland. ‘Only then will we understand the reality of this world and progress beyond where we are now as humans.’ Highlights include the relentlessly infectious opening track, You On The Run, the tribal Vikings, the hypnotic Snake In The Grass, Never/Ever, the spiritual Deer-Ree-Shee, and the relatively upbeat You In Color. This is an altogether sexy and eerily brilliant album from one of the most interesting bands around.

THE RAVEONETTES - LUST LUST LUST         FIERCE PANDA NONG53CD

The Raveonettes are an award-winning Danish pop duo consisting of Sune Rose Wagner (guitar, instruments, vocals) and Sharin Foo (bass and vocals). Their stripped-down two-part vocal harmonies are partly inspired by The Everly Brothers and the songs combine the simplicity of 1950s and 60s rock with intense electric instrumentation, driving beats and often dark lyrical content similar to another of the band’s influences, The Velvet Underground. The Raveonettes have also been inspired by The Ronettes and Buddy Holly’s Rave On (hence the band’s name). ‘Lust Lust Lust’, their third album, finds them in reflective mood as they look both deep inside themselves and far outside their environment for inspiration, though the degree of sonic mischief remains undiminished. Highlights include a hypnotic opener, ‘Aly, Walk With Me’, which resembles a Velvet Underground reworking of the theme for A Fistful Of Dollars, the lovely ‘Hallucinations’, the pop-drenched heartache of ‘Sad Transmission’ and the excellent ‘Blush’. Legend has it that these twelve odes to sex, drugs and rock have been carved from a mountain of over a hundred songs, and the dynamic duo have moved on from the greasy rider sound of their earlier albums into a world of deadpan eulogies and troublegum-laced pop songs. This combination of retropop and lush noise finds its perfect, irresistible synthesis in ‘You Want The Candy’, which revisits 1988 by merging The Primitives’ ‘Crash’ with Jesus & Marychain-style malevolence. The songs on this intriguing album have an easy grace, but disturbing complexities often lurk beneath the surface of these sweet harmonies backed by dark, sleazy guitar work. ‘The Raveonettes are super-cool Scandinavian noise-rockers who’ve created their most engrossing album to date’ - NME.

TUNGG – GOOD ARROWS       FULL TIME HOBBY  FTH 040CD

Good Arrows is the third album from Tunng, the British experimental folk band often associated with the folktronica genre. The CD takes its title from a favourite phrase of co-founder Sam Gender’s brother and is the first album to be recorded with the full six-piece band - founder members Sam Genders and Mike Lindsay with Ashley Bates, Phil Winter, Becky Jacobs and Martin Smith. Taking influences from Icelandic prog rock, choral music and film soundtracks, Good Arrows marks a significant development for Tunng as they move beyond electronica influences to emphasise here organic sounds, melody and harmonies. In effect, they have become a fully fledged and wonderfully experimental pop band. Recorded in the Play Industries studios in East London between January and May this year, the sessions found the band introducing new instruments – the hammer dulcimer, a steel-strung harp – alongside familiar elements like field recordings from their tape machine - the ‘beats’ in Arms are actually fire crackles recorded in Big Sur, California. But while Good Arrows retains the sense of experimentalism that is Tunng’s calling card, this is their most accessible album to date. Highlights include the inventive Bullets, Bricks, Soup (which begins as a Tubular Bells-style instrumental and morphs into a heavy metal freakout), the bewitching Secrets, the acoustic dreaminess of Hands, the magical Arms and the beautiful losing track, Cans. This is the best album yet by one of the most interesting bands around. ‘Unadulterated genius’ – NME.

JERSEY BEAT: FRANKIE VALLI & THE 4 SEASONS     RHINO R2 74852

In 1961, the group known as The Four Lovers evolved into The Four Seasons, with Frankie Valli as the lead singer, Bob Gaudio on keyboards and tenor vocals, Tommy DeVito on lead guitar and baritone vocals and Nick Massi on bass guitar and bass vocals (Massi was replaced in 1965 by Charles Calello, who was in turn replaced in 1965 by Joe Long on bass guitar and bass vocals). Known off and on since 1967 as Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, this pop group was distinct from many similar groups of the early to mid-1960s in keeping its traditional Italian-American sound. By the mid 1960s they had become internationally famous and in 1990 the original members (1961–1965) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 1999 into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. Rhino honours Frankie Valli & The 4 Seasons here with a comprehensive box set featuring three CDs filled with 76 tracks of the band’s biggest hits along with album tracks, some great B-sides and a DVD featuring rare live performances. The accompanying 84-page booklet includes photos and track-by-track commentary by the likes of Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Barry Manilow, Quincy Jones, Cher, Neil Diamond, Fats Domino, Steven Van Zandt, Barry Gibb, Dion, Johnny Marr, Billy Joel, Itzhak Perlman, Regis Philbin, Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban and Joe Pesci. The album title ‘Jersey Beat’ is a play on ‘Jersey Boys’, a highly successful Broadway musical about the Four Seasons, and the ‘Mersey Beat’ of the early Beatles music scene in Liverpool. These superbly remastered tracks sound as fresh as the day they were made and span the career of Frankie Valli & The 4 Seasons from 1962 to 1992. They are the authentic original versions, in stereo or mono as is appropriate, and the DVD shows the group at its peak (in particular the soaring, ethereal harmonies of Saturday’s Father and two 1971 TOTP recordings - Let’s Hang On and I’ve Got You Under My Skin). Essential listening.

GREAT BRITISH SKIFFLE           SMITH & CO SCCD 1147

Skiffle is a type of folk music with a jazz and blues influences, often using homemade or improvised instruments such as the washboard, tea chest bass, kazoo, cigar-box fiddle, musical saw, and comb and paper, as well as more conventional instruments such as acoustic guitar and banjo. Skiffle first became popular in the early 1900s in the United States, starting in New Orleans, and by the 1920s and 1930s was being played in Louisville and Memphis but had mostly faded from view by the late 1950s, when the music was reborn in Britain. This was the British equivalent of rockabilly, a new form of music, loud and fast, with a direct communication between the band and the audience. Like rockabilly, British skiffle provided new opportunities for the more adventurous professional musicians. Lonnie Donegan, the father of British skiffle, had become a professional musician in 1953, and joined the Trad jazz band of Ken Colyer. Between sets, Donegan would entertain the crowd with folk and blues, backed by bass and washboard. Colyer termed it skiffle, and soon it was more popular than the jazz that was being played. When trombonist Chris Barber left to form his own band in 1954, he took Donegan with him, and featured him on the New Orleans Joys LP, recorded in July 1954. Thanks in large part to Donegan’s raucous cover versions of Rock Island Line and John Henry, the ten-inch LP sold an unprecedented 50,000 copies. Decca put out Rock Island Line as a single in 1956, when it spent an astonishing eight months in the Top 20 and Donegan went on to be one of the biggest stars of the 1950s, with 34 UK hits. While skiffle is often credited only as a simple forerunner to British rock and roll, a lot of the early skiffle was played by skilled trad jazz musicians. The Vipers Skiffle Group and Chas McDevitt & Nancy Whiskey were examples of this, and they feature on this second volume of British skiffle in Smith & Co’s excellent ‘Just about as good as it gets’ series. The double album includes 30 tracks, and as well as such greats as Lonnie Donegan, Johnny Duncan and Chas McDevitt, there are many cherishable rarities from largely forgotten groups of the period from 1952 to 1957. Other new releases from Smith & Co include Great Rockabilly, Vol. 2 (SCCD 1145)., Great British Rock ‘n’ Roll, Vol. 2 (SCCD 1146) and Acker Bilk (SCCD 1144).

THE ESSENTIAL TIM HARDIN, 1963-1980       RAVEN  RVCD-104

Tim Hardin was born in 1941 in Eugene, Oregon, USA, and spent an itinerant childhood moving around the country with his musician parents. He enlisted in the US Marines and served a tour of duty in Vietnam. After leaving the Marines, he moved to New York and started to develop his singing and songwriting, appearing regularly in Greenwich Village cafés and creating his unique blend of poetic folk/blues. His first recordings were made in 1964 but these were considerd a failure and were shelved for several years before being issued This Is Tim Hardin and Tim Hardin 4. Meanwhile, he met actress Susan Yardley Morss (‘Susan Moore’) and signed to the Verve Forecast label, producing his first authorised album, Tim Hardin 1, in 1966. This album saw a transformation from his early traditional blues style to the fragile, introspective, jazz-influenced style that he made his own. This debut album included Hang on to a Dream and Reason To Believe, later covered by Rod Stewart among many others. Tim Hardin 2, released the following year, featured such delicate songs as If I Were A Carpenter (a huge international hit for Bobby Darin and the Four Tops), The Lady Came from Baltimore, the beautiful How Can We Hang On To A Dream? and Tribute to Hank Williams. For a brief period in the mid-1960s, it could be argued that Tim Hardin was the greatest singer/songwriter in the world. Unfortunately his diffidence, together with a long-standing heroin addiction, meant that his career soon declined and Hardin died from an overdose in 1980. This excellent 27-track anthology from Raven features essential recordings from five labels over almost 20 years, making it the only disc to bring together the entire Hardin saga. Highly recommended.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN – MAGIC       COLUMBIA 88697170602

American singer, songwriter and guitarist Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen’s a brand of heartland rock has earned him countless awards, including fifteen Grammies and an Oscar, along with a devoted international fan base. He has sold over 60 million albums in the USA alone, usually alternating between commercially accessible rock albums and more sombre folk-oriented collections. Magic, the new studio recording, is Springsteen’s first with the E Street Band since 2002’s Grammy Award-winning album The Rising (another E Street Band album is rumoured for 2008). Produced by Brendan O’Brien, Magic features eleven new songs, plus a hidden track, ‘Terry’s Song’, a beautiful harmonica-driven tribute to Springsteen’s long-time assistant Terry Magovern who died in July 2007. Magic has already proved huge a success, debuting at number one. Highlights include the powerful Radio Nowhere, Gypsy Biker, the wistful Girls in Their Summer Clothes, Last to Die, the acoustic title track, Long Walk Home (with Clarence Clemons’s classic saxophone) and the haunting Devil’s Arcade. A new Bruce Springsteen album always raises high expectations and Magic doesn’t disappoint, being perhaps his best since Born in the USA. Fans of the Killers and Arcade Fire will find that The Boss did it first and still does it better.

THE BIG STIFF BOX SET          SALVO MUSIC SALVOBX402

Stiff Records was created in London by Jake Riviera and Dave Robinson in July 1976 and became the blueprint for the independent label of today. Robinson had briefly worked for Jimi Hendrix in the late 1960s and also managed Brinsley Schwarz. Riviera, a.k.a. Andrew Jakeman, had been an early manager for Essex pub rock band, Dr. Feelgood. The Stiff Records label was started with a loan of £400 from Lee Brilleaux of Dr. Feelgood and the first release was by Nick Lowe (So It Goes). Stiff soon became known for its provocative, rebellious stance and eccentric though highly effective promotional campaigns. The label signed The Damned and a young singer-songwriter called D.P. Costello, who Riviera renamed Elvis. The first Top 20 single was Costello’s Watching The Detectives and in 1979 Stiff Records achieved its first No. 1 - Ian Dury’s Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick. This fine box set is the ultimate anthology, charting thirty years of one of the most daring and influential labels in UK pop history. The 98 tracks range from number one hits to rare curiosities and a 68 page full colour booklet is included in the package. Nick Lowe, Kirsty MacColl, The Damned, Elvis Costello, Ian Dury, Lene Lovich, Madness, Tracey Ullman and The Pogues mingle with the likes of such wonderfully named acts as Wreckless Eric, Jane Aire & The Belvederes, Humphrey Ocean & The Hardy Annuals, Pointed Sticks, Department S and Eskimo Disco. Not to mention legendary music hall veteran Max Wall’s celebratory England’s Glory. Essential listening.

ARCADE FIRE – NEON BIBLE                 MERGE RECORDS MRG285

Arcade Fire’s phenomenally successful debut album, Funeral, was the musical sensation of 2004/5. Time Magazine put Arcade Fire on its cover, beneath the headline: ‘Canada's Most Intriguing Rock Band’ and as their reputation exploded they were extravagantly praised by such luminaries as David Byrne, Lou Reed and David Bowie. Such ecstatic attention might have been all too overwhelming, but Arcade Fire sensibly opted out of the usual hoopla and most members of the band declined to be interviewed. Instead, they spent most of 2006 in a church in a small town near Montreal, taking lots of time to record tracks for their second album (could they overcome that ‘difficult’ tag?). They didn’t know how long it would take, or what it would be called, or what songs would be on it, or what instruments they would use, but they were determined to produce it themselves, with the help of engineers Markus Dravs (Bjork, Brian Eno) and Scott Colburn. Frontman Win Butler is joined as usual by Régine Chassagne, Richard Reed Parry, William Butler (Win’s talismanic brother), Timothy Kingsbury, Sarah Neufeld. Martin Wenk and Jacob Valenzuela (the horn players from Calexico) contribute winningly, as do Hadjii Bakara from Wolf Parade and Owen Pallett, who helped to orchestrate (as he did on Funeral). Pietro Amato and his horn playing associates add some brass and the band travelled to Budapest to record an orchestra and a military choir. By Christmas 2006, Neon Bible was ready and the highlights include a stormy opener, Black Mirror, the mantra-like Ocean of Noise, the triumphant Intervention, Black Waves Bad Vibrations (with Régine Chassagne to the for), the Springsteenesque Antichrist Television Blues, the angsty protest of Windowsill and a moody instant classic, My Body is a Cage, as the climax. Featuring piano, slide guitar, violins and mandolin as well as a huge pipe organ, bass steel drums, various synths and a hurdy-gurdy, this is a darker and more intense album than Funeral. The wonderfully audacious and eclectic music requires close listening before you discover that ‘the best band in history’ have created another masterpiece.

THE ARCADE FIRE - FUNERAL         ROUGH TRADE RECORDS  RTRADCD219

The Arcade Fire hail from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The members of the band are husband and wife duo Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, with Richard Reed Parry, William Butler (Win’s brother), Timothy Kingsbury, Sarah Neufeld and Howard Bilerman, who played drums on Funeral, has since moved on. Others involved here include violinists Owen Pallett and Sophie Trudeau, cellist Michael Olsen and the harpist Anita Fust. Famous for their exhilarating live performances, The Arcade Fire use of a wide range of musical instruments, augmenting the basic guitar, drums and bass guitar setup with piano, violin, viola, cello, xylophone, keyboard, accordion and harp (band members often switch instruments between songs). Funeral, recorded in 2004, is their first full-length album, its title chosen because of the death of several family members during recording. These events created a sombre feeling on songs such as Une année sans lumière, In the Backseat and Haiti, Régine Chassagne’s reflections on the homeland her family were forced to leave. Four of the ten tracks are titled Neighborhood and tell stories of towns trapped in snowstorms, and the loss of relatives and friends. Every track has intelligence and originality, reflecting the band’s many musical influences. Rebellion (Lies) is irresistible and all the music transcends dark themes to produce sounds of beauty, romance and passion.

JIMI HENDRIX           DISKY  SI 903505

James Marshall ‘Jimi’ Hendrix was born in Seattle in 1942 and died in London in 1970, aged only 27. In his short lifetime he became the best and most exciting electric guitarist in the history of popular music, as well as an fine singer and songwriter. Largely self-taught the left-handed Hendrix used a right-handed guitar that he restrung and played right side up. He was influenced by of blues artists such as B. B. King, Albert King, Buddy Guy, T-Bone Walker and Muddy Waters, as well by rhythm and blues and soul music guitarists such as Curtis Mayfield, and by modern jazz (Rahsaan Roland Kirk was one of his favourite musicians). Jimi Hendrix revolutionised the tradition of rock guitar by developing techniques such as feedback and distortion, making them an integral part of his compositions.  Despite a frantic touring schedule and his notorious perfectionism, he was a prolific recording artist and left behind more than 300 unreleased recordings besides his five official albums and various singles. He became legendary as one of the all-time greats who, like Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Brian Jones, took the 1960s by storm then died young. This CD features nine outstanding live performances, including Hey Joe, Wild Thing, Purple Haze, and an extended version of Voodoo Chile. The music still sounds astonishing after forty years and this bargain-price CD is highly recommended.

THE LONG BLONDES - SOMEONE TO DRIVE YOU HOME ROUGH TRADE RECORDS  RTRADCD364

There must be something in the Sheffield air that generates a musical vibe somewhere between popular tradition and quirky, left-field individuality. From the city that created the all-conquering Arctic Monkeys as well as highly successful art bands such as The Human League, Pulp and Cabaret Voltaire now come The Long Blondes, who have steadily built up a fan base since getting together three years ago. Long touted as ‘Britain’s Best Unsigned Band’, despite having to juggle day jobs with playing gigs, The Long Blondes have now signed with the esteemed Rough Trade label, home of Arcade Fire and the Libertines. Despite all the hype, their first recorded album does not disappoint. The striking Faye Dunaway-inspired cover contains a set of energetically escapist songs - witty, intelligent and sometimes disturbing, driven along by insistent guitar work and rhythmic drum crashes. The sultry voice of the band’s sardonic ‘style icon and protagonist-in-chief’ Kate Jackson blends perfectly with guitarist Dorian Cox (who writes most of the lyrics), bassist Reenie Hollis, keyboard-player Emma Chaplin and drummer Screech, to produce an idiosyncratic sound in which you can pick out such disparate influences as Jarvis Cocker, Nico, Blondie and Franz Ferdinand. ‘Someone To Drive You Home’ was produced by Pulp’s Steve Mackey and captures much of the band’s exhilarating live sound. Exhilarating and sexy, The Long Blondes represent all that is fresh and exciting about indie-pop, and this debut album could easily take them from underground favourites into the mainstream. ‘An unexpected delight’ - The Guardian.

JOHNNY BOY     JOHNNY BOY RECORDINGS  JB001

Formed in 2002, Johnny Boy take their name from the eponymous character in Martin Scorsese’s film Mean Streets. The duo’s single, ‘Johnny Boy Theme’, featured Harvey Keitel’s opening dialogue from the film and the acclaimed ‘You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve’ was produced by James Dean Bradfield (frontman of the Manic Street Preachers), who has also co-produced this debut album. Johnny Boy - a.k.a. Davo (guitars, loops, vocals) and Lolly (more guitars, loops, vocals) - describe their sound as ‘Church bells, boy-girl vocals, loops, twists, warps, walls of sound and edgy guitars combined to rekindle the idea of Sandista-era Clash having an, erm, shootout with Phil Spector’. It’s a joyous, heady mix of anti-materialism, well-written, catchy pop songs with strong melodies that are built up, twisted and contorted and pulled back straight, before another few rounds of morphing can begin - avant-garde and pop at the same time. The album includes ‘You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve’ with its glorious spiralling melody, drums stolen from the Ronettes’ ‘Be My Baby’, psychedelic backwards guitar, brass that recalls the theme tune to Rocky, massed vocal harmonies and firework sound effects. Other highlights include the pounding ‘Living In the City’, ‘War on Want’ and ‘Bonnie Parker's 115th Dream’ with its rapping and rousing chorus. The album is a glorious celebration of popular music from the past 50 years, referencing everything from Motown and Spector to Northern Soul and the Kinks.

BILLY BURNETTE - MEMPHIS IN MANHATTAN       CHESKY JD299

Rockabilly is the earliest form of rock and roll - a fusion of blues, hillbilly boogie, bluegrass music and country music. The style has its origins lie in the American South and Bill Flagg was the first to name the music when he recorded for Tetra Records in the mid-1950s and recorded ‘Go Cat Go’. Elvis Presley’s 1954 Memphis sessions for Sam Phillips’ Sun Records were perhaps the first rockabilly recordings. The early records of such legends as Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eddie Cochran, Ricky Nelson, Johnny Cash, Gene Vincent and Roy Orbison were also heavily indebted to rockabilly. Billy Burnette was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1953. His father was Dorsey Burnette, part of the famous Rock'n Roll Trio which included himself, his brother Johnny Burnette, and Paul Burlison. Billy started in the music business at the age of 7, making his record debut as Billy Beau, and went on to master both the acoustic and rhythm guitars. He has also made a name for himself as a singer/songwriter, with songs recorded by, among others, The Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison and Ray Charles. In 1986, he was nominated for Best New Male Vocalist by the Academy of Country Music but put his solo career on hold the following year to join Fleetwood Mac. He toured and recorded with the band for eight years and later played on an Australian tour with Bob Dylan (an admirer of Dorsey Burnette). Billy Burnette’s reputation continues to grow as he tours with Creedence Clearwater Revival’s John Fogerty and makes wonderfully fresh albums such as Memphis in Manhattan. The songs here are some of the best around, including Bob Dylan's Everything Is Broken, a terrific version of Peter Green’s Oh Well, two Dorsey Burnette classics (It’s Late and Tear It Up) and three self-penned numbers, most notably the brilliant My Love Will Not Change. This wonderfully infectious music is immaculately performed and benefits hugely from Chesky's commendably sparkling ‘live’ recorded sound. Highly recommended.

SURF CITY - SURF SOUNDS SINCE 1960         DISKY CB 902531

Surfing, the sport of Hawaiian kings, arrived California at the turn of the 20th century. In 1959, the sport became popular after the movie Gidget and innovations in surfboard design,  replacing heavy wooden boards with a lightweight polyurethane models that could be handled more easily. Surfing became a craze in Southern California and inspired two kinds of music, vocal and instrumental (the latter featuring throbbing compulsive tom-tom tattoos and twanging guitar riffs). Both strands of surf music are fully represented among the 60 tracks on this thoroughly enjoyable three-CD set. As well as well-known music by the likes of the Ventures, Jan & Dean, the Beach Boys, the Everly Brothers, Del Shannon and Eddie Cochran,  there are obscure tracks by artists such as Ace Cannon, Preston Epps and the Honeys. Best of all are the wonderfully atmospheric instrumentals by Sandy Nelson (Teenbeat, Let There be Drums), Link Wray (Rumble) and the Ventures (Walk Don't Run). These irresistible sounds are perfect for in the car when driving to the beach, or just dreaming about it.

IT CAME FROM MEMPHIS       UNION SQUARE MUSIC MANTECA  MANTCD235

So far as recorded music is concerned, Memphis, Tennessee, can claim one of the most influential cities in the USA. Not only has it been home to Sun records, where Elvis Presley and rock 'n' roll first exploded into a wider world, but other great labels were based here too. These have included Hi (Al Green and Ann Peebles), Muscle Shoals in nearby Alabama (Percy Sledge and Etta James) and the magnificent Stax (Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Isaac hayes, Booker T). These two CDs, issued to coincide with a major celebration of Mephis music at the Barbican in London, features a wide range of recordings from the mid 1950s to the present. Elvis appears as part of the Million Dollar Quartet (with Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash) and there are outstanding tracks by, among many others, Booker T. and the MGs., Howlin’ Wolf (whose earliest Chess hits were recorded in Memphis), The Mar-Keys, Eddie Floyd, William Bell, Isaac Hayes (a wonderful 18-minute version of By The Time I Get to Phoenix) and Al Green. Memphis has been a crucible in which blues, soul, gospel and country were shaped into unique and often revolutionary sounds. This diverse collection has clearly been lovingly assembled and the music sounds is fresh as ever. Essential listening for anyone interested in delving into some of the best popular music there has ever been. ‘Perfect in-car entertainment’ - Independent On Sunday.