BEST OF QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE: LIVE AT THE SUMMER OF LOVE   FLOATING WORLD FLOATD6105

Quicksilver Messenger Service originally formed in 1965 and quickly became one of the most important rock bands in San Francisco psychedelic scene of the 1960s. With their jazz and classical influences, as well as a strong folk background, the band created a sound that was individual and innovative. Founder member Dino Valenti developed a seductive style that involved hypnotic rhythms and twanging guitars to great effect. Although not as commercially successful as contemporaries Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead, QMS gained wide popularity in the Bay Area and their recordings found favour with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the world. Culled from several live sets in the classic Quicksilver Messenger Service era of 1966-68, Live From The Summer Of Love captures the remarkable QMS in full early flight, before line-up changes and the fading of the hippie dream put paid to their ambitions. The double CD set features vibrant, warts–and-all performances of such heavily extemporised classics as Mona and The Fool, as well as gutsy versions of Codeine, Dino’s Song and Year Of The Outrage. Musicians include Gary Duncan (guitar and vocals), John Cippolina (guitar), David Freiberg (bass and vocals) and Greg Elmore (drums), with vocalist Jim Murray, and much of the album is from the time before the band signed with Capitol Records.

THE LIGHTS - TEENAGER OF THE CENTURY

Last year, saw The Lights gig extensively and word spread about this up and coming Birmingham band that has been compared to, among others, Elvis Costello, ELO, Belle and Sebastian and the Beautiful South, though their sound is really like nobody else. The result was a host of festival offers in the midlands this summer, including Birmingham’s Artsfest and the Nelson Mandela Festival, as well as many high profile radio sessions around the UK. The band’s much anticipated album, Teenager of the Century, is the culmination of a two year development in which The Lights have honed their music to create a highly polished debut. Produced by the renowned Gavin Monaghan (Travis, Editors & Kings of Leon) the album is a stunning mix of light and shade that sees the band shake off their indie shackles, roaming into folk fields and all underpinned by great melodies, smooth harmonies and the expertise of five musicians who intertwine effortlessly. The Birmingham-based five-piece consists of the brilliant Lizzy Sheils (vocals & keys), Shaun Kelly (vocals & acoustic), Dan Tombs (lead guitar), Gary Worton (bass) and Woz Meadows (drums). Highlights include Sleep Addiction, Sunday Best, the plaintive 18, and No Match for Genevieve (watch video). Highly recommended. ‘… this band is about ready to explode.’ - Indie London.

LEATHER SOUL, VOL. 1 - WHERE THE BOP MEETS THE BUZZ

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. Steve Hooker’s latest compilation album features more irresistible rockers and instrumentals, including Howlin’ Wilf’s mood-setting opening track, Game Over. Other highlights include Soulful Dress by Shine Eye, a great version of Dark End of the Street by The Ugly Guys, Burning Song by the spendidly named Jonah Gold And His Silver Apples, Lovers Curse by Fagin (featuring Boz Boorer) and the Shine Eye version of Steve Hooker’s brilliant Steel Sedan. Highly recommended.

ANNA CALVI - ANNA CALVI      DOMINO WIGCD260S

London-based singer-songwriter-guitarist Anna Calvi grew up being exposed to a multitude of genres of music by her music-loving Italian father. After leaving school, she studied music and eventually joined up with multi-instrumentalist Mally Harpaz and drummer Daniel Maiden-Wood to form her intimate band set-up. Brian Eno called her ‘the biggest thing since Patti Smith’ and Nick Cave invited her to support on tour across Europe. Anna Calvi’s self-titled debut album, co-produced the album with long-term PJ Harvey collaborator Rob Ellis, was released through Domino Records in January 2011. NME gave the album 9 out of 10 stating, ‘this self-titled collection of 10 songs is perhaps the first great record of 2011.’ Uncut magazine said, ‘This isn’t just a great debut. It’s a fearless rejection of current pop trends, fashioning a benchmark of intensity and originality that the rest of this year’s albums will struggle to match.’ Brian Eno sings backing vocals on Desire and Suzanne and I, and other highlights include the atmospheric Rider To The Sea, Love Won’t Be Leaving and the impassioned The Devil. Anna Calvi is a captivating performer and her unique album has been shortlisted for the 2011 Mercury Prize.

KING CREOSOTE & JON HOPKINS - DIAMOND MINE  DOMINO DS038CD

Featuring lyrics and vocals by prolific Fife-based singer-songwriter Kenny Anderson (aka King Creosote) sung over subtle musical backdrops arranged and recorded by Jon Hopkins, Diamond Mine is a genuine labour of love, recorded over a number of years without the pressure of deadlines, whenever Jon and KC could get together. The album features instrumental moments as affecting as the lyrical and consists of newly interpreted obscure delights picked out from 20 years of King Creosote’s treasure chest of a back catalogue (he has recorded and self-released over 40 full-length albums since 1995). Intended to be heard as a single experience, Diamond Mine produces a near classical suite of emotion ranging from cracked despair to patched-up euphoria. Described by King Creosote as a ‘soundtrack to a romanticised version of a life lived in a Scottish coastal village’, the record weaves in slices of Fife life, bike wheels, spring tides, tea cups and café chatter to produce a beautiful, unique and timeless album now shortlisted for the 2011 Mercury Prize. Highlights include the delicate opening track, First Watch, as well as the melancholic John Taylor’s Month Away, Bats in the Attic (with female backing vocals), the beautiful Running on Fumes, and the poignant Your Own Spell. Highly recommended.

ROCKABILLY DOLLS - LEVI DEXTER & STEVE HOOKER   1000S RECORDS 028

Essex boy Levi Dexter was groomed by Leee Black Childers - the American manager of New York Doll Johnny Thunders and aide to Iggy Pop and David Bowie who formed Levi and The Rockats around him and took them to the USA where they starred on the Louisiana Hayride. After Levi split from the band he formed the Ripchords and was also successful in Japan with Levi and Magic. Steve Hooker has the scars to remember The Heat, The Shakers, Boz and The Bozmen, Rumble, Wilko Johnson and Captain Drugbuster. Touring the UK, Europe, Japan and the USA he has shared stages and jammed with musical friends and heroes like Johnny Thunders (R.I.P.) who is covered and namechecked on this terrific new album, Rockabilly Dolls. Steve Hooker’s website

GRACE SLICK - MANHOLE     FLOATING WORLD RECORDS

Grace Barnett Wing was born in 1939 in Highland Park, a suburb of Chicago, and grew up in Palo Alto, California. As Grace Slick, her name is synonymous with the great Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship. Though not an original member of the band, her importance cannot be underestimated. The magnificent White Rabbit, which she wrote in only about an hour, helped define not only Jefferson Airplane but also the entire acid rock era, and her unconventional vocals on Somebody to Love gave the Airplane its biggest hit. As one of the first female rock stars, she helped redefine women’s role in modern music as more than just a sex symbol backed by a band. Manhole was Grace Slick’s first official solo album credited solely to her (she had previously recorded Sunfighter with Paul Kantner and Baron von Tollbooth and the Chrome Nun with Kantner and David Freiberg, both of whom co-produced Manhole). The album was recorded in 1973 and conceived as a soundtrack to a movie, although no such movie was ever made. Slick is in fine voice throughout and the music is dense, macabre, exhilarating and wonderfully spacey. Highlights include the epic Theme From The Movie Manhole, the delicate opening track, Jay, the bluesy Better Lying Down, and the catchy Come Again, Toucan.

SHINE EYE - MOCKINGBIRD        SHOO6

‘Mockingbird’, based on the folk song ‘Hush Little Baby’, was written and recorded by Inez and Charlie Foxx in 1963’ It was a huge hit for them in the USA, though they had to wait until its 1969 re-issue for success in the UK. The song was subsequently covered by Dusty Springfield and Aretha Franklin as well as by Carly Simon and James Taylor. This new single features a version of this classic soul song by chanteuse Dee Shine Eye duetting with ‘The Rockabilly blues and Soulman’ Steve Hooker and The Stripped Down Stoppin’ Band. The title track is backed by a terrific, raunchy bottleneck Hooker instrumental, Steel Sedan, and more stomping music can be found here on his excellent albums.

TOM MORIARTY - FIRE IN THE DOLLS HOUSE     DRIFTWOOD RECORDS

Deep spiritual upheavals are only supposed to happen on the road to Damascus, but for top City Finance PR guru Tom Moriarty, the scales fell from his eyes on Threadneedle Street in the mid 2000s when he foresaw the Banking world’s downward spiral towards disaster and had a sudden realisation about what is really important in life. Like caring for a parent with an incurable illness and pursuing the glittering music career which the tutors of LA’s hallowed Music Institute had predicted for him some years earlier. Part bad boy, part protest singer, part romantic, part revolutionary and all denim drainpipes, cowboy boots and gruff, sexy voice, Moriarty has a style that will please admirers troubadors such as John Martyn and Tom Waits - all people with something to say above something to sell. Tom Moriarty says of his classy debut album, Fire In The Doll’s House, that ‘We need to stop for a second and think about what we’re doing and where we’re going, not just in the way the financial system works but how we think about ourselves, how we see ourselves. It’s about focusing on the things that unite us rather than the things that divide us. And actually music is that big common denominator - no matter what your creed or comfort’. Fire In The Doll’s House, superbly produced by ian Grimble, is not simply a damning indictment of Moriarty’s one time City trough scoffers; it is at times sexy, seductive and naughty. Highlights include the opening title track, the funky Smile If You Want To Get High, the anthemic Life’s a Mystery, and the lovely Sundancer.

THE BEST OF P.P. ARNOLD      REPERTOIRE RECORDS REP 5152

The beautiful American singer PP Arnold was born Patricia Cole into a family of gospel singers in Los Angeles. She began her musical training at a very young age and became an Ikette as part of the Ike and Tina Turner Review in the mid-1960s, singing backing vocals on the classic River Deep Mountain High. After coming to the UK with the Review to support the Rolling Stones, she decided to stay and was signed as a solo artist by Andrew Loog Oldham, becoming known as The First Lady of Immediate. As well as her own hits, often produced by Mick Jagger, she recorded with the Small Faces on Tin Soldier and toured with her backing group, The Nice. More recently she has appeared in stage musicals and sung with Ocean Colour Scene, Roger Waters, Oasis and the Manfreds. PP Arnold’s gorgeous voice, reminiscent of Ronnie Spector and Tina Turner, can soar spectacularly or be intimately sexy in a way that is all her own. The Best of P.P. Arnold is an excellent compilation of 20 tracks featuring her best solo work, including classics such as Cat Stevens’ The First Cut Is The Deepest, (If You Think You’re) Groovy, The Time Has Come and Chip Taylor’s Angel Of The Morning, as well as rarer tracks such as the wonderful Letter To Bill and a fine version of the Beatles’ Eleanor Rigby. Highly recommended.

THE BEST OF CHRIS FARLOWE     REPERTOIRE RECORDS

One of English rock, blues and soul music’s finest singers, Chris Farlowe was born John Henry Deighton in 1940s London. Inspired by Lonnie Donegan, he formed a skiffle group then joined The Johnny Burns Rhythm and Blues Quartet and The Thunderbirds before moving to Andrew Loog Oldham’s Immediate label, where he recorded eleven singles - five of them Mick Jagger and Keith Richard songs. The paradoxically timeless Out of Time was a number one hit in 1966 and Chris Farlowe was recognised as one of the great voices of the 1960s, channeling Ray Charles, Otis Redding and the Stax sound. ‘Chris is a natural...his voice has so much feeling and it’s unique’ - Georgie Fame. Despite now being in his seventies, Chris Farlowe remains one of the busiest performers on the UK and European blues circuit. This outstanding compilation brings together 20 of his best 60s recordings, including the mighty Out of Time, Mike d’Abo’s Handbags and Gladrags, the Beatles’ Yesterday and the Rolling Stones’ Satisfaction. Highly recommended.

ZOOT MONEY & THE BIG ROLL BAND: TRANSITION     REPERTOIRE RECORDS

Singer, keyboard player, bandleader and Hammond organ maestro George Bruno Money, better known as Zoot, was born in 1942 in Bournemouth. Inspired by Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Charles, he was drawn to rock and roll music and became a leading light in the vibrant British music scene during the 1960s after forming the Big Roll Band, with himself as vocalist and Hammond organist. The Big Roll Band played soul, jazz and R&B, and became associated with the burgeoning London’s Soho scene, playing regularly at The Flamingo Club in Soho. Zoot Money later joined Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated and has played with many others, including Eric Burdon, Steve Marriott, Spencer Davis, Geno Washington and Alan Price. Transition, originally released in 1968, finds the Zootser moving on from jazz and blues to something a little more demanding. Amongst his backing crew is a young Andy Summers on guitar, later of The Police, and there are enjoyably spacy sitars and flutes along with more orthodox instrumentation. Reflective, soulful and touched by psychedelia, the album reflects Zoot’s concurrent adventures with the short-lived Dantalian’s Chariot.

GUITAR LEGEND - THE VERY BEST OF DICK DALE    SHOUT FACTORY

Born Richard Anthony Monsour in Boston in 1937, Dick Dale was raised by a Lebanese father and a Polish mother. Exposure to folk music from both cultures would later influence his groundbreaking brand of surf music which featured Middle Eastern and Eastern European melodies. The family moved to Southern California in the late 50s, introducing young Dick Dale to the extra-curricular activities that changed his life and turned him into The King of the Surf Guitar. His playing style and role in the development of electronic amplification paved the way for heavy metal and has impressed several generations of fans. Quentin Tarantino featured Miserlou in his film Pulp Fiction, which has also been sampled by The Black Eyed Peas, and the great John Peel regularly included Let’s Go Trippin’ on his show. Dale’s left-handed, strung upside-down heavy gauge string, reverb-saturated guitar sound and remorselessly attacking style reaches across the decades by sheer force of will - a classic, elemental rock and roll phenomenon that cannot be denied, much less ignored. Guitar legend: The very best of Dick Dale features 16 of his finest recordings spanning his entire career and including favourites such as Miserlou, Let’s Go Trippin’, Riders In The Sky and Surf Beat, as well as rare B-sides and album tracks, acclaimed comeback recordings and his 1987 collaboration with Stevie Ray Vaughan on their cover of The Chantay’s Pipeline. Essential listening.

GINGER BAKER - LIVE IN LONDON 2009    FLOATING WORLD RECORDS 6091

This CD and DVD set features British Rock legend Ginger Baker and his excellent ad hoc band of musicians recorded at London’s Jazz Café in November 2009. Baker is unquestionably one of the finest drummers to emerge from the UK in that remarkable explosion of musical talent in the 1950s and 60s. Best known as one third of the original supergroup Cream, playing alongside Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton, Baker’s life has also incorporated heroin addiction, three marriages, the loss and eventual recovery of his personal fortune, a life-long love of jazz and the discovery and immersion in the music of Africa (not to mention his passion for polo!). As well as the great man himself, now an incredible seventy years old, the surprisingly tight band here includes Chris Goss (guitar), Abbas Doddoo (African percussion), jazz veteran Pete King (alto sax), Jonas Heliborg (bass) and Ginger’s daughter Leda, also on bass. The songs cover the entire scope and range of Ginger Baker’s career – from hard rock and jazz improvisation through to African flavoured songs – and his magisterial drumming has lost none of its impact.

THE FUGS - TENDERNESS JUNCTION / IT CRAWLED INTO MY HAND, HONEST   RETROWORLD FLOATM6083

Arguably the first Underground rock act of all time, The Fugs came together at the Peace Eye bookstore in New York’s East Village towards the end of 1964. Despite having something of a revolving door line-up, the band had at its core Peace Eye owner Doug Sanders and fellow poet Tuli Kupferberg, and went on to become an anarchic and anti-establishment combo par excellence, releasing several albums and once, memorably, attempted to levitate The Pentagon. North London indie label, Floating World, via their reissue division Retroworld, here release a two albums on one CD set which brings together Tenderness Junction and It Crawled Into My Hand, Honest, originally recorded for Reprise in 1967 and 1968. By this time the band had developed into a more competent rock band, without losing the their scabrous invective, sense of humour, subversiveness or blunting of their cutting edge. A soundtrack to the Golden Age of 1960s hippy culture, these albums remain unexpectedly durable and furiously entertaining. Beware imitations – this is the real thing.

WILL ECHO - FRAGILE

Devon-based Will Echo is a Multi talented singer songwriter who has become a breakthrough artist on the British folk-rock scene. Clearly influenced by Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, Ray LaMontagne and Conor Oberst, he has a unique voice that cuts through mediocrity to deliver contemporary love songs and guitar based anthems in his own distinctive style. Fragile features ten songs full of joy, energy and passion performed by a true artist who writes songs that are profound reflections of love and life. Intelligent and often moving lyrics are combined with attractive melodies and arrangements to produce a refreshing and engaging album. Will Echo is an excellent musician with a fine repertoire of memorable songs - surely destined to become better known in future. Check his website for more details.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - THE PROMISE      COLUMBIA 86977 61772

American singer, songwriter and guitarist Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen’s a brand of heartland rock has earned him countless awards, including 15 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 and more sombre folk-oriented collections. In the year after Born To Run was released Springsteen recorded upwards of 40 songs - four albums’ worth! Some of these found their way on to 1978’s Darkness on the Edge of Town, but the rest have been hidden in the vaults for 30 years - until now. For this invaluable double CD release, The Boss has revisited those that didn’t make it and worked on them where needed with the help of long-time collaborator Bob Clearmountain. The result is a collection of music that demonstrates Springsteen’s eclectic influences, from Elvis and Dylan to Lieber and Stoller and many more. The 21 tracks feature big choruses, strong melodies and rich arrangements that show Bruce Springsteen to be the master of classic American rock music - a working-class troubadour with the soul of a poet. Highlights include Racing in the Street, the never-before-released original recordings of Because the Night, Fire and Rendezvous, the wonderful Someday (We’ll Be Together), the hilarious Ain’t Good Enough for You, the superb The Brokenhearted, the haunting Breakaway, and the fully orchestrated masterpiece and title song, The Promise. And don’t miss the brilliant extra track, The Way, hidden and unlisted at the end of the second CD. Essential listening.

STEVE HOOKER – BEFORE THE ROOSTER CROWS    CD HKM 42731

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. Steve Hooker’s album features pulsating rockers and instrumentals, including the storming slide-guitar opener, True Delta. Steve is joined on these 14 tracks by a fine array of talent, including Boz Boorer, Levi Dexter and the legendary Wilko Johnson of Dr Feelgood fame. Check out also Steve Hooker’s excellent Shrink To Fit CDs, Volumes 1 & 2: Blue Jean Boppers and Cotton Pickin’ Rockers.

BOZ BOORER - MISS PEARL / MY WILD LIFE   RETRO WORLD FLOATD6072

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. His brilliant album, MISS PEARL, first released in 2008, 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 album has now been re-issued, with three extra bonus tracks, as part as part of a digitally remastered double CD set that also includes Boz Boorer’s MY WILD LIFE, released ten years earlier and filled with equally joyous old-school rockabilly played with consummate flair. ‘Tremendous vibrant rock and roll.’ – Maverick.

ROSIE DOONAN - FALL FOR ME

Rosie Doonan is an exciting new singer songwriter and musician. Raised in Yorkshire within a family of musicians, dancers and performers, her influences are a heady brew and range from the music of the sixties to Sheryl Crow and Portishead. Moving On, her first solo album, focuses on making a fresh start and developing new ideas. Her songs suggest feelings of moving on, travelling and all the emotions of elation and despair of falling in and out of love. Her new single, Fall For Me, supported by an excellent video, is the first to be taken from her new album, which will be released on 15th Nov. Meanwhile, you can catch Rosie Doonan at the following venues: The Newhampton, Wolverhampton (23rd Oct), The Adelphi, Leeds (30th Oct), The Peacock Lounge, Huddersfield (12th Nov), Thornesians Rugby Club, Doncaster (19th Nov) and The New Roscoe, Leeds (20th Nov).

FIDELITY! - JP, CHRISSIE & THE FAIRGROUND BOYS     EARMUSIC LC01666

Chrissie Hynde formed The Pretenders in 1978 and was the band’s main songwriter as well as its lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist. Hynde is one of the few women ever successfully to front a rock band and she continues to struts the stage to great effect - cool, sexy and in fine voice. This gutsy, raw debut album from JP, Chrissie & The Fairground Boys is an epic love story, albeit not a conventional one. Everything you need to know about the heartbreaking, but ultimately uplifting and fruitful relationship between Chrissie Hynde (aged 58) and talented Welsh singer-songwriter JP Jones (32) is contained within Fidelity!’s 11 songs - from passion and desire, to sadness and acceptance. As Hynde sings in the wrenchingly candid opening track Perfect Lover: ‘I found my perfect lover but he’s only half my age / He was learning how to stand when I was wearing my first wedding band / I found my perfect lover but I have to turn the page / But I want him in my kitchen and standing on my stage.’ This is solid, adult music by one of rock’s most charismatic performers, with songs that express the passion, humour and honesty of a relationship - musical and otherwise. Chrissie Hynde and JP Jones (vocals, guitar, bass) are backed by the excellent Patrick Murdoch (guitar), Sam Swallow (piano, keyboards), Vezio Bacci (bass) and Geoff Holroyde (drums).

JO HAMILTON - GOWN     POSEIDON PSDN001

Singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Jo Hamilton is the daughter of a Jamaican mother and Kenyan father, although both families trace their roots back to Scotland. She spent her first decade in the remote Scottish Highlands and at the age of 12 was awarded a music scholarship at Gordonstoun School before going on to study viola at Napier University in Edinburgh and at the Conservatoire in Birmingham, the city where she is currently based. She as also lived in Kuwait, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka, and her travels have clearly influenced the music on her debut album, Gown, an eleven track collection of intriguingly original music, smoothly produced by Jon Cotton. The result is a unique mix of colour, imagery and exotic musical textures from as far afield as Cambodia and ‘Bollywood’. Jo Hamilton’s voice combines strength with vulnerability, showing here why she has been compared to Kate Bush, Alison Goldfrapp and Annie Lennox, or even Bjork. The last of these atmospheric tracks, an uninhibited and celebratory lullaby called Think Of Me, is now available to download as a single. Recently, Jo Hamilton became only the second person (behind the inventor) to play a prototype of an air piano This innovative musical interface allows the user to play and control software instruments on an attached computer just by moving their hands in the air above it. What is so magical about the instrument is that it makes extremely high technology completely invisible and so is the perfect compliment to the performer’s graceful stage presence, enabling her to literally pick sounds out of the air. ‘Singular and unforgettable, Hamilton is quite a discovery.’ - The Guardian.

LIZA MINELLI - CONFESSIONS      DECCA 2739439

Celebrating sixty years in show business, the iconic Liza Minnelli’s new release is the most intimate and revealing recording of her career. Confesssions is a collection of American classics featurong some of Minnelli’s favourite songs, arranged simply and elegantly, with accompaniment by her long-time pianist Billy Stritch. Minnelli maintains that the origins of the album were entirely organic, almost accidental, and says: ‘It just sort of happened. I used to have these evenings at my house, usually on a weekend, and people like Tony Bennett - or more surprising people like Janet Jackson - would come by, and we would end up singing around the piano.’ Inspired by the intimacy of those evenings, Minnelli decided to start recording some of those songs, giving a personal glimpse into her musical world. The timeless songs are by great writers such as Jerome Kern, Cy Coleman, Irving Berlin and Peggy Lee (He’s A Tramp). Standout tracks include a heartfelt version of Sammy Cahn’s All The Way, Ray Noble’s I Hadn’t Anyone Till You, and Harry Warren & Arthur Freed’s This Heart of Mine. Liza Minnelli’s voice has grown huskier with the years but remains as sincere, funny and vulnerable as always. This is a triumphant return to the most basic configuration of all - a voice, a piano and some magnificent songs. Confesssions is the first non-cast album studio recording in almost fifteen years by one of the world’s most vivacious and best-loved performers. It follows her acclaimed 2008 return to Broadway, ‘Liza’s at the Palace’, which was nominated for a Grammy and won the Tony Award (her fourth) for Best Special Theatrical Event. As a companion title to the new album, Decca has released a DVD of LIZA’S AT THE PALACE (DECCA 2741478), which captures her thrilling midnight performance at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, where she re-created her Broadway show and pays tribute to her influential godmother, Kay Thompson. Songs include Maybe This Time, He’s Funny That Way, Shine On Harvest Moon, Cabaret, Basin Street Blues, Look For The Silver Lining, ending with an encore of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. Bonus features include a confidential conversation between Liza Minnelli and director/choreographer Ron Lewis about the creation of the show and other experiences they have shared.

ARCADE FIRE – THE SUBURBS      MERCURY 2742629

Arcade Fire’s phenomenally successful debut album, Funeral, was the musical sensation of 2004/5. Time Magazine put them 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. The band’s second album, the darker and more intense Neon Bible, met with an almost equally ecstatic response. It’s been a long wait for their third but this has given Win Butler, Régine Chassagne and friends time to produce their most melodic, ambitious and satisfying work yet. The 16 finely crafted tracks here were inspired by brothers Win and William Butler’s upbringing in the suburbs of Houston. Texas, and according to Win, the album ‘is neither a love letter to, nor an indictment of, the suburbs - it’s a letter from the suburbs.’ Recorded in Quebec and New York City, the songs reveal a new maturity as they reflect on the pain, alienation, mystery and joy of life in the suburbs and beyond. Standout tracks include Wasted Hours, the irresistible Modern Man, the lovely Rococo, City With No Children and the wonderful Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains), with Régine’s sweet voice to the fore. From Depeche Mode to Neil Young by way of Blondie and Bruce Springsteen, The Suburbs captures the time and the place with sharp-eyed tenderness. It’s a mystical masterpiece that gets better with each listen, and the perfect response to that ‘difficult third album’ question. Highly recommended.

ARCADE FIRE – NEON BIBLE          MERGE RECORDS MRG285

Following their debut album, Funeral, 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 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.

HARPER SIMON     PIAS RECORDINGS PIASR 171CDX

Singer-songwriter and musician Harper Simon, born in 1972, is the son of the great Paul Simon and his first wife, Peggy. Like Jakob Dylan and James McCartney, Harper Simon’s debut album has been a long time coming but proves well worth the wait. Taking psychedelic country and rock music of the late 1960s and 70s as inspiration the album features a host of musical talent. Harper produced himself, enlisting the legendary Bob Johnston to help him put together a band for a series of recording sessions in Nashville. The musicians include harmonica player Charlie McCoy (who played on Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde and Nashville Skyline), pedal steel player Lloyd Green (The Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo), drummer Gene Chrisman (Dusty in Memphis), bassist Mike Leech, pianist Hargus Robbins and guitarist Al Perkins. These sessions resulted in basic tracks for four songs on the album: Ha Ha, All I Have Are Memories, Tennessee and The Shine. He then completed the album in Los Angeles and New York, with contributions from, among others, Sean Lennon, Steve Nieve and Paul Simon, with Tracey Emin contributing the cover art. Highlights include the beautiful Shooting Star, The Shine, the sunny Berkeley Girl and Wishes And Stars, co-written with Nigerian author and Booker Price winner Ben Okri and recently released as a single. Paul Simon is a hard act to follow but his son’s intelligent songs and lovely harmonies show him to be an unmistakable chip off the old block. ‘adopting the various styles of American folk-rock cheerfully and unselfconsciously... it’s a treat’ - The Guardian.

MONICA MANCINI - I’VE LOVED THESE DAYS     CONCORD CCD-30745

Singer and double-Grammy nominee Monica Mancini is one of the twin daughters of ace film composer Henry Mancini. She began her career as a member of the Henry Mancini chorus, appearing on countless film scores and recording with artists such as Placido Domingo, Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson. Her latest album - produced Phil Ramone, who produced a number of the original recordings - is an 11-track collection of classic 60s songs by artists who had a profound impact on the singer’s formative years. These include Lennon & McCartney, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Jackson Browne, Harry Nilsson, Brian Wilson, Billy Joel and Janis Ian. Joining Monica Mancini for duets on I’ve Loved These Days are original composers Jackson Browne (guitar and vocal accompaniment on These Days), Brian Wilson and the multi-Grammy winning vocal group Take 6 (vocals and arrangements for God Only Knows), Stevie Wonder playing harmonica on Blame It On the Sun, and the Young Rascals’, Felix Cavaliere provides B-3 organ accompaniment for his classic How Can I Be Sure. This is an well chosen collection of songs, beautifully crafted and performed with sophisticated style that does justice to her impeccable family heritage.

CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG - IRM     BECAUSE MUSIC

Actress and singer-songwriter Charlotte Gainsbourg, the daughter of British actress/singer Jane Birkin and French legend Serge Gainsbourg, was born in in London 1971 and raised in Paris. She made her cinema debut playing Catherine Deneuve’s daughter in Paroles et musique and has since appeared in films such as The Cement Garden, Jane Eyre, the Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There (contributing a cover of Dylan’s ‘Just Like a Woman’ to the soundtrack) and won the award for Best Actress at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival for Antichrist. Her musical debut was with her father on the controversial song ‘Lemon Incest’ in 1984, and two years later she released her album Charlotte for Ever, also produced by her father. Charlotte Gainsbourg’s second album, 5:55, was a critical and commercial success, reaching the top of the French charts and selling over half a million copies. This latest album, produced by Beck at his studio, was much influenced by her time spent filming Antichrist and the head injury she received (IRM is the French translation of magnetic resonance imaging - MRI). While receiving a brain scan, she began to think about music. ‘When I was inside that machine,’ she said, ‘it was an escape to think about music. It’s rhythm. It was very chaotic.’ In her own words, ‘We started with Master’s Hands, which has a sort of African beat and then we did In The End, which is very melodic and much quieter. Heaven Can Wait followed, which is a much more classic pop song. So in that same [first] session we went in three different directions’. This is adventurous, idiosyncratic music with subtle lyrics that express a wide range of emotions, and Charlotte Gainsbourg’s breathy voice and charming accent give the songs a dream-like quality that draws you into another world.

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.

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’.

THE UNDERTONES - AN ANTHOLOGY   UNION SQUARE SALVOCD209

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.

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

Following on from Blue Jean Boppers, this 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.

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

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 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 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

Magic is Bruce Springsteen’s first with the E Street Band since 2002’s Grammy Award-winning The Rising. 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.

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.