MY BLOODY VALENTINE - EPs 1988-1991 / Isn't Anything (remaster) / Loveless (2CD remaster)

Yes, they're finally out after years of delays, sounding great and looking sharp in spartan, stylishly oversized digipacks.

Collecting so many long-unavailable tracks, the EPs collection has understandably been the strongest seller here so far, and Loveless of course remains an untouchable, era-defining piece of avant-pop, but fresh listens to Isn't Anything reveal it to have been equally influential in its own earlier way, especially among the likes of such beloved '90s East Coasters as Sloan and Eric's Trip.    

"For years now, My Bloody Valentine's main creative force, Kevin Shields, has been promising to remaster and reissue Isn't Anything, Loveless, and four contemporaneous EPs—which is an event MBV fans have been eagerly anticipating, if not exactly expecting. Since Loveless came out, Shields has been stingy both with new material and old. Contrary to perception, though, he hasn't been a recluse. He's given interviews, collaborated with other musicians on their projects, and even reunited with My Bloody Valentine for a brief tour and a couple of compilation tracks. But he's also reportedly recorded two or three albums' worth of new MBV material that he’s chosen not to release. And then there's the matter of these reissues, which were announced so long ago that their persistent absence has been a running joke, in the great rock ’n’ roll tradition of Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy and Neil Young's Archives. 

But Chinese Democracy and Archives eventually did come out, and now so have the My Bloody Valentine remasters." - A.V. Club

CLARENCE CARTER - The Fame Singles Volume 1 1966-70

Worth the price of admission for one song alone: Clarence's version of "The Dark End Of The Street," which he re-titles "Making Love (At The Dark End Of The Street)." Carter reinvents the track using an introductory monologue that sheds new light on the "best cheatin' song ever." Although this material has been previously available, it's never sounded this good and is complemented by the usual top-notch liner notes from the Kent Soul crew. One of the best soul reissues of the year!

"Before he was "Strokin'," Carter was writing and performing tunes with one of the best group of musicians in the world including those cats from Detroit, Memphis, and The Wrecking Crew in Calfornia. Who says small towns can’t produce great things? That Fame is relatively unheralded today is a shame, but this ongoing series is sure to revive interest for those willing to listen." - Record Racks

The audio quality on something as common as the sexy "Looking For A Fox" and the sly slink of "Slip Away" is suddenly new and fresh—a top job done. The punch of the drums and guitar on the salacious "Back Door Santa" is unbelievable, as it is on the "Tell Mama" soundalike "Tell Daddy." The vocal line prompted to him by a staffer as he sings "I Smell A Rat" is still audible, as is the guitar work on the fabulously bluesy and criminally forgotten B-side "The Road Of Love." - Mark at the Flicks

THE CRITTERS - Younger Girl: The Complete Kapp and Musicor Recordings

Hot on the heels of the reissue of their second and third albums comes the eagerly anticipated appearance of the Critters' debut LP from 1966, with a slew of bonus cuts on the side. If you're a fan of The Beach Boys or The Lovin' Spoonful, you'll love this talented New Jersey quintet of harmony poppers!

In those heady, pre-American Idol days, the route to success had many paths. For New Jersey’s Critters, the path was local, with the band making a name for itself in the tree-lined suburbs of Westfield, Scotch Plains and Princeton, gigging at high schools, colleges, and Knights of Columbus halls. Though they were proficient at covering the days' hits, The Critters also boasted some formidable songwriters at a time when recording one’s own songs was becoming de rigeur." - The Second Disc

Sure, The Lovin' Spoonful may have written "Younger Girl," but it should never have been anything but a Critters song. The group's original songs are perfect slices of rainy-day pop not unlike The Cyrkle. A song like "Come Back on a Rainy Day" is characterized by its gentle, cascading harmonies—rising and falling over a lightly tapped-out rhythm, it's a perfect pop moment captured in less than two minutes. Meanwhile, "I Wear a Silly Grin" has the same blend of bubblegum and soul that The Box Tops were so good at." - Allmusic

VA - Listen To The Music: Caltone's Jamaican 45's 1966-69

Anyone who enjoyed Caltone Special (which we also stock!), and any fan of the rocksteady era, for that matter, will want to add this beautifully packaged Pressure Sounds compilation to their collection.

"The 21 tunes featured on this set cover the years from 1966 to 1969, actually the late period ska years through to early reggae. For the most part the album is full of rare rocksteady gems, making it a real joy for any fan of that period in Jamaica's popular music to listen to this collection. Here you won't find any weak tracks or filler, but only solid to excellent tunes. From the wonderful opener, the essential "I'm Sorry" by Peter Austin & the Clarendonians, up to The Emotions' "Gypsy", you're treated to music that is stamped with quality all over." - Reggae Vibes

"Caltone was the work of lesser-known producer Ken Lack, who through a tour managing gig for the Skatalites came in contact with the upper echelons of Jamaican session players. Lack launched the label in the transitional time between ska and early reggae, and Listen To The Music graphs all of the exciting shifts and experimentation from that in-between time with songs crisscrossing the lines of instrumental ska, sentimental rocksteady, and even R&B-influenced early reggae tunes. The soft imperfections of the original vinyl source materials can range from in-the-red distortion on the more jumping numbers to noticeable warping sounds. Rather than distracting from the music, these extra sounds strangely add to the hidden-treasure feel of some of these obscured gems." - Allmusic

PAUL AND LINDA McCARTNEY - RAM (remaster)

Not to be outdone by such other recent 'Archive Collection' Macca reissues as McCartney, McCartney II and Band On The Run, RAM is now available as a single-disc remaster; a limited-pressing mono LP; a 2CD (or 2LP) set with bonus material; or a 4CD/DVD/book Deluxe Edition boxset, filled with reproductions of notes, lyrics, photo prints and other McCartney family ephemera (which is by far this reissue series' most lavish box to date—here's what it looked like when we cracked one open!).

"Forty years later, hearing  RAM again is like learning that the one-night stand you didn't think much of could have turned out to be the love of your life. Now, what I hear is a songwriter in an exuberantly good mood. I hear an artist really pulling out all the stops to prove he didn't need John, George, or Ringo to be a world-class act. I hear McCartney playing some of the best licks he ever laid down while building his compositions on some of the most artful studio production of any era." - SeattlePi

"'I want a horse, I want a sheep/Want to get me a good night's sleep,' Paul jauntily sings on 'Heart of the Country,' a city boy's vision of the country if ever there was one, and another clue to the record's mindstate. For Paul, the country isn't just a place where crops grow; it's 'a place where holy people grow.' Now that cities everywhere are having their Great Pastoral Moment, full of artisans churning goat's-milk yogurt and canning their own jams, RAM feels like particularly ripe fruit." - Pitchfork

VA - Personal Space: Electronic Soul 1974-1984

Mandatory listening for anyone with a soft spot for the rhythm-box workouts of Sly Stone, Timmy Thomas and Shuggie Otis, Personal Space is a private-press soul/funk excavation of the highest order, and a solid front-to-back listen that has graced our store's P.A. on many a sunny afternoon so far.

"At the spine of this astounding collection is the ostensibly unburdening effect of affordable studio technology—synthesizers, drum machines, high-quality recording—as manifested in private soul music from the mid-seventies to the mid-eighties. As the liner notes lament, so little of this deeply affecting and forward-looking music ever saw release, and so little of what they did ever found any kind of audience. In the canopic jars of these recordings, however, they are preserved and sealed—as they once were in small studios, home studios, basement studios, bedroom studios—and their misshapen forms are allowed to move into the future by themselves, of themselves." - Soul Sides

TRONICS - Love Backed By Force

Full of simply-strummed songs and aggressively apathetic vocals that prefigure mid-'80s acts like Beat Happening and The Vaselines, Ziro Baby and Gaby de Vivienne's 1981 LP's hand in the secret history of indie-rock is made clear with this reissue, stumbling and swaggering along with enough behind-the-beat bongo tapping to either drive you nuts or charm you senseless.

"With singing based more on style than skill, clever retoolings of classic rock and folk forms, witty lyrics and drums that sound like they're playing plastic buckets (but barely managing to keep time), this record stands as a precursor to entire categories of late-'80s/early-'90s indie rock." - A Personal Miscellanarium

"These songs sound like they were banged out in one take straight into the recorder, which is probably the truth. But there’s this brutal honesty and youthful exuberance that very few bands have ever been able to replicate throughout all of the Tronics recordings, and it’s never more noticeable and fully realized than on Love Backed By Force." - eMusic

FRANCIS BEBEY - African Electronic Music 1975-1982

Long revered by African music aficionados, the late Francis Bebey was Cameroon's renaissance man, a journalist, novelist and musicologist whose zest for life and studied playfulness with language and instrumentation is apparent from the moment opener "New Track" bubbles into being.

"Brought up on Western styles and instruments, and educated at the Sorbonne and NYU, Cameroon's Francis Bebey studied Spanish classical guitar and led jazz bands before finding his way back to African traditional music as a researcher for UNESCO; he was in his forties when he began recording his distinctive brand of Afropop, publishing more than 20 albums before he died, in 2001, at the age of 72. The anthology's title is slightly misleading; this isn't so much 'electronic music' as it is idiosyncratic, border-hopping jazz fusion that happens to use synthesizers and rhythm boxes. But who cares? Whatever you call it, it's brilliant." - SPIN

VA - Mad Daddy's Maddest Spins

Pete "Mad Daddy" Myers was an Akron, Ohio-based radio DJ whose wild persona was matched by the unhinged, raucous records he played. This compilation features a number of these, and serves as a fine primer for anyone interested in what later became the basis of inspiration for bands like The Cramps.

"Vintage late-'50s rock and swing, featuring classic cuts from his playlists at WJW Cleveland...Includes blistering R'n'R, madcap sax-drenched raunch, and some of the strangest tunes ever. All tracks remastered from the original sound sources with sleevenotes by MOJO magazine's Dave Henderson." - Cherry Red

"His show was groundbreaking, featuring the high-energy music of his day, made by blacks, whites and Hispanics, the stuff universally reviled by older folks; this was pure gold for The Mad Daddy and his following, all of those impressionable, horned-out, delinquent ears waiting in the darkness of a Cleveland night, including one Erick Lee Purkhiser, later Lux Interior...The show was littered with continuous sound effects, maniacal laughter, and tons of runaway repeat-echo, all to the accompaniment of some of the most wigged-out tunes ever captured on vinyl." - Louder Than War

LEE HAZLEWOOD - The LHI Years: Singles, Nudes & Backsides (1968-71)

Light In The Attic (responsible for releasing our number-one reissue of 2011, Jim Sullivan's U.F.O.) scores again with this collection of late-'60s/early-'70s gems by the brilliant Lee Hazlewood. This is the first in a series of releases delving deeply into the Hazlewood vaults that LITA plans to put out—we can't wait for more!

"While Hazlewood’s work may occasionally recall some of the lighter, lampoon-able aspects of the sixties and early seventies, there is definitely a serious side as well. In fact, while Hazlewood often dueted with pop-oriented female vocalists (most famously Nancy Sinatra), his own parts often evoke the other end of the spectrum: melancholy and longing. Whether he’s deriding 'the man' or bemoaning lost loves, Hazlewood’s rich baritone and 'straight man' attitude make for the ideal balancing act with his chipper leading ladies." - Reviler

"This is what you might call middle-period Hazlewood, after the big hits but before settling into the status of cult hero, being covered by everyone from Lydia Lunch to Billy Ray Cyrus. Here we find Hazlewood working up an act as a kind of WASP Leonard Cohen, or maybe Love’s Arthur Lee on Mogadon, with a range of lush, almost rococo orchestrations worthy of Rogerio Duprat or Jean-Claude Vannier." - The Line Of Best Fit

MOE TUCKER - I Feel So Far Away: Anthology 1974-1998

Lovingly packaged and compiled by Sundazed, I Feel So Far Away is a must-listen for Velvet Underground fans—this set's opening tracks, taken from Tucker's debut solo LP Playin' Possum, are particularly brilliantly ramshackle.

"While her bandmates would go down many different roads with widely variant results, Tucker's sounds retained the ragged beauty and youthful sense of possibility that were at the heart of the VU, and rock & roll in general." - Allmusic

"Following her tenure with VU, Moe emerged as a solo artist, building a body of work that stretched over three decades. Ranging from home recordings to collaborations with members of Sonic Youth, Violent Femmes, Half Japanese and her former band, the songs cover a gamut of styles but all bear the unmistakable thumbprint of their creator. Released by various independent labels on LPs, EPs, singles and compact discs, collecting her catalog has been a daunting task. This compilation finally gathers those far-flung tracks in one place." - Sundazed

TIA BLAKE AND HER FOLK GROUP - Folksongs & Ballads

After a spell of dormancy, Water is back with this gem of a reissue, one that's right up there with other such past finds from this label as Ruthann Friedman's Constant Companion, Anne Briggs' self-titled set, and the songs of Judee Sill.

"A very rare and sought-after record, released only in France in 1971 and never before available on CD. A stunning selection of songs performed in a stripped-down setting, with Tia's achingly beautiful vocals taking center stage. A truly wonderful album, reissued here on CD with new notes from Tia herself, along with vintage photos, and bonus tracks taken from rehearsals and a scrapped CBC session that features the only known recordings of Tia's original songs." - Runt

HEAVEN & EARTH - Refuge

Another fine female-fronted, harmony-rich '70s folk reissue to perhaps check out alongside that Roches record mentioned a few entries below...

"We’re happy to finally be able to announce the re-release of this psychedelic folk/funk beauty from 1973, featuring the gorgeous voices of Pat Gefell and Jo D. Andrews (and produced by Space Age percussionist/composer Dick Schory for his short-lived but influential Ovation Records imprint). At one time this was an album completely unknown outside of Chicago, where the label was based, but these days, word gets around, and tracks like 'Feel The Spirit; and 'Jenny' have been making the rounds on the DJ circuit." - Light In The Attic

"Heaven & Earth provide the most wonderful harmonizing since, I dunno, Wendy & Bonnie? There are light psychedelic swirls throughout, and the occasional folk-funk flourish (the legendary Phil Upchurch plays on here) makes the trip even more magical." - Other Music

MAGGIE & TERRE ROCHE - Seductive Reasoning

It was sometime last year when Ernest turned me on to The Roches' self-titled debut album, a quirky collection of songs propelled by the kind of gorgeous three-part harmonies that only sisters can pull off. So when this reissue of Seductive Reasoning came into the shop last month, I knew it would be worth a listen. Though it does not feature younger sis Suzzy Roche, this earlier album (recorded four years before The Roches) still shines brightly. In fact, it's actually become my preferred album of the two that I've heard. Though it has its corny moments, they are far outweighed by the truly unique songwriting. There are so many moments on this album that make me stop dead in my tracks. Just get it already!

"Seductive Reasoning was released by Maggie and Terre Roche four years before younger sister Suzzy joined them on their 'debut' record. Now, with most of the classic records by the three Roches out of print, this least well-known item in their discography is given a new lease on life." - Blurt

"[Maggie] Roche has the perspective of a young woman thoughtfully, if confusedly, making her way through the romantic, sexual, and career thickets of early adulthood. Her gift for wordplay expresses her uncertainties well. 'There ought to be something to fall back on,' she writes in "Down the Dream," 'like a knife or a career.'" - Allmusic

HUMAN SWITCHBOARD - Who's Landing In My Hangar? Anthology 1977-1984

If you threw Patti Smith, Tom Verlaine, and Question Mark & The Mysterians into a sonic blender, the odds are good you'd get Ohio's Human Switchboard, a forgotten yet great garage-y punk band. This overdue reissue combines their sole studio album with a few of their rough 'n' tough early singles.

"The greatest thing about Who’s Landing In My Hangar? Anthology 1977-1984 is, as it should be, the music. The album itself offers the greatest gems. Opener "(Say No To) Saturday’s Girl" suggests the sultry-sarcastic vocal and keys-driven sound of Blondie’s prime. The title track is perhaps the most characteristic cut, evoking the nervy funk of Talking Heads before launching into an organ-buoyed chorus that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Reigning Sound platter...Like New Jersey’s Feelies, at roughly the same time, the Ohio-bred Human Switchboard took the Velvet Underground’s template and made it something new, interesting, and far removed from the gritty urban setting that defined the Velvets and Lou Reed." - Paste

THE CARAVELLES - You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry

This quite comprehensive RPM collection compiles everything you need to hear from eerily innocent vocal duo The Caravelles (who clearly took a page from their pre-teen predecessors Patience and Prudence), with the added bonus of their (slightly) more folk-rockin' late-'60s material.

"Lois Wilkinson (later professionally known as Lois Lane) and Andrea Simpson got together to record a few demos in 1963. A re-cut of 'You Don't Have To Be Baby To Cry' made by Ritz Productions impresario Bunny Lewis was leased to Decca—a No. 6 UK & No. 3 US smash hit resulted, and a pop career was born. Included here are their one LP, also released in 1963, plus their subsequent eight singles and one EP leased to different labels up to 1968, all properly reissued for the first time." - Cherry Red

VA - Ike Turner Studio Productions: New Orleans and Los Angeles 1963-1965

Besides recording with Tina Turner and The Ikettes, big bad Ike was constantly busy in the early to mid-Sixties, producing and writing scorching soul for an impressive cross-section of acts.

"During 1963 to 1965 (the timeframe of this collection), Ike's wheeling and dealing went into overdrive. He signed the Ike & Tina Revue to his old cohorts the Bihari Brothers at Modern, where he immediately hit paydirt with the Ikettes. But hit sides for the main act were unforthcoming, and Ike hedged his bets by recording sides with a gamut of raw R&B talent. Some sides were issued on Modern, some on a plethora of indie imprints started by Ike himself, and then leased out if not released...Altogether one of Ike Turner’s lesser-known but most prolific time periods." - Ace Records

VA - Something Good From The Goffin & King Songbook

The Brill Building hits (and more obscure gems) just keep comin' with Ace Records' third compilation of tunes by the legendary songwriting team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Pure pop for now—and then—people!

"No songwriters of the era articulated the emotions of adolescence and the pains of teen-dom with quite the same mix of innocence and sophistication of Goffin and King; they were, after all, still teenagers themselves when they were crafting much of this material, experiencing the same emotions as their audience. Even so, you might think that, this being Ace’s third collection of their compositions, the well of hits might have run dry. But then Something Good opens with The Drifters' joyous 'At The Club' (the superior and rarely heard single version), and you know that once again Mick Patrick and Tony Rounce have served up another peerless compilation of classics, near misses and lost obscurities." - Ace Records

VA - Memphis Boys: The Story Of American Studios

As usual, an ace compilation from Ace. This one accompanies the recently published book Memphis Boys (which we also stock) taking a look at the history of American Studios. An illuminating set that throws some curves by combining definitive versions of songs (Dusty Springfield's masterful Son Of A Preacher Man) alongside versions out of left field (the Glories interpreting Dark End Of The Street).

"There can be few with an interest in the music of the American South who didn’t welcome the recent publication of Memphis Boys, Roben Jones' essential history of American Studios. Although this collection doesn’t contain every major hit that came out of the funky little studio on Thomas Street, Memphis (we’re saving some for a possible second volume), as a listening experience it’s hard to beat—particularly when enjoyed in conjunction with Roben’s brilliant book." - Ace Records

"The first-ever tribute to the legendary American Studios—the late-'60s Memphis powerhouse that was as important to the sound of the south as Fame, Stax, and Hi Records! American did work for a number of different labels, and had their own brief imprint as well—and like their better-known contemporaries, they had a core house band who could provide killer backup to just about anyone." - Dusty Groove

BO DIDDLEY - The Black Gladiator

With Get On Down having recently reissued both The Howlin' Wolf Album and Muddy Waters' After The Rain, now is the perfect time for Light In The Attic affiliate Future Days to bring The Black Gladiator back into the psych-tinged funky-blues arena. All comeback competition best beware, because Bo is ready to battle! 

"When he entered Chicago's Ter-Mar Studios in January 1970, the mighty Bo was faced with a daunting task—recording a follow-up to his last solo album, 1965's 500% More Man. Much as had been done with Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf in attempting to re-mold the old-school bluesmen as psychedelic-blues artists, The Black Gladiator saw Bo Diddley staking his claim as a funkateer in the new decade." - About.com

"This 1970 LP isn't easy to find, but it's the record where Bo lets it all hang out, leading a blazing distorto-soul band and indulging all his most eccentric qualities. Released on Chess Records subsidiary Checker, The Black Gladiator remakes Diddley as a funk artist, and to these ears, it works like crazy." - The Stranger