IGGY & THE STOOGES - Tribute To Ron Asheton [USA rock, punk, live 2011] 2013 MVD Visual MVD571D

 

This exclusive concert event feature Iggy and the Stooges playing songs from The Stooges, Fun House, and Raw Power, along with performances by Deniz Tek, Henry Rollins, and many more special guests. 

Ron

PAGAN BO - Traditional Bard And The Future Inevitable [UK psychedelic acid folk rock 1978] Planet Records IC.L. 01

 

Private UK - ultra rare 1978 stoned, eccentric and depressed UK acid/folk gem in Barrett/Spence vein … Stoned effects, fuzz outbursts, great guitar work, Tyrannosaurus Rex-like bongo jammers, out-there vocals, Parachute’s era Pretty Things like compositions, stoned vibe … 

This album was only pressed as demo.

Pagan Bo

Q65 - Injection [Netherlands garage, rock 1970-1997] 2020 Pseudonym Records VP99.082

 

Q65 was one of The Netherlands 'most popular beat bands from the' 60s. After their glory years, that ended abruptly in January 1968 when singer Willem Bieler joined the army, the band reformed in the spring of 1970, with drummer Beer Klaasse of the legendary Group 1850 behind the drumkit. The album 'Injection' contains (unreleased) live recordings and demos (8 tracks, 1970), the legendary Beatnach concert (4 tracks, 1980) and two acoustic songs from 1996. Remastered from the original master tapes.

Q65

JOHNNY THUNDERS - Live From Zurich [USA rock, punk 1985] 2020 Chunklet Industries JTA-01

 

Spectacular sound. Great set. 

From Johnny Thunders’ personal tape archive, this recording is among hundreds of live, studio and writing session tapes he stored away for safe keeping in a box simply labeled ‘Thunders Tapes’. Cleaned up and mastered, our attempt is to reveal the recordings Johnny felt worthy of keeping and to release only the best audio quality and performances that live up to his musical legacy. In the debut release, we hear Johnny and his band performing at a Swiss radio station in 1985. The digital version includes extra songs not on the vinyl.

JT live in Zurich

THE GUN CLUB - In My Room [USA rock 1991-93] 2017 Bang! Records BANG!-LP107

In My Room features the unreleased recordings of what would have been the very last album of The Gun Club. Recorded in the very last period of the band, between 1991 and 1993, the studio recordings that Jeffrey Lee Pierce did with The Gun Club, with maximum quality and excellence of sound and presentation. What Jeffrey Lee Pierce exposes here is the highest vocal and guitar performing, from sounds are reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix and Television, to truly intimate heartbreaking blues, going through soul and rock. Includes covers from The Who, Wilson Pickett, and more. A dream come true for all Jeffrey Lee Pierce/The Gun Club fans all over the world - absolutely necessary.

The Gun Club

 

MODIFICACIÓN - Modificación [España freak beat, rock, progressive 1971-74] 2020 Munster Records MR 408

The group Modificación is a prime example of what '70s underground and prog rock meant on the Valencia scene. Bands encountered a series of obstacles when making their much freer and more versatile music, which was demanded by the international planet rock. These hurdles varied from the serious difficulty of recording modern and innovative records, impositions by the record label and frequent desertion by band members to pursue interests that were more professional than artistic. The group's origins date back to early 1969, in Valencia's Ruzafa neighbourhood, with an average age of around 16 among its founding members. They adopted the name Modificación, an intriguing name that flagged up their creative intentions and interest in underground sounds, under the influence of bands like Grand Funk Railroad, Iron Butterfly, Vanilla Fudge, Rare Earth, Led Zeppelin... While the bulk of the Valencia rock scene revolved around modest groups making commercial music for dance halls, mostly versions of contemporary hits, they wrote their own songs from day one and set the bar high with daily rehearsals, aiming to perform to perfection. The band's luck seemed to change at a show with the Catalan group Lone Star. Pedro Gené (leader and vocalist of Lone Star) suggested Modificación record a single for the biggest record label in Spain: EMI. "Llegará el día que me quieras" (1971) was a major debut that also brought the arrival of a new vocalist, Juan Bau. Modificación's second record adventure was with the small Madrid label La Corrida in 1972, set up by Félix Arribas and Juan Jiménez, members of the famous Spanish band Los Pekenikes. They would release a couple of singles recorded at the Audiofilm studios in Madrid under the influence of glam, Californian and soft-rock style, international trends at the time. The now legendary freakbeat number "Across The Time" was crafted during these sessions and has become one of the most admired and sought-after singles of Spanish music. This LP brings together all the songs comprised in their three published singles as well as the remaining unreleased recordings from those 1972 sessions in Madrid. An accomplished portrait of one of the most legendary Spanish underground bands from that period whose fans, unable to find the elusive -and now very expensive records, were crying out for an urgent reissue of their work.

Modificación

 

JOHNNY THUNDERS - Madrid Memory [USA rock, punk, live in Madrid, Spain, on June 14th, 1984] 2019 Cleopatra CLO1157

 

A long lost live concert performance from The Heartbreakers explosive 1984 reunion world tour that included fellow Dolls Sylvain Sylvain & Jerry Nolan plus Billy Rath!

Filmed for TV broadcast at La Edad De Oro in Madrid, Spain, this concert captures powerful performances of songs from throughout Thunders's amazing career including "Personality Crisis," "Too Much Junkie Business," "Born Too Loose," and the beautifully heartbreaking "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory!".

Thunders

THE SHADOWS OF KNIGHT - Rock 'N' Roll Survivors [USA rock, garage 2008] Collectables COL-CD-8187

 

The Shadows of Knight were one of the quintessential American garage-rock bands of the 1960s, best known for their definitive version of the Van Morrison-penned “Gloria.” Like many of their contemporaries, they kept the rock-&-roll flame burning at an age when some bands might have retired, and ROCK N' ROLL SURVIVORS finds the 21st-century version of the Shadows still pumping out hard-driving, revved-up rock. The album features newly recorded versions of some old classics, included a fresh take on the abovementioned timeless tune.

Survivors

PETER FRENCH - Ducks in Flight [UK rock, pop 1978] 2017 Repertoire Records REPUK 1306

 

Renowned for fronting both Leafhound and Atomic Rooster, with this 1978 solo album Peter French took the somewhat surprising step of eschewing the heavy underground trademarks of both these bands and going for a more commercial approach. And it worked.

There are influences from the likes of Bad Company, The Faces and Thin Lizzy here, on songs which are sharp with real melodic attitude. Moreover, French brought in a battery of highly proficient musicians to help out. From guitarists Brian Robertson and Micky Moody to drummers Henry Spinetti and Kenney Jones and keyboard player Tim Hinkley, the line-up gives the album a genuine feel of being a bunch of pals having fun, and in the process making a coherent sound.

From the funk-fuelled opener Slipped And Stumbled, almost everything here has an upbeat momentum, with Shame, Shame, Schoolday and Hold Me Take Me having a swagger that even Rod Stewart would envy. Only on the rather mundane Without You does the pace slacken. Otherwise this is a purposeful success. The pity is that it’s French’s sole solo album.

Peter

CROW - The Best Of Crow [USA hard, blues, rock 1969-71] 2013 Sundazed Music SC 11231

 

A hard-charging blues-rock garage band out of Minneapolis led by the passionate singing of David Wagner, Crow had their big break when a track from the group's debut album for independent label Amaret Records, "Evil Woman (Don't Play Your Games with Me)," became a big national radio hit in 1969. But there were a couple of problems. First, the album's producers had added an uptown R&B horn chart to the song against the band's wishes, which meant that when it became a hit, Crow, who had no horn players, had a tough time promoting it on the playing circuit, becoming essentially two different bands, the live one and the studio one. More seriously, Amaret was too small a label to support a big national hit, and fans of the band often ended up with no place to purchase the album. It was ultimately too much for Crow to overcome, and the band struggled through two more albums before folding in 1971. Crow probably deserved a better fate, because it was a solid band, the studio version sounding like a funky version of Blood, Sweat & Tears while the touring version sounded like a harder-edged Doobie Brothers crossed, say, with the Trashmen. This set collects essential tracks from that Amaret run, and includes "Evil Woman," which started it all, an extended version of the follow-up single, "Cottage Cheese," the should-have-been-a-classic "(Don't Try to Lay No Boogie Woogie on the) King of Rock and Roll," and solid album tracks like "Watch That Cat" and "Keeps Me Running," as well as a previously unreleased demo version of the Beatles' "When I Get Home," which gives the song a wonderful and lightly funky shuffle rhythm. Crow should have been a big national act, and the proof of that is here, but the history of rock & roll is full of these kinds of stories, stories that have more could-haves and should-haves attached to them than history will allow.

Crow

THE ONLY ONES - Live In Chicago 1979 [UK rock, punk, new wave 1979] 2020 Alona's Dream Records, Regressive Films ADR CD 033, 003

 

This live release documents Chicago performances of the Only Ones as originally aired on Chicago punk DJ Terry Nelson’s Sunday Morning Nightmare radio show in 1979. This no nonsense set was recorded by legendary mobile recording guru Timothy Powell of Metro Mobile Recording. This previously unreleased show finds the Only Ones at the peak of their early career. The set features a solid list of future classics drawn from their first three studio albums, deep cuts and influential hit singles.

The Only Ones

LOOSE GRAVEL featuring MIKE WILHELM - Thanks For The Memories [USA rock, country rock 1975-76] 1992 Bucketfull Of Brains BUCKET-1

 

Loose Gravel was formed in San Francisco, California, USA, in the early-70s by Mike Wilhelm (guitar/vocals; ex-Charlatans), Kenny Sreight (bass) and Gene Rymer (drums). The line-up also sometimes featured Chris Wilson, later of the Flamin’ Groovies. Several tracks they recorded between 1971 and 1972 were later released on Wilhelm’s self-titled debut, eventually issued in 1976. These included a searing version of ‘Styrofoam’, later popularised by pub-rockers Ducks DeLuxe. Michael Deryckx (bass) and Rol Gjano (drums) then joined Wilhelm and together they recorded two privately-pressed singles, ‘Frisco Band’ and ‘Gravel Rash’. However, Wilhelm folded the band in 1976 when he joined the Flamin’ Groovies. He remained in the line-up for seven years, after which he resumed a low-key solo career that included the album Mean Ol’ Frisco in the late 80s. Loose Gravel’s Thanks For The Memories meanwhile combines three studio tracks with a live set recorded at the Coffee House, Long Beach, California, in 1976.

Tracks 1-3 recorded at Kelly Quan's studio, San Francisco, 1975.

Tracks 4-12 recorded live at the Coffee Gallery, North Beach, San Francisco, 6th February 1976

Mike

PERE UBU - Elitism For The People 1975–1978 [USA rock, art rock 1975-78] 2015 Fire Records FIRELP406

 

Collecting the bracing and brilliant Pere Ubu in their earliest incarnation, with the devastating one-two knockout blow of 1978 studio bookends "The Modern Dance" and "Dub Housing", followed by "The Hearpen Singles (1975-1977)" and a red hot live set "Manhattan", recorded at the legendary Max's Kansas City in 1977; "Elitism For The People 1975-78" serves as a gut punch. As vital as ever, no band before or since has ever sounded like Pere Ubu - period.

Pere Ubu

SOUND CEREMONY - Sound Ceremony [UK, Canada rock, proto-punk, psychedelic rock 1979] 2018 Celestial Sound Production RWG 002

 

"We bring to your attention, an invitation to the bizarre." So goes the final song on Canadian born guitarist and songwriter Ron Warren Ganderton 1979 LP with his group Sound Ceremony. Ganderton self-released three LPs with the band while living in the United Kingdom during the 1970s and 80s. First came Guitar Star (1978), then Sound Ceremony (1979) and finally Precious As England (1981). Despite some modest distribution and frequent gigs, the band never seemed to really take off and Ganderton eventually returned to his native Vancouver (where he still resides), leaving hundreds of unsold records in the attic of his house. While these copies seem to have been lost to the ravages of time. All of the group's efforts are undeniably unique, but their middle record is the true brain-damaged winner of the bunch. The record surely fits somewhere into the UK punk explosion of the day, but it's also looks back to the mid-sixties rock that Ron cut his teeth on and ahead to some sort of maniac future form of entertainment that perhaps has not been invented yet. Ganderton's mildly "out of it" stream of consciousness lyrics show a clear lack of self-censorship and that's really one of the albums strongest assets. He has created this character of himself as a huge rock star and a sex symbol, and who are we to deny his claims?

Sounds like a jacked up mix of Modern Lovers if they were football hooligans and a British Velvet Underground.

Ron Warren

THE MIAMIS - We Deliver - The Lost Band Of The CBGB Era (1974-1979) [USA rock, glam, punk 1974-79] 2016 Omnivore Recordings OVCD-162

 

Led by brothers/guitarists/vocalists James and Thomas Wynbrandt, The Miamis were the band all the other bands went to see. Now, for the very first time, their music can be heard outside the shadows of long gone Lower East Side rock’n‘roll dives.

We Deliver absolutely does. Culled from various sessions, some produced by Craig Leon (Ramones/Blondie/Suicide) and Genya Ravan (Dead Boys/Ronnie Spector), as well as an excellent soundboard recording from CBGB, it tells the story of a tough band who weren’t afraid to show a softer side. Gritty New York Dolls-style rockers alternate with Phil Spector-inspired ballads, as musings on French art and overpopulation intermingle with Dictators-esque celebrations of pizza parlors and pop culture icons. It’s the street art of inspired youths driven by the desire to overcome the bleak reality of their neighborhood.

Where every other band that ever graced the stage of a certain Bowery dive bar has been immortalized in the annals of punk – even The Mad are revered by certain uplifting gormandizers, The Miamis have been tragically ignored. Well, now it’s their turn.

Miamis

UNCLE WALT'S BAND - Recorded Live at Waterloo Ice House [USA folk, rock, country 1982] 2021 Omnivore Recordings OVCD-407

 

Originally released in 1982 as a 14-song set recorded at Austin's Waterloo Ice House, this expanded edition of 21 tracks by the trio of Walter Hyatt, Champ Hood and David Ball is an entertaining mix of originals and nicely chosen covers.

Hyatt contributes one of the stronger country compositions with "Georgia Rose," later covered by Jimmie Dale Gilmore on his 2000 album "One Endless Night," a tear jerker about lost love ("Tonight I'm drinking while I'm thinking/Until the beer joints close/And I'm thinking of someone/I called my Georgia Rose").

 Hood injects some rock and roll into the mix with "Lose Me Baby" and even a touch of Motown with "Eddie's Girl." Ball delivers the strongest vocals on the bluesy "Bye, Bye Baby" featuring a nice guitar solo from Hood, and the jazz flavored "Just A Little Understanding" that recalls Paul McCartney.

Standout covers are "Snowing Me Under," written by Steve Runkle (a bandmate of Hyatt and Hood in the '80s Nashville-based The Contenders) with a soulful vocal by Hyatt, and Ball's take on the ballad "Since I Fell For You'' that was a pop hit for Lenny Welch in 1963. Other highlights are the 1960 Elvis Presley hit "I Gotta Know" and the obscure Fats Domino 1968 album cut "Honest Papas Love Mamas Better." The diverse repertoire of the band is best exemplified by the closing cover of Brazilian jazz artist Moacir Santos' "Early Morning Love" that in particular showcases the sweet harmonies of the trio.

 As with previous reissues of their studio albums "Recorded Live at Waterloo Ice House" gives long overdue exposure to hidden gems from Uncle Walt's Band. Gilmore is quoted in the liner notes declaring "the three best singers in Austin were all in the same band," an observation given credence by this release.

Ice

THE SCIENTISTS - You Get What You Deserve! [Australia punk, blues punk 1985] Karbon KAR101-L - digital files

Recorded at Berry St. Studios, London, January 1985, except "Atom Bomb Baby", recorded at Soundwork Studios, Brussels.

UK Karbon label.

 

RICK DANKO BAND - Live On Breeze Hill [Canada rock 1999] 2008 Breeze Hill Records/Woodstock Records

Rick Danko's solo album Live On Breeze Hill, released in August 1999 on Woodstock Records, is an 11-song collection of inspired performances from The Band's legendary bassist and lead singer.

Backed by some of the finest musicians in the business (including Band-mate Garth Hudson and long-time collaborator and Band producer Aaron "Louie" Hurwitz), the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is in fine form on this outing, which is sure to please Danko fans old and new.

Live On Breeze Hill captures the intimacy, immediacy and excitement of Danko's live, electric performances, and features creative reworkings of requisite staples "Twilight" and "Stagefright", ingenius versions of long-lost gems "Caledonia Mission", audience favourites "Crazy Mama", singalongs "Blaze Of Glory" and classics "It Makes No Difference" and "The Shape I'm In". The CD also includes a bonus studio track, a new arrangement of Danko's "Sip The Wine" which ardent fans will recognize from its first appearance in The Last Waltz.

Danko's nine-piece band also features Letterman horn player Tom "Bones" Malone (trombone, baritone sax), former Tower Of power saxophonist and current leader of the Saturday Night Live band Lenny Pickett (tenor sax, clarinet) and renowned studio player Jim Hynes (trumpet).

Danko

 

LYRES - Lucky 7 [USA garage rock 1979-1991] 2016 Munster Records MR 7275

 

Formed in Boston in the late '70s from the ashes of the legendary DMZ, Lyres are one of the truly essential garage bands -- and the seven 7"s (and CD) contained in this boxed set clearly prove why. Featuring 16 tracks spanning 1979 to 1991, they're loaded with sound, attitude, and a way of making music not found around too often. This set includes the contents of Lyres' never-released first acetate, recorded live and pressed by the band only two weeks after their first rehearsal. Their amazing debut 7" on Sounds Interesting Records is presented with facsimile artwork, as are a string of magnificent tracks the band recorded during the 1980s for Boston's Ace of Hearts Records, run by Rick Harte, who also produced the recordings. Tracks such as "Buried Alive," "Help You Ann," "I Really Want You Right Now," "She Pays The Rent," "Not Looking Back," and other staples of the 1980s rock and roll scene show the band (and its varying line-ups) at the top of their game. Includes 20-page booklet with photos and liner notes by Lyres organist and vocalist Jeff Conolly. 

007

GRATEFUL DEAD - Workingman's Dead [USA rock, country 1971] 2020 Warner, Rhino 603497846986

Workingman's Dead 50 th anniversary,  featuring the original album with newly remastered sound, plus an unreleased complete concert recorded on February 21, 1971 at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY. The show was mixed from the 16-track analog master tapes by Jeffrey Norman at Bob Weir’s Marin County TRI Studios and mastered by Grammy® Award-winning engineer, David Glasser, along with restoration and speed correction by Plangent Processes. 2/21/71 delivers a plethora of songs from both Workingman’s Dead and the band’s follow-up album, American Beauty. Some highlights include Weir’s moving vocal take on “Me and Bobby McGee,” Pigpen’s whiskey-seasoned growl on “Easy Wind” and a stellar run through “Uncle John’s Band” to close out the show.

Band