A defining event in the garage rock revival and The White Stripes masterpiece, Elephant was miraculously cut in just two weeks at a London studio outfitted with an eight-track tape machine and recording gear that predates the Beatles. The record went on to win the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album and the smash hit Seven…
The Whole Darn Family emerged from Richmond, Virginia in the late 70 s and were managed, produced and promoted by August (Mr. Wiggles) Moon who ran an independent label called Soul International Records from a storefront in Richmond s Southside District. Seven Minutes of Funk has become a cult favorite as it s been sampled…
The definitive introduction to one of the UK s most successful and influential groups of the 60s, the comprehensive band overview The Best of the Yardbirds draws on the hugely important Giorgio Gomelsky recordings that defined the sound of The Yardbirds during their pivotal period 1963 through 1966. The distinctive and groundbreaking blues style of Eric Clapton…
This sunshiny day-glo gem is reminiscent of the lush, yet trippy studio wizardry of Sagittarius and the mind bending delights of Smile-era recordings. This new reissue of Yellow Balloon contains 16 tracks, including the complete stereo album & singles from ‘60s TV superstar Don Grady!A songwriting assignment from Dean Torrence led to a rich musical…
The Zombies – featuring superb lead singer Colin Blunstone and a fine young keyboard player Rod Argent – were the second UK group following the Beatles to score a #1 hit in America. With gorgeous melodies, breathy vocals, choral back-up harmonies and a jazzy influence, The Zombies ruled the 1960’s with hit singles like “She’s Not There” and…
Received a 7.5 rating from Pitchfork. Emerging from the distant light is the new double-LP from John Dwyer’s Thee Oh Sees—the first studio recordings to capture the muscular rhythm section of twin drummers Ryan Moutinho and Dan Rincon with ringer bassist Tim Hellman cracking spines. The groove and bludgeon one has come to expect from the…
Received an 8.0 rating from Pitchfork. We all know the type: prolific bands that commit every loose thought, stray idea and 90-second song fragment to tape. Bands that pay no attention to little inconveniences like “release cycles” or “self-editing,” and instead decide that quantity equals quality, creating a discography more labyrinthine, imposing and—ultimately—exhausting than the…
If you ve followed the San Francisco underground for the past ten years, you might already be familiar with John Dwyer. Or–tastes depending–you might not know him at all. A friend and devotee of preeminent Providence noise rock act Lightning Bolt, the majority of Dwyer s repertoire falls on the indie spectrum s more visceral…
Received an 8.1 rating from Pitchfork. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions Thee Oh Sees? Probably their riot-sparking live show, right? Visions of a guitar-chewing, speaker-smothering, tongue-wagging John Dwyer careening across your cranium, chased by a wild-eyed wrecking crew that drives every last hook home like it’s a nail in the…
A double-LP collection of every single and compilation track Thee Oh Sees have released to date, along with one previously unreleased gem. Tracks run the gambit from very mellow stuff with strings to completely fried burners.
A double-LP collection of every single and compilation track Thee Oh Sees have released to date, along with one previously unreleased gem. Tracks run the gambit from very mellow stuff with strings to completely fried burners.
Received a 7.8 rating from Pitchfork. Here we have a new batch from Thee Oh Sees for your absorptionnine muscular tunes primed to pummel. Last years Drop was more schizophrenic, ranging from heavy to whimsical and back; Mutilator Defeated at Last has more in common with the monolithic hugeness of Floating Coffin. With only two…
During his early years, Thelonious Monk was considered one of the “most challenging, provocative and disturbing figures in modern music.” His music was regarded as difficult to listen to and understand, causing many fans initially to shy away from trying to “dig Monk.” This album helped remedy that problem. Recorded in December of 1956 for…
Blue Note Classic Vinyl Reissue Series All-Analog Mono 180g Vinyl LP Mastered by Kevin Gray Directly from the Original Master Tapes and Manufactured at Optimal in Germany Blue Note Records has announced the continuation of the Classic Vinyl Reissue Series which presents 180g vinyl LP reissues in standard packaging mastered by Kevin Gray and manufactured…
At the time of this recording, Thelonious Monk was at both a creative and critical peak. He had recently signed with Columbia Records, notably one of the biggest jazz labels in the world at the time, and the following year became the third jazz musician in history to appear on the cover of Time Magazine….