records with merritt

Jake Shears/Jake Shears

Vinyl LP pressing. 2018 release. Showcasing the essence of what Jake Shears does best, the eponymously titled solo debut from the Scissor Sisters frontman is an album brimming with anthemic choruses and lyrics about the joys and vagaries of love and sex – all of it underpinned by a swampy soul influence imparted from his newly adopted hometown New Orleans. Shears’ artistic vision blossomed in the epicenter of Southern decadence, where he had headed following the Scissors hiatus in 2012. Initial ideas for the album were mapped out at the city’s famed Marigny Studios before he decamped to Louisville, KY to work with producer Kevin Ratterman (Ray LaMontagne, My Morning Jacket) who recruited members of My Morning Jacket, VHS or Beta, Jim James’ solo band, and Floating Action to lay down the album’s foundation. With string and brass arrangements by Christian Hebel (Barbra Streisand) and Lance Horne (Alan Cumming), they returned to NOLA to capture the city’s signature sound with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Sturgill Simpson’s brass section. The result is a thrilling work that plays inside some of the hallmarks of classic American rock music and marries them with Jake’s inimitable point of view, humor, and gift for unforgettable hooks.

Byron Lee Allstars/Soul-Ska

All songs are performed by Byron Lee’s Allstars. Featuring Ken Lazarus, Jo-Jo, Keith Lynn, Smokey 007, Hubert Lee and Cecil Barker.
All the tracks originally recorded in the mid-Sixties, were produced by Alty East, one of the first producers of Ska in Jamaica.

Robert Wilkins/Original Rolling Stone

Among the most unsung of Delta blues greats is Robert Wilkins. A Mississippian who staked his claim to American musical history out of Memphis, Wilkins’s plaintive voice and innovative songwriting produced a breadth of material unmatched by all but a few recorded bluesmen. This essential collection represents sessions from 1928 through 1935, when Wilkins enjoyed his greatest popularity, giving the world such finery as “I Do Blues,” “Rollin’ Stone (Parts 1 and 2),” “Jailhouse Blues,” and “I’ll Go with Her.” His poignantly confessional “That’s No Way to Get Along” from 1929 was recreated some 35 years later by the Reverend Robert Wilkins as “Prodigal Son,” and covered by the Rolling Stones on Beggars Banquet. Another unusual number is the scandalous “Old Jim Canan’s,” the subject of which is a notorious Memphis barrelhouse run by bootlegger Jim Kinane, where blues-loving patrons were “drinkin’ whiskey and sniffin’ cocaine” until the cops came in 1916.

Dawn Landes/ Meet Me At The River

Through four full-length albums, Dawn Landes has blazed her own path with songs that are as fresh as they are timeless. Still, there’s no mistaking that strains of Nashville reside in her voice and in her musical soul, and now, with her fifth album, Landes is finally bringing them to center stage. Meet Me at the River is Landes’ self-described “Nashville record,” and she has assured it’s pedigree by enlisting the production skills of Fred Foster, the Country Music Hall of Fame member who played a pivotal role in the careers of Dolly Parton, Roy Orbison, and Kris Kristofferson. Download Card Included, Limited Edition Sage Green Vinyl.

Magpie Salute/High Water

THE MAGPIE SALUTE, which brings together the reunited guitar team of Rich Robinson and Marc Ford from THE BLACK CROWES, bassist Sven Pipien (also from the CROWES) along with lead singer John Hogg (HOOKAH BROWN, MOKE), drummer Joe Magistro and guitarist Nico Bereciartua, will release its debut album, “High Water I”, on August 10. It is the follow-up to last year’s “The Magpie Salute (Live)”, which was largely recorded in front of a studio audience in Woodstock, New York.

Pulled together by Robinson, it continued a storyline he began in the BLACK CROWES with Ford and Pipien. Meanwhile, Hogg shared HOOKAH BROWN with Robinson as keyboardist Matt Slocum and Magistro both joined him for solo records and tours over the years.

Now, these six individuals conjure magic on their full-length debut of original material, “High Water I” (Mascot/Eagle Rock), for 2018, with “High Water II” to come in 2019.

Mike Shinoda/Post Traumatic

Vinyl LP pressing. 2018 album from the Linkin Park member. In the months since the passing of Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington, Shinoda has immersed himself in art as a way of processing his grief. With no agenda, Shinoda hunkered down alone in his Los Angeles home and began writing, recording, and painting. In January, he released the Post Traumatic EP consisting of three deeply personal songs – each one a powerful, stream-of-consciousness expression of unvarnished grief – accompanied by homemade visuals that Shinoda filmed, painted and edited himself. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with New York Times stating “The tracks are reverberant electronic dirges; the rhymes, heading into sung choruses, testify to bewilderment, mourning, resentment, self-pity and questions about what to do.” Following the EP release, Shinoda continued to create, and the result is Post Traumatic, a transparent and intensely personal album that, despite it’s title, isn’t entirely about grief, though it does start there. “It’s a journey out of grief and darkness, not into grief and darkness,” Shinoda says. Ultimately, Post Traumatic is an album about healing. The songs, though specific about Shinoda’s experience with loss, manage to be universally relatable, thanks to their honesty and heart. “If people have been through something similar, I hope they feel less alone,” he says. “If they haven’t been through this, I hope they feel grateful.”

Dave Holland/Uncharted Territories

Vinyl LP pressing. The 3LP-set Uncharted Territories reunites double bassist/composer/bandleader Dave Holland with saxophonist Evan Parker, a longtime friend from their early days in London. They’re joined by Craig Taborn, on piano and electronics, and Ches Smith on percussion. In addition to quartet improvisations, they also break off into every possible subset of duo and trio configurations here. Featuring two compositions by Smith and one by Holland, the 23-track collection presents a series of deep, multi-layered conversations between the musicians, some of whom were interacting for the first time.

I Wanna Be Sedated: From The Underground

Double vinyl LP pressing. Warner Bros. Records is celebrating it’s 60th Anniversary with a series of double vinyl compilations highlighting some of the greatest music of the last six decades. The second collection is I Wanna Be Sedated: From The Underground. The album features 20 tracks from the Punk, New Wave and Alternative Rock era. Artists include B-52s, Elvis Costello, Dead Boys, Echo And The Bunnymen, Flaming Lips, Hüsker Dü, Jane’s Addiction, The Jesus And Mary Chain, Ramones, Pretenders, New Order, Replacements, Talking Heads, Violent Femmes and many others. Classic songs include ‘Shake Some Action’, ‘Blister In The Sun’, ‘Life During Wartime’, ‘The Killing Moon’ and more.

Shooter Jennings/Shooter

Ever the outlaw, Jennings has now crafted what might well be his most truly idiosyncratic work thus far, SHOOTER. Produced by longtime friend and collaborator, Low Country Sound founder Dave Cobb, at the renowned RCA Studio A on Nashville’s Music Row, the album sees Jennings staking out a fairly straightforward goal: to simply make a great country record. It should be noted, Jennings’ last studio album was a genuinely visionary tribute to Giorgio Moroder so in some ways, making a straight up country record is as much of a left turn as anything else in his brilliantly mercurial career thus far. But with songs like “Fast Horses & Good Hideouts” or the raucous “I’m Wild & My Woman Is Crazy,” Jennings more than affirms his mission by returning to country’s original, if oft misplaced, mandate: singing songs about growing up and getting older, about going out and getting trashed. In short, making music for real people with real lives. With SHOOTER, Jennings truly puts his own mark on country music, living up to his extraordinary birthright with unparalleled passion, experience, and heart.

John Cale/Vintage Violence

The Welsh rocker’s first post-Velvet Underground album shows a quirky pop craftsman at work on 11 tracks that reference everything from country rock ( Bring It On Up ) to Beach Boys harmonies ( Gideon’s Bible ) to the Band-style Americana ( Big White Cloud ) and beyond.

Gram Parsons/Another Side Of This Life

Vinyl LP pressing. Sundazed Music offers up a colored vinyl reissue of Another Side of This Life, 13 previously unheard demo recordings of Gram Parsons, country-rock pioneer and former member of the Byrds and founding member of the Flying Burrito Brothers. The collection features Parsons, singing and playing acoustic guitar, recorded from March 1965 to April 1966 at the home of his Winter Haven, FL friend, Jim Carlton. Another Side of This Life also features rare photos and a detailed liner essay by noted writer Stanley Booth (The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones).

Neko Case & Her Boyfriends/Furnace Room Lullaby

Neko Case/The Tigers Have Spoken

This November marks the, limited edition, vinyl re-issue of Neko Case record Furnace Room Lullaby, that has been long out of print. This title has been remastered from it’s original analog tape and comes complete with a full album download card. This stand-alone offering comes on the heels of her stunning vinyl box set, Truckdriver, Gladiator, Mule, and is available in red marble colored vinyl just in time for the holidays.

Vinyl LP pressing. Recorded live over seven nights and at three different venues in Chicago and Toronto in 2004, The Tigers Have Spoken finds Neko Case in incredible voice backed by a full band featuring The Sadies and steel guitar wizard Jon Rauhouse along with special guests Kelly Hogan, Carolyn Mark, Jim & Jennie and the Pinetops, Paul Morstad, and Brian Connelly. While The Tigers Have Spoken is a live album, it’s not your typical career retrospective – only two of the eleven songs are from Neko’s back catalog. In addition to two new original compositions, the songstress wraps her powerful pipes around a surprising collection of covers written by artists like Buffy Saint Marie, Loretta Lynn, the Shangri-La’s and Freakwater’s Catherine Irwin. The set closes with impassioned versions of the standards, “Wayfaring Stranger” and “This Little Light,” which Neko forever makes her own.

Tom Waits/Foreign Affairs

Tom Waits/Blue Valentine

Remastered vinyl LP pressing. 1977’s Foreign Affairs takes the jazz and poetry that Waits explored on his earlier albums in a more cinematic direction, foreshadowing his own breakthrough work in the ’80s. Opening with the instrumental “Cinny’s Waltz” and featuring some new standards like “Muriel” and “I Never Talk To Strangers,” his dramatic duet with Bette Midler, the album gets into some of Waits’ most ambitious storytelling ever. Foreign Affairs also features the jazzy, colorful “Jack and Neil” and the sweeping, dramatic “Potters Field” as well as the classic ballads “Burma Shave” and “Sight for Sore Eyes.”

Vinyl LP pressing. After signing with Asylum Records in the early 1970s, Tom Waits recorded a series of acclaimed albums whose noir tales about the after-midnight underworld transformed the seedy into the sublime in songs laced with both dark humor and profound longing. Decades and several musical evolutions later, Waits’ Asylum years still hold a special place in the hearts of many fans. Waits’ first seven albums on Asylum have been remastered and will be re-released via Anti-Records. 1978’s Blue Valentine is a big departure from earlier Waits albums. Trading the piano for the guitar, the singer/songwriter is getting rawer and bluesier and the title track is a great example of this. Waits is in transition here, so you also get a stunning orchestrated rendition of Gershwin’s “Somewhere,” and the beautiful piano ballad, “Kentucky Ave.,” but you also get the juke joint swagger of “Romeo Is Bleeding” and “Whistlin Past the Graveyard.” This is also the record that contains one of Waits’ most popular songs ever, “Christmas Card from A Hooker in Minneapolis.”

Studio One Presents Black Man’s Pride

This is the second installment of deep roots Rastafarian reggae at Studio One and features classic music from some of the most important figures in reggae music – Alton Ellis, The Heptones, Jackie Mittoo, The Gladiators – alongside a host of rarities and little-known recordings, such as a truly rare Mystic Revelation of Rastafari seven-inch single, Willie William’s first ever recording ‘Calling’ and Horace Andy’s righteous (and equally rare) masterpiece ‘Illiteracy.’

Black Man’s Pride 2 extends the legacy of Studio One’s ground-breaking path in roots reggae which began at the end of the 1960s and continued throughout the 1970s. The album tells the story of how the rise of Studio One Records and the Rastafari movement were interconnected, through the adoption of the Rastafari faith by key reggae artists – everyone from the Skatalites and Wailers in the 1960s, major singers such as Alton Ellis and Horace Andy at the end of the decade, through to major roots artists such as The Gladiators in the 1970s – and how Clement Dodd consistently recorded this heavyweight roots music throughout Studio One’s history.

The extensive sleeve-notes to this album also discuss the links between Rastafari and Studio One in time and place, noting how both the religion and Clement Dodd’s musical empire had their roots in the intense period of pre-independence Jamaica in Kingston, expanded in the 1960s following the visit of Haile Selassie in 1966, and how roots music then came to dominate reggae music in the early 1970s. Also discussed is how the outsider stance of both reggae music and the Rastafari movement relate back many hundreds of years to the original rebel stance of the Maroons, escaped slaves who set up self-sufficient enclaves in the hills of the Jamaican countryside.

There is also a track-by-track history by the noted Studio One writer Rob Chapman (Never Grow Old). This new album comes as heavyweight gatefold double vinyl (+ download code).

The Fall/A-Sides

Vinyl LP pressing. The seventeen songs collected here come from The Fall’s Brix Smith era, aka “the golden era of Fall releases.” This is a perfect introduction to the band, and as legendary critic Robert Christgau said, it’s “The only Fall record any normal person need own”. Originally released in 1990, this album has never been released on vinyl in the US, and isn’t easy to find elsewhere. The band’s legendary and notorious frontman Mark E. Smith passed away earlier this year at the age of 60. The band’s output since they formed at the height of the punk rock movement in Manchester in 1976 was prolific to say the least. It’s hard to be exact, but in their four decades, The Fall released 31 studio albums, 5 part-studio/ part live albums, 32 live albums, 40 compilations, and Mark E. Smith also released two spoken word albums. Another high number is that of former members of The Fall. There were over 60 different band members over the years. Their high volume of quality work over the last 40+ years had an enormous influence which was extolled greatly after his death.

Shovels & Rope/Predecessors

Vinyl LP pressing. Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent (known jointly as the Americana/folk duo Shovels & Rope) started their career performing independently as solo artists, each releasing records under their own names in the mid-to-late aughts and early 2010’s. In 2008 they released the album titled Shovels & Rope as a collaboration and the two artists decided to tour together. Performing live, they’d play together on songs from Hearst’s Lions and Lambs (2011), Trent’s The Winner (2010), and their collaborative album, creating the first live glimpses of the band that would eventually become Shovels & Rope. Dualtone is excited to offer these early individual solo albums alongside early collaborations in the form of Predecessors, a three LP package featuring Hearst’s Lions and Lambs, Trent’s The Winner, and a third LP with never-before-released material from Shovels & Rope’s archives.

Gillian Welch/Soul Journey

Vinyl LP pressing. Gillian Welch’s rich and remarkable career spans over 20 years, and is a pillar of the modern acoustic music world. This is the long-awaited first pressing of the roots singer/songwriter’s moving 2003 album, Soul Journey, a collaborative effort with producer/multi-instrumentalist David Rawlings which Mojo called “pretty much perfect” in their 5-star review. It marked the pair’s first experimentation with a fuller, electric sound and is home to some of the most beloved songs in Welch’s catalog including the timeless classics “Look at Miss Ohio” and “Wayside/Back in Time.”

KennyBurrellwithArtBlakeyOnViewAtFiveSpotCafe

Kenny Burrell with Art Blakey/On View At The Five Spot Cafe

On View at the Five Spot Cafe is a live album by American jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell with drummer Art Blakey. It was recorded live at the Five Spot Cafe in New York City on August 25, 1959, and released on the Blue Note label.

Bert Jansch/L.A. Turnaround

Vinyl LP pressing. Digitally remastered and expanded edition of this 1974 album by the British folk legend. First of a diptych of albums recorded in and influenced by Bert’s time in America, and the first of three for American label, Charisma. Tony Stratton Smith himself brought Bert to the label, claiming proudly that “if ever a man is due his place among the ‘superstars’, it’s Bert Jansch.” Of the era, As the title suggests, this album was something of a contrast to Jansch’s usual style – taking in swathes of Nashville-infused pedal steel – courtesy of the legendary Red Rhodes – to sparkling effect. Bert himself seemed surprised by just how well the record turned out, influenced by the assembled company’s alternative approach to recording: “Red Rhodes was delightful, both he and Mike [Nesmith] who played rhythm guitar were extraordinary musicians. I had the songs when we came to record but Mike and Red didn’t know them. There were no demos or anything. We’d run through them and I’d teach them the songs but Red especially was used to jamming, playing to the song.” Often cited by fans as some of Bert’s best work, this 1974 album was produced in part by the Monkees’ Mike Nesmith, whose guidance is much in evidence on this perfectly measured slice of British country-rock.

Vaya Con Dios/Vaya Con Dios

Limited 180gm clear vinyl LP pressing. This special 30th anniversary edition includes an insert with a lyric sheet. Vaya con Dios is the debut album of the band by the same name. As one of the most successful Belgian music acts they sold over than seven million albums. Their first album is known for the eclectic mix between jazz, soul and blues. While listening to this album you’ll hear the influences from the French Chanson and gypsy music. This surprising combination results in an album which will blend wonderful with summer evenings. Vaya con Dios was founded in 1986 by Dirk Schoufs, Dani Klein and Willy Lambregt.

Bo Carter/Banana In Your Fruit Basket:Red Hot Blues 1931-36

Bo Carter is the alias for singer/guitarist Bo Chatmon, a member of the famous Chatmon family from Mississippi (which produced 13 musically capable children). Notorious for his double-entendre blues, Carter based his songs around sexual metaphors and the results were, unsurprisingly, widely popular. If there were such a thing as parental warning stickers in the 1930s, they would have been applied liberally to Carter‘s releases. On Banana in Your Fruit Basket (the companion to Twist It Baby), Yazoo brings together 14 more Carter sides from the 1930s. A cursory glance at track titles alone tells a great deal: “Mashing That Thing,” “Don’t Mash My Digger So Deep,” “Pin in Your Cushion,” “My Pencil Won’t Write Anymore.” The themes in Carter‘s music were certainly pervasive in the country-blues of the period, but they were rarely as explicit. Whereas one singer might ask “Baby, where’d you stay last night? You got the hair all tangled and you ain’t talkin’ right” (a stock blues verse), few would ask the same woman “Baby, what kind of scent is that?” when she walks through the door. Often, Carter‘s metaphors are so thin that the results have little value beyond their novelty. Musically, Carter has a relaxed, clear, and fairly indistinct singing style and a fluid, fingerpicking guitar attack to match it. While Banana in Your Fruit Basket paints an accurate picture of Bo Chatmon‘s alter ego, the music is very much a product of its time. Giving insight into what people appreciated in their entertainment, it also feels like proof that not much has changed.

The Promise Ring/Very Emergency

Very Emergency (1999) is the third album by The Promise Ring. This album sees the band continuing to explore the sounds they had started on their previous release Nothing Feels Good, a more pop – rock-leaning when compared to their debut. The Promise Ring’s hook-packed pop sensibility was unique for the genre at the time and helped them inject a shimmery energy into emo that still feels fresh today. Hailing from Milwaukee, The Promise Ring weren’t just emblematic of ’90s Midwestern emo: they were one of the most celebrated bands in the history of the genre. Under the leadership of frontman Davey Von Bohlen of Cap’n Jazz, their sound incorporated elements of power pop that would become more popular in later years. They broke up in 2002 and after nearly a decade of inactivity The Promise Ring officially reunited in February 2012.

Rex Orange County/Apricott Princess

Limited orange vinyl LP pressing. It’s been a pretty crazy 12 months for Rex Orange County – AKA 19-year-old Alex O’Connor – from Haslemere, Surrey. After two guest slots on Tyler the Creator’s album Flower Boy, he’s played live with Frank Ocean and Skepta, all the while working on his debut album, Apricot Princess. The self-released record is full of sumptuous hooks, jazzy piano figures and musical left-turns that suggest a true original at work. He placed second after winner Sigrid in the BBC Sound of 2018 Poll, and recently performed on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show.

Sasha/Fabric 99

4-LP version. Packaged in a bespoke card envelope. Sasha provides the 99th installment of the world’s leading house and techno mix series from London’s renowned Fabric nightclub. From playing acid house at the legendary Haçienda to residencies at a number of the world’s super clubs and a Grammy nomination, Sasha’s career trajectory is unparalleled. His vast discography includes a number of studio albums, remixes for Madonna and The Chemical Brothers, soundtracks for computer games, and a long list of acclaimed mixes. He runs his own management agency out of New York and oversees his imprint Last Night On Earth. Fabric 99 shows off his legendary track transitions and how they enable broken beats and ambient wanderings to sit comfortably alongside dub techno and uplifting house. The continuous DJ mix features a Sasha exclusive, “Smoke Monk (Fabric Mix)”. Sasha on the mix “Getting the chance to do this Fabric CD was an honor. Some of my fondest moments playing in London have been at that club. I really wanted to capture what I do there as I feel it’s somewhere I play differently to anywhere else in the world.” Features Agnes Obel, Quiet Village, Marbert Rocel, Heitzberg Theorem, Kora (CA), Tom Flynn, Indigo, CLOSE, DJ Hell, Joyce Muniz, Ghosts On Tape, Jus-Ed, Whitesquare, Crowdpleaser, Exercise One & Mathew Jonson, Sasha, Objekt, Jono Ma & Dreems, Javier Logares & Kaarel, Tiefschwarz, George Fitzgerald, Carl Craig, Francesco Tristano, Les Siècles, François-Xavier Roth, Antigone, BAILE, and Felicia Douglass.

Boz Scaggs/Out of The Blues

Double vinyl LP pressing. 2018 release. The self-produced Out Of The Blues finds national treasure Boz Scaggs applying his iconic voice and gritty guitar skills to a set of vintage classics as well as four originals. For the occasion, the legendary singer/songwriter/guitarist assembled a star-studded studio band including such prestigious players as guitarists Doyle Bramhall II, Ray Parker Jr. And Charlie Sexton, bassist Willie Weeks, drummer Jim Keltner and keyboardist Jim Cox, as well as longtime friend Jack Walroth on guitar. Boz Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was a guitarist and occasional lead singer with the Steve Miller Band in the 1960s, and in the 1970s gained fame with several solo Top 20 hit singles in the United State

Lightnin’ Hopkins/Lightnin’ Hopkins

Houston, Texas’s favorite son Sam John Hopkins, better known as Lightnin’, was recorded in 1959 by the legendary musicologist Samuel Charters, predating and predicting the folk-blues revival of the early ’60s. Widely regarded as one of the finest acoustic blues albums ever, Lightnin’ Hopkins, originally released in 1959 on Folkways Records, established it’s hero as a legend. The very definition of essential.

Joseph Spence/Bahaman Folk Guitar

Vinyl LP pressing. Recorded in 1958 and released on the Folkways label in 1959, Bahaman Folk Guitar introduced American listeners to Joseph Spence’s unique guitar and vocal styles. These field recordings by musicologist Sam Charterscapture Spence in a relaxed, expansive mood – only one of the six selections in the set is under five minutes in length. Spence’s guitar style was due in part to the D tuning of his bass string, which produced a lower bass sound. Whereas many critics have called Spence’s vocal style unorthodox, they have found his guitar playing spontaneous and iconic. Some music critics have gone so far as to refer to him as the “Thelonious Monk of folk guitar.”

Stevie Wonder/Signed, Sealed and Delivered

Vinyl LP pressing. Signed, Sealed & Delivered is a studio album by Stevie Wonder, released on August 7, 1970, by Tamla Records. Along with the hit title track, the album also featured the hits “Heaven Help Us All”, “Never Had a Dream Come True” and Wonder’s cover of The Beatles’ “We Can Work It Out”. The album hit #25 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart as well as #7 on the R&B Albums chart. This was Wonder’s first album on which he was given producer credit, though he actually only produced two of the tracks and co-produced three more. He wrote or co-wrote seven of the tracks.

Murder By Death/In Bocca Al Luppo

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing including digital download. In Bocca al Lupo is the third full-length album release by Murder by Death. It was released on Tent Show Records, on May 23, 2006. The title comes from the Italian phrase that literally translates to “into the mouth of the wolf” and is commonly used to say “Good luck”. Murder by Death is an American five-piece indie rock band from Bloomington, Indiana. Their name is derived from the 1976 Robert Moore film of the same name. The band’s current lineup consists of two founding members, Adam Turla and Sarah Balliet. Balliet plays cello for the band, an instrument that has been present consistently throughout the bands evolution. Murder by Death plays a range of music including instrumentals, rock and alt. Country. The band uses cello (with an electric cello for live shows) to create a gothic sound with occasional Western references. The band often arranges themes such as whiskey and the Devil into concept albums.

Atmosphere/Sad Clown Bad Year (#9-#12 Collection)

Limited double half black and white colored vinyl LP pressing housed in a gatefold sleeve, includes digital download. The Sad Clown series first started as a string of cassette tapes and CD-R’s for Atmosphere to sell on tour. Since it’s incarnation in 1999, the Sad Clown series has taken on a few forms, including rare 4-track demos, live shows, a DVD, a mixtape, and a pair of 7″ singles. In celebration of the 10 year anniversary of these iconic EP’s, we are releasing a special vinyl edition, packaging all four Sad Clown seasons together for the first time, complete with some added treats to make even the saddest clown smile.

Cody Jinks/Lifer

Vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket. 2018 release, the eighth studio album from the country music singer/songwriter. His long-awaited album Lifers marks his debut for Rounder, and is a creative leap forward for Jinks. The eleven original songs on the album tackle heady themes of faith (“Holy Water”); love, loss, and the desperate measures to which they sometimes drive people (“Must Be the Whiskey,” “7th Floor,” “Somewhere Between I Love You and I’m Leavin’,” “Colorado”), loneliness, (“Desert Wind”), and the passage of time (“Stranger”). Lifers is the follow-up to his 2016 album I’m Not the Devil, which reached #4 on the Billboard’s Country Albums chart.

Emilio Santiago/Emilio Santiago

Far Out Recordings present a reissue of the 1975 self-titled debut album from Brazilian vocalist and bossa nova luminary Emilio Santiago. Nicknamed “the Nat King Cole of Brazil”, Santiago was a master bossa balladeer and a top-class crooner. But he is known equally for his Brazilian funk, soul, and boogie classics. One of his best know is album opener “Bananeira”, a party-starting version of the song originally written by João Donato and Gilberto Gil. “Brother” is a smooth-grooving killer with great horn arrangements and a huge backing choir, while “La Mulata” is a soulful, swinging salsa stepper. Originally released on the CID label, the album showcases the full range of Emilio’s talents, while paying homage to some of Brazil’s greatest composers, including Jorge Ben, Marcos and Sergio Valle, and Ivan Lins, among others. The credits on the album are a “who’s who” of Brazil’s greats, with João Donato on keys, Wilson das Neves, Ivan “Mamão” Conti and Paulinho on drums, Durval Ferreira, Carlos Roberto Rocha and Helio Delmiro on guitar, Ariovaldo, Orlandivo and Chacal on percussion, Danilo Caymmi on flute, a brass section featuring Victor Assis Brasil, Edson Maciel and Jesse Sadoc, and backing vocals from Jaime & Nair, Lúcia Lins, Jurema and Marcio Lott.

U2/Zooropa

U2/Achtung Baby

U2/Best Of 1980-1990

Double 180gm vinyl LP pressing. Achtung Baby is the seventh studio album by Irish rockers U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 18 November 1991 on Island Records. U2 shifted their musical direction to incorporate influences from alternative rock, industrial music, and electronic dance music into their sound. Thematically, Achtung Baby is darker, more introspective, and at times more flippant than their previous work. The album and the subsequent multimedia-intensive Zoo TV Tour were central to the group’s 1990s reinvention, by which they abandoned their earnest public image for a more lighthearted and self-deprecating one.

Double vinyl LP pressing. Zooropa is the eighth studio album by U2. Produced by Flood, Brian Eno, and The Edge, it was released on 5 July 1993 on Island Records. Inspired by the band’s experiences on the Zoo TV Tour, Zooropa expanded on many of the tour’s themes of technology and media oversaturation. The record was a continuation of the group’s experimentation with alternative rock, electronic dance music, and electronic sound effects that began with their previous album, Achtung Baby, in 1991. U2 began writing and recording Zooropa in Dublin in February 1993, during a six-month break between legs of the Zoo TV Tour. The record was originally intended as an EP to promote the Zooropa leg of the tour that was to begin in May 1993, but during the sessions, the group decided to extend the record to a full-length album.

The Psychedelic Furs/The Psychedelic Furs

The Psychedelic Furs/Forever Now

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. The Psychedelic Furs is the debut studio album by British rock band the Psychedelic Furs. It was released on 7 March 1980 by Columbia Records. Includes longtime fan favorites ‘Sister Europe’, ‘We Love You’, ‘India’ and ‘Imitation Of Christ’. The Psychedelic Furs formed in London in February 1977. Led by singer Richard Butler and his brother Tim Butler on bass guitar, the Psychedelic Furs were one of the many acts spawned from the British post-punk scene. Their music went through several phases, from an initially austere art rock sound, to later touching on new wave and commercial rock.

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. Forever Now is the third studio album by British band The Psychedelic Furs. The album, including the hit single “Love My Way”, was recorded in the spring of 1982 and released on 25 September of that year by Columbia/CBS. The album represented a turning point in the musical maturation of the band, after a turbulent period of personnel changes in which they shrank from a six-man ensemble to a quartet. Working with the Furs for the first time, Todd Rundgren placed his own sonic imprint upon the album as producer and guest musician. Rundgren also added new types of instrumentation to the band’s sound, including cello and marimba. Includes the hit single ‘Love My Way’.

The Internet/Hive Mind

Double vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket. 2018 album from The Internet, the follow up to 2015’s critically acclaimed and Grammy nominated album Ego Death. With this album, The Internet present enormous growth in their creative chemistry and prove they are a five-person force whose singular talents created one phenomenal whole. The album is written and produced entirely by The Internet – Syd (vocalist/songwriter), Matt Martians (producer), Steve Lacy (guitarist/vocalist/songwriter), Patrick Paige II (songwriter/bassist), and Christopher Smith (songwriter/drummer). And it is with a sense of togetherness – not just for them, but for everyone – that the band chose to highlight as a major theme for Hive Mind. “After making a few songs we realized that we really want to use this album to live by example and promote camaraderie amongst young black people,” Syd reveals. “We realized that we’re the only band of our kind. And we want to really solidify ourselves as that, as the best.” With the chaos of the current world considered, all of The Internet wanted to champion good feelings and the joy of following your heart and passions, in addition to using their own positive relationships and experiences to inspire their community. The band unearthed an even deeper purpose as they collaborated on Hive Mind. The result is not just one of the greatest records in the band’s already phenomenal catalogue, but is easily one of the best albums of 2018, from five amazing people already leaving an indelible mark on pop music.

Ty Segall & White Fence /Joythe

Vinyl LP pressing including poster. 2018 release. Ty Segall and White Fence are as one again. Six years after their fun favorite Hair collaboration, and jeez, almost four years after Ty produced the last White Fence record For the Recently Found Innocent, they’re back at it. But the second time around, it’s no Hair 2 – Joy is it’s own reward. Tim Presley and Ty take it up a notch, with fifteen wild tracks that share space in a effortless fashion, dispersing doses of the fabled vintage obsessions, but threading them together instead with their own sound of today. Joy, indeed!

Odesza/Summer’s Gone

Seattle-based production duo Odesza (Harrison Mills & Clayton Knight) began their meteoric journey in 2012 with Summer’s Gone. The following spring, they released the five-song EP My Friends Never Die – a harder-hitting complement to the lush sounds of their debut – and began to build their reputation as a ground-breaking live act. In 2014, they signed to Ninja Tune imprint Counter Records to release In Return, featuring the two gold-certified singles “Say My Name” and “Sun Models”, and 2017’s A Moment Apart, which would go on to garner two Grammy nominations. The popularity of Odesza’s most recent albums has brought with it a newfound audience that is just now discovering Summer’s Gone and My Friends Never Die and their standout songs like “How Did I Get Here” and “My Friends Never Die.” Mills and Knight have also proved themselves as tastemakers with the launch of the Foreign Family Collective, which is reissuing Summer’s Gone and My Friends Never Die back on vinyl.

Apollo Brown & Locksmith/No Question

Vinyl LP pressing. West Coast Berkeley grad, battle rapper and musician Locksmith has hammered out a reputation as one of hip-hop’s most enlightened no punch pulling emcees, always bringing cutting lyricism that not only questions the status quo but offers deep truths for reflection. Meanwhile Detroit’s Apollo Brown has built his illustrious career on emotive productions that draw the best out of already legendary mic kings. From his work with Ras Kass and OC, Skyzoo to Ghostface Killah, Apollo repeatedly creates eyes shut, head nodding, soul stirring perfection for our greatest storytellers to lay their truth bare. So when Richmond, CA and Detroit, MI came together in the studio the answer was No Question – a new project that finds an Apollo Brown bolstered Locksmith ruminating on everything from advice to his younger self to his continued drive to rise without following in anyone’s footsteps.

Pharcyde/Labcabincalifornia

Double vinyl LP pressing. Labcabincalifornia is the second album by hip hop group The Pharcyde, originally released in 1995, three years after their debut Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde. The album’s production was handled by The Pharcyde themselves and Jay Dee, with additional help from Diamond D and M-Walk. The first single was “Drop”. “Drop” was a hit, as was the follow-up single “Runnin’,” which peaked at #55 on the Billboard Hot 100. Overall, this album is a more mellow and introspective affair than their debut and features more somber themes such as dealing with fame and success, drug abuse, and broken down relationships.

Mudvayne/End Of All Things To Come

Vinyl LP pressing. To celebrate the 15th anniversary of Mudvayne’s gold-certified 2002 album The End of All Things To Come SRC vinyl is releasing it on vinyl for the very first time! One of the most creative and distinctive bands in the aggressive music world, Mudvayne’s versatile sophomore album is an electrical storm of musical fury, a lesson in controlled chaos that tempers hard rock, heavy metal, prog rock and sadistic splatters of melody into an onslaught of metallic highs and emotional lows, rushing surges and pronounced blows. Hit single “Not Falling” was also featured on the soundtrack for the film Ghost Ship.

Wilko Johnson/Blow Your Mind

Wilko Johnson -“Blow Your Mind” Blow Your Mind, the album Wilko Johnson never thought he would get to make after surviving the brink of death. His first new album of material in 30 plus years featuring 12 brand new recordings with special guests Mick Talbot, Steve Weston and produced by Dave Eringa. Pressed on 180-gram heavyweight vinyl and includes a digital download card.

Pedro The Lion/Winners Never Quit

The Only Reason I Feel Secure is the second EP by Pedro the Lion. Originally released as a 5 track EP in 1999 on Made In Mexico Records, it was re-issued by Jade Tree records in 2001 with 3 bonus tracks which originally constituted the bands’s first single – and appear only on the Jade Tree reissue. After a shifting lineup, Pedro the Lion eventually became a one-man outfit. That man is David Bazan. A Seattle native, Bazan cut his teeth playing in hardcore bands before forming Pedro in 1995, taking the band’s name from a character he made up for a possible children’s book. Under the moniker of Pedro the Lion, Bazan creates melodic pop in the vein of Bedhead, Hayden, and Sebadoh, with a lyrical focus on relationships – with both other people and God. In early 2006, Bazan retired the Pedro moniker to continue on with solo work under his own name.

Frank Zappa/Chunga’s Revenge

Vinyl LP pressing. Chunga’s Revenge is the third solo album by Frank Zappa, originally released in 1970. Zappa’s first effort of the 1970s marks the first appearance of former Turtles members Flo & Eddie on a Zappa record, and signals the dawn of a controversial epoch in Zappa’s history. Chunga’s Revenge represents a shift from both the satirical political commentary of his 1960s work with The Mothers of Invention, and the jazz fusion of Hot Rats. The material presented on Chunga’s Revenge is eclectic: side one includes a guitar jam (“Transylvania Boogie”), a bluesy amble (“Road Ladies”), a jazz interlude (“Twenty Small Cigars”) and an avant garde live improvisation (“The Nancy and Mary Music”) drawn from “King Kong” and other songs from a July 1970 Mothers performance. Several poppy numbers (“Tell Me You Love Me”, “Would You Go All the Way?”, “Rudy Wants to Buy Yez a Drink”, “Sharleena”) appear on the second side along with the improvisational title track.

Powerman 5000/Copies, Clones & Replicants

Limited edition vinyl pressing of the covers project by platinum-selling electro-metal superheroes, Powerman 5000! Featuring electrified versions of Devo’s “Whip It,” Van Halen’s “Jump,” David Bowies’s “Space Oddity,” T Rex’s “20th Century Boy,” INXS’s “Devil Inside” and more!

The Left Banke/Walk Away Renee/Pretty Ballerina

Vinyl LP pressing. The Left Banke’s 1967 album Walk Away Renee/Pretty Ballerina is widely regarded as one of the greatest debuts of the ’60s, thanks to frontman Steve Martin’s evocative lead vocals, the haunting harmonies of band membersTom Finn and George Cameron, the ambitious songwriting of keyboardist Michael Brown, and exquisite, classically-influenced arrangements that were unlike anything else in popular music at the time. “Walk Away Renee,” released the previous year as the band’s first single, remains one of the era’s most recognizable (and most-covered) standards. In addition to “Walk Away Renee” and it’s followup hit “Pretty Ballerina,” the album also features such memorable numbers as “She May Call You Up Tonight,” “Barterers and Their Wives” and “Shadows Breaking Over My Head.”

Tone-LōC/Lōc-ed After Dark

Vinyl LP pressing. Lōc-ed After Dark is the debut studio album by rapper Tone Lōc. It was released by Delicious Vinyl on January 23, 1989. It featured three singles, “Wild Thing”, “Funky Cold Medina”, and “I Got It Goin’ On”. In the week of April 15, it reached #1 on the Billboard200 chart. It was certified Double Platinum by the RIAA. The album cover is based on Donald Byrd’s 1963 album, A New Perspective. The video for the first single, “Wild Thing, ” became a stable on MTV in the US; the song rose to #2 on the US Hot 100, and the top twenty in Australia. The second single, “Funky Cold Medina, ” also became a hit. It reached the top 5 in the US, peaking at #3; the top ten in Australia; and the top twenty in the UK.

Wire/Pink Flag

Vinyl LP pressing. Digitally remastered edition. Pink Flag is the debut studio album by English band Wire. It was released in November 1977, through Harvest Records. Though the album failed to chart on it’s initial release, it has been widely acclaimed and is considered by critics and other commentators to have been highly influential on many other musicians since it’s release. Wire’s first three albums need no introduction. They are the three classic albums on which Wire’s reputation is based. Moreover, they are the recordings that minted the post-punk form. This was adopted by other bands, but Wire were there first.

Wire/Chairs Missing

Vinyl LP pressing. Digitally remastered edition of the British post-punk band’s second album, originally released in 1978. Chairs Missing peaked at #48 in the UK Albums Chart. Although it features some of the minimalist punk rock of the band’s debut Pink Flag, it features more developed song structure (taking some cues from 1970s prog-rock, psychedelia, and art rock), keyboard and synthesizer elements brought in by producer Mike Thorne, and a broader palette of emotional and intellectual subject matter. The single “Outdoor Miner” was a minor hit, peaking at !51 in the UK Singles Chart. Wire’s first three albums need no introduction. They are the three classic albums on which Wire’s reputation is based. Moreover, they are the recordings that minted the post-punk form. This was adopted by other bands, but Wire were there first.

Wire/154

Vinyl LP pressing. Digitally remastered edition of the British post-punk band’s third album, originally released in 1979. 154 peaked at #39 in the UK Albums Chart, the highest position the band has achieved. The album is so named because the band had played 154 gigs in their career at the time of the album’s release. Pitchfork listed 154 as 85th best album of the 1970s. Wire’s first three albums need no introduction. They are the three classic albums on which Wire’s reputation is based. Moreover, they are the recordings that minted the post-punk form. This was adopted by other bands, but Wire were there first. This vinyl version should be considered Wire’s classic 1970s period, pure and undiluted.

Alice Cooper/Killer

Killer – Alice Cooper – The band’s 1971 breakthrough album featuring “Under My Wheels” “Be My Lover” and “Halo Of Flies”. 140 gram Red/w Black Swirl vinyl Cooper said in the liner notes of A Fistful of Alice and In the Studio with Redbeard, which spotlighted the Killer and Love it to Death albums, that the song “Desperado” was written about his friend Jim Morrison, who died the year this album was released. According to an NPR radio interview with Alice Cooper, “Desperado” was written about Robert Vaughn’s character from the movie The Magnificent Seven. Start Your Ear Off Right!

Featured Vinyl New Releases 6.29.18: John Coltrane, Run The Jewels, Gorillaz, Ryan Adams, David Bowie, Dave Matthews Band, Florence + The Machine, Jim James, Guns N Roses

Posted by Marion M Merritt on June 28, 2018

Posted in: Music, Music News, New Releases, Video. Tagged: david bowie, featured vinyl new releases, florence + the machine, gorillaz, guns n roses, jim james, john coltrane, run the jewels, ryan adams. Leave a comment

John Coltrane/Both Directions At Once:The Lost Album

Vinyl LP pressing. Standard version incorporates seven tracks, two of which are completely unheard original compositions. 2018 archive release. Unknown until 2004 and unheard until now, these recordings by the John Coltrane Quartet are, as Sonny Rollins says in the liner notes, like finding a new room in the Great Pyramid. Featuring the Classic Quartet – John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones – and recorded at the end of a two-week run at Birdland, the music on this album represents one of the most influential groups in music history both performing in a musical style it had perfected and reaching in new, exploratory directions that were to affect the trajectory of jazz from that point forward.

RunTheJewelsStayGoldSmiff&CashRemixCollectionRedVinylwithMarvelVariantArt

Run The Jewels/Stay Gold Smiff & Cash Remix Collection Red Vinyl Marvel Etched

Run The Jewels ‘Stay Gold Smiff & Cash Remix Collection’ 12″ etched red vinyl.

Gorillaz/The Now Now

Vinyl LP pressing including digital download. 2018 release, the sixth studio album from the acclaimed British “band.” With the announcement of The Now Now, the band also introduced a new fictional band member, Ace from Cartoon Network’s animated series The Powerpuff Girls. In the story, Ace is a temporary replacement for Murdoc, who has been incarcerated. Gorillaz is singer 2D, bassist Murdoc Niccals, guitarist Noodle and drummer Russel Hobbs. Created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, their acclaimed eponymous debut album was released in 2001. The BRIT and Grammy Award winning band’s subsequent albums are Demon Days (2005), Plastic Beach (2010) and The Fall (2011). A truly global phenomenon, Gorillaz have topped charts around the world and toured the globe from San Diego to Syria, picking up hundreds of millions of streams and record sales along the way. Gorillaz have achieved success in entirely ground-breaking ways, winning numerous awards including the coveted Jim Henson Creativity Honor and are recognized by The Guinness Book Of World Records as the planet’s Most Successful Virtual Act.

Ryan Adams/Baby I Love You

Limited seven inch vinyl pressing. 2018 single from the acclaimed singer/songwriter. “Baby I Love You” is exactly what it sounds like: A song to one’s baby, whom they love-a unique twist on Ryan Adams’ classic recipe, with key ingredient “sad” replaced by “happy.”

David Bowie/Christiane F. Wir Kinder Vom Bahnhof Zoo

Christiane F. – Wir Kinder Vom Bahnhof Zoo is the soundtrack to the 1981 film based on the 1978 autobiography by German actress Christiane Vera Felscherinow. The soundtrack incorporates songs from several Bowie albums, including “Stay” (Station To Station, 1976), “Warszawa” (Low, 1977) “V-2 Schneider” (“Heroes”, 1977), and “Look Back In Anger” (Lodger, 1979.) Released on vinyl for the first time in 30 years, this fan favourite will be pressed on limited edition red vinyl and available exclusively at “brick and mortar” retail stores. The set includes Mark Adams’ original liner notes from the 2001 CD issue of the album.

Florence + The Machine/High As Hope

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. 2018 release, the fourth album from six-time Grammy-nominee Florence + the Machine. High As Hope is the sound of an artist who appears more certain than ever of herself. Florence writes about her teens and twenties with a renewed, more mature perspective: of growing up in South London, of family, relationships and art itself. Florence and the Machine formed in London in 2007, consisting of vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, and a collaboration of other musicians. The band’s music received praise across the media, especially from the BBC, which played a large part in their rise to prominence by promoting Florence and the Machine as part of BBC Introducing.

Jim James/Uniform Distortion

Vinyl LP pressing. 2018 release from the Grammy Award-nominated frontman of My Morning Jacket. “My head feels like it is exploding with the amount of information we are forced to consume on a daily basis, and how that information is so distorted there is almost no longer any tangible truth,” says James. “The name of my record is Uniform Distortion because I feel like there is this blanket distortion on society/media and the way we gather our ‘news and important information. More and more of us are feeling lost and looking for new ways out of this distortion and back to the truth… and finding hope in places like the desert where I write this now… finding hope in the land and in the water and in old books offering new ideas and most importantly in each other and love.”

Guns N Roses/Appetite For Destruction Deluxe Limited

APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION – 2LP 180-GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL EDITION:

First Ever Album Remaster from Original Analog Tapes

Original Album Expanded to 2-LPs for Maximum Audiophile Playback

Vinyl Cut from 192kHz 24-bit Remastered High-Resolution Audio

Limited Edition Foil Art Slipcase

Side 4 Extra Bonus: Hologroove Hologram of GNR Logo

Download Card Sticker for 44.1kHz 16-bit Digital Album

APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION: REMASTERED Produced by Mike Clink

Mixed by Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero

Fantastic Negrito/Please Don’t Be Dead

Vinyl LP pressing. There is desperation and urgency in Fantastic Negrito’s new album Please Don’t Be Dead. The record sees the Devil around the corner, and each song is a plea to make you aware of what’s waiting for you. The artist is screaming at you because he knows what comes next. The album art features a real life photograph of Fantastic Negrito waking up from a three week coma. His body is shattered, his eyes are staring past you. They’re staring at the darkness that awaits. But with his new album we hear the voice of an artist who put that darkness in the rearview. Now he’s asking America to do the same.

Madlib/Untinted: Sources For Madlib’s Shades Of Blue

As one of the most prolific hip hop producers of all time Madlib collaborated with different artists and recorded own songs under different pseudonyms. During his outstanding year 2003 he released the crown on his work, the remix album Shades of Blue. 180 gram audiophile vinyl
Original songs by Gene Harris & The Three Sounds, Donald Byrd’s “Distant Land” (previously unreleased track, now available on vinyl), Bobbi Humphrey, Wayne Shorter and more tracks by jazz icons
Tracks were the foundations of Madlib’s jazz-hip/hop album Shades Of Blue.

Nick Cave/Kings OST

Vinyl LP pressing. Kings is a 2018 crime drama film directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven (Mustang). Set in 1992, it follows Millie (Halle Berry), a woman living in South Central Los Angeles who takes in at-risk youths to live in her home. When the infamous Rodney King riots grip the city, Millie and her cavalcade of adoptees are thrust into the mounting chaos sprouting all around them. In time, they are forced into unlikely alliances in order to stay alive. Scoring duties for Kings fall to Nick Cave & Warren Ellis of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds fame. In recent years, they have become a force to be reckoned with in the world of soundtracks, thanks to their impressive work on films like Hell or High Water, Wind River, and the National Geographic series Mars. Cave and Ellis, the later a repeat Ergüven collaborator, pull from their rich history in the music world to deliver an unexpected score that immediately transports the listener to a specific place in time – the hot, angry streets of Los Angeles in the summer of 1992.

Joey Bada$$/1999

Seminal project from Joey Bada$$, never before available for retail sale, being released on vinyl and digital retailers for the first time.

Melody’s Echo Chamber/Bon Voyage

Bon Voyage is a collaborative record between Prochet and Dungen’s Reine Fiske and The Amazing’s Fredrik Swahn with Melody sculpting and producing the sessions as well as encouraging the players around her to experiment, often with instruments that might be less familiar to them. It also features special guests Gustav Esjtes and Johan Holmegaard (both from Dungen) and Nicholas Allbrook (Pond).

Sylvers/Sylvers 2

Vinyl LP pressing. Digitally remastered edition. This is masterpiece. And we mean it. Beautiful golden-era soul written by Leon Sylvers III produced by Jerry Butler and Keg Johnson. The Sylvers were a family from Los Angeles who were very successful during the ’70s and into the early ’80s with chart hits – deep into pop-disco territory by then! – including ‘Boogie Fever’ ‘Hot Line’ and ‘High School Dance’. This is the groups second album from 1973 and is one of their strongest. Opening with the awesome mid-tempo ‘We Can Make It If We Try’ the record moves through funk boogie and deep soul moods finishing on a hazy acapella version of The Beatles ‘Yesterday’. The Sylvers always provide a goldmine of samples. This album has been flipped by Madlib (for MF DOOM) Homeboy Sandman 50 Cent Ghostface Killah Black Milk Roc Marciano David Banner & 9th Wonder and more.

Shina Williams & His African Percussionists/African Dances

Vinyl LP pressing. Digitally remastered edition. First official reissue of the extremely rare full-length album by Lagos-based bandleader Shina Williams. Clean copies of the original currently sell for up to £500. The record was born in 1979 when Shina put Biddy Wright, Fred Fisher, Saliu Alabi, Prince Bola, Tutu Shoronmu, and several other decorated Nigerian musicians – who played with the likes of Fela Kuti, SJOB Movement, Sonny Okoson, King Bucknor amongst others – together to record. The result is African Dances, a timeless fusion of afrobeat, electronics, boogie and disco. Includes his most well-known song, ‘Agboju Logun’ that Williams knew was ground breaking – “I want to show the whole wide world that Africa is alive with modern musicians to reckon with anywhere

African Scream Contest 2

Vinyl LP. A great compilation can open the gate to another world. Who knew that some of the most exciting Afro-funk records of all time were actually made in the small West African country of Benin? Once Analog Africa released the first African Scream Contest in 2008, the proof was there for all to hear, gut-busting yelps, lethally welldrilled horn sections and irresistibly insistent rhythms added up to a record that took you into it’s own space with the same electrifying sureness as any favourite blues or soul or funk or punk sampler you might care to mention.

Aquabats/The Fury Of The Aquabats

Limited red vinyl colored vinyl LP pressing. 1997 was a glorious time for many reasons. One of those reasons is most definitely the release of the Aquabats opus, The Fury Of the Aquabats. The Aquabats were trailblazers on a path of world domination that no one has since dared to follow, and they remain at the peak of their creative mountain today which is one part punk, one part ska, one part Devo, and unparalleled in this universe in the genre of “family friendly monster destruction.”

Bad Religion/No Substance

Vinyl LP pressing. Bad Religion has become synonymous with intelligent and provocative West Coast punk rock and are considered one of the most influential and important bands in the genre. Over the past four decades the band has continually pushed social boundaries and questioned authority and beliefs armed only with propulsive guitars, charging drumbeats, thoughtful lyrics and an undying will to inspire and provoke anyone who will listen. Originally issued on Epitaph Records in 1998, No Substance was the band’s tenth studio effort overall and second release following guitarist Brett Gurewitz’s departure from the band (he would rejoin in 2001). Seen as a return to form for the band after the transitional The Gray Race, No Substance offers up tight and heady punk which touches on societal ills and world politics and still remains catchy as hell. Remastered from the original studio masters, bringing out a louder, more clear sound!

Charles Mingus/Candid Recordings Part One

Chebran Vol. 2 French Boogie

Def Leppard/Vault Greatest Hits 1980-1995

Double vinyl LP pressing. Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980-1995) is the first greatest hits album and the second compilation album by English hard rock band Def Leppard. The album was originally released in 1995 by Mercury Records. Vault went on to be certified gold in four countries, platinum in three and multi-platinum in two. The album is currently certified 4× platinum in the US by the RIAA. The album featured one newly recorded song, “When Love & Hate Collide”, which was released as a single. Def Leppard formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement. The band’s strongest commercial success came between the early 1980s and the early 1990s.

Alice Cooper/Trash

Limited 180gm red colored vinyl LP pressing housed in a gatefold sleeve. Known as the architect of shock-rock, Alice Cooper (in both the original Alice Cooper band and as a solo artist) has rattled the cages and undermined the authority of generations of guardians of the status quo, continuing to surprise fans and exude danger at every turn. After a parade of groundbreaking, hit filled albums throughout the ’70s Cooper explored different sounds in the ensuing decade ending the ’80s on a high note with the Desmond Child-produced pop-metal effort Trash (1989). His first hit album in years, the platinum certified collection yielded the signature singles “Poison” and “Bed of Nails,” and includes guest performances from Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Steve Lukather.

Upcoming Special Vinyl Releases: Run The Jewels, Prince and Father John Misty

Posted by Marion M Merritt on June 13, 2018

Posted in: Music, Music News, New Releases, Video. Tagged: father john misty, limited edition, prince, run the jewels, upcoming new vinyl special releases. Leave a comment

Run The Jewels/Stay Gold Smiff & Cash Remix Collection Red Vinyl

Run The Jewels ‘Stay Gold Smiff & Cash Remix Collection’ 12″ etched red vinyl with marvel varia drops 6.29.18. Very limited quantities available.

Prince/Piano & A Microphone

The announcement was made today, June 7, 2018, a day which marks the singer’s 60th birthday. Piano & A Microphone 1983 is set to feature a previously unreleased cassette recording of Prince at the piano at his home studio in Minnesota captured in 1983 and will be released on September 21, 2018. It will be a nine track, 35-minute album.

“This raw, intimate recording, which took place at the start of Prince’s career right before he achieved international stardom, is similar in format to the Piano & A Microphone Tour that he ended his career with in 2016,” said Prince Estate entertainment adviser Troy Carter. “The Estate is excited to be able to give fans a glimpse of his evolution and show how his career ultimately came full circle with just him and his piano.”

The private rehearsal provides a rare, intimate glimpse into Prince’s creative process as he worked through songs which include ’17 Days‘ and ‘Purple Rain’ (neither of which would be released until 1984), a cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘A Case Of You‘, ‘Strange Relationship‘ (not released until 1987 on his critically acclaimed Sign O’ The Times album), and ‘International Lover’.

The album also includes a rare recording of the 19th Century spiritual ‘Mary Don’t You Weep’, which will be featured during the end credits of Spike Lee’s BlacKKKlansman in cinemas August 2018. For fans of Prince’s spontaneous live medleys, tracks 1-7 of the album are presented in that same format as they were originally recorded.

Track Listing:

SIDE A:

1. Medley: 17 Days / Purple Rain / A Case Of You / Mary Don’t You Weep / Strange Relationship / International Lover / Wednesday

SIDE B:

1. Cold Coffee & Cocaine (Piano & A Microphone 1983 Version)

2. Why The Butterflies (Piano & A Microphone 1983 Version)

Recorded in 1983 at Prince’s Kiowa Trail home studio in Chanhassen, MN. Engineered by Don Batts.

The album cover photo captures a rare view of Prince backstage during the 1999 tour. The photo was taken by Prince’s trusted photographer and creative collaborator Allen Beaulieu who worked closely with Prince between 1979-1984. Allen’s work with Prince includes the cover shots for the Dirty Mind and Controversy albums and iconic promotional photos for the 1999 album.

The Deluxe CD+LP format will include a 12” booklet featuring brand new liner notes written by Prince’s then engineer Don Batts, as well as candid shots of Prince including never before seen photos.

Father John Misty/God’s Favorite Customer Loser Edition

We are expecting a very limited quantity of the Loser Edition of Father John Misty’s ‘God’s Favorite Customer.’ This will be a first come, first serve product.

Neko Case/Hell-On

Vinyl LP pressing. 2018 release. Producer/singer/songwriter Neko Case has won a large and loyal audience for her smoky, sophisticated vocals and the downcast beauty of her music. Now more than 23 years into her musical calling, Case is the consummate career artist-fearless and versatile, with a fierce work ethic and a constant drive to search deeper within herself for creative growth. Hell On is an indelible collection of colorful, enigmatic storytelling that features some of her most daring, through-composed arrangements to date. Produced by Neko with help from Bjorn Yttling (Peter Bjorn & John), Hell On is simultaneously the most accessible and most challenging album in a rich and varied career that’s offered plenty of both. Rife with withering self-critique, muted reflection, anthemic affirmation, and her unique poetic sensibility, the 12 tracks of Hell On – which features collaborations such as Joey Burns, Beth Ditto, Kelly Hogan, KD Lang, AC Newman, Paul Rigby, Laura Veirs, and more.

Brian Jonestown Massacre/Something Else

Vinyl LP pressing. Something Else is the first of two full-length offerings from The Brian Jonestown Massacre to be released in 2018 with a self-titled LP following in the fall. Recorded between 2017 and 2018, this is the prolific purveyors of drone-laden psychedelia’s seventeenth full-length release overall, a less experimental departure which finds the Anton Newcombe commandeered outfit revisiting their more traditional roots. Sure to please old and new fans alike, Something Else is introduced by lead cut “Hold That Thought,” a reflective acoustic pscyh number with pounding drums.

Father John Misty/God’s Favorite Customer

Vinyl LP pressing. God’s Favorite Customer (alternatively Mr. Tillman’s Wild Ride) is the fourth studio by American musician Josh Tillman, under the stage name Father John Misty. The album was primarily produced by Tillman himself, alongside a variety of collaborators including Jonathan Rado and previous engineers Trevor Spencer and Dave Cerminara, with further contributions by Tillman’s long-time producer Jonathan Wilson. It also features a variety of musical collaborators, including The Haxan Cloak, Weyes Blood, Mark Ronson and members of Tillman’s touring band. Maintaining a steady output of solo recordings since 2004, Tillman was a former member or toured with Demon Hunter, Saxon Shore, Fleet Foxes, Jeffertitti’s Nile, Pearly Gate Music, Siberian, Har Mar Superstar, Poor Moon, Low Hums, Jonathan Wilson,[10] Bill Patton, The Lashes, Stately English, and has toured extensively with Pacific Northwest artists Damien Jurado, Jesse Sykes, and David Bazan.

Mazzy Star/Still

Vinyl LP pressing. 2018 EP from the ethereal Americana duo, the first new music from the band since 2014. Includes 3 new tracks – “Quiet, The Winter Harbor”, “That Way Again” and “Still” – alongside an alternate version of ‘So Tonight That I Might See’ from their biggest album, of the same name from 1993. Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in Santa Monica, California, in 1989 from remnants of the group Opal. Founding member David Roback’s friend Hope Sandoval became the group’s vocalist when Kendra Smith left Opal. Roback and Sandoval are the creative center of the band, with Sandoval as lyricist and Roback as composer of the majority of the band’s material.

Tower of Power/Soul Side of Town

Vinyl LP pressing. Tower of Power, the most dynamic and distinctive band of survivors in soul music, roars into it’s 50th anniversary with a dynamic new LP of all new material. A labor of love, definitively titled Soul Side of Town, it’s charged with 14 filler-free songs, primarily composed by the hit-making team of founding members Emilio Castillo and Stephen Doc Kupka who also hold down the world famous five-man Tower of Power Horns. Along with the legendary rhythm section of David Garibaldi (drums) and Francis Rocco Prestia (bass), TOP is rounded out here by guitarist Jerry Cortez, Hammond B3 organist/keyboardist Roger Smith, tenor saxophonist Tom Politzer, and trumpeters Adolfo Acosta and Sal Cracchiolo. Soul Side of Town is also blessed with not one but two lead singers: Ray Greene and Marcus Scott (boldly introduced on several selections, including “Hangin With My Baby”). Co-produced by Joe Vannelli and mastered by Bernie Grundman.

Mobb Deep/Murda Muzik

Double vinyl LP pressing including digital download. Murda Muzik is the fourth studio album by Mobb Deep, which was released on August 17, 1999. It features one of the group’s best-known and most acclaimed songs, “Quiet Storm.” It is also the duo’s most commercially successful album to date, for shipping over one million copies in the United States and was certified platinum by the RIAA, debuting at #3 on the Billboard 200 charts. Murda Muzik also garnered positive reviews from The Source and Allmusic, among others. Mobb Deep was a hip hop music duo from the Queensbridge Houses in New York City. The group consisted of Havoc and Prodigy, and were known for their dark, hardcore delivery. Mobb Deep became one of the most successful rap duos in hip hop, having sold over three million records.

Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson/Apart

Vinyl LP pressing. 2018 release. Actress and singer Scarlett Johansson and American singer-songwriter Pete Yorn have returned with new music, following the duo’s 2009 release Break Up, which was certified platinum in France. The EP, titled Apart, features the new euphoric electro-pop single “Bad Dreams.” Apart features four new songs, including “Bad Dreams,” along with a reworking a song from Yorn’s 2016 album Arranging Time. Yorn said that the concept for their original collaboration was realized in a dream he had. The project was inspired by Serge Gainsbourg’s 1967 and 1968 albums with Brigitte Bardot. After their initial collaboration, Johansson went on to explore other musical outlets with supergroups like The Singles and Sugar For Sugar, but it’s to Yorn she returns.

The Neighbourhood/The Neighbourhood

Double 180gm vinyl LP pressing housed in gatefold jacket. Includes digital download. 2018 release. The Neighbourhood is the eponymous third album from the critically acclaimed LA based alternative rock band. This collection shows another dimension of The Neighbourhood’s music, and includes the tracks “Scary Love,” “Sadderdaze,” “You Get Me So High,” “Stuck With Me,” and “Void.” The Neighbourhood’s 2013 debut album, I Love You, catapulted the band to the top of the pop and alternative charts. Wiped Out!, The Neighbourhood’s sophomore album proved to be a swirling collection of R&B-infused rock, and once again rewrote the rules of what it means to be a rock band in the modern musical landscape. The Neighbourhood is Jesse Rutherford (vocals), Jeremy Freedman (guitar), Zach Abels (guitar), Mikey Margott (bass) and Brandon Fried (drums). Over the years, The Neighbourhood have proved themselves to be trendsetters through their musical and cultural output, taking The 1975, Travis Scott and Kevin Abstract on their first national tours.

Spacemen 3/Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To

Double vinyl LP pressing. Amidst the swirl that is Spacemen 3’s discography, Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To occupies a pivotal position – one right at the nexus between their garage beginnings and their expansionist future. While much of this material is expanded upon via Sound Of Confusion and The Perfect Prescription, many devotees consider these urgent, minimally treated recordings as the prime document of Spacemen 3 at this stage. Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To casts Spacemen 3 alongside the mid-80s cadre of UK front-line rockers, contributing a distinct variation of high pop shining through layered noisy guitars. Ultimately, this collection serves to exalt the strength of Spacemen 3’s songwriting over the atmospherics and production assemblage that would permeate their later efforts. Be it the rave-up rendering of “The Sound Of Confusion” or the churning take on “Losing Touch With My Mind”, these full band recordings capture the excited and inspirational spark of psychedelia rather than deep-dive ruminations on sonics and space.

Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore/Downey To Lubbock

DOWNEY TO LUBBOCK was born by immaculate inspiration from live shows Grammy winner Dave Alvin and Grammy nominee Jimmie Dale Gilmore performed together in 2017. Just the two of them were swapping songs and cutting up, each with a guitar and a heart full of soul, musicians who’ve been on the road their entire adult lives. The result is an album of blues, rock and folk inspired tunes that both of their fans will enjoy. The album contains 12 songs – 10 covers and two originals – and is destined to be a classic Americana album from two Americana legends.

Morcheeba/Blaze Away

Lilac Vinyl. British trip-hop pioneers Morcheeba return with their first new album in over five years. The band have released 8 albums that have sold in excess of 10 million records in their career. ‘Blaze Away’, their positivity-packed ninth album, marks both a fresh start in it’s organic approach and a return to the joyous genre-mashing of their early days, with featured guests Roots Manuva and Benjamin Biolay. There was no template for it’s ten, extraordinary, future-facing songs, no self-imposed limits on style, no themes to be adhered to or rules in place to break. Morcheeba’s global success is no surprise. Their melting pot sound has been border-hopping ever since the London-based band emerged from the mid-’90s trip hop scene that made them a household name. They’re about to embark on what’s shaping up to be their biggest world tour yet, taking in headline shows and festivals globally, and debuting new tracks from their upcoming record, as well as playing classics to the delight of their global fan base.

Oneohtrix Point Never/Age Of

Vinyl LP pressing. Age Of is Daniel Lopatin aka Oneohtrix Point Never’s most cohesive and richly composed work to date weaving a tapestry of disparate musical histories – early music, country and folk balladry, melodic pop, computer music and much, much more – demonstrating both the complexity and range of the artist’s repertoire. With sounds that are unsettlingly familiar and uniquely his own, Age Of guides us through an unclassifiable new world.

Maps & Atlases/Lightness Is Nothing New

Vinyl LP pressing. Dave Davison’s voice – a seasoned croon continually abandoned for a controlled yet penetrating howl – betrays the range of emotions he has faced in the six years since the band’s last release. In 2012, just before the launch of the acclaimed Beware and Be Grateful, Davison unexpectedly lost his father, his best friend. Grief took the form of inquiry: How can you reckon with the sudden death of someone whom, your entire life, was right beside you? How can you go on living in the unbridgeable gulf between the light and the dark, between the dark and the light? The title of Maps and Atlases’ new album, Lightlessness Is Nothing New, serves to foreshadow an emotionally and musically dynamic collection of songs that contemplates the jolt of loss and the strain of longing to music that, against our better judgment, makes us want to dance. In the brooding yet playful vein of The Talking Heads and Peter Gabriel, Maps and Atlases embrace the paradox of what it is to be human – constantly searching and, forever unsatiated, returning again and again with everlasting hope to the ever-darkening fray.

O’Jay’s/Ship Ahoy

Limited vinyl LP repressing in gatefold jacket. Includes digital download. Ship Ahoy is a soul/R&B album by Philadelphia trio The O’Jays, originally released on November 10, 1973 on Philadelphia International Records. The album was a critical and commercial success, reaching #1 on Billboard’s Black Albums chart and #11 on the Pop Albums chart and launching two hit singles, “For the Love of Money” and “Put Your Hands Together.” Conceived as a theme album built around the title track, Ship Ahoy includes socially relevant tracks and love songs under a cover that is itself notable for it’s serious subject matter. Ship Ahoy was the highest selling R&B album on the Billboard Year-End chart for 1974.

Royce Da 5’9″/Book of Ryan

Vinyl LP pressing. In the case of hip-hop’s legendary Detroit lyricist Royce 5’9″, you shut out all of the hype that places you in the same esteemed company as such revered, game-changing emcees as Jay-Z, Ice Cube, Eminem, Scarface, Nas, and Andre 3000 and release your most potent, celebratory and brazenly honest album of your 20-plus-year-career. Book of Ryan, the seventh solo studio project from the grinding rhyme visionary born Ryan Montgomery, is a work that defies well-worn, grizzled veteran rap clichés. This is the sound of artistic freedom.

Damien Rice/ O

An expanded double-LP version of Damien Rice’s album O has been set for release via Rhino Records. O, originally released in the summer of 2002, was one of the last albums to build a true word-of-mouth following before widespread streaming. The Guardian wrote, “Rice’s personality and deft songwriting hoist him above the mass of bedsit mumblers… at it’s best, O is gorgeous and understated, never too introverted to include a lovely melody.” This is the first time O will be available on vinyl and this extended 16-track edition includes four additional recordings: “The Professor & La Fille Danse” and “Moody Mooday,” which were both originally b-sides to the “The Blower’s Daughter”; “Lonelily,” which appeared also appeared alongside the track “Moody Mooday” as a limited edition 7″ single in 2004; and “Woman Like A Man,” which was recorded live in a session at Galway Bay FM and was the lead track for the song’s single release.

The Flaming Lips/Greatest Hits Vol. 1

Limited vinyl LP pressing. 2018 release. This is the first time The Lips have presented singles from Transmissions From The Satellite Heart (1993), Clouds Taste Metallic (1995), The Soft Bulletin (1999), Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (2002), At War With The Mystics (2006), Embryonic (2009) and their current album Oczy Mlody (2017). The Flaming Lips (Wayne Coyne, Steven Drozd and Michael Ivins), formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983 have since become one of the most iconic, influential, unpredictable and vital forces in American rock music. During their tenure, their ever-evolving, Grammy Award-winning sound has become a genre unto itself and contains lush, multi-layered arrangements. Lyrically, their compositions reflect the light and dark in all of us and combined with bold experimental production that breathes life into their space-age-prog, punk pop that appeal to broad spectrum of music lovers around the globe.

Jerry Garcia/Run For The Roses

Vinyl LP pressing. Originally released in 1982, Run for the Roses is Jerry Garcia’s fourth and final solo studio album. Produced by Garcia and John Kahn the track list includes several new Garcia/Hunter originals including the title track, “Midnight Getaway” plus choice covers of Bob Dylan and The Beatles among others. Run for the Roses features the first appearance by organist Melvin Seals who remained with Garcia for the next 15 years. The album artwork was created by legendary psychedelic visual artist Victor Moscoso. Jerry Garcia was best known for his work as the lead guitarist and as a vocalist with the band Grateful Dead, which came to prominence during the counterculture era in the 1960s. Although he disavowed the role, Garcia was viewed by many as the leader or “spokesman” of the group.

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Faze Action/Under The Influence Vol. Six: Collection of Rare Soul and Disco

Chuck Jackson/Best Of The Wand Years

Although Chuck Jackson had eight solo LPs on Wand, there has never been a greatest hits compilation derived from all of that fine label’s recordings, until now. First known to the original mods as a singer of superb ballads such as ‘Any Day Now’ and ‘Tell Him I’m Not Home’, he attracted a loyal following and further releases such as ‘I Keep Forgetting’, ‘Beg Me’ and ‘Hand It Over’ demonstrated the depth of his and Wand’s talents on uptempo tracks. Somewhere in between rhythmically were highlights such as ‘Two Stupid Feet’, an album-only track, and Jackson’s Wand debut that first made his name in the USA, ‘I Don’t Want To Cry’. By the mid-60s it was back to ballads as a stunning reading of the Skyliners’ ‘Since I Don’t Have You’ charted, followed closely by Goffin and King’s ‘I Need You’. These two sold well so it is surprising that the superb version of the Van McCoy song ‘I Don’t Want To See You Cry’ was never released. Vee-Jay released Jerry Butler’s version on 45 in 1965, but Jackson’s rendition tops even that. Moving with the times, in 1965 Wand took Chuck to Detroit for ‘Good Things Come To Those Who Wait’ which, like ‘Chains Of Love’, became firm favourites on the early Northern Soul scene, while being largely ignored in the States. Those rare soul fans rekindled their appreciation of all things Chuck in the late 80s when UK Kent Records unearthed unissued Wand recordings. They included ‘What’s With This Loneliness’ and ‘(I’d Be A) Millionaire’ which filled dancefloors with new recruits and older originals who appreciated the easier pace and more soulful delivery of these gems. The compilation is crowned with a brilliant studio publicity shot of Chuck on the cover which captures both the majesty of his singing and the era.

Featured Vinyl New Releases 3.23.18: Jack White, The Wailers, Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Eccentric Soul, Miles & Trane, Lisse, Guided By Voices, Kim Byoung Duk, Erika Wennerstrom, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Rory Gallagher and More/Stream Samples

Posted by Marion M Merritt on March 23, 2018

Posted in: Music, Music News, New Releases, Video. Tagged: bob marley, cavern of anti-matter, damon edge, eric dolpy, erika wennerstrom, featured vinyl new releases, francois bayle, grateful dead, guided by voices, jack white, kim byoung duk, led zeppelin, lissie, merritone records, miles david & john coltrane, monster magnet, philip glass, porno for pyros, preoccupations, primitive guitar & banjo, rory gallagher, saru label, sidi toure, spiritual front, squirrel nut zippers, sunflower bean, the sword, wynton marsalis. Leave a comment

Jack White/Boarding House Reach

BOARDING HOUSE REACH is the new solo album from Jack White, and is a testament to the breadth of the artist’s creative power and his bold artistic ambition. This new material finds Jack White expanding his musical palate with perhaps his most ambitious work thus far, a collection of songs that are simultaneously timeless and modern. Written and conceived while holed up in a spartan apartment with literally no outside world distractions, White exclusively used the same kind of gear he had when he was 15 year

BOARDING HOUSE REACH was produced by Jack White III and recorded at Third Man Studio in Nashville, TN, Sear Sound in New York, NY, and Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, CA. The album was mixed by Bill Skibbe, Joshua V. Smith, and White at Third Man Studio in Nashville, TN. The album features White on vocals, acoustic and electric guitars and drums, organ, and synthesizers. He’s backed by a remarkable new lineup of musicians that includes: drummer Louis Cato (Beyoncé, Q-Tip, John Legend, Mariah Carey), bassist.

Bob Marley and The Wailers/Ultimate Wailers Box

Five vinyl LP pressing. A gorgeous vinyl box set featuring the early ’70s recordings of reggae legend Bob Marley performing with the group that launched not only his own career but also put the Jamaican music scene on the world stage, The Wailers! These historic recordings include the Lee Scratch Perry produced Small Axe, Mr. Brown, Soul Rebel, Natural Mystic and many more! Packaged with extensive liner notes by music historian Dave Thompson and photos by Barry Plummer in a full color 12×12 booklet PLUS four bonus postcards!

Lissie/Castles

Vinyl LP pressing. 2018 release, the fourth album from the singer/songwriter. A powerful combination of heartfelt introspection and contemporary dream-pop, Lissie’s Castles marks the return of a singular voice in the modern American scene. Includes ‘Blood And Muscle’. Stripped back to one voice and it’s simple, yet poignant piano accompaniment, ‘Blood And Muscle’ allows Lissie’s vocals to soar, as she summons the strength to laugh at the dark. ‘Blood And Muscle’ serves as a perfect distillation of the spirit of self-determination that courses through all of Castles. No longer willing to stand back and cede her power to others, Lissie is unafraid to finally, and boldly state her dreams and desires: I want a love that’s made of blood and muscle.

Sidi Touré/Toubalbero

Previous Sidi Touré albums were recorded in a modest tin-roofed studio in Bamako. The recording sessions have to be timed around Mali’s rainy season due to the noise from the rain pelting the roof. Toubalbero was recorded over the course of four days at Studio Bogolan, one of the best in Mali where artists that include Ali Farka Touré, Rokia Traoré, Toumani Diabate and Björk have recorded. The album was recorded by Yaya Cissé and produced by Nicolas “Covalesky” Richard. The songs were recorded live to tape in order to capture the energy of the performance. The album was also mixed entirely live by Jason Meagher at Black Dirt Studio (Steve Gunn, Jack Rose). The approach mirrored the live mix of a performance. Much as mixes by the great King Tubby, it retains all the joy and energy of a gig.

The songs are steeped in Malian culture and traditions. “Hendjero Moulaye” (the slippery fish) is a whimsical cautionary tale not unlike the western folksy idiom “don’t count your chickens before they’ve hatched.” In this, we hear of the perils of a man who bragged about his very big fish while on the way to catch it, warning to not sell your fish before you get it from the river. “BK” is an homage to Baba Belkatras, a legend of Songhai music. “Tchirey” is about the kings of the Holleys, the djinn of thunder. For Sidi, it is a call for help from Marou Tchirey for the Songhai people. Sidi wrote this song in 1984 and it won the Bamako Biennale. It was the first time that Vaudou (possession) Songhai songs were played with non-traditional instruments. There are songs of love: “DJiribi Mardjie,” and “Handaraïzo” (the small star), and of family: “Hannah” (the vigil for a newborn) and “Sitiali Boubou” (honoring the ancestor). Perhaps the song that captures the spirit of the album most clearly is “Heyyeya,” an expression to describe a shout of joy. It is based on a Songhai folklore song about the joy of a new marriage. It is a celebration of the beauty of this moment of pure happiness.

Sidi Touré’s Toubalbero is an exuberant and irresistible call out for unity and peace for Malians and Africans. Much like the drum that gathers folks in Goa, this album’s aim is to unite through joyous expression for the greater good of all. Unity is strength and joy is unstoppable.

Monster Magnet/Mindfu**ker

Limited double silver vinyl LP pressing. 2018 release. Monster Magnet put the pedal to the metal with Mindf***er, their 11th record. In terms of power driven stoner rock these gentlemen from New Jersey belong to the measure of all things. But Mindf***er is different, a step forward and a step back at the same time to the almighty roots of beat music. Dave manipulates his guitar with rich virility and the drive of his shifty soul. Wyndorf seeks and finds: Timeless songs, kindled by the unpretentious Proto-punk era. Mindf***er pumps and scratches at every turn! Dave fires off piercing calls over neck-breaking guitar work and whirlwinds of psychedelic solos. All things are in constant motion with a sound of groovy straightforwardness, always heading for the essence of “the” song. “Why you gonna f*** with my head?”, screams Wyndorf their credo in the title track. Up tempo, savage in both sound and spirit, Mindf***er is the real deal!

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Miles Davis & John Coltrane/The Final Tour, Copenhagen March 24,1960

Vinyl LP pressing including digital download. Showcasing the musical chemistry shared by Miles and Trane and let’s fans experience the magic of both artists at the peak of their collective powers. Miles and Trane each implemented their own jazz revolutions at the time of these concerts and the electrifying sonic frisson produced by the sometimes competing/sometimes intertwining music visions of these artists perplexed contemporary jazz fans. As quoted by music historian Ashley Kahn, “it’s not that the band members were so much apart, but rather that each were more themselves within the same unit – that divergence could co-exist and make music together”. Focuses on the final chapter in the landmark collaboration between Davis and Coltrane – their last live performances together.

Wynton Marsalis Septet/United We Swing

Double vinyl LP pressing. Recorded between 2003 and 2007, United We Swing finds an unparalleled array of musical talent that collectively boasts 94 Grammy Awards joining Jazz at Lincoln Center Managing and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis (a nine-time Grammy Award winner himself) and his Septet. Together, they perform blues-inflected versions of iconic American repertoire and celebrate the red, white, and Blues. These one-night-only, live performances have never been released before. They include Lenny Kravitz performing Marsalis’s hypnotizing, New Orleans-inflected arrangement of Kravitz’s own song, “Are You Gonna Go My Way”; Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks uniting for a stirring, infectious take on Civil Rights anthem “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free”; Bob Dylan adding harmonica licks to a deeply felt, in-the-pocket rendition of “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry”; and Ray Charles taking the stage for one of his final performances to play “I’m Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town.” Together these artists raise their voices to highlight jazz’s importance to America’s cultural heritage and to remind us that, even in divided times, music can unite us all. All proceeds from the album will go toward Jazz at Lincoln Center’s education programs, which introduce thousands of children to jazz each year.

Led Zeppelin/How The West Was Won (Limited Remaster)

Led Zeppelin continue their reissue campaign with a new edition of their celebrated live album How The West Was Won, originally released in 2003, featuring newly remastered audio, which was done under the supervision of Jimmy Page.HOW THE WEST WAS WON highlights the best performances from Led Zeppelin’s legendary concerts at the Los Angeles Forum and Long Beach Arena on June 25 and 27, 1972. Melded together and sequenced to replicate a single concert from beginning to end, the four-LP collection captures the band at the height of its formidable powers. Standouts include a 25-plus minute version of “Dazed And Confused” and a 21-minute medley based around “Whole Lotta Love.” The performances also capture the band introducing songs from its then-unreleased album Houses Of The Holy, which would be released nine months later.

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Thousand Incarnations Of The Rose: American Primitive Guitar & Banjo 1963-74

Various Artists – “Thousand Incarnations Of The Rose: American Primitive Guitar & Banjo” The Thousand Incarnations Of The Rose: American Primitive Guitar and Banjo (1963-1974) celebrates the groundbreaking, inventive approach to traditional music brought forward by a collection of maverick artists whose interpretations of folk, blues, and traditional song gave rise to one of American music’s most unique and singular styles. Features John Fahey, Leo Kottke, Robbie Basho, and more.

Philip Glass & Bojan Goriśek/Etudes For Piano 11-20

Stimming X Lambert/Exodus

Stimming and Lambert present Exodus, their debut as a duo, released on the new Berlin based Kryptox. Stimming is one of the main names in German advanced techno. He first appeared to the public with cooperations with David August and Solomun on Diynamic records. Later he created orchestral techno works and he is now one of the leading names in his genre. Lambert is one of the rising stars of German neo-classical music, often called the “pianoman with the mask”. After three albums – some recorded with a little help from Nils Frahm – he is selling out venues all over Europe. Together Stimming and Lambert create a new approach to postmodern, romantic, and kraut-y electronica mixed with classical piano elements. Kryptox is the new label for neo-jazz/kraut/classical music by Gomma and Toy Tonics founder Mathias Munk Modica. 180 gram vinyl.

Preoccupations/New Material

Guided By Voices/Space Gun

Vinyl LP pressing. In 2018, Guided by Voices release precisely one new album, Space Gun. Once you hear it, you will know why. With a renowned work ethic and a daily pot of coffee, Robert Pollard continues to outclass younger generations of come-and-go rock bands. After 20+ years, 100+ albums, 2000+ songs, Pollard still can’t really explain (or doesn’t want to explain) his secret: “The songs just come to me.” In 2017, the new GBV line-up (veterans Doug Gillard and Kevin March and newcomers Mark Shue and Bobby Bare Jr) blew audiences away and toured behind the ambitious and sprawling multi-vocalist double album August By Cake, followed just months later by the concise punchy and catchy How Do You Spell Heaven. Pollard has acknowledged that this line-up’s adroit talents pushes him to more daring and dizzying heights. And now, here it comes: Space Gun, the fullest realization yet of Pollard’s song talents, with the band firing on all cylinders. There’s humor and whimsical childlike musings, cinematic grace and elegance, heavy duty propulsion, dark futuristic undercurrents, twists and turns and kinetic magic. This is a band that turns on a dime, rips it up, psychs it out and can radically shape-shift to realize a three-act rock opera in 2 minutes and 48 seconds. Robert Pollard is a lyrical master; not a word out of place, every line bristling with surprise, telling a story that’s both irresistible and impossible. Invention and imagination remain the undiminished life-forces of a Guided by Voices record and this one absolutely crackles with this energy: this band is on fire.

Squirrel Nut Zippers/Beasts Of Burgundy

Wanderers, boogiers, strangers – unite! The end is nigh and the beginning is in sight. These are troubled times, easy to get you down. But not if you seek refuge in loftier sounds! This year has the Squirrel Nut Zippers roaming the lands, warding off evil, telling sweet lies, and making a joyful racket on wax and on wheels. Twelve original new songs from the mind of Jimbo Mathus and the Squirrel Nut Zippers. This is the band’s first studio album in 18 years. A return to form… a revival not a reunion.

Erika Wennerstrom/Sweet Unknown

2018 release. Sweet Unknown is the debut album from Heartless Bastards front-woman, Erika Wennerstrom, and will be released March 23, 2018. NPR describes Wennerstrom’s voice as “warm yet gritty, throaty yet sweet, gigantic yet intimate… a mix of country-rock twang, classic-rock heroics and restless ambition that’s not afraid to incorporate psychedelia, indie rock and pure pop songcraft.”

Kim Byoung Duk/Experiment X

Vinyl LP pressing. Growing up in the bustling port city of Busan and running his own record shop there from the late ’70s, Kim Byoung Duk had a front-row seat to the finest in foreign record imports and a taste for the psychedelic that naturally evolved into spiritual, ambient and avant-garde sounds. His growing interest in Tao philosophy and the meditative music that accompanied it provided a fertile environment for his audio imagination. Unhampered by limited access to musical gear, he made use of a wide assortment of self-sourced pots of various sizes and curvature, cymbals, wooden sculpted flutes and percussion tools-each chosen for it’s unique harmonic vibration-to create an entirely new and unique body of work. Experiment No. X retraces the oeuvre of Kim Byoung Duk, assembling tracks from Experiment No. 2, Pot Concerto and New Trilogy, illustrating a meditative journey from the freeness of the Tao sound, in the borders of ambient music and the avant-garde, to later groove-oriented jams which introduce rhythmic elements to the palate. This fully licensed release is the first collection of Kim Byoung Duk’s music, remastered from the original tapes and including for the first time on vinyl songs from the very scarce CD New Morning. Includes four-page booklet with photographs and an interview from Kim’s personal archives.

Eccentric Soul/The Saru Label

Eccentric Soul: The Saru Label The 20th volume of our flagship Eccentric Soul series has all the boxes checked: Gun-toting, skip-tracing record producers, child stars, rip-offs, the “World’s Greatest Bail Bondsman,” swindles, soaring falsettos, and a dwindling rust-belt cityscape offering mere glimpses of hope before the record industry escaped for the coasts. Helmed by the O’Jays Bobby Massey, Saru was a creative vortex that pulled Cuyahoga County’s greatest talent in, making a strong case for Cleveland to contend with Detroit, Philly, and Memphis as America’s soul music’s capital. Includes obscure and unknown sides from the Out of Sights, the Elements, Pandella Kelly, David Peoples, Sir Stanley, the Ponderosa Twins + 1, Ba-Roz, Bobby Dukes, and of course, the O’Jays. VINYL LP

Cavern Of Anti-Matter/Hormone Lemonade

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Spiritual Front/Armageddon Gigolo

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing in gatefold sleeve. Digitally remastered edition of this 2006 album. Spiritual Front is a five-part neofolk act from Rome. It’s members describe their music as “nihilistsuicide pop”, although elements of neoclassical and rock music, melancholic folk, as well as tango are prevalent, along with a recurring experimental feel. From dark, wailing experimental folk in the beginning, the sound began to transform and grow, to where it is now compared to the work of Nick Cave, Swans, and Scott Walker. The group’s work has been described as crossing a wide variety of genres and musical styles or traditions, and the band itself is considered highly unique among the modern neofolk and post-industrial scenes in Europe.

Porno For Pyros/Porno For Pyros “Good God Surge”

Vinyl LP pressing. Good God’s Urge is the second and final release from Porno for Pyros, the Los Angeles-based alternative rock band featuring former Jane’s Addiction members Perry Farrell and Stephen Perkins. The album features performances by legendary bassists Mike Watt and Flea, as well as former Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro. The 1996 album was never released on vinyl, making this the first ever commercial pressing, 20 years later. There were three singles released from the album.

Francois Bayle/Tremblements

Vinyl LP pressing. François Bayle on Tremblement de terre très doux (1978); first performance on March 19, 1979 at the Grand Auditorium of Radio-France, Ina-GRM’s Cycle Acousmatique: “The familiar generates the strange. These rolls, these hums, these sudden rushes; this song, these peaceful circlings; these sudden outbursts, these returns to quiescence – what do they remind us of? This piece’s trajectory could also be a representation of the dramatic unfolding of a day – of a life – from sunrise (‘Climate 1’) to night-time (‘Landscape 4’) via restless encounters, transitions (‘Transit 1’, ‘2’, and ‘3’) that announce the drama climaxing in ‘Landscape 3’, before reaching it’s denouement in “Climate 4″… A whole concrete ‘story’. The subterranean properties inherent to listening gently shift our ideas…”

Grateful Dead/Best Of Live Vol. 2

Double vinyl LP pressing. The Best of The Grateful Dead Live: 1969-1977 – Vol 1. Rock’s longest, strangest trip, Grateful Dead, was the psychedelic era’s most beloved musical ambassadors as well as it’s most enduring survivors. They spread their message of peace, love, and mind-expansion across the globe throughout three decades. The group had popular music’s most fervent and celebrated fan following – the Dead Heads, whose numbers and devotion were legendary in their own right. Grateful Dead was the ultimate cult band, creating a self-styled universe all their own. The Dead became superstars solely on their own terms as tie-dyed pied pipers whose epic, free-form live shows were rites of passage for an extended family of listeners who knew no cultural boundaries.

The Sword/Used Future

Vinyl LP pressing including digital download. 2018 release, the sixth album from the Austin, Texas-based metal band. After worldwide touring and critical acclaim on High Country, The Sword returns with Used Future. Produced, recorded and mixed by Tucker Martine and Recorded at Flora Recording and Playback, Portland, OR. Includes the single ‘Deadly Nightshade’. The Sword formed in 2003. During it’s early career, The Sword was categorized primarily as a doom metal band, with the group’s members citing bands including Black Sabbath and Sleep as influences. In recent years, the group’s style has generally been classified as hard rock or stoner rock. The Sword has toured with a wide range of fellow rock and metal artists since it’s formation, including Metallica, Lamb of God and Clutch, and in recent years has also headlined it’s own tours.

Damon Edge/Alliance

“Limited edition vinyl pressing of this classic 1985 debut solo album from Chrome founder Damon Edge pressed on both crimson and clear vinyl!

Sunflower Bean/ Twentytwo In Blue

Vinyl LP pressing. 2018 release, the sophomore album from the NY-based alt-rock band. While the trio remains a guitar band at it’s core, new and different textures shine on this album. Sunflower Bean’s diverse sound has allowed them to tour alongside DIIV, Best Coast, Pixes and Wolf Alice. New York is still home to bands as varied as Sunflower Bean, whose music suggests what might have happened if psychedelia had emerged after punk and the Police rather than before – Jon Pareles of The New York Times. Sunflower Bean consists of Nick Kivlen (lead guitar and vocals), Jacob Faber (drums), and Julia Cumming (bass and lead vocals).

And:

Various Artists/Merritone Rock Steady 3:Bang Bang Rock Steady

Rory Gallagher/Irish Tour ’74

Rory Gallagher/Calling Card

Eric Dolphy/In Europr

David Byrne/American Utopia

Vinyl LP pressing. 2018 release from the veteran singer/songwriter and former Talking Heads frontman. American Utopia fits hand-in-hand with Byrne’s vision for his series Reasons To Be Cheerful, named for the song by the late Ian Dury. Over the last year, Byrne has been collecting stories, news, ideas, and other items that all either embody or identify examples of things that inspire optimism, such as a tech breakthrough, a musical act, a new idea in urban planning or transportation-something seen, heard, or tasted. Just as the album questions the current state of society while offering solace through song, the content of the series recognizes the darkness and complexity of today while showcasing alternatives to the despair that threatens us. – While David Byrne has collaborated on joint releases with Eno, Norman Cook (AKA Fatboy Slim), and most recently St. Vincent over the past decade, American Utopia is Byrne’s first solo album since, 2004’s Grown Backwards, also on Nonesuch. American Utopia morphed during the writing and recording process, beginning with longtime collaborator Eno, and eventually growing to include collaboration with producer Rodaidh McDonald (The xx, King Krule, Sampha, Savages) alongside a diverse cast of creative contributors including Daniel Lopatin (AKA Oneohtrix Point Never), Jam City, Thomas Bartlett (St. Vincent producer, AKA Doveman), Jack Peñate, and others. The album was recorded in New York City at David’s home studio, Reservoir Studios, Oscilloscope, XL Studios, and Crowdspacer Studio and in London at Livingston Studio 1.

Anna von Hausswolff/Dead Magic

“Dear listeners.
Me, my band and Randall Dunn spent 9 days in Copenhagen recording this record. The great pipe organ you’re hearing is a 20th century instrument located in Marmor Kirken, “The Marble Church”, Copenhagen.

Here is a poem for you by the Swedish writer Walter Ljungquist (1900-1974):

”Take the fate of a human being, a thin pathetic line that contours and encircles an infinite and unknown silence. It is in this very silence, in an only imagined and unknown centre, that legends are born. Alas! That is why there are no legends in our time. Our time is a time deprived of silence and secrets; in their absence no legends can grow.”

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats/Tearing At The Seams

Deluxe double 180gm vinyl LP pressing including bonus seven inch single. 2018 release. Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats make their long-awaited return with Tearing At The Seams, a staggering album of rock ‘n’ soul music. Propelled by driving rhythms, blazing hornplay, and Rateliff’s rowdy, soul drenched vocals, Tearing At The Seams’ 12 tracks crackle with emotion and intensity. From anguished sorrow to ecstatic heights, Rateliff’s expressive tenor is unvarnished on the record’s tender R&B ballads and nitro-fueled rave-ups. Features “Be There,” “A Little Honey,” “Say It Louder,” “Hey Mama,” “Babe I Know,” “You Worry Me,” the title track and more. Nathaniel Rateliff is a singer and songwriter based in Denver, whose influences are described as folk, Americana and vintage rhythm & blues.

Young Fathers/Cocoa Sugar

Limited Edition, Colored Vinyl, Red, Indie Exclusive, Digital Download Card. In November 2017, Young Fathers announced that they’d completed work on a new album. The trio – Alloysious Massaquoi, Graham ‘G’ Hastings and Kayus Bankole – marked the news by previewing a brand new song, ‘Lord’ and a subsequent accompanying video. Just like their previous standalone 2017 single ‘Only God Knows’ (written for the Trainspotting T2 film and described by director Danny Boyle as “the heartbeat of the film”), ‘Lord’ provided an enticing glimpse of what to expect from Young Fathers’ third full album; something typically unique and exhilarating, but leaner, more muscular and self-assured than ever before.

Today, Young Fathers announce full details of that album. Titled Cocoa Sugar, the twelve track album will be released on 9th March 2018 via Ninja Tune and follows the group’s previous two albums; 2014’s Mercury Prize-winning DEAD and 2015’s White Men Are Black Men Too. Written and recorded throughout 2017 in the band’s basement studio and HQ, Cocoa Sugar sees Young Fathers operating with a newfound clarity and direction, and is without doubt their most confident and complete statement to date.

N.E.R.D./No_One Ever Really Dies

Double colored vinyl LP pressing including digital download. No_One Ever Really Dies is the 2017 album from N.E.R.D, and their first album since 2010. This album includes the hit single “Lemon” (featuring Rihanna). Other guest artists include Kendrick Lamar, Future, Andre’ 3000, M.I.A., Gucci Mane, and Ed Sheeran. N.E.R.D is an American funk rock band. Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo were signed by Teddy Riley to Virgin Records as a duo, The Neptunes. After producing songs for several artists throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, the production duo formed the band with Shay Haley as a side project of The Neptunes in 1999.

Mia Dyson/If I Said Only So Far, I Take It Back

Vinyl LP pressing. 2018 release from the Australian singer/songwriter. If I Said Only So Far I Take It Back was recorded at Portside Sound in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Produced by Ben Tanner (Alabama Shakes) and Dyson’s longtime drummer Erin “Syd” Sidney, If I Said Only So Far I Take It Back adds a stylistic unpredictability to her soulful, introspective strain of rock music. Mia Dyson has previously released five studio albums: Cold Water (May 2003), Parking Lots (April 2005), Struck Down (August 2007), The Moment (August 2012) and Idyllwild (June 2014).

They Might Be Giants/I Like Fun

Vinyl LP pressing. 2018 release. They Might Be Giants is back! The Brooklyn originals can’t stop and won’t stop, with 2018 already destined to be one of their most magnificent and productive years to date. Thirty-five years deep into their epic career, they release I Like Fun. The fifteen-track album was produced with and mixed by Patrick Dillett (St. Vincent, David Byrne, Mary J. Blige, The National, Donald Fagen) and recorded at Reservoir Studios (the former Skyline Studios where TMBG recorded their platinum album Flood). The lead track, ‘I Left My Body’, is a prime slice of the power They Might Be Giants commands. Hyper-melodic, fresh, and ever rocking, They Might Be Giants formidable live lineup enjoys a reputation for delivering one of the best shows around, and this album is a real showcase for that musical energy. I Like Fun jumps with surprises, vitality, and the startling, singular point of view TMBG always delivers.

Elephant9/Greatest On Earth

LP version. It’s not often a “jazz” band take the big step from the club scene to a 1300 capacity rock venue like Oslo’s Rockefeller. But then again, Elephant9 is not your ordinary jazz band. Often being named Norway’s best live band – surely quite rare for an instrumental band – they are equally popular in jazz and rock circles. On Greatest Show On Earth, their fifth studio album, Elephant9 is back to the core trio of their first two albums; Ståle Storløkken, Nikolai Hængsle, and Torstein Lofthus, three of Norway’s finest musicians. The Greatest Show On Earth displays some truly astonishing playing and is a more dynamic, structured and focused album with all tracks clocking in around the six-minute mark. It’s also very much a trio effort where all members are equal, and not only a vehicle for a soloist. Ståle Storløkken (keyboards) is widely considered the most inventive keyboard player on the Norwegian scene, his playing with bands like Supersilent, Humcrush, Motorpsycho, Terje Rypdal, and countless others being firm testament to this. Nikolai Hængsle (bass) is since long a member of popular rock group Big Bang as well as Ketil Møster’s quartet Møster!, Needlepoint, and Band Of Gold. Torstein Lofthus (drums) is probably the most in demand session drummer in Norway.

Albert Hammond Jr./Francis Trouble

Vinyl LP pressing. 2018 release from the singer, songwriter and musician best known as the guitarist in The Strokes. Albert Hammond Jr’s fourth solo album Francis Trouble explores a deeply personal topic – the stillborn death of his twin brother, Francis, and the lingering effects that event has had in his life and music. Albert is the son of singer/songwriter Albert Hammond (It Never Rains In Southern California). Hammond Jr. Released his debut album Yours To Keep in 2006 and followed up with Cómo Te Llama in 2008 and his EP, AHJ in 2013. His third solo album, Momentary Masters, was released on July 31, 2015.

Milt Jackson & John Coltrane/Bags & Trane

Double 180gm vinyl LP pressing housed in a Stoughton case-wrapped gatefold jacket. Mastered at 45rpm from the original master tapes by Bernie Grundman. This reissue presents this heralded release in exacting sound, with the instruments given full range and true-to-life imaging that takes you right into New York City’s Atlantic Recording Studios when the pieces were recorded in January 1959. Vibraphonist Milt Jackson and sax virtuoso John Coltrane recorded just once together, and it makes one wish they reunited for more. Collaborating with Hank Jones, Paul Chambers, and Connie Kay, the headliners go for broke, expanding the parameters of two Jackson originals and three standards. This audiophile-grade reissue presents the recording in exacting sound, taking you right into NYC’s Atlantic Recording Studios when the pieces were recorded in January 1959.

TheLangleySchoolsMusicProjectInnocence&Despair

Various Artists/The Langley Schools Music Project

Vinyl LP pressing. Replicas of the two rare and highly sought 1976 & 1977 LPs that have captivated the world, inspired a VH-1 documentary, a feature -lm and broadway musical (School of Rock) and the soundtrack for Spike Jones’ Where the Wild Things Are. The Langley Schools Music Project is a 60 voice chorus of rural school children from western Canada singing the songs of The Beach Boys, Paul McCartney, David Bowie and many more. Captured in the school gymnasium, the recordings were never meant for commercial release but were pressed on LP for the students, family and friends.

Awate/Happiness

With infectious melodies and razor sharp bars, rapper Awate flows over psychedelic funk by producer Turkish on debut album Happiness. The rapper, producer, and MOBO supported artist weaves together stories from Maiden Lane Estate in Camden and his refugee experience to build on his reputation as one of London’s most visionary artistic forces. Happiness was written and recorded on bail over a two-year period while Awate was on bail for four cases which he was eventually cleared. Honing his craft from the age of 12, he made a name for himself at the legendary hip-hop spot, Deal Real at the age of 15. Awate learned from mentors such as Poisonous Poets rappers, Stylah and Lowkey, BBC 1Xtra’s DJ Semtex and one of his heroes, Yasiin Bey. As a refugee from Eritrea via Saudi Arabia, Awate’s lyrics are a complex train of thought on subjects like self-esteem, racism, pride, and class. Building a reputation as an electrifying and engaging live performer, Awate has toured worldwide with Lowkey since 2010 and has supported the likes of Jay Electronica, Ghetts, Big Daddy Kane, and Blackstar (Mos Def and Talib Kweli). He has also headlined and performed regularly at The Roundhouse as a resident artist at the iconic venue. Awate’s long-awaited first release, 2016’s Shine Ancient EP was premiered on Complex with features on Noisey, Huck, AFROPUNK, OkayAfrica, and premieres on BBC 6 Music with Gilles Peterson, Jamie Kennedy on Radio X as well as support from DJ MK and Shortee Blitz on KISS. RIYL: Chris Franck, Turkish.

Moose Blood/Don’t Think I Can Do This Anymore

Limited vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket. Includes digital download. 2018 release. British rockers Moose Blood have brought emo back to the mainstream, blending thoughtful lyricism with guitar-driven choruses. Expounding on their success of 2016’s Blush, the quartet have gotten even more miserable for their full-length I Don’t Think I Can Do This Anymore.

SunRa&HisAstro-IhnfinityArkestraSunEmbassy

Sun Ra & His Astro-Ihnfiity Arkestra/Sun Embassy

Roaratorio’s survey of the unheard Sun Ra continues with Sun Embassy. Consisting of recordings from Sun Studios (aka Ra’s house in Philadelphia) from 1968-1969, the album features nine tracks: six compositions which have never been heard before in any form, plus fresh coats of paint on such 1950s classics as “Sunology” and “Ancient Aiethiopia”, and an early rendition of “Why Go To The Moon”. Essential listening for Sun Ra devotees. Includes download coupon.

Tom Waits/Closing Time(Remastered)

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. Digitally remastered edition. Closing Time is the debut record by Tom Waits and it foreshadows the distinctly lyrical storytelling and original blending of jazz, blues and folk styles that would come to be associated with the artist. Waits performs enduring classics of his career such as Ol’ 55 (covered by the Eagles), the heartbreaking “Martha” and the gentle acoustic folk of “I Hope I Don’t Fall In Love With You”. Produced and arranged by former Lovin’ Spoonful member Jerry Yester, Closing Time was the first of seven of Waits’ major releases by Asylum. The album is noted for being predominantly folk influenced although Waits intended for Closing Time to be “a jazz, piano-led album.”

Also:

Various Artists/Rent Party

Various Artists/Fools Paradise Favorites

Dub Narcotic Sound System/Rhythm Record

Various Artists/The Tarantino Experience

Breeders/All Nerve

Vinyl LP pressing, exclusive indie 2018 release. The Breeders announce their return to 4AD with the infectious album All Nerve, the first music to be released by the classic lineup behind the iconic album, Last Splash. “A blurt of jolting joy” – NPR. “A classic Breeders bruiser, packed with punchy drums, sugar-rush power chords and lead riffs” – Rolling Stone “Wait in the Car” runs through all the hallmarks of a classic Breeders song: layered harmonies that manage to sound both euphoric and weary, vacillating between power chords, and a sneering Kim mandate. Though it has been 24 years since these last four recorded together, “Wait in the Car” effortlessly brushes away time.

Tracey Thorn/Record

Vinyl LP pressing. As ever, the personal has often been political in Tracey Thorn’s work. Across 4 decades, her songs and writing have offered up a clear-eyed woman’s view of the immediate world around her, from the acerbic teen love songs of her first early ’80s band Marine Girls through sixteen years as one-half of articulate multimillion-selling duo Everything But The Girl, to her recent acclaimed memoirs and journalism. “I think I’ve always written songs which chronicle the milestones of a woman’s life,” she says. “Different ages and stages, different realities not often discussed in pop lyrics. If 2010’s Love and It’s Opposite was my mid-life album – full of divorce and hormones – then this album represents that sense of liberation that comes in the aftermath, from embarking on a whole new ‘no f***s given’ phase of life.”

Joan Baez/Whistle Down The Wind

Vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket. 2018 release from the folk icon. Produced by Joe Henry (Bonnie Raitt, Allen Toussaint and many others) Whistle Down The Wind features songs by Tom Waits, Josh Ritter, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Eliza Gilkyson and others. Joan Baez remains one of the most celebrated and influential artists of her generation. Her impact on successive generations of singer/songwriters and female artists in particular is wide-reaching and crosses all genres and boundaries. Fellow artists from Emmylou Harris and Bonnie Raitt to Jackson Browne, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Indigo Girls cite her as a primary influence on their own careers. A new studio album from Baez is an event that will be celebrated by the media.

Fred Eaglesmith/Standard

Fred Eaglesmith is an Alternative Country icon. Starting in the early 1980’s, Eaglesmith is known for his songs about hard working folks and his endless touring. Country superstars Miranda Lambert ‘Time To Get A Gun’, Alan Jackson ‘Freight Train’, and others have had hits recording Fred’s songs. 42 years on the road, 21 studio albums, 5 different band configurations, 11 buses, countless stories, 1 man.

Millie Jackson/Caught Up

One of soul music’s great female voices, Millie Jackson’s reputation was made by the release of “Caught Up” and “Still Caught Up”, released in 1974 and 1975 respectively. Here we reissue “Caught Up” on vinyl. Both albums deal with infidelity – and see it from both the wife’s and the lover’s point of view. The combination of spoken word raps and forceful, risqué lyrics was to become Millie’s trademark for several years to come. Side One belongs to the lover and gives us an eleven-minute plus version of ‘If Loving You Is Wrong’. Superb backing from the classic Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section line-up of Beckett, Johnson, Hood and Hawkins features throughout, with long-time Millie Jackson producer Brad Shapiro at the controls.

Titus Andronicus/A Productive Cough

Vinyl LP pressing. Since debuting in 2008, Titus Andronicus has been conditioning faithful listeners to always expect only the unexpected, consistently zigging where others would zag and maintaining a steadfast dedication to fearless ambition. With the release of the new studio album A Productive Cough, the group has executed the most shocking departure yet – but only if, as ever mercurial singer-songwriter Patrick Stickles insists, “you haven’t been paying attention.” In a move that may infuriate the black-denim-and-PBR set, A Productive Cough finds Titus Andronicus setting aside the leadfooted punk anthems of yesteryear in favor of a subtler, more spacious approach that pushes Stickles’ soul-baring songwriting to the fore, creating a conversational intimacy between artist and audience with which previous Titus Andronicus efforts had only flirted.

Jonathan Wilson/Rare Birds

Vinyl LP pressing. Jonathan Wilson had a busy 2017, producing Father John Misty’s Grammy- nominated Pure Comedy and touring arenas around the globe as a guitarist and vocalist for Pink Floyd legend Roger Waters (for whom he also contributed to the lauded Is This The Life We Really Want? album.) Wilson also saw widespread acclaim heaped on Karen Elson’s sophomore LP Double Roses, which he recorded with her in Los Angeles in 2016. But it’s not looking like Wilson is going to get much of a rest in 2018 either, as he’ll be continuing on with the worldwide Waters tour and will release his new solo album Rare Birds. The highly anticipated LP features backing vocals from Lana Del Rey, Father John Misty, fellow Roger Waters bandmates Lucius and an extraordinary musical gift from otherworldly Brian Eno collaborator Laraaji.

Ry Cooder/Paris, Texas OST

Limited edition clear colored vinyl LP pressing. Ry Cooder’s soundtrack to Wim Wenders’ 1984 film Paris Texas is one of the most acclaimed and beloved works of his sparkling career. Seldom has any artist captured that ineffable “high, lonesome sound” quite as beautifully as Ry Cooder did on his landmark soundtrack to Wim Wenders’ film Paris, Texas. Not quite blues, not quite bluegrass, not quite ambient, Cooder’s haunting, evocative score mirrors the existential journey of Harry Dean Stanton’s Travis Henderson as he wanders through the empty Texas prairie landscape in pursuit of his irretrievable past. With the able help of multi-instrumentalists David Lindley and Jim Dickinson, Cooder crafts a soundscape (much of it based on Blind Willie Johnson’s “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground”) that is profoundly sad yet leavened with bits of humor and whimsy.

Moby/Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt

Vinyl LP pressing. Everything Was Beautiful, and Nothing Hurt is a glowing tapestry exploring spirituality, individuality and the brokenness of humanity and finds Moby returning to his orchestral, soul, trip-hop and gospel roots. Featuring LA-based soulstress Raquel Rodriguez, lead single “Like a Motherless Child” is a re-work of the well-known spiritual with origins in the slavery of the American South. The track describes the void left when one feels separated from a parent, higher power or similar guiding force. Over the years this powerful song has been reinterpreted by the likes of Odetta, Lena Horne, Mahalia Jackson and Van Morrison. Moby also curated a playlist of artists that influenced the recording of his fifteenth studio album which includes Baby Huey, Marianne Faithfull, Grace Jones, Soul Makossa, Mulatu Astatke, Liquid Liquid, Fresh Four, Sly And Robbie, Simple Minds, James Brown, Talking Heads and Gil Scott-Heron.

Fanny Walked The Earth/Fanny Walked The Earth

Vinyl LP pressing. 2018 release from this band made up of former members of pioneering female rock band Fanny. The groundbreaking band Fanny, called “the most masterful all-female band of the classic rock era” (NPR) and “one of the most important female bands in American rock” (David Bowie), has reunited as Fanny Walked the Earth – a name that reflects all that they’ve accomplished in their lives; all they’ve seen, done and lived through – for their first album in decades Fanny landed a deal in 1969 with Reprise Records, becoming the first-ever all-female rock band to sign a record deal for a full-length album, and would pave the way for women musicians such as The Runaways, The Bangles and the Go-Go’s for decades to come. Drawing influence from Motown bands to the Beach Boys to Jimi Hendrix, Fanny released their first five albums between 1970 and 1974 with various iterations of members, working with producers including Richard Perry (Carly Simon, Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson), Todd Rundgren and Vini Poncia. They recorded at the Beatles’ Apple Studios, backed Barbra Streisand on her first “rock” album, Stoney End, and toured as the opening act for legends like Slade, Jethro Tull and Humble Pie, winning over new fans with their mix of full-throttle, rockin’-funk vocals, unapologetically heavy rock guitars, and hard, punchy beats. The band was also shattering expectations. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, to say that rock was male-dominated would be a gross understatement; rock was almost completely male. But the girls of Fanny never backed down from the challenge. “I just wanted to have fun, and I wanted to show off, and I wanted to do what I loved doing,” says drummer Brie Darling. “If anyone was ever a little snide, I thought, ‘You just wait.'”

Annie Lennox/Medusa

Vinyl LP pressing. Medusa is the second solo album by the Scottish singer Annie Lennox, released in March 1995, and consists entirely of cover songs. It entered the UK Albums Chart at #1 and peaked in the United States at #11, spending 60 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart. It has since achieved double platinum status in both the United Kingdom and the United States and sold more than six million copies worldwide. Annie Lennox, OBE is a Scottish singer, songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the new wave band The Tourists, she and fellow musician David A. Stewart went on to achieve major international success in the 1980s as Eurythmics.

Pet Shop Boys/Please

Digitally remastered edition. Please was the debut album by Pet Shop Boys and produced by Stephen Hague. Released in March 1986, the record hit #3 and spent 82 weeks in the UK Official Album Charts, went into the Top Ten in the USA where it was certified platinum, and to date has sold over three million copies worldwide. Comprising ten tracks in it’s original release, the album’s track-listing includes the duo’s debut single ‘West End Girls’ – PSB’s first #1, certified Gold single. In 1987, it was awarded Best Single at the BRIT Awards, Best International Hit at th Ivor Novello Awards and later was awarded the Song Of The Decade Ivor Novello Award in 2005, chosen by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters. It also reached #1 in the USA. Singles ‘Love Comes Quickly’, ‘Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots Of Money)’ and ‘Suburbia’ also feature on Please, all of which went on to earn Top 20 status in the UK Singles Chart.

Felt/Strange Idols Pattern & Other Short Stories

Vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket. Digitally remastered reissue of this 1982 album from British cult outfit Felt. This vinyl record, unavailable for many years, has been remastered and revisited by Lawrence, and he has fashioned the ultimate definitive collection. Before the Stone Roses and after Be-Bop Deluxe and Plastic Ono Band, John Leckie worked with Felt. Booked into a metal/reggae studio in Birmingham’s industrial wasteland he sculpted a Michelangelo slice of new rock – exquisite and beautiful guitar odysseys – quite unlike anything the city had experienced before. Merging pop with a classical nuance Felt stood alone as the forerunners of a brand-new style. And Gary Ainge was finally allowed to use his high-hat!

INXS/The Very Best

Double vinyl LP pressing. The Very Best is a greatest hits album released by Australian band INXS in 2011. The Very Best became the first INXS best of album to reach #1 in Australia. INXS was an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays were main composer and keyboardist Andrew Farriss, drummer Jon Farriss, guitarists Tim Farriss and Kirk Pengilly, bassist Garry Gary Beers and main lyricist and vocalist Michael Hutchence. For twenty years, INXS was fronted by Hutchence, whose “sultry good looks” and magnetic stage presence made him the focal point of the band. Initially known for their new wave/pop style, the band later developed a harder pub rock style that included funk and dance elements.

Strawberry Alarm Clock/Incense and Peppermints

A vintage psychedelic gem! The Strawberry Alarm Clock’s smash single “Incense and Peppermints” is one of the landmarks of the psychedelic era. But this classic debut album demonstrates that the band was more than an one-hit wonder, combining trippy soundscapes, sunny harmonies and raw garage rock on such tunes as “The World’s on Fire”, “Birds in My Tree” and “Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow”. Now this vintage classic is back on vibrant vinyl from Sundazed! Mastered from the original stereo UNI reels.

Various Artists/Greatest Showman OST

Vinyl LP pressing. Original soundtrack to the 2017 motion picture. The Greatest Showman is a bold and original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and the sense of wonder we feel when dreams come to life. Inspired by the ambition and imagination of P. T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman tells the story of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a mesmerizing spectacle that became a worldwide sensation. The Greatest Showman is directed by exciting new filmmaker Michael Gracey, with songs by Academy Award winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land) and starring Academy Award nominee Hugh Jackman. Jackman is joined by Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams, Zendaya, Zac Efron and Rebecca Ferguson.

records with merritt

Curate Your Vinyl Collection Here

Featured Vinyl New Releases 8.10.18: Byron Lee, Jake Shears, Magpie Salute, Robert Wilkins, Graham Parsons, John Cale, Neko Case,Tom Waits,The Fall, Dave Holland, Vaya Con Dios and More/Stream Samples

Featured Vinyl New Releases7.27.17: Promise Ring, Bo Carter, Murder by Death, U2, Psychedelic Furs, Boz Scaggs, Rex Orange County, Cody Jinks, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Joseph Spence, Sasha and More/Stream Samples

Featured Vinyl New Releases 7.20.18: The Internet, Ty Segall & White Fence, Odesza, Apollo Brown, Wire Re-Issues, Pedro The Lion, Frank Zappa, Tone-Lōc and More/Stream Samples

Featured Vinyl New Releases 6.29.18: John Coltrane, Run The Jewels, Gorillaz, Ryan Adams, David Bowie, Dave Matthews Band, Florence + The Machine, Jim James, Guns N Roses

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Featured Vinyl New Releases 6.15.18: Fantastic Negrito, Madlib, Nick Cave, Joey Bada$$, Melody’s Echo Chamber, African Funk, Mingus, Aquabats!, French Boogie and More/Stream Samples

Upcoming Special Vinyl Releases: Run The Jewels, Prince and Father John Misty

Featured Vinyl New Releases 6.1.18: Neko Case, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Father John Misty, Mazzy Star, Mobb Deep, Pete Yorn, Tower of Power, Morcheeba, Dave Alvin and More/Steam Samples

Featured Vinyl New Releases 3.23.18: Jack White, The Wailers, Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Eccentric Soul, Miles & Trane, Lisse, Guided By Voices, Kim Byoung Duk, Erika Wennerstrom, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Rory Gallagher and More/Stream Samples

Featured Vinyl New Releases 3.9.18: David Byrne, Ann von Hausswolff, Sun Ra, They Might Be Giants, Elephant9, Mia Dyson, Young Fathers, Albert Hammond Jr., Trane & Milt Jackson, Langley School Project, Porcupine Tree and More/Stream Samples

Featured Vinyl New Releases 3.2.18: The Breeders, Joan Baez, Millie Jackson, Moby, Tracey Thorn, Fred Eaglesmith, Ry Cooder, Titus Andronicus, Felt and More/Steam Samples

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