Phew!!!! Lots to catch up with here… for some reason the fine Get Back crew's releases have been neglected for the past couple of months (which just goes to show how much I have on my mind - so sorry guys). 
     But before that, whilst we're on the topic of vinyl I just have to say what a gobsmackin', spiffin', superlative job Speed, Nigel and Bruce have done with the superb KALEIDOSCOPE's Please Listen To The Pictures. This double heavy-duty vinyl of the quaint Brit psych kings and SD faves BBC Sessions - I know Paul has reviewed this in full this month, but I just have to reiterate how wonderful this set is!!! - is without doubt the vinyl package of the YEAR! From the design and heavy pressing to the notes and sequencing, this is a knockout. SHEER Perfection!!! 
     And now, onto the bountiful releases from the busy Get Back / Ear Mark labels… when these Italian obsessives do a job they do it. THE KINKS re-release programme continues with The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society and Arthur… do I need to say that these are both essential, and if into collecting quality vinyl, multiply the essential by two!! More quality Brit folk comes in the form of BERT JANSCH's 1965 It Don't Bother Me collection and a personal favourite of mine, his 1967 move towards electric 6 and 12 string guitars and the very much in vogue for '67 orchestration, Nicola, which includes 'Woe Is Love My Dear' (later covered by The Koobas; which you can hear on Fading Yellow). Quite a departure from Jansch's mild approach to the progression of folk was the bizarre and unsettling Mice And The Rats In The Loft by the eccentric JAN DUKES DE GREY. Personally I don't like this album although I have many acid-folk fanatic friends who rave about this obscure 1971 Transatlantic trio's grim folk songs. The hyper varied and always interesting LES FLEUR DE LYS get the vinyl treatment with a good pressing of the almost all encompassing Reflections compilation. These guys really should have had a hit, and with their own take on The Who's 'Circles' they did the rare thing in bettering Pete and crew's original! I'm sure you all know the freakbeat, soul and psych gems included. If you don't, buy this now!!!!! I wrote the liner notes for the two RPM SPENCER DAVIS GROUP "live" and "radio sessions" CDs (Mojo Rhythms & Midnight Blues #1 and #2)… along with the incredibly well crafted essays (chortle chortle) come two albums jam packed with quality Brit R&B. These look and sound the business…Likewise, the brilliant Open Our Eyes NAZZ anthology is a dream on vinyl - THREE ALBUMS are used to avoid the old school compressed technology so often used in the bygone re-ish era!!! However good the anthology is, I know that Todd's resequencing has been a major gripe with fans. Me included. But nevertheless, it's a nice set that has an interesting - if annoying - slant. If wanting Nazz on vinyl buy immediately… the individual albums will soon be available too with bonus tracks on Sanctuary CD, so it's quite likely that they too will eventually make it to vinyl. 
     Now that Sanctuary own the Trojan catalogue it's not surprising to see that Earmark have leapt at the chance of committing some serious '70s reggae to vinyl. All I Have Is Love compiles the hard-man, drug fiend GREGORY ISSAC's buoyant melodic early career circa '70-'77; the Sun Is Shining triple vinyl boxset treatment of BOB MARLEY's humble beginnings may not please those seeking his chart topping later period, but fans of Lee Perry produced soulful early reggae will be pleased: contains 'Duppy Conqueror', 'Trenchtown Rock', 'Soul Rebel', 'Sun Is Shining' and other highlights from Marley's pre-fame career. The maddest hatter from Jamaica LEE PERRY receives a decent pressing of his mainly instrumental Africa's Blood album from 1971, and ther there's progenitors of the 1969 UK skinhead cult SYMARIP's Skinhead Moonstomp collection; AUGUSTUS PABLO's early career overview with the melodica filled Skanking With Pablo, which traces his dub sounds up to 1977, and THE MAYTALS similarly get the early career introduction on the Do The Reggae album featuring material from 1966-70. If it's a funkier edge you're craving then you could do a lot worse than investigate Fatbackin', a double vinyl anthology that includes Let's Do It Again, People Music and Feel My Soul in their entirety, and CYMANIDE's The Best Of… (also including the band's three album output). Cymanide blended Afro-Caribbean rhythms with psychedelia, rock, funk and reggae, creating an intoxicating mix along the way. A slightly different afro-Caribbean flavour can be heard on CHOCO & HIS MAFIMBA DRUM RHYTHMS' late fifties album African Latin Voodoo Drums a perfect hocus pocus ridden American novelty rendition of Haitian voodoo ritual music. If camp exotica gives you a buzz this is ridi-cool and will bring a huge smile to your next pin-pushing cocktail ceremony! 
     MAN's self-titled third album from 1970 despite having one of the naffest covers ever sees the band grappling further with their Welsh take on the American West Coast. Here they tackle the same kind of lengthy jams, country-rockers and vintage rock as The Grateful Dead were undertaking at the same time. 'The Alchemist' however owes more to Brit Hammer horror, and is self indulgent cod-horror at it's best! A tad indulgent: but fun in a greasy hair and chillum way nevertheless. Even more indulgent is KEITH TIPPETT's Blueprint from 1972. Still, if hearing Julie Driscoll move towards the avant garde appeals this may be worth a spin… just the once. Also of a similarly non-commercial bent is TANGERINE DREAM's debut album Electronic Meditation - some even describe this cacophony as electronic punk. I myself can do without it… Moving towards the '70s mainstream MARC BOLAN's most successful period can be heard on 1972's hit album The Slider, whilst Boogie On is a less interesting compilation of various early '70s Bolan odds and ends on triple vinyl.
     If '70s and '80s punk appeals there's been a wealth of releases of late: Johnny Thunder's 1984 remix of his post NY Dolls bands THE HEARTBREAKERS' substance saturated debut L.A.M.F (sic Revisited), is a huge sonic improvement on the '77 original and stands as a classic of the NY punk era; Red Patent Leather contains THE NEW YORK DOLLS last New York concert and contains material that would have been recorded for their proposed third album; THE BOYS were a terrific UK band that embraced punk with a knack for catchy riffs and their debut was a thrilling affair, Live At The Roxy Club 1977 features 'Sick On You' and other album faves performed live at the epicentre of London punk; Music For Pleasure, THE DAMNED's second album was dismissed as a big screw up, but listening to it with attuned ears it is quiet an odd experience, and nowhere near as bad as has been claimed; The Kids Are United The Best Of… SHAM 69 is a comprehensive pogo through the UK street punks hits, whilst second album That's Life is a further dose of South London yob punk and finally Mark E Smith and his dissonant freaks THE FALL get the quality vinyl treatment for The Rough Trade Singles and The Rough Trade Anthology. Also from the same period mod band's THE LAMBRETTAS' Beat Boys In The Jet Age (a heartily dismissed, but actually goodish album) and an expanded double album version of the spearheading Mods Mayday 1979… at the other end of the spectrum is BLACK SABBATH's classic Vol. 4 (I'll take this over '79 mod anyday) and the comical, supposedly fearful, 1982 Black Metal smash VENOM's At War With Satan.
     Also released are a number of jazz albums… Get Back / Earmark have been very busy in giving a huge variety of CD-only re-issues the vinyl treatment. Most album are widely known in their genres, hence such flitting reviews… but if you fancy any of these on vinyl I highly recommend this label's product: the pressing, sleeve and plastic covers are the seal of quality.
www.abraxasrecords.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills