Back catalogue: 50s/60s

Review: The Beatles' EP From Us To You #3 captures a 1964 BBC session that encapsulates the band's early charm and infectious energy. Featuring a whopping ten tracks, it was recorded in the BBC's Paris Studios in Regent Street, London and fact fans will note that 'Honey Don't which was later included on the album Beatles For Sale and sung by Ringo, here features John on the vocals. Elsewhere the EP captures the band's irresistible melodies and tight harmonies with three of the tunes originally penned by the band's favourite rockabilly star Carl Perkins. Each song is a testament to The Beatles' enduring influence on popular music and overall serves as a timeless reminder of the band's unmatched creativity which continues to this day with new AI-produced singles that the much talked about one earlier in the year.

Review: BunnDebrettQuintet has got a monster modern soul tunes on their hands here with the legendary Brian Auger on Hammond B3 helping bring the style. The glorious A-side 'Truth In My Tears' has a raw but heartfelt vocal and big horn energy over driving drums. It's a real dancefloor heater and then the flip is 'Wasn't It You', a more soulful groover with lush backing vocals but still dynamic drums powering it onwards. This outfit's last single went on to become a much sought-after release that is now well spenny on Discogs so do not sleep on this limited follow up.

Review: Los Angeles doo-wop and early rock n roll group The Coasters were fairly prolific in their heyday, making 13 albums from the 60s and throughout the 70s with an often rotting assembly of band members. 'Crazy Baby' is one of thirty that has endured over the years with its hard-hitting Northern Soul synth rhythms, vocals and keys. Now it gets reissued by the same original label that put it out back in 1965. An OG of this is hard to find and fairly expensive because of its cult status so do not sleep on this new reissue.

Review: The Essence Of Life is very much listening to the sort of sublime soul music that is always offered up by the Epsilon label if you ask us. This latest limited edition 45rpm features their 'You're An Angel' which is one of the many tunes that made the group such favourites back in the seventies. They formed in Charlotte North Carolina at Johnson C Smith University and are made up of a pair of basketball players who were allegedly overheard singing in the shower and asked if they wanted to form a group. They went on to perform with plenty of stars of the day and as you can hear from this 7" their falsettos are to die for.

Review: Grupo 606 really brought the fire in 1969 with this one. The Cochabamba, Bolivia collective only formed two years before they dropped a full EP and now two of the best tunes from it have been pressed up to 7" thanks to Discos Quilombo. It is an archetypal example of the so-called Nueva Onda Boliviana sound that starts off with a killer cover of the Blues Magoos' 'Gotta Get Away' which translates from 'Busco Un Camino' and is a swinging 60s psyche sound with Latin percussion and lovely vocal harmonies, then comes the self-penned flipside 'No, no puede ser' a beat driven gem with a taquirari influence.

Review: More scorching hot soul sounds here from Original Gravity who look to Jodie and Floyd James and the GTs for their latest dose of 7" goodness. Jodie is in powerful form on the a-side as she delivers an empowering vocal over fast paced and chested-puffed drums that will steamroller all in their wake. This soul anthem has class and depth with some slick guitar solos and big horn energy. Floyd James & The GTs step up on the flip side with 'Johnnie's Blues' which is full of Hammond organ chords and 60s guitar riffs.

Review: Several years before Uzi Kinrot, we were lucky enough to attend a cultural exchange, of sorts, between Lithuania's burgeoning electronic scene and Israel's fertile alternative music community. The results were staggering, and in addition to presenting the Balkan state as an epicentre of leftfield dance, it also made a strong case for the Middle East as a hotbed for the kind of music makers destined to score some Quentin Tarantino or David Lynch movie. Back up to date, and Les Dynamites, whose reputation has long reached beyond their Jerusalem hometown, have returned to emphasise the latter point. Uzi Kinrot is a groove-packed double-A side that feels alive with energy, perhaps thanks to the single-take recording process. It's twangy, psychedelic, nostalgic and yet utterly timeless stuff that yearns to be heard on a beach while you hide from the heat of afternoon sun.

Review: Due to persistent demand and soaring prices for the original pressing, this reissue of 'Why Don't You Go Home' on striking red transparent vinyl could not be more essential. Featuring the dynamic vocals of Diane Ward, the title track delivers a powerhouse performance echoing the King and Federal r&b sound. On the flip side, 'Cocktail De Medianoche' serves up a delightful blend of Boogaloo and Northern Soul, a cherished favourite among aficionados of Latin grooves and Uptempo Soul. With two phenomenal tracks, this reissue promises a perfect double-sider experience! for lovers of soul.

Review: Bailey's Nervous Kats was a teenage dream who combined surf, rock n' roll, exotica, and r&b in their music. They operated in the rural fringes of Northern California in the 1960s and released only one long player, sadly. The Nervous Kats is it and it now gets reissued by the quality Numero Group. It came right at the end of the band's time together and was released by the Emma imprint in 1965. It's a real doozy of the era and will take you to a time and place you didn't live but make you wish you had.

Review: Few have ever matched the beautiful harmonies of The Beach Boys, so what could be better than those lovely vocal tones being applied to your favourite Christmas classics? The special Record Store Day RSD Black Friday 2023 release comes in limited quantities on festive green vinyl and is the ultimate Beach Boys Christmas Album. Across both sides, we're treated to delightful takes on the standards such as 'We Three Kings Of Orient Are,' 'The Man With All The Toys' and '"Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town'. Lovely stuff.

Review: As we write this The Beatles have just managed to put out their last ever, they say, new single. By harnessing the vast powers of AI and feeding it a dusty old clip of him singing back in the day, they have even managed to recreate the voice of John Lennon. It's a reminder of how ahead of their time the Liverpool band always was, even back in the 1960s. And that's when this album London to Manchester was recorded live on October 13, 1963, which marked the point at which the press knew the band was going to be global superstars and features all their biggest hits from this early-on time.

Review: Dave Clark Five, Manfred Mann, Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Searchers. To say the New Musical Express pulled together an impressive line up for the magazine's celebratory concert, at which the winners of a reader's poll were revealed, would be an understatement. And this is before we even mention the fact The Rolling Stones were also involved, only beaten to the top of the bill by The Beatles. On the day, Liverpool's Fab Four were presented their award by none other than Roger Moore, and then proceeded to play their first live show in 15 weeks. 'She Loves You', 'You Can't Do That', 'Long Tall Sally', and 'Can't Buy Me Love' were among the highlights, with an audience of 10,000 packing out the Empire Pool in Wembley for the entire day. This recording captures the energy of that set and the spirit of the time.

Review: .Often considered to be one of the biggest commercial flops in music recording history, Standing In The Spotlight was the 1989 debut solo album from Ramones bassist Dee Dee Ramone. Released under his rap moniker Dee Dee King, the bizarre project served up an amalgam of old school hip-hop, late 50s garage rock and even doo-wop, all blended together in chaotic fashion, and led by Dee Dee's new gangster bravura. It's been noted that the hip-hop-centric attire seen on the cover was adorned by Dee Dee at his last few Ramones shows shortly before departing, which drew major ire from his bandmates. Tapping Marky Ramone to oversee percussion samples, and even enlisting Debbie Harry (Blondie) to provide backing vocals on 'Mashed Potato Time', and, 'German Kid', with the latter featuring vocals sung in both English and German (nodding to Dee Dee's growing up as an army brat), the album was crafted with every earnest intention of launching Dee Dee's solo career. Conceptually inspired whilst in rehab and used as a project of focus when embracing his newfound sobriety; the sheer enthusiasm and fearlessness of Standing In The Spotlight grants it a pass and a place as a truly absurd offshoot oddity from a vital member of the one of the defining punk bands.

Review: Presley's 11th film Girls! Girls! Girls! is set in Hawaii and is packed with plenty of exotic locations and plenty of stirring Elvis songs that all capture the vibe of that beautiful island. It was released in 1962, just a couple of years after Presley had been discharged from military service. People wondered if he would ever be able to capture the early career form he had in the 1950s and this film, its soundtrack, and other albums like Something For Everybody certainly put paid to that. This reissue from Not Now Music comes on 180 gram blue vinyl.

Review: It's Christmas (nearly) which means, eating too much, drinking too much, spending too much - and arguing too much about all of the above. It also means it's an acceptable time of year to listen to thematic music you never usually would and artists you wouldn't ordinarily play. Enter Elvis Presley with Songs For Christmas. His warm tones are a perfect match for this setlist which takes in all the many festive classics such as 'Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Lane)' and '(There'll Be) Peace In The Valley (For Me)', What's more, they all come on a fitting snowy white vinyl, too.

Review: The King calling it like it is, Vinyl Passion presents a collection of Elvis Presley-sung Yuletide anthems, ranging from the religious to the consumerist. Which means if you're reading this chances are it's late-November or December and the season is beginning to light up. More so, you're looking to expand the soundtrack for the month or so ahead beyond the usual repertoire. Of course, this is hardly niche stuff, for the most part anyway. Arguably the most legendary name in rock 'n' roll, even now, taking on a slew of tracks that will be familiar to many, if not lyrically ingrained in their subconscious. Nevertheless, there are stand out moments of holiday cool, from opener 'Santa Claus is Back In Town' to 'Blue Christmas' and 'Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Lane)', alongside a host of interpretations of gospel tomes.

Review: 1972 was a pivotal year for The King. Having spent a good deal of the previous decade growing increasing focused on movies - or perhaps more accurately, getting lost in a relentless filming schedule foisted upon him - he'd reached psychological lows towards the end of the 1960s, but then re-emerged more in control of his own career decisions and re-energised, with the famous Comeback Special a major catalyst.
Three years later he hit the road for a mammoth 15 city spring tour which would spawn its own movie (aptly titled, Elvis On Tour), and set the scene for the following year's live flick follow up, Aloha From Hawaii Special. The performances proved the fact that He Had Returned, bigger and bolder than ever, as evidenced through this collection of recordings from those 1972 rehearsals.

Review: Mississippi-born rock'n'roll king Elvis Presley is credited with a rather remarkable 385 albums and almost 4000 releases though many of those are unofficial and often duplicated works. They are all packed with many of his huge hits and the unique mixes of gospel, soul, blues and rock that made him a legend. Rock It Up is one of them and comes from earlier in his career with tunes like 'I Love You Because,' 'That's All Right,' 'I'm Left You're Right and 'I Got A Woman' plus many more.

Review: Back in 1961, before taking a break from live performance for eight years, Elvis Presley played one last gig - a benefit concert for the USS Arizona Memorial Fund at the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii. It was a legendary gig, with Presley delivering an energetic, enthusiastic and memorable performance in front of a similarly over-excited audience. This CD presents the performance in full - complete with such classics as 'I Got a Woman', 'All Shook Up', 'Heartbreak Hotel', 'Hound Dog', 'That's All Right' and 'Heartbreak Hotel', as well as plenty of on-stage chat - alongside a previously long-buried recording of a press conference given by "the King" following his arrival in Hawaii. A genuine must-have for Elvis fans!

Review: An exact dozen Bollywood musical gems, expertly curated to reflect a multitude of styles and sounds within the full spectrum. Tracks from movies such as Blackmail, Apradh, Junglee, Priya, Bhoot Bungla, and Sholay all make appearances, many of which are names that should be familiar to fans of 'world cinema' - for want of a less lazy label - even if the soundtracks themselves are not. Spanning the later mid-20th Century, everything here was recorded between 1958 and 1984, and as such Bollywood Nuggets can be taken as a window on how tastes and demand changed during that time, while certain totems remained. Featuring artists such as Mohammedd Rafi, Kalyanji & Anandji, P Susheela & SP Balasubrahmanyam, and RD Burman, it's a fantastic overview and a fascinating deep dive.

Review: "The album was inspired by my many happy DJ nights promoting my club night 'Club Pod' down in Brighton in the 1990s and my love of all things Sixties Freakbeat. I wanted to put as many great tracks as I could on one compilation to hopefully bring across the feeling of sheer joy from spinning these awesome tracks in a club and seeing the place go off," says Mark McQuillan, the man responsible for this expansive compendium to a driving 1960s sub genre of UK and US guitar undergrounds. The Haunted, The Birds, The Wimple Winch, The Remains, The Kinks, The Eyes, The Shadows of Knight, and The Action, all make appearances. As do other bands that don't start with 'the'. For example, Davie Allan & The Arrows, Count Five, and Spencer Matthews Band (just kidding). If you know, you know.

Review: Discovered after 55 years, the previously unreleased soundtrack to the 1964 noir film You're Not From Around Here finally emerges from the Louis Wayne Moody archive. Laden with twangy tremolo and reverb-drenched revenge, it navigates themes of alienation, paranoia, and existential echo. Packaged in a replica film canister with rusted varnishes and a debossed logo, it immerses you in a world of moral ambiguity. This Cabinet of Curiosities release by Numero delves into the esoteric possibilities of curation, weaving threads of intentionality and psychic connections through music history. It's a tribute to the DIY museum and the emotionally charged artifacts of post-industrial consumerism.

Review: Master compilation maker Greasy Mike is back with a fourth volume of his characterful selections. This one once again is another action packed and full flavour array of wigged out rhythms and psyched out funk sounds. The label calls it "14 Frantic Flippers Fraught with Frivolous Fun-Filled Frolics" and the tunes sure do have big personalities, wild laughter, sleazy low slung grooves and big steamy horns. Names like Adolphus Bell & The Up Starts, The Fabulous Continentals and Bobby Bunny & The Jackrabbits feature amongst many more niche jazz-adjacent sounds from the 50s and 60s.