Back catalogue: 50s/60s

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: To coincide with the release of Peter Jackson's new documentary series about the Beatles' ill-fated Get Back project, we're being treated to a string of new editions of the band's final album, Let It Be. The focal point is a brand new (and pleasingly sympathetic) stereo mix of the album from Giles Martin, who has cleaned up the vocals and instrumentation while paring back some of the saccharine orchestration that was controversially added by Phil Spector. With varying goodies coming with a selection of deluxe, superdeluxe etc editions, if you're a Beatles fan then you need this in your life.

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: RECCOMMENDED
Let's face it, the Jerry Lee Lewis' of this world are irreplaceable, which is exactly what makes this collection of rock 'n' roll and country duets so poignant. Those looking for an explantation for the title should check the Sun Studios roster - the 1950s institution laid claim to recordings by Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Charlie Rich and Elvis Presley, but by the time this album landed in 2006, Lewis was quite literally the only one left in the room, outliving peers while still managing to summon the energy needed for his approach to ivory tinkling.

Of course, that kind of legacy gets you pretty far when it comes to drafting collaborators for a new LP, and the list of guests here is both intimidating and telling. Bruce Springsteen, Chuck Berry, Mick Jagger, and Willie Nelson all make appearances on this contemporary collection of tracks that still carry the classic rock 'n' roll feeling.

Review: The glorious Athens of the North label will always be one of our favourites. It is pretty much buy on sight for lovers of soul, funk and disco and this month it is serving up two more unmissable long players. Here it is Ike and The Uptights and their superb sounds which make, what me might bravely, say, could be one of this always high class label's finest releases. Formed by Henry Bradley in Forrest City, The Uptights recorded for Memphis label Action Records and here we get a perfect window into their world of raw and guttural funk.

Review: A key component in modern Turkish music since the '70s, Mustafa would have gone under the radar if it wasn't for break diggers. While he's still active to this day, Genclik Lle Elle is largely cited as his creative zenith. Recorded in Istanbul, 1973, the instrumental album takes the funk template and flings it into experimental, often cosmic pastures. Highlights include the planet-hopping glissandos on "Zeytinyagli", the progressive head-swirling frenzy of "Lorke" and the infectious eastern-fused riff on "Emmioglu". Plus it's on coloured vinyl. Plus it's got a monkey sound engineer on the cover. Plus it's limited. This record has a hell of a lot going for it.

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: Elvis Presley can mean many things to many people, but he was surely at his best in those heady breakthrough years, all scratchy guitar and bucketloads of tremolo backed up by one of the most distinctive voices of all time. This handy compilation for Not Now Music gathers together some of the indelible hits from Presley's purple patch on one handy comp, taking in the likes of 'Hound Dog', 'Jailhouse Rock', 'Blue Moon Of Kentucky' and scores more besides. If you need a reliable primer on the King, this compilation will have you covered for any amount of hip-shaking action you have in mind.

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: 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: 1968 and 1969 were turbulent years in the history of The Rolling Stones, as well as society at large. Brian Jones left, Mick Taylor joined, and they played a bunch of small shows, made TV appearances and headlined a massive gig at Hyde Park. This new album revisits all these phases which helped make them into the greatest rock 'n' roll band on the planet. It includes tracks recorded live at the Olympia Stadium, Detroit, recordings from the Hyde Park show that was broadcast on Dutch Radio Veronica and material from Saville Theatre, London that was broadcast US TV as "Supernight of Rock'n'Roll".

Review: Seattle label Light In The Attic Records is proud to present a reissue of material from Nancy Sinatra's most prolific period between 1965-1976, with 23 tracks including her revered collaborations with Lee Hazlewood. Sinatra's performance of 'These Boots Are Made for Walkin'' became her signature tune. The pair began a three year run of successful recordings, with 'Sugar Town,' 'Some Velvet Morning,', 'Summer Wine' as well as the James Bond theme 'You Only Live Twice' being just a few. She also worked with songwriter Mac Davis, producer Lenny Waronker and arranger/producer Billy Strange on the album.

Review: This is a must have for all us hapless vinyl obsessives who love the more weird and wonderful records out there. It is a top class collection of all of TV's best theme tunes from over the years. All the classics are included and each one will take you back to some exact moment in time from your past and flood you with feelings of nostalgia and joy. It was a simpler time back then, with just a couple of channel that everyone sat down to watch together ratter the endless dreaming and digital options we have today. This one comes on splattered vinyl for the very first time.

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.

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: 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: 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.