Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Miles Davis' The Bootleg Series, Volume 1: Live in Europe 1967 is a monumental release, capturing the essence of one of jazz's most legendary ensembles. This 5xLP box set from Columbia/Legacy, featuring 180-gram audiophile vinyl, showcases previously unreleased live performances by Davis' second great quintetiWayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams. The set documents five concerts from October and November 1967, a transitional period in Davis' career. While this quintet never achieved the pop-cultural impact of Davis' earlier or later groups, their work during this era remains highly influential. The recordings reveal a band pushing the boundaries of bebop with exhilarating spontaneity and creativity. Tony Williams' dynamic drumming is particularly noteworthy, adding intense energy to tracks like 'Footprints,' while Hancock's innovative piano work and Shorter's probing saxophone contribute to the band's distinctive sound. Live in Europe 1967 represents a crucial moment before the group's shift to electric jazz, epitomising the quintet's mastery of live improvisation and interaction.

Review: Craft Recordings' Miles '54: The Prestige Recordings is an excellent retrospective that has Miles Davis at a transformative period in his career. Spanning 20 tracks, this collection highlights the pivotal year of 1954, where Davis honed his signature sound and emerged as a leading figure in jazz. The album features contributions from luminaries like Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk, and Art Blakey, who together elevate the sessions to iconic status. The set includes insightful session notes by Dan Morgenstern and a thoughtful essay by Ashley Kahn, providing historical context and depth. The collection is a journey through Davis' evolving artistry, from the melodic 'Four' to the innovative 'Bags' Groove.' Tracks like 'Walkin'' and 'Oleo' reveal a confident, boundary-pushing musician on the brink of greatness, while his use of the cup mute foreshadows the cool, introspective sound that would define much of his later work. Miles '54 is not just a celebration of a milestone year in Davis' career but also a tribute to the enduring legacy of Prestige Records.

Review: 12" vinyl singles from every Depeche Mode album are included here and all with audio meticulously mastered from the original tapes. A special bonus is the seventh disc which features the first-ever 12" vinyl pressing of the Highline Sessions, recorded live in New York City in 2016, including an exclusive cover of David Bowie's 'Heroes' and unreleased tracks 'So Much Love' and 'Poison Heart.' Also included are the likes of 'Where's The Revolution', 'Going Backwards' and 'Cover Me' making this a fine overview of the synth band legends and some of their best moments.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


12" vinyl singles from every Depeche Mode album are included here and all with audio meticulously mastered from the original tapes. A special bonus is the seventh disc which features the first-ever 12" vinyl pressing of the Highline Sessions, recorded live in New York City in 2016, including an exclusive cover of David Bowie's 'Heroes' and unreleased tracks 'So Much Love' and 'Poison Heart.' Also included are the likes of 'Where's The Revolution', 'Going Backwards' and 'Cover Me' making this a fine overview of the synth band legends and some of their best moments.

Review: Die Gestalten's commitment to gnarly underground electro continues apace with this triple-pack monster from the shadowy figure. As ever there's a steely, almost industrial focus to the sound, where machine funk goes heavy on the machine. There is space for some melodic warmth as well, such as the cosy lead lines cresting over the top of 'Der Sucher' and the artfully modulated live version of 'Traenen'. But even in these more approachable moments there's a sense of robotic detachment - this is electro in the purist, icy sense of the word. If you thirst for a large dose of truly underground gear from a lone wolf, this payload will have you body popping for days.

Review: Either you weren't born, or Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms turning 40 this year will make you feel decidedly long in the tooth. It's an unquestionable landmark for one of the best-selling albums of all time. To mark the occasion, the London-formed band's fifth studio album is being reissued across a bunch of formats, with this five album box set including a full live set from their 1985 show in San Antonio, capturing Mark Knopfler, John Illsley, Alan Clark and Guy Fletcher in their stadium-filling prime. As for the album itself i well, the vastly emotive 'Brothers in Arms', fuzz guitar earworm 'Money for Nothing' and feelgood singalong 'Walk of Life' pretty much speak for themselves. Classic pop-rock, this is a must-have for Straits fans, and well worth a listen for anyone who happens to be uninitiated.

Review: Disasterpeace, aka Rich Vreeland, stands out in the world of soundtrack composers. Neither strictly an electronic artist nor a conventional composer, he crafts soundscapes that transcend traditional genres. His compositions, rooted in a digital sound palette, feel warm and organic, often played live instead of digitally sequenced, giving his music a human touch rarely seen in electronic scores. Known for his haunting It Follows soundtrack and the iconic Fez score, Vreeland's music has a life far beyond the screens it accompanies. The Hyper Light Drifter soundtrack, reissued by iam8bit, exemplifies Disasterpeace's distinctive style. It's a journey through ambient, textured soundscapes filled with layered synthesisers and devoid of heavy percussion. Instead of driving beats, the focus rests on lush chord progressions and ambient tones, perfectly suited for moments of quiet reflection. Standout tracks like 'Panacea' feature a tape-worn piano, which pairs beautifully with the synths to create a melancholy and immersive atmosphere. This deluxe 4xLP set, with translucent vinyl and elegant packagingicomplete with magnetic wingflaps and a metallic foil layeripays homage to Vreeland's artistry and the soundtrack's legendary status.

Review: There really is no stopping Ramon Djawadi. The German films score composer, conductor and producer has given us a number of very high profile soundtracks since he first began working professionally in the late-1990s, with the past decade seeing him rise to real prominence. Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, Clash of the Titans, Pacific Rim, Iron Man, Prison Break, Jack Ryan, and a number of video games (Medal of Honor, Gears of War 4 and 5) all feature his name in their credits. Here we are with Westworld Season 3, then, another huge addition to his oeuvre, both in terms of the status of the TV show and the tracks on the record itself. From woozy string overtures we can only imagine complemented death or redemption scenes, to rough and ready metal and hard rock ('Moto'), huge percussive cinematic climaxes ('Start A Revolution') and lush ambient ('Caleb'). Simply put, this is epic sounding stuff.

Review: It's hard to believe there was a time when a band as culturally important as The Doors were still trying to make it, but even after their debut album came out in January 1967 there was a brief patch where they were still little known outside their stomping ground in LA. A couple of months later, they held a three-night stint at The Matrix in San Francisco playing to threadbare crowds, but luckily the sound engineer had the foresight to properly mic up and capture all of the performances and the recordings have since become a massive part of the band's legacy. As well as the classic tracks from the first album, and a few of their later hits, there are a generous dose of covers and obscurities which get a first-time airing thanks to this new expanded and authoritative five-LP edition, with the generous inclusion of an extra 7" with a hidden gem that will blow the minds of lifelong ardent fans, of which there are more than a few.