Back catalogue: Rock (All)

Review: Climactic, psychedelic soul and blues brilliance by Don Covay, co-written by Donny Hathaway and backed by a proto-Balearic sweetmeat on the B, Harvey Mandel's 'Baby Batter'. The A-side was originally released one year after (1972) the B-side (1971) on the American Janus label, and the tracks provide a palpable contrast, drawing on the same idiom yet approaching it with remarkable difference. Covay's lyrics are, thematically, overflowing with determination, despite the psychic conflict at the track's heart. Is there any resolution? "The sweeter you, look, mama... the bitterer you treat me..."

Review: Detroit musician and producer Dave Hamilton hears two fantastic early emissions of his reissued via BGP. Known originally as a guitarist and an early member of the Motown house band, Hamilton's influence on music, especially the later Northern soul firestorm in the UK, is perhaps understated. His guitar contributions to the likes of Marvin Gaye's 'Stubborn Kind Of Fellow' and John Lee Hooker's 'Boom Boom' are indeed cherished additions to the Michigan funk and r&b canon, but perhaps it's his later outings as Dave Hamilton and the Peppers - and later founding of the labels Demoristic and TCB - that house the real trinkets. 'The Deacons' and 'Pisces Place' both came out via the TCB label, and brought vibraphonic blues and astrologic easy listens respectively to wax.

Review: A new raw, bluesy punk-garage EP from Mick Hampshire - a zoomed-out existential musing on life, dealing in geological process, speck-of-dust sublimes and personal breaking points. Drawing on Hampshire's well-gained experience as the leading member of garage rock four-piece Mickey & The Milkshakes, Mick now goes rogue, dashing the cream shake to the floor, and turning his hand to a mendicant, roughshod, rock-relief style of blues. In 2022, armed only with his Grimshaw semi-acoustic guitar - unamplified - Mick sang and strummed through these four home-recorded, perhaps phone-recorded jams in an unnamed back room. The result is an honest and grievous sound, reaching its exasperated but shoulder-shaking climax on 'When You're In This Mood'.

Review: Haze, an Exeter band that in 1981 endlessly toured the South West of England and released the album "SILVERTOPS REFLECTS HAZE" upon which many contemporary tracks were given the Haze treatment from Barry Manilow's 'I Can't Smile Without You' to Johnny Cash's 'Ghost Riders in the Sky'. In the mix Azymuth's Latin funk anthem 'Jazz Carnival' and Space's legendary electronic 'Magic Fly' surfaced, the latter two of which make up this exceptional 7" release by Panorama records, this relatively new label that celebrates idiosyncratic rarities. Haze seem to like breaking down the original and making space between the beats and yet on this A side an already pumping track pumps faster with an extra electronic edge on the Moog-ish organ, whilst paradoxically Haze's lead guitarist takes on Jose Roberto Bertrami's originally syncopated keys in a more regulated way - not a bad thing if not a jazz dancer but someone who just loves to dance! Intelligently, Panorama have coupled this with Haze's percussion heavy version of 'Magic Fly' on the B side, that even if it remains more so electronic, even poppy, it nicely compliments the Brazilian homage of side A. If you love a rare version, 7" 45s and early 80s jazz funk with a synthesised edge you'll love this.

Review: Northern Soul devotees have long been captivated by unreleased Motown gems, and this one may be the best yet. Written by Chester and Gary Pipkin, 'Stuck-Up' was crafted to replace Mary Wells after her departure from Motown. Although Oma Heard recorded extensively, including a duet with Marvin Gaye, she was dropped for not fitting the label's image. The song was then given to Shirley Gunter, whose 1966 version on Tangerine Records became one of the rarest Northern Soul records, often fetching over 500 quid. Recently, the original Oma Heard version surfaced on a Motown unreleased CD and has been hailed as a classic by Ian Levine. Now, for the first time, it gets released on vinyl by Motown's V.I.P. label.

Review: Ahead of their new album Sonido Cosmico, Hermanos Gutierrez return with a smouldering single which shows off their affinity for wistful guitar soliloquies on a short n' sweet 7". The brothers' sound is rooted in 1950s Latin American rock n roll, all quivering tremolo and languid reverb as a casing for their mesmerising melodies. 'Low Sun' captures that melancholic moment as the day shortens in evocative fashion, making this a record primed for sentimental moments aplenty whether you're playing the record for yourself or an audience of kindred chillers who appreciate Balearic vibes hailing from the Southern Hemisphere.

Review: Taken from the album Black Gold, this 7" single comes on limited edition white vinyl and offers up the superb 'What's Happenin'' featuring Method Man and Busta Rhymes on the A-side. It's a beat-driven workout with funk in the drums. The B-side offers an exclusive and rather more stripped-back mix of 'Back in the Game' with Ron Isley, Inspectah Deck, Method Man, GZA, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah all seamlessly blended with the instrumental of 'House of Flying Daggers.' It's not often you get so many iconic collaborations all on one record which is why it is such a big hitter.