2025

Changing images to a second-rate Bryan Ferry on the cover was one thing (Numan himself later admitted it just made him look like "the man who lost it all at Monte Carlo"), but rather better was the musical change away from the overblown nonsense of Berserker.

If there was ever a point where the sometimes too-insular-for-his-own-good Numan couldn't have been more out of sight, out of mind – even to his central fanbase – the often-bizarre Machine + Soul is it. It makes his striking return to form on Sacrifice and his wider acceptance and influence in the following years all the more remarkable.

“To me, Honey Lingers is like a psychotic melodic patchwork of every single emotion we were having. It's retro, joyful, frustrating, snarky, and sad. It spits, cries, shags, and dances and that was what we felt like we were doing as we toured, did television, press and general promotion all over the globe.” Tracey Brynn, Voice of The Beehive. Reissued for the first time on vinyl since 1991, Voice of the Beehive’s Honey Lingers saw the US/UK band build further on their signature mix of jangly guitars, upbeat rhythms, and melodic pop hooks towards a glossier, more mainstream sound. Featuring three UK Top 40 singles, ‘Monsters and Angels,’ ‘I Think I Love You’ and ‘Perfect Place;’ the album reached Silver sales in the UK. This remastered and expanded 2CD edition features all the band’s many B-sides from the era, rare and unreleased remixes (including the 12” version of ‘Monsters and Angels’), and many unheard alternative and acoustic versions. There’s also previously unreleased tracks from the band live in concert, recorded at The Kentish Town & Country Club for BBC Radio One.

Fritz Wunderlich could be considered the James Dean of the singing world – a young, charismatic performer who suffered a tragic death at the height of his career and abilities, and whose posthumous reputation has grown beyond that which he was able to enjoy during his short life. Considered among the finest Mozartean tenors of his day, Wunderlich embraced a wide repertory that expanded to included the works of Strauss, Schubert, Bach, and Mahler, and he left behind many excellent recordings that have been the primary source of his legacy. Wunderlich (Friedrich Karl Otto) was born in Kusel, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.

One of the founding fathers of synth pop, Gary Numan has influenced countless artists with his constantly evolving form of dystopian electronic rock music since the late 1970s. Establishing a lonely, android-like persona, he rose to fame leading Tubeway Army, a pioneering new wave band whose second album, 1979's Replicas, became the first of Numan's three consecutive gold-selling, chart-topping full-lengths in the U.K. The same year's The Pleasure Principle, his first solo effort, included the perennial favorite "Cars," which remains his biggest worldwide hit.

Record Store Day 2025. “A bold investigation of a woman’s journey through self-acceptance and the systemic issues fueling her personal struggles” –Popmatters Named in Spin Magazine’s Top 100 albums of the 1990s, Geek the Girl by Lisa Germano is a real gem. To celebrate its 30th anniversary, it’s getting its first ever vinyl pressing for Record Store Day 2025. This much asked for reissue is being made as a double LP so to include not just the album but also the preceding EP (‘Inconsiderate Bitch’) and hard to find b-side ‘The Mirror Is Gone’. Chris Bigg (v23) has been commissioned for the art, using photos from the original cover shoot by Dominic Davies.

The Thunderfist Chronicles is the eighth studio album by Scottish heavy metal band Alestorm. It was released on 20 June 2025 via Napalm Records. The album is produced by the band's long-time producer Lasse Lammert. The eighth and final song on the album, "Mega-Supreme Treasure of the Eternal Thunderfist", is Alestorm's longest song to date, at over 17 minutes, featuring guest vocals by hurdy-gurdy musician Patty Gurdy and Symphony X vocalist Russell Allen.

John Wetton had one of the most varied careers in progressive rock. He played in the majority of the big names in prog, in many cases in their classic lineups. His first major band experience came when he joined Family in 1971. He was featured on two of their albums: 1971's Fearless and Bandstand (released the following year). He performed various functions in the group, but his primary role was as bassist. Previous to this group he had recorded with Edwards Hand and Mogul Thrash. He left Family to join Robert Fripp and company in King Crimson, taking a place that had been previously filled by Greg Lake. This would not be the last time the two of them would replace one another. His tenure with that group was not exceptionally long, however, as Fripp disbanded Crimson in 1975.

With her signature breathy vocals, romantically nostalgic songs, and melancholy lyrics she often penned herself, Françoise Hardy was a pop music and fashion icon celebrated as a French national treasure. She was one of the earliest and most definitive French participants in the yé-yé movement and her first single, 1962's "Tous Les Garçons et les Filles," sold over two million copies and made her a European star overnight. As the yé-yé sound faded, Hardy shifted to a more introspective, folky, and dramatic sound that helped her move from a pop sensation to an artist.