A Street Through Time

Three CD set charting the birth and early development of American hard rock. In the late 60s, the parallel emergence of psychedelia and the blues-based power trio format saw pop evolve into rock. In America, bands became harder, heavier, rawer and louder to a backdrop of the Vietnam War, street drugs and increasingly powerful amps. Commercially successful acts like Vanilla Fudge, Steppenwolf, Blue Cheer and Iron Butterfly spearheaded a new wave of bands whose sound would later be codified as heavy metal. Over three CDs and four hours of music, 'We're An American Band' charts hard rock's evolution during the late 60s and early 70s, culminating in Grand Funk's game-changing, chart-topping late 1973 single of the same name. In addition to the aforementioned bands, we feature the likes of Alice Cooper, The Stooges, ZZ Top, MC5 and Love, hard rock dilettantes (Todd Rundgren, Kim Fowley, even Muddy Waters) and such pioneers as Kurt Cobain-endorsed satanic rockers Coven and early metalheads Sir Lord Baltimore. We include tracks from some of the most valuable vinyl LPs on the planet (Bolder Damn, Brigade), ultra-rare local singles (The Mass Confusion Rock Band, Wildwood) and vital music that went unreleased at the time (B. F. Trike, Cold Sun, etc). With accompanying 48-page booklet, 'We're An American Band' is a fascinating window on American rock's epic journey from the bowels of the late 60s underground counterculture to mainstream mid-70s acceptance.

Today we call most of it New York Route 5. Over the centuries it has been called the Iroquois Trail, Genesee Road, Mohawk and Seneca Turnpike, Buffalo Road. In The Great Genesee Road, author Richard Figiel takes readers on a historical journey tracing the first road to penetrate west into New York State, exploring the artifacts and stories of centuries along the way from the Hudson River to Lake Erie.

Back in September 1962, the only Beatles records in the shops saw them backing Tony Sheridan on a goosed-up version of My Bonnie, Their debut single Love Me Do would be released in October 1962 and the seismic change they brought to music worldwide would occur once the band achieved light speed in 1963. There was, however, before Beatlemania a thriving music culture that dropped anchor in a number of ports. Proto pop charts might be dominated by the likes of Cliff and his Shadows, crooners and sweet looking pop idols who brushed their teeth but R&B was gently finding its way into record racks either through imports or a growing number of home grown cover versions. The Motown sound was taking root in Detroit, America and already filtering into the UK on poor selling 7” singles on London and Fontana.

The Odyssey: A Northern Soul Time Capsule is the single most comprehensive overview yet of a truly unique UK musical culture which has now lasted over 45 years and has spread across the world. The music follows the evolvement of Northern Soul, from it's early beginnings at Manchester's Twisted Wheel club in 1968, through to The Golden Torch, Blackpool Mecca, Wigan Casino and Cleethorpes Pier in the 1970s, Stafford Top Of The World and The 100 Club in the 1980s and the huge dearth of Soul weekenders and the 100 Club again from the 1990's to the present day. Featuring a mind-numbing 222 tracks, all licensed from legitimate sources. The most comprehensive Northern Soul track-listing ever. The Odyssey: A Northern Soul Time-Capsule truly does what it says on the tin. This is the most exhaustive history of the Northern Soul scene ever released.

It's the early hours in Milton Keynes when a single bullet is shot through an open window in a quiet suburban street. Its victim is a 19-year-old boy. No one is seen. A frantic 999 call is made as the only witness desperately tries to resuscitate the boy and begs for the police to arrive more quickly. 'There's blood in his mouth' he screams through his tears. With exclusive access to Thames Valley Police, this documentary follows this tragic murder case as the police attempt to piece together the events that led up to that fatal shot.