There have been other Willie Nelson box sets in the past, but the four-disc ONE HELL OF A RIDE, released just before the country icon's 75th birthday, leaves every other collection in the dust. A truly career-encompassing anthology, it covers more than 50 years of music, from Willie's 1950s indie singles all the way up to the 21st century. While the blockbusters are here ("Always on My Mind," "On the Road Again," etc.), the real public service performed by this box is reaching back to great Nelson albums from the '60s that have long been out of print, and scooping up some of their dusty gems. For instance, "One in a Row" shows that Willie could croon a countrypolitan-style tune with the best of them, while "Texas in My Soul" is an early example of the jazzy Western swing influence that has always been an undercurrent of Nelson's music. ONE HELL OF A RIDE follows the Red Headed Stranger's growth from well-groomed Nashville cat to hirsute country outlaw to grey-bearded elder statesman, cherry-picking the best of every phase along the way.
2010 two CD anthology from underground Rock heroes Clark-Hutchinson. One of the first signings to Decca's underground imprint Nova, the duo of Andy Clark and Mick Hutchinson recorded the album A=MH2 in 1969, soon to become the biggest selling album on NOVA. Championed by John Peel, the duo's first album highlighted the extraordinary talent of guitarist Hutchinson. The 1970 follow up album Retribution saw the band augmented by Del Coverley and included the classic 'Free To Be Stoned' , earning the group numerous live spots alongside cohorts the Edgar Broughton Band and Hawkwind. Gestalt, the band s final album appeared in 1971 on the Deram label. This anthology has been remastered from the original master tapes and comprises all the recordings released by Decca Records between 1969 and 1971. It is an essential part of the story of British underground Rock at the turn of the 1970s.
Esoteric Recordings are pleased to release a two CD anthology by legendary Ladbroke Grove underground act Skin Alley. Formed in 1969, Skin Alley were part of the infamous CLearwater stable that included fellow acts such as Hawkwind, High TIde and Trees. Skin alley’s infectious fusion of jazz and rock was suited to the time and the band became a regular attraction on the underground festival and concert circuit. Signing to CBS records in the autumn of 1969, the band recorded their debut album with producer Dick Taylor (former guitarist with the Pretty Things).
A wonderful set of music & songs, the album was shelved in favour of a new set of recordings that was released as the album to Pagham & Beyond…
Following the demise of The Sex Pistols, Malcolm McLaren formed Bow Wow Wow in 1980 from former members of Adam And The Ants and a 14-year-old Myint Myint Aye (Burmese for “High High Cool”), who was spotted singing while working a Saturday job at her local dry cleaners, and soon renamed Annabella Lwin.
One of the last of the old country bluesmen to record, the diminutive Tommy McClennan delivered 40-some tracks to Bluebird Records between 1939 and 1942 before vanishing into the haze of blues history. Although small in stature, McClennan had a strong, raspy voice that brought a lively exuberance to his often generic lyrics, and his habit of tossing in spoken interjections - he literally talked to himself as he sang - give his songs the feel of intimate dialogues. This collection is the second, and final, installment of McClennan's Bluebird sessions to be released by Document Records. Unfortunately, the first one, 1939-1940 Whiskey Head Woman, Vol. 1, has most of his essential recordings on it. McClennan was a limited guitarist, and his singing approach, while exciting, was essentially shouting, and he had obviously run out of fresh ideas by the time of these final recordings…
Esoteric Recordings are pleased to release a two CD anthology by legendary Ladbroke Grove underground act Skin Alley. Formed in 1969, Skin Alley were part of the infamous CLearwater stable that included fellow acts such as Hawkwind, High TIde and Trees. Skin alley’s infectious fusion of jazz and rock was suited to the time and the band became a regular attraction on the underground festival and concert circuit. Signing to CBS records in the autumn of 1969, the band recorded their debut album with producer Dick Taylor (former guitarist with the Pretty Things).
A wonderful set of music & songs, the album was shelved in favour of a new set of recordings that was released as the album to Pagham & Beyond…