Sounds Of

UK three CD set. While the likes of Rubber Soul, 'See My Friends' and 'Still I'm Sad' had served notice in 1965 of British pop's heightened level of ambition, 1966 would prove to be an even more tumultuous twelve-month period as experimentation and innovation grew to new levels. The release that August of Revolver brought the concept of psychedelic music out of the margins and into the mainstream. However, psychedelia had been percolating throughout the year. The word was already in subterranean use in America, adapted by the likes of The 13th Floor Elevators and Hollywood hustler Kim Fowley, who in late 1965 had become the first person to promote a record with the term "psychedelic". Featuring 84 tracks, A Slight Disturbance In My Mind: The British Proto-Psychedelic Sounds Of 1966 examines the experimental pop element of the British music scene during that epochal twelve-month period with a dizzying, dazzling mix of nascent psychedelia, introspective pop and what's been retrospectively labelled freakbeat. We feature vital contributions from some of the era's biggest names (The Kinks, The Yardbirds, The Hollies, The Animals etc), a bunch of highly collectable cult classics, a huge stash of unissued-at-the-time nuggets and early outings for such future legends as Bowie, Bolan, Slade and The Bee Gees. Housed in a clamshell box containing a 52-page booklet crammed with biographical information and priceless period photos and memorabilia, A Slight Disturbance In My Mind is a glorious snapshot of British pop storming the gates of a new, strange and wonderful dawn.

The mid-70s were heady years for reggae. Chris Blackwell’s Island imprint had taken the music to the rock world, and Virgin boss Richard Branson wanted to follow suit. Aided by none other than John Lydon, the pair decamped to Kingston, JA, with a suitcase of money, and proceeded to sign some of the biggest acts of the decade. Initially the records were released on Virgin but, in March 1978, the Front Line imprint was launched to carry all the Jamaican product.

A new 4cd remastered clamshell boxed set celebrating the finest musical sounds of so-called progressive rock music of 1973.
Five hours of music featuring tracks by kevin ayers, edgar broughton band, budgie, camel, caravan, curved air, electric light orchestra, emerson lake & palmer, family, gong, greenslade, hawkwind, help yourself, manfred mann’s earthband, nektar, pfm, pink fairies, procol harum, nektar, anthony phillips, rare bird, renaissance, al stewart, traffic, darryl way’s wolf, yes & many more. The next release in the series of compilations celebrating so-called “Progressive” rock music concentrating on 1973, another year in which Progressive music in all its forms would continue to be a dominating force with the album buying public. Much of this music appeared on the “progressive” imprints of major record labels such as EMI’s Harvest, Decca’s Deram and Philips Records’ Vertigo and the emerging independent labels such as Charisma, United Artists and Island Records and led to an increasing presence of underground album music on BBC Radio One on its Sounds Of The Seventies and Top Gear programmes and on television on the iconic series The Old Grey Whistle Test.

Four CD set celebrating the finest musical sounds of progressive rock music of 1975. Five hours of music featuring tracks by Barclay James Harvest, Baker Gurvitz Army, Be Bop Deluxe, Camel, Caravan, Gentle Giant, Greenslade, Steve Hackett, Peter Hammill, Hatfield & The North, Hawkwind, Steve Hillage, Man, Manfred Mann's Earthband, Nektar, Pfm, Procol Harum, Nektar, Renaissance, Soft Machine, Van Der Graaf Generator, Yes and many more. Ring the Bells and Sing - Progressive Sounds of 1975 gathers together over five hours of music from 1975. Sometimes dismissed in later years by some critics as a year when rock music was failing to progress, this compilation reveals that 1975 was indeed a year where a great deal of excellent, diverse and creative music continued to be produced by artists for an audience for whom the album was the important format and the iconic television series The Old Grey Whistle Test was essential viewing.

New 4cd remastered clamshell various artists boxed set celebrating the finest musical sounds of so-called progressive rock music of 1974. five hours of music featuring tracks by kevin ayers, barclay james harvest, be bop deluxe, jack bruce, budgie, camel, caravan, gong, greenslade, peter hammill, hatfield and the north, hawkwind, jethro tull, man, nektar, pfm, procol harum, nektar, renaissance, todd rundgren’s utopia, stackridge, strawbs, traffic, robin trower, darryl way’s wolf and many more. includes an illustrated booklet with essay by mark powell. Reviews and features in national newspapers, uncut, mojo, record collector and prog magazines plus coverage on relevant websites and fanzines. The next release in their series of compilations celebrating so-called “Progressive” rock music – ‘Round and Round – Progressive Sounds Of 1974’, is a 4CD clamshell box set which gathers together over five hours of music from 1974, another year in which would continue to see Progressive music in all its forms continue to develop and retain its presence as a dominating force with the album buying public.

Four-hour, 3CD anthology of hard-edged British R&B from the genre's pivotal year. Featuring hit singles, key album tracks, cult classics and some fabulous previously unreleased recordings. While 1963 belonged to the Merseyside-led beat boom, the following year saw the emergence of homegrown R&B as market leaders The Rolling Stones were joined on the Thames Delta by a host of equally young, raw and enthusiastic British blues-hounds. The Pretty Things, The Yardbirds and Manfred Mann would all come to national prominence, but many other putative king bees - The Artwoods, Downliners Sect, early Ronnie Wood outfit The Birds - would have to settle for a more localised audience. Other hard-up heroes trying to pay the rent included The Who (as The High Numbers), Steve Marriott (as leader of The Moments) and Rod 'The Mod' Stewart (with The Hoochie Coochie Men), who all gave early notice of their developing talent to an indifferent world.

The latest instalment of Grapefruit’s popular year-by-year overview of the British rock/pop scenes of the 70s. Featuring big hits, intriguing misses and key album tracks from 1974 as well as a clutch of alternative versions and unissued-at-the-time gems. Although 1974 was dominated by the country’s crippling economic woes, the British rock and pop scene continued to flourish. The more creative element of the glam rock spectrum inspired a host of new bands, with Cockney Rebel, Be-Bop Deluxe and Sparks coming through to establish themselves alongside genre heavyweights Roxy Music, T. Rex and Slade. London’s pub rock circuit saw stalwarts Brinsley Schwarz joined by early Ian Dury outfit Kilburn & The High Roads, Ace (who scored a hit single with the timeless ‘How Long’) and Dr. Feelgood, whose aggressive attitude and slashing, guitar-based brand of tough R&B influenced a whole new generation of musicians.

Boasting 92 tracks, ‘Box Of Pin-Ups’ takes in the market leaders as well as the year’s hard-up heroes and nowhere men. Established Top Ten acts like Manfred Mann, The Hollies and The Yardbirds are joined by cult names and such glorious one-shot unknowns as Glenn Athens & The Trojans and Irish band The Spectres, both now legally included on CD for the first time.