Lemmy 2010

Recorded live in December 1972 and released the following year, Space Ritual is an excellent document featuring Hawkwind's classic lineup, adding depth and weight to the already irrefutable proof that the group's status as space rock pioneers was well warranted. As the quintessential "people's band," Hawkwind carried '60s countercultural idealism into the '70s, gigging wherever there was an audience. The band's multimedia performances were a perfect accompaniment for inner space exploration and outer space imagination. Though not concerned with rock's material trappings, Hawkwind was among the hardest-working groups in Britain, averaging a show every three days during the year preceding the recordings…

The band's best studio album, coming off of the success of Space Ritual. The group's rock roots are juxtaposed effectively with the swelling synthesizer flourishes and pretentious song ideas, creating the quintessential guitar-oriented space rock record. The highlight was the live recording of "You'd Better Believe It," with its crunchy guitars, but nobody minded keyboardman Simon House's languid synthesizer-laden "Hall of the Mountain Grill" (especially as it was followed by the Lemmy-sung "Lost Johnny," a great all-out rocker). The sound, especially the mix of ballsy high-volume guitar playing and soaring electronic keyboards ("The Psychedelic Warlords," "D-Rider"), would later get co-opted by outfits such as Blue Öyster Cult ("(Don't Fear) The Reaper") and Kansas…

The Wörld Is Yours is the twentieth studio album by the band Motörhead, released on 14 December 2010. Written and performed by Lemmy Kilmister, Philip Campbell and Mikkey Dee in both Los Angeles, California and Wales, with production once again by Cameron Webb, The Wörld Is Yours serves to remind everyone that you should never stop questioning or critiquing a society that would surely chew you up and spit you if given half a chance. And with 10 soul-scorching testaments to the unbridled power this world-famous trio continually maintain, The Wörld Is Yours delivers some of the finest, most important Motörmusic yet.

More than a quarter century may have gone by since singer Michael Monroe's band Hanoi Rocks passed from existence, but Monroe continues to carry the flag for their style of hard rock, with his solo album Sensory Overdrive being another example. That style recalls the garage rock of the mid-'60s, the proto-punk sound of the New York Dolls, in the early ‘70s, and the post-punk of late-‘70s power pop, also anticipating the hair metal with which Monroe was associated in the ‘80s. Thus, the tempos are fast, the guitar plays ringing power chords, and the vocals are a penetrating screech, the whole achieving energy and irresistible drive.

Motörhead was an English rock band formed in June 1975 by bassist, singer, and songwriter Ian Fraser Kilmister (1945–2015), professionally known by his stage name Lemmy, who had remained the sole constant member. The band are often considered a precursor to, or one of the earliest members of, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, which re-energised heavy metal in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Despite this, Lemmy had always dubbed their music as simply "rock and roll"…

Few bands embodied the pure excess of the '70s like Queen. Embracing the exaggerated pomp of progressive rock and heavy metal, as well as vaudevillian music hall, the British quartet delved deeply into camp and bombast, creating a huge, mock-operatic sound with layered guitars and overdubbed vocals. Queen's music was a bizarre yet highly accessible fusion of the macho and the fey. For years, their albums boasted the motto "no synthesizers were used on this record," signaling their allegiance with the legions of post-Led Zeppelin hard rock bands. In The Many Faces of Queen we will delve into the inner world of the legendary British foursome including their early recordings, collaborations and their fantastic repertoire. With remastered sound and fantastic artwork, The Many Faces Of Queen is an essential addition to your rock music collection.

Eliza Carthy officially inherits the British folk crown from her parents with the willfully traditional Rough Music. Described in the liner notes as "a form of community punishment practiced all over England" (basically a public beating for a heinous social crime), Rough Music sounds like a lost pre-percussion Steeleye Span record filtered through A.L. Lloyd's whaling collection Leviathan! Carthy's strong fiddling and powerful vocals – she really is beginning to surpass Norma – are ably enhanced by the chiseled performance of her backing band, the Ratcatchers. Together they celebrate longstanding English traditions like public execution ("Turpin Hero"), syphilis ("The Unfortunate Lass"), and alcohol ("Tom Brown") with equal parts reverence, earnestness, and mischief. Primarily arranged for violin, viola, double bass, and melodeon, Rough Music also features lovely a cappella cuts like "Maid on the Shore" and enough fiery instrumentals to keep your feet on the cobblestones during the long walk home from the pub. In fact, there's not a moment on Rough Music that isn't essential listening. Highly recommended.