Recovering The Satellites

Open All Night had the unwieldy pressure of being the follow-up album to a surprise hit. The Georgia Satellites' self-titled offering, issued in 1986, yielded the smash single "Keep Your Hands to Yourself," which was also an MTV staple for six months. The track and its accompanying video were viewed as novelties by radio and MTV, so when Open All Night appeared, the "joke" was over. Too bad. If ever a band was miscast as class clown, it was these guys. Songwriter and frontman Dan Baird wrote another slew of tough rootsy rockers that evoked everyone from Chuck Berry to AC/DC. Boogie, biker bluesy rock, Faces-style garagey rawness, and the swagger of the Rolling Stones along with the overdriven razored guitar of Rick Richards powered Baird's songs.

Released in 1998, Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation is the essential B-52's greatest-hits collection. A chronologically assembled highlight reel of the group's first two decades, it contains all of their singles and a number of album favorites, along with two exclusive then-newly written tracks. When they first arrived on the scene in 1979, their kitschy thrift-store image and weirdly spartan sound immediately set them apart from others in the new wave scene to which they were loosely attached. Three guys, two girls, arcane hairdos, no bassist, and a sound that was equal parts spy music and good-time dance party, the B-52's were always fascinatingly loveable outsiders and remained so throughout their years of success. Beginning with "Planet Claire," "52 Girls," and the immortal "Rock Lobster," Time Capsule winds its way through their early and mid-'80s hits like "Quiche Lorraine" and the charming "Song for a Future Generation." As they continued to grow and evolve, their sound expanded, becoming both more nostalgic and more light-hearted, leading into their commercial peak in the early '90s with the excellent "Channel Z," "Roam," and of course "Love Shack".

Limited Edition CD of classic 1998 concert recorded in Long Beach, CA at the legendary venue The Foothill Club! Artwork by Stephen Blickenstaff (The Cramps' "Bad Music for Bad People") and liner notes by John Blair of Jon & The Nightriders! The Space Cossacks arrived in 1996. They were an all-instrumental, four-piece outfit from Washington D.C. who fit in nicely with the surf music crowd, but had taken the genre to a completely different level. They made quite a splash after only a few live performances; an overabundance of critical acclaim followed.

Many observers were prepared to write off the B-52's after the release of Bouncing Off the Satellites. Granted, the album was completed in the wake of Ricky Wilson's death, but the group appeared bereft of new musical ideas and were sounding rather stale. In other words, the last thing anyone expected was a first-class return to form, which is what they got with Cosmic Thing. Working with producers Don Was and Nile Rodgers, the B-52's updated their sound with shiny new surfaces and deep, funky grooves – it was the same basic pattern as before, only refurbished and contemporized. Just as importantly, they had their best set of songs since at least Wild Planet, possibly since their debut. "Cosmic Thing" and "Channel Z" were great up-tempo rockers; "Roam" had a groovy beat blessed with a great Cindy Wilson vocal; and "Deadbeat Club" was one of their rare successful reflective numbers.

Among the first American new wave acts to break through to mainstream visibility, the B-52s became one of the biggest success stories to emerge from the American underground in the late '70s. Making music that was full of quirks but also sounded friendly and fun to dance to, the B-52s filtered surf music, '60s pop, vintage soul, and low-budget sci-fi soundtracks through a pop culture kaleidoscope, with vocals laid over the top that suggested someone had been listening to a lot of Yoko Ono and Yma Sumac records…

Georgia Satellites hail from Atlanta, Georgia. In 1986 they signed to Elektra Records and set about recording their first album with Jeff Glixman. The band’s first single, ‘Keep Your Hands To Yourself’ stormed the US charts, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band recorded a total of three studio albums for Elektra before Dan Baird left to pursue a solo career. The band continued with numerous changes of personnel but their musical legacy lives on with live performances across the US. The band always enjoyed a reputation for being excellent live and Rick Richards still leads the current line-up of the band on the road. This 3 CD, 53 track ultimate collection focuses on the band’s output whilst signed to Elektra Records. Spanning the years 1986 to 1990, the band released three studio albums and various singles that feature on this collection plus the related bonus tracks taken from the band’s b-sides and 12” releases.

These two discs from Sun Ra and his Solar Myth Arkestra are not, as their title suggests, parts of a singular or continuous work. They were initially issued as two separate titles – similar to the two-part Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra – by the Belgian BYG Actuel label in 1971. Both volumes consist of mid-fidelity and primarily self-realized and -produced recordings. Despite the claim that these sides were taped in New York City at Sun Studios, Ra discographer Robert L. Campbell notes that by the time these tracks were documented, the Arkestra had ended its N.Y.C. residency and returned to Philadelphia.