Yak

Yak were a 4 piece instrumental progressive rock band who played between '82 & '84. The line up consisted of Robin Hodder (guitar), SySnell (bass), John Wynn (drums) & Martin Morgan (keyboards). The band stopped playing when jobs took the members to disperate parts of the UK. The material had only ever been recorded in Lo-Fi but Martin was determined that it should not be 'lost'. In 2003 he set about re-recording 8 of the YAK tracks which were released as the "Dark Side of the Duck" album in Feb '04. Following this and enthused with the response, the band re-formed - original line up, but now with Max Johnson on bass. A live EP, "Does Your Yak Bite ?" was released in 2005, and the same line-up released the jam collection "The Rutland Chronicles" the following year.

This 2008 instrumental CD is one of the best British progressive rock albums in recent memory, pure classic prog, close to Genesis (or Steve Hackett solo) and Camel. Yak are a keys/bass/drums trio, but their sound is bigger than that – after hearing this, you will swear that there is a guitarist in the band, one who has the expressive Hackett/Latimer lead style nailed! In fact, keyboardist Martin Morgan is playing the guitar parts from a keyboard, the best emulation of that sustained electric guitar style we’ve ever heard. Of course a guitarist or two will be required live, as the guitar and keyboard sounds are layered. Just when you’ve despaired of ever hearing a British prog band create the real thing again, you are rescued by a Yak. Sounds like Dave Greenslade jamming with Genesis.

"Quest for the Stones" is the third studio album by British instrumental symph/prog band Yak. The music of Yak is instrumental, melodic and according to the reviews it is mostly being categorised in the genre of symphonic progressive rock. "For the uninitiated, the music of YAK harkens back to the golden age of 70s’ symphonic rock from pioneers like Camel and early Genesis; as well as the solo albums of Steve Hackett (which is amazing considering there is no guitarist). Martin emulates the emotional sustained guitar tones of artists like Steve Hackett and Andy Latimer beautifully. I needed to refer back to the CD sleeve to see if the line “Martin Morgan plays Fernandes guitars” was listed somewhere in the notes".

The Rutland Chronicles …a live jam. This was recorded a year after "Does your Yak Bite?" and was the 2nd time we played together - this is another Jam session with some materials later developed as tracks on Journey of the Yak which was recorded 2 years later. Please Note - this album should not be played to small children or in a car with people you don't know and is really for "completionists" - contains improvisation & was recorded in Lo-Fi on a "Cassette Recorder" - an ancient type of recording facility. Digitised at Ruskin Road Studios, Northampton.

A rare and collectable 2-on-1 LP, originally released in the 1970s and featuring two top fun groups from that wonderfully colourful decade, is now revived and remastered on one fun-packed CD. The Sweet, regular chart toppers and the ultimate Glam Rock heroes, are represented here by 12 rare tracks, including The Lollipop Man and All You Ever Get From Me . The Pipkins unleashed the highly popular and humorous Gimme Dat Ding , a Top 5 novelty song in 1970. It's featured here with 7 other songs, including Yakety Yak and 2 rare Single B-sides. Booklet features liner notes by respected author and journalist Chris Welch. Expertly remastered, superb sound, top quality reproduction - The best in the business!

American band formed in 1960s whose reverent revival of 1950s rock 'n' roll made them a sensation. Sha Na Na parlayed their straight-ahead '50s rock & roll revivalism into a successful touring career, even if they were never as popular on record as they were live. The group's image and style were unabashedly anachronistic, as they covered '50s pop and doo wop standards, slicked their hair back in the greaser fashion, and dressed in flamboyant '50s costumes. Sha Na Na formed at Columbia University in 1968 and quickly built a name for themselves with live performances, often at the Fillmore East, featuring such theatrics as a dance contest for audience members. The original lineup consisted of vocalists Rob Leonard, Scott Powell, Johnny Contardo, Frederick "Denny" Greene, Richard "Ritchie" Joffe, and Don York, plus guitarists Chris Donald, Elliot Cahn, and Henry Gross, bassist Bruce Clarke, drummer John "Jocko" Marcellino, pianists "Screamin'" Scott Simon and John "Bowzer" Bauman, and former Danny and the Juniors saxophonist Leonard Baker.

It's difficult for anyone who has heard them not to like – or even love – the Tremeloes. They were one of the more prodigiously talented British pop/rock bands of the 1960s, and they threw that talent into the making of amazingly catchy and well-crafted singles that lit up the charts and radio on both sides of the Atlantic for four years running, from 1966 through 1970. Yet, the Tremeloes are also one of the least-known and least-respected of 1960s English bands. The precise reason for the lack of respect is difficult to pin down, except perhaps that their timing was out, as far as making the most of their success. They generally didn't write their own material, and they cut their best singles long after the British Invasion (and the mystique surrounding the bands that were part of it) had ended. And, yet, ironically, the Tremeloes are also one of the longest surviving English rock & roll bands, playing regularly more than 40 years after the group's founding…

75 tracks… Many featured tracks were hits sung by many well-known artists from that time like Bill Haley & His Comets, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Isley Brothers, Little Richard, Howlin' Wolf, Ray Charles, Roy Orbison, Paul Anka and Elvis Presley … This box set is a great addition to any CD collection.If you wanted to add a rock n roll genre to your collection, wanted a decent compilation for your car or needed a collection of rock and roll classics for a party, then you cant go wrong with this set.

There are many incredible music genres that originated in the great land of America. Rock ’n’ Roll, Blues, Country, Gospel, the list goes on. Stars Of American Anthems gathers many of these leading genres & delivers 60 American timeless classics by iconic artists that remain influential in today’s popular music. The great names include Chuck Berry, Roy Orbison, Bill Haley, Little Richard, Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, Ray Charles, The Everly Brothers, Ike & Tina Turner plus many more celebrated legends. Featured are the greatest favourites that have stood the test of time & will continue to be enjoyed by audiences for decades to come.

Formed in Dallas and led by a dynamic turban-wearing lead singer and organist named Domingo Samudio, Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs were a garage bar band gone huge (it has been long rumored that they could play six hours straight without repeating a tune), and by mixing blues, R&B, and Tex-Mex together with a loopy sense of humor and sly lyrics, they stomped into pop history with the iconic party anthem “Wooly Bully,” which hit the number two spot on the pop charts right in the middle of the British Invasion in 1965. Aside from that record, though, and “Li’l Red Riding Hood” a year later in 1966, the group wouldn’t have that kind of chart success again, and Samudio and his band went down into most people’s annals as a one-hit wonder.