Strawberry Switchblade

Lost 80s presents 63 tracks compiled and themed by Gary Crowley disc by disc, from 'Jingly Jangly' indie-pop 7"s to the extended 12" that so much marked the era. Many of these tracks are rare and very hard to find having not appeared on any CDs before.

The 80s Compilation market is a minefield - a lack of variety, re-recorded versions, poor sound quality among the pitfalls - but Demon Music Groups' "100 Hits" series have been the pick of the bunch in recent times…

Though it is seldom ranked among the composer's greatest works, Rigel 9 is actually one of the most easily digested, as David Bedford links with science fiction author (and now lyricist) Ursula LeGuin to create a song cycle that, though it is certainly rooted in LeGuin's own territory, will certainly not disappoint Bedford's own followers. The premise of the storyline is relatively simple - a group of astronauts arrive on an alien world that they believe to be uninhabited. Or, rather, most of them believe it is uninhabited. One, however, can see a city all around them, and the accompanying conflict is the theme to much of Bedford's score. Like Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds, the album that can most confidently be described as a precursor to Rigel 9, the narrative portions can jar. But, as Bedford's own moods shift between grandiose and downright creepy, it is often easy to forget there's a "concept" unfolding altogether…

4CD / 90 track set exploring the work of female artists in the decade following the punk explosion. From household names and legends – Alison Moyet, Toyah, Kirsty MacColl, Nico, Tracey Thorn, Chrissie Hynde, Neneh Cherry, Pauline Murray, Sinead O’Connor, Tracey Ullman, Cosey Fanni Tutti – to underground figureheads and unsung pioneers. Spanning the genres – from the punk howl of X-Ray Spex and the NWOBHM stylings of Girlschool to Cosey Fanni Tutti’s post-TG electronica, the experimental dub of Vivien Goldman and the the High Street pop of Bananarama.