The Echelon

In a way, the Searchers are a footnote. Never entering the upper echelon of British Invasion beat groups, the band nevertheless had legs, outlasting all but the titans of the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, and the Who. The Searchers always flew just below the radar, even if they had something of a renaissance at the tail end of the '70s with a new lineup headed by lead singer – and only constant – John McNally, with his lead guitarist companion Mike Pender directing the band through two superb power pop LPs and their jangle echoing in the stable of Shelter Records, heard strongly in the early records of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. They are best known for their earliest hits – 1963's "Sweets for My Sweet," 1964's "Needles and Pins" – which may be because they were their biggest hits but it's also because the Searchers never abandoned their pure pop template throughout their entire career, something that becomes blindingly evident over the course of the four-disc box set Hearts in Their Eyes.

Eleven O' Seven is the debut release from Grace Fox with the Grace Fox Big Band (GFBB). Comprised entirely of women, The GFBB was an idea that was inspired to Grace by her studying of The International Sweethearts of Rhythm and The Diva Band. This album showcases the next generation of women in jazz, flown in from around the country to record standards, originals, and arrangements.

Although the raw power of "Wild Thing" is undeniable and has held influence over countless bands, the band were more than that. From Nowhere showed a group of British guys with a keen garage-stompin' punk sensibility in '66, years before the term 'punk' even entered music's consciousness…