Woman uk 9 October 2023

Limited five CD set. First-ever complete anthology of splinter group from the original Procol Harum line-up. Includes all five of the band's albums plus singles, out-takes and alternative versions. Just as 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' was establishing itself as the definitive summer-of-1967 hit, new kids on the block Procol Harum acrimoniously parted company with guitarist Ray Royer and drummer Bobby Harrison.

The Heavy return in 2023 with their sixth album Amen, an exhilarating maelstrom of ‘60s R&B riffs, horns, and gospel harmonies, which is set to be the freshest and most revitalised record in their canon yet. Their corrupted R&B power is unstoppable and, revived to full blast from the pandemic lull, they’re hurtling into 2023, whipping and writhing with seditious blues drama, soul and gospel passion, the crunch of prime hip-hop and garage punk’s visceral electricity pulsating through Amen. The album was recorded at Rockfield Studios, produced with Tchad Blake (The Black Keys, U2) and engineered with Real World Studios’ Joe Jones. The songs were written during sessions in Florida at the end of their 2019 US tour and demoed when Kelvin visited the UK in February 2020.

Black Classical Music, the first official solo release of the acclaimed UK drummer, Yussef Dayes. Across 19 tracks, it melds the spirit of everything from 70s funk, reggae and Senegalese percussion while simultaneously nodding to furious dancefloor pacings of the soundsystem continuum. At every turn, Yussef’s distinctive drum licks and Rocco Palladino’s bass are the sturdy anchors; aided by Charlie Stacey/Elijah Fox (keys/synths), Venna (saxophone) and a whole host of honorable features including: Chronixx, Jamilah Barry, Tom Misch, Shabaka Hutchings, Miles James, Sheila Maurice Grey, Nathaniel Cross, Theon Cross and the Chineke! Orchestra, the first professional orchestra in Europe to be made up of majority Black and ethnically diverse musicians.

NOW Music is proud to present the next instalment in our ongoing ‘Yearbook’ series, NOW – Yearbook 1978; 85 tracks from a magical year in Pop!