Charlotte Pop Fest 2008 Price: $15.00 Artist: Various Artists Description: Congrats to festival organizer/artist James Deem!  July 4 & 5, 2008 marked the first Charlotte Pop Fest!  Early reports are that it was a rousing success - enough so that looks like it will happen again in 2009!  The festival featured many artists... ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Come Join My Orchestra: The British Baroque Pop Sound 1967-1973 Price: $26.00 Artist: Various Artists Description: RELEASED ON NOVEMBER 30. TO GUARANTEE DELIVERY, ALL ORDERS MUST BE PLACED BY NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 22. AFTER NOVEMBER 22, THIS BECOMES A SPECIAL ORDER TITLE WITH NO GUARANTEE OF IMMEDIATE AVAILABILITY OR PRICE. When Paul McCartney, who arguably kick-started the whole baroque pop genre when he recorded the likes of “Yesterday” and “Eleanor Rigby” with pivotal strings arrangements, made his oft-quoted remark that pop was the classical music of the 20th Century, perhaps he meant it in a more literal sense than anyone realized at the time. In the immediate wake of ground-breaking albums like “Rubber Soul”, “Revolver” and “Pet Sounds”, the British and American music scenes became increasingly ambitious and cerebral. As the major recording studios becoming ever more sophisticated, a new generation of musicians and producers sought to emulate the backroom auteur status of Brian Wilson or the symbiotic relationship between George Martin and The Beatles. A new, more melancholic strain was introduced into British pop: expansive orchestral arrangements merged with the burgeoning psychedelic mind-set to create such studio-bound masterpieces as “Days Of Future Passed” and “Sgt Pepper”, with harpsichords, oboes, flutes, recorders and French horns providing a moody, introverted chamber pop flourish. Wilson and The Left Banke led the way in the US, but Britain was also awash with acts mining the baroque pop seam. Honeybus, The Zombies, Donovan, Nirvana and many others made significant recordings in that field, fusing mournful minor chord melodies with fey vocals, ornate arrangements and what had previously been considered non-rock instrumentation. “Come Join My Orchestra” covers British baroque pop’s formative years and its integration into a wide variety of genres, ranging from Johnny McEvoy’s exquisitely sculpted take on traditional pop balladry and a clutch of dyed-in-the-wool folkies (Ian Campbell, Bert Jansch etc) to McCartney acolytes (Fickle Pickle, Mike Batt, the Gerry Rafferty-led Humblebums) and symphonic/art rock bands like Procol Harum and Barclay James Harvest. With a lavish 40-page booklet, many recordings making their first appearance on CD and two tracks (by The Regime and The Mellow Yellow) gaining their first-ever release, this 3CD collection is a fascinating overview of what was a major development in late 60’s pop music, and one that reverberates to this day. GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Look At The Sun Price: $18.00 Artist: Various Artists Description: SOLD OUT!! Another stellar 22-track collection of rare BBC session tracks along with a significant proportion of acetates - all previously unreleased - recorded by some of the decade’s most obscure happening groups. Genuine hardcore unreleased British psych is a rare beast indeed these days but Top Sounds believe they have found some with two late 1967 tracks by Louise, who played clubs such as Happening 44 and were most definitely the real deal as far as British psychedelia was concerned. Psych pop heroes Kaleidoscope return with a newly discovered and much improved BBC version of "Faintly Blowing" from 1967, together with a thought lost performance from the same session of "The Murder Of Lewis Tollani". Portsmouth psychsters Coconut Mushroom offer excellent fuzzy pop in ‘Without You’, then crank up the volume with a sledgehammer version of the Who’s ‘Call Me Lightning’. Top of many fans wants lists are new tracks by the Fleur de Lys and unbelievably a cracking version of Albert King’s "Cross Cut Saw" from a ’67 BBC session has been found for Look At The Sun. Rare BBC performances by Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera have also been located and two of the best tracks from Wooden Hill’s Onyx CD make an appearance here. Infamous for their classic "Does It Really Matter" and the fact that no-one had a clue who they were, the Glass Opening feature with not only that great B’side but also three other corkers cut onto acetates during 1968. Graded Grains reappear with an excellent take on Spooky Tooth's "Better By You, Better Than Me", nestling closely to Andy Scott blasting out heavy prog pop riffs with the Elastic Band on a previously unknown version of "Uptown, Downtown" And there are two BBC performances by the venerable T2, one of which incredibly is an audio recording of their only television appearance! Plus more makes this an absolute must for fans of this kind of stuff! We sure are! GREAT!!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Lowe Profile: A Tribute To Nick Lowe Price: $20.00 Artist: Various Artists Description: In 2005, Walter Clevenger rounded up a slew of fine artists to pay tribute to the guy who has had such a huge influence on his music - and one of our ALL-TIME FAVORITE ARTISTS! . The 2CD features contributions from Walter himself, Ian Gomm, Dave Alvin, Duane Jarvis, Foster and Lloyd, Steve Allen (20/20), Ron Flynt (20/20), Don Dixon, Jamie Hoover, The Muffs, Tiffany Anastasia Lowe, Terry Anderson, Robbie Rist, Eric Ambel, Steve Wynn, Eugene Edwards, Sparkle*jets UK, The Glimmer Stars, The Brilliant Mistakes + more! Walter's band (the Dairy Kings) helps out by playing "house band" and recording the music for several of the artists on the tribute. most of the artists on Lowe Profile are roots rockers and pop mavens who obviously know and love Lowe's music, but also bring their own flavors to the performances, and along the way testify to the diversity of his material. "The other widely available tribute to the music of Nick Lowe, 'Labour of Love', counted Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, and Dar Williams among its contributors. The hitters on 'Lowe Profile' - a set covering, in the words of executive producer Clevenger, 'rock, pop, blues, country, and soul - and that's just the first five songs on disc one!'- aren't quite as heavy. But that's a plus, not a minus, as it allows the diversity of Lowe's songwriting to take center stage. Each of his periods is represented by a standout track. His Brinsley Schwarz bandmate Ian Gomm, who cowrote 'Cruel to Be Kind,' turns in a heartfelt version of the song accented by some delicious George Harrison-esque slide guitar, and Foster & Lloyd reunite after 15 years to put a smooth country spin on the Rockpile-era 'Without Love.' Other highlights include Greg Trooper's soulful, Wurlitzer-tinged take on 'What's Shaking on the Hill' (the centerpiece of 1990's 'Party of One') and a rockabilly reimagining by James Intveld of 'Dig My Mood''s 'Lonesome Reverie.'" - Benjamin Lukoff This isn't a bunch of slapped-together covers, but a heartfelt tribute to a musician whose talent and attitude has made a real impact among people who love music, and one of the best tributes we've ever heard! GREAT!!!!!!!!!!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Sing Me A Rainbow: A Trident Anthology 1965-1967 Price: $28.00 Artist: Various Artists Description: In the mid-'60s, Trident Productions, run by Kingston Trio manager Frank Werber, recorded quite a bit of San Francisco Bay Area rock, usually but not always leaning to the folk-rock side. Though they had a big hit right away with the We Five's 1965 smash ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

All Those Times We Spent Together: A Tribute To The Television Personalities Vol. 3 + bonus disc Price: $14.00 Artist: Various Artists Description: The Beautiful Music has committed itself to releasing ten Television Personalities tribute albums over the next few years. It is an idea that is both bonkers and admirable, as if the label is trying to make up for all the praise and recognition that the band has sadly missed out on over its 30 plus year existence. "After the Years’ offers up a spiky version of ‘This Angry Silence’, Anorak Girl take a kitschy electro pop approach to ‘Smashing Time’ that sort of sounds like a solo effort from the girls from the Human League, which is great, and seems to suit the song. Blue Petal’s arrangement of ‘A Good and Faithful Servant’ is fairly faithful to the original, slowing it down and giving it a swinging, waltzy beat, but capturing the sentiment of the song nicely. A Smile And A Ribbon’s take on ‘Magnificent Dreams’ sounds a bit Electrelane-like, and has a nice innocent, childish vibe to it. Sarandon take ‘And Don’t the Kids Just Love It’ and sharpen up the 60's garage rock influence within it, making it more overt. The Painted Word unsurprisingly takes ‘The Painted Word’ and adds a breakbeat to it, which, with the Beatles-ish backwards guitar and tambourine, makes it sound a bit like an early Britpop song. Amica’s loose, de-anglified version of ‘In a Perfumed Garden’ reminds me a little of Pavement, and therefore gets two thumbs up. Armstrong’s nice harmonies and simple, arrangement of ‘This Heart’s Not Made of Stone’ is another highlight; different enough from the original to stand up on its own, but keeping the sentiment of the original. Cineplexx gives ‘I Hope You Have a Nice Day’ a sort of lo fi Phil Spector treatment, while Apple Orchard strips away the 80's jangle of ‘The Dream Inspires’ and replaces it with Sloan-meets-Belle and Sebastian indie pop. La Grande Illusion Gainsbourg-ifies ‘Glittering Prizes’ and is surprisingly good. The alt-rock version of ‘The Man Who Paints the Rainbows’, supplied by Bunnygrunt, is another good one; it’s a natural adaptation that is different but doesn’t feel forced. Versions of ‘This Angry Silence’ book-end the compilation, with Boyracer’s closing take making it sound very Buzzcocks-like." - PennyBlackMusic.co.uk "Common to all of these songs is that hardly anyone knows them . Never mind. I assure you, the music is worth it. Dan Treacy is a great songwriter, tells the wonderfully true, sad, melancholic, incredible, off-beat, happy, dreamy stories and provides the right chords. Each band, each artist, brings his own vision and interpretation. It is always exciting and worth hearing . Nice thing !" - Twang-tone.de Jeremy Gluck (Barracudas) also covers "King and Country"! COMES WITH A 23-TRACK BONUS DISC OF EVEN MORE TVP COVERS!! EXCELLENT!!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Too Much Time On Our Hands: A Styx Tribute Album Price: $13.00 Artist: Various Artists Description: When approaching this project, the participants rethought the arrangements of these Styx songs, avoiding the triple-tenor harmony vocals, progressive rock instrumentation, double-lead electric guitar solos, and theatrical leanings of the original recordings, thus the organic core of each song is revealed and appreciated. The album makes an interesting study for any Styx fan, or a fan of any of the artists that contributed. Unique in its approach, it emphasizes the vision of each artist's interpretation of the track to which they contributed. In that way, fans who know each artist's style will easily recognize their sound. Like any compilation or mix tape, there are highs and lows for every listener. Pacific Northwestern female-fronted punk trio Heart Beats Red turned in a ferociously garagey interpretation of "The Grand Finale", Alva Star channeled Prince in their dreamy take on "Lady", Echelon odernized the rock classic "Renegade", power-vocalist Beki Hemmingway out-emoted the original Dennis DeYoung composition "Don't Let It End", acoustic duo Lost and Found made "The Grand Illusion" sound like Simon And Garfunkel, college-town troubadour Jerry Chapman growled his way through "Man In The Wilderness", and project coordinator Jonathan Rundman teamed up his cousin Bruce Rundman and producer/drummer Andy Deitrich to record the Styx staple "Come Sail Away" and the obscure gem "Queen Of Spades". The result is a pretty cool, creative tribute of a group of artists interpreting Styx in unique and rootsy ways! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Friends With Benefits: A Compilation Fighting Cystic Fibrosis Price: $11.00 Artist: Various Artists Description: 16 bands from the Twin Cities area coming together for a good cause (and delivering some fine music in the process)! In the early months of 2005, after Minor 7 recording studio opened its downtown Minneapolis doors, its founders realized the best way to show off their new studio toys was to pimp some product. Problem was, they hadn't recorded anyone yet. The genius of their solution - to offer free recording time to any band willing to devote one unreleased track to this CD - is twofold. First, no group in their right mind will turn down free studio time, a fact that rewarded the producers the pick of the Twin Cities crop. Second, because the same engineers recorded each of the album's tracks in the same studio, the disc has a consistency of sound and flow all too rare in compilations. And, while the music on this disc demonstrates a wide array of styles and provides a musical "snapshot" of bands currently treading the boards, it does feature tracks from artists certainly familiar to pop fans - Heavy Sleeper, The Idle Hands, The Hang Ups, Autumn Leaves and Romantica. All proceeds from the sale of this nicely-priced CD go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation! EXCELLENT!!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Radio Tymes Price: $20.00 Artist: Various Artists Description: WOW!!! Following three excavations of 60's and early 70's BBC radio session performances with the "Shapes And Sounds" anthologies, Top Sounds now move quite literally into ‘top gear’ with "Radio Tymes". Sourced from proficiently recorded reel to reel tapes and BBC transcription discs, this latest offering presents very rare and desirable recordings from some of the 60's major players, and indeed some groups who would find wider acclaim during the following decade. A band still going strong today, the record rewinds back to the early days of Deep Purple with the discovery of their first live performance ever broadcast ("Hush") on British radio in mid 1968, as well as an incendiary "The Painter" from the last session by the original line-up in 1969. Three superb recordings from The Yardbirds' final BBC session in 1968, including the legendary "Dazed And Confused", finally appear in excellent quality, and unbelievably a document of Jimi Hendrix singing live on Simon Dee’s "Dee Time" TV program has surfaced which has not been heard anywhere since 1967. Two great tunes by The Move from the first ever Top Gear provide ample proof as to why they are regarded as one of the most revered groups of the era, and from the very same program psychedelic heroes Tomorrow with Keith West play their underground anthem "My White Bicycle". The live version of "Sabre Dance" that initiated Love Scuplture's top ten single accompanies two other fantastic covers (The Beatles' The Inner Light" and Honeybus' "Do I Still Figure In Your Life") from their colorful repertoire, and Barclay James Harvest add more fuel to the fire with the quite perfect and upbeat "Night". All accompanied by a bulging 32 page book full of illustrations and information. Top Sounds do it Top Shelf! GREAT!!!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Hit The Hay Vol. 8 Price: $15.00 Artist: Various Artists Description: YES!! Seven years in the making, the latest 25-song volume of this very cool series of deliciously twangly and overflowing with jangly roots and pop collections is here! Sound Asleep's Jerker Emanuelsson explains, "It had been 7 years since the last 'Hit The Hay'. I never thought that there would be a new one, but when I got the chance to release an unreleased Roy Loney track, I jumped on it right away and decided to put together 'Volume 8' in this series that started the whole label in 1994. I hope this was well worth the wait." Features previously unreleased tracks from Roy Loney, The Swedish Polar Bears (the first Swedish band ever to appear on a "HTH" collection), John Paul Keith & the One Four Fives, and The Frosted Sugar Bombs. Other notable who appear are Edward O'Connell, The Janglemen, Hans Rotenberry & Brad Jones, Young Fresh Fellows, Lannie Flowers, Travis Hopper, and The New Normal. Always well done, the series is great way to discover a lot of new, "off the radar" roots poppers (like Justin & The Cosmics, Victor Penalosa & The Melanies, Javier Escovedo, Norman Phipps, Mike Nicolai, Jay Sherman-Godfrey, Colin Gilmore, Neil Nathan, Mike Fredrickson, and Pete Sinjin) and also serves as a terrific ready-made mix tape! Solid from start to finish! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none