Review: BDQ - or the BunnDebrettQuintet, who emerged from the ashes of 90s acid jazz titans Mother Earth.- wrap up their covers project in emphatic style with a double punch of 'The Night' and 'Tainted Love', ahead of the upcoming full-length The Ultimate BDQ. Sarah Orpen leads the charge on vocals, delivering a fiery take on Frankie Valli's Northern soul stomper 'The Night', reimagined here with a female vocal and a storming arrangement. On the flip, Soft Cell's synth-pop classic 'Tainted Love' gets a fierce, bass-driven overhaul, clocking in at a lean 2 minutes 18 and hitting with full-force momentum. Rather than the usual album-first approach, BDQ have been rolling out each track on 7" before compiling them into a full LP due soon, with subtle tweaks to the single versions.
Review: The Dells were a legendary soul and doo-wop group defined by Johnny Carter's soaring falsetto and Marvin Junior's rich baritone. After first forming in 1952, their most iconic era came during their time with Chicago's Cadet label from the mid-60s to mid-70s. Their 1966 track 'Run For Cover' became a staple of the Northern Soul scene and remains highly sought-after today, with mint copies fetching over L100. Equally beloved is their 1968 dancer 'Wear It On Our Face' featuring a powerful Charles Stepney arrangement and the group's signature harmonies-both songs showcasing The Dells at the height of their soulful brilliance.
Review: Recorded during the final year of her life, this posthumous release finds Marianne Faithfull looking both backwards and forwards - reconciling the weight of legacy with the intimacy of reflection. Across these four new tracks, she honours the dual foundations of her 60-year career: chamber pop and traditional British folk. 'Burning Moonlight', co-produced with long-time collaborator Head, echoes the melancholic grandeur of 'As Tears Go By', while 'Love Is (Head version)', written with her grandson Oscar Dunbar, floats with tender defiance. The flip side turns to lineage and tradition: 'Three Kinsmen Bold' is stark and ancestral, passed down from her father and 'She Moved Thru' The Fair' is sparse, aching, and spectral. Faithfull was born in Hampstead and came of age in 60s London, and here, on what is now her final release, she returns to the very start - not out of nostalgia, but with grace and resolve. It's the completion of a circle, yes, but it still leaves a faint line trailing off into the air.
J Blue - "I Can't Keep Crying Sometimes" (part 1) (3:25)
Original Gravity Allstars - "I Can't Keep Crying Sometimes" (part 2) (4:02)
Review: London imprint Original Gravity keeps the 7" heat coming with a two-part reimagining of the blues standard 'I Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes'. J Blue takes the A-side, laying down a smoky, melancholic vocal over a stripped-back hip-hop groove, bringing 60s soul pathos into sharp modern focus. It's the kind of cut that creeps up on you-restrained, ghostly, all mood. On the flip, the Original Gravity Allstars stretch things out dub-style with a Pt. 2 version, turning the track inside out into something moodier, heavier, and bass-led. Another strong entry in the label's ongoing campaign to bridge vintage sonics and contemporary pulse-perfect for deep selectors and collectors alike.
Review: A curious artefact of Northern Soul history, this limited one-sided 7" by Eddie Regan was pressed by Anchor UK with two conflicting release dates, though 1978 is believed to be correct. Dropped during the peak of the Northern Soul explosion in the UK, 'Playing Hide & Seek' delivers a potent dose of heartfelt vocals and dancefloor-ready soul. Its raw, urgent energy and emotive delivery have made it a cult favourite, with two Northern Soul classics featured back-to-back on some issues. Do not sleep, because this will fly.
Review: James Royal was a rather underrated British singer who served up some fine Modernist cool in his time. Tow off the singles from that era will cost L100 - L150 if you can find the Parlophone original but this is a first official reissue so you can swerve the sharks. A-side 'Work Song' is a jazz-blues standard reimagined with Royal's urgent, expressive vocals and a driving rhythm section that adds raw energy. The B-side, "I Can't Stand It," leans into heavy, fuzzed-out garage soul with punchy horns and an explosive vocal performance. Both tracks prove Royal's dynamic range and emotional firepower, balancing precision with passion that captures the essence of late-60s British r&b at its most visceral and compelling.
Review: Thee Sinseers turn up the tempo on 'If We Try', an energised groove driven by Joey Quinones and Adriana Flores trading leads with infectious chemistry. This new track aims straight for the Latin soul dancefloor, and flip 'Give It Up You Fool' proves an equally powerful counterweight, with Brian Ponce's unmistakable voice leading a smooth, heartfelt jam. A limited run of 1,000 random-coloured vinyl copies on Colemine.
Review: East LA soul crew Thee Sinseers return with a double-A side that showcases both ends of their range: sweet, slow burner and uptempo dancefloor mover. 'If We Try' sees Joey Quinones and Adriana Flores trading vocals over a brisk, horn-drenched groove-snappy drums, tight bass and organ lines that radiate pure vintage swing. It's rare to hear the group lean into tempo like this, and it suits them. On the flip, 'Give It Up You Fool' brings things back to their lowrider roots: a languid, aching ballad with Bryan Ponce on lead, brushed drums and Hammond organ woven through clean guitar licks and subtle whistle accents. Both sides are steeped in warmth and craft, continuing the group's reign as one of the most faithful and soulful bands working in the retro-modern crossover.
The Valentinos - "Rock In The Cradle Of Love" (2:40)
The Valentinos - "Don't Go Away" (3:01)
Review: The 'SAR' EP celebrates the early brilliance of the American Womack family, originally performing as the Womack Brothers before evolving into The Valentinos. This well curated collection showcases four lesser known gems that trace a certain aspect of soul's evolution from the gospel depth of 'Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray' to the raw r&b of 'Don't Go Away' and 'Rock In The Cradle Of Love,' while the stunning group soul of 'Put Me Down Easy' is another doozy. Most tracks make their vinyl debut here, with 'Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray' previously only appearing on a rare SAR pressing. It forms a vital tribute to soul's origins.
Review: Ray Charles stands at the crossroads of 20th-century music i born in Georgia and raised in Florida, he emerged from the Jim Crow South not just as a titan of rhythm and blues but as a shape-shifting interpreter who redefined genre boundaries by sheer force of personality. On this early landmark, his voice is the instrument i bold, broken and utterly assured. The first half pairs him with a brass-soaked big band stacked with Basie and Ellington sidemen; 'Let the Good Times Roll' and 'It Had to Be You' swing with a mischievous, winking power, while 'Two Years of Torture' is pure stage-lit agony, with Charles unflinching in the spotlight. The second half turns orchestral, lush but never polite i 'You Won't Let Me Go' and 'Come Rain or Come Shine' turn show tunes into prayer, soul bleeding through every note. Charles strips these standards of their Broadway polish and threads them through lived-in phrasing, delivered from the gut. It's a feat that would shape his catalogue for decades, but rarely with this much risk or reward.
The E-Types - "Put The Clock Back On The Wall" (0:47)
Who's The Butcher? (1:39)
Thee Neons - "LSD Got A Hold On Me" (0:45)
Horny & Unclean (1:52)
She Must Be Square (1:54)
The Vagrants - "I Love, Love You (Yes I Do)" (0:50)
Let's Hear It For Al Capone (2:33)
The E-Types - "Untitled" (1:29)
Where's The Acid Kid? (1:22)
Bit' A Sweet - "Out Of Sight Out Of Mind" (2:46)
I Enjoyed The Band (2:59)
Bit’ A Sweet - "Is It On, Is It Off?" (0:50)
Susie's Trip Out (1:41)
The E-Types - "Put The Clock Back On The Wall" (instrumental version) (1:11)
Where It's Always Been At (0:54)
The E-Types - "Clock-apella" (Stereo) (1:54)
It Was A Dream (1:46)
The E-Types - "Put The Clock Back On The Wall" (reprise) (0:50)
Review: Originally scored in 1968 by a loose circle of New York garage-psych acts, this reissued soundtrack finally lifts the veil on one of the strangest period films of the late 60s. The E-Types lead the charge with no fewer than four versions of 'Put The Clock Back On The Wall', ranging from a bright, full-band cut to a warped instrumental and stereo acapella. The Bit' A Sweet contribute the hazy, lurching 'Is It On, Is It Off?'ia woozy gem full of phased guitar and tape wobbleiwhile 'LSD Got A Hold On Me' by Thee Neons dials up the paranoia with raw, fuzzed-out intensity. The Vagrants offer a tight, harmony-laced soul ballad in 'I Love, Love You (Yes I Do)', adding contrast to the acid-drenched proceedings. While the film itself, shot entirely in greyscale, veered closer to surreal documentary than narrative cinema, the music functions as a mood-setting anchor throughoutiequal parts camp, dread, and weird sunshine optimism. This marks the first official pressing of these tracks and serves as both a time capsule of New York's outsider rock fringe and a highly playable psyche compilation in its own right.
Review: Formed in London in 1964, The Eyes burned briefly but brightly-releasing a handful of 7"s that would go on to shape decades of mod, garage, and shoegaze revivalism. This retrospective finally assembles those cult recordings in one place, including the iconic 'When The Night Falls', whose wild, feedback-laced riffing prefigured psychedelia's edge, and 'I'm Rowed Out', which blends taut beat dynamics with pop-art swagger. 'You're Too Much' and 'My Degeneration' channel the kinetic rush of the Who's early work but with even sharper guitars and a more menacing sneer. Remastered from original sources with rare demo cuts added, it captures the group's vital energy-fuzz, hooks, and visual identity all intact. A complete, overdue portrait of a group that should've had their own LP in the 60s but ended up shaping the decades that followed instead.
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