Back catalogue: All genres

Review: The opening track from the second Ramones album, Leave Home, gets an outing on 7", despite never being a single at the time. It sounds every bit as fresh as when it originally emerged in January 1977, the New Yorkers' love of 50s bubblegum combining with trademark brutal punk riotousness on a song that manages to namecheck Charles Manson and turn the traditional love song on its head. Dirty, speedy punk pop thrills aplenty.

Review: Known for his raw authenticity, Hot Water Music co-frontman Ragan embraces a dynamic blend of genres on this new collection. The album's lead single, 'Wild In Our Ways', showcases Ragan's signature gravelly voice alongside harder-hitting Americana-infused rock, marking a shift from his usual folk sound. The track's anthemic spirit captures themes of survival and resilience, with lyrics that rally behind the underdog. Ragan's commitment to honesty and musical exploration shines throughout Love and Lore, which was delayed due to the pandemic and his family commitments. Conceptualised in 2016, it eventually came together in early 2023. Songs like 'Echo the Halls', also featured on the album, continue this bold sonic evolution and Ragan's approach remains rooted in integrity and a willingness to stretch beyond boundaries. For fans of both his punk and solo work, Love and Lore promises to be a bold, heartfelt release, with his unmistakable warmth and conviction at its core.

Review: Triple J Live at the Wireless is a recording of The Ramones gig at the Wireless Capitol Theatre, Sydney, Australia, July 8, 1980. It was broadcast on the radio back then and has never officially made it on to vinyl until now. The legendary NYC punk rockers played 23 tunes, many of which are super rare tunes that they never played again on this tour. For this Record Store Day it gets pressed up to 180g vinyl and limited to 13000 copies worldwide. Raw and visceral, it captures the band at their most abrasive best and is a real timewarp back to their (gabba gabba) hey-day.

Review: The Ramones had long reshaped the world of music in their beautifully twisted image by the time they recorded this, their second live album, in Spain in 1991. But the New York punks were seemingly addicted to playing live, touring relentlessly throughout the 80s and 90s, and their tightly drilled act is at fever pitch here, careering through an incredible 32 'blink and you'll miss them' tracks across four sides of vinyl. A handful of covers - there's a blistering version of The Trashmen's early rock 'n' roll stormer 'Surfin' Bird', for instance - nestle alongside timeless originals such as 'I Wanna Be Sedated', 'Beat On The Brat' and 'Sheena Is A Punk Rocker', with a healthy selection of deeper cuts from the late 80s here too. Top mayhem.

Review: Originally released in 1977 (the year that punk died), 'Rocket To Russia', still stands as arguably one of the most vital punk staples to ever come out of the genre. The strength of lead single, 'Sheena Is A Punk Rocker', was enough to secure the band a deal with Sire Records, who would front a hefty sum for the budget, which was poured into production costs. Admittedly, the project didn't sell in the high regions the members had hoped, citing the influence of the Sex Pistols as a negative blanket over the scene, but the more psychedelic, surf-rock sonics may have been too much of an outlier for the time. While sporting another essential cut in the form of, 'Teenage Lobotomy', as well as the iconic rendition of, 'Surfin' Bird'; the album would mark the final endeavour of all four original Ramones before drummer Tommy would depart, whilst remaining on as producer for the acclaimed follow up the next year, 'Road To Ruin'.

Review: The second volume of the two-part collection of lesser-known recordings from the kings of New York, punk rock and leather jacket swagger, Rare Ramones II picks up right where Volume I ended in 1985 and details the rest of their career as told through a chronological selection of B-sides, demos and other rare recordings. Consisting of 14 tracks (same as its predecessor) including the Bill Laswell demo version of easily the most iconic Acid Eaters cut 'Pet Sematary', as well as some of the very last studio recordings made by the band, done after the release of their 1995 swansong LP Adios Amigos. Might we recommend the demo version of that album's banging 'It's Not For Me To Know' which features Dee Dee on vocals.

Review: One of the most tumultuous projects of the Ramones' tenure, 1986's 'Animal Boy', would see the punk icons at an all-time low in terms of communication and camaraderie. Following on from the well received, 'Too Tough To Die', the internal strife would mark the least amount of input or performance from vocalist Joey Ramone and guitarist Johnny, to that point. Instead, bassist Dee Dee and drummer Richie took it upon themselves to make the best of a bad situation, leading to a sporadic collection that initially was noted for its lack of direction, or cohesion, but can now be appreciated fondly for its new wave experimentations and synth-laden cuts. With lyrical topics dissecting their own issues with one another, as well as the political point of contention between members on the standout, 'My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)', taking central aim at one Ronald Reagan, this often misunderstood ninth entry into the Ramones canon is more than deserving of reassessment.

Review: Coming off of the back of 1983's Subterranean Jungle, which saw a return to their punk rock roots, the brothers Ramone opted to stay the course for their 1984 follow up Too Tough To Die. Enlisting drummer Richie Ramone for his first project, the collective creative intention was to further stray from the lukewarm reception bestowed upon their more pop-centric End of the Century (1980) and Pleasant Dreams (1981), and rediscover the harder edges that built their initial success. With this unifying vision in mind, the band opted to record as live and raw as possible in order to capture that punk rock ethos, with this compilation providing a bevvy of demos, B-sides and alternate takes from these sessions, many of which feature Richie on lead vocals. A true gem for devout followers of the real Fab 4 as well as a curious bridging point between the aforementioned Subterranean Jungle and the fully realised product of Too Tough To Die.

Review: Forty years ago a yet unknown cult band was to release a LP that never came. Interesting enough, Rema-Rema - made up of former members of The Models and Siouxsie & The Banshees - delivered 4AD one of its first releases: Wheel In Roses (1980). All tracks from that EP, in their new wave, post-punk glory, feature on this Fond Reflections LP, a compendium of sorts detailing across 17 tracks the band's raw and unplugged sound. Collected, re-mixed and engineered by band member Gary Asquith and mixing technician Takatsuna Mukai, the result is an archival, patchwork collage of a lost but not forgotten trip down the lanes of UK folklore. Get to grips with "Fond Affections", "Feedback Song" and "Why Ask Why".