Back catalogue: Rock

Review: Katie Puckrik's well-curated A Yacht Rock Odyssey is a four-part musical journey showcasing the smoothest sounds of the genre. This collection features gently funky grooves polished by top session musicians and producers and the set includes classics from Michael McDonald, Toto and Average White Band, alongside Carly Simon, Robert Palmer and the Pointer Sisters, plus gems from Olivia Newton-John and Christopher Cross. Puckrik's introduction and track-by-track annotations offer insights tray draw from her acclaimed BBC TV series, I Can Go for That: The Smooth World of Yacht Rock. With 24 meticulously chosen tracks, this compilation highlights the era's sleek, mellow vibe and musical kinship.

Review: Here at Juno HQ, we are great believers in the idea that you cannot have guilty pleasures when it comes to music. If you like something, you like it, and you should own that. Still, that didn't stop Sean Rowley from serving up a bumper collection of what he thinks to be sounds you might enjoy but not what to shout about from the rock canon. He first did so two decades ago and so here comes this 20th anniversary edition on double vinyl with umpteen catchy, feel good and singalong classics from the likes of Captain & Tennille, Electric Light Orchestra, Andy Fairweather-Low and many more.

Review: By 1968, disillusionment with the American dream had grown as urban riots, Vietnam, assassinations, and rising divorce rates rocked the nation. At one time it was only the youth who voiced dissent but by that time older generations were also questioning the state of the country. This superbly assembled album reflects that crisis with rare and forgotten tracks from major artists including the Beach Boys' '4th Of July' and Roy Orbison's 'Southbound Jericho Parkway' plus a classic from Elvis. The songs explore themes like divorce (Frank Sinatra's 'The Train') and institutional hypocrisy (Dean Martin's 'Do You Believe This Town') while Marvin Gaye's environmental anthem also echoes the era's growing awareness of issues which remain just as pressing today.

Review: Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs of Saint Etienne fame are the diggers behind this new rock assemblage which pays tribute to mid-afternoon set times at lesser-known festivals from years gone (well, the 70s) such as Deeply Vale, Bickershaw, Krumlin, Weeley, and Plumpton. They were just as important to those who attended as the more celebrated likes of Glasto' and this collection shows the sounds were just as good, too. The sounds - from big names liek Deep Purple, Hawkwind and Alan Parker & Alan Hawkshaw to lesser known acts like Jonesy, will appeal to hippies and bikers alike with big riffs, funky drumming and some psyched-out sounds.

Review: 2023 smash hit Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 finds Peter Quill still reeling from the loss of Gamora but rallying with his crew in an attempt to defend the universe. Should they not succeed it will prove a fateful mission and the dream of all this is captured in this original soundtrack. It features plenty of high-octane cuts, futuristic curveballs and even some rock and r&b from Alice Cooper and Faith No More respectively. Beastie Boys bring the heat with their classic 'No Sleep Till Brooklyn' and Florence & The Machine has still rarely bettered 'Dog Days Are Over.'

Review: The NOW series was a rite of passage for many young music lovers. The expertly curated releases came several times a year and gave you an update as to what was hot and what was not - a mad idea in this day and age when everyone can access, if not own, everything ever released the moment it drops. The brand has pivoted well in the digital age and is still putting out collections of sounds with a genre or era focus that are handy and enjoyable reminders. This bumper collection on triple green vinyl is all about 1974 with tunes like 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me' and 'Whatever Gets You Thru The Night' still well worth a singalong.

Review: The sun has finally arrived here in the UK, the temps are rising and all our focus turns to the sunnier end of your collections. And there will of course always be more room for this scorching rhythms that heighten any summer get together, especially those as tropical and worldly as this collection from Swiss label Bongo Joe. This most heat baked record is a collection of outernational Latin and afro sounds put together by Coco Maria. The collection takes in many of the artist who have made her Worldwide Fm show such a vital one, from Nico Mauskovic to La Perla via Meridian Brothers y Grupo Renacimiento.

Review: Flamenco rumba fusion from Latin America became Catalan rumba thanks to the inspirations that came over from Cuba and Puerto Rico in the early 1960s. Add in the pop sounds from the British Invasion and American pop of the late 1960s and you have this rich melting pot of rhythm and sound that makes up this collection of so-called Spanish gypsy soul and funk from the seventies. It is a colourful and freewheeling collection that takes in intoxicating sounds like Dolores Vargas's 'La Terremoto La Borracha' next to the instrumental funk of Bambino's 'Ven Aqui Junto A Mi' and plenty more besides.

Review: It is that time of year when the same very limited selection of Xmas songs get piped through every PA in the land. But you can now improve your Christmas soundtrack by at least some percent with this heavyweight double album on translucent magenta and clear vinyl featuring a weird and wonderful array of festive-themed rock, soul and pop songs. Chances are many of these will be new to you - but there are some real gems here, such as the gentle tiny of sleigh bells on Marvin Gaye's 'Purple Snowflakes,' Booker T & The MG's funky 'Jingle Bells' and The Kinks rock licked 'Father Christmas.'

Review: Licorice Pizza is the new film from acclaimed director Paul Thomas Anderson. Set in the San Fernando Valley in 1973, it's a veritable time capsule of a movie with a soundtrack to match. There's plenty of classic period pieces gathered here on this album, featuring songs by David Bowie, Nina Simone, and Wings, Donovan, Sonny & Cher, Gordon Lightfoot, and more. As well as that, there's also a new original song written by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, who has worked with Anderson before. Look out for Chuck Berry performing with Steve Miller Band for an added surprise in the midst of the hits, and a deep cut from Joe Walsh's pre-Eagles band James Gang.

Review: The legend Leonard Cohen was already sure to live on but this new collection of renditions of the legendary singer-songwriter's many and most profound songs makes it a dead cert. Produced by Larry Klein it is a remarkable record that features a truly broad array of artists, all legends in their own right, from jazz crooner Gregory Porter to post-punk poster child Iggy Pop via pop star David Gray and the always soothing sounds of Norah Jones. Sarah McLachlan's version of the iconic 'Hallelujah' is a real standout while Luciana Souza's 'Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye' is also a fine reworking.

Review: There can be few nostalgia trips as potent as that of Stranger Things. The hit Netflix series knows exactly what buttons to press for kids of the 80s to get all misty-eyed, and their music curation is a big part of that process. With no expense spared on the licensing front, this collection draws for a dizzying array of big hitters, including firm classics from KISS, Talking Heads, Kate Bush, The Cramps, Musical Youth and so very many more. If you love the show, or if you simply love great music from the 80s, there's a lot for you to savour on this soundtrack for the fourth season of the show.

Review: It's almost Christmas time which of course means we get inundated with plenty of brilliantly seasonal albums to add a touch of sonic warmth and festivities to your parties. This one is a mix of more modern-leaning collections of Christmas sounds from favourites like Ed Sheehan and Kelly Clarkson next to more traditional names like Michael Buble, Otis Redding, Donny Hathaway and The Pogues. It does on four sides of vinyl and really will do the trick to get you in the mood while you over eat and drink too much for a good few weeks this December.

Review: While the NOW That's What I Call compilations are traditionally reserved for the most accessible pop releases to ever be pumped through the airways, there's simply no denying the utter deluge of quintessential bangers this Rock Anthems instalment offers. Of course, there's tracks here you already know must be included without even a glance at the lengthy tracklist, such as Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now', Def Leppard's 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' and Journey's 'Don't Stop Believin'', yet there's still ample room for classic prog with Emerson, Lake & Palmer's 'Fanfare For The Common Man', avant-punk poetry from Patti Smith with 'Because The Night', glam metal cheese with Poison's 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn' and power pop eccentricity with The Cars' 'Drive'. We hate to say it ourselves, but now that's we call rock anthems. We'll show ourselves out.

Review: Secret Superstar Sounds, courtesy of Soul Jazz, offers an eclectic and excellent collection of oddball punk and powerpop rare cuts from little-known bands from the late 70s, including but not limited to The Squares, The Meanies, The Monitors, Plummet Airline, and Krypton Tunes. Falling between the cracks of punk, new wave and post-punk, these unfairly overlooked and forgotten to time gems came from a slew of DIY ethos purists inspired by the messaging of bands like The Desperate Bicycles, Sniffing Glue fanzine and early UK punk labels like Stiff, Chiswick and Rough Trade, recording everything in-house, then sending their recordings to the likes of John Peel and labels with hopes of some airplay or recognition, little of which came. A long-lost micro-genre of unfairly forgotten underground punk (but not punk) gems awaits.

Review: Lou Reed, Sterling Morrison, John Cale, Doug Yule, Maureen Tucker and - a little later - Nico broke the mould with their efforts as The Velvet Underground. The Andy Warhol-managed and produced cult rock icons helped lay the foundations for New Wave and punk about a decade before either sound really started to make inroads in any circles, let alone commercial ones. And, listening back to any of their records now, the music itself isn't just a significant bookmark theoretically: it all still sounds incredible today.

Todd Haynes' highly recommendable documentary charts at least some of that story in a commendable way, more so when you consider it arrived around 50 years after the original lineup disbanded. Using interviews with surviving members Cale and Tucker, alongside archive footage, music and other material, it paints a vivid portrait of an equally vivid band. With tracks by them in question, Bo Diddley, The Primitives and The Diablos, this OST helps colour that picture, and era, properly.