Back catalogue: Rock

Review: Taken from the album Black Gold, this 7" single comes on limited edition white vinyl and offers up the superb 'What's Happenin'' featuring Method Man and Busta Rhymes on the A-side. It's a beat-driven workout with funk in the drums. The B-side offers an exclusive and rather more stripped-back mix of 'Back in the Game' with Ron Isley, Inspectah Deck, Method Man, GZA, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah all seamlessly blended with the instrumental of 'House of Flying Daggers.' It's not often you get so many iconic collaborations all on one record which is why it is such a big hitter.

Review: You can probably work out what's going on here from the title: a superb collection of reworked Hall & Oates classics inna reggae style. They are the fine work of Black Market Dub who likes to reimagine classic sounds through a 70s Jamaican lens. The techniques used throughout are superbly authentic with hissing hi-hats, lazy tumbling beats and snaking baselines. The vocals remain in their original, often polished, falsetto style and extra horns are added for a lush sunny impact. Great fun, but also great quality.

Review: Early Takes Volume 1 presents an intimate glimpse into George Harrison's creative process, offering early versions and demos of some of his most beloved tracks. Originally released as a companion piece to Martin Scorsese's documentary Living in the Material World, this collection features ten songs, most of which are stripped-down renditions from All Things Must Pass, Living in the Material World, and Thirty Three & 1/3. The minimalist arrangements reveal the raw charm of Harrison's songwriting, allowing his voice and guitar work to shine unadorned. Highlights include acoustic versions of 'My Sweet Lord' and 'All Things Must Pass', which offer a refreshing contrast to Phil Spector's famously lush production. Tracks like 'Run of the Mill' and 'Behind That Locked Door' take on a more personal tone, while Harrison's cover of the Everly Brothers' 'Let It Be Me' adds a new dimension to the classic. Early Takes Volume 1 is a delightful collection that showcases Harrison's deep talent and leaves fans eager for more. Now, reissued on 180 gram vinyl.

Review: George Harrison's Living in the Material World, released in 1973, further deepened his exploration of spirituality while maintaining a sharp focus on worldly issues. The album opened with the beautiful 'Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)', which became a chart-topping hit, showcasing Harrison's talent for blending heartfelt lyrics with memorable melodies. His guitar work shone throughout the record, particularly on tracks like 'Sue Me, Sue You Blues', where his sharp reflections on The Beatles' legal struggles were matched by his masterful playing. Spiritual themes permeated the album, with songs like 'The Lord Loves the One (That Loves the Lord)' and the title track seamlessly blending meditative lyrics with intricate arrangements. Harrison's acoustic guitar, tabla, and orchestral elements created a warm, textured sound that was both intimate and expansive. The overall quality of Living in the Material World was a testament to Harrison's growth as both a songwriter and musician. This 50th anniversary edition highlighted just how important the album had been, reaffirming its place as a richly rewarding follow-up to All Things Must Pass and a key moment in Harrison's solo career.

Review: Beth Hart's You Still Got Me is a powerful statement with her dynamic vocal range and emotional depth spread across 11 tracks. The album opens with the edgy rock-blues of 'Savior With A Razor', featuring Slash's gnawing guitar, before diving into a collection of confessional and observational pieces. The title track is a poignant ballad, reflecting a heartfelt moment with her husband, while songs like 'Drunk on Valentine' offer a jazzy, Tom Waits-inspired vibe. Hart explores resilience in tracks like 'Little Heartbreak Girl' and captures raw emotion in 'Don't Call the Police', a poignant response to social issues. The album's eclectic sound is enriched by contributions from Eric Gales, whose guitar elevates 'Suga N My Bowl'. With a blend of rock, blues and jazz, You Still Got Me is an emotional journey that highlights Hart's artistry and authenticity. Her ability to weave personal narratives with broader themes results in a cohesive and impactful listening experience.

Review: By the time Heart reentered the studio to record their self-titled eighth album for Capitol, their commercial momentum seemed to be fading. Early successes, such as Dreamboat Annie and its three follow-ups, had all climbed to the Billboard Top 20, but 1982's Private Audition and 1983's Passionworks struggled to crest so highly, the latter especially failing to go gold, marking the end of their contract with Epic. Tough bargains all round! Yet, signs of resurgence emerged: the band drew fresh traction from the Passionworks single 'Almost Paradise' after it was featured in the film Footloose, motivating the follow-up record Heart. Hard hair rock and arena-bound glam metal are distilled down to an essential T here, kicking off with the medusan 'If Looks Could Kill' before moving into the Lynn Wilson lead-up ballad 'What About Love'.

Review: .After Swedish psychedelia worshipping, garage-tinged hard rock heroes The Hellacopters returned to the stage for an apparent one-off performance in 2016, they simply couldn't put the project back to bed. Releasing their follow up to 2008's at the time farewell covers album Head Off in 2022; Eyes Of Oblivion was a groove-laden return to form, restoring the band's knack for earworm hooks delivered with authentically retro riffage. What many might forget is that mastermind Nicke Andersson cut his teeth as the drummer and primary songwriter for death metal pioneers Entombed before ultimately departing, looking to the melodies of his youth in search of creative fulfilment. Now with Overdriver, the second LP of The Hellacopters reunion era, Andersson pushes further back beyond the local and global psychedelic acts of his previous primary inspiration (many of whom were covered on the aforementioned Head Off) and looks to the blueprints of T. Rex and early Elton John to help craft a collection of vintage-seeming hard rock anthems, as playful as they are poignant and respectful. One listen to 'Soldier On' and you'll be convinced you heard your dad blaring it in the car when you were but a young'en.

Review: While Swedish garage-tinged hard rock heroes The Hellacopters made their bombastic return with 2022's excellent Eyes Of Oblivion; their 2008 predecessor Head Off was originally envisioned as the band's swansong project. With that creative headspace in mind, the group opted to (try and) go out on a tributary whim with an album consisting entirely of covers of personal favourite cuts from acts they felt were deserving of far more praise, adoration and discovery. Boasting an eclectic mix of renditions from garage-punk outfits from their home of Sweden such as Demons, to seminal American fuzzed out troubadours like New Bomb Turks, Dead Moon, and The Bellrays, to name just a small portion, the LP serves as a celebration of all things garage, punk, fuzz and rock, often in the same sonic breath, from a band who at the time of recording felt they had nothing more creative to say. As time has shown just how wrong they were, what better time to revisit this farewell-turned-covers LP which receives a lush new repress from their recently found label-home Nuclear Blast.

Review: Swedish garage-tinged hard rock heroes The Hellacopters, made the mother of all comebacks with 2022's sonic refusal to stagnate on Eyes Of Oblivion, which served as their first full-length since 2008's original "farewell" covers project Head Off. Following a return to the stage in 2016, it appears that wasn't enough to satiate the creative appetite of mastermind Nicke Andersson, a pioneering force who started out as the drummer for legendary death metal outfit Entombed before allowing his side-project to engulf all of his prowess and energy. Being one of the band's primary songwriters and then subsequently freed from their aggressive constraints allowed Andersson to explore his own designs, now with the arrival of Overdriver, we hear a seasoned veteran refusing to be boxed in again by his own earlier psychedelic output by boldly embracing the vintage classic rock of his youth. Bombastic riffs, earworm hooks and the antithesis of shying away from melody culminate in a latter day work boasting anthems such as 'Soldier On' which genuinely sound like if Elton John in his peak years traded his piano for a fuzzed out axe of a guitar.

Review: Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision is a deluxe box set featuring 39 tracks (a remarkable 38 of which are previously unreleased) recorded by Hendrix and his band at Electric Lady Studios between June and August 1970. The set includes 20 new 5.1 surround sound mixes of First Rays of the New Rising Sun and three bonus tracks, along with a Blu-ray of the acclaimed documentary detailing the studio's creation. The set also includes previously unreleased versions of songs such as 'Angel [Take 7],' which come from Hendrix's final creative months before his death but show he still had that same magic he always had.

Review: There has long been an obsession in rock circles with Jimi Hendrix's fourth, unreleased album, a set he imagined to be a double or triple set and recorded a wealth of tracks for in the New York studio he created, Electric Lady Studios, over ten months in 1969-70. This fantastic box set, comprising three CDs, a Blu-ray featuring a new documentary and 5.1 surround sound mixes, and a booklet full of contextualising liner notes, tells the story of Hendrix's final recording sessions in full. Some 29 tracks of the 38 on show - a mixture of studio demos, completed tracks, alternative versions and jams (including one astonishing, 26-minute medley) - have never been released before. Properly remastered and mixed, it offers an authoritative glimpse of what would have undoubtedly become a classic rock album.

Review: David Hepworth has been writing, broadcasting, and speaking about music since the 1970 - often alongside Mark Ellen, with the pair currently hosting the Word In Your Ear podcast. He helped launch and edit Smash Hits and The Word amongst others, and was a presenter on BBC's The Old Grey Whistle Test and an anchor for Live Aid in 1985. As such, he knows his stuff. Following the success of his Underrated Cuts From A Misunderstood Decade comes this follow up, which he has annotated track-by-track.From Roy Harper and Sandy Denny's folky shenangans to Status Quo. ZZ Top and proto-punks Eddie & The Hot Rods, this is Hepworth making a case that the 70s remains unmatched for music invention, and a strong case it is too.

Review: Ian Hunter's You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic returns with a vibrant green vinyl reissue, celebrating its 1979 release. Marking Hunter's comeback after a two-year hiatus, this album features the dynamic guitar work of Mick Ronson and the backing of Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band, fresh off their work on Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell. This record stands as a pinnacle of Hunter's career, blending high-octane rockers like 'Cleveland Rocks' and 'Life After Death' with poignant ballads such as 'Ships.' Each track flows seamlessly from the opening beat of 'Just Another Night' to the final notes of 'The Outsider,' demonstrating Hunter's masterful range. Now, released on green vinyl, the album's enduring appeal is a great sign to its quality and the evolution of its fan base over the years.