Album Reviews
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American expat Scott Walker found influence in the work of Belgian songwriter Jacques Brel. This handy collection might not offer anything new to the Scott Walker fan, but with its inclusion of Brel’s original French versions, it makes a fascinating little introduction for both artists. Read more
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1990 proved to be a very, very good year for British independent music. C90, Cherry Red’s latest in their C86-inspired compilation series, is a mammoth collection of some of the finest known and forgotten talents of the scene. Read more
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Steve Goodman was a young songwriter who is best known for two classic country/rock standards, but he died before establishing himself as a solo act. These two superb releases from the mid 1970s show him as a fine songwriter and arranger with a knack for superbly recreating the sounds of the past. Read more
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Bear Family’s second and final installment in their The Great Tragedy compilation examining the doomed Winter Dance Party 1959 offers the other side of the story of that tour, and amazingly shows just how quickly the music industry distanced itself from rock and roll–literally the same day. Read more
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At the end of 1971, Righteous Brother Bobby Hatfield held a recording session with producer Richard Perry in preparation for his second solo album. Stay With Me offers up the fruits of that long-lost and relatively unknown session, and show a masterful singer at work. Read more
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British first wave punk rockers The Flys had a lot of potential, but odd creative moves stifled the young band. This exhaustive collection highlights a band well deserving of rediscovery. Read more
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The troubled founder of Fleetwood Mac began his solo career with The End Of The Game, a bizarre album unlike any of his previous work and one that still confounds a half a century later. Read more
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This brief but satisfying collection compiles the entire recorded output of the short-lived Illinois indie-pop band The Springfields, and these songs served as fair warning of the greatness that was soon to come with their next incarnation, Velvet Crush. Read more
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British New Wave band Modern English will forever be remembered for their sole hit, the superb “I Melt With You.” But there was more to the band than that hit, and the reissue of the band’s first two albums highlight a band much better than the “one-hit wonder” tag might lead you to believe. Read more
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Peruvian vocalist Yma Sumac was a unique personality that appeared in the 1950s. She released six studio albums during this time, all of which have been compiled in this handy and essential three-disc box set. Read more
The Recoup 