Starting another record shop week looking backwards at the good stuff of yore!
Hello, Friends.
Twenty. Five. Years… Wow! Back on 30th June 1997, The Prodigy released their third studio LP - The Fat Of The Land - an album that would go on to become an absolute global phenomenon and remains one of the most defining releases of that decade. Do you remember when they broadcast the Firestarter video on Top of the Tops? Man, Keith Flint looking so thrillingly dangerous. Amazing stuff! We loved revisiting this one, such amazing energy still. This limited anniversary edition is pressed on double silver metallic colour vinyl with a reimagined version of Alex Jenkin’s iconic artwork.
We have a Ride triplet this week with reissues of their early classic releases. The first four EPs ('Ride, 'Play', 'Fall', and 'Today Forever') are grouped together, plus their seminal 1990 debut Nowhere, and feted 1992 album Going Blank Again from their days on Creation Records.
The 4 EPs are pressed on White colour vinyl, Nowhere is pressed on Transparent Curacao colour vinyl and Going Blank Again is pressed on Transparent Orange colour vinyl.
Another triple, with desert kings Tinariwen’s early releases back in print for the first time in ages. The hugely critically-acclaimed Aman Iman: Water Is Life, the first ever repress of the following Imidiwan: Companions and lastly a revelatory discovery in the archives with Kel Tinariwen, a cassette tape recorded in the early 90s that never received a wider release. There ain’t no rock like Tuareg rock, we love this band!
Earth Recordings release a comprehensive collection of Bert Jansch’s appearances at the BBC, featuring over eight hours of rare and unreleased recordings. Such a beautifully packaged set too, available on 4LP or 8CD editions that are housed in a coffee-table book set with a lavish 40-page book tracing the recordings from Bert’s earliest moments at the BBC.
The Jamiroquai reissues series struts on with the band’s 2001 A Funk Odyssey LP reissued today. A few banging singles and plenty of disco funk.
Warp release a 15th anniversary colour vinyl repress of Maximo Park’s second album, Our Earthly Pleasures.
Not old and not reissued either, but just landed and right on the stereo today is Lucifer on the Moon, the companion to Spoon’s excellent Lucifer on the Sofa album. A top-to-bottom rework of the Austin band's tenth album by On-U Sound founder and UK dub icon, Adrian Sherwood. He goes heavy!
Lastly this week, two real beauties on Blue Note... Steppin’ Out is the sole (Blue Note) album as band leader from tenor saxophonist Harold Vick. Really good soul vibes.
Stick-Up! Is the iconic studio set from Marimba king Bobby Hutcherson. He plays as part of a quintet that is pretty amazing and this is another one that just floats.
Enjoy taking a trip through this lot!
- Drift