Getting Baggy, taking a trip on the psych-blues train and even finding time for some spiritual highs.
As we start to close out 2025, we’re well into the 40th anniversary celebrations of The Happy Mondays, a milestone celebration for one of Britain’s most iconic and era-defining bands. London Records are working on a series of special releases to celebrate, starting with this brand new compilation that collects the band’s output between 1986–1992. Kinky Afro, Step On, Loose Fit, Hallelujah, 24 Hour Party People, Tart Tart… absolute bangers, and all fully remastered too. Often hysterical, there were also irrepressible funk vibes and inimitable swagger. This is great fun.
+ Available on double Yellow & Magenta Colour Vinyl.
+ LP formats include a signed print.
Fire Records have put us in ever such a good mood as we roll into the new week, with a set of early catalogue reissues from cult English blues and rock band, The Groundhogs. Starting with the scorching 1968 debut Scratching The Surface, the ambitious and evolving Blues Obituary (1969), the heavy and progressive Thank Christ for the Bomb (1970) and the high concept Split (1971). Honestly, the way they evolved in just three or so years from swampy blues rock through to proto-punk psychedelic scorchers is just amazing. Such an underrated band, we love it! Do tune into this week’s playlist as we picked some absolute Groundhog belters.
+ All pressed on limited Gold colour vinyl.
Another proper era-definer was blur’s fourth studio album, The Great Escape, which was released thirty years ago this year. Man, that feels a little hard to deal with to be totally honest. Country House was the big lead single (famously beating Oasis’ Roll with It to the top of the singles chart), but the trio of Stereotypes, Charmless Man and The Universal are hell of impressive. This anniversary pressing has a gloss gatefold sleeve (with wild artwork) and is pressed over two discs on yellow and turquoise colour vinyl. This anniversary edition also includes the b-sides, which are absolute stonkers. I always thought blur were one of the very best b-side bands, actually.
Curated by Grammy-winning producer and Chess Records scholar Steve Jordan, Let’s Play Chess: A Chess Records Anthology collects twenty-five absolute essentials from the world-famous Chess label. Blues from the Mississippi Delta and South Side of Chicago, to include; Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Howlin’ Wolf, Etta James, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and more more more. It’s absolutely stacked, all killer, no filler, but there is something beyond electric when Johnny B. Goode starts.
This time of year gets pretty fast and loose with arrivals and departures, but we’ll shortly be expecting Gábor Szabó’s Jazz Raga (essential), the iconic self-titled LOS Z-66 (essential), Nancy Sinatra’s Nancy and nice nice pressings from Jimmy Smith and Donald Byrd too. We will be sure to keep you posted when they have landed.
Lastly today, a right groover that has given today's mountains or mail order packing a real nice energy. Evidence For Real is the 1981 debut LP from drummer, composer, and bandleader Lord Shepherd. Recorded in late-night sessions across Hollywood and Hermosa Beach with a close circle of collaborators, it has big spiritual energy, but also whirls through some pretty serious Soul Funk Fusion workouts too. It wasn’t a record we knew, but we’ve really loved getting to know it already on the shop stereo.
