A serious jazz thumb, sublime Quincy moments, cinematic vibes, the löudest going and armfulls of Stereolab.
It does require quite the confidence of flex to title your LP ‘The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery’, but the man was an incredible guitarist. Wes Montgomery’s splendid 1960 album gets a new pressing this week on Original Jazz Classics and it is one to really spend some time with. An even split of his own compositions and interpretations, he is such a fast player, but he is so graceful and there is a really tuneful quality to the set; a big part thanks to his thumb playing style for those warm tones. I bloody love this album.
+ Pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI with all-analogue mastering from the original tapes at Cohearent Audio.
We have a couple of Quincy Jones essentials back in the racks, with 1971’s Smackwater Jack and 1973’s You’ve Got It Bad Girl. Funk and soul groovers with sprinkles of his TV work too. The scale of the production and arrangements are pretty dazzling.
+ Smackwater Jack is pressed on Mint colour vinyl and You’ve Got It Bad Girl is on Gold colour vinyl.
Mississippi Records present a rare gem from the Yo La Tengo vaults, with the band’s gorgeous and rolling soundtrack to Kelly Reichardt’s film, Old Joy. Recorded in a single afternoon, there is such a gorgeous flow to it all. It’s a great film, but the soundtrack creates its own beautiful mood in isolation.
To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the iconic Motörhead, we have a trio of ridiculously cool looking splatter vinyl editions of the heavy, abrasive and always-essential; Ace Of Spades, Overkill and Bomber. Gave Overkill a blast on the stereo on Saturday morning (to set the tone and as it’s probably my favourite) and it sounds fantastic. Didn’t clock at first, but besides looking super nice, they are all three half speed masters created from the original tapes.
There is a fire reported at the Taco Bell! Beggars Arkive reissue Electric Six’s debut Fire album to celebrate its 21st anniversary. It is really good fun. The riffs and yelps all still slap and it is one of those rare ones that is fun, funny, not actually joking necessarily and propulsive enough to keep it on the stereo.
Also this week, we have the Original Soundtrack to KNEECAP. It features tracks from the trio themselves, composer Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante’s incidental music and cuts from Bicep, Fontaines DC and Orbital. Orange and Green colour vinyl! We have Sex Pistols live in Atlanta. It is the first of a trio of albums charting the band’s infamous 1978 North American tour. The Dallas and San Francisco editions arrive in the coming weeks. Pete Paphides has curated a new compilation - Sensitive: an indie pop anthology - on his Needle Mythology label that charts the indiepop scene of the 1980s, including; The Sea Urchins, Primal Scream, The Pastels, Talulah Gosh, Orange Juice, The Field Mice, The Primitives, The Wedding Present and loads more.
Lastly for today, if you didn’t already know that Stereolab are one of the most important, enduring, essential and totally effervescent bands of the last thirty years, you’re about to find out! Founded in 1990 and led by Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, they are one of those very rare artists where there isn’t a wasted moment across their esteemed discography. Bleeps, drones, French Chic, Germanic Motoriks, pop wooze and just all the cool in the world. The band have partnered with Warp to reissue seven of their essential albums on their Duophonic UHF Disks label, with 2LP editions that feature the original track listing, remastered from the original tapes at Calyx in Berlin. In the racks; Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements (1993), Mars Audiac Quintet (1994), Emperor Tomato Ketchup (1996), Dots And Loops (1997), Cobra And Phases Group Play Voltage In The Milky Night (1999), Sound-Dust (2001) and Margerine Eclipse (2004).
We have also put together a little Stereolab primer just to seal the deal!
