Folk & Traditional / All styles

New remastered edition, originally issued in 1970, I LOOKED UP represents the end of the Robin/Mike/Likky/Rose period of the Incredible String Band. Later that same year would see te release of the 2-lp set U, which would introduce new faces and influences into the melting pot that was the 'sound' of the ISB.Other than being the last album by this line-up, I LOOKED UP is notable for several other reasons -- for one thing, it was the last album they recorded that was mostly acoustic (I don't cons…

Their 1970 album intended as a soundtrack to their theatrical stage show, this was subtitled A Surreal Parade in Song and Dance. Includes the epic 'Rainbow'. Never before on CD, this the amazing Elektra remastered edition."U" is something special, and almost accidental. Its structure, dictated by its title, seems almost unapparent in the music itself. Look closely at the cover: it represents a "Siddhartha" like journey from the purity of innocence, down into the temptation and turmoil of the phy…

Jack Rose's new full length, Dr. Ragtime And His Pals, coupled with a reissue of last year's self-titled CD/LP housed in a custom designed and fabricated off-set printed card cover with j-card style obi (there is also a jewel case version on the UK label Beautiful Happiness). Limited edition of 1000. "The Appalachian Trail runs 2175 miles south from Mount Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia, though there are those who want to stretch it further, into Alabama, because the mountains …

They really don't write them like this any more. "Big Ted's dead / He was a great old pig," sings Robin Williamson. "He'd eat most anything / Never wore a wig." Although the Incredible String Band had always been delightfully ramshackle, 1969's Changing Horses found the innovative folk-rock duo of Williamson and his mate Mike Heron becoming almost a slipshod stoned parody of themselves--with assistance from their girlfriends Rose and Licorice. Of the six tracks, two ramble on at such length (ove…

This quartet incarnation of the Incredible String Band featured primary songwriters Robin Williamson and Mike Heron as well as their significant others, Christina "Liquorice" McKechnie and Rose Simpson. The ISB's tradition of quirky, and at times atonal, acoustic material is well served by the nine compositions on this platter. The lengthy opening track, "Maya," foreshadows their less-focused upcoming works I Looked Up and U. Although there are a few moments of brilliant playing, the ambling nat…

The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion was the second LP by The Incredible String Band, released in July 1967. Since recording their debut album the previous year, the original trio had been reduced to two, Mike Heron and Robin Williamson. They recorded The 5000 Spirits... in London in early 1967. The album also featured Pentangle's Danny Thompson on double bass, Williamson's girlfriend Licorice McKechnie on vocals and percussion, master sitar player Nazir Jairazbhoy (credited as "Soma"), a…

The songs are also a rather gentle and melodic bunch, with "I'll See You Again" and the tender "Forever" being particular highlights. Harper's usual collection of heavy friends are present, including Ian Anderson, Keith Moon, Jimmy Page and David Bedford, all of them contributing well. But as always, this is strictly Harper's show. 10 track album originally released in 1974. Guests include Jimmy Page, Keith Moon, Pete Sears and Max Middleton. Originally released on Valentine's Day 1974, VALENTIN…

The follow-up to Roy Harper's career-defining song cycle STORMCOCK, 1973's LIFEMASK does an excellent job on building on some of the most successful aspects of the previous album without sounding like a mere retread. Wisely, Harper doesn't attempt ...    Full Descriptionto repeat the unusual four-lengthy-songs structure of STORMCOCK, instead favoring shorter songs and mood pieces which cohere into a satisfying whole. Jimmy Page, used sparingly and to great effect on STORMCOCK, plays on nearly ev…

Originally released in 1975, HQ is Roy Harper's 8th studio album. Roy describes HQ as his most integral 'rock record'. It featured Harper's formation of Trigger, a relatively straightforward hard rock trio anchored by ace guitarist Chris Spedding and former King Crimson/Yes drummer Bill Bruford. (The unit disbanded after this album, however.) Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones are among the other all-star contributors on this album. The album was original…

Repressed. The official legit re-issue of this incredibly rare dark acid folk masterpiece, originally released in England on the legendary Mushroom label in 1970, has been remastered from the original two-track tapes. Four extra tracks, including the never-released seven-inch single of which only a solitary acetate remains, are also included on this 54-minute CD. The 20-page booklet, with full-color cover reproduction of the original artwork, contains all the lyrics to the album, photographs of …

Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the release of Marsupilami's debut album from 1970. This unique masterpiece is a much sought-after collector's item originally released on the Transatlantic label. Initially a folk-based group, the band evolved into one of the most adventurous, if unsung, progressive bands of the early 1970s, producing two stunningly original albums. Featuring a line-up of brothers Fred and Leary Hasson (lead vocals and harmonica and keyboards respectively), Dave Laver…

Now available in miniature replica gatefold LP style sleeve. On Sill's 2nd album, rather than using an outside arranger for the strings (as she did on her previous album), she did all of the work herself. Her lack of formal training and the immense amount of orchestral overdubs certainly would have made such an outing a hardship for anyone. But the results are outstanding with echoes of Bach supporting the stellar early 70s Laurel Canyon singer/songwriter melodies. The supporting cast of top L.A…

For over 30 years troubadour walier DAN IRETON has called upon the spirit of 78 shellac blues n' psychedelic Stooges n' Velvets to fuel his guttural, pure soul ethos of the song. Hints at the classic forms of Dylan's Blood On The Tracks, Buckley's Starsailor & the celestial fug of Sun Ra' third-eye vision to create an approach untraveled yet increasingly influential. Kicks up the most outward bound & staggering approaches to Gus Cannon's "Walk Right In" & Robert Johnson's "Stones In My Passway" …

This is a piece of folk history that slipped through the cracks. Buffalonian Frank traveled to London in the mid-'60s and recorded this album with the help of his still unknown pal Paul Simon. After its release, Frank became the toast of the town, though his music never hit the States. His poetic, Dylan-influenced lyrics, complex fingerpicking, and artsong-like structures influenced everyone from Bert Jansch to Nick Drake. Except for a young Al Stewart's recorded debut playing second guitar on "…

The folksinger's folksinger, Jackson C. Frank was regarded as a giant by his contemporaries, but somehow missed out on the stardom which awaited many of his admirers. Paul Simon produced this classic 1965 album (it came out originally on Columbia), which introduced the world to Frank's best-known song, 'Blues Run The Game'. The teenage Al Stewart also played guitar on this album.

This current collection of Sacred Harp singing is the first to offer a full range of recordings by traditional Sacred Harp singers from 1922 to the present, and is a companion to the Sacred Harp documentary by Awake, My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp, the first feature documentary about Sacred Harp singing. This CD is unique in a number of respects. It contains several prewar and mid-century recordings never before released on CD, some of which have never been released at all. Sacred H…

The Gnawa people have been shrouded in mystery since they were exiled from the Malian empire and brought as slaves to Morocco in the 16th century. In the last two decades, the power of their trance music has come into the spotlight thanks to Western musicians. Led Zeppelin, Archie Shepp, among others, have been fascinated by the mystical dimension of the music and its role in the rise of the blues. In this captivating documentary, filmmakers Bella Le Nestour and John Allen paint an intimate port…

Reissue of the first Anne Briggs album, originally issued on Topic. The first full-length album from the legendary folk singer, originally released in 1971. Anne Briggs was a huge influence on the entire British folk-rock movement, especially other female singers such as Sandy Denny, Jacqui McShee, and Maddy Prior. Anne Briggs is a strong collection of traditional folk songs and original material and one of the most important releases of the British folk revival. Despite the fact that Briggs had…

New version of this acclaimed album, previously reissued in sporadically available fashion by the laughable CBS/Columbia remnant empire. New liner notes by Andy Beta; most homes would appreciate an upgrade pf this all-time lip-melter and here it is. One of the most important figures of the British folk revival of the 1960s, Anne Briggs was a huge influence on such luminaries as Sandy Denny, Maddy Prior and Linda Thompson. This is her second full-length, originally released in 1971. Unlike previo…

Never-released 1963 home recordings packaged in a CD gatefold Japanese mini-LP jacket. Discovered on the same reel-to-reel tapes that housed the Cotton Eyed Joe release. Remastered at Abbey Road Studios by Peter Mew. With 8-page booklet with beautiful, newly-unearthed photos of Karen Dalton from 1962-1963. Liner notes by Dick Weissman. The release of Green Rocky Road fills in the lacunae in the rightly romanticized mythos of the late folk music legend Karen Dalton and goes a long way in clarifyi…

Subtitled: The Loop Tapes -- Live In Boulder 1962. Great package of this previously never-heard material. 2CD gatefold jacket -- 21 tracks -- 85 minutes of never released 1962 live reel-to-reel ultra-rare historic recordings since Karen Dalton only released two LPs. This 2CD set proves Karen Dalton's influence on her famous friends and peers (Bob Dylan, Fred Neil, Tim Buckley, Tim Hardin). Unusual CD packaging -- gatefold jackets (similar to '60s heavy cardboard LP jackets w/ inner CD sleeves). …

Scott 3, originally released in 1969, marked a big change in Walker's approach to albums as, for the first time, the record is dominated by his original compositions. In fact, the only other songwriter that makes it onto the album is Walker's idol, Belgium's legendary singer/songwriter Jacques Brel. Scott 3 again features string heavy production courtesy of Wally Scott, though it occasionally moves out of pop ballad territory into a more cinematic feel influenced by Ennio Morricone, among others…

Originally released in 1968, Scott 2 made it all the way to number one on the UK pop charts, perhaps the strangest number one hit in pop history. Continuing with his orchestral obsession, Scott 2 features over-the-top string and horn arrangements, occasionally veering into dangerously schmaltzy territory. This production style is in drastic contrast to the lyrical content, songs of despair, prostitution, homosexuality, and brutal honesty, indicting the same glamorous and glitzy lifestyle that hi…

One of the most enigmatic figures in pop music history Scott Walker (nee Scott Engel) first saw massive success in England with his band The Walker Brothers in 1965. Not really brothers, nor were they British, the trio left Hollywood seeking fame in England, and they found it there for a time with their particular brand of orchestrated pop. Following the group's demise in 1967, Walker set out to pursue solo stardom in perhaps the most peculiar way possible, with over-the-top baroque pop songs ow…

A Day Without Disaster is the newest chapter in the musical adventures of Nick Castro & The Young Elders. The group has spent the last year recording and touring the world while honing their skills both in the studio and on stage. This EP, on Italian label A Silent Place, is a glimpse into the ever-evolving minds of NC & The Young Elders, which are dwelling somewhere between the romantic male/female duets of Richard & Linda Thompson and the exotic worldly arrangements of the Incredible String Ba…

Though America was released in 1971 as a single LP, finger-style guitarist John Fahey conceived it as a double album. This CD finally allows Fahey's full vision to be heard (an additional nine tracks are included here for the first time). It's a true treat for Fahey lovers. The title track features the guitarist on the 12-string guitar, sounding more resonant than ever on the seven-minute composition. "Dvorak" is based on the composer's Eighth Symphony, which Fahey tackles in fine fashion. Fahey…

Now Available on Special Edition CD & DVD Set* Living in a media-saturated era where an artist can go from utter obscurity to 'the greatest' within a matter of mere months, it really does pay to look backwards and dig-out genuine gems that have shouldered the weight of a few decades and seem all the fitter for it. 'It's So Hard To Tell Who's Going To Love You The Best' from the late Karen Dalton is one such record. The subject of fevered crate-digging by those in-the-know for years, 'It's So Har…

2006 release, repressed! Radio Algeria is a multi-dimensional assembly of audio culture from the Mediterranean coast to the undefined border areas of the Sahara Desert and beyond. This is perhaps the most diverse collection of the Algerian listening experience ever presented featuring raw Berber folk, modern Arabic pop, sacred Islamic traditional, Andalusian orchestral, Guesba (the origin of Rai), classic early Rai, Khabyle, Tuareg, Saharaui, and hybrid music styles influenced by Europeans to th…

Homestead & Wolfe was a very obscure folk-harmony group based around the United Methodist Good Samaritan Church in California. The songs were recorded between 1973-75 and released with few copies. The album was almost forgotten until it was reissued in 2004. Comprised of two female vocals, one male vocal with superb male and female harmonies throughout. The group performed original material in a rich, melodic folk-rock-country style that is well executed, as well as earnest and personal.

Recorded when legendary blues harpist Walter 'Shakey' Horton visited the UK in 1968, "Southern comfort" is a superb showcase for his talents as well those of bass player Jerome Arnold (BUTTERFIELD BLUES BAND), drummer Jessie C. Lewis (BUTTERFIELD BLUES BAND) and trailblazer guitarist Martin Stone (SAVOY BROWN/MIGHTY BABY). Though mostly a superb blues set, however, it is best known today for the epic closing track (over 12 minutes) one of the most mind blowing psychedelic workouts ever recorded.

Recorded by a Frenchman, a Belgian and an Iranian whod wound up in New Yorks East Village via extensive travels out East, this 1969 classic is arguably the finest fusion of traditional Middle Eastern music and psychedelia ever recorded. Featuring guitar and drums as well as oud, electric sitar, melodica, dumbek and minitar, its a hypnotic, compelling blast from start to finish. As the original sleevenotes state: Like the train whose name they bear, the Orient Express travels easily from West to …

Recorded in San Francisco in August 1966, and originally released on the M.G.M./Verve label, this collection of lengthy, acid-tinged folk instrumentals is one of the earliest specifically psychedelic albums ever recorded, and it makes its CD debut here. As the original sleevenotes state: "Malachi's music transcends the traditions of East and West, and represents the new synthesis which is still being worked out in aesthetics, philosophy and religion by those participating in the psychedelic revo…

Dennis Lambert and Craig Nuttycombe had been on the fringes of LAs music scene for some time, including stints with bands such as the East Side Kids and the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, when they decided to proceed as a duo. This beautifully intimate 1970 release was recorded live at the home they shared in Sausalito, California, and co-produced by David Anderle (The Doors, Love), Chad Stuart (Chad and Jeremy) and Glyn Johns (the Beatles, the Rolling Stones). A mellow collection of self…

Featuring Incredible String Band founder Clive Palmer, COB (an acronym for "Clive's Original Band") made some of the most imaginative and moving music of their time, and this 1972 masterpiece is considered by many to be the finest folk record ever to emerge from the British Isles. Along with members Mick Bennett and John Bidwell, Moyshe McStiff and the Tartan Lancers of the Sacred Heart is an overwhelmingly beautiful and compelling collection of songs set to Eastern-tinged arrangements and Celti…

This German Warner Bros. reissue is a nice repackaging of the late John Fahey's 1972 album Of Rivers Religion and his wonderfully genteel 1973 release After the Ball from his all too brief sojourn with the label. These recordings represent a shift for Fahey, playing both solo and with an ensemble. On Of Rivers Religion, the ensemble included many of the New Orleans players who performed on Walt Disney's Song of the South film soundtrack. Gorgeous, slow, ringing slide and fingerplucked tones esta…

One of the best albums of the late '60s and Tim Buckley's most underrated album, Happy Sad was a change-up pitch for the eclectic L.A. singer/songwriter. Sounding like a bit like Fred Neil's Capitol-era albums, Buckley and his small, acoustic-based ensemble create beautiful, jazz tinged folk-rock.

Recorded in London's Queen Elizabeth Hall on July 10, 1968 this impressive 2-hour live concert presents the Washingtonian prodigy folk singer at his best. He was only 21 years old when he had this incredible chance to show the world his talent which would carry him through a short but prolific career -- 9 albums released between 1966 and his death in 1975. Accompanied by Lee Underwood, David Friedman and Pentangle's bass player Danny Thompson, Buckley caressed his 12 string acoustic guitar in an…

These rare pieces are taken from Bob Hite's fabulous collection of 78rpm records. A historical collection that helped, in its own way, save from oblivion the rural bluesmen who have dropped out of the scene decades ago and made possible their reintegration to history. Everyone is now entitled to hear this chunk of the treasure. Compiled by the famous DJ Dr Boogie with the help of Fito De La Parra (Canned Heat drummer).

Is it really possible to imagine what modern music would sound like if a few pioneering geniuses had not had the idea of electrifying their instruments, especially guitar and harmonica, between 1945 and 1950? Some purist will regret this evolution, but, in the '50s, the new sound will be heard in all the studios and night clubs of the United States; it will become a staple on the radio, in stores, at weddings, and private parties. It will radically transform the music scene and allow hundreds of…

...Female Blues Singers - Rarities 1923-1930. LP version, previously issued on CD. The Sub Rosa label presents a collection of works from obscure and forgotten female blues singers. These voices have survived, through hardship and death, through the dark years of The Great Depression, when profoundly sincere and ferociously ironic blues were at their peak. However, this selection does not constitute a theme-based anthology: it is simply a few little-known female blues singers whose ambiguous lea…