This section of the department focuses in on a selected range of titles that we feel should be considered as prospective purchases by music fans into the style of music that this department is promoting. We do this by providing you with detailed, accurate and entertaining reviews of the titles concerned, and make all of them readily available via our on-line store. The selection we offer will mix the new with the old – the known with the unknown and will normally be confined to quality releases. However, just to show that we don’t just say everything is good regardless, and to keep the entertainment levels up, we’ll redress the balance and make the odd exception to the rule by dropping the odd turkey into this part of the shop, giving it a good old dressing down and plucking, just to lighten things up a bit!

Please note: When we feel it necessary, we will compare the music to names that you might be more familiar with. This is done just to help point you in the right direction, but usually we differentiate between the music actually sounding like that other artist or band’s work or just being influenced by it.

Some titles will be given extended reviews with much more in-depth & detailed track-by-track information.

This version can be selected by clicking the ‘more product information’ link at bottom right of first review.

‘Featured Titles’ files will remain in the CD Services on-line shop as long as we feel necessary, or for a period that has been agreed with the musicians concerned. Average ‘up’ time will be 4–6 weeks, then the reviews will be archived in a ‘Reference Library’ partition in the same department, and there they will be accessible to anyone caring to browse, until such a time as they are deleted. The ‘Feature’ can be resurrected for the available titles at any time.

The opening instrumental erupts in a lightning ball of guitar chords, almost Zeppelin/Page style, but just for just a few seconds, before this monster rhythm from bass and drums, cuts a phased path across the landscape. A wicked glissando guitar line, right up front, travels across the speakers, and Barrett-era Floyd ‘Interstellar’ guitarscapes sear a burning path through the heart of it as a scorching electric guitar solos loud and hard – Just incredible stuff and the kind of album intro you’ve only dreamt about - Until now! Then, in a few seconds of guitar chording reminiscent of Zappa’s ‘Watermelon In Easter Hay’, a thoroughly gorgeous slice of crooning songwriting so typical of Allen at his absolute best, gradually starts to build, but the addition of the strong foundations of wicked bass and electric guitar give a cohesion to the piece that, even in his vintage days, Allen rarely sounded so strong doing. Track 3, and thence the whole album, exhibits all the best musical, writing and singing strengths that made the very best Allen works sound so legendary, and the way they use the glissando takes you flying right back to the seventies. Yet, it is this mixture with the muscular polyrhythms and almost Fripp-like searing guitar leads and backdrops that, as a whole, make the album into something very special - That combination is charged with electrifying excitement from track to track, so much so that, while you are loving every minute of what you are hearing, you can’t wait to see what’s around the corner. The quality of production, writing and delivery is at a peak throughout.

776398
Weight: 150.00 g

Now fully remastered, and mastered at the correct speed (for those who've got it and didn't realise there was anything wrong - the original was at the wrong speed and sounded generally horrid). This new version also has a bonus track, and is now a superb, essentially instrumental album from the Gong guitarist. However, unlike the more recently released ‘22 Meanings’ album that was essentially just glissando guitars and Harry Williamson's Aeolian Angel Guitar (or whatever it's called), this has a much greater textural range thanks to the addition of Williamson's keyboards and Gilli Smyth's space-whisper to the spacious glissando guitar soundscapes that stretch out in every direction, thus giving the album much more of the feel of some of the more cosmic moments found on many of the Gong band's 1970's instrumental excursions.

103625
Weight: 150.00 g

Made his name in the 1970's as the lead guitarist on one half of Cyrille Verdeaux' s ‘Clear Light Symphony’ album, and then as rhythm guitarist for the ‘live’ Steve Hillage band on various tours for the first four albums or so. Now, for the first time on CD, you can hear all of his debut album plus two bonus tracks. First, the album itself, and you're firmly in the musical vein of the earlier Steve Hillage albums, with plenty of similarly styled lead and rhythm guitar work and deep glissando backdrops, with synth swirls & swoops providing the spacey elements. The rhythm section is solid, the guitar leads bite, and the arrangements have the feel of the Hillage/Clear Light period, with a suitably 70's feel (obviously). It has a mix of instrumental and song, with the lead vocals done superbly by a female vocalist, in a way almost as if Miquette had done the lead vocals on the Hillage albums. Now the bonus tracks: Each was recorded as late as 1998 and both feature Tim Blake on synths, drums, bass & harmonica, with the second track also featuring Cyrille Verdeaux on keyboards. Both tracks are exclusive to this CD and are, musically, a continuation of the feel and style of what you've heard before, with Tim Blake also handling vocals on the first of the two tracks. Overall, this is an essential album for Steve Hillage and Clear Light fans in particular and the rest of us in general too.

952292
Weight: 150.00 g

I thought of describing this as “the anarcho-political fixations of Planet Gong-era Daevid Allen mixed with elements of cynical Mother Gong, wrapped up in a Here & Now blanket” and leave it at that. But, to be fair, although the album did not gel with me immediately, and without sounding like I’m being holier than thou, it is a big grower and does have a certain charm. Primarily, it is song-based, the key to it working lies in the arrangements and delivery, so that the thought-provoking lyrics are given a musical backing, electric and electronic multi-layered treatments plus suitably heady atmospheres, to create an album that, to my surprise, is beginning to get under my skin and I find myself more drawn to its charms. Some of the songs have the feel of early Jethro Tull in places, while the arrangements run the gauntlet from psychedelic electric to psychedelic folk. 12 songs in all, and collectively they run for over an hour, showcasing the lyrical pairing of Tim Jones & Terri B providing what may well be their strongest song album to date.

646836
Weight: 150.00 g

Clever title, as ever, from ex-Soft Machine sax man and renowned Canterbury guitarist. Consisting of just 3 lengthy tracks over fifty-two minutes, the opener starts things of with twenty-four minutes of languid sax, acoustic guitar, deep bass synth background and flute, before venturing out into a less intense and spellbinding new horizon, with synth choirs, gorgeous flowing sax and rivers of keyboard sounds creating a truly flowing landscape. Around six minutes into the piece, the electric guitar melody enters and together with sax over a synth backdrop, they create warm melodies that bounce off each other and flow along to the ten minute point whereupon a tinkling percussive rhythm is added, the sax and guitar become a bit more twisted. The synth expanse intensifies and the piece feels like it might begin to lose structure, but it doesn’t. The sax soars and tootles, while what sounds like bell-like percussion, peals away merrily out in front, and when this is added to some warm lush synth soundscapes, the passage travels to the end of the line in fine fashion. The thirteen-minute track 2 is, remarkably, still easy-going and melodic, not at all what you might have expected from two of the leading improvisation music makers of the Canterbury scene, as warm sax flows through oceans of textural ambience from the synth-guitar of Hewins, and it’s a thoroughly gorgeous piece of music. The final, fourteen-minute track, is, if anything, equally lush, although some of the effects do get a bit more abstract, but there’s nothing to detract from the overall melodic ambience of the music being created. So, no squawking sax, no caustic guitars, and plenty of rich, sonorous textures – Has to be the surprise, and one of the leading, Canterbury fusion albums of 2001.

688574
Weight: 150.00 g

Live document of the Gong reunion concert that took place in Paris in 1977. Featuring the classic 'You'-era line-up this is a stormingly well played set of their greatest songs, and features the newly invigorated line-up on top form, although the live sound is not perfect – well, more than good, but the atmosphere and feel are red hot with Tim Blake and Steve Hillage playing excellently throughout.

216216
Weight: 150.00 g

THE ultimate Gong compilation - it's as simple as that!!! With this you have virtually every classic track from the 1970's line-ups, across two immense remastered discs of excellent quality. Nothing has been taken away or added, yet what existed before now sounds pretty poor compared to this. With tracks from the quartet of albums recorded for Virgin, as well as the fantastic guitar-dominated 15 minute gem from the Planet Gong album, this is as good as it gets and whether you know the band or not, this is one awesome compilation that just sounds great. In preference to an album of just songs, the label have included all the classic instrumentals from the band, so the entire package comes across as one that will appeal to people really into Gong as well as to fans of names like Tim Blake, Hillage, etc. 100% perfect.

880726
Weight: 250.00 g

Excellent quality and well performed ‘live’ instrumental fusion from the French maestro drummer. It’s a set that is both individual and notable for its range, which runs from sensitive to scorching with the utmost of ease. There's some fine playing all round, from electric guitar, electric bass, drums and the two percussionists, without any of the indulgences that you might be apprehensive about on a percussion-founded album such as this. In the best traditions of this band, this is one hot little album.

619420
Weight: 150.00 g

At last on CD, this legendary album that is an undoubted classic - An instrumental mix of classic Canterbury and Hopper's brand of jazz-rock. With some extraordinary tracks on board, it ranges from the powerful to the reflective and features musicians of the calibre of Elton Dean, Mark Charig, Dave Stewart, Mike Travis and more. With superb bass guitar, keyboards and wind instrumental work among the many highlights it offers, this music hasn't dated one jot during the digital transfer, and remains the solid and brilliant instrumental album it always was.

544986
Weight: 150.00 g

Imagine that Daevid Allen and Steve Hillage had made a guitar-based duo album with Allen on glissando and Hillage on lead guitar, together with rhythmic support and the occasional extra textural modifications from synths and other keyboards? Quite frankly, this CD would be the result - It is a nearly all instrumental album, featuring some fantastic compositions and lead work based entirely around tasty electric guitar and soaring glissando guitar work, and it’s absolutely heavenly music throughout the entire length of the album. The playing on the whole is solid, and only enhanced by the presence of a non-dance related rhythmic base through much of the CD. Overall, an absolutely brilliant album guaranteed to please all fans of Gong, Allen, Hillage and even Orb fans.

574608
Weight: 150.00 g

The third album from this band, and in terms of overall mix of songs and instrumental work, it’s their most accomplished album to date. They must be sensational live, because here there’s eight of them on assorted keyboards, guitars, bass, drums, sax & vocals - A veritable super-Gong in early-mid 1970’s terms. The quality throughout, from writing to arranging to production is top banana, with ten corking tracks that invoke the spirit, and to an extent, the sound, of early Gong/Steve Hillage, but there’s so much more to it than that, as this very full-sounding set of tracks will testify. The sheer wealth of musical ideas covers hints of Ozrics and Here & Now, you know, that whole scene, but here with much more variation within the genre. It’s not the sort of album where you can spotlight any particular musician or track, there’s just an all-round ensemble playing where you know their hearts are really in it, and that lifts you in return. With its little eccentricities along the way, this is a 70’s Gong style album in a coat of all-new colours.

640105
Weight: 150.00 g

Ozrics-Here & Now-Tribe Of Cro-Melting Euphoria-Gong… A long line of quality bands operating in a genre of psychedelia and space-rock. Well, just add Krom Lek to that list, because this is one mother of a CD that fits the genre perfectly, and the fantastic electric guitar work on it is worthy of any of the guitarists from the aforementioned bands. This album of songs, instrumentals and extended instrumental breaks, showcases a quintet of musicians that really can deliver a fine set of compositions. Without going into detail, suffice to say that every track is worthy of your attention, ‘Psychedelic Dot Krom’ is a set of consistent original material. You’ll find influences from all the bands mentioned at the beginning of the review, and it’s safe to say that if you are a fan of any two or three of them, then you are virtually guaranteed to like Krom Lek. With soaring glissandos, biting electric guitar, extremely clever use of percussion, tasty drums, solid bass and synth backdrops, plus the odd burst of flute/sax for that extra Ozrics/Gong touch, allied to vocals that are in complete context with the mood of the pieces, this is a class act - That’s a promise!

384950
Weight: 150.00 g

Possibly here for the last time, we once again have copies of this double album which features the whole of each of the three original National Health albums, as well as a couple of previously unreleased tracks, that are exclusive to this set, ensuring that you get the essential National Health collection in one decently priced bundle. Musically, we're talking classic instrumental Canterbury-style fusion with some superb keyboard work from Dave Stewart and Alan Gowen, leading the way on a set of complex, melodic, and inventive but always accessible and never boring compositions that will have you hooked, play after play after play.

479251
Weight: 250.00 g

At last... the first and best of the Soft Heap albums AND it features over twenty-one21 minutes of previously unreleased music extra to the existing album. With Soft Machine stalwarts Elton Dean and Hugh Hopper on sax & bass respectively, plus Gilgamesh/National Health keyboard player Alan Gowen on electric piano & synth, not forgetting Dave Sheen providing solid support and dynamics in the drum department, this is one of the more melodic examples of the Canterbury style of jazz-rock. Still with all the hallmarks of Soft Machine at their best, this album is possibly more accessible. In the realms of Canterbury fusion, it’s an unheralded classic and should have achieved the same 'legendary' status as the Soft’s ‘Third’ album. The playing is exemplary, and the interaction between the musicians is superb. You can't single out any one member's contibution, because this truly is a group performance. Of the previously unreleased tracks, the nigh-on seventeen minutes of 'Ranova' are breathtaking - Beginning with soaring, slow sax and keyboard fills that run over cascading bass and delicate cymbal splashes, it continues on for four minutes before hitting a groove on a classic Softs-style rhythm over which the piano and sax fly high in brilliant fashion - All wondrously melodic with not a squealing sax or and form of weird improvisations in sight. The other is a shorter piece penned by Gowen and it’s another gem. For jazz-fusion and Softs/Canterbury fans alike, as long as you're not from the guitar-end of the genre, this is a real treat and definitely has to be on your essential listening list.

652768
Weight: 150.00 g

A new CD of previously unreleased ‘live’ performances from the early 1970's, this time featuring over ten minutes of rare music that included Lyn Dobson replacing Elton Dean on sax. Otherwise, the Ratledge-Wyatt-Dean-Hopper line-up breeze through a selection of classic tracks from the 2nd & 3^rd albums, and they’re as good as ever.

756457
Weight: 150.00 g

Not what you are thinking… sure, this is the fantastic mixing desk original that is the Softs trio of Wyatt-Ratledge-Hopper caught live in concert in 1969. they perform a cooking collection of tracks largely from the second album, but this is a special issue that features 5 bonus tracks - 4 from the hard-to-get ‘Rock Generation’ albums featuring the original quartet of Ayers-Daevid Allen-Ratledge-Wyatt, and they are doing versions of tracks from the first album, PLUS the rare track: ‘Soon Soon Soon’ that was only ever available on the B-side of the legendary first single: ‘Love Makes Sweet Music’. So, it’s a superb package - A truly legendary set of music at a superb price.

406963
Weight: 150.00 g