Back in stock: Rock (All)

Review: Linkin Park were many people's favourite rock act at least for a short time during their rebellious teenage years. Well, it is now two decades since the American outlaws were at their peak and specifically 20 years since they released their second and globally acclaimed album Meterora. As such it gets a special anniversary reissue here that features all of the original material as well as four previously unreleased concerts on DVD, plus rare and unreleased material that will be all nee to even the most hardcore of fan. A real must for collectors.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Over the course of his long and successful career, Ennio Morricone composed many dance songs in step with the fashions of the late 60s and early 70s. These were themes not necessarily directly connected with his films' synopses, but which were nonetheless played in disco clubs, on jukeboxes, turntables and on the radio. This collection contains a selection of pieces such as the brilliant main theme from Grand Slam (1967); the shake rock (opening credits) from Dario Argento's classic Four Flies On Grey Velvet (1971) the danceable from the noir film Violent City (1970); the beat version of the opening credits of 'Pioggia Sul Tuo Viso' by the Sorrows, from How I Learned to Love Women (1966); 'Per Vittorio (Bossa)', an elegant bossa nova with flute and percussions from The Success (1963); the tribal shake from I Cantori Moderni, which winks at the dies irae from Garden of Delights (1967); 'Scuola di Ballo al sole', a wild surf piece from the Hawks and the Sparrows (1966); the supreme bossa nova from One Night at Dinner (1969) with the super iconic voice of Edda Dell'orso; the shake music of "'Ostinazione al Limone from What Have you Done to Solange? (1972); and 'Donnabossa' from Full Hearts and Empty Pockets (1964), a delicate bossa nova piece with a prominent harpsichord.

Review: Almost two full decades into their curious career, slacker-psych experimentalists The Pheromoans have never been ones to shy away from the esoteric or mundane. Led by the droll, deadpan delivery and unique world view of primary songwriter Russell Walker, LP number 13 sees the collective lean ever further into topical malaise whilst honing their fuzzed out, post-college-rock jangles into their most digestible and direct form yet. With the title Wyrd Psearch, Walker takes direct aim "at the ubiquity of people claiming things are eerie or weird/wyrd in the present cultural milieu", while the word-search artwork is intended to highlight our cultures' obsessive search for meaning in an increasingly illogical world. Twinkling no wave riffs, glistening synth lines and muted requests to loved ones requesting their presence on a trip to town to reup on prescription meds.

Review: Did you, like us, have a rebellious nu-metal phase in your teenage years? If so then you will likely have been a big fan of US rockers Incubus, who had a wide range across several great albums - from star gazing and introspective works like Wish You Were Here to the more punk-funk rawness of Fungus Amongus. This was the band's debut album in 1995 and fuses alt-rock, rap metal, funk rock and rapcore with plenty of thrashing guitars and hard-ass drums as well as Brandon Body's snarling and growling vocals. It is one of funk mental's most celebrated albums and remains a firm favourite to this day.

Review: Weirdo guitar visionary Frank Zappa released his acclaimed fourth LP 'Waka/Jawaka' in 1972, after the phrase appeared to him miraculously on an ouija board. A pinnacle of jazz fusion, near-classical orchestral influences and prog rock, it serves as a lesser-known sequel-ish to the generally agreed classic Hot Rats. It's also a shining example of time signature-core, with the moustached axe mage modulating all manner of tempos like it's nobody's business, also setting a high bar for what would eventually become post-rock in the process.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Record sleeve damaged, product in working order***


The enduring appeal of Steely Dan never fades with time, and why should it? Donald Fagen and Walter Becker's relentless pursuit of perfection and blue-eyed soul gifted us a whole heap of stunning albums, and their fiercely devoted fanbase would fight tooth and nail over which one gets the top spot. Our money would be on Aja though, given its enduring influence, its rich extended life through a whole host of sampling and the quite simply flawless run of songs, composition, production and beyond. It's one of the greatest albums out there, and you'd do well to grab a copy if you don't own it already.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***


Alternative rock and Goth legends The Cure were at an all-time high in popularity as they embarked on their 1993 tour across Europe. Enjoying the result of their most successful album Wish, the band was to take on their biggest world tour yet. For the previous two tours, there was no proper full recording of the band live by the group themselves. Robert Smith wanted to change that and a handful of shows were recorded to be edited together for the live albums Paris and Show. Paris shows the power of The Cure's new lineup which featured a new drummer, keyboard player and guitar player. Like most Cure concerts, the setlist is a varied mix of brand-new tracks at the time (Apart and A Letter to Elise) many classics (Figurehead, A Charlotte Sometimes and Shake Dog Shake) but then always a sprinkle of lesser-known ones like 'Dressing Up'. This edition is the 30th Anniversary release of the evergreen original.