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All reviews from Amazon entry unless otherwise indicated.

  1. 801 - Bill Hicks, Blowfly, Flanders and Swann, Patton Oswalt

  2. 802 - National Lampoon

  3. 803 - National Lampoon

  4. 804 -

  5. 805 -

  6. 806 -

  7. 807 - Bob Dylan

  8. 808 - Bongwater, Fiery Furnaces, Public Image, Wire

  9. 809 - Social Distortion, Throwing Muses

  10. 810 - Flaco Jimenez

  11. 811 - Flaco Jimenez, Kris Kristofferson, Rough Trade Shops Country

  12. 812 - Dale Watson, Patsy Cline

  13. 813 - Bugge Wesseltoft

  14. 814 - Bugge Wesseltoft

  15. 815 - Misc. Jazz

  16. 816 - Misc. Jazz

  17. 817 - Shadows

    "Originally Cliff Richard's backing band, the British quartet the Shadows began recording on their own in 1960 and had a major hit with the instrumental "Apache." They were built around guitarists Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch, with an ever-changing rhythm section (Terry "Jet" Harris and Tony Meehan, the original bassist and drummer, were the most famous, and went on to success on their own in the early Sixties); originally dubbed the Drifters, they adopted their more famous moniker during their first tour with Richard to avoid confusion with the popular American R&B group of the same name. Often erroneously thought of as England's answer to the Ventures, the Shadows' sound was polished, crisp, clean, and metallic, making up for its inherent sterility and lack of soul thanks to a knack for drawing out melodies in their most haunting form; their biggest hit was "Apache," but they also scored with smash singles including 1960's "Man of Mystery" and 1961's "Kon-Tiki." By 1962, both Harris and Meehan had exited, and the remaining duo of Marvin and Welch continued backing Richard in his many film roles, adopting a distinctively exaggerated brand of choreography widely imitated by other guitar-based groups of the era. Subsequent chart-toppers including 1963's "Wonderful Land" and 1963's "Foot Tapper" followed, and although the Shadows were largely lost in the shuffle of the British Invasion they continued backing Richard until 1968, at which time Welch quit. Many more reunions and break-ups were to follow in the coming decades, and in one form or another the Shadows continued to record well into the 1990s." - Bruce Eder

  18. 818 - Rubble

    "The second box in as many years of a truckload of obscure British psychedelia. Here are ten more CDs' worth of serious rarities by some bands that barely scratched the surface of the British freakbeat scene during rock's golden era, and a few who went on to other things. In all, there are 128 cuts here, all compiled and annotated by Phil Smee -- of Perfumed Garden fame (also issued by Past And Present). While some of these acts, such as the Poets, the Human Instinct, Outer Limits, and Denny Laine left marks on the scene, as did mod bands such as les Fleur De Lys and the Buzz; many others came from the swamp and returned with only these few minutes of glory for all of their efforts. As one would imagine, this is a mixed bag, with some of this material being absolutely sublime, while some never should have been recorded at all, with the vast majority falling in between the two poles somewhere. Nonetheless, for those who have been bitten by the Nuggets bug, and procured the highly sought after Perfumed Garden volumes, this second set of Rubble will no doubt feed the jones in you like nothing else." - Thom Jurek

    Volume 1 - The Psychedelic Snarl

    "The first volume in the Rubble series of British psych-mod rarities is one of the best, with superb slabs of freakbeat from Wimple Winch (three cuts), the Craig's demented "I Must Be Mad," and the Hush's "Grey," one of the best British psychedelic singles with a pop bent. Yet at the same time, about half of this is rather ordinary, and not even especially weird, if that's what you're looking for. The long-deleted Chocolate Soup For Diabetics series beats this and every other volume of Rubble from all angles, although Rubble does offer better sound quality for the cuts that previously appeared on other anthologies." - Richie Unterberger

    Volume 2 - Pope-Sike Pipe-Dreams

    "Half-decent collection of mid-to-late '60s U.K. mod and psychedelic rock, highlighted by the selections from the Pretty Things, Keith West, and the gloriously named Wimple Winch. All of those artists have compilations of their own that contain the material they donated to this record. If you're serious enough to be interested in a compilation such as this in the first place, you're probably serious enough to get those single-artist compilations, which represent better value than this somewhat patchwork lineup of tracks. Also includes a cutesy single by the Idle Race (Jeff Lynne's pre-Move group), and humdrum efforts by Gordon Waller (ex-Peter & Gordon) and the post-Stevie Winwood version of the Spencer Davis Group." - Richie Unterberger

    Volume 3 - Nightmares in Wonderland

    "One of the less impressive editions of the Rubble series. The entries in the far-out band/song name contest (Bamboo Shoot, Ipsissimus, Edwick Rumbold, "10,000 Years Behind My Mind," "William Chalker's Time Machine") tend to obscure the realization that this is average late '60s rock that's longer on trendiness than inspiration. The best material (by Tomorrow and the Pretty Things) is easily found on those bands' own reissues. Some collectors do gave a high rating to Aquarian Age's "10,00 Words in a Cardboard Box," released by drummer Twink in 1968 as he was making the transition from Tomorrow to the Pretty Things." - Richie Unterberger

    Volume 4 - The 49 Minute Technicolour Dream

    "'60s British psychedelic rarities, licensed from Phonogram and DJM Records in the UK. The package is more appealing, perhaps, than the contents, which are rather average and unmemorable in comparison to the most exciting British psychedelic madness, as heard on compilations such as the Chocolate Soup series. Kaleidoscope's dreamily trippy numbers (by the British Kaleidoscope, no relation to the Californian group of the same name) are about the best things, although these are better appreciated on Kaleidoscope's own reissues. Otherwise, Jason Crest's "Black Mass," which sounds like a ludicrous psychedelic take on Black Sabbath, is worth a passing laugh." - Richie Unterberger

    Volume 5 - The Electric Crayon Set

    "This has a bunch of rarities that have become favorites among collectors of British mod and psychedelic music: the double-sided power pop single by the Mark Four (which evolved into the Creation), the storming "That's the Way It's Gotta Be" by the Poets (one of the best mod singles ever), the Game's "Gonna Get Me Someone," and the Score's wild soul-mod stomp treatment of "Please Please Me," one of the most eccentric (and best) Beatles covers ever. Some of these had previously been reissued on other collector-oriented compilations, but the sound quality of the tracks here, licensed directly from Decca, is better. Alas, the other cuts simply aren't in nearly the same league." - Richie Unterberger

    Volume 6 - The Clouds Have Groovy Faces

    "Psychedelic-flavored British pop from the mid-to-late '60s, licensed from the Decca label. There are a few fine cuts here: the Accent's "Red Sky at Night" has long been a collector's favorite for its dark psychedelia, the End's "Shades of Orange" was produced and co-written by Bill Wyman, and the two Poets' tracks are fetching, acoustic-oriented mod ballads. But much of this is as dated as group names like Tinkerbells Fairydust, or song titles like "Neville Thumbcatch" and "Glasshouse Green Splinter Red," would indicate. It does have the original version of Pete Townshend's "Magic Bus," recorded by the Pudding in 1967, over a year before the Who released their rendition." - Richie Unterberger

    Volume 7 - Pictures in the Sky

    "Sixteen British pop-psych-mod cuts from the '60s, licensed from the Pye and Piccadilly labels. Perhaps this stuff is highly sought after by a small band of collectors. But to most of us, it only acts as evidence of just how much insignificant music is released by big companies, in whatever style happens to be in fashion. Not all of it's disposable--the Primitives' "You Said," with Jimmy Page on session guitar, has been justly acclaimed as one of British R&B's most primal ravers. It's also been released on several other superior compilations." - Richie Unterberger

    Volume 10 - Professor Jordan's Magic Sound

    "By the time the Rubble series reaches its tenth volume, you've begun to suspect that the tracks are being selected more on the basis of the quirky band names and song titles than the music. Well, that's undoubtedly being too harsh. But it's doubtful many listeners are going to be as enthusiastic about the third-tier '60s psychedelic Britpop of the Glass Menagerie, the Orange Seaweed, Orange Machine, and Velvett Fogg as the compilers. All tracks were licensed from Pye Records; the Clique and the Game did have some excellent singles, but the tracks here aren't their best efforts." - Richie Unterberger

    Volume 11 - Adventures in the Mist

    "A typical volume of the Rubble series, all licensed from the '60s vaults of Decca Records in the UK. This might be one of the better installments, due to the relatively high concentration of top-flight tracks. The Poets' "Wooden Spoon" is fabulous blue-eyed soul-influenced mod rock; the Accents' "Wind of Change" is one of the most peculiarly foreboding one-shot singles of the era; Felius Andromeda's "Meditations" is a wonderful pop-oriented variation on early Procol Harum, with Gregorian chants and a deliciously foggy organ. Though not as impressive, the Sauterelles' "Dream Machine" and the Fairytale's "Listen to Mary Cry" are above-average mod-psych-pop." - Richie Unterberger

    Volume 12 - Staircase to Nowhere

    "One of the less distinguished efforts in the Rubble series. One would have thought that British psychedelia, being an inherently more flexible and imaginative genre than American garage rock, would not be as prey to the watered-down overkill quality of the later volumes of the Pebbles series. But that's exactly what happened. A lot of this stuff is simply uninteresting, or even annoyingly cloying. And the best cuts--Tintern Abbey's sublime "Beeside," and Denny Laine's "Catherine's Wheel"--had already been reissued elsewhere." - Richie Unterberger

    Volume 14 - Magick Rocking Horse

    "The 14th volume of the long-running Rubble series of obscure pop-psychedelia (mostly, but not totally, from the U.K.) was typically all over the map in terms of quality and, to a lesser degree, style. There was the usual preponderance of candy-coated rarities that were far more pop than psych -- the kind of music you'd expect, really, from bands named Curiosity Shoppe, Our Plastic Dream, and Science Poption. A lot of those tracks on this album are on the forgettable, if ornately produced side, but then there are some terrific cuts, those mostly being the ones with a harder edge. Pinkerton's Assorted Colours' "Magic Rocking Horse" is something like a harder-rocking U.K. equivalent to the Lemon Pipers' "Green Tambourine," and sounds like it should have been a hit (though it wasn't). Boeing Duveen & the Beautiful Soup's "Jabberwock" is menacing freakbeat with a far greater sense of sly humor than most of this stuff. The Syn's "Grounded" is far more mod than psychedelic, but it's superb crunching mod rock with cool guitar-organ interplay. The Sub's "Ma-Mari-Huana" is demented organ bad-trip psychedelia (from Germany) with plenty of phasing. In a softer mold, Strawberry Children's "Love Years Coming" is very much in the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows" style, though it's unclear why it qualified for inclusion, as this early Jimmy Webb composition was most definitely done by an American artist. Magic Rocking Horse was reissued on CD in 2003 as one of the ten discs in the box set The Rubble Collection Volumes 11-20." - Richie Unterberger

    Volume 15 - 5000 Seconds Over Toyland

    "Most lengthy compilation series get less impressive as time goes on, and the 15th volume of the Rubble series of late-'60s British rarities (with occasional European and early-'70s tracks thrown in) was no exception. This is one of the less impressive installments, though it's typical in its mixture of various shades of psychedelia, from the poppiest and more soul-influenced to fairly heavy, far-out stuff. The Pretty Things are by far the best band here, represented by three tracks from their Even More Electric Banana soundtrack album. While that album's off-the-beaten track, and while those songs are good bridges between their first psychedelic excursions and their S.F. Sorrow record, they're really not too hard to find on other reissues. A good deal of the other tracks on the anthology leave only passing impressions, with plenty of trendy use of phasing and sitarish sounds, and the Jackpots' "Jack in the Box" is pop-psych at its most helium-light. But there are some above-average rarities, like the House of Lords' "In the Land of Dreams," with a very nice bittersweet chorus; Jason Crest's "Turquoise Tandem Cycle," which is like early Procol Harum with a slightly more garage-ish bent and cool wah-wah guitar; Sound Barrier's tumbling mod rocker "Groovin' Slow"; and the State of Mickey & Tommy's elegantly orchestrated "With Love From 1 to 5." 5000 Seconds Over Toyland was reissued on CD in 2003 as one of the ten discs in the box set The Rubble Collection Volumes 11-20." - Richie Unterberger

    Volume 16 - Glass Orchid Aftermath

    "As one of the weakest Rubble volumes of late-'60s (mostly) U.K. psych rarities, this has none of the items that most aficionados would consider to be core classics in the genre, and some that only marginally fit into the category at all. Certainly something like Mint's "Love by Numbers" is more middling, late-'60s British pop than psychedelic; Dreams' "Softly, Softly" is very average soul-rock with a fuzz guitar riff blatantly copped from the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"; and Carriage Company's "Feel Right" is MOR pop with rather overwrought vocals, albeit with some psychedelic echo in the singing. Even the biggest names here are not represented by their more noteworthy moments. The Ace Kefford Stand (led by the former Move member) single "Gravy Booby Jamm" is as unappetizingly heavy as its title; the Pretty Things' "Grey Skies" is a secondary item from the Even More Electric Banana soundtrack; and St. Valentines Day Massacre's "Brother Can You Spare a Dime," a desultory finale from the Artwoods using a different name. So what can you say that's good about this anthology? Well, Gary Walker & the Rain (led by the ex-Walker Brother) play some fair storming mod-psych on "Francis"; the Chasers' "Inspiration" is a good R&B-mod pounder; and the Remo Four's "Live Like a Lady" is decent mod-soul with organ. Glass Orchid Aftermath was reissued on CD in 2003 as one of the ten discs in the box set The Rubble Collection Volumes 11-20." - Richie Unterberger

    Volume 17 - A Trip in a Painted World

    "When a volume on a fairly specialized rock subgenre reaches its 17th installment, that's a pretty good indication that it's something that's only going to appeal to specialist collectors of the style. And considering that the best-known names on this compilation are the Fox, Philamore Lincoln, Andwella's Dream, and the Afex, you can bet that most of this material isn't terribly familiar even to many experts on said subgenre: late-'60s (mostly) U.K. psychedelia. As befits a back-of-the-closet cleaning-type exercise from the vaults, not much here is of astonishing quality, though it's fair and representative of the second- and third-division acts recording in this tributary. Not many tracks stand out as worthy of avid pursuit, but some of the better ones are the Barrier's "Spot the Lights," which is reminiscent of the Amboy Dukes' lightest pop-psychedelic tracks (á la "Journey to the Center of the Mind"); the Californians' "Golden Apples," which has gorgeous, echoing, minor-key vocal harmonies and faint, grandly baroque orchestration; the Lion Tamers' "Light," which benefits from some uplifting folky harmonies and Kinksy melodic tendencies; and the Afex's superbly effervescent mod-popper "She's Got the Time." Kinks collectors will be interested in Wild Silk's 1969 single, "Toymaker," a Ray Davies song never recorded by the Kinks, though the tune's not so hot. A Trip in a Painted World was reissued on CD in 2003 as one of the ten discs in the box set The Rubble Collection: Volumes 11-20." - Richie Unterberger

    Volume 18 - Rainbow Thyme Wynders

    "The 18th volume of the Rubble series wasn't quite released, though it does exist in two forms. Twenty-five test pressings with proof sleeves were made of the LP in 1992, before its release was canceled, forming a rarity rather optimistically valued by Record Collector magazine at 250 pounds. Fortunately, the entire album, artwork and all, was issued on CD in 2003 as one volume of the ten-disc box set The Rubble Collection Volumes 11-20. Other than its rarity, there's not much to differentiate Rubble 18: Rainbow Thyme Wynders from other late volumes of the Rubble series of (mostly) U.K. psychedelic pop rarities from the late 1960s, which came out when most of the choicest items in this genre had already been reissued. No doubt its strongest cut is the leadoff track, Acid Gallery's "Dance 'Round the Maypole," the best and most uncanny Move sound-alike ever recorded -- which makes more sense when you learn that Roy Wood actually wrote and produced the single, as well as singing on the recording. Though actually from Australia, Russell Morris' "The Real Thing (Parts 1 & 2)" rates as a highlight of bloated psychedelia-influenced, late-'60s pop, with its out-of-control phasing, tempo accelerations, and explosions. There's not too much else here to get that excited about, though some of these artists are definite contenders in the most awkward psychedelic band name contest, like the Fruit Machine, Infantes Jubilate, and above all, Pregnant Insomnia." - Richie Unterberger

    Volume 19 - Eiderdown Mindfog

    "Like Rubble 18, the 19th volume of the Rubble series wasn't quite released, though it does exist in two forms. Twenty-five test pressings with proof sleeves were made of the LP in 1992 before its release was canceled, forming a rarity rather optimistically valued by Record Collector magazine at 250 pounds. Fortunately, the entire album, artwork and all, was (again, like Rubble 18) issued on CD in 2003 as one volume in the ten-disc box set The Rubble Collection Volumes 11-20. The Rubble concept of worthy, rare late-'60s (usually) U.K. psychedelic pop had played out by this time, with the sense that tracks were being loaded on more because of their rarity than distinctive quality. It's not a knockout comp by any means, but there are some fair cuts here and there, as well as a couple of artists with famous associations: members of the Scots of St. James eventually played in the Average White Band, while Rick Price of Sheridan-Price was in the Move (and "Sheridan," Mike Sheridan, had led a band that Roy Wood recorded with before joining the Move). Tracks deserving mention include the strange Middle Eastern-influenced pop by the husband and wife duet of Rameses & Selket; the Scots of St. James' bouncy "Timothy," with its weird piercing organ sounds; and Sheridan-Price's "Tracey Smith," which has a deft orchestral pop touch, and is far more tuneful than most of the other material on the disc. Incidentally, if you're wondering what's on Rubble 20, that volume was never released on its own, even in a batch of 25 test pressings, though it got as far as getting a catalog number and sleeve. It was, however, eventually released as the final disc of the box-set anthology The Rubble Collection Volumes 11-20." - Richie Unterberger

  19. 819 - Decca Originals, Rubble

  20. 820 - Misc. 78 Era

  21. 821 - Misc. 78 Era

  22. 822 - Misc. 78 Era

  23. 823 - Led Zeppelin, Tom Waits

  24. 824 - Misc. Boots

  25. 825 - Crass, Factory Story, Laibach

  26. 826 - Lefty Frizzell

    "Life's Like Poetry is a gigantic, 12-disc box set that includes all of Lefty Frizzell's recordings for Columbia and ABC, plus early demos, a session with Jay Miller, and several radio transcriptions -- everything he recorded between 1950 and 1975. Certainly, the box is designed for collectors -- no one but the most devoted fan could listen to all 330 tracks. Though all of his classic material is included, there is also a fair share of mediocre material, including some ill-advised attempts at country-pop. Nevertheless, there are gems sprinkled throughout the collection and it offers proof of his far-reaching talents and influence, as well as demonstrating that several of Lefty's later recordings were as worthwhile as his early singles. For any serious fan, it is an indispensible collection." - Stephen Thomas Erlewine

  27. 827 - Dr. Feelgood, Dr. Hook

  28. 828 - Who

  29. 829 - Bowie, David Lindley, Who

  30. 830 - Cosmic Jokers, Edgar Varese, Henry Cow, Marc Ribot

  31. 831 - Misc. Indie

  32. 832 - Brainticket, Faust, Free Kitten, Plastic People of the Universe

  33. 833 - Radiohead

  34. 834 - Radiohead, Scissor Sisters, Secret Machines, Shonen Knife

  35. 835 - Dick's Picks

    "Since its inception in 1993, the Dick's Picks series has been a Deadhead's dream come true - peak Grateful Dead performances, selected by the Dead's intrepid vault archivist Dick Latvala, using his own amazing ears and the good advice of the GD tape collecting community, and made available for the first time ever on compact disc. This is the real, raw stuff, heard just as the band played it, without any overdubbing or "fixing it in the mix" - while some technical anomalies may remain, the performance quality and historical significance of these releases make them essential additions to any Grateful Dead collection. The discs have been digitally mastered from the original 2-track source tapes by the Dead's technical wizards, and the results are astonishing, yielding recordings with an immediacy and clarity that far surpasses even the best tapes in circulation." - www.dead.net

  36. 836 - Dick's Picks

    "Dick's Picks is an ongoing series of archive releases of live Grateful Dead music from throughout their performing career. Generally each volume contains either a complete Grateful Dead show (or shows), the majority of music from a Grateful Dead show (or shows), or a selection of music from a series of consecutive shows.

    The releases are sourced from two track master tapes housed in the Grateful Dead vault. Modern mixing methods are not possible and glitches and omissions in the original tapes are carried over onto the released CDs. For this reason Dick's Picks are distributed by Grateful Dead Merchandising and not initially through normal retail outlets.

    Dick's Picks Vol. 1 was released in 1993. Band member vetoes delayed the selection and release of a second volume until 1995. Volume 3 followed nearly a year later. Since then however releases have been more regular. From 1997 onward there have been 3 or 4 volumes each year.

    Dick's Picks are named for and were initially organised by Dick Latvala, the custodian of the Grateful Dead tape vault until his death in 1999. The vault and the Dick's Picks series is now overseen by David Lemieux but the series name has been retained." - www.deaddisc.com

  37. 837 - Dick's Picks

  38. 838 - Dick's Picks

  39. 839 - Dick's Picks

  40. 840 - Dick's Picks

  41. 841 - Jack the Ripper, Over the Rhine, Pickett/Thompson

  42. 842 - Fugs, Loudon Wainwright III

  43. 843 - Joe Ely, Pogues, Waltzing Matilda

  44. 844 - Eliza Gilyson, Ellis Paul, Holy Modal Rounders, Jim White

  45. 845 - Jim Reeves

    "This massive collection by the German Bear Family label is the most intimidatingly thorough collection of Jim Reeves' work. Basically, it's virtually everything from his recording sessions, and there are two separate boxes of his radio transcriptions besides! But this one is unwieldy enough -- it's 16 CDs covering all of Reeves' recordings from his earliest in 1949 for the Macy label to his move to Abbott in 1952, including ten unissued alternate takes and rejected masters, a single side issued by Fabor, and then back to Abbott. These sides make up the first two discs of the collection and offer what most folks have never heard in Reeves -- his hillbilly records that reflect a beautiful fusion of the Western swing, honky tonk and cowboy traditions; Reeves' songwriting was also in full flower at this early period in Texas. The early crooning style that hinted at his later pop recordings came in the latter period of his association with Abbott. These songs are all revelatory in that they reveal without doubt what it was RCA heard in Reeves and why he stood out: His relaxed, smooth full-throated baritone delivery transcended country & western music. Beginning with disc three and going all the way though disc 13 are Reeves' complete recordings for RCA. The earliest of them are still very much in the country and Western swing tradition, but in the production the sound is a bit more lush, where the instruments begin to balance with Reeves' honeyed delivery. The fiddles play more like strings and so does the pedal steel. "I'm Hurtin' Inside" slips along without seam or stitch, and is a perfect example of where Reeves would go with his style.

    And it didn't take him long to get there. By the time Reeves recorded "Am I Losing You" in 1956, the mature ballad style was already in his voice, and producer Chet Atkins was aware of where it could go; still, it would be the recording of "Four Walls" in 1957 that the real transition was in full swing. And 1957 was a big year. The Jordanaires and Floyd Cramer became integral to the Reeves sound and the roots of countrypolitan were dug. They would begin to sprout on "Everywhere You Go," from that same year, which was as much Nat King Cole as it was Reeves: a brushed jazzy four on the drums, Cramer comping with beautiful -- if a tad rigid -- jazz chords, and the Jordanaires singing a near scat chorus behind Reeves. By December, with "I Love to Say I Love You" with the Anita Kerr Singers backing him, the transition was complete. The story is well-known from here beginning on the fifth disc; Reeves' prolific output as the king of country crooners was already evidenced by his chart success internationally. Even after the Beatles changed everything in 1963, Reeves was charting in England. From "He'll Have to Go" to "Welcome to My World" to "Missing You" and "Maureen," his last two sides before dying in a plane crash, it's all here. There's an entire disc dedicated to the (in)famous charted overdub recordings from 1966 and 1967, as well as two discs of demo recordings -- 59 tracks in all -- that make this set not only a definitive document, but a testament to a legacy of genius, both Reeves and Atkins. As per usual, there is a full-size book with an authoritative essay by Colin Escott, exhaustive discographical documentation, and pages upon pages of photographs. Only fanatics will want it, but if you are one, you will not be disappointed." - Thom Jurek

  46. 846 - Jim Reeves

  47. 847 - Lefty Frizzell, Jimmie Rodgers, George Jones

  48. 848 - California, Mary Kay Place, Texas

  49. 849 - Misc. Indie

  50. 850 - Hellecasters, MMW

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