John Lee Hooker - Early Recordings: Detroit and Beyond Vol. 1 & 2 (4 LP, 2018) [24-96]

Third Man is ecstatic to present the first re-issue of John Lee Hooker's seminal and rare Detroit and Beyond recordings on vinyl since their initial release in 1973. These tracks have been heralded by many fans as his best overall collection of recordings as well as his some of his earliest, apart from the 6 recorded by Bernie in 1961. Split between two double-LP volumes and remastered using original master recordings from Detroit's legendary United Sound Systems (not even 2 miles from Third Man Detroit!), these collections are a must for blues and music lovers.

 

Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac - Transmission Impossible (3 CD, 2020) [FLAC]

Formed in London in 1967 by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, with bassist John McVie completing the line-up for their self-titled debut album, Fleetwood Mac began as a very different beast to the one they would become by the mid-1970s. Danny Kirwan joined as third guitarist in 1968 and keyboardist Christine Perfect, who contributed as a session musician from the second album, married John McVie and joined in 1970. Primarily a British blues band initially, they scored a UK number one with 'Albatross', and had lesser hits with the singles 'Oh Well' and 'Black Magic Woman', the latter successfully covered by Santana. All three guitarists left in succession during the early 1970s, changing the sound of the group quite dramatically.

 This triple disc set celebrates the early days of Fleetwood Mac, focussing as it does on the group's live recordings and radio sessions. Featuring, on disc one, their superb San Francisco gig at the Carousel Ballroom in 1968 in its entirety (previously only released in part), disc two contains Fleetwood Mac's complete BBC Radio Sessions from 1968 recorded for shows such as Top Gear and Saturday Club. The set is completed on disc there with their legendary concert performed in New Orleans at The Warehouse venue, in January 1970.

 

Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble - The Complete Epic Recordings Collection (12 CD, 2014) [FLAC + 320]

To celebrate what would have been the 60th birthday of Stevie Ray Vaughan (1954-1990), Epic Records/Legacy Recordings had issued Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble: The Complete Epic Recordings Collection, collecting the trailblazing blues guitarist s most scintillating studio and live works.

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble: The Complete Epic Recordings Collection includes the group s original four studio albums, five electrifying live releases (including the commercial debut of A Legend In The Making Live At The El Mocambo, a rare Canadian radio promo album) and a double-disc set of killer studio outtakes from throughout Stevie Ray Vaughan s incredible career, including recordings from previous reissues, box sets and posthumous compilations.

                                                                    

Leslie West - Legacy- A Tribute to Leslie West (2022) (24/96)

When Leslie West passed away in December of 2020, he left behind a towering legacy of epic recordings that few rock guitarists can match. But there was more to West than great songs (although, to be sure, he created a ton of them); there was his brilliant, idiosyncratic sound, a gargantuan earth-mover that razed arenas and stadiums across the globe. More than just paralyzing tone, though, he also had a touch nobody could beat. It helped to make West one of the most significant, influential and irreplaceable guitarists of the rock era.

 

1. Blood of the Sun (feat. Zakk Wylde)

2. Nantucket Sleighride (To Owen Coffin) (feat. Joe Lynn Turner & Marty Friedman)

3. Theme for an Imaginary Western (feat. Dee Snider, Eddie Ojeda, Rudy Sarzo, Mike Portnoy)

4. For Yasgur's Farm (feat. Joe Lynn Turner & Martin Barre)

5. Why Dontcha (feat. Steve Morse & Ronnie Romero)

6. Sittin' On a Rainbow (feat. Elliot Easton & Ronnie Romero)

7. Never in My Life (feat. Dee Snider & George Lynch)

8. The Doctor (feat. Robby Krieger & Ronnie Romero)

9. Silver Paper (feat. Charlie Starr)

10. Money (Whatcha Gonna Do)/By the River - medley (feat. Bachman & Bachman)

11. Long Red (feat. Yngwie Malmsteen & Teddy Rondinelli)

12. Mississippi Queen (feat. Slash & Marc LaBelle)

Gram Parsons - A Song For You [7 CD, 2017] (FLAC + 320)

 

American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist Gram Parsons is best known for his work with the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers. He also popularized what he called “Cosmic American Music”, a hybrid of country, rhythm and blues, soul, folk, and rock. He recorded as a solo artist and with the International Submarine Band, the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers. His relatively short career was described by AllMusic as “enormously influential” for country and rock, “blending the two genres to the point that they became indistinguishable from each other.” His health deteriorated due to several years of drug abuse and he died in 1973 at the age of 26. The official cause of death was an overdose of morphine and alcohol.

Steppenwolf - The Epic Years 1974-1976 (3 CD, 2023/FLAC)

Continuing where The Dunhill / ABC Years box set had left off last year, the next story from Steppenwolf’s legacy continues in the mid-70s when they reformed and signed to Epic Records when they released three albums from the label (Slow Flux, Hour of the Wolf, and Skullduggery) from 1974 to 1976. The next box set from Esoteric Recordings gives us an insight by giving their time with Epic, the proper recognition it deserves.

On Valentine’s Day 1972, Steppenwolf was put to bed. It was the same day that the Mayor of Los Angeles’ own Sam Yorty officially designated as “Steppenwolf Day”. By this time John Kay embarked on a solo career and released two studio albums from the Dunhill label between ’72 and ’73; Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes, and My Sportin’ Life.

Gary Moore- Blues And Beyond (4 CD Limited Edition, 2017) [FLAC]

 

BMG proudly release Gary Moore’s Blues and Beyond, a remarkable collection of his powerful and emotive blues studio recordings. Blues and Beyond is released on double CD, 4 LP and as a box set, which includes unreleased live recordings and the official Gary Moore biography I Can’t Wait Until Tomorrow written by Harry Shapiro.·

 

Mothers of Invention - Absolutely Free (1967) [24/192]

Absolutely Free is the second studio album by American rock band the Mothers of Invention, released on May 26, 1967, by Verve Records. Much like their 1966 debut Freak Out!, the album is a display of complex musical composition with political and social satire. The band had been augmented since Freak Out! by the addition of woodwinds player Bunk Gardner, keyboardist Don Preston, rhythm guitarist Jim Fielder, and drummer Billy Mundi; Fielder quit the group before the album was released, and his name was removed from the album credits. 

• Frank Zappa – guitar, conductor, vocals
• Jimmy Carl Black – drums, vocals
• Ray Collins – vocals, tambourine, harmonica
• Roy Estrada – bass, vocals
• Billy Mundi – drums, percussion
• Don Preston – keyboards
• Jim Fielder (Uncredited) – guitar, piano
• Bunk Gardner – woodwinds

 

Steely Dan - Everything Must Go (2003/2022) [SACD Hi-Res FLAC]

 

Everything Must Go is the ninth studio album by American rock group Steely Dan. It was released on June 10, 2003, by Reprise Records, and was the band's second album following their 20-year studio hiatus spanning 1980 through 2000, when they released Two Against Nature. Everything Must Go is the band's most recent studio album and their last with founding member Walter Becker before his death in 2017. 

 

Elvis Presley - Elvis On Tour (6 CD, 2023) [24/96]

 

Sony are to release a new Elvis Presley box set called Elvis On Tour. This 6CD+blu-ray package follows The King on his 1972 North American tour and includes audio from four of the shows, two rehearsals and the concert film on blu-ray.

The first three CDs in this set feature performances from 9th, 10th and 14th April 1972 respectively; that’s Hampton Roads Coliseum, Virginia; Richmond Coliseum, Virginia; and Greensboro Coliseum, North Carolina. All three are previously unreleased. The fourth CD features the 18th April gig at the Convention Center Arena, San Antonio, Texas, and includes material that was part of 2003’s Elvis: Close-Up box set, however it has been newly remixed for this release.

Tour rehearsals constitute CDs five and six. CD 5 has audio recorded live at RCA Recording Studios in Hollywood, California, on 30th and 31st March 1972. This is mostly unreleased, although some were issued on a couple of the specialist ‘Follow That Dream’ releases in 2001 and 2004 (Elvis On Tour – The Rehearsals and Sunset Boulevard, respectively).

CD 6 is all completely unreleased and offers more of the 31 March rehearsals at RCA and includes unreleased takes on Kris Kristofferson’s ‘For The Good Times’. In total, this Elvis On Tour box set features a total of 145 audio tracks, 91 of which are previously unreleased. 

 

Steppenwolf – ‘Magic Carpet Ride-The Dunhill/ABC Years 1967-1971’ (8 CD, 2021/FLAC)

In the four year period between 1967 and 1971 California based hard rock band Steppenwolf released a series of best selling albums and singles, unique for their social and political commentary, garnering nine gold records and gathering an extremely loyal fan base that remains to this day.

Cherry Red Records has gathered the six studio and two live LP’s, supplemented by twenty six single sides, in a new eight disc box set on the label’s Esoteric Recordings imprint.

CD One: 1968 - Steppenwolf (01:14:29)

CD Two: 1968 - The Second (00:46:33)

CD Three: 1969 - At Your Birthday Party (00:53:30)

CD Four: 1969 - Early Steppenwolf (Live At The Matrix, San Francisco 14th May 1967) (00:43:44)

CD Five: 1969 - Monster (00:44:53)

CD Six: 1970 - Steppenwolf Live (01:18:25)

CD Seven: 1970 - Steppenwolf 7 (00:50:28)

CD Eight: 1971 - For Ladies Only (01:01:13)

 

 

Black Sabbath - Mob Rules (1981/2014) [24-192]

 

After a steady decline in both inspiration, mental stability, and commercial appeal throughout the second half of the '70s, metal icons Black Sabbath were reborn with 1980's Heaven and Hell. The album would be their first with new vocalist Ronnie James Dio, whose passionate, controlled wail broke new ground for the band and helped drive a comeback. 

1981's Mob Rules was a quick follow-up to Heaven and Hell, continuing the momentum of that record's energy as well as its shift away from dark metal to more commercial hard rock.

 

Prince - Transmission Impossible (3 CD, 2017/FLAC)

Despite the tragic passing of Prince, the music world remains as eager as ever to hear previously unreleased material by this genius of composition and performance. 

This triple CD set includes just such material, featuring on Disc One in the set the entire album Purple Rain recorded live at various venues in the years since the original record release in 1984. Including too, as bonus cuts, some of the non-album b-sides of singles taken from PR, this disc gets the set off to a flying start.

 Disc Two includes television appearances made by Prince across the decades, during which he performs numbers relevant to the time or the subject of the appearance. Featuring the great man's musical spots on Saturday Night Live, The Late Show, The VH1 Fashion Awards, Solid Gold, and even a rare 1979 appearance on Soul Train, among numerous others, this collection features the finest and least heard appearances he made throughout his career.

Disc Three concludes the set in style, with a rare small club/aftershow party from 1988, when Prince performed in front of a 'by invitation only' intimate crowd, playing the kind of funk-driven set he would never perform in front of a regular audience. With all tracks and sets throughout featured in fine audio quality, all taken from broadcast recordings, this collection will surely end up among the standard Prince live collections out there.

 

Paul Simon discography 1965-2011 [FLAC]

Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Simon's fame, influence, and commercial success began as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, formed in 1964 with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote nearly all of the pair's songs, including three that reached No. 1 on the U.S. singles charts: "The Sound of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson", and "Bridge over Troubled Water".

 

The Who - A Quick One (1966/2015) [24/96]

Originally released in 1966, A Quick One is the second studio album by The Who. Featuring songs including "Heat Wave" (a cover), "So Sad About Us", and "Don't Look Away", the album has been ranked at #383 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time and was described by the magazine as "absolutely perfect, poignant pop".

• Roger Daltrey - lead vocals, trombone and bass drum on "Cobwebs and Strange"
• John Entwistle - bass guitar, French horn, trumpet, lead vocals, backing vocals
• Pete Townshend - lead and rhythm guitars, penny-whistle, keyboards, vocals
• Keith Moon - drums, percussion, tuba, vocals

 

Uriah Heep - Chaos & Colour (2023) [Hi-Res FLAC]

Chaos & Colour, the energetic and triumphant 25th studio album from British hard rock legends and progenators Uriah Heep, bristles with explosive classic rock guitars, supreme harmonies, and Heep’s famously generous keyboard foundation. 

Led by founding member Mick Box, it is no surprise that themes of light, love and, ultimately, positivity are constant through the eleven tracks. Opener “Save Me Tonight” shows the band’s weighty yet blistering chops, whilst “One Nation, One Sun” is a journey of soaring balladic contemplation. “Fly Like An Eagle” emanates magic and mystery in a way that the late, great Ronnie James Dio would have heartily approved, and “Closer To Your Dreams” is a battle cry for all rockers to get out there and do it, with Shaw imploring that “So many have tried but slipped away/Now it’s time for you to have your say.” Throughout the album, Bernie Shaw’s timeless vocals are expertly supported by keyboardist Phil Lanzon, bassist Dave Rimmer and Box, with Russell Gilbrook on drums rounding out exceptional performances throughout. Produced at Chapel Studios by Jay Ruston, and engineered by Pieter Rietkirk, Chaos & Colour is a superb album of quality hard rock from the pioneers of the genre who continue to create top class material. Old fans will be reinvigorated whilst new fans will surely find Chaos & Colour an exceptional discovery.

- Bernie Shaw / lead vocals

- Mick Box / lead guitar, vocals

- Phil Lanzon / keyboards, vocals

- Dave Rimmer / bass, vocals

- Russel Gilbrook / drums, percussion

 

The Allman Brothers Band - Midnight Callin - The Broadcast Travelog Volume Two (4 CD, 2021/FLAC)

Five hours of rare/unreleased performances from across their history. Sourced and remastered from the original broadcasts. 

 

 

John Mellencamp - On the Rural Route 7609 (4 CD, 2010/FLAC)

 

On the Rural Route 7609 is a box set by rock singer/songwriter John Mellencamp that was released on June 15, 2010. The first part of the title refers to the song "Rural Route" (which is included in two versions) from his 2007 album Freedom's Road and the fact that Mellencamp's music and lifestyle have always been very rural in nature, and 7609 references that the set spans Mellencamp's entire recording career from 1976 to 2009. Said Mellencamp in the set's liner notes: "I started making records in '76, and the most recent track on the collection was done in '09. So Rural Route 7609; it's like an address. I thought it sounded cool." 

 

The Beach Boys - The Very Best Of The Beach Boys: Sounds Of Summer (Super Deluxe) [3 CD, 2022/FLAC-HD]

Originally released in 2003 with 30 tracks, UMe has updated the classic Sounds Of Summer compilation by The Beach Boys. The Expanded Edition 3 CD set features 80 key tracks from their storied career (all newly remastered) with 24 new stereo mixes, including two first-time stereo mixes.

 

 

Tom Petty - Transmission Impossible [3 CD, 2015] (FLAC + 320)

 

His first album hit the streets in 1976 and initially its arrival caused few heads to turn. Music fans were confused; were these a bunch of punks or 1960s revivalists with a liking for Gene Clark era Byrds? Fortunately, as is so often the case, the UK seemed to 'get it' pretty soon after the record s release there and it reached #24 on the British chart. News traveled West, and a full year after the home turf release Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers entered the Billboard chart. Shortly thereafter second album You're Gonna Get It! was released, and became a hit right away. The rest, as they say, is history. But it s relatively recent history about which any number of books, films and of course superlative albums are readily available for students of this remarkable performer to delve into.



DISC 1 - The Coliseum, Jacksonville, FL, 24th July 1987
DISC 2 - Dean's Dome, Chapel Hill, NC, 13th September 1989
DISC 3 - RARE TV BROADCASTS 1978 - 1994