The Kinks. The Journey – Part 3. Before the Gallaghers’ soap opera, Ray and Dave Davies set the benchmark for rock’n’roll sibling warfare. The working-class outsiders were half of one of the greatest bands of their glorious era. Between 64 and 67, the Kinks’ string of superb Ray-Davies-penned hits included You Really Got Me, Sunny Afternoon and Waterloo Sunset. Their second golden era, in the early 70s, produced Lola and Apeman. This third instalment of their career-defining trilogy covers their RCA/Arista period between 1977 to 1984 when the band finally broke big in the US with their platinum-selling 1979 album, Low Budget. Chippy genius Ray moved away from concept albums to refocus on songs – penning 1982’s Come Dancing, a US Top Ten, and his 1978 masterpiece, A Rock’n’Roll Fantasy. Compiled by the band, disc 1 has 11 remastered songs and disc 2 has their never-released 1993 Royal Albert Hall show packed with spirited renditions of classics like Till The End of the Day, Where Have All The Good Times Gone, and Days. It’s a fine testimony to the multiple strengths of a genuinely iconic band whose influence on punk, Britpop and hard rock can’t be overstated. In the late 70s, Van Halen covered You Really Got Me, the Pretenders debuted with Stop Your Sobbing and The Jam re-energised David Watts…
Jethro Tull. Still Living In The Past. Never knowingly unambitious, Tull’s 1972 compilation double album was awash with quirky gems including early hits like the beguiling title track (played in 5/4 time) and the haunting folk-rock of The Witch’s Promise – both Top 5 hits. Remastered by Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson, it ranges from the driving Locomotive Breath to Bach’s Bourrée (spelt Bourée on the sleeve). This feast of flute licks, smart lyrics and inventive chord changes includes a 1970 live show from New York’s Carnegie Hall.
Gina Birch. Trouble. Her post-punk 70s band the Raincoats influenced Kurt Cobain and are best known for their off-kilter cover of the Kinks’ Lola. Gina, 70, still ploughs her own furrow. Feminist anthem Causing Trouble Again smooths her ragged energy into an insidiously seductive calling card. Dreamily unsettling opener, I Thought I’d Live Forever, sets the scene for the enjoyable madness to come.
Steve Hackett. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway live at the Royal Albert Hall. The ex-Genesis guitar maestro marks the 50th anniversary of the band’s 1974 prog rock double album with a mammoth 4xLP box-set, mixing Lamb tracks like Lilywhite Lilith and Fly On A Windshield with recent solo numbers from his The Circus & The Nightwhal album. Guests include Ray Wilson and Marillion’s Steve Rothery. The vinyl comes with a 12-page photo booklet.
Punchdrunk Saints. Punchdrunk Saints. An explosive debut from the East London combo who marry awesome hard rock riffs with street-punk energy to deliver hi-octane rock’n’roll. As well as hard-hitters like punchy opener Holy Mother and the euphoric anthem I Wanna Know What It’s Like, the ten tracks include a Creedence cover (Fortunate Son) and two ballads. Ex-Cockney Rejects guitarist Mick Geggus and bassist Vinny Riordan are joined by powerful vocalist Marc Salman and drummer Kevin Poree. Meaty hooks abound.
Etham. Everything & Nothing. Reading’s own Etham lends his delicately blissful vocals to songs about love and loss on this six-track mini-album. He tackles break-up on the poignant Can’t Move On, sparkles on the dreamily upbeat Feel Like This and touches a heart-breaking nerve on piano ballad Just Anyone. While the world tears itself apart, Etham proves pop still has room for the personal.