The Blasters, “Over There- Live at the Venue, London: The Complete Concert” (Wienerworld)- This splendid live set was captured for posterity at London’s Venue in May,1982, celebrating The Blasters’ first appearance in the U.K. as a concert headliner in all its unadorned glory. Various excerpts from this no holds barred show have appeared on record over the years, but this is the first time that all 23 live tracks have appeared together on CD to remind listeners of the six piece California band’s infectious brand of rock’n’roll revivalism. The inclusion of thirteen hitherto unreleased recordings adds to the appeal of this vibrant musical showcase for brothers Phil and Dave Alvin and their like minded cohorts as they serve up inspired covers of Slim Harpo’s “Got Love If You Want It,” Little Richard’s “Keep A Knockin’” and the Jerry Lee Lewis classic “High School Confidential” for your listening pleasure.
Hawkwind, “Doremi Fasol Latido” (Cherry Red)- The second album from legendary space rockers Hawkwind has now been given the full re-issue treatment by the good people at Cherry Red, with this splendid 2 CD set serving up the complete 1972 long player in a newly remastered form alongside a generous helping of new stereo mixes and bonus tracks culled from singles such as “Urban Guerilla” and the edited version of “Lord of Light” which was released in Germany in June 1973. This uncompromising venture marked the Hawkwind debuts of the newly recruited rhythm section of bassist Lemmy and drummer Simon King and both men played key roles in the creation of what is arguably the band’s finest studio album, with “Space Is Deep” and the eleven minute epic “Brainstorm” emerging as two of the musical highlights.
Various Artists,”Middle Earth” (Cherry Red)- This fascinating compendium of delights explores the work of some of the artists whose creative outpourings would have delighted the denizens of Middle Earth during this legendary London venue’s heyday in the late sixties. The list of participants reads like a virtual who’s who of psychedelic and underground talent during this period, including Soft Machine, Family, Captain Beefheart and The Incredible String Band to name but a few. The real strength of anthologies like this always lies in the newly unearthed obscurities on offer and the compilers at Cherry Red have excelled themselves here by including long forgotten contributions from the likes of The Flies and Paper Blitz Tissue alongside a rare 1967 cover of Lou Reed’s “I’m Waiting For The Man” which was captured for posterity by no less a rock luminary than David Bowie during his short lived stint with The Riot Squad.