Raw Sex, Pure Energy was a one-off project by bassist George Oban (On-U Sound, Motion, Aswad), drummer Joe Blocker (Karma), and vocalist Neneh Cherry (stepdaughter of Don Cherry). […]
Island Records
A return to his folk-rock roots after the more experimental and jazzy Solid Air, Sunday’s Child is a collection of song-oriented tracks that concentrate on the joys of […]
Delia Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson, sound engineers at the legendary BBC Radiophonic Workshop, joined bassist David Vorhaus to form the psych-pop outfit White Noise. In 1969, the group […]
Part of the Asian Underground movement, Talvin Singh is best known for his innovative fusion of Indian classical music with drum’n’bass, jungle, and breakbeat. Singh first appeared on […]
Inside Out has been described by John Martyn as “everything I ever wanted to do in music… it’s my inside coming out.” More experimental and free-form than his […]
Reportedly shelved for a year by Island Records’ Chris Blackwell because he found the songs too personal and unsettling, Grace & Danger is a heartbreaking portrait of John […]
Produced by Bill Laswell and Sonny Sharrock, Ask the Ages was guitarist Sharrock’s final studio album before his passing in 1994. It’s a wonder of tightly wound power […]
English singer, songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull’s A Childs Adventure is an underrated bargain bin find from Island Records’ legendary Compass Point studio featuring production by the great […]
Classify under bargain bin progressive rock albums that are actually good – Go features the bizarre international “supergroup” of experimental Japanese percussionist Stomu Yamashta, UK blues rock singer […]
A bargain bin classic and underrated favorite, I Scare Myself is essentially a Compass Point All Stars record led by songwriter Barry Reynolds. The album features all members […]
A glam rock classic, Sparks’ third album Kimono My House broke the band through to the mainstream, peaking at No. 4 in the UK. The two Japanese women […]
It’s hard to pick a favorite between Fripp & Eno’s pair of mid-70’s proto-ambient albums on Island Records. Both prominently showcase the duo’s early experiments in their trademark […]
Starting in the 1970s, Jamaican poet Johnson became a well known chronicler of Black culture in and around Bristol, England. Relocating from the former British colony of Jamaica […]
Recorded at the legendary Compass Point Studios and engineered by Channel One’s Soljie and Maxie, The Dub Factor is a dub classic featuring reworkings of Black Uhuru’s 1982 […]
A story gone wrong… Mythical funk goddess Betty Davis’ Nasty Gal was meant to catapult her into superstardom. Instead, it practically ended her career. Davis had just signed […]
One of the most iconic reggae albums of all time, The Harder They Come is a rocksteady soundtrack classic featuring tracks from the film’s star Jimmy Cliff alongside […]
The Slits were favorites in London’s punk scene for years before they recorded their first album. When they did finally step into the studio in 1979 for Cut, […]
Japanese traditional music meets jazz, prog, and psych rock on this masterpiece by Osamu Kitajima on Island Records sub-label Antilles. Released during a time when a majority of […]
Lee “Scratch” Perry earned his almost mythical status as a producer by shaping the genesis of some of the most important modern musical movements, from reggae to dub […]
French keyboard player Wally Badarou had only been in London for a year when he was asked to come to Island Records’ recording studio in the Bahamas to […]
Featuring an unexpected lineup of musicians from seemingly distant scenes, Snake Charmer is the super session Mini-LP by Public Image Ltd bassist Jah Wobble, U2’s the Edge, and […]
Another Green World is Brian Eno’s transitional record from glam rock to the ambient minimalism that he would later be more recognized for, and essential listening for any […]
Cited as being an entry point to genres such as trip hop and ambient, Solid Air is undoubtedly John Martyn’s magnum opus. A true balance of dark and […]
