BMG Vinyl & CDs

Review: Originally released in 2005, and considered to be the second solo full-length from nine-fingered metal guitar pioneer Tony Iommi, Fused celebrates its 20th anniversary just a tad early with these revitalised remasters pressed to wax for the first time ever. Written in collaboration with vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes (former Black Sabbath frontman during the mid-80s who would assume vocal duties on 1986's Seventh Star; released under the band moniker but long perceived as Iommi's first solitary creative endeavour), and legendary session drummer Kenny Aronoff (The Smashing Pumpkins, Bob Seger, Willie Nelson, John Fogerty, Bon Jovi etc), this limited translucent cobalt blue vinyl 2xLP pressing comes complete with three sporadically dispersed bonus cuts finally locked down onto own complete home.

Review: In October 2024 Lady Blackbird, producer and guitarist Chris Seefried, Foundation Music label head and A&R Ross Allen and Blackbird's travelling band of Kenneth Crouch (keys), Tamar Barzilay (drums) and Johnny Flaughers (bass) took a break from extensively touring her prior album, Black Acid Soul, to lay down several tracks in Los Angeles. Decamping for a week-long recording session in the legendary recording studio complex East West, the fable goes that an uninterrupted spate of session magic ensued, out from which five acid jazz and soul bursters sprang forth. A curt selection of just five tracks, of which there were many more recorded during the LA session, the likes of 'Purify', 'It Must Be Love' and 'When The Game Is Played On You' span the whole gamut of modern soul, from the bright to the bare-bones but beguiling.

Review: Madness are releasing a deluxe edition of their 13th studio album, Theatre of the Absurd presents C'est La Vie, which debuted as their first UK number one last year. This special reissue features five new tracks from the original sessions and seven unreleased live recordings from their recent tour. It also has a 12", one-sided Zoetrope vinyl record, two CDs and a flexi-disc, packaged in large format bookset. Interestingly, the Zoetrope vinyl doesn't feature the album, it hosts the five new tracks that offer fans something to get even more excited about.

Review: In 1984, Gary Numan launched Numa Records and started a new phase in his career with the release of Berserker. This album introduced a harder-edged digital sound into his canon while maintaining the analogue textures of his earlier work. It's a testament to the fact that Numan's creative evolution never stopped and blends both personal and fictional narratives into haunting tracks like 'My Dying Machine,' 'This Is New Love' and 'Berserker.' The remastered double vinyl edition includes the original album with bonus tracks that add extra perspective to this pivotal period in his career.

Review: Ras Jammy from Suns of Dub has curated a special release for Trojan Records that celebrates the deep cultural and historical ties between dub music and cannabis, all rooted in Jamaican music and Rastafarianism. This album, which arrives just in time for the stoners' best day of the year, 420, features iconic tracks from pioneering dub dons King Tubby, Scientist, Dennis Bovell and Roots Radics. These are the legends that helped shape the genre and this compilation highlights how they did it and what influence they had on the development of dub music. So, when the day comes, light up a fat one and turn this one up loud.