Grapefruit Vinyl & CDs

Review: Frequently compared to Black Sabbath thanks to their love of satanic and occult imagery and heavy, proto-metal sound, Black Widow were a band that burned brightly, briefly. This excellent six-disc set tells the story of the Leicester outfit's career from start to finish. It begins with two discs dedicated to their origins: the band's sole LP as Pesky Gee, 1969's psychedelic rock and blues-rock influenced 'Exclamation Mark', and a CD showcasing the group's earliest Black Widow demos. The rest of the collection showcases the evolution of their sound between 1970 and 73 via lightly expanded versions of the albums Sacrifice (1970), Black Widow (1970), Black Widow III (1972) and Black Widow IV (1973). The definitive anthology of one of British rock's genuine cult bands.

Review: Grapefruit is set to release "Rain: Tomorrow Never Comes: The NYC Sessions 1967-1968," a lost Psychedelic Pop gem from the Anglo-American trio formed post-Lomax Alliance. Featuring a Beatles-meets-West-Coast sound, this album was recorded with the help of Young Rascals engineer Chris Huston but never secured a recording contract. Despite performing at iconic venues like the Whisky a Go-Go and the Fillmore, the band disbanded after a brief stint as The Gypsy Wizards Band. This first-ever issue includes original tracks and six previously unreleased songs. With vintage handbills, posters, and photos by Linda Eastman, this release is a great discovery for fans of melodic West Coast Psychedelic Pop.