Parlophone Vinyl & CDs

Review: For all of the "it's like 1995 all over again" analysis that greeted the surprise return of Britpop stars Blur, it would count for nothing if the music they were making was a hollow pastiche of the past. Fortunately, The Ballad of Darren, the band's first new album since 2015, is a giddy blast from the past - and reportedly one recorded in a much more cooperative and good-humoured atmosphere than expected. Fans will immediately feel at home, with tracks such as 'St Charles Square' and 'The Narcissist' offering that now familiar mix of weary vocals, squally guitars, low-slung bass and shuffling drums. Whether or not it's a "return to form" is debatable, but it's certainly a refreshing blast from the past for those came of age in the 1990s (and those inspired by Britpop's messy, lager-fuelled energy).

Review: It's funny to think about the Blur v Oasis contest that defined British music in the mid-1990s. Then bright young things looking to shake things up after years of electronic rave dominance, the fact so much emphasis was placed on these two bands makes for an incomplete story of those times, while their individual output was not quite polar but certainly harder to compare than headlines suggested. Skip forward a few decades and differences are now pronounced. The Gallagher Brothers have pursued relatively familiar sounds in the 21st Century. Blur, or at least Damon Albarn, created a 3D animated virtual band while overseeing the first few editions of the globally acclaimed Manchester International Festival. Now, 33 years after the debut single, Blur return with studio LP number nine, and it's a stunner. Not so much growing old gracefully as tackling challenges that come with it, it's though proving, poignant and grittily woozy.

Review: Given his never ending influence and enduring legacy it is hard to believe it has now been 50 years since David Bowie put out his celebrated Hunky Dory album. The occasion is marked with this special edition on a limited picture disc with new insert and a poster. Frankly, the music still speaks for itself and doesn't need fluffing up, as it remains one of Bowie's most admired works. The first single on the album, 'Changes', had very little success upon the time of release but eventually grew into one of his most iconic singles. Other big moments like 'Life On Mars?' still sound great, too. This one lands a day before what would have been Bowie's 75th birthday, and is a fitting tribute.

Review: While not one of David Bowie's best-known achievements, masterminding the world's biggest-ever 'non-TV' satellite broadcast is undoubtedly an impressive one. It took place at London's Riverside Studios in 2003, with the Thin White Duke - accompanied by his regular backing band - performing then new album Reality in its entirety, live to 86 cinemas in 26 countries. This Record Store Day release presents the concert in its entirety (the encore was not broadcast at the time), delivering a superb document of a unique event. Of course, Bowie was in fine form, with the immersive sound mix by regular collaborator Tony Visconti capturing the legendary artist at the peak of his powers.

Review: It almost (almost) feels pointless to pitch why you should buy Moonage Daydream. After all, David Bowie was one of the 20th Century's best selling and most influential artists. And that legacy continued through the early-21st, when he represented an increasingly rare breed of visionary artist capable of building entire worlds. He straddled mainstream popularity and experimentalism with ease. So, you're probably going to pick up a copy of this on sight and spec alone.
Nevertheless, some context may help. 'Moonage Daydream' is, of course, the title of one of Bowie's most enigmatic and defining tracks, which would go on to form the basis for the concept album The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. Now it's also the name of a new documentary about the life and times, and incredible work, of the man in question. In terms of soundtrack, that translates as two discs of rare and iconic material, from 'The Jean Genie/Love Me Do/The Jean Genie' medley (recorded at the final date of the Ziggy tour in 1973), to alternative mixes of tracks like 'Modern Love'.

Review: This special reissue of David Bowie's Young Americans album drops on the exact day of its Golden Jubilee. It was the late, great creative maverick's nine studio album and as always found him broadening his musical horizons. He embraced what he described "plastic soul" and it worked as this album gave him his first ever number one in the US with 'Fame' which was co-written with John Lennon and Carlos Alomar, who at the time played guitar with Bowie. It has been remastered for this reissue and cut at half speed so you can really luxuriate in the details.

Review: The late, great David Bowie's reputation only seems to grow and his legacy improve as the year following his death pass by. Buddha of Suburbia was his 19th album all the way back in 1993. It's one of his more rough around the edges affairs and was a soundtrack for Hanif Kureishi's exemplary dramatisation of his book. It finds Bowie exploring all sorts of sounds that go right back to his roots in partnership with Erdal Kizilcay with David Richards. 'South Horizon' is a dinner jazz cut, 'Strangers When We Meet' is classic Bowie pop and these are just two of the highlights.

Review: Soulful pop trio Gabriels hail from LA and the UK and make gospel-tinged electronic music that takes you to a higher plane. After some epic singles and a recent standout performance at Glastonbury which got everyone talking - not least because of the magnificent outfits of the lead singer - they have finally put together a debut album. The first part was widely acclaimed and this seance part is no different. The music has been produced by Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar collaborator Sounwave and as well as lead single 'Angels & Queens' this is a treasure trove of warm, soul fuelled sounds that draw on the sounds of legends like Prince and Luther Vandross to cook up a throng record that will blow you off your feet.

Review: Record Store Day 2020 had no real beginning and no real end, as exemplified by the fact that only now is this special release finally landing on our shelves. D-Sides is a 2007 compilation album by everyone favourite virtual band Gorillaz. The record is jam packed with B-sides and remixes of singles and bonus tracks that were all taken from their second studio album Demon Days. The same recording sessions also gave rise to many other tracks that never made it out so plenty of those previously unreleased gems also make the cut here.

Review: Who would have thought that'll these years later the cartoon band that is Gorillaz would still be going, still be popular, and still turning out great music? Well, they are. They have kept details of this new album under tight guard for a while but what we do know about Cracker Island is that it features a truly all-star lineup of heavyweight guests such as Thundercat, Stevie Nicks, Tame Impala, Bootie Brown, Adeleye Omotayo, Bad Bunny, and Beck. As always the sound is alternative indie and electronic with a playful sense of character.

Review: Are Iron Maiden the finest stadium heavy metal band the UK, or any other country, has ever produced? Maybe, but let's not get into subjective comparisons. The fundamental truth of the matter is the English titans of frantic riffs really did crack the formula and set a benchmark - combining thunderous instrumentation with mesmerising theatrics and wonderfully tongue in cheek branding.

The Number of the Beast was (and still is) the outfit's third full length record, and by this point it's safe to say they had fully entered the stride of their finest era of the last 50 or so years. Boasting at least some of their biggest anthems ('Run to The Hills', 'The Number of the Beast' itself, and 'Iron Maiden', to name but three), it's almost ridiculous to think they managed to pack this LP with 26 consistently powerful and inescapable tracks, all played with the energy of their legendary live shows.

Review: Although Senjutsu is the 17th studio album from Iron Maiden, it's really not everyday you get to pen words about the legendary British heavy metal outfit, so let's make the most of this moment. Starting with one fundamental point - if you weren't into Iron Maiden, or the 16 full length records that have come along since, this one is probably not going to change your mind.

If, however, you love the iconic operatic tones of Bruce Dickinson and the guitar searing riffs this lot are known for, then buckle up for a thrill ride through some classic Maiden business. Highlights including the epic, searing guitar solos of 'Hell On Earth', the slow-but-heavy chorus on 'Darkest Hour', and 'Days of Future Past', which is packed with enough atmosphere to fill any of the stadiums the band still relentlessly play, several times over.

Review: Kraftwerk are as well known for their albums as they are their singles and the iconic 'Autobahn' is of course the name of both. It is a rather groundbreaking electronic gem originally released in 1974 and soon revolutionised music with its hypnotic synth melodies, driving rhythms and pioneering use of vocoders. The track - celebrating its 50th anniversary and here on 7" - alongside an album picture disc and new Dolby Atmos mix on CD, which seal the birthday celebrations - captured the essence of modern travel by blending motorik beats with atmospheric soundscapes to create a real electronic journey and sense of movement. It still sounds as futuristic now as ever, a record that truly changed the course of modern music forever.

Review: Everyone's favourite robotic pioneers have embraced the art of the remix plenty over their lengthy career. As well as taking fresh approaches to their own material, they've invited others to mess with the legacy of one of the most important electronic acts of all time. It's no mean feat to remix a Kraftwerk track, but as such the roll call on this compilation is reliably heavyweight. As well as their own 'Kling Klang' remixes of tracks like 'Robotnik' and 'Expo 2000', you can find legends like DJ Rolando, Orbital, Francois K and Hot Chip tackling classic and some lesser known tracks across three slabs of wax.

Review: When rapper and multi-instrumentalist Mac Miller died of an accidental overdose in 2018, he left behind an unfinished two-part album project: "Swimming" (released last year) and "Circles", which has now landed on wax after getting a digital release earlier in 2020. It's a musically diverse and mostly introspective affair, with Miller shuffling between styles wearily and switching roles (singer-songwriter, rapper, multi-instrumentalist, beat-maker) seemingly at will. While such role hopping could have resulted in a sonic mess, the set sounds surprisingly coherent, not least because the thread running through it all is Miller's painful soul searching and well documented mental health issues. As a posthumous full stop to a life ended all too soon, "Circles" certainly hits home hard.

Review: Shinedown make just the kind of heavy electronic rock that could put Bring Me The Horizon to shame. Boundless and headbanging in scope, their new album 'Planet Zero' explores an American pre-apocalypse - "there might be no tomorrow" - inspired by the band's exasperation with the American political climate emergent over the course of the past few years and into the present. With the US referred to by the band as "planet zero", here's an emotive rock album that makes bittersweet do with the face of things.

Review: The always innovative Emma-Jean Thackray's second album continues her tradition of exploring the edges of standard genres with a bold exploration of grief, selfhood and resilience. Created entirely by Thackray in her South London flat, it meshes jazz, pop, soul, p-funk and grunge into a personal journey in which tracks like 'Wanna Die' contrast frenetic beats with raw emotion while tackling mental health with humour and vulnerability. Featuring collaborations with Reggie Watts and Kassa Overall, the album honours individuality and neurodivergence while processing profound loss and results in Thackray's most intimate and daring work to date-an honest, chaotic, and cathartic celebration of surviving and thriving through pain.

Review: Bush Doctor is a groundbreaking studio album by reggae legend Peter Tosh that was released in 1978. Featuring a fusion of reggae rhythms and socially conscious lyrics, the album stands as a powerful statement on global issues that are as relevant today as they were back then. From human rights to the legalisation of marijuana those issues come thick and fast on tunes like 'I'm The Toughest', 'Nosos - The Prophet' and 'Dem Ha Fe Get A Beatin'. Produced with a polished sound, it brought reggae to a wider audience and solidified Tosh's legacy as one of the genre's most influential voices. A true classic.

Review: Jamaican reggae don Winston Hubert 'Peter Tosh' McIntosh was a core member of the Wailers alongside Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer, but he also had a successful solo career. This Greatest Hits compilation spans his entire Parlophone catalogue with iconic tracks from albums like Johnny B. Goode, Wanted Dread and Alive and Bush Doctor. Originally released in 1987 exclusively in Brazil, this reissue marks its global availability for the first time and it comes on striking red, green, and yellow tri-colour vinyl that helps showcase his powerful blend of reggae, rock and political activism. Tosh's revolutionary spirit and musical mastery were second to none, as this collection proves.