Rhino US Vinyl & CDs

Review: This compilation brings together ten standout tracks from Jefferson Airplane's influential descendants, Starship and its predecessor. Opening with the smooth, soulful 'Miracles,' the collection spans the evolution from Airplane's psychedelic roots to Starship's polished rock anthems. Side-1 features the dreamy 'With Your Love,' the uplifting 'Count on Me,' and the classic 'Runaway,' offering a diverse glimpse into the bands' extensive catalog. The side concludes with the quintessential hit 'Jane'. Side-2 is dominated by Starship's most iconic tracks, including the anthemic 'We Built This City' and the rousing 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now,' both embodying the band's 80s rock ethos. The side also includes 'Find Your Way Back' and 'Sara', each track highlighting the band's ability to craft enduring pop-rock hits. The final track, 'It's Not Enough', wraps up the compilation with a dynamic flourish. The enduring legacy of Jefferson Airplane's and Starship can not be denied.

Review: Rhino introduce Al Stewart's Now Playing on brand new sea blue vinyl. Featuring standout Stewart classics like 'Year of the Cat' and 'Time Passages' - known for their intricate storytelling and folk-rock fusion - this benighted new playlist, a greatest hits compilation, offers an arresting journey through Stewart's narrative world and melodic sensibility. An instrumental part of the English folk rock revival of the 1960s, Stewart's (not) one-hit harker-backer 'The Year Of The Cat' will be the one that most listeners recognise here, regaling the tale of an unnamed protagonist chancing upon a gauzy romantic adventure after visiting an exotic bazaar.

Review: Say what you will about the idea of a Best Of, sometimes it really does pay to have a good proportion of 'the hits' in one place. Now Playing might be based around a relatively obvious playlist if you've been a fan of the band longer than a couple of minutes, centring as it does on the group's late era classics, but when the late career classics are this good who the hell cares? Well, maybe Loaded and The Velvet Underground & Nico, original LPs that contribute the vast majority of what's here. Anthems like 'Sweet Jane', 'Who Loves the Sun', 'I'm Waiting For the Man', 'Femme Fatale' and 'I'll be Your Mirror' dominate here, and those presented as live recordings are particularly unmissable. Once again, then, here's proof of why Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, Angus MacLise, Moe Tucker and Nico remain among the most influential troupes of all time.