Sunset Blvd Vinyl & CDs

Review: Butthole Surfers’ live shows are a wild, chaotic storm, equal parts psycho-sludge and punk mayhem. Jeff Pinkus’ relentless bass and King Coffey’s pounding drums lock in tight with Paul Leary’s guitar, while Gibby Haynes snarls and yelps through demoniac vocal assaults. Hallucino-noise sparks up against unexpected melody momenta, and this would prove a weighty enough hammer to push them well down the popular pipe, far beyond underground cult status. Their live appearance at Feather Fly was best described as a firestorm of nudity and nightmare visuals, and this full-length recapturing reinscribes that raw energy across 21 tracks, from the eerie realtime sludge of ‘Graveyard’ to the Texas punk anthem ‘Gary Floyd’ to the gadding high of ‘Bong Song’ and crowd favourite ‘P.S.Y.

Review: Sister Rosetta Tharpe is a legendary gospel star and fierce flame presence at a time when the world was still very much - even more than it still is today - ruled by men. She always said she wanted to be more than just a star, but someone who was known for making music that moved people and this collection shows she certainly did that. It was recorded while she was on tour across Europe between 1957 and 1970, as a solo act and with her band, and radiates pure joy, spirit and love. It's said she was an inspiration for the likes of Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Johnny Cash, so it's time to get to know.