Back catalogue: Progressive Rock

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: A three-disc celebration of Hawkwind's thrilling live energy, capturing their September 2023 performance at London's legendary venue. The set blends tracks from their recent 2023 album, The Future Never Waits, with space rock classics spanning decades, proving the band's timeless appeal. Fans can expect explosive renditions of favorites like 'Levitation', 'Spirit of the Age', 'Master of the Universe' and 'Assault and Battery'. Disc three features exclusive rehearsal recordings of tracks like 'Mask of Morning' and 'Frozen In Time', that is a unique glimpse into the band's creative process. Founding member Dave Brock is joined on stage by longtime members Richard Chadwick, Magnus Martin, Doug MacKinnon and Thighpaulsandra. Arthur Brown's surprise guest appearance adds a cosmic flair, delivering spoken-word poetry between songs. This release is a testament to Hawkwind's enduring ability to push the boundaries of space rock. With There Is No Space For Us, their next studio album, slated for 2025, the band shows no signs of slowing down.

Review: Recorded in 2021, The Road to Tibooburra marks The Winged Heels’ second album: an eclectic, inspired collection of Steve Kilbey’s songs, loosely converging in the middle of outback Australia. Originally conceived as a musical during Kilbey’s journey through the backblocks, four intense days in the studio later conceived an album as the mode of choice, whereafter the band would commit their signature fusion of pop-rock to ancient, medieval, and classical troubadour influences. Kilbey’s 12-string and vocals form the album’s core, with additional bass and electric guitar on select tracks; Gareth anchors much of the bass work, alongside classical and resonator guitar, while Roger provides keyboards and cello.

Review: Blu Ray Audio.

Over the past half century, Tony Levin has been a prolific session player and one of the most active live performers on the planet. He's contributed his talents to over five hundred albums amongst which include 15 with Peter Gabriel and 18 with King Crimson (counting live, studio, and compilations). Alongside contributions to the work of John Lennon, Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, Herbie Mann, Paul Simon and many others. On tour, he's travelled The World many times over with the aforementioned King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, and several of his own bands including Stick Men. This Fall, he'll stage 65 performances in North America as a member of BEAT, celebrating King Crimson's 80's repertoire alongside Adrian Belew, Steve Vai and Danny Carey interpreting Discipline, Beat and Three of a Perfect Pair."

Levin's seventh solo album, and his first since 2007, is an autobiography of sorts, with the themes drawn from Levin's musical life. It features a myriad of collaborators from his half-century-plus on the road and in the studio with Peter Gabriel, King Crimson and many, many others.

"It could have been done a long time ago, frankly," Levin says, of Bringing It Down to the Bass, "but it's because of a problem I have, which is a very good problem to have. And that's that I have a lot of touring and that's what I love to do, playing live. It just didn't give me much time at home to work on finishing the album that I've been working on for five or six years."

"I had pieces very much in the prog-rock vein and I had pieces that were based on the bass," Levin says, "and somewhere around the middle of the record I made the difficult decision to toss the prog stuff - well, not toss it exactly, save it for another album - and the more I focused, I chose the kind of pieces that had to me a sense of unity to it in that it's about the bass. Not songs with singing about the bass, but each song is either based on a bass riff or a bass technique that I then invited some great rhythm sections to play on.

Region code: 0 (universal)

Review: In the post-Syd Barrett years, Pink Floyd spread their sound in a number of directions before settling on the pomp and splendour of Dark Side Of The Moon et al. Atom Heart Mother - their fifth record - finds them tinkering with sonic collage and suite-based songwriting executed with the cinematic scope and inescapable Britishness their music has always possessed. It's an album beloved by the Floyd faithful, and now it's being released as a Special Edition with the original album remastered and a Blu-Ray disc featuring the title track performed live at Hakone Aphrodite in 1971 and additional behind the scenes documentary footage. Throw in a 60-page booklet for good measure and you've got yourself a must-grab piece of Floyd archival material.

Review: Earlier this year, Bear Family set out to chronicle the formative years of Germany's heavy rock sound, offering up a killer compilation showcasing tracks released between 1970 and '76. This sequel focuses on the next chapter, as German heavy rock turned to heavy metal under the influence of global powerhouses such as AC/DC and Judas Priest. It's educational and entertaining in equal measure, with the two discs showcasing such delights as the bluesy fuzz of Bullfrog's 'Live', the heavy rhythm and blues of Prinzip, the elongated Black Sabbath riffs of Epitaph's 'On The Road', the organ-powered eccentricity of Requiem's 'Steven', the early metal headiness of Breslau ('Spinn') and the all-action excellence of 'Time Machine' by Beast.

Review: The Frank Zappa Live Broadcast Collection is an in-depth look for fans into the brilliant live talents of the legendary performer, offering a 6xCD box set packed with rare radio broadcasts from the 70s and 80s. Featuring many iconic tracks, some available on disc for the first time, this collection captures Zappa's legendary live performances with unmatched energy. The limited edition set serves as a time capsule, showing Zappa's unique blend of wit, musical talent and boundary-pushing creativity. A true treasure for collectors, it's a rare opportunity to experience the magic of Zappa's live shows and celebrate his lasting influence on music history.