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Review: Some of the finest soul albums of all time are not studio sets, but rather live recordings that capture the energy of the greats at the peak of their powers. Aretha Franklin's Oh My Oh My: Aretha Live in Philly 1972 is one such example. Backed by a band of hugely talented musicians, the two-hour concert recording sees the undisputed Queen of Soul deliver spine-tingling recordings of stone-cold classics ('Rocksteady', 'Respect', 'Oh Me Oh My', 'Spanish Harlem' and so on) interspersed with some genuinely brilliant cover versions. The album was first released on CD way back in 2007, but this marks its' belated and much deserved release on vinyl. In a word: essential.

Review: Triple J Live at the Wireless is a recording of The Ramones gig at the Wireless Capitol Theatre, Sydney, Australia, July 8, 1980. It was broadcast on the radio back then and has never officially made it on to vinyl until now. The legendary NYC punk rockers played 23 tunes, many of which are super rare tunes that they never played again on this tour. For this Record Store Day it gets pressed up to 180g vinyl and limited to 13000 copies worldwide. Raw and visceral, it captures the band at their most abrasive best and is a real timewarp back to their (gabba gabba) hey-day.

Review: One of the greatest house albums of all time is 20 this year. To mark the occasion the legendary French producer behind it - Ludovic Navarre aka St Germain - has selected a sympathetic team of expert remixes to add their own spin to the still classic source material. Atjazz is the perfect man to open up thanks to his deep, lounge and of course jazzy house style. Osunlade then brings his shamanistic sounds to 'Sure Thing' and it glows as a result with Ron Trent later tackling the anthemic 'Rose Rouge' and slowing it down to a lush jazz dance. With DJ Deep, Nightmares On Wax and more also featuring, this is a must cop.

Review: Music to tingle the more spine chilling tendrils of your soul, this latest album by one of London's greatest ever bands, deliver a third and final instalment in a trilogy of LPs. It follows Bloodsport and Night Thoughts of 2013 and 2016 respectively, with this effort drawing on new adventures in field recordings, spoken word elements and choir. Romanticism and classical are abound too, like the dire classic that is "The Invisibles", helping bring the album to a reflective end, while others like "Life Is Golden" tenderly sways in waves of emotional support and melancholy. It is an cinematic listen through and through, with the Blair Witch beginnings of "Don't Be Afraid If Nobody Loves You" just the start.

Review: This important album and piece of true electronic music history gets a re-issue; on 180 gram vinyl. What can be said for this album that has not been said already? Well, it is known for the classics "Halcyon (On & On)" and "Lush" and the brothers Paul and Phil Hartnoll are not just UK rave legends but pioneers of electronica that is for sure. Named after Greater London's orbital motorway, the M25, which was ground zero for the rave scene of the late eighties. This album is as seminal as it gets and a true zeitgeist of a moment in electronic music's history. Re-issues don't come much better than this!

Review: Jazz legends Miles Davis and Michel LeGrand composed the soundtrack to Dingo 30 years ago, which is why this anniversary edition is now bing served up by Rhino on heavyweight red vinyl. It is the first repress since original rase in 1991 and Selections from the motion picture include one of Miles Davis' final filmed performances. There was a huge number of personnel involved in the album, with everything from woodwind to French horn, keys, bass and trumpet to sax, drums and percussion all involved in making it a rich tapestry of stylish and evocative jazz.

Review: Echo & The Bunnymen's first ever best-of compilation, first released in 1985, gets a reissue. Accruing all the hits, we begin with the seminal 'Rescue' before careening through 'Never Stop', 'The Killing Moon' and 'Seven Seas', recalling the new wave band's emotive drawl and gushing instrumentals, coinciding with the time in which their contemporaneous album, 'Songs To Learn and Sing', was released.

Review: This retrospective trawl through the career highlights of legendary soul group War was initially intended to drop on Black Friday 2020, but for various reasons has only just found its way into record stores. Pressed to striking gold-coloured vinyl, it contains the band's most celebrated moments - the fiery funk-soul brilliance of 'Me & Baby Brother', the decidedly psychedelic and low-slung 'Low Rider', the Hammond-heavy 'The World is a Ghetto' and reggae-soul hit 'Why Can't We Be Friends' - as well as lesser-celebrated but no less impressive gems such as 'The Cisco Kid', the exotic 'Gypsy Man' and the harmonica-toting brilliance of 'Southern Part of Texas'. In other words, it ticks all the right boxes and contains some genuinely killer cuts.

Review: Rhino have embarked on a grand reissue mission and plan to put out all of the Echo & The Bunnymen's first four albums. Here we have a remastered version of Ocean Rain on 180-gram black vinyl. It was the fourth of the band's albums and was related back in 1984. It reached number four on the UK Albums Chart thanks to singles like 'Silver', 'Seven Seas' and personal favourite 'The Killing Moon.' The album got the band back to the top of their game after the rather less than warm reception to previous album Porcupine the year before thanks to its new found romantic sweetness and the band's bittersweet melodies.

Review: You can't help wondering what Atlantic Records were thinking when they rejected Little Earthquakes. Tori Amos' debut album, which finally saw the light of day in 1992, reaching 14 in the UK long form charts at a time when competition in the Top anything was ridiculously fierce, the record stands up very well on its own, trapped in your own listening capsule. More so, it marked the arrival of a truly unique voice who would go on to inspire a bunch of alt-pop sirens.
Of course, the finished article garnered praise from across the critical board, proving that what label executives don't know is often what the rest of us do - originality has far more longevity than a guaranteed number one. Producing timeless singles like 'Silent All These Years', 'China', 'Winter', and, of course, 'Crucify', it's a joy to hear again.

Review: What is left to be written about the debut Joy Division album that hasn't been written already? Well, not much except to say if you've never heard it, you must. This is the more raw of the two studio albums, powered mainly by the foundations laid down by bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. But although the rudimentary electronic experimentalism of its successor Closer are missing - with the possible exception of 'She's Lost Control' - Martin Hannett's production job creates an uneasy world of magical reverbs and echoes that lure in the listener. From its iconic, Peter Saville sleeve to classic songs like 'Shadowplay' and 'Interzone' - which started life as a cover of Nolan Porter's Northern Soul cult hit 'Keep On Keeping On' - this is the template that effectively launched a thousand bands, from indie and post punk to goth and beyond.

Review: Decades after he died, pioneering rapper Christopher Wallace aka Biggie aka B.I.G remains a hip hop giant, not least for us here at Juno HQ. He had the flow, the character, the lyrics, and showed all of it on his masterclass album The Notorious BIG. It is now getting a well deserved reissue on double vinyl, with all the original tunes included. There are uber-hits like the ubiquitous 'Juicy', tracks that make astute social commentaries about the black experience such as 'Everyday Struggle' and then some darn right killer grooves like 'One More Chance' and 'Big Poppa.' RIP to the greatest to ever do it.

Review: Jamaican reggae and dancehall star Sean Paul did a lot to popularise the genre in the UK and US way before the current wave of artists who dominate. Dusty Rock is his seance album from back in November 2022 and it spawned plenty of chart-climbing singles that helped it, and Paul, go on to become a worldwide phenomenon. Of course, the standout single that still gets plenty of hammer is 'Gimme The Light' while 'Like Glue,' 'I'm Still In Love With You' and 'Get Busy' are all bangers, too, on a record full of big hooks, fresh rhythms and big energy.