Media praise has been pouring in for Volume 1 in our ambitious new series chronicling the iconic tracks that have made up New York’s musical melting pot over the last 50 years.  Head over to www.watchtheclosingdoors-ny.com to check out 5 star reviews, features and all round acclaim from MOJO, Record Collector, The Wire, Village Voice, The Quietus and more.  Marty Rev from Suicide also gives the seal of approval in a personal e-mail saying “No doubt this is a major work of total uniqueness and scholarship. I'm sure it's the first and definitely only of such depth and breath of knowledge”

Kris Needs’ obsession with the Big Apple comes to life in a six volume, double CD series. This ambitious project is released throughout 2011 and it is aiming to capture the fast-vanishing magic of New York City while documenting major musical landmarks and developments, from post-war New York of the mid 1940s through to 2000s. The series has already had the rubber stamp of approval from the New York arty elite and Marty Rev from Suicide (who helped Kris curate Volume 1) says “this is a major work of total uniqueness and scholarship”. With further support out now in the hallowed pages of Wire, Clash & Dazed & Confused, we know this will be a journey you will want to be part of.

We have created our own web page to for it so head over to www.watchtheclosingdoors-ny.com to find out more.

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Mike Maguire’s spectacular series chronicling the seismic developments in electronic based music reaches 1984 on its fourth volume, another stellar collection packed with musical milestones.

It’s often widely assumed that 1984 was something of a calm-before-the-storm doldrums period in music as acid house loomed on the horizon. Synthesised music was indeed progressing wildly, hurried along by developments such as hiphop now trading session bands for drum machines and proto-samplers. Upgrading electronic tools were affording pioneers and industrial movement new methods to venture into back alleys and darker corners, where sex, anger or psychotic imbalance funnelled through the wide open circuits.

Out of the sheer volume of material, Mike has deftly woven an exotic snapshot blend of 1984’s titanic deluge, focusing predominantly on the maverick darker side with trailblazing outings such as the Flowerpot Men’s coruscating ‘Jo’s So Mean To Josephine’, Cabaret Voltaire ’s future-disco masterwork ‘Sensoria’, Factory band Section 25’s enigmatic classic ‘Looking From A Hilltop’, Youth and Ben Watkins cinematic Empty Quarter project and former Yello synth wizard Carlos Peron with one of his early solo outings.

1984 was also a revolutionary year for the US dance music underground, represented here by Strafe’s epochal party-starting percolator ‘Set It Off’ and Jesse Saunders’ ‘On And On’, often credited with being the first manifestation of Chicago’s upcoming house music explosion. Front 242 launched their Electronic Body Music movement with tracks such as the epic ‘Commando Mix’ from their No Comment album. The set also features harsh, sonically-innovative missives from Australia’s Severed Heads and Canada’s Skinny Puppy.

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Following on from the critically acclaimed ‘Dirty Water’, Kris Needs brings us a brand new riotous selection of the music that shaped punk attitude. The 2CD comes with a 76 page perfect bound Book compiled and written by Needs, former editor of celebrated punk fanzine ZigZag and writer of books on Primal Scream, The Clash, Keith Richards & New York Dolls. The release ranges from ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll to ‘70s roots reggae, via doo wop, garage rock, funk, and the sounds of the late ‘60s/early ‘70s counterculture. Features commercially successful acts like David Bowie, Blondie and Mott The Hoople rub shoulders with misfits, one-offs and visionaries like Captain Beefheart, John Fahey and Faust.

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The 1961 British Hit Parade Parts 1 and 2 collectively present every recording to debut on the UK hit singles chart during 1961, drawing on the Record Retailer Top 50, as well as the New Musical Express, Melody Maker and Record Mirror charts. In the extensive booklet notes, record producer and music historian Stuart Colman guides us through the year’s hits and headlines.The early months of 1961 saw The Avengers debut on TV, the UK opening of Frank Sinatra’s new project, Reprise Records, and The Beatles’ first-ever gig at the Cavern Club. In April, ITV unveiled Thank Your Lucky Stars, hosted by Pete Murray, and in May Spurs beat Leicester City to win the double. June brought the weddings of both Shirley Bassey and Petula Clark, as well as the defection to the West of Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev.Chart-toppers in the first half of 1961 included Are You Lonesome Tonight? (Elvis Presley), Sailor (Petula Clark), Walk Right Back (The Everly Brothers), Blue Moon (The Marcels), On The Rebound (Floyd Cramer), Runaway (Del Shannon), Well I Ask You (Eden Kane) and You Don’t Know (Helen Shapiro). Among the many other hits which are now regarded as golden oldies were You’re Sixteen (Johnny Burnette), Calendar Girl (Neil Sedaka), My Kind of Girl (Matt Monro), Will You Love Me Tomorrow (The Shirelles), Rubber Ball (Bobby Vee), Runnin’ Scared (Roy Orbison), Hello Mary Lou (Ricky Nelson) and Stand By Me (Ben E King).The year also saw a proliferation of instrumental hits, with newcomers Nero & The Gladiators, Rhet Stoller, The Ramrods, The String-A-Longs and The Packabeats joining seasoned acts like Duane Eddy, Bert Weedon, The Shadows, The Ventures and The Piltdown Men in the charts. There was comedy aplenty, including Peter Sellers & Sophia Loren, Benny Hill, Anthony Newley and Tommy Cooper, while The Temperance Seven specialised in smile-inducing pastiches of the popular sounds of the Twenties.

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About The Compilation:The 1961 British Hit Parade Parts 1 and 2 collectively present every recording to debut on the UK hit singles chart during 1961, drawing on the Record Retailer Top 50, as well as the New Musical Express, Melody Maker and Record Mirror charts. In the extensive booklet notes, record producer and music historian Stuart Colman guides us through the year’s hits and headlines.The summer of ’61 saw the birth of Diana Spencer, the future Princess of Wales, and East Germany closing the border between East and West Berlin. Autumn saw the first new episode of Tom and Jerry since 1957, and the Twist dance craze go global. In December, Cliff Richard’s third film The Young Ones premiered in London.Back in July the first edition of regional music paper Mersey Beat had sold all of its 5,000 copies within a week: the shape of sounds to come…Chart-toppers in the second half of 1961 included Johnny Remember Me (John Leyton), Kon-Tiki (The Shadows), Walkin’ Back To Happiness (Helen Shapiro), Moon River (Danny Williams) and His Latest Flame (Elvis Presley)…and has there ever been a finer flipside than Little Sister? Among the many other hits which are now regarded as golden oldies were Cupid (Sam Cooke), Let’s Twist Again (Chubby Checker), Sea of Heartbreak (Don Gibson), Take Good Care of My Baby (Bobby Vee), Hit the Road Jack (Ray Charles), I’ll Get By (As Long As I Have You) (Shirley Bassey), Multiplication (Bobby Darin) and The Tokens’ The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh).The trad jazz boom continued with hits for the bands of Acker Bilk, Bob Wallis, Kenny Ball and Terry Lightfoot. In December Bilk’s Stranger On The Shore commenced an extraordinary 55-week stay in the charts. There were no less than five different hit renditions of Sucu Sucu. Gene Vincent had his final UK hit, while artists making their chart debut included Jan & Dean, Dusty Springfield (in The Springfields) and Alvin Stardust (Shane Fenton & The Fentones).

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Founded in 1952, the Flamingo in Wardour Street played host to both the cream of visiting US jazz musicians and also the emerging British talent. It is the latter on which the Ember Jazz Originals series focuses primarily. During the Fifties, Flamingo founder Jeffrey Kruger built up his interests in music publishing and also facilitated recordings of some of his favourite artists, initially placing them with established outlets. Then in 1960, the first British jazz releases appeared on his own Ember label, both reissues of material previously placed elsewhere, and releases of entirely new repertoire.Baritone saxophonist Ronnie Ross is well known to fans of pop and rock music for his session work with the likes of Donovan in the Sixties, and for tutoring the young David Bowie, who subsequently invited him to solo on Lou Reed’s ‘Walk On The Wild Side’. In the Fifties, Ross played in the bands of Tony Kinsey, Ted Heath and Don Rendell, before performing and recording in his own right, and in collaboration with drummer Allan Ganley as the Jazz Makers. The Ronnie Ross Quintet album was recorded in May 1958 and first released on Parlophone. In 1961 it was reissued on Ember. As well as Ross, the Quintet comprises Bert Courtley (trumpet), Eddie Harvey (piano), Peter Blannin (bass) and Andy White (drums). The ten tracks include band originals, the standard ‘Smoke Gets In Your Eyes’, and compositions by Tubby Hayes, Don Rendell and Harry South.This reissue, mastered from tape, is housed in the original Ember sleeve, and the booklet reproduces the original sleeve notes, plus the sleeve to the earlier Parlophone release.

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Founded in 1952, the Flamingo in Wardour Street played host to both the cream of visiting US jazz musicians and also the emerging British talent. It is the latter on which the Ember Jazz Originals series focuses primarily. During the Fifties, Flamingo founder Jeffrey Kruger built up his interests in music publishing and also facilitated recordings of some of his favourite artists, initially placing them with established outlets. Then in 1960, the first British jazz releases appeared on his own Ember label, both reissues of material previously placed elsewhere, and releases of entirely new repertoire.Whole Lotta Tony was recorded and released in 1961 on Ember, and credited to Tony Crombie & His Friends. Drummer Crombie’s CV to date had included performing with big bands, some “rock & roll” recordings as Tony Crombie & His Rockets, leading the London Jazz Quartet (which included Tubby Hayes, Alan Branscome and Jack Fallon), and working on soundtracks, including the TV series Man From Interpol. For Whole Lotta Tony, Crombie’s friends are Tommy Whittle (tenor clarinet, bass clarinet), Harold McNair (alto saxophone, flute), Gordon Beck (piano, harpsichord), and bassists Malcolm Cecil and Bobby Wellins.The album is now making its debut on CD, housed in the original Ember sleeve, with a booklet that reproduces the original sleeve notes and labels.

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