VIA PRESS RELEASE | Amidst the myriad 50th anniversary reissues that have assailed us over the past few years, it’s often difficult to single out any that cannot be picked up in their original form for just a few bucks in the used records store of your choosing.

Occasionally, however, one comes along that can’t be found in the dollar bin—that will instead set you back at least a couple of hundred bucks on the rare occasions it does show up. Right now, for example, first pressings of Chrome’s 1976 debut album The Visitation are selling for to $500 in mint condition. And while there have been a few reissues since then… no. Releasing on April 17, this is the one you’ve been waiting for. And if you can’t wait until then, there’s a startling new video for the album’s “Return To Zanzibar” to tide you over.

The full story of The Visitation can be read in Chrome historian Neil Martinson’s liner notes. Briefly, however, the band formed in mid-1970s San Francisco around a line-up of founder and mastermind, the late Damon Edge, John Cyborg, Mike Low and Gary Spain—look, ma! No drums!!—an arsenal that boasted electric violin, Moog, guitars, bass and drums and tape machines; and influences that included influences Can, Jimi Hendrix, Captain Beefheart, and The Residents.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | London-based musician and multi-disciplinary artist Natasha Khan—aka Bat for Lashes—releases on CD and vinyl format a remastered version of her acclaimed 2006 debut album Fur and Gold via BMG. The original, remastered album is accompanied by a slew of unearthed demos from around 2005-6, as well as BBC Live Lounge and Rob Da Bank session performances.

This 20th anniversary reissue edition was remastered by award winning engineer Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road Studios and has been released on 180g heavyweight audiophile black vinyl as well as an expanded double CD pack containing previously unseen photography, both available to order now. Additionally, the brand new collection of previously unreleased demos and live recordings of songs from Fur and Gold will be released as a limited run LP on April 18, 2026—Record Store Day, as A Fleet of Bats: Early Demos.

“My debut record Fur and Gold is almost twenty years old, and still holds such a special place in my heart” reflects Natasha; “Listening back through the whole album recently, side by side with my collaborator and producer David Kosten, brought a proud tear to my eye… no compromise, tons of space, shit midi sounds, tongue in cheek lyrics, thunder and lightning, girl group BV’s, heartbreak and magic… the record I had been waiting my whole life to make. I think she stands up, I hope more people get to live in this universe with me.”

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It’s hard to believe it’s been 50 years since The Alan Parsons Project debuted in 1976 with their album Tales of Mystery and Imagination. The group was somewhat of an anomaly when they started. They were the brainchild of British songwriter Eric Woolfson and British superstar producer Alan Parsons. Parsons began as an engineer at Abbey Road Studios on recordings by The Beatles and Paul McCartney, among others, and quickly made the leap to uber-producer, working on defining ’70s albums such as Year of the Cat by Al Stewart, and struck gold with the iconic Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd.

Parsons initially enlisted Woolfson to start a production company and serve as his manager, and then the duo was suggested to form a studio group. Few record producers have made the transition from producer to performer or group leader. Still, in the case of The Alan Parsons Project, it worked: 11 successful albums over 15 years saw the group explore ’70s rock, prog, and a unique combination of electronic soft rock/MOR and pop, resulting in hits.

The albums, however, were surprisingly complex, sometimes dense, lyrically thematic and conceptual, reflecting peerless state-of-the-art studio innovation and with a shifting musical cast. They were far ahead of their time in exploring the vast possibilities of electronic music and in tackling the philosophical themes of thinkers/writers such as Issac Asimov.

Tales of Mystery and Imagination is an album that, while primarily based on the stories of Gothic horror writer Edgar Allen Poe, draws on a variety of musical styles. It starts a bit heavy in spots and has moments of ’70s bombast, but it is quite varied. Arthur Brown, from the group The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, takes a star turn on “Tell Tale Hearts.” Terry Sylvester, who replaced Graham Nash in the Hollies, guests on vocals on “The Cask of Amontillado” and “To One in Paradise.” The musical foundation of the album is unique, as it features all members of the bands Pilot and Ambrosia, along with Francis Monkman of Curved Air.

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Actress, musician, and storyteller Gina Gershon joins us to talk music, Hollywood, and her brand new memoir.

Known for her iconic roles in Bound, Showgirls, Face/Off, and The Insider, as well as her Broadway turn as Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Gershon has carved out one of the most distinctive careers in the business. Music has always been a big part of her world too—she’s recorded albums, toured across America, and performed at Carnegie Hall three times alongside Sting, Laurie Anderson, Joan Baez, and Gogol Bordello.

Her new memoir, AlphaPussy: How I Survived the Valley and Learned to Love My Boobs, drops March 3, 2026. It’s a collection of true stories covering her journey from the San Fernando Valley to Hollywood and New York City, with candid encounters involving Prince, Bob Dylan, Bob Fosse, Sharon Stone, and many others.

Radar features discussions with artists and industry leaders who are creators and devotees of music and is produced by Dylan Hundley and The Vinyl District. Dylan Hundley is an artist and performer, and the co-creator and lead singer of Lulu Lewis and all things at Darling Black. She co-curates and hosts Salon Lulu which is a New York based multidisciplinary performance series. She is also a cast member of the iconic New York film Metropolitan.

The Setting is the trio of Eivind Opsvik on bass, Elias Stemeseder on piano and synthesizers, and Will Graefe on acoustic guitars. Opsvik provides the compositions on their eponymous debut album, which is available on vinyl February 20 through the Loyal Label. The cited influences are synthesizer music from the 1970s and ’80s, ECM guitar records, and art pop with a tendency toward experimentation, but there are also touches of ambient and jazz in a sound that’s unhurried and satisfying.

In addition to the instruments designated above, Elias Stemeseder plays the Wurlitzer electric piano and the lute-harpsichord (aka lautenwerck), while Will Graefe adds electronics and utilizes a Leslie speaker. Eivind Opsvik is credited with operating a drum machine in the overall scheme of an album that’s as welcoming as it is progressive in scope.

Opener “Corner Song” establishes the album’s art-pop bona fides, hitting a sweet spot between Eno (both pre and post-ambient) and certain entries in the early Ralph Records discography (both Residential and non). It’s worthy of note that nothing screamingly weird is happening here; instead, the sound swings toward the calmness displayed by Eno as the 1980s approached.

This is not to say that your square-ass co-worker won’t look askance if they overhear this record playing in your cubicle during lunch break, but that’s ultimately a reflection on them, not The Setting. Nor will it be a reflection on you.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | After the sold-out 2024 Deluxe Edition release of This Strange Engine, Marillion and earMUSIC are delighted to announce the next chapter in the band’s reissue series, celebrating one of their most distinctive and forward-thinking releases.

Originally launched as an independent statement of artistic freedom, Marillion.Com captures the band at a moment of bold reinvention, embracing expansive songwriting, atmospheric depth, and an openness to global musical influences. The album moves effortlessly between cinematic arrangements, emotional storytelling, and moments of intimate reflection, offering a richly textured listening experience that continues to resonate with fans old and new.

To be released as deluxe 3CD+Blu-ray media book and 5LP box-set editions, both sets include a version of the original studio album newly mixed and mastered, a previously unreleased complete recording of the band’s 1999 performance recorded in London at the Shepherds Bush Empire, and also accompanied by illustrated booklets containing rare photos, new artwork, memorabilia, and an essay that’s digging deep into the album’s story.

The bonus Blu-ray, which is included in the media book, contains the album in hi-res and surround sound, demos, and early versions of the album tracks, a Marillion.Com documentary and the “Shot In The Dark (Zodiac)” concert video. In stores June 19.

VIA PRESS RELEASE | By the early 1980s, Steve Marriott’s glory days were far behind him, in commercial terms at least. A decade had passed since his band Humble Pie last graced the Billboard Top 20; by the time the group broke up for the first time, in 1975, they were scarcely bothering the Top 100.

An attempt to reform Humble Pie in 1980 got off to a promising start, but was doomed to failure, the victim both of record company inactivity, and the band’s inability to tour while Marriott underwent hospital treatment first for the fingers he crushed in a Chicago hotel doorway, then for the ulcer he discovered in Dallas. Before that, it was a Small Faces revival which collapsed in disarray. But he remained active and, by early 1982, recovering from his ailments and relocating to Atlanta GA, he was back playing live, leading a new band and, while there was no record label impatiently awaiting the fruits of his labors, all concerned were itching to return to action.He was accompanied now by bassist Jim Leverton, veteran of such ’70s acts as Noel Redding’s Fat Mattress, and drummer Fallon Williams, and he was not offering up a nostalgia show. While the new line-up certainly acknowledged his past, digging back into both the Small Faces’ catalog and Humble Pie’s fresh arrangements were as crucial as new material and unexpected covers.

“I don’t want to get sunk in nostalgia,” Marriott explained. “[But] I don’t think you can escape your history, and I don’t even want to.””

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Celebrating Dennis De Young in advance of his 79th birthday tomorrow. —Ed.

Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “Beware, for if you stare long enough into Styx’s The Grand Illusion, The Grand Illusion will stare back into you.” Nietzsche had good reason to be fearful, for not only did Styx’s masterpiece ultimately drive him mad, it also happens to be the most addictive slice of “soft-core prog” (thank you, Philip) ever created. I myself was certain I hated it, but like Nietzsche I stared too long into it, and sure enough here I am, come not to bury The Grand Illusion but to praise it.

Chicago’s Styx came to be in 1972, but its members were playing together long before that under the name TW4. A lightweight ELP but with catchier melodies, far better guitar hooks, and fewer grandiose musical pretensions—no “symphonies” or 93-part songs ever came from these guys—Styx was gigantic from the late seventies to early eighties, scoring four consecutive multi-platinum albums, a feat never matched by the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band.

Styx was your younger sibling band par excellence. While older sis Suzie sneered at Styx as a moronic shlock-rock band, younger brother Randy knew for a fact Styx could kick the asses of all those high-falutin’ progressive rock outfits like Yes and Gentle Giant Suzie thought were so sophisticated with one synthesizer tied behind its back. Styx was more fun to listen to while doing bong hits, too.

Styx recorded The Grand Illusion—their seventh studio album and the one that catapulted them to superstardom—in 1977. The album’s cover was the work of legendary psychedelic poster artists Alton Kelley and Stanley Mouse, while the band’s line-up at the time included Dennis DeYoung on keyboards, synthesizers, and vocals; Chuck Panozzo on bass guitar and vocals; John Panozzo on drums and vocals; Tommy Shaw on acoustic and electric guitars and vocals; and James Young on guitar, keyboards, and vocals. DeYoung handled the bulk of the songwriting duties, although Shaw and Young also contributed tunes.

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Based in Los Angeles after a move from Portland, Oregon, Nicole McCabe is a composer, improviser, teacher, and multi-instrumentalist with a focus on the alto saxophone. She has recorded a handful of albums as a leader across the last half-decade that illuminate her strong grasp of tradition and a desire to explore fresh possibilities. McCabe’s latest, and her second LP for the Colorfield label, is Color Theory, a set as melodically rich as it is boundary-pushing. Produced by Jason Moran, it’s available on vinyl and digital on February 20.

Originally from Marin County, California, Nicole McCabe was living in Portland when she recorded her debut CD for the Minaret label. She moved to Los Angeles the day after recording the set. The year was 2020, and Introducing Nicole McCabe unveiled six compositions from the saxophonist, one standard (“You’ve Changed”), and one piece credited to the session’s pianist, George Colligan.

Bassist Jon Lakey and drummer Alan Jones shape up the core quartet. They get joined on three of McCabe’s originals by Charlie Porter on trumpet. Introducing is essentially a hard bop album, but the playing is uniformly strong, and the blowing often works up to very engaging intensities.

Once settled in Los Angeles, McCabe got another group together, with Paul Cornish playing piano, her partner Logan Kane handling the upright bass, and Myles Martin laying down the drums, for the recording of Landscapes in 2022, the first of two CDs for the Spanish Fresh Sound label.

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We’ve closed TVD’s HQ for the Presidents’ Day holiday. While we’re away, why not fire up our Record Store Locator app and visit one of your local indie record stores?

Perhaps there’s an interview, review, or feature you might have missed? Catch up, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow, 2/17.

VIA PRESS RELEASE | UMe announces the release of a new limited-edition box set by one of the biggest and most beloved acts in popular music history, the Bee Gees.

Out February 27, You Should Be Dancing is a four-disc collectors’ item featuring the highly sought-after original 12-inch versions of some of Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb’s most iconic dancefloor-fillers, plus previously unreleased extended versions of five further Gibb brothers’ classics. Additionally, the set also includes the previously hidden ’90s UK club hit, “Decadance,” as well the long-awaited physical debut of SG Lewis’s viral 2021 remix of “More Than A Woman.”Limited to just 1,000 units, the You Should Be Dancing box set will be a prized possession for music fans the world over and is available now for pre-order HERE through the band’s official D2C store.

You Should Be Dancing boasts the 12-inch versions of the Bee Gees’ era-defining late ’70s masterworks “Stayin’ Alive,” “More Than A Woman,” “Night Fever,” and “You Should Be Dancing.” The brothers’ signature R&B-influenced sound is also represented with the inclusion of unreleased extended versions of the smash hits “Jive Talkin’,” “Nights On Broadway,” “Tragedy,” and “Love You Inside Out.”

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