VIA PRESS RELEASE | Forty years ago, on July 8th and 9th in 1981, a group formed by the splintering of some of Bristol’s essential post punk bands, entered the hallowed studio at Berry Street in London to record their debut single.
What would emerge was not only an exuberant post funk classic on the a-side, but also a wildly influential dub workout on the flipside, whose reverberations can still be heard today. Both songs have proven essential in very different ways. Celebrating this occasion, 1972 Records will lovingly reissue this landmark 12” from Maximum Joy, with “Stretch (12” Version)” backed with “Silent Street – Silent Dub,” available on September 24, 2021.
A focal point for the unique punk-funk that was coming together in Bristol as the bridge from the ’70s to the ’80s arrived, Maximum Joy was formed by Glaxo Babies multi-instrumentalist Tony Wrafter and 18 year old vocalist Janine Rainforth. Soon they drafted in additional Glaxo Babies in the form of drummer Charlie Llewellin and bassist Dan Catsis, along with guitarist John Waddington, fresh from The Pop Group.
The group set about making a one-of-a-kind mix of funk, punk, pop, jazz, dub, soul, afrobeat and reggae; creating a brilliant charge of danceable tunes wrapped around elastic basslines and complex percussion, punctuated by melodic horns and stabs of guitar, all of it highlighting Rainforth’s naturally enthusiastic vocal style.
Bursting at the seams, “Stretch” feels like it can barely be contained within the studio walls. Rainforth delivers a vocal performance that can only be found within the freedom of someone recording their first ever single. I’m not lying when I say there isn’t another song that sounds quite like it.
Hackensack, NJ | Hackensack’s music mecca, the Record King, succumbs to redevelopment after 56 years: Get a musical immersion education while you can at Hackensack Record King. Owner Craig Stepneski says he has been notified he must vacate the 56-year-old Main Street storefront where he has worked since 1974 to make way for downtown redevelopment, and is welcoming in-person customers while he can. “That’s the part I’ll miss,” said Stepneski. “Talking to the customers.” The store’s attraction for musical buffs of all ages is its ability to come up with that obscure tune that never found its way onto the internet, as well as the historic favorites. Customers benefit from 
Surrey, UK | Surrey business owners say they will keep wearing face masks beyond July 19: Businesses in Guildford, Godalming and Cobham have explained how they will handle things after ‘freedom day’ The announcement that legal restrictions on social distancing and mask-wearing will finally be scrapped from July 19 has been met with a mixture of jubilation and trepidation. With infection rates soaring, some Surrey businesses say it is too early to ditch masks. Ben Darnton runs a vinyl record store in Guildford and will maintain the current rules in his store longer than is legally necessary. He said: “I will continue wearing my mask as a courtesy to my customers and expect them to wear it in here too. “I don’t think the situation is good and we still have to be really careful of opening up. “If they do not want to wear one and there are customers in the store at that time, I will not argue with them but perhaps suggest they 
His brand new album, By Request on Compass Records, features Croce utilizing his impressive piano skills and vocal stylings on a number of familiar songs, but with his own reworkings and unique spin. The goal behind the album was to give listeners an experience as though they were attending a house party thrown by Croce and hearing him entertain the intimate gathering with well-known chestnuts and unexpected gems.
London, UK | A one-day pop-up record store giving away free vinyl is coming to London: Ahead of the next Record Store Day drop date on 17 July, a new pop-up record store called SMARTY Disc-overy store is coming to London for one day, and will offer each customer 
New York, NY | Frankie Knuckles’ record collection featured in new exhibit: With 5,000 LPs including test pressings, promos, and more. A selection of Frankie Knuckles’ extensive record collection — titled A Song For Frankie — is currently on show as part of group exhibit Social Works, at Gagosian Gallery’s Chelsea outpost in NYC. Presented by Theaster Gates, the installation features 5,000 records taken from Knuckle’s personal archive — including test pressings and promos. Many of the records are 
Though his music never wavered from its thoroughly commercial designs, Lee Hazelwood was still a truly strange duck. And the undeniable datedness of his work can really add to the overall weirdness factor, though that’s in no way a bad thing; if often possessing production values and orchestrations that are accurately assessed as “middle of the road” (not the same as “mainstream”), his songs almost always avoid falling into simple kitsch.
NEW RELEASE PICKS: Les Filles de Illighadad, At Pioneer Works (Sahel Sounds) Six tracks, recorded live in Brooklyn in the Fall of 2019, and it’s an absolute joy, delivering a needed tonic for the heart and mind. Founded in 2016 in the village of Illighadad in Niger by Fatou Seidi Ghali, who is cited as the first Tuareg women to play guitar professionally (she also sings), and vocalist Alamnou Akrouni (also a handy percussionist), Les Filles de Illighadad also features guitarist-percussionist Amaria Hamadalher. Their chosen name translates as The Girls of Illighadad, though on tour (and so it is on this recording), they are joined by Ghali’s brother Abdoulaye Madassane with additional guitar and vocals. That’s beaucoup string bending (and yes, a lot of singing), so fans of Tuareg desert blues will not be disappointed (there are two earlier LPs cut for Sahel Sounds), but what’s especially notable is how the group combines the rhythm-focused music of tende, which is traditionally played by women, with the guitar, as traditionally played by men, meaning this is a living, growing, inspirational sound. Another Sahel Sounds home run. A
Colin Cannon, McGolrick (Infrequent Seams) It’s always a good idea to play some catch-up ball with the wares of Brooklyn’s Infrequent Seams label. This set by guitarist-composer-bandleader Cannon came out in February, but as there is a vinyl option (combined with a CD, download and poster) currently available, coverage, if belated, is still warranted. I’ll confess that prior to listening, the release’s title inspired unshakable visions of a 1970s TV show focused on a tough, possibly rule-breaking, cop, but no, Cannon’s inspiration and articulated theme was his daily reality in a small Brooklyn neighborhood in the days leading up to the pandemic. Musically, Cannon’s influences are pretty wide-ranging, but as the set unwinds, the impact of the cited handful of prog-rock and jazz-fusion heavyweights, while perceptible, shakes out a little differently than expected, which definitely works in the record’s favor. In adding strings and horns to his core band, McGolrick occasionally sounds like, but more often just recalls in terms of ambition, Sufjan Stevens circa Illinois. These similarities are wholly positive. A-
Julian Sartorius, Locked Grooves (-OUS) As the title relates, this is a vinyl release featuring locked grooves, 112 of them in fact, 56 on side one and as many on the flip. There is also a digital version offering all 112 grooves running for exactly one minute each, which is the source for this review. Unlike From Here to Infinity, Lee Ranaldo’s lock groove solo debut from 1987, there is no CD option available. Also, as the creation of one man, a highly skilled drummer playing a prepared kit, this differs from RRRecords’ 100th release (a 7-inch with 100 locked grooves) and 500th release (an LP with 500), which were sourced from various artists in the neighborhood of the noise u-ground circa 1993 and 1998 respectively, with the intent of harnessing a substantial portion of that scene’s essence and diversity. Contrasting, Sartorius’ endeavor is a personal statement. Looked grooves can become rhythmic by their very nature, but this is an extended excursion into multilayered beat loops (which on wax can last as long as one wants), throwing light on Sartorius’ ability and dishing a plethora of possibilities. A-
REISSUE/ARCHIVAL PICK: Philip Tabane and his Malombo Jazzman, The Indigenous Afro-Jazz Sounds of (We Are Busy Bodies) Here’s a totally worthy reissue of the debut LP by the highly regarded South African guitarist and bandleader. Originally released in 1969 on the Atlantic City label, it was reissued a couple times, once in the ’70s and again a decade later, but until now never outside South Africa. Now, if you’re thinking we are mirroring We Are Busy Bodies’ reproduction of a typo on the cover, that’s incorrect, as the record features Tabane on guitar, pennywhistle and vocals, with Gabriel “Sonnyboy” Thobejane on drums and thumb piano, making the cover exactly right, except that the music diverts from what many listeners will expect when Afro-Jazz is mentioned. It’s also worthy of note that Tabane sets down the guitar and picks up that flute for long stretches here as Thobejane’s thumb piano takes on a very music-boxy quality. But even if this falls outside of expectations, the playing is magnificent, and the contents aren’t easily compared to anything else. It’s also selling out quick, and there is no digital. A-
Richmond, VA | A Matter of Records: As it celebrates 40 years in business, Plan 9 Music has evolved from a two-room consignment shop named for a Grade Z movie into a Richmond institution of music and culture: The 40-year history of Plan 9 Music involves startup woes, expansion, contraction, hopscotching locations, bankruptcy reorganization, shifts in technology, the dizzying fracturing of musical genres, economic crashes, distribution tangles — and now a pandemic. Bob Schick, a Plan 9 employee for 37 years, reflects on how the clientele kept the store operating during the past year. “Our loyal customers would call us up and have us walk their orders out to them,” he says. “I didn’t foresee that coming. They were saying, ‘We don’t want you to go away,’ and we are saying, ‘We don’t want to go away, 
Sarnia, CA | Cheeky Monkey sold to Toronto developer: The owners of a popular record store in downtown Sarnia are looking forward to retirement after selling Cheeky Monkey to a developer from Toronto. Mary Anne and Roland Peloza said July 6 marked the 22nd anniversary of the store, located on Christina Street North. The couple opened the business after closing a video rental and record store in Wallaceburg that operated for 17 years. “We’re at an age where we want to be able to travel and take it easy and still have our health,” said Roland. “We’re looking forward to the next chapter, the next phase of our lives.” He said the store has been up for sale for nearly two years. “I have no idea what they intend for the building but they made an offer and we accepted it,” said Roland. “The deal closes October 1.” Until then, Cheeky Monkey will remain open until mid to late September. “So right now, we’re running a promotion where we pay the tax on everything so everything is tax-free, which is 
