VIA PRESS RELEASE | On September 5, Rhino celebrates the enduring legacy of WAR with The CD Collection 1971–1975—a deluxe five-disc box set honoring the band’s groundbreaking early years and continuing the year-long celebration of their landmark album Why Can’t We Be Friends?.

This beautifully packaged collection features five essential albums—WAR (1971), All Day Music (1971), The World Is A Ghetto (1972), Deliver The Word (1973), and Why Can’t We Be Friends? (1975)—capturing the band’s first chapter following the departure of former frontman Eric Burdon. These albums mark the creative emergence of WAR as a singular force in American music—fusing funk, jazz, Latin rhythms, soul, rock, and psychedelia into a genre-defying sound all their own.

Housed in a striking package featuring original artwork by acclaimed illustrator Dave Van Patten, whose surreal, hand-drawn style channels the same boundary-pushing energy that defined WAR’s music and message, each album delivers the most vibrant and immersive listening experience to date.

Following 2021’s Record Store Day vinyl exclusive, this CD box set is a must-have for both longtime collectors and new listeners—offering a fresh lens into WAR’s most iconic era. From the streetwise poetry of The World Is A Ghetto to the unifying call of Why Can’t We Be Friends?, these albums remain as powerful, joyful, and relevant as ever.

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Since its debut in 2011, The Head and the Heart has consistently released fine albums. The group is one of only a handful of American bands that keep hope alive for pop-rock-based music. It has an indie, roots flair and creates real music while continuing to grow its ever-expanding popular following.

The new album seems to signal yet another crossroads for the group. After two albums on the indie powerhouse Sub-Pop label, which is based in Seattle, Washington, where the band came together, the group signed to Warner Brothers for two albums and, after one more for the Reprise imprint of Warner Brothers, it is now part of a revived Verve Forecast label, which distributes the group’s new album. It is the first under the band’s own label Every Shade of Music, echoing the title of its 2022 album Every Shade of Blue.

The seminal releases from the Verve Forecast imprint in the ’60s included artists as idiosyncratic and beloved as The Blues Project, Richie Havens, and Tim Hardin. Since 2004, the imprint has been revived and has included artists such as Jesse Harris and Teddy Thompson and others who align with Verve’s jazz beginnings, such as Jamie Cullum and Lizz Wright.

Since its third album, the group has released albums whose titles reflect the visual aspect of its approach to music—Signs of Light, Living Mirage, Every Shade of Blue, and the new album Aperture. The band paints pictures of evocative impressionist images with its music and lyrics, and all of the group’s members share songwriting credit.

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As part of Mute Records’ ongoing reissue slate of the A Certain Ratio catalog, on August 8, the label is giving Live in America, originally self-released on cassette in 1985 and sold at shows, a snazzy upgrade across multiple formats, including vinyl, compact disc, and a minuscule cassette edition that’s already sold out. Sequenced from a series of gigs opening for labelmates (then and now) New Order, the music delivers a surprisingly coherent statement from a band that was essentially in transition.

The label that A Certain Ratio shared with New Order at the time of the tour, that is documented on Live in America, was Factory Records. As the imprint responsible for bringing Joy Division’s catalog into the store bins, Tony Wilson’s Factory remains one of the cornerstones in the whole post-punk shebang. Formed in 1977 and debuting on wax with the “All Night Party” single two years later, A Certain Ratio were contemporaries of Joy Division, although their sounds were quite distinct.

One could argue that A Certain Ratio paved the way for New Order to get increasingly dance-oriented as that band progressed as a beacon for disaffected youth on both sides of the pond. But New Order, while dancy, lacked the overt funkiness of A Certain Ratio as exemplified by their highest profile single, a cover of Banbarra’s “Shack Up.” If New Order eventually perfected dancefloor synth-pop, A Certain Ratio made a considerable impact in the creation of post-punk disco.

But by 1985, A Certain Ratio’s two founding members, guitarist-electronics player Peter Terrell and vocalist Simon Topping, were long gone. Bassist-vocalist Jez Kerr and guitarist-trumpeter Martin Moscrop, who were quick to join and solidify the early lineup, remained in the band for the 1985 tour alongside keyboardist Andrew Connell, drummer-vocalist Donald Johnson, and saxophonist Anthony Quigley. This is the exact personnel who recorded the band’s last album for Factory, Touch, which was released in 1986.

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NEWPORT, RI | The fans returned for the second day of Newport Folk Festival at Fort Adams, eager for what the day had to offer.

There was great anticipation for Remi Wolf (& Friends), who returned to the Quad stage—this time with some surprises. Many artists joined the charismatic performer on stage, including Saya Gray, Jeff Tweedy, John C. Riley, and Maren Morris, to name a few. Morris told Wolf, “I go to heaven singing with you.” Wolf is so dynamic and gifted, you don’t want the performance to end, and the collaboration between friends new and old just made it sweeter.

I’m With Her, composed of Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan, and Sara Watkins, offered an awe-inspiring set. The blend of their three voices is magical, with lyrics that speak to your heart. The trio just released their sophomore record Wild and Clear and Blue, which comes seven long years after their breakout debut. The result is stunning and showcases a close-knit alliance of three highly esteemed musicians, graced with a deep understanding of folk tradition and unbridled passion for expanding its possibilities.

I’m With Her has been touring with Iron and Wine, who also performed on Saturday with a sound both beautiful and lulling. The harmony was so peaceful, and the crowd watched and enjoyed it like they were all long-lost friends.

Lukas Nelson and his band put their souls into their performance on the main Fort stage. His unique voice conveys so much, and his range of music styles covers everything imaginable, not to mention his phenomenal guitar playing.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Two of the most iconic West Coast jazz recordings return in definitive form: Way Out West by Sonny Rollins and Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section, now available as Ultra High Quality Record (UHQR) editions for pre-order via Analogue Productions.

Pressed on 200-gram Clarity Vinyl at Quality Record Pressings and cut at 45 RPM for the highest fidelity possible, these limited editions—each capped at 2,750 numbered copies—are mastered AAA directly from the original analog tapes by legendary engineer Bernie Grundman. Pre-order now to secure your copy of these collector-grade reissues.

Each deluxe package includes a booklet with new liner notes by John Koenig—son of Contemporary Records founder Lester Koenig—and is housed in visually striking, meticulously crafted jackets befitting these jazz landmarks. From the first spin, listeners will be immersed in a heightened soundstage that brings new depth, warmth, and dimensionality to two of the genre’s most celebrated albums.

Originally released in 1957, Way Out West marked Sonny Rollins’ first recording for Contemporary Records—and an instant classic that redefined jazz improvisation. Captured in the early morning hours by legendary engineer Roy DuNann, the session featured Ray Brown on bass and Shelly Manne on drums (neither of whom Rollins had played with before).

The trio’s spontaneity and creative freedom, combined with DuNann’s pristine, high-fidelity recording, turned this session into a genre-defining moment. Highlights include the irreverent swing of “I’m an Old Cowhand (From the Rio Grande),” the title track’s cinematic elegance, and Rollins’ harmonic daring in a trio format that allowed his saxophone to roam unbounded.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Prepare to raise a glass and stomp your feet as The Pogues’ seminal album, Rum Sodomy & The Lash, celebrates its 40th anniversary. Originally released on August 5, 1985, the album captured the raw energy and poetic lyricism that defined The Pogues, solidifying their place as one of the most influential bands of their generation. Today (August 5) marks the 40th anniversary of that original release date.

This 40th anniversary reissue will come in a collectible 2LP red marble vinyl edition and a Deluxe 2CD set, both offering the original album plus a bonus disc that brings together the legendary “Poguetry In Motion” EP, with tracks from the July 1985 BBC Janice Long session, plus original single B-sides. The bonus disc is completed by rare live versions of “A Pair Of Brown Eyes” and “Sally MacLennane” recorded at Glasgow Barrowland in December 1987, and a rough mix of a “Poguetry In Motion” outtake, the band’s version of The Lovin’ Spoonfuls “Do You Believe In Magic,” all currently unavailable.

Produced by Elvis Costello, Rum Sodomy & the Lash was the second studio album by the London-based Irish folk punk band. Costello, who was originally brought in to work on the singles, extended his stay to work on the entire album. At the time, he said, “I saw my task was to capture them in their dilapidated glory before some more professional producer fucked them up.” The album was released on August 5, 1985 and reached number 13 on the UK charts. It features the singles “A Pair Of Brown Eyes,” “Sally MacLennane,” and “Dirty Old Town.”

Celebrating Pat Smear, born on this day in 1961.—Ed.

Poor Darby Crash. First the Germs charismatic and drug-abusing lead singer returned from England a converted Adam Ant fan (very bad form, very bad form indeed), then he had the amazingly bad luck to die in a suicide pact the day before the murder of John Lennon, thus ensuring his death would receive virtually no recognition in the press.

Fortunately neither his Antdom nor his ill-timed deliberate death by heroin overdose have sullied his posterity, and his pre-planned live-fast-die-young career continues to contribute to what practically amounts to a cult. And I get it. The guy was loony tunes, but he also had charisma. Germs drummer Don Bolles recalls, “With a little more luck and concentrated effort, Darby could have fulfilled his plan to be the new Jesus/Bowie/Manson/Hitler/L Ron Hubbard… he was a natural messiah type, whose heroic consumption of LSD helped make him the most psychedelic prankster I have ever known.”

Fortunately he started a punk band instead, and not just any punk band. As Germs guitarist Pat Smear recollects, “Whatever we were going to be, we were going to be the most. If we’re gonna be punk, then we are gonna out-punk the Sex Pistols! If we are gonna be the worst band ever, then we are gonna be the fucking worst band ever!” As the lead singer for what I like to think was one of the worst bands in history, those are inspiring words indeed.

But my favorite Darby Crash story has nothing to do with the Germs, but rather Pop Rocks. Remember the candy that detonated like little hand grenades in your mouth? Well, in We Got the Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story of L.A. Punk, Gerber (aka Michelle Bell) recalls the time she and Crash were walking through a parking garage towards two Persian gentlemen who, faced with a couple of deranged looking punkers, assumed they were being mugged. So they threw themselves to the ground and offered up their wallets.

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Heat On is the Chicago-based group formed by drummer Lily Finnegan with tenor saxophonist Edward Wilkerson Jr., altoist Fred Jackson Jr., and bassist Nick Macri playing both upright and electric on this self-titled release, offering six compositions by Finnegan, including a three-part suite. While it’s the drummer’s debut album, she has experience playing with Ken Vandermark, James Brandon Lewis, Nicole Mitchell, Tomeka Reid, Sarah Clauson, gabby fluke-mogul, and many others. Heat On is an impressive set that’s hopefully just the beginning of a fruitful collaboration. It’s out now on compact disc and digital through Cuneiform Records.

Lily Finnegan has yet to accumulate an extensive discography, but what’s out there with her name on it has reinforced her talent as an instrumentalist, and now Heat On establishes her compositional abilities. Finnegan can let it fly in a free context, but her debut illuminates her preference for combining abstraction and compositional structure, and to pinpoint, Finnegan’s stated appreciation for grooves.

One could call Finnegan an inside-outside specialist, but there’s a lot more happening across Heat On’s succinct runtime than mere variations upon the now well-established approach of launching outward into the deep weeds from a sturdy melodic bedrock and then touching back down. The album’s opener, “Green Milk,” for example, dives into a rich free-bop sensibility that’s reminiscent of but not overly indebted to Ornette Coleman’s quartet recordings for Atlantic Records.

The playing by Finnegan’s group is expert without being flashy. Edward Wilkerson is best known for leading the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians-affiliated 8 Bold Souls, a unit whose albums include Last Option, released in 2000 by Thrill Jockey, but Wilkerson has more recently recorded with Isaiah Collier & the Chosen Few and earlier this year with the Christopher Dammann Sextet on their self-titled LP on Out Of Your Head Records.

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NEWPORT, RI | Fort Adams was once again transformed into an oasis of music, arts, and recreation as the yearly tradition for so many had finally arrived—the Newport Folk Festival. Circled on attendees’ calendars nearly a year in advance, there was a heightened level of excitement as day one of this three-day music festival kicked off. The legacy of NFF is one of kindness and inclusion, and this year’s events contributed to that shared joyful experience through the effort of a whole community.

The Newport Folk Festival’s unique charm, built on a love for music, sets it apart from the rest. These pervasive qualities are shared by attendees, employees, and the artists themselves. Fans respectfully embrace new and familiar artists, leading to meaningful experiences for both attendees and performers.

“Happy New Year!” Producer and Executive Director Jay Sweet excitedly greeted a cheerful crowd at the Harbor stage. “I always brag to any person at every other festival—if you want to see what true music fans are like, come to Newport because they are there from the very first note to show up and help support artists, so thank you for being here.”

Sweet introduced the first main act of the day, Nathaniel Rateliff, who started the day off early. “If I get here in the morning, do you think more people will get here to see the younger artists and start this thing off?” Rateliff’s question proved correct as the crowd overflowed into the aisle to be a part of his heartwarming set.

Rateliff greeted the audience, offering kudos for being an “open-minded and open-hearted community here that is one unto itself, and I feel honored and privileged to be here this year. This festival offers the opportunity to better ourselves and leave as better people.” His affection for the NFF crowd served as a prelude to what would be a shared consensus among the performing musicians—love and appreciation for the fans.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Music. Spectacle. Style. Influence. For more than 20 years, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has been a crucible of pop culture, shaping the music we listen to, the clothing we wear, the photos we take, and even how we commune.

In Desert Dreams: The Music, Style, and Allure of Coachella, veteran music and culture journalist Katie Bain takes you behind the scenes of Coachella’s history and impact, looking back at some the biggest names to ever grace the mainstage—including those who first captivated audiences in smaller tents—and demonstrating the festival’s unparalleled power and prestige. When you play Coachella, the world is watching. Relive the stories that made global headlines—from surprise guests and career-defining performances to celebrity sightings and trend-setting fashion, both onstage and among the audience.

With nearly 15 years of experience attending, reporting on and interviewing artists at the festival, Bain offers an expert look at Coachella’s singular setting and international impact. Through insider observations and rich detail, she unveils the preparation it takes for fans to arrive at the site, brings readers on a tour of the festival’s key locations and most talked-about parties and captures the essence of the Coachella experience.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Liberation Hall has announced Jump Blues Live 1972, a previously unreleased concert performance by Blues Hall of Fame vocalist Jimmy Witherspoon and famed guitarist Robben Ford. The title arrives in stores September 26 on CD, vinyl, and digital. Liberation Hall’s releases are distributed by MVD Entertainment Group (USA) and Wienerworld (UK).

The CD and digital are available for pre-order at Bandcamp and Amazon. The LP will be pressed in a limited-edition of 300 copies on cobalt blue vinyl and sold exclusively at independent retailers that participate in the monthly Record Store Day Essentials program. The album’s first digital single, “Ain’t Nobody’s Business,” is out now.

Jump Blues Live 1972 features nine tracks, including one song co-written by Witherspoon and additional tracks composed by Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson, Leiber & Stoller, and others. Witherspoon got his start during WWII, cutting his first sides with Jay McShann (scoring a #1 R&B hit with 1949’s “Ain’t Nobody’s Business”), but the early 1950s decline of the big bands also heralded a temporary setback in Witherspoon’s prominence.

After a few years of reinvention, coupled with British Invasion rockers’ seemingly insatiable thirst for classic R&B, Witherspoon climbed his way back, if not to the top, at least to a position of commercial viability.

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Remembering Klaus Schulze, born on this date in 1947. —Ed.

Klaus Schulze has released a certifiable ass-ton of music, and only the most severely dedicated have collected it all. For those wishing to own his earliest solo recordings on vinyl, the One Way Static label has issued his work from 1968-1970 on the 2LP set La Vie Electronique Volume 1.0. Fully embracing experimentation in a home environment, Schulze’s boldly celestial and drone friendly excursions infuse early electronic, proto-ambient exploration with edge and heft. Today it’s easy to pigeonhole, but at the time it was breaking new ground, or it would’ve been, had it promptly come out; the good news is that it holds up well.

This isn’t the debut for the material on offer here, but it is the most concise assemblage of solo Schulze at his earliest. Initially, this stuff was sprinkled non-chronologically by Klaus D. Mueller, who contributes useful notes for this set, into 1995’s 10CD Historic Edition box set, which in 2000 was dropped into the 50CD (that’s right, 50) Ultimate Edition savings-drainer (which also included the 10CD Silver Edition, the 25CD Jubilee Edition and five additional discs).

The maximal method was obviously geared to the diligent fan, but after the Ultimate Edition fell out of print, the notion of following chronology and breaking the music into more digestible sets prevailed; this resulted in the 16 volume La Vie Electronique CD series, which spanned from 2009 to 2015; La Vie Electronique Vol. 1.0 offers the contents of the first 3CD volume’s opening disc across two LPs.

Klaus Schulze wasn’t completely a solo operator. His first group Psy Free, described by Schulze in Mueller’s notes as playing avant-garde/ free rock, never recorded, but he then moved on to Tangerine Dream, and after playing drums on their swell first album, 1970’s Electronic Meditation, just as quickly quit. From there, he formed Ash Ra Tempel with bassist Hartmut Enke and guitarist Manuel Göttsching; helping to shape a terrific self-titled ’71 debut, he made another exit.

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