An intergalactic roadmap to the most mind-blowing sounds in the Universe, this set contains the best space rock including Hawkwind, Amon Düül II, Gong, Can, Guru Guru, Tangerine Dream, Ozric Tentacles, Nik Turner, Popol Vuh, Alice Cooper, Nektar, Chrome, and others.

Soft Machine were never a commercial enterprise and indeed remain unknown even to many listeners who came of age during the late '60s and early '70s, when the group was at its most visible peak. In their way, however, they were one of the more influential bands of their era, and certainly one of the most influential underground outfits. Soft Machine, one of the original British psychedelic groups, were instrumental in the birth of both progressive rock and jazz-rock.

The first anthology from one of the most important South American bands of the 60's. These are the best recordings the band made from 1968 to 1971 for legendary labels Sono Radio and Mag. On Yellow Sea Years, the evolution of the band can be fully appreciated, with their roots in the acid blues-rock of Jimi, Cream or the Yardbirds, to a solid Latin-rock sound with psychedelic touches and immensely inspired folk.

The debut international long-player by the Bee Gees may shock anyone who only remembers them for their mid- to late-'70s disco mega-hits, or their quirky early-'70s romantic balladry. Up until 1966, they'd shown a penchant for melodic songs and rich, high harmonies, in the process becoming Australia's answer to the Everly Brothers. When the Bee Gees arrived in London late in 1966, however, they proved quick studies in absorbing and assimilating the progressive pop and rock sounds around them. In one fell swoop, they became competitors with the likes of veteran rock bands such as the Hollies and the Tremeloes, and this long-player, Bee Gees' 1st, is more of a rock album than the group usually got credit for generating. Parts of it do sound very much like the Beatles circa Revolver…

Recorded in Bruce Walford's studio in San Anselmo, this album sees the Sons in transition. Tim Cain, the sax player who co-founded the band with Bill Champlin back in 1965, had left, as had trumpet player Jim Beem. The stripped down band has an opportunity to stretch out on a number of fine Bill Champlin compositions, and the album also features the recorded debut of Terry Haggerty's "Follow Your Heart", a tune that would stay in the band's set list until Haggerty's departure in 2001 (a more polished version of the tune appeared on the out of print Circle of Love album, and there is a great performance on The Sons Live CD released in 1997). Soon after the release of this album Bill Champlin took the first of his sabaticals from the group, returning to a new rhythm section and a revised name (Yogi Phlegm) several months later. Not quite as good as Welcome to the Dance, this album still cooks pretty hard and is definitely worth a listen.

Created between Palm Springs, California and Hilo, Hawai’i, V is the first double album from the Hawaiian-New Zealand singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Ruban Nielson’s Unknown Mortal Orchestra band. Designed to play as one continuous movement and road-tested on dry California freeways, V is the definitive Unknown Mortal Orchestra car record.

Cosmic Dealer was formed in 1968, and were one of the most gifted bands, among the rich psychedelic scene in the Netherlands. Their only album, Crystallization, is considered to be an underground classic with copies changing hands among collectors for huge sums. Containing powerful heavy rock along with softer acoustic sections and some sublime three-part harmonies, the album is reminiscent of the Pretty Things Parachute. Highlights include the magnificent Child Of The Golden Sun, the West Coast-flavored If There Is Nothing Behind The Hills and the mesmeric title track, which demonstrates that psychedelic rock was still very much alive and well in the Netherlands in 1971.

See for Miles' 1990 compilation The Best of Idle Race contains a generous 25 tracks – just over half of what the Idle Race recorded. This means that it does have the great majority of the best material the band recorded, and it would satisfy everyone outside of the rabid collectors who need anything. The catch is, if you're into the Idle Race, you need everything, so this collection is essentially a stopgap until you can track down (or afford) EMI's 1996 complete collection, Back to the Story. Even then, this may be a little more listenable, since it boils the group's interesting but erratic career to its very best – which is obscure British psych at its best (in other words, it's for the collectors who will seek it out, not anyone else).

CLASSIC GRATEFUL DEAD SHOW, 12 MONTHS BEFORE THE SAD PASSING OF JERRY GARCIA This sterling performance from a late period Grateful Dead took place about a year before the sad death of Jerry Garcia in August 1995. Following this event the band, inevitably given the circumstances, called it quits. That said, in summer 94 the Dead were on fire. This show, one of three performed at The Shoreline Theatre in Mountain View, California, in July 94, provides testimony to this as GD work their magic for some two and half hours in the hot California sun across a fine selection of classics from across the group s career. And while, as it turned out, time was not on the Dead s side by this juncture, almost everything else was as this double CD featuring the complete FM radio broadcast of this special concert now illustrates.

Frank Vincent Zappa was of Italian origin, his grandfather having arrived in America from Partinico, Sicily. Frank Zappa grew to be one of the most accomplished composers of the rock idiom, his music combining an understanding and appreciation for such contemporary classical figures as Igor Stravinsky, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Edgard Varèse. These influences, coupled with an affection for late '50s doo-wop, rock & roll, and skillful guitar-heavy rock, dominated pop in the '70s. However, Zappa was also a keen satirist, whose reserves of scorn and parody seemed bottomless, and whose wicked sense of humor and absurdity continued to delight his numerous fans – even when his lyrics crossed the broadest bounds of taste.

REMARKABLE 1970 SHOW FROM A REVITALISED JEFFERSON AIRPLANE After a number of years of plain sailing, by the end of 1969, having recently played both Woodstock and, at the end of the year, the disastrous Altamont Festival, Jefferson Airplane were somewhat mentally and physically exhausted. The only casualty however was Spencer Dryden, who was dismissed from the band in February 1970, as he was deeply disturbed by the events at Altamont and burned out from four years on the acid-merry-go-round. Throughout 1970 the group continued to tour regularly however, but their only new recording that year was the single Mexico backed with Have You Seen the Saucers? . Grace Slick's a-side was an attack on President Richard Nixon's Operation Intercept, which had been implemented to curtail the flow of marijuana into the United States.

A Space In Time is Ten Years Afters sixth, and best selling album, and was originally released in August 1971. Featuring their most well-known track Id Love To Change The Worlds, which regularly features in movies and TV shows, saw the band taking a more melodic direction from previous releases and showcased the band at their peak. This new (delayed) 50th Anniversary edition of the album features a brand new mix by the original producer/engineer, Chris Kimsey (Rolling Stones/Emerson Lake & Palmer/Marillion), using the original 2” multitrack tapes. He has used modern day plug-ins that perfectly emulate and expand upon the original recording. The results are stunning.

While the all-killer no-filler single-disc The Byrds' Greatest Hits remains the best distillation of their classic songs, The Essential Byrds is a smartly assembled double dose, including all 14 of the 1965-1967 tracks on Greatest Hits, but expanding its reach into their entire Columbia output, going as far as the early '70s. Inevitably, that means that disc two – which goes, roughly, from mid-1967 to 1971 – isn't as good as the first half, and that the last four tracks in particular are by far the least impressive, tagged on mostly so that the release spans the Byrds' entire Columbia catalog. That's a small reservation considering that the two-fer adds many first-rate songs not on Greatest Hits, from non-hit singles like "Lady Friend" and "Goin' Back" to standout album cuts like "Renaissance Fair," "Natural Harmony," "Jesus Is Just Alright," and "Chestnut Mare." There are no surprises here; even the songs that eluded inclusion on albums for many years, like the early B-side "She Don't Care About Time" and "Lady Friend," have been commonly available in the CD era. And it's true that this misses some other fine album tracks that could have stood with pride alongside those selected, like "I Knew I'd Want You," "John Riley," and "Dolphin's Smile." Within the confines of the two-CD format, though, it's a very well-chosen career overview.

Telegraph is a four piece band that hails from Israel. In 2017 Telegraph finished the recordings of their debut album, in 2018 it was released as "Mir", a concept album about the journey of cosmonaut and mechanical engineer Sergei Krikalev. He stayed at the Soviet space station for 803 days, with a changing crew. This was almost 6 months longer than planned, due to the collapse of the regime in 1991.
According to the band "Camel is a big influence but also classical music, and other bands like Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, Anglagard and Pink Floyd". Their debut album gained a lot of praise in Israel, but also in Japan, Germany, The Netherlands, Canada and the USA.

Rock's longest, strangest trip, the Grateful Dead were the psychedelic era's most beloved musical ambassadors as well as its most enduring survivors, spreading their message of peace, love, and mind expansion across the globe throughout the better part of three decades. The object of adoration for popular music's most fervent and celebrated fan following – the Deadheads, their numbers and devotion legendary in their own right – they were the ultimate cult band, creating a self-styled universe all their own; for the better part of their career orbiting well outside of the mainstream, the Dead became superstars solely on their own terms, tie-dyed pied pipers whose epic, free-form live shows were rites of passage for an extended family of listeners who knew no cultural boundaries. The roots of the Grateful Dead lie with singer/songwriter Jerry Garcia, a longtime bluegrass enthusiast who began playing the guitar at age 15. Upon relocating to Palo Alto, California, in 1960, he befriended Robert Hunter, whose lyrics later graced many of Garcia's most famous melodies; in time, he also came into contact with aspiring electronic music composer Phil Lesh.