The Fat Angel Sings

Magnificent rumblings of The Dream Syndicate from the mid 80s featuring demos for the ‘Out Of The Grey’  album, unreleased songs from the era and the band live in New York delivering spine tingling takes on the album’s title track and ’50 In A 25 Zone’. This collection of much sought after rarities has never been pressed to vinyl, until now.

The Dream Syndicate’s 1986 album is being released for the first time in 24 years in vinyl. With some of Steve Wynn’s strongest songs – “Slide Away” is delightful pop, “Now I Ride Alone” is moody and intense “like the hardboiled typewriting of novelists Jim Thompson, Ross MacDonald, and James Cain” that Wynn dug back in July ‘85. The epic “Boston” imagines the era in which Van Morrison was holed-up in that city circa 1967-68 writing the songs that comprised Astral Weeks while “50 in a 25 Zone” is a vehicle for a band-driven, slow burn groove. The set including many unreleased demos and out-takes.
With a wealth of unreleased material – including a never-before-heard July 1985 live album which has the ‘balls to the wall’ energy hard not captured in the studio. The songs were so fresh on that July night – they had not been recorded in the studio yet. You’ll hear alternate versions of several Out of the Grey songs recorded as ‘demos’ before the album versions. Including “Out of the Grey” live, demos & outtakes… in other words, you need this! 

The iconic U.S Grunge Rockers, Dinosaur Jr, release an exclusive live session from Dutch radio station VPRO, featuring live tracks from “Green Mind”, “Where You Been”, “Without A Sound” and “Hand It Over”

Captured at the height of their powers during the mid 1990s, “Guess I’ll Crawl (Live In Santa Monica) captures Dinosaur Jr on their “Without A Sound” tour, and features selections from the album alongside classics from their career up to that point. Loud and heavy as ever, the band turn in an inspired performance, which has since become a favourite among fans. Never officially released until now, and produced in association with the band, “Guess I’ll Crawl (Live In Santa Monica)” is the latest in the ongoing extensive exploration of Dinosaur Jr’s Sire Records period. A must-hear glimpse of one of the treasures of the rich seam of American alternative rock and grunge artists who reinvigorated guitar orientated music in the late 1980s and 1990s.

These live tracks are made available on vinyl for the very first time to celebrate Record Store Day with this white 10′ EP which will delight fans and collectors. Recorded live at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, November 16th 1994. • Eight tracks showcasing the band at their live and loud best on the ‘Without A Sound’ tour. The band are Captured at the height of their powers during the mid 1990s, ‘Guess I’ll Crawl (Live In Santa Monica)’ and features selections from the album alongside classics from their career up to that point. Loud and heavy as ever, the band turn in an inspired performance, which has since become a favourite among fans. Never officially released until now, and produced in association with the band, ‘Guess I’ll Crawl (Live In Santa Monica)’ is the latest in our ongoing extensive exploration of Dinosaur Jr’s Sire Records period

A must-hear glimpse of one of the treasures of the rich seam of American alternative rock and grunge artists who reinvigorated guitar orientated music in the late 1980s and 1990s.

Hailing from Chicago, The Flock was one of the most original groups to emerge on the late 1960s buoyant music scene. Along with their fellow Chicagoans Blood Sweat & Tears and Chicago, The Flock were highly original in their musical approach, successfully fusing jazz, rock, blues and even classical influences. The band recorded three singles in 1966 and 1967 before changing musical direction and recruiting virtuoso electric violinist Jerry Goodman to their ranks. With a line-up of Fred Glickstein (guitar, lead vocals), Jerry Goodman (violin), Jerry Smith (bass), Ron Karpman (drums), Rick Canoff (saxophone), Tom Webb (saxophone) and Frank Posa (trumpet),

The Flock came to the attention of manager Aaron Russo, owner of Chicago’s famous Kinetic Playground venue. Russo secured the band a contract with Columbia Records for whom The Flock recorded two excellent albums for the label, “The Flock” (1969) and “Dinosaur Swamps” (1970).

Despite enthusiastic critical acclaim and patronage of established musicians such as John Mayall (who declared them to be the best band in America in 1969), The Flock sadly failed to fulfill their commercial potential and their classic line-up broke up in 1971, with Jerry Goodman joining The Mahavishnu Orchestra, but they did leave a recorded legacy of fine music. Truth – The Columbia Recordings 1969 – 1970 celebrates the music of this excellent band and features both of their Columbia albums in re-mastered form, along with six rare single tracks previously unissued on CD and six rare non-album session recordings from 1969 & 1970, including a re-recording of their early single “What Would You Do If the Sun Died”.

The anthology features an illustrated booklet that includes a new essay with an exclusive interview with Flock guitarist Fred Glickstein.

Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the release of a new 2CD anthology celebrating the fine American Jazz rock band The Flock.

We’re pleased to announce the release of “The Studio Albums”, an 8-CD box set comprising the complete collection of all Pete Townshend’s solo studio albums. The boxset includes eight CDs: “Who Came First”, “Rough Mix” (with Ronnie Lane), “Empty Glass”, “All the Best Cowboys…”, “White City”, “The Iron Man”, “Psychoderelict” and “Psychoderelict2 (Music Only).

For the first time, all of Pete Townshend’s studio albums have been compiled in one place; to create an expanded Complete Studio Albums 8CD Set. featuring such tracks as “Let My Love Open the Door,” “Face the Face,” and “Rough Boys” as well as his early versions of future Who classics “Pure and Easy” and “Let’s See Action,” arrived April 4th, 2025, via UMe.

“Who Came First” was Townshend’s debut solo record, released in 1972. The album collected demos from the unrealized concept album Lifehouse, part of which became The Who’s classic “Who’s Next” album. The cover photo of Townshend taken by Graham Hughes (who also shot the cover of The Who’s “Quadrophenia“) features Pete standing on eggs and is a reference to the philosophical dilemma “Who came first? The chicken or the egg?.”

“Rough Mix” was initially released in 1977 while The Who were on hiatus. It was a collaboration with Small Faces bassist Ronnie Lane and features contributions from John Entwistle, Eric Clapton, and Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, among others. The orchestral arrangements for the track “Street in the City” were provided by Townshend’s then father-in-law, noted British film and television theme composer Edwin Astley.

“Empty Glass”, produced by Chris Thomas (Roxy Music, Sex Pistols, Pretenders, Wings), was Townshend’s next solo release, in 1980. The songs predominantly deal with issues Townshend was struggling with at the time, including alcohol, drugs, and the death of The Who’s drummer, Keith Moon. The second single from the album “Let My Love Open the Door” was a U.S. Top Ten hit, the first single “Rough Boys,” which was dedicated to Pete’s children and The Sex Pistols

“All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes”, released in 1982, contained two singles “Uniforms (Corp d’Esprit)” and “Face Dances (Pt 2),” as well as “Somebody Saved Me” a song The Who had recorded for their 1981 album “Face Dances”, which didn’t appear until an expanded edition in 1997.

Chris Thomas once again produced the album, featuring Simon Philips on drums and Jody Linscott on percussion, who would later perform with The Who. Promo videos were made for seven tracks from the album by renowned photographers Davies & Starr.

As the title of 1985’s “White City (A Novel)” suggests, the album tells a story of cultural conflict, racial tension and youthful hopes and dreams in the London housing estate in the 1960s, not far from where Townshend was raised. The album was again produced by Chris Thomas and features guest appearances by David Gilmour, Clem Burke, John “Rabbit” Bundrick, Pete’s daughter Emma and a young Justine Frischmann, who would later form the Brit-Pop band Elastica. As with his previous album, Pete filmed several videos but this time compiled them into a long-form video, White City (The Music Movie) featuring the singles “Face the Face” and “Give Blood,” directed by Richard Lowenstein.

“The Iron Man: The Musical” by Pete Townshend is an adaptation of Ted Hughes’ famous short story, The Iron Man. The album was produced and mainly composed and performed by Townshend but also features performances from Roger Daltrey, legendary bluesman John Lee Hooker and Nina Simone. The three then-surviving original members of The Who (Daltrey, Entwistle, and Townshend) perform two songs, “Dig” and a cover of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown’s “Fire.”

“Psychoderelict”, released in 1993, is Townshend’s last solo album to date. Structured like a radio play with dialogue, it follows Ray High, a reclusive 60s rock star who resurfaced in Townshend’s novella The Boy Who Heard Music and in the mini rock opera Wire & Glass, the centrepiece of The Who’s “Endless Wire” album. The album is presented both with and without the dialogue of the original release.

Townshend says of his solo studio work, “I have always written first for myself. Not as an artist but for play, for fun, for joy, for self-expression. For therapy? In a way, of course. These solo songs are therefore not Who exclusions or out-takes, they are part of a story that may well have been very different had I not made some poor decisions in the early ’80s. I have stories to tell about every song, and one day I may write a book that tells of that journey, but I’m probably happier spending my time today writing new music rather than explaining how the old stuff came about.”

The new set is an accompaniment to 2024’s “Live In Concert 1985-2001” box.

In tribute to this release, the set will feature rare artist photos and memorabilia in expanded deluxe packaging newly designed by Richard Evans. The set will also contain sleeve notes by archivist Matt Kent with a new exclusive interview from Pete Townshend.

Pre-order your copy for release on March 28th:

“Boring is the worst word that I know,” Cousines Like Shit sing on “Boring” before adding, ” And if I call you boring…” which leaves the listener to fill the blank but is clearly something you don’t not want to be the recipient of. Led by real life cousins Hannah and Laura Breitfuss, this Vienna, Austria duo specialize in detached, danceable post-punk that mixes drony keyboard washes with spiky guitars, disco drumming, pop choruses and heaps of sly, side-eyed attitude. “Permanent Earthquake” is their second album and, like 2023’s Avant Trash, it’s crammed with barbed bangers. They actually made it in NYC with The Wants’ Madison Velding-VanDam who helped them get sonics just right, with the rhythm section snap of classic 1980 new wave.

Musically they are somewhere between Ladytron and Broadcast, but thematically Cousines are much more playful and snarky, like a couple of partygoers who’d rather dissect every attendee than mingle. (In that respect they recall Munich’s Chicks on Speed.) With it’s strong lyrical hook, “Boring” is the obvious hit here but “No” has the best chorus, and “Frenemies” and “Sober at the Club” aren’t far behind in the hooks department. No shit here: these Cousines have made a record perfect for dancing at angles at inappropriate times.

Roger Chapman first came to public attention as the vocalist with the legendary Leicester British band Family who recorded a series of acclaimed albums between 1968 and 1973. With Family, Chapman gained a reputation as a fine and unique vocalist. This reputation was enhanced further through a series of albums and live performances with the band Streetwalkers which Chapman formed with ex-Family guitarist John “Charlie” Whitney in 1974.

Upon the demise of Streetwalkers, Roger embarked on a solo career which continues to this day. His first solo album, “Chappo”, was released in 1979 and gained critical acclaim in the UK and brought Roger considerable commercial success in Germany, where he would continue to enjoy popularity over the ensuing decades. By 1981 he had become a major artist in his own right, thanks to his energetic albums and live performances with his band The Shortlist. Between 1981 and 1985 he released the live double album “He Was…She Was…You Was…We Was” (1982) and three excellent studio works, “Hyenas Only Laugh For Fun” (1981), “Mango Crazy” (1983) and “The Shadow Knows” (1984). He had also gained attention thanks to his collaboration with Mike Oldfield on the track “Shadow On The Wall’ which was a worldwide hit single.

This 5CD clamshell boxed set featuring the classic Roger Chapman solo albums “Hyenas Only Laugh for Fun”, “He Was…She Was…You Was…We Was”, “Mango Crazy and “The Shadow Knows“. With an additional eight bonus tracks drawn from live recordings and singles. All newly remastered from the original master tapes. Including an illustrated booklet with new essay.

This boxed set has been newly remastered from the master tapes and gathers these albums along with a further eight bonus tracks drawn from the EP ‘Live In Berlin’ (1985) and singles. The set also includes an illustrated booklet with new essay and exclusive interview.

Esoteric Recordings Released originally 28/10/22

Released in October 1967, ‘We Are Ever So Clean’ was the wonderful debut album by Blossom Toes, one of Britain’s most imaginative bands of the late 1960s. Originally known as The Ingoes, the band featured Brian Gooding (guitar, vocals, keyboards), Jim Cregan (guitar, vocals), Brian Belshaw (bass, vocals) and Kevin Westlake (drums, percussion). Signing to Giorgio Gomelsky’s newly formed Marmalade Records in 1967, the band recorded their debut masterpiece throughout the Summer of that year.

Upon its release, it was described by Melody Maker as “Giorgio Gomelsky’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, although this was unfair. While the album did indeed reflect the style of the burgeoning British psychedelic rock movement, the album revealed Blossom Toes to be an innovative band and was a highly original work with such classic tracks as ‘Look At Me I’m You’ and ‘What On Earth’.

Blossom Toes existed for a short period in the late ’60s, transitioning quickly from an R&B/beat band to embrace Baroque instrumentation and vivid, cheery psychedelia on their 1967 debut “We Are Ever So Clean”. Released just four months after the Beatles’ world-shaking and similarly toned Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and weeks before The Who Sell Out, the album lived in the shadows of bigger musical events, and Blossom Toes lingered briefly in obscurity before disbanding in 1969.

After a few decades passed, however, the band, and their debut album in particular, began to take on a more clearly defined importance in the bigger picture of ’60s psychedelia. The bright, curious melodies of tracks like “What on Earth” are cut from a similar cloth as material the Kinks and the Pretty Things were releasing at the same time, but are filled out with an overabundance of brass, strings, and theatrical orchestral elements. “What’s It For?” feels like a happier, more thoughtful cousin of the Who, and songs like this and “The Remarkable Saga of the Frozen Dog” or “The Intrepid Balloonist’s Handbook, Vol. 1” carry the same charming British sense of absurdist humor as Bonzo Dog Band.

Blossom Toes’ song structures are unconventional, often including several sections that would most likely be cut from the average ’60s pop song. Even so, they never get assertive enough to reach prog territory, keeping a mild and approachable demeanor with light vocal harmonies and bounding bass grooves on “When the Alarm Clock Rings” and getting into backwards guitar solos and paisley-coloured dissonance on rocking standout “Look at Me I’m You” without losing their friendly melodic sensibilities. Childlike tunes like “People of the Royal Parks” indulge in all-out chamber twee. “We Are Ever So Clean” bears many of the hallmarks of better-known albums from its time, with its various pieces recalling everything from the soaring joy of the Idle Race and the happy-go-lucky mod pop of Small Faces to all of the previously mentioned bands.

Despite these clear similarities, the thread of genuine excitement and naïve positivity that runs throughout “We Are Ever So Clean” keeps the album from feeling like the result of Blossom Toes merely following the trends of their time. There’s barely a trace of darkness or anxiety in these wide-ranging songs, putting the album in a rare class of well-adjusted psychedelia.

Unfairly overlooked at the time of its release, ‘We Are Ever So Clean’ is regarded as one of the greatest psychedelic rock albums ever. This new official limited vinyl edition has been newly remastered and was cut at Abbey Road Studios. The LP is a facsimile of the original 1967 release and features an illustrated inner bag.

The album was reissued in 2007 by Sunbeam Records along with bonus tracks.