Delta Goodrem - How A Dream Looks (2014)

Delta Lea Goodrem was born in Sydney on 9 November 1984, and by age seven she had appeared in an American advertisement for the former toy company Galoob, alongside fellow Australian Bec Hewitt. Around the same age she began playing piano, and also took up singing, dancing and acting lessons, appearing in adverts for companies such as Optus and Nesquik, and she also had several minor roles in episodes of Australian television shows, including 'Hey Dad..!', 'A Country Practice', and 'Police Rescue'. At the age of thirteen, she recorded a five-song demo CD, financed through her television work, which was sent to her favourite Australian rules football club Sydney Swans, and they passed it onto talent manager Glenn Wheatley. Wheatley signed Goodrem to an artist development deal with independent record label, Empire Records, and between June 1999 and September 2000 she worked with producers Paul Higgins and Trevor Carter on thirteen tracks for an album, to be called 'Delta'. During the sessions she was described as "an ambitious 15-year-old keen to emulate the pop sound of the Spice Girls, Britney Spears and Mandy Moore." Although most of the tracks were written by Carter, Goodrem co-wrote two and self-wrote the song 'Love'. Higgins took the album to Village Roadshow, which offered to market and distribute it, but the deal was blocked by Goodrem's parents, and the album has yet to surface.

After signing a recording contract with Sony Music, she began work on an album of pop–dance songs, but the first single from it, 'I Don't Care', only peaked at number sixty four on the ARIA Singles Chart in November 2001, and so the album and proposed second single, 'A Year Ago Today', were pushed aside as a result, allowing Goodrem and Sony to re-evaluate her future musical direction. In 2002, she took up the role as shy schoolgirl and aspiring singer Nina Tucker in the popular television soap opera 'Neighbours', which helped re-launch her music career, when the piano-based ballad 'Born to Try' premiered on the show, and reached number one on the ARIA Singles Chart and the New Zealand singles chart, and number three in the UK. Her largely self-penned debut studio album, 'Innocent Eyes', was released on 24 March 2003 in Australia and debuted at number one on the ARIA Album Charts, breaking Australian records previously held by John Farnham's 'Whispering Jack' in 1986, by staying at number one for 29 consecutive weeks. In July, Goodrem was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a form of cancer, and this forced her to take a break from her career to undergo treatment, although singles from 'Innocent Eyes' kept her name in the public domain. In August 1999 she won seven ARIA Music Awards, including "Best Female Artist", surpassing Natalie Imbruglia's previous record of six awards in 1999. 

After announcing in late December 2003 that she was in remission from her cancer, Goodrem began work on her second studio album. In March 2004, while she was still undergoing cancer treatment, Higgins and Carter announced plans to release the album they had recorded with the then 15-year-old singer in 2000, igniting a bidding war amongst record companies. However, Goodrem and her family disapproved of the album's release, and a lawsuit was filed, claiming that the album was made up of unfinished demo recordings which were not fit for commercial release. After much coverage in the media, the case was settled in mediation, and in exchange for not releasing the album, Higgins and Carter received an unspecified payout. Her second studio album, 'Mistaken Identity', was released in Australia on 8 November 2004 and debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums chart. The third single from the album was 'Almost Here', a duet with Irish singer and then boyfriend Brian McFadden of Westlife, and it reached number three in the UK and became her seventh ARIA number one. On 15 March 2006, Goodrem performed a new song at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in front of 80,000 spectators, and up to 1.5 billion television viewers worldwide, with 'Together We Are One' being written specifically for the event. 

In October 2006, she promoted in Japan with the release of an updated version of 'Innocent Eyes', and the Japan-only single 'Flawed', which reached number one on the Japanese download chart. Goodrem's third studio album, the eponymous 'Delta', was released in Australia on 20 October 2007, and the material was a lot lighter compared to her previous album, which contained a number of songs written about her illness. On 24 November 2011, Goodrem was confirmed to be a part of the judging panel of the Australian version of 'The Voice' which aired in early 2012, coaching alongside Keith Urban, Joel Madden, and Seal. Some of her decisions on the show sparked criticism, with comments she was "all style" and "little substance", but despite that she returned for season two in 2013, again with Madden and Seal, with Ricky Martin replacing Urban. Her fourth studio album, 'Child Of The Universe', was released on 26 October 2012, and debuted at number two on the ARIA Charts, spending ten weeks in the top 50.  In November, she recorded a Christmas EP titled 'Christmas', and one of the tracks, 'Blue Christmas', was also featured on the album 'The Spirit of Christmas'. In November 2013 it was announced that Goodrem would not be returning to 'The Voice Australia' for the third season in 2014, but instead chose to be a part of the new Australian version of 'The Voice Kids', saying that this would give her more time on her music career and more time to work on her new studio album, although in 2015 she did return as a judge on 'The Voice Australia', and stayed there for the next six seasons. 

On 24 July 2015, Goodrem released 'Wings' as the lead single from her fifth studio album 'Wings Of The Wild', which peaked at number one on the ARIA Charts, and was certified double platinum, and the album followed on 1 July 2016. In 2017 she returned to television in the comedy drama series 'House Husbands', and she also became the V8 Supercars Australia ambassador, promoting the sport and being the official performer at the racing events throughout the year. In early 2021, Goodrem announced the release of her seventh studio album 'Bridge Over Troubled Dreams' for May of that year, alongside an autobiographical and photographic book bearing the same name, but the singles released from this record, and her albums over the previous seven years, no longer featured non-album tracks on the flips, and so this collection of rare singles, b-sides and bonus tracks ends in 2014. Goodrem's repertoire falls under the pop and adult contemporary styles, and heavily features the piano, which she usually plays barefoot while performing live. It has given her a long-lasting and well-respected career, particularly in Australia, but also in the rest of the world, selling over nine million albums globally. In June 2020, she launched the Delta Goodrem Foundation in partnership with St. Vincent's Hospital and The Kinghorn Cancer Centre, with the aim of raising funds for the acceleration of innovative blood cancer research, and if only for that reason, she deserves this three disc collection of her hard to find recordings.  

Track listing

Disc I - 2001-2005
01 I Don't Care (single 2001)
02 Hear Me Calling (b-side of 'Lost Without You' 2003) 
03 Right There Waiting (b-side of 'Not Me, Not I' 2003) 
04 Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (b-side of 'Not Me, Not I' 2003) 
05 Lost For Words (b-side of Innocent Eyes' 2003)  
06 Here I Am (b-side of 'Predictable' 2003)  
07 Love (outtake 2003)
08 Right Here In My Heart (bonus track on the digital edition of 'Delta' 2003)
09 Beautiful Madness (b-side of 'Out Of The Blue' 2004) 
10 Visualise (b-side of 'Out Of The Blue' 2004)  
11 Nobody Listened (bonus track on the Australian edition of 'Mistaken Identity' 2004)
12 Hollow No More (feat. Brian McFadden) (b-sidem of 'Almost Here' 2005) 

Disc II - 2005-2007
01 How A Dream Looks (b-side of 'Mistaken Identity' 2005)  
02 Silence Be Heard (b-side of 'Mistaken Identity' 2005) 
03 Turn You Away (b-sidem of 'Almost Here' 2005) 
04 If I Forget (b-side of 'A Little Too Late' 2005) 
05 The Riddle (b-side of 'A Little Too Late' 2005)  
06 Flawed (single 2006) 
07 Never Fades Away (b-side of 'Flawed' 2006)
08 Together We Are One (single 2006)
09 Take Me Home (b-side of 'In This Life' 2007)   
10 Fortune And Love (b-side of 'Believe Again' 2007) 
11 Unsure (b-side of 'Believe Again' 2007)  
12 Fever (b-side of 'Believe Again' 2007) 
13 Breathe In, Breathe Out (bonus track on Japanese edition of 'Delta' 2007)

Disc III - 2008-2014
01 Black Velvet (b-side of 'You Will Only Break My Heart' 2008)  
02 Burn For You (b-side of 'I Can't Break It To My Heart' 2008) 
03 Edge Of Seventeen (b-side of 'I Can't Break It To My Heart' 2008) 
04 I'm Not Ready (solo version of the Michael Bolton duet single 2011) 
05 Uncovered (b-side of 'Sitting On Top Of The World' 2012)  
06 Waiting Forever (b-side of 'Dancing With A Broken Heart' 2012)  
07 Rise (b-side of 'Wish You Were Here' 2012)  
08 Daughter (b-side of 'Wish You Were Here' 2012)  
09 Alcohol (bonus track on the iTunes edition of 'Child Of The Universe' 2012)
10 No Communication (bonus track on the iTunes edition of 'Child Of The Universe' 2012)
11 Heart Hypnotic (single 2013)
12 Stay (b-side of 'Love...Thy Will Be Done' 2014)

Airbag - Sounds That I Hear - The Best Of Airbag (2024)

I've already posted a rarities album from Norwegian progressive rockers Airbag, but as that was more for people who were already fans of the band, I'm posting this 'Best Of...' to introduce them to anyone who has yet to experience their brand of superb neo-prog rock. Formed in Oslo, Norway in 2004, Airbag's consist of guitarist/vocalist Asle Tostrup, guitarist Bjørn Riis, keyboardist Jørgen Hagen, drummer Joachim Slikker, and bassist Anders Hovdan, and they recorded their first EP in their first year together. Entitled 'Come On', it was followed by 2006's 'Sounds That I Hear' and 'Safetree' in 2008, and all three EPs were initially offered for free on the band's website, going on to register over 230,000 downloads, paving the way for incoming interest from Karisma Records, with whom the band signed a deal in 2008. Their debut full-length album arrived in 2009, with 'Identity' featuring remixed versions of songs from their second and third EPs, and the album was very well received, with its lead single, 'Colours', managednotching up a top three hit on Polish radio. Their follow-up, 2011's 'All Rights Removed', saw the band adopt a more conceptual approach, favoring longer pieces and a more dramatic instrumentation. For its release, Slikker left the band and was replaced by Henrik Bergan Fossum, and it went on to receive numerous plaudits from the world of prog rock, and featured on many end-of-year lists. After opening for rock giants Marillion during their Scandinavian tour in 2012, Airbag's third release, 'The Greatest Show On Earth', landed the following year, with the band adopting a heavier, more guitar-driven approach to their music, a feeling echoed in the darker and more destructive content of their lyrics. Their fourth effort, 'Disconnected', was released in June 2016, after which Hagen and Hovdan left the band, with the remaining members deciding to press on as a trio, releasing their fifth album, 'A Day At The Beach', in 2020. Their most recent release was last year's 'The Century Of The Self', which was yet another neo-prog masterpiece, and if you don't already know of Airbag then do yourself a favour and sample some of their best work on this album.  

Track listing

01 White Walls (from 'All Rights Removed' 2011) 
02 Killer (from 'Disconnected' 2016) 
03 Redemption (from 'The Greatest Show On Earth' 2013) 
04 Dysphoria (from 'The Century Of The Self' 2024)
05 Machines And Men (from 'A Day At The Beach' 2020)
06 Colours (from 'Identity' 2009)
07 All Rights Removed (from 'All Rights Removed' 2011) 
08 Call Me Back (from 'The Greatest Show On Earth' 2013) 
09 Sounds That I Hear (from 'Identity' 2009) 
10 Broken (from 'Disconnected' 2016) 

Cirdan - The Fate Of The Dragon Prince (2025)

Our favourite Dutch prog rock collective Círdan return with their sophomore effort, 'The Fate Of The Dragon Prince', a bold and immersive album that expands on the Tolkien-meets-cosmic mythology hinted at in their debut. With influences ranging from classic Yes and Camel, to the cinematic textures of post-rock and jazz fusion, this album is a significant artistic leap forward, being tighter, and more compositionally ambitious. The album begins with 'Space Circus', setting out their stall from the beginning, with Sanne de Vries' vocals giving the band their distinctive sound. 'Labyrinth Of The Mind' is a reflective ballad, with emphasis on acoustic guitars, while the eight-minute 'Retreat' is epic prog, featuring some superb interplay between synths and guitar. The six-minute 'Symphony Of The Universe' makes nice use of tightly structured harmony vocals, and leads into a short homage to Yes, 'The Khatru Process', which takes random phrases from the band and weaves them into a loving tribute. The centre-piece of the album is the title track, which is something of a departure for the group, being a 12-minute fantasy epic, complete with shifting time signatures and some excellent instrumental passages, while the album closes with the slow, moody 'Why'. Círdan’s 'The Fate Of The Dragon Prince' is a triumph of mood, structure, and sonic world-building, and while not as instantly accessible as their debut, it rewards deep listening. 

Track listing

01 Space Circus
02 Labyrinth Of The Mind
03 Retreat
04 Cosmic Reflections
05 Symphony Of The Universe
06 The Khatru Process
07 The Fate Of The Dragon Prince  
08 Why

The Stained Glass - Dollar Sign Friends (1967)

In 1964 guitarist Roger Hedge joined up with bass player Jim McPherson, guitarist Bob Rominger, and drummer Dennis Carrasco to form The Trolls. All four members were vocalists, and, for its time, the group had an impressive vocal capability, which no only enabled them to sing accurate covers, but to create unique and melodic vocal arrangements on original material, setting them apart from most of their competition. Hedge put the group together, invested personal funds for equipment and promotion, and was the leader and business manager for the first couple of years, while they performed in and around the San Jose area, self-releasing a single, 'Walkin' Shoes', which sold out in a matter of weeks in San Jose. By the end of 1966 they had been snapped up by RCA Records, and they started writing their own material for their future recordings. It was mostly written by McPherson, with some written by Hedge, some by Rominger, and with Carrasco co-writing a few, and the songs were partially a mixture of rock, folk, blues, and Merseybeat, but had a distinctive original sound. The band decided that they needed a change of name, and so chose The Stained Glass Window, but they felt is was a but cumbersome, and so when a mistake on some paperwork left off the word 'Window', they accepted it and became The Stained Glass. RCA had them record a Beatles tune, 'If I Needed Someone', which they hoped would not be released by the Beatles in the US, and the record got enough play in late 1966 to justify a short tour of the East Coast a while later, with the group playing a few gigs, and doing some recording at the RCA studios in New York City. However, The Beatles did release the track on their own album, 'Yesterday And Today' which slowed the sales of the Stained Glass version. 

When The band entered the studios in February 1967, they realized what being signed to a record company entailed, as RCA wanted them to record songs by other songwriters. None of them were suitable, but  then they hit upon 'We Got A Long Way To Go', which was penned by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, and which was totally different to the type of songs the group usually recorded. During recording, effects were used to create feedback and sustain which was very different from previous singles, giving it a psychedelic sound, as pop and rock combine on a hook-laden track which The Stained Glass hoped would be their breakthrough single. Unfortunately the record wasn't the hit that they'd hoped, and more turmoil hit the group later that year, when Hedge was asked to leave the band due to differences in musical direction, and in the Spring of 1968 their recording contract was taken over by Capitol Records. They released three singles for the label, one of which was the non-album song 'Lady In Lace' written by McPherson and backed by 'Soap And Turkey (On A Pyramid)', written by Rominger. An LP, 'Crazy Horse Roads', was released in 1968, and had some controversial album art, in what appeared to be a photograph of the three of them all hanging by the neck from the branch of a tall tree. In 1969, Rominger left and was replaced by Tom Bryant, and a second album, 'Aurora', was recorded by the new line-up, but it didn't sell any better than the first one, and despite positive critical reviews, neither the singles nor the albums made any commercial impact, and the group disbanded in November 1969. Before the upheaval in 1968, when Hedge was removed and they lost their RCA contact, the band were often to be found in the recording studio, and they had taped enough material by the end of 1967 to release an album featuring their original line-up, which could have capitalised on the success of the 'We Got A Long Way To Go' single, but it wasn't to be, and so they became another in a long line of lost and forgotten late 60's pop bands. To remind us of what could have been, here is what that 1967 debut album could have sounded like.  

Track listing

01 We Got A Long Way To Go
02 Broken Man
03 If I Needed Someone
04 Inside Ouch
05 Too Fit To Be Tied
06 A Scene In-Between
07 Revenge Is Sweet
08 Mediocre Me
09 Lonely Am I
10 My Buddy Sin
11 Second Day
12 Dollar Sign Friends
13 Bubble Machine
14 Mr Martyr

Lanterns On The Lake - Through The Cellar Door - The Best Of Lanterns On The Lake (2023)

I was pleased to see an anonymous comment on the recent Rick Miller post, which said "Hadn't heard of him until I read this. Not being a fan of bombastic prog, this collection hits the sweet spot. Lovely immersive lengthy pieces that transport you away for a while". That's exactly what these 'Best Of...' posts are all about, for you to discover new artists that I've loved for years, but who are still mostly unknown to the majority of people. And so on that note......
Lanterns on The Lake were founded in Newcastle in 2007, with the members coming together after playing with other bands on the local scene. Vocalist and guitarist Hazel Wilde was then engaged to guitarist Paul Gregory, and both were in a group with drummer Oliver Ketteringham, while Wilde and violinist Sarah Kemp were old school friends. Brothers Brendan (bass) and Adam Sykes (guitar, vocals) completed the line-up, and with a limited budget and a D.I.Y. ethos, they borrowed an 8-track recorder and set about creating their first two releases, 2008's 'Starlight EP', and the following years 'Misfortunes & Minor Victories', capturing the intimacy that was afforded to them by recording in their own homes and an abandoned house in Northumberland. They self-released the records with handmade sleeves, and organized a series of gigs in obscure places, such as a boat house on the Tyne River and the Tan Hill Inn, highest pub in Britain, garnering a strong following in the process. They eventually signed to the Bella Union label in 2011, and although they were given a recording budget for their debut album, 'Gracious Tide, Take Me Home', it was captured in a very similar vein to their EPs. Gregory oversaw production and escalating instrumentation, which featured guitars, violin, mandolin, piano, synths, and glockenspiels, while imagery of the sea and water resonated throughout the bands work. The Sykes brothers parted ways with the group in 2012, and the remaining members carried on, releasing sophomore album 'Until The Colours Run' in 2013. The following year, Kemp also left the band, so they added strings player Angela Chan and bassist Bob Allan to the official line-up, which recorded 2015's 'Beings' in isolation in their Newcastle rehearsal space. With the return of all five members from 'Beings', the band's fourth studio album, 'Spook The Herd', arrived on Bella Union in early 2020, and it was shortlisted for that years Mercury Prize. Three years passed before we heard from the band again, but 2023's 'Versions Of Us' was another great album from them, this time co-produced by Radiohead's Phil Selway, who also contributed drums to the album. If you have heard of this band then it is probably due to their hauntingly beautiful 'Don't Have Nightmares' being specially written and performed for the BBC Radio 4 series 'Uncanny', but if that is the only thing that you know from them then do sample their other work on this collection, as they have much more to offer than that one song.    

Track listing

01 Through The Cellar Door (from 'Beings' 2015)
02 Not Going Back To The Harbour (from 'Gracious Tide, Take Me Home' 2011) 
03 Another Tale From Another English Town (from 'Until The Colours Run' 2013) 
04 I Love You, Sleepyhead (from 'Gracious Tide, Take Me Home' 2011) 
05 String Theory (from 'Versions of Us' 2023) 
06 Lungs Quicken (from 'Gracious Tide, Take Me Home' 2011) 
07 The Likes Of Us (from 'Versions Of Us' 2023) 
08 Every Atom (from 'Spook The Herd' 2020)  
09 Of Dust And Matter (from 'Beings' 2015) 
10 Ships In The Rain (from 'Gracious Tide, Take Me Home' 2011) 
11 Real Life (from 'Versions Of Us' 2023)
12 Don't Have Nightmares (theme from the BBC Radio show 'Uncanny' 2021)
13 A Kingdom (from 'Gracious Tide, Take Me Home' 2011) 
14 Faultlines (from 'Beings' 2015) 
15 Swimming Lessons (from 'Spook The Herd '2020)

Eurythmics - Version (2005)

Eurythmics were one of the most successful duos to emerge in the early '80s, as where most of their British synth pop contemporaries disappeared from the charts as soon as new wave faded in 1984, Eurythmics continued to have hits until the end of the decade, making their technically consummate, soul-styled vocalist Annie Lennox a star in her own right, as well as establishing instrumentalist Dave Stewart as a successful, savvy producer and songwriter. Originally, the duo channelled the eerily detached sound of electronic synthesizer music into pop songs driven by robotic beats, but by the mid-'80s, singles like 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)' and 'Here Comes The Rain Again' had made the group into international stars, and Eurythmics had begun to experiment with their sound, delving into soul and R&B. By the late '80s, they were having trouble cracking the Top 40 in America, although they stayed successful in the U.K, and so in the early '90s the band took an extended hiatus, with both Lennox and Stewart pursuing solo careers. They reunited occasionally for tours or recording, and during these sessions they often laid down cover versions of their favourite songs, no doubt inspired by their 1983 recording of Lou Reed's 'Satellite Of Love', which they'd added to a promo cassette consisting of leftovers from the 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)' album. A few of these tracks were used as singles or b-sides, but most were left unreleased, and so by 2005 they had enough recordings to be able to release them as an album, but instead their record company issued the 'Ultimate Collection' compilation, and so that idea was shelved. So as not to waste these recordings, here is the album that Eurythmics could have released for their second comeback in 2005. 

Track listing

01 Come Together
02 Fame
03 My Guy
04 Satellite Of Love
05 Hello I Love You
06 Last Night I Dreamed That Somebody Loved Me
07 Life On Mars
08 Something In The Air
09 Tous Les Garsons Et Les Filles
10 Wrap It Up
11 Winter Wonderland

The Beach Boys - Surf Jams (1969)

From their very first album, 1962's 'Surfin' Safari', The Beach Boys have included instrumental tracks on their records, and some of them are as good as the songs themselves. Early recordings were very much in the Shadows/Ventures style of rhythmic guitar-led pieces, but it wasn't long before they were coming up with lushly orchestrated tracks like 'Summer Means New Love', which fore-shadowed the classic 'Pet Sounds' title track. Many of these instrumentals were gathered together for a Japanese-only CD back in 1994, but that missed off some of the later tracks, and also included some below-par recordings just for the sake of it, so this post tidies up that release to include just the best of them, and I hope that it serves as a small tribute to Brian Wilson, following his sad passing a couple of weeks ago.  

Track listing

01 Moon Dawg
02 Misirlou
03 Stoked
04 Honky Tonk
05 Surf Jam
06 Let's Go Trppin'
07 The Rocking Surfer
08 Boogie Woodie
09 After The Game
10 Shut Down, Part 2
11 Carl's Big Chance
12 Summer Means New Love
13 Let's Go Away For Awhile
14 Pet Sounds
15 Mona Kana
16 Look (Song For Children)
17 Holidays
18 Trombone Dixie
19 Fall Breaks And Back To Winter (Woody Woodpeckers Symphony)
20 Diamond Head

Jentina - Do Not Disturb (2005)

Jentina Rose Rees (née Chapman) was born 6 March 1984 in Woking, England to a Romani family that consisted of fourteen children. When she was one year old, her family moved to West Molesey, Surrey, and she got her first recording contract at the age of nineteen, whilst working in a computer shop. After an advertising campaign on television, and features in various UK music magazines, her debut single 'Bad Ass Strippa' was released in the summer of 2004, reaching number 22 in the UK Singles Chart. Her second single was released in the autumn of 2004, with 'French Kisses' being co-written by Jentina along with Cathy Dennis and Greg Wells. It was a more electro-hop/R&B-oriented song, and entered the UK chart at number 20, after which she released one more single, although 'Mysterious' was only available in Italy, where it reached the Top 30 in the Italian charts. As a result of this success in Italy, her debut album 'Jentina' was released solely in that country. In 2005, 'Bad Ass Strippa', 'French Kisses' and 'Mysterious' gained worldwide exposure after featuring in episodes of 'CSI: NY', while in 2006 'Mysterious' underscored some of the audition stages of MTV's 'DanceLife'. Jentina was also a professional model, representing lingerie brand Wonderbra in November 2007, following on from the likes of Eva Herzigová and Caprice, and during 2011 she was in the judging panel for 'Travellers Got Talent'. She never did any more recording, and so the re-named 'Do Not Disturb' is the only record of her musical career, and even that is now extremely hard to locate, so here is your chance to hear her one and only album.

Track listing

01 Mysterious  
02 Bad Ass Strippa  
03 Wonderfoul Day  
04 French Kisses  
05 Feels Good 
06 Gone  
07 Here I Come 
08 Sneakers  
09 Eenie Meenie  
10 Smoke 
11 Baby  
12 Hard Times

The Rolling Stones - Gathering Up All That Moss (2020)

Just before I went on holiday I received an email from AJ, who had sent me the two excellent 'Gathered Up Moss' collections from The Rolling Stones a few years ago. The jist of the message was that they have now realised that "in hindsight there were a lot of problems with that compilation. I didn't pay much attention to the exact sources I picked from, I was missing some some tracks, and all in all I didn't do nearly enough research as I could've. I decided to revisit it recently and after a couple weeks on and off what I compiled ended up being much more expansive: 10 discs split across 5 volumes - over 9 hours of content!
The first two volumes are essentially a do-over of my previous version but with nicer quality - non-album singles, B-sides, and compilation exclusives primarily - however I decided to include the EPs I omitted last time, following in the steps of how The Beatles' Past Masters includes the Long Tall Sally EP. The compilation consists of mono mixes wherever they're available (unless the mono mix is just a stereo fold-down). These are sorted by either release date or recording day if the gap between the recording and release is significant enough. The next two volumes consist of alternate mixes, including stereo mixes, singles versions of album songs, radio edits, 12" versions and the like - these are sorted by release date always (with the exception of bootleg stereo mixes, which are instead based on the release date of their respective mono mixes). The final volume consists of live tracks not included on the official live albums, including the 1965 'Got Live If You Want It!' EP and several B-sides over the years. These are sorted by performance date. All in all - with the exception of outtakes present on super deluxe reissues and the MANY (often not very good) remixes - this is to my knowledge now a complete compilation of every single officially released track not present on The Rolling Stones' UK album catalogue."
So here is the complete, updated post, which should stand as the ultimate Rolling Stones non-album track collection.  

Track listings

Vol. 1 (Studio Tracks: The Decca Years)
Disc 1 (1963-1965)
01 Come On (7" single 1963-06-07)
02 I Want To Be Loved (b-side of 'Come On')
03 Poison Ivy (Version 1) (7" single 1963-08-28)
04 Fortune Teller (b-side of 'Poison Ivy')
05 I Wanna Be Your Man (7" single 1963-11-01)
06 Stoned (b-side of 'I Wanna Be Your Man')
07 Bye Bye Johnny (from 'The Rolling Stones' 7" EP 1964-01-10)
08 Money (from 'The Rolling Stones' 7" EP 1964-01-10)
09 You Better Move On (from 'The Rolling Stones' 7" EP 1964-01-10)
10 Poison Ivy (Version 2) (from 'The Rolling Stones' 7" EP 1964-01-10)
11 Not Fade Away (7" single 1964-02-21)
12 It's All Over Now (7" single 1964-06-26)
13 Good Times, Bad Times (b-side of 'It's All Over Now')
14 If You Need Me (from the 'Five By Five' 7" EP 1964-08-14)
15 Empty Heart (from the 'Five By Five' 7" EP 1964-08-14)
16 2120 South Michigan Avenue (from the 'Five By Five' 7" EP 1964-08-14)
17 Confessin' The Blues (from the 'Five By Five' 7" EP 1964-08-14)
18 Around And Around (from the 'Five By Five' 7" EP 1964-08-14)
19 Time Is on My Side (7" single 1964-09-25)
20 Congratulations (b-side of 'Time Is On My Side')
21 Little Red Rooster (7" single 1964-11-13)
22 Everybody Needs Somebody To Love (from 'The Rolling Stones, Now!' album 1965-02-13)
23 Surprise, Surprise (from 'The Rolling Stones, Now!' album 1965-02-13)
24 The Last Time (7" single 1965-02-26)
25 Play With Fire (b-side of 'The Last Time')
26 I've Been Loving You Too Long (from 'Got Live If You Want It!' 1966-11-28)
27 One More Try (from 'Out Of Our Heads' 1965-07-30)

Disc 2 (1965-1969)
01 (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (7" single 1965-08-20)
02 The Spider And The Fly (b-side of '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction')
03 Get Off Of My Cloud (7" single 1965-10-22)
04 The Singer Not The Song (b-side of 'Get Off Of My Cloud')
05 Look What You've Done (from 'December's Children (And Everybody's)' 1965-12-04)
06 Blue Turns To Grey (from 'December's Children (And Everybody's)' 1965-12-04)
07 Ride On, Baby (from 'Flowers' 1967-06-26) - recorded 1965-12-04
08 Sittin' On A Fence (from 'Flowers' 1967-06-26, recorded 1965-12-03/08)
09 As Tears Go By (7" single 1965-12-18)
10 19th Nervous Breakdown (7" single 1966-02-04)
11 Sad Day (b-side of '19th Nervous Breakdown')
12 Con Le Mie Lacrime (As Tears Go By) (7" single 1966-04)
13 Paint It Black (7" single 1966-05-13)
14 Long Long While (b-side of 'Paint It Black')
15 My Girl (from the 'Flowers' album 1967-06-26)
16 Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow? (7" single 1966-09-23)
17 Who's Driving Your Plane? (b-side of 'Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow?')
18 Let's Spend The Night Together (7" single 1967-01-13)
19 Ruby Tuesday (b-side of 'Let's Spend The Night Together')
20 We Love You (7" single 1967-08-18)
21 Dandelion (b-side of 'We Love You')
22 Jumpin' Jack Flash (7" single 1968-05-24)
23 Child Of The Moon (rmk) (b-side of 'Jumpin' Jack Flash')
24 Honky Tonk Women (7" single 1969-07-04)

Vol. 2 (Studio Tracks: The Rolling Stones Years)
Disc 1 (1974-1994)
01 Through The Lonely Nights (7" single 1974-07-26)
02 Everything's Turning To Gold -(b-side of 'Shattered' 7" 1978-11-29)
03 If I Was a Dancer (Dance Pt. 2) (from 'Sucking In The Seventies' 1981-03-09)
04 I Think I'm Going Mad (b-side of 'She Was Hot' 7" 1984-01-23)
05 Fancyman Blues (b-side of 'Mixed Emotions' 7" 1989-08-21)
06 Cook Cook Blues (b-side of 'Rock And A Hard Place' 7" 1989-10)
07 Wish I'd Never Met You (b-side of 'Terrifying' 7" 1990-02-26)
08 Sex Drive (from the 'Flashpoint Live' album 1991-04-08)
09 Highwire (fro the 'Flashpoint Live' album 1991-04-08)
10 The Storm (b-side of 'Love Is Strong' 7" 1994-07-04)
11 So Young (b-side of 'Love Is Strong' CD Single 1994-07-04)

Disc 2 (1994-2020)
01 Jump On Top Of Me (b-side of 'You Got Me Rocking' 7" 1994-09-26)
02 I'm Gonna Drive (b-side of 'Out Of Tears' 7" 1994-11-28)
03 Honest I Do (from the 'Hope Floats' soundtrack 1998-05-28, recorded 1995-03)
04 Anyway You Look At It (b-side of 'Saint Of Me' CD Single 1998-01-26)
05 Hurricane (charity single 2005-11, recorded 2002-05/06)
06 Don't Stop (from the 'Forty Licks' compilation 2002-09-30)
07 Keys To Your Love (from the 'Forty Licks' compilation 2002-09-30)
08 Stealing My Heart (from the 'Forty Licks' compilation 2002-09-30)
09 Losing My Touch (from the 'Forty Licks' compilation 2002-09-30)
10 Watching The River Flow (from 'Boogie 4 Stu: A Tribute To Ian Stewart' album 2011-04-19)

11 Doom And Gloom (single 2012-10-11)
12 One More Shot (from the 'GRRR!' compilation 2012-11-12)
13 Living In A Ghost Town (digital single 2020-04-23)

Vol. 3 (Alternate Mixes: The Decca Years)
Disc 1 (1964-1968)
01 Tell Me (7" Version) (7" single 1964-06-12)
02 The Last Time (Stereo) (Private collections, several bootlegs 1965-02-26)
03 The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man (Uncensored 7" Version) - (b-side of 

                                                                                   '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' 1965-06-04)
04 19th Nervous Breakdown (Stereo) (Private collections, several bootlegs 1966-02-04)
05 Out Of Time (US Mono Version) (from 'Aftermath' 1966-04-15)
06 Out Of Time (US Stereo Version) (from 'Aftermath' 1966-04-15)
07 Paint It Black (Stereo) (from 'Aftermath' 1966-04-15)
08 Stupid Girl (7" Version) (b-side of 'Paint It Black' 1966-05-06)
09 Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow? (Stereo) (Bootleg 1966-09-23)
10 Let's Spend The Night Together (Stereo) (from 'Between The Buttons' 1967-01-20)
11 Ruby Tuesday (Stereo) (from  'Between The Buttons' 1967-01-20)
12 Ride On, Baby (Stereo) (from 'Flowers' 1967-06-26)
13 Sittin' On A Fence (Stereo) (from 'Flowers' 1967-06-26)
14 Street Fighting Man (7" Version) (7" single 1968-08-30)
15 Sympathy For The Devil (Mono) (from 'Beggars Banquet' 1968-12-06)

Disc 2 (1969-2002)
01 Honky Tonk Women (Stereo) (German 7" single 1969-07-04)
02 You Can't Always Get What You Want (7" Mono Version) 

                                                                             (b-side of 'Honky Tonk Women' 1969-07-04)
03 You Can't Always Get What You Want (German 7" Stereo Version) 

                                                                             (b-side of 'Honky Tonk Women' 1969-07-04)
04 We Love You (Stereo) (from the 'Through The Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)' 1969-09-12)
05 Dandelion (Stereo) - (from 'Through The Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)' album 1969-09-12)
06 Jumpin' Jack Flash (Stereo) (from 'Through The Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2' 1969-09-12)
07 Child Of The Moon (rmk) (Stereo) (from 'Through The Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)' 1969-09-12)

08 It's All Over Now (Stereo) (from 'Big Hits (High Tide And Green Grass)' repress 1970)

09 Everybody Needs Somebody To Love (Stereo) (b-side of 'Street Fighting Man' 1971)
10 Get Off Of My Cloud (Stereo) - (from the 'Hot Rocks' MSFL pressing 1984)
11 Play With Fire (Stereo) (from 'Hot Rocks 1' London CD 1985)
12 (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (Stereo) (from 'Hot Rocks 1' London CD 1985)
13 I've Been Lovin' You Too Long (Stereo) (from 'More Hot Rocks 

                                                                             (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies)' CD 2002-08-20)
14 19th Nervous Breakdown (ABKCO Mono Mix) (from 'Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass)'

                                                                                                                           CD 2002-08-27)

Vol. 4 (Alternate Mixes: The Rolling Stones Years)
Disc 1 (1971-1990)
01 Brown Sugar (7" Mono Mix 1971-04-16)
02 Miss You (7" Version 1978-05-10)
03 Miss You (12" Version 1978-05-10)
04 Far Away Eyes (Edited 7" (1978-05-10)
05 Emotional Rescue (Promo 7" 45 Version 1980-06-10)
06 Undercover Of The Night (Dub Version 12" 1983-10-31)
07 One Hit (to the Body) (Single Edit 7" 1986-05-09)
08 Mixed Emotions (7" Version 1989-08-21)
09 Mixed Emotions (Chris Kimsey's 12" 1989-08-21)
10 Rock And A Hard Place (7" Version 1989-10)
11 Terrifying (7" Re-Mix Edit 1990-03)
12 Terrifying (12" Remix 1990-05)

Disc 2 (1991-2005)
01 Highwire (Single Edit 7" 1991-03-04)
02 Sexdrive (Single Edit CD Single 1991-08-19)
03 Sexdrive (Dirty Hands Mix CD Single 1991-08-19)
04 Love Is Strong (Bob Clearmountain Remix CD Single 1994-07-04)
05 Out Of Tears (Don Was Edit CD Single 1994-11-28)
06 Sparks Will Fly (Radio Clean CD Single 1994-11-28)
07 Like A Rolling Stone (Edited CD Single 1995-10-30)
08 Anybody Seen My Baby? (LP Edited CD Single 1997-09-22)
09 Saint Of Me (Radio Edit CD Single 1998-01-26)
10 Out Of Control (Radio Edit CD Single 1998-08)
11 Don't Stop (Edited CD Single 2002-09-30)
12 Don't Stop (New Rock Mix CD Single 2002-09-30)
13 Rain Fall Down (Radio Edited CD Single 2005-12-05)

Vol. 5 (Live Tracks)
Disc 1 (1965-1991)
01 We Want The Stones (from the 'Got Live If You Want It!' EP 1965-06-11)
02 Everybody Needs Somebody to Love (from the 'Got Live If You Want It!' EP 1965-06-11)
03 Pain In My Heart (from the 'Got Live If You Want It!' EP 1965-06-11)
04 Route 66 (from the 'Got Live If You Want It!' EP 1965-06-11)
05 I'm Moving On (from the 'Got Live If You Want It!' EP 1965-06-11)
06 I'm Alright (from the 'Got Live If You Want It!' EP 1965-06-11)
07 Let It Rock (b-side of 'Brown Sugar' 7" 1971-04-16)
08 Mannish Boy (from 'Sucking in the Seventies' 1981-03-09)
09 Beast Of Burden (b-side of 'Going To A Go-Go' 7" 1982-06-01)
10 Play With Fire (from the 'Ruby Tuesday' CD Single 1991-05-24)
11 Undercover Of The Night (from the 'Ruby Tuesday' CD Single 1991-05-24)
12 2000 Light Years From Home (b-side of 'Highwire' 7" 1991-03-04)
13 Harlem Shuffle (from the 'Ruby Tuesday' CD Single 1991-05-24)
14 I Just Want To Make Love to You (from the 'Highwire CD Single 1991-03-04)
15 Street Fighting Man (from the 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' CD Single 1991-11-29)

Disc 2 (1995-2006)
01 I Go Wild (CD Single 1995-04-03)
02 All Down The Line (from the 'Like A Rolling Stone' CD Single 1995-10-30)
03 Tumbling Dice (from the 'Wild Horses' CD Single 1996-03-11)
04 Live With Me (from the 'Wild Horses' CD Single 1996-03-11)
05 Black Limousine (from the 'Like A Rolling Stone' CD Single '1995-10-30)
06 Gimme Shelter (from the 'Saint Of Me' CD Single 1998-01-26)
07 Thru And Thru (from the 'Rarities 1971-2003' CD 2005-11-21)
08 Before They Make Me Run (from the 'Biggest Mistake' CD Single 2006-08-21)
09 Hand Of Fate (from the 'Biggest Mistake' CD Single 2006-08-21)
10 Dance, Part 1 (from the 'Biggest Mistake' CD Single 2006-08-21)

I've left AJ's original notes in the folder, which give a bit more info about each track. 

 

Oasis - The Reunion (2025)

As a logical follow-up to the recent post of the lost 1996 live album from Oasis, it's only fitting that I now post the first night of their reunion tour, recorded at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on 4 July 2025. There isn't much else to say about this post, as anyone who doesn't know what it is must have been living on a different planet for the past year.   

Track listing

01 Intro
02 Hello
03 Acquiesce
04 Morning Glory
05 Some Might Say
06 Bring It On Down
07 Cigarettes & Alcohol
08 Fade Away
09 Supersonic
10 Roll With It
11 Talk Tonight
12 Half The World Away
13 Little By Little
14 D'You Know What I Mean?
15 Stand By Me
16 Cast No Shadow
17 Slide Away
18 Whatever
19 Live Forever
20 Rock 'n' Roll Star
21 Audience
22 The Masterplan
23 Don't Look Back In Anger
24 Wonderwall
25 Champagne Supernova

The Amazing - Through The Cracks - The Best Of The Amazing (2024)

The Amazing is a Swedish psychedelic indie rock band known for their dreamy, panoramic sound. Founded by established members of the Swedish indie scene, including Christoffer Gunrup (Granada), Reine Fiske (Dungen), Johan Holmegard (Dungen and Life On Earth!), and Fredrik Swahn (Anna Järvinen), they've created a unique sonic landscape with intertwining guitars, textured keyboards, and a rhythm section that veers in unexpected directions. The band came together after Gunrup's previous group, Granada, disbanded, and he invited Dungen's guitarist Reine Fiske and drummer Fredrik Björling to join him on stage, eventually solidifying the lineup with Fredrik Swahn on guitar and keys, Alexis Benson on bass, and Moussa Fadera on drums. The music they produce is characterized by its expansive, spatial quality and strong pop sensibility, often described as a blend of 1960's California pop rock and 1970's British folk rock. Following two singles on Fashionpolice Records in 2009, they released their self-titled debut the same year, before moving from Fashionpolice to Subliminal Sounds for the 'Wait For A Light To Come' mini-album. The band experienced a lineup shift after their second album, 'Gentle Stream', in 2011, with Johan Holmegard departing and Alexis Benson and Moussa Fadera joining as bassist and drummer, respectively. 'Picture You' followed in 2015, picking up some welcome critical acclaim and public appreciation, and so by the time of 'Ambulance' in 2016 and 'In Transit' in 2018, fans knew that they could expect to hear some first-rate indie-rock. Their latest album was released just last year, with 'Piggies' being another superb record from a band who can seemingly do no wrong. If you have yet to experience one of Sweden's finest exports then dive into this carefully selected collection of their best moments, including their U.S. breakthrough single 'Gone', and their tribute to Fleetwood Mac guitarist Danny Kirwan.  

Track listing

01 Dragon (from 'The Amazing' 2009)
02 Picture You (from 'Picture You' 2015)
03 Through The Cracks (from 'Piggies' 2024)
04 Circles (from 'Picture You' 2015)
05 The Kirwan Song (from 'The Amazing' 2009)
06 Fryshusfunk (from 'Picture You' 2015)
07 Gone (from 'Gentle Stream' 2011)
08 Pull (from 'In Transit' 2018)
09 Ambulance (from 'Ambulance' 2016)
10 Defect (from 'Wait For A Light To Come' 2010)
11 Gentle Stream (from 'Gentle Stream' 2011)

Jay Electronica - Act II: Patents Of Nobility (The Turn) (2012)

Soon after American rapper Jay Electronica released his debut mixtape 'Act I: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge)' in 2007, he announced 'Act II' as a follow-up, and a track listing was revealed in 2012. Several songs from the project were released as loose singles that he dropped over the years, among these being 'Life On Mars', 'Better In Tune', 'Road To Perdition', 'Shiny Suit Theory', and 'Letter To Falon', but despite 'Act I: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge)' being intended as the first part of a trilogy, with each title being inspired by the 2006 British-American film 'The Prestige', 'Act II' failed to appear. Following the official release of his hit single 'Exhibit C', he announced on American music station Shade 45 that 'Act II' would be released on Christmas Day 2009, but American record producer Just Blaze confirmed shortly after that the album would miss this date. In 2011, Electronica announced that the newly-titled 'Act II: Patents Of Nobility (The Turn)' was complete, and he shared a track listing on his Twitter page in 2012. The album apparently included guest appearances from American rappers Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Sean Combs, American singer The-Dream, and English-French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, amongst others. However, 2013 passed with no sign of the record, and in 2014, he again announced that it would be releasing that year. Five long years later he announced that he had finally completed work on his official debut album, recorded over the course of 40 days, and  'A Written Testimony' was released on 13 March 2020, nearly thirteen years after the release of 'Act I'. 

Over the years several tracks from 'Act II' had leaked online, including 'Memories & Merlot' and 'Real Magic', and so it was perhaps no surprise that the entire album leaked in October 2020, after a group of internet users on Discord raised $9,000 to purchase it from a hacker. Shortly after the leak, Electronica went to his Twitter and Instagram to acknowledge the leak and thanked his fans for the warm response to the album, and he confirmed that he would try to clear the samples, then get it on Tidal as soon as possible. The following day, he posted a link on his Twitter page to the official Tidal release, but on 28 October 2020, the album was taken down from Tidal for unknown reasons. A month later, he revealed in his Discord server that the finished version of 'Act II' has unreleased verses from Kanye West, and that he would try to get them cleared before re-releasing the album. In a side-note, when the album was leaked, the leaker accidentally uploaded the project with a typo in the title: a "The" was written before "Patents", when that was never actually meant to be in the title, which was always meant to be 'Act II: Patents of Nobility (The Turn)'. A day after the leak occurred, Electronica's team uploaded that exact leaked zip-file onto Tidal, rather than a mixed and mastered version, and so the typo with the extra "The" was left in it, and that is now canonically the official title of the album. There have been mixed signals over whether a final mixed and mastered version would be released onto all platforms, but knowing how long this project took to come out, if that is the plan, it likely won’t happen for a long time.

Track listing

01 Real Magic (feat. Ronald Regan)
02 New Illuminati (feat. Kanye West)
03 Patents Of Nobility
04 Life On Mars
05 Bonnie & Clyde (feat. Serge Gainsbourg)
06 Dinner At Tiffanys (feat. Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jay-Z & The-Dream)
07 Shiny Suit Theory (featuring Jay-Z and The-Dream)
08 Memories & Merlot
09 Better In Tune With The Infinite (feat. Latonya Givens)
10 A Letter To Falon
11 Road To Perdition (feat. Jay-Z)
12 Welcome To Knightsbridge (feat. Sean Diddy Combs)
13 Rough Love (feat. Kanye West)
14 Run & Hide (feat. The Bullitts)
15 Nights Of The Roundtable
16 10,000 Lotus Petals

Oasis - J.I.L.Y. (1996)

The Oasis tour is finally upon us, and so for any fans who didn't manage to get tickets, here's a little something to ease the pain - the legendary 1996 unreleased live album 'J.I.L.Y.'. The story is that they recorded their gig at Cardiff International Arena in Wales on 19th March 1996 with the intention of releasing it as a live album. However, by this time they knew they were going to play Knebworth and that kind of took over the line of thought, so this album was shelved at Creation for release after the Knebworth gig. They played Knebworth, but then got dragged out to America and so the live album remained shelved. When they returned to the UK, it was decided that after such a successful year it was better to release a 'tour highlights' style video, so '...There And Then' was issued instead, as the biggest shows of the tour had also been filmed. After that they went into the studio to record 'Be Here Now', and so once again it wasn't really the right time to release a live album. By the time anyone realized 'J.I.L.Y.' was still sat on the shelf, other Oasis gigs had become legendary and more sought after: Earls Court, Maine Road, Knebworth, so it was eventually leaked online as a bootleg. That bootleg was good enough as it was, with the sound quality being some of the best you'll ever hear, but Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab reissued it, and corrected some errors from the original release, such as splitting 'Round Are Way / Up In The Sky' and 'Morning Glory' into separate tracks, and so what we have now is subtly subtitled 'The Perfect Edition'. 

Track listing

01 The Swamp Song
02 Acquiesce
03 Supersonic
04 Hello
05 Some Might Say
06 Roll With It
07 Shakermaker
08 Round Are Way / Up In The Sky
09 Morning Glory
10 Cigarettes & Alcohol
11 Champagne Supernova
12 Whatever / Octopus's Garden (Acoustic)
13 Wonderwall (Acoustic)
14 Slide Away (Acoustic)
15 Don't Look Back In Anger
16 Live Forever
17 I Am The Walrus

For reasons known only to the band and their label, 'J.I.L.Y.' stands for 'Jesus I Love You'.