In the first half of the '70s, Chess tried to relaunch Bo Diddley's career by making his material and production more in line with contemporary rock and soul trends, as it had with several other of the label's rock & roll and blues stars of the '50s and early '60s.

Legacy's second reissue of Texas Flood, the 1983 debut from Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, now expands the album to two CDs, adding a complete concert given at Ripley's Music Hall in Philadelphia on October 20, 1983, four months after the record was released. On the first disc, an early version of "Tin Pan Alley (aka Roughest Place in Town)" is added to the original album but that is the only carry-over from the 1999 expansion. That disc also had three live cuts, but those were taken from a different 1983 concert, so this 2013 30th Anniversary Edition offers something completely new: an entire radio broadcast featuring SRV and Double Trouble at the peak of their power. The set has few surprises…

Ry Cooder's exceptional Paradise and Lunch takes a popular precept – music as the common denominator across all languages and styles – to extremes few artists have envisioned let alone fulfilled. Considered by many diehards to be the California native's finest hour, the 1974 set unfurls with rarified levels of joyousness, ingenuity, and sophistication. A prime contender for any Desert Island list and an album that repeatedly restores your faith in the inimitable effects experienced upon listening to special performances, Paradise and Lunch is an eternal "musicians' musician" record – an adventurous, ambitious, soulful leap down roads well-traveled and paths less known. Such eclecticism, virtuosity, and ebullience resonate with unmatched verve on our hybrid SACD. Mastered from the original master tapes and strictly limited to 2000 numbered copies, this audiophile reissue boasts dead-quiet surfaces, superb transient response, front-to-back soundstaging, and an organic immediacy that heightens the enjoyment, character, and craft of the arrangements.

In many facets, Big Brother and the Holding Company's Cheap Thrills is the quintessential album to spring from the outcome of the Summer of Love. Best known as Janis Joplin's major-label debut, the 1968 set arrived when the countercultural movement was in full swing and before co-optation, drugs, and violence signaled the fall of the era. Ranked #338 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, it puts a female singer in the prominent position traditionally given to a male and showcases a band pouring a potent cocktail of fiery psychedelic, blues, and folk sounds that informed the unfettered creativity of the San Francisco scene. Produced by John Simon, Cheap Thrills also features one of the most iconic and elaborate album covers in history.

Leon Russell's accolades are monumental in a number of categories, from songwriting (he wrote Joe Cocker's "Delta Lady") to session playing (with the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, just to name a few) to his solo work. Unfortunately, it's the last category that never really attracted as much attention as it should have, despite a multitude of blues-based gospel recordings and piano-led, Southern-styled rock albums released throughout the 1970s. Leon Russell and the Shelter People is a prime example of Russell's instrumental dexterity and ability to produce some energetic rock & roll. Poignant and expressive tracks such as "Of Thee I Sing," "Home Sweet Oklahoma," and "She Smiles Like a River" all lay claim to Russell's soulful style and are clear-cut examples of the power that he musters through his spirited piano playing and his voice. His Dylan covers are just as strong, especially "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" and "It Takes a Lot to Laugh," while "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" and "It's a Hard Rain Gonna Fall" have him sounding so forceful, they could have been Russell's own.

After a couple of years of relentless touring, Humble Pie capitalized on their loyal U.S. following to capture the market with this, their fifth studio album. Although lead guitarist Peter Frampton was replaced by Clem Clemson – an excellent player – the band remained essentially the same. Led by singer/guitarist Steve Marriott's soulful wail, the group enjoyed a huge hit from this record, "30 Days in the Hole" – the track which defined the Pie's not-so-subtle appeal. The rest of the record is equally funky and intriguing. Stephen Stills guests on "Road Runner 'G' Jam," playing some nasty Hammond organ fills. In the end, though, the group defined themselves as the undisputed leaders of the boogie movement in the early 1970s, as a band.

Ry Cooder's development as a peerless musician capable of grasping virtually any style began with his time spent with Taj Mahal and Captain Beefheart, but for all intents and purposes reaches epic proportions on Boomer's Story. With two ambitious albeit uneven studio albums behind him, the California native plunged into roles that still define him today – that of sonic archeologist and cultural historian, shaping his 1972 Reprise effort with enlightened selections carved into the bedrock of America's folk, blues, and soul landscapes. Inspired, virtuosic, and poignant, Boomer's Story endures as a ravishing portrait of inspired translation and inventive craftsmanship that after years of neglect finally boasts sonics deserving of the performances.

Joe Cocker! is Joe Cocker's second studio album, released in November 1969. Following the template of his first LP, this album features numerous covers of songs originally performed by Bob Dylan ("Dear Landlord"), The Beatles ("She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" and "Something" - both released almost simultaneously with original versions; "Let It Be" was also recorded and released as a B-side), Leonard Cohen ("Bird on the Wire"), and future touring partner Leon Russell ("Delta Lady"). Cocker also co-wrote one song, "That's Your Business Now", Chris Stainton, who was also his writing partner in later years.

The perfect album for a day at the beach, Rea's eighth album takes the listener from the water's edge of the title song to the sunny fields of the French countryside in "Giverny." The upbeat reggae feel of "Lucky Day" works particularly well, but it is "On the Beach" that's the standout track…

Javier Vargas and the Vargas Blues Band return with a new project: Cambalache & Bronca (2017 KZoo Music). Recorded in Spanish, it includes legendary songs by Argentinian artists and a song he wrote with his dear friend Manolo Tena when they recorded the album Spanish Blood together: “No Te Rindas”, which will also be one of the singles of the album. This song also features singer and guitarist José Rulo (voice in “No te rindas” and “Sucio y desprolijo”), who will also take part of the tour along with other reputed musicians and members of the band: Luis Mayo (voice and bass), Juan Carlos Mendoza (bass), Miguel Angel Cap (drums), Oscar Quesada (drums), Jota Marsán (drums), Gustavo Segura (drums), Peter Kunst (drums). The album also features Litto Nebbia (voice in the “Viento dile a la lluvia”).

Larry Miller fans have been crying out for a live album in recent years after they lapped up his six acclaimed studio albums. Well now they have their wish times two - with an impressive double CD set celebrating this talented British guitarist and flamboyant performer. The dozen tracks here split equally over the two discs, recorded live in Europe over a three month period last year, captures Larry at his best: very loud, very proud 'n' very live. The power, energy and excitement of his shows are very well presented here, and will satisfy those few who may have thought some of his previous recordings “are not as good as he is live.”

Extended-play formats were hugely popular in the U.K. during the 1960s. Often EPs were collections of previous singles or selected cuts from albums – their popularity due to albums not being an affordable item for many consumers until the end of the decade…

The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation's second album was much the same as their first, offering competent late-'60s British blues, given a slightly darker cast than was usual for the style via Victor Brox's somber vocals. Like their debut, it was dominated by original material, and as on its predecessor, the compositions were rather routine blues-rock numbers, though they benefited from arrangements by highly skilled players. The best of these tracks were the ones that utilized Brox's gloomy, almost gothic organ, if only because it made them stand out more among the company of the many similar bands recording in the prime of the British blues boom.

Musical evolution was in the air at the end of the '60s, as groups adapted to survive in an ever-changing rock landscape. Such was the case with After Tea, who shed the colourful petals of their flower-pop past to re-emerge as a solid progressive blues rock outfit with their outstanding 1970 album, 'Joint House Blues'.

The Electric Toilet led by guitarist Dave Hall, came from Memphis and their sole album includes the awesome track "Within Your State Of Mind". Driving bluesy LP with southern twang, growly lead vocal with black baptist church choir style backing, sound effects and trippy acid guitar work. Two members died in a car crash within months of its completion and the group broke up. A stone US '60s heavy psych album!!!