Ed Snodderly & The Shoestring Seven, “Chimney Smoke” (Majestic Records)- Tennessee born Ed Snodderly is a singer-songwriter with particularly eclectic musical tastes , drawing inspiration for his creative exploits from everyone from country music legends The Carter Family to The Kinks’ frontman Ray Davies. The latest addition to Ed’s endlessly rewarding back catalogue is “Chimney Smoke,” the veteran performer’s tenth album and arguably one of his finest to date. This often wistful and nostalgic collection finds Snodderly exploring his Appalachian roots aided and abetted by some of the finest musical talent that the Americana genre has to offer, including vocal contributions from luminaries such as Malcolm Holcombe, Maura O’Connell and Gretchen Peters to name but a few. “Gone With Gone and Long Time,” “Crow’s Fever” and the cinematically vivid title track capture the essence of Ed Snodderly’s quintessentially Southern approach to music-making.

13th Floor Elevators,” 13 of the Best” (Charly Records)-Charly’s latest archive anthology focusses attention on the work of Texan psychedelic rock pioneers the 13th Floor Elevators. The project was overseen by the band’s official archivist and historian Paul Drummond, who was also responsible for penning the CD’s sleeve notes and supplying full track by track information. The band were formed by Roky Erickson, Tommy Hall and Stacy Sutherland in 1965 and they went on to release four albums and seven singles on the International Artists record label during their creative heyday in the middle and late sixties. The cream of this hugely influential outfit’s recorded output is gathered together here , including their minor 1966 hit,”You’re Gonna Miss Me,” “Roller Coaster” and the eight minute stereo version of Erickson and Hall’s classic “Slip Inside This House.”

Hanoi Rocks, “The Days We Spent Underground” (Cherry Red)- This action packed retrospective from the good people at Cherry Red traces the gradual progression in Hanoi Rocks’ musical output from their 1981 debut album,”Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes” to 1984’s live gem,”All Those Wasted Years.” The latter package was captured for posterity at London’s legendary Marquee club and found the band serving up potent covers of Alice Cooper’s “Under My Wheels” and The Stooges’ “I Feel Alright” to name but a few. Finland’s finest musical exports are also well represented here by “Self Destruction Blues,” a generous selection of singles and b-sides from the band’s early years including rabble rousing ditties such as “I Want You” and “Taxi Driver.” As an introduction to Hanoi Rocks’ sleazy brand of energised music making I’m pleased to be able to report that this 5 CD set is well nigh indispensable.