Audiophile Vinyl

Willie Colón/Héctor Lavoe
La Gran Fuga (The Big Break)
Craft Recordings/Fania Cr00728 (180G Vinyl)

Lest the forbidding cover puts you off, this is no jail-break, criminal-turned-angel epic but a joyous celebration of salsa from two of its most important practitioners. Trumpeter/trombonist/vocalist Cólon, recording since he was 15, teamed up with the late vocalist Lavoe in 1971 to produce this thematic mix of original songs and cover versions from the pen of Tite Curet Alonso. They delivered what is, in concept, a Latin predecessor to The Eagles' Desperado. It went gold for good reason: the music is irresistible and the sound is phenomenal, especially the bass and brass. This needs to be a hi-fi show staple. If you file 'world music' geographically, this one goes under 'Puerto Rico'. KK

Sound Quality: 90%

Babybird
Ugly Beautiful
Bmg/Echo 538947351 (Two Lps)

Available on LP for the first time since 1996, this gave us a song to rank with James Blunt's similarly named 'You're Beautiful'. Like Blunt's soppy ode, 'You're Gorgeous' [trk 7] is now ubiquitous despite a satirical rather than longing nature - not bad for a Top 10 hit and international smash by a band that's basically singer/songwriter Stephen Jones. The album is not all whiny pop, the songs ranging from indie-esque to dark, almost Leonard Cohen-ish material. Sonically, it varies from hyper-slick to so-so, but overall it's a fine example of 1990s British pop. The 'Digital Audio Expanded Edition' contains six extra tracks and four videos [538962124]. KK

Sound Quality: 85%

Bob Dylan
Good As I Been To You
Mobile Fidelity Mfsv 1-532 (180G Supervinyl)

When released in 1992, this must have perplexed the fans - completely unplugged, it was just Dylan on guitar and harmonica, performing 13 covers of traditional folk and blues gems. Thus it was his first album without any original compositions since his eponymous LP in 1973 and also his first entirely solo, totally acoustic album since Another Side Of Bob Dylan. Maybe I'm not your typical Dylan fan because I absolutely loved it, while the general reaction was favourable but not ecstatic. What sold me was a superb rendition of Blind Blake's 'You're Gonna Quit Me' and 'Sittin' On Top Of The World', a world away from Cream's version. The sound? Authentic. KK

Sound Quality: 90%

The Gordian Knot
The Gordian Knot
Sundazed/Verve Lp5667 (Black Or White Vinyl)

A forgotten part of the 'Sunshine Pop' movement, The Gordian Knot's main strengths were original compositions and sublime group harmonies. In respect of the latter, the sound reminds one of The Association, Harper's Bizarre, The 5th Dimension and other super-smooth vocal groups. Seasoned fans of US rock will swiftly pinpoint this as a late 1960s release and its super rarity adds to the appeal of this long-overdue reissue. Those fans will also note that the group's Jim Weatherly would go on to write 'Midnight Train To Georgia', a smash hit for Gladys Knight & The Pips. This LP begs to be heard through systems optimised for lush vocals. KK

Sound Quality: 85%