Jazz, gospel, ancestors, talking spirits: the cornerstones of this record seem obvious in 2025, yet also somewhat hollow. But make no mistake: The Descendants of Mike and Phoebe – A Spirit Speaks (OG 1974) is an extraordinary album, one of the most outstanding in the exceptional catalogue of Strata-East. It soars, reaching ever higher, truly turning the earth and tearing open the heavens. The spiritual is not just a label, but a deep-seated feeling. And how well balanced it is! The overall story of this album is deeply balanced beneath its rousing waves. The reissue comes with previously unpublished photos and detailed liner notes.

Hit Me Hard and Soft, Billie Eilish's latest studio album, was characterised by transitions and recurring motifs. It was elegant and powerful at the same time – and never seemed exaggerated or overthought. Eilish and her producing brother Finneas wanted to create a monumental album – and they succeeded. This release contains live recordings of four different tracks from Hit Me Hard and Soft, which continue the grandiose yet unobtrusive vibe of the album.

Diese Veröffentlichung enthält Liveaufnahmen von vier verschiedenen Tracks aus Hit Me Hard and Soft, die den pompös-unaufdringlichen Vibe des Albums weiterdenken.

This is perhaps the most popular album by the brilliant, grumpy Bob Dylan. Even today, in 2025, the cover has inspired a social media trend. The 'Bob Dylan Core' trend features performative men with hunched shoulders and jackets that are too thin for the weather, walking through urban landscapes. The album is certainly well known. It's not rare either. But this is the first time it has appeared as it was originally intended. Alongside global hits such as 'Blowin' in the Wind', 'Hard Rain' and 'Don't Think Twice', the RSD 25 version features four additional songs that were removed from the album shortly before the original release of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.

It's difficult to really classify Curren$y's career in the Rap Hall of Fame. Somehow he was around for a long time, somehow he was also hot at one point, but you really had to be a rap fan to recognise his relevance. The decisive factor is that he was very present when the internet was still a good place, no: when the internet was THE BEST place. Pilot Talk II was released in the golden age of blogs, in 2010. Incidentally, the album has not been available in this form until now: at the time, it was only released digitally and on CD; to get it on vinyl, you had to buy the entire box set.

Since the 1990s, G. Love & Special Sauce have been blending hip-hop with Delta blues and laid-back funk – "hip-hop blues", as they call it. Ode to R.L. continues this hybrid tradition, honouring hill country bluesman R.L. Boyce with a spontaneous all-star session in Mississippi, recorded at the legendary Zebra Ranch Studio. The result is a vibrant, warm document of our times that gives you goosebumps with its jam-session vibe – a tribute that vividly intertwines the past and present of the blues.

This extensive compilation features twelve rarities from the dBpm Records catalogue by Jeff Tweedy and his legendary band, Wilco. Many of these tracks are available on vinyl for the first time. Not only is Tweedy one of the most profound songwriters of his generation – just listen to the solo versions of fantastic tracks such as »Everyone Hides« and »Say You Love Me« – he is also a multifaceted performer. This is demonstrated by Wilco's cover of The Beatles' »Don't Let Me Down«.

Matt Berninger was the voice of The National for 21 years before releasing his solo debut album in 2020. Get Sunk followed in May 2025. The live album Get Sunk At Union Chapel (28 November 2025) combines both works and, like Get Sunk, opens with the sustained synths of »Inland Songs«, over which Berninger sings melancholically. On his own, he seems more vulnerable than as a frontman. »Serpentine Prison«, from his debut of the same name, reflects on his depression, carried by guitar riffs that mirror the subdued mood of 2020. »Times of Difficulty« pulls listeners back into the present — the guitar sounds brighter, as does his voice.

American trumpeter Longineu Parsons, who studied with and travelled with Nat Adderley, combined Parisian jazz finesse with the raw energy of funk on his 1980 album, also called Longineu Parsons. Here, the spirits of Coltrane, Bitches Brew and Florida Blues burn brightly, combining elegance and uncompromising intensity. This rare original has long been considered a collector's treasure, and the RSD reissue finally brings this intense, genre-spanning album back to life in analogue form, offering rich warmth and new splendour.

»Big Poppa« marks the moment when The Notorious B.I.G. readjusted the sound of East Coast hip hop – laid-back, luxurious, but with that sharpness that made him unmistakable. The track embodies Biggie's balance between street poetry and a sound that glided effortlessly from the underground to the charts. His unmistakable voice unfolds over buttery smooth G-funk beats. »Big Poppa« is more than a hit – it's a turning point where rap became elegant, confident and smooth. The limited Recycled Red Vinyl Edition for Record Store Day Black Friday 2025 preserves this moment in hip-hop history in its smoothest form.

Not only was Robbie Robertson the most powerful of all Dylan's guitarists and the leader of one of the greatest rock bands of all time, The Band, he was also responsible for many of the film scores for Martin Scorsese's works. The careers of Robertson and Scorsese have been closely intertwined since the iconic concert film The Last Waltz. Their collaborations on masterpieces such as Raging Bull remain unforgettable, and this release brings them together.

WITCH, short for We Intend To Cause Havoc, spearheaded Zambian Zamrock in the 1970s – a psychedelic mix of rock, funk and African rhythms. Fool's Ride brings together their rare 7-inch singles from the Lazy Bones era for the first time. The raw sounds unfold their hypnotic effect on deep purple vinyl. The result is a piece of musical history that demonstrates the boundless nature of rock when it emerges outside its centres – a rebellious sound stretching ecstatically from the past into the present.

Golden Flower: Live in Sweden showcases the creative breadth of Yusef Lateef. This release of two previously unreleased live sessions from 1967 and 1972, recorded in Sweden and now available on vinyl for the first time, reveals an artist who understands jazz as a holistic experience. Lateef's concept of »autophysiopsychic sound« — music as an expression of the body, mind, and soul — is brought to life here. Using the saxophone and flute, he combines post-bop, African and Eastern influences to create a deeply resonant sound that lies somewhere between spirituality and groove. This is not a nostalgic retrospective, but rather a vibrant document characterised by intense live performances, and a rare gem in the world of Record Store Day.