‘Abbey Road Half Speed Remasters. A slew of classic albums are reissued on 180g vinyl, with replica first-pressing packaging and stunning half-speed remastering, undertaken at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London. Bona fide rock classics such as The Rolling Stones’ Exile On Main St, Cream’s Disraeli Gears and Free’s Fire And Water are being re-pressed alongside The Police’s iconic Ghost In The Machine, John Martyn’s folk-rock masterpiece Solid Air, and Simple Minds’ evergreen New Gold Dream.

Arguably the finest vinyl pressings that these albums have ever received, the half-speed remastering, cut from the original master tapes, has resulted in “superior high frequency response (treble) and very solid and stable stereo images”, ensuring the best-quality sound available. Further care has been taken to create packaging that adheres to the same high standards, from giving each album its own individual obi strip, down to creating detailed artwork reproduction. Additionally, Exile On Main St comes with 12 original postcard inserts taken by Norman Seef, art director for the original 1972 pressing of the album, while The Police’s Ghost In The Machine features a replica of the original vinyl’s colour inner sleeve.

Recorded at Sound Techniques Studio in Chelsea during 1972, John Martyn’s seminal album Solid Air was originally released in February 1973 and is now available again on vinyl.

He began as a folksy minstrel but seemed drawn to experimental, free form improvisation. Solid Air is where John Martyn’s love affair with effects and echoplex became serious. The title track, dedicated to his close friend Nick Drake, became a eulogy, while the breezy “Over The Hill”–one of the greatest songs ever written about a train journey–is a feathery delight. “May You Never” and “Don’t Want To Know” continued the simple, stoned ballad approach, although it is his interpretation of Skip James’ “I’d Rather Be The Devil,” totally reshaped with hypnotic shifts, tidal echoes, and a slurred growl, which broods over the whole album. A record that remains Martyn’s youthful zenith.