Album

1986 album from Tokyo-born but US-based singer-songwriter

The King's penance ignored

The Orrible Oo's classic video jukebox rockumentary gets a 25th anniversary makeover

Cut from classic troubadour cloth, North Carolinan Holcombe has been recording for 20 years, though dogged by bad luck (dropped by Geffen, his previous album, A Hundred Lies, was only released after fans Steve Earle and Lucinda Williams found him a label). His husk of a voice and country-blues finger-picking is reminiscent of Eric Andersen and Tim Hardin, but closest to JJ Cale. The 48-year-old's stream-of-consciousness lyricism is unique, though, bearing the scars of a troubled past.

Mellow country vibes from the Parkerilla

It's a neat concept, seeing how a particular culture regurgitated Los Beatles. Portugal emerges as a tryer: chap singing through his forehead on "I'll Follow The Sun", "When I'm 64" played on a wasp, a total botch made of "Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da" (which is bollocks anyway, to be fair) and a surprisingly loose grasp of rhythm all round. But, occasionally, Portugal triumphs: an atmospheric "Blackbird", a surfing "I'll Get You" and a delightful fado reading of "Hey Jude" taken at a canter on the pretty Portuguese guitarra.

NY white-funk collective compiled

Filmed last year in Nashville, this finds Skynyrd—now under the leadership of JohnnyVan Zant—still plying their raucous brand of southern blues-rock, wheeling out the hits (notably "Sweet Home Alabama", "Travelin' Man" and "Free Bird") to an enthusiastic crowd. This is noticeably well-filmed with superior sound quality.

The best of Oldham's early work, revisited Nashville-style

Second album from Aussie brats