Peter Kennard: Archive of Dissent, Whitechapel Gallery review - photomontages sizzling with rage

★★★★ PETER KENNARD: ARCHIVE OF DISSENT, WHITECHAPEL GALLERY Fifty years of political protest by a master craftsman

Fifty years of political protest by a master craftsman

Peter Kennard: Archive of Dissent at the Whitechapel Gallery includes many of the artists’s most iconic political photomontages. Beginning in the 1970s, Kennard created images that by speaking truth to power, gave protest movements like CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament), the Anti-Apartheid Movement and Stop the War Coalition the visual equivalent of marching songs.

Music Reissues Weekly: Tomorrow's Fashions - Library Electronica 1972-1987

Fascinating collection of futuristic music intended for soundtracks rather than record shops

The conundrum central to library music is that it was not meant to be listened to in any normal way. Yet, in time, this is what happened. What ended up on the albums pressed by companies like Bruton, Chappell, De Wolfe and others was heard by subscribers – the records did not end up for sale in shops or on the record players sitting in the nation’s homes.

Music Reissues Weekly: Barry Ryan - The Albums 1969-1979

BARRY RYAN - THE ALBUMS 1969-1979 Musical drama personified

Musical drama personified

In April 1985, The Damned’s Dave Vanian was speaking with Janice Long on her BBC Radio 1 show. He said “Barry Ryan and Paul Ryan have been sadly forgotten. Everyone waxes lyrical about Scott Walker which is marvellous but this is absolutely superb. There’s a tension in there, it starts off pretty but it grabs you after a while.”

Album: Deep Purple - =1

★★★ DEEP PURPLE =1 Good-humoured chunky set of feisty rockin' from the old war-horses

Good-humoured chunky set of feisty rockin' from the old war-horses

Ever since their 2013 album Now What?! hard rock veterans Deep Purple have been on a roll, both creatively and commercially. They’ve seemed a revitalised force. An album of covers aside, their output since has also sold/streamed multitudes. Not bad for a unit that’s been going for 56 years, with a stable line-up for well over 30. Their latest album is more enjoyable and feistier than cynics might imagine. It’s business as usual, of course, but Deep Purple wear their heritage with aplomb.

Music Reissues Weekly: Atlanta - Hotbed of 70s Soul

ATLANTA - HOTBED OF 70S SOUL GRC is one of America's great soul labels

Despite being bankrolled by ‘The Scarface of Sex’, GRC is one of America's great soul labels

Michael Thevis made his money from pornography. In the Seventies, his Atlanta warehouses were stuffed with most of America’s porn. Nationally, Thevis was the main distributor. Looking for something less edgy to fund with his profits, he turned to the music business and bankrolled the GRC label and its sister imprints Aware and Hotlanta. In time, they became three of America's most lauded soul labels. In parallel, Thevis sealed his reputation as a notorious criminal.

Music Reissues Weekly: Cluster - Zuckerzeit

CLUSTER - ZUCKERZEIT 50th-anniversary nod to when Krautrock began embracing melody

50th-anniversary nod to when Krautrock began embracing melody

In 1974, two albums by German kosmiche musicians working with electronics became the first from the seedbed of what’d been dubbed Krautrock to explicitly embrace – and merge – melody and rhythmic structure. One was Kraftwerk’s Autobahn. The other was Cluster’s Zuckerzeit. Once on the record player, each LP instantly made its presence felt more directly than anything either had released previously.

Gavin Jantjes: To Be Free, Whitechapel Gallery review - a sweet and sour response to horrific circumstances

★★★★ GAVIN JANTJES: TO BE FREE, WHITECHAPEL Seething anger within beautiful images

Seething anger is cradled within beautiful images

Born in Cape Town in 1948, Gavin Jantjes grew up under apartheid. He openly criticised the regime in his work and, forced into exile, was granted political asylum in Germany in 1973.

Music Reissues Weekly: Moving Away from the Pulsebeat - Post-Punk Britain 1977-1981

MOVING AWAY FROM THE PULSEBEAT As musically unruly as the period it documents

Box-set collection as musically unruly as the period it documents

“Moving Away from the Pulsebeat” is the final track – barring the locked-groove return of the two-note guitar refrain from “Boredom” – of Buzzcocks’ March 1978 debut album, Another Music In A Different Kitchen. At five minutes 40 seconds it didn’t cleave to the short, sharp punk template. Also, it was largely instrumental. And it had a drum solo.