Take a Knife and Open My Heart

We've not returned to the golden age of vinyl, but we have entered the age of the collectible object of beauty. This compilation of 13 flamenco songs from the 20s and 30s – the age of the 78rpm disc – is printed on see-through vinyl and comes with an artful cover at once vintage and coolly contemporary. Liner notes are inspirational rather than informative, so we can assume the Madrid-based Sound Miracle label expects its purchasers to know their palmas from their compases. The somewhat scratchy recordings of Manolo Caracol, Niña de los Peines, Melchor de Marchena, Carmen Amaya (who is blistering and supreme even in this company), Niño Ricardo and other, less famous sometimes superstars, Sarita Heredia and Pericón de Cádiz, are stunning – full of the stabbing violence of the title as well as the raw tenderness of flamenco. The vocals are untrained and unfettered, shot through with deep passion, and are in harmony with guitar-work that is also improvised, responsive, almost like a second voice. For anyone who doesn't own a short, sharp collection of pure flamenco, this is an easy buy – there's a CD version too.