Monday, 30 June 2025

Mark Knopfler (ex Dire Straits) - One Deep River [2CD] (2024)

Year: 12 April 2024 (CD Apr 12, 2024)
Label: EMI Records (Europe), EMICDY 2113
Style: Pop, Pop Rock
Country: Glasgow, Scotland (12 August 1949)
Time: 51:54, 18:52
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 300, 120 Mb

Charts: UK #3, AUS #48, FIN #8, NLD #2, NOR #4, NZ #15, SWE #9, SWI #1, US #157.
Mark Knopfler's One Deep River is an album of lyrical poignancy, with a depth of world-weariness that almost becomes dreamlike. His vocals and most certainly that guitar connect back to Dire Straits, but only in their quietest, most reflective moments.
It's as if he left simply to downshift. In this enduring quiet, Knopfler has done a lot of looking back - but not to his hitmaking former group. No, he's looking much further back - back into the histories of aging figures and long-ago characters, connecting their struggles, heartbreaks and (only very occasional) triumphs to the present. He's always had an itinerant life and that probably plays a role in Knopfler's lingering fascination with wanderers, whether they're running from or toward something.
Yet age catches up with all of them - even rock 'n' rollers. So, One Deep River remains plugged in but explores the more contemplative side of Americana (Greg Leisz plays pedal and lap steel, John McCusker is on violin) through a distinctive U.K. lens (Mike McGoldrick adds the whistle and uilleann pipes). Similarly, nothing here is root-bound. "Tunnel 13," with its lengthy meditation on a real-life bandit trio's lifetime of adventure, and "Before My Train Comes" are both set on the rails. "This One's Not Going to End Well" finds Knopfler on the open sea.
What holds this restless cast together is Knopfler's wizened presence. His voice has always had an ageless yet very aged quality. Even on his earliest singles with Dire Straits, Knopfler came off like this knowing sage. The only drawback to One Deep River, if it even is one, is that he occasionally also had a playfulness back then, and that's been conveyed to a far lesser degree on subsequent solo projects. Oh, Knopfler offers a wink or two, but One Deep River is here to create enveloping narratives more than get toes to tap. So, "This One's Not Going to End Well" is set aboard a slave trader's ship, rather than seekers of new lands. "Sweeter Than the Rain" wrestles with some unspoken ask that tries a man's faith in himself. Even the loping J.J. Cale-esque "Two Pairs of Hands" is grizzled and knowing, rather than expectedly celebratory.
A river runs through it. The album and title track both reference the Tyne, which bisects Knopfler's childhood hometown of Newcastle, England, while also creating a powerful boundary image between past and present: There's no going back. Yet with "Ahead of the Game," Knopfler makes clear that he still finds solace in song. One Deep River simply confirms that those songs will arrive on their own more slow-moving currents.
(ultimateclassicrock.com/mark-knopfler-one-deep-river-album-review/)

01. Two Pairs Of Hands (04:06)
02. Ahead Of The Game (03:56)
03. Smart Money (04:27)
04. Scavengers Yard (04:33)
05. Black Tie Jobs (02:57)
06. Tunnel 13 (05:27)
07. Janine (04:42)
08. Watch Me Gone (05:02)
09. Sweeter Than The Rain (04:16)
10. Before My Train Comes (04:04)
11. This One's Not Going To End Well (04:00)
12. One Deep River (04:19)

01. The Living End (03:43)
02. Fat Chance Dupree (04:15)
03. Along A Foreign Coast (04:33)
04. What I'm Gonna Need (02:52)
05. Nothing But Rain (03:28)

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Sunday, 29 June 2025

Paul McCartney & Wings - Band On The Run (1973)

Year: 30 November 1973 (CD 1989)
Label: Capitol Records (US), CDP 7 46675 2
Style: Classic Rock, Rock
Country: Liverpool, England (18 June 1942)
Time: 44:57
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 266 Mb

Charts: UK #1, AUS #1, BEL #4, GER #15, NLD #5, NOR #1, NZ #23, SWE #5, SWI #22, US #1. FRA: Gold; UK & CAN: Platinum; US: 3x Platinum.
The album is, of course, a defining piece of the 1970s as Paul McCartney shows off just how much talent he has...but things didn't look promising early on in the recording process.
McCartney wanted to record the music at a tropical location and picked Lagos, Nigeria; however, right before departing, drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarist Henry McCullough left the band unexpectedly. With no time to recruit replacements, McCartney headed into the recording studio with just his wife and Denny Laine. Therefore, McCartney played bass, drums, other percussion instruments, and most of the lead guitar parts...yeah pretty insane if you ask me.
But the drama doesn't stop there: McCartney and his wife were robbed at knifepoint while walking down the streets of Lagos (political and social tensions were at an all-time high in the country...may not have been your brightest move to record here, Paul). The burglar took the band's bag of demo-tapes and song lyrics, causing the group to re-record multiple sections of the album back in London. Add all of this on top of a very poor recording studio in Lagos, and you got yourself a recipe for disaster...or so you'd think.
It seemed almost impossible to for Wings to please fans and critics alike in the past, as many people dubbed the band's early works as "underwhelming". With that being said, expectations still couldn't be higher for the album, as many people were still expecting the ex-Beatle to blow the roof off the Billboard charts. Through all of the trials and tribulations, McCartney and company were still able to craft what is now known as the group's finest album. Not only did the band meet the high expectations set by fans and critics, but they surpassed these expectations by leaps and bounds.
McCartney is without a doubt at his musical peak in this album, as he was forced to play multiple instruments on a whim. Songs like "Let Me Roll It", "Band On The Run", and "No Words" best exemplify the saronating yet crunchy guitar riffs constructed by McCartney for this record. McCartney also seemed to go back to his Beatles roots more in this album than previous Wings albums, as many of the background vocals, orchestral sequences, and harmonies are reminiscent of Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Unlike the previously mentioned Beatles' albums, Band On The Run benefits the most from a FULLY evolved and multi-instrumental Paul McCartney. Although many critics agree the album is quite enjoyable and is a vast improvement from previous albums like Wildlife, they also believe this album is, "more showmanship than content". I can agree with this statement on tracks like "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)", but I truly don't think it takes away from the overall quality of the album's content. McCartney had every right to show off on this album. Without a majority of his supporting cast by his side, McCartney had to add flair to almost every part he replaced, and it truly worked! You can just hear how much he has grown as a musician, and one can't help but bob their head to each track.
All in all, Band On The Run was a true spectacle in an era of newly developed pop-rock acts. The album truly feels like a classic, Beatles-inspired journey filled with giant orchestral sequences and grounded rock balads, but with an even finer-tuned Paul McCartney at the helm. Not only is it the best album by Wings, but it's also in contention for the best album made by a Beatles member.
(reddit.com/r/LetsTalkMusic/comments/t3okhx/lets_talk_about_band_on_the_run_by_wings/)

01. Band On The Run (05:14)
02. Jet (04:09)
03. Bluebird (03:25)
04. Mrs. Vandebilt (04:41)
05. Let Me Roll It (04:51)
06. Mamunia (04:50)
07. No Words (02:38)
08. Helen Wheels (03:47)
09. Picasso's Last Words (Drink To Me) (05:51)
10. Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five (05:28)

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John Lennon - Mind Games [Japanese Ed. 3 bonus tracks] (1973)

Year: 16 November 1973 (UK) (CD 28 Nov 2007)
Label: EMI Records (Japan), TOCP-70395
Style: Rock, Pop Rock
Country: Liverpool, England (9 October 1940 - 8 December 1980)
Time: 47:59
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 316 Mb

Charts: UK #13, AUS #8, CAN #28, GER #6, ITA #14, JPN #6, NLD #7, NOR #1, US #9. US & UK: Gold.
John brings all his cosmic benevolence to "Mind Games," his peace-and-love anthem. "Mind Games" is John at his most unfiltered: his boyish excitement, his slide guitar, his madcap humor, his spiritual yearning, his walrus-adjacent poetry. Like everyone else in the early 1970s, including his ex-bandmates, he’s clearly under the spell of David Bowie and Marc Bolan—he even calls himself "some kind of druid dude." But he’s in his own beatific zone, making every line hit like a heart-punch even when he gets awesomely incoherent. ("Absolute elsewhere in the stones of your mind"? Good to know!) If you ever doubt John’s genius as a singer, hear the way he stretches the word "mind" out to ten syllables without letting it slip. He pushes it all way too far on "Mind Games." But that’s what makes him John Lennon.
(au.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/-56378/john-lennon-mind-games-1973-56474/)

01. Mind Games (04:14)
02. Tight A$ (03:36)
03. Aisumasen (I'm Sorry) (04:44)
04. One Day (At A Time) (03:09)
05. Bring On The Lucie (Freda Peeple) (04:12)
06. Nutopian International Anthem (00:06)
07. Intuition (03:09)
08. Out The Blue (03:22)
09. Only People (03:23)
10. I Know (I Know) (03:49)
11. You Are Here (04:08)
12. Meat City (02:47)
13. Aisumasen (I'm Sorry) (Home Version) (03:35)
14. Bring On The Lucie (Freda Peeple) (Home Version) (01:02)
15. Meat City (Home Version) (02:37)

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Ringo Starr (The Beatles) - Ringo [3 bonus tracks] (1973)

Year: 2 November 1973 (CD 1991)
Label: Capitol Records (U.S.), CDP 7 95637 2
Style: Folk, World, Country
Country: Liverpool, England (7 July 1940)
Time: 45:33
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 294 Mb

'Ringo': The Solo Starr Album That Invoked The Beatles' Aura.
With his third solo album, Ringo, the former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr finally put his solo career in gear, showing that he had a lot more to offer than his eccentric first two solo albums, Sentimental Journey and Beaucoup Of Blues, both released in 1970. Issued three years later, on November 2, 1973, in the US, and November 23 in the UK, Ringo was a far more satisfying record, made on a big budget and featuring an amazing cast of backing musicians.
A Beatles reunion... sort of... In its review of the album, Rolling Stone magazine said, "This Ringo Starr album is the first to actually invoke The Beatles' aura." That was down to the fact that John Lennon, George Harrison, and Paul McCartney each contributed as songwriters, singers, and instrumentalists on the album, across recording sessions that began in March 1973 and wrapped later that summer.
Consequently, Ringo is the only solo Beatle album to feature all four of the Liverpudlians playing on one record. However, on no single track did all four appear together. Harrison played the guitars on the Lennon composition "I'm The Greatest," with Lennon playing piano and singing harmony on a song he re-wrote for Starr and which was used as the album's opening track. Harrison also joined in on "Sunshine Life For Me," "Photograph" and "You And Me (Babe)." He wrote "Sunshine" himself, and co-wrote the latter two.
In June 1973, Starr flew to London, where Paul McCartney and his then-wife, Linda, joined in on the McCartney tune "Six O'clock," which had been written specifically for the album. With a tight structure and lyrical grace, it is a standout composition on the record. McCartney also appeared on Starr's cover of the 1960 Johnny Burnette No. 1 hit "You're Sixteen" (written by the Sherman Brothers), which provided the biggest single hit of the album. Nicky Hopkins, a session musician who appeared regularly with The Rolling Stones, provides some lively piano backing, and there is even a kazoo impression from McCartney. Starr had been able to persuade the latter to be involved in the project by telling him, "You don't want to be left out, do you?"
But it wasn't only the guests that made Ringo such a success: Starr advanced his own cause by co-writing two of the album's Top 10 singles, the No. 1 "Photograph" and "Oh My My," which had backing vocals from Motown star Martha Reeves. Starr and Vini Poncia's "Devil Woman" were just as good as the hits. Though Starr's vocal range is not particularly wide, he sings with gusto throughout and his voice carries a certain pathos.
One of the highlights of Ringo is a version of master songwriter Randy Newman's composition "Have You Seen My Baby." Starr's version has real verve, helped by compelling boogie guitar from T.Rex main man Marc Bolan and fine honky-tonk piano from New Orleans legend James Booker. Though the album was recorded at Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles, Bolan's guitar was added as an overdub at A&M Studios.
Starr's best and most consistent new studio album, Ringo represented both the drummer/singer's dramatic comeback and his commercial peak; it was only beaten to the top of the Billboard charts in November 1973 by Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The original 10-track 1973 album was reissued in 1991 as a 13-track CD, the bonus tracks including "Early 1970," Starr's interesting perspective on The Beatles' break-up.
Ringo was produced by Richard Perry, who had worked with Lennon's friend Harry Nilsson. Starr said: "We met at a session for one of Harry's albums. I went down and played and Richard and I got to egging each other on about doing something together. We ended up at a club, and when we were leaving we promised we'd get together." Perry was a good choice as producer, and Nilsson returned the favor by singing backing vocals on "You're Sixteen."
Among the other leading guest musicians are Jimmy Calvert (guitar on five tracks), Steve Cropper (guitar), Billy Preston (piano), Jim Keltner (drums), Milt Holland (percussion), and The Band's Garth Hudson (accordion), Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm (mandolin).
The album cover art:
The cover art was created by Tim Bruckner, who had been working as an apprentice jeweler in Beverly Hills when he met Perry and pitched to do some freelance album artwork. Bruckner was flown to London to show Starr some concept ideas and was hired by the singer. In 2015, the artist told Beatlesbible.com: "There are 26 portraits in the balcony. The rest are people I invented. Ringo's cover sidekick, the cherub, happened after I got home. Having met the man and spent some time with him, I understood how important humor was to him and his circle of friends. The cherub just seemed like a natural extension of that part of his character, funny and a little mischievous."
The Latin motto at the top of the sleeve - "Duit on mon dei" ("Do it on Monday") - was Nilsson's idea. "Harry wanted to make it a joke on a Latin motto. I think the only reason it got on the cover was they thought it was funny and asked that I include it," added Bruckner.
Ringo has a stellar cast; it's light-hearted, unpredictable, and entertaining, and stands as a testament to Starr's ability as a musician outside of The Beatles.
(udiscovermusic.com/stories/ringo-starr-solo-album-invoked-beatles/) Published on November 2, 2022. By Martin Chilton

01. I'm The Greatest (03:21)
02. Have You Seen My Baby? (03:44)
03. Photograph (03:57)
04. Sunshine Life For Me (Sail Away Raymond) (02:45)
05. You're Sixteen (You're Beautiful And You're Mine) (02:48)
06. Oh My My (04:16)
07. Step Lightly (03:15)
08. Six O'Clock (04:08)
09. Devil Woman (03:50)
10. You And Me (Babe) (04:59)
11. It Don't Come Easy (Bonus Track) (03:02)
12. Early 1970 (Bonus Track) (02:20)
13. Down And Out (Bonus Track) (03:02)

Ringo-Starr73-Ringo-02 Ringo-Starr73-Ringo-04 Ringo-Starr73-Ringo-07 Ringo-Starr73-Ringo-08 Ringo-Starr73-Ringo-09 Ringo-Starr73-Ringo-11

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George Harrison - Living In The Material World (1973)

Year: 30 May 1973 (CD 2006)
Label: EMI Records (UK), 0946 3 66899 2 0
Style: Rock
Country: Liverpool, England (25 February 1943 - 29 November 2001)
Time: 50:31
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 332 Mb

At last it’s here, beautifully-packaged with symbolic hand-print covers and the dedication, “All Glories to Sri Krsna.” Even if Living in the Material World were as trivial and regressive as McCartney’s Red Rose Speedway, there would be many who would dub it a pop classic. Happily, the album is not just a commercial event, it is the most concise, universally conceived work by a former Beatle since John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.
Given everything George Harrison represents, it would be virtually impossible for one to try to separate the man, the myth and the music, and undertake an in vitro analysis of Living in the Material World. Suffice it to say that these three aspects blend harmoniously into a single creation that is vastly appealing and in places very moving. Harrison inherited the most precious Beatle legacy — the spiritual aura that the group accumulated, beginning with the White Album — and has maintained its inviolability with remarkable grace. In Living in the Material World, that legacy, which Harrison reformulated diffusely in All Things Must Pass, is formalized once and for all.
(https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/living-in-the-material-world-190600/) Review by Stephen Holden. July 19, 1973

01. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) (03:38)
02. Sue Me, Sue You Blues (04:50)
03. The Light That Has Lighted The World (03:32)
04. Don't Let Me Wait Too Long (02:58)
05. Who Can See It (03:53)
06. Living In The Material World (05:30)
07. The Lord Loves The One (That Loves The Lord) (04:37)
08. Be Here Now (04:12)
09. Try Some Buy Some (04:10)
10. The Day The World Gets 'Round (02:55)
11. That Is All (03:51)
12. Deep Blue (Bonus Track) (03:47)
13. Miss O'Dell (Bonus Track) (02:33)

George-Harrison73-Living-03 George-Harrison73-Living-04 George-Harrison73-Living-05 George-Harrison73-Living-06 George-Harrison73-Living-08

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Saturday, 28 June 2025

George Harrison - All Things Must Pass [2CD] (1970)

Year: 27 November 1970 (CD 2001)
Label: Parlophone / GnOM Records (Brazil), 7243 530474 2 9 LC 0299
Style: Rock
Country: Liverpool, England (25 February 1943 - 29 November 2001)
Time: 60:01, 66:16
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 443, 482 Mb

IN THOSE HAYLCYON days when Beatles did not have destinies, only personalities, and every Beatle fan had a favorite Beatle, John once satirized his mates as "wide-eyed Paul, cozy Ringo, and skeleton George." George, overshadowed as he was by two enormous egos, and lacking Ringo’s openess, was the hardest to know. I remember him as shy, aloof, "Don’t Bother Me" George, whose luck it was to come down with a sore throat on the group’s first tour of the States, barely croaking out his best wishes and John’s witticisms over Murray the K’s airwaves; young, vulnerable George the craftsman, bent over his Gretch in concert, making sure that every lick was as good as it was on record; the perfectionist who would later dismiss the majority of Beatle music as "rubbish"; briefly Haight - Ashbury George, with eyeglasses, like Lolita’s, in the shape of valentines; humble George, Ravi Shankar’s student; holy George.
Up until now, George has been perhaps the premier studio musician among rock band guitarists. From the electronic whine which began "I Feel Fine" to the break in "Hard Day’s Night" to the crazed, sitar - influenced burst on "Taxman," George exhibited an avant - garde imagination and a technical flawlessness, as well as the ability to stay within the bounds of a song, which has remained unparalleled.
Not surprisingly, his ambitions have remained unfulfilled by this role and what presumably has been welling up in him since at least Let It Be, perhaps since Meet The Beatles, comes pouring out on All Things Must Pass. It is both an intensely personal statement and a grandiose gesture, a triumph over artistic modesty, even frustration. In this extravaganza of piety and sacrifice and joy, whose sheer magnitude and ambition may dub it the War and Peace of rock and roll, the music itself is no longer the only message.
The lyrics are central. They are displayed prominently on the album sleeves and appear to have been written before the music. Often there are more syllables than notes, and lines have to be hurried in order to get it all in. Often too, there are unresolved sentence fragments ("Eyes that shining full of inner light"), funny word uses ("Another day for you to realize me"), and conscious attempts at literary effects ("beware of soft shoe shufflers/dancing down the sidewalks"). His words sometimes try too hard; he’s taking himself or the subject too seriously, or, if the subject is impossible to take too seriously, he doesn’t always possess the means to convey that impression convincingly.
The production is of classic Spectorian proportions, Wagnerian, Brucknerian, the music of mountain tops and vast horizons. The sound is often so glossy and dramatic it is difficult not to be seduced by it, and one tries vainly to discover just what George’s music would be without it–a futile and probably destructive exercise anyway. Everybody’s favorite sidemen - Whitlock, Gordon, Radle, and Clapton - along with Klaus Voorman and Alan White, fragments of the Plastic Ono Band - play almost indistinguishably from the staples of earlier Spector production: Larry Knetchel, Joe Osborne, and Hal Blaine, on many of the tracks.
At its best, Spector’s production is the sound of one instrument, the mind of its producer. Individual instruments, even vocals, perhaps because George is not a strong singer, don’t count for much in this music. There is a monolithic sound which peculiarly reinforces the message of many of the songs. George’s religiousity, his quest for egolessness, are fitting in a sound in which individual elements are subordinated to the whole. If Paul’s studio is his home, George’s is his cathedral.
In this context the two-sided jam lies outside the context of the rest of the record. It would have been interesting to hear how George improvises. Here, he’s playing with Clapton and Dave Mason and a lot of other people. Eric takes over on lead much of the time but really it is often impossible to tell who’s playing what. Most of it is the usual 4/4 three-chord bashings about, competent and often boring.
The songs themselves are a very mixed lot. There are the bopping early-Sixties tunes; songs either authored, co - authored or influenced by Dylan; Beatle music; and the new, dirge - like Harrisonian holy music.
"What Is Life" is an ambiguous number on which he is not really asking what life is, in the big sense, just "What is life/without your love?" The music is sweetness and light, pure Shirelles, until he throws us the curve, "But if it’s not love that you need then I’ll/Try my best to make everything succeed." Or "My Sweet Lord," an obvious re-write of the Chiffons’ "He’s So Fine." Here "doo-lang" is replaced by "Hare Krishna" - a sign of the times. "Awaiting On You All" is a Lesley Gore rave-up in which George manages to rhyme "visas" with "Jesus."
(rollingstone.com/feature/all-things-must-pass-97685/) Review by BEN GERSON. JANUARY 21, 1971.

01. I'd Have You Anytime (03:00)
02. My Sweet Lord (04:43)
03. Wah-Wah (05:39)
04. Isn't It A Pity (07:13)
05. What Is Life (04:27)
06. If Not For You (03:33)
07. Behind That Locked Door (03:10)
08. Let It Down (05:01)
09. Run Of The Mill (02:52)
10. I Live For You (Additional Track) (03:37)
11. Beware Of Darkness (Additional Track) (03:22)
12. Let It Down (Additional Track) (03:55)
13. What Is Life (Additional Track) (04:27)
14. My Sweet Lord (2000) (Additional Track) (04:57)

01. Beware Of Darkness (03:52)
02. Apple Scruffs (03:09)
03. Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll) (03:52)
04. Awaiting On You All (02:50)
05. All Things Must Pass (03:47)
06. I Dig Love (05:00)
07. Art Of Dying (03:43)
08. Isn't It A Pity (Version Two) (04:51)
09. Hear Me Lord (06:00)
10. It's Johnny's Birthday (Original Jam) (00:49)
11. Plug Me In (Original Jam) (03:19)
12. I Remember Jeep (Original Jam) (08:09)
13. Thanks For The Pepperoni (Original Jam) (05:32)
14.  Out Of The Blue (Original Jam) (11:16)

George-Harrison70-All-Things-03 George-Harrison70-All-Things-04 George-Harrison70-All-Things-05 George-Harrison70-All-Things-B1 George-Harrison70-All-Things-back-box

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Rainbow - Straight Between The Eyes [Japanese Ed. 1988] (1982)

Year: April 1982 (CD Aug 1, 1988)
Label: Polydor Records (Japan), P28P 25069
Style: Hard Rock
Country: London, England
Time: 41:05
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 260 Mb

Charts: UK #5, AUS #86, CAN #17, FIN #2, GER #21, JPN #8, NOR #12, NLD #19, SWE #7, US #30. UK & FIN: Gold.
The album was the band's first with keyboardist David Rosenthal replacing Don Airey. The remaining members were the same as on the previous year's Difficult to Cure album.
According to Blackmore, the title came from a meeting with Jeff Beck in 1967, when the two were discussing Jimi Hendrix. Beck told Blackmore that Hendrix's guitar playing hit him "straight between the eyes".
The sleeve-art is by British artist Jeff Cummins and Hipgnosis, though has been described as "one of [Hipgnosis]' very worst; in fact, so bad, it taints the music." The original vinyl issue had the lyrics printed on the inner sleeve.
In an April 1982 interview with British rock magazine Kerrang!, Blackmore stated of "MISS Mistreated", "Well it's to avoid confusion that the 'Miss' is written three times bigger than the 'mistreated' but I expect we'll have someone who shall remain nameless coming up to us saying 'I wrote that song'!" That someone being David Coverdale, with whom Blackmore had co-written "Mistreated" for the 1974 Deep Purple album Burn. Blackmore had this issue with Coverdale previously when a rendition of "Mistreated" was included on the Rainbow live album On Stage.
Videos were shot for the songs "Stone Cold" and "Death Alley Driver", the latter featuring Sega's video game Turbo. Both videos received heavy play on MTV and were later included on Rainbow's The Final Cut home video in 1985.
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_Between_the_Eyes)

01. Death Alley Driver (04:45)
02. Stone Cold (05:19)
03. Bring On The Night (Dream Chaser) (04:08)
04. Tite Squeeze (03:16)
05. Tearin' Out My Heart (04:06)
06. Power (04:27)
07. MISS Mistreated (04:30)
08. Rock Fever (03:52)
09. Eyes Of Fire (06:39)

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Rainbow - Difficult To Cure [Japanese Ed. 1985] (1981)

Year: 9 February 1981 (CD 01 May 1985)
Label: Polydor Records (Japan), P33P-50020
Style: Hard Rock
Country: London, England
Time: 41:59
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 266 Mb

Charts: UK #3, AUS #77, FIN #1, GER #13, JPN #12, NOR #17, NLD #14, SWE #9, US #50. UK, FIN & JPN: Gold.
Difficult to Cure is the fifth studio album by the British hard rock band Rainbow, and it was released in 1981. It was the first album to feature drummer Bobby Rondinelli and vocalist Joe Lynn Turner after the departures of Cozy Powell and Graham Bonnet respectively, following the tour in support of Down to Earth. The album marked the continuing commercialization of the band's sound, with Ritchie Blackmore once describing at the time his appreciation of the band Foreigner. It became the band's highest-charting album on the UK Albums Chart, where it peaked at number three.
Writing of the album's material was begun with singer Graham Bonnet still in the band, progressing as far as recording an early version of "I Surrender", before Bonnet left the band due to his dissatisfaction over the material, and numerous fallouts with Blackmore. American singer Joe Lynn Turner, formerly of Fandango was recruited and sang over already completed musical tracks. Turner stated that, because of this, he was singing in higher keys than he would do normally (and would do subsequently).
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Difficult_to_Cure)

Album recorded and mixed in the analog domain - AAD. That is, a minimum of digital processing.
A=Analog. D=digital. The first letter stands for how the music was recorded. The second letter for how it was mixed. The third letter stands for the format (all CD's will have D as the last letter).

01. I Surrender (04:05)
02. Spotlight Kid (04:56)
03. No Release (05:35)
04. Magic (04:10)
05. Vielleicht Das Nachste Mal (Maybe Next Time) (03:19)
06. Can't Happen Here (05:00)
07. Freedom Fighter (04:23)
08. Midtown Tunnel Vision (04:35)
09. Difficult To Cure (Beethoven's Ninth) (05:52)

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Friday, 27 June 2025

The Beau Brummels - Autumn Of Their Years [1964-1966] (1994)

Year: 1964-1966 (CD 1994)
Label: Big Beat Records (UK), CDWIKD 127
Style: Folk Rock, Pop Rock
Country: San Francisco, California, U.S.
Time: 63:37
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 351 Mb

Autumn of Their Years is a compilation album by American rock band The Beau Brummels. It was released in 1994 by Big Beat Records, and re-released in 2003 by Ace Records. The album consists of 26 songs recorded by the band during their stint at Autumn Records, including previously unreleased demos and outtakes.
Autumn of Their Years features 26 songs recorded by the Beau Brummels from 1964 to 1966. The compilation contains unreleased songs and alternate takes from the band's Autumn Records period. Ten songs-including "She Sends Me", "Dream On", and "Love is Just a Game"-previously appeared on the 1982 Rhino collection From the Vaults, while the remainder of the album consists of sixteen unreleased tracks, including demo versions of the band's early singles "Laugh, Laugh", "Just a Little", and "Still in Love with You Baby".
Richie Unterberger of Allmusic wrote that the album has "a lot of fine moments, but actually a bit much for all but hardcore fans", and that "the best cuts ... were already available on From the Vaults". Regarding the previously unreleased demos, Unterberger said they "aren't as good, production-wise ... or material-wise", and called "Tomorrow Is Another Day" the highlight of the album, "showcasing Sal Valentino's rich and moving vocals".
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autumn_of_Their_Years)

01. She Sends Me (02:04)
02. Tomorrow Is Another Day (02:45)
03. She Loves Me (03:08)
04. Woman (02:41)
05. Dream On (02:23)
06. Cry Some (02:36)
07. I Grow Old (01:57)
08. No Lonelier Man (01:43)
09. This Is Love (02:12)
10. She's My Girl (02:27)
11. I'll Tell You (02:45)
12. Let Me In (02:18)
13. Love Is Just a Game (02:32)
14. Till the Day (01:56)
15. I Will Go (02:38)
16. Stay With Me Awhile (03:25)
17. I'm Alone Again (01:28)
18. Down on Me (02:31)
19. Can't Be So (02:16)
20. Fine With Me (02:27)
21. Coming Home (02:11)
22. That's All That Matters (02:39)
23. Laugh, Laugh (03:22)
24. Still in Love With You Baby (02:27)
25. Just a Little (02:29)
26. When It Comes to Your Love (02:05)

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Asia - Asia [24kt Gold. Audio Fidelity] (1982)

Year: 18 March 1982 (CD 2010)
Label: Audio Fidelity (US), AFZ 068
Style: Hard Rock, Arena Rock
Country: London, England
Time: 44:16
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 315 Mb

Charts: UK #11, AUS #13, GER #6, JPN #15, NLD #10, US #1. AUS, FRA, SWI & UK: Gold; JPN: Platinum; CAN: 3x Platinum; US: 4x Platinum.
Asia included keyboardist Geoffrey Downes and guitarist Steve Howe from Yes; King Crimson singer-bassist John Wetton, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer drummer Carl Palmer.
"The production was a bit Journey-esque," Howe noted. "That was down to Mike Stone, who'd co-produced Escape, which was a huge album for Journey. But "Heat of the Moment" was the last song we recorded for the Asia album. By then we'd already done stuff like "Time Again" and "Wildest Dreams", which were very progressive. There was also this sweetness in "[Only] Time Will Tell". But as soon as I stacked up the guitar and John started singing, we knew we had something special in "Heat of the Moment"."
"People said, 'No, that's not going to work. It's all keyboards now. It's all synthesizers.' I think A Flock of Seagulls was No. 1," Wetton commented. "Actually, what we did was make a sound that blew synthesizers out of the water. Everyone said, 'Oh, no, no, no. A prog-guitar band ain't gonna work.' But it did."
The album's concluding track, "Here Comes the Feeling" (credited to Wetton and Howe) was a reworking of a song written by Wetton and recorded with French progressive rock band Atoll in 1979: the original version was released as a bonus track on Atoll's 1993 reissue of their 1979 album Rock Puzzle.
Asia's logo and cover artwork were created by Roger Dean, known for his work with Yes (of which guitarist Steve Howe and keyboard player Geoff Downes were previous members) and Uriah Heep (of which bassist/vocalist John Wetton had previously been a member). The debut album's art depicts a sea serpent gazing into a crystal orb.
There was a concern that having Dean do the cover would produce something that looked too much like his famed artwork for Yes, but Howe and Downes pushed for his involvement. Geffen's John Kalodner did not initially like Dean's logo for the band.
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia_(Asia_album))

01. Heat Of The Moment (03:52)
02. Only Time Will Tell (04:47)
03. Sole Survivor (04:49)
04. One Step Closer (04:17)
05. Time Again (04:48)
06. Wildest Dreams (05:12)
07. Without You (05:07)
08. Cutting It Fine (05:40)
09. Here Comes The Feeling (05:40)

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U2 - War [MFSL-CD] (1983)

Year: 28 February 1983 (CD Jan 1993)
Label: Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (US), UDCD 571
Style: Post-Punk, Pop Rock
Country: Dublin, Ireland
Time: 42:42
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 286 Mb

Charts: IRE #16, AUS #9, CAN #4, FRA #4, GER #59, NZ #5, SWE #2, UK #1, US #12. GER & SWI: Gold; NZ: Platinum; UK, FRA & AUS: 2x Platinum; CAN: 3x Platinum; US: 4x Platinum.
War is the third studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Steve Lillywhite, and was released on 28 February 1983 on Island Records. The album is regarded as U2's first overtly political album, in part because of songs like "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day", as well as the title, which stems from the band's perception of the world at the time; lead vocalist Bono stated that "war seemed to be the motif for 1982."
U2 recorded the album from September to November 1982 at Windmill Lane Studios with Lillywhite producing, the group's third consecutive album made at the studio with the producer. While the central themes of U2's previous albums Boy and October were adolescence and spirituality, respectively, War focused on both the physical aspects of warfare, and the emotional after-effects. Musically, it is also harsher than the band's previous releases.
War was a commercial success, knocking Michael Jackson's Thriller from the top of the UK charts to become U2's first number-one album there. In the United States, it reached number 12 and became the band's first album certified gold. War received generally favourable reviews, although some British journalists criticised it. The band supported the album with the War Tour through the end of 1983. In 2008, a remastered edition of War was released. In 2012, the album was ranked 223rd on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_(U2_album))

01. Sunday Bloody Sunday (04:39)
02. Seconds (03:22)
03. New Year's Day (05:37)
04. Like a Song... (05:00)
05. Drowning Man (04:14)
06. The Refugee (03:40)
07. Two Hearts Beat as One (04:03)
08. Red Light (03:48)
09. Surrender (05:37)
10. '40' (02:37)

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Thursday, 26 June 2025

Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath) - Diary Of A Madman [Japanese Ed. 1991] (1981)

Year: October 1981 (CD 25 Oct 1991)
Label: Sony Music (Japan), SRCS 6146
Style: Hard Rock
Country: Marston Green, Warwickshire, England (3 December 1948)
Time: 43:23
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 296 Mb

Charts: UK #14, CAN #16, NZ #42, US #16. UK: Silver; AUS: Gold; CAN: Platinum; US: 3x Platinum.
The follow-up to the masterful Blizzard of Ozz, Diary of a Madman was rushed into existence by a band desperate to finish its next album before an upcoming tour. As a result, it doesn't feel quite as fully realized -- a couple of the ballads are overly long and slow the momentum, and Randy Rhoads' guide solo on "Little Dolls" was never replaced with a version intended for the public. Yet despite the fact that some songs could have used a longer gestation period, there are numerous moments of brilliance on Diary of a Madman -- at least half of it stands up to anything on Blizzard, and the title track is a jaw-droppingly intricate epic that represents the most classically influenced work of Rhoads' all-too-brief career. But even if parts of the album don't quite live up to the band's previous (and incredibly high) standards, they're by no means bad; moreover, the production is fuller, and the instruments better recorded this time around. It's not uncommon to find fans who prefer Diary to Blizzard, since it sets an even more mystical, eerie mood, and since Rhoads' playing is progressing to an even higher level. One can only wonder what the Osbourne/Rhoads collaboration might have produced in the future, had Rhoads not been killed in a bizarre and sadly avoidable plane crash.
(allmusic.com/album/diary-of-a-madman-mw0000191217)

01. Over the Mountain (04:31)
02. Flying High Again (04:43)
03. You Can't Kill Rock and Roll (06:58)
04. Believer (05:17)
05. Little Dolls (05:39)
06. Tonight (05:50)
07. S.A.T.O. (04:06)
08. Diary of a Madman (06:15)

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Roxy Music - Siren [Japanese Ed.] (1975)

Year: 24 October 1975 (CD July 31, 2013)
Label: Virgin Records (Japan), VJCP-98139
Style: Art Rock, Glam Rock, Pop Rock
Country: London, England
Time: 42:33
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 299 Mb

Charts: UK #4, AUS #12, CAN #53, NL #9, NOR #15, NZ #33, SWE #8, US #50. UK: Gold.
Siren produced the singles "Love Is the Drug" and "Both Ends Burning", which peaked at numbers two and 25 respectively on the UK Singles Chart. "Love Is the Drug" became Roxy Music's highest-charting single in the US, reaching number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2003, Siren was ranked number 371 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
The cover features band member Bryan Ferry's soon-to-be-girlfriend, model Jerry Hall, on rocks near South Stack, Anglesey. Graham Hughes, working during August 1975, took the cover photo directly below the central span of the bridge on a south-side slope. He worked from sketches produced by Antony Price, with photography featuring Hall striking various poses. The idea for the location was Bryan Ferry's, after he saw a TV documentary about lava flows and rock formations in Anglesey, in which South Stack was heavily featured.
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siren_(Roxy_Music_album))

01. Love Is The Drug (04:11)
02. End Of The Line (05:14)
03. Sentimental Fool (06:14)
04. Whirlwind (03:38)
05. She Sells (03:39)
06. Could It Happen To Me? (03:37)
07. Both Ends Burning (05:16)
08. Nightingale (04:11)
09. Just Another High (06:31)

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Wednesday, 25 June 2025

Mike Oldfield - Guitars [Japanese Ed.] (1999)

Year: 24 May 1999 (CD Jun 23, 1999)
Label: WEA Music (Japan), WPCR-10407
Style: Progressive Rock, New Age
Country: Reading, Berkshire, England (15 May 1953)
Time: 42:46
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 259 Mb

Charts: UK #40, AUT #35, GER #16, SPA #3, SWI #34. SPA: Platinum.
Ever the sonic experimentalist, Mike Oldfield uses guitars exclusively (strummed, plucked, struck, sampled, etc.) to create every sound on Guitars. Perhaps an intentional response to the composer's previous assortment of electronic recordings, the album suffers from its form-over-substance concept. The more delicate, acoustic material ("Summit Days," "Muse," "Enigmatism") has the meditative, elegant quality listeners would naturally expect from Oldfield. But the crunchier rock guitar ensembles seem to lack Oldfield's usual sense of order and purpose. "Four Winds," an unfinished cluster of distorted racket, really misses its mark. Miscues like this one demonstrate that Oldfield is as awkward with the rock form as he is accomplished with his subtle and meditative electronic creations. Innovative and at times beautiful, Guitars is another interesting experiment from one of modern music's most ambitious icons.
(allmusic.com/album/guitars-mw0000767059)

01. Muse (02:12)
02. Cochise (05:15)
03. Embers (03:51)
04. Summit Day (03:46)
05. Out Of Sight (03:48)
06. B. Blues (04:30)
07. Four Winds (09:32)
08. Enigmatism (03:32)
09. Out Of Mind (03:46)
10. From The Ashes (02:28)

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Ian Hunter (ex Mott The Hoople) - Man Overboard (2009)

Year: July 21, 2009 (CD 2009)
Label: New West Records (US), NW6167
Style: Rock
Country: Shropshire, England (June 3, 1939)
Time: 47:27
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 330 Mb

As I ‘m writing this review about England’s most respected septuagenarian Ian Hunter, it struck me how a musician of this age still knows how to sound so young and enthusiastic. The former front man of legendary group Mott the Hoople releases Man Overboard 2 years after Shrunken Heads. Anybody below the age of let’s say 30 probably never heard of this guy before. All the young dudes, his most memorable track was once covered by Bruce Dickinson in the early nineties. You ask yourself if this old man still has something to offer?
Man Overboard is larded with experience in life and music, but what else do you expect from a man that celebrated his 70th birthday? A career that spans nearly 6 decades, with the accompanying rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle hasn’t affected his health or appearance. In fact it is quite amazing how powerful he sounds on this record. And by powerful I mean specifically the vocals. Most singers tend to lose vocal power when they age, something that even studio recordings can’t hide. So you won’t find hard crunching and pounding metal on this one, so for the Slipknot and Murderdoll fans no need to rush in headlong to the digital recordstore. There is also little resemblance with the glam rock sound of Mott the Hoople. What is available are songs played on acoustic guitar, mandolin and accordion. There are only a few subtle electric guitar sounds.
The music does remind me a bit of Bruce Springsteen, especially the title track could have been easily on his Nebraska album. That said the E Street Band indeed did work for Hunter back in 1979 for his You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic album. It probably left a mark on his music. Lyrically he is far more cynical than the Boss, stating that they invented a lot, but ‘they haven’t found a cure for me yet.’ The anthem like ‘Babylon Blues’ track with the accompanying nanana’s is easily the highlight of the album. It will do great in a live situation.
Speaking of live shows, Mott the Hoople are re-uniting for a couple of concerts at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. Reportedly all five of the original members will participate. Up until then you can enjoy this great new Ian Hunter album.
(metalrage.com/reviews/2941/ian-hunter-man-overboard.html)

01. The Great Escape (04:29)
02. Arms and Legs (04:34)
03. Up and Running (03:47)
04. Man Overboard (05:16)
05. Babylon Blues (04:54)
06. Girl from the Office (04:35)
07. Flowers (03:32)
08. These Feelings (04:01)
09. Win It All (02:24)
10. Way with Words (04:15)
11. River of Tears (05:35)

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Tuesday, 24 June 2025

Tracy Nelson - Tracy Nelson (1974)

Year: 1974 (CD 2004)
Label: DBK Works (US), dbk507
Style: Pop Rock, Folk, World, Country
Country: Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. (December 27, 1944)
Time: 39:28
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 230 Mb

It's amazing how many good singers from the early '70s have recorded several worthy albums only to disappear from the scene forever. Tracy Nelson, from the photo on her self-titled album, gives the appearance of just a slip of a girl, but her voice defies one's eyes. From the first notes of the album, Nelson brings her deep, resonant vocals to bear on ten songs, nine of which were gleaned from her songwriting peers. She's joined in the studio by the cream of Nashville studio cats, a sparkling group of players who lay down a heavy R&B backdrop perfectly suited for her powerful set of pipes. It doesn't hurt that Bob Johnston (of Bob Dylan fame) is sitting in the production chair, nor that he lent Nelson the sexy number "Rock Me in Your Cradle." The good songs on Tracy Nelson run deep, so one needs to stick around long enough to hear the funkiest, coolest version of Bob Dylan's "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry" ever to grace vinyl. If you can imagine Aretha Franklin recording with Little Feat, then you've got the idea. There's also a stone-country version of "After the Fire Is Gone" (which charted at the time) with Willie Nelson in tow. All this is to say that Tracy Nelson is a solid, soulful album.
(allmusic.com/album/tracy-nelson-mw0000268559)

01. Slow Fall (03:22)
02. Love Has No Pride (03:37)
03. Hold An Old Friend`s Hand (04:21)
04. Rock Me In Your Cradle (04:02)
05. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry (03:44)
06. After The Fire Is Gone (03:06)
07. Lean On Me (03:22)
08. I Wish Someone Would Care (05:45)
09. Lay Me Down Easy (03:14)
10. Down So Low (04:51)

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Yes - Going For The One [Japanese Ed. 1992] (1977)

Year: July 15, 1977 (CD 1992)
Label: Atlantic Records (Japan), AMCY-370
Style: Symphonic Rock
Country: London, England
Time: 38:39
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 250 Mb

Charts: CAN #8, US #8, JPN #20, AUS #16, NZ #11, FRA #10, GER #6, NLD #9, NOR #7, SWE #10, UK #1. CAN, FRA, UK, & US: Gold.
Going for the One is perhaps the most overlooked item in the Yes catalog. It marked Rick Wakeman's return to the band after a three-year absence, and also a return to shorter song forms after the experimentalism of Close to the Edge, Tales from Topographic Oceans, and Relayer. In many ways, this disc could be seen as the follow-up to Fragile. Its five tracks still retain mystical, abstract lyrical images, and the music is grand and melodic, the vocal harmonies perfectly balanced by the stinging guitar work of Steve Howe, Wakeman's keyboards, and the solid rhythms of Alan White and Chris Squire. The title track features Howe on steel guitar (he's the only prog rocker who bothers with the instrument). "Turn of the Century" and the album's single, "Wonderous Stories," are lovely ballads the way only Yes can do them. "Parallels" is the album's big, pompous song, so well done that in later years the band opened concerts with it. Wakeman's stately church organ, recorded at St. Martin's Church, Vevey, Switzerland, sets the tone for this "Roundabout"-ish track. The concluding "Awaken" is the album's nod to the extended suite. Again, the lyrics are spacy in the extreme, but Jon Anderson and Squire are dead-on vocally, and the addition of Anderson's harp and White's tuned percussion round out this evocative track.
(allmusic.com/album/going-for-the-one-mw0000195614)

01. Going For The One (05:32)
02. Turn Of The Century (07:36)
03. Parallels (06:12)
04. Wonderous Stories (03:49)
05. Awaken (15:28)

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Monday, 23 June 2025

Savoy Brown - Lion's Share (1972)

Year: 1972 (CD 1991)
Label: Deram Records (Germany), 844 020-2
Style: Rock, Blues Rock
Country: London, England
Time: 39:28
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 233 Mb

"Shot in the Head," the slide guitar showcase that opens this solid set, became a staple of this veteran English band's live act. In his only full-time stint as singer for demanding bandleader Kim Simmonds, Dave Walker proves a serviceable, if unremarkable, successor to Chris Youlden. Besides their own tunes, the lads cover Howlin' Wolf and Little Walter.
(allmusic.com/album/lions-share-mw0000276272)

Album recorded and mixed in the analog domain - AAD. That is, a minimum of digital processing.
A=Analog. D=digital. The first letter stands for how the music was recorded. The second letter for how it was mixed. The third letter stands for the format (all CD's will have D as the last letter).

01. Shot In The Head (04:46)
02. Second Try (04:18)
03. The Saddest Feeling (04:21)
04. I Can't Find You (03:34)
05. Howling For My Darling (03:37)
06. So Tired (04:16)
07. Denim Demon (04:25)
08. Love Me Please (05:45)
09. I Hate To See You Go (04:22)

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Sunday, 22 June 2025

Savoy Brown - Hellbound Train (1972)

Year: February 1972 (UK) / March 1972 (US/Canada) (CD 1991)
Label: Deram Records (Germany), 844 019-2
Style: Rock, Blues Rock
Country: London, England
Time: 33:40
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 222 Mb

Comprising the same lineup as Street Corner Talking, Savoy Brown released Hellbound Train a year later. For this effort, Kim Simmonds' guitar theatrics are toned down a bit and the rest of the band seems to be a little less vivid and passionate with their music. The songs are still draped with Savoy Brown's sleek, bluesy feel, but the deep-rooted blues essence that so easily emerged from their last album doesn't rise as high throughout Hellbound Train's tracks. The title cut is most definitely the strongest, with Dave Walker, Simmonds, and Paul Raymond sounding tighter than on any other song, and from a wider perspective, Andy Silvester's bass playing is easily Hellbound's most complimenting asset. On tracks like "Lost and Lonely Child," "Doin' Fine," and "If I Could See an End," the lifeblood of the band doesn't quite surge into the music as it did before, and the tracks become only average-sounding blues efforts. Because of Savoy Brown's depth of talent, this rather nonchalant approach doesn't make Hellbound Train a "bad" album by any means -- it just fails to equal the potency of its predecessor. But there is a noticeable difference in the albums that followed this one, as the band and especially Simmonds himself was beginning to show signs of fatigue, and a significant decline in the group's overall sound was rapidly becoming apparent.
(allmusic.com/album/hellbound-train-mw0001993572)

Album recorded and mixed in the analog domain - AAD. That is, a minimum of digital processing.
A=Analog. D=digital. The first letter stands for how the music was recorded. The second letter for how it was mixed. The third letter stands for the format (all CD's will have D as the last letter).

01. Doin' Fine (02:50)
02. Lost and Lonely Child (06:01)
03. I'll make Everything Alright (03:22)
04. Troubled by These Days and Times (05:46)
05. If I Could See an End (02:59)
06. It'll Make You Happy (03:29)
07. Hellbound Train (09:11)

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Ian Hunter (ex Mott The Hoople) & Mick Ronson - Y U I Orta (1989)

Year: 1989 (CD Oct 9, 2003)
Label: Lemon Recordings (UK), CD LEM 6
Style: Rock, Hard Rock, Classic Rock
Country: Shropshire, England / Yorkshire, England
Time: 71:18
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 507 Mb

YUI Orta was released as a joint album by Hunter and Ronson in 1990, and the pair performed alongside David Bowie and Queen at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in April 1992. Ronson died of liver cancer a year later, and Hunter gave his memorial speech. Hunter wrote and recorded "Michael Picasso", a tribute to Ronson that was included on Hunter's 1996 album The Artful Dodger, the follow-up to Dirty Laundry (1995). Hunter appeared on Ronson's posthumously-released solo album, Heaven and Hull (1994), and performed at the first Mick Ronson Memorial Concert in April 1994.
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Hunter_(singer)#Discography)
YUI Orta is the seventh solo studio album by English singer Ian Hunter. The title is a play on the phrase "Why you, I ought to...". Hunter reunites again with longtime collaborator Mick Ronson, as The Hunter Ronson Band.
It was intended as a sort of comeback for both men, but the record company did little promotion and eventually they were dropped from the label. There were plans for a follow-up, but these were put on hold when Ronson was diagnosed with liver cancer. In "Big Time", Hunter borrows the riff from his own song "Once Bitten Twice Shy". In "Tell It Like It Is" Ronson borrows the riff from "Get It On".
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YUI_Orta)

01. American Music (04:13)
02. The Loner (04:48)
03. Women's Intuition (06:31)
04. Tell It Like It Is (04:22)
05. Livin' In A Heart (04:35)
06. Big Time (04:04)
07. Cool (04:30)
08. Beg A Little Love (06:26)
09. Following In Your Footsteps (05:03)
10. Son's N' Lovers (04:56)
11. Pain (04:44)
12. How Much More Can I Take (03:49)
13. Sweet Dreamer (06:30)
14. 4th Hour Of My Sleep_Mick Ronson (03:08)
15. Power Of Darkness_Mick Ronson (03:32)

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Various Artists - Psychedelia At Abbey Road 1965-1969 (1998)

Year: August 25, 1998 (CD 1998)
Label: EMI Records (UK & Europe), 7243 496912 2 3
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Pop Rock
Country: England
Time: 77:18
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 413 Mb

A 22-track single CD seems a bit paltry given the scope of the title - except, of course, that the 1969 cutoff date here puts the material from Harvest (a label started late that year and containing the lion's share of EMI psychedelia) out of reach. Of course, there are no Beatles tracks and, likewise, no Pink Floyd here, but we do get cuts by the Hollies, Donovan, Tomorrow, the Fingers, Focus 3, the Tales of Justine, Simon Dupree & the Big Sound, the Pretty Things, the Aquarian Age, the Koobas, the Nocturnes, Locomotive, the Gods, Mandrake Paddlesteamer, Mark Wirtz, and Syd Barrett. Most of this stuff, apart from "Sunshine Superman," "My White Bicycle," and "King Midas in Reverse," isn't exactly routine material, and two tracks - "Delighted to See You" by the N'Betweens and "Why" by Tomorrow - are previously unissued. The latter, a cover of the Byrds' song, features a tour de force guitar break by future Yes member Steve Howe. Just as revelatory is "Monday Morning," a 1967 single by the largely forgotten the Tales of Justine, featuring David Daltrey, with arrangement and production by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, respectively. Everything on the album has been remastered in 24-bit digital sound, and the long version of Donovan's "Sunshine Superman" has been remixed, bringing out extraordinary detail in the percussion section, from the choppy rhythm guitars and harpsichord down to the exceptionally busy drumming. The annotation by Brian Hogg is detailed without going overboard on trivia, and the entire collection turns out to be great fun.
(allmusic.com/album/psychedelia-at-abbey-road-1965-1969-mw0000464459)

01. Sunshine Superman (Full Version) (Donovan) (04:41)
02. My White Bicycle (Tomorrow) (03:20)
03. Delighted To See You (The N' Betweens) (02:18)
04. Sunny South Kensington (Donovan) (04:00)
05. Circus With A Female Clown (The Fingers) (02:30)
06. Why (Tomorrow) (04:01)
07. King Midas In Reverse (The Hollies) (03:12)
08. 10,000 Years Behind My Mind (Focus 3) (02:21)
09. Monday Morning (Tales Of Justine) (03:25)
10. Maker (The Hollies) (02:55)
11. Kites (Simon Dupree And The Big Sound) (03:47)
12. Talkin' About The Good Times (Pretty Things) (03:44)
13. Walking Through My Dreams (Pretty Things) (03:42)
14. (He's Our Dear Old) Weatherman (Mark Wirtz Orchestra) (04:03)
15. 10,000 Words In A Cardboard Box (Aquarian Age) (03:32)
16. Carpet Man (The Nocturnes) (02:43)
17. Barricades (The Koobas) (05:06)
18. We Are The Moles (Part 1) (The Moles) (04:37)
19. Mr. Armageddon (Locomotive) (04:42)
20. Hey Bulldog (The Gods) (03:17)
21. Strange Walking Man (The Mandrake Paddle Steamer) (03:16)
22. Golden Hair (Syd Barrett) (01:56)

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Saturday, 21 June 2025

Jeff Beck (ex Yardbirs) - Truth (1968)

Year: 29 July 1968 (CD Jul 4, 2000)
Label: Epic Records (US), EK 66085
Style: Blues Rock, Hard Rock, Classic Rock
Country: Surrey, England (24 June 1944 - 10 January 2023)
Time: 40:30
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 254 Mb

Charts: CAN #37, US #15. US : Gold.
After leaving the Yardbirds in late 1966, Jeff Beck had released three commercial singles, two in 1967 featuring himself on lead vocals, and one without vocals in 1968. All had been hits on the British singles chart, and all were characterized by songs aimed at the pop chart on the A-side at the behest of producer Mickie Most. Harder rock and blues-based numbers were featured on the B-sides, and for music on the album, Beck opted to pursue the latter course.
Recording sessions for the album took place over four days, 14–15 May and 25–26 May 1968. Nine eclectic tracks were taken from these sessions, including covers of "Ol' Man River" by Jerome Kern, the Tudor period melody "Greensleeves", and Bonnie Dobson's "Morning Dew", a 1966 hit single for Tim Rose. Beck acknowledged two giants of Chicago blues in songs by Willie Dixon – Muddy Waters' "You Shook Me" and Howlin' Wolf's "I Ain't Superstitious".
The album starts with "Shapes of Things", a song from Beck's old band. Three originals were credited to "Jeffrey Rod", a pseudonym for Beck and Stewart, all reworkings of existing blues songs: "Let Me Love You" by Buddy Guy; "Rock My Plimsoul" and "Blues Deluxe" which respectively derive from "Rock Me Baby" and "Gambler's Blues" by B.B. King. For "Blues Deluxe", Beck overdubbed audience reactions from a sound effects record to create a live atmosphere, a choice he later regretted.
"Plimsoul" had already been recorded for the B-side to the 1967 single "Tallyman", and the tenth track, an instrumental featuring Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Keith Moon, and future Beck group pianist Nicky Hopkins, "Beck's Bolero", had been edited and remixed for stereo from the earlier B-side to "Hi Ho Silver Lining". Due to contractual conflicts, Moon had been credited on the original album as "You Know Who".
The cover art is a double exposure photograph of model Celia Hammond, who was dating Beck at the time, by photographer Stephen Goldblatt.
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_(Jeff_Beck_album))

01. Shapes of Things (03:19)
02. Let Me Love You (04:43)
03. Morning Dew (04:41)
04. You Shook Me (02:29)
05. Ol' Man River (03:57)
06. Greensleeves (01:49)
07. Rock My Plimsoul (04:13)
08. Beck's Bolero (02:53)
09. Blues Deluxe (07:32)
10. I Ain't Superstitious (04:51)

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The Edgar Winter Group - They Only Come Out At Night [MFSL-CD] (1972)

Year: November 1972 (CD 2005)
Label: Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (US), UDSACD 2011
Style: Southern Rock, Boogie Rock, Hard Rock
Country: Beaumont, Texas, U.S. (December 28, 1946)
Time: 35:05
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 236 Mb

Charts: US #3, AUS #28, CAN #4. US & CAN: 2x Platinum.
While this album will forever be remembered for spawning the huge hit singles "Frankenstein" and "Free Ride," there's plenty more to appreciate on this stellar release. From "the other single," "Hangin' Around," to the pretty melodies of "Round & Around" and "Autumn," the set collects ten outstanding cuts, played with fervor by Edgar Winter, Chuck Ruff, Dan Hartman, Randy Jo Hobbs, and Ronnie Montrose, along with guest artist/producer Rick Derringer. The "party" feel of "We All Had a Real Good Time" and the singalong "Alta Mira" only add to this already red-hot mix, making They Only Come Out at Night the album Winter will always be remembered for.
(allmusic.com/album/they-only-come-out-at-night-mw0000650986)

01. Hangin' Around (03:04)
02. When It Comes (03:17)
03. Alta Mira (03:20)
04. Free Ride (03:08)
05. Undercover Man (03:51)
06. Round & Round (04:00)
07. Rock 'n' Roll Boogie Woogie Blues (03:26)
08. Autumn (03:00)
09. We All Had a Real Good Time (03:07)
10. Frankenstein (04:47)

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Sly And The Family Stone - A Whole New Thing [5 bonus tracks] (1967)

Year: October 1967 (CD Apr 24, 2007)
Label: Legacy Records (US), 82796 90277 2
Style: Psychedelic Funk, Psychedelic Soul
Country: San Francisco, California, U.S.
Time: 56:36
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 322 Mb

A Whole New Thing is the debut album by funk/soul band Sly and the Family Stone, released in 1967 on Epic/CBS Records. The album was released to mixed criticism and failed to make an impact from a commercial standpoint and did not chart. CBS Records executive Clive Davis prevailed upon band leader Sly Stone to create a more commercial album; the result was the album Dance to the Music. Unlike later Sly and the Family Stone albums, A Whole New Thing was recorded live in the studio instead of being overdubbed and featured less of a pop feel than later releases such as Dance to the Music and Stand!. The lead vocals are shared between Sly Stone, Freddie Stone, and Larry Graham; Rose Stone would not join the band until they began work on Dance to the Music.
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Whole_New_Thing_(Sly_and_the_Family_Stone_album))

01. Underdog (03:59)
02. If This Room Could Talk (03:14)
03. Run, Run, Run (03:07)
04. Turn Me Loose (01:57)
05. Let Me Hear It From You (03:36)
06. Advice (02:23)
07. I Cannot Make It (03:21)
08. Trip To Your Heart (03:44)
09. I Hate To Love Her (03:33)
10. Bad Risk (03:06)
11. That Kind Of Person (04:28)
12. Dog (03:07)
13. Underdog (03:06)
14. Let Me Hear It From You (03:30)
15. Only One Way Out Of This Mess (03:53)
16. What Would I Do (04:07)
17. You Better Help Yourself (02:19)

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Friday, 20 June 2025

Phil Collins (ex Genesis) - ...Hits (1998)

Year: 5 October 1998 (CD 1998)
Label: Face Value Records (Canada), WTVD 83139
Style: Pop Rock, Soft Rock
Country: London, England (30 January 1951)
Time: 74:09
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 491 Mb

Charts: UK #1, AUS #2, AUT #2, CAN #1, GER #2, NLD #1, NZ #1, SWE #1, SWI #2, US #6. GER: 3x Gold; AUT, SWI & NLD: Platinum; US: 3x Platinum; CAN: 4x Platinum; UK & AUS: 6x Platinum.
Hits (stylised as ...Hits) is the first greatest hits album by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins. The collection included fourteen top 40 hits, including seven American number one songs, spanning from the albums Face Value (1981) through Dance into the Light (1996). One new Collins recording, a cover of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors", also appeared on the collection and was a popular song on adult contemporary stations. Hits was also the first Phil Collins album to include four songs originally recorded for motion pictures (all of them US number-one hits) as well as his popular duet with Philip Bailey, "Easy Lover" (a UK number-one hit).
In 1998, the album reached number one in the United Kingdom and number 18 in the United States. It was reissued in 2008, following the usage of "In the Air Tonight" in a successful Cadbury advertisement campaign. On 4 August 2008, it became the number one album on the New Zealand RIANZ album chart. In July 2012, the album re-entered the US charts, reaching number six on the Billboard 200 when the album price was deeply discounted very briefly by Amazon. It has sold 3,429,000 in the US as of July 2012.
The compilation's cover features stylised versions of the cover art for Collins' first six albums, the collection's primary sources of songs.
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hits_(Phil_Collins_album))

01. Another Day In Paradise (05:22)
02. True Colors (04:34)
03. Easy Lover (05:02)
04. You Can't Hurry Love (02:52)
05. Two Hearts (03:24)
06. I Wish It Would Rain Down (05:28)
07. Against All Odds (03:25)
08. Something Happened On The Way To Heaven (04:51)
09. Separate Lives (04:06)
10. Both Sides Of The Story (06:37)
11. One More Night (04:46)
12. Sussudio (04:21)
13. Dance Into The Light (04:22)
14. A Groovy Kind Of Love (03:29)
15. In The Air Tonight (05:30)
16. Take Me Home (05:52)

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