Renaissance - Ashes Are Burning (1973)

Year: October 1973 (CD 2006)
Label: Repertoire Records (Europe), REP 5078
Style: Art Rock, Symphonic Rock
Country: London, United Kingdom
Time: 40:43
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 290 Mb

Somewhat unusually, the longest history with the band is with two outside members, composer Michael Dunford and poet Betty Thatcher, who together are responsible for the music and lyrics on all but one track of the album. Both were involved in the making of the 1970 Illusion album, but are not actual members of the band. Dunford officially joined the band with the next album. The only song Dunford was not on Ashes Are Burning to compose is ”On The Frontier”, written by Renaissance founding member Jim McCarty. Who was no longer a member of the band at this point. Confusing? A bit! Thus, Ashes Are Burning is a very rare prog album where all the material is written by someone other than the band members.
Ashes Are Burning is by far the most successful album of Renaissance’s career so far and started a three-album golden era for the band. The album smoothly blends influences from both folk and classical music (no direct quotes are spared). The semi-acoustic sound was an important part of how Renaissance distinguished themselves from other progressive bands. And the acoustic aspect was especially emphasized on this Ashes Are Burning album. Instead of electric guitars and synthesizers, it is John Tout’s classical-style piano that takes centre stage, and the impressive, gentle yet powerful, five-octave vocals of Annie Haslam, who had studied opera singing. Tout also makes restrained use of synthesizers but, pleasingly, sticks mostly to piano, which was rare for early 70s rock bands. And well, for rock bands of any era really.
Although Renaissance draws much of its influence from folk, the grand symphonic nature of the band’s music also clearly distinguishes it from the core of the folk scene. A rock-like kick to the sound is added by Jon Camp’s very Chris Squire-like bass playing and of course Sullivan’s relatively straightforward drumming. Camp and his bass are given plenty of space, as the only electric guitar on the album is on the closing title track, where guesting Wishbone Ash guitarist Andy Powell gets to squeeze in a long guitar solo.
(full version: pienemmatpurot.com/2023/10/10/review-renaissance-ashes-are-burning-1973/)

01. Can You Understand (09:51)
02. Let It Grow (04:14)
03. On The Frontier (04:55)
04. Carpet Of The Sun (03:31)
05. At The Harbour (06:48)
06. Ashes Are Burning (11:20)

UploadyIo     FreedlInk

All my files:     UploadyIo     DailyUploads     KatFile

Jade Warrior - Jade Warrior (1971)

Year: 1971 (CD 1988)

Label: Line Records (Germany), LICD 9.00548 O

Style: Progressive Rock, Rock

Country: 1970–2011 or 2014; United Kingdom

Time: 44:13

Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz

Size: 161 Mb

The core membership of Jade Warrior is/was Jon Field (flute etc.) and Tony Duhig (guitar). During their youths, Jon and Tony independently developed an interest in Jazz, African music, and Latin American music. They met in the early 1960s while driving forklift trucks in a factory, and soon learned that they shared musical interests and intentions. At the time, they were just beginning to play instruments themselves (Jon a set of congas, and Tony a cheap guitar which he tuned quite unconventionally to open C).
Each of them bought a quarter-track tape recorder, capable of sound-on-sound "pingponging". They began composing their own music, and experimenting with building up multi-layered overdubbed amalgams of the sorts of music which moved them... all done with practically no money. Jon has described this process as "our training... trying to build a cathedral with the sort of things you'd find in your back yard." This complex layered and overdubbed sound would be a hallmark of Jade Warrior's music throughout their entire career to date.
They spent the next years going to clubs, listening to jazz and blues, and in 1965 formed a rhythm & blues band called "Second Thoughts" headed up by lead singer Patrick Lyons. Second Thoughts released one four-song EP. During the same period, Tom Newman (later the engineer for Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells), Alan James, Pete Cook and Chris Jackson had formed the first incarnation of the "Tomcats" (one of several bands known to have used this name).
In 1965, both of these two bands split up. Patrick Lyons departed, joining up with Alex Spyropoulos in a duo named "Nirvana" which subsequently released an on-the-charts single "Rainbow Chaser" and a total of five LPs (with Jade Warrior members performing on one of them: 1971's Local Anaesthetic).
The Tomcats re-formed with a new line-up: Tom Newman, Alan James, Chris Jackson, Jon Field and Tony Duhig. The band spent the best part of 1965 and 1966 in Spain, acting as a spearhead for British pop music in that country. They released four EPs which did very well on the Spanish charts. The four EPs by The Tomcats were collected onto a single LP by Acme Records, and a pressing of The Second Thoughts' four-song EP was included.
After returning to England in 1966, the Tomcats were re-named "July", playing psychedelic-pop/rock written by Tom Newman and Pete Cook. July issued one album, which has been released in three different versions. The original version was July. A later release Second of July contains alternate versions and additional outtakes, and a third release Dandelion Seeds is a re-release of July plus the outtakes. July disbanded in 1968. Tony Duhig auditioned successfully for a role in a band called Unit Four Plus Two (a group which had released a hit song "Concrete and Clay" a few years earlier but had since lost all of its original members save the lead singer). Other recent additions to Unit Four Plus Two were bass guitarist and vocalist Glyn Havard, and drummer Allan Price. This line-up of Unit Four Plus Two did a brief club tour in the U.K., and then broke up.
Musical ideas continued to develop and they hooked up with Glyn again to work them in to songs. The first piece they worked on became 'The Traveller' (released on the first Vertigo album). They called the band Jade Warrior after one of the dance dramas they had composed for a London drama school.
(jadewarrior.com)

01. The Traveller (02:40)
02. A Prenormal Day At Brighton (02:45)
03. Masai Morning (Including Casting Of The Bones, The Hunt, A Ritual Of Kings) (06:44)
04. Windweaver (03:43)
05. Dragonfly Day (Including Metamorphosis, Dance Of The Sun Spirit, Death) (07:45)
06. Petunia (04:46)
07. Telephone Girl (04:54)
08. Psychiatric Sergeant (03:08)
09. Slow Ride (02:36)
10. Sundial Song (05:08)

Listen. Full Album: Jade Warrior - Jade Warrior (1971)



UploadyIo     DailyUploads

 

All my files:     UploadyIo     DailyUploads     KatFile

Jon (Yes) and Vangelis (Aphrodite's Child) - Private Collection (1983)

Year: May 1983 (CD 1983)
Label: Polydor Records (Germany), 813174-2
Style: Electronic, Art Rock, Modern Classical
Country: Greece / United Kingdom
Time: 47:38
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 257 Mb

Charts: UK #22, AUS #31, AUT #18, CAN #78, GER #27, NL #15, NZ #45, SPA #10, SWE #24, US #148.
Jon & Vangelis' first two albums really seemed to be building up to this point. With Private Collection, the two artists (Jon Anderson of Yes fame and Vangelis) have created what feels just a bit like a classical work. Truly the nearly 23-minute "Horizon" really feels a lot like a modern symphony. It is definitely the culmination of their work together, their most ambitious effort. The shorter cuts on the album all have their moments and surely hold up to anything from the previous releases, but "Horizon" stands far above them all. It combines the best elements of Anderson's work in Yes with the electronically classically tinged stylings of Vangelis to produce a work that is near masterpiece in its quality. It is a life-affirming, positive piece. Among the other highlights of the disc are "Deborah" and "He Is Sailing." If you only buy one Jon & Vangelis album, choose the best-of collection. However, if you opt for a second disc, this is the one.
(allmusic.com/album/private-collection-mw0000650325)

01. Italian Song (02:54)
02. And When the Night Comes (04:37)
03. Deborah (04:56)
04. Polonaise (05:26)
05. He Is Sailing (06:49)
06. Horizon (22:53)

UploadyIo     DailyUploads

All my files:     UploadyIo     DailyUploads     KatFile

The Graham Bond Organisation - The Sound Of '65 & There's A Bond Between Us [2LP on 1CD] (1965)

Year: 26 February 1965 / 10 December 1965 (CD 1999)
Label: BGO Records (UK), BGOCD500
Style: Blues Rock, British Invasion, Jazz Rock
Country: United Kingdom
Time: 75:50
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 365 Mb

The Graham Bond Organisation (GBO) were a British blues/blues rock group of the mid-1960s consisting of Graham Bond (vocals, keyboards, alto-saxophone), Jack Bruce (bass), Ginger Baker (drums), Dick Heckstall-Smith (tenor/soprano saxophone) and John McLaughlin (guitar). They recorded several albums and further recordings were issued when the group's members achieved fame in jazz rock. On original releases, the spelling of the band's name varied between the British "S" and the American "Z".
At the start of the British rhythm and blues boom the Graham Bond Organisation earned a reputation for playing aggressive R & B with prominent jazz and blues. Bond was the primary songwriter but encouraged the other musicians to contribute material, including Dick Heckstall-Smith's "Dick's Instrumental" and Ginger Baker's "Camels and Elephants", in which the drummer explored ideas he eventually developed into his signature piece "Toad". Jack Bruce's harmonica-driven version of Peter Chatman's "Train Time" would become a staple in Cream's live performances.
The first commercial recording by the original lineup of the Graham Bond Organisation was released under the name of singer Winston G. (real name Winston Gork). A protege of expatriate Australian impresario Robert Stigwood, Winston had launched his career under the pseudonym "Johnny Apollo". In early 1965 both Winston and the Graham Bond Organisation were part of Stigwood-promoted UK package tour headlined by Chuck Berry (on which Stigwood incurred heavy losses). Since they shared management, the Graham Bond Organisation backed Winston on the Parlophone single "Please Don't Say" / "Like a Baby"; the A-side was credited "Arrangement directed by Graham Bond" and the B-side "Arrangement directed by Ginger Baker". The band signed for Decca Records who released their dynamic version of the Don Covay composition "Long Tall Shorty" in 1964, backed with "Long Legged Girl" ("Long Tall Shorty" had been popularised by US singer/organist Tommy Tucker). Their best-known single, and the second released under their own name, was "Tammy" (Jay Livingston/Ray Evans) / "Wade in the Water" (trad. arr. group), recorded on 4 January 1965 at Olympic Sound Studios, London (EMI Columbia DB 7471, 29 January 1965). The track also appeared on their debut album The Sound of 65 (EMI Columbia, March 1965).
(full version: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Graham_Bond_Organisation)

01. Hoochie Coochie Man (03:13)
02. Baby Make Love To Me (01:52)
03. Neighbour Neighbour (02:40)
04. Early In The Morning (01:50)
05. Spanish Blues (03:05)
06. On Baby (02:42)
07. Little Girl (02:15)
08. I Want You (01:45)
09. Wade In The Water (02:41)
10. Got My Mojo Working (03:11)
11. Train Time (02:24)
12. Baby Be Good To Me (02:35)
13. Half A Man (02:06)
14. Tammy (02:49)
15. Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (02:05)
16. Her Me Calling Your Name (02:37)
17. The Night Time Is The Right Time (03:01)
18. Walkin' In The Park (03:30)
19. Last Night (03:00)
20. Baby Can It Be True? (05:04)
21. What'd I Say? (04:16)
22. Dick's Instrumental (02:33)
23. Don't Let Go (02:43)
24. Keep A'Drivin' (02:04)
25. Have You Ever Loved A Woman? (04:53)
26. Camels And Elephants (04:43)

UploadyIo     DailyUploads

All my files:     UploadyIo     DailyUploads     KatFile

Brian Auger & The Trinity - Befour (1970)

Year: Recording July & December, 1969 (CD 1998)
Label: Disconforme SL (Andorra), DISC 1006 CD
Style: Progressive Rock, Classic Rock, Art Rock
Country: United Kingdom
Time: 46:39
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 307 Mb

Brian Auger and his band outdo themselves on this extraordinary album, which boasts playing that is both passionate and of virtuoso caliber, and encompasses just the right repertory. From the opening of the soaring rendition of "I Wanna Take You Higher" through the jazzy interpretation of Gabriel Faure's Pavane, the Albinoni-based Adagio per Archi e Organo, the impassioned rendition of Traffic's "No Time to Live" (sung by lead guitarist Gary Boyle), and the smooth interpretation of Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage" (featuring some elegant lead playing by Boyle before Auger's organ moves into the foreground), Befour delivers superb musicianship, crossing the lines between jazz and rock with touches of soul and even some lingering traces of psychedelia. The one fully experimental track, "Listen Here," which was cut in a single take of nine minutes and 22 seconds, is a hard, pounding piece driven by Boyle's jagged lead guitar and showing off the band augmented by three additional drummers (Mickey Waller, Barry Reeves, and Colin Allen) and an extra bassist (Roger Sutton) -- it reminds one somewhat of the kinds of experiments that the Nice sometimes attempted a lot less successfully. "Just You and Me" is a worthy finale to the original album, a hard-rocking showcase for each of the players.
(allmusic.com/album/befour-mw0000175821)

01. I Wanna Take You Higher (05:08)
02. Pavane (03:49)
03. No Time to Live (05:27)
04. Maiden Voyage (05:02)
05. Listen Here (09:25)
06. Adagio Per Archi E Organo (03:30)
07. Just You, Just Me (06:26)
08. Rain Forest Talking (bonus track) (04:06)
09. Pavane (Demo Version) (bonus track) (03:43)

UploadyIo     DailyUploads

All my files:     UploadyIo     DailyUploads     KatFile

Jon and Vangelis - The Friends Of Mr. Cairo (1981)

Year: July 1981 (CD 1993)
Label: PolyGram Records (Germany), 800 021-2
Style: Electronic, Art Rock
Country: Greece / United Kingdom
Time: 45:45
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 232 Mb

Charts: UK #6, AUS #9, AUT #8, GER #13, NL #3, US #64, CAN #2, SWE #35. Australia: Platinum, Canada: Platinum, United Kingdom: Gold.
The Friends of Mr Cairo is the second album by Jon and Vangelis, released in 1981. There are two editions of the album, with different sleeves. Both were released in 1981 within a few weeks of each other. The title track, "The Friends of Mr Cairo", peaked at No. 1 on the Canadian singles chart in late 1981, though the track was not a hit elsewhere. The second edition of the album includes the single "I'll Find My Way Home", which according to Anderson was added in response to poor initial sales of the album, and which stayed in the Swiss charts for 14 weeks and peaked at No. 1 on 7 March 1982. It also peaked at No. 6 in the UK. The album was #2 in Canada for 3 weeks, and was #15 in the Best of 1981. "State of Independence" was later a hit single for Donna Summer, and a decade later for Moodswings with Chrissie Hynde on vocal. Anderson also later re-recorded that song on his solo album Change We Must, released in 1994.
The title track and its accompanying music video serve as an ode to classic Hollywood films of the 1930s and 1940s, including references to the classic film noir The Maltese Falcon. Joel Cairo (Mr Cairo) is the character played by Peter Lorre in The Maltese Falcon. The track incorporates sound effects and voice impressions of the stars of the era, most notably Lorre, Humphrey Bogart, Sydney Greenstreet, and Jimmy Stewart.
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Friends_of_Mr_Cairo)

01. I'll Find My Way Home (04:31)
02. State of Independence (07:57)
03. Beside (04:12)
04. The Mayflower (06:39)
05. The Friends of Mr. Cairo (12:10)
06. Back to School (05:10)
07. Outside of This (Inside of T (05:03)

UploadyIo     FreedlInk

All my files:     UploadyIo     MexaShare     KatFile

CMU - Space Cabaret [Japanese Ed.] (1973)

Year: 1973 (CD Dec 20, 2006)
Label: Strange Days Records (Japan), POCE-1086
Style: Progressive Rock
Country: Cambridge, United Kingdom
Time: 50:46
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 296 Mb

CMU, also known as CONTEMPORARY MUSIC UNIT were an UK band active in the early 1970's. They were fusing various aspects of art-rock, jazz-rock and folk with a nod to the psychedelic rock.
A unique (at the time) characteristic of the band was a combination of female and male vocals, making an interesting blend. The male vocalist was James Gordon (who was also participating with percussion in the band),the female vocalist being Larraine Odell (later of RED EXPRESS, still active in various jazz projects nowadays). Other members were keyboardist Terry Mortimer (who also played some violin), Ian Hamlett (guitar, flute), Ed Lee (bass) and Larraine's husband Roger Odell (on drums).
The band released their debut 'Open Spaces' for Transatlantic in 1971. The record is an unpretentious mixture of psychedelia and blues, with some bizarre sonic patches here and there.
They changed their line-up drastically for the following album: instead of Mortimer, Gordon and Lee, the band hired Richard Joseph on acoustic guitar (and vocals), Steve Cook on bass and Leary Hasson on keyboards (Hasson came from MARSUPILAMI, which was also on Transatlantic label).
Reinforced with new members, and a moderate shift in their sound (the presence of Mellotron and spacey synthesizers), the band released their second (and last) album titled 'Space Cabaret' in 1973. This effort was much more elaborate, complex and original.
By the 1975, the band was no more.
CMU are often compared to Arthur Brown and AFFINITY; but fans of CURVED AIR might also enjoy the music of CMU. Both albums are worth checking, especially the second.
(progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=5450) Moris Mateljan, 2010.

01. a. Space Cabaret (01:55)
02. b. Archway 272 (06:18)
03. c. Song From The 4th Era (02:20)
04. d. A Distant Thought, A Point Of Light (06:50)
05. Doctor, Am I Normal? (04:58)
06. Dream (09:42)
07. Lightshine (10:29)
08. Heart Of The Sun (03:10)
09. Doctor, Am I Normal? (Single Version) (05:00)

UploadyIo     FreedlInk     MexaShare

All my files:     UploadyIo     MexaShare     MexaShare    KatFile

The Graham Bond Organisation - There's A Bond Between Us [6 bonus tracks] (1965)

Year: 10 December 1965 (CD 2009)
Label: Repertoire Records (Germany), REP 5117
Style: Blues Rock, British Invasion, Jazz Rock
Country: United Kingdom
Time: 59:09
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 312 Mb

Jack Bruce (Bass, Vocals), Ginger Baker (Drums, Original Cover Design), Graham Bond (Hammond Organ, Alto Saxophone, Mellotron, Lead Vocals), Dick Heckstall-Smith (Tenor Saxophone), Robert Stigwood (Producer).
Bond's second album stakes out similar territory as his debut in a more polished but slightly less exciting fashion. Some of the covers are a bit routine and hackneyed, and the original material isn't quite as strong (or frequent) as on the first effort. On a few tunes, the group expands from rave-ups to mellower, jazzier ballads that retain an R&B base. Highlights include the early Jack Bruce composition "Hear Me Calling Your Name" (to which he also contributes a fine lead vocal) and the excellent Bond tune "Walkin' in the Park," which holds up to the best early British R&B numbers. The album is also notable for being one of the very first rock LPs to feature the Mellotron, which Bond uses subtly and well.
(allmusic.com/album/theres-a-bond-between-us-mw0000788075)

01. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (02:04)
02. Hear Me Calling Your Name (02:37)
03. The Night Time Is the Right Time (03:00)
04. Walkin' in the Park (03:30)
05. Last Night (02:59)
06. Baby Can It Be True (05:03)
07. What'd I Say (04:15)
08. Dick's Instrumental (02:32)
09. Don't Let Go (02:43)
10. Keep a Drivin' (Stereo) (02:05)
11. Have You Ever Loved a Woman (04:52)
12. Camels and Elephants (04:42)
13. Lease on Love (Stereo) (Single A-Side) [Bonus Track] (02:58)
14. My Heart's in Little Pieces (Stereo) (Single B-Side) [Bonus Track] (03:23)
15. Saint James Infirmary (Single A-Side) [Bonus Track] (03:40)
16. Soul Tango (Single B-Side) [Bonus Track] (03:12)
17. You've Gotta Have Love Babe (Single A-Side) [Bonus Track] (02:32)
18. I Love You (Single B-Side) [Bonus Track] (02:53)

UploadyIo     FreedlInk

All my files:     UploadyIo     MexaShare     KatFile

Jon (Yes) and Vangelis (Aphrodite's Child) - Short Stories (1980)

Year: January 1980 (CD 1983)
Label: PolyGram Records (Germany), 800 027-2
Style: Electronic, Art Rock
Country: Greece / United Kingdom
Time: 45:14
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 211 Mb

Charts: UK #4, AUS #65, AUT #18, GER #30, NL #1, US #125, FRA #13, NOR #31. Netherlands: Gold, United Kingdom: Gold.
Review Summary: This is a very beautiful and magical album that came just in the right time. It shows the musical world of both musicians almost in a perfect way.
Jon & Vangelis was a musical project formed by the lead singer of Yes Jon Anderson and the famous Greek electronic pioneer musician Vangelis, in the 80’s. This wasn’t the first time the two had worked together. The first meeting between them took place in London, in the 70’s. Vangelis was to be the natural replacement for Rick Wakeman on the keyboards, in Yes, when he left the band after the release of their sixth studio album “Tales From Topographic Oceans”. It would never happen especially due to personal reasons of Vangelis. Meanwhile, the role went to the second choice, the Swiss keyboardist Patrick Moraz. Still, Jon Anderson has participated already, in the role of vocalist, on albums of Vangelis like “Heaven And Hell”, “See You Latter”, and played harp on the album “Opera Sauvage”, too.
So, “Short Stories” is the debut studio album of Jon Anderson and Vangelis Papathanassiou and was released in 1980. Jon Anderson was the author of the lyrics and performed all the vocals and the music was all composed by Vangelis Papathanassiou which also performed all the instruments, keyboards, synthesizers, piano and electronics. Beyond them, the album had also the participation of Raphael Preston on acoustic guitars, with some small contributions.
(Full version: sputnikmusic.com/review/78687/Jon-and-Vangelis-Short-Stories/)

01. Curious Electric (06:42)
02. Each And Everyday + Bird Son (05:08)
03. I Hear You Now (05:13)
04. The Road (04:31)
05. Far Away In Baagad (08:03)
06. Love Is + One More Time (06:18)
07. Thunder (02:14)
08. A Play Within A Play (07:02)

UploadyIo     FreedlInk

All my files:   UploadyIo     KatFile