Eagles - Eagles (1972)

Year: June 1, 1972 (CD 1990)
Label: Asylum Records (Europe), 37:30
Style: Rock, Soft Rock
Country: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Time: 37:30
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 236 Mb

Charts: Canada #13, US #22. UK: Silver, Canada: Gold, US: Platinum.
The band went to London, where they spent two weeks recording the album at the Olympic Studios. The album cost $125,000 to produce. Johns tried to introduce a more acoustic sound in the recording, and concentrated on the vocal blend and arrangements. There were however frequent disagreements over the sound of the band between the producer and Frey and Don Henley during the making of the album. Frey and Henley wanted a rougher rock and roll sound, while Johns was interested in using Bernie Leadon's banjo and Randy Meisner's bass to create a more country sound. Frey later admitted: "[Johns] was the key to our success in a lot of ways", but added: "We just didn’t want to make another limp-wristed L.A. country-rock record." Johns also instituted a no-drug and no-alcohol rule that Frey, but not Henley, was unhappy about.
Three of the songs recorded in London feature Frey on lead vocals, another three with Meisner and two with Leadon. The chirping sound at the start of the song by Leadon and Meisner, "Earlybird", was taken from a sound effect library. On "Take It Easy", Johns convinced Leadon to play double-time banjo on the song, a touch that Johns felt made the song different.
Originally, Henley only had one song on the album, "Witchy Woman". Later, a further track, "Nightingale", was recorded in Los Angeles after Geffen and manager Elliot Roberts listened to the tape of the album and decided that it needed another song with Henley on lead vocals. Johns had previously recorded a few takes of the song in London, but abandoned it as he felt it did not work. Geffen tried to get the song recorded with another production team, and Johns, angered by the attempt to record "Nightingale" behind his back, then re-recorded the song with the band at Wally Heider's Studio 3 in Hollywood. Even though Johns judged this recording unsatisfactory, it was included in the album.
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagles_(album))

01. Take It Easy (03:35)
02. Witchy Woman (04:13)
03. Chug All Night (03:18)
04. Most Of Us Are Sad (03:38)
05. Nightingale (04:08)
06. Train Leaves Here This Morning (04:13)
07. Take The Devil (04:04)
08. Earlybird (03:02)
09. Peaceful Easy Feeling (04:20)
10. Tryin' (02:54)

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Spandau Ballet - Parade (1984)

Year: 25 June 1984 (CD )
Label: Chrysalis Records (Germany), 610 191-222
Style: New Wave, Synth Pop
Country: London, England
Time: 40:08
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 227 Mb

Parade is the fourth studio album by English new wave band Spandau Ballet, released on 25 June 1984 by Chrysalis Records. The band wanted the album to sound more like how they played together live, and their guitarist/songwriter Gary Kemp came up with material that he felt would be more appropriate for the arenas in which they performed now since they were attracting larger audiences. Because they would be parading themselves around the world as part of the album's corresponding tour, he hit upon the idea of a parade as the theme of the album and included an international cast of characters taking part in a parade on the album cover.
The album peaked at number two in the UK in its first week of release and achieved platinum certification for sales of 300,000 units there. Critics, however, mostly found it to be a bland retread of their previous album, True. The first of four top-20 singles from Parade, "Only When You Leave", received the most praise from them and was the most successful, reaching number 3 in the UK and the top ten in several other countries, but its lacklustre chart performance in the US caused a rift between the band and their record company. They moved to a new label and hired new producers for their next studio album, Through the Barricades, which was another attempt at the arena rock sound that they were unable to achieve on Parade.
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parade_(Spandau_Ballet_album))

01. Only When You Leave (05:09)
02. Highly Strung (04:11)
03. I'll Fly For You (05:35)
04. Nature Of The Beast (05:13)
05. Revenge For Love (04:22)
06. Always In The Back Of My Mind (04:30)
07. With The Pride (05:31)
08. Round And Round (05:34)

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Michael Sembello - Bossa Nova Hotel (1983)

Year: September 1983 (CD 1996)
Label: Warner Bros. Records (Germany), 7599-23920-2
Style: Pop
Country: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. (April 17, 1954)
Time: 40:42
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 259 Mb

Michael Andrew Sembello (born April 17, 1954) is an American singer, guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, composer and producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Sembello was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his 1983 song "Maniac", which he sang and co-wrote. The song reached number one in the United States and featured in the Flashdance film soundtrack.
He is the brother of the late songwriter and composer Danny Sembello (drowned age 52 in 2015) and the late singer songwriter John Sembello (died age 68 in 2013) of Dino & Sembello fame.
Sembello began his career in music as a session musician, working as a guitarist. By age 17, he was working professionally with Stevie Wonder on electric and acoustic guitar as a studio player on Wonder's Fulfillingness' First Finale. He continued the same year, chosen as one of the core artists who worked on Songs in the Key of Life, an ambitious double album that took two years to create. He was credited as lead and rhythm guitarist on most of the tracks—including the intricate jazz rock lead guitar part of the instrumental "Contusion"—and shares songwriting credit with Wonder on the song "Saturn", according to the album's liner notes.
Sembello wrote the song "Carousel", which Michael Jackson recorded for his 1982 album Thriller, but it was replaced on the track list by "Human Nature".
The song was included as a bonus track on Thriller 25, the 25th-anniversary edition reissue of the album; the full version was released on iTunes in 2013 as part of The Ultimate Fan Extras Collection.
Sembello released his first solo album Bossa Nova Hotel in 1983. The song "Maniac" from that album, which he co-wrote with his keyboardist Dennis Matkosky, was selected for inclusion in the film Flashdance. "Maniac" was the second-best-charting song from the soundtrack (after the title track) and the ninth-biggest single of 1983. That soundtrack won a Grammy Award in 1984 for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special. Sembello and Matkosky have claimed that the song was supposed to be about a vicious pet murderer after having seen a slasher flick, possibly Maniac or The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. In 2020, Sembello, along with Matkosky, appeared in Maniac Men, an interview included on the 4K UHD Blu-ray reissue of Maniac.
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Sembello)

01. Automatic Man (04:17)
02. First Time (03:06)
03. Cowboy (03:33)
04. It's Over (05:00)
05. Maniac (04:20)
06. Godzilla (03:51)
07. Talk (03:27)
08. Cadillac (04:13)
09. Lay Back (04:04)
10. Superman (04:46)

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Asking Alexandria - Stand Up And Scream (2009)

Year: 15 September 2009 (CD Sep 15, 2009)
Label: Sumerian Records (US), SUM-022
Style: Metalcore, Heavy Metal, Post Hardcore
Country: York, North Yorkshire, England
Time: 48:15
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 365 Mb

Stand Up and Scream is the debut studio album by British rock band Asking Alexandria. The album has charted at number 170 on the Billboard 200, number 29 on Top Independent albums, and number 4 on Top Heatseekers. The record managed to remain at the Top Heatseekers chart at position number 36 until the end of July 2010.
The title of the album is chosen from a lyric in the second track "The Final Episode (Let's Change the Channel)", where the relevant line within the chorus reads "Just stand up and scream, the tainted clock is counting down".
Six of the tracks featured on the album have previously been released digitally through the band's MySpace and PureVolume accounts. These include, "Nobody Don't Dance No More", "The Final Episode (Let's Change the Channel)", "A Candlelit Dinner with Inamorta", "Not the American Average", "A Single Moment of Sincerity", and "I Was Once, Possibly, Maybe, Perhaps, a Cowboy King". When downloaded, the ID3 tags displayed Demo or Demo 2008 as the songs relevant album. There are both minor and more noticeable alterations in all of the songs released on the album in comparison to those released digitally in 2008.
The song "Hey There Mr. Brooks" is written as a homage to the film, Mr. Brooks. Its lyrics feature many references to scenes in the film.
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand_Up_and_Scream)

01. Alerion (02:14)
02. Final Episode (Let's Change the Channel) (04:02)
03. A Candlelit Dinner With Inamorta (04:03)
04. Nobody Don't Dance No More (03:59)
05. Hey There Mr. Brooks (featuring Shawn Milke of Alesana) (04:09)
06. Hiatus (01:45)
07. If You Can't Ride Two Horses at Once... You Should Get Out of the Circus (03:45)
08. A Single Moment of Sincerity (03:50)
09. Not the American Average (04:39)
10. I Used to Have a Best Friend (But Then He Gave Me an STD) (04:05)
11. A Prophecy (03:33)
12. I Was Once, Possibly, Maybe, Perhaps a Cowboy King (03:41)
13. When Everyday's the Weekend (04:23)

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Nancy Sinatra - Sugar (1967)

Year: 1967 (CD 2015)
Label: Sundazed Records (US), SC 6055
Style: Pop, Oldies, Jazz
Country: Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. (June 8, 1940)
Time: 43:34
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 252 Mb

Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra (nee Barbato), known for her 1965 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'".
Nancy Sinatra began her career as a singer in November 1957 with an appearance on her father's ABC-TV variety series, but initially achieved success only in Europe and Japan. In early 1966 she had a transatlantic number-one hit with "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'". A TV promo clip from the era features Sinatra in high boots, accompanied by colorfully dressed go-go dancers, in what is now considered an iconic Swinging Sixties look. The song was written by Lee Hazlewood, who wrote and produced most of her hits and sang with her on several duets. As with all of Sinatra's 1960s hits, "Boots" featured Billy Strange as arranger and conductor.
Between early 1966 and early 1968, Sinatra charted on Billboard's Hot 100 with 14 titles, ten of which reached the Top 40. In addition to "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", defining recordings during this period include "Sugar Town", "Love Eyes", the transatlantic 1967 number one "Somethin' Stupid" (a duet with her father), two versions of the title song from the James Bond film You Only Live Twice (1967), several collaborations with Lee Hazlewood – including "Summer Wine", "Jackson", "Lady Bird" and "Some Velvet Morning" – and a non-single 1966 cover of the Cher hit "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)", which features in the opening credits of Quentin Tarantino's 2003 film Kill Bill Volume 1. In 1971 Sinatra and Hazlewood achieved their first collaborative success in the UK singles chart with the no. 2 hit "Did You Ever?", and the 2005 UK no. 3 hit by Audio Bullys, "Shot You Down", sampled Sinatra's version of "Bang Bang".
Between 1964 and 1968 Sinatra appeared in several feature films, co-starring with Peter Fonda in Roger Corman's biker-gang movie The Wild Angels (1966) and alongside Elvis Presley in the musical drama Speedway (1968). Frank and Nancy Sinatra played a fictional father and daughter in the 1965 comedy Marriage on the Rocks.
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Sinatra)

01. Sweet Georgia Brown (03:57)
02. Vagabond Shoes (02:01)
03. Oh! You Beautiful Doll (02:51)
04. Hard Hearted Hannah (03:34)
05. All by Myself (03:02)
06. Coastin' (02:44)
07. Mama Goes Where Papa Goes (02:33)
08. Let's Fall in Love (03:38)
09. What'll I Do? (02:59)
10. Limehouse Blues (03:00)
11. Sugar Town (02:26)
12. Button up Your Overcoat (02:25)
13. My Buddy (03:00)
14. Love Eyes (02:37)
15. Somethin' Stupid (02:40)

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Spandau Ballet - Journeys To Glory (1981)

Year: 6 March 1981 (CD 1983)
Label: Reformation Records (Europe), CCD 1331
Style: New Wave, Synth Pop
Country: London, England
Time: 36:40
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 231 Mb

Journeys to Glory is the debut studio album by English new wave band Spandau Ballet, released on 6 March 1981 by Chrysalis Records. All of the songs on the album were produced by Richard James Burgess and written by band guitarist Gary Kemp to appeal to the patrons of a weekly Tuesday night club the band started attending called the Blitz, where they were accustomed to hearing "white European dance music". Their performances at the Blitz and other exclusive venues attracted the attention of record labels eager to sign them, and one of the songs they had been performing, "To Cut a Long Story Short", gained popularity through a recording session made at BBC Radio 1.
The high demand for their music instigated the commencement of recording the album and the release of "To Cut a Long Story Short" as their first single. The song reached number 5 on the UK Singles Chart, and two subsequent hits, "The Freeze" and "Muscle Bound", peaked at 17 and 10, respectively. A music video was made to promote each of the three songs, whose success warranted appearances on the British music chart television programme Top of the Pops. The album got as high as number 5 on the UK album chart and received Gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry for shipment of 100,000 units.
The influence of David Bowie on Journeys to Glory has been discussed by Kemp as well as critics of the album, who gave it mixed reviews upon its release and years later. After their composer attempted to shift to a more American style of funk with songs like "Glow" and the first single for their next album, "Chant No. 1 (I Don't Need This Pressure On)", he remembered that the songs from Journeys to Glory had been rehearsed at concerts before they were signed to a label and had received the approval of their original fan base. When some of the new songs for the second album did not chart as well, the band recovered by remixing a fourth single as a more pop-flavored tune and lost the interest of the hipsters that Spandau Ballet had initially courted with the songs that were recorded for their debut. Kemp then felt freed from trying to please that crowd and began writing mainstream pop songs that were the band's biggest hits.
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journeys_to_Glory)

01. To Cut A Long Story Short (03:19)
02. Reformation (04:54)
03. Mandolin (04:08)
04. Muscle Bound (05:06)
05. Age Of Blows (04:09)
06. The Freeze (04:36)
07. Confused (04:39)
08. Toys (05:46)

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Eric Clapton - Clapton Chronicles. The Best Of Eric Clapton (1999)

Year: 12 October 1999 (CD 1999)
Label: Reprise Records (US), 9 47553-2
Style: Pop
Country: Ripley, Surrey, England (30 March 1945)
Time: 67:36
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 482 Mb

Eric Patrick Clapton - He ranked second in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and fourth in Gibson's "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time".
Clapton Chronicles: The Best of Eric Clapton is a compilation album by English guitarist Eric Clapton featuring his hits from the 1980s and 1990s. Two new songs are included on the disc, "Blue Eyes Blue" which was previously released as a single and "(I) Get Lost" which Clapton wrote for the soundtrack to the film The Story of Us.
(wikipedia)

 

01. Blue Eyes Blue (04:42)
02. Change The World (03:55)
03. My Father's Eyes (05:24)
04. Tears In Heaven (04:33)
05. Layla (04:37)
06. Pretending (04:43)
07. Bad Love (05:14)
08. Before You Accuse Me (Take A Look At Yourself) (03:57)
09. It's In The Way That You Use It (04:11)
10. Forever Man (03:11)
11. Running On Faith (06:26)
12. She's Waiting (04:58)
13. River Of Tears (07:21)
14. (I) Get Lost (04:19)

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Skid Row (Gary Moore) - 34 Hours [Vinyl] (1971)

Year: 1971 (LP 1971)
Label: CBS Records (UK), S 64411
Style: Blues Rock, Hard Rock
Country: Dublin, Ireland
Time: 36:38
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 220 Mb

For 34 Hours, Skid Row penned Night Of The Warm Witch, First Thing In The Morning, Lonesome Still and Love Story, Pt. 1. Songwriter-in-chief Brendan ‘Brush’ Shiels wrote Mar and Go, I’m Never Gonna Let You, Parts 1 to 4. These songs became 34 Hours.
When recording of 34 Hours began, Clifford Davis took charge of production. Watching and learning, was nineteen year old Gary Moore. He and the rest of Skid Row spent just 34 Hours recording the band’s debut album.
Critics on hearing 34 Hours realised that it was a much tighter album. It received the same plaudits and praise as Skid, and a great future was forecast for Skid Row.
This was proof that the weeks and months spent touring was time well spent. Skid Row had honed their sound through constantly playing live, and on 34 Hours showcased a much heavier, progressive rock sound. It featured two nine minute epics, Night Of The Warm Witch and Go, I’m Never Gonna Let You, Parts 1 to 4. They allowed Skid Row to stretch their legs musically. By then, Skid Row had matured into a much tighter, accomplished and assured band. Still, the music on 34 Hours was groundbreaking, complex and cerebral. There was still a spontaneity to Skid Row’s playing as they continued to combine speed, accuracy, power on 34 Hours
The result was 34 Hours, an album of music that veered between, caustic, cerebral, challenging and complex to energetic and explosive to forceful, urgent and vigorous. Still, Skid Row combined elements of blues rock, country, fusion and progressive rock on 34 Hours. Apart from the country sound of Lonesome Still, 34 Hours is hard rocking album of progressive rock that incorporates elements of fusion. This is a potent and heady brew, and should’ve found favour with record buyers in 1971.
Sadly, when 34 Hours was released by CBS in early 1971 the critically acclaimed album failed to find the audience it deserved. For Skid Row, this was a huge disappointment.
(dereksmusicblog.com/2020/01/15/cult-classic-skid-row-34-hours/)

01. A1 Night Of The Warm Witch (09:36)
02. A2 First Thing In The Morning (02:01)
03. A3 Mar (06:39)
04. B1 Go, I'm Never Gonna Let You (Part 1-2) (09:13)
05. B2 Lonesome Still (03:57)
06. B3 Love Story (Part 1-4) (05:10)

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Status Quo - Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon (1970)

Year: 28 August 1970 (CD 1989)
Label: Castle Records (France), CLACD 169
Style: Hard Rock, Rock and Roll, Boogie Rock
Country: London, England
Time: 41:48
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 255 Mb

Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon is the third studio album by English rock band Status Quo, released in August 1970. It was the first album by the band to leave behind their early psychedelic sound and begin experimenting with a hard rock style which still remains the band's signature sound, as well as the last album to feature keyboardist Roy Lynes. The album failed in sales and charts and was not successful.
The band began experimenting with a new sound when they hired Australian singer-songwriter Carl Groszmann to write a song for them. That song became "Down the Dustpipe", released as a non-album single in March 1970, with the Francis Rossi/Rick Parfitt song "Face Without a Soul" - from the band's previous album Spare Parts - as its B-side. The song, remarked Rossi, “was the [first] to feature our soon-to-be trademark boogie shuffle” and became one of the most popular numbers in their live set. The single took the media by surprise as it was so different in sound from their previous work. BBC Radio 1 presenter Tony Blackburn dismissed it on-air the first time he played it with the comment, "Down the dustbin for this one." Nevertheless, it was an instant hit, reaching #12 in the UK charts and remaining in the top 50 for 17 weeks.
October 1970 saw the release of another non-album single: the Rossi/Young composition "In My Chair", with the non-album B-side "Gerdundula" (written while in Germany by Rossi and Young under the pseudonyms Manston and James, with a title reportedly inspired by their German friends Gerd and Ula). It earned the band another hit, reaching #21. 'Gerdundula' would be rerecorded for their next album, Dog of Two Head.
While on tour the same year, organist Roy Lynes fell in love. He could see how serious the other members were about fame and glory, yet wanted to settle down with his newfound love. According to the group's producer, John Schroeder, who wrote the booklet notes for the 3-CD compilation The Early Years, Lynes was "the quietest member of the group" and "somehow always seemed to be the odd one out". Parfitt has said Lynes was "a bit laid back, the Open University type who liked tinkering and finding out about things", and Rossi remarked that, when Lynes showed up at a gig in New Zealand about ten years later to say hello, "he seemed a much happier bloke."
"Just so right and so tight," observed Pavement's Stephen Malkmus of Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon. "As with Dog of Two Head from the year after, this record is transitional: it's the man-steps towards their interchangeable album phase of pure-denim-heads-down-choogle, and never gets boring. Smooth voices over solid grooves. If it was a place, I wish I was there."
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_Kelly%27s_Greasy_Spoon)

01. Spinning Wheel Blues (03:20)
02. Daughter (03:01)
03. Everything (02:38)
04. Shy Fly (03:49)
05. (April) Spring, Summer and Wednesdays (04:13)
06. Junior's Wailing (03:34)
07. Lakky Lady (03:16)
08. Need Your Love (04:46)
09. Lazy Poker Blues (03:34)
10. Is It Really Me-Gotta Go Home (09:31)

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Stackridge - The Man In The Bowler Hat [Vinyl] (1974)

Year: February 1974 (LP 1974)
Label: MCA Records (UK), MCG 3501
Style: Classic Rock
Country: Bristol, England
Time: 35:41
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 207 Mb

Why I Love Stackridge's The Man In The Bowler Hat, by Marillion's Steve Hogarth:
Marillion vocalist Steve Hogarth on the simple pleasures of Stackridge's The Man In The Bowler Hat, an album that is jolly, light-hearted and quintessentially English "This very fine album was released in the early 1970s and produced by George Martin, and unless I'm very much mistaken Stackridge were the first band he worked with after The Beatles.
"Stackridge were from the West Country of England - a bit on the crazy side, I believe - and The Man In The Bowler Hat was their third album. George Martin recorded it with them at Air Studios in London, and you can hear his influence. Their singer was called Mutter Slater, and other members had slightly barmy names, like Crun Walter, which endeared me to them greatly.
"The album includes the song The Galloping Gaucho, which had the lyric: 'The galloping gaucho comes to town/ Riding like a demon vaquero/Bought his horse for half a crown/And called it Scar-Faced Jock' - complete nonsense but absolutely great. The best bit of all is: 'The girls all stood and stared, intentions undeclared/To a six-foot drip with a plastic whip he could not be compared.' Ah, magic!
"There was also Fundamentally Yours, Pinafore Days and The Last Plimsoll - you looked at a track called The Last Plimsoll and wondered what the hell it could be about. The Indifferent Hedgehog was another with a great title, but an awful song. Some of the lyrics were satirical, which of course I liked a lot. There were also a couple of instrumental songs, which you'd expect given George Martin's involvement. And it's really orchestral in places; very jolly, light-hearted and quintessentially English. There are lots of flutes and violins."
"I first discovered the album when I was about 16 years old, when a friend played it to me. Then I bought a copy of my own. After that I recorded it onto cassette and played the thing over and over again. I remember taking that tape with me to the Reading festival one year.
"So it's pretty silly to admit that The Man In The Bowler Hat is the only Stackridge album I've ever bought. If they want to send me the rest of their catalogue, I'd love to hear it.
"I believe that Stackridge got back together again a few years ago after being away for more than two decades. But then people still sometimes say the same thing about Marillion: 'Are you guys still going?!'
"In my case, the more obscure an album tends to be, the better it often is. And it was a toss-up whether I chose Stackridge or Caravan's In The Land Of Grey And Pink [from 1971]. But if you're looking for something a little off the beaten track you could do a lot worse than giving The Man In The Bowler Hat a try."
(loudersound.com/features/why-i-stackridges-the-man-in-the-bowler-hat-by-marillions-steve-hogarth)

01. A1 Fundamentally Yours (02:38)
02. A2 Pinafore Days (02:38)
03. A3 The Last Plimsoll (04:35)
04. A4 To The Sun And Moon (02:57)
05. A5 The Road To Venezuela (04:50)
06. B1 The Galloping Gaucho (02:50)
07. B2 Humiliation (03:36)
08. B3 Dangerous Bacon (02:45)
09. B4 The Indifferent Hedgehog (03:17)
10. B5 God Speed The Plough (05:30)

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Paul McCartney - Flowers In The Dirt [Vinyl] (1989)

Year: 5 June 1989 (LP 1990)
Label: Melodia Records (Russia), A60 00705 006
Style: Rock
Country: Liverpool, England
Time: 48:31
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 310 Mb

In 2010, Paul McCartney began a reissue series, called The Archive Collection, where he would reissue an album from his catalogue. The reissues would not only include the remastered album,  but also bonus cuts, and a DVD.  Here we are seven years in, and his latest project in The Archive Collection is Flowers In The Dirt, originally released in 1989.  As with the other issues, this one is available in a variety of formats, double CD, a deluxe edition with three CDs and a DVD, a double album vinyl set, and downloads.
Flowers In The Dirt is often regarded as McCartney’s comeback album.  I disagree with this assessment.  During the ‘80’s, McCartney wrote and produced some of his best work (Tug Of War, 1982), and some of his most experimental (McCartney II and the overlooked Press To Play), and over time his ‘80’s output have been re-evaluated.  McCartney II, for example, was initially dismissed by the critics. Today it is, quite rightly, regarded as a classic album and years ahead of its time.
Flowers In The Dirt was critically acclaimed at the time, mostly due to the contributions of, and co-writing with, Elvis Costello, who went under his actual name, Declan MacManus in the original issue of the album.  It was for this album that McCartney toured for the first time since the 1975/1976 Wings World Tour.  That tour was a huge success, and would result in a film, Get Back, and a very successful live album, Tripping The Live Fantastic.  The album topped the charts in the UK, Europe, and Japan, but sadly it was not the huge success he had hoped for in the U.S. and Canada.  The reason?  It did not get any air time, by 1989 McCartney did not fit on radio, and the music did not receive the attention it deserved.  This is a brilliant album, and deserved to be played.
(spillmagazine.com/spill-album-review-paul-mccartney-flowers-dirt-reissue/)

Paul McCartney – vocals, guitars, piano
Linda McCartney – Minimoog, backing vocals, hand claps
Robbie McIntosh – guitar (acoustic and electric)
Hamish Stuart – guitars, percussion, backing vocals
Elvis Costello – vocals (backing and co-lead), keyboards
David Gilmour – electric guitar on "We Got Married"
Nicky Hopkins – piano

01. A1 My Brave Face (03:16)
02. A2 Rough Ride (04:40)
03. A3 You Want Her Too (with Elvis Costello) (03:12)
04. A4 Distractions (04:40)
05. A5 We Got Married (04:54)
06. A6 Put It There (02:08)
07. B1 Figure Of Eight (03:24)
08. B2 This One (04:08)
09. B3 Don't Be Careless Love (03:17)
10. B4 That Day Is Done (04:18)
11. B5 How Many People (04:10)
12. B6 Motor Of Love (06:16)

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John Lennon - Shaved Fish [Vinyl] (1975)

Year: 1975 (LP 197?)
Label: Apple Records (UK), PCS 7173
Style: Rock
Country: Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK
Time: 41:18
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 265 Mb

Shaved Fish is a collection of singles, some of them hits, released during John Lennon’s post-Beatles career (1969-present). Ordinarily, such Christmas gift ideas aren’t worth writing about but, as with almost everything else Lennon has done, Shaved Fish is different. There is nothing spectacularly unfound about the music here, although finally having an LP with “Instant Karma!” — Lennon’s best solo track and as full a statement of the rock philosophy as we are likely to get from anyone — is a significant event in my house. One is first drawn to the package, a typically mad collage of literal interpretations of the 11 tracks here — “Instant Karma!” is represented by a jar, as though it were a name-brand pharmaceutical — and to the lyric sheet, which offers the most convincing evidence yet of Lennon’s verbal felicity.
More than that, however, the feeling of this record is so diffuse that it probably does present an accurate overview of Lennon’s confused career since leaving the Beatles. The best tracks are obsessed, driven by a special idea about the usefulness of rock & roll, as on “Instant Karma!,” “Cold Turkey,” “Imagine” and even “Mother.” Although “Give Peace a Chance” is the best example extant of Lennon’s talent for random lyric writing, neither it, “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” nor “Power to the People” has held up. Unlike Dylan’s best topical songs (“George Jackson,” say), or even the Beatles’ “Revolution,” Lennon’s polemics were entirely too ad hoc to last beyond the era in which they were made. Nevertheless, there is a cohesion of style present in these which dwindles in the later parts of the record: “Mind Games,” “Whatever Gets You thru the Night” and “#9 Dream” are all without the purpose of his best work. This is convincing evidence, then, not only of John Lennon’s genius but of his continuing career difficulty. Hopefully, as the cover drawing for “Power to the People” suggests, the green card he’ll be receiving from Immigration will resolve that crisis happily.
(rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/shaved-fish-92296/) Review by Dave Marsh. December 18, 1975

Matrix side A: SW-1-3421-Z9 YEX 949-1U GTO MCR 2, side B: SW-2-3429-Z9 YEX 950-1U GOG MCR 1

01. A1 Give Peace A Chance (00:58)
02. A2 Cold Turkey (05:00)
03. A3 Instant Karma (03:13)
04. A4 Power To The People (03:06)
05. A5 Mother (05:05)
06. A6 Woman Is The Nigger Of The World (04:35)
07. B1 Imagine (03:02)
08. B2 Whatever Gets You Thru The Night (03:04)
09. B3 Mind Games (04:11)
10. B4 #9 Dream (04:45)
11. B5-B6 Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - Reprise Give Peace A Chance (04:15)

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Beethoven - Maurizio Pollini, Claudio Abbado, Berliner Philharmoniker - Die 5 Klavierkonzerte - The Piano Concertos (3CD) (1992-1993)

Year: 1992-1993 (CD 1994)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon (Germany), 439 770-2
Style: Classical, Romantic
Country: Bonn Germany, Italy, Italy
Time: 76:19, 68:25, 38:52
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 272, 283, 175 Mb

Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire and span the transition from the Classical period to the Romantic era in classical music. His career has conventionally been divided into early, middle, and late periods. His early period, during which he forged his craft, is typically considered to have lasted until 1802. From 1802 to around 1812, his middle period showed an individual development from the styles of Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and is sometimes characterized as heroic. During this time, he began to grow increasingly deaf. In his late period, from 1812 to 1827, he extended his innovations in musical form and expression.

Maurizio Pollini (born 5 January 1942) is an Italian pianist. He is known for performances of compositions by Beethoven, Chopin and Debussy, among others.
In 1996, Pollini received the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize. In 2001, his recording of Beethoven's Diabelli Variations won the Diapason d'or. In 2007, Pollini received the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra) for his Deutsche Grammophon recording of Chopin nocturnes. He was awarded the Praemium Imperiale in 2010. He entered the Gramophone Hall of Fame in 2012.

Claudio Abbado OMRI (26 June 1933 – 20 January 2014) was an Italian conductor who was one of the leading conductors of his generation. He served as music director of the La Scala opera house in Milan, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, principal guest conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Vienna State Opera, founder and director of Lucerne Festival Orchestra, founder and director of Mahler Chamber Orchestra, founding Artistic Director of Orchestra Mozart, music director of European Union Youth Orchestra, and principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra.
(en.wikipedia.org)

01. I. Allegro con brio (17:16)
02. II. Largo (11:13)
03. III. Rondeau. Allegro [scherzando] (09:05)
04. I. Allegro con brio (13:33)
05. II. Adagio (08:41)
06. III. Rondeau. Molto allegro (06:31)

01. I. Allegro con brio (16:07)
02. II. Largo (10:07)
03. III.  Rondeau. Allegro (09:36)
04. I.  Allegro moderato (17:18)
05. II. Andante con moto (05:16)
06. III. Rondeau. Vivace (10:00)

01. I. Allegro (20:29)
02. II. Adagio un poco moto - attacca: (07:47)
03. III. Rondeau. Allegro (10:35)

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