Robben Ford & The Blue Line - The Authorized Bootleg (1998)

Posted By: Designol
Robben Ford & The Blue Line - The Authorized Bootleg (1998)

Robben Ford & The Blue Line - The Authorized Bootleg (1998)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 297 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 135 Mb | Scans included | 00:51:55
Blues, Jazz Blues, Crossover Jazz | Label: Blue Thumb | # BTR 70132, 057 013-2

This is a keeper from the word "go." Recorded live in 1995 (but not released until 1998) at Yoshi's in Oakland, CA, Robben Ford is joined by long-time Blue Line trio members Roscoe Beck on bass and Tom Brechtlein on drums, as well as Bill Boublitz on a baby grand piano. Although nearly all of the songs can be found on other Ford albums (most are from Handful of Blues), one of the things that makes this jazzy recording so special is that Ford is playing only an acoustic guitar. The Ray Charles gem "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" (which you WON'T find elsewhere) is simply beautiful, and on Paul Butterfield's "Lovin' Cup," it's just Ford and his guitar. The brilliance of his playing and the reason behind why so many guitar players put him at the top of their list can be found in Ford's performance on this release, alternating between lead and rhythm. The Authorized Bootleg also has great (albeit laid-back) versions of "When I Leave Here" and "Tired of Talkin'." Highly, highly recommended.

Garth Brooks - Gunslinger (2016)

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Garth Brooks - Gunslinger (2016)

Garth Brooks - Gunslinger (2016)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 226 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 80 Mb | Scans ~ 53 Mb
Genre: Country, Country-Pop | Label: Sony/Pearl | # 88985393602 | Time: 00:35:10

The very title of Garth Brooks' 2014 comeback Man Against Machine telegraphed how the singer saw himself in the 2010s: he was an outsider, taking on the establishment. Man Against Machine debuted at number one and sold well but it didn't conquer the charts – none of its singles went further than 19 on Billboard's Country Airplay charts – and, in light of this, Brooks did something uncharacteristic: he decided to retreat. On Gunslinger – its title consciously evoking the western themes of No Fences and Ropin' the Wind – Brooks is so unconcerned with hits that he decided that "Baby, Let's Lay Down and Dance," a slice of country-disco that sounds like a kissing cousin to Orleans' "Still the One," was a good idea for a lead single. And, in a way, he's right. Gunslinger has its heart in the past, existing on a plane between Brooks' arena-country '90s hits and his '70s AM influences. The difference is, Brooks is comfortable in his middle age. It's not just that his maturation gives him an easy touch in performance – although that does help – it's that he's no longer obsessed with being the biggest, best star in country music.

VA - The Soul Of Jazz, Vol. 1 (1995)

Posted By: Designol
VA - The Soul Of Jazz, Vol. 1 (1995)

Various Artists - The Soul Of Jazz, Volume 1 (1995)
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 377 Mb | Scans ~ 58 Mb
Label: Gitanes Jazz Productions/Verve | # 525 558-2 | Time: 01:00:50
Jazz, Soul-Jazz, Hard Bop, Post-Bop, Latin Jazz, Crossover Jazz

What you see is what you get, an excellent little compilation of the various faces of soul-jazz as presented by the Verve label with their amazing array of artists from Hugh Masekela to Willie Bobo and Herbie Mann on the one hand, and Dizzy Gillespie, Jon Hendricks (in an outstanding reading of Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man") the Heath Brothers, and Teddy Edwards on the other. The track list is wonderfully varied, too: there's a smoking version of Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island" by Masekela, a pair by Jimmy Smith, and a big band – a new entry by the acid jazz group the James Taylor Quartet, but they get it deep; and Wynton Kelly goes deep into soul and blues with "Escapade." Anyway you cut it, it comes out great.

Mark Lanegan & Duke Garwood - Black Pudding (2013)

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Mark Lanegan & Duke Garwood - Black Pudding (2013)

Mark Lanegan & Duke Garwood - Black Pudding (2013)
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 233 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 111 Mb | Scans included
Label: Heavenly , Flooded Soil Recordings, Cooperative Music | # HVNLP98CD
Blues, Blues-Rock, Alternative Rock | Time: 00:44:24

Though Black Pudding marks the first time that singer Mark Lanegan and multi-instrumentalist Duke Garwood have recorded together, it isn't the first time they've collaborated. The latter toured with the Gutter Twins, Lanegan's project with Greg Dulli. Garwood's name isn't as well-known to the general public as the singer's, but his reputation among musicians certainly is. He's worked with everyone from the Orb to Wire, from Wooden Wand to Sir Richard Bishop, from Josh T. Pearson to Kurt Vile. For those familiar with Lanegan's 2000s solo work, the moody nature of the material here will come as little surprise; let's face it, his voice is coated in darkness. That said, all but two of these songs – the lovely guitar instrumentals by Garwood that bookend the album – are co-writes. They range from spooky blues numbers such as "Pentacostal" and "Death Rides a White Horse," where the guitar is the primary instrument, to fractured, skeletal, nocturnal funk numbers such as "Cold Molly."

Andy Williams - The Real... Andy Williams: The Ultimate Collection (2011) 3CD Set

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Andy Williams - The Real... Andy Williams: The Ultimate Collection (2011) 3CD Set

Andy Williams - The Real… Andy Williams: The Ultimate Collection (2011) 3CD Set
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 1 Gb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 424 Mb | Scans included
Label: Sony Music | # 88691900692 | Time: 03:00:36
Vocal Pop, Traditional Pop, Easy Listening, Vocal Jazz

Three CD collection from the legendary crooner. Though his commercial peak was in the '60s and '70s, Williams has continued to stay busy over the decades by touring, recording and headlining his own Moon River Theater in Branson, MO. He also remains popular in the UK and Europe, where he has frequently toured over the years. This triple disc set features 60 classics including 'Moon River', 'Can't Get Used To Losing You' and many more tracks including a dozen Christmas favorites.

Stereolab - Aluminum Tunes (Switched On, Volume 3) (1998) 2CDs

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Stereolab - Aluminum Tunes (Switched On, Volume 3) (1998) 2CDs

Stereolab - Aluminum Tunes (Switched On, Vol. 3) (1998) 2CD
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 685 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 258 Mb | Scans ~ 27 Mb
Label: Warp Records | # WARPCD59 | Time: 01:53:05
Post Rock, Dream Pop, Indie Rock, Experimental

Stereolab's Switched On series is ingenious, one of the best services a band has performed for its fans. Since their inception, Stereolab have made it a practice to release non-LP singles, tour 7"s, split singles, special-edition EPs – recordings that were available in small quantities for a limited time. In every case, the limited-edition recordings become very valuable very quickly, often reaching ridiculously exorbitant prices that most fans could never afford. That's where the Switched On series comes in. It's where the group gathers the best of these rarities, leaving a couple of tracks on the original single for the sake of collectibility. Stereolab may do certain projects as a lark, but they rarely throw away tracks, as each EP and most singles have their own identity, offering a new spin on the group's trademark style.

Moby Grape - 20 Granite Creek (1971) Reissue 1990

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Moby Grape - 20 Granite Creek (1971) Reissue 1990

Moby Grape - 20 Granite Creek (1971) Reissue 1990
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 190 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 77 Mb | Scans included | 00:32:58
Classic Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Country-Rock | Label: Linea (Line) | # LECD 9.00886 O

The story of Moby Grape has been told and re-told countless times, with its tales of excess, mismanagement, and record company screwups. By the end of the '60s the Grape was all but finished – or so everyone thought. After an aborted attempt at a Peter Lewis solo album, producer David Rubinson was able to help engineer this re-formation of all five original members, along with extra member Gordon Stevens on various stringed instruments. Written and recorded at the Grape's communal house in the Santa Cruz mountains, the results of the experiment rendered 20 Granite Creek, an album that is rightfully the successor to the first album (1967's Moby Grape). One of the most shining examples is Peter Lewis' funky and fast "Goin' Down to Texas," which clearly illustrates the power Moby Grape had in this, one of the original three-guitar lineups. Skip Spence, who was one of the more interesting writers in the band, contributes one song, the delicate and gorgeous oriental-sounding "Chinese Song." The whole record is quite similar in feel to the Doors' L.A. Woman, another truly great, homemade comeback album.

John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers - Blues for the Lost Days (1997)

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John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers - Blues for the Lost Days (1997)

John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers - Blues for the Lost Days (1997)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 353 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 132 Mb | Scans included
Genre: British Blues, Blues-Rock | Label: Silverstone | # CTCZ-30011 | Time: 00:51:10

John Mayall has been playing blues literally for my entire lifetime and at 64 years old proves that he's still among the best. On this CD, Mayall displays the many blues attitudes of which he is capable. Lately, many of his songs decry urban decay and violence. He continues here in that vein with the hard-driving Dead City and the old Eddie Harris R&B song, How Can You Live Like That. Stone Cold Deal is a shuffle driven by saxophone, organ and drums. Its infectuous rhythm will have you dancing and its incisive lyrics will have you thinking. My other favorites are the title cut on which Mayall's prowess on the piano is showcased, One In A Million which is a rocking paean to his beloved mother, and I Don't Mind, a song in the rollicking piano-driven Southern style for which Mayall is justly famous. There isn't anything I really dislike on the album though It Ain't Safe and Some Other Day seem out of place and Trenches, though lyrically gripping, is musically weak. If you are a blues fan, you are sure to like Blues For the Lost Days, another strong effort from master bluesman John Mayall.

Azymuth - Brazilian Soul (2004) [Japanese Edition]

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Azymuth - Brazilian Soul (2004) [Japanese Edition]

Azymuth - Brazilian Soul (2004)
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 465 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 197 Mb | Scans included
Label: Far Out Recordings | # COCB-53246 | Time: 01:07:48
Brazilian Jazz, Fusion, Jazz-Funk, Bossa Nova

hree decades after Azymuth made their first tentative steps into bossa nova society, Brazilian Soul is a return to their blistering form of the early '80s. The new album sees them borrowing from the musical vocabulary that has always been one of the most exciting narratives of Brazilian music, as well as indulging their enthusiasm for new sounds that still makes them heroes and inspirations to a generation of 21st Century producers, from 4Hero to Masters At Work. They have linked up again with a truly great cast of celebrated Brazilian performers, some who were there at the genesis of Azymuth, and some who hitched a ride during the last 30 years – any history of Brazilian music that didn’t include names featured on the album like Roberto Menescal, Fabiola, Emilio Santiago and Marcio Lott wouldn’t be one to be trusted. Although their sound hails from the tropical funk scene which emerged in Rio in the mid '70s, their music is still as pertinent now as was then – their live shows demonstrate that the percussive furnace which drives their sound is still burning bright.

Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin - Common Ground: Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin Play and Sing the Songs of Big Bill Broonzy (2014)

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Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin - Common Ground: Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin Play and Sing the Songs of Big Bill Broonzy (2014)

Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin - Common Ground (2014)
Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin Play and Sing the Songs of Big Bill Broonzy

EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 284 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 117 Mb
Label: YEP ROC | # YEP-2384 | Time: 00:42:44 | Scans included
Roots Rock, Americana, Acoustic Blues, Country Rock, Rock & Roll

Blasters founders Dave Alvin and Phil Alvin have had a famously combative relationship over the years, but as Dave once said, "We argue sometimes, but we never argue about Big Bill Broonzy." So it's fitting that their love of Big Bill brings them together in the recording studio for their first album together since the Blasters' Hard Line in 1985. Common Ground: Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin Play & Sing the Songs of Big Bill Broonzy features the Alvin Brothers performing a dozen songs from the Broonzy songbook, and while listening to this is a potent reminder of how good Broonzy's songs still sound in the 21st century, it also demonstrates the complementary talents of Dave and Phil Alvin.

Jenny Lin - Nostalghia: Piano Works by Valentin Silvestrov (2006)

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Jenny Lin - Nostalghia: Piano Works by Valentin Silvestrov (2006)

Jenny Lin - Nostalghia: Piano Works by Valentin Silvestrov (2006)
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 192 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 181 Mb | Scans included
Classical, Contemporary | Label: Hänssler Classic | # CD 98.229 | Time: 01:15:27

The music of Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov is a unique and delicate tapestry of dramatic and emotional textures, that freely alludes to the entire history of music. "I do not write new music. My music is a response to and an echo of what already exists," Silvestrov has said. Beginning his creative career in the radical Soviet Avant-Garde, Silvestrov demonstrated an almost painful sensitivity to the intimacy that music can create between performer and listener. Silvestrov would later refute his modernist roots, saying “the most important lesson of the Avant-Garde is to be free of all conceived ideas, particularly those of the Avant-Garde” and began composing a series of works entitled “Postludium” that initiated the elegiac, poetic and highly personal relationship with silence which has come to characterize his most recent music. Haenssler Classic is proud to present pianist Jenny Lin in the World Premiere Recording of Silvestrov’s “Three Postludes”, a work composed especially for her.

Foreigner - Records (1982)

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Foreigner - Records (1982)

Foreigner - Records (1982)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 256 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 93 Mb | Scans included
Rock, Hard Rock, AOR | Label: Atlantic | # US 80999-2/EU 78-0999-2 | Time: 00:39:37

Foreigner's most lucrative years came during their first four albums, with their guitar-driven arena rock flair settling in nicely with the rest of the late-'70s music scene. Twelve of Foreigner's 16 Top 40 singles are from a six year span, between 1977 and 1982, which is why Records makes for such an entertaining collection of the band's early work. With cuts stemming from Foreigner, Double Vision, Head Games, and 4, Records lines up ten of their first 11 hit singles, somehow leaving out 1979's "Blue Morning, Blue Day." But even with this minor deletion, the album is agreeably brief, and it's the most opportune route in exploring Foreigner's best material. Both "Cold As Ice" and "Double Vision" are stellar examples of Lou Gramm's vocal gusto and Mick Jones' bang-on guitar playing, while favorites like "Urgent" (with Junior Walker on sax ), "Head Games," and "Feels Like the First Time," with its shiny keyboard segments, are unblemished radio-rock standards.

Maurizio Pollini - Frederic Chopin: Late Works, Opp.59-64 (2017)

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Maurizio Pollini - Frederic Chopin: Late Works, Opp.59-64 (2017)

Maurizio Pollini - Frédéric Chopin: Late Works, Opp.59-64 (2017)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 168 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 127 Mb | Artwork included
Genre: Classical | Label: Deutsche Grammophon | # 479 6127 | Time: 00:54:35

Esteemed for almost 60 years as one of the greatest Chopin interpreters, Maurizio Pollini confirms his preeminence with this 2017 release on Deutsche Grammophon, and offers his first all-Chopin disc since 2012. Chopin's late works were composed between 1845 and 1849, and include the Barcarolle in F sharp major, Op. 60, the 3 Mazurkas, Op. 59, the Polonaise-Fantaisie in A flat major, Op. 61, the 2 Nocturnes, Op. 62, the 3 Mazurkas, Op. 63, the 3 Waltzes, Op. 64, and the Mazurka in F minor, Op. Posth. 68, No. 4; they are notable for their harmonic richness and freedom of melodic embellishment, characteristics that made them especially influential among his Romantic contemporaries. Pollini's fluid phrasing and control of expression and dynamics have always given his performances sophistication and a feeling of balance, though these are engaging renditions that are far from cerebral or clinical, claims that critics have sometimes laid at Pollini's door. Yet listeners can hear for themselves how polished and deeply felt these performances are, and appreciate the artistic wholeness of Pollini's conceptions, from the elegance of the "Minute" Waltz to the sublime melancholy of the posthumous Mazurka in F minor. Highly recommended for fans of great piano music.

Rosemary Tuck, English CO, Richard Bonynge - Carl Czerny: Grand Concerto in A minor; Grand Nocturne Brillant (2016)

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Rosemary Tuck, English CO, Richard Bonynge - Carl Czerny: Grand Concerto in A minor; Grand Nocturne Brillant (2016)

Carl Czerny - Grand Concerto in A minor; Grand Nocturne Brillant;
Variations de Concert de l'Opéra "Le Siège de Corinthe" (2016)
Rosemary Tuck, piano; English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Richard Bonynge

EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 256 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 165 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Classical | Label: Naxos | # 8.573417 | Time: 01:06:13

Carl Czerny, one of Vienna’s most illustrious musicians, was Beethoven’s student and devoted friend. Renowned today for his piano treatises, he was also a prolific composer in almost every genre, but it is the music for his own instrument that has aroused the most curiosity. The Grand Concerto in A minor, a work both serene and spirited, is historically important as one of the first romantic concertos ever written. The lyricism and playful bravura of the Grand Nocturne Brillant is balanced by the delicious Rossini Variations de Concert.

VA - Pure... Singer/Songwriter (2011) 4CD Box Set

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VA - Pure... Singer/Songwriter (2011) 4CD Box Set

VA - Pure… Singer/Songwriter (2011) 4CD Box Set
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 1.49 Gb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 550 Mb | Scans ~ 22 Mb
Label: Sony Music | # 886979629028 | Time: 04:01:35
Singer/Songwriter, Folk, Rock, Country, Pop, Blues

Pure… Singer/Songwriter is a brave album that showcases strong song writing, sometimes by avoiding the artists most prominent work in lieu of a lesser known piece. Simon & Garfunkel, John Denver, Lou Reed, Bob Marley, Van Morrison, George Michael and Bruce Hornsby are all represented by one of their better known tracks. However, Bowie, Hall & Oates, Alicia Keys, Nillson and even Sarah Bareilles are represented but obscure tracks. As well as the well known artists this compilation also goes back to includes lesser known artists from the 60s and 70s such as Colin Blunstone, Laura Nyro and Phoebe Snow.