Thin Lizzy - Chinatown (Classic Album UK 1980)

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Chinatown is the tenth studio album by Irish band Thin Lizzy, released in 1980 (see 1980 in music). It introduced guitarist Snowy White who would also perform on the next album as well as tour with Thin Lizzy between 1980 and 1982; he replaced Gary Moore as permanent guitarist. White had previously worked with Cliff Richard, Peter Green and Pink Floyd. Chinatown also featured seventeen-year old Darren Wharton on keyboards, and he joined Thin Lizzy as a permanent member later that year.

Greg Prato of Allmusic described Chinatown as a "letdown" compared to the previous album Black Rose: A Rock Legend, blaming the absence of Gary Moore and producer Tony Visconti, and the drug problems experienced by Lynott and Gorham. Prato praised side one as containing the best material, including the "anthemic" "We Will Be Strong", and the "pop perfection" of "Sweetheart". However, he described side two as "comprised almost entirely of bland filler", although he believed that Chinatown was "not their worst album".

While Thin Lizzy's previous release, Black Rose, was a focused, inspired hard rock masterwork, its follow-up, 1980's Chinatown, was a letdown. Guitarist Gary Moore was a major reason for the predecessor's success, but he quit during the subsequent tour (eventually replaced by ex-Pink Floyd touring guitarist Snowy White). Also, leader Phil Lynott and guitarist Scott Gorham were indulging heavily in hard drugs by this point, which was obviously taking its toll. And since producer Tony Visconti was not on board again, the lively production that played such a prominent part in the success of their past few releases was noticeably absent. The first side contains the best material: the anthemic "We Will Be Strong," the pop perfection of "Sweetheart," the obviously autobiographical drug tale of "Sugar Blues," plus the British hit singles "Killer on the Loose" and the title track. The second side, however, is comprised almost entirely of bland filler, such as "Having a Good Time," "Didn't I," and "Hey You." While it's not their worst album (that "honor" would go to their next studio album, 1981's Renegade), Chinatown should have been a lot better, especially coming off such a stellar release as Black Rose.

Disc 1:
01."We Will Be Strong" – 5:11
02."Chinatown" (Brian Downey, Scott Gorham, Lynott, Snowy White) – 4:43
03."Sweetheart" – 3:29
04."Sugar Blues" (Downey, Gorham, Lynott, White) – 4:22
05."Killer on the Loose" – 3:55
06."Having a Good Time" (Lynott, White) – 4:38
07."Genocide (The Killing of the Buffalo)" – 5:06
08."Didn't I" – 4:28
09."Hey You" (Downey, Lynott) – 5:09

Disc 2:
01."Don't Play Around" (Single version)
02."We Will Be Strong" (Single version)
03."Sugar Blues" (City Hall, Cork, 1980)
04."Whiskey in the Jar" (City Hall, Cork, 1980)
05."Are You Ready" (City Hall, Cork, 1980)
06."Chinatown" (City Hall, Cork, 1980)
07."Got to Give It Up" (RDS Hall, Dublin, 1980)
08."Dear Miss Lonely Hearts" (RDS Hall, Dublin, 1980)
09."Killer on the Loose" (Hammersmith Odeon, 1981)
10."Chinatown" (Edited version)
11."Chinatown" (Soundcheck, Cork, 1980)
12."Don't Play Around" (Soundcheck, Hammersmith, 1980)
13."Sweetheart" (Soundcheck, Hammersmith, 1980)
14."Didn't I" (Soundcheck, Cork, 1980)
15."Hey You" (Soundcheck, Cork, 1980)

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Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation (Classic Album UK 1977)

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Bad Reputation is the eighth studio album by the Irish band Thin Lizzy, released in 1977. As the front cover suggests, most of the tracks feature only three-quarters of the band, with guitarist Brian Robertson only playing on tracks 3 and 6 (despite a credit on track 8). He had missed most of their previous concert tour, following an injury sustained in a brawl, and this album turned out to be his last studio effort with Thin Lizzy.

Bad Reputation reached No. 4 in the UK Albums Chart. "Dancing in the Moonlight (It's Caught Me in Its Spotlight)" was a UK hit single. It reached #14 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1977. The track should not be confused (although often it is) with a similarly titled song, "Dancing in the Moonlight"; recorded by King Harvest and Toploader, amongst others.

Hailing Bad Reputation as an improvement on the previous album, Johnny the Fox, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic described the album as "leaner and tougher" than its predecessor, partly due to the influence of producer Tony Visconti. He claimed that Robertson's absence was not noticeable due to Gorham's "double duty", and that this was "pure visceral rock & roll, the hardest and heaviest that Thin Lizzy ever made". He considered Bad Reputation as a rival to Jailbreak as the band's best studio album.

If Thin Lizzy got a bit too grand and florid on Johnny the Fox, they quickly corrected themselves on its 1977 follow-up, Bad Reputation. Teaming up with the legendary producer Tony Visconti, Thin Lizzy managed to pull of a nifty trick of sounding leaner, tougher than they did on Johnny, yet they also had a broader sonic palette. Much of this is due, of course, to Visconti, who always had a flair for subtle dramatics that never called attention to themselves and he puts this to use in dramatic effect here, to the extent that Lizzy sounds stripped down to their bare bones, even when they have horns pushing them forward on "Dancing in the Moonlight" or when overdubbed vocals pile up on the title track. Of course, they were stripped down to a trio on this record, lacking guitarist Brian Robertson, but Scott Gorham's double duty makes his absence unnoticeable. Plus, this is pure visceral rock & roll, the hardest and heaviest that Thin Lizzy ever made, living up to the promise of the title track. And, as always, a lot of this has to do with Phil Lynott's writing, which is in top form whether he's romanticizing "Soldiers of Fortune" or heading down the "Opium Trail." It adds up to an album that rivals Jailbreak as their best studio album.

01."Soldier of Fortune" – 5:18
02."Bad Reputation" (Brian Downey, Scott Gorham, Lynott) – 3:09
03."Opium Trail" (Downey, Gorham, Lynott) – 3:58
04."Southbound" – 4:27
05."Dancing in the Moonlight (It's Caught Me in Its Spotlight)" – 3:26
06."Killer Without a Cause" (Gorham, Lynott) – 3:33
07."Downtown Sundown" – 4:08
08."That Woman's Gonna Break Your Heart" – 3:25
09."Dear Lord" (Gorham, Lynott) – 4:26

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Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath - Selftitled (UK 1972)

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Biography:
The Brotherhood of Breath was a big-band created in the late 1960s by South African pianist/composer Chris McGregor (1936-1990), essentially an extension of McGregor's previous band The Blue Notes.

The Brotherhood of Breath included many members of the South African expatriate community resident in London, including McGregor himself, Louis Moholo, Harry Miller, Mongezi Feza, Dudu Pukwana, (occasionally) Johnny Dyani; and many of the free jazz musicians who were based in London at the same time: Lol Coxhill, Evan Parker, Paul Rutherford, Harry Beckett, Marc Charig, Alan Skidmore, Mike Osborne, Elton Dean, Nick Evans, and John Surman. The personnel was fluid, depending on who was available. The music resembles a mixture of the hard-driving blues of Charles Mingus and the wild experimentalism of Sun Ra, but retains a unique feel due to the South African influences and the intelligent arrangements.

The original Brotherhood Of Breath ended in the late 70's, with the deaths of Mongezi Feza and Harry Miller (whose label, Ogun Records, released some of the Brotherhood's albums.) McGregor formed a second version of the group in France in the early 80's. In 1987, a third edition was formed with African and British musicians such as Annie Whitehead. In this incarnation the music was more tightly arranged and controlled, with less free improvisation.

Early influencesMcGregor grew up in the then Transkei (now part of the Eastern Cape Province) where his father was headmaster at a Church of Scotland mission institution called Blythswood. Here he was exposed to the music of the local amaXhosa people.

This music is a rich and varied music which pervaded every aspect of life - from formal rituals to the casual activities and encounters of everyday life, like herding cattle or just walking home in the evening. Music was everywhere. And this music, as explained in Dave Dargie's seminal book Xhosa Music, is complex. Dargie mentions the following as examples of this complexity which might be seen to have influenced McGregor in his own music, both as composser/arranger and as band leader: "... a great number of style characteristics are to be found: relating not only to harmony and scale, but to melody, structure and phrasing, form, rhythm, instrumentation, singing techniques, and so on."

In his book Chasing the Vibration Graham Lock quotes McGregor saying: "I have this strong imaginative reference to African village music, and the thing I know about that music is that it has a strong centre. It builds up, a lot of people do things together that they know."

Early careerAfter school and a stint in the merchant navy training academy The General Botha at Gordon's Bay in the Western Cape, McGregor enrolled at the South African College of Music, then headed by Professor Eric Chisholm. Here McGregor was exposed to a different set of influences, during the day Bela Bartok and Arnold Schoenberg, and at night recordings of Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, and the live music of local jazz musicians like Dollar Brand (now Abdullah Ibrahim), Cecil Barnard (now Hotep Idris Galeta), Christopher Columbus Ngcukana, Vincent Kolbe, "Cup-and-Saucers" Nkanuka, Monty Weber, the Schilder brothers, and many others who were active in the vibrant Cape jazz scene at that time, the middle 1950s. The vibrancy and power of this music has led some to designate the music played around Cape Town as a particular jazz genre called "Cape Jazz." (Miller, 2007).

As McGregor's friend and fellow-student Bruce Arnott wrote in the University of Cape Town's alumni magazine after McGregor's death in 1990: "I am no musicologist, but I believe that Chris was working toward a synthesis of South African black traditional music and the wonderfully evolved black American contribution to jazz." McGregor put together a group to perform at the 1962 Moroka-Jabavu jazz festival in the Johannesburg suburb of Soweto. This group consisted of Mzimkulu "Danayi" Dlova on alto, Chris Ngcukana on baritone, Ronnie Beer on tenor, Willie Netie on trombone, Sammy Maritz on bass and Monty Weber on drums. At the festival, in which the group took second prize, McGregor came into contact with a wider group of musicians such as Dennis Mpali, the legendary altoist Kippie "Morolong" Moeketsi, Churchill Jolobe and the various artists then organised under the banner of the Union of South African Artists, which had put on the famous "jazz opera" King Kong.

hese contacts led in the following year to the formation firstly of the now-legendary Blue Notes and secondly of a big band called the Castle Lager Big Band. The Blue Notes at this stage consisted of Mongezi Velelo (and later Sammy Maritz) on bass, Early Mabuza on drums, Dudu Pukwana on alto and Nikele Moyake on tenor. The great young trumpet player Mongezi Feza joined the group soon after. Johnny Dyani replaced Sammy Maritz on bass and Louis Moholo replaced Early Mabuza soon after and the permanent Blue Notes group was complete.

The Castle Lager Big Band was formed after the 1963 Moroka-Jabavu Jazz Festival. This 17-piece group made the album Jazz: The African Sound, which had six tracks, two compositions by Abdullah Ibrahim, two by Kippie Moeketsi and two by McGregor, all in arrangements by McGregor. Apart from the arrangements, one of the most striking things about the album was the wonderful playing by Moeketsi on clarinet, instead of his usual alto. In the band were musicians who had yet to make names for themselves but would become internationally known. Most notable perhaps was Barney Rachabane, who would go on to, among other achievements, play with Paul Simon on the Graceland tour. Simon would describe Rachabane as the "most soulful sax player in the world."

The years in exileMcGregor is perhaps best-known for his foundation and leadership of The Blue Notes, a South African sextet which included collaborators Dudu Pukwana, Nikele Moyake, Louis Moholo, Johnny Dyani and Mongezi Feza. Equally as notable was McGregor's creation of the Brotherhood of Breath in 1969, which branched out from his work as The Blue Notes. He released three albums of solo piano performances, and continued to be a major force in the music after leaving England to live in the French countryside. He also made a contribution to Nick Drake's Bryter Layter album by performing a piano solo on the track "Poor Boy".

01. Mra Listen
02. Davashe's Dream Listen
03. The Bride Listen
04. Andromeda Listen
05. Night Poem Listen
06. Union Special

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Mark Wirtz Orchestra & Chorus - Latin a Go Go (UK 1966)

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Alsatian-Born Mark Wirtz began his music career while studying art at London's Fairfield College of Arts and Sciences, and drama at the Royal Academy Of Dramatic Arts, when his college Rock-band, 'The Beatcrackers,' were signed to a recording contract in 1963 as 'Mark Rogers and the Marksmen' by EMI producer Norman Newell.

By 1965 Mark had started his first independent production company, releasing records that have since become enduring classics, including Mood Mosaic's, "A Touch Of Velvet, A Sting Of Brass," for EMI's Parlophone Records, and his own Mark Wirtz Orchestra album, "Latin A Go-Go," for Ember Records

In 1967, Mark accepted EMI veteran producer/A&R chief Norrie Paramor's offer to join EMI Records as in-house producer. Working at Abbey Road Studios alongside the Beatles and Pink Floyd (the latter whom he was instrumental in signing to the company), Mark wrote and produced landmark recordings by artists such as Keith West, Tomorrow, and Kippington Lodge. Most notably, he reached global success with his production of excerpts from the first ever Rock Opera, "A Teenage Opera." Though never allowed to be completed or released as an entire work, the opera's excerpts "Grocer Jack," "Sam" "Weatherman" and "Theme" became legendary trail-blazers, which have not only captivated several generations of music fans, but influenced and inspired artists and musicians world-wide.

In 1969, his creative freedom restricted by drastic, corporate, A&R policy changes, Mark resigned his post at EMI Records to return to independent production. Associations with Larry Page's Penny Farthing label (Samantha Jones, Kris "Lion Judd" Ife) and Les Reed's Chapter One label (Philwit & Pegasus, Roger James) followed, during which Mark formed a co-writing partnership with Kris Ife that has endured to the present day with recent collaborations ("Learning 2 Live With Love," MWET/Spyderbaby (2005); "One Night Stand" MWET/Anthony Rivers" (2005), and current works in progress for the "Cooking For Cannibals" soundtrack album (2007)

In 1970, Mark left the shores of Britain to follow an invitation by his fellow expatriate producer and friend Denny Cordell to work with him at Hollywood's Shelter Records.

In 1973, Mark signed a writer/artist/producer contract with Capitol Records for whom he recorded two acclaimed albums, "Balloon" and "Hothouse Smiles."

In 1975, dropped by Capitol for his refusal to tour or perform publicly, Mark signed with ace producer Tom Catalano and veteran publisher Dan Crewe's RCA-distributed TomCat label, an association that was doomed to be a short-lived when the label folded only week's after Mark's first single release, "We Could Have laughed Forever,".

Having become a parent in the same year, hence home-responsibility-bound, Mark dropped his "loose cannon" career pursuits and, under the name of Marc Peters, submerged into the role of "hired gun" session arranger/conductor in partnership with producers including Kim Fowley and Jimmy Bowen. Numerous Pop/R&B and Country hit records followed, featuring an array of artists as diverse as Helen Reddy, Leon Russell, Vicky Leandros, Kim Carnes, Dean Martin and Anthony Newly.

In 1979, signed by Russ Regan to Interworld Music/CBS Records as writer and producer, Mark returned to the studio to produce his third solo album, "Lost Pets," sequentially joined by ace guitarists Richard Bennett and John Beland, keyboard players Alan Lindgren and Tom Hensley, drummers Billy Thomas and Denny Seiwell, bassists David Hungate and Les Hurdle. In the midst of a session for the only half-finished production, a medical emergency call from his daughter's Kindergarten principal prompted Mark to close the piano lid, abort the project and leave the studio. Priority committed to hands-on single parenting of his daughter Nicole, Mark vanished into obscurity and a hiatus from the music business that would last for more than twenty years...

During those years, after savings had run out and royalties had dwindled, Mark took on a gamut of art-alien jobs, including tele-marketer, waiter, maître 'd, blood-stock agent, interpreter, voice-over artist, undercover agent, seminar leader and eventually sales manager for the prestigious 'Geneva' merger & acquisition firm.

While taking acting classes during off-times and burning the midnight oil in the pursuit of a new career as a novelist, Mark also realized a life-long ambition to be a comedian by studying and performing at Hollywood's 'Groundlings' Improv Theater, to eventually take his first steps onto the stages of Hollywood's comedy clubs, including the Comedy Store and the Improv.

In 1996, his daughter grown up and in college, Mark moved to Savannah, GA, where he kept busy as an award-winning freelance magazine columnist/food- and drama critic, while publishing his first novels, "Sisyphus Rocks" and "Love Is Eggshaped," as well as selling his paintings in a Savannah gallery.

In 2004, giving in to the plea from his by now in Spain residing daughter Nicole to produce her Rock-band leader boyfriend's debut album, Mark flew to Barcelona and returned to the studio for the first time in many years to produce Les Philippes' "Philharmonic Philanthropy." Before year's end, the band's album was #1 in the Independent label charts and has since become a 'neo-psych Rock' cult classic.

His music appetite re-awakened, Mark continued his rebounded studio activities by subsequently producing his own 'Mark Wirtz Eartheatre' solo album "Love Is Eggshaped," Spyderbaby UK's "Glassblower" CD, and Anthony River's yet unreleased "Marked Confidential."

In 2006, Mark rekindled his passion for comedy by performing regularly in Florida and Georgia comedy clubs, while working on his new, monologue/music CD/book project currently in-progress, "Cooking For Cannibals."

Backing Vocals – Barbara Moore, Gloria George, Maggie Stredder, Marian Davis*
Bass – Eric Ford
Directed By, Arranged By, Conductor – Mark Wirtz
Drums – Dougy Wright*
Engineer – Michael Ross-Trevor*
Guitar – Jim Sullivan*, Vic Flick
Liner Notes – Mark Wirtz
Piano – Reg Guest
Producer – Mark Wirtz

01. Watermelon Man
02. More
03. Comin' Home, Baby
04. Sunday Night
05. Riviera Carnival
06. Beyond The Horizon
07. Tennessee Waltz
08. Adventure
09. Yeh Yeh
10. Don't Do It, Baby
11. Yesterday's Laughter Today's Tears
12. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

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Curved Air - Phantasmagoria (Great Album UK 1972)

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Phantasmagoria is a 1972 album by Curved Air. It reached No. 20 in the UK Charts and is notable for its early use of the EMS Synthi 100 synthesizer to process lead singer Sonja Kristina's voice on the second side. Unavailable for many years, the album was reissued on CD in April 2007.

The sonic caveats which accompany Collector's Choice's other Curved Air reissues remain in force; the historical truth that what sounded timelessly groovy in 1971 is not necessarily so finger-snapping three decades later remains unimpeachable. But still, Phantasmagoria is a fabulous album, the culmination of all that Curved Air promised over the course of its predecessors; the yardstick by which all rock/classical hybrids should be measured. The opening "Marie Antoinette" sets the scene with lovely melody, impassioned vocal and a terrifically understated band performance which complements every syllable uttered by vocalist Sonja Kristina. The bridge into revolution ("the rabble have gone insane") is breathtaking -- history lessons should all sound this good, and the amazing thing is that the album has only just got started. The gentle "Melinda More or Less" is swirling, sweet folky psychedelia, while "Not Quite the Same," a somewhat self-conscious ode to masturbation, disguises its proggy inclinations with a barrelhouse 6/8 rhythm and a genuinely catchy hook.

"Ultra-Vivaldi" updates the first album's "Vivaldi" by, apparently, letting the Chipmunks have a go at playing it. And the four-part, side-long title track switches moods, effects, and even genres (jazz, mariachi, and the avant-garde all get a look in) to create an dazzling soundscape which allows every members a moment to shine -- without once stepping into the treacherous swamps of solos and virtuosity. This was the original Curved Air's final album -- by the time the accompanying tour was over, only Kristina and bassist Mike Wedgwood (himself a spanking new arrival) remained to carry on the good work. As farewells go, then, it is magnificent, the band's grandest hour by far. And listening to it all these decades later, one cannot help but wonder how much grander they might have become?

01."Marie Antoinette" (Darryl Way, Sonja Kristina Linwood) – 6:20
02."Melinda (More or Less)" (Linwood) – 3:25
03."Not Quite the Same" (Way, Linwood) – 3:44
04."Cheetah" (Way) – 3:33
05."Ultra-Vivaldi" (Way, Francis Monkman) – 1:22
06."Phantasmagoria" (Monkman) – 3:15
07."Whose Shoulder Are You Looking Over Anyway?"[4](Monkman) – 3:24
08."Over and Above" (Monkman) – 8:36
09."Once a Ghost, Always a Ghost" (Monkman, Linwood) – 4:25

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Kevin Ayers - Bananamour (UK 1973)

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Bananamour is the fourth studio album by Kevin Ayers and it featured some of his most accessible recordings, including "Shouting in a Bucket Blues" and his whimsical tribute to Syd Barrett, "Oh! Wot A Dream". After Whatevershebringswesing, Ayers assembled a new band anchored by drummer Eddie Sparrow and bassist Archie Legget and employed a more direct lyricism. The centrepiece of the album is 'Decadence', his withering portrait of Nico: "Watch her out there on display / Dancing in her sleepy way / While all her visions start to play / On the icicles of our decay / And all along the desert shore / She wanders further evermore / The only thing that's left to try / She says to live i have to die." The album marked the end of Ayers' first Harvest Records series

Bananamour is ripe with Kevin Ayers' most mature and accessible compositions to date. Ayers grounded himself in a newly formed trio for his follow-up to Whatevershebringswesing. With bassist Archie Leggett and drummer Eddie Sparrow at the hub, Ayers selected guest artists for a handful of the tracks: Whole World colleague Dave Bedford ("Beware of the Dog"), Gong's new guitarist Steve Hillage ("Shouting in a Bucket Blues"), and former Soft Machine mates Robert Wyatt ("Hymn") and Mike Ratledge ("Interview").

"Interview" is easily one of the album's strongest, most original tunes, charged with a rugged, positively electrifying guitar sound courtesy of Ayers and psychedelic organ flourishes by Ratledge. And "Shouting in a Bucket Blues" is Ayers' inspired pop/blues groove. Armed with a few biting lyrics, the song became a concert staple, fronted by a number of well-known guitarists over the years including Mike Oldfield and Andy Summers. Hillage delivers heat in this original studio recording of the song; he went on to repeat the performance many times while in Europe with Ayers' Bananatour band, Decadence. The song "Decadence" is the album's centerpiece and towering achievement.

Here, Ayers, Leggett, and Sparrow create progressive, atmospheric music quite unlike anything else on the record. An original, spine-tingling workout with potent lyrics concerning Nico, "Decadence" is a kind of superior foreshadowing to the following year's "Confessions of Dr. Dream" epic, which features a vocal collaboration with Nico on "Part One." The compositions on Bananamour emphasize the vocal aspects of the material; in fact, Ayers secured the industry's premier session vocalists to back him on the recordings: Liza Strike, Doris Troy, and Barry St. John. In various configurations, the trio fleshs out the songs, adding a compelling depth to the album that pleasantly expands Ayers' eclectic repertoire. In particular, they lend a gospel quality to the Beatles-tinged opener, and imbue "When Your Parents Go to Sleep" with rather soulful Ray Charles stylistics.

Intended to break Ayers to a wider audience, Bananamour was his last release on EMI/Harvest before switching to a new label (Island) and a new manager (the influential John Reid, Elton John's manager at the time). The ideas on Bananamour, arguably Ayers' finest work, gave way to some very focused, full-fledged prog rock and blues numbers on his ambitious follow-up, The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories (Island Records, 1974).

01."Don't Let It Get You Down" (4:04)
02."Shouting In A Bucket Blues" (3:45)
03."When Your Parents Go To Sleep" (5:47)
04."Interview" (4:43)
05."Internotional Anthem" (0:43)
06."Decadence" (8:05)
07."Oh! Wot A Dream" (2:48)
08."Hymn" (4:35)
09."Beware Of The Dog" (1:27)
10."Connie On A Rubber Band" (2:56)
11."Decadence (Early Mix)" (6:57)
12."Take Me To Tahiti" (3:37)
13."Caribbean Moon" (3:02)

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Coulson, Dean, McGuinness and Flint - Lo and Behold (UK 1972)

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This is one of the finest records of its era (originally issued on DJM and Sire) and, amazingly, as a record of cover versions, had lots of rock press credibility as well. It should have fared about as well as the Hollies' venture into Dylan territory, except that Coulson, Dean, McGuinness, Flint were more suited to the Dylan material, and the Dylan songs they chose were a deliberate effort to delve specifically into material that Dylan had not released (as of that time) in any official versions -- this was stuff that was known either only as compositions, or from various white-label bootlegs that were around then. The result was a record as good as anything the Band ever turned in, a gorgeous, haunting electric/acoustic mixture with impassioned vocals, impeccable musicianship, and what were then revelations about some of Dylan's best and least-known songs. (Remember, he was off the road then, and releasing maybe an album a year.) The numbers include "Eternal Circle" (added to this reissue in an alternate mix version as a bonus track), "Lay Down Your Weary Tune," "Open the Door Homer," "Don't You Tell Henry," "Get Your Rocks Off," "Tiny Montgomery" (a bonus track previously available only as a single B-side), "I Wanna Be Your Lover," "Let Me Die in My Footsteps," "Lo and Behold," and "Sign on the Cross." The sound is stunningly clean, and the new historical notes by Tom McGuinness are cool.

McGuinness Flint was a rock band formed in 1970 by Tom McGuinness, former bassist and guitarist with Manfred Mann, and Hughie Flint, former drummer with John Mayall; plus vocalist and keyboard player Dennis Coulson, and multi-instrumentalists and songwriters Benny Gallagher and Graham Lyle. With a varying subsequent line-up, "they earned a loyal following in Britain, but in the United States they were scarcely more than a cult act, despite a top-flight lineup and a sound that should have been a natural for the era.

Their first single "When I'm Dead and Gone" reached No.2 on the UK Singles Chart at the end of 1970 (and No.47 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart) and the debut album McGuinness Flint also made the Top 10 of the UK Albums Chart. In 1999, it received another outing, in the soundtrack of the film, East is East. follow-up single, "Malt and Barley Blues", was a UK No.5 hit in 1971, but the group floundered under the pressures of instant success, being required to record a second album and reproduce their recorded sound adequately on stage, which resulted in disappointing concerts. At the time of release, Roy Orbison was so impressed with the "Malt and Barley Blues", that he considered recording it.

The second album Happy Birthday Ruthy Baby failed to chart, as did the title track when released as a single, but contained some Gallagher and Lyle songs, notably "Sparrow", which attracted cover versions. (There was no drop in quality; the second album contained some of their strongest material, including "Reader To Writer", "Fixer" and "Piper Of Dreams", among others.)

Gallagher and Lyle quit towards the end of 1971 to record as a duo. The group then recruited bassist Dixie Dean, and recorded Lo and Behold, an album of Bob Dylan songs (which had not yet been officially recorded and released by the writer himself), as credited to Coulson, Dean, McGuinness, Flint, and issued in 1972. A single "Let The People Go" was banned by the BBC as it related to the Ulster crisis, a fate which also befell a contemporary single by Paul McCartney and Wings, "Give Ireland Back to the Irish".

Coulson left and was replaced by Lou Stonebridge on keyboards and Jim Evans on guitar. This new line-up recorded two further albums, Rainbow (1973) and C’est La Vie (1974), but interest had evaporated, and they disbanded in 1975. A splinter group, Stonebridge McGuinness, had a minor hit in 1979 with "Oo-Eeh Baby" (No. 54 in the UK[3]) and released the album Corporate Madness on RCA Records the following year. This group proved short-lived, however, and afterwards McGuinness and Flint both joined The Blues Band, fronted by former Manfred Mann vocalist and harmonica player, Paul Jones.

01. Eternal Circle
02. Lo and Behold
03. Let Me Die in My Footsteps
04. Open the Door Homer
05. Lay Down Your Weary Tune
06. Don't You Tell Henry
07. Get Your Rocks Off
08. The Death of Emmett Till
09. Odds and Ends
10. Tiny Montgomery
11. I Wanna Be Your Lover
12. Sign on the Cross
13. Eternal Circle [Alternate Mix]

1. https://rapidshare.com/files/2225979860/Coulson.rar
or
2. http://uploadmirrors.com/download/1LFMMKBY/Coulson.rar

Jumbo - Vietato Ai Minori Di 18 Anni (3rd Album Progressive Rock, Italy 1973)

Size: 93.2 MB
Bitrate: 256
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Ripped by: ChrisGoesRock
Artwork Included
Source: Japan SHM-CD Remaster

Very few Italian prog records come to the waist of this baby, and generally this writer is not that much a fan of Italian prog, but if more albums of this caliber existed, it would go otherwise. While the group is a late discovery in this writer's culture, I must say that it definitely ranks in my top 5 Italian albums and it is little surprise once you'll get an ear on this beauty. The least I can say is that this album cannot be played anytime as it will never fit background music: one must be ready and in the mood for this, or else one can easily dismiss as a weird drugged out album, which in some ways.. it is!! Coming with an intriguing artwork, the groups "suffered" a minor line-up change with Granatello replacing Balzano on the drum stool, and this is much to the group's benefit.

If anything, Jumbo's "Forbidden to minors of 18 years" (or rated R in the film industry) title can already give you a hint of how singular the mood and music is, you're only halfway there. After the much-improved DNA (over the eponymous debut album), there is at least the same margin between DNA and Vietato. While we still have some traces of the bluesy rock of the debut album, the group is now a full-freaked out prog band that creates its own uncanny world, where Crimson and Zappa clash it out with Floyd and VdGG for our greatest intellectual pleasure and our ears' orgasmic pelvis thrusts into the speakers to reach out into the disturbed realm of the group.

Right from the opening lines of Specchio until the (not-that) soft flute outro of No! A scream of refusal coming much too late, the damage being done as you are irremediably over the edge, addicted to the worst kind of drugs: prog paradise. In the meantime, you'll have gone by the fantastic (and too short) Come Vorrei, the reprise of Signor K (a wink to their excellent predecessor DNA), the "UZ meets GG" realm of Via Larga (the almost burlesque spirit is made solemn is driving chill-spikes down your spine) or Battiato's great VCS3 oscillators and Vaccina's bells and chimes' sinister tolling.

But the real centerpiece is Gil, which after an purposely fast and happy start, stops and reflects than starts over in the most somber and darkest manner of all (underlined by a mellotron and Fender Rhodes), while Fella's voice is planting fears seeds in your neurons (this track sounds like Comus's Wootton playing on Crimson's ITCOFTCK) and digging out tons of sane braincells. The Gil track, ending with a percussion duo, segues into the no-less frightening Vangelo with the goose-bump-giving bell tolling into whatever's left of your sanity. And if that was not enough, some wind chimes will drive you over the edge some 40 Degrees too far into madness, sounding like a frightening Floyd through Interstellar Eugene's Heart Of The Sun meeting Crimson's Poseidon's Glass Tears. Simply awesome, and terrifyingly beautiful

Obviously such a disturbing masterpiece was not going to get much airplay, which is partly why Jumbo remains one of Italy's better-kept secrets. In some ways, lyrically, we are not far from Comus or Jan Dukes De Grey's disturbing texts, especially that the music seems to reflect the somber moods of Jumbo's angers and anxieties. Recommended? Do bears defecate in the woods?

Biography:
JUMBO were formed in Milan at the end of 1969 around singer-songwriter Alvaro "Jumbo" FELLA (his nickname then became the name of the group). The band delivered complex Bluesy prog in a very non-traditional Italian style. They have created its own sound ... an alternation of melody and hard rock, with strong themes (sex, drugs and prostitution. They were also influenced by Ian ANDERSON and JETHRO TULL.

First album arrived in 1972 conceived as an Alvaro FELLA solo album, but the result is not impressive and on a lesser level than their following works. The best one is DNA, (like JETHRO TULL), based on acoustic instruments (guitar, flute, piano) and a great vocals by FELLA. One of the best Italian prog albums for sure! Made with the help of Franco BATTIATO, "Vietato Ai Minori Di 18 Anni?" contains strong lyrics and fragments of avant-garde inspired music. The latest album, "Passing By 1991-2001", is more new age oriented and mainly instrumental, but containing some very good moments. [progarchives.com]

01. Specchio (7:23)
02. Come Vorrei Essere Uguale A Te (5:43)
03. Il Ritorno Del Signor K (2:03)
04. Via Larga (6:59)
05. Gil (7:12)
06. Vangelo? (5:41)
07. 40 Gradi (6:41)
08. No! (2:21)

1. https://rapidshare.com/files/1793265831/Jumbo_3rd_Album.rar
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2. http://uploadmirrors.com/download/0SJ11XEY/Jumbo_3rd_Album.rar
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Jumbo - DNA (Superb Progressive Rock, Italy 1972)

Size: 84.6 MB
Bitrate: 256
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Ripped by: ChrisGoesRock
Artwork Included
Source: Japan SHM-CD Remaster

Jumbo's second album was recorded very soon after their debut and its release happened the same year. Still on the Phillips label, but offering a rather controversial gatefold artwork (with as well as an equally debate-sparking title, musically speaking, there is a world of difference between their debut and DNA, almost a genetically modified change, if you will. With an unchanged line-up, this is a very impressive change showing how quickly they matured. Don't be driven off by Alvaro Fella's reputation of having a difficult voice, this is completely inaccurate as he is in the average of Italian prog singers, no more, no less!

The album opens on the startling three-part sidelong suite Per Il Sig K, which is meant to be Kafka and refers to his Metamorphosis book about changing of life form (thanks to Andrea Cortese for this hint) and its 21 minutes. Right from the opening piano lines and the superb chilling flute solo following it, your mind immediately perks up: you're about to witness something special. The wild fuzzed-out guitar finally lead you in the first movement (8-min+) proper, which is rather hard-rocking even if the guitar solo suddenly takes a bluesy-jazz twist before almost losing itself, but the band comes in timely to rescue and revive the song, this time with a harmonica instead of the flute. Starting on another flute solo (not as successful as the first) and segueing into a duo with a guitar Ed Ora Corri (roughly 9-min) is the better of the three movement, often reminding of Tull's more eccentric moods, but plunging into a superb (again) bluesy solo session (guitar-harmonica-flute-guitar-manic laughs-organ & much more) which proves to be the centerpiece section of this suite. As this lengthy instrumental passage fades out, Dio E (a rework from their first album) ends this album on a more classical note. No doubt this Sig K suite is one of their best works, certainly equaling anything they've done for the next Vietato album.

The flipside opens on the Miss Rand, which at first I wrongly thought was about the "fascist-leaning" writer Ayn Rand, and I will add "unfortunately not" as this character happens to burn in her house. While starting with a very proggy riff, the middle section develops into a clunky piano ragtime piece, before reprising the opening riff but slower and more dramatically. The following track depicts the damages of time on the human body and psych, and is generally calmer and more plaintive, pastoral where Fella's voice can either disturb or rejoice the listener, but will not leave him cold. Not an immediate pleaser, this track will slowly unravel its charms to you with repeated listenings. The closing Hai Visto starts a bit confusingly until an Emersonian organ takes over, plunges the group into a classical (almost modern) theme superposed on a jazzy rhythm (could be found on Tull's Time Was) before the song finally kicks in, Fella's verse being interrupted by short wailing guitar solos or wild organ/flute duos.

One of the big debates about Jumbo fans is whether DNA is better or not than their defining Vietato album, and there are many pros on both sides, that I prefer not to choose, both being absolutely fantastic. Easily the best Italian pair of album, even surpassing my other fave Quella Vieccha Locanda's pair.

01. Suite Per Il Sig. K - (20:46)
- Sta Accadendo Qualcosa Dentro Me
- Ed Ora Corri
- Dio E'
02. Miss Rand (5:05)
03. E' Brutto Sentirsi Vecchi (6:34)
04. Hai Visto... (7:20)

1. https://rapidshare.com/files/234253646/Jumbo_2nd_Album.rar
o
2. http://uploadmirrors.com/download/KA13PH5X/Jumbo_2nd_Album.rar

Jumbo - Selftitled (Progressive Rock, Italy 1972)

Size: 79.7 MB
Bitrate: 256
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Ripped by: ChrisGoesRock
Artwork Included
Source: Japan 24-Bit Remaster

Formed in Milan in 69 and releasing two single before this debut album on the Phillips in early 72, this sextet (named after their singer's nickname) is probably one of Italy's best kept prog secret, even if you would not believe by the present. Graced with a superb multi- layered cardboard winking artwork (which is very hard to find in good shape as it did not age well), this album will be probably a little deceptive if you actually know what is to come later, even if the recording quality is excellent.

Indeed, the album presents a mainly acoustic sound somewhere between folk, blues-based rock, which resembles nothing of their later works. But it does not mean that this is bad album, far from it: well produced, with a distinctive voice (reputedly difficult, but not really more than the average Italian "prog" singers of the era), a good rhythm section, rather competent guitar works, the frequent flute or odd harmonica lines, some brass section arrangements and a few prog twist thrown in for good deeds.

The lead track can make you think of a killer Yarbirds tune, but the succession of RnB tracks is not really that captivating, as most sons are built around Fella's acoustic guitar playing. Among the better tracks are the opener, the Che Senso Ha (with its great organ and flute), Dio E (which will be reworked for their second album) and Amore Sono Qua (great piano track and their progiest track). The only weak track being the almost-punkish Artista, on the whole this is surprising album from Italy , but which Jumbo album was not?

As mentioned above, this album is not really representative of Jumbo's works (it could even be seen as a Alvaro Fella album with an accompanying group if you did not know better), so it cannot be considered as essential (I'd even say that it could be for fans only, but that is almost too severe) but should you choose to invest in this one, you might want to make the effort to find a mini-Lp copy because of its

JUMBO were formed in Milan at the end of 1969 around singer-songwriter Alvaro "Jumbo" FELLA (his nickname then became the name of the group). The band delivered complex Bluesy prog in a very non-traditional Italian style. They have created its own sound ... an alternation of melody and hard rock, with strong themes (sex, drugs and prostitution. They were also influenced by Ian ANDERSON and JETHRO TULL.

First album arrived in 1972 conceived as an Alvaro FELLA solo album, but the result is not impressive and on a lesser level than their following works. The best one is DNA, (like JETHRO TULL), based on acoustic instruments (guitar, flute, piano) and a great vocals by FELLA. One of the best Italian prog albums for sure! Made with the help of Franco BATTIATO, "Vietato Ai Minori Di 18 Anni?" contains strong lyrics and fragments of avant-garde inspired music. The latest album, "Passing By 1991-2001", is more new age oriented and mainly instrumental, but containing some very good moments. [progarchives.com]

01. Oggi Saro' La' : 5'22
02. E Se Dopo Tu Mi Amassi: 4'31
03. Lei Non Conta Niente: 3'32
04. Che Senso Ha: 5'22
05. Dio E': 5'09
06. Amore Sono Qua: 4'50
07. La Strada Che Porta Al Fiume: 3'22
08. Artista 3'48
09. Ho Visto Piangere: 1'51

1. https://rapidshare.com/files/2774016967/Jumbo.rar
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2. http://uploadmirrors.com/download/UMFCXR6T/Jumbo.rar
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Alan Hull - Pipedream (Great Folkrock UK 1973)

Size: 91.8 MB
Bitrate: 256
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Ripped by: ChrisGoesRock
Artwork Included
Source: Japan 24-Bit Remaster

Pipedream is the first solo album from Lindisfarne singer Alan Hull.

The album was first released in 1973 following the breakup of Lindisfarne. It spent three weeks in the UK album chart, peaking at #29.

Pipedream was rereleased in 2005 with a number of new bonus tracks to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Hull's death.

The debut solo album by the Lindisfarne frontman, cut shortly after that band's initial breakup, Pipedream is very much the son of its father, a faintly folky collection of songs that, one presumes, were originally intended for the next Lindisfarne album before events finally overtook them.

As usual with Alan Hull's post-Dingly Dell output, nothing here truly leaps out to grab your attention; rather, Pipedream is a meditative, reflective collection characterized as much by Hull's often-plaintive vocal than by any particular melody. But "Country Gentleman's Wife," "Song for a Windmill" and the gorgeous "Justanothersadsong" are latter-day Hull jewels, while the biting "The Money Game" reflects on the end of the band with grandiose venom.

Biography:
Hull was born in Benwell, Newcastle upon Tyne in 1945. He became a member of the band The Chosen Few alongside keyboard player Mick Gallagher in 1962. He supported himself one year by working as a nurse at a mental hospital while appearing as a folk singer and guitarist in local clubs before helping to form Brethren and Downtown Faction, which evolved into Lindisfarne in 1970. He also released a one-off solo single, "We Can Swing Together", which was re-recorded with the group on their first album, Nicely Out of Tune, and became a regular favourite in their stage performances.

As the group's most prolific songwriter and joint lead vocalist, Hull came to be regarded as its leader. In 1972, dissatisfied with the sound and critical reception of their third album Dingly Dell, he considered leaving the group but instead he and joint lead vocalist Ray "Jacka" Jackson formed a new six-piece Lindisfarne the following year, leaving the three other original members to form Jack The Lad. He also released a first solo album Pipedream the same year and published a book of poems, Mocking Horse.

Lindisfarne disbanded in 1975 and Hull released a second solo album Squire, then formed the short-lived Radiator, which also included drummer Ray Laidlaw of Lindisfarne and Jack the Lad. At the end of 1977 the original line-up of Lindisfarne reformed after a well-received Christmas show at the Newcastle City Hall which was broadcast on local radio. Thereafter he combined his musical career as front man of the group with a solo career. He was also a staunch Labour Party activist.

In 1994, he recorded Back to Basics, a live all-acoustic survey of the best of his songwriting from 1970 onwards. On 17 November 1995 whilst working on a new album, Statues & Liberties, Hull died suddenly of a heart thrombosis, at the age of 50.

01.Breakfast
02.Justanothersadsong
03.Money Game
04.STD 0632
05.United States of Mind
06.Country Gentleman's Wife
07.Numbers (Travelling Band)
08.For The Bairns
09.Drug Song
10.Song for a Windmill
11.Blue Murder
12.I Hate To See You Cry

1. https://rapidshare.com/files/80910223/Alan_Hull.rar
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2. http://uploadmirrors.com/download/XJE3SNWP/Alan_Hull.rar
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The Exploited - Punks Not Dead (Great Punk Album UK 1981)

Size: 122 MB
Bitrate: 256
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Ripped by: ChrisGoesRock
Artwork Included
Source: Japan 24-Bit Remaster

Punk's Not Dead is the debut album by the punk band The Exploited. It was released in 1981 by Secret Records. The album became the #1 independent album of 1981 in the United Kingdom. The album was a reaction to critics who said the punk genre was dead, and in response to industry trends toward New Wave music and other genres.

Originally issued in 1981, Punks Not Dead was the Exploited's first full-length album. They'd issued singles like "Army Life" and "Exploited Barmy Army" previously, and those were re-recorded for what was hailed and/or reviled as a jagged, messy, and more aggressive reaction to the punk "establishment" of the time. The mix of hate and love toward the Exploited was fine by vocalist Wattie Buchan and his revolving cast of bandmembers -- they just wanted a reaction, to get people to really listen. Tracks like "S.P.G.," "Out of Control," and "I Believe in Anarchy" were mush-mouthed dynamos of chanting, ranting, and ragged song structure, early templates of the U.S. hardcore scene to come.

01."Punk's Not Dead" – 1:51
02."Mucky Pup" (Puncture cover) – 1:42
03."Cop Cars" – 1:52
04."Free Flight" – 3:35
05."Army Life (Part 2)" – 2:37
06."Blown To Bits" – 2:40
07."Sex & Violence" – 5:11
08."SPG" – 2:07
10."Royalty" – 2:07
11."Dole Q" – 1:51
12."Exploited Barmy Army" – 2:28
13."Ripper" – 2:03
14."Out Of Control" – 2:52
15."Son Of A Copper" – 2:39
16."I Believe In Anarchy" – 2:03

Bonus:
17.Army Life (Single version)
18.Fuck the Mods (Army Life single)
19.Crashed Out (Army Life single)
20.Exploited Barmy Army (Single version)
21.What You Gonna Do (Exploited Barmy Army single)
22.Dogs of War (Dogs of War single)
23.Blown to Bits (live) (Dogs of War single)
24.Dead Cities (Dead Cities single)
25.Hitler's in the Charts Again (Banned Dead Cities single)

1. https://rapidshare.com/files/42468988/The_Exploited.rar
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2. http://uploadmirrors.com/download/1SWJYXYY/The_Exploited.rar
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About my mp3 songs...

Hello.

I have to ask one thing that I thought for a long time. Since I own the albums that I upload so I do not listen to my MP3 songs.

Is it big sound difference between the Japanese 24-Bit Remaster albums over the "regular" albums that I upload in 256 bit rate? I'm curious about it.

Would be great to hear from all you music lovers around the world.

PS - I do not want to hear that it gets better with "Wave", "FLAC" & 320 Bitrate, I know that already.

So come on and write ...

[translated by "Google Translate] with the right for misspelled words :-)

//ChrisGoesRock