2000mustangs - The Classic Rock Blog

petak, 20.11.2009.

Canned Heat - Christmas Album (2007)

Over the years, just about every major performer has recorded a set of his or her own Christmas favorites.
Canned Heat's first attempt at a Christmas recording came about when I met Ross Bagdasarian at Liberty Records in 1968. Canned Heat was riding the charts with "On The Road Again" and I thought it might be interesting if we combined The Chipmunks and Canned Heat in a remake of The Chipmunk Song that had been a hit ten years earlier. If you didn't know about this track's existence, this artist combination might come as a shock. The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) featured The Chipmunks & David Seville. The Chipmunks were named after the top three executives at Liberty Records (Alvin, Theodore and Simon). David Seville was another name that Ross used for recording (The Witch Doctor, in 1956 went to #1). The Canned Heat/Chipmunk single received a lot of airplay during the Holidays in 1968, but never gained too much chart success. The "B" side of the single was quickly put together in the studio with Fito de la Parra playing a bluesy ballad on piano and the rest of the band joining in. Meanwhile, I tried to write a lyric that conveyed the blues of not being with the one you loved during the Holidays, but hoping that things would be different next year. The song "Christmas Blues" was born and thirty-five years later, was picked by Heineken Beer for their TV commercial that ran for three Holiday seasons. A second, slowed-down version of "Christmas Blues" features an old friend of the band, Mac Rebennack, better known as "Dr. John" on piano and a third version has been added as a "bonus track." It was recorded in 1998, at the Special Olympics Charity Concert in Washington D.C. It features John Popper from Blues Traveler on vocals and harmonica and Eric Clapton on guitar. After putting out a few CDs together during the past few years, Len Fico, President of Fuel 2000 Records, suggested that the band put together a Christmas album. He had seen a few other classic groups have success with Holiday CDs and thought that the Heat might have similar success. So, in 2006, the current Canned Heat lineup, along with another old friend, Jay Spell, recorded their renditions and adaptations of some traditional Christmas songs to combine with some of their older Holiday recordings. "Jingle Bells" dates from 1857 and was originally titled "One Horse Open Sleigh" by composer James S. Pierpont. It soon became more widely known by the opening line of its chorus and has been "Jingle Bells" ever since. Just about every parent has warned their kids that "you better watch out" and "you better be good" because "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"! J. Coots and HavenGillespie composed their friendly seasonal admonition in 1934...Skip Taylor

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 103 MB
Genre : Xmas Blues
2000mustangs

Line-up

Robert Lucas (vocals, guitar, harmonica)
Greg Kage (vocals, bass guitar)
Barry Levenson (guitar)
Adolfo 'Fito' De La Parra (drums)
Alan 'Blind Owl' Wilson
Henry 'Sunflower' Vestine
Larry 'The Mole' Taylor
Bob 'The Bear' Hite

Tracklist:

01. Deck the Halls 4:02
02. The Christmas Song / The Chipmunks 2:50
03. Christmas Blues 2:36
04. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town 3:24
05. I Won't Be Home for Christmas 4:16
06. Christmas Boogie 4:11
07. Santa Clause Is Back in Town 3:38
08. Jingle Bells 4:35
09. Christmas Blues (Featuring Dr. John) 7:35
10. Boogie Boy (Little Drummer Boy) 4:27
11. Christmas Blues (Featuring Eric Clapton / John Popper) 3:42

Melissa Etheridge - A New Thought For Christmas

What if someone made a Christmas album for everybody else? That's exactly what Melissa Etheridge has done. Working alongside her producer David Cole, Melissa's songs celebrate a spiritual time of year where people can rejoice in their traditional, or non-traditional ways, and celebrate a winter solstice filled with love and peace. This ten song album has newly composed songs such as "Ring The Bells," "Light A Light," and "It's Christmas Time" interspersed with traditional holiday standards such as "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and "Blue Christmas." This album begs the question, "If we're all talking about peace on earth, what if we all concentrated on peace on earth and made it happen?"
Melissa Etheridge has been a core Island Records artist since the release of her critically-acclaimed eponymous debut, which led to an invitation to sing on the 1989 Grammy Awards broadcast. For several years, Melissa's popularity built around such memorable songs as "Bring Me Some Water" (from her debut), "No Souvenirs" (from 1989's Brave And Crazy) and "Ain't It Heavy" (from 1992's Never Enough), for which she won her first Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal.
Melissa hit her commercial and artistic stride with her fourth album, 1993's Yes I Am, featuring the massive hits "I'm the Only One" and "Come to My Window," a searing song of longing that brought her second Best Female Rock Grammy. The album went six times platinum and spent more than two and a half years on the album chart. In 1995, she issued her highest charting album, Your Little Secret (#6 on the Billboard Top 200), which included the hit single, "I Want to Come Over." Her astounding success led Melissa to receive the Songwriter of the Year honor at the ASCAP Pop Awards in 1996.
Melissa continued to write, record, and tour throughout the '90s and into the new millennium. In 2006, she was approached by Al Gore to write a song for his documentary film, An Inconvenient Truth. The result was "I Need To Wake Up" and in February 2007, she won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Melissa's Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled was repackaged to include the OSCAR® winning song. In April 2007, Melissa Etheridge received the distinguished ASCAP Founders Award honoring the anthemic power, compassion, and generosity of spirit of her music, and her enduring status as one of the greatest all-time female rock icons. In September 2007, she released The Awakening, which was selected by Rolling Stone Magazine as #20 on its Top 50 albums of 2007...Dhar Jellinc

Melissa Etheridge - A New Thought For Christmas (2008)

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 100 MB
Genre : Xmas Rock
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

01. Blue Christmas 2:45
02. Glorious 3:38
03. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) 2:41
04. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas 4:23
05. Ring The Bells 6:05
06. Merry Christmas Baby 3:47
07. Christmas In America 4:21
08. Light A Light 5:10
09. It's Christmas Time 4:22
10. O Night Divine 6:58

The Temptations - Give Love At Christmas (1980) (2000)

This is one of the most classic R&B Christmas albums ever recorded; the Temptations come steppin' in prime form. With a chiming introduction, "Give Love on Christmas Day" is an uplifting jingle showcasing Glenn Leonard's unwavering falsetto on lead. "Everything for Christmas" has mellifluous background vocals, with string and horn arrangements rounded out by Richard Street's indelible delivery. "The Christmas Song" and "Silent Night" are two incomparable selections featuring various members on lead, including Melvin Franklin's admirable bass exhibition. Dennis Edwards shines on the jubilant "This Christmas," which also features a spirited musical interlude. In minimal words, this collection of Christmas carols ranks among the best...C. Lytle

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 80 MB
Genre : R&B Xmas
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

01 Give Love on Christmas Day 3:37
02 The Christmas Song 5:11
03 Love Comes With Christmas 3:46
04 The Little Drummer Boy 4:14
05 This Christmas 4:26
06 Everything for Christmas 4:14
07 Christmas Everyday 2:53
08 Silent Night 6:04

četvrtak, 19.11.2009.

Patti LaBelle - Miss Patti's Christmas (2007)

Legendary singer Patti LaBelle soulfully ushers in the holiday season with Miss Patti's Christmas, produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and featuring a mix of original songs and Christmas classics...D. Jellinc

This CD is absolutely phenomenal. You can play it all year round!!! It has remakes of songs by The Emotions and Luther Vandross, timeless classics with a spin that only Miss Patti could do, and original songs that are sure to be new classics. You'll definitely want 3 copies. One for home, one for the car, and one for work. Happy Listening!!..R. Dodson

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 98 MB
Genre : Xmas
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

01 Christmas Jam 4:18
02 It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year 3:08
03 What Do the Lonely Do at Christmas? 4:07
04 Holidays Mean More to Me 4:38
05 It's Going to Be a Merry Christmas 4:34
06 Do You Hear What I Hear? 5:01
07 Nativity 3:47
08 Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child / The Original Soul Seekers 4:04
09 Every Year, Every Christmas 5:24
10 Away in a Manger 3:48

Slade - The Party Album (1985) (1999)

The Christmas Party Album was an album by the British glam/hardrock group Slade. It was first released November 1985 and reached number 34 in the UK charts. It contained a load of hits that had been re-recorded, and tracks that had been hits for other bands. Also having two singles released from it helped push sales too.

More of a 'covers' album than a proper studio album, Slade tried to create an LP that had a party atmosphere to it and was value for money. They succeeded, and this album has had numerous re-issues and re-releases over the years under various names. Its 1999 re-release as "The Party Album!" was supposed to coincide with the Millennium. Its current CD incarnation on the Salvo label was released in 2006 and bears the title Crackers: The Rockin' Party Album!.

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 123 MB
Genre : Glam Rock, Hard Rock
2000mustangs

Line-up:

Noddy Holder - Vocals / Guitars / Bass Guitar
Dave Hill - Guitars / Vocals / Bass Guitar
Jim Lea - Bass Guitar / Vocals / Keyboards / Violin / Guitars
Don Powell - Drums / Percussion

Tracklist:

01. Merry Xmas Everybody 3:25
02. Let's Dance 2:35
03. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town 2:38
04. When I'm Dancin I Ain't Fighting 3:36
05. We'll Bring the House Down 3:32
06. Cum on Feel the Noize 4:26
07. All Join Hands 4:16
08. Do You Believe in Miracles 4:16
09. Let's Have a Party 1:47
10. Get Down and Get With It 3:50
11. My Oh My 4:12
12. Run Runaway 4:59
13. Mama Weer All Crazee Now 3:42
14. Okey Cokey 3:26
15. Here's to the New Year 3:10
16. Auld Lang Syne / You'll Never Walk Alone 3:27

srijeda, 18.11.2009.

Sting - If On A Winter's Night

It's no secret that Sting is a serious man, so it's only logical that his holiday album -- his first new music since the Police reunion, not that it really matters -- is a serious endeavor, thank you. No niceties for him, no comforts of carols; he favors formal over familiar, writing madrigals, not ditties. The austerity here is genuine, not affected, and the cerebral nature of the album is gently fascinating. ..S. Erlewine

If on a Winter's Night presents an arc of songs that conjure the season of spirits, the eerie silences of the snow; days of solitude and reflection for some, a time of re-birth and celebration for many. With traditional music of the British Isles as their starting point, Sting and his guest musicians draw the listener in through a collection of songs, carols, and lullabies spanning the centuries - such as The Snow it Melts the Soonest (traditional Newcastle ballad), Soul Cake (traditional English "begging" song) Gabriel's Message (14th century carol), as well as two of Sting's own compositions - Lullaby for an Anxious Child and The Hounds of Winter. Also featured on the album is Hurdy Gurdy Man - a musical reworking and English translation (by Sting) of Der Leiermann from Schubert's classic winter song-cycle Winterreise. For this exploration of the themes and emotions of winter Sting is joined by friend and long time colleague, guitarist Dominic Miller - and an ensemble of three remarkable musicians from Northern England and Scotland: Kathryn Tickell (fiddle and Northumbrian pipes) Julian Sutton (melodian) and Mary MacMaster (metal string Scottish harp). Additional guest artists include Vincent Ségal (cello), Daniel Hope (violin), Chris Botti (trumpet), Ibrahim Maalouf (trumpet), Stile Antico (vocal ensemble), Cyro Baptista (percussion), Bijan Chemirani (percussion) and the Webb Sisters (vocals). Together they've created an album with a wonderful, warm, and unique ensemble sound - an acoustic meditation on winter.

Sting - If On A Winter's Night (17-track Deluxe Edit 2009)

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 131 MB
Genre : Rock
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

01 Gabriel's Message 2:34
02 Soul Cake 3:29
03 There Is No Rose of Such Virtue 4:04
04 The Snow It Melts the Soonest 3:44
05 Christmas at Sea 4:38
06 Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming 2:42
07 Cold Song 3:16
08 The Burning Babe 2:45
09 Now Winter Comes Slowly 3:06
10 The Hounds of Winter 5:51
11 Balulalow 3:10
12 Cherry Tree Carol 3:12
13 Lullaby for an Anxious Child 2:50
14 The Hurdy-Gurdy Man 2:51
15 You Only Cross My Mind in Winter 2:35
16. Bethlehem Down (Bonus) 2:53
17. Blake's Cradle Song (Bonus) 3:29

utorak, 17.11.2009.

Grand Funk - Shinin' On (1974) (10-track Remaster 2003)

The #5 chart topper from 1973 featuring 'The Loco-Motion', here reissued and 24-bit digitally remastered with the b-side 'Destitute and 'Losin' and a 2002 remix of 'Shinin'. Capitol Records. 2003.

After racking up its biggest success to date with We're an American Band, Grand Funk Railroad decided to keep a good thing going by retaining Todd Rundgren as its producer and continuing to push its sound in a pop/rock direction. The end result has its moments but is not as strong as We're an American Band. Although the songs are tight and benefit from a strong performance by the group, the material simply isn't as inspired this time out: songs like "Please Me" and "Getting Over You" are energetic but lack the infectious hooks and clever arrangement touches that would make them stick in the listener's memory. Shinin' On's best songs are the ones that became its single releases: the title track infuses its hard-driving, spacy rock groove with some surprisingly ethereal vocal harmonies and the cover of "The Loco Motion" turns this dance classic on its ear with a stomping beat and a screeching guitar lead from Mark Farner. Other tracks make up for their lack of hooks by experimenting with the group's sound in interesting ways: "Mr. Pretty Boy" is a creepy, slow blues song that features an atmospheric Mellotron backing, and "To Get Back In" is a full-fledged soul song built on a thick combination of organ and horns. In the end, Shinin' On is too unfocused and uneven to win over non-fans, but Grand Funk Railroad fans will find plenty to enjoy on this album...D. Guarisco

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 108 MB
Genre : Rock
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

01 Shinin' On 5:58
02 To Get Back In 3:55
03 The Loco-Motion 2:45
04 Carry Me Through 5:31
05 Please Me 3:37
06 Mr. Pretty Boy 3:08
07 Gettin' Over You 3:58
08 Little Johnny Hooker 5:10
09 Destitute and Losin' Bonus 7:03
10 Shinin' On Bonus / 2003 Remix 6:10

ponedjeljak, 16.11.2009.

George Thorogood - The Dirty Dozen

A unique collection of 6 new blues-rock tracks in classic Thorogood style, combined with 6 "fan favorites" that have been out-of-print and hard to find on CD.

After more than a decade of recording for other labels, George Thorogood & the Destroyers moved back to EMI/Capitol for the release of 2009's The Dirty Dozen. Split into two sides (just like a vinyl album!) and consisting of covers of classic blues songs, some bar band favorites, and a couple of lesser-known tracks, the album showcases the current sound of the band and digs back into the archives to uncover some buried tracks from the '80s and '90s. What's uncanny is that apart from the tinny sound of the recordings from the late '80s/early '90s, the band and Thorogood sound exactly the same almost two decades later. Just as they sound virtually unchanged from the first time they stepped into a recording studio. George still has the same ferocious slide technique, his growling vocals have barely aged, and the band still has the feel of skilled musicians who know how to play it simple. In other words, GT & the Destroyers still rock, and if you were ever a fan, you still should be. The only real problem with this record is that as cool as it is to hear the band's 1991 take on "Six Days on the Road" or their tumble through Howlin' Wolf's "Howlin' for My Baby," it'd be better to hear more of the new tracks. They have a more immediate feel and the group sounds like they're playing for fun rather than chasing commercial success. There's a fire in "Born Lover" and a bounce in "Run Myself Out of Town" that the old, muffled production can't reproduce. Not that the old tracks are bad by any means, and longtime fans of GT will be glad to have them. Just as they will be glad that he and the Destroyers are still around and still rocking out...T. Sendra

George Thorogood - The Dirty Dozen (2009)

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 112 MB
Genre : Rock
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

01. Tail Dragger (3:41)
02. Drop Down Mama (4:20)
03. Run Myself Out Of Town (3:03)
04. Born Lover (4:12)
05. Twenty Dollar Gig (3:16)
06. Let Me Pass (3:40)
07. Howlin' For My Baby (5:13)
08. Highway 49 (5:47)
09. Six Days On The Road (4:23)
10. Treat Her Right (2:59)
11. Hello Little Girl (3:47)
12. Blue Highway (4:43)

nedjelja, 15.11.2009.

Def Leppard - Adrenalize (1992) (2CD Deluxe Remaster)

Adrenalize, Def Leppards fifth studio album from 1992 cemented the band as the dominant arena rock band. The album was recorded following the tragic death of guitarist Steve Clark - with Phil Collen recording all guitar parts - and dedicated to his memory. The album featured huge singles such as "Let's Get rocked" and "make Love Like a man" and debuted at no. 1 in both the UK and USA (and went on to sell over 7-million copies worldwide).
The Deluxe Edition features a remastered version of the originalalbum with a bonus disc of rare, live, acoustic and demo versions.

Def Leppard's 1992 Follow-Up To The Over Amazing, Extraordinary "HYSTERIA" was no simple task to complete, Def Leppard has faced another major setback, the death of there fellow guitar player and a major contributor to the music of Def Leppard: "Steve Clark". Steve, Had already written/recorded a lot of the songs featured on "Adrenalize", so with that already said, after his passing, Def Leppard had to either stop or go and they decided to go, Phil Collen had the job of picking up where Steve left off and re-recording everything Steve had almost finished. Adrenalize is a great, rocking album and although not "HYSTERIA", is still a great sequel.
Now, on to this Remaster. It's Great, The Remaster Does It Justice and Yea, It Makes The Total Difference Compared To The Original Disc Released in 1992. The Volumes Have Been Put Up On All The Cylinders, The Guitars Are Much Clearer and Cleaner...Overall This Remaster Rocks!
Disc-2, Contains A Lot Of Live Tracks From The Adrenalize Tour and You'll Find The Rare-Gem Of The Demo Version Of "Tonight" which Is Awesome!
I Highly Recommend This Deluxe Edition, The Sleek Package and The Music That Awaits You On The Inside Will Blow You Away!...A. Cordoba

Def Leppard - Adrenalize (1992) (2CD Deluxe Remaster 2009)

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 254 MB
Genre : Rock
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

CD 1

01 Let's Get Rocked 4:56
02 Heaven Is 3:33
03 Make Love Like a Man 4:15
04 Tonight 4:03
05 White Lightning 7:03
06 Stand Up (Kick Love into Motion) 4:32
07 Personal Property 4:21
08 Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad 5:24
09 I Wanna Touch U 3:37
10 Tear It Down 3:39

CD 2

01 Hysteria Live 7:17
02 Photograph Live 4:44
03 Pour Some Sugar on Me Live 5:09
04 Let's Get Rocked Live 5:46
05 You Can't Always Get What You Want / Hothouse Flowers 7:43
06 Little Wing / Hothouse Flowers 3:40
07 Tonight Demo Version 4:24
08 Now I'm Here / Brian May Live 6:03
09 Two Steps Behind Acoustic 4:11
10 Tonight Acoustic - Sun Studios Version 4:16
11 Too Late for Love Live 6:01
12 Women Live 6:34

petak, 13.11.2009.

Rihanna

The wait is ova - for one of the most hotly anticipated new albums in recent history, as multi-platinum, award-winning Def Jam recording artist Rihanna announces the completion of her fourth original studio album, Rated R, scheduled to arrive in the physical and digital marketplace on Monday, November 23rd. The "Russian Roulette" video, directed by Anthony Mandler, will premiere in prime-time on ABC. "Russian Roulette" was written and produced by fellow Def Jam artist Ne-Yo, whose long track record with Rihanna includes the #1 hit "Unfaithful" (2006, from A Girl Like Me), their Top 10 duet "Hate That I Love You" (2007, from Good Girl Gone Bad), and #1 pop/ #1 R&B "Take A Bow" (2008, from Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded). In addition to Ne-Yo, other producers and writers on Rihanna's new album include the team of The-Dream and Tricky Stewart, Chase & Status, Stargate, Justin Timberlake and more. Rated R is the long-awaited follow-up to Good Girl Gone Bad (May 2007), which contained the non-stop string of hit singles that began with the MTV VMA and Grammy Award-winning global #1 hit "Umbrella" (featuring Jay-Z), then "Shut Up and Drive," "Hate That I Love You" (featurˇing Ne-Yo), and "Don't Stop the Music." Good Girl Gone Bad spent 98 total weeks on the Soundscan chart, earned cumulative sales of more than 36-times platinum in at least 20 territories around the world, and spun off the CD+DVD package Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded (January 2009) - which continued the string of hits with the #1 "Take A Bow," and the #1 "Disturbia." Good Girl Gone Bad was the third album release in less than two years by the 21-year old Barbados native Rihanna. It followed-up 2006's RIAA platinum A Girl Like Me, which contained the back-to-back hits, "S.O.S." and "Unfaithful"; and her RIAA gold debut from 2005, Music Of the Sun, featuring the world-wide smash,
"Pon De Replay."

Rihanna - Rated R (2009)

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 118 MB
Genre : R&B
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

01. Mad House 1:34
02. Wait Your Turn 3:46
03. Hard (featuring Jeezy 4:10
04. Stupid In Love 4:01
05. Rockstar 101 (featuring Slash) 3:58
06. Russian Roulette 3:47
07. Fire Bomb 4:17
08. Rude Boy 3:42
09. Photographs (featuring Will.i.am) 4:46
10.G4L 3:59
11.Te Amo 3:28
12.Cold Case Love 6:04
13.The Last Song 4:16

četvrtak, 12.11.2009.

AC/DC - Backtracks (2CD)

As handsome as this package is -- or in the case of the super limited edition, housed in a working guitar amp, as ridiculous -- Backtracks is essentially just a clearinghouse for AC/DC rarities, rounding up all the released tracks and videos that have yet to appear on a collection, throwing in a full-length DVD of 2003 for good measure. In other words, it's a set designed for the kind of diehard who would purchase a box set housed in a working amplifier, but its pleasures aren't limited to the dedicated, particularly when it comes to early AC/DC. Prior to 1979's Highway to Hell, all the band's LPs differed in their Australian and international incarnations (one, 1975's TNT, was just cannibalized for other albums), so there are quite a few stray tracks -- a full 12, ranging from the priceless boogie "R.I.P. (Rock in Peace)" to the throwaway instrumental "Fling Thing," plus alternate takes of "High Voltage," "It's a Long Way to the Top," "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap," and "Ain't No Fun (Waiting Round to Be a Millionaire)" (only available on the deluxe, giving another good reason to opt for the big set). The studio disc is rounded out by some OK latter-day tracks, highlighted by "Big Gun" from the Last Action Hero soundtrack and the nifty little rocker "Cyberspace," and it's quite nice to have all these cuts rounded up. If the live tracks aren't quite as noteworthy, it's largely because there have already been several live releases -- proper albums, box sets, and home videos alike -- but the quality of the two CDs is quite high, opening with a clutch of Bon Scott cuts before settling into a stretch from a dynamite set from Detroit's Joe Louis Arena in 1983, then finding the group trotting around the globe on the third disc. This is supplemented by a DVD dubbed Family Jewels 3, a disc that rounds up all the videos not on the original double-disc collection, including a pair of clips from 2008's Black Ice ("Rock N Roll Train," "Anything Goes"), and alternate takes of seven videos featured on the original compilation. Finally, Backtracks ends with that 2003 show, finding AC/DC in a relatively small venue in Munich, tearing through a concert that relies heavily on early classics. It's a set list that could pretty much be called a hardcore fan's dream, which makes it a fitting close to this box, because if this is anything, it's one for the fans, the ones who have stuck with the band though 35 years of unrelenting rock & roll...S. Erlewine

AC/DC - Backtracks (2CD 2009)

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 286 MB
Genre : Rock
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

CD1 [STUDIO RARITIES]

01 Stick Around 4:39
02 Love Song 5:15
03 Fling Thing 2:00
04 R.I.P. (Rock in Peace) 3:35
05 Carry Me Home 3:57
06 Crabsody in Blue 4:43
07 Cold Hearted Man 3:36
08 Snake Eye 3:17
09 Borrowed Time 3:45
10 Down on the Borderline 4:14
11 Big Gun DVD 4:20
12 Cyberspace 2:55

CD 2 [LIVE RARITIES]

01 Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap 5:10
02 Dog Eat Dog 4:30
03 Live Wire 5:06
04 Shot Down in Flames 3:28
05 Back in Black 4:19
06 T.N.T. 3:53
07 Let There Be Rock 7:30
08 Guns for Hire 5:23
09 Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution 4:11
10 This House Is on Fire 3:22
11 You Shook Me All Night Long 3:27
12 Jailbreak 13:21
13 Highway to Hell 3:59
14 For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) 6:55
15 Safe in New York City 3:54

srijeda, 11.11.2009.

Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) (Digipak Remaster)

Elton John's most extravagant creation is a 17-song workout of seamless '70s pop rock. Despite its ambition and breadth, the album is unpretentious and endearing, as John and lyricist-partner Bernie Taupin seemingly aim to provide nothing but pleasure for their listeners. You can thrill to the grand synth washes of "Funeral for a Friend (Love Lies Bleeding)"; croon to ballads like "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," "Candle in the Wind," and "Harmony"; rock to stunners like "Bennie and the Jets" and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"; and, yes, scratch your head over the lyrical excesses of "Grey Seal" ("Your roots were formed by twisted roots/Your roots were twisted then"). Pure pop at its finest. B. Wyman

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was where Elton John's personality began to gather more attention than his music, as it topped the American charts for eight straight weeks. In many ways, the double album was a recap of all the styles and sounds that made John a star. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is all over the map, beginning with the prog rock epic "Funeral for a Friend (Love Lies Bleeding)" and immediately careening into the balladry of "Candle in the Wind." For the rest of the album, John leaps between popcraft ("Bennie and the Jets"), ballads ("Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"), hard rock ("Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"), novelties ("Jamaica Jerk-Off"), Bernie Taupin's literary pretensions ("The Ballad of Danny Bailey"), and everything in between. Though its diversity is impressive, the album doesn't hold together very well. Even so, its individual moments are spectacular and the glitzy, crowd-pleasing showmanship that fuels the album pretty much defines what made Elton John a superstar in the early '70s...S. Thomas

Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) (Digipak Remaster 2008)

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 168 MB
Genre : Power pop, Rock
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

01 Funeral for a Friend (Love Lies Bleeding) 11:08
02 Candle in the Wind 3:50
03 Bennie And The Jets 5:23
04 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 3:14
05 This Song Has No Title 2:23
06 Grey Seal 3:58
07 Jamaica Jerk Off 3:39
08 I've Seen That Movie Too 5:59
09 Sweet Painted Lady 3:52
10 The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909-1934) 4:24
11 Dirty Little Girl 5:01
12 All the Girls Love Alice 5:08
13 Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n Roll) 2:42
14 Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting 4:54
15 Roy Rogers 4:08
16 Social Disease 3:44
17 Harmony 2:45

utorak, 10.11.2009.

Kim Wilde - Catch As Catch Can (1983) (Remaster Edit)

Digitally remastered and expanded edition of the British Pop vocalist's 1983 album including five bonus tracks. Catch As Catch Can was Kim's third album and includes the UK hit singles 'Love Blonde' and 'Dancing In The Dark'. Bonus tracks include remixes of those singles plus the non-album 'Back Seat Driver'. Comes with a detailed booklet featuring original LP artwork, in-depth liner notes and all relevant picture sleeves. Cherry Pop. 2009.

Kim Wilde's third album was never released in the U.S. -- EMI America had dropped the singer after 1982's career high point, Select, didn't spawn any hits -- which is a shame since this admittedly uneven album is a key transition point in her career. Catch as Catch Can is probably Wilde's most experimental album, a continuation of the dark-hued synth rock feel of Select with hints of the more commercial dance-pop sound that would characterize the rest of her career. Certainly the first single, the gimmicky, campy strut "Love Blonde," is the oddest single of Wilde's career. Elsewhere, the genuinely beautiful ballad "Can You Hear It" (probably the prettiest song Wilde ever recorded), "Sparks," and the quirky "Dream Sequence" have an atmospheric, nearly psychedelic tinge, thanks to hazy backing vocals and diffused, dreamy arrangements. However, other songs like the opening "House of Salome" and the stuttering "Back Street Joe" point toward the purely electronic Hi-NRG disco sound that would characterize 1984's Teases & Dares, and indeed pretty much every Kim Wilde release thereafter. [The 2009 edition added five bonus tracks including a remix of "Dancing in the Dark" by Nile Rodgers.]...S. Mason

Kim Wilde - Catch As Catch Can (1983) (Remaster Edit 2009)

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 143 MB
Genre : Rock. Power pop. New wave
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

01 Hosue of Salome 3:34
02 Back Street Joe 4:27
03 Stay Awhile 3:39
04 Love Blonde 4:05
05 Dream Sequence 6:04
06 Dancing in the Dark 3:43
07 Shoot to Disable 3:36
08 Can You Hear It 4:24
09 Sparks 4:09
10 Sing It out for Love 3:33
11 Love Blonde 7" Version Bonus 3:32
12 Back Street Driver Bonus 3:32
13 Love Blonde 12" Version Bonus 5:00
14 Dancing in the Dark Nile Rodgers Re-Mix Bonus 5:25
15 Dancing in the Dark Bonus / Instrumenta 3:38

ponedjeljak, 09.11.2009.

The James Gang - 15 Greatest Hits (1973) (1990)

This older hits package has the version of "The Bomber" that only has "Closet Queen" and "Cast Your Fate To The Wind". That is a PLUS to me because I don't like the newer remastered versions of this song that contain Ravel's "Bolero" between these two other parts of the medley. The crescendo achieved at the end of "Closet Queen" that transitions into "Cast Your Fate" is remarkable and for me is THE BEST James Gang moment EVER. The addition of "Bolero" only slows this down to almost a dirge. I know this is how it was originally recorded but IMO this is a case where I think the shorter medley works better. Only trouble is, this is on an older generation CD and the sound quality is a little muddier and volume is certainly lower that the remastered CDs. Doubt if we will ever get a remastered version of this song without "Bolero" however. ..J. Anslay

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 162 MB
Genre : Rock
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

01. Walk Away
02. Funk #49
03. Midnight Man
04. Bomber: Closet Queen/Cast Your Fate to the Wind
05. Stop
06. Thanks
07. White Man/Black Man
08. Woman
09. Again
10. Take a Look Around
11. Funk #48
12. Tend My Garden
13. There I Go Again
14. Ashes, the Rain and I
15. Collage

Elton John - Elton John (1970) (2CD Deluxe Edi)

2008 digitally remastered deluxe two CD edition of Elton's self titled album featuring an additional eight bonus tracks on the first disc plus a second CD containing 12 additional bonus tracks. Originally released in 1970, Elton John was his second album which spawned the classics 'Your Song', 'Take Me To The Pilot' and 'Border Song' and launched his musical career into the stratosphere. This deluxe edition features piano demos of eight of the album's tracks plus piano demos for five tracks that never made the album. Also included are non-album cuts, BBC sessions and more. Universal.

Elton John - Elton John (1970) (2CD Deluxe Edit 2008)

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 250 MB
Genre : Rock
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

CD 1

01 Your Song 4:04
02 I Need You to Turn To 2:33
03 Take Me to the Pilot 3:46
04 No Shoes Strings on Louise 3:31
05 First Episode at Hienton 4:47
06 Sixty Years On 4:35
07 Border Song 3:21
08 The Greatest Discovery 4:12
09 The Cage 3:27
10 The King Must Die 5:07

CD 2

01 Your Song prev. unreleased / Bonus / Demo Version 3:35
02 I Need You to Turn To prev. unreleased / Bonus / Piano Demo 2:12
03 Take Me to the Pilot prev. unreleased / Bonus / Piano Demo 2:36
04 No Shoes Strings on Louise prev. unreleased / Bonus / Piano Demo 3:33
05 Sixty Years On prev. unreleased / Bonus / Piano Demo 4:21
06 The Greatest Discovery prev. unreleased / Bonus / Piano Demo 3:58
07 The Cage prev. unreleased / Bonus / Demo Version 3:21
08 The King Must Die prev. unreleased / Bonus / Piano Demo 5:24
09 Rock and Roll Madonna prev. unreleased / Bonus / Piano Demo 3:11
10 Thank You Mama prev. unreleased / Bonus / Piano Demo 3:20
11 All the Way Down to El Paso prev. unreleased / Bonus / Piano Demo 2:49
12 I'm Going Home prev. unreleased / Bonus / Piano Demo 3:05
13 Grey Seal Bonus / Piano Demo 3:19
14 Rock and Roll Madonna - Incomplete Band Demo 2:55
15 Bad Side of the Moon Bonus 3:13
16 Grey Seal Bonus 3:36
17 Rock and Roll Madonna Bonus 4:18
18 Border Song / Hookfoot prev. unreleased / Bonus / BBC Session 3:21
19 Your Song previously unreleased / Bonus / BBC Session 4:01
20 Take Me to the Pilot previously unreleased / Bonus / BBC Session 3:33

subota, 07.11.2009.

Arthur Brown - The Crazy World Of... (1968) (Remaster Edit 1998)

1998 reissue of the 1968 debut by the theatrical rock singer's band, featuring both mono and stereo versions of five tracks, including the #2 smash 'Fire'. 15 tracks

An Excellent album from the most unsung singer in musical history (If you'll excuse the pun). One of the best albums of the 60's especially from the progressive side of music. On the first side we have a conceptual rock record that is concerned with damnation, hell-fire and the soul. Then on side two their are more standard but still brilliant covers with some excellent psychedelia. Rather unusually for a record in my collection this album features very little guitar instead the lead instrument is Vincent Crane's (later of Atomic Rooster) excellent organ. The vocals here are of course some of the best ever as Arthur sings with a range and emotion that few can match. So if your interested in great music from the 60's give this a try.

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 133 MB
Genre : Psychedelic rock, Rock and roll, Shock rock
2000mustangs

Line-up

Arthur Brown - Vocals
Vincent Crane - Keyboards
Drachen Theaker - Drums

Teacklist:

01 Prelude - Nightmare 3:28
02 Fanfare - Fire Poem 1:51
03 Fire 2:54
04 Come and Buy 5:40
05 Time / Confusion 5:11
06 I Put a Spell on you 3:41
07 Spontaneous Apple Creation 2:54
08 Rest Cure 2:44
09 I've Got Money 3:09
10 Child of My Kingdom 7:01
11 Prelude - Nightmare [Mono Version] 3:49
12 Fanfare - Fire Poem [Mono Version] 2:01
13 Fire [Mono Version] 3:01
14 Come and Buy [Mono Version] 5:05
15 Time / Confusion [Mono Version] 4:57

Kiss - Sonic Boom (2CD Deluxe Edit)

2009 album from the Rock legends. After a nine year wait, Kiss release the studio album Sonic Boom. Featuring 11 brand new Kiss anthems, Sonic Boom is an emphatic statement from one of Rock's most iconic bands. Says guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley: "The purpose of this album isn't to let people know that we're still around - it's to let people know we can still knock out anybody who's out there!"

Deluxe Edit includes 2nd cd of 15 Kiss Classix. After a 9-year wait, Rock superstars KISS release a brand new studio in 'Sonic Boom'. Featuring 11 brand new KISS anthems, Sonic Boom is an emphatic statement from one of rock's most iconic bands. Says guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley: "The purpose of this album isn't to let people know that we're still around - it's to let people know we can still knock out anybody who's out there!"

Kiss - Sonic Boom (2CD Deluxe Edit 2009)

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 221 MB
Genre : Rock
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

CD 1

01. Modern Day Deliah 3.37
02. Russian Roulette 4.32
03. Never Enough 3.26
04. Yes I Know (Nobody´s Perfect) 3.02
05. Stand 4.50
06. Hot And Cold 3.36
07. All The Glory 3.49
08. Danger Us 4.22
09. I´m An Animal 3.47
10. When Lightning Strikes 3.45
11. Say Yeah 4.27

CD 2

01. Deuce 3.07
02. Detroit Rock City 3.56
03. Shout It Out Loud 2.53
04. Hotter Than Hell 3.09
05. Calling Dr. Love 3.25
06. Love Gun 3.14
07. I Was Made For Lovin' You 4.41
08. Heaven's On Fire 3.23
09. Lick It Up 3.56
10. I Love It Loud 4.08
11. Forever 3.52
12. Christine Sixteen 2.59
13. Do You Love Me? 3.38
14. Black Diamond 4.19
15. Rock And Roll All Nite 2.48

petak, 06.11.2009.

Norah Jones - The Fall

The Fall" is the new studio album by American singer-songwriter Norah Jones that will be released in November 17, 2009.

Norah has taken a new direction on the The Fall, experimenting with different sounds and a new set of collaborators, including Jacquire King, a noted producer and engineer who has worked with Kings of Leon, Tom Waits and Modest Mouse. Jones enlisted several songwriting collaborators, including Ryan Adams and Okkervil River's Will Sheff, as well as her frequent partners Jesse Harris & Richard Julian. Musicians include drummers Joey Waronker (Beck, R.E.M.) and James Gadson (Bill Withers), keyboardist James Poyser (Erykah Badu, Al Green), and guitarists Marc Ribot (Tom Waits, Elvis Costello) and Smokey Hormel (Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer).

Norah Jones - The Fall (2009)

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 103 MB
Genre : Blues
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

01. Chasing Pirates
02. Even Though
03. Light As A Feather
04. Young Blood
05. I Wouldn't Need You
06. Waiting
07. It's Gonna Be
08. You've Ruined Me
09. Back To Manhattan
10. Stuck
11. December
12. Tell Yer Mama
13. Man Of The Hour

četvrtak, 05.11.2009.

Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection (1971) (Japan Mini LP 2006)

Japanese reissue of 1971 album, packaged in a limited edition miniature LP sleeve. Includes the same 2 bonus tracks as the U.S. version.

Instead of repeating the formula that made Elton John a success, John and Bernie Taupin attempted their most ambitious record to date for the follow-up to their breakthrough. A loose concept album about the American West, Tumbleweed Connection emphasized the pretensions that always lay beneath their songcraft. Half of the songs don't follow conventional pop song structures; instead, they flow between verses and vague choruses. These experiments are remarkably successful, primarily because Taupin's lyrics are evocative and John's melodic sense is at its best. As should be expected for a concept album about the Wild West, the music draws from country and blues in equal measures, ranging from the bluesy choruses of "Ballad of a Well-Known Gun" and the modified country of "Country Comfort" to the gospel-inflected "Burn Down the Mission" and the rolling, soulful "Amoreena." Paul Buckmaster manages to write dramatic but appropriate string arrangements that accentuate the cinematic feel of the album. Stephen Thomas

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 137 MB
Genre : Rock
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

01 Ballad Of A Well-Known Gun 4:59
02 Come Down in Time 3:26
03 Country Comfort 5:07
04 Son of Your Father 3:48
05 My Father's Gun 6:20
06 Where to Now St. Peter? 4:12
07 Love Song 3:41
08 Amoreena 4:59
09 Talking Old Soldiers 4:08
10 Burn Down the Mission 6:37
11 Into the Old Man's Shoes 4:04
12 Madman Across the Water Original Version 8:56

Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection (1971) (2CD Deluxe Edit)

2008 digitally remastered deluxe two CD edition of Elton's hit album featuring a bonus CD containing 13 additional tracks including previously unreleased cuts, demos and more. Originally released in 1971, Tumbleweed Connection featured EJ classics like 'Burn Down The Mission', 'Love Song' and 'Country Comfort'. This deluxe edition features piano demos of many of the album's tracks plus BBC sessions and more. 23 tracks total. Universal.

Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection (1971) (2CD Deluxe Edit 2008)

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 248 MB
Genre : Rock
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

CD 1

01 Ballad of a Well-Known Gun 4:59
02 Come Down in Time 3:25
03 Country Comfort 5:06
04 Son of Your Father 3:48
05 My Father's Gun 6:20
06 Where to Now St. Peter? 4:11
07 Love Song 3:41
08 Amoreena 5:00
09 Talking Old Soldiers 4:06
10 Burn Down the Mission 6:21

CD 2

01 There Goes a Well-Known Gun prev. unreleased / Bonus 3:27
02 Come Down in Time prev. unreleased / Bonus / Piano Demo 3:21
03 Country Comfort prev. unreleased / Bonus / Piano Demo 4:12
04 Son of Your Father prev. unreleased / Bonus / Version 4:12
05 Talking Old Soldiers prev. unreleased / Bonus / Piano Demo 4:13
06 Into the Old Man's Shoes prev. unreleased / Bonus / Piano Demo 3:40
07 Sisters of the Cross prev. unreleased / Bonus / Piano Demo 4:38
08 Madman Across the Water Bonus / Original Version 8:51
09 Into the Old Man's Shoes Bonus 4:02
10 My Father's Gun Bonus / BBC Session 3:43
11 Ballad of a Well-Known Gun prev. unreleased / Bonus / BBC Session 4:36
12 Burn Down the Mission prev. unreleased / Bonus / BBC Session 6:52
13 Amoreena prev. unreleased / Bonus / BBC Session 5:12

srijeda, 04.11.2009.

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland (1968)(Japan SHM CD)

Japanese reissue on SHM-CD (Super High Material CD) developed by JVC and Universal Music Japan. Polycarbonate plastic with improved transparency is used for the disc surface for enhanced audio quality. *Plays on regular CD players. Written and produced by Jimi Hendrix, the album is seen as the peak of Hendrix's mastery of the electric guitar, and is frequently cited as one of the greatest rock albums of all time. It is not only the last of his albums released as the Jimi Hendrix Experience, but also the last of Hendrix's studio albums to be professionally produced under his own supervision. After Electric Ladyland, Hendrix spent the remaining two years of his life attempting to organize a new band and recording a breadth of new songs. Released as a double album, Electric Ladyland is a cross-section of Hendrix's wide range of musical talent. It includes samples of several genres and styles of music, including the psychedelia of "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" (previously a UK single in the summer of 1967), the bluesy guitar jam "Voodoo Chile", the New Orleans-style rock and roll of "Come On", the epic studio production of "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)", and the social commentary of "House Burning Down". The album also features a cover version of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" that was widely praised by many, including Dylan himself, as well as "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)", a staple of both radio and guitar repertoire. ”

Jimi Hendrix's third and final album with the original Experience found him taking his funk and psychedelic sounds to the absolute limit. The result was not only one of the best rock albums of the era, but also Hendrix's original musical vision at its absolute apex. When revisionist rock critics refer to him as the maker of a generation's mightiest dope music, this is the album they're referring to. But Electric Ladyland is so much more than just background music for chemical intake. Kudos to engineer Eddie Kramer (who supervised the remastering of the original two-track stereo masters for this 1997 reissue on MCA) for taking Hendrix's visions of a soundscape behind his music and giving it all context, experimenting with odd mic techniques, echo, backward tape, flanging, and chorusing, all new techniques at the time, at least the way they're used here. What Hendrix sonically achieved on this record expanded the concept of what could be gotten out of a modern recording studio in much the same manner as Phil Spector had done a decade before with his Wall of Sound. As an album this influential (and as far as influencing a generation of players and beyond, this was his ultimate statement for many), the highlights speak for themselves: "Crosstown Traffic," his reinterpretation of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," "Burning of the Midnight Lamp," the spacy "1983...(A Merman I Should Turn to Be)," and "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)," a landmark in Hendrix's playing. With this double set (now on one compact disc), Hendrix once again pushed the concept album to new horizons...C. Koda

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland (1968)(Japan SHM CD 2008)

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 172 MB
Genre : Rock
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

01 ...And the Gods Made Love 1:21
02 Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland) 2:12
03 Crosstown Traffic 2:25
04 Voodoo Chile 15:05
05 Little Miss Strange 2:50
06 Long Hot Summer Night 3:30
07 Come On (Let the Good Times Roll) 4:10
08 Gypsy Eyes 3:46
09 Burning of the Midnight Lamp 3:44
10 Rainy Day, Dream Away 3:43
11 1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be) 13:46
12 Moon, Turn the Tides...Gently Gently Away 1:01
13 Still Raining, Still Dreaming 4:24
14 House Burning Down 4:35
15 All Along the Watchtower 4:01
16 Voodoo Child (Slight Return) 5:14

Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears (1991) (Remaster 2002)

This is Ozzy's second album to be certified 4x Platinum by the RIAA.

Having been cleared earlier in the year in another lawsuit concerning the supposedly suicide-inducing subject matter of his music, Ozzy Osbourne reinvigorated his sound and expanded his following with his sixth studio album, No More Tears, in the fall of 1991. Finding more sympathetic producers in Duane Baron and John Purdell to replace Roy Thomas Baker (who had helmed his last effort, 1988's No Rest for the Wicked), collaborating with Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead on four songs, and retaining the services of guitarist Zakk Wylde, Osbourne brought his music into the 1990s. Songs like "Desire" and "S.I.N." had an energetic, contemporary metal sound, and Osbourne effectively changed gears to turn out gentle ballads like "Mama, I'm Coming Home," which gave him his first U.S. Top 40 hit on his own. Not cowed by his court cases, he wrote songs about child abuse ("Mr. Tinkertrain") and serial murder ("No More Tears") from the point of view of the criminals. But he also considered his own place in the general scheme of things in the tribute to the rock & roll lifestyle "Hellraiser" and the reflective "Road to Nowhere." It all made for an unusually broad range of material, and the album returned him to the Top Ten and multi-platinum status. The 2002 reissue adds two appropriate bonus tracks, "Don't Blame Me," which was the non-LP B-side to "Mama, I'm Coming Home," and "Party With the Animals," which appeared on the 1992 soundtrack to the movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Both are powerful rockers, and they make the album an even stronger collection...W. Ruhlmann

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 151 MB
Genre : Heavy Metal
2000mustangs

Line-up

Ozzy Osbourne - vocals
Zakk Wylde - guitar
Bob Daisley - bass
Randy Castillo - drums
John Sinclair - keyboards

Tracklist:

01 Mr. Tinkertrain 5:56
02 I Don't Want to Change the World 4:05
03 Mama, I'm Coming Home 4:11
04 Desire 5:45
05 No More Tears 7:24
06 S.I.N. 4:47
07 Hellraiser 4:52
08 Time After Time 4:20
09 Zombie Stomp 6:13
10 A.V.H. 4:12
11 Road to Nowhere 5:12
12 Don't Blame Me Bonus 5:06
13 Party With the Animals Bonus 4:17

utorak, 03.11.2009.

Pretty Things - S.F. Sorrow 1968) (Digipak Remaster 2002)

Who could ever have thought, going back to the Pretty Things' first recording session in 1965 — which started out so disastrously that their original producer quit in frustration — that it would come to this? The Pretty Things' early history in the studio featured the band with its amps seemingly turned up to 11, but for much of S.F. Sorrow the band is turned down to seven or four, or even two, or not amplified at all (except for Wally Allen's bass — natch), and they're doing all kinds of folkish things here that are still bluesy enough so you never forget who they are, amid weird little digressions on percussion and chorus; harmony vocals that are spooky, trippy, strange, and delightful; sitars included in the array of stringed instruments; and an organ trying hard to sound like a Mellotron. Sometimes one gets an echo of Pink Floyd's Piper at the Gates of Dawn or A Saucerful of Secrets, and it all straddles the worlds of British blues and British psychedelia better than almost any record you can name. The album, for those unfamiliar, tells the story of "S.F. Sorrow," a sort of British Everyman — think of a working-class, luckless equivalent to the Kinks' Arthur, from cradle to grave. The tale and the songs are a bit downbeat and no amount of scrutiny can disguise the fact that the rock opera S.F. Sorrow is ultimately a bit of a confusing effort — these boys were musicians, not authors or dramatists. Although it may have helped inspire Tommy, it is, simply, not nearly as good. That said, it was first and has quite a few nifty ideas and production touches. And it does show a pathway between blues and psychedelia that the Rolling Stones, somewhere between Satanic Majesties, "We Love You," "Child of the Moon," and Beggars Banquet, missed entirely. [This CD reissue on Snapper adds four valuable songs from their 1967-1968 singles ("Defecting Grey," "Mr. Evasion," "Talkin' About the Good Times," and "Walking Through My Dreams"). This version of "Defecting Grey" is the original, long, uncut five-minute rendition, and not of trivial importance; it's superior to the shorter one used on the official single.]...B. Eder

1968's S.F. Sorrow is arguably the first concept album ever recorded (although depending on what your definition of a concept is, that point can be debated). It traces the story of a man called Sebastian Sorrow from birth to his eventual demise across a largely dark journey, as one could probably determine when a song title called 'Death' turns up halfway through. Musically though, this is also a landmark album featuring some great psychedelic moments on, in particular the intense riff that propels 'Balloon Burning' and the maddening, effects-laden spiral that concludes 'Baron Saturday' bookending the despair on 'Death' where Phil May's vocals stink of dislocation and regret; somehow one gets the feeling that this story doesn't have a happy ending. Along with 'Odessey And Oracle' by The Zombies this is one of those lost great rock albums which has only been appreciated retrospectively; it would quite feasibly be hailed as a masterpiece if it was released today. This reissue adds four valuable songs from their 1967-1968 singles ("Defecting Grey," "Mr. Evasion," "Talkin' About the Good Times," and "Walking Through My Dreams"). This version of "Defecting Grey" is the original, long, uncut five-minute rendition, and not of trivial importance; it's superior to the shorter one used on the official single...Bob Hope

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size ca.: 158 MB
Genre : Rock
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

01. S.F. Sorrow Is Born 3.08
02. Bracelets Of Fingers 3.39
03. She Says Good Morning 3.19
04. Private Sorrow 3.50
05. Balloon Burning 3.47
06. Death 3.05
07. Baron Saturday 3.58
08. The Journey 2.45
09. I See You 3.56
10. Well Of Destiny 1.45
11. Trust 2.45
12. Old Man Going 3.07
13. Loneliest Person 1.26
14. Defecting Grey (Bonus Track) 4.28
15. Mr. Evasion (Bonus Track) 3.28
16. Talkin' About The Good Times 3.43
17. Walking Through My Dreams (Bonus Track) 3.36
18. Private Sorrow (Bonus Track) 3.52
19. Balloon Burning (Bonus Track) 3.47
20. Defecting Grey (Bonus Track) 5.10

Pretty Things - Parachute (1970) (Digipak Remaster 2002)

The Pretty Things. What a dreadful, career-in-the-dumper name for a group. Even shortened (the "Pretties", anyone?) it's a nonsense. I know it's ironic, but it's also terrible.The album cover. One of the worst sixth-form paste-and-scissors photomontage crimes ever committed in the name of "art".So; rubbish name, rubbish cover. And yes, these things matter. So does kicking off the album with a "challenging" (ie dissonant, dreary) opening track. Anyone unfamiliar with this wonderful album is most likely not going to get past these three hurdles. Tough on them, and tough on the "Things", too, becausemore… it is one of the few albums that define rock music, as opposed to pop, or whatever, as an art form in itself. Don't sneer. This is art. This is beautiful, and this is timeless. It also sounds fantastic. If it was released today, by some bunch of unknowns, it would effortlessly go to number one. No question. Ther's nothing dated or embarrassing about a single note of it; you don't have to excuse anything. What you won't find; humour, singalong nursery-rhymes, boogie, timewasting. What you will find; the best harmony singing ever recorded by a British band (hearing people SING is just such a treat, isn't it? As opposed to people who think they can?), the best ensemble playing ever recorded by a British band (yes, there are great guitar solos, but this isn't an exercise in nostril-hair guitar histrionics, and everybody's listening to everybody else), and quite possibly, the best rock album ever recorded. There are others as great (Dark Side of the Moon, f'rinstance, and maybe the first Mighty Baby album, and -add your favourite here-) but it really doesn't get any better than this. There's music here so beautiful, so deep, so strong, so subtle ... ahhh ... I'm going to shut up. Really, for once, the cult is right, and what people say about this album has a real basis in the groove. Get this before you get SF Sorrow, if you have nothing yet. Then get their last album (Rage ...). These guys are, incredibly, still out there and still making fine music.Look at it this way. It's a few quid you'd spend without noticing it somewhere else. Help get this album to number one in the charts, because it deserves the view. What it doesn't deserve is to remain a cult pleasure.

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size ca.: 140 MB
Genre : Rock
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

01. Scene One 1.50
02. The Good Mr. Square 1.26
03. She Was Tall, She Was High 1.34
04. In The Square 1.54
05. The Letter 3.47
06. Rain 0.19
07. Miss Fay Regrets 3.26
08. Cries From The Midnight Circus 6.25
09. Grass 4.20
10. Sickle Clowns 6.34
11. She's A Lover 3.28
12. What's The Use 1.42
13. Parachute 3.48
14. Blue Serge Blues (Bonus Track) 3.52
15. October 26 (Bonus Track) 4.53
16. Cold Stone (Bonus Track) 3.09
17. Stone-Hearted Mama (Bonus Track) 3.26
18. Summer Time (Bonus Track) 4.29
19. Circus Mind (Bonus Track) 1.59

ponedjeljak, 02.11.2009.

Camel - Moonmadness (1976) (2 Disc SHM-CD)

Digitally remastered and expanded two CD edition of the British Prog band's classic fourth album from 1976. Disc One features the original album plus the single version of 'Another Night', a demo version of 'Spirit of Water' and a live version of 'Lunar Sea'. Disc Two contains eight songs recorded live at the Hammersmith Odeon in April, 1976. The enhanced packaging contains many rare and previously unseen photographs and sleevenotes by Mark Powell. Universal.

Abandoning the lovely soundscapes of Snow Goose, Camel delved into layered guitar and synthesizers similar to those of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here on the impressive Moonmadness. Part of the reason behind the shift in musical direction was the label's insistence that Camel venture into more commercial territory after the experimental Snow Goose, and it is true that the music on Moonmadness is more akin to traditional English progressive rock, even though it does occasionally dip into jazz-fusion territory with syncopated rhythms and shimmering keyboards. Furthermore, the songs are a little more concise and accessible than those of its predecessor. That doesn't mean Camel has abandoned art. Moonmadness is indeed a concept album, based loosely on the personalities of each member -- "Chord Change" is Peter Bardens, "Air Born" is Andy Latimer, "Lunar Sea" is Andy Ward and "Another Night" is Doug Ferguson. Certainly, it's a concept that is considerably less defined than that of Snow Goose, and the music isn't quite as challenging, yet that doesn't mean that Moonmadness is devoid of pleasure. In fact, with its long stretches of atmospheric instrumentals and spacy solos, it's quite rewarding. [The 2009 Deluxe Edition included three bonus tracks and a bonus disc made up of a live set from 1976.]...D. Jehnzen

Camel - Moonmadness (1976) (2 Disc SHM-CD 2009)

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 294 MB
Genre : Rock
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

CD 1

01 Aristillus 1:57
02 Song Within a Song 7:14
03 Chord Change 6:43
04 Spirit of the Water 2:07
05 Another Night 6:54
06 Air Born 5:02
07 Lunar Sea 9:12
08 Another Night Bonus 3:24
09 Spirit of the Water Bonus / Demo Version 2:14
10 Lunar Sea Live / Bonus 9:50

CD 2 - Live At Hammersmith Odeon

01 Song Within a Song 7:38
02 Excerpts from the Snow Goose 11:03
03 Air Born 5:12
04 Chord Change 6:58
05 The White Rider 9:10
06 Preparation/Dunkirk 10:17
07 Another Night 7:25
08 Lady Fantasy 16:05

Nirvana - Live at Reading 1992

NIRVANA'S LEGENDARY NEVER-BEFORE-RELEASED 1992 READING CONCERT Ranked #1 in Kerrang Magazine's "100 Gigs That Shook The World" and voted as "Nirvana's #1 Greatest Moment" by fans in an NME poll, Nirvana's historic August 30, 1992 headlining appearance at the UK's Reading Festival is one of the most bootlegged concerts in the annals of rock n roll. Now, fans will have an opportunity to own a pristine copy of that entire performance -- color-corrected video from the original film with 5.1 audio sourced from the original multi-track masters. Nirvana Live At Reading will be issued in a limited edition CD+DVD Deluxe Edition as well as DVD-only, CD-only configurations on November 3, 2009.

Nirvana - Live at Reading 1992 (2009)

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 178 MB
Genre : Rock
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

01 Breed 3:12
02 Drain You 3:38
03 Aneurysm 4:35
04 School 2:43
05 Sliver 2:06
06 In Bloom 4:36
07 Come as You Are 3:36
08 Lithium 4:21
09 About a Girl 2:51
10 Tourette's 1:50
11 Polly 2:48
12 Lounge Act 2:36
13 Smells Like Teen Spirit 4:45
14 On a Plain 3:00
15 Negative Creep 2:52
16 Been a Son 2:13
17 All Apologies 3:09
18 Blew 3:19
19 Dumb 2:32
20 Stay Away 3:32
21 Spank Thru 3:06
22 The Money Will Roll Right In 2:16
23 D-7 3:43
24 Territorial Pissings 4:29

subota, 31.10.2009.

Jethro Tull - Live At Madison Square Garden 1978 (Digital Remaster)

The latest release from the mighty Tull. Their new one is DVD/CD of a showcase gig that was broadcast simultaneously to the UK. Unfortunately, no one thought to record the video when the band wasn't being broadcast to the UK, So the DVD starts with a pile of stills?! This is the CD version, giving the full concert.

This musical release from the progressive rock group Jethro Tull captures a live performance, recorded on October 9th, 1978. Some of the tracks featured in the concert include Sweet Dream, Songs from the Wood, Aqualung, and more...C. Albertson

I bought this off of a UK site, worrying that the US would be ignored with this release. However you get it, just GET IT. If you're a Tull fan, you'll want this. The DVD is the complete 95 minute concert with only 50 minutes in video form and the rest of the show with photographs from the concert while the songs play live. The CD is a 78 minute version of the concert. Here's hoping Jethro Tull release more vintage footage in the near future...M. Kravitz

Jethro Tull - Live At Madison Square Garden 1978 (Digital Remaster 2009)

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 180 MB
Genre : Rock
2000mustangs

Tracklist.

01. Sweet Dream 6:52
02. One Brown Mouse 3:24
03. Heavy Horses 7:22
04. Thick As A Brick 11:23
05. No Lullaby (Including Flute Solo) 9:00
06. Songs From The Wood 4:54
07. Quatrain 0:41
08. Aqualung 8:04
09. Locomotive Breath (Including Dambusters March) 15:40
10. Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll 4:17
11. My God/Cross Eyed Mary 6:59

petak, 30.10.2009.

U2 - The Unforgettable Fire (1984)

Like The Joshua Tree before it, "The Unforgettable Fire" is given a lavish multimedia overhaul in its deluxe reissue treatment, with the fanciest edition containing a bonus CD plus a bonus DVD, and the simplest just containing the CD. That second CD rounds up all of the stray, mid-'80s tracks from U2, most notably all of the Wide Awake in America EP (strangely, the studio cuts "Love Comes Tumbling" and "The Three Sunrises" are swapped in the running order) and two previously unreleased tracks -- the moody "Disappearing Act," and the instrumental "Yoshino Blossom" -- that both feel like incomplete outtakes. In addition to an alternate, extended, single version of "Pride (In the Name of Love)," the disc contains all of the "Pride" B-sides from all the various territories -- the OK "Boomerang I" and "Boomerang II," long versions of "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" and "4th of July" -- along with the two B-sides from "The Unforgettable Fire" ("Bass Trap," "Sixty Seconds in Kingdom Come"), the NME vinyl promo of "Wire (Celtic Dub Mix)," and a Kevorkian remix of that track, and finally a Daniel Lanois version of "A Sort of Homecoming." Apart from Wide Awake, almost all of this material emphasizes how U2 was growing in the studio and finding meaning within that -- compare how the Lanois mix of "Homecoming" is built on percolating worldbeat and changes the feel of the record -- and while that might not result in many unheard songs, it does foster an increased appreciation for the group's growth on Unforgettable Fire...S. Thomas

U2 - The Unforgettable Fire (1984) (Deluxe Editi 2009)

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 257 MB
Genre : Rock
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

CD1:

01 A Sort of Homecoming 5:28
02 Pride (In the Name of Love) 3:50
03 Wire 4:19
04 The Unforgettable Fire 4:55
05 Promenade 2:35
06 4th of July 2:16
07 Bad 6:08
08 Indian Summer Sky 4:19
09 Elvis Presley and America 6:22
10 MLK 2:33

CD 2

01 Disappearing Act 4:34
02 A Sort of Homecoming Live 4:06
03 Bad Live 7:59
04 Love Comes Tumbling 4:52
05 The Three Sunrises 3:52
06 Yoshino Blossom 3:39
07 Wire Kevorkian Remix 5:12
08 Boomerang I 2:48
09 Pride (In the Name of Love) Single Version 4:42
10 A Sort of Homecoming Remix 3:17
11 11 O'Clock Tick Tock Remix 4:13
12 Wire Celtic Dub Mix 4:35
13 Bass Trap 5:15
14 Boomerang II 4:50
15 4th of July 2:26
16 Sixty Seconds in Kingdom Come 3:14

četvrtak, 29.10.2009.

Procol Harum - Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (1972) (Digipak)

Digitally remastered and expanded edition of the British band's 1972 live album recorded with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. Stylish packaging includes 20-page booklet, rare and previously unseen photos and memorabilia plus extensive sleevenotes by Procol expert and respected author Patrick Humphries with contributions from band members. Eight tracks. Salvo.

This whole album was an afterthought -- Procol Harum had been invited to play a concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Da Camera Singers in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in August of 1971, at the tail-end of their last tour with Robin Trower in the lineup. Amid all of the preparation -- including the writing of new orchestral arrangements by Gary Brooker and with a new lead guitarist, Dave Ball, just joining the lineup -- Brooker decided that it might be a good idea to preserve a professionally made tape of the show and suggested that A&M Records, to which they were signed, might want to record the performance; the label agreed with just a week to go until the concert. Even "Conquistador," the song on which the resulting album's commercial success was built, was added at the last minute, with no time for the orchestra to rehearse the arrangement that Brooker wrote on the flight from England. They did it cold, opening the concert, and the eventual album featured a performance -- highlighted by the orchestra's brass in a Spanish mode, running scales on the strings, and B.J. Wilson's powerful drumming -- helped loft the single to number 16 in America. The group's second-biggest hit record (after "A Whiter Shade of Pale"), in turn, helped lift the album into the American Top Five. Ironically, the success of the LP also left Procol Harum's image slightly askew, with the presence of the orchestra and choir and the selection of songs, from the most ambitious part of the band's repertory, all combining to present the group as more of a progressive rock act than they actually were. "Conquistador" was the most accessible song on the album, and nothing else here matches it for sheer, bracing excitement, but the rest -- especially "Whaling Stories" and "A Salty Dog" and the multi-part "In Held 'Twas I" -- were all opened up by the vast canvas provided by the orchestra, and the group didn't wimp out in their own performance; Wilson, Ball, Brooker, and company all played hard and heavy where the songs required it. [Note: Long out of print on CD, Procol Harum Live: In Concert With the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra & the Da Camera Singers was finally reissued in August of 2002 by Repertoire Records in a newly annotated edition with one bonus track, "Luskus Delph," which was recorded at the same show and only ever issued on vinyl as a U.K. single B-side.]...B. Eder

Procol Harum - Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (1972) (Digipak 2009)

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 121 MB
Genre : Rock
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

01 Conquistador 5:02
02 Whaling Stories 7:41
03 A Salty Dog 5:34
04 All This and More 4:22
05 In Held Twas in 19:08
06 Luskus Delph (B-Side) 3:38
07 Simple Sister (from the Rehearsal) 3:21
08 Shine on Brightly (from the Rehearsal) 4:05

Rod Stewart - The Story So Far: The Very Best of (2001)

The irony of calling this two-disc Rod Stewart collection The Story So Far is that it only tells part of the story, and leaves off the one song, 1971's magnificent "Every Picture Tells a Story" from the album of the same name, that would have given this anthology's title some real credence. Oh, "Maggie Mae" is here, as it should be, but the version of Tim Hardin's "Reason to Believe" that comes at the end of disc two is an inferior late period re-recording. Most of what you get is the disco and post-disco Stewart when he was well past his sell-by date, and while his Sam Cooke phrasing and rough as sandpaper voice were still well intact during this middle period, one gets the nagging feeling that he was mostly going through the motions, no matter how many of his recordings hit the pop charts. It's the artistic difference between "Maggie Mae" and "Hot Legs." The former feels like a real portrait based on real emotions while the latter feels like a cheap Madison Avenue jingle for women's stockings. One wonders if Stewart can really tell the difference anymore. He knows how to pick a good song to cover, like his version here of Tom Waits' "Downtown Train," and he had a hit with the song, but it doesn't even come close to carrying the emotional power of Waits' original. It could have, and should have, given Stewart's undeniably effective voice, but he coasted on "Downtown Train," and anyone who has heard Waits' version knew it in an instant. This anthology will probably suffice for the casual listener who came to know Stewart during the MTV era, and that's fine, it delivers the hits and touches on Stewart's recent guise as a cultural balladeer, but it doesn't really tell anything close to the whole story. This is a gifted singer who did wonderful work with the Faces and Jeff Beck, and began his solo career in brilliant fashion, and little of that is here. You do get "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?," though, and the distance between that song and "Maggie Mae" is where the real story falls...Steve Leggett

Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size ca.: 355 MB
Genre : Rock
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

CD 1: A Night Out

01. Maggie May 5.46
02. Baby Jane 4.43
03. Some Guys Have All The Luck 4.33
04. Young Turks 5.04
05. Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? 5.31
06. What Am I Gonna Do (I'm So In Love With You) 4.19
07. Hot Legs 5.15
08. You Wear It Well 5.01
09. Rhythm Of My Heart 4.13
10. Downtown Train 4.39
11. The Motown Song 3.58
12. This Old Heart Of Mine 4.11
13. Tonight I'm Yours 4.12
14. Ooh La La 4.15
15. I Can't Deny It 3.44
16. It Takes Two 4.12
17. Stay With Me (Faces) 4.37

Total time: 78' 22"

CD 2: A Night In

01. Sailing 4.38
02. I Don't Want To Talk About It 4.49
03. Have I Told You Lately 3.59
04. The First Cut Is The Deepest 4.31
05. You're In My Heart (The Final Acclaim) 4.30
06. All For Love 4.42
07. Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright) 3.56
08. Every Beat Of My Heart 5.21
09. Tom Traubert's Blues (Waltzing Matilda) 6.12
10. Don't Come Around Here 3.50
11. The Killing Of Georgie (Part I And II) 6.29
12. Love Touch 4.03
13. I Was Only Joking 6.07
14. Ruby Tuesday 4.05
15. In A Broken Dream 3.40
16. Reason To Believe (Unplugged) 3.53
17. In My Life 1.58