Freedom to Music
Archive for February, 2010
Maneige – Les Porches Live (1975) (@256)
28 Feb 2010
(Review from progarchives.com)
This archival live album from 1975 is divided into two sets. The opener “Saxinette’s Adventures” is excellently played yet the real center of attention is the second track, a previously unreleased 15-min+ Chou-Fleur. It appears to be a combination of improvs on themes (some of which are well-known) and while not always flawless, this track is certainly a high point of this release. The first set ends on Galerie III from their debut album.
The second set starts on the funky Chromo, but the highlight of this set is the 17-min+ “Porches De Notre Dame”, where Lappierre’s guitar solo is a bit unusual (for Maneige, that is) but hardly unwelcome.
Closing on the calmer Jean-Jacques, this posthumous live release can at times be even better than the Eveche tapes.
Line-up:
- Alain Bergeron / flutes, piccolo, saxophone
- Gilles Schetagne / drums, percussions
- Denis Lapierre / guitars
- Yves Leonard / bass
- Jerome Langlois / piano, guitar, clarinet
- Vincent Langlois / percussions, piano
Track List:
01. Les Aventures De Saxinette Et Clarophone – 16:20
02. Chou-Fleur – 15:36
03. La Grosse Torche – 1:43
04. Galerie III – 6:09
05. Chromo – 5:14
06. Les Porches De Notre-Dame – 17:21
07. Jean-Jacques – 4:54
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Alvin Lee – Freefall (1980) (@256)
28 Feb 2010
(Review from allmusic)
Enter the 80s and Alvin Lee adjusts his sound accordingly. He teams up with ex-Rare Bird vocalist Steve Gould to produce a sound that is very “Foreigner”ish, mid-tempo rock and rather catchy with a slick guitar.
Highlights include “Stealin’” with its really tasty guitar and a nice, energetic vocal. There are even a few whoops and shrieks thrown in. “Ridin’ Truckin’” and “Sooner Or Later” which has a nice horn flourish and a tasty little organ line by guest Al Kooper — the latter is one of the more successful mergers of Lee’s straight-ahead style with a complex arrangement.
The fans of vintage Alvin Lee may be disappointed by the change in sound, other than that, it’s an album of its time.
Line-up:
- Alvin Lee / Guitar, Vocals
- Tom Compton / Percussion, Drums
- Steve Gould / Guitar, Vocals
- Derek Austin / Keyboards
- Mickey Feat / Bass, Vocals
- Al Kooper / Organ
- Raphael Ravenscroft / Saxophone
- Peter Thoms / Trombone
Track List:
01. I Don’t Wanna Stop – 4:09
02. Take The Money – 4:26
03. One Lonely Hour – 4:47
04. Heartache – 3:10
05. Stealin’ – 3:16
06. Ridin’ Truckin’ – 3:32
07. No More Lonely Nights – 4:26
08. City Lights – 4:00
09. Sooner Or Later – 3:31
10. Dustbin’ City – 2:40
11. Real Life Blues (Bonus Alternate) – 4:33
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Maneige – Live a l’Eveche (1974-75) (@256)
27 Feb 2010
(Review from progarchives.com)
This archival live album includes all the three songs from the “Montreal 1974/75″ release and adds four new ones. The actual recordings took place before the release of their debut and also between that one and Les Porches. Some tracks featured here were never recorded in a studio setting.
Such a song and the real tour de force is the 29-minute long “La Balloune”. It is simply astounding, stupendous, flabbergasting, horrifyingly beautyful, breathtakingly splendid. With Bergeron and Jerome Langlois flying from one instrument to another, there is not one second on this number that seems unoccupied by virtuosity & creative (as opposed to sterile) soloing.
Even so early in their career there are hints of the crazy rhythms but the incredible mastership of their respective instruments is awesome for a band with almost no prior recording experience.
Line-up:
- Alain Bergeron / flutes, piccolo, saxophone, piano
- Jerome Langlois / piano, clarinet, guitar
- Vincent Langlois / percussion, piano
- Denis Lapierre / guitars, synthesizer
- Yves Leonard / bass, double bass
- Paul Picard / percussion, drums
- Gilles Schetagne / drums, percussion, synthesizer
Track List:
01. Mambo Chant – 6:45
02. Les Epinettes – 3:50
03. Bullfrog Dance – 6:08
04. 1-2-3-4-5-6 – 7:26
05. La Balloune – 29:19
06. Manege – 4:45
07. Le Rafiot – 19:24
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Alvin Lee – Ride On (1979) (@256)
27 Feb 2010
(Review from amazon)
Some live music should be a little sweaty, a little raw. “Ride On”, half of which was recorded live should be played loud and enjoyed. The three-piece band led by Alvin Lee is tight, powerful and gritty. If you like excellent lead guitar breaks listen to ‘Ain’t Nothing Shakin’, taken from the ‘Rocket Fuel’ album, confirms Alvin has lost none of his speed! The classic ‘Hey Joe’ is as close to Hendrix as you might care to get, but with added attitude. The ‘Ride On’ version of the classic ‘Going Home’ may even leave the Ten Years After’s ‘Recorded Live’ version standing. It’s a energy packed 8.46 minutes.
The studio tracks have a ZZ Top feel to it. ‘It’s a Gaz’ is hard to describe and harder not to hum after you have heard it a few times. ‘Too Much’, ‘Sittin’ Here’ and ‘Can’t Sleep At Night’ are formula rock, a bit of power chord, nondescript lyrics and stomping lead solos. The odd ball track ‘Ride On Cowboy’ is almost easy listening, giving you time to breath, even if the air has a distinct ‘country’ whiff.
Line-up:
- Alvin Lee / Guitar, Vocals
- Tom Compton / Percussion, Drums
- Mick Hawksworth / Bass
Track List:
01. Ain’t Nothin’ Shakin’ – 5:32
02. Scat Encounter – 0:58
03. Hey Joe – 5:59
04. Going Home – 8:48
05. Too Much – 3:53
06. It’s A Gaz – 4:03
07. Ride On Cowboy – 3:14
08. Sittin’ Here – 4:00
09. Can’t Sleep At Nite – 2:31
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Maneige – Les Porches (1975) (@256)
26 Feb 2010
(Review from progarchives.com)
How to describe this absolutely masterful and orgasmic music? Except for a lone number in this album, Maneige is an instrumental group that lets you know right from the start that they will take full advantage of this and will not allow you one second of inattention. The group mixes acoustic and electric instrument with such dexterity that they make it look easy and sound simple.
The 19-min+ title track suite (written by wind player Bergeron) is grabbing by the throat from the first notes, and never letting it go of its grip through its six movement, with its constantly evolving composition and so many different acoustic instruments taking over the previous one and even a rare sung section. The first side closes on a short symphonic (a quartet really) piece.
The flipside starts with Saxinette and Clarophone’s wild adventures and the opening minute could make you think of Genesis’ The Lamb on the second disc But this is quickly forgotten as the two instruments share literally everything mixing blood, trading licks, making love to each other. Bergeron’s sax and Langlois’ clarinet are not just the stars of the show, they eclipse the sun for the duration of the track from shining so hard. Vincent (Jerome’s brother) Langlois’ electric piano solo draws chills in your back, until a weird animal meows like an elephant and the tracks veers into a wild goose chase ending in a chaotic crowd and dying a slow death! The closing track Chromo is a much funkier track that is a harbinger of their future sound.
Line-up:
- Alain Bergeron / keyboards, flute, saxophone
- Jerome Langlois / keyboards, guitar, clarinet
- Vincent Langlois / keyboards, percussion
- Denis Lapierre / guitar
- Yves Leonard / bass
- Paul Picard / percussion, bongos, xylophone
- Gilles Schetagne / drums, percussion
with
- Raoul Duguay / vocals, trombone
Track List:
01. Les Porches de Notre-Dame – 19:15
02. La Grosse Torche – 1:27
03. Les Aventures de Saxinette et Clarophone – 15:41
04. Chromo – 4:15
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Alvin Lee – Rocket Fuel (1978) (@256)
26 Feb 2010
(Review from starling.rinet.ru)
Alvin Lee gets himself yet another new band. This time though calls it “Ten Years Later”. It’s an intentional attempt to recapture the Ten Years After vibe. He wanted to “give the people what they want” — get back to the good old hard-rockin’ formula.
There are no ballads on the album at all, not even a subtle relaxing shuffle; no gospel singers, no moody organ, no Mel Collins intruding with his saxophones. Nothing that would deviate the listener from the ass-kicking, wall-rattling energy. All the songs are mercilessly overdubbed with special effects, keyboards and riffs that revel in their complexity (or simplicity) over generic guitar tones.
The nearly ten-minute long epic ‘The Devil’s Screaming’ sounds way different than others songs in the album; more like the psychologic, paranoid, thrilling numbers on Alvin’s previous albums. Starting out as a slow, moody blues tune, it then goes off into different directions, from a relatively normal blues jam to a psychedelic phased guitar extravaganza, and then to all-out chaos as Alvin tries to replicate in the studio the same set of “simultaneous-tune-and-play” effects he used to incorporate in the middle of ‘I Can’t Keep From Crying Sometimes’ at Ten Years After concerts.
Line-up:
- Alvin Lee / Guitar, Vocals
- Bernie Clarke / Keyboards
- Tom Compton / Percussion, Drums
- Mick Hawksworth / Bass
- Mick Weaver / Keyboards
Track List:
01. Rocket Fuel – 3:18
02. Gonna Turn You On – 4:59
03. Friday The 13th – 4:56
04. Somebody Callin’Me – 5:56
05. Ain’t Nothin Shakin’ – 5:02
06. Alvin’s Blue Thing – 0:27
07. Baby Don’t You Cry – 3:16
08. The Devil’s Screaming – 9:44
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Maneige – Maneige (1975) (@256)
25 Feb 2010
(Review from progarchives.com)
During the boom of Quebec Progressive, Maneige first got noticed by local music scene and press after repeatedly blowing off stage Ekseption on a local tour and were offered a recording contract.
The music on their debut is probably one of the best example of what fusion music can be by blending in classical and folk elements together with jazz tones the whole thing having a very progressive rock ideal and could also fit the chamber rock style.
The lengthy Le Rafiot (the raft) takes up the whole first side, overall it builds impressively from an improvised free-jazz intro into the Rafiot piano motif. The resulting almost classical music Chamber Rock is not only incredibly impressive, but quite entertaining as well even if there are some dissonant improvs and incredible contrast and dynamic movements (the screaming sax, just before the sweetest of flutes). Clearly throughout this album, Gentle Giant, classic Tull, early Soft Machine and Zappa are at the heart of Maneige’s inspirations.
The flipside is made of three shorter tracks, of which “Une Annee Sans Fin” (Never-ending Year) starts of from dissonant onto such a sweet flute/vibe duo underlined by the three man rhythm section. The shorter “Jean Jacques” is again picking up on a piano theme, but soon evolving to a sweeping piano-led full out classical-fusion-jazz. “Galerie III” features Jerome’s brother Vincent on piano, allowing his brother more freedom. The track ends pretty much the same way the album had opened with “Le Rafiot”.
Coming with this edition are two bonus tracks, both with Paul Picard (who had a full-time job in the Hamilton philharmonic orch) on percussion replacing Vincent Langlois. First one, a Langlois piece, Tetdetdetet could have been another highlight of the album. Second is a fairly different version of Jean Jacques.
Line-up:
- Alain Bergeron / keyboards, flute, saxophone
- Jerome Langlois / keyboards, guitar, clarinet
- Vincent Langlois / keyboards, percussion (1-4)
- Denis Lapierre / guitar
- Yves Leonard / bass
- Gilles Schetagne / drums, percussion
- Paul Picard / percussion (5-6)
Track List:
01. Le Rafiot – 21:19
02. Une Annee Sans Fin – 6:40
03. Jean-Jacques – 4:16
04. Galerie III – 7:52
05. Tedetedetedet (Bonus Live) – 6:43
06. Jean-Jacques (Bonus Live Unedited) – 4:31
Link in comments.
Alvin Lee – Let It Rock (1978) (@256)
25 Feb 2010
(Review from starling.rinet.ru)
Pretty solid record, although, as is usual with Alvin, it takes some time to grow on you. This time there are no saxes or flutes tampering with the raw atmosphere, no weird experimental passages, just straight ahead rock’n'roll with little ornaments. This is compensated by rawness, inspiration and a special edge in the delivery that is able to inflame even the most generic blues number.
This is really one heavy record, in the sense that it really wears down on you. “Let It Rock” sure is not an album to have some good clean fun; rather when you’re weary and sick of the world and want somebody to empathize.
There are plenty of nice guitar lines everywhere, some of which are quite soulful. And he’s very rarely content with playing a typical blues or blues-rock number in a “by-the-book” way: perhaps the closest to a “by-the-book” blues-rocker on the album is ‘Through With Your Loving’, but that exact number actually begs to be cranked up loud and proud, with extremely sharp, jagged guitar playing and fiery, raunchy vocals.
Elsewhere, you get a bunch of “philosophic introspective” ballads that plunge us into typical moody, “deep-produced” atmosphere. ‘Chemicals, Chemistry, Mystery And More’ is almost Santanaesque in its structure and contains quite a few endearing vocal hooks. ‘Time To Meditate’ is one truly excellent way to make you go to sleep, with sparkling moonlight guitar lines and dreamy female backup vocals. Even the somewhat aggressive, lightly phased guitar solo that gradually picks up steam isn’t at all disturbing – making up for a solid mood piece.
The rockers on here, contradicting the title, are hardly disturbing either. Too many of them are in “soft barroom” style, with a hint of gloominess and melancholy running throughout: ‘Love The Way You Rock Me’ with its wonderful ‘ooo-ooh, love the way you rock me when you roll…’ incantation; the way ‘Little Boy’ starts out with that driving harmonica pattern and thought-provoking descending guitar riffs; the hilarious modulation of Alvin’s voice on ‘Downhill Lady Racer’. The undoubted highlight ‘The World Is Spinning Faster’, another one of those quasi apocalyptic numbers, replete with a magnificent looping riff in between the verse lines and a sharp solo on the fade-out — it has a special grandeur and solemnity of its own that are unmistakable.
Lovers of moody guitar based slow blues-rock can’t go wrong here.
Line-up:
- Alvin Lee / guitar, vocals
- Alan Spenner / bass
- John Susswell / drums
- Zoot Money / piano
- Dyan Birch / back vocals
- Paddie McHugh / back vocals
- Frank Collins / back vocals
Track List:
01. Chemicals, Chemistry, Mystery & More – 3:52
02. Love The Way You Rock Me – 3:19
03. Ain’t Nobody – 5:08
04. Images Shifting – 4:45
05. Little Boy – 4:45
06. Downhill Lady Racer – 3:42
07. World Is Spinning Faster – 5:27
08. Through With Your Lovin’ – 5:00
09. Time To Meditate – 3:56
10. Let It Rock – 3:00
11. Snake Jam (Bonus) – 4:51
12. Break Jam (Bonus) – 6:49
Link in comments.
Dzyan – Electric Silence (1974) (@256)
24 Feb 2010
(Review from progarchives.com)
Dzyan’s third and last album was recorded by the same trio and released in 1974. Graced with a grotesque cartoon-like artwork, the album remains very much in the line of the previous two albums, even if they return to shorter track format resembling their debut album.
Opening with the reflective 9-mins “Back Where We Came From”, “Electric Silence” starts very strongly with Giger’s marimbas and gongs, preceding Marron’s slow increasingly-present guitar wails before Giger takes it over again. By the half of the track, the group is now in full flight with Karwatky’s bass giving a “Nucleus” base on which both Giger and Marron can expand and improvise. Indian music is the main influence of “A Day In My Life”, just as on the previous album Kabisrain. Closing up the first side is “The Road Not Taken”, which is downright dissonant and comes close to atonal music if it was not for Marron’s guitar wailing like an Indian sitar.
The flipside starts with an Indian-laced “Khali”, where mellotrons are in the background. The same mellotrons pave the 9-min “For Earthly Thinking”‘s intro over dissonant wooden block percussions first and steel drums second, then ensues a wide improvisation with only Karwatky staying wise and providing a base, thena drum solo ending in total sonic chaos with both Marron and Karwatky also going nuts. Closing with the album’s title track where the “Mahavishnu Orchestra” impressions return, reminiscing of the previous’ album title track. Compared with their previous works his album does have a more ethnic feel (mostly Indian), but aesthetically- speaking it is just as Dzyann-esque as their previous two.
Just as excellent as their first two albums, “Electric Silence” closes Dzyan’s recording career with an impeccable album and rounding up a very even discography where all three albums are equal in quality.
Line-up:
- Peter Giger / drums, percussion
- Reinhard Karwatky / electric & double bass, superstring, Mellotrone, synthesizer
- Eddy Marron / guitars, sitar, Zaz, tambura, mellotrone, voice
Track List:
01. Back To Where We Come From – 8:59
02. A Day In My Life – 4:04
03. The Road Not Taken – 4:55
04. Khali – 4:56
05. For Earthly Thinking – 9:38
06. Electric Silence – 4:30
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Alvin Lee – Pump Iron (1975) (@256)
24 Feb 2010
(Review from rollingstone.com, starling.rinet.ru)
Alvin Lee has taken on a stronger R&B feel and focused on his vocal abilities as much as his guitar in his solo work. “Pump Iron” follows the same pattern as its predecessor — a solid, upbeat-R & B-meets-Anglo-flash format. Alvin Lee is less keen on spontaneous guitar heroics. His well-known friends perform with restrained expertise as well.
The opener ‘One More Chance’, an angry, evil little shuffle with sarcastic synth tones and needle-sharp guitar solos that almost recall something Floydish at times. It harkens 1970-72 Ten Years After period.
Somewhere in the middle you’ll also meet ‘Have Mercy’. Alvin Lee is able to breathe as much sincerity and inspiration into this ballad. Hearing Alvin screaming ‘have mercy on a child of God’ is inspiring,
The album closer, ‘Let The Sea Burn Down’, is reminiscent the “epic” numbers on late-period Ten Years After albums with layers of synthesizers, phased guitars and screechy guitar solos symbolizing the end of the world and stuff like that.
There are other goodies too: ‘Julian Rice’, with its catchy refrain; the acoustic shuffle ‘Time And Space’, recorded live with the help of a wonderful trumpet (or was that oboe?) part; the classy funky jam ‘Burnt Fungus’ with a brilliant organ part; and yet another ballad, ‘The Darkest Night’ is simpy irresistable with its delicious bit of romantic piano.
The issue of the album adds two worthy bonus tracks – a short guitar-based instrumental called ‘Madness’ with funky chops and his funny rendition of ‘Midnight Special’, which probably won’t turn you away from the definitive version of Creedence Clearwater Revival but will be a nice addition to the song’s immense bunch of interpretations nevertheless.
Line-up:
- Alvin Lee / Guitar, Vocals
with
- Ian Wallace / Drums
- Mel Collins / Sax
- Boz Burrell / Bass
- Tim Hinkley / Keyboards
- Ron Berg / Drums
- Brother James / Congas
- Harold Burgon / Arp
- Colin Gibson / Bass
- Bryson Graham / Drums
- Jack Lancaster / Horn
- Ronnie Leahy / Organ
- Andy Pyle / Bass
- Steve Thompson / Bass
Track List:
01. One More Chance – 3:53
02. Try To Be Righteous – 4:03
03. You Told Me – 3:53
04. Have Mercy – 2:48
05. Julian Rice – 4:52
06. Time And Space – 2:43
07. Burnt Fungus – 3:16
08. The Darkest Night – 2:25
09. It’s All Right Now – 2:35
10. Truckin’ Down The Other Way – 2:31
11. Let The Sea Burn Down – 6:42
12. Madness (Bonus) – 1:50
13. Midnight Special (Bonus) – 4:49
Link in comments.
Dzyan – Time Machine (1973) (@256)
23 Feb 2010
(Review from progarchives.com)
As Dzyan’s first album was more or less a studio/one-time project, the first line-up did not survive the album’s release. So the group was reduced to a very-different trio with only Karwataky remaining from the previous one. In came Giger on drums and percussions and Eddy Marron on guitars. Graced with a full psych artwork representing their tree-bordered paths, this album is one of Germany’s most acclaimed instrumental jazz-fusion album.
Made of three tracks, the first side starts on the superb 8-min ethnic-sounding Kabisrain with a distinct Indian influence. The following almost 9-min Magika is much harder to swallow/ingest as it starts out on a wild drum intro, and it never really lets up until its end. The tracks often veers dissonant and limit atonal, but does remain accessible (more so than Crimson’s Moonchild or Providence) to most and in its second part the guitar does take the track into more conventional improv grounds, but still remains uneasy reminding some of Nucleus’s Belladona works. The third (and much shorter) Light Shining Out Of Darkness is quite a change as it veers Flamenco-jazz in a way that Metheny or DeLucia would not disown. Easily the album’s most accessible track.
A sidelong monster title track with its 18 minutes fills the flipside. The track can be seen as a manic Mahavishnu Orchestra meeting a brass-less Nucleus. If the track remains relatively on the subject, avoiding useless lengthy soloing, it does not avoid some lengths especially that Marron’s guitars are the only fronting soloing instrument. However the track veers around the 1é-min mark and presents a very repetitive riff that makes the last 6 minutes a bit minimalist, but also a bore.
While Dzyan’s second album is well in the line of their first album, it is more “concise”, precise and urgent than the debut album.
Line-up:
- Reinhard Karwatky / bass, keyboards
- Peter Giger / drums, percussion
- Eddy Marron / guitar, sitar, saxophone
Track List:
01. Kabisrain – 7:59
02. Magika – 8:45
03. Light Shining Out Of Darkness – 3:13
04. Time Machine – 17:47
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Alvin Lee – In Flight (Live 1974) (@256)
23 Feb 2010
(Review fro amazon)
‘In Flight’ is a two-disc live recording made by Alvin Lee in 1974 at the Rainbow Theatre in London. It was the follow-up to 1973′s ‘On the Road to Freedom’, Lee’s first album without his Ten Years After colleagues. He arrived with a cargo hold (‘In Flight’ analogy…) of new tunes and a supersized backing band, including horn man Mel Collins and a trio of backing singers.
It’s a lively, high-energy set, sure to please someone, but probably not the old Ten Years After crowd. Until the second half of the second disc, Alvin’s trademark lead guitar excursions are in short supply, instead being supplanted primarily by Collins’ up-front and center presence. The texture of the music has changed as well. While Ten Years After segued effortlessly from blues-rock to psychedelia to folk and country-rock, this new Alvin Lee is pounding out something perhaps best described as boogie-rock.
The compositions unquestionably announce Alvin Lee as a matured writing talent. There is a wealth of new, well-turned tunes that Lee pulls out of his back pocket here, beginning with the “chug-along blues” (as Lee describes it in his personally scripted liner notes) opener, ‘Got To Keep Moving’. Other highlights include the funky ‘You Need Love Love Love’ which possesses a great vocal hook, the sweet boogie of ‘Let’s Get Back’, and the most Ten Years After-sounding number, ‘Ride My Train’.
As you move deep into the second disc, Alvin moves his lead guitar heroics to the front burner, displaying his firy skills on tracks such as ‘Keep a Knocking’, and a Chuck Berry sound-alike ‘Johnny B. Goode’ rave-up on ‘I’ve Got Eyes For You Baby’.
There are several other covers that deserve mention here. Alvin’s version of ‘Slow Down’ may best represent how his solo work differ from Ten Years After. While you might expect him to go bonkers with his guitar and vocals on this potentially scintillating track, it comes across as a much more smooth and polished piece. The mid-70s did that to a lot of psychedelic and blues-rockers from the 60s, and Alvin seems infected. The same can be said for his covers of Elvis Presley’s ‘Don’t Be Cruel’ and ‘Mystery Train’ as well as ‘Money Honey’. Each of these songs relies heavily on Mel Collins’ sax and backing vocals rather than Lee’s astounding guitar virtuosity.
There are also two bonus tracks: ‘Somebody Callin’ Me’ is live boogie-rock from an unidentified venue. The recording is of good quality, but Lee’s vocals, in particular, feel buried compared to the stunning vibrancy of the original album. The other, “Put it in a Box” is a studio recording. It launches into a sweet funk-groove from the first strains, and features a fat, fuzzy guitar foundation, setting up Lee’s exquisite leads. Back vocals strike a nice balance with the other key elements of the performance.
Given the right audience, ‘In Flight’ could certainly bring hours of listening pleasure.
Line-up:
- Alvin Lee / Guitar, Vocals
with
- Mel Collins / Flute, Saxophone
- Tim Hinkley / Keyboards
- Neil Hubbard / Guitar
- Alan Spenner / Bass
- Ian Wallace / Drums
Track List:
CD1
01. Got To Keep Moving – 5:02
02. Going Through The Door – 4:21
03. Don’t Be Cruel – 2:39
04. Money Money – 3:05
05. I’m Writing You A Letter – 4:52
06. You Need Love Love Love – 5:24
07. Freedom For The Stallion – 6:26
08. Every Blues You’ve Ever Heard – 5:24
09. All Life’s Trials – 2:59
CD2
01. Intro – 0:53
02. Let’s Get Back – 4:58
03. Ride My Train – 4:14
04. There’s A Feeling – 4:02
05. Running Round – 5:38
06. Mystery Train – 4:42
07. Slow Down – 3:38
08. Keep A Knocking – 2:14
09. How Many Times – 2:04
10. I’ve Got Eyes For You Baby – 3:36
11. I’m Writing You A Letter – 4:18
12. Somebody Callin’ Me (Bonus) – 6:26
13. Put It In A Box (Bonus) – 8:06
Link in comments.
Dzyan – Dzyan (1972) (@256)
22 Feb 2010
(Review from progarchives.com)
Named after the Indian sacred book of creation, this (at first) studio experiment recorded very quickly their first album (within two months of their creation) and it was released in April 1972. Graced with an impressive artwork, the quintet’s album develops an impressive sung jazz-rock that embodied almost every aspects of the genre, but there is a general Canterbury feel pervading through the album.
Dzyan’s jazz-rock spectrum ranges from the full-blown early fusion ala Nucleus (the opening Emptiness) to the much rockier Dragonsong, the electronic and cello Hymn and the very vocal Bud Awakes (where the group shows an excellence sense of harmony).
The first side of the albums holds two major tracks (one of which is slightly ethnic-sounding and strange: Wisdom) sandwiching a short one and is clearly my favourite. The excellent Fohat’s Work (not really Gong here, although the sax) is maybe the album’s most accessible track with clear-cut solos, while Dragonsong has vocals that can resemble Wyatt’s in Soft Machine’s “Third” or “Rock Bottom”, but this dramatic piece can be considered like the highlight of the album as Bock’s sax reminds of Malherbe and Karwalky’s bass lines are driving the track at 100 MPH cruising speed. Comes a short Wyatt-esque interlude and then the album closes on the “Rocking Back To Earth”, indeed making come back from a great fusion trip as the artwork indicates.
This debut is their most accessible and a good introduction to the band.
Line-up:
- Ludwig Braum / drums, percussion
- Gerd Ehrmann / saxophone
- Reinhard Karwatky / bass
- Harry Kramer / guitar
- Jochen Leuschner / percussion, lead vocals
Track List:
01. Emptiness – 9:43
02. The Bud Awakes – 3:01
03. The Wisdom – 10:32
04. Fohat’s Work – 6:35
05. Hymn – 1:23
06. Dragonsong – 7:32
07. Things We’re Looking For – 1:56
08. Back To Earth – 4:19
Link in comments.
Alvin Lee & Mylon LeFevre – On the Road to Freedom (1973) (@256)
22 Feb 2010
(Review from amazon)
Alvin Lee known for his lightning fast licks on guitar, soulful bluesy tunes and amazing live performances throws us a curve ball with his first solo album. Much more mellow and melodic than his work with Ten Years After, but with great feeling and depth. He shares the vocalist duties with American gospel singer Mylon LeFevre and Mylon also belts out some very nice songs of his own.
Each song utilizes the various noteworthy musicians (including the entire Traffic cast), with Alvin Lee playing guitar on almost all of the tunes. It has a variety of music styles as well, with a very country tune “Funny”, to an almost gospel like tune “Lay me Back” to a very nice traditional rock and roll jam “Rockin’ Til The Sun Goes Down”. The title track is a deceptively simple prime cut with its searing guitar, solid drumming, tasteful piano, a rousing melody.
The combination of Alvin Lee’s fabulous talent and that unmistakable voice of Mylon LeFevre make an interesting album.
Line-up:
- Alvin Lee / guitar, bass, sitar, vocals
- Mylon LeFevre / 12-string guitar, bass, percussion, vocals
with
- George Harrison / guitar, slide guitar, bass, back vocals
- Ron Wood / 12-string guitar, bass, drums
- Steve Winwood / piano
- Tim Hinkley / piano, organ, background vocals
- Boz Burrell / bass, background vocals
- Bob Black / steel guitar
- Andy Stein / fiddle
- Jim Capaldi / drums
- Reebop Kwaku Baah / congas
- Mick Fleetwood / drums
- Ian Wallace / drums
- Mike Patto / percussion, back vocals
Track List:
01. On the Road to Freedom – 4:15
02. The World Is Changing (I Got a Woman Back in Georgia) – 2:47
03. So Sad (No Love of His Own) – 4:36
04. Fall Angel – 3:22
05. Funny – 2:50
06. We Will Shine – 2:39
07. Carry My Load – 3:00
08. Lay Me Back – 2:55
09. Let ‘Em Say What They Will – 2:54
10. I Can’t Take It – 2:53
11. Riffin – 3:33
12. Rockin’ Til the Sun Goes Down – 3:10
13. So Sad (No Love of His Own) (Bonus Single) – 3:00
Link in comments.
Rating system for albums
21 Feb 2010
About a week ago, Francazio suggested I include a rating system for the albums in the blog. After listening to an album, you can express your opinion by rating it. If everyone embraces this, you can also know which of the albums on the site are particularly popular.
So here it is: In each post, below the album title, there’s the section where the date of the post and comment link is located; there are five stars for you to rate from 1 to 5. Just click on the star you think the album deserves.
It could be fun :)
Triumvirat – Russian Roulette (1980) (@256)
21 Feb 2010
(Review from stevelukather.net)
“Russian Roulette”, the last project under the name Triumvirat is a very impressive pop effort, full of session musicians and featuring the comic relief and lyrics of Arno Steffen on vocals.
It was again an enormous departure however, from the band’s trademark sound. Like its predecessor, it is more of a Jurgen Fritz solo album than a Triumvirat album.
The punkish “Party Life” was released as a single, and the group performed a live lip-synch on Platenkuche TV show in Germany. Overall a diverse album that included an infectious reggae jam on “Ballad of Rudy Torner”.
Line-up:
- Jurgen Fritz / piano, moogs, organ, percussion, synthesizers
with
- Arno Steffen / lead vocals
- Jeff Porcaro / drums
- Steve Lukather / bass guitar, electric guitar
- Tim May / electric guitar, acoustic guitar
- Robert Greenidge / steel drums
- Neal Stubenhaus / bass
- Pete Christlieb / saxophone, clarinet
- Mike Gong / electric guitar
- David Hungate / bass
- Alan Estis / congas, maracas
Track List:
01. Party Life – 3:29
02. You Can’t Catch Me – 4:09
03. Come With Me – 4:02
04. Games – 4:15
05. Cooler – 4:32
06. The Ballad of Rudy Torner – 4:23
07. We’re Rich On What We’ve Got – 4:10
08. Twice – 2:45
09. Rien Ne Vas Plus – 4:42
10. Roxy – 6:30
11. Russian Roulette – 5:53
12. The Ballad of Rudy Torner (Bonus with English Intro) – 4:20
Link in comments.
Ten Years After – Positive Vibrations (1974) (@256)
21 Feb 2010
(Review from amazon)
In their 1974 album, Ten Years After work hard to recreate their formula for success, throwing in good-time rock & roll (‘Going Down To Birmingham’, complete with lyrics like “boom, boom, boom, boom”, and “say hey, hey, hey, baby”), a lengthy, thoughtful epic (‘Look Me Straight Into the Eyes’, at 6:18 the longest excursion on the disc), a laid-back acoustic love ballad (‘Without You’, even with its dubious lyrics, such as, “I’m just like a grave without the flowers…”), a nod to the band’s nodding off, drug enthused chapter (‘Stone Me’, which announces, to no one’s surprise “I can’t deny… I’m high”), and a Bob Seger ‘Katmandu’ redeux, ‘You’re Driving Me Crazy’. ‘It’s Getting Harder’ brings in some horns to spice up the night, and a couple funky rock tracks with decent riffs (no surprise there) can be found in the opener, ‘Nowhere To Run’ and ‘Look Into My Life’, with lyrics harkening to ’50,000 Miles Beneath My Brain’.
The title track gives one the feeling that you’ve checked into a psychiatric hospital and the staff is trying to calm you down. The track does possess some interesting ponderings, such as Lee’s complaint about “too many wonderers, ponderers and squanderers are wondering, pondering and squandering”.
Another highlight is the closer, ‘I Wanted To Boogie’. It may seem like faux-boogie at first glance, there’s some sweet pickin’ and interestin’ lyrical work going on here. Alvin Lee really churns convincingly on his e-lectric guitar. With each verse beginning with “Well I wanted to boogie…”, and finishing with entertaining mantra’s such as “… but I wasn’t sure if I wanted what you wanted me for”, the song gets your foot tapping and you’re brain cells firing.
‘Positive Vibrations’ proved to be their last studio album before dissolving. Alvin Lee pursued a solo career and the rest of the band didn’t go on without him.
Line-up:
- Leo Lyons / Bass
- Alvin Lee / Guitar and Vocals
- Chick Churchill / Organ
- Ric Lee / Drums
Track List:
01. Nowhere To Run – 4:03
02. Positive Vibrations – 4:20
03. Stone Me – 4:57
04. Without You – 4:00
05. Going Back To Birmingham – 2:37
06. Its Getting Harder – 4:25
07. You’re Driving Me Crazy – 2:26
08. Look Into My Life – 4:18
09. Look Me Straight Into The Eyes – 6:20
10. I Wanted To Boogie – 3:33
Link in comments.
Triumvirat – A La Carte (1978) (@256)
20 Feb 2010
(Review from amazon, progarchives.com)
With a new line-up (with Fritz remaining the only constant), Triumvirat recorded “A La Carte” in 1978.
The resulting sound is drastically different, a lot more pop overwhelmed with orchestrations (violins, cellos, trumpets and lots of choirs). There are catchy/upbeat melodies but only hints of their early sound. Mark Isham’s flugelhorn on “Jo Ann Walker”, Jurgen Fritz’ organ on “A Bavarian in New York”, and the ballad “For You” could be notable.
This album can safely be put in the same category as Caravan’s “Better by Far” or Gentle Giant’s “Giant for a day”.
Line-up:
- Jurgen Fritz / keyboards
- Matthias Holtmann / drums
- Werner Kopal / bass
- David Hanselmann / vocals
with
- Richard Hurwitz / trumpet
- Bill Lamb / trumpet
- Mark Isham / trumpet
- Vinnie Fannele / trombone
- Randy Alcroft / trombone
- Marie Robinson / French horn
- Allen Robinson / French horn
- Tommy Johnson / tuba
- Bob Hardaway / tuba
- Jene Cipriano / tuba
- Sam Bogossian / viola
- Denise Buffom / viola
- Linda Lipsett / viola
- Dan Neufels / viola
- Fred Seykora / cello
- Glenn Grab / cello
- Juliana Buffom / cello
- Gloria Strassner / cello
- Steve Edelman / bass
- Buell Neiblinger / bass
- Gordon Marton / violin
Track List:
01. Waterfall – 4:54
02. (Oh
03. Jo Ann Walker – 4:47
04. For You – 5:50
05. I Don’t Even Know Your Name – 4:52
06. A Bavarian In New York – 5:37
07. Original Soundtrack From The Movie O.C.S.I.D. – 3:49
08. Darlin – 3:44
09. Goodbye – 4:33
10. Waterfall (Bonus Single Edit) – 3:38
11. Jo Ann Walker (Bonus Single Edit) – 3:42
Link in comments.
Ten Years After – Rock & Roll Music To The World (1972) (@256)
20 Feb 2010
(Review from amazon, starling.ru)
While 1972′s ‘Rock and Roll Music To the World’ is often panned as a shallow effort for Ten Years After, a large number of quality tracks received airplay on the burgeoning FM radio dial. A lot of the music is good, old-fashioned rock and roll.
The album kicks off with the magnificent rocker ‘You Give Me Loving’ which gives absolutely no quarter. With its pulsating, driving seven-note riff and angry, scornful lyrics, it stands up several heads higher than anything else on this record.
Other highlights include the roaring ‘Choo Choo Mama’ which became a staple at concerts for a number of years to come, ‘Standing At the Station’ giving keyboardist Chick Churchill and bassist Leo Lyons opportunities to solo, the lone country-rock track .
The compositions at times offer lyrical depth. ‘Religion’, for example, has the strongest philosophical bent, offering reasonings such as “once you’re dead there’s nothing left for giving, so life means fighting for your every breath”. On ‘Convention Prevention’, one of my favorite tunes from the disc, Lee turns some nice phrases such as, “I’d like to reach out to you and learn just how do you do, so we can still relate; I’d like to open my mind so you can come inside, and see that we communicate”. The ‘dream’ of the psycedelic ’60′s is given a final nod in ‘Rock and Roll Music To the World’ as Lee intones, “Give peace a chance, get up and dance”.
Line-up:
- Leo Lyons / Bass
- Alvin Lee / Guitar and Vocals
- Chick Churchill / Organ
- Ric Lee / Drums
Track List:
01. You Give Me Loving – 6:34
02. Convention Prevention – 4:23
03. Turned Off T.V Blues – 5:13
04. Standing At The Station – 7:11
05. You Can’t Win Them All – 4:06
06. Religion – 5:48
07. Choo Choo Moma – 4:02
08. Tomorrow I’ll Be Out Of Town – 4:29
09. Rock & Roll Music To The World – 3:50
Link in comments.
Triumvirat – Pompeii (1977) (@256)
19 Feb 2010
(Review from progarchives.com)
After “Old Loves Die Hard”, Hans Bathelt left the band too, leaving Fritz as the only original member. Famous session drummer Curt Cress joined in. A new bassist was also introduced.
This is another conceptual album about Roman history, this time not about gladiators and wars but about the natural cataclysm and volcanic explosion in Pompeii.
The album starts very promising with the Earthquake that has a very similar sound and atmosphere as Spartacus, great changes, and strong keyboard solos. Other highlights include “Viva Pompeii”, “The Rich Man and the Carpenter” and “Dance on the Volcano”.
“Pompeii” is generally considered as the start of the downward slope for Triumvirat. Fritz’s songwriting (and Barry Palmer’s interpretation) starts to fail to generate the same excitement it used to do on their previous works.
Line-up:
- Curt Cress / drums, percussion
- Jurgen Fritz / keyboards, percussion
- Barry Palmer / lead vocals
- Dieter Petereit / bass
Track List:
01. The Earthquake 62 A.D. – 6:21
02. Journey of a Fallen Angel – 6:16
03. Viva Pompeii – 4:18
04. The Time of Your Life – 4:37
05. The Rich Man and the Carpenter – 5:59
06. Dance on the Vulcano – 3:32
07. Vesuvius 79 A.D. – 6:33
08. The Hymn – 7:17
09. The Hymn (Bonus Single Edit) – 4:13
Link in comments.
Ten Years After – A Space in Time (1971) (@256)
19 Feb 2010
(Review from amazon)
What sets this 1971 release apart from earlier Ten Years After albums is the liberal use of tasty acoustic guitar and plenty of sound effects and studio tricks that complement the overall texture.
From tuning a radio dial to open a 12-bar boogie blaster (Baby, Won’t You Let Me Rock and Roll You) to backward tape solos (Let The Sky Fall) to 50′s Sci-Fi (Here They Come), Alvin Lee and Company were in top form on this 1971 time capsule. Lee also shows that he was no slouch on harmonica as he belts out the blues harp (One Of These Days) along with the nice licks from his trusty hot-rodded Gibson ES-335′s.
Lee’s lyrics ran the full gamut on this collection, from country honk (Once There Was A Time) to otherworldly beings “who fly out of the sun” and “know everything we must learn” (Here They Come). He sings painfully about the pitfalls of drug addiction, but optimistically about recovery (Hard Monkeys, I’ve Been There Too) and tells us that he notices the World’s ills but doesn’t know what to do, so he “leaves it up to you” (I’d Love to Change the World).
This is the one that occupied a particular “Space in Time” for its era, has a diversity of the material and subject matter. There’s just about something for everyone.
Line-up:
- Leo Lyons / Bass
- Alvin Lee / Guitar and Vocals
- Chick Churchill / Organ
- Ric Lee / Drums
Track List:
01. One of These Days – 5:50
02. Here They Come – 4:36
03. I’d Love to Change the World – 3:44
04. Over the Hill – 2:28
05. Baby Won’t You Let Me Rock’N Roll You – 2:16
06. Once There Was a Time – 3:22
07. Let The Sky Fall – 4:19
08. Hard Monkeys – 3:10
09. I’ve Been There Too – 5:44
10. Uncle Jam – 1:57
Link in comments.
Triumvirat – Old Loves Die Hard (1976) (@256)
18 Feb 2010
(Review from allmusic)
After “Spartacus”, Helmut Kollen left the band and was replaced by Dick Frangenberg on bass who already played with the band well before the release of their first album. They also added a British vocalist to their line-up and recorded their fourth studio album.
The elements of progressive rock are wonderfully marbled throughout these seven tracks, highlighted by the ten plus minutes of “Panic on Fifth Avenue” and the brashness “The History of Mystery”.
Barry Palmer’s voice climbs and descends to the backdrop of such keyboard machinations as the Hammond C3 organ and Moog synthesizer. Jurgen Fritz implements light delicacies of piano and strings to contrast the sometimes dominating feel of the synthesizers.
While anything but dark, the music on “Old Loves Die Hard” peaks and sometimes hovers with a colorfulness that presents each song with some musical livelihood. There’s an assertiveness that’s cast throughout this album thanks to the whole-hearted fusion of percussion and bass, coming to life especially on “A Day in a Life”.
Line-up:
- Hans Bathelt / Slingerland percussion
- Jurgen Fritz / Steinway Grand piano, Hammond C3 organ, Moog synth., Fender-Wurlitzer hohner-piano string ensemble
- Dick Frangenberg / Fender bass
- Barry Palmer / lead vocals
Track List:
01. I Believe – 7:52
02. A Day In A Life – 8:15
03. The History Of Mystery – Part One – 7:50
04. The History Of Mystery – Part Two – 4:00
05. A Cold Old Worried Lady – 5:50
06. Panic On 5th Avenue – 10:31
07. Old Loves Die Hard – 4:28
08. Take A Break Today (Bonus 7″ Single) – 3:44
Link in comments.
Ten Years After – Alvin Lee and Company (1967-69) (@256)
18 Feb 2010
(Review from starling.ru)
This is a collection of songs that didn’t make it on the studio albums during 1967-69 period.
The original album features six tracks, the last one is a mini-jam session ‘Boogie On’, takes as much running time as the other five. The jam evolves around a simple riff, played over and over and from time to time being interrupted by organ, drum, bass and guitar solos featuring all of their usual aural gimmicks.
However, the first five songs on the first side are a totally different matter. Plain old boogie-woogie, represented by ‘Rock Your Mama’ and ‘Hold Me Tight’; plain old blues in ‘Standing At The Crossroads’; plain old bluegrass shuffle in ‘Portable People’; and only ‘The Sounds’ is somewhat of an ‘experimental’ piece, with the obligatory synth effects and a grim, desperate mood.
These outtakes all fit the criteria of ‘good’, but for every one of them has a flaw which makes it understandable that they weren’t included in the studio albums (e.g: generic, underdeveloped, rip-off, inferior to other similar ones).
The bonus single edits aren’t much of importance (other than historical), since single editing is essentially butchering a perfectly fine piece.
Line-up:
- Leo Lyons / Bass
- Alvin Lee / Guitar and Vocals
- Chick Churchill / Organ
- Ric Lee / Drums
Track List:
01. The Sounds – 4:13
02. Rock Your Mama – 3:02
03. Hold Me Tight – 2:20
04. Standing at the Crossroads (Live) – 4:03
05. Portable People – 2:15
06. Boogie On – 14:31
07. Spider in My Web (Bonus Single Edit) – 7:19
08. Hear Me Calling (Bonus Single Edit) – 3:48
09. I’m Going Home (Bonus Single Edit) – 3:37
Link in comments.
Triumvirat – Illusions On A Double Dimple (1973) (@256)
17 Feb 2010
(Review from progarchives.com)
The band’s second album title refers to the Dimple brand of Scotch whisky and its “illusions”. This is a concept album with each side of the original LP being a single piece of uninterrupted music. Each one breaks down into 6 song parts, connected by Moog solos or drumming interludes.
The band extended their line-up calling in their original bassist, the Cologne Opera House Orchestra, plus an 8-piece brass section, plus 3 female backing vocalists.
The sound is pleasant and melodic, featuring lots of fine work on the Hammond organ, Moog synthesizer and Grand piano. Triumvirat also delivers lots of flowing shifting moods with warm vocals, fine acoustic guitar and even some saxophone.
The instruments, the melodies and the lyrics fit perfectly to produce a classic progressive/symphonic rock album.
Line-up:
- Hans Bathelt / drums
- Jurgen Fritz / keyboards, vocals
- Helmut Kollen / guitar, bass, vocals
- Hans Pape / lead vocals, bass
with
- Peter Cedera / back vocals
- Hanna Dolitzsch / back vocals
- Vanetta Fields / back vocals
- Brigitte Thomas / back vocals
- Ulla Wierner / back vocals
Track List:
01. Illusions On A Double Dimple – 23:23
02. Mister Ten Percent – 21:36
03. Dancer’s Delight (Bonus Single) – 3:34
04. Timothy (Bonus Single) – 4:10
05. Dimplicity (Bonus Single Edit) – 3:17
06. Million Dollars (Bonus Single Edit) – 2:35
Link in comments.
Ten Years After – Live at the Fillmore East (1970) (@256)
17 Feb 2010
(Review from amazon)
With its devotion to 50s rock and blues coupled to a manic, if decidedly middlebrow performance tack, Ten Years After could seem positively Jurassic, even by late-60s standards. This collection culls magnificently recorded performances from a February 1970 weekend stand at the Fillmore East, capturing the band at its post-Woodstock performing peak.
The running times of most of the tracks (which clock at 7+ minutes) will tip listeners to the show’s jam-heavy take on covers of Sonny Boy Williamson (an ominous, revamped “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl”), Willie Dixon (a slow, 16-minute burn through “Help Me”), and Chuck Berry (atypically economic romps of “Sweet Little Sixteen” and “Roll Over Beethoven”). But with the band’s own primordial originals (the titles “Skooby-Oobly-Doobob” and “Extension on One Chord” speak for themselves) there’s an elemental, effusive–and, dare we say it–Ramones-like stoopidity to the tracks. Even Alvin Lee’s trademark fret-burner “I’m Going Home” is hard to resist.
This set perfectly captures one of the era’s hardest working bands in a concise, double-disc time capsule.
Line-up:
- Leo Lyons / Bass
- Alvin Lee / Guitar and Vocals
- Chick Churchill / Organ
- Ric Lee / Drums
Track List:
CD1
01. Love Like A Man – 9:35
02. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl – 7:26
03. Working On The Road – 3:34
04. The Hobbit – 10:52
05. 50000 Miles Beneath My Brain – 9:58
06. Skoobly-Oobly-Doobob, I Can’t Keep From Crying Sometimes, Extension On One Chord – 19:30
CD2
01. Help Me – 16:06
02. I’m Going Home – 11:57
03. Sweet Little 16 – 4:38
04. Roll Over Beethoven – 4:44
05. I Woke Up This Morning – 8:09
06. Spoonful – 8:01
Links in comments.
Triumvirat – Mediterranean Tales (1972) (@256)
16 Feb 2010
(Review from progarchives.com)
Triumvirat is a classic 70s German progressive band. Starting as a trio, the band is highly inspired by Emerson, Lake & Palmer and often referred as one of the most talented progressive rock groups ever. Led by ‘maestro’ keyboard genius Jürgen Fritz, Triumvirat stunned even the most casual rock fan with its virtuoso performances.
The maturity of the band is tangible even in their debut album: Fritz on keyboards is more melodic than being an Emerson show-off but his classical background is as impressive. He shreds when the time is right but he switches often in a song so it’s not always a cavalcade of notes. Triumvirat is also well backed with Hans Bathelt on drums. He’s playing with a modest kit but he’s killing it with off-time beats, great bass drum/ snare combos and toms fills.
Incredibly the album starts with a 16 minutes multi part epic “Across the Waters” in which the band combines various classical influences that go from Baroque to Romantic.
“Eleven Kids” is a simpler song, which starts with a classical keyboard instrumental strongly supported by powerful bass and drums, but soon changes into a simpler tune where the band shows their pop side even when you can find some psychedelic fugues and classical chords.
“E Minor 5/9″ is a more eclectic song with strange timing where bass and drums carry the weight of the music except in the middle srction where a psychedelic keys semi solo breaks the repetitive rhythm and gives extra brightness.
The closing number, “Broken Mirror” is where we take a glimpse at the band’s future classical sound — incredible piano and complex structure that prepares the listener for Triumvirat’s next two releases adding a jazz fusion section.
This edition of the album also adds two singles (each both A and B side) as bonus tracks, “Be Home by Tea” being a single edit of a part of the opening track.
Line-up:
- Hans Bathelt / drums, percussion
- Jurgen Fritz / organ, electric piano, piano, synth, percussion, vocals
- Hans Pape / lead vocals, bass
Track List:
01. Across The Waters – 16:37
02. Eleven Kids – 6:09
03. E Minor 5/9 Minor /5 – 8:03
04. Broken Mirror – 7:20
05. Be Home for Tea (Bonus Single Edit) – 3:38
06. Broken Mirror (Bonus Single Edit) – 3:24
07. Ride in the Night (Bonus Single) – 4:28
08. Sing me a Song (Bonus Single) – 4:37
Link in comments.
Ten Years After – Watt (1970) (@256)
16 Feb 2010
(Review from amazon)
Recorded hot on the heels of “Cricklewood Green”; Watt is a is a smooth, thick musical ride having many of the same ingredients as its predecessor. It heralds the great change from the music of the 60s to the actual modern rock sound of the 70s.
The band had toured so much during this time frame – you can feel the weariness in this recording, it plays well on these songs and adds texture and atmosphere.
The album brings together divergent inspirations, from hard-rock to jazz — the side two of the vinyl providing a jazzy, bluesy, slightly psychedelic musical journey.
The live version of ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’ recorded at the 1970 Isle Of Wight Festival.
Line-up:
- Alvin Lee / guitar, vocals
- Leo Lyons / bass
- Ric Lee / drums
- Chick Churchill / organ
Track List:
01. I’m Coming On – 3:50
02. My Baby Left Me – 5:24
03. Think About The Times – 4:44
04. I Say Yeah – 5:18
05. The Band With No Name – 1:35
06. Gonna Run – 6:04
07. She Lies In The Morning – 7:27
08. Sweet Little Sixteen (Live) – 4:12
Link in comments.
Discography suggestions
15 Feb 2010
Since I’ve started making discography runs again, thought I’d ask you which bands’ discographies would you like to see in the blog.
So fire away your wishes.
Don’t forget I won’t be able to put them all though :)
Amos Key – First Key (1973) (@256)
15 Feb 2010
(Review from progarchives.com)
Amos Key is another one of those obscure, one-album gems. It is keyboard, bass, and drum, with emphasis on keyboards. There is some sparsely used guitar, but you’ll have to listen closely to find it.
The obvious influences are Deep Purple (they even do a little homage in the middle of “Got the Feeling”) and especially Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Where ELP would lighten the mood with an occasional novelty song, this band is able to maintain a bit of lightheartedness throughout. This is not to say it isn’t serious music. There are times that even get a bit dark. The overall sense is that these guys refuse to take themselves too seriously. What all this means is that “First Key” is a lot of fun to listen to.
The music is complex, but very accessible. These are three talented musicians. The keyboards are immediately obvious but the tight drums and a machine gun bass line almost take you by surprise. The vocals could be stronger. Sometimes the accent is a bit heavy, and the mix is too low. However, it doesn’t detract from the enjoyment.
Line-up:
- Thomas Molin / keyboards, vocals
- Andreas Gross / guitar, bass, vocals
- Lutz Ludwig / drums
Track List:
01. Shoebread – 4:09
02. Ensterknickstimmstamm – 3:33
03. Knecht Ruprecht – 4:52
04. Sometimes – 2:03
05. Got The Feelin – 3:11
06. Escape – 4:02
07. Important Matter – 5:59
08. Dragon’s Walk – 4:25
09. First Key – 3:59
Link in comments.
Ten Years After – Ssssh (1969) (@256)
15 Feb 2010
(Review from amazon, wikipedia)
In August 1969, the band performed a breakthrough in the US at the famous Woodstock with their rendition of “I’m Going Home”. As a result, the band’s fourth album released at the same time was their first hit overseas.
The album has everything you need: Roaring vocals, searing guitarwork, thundering grooves, and an overall great vibe. It lets loose right from the getgo with “Bad Scene”. The sudden changes and different riffs on the song is really groovy and psychedelic. “Stoned Woman” (actually an anti-drug song) and Good Morning Little Schoolgirl are both fiery rockers, the latter having intense guitar and bass solos.
Also, there are a few nice sounding ballads such as “I Don’t Know That You Don’t Know My Name”, the soul of “If You Should Love Me”, and the country-tinged “Two Time Mama”. On top of that, you have some good old fashioned blues rock such as the John Lee Hooker-based “Stomp”, and the basic, but still memorable “I Woke Up This Morning”.
Line-up:
- Alvin Lee / Guitar, Vocals
- Leo Lyons / Bass
- Ric Lee / Drums
- Chick Churchill / Organ
Track List:
01. Bad Scene – 3:30
02. Two Time Mama – 2:02
03. Stoned Woman – 3:21
04. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl – 7:10
05. If You Should Love Me – 5:23
06. I Don’t Know That You Don’t Know My Name – 2:06
07. The Stomp – 4:30
08. I Woke Up This Morning – 5:30
Link in comments.
Yes – Symphonic Live (2002) (@256)
14 Feb 2010
(Review from Metal Minute)
Running on full steam with that conjecture, Symphonic Live may not be the grandest achievement in rock orchestration, but when it clicks, Yes sounds nearly as triumphant as their golden era.
Simply having Jon Anderson’s calming stability on vocals makes it worth the listen as well as Chris Squire’s reliably slicing bass notes, which have historically been their own character for Yes. Steve Howe naturally is the deep-ingrained soul of Yes, really sparkling up his licks on “The Gates of Delirium” as well as during his crowd-silencing guitar solo. Tom Brislin does all that is required of him and Yes operates on full cylinders because of it.
The concert’s watermark moment comes courtesy of the aforementioned “Gates of Delirium” from Relayer. Breathtaking and complex originally, Yes, which sometimes tends to keep the orchestra’s role subordinate to their own projection (often to point of absenteeism), turns their guest performers loose here, as they do during the climactic moments of “Ritual” and “Magnification.” “The Gates of Delirium” thus becomes more superficially magical as should be expected with this sort of venture.
As Yes dishes out a half hour of Close to the Edge along with “Long Distance Turnaround” and “Roundabout” from Fragile and “Starship Trooper” and “I’ve Seen All Good People” from The Yes Album, the core balance of Yes’ original compositions are so strong the orchestra need not dial in necessarily. At times they simply provide subliminal earthy weaves that are mostly drowned out by Yes’ determination to recapture the old rub, which they do admirably.
Symphonic Live is not exactly as advertised, Yes utilizes their orchestra’s assets but only when appropriate. As a concert album in whole, it’s as entertaining as you’d want it to be.
Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals
- Steve Howe / guitars, vocals
- Chris Squire / bass, vocals
- Alan White / drums
with
- Tom Brislin / keyboards
- Wilhelm Keitel / orchestra conductor
Track List:
CD1
01. Overture – 2:30
02. Close to the Edge – 20:30
03. Long Distance Runaround – 5:28
04. Don’t Go – 4:29
05. In the Presence Of – 11:03
06. The Gates of Delirium – 23:30
07. Steve Howe Guitar Solo – 6:25
CD2
01. Starship Trooper – 12:18
02. Magnification – 7:23
03. And You and I – 11:15
04. Ritual – 28:21
05. I’ve Seen All Good People – 7:20
06. Owner of a Lonely Heart – 5:48
07. Roundabout – 6:28
Link in comments.
Ten Years After – Stonedhenge (1969) (@256)
14 Feb 2010
(Review from amazon)
Ten Years After’s third album is one of those artifacts that simply screams late ’60s, which is to say its production is more than a little trippy, and it’s also all over the stylistic map.
“I Can’t Live Without Lydia”, for example, features keyboardist Chick Churchill making vaguely Brubeck-ian noises on up to four overdubbed pianos simultaneously. The next track, “Skoobly-Ooobly-Doobob”, is a brief scat blues improvisation with guitar hero Alvin Lee playing and singing in unison, as Ric Lee’s drums, just barely audible, putter about in both stereo channels seemingly at random.
The album’s centerpiece, of course, is “Hear Me Callin’”, a sort of psychedelic take on John Lee Hooker-style blues complete with fashionable phasing effects — a substantial radio hit at the time. However, hardcore fans justifiably swear by the 55-second percussion version of “Three Blind Mice” that follows.
Line-up:
- Alvin Lee / vocals, guitar, piano
- Chick Churchill / organ, piano
- Ric Lee / drums, tympani
- Leo Lyons / bass, percussion
Track List:
01. Going to Try – 4:51
02. I Can’t Live Without Lydia – 1:23
03. Woman Trouble – 4:37
04. Skoobly-Oobly-Doobob – 1:44
05. Hear Me Calling – 5:44
06. A Sad Song – 3:23
07. Three Blind Mice – 0:58
08. No Title – 8:12
09. Faro – 1:10
10. Speed Kills – 3:41
Link in comments.
Atila – Reviure (1977) (@256)
13 Feb 2010
(Review from progarchives.com)
Last album by this Catalonian quartet, Reviure (reviver in Catalan) must be one of the most stunning Iberian albums around.
Unlike many of their peers, Atila avoids sounding “Italian”. Their sound is roughly based on a sound between Vanilla Fudge, King Crimson, with un unusually ever-present Moog synth in the foreground. Niebla’s guitar is excellent all around and leaves no ground uncovered that Nogue’s Moog had left unfilled. Their sinister semi-skeleton artwork sure gave them an edge on many of their peers in the shelves of record stores. .
Two tracks aside with plenty of mainly instrumental enthusiastic progressive filled of tricky time sigs and great interplay. The bass work is outstanding, getting the odd touch and oh-so-subtle of Zeuhl into a soundscape that Crimson would not disclaim. Like many of their Catalan peers, Atila made sure that their music was solid in all department including the drummer Punet (he gets a short drum solo slot in the awesome eponymous track), there is still some organ parts, namely in the album’s apex, Atila. Four excellent tracks, not a moment of rest and plenty of power.
Although all three Atila albums are vastly different from each other, all three are much worth the investigation.
Line-up:
- Eduardo Alvarez / guitar
- Juan Punet / drums
- Jean P. Gomez / bass
- Benet Nogur / keyboards
Track List:
01. Reviure – 9:56
02. Somni – 9:39
03. Atila – 12:00
04. Almati – 7:20
Link in comments.
Ten Years After – Undead (Live 1968) (@256)
13 Feb 2010
(Info from wikipedia)
The band’s eponymous first album was bluesy, but less emotional and passionate, and so the band decided to record their second album live. “Undead”, recorded live at the small jazz club, Klook’s Kleek, is set out to give listeners a real feel to what it was like to hear Ten Years After.
The result iss a combination of blues, boogie and the sometimes remarkable jazz playing ability of the band members. The approach of the band on this album remains unique in that it is a rock/blues approach to swing.
And swing it does! Although the soloing remains almost exclusively in the pentatonic scale and adheres strictly to a basic 1/IV/V 12 bar blues (with no traditional jazz substitutions), the band manages to pull off a confident and aggressive post bop feel.
This album became the introduction that many aspiring musicians used as a learning tool to explore beyond rock and pop boundaries and into more improvised stylings.
Line-up:
- Alvin Lee / guitar, vocals
- Chick Churchill / organ
- Ric Lee / drums
- Leo Lyons / bass
Track List:
01. Rock Your Mama – 3:54
02. Spoonful – 6:42
03. I May Be Wrong, but I Won’t Be Wrong Always – 10:01
04. Summertime – Shantung Cabbage – 5:54
05. Spider in Your Web – 7:52
06. Woodchopper’s Ball – 7:38
07. Standing at the Crossroads – 5:12
08. I Can’t Keep From Crying, Sometimes – Extension on One Chord – I Can’t Keep From Crying Sometimes – 17:04
09. I’m Going Home – 6:24
Links in comments.
Atila – Intencion (1976) (@256)
12 Feb 2010
(Review from gnosis2000.net)
With a full-time keyboardist addition, Atila takes the concept of their earlier effort a couple of steps further on this album. It’s organ driven, and often spacious, hard progressive with an international sound. There are female choirs offering up vocal melodies as well. The recording quality is drastically improved compared to their earlier album.
Side two is a rework of the debut live album, here titled in Spanish as “El Principio del Fin”. Starting with a Phantom of the Opera-like organ, the piece explodes into a Black Sabbath guitar riff before settling into an easy groove with moog, organ, and fuzz guitar jamming. Plus the requisite drum solo. A must for progressive fans who like psychedelic sounds.
Line-up:
- Eduardo A. Niebla / guitar
- Miguel A. Blasco / bass
- Juan Punet / drums
- Benet Nogue / organ, mellotron, piano, moog, voice
- Juan Vidal / sound effect
Track List:
01. Intencion – 8:50
02. Cucutila – 4:48
03. Dia Perfecto – 6:35
04. El Principio Del Fin – 15:54
05. Un Camel De Xocolata (Bonus) – 4:09
Link in comments.
Donations page added
12 Feb 2010
To move more freely and get less affected by the buggering of record companies, I’ve registered a domain name (sakalli.info) and bought a hosting service for the blog; resulting in this new site. This means we’re going to need funds to pay for it.
Thankfully, Hotfile is willing to pay for each downloaded file through its service (it was how I paid for the initial costs). So you can help by;
- Preferring Hotfile links when downloading.
- If you’re already going to buy a Hotfile premium account, register your user by following this link. Since this site will be your referrer, we’ll get a rank boost (resulting in more payment).
- Letting other people know about the blog (more visitors will result in more downloads)
Currently, I believe these three should be enough to ensure continous funding for the site.
If it doesn’t, I’ll let you know and setup a paypal account for your direct donations.
I’ve added this information to a seperate “Donations” page on the top menu bar.
Queen and Paul Rodgers – Live in Ukraine (2008) (@256)
12 Feb 2010
(Review from play.com, wikipedia)
Just weeks ahead of the start of the “Rock the Cosmos Tour”, the band were approached to help Ukraine’s AntiAids Foundation reach out to the youth of the country with this message: “Don’t Let AIDS Ruin Your Life”.
The venue they played was Kharkov’s historic Freedom Square, a place so big that during World War II it was used to land planes. Over 350,000 Ukrainians came to see them play. The concert was what the band recall as “an unforgettable experience… one of those rare things in life you know you will never forget. A meeting in music, but also a coming together to fight a common enemy…”
For his part, Rodgers gets a chance to put his golden voice to good use. Nobody will mistake him for Mercury – each has such a distinct style- and it’s a wise move by Rodgers not to attempt to mimic any of Mercury’s mannerisms. This is Paul Rodgers singing with Queen, and whether you view this project as a success or failure largely depends on keeping this fact in mind.
In Rodgers’ hands, none of the classic Queen numbers disappoint. Although Mercury’s natural flamboyance is absent, the quality and tone of Rodger’s voice makes sure songs such as “We Are The Champions” remain stadium-rousing anthems.
For all his reverb-driven solos and complex arrangements, it is clear Brian May had a blast riffing out the stripped back but infectious introduction of Free’s classic ‘All Right Now’, or grooving the Bad Company anthem ‘Feel Like Makin’ Love’. It’s testament to the band’s musicianship that they pull off strong, credible versions of pomp-free blues-rock classics.
The new material fares particularly well. ‘C-lebrity’, with its combination of hard riffing and harmonised vocals, finds the band successfully meeting on common ground. It’s a straight-ahead rocker, eschewing complex arrangements in favour of a bluesy rhythm and catchy guitar hook which suits Rodgers’ voice perfectly. Likewise with ‘Cosmos Rockin’, a Berry-esq rock’n'roll stomper served up with boundless energy from Rodgers and May. Both tracks are ideal for a project like this, reliable, fun, and audience friendly.
With a summer reunion tour with Bad Company looming, Paul Rodgers announced in May 2009 that the Queen + Paul Rodgers collaboration had come to an end, saying “It was never meant to be a permanent arrangement”. It seems this concert is going to be the last official album of this collaboration, at least for the time being.
Line-up:
- Brian May / Guitars, arrangements, vocals
- Roger Taylor / Drums, percussion, vocals
- Paul Rodgers / Vocals, guitars, piano
with
- Spike Edney / Keyboards, percussion, vocals
- Jamie Moses / Guitars, vocals
- Danny Miranda / Bass guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
Track List:
CD1
01. One Vision – 4:03
02. Tie Your Mother Down – 2:29
03. The Show Must Go On – 4:37
04. Fat Bottomed Girls – 5:00
05. Another One Bites the Dust – 3:35
06. Hammer to Fall – 3:42
07. I Want It All – 4:10
08. I Want to Break Free – 3:55
09. Seagull – 4:50
10. Love of My Life – 5:45
11. ’39 – 4:36
12. Drum Solo – 5:00
13. I’m in Love With My Car – 3:42
14. Say It’s Not True – 4:31
CD2
01. Shooting Star – 6:21
02. Bad Company – 5:36
03. Guitar Solo – 3:58
04. Bijou – 2:07
05. Last Horizon – 4:32
06. Crazy Little Thing Called Love – 4:04
07. C-Lebrity – 3:52
08. Feel Like Makin’ Love – 6:45
09. Bohemian Rhapsody – 5:53
10. Cosmos Rockin’ – 4:28
11. All Right Now – 5:31
12. We Will Rock You – 2:19
13. We Are the Champions – 2:59
14. God Save the Queen – 2:05
Link in comments.
Atila – Beginning of The End (Live 1975) (@256)
11 Feb 2010
(Review from gnosis2000.net, rockadrome.com, Expose)
Often hailed as one the hard psych masterpieces to come out from Spain in the early 70s, Atila was a trio formed in 1973.
Handed out as a promo to guests of their live shows in 1975, this debut live album consists of one very long multi-part track “Beginning of The End”, with no stops or breaks, other than to change sides, it was essentially a live recording, done on a very small budget — thus has a sub standard sound quality.
Their sound at this early stage could be described as ripping guitar-driven rock, with bits of recognizable classical pieces appearing from time to time; the organ is prominent within the mix, also handling the bottom end using bass pedals.
They ramble a bit, the soloing tends to get excessive at times, yet there are still enough changes to keep the music interesting.
Line-up:
- Eduardo Alvarez Niebla / guitar
- Paco Ortega / keyboards
- Juan Panet / drums
- Miguel Blasco / Bass
Track List:
01. Beginning of The End – 29:53
Link in comments.
Queen and Paul Rodgers – Cosmos Rocks (2008) (@256)
11 Feb 2010
(Review from popmatters.com)
Queen and Paul Rodgers have toured and collaborated together since 2005. “Cosmos Rocks” marks their first official studio album together of all new material — Queen’s first since 1995’s Made in Heaven.
“Cosmos Rocks” is equally attributed to all three members of the band with Rodgers, May, and Taylor sharing writing, performing, and production credits. Original bassist John Deacon is missing from the mix, having retired in 1997, prompting Brian May and Paul Rodgers to round out the rhythm section by taking turns tackling bass duties on the album.
With the band’s original member tally cut in half, some might ask why the band should even go on, much less under the name Queen. First of all, that hasn’t stopped the Who from functioning—and functioning rather well. Secondly, this isn’t your (presumably, now untied) mother’s Queen. This is Queen + Paul Rodgers. And it sounds like. well… like Queen… plus Paul Rodgers.
Every element of classic Queen is left intact: the grandiose, theatrical lyrics and musical arrangements. The familiar, warm-toned squeal of Brian May’s epic guitar riffs, a signature part of Queen’s sound. The layered harmonies and multi-tracked backing vocals. The only difference is that Paul Rodgers is capably holding down vocal duties.
Unlike Journey who shopped around to find several vocalists over time that could perfectly imitate Steve Perry’s nasally vocal calisthenics or INXS who took their search for a Michael Hutchence sound-alike to network television, Queen didn’t attempt to find some bargain basement Freddie Mercury impersonator as a stand-in.
Enter Paul Rodgers to make the grand assist in resurrecting Queen with some brand new material. Rodgers’ vocal range is impressive –- blues-drenched and gravelly, yet velvety smooth at the same time. Rodgers remarkably reaches bottom-heavy highs and extended notes and can drop it down into the lower register all in the same phrase (particularly on “Time to Shine”). Every word is either enunciated with pitch-perfect clarity or artfully slurred over to suit the mood of the song. While he’s known for his bluesy stylings, Rodgers’ vocals stretch well with what Queen fans can define as the band’s classic sound.
Queen’s penchant for thought provoking lyrics has stood the test of time, as well. The politically-charged “Warboys” gives Taylor an opportunity to showcase powerful drumming that plays upon the song’s thematic content. Taking on the flipside of the track’s sentiment, some of Queen + Paul Rodgers’ greatest moments on “Cosmos Rocks” happen on the disc’s ballads. “Small”, its instrumental reprise, and “We Believe” are absolutely beautiful with poignant messages for peace, equality, and understanding standing against a backdrop of Brian May’s majestic guitar work. Even the simplest of May’s strummed chords sounds almost orchestral.
There won’t ever be another Freddie Mercury, so why bother trying to replace him. Although his ghost pleasantly haunts the album in some ways (“Cosmos Rocks” is actually dedicated to him), Paul Rodgers breathes new life into Queen, while still keeping the band’s tremendous legacy intact as they soldier forth with new material into the 21st century.
Line-up:
- Brian May / guitar, bass, vocals, keyboards
- Paul Rodgers / lead vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards, harmonica
- Roger Taylor / drums, percussion, vocals, keyboards
with
- Taylor Hawkins / back vocals (11)
Track List:
01. Cosmos Rockin’ – 4:11
02. Time To Shine – 4:23
03. Still Burnin’ – 4:03
04. Small – 4:39
05. Warboys – 3:18
06. We Believe – 6:07
07. Call Me – 2:58
08. Voodoo – 4:27
09. Some Things That Glitter – 4:02
10. C-lebrity – 3:38
11. Through The Night – 4:53
12. Say It’s Not True – 4:01
13. Surf’s Up… School’s Out – 5:55
14. Small Reprise – 2:05
Links in comments.
Renaissance – In the Land of the Rising Sun (Live in Japan 2001) (@256)
10 Feb 2010
(Review from seaoftranquility.org, progarchives.com)
This album was recorded live before a polite Tokyo audience in early 2001 during a short Japanese tour to promote the band’s new studio album Tuscany. It has a freshness and vitality belying the band’s age, and demonstrates a willingness to progress. Several songs here carry arrangements that are developed, more or less subtly, from over-familiar originals.
Old favourite “Trip To The Fair” is a good example. A brilliant song at any time, here it is renewed with numerous little innovations and small detail changes, like some whispered background vocals, that typify the approach of this band and help to breathe new life into old workhorses.
Annie Haslam’s voice remains the focal point of attention, and she doesn’t let us down. There is a perceptible sense of nervousness about the first couple of tracks, but once settled she turns in a powerful performance. Her voice has gained a fetching delicacy and fullness, maturity creeping in to replace the angelic purity of her familiar girlish tones. She noticeably warbles a little more than before, and deals differently with higher registers, but she still has the power to thrill like few others. From gentle and tender ballads like “Pearls Of Wisdom” and “I Think Of You”, to belting out that high note and a string of high vocalese in the coda of “Ashes Are Burning”, she delivers a masterful performance.
The rest of the band sound good too, from jazz-rocking with gusto to complex orchestrations and lush backdrops. While the booming Rickenbacker bass of John Camp and the majestic piano of John Tout is of course missed; the new fellows, especially Simmonds, performes quite fine here. The male backing vocals have an unfamiliar timbre that doesn’t always meld with Annie in the way they used to. Mickey Simmonds is the one-man orchestra, his keyboards producing a convincing alternative to the real thing, only occasionally do you miss the authentic sound of real cello or brass. Rave Tesar’s piano style is quite different to Tout’s – more clipped, and not quite so light-handed – but his contribution is strong and authoritative, lending a new slant on the older material.
The first disc is a series of shorter songs, old and new. “Opening Out” and “Midas Man” are early highlights, the latter being an attractive laid-back version quite different in ambience from ‘standard’ readings, but newer material should not be ignored. The beautiful “Pearls Of Wisdom”, a lively and dynamic “Dear Landseer” and the Indian tinged “Ananda” all stand out from inevitable perennial crowd pleasers. Disc two has more progressive meat, including “Trip To The Fair” and a suitably awesome and majestic “Mother Russia” that stands up well alongside older versions, though perhaps Tesar’s opening piano work lacks expression. As always, “Ashes Are Burning” ends the show on a very high note: the first half belongs to Tesar’s piano, but the long finale section is stunning, organ and Annie’s high improvised vocalese combining in a truly rousing climax.
Recording quality is crisp and punchy though a couple of songs might have benefitted from a more powerful production (like in One Thousand Roses), the only niggle is each track fades during the audience applause instead of being continuous.
This is a terrific live album, the band’s blend of classically inspired symphonic progressive, simpler ballads and catchy tunes delivered with an adult intelligence.
Line-up:
- Annie Haslam / vocals
- Michael Dunford / acoustic guitar, vocals
- Terence Sullivan / drums, percussion
- Mickey Simmonds / keyboards, vocals
- Rave Tesar / piano, keyboards
- David Keyes / bass, vocals
Track List:
CD1
01. Carpet of the Sun – 3:49
02. Opening Out – 4:24
03. Midas Man – 6:31
04. Lady from Tuscany – 7:08
05. Pearls of Wisdom – 4:42
06. Dear Landseer – 5:40
07. Northern Lights – 4:22
08. Moonlight Shadow – 4:08
09. Precious One – 4:49
10. Ananda – 5:41
CD2
01. Mother Russia – 10:31
02. Trip To The Fair – 11:53
03. One Thousand Roses – 7:53
04. I Think Of You – 3:21
05. Ashes Are Burning – 19:57
Link in comments.
Queen and Paul Rodgers – Return of the Champions (2005) (@256)
10 Feb 2010
(Review from blogcritics.org, allmusic, wikipedia)
When thinking of suitable replacements for Freddie Mercury in Queen, Paul Rodgers is not a name that immediately leaps to mind. As the former lead singer for Free and Bad Company, Rodgers roughly belongs to the same ’70s British hard rock pack as Queen, but Rodgers is a gruff, bluesy, barrel-chested macho blues-rock belter opposed to Freddie’s grandly flamboyant, eccentric glam rock showman.
That’s probably why it was made clear that Paul Rodgers would not be replacing Queen’s former lead singer, Freddie Mercury, who died in 1991, this would simply be a collaboration. Former Queen bassist John Deacon declined to participate in the collaboration due to his retirement at the end of the 1990s.
This triple live album, “Return Of The Champions” was recorded at Hallam FM Arena in Sheffield on May 9th, 2005.
Although this setlist has a few of the great old-time rockers like “Tie Your Mother Down”, “I’m In Love With My Car”, and “We Will Rock You”, they mostly stuck to the more recent, light-pop fluff such as “These Are The Days Of Our Lives”, and “Radio Ga Ga”. Some favorites like “Killer Queen” had to be left out, simply because it didn’t fit Paul Rodgers’ voice. On “Bohemian Rhapsody”, pre-recorded vocals by Mercury is used for duetting with Rodgers.
The inclusion of “Last Horizon” from Brian May’s 1993 solo album Back To The Light, and “Say It’s Not True”, a song they wrote for the Nelson Mandela AIDS Concert: African Prayer album, also add to the uniqueness of this disk.
This may not be the ultimate Queen reunion fans had in mind, nevertheless it’s refreshing to hear Brian May and Roger Taylor live performing Queen songs after more than a decade.
Even if you are not the biggest Queen fan, this album can be still worth listening just for Rodgers’ performance. He dusts off two of Free’s biggest hits, “Wishing Well” and “All Right Now”, as well as the two Bad Company classics “Feel Like Making Love” and “Can’t Get Enough”. Thanks to Brian May’s energized guitar playing and Rodgers’ spirited performance, these renditions sound great. Rodgers’ powerful blues-rock pipes are still perfectly tuned and his charisma helped to propel this show beyond being just a forgettable gimmick. His genuine enthusiasm and constant ear to ear grin assures you that this show was just as much a treat for him as it was for the adoring Queen fans.
Line-up:
- Paul Rodgers / vocals, guitar
- Brian May / vocals, guitar
- Roger Taylor / vocals, drums
with
- Spike Edney / vocals, keyboards
- Danny Miranda / vocals, bass guitar
- Jamie Moses / guitar
Track List:
CD1
01. Reaching Out – 1:06
02. Tie Your Mother Down – 4:30
03. I Want To Break Free – 3:59
04. Fat Bottomed Girls – 5:45
05. Wishing Well – 4:33
06. Another One Bites The Dust – 4:02
07. Crazy Little Thing Called Love – 4:35
08. Say It’s Not True – 4:15
09. ’39 – 4:38
10. Love Of My Life – 5:11
11. Hammer To Fall – 6:45
12. Feel Like Makin’ Love – 6:20
13. Let There Be Drums – 3:42
14. I’m In Love With My Car – 3:36
15. Guitar Solo – 6:59
16. Last Horizon – 4:42
CD2
01. These Are The Days Of Our Lives – 4:38
02. Radio Ga Ga – 5:59
03. Can’t Get Enough – 4:22
04. A Kind Of Magic – 6:07
05. I Want It All – 5:09
06. Bohemian Rhapsody – 6:18
07. The Show Must Go On – 4:33
08. All Right Now – 6:54
09. We Will Rock You – 2:35
10. We Are The Champions – 4:30
11. God Save The Queen – 1:33
Links in comments.
Renaissance – Dreams & Omens (Live at the Tower Theater 1978) (@256)
09 Feb 2010
(Review from amazon)
Annie Haslam has gone back to her archives, and has located this long rumoured pristine 1978 concert recording at Philadelphia’s famous The Tower Theatre.
The performance includes favourites like “Carpet Of The Sun” and several lengthy tracks like the fifteen minute Can You Hear Me, as well as more tracks from their favourite albums.
For those who never get tired of hearing new classic Renaissance music.
Line-up:
- Annie Haslam / vocals
- Terry Sullivan / drums, percussion and vocals
- John Tout / piano, keyboards and vocals
- Jon Camp / bass, guitar and vocals
- Michael Dunford / acoustic guitar (6 and 12 strings) and vocals
Track List:
01. Can You Hear Me – 14:32
02. Carpet of the Sun – 3:52
03. Day of the Dreamer – 10:32
04. Midas Man – 4:22
05. Northern Lights – 4:19
06. Things I Don’t Understand – 9:35
Link in comments.
Queen – Made in Heaven (1995) (@256)
09 Feb 2010
(Review from allmusic)
The album was recorded in a much different way from Queen’s other studio albums. In early 1991, months before his AIDS-related death, vocalist Freddie Mercury recorded as many vocals as he could, with the instruction to the rest of the band to complete the songs later.
Both stages of recording, before and after Mercury’s death, were completed at the band’s studio in Switzerland pictured on the cover of the album behind Mercury.
“Made in Heaven” harks back to Queen’s 1970s heyday with its strong melodies and hard rock guitar playing, topped by Mercury’s bravura singing and some of the massed choir effects familiar from “Bohemian Rhapsody”.
Even if one did not know that these songs were sung in the shadow of death, that subject would be obvious. The lyrics were imbued with life-and-death issues, from the titles — “Let Me Live”, “My Life Has Been Saved”, and “Too Much Love Will Kill You” — to lines like “It’s hopeless — so hopeless to even try” (“It’s a Beautiful Day”), “Waiting for possibilities/Don’t see too many around” (“Made in Heaven”) and “I long for peace before I die” (“Mother Love”).
The odd thing about this was that Mercury’s over-the-top singing had always contained a hint of camp humor, and it continued to here, even when the sentiments clearly were as heartfelt as they were theatrically overstated. Maybe Mercury was determined to go out the same way he had come in, as a diva. If so, he succeeded.
Line-up:
- Freddie Mercury / vocals, keyboards
- John Deacon / bass
- Brian May / guitars, vocals
- Roger Taylor / drums, vocals
Track List:
01. It’s A Beautiful Day – 2:32
02. Made In Heaven – 5:25
03. Let Me Live – 4:45
04. Mother Love – 4:49
05. My Life Has Been Saved – 3:15
06. I Was Born To Love You – 4:49
07. Heaven For Everyone – 5:36
08. Too Much Love Will Kill You – 4:20
09. You Don’t Fool Me – 5:24
10. A Winter’s Tale – 3:49
11. It’s A Beautiful Day (Reprise) – 3:01
12. Yeah – 0:04
13. Untitled – 22:32
Links in comments.
A new home: www.sakalli.info
09 Feb 2010
After intense re-construction, I’ve finally moved to my new home.
The new blog is more functional, I’m looking into new exciting features (like tagging and categorization). I’ve also integrated Twitter, so you can follow posts from there if you prefer.
Everything should be working but if you run into any problems, please let me know so I can correct it.
I need everyone’s help on spreading the word about the new site and updating the links to my old blog from other fellow bloggers.
Hopefully third time is the charm :)
Follow me on Twitter
07 Feb 2010
I’ve opened a twitter account to post news (and later postings) about the blog.
In case something happens to this page before I move to a permanent location, please bookmark it:
Downloads accessible through album index
06 Feb 2010
By modifying the album index a little, I’ve managed to get the comments section of the blog working. That means you can download any album you like, no album info though.
So browse through the album index below and have a fun weekend while I prepare the new site.
It’s official, blog.hr is no more
05 Feb 2010
I’ve at last gotten in an e-mail from blog.hr (though not addressed to me, cc’d), that sakalli.blog.hr was taken down due to the King Crimson material.
I’m already working on restoring the blog on a new site, probably with a more permanent solution. I’m hoping to get the new site running sometime next week.
Stay tuned.
Not again?
04 Feb 2010
Well… I don’t know, I hope not, but it does seem so :)
The blog in http://sakalli.blog.hr is being redirected to some game site while other blogs in blog.hr are working.
I guess blog.hr finally gave into King Crimson’s record company’s continous threats.
We’ll wait and see.
Rufus Zuphall – Outside the Gates of Eden (Live 2006) (@256)
04 Feb 2010
(Review from ohrwaschl.de)
In summer 2006, the band performed at famous Belgian rock-underground club “Spirit of 66″. This show was broadcast by German radio station “Deutschlandfunk”.
Over more than 120 minutes Rufus Zuphall played a hand-picked show including their classic titles like “Weiss der Teufel”, “Avalon”, “Spanferkel”, “Portland Town”, “Knight of 3rd degree” and others.
Also new songs like the title track of this double album “Outside the gates of Eden”, a superb work, which is reminiscent of the best moments of their classic second Album “Phallobst” are included. Further new titles like “Blue Zone”, “Lover Mine” and “Sixpack” shows Krause is still able to pin compositions.
Rufus Zuphall continues to use different musical elements and though now the new compositions can be characterized rather as songs than pieces, one essential component has been preserved the love of the long musical form.
This great concert is a showcase for the tremendous passion and performing abilities of Rufus Zuphall.
Line-up:
- Klaus Gulden / flute, percussion
- Gunter Krause / guitars, vocals
- Helmut Lieblang / bass
- Gero Korner / hammond organ, keyboards
- Roland Hegel / drums
Track List:
CD1
01. Spanferkel – 2:47
02. Portland Town – 4:21
03. Outside The Gates Of Eden – 6:41
04. Blue Zone – 5:23
05. Lover Mine – 6:04
06. Knight Of 3rd Degree – 7:35
07. Sixpack (Into The Night) – 5:41
08. Avalon – 12:38
09. 1000 Mothers Weeping – 5:57
10. Rain Keeps Fallin’ – 8:26
CD2
01. Angels Fly By Night – 4:07
02. A Deeper Shade Of Blue – 6:49
03. 900 Miles – 8:07
04. 60 Ways To Sing The Blues – 7:28
05. Colder Than Hell – 9:41
06. Weis Der Teufel – 19:39
07. Through The Night – 3:58
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Queen – Innuendo (1991) (@256)
04 Feb 2010
(Review from allmusic, wikipedia)
Although his health weakened by the 90s, Mercury insisted that the band work on music until the very end.
Much of the material on the album deals with the band’s coming to terms with his imminent death. The theme is also reflected in the music, which can be heavy and arresting but also bleak and dark, and very often both.
Innuendo is in some sense a return to Queen’s roots with its harder rock sound, strong vocals from Freddie ranging over four octaves, overdubs, multipart composition and psychedelic effects.
“Innuendo” was a fitting way to end one of rock’s most successful careers. Nine months after the album’s release, Freddie Mercury died.
Line-up:
- Freddie Mercury / vocals, keyboards
- John Deacon / bass, keyboards
- Brian May / guitars, keyboard, vocals
- Roger Taylor / drums, keuboards, vocals
with:
- Steve Howe / Spanish Minstrell guitar (1)
- Mike Moran / keyboards (7)
Track List:
01. Innuendo – 6:31
02. I’m Going Slighty Mad – 4:22
03. Headlong – 4:38
04. I Can’t Live With You – 4:33
05. Don’t Try So Hard – 3:39
06. Ride The Wild Wind – 4:42
07. All God’s People – 4:21
08. These Are The Days Of Our Lives – 4:15
09. Delilah – 3:35
10. The Hitman – 4:56
11. Bijou – 3:36
12. The Show Must Go On – 4:35
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Rufus Zuphall – Colder Than Hell (Live 2000) (@256)
03 Feb 2010
(Info from rufus-zuphall.de, alexgitlin.com)
Rufus Zuphall is one of the significant German rock bands of the early seventies. Formed in Aachen in 1969 the band melted together blues elements, Anglo-Saxon folk, classical influences and driving guitar rock with progressive song structure into an autonomous instrumental dominated, unmistakable style. In 1972 the band broke up due to the pressure of commercialization.
In 1999, thirty years after the forming of the band, a promoter succeeded in persuading the original members of the band to play once again. On June 19th they made a fantastic, cheered, and critically acclaimed reunion concert supported by the ingenious youngster Gero Korner playing keyboards.
This one-off concert’s terrific success made it easy for the “old guys” to give it one more try. Since then, the band have been playing at different locations and festivals with the addition of Roland Hegel who is more than a substitute for their original exceptional drummer Udo Dahmen.
This live album captures the band during their tour in 2000, performing both old classics and some new songs.
Line-up:
- Gunter Krause / guitar, vocals
- Helmut Lieblang / bass
- Klaus Gulden / flute
- Gero Korner / keyboards
- Roland Hegel / drums
Track List:
01. Schupfner – 3:19
02. Portland Town – 4:30
03. Makrojel – 6:51
04. Angels Fly By Night – 3:59
05. And The Rain – 7:37
06. Freitag – 5:52
07. Colder Than Hell – 7:19
08. People – 8:07
09. A Thousand Mothers Weeping – 5:25
10. Weis der Teufel – 17:25
11. No Face Today – 6:37
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Queen – Miracle (1989) (@256)
03 Feb 2010
(Review from allmusic)
Following their massive 1986 European stadium tour for the A Kind of Magic album, Queen took an extended break. Rumors swirled about an impending breakup, but it turned out the break was brought on by a painful marital divorce for guitarist Brian May (who subsequently battled depression and contemplated suicide), and Freddie Mercury being diagnosed with AIDS.
Instead of sinking further into misery, the band regrouped, worked on each other’s mental state, and recorded one of their most inspired albums, 1989′s The Miracle.
Lyrically, the songs tend to reflect on the band’s past accomplishments (“Khashoggi’s Ship”, “Was It All Worth It”) as well as the state of the world in the late ’80s (the title track, “I Want It All”).
Miracle packs quite a sonic punch, recalling the rich sounds of their past classics. Split 50/50 between pop (“Breakthru,” “Invisible Man,” “Rain Must Fall”) and heavy rock (“I Want It All”, “Khashoggi’s Ship”, “Was It All Worth It”), the album was another global smash, even re-establishing the band in the US.
Line-up:
- Freddie Mercury / vocals, keyboards
- Brian May / guitars, vocals, keyboards
- John Deacon / bass
- Roger Taylor / drums, percussion, vocals
Track List:
01. Party – 2:24
02. Khashoggi’s Ship – 2:48
03. The Miracle – 5:02
04. I Want It All – 4:41
05. The Invisible Man – 3:57
06. Breakthru – 4:08
07. Rain Must Fall – 4:23
08. Scandal – 4:42
09. My Baby Does Me – 3:23
10. Was It All Worth It – 5:45
11. Hang On In There – 3:46
12. Chinese Torture – 1:45
13. The Invisible Man (Bonus 12′) – 5:28
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French TV – 2006 – This Is What We Do (@256)
02 Feb 2010
(Review from progressor.net)
French TV is again back with nothing else less than extremely innovative music, which avoids any precise definitions.
The violin and various woodwinds impart a certain chamber sense to French TV’s ninth offering, while the brass instruments make the jazz-fusion component more distinct in places, particularly in the middle of each of the first two compositions, “Colorless Green Ideas Sleep Furiously” and “Ska Face”, both, unlike the other tracks, featuring guest trombone players.
The centerpiece “My Little Cicada” is notable for a longish episode with atmospheric violin- and acoustic guitar-laden arrangements. In the beginning of “Look at the Bears”, the organ somewhat calls to mind a theme from “Pictures at an Exhibition”, but not for long, soon giving way to the clarinet and bass exercising new methods in chamber rock. “On the Theme from ESPN X-treme” some classical-like movements and an exotic stringed instrument (reminiscent of saz) is present.
With the exception of these peculiarities, the compositions have much common ground between themselves, each coming with no thematic sections as such, but consisting exclusively of ever-changing, both highly eclectic and cohesive arrangements. With an average track length of 10+ minutes, there is more than enough time to develop themes and push them through countless twists and turns. Each track showcases French TV’s intelligent ability to construct long polymorphous compositions, that would be equally cerebral and fascinating.
It seems it’s impossible for French TV to record a bad album.
Line-up:
- Mike Sary / bass, voice
- Warren Dale / keyboards, winds, reeds, mallets
- Chris Smith / guitars, violins, exotic strings
- Jeff Gard / drums
with
- Steven Dale / trumpet (1 & 2)
- Pam Thompson / trombone (2)
- Paolo Botta / keyboards (3)
Track List:
01. Colorless Green Ideas Sleep Furiously – 10:19
02. Ska Face – 8:24
03. My Little Cicada – 11:48
04. Look at the Bears! Look at the Bears! Look at the Bears! – 8:10
05. Theme From ESPN X-Treme Cobalt Blue 4×4 Bathroom Tile Installation Games – 13:01
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Queen – Live at Wembley (1986) (@256)
02 Feb 2010
(Review from allmusic)
Live at Wembley proves once and for all that Queen was a superior live band, and like the Beatles, Stones, etc., had far too many hits to fit in a two-hour show.
Recorded in their native England at the gigantic Wembley Stadium on the A Kind of Magic tour, the group was at their peak of popularity back home. This would unfortunately turn out to be the band’s last tour, and it showed the group including old rock & roll covers, classics, then-current songs, improv, and overlooked album tracks.
Queen opens up the show with the near-heavy-metal roar of “One Vision” and adds lively renditions of the well-known “Tie Your Mother Down”, the David Bowie collaboration “Under Pressure” and their very first hit, “Seven Seas of Rhye”. Also included on first disc is the early forgotten show-closer “In the Lap of the Gods”, the beautiful (and sadly prophetic) ballad “Who Wants to Live Forever” and a downright funky version of “Another One Bites the Dust”.
Disc Two opens with a pair of acoustic numbers including the perennial crowd fave “Love of My Life” but soon switches gear to some good old rock & roll covers. Spirited and fun versions of “You’re So Square (Baby I Don’t Care)” and “Tutti Frutti” expose Queen’s roots, while their own “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” fits in perfectly with all the 50s hoopla. And casual fans will recognize “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Radio GaGa” and “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions”.
Live at Wembley ’86 does a good job of balancing the well-known, for the uninitiated, and the lesser-known, for the hardcore fan.
Line-up:
- Freddie Mercury / vocals, keyboards
- John Deacon / bass
- Brian May / guitars, vocals
- Roger Taylor / drums, vocals
Track List:
CD1
01. One Vision – 5:50
02. Tie Your Mother Down – 3:52
03. In The Lap Of The Gods – 2:43
04. Seven Seas Of Rhye – 1:18
05. Tear It Up – 2:12
06. A Kind Of Magic – 8:41
07. Under Pressure – 3:41
08. Another One Bites The Dust – 4:53
09. Who Wants To Live Forever – 5:16
10. I Want To Break Free – 3:33
11. Impromptu – 2:56
12. Brighton Rock Solo – 9:10
13. Now I’m Here – 6:20
CD2
01. Love Of My Life – 4:48
02. Is This The World We Created – 2:58
03. (You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care – 1:36
04. Hello Mary Lou (Goodbye Heart) – 1:50
05. Tutti Frutti – 2:53
06. Gimme Some Lovin’ – 0:55
07. Bohemian Rhapsody – 5:50
08. Hammer To Fall – 5:56
09. Crazy Little Thing Called Love – 6:05
10. Big Spender – 1:06
11. Radio Ga Ga – 5:57
12. We Will Rock You – 2:47
13. Friends Will Be Friends – 2:06
14. We Are The Champions – 4:04
15. God Save The Queen – 1:27
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French TV – Pardon Our French (2004) (@256)
01 Feb 2010
(Review from frenchtvonline.com)
The eighth French TV album, “Pardon Our French” twitches, squirts, squeaks, flows, soars, marches, stomps, cranks, hovers, trips, uses sonic commas, semi-colons, ellipses, does ballet and the Snoopy dance, goes to the circus and west but not least, bewilders. All in ways the faithful will love and virgin ears listening for something unusual might well appreciate.
The marching band opening and ensuing circus themes in “Tears of a Velvet Clown” offers a dose of that unique French TV instrumental humor, while opener “Everything Works in Mexico” clobbers the listener with a dazzling array of changes and some nice Spanish guitar and violin work by Smith. “Sekala Dan Niskala” is a musical romp through west and east Asia; they cover it all with riq, tabla, dumbek, violin, rebab, flutes, sampled gamelon, and many other instruments. “Ruff Tuff Creampuff’s Take Over” is a raging barn-burner where intense keyboard, sax, and guitar lines weave around each other while the intricate bass and drum work keep everything afloat.
The near 17 minute ‘Pardon Our French Medley’ is a wonderfully accessible and powerful instrumental amalgam of tracks by such French legends as Ange, Atoll, Carpe Diem, Shylock, Pulsar & Etron Fou, here all put into one giant musical melting pot with some scorching electric guitar work throughout, allied to solid rhythms from that department and seriously flowing playing from the arsenal of synths and keys, providing a truly breathtaking fusion of jazz-rock and prog-rock that keeps the mix of melodic prog and dramatic jazz-rock within suitably structured confines and delivers a blend of synths-guitars dominated music that ranges from the atmospheric to the downright explosive, every member of the band playing a vital role as the medley rolls by.
French TV knows how to take a sonic melange, a veritable quilt of abstraction, harness its nefarious energy centers, and imbue it with distinct identity and sense of direction.
Line-up:
- Mike Sary / bass
- Warren Dale / keyboards, brass, woodwinds, vibes
- Chris Smith / guitars, banjo, electric violin
- Jeff Gard / drums
with
- Steven Dale / brass (1,4)
- Stephanie Dale / piccolo (4)
- Will Stewart / trumpet (4)
- Pam Thomson / brass (4)
- Richard Steiger / percussion (2)
- Natalie Gilbert / vocals (3)
- Denise Gilbert / recitative (3)
- Howie Gano / string ensemble (3)
Track List:
01. Everything Works In Mexico – 11:55
02. Sekala Dan Niskala – 6:19
03. The ‘Pardon Our French’ Medley – 16:58
04. Tears Of A Velvet Clown – 13:17
05. When The Ruff Tuff Creampuffs Take Over – 11:40
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Queen – Live Magic (1986) (@256)
01 Feb 2010
(Review from progarchives.com, wikipedia)
“Live Magic” captures Queen at pretty much the height of their career. The resurgence in their popularity which resulted from their appearance at “Live Aid” is captured here in a succession of songs which were live anthems and pop classics.
Most of the performances here were recorded at Knebworth Park, the band’s last ever concert with its classic line-up. The remaining few from a show in Hungary and in Wembley Stadium.
The bad news is that the compilers have tried to squeeze a quart into a pint pot. There are a total of 15 tracks, squeezed onto two sides of an LP. This results in many of the songs being abbreviated.
The album is made up of songs taken from three separate gigs, two in the United Kingdom, and one in Hungary. Such is that band’s professionalism that in reality it matters not where the recordings took place, the sound and the crowd’s reaction is the same. There is no doubt that these recordings capture some of the excitement of a Queen gig; from the opening “One vision” through “Tie your mother down” and “Seven seas of Rhye”, the band rapidly wind up the crowd to a frenzy.
One purpose the album does serve is to demonstrate the strength of the song-writing talent throughout the band. All four band members have songs included which can be classified as Queen classics. The emphasis is largely on Queen’s then more recent numbers. The six songs on side one of the LP are largely unabridged, with only “Seven Seas of Rhye” being cut down to segue into “A Kind of Magic”.
The shortened tracks on the second side are presented as a sort of medley, leading to disappointing renditions of songs such as “Friends Will Be Friends”. The anthems “We are the champions”, “Radio Ga-Ga” and “We Will Rock You” inevitably wind the crowd up further, Freddie by now has them in the palm of his hands.
Line-up:
- Brian May / guitar, vocals
- Roger Taylor / drums, vocals
- John Deacon / bass
- Freddie Mercury Vocals, piano
with:
- Spike Edney / additional guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
Track List:
01. One Vision – 5:08
02. Tie Your Mother Down – 2:59
03. Seven Seas Of Rhye – 1:21
04. A Kind Of Magic – 5:29
05. Under Pressure – 3:48
06. Another One Bites The Dust – 5:50
07. I Want To Break Free – 2:40
08. Is This The World We Created – 1:30
09. Bohemian Rhapsody – 4:41
10. Hammer To Fall – 5:20
11. Radio Ga-Ga – 4:26
12. We Will Rock You – 1:32
13. Friends Will Be Friends – 1:09
14. We Are The Champions – 2:01
15. God Save The Queen – 1:18
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