1983 Part One

Six CD set. Esoteric Recordings is pleased to announce the release of a remastered clamshell boxed set anthology by the legendary musician Snowy White. Lucky Star - Anthology 1983 - 1994 gathers together all of his solo albums and two albums recorded under the guise of Snowy White's Blues Agency…

The biggest volume so far in the Spiritual Jazz series from Jazzman Records – and maybe the best as well! This fantastic collection looks at the huge legacy of spiritual jazz that flowed from the Japanese scene in the postwar years – sounds that had their initial expression around the same time that the modal jazz of Miles and Coltrane was bursting forth in the US, but which also too so many twists and turns of its own – with some very strong influences along the way from Japanese folk and culture! Much of this music was initially restricted only to release on Japanese labels – and even later, as some of the artists attained fame, the global circulation of their music only happened with more commercial recordings.

The band, based around the figure of keyboard player Guy Leblanc, puts together a very potent mix of sounds to produce this Progressive (mostly instrumental) work. Their music is both dark and light, complex and largely symphonic prog, loud and quiet, yet always stretching way beyond. Their musical style incorporates elements of Yes, ELP, Gentle Giant and even a bit of Frank Zappa, blending it together to create a style that is very much their own.

British-born blues-rock guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Snowy White is among the more anonymous yet instantly recognizable guitar stylists to emerge from the 1970s. A sessionman as well as a solo artist, he deliberately seeks anonymity; he is equally at home playing the blues, pop, or arena rock due to his discipline, melodicism, and fluid, unhurried style on his signature vintage Les Paul gold top…

Metallica formed in 1981 by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich. The duo first met through an ad in a Los Angeles-based music newspaper. At the time, Ulrich had little musical experience and no band but managed to secure a slot on an upcoming compilation record called “Metal Massacre”. Metallica’s contribution, “Hit The Lights”, featured Hetfield, Ulrich and lead guitarist Lloyd Grant…