Arista – Arcd 8018

Grateful Dead - The Arista Years (1996) {2CD Set Arista ‎07822-18934-2 rec 1977-1990}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.00 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 361 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 39 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1977-90, 1996 Grateful Dead / Arista ‎Records | 07822-18934-2
Rock / Classic Rock / Psychedelic / Folk Rock / Jam Band

This well-chosen compilation makes the best of the eight albums (five studio LPs and three live collections) the Grateful Dead released on Arista Records between 1977 and 1990. The first three studio albums are not well regarded, but by focusing on the stronger compositions, such as "Estimated Prophet," "Terrapin Station," "Fire on the Mountain," "I Need a Miracle," and "Saint of Circumstance," the compilers have made them seem better than they did when they were released.

Two CD collection. Atlantic City's Harvey Mason needs no introduction to fans of '70s jazz-fusion having provided his exceptional drumming talents as a sideman for a plethora of the genres greatest artists and albums. Captivated by music and song from an early age Mason graduated from New England Conservatory with a rich and varied musical palette and as a multi-instrumentalist. The opportunity to play percussion alongside and under some of the greats of the jazz era on prime-time network TV inevitably led to Mason being in high demand given the breadth of his experience. The list of high caliber jazz, soul and pop artists that benefited from his skills is staggering. Stepping forward as a band leader in his own right in 1975, Mason went on to record his first five (self-produced) solo albums for Arista Records over a six-year period, recruiting the cream of the jazz-fusion scene to sing and play alongside him.

For a few years in the early '80s, Willie Nile had "next big thing" written all over him; at a time when the music biz was moving from its search for the "new Dylan" to the "new Springsteen," Nile had the look and the smart wordplay of the former along with the rocker's instincts and blazing passion of the latter, and he seemed destined for the big time. Nile made three albums before (two for Arista, one for Columbia) before the major-league recording industry decided they didn't know what to do with him after all, which seems to have been a matter of poor marketing rather than the quality of his work.