Big Tv 17 December 2016

Don Ellis & Brad Fiedel - The French Connection Collection (2016) {2CD La-La Land LLLCD1408 Limited Collector's Edition rec 1971, 1975}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 766 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 354 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 186 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1971, 1975, 2016 La-La Land Records | LLLCD 1408 | Limited Collector's Edition of 2000 units
Jazz / Stage & Screen / Soundtrack / Avant-Garde Jazz

Great thriller soundtracks back to back on one CD – the soundtracks for both French Connection films, both handled by funky jazzman Don Ellis – plus the even rarer score for the later Popeye Doyle film, by Brad Fiedel – packaged here with other rare bonus tracks too! The music by Don Ellis is really incredible – a real cut above other 70s cop and action soundtracks, with a dark edge that shows that Ellis had been listening to some of the hipper European soundtrack composers of the time, but was still also cool enough to kick in with a badass kind of groove whenever he could! The instrumentation on the tunes is very odd – familiar, yet askew – as trumpet, guitar, and keyboard bits come off with some very weird effects. The sound of Popeye Doyle is a bit different – given that the film was an 80s TV addition to the French Connection narrative – with Ed O'Neil in the lead role that was previously handled by Gene Hackman. But Brad Fiedel's score is still pretty nice – definitely more 80s in its instrumentation, but handled with a mode that echoes the Ellis years, with the flavor of a decade later. This 2CD package has way more material than the previous issue – with a total of 48 tracks from the first two films – and 29 more from Popeye Doyle – a whopping 77 tracks in all, with some great notes too!

3 Trumpets + 4 Saxophones + 3 Trombones + Drums & Bass + a man and his guitar = the Adriano BaTolba Orchestra. A lifelong dream has come true for Adriano BaTolba. While working with Dick Brave & the Backbeats he was already nurturing the idea of Germany’s only, if not Europe’s only Rockabilly big band. For Adriano this seemed like the perfect way to marry his background in Jazz with his passion for Rockabilly. Through his vast experience as a producer and performer BaTolba had become acquainted with just about every brass section of note in Germany and all it took was a few phone calls to get the top cats in the game to jump on board. (Some of these guys had already worked with the likes of Anastacia, Shirley Bassey, Michael Buble, Joe Cocker, Falco, David Garrett, Lionel Richie, Seal and Dionne Warwick).

Alex Harvey - The Last Of The Teenage Idols (2016) {14 CD Box Set Universal 536212-0 rec 1963-1978}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 5.38 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 2.14 Gb | Artwork | 5% repair rar
© 1963-78, 2016 Universal Music | 536 212-0
Rock / Blues / Pop / Glam Rock / Hard Rock / Blues Rock / Rhythm & Blues

Universal Music pay tribute to the short but prolific musical life of enigmatic Glasgow blues-rocker Alex Harvey with the biggest-ever, career-spanning, cross-label collection of his work. A total of 217 fully remastered tracks (with much of the material from the original master tapes) includes 21 that are previously unreleased, and a further 59 that are appearing officially on CD for the first time.

Superb collection of Janis' best broadcasts. After splitting from Big Brother, Joplin formed new backup group, the Kozmic Blues Band, composed of session musicians. The band was influenced by the Stax-Volt rhythm and blues bands of the 60s. By early 69, Janis was allegedly shooting at least $200 worth of heroin per day. The Kozmic Blues Band performed on several American television shows with Joplin. On the Tom Jones show, they performed Little Girl Blue and Raise Your Hand, the latter with Jones singing a duet with Joplin. On one episode of The Dick Cavett Show, they performed Try (Just a Little Bit Harder) as well as To Love Somebody.

French TV is a Louisville, Kentucky based progressive rock band that has been in existence since 1983. Over the years, members have come and gone, but founder, bassist and main composer Mike Sary continues to drag the band into the next millennium. The band deftly nod to prog-masters like National Health, Soft Machine, Zappa, Brudford, Brand X, Happy the Man, and Samla Mammas Manna, among others. The history of French TV is complex, filled with lineup changes, missed opportunities, delays, and disillusions. And yet, a growing body of work testifies to one man's sagacity and stubbornness. Blending elements of progressive rock, fusion, cartoon music, and Rock in Opposition (RIO), the music of his group has been described as being "simultaneously hilarious and highly challenging, making it one of the most original American prog rock outfits."