Big And Rich

Simon & Garfunkel's first masterpiece, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme was also the first album on which the duo, in tandem with engineer Roy Halee, exerted total control from beginning to end, right down to the mixing, and it is an achievement akin to the Beatles' Revolver or the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds album, and just as personal and pointed as either of those records at their respective bests…

Simon & Garfunkel's first masterpiece, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme was also the first album on which the duo, in tandem with engineer Roy Halee, exerted total control from beginning to end, right down to the mixing, and it is an achievement akin to the Beatles' Revolver or the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds album, and just as personal and pointed as either of those records at their respective bests. After the frantic rush to put together an LP in just three weeks that characterized the Sounds of Silence album early in 1966, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme came together over a longer gestation period of about three months, an uncommonly extended period of recording in those days, but it gave the duo a chance to develop and shape the songs the way they wanted them.

Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book (1959) {4CD Box Set Verve 539 759-2 rel 1998}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.40 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 604 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 325 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1959, 1998 Verve / PolyGram | 539 759-2 | Verve Master Edition | 20bit remaster
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Standards

During the late '50s, Ella Fitzgerald continued her Song Book records with Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book, releasing a series of albums featuring 59 songs written by George and Ira Gershwin. Those songs, plus alternate takes, were combined on a four-disc box set, Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book, in 1998. These performances are easily among Fitzgerald's very best, and for any serious fan, this is the ideal place to acquire the recordings, since the sound and presentation are equally classy and impressive.

Buddy Rich - The New One! (1967) {Pacific Jazz ‎724349450721 rel 1998}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 501 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 169 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 29 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1967, 1998 Pacific Jazz / Capitol | 7243 4 94507 2 1
Jazz / Mainstream Jazz / Swing / Bop / Modern Big Band / Drums

Despite its title, this was actually the third album by Buddy Rich's still-new big band. The recording is taken from two different periods that, although only five months apart, find the band undergoing some major turnover; only six of the 15 sidemen are the same. With such players as altoist Ernie Watts, trumpeter Chuck Findley, and usually Jay Corre on tenor, this was a strong outfit. Most of the material (other than "Chicago" and "I Can't Get Started") was new; among the high points are "The Rotten Kid," "New Blues," and the complex "Diabolus."

1966 was a most illogical time for anyone to try forming a new big band but Buddy Rich beat the odds. This CD reissues the first album by the Buddy Rich Orchestra, augmenting the original Lp program with nine previously unissued performances from the same sessions. The arrangements (eight by Oliver Nelson along with charts by Bill Holman, Phil Wilson, Jay Corre, Don Rader and others) swing, put the emphasis on the ensembles and primarily feature Corre's tenor although trumpeter Bobby Shew, altoist Pete Yellin, pianist John Bunch and guitarist Barry Zweig are also heard from. Most of the songs did not stay in the drummer's repertoire long (other than Bill Reddie's adaptation of "West Side Story" and "Sister Sadie") and in fact only three members of the 17-piece orchestra would still be working for Rich a year later. An enjoyable and somewhat historic set.

Buddy Rich - The Roar of '74 (1998) {Groove Merchant–Beast Retro 12842}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 301 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 99 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 39 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1974, 1998 Groove Merchant / Beast Retro | 12842
Jazz / Bop / Modern Big Band / Mainstream Jazz / Drums

A quite fantastic record where buddy goes for a modern almost rock sound with wha wha guitars and electric keyboards and a funky style with his drumming , some great material as well from his band members. In late 1973, the Buddy Rich big band still featured the explosive drummer in prime, competitive form. The orchestra's key soloist during the era was Pat LaBarbera (doubling on tenor and soprano); guitarist Joe Beck also has a spot on "Big Mac." The charts (by Ernie Wilkins, John LaBarbera, Manny Albam, Greg Hopkins and Don Menza) for this album emphasize hard-driving swing, with the highlights including "Nuttville," "Senator Sam" and Menza's memorable "Time Check."

Charlie Rich - Lonely Weekends: The Sun Years 1958-1962 (1998) {3CD Box Set, Bear Family BCD16152CI}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 942 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 512 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 219 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1958-62, 1998 Bear Family Records | BCD 16152 CI
Rock'n'Roll / Rockabilly / Traditional Country / Pop / Boogie Woogie

Of all the acts that came out of Sun Studios in the '50s and early '60s, from Howlin' Wolf to Elvis, from Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis to Carl Perkins and Bill Justis, none was more musically sophisticated and diverse in his writing, arranging, and performing than Charlie Rich. That's right, the same guy who had hits with "Behind Closed Doors," and "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World." Rich was equally adept at recording rockabilly, blues, R&B, jazz, country, gospel, and everything in between. This three-disc set of his years with Sun, from 1958-1962, point to that in a big way, that Rich was pretty much fully formed and wildly adventurous (often to the chagrin of Sam Phillips) when he began recording for the Memphis label.