Bubbles Up

The Real… Ray Conniff is an exhaustive three-disc collection from Columbia Records celebrating the smooth and joyful sounds of the king of 1960s easy listening. Ray Conniff debuted as a trombonist for several prominent big bands before becoming a staff arranger at Columbia in the '50s.

Fat and heavy sound patterns, driving, moving, haunting, hypnotic, as well melodic, romantic and sometimes very heavy psychedelic, trance rhythms and everywhere you will meet this haunting dark voice from Neil John Douglas. The spiralling synthi sound sometimes works like a vortex and enters the brain…

Frank Zappa - Where The Shark Bubbles Blow (2018) {5CD Set Sandoz Digital Download rec 1968-1975}
FLAC (tracks) - 16bit/44kHz - Official Digital Download (deezer.com) -> 1.79 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 766 Mb | Cover | 5% repair rar
© 1968-75, 2018 Sandoz | SNZCD2009
Rock / Jazz Rock / Experimental Rock / Art Rock

There have recently been a number of legitimate releases of radio shows, most of which have been available only as bootlegs. Some of these have been been poor audience recordings not intended for radio and so I bought this set with some trepidation. I was pleased to find that the sets seem to be genuine radio shows. The first (Wollman Ice Rink 1968) was quite hissy on bootleg recordings and the fourth (Vancouver 1975) criticised for very poor sound and fractured recordings. These recordings on the Sandoz label are curiously labelled as 'mastered at Studio J' and the sound quality is here very good.

Following "Symphony", here's the second album from Clearlight, and clearly the most accomplished effort from this major french band. Delightful Tim Blake's-like synthe, incredible cosmic guitar by the unknown Jean-Claude D'Agostini - another "french Hillage"- while Christian Boulé appears on the fantastic bonus "Sweet absinthe". Cyril Verdeaux adds a unique symphonic touch to the whole thanks to his piano work. Joel Dugrenot on bass, Gilbert Artman on drums and percussions, David Cross on violin are also here, among others. There are also some tensed moments with magmaian influences, which alternate with space cosmic flights. The music is dense and inspired, with psychedelic effects reminding of german prog (the music accelerates as if the tape was played too fast and other kinds of shifts). The bonus on the CD release are wonderful - especially "Sweet absinthe"-, making this album a cosmic rock absolute masterpiece.