For the most part, 1979's Eve is somewhat overlooked as being one of the Alan Parsons Project's finest work, when in fact it involves some of this group's most intricate songs. The album's concept deals with the female's overpowering effect on man. Each song touches on her ability to dissect the male ego, especially through sexual means, originating with Eve's tempting Adam in the beginning of time…
Esoteric Recordings is pleased to announce the release of The Studio Albums 1979-1987, a new clamshell boxed set that gathers together all seven studio albums released by the legendary classical rock band Sky over a nine year period.
Formed in 1979, Sky brought together the worlds of rock and classical music in a highly successful and inspiring way. Featuring the gifted talents of guitarist John Williams, percussionist Tristan Fry, legendary bass player Herbie Flowers, former Curved Air keyboard player Francis Monkman and guitarist Kevin Peek, Sky recorded their debut album at Abbey Road studios in the early months of 1979. The band’s self-titled debut reached the UK top ten in May 1979 and went on to achieve Platinum status in the UK and was also a major hit in Europe and Australia…
Jazz accordion-master, Van Damme plays much more than cool/accordion mush. In fact, he was an innovator during 60s post-bop. He is an unsung hero.
The music is captivating, melodic and vibrant. The accordion meshes with the strings and vibes and swings when it has to. Van Damme's block chords are a key ingredient to creating his special sound (or "voice") which every musician strives for, and sustains the mood for every number. More than "Nice", (the title of this CD): beautiful.
California is the third album by Gianna Nannini and was released in 1979. She releases a new album CALIFORNIA, a rock record that - with the single "America" – took her straight to the top of the charts in Germany and Northern Europe in 1980. The album went platinum in Italy and gold in Germany, Switzerland and Austria…
Breathless, a band that many Clevelander's consider to be among the quintessential Cleveland rock groups (along with Eric Carmen (Rasberries), Joe Walsh (James Gang) the Michael Stanley Band and others) had brief successes from 1978 to 1981…
Presenting radio with one of the best rock ballads ever, Cornerstone gave Chicago's Styx their big break with the number one single "Babe," which held that spot for two weeks in October of 1979. "Babe" is a smooth, keyboard-pampered love song that finally credited Dennis De Young's textured vocals. While this single helped the album climb all the way to the number two spot on the charts, the rest of the tracks from Cornerstone weren't nearly half as strong. "Why Me" made it to number 26, and both "Lights" and "Boat on the River" implement silky harmonies and welcoming choruses, yet failed to get off the ground. De Young's keyboards are effective without overly dominating the music, and the band's gritty rock & roll acerbity has been slightly sanded down to compliment the commercial market.
Grace Jones Disco 2015 limited edition 3CD set featuring digitally remastered editions of her Portfolio (1977), Fame (1978) and Muse (1979) albums including unreleased tracks and rare mixes. All three discs are individually packaged andhoused together inside a deluxe sealed picture boxset with lift-off lid which comes with an extensive booklet.
Portfolio (1977). Disco mix king Tom Moulton produced these tracks at Sigma Sound in Philadelphia using the same musicians Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff held hostage for their sessions. The results are quite different: though polished, these tracks don't jump out at you. It's really a producer's album. Moulton probably had these tracks completed long before he knew who was going to sing them. Give Grace Jones credit though, she gives credence to old fuddies like "Send in the Clowns," "La Vie en Rose" is lilting, and "I Need a Man," displays a vulnerable Jones…
Eden is a French duo: Hubert Vrayance, who composed the music (Hammond organ, bass pedals, synthesizers, vocals) and Allan Lys (drums, congas, percussions). Eden released one album in (1979). Information on them is scarce and so focus will be given here on their music which is more simplistic and more straightforward in their approach (compared to others in this genre). Melodic, yet outdated in sound, they start their tracks with a main theme upon which they add more layers of sound and more ideas. Each track is depicting a different theme, idea or scene. For instance, the first track "La Nuit Des Sorciers" (The Night Of The Wizards) is about "silhouettes dancing to the rhythm of winds in a dense wood under a strange moon". This should appeal to people who like Organ work and a melodic album which can serve as soundtrack for a late afternoon or early Sunday listening.
Low Budget doesn't have a narrative like Preservation or Soap Opera, but Ray Davies cleverly designed the album as a sly satire of the recession and oil crisis that gripped America in the late '70s - thereby satisfying his need to be a wry social commentator while giving American audiences a hook to identify with. It was a clever move that worked; not only did Low Budget become their highest-charting American album (not counting the 1966 Greatest Hits compilation), but it was also a fine set of arena rock, one of the better mainstream hard rock albums of its time. And it certainly was of its time - so much so that many of the concerns and production techniques have dated quite a bit in the decades since its initial release. Nevertheless, that gives the album a certain charm, since it now plays like a time capsule, a snapshot of what hard rock sounded like at the close of the '70s…