Looking For The Rainbow

The instrumental rockers of the early '70s never were any good at dulling down their musical expertise; and, indeed, it's only a matter of seconds into their first live release - Live at the Rainbow - until one realizes just how talented Focus were. Jan Akkerman, named "World's Best Guitarist" by Melody Maker in 1973 ahead of Eric Clapton and others, was amazingly on form in this performance. Thijs Van Leer, chief songwriter and performer in the band, showcased his talents on flute, vocals, and organ with unparalleled finesse. Bert Ruiter knocked out his basslines tight to Pierre Van Der Linden's drums, undoubtedly two of the finest players on their respective instruments. It would be so easy to go off on a tangent explaining the mastery that Focus had musically; suffice to say, however, the bands technical proficiency is rarely matched in the world of rock…

Chris Rea’s eighties and early nineties gear has been expanded and remastered for release this October. The albums – Shamrock Diaries (1985), On the Beach (1986), Dancing With Strangers (1987), The Road to Hell (1989) and Auberge (1991) span Rea’s commercial peak and are to be reissued as deluxe double CD sets. They will also be accessorised with period appropriate ‘additional recordings’ such as remixes, non-album and live tracks, all newly remastered.

This album, with which the singer reached his commercial peak, reflects Chris Rea's love/hate relationship with the car. The title track is famously inspired by Rea's experiences of the M25, but this is not a simple tract on the evils of the automobile–in 1988, he bought himself a racing car. His vision of hell is the traffic jam that stops you from using all that expensive acceleration. In this sense Chris Rea–the epitome of maturity compared to most in his business–shows himself still very much a rock star. The Road To Hell, despite the melancholy piano riff of the song itself and its Leonard Cohen-ish lyrics, is an optimistic album with a warm, embracing sound. This album is graced with some of Rea's finest creations: the spacey "Daytona", the topicality of "You Must Be Evil" and the catchy "That's What They Always Say". "Texas" is another witty commentary on the need for speed, and like many of the tracks on this disc it has the mellow groove that Rea has made his own.

Various Artists - Looking At The Pictures In The Sky: The British Psychedelic Sounds Of 1968 (2017) {3CD Set}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.06 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 565 Mb
Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 25 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1968, 2017 Grapefruit Records / Cherry Red Records | CRSEGBOX040
Rock / Psychedelia / Psychedelic Rock / British Psychedelia

It goes without saying that 1968 doesn't have the same kind of cachet as 1967 - a year that, in musical terms, will always be indelibly associated with the Summer of Love, Sgt Pepper and the emergence of psychedelia. •But although the major players turned away from the excesses of the previous year in favour of a back-to-basics musical approach, there were arguably a greater number of psychedelic records made in 1968 than during the preceding twelve months. •Vital, lysergically-inclined 45s emerged from a whole host of younger groups, with The Factory, Mike Stuart Span, Fleur de Lys, The Fire, The Barrier, Boeing Duveen, Rupert's People and numerous others all releasing singles that have long been widely regarded by psychedelic collectors as genre classics.

After six years away from studio recording, Transatlantic's Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Roine Stolt, and Pete Trewavas met in Sweden over four days in 2019. They cut enough material to fill two albums. Plans to complete and tour the set in 2020 were scuttled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Morse wanted a single-disc release, but his bandmates disagreed. Portnoy offered an unprecedented solution: to issue two musically distinct versions of the record simultaneously. Stolt shepherded the 90-minute double disc – subtitled "Forevermore" – to completion. For his part, Morse went further than editing for the abridged disc, subtitled "The Breath of Life." He rearranged, reorchestrated, and re-recorded songs using different singers; he also penned some new lyrics and an exclusive song. While 13 of the original 18 tracks cut for The Absolute Universe are shared, some are radically different musically, and some employ different titles.