R. Shankar

This is a UK four CD repackaging of this excellent box set. Over a single weekend in June 1967, Monterey entered history as the very first rock festival. The paucity of official releases over the intervening years led to Monterey–like the Rolling Stones' Rock & Roll Circus–becoming as much a figment of rock & roll myth as hard fact. Finally though, in 1994, the British company Castle Communications put together this beautifully assembled 4 CD box set. Unfortunately, some acts (Simon & Garfunkel, Grateful Dead)–perhaps feeling their performances were below-par–refused to license their material. But with over four hours of music, this set still presents a vivid snapshot of the event. For once, the packaging is as important as the music: a booklet is bound in, complete with memorabilia, previously unpublished photos, and first-hand reminiscences from performers like David Crosby, Dennis Hopper, Steve Miller, Eric Burdon and John Phillips.

A. R. Rahman - Vande Mataram (1997) {Sony-BMG 488709 2 feat. Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 261 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 100 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 39 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1997 Sony BMG Music (India) | 488709
Indian Music / Patriotic / Indian Raga / World Music

"Vande Mataram" became a Sanskit rallying cry for freedom in the early 1900s, as Indians protested against the partitioning of Bengal and its use as the title for the first international release by Ar Rahman, one of India's most popular contemporary recordings artists, is appropriate. Vande Mataram was released to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of India's independence from colonial Britain and it also was designed to introduce the western world, particularly the United States, the wonders of modern Indian music and culture.

The Complete Monterey Pop Festival arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The three-disc set includes exclusive new video interviews with director D.A. Pennebaker and Lou Adler, producer of the Monterey International Pop Festival; vintage interviews; audio commentary; original promotional materials; archival interview with Pete Townshend; audio commentary by music critic and historian Charles Shaar Murray; two audio commentaries featuring music historian Peter Guralnick; and more.