Sacred Pain: Hurting The Body For The Sake of The Soul

The Long Ryders kicked off their major label debut, State of Our Union, with one of their most anthemic and most explicitly political songs, "Looking for Lewis and Clark," and that tune set the tone for the rest of the album – State of Our Union found the Long Ryders reaching for a larger audience at the same time that they were using their music to say a great deal more than they had in the past. Musically, plenty of roadwork had tightened the band's interplay to an even finer point than on Native Sons (Sid Griffin and Stephen McCarthy were both in superb voice, and their guitar work meshed perfectly), and Will Birch's production gave the songs a poppier sheen that still allowed the band's roots-conscious sound to shine through. Lyrically, State of Our Union took a long look at Reagan-era America as the gulf between the rich and the poor began to divide the nation, with "You Can't Ride the Boxcars Anymore," "Two Kinds of Love," and "Good Times Tomorrow, Hard Times Today" all exploring issues of economic injustice, and even the less obvious political songs often having a progressive subtext ("WDIA," a tribute to the great Memphis R&B radio station, deals with how the love of music brought together black and white listeners in the 1960s).

At the Drive-In have plans for a worldwide reissue of their 1996 debut Acrobatic Tenement and 2000’s Relationship of Command, the band’s final album before breaking-up in 2001. Of course, Australia already received its reissues last year, with the new edition of Relationship of Command featuring songs from their 2001 triple j Live at the Wireless. For the rest of the world, both albums will be rereleased on CD, digital and vinyl with a limited run of colour vinyl for Relationship of Command to be issued for Record Store Day on 20th April, 2013.

Isaac Hayes - For The Sake Of Love (1978) {2014 Remastered & Expanded Reissue - Big Break Records CDBBRX0166)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 368 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 134 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 67 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1978, 2014 Polydor / Big Break Records / Cherry Red | CDBBRX0166
R&B / Soul / Funk

Isaac Hayes needs no introduction. As a songwriter his career spanned more than 45 years during which time he penned countless songs for himself and others while releasing numerous albums containing tracks that have kept dance floors moving since the 60s. 1978 saw the release of FOR THE SAKE OF LOVE, the second studio album released on Polydor Records from the legendary Isaac Hayes.

1998, Swedish band and have been compared to Talisman, Rainbow and Lillian Axe! Debut album produced by Par Edwardson [MILLION]. The outstanding Guitar work of Robert [Gene] Hansson will set many an air guitar a twanging, and with the outrageous lead vocals of Stefano Marchesini [Dio/Soto on a good day] will help make this debut offering one of the most successful.

Stile Antico's 2015 release on Harmonia Mundi, A Wondrous Mystery, is a sublime collection of Renaissance choral music for Christmas, presented in a pleasant mix of familiar German carols and a mass, with tracks interspersed for the sake of variety. This makes sense in consideration of the group's broad audience, which may know such popular hymns as Michael Praetorius' Ein Kind geborn in Bethlehem and Es ist ein Ros entsprungen, or Johannes Eccard's Übers Gebirg Maria geht and Vom Himmel hoch, yet be somewhat at a loss with the motet and Missa Pastores quidnam vidistis by Jacobus Clemens non Papa, a composer beloved by early music specialists but not exactly a household name for lay listeners. However, the a cappella performances are consistently beautiful and soothing throughout, and the quietly joyous mood of the music fits the album's title perfectly. The 12-voice choir's blend is well-balanced and transparent, and the ambience of All Hallow's Church, Gospel Oak, London gives an ideal resonance for the group's small size and close miking.