The Strain S01e01 (2014)

All eight original T. Rex studio albums, plus two bonus CD of non-album tracks, in card wallets in a box, with a 16 page booklet. Recorded between 1970 and 1977, Marc Bolan’s best-known favourites are included, including “Get It On”, “Metal Guru”, “Telegram Sam”, “Children Of The Revolution” and “20th Century Boy” are included…

The name Chuck Cissel evokes a time of feel good, uplifting love vibes from a golden pre-electronic, pre-hip hop R&B era of soul music, so perfectly defined by the classic dance hit Cisselin Hot. A collaboration with Producer Skip Scarborough, at the peak of his song writing powers with Earth Wind & Fire. Chuck Cissel comes from Tulsa, Oklahoma then moved to New York to perform on Broadway. Among Chuck's recordings was his song Don't Tell Me You're Sorry, a favourite among UK soul fans which in its early form helped secure a recording contract with Arista Records for the two albums presented here.

This release contains Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers’ complete recordings from their first Japanese tour in 1961. These consist of two sets, one recorded live at Sankei Hall in Tokyo, and a posterior TV show performed in the same city the following week. Both sets feature an amazing lineup, with the leader on drums, Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor sax, Bobby Timmons on piano, and Jymmie Merritt on bass.

French trio Delusion Squared is a comparatively new band, formed back in 2009 and released their debut the following year. Since then an album has followed every two years. "The Final Delusion" is their third full-length production, self-released in 2014. The fairly gentle material that dominates this album, paired off with controlled, harder-edged impact sequences and occasional compositions with a dominant hard-edged sound, is one that should invoke quite a lot of interest by those who come across this production. A certain affection for female lead vocals is required of course, and then for vocals that are characteristically careful and with a strong feeling of innocence to them. Those who enjoy the gentler sides of a band like Porcupine Tree appears as a key audience for this CD, and especially those amongst them with a taste for futuristic sounds and science fiction based concept albums.

Five Seasons, Lemongrass, Velvet Dreamer, Christophe Goze, Club Des Belugas, Jojo Effect and many more.

Woo - When the Past Arrives (2014) {Drag City DC584CD rec 1970s-1980s}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 231 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 105 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 18 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1970s-80s, 2014 Drag City / Yoga Records | DC584CD / YCD012
Experimental / Folktronica / Leftfield / Ambient Jazz / Ambient Electronic / Balearic

Emboldened by the success of the recent reissue of It's Cosy Inside, Mark and Clive had a listen to hundreds of previously unreleased tracks recorded in the 70s and 80s to assemble their first new record in two decades, When The Past Arrives, out in March from Drag City / Yoga Records. With comparisons to Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Animal Collective, Cluster, and Brian Eno, WOO's profile in the world of atemporal music has been growing for years. For the lucky few who know, like Fela, or Neu!, WOO has their own instantly recognizable vibrantly pulsing sound, a quiet sound of comfort and contentment.

The film scores of Iranian-born/U.S.-educated Nima Fakhrara (Exists, Gatchaman, The Courier) are known for their experimental bent, the product of a composer informed not only by Persian classical music but university studies in anthropology and ethnomusicology. To score William Eubank’s thought-provoking sci-fi movie, Fakhrara says he "wanted to achieve a certain sense of mystery and tension throughout the film. Our characters are being pulled and pushed in many directions, so the music had to feel the same. We also wanted keep the audience guessing throughout the film by scoring scenes in unconventional ways.” Fakhrara’s expansive sensibilities also drive him to craft new instruments from industrial scraps…

Man - The Twang Dynasty (2014) {3CD Esoteric Deluxe Clamshell Boxset Edition ECLEC32455 rec 1992}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.18 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 384 Mb
Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 26 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1992, 2014 Esoteric Recordings / Cherry Red Records | ECLEC32455
Rock / Prog-Rock / Pub Rock / Hard Rock

Although Man had reformed in 1983 to perform live, The Twang Dynasty was Mans first studio record release in sixteen years. The album was a very strong comeback that stands alongside the bands work in the 1970s. Featuring a line-up of Micky Jones (Guitar, Vocals), Deke Leonard (Guitar, Vocals), Martin Ace (Bass, Vocals) and John Weathers (drums), The Twang Dynasty featured excellent material such as A Feather on the Scales of Justice, The Chinese Cut and The Wings of Mercury (dedicated to the late John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service who had performed with MAN). The deluxe set is newly re-mastered and features two additional CDs of Mans complete set at Glastonbury Festival on 25th June 1994, featuring many tracks from The Twang Dynasty, along with splendid performances of classic tracks such as CMon, Many Are Called, But Few Get Up, Bananas and Romain.