Toscas.kiss.1984

Animalize was more successful than the previous Lick It Up, but that's only because its predecessor had accomplished the job of restoring the band's reputation among adolescents…

At the start of the 1980s, it dawned on somebody in charge of Jimi Hendrix's musical legacy that a whole generation of new listeners had come of age since the guitarist's demise. That meant it was time for a fresh raid on the vaults and a fresh, authorized album release to fly the flag of the Hendrix estate, amid the steady stream of bootleg, gray market, and other unauthorized collections of his early work starting to fill up record store bins and browsers. Kiss the Sky did not just resurrect and recycle old familiar recordings, but included a pair of tracks that were new to most listeners and had a lot of meaning for serious fans…

At the start of the 1980s, it dawned on somebody in charge of Jimi Hendrix's musical legacy that a whole generation of new listeners had come of age since the guitarist's demise. That meant it was time for a fresh raid on the vaults and a fresh, authorized album release to fly the flag of the Hendrix estate, amid the steady stream of bootleg, gray market, and other unauthorized collections of his early work starting to fill up record store bins and browsers…

Recorded in the midst of Robert Smith's tenuous tenure with Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Top is arguably the most hedonistic record the Cure ever produced. Essentially Smith and Lol Tolhurst working with studio musicians (this being the period when the Cure's lineup was never assured), it's an album obviously recorded under stress, drink, and drugs. More wildly experimental musically than anything before it, it laid the foundations for the Cure's pattern of unpigeonholable albums that were to erase their reputation built by Pornography and eventually culminating in Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. That said, it's still very much a Cure record. Heavy on the percussion and quaint keyboard effects that were so big in the '80s, the melodies ("The Caterpillar," "Shake Dog Shake") are unmistakably Robert Smith…

"Heavy Way Vertigo Sampler" is a 12" vinyl LP album that features various bands and tracks from the heavy metal genre. Released under the Vertigo label, this album offers a diverse selection of songs, showcasing the talent and power of these renowned bands. This web page has photos of album covers, inner sleeves, record labels together with production details, musicians and track-listing.

Michel Petrucciani (1981). Michel Petrucciani's second recording (following the obscure Flash, put out by the French Bingow label the previous year) finds the pianist at age 18 already a powerful force. Assisted by bassist J.F. Jenny Clark and drummer Aldo Romano, Petrucciani is more heavily influenced here by Bill Evans than he would be later. The trio performs two originals apiece by the pianist and drummer Romano, plus "Days of Wine and Roses" and a romp on "Cherokee." This CD shows that Petrucciani was a brilliant player from the start…