U.s.a Flatlinerz

Widespread respect for Earl Hooker, one of the unsung giants of the blues, is long overdue, and his rather limited available discography belies a great original talent. P-Vine Japan has attempted to put this right with Blues Guitar: The Chief and Age Sessions 1959-1963, an intelligent and authoritative collection of Hooker's early-'60s heyday, containing instrumental classics such as "Blue Guitar" and "Blues in D Natural." Both sound quality and packaging supersede all previous reissues of this work and, as such, this release becomes perhaps the cornerstone of any Earl Hooker collection.

'Born In The U.S.A.' features some of the most radio-friendly performances in Springsteen's entire discography, which brilliantly disguise much of the emotional turmoil simmering underneath (case in point: the anthemic title track, a harrowing tale of a Vietnam veteran that Ronald Reagan attempted to co-opt for his presidential re-election campaign).

John Lewis - Orchestra U.S.A. The Debut Recording (1963) {Lone Hill Jazz LHJ 10117 rel 2004} (ft. Eric Dolphy)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 393 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 179 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 14 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1963, 2004 Lone Hill Jazz | LHJ 10117
Jazz / Modern Big Band / Piano

Lewis, the director of the Modern Jazz Quartet until his death in 2001, moved away from improvisation into composition when he formed Orchestra U.S.A. for this 1963 recording. John Lewis formed Orchestra U.S.A. as a vehicle to potentially explore any composed or improvised music, blending elements of jazz and classical music by recruiting some first-rate players from both worlds. The result is one of the more successful third stream recordings. There are two string quartets, plus woodwinds, brass, and a rhythm section present. Collaborating with Gunther Schuller, who conducted the group and did some of the orchestrations, Lewis expanded his work "Three Little Feelings" from its original chart for brass, featuring outstanding solos by alto saxophonist Phil Woods and guitarist Jim Hall.

The real breakthrough, as Brian Wilson asserts himself in the studio as both songwriter and arranger on a set of material that was much stronger than Surfin' Safari…

Made in U.S.A. is a 1986 double vinyl album (or one-CD) compilation of some of The Beach Boys' biggest successes. Released by their original record label, Capitol Records, it marked a brief return to the label, with whom The Beach Boys released one further album, 1989's Still Cruisin'. Featuring a number of their 1960s' classics, in addition to a sampling of their later hits, Made in U.S.A. also contains two new recordings, both produced by Terry Melcher. "Rock 'n' Roll to the Rescue" is a Mike Love/Melcher collaboration, and "California Dreamin'" is a cover of The Mamas & the Papas' late 1965 debut single. Both were released as singles and made the U.S. pop singles chart. A slow seller, Made in U.S.A. reached No. 96 in the U.S. and ultimately went double platinum there, though with other compilations now available, Made in U.S.A. has since gone out of print.

Bruce Springsteen had become increasingly downcast as a songwriter during his recording career, and his pessimism bottomed out with Nebraska. But Born in the U.S.A., his popular triumph, which threw off seven Top Ten hits and became one of the best-selling albums of all time, trafficked in much the same struggle, albeit set to galloping rhythms and set off by chiming guitars. That the witless wonders of the Reagan regime attempted to co-opt the title track as an election-year campaign song wasn't so surprising: the verses described the disenfranchisement of a lower-class Vietnam vet, and the chorus was intended to be angry, but it came off as anthemic. Then, too, Springsteen had softened his message with nostalgia and sentimentality, and those are always crowd-pleasers…

The Beach Boys had two minor single hits – "California Dreamin'" and "Rock 'N' Roll To The Rescue" – back on Capitol Records in 1986, and to mark their 25th anniversary, the label assembled this two-record set, adding the new songs to yet another selection of old songs…