Visible Wind

Released in 1996, Narcissus Goes to the Moon remains Quebec progressive rock band Visible Wind's finest hour. This fourth opus saw them in full control of their musicianship. Creativity was at its peak and, now owning its own studio, the band had a chance to develop its musical ideas further, resulting in a musically cohesive album, where every song segued into, or at least related to, the next. If it had not been for the unexpected demise of the Kozak label, this CD could have introduced them to a more international prog audience. Stylistic references on Narcissus can be summed up with two names: early Camel and the Flower Kings. Bubbling synthesizers, solid guitars, and angular rhythm patterns balanced out by infectious melodies are the essence of highlights like "Fuzzy Concept," "Xenophobia," and the 20-minute epic "The Awakening," all tracks that will appeal to any fan of the aforementioned artists…

Apart from David Sanborn, probably no living saxophonist has a more instantly recognizable voice than Jan Garbarek; actually, given the fact that Sanborn's sound is so widely copied, Garbarek's may be easier to identify in a blindfold test. This album in particular puts that sound front and center. Garbarek's the show; he composed all of the music, and is essentially the only soloist. The music (much of which was composed as soundtrack material for film or video) is quintessential Garbarek, full of the world music influences that have characterized his work since the 1970s.

As the predecessors of Sony Classical, CBS Masterworks had not a catalogue of ""authenticity-minded"" recordings (the pioneering efforts of Raymond Leppard and Jean-Claude Malgoire notwithstanding), Sony made a distinctive new start and engaged indubitably one of the most experienced producers in the field of early music, Wolf Erichson. If the successes secured by such musicians as Gustav Leonhardt, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Frans Brüggen in the 1960s were the most visible signs to a wider audience of thorough-going change in the interpretation of music from medieval to baroque times, there was no doubt in assigning a part of the general success to the work of the production teams behind the recordings.

Nina Simone - Four Women: The Nina Simone Philips Recordings (1964-1966) {2003 Verve Deluxe 4-CD Set}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.46 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 602 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 218 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1964-66, 2003 Philips / Verve / Universal | 440 065 021-2
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Torch Songs / Soul / Blues / American Popular Song / Standards

Nina Simone recorded seven albums for the Philips label between 1964 and 1966. It was the period in her career in which her reputation was cemented as a world-class artist, and one in which she gained fame for her contributions to the civil rights movement as well. Despite the fact that she recorded great albums both before and after her years with Philips (most notably with RCA), her Philips period is easily her most enigmatic. Among her Philips recordings are her live label debut and six studio recordings featuring wildly varying instrumentation, arrangements, and contents. The box contains all seven LPs on four CDs, and includes one bonus track.