Abbba Waterloo

ABBA's second (and U.S. debut) album contains the American Top Ten title track, as well as "Honey, Honey," a minor U.S. hit that deserved better. This album is rather unusual in the group's output, however, for the fact that the guys are still featured fairly prominently in some of the vocals, and for the variety of sounds - including reggae, folk-rock, and hard rock - embraced by its songs. The reggae number "Sitting in the Palmtree" is quite remarkable to hear, with its perfect Caribbean beat and those radiant female voices carrying the chorus behind the beat. "King Kong Song" is a good example of hard rock by rote, going through the motions of screaming vocals and over-amplified guitar (courtesy of Janne Schaffer), although even here, when the women's voices jump in on the choruses, it's hard not to listen attentively; the quartet knew what a powerful weapon they had, but not quite how to use it…

ABBA - Waterloo (1974) {2014, 40th Anniversary Polar Remaster, CD+DVD, Deluxe Edition 00602537645374}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (image)+CUE+LOG -> 409 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 139 Mb
DVD5 -> 2.49 Gb | All Regions | NTSC 4:3 | English (Dolby AC3, 2 ch) | ~ 45 m | ISO Image
Subs: Svenska, English, Francais, Deutsch, Espanol, Portugues
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 87 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1974, 2014 Polar Music / Universal | 00602537645374
Pop / Euro-Pop

ABBA‘s deluxe edition reissue series continues with a CD+DVD 40th Anniversary Edition of 1974’s Waterloo. The format will be very familiar to fans who have bought previous deluxe editions. The eight bonus tracks on the CD include the usual foreign language versions of singles and this Waterloo deluxe adds a few single remixes. The DVD looks reasonably good with 13 TV appearances, most of them previously unreleased. As you would expect the Eurovision Song Contest performance of Waterloo is included and there is also an interview. The rather dull ‘International Sleeve Gallery’ contains to be a feature all of the ABBA deluxe editions. The booklet will contain an essay on the making of the album, with new insights from Björn and Benny.

Rob Blakeslee Quartet - Waterloo Ice House (1999) {Louie Records - Louie 012}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 369 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 142 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 32 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1999 Louie Records | Louie 012
Jazz / Post Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Trumpet

Sometimes a jazz band will perform sans piano simply because the bar or hall doesn’t own one, or for a New Orleans funeral procession the reason is obvious. The choice not to record with an available piano is a conscious one. Take Ornette Coleman’s 1960 quartet, Sonny Rollins at The Village Vanguard 1957, or John Zorn’s Masada of the 1990s all elected to free themselves from the constraints of those black & white keys. I’m telling you this because Rob Blakeslee’s quartet opts for openness and the freedom. Peace. Blakeslee and Rich Halley are regular contributors to the West Coast bands of Vinny Golia and recordings from his label 9Winds.

Waterloo - First Battle (1970) {Vogue–Musea FGBG4281.AR rel 1999}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 372 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 156 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 173 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1970, 1999 Disques Vogue / Musea Records | FGBG4281.AR
Rock / Psychedelic Rock / Progressive Rock

Belgian band Waterloo's only album, First Battle, was originally released in February of 1970, a crucial time of transition for European rock; this was the tipping point where the expansive sounds of psychedelia lost some of their trippiness and began moving toward a technically complex progressive rock style. Though King Crimson and Yes had released their first albums by this time, prog was still very much in its infancy, and First Battle falls squarely under the proto-prog umbrella, retaining trace elements of psychedelia but definitively leaning into a more sophisticated, classical-influenced realm.

ABBA's second (and U.S. debut) album contains the American Top Ten title track, as well as "Honey, Honey," a minor U.S. hit that deserved better. This album is rather unusual in the group's output, however, for the fact that the guys are still featured fairly prominently in some of the vocals, and for the variety of sounds - including reggae, folk-rock, and hard rock - embraced by its songs. The reggae number "Sitting in the Palmtree" is quite remarkable to hear, with its perfect Caribbean beat and those radiant female voices carrying the chorus behind the beat. "King Kong Song" is a good example of hard rock by rote, going through the motions of screaming vocals and over-amplified guitar (courtesy of Janne Schaffer), although even here, when the women's voices jump in on the choruses, it's hard not to listen attentively; the quartet knew what a powerful weapon they had, but not quite how to use it…

Before the recording of Waterloo Lily, David Sinclair departed Caravan to join forces with Soft Machine skinsman Robert Wyatt and form Matching Mole. With the subsequent arrival of former Delivery member Steve Miller and an overwhelming jazz influence, the edgier progressive rock and folk elements that were so prevalent on their previous albums are somewhat repressed. The band's performance level did not suffer in the transition. In fact, the addition of Miller only punctuates Caravan's previously honed improvisational skills. Beginning with Waterloo Lily's leadoff title track, there is a sound more akin to the jazzier efforts of Traffic. Miller's "Nothing at All" incorporates the jazz fusion even further as the long instrumental introduction more than hints at Steely Dan circa Katy Lied…