Bargain For Paradise

This whopping 30-CD box set gathers together the best of Trojan's three-disc box set series. Included are the Ska, DJ, Dub, Instrumentals, Jamaican Superstars, Lovers, Producer Series, Rocksteady, Roots, and Tribute to Bob Marley volumes, each of which can be found under Trojan Box Set for their individual reviews. What's lacking here is a booklet with additional notes and information; the bulk seems to demand some extra coverage and care, yet all that's here are the original notes of each volume – only as much text as can fit on the back of the CD sleeves.

All hail the bargain-basement Hallmark label, purveyors of some of the greatest compilations in the early-'70s British rock realm, and pursuing that briefly towards the end of the decade with a great selection of old Status Quo hits. There are absolutely no surprises here. Ruthlessly mining the band's 1968-71 catalog, the Pye label had already released more Quo collections than the band itself had released LPs, and this one just adds its weight to the pile. But, just as Hallmark's late-'60s Kinks collections have since been revealed as an entire generation's first taste of that band's most glorious catalog, so Pictures of Matchstick Men (titled, of course, for the group's first hit) filled the same need among a later brood – and the fact that it came along just as Quo themselves began lapsing into parody gave its release further flavor. At last, a "new" Status Quo record that doesn't sound like the last seventeen!

Harry "Sweets" Edison Quintet - Patented By Edison (1960) {Roulette-Jazz Collectors JC 424 rel 2008}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 362 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 157 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 39 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1960, 2008 Roulette / Jazz Collectors | JC 424
Jazz / Mainstream Jazz / Trumpet

This album comprises two original LPs, now available together on CD for the first time. The first 12 tracks come from Patented by Edison, recorded in 1960, and the last 12 are from Sweetenings, recorded two years earlier. Despite the differing personnels on each album, the format is basically the same: mainly short tracks featuring Harry Edison himself, with the other players somewhat in the background. The results might threaten to be samey, except that Edison is always worth hearing, with his judicious choice of notes and his soft, unassertive tone. It is no surprise that Frank Sinatra wanted Harry to be on many of his recordings with Nelson Riddle's orchestra, because the trumpeter could always supply an inimitable touch of sophistication without overpowering the singer.