Compintmarket 1992 Eec Suppl3 95

First Harvest: The Best of Alphaville 1984-1992 collects 15 tracks from the Europop darlings, marking the first "real" Alphaville compilation to span the group's entire career (1988's barren Singles Collection featured only four tracks in various states of mixdown). Cut from the same cloth as Ultravox and early Depeche Mode, the band had better success in Germany than it did in the United States, but standout cuts such as "Big in Japan," "Forever Young," "Red Rose," and "Jerusalem" reside in the upper echelon of early-'80s synth pop.

Music or Movie? The big picture in "Waitin' For Your Call" reminds you of a b/w Bogard movie, the lover waitin' at the phone, late at night, excuses, love, hate, drama. "Good Morning L.A." is just that: sunny, jazzy good and mellow. "Where are You" in both versions memorable, the vocals right on. "Syntasia" a hommage to the powerful sounds of Keith Emerson and to Eddie Jobson's brilliance.

Chess Blues is a superlative four-CD box set featuring important tracks by all the main stars of the label (Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson), as well as much previously unreleased material. A well-done retrospective of Chicago blues in its heyday, as recorded by America's greatest blues label, Chess.

Weighing in at a hefty 34 tracks, this is the most exhaustive Swinging Blue Jeans anthology available…

Sambao is Kenny Barron's tribute to Brazilian music done his way. These original compositions by the peerless pianist combine jazz and samba in a modernistic way, with no copying of tunes from the master Antonio Carlos Jobim, and no hint of the populist Stan Getz approach due to the lack of a lead instrument, save Barron's attractive and inventive piano. He's accompanied by heavyweights of the Rio-cum-New York City scene, including guitarist Toninho Horta, bassist Nico Assumpção, and French-born percussionist Mino Cinelu. Barron's (and most people's) favorite jazz drummer Victor Lewis is included, reinforcing the rhythms expertly as usual.

Lost Terrain (1992). Seattle's Jeff Greinke is considered by many to be one of the great talents in the ambient/experimental music scene. His career has progressed from early experimentalism, through his mid-period ambience and fourth-world atmospherics, to his recent work in a loop-oriented world/jazz/ambient hybrid style. The one release of Greinke's most often mentioned by fans of his work is 1992's Lost Terrain, originally issued by Silent Records. With a sound that ranges from austere minimalism reminiscent of Budd and Eno, to strange, surreal soundworlds uniquely Greinke's own, Terrain showcases all that is strong and unique about Greinke's work. Out of print for several years, this crucial mid-period release is now available again, digitally remastered and repackaged, from Hypnos Recordings…

There are a playfulness and charm underneath Jones' solos that repeatedly surface throughout his excellent renditions on this disc dedicated to Fats Waller's music. While 10 of the 16 songs are Waller compositions, those that aren't, like "How Come You Do Me Like You Do" and "Your Feet's Too Big," are closely identified with him. Jones' flourishes, expert handling of stride rhythms, and delicate but skillful reworkings not only capture the flavor Waller brought to such songs as "Ain't Misbehavin'," "Honeysuckle Rose" and the title track, but add his character to them with tricky phrases, quick melodies and nimble lines.

At the time Rare Masters was released in 1992, most of the selections on this 37-track double-disc compilation were indeed rare. They were issued on non-LP singles, B-sides, the Friends soundtrack, one-offs; some were buried on album tracks, and some even stayed in the vault. Since then, Elton John's catalog has been remastered and reissued, with much of the best of this material appearing as bonus tracks, but the album still was worthwhile, since it not only has some songs that never appeared elsewhere on disc (such as "Step Into Christmas"' B-side, "(Ho Ho Ho) Who'd Be a Turkey at Christmas"), but it also is a hell of a listen in its own right, showcasing great songs and forgotten gems from John's prime period.