Epic (2013)

George Duke - Brazilian Fusion (2013) {Wounded Bird Records WOU 7001 rec 1977-1984}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 541 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 172 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 13 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1977-84, 2013 Wounded Bird Records / Heads Up / Epic | WOU 7001
Jazz / Fusion / Jazz Funk

A dream of a set – at least to our Brazilian-loving ears – a special package that brings together all the best Brazilian-flavored cuts from George Duke's late 70s run on Epic Records! The package is filled with wonderfully sunny grooves throughout – tunes that sparkle and soar with mighty nice rhythms – topped with loads of keyboards from George, and vocals that often have a scatting, breezy style that's plenty sweet – American soul influenced by Brazilian grooves, in a sound that's a bit like the feel of Earth Wind & Fire's "Brazilian Rhyme".

Bill Evans - Empathy + Pike's Peak (1962) {Essetial Jazz Classics EJC55565 rel 2013}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 425 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 184 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 43 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1962, 2013 Verve / Epic / Essetial Jazz Classics | EJC55565
Jazz / Hard Bop / Piano

This release presents the complete Bill Evans trio album Empathy (Verve LPV6-8497). The LP marks the pianist’s first of only two collaborations with drummer Shelly Manne (the second, A Simple Matter of Conviction, was taped in 1966). Also it is included vibes player Dave Pike’s complete quartet LP Pike’s Peak (Epic LA16025), recorded during the same period and extensively featuring Bill Evans. Both LPs present Evans in unusual contexts, and he would never again record the majority of the songs featured here. As a final bonus, a second version of Gordon Jenkins’ “Goodbye”, taken from a quartet session by Evans with Cannonball Adderley.

John Harle & Marc Almond - The Tyburn Tree (Dark London) (2013) {Sospiro Noir SOSTT100114}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 321 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 127 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 15 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2013 Sospiro Noir | SOSTT100114
Adult Alternative Pop / Neo-Opera / Jazz / Cabaret / Contemporary Classical / Eectronic Dance / Ambient Music

John Harle's epic CV includes soundtracks, classical works and drama, all of which feed into the saxophonist's ambitious song cycle about "dark London". Its tales of the Limehouse Ripper, Spring Heeled Jack and the Highgate Vampire are centred a few centuries back, with words from William Blake and John Dee, though most of the lyrics are by Marc Almond, along with Tom Pickard and Iain Sinclair. There are splashes of cabaret and jazz, but the echoing, crepuscular atmosphere is dominated by Almond's impressive neo-operatic singing (some distance from electro-pop!), with a thumping, galloping finale that uses an extract from Blake's "prophetic book" Jerusalem. Dark but dashing.

One of the most glorious launches in history, the title track for the thrice-platinum The Final Countdown is so bombastically brilliant, such glorious garbage, that this nuclear hair assault could only spew from the vacuous '80s. But the full-tilt follow-up "Rock the Night" rules also: "You know it ain't easy/Running out of thrills." "Carrie" comes off a consummate butane ballad. Meanwhile, the rest of the disc packs so much power that Swedish superheroes Europe get away with all the processed pretension. In fact, the lofty ambition of "Danger on the Track," "Ninja," and "Cherokee" (each as tasty as its title) combines with heated drive and hot delivery to meld The Final Countdown into a unique portrait of propulsive prog and a worthy addition to any hard rock collection.

Tales from the Kingdom of Fife is the debut album by Anglo-Swiss symphonic power metal band Gloryhammer. It was released on 29 March 2013 in Europe. In a fantasy version of 10th-century Scotland, as previously foretold (“Anstruther’s Dark Prophecy”), the evil wizard Zargothrax invades and conquers Dundee with an army of corrupted undead unicorns (“The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee”), kidnapping the princess Iona McDougall. The prince of the Kingdom of Fife, Angus McFife, swears revenge (“Angus McFife”); in a dream, he has a vision of three artifacts that will allow him to defeat Zargothrax, and sets off on a quest to acquire them. McFife first battles north to obtain a magical war hammer (“Quest for the Hammer of Glory,”) then travels to Strathclyde to acquire a golden dragon as his steed (“Magic Dragon”). Inspired by memories of McDougall, who is imprisoned by Zargothrax in a prison of ice (“Silent Tears of Frozen Princess,”) McFife rides his dragon to Loch Rannoch and retrieves the Amulet of Justice from its depths (“Amulet of Justice”), completing his quest for the three artifacts. ….

A reissue of the similarly named concert film, Maiden England '88 expands on the epic set of the original with a two-disc CD set. While this version only has three more tracks than its predecessor, it shows that a little change can go a long way, adding classics like "Run to the Hills," "Running Free," and "Sanctuary." Though it doesn't seem like much, these single cuts help to turn the live set into a more well-rounded listening experience, as the band forgoes the more far out tracks from Seventh Son of a Seventh Son and Somewhere in Time in favor of some of their earlier, more direct work…

At the peak of their career, Sly & the Family Stone topped the charts with a Greatest Hits album – in 1970, it was their first LP to crack the Billboard Top 200, peaking at number two; an argument could be made that it was the LP that cemented their stardom – and over the years, they've been anthologized many times, almost each compilation worthwhile, but they've never been subjected to a comprehensive box set until Legacy's 2013 four-disc set Higher!…