Few Show me The Numbers

Singer/actress Lena Horne's primary occupation was nightclub entertaining, a profession she pursued successfully around the world for more than 60 years, from the 1930s to the 1990s. In conjunction with her club work, she also maintained a recording career that stretched from 1936 to 2000 and brought her three Grammys, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1989; she appeared in 16 feature films and several shorts between 1938 and 1978; she performed occasionally on Broadway, including in her own Tony-winning one-woman show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, in 1981-1982; and she sang and acted on radio and television.

The original Who's Better, Who's Best: The Videos was a handy laserdisc consisting of 17 videos, an inordinate number of them overlapping at least in part with material from the movie The Kids Are Alright – which was OK, as the latter was never widely available as a laserdisc…

If 1976 was year zero for punk rock in the U.K. with the Sex Pistols and Clash blowing up and taking over the music press, 1977 was the year record shops were flooded with singles by all sorts of bands capitalizing on the sound, fury, and attitude of punk. Cherry Red's 1977: The Year Punk Broke is a chronologically chosen three-disc selection of singles that touches on some of the biggest releases of the year plus loads of tracks that still sound rough and ready by bands who didn't stand the test of time.

Big Maybelle - The Complete OKeh Sessions 1952-1955 (1994) {Epic EK 53417}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 307 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 171 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 52 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1952-55, 1994 Epic / Legacy / Sony Music | EK 53417
Blues / East Coast Blues / Jump Blues / Soul Blues

These 26 essential tracks that Big Maybelle recorded for Okeh records are the real McCoy. Her reputation as one of the most exciting female vocalists to ever sing the Blues is more than ably demonstrated here, and these tracks are the purest Blues she ever recorded. Unlike some of her pop and jazz records - and Big Maybelle excelled in all of these styles - almost all of these tracks have the distinction of bearing the unmistakable stamp of pure Blues music, something that is mighty rare among female practitioners of the art. The music world abounds with many female vocalists who were labeled "Blues" singers without their ever fully indulging in the form. While Big Maybelle herself made some excellent R & B and even pop records, when she sang the Blues, she went all the way, as some others did not. And if you want proof, one listen to these excellent tracks is all you will need.

The British label Pickwick/Hallmark, is characterized by making re-editions. This time I scored another point by purchasing this double LP’s live by Elton John many, many years ago, with two concerts recorded in the 70s decade (1970 – 1974). I say a success because the records are intact, just like their original versions and the best in a single double album! What more can I ask for?