Garden Japan

Bob Dylan - Live 1961-2000, Thirty-Nine Years Of Great Concert Performances (2001) {SME Records Japan SRCS 2438}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 468 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 173 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 123 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1961-2000, 2001 SME Records / Sony Music Japan | SRCS 2438
Rock / Folk Rock / Country Rock / Political Folk / Rock & Roll / Singer/Songwriter

It's been a while since we've had an officially released Dylan collector's item. Sony Japan has done a limited-edition run of a stellar Dylan live retrospective. It features six songs which have never been released, five that have never been issued on any of Dylan's albums, one from a promo only album, one that is a cassette-only B-side, and assorted others. Many of the tunes are familiar, some aren't, but the selection is eclectic and wonderfully compiled. The set opens with a bluegrass version of the old gospel tune "Somebody Touched Me," recorded in 2000, followed immediately by a reading of "Wade in the Water" from 1961.

Max Roach & Stan Levey - Drummin' The Blues (1957) {Liberty Japan TOCJ-9490, Mini LP rel 2003}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 211 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 91 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 19 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1957, 2003 Liberty Records / Toshiba-EMI Japan | TOCJ-9490
Jazz / Bebop / Drums

When Howard Rumsey transitioned from Max Roach to Stan Levey at the Lighthouse, inevitable comparisons arose from the musicians on the bandstand and the fans in the audience. "Stan was a very simple, basic drummer," said saxophonist Bud Shank, "as opposed to Max, who was complex. But they both achieved the same purpose. They swung like hell." Drummer Don Lamond offered his take: "I loved Max. He was marvelous. But he could sometimes get a little erratic for my tastes. Stan just flows. He's smooth."