Into The Silent Land

A deluxe 4CD set containing the complete sessions from Bruce Soord’s acoustic live performances streamed during the UK lockdown.

“Give me the reasons to go on. Soften the sorrow that shatters and bends, and mend broken dreams.” Singer/songwriter Mark Heard wrote those words in “House of Broken Dreams” on his Dry Bones Dance LP in 1990. There was a prophesy buried within the lines, whether he knew it or not. Heard passed away two years later, in August of 1992, but his words have echoed on in the hearts of all who knew them. And now, with Treasure of the Broken Land: The Songs of Mark Heard, many more hearts can join the chorus while marking the 25th anniversary of his passing. Available June 2 on Storm Weathered Records with a limited edition vinyl to follow, Treasure of the Broken Land is distributed via Redeye Worldwide.

“Give me the reasons to go on. Soften the sorrow that shatters and bends, and mend broken dreams.” Singer/songwriter Mark Heard wrote those words in “House of Broken Dreams” on his Dry Bones Dance LP in 1990. There was a prophesy buried within the lines, whether he knew it or not. Heard passed away two years later, in August of 1992, but his words have echoed on in the hearts of all who knew them. And now, with Treasure of the Broken Land: The Songs of Mark Heard, many more hearts can join the chorus while marking the 25th anniversary of his passing. Available June 2 on Storm Weathered Records with a limited edition vinyl to follow, Treasure of the Broken Land is distributed via Redeye Worldwide.

Frank Minion - The Soft Land of Make Believe (1959-1960) {Bethlehem Japan CDSOL-6054 rel 2013}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 282 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 98 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 42 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1959-60, 2013 Solid Records Japan / Bethlehem Records | CDSOL-6054
Jazz / Bop / Vocal Jazz / Vocalese

Features the latest remastering. Includes a Japanese description and lyrics. Frank Minion's one and only recording is a fascinating window into the world of a jazz performer. Quite cynical and sarcastic toward the jaundiced American view of the jazz life, Minion minces no words in stating his case, his reasons why, and his conclusions as to the home country of the music so thoroughly dismissing the music he loves. As this project was done back in the late '50s and early '60s, it reflects a syndrome that unfortunately still exists 50 years later. The CD reissue begins with a five-part suite based on the talking points and songs reflecting the vagaries and perceptions of a fictional big city neighborhood, which just as easily could be the reality of renaissance Harlem, references to Atlanta, or perhaps his native Baltimore.

The set is built around the A and B sides of singles, with album cuts salted in between. This is effective in charting the band's progression from melodic popsters to hard rockers and back to the pop-inflected music that closed out their career. The highlights are scattered throughout – "American Woman," of course; "Rain Dance," with its unnerving echoes of American massacres, the funky, improvised live "Truckin' Off Across the Sky," even the goofy "Clap for the Wolfman," which came when the Guess Who were all but finished. The Ultimate Collection works well as an introduction to the Guess Who, but will not gratify anyone with more than a basic need to know. On a sonic level, the set sounds good, however.

It's not often that an artist gets to do a Bowie by consciously carving their personal epitaph into the grooves of their final LP. The Highest in the Land is that rarity of an album, and it could not have been made by a more brilliantly poetic and fearlessly sarcastic writer than Pat Fish, also known as The Jazz Butcher.