!!! could be lumped in with the other new wave dance-punk revivalists like the Rapture or Radio 4. That would be easy enough, as they all share an allegiance to the punky funk sounds of the '80s as pioneered by groups like Gang of Four, the Pop Group, Talking Heads, and others. Rather than merely lumping them in, maybe one could say they are leading the pack. Louden Up Now is easily the best record to come out of the movement; its ten tracks are filled with fervor, hooks, passion, and power. And unlike many of their peers, !!! have politics. Angry, righteous politics. Antiwar, anti-Giuliani, anti-Bush and Blair, and proud of it. It is like a blast of fresh retro air to have a band not just updating the sound but carrying over similar ideals as well…
Summer 1988 and as Acid House raged across the UK pockets of resistance began springing up delicated to a very different beat. Inspired by Hip-Hop, Jazz and a wealth of Soul and Funk recordings stretching back to the 60's America, young musicians breathed life into old sounds, recorded new ones and set about spreading their message worldwide. Soul Jazz Sessions celebrates those bands, producers, and DJ's who took the next step into the studio and produced some dancefloor magic in the process.
This edition presents two superb albums produced by the Gil Evans orchestra during 1958 & 1959, in their entirety: Great Jazz Standards and New Bottle, Old Wine. Both LPs present well known standards with the inimitable arranging style of Gil Evans, and feature jazz stars like Johnny Coles, Cannonball Adderley, Curtis Fuller, Jimmy Cleveland, Budd Johnson, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, Art Blakey, and Elvin Jones.
Thirteen hours of unreleased and ultra-rare music. The Eternal Myth Revealed is a 14 disc docu-biography of Ra's life and career, from his birth in 1914 up to 1959. In addition to his own music, it includes music he was influenced by, and a lot of stuff he may or may not have had a hand in as arranger, vocal coach, pianist or something else. Sun Ra's output was as prolific as Ellington's, and discographers have had nightmares and arguments attempting to document it accurately.
Thirteen hours of unreleased and ultra-rare music. The Eternal Myth Revealed is a 14 disc docu-biography of Ra's life and career, from his birth in 1914 up to 1959. In addition to his own music, it includes music he was influenced by, and a lot of stuff he may or may not have had a hand in as arranger, vocal coach, pianist or something else. Sun Ra's output was as prolific as Ellington's, and discographers have had nightmares and arguments attempting to document it accurately.
Each box contains 25 slipcase CDs, a booklet (up to 186 pages) and an index. The booklets contain extensive notes (Eng/Fr) with recording dates and line-ups. 31 hours of music in each box, totalling 1677 tracks Each track has been restored and mastered from original sources. The only reason I can think of for there not yet being a review of these four boxed sets, is that those who own them are just too busy having one hell of a blast listening to them. Some people moan about the 50 year copyright law for audio recordings in Europe, but without it this highly entertaining, eye-opening and educational undertaking could never have taken place. These 100 discs (spread over four boxed sets of 25 discs) tell the story of jazz from 1898 to 1959.