Mama 2013

This wonderful three-disc set brings together everything Willie Mae Thornton recorded for the folk music label in the mid-'70s. It's comprised of her two released albums from 1975, Jail and Sassy Mama, and a complete unreleased album, Big Mama Swings. Thornton was still in good voice on these sessions and while not as powerful as her Peacock sides, the production is solid and these recordings make an excellent addition to her scant discography.

When this album was originally released, some claimed that Jerry Doucette was going to be the next guitar hero. Although he never reached those heights, his debut album, Mama Let Him Play, stands as a fine representation of mainstream rock in the late '70s…

Cream teamed up with producer Felix Pappalardi for their second album, Disraeli Gears, a move that helped push the power trio toward psychedelia and also helped give the album a thematic coherence missing from the debut…

Rock music in the 1980s had completely lost the gritty feel of earlier eras, until Lenny Kravitz rediscovered the magic formula. Kravitz's sonic template combined good old-fashioned rock & roll with glam, soul, and psychedelia, making him a massive success. He made a splash straight out of the gate with his album Let Love Rule. After that, he de-emphasized the flower-power aspects of his music and began moving toward a heavier rock sound. This progression brought him such huge hits as "Are You Gonna Go My Way" and a hard-rocking cover of the Guess Who's "American Woman." Along the way, his flamboyant image, model-like looks, and frequent acting roles made him a fixture in pop-music circles.

The Band - Live At The Academy Of Music 1971 (2013) {4CD & DVD-A/V Capitol Records, UMe 0602537375271} (Complete Artwork)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.66 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 613 Mb
DVD5 A/V -> 3.83 Gb | All Regions | NTSC 16:9 | Dolby AC3, 6 ch / Dolby AC3, 2 ch | ~ 112 min | ISO Image
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 76 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1971, 2013 Capitol Records / UMe | 0602537375271
Rock / Americana / Roots Rock / Country Rock

During the final week of 1971, The Band played four legendary concerts at New York City's Academy Of Music, ushering in the New Year with electrifying performances, including new horn arrangements by Allen Toussaint and a surprise guest appearance by Bob Dylan for a New Year's Eve encore. Select highlights from the concerts were compiled for The Band's classic 1972 double LP, Rock Of Ages, which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and remains a core album in the trailblazing group's storied Capitol Records catalog.

Elvin Jones - Live At The Lighthouse Vol.2 (1972) {2013 Japanese BNLA Series 24-bit Remaster TOCJ-50537}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 503 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 183 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 181 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit remaster
© 1972, 2013 Blue Note / EMI Music Japan | TOCJ-50537
Jazz / Hard Bop / Post Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz / Drums

Easily the most hard-hitting of Blue Note's 2LP Lighthouse Live series from the early 70s – and a record that really lets Elvin Jones and his group stretch out and play! The setting is a perfect one for Jones – given the boundless energy already present on his studio sessions for Blue Note at the time – really fierce work that goes beyond even his classic Coltrane performances – pushing the limits in a sweet blend of rhythm and reeds! The group here is Elvin's razor-edge combo from the early 70s – the one that features Gene Perla on fat funky bass, and both Steve Grossman and Dave Liebman playing choppy reeds along with the grooves – really amazing hornmen at this point in their career, blowing here with interplay that's simply fantastic!

The Modern Jazz Quartet And The Oscar Peterson Trio At The Opera House (1957) {2013 Japan Jazz The Best Series 24-bit Remaster UCCU-9945}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 151 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 94 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 109 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit remaster | Mono
© 1957, 2013 Verve / Universal Japan | UCCU-9945
Jazz / Bop / Cool / Third Stream

The Modern Jazz Quartet make a rare appearance on Verve Records in the 50s – splitting half the album here with the classic Oscar Peterson Trio! The live performance was recorded in Chicago, and definitely has the MJQ working in a looser vibe than on some of their late 50s recordings for Atlantic – a bit more open and swinging, in a Verve mode – with some of the bop inspiration that first showed up on their early Prestige recordings – as you'll hear on the cuts "Now's The Time", "Round Midnight", and "D&E Blues". The second half of the record features live material from Oscar Peterson's hip group with Herb Ellis on guitar and Ray Brown on bass – that great drum-less lineup that really lets Oscar take off on piano – on tunes that include "Big Fat Mama", "Should I Love You", "Indiana", and "Elevation".