Mother's Milk

Before emerging as a cult star in the 1970s, Lowell George was a presence on the L.A. folk-rock/psychedelic scene in the 1960s. With his group the Factory, he only managed to release one single during this time. Lightning-Rod Man rescues 15 tunes cut by this unit, including the single and over a dozen outtakes and demos. Almost exclusively original material, most of these tracks were recorded in 1966 and 1967. They show the group pursuing a slightly eccentric folk-rock vision that neither bears much similarity to George's more famous work nor matches the best work done in this genre by their L.A. peers. At times they echo Kaleidoscope in their vaguely spacy, good-natured folkish rock; just as often, they take cues from Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa in their skewed blues-rock and obtuse songwriting. In fact, Zappa himself produced and played on a couple of the demos, and one-time Mothers of Invention members Elliot Ingber and Roy Estrada show up on a few others. A few songs cut toward the end of the decade feature a heavier, bluesier sound that show George edging in a different direction. An enjoyable vault find, but not a major revelation.

Paul Buff & Frank Zappa - Paul Buff Presents Highlights From The PAL & Original Sound Studio Archives 1961-70 (2012) {5CD Set}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.56 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 878 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 90 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1961-70, 2012 Crossfire | 9516-2
Rock / Psychedelic Rock / Experimental Rock

156 tracks (58 with Frank Zappa contributions). 40-page color booklet. Reproductions of original 45 RPM labels. Many tracks making their CD debuts. Crossfire Publications have set a May 28, 2012 release date for a 5-CD set of recordings from the pre-Mothers era, with many tracks making their CD debuts. The set is entitled "Paul Buff Presents Highlights From The Pal And Original Sound Studio Archives." Paul Buff, owner of Pal Recording Studio in Cucamonga, California from 1957-1964, first opened up his archives in 2010 for a large series of download-only releases. This 156-track collection features 58 early masters by the late Frank Zappa, recorded at Pal and Original Sound Recording Studios. These recordings feature Zappa as performer, writer and/or producer.

This is a great collection of rare and hard to find tunes compiled by Jeffrey Glenn. Hundreds of odds & ends by little known groups, famous singers, and famous singers before they became famous.

The ultimate compendium of a half century of the best music, now revised and updated. 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a highly readable list of the best, the most important, and the most influential pop albums from 1955 through today. Carefully selected by a team of international critics and some of the best-known music reviewers and commentators, each album is a groundbreaking work seminal to the understanding and appreciation of music from the 1950s to the present. Included with each entry are production details and credits as well as reproductions of original album cover art. Perhaps most important of all, each album featured comes with an authoritative description of its importance and influence.

This whopping 30-CD box set gathers together the best of Trojan's three-disc box set series. Included are the Ska, DJ, Dub, Instrumentals, Jamaican Superstars, Lovers, Producer Series, Rocksteady, Roots, and Tribute to Bob Marley volumes, each of which can be found under Trojan Box Set for their individual reviews. What's lacking here is a booklet with additional notes and information; the bulk seems to demand some extra coverage and care, yet all that's here are the original notes of each volume – only as much text as can fit on the back of the CD sleeves. From a music standpoint, however, this box is excellent; a truly diverse and comprehensive collection. Of the 500 songs, less than ten reappear on another volume, so you get a more-than-satisfying amount of music spanning the history of the Trojan label.

Geronimo Black - Geronimo Black (1972) {One Way Records MCAD 22114 rel 1995} (Zappa related)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 234 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 100 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 21 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1972, 1995 Uni / MCA / One Way Records | MCAD 22114
Rock / Blues Rock / Prog Rock

This is the only LP from the incipient version of Geronimo Black – a supergroup of sorts featuring contributions from former Mothers of Invention membersJimmy Carl Black (drums/vocals), Buzz Gardner (cornet), his brother Bunk Gardner (flute/trumpet/bassoon/sax/organ/vocals), and Denny Walley (guitar/organ/vocals). Evidence that Frank Zappa initially worked with these musicians for their tremendous instrumental prowess is obvious throughout this self-titled effort. The angular and Baroque progressions of "Quaker's Earthquake" recall Zappa's orchestrations circa the Uncle Meat (1969) project.