Odd Squas

Odd Brew is an idiosyncratic Finnish band, collecting elements from a diverse range of musics, such as Top 40 pop songs, classical tunes, Finnish folk, West African music, progressive rock, 80s fusion, and smashing them all into a blender full of jazz. Arranging and original compositions are penned by the bandleader Santeri Kaipiainen.

Odd Brew is an idiosyncratic Finnish band, collecting elements from a diverse range of musics, such as Top 40 pop songs, classical tunes, Finnish folk, West African music, progressive rock, 80s fusion, and smashing them all into a blender full of jazz. Arranging and original compositions are penned by the bandleader Santeri Kaipiainen.

Odd Brew is an idiosyncratic Finnish band, collecting elements from a diverse range of musics, such as Top 40 pop songs, classical tunes, Finnish folk, West African music, progressive rock, 80s fusion, and smashing them all into a blender full of jazz. Arranging and original compositions are penned by the bandleader Santeri Kaipiainen.

Jerry Lee Lewis - I-40 Country (1973) & Odd Man In (1975) {BGO Records BGOCD1216 Digitally Remastered rel 2015}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 366 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 147 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 50 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1973, 1975, 2015 Phonogram Inc. / BGO Records | BGOCD1216
Rock & Roll / Rockabilly / Honky Tonk / Country

BGO's 2015 two-fer pairs two mid-'70s albums from Jerry Lee Lewis – 1974's I-40 Country and 1975's Odd Man In – on a single CD. Jerry Lee Lewis didn't get much of a boost out of his 1973 return to rock & roll – a revival arriving on two separate LPs, one recorded in England (The Session) and one back home (Southern Roots) – so he slid back to country, scoring a hit with "Sometimes a Memory Ain't Enough" from the album of the same name. I-40 Country arrived a year later, easing into stores in 1974 under the guise of a truck-driving country LP. While these 11 songs do sound good on the open road, none of them are about big rigs or highways, nor do they roll along to a Bakersfield beat. No, they're straight-ahead barroom weepers punctuated by the very occasional novelty – so occasional, it doesn't extend beyond "Alcohol of Fame."

Kevin Ayers - Odd Ditties (1976) {2014 Remaster Japan Mini LP SHM-CD Edition WPCR-15528}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 412 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 150 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 337 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1976, 2014 Parlophone / Warner Music Japan | WPCR-15528
Rock / Art Rock / Canterbury Scene

Cardboard sleeve reissue from Kevin Ayers features remastering in 2014 and the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (compatible with standard CD players). The cover faithfully replicates the original UK LP artwork. Includes an obi featuring design of original Japanese limited edition's LP (subject to change). Comes with a description and lyrics. Part of eight-album Kevin Ayers cardboard sleeve reissue series features the albums, "Joy Of A Toy +5," "Shooting At The Moon +6," "Whatevershebrings Wesing +10," "Bananamour +7," "Odd Ditties +3," "Yes We Have No Mananas. So Get Your Mananas Today +9," "Rainbow Takeaway +7," and "That's What You Get Babe +4." Bonus tracks.

It is indeed an oddity that, for all the considerable ambition of his albums, this collection of singles and unreleased outtakes may be Ayers' most satisfying LP. Why? Perhaps because when he's constrained within the 45 format, he taps his strongest and most endearing qualities: easygoing, singalong melodies, droll, nonchalant (even non sequitur) lyrics, good-natured sotto voce vocals, even female backup harmonies. There's little trace of the inaccessible, difficult (usually instrumental) passages that occupy much of the space on his early albums. Spanning 1969 to 1973, this includes eight tracks that wound up on flop singles, as well as six outtakes from the albums he recorded during this period, though there were no obvious reasons for their exclusion (too pop oriented, perhaps?)…

It is indeed an oddity that, for all the considerable ambition of his albums, this collection of singles and unreleased outtakes may be Ayers' most satisfying LP. Why? Perhaps because when he's constrained within the 45 format, he taps his strongest and most endearing qualities: easygoing, singalong melodies, droll, nonchalant (even non sequitur) lyrics, good-natured sotto voce vocals, even female backup harmonies. There's little trace of the inaccessible, difficult (usually instrumental) passages that occupy much of the space on his early albums. Spanning 1969 to 1973, this includes eight tracks that wound up on flop singles, as well as six outtakes from the albums he recorded during this period, though there were no obvious reasons for their exclusion (too pop oriented, perhaps?)…

It is indeed an oddity that, for all the considerable ambition of his albums, this collection of singles and unreleased outtakes may be Ayers' most satisfying LP. Why? Perhaps because when he's constrained within the 45 format, he taps his strongest and most endearing qualities: easygoing, singalong melodies, droll, nonchalant (even non sequitur) lyrics, good-natured sotto voce vocals, even female backup harmonies. There's little trace of the inaccessible, difficult (usually instrumental) passages that occupy much of the space on his early albums. Spanning 1969 to 1973, this includes eight tracks that wound up on flop singles, as well as six outtakes from the albums he recorded during this period, though there were no obvious reasons for their exclusion (too pop oriented, perhaps?)…