Pisces

One thing about chronologically arranged reissues - you never know exactly what you're going to bump into. The third volume of the complete recordings of Mary Lou Williams, for example, opens with a pair of tunes sung by Josh White. It's good to hear the lyrics to Williams' cool, bluesy "Froggy Bottom," but "The Minute Man" is one of those obligatory, rhetorical patriotic numbers that cropped up everywhere during WWII and are relevant today only as historical curiosities. Most of the music reissued in this compilation originally appeared on scratchy 78-rpm records bearing the Asch label. Tenor sax archetype Coleman Hawkins is featured on the lush "Song in My Soul" and trumpeter Bill Coleman presides over a laid-back strolling blues with the worrisome title "Carcinoma"…

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's second album is a masterpiece. From the opening bars of Jackson Browne's "Shadow Dream Song," the high spirits overflow the grooves (or ones and zeros, on the CD) of the record. The singing and playing are more confident, and some of the songs - including the bluesy "Ooh Po Pe Do Girl" and the hook-laden "I'll Search The Sky" by Jeff Hanna, and Copeland and Noonan's (the "Buy for Me the Rain" team) "Tide of Love" - are as solid as anything coming out of California. Even the kazoo-dominated "Coney Island Washboard" and "Happy Fat Annie" and the nostalgic '20s-styled Jackson Browne-written "It's Raining Here in Long Beach" fit well into the mix, reflecting the full range of the band's influences…

This 4 CD collection gathers together for the first time all our reissues of the much loved band of the 1970's - Fox. Led by respected songwriter /producer Kenny Young, vocalist Noosha Fox and Herbie Amstrong - the band released 3 studio albums and numerous singles spanning 1974-1981. This collection includes their 3 studio albums plus a 4th CD with singles, b-sides and related bonus material from our 2014 release Images '74-'84.
Our 24 page full colour CD booklet features the artwork from all the original albums and many of the single sleeves, extensive sleeve notes including contributions from Kenny Young and a riveting interview with Kenny by Brent Cash.
Each individual CD is presented in a paper wallet featuring the original LP front and back artwork. These are all then contained with a box with the accompanying CD booklet.

VA - Rolling Stone Rare Trax Vol. 79 - Soulful Nuggets: Von Folk Bis Funk - 10 Neu Entdeckte Schätze
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 176 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: None, Promo | Country/Year: Germany 2013
Genre: Folk, Pop, RnB, Rock | Style: Oldies, Funk, Soul

RARE TRAX is a continued series of promotional samplers given away with the german edition of Rolling Stone magazine since the 1990's and has reached volume 80 already. Each version covers a special topic and presents lesser known songs and/or artists.

Although organist Don Patterson is the leader of this set, the quintet date is most notable for the playing of trumpeter Howard McGhee. McGhee, who had not been heard from much on record for a few years, proves to still be in prime form. Altoist Charles McPherson, the young guitarist Pat Martino and drummer Billy James complete the group. The repertoire is particularly strong with two McGhee originals (including the memorable and haunting "Island Fantasy"), "Epistrophy," "Now's The Time" and a trumpet feature on "Donna Lee."

All 11 tracks from the 1967 LP, with the addition of seven previously unreleased items and a couple cuts from non-LP singles. Although the production is beautiful and the songwriting melodic, the material is really too cloying to qualify this as a lost classic. When there's even a bit of a serious or melancholic edge — as on the graceful opening track "Another Time," or Gary Usher's strange and stunning slice of psych-pop, "The Truth Is Not Real" — it's much more memorable. Otherwise, this is kind of like the lesser fairy-tale, sing-songy British psychedelia of the time, but with state-of-the-art L.A. '60s production. The bonus cuts are similar to the album, highlighted by the gorgeous instrumental "Sister Marie," although the non-LP single "Hotel Indiscreet" is silly fluff.

Arcadea was born when drummer-vocalist Brann Dailor (Mastodon) teamed up with upside-down guitarist & keyboardist Core Atoms (Zruda) to create a synth-laden progressive, heavy psych band. Adding guitarist Raheem Amlani (Withered) on synth, the three recorded their visionary,10 song synth odyssey at Orange Peel Studios in Atlanta, GA. The self-titled debut record will see its release this June.