Present

This came as a side project from Belgian avant-gardism group UNIVERS ZERO. As guitarist Roger Trigaux left that band, he got help from drummer Daniel Denis, A-M Polaris on vocals and Rochette on bass. Their music is incredibly somber (sinister is also appropriate) as it was on U Z but here the music is electrified, more energetic and more constructed, as there is "normal song construction" if that ever meant anything to those musicians…

Après le disque de diamant de l’album Vieillir avec toi composé par Calogero et un détour par Cuba avec Habana, l’album Le présent d’abord est un nouveau virage spectaculaire comme Florent Pagny les aime depuis toujours – « Partir dans de nouvelles aventures, c’est ma spécialité », avoue-t-il. Le présent d’abord mêle les générations et les univers : Florent Pagny a confié la réalisation de son album à Dany Synthé (Sapés comme jamais de Maître Gims, les tubes de MHD, Black M…). Ce mélange de générations et de cultures musicales est le prototype de cet album, pour lequel Florent Pagny chante des titres de Maître Gims, Slimane, Lionel Florence, Nazim (Amir, Claudio Capéo, Kendji Girac, Alma…), Antoine Essertier (Vianney, Daran, June The Girl…) et de toute une génération de jeunes auteurs et compositeurs.

A few changes compared to their previous returning albums, most noticeably Daniel Denis and Alain Rochette gone, finding suitable replacements in Dave Kerman and Pierre Chevalier. Roger Trigaux is also taking a bit of a backseat because of his declining health; he is taking on the role of musical director and composer only playing guitar on one track. Ex-bassist Guy Segers has now moved up a step into being their manager. This album was recorded in Israel, but mixed in Belgium, but more significantly, it was not released by Cuneiform but by Carbon 7 , a small but adventurous Belgian label also handling Aka Moon, amongst other…

Shoes - Present Tense + Tongue Twister (1979, 1981) {Black Vinyl Records BV 19888 rel 1988}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 509 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 178 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 30 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1979, 1981, 1988 Elektra/Asylum Records / Black Vinyl Records | BV 19888
Rock / Power Pop / Synth-Pop

Some things were destined to be together: Lennon and McCartney, peanut butter and jelly, hamburgers and French fries, and country & western are a few examples. The fabulous Present Tense/Tongue Twister CD is another. The entirety of Shoes' first two Elektra albums (1979's Present Tense and 1981's Tongue Twister) on one disc makes for one of the most highly recommended power pop CDs of all time! Forget what you have heard about Big Star (they were way too sloppy), Raspberries (too inconsistent), and Jellyfish (too self-indulgent); these two albums are the real deal. With harmonies that embrace and cradle your heavy heart plus some of the most delicious melodies since the golden days of Badfinger, Shoes will win over anyone searching for bands that know how to write "the song."

A decided improvement over the lackluster 1996 live date, thanks in part to the presence of drummer Daniel Denis, arguably the soul of Univers Zero and certainly its most constant member. The participation of Guy Segers on bass is also a plus, as Segers appeared on three of the five Univers Zero recordings and obviously knows the routine…

George Best is the debut album by The Wedding Present. It was released in October 1987 by their own record company, Reception Records. In 2007, the band played a 20th anniversary tour of George Best, performing the album in its entirety. Following this, during the recording sessions for their 2008 album El Rey, the band made a live-in-the-studio recording of George Best with Steve Albini. The recording, mixed by Andrew Scheps, will be released in September 2017 as George Best 30. NME ranked it at number 489 in its 2014 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.