Rem Document 25

Soft Cell - This Last Night… In Sodom (1984) {Mercury 558 267-2 rem 1998}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 556 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 184 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 17 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1984, 1998 Mercury Records / PolyGram | 558 267-2
Synth Pop / Dance Pop / New Romantic / New Wave

For those whose exposure to Soft Cell has been limited to the glorious and inescapable "Tainted Love," the duo's 1984 swan song This Last Night in Sodom should feature a warning sticker. Singer Marc Almond and keyboardist Dave Ball don't attempt to recapture the Top 40 magic of that hit here.

Jimmy McGriff - The Mean Machine (1976) {Groove Merchant GM-3311 rem 2007}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 256 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 84 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 12 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1976, 2007 Groove Merchant | GM-3311
Jazz / Jazz Funk / Soul Jazz / Keyboards

Between 1976 and 1979, Jimmy McGriff was often featured in the disco-style productions of Groove Merchant house arranger Brad Baker. The records usually surrounded the great organist with a huge army of studio musicians, big horn sections, string parts and often heard McGriff playing keyboards other than organ. THE MEAN MACHINE, from 1976, was the first of these productions and McGriff doesn't even play organ here.

Joe Zawinul - The Rise & Fall Of The Third Stream (1967) {2012 Japan Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series 24bit Remaster WPCR-27124}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 218 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 82 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 205 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24bit remaster
© 1967, 2012 Vortex / Rhino / Warner Japan / WEA | WPCR-27124 | Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series
Jazz / Hard Bop / Soul Jazz / Third Stream / Piano

Features 24 bit remastering and comes with a mini-description. Although Joe first came to big fame in the US as a funky vamper and soloist behind Cannonball Adderley's big group of the 60s, this early album as a leader has a much more mature sound than Joe's funky work with Cannon – and it rightly earns the "third stream" tag in the title through the use of an enlarged ensemble that includes cello and viola, in addition to the core group of soulful players like Jimmy Owens, Richard Davis, and Freddie Waits. William Fischer's also on the record on tenor, and many of the tracks are his own compositions, with that kind of weird off-kilter, slightly serious approach he used on other Atlantic/Vortex sessions at the time. The mix of soul and serious scoring is actually a pretty darn compelling blend – as you'll hear on tracks like "Lord, Lord, Lord", "Soul Of A Village", and "The 5th Canto".

R.E.M. began to move toward mainstream record production on Lifes Rich Pageant, but they didn't have a commercial breakthrough until the following year's Document. Ironically, Document is a stranger, more varied album than its predecessor, but co-producer Scott Litt – who would go on to produce every R.E.M. album in the following decade – is a better conduit for the band than Don Gehman, giving the group a clean sound without sacrificing their enigmatic tendencies. "Finest Worksong," the stream-of-conscious rant "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)," and the surprise Top Ten single "The One I Love" all crackle with muscular rhythms and guitar riffs, but the real surprise is how political the mid-tempo jangle pop of "Welcome to the Occupation," "Disturbance at the Heron House," and "King of Birds" is. Where Lifes Rich Pageant sounded a bit like a party record, Document is a fiery statement, and its memorable melodies and riffs are made all the more indelible by its righteous anger.