Taste Transmission

THREE SUPERB FM BROADCASTS FROM JAPAN 1990, USA 1991 & EUROPE 1995. The most formidable of contemporary rock groups, the Red Hot Chili Peppers don’t just defy categorisation, they appear to invent their own with every new release - and often do likewise within the confines of a live performance. Indeed, the group’s startling eclecticism is only surpassed by their lofty talents and astonishing musical catalogue. This 3 x CD set features a selection of rare FM radio broadcasts recorded between the end of the 1980s and the middle of the 1990s,when for many the band were at their absolute pinnacle of achievement.

In this instance, "deluxe collection" denotes six songs that blues guitarist Peter Malick recorded with vocalist Norah Jones before she hit it big, a (previously released) EP's worth of material padded here into a two-disc, 31-cut set of radio edits, club mixes, dub mixes, and DJ remixes, with only eight of them previously unreleased. (There are nine versions of the set-opening "New York City" alone.) The material stretches itself pretty thin, as the equal billing given Jones with Malick (the only two members of the "Peter Malick Group" who appear throughout) aims to attract Norah Jones completists or tempt those who might confuse this with one of her own releases.

Multi-instrumentalist and studio wizard Robin Scott is M, and if all you know of his work is the synth pop, new wave hit "Pop Muzik," History: Pop Muzik – The 25th Anniversary will be quite the surprise. There's guitar, worldbeat, moments much more serene than "Pop Muzik" hinted at, and believe it or not, swear words! The five tracks from M's debut, New York-London-Paris-Munich, give you your fill of "Pop Muzik"'s robotic boogie-woogie, but after that Scott became less fun and more paranoid with something to say.

Jordi Savall & Montserrat Figueras - Cançons de la Catalunya mil·lenària (2011) {Alia Vox AVSA 9881}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 352 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 184 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 133 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2011 Alia Vox | AVSA 9881
Classical / Chamber Music / Vocal / Sacred / World Music

This reissue in the Heritage Series - the original album was released in 1988 - enables us to hear the unique Montserrat Figueras singing a repertoire she embodies like nobody else : the traditional songs of Catalonia. This performance is the natural continuation of her exploration of the great works connected to Catalogne,eg: the Song of the Sybille or the Red Book of Montserrat (Gregorian manuscript): on this shore of Mediterranean Sea, traditional and "classical" repertoires are connected in a very intimate way. This album is a landmark of in the career of Montserrat Figueras: her innovative style of interpretation, characterised by great fidelity to the historical sources combined with an extraordinary creative and expressive power, sounds at its best.

Bloom Ascension is a resplendent expression of elegant futurism. The rich melodic and rhythmic symmetry of this kaleidoscopic bloom of interlocking electronic music was created specifically for the canvas of time inherent to the LP format. Bloom Ascension‘s spiraling analog synth/sequencer-driven sound conveys vibrant energy and radiant optimism woven into the core of these living, breathing musical mandalas.

"XM" was recorded live at XM Satellite Radio Performance Studio One, Washington DC, USA, 12th November 2002. On "XM" Porcupine Tree features a 5 piece touring line up including special guest John Wesley on guitar and backing vocals…

Johann Christian Bach's sonatas belong so much to the domain of the fortepianist that we forget how terrific they can sound on the harpsichord; they are by turns rhythmically engaging, almost jazzy, witty, sparkling, and expressive. By most accounts Bach played both instruments with equal facility and did not leave us a stated preference for one over the other, indeed if he had one. Sophie Yates has done very well to remind us with her superb Chandos recording Johann Christian Bach: Six Sonatas, Op. 5, that the London Bach need not be heard on fortepiano to be experienced to his best advantage; one may make the case that Bach's sonatas benefit to some extent from the brightness of the older instrument. Yates is the first artist to record Bach's Op. 5 as a set on the harpsichord; the only other complete recording of Op. 5 has been done on fortepiano, yet these sonatas are most commonly heard individually or mixed up with the later, "Welcker" Sonatas, Op. 17. Although they are difficult to individually date, Bach's Op. 5 was published in 1766 and all six are thought to date from his first four years in London; in her notes, Yates correctly observes the impact of Thomas Arne on Bach's style and of the general English approach to melody. Luckily in Bach's case the Italian manner had already held sway for some time by his arrival in London in 1762, so the learning curve was not a tough road to hoe for the Padre Martini-educated master.