The Ideal Copy

Grateful Dead - Fillmore West 1969: The Complete Recordings (2005) [10CD+Bonus CD BoxSet] {Grateful Dead Prod.}
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© 2005 Grateful Dead Productions | DECD291
Rock / Psychedelic Rock / Jam Bands

Few concert runs (read: several shows in the same venue) are as highly lauded by Grateful Dead enthusiasts as February 27 through March 2, 1969, at the Fillmore West in San Francisco. Although the title Fillmore West 1969: The Complete Recordings is misleading – as they played there upward of two dozen times during the year – practically every second of their eight-set, four-night stand is captured on this ten-CD box. The concurrent lineup included founders Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (vocals/organ/harmonica), Jerry Garcia (guitar/vocals), Bob Weir (guitar/vocals), Phil Lesh (bass/vocals), and Bill Kreutzmann (percussion). In September of 1967 that quintet was augmented by Mickey Hart (percussion) and the following March Tom Constanten (keyboards) joined to complete the incarnation heard here.

In their survey of the trio sonata, London Baroque has already visited France, England and Germany and now arrives at the birthplace of the genre – Italy in the 17th Century. In this period, instrumental music was becoming important in its own right, and soon the violin was recognized as the ideal vehicle for this new style.

Graham Parker - These Dreams Will Never Sleep: The Best Of Graham Parker 1976-2015 (2016) {6 CDs & 1 DVD9}
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DVD9 -> 6.88 Gb | All Regions | NTSC 4:3/16:9 | LPCM, 2 ch | ~ 147 min | ISO Image
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© 2016 Universal Music Catalogue | 00600753713037 / 5371303
Rock / Pub Rock / New Wave / Singer-Songwriter

Career retrospective from Pub Rock’s angriest man Graham Parker, spread over 6 CDs with a DVD featuring a live set at the Brook Southampton from last year’s final tour with the Rumour…LTW’s Ian Canty looks at 40 years of Camberley’s very own Punk Soul brother….. It wasn’t very promising on the face of it. A resentful 25 year old garage pump attendant with a run through the 60s from Mod to Hippy behind him and a headful of dreams about Van Morrison and Dr Feelgood, matched up with what might have been the cream of the Pub Rock scene. But this was after all of their respective bands had singularly failed to make an impact, so together, in 1976, they stood at the doors of the Last Chance saloon. What wasn’t expected was that with their musical power allied to the petrol pump punk’s lyrical smarts and alarming stage presence, they would blow the doors off the hinges. Ladies and gentleman, I give you Graham Parker and the Rumour.

The E. Power Biggs recording of Bach's six Trio Sonatas needs little introduction. Recorded by Biggs in 1966, the performances have been a staple of the CBS/Sony discography. These six sonatas are usually performed on organ, but they excellently accomodate the pedal harpsichord. Generally thought of as a practice instrument for organists, the pedal harpsichord becomes an ideal performing tool with E. Power Biggs at the helm.

Like each of the entries in the Classic blues catalog, The Essential Bill Gaither summarizes the artist's contribution to musical history by tapping into his complete works as reissued by Document in five volumes a few years prior to this collection's appearance in 2001. Gaither, whose recording career began in 1935 and was interrupted then ultimately terminated by the Second World War, operated under the combined influences of Leroy Carr, Tampa Red, Big Bill Broonzy, Jazz Gillum, Peetie Wheatstraw, and Big Maceo Merriweather. Most but not all of his records were made with Indianapolis pianist Honey Hill, and the producers of this collection were thoughtful enough to include Hill's only known piano solos, "Boogie Woogie" and "Set ‘Em"…

This triple-disc 79-song compilation looks pretty impressive, and in some ways it is, representing most of the best work of each incarnation of the Drifters from 1953 through 1976. There's a lot of classic music here, including all of the big hits and many interesting (even musically glorious) flops and B-sides, but the limitations of three CDs make this less than ideal. Atlantic had already released a pair of two-CD sets, Let the Boogie Woogie Roll: Greatest Hits 1953-58 and All-Time Greatest Hits & More: 1959-1965, eight years earlier, each of which covers those major periods in question far more generously than does this box – although it must be conceded that the sound on the cuts included on Rockin' & Driftin' is improved over those late-'80s digital transfers, good as they seemed at the time…

Desire of the Rhino King is a compilation of songs from Belew's three albums, Lone Rhino, Twang Bar King, and Desire Caught By the Tail. This generous, 20-track album epitomizes Adrian Belew in all his avant garde glory, complete with information about all three albums written by Belew himself…

Ramones - The Sire Years 1976-1981 (2013) {6CD Box Set Rhino-Warner 8122796278}
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© 1976-81, 2013 Rhino / Sire / Warner | 8122796278
Rock / Punk Rock/ Alternative

Not many bands can honestly say they changed the shape of rock & roll as we know it and upended part of the larger global culture at the same time. The Ramones did just that; by stripping down and speeding up rock & roll like a hot rod that could outrun all competition, and injecting it with a massive dose of snotty, absurdist humor, they gave the music a new lease on life, and left behind a handful of brilliant recordings that are still a solid kick to hear nearly four decades after their debut hit the streets. Punk rock first emerged from a very specific time and place, but the best of it is timeless in its joyous roar, and the first four Ramones albums absolutely live up to that description.