Führs & Fröhling - Ammerland
Vinyl | LP Cover (1:1) | FLAC + cue | 24bit/96kHz | 732 mb
Label: Brain/0060.105 | Release: 1978 | Genre: Krautrock
This rare LP is made by 2 German musicians: a guitarist and a keyboardist. The style of this instrumental music is very varied: we can talk about a mix of progressive folk, New Age and an emulation of classical music. There are omnipresent sophisticated acoustic guitars a la Steve Hackett, Anthony Phillips or Jan Akkerman, combined with tons of melodic and symphonic keyboards. there are no drums and the bass is rather rare on this record. There are many moog and floating mellotron parts: sometimes it sounds like Genesis’ “Wind and wuthering”, Focus and Vangelis. The sound is really pure and modern. The music is really well recorded, relaxing and beautiful. The ensemble is rather symphonic. The last track on side 1 is oddly strange: there is a man who expresses pathetic laughs and/or cries: this is the only weak point on this album.
Review by greenback, progarchives.com (more…)
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Francis Cabrel - Carte Postale
Vinyl | LP Cover (1:1) | FLAC + cue | 24bit/96kHz | 775 mb
Label: CBS/CBS 85344 | Release: 1981 | Genre: Country-Pop
The melancholy title track that opens Carte Postale announces that Francis Cabrel will not be content to churn out bottomless clone albums. It’s not the melancholy tone of the song (he’d done that before), but rather the way he sings it and uses all possible resources to reinforce the mood that point up Cabrel’s more intense approach. He continues to reach for different effects with his voice and instrumentation on the first half of the album as he moves through different styles. It is true some of the vocal affectations may be missteps, but it is always rewarding to hear an artist move with emotion and confidence. Interestingly enough, the second set of songs on the album is very solid (no fillers here), making this the most consistent album of Cabrel’s career to date. Standout songs include “Ma place dans le trafic” and “Comme une madone oubliee.
Review by Samuel Johnson, allmusic.com (more…)
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Dire Straits - Love Over Gold
Vinyl | LP Cover (1:1) | FLAC + cue | 24bit/96kHz | 839mb
Mastered At Masterdisk
Label: Warner Bros. Records/1-23728 | Release: 1982 | Genre: Blues-Rock
Adding a new rhythm guitarist, Dire Straits expands its sounds and ambitions on the sprawling Love Over Gold. In a sense, the album is their prog rock effort, containing only five songs, including the 14-minute opener “Telegraph Road.” Since Mark Knopfler is a skilled, tasteful guitarist, he can sustain interest even throughout the languid stretches, but the long, atmospheric, instrumental passages aren’t as effective as the group’s tight blues-rock, leaving Love Over Gold only a fitfully engaging listen.
Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, allmusic.com (more…)
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Dire Straits – Communiqué (1979)
Vinyl Rip 24/96 | 879 Mb | FLAC | Artwork
Vertigo – 9102 031 (Original UK, 1979) | Rock
Rushed out less than nine months after the surprise success of Dire Straits’ self-titled debut album, the group’s sophomore effort, Communiqué, seemed little more than a carbon copy of its predecessor with less compelling material. Mark Knopfler and co. had established a sound (derived largely from J.J. Cale) of laid-back shuffles and intricate, bluesy guitar playing, and Communiqué provided more examples of it. But there was no track as focused as “Sultans of Swing,” even if “Lady Writer” (a lesser singles chart entry on both sides of the Atlantic) nearly duplicated its sound. As a result, Communiqué sold immediately to Dire Straits’ established audience, but no more, and it did not fare as well critically as its predecessor or its follow-up.
Review by William Ruhlmann, allmusic.com
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Dave Mason - Very Best Of Dave Mason
Vinyl | LP Cover (1:1) | FLAC + cue | 24bit/96kHz | 825 mb
Mastered By Lanky Linstrot
Label: ABC Records/BA-6032, Blue Thumb Records/BA-6032 | Release: 1978 | Genre: Classic-Rock
The third time around in constructing a Dave Mason compilation, Blue Thumb Records (which had been acquired by ABC Records, and which in turn would be swallowed by MCA Records) finally made a worthy selection of its cache of Dave Mason recordings from 1970-71. The Very Best Of Dave Mason was a ten-track album collecting the most memorable songs from Alone Together–“Only You Know And I Know,” “Sad And Deep As You,” and “Shouldn’t Have Took More Than You Gave”–and live performances of such well-known Traffic songs as “Feelin’ Alright?” and “Pearly Queen.” While the label was still to be criticized for endlessly repackaging Mason recordings, at least this one was done right–and it’s the one that remains in print. (Originally released by ABC/Blue Thumb Records as ABC/Blue Thumb 6032, The Very Best Of Dave Mason was reissued by MCA Records as MCA 715 and reissued on CD in 1987 as MCA 31169.)
Review by William Ruhlmann, allmusic.com (more…)
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Clannad - Macalla
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Label: RCA/PL 70894 | Release: 1985 | Genre: Celtic-Rock
1985’s Macalla is one of Clannad’s strongest albums. The songs are mainly mid-tempo or slower, and combine the poignant beauty of Irish balladry with the immediacy of a rock band line-up. Traditional Irish instruments come and go, along with touches of sax and on “In a Lifetime,” soulful guest vocals by fellow Irishman Bono, of U2. Macalla is a well-rounded album of melodic folk pop, infused with that beautiful warm sadness that seems to pervade Irish music and culture.
allmusic.com (more…)
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Clannad - Legend
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Label: RCA/NL 71703 | Release: 1984 | Genre: Celtic-Rock
Clannad started out like many traditional folk bands of Ireland; its early material for Gael-Linn Records could be considered traditional Irish folk, and most of the lyrics were in Irish. However, the band’s signing to RCA Records and its 1982 hit “Theme From Harry’s Game” catapulted it to the top of the UK pop charts. Most importantly, Clannad was one of the first Irish bands to truly delve into ambient music, an idiom that may be the modern counterpart to the traditional slow air. This 1984 release finds Clannad at the height of its career. LEGEND is essentially the soundtrack to the television show, ROBIN OF SHERWOOD, and opens with the theme music, “Robin (The Hooded Man).” Other songs such as “Herne” and “Now is Here” retain the ambient (soaking wet with reverb) sound, though the theme for “Lady Marian” harks back to more traditional harp music. While the ’80s synths are dated-sounding, most of the music here represents Irish pop at its finest.
allmusic.com (more…)
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Clannad - Dúlamán
Vinyl | LP Cover (1:1) | FLAC + cue | 24bit/96kHz | 718 mb
Label: Intercord/INT 160.065 | Release: 1976 | Genre: Irish-Folk
This is one of Clannad’s traditional music recordings. The liner notes include a brief paragraph on each of the songs and instrumentals.
Dúlamán is both the name of the recording and the title of the first song. The word is Irish Gaelic for “seaweed”. In Ireland certain men made their livings by collecting and selling different types of seaweed, and were frequently nicknamed for the particular types in which they dealt. Dúlamán gaelach is a seaweed used in dying cloth, while dúlamán maorach is an edible variety. The song, sung by the band in Gaelic, records a conversation between two seaweed collectors. Dúlamán Gaelach has a beautiful daughter whom Dúlamán Maorach wishes to marry. Gaelach is not exactly thrilled with the idea of having Maorach as a son-in-law, but Maorach elopes with his daughter anyway.
Owen Roe O’Neill (Eoghan Ruadh O’Neill) was the great military leader of the Irish rebellion of the 1640’s, and was the rebels’ best hope of independence. He was a first-rate tactician, and had learned his trade both at home and on the continent. Shortly after Cromwell personally invaded Ireland, O’Neill died of a sudden illness (1649). Whether or not he could have defeated the vastly superior forces brought to Ireland by Cromwell, the British leader’s subsequent savagery has led the Irish to lament O’Neill’s loss ever since, and has inspired numerous laments. The second track is a melancholy instrumental version of one of these1.
“Two Sisters”2 is an old folk song that exists in English in many versions. The gist of this version is the rivalry of two sisters for the attentions of a young man, who prefers the company of the younger sister. The elder sister takes adavantage of an opportunity to rid herself of her rival by pushing her into a river. The miller’s son rescues her long enough to steal the girl’s ring, then pushes her back into the river. Both the miller’s son and the elder sister are apprehended and executed for their crime. Máire Brennan sings the first verse a cappella, and the succeeding verses to accompaniment.
Vain love is a common theme of traditional music from Ireland. “Éirigh Suas A Stóirín” (“Rise Up, My Darling”3) tells the story of a young man who goes to bargain with the parents of a girl he loves for her hand, as was the custom in the poorer parts of Ireland. He is refused, and the remainder of the song tells of his sorrow at this loss. Sung in Gaelic by Máire Brennan.
“The Galtee Hunt” is a lively dance tune. The group begins with the flute and harp, then later adds guitar and bass.
“Éirigh Is Cuir Ort Do Chuid Éadaigh” (“Arise and Dress Yourself”4) is, according to the liner notes:
Another Donegal love song where the composer longs desperately to elope with his loved one to a place where he is surrounded only by nature’s undisturbed beauty.
Well, yes and no. I found the lyrics to this tune in an old book of folk songs, and the version sung by Clannad is somewhat altered. Specifically, they sing only the first two verses. In its entirety, this is a folk song about a young man who did not marry the girl he loved in his youth, but instead married an older woman with considerable property. Now he bitterly regrets the choice he has made. The young man dreams one night that his former love visits him, and urges him to elope with her – the first two verses are her words. The remainder of the song is the young man’s lament for his decision: he disparages his wife rather cruelly, and blames his family for the advice that led him to the match. He resolves at last to leave his wife and find a younger girl. Sung in Gaelic by Máire Brennan. The group has inserted an instrumental bridge of variations on the tune.
“Siúil A Rún” (“Come, Oh Love”5) is the lament of a young woman who pines for her absent lover. The song comes from the time of the Flight of the Wild Geese; that is, the Irish Brigade, composed of young men who left Ireland following the Williamite War to serve in the French Army, during the years 1691 to 1745. Sung in English by Máire Brennan, with a Gaelic chorus.
Of the background of the remaining selections on this recording, I know little save for what was written in the liner notes: “Mo Mháire” celebrates the beauty of a girl named Máire, and for this reason perhaps appealed to the band’s sense of whimsy. “dTigeas A Damhsa” is a children’s dance song sung a cappella in Gaelic by Máire Brennan and one of the men. The last selection is two instrumental pieces bridged by a Gaelic phrase sung by the group; “Cucanandy” is a slip jig, and is followed by “The Jug of Brown Ale”.
Review by Tim, stmoroky.com
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Art Garfunkel - Watermark
Vinyl | LP Cover (1:1) | FLAC + cue | 24bit/96kHz | 844 mb
Mastered By Doug Sax
Label: Columbia/JC 34975 | Release: 1977 | Genre: Country-Pop
The original idea was for Art Garfunkel to record an album of songs written by Jimmy Webb. But when the leadoff single, “Crying in My Sleep,” failed to make the charts, Columbia Records withdrew the album and induced Garfunkel to put together a cover of Sam Cooke’s “(What A) Wonderful World” with Paul Simon and James Taylor harmonizing. The single and a revised version of the album then made the Top 40. But Watermark is still a Garfunkel-Sings-Webb album, except for one song. And the initial idea was a good one: Garfunkel handles Webb’s wistful pop songs well, and he has made good choices from Webb’s songbook, dating back to the ’60s, though avoiding his big bits. The result is Garfunkel’s most cohesive solo album. [The original version of Watermark, on test pressings and only a very few commercial copies, was available briefly in October, 1977. The revised version, containing “[What A] Wonderful World,” was released in January, 1978.]
Review by William Ruhlmann, allmusic.com (more…)
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Al Di Meola - Scenario
Vinyl | LP Cover (1:1) | FLAC + cue | 24bit/96kHz | 849 mb
Mastered By Bernie Grundman
Label: Columbia/FC 38944 | Release: 1983 | Genre: Jazz-Rock
This was an interesting phase for Mr. Di Meola. It was the 1980s after all, not an easy time for any musician who’d been around as long as he, and he found himself adapting to that brave new musical world the best way he could. The result was ‘Scenario’, and it turned out to be quite a tasty little album. The line up for the session was also an asset; Jan Hammer on keys, Fairlight CMI, piano, Linn and Roland drums, and Moog bass. As well, Bill Bruford and Tony Levin guest on a track, and Phil Collins appears. This didn’t produce a prog supergroup for the 80s but it did make for one of the better synthetic projects of that often garish period. The winds of the East and an Indian Bansuri, all electronic, open the desert pictures of ‘Mata Hari’, a track that showcases fluid rhythms from Hammer’s Linn drums and Fairlight with Di Meola’s cool plucking on top. The obligatory Adult Contemporary pap follows with ‘African Night’ and the record is further diminished by the dreadful ‘Island Dreamer’. Luckily, these two maestros snap out of it and give us the superb title cut, a lovely and passioned duet of Al’s Flamenco strings with Hammer’s alternating piano and synth. A diamond in the rough and one of the things worth admission. ‘Sequencer’, in many ways the flagship of this project, is a bright electro-rocker where the blend of high-tech with hard rock is best illuminated and features one of this guitarist’s best, most elegantly fierce staccato performances. ‘Cachaca’ slows the pace a bit but the guitar still cuts like a knife as it does in ‘Hypnotic Conviction’. The eerie ‘Calliope’ develops into an odd-metered romp with melodic solos and the album finishes with the racing and clipping ‘Scoundrel’, an exercise in instrumental prowess. And please note the hats-off to Jeff Beck’s ‘Blue Wind’ at the end, a well-deserved homage to that rock fusion giant.
Review by Atavachron, progarchives.com (more…)
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10cc - Deceptive Bends
Vinyl | LP Cover (1:1) | FLAC + cue | 24bit/96kHz | 815 mb
Label: Mercury/6310 502 | Release: 1977 | Genre: Pop-Rock
This was the first album released by the band after the departure of Kevin Godley and Lol Creme. Many wondered at the time if the remaining half, Gouldman/Stewart, could pull off a decent album or would it be a let down. When it came out I rushed out to buy it, hoping it would be pretty good. Well, it was more than pretty good! It’s one of their best. Augmented by Paul Burgess on drums, who had already worked live with the band, Graham and Eric managed to make it sound as if Kevin and Lol had never left! ‘Good Morning Judge’ was a hit in the charts, and is typical 10cc. Clever lyrics are again present and nice guitar from Eric Stewart. Because the original four had quite similar voices at times, it wasn’t too hard to replicate the classic sound here. Graham Gouldman can sound quite like Kevin Godley when he sings deeply, and Eric Stewart can do a falsetto almost as well as Lol Creme. The second track, ‘The Things We Do For Love’ was a decent chart hit, and already heard and known before the album came out. Listening to it, you would swear it was the original four on the record. In fact, before I got the album, I wondered if the track had had the benefit of all four singing on it, because the songs for this album were being written and recorded whilst Godley and Creme were commencing work on their debut opus, ‘Consequences’. I thought maybe they had sung on this before they had left the band. However, they hadn’t. ‘Marriage Bureau Rendezvous’ is sung by Graham. A nice, quite romantic song really, with a good melody and gentle satire in its lyrics, it is instantly hummable.The story, about a man going to a marriage bureau to meet his Mrs Right, only to end up with the girl trying to fix him up with a date, is quite moving, without being mawdling. ‘People In Love’ is a nice ballad, the type this band were expert at writing when the mood took them. Eric sings this one and it’s a straightforward song with minimal satire. ‘Modern Man Blues’ is sung by both Eric and Graham, and has a superb twist when it comes to the chorus. The verse seems to bemoan the fact that the hero of the song has had his wife walk out on him, but the chorus sees him celebrating, now that he is free and able to do what he likes! Classic 10cc. ‘Honeymoon With B Troop’ is quite short and very funny, with classic lines abounding, such as: ‘So, don’t touch her…’ and then the backing vocals sing: ‘bum, bum, bum, bum,bum,bum,bum,bum,’ before the next line: Oh, it’s so fine, and you know what’s mine is mine.’ One of my favourites on the album. ‘I Bought A Flat Guitar Tutor’ is even shorter, and very, very clever. The lyrics contain various references to guitar chords, such as: C what I’m going through, A to B with you, in A flat, by the C. Again, a fave of mine. And the tune is catchy too, with nice guitar work from Eric, reminding us how well the man can play. ‘You’ve Got A Cold’ is probably my least favourite here, but it’s still good. It’s a song about, yes, you’ve guessed it, someone with a cold. Plenty of vocal interplay on this one. Solid stuff. Finally comes the magnum opus, a three part epic called ‘Feel The Benefit’. I played this track again and again when I first heard it. Eric takes the main lead here, though Graham contributes too. Lyrically, it’s quite poignant. The first part is slow paced, the middle part has an infectious rhythm, and the third part reprises the first, ending with a superb guitar solo from Eric. Brilliant stuff! This was the last what I would call ‘classic’ albums from the band, although the next, Bloody Tourists, has its merits too. This deserves four stars, easily.
Review by chessman, progarchives.com (more…)
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IQ – Are You Sitting Comfortably?
Vinyl | LP Cover (1:1) | FLAC + cue | 24bit/96kHz | 900mb
Mastered At Masterdisk
Label: Mercury/422 836 429-1-Squawk Records/422 836 429-1 | Release: 1989 | Genre: Neo-Progressive
This is probably the most pop and accessible of the IQ albums; with Paul Menel on lead vocals, it definitely sounds like the previous “Nomzamo”. So, the IQ fan who expects complex and elaborated progressive songs could be a bit disappointed. So, you have to be prepared to hear something more pop here, although the progressive dimension is still quite present.
The songs are actually accessible and very catchy: the compositions are fresh, cute and never dark. Menel’s voice is OUTSTANDING!!! The record is well balanced: some songs are really pop, well made and very catchy (“Drive On”, “Sold On You”, “Through My Fingers”), while other ones are more progressive (“Nostalgia”, “Wurensh”). The mix of modern varied keyboards and sought-after clean & slight distortion guitars a la MARILLION, combined to a wonderful elaborated fretless bass is very pleasant. Even if the drums are less elaborated here, they still do a great job. All the songs are very well made! No fillers!
Review by greenback, progarchives.com (more…)
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Dire Straits – Dire Straits (1978)
Vinyl Rip 24/96 | 900 Mb, 3% RAR Recovery | FLAC | Artwork
Vertigo – 9102 021 (Original UK, 1978) | Rock
Tracklist
A1 Down To The Waterline
A2 Water Of Love
A3 Setting Me Up
A4 Six Blade Knife
A5 Southbound Again
B1 Sultans Of Swing
B2 In The Gallery
B3 Wild West End
B4 Lions
Bass – John Illsley
Drums – Pick Withers
Rhythm Guitar – David Knopfler
Vocals, Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Written-By – Mark Knopfler
David Gilmour - About Face
Vinyl | LP Cover (1:1) | FLAC + cue | 24bit/96kHz | 900mb
Mastered By Doug Sax
Label: Columbia/PC 39296 | Release: 1984 | Genre: Progressive-Rock
Gilmour made only 2 alums: about 6 years separate them. On this one, the keyboards are really modernized, despite there is an omnipresent accessible organ sound. Gilmour’s lead vocals are excellent, as always. Some parts are really symphonic (beautiful orchestral arrangements). There are very sustained emotional guitar solos, like on the “Let’s get metaphysical” track. “Blue light” almost has a big band rock style, as reveal the trumpet-like sounds, slightly reminding me the horns arrangements of It Bites’ “Whole New World”. There are some excellent fretless bass parts, and Gilmour’s excellent acoustic rhythmic guitar is omnipresent. A couples of songs were written with the help of Pete Townsend. All the songs are very good.
Review by greenback, progarchives.com (more…)
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Chris Squire - Fish Out Of Water
Vinyl | LP Cover (1:1) | FLAC + cue | 24bit/96kHz | 900mb
Mastered By Arun Chakraverty
Label: Atlantic/SD 18159 | Release: 1975 | Genre: Symphonic-Rock
Chris Squire’s single solo effort is an essential masterpiece. It certainly is not a lost Yes album just merely Squire’s exceptional creation which demonstrates his importance in progressive rock and equally his influence in this genre. How can you do a follow up with another solo album with Fish Out of Water being your first?’ Silently Falling’ and ‘ Safe’ without question the highlights of the album but even the shorter tracks like ‘ Hold Out Your Hand’ and the years ahead of it’s time’ Lucky Seven’ are an aural delight. The bass thumps throughout, there are layers and layers of keyboards and even the brass is so refreshing. A lost Yes album, not but as good as any Yes album, possibly.
Review by Chris S, progarchives.com (more…)
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