The Kinks - Preservation Act 1 (1973)

The Kinks - Preservation Act 1 (1973) SACD

  I grew up a huge Kinks fan so anytime you can pick up a SACD remaster of these classic Kinks albums you just have to go for it!  The problem with the Kinks is that all their albums are good....and Preservation Act 1 and 2 are simply great albums.  "Daylight" has been a favourite song of mine for a long long time and finally I can hear it is pure SACD sound dynamics....they way they heard it in the studio.

Hank Mobley - Workout (1962)

Hank Mobley - Workout 1962 SACD

  Hank Mobley, Grant Green, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers (who else) and Philly Joe Jones...wow what a line up. Workout is a way more relaxed album that you might have thought from its title but trust me nothing is missing! What is great about this album is that everyone gets a good chunk of space and air time to help Mobley explore the 1962 Blue Note studio. "The best things in life are free" is a great track and Hank's interpretation of this classic old ditty is fantastic. Fans of great blues-funk groovin jazz will love this album. There is an extra bonus track and again another classic "three coins in the fountain" which has another great interpretation.
This Blue Note album was recorded in 1962 and Hoffman and Gray have done a marvelous job in re-presenting this album in pure SACD clarity and brilliance. I think the instruments sound so pure and real on this disc that you will think they are playing right in your living room.
This album is for pure jazz lovers........brilliant sound and body throughout.

Buddy Rich - The Roar Of '74 (1973)

Buddy Rich - The Roar Of '74, 1973

  Wow....perhaps the chessiest album cover of all his albums BUT the music contained within will blow your lips off !   This IS THE Big band jazz/rock fusion album you have longed for !  Lots of heavyweights on this album kids .......King Crimson's Tony Levin (bass) with jazz giant Joe Beck (guitar), Duke Ellington drummer Sam Woodyard and Jimmy Maeulen, (percussion) and Buddy Budson (organ),.

The Explorers Club - Grand Hotel (2012)

The Explorers Club - Grand Hotel , 2012

  Now this band sure took their sweet time releasing a new album but the wait has been well worth it.   Grand Hotel is a Grand Album !  They took their ode-to-Beach Boys...tossed in a good shot of Herb Alpert and added some Enoch Light and James Last for good measure.  The end result is a total flashback to the Age of Sterophonics and space-age pop and an album that I adore.
   Great vocal harmonies and excellent song writing make this album not to be missed.
They just dont make em like this anymore !  

Lonnie Smith - Afrodesia (1975)

Lonnie Smith - Afrodesia 1977
 
  Lonnie Smith (not to be confused with Lonnie Liston Smith who also played the organ) released a number of very cool funk -jazz albums of few of which remain on my top list of this genre to this day!  Afrodesia is a very groooooovy album that still carries a lot of jazz influences and surprisingly is less keyboard dominated than his other albums in this genre.   But having said that there is still lots of great keyboard work along with some great jazz fusion-soul instrumentation.
    

Tribute - New Views (1995)

Tribute - New Views 1995
 
  TRIBUTE were a Swedish progressive band who recorded 2 very sweet studio albums in the mid 80's which featured GONG's Pierre Moerlen. "New Views" was their first album which features the most amazing 22 Mins epic track "New Views". This track alone makes the album well worth the price... gentle GENESIS-like 8 mins acoustic guitar intro with building symphonic keyboard passages and great melodic mid section instrumental interplay before the majestic and energized conclusion. This album is all instrumental with emphasis on the keyboards giving off a symphonic fusion world of colors and with the guitar accents really reminds me at times of CAMEL, ALAN PARSONS, ELOY and even The ENID. I must warn you that TRIBUTE's music is very easy going and takes you along for the ride without introducing cluttered and/or unnecessary complex time signature changes or mood swings. The focus of the music is definitely pro-melody with some real grand musical moments. In other words no real surprises here and a bit along the contemporary commercial side of things which is not as this proves always a bad thing my friends. Overall a great album and one of those albums progressive music fans will be grateful for owning in their collection... and one that Mom will love as well.

Landslide - Two Sided Fantasy (1972)

Landslide - Two Sided Fantasy , 1972
 
   I really dont know a lot about Landslide except that this album is just way tooo cool !  This is acid-blues music the way it was meant to be played and should excite even your pet gerbil !  The line up consisted of drummer Tommy Caglioti, Joseph Caglioti, singer Ed Cass, bassist  Bobby Sallustio and lead guitarist Billy Savoca and boy-o-boy can these guys "giver".     I picked this gem back in 2003 snagging the Akarma CD gatefold album sleeve replica release.   Not sure of the source of this one (it may be from vinyl transfer actaully) but having said that the sound on this CD is actually quite good.
   Musically these guys played a blues based rhythm style with wah wah guitars and echoed reverb mixed with excellent drums and some great vocals too !    A Very cool album

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (1966)

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds SACD Mobile Fidelity
 
   Universally renowned for its groundbreaking songs, majestic arrangements, landmark production, emotional lyrics, and bold creativity the 1966 record forever altered the pop-culture landscape and how everyone experiences music.  Yep...it was that influential and continue to be today!   Mobile Fidelity took Brian Wilson's original Stereo mix and remastered it skillfully to loving 24bit/96 kHz SACD giving the greatest sound you could imagine.   "God Only Knows" sounds just so haunting with such a wide sound spectrum !  

Glen Campbell - Ghost On The Canvass (2011)

Glen Campbell - Ghost On A Canvass 2011

  Here is Glen's FINAL album (unless he pulls a WHO!) and if this is his last musical statement then what a way to go out !  EVERYONE needs to buy this album !   Ghost On The Canvas is a truely personal and heavily inspired album (you were right Douggie and Suzzie!) and features a couple of absolutely stunning tracks that defy label and totally surprised me.      I have lots of Glen Campbell vinyl records and would never have thought that he had a last album in him as good as this !    I have always loved Glen's voice and on this album you get to hear it as an elder gents who just wont let go quite yet !   This album also features some of Glen Campbell's finest work ever !   The opening 2 tracks give me shivers and bring me to places that I never would have expected.     "A Better Place", "Ghost on the Canvas" and "There's No Me........Without You" will send you to the stars!
   An absolute essential album

   

Marjorie Meinert - Vive La Difference (1960)

Marjorie Meinert - Vive La Difference (1960)

   Sacre Bleu!  Marjorie Meinert was one of the great unknowns........an excellent organist who released a number of excellent albums in the 50's and 60's.  This album features some pretty cool lowrey organ with an excellent unnamed guitarist.  Pretty much this is a concept album as well with all songs played in ode to Paris in some way..songs like "I Love Paris", "April In Paris", " Under The Bridges In Paris".  The album actually ends far too soon for my liking and clocks in around 30 mins.
  This is also a wonderful Space-Age album to sit back and groove out to with your friends and family.  

 

The Black Angels - Passover (2006)

The Black Angels - Passover (2006)
 
   The Black Angels are a neo-psychedelic band (at least so far) from Austin, TX who clearly have lots in common with the Velvet Underground (their name is lifted in fact from a Velvet Underground classic, "The Black Angel's Death Song.".   This is my second album I picked up by this band after I really enjoyed "Directions To See A Ghost" which made  my 2008 Album of the year set list.   These guys (and girl) play a very dark neo psych/punk type of sound with some pretty cool tunes and grooves.   The lyrics are scary too which adds to the originality of this album.   "The First Vietnamese War" is a hugely expressive song that although is 30 years too late sounds like a time piece.    Not sure this one is ideal to play in the background at Sunday night's dinner but when you need to really rock the Cash-bar then this ones for you :)

      

Morten Harket - Letter From Egypt (2008)

Morten Harket - Letter From Egypt (2008)

  Morten Harket may not be an immediately recognized name but he was the lead singer for Norway's 80's pop sensational band "A-HA".     I followed A-Ha pretty closely over the years and became a huge fan of Harket's vocals.   "Letter From Egypt" was one of his solo albums from 2008 that captured Harket at a time in his life when the age of A-ha was ending and he was going more solo.  This album is chalked up with some pretty poppy tunes with a certain AOR aspect as well making this more than just a Pop album.  Songs like "Darkspace" and "With You-With Me" shows the depth is songwriting and musicianship Harket has in his soul.

Dead Can Dance - Aion (1990)

Dead Can Dance - Aion SACD, Mobile Fidelity

Aion was the 5th album released from the creative prowess of Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard. This album is another deep spiritual exploration into a wonderful fusion of music, tones and emotions. With a nice mix of instrumental and vocalized songs this album takes you on quite a journey. This is the type of album that really defies categorization....some much suggest folk, ambient, world, jazz, psych AOR etc......i put this one under art pop somewhere but really Dead Can Dance are their own classification.
    This SACD sounds amazing and offers a huge and deep soundscape to get lost within. Lisa Gerrard's vocals are haunting yet never overpower the instrumentation which enriches the sound throughout. The percussion is wide too and at times my music room is just a huge wall of sound. The folks at Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs did a fantastic job in translating this to SACD format and offer us a truly enriched album to enjoy. Lots of detail here to absorb with a high degree of speaker separation.
Highly recommended album and even better if you can snag it on SACD !

Bee Gees - 1st (1967)

Bee Gees - 1st, 1967 Reprise Remastered Box Set 

    Bon Voyage Robin.........my god am I going to miss you !
   The first Bee Gee's album is one of my top 10 albums of all time........and a desert Island pick for me (as long as I can have Reprise remastered version !)     Half Pysch...half pop.....this album spent 26 weeks on the British album charts in 1967 !  Originally the Bee Gees were a 5 piece band then 4....with the 3 brothers and  Colin Petersen (drums).    "In My Own Time" is about as close to the Beatles as they ever got while "Every Christian" took us deep into the psych-pop genre.   If you have not heard the early Bee Gee albums then you are truely missing out !   Huge vocal harmonies, beautiful songs and some of the most memorable melodies ever put to record.   I love their second and third albums too, but nothing ever matched the magic of this one!    The Reprise remasters are absolutely essential with each of the first 3 albums being a 2 disc of mono and stereo mixes ...very very nice !   and a ton of extra tracks and demo versions ...not the usual meaningless extras either....very very nice !   very very nice !

Cat Stevens - Tea For The Tillerman (1970)

Cat Stevens - Tea For The Tillerman , 1970. SACD

  Ok so who hasn't roasted a few marshmallows over an open campfire singing your guts off to this album?   I had this album on 8 Track....no kidding !   Over 30+ years now and it still is a magical album that deserves the title "Classic".  Just a simple album really of just acoustic guitar folk songs with some of the most imaginative and enduring tracks songs ever recorded IMHO.  
   The 2011 Analogue Productions SACD release is just scrumptious!   It was carefully mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound who ensured that nothing was limited or stonewalled with the sound.   It literally sounds like Cat Stevens is singing in your living room.....it sounds that good !
   "Sad Lisa" is just one of greatest folk songs ever !   As is the whole album!!!!!
 

Jim Hall - Live (1975)

Jim Hall - Live , 1975   96Kb
 
  Recorded live in 1975 at Bourbon Street in lovely Toronto along side Terry Clarke (Drums) and Don Thompson (bass) who also apparently recorded this great album.   I was not there but everytime I hear this recording I feel like there is a ton of smoke filling the room and plenty of Shirey-Cocktails making the rounds!  This album is absolutely electric yet quite laid back at the same time.   Don Thompson's bass is huge and Hall's command of the guitar is stellar.   If you are looking for a great trio jazz that never gets too hairy then this is your lucky day.   I must say that the recording is also quite awesome and the bass is deep and the guitar full the high and mid range while the drumming keeps it all together.   When I play this album loud the house absolutely shakes with the bass vibration.   

Jane Siberry - City (2001)

Jane Siberry - City (2001)

  When I was in University in London I remember going to see Jane Siberry on her "The Walking" tour which was the first time I saw washing machines and a clothes line on stage.  It was one of the true defining moments at that time in my life and still to this day I love the music of Jane Siberry.
   City is really a fine little collection of "Odds and Sods" taken from a number of different and unrelated points in her life.  Musically the moods are varied with some fantastically artistic bits as you would expect.  For me two of the great tracks off this album is her own version of "Calling All Angels" and "It Can't Rain All The Time" from the soundtrack to The CROW.   
   

The Zombies - Odessey & Oracle (1968)

The Zombies - Odessey & Oracle, 1968  Mono and Stereo

  The gentle - ghostly vocals of Colin Blunstone, Rod Argent's mellotron whisps and some of the grooviest songs ever recorded...........that is the Odessey & the Oracle.      Although I loved the singles from the Zombies it really wasnt until my University Days that I finally bought this album and ever since this has been one of the most beloved albums in my psych 60's collection.  
  

T Rex - Electric Warrior (1971)

T Rex - Electric Warrior , 1971  Remastered Version

  I played this album to death when I was a young lad and remember picking this up with a Kinks record at my cousins garage sale many a moon ago.   Of all my rock albums in my collection, Electric Warrior remains one of the top desert island picks still to this day!  ``Cosmic Dancer``....`Jeepster``.....Planet Queen``, and Bang A Gong.......oh yeah baby !
  I think Marc Bolan never did it like he did on E-Warrior....this album was just so fresh and really was the sign of the times.   His voice really sounds inspired and almost ghostly at times.   I guess some would say it is very dated sounding but that is fine with me....i am used to that one !
   T Rex`s Electric Warrior is a fantastic album

Enoch Light and the Brass Menagerie (1969)

Enoch Light and the Brass Menagerie Vol 2.

   "Not since Enoch Light's Persuasive Percussion revolutionized the entire concept of sound recording has an instrumental album created such a furore (sic) as Enoch Light's Brass Menagerie"......
    Wow...what a cool album......tons of great lively instruments and that certain Enoch Light flare....
  Three of the songs Enoch picked for this set comes from the musical HAIR, a stunning version of Aquarius at that too !
   As you would expect a ton of brass instrumentation and lots of cool percussion too !

Mushroom - Foxy Music (2001)

Mushroom - Foxy Music (2001)
 

Genesis - Wind & Wuthering (1977)

 Genesis - Wind & Wuthering (1977)   SACD

In 1977 something happened to Genesis........The album was `Wind and Wuthering`` and the music carried the deep musical progressions of early Genesis with some lighter poppy tendencies which started to creep into their music.  I am a Genesis fan....always have been and always will be and slowly I have been picking up all the Nick Davis SACD Remasters as I find them reasonably priced....as you know there are some lunatics asking way too much for these discs.
If you are not familiar with the post Gabriel era Genesis then I can assure you that Phil Collins does a reasonable job on the vocals in replacement of Peter Gabriel. Musically "Wind and Wuthering" from 1977 was another great album from this band who began on this album to show signs of pop and progressive rock combined. No question that Afterglow is one of the truly great Genesis tracks! ...still give me the shivers when I hear it....

Now how is the SACD transfer you ask ? well....I can assure you that this is an excellent transfer that sounds great. Excellent clarity and nice instrumental depth. Nick Davis is responsible for the 5.1 mix and unlike many of the critics out there I think he did a very good job on these albums. The music is bright and clear and in many ways I feel like I have never heard the album until now !
I also have been able to hear things that I never heard before from my vinyl and 1st edition CD sources.
If you are a fan of Genesis or this album then I recommend you pick it up.......


  

Doc Severinsen - Fever! (1966)

Doc Severinsen - Fever! , 1966 Command Records
 
  Vibrant, upbeat, lofty .....a real space age listening treat! .......heeeeeereeeeees Johnny!!! ....yep it's the same Doc from "The Tonight Shhow"starring Johnny Carson! 
     Doc was a master at the trumpet actually and his early albums on the Command Sparton label are all excellent! Songs Doc picked for this album include Sidewinder by Lee Morgan, a brass driven re-interpretation of "Fever" and my particular fav on the album ""The lady in red" (no.....not that song that you are thinking of...a different song!)
    As with all of the Command label vinyl albums they have all been carefully recorded with the finest recording capabilities that existed back in the day. This album was mastered by George Piros like most of the early Command vinyl records.
  Plug In..........Play Richly ...........you will love this album

Anita O'Day and Billy May - Swing Rogers and Hart (1960)

Anita O`Day and Billy May - Swing Rodgers and Hart , 1960

  I grew up in a household that played a lot of swing music........lots of Billy May and Frank Sinatra......and lots of Billy May ...and did I mention lots of Billy May  
   This gem from 1960 finds an admittedly ``high on pot`` Anita O`Day crooning to the huge orchestral wall of sound of Billy May and his orchestra.  All of the music on this album plays an ode to Rogers and Hart who wrote some lovely songs over the years.......
   Anita O`Day had a great voice and did some pretty cool interpretations of these songs,,,,,very original and very creative.   This is a great album as well for the space-age crowd with some pretty hopppy ditties in there to keep your toes a twitchin` and your feet and movin`.