Martin Denny - Exotica II (1958)

Martin Denny - Exotica II, 1958 Remaster

   So there I was one evening listening to Music For A Pachelor Pad Volume 3 and out pops Martin Denny and his Exotica expert and I was just intoxicated by the creative spirit of this guy.    Denny was a native New Yorker and managed to release a ton of albums over his career many of which hit the lounge genre.    These early albums are all just amazing with tons of vivid coloring, great percussion, jazzy overtones and a certain creativity that you just cant put your finger on.   No question if you crank this album your family will truely believe you flipped your lid !

   Mommy........daddy's gone coo coo.....he listening to lounge Exotica album again........

Alan Parsons Project - Eve (1979)

The Alan Parsons Project - Eve (1979) Remaster

  "Eve" was the 4th album by studio wizard and producer Alan Parsons who released a string of fabulous recordings in the 70's.   This was very much an overlooked album and IMHO is one of the finest from these early albums.  "You Wont Be There" is a song that has been with me for a lifetime and will be there till the day I die.   The album's concept deals with the female's overpowering effect on men (hmmmmm) and is aptly titled considering the beginning of the whole Adam and Eve dynamic.   Once again Parsons calls on a cast of talented musicians and singers....Dave Townsend, Lenny Zakatek and for the first time 2 female singers are present with the haunting vocals of Lesley Duncan and Clare Torry.   An album that deserves a whole lot more exposure.
  Oh yeah I should mention that way back when I was watching Cannadore College DJ one night on my local TV and he was playing this album and I remember thinking how awesome it was way back then.

Drive By Truckers - The Dirty South (2004)

Drive By Truckers - The Dirty South , 2004

  Southern Rock never sounded so good as when played by the Drive By Truckers.....loud that is.....

   This a very special band who boast some pretty cool albums with "The Dirty South" being one of my personal favs'     The DBT's play a muscled multi-guitar driven Southern Rock style with tons of twang and tons of grit.    And as hard as they can rock they can also roll in the hay with some odd songs slowed down offering a nice variety of moods and themes.  Mike Cooley (guitars and vocals) takes more the Country roads while and in sharp contrast band lead Patterson Hood (guitars and vocals) takes more rock than roll.  The Drive-By Truckers album  "Southern Rock Opera" became one of the most well-respected alternative country-rock albums and appears in Mojo's Greatest Hits albums you must hear before you die in fact!.   Tales of the Dirty South deals with Southern US history, folklore, politics, and even personal character sketches along the way.   This is pure redneck twang-rock that I guarantee will make your toes tap and the beer just keep chuggin'.
    Oh yeah and a ton of Lynyrd Skynyrd adages and odes in the Drive By Truckers music.

King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King (1969)

King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King, 1969 5.1 Stereo Remaster

    When one thinks of Progressive Rock "The Court" always comes into the discussion as the grand-daddy of this whole scene.    A bit of jazz...fusion....rock.....and even some gospel !   (well maybe not a ton of gospel...i got a bit carried away!)    This is King Crimsons definitive album , and one of the most daring debut albums ever recorded by anybody.   Robert Fripp's guitar along with  Ian McDonald's Mellotron, flute and sax work dominate this album and of course a ton of great Greg Lake driven vocals and harmonies and well crafted songs to boot !    This was another one of the defining albums of my youth and I think is still one of the greatest albums of all time.   Porcupine Tree's Steve Wilson did the 5.1 mix which is "Killer" and the stereo remaster here is amazing giving new life and character to this great piece of rock music.
"I Talk To The Wind" is one of the true delicate numbers that needs to listened too with a glass of fine wine or exquisite beer!

Miles Davis - Big Fun (1974)

Miles Davis - Big Fun , 1974 Remastered

   I have been a huge Miles Davis fan for years....especially the 70's era albums and live memories.  Big Fun was pretty much interpreted as just yet another freaked out Mile Davis album that largely went unnoticed back in 1974!   Big Fun has been a prized album in my collection for a long time and today as I re-listen to this album I just can't get over how huge this album still is.   At about the time of Bitches Brew Miles wrote "Great Expectations" and "Lonely Fire" which are 2 of the GREAT track on this album.
    This is pure Jazz Fusion !   An album that you need to listen to without distraction and without the "Toronto Maple Leafs" playing in the background :).

Steve Hackett - Please Don't Touch (1978)

Steve Hackett - Please Don't Touch , 1978 Remaster

  "Please Don't Touch"! was the second solo album by ex Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett, and his first after having left Genesis in 1977.   Voyage Of The Acolyte (his first solo album) is on par with any Genesis album IMHO and while I love this album it was a real departure from the Genesis sound. 

Please Don't Touch featured several guests including R&B singer Randy Crawford, American folk icon Richie Havens, the drummer and vocalist for the progressive rock band Kansas (Phil Ehart and Steve Walsh respectively), Frank Zappa alumnus Tom Fowler, Genesis concert drummer Chester Thompson, and Van der Graaf Generator's violinist Graham Smith.
  This music is still very theme based and the music very creative with some of Hackett's finest solo musical moments.  "Icarus Ascending" is a song that simply will reach right thru you and is one of my favourite Hackett moments.  

Dead Can Dance - Into The Labrynth (1993)

Dead Can Dance - Into The Labrynth , 1993 SACD

    Over the past 10 years I have been slowly re-building my Dead Can Dance discography but after reading all the stunning reviews about "Into the Labryth SACD" I had to swing a copy....and all I can say is wow........this version eclipses the redbook CD by a long shot.    This may in fact be the best sounding recording I have in my entire collection......it is just that good.  Typical of DCD's music the songs are hypnotic and hugely addictive with some awesome worlds instrumentation.

   Dead Can Dance is the genius of the musical partnership between Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry.  They have written tons of music together and all their albums are excellent with each one bringing in different elements.  They are a band that you will never grow tired of or stop listening to...really !

  This album is a real eclectic mix of Eastern ,  Middle East and Celtic horror Soundscapes told thru the haunting voice of Brendan Perry and the versatile voice of Lisa Gerrard.  This album plays more like a movie soundtrack than it does an album of music !   

  I also recently picked up Lisa Gerrard's solo album "The Silver Tree" which I cant stop playing.

  
  Simply Brilliant !

Genesis - Nursery Cryme (1971)

Genesis - Nursery Cryme , 1971 SACD

  The song "The Musical Box" was one of the defining musical moments that would get me really into progressive rock as it should turn out.   The whole album of course upon further investigation was just as impacting as the Musical Box was but just less obvious.   Like all of the early Genesis albums they are very English culture focused and tell stories of croquet and polo that turned a bit sideways.
   If you have not heard these albums you really need to run out and buy a copy and they are just that important statements of the progressive movement.  These albums you live as much as you listen to them !  

Genesis - Foxtrot (1972)

Genesis - Foxtrot , 1972 SACD
    
        It really all started off with Trespass.....and then Nursery Cryme and then Foxtrot........3 incredibly detailed and theatrical albums spawning the progressive rock movement throughout the world.   Foxtrot basically continued the ideas, sounds, vibes and concept-like content of the previous 2 albums with the addition here of an epic side long track called "Supper's Ready".
   Peter Gabriel is simply magical on this album (again) and the band sound tight and creative having written 6 great everlasting songs.  Foxtrot would once again be a reference point for aspiring rock bands in the early 70's and still today is one of my favourite albums of all time.

Ray Charles - Uh Huh (1959 - 1972)

Ray Charles - Uh Huh (1959 - 1972) DCC

  I will admit up front that I am not a huge fan of Greatest Hit Packages generally as I would rather just hear the original albums, but on "Uh Huh" I have to say that this is an amazing album.   The album cover is cheesie as is the title and the book info is thin and uninteresting, but the music is beyond amazing.   This album was compiled all from the original masters carefully by Steve Hoffman and Ray Charles together in 1992 and released on the very collectible DCC label.
  This compilation covers 1959 to 1972 and Ray pulled out the ones i think he really thought were well done.  In typical Hoffman style,the album is vividly clear and sonically perfect with all the bumps and bruises from the original mater tapes.
  This collection is essential but be careful this was released a few times and YOU need to get the DCC version folks or you will be disappointed.  This is a 2 full CD set of the magic of Ray Charles.......

Donald Byrd - Street Lady (1973)

Donald Byrd - Street Lady (1973) Rare Groove Blue Note Remaster

  Byrd's "Street Lady" draws heavily from the spirit of Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes and even Sly Stone while building a creative funky jazz album that simply oozes with pizazz....and a bit of prostitution.  Not sure what the album cover art has to do with the music unless Byrd was trying for the urban-thang.....but the music is kind of "loungie"...kind of jazzy...and kind of funky......
    The line up is pretty dense with of course the creative genius of Donald Byrd (trumpet),  Roger Glenn (flute), Jerry Peters (piano, electric piano), Fonce Mizell (clavinet, trumpet, vocals),  Fred Perren (synthesizer, vocals), David T. Walker (guitar), Chuck Rainey (electric bass), Harvey Mason (drums), King Errisson  (congas), Stephanie Spruill (percussion) and Larry Mizell (vocals, arranger, conductor).
I love Blue Note's "Rare Groove" series which is now kind of hard to track down many of the titles to...and this one was no exception.   I love Donald Byrd and "Street lady" is a splendid journey of all another kind.

Grant Green - Live At The Lighthouse (1972)

Grant Green - Live At The Lighthouse , 1972 Rare Groove Series Remaster Blue Note
 
  Live At The Lighthouse is one of the great live jazz fusion albums of all time and is some of Grant Green's finest moments captured on his albums.   This would also be Green's final album for Blue Note which is too bad cause he was really kicking in 1972 !
  What makes this double LP set so convincing is that 4 of the 6 songs are like 15 mins long so they are given lots of room to get into some pretty cool grooves and wind out in the vastness of the Lighthouse.  His band are amazing and I love the hand percussion on these songs!  a very cool album and very groovy !

Jean Sibelius - Symphonies No. 2 in D & No. 7 in C

Jean Sibelius - Symphonies No. 2 in D and  No. 7 in C , London Philharmonic Orchestra, SACD

  I heard a bit of Symphony No. 7 and immediately ordered this Disc.....

  WOW !   This disc is worth every cent I spent on it ($5.00) and then some!.   For those (like me) who were not too familiar with Sibelius' work let me take a few secs out to provide a bit of a bio on this dude.  Born 1865 - 1957, Jean Sibelius was born in Finland and wrote a number of stunning symphonies in his life time (there see that was painless and not really all that informative!)
  The 2nd and 7th are hugely symphonic and really sound like epic soundtracks as they go along.   The 2nd symphony is his most famous and likely you have heard bits and pieces of this before but the 7th was a pure find and a half.     I will need to hunt down more of the music of this genius ........

Klaus Schulze - Irrlicht (1972)

Klaus Schulze - Irrlicht (1972)

  Klaus Schulze's first masterpiece Irrlicht was really one of the early electronic albums and done so without any synthesizers.    Irrlicht was 3 epic space tracks that explore some of the darkest nubulas and space caverns ever imagined.  Irrlicht is as exprfessive and as ground breaking as Tangerine Dream's 1970 "Electronic Meditation" and Kraftwerk's first album simply titled Kraftwerk 1.      
    Schulze of course played in both early Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel, but it was his solo music where I really became so fond of his music. 
    Klaus Schulze is one of the true founding fathers of contemporary electronic music and on this debut album he uses the organ and oscilations to create sounds and feelings that few could have imagined......clearly a pioneer of his art.

The Monkees - Headquarters (1967)

The Monkees - Headquaters (1967)

  RIP Davy Jones............................................

  So on the bad news this week of the loss of Davy Jones I had pulled out some of my Monkees albums and the first one I am spinning in ode is their 3rd album Headquarters.   At the time all the discussion was centered around how the Monkees didn't write any of their own music, but on Headquarters they started changing this perception.    Headquarters is a magical album and represents a very much maturing band.  The song "Shades Of Gray" is one of the classic Monkees tunes and reveals how they started to work outside of the simple catchy pop melodies.

Carole King - Writer (1970)

Carole King - Writer (1970)

  Criminally overlooked debut album from Carole King.    "Tapestry" was of course THE Carole King album that sold oodles and oodles and for me I discovered this beauty only thru that album.   Of course most of the songs were written by Carole with James Taylor providing his acoustic guitar.  "Child Of Mine" is one of the great Carole King tunes and in fact the whole album is just excellent.  "Goin' Back" and the opener "Spaceship Races" are killer tunes.
   

Ray Charles - Live (1964)

Ray Charles - Live In Concert, 1964 Analogue Productions SACD

  On Sept 20th 1964 Ray Charles and his band hit the stage at the Shine Civic Auditorium in LA and delivered a highly energetic performance and thanks to the recording engineer managed to grab a great sound that evening for us all to enjoy some almost 50 years later. This live recording sounds even better and more alive than ever ! Ray Charles is at the height of his career and no question he gets the crowd rockin!
Ray is joined by quite a band ....Sonny Forriest (guitar), Bill Pearson (flute, alto saxophone); Hank Crawford (alto saxophone); Leroy Cooper (baritone saxophone); John Hunt (trumpet, flugelhorn); Oliver Beener, Wallace Davenport, Phil Guilbeau (trumpet); Henderson Chambers, James Herbert, Julian Priester (trombone); Wilbert Hogan (drums) and The Raelets on backing vocals.
The liner notes say that `No attempt has been made to augment this recording or change the performances in any way from exactly the way they were heard``.

This recording deserves to be turned up and enjoyed at full volume which seems to give it an extra bit of power and energy.
 
As for how this SACD sounds....well I dont have the original RBCD to compare it to but can only say that the sound on this disc is awesome. Gray and Zanev have done a wonderful job is preserving and mastering this prized live recording to SACD.

Nat King Cole - After Midnight (1956)

Nat King Cole - After Midnight, 1956, SACD (Mono Recording) Analogue Productions

   After Midnight feels just like an album that you should be listening too after midnight.  This little delicate album gives you an early yet brilliant peek into the genius of a crooner beginning to blossom. Nat King Cole is on the mic and on the piano and is accompanied by his trio where together they get into some great soft jazz. I love all the Nat King Cole SACD AP releases and this one is no exception..

Of course Cole is the centerpiece of this album, but his trio are also amazing.....John Collins (guitar), Charlie Harris (Bass) and drummer Lee Young.

I do hear more tape hiss on this SACD than the other AP releases but that is not a deterrent just a fact of age of these vintage recordings. But make no mistake you have never heard this album so clear and so true to life....

The 50`s Mono never sounded sooooooo good...nor did Cole !

Ray Charles & Betty Carter (1966)

Ray Charles & Betty Carter (1966) , SACD Analogue Productions

  ...Why don`t you put some records on while I pour.................

  Holy god......what an amazing album.........Take a genius of Ray Charles and bring in the smokey -vocals of Betty Carter and add some huge orchestration and harmonic background vocals and you have an album that I one for the desert island.   ``Ev`ry Time We Say Goodbye`` is simply riveting, `Baby It`s Cold Outside` will give you that special huge melancholy feeling and `For All We Know`may even make you cry .

  If you were going to only buy one album this year.......make it this one !

Focus - 3 (1972)

Focus - 3 , 1972 Remastered
 
  Great things come in 3's and this adage held true for Focus who nailed it on this double album.  Of course Focus is best remembered for their classic tune "Hocus Pocus" which is staple of rock airwaves everywhere.  Focus are a Dutch progressive rock band that formed in Amsterdam in 1969 by vocalist/keyboardist/flutist Thijs van Leer, bassist Martin Dresden, drummer Hans Cleuver and guitarist Jan Akkerman.
  Lots of mixed emotions on the final mix of this album with slight variations from the vinyl....but according to some source I read this was the intended album track listing and mix Focus had planned for, but before release a B Side track was included in the vinyl and Answers was shortened to accommodate the albums 2 sides.   According to Focus' website (official) the track "House of the King" was added to this album, but was in fact recorded in 1969 with Martin Dresden and Hans Cleuver for In and out of Focus.
This is truely one of the gems from the progressive rock era.   Although I love the entire album I think that "Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers!" and "Focus III" are my favourites from this album.   Flute.....vintage keyboards, great tempos, excellent guitar and bass interplay....fans of Camel, Tull, ELP and Floyd will drool over this album.     Vintage Progressive Rock kids !

The Thirteenth Floor Elevators - Easter Everywhere (1967)

Thirteenth Floor Elevators - Easter Everywhere (1967)  Charley 2 CD Remaster

   Wildly Psychedelic and yet just so beautiful........Easter Everywhere is THE psych album!  Hugely haunting and highly addictive this album was the finest moment for the 13th Floor Elevators.  This album is clearly your Pathway to enlightenment.....holy makinah !  
   There is a dude on this album that plays the electric bottle for heavens sake.....now come on !
The songs are hash'engly fabulous with some wonderfully psychy fuzzed freakouts and quaint little sonic ditties.....

Scott Walker - Scott 3 (1969)

Scott Walker - Scott 3 (1969) Remastered HDCD

   If you have not heard the music of Scott Walker then you have really missed out.   For those who remember the Walker Brothers for the 60s will clearly remember the strong and expressive vocals of Scott Walker.  Scott 3 was his final album to hit the Top 10 in Britain and what made this album so unique was that the vast majority were self penned songs.......music, orchestration and lyrics !   Scott was totally inspired by the music of Jacques Brel and once again there are a few tracks in pure devotion as his ode (after all what would a Scott Walker album be without Jacque Brel !).
  Scott 3 is my favorite of all his solo albums and IMHO represents his most progressive album of the lot!  Fontana-Phonogram did a wonderful job on all of Scotts albums giving them the 24 bit HDCD remaster.  Pure angelic music that will simply blow your mind.
A pure genius.......pure genius

Tosca - j.a.c. (2005)

Tosca - j.a.c (2005)

  Tosca was a musical partnership of producers Richard Dorfmeister (of Kuder & Dorfmeister) and Rupert Huber.   j.a.c. was my introduction to my music of this chill-out duo who have captivated my ears.   I have not ever strayed too far from electronic music and even in my mid 40s I find myself gravitated towards those little beeps and clicks and bytes and bits.
   Tosca are one of the bands that I think need to be separated from the lot.........not really the hip hop thing......not really the dance floor e-thing........more just prog-chill-psych vibes and tons of very cool jive talkin moments.  Groovy beyond the splinter in the minds eye!    There 2 guys create a spiral world of sound that is just way too cool.
  If you are looking for a little something off the beat and track then maybe spin a bit of Tosca on your Taco !

Terry Evans - Come To The River (1997)

Terry Evans - Come To The River XRCD K2

  Soul, Blues and Gospel all in one heavenly album worshiped by the tenor "tear your heart out" vocals of Terry Evans.  Fans of Ry Cooder will love this album too at it has some of his best guitar work...seems that Evans and Cooder really bring out the best in each other.  "Please no more" and "Come to the River" is some of the deepest soulful music I have in my collection !   Evans is backed up by 3 great male vocalists who sing in this harmonic deep southern soul-gospel groove that will make you think you are in some church in Southern US.  The music is soulful and groovy !    Smooth and Rich.
  This is the XRCD K2 version which is simply one of the finest sounding CD`s you can ever hear.......holy moly !

The Kinks - One For The Road (1980)

The Kinks - One For The Road (1980) SACD

  I remember sitting in my friend's house on Dane St. in North Bay spinning this 2 LP set thinking how awesome Live the Kinks would have been.    I ran out and bought myself a copy of this on vinyl right away and to this day "One For The Road" is one of my favourite live albums of all time.   A timeless classic and a recording of pure energy and power with the band nicely performing songs from all their great albums.   A stirring version of "Celluloid Heroes", a potent opening with "The Hard Way" and the famous Lola teaser.........and of course the necessary hits like "You Really Got Me" and "Till The End of the Day" which sound so alive and vibrant.
  Considering my love for this live album I had to hunt down Konk Records SACD release which brings a whole new level of sound to this gem.
  Absolutely essential live album..............

The Rolling Stones - Through The Past Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2) (1969)

The Rolling Stones - Through The Past Darkly (1969)  SACD

   This was the companion to 1966's BIG HITS vol 1 album and was released to serve 3 purposes originally........1. An Ode to the death of band co-founder Brian Jones (whose epitaph graces the inside cover) 2.  The urgency to get "Honky Tonk Women," then a huge hit single, onto an LP and 3. To fill the year long gap that followed since the release of Beggars Banquet.
  And this album has a lot of different elements from the Stones....a few classics from the Psychedelia....a few classics from the R&B, Rock and even Space/Prog bits.
  And of course one could not speak of this release without noting the superb job ABKCO did on these SACD remasters.   I have never heard the Stones sound so good .

Dungen - 4 (2008)

Dungen - 4 (2008)
  Dungen 4 is the 4th album released by these Swedish Psych-progsters who have released here perhaps their most balanced album.   In contrast to their stunning heavy psyched out masterpiece Tio Bitar this album sees Gistav Ejstes pretty much relegated to the keyboards and vocals.  This album is pretty much a softer more gently intoxicating album than their previous albums....but don't worry they still orbits planet Opium !
  If Dungen were from the US they would be the biggest thing and would dominate the "alternative" and "Indie" charts without question but being from Sweden ans singing in Swedish is sadly a big turnoff for many.  If you are a fan of Space Psych, Garage Psych and the hard rock edge of Led Zep then Dungen will be right down your alley . 

The Rolling Stones - BIG HITS (High Tide & Green Grass) (1966)

The Rolling Stones - BIG HITS (High Tide & Green Grass)    (1966) SACD
  With most of the material on this compilation coming from 1964 and  1965 BIG Hits Vol One is simply on the best stones compilations on a single disc ever!  Hearing these songs in glorious SACD makes them sound as fresh as they did the day they were released.    No real big surprises on this album which houses many of their Big hits other great tunes (that could have been huge hits too).  The Stones were just so prolific back then and rock and roll was still in its infancy that this compilation will take you back.
  Like all the ABKCO SACD releases these have been given a whole new life with truely amazing clean sound and huge instrumental separation.  I am listening to this album again just on this sunday afternoon and think it is just so excellent.  

Chicago - II (1970)

Chicago - II (1970) Rhino Records Remastered

  The early Chicago albums are all great recordings and Chicago II which was simply self-titled is one of my favorites !    With heavy emphasis on the brass section and the unmistakeable vocal harmonies of Peter Cetera, Robert Lamm and Terry Kath Chicago II rocks over this  2 LP set (or long play CD).

John Martyn - Solid Air (1973)

John Martyn - Solid Air, 1973 Deluxe Edition Remaster

  Solid Air was really singer songwriter John Martyn's masterpiece and remains one of the most defining albums of the British folk 70's scene....and for good reason.  This 2 disc remastered set takes a very deep look into this album with the first disc devoted to the original album with a great remastering and the second disc covering 12 previously unreleased out-takes, 3 live tracks and the 7-inch single version of May You Never.
  I find this album haunting and in many ways really reminds me of the music and style of Nick Drake with a timeless folk-space delivery.

Dredg - The Pariah and the Delusion (2009)

Dredg  - The Pariah and the Delusion (2009)

The Pariah and the Delusion was the 4th studio album released by LA's alternative metal prog'sters who just keep getting better album after album.    Dredg have one of the most gifted rock vocalists going today with Gavin Hayes who just has one of the most expressive and powerful vocals I have heard in a long time.   The band that is supporting Hayes are amazing too and IMHO are re-defining art rock in the new millenium.  As with the other Dredg albums the production quality is superb, and the music is highly memorable.   Like most of their work it is a journey and the albums are theme-based with this album taking narrative and inspiration from Salman Rushdie essay called "Imagine There's No Heaven: A Letter to the 6 Billionth Citizen." .   This is a BIG epic album and there is a lot to absorb for sure....every time I hear this album I hear new things and nuisances missed previously.   The track "information" could have very easily made the Top 10 best songs of 2009.   A great album and a great band.