Frank Sinatra - songs for swingin' lovers! (1956)

Frank Sinatra - songs for swingin' lovers!  SACD (mono)

 I grew up listening to Sinatra...and this album was a regular spin in my household.  My mom was a Sinatra- head and this album is indelibly stamped in my mind.  I have only ever heard the stereo mix so i was super excited to hear that Mofi was releasing the mono mix!

  The album is IMHO musically a masterpiece.......and album that needs no introduction or likely further reviews so i will keep this one super short.

  Let me just say that this may be the pinnacle Nelson Riddle : Sinatra album!!!!!

  Once again Shawn Britton got the task to SACD'ize this mono masterpiece and did IMHO a wonderful job.   The music is super clear and powerful at slightly elevated levels with excellent dynamics.  I would not put this in the same league as the Nat King Cole SACD masters from a few years ago, but having said this is still a delicious morsel.     There is excellent speaker distinction on Sinatra's voice in particular and nice deep bass tones throughout.  The orchestra is a bit back behind his voice all the way thru which is very different from the stereo mix.  Fans of the vintage Riddle "booms" and the "baaahs" might be a bit dissapointed in this characterization of the album......especially those used to the stereo mix.   But don't think this SACD is not dynamic cause it certainly is and it is a pure joy to listen to......just a different more relaxed mix than I am used to!

  If you are into this album then this SACD is pretty much an essential pick up..........

Nat King Cole - sings for two in love (1954)

Nat King Cole - sings for two in love 

  If you have been following my BLOG here over the past number of years you will notice my adoration for the music of Nat King Cole.   His voice will always be a big part of my heart and life.   "Sings for two in love"'was one of his early Capitol albums recorded with Nelson Riddle and his fine orchestra.   

    This album is a wonderful album full of soft swing and romantic ballads. If you ever wanted to turn on your dinner guests then this is the album!   Harkening back to the swing crooner era , this album exemplifies why i love Nat so much.... 

Cole's deep velvetty voice and the strings of Riddle will simply transport you into another dimension when you used to wish upon a star!

Al Hirt - Ann-Margret - Beauty and the Beard (1964)

Al Hirt - Ann-Margret - Beauty and the Beard 

   Here is a fantastically fun jazz album with the cheesecake vocals of Ann-Margret.   Al Hirt both sings (or talks really) and plays the horn, while Ann-Margret croons away.  The two sing , talk and play about in constant back and forth style.   Tons o- gaeity and humour on this album with some superb trumpet and lots of great music!

  I own the original German pressing on vinyl (RCA) which sounds absolutely stunning!  Al takes the left channel and Ann-Margret on the right with the band in full support.  This might be one of the best recorded album I have ever heard with huge recognition to recording engineer Al Schmitt and producer Steve Sholes.

  Some of the songs picked are super cheezie but very fitting to the overall scope of the album.  Songs like "Ma (he's making eyes at me) and "Baby its cold outside" will you give you a good insight into the format of the album.

Le Orme - live In Pennsylvania (2005)

Le Orme - live In Pennsylvania

  In 2005 Italian progressive rock band played the NEARfest prog rock festival with all the sites and scenes being lovingly preserved and remastered for those who were not able to witness it live (like me!).

  The first half the show is a cross sampling of songs from a number of classic Le Orme albums with the second devoted to recreated their classic Felona e Sonona.   The first time I heard this live show was on DVD from my pal Jeff who snagged it and played a snippet from Felona. 

 le Orme play a few tracks from what would have been their latest album back in 2005 being "L'infinito".  Complete with sitar, organ, synths, guitars and fantastic drumming this live set will bring you as close to Felona and Senona as humanly possible.

  One of my favourite moments is a track called "la ruota del cielo" with Aldo Tagliapietra playing the sitar to the most beautiful melody!

Ben Webster - Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson (1959)

Ben Webster - Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson, SACD

  Here is a "way too cool" jazz album that is perfect for any occasion or time.  There are tons of these collaborative jazz albums on Verve and Blue Note but none so fine as this one!

  "Meets" combines the inventive and wholesome creative piano of a very young Oscar Peterson and the gentle swooning sax of "gentle Ben Webster".   

  My introduction to this album was when I heard their version of "In The Wee Small Hours" in which Ben Webster emulates thru his sax the spirit of Sinatra.

    Webster's sax is like a jewel....a thing of sheer beauty.  He produces some of the sweetest sounds I have ever heard...almost like he was talking quietly to us as we listen.  Of course you also cant look past the soft ivory touch of Peterson who helps develop the songs all the way thru .  The duo work to perfection without ever sounding like they are competing or trying ton outdo each other.....in fact I think this is one of true great albums to exemplify true jazz creative interraction.  Oscar and Ben play off each other and help develop this soft romantic feeling all the way thru.

  The SACD sound quality is superb!   This is one you have to get !!!   George Marino at Sterling Sound along with Analogue Productions have done an outstanding job in capturing the beauty and tranquility of this album.

The end result is an album of pure beauty and emotion and is told best thru the lens of a SACD player!

Al Stewart - Indian Summer Live (1981)

Al Stewart - Indian Summer Live (2xLP)

  Al Stewart's double live album set taken from his 1981 world tour in LA.  This energetic set captures Stewart performing with a superb band some of his most beloved songs from albums ago.   "Time Passages" , " Year Of Thr Cat", "On The Border"......what else can you say?

   Perhaps the finest live bits are found on the epic track "Nostradamus" which is told over two parts with "World Goes To Riyadh" filling in between.

  

Drive -By Truckers - Alabama Ass Whuppin' (2013)

Drive -By Truckers - Alabama Ass Whuppin' (2x LP)

  I had read that this recording had existed for a long time but in 2013 ATO Records re-released this early live snippet of The Truckers.   Recorded live in Athens and Atlanta Georgia in 1999 with re-mastering by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound NYC in 2013.

This album was recorded in various Georgian clubs during the Pizza Deliverance Tour of 1999 and is nice 'en heavy Southern Rock.  " Lookout Mountain" is just fantastic and totally rocks the house....i can almost see them doing it live right now !!!  This is one of my fav DBT Songs which would not appear on a studio album until 2004's masterpiece "The Dirty South".

ATO Records & Drive-By Truckers have restored the original 1/2' analogue mixes of the album which have been re-mastered with some beautiful new art work in a lovley 2 LP (180g) vinyl set.

  The 1999 lineup was Brad Morgan, Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and Rob Malone.....

I love the vinyl liner notes on the back ...it says "In order to accomodate the proper running time for vinyl mastering, we had to slightly change the sequence from the CD version.  This enabled us to cut the grooves deeper for maximum kickassness.............

  This is a fantastic live album and deserves to be blasted nice and loud on "11"..........

I am soooooo glad they re-released this gem !!!!!!

Mannheim Steamroller - Fresh Aire III (1979)

Mannheim Steamroller - Fresh Aire III 

  When i was a young man i was BIG into the Mannheim Steamroller albums...i loved all of them.  It has been a while since I went back to them but just pulled III off the shelf and have been transported back to 1979 when I first heard the classical electronica of Toccata which was a song I played to death!

   These albums were all recorded and pressed on American Gramaphone and offer superb sound quality which is essential for you to really appreciate Chip Davis!

  Mannheim were a four member quartet who played modern Renaissance jazz and incorporated both vintage and modern instrumentation into their songs.  Pianist Jackson Berkey has that magical touch and makes the most of Davis' compositions.  He also plays a vast array of keyboards including harpsichord, synths, clavichord, rhodes and toy piano.  

  Complete with sound wilderness sound effects you will swear these guys are jamming in the forest to the crickets and the bees! Side one is aply titled "Toccata" while side two is "The Woods Is Alive" making this album one that you need to sit and absorb!

  Simply beautiful music........from the genius of Chip Davis 

Dianne Heatherington - Heatherington Rocks (1980)

Dianne Heatherington - Heatherington Rocks 

  Winnipeg born Canadian rocker Dianne Heatherington lone solo album is an excellent recording!  Dianne had a a great rock voice and reminds you immediately of the band Heart with her pop infused rock sound.   Triumph's Rik Emmett guests on two tracks too adding some excellent guitar bits along the way.

  Highlight for me is her version of The Beatles "Helter Skelter" which has a hard edgy sound to it that works quite well.  Dianne had a powerful yet gritty voice that was just so well suited to the rock scene!  

  As far as I know this album has never been transfered to CD and remains a fairly hidden treasure of Canada's rock past.  

The Maze - Armageddon (1968)

The Maze - Armageddon 

  Quintessential psychedelic album that has been historically one of the holy grails on this genre!  Originally released in 1968 this little psych gem was recorded by San Francisco band The Maze (previously known as Stonehenge) .  Clearly these guys were experimenting with more than just music!!!!!  

  The first two cuts on this album time in around 7 mins each and second epic song "i'm so sad" is just scrumptious and may be one of the defining moments in psych music.

  If you like trippy organ psych then this IS the album for you

...the worlds making me sad......i feel sooooooo bad..............

Donald Byrd - Byrd in flight (1960)

Donald Byrd - Byrd in flight 

  ....you just gotta love Donald Byrd man !!!!!!

  Byrd In Flight may be one of the sweetest of all the Byrd albums with Donald's clear and direct tones marking I suppose a maturity in his work.  Byrd keeps it ever moving and interesting with every minute of every song on this album.   Joining Byrd on this album is Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley, Duke Pearson, Doug Watkins and Lex Humphries.

  The music is very accessible and hugely melodic and just keeps-a-movin'......it is a fun album as well and never gets to hard or wandering and remains fresh and swinging.

 This is one of my most played Byrd albums .......

Electric sandwich - s/t. (1972)

Electric Sandwich

  The  Electric Sandwich  was a rock/fusion band from the city of Bonn who released their only, self-titled album in 1973.   This album opens with one of the great Krautrock tunes of alltime "China" which still is a fan favourite! 

   E-sandwich were a four piece band that fit into the same camp as Germany's CAN with heavy emphasis on "groove with experimentation".

  I think you can use the term HEAVY when describing this dark album but what a great listen...they dont make em like this anymore.

Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - Barafudle (1996)

Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - Barafudle 

Della Gonzalez and Gavin Russom - the days of mars (2005)

Della Gonzalez and Gavin Russom - the days of mars 

  If you are a fan of deep electronic music like perhaps Tangerine Dream's "Rubicon" or Riley's "Persian Surgery Dervishes then this album may be right down your avenue.   The Days of Mars is a addition great to any space music collection.  

  Four epic tracks of deep space exploration with some sounds and instrumentation that will harken you back to the 70's and your saturday late night odysseys orchestrated by Tangerine Dream.

Delia Gonzalez and Gavin Russom have melded together a superb and totally celestial mind numbing trip into the vast regions of the cosmos.  They draw on long excursions and things move along slowly and clearly it is all about the journey and not the climax.  I suspect most out there today wont have the patience to discover this albums true beauty.

The Days On Mars was released by Astral Werks so you know it is going to be interesting.

Espers - III (2009)

Espers - III

  The third and sadly final musical statement from the Espers may be one of the best overall albums that I own in this genre.  On III, the Espers while still maintaining their folk-psych influences ventured into a more alternative indi-rock sphere and in process released a monster album.

  All 3 Espers albums offer new dimensions and are very representative of a band searching for new creative territory in which to explore their musical canvss on.

There are moments on this album where I simply get so into the music that I am not sure I re-emerge...it is just that good.

Espers - II (2006)

Espers - II

  The Espers came and went away all too fast!  I first heard them in a record store...yup imagine that eh !   Espers II was their second full length album (but third release) and may be the best album of the lot IMHO.

 This album is a ten out of ten !  Knockdead gorgeous music that deserves a lot more attention than it has ever received!

  The instruments of this album will tell you what you are in for alone......Martin 6-string guitars, Fender Jazz Bass, Cello, Recorder, Flute, Sleigh Bells, Gongs, Bells, '78 Les Paul Custom, Space Echo,  echoplex, crumar toccata, Univox, Dulcimer, Yamaha 12 string acoustic guitars, Arp Odyssey, Omnichord, Doric Transistor Organ, Bowls, Doumbeck, Dholak and Bongos.....

  Musically this album is heavy folk psych to the core with a huge wall of incence and toothpaste!

  Everything is left to your imagination and nothing is too rushed and given lots of space to develop.  The vocals of Meg Baird are haunting and serene and fit the music to perfection.  Greg Weeks and Brooke Sietinsons support With some superb dual guitar work ebbing and flowing between electric and acoustic.  Both Baird and Weeks sing some fantastic vocal harmonies too.

  On this album the Espers took the three year hiatus to solidify their lineup and sound opting for more psychedelic rock tendencies and a harder edge.

  The overall feel is a mix of early Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd and UK band TREES.

Espers - S/T (2004)

Espers - S/T (2004)

  Circa 2004 The Espers were a trio band with the guitar and delicate voice of Meg Baird, the guitar of Brooke Sietinsons and the guitar, voice and imagination of Greg Weeks. This debut album is a treasure for lovers of folk-psych with this recording leaning more to the soft acoustic side.

  There is a song on this album titled "daughter" that features some fantastic theremin (tone generator) and cello and a song you will never forget.

The Espers have a way of taking a lite folk song and turning it into an acoustically acid drenched one drawing in a host of sounds and atmospheres that just work to prefection.

The whole album will sneak up on you with their haunting sounds and memorable songs.  This is another beautiful album skillfully and carefully assembled as only the Espers can !

I cant say enough good things about this band and only wished they stuck around longer.......

Boards Of Canada - Music Has The Right To Children (1998)

Boards Of Canada - Music Has The Right To Children (2 x LP)

  "Music Has The Right To Children" was my introduction to Scotlands BOC back in 1998 and has remained one of the more played albums in electronica collection.   Written by Michael Sandison and Marcus Eoln this is one of those albums that once you hear you will never stop listening to.

  If you are not familar with BOC then imagine I suppose a mix of Brian Eno and Analog keyboard sounds of Richard Barbieri of Japan/Porcupine Tree.  The Boards use drum machines, samplers, and an unfathomable collection of analog and digital synths to create their musical landscapes. Unlike Eno I am not sure you would say that these guys have invented anything but its how they do things that set them apart from the crowd.  

  This is a concept album based on those carefree days of being a child and actually runs like a film that is sampled to bring us all back to those days.   You must remember that their very name is borrowed from the Canadian National Film Board of Canada which was focused on education thru film.  I do recall very clearly watching worn out film as a youngster produced by the National film Board of Canada and the crazy thing is that they have sampled sounds here to recreate this memory to perfection. This album is complete with narration and sound samples very reminiscent of the countless and always damaged films with its warbled accompanying music due to age, overuse and playback on on poorly maintained equipment.   Growing up I also remember those film board commercials and short films that would fill in any programming gaps with the same lack lustre warbling sound.

  It has been suggested that with this album The Boards of Canada have tapped into our very social conscious and have created a sort of musical transcript or vingnette of our very human soundtrack.

  This is not a meaningless album of low grade electoronica as it may appear on first listen, but instead I argue a very deliberate attempt to play back a part of our lives.

Bröselmaschine - S/T (1971)

Bröselmaschine  (180g Vinyl)

   German psych-folkers "Bröselmaschine" recorded this beautiful little album way back in 1971 .  This album is just loaded with tons of trippy flute, acoustic/ electric guitars, sitar, tabla, congas, the beautiful Mellotron and the superb female vocals of Jenni Schucker.

This 2008 ZYX Music vinyl repressing on 180g vinyl is stunningly remastered and presented as was originally done in a colorful gatefold sleeve.   The music is soft and acoustic and lightly psychy with a bit of an English vibe.  Side one is comprised on four shorter folk songs while side two will be more appreciated by the prog -psych lovers out there.  

   

Cosmic Machine (1970 - 1980)

Cosmic Machine (1970 - 1980)   (2xLP)

  Cosmic Machine is a delicious double 180g vinyl set devoted to recalling the French electronic and Avante-garde genre.   This era was known for being narrated musically by progressive rock musicians and studio whizzes who had discovered another use of the synthesizer.......an ability to fuze Pop, Prog , electornica and yes ready???? Disco....all in one.

You will find otherworldly music and discover new cosmic vistas as you listen to this wild compilation.

Titled "Cosmic Machine: A Voyage Across French Cosmic & Electronic Avantgarde (1970-1980)",
This album already has been on constant rotation in my music room and my kids even love it !

The music is FUN and a tad cheesy I suppose to many but I love the natural organic vibe and trip down memory lane when synths found another universe for mankind.

Cosmic Machine is a compilation of 20 tracks many of which are quite rare and hard to find and was carefully remastered by Uncle O.  Artists on this comp all share one common theme and that was the ability to mix pop and experimental genres to create a mutant variety of electronic music.

This is the era before Stereolab and Boards of Canada and include contributions from Patrick Juvet, Dider Marouani, Space Art, JM Jarre, Cerrone, Serge Gainsbourg the Rockets and more....     

Dillard & Clark - The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark (1969)

Dillard & Clark - The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark

   This album is a "Fantastic Expedition" !

...An album which is a milestone  and a defining moment in the dawn of the country-rock genre !

  After Clark left the Byrds he hooked up with his old bluegrass pal Doug Dillard, Bernie Leadon and Michael Clark and recorded this ground breaking album that lies somewhere in psych-bluegrass vein.  The Dillards had opened gigs for the Byrds in '65 and '66, so the two had known each other for several years. 

  With a mix of traditional forms of bluegrass, country, folk with rock electric instruments, Gene Clark and Doug Dillard wrote and recorded this album and in the process defined a new genre.  The music is alive and rich with solid vocal harmonies, superb banjo and guitar pickin and interplay and great songs.   Gene Clark was an amazing singwriter actually and could write songs almost effortlessly and no question every song on this album is superb.

Mckendree Spring - Too Young To Feel This Old (1976)

Mckendree Spring - Too Young To Feel This Old 

  McKendree Spring were a fantastic band........shades of BREAD and CSNY with great songs and loads of harmony.  This five piece band were all superb musicians 

Erkin Koray - Arap Saçi (1969-1977)

Erkin Koray - Arap Saçi (1969-1977). (2x LP)

  Erkin Koray is known as the father of the Turkish rock scene who only now is really being discovered by the Western world.  

Koray as featured on this double vinyl compilation blends classic oriental Turkish muisc with ethnic and Middle Eastern themes into his psych-driven rock that has made him famous for.  

  If you are not familiar with Erkin's music then think about a Turkish Eric Clapton or a Middle Eastern Steve Hillage !  This is ethnic rock at its finest