Bob Thompson - On The Rocks! (1959)

Bob Thompson - On The Rocks!

   Why not pour yourself a space age cocktail, pull out the 8TRACK and lay back on the shag carpet and dream away to the ultimate bachelor pad album !

  This may be my personal favourite of all Space Age Pop albums ever !  Wow......huge spacious sound, with clever instrumentation not unlike the Enoch Light Persuasive Percussion albums, with great vocal harmonies and a very dated 50's and 60's sound.  This album sounds very dated !   and that is part of the magic for me !
Another very cool part of this album (and the other early Victor albums) is that Bob Thompson blended well known songs along with his own songs on these recordings. 

  

Martin Simpson & Wu Man - Music For The Motherless Child (1996)

Martin Simpson & Wu Man - Music For The Motherless Child  Water Lily Acoustics 1996

    I have picked up a number of the Water Lily label CD's and SACD's since my pal Jeff Ferguson first played the Ry Cooder/U.M. Bhatt's "A Meeting By The River" also on Water Lily Records which I adored.
  On "Music For The Motherless Child" guitarist Martin Simpson teams up with Wu Man to produce an album that deserves your full attention.  This is a wild combination with the picture perfect acoustic guitar of Martin Simpson juxtaposed with the ancient 4 stringed Chinese Lute played by Wu Man .
  Once again like all the Water Lily recordings every little bit of attention sonically to detail is present .....everything from the customer built microphones to the mastering process...even the placement of musician and instruments has been carefully arranged into what they refer to as "The classic Blumlein arrangement".  This album was recorded in a vacant old church which adds to the ambient sonics.
  The first song "One More Day" is a breathtaking was to open the album up.  The album is not loud or rushed in any way and is a very meditative album.
  Huge album and one that I recommend to all lovers of music.........who arent rushed and will take the time to appreciate something other than their regular haunts ! 

Kenny Dorham - Quiet Kenny (1959) XRCD

Kenny Dorham - Quiet Kenny (1959) XRCD

  Smooth.......very smooth relaxed jazz full of soul !   Quiet Kenny is one of the best Sunday morning jazz albums you can play!   This album is very bluesy with a bit of swing in it and carries a highly reflective almost nostalgic feeling throughout.  Kenny is joined by Tom Flannagan (piano), Paul Chambers (bass) and Art Taylor on the drums.

 

The Who - My Generation SACD

The Who - My Generation SACD

  Ok so who hasn't heard the Who's "My Generation"?   This is a pure classic rock album that shows a very young band just starting out and every nuisance is captured here in lovely 96kbts SACD format.  And like the 2 CD deluxe edition there are a ton of extra songs including the single "I can't explain" and Jimmy Page's contributed "Bald Headed Woman".
  Classic rock never sound so good !

Kourosh Yaghmaei - Back From The Brink (1973 - 1979)

Kourosh Yaghmaei - Back From The Brink (1973 - 1979)

 Kourosh Yaghmaei was the godfather of Iranian psychedelic folk-rock and thanks to him for protecting these recordings during a crazy time when the Islamic fundamentalists took control of Iran.  Art like this was not supposed to survive!

Ray Charles - Genuis + Soul = Jazz (1961)

Ray Charles - Genuis + Soul = Jazz (1961) Dunhill Records

  Here is some more sweet Ray Charles sounds!  This time Ray is teamed up with Quincy Jones and his orchestra band and puts most of his focus on the organ vs his vocals.  The end result is a side of Ray that you dont always hear .....his soul and expressions are transferred thru the organ! Ray does sing on 2 tracks and makes a few chirps during others but really this is a mostly instrumental album.
   I picked up Steve Hoffman's mastered version on Dunhill as it offers the best sound this album has ever seen on conventional Redbook CD!

Lara St. John - Vivalsi - The 4 Seasons SACD

Lara St. John - Vivaldi The Four Seasons SACD

  I have always loved Vivaldi's masterpiece the Four Seasons and have heard it from a ton of different artists, conductors and orchestras and must say there is something extra special here.   Lara is a Canadian born violinist who really has a her own interpretation of the Fours Seasons