Tommy Roe - Phantasy (1967)

Tommy Roe - Phantasy (1967)

  In my early grade schools days at E.T. Carmichael Mrs. Rinaldo taught us to dance to a song "Dizzy" and many years later I discovered the other magic of Tommy Roe's Phantasy album.   Its funny how sometimes things connect like the music in this case of Tommy Roe.....who would have ever thought?

  "Phantasy" is a great pop-psych album with a good dose of flower inspired psychedelia and memorable songs.  Roe had a very plain but expressive voice that really fits the paisley-infused  music on this album.  

  The song "Melancholy Mood" is one of the great 60's underground psych tunes IMHO!  

  The whole Album is quite a little trip actually albeit on a 27 mins album.

  Fans of sunshine psychedelic music will need to get this album!

Anathallo - Floating World (2006)

Anathallo - Floating World 

   Anathallo's "Floating World" is a wonderfully expansive album that is full of character and life. This seven-piece ensemble wrote and recorded this creative album as a concept album telling the story of a Japanese ancient fairly tale.   

  Musically Anathallo mix brass with rock instrumentation over which Matt Joynet adds his fragile voice and enriched lyrics which works very well to the muisc.  Musically this band would be kind of a symphonic version of say a mix of The Flaming Lips and The Fleet Foxes.   Sound effects are used throughout the album too to add to their working concepts and ideas.

  A times this album almost plays like a movie soundtrack with some really moving and theatrical-like musical moments.

 This is truely a beautiful album full of rich creativity and interesting song construction that is not to be missed.

Ange - Le Cimetiere des arlequins. (1973)

Ange - Le Cimetiere des arlequins

  Ange were kind of looked at as France's answer to Genesis and ended up gaining huge popularity world-wide back in the day.   They recorded a pile of albums in the '70s and '80s with "le Cimetiere des arlequins" and "Au-Delà du Délire" standing out as their finest albums IMHO.    Ange was led by the dynamic lead  vocalist Christian Desamps with an excellent band including his brother Francis, guitarist Jean-Michel Brezovar, bassist DanielmHas and percussionist Gerard Jelsch.

 On "Le Cimetière des Arlequins" Ange hit the heart of prog rock with the use of a ton of mellotron and recorded a very theatrical album.    The album kicks off with Ange's interpretation of Jacques Brel's "Ces Gens-Là," and never really looks back.     

   The album has some absolutely stunning musical moments and songs that will stick with you.  I have owned this album for a long time now and love it more and more as time goes on.  

The Zombies - Greatest Hits (1964-1968)

The Zombies - Greatest Hits (1964-1968) SACD

   Colin Blunstone had the voice of an angel.....

  The Zombies are one of my favourite bands of alltime and sadly they really only released  a few albums in their short life.   Normally I would not review a greatest hits albums as "an album that you just gotta hear" category, but this one deserves the exception.    

 First off this is just a great collection of 20 Zombies songs...a few that unless you own the Zombies box set you likely have not heard before.  I would have prefered of course a larger representation from "Odyssey and Oracle" but hey.....that may just be me!  But on the other hands I was pleased that  "Just out of reach" was included from the movie soundtrack "bunny lake is missing".  Most of the songs featured on this compilation are from the first LP "Begin Here" which is more in the early Beatles mode and slightly less mature than "Odyssey".  There is even a few B-side cuts which again makes this a nice little compilation for fans of The Zombies.

  This disc was compiled and mastered for SACD by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray......so you know that the sound is going to be good......and that is an understatement!    Hoffman has brought these 20 songs to life with a wide soundscape and depth that I never would never have thought possible.  For example the song "i remember when i loved her" has a full vocal harmony as if Colin was sitting right beside you as he sings along to the vividly clear acoustic guitar work of Paul Atkinson.
  The other great aspect with this SACD is the deep and full bass lines......something I never really heard until I experienced this disc.   

  This disc is a treasure and if you have a SACD player and a fan of 60's rock then you NEED to own this disc...........

Nat King Cole - Where Did Everyone Go? (1963) SACD

Nat King Cole - Where Did Everyone Go? (1963)

  All of the early Nat King Cole albums are superb.....how can you miss ?  The velvety voice of King Cole and the lush and slightly vulnerable orchestration of Gordon Jenkins....

  "Where Did Everyone Go ?" was sadly the third and final album that Jenkins that Cole would record after several simply stunning LP's.   

  "Love Is The Thing " and "The Very Thought Of You" have been a part of the soundtrack to my life and these remastered SACD's are simply essential if you are a fan of these albums.     

Cole was not the progressive vocal engineer of Sinatra, but he just had a way of getting me right there..........his voice is very soothing and comforting and full of feeling.......and always nostalgic......at least it is for me...and there was just something magical about him......

On "Where Did Everyone Go? " Nat King Cole recorded an album in many ways not unlike the vibe on Sinatra 's "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning" with a bluesy yet heart-breaking crooner thing going on.....the album is sad and full of longing...yet alive and full of smokey promise.......

I was so excited to hear Hoffman's mastering of these gems that I ordered every one!

 No question this SACD is as brilliant as the other Nat King Cole releases with deep tones and a clarity and richness you would expect from Steve Hoffman.  Audiophiles will love these SACD's as they really are signature audio quality and I honestly have not heard an album of this era sound quite this good!  

  Simply an essential recording to own if you are a fan !!!!!

Billy Joel - Piano Man (1973)

Billy Joel - Piano Man (1973) SACD

Billy Joel's "Piano Man" is an album that I think just about everyone grew up listening to......or if not then everyone has heard the title track umpteenmillion times!   But the fact is that this album is just so much more than that great piano bar infused mega-hit!

  "Piano Man" is a little bit pop.....a litle bit country.....a little bit folk....and a little bit rock..

  The "Ballad of Billy The Kid" or "Somewhere Along The Line" for example could have been lifted off any of the early Elton John albums with a full fusion of piano, honky tonk'isms, pop , rock and orchestra.

  This is the 2010 Mobile Fidelity SACD version mastered from the original master tapes using their Gain 2 system which has produced some other excellent discs.   I was greatly impressed with Mofi's other Billy Joel's SACD's and this one I feel is equal to them.  This may be the warmest and most balanced recording actaully of all the Mofi's I own.   At higher volumes this disc just keeps its warmth and richness.  At times I can hear things that only a high res recording like this could possibly reveal with as much definition as it does.

   I especially love  the tone and mix of the bass on this recording........nice and definite with deep plunks.....

  My personal favourite song on the album is "Captain Jack" which I think really ends this album on a "high" note.........get it ?

The music is fantastic.....and so is the sound !

Punch Brothers - Who's Feeling Young Now? (2012)

The Punch Brothers - Who's Feeling Young Now?

   "Movement and Location" grabbed me right from the opening few seconds and without a pause this album just took me over!     One of my best friends recommended this album to me and boy-oh-boy am I ever glad I picked this one up!  "Who's Feeling Young Now" is an album that literally made me stop in my tracks ....its just that good!

   The Punch Brothers stars Chris Thile that you may know from the band Nickel Creek who sings and adds some fantastic mandolin and compliments Chris Eldridge's guitar, Paul Kowert's standup bass, Noam Pikelny's twangy banjo and Gabe Witchers's fine fiddling!

  Their combined sound is perhaps best described as progressive bluegrass......really !    They are hard to peg really and play a soulful bluegrass with a soft rock influence and a somewhat alternative demeanor.  Vocally at times they remind me a bit of Scotland's Travis with a slight country alt-rock twang.

  What i think really distinguishes The Punch Brothers is their creative approach to their songs and each song is really unique and yet this remains a pretty cohensive album.  Muscially these 5 guys are amazing and I would highly recommend this album to all music lovers.
  The title tune and "Hundred Dollars" are my favourite song from the album if I had to pick 2......
  Go get this album!!!!!!